#This is both au territory and not- in the sense that these are non canon HOWEVER they will reach these sizes eventually.

[bigs-bigshot]

A xwg sequel to the popsicle series, a popsequel if you will.

[theultimatekamehamehavoc]

Spoilers I suppose though I honestly dunno what this post even is...??? Warning regardless though.

Honestly, the more I stare at Danganronpa 3 anime Makoto, the more I realize why I don't like his design. Besides "Oh shoot! He's even MORE generic now!" and the "Everybody's in suits" thing which I get but it's still boring, it's both the hair and his face. Like, me no likey the short hair but it's also his face. For the short hair reason, like, he looks even more similar to Hajime and all. The egg deserves his own time to shine! No diss to Hajime though! Unless you wanna ;) I dunno. Bully his tie and orange addiction or something.

Regarding this design of Makoto and his face though, there is this He's no longer a baby faced boi anymore! Which again, I get. He's older. He's... wiser??? Definetly more traumatized. DEF that. But also, also I dunno. He still could've kept it. And his short hight. Like, his 5'3 lil self gave him charm! He doesn't have to be closer to Kyoko's hight to still be a boss! Then, moving into headcanon territory, there is this as well. Internally, for me, Makoto gives that energy that he would have a baby face until he dies. Like, he just perpetually looks younger than his actual age. Like, the guy's that type of person who'd be in his 30s, going to a bar and he's STILL have to show his idea cus everyone is still convinced he's 13 and forging documents. Not that he'd... go to a bar? WOULD Makoto go to a bar??? What would he even get? Hmmm... Honeslty though, the image of Makoto getting hard freaking liquor IS a tempting concept. Hmmmm... I digress Take this Makoto who may or may not be an alcoholic

Tldr, think kinda like Chihiro in a sense though I can see Chihiro having it worse cus small peep be small and pocket sized Also, dumb thought. Hiro accusing Makoto of being some immortal deity. Or just, any young looking friend of his. Hiro just rolls that way. Just, constantly pointing at his classmates and accusing them. He'd probably call Kyoko or Byakuya vampires or something. Like, GOODNESS! My gorl Kyoko is WAY paler than I thought! Like, look at that! Got a bit of her eye so it is a BIT more noticeable but the one where it is the easiest to see the difference between the whites of her eye and her skin is the top right which is from Danganronpa the Animation. Kyoko secretly albino??? Potential headcanon???

But, yeah. This random Yasuhiro headcanon can be applied to like, anything. Despair, non-despair, Dangarnonpa S, zombie apocalypse, the bad ending, doesn't matter what au or canon context! I shall say this again. No clue what this post even is but it shall LIVE. Dunno what the take away shall be. Insert moral lesson here! :)

[thelargefrye]

Maybe “trials of fire” for the game pleas and thank you

TRIALS OF FIRE

pairing : avatar!hongjoong x non-bender!f!reader genre : atla au, angst, eventual poly relationship warnings : canon atla violence, yn gets burned / is scared of fire

note : not the official chapter two, but more of a teaser for what is to come!

"i think we should head into the town," hongjoong starts as he points towards the sign on the bulletpost outside the nearby fire nation town.

you and yunho immediately look at each other while san and mingi seems just as energetic as hongjoong.

"i-i don't know about this hongjoong," you say, trying to discourage him from wanting to go into fire nation territory.

"but they're having a fire festival, i might be able to see some actual fire benders in action," he argues back and you open your open to say something, but yeosang butts in.

"i think its a good idea," he says, shocking you and yunho.

"you do?" yunho asks, the surprise evident in this tone just as much as his face.

"yeah, i mean it can give hongjoong the opportunity to see some fire benders like he said," yeosang explains and you feel like this is an argument you won't win. so with a heavy sigh you agree in silence.

you feel a sense of nervousness and dread wash over you as you and the others walked into the fire nation town, disguises on.

mingi takes notice your distress and grabs ahold of one of your bandaged hands, his warmth seeping underneath as he gives you an encouraging squeeze.

the six of you had split up with you being paired with mingi. you had taken notice of how many people were wearing mask and in order to blend in more, you both had gotten one. mingi had a smiling spirit that reminded you of the sun while you had gotten a blue dragon one.

"hey look! there's a large crowd over there!" mingi said before pulling you towards the crowd and you immediately found the others who were also attracted to the crowd.

"and for my next trick i will need a volunteer!" the performer on the stage said. san immediately raised his hand along with hongjoong; however, the performer's eyes settled on you. "how about you, young lady!"

you shook your head in quick successions but the performer wasn't taking a no for an answer, "oh, she's shy! everyone, give her some encouragement!"

the crowd suddenly started to cheer as people from the crowd pushed you towards the stage. everything after that happened in such a whirling fire blur and you felt the dread grow bigger in your stomach as fear began to overtake you.

the next thing you knew is hongjoong jumping on stage and ruining whatever trick the performer was doing.

"hey look! its the avatar!" someone from the crowd shouted earning the attention of several guards. hongjoong moved quickly in scooping you up in his arms and jumping away from the fire nation guards.

"y/n... are you okay?" yunho looks at you concerned as you all managed to escape out of the town with the help of a man.

"i-i'm fine," you say finally feeling like you managed to snap out of your fear induced trance. yunho looks at you like he doesn't believe you, and tries to question you but you all land before he gets the chance.

"that guy is fire nation," yeosang points out after you all land. the man jumping down off of tiny's back while you slide off of moni's with the others.

"i know a man who can teach you how to fire bend," the stranger tells hongjoong as you all walk through the forest. "he use to be a great general, but left. he's the first fire bender to every walk away from the fire nation and live," he continues to explain. he goes to tell you all that the former general's name is chen while his own is jihyun.

"will he really teach me?" hongjoong seems amazed at the idea of learning how to fire bend. like the other two elements are not as important.

"hongjoong... are you sure its a good idea to learn fire bending now? i mean, you haven't even learned water or earth," yunho tries to reason with the avatar, but once again hongjoong doesn't listen. his mind is set on learning how to fire bend now.

when hongjoong goes to talk to chen... or master chen, he comes back saying that the general is going to teach him how to fire bend. you know it must have took some convincing at first from hongjoong's side, but it worked.

the next few days, you witness just how impatient hongjoong truly is. master chen often leaving him alone for hours to just... breathe. you can tell master chen doesn't want to teach him while hongjoong is getting tired of learning how to breathe. it was kind of funny when you think about it.

"here, keep this leaf burning for as long as you can, but make sure it doesn't touch the edges," the fire bender tells the avatar as he hands him a small leaf before having to run off. you stand not to far from hongjoong as he complains once more.

"i'm sure he has his reasons for making you do this," you try to reason, but hongjoong refuses to listen. suddenly, the leaf catches on fire surprising you as you step back away from him.

"wow, do you see this, y/n! i can bend fire!" he shouts as he starts to try and juggle the fire like how the performer did.

"hongjoong! be careful!" you shout as you watch him try to create a fire tornado. you hold your hands up in fear, a startled cry as the fire comes dangerous close to you.

you then let out a painful cry as you feel hongjoong's fire burning through your bandages and making contact with your hands. you drop to the ground clutching your hands close to your chest as you feel tears begin to form in your eyes.

the others quickly arrive, probably having heard your cry. yeosang is the first to reach you as he bends down to try and talk to you, but you feel something take over you as you push him away. tears blurring your eyes and fear running through your veins as you get up and dash off into the forest.

"what did you do?" yunho questions, tone filled with anger as he looks at his travel companion.

"i-i-i i didn't mean too! i thought i had it under control!"

"we had warned you about this, but ignored us! now look what you did, you burned y/n!" yunho hisses before dashing off in an attempt to find you.

hongjoong can't help the guilt that washes over him as he watches the others soon disappear in an attempt to find you. yeosang remains though, a guilty expression painting his face as he looks between hongjoong and where you ran off. finally, yeosang turns and runs after you disappearing into the tree line.

"i told you, you weren't ready to learn fire. it is a dangerous element that cannot be controlled," master chen speaks as he appears behind hongjoong.

"i didn't mean too hurt her," he says.

"what's done is done. you and your group must leave now, or be destroyed!" master chen says before disappearing once and leaving hongjoong by himself.

"i'm so sorry..."

tag list : @invuwrld @frankenstein852 @watamotee33 @kawennote09 @mixling-blog @marahleiwhen @kpopnightingale @harry-the-pottypus @rdiamond2727 @sanniesbum @marvelahsobx @voidcupidz @khjcoo @mysticfire0435 @exfolitae @kangskims @cvpitvno @iwannabemyselfff

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

Oop I seem to have started Conversations- xD

I wanted to add on a comment on declaring BitA my favourite, and it's the admission that I don't read Apocalypse AUs?

Like. Ever?

Or, well, I do *now*, since it does count, but I picked up BitA because of the lil bit that the Apocalypse was just the setting, it's a found fam speed run, and I have no regrets ^w^

(It also has probably my favorite Childe but that's because I'm a chili kinda guy and also very weak for 100% human non-powered competence Childe in AUs and BitA is just. Perfection on that front. Its a close call though- you generally write really good Childe)

actually you are so valid for that, for as much as i love apocalypse stories sometimes i'm like "how gritty / dark / edgy is the author going to make it...?" and simply turn away if it's too much. i feel like i do kinda prefer apocalypse as a setting and not the whole plot, hence babysitting being a found family speedrun instead hahaha

on the chili/zhongchi note, you reminded me of like- something very interesting i've noticed as i continue to stack up wips for those two,, i did mention earlier that sometimes in aus you have to choose whether to completely adhere to canon characterization and somehow find a way to explain it / integrate that within the au (which is sometimes easy), or choose to go for circumstancial character fidelity and stray slightly into ooc territory so the au makes sense (in cases where aus are far removed from canonverse and so, logically, if the characters didn't live through the exact same circumstances, then they wouldn't behave exactly the same).

so while writing those idiots i've come to notice that, in more canonverse-aligned stories or straight up just canonverse, i lean more towards zhongchi; whereas in non-canonverse aligned stories or, in this case, only babysitting since it's essentially a modern universe au (fully, since both are from the same time period, cyanide doesn't count on that front) i tend to lean more towards tartali/chili. even then i generally consider that like- the differences are subtle enough? where you could read it as both? that might just be me, it might just be the fact that i'd argue there's no actual top/bottom dynamic going on since there's no sexy times in any of my fics. but the point is- i think the one who changes the most is zhongli, because if you take off 6000+ years of experience and a whole ass war from his shoulders, no matter how inventive you make his backstory in a fantasyless modern au, you'll struggle to reach the necesary baggage in order to justify making him behave exactly like canonverse zhongli. and when you get a more humnan-like zhongli, and childe can stay mostly the same (he's so much easier to adapt to modern aus), and you keep them at a relatively similar age (you can kinda justify making zhongli more canon aligned if you give him several years over childe, but i'm not that much of a fan of writing the kind of age gap i feel you'd need for that? still, always an option), then you somehow end up tipping the dynamic out of zhongchi terrritory and into tartali/chili, which i find very funny and kinda interesting to think about. like if you put them on a relatively even playing field of life experience, childe definitely ends up being the more forward one of the two, hence it reads more like chili than zhongchi. of course this all mostly has to do with the way i personally write them, but still. afraid you'll only get more noticeably chili-aligned stories from me again if i end up writing another story with a fully human zhongli hahah

[pearlescentpearl]

For the ask game: 5 headcanons for an AU where Fëanor survives the Dagor-nuin-Giliath?

Okay! This ended up being more, uh, general worldbuilding like, but I did my best

Headcanon 1: Supposing Fëanor isn't so badly injured he dies, but still badly injured enough to need being carried away from the balrogs posthaste, Maedhros still takes over as leader while his dad's down and out. I think Morgoth still offers to parley, and that Maedhros still goes. He only needs to convince Fëanor of the merits of the plan to spring the trap, rather than his brothers, and while Fëanor is two parts ha! suck it Eönwë! you said we couldn't contend with him! about it he is one third Hmm Bad Feeling. The Bad Feeling doesn't win.

Headcanon 2: So like, in canon Maglor is the only Fëanorian King Thingol would have ever had diplomatic overtures with (I say this because he explicitly says he's only ever heard of Fëanor, implying he and the Fëanorians didn't try talking to each other until after the Dagor-nuin-Giliath, and since Maedhros got captured directly after his dad's death...) Anyway, the degree to which Thingol does not like Maglor as a king is far outstripped by how much he does not like Fëanor as a king.

Thingol: you can't just come here and set up domains and call yourselves the lords of light!! that's my gig!!

Fëanor: that's nice. unlike you, I don't require help from an Ainu to do all that

Thingol: ...you have none of the parts of Finwë I actually liked

Headcanon 3: Here's an interesting bit I learned from Tolkien Gateway; Hithlum, Ard-Galen/Anfauglith, and Lothlann are not actually considered part of Beleriand proper, they are north of Beleriand, which makes sense because mountain borders. Places like Nevrast, Dorthonion, and Thargelion are ambiguous as to whether they are or not part of Beleriand too. The name Beleriand apparently comes from the southern Balar areas (where the Journey elves congregated before leaving) that was eventually expanded to cover more territory. This both explains why Thingol neglects the Mithrim Sindar (not his people/subjects), and why Maedhros laughs about Thingol granting them lands he doesn't actually govern. This is all to say, so long as the Mithrim Sindar are cool with them moving in -- and the Noldor did save their butts here -- Fëanor finds it laughable that Thingol would ever think Fëanor needs his permission to settle on lands Thingol doesn't actually reign over. This causes yet more diplomatic incidents when later trying to set up the Leaguer.

Headcanon 4: I think with Fëanor still alive there's a chance Fingolfin and co. don't run into orcs when they enter Lammoth. I mean, think about it, after the Dagor-nuin-Giliath shoved the orcs and other Angband forces out of Beleriand, why would there be orcs in Lammoth behind Hithlum? I think they were trying to sneak up the Firth of Drengist to attack the Mithrim camp. It's not like they expected Fingolfin and co. to be there. With Fëanor alive there's a lot less scrambling to shore up the power vacuum, and also I just think Fëanor is a good deal more proactively paranoid than Maglor. If Fëanor can leads his forces through Drengist into Hithlum than why can't his enemy? This means Argon gets to live.

Headcanon 5: Okay, so like... because I read HoME and shit, there's a number of non-published silm details near and dear to my heart through which I form headcanons and worldbuilding. One of these details is the fact Fingolfin and co. were in Mithrim for five years before Fingon threw his hands up and went to rescue Maedhros. That's five years of political shitshow between Fëanor and Fingolfin. Now, under Maglor a number of the Fëanorians repented the shipburning and wanted to apologize, which makes sense to me because it's not like every one of them was involved in the ship burning. Ship stealing? Yes. Ship burning? No. Maedhros is the only of the royal family who refuses to participate but I don't think he's the only of the Fëanorian Faction to disagree. But Fëanor? He is not sorry. He does not want his historically slightly treasonous power-jockeying brother around to stab him in the back, and he won't accept blame for the Helcaraxë when that was Fingolfin's idea to put his people through. The reason the five years bit is important to me is because it shifts Fingon rescuing Maedhros out of the lens of being solely driven by compassion (although it is indeed driven by a great deal of compassion) into an incredibly bonkers yet undeniably savvy political move. With Maglor, it was about getting the only guy left alive with the authority to tell Maglor what to do. (Talk about tattling on Maglor to his older brother, such a cousin move amiright?) With Fëanor, it's about pulling him over a barrel by rescuing not only his son, but returning the Crown Prince who stands up to him for Fingolfin and co.'s sake now supercharged with enough personal gratitude to guarantee he does so. And if Fëanor doesn't agree with this gratitude, well. Sends rather the wrong message doesn't it?

Anyway, these aren't exactly groundbreaking headcanons to have, but then, I've never formulated my own Fëanor Lives AU either, so. It was fun to think about!

[philcoulson-redtapeninja]

📝!

Ahha! Get info dumped!

So I'm working on a Top Gun sentinel au and I'm probably doing wayyyy to much world building! Behold my nonsense!

Ice – Guide – Mav's match in more ways than one – didn’t want to get saddled with a sentinel and be shoved in the RIO seat so chose Slider – mental presence probably feels menthol cold, off putting to most but not to Mav~~~

Mav – Sentinel – mid-level – parents were a s/g bonded pair, mother withered after loosing bondmate - Mav wasn't interested in a s/g partnership until goose talked him around

Goose – Mav's 'temp' guide – probably going to stick to canon and let him die, for the angst, or in a goose lives au head injury that either brakes his collarbone/neck from Hop 31 shatters the link between Goose and Mav and they can’t connect again

[Need a group term, maybe Enhanced?]

Sentinel – 5 heightened senses – can zone on a single sense or senses can go haywire – guides are needed to stabilize the senses, like a compass to true north – Sentinels come online

Guide – Heightened empathic senses – mild touch telepaths - need to draw on a sentinel to strengthen mental shields, like a ship's anchor or a trellis to ivy – Guides awaken

Guardian – multiple heightened senses but not all – generally considered weaker than sentinels – don’t need a guide but guides are helpful for control

Empath - empathically active but not quiet on the level of guides

People are drawn to sentinels and guides for different reasons.

People are instinctively drawn to sentinels and guardians in times of danger; unconsciously looking to the strongest or most senior sentinel for leadership.

People are [empathetically?psychically?] drawn to guides and empaths, generally finding them to be good listeners and generally attractive? idk but look a Blair, he's gettin' it.

Generally, you can’t tell a sentinel or guide from the outside, unless you are also a sentinel or guide, so sentinels and guardians are supposed to wear a black bracer or bracelet with 1-5 colored pips indicated how many heightened senses(like a medical alert bracelet) and guides are supposed to wear pale bracer or bracelet. Its not illegal to not wear it, but its considered good form and important for EMS. Bond statues and type marked as a border on the bracer or bracelet

More likely to find sentinels in service(would more top gun level pilots/rio be s/g pairs?). Traditionally, guides follow their sentinel into service branches or jobs

Sentinel-Guide Centers - most towns have one, some cities have more than one - volunteer staffed both by sentinels and guides and normal people living in the territory - have isolation rooms for both enhanced senses and empathic burn out

Territories – higher level sentinels tend to have regions that are considered 'their territory' - this also happens when a sentinel has stayed in an area for a long period of time – Sentinels declare an area as their territory with the city/county and their regional Sentinel-Guide Center – any sentinels or guardians moving into the territory are required to send notice – guides tend to send notice too, but its mostly out of being polite

Tribes - Sentinels and Guides living or working in the same area for more than a year generally form tribes or prides(both terms are used) - generally led by the strongest and/or most senior pair [called the Alphas?] - tends to have a pecking order. {Viper is tribe leader at Miramar and Jack O'Neil is the reluctant pride leader at the SGC}

Doggy politics - when you get a bunch of Sentinels together they tend to squabbling until they sort out a pecking order - sometimes its little contests or wrestling, sometimes is physical fights - traditionalists believe that needs to be a firm hierarchy generally settled by brute strength - bad tribe leaders are known to be very aggressive when setting themselves at the top of the hierarchy and encourage in-fighting - there isn't actually a word for the squabbling, non-sentinels tend to look down on it and some sentinels aren't terribly keen on it either – the squabbles are more endemic to civilian tribes as military or police prides already have ranks

Types of bonds

Temporary: not actually a bond, more an empathic impression that helps Guides work with Sentinels and vice-versa, like a well traveled path

Emergency: one sided bonds made in times of emergency, generally with one party being not fully conscious, separation of the two parties involved with cause the bond to dissolve

probably some tba

Full: permanent bond that can't be dissolved or broken except through death, the Guide imprints psychically and works the Sentinel into their mental barriers and the Sentinel imprints the Guide into their senses, psychic link can pass impressions back and forth, generally death of one leads to the withering and eventual death of the other

[merryfortune]

drop me in the water, washing me down

August 13th: Hurt/Comfort | Bathing Together | Mafia/Detective AU

Title: drop me in the water, washing me down

Ship: Raindropshipping | Aqua/Miyu

Series: Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains

Rating: T

Word Count: 1,497

Tags: Post-Canon, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Scars, Non-Sexual Nudity, Kissing

   Steam wafted upwards in delicate curls and the water below was warm. Miyu smiled a small smile as she sank her foot into the bathtub, hesitant at first but immediately charmed by the perfect temperature of her bath and so went the rest of her. Water welled up around her, a wave splashed over the edge of the bathtub as she got comfortable in the depths of it.

   “Aah, perfect.” Miyu said, smacking her lips together.

   She turned her head slightly, she felt weighed down by the towel twisted into her hair to protect it from getting wet and felt it wobble. She looked over towards Aqua who sat perfectly prim in her Duel Disc which was nestled in her discarded clothing.

   Despite being the Water Ignis, Aqua was still an electronic creature and so was hesitant around the real thing.

   “Are you sure you don’t want to join me?” Miyu asked. “The water’s great.” She kicked her foot and purposefully splashed the floor, not caring if the bathmat got too soggy.

   “I’m sure.” Aqua murmured.

   “Oh, okay then…” Miyu replied, visibly dejected.

   Things were… awkward between them. Or maybe just new. After all, here they were, kind of chatting in the bathroom and Aqua had no problem with Miyu being naked around her but other than that, it was awkward. And new.

   Aqua had only recently resurrected after all. Her reappearance had been a hard won by the efforts spearheaded by Playmaker but Aoi assisted also. She felt it was her sacred duty to allow Miyu and Aqua to meet again so she put in the most effort out of everyone in Playmaker’s faction to facilitate Aqua’s return.

   Aqua, getting no say in the matter, felt conflicted. She had died. Now she lived again and that was bittersweet, she was still getting used to it but was, from the bottom of her soul, overjoyed to have been brought face to face with Miyu liked she had dreamed for as long as the Incident. She loved and cherished Aoi, of course, and thanked her tremendously but at her Origin’s side was her rightful place.

   As fraught as it was due to the Sugisaki family politics in the background. Her parents had divorced, her Mother refused to believe a thing like artificial intelligence could exist and let alone be the reason Miyu had been kidnapped as a child. Thus, she was smuggled around like contraband between the two households and even within the sphere of the Zaizen affairs.

   Even so, Aqua wouldn’t have it any other way if it meant she could be close to Miyu but since life was so precious and so fragile, she was worried - waiting - for that bubble to pop. Miyu was too carefree, perhaps. This brought them to friction which pervaded what might have otherwise been a smooth transition if… if many things hadn’t happened.

   Like the arc of Ignis warfare, for example, but what was done was done and they should both be thankful for a fresh start as it was nothing less than a miracle for them to have one.

   Still, there was a distance between them. Ice which had yet to break. They both sensed it even if they wanted to pretend it wasn’t there.

   Miyu played with the meniscus of the bathwater, humming to herself. She glanced at Aqua again, vying for attention.

   “I… I kind of want my back scrubbed.” Miyu said. “Can you help with that?”

   “It would be my pleasure, Miyu.” Aqua replied.

   Miyu smiled again. Thank goodness. Things weren’t fully ice cold between them but even so, Miyu could feel how Aqua looked her over. She knew she didn’t have a typical body. Most girls - no, most people - didn’t have quite so many scars.

   Miyu didn’t mind. She got stared at. A lot. But it came with the territory. She was a competitive swimmer and people didn’t really expect for someone like that to have a body laced with criss-crossing electrical scarring. She got questions from time to time but she point blankly refused to answer them. How could she? Even so, she just let the weird stares and invasive questions roll off her like, well, water off a duck’s back.

   But Aqua’s gaze on her.

   It was different.

   Sadder.

   More understanding.

   Aqua drew in closer to Miyu, transforming from her tiny self akin to a fairy and into more of a monster. She situated herself on the edge of the tub and Miyu made more room for her, offered her back to her and tried to be helpful by getting a loofah but Aqua was quicker. She had six arms though, in this form, so she clearly had an unfair advantage in that department.

   “Tell me if I’m being too rough.” Aqua said.

   “Don’t worry. I hate it when people are too gentle anyway.” Miyu assured her.

   “I see.” Aqua replied.

   She proceeded to oblige Miyu’s request. She dabbed the loofah in the water first and then soaked it in soap. The smell of it - cherry blossoms and vanilla - was heady in the tiny bathroom, it rose above the steam and clouded their senses.

   Aqua then put all her strength into scrubbing Miyu’s back, every inch of her would be spick and span by the time that Aqua was done with her but that gave Aqua plenty of time to think. To ruminate. To acquaint herself with just how scarred Miyu truly was.

   She tried to focus on other things, like the task at hand. Or even how Miyu’s skin was soft where it was unmarred or how the vertebra of her spine jutted out. That she even had a couple moles or freckles here and there but it was her scars that Aqua could not help but fixate on.

   All of the Incident victims had these scars but still. Aqua was harrowed deeply by seeing them, especially upon her Miyu.

   The electrical scarring criss-crossed all over her, the shapes of the scars were thin and flowing, long since healed but what remained was an expansive pattern. Aqua rubbed hard over them with the loofah, it scrunched and fluttered held tightly in the spool of her paddle-cupped tentacles.

   “Aah, yeah, that’s the good stuff.” Miyu complimented Aqua’s technique.

   “I’m glad.” Aqua quietly replied.

   Her tone of voice chilled the bathroom. It was so small but the heaters in the ceiling were whirling, the water was the perfect temperature and yet. Aqua spoiled it. Miyu shivered as Aqua continued to bore into her with the loofah.

   Aqua’s tentacles had quite a bit of force behind them. Aqua was always so earnest in demeanour and it showed, especially when she winced as she went over the ridges of Miyu’s scars and slowed.

   “Y-You can stop now, if you like.” Miyu said, awkwardly.

   “If that’s alright with you.” Aqua bowed her head.

   She wrung out the loofah behind Miyu. Miyu tilted her head forward and felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as she was misted with water turned cold and the soapy seconds of her body wash. Aqua, of course, did her best not to douse Miyu like this but accidents happened.

   As did thoughtless gestures.

   Aqua placed the loofah on the ceramic inlay on the far side of the bathtub. Her other tentacles, not in intended use, drifted and curled, even ghosted along Miyu’s shoulders. They touched her. Softly, gently, demurely, and left an impression of melancholy upon her skin, like a dew, or so Miyu felt.

   It was all she could feel emanate off Aqua through the whole of her pampering. Aqua did her best to conceal it but she was honest to a fault: she was worried about Miyu’s scars. 

   The moment lingered. Aqua’s tentacle continued to rest on her shoulder and Aqua did not move it even though Aqua had finished her tasks, thus confirming Miyu’s intuition.

   “You don’t have to feel sorry about it, you know…” Miyu whispered, assuringly. She reached over and placed her hand atop Aqua’s tentacle that rested upon her shoulder. “It’s not like you did this to me personally.”

   “Yes, but I- my existence, it was facilitated by your pain.” Aqua pointed out, breaking her own heart as she did so.

   Miyu hummed as she shook her head, she coaxed Aqua closer. Aqua obliged once more. She twisted and curled around, slunk past Miyu’s body and the rubbery sensation of Aqua’s skin against her tickled her. It took some graceful manoeuvring but in the end, Aqua placed herself atop Miyu’s body but Aqua’s synthetic one floated in the water. Miyu had to hold her so she wouldn’t bob up and down on the water.

   “I love me just the way I am and you should too.” Miyu told her.

   She nuzzled Aqua’s face, kissing her gently with her ever present, trademark smile.

   “Trust me, Miyu,” Aqua replied, her voice cracked, “I love you just the way you are, I always have and always will.”

[chaoxfix]

Obsessed with your most recent fic! The way you write Sonic is just-- 👨‍🍳😘, and I'm foaming at the mouth at every mention of Robotnik being taken seriously... Do you have any personal HCs about Eggman, or ideas about how far his conquest will go in the future?

Ahh thank you!! I'm really glad you enjoyed it, this prompt week was really great for letting me explore a lot of the human v mobian v eggman empire lore thoughts i have! (and i have a LOT of those thoughts <3)

i guess, as much as we make fun of forces (and as much as it truly, genuinely deserves the mockery), forces does showcase a lot of what would happen if eggman successfully, fully took over. it shows green hill being taken over, as well as other areas, and how deforestation and destruction of the environment are tantamount to the eggman empire. and it shows how quickly he could do it without sonic, with the resources he's built up over the years. if he didn't have to spend all of his resources fighting one single goddamn blue rodent, he would've taken over the world many times over by this point. hence, six months. (i acknowledge this because even though i love my lore idea that eggman used sonic as a battery while in captivity, i also acknowledge it's just an au, a juicy what-if, and there's no canon support for it.)

i think he has plans to colonize space, and to basically enslave humanity wherever his empire intersects with humans... i don't think he's overly fond of humans, they just sort of exist to be ruled over in his mind. meanwhile, imo there's so much bad blood between him and mobians (or, non-human people in general, to group mobians and wisps together) that he just kind of wants to destroy them if they don't immediately bend a knee. early on though, my headcanon is that he generally treated mobians and humans the same. he wants control, and for people to basically worship the ground he walks on. (which is why IDW starline both fascinates and confuses me, as this is indeed someone who worships the ground he walks on, yet eggman is annoyed with him. but also it shows me that he doesn't care much for mobians regardless of their loyalty, if they have any sense of personhood or ambition beyond salivating over him).

i also think eggman's big on destroying nature purely because it can't be controlled. mobians without a real connection to nature would be easier to subdue, hence why in my opinion, he would have first tried to assimilate mobian cities into prioritizing technology over nature -- giving them convenience, having them take on human attributes like wearing clothes, eating fast food over growing your own gardens, etc. i think there are groups of mobians who grew up in and live in cities who are super comfortable using those sorts of things and would use manufactured items over handcrafted -- i headcanon these to be characters like charmy, rouge, and vector. meanwhile mobians who were born in non-human territories like islands would still interact with technology, but on a more infrequent-basis, and there would be more of a sense of harmony between making your own items and using what's already there, as well as prioritizing nature. that's what i headcanon for tails and amy, and to some extent sonic (though i headcanon his island was full of outdated, abandoned technology and settlements, but that's a theory for another day). and then there are some who are just truly born in the middle of nowhere and have little interest in modern tech (knuckles and big -- and imo, sonic has some crossover with this category too).

eggman would use the first two categories (but especially the first) to make them easier to control. who wants to fight against convenience, especially if you've been raised without knowing how to make things by hand? and if you're destroying the environment, you're depleting the resources needed to ever switch back to old, traditional methods. thus making groups dependent on you forever. there are very real case studies on this irl, which feel cheap to utilize here by name, but it's impossible not to think of them in these situations.

it's also my longstanding headcanon that humans aren't even native to mobius (and call it earth as a awy to further cement it as theirs), but instead arrived a few hundred, maybe a thousand years ago -- they simply terraformed it and took over the continents. eggman would have been raised with that mindset, that this is their home and they took it by force and there's no sense in the locals fighting back.

i ALSO would like to talk about the robotnik legacy. gerald robotnik, ivo (eggman) robotnik's grandfather, was a famous inventor for many things, but what he was best known for was revolutionizing the world of first aid. he canonly invented heal units, which maria references as his most famous/best invention in shadow the hedgehog (2005). heal units can heal any wound, albeit not disease. an invention like that is ... extremely powerful. it must have given him a fortune -- which doubtless would have been passed down to his kids and grandkids. like eggman and maria.

the difference is maria grew up sick without a cure, and it was luck and her grandfather's connections that let her live on the ARK where it was safe. she wouldn't have grown up spoiled; there just wasn't the same access to prestige and fun activities aboard the ark. she grew up with hospital gowns more than designer clothes. she grew up caring about others, because she knew how important it was to go out of your way for those dependent on you -- she was in the position to be cared for, and she knew very well not every girl with an autoimmune disease would be as lucky as she was. she grew up practicing gratitude, and being resilient enough to fight through constant testing and sickness, and still had a good heart. she was also primarily raised by gerald aboard the ark; gerald, who we can assume was at least slightly more of a self-made man. he wouldn't have raised her the way his kids would have raised her, spoiled from a silver spoon in her mouth from day 1. he raised her in a science lab. a pragmatic man who demonstrated love to the point of invention.

eggman, though. eggman would have grown up with all of that wealth, with parents who probably showed love through gifts, not hard work, not invention. designer clothes, power, the access to bully other kids. he would have grown up extremely spoiled -- and extremely bright. he had the robotnik brain, and the funds ("a small loan of a million dollars" if you will) to his inventions with a bang. between his own patents and the robotnik fortune, eggman was in a perfect position to take over the world. first with convenient inventions (ignore how they spy on you and destroy the environment, thus making you dependent on them forever) -- then with buying it outright. and those that resisted, by force.

it's also worth noting that he'd have access to heal units in his early inventions; he used small animals as living batteries. i wonder if some of his technology was healing them just enough to keep them functional for longer? (and, i wonder, if thats a concept i can steal for battery sonic au...)

all this in mind, the only thing slowing him down was a means to power his inventions. to power his empire. living batteries worked for a bit, up until people started fighting back, and destroying his other power sources. that's what led him to desire the chaos emeralds -- as well as, imo, his grandfather's research into chaos energy. all his research into old gods. but unlike gerald, eggman grew up spoiled and then became the most powerful man in the world -- why wouldn't he think himself a god, why wouldn't they fascinate him? why shouldn't he use technology so advanced that ancient civilizations saw it as magic? and unlike gerald, he didn't seek this technology for its healing or restorative purposes (after all -- chao live forever in a perpetual reincarnation, doubtless gerald was interested in this as a man of scientific health-related breakthroughs), but to simply power his designs.

frontiers also showed us eggman is interested in digital consciousness in tech -- which is very scary for a man who already has conquered much of the world. if he could get into people's minds, or encase those who disagree with him into a digital torment dimension... what would he do with it? we've already seen research on the phantom ruby... so to go from the phantom ruby, then ancients' tech... this is clearly a man interested in extreme power, yes, but also interdimensional conquest, or at least imprisoning people who fight against him in pocket dimensions, separate from reality, where they will never be able to escape and defeat him. (though obviously he started researching these things based on their connection to chaos and the chaos emeralds, but the comments he makes on the ancients' technology set off a lot of red flags for me.)

eggman is a man of many interests; he clearly has an affinity for living batteries and AI (all his robots tend to have a personality and the means for intellectual/emotional growth). but im seeing a trend recently of him being quite invested in extradimensional travel and conquest, too.

...this is rambly and quite long. hopefully you enjoy it, i've just got a lot of feelings about eggman

[soartfullydone]

and because i now HAVE to: riven and bastion

We are entering slight AU, non-canon compliant territory because it's the only way the twist with Riven is possible, but as long as we have fun, right?

Bastion should be focusing on the Silver, on Duane and Sette getting where they need to go, of ensuring Lady Ilganyag's plan is carried out. And he is! But he just can't get that Sharte rogue out of his mind.

Because a glamour, a true glamour, shouldn't exist, should be impossible, and yet there she was, wearing one as easily as you please. Did she know? Surely, she must know! But then, why hasn't anyone moved on this? Taken advantage of it for military use or espionage? Where is the money, and why hasn't Jeb Beadman either claimed the pymaric innovation for himself or prevented its existence if he can't?

Bastion needs answers, and he needs to study that Sharte like a bug. If he could crack the spellwork, he'd never require another patron again, could fund his every ambition and flight of fancy. He can't quite believe she herself was capable of such a feat of spellery. Aside from standing out in Sharteshane with her pink hair like a pimple on an arse, he sensed nothing remotely special about her. Could that be it? How much can a true glamour mask from all sight?

When Bastion confronts Riven, he expects her to deny everything, to deflect, to attack him. He's ready for every possibility except for what he receives: her utter cluelessness. When he demands after her real appearance, she argues that she's always looked like herself and that must've smoked too much purple weed. He plucks a pink hair from her head, shows her it's turned white, and wants to wring her neck when she rolls her eyes and calls him blind. "My hair's just light, ya arse!"

As much as that conversation goes nowhere, Riven eventually probes her da about it like "listen to this chucklesome lipflap," only her da doesn't laugh. He tells her she is glamoured and some horror-show experiment from her Copper mother and long-dead Plat father. That it was all he could do for her biological father to get her out of there and have them both live as expats. But it shouldn't change anything. She's more a Sharte now than she is whatever Aldish mutant they tried to make her—even if he cannot say how long she has to live.

Riven can't get out of there fast enough. She doesn't know what any of this news means. Alderode is supposed to be a bad story that doesn't quite feel real, not her origin. Coppers, Plats, what does any of that shite even mean? She's in a subsidiary of the Frummagem gang; if and when she dies, it'll be with a dagger in hand and another in her back.

By the time she returns, resolved, everything has changed. Nary's left, and the power vacuum he's left behind has ripped through the ranks. Bodie's emerged as the new gang leader, and Riven's da, her adoptive da, is dead. And she didn't even do what was expected of her, taking him out herself, wasn't there to defend the family. She's unfit to lead it.

(And she realizes that she wouldn't have wanted to kill him, but to protect him—the way she should've protected Sette while betailed girl was here, but she hadn't been brave enough or strong enough to do it.)

Bastion's job to coax her towards Alderode becomes easy. He can help her discover who her father was, if her mother still lives. Together, they can uncover the secrets of her existence and whether she is doomed to early aging and death or a longevity that leads to madness (or something new in between). If Riven hurries, she may also be able to help Sette and make up for her mistakes.

Not that Bastion intends to let her reach Sette. The route he gives her leads along a very different path.

He has Timofey monitor Riven's progress while he's busy and checks in on her when he's not. It's never too early to begin theorizing and experimenting with her glamour and what pymary is behind it, and Lady Ilganyag doesn't interfere.

Riven doesn't trust Bastion, but he's all she has while she's mourning the life and future she once had. He can answer questions about Alderode that she never believed she would need to ask. There is also an intense intimacy he brings to his examinations and treatments of her that she isn't used to. Isn't something like this supposed to be clinical and painful? Sometimes it's the latter, but Bastion is well practiced in drawing pleasure out of pain.

Bastion is also obsessive when it comes to all things pymary, particularly when it involves something he doesn't understand. The endless questions pile up. (Does the Dammakhert recognize her, or is she like a Soud? Will she react to the Etalarche curse? Could the secret behind her glamour help stop the transfer of the Weeping Plague? How is it done? What is it? What is she?) And it becomes all too easy for Riven to feel that Bastion's obsession with her condition translates to an obsession for her. The lines blur and blur.

Because of course Bastion's poking and proding becomes flirtatious and sexual. He can't not around a warm body and a pretty face, and Riven is a fun blend of prickly and easily flustered and so endearingly, foolishly brave. It's heady to find a Sharte that is capable of being corruptible outside of lawbreaking. (And maybe Bastion is darkly bitter that a Sharte criminal still possesses nobility and idealism with more clarity and ease than he does. Part of him wants to test and taint that with some darkness while another part of him is helplessly drawn to it all the same.)

The closer she gets to Bastion, the more curious about him she gets. Why does he always look like shite? (She's worried.) What, exactly, does he do for the Black Tongues? (Nothing. They're having creative differences at the moment.) Who is Tittybird? ("A nosy old bitch and the love of my life.") There are times he spills his guts and times he's elusive, but Riven can't seem to breach past his wall in either case. Increasingly, she is determined to do so. What's real in there? Now they're both like obsessive med students, studying each other like bugs.

So if this push-and-pull, give-and-take dance they're doing is what gets her to Alderode faster, where his equipment and the real fun work can begin, all the better.

I'm also enjoying the thought of Riven doing what she does with every person she wides up liking on any level, and that's acquire stuff for them that reminds her of them or that she thinks they'll like. It's her love language. I imagine Bastion will be amused by this (especially if she acknowledges Tirnasday), but he'll quickly get over it once she starts leaving too much random shit in his already disgusting hideaway lol

[intothetlkverse]

Decided to challenge myself by drawing every single TLK character out there, up until this point in time, and post it here. You can see the finished project on my main account, though I figured to post it on my tumblr just show I could proudly show off my work and a few of my head canons.

Here's part one of all the non-raptor birds across TLK:

Starting off we have the lilac-breasted rollers: Jicho(eye), her siblings Angaza(observant) and Mtazamo(sight), and mum Kuona(sight) from TLK2. Kuona is a single mother, trying to raise her chicks after their father died due to a flying performance gone wrong which cost him his life. She's been very stressed, raising her three as a single parent made even more difficult by the fact that her youngest Jicho was a daddy's girl and has inherited her father's fearless, adventurous, and sacractic side in contrast to her mother's more meek, strict, and restricting caution. This causes a growing rift between them that only grows worse over time as Kuona has gotten mor overprotective and stressed with raising them and Jicho especially wants to break free. In this verse, right after we see Jicho get back in the nest after getting caught attempting flying solo, this ends up being the breaking point for her, and she ends up flying away over to her paternal aunt Onyeka's nest to stay there. Onyeka agrees, still keeping in touch with Jicho's mother behind her back in order to reassure and keep her up to date. Both are mad at each other at first, but over time they begin to miss each other and realize how each of them were wrong, eventually culminating in a theoretical episode where Zazu, Kiara, and the rest of the guard help push Jicho to reconnect with her mother and siblings, and we get a lovely reunion and emotional moment, full of forgiveness, tears, and recognizing that Kuona is aware of her daughters' achievements and is extremely proud of her daughter.

Next we have Jicho's aunt Onyeka(look-Nyanja) and purple heron crane Nguli(heron) who are two unnamed characters from the Disney Villains Scar comics issue 4 and are part of Zazu's network of scouts and reporters, with Jicho being Zazu's eventually successor as Kiara's majordomo in both the main timeline and in my TLG AU. Kaguzi(inspection) is the Jungle Inspector stork from "Zazu's Off-by-One Day". One of Zuzu's lackeys during her time as majordomo, Zazu was often placed under Kaguzi's watch to make sure he learned about proper accounting for, monitoring, and numbering, something Zazu disliked at first, but would grow to appreciate. He also did also introduce Zazu to Baka, a Blesmol/African mole rat, who would later become one of his greatest allies as majordomo, acting as the underground information network. Kaguzi is extremely district and often unpleasant, but he does show some compassion and even a wry sense of humor once a relationship is established. Kaguzi did later retire soon after Zuzu did, though kept in touch with Zazu, occasionally teasing him about whether he was thorough or 'off one'. Here he's an African woolly-necked Stork, since I felt it best matched his original appearance.

So my theory is that Zazu, while publicly known as the official majordomo, the king's right hand man, advisor, and informant of everything going on in the Pridelands, is not the only one. The Pridelands us a massive territory with multitudes of animals, each with their own specific beliefs, personalities, problems, and lives, to say nothing about those outside their borders like enemies and allies. One bird isn't enough to help keep track of information and daily goings-ons, and due to this the majordomo has always been the head of a team of informants. The head majordomo, like Zazu, is the publicly-made official ones, the one everyone sees, knows, and can reach out in order to pass information along to the king. However not everybody is a fan of this, and they aren't always the most shy about voicing their displeasure about an eye-in-the-sky who shares everyone's mistakes, secrets, and personal opinions to the king, especially if those opinions are negative. Now the ruler should be respectful of every opinion, good or bad, however there have been problems in the past where issues have gone unsaid and unfixed because species have been keeling quiet around the ruler and his majordomo, yet still expecting something to be done. Additionally, some animals have mentioned displeasure towards their leaders, even suggesting that perhaps a different member might be more suitable. Free speech and personal views and values fine, but coops, blackmail, assassination plans, etc. are not. So what's the majordomo to do?

Assemble a group of animals to absolute secrecy to be wary of information and directly report to them. Mostly birds, though some other, typically small, animals to pick up any worrying info to be passed along. From concerns about how upcoming seasons will affect their families to beef with neighbors impact territory disputes to learning about plans for challenging leadership or supporting opposition. Some like Onyeka and Nguli are more known as part of Zazu's posse, others like Baka the blesmol or Kuchimba the golden mole are only known to the rulers and majordomo, and are sworn to secrecy and loyalty. Of course such positions do come with some benefits. As majordomo, responsible for knowing all the places and areas with the best resources or staying informed about upcoming events, like changing up the fields for different herbivores, is a pretty good thinking to know and share to those working to maintain this land. Nguli and are some of such informants serving under the majordomo, typically acting as the eyes and ears in or around the Watering holes. Since Watering holes are typically some of the few places where everyone congregate without fear of being hunted, it often makes this the best place for census taking and hearing gossip. Nguli is Kaguzi's personal successor, being in charge of keeping an eye on the Pridelands numbers while also being in one of the main hubs for conversation. Onyeka and several other birds, including Binti the tickbird, are found more in the plains and among the herds, hanging out next to the herds in their natural habitats and hearing them talk among themselves, sometimes directly beside, or on them in Binti's case.

Figured I'd group the villains/semi-antagonists together; Toucan Dan, Little Jimmy, Woodpecker, and Pilfer, and in that order. Starting off, there are no toucans in Africa, and the closes relatives to toucans are barbets and woodpeckers, so Toucan Dan/Danso(reliable) here from "I Don't Bolivia" is now a bearded barbet, though still an impersonating criminal that tried to frame Timon and Pumbaa for his crimes. Next is the little bluebird Little Jimmy/Jimi(supplanter), from "Nest Best Thing" and "Jailhouse Shock", now a greater blue-eared starling here. I imagine here he would use his good looks as a means of distraction while he steals your food, while Danso is the brains, suave in speech, yet manipulative in nature.

And going back to speaking of woodpeckers, voiced by the late great voice of Iago himself, Gilbert Gottfried, we have the woodpecker/Mbao(wood) from "Mozam-Beaked", made into a geographically appropriate African grey woodpecker. Obnoxious and loud, he can still be charming and intriguing, when he's not being the former. Additionally the said can be said for Pilfer/Ifser(useful-African) from "The Shiny Stones", now an African red-bellied parrot instead of the Amazonian-native scarlet macaw. A bird that tried to steal shiny stones from an equally interested Timon, they redeemed themself by dropping the stones on an attacking cape dog's head to save Timon's life before directing him to where he could find more shiny stones.

Next before we get into the list of present, but not really characters, we finish up with two more comic birds and one from the Timon and Pumbaa show. First are the pelicans. beginning with Zachary/Zakai(innocent-Arabic) the great white pelican from "Rainmakers". Not the most brightest feather in a cap, he believed that Pumbaa's burps could make it rain... and that's it... not much to say else... the more I look at him the more I think that pelicans are geese with extended beaks with throat-pouches. Also there are some pelicans shown filling up Tanglemane's pond with fish, so I decided to use one of them here. Their name is Stara(stars) and their Zakai's mom.

Next is Rooster/Hua(crow) from "Animal Barn", now a Cape francolin/red-necked francolin. I chose this species since it's one of the closest species to chickens, and it very loud and vocal too. Last we have one of Tojo's bird Unyoya(feather) the African blue flycatcher. Figured since they are featured in a comic, might as well add them here. Most of Tojo's birds survived and went on to start their own lives, but Unyoya here and one if her siblings stayed behind and now act as scouts/messengers for the pride, with Tojo acting as the translator. I like to think birds also have their own languages, and only some certain ones like hornbills, ostriches, and owls can understand both and translate.

So when I made this list, it did seem a bit small. Don't get me wrong, splitting a list into half is still a lot of characters, but I felt like I hadn't really captured the scope of TLK's feathery characters. Then I remembered this webpage which lists all the birds we see in TLK, from the opening "Circle of Life" to the reprise at the end, listing all these species which did most of the identifying process for me. Since I already expended enough braincells for this page, I'm just gonna give each of these species a brief excerpt and assign them a name.

First we have African paradise flycatcher: Mjumbe(messenger). Since they gave an artistic liberty on the original design, I gave him a proper navy head and subdued crest here.

Double-toothed barbet: Ukusa(scratch). Another barbet, this time with less popping facial feathers, yellow eyeliner, and a distinct beak. Emerald Spotted Dove: Mwanga(light). Really do have those glinting green feather spots and they are really pretty.

Marabou storks: Mzima(whole/healthy). Despite looking plucked, wrinkly and sickly, Mzima is perfectly normal and healthy for her species, and still young as well. However due to her species' appearance, like vultures, they are considered ill omens if they gather around you, so she is mostly avoided, aside from her flamingo husband. A stunning bachelor in his flock and the focus of many devoted, lovestruck suitors, it was a shock to both his flock and everyone else when he returned home, stork in close range, preening and cooing about his new wife. Disgusted, he was cast out from his flock, told he could only return back if he dumped his bald spouse and married a proper pretty pink preppy flamingo. He has stayed loyal however, and while the seasons away from his flock have been tough, having a doted, loving, and strong-willed stork wife if something he would never give up. Mzima herself is aware of how others perceive her and has grown accustomed to being called ugly or repulsive, though she has enough confidence and common sense not to take it hard, plus she adores her pink husband. She and him find solace in each other and the mixed species couples meetings set up by Timon and Pumbaa, They'll will eventually come across an orphaned chick, I'm thinking ostrich, and raise them as their own. Also, though she's plain here, I imagine she likes to wear several molted feathers on her, most being her husband's, featured here.

Vulturine guinea fowl: Bakari(hopeful/promising). A guy with a natural resting b-face, he actually is pretty amiable and reliable.

Trumpeter hornbill: Spika(speaker). I debated doing the same design trend with Zazu by giving him a red beak, though I was convinced in the end to make him look more realistic.

Fischer's lovebird: Kẹkọ(learn/educate). Technically looks more like a sun conure or jandaya parakeet, which are both South American species. I know the beak alone suggests a parrot, and the most yellowest/orange one I could fine was the Fischer's lovebird, so there you go. Alternatively I did consider orange weaver.

Malachite kingfisher: Kimu(sprout). Interestingly the second malachite kingfisher I've ever made.

Golden palm weaver: Baya(weaver bird)

Feri(fern) is a Livingstone's turaco. Though the website suggests Malachite sunbird, which is basically the African version of hummingbirds, and the thin long tail and eye markings would definitely agree with this, those guys are very small, plus the bird in the scene has a beak more reminiscent of a turaco.

Nekta(nectar) is another weird birds. The website says Swallow-tailed bee-eater, though a European bee-eater is more fitting of the teal colors, however the beak and other markings don't really suggest bee-eater at all. I'm just gonna take this as the illustrators having artistic liberty, though I'm at least making them look more bee-eater like.

Yellow-billed storks: Kreni(crane). I think the original bird actually is an egret, though I'm trying to go for birds I haven't done already, so big white crane fills this niche well. Plus they also were a species in TLG that I forgot to add into that sheet, so there you go here.

Lastly we have two more birds. The first is a more mythical bird; Che Mlanda from the Rafiki Remembers story "How the Birds got their Colours". The story goes that at the dawn of time, all the birds were white and wanted to be colorful, so they begged the god Mulungu to make them colorful. Agreeing to it, he approached them and told them to line up before him so he will give them each different, unique, colorful designs. However the pesky bird Che Mlanda was impatient and kept flitting to the front of the line and hounding Mulungu to paint him next, depsite Mulungu telling him to wait his turn. Finally, fed up, Mulungu grabbed Che Mlanda, painted him drab brown before releasing him and finishing with the others. To this day, Che Mlanda can be heard flitting about the skies, calling out, "Paint me next!"

Now I'm not sure what kind of bird Che Mlanda is, and even searching around for other versions of the story proved to be rather fruitless, aside from learning that Mulungu is apparently a common name for the creator deity in a number of Bantu languages and cultures in East and Central Africa. I will do gods/religion in the TLK world at some point, but for now, given that the prefix 'che-' or 'chi-' in many African names tend to reference 'God' in some aspect, I've decided to make Che Mlanda Mulungu's personal majordomo and occasional harpy-esque punisher with their grating, incessant voice, an eternally punishment for their impatience and harassment. For their design, since the only thing I can base them off of is the story's description and watercolor painting, I gave them a sort of common myna/pied starling design, though all dull brown of course. I'm also deciding to give them a bit of Iris the Greek goddess of rainbows and a messenger for the gods inspo, as they say that when Mulungu sends Che Mlanda down to earth or back to relay messages, they come via a rainbow, the remainder of Mulungu's paints that he used for the birds and what he would've given Che Mlanda had he been patient, just to rub salt in the wound more.

Also, since it just seemed fitting, I included the Porkeswanees from the T&P Show's episode "The Big No Sleep". I imagine they're kinda the TLK/G's version of the phrase 'when pigs fly', instead now 'when the porkswanees migrate above', as a way of saying that something will never happen. Some folks say that if you do see one, please stop eating the overripened marula fruits. Other says they were one of the very first-draft creatures made by the gods, shortly after their invention of hallucinogenic plants some say, some say they are some of Che Mlanda's co-messengers, or even predecessors before Mulungu decided upon a more 'normal' animal to deliver messages'. Whatever they are and whether or not they're actually real, everyone agrees that the idea of swan-warthogs is certainly not the most... put-together creature for lack of better words. Anyways, this was my first draft for the character and I felt it fitting to keep it that way... poor guy... wonder what they'd taste like though?

[reflective-muses]

SHIPPING INFO. Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

What’s your OTP for your Muse(s)?

I have some clear favorites, but I'm open to new ships, too! I've been in a chokehold with Haikaveh and Ratiorine for while, I enjoy the dynamics and complexities of their relationships--both from a non-romantic and romantic sense. I enjoy Cynonari and have been dabbling in some Mozeqiu. Reigisa was a big one for me from Free! many, many years ago.

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

First, what I'm not willing to write: underage and non-con. If I write these, it's for character development, and written in a character's past. If an RP led to non-con, for whatever reason that is pre-discussed, it'd fade to black. I'm cool with n/sf/w, but I do draw the line at that.

In general, I'm willing to write a lot of different things when it comes to shipping. I do love some of the cliché tropes of childhood friends to lovers, friends to loves, enemies to lovers, etc. I'm perfectly fine with adult themes (both dark and n/sf/w).

Give me angst, give me hurt/comfort, give me conflict, give me tooth-rotting fluff, silly misunderstandings, steamy moments of passion. I love the 'getting together' part the most I think when it comes to ships. The 'will they or won't they', the uncertainties of the characters involved, the fear of unrequited feelings, of changing or ruining an already good friendship. I love that mind racing, heart thumping, sweating palms, shaking hands... breaking down the walls of someone who has been through trauma, learning how to navigate the world together. Idk man, there's so much.

If you're ever curious if I'll write something, just ask! :3

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

If both are consenting adults, I don't have too much of an issue with age gaps. It can be an interesting thing to play around with depending on the ship. Obviously, with fantasy characters that can live thousands of years, a 1200 year old with a 25 year old isn't that odd to me.

Are you selective when shipping?

I can be. I try to play my characters as canon compliant and try not to delve too far into OOC territory unless it's silly lil crack RPs. AU's are different, and while there's more room for some canon divergence, I still try to keep the character's personality, interests, flaws, etc all the same. Come characters are harder to ship with and might require more discussion or minor plotting, but I'm always open to do that.

In general, I'm pretty open to discussing relationships and dynamics. I do have my own preferences, as do the muses I have. Most of my muses are men and while most I could see as being bi with a male preference, there are a couple that are strictly homosexual and shipping with a lady isn't going to happen. Friendship is always open, though!

As far as exclusivity, I don't have any exclusives. I feel I haven't been around long enough to consider exclusives for any of my muses. If there comes a time when I do, I'll make note of it, but I tend to not limit myself to exclusivity. Perhaps it's from experiences in my past and not wanting to make anyone feel left out like I used to be, Idk?

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

If hands are wandering below the belt and it's clear that things are going to progress further I'll tag it as such. I do have a 'cw: suggestive' tag for things I would deem as steamy, but not necessarily E rated.

I'm okay writing such stuff here on tumblr, but I'm also fine relegating it to Discord if a writing partner prefers. I've been in the RP community a long time, smut is nothing new to me and I enjoy writing it.

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

So, I have my favorites, of course. Having just returning to the RP community within the past year, I haven't really had a chance to explore other ships with my muses than my OTPs. I'm certainly not against it! Sometimes there's chemistry between two characters you'd never think there would be, and that can be fun.

Feel free to ask me! I'd be down to talk about potential ships that are outside my OTPs.

Does one have to ask to ship with you?

I do prefer it, unless it's clear we're both down to ship that ship. Even then, I don't typically auto-ship two characters in an established relationship. Like I've mentioned, I enjoy the build up to that point. I'm okay with characters already harboring some feelings, but maybe not yet acting on them.

A few of my OTPs tend to have the feeling of 'do not separate' based on their friendships, intertwined histories, in-series/game interactions and content, etc. But I still prefer a lead up to anything established. uwu

How often do you like to ship?

My favorite thing to write is romance. I love shipping, I always have. While I do tend to primarily write ships, I also really love other relationship dynamics. So please don't let that stop you from having platonic friendships or familial bonds with my muses.

Are you multiship?

Yep! All ships are in their own separate universe, there's no infidelity going on here.

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

I do love my ships a lot, and consume a lot of media of them (fan art, fanfics, etc), but I have other interests outside of them. I want my muses to build bonds with characters that aren't a ship, as well.

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

Being a multi-muse, I'm in a few fandoms, haha.

For Genshin, it's definitely Haikaveh. I've loved their dynamic from the start--in a world full of fantasy and magic, they're just two regular guys whose lives are intertwined.

For HSR, it'd gotta be Ratiorine. Their dynamic is really interesting and it's clear there's a connection there that's more than just business partners. There's this mutual respect for each other, even if it's never spoken much to one another. They're both complex characters. I'm so intrigued by how their relationship may change as the game continues on.

As for other previous fandoms, I loved Reigisa in Free!, Victuuri in Yuri!!! On Ice, Kagehina in Haikyuu!!, and others I know I can't remember. YoI and Haikyuu aren't muses on here more bc I don't have a confident grasp on them.

Finally, how does one ship with you?

Ask me! I'd prefer you be straightforward with it because I am a bit anxious sometimes to do so. If it's listed on my 'shipping' section of my rules, or I've reblogged stuff with a ship, I'm usually always down! I don't bite, I promise!

I'm usually always open to discussing ships, whether they are OTPs of mine or not.

I like to talk to my ship partners ooc, too. Anything from just chatting, to talking about plots, headcanons, character analyses, lore, etc. I will admit, my own insecurities tend to tell me people don't actually like me when we don't interact here and there. It's something I'm still working on. uwu;

Tagged by: @delusionaid, @captivemuses

Tagging: @pantachorei/@soliloquics, @badrcputation, @protectivemuses, and anyone who would like to fill this lovely questionnaire out!

[skyward-floored]

hi! its post canon anon! i apologise in advance because this is very long. im sorry i havent written it out before and didnt realise how much knowledge were ingrained into it •｡ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡

so in my au, volga is essentially lord over a bunch of tiny little rock dudes, like the ones in botw, who reside deep in eldin caves. he uses his like dragon magic, or whatever, to regulate temperatures and keep his little dudes safe and happy. this is in addition to the canon fact that the lizalfos and dinalfos are both servants to volga. in my mind the reptiles are more like nobles, in that they are expected to take up roles of leadership and are more combat focused, whereas the rock dudes, who are notably not gorons btw. i never managed to wrap my head around what the native gorons were doing jn HWDE haha. the rock dudes just have their own little peaceful society and do things like glassmaking, and ballet. you might be asking yourself, that is a whole lot of non human things, how on earth would this produce the dragon knight of bloodthirst? that is a great question!

Essentially, I see HWDE as coming after oot and tp and acting as an event that largely reconciled the three timelines. because of this the similarities between volga’s helmet and volvagia’s skull are significant! essentially in my brain death mountain is a prt of a mountain range because i think thats funny, and there was a little cult on a neighbouring mountain who wanted to essentially combine a baby with volvagia’s skull to harness the power of the dragon and take over death mountain for their lair. they succeeded and raised the child in the image of a knight, thinking he would serve them well. this backfired on account of them being mean and not upholding the chivalrous ideals they accidentally imbued the kid with and the kid ran away, though not without a resulting fight that saw the full on awakening of the dragon form and an accidental fireball. this made volga distrust hylians as a rule and go seek out the cool dudes in death mountain he had heard about. he arrived to find them in disarray, the lizalfos and dinalfos engaged in petty co flict over territory and power, the little rock dudes sad because the reptiles kept trashing their workshops and homes in their battles. volga, as a like 6 year old, cane through and beat them up, lectured them, installed a not-quite-feudal system, with as much oversight as a six year old could wrangle and proceeded to then go on week long trips gathering resources for the rock dudes and training combat with the strange magical echoes that lurk in the periphery of death mountain, and maintaining order when he returned. this went on for a number of years, his people grew to respect him.

then we hit canon! cia corrupts him and frames his enlisting as both fighting against the hylians who wish to enslave his people and training his skills further to be able to better defend them as he fights stronger people. then when zelda brings him to his senses, he asks of his rock people, his non-combatants, zelda has no idea what he is talking about and he assumes that his negligence got them all killed as she talks of the recent instability of death mountain with passages blocked off and multiple cave ins. he sees this as a personal failing and demands a final battle as a way to repent and to punish himself. he screams something concerning and link or more likely proxi, realises what is really going on and they manage to restrain or otherwise incapacitate him. they then toss him in the dungeon for the rest of the war.

post war, the reptiles return to death mountain and while some return to their pre-volga conflict, others have grown to truly care for their little rock guys and uphold the values volga instilled them with (very simplistic morals of: be nice, share things and ask for permission before doing things) and so they rise to organise reclamation efforts and try to rebuild the society, and while a lot of the little rock dudes were tragically killed or injured, many survive (lots of magical warfare is not good for a mountain build on magic) and they flock to the kinda reptiles. there are issues regarding the damage war did to the reptiles, the guilt and trauma of it, the losses and injury, but it is largely resolved by the fact that many witnessed volga’s last battle and saw his guilt and care and so band together as a community, passing on his ideals and what not. (as you can tell i grew very invested in this silly little society)

back in castle town, volga is depressed, guilty and dismayed at the fact that the young girl who delivers his meals really hates him beard. when the war finally ends, impa visits and questions him, he, again only asks after his rock people, and without his stupid eye makeup impa realises that, like zelda and link, she is inly in his early 20s (he shapeshifted himself the beard to mimic a drawing of a knight). she tells him she does not know, he clams up, she eventually gives up and leaves for the day. this repeats for about a week until she asks for who she can send to check on his rock people. and link gets sent to see if they are okay. link, of course gets captured, but the reptiles dont notice proxi who befriends the rock dudes and convinces them to help link escape. he does and informs volga that his people are rebuilding, sees the guilt in his eyes and volunteers to escort volga back, to ensure he doesnt attack any civilians on his return journey, of course. no other reason.

the trip takes them a few weeks because they are both injured and tired from war and link wants to see all the towns and how they are doing on the way. volga realises that link cares for his people but also is lost as he has no direct way to help them now that the kingdom is at peace and realises that his reptiles must feel much the same. they had that war he prepared them for. and it sucked. they reach death mountain and are greeted by a group of baby rock dudes who snuck out when they sensed him near (the younger ones are more attuned to magic because they havent quite cooled yet) and present the two with a right diaspora of poorly made gifts. volga loses any pretense of being cold and aloof and starts to cry happily as he greets them. link falls for him right then and there, then they just. you know. fall in love in fleeting moments as they arrange further liason between the different kingdoms and link basically becomes a magic scholar, integrating it into the daily life of his people to aid them and understanding its history. also yes, he is the one who hides all the easter egg references to other games that you find in botw. there is more detail and hardship in the end game but this is already an EXTREMELY long post and for that i am sorry.

Wow yeah that’s a lot, you obviously put a lot of thought into it! Fun thing with the little rock guys and lizards. I have a headache so sorry this isn’t a better response but sounds like you had fun thinking of all this!

[thetentaclecommander]

For fic ask game: 12, 16, 21

12. What type of conflict does the fic/au rely on? (man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. self, etc) I’d say it relies on a bunch of them as it’s a very long AU: -The conflict of nature vs nurture both in the case of how the NE-Ts were raised and the conflict of Sia (their child) in having both 'elements' waring with her and if that makes her more or less of a human (I’d even add a third in dealing with Jill but that’s going into spoiler territory). -What is intimacy and how does a. a human healthily ask for this from a non-human (and is it sane or healthy to try) and b. how does a monster even grasp such a concept? -The human/monster information boundary that causes things to go sideways such as the concept of consent and intimacy. -‘Is a tool just a tool?’ Is a question asked a lot. -The concept of agency and power thematically in general seen across all relationships throughout the AU. 16. What's a scene you are dreading or had difficulty writing? There was a scene where Nemesis had her trapped in a dilapidated abandoned apartment complex. He is clearly not well and has up to that point done massively upsetting things because Jill had after discovering things up and walked from him. He had declared to himself that she wanted him to chase her down, that she wanted him to be the beast he was in RC and was being too kind previously, so does so by worming into her mind to lure her away with him. But Jill having high will breaks from the mental delusion.

This scene was hard in that I wanted it so he isn’t just being cruel for cruel’s sake but that he is confused, spiraling hard while still believing his delusion that he didn’t take her agency away. He genuinely believes that he gave Jill what she wanted and is at a loss in what to do to have her happy again. He is 'talking' over her thoughts which range from upset to scared to losing her sense of self and trying to resist his siren lure of things being ‘warm safe and protected’. This was on top of writing her thoughts in shifting from memory to broken memory to asking if her emotions towards him and if her reality is even real. A lot of formatting and their thoughts blending together was done to give the scene this confused, desperate, and jumbled unsettling vibe. It’s a pretty fine line in general in writing this monster where he's arrogant yet vulnerable and has shades of human but very inhuman with orange/grey morality going on with him but even more when you are as the reader to feel a mixed bag of emotions towards him. 21. What about your fic/AU would you like to stick with your audience after the the story? I want readers to walk away with the experience of getting deep into the heads of these two, of why they made the choices they did in this what-if, and maybe also walk away a bit unsettled (also filling in a few plot holes in the canon game like there is so little Nemmy lore lol). I want my audience to go ‘well that was a ride’ and even think a bit on what it means to fight and what is power in the RE universe. (refers to this ask game post)

[tanoraqui]

FOR THE RECORD:

Maglor - could legitimately work as a happy(ish) marriage. Like with her canon beaus (and the whole House of Finwë tbh), she’s attracted to his unstoppable dedication to his pursuits, and vice versa; as well as (like Maedhros) Oath-bound Maglor sees Celechwes’s innate sense of freedom and wants to share in it. For practical politics, she accurately IDs him as the sanest of the more insane half of the Noldor high command, and wants to lock that down. And goodness knows that of all the official Siege-line territories, she’d be happiest as Lady of Lothlann Fields! In this au, Celechwes most likely dies in Dagor Bragollach—not because she couldn’t outrun the dragons but because she kept circling back to get others to safety.

Celegorm - drunken, hopeful sex at Mereth Aderthad (the Feast of Reuniting). She admits to him that she and another Falathrin scout, since slain, followed the orcs north and watched the Battle-under-Stars from a tree on a distant hill, and spent the whole journey back to the shore debating whether he and Huan were both Maiar, or neither was. Ultimately, this knowledge makes Celegorm worse.

Caranthir - it just couldn’t happen, I’m sorry. They get along, but only for mutually satisfactorily short periods of time—a few days at most. Caranthir is very much an indoors cat, and Celechwes is very much not. That said: best team for going undercover as a fake-married couple in some sort of superhero au shenanigans; also surprisingly good bridge partners. They vibe! They just have 0 interests or preferences in common.

Curufin - Nonconsensual fake dating is the ONLY option.

"--plus one - oh, there he is!" Curufin's perfectly nice day at the Expo for Villainous Inventors and Lobbyists was interrupted by the sound and sight of a short blond woman darting away from a security guard and directly into his personal space. He recognized her, more or less, a split second before she wrapped her arms around him - Maedhros's new pet meta inspector, or at least, he was wooing her or something. He'd started to ask Curufin's R&D staff about things like "energy efficiency" and "green waste" which he clearly only understood as a politician, and Curufin suspected she was the reason. She hugged him far too intimately, and went on tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "Play along or I'll tell Phoenix about your third secret laboratory in Cambodia."

Amras - in the fic!canon timeline where Amrod dies at Losgar, could actually work, albeit decidedly non-romantic marriage. She accurately identifies him as the loosest of all these loose ballistae and decides to tie that down—and she does, because Celechwes and her love for Beleriand can give Amras a purpose for All Of This that’s been missing since Amrod died, a purpose beyond the damn Oath; and he cares a great deal, about everything, and that’s good enough for her. They are feral forest creatures together.

Amrod - turning once again to the superhero au…though, actually, I was going to say “sex pollen threesome with Ambarussa” and that could probably happen in a canon-ish timeline where Amrod survives Losgar, too. The twins are more well-adjusted in such a timeline, snd so can have non-angsty antics like this, and the Laegrim down in their territory have some wild herbs…

Turgon - late Third Age sex party hosted by Finrod. Celechwes's attempts to explain that he has many of the superficial best traits of both Fingon and Maedhros fall on Fingon covering his ears and loudly saying, "LA LA LA!"

Aredhel - HORSE GIRL BESTIES ON THE LOOSE. In an au where Aredhel doesn’t go to Gondolin, a hundred years or so into the Fingon/Celechwes/Maedhros mutual unrequited pining mess, Aredhel says, “This is ridiculous, Finno. If you aren’t going to get off your ass and seduce her, I will.” A few days later she joins Celechwes on her courier route and just…stays. Comes and goes, of course—she has her own duties, as a princess. But also, basically takes up courier duties for a few months/years just to hang out with Celechwes, because they really DO get along great! Tender but feral woods sex—not committed marriage, but not necessarily pre-meditating to make sure their souls don’t stay a little bound for a few days/weeks/months after, either! (Fingon is weeping into a pillow while listening to elf!Mitski; Maedhros is Totally Fine like always, and going out on extra patrols to kill orcs with extra violence.)

They're cutting through Nan Elmoth, or maybe actually delivering mail there, when they meet Eol together and stay the night at his hall. Aredhel is making eyes at him just as hard as he's making them at her, so she waves Celechwes off and promises to catch up later, and Celechwes agrees with a laugh. A year or three later, however, she still hasn't seen Aredhel again and now has anyone else, so - while reassuring Aredhel's family that she'd fine and just cheerfully fucking around in the wilderness somewhere! - she goes back to check in. She cannot get in. The forest of Nan Elmoth is even darker and more twisted than usual. Thrice, the trees turn Celechwes back, until she accepts the banishment and - the vibes being Not Good and the politics being potentially worse - goes to find her fourth cousin twice removed who serves with the Marchwardens, to ask for help. Unfortunately, meanwhile, Fingon has...taken the reassurances to heart, mostly, but also he wants to see his sister, and this apparent new serious suitor! So he takes a break from a diplomatic ride along the Siege-line to duck down south and also check in on Aredhel...and he also gets twice turned around and shoved out by the dark trees and twisting paths. However, he is Fingon, so the third time, he draws his sword as he plunges back in, and makes a little better headway hacking and slashing...but not much. He shouts that if he is not permitted to see his sister, he will come back with a flamethrower - at which point the forest starts actively trying to kill him, rather than just shove him out. He makes it out alive, of course, because he's Fingon. He returns no more than a week later with 20 or so soldiers from Himring + Maedhros himself, (basically a walking flamethrower). Fortunately(?), Celechwes arrives no long after with a small group of Marchwardens... Eol may or may not survive. His house DOES get burned down. Aredhel and baby Maeglin go home with Fingon, though she's a little indignant at first because from her pov the red flags had only been, like, dark orange so far.

Argon - late Second Age, shortly after Celechwes's re-embodiment, he invites her to dinner as a sister-in-law and asks her for stories of Beleriand, because he's still a little desperate to know all of what he missed. She gets drunk and weepy while telling him, and kisses him because he looks like Fingon, and for just a split second he kisses back, also pretending. Then they both pull back and apologize. Celechwes cries harder because she misses her land, Argon puts her to bed in his guest room, and she leaves in the morning without speaking to him. They never speak of it again. This might be actual fic!canon.

Finrod - threesome with Finrod and Amarië, a couple hundred years after Celechwes's re-embodiment. Possibly foursome with Elenwë also. Listen, Elenwë was already halfway to being a third in their marriage, has been since the early Second Age - she's Amarië's best friend, she's the wife of Finrod's best friend/brother who is still dead, they're more than happy to do fill some of the void in her heart until Turgon returns, and one thing Finrod definitely picked up from Men is an appreciation for casual sex. So! Here is another sister-in-law, albeit less close, but even more wounded-in-heart and needing of solace and welcome in this land that is strange for her... This really probably did happen in fic!canon.

Angrod - I haven't actually given much thought to the middle Arafinwëans...sorry, boys...also, he's married... Let's say later Third Age sex party hosted by Finrod & Amarië for him, too. And Edhellos, obviously.

Aegnor - a second solid candidate for drunken, hopeful hookup at the Mereth Aderthad. Never gonna happen after he meets Andreth, though, even if some descendant of Elros does, while passing through Mandos, convince him to return to life. He's a one-woman elf, and now she's gone.

Galadriel - Celechwes happened to be in Doriath for the party for Lúthien's [mumble]-hundredth's begetting day. Melian blessed the wine herself, with a certain amount of enchantment. This IS canon, however, neither Celechwes, Galadriel, nor anyone but Melian remembers that several-nights clearly.

I’m nearing 6,969 followers and my friend suggested (when it happens) I celebrate by taking crackship prompts, and my brain immediately began rotating Celechwes through the entire third generation of the House of Finwë one by one, wondering how each would work. So that’s where I am, tonight.

[sallertiafabrica]

Sal’s Art Den

Salutations! I’m Salenna, a fox artist passionate about storytelling, drawing, prose, music, and several other forms of art. You can find most of my art in #Sal Draws (older stuff, from before I started doing digital art, is tagged as “sketchbook”) and my writing in #my writing. I’m also Salenna on Ao3.

While Ladybug Classic is my most active special interest atm, I’m also into Hollow Knight, Psychonauts, Undertale/Deltarune, and some of d20’s campaigns, and may post about them (or whatever else I get into) occasionally.

I’m not a minor, and while I don’t post anything NSFW here (there’s still the occasional suggestive joke, tho), I have more than one work that touches on heavy topics and I don’t tend to filter out language.

My felinette fanfics and others are organized under the cut:

Completed works:

Trickster - Fox!Félix AU - Tag: #Trickster AU - First installment for my main project (read: favorite child), an AU that starts off with the usual post-chameleon salt-fic setup (with some spins on it), but it’s completely non-canon compliant with rewrites and rearrangements on the lore and timeline as well as several characters’ overhaul. Felinette slow burn with focus on developing other friendships too. Superhero, family, and school drama. Link to the whole series.

As Marinette, she already lost. As Ladybug, she couldn’t afford to lose. So when a Trickster offered a hand in exchange for the foxtail pendant he already took, she couldn’t afford to lose it.

Symphony of Lights - Completed - Childhood Friends AU - Tag: #SoL AU - A short romantic fic focusing on Félix’s and Marinette’s reconnection during adulthood after years separated. Features some pre 3d Miraculous concepts and lots of indulgence with my autistic Félix and ADHD Marinette headcanons. The series also features oneshots that take place either in their childhood (pre-Symphony of Lights) or their adulthood (post-Symphony of Lights).

The Festival of Lights is soaring in the streets of Paris and Félix is enjoying it in a quiet corner of a café when a familiar face walks in.

On-going works:

City of Fools - Fox!Félix AU - Tag: #City of Fools - A direct sequel to Trickster, and while the 1st fic had already stepped out of canon compliance and into fanon territory by the end of it, this sequel is gonna dive way further into the AU-ness of it all, from the Miraculous lore to the introduction of some concept characters (at the moment, only one is for certain, but who knows). If that isn’t for you, feel free to ignore this and treat Trickster as a self-contained story (which it is! I just felt like exploring more of the AU in other fics).

“In a city governed by fools, it’s not through the conventional and orderly that you’ll come out on top.”

———

After defeating Hawkmoth and saying goodbye to her teammates for the summer break, Marinette moves with her newly divorced maman to a new place in Canal Saint-Martin. There, Sabine hopes to start anew with her daughter and the four magical beings they brought along.

Of course, things don’t stay calm for long. Especially once new and old foes start popping up.

Good thing a certain fox decides to come back to Paris prematurely.

Double Major in Psyche - Butterfly Hero AU - Tag: #Psyche-nauts - A Psychonauts-inspired AU where the Butterfly can enter people’s minds to help them with their problems (magical or otherwise). Technically a college AU as well, as both Félix and Marinette are in university. Deals with themes regarding mental health—mainly depression and trauma—but the overall tone is mostly lighthearted.

Paris has been dealing with wishes being granted and heroes sprouting left and right for a good while now. And under all this tumultuous, a small butterfly has been jumping from mind to mind, helping everyone he can with their mental demons.

Marinette was one of these people, and after her own wish manifested itself in the form of a mouse, she decided to help him in return. It might just give her the sense of purpose she’s lacking.

Félix Can’t Communicate - Komi-san AU - Tag: #Komi Felix AU - The collective brainrot first spawned by @/kronehaze resulted in the creation of this series. Mostly felinette fluff based around Komi-san eps, but I also want to try some different storylines; featuring: Human kwamis as the school’s workers.

Although he has tons of admirers in Kwomi Shouka École, due to his severe social anxiety, Félix struggles to communicate with others and form meaningful connections, so he just stopped bothering. But it seems like the new student was able to stop and listen.

Stray Cats - Runaway Brothers AU - Tag: #Stray Cats - Marinette and Félix are young adults while Adrien is Félix’s baby brother. A strangers to friends to lovers with brotherly love and found family story; it also turned out to have some superhero action with pre-3d concepts for the powers and a Butterfly Mafia from chap 4 onwards idmdkdidmd.

On a rainy night, customers ventured into Marinette’s shop and interrupt her while she was writing her essay—that she was totally going to finish if those stray cats hadn’t stormed in.

Oneshot Series:

Sal’s Felinette Oneshots - All felinette, all AU, might be connected to something or each other; ranging from fluff, to humor, to angst, to hurt/comfort, to mixes of those; from G to T; established relationship, pre-relationship, more gen than romance, etc; around 500 words drabbles to oneshots past the 1k wordcount. Take your pick!

Between Tricks and Treats - Fox!Félix AU - Where I post oneshots that takes place in the Trickster AU. They might have spoilers for Trickster (the first fic), or need context from it, so I suggest reading it before coming here.

Rewritten Stories and Rearranged Songs - Fav & Mads AU - Tag: #Faverolle & Madamouselle - A series where I organize the oneshots I wrote for @/arcadeology’s Rooster!Felix and Mouse!Marinette AU. Featuring a completely (in-universe) rewrite of the magic system, Baby Brie as Marinette’s little sister, and much, much, more you can find in her blog.

In the year 2231, 200 years after the original series, Nou Paris witnesses a resurgence of magical activity when the Bee miraculous is awoken and starts causing chaos- their beautiful, green city slowly turning into one polluted by smog and black magic, as monsters born from the pollution rampages through Nou Paris’ streets.

(Summary snippet taken from the AU’s reference doc).

Other works:

Sal’s SebSab Stuff - There’s not much in here (yet) but God knows I’ll need this series, lol.

(Not) the Same (Old) Em - A post-canon fix-it The Promised Neverland AU with a different take on Amnesiac!Emma and the human world. First two oneshots are about Em’s two years with Alex and the fic Echoes is where the “post-canon fix-it of sorts” really begins.

Goblin Cacophony - AU for Dimension 20’s A Court of Fey and Flowers where I take Brennan’s tidbit about Hob being originally three smaller goblins fused together and go through with it. Because I can and WILL make this crack-y idea work.

My original pieces collection - Though I don’t have much interest in a longer original book, I like to write some original pieces from time to time. It’s also how I most experiment with writing styles.

Dropped in Seastone - WIP/Indefinite hiatus - A felinette fic based on the Seastone AU by @/arcadeology - currently paused as I focus on other projects but I’m still hoping to come back to it.

Abandoned works:

Miraculous: Tales of Creation and Destruction - In case you’ll like to see my first attempt at a full canon rewrite. I’m still fond of it and think the writing holds up well enough; and some of the concepts I used here are things that I’d still like to implement in other fics, if given the chance.

With Great Powers: Another trunked attempt at a complete canon rewrite. It was a cool experiment, but me realize it’s just not the kinda fic I’m interested in writing. Has some cool sequences though, and I still like some of the characterization choices I made here.

Thanks for stopping by my fox den! ✨🦊

[fluffnstuffq]

We all know that the “kin for fun” trend is bad. 

Recently, however, the question of “why is it bad?” has risen in prominence, and thus I’d like to give my two cents on the matter. I initially wanted to give a rehash of the whole “this is a community which has been around for decades, please don’t appropriate its terms because you don’t know what you’re talking about” spiel.. though I know that’s been repeated endlessly to no avail. 

Dozens of times I’ve tried to explain that, though I’ve often been faced with the “words change” or “it’s just a game, it harms no one” argument.

So I’m taking a more personal approach.

I don’t know if my anecdotes will change anyone’s mind, but if anyone in the “kin for fun” community sees this and actually reads through it, I implore you to try to listen to genuine otherkin, do some research, and find other terms that better suit you.

Beware, long rambling anecdote under the cut.

It is hard to believe that, a mere 8 months ago, I was new to the otherkin community. 

I’d been reading about and researching otherkinity in depth for as long as a year prior, though it was as recently as May 2020 upon which I took my own first step into evaluating my own experiences, creating an otherkin oriented side blog, and formally taking the plunge into what I’d initially assumed, from fun “kin assign ask games” or “no doubles drama”, to be a trend.

While I quickly versed myself in the original, serious and introspective parts of the community, I had my fair share of run-ins with those of the “kinnie/kin for fun crowd”. One such experience, over the course of about two-three months, forever left an impression on the way I view the community (and the problems within it) as a whole.

Without naming names, some of the individuals we encountered turned out to be... the practical embodiment of some of the worst facets of this community.

They were the prime example of the misguided “kinnie” mindset. Dead-set on fitting under the ‘kin label, though unwilling to do any research on their own. Faking out of control, dramatic shifts to seem more “valid” to genuine otherkin (more on that later). Willing to go as far as picking traits from other people’s original characters to “customize” their “kinsonas” perfectly. 

However, aside from their merely misguided attempts to fit in (which could’ve been easily fixed if not for the stubborn kinnie mindset), the most scathing of their actions highlighted some major issues of the “kin for fun” side.

In just a few months, we had our identities stomped on and treated like nothing more than a game. 

You see, the “kinnie” mindset is not self contained. It is almost impossible to maintain this mindset and respect the involuntary, deeply personal nature of otherkin history, due both to widespread misinformation/trends, as well as the common plague of stubborn ignorance of definitions.

In most cases we’ve seen, once one steps fully into the mindset that their own kintypes are nothing more than a game or an act, they begin to at the very least subconsciously view others’ experiences the same way. 

This is obviously not the case for all those who take on alterhuman identities by choice (ex: copinglinking). However, in taking on the “kin for fun” label, one immediately disrespects the identities of others by appropriating and bending terms with a history to fit themself. 

And once one establishes that they lack care or concern for the already, dare I say, endangered terms once meant to foster a sense of community and understanding, of shared experiences... that person already predisposes themself to spiraling into greater disrespect and ignorance of the identities of others.

The individuals that we encountered, like many others of this mindset, used their so-called “kins” for the sole purpose of feeling validated, for looking “cool” and as leverage to get their way. Because it was nothing more than roleplay and a brief interest to them, they often treated others’ kintypes as something that could be similarly discarded/”turned off” or reset. As if others’ kintypes were nothing more than characters which didn’t deserve respect.

Exotrauma and otherwise painful memories, while stressful and sometimes nightmare inducing for us, were nothing more than fodder for outlandish “story ideas” and “angst” for them. 

In the cases of these individuals faking shifts, they often acted in ways threatening and even triggering to those around them; though because it was just a show for them, they failed time and time again to recognize the negative impact their violent “shifts” had on others. 

They had no restraint, for both their own actions and the fearful/concerned reactions of others were just harmless roleplay in their eyes. (I do feel like..  even roleplay should have boundaries if the events of a story upset the people participating, and the notion that anything goes, even at the expense of someone else’s comfort.. it just gives very uncomfortable “fiction does not affect reality” vibes. Though, that’s a story for another time).

As our experiences weren’t real to them and never had been, they often conflated us with the “canon characters”, like we and many others they interacted with were nothing more than toys to fixate on, change and push “headcanons” onto, and test the limits of.

And because they didn’t care to learn, because individuals such as these continued to remorselessly fall deeper into the rabbit hole of “I do whatever I want/I don’t care to learn otherwise”, the lack of consideration grew more severe.

Those who “kin for fun” may certainly be experiencing.. something, I will not discount that assertion. Whether copinglinking, a hearttype, or merely a fictionflicker/cameo shift. However, it’d be disingenuous to say that it is harmless for them to continue to warp and pick at terms that do not and will never fit them. For every joke, every dozens-long “coping-kinlist”, every admittance of “haha I was never a serious kin”, they all do the same in spreading misinformation. 

As I see more and more people self-identifying as “copinglink, but using the kin title because it sounds better”, even if calling oneself “a non-serious kinnie”, one wonders... why use those terms if you know they do not fit? Why encroach upon communities of bittersweet memories, of aching homesickness, of involuntary nonhumanity, only with the intention of putting on an act?

Why fight so hard, when directly told and shown how “kin for fun” actively tears apart the already dwindling otherkin community on this platform? Why cling so hard to words that are not yours, why force change upon the definitions of words meant to be a safe haven for those searching for understanding? Why paint “serious otherkin” as dangerous gatekeepers, sufferers of clinical lycanthropy, or those merely suffering from delusions/hallucinations?

Because of those who “kin for fun”, I was initially steered away from investigating my own identity; I’d only seen the jokes, the toxic “kin drama”, the cringe blogs and factkin and “kinning”. Because of “kin for fun”, it took me over a year to come to terms with my own alterhumanity, in all of its facets.

Because of “kinnies”, my fears are proven time and time again that I will come across someone who views my identity as roleplay at best and “childish, a phase, character theft” at worse. Because of “kinnies” and the mindset they’ve fostered, time and time again someone steals my memories, my experiences, my identity, justifying it as creating their own version, like an AU of an AU.

Because of “kinnies”, time and time again I’ve been told to “stop taking things so seriously, it’s just for fun” when complaining about my identity being minimized. I’ve been told that “kinnies”, despite appropriating an already existing community, are the “normal ones”, the “sane ones”, the “good ones” who don’t really believe in all that they boast. 

Some have even told me that it doesn’t matter at all, for all they can see is a trend with no real hold over their identity in the longrun. “It won’t matter in ten years”, they say. 

Perhaps not for them, long after their interest in the “trend” has faded. But for me and countless other genuine otherkin? In ten years I will still be Blixer from Just Shapes and Beats, I will still be an unnamed creature of woods and starlight and faded memories of golden lanterns, I will still be otherkin, and I will still carry the scars of my identity being torn to shreds and thrown into my face like dirt.

I cannot run from my kintypes and never could, even when I was afraid of them. “Kinnies”, in most cases, hardly believe my identity really exists.

What do they believe, then? What are they trying to achieve, scrubbing away the less “aesthetically pleasing”, fluffy bits of this community? What good does it do them to take meaningful, personal words to describe an identity that they can shed at the drop of a hat if it is “problematic” or boring at the end of the day?

One can smile and nod and say that, despite “kinning for fun”, they still respect otherkinity as a whole. And I say, in most cases, that reassurance is hollow. You have already stolen our words, you have already spread misinformation.

This has stumbled into rambling territory, so I leave a few questions, honest, genuine questions.

I ask those who “kin for fun”, what is the allure of words that you have stolen? What is the allure of having the blood of a shattered community on your hands?

As many others have said before, you may find a place in the greater alterhuman community. We have terms for you, as well as many other specific experiences.

Why fight so hard to steal our haven, to push us out of our own spaces, when your own words are waiting for you with open arms?

Words change, yes, but why fight so hard to change them at the expense of others?