#also thank you <3 for 6

[jadewritesficshere]

Just thinking about s4 but when Alpha!Eddie grabs Steve to shove the bottle against his neck, he doesn't realize Steve is an omega and accidentally scruffs him. And Steve is just boneless, kinda goes down. And Eddie isn't expecting deadweight and almost falls ontop of Steve but realizes what's happening (let's just say he's fought off a few bullies who scruffed members of his pack). He immediately drops the bottle and holds onto Steve, who tries to scent Eddie. Just shoves his face into Eddie's neck and nuzzles it, lets out a purr unintentionally.

[beetledrink]

having diner breakfast and a very nice waiter came over while i was putting hot sauce on my chili and tried to warn me that it was already very hot, genuinely concerned and believing he was circumventing a category 5 little white girl incident, i had to reassure him “it’s okay, i love spicy” multiple times

[marshmallowgoop]

no thoughts just Heiji Hattori (HD)

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Fishing Interlude

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[shakingparadigm]

what is the theory that ivan manipulated the event where till and mizi met the wagyein?

It's not a theory, actually! It's confirmed that Ivan orchestrated the whole event. The true reason as to why however is still unknown. The information provides more context to this scene, though:

During the earlier times of ALNST the most rational explanation for this scene was that Till ran after a flower crown (presumably Mizi's) and Ivan followed him in out of curiosity. Now we know that Ivan was conveniently just standing there because he was waiting.

Side note, I find it heartbreaking (and maybe a little funny, sorry) that Till most likely didn't notice Ivan in this scene. That's just like him, isn't it. Always too busy running after Mizi while Ivan trails behind, an ever-present shadow.

I'm not sure how Ivan manipulated the circumstances for both of them to end up there, but it is confirmed that everything was intentional. What strikes me most is how they describe this particular scene:

I can't copy down what they said word-for-word (Patreon info), but they described Ivan watching "creepily" as Till and Mizi are faced with danger. We know that Ivan was familiar with the Cerberus wagyein beforehand, enough to touch its teeth and even to rest himself inside its maw. To Ivan, the wagyein is not dangerous, but to Till and Mizi, it could be. Ivan prepared the wagyein, led them there, and watched "creepily" from afar as Till fell on his knees, seemingly injured.

The closest I can get to making sense of Ivan's "scheme" is that he wanted to see how other children would react in a dangerous situation. Ivan's always been an observer, after all, and he's learned to survive by copying the more "normal" behaviors of his peers. This situation occured when Ivan was still young and had not yet developed his more charming mask, so perhaps he staged this encounter to study a situational response, to learn and mimic the emotion of fear. And what better subjects for the experiment than two of the most expressive and reactive humans of their batch? It helps that he was already fixated on Till beforehand, too. I think Ivan became irreversibly obssessed after this incident, especially since it's framed as a turning point in Ivan's life, comparing Till to the stars.

This is just my attempt at an interpretation, though. It could very well be for another reason. He most likely chose Till and Mizi specifically for personal reasons, not just for reaction. I'm still not sure on the purpose behind the whole thing.

The team wanted to capture Ivan's "dark emotions" through the shot of his stalking, which could relate to his more sinister intentions. His gaze can be read in a few different ways, though. Curiosity, interest, fear, etc. Maybe that's why they decided to redraw the shot in ROUND 6.

I think this better sells the feeling they were trying to convey.

[somegrumpynerd]

HEY. POINTS FINGER… any thoughts on how everyone reacted when the other joined the team? as in how did killer react when dust came, how did he and dust react when horror came, how did they all react when cross came, etc. i love love LOVE your bad sanses thoughts way too much they make me so happy. if i write hurt you write comfort and it’s awesome. also how do you think they slowly started to get closer? just.. bah give me your thoughts on them!!!! any thoughts!!!!!!!!!

You fool!! You’ve given me a chance to ramble about my special little guys and now this post will stretch on forever!! Mwahahahahah >:3c

No but seriously this is probably gonna be wicked long cause I have 1 million thoughts about these guys joining and meeting each other so uh, readmore for everybody’s safety and sanity

(^ I wrote that in the document before I started typing out my actual thoughts and uh

yeah no kidding, this is like a fucking essay so proceed with caution)

OKAY SO

I’ve said before that Nightmare got Dust for two reasons; one being that Dream had just recently started working with Ink (and soon Blue) so he and Killer were no longer able to gang up on Dream. He wanted somebody else to bulk up their numbers and give Killer a little back up. He also was starting to realise that Killer didn’t handle being alone very well, since this was when he most often got worked up and broke things around the castle (and sometimes tipped over into stage 3). Dust would be a perfect fit since he had the same amount of lvl and fighting experience as Killer, and since they were so close in circumstance they would be practically like brothers right?

The irony that he thought this about a guy he was recruiting to help kill his brother was apparently lost on him.

They absolutely hated each other. Like, it was instant. Killer saw him as a replacement, why would boss go out and get another sans - one with almost the same backstory as me - when I’m right here? Does he think I’m not good enough? Am I disposable and this is the backup for when I die in combat? He didn’t take it well. He took it all out on Dust too, not cooperating in battle, trying to start fights in the castle, etc. He couldn’t outright kill him because Nightmare had given him strict orders not to, but Killer loves a loophole. If he roughed Dust up down to 1hp and something else happened to finish him off, technically he’d followed orders.

Dust just straight up didn’t want to be there. Nightmare just showing up and yoinking him had worked fine with Killer, but Dust had wanted to sit in his empty au and die, he had no intention of joining a team or doing work of any kind - good or bad. The only reason he didn’t just lie down and refuse the entire time was that he had to fight back against Killer, as much as he wanted to die he refused to give this ass the satisfaction or lvl. He didn’t intend to be any help out in the field either, but again, Killer was making sure he got fired at so he had to retaliate to stay alive.

Eventually it got bad enough that Nightmare had to pull Killer aside and demand answers. In the year or so of knowing him Killer had never willfully disobeyed orders before, so Nightmare needed to know what had gotten into him. He dispelled the replacement rumour right away, he still wasn’t quite softened up enough to be sappy about it but he made sure Killer understood what a good worker he was and that Nightmare had no intention of losing him. It didn’t help a lot, they still hated each other for other reasons, but it eased a little.

Killer still had pretty frequent dips into stage 3, except now he would go straight for Dust usually. Nightmare had tried to explain what he’d learned about it to Dust, but he didn’t really believe that it wasn’t just Killer deciding to try and kill him for funsies. He only accepted it after a particular episode where he attacked Nightmare instead, which Dust knew Killer wouldn’t try in his right mind.

After he came back to his senses he sought Dust out. The air around Killer was very different after a stage 3, sort of sombre and almost calm, so Dust let them sit together and Killer apologised for giving him such a hard time. They actually talked for the first time in months while Killer was still calm (or tolerable, as Dust describes it), and it didn’t magically fix everything but, things were a little better. They still fought and argued and bothered each other but it wasn’t as sharp, there was a lack of real murderous intent in it all, and sometimes after an episode they would talk a little bit. It was the best Nightmare was going to get for now, so he took it.

They were still completely incompetent about taking care of themselves though. Neither of them would eat unless prompted and Nightmare didn’t have good enough knowledge of mortals to know when that should be to stop them passing out from hunger on the job. Not to mention the stars were now a full team, and with the way Killer and Dust would sometimes rather target each other on the field he could do with more backup.

Horror was the first of the group to get a choice in joining. Nightmare had taken note of how much Dust didn’t want to be part of things, and while it was in his best interests in the long run given his situation, Horror’s au was still mostly intact - though a little in disrepair. Horror was also the first in the group to have a good (and ongoing) relationship with his brother, so Nightmare knew he couldn’t just pop in and steal him, he had to be a bit more diplomatic with this one and offer a deal.

He gave Horror some time to think on his proposal - he would set up regular deliveries of food to Horror’s au in exchange for him joining their team - and was quite surprised when Horror agreed, with some stipulations. Horror was equally surprised when Nightmare agreed so easily to his terms (that he didn’t want his brother to know what he’d be doing, and that he wouldn’t kill). A little down the line the terms were altered to add that he would also be left to visit his au every week or so.

Horror was not impressed meeting the other two. He didn’t need his power as judge anymore to sense the lvl coming off them both, and given who they were working for he was instantly distrustful of them both (the uh, brother situation did not help). He was also in a place that had an abundance of food for the first time in probably years, so he was doing a lot of going hog wild in the kitchen and then getting very sick as a result.

Dust didn’t particularly feel anything for him. This guy hated him, sure, but it wasn’t forward and slashy like with Killer, it was just quiet loathing which was fine. That’s how Dust felt about himself so, y’know, mood. He did kind of feel sorry for him though, not just because of the whole famine and everything, but also because he was watching this guy eat like his life depended on it and then get sick and undo it day after day. He was the one who suggested Horror getting his food in moderation to Nightmare, which did help but was an absolute ordeal to enforce. Y’know how some people get hangry? Imagine that but you haven’t had a proper meal in years and now these people give you tiny amounts of food and don’t let you eat more for hours. The hunger mood swings were a sight to behold, you would never have guessed in those days that Horror specified not wanting to kill.

When his ability to eat had evened out and he was in better shape, Horror made a point of apologising to Dust for being aggressive with him. Over time he’d kind of softened up on him from his initial impression, since he could see plainly how wracked with guilt Dust was over his situation. It was a little easier to imagine that whatever he’d done was truly out of desperation and not just for fun, as Horror had assumed at first sight. 

They also both retained that classic sans laziness, so it was easy for them to share a space while saying and doing nothing. It made Horror the first person that Dust willingly spent time around in the castle (and vice versa since Horror was still largely suspicious of Nightmare and Killer - the deal seemed too good to be true and the stage 3 episodes didn’t help). As time went on, Horror kind of became Dust’s emotional support skeleton in a way. Dust had become quite averse to touch in his solitude and Horror very slowly brought him back out with casual gentle touches, until not only did he no longer freeze or stiffen at being grabbed but Dust would seek him out to flop next to on the couch. Horror claimed it was just returning the favour for helping with his eating situation, but really it was nice to have something resembling a friend here.

Killer, for his part, was going through This is My Replacement 2: Electric Boogaloo. Not to the same degree as with Dust, since Horror was quite a bit different, but Killer was still wary of this new addition. He didn’t really instigate anything though since, to be honest, Horror had the intimidation factor. He was like a foot taller than both of them, he had a cracked skull and completely different magic and it seemed like every time Killer saw him he was eating bread like a wolf eats a deer. So while he was going through his food moderating, Killer mostly just stayed quiet and kept his distance.

Horror had not softened on him like he had with Dust, since Killer didn’t openly show remorse. He still watched him with distrust, especially after seeing the way he scrapped with Dust for seemingly no reason other than for violence’s sake. Killer was still mostly targeting Dust in his stage 3s, but Horror had to be careful to stay out of his way since he was still working with much lower hp than the other two. What did start to convince him was seeing how similar Killer and Dust were after a stage 3 episode. Once Killer was slightly more composed (ie stopped crying), he became so tired and quiet and blunt about things he normally joked his way around. It was a little startling, but also started to bring Horror around to the idea that Killer might regret his actions too, just buried under several layers of whatever the hell is also wrong with him at any given time.

Killer and Horror only really started interacting after talking about Dust. Killer was asking how he got Dust to like him since he seems to hate everyone and everything else, Horror told him very pointedly it was because he wasn’t trying to kill Dust. Killer admitted he wasn’t trying to kill Dust, at least not anymore, he just wanted to fight for fun. It opened up a better channel of understanding, knowing that Killer did not actually have murderous intent behind his swings (stage 3 notwithstanding). It made it easier for Horror to occasionally get involved in the roughhousing which Killer delighted in, knowing that the other two knew how to hold back enough to keep him from dusting.

Speaking of stage 3, it was around this time that Killer and Dust made a very important deal. After a particularly rough episode with a little too close of a call, Killer showed up in Dust’s room and begged him shakily to make a promise - that if he ever got too out of control during one of his stages, Dust would kill him. He’d been told over and over by Nightmare that it was impossible for Killer to hurt him since he was immortal, but now there were more people around him where that wasn’t the case, and he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he came out of a stage and found himself alone. Dust promised.

It’s also worth mentioning that, once they were all close enough to be on speaking terms, Horror started bullying the shit out of these two about eating. Now that Horror knew neither of them were going to kill him, he felt safe enough to pick them up by the scruff and set them at the table to say they weren’t leaving until they had at least a snack. He let them pick what they would eat - he wasn’t that cruel about it - but he had to see them eat at least 3 times a day or they would hear about it.

It was by no means perfect or regular, but after about half a year Nightmare finally had henchmen who ate food and worked together (mostly).

Now here’s the problem… I still haven’t really figured out how or why Cross joined the team. Like, obviously there’s some kind of point in the events of underverse where it splits off into an alternate timeline, but I haven’t really figured out where yet so. Leave that one with me just a little longer. Cross joins.

Nightmare really truly didn’t intend to take anyone else in. They were (mostly) getting along, they were pretty well matched to fight the stars, he had no need of more mortals.

…but he was also pretty soft at this point. Every one of them had taken a blow to his I’m immortal I’m an island I don’t get attached to others persona and he’d gotten pretty damn fond of them all. This was why when he felt the sheer weight of loneliness radiating off of Cross, he just couldn’t bring himself to leave him.

So Cross entered the castle. 

He did not particularly intend to stay or make friends, he was trying to get his world back and nothing more. He even revealed a little down the line that he outright refused to kill, and was quite surprised to find that Nightmare was fine with that. At the start he was polite but not friendly with the others and mostly kept to himself.

Dust, as is often the case, did not really have an opinion. Another new guy, this one was self sufficient and didn’t bother him so he had no reason to get involved. He was content to be in the same room as Cross but didn’t start up any conversations.

Horror felt the need to speak to Cross, since Dust would happily stay silent for years and Killer was, well, Killer. Horror was somehow the closest thing to normal they had, so he was the one that made small talk. Mostly asking what Cross would like for meals and encouraging him to pick something he liked when he got the answer of “anything is fine”. As Cross settled in a bit more and actually opened up, they bonded over being the only two to enjoy food. Horror made a point of adding chocolate to the stock they kept in the kitchen and making tacos here and there for Cross.

Horror was also the first Cross kind of warmed to, mostly because he was the one devoid of lvl and Nightmare had mentioned he’d also said he wouldn’t kill. Learning a little about his au’s situation only softened Cross to him more, especially seeing that he still cared a lot for his brother and was trying to protect his home (even if Cross found it unthinkable that he lived away from it). It was through Horror that he also got accustomed to Dust, how being quiet and distant was kind of his default and that he also felt deeply haunted by the loss of his world. They weren’t exactly friends, but it was comfortable enough.

So now boss had taken in another new person, someone who takes orders like a soldier and fights with knives and ruthless precision and aims to be his righthand man, and Killer was ecstatic. By now he’d mostly put his fears of being disposable behind him, Nightmare had gotten a bit less subtle in showing how important they all were to him and Killer felt confident he wouldn’t be replaced. Which was a little bit funny, because the only guy he didn’t feel threatened by was the one who absolutely competed for his spot.

Cross needed to prove he was useful, he had to feel like he earned his keep and that all the training and suffering he’d done was for a reason. When Nightmare sent them on missions, Cross aimed to be the fastest and the most efficient and to report to Nightmare without question. Horror and Dust looking on would have expected Killer to see this 100% as a threat to his position as (self proclaimed) Nightmare’s second in command, and to go for this guy’s throat when nobody else was around.

But Killer was fascinated. Cross was completely different from any of them, bar Nightmare whose au is a whole different kettle of fish, so he had a certain element of unpredictability to him. Horror and Dust were both based on classic sans just like him, so to a certain degree he knew how they would feel about most things and what they might say, the only differences being in what they had experienced through their own timelines. Cross was based on a swap sans and his au had taken wild twists and turns away from usual events, so Killer had to learn everything about him by poking and prodding for answers or observing from a distance, much like back when it was just him and Nightmare. Cross was something new to be studied and Killer loved taking notes.

Cross did not see this as friendly. He was competing with Killer for approval, not realising Killer was playing their contest like a game. When he saw Cross training he would jump in to spar for fun, but Cross saw his rival trying to get a jump on him and take him out of the running. When Killer would hang around and pester Cross in their off time with questions, it didn’t seem like someone taking interest, it seemed like someone being nosy and looking for weaknesses to exploit. When Horror mentioned that Killer was being surprisingly contained and friendly, Cross really thought he was fucking with him.

The first time Cross was willing to even consider this was the case was when his locket came loose on the field and Killer ran back to find it, since one of the notes he’d taken was how the locket wasn’t something Cross would play about (the same as Horror with food). It didn’t make sense for someone who was seriously competing to have him kicked out to just hand his necklace back, no ransoms or attempts to crush it to upset him, just some vague remark about “owing him one” and then right back to Nightmare for orders.

Cross had to give him something of a chance after that, Horror helped a lot by telling him “he doesn’t want to hurt you, he just doesn’t know how to be normal”. It was mostly a playful jab at Killer, but reframing their interactions changed it significantly for Cross. Now they were sparring playfully and having friendly competition on jobs. He wasn’t as put off when Killer went into stage 3 because he knew he could match him in combat and the others were always on hand to help restrain or distract him. Cross also took note of how Killer calmed down a lot for physical touch, not unlike how Dust had warmed up to Horror. It went a long way into not only making him a little less combative for attention every day, but it seemed to put longer stretches between his episodes (which Cross had also started tracking so they wouldn’t be caught out by them as much).

For his part, Killer has disobeyed instructions in the past to benefit Cross, usually ignoring the task to help him if he’s hurt. He’s also given Nightmare nudges towards praising him because he’s noted that that’s what Cross needs in the same way he needs touch (not that Nightmare doesn’t praise them normally, but when Cross is going through it and needs something). He also doesn’t particularly like chocolate but has made a point of not admitting this to Horror so he can give his chocolate to Cross.

(It’s also worth noting that Cross is the only one, besides Nightmare, that has been to Horror’s au. He offered to help out during the food delivery and got to meet Horror’s Papyrus (who he is a little intimidated by but ultimately friendly with, even though it’s a little weird since he’s a good bit different from his own Papyrus). Dust and Killer can’t really visit for a few reasons, mostly because everyone will notice their lvl immediately and know what they’ve done. Dust especially doesn’t know how he would react to having a Papyrus in front of him again and doesn’t want to put Horror's family at risk to find out. Whenever he visits, his Papyrus asks about Cross now and sometimes tries to make tacos for him (key word tries, he’s still a Papyrus after all). He may have joked that seeing Cross sometimes is “like having another brother but younger and less lazy” and when Horror told him this Cross may or may not have cried.)

And that’s where we are now!

They’re a very strange group who’ve been through some inexplicable events and have all changed each other in one way or another. And whether or not it can be admitted, they are a family c:

Now onto how Nightmare was made emotionally open by each of them!! In this essay I will no just kidding could you imagine this is already like 7 pages long

If you got to the end of this post please drink some water and get yourself a snack

[rbtlvr]

AND ANOTHER THING. i know that on a meta level this is literally just How Video Game Bosses Work. but also with how well the game mechanics work into the story in many other cases i don't think it's unreasonable to look at it from an in universe perspective

SO

i think it really says something that loop only uses their stronger attacks in their second phase. i think it really says something that you have to bring them down to 0hp four (4) times, attacking them repeatedly + proving that you are willing to genuinely hurt/kill them, before they'll use their most powerful attacks on siffrin

[radarchives]

[deus-ex-mona]

oh mona ft. lxl shikishi how i miss you so…

[koka-mi]

Oh my gosh whyyyy am I so obsessed with numbers I don't like it at all this is driving me INSANEEEE😭😭IT'S GETTING WORSE AND WORSE AS THE DAYS GO BY AAAA

[ashtreegt]

a g/t story about touch

Sae’s Meditation on Touch, Freedom, and Warmth. 

Cutting through the churning waves of the Great Wine Sea is a ship, a merchant vessel ripped apart and rebuilt too many times to count. Her night-dark hull is one with the inky shadows, disappearing and reappearing from vision in great swaths of black wood, seeming infinitely large. She does not sleep through this night, nor does she any. There is no stillness that can be found aboard but in the air of the cabins below. 

Sae, residing down in the deepest bowels of the MS. Maelstrom, has never known total stillness. Their youngest years were spent in tree-bark houses that swayed in the canopy. Their oldest memories are heavy with the din of life hidden in the trees, the secretive whispering of leaves in the wind, the heavy flapping of wings, all of it now parodied and replaced by the lurching movement and unnatural din of the Maelstrom. 

It's not healthy to consider the past. 

But to forget… 

How long will they be here until they can't remember a time before they wore this chain? 

Sae’s feathers ruffle down his back, a prickling chill racing through him. 

May the world forbid it. 

Sae curls into themself, chilled despite the burning candle. They press their thighs to their chest and wrap their wings around their slight form. Their face stays uncovered, their gaze stays fixed on their newest companion. 

Melody sleeps in a canvas hammock, her head is thrown back and her mouth lays open, one arm hangs down, as wide and strong as an ash tree. Her hammock sways with the rocking of the ship, dragging her limp hand across the floor. There is only the sound of her breathing, of the gentle scrape of her knuckles over the floorboard. 

It is easier like this. To have someone in the room, alive, reminding Sae that they still live. Melody shifts in her sleep, humming a toneless note and turning her face away from the light. 

It will only last, Sae reminds themself, this facsimile of companionship, until the Maelstrom reaches Mailon’s ports.  

Then Melody will be free. 

Sae rises and stretches their pale, skinny wings, casting a shadow over the hammock. He hops into the air, gliding a short distance to land on Mel's foot, their claws digging into her thick woolen sock. Sae stares down at the being below them, her breathing long and slow, impossibly large, as most creatures on Red are. Her sock is warmed by the candle, but not much else. Hammocks don't do much for insulation, but this room is at least deep in the body of the ship, far from any night breeze that tries to creep through the hull’s cracks. Melody will be warm enough, large as she is, but Sae, slight and sickly from their years in the dark, cannot escape the chill that pricks them. 

They can only imagine that warmth. 

Sae’s chain hangs to drape itself over Mel’s ankle like grim jewelry. It's stupid to approach another creature, a sleeping creature. Stupid to come even this close. 

But Sae doesn't leave, stupid as it is. They take another hopping step towards the flat expanse of her sleeping chest, lured and soothed by the gentle rise and fall of it. It's just out of sync with the waves that rock them. Sae’s chain drags behind him, trailing up Mel’s leg, clinking gently as he moves. To her, the sound would be insignificant. Hidden beneath the noise of the world. By the scraping of her knuckle on the floorboard.  

It's loud to Sae. 

They step onto the solid plane of her hip bone, flexing their talons in the fabric beneath, warm with life. The living ground shifts as Sae crosses onto the soft stretch of her stomach, rising and falling. Sae's balance isn't shaken by Mel's breathing, they've earned their sea legs many times over. They stand steady just below her navel, gazing up at her face as he is lifted up and down. Sae can feel her pulse beneath their talons, can hear the deeper, stronger pounding of her heart only a few inches deep. To join her, Sae needs only to kneel, to lower themself to lay atop the life-warm coal of Melody’s heart. 

They do. 

The cotton of her nightshirt is warm as if it was laying in the sun, and beneath the fabric, seeping through to melt the chill from Sae’s flesh, is living heat. Sae spreads his wings, letting the strained muscles lay flat and slowly, bit by bit, relaxes into the tender warmth. A shaky breath escapes them, unbidden. He can do nothing but close his eyes and listen to the heartbeat that pounds a beat against their slim form.  

They won't fall asleep here. It wouldn't be safe, not at all. But it is nice to doze, to bask in the heat and the rhythmic beating of her heart. Sae keeps their self made promise. Their eyes stay cracked open, gazing out to nowhere, basking in the heat below them, infinitely warmer than the meager fire of the candle. 

Sae does not weep, but something tender and vulnerable unfurls in their chest, making their wings droop a little further. His eyes are closed now, savoring the momentary sweetness, and they are closed still when an unyielding, warm swath of thick skin presses them to Melody’s chest. Sae flails reflexively, their wings flapping, legs lashing, but the heat that surrounds them saps their fight the longer no harm comes. Mel’s hand does not come down to crush, just lays over top of Sae, palm slightly cupped to give them ample space. He could slip out if he tried. 

It's for these reasons that he doesn't. They stay beneath Melody's cupped hand and rest, contented and calm. Her hand is massive above him, though nothing at all like the violentsailors who would grab at him. Her fingers are long and delicate, the skin of her palm soft but for her calloused fingertips from her years of plucking strings. Sae turns their face into the crook of one of her fingers and sighs at the peace and darkness there. She does not move to hurt him, just holds her warm heavy hand over his form. 

Slowly, the chill abates. Their tiny tremors cease, ones that Sae had not noticed until they were gone. Their wings buzz with life, prickling as the cold flesh reawakens, and Sae stretches deeply, an unwitting coo welling from their throat. Melody hums in response, a deep, warm rumbling trembles through Sae's body like rolling thunder. 

When was the last time they felt like this? Safe and whole. Warm. 

The heat stretches its generous fingers through the whole of Sae's body, and continues even then. Sae’s brow furrows, their wings twitching with an energy they should not possess. Then, like a cup overflowing and spilling out, Sae feels it. The rush of energy, of power, of life- the burning familiar feeling of their body being overrun with Vitavi.

It is not their mind but their body that tears out of Melody’s feather-soft grasp. He flies across the room, nearly burning himself on their candle, and lands in a heap, leaning forward and gripping the damnable collar, pulling the iron band as far from his chafed throat as he can. The chain swings pendulously from their neck, glinting like a weapon in the dimness. Power prickles through their wings, but it isn't… it isn't… 

Sae chances a glance up. 

Melody has awoken, her enormous form sits in silent stillness but for the rocking of her hammock. She watches Sae, her dark eyes reflecting the candlelight. Sae watches her watch him, and breathes. It was Melody, and she wasn't trying to hurt him. It really doesn't feel at all like the chain’s enchantment, now that Sae is focusing. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't leave their body trembling almost too hard to stand, burning with an unnatural energy. 

“Are you alright?” Melody asks, her voice whispered and rough with sleep. “Did I hurt you?” 

“No.” Sae manages to choke out, still clutching the collar. “You didn't. I'm not hurt.” 

“You left in a hurry.” Mel mumbles, lying back down. “Why were you sleeping on me?”

“I wasn't sleeping,” Sae defends, rising to their feet and folding their wings behind them. The initial rush of Vitavi has abated by now, leaving nothing but a buzz of pleasant warmth. “I was getting warm.” 

“Ah.” Mel intones with an air of understanding. “We can share my hammock, Sae. If it's too cold here.” 

“You don't worry you'll crush me?” Sae asks skeptically, rustling their wings and gliding closer, landing on the barrel on which their candle burns   

“I'm a sound sleeper, I've been told.” Melody says, sounding as though she were already slipping back into sleep. Sae almost thinks she has when she speaks again, sleepy and low, her voice rumbling deeply through the still air. 

“Why did you fly away?” 

Sae stands in silence but for the slight rustling of feathers for a few moments, as if Melody might forget her question and fall asleep, but her eyes stay open and fixed curiously on him.

“You… put your hand over me. While you were sleeping,” Sae says slowly, swallowing past a strange lump in his chest. “And channeled your Vitavi into me. I didn't realize what you were doing until it overflowed. It…” 

“I'm sorry,” Melody says, stronger and clearer now. Sae raises his head to see Mel risen up on her elbows, her eyes still fixed on him. “I hope it wasn't like with-” 

“It wasn't.” Sae says, firmly enough that it surprises themself. “It… didn't feel anything like the curse. It wasn't unnatural.” 

Melody relaxes, sinking back into her hammock. Sae hops up onto the canvas edge, 

“Did it stay?” Melody asks in a whisper. “The Vitavi?” 

Sae pauses, staring off into nothing as they look inward. They can feel the warmth being pulled away, drawn into the iron collar. He can feel the prickling cold pushing in at the edges, snarling to reclaim him. 

“The curse is siphoning it,” Sae admits quietly. “But it's… slower. It doesn't hurt as much.” 

“Good.” Melody breathes, closing her eyes. “I didn't intend to send my magic into you, but I know why I did it… I can sense it, how depleted your Vitavi is. It feels like a cold spot that I’m drawn to fill.” 

“Yeah.” Sae sighs. “That's what it feels like for me, too.” 

They spend a few seconds in silent stalemate as Sae wavers on the edge of the hammock. 

“Come lay with me?” Melody asks, the raspy whisper like leaves in the wind. 

They do. 

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[telesodalite]

I need to be weirder about the scavengers and cannibalism...

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

It's the 6 month anniversary of this blog! Check out these cool bugs I found.

(EDIT: Check out this amazing fanart by thecornermushroom!)

Part 2 - Part 3

[itsybitsybatsyspider]

Hey so I've been *eating up* your TDP au and I looove everything you've made for it!! (The fact that I've finished season 6 yesterday is not helping aaaaa)

May I ask if Valka joins the party? Is she around?

AAAAAAA thank you thank you! Im so glad you enjoy it! It is my current brainrot and i have so many ThoughtsTM about it

And Valka is around......somewhere...... in Xadia.......

When she still lived in Berk she believed that peace was possible with the elves and dragons and did everything she could to convince anyone that they were not bloodthirsty monsters they had to fight. But of course no one believed her.

And so when she got taken by a dragon, after defending it and saving it's life during a raid, she figured that maybe Berk was hopeless and decided to stay in Xadia. (is this a flawed decision?? oh 100%. This action will have consequences in the future ;D)

And now 18 years later, she lives in the Uncharted Forest, helping and healing injured creatures and dragons and giving them a safe haven to reside in. She doesn't get many visitors, mainly because of the boundary spells that are set around her home, but she does get visits from her Sunfire elf friend who drops by from time to time to fill her in on things and ask for her help.

Recently though he's been trying to figure out what's been causing a corruption in the creatures of the region, and asked for her to keep an eye out for anything strange. Aside from that, the only other news Sandy has to share is that there's been a Sunfire elf terrorizing Berk. How strange. :)

[blaithnne]

The adhd urge to post every chapter immediately after writing it vs the autism urge to wait until the entire fanfic is finished and has pictures to go along with it before even mentioning it exists