#and like the mongoose says 'go and find out!'

[curlicuecal]

"Nowhere else does science like this" you mean unscientifically?

Excuse you, that 'how do you draw a star' poll is one of the most scientifically valid poll designs I've seen on tumblr

That's good data right there

[raventhewolf9]

Media and stuff that I'd recommend for therians/alterhumans/nonhumans

WOFLWALKERS!!! Of course this one is at the top of my list, I LOVE this movie. It's SOSOSOSOSOSO good. Perfect for wolf/canine therians especially, but as a cat therian I still enjoyed and related to it!

Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton (I hope I spelled that right)-- Another one that's great for wolf/canine therians, but again, I still really enjoyed and related to it even though I don't have a canine theriotype. It's also got great Jewish, Chinese, queer, and anxiety representation!! What more could you ask for?

Claws by Mike & Rachel Grinti-- I haven't read this book in years but I remember REALLY LOVING it, before I even found out I was a cat therian. I'm SO desperate to read this book again but I can't find it ANYWHERE-- Like it's not at my local library or anything-- Really hope I can read it again soon.

Nimona (movie) (I haven't read the book)-- Haven't watched this in a while but I really really liked it, great for alter/nonhumans in general but especially shapeshifters

Turning Red-- Don't really have much to say about this one since I haven't watched it in a few years, but if you're a red panda I would consider giving it a watch

Amphibia-- This is one of my favorite TV shows!! As the name implies it's a great watch for those with amphibian kintypes, but also just like. literally anyone. go watch this show /nf

Warrior Cats-- Come on, I couldn't not put this on the list. It's pretty cool to be in the paws of a feral cat for a while. Perfect for felines

Wings of Fire-- Great book series for anyone who identifies as a dragon. What's cool about this is that there are tons of different kinds of dragons in the books! Are you a sea dragon? WoF has got you covered! Ice dragon? Yup! Insect dragon? They have those too! There are a whole ten different dragon species in this series and hybrids even exist, too!

Luca-- Perfect for really any aquatic alter/nonhuman, especially merpeople, sea monsters, or aquatic shapeshifters. Haven't watched this in a long time but I remember it being a really good movie

Will Wood's music-- OKAY HEAR ME OUT-- No, this is not JUST because I'm obsessed with WW. That's part of it but I PROMISE I have a good reason for putting him on here! A lot of his music expresses discontent with humanity in general. I mean, one of his songs is literally called "Yes, to Err is Human, So Don't Be One." Outliars and Hyppocrates also comes to mind, as well as Willard! (which is great for those with rodent kintypes or even just those who are rodenthearted). Tomcat Disposables is also from the point of view of a mouse which is cool!! He also has a song called Vampire Reference in a Minor Key which you might enjoy if you're vampirekin

Eighth Wonder by Lemon Demon-- This song is about Gef the talking mongoose, otherwise known as The Dalby Spook. I love this song and it makes me feel very euphoric, it's perfect for cryptidkins (especially those who identify as Gef specifically!)

To The Sky by Owl City-- For a long time this song also made me feel very euphoric, great for those with avian kintypes

Wolf Bite by Owl City-- The song isn't exactly about werewolves, but it has a few werewolf references and I LOVED it when I used to identify as a wolf/werewolf.

Bonus section: Stuff that isn't inherently alterhuman/nonhuman related but still gives me euphoria!

Community Gardens by The Scary Jokes-- No idea why this one gives me euphoria. It just does.

Nothing Man by Sodikken (specifically the music video, not just the song)-- This is honestly probably just because the character in the video has a tail

Yaelokre's Music-- Again, no idea why this does it for me, it just does

Umm yeah I think that's all! If any of the stuff on this list sounds cool to you then you should totally check it out

Hope this helped!!

[brucewaynehater101]

I had a rather angst idea for a Good Dad Bruce au. One where he actually loves his kids and Jason never died (they still took Tim in because they found him taking pictures of them on patrol) and everyone is a lot healthier. The family spends time together and while they do squabble, like all families, they don't fight like they do in canon.

Then one day, they get an alert that the cave has been broken into and when they rush to check it out, they find.... Tim? Which shouldn't be possible as Tim is following behind Bruce and was literally at breakfast with everyone else. The new Tim's head snaps up when they enter and he just sighs, "Damn it, I was hoping to avoid you guys. Well, Multiversal Code Lima Omega Sigma Tango. Is that still the code here?" Which is the Bat code for "someone fucked up and sent me through a multiverse portal and now I gotta get home". Before anyone can fully comprehend what's going on with New Tim, he turns back to the Batcomputer, where he's currently pulling up information on Zatanna and Constantine.

Bruce walks over to the computer, worried about this version of his son being lost so far from home and says, "well help you get home. Do you know what world you're from?" And Tim simply raises an eyebrow and says, "oh. Is this one of *those* dimensions? How annoying. You can help by getting me some coffee, keeping Bat Brat and Hood away from me, and I'll be out of your hair soon enough. I won't even be here long enough to make your paranoia to bad if things go right."

All that is. Rather concerning. Especially because none if them have Hood in their names. Of course these Healthy Bats insist on helping New Tim out for as much as he will let them. It can be noted that he only accepts food from Alfred, Steph, and Cass and only drink from them and Dick. Anything Jason, Bruce, or Damian tries to give him is completely ignored, Tim acting like it isn't even there. He also is isn't refusing to interact with Damian and Jason but unlike the others, he won't say anything to them until they say something first.

Eventually Damian snaps and says, "Drake, why are you ignoring myself and Jason?!" Tim simply slowly places the tablet he was typing on down and turns to Damian and Jason who are a little pissed and also worried about Tim and why he's acting the way he is. After a deep breath, Tim says, "simply by observing I can tell that our families are extremely different. For example, both of you get along very well with your Tim. It is not so on my world. I will not go into details for all of our sakes, but both of you have made *multiple* attempts on my life. I don't blame either of you and things have been almost peaceful recently. I don't blame either of them, it's simply instinct for them. But that doesn't erase the fact that someone with each of your faces has nearly killed me at least 5 times *each*. I understand that it wasn't you two who did it, but I would still rather not become complacent around any version of either of you to avoid becoming complacent around them. So just. Stay away from me." Tim then turns back to what he was doing and resumes research on how to get back to his own world.

Jason is shocked and horrified that any version of himself would make any attempt on Tim's life, let alone almost half a dozen! He snarls, "what do you mean it's *instinct* for them? What, is only one person allowed to be in the family at a time or some bullshit?!"

Tim and Jason go back and forth a few times with Tim refusing to explain fully, simply calling it Instincts and everyone calling bullshit on that until Tim snaps, scales spreading across his hands and face as his pupils become slits and a hood flares out of his neck that was previously hidden. In a blink, Tim has become some kind of human animal hybrid as he hisses, "because I'm a Viper, Jason is a Hawk, and Damian is a Mongoose!! They naturally hunt my kind, I don't blame them for not trusting me or attacking me if I don't warn them that I'm there! I don't blame either of them for trying to kill me on sight the first two times each of them met because I'm a Cobra!" Once Tim settles down he pinches the bridge of his nose and deshifts back to fully human as he grumbles, "I apologize. I shouldn't have snapped like that just. Just leave it."

Jason and Damian attacking him on instinct is all a lie. They just don't want to accept Tim into the family and this is an easy way to excuse any murder attempts. If Bruce or Dick catches them, they just lie through their teeth that Thr Pit makes it harder to control the more instinct driven side of them, or its lingering effects from whatever Rouge they got Poisoned by last, or Tim was shifted and didn't warn them when he walked up. Sure it's fine for everyone else in the family, hell in 99% of the world its considered perfectly OK to be shifted at all times, or at least it is for animal hybrids like mice and birds and dogs, but not as much for Spiders, Snakes, and Pathners.

As for what the rest of Snake Tim's family is, Bruce is some kind of Fancy Dog (as was his mother) and when he's Batman he fluffy up and puts temporary dye in his fur to look like a Rottweiler or Doberman, Dick is a Swan who used basically spray on hair dye that Bruce made special for his feathers so people thought he was a Robin Shifter, Jason is a Hawk who's wings got the same treatment, Tim is a King Cobra like his mom but when on patrol he keeps the hood hidden and chews black gum so the inside of his mouth looks black like a Mamba's, and Damian is a Mongoose like Ras and Talia but the public thinks he's a ferret. Steph is either a Possum or a Raccoon and makes jokes about having switched animals with Tim as birth. Cass is a black panther who loves the groom her family.

Shifter AU!!!!!!

I was not expecting that, so I was pleasantly surprised ^^

Snake comparisons for Tim are underutilized and beloved. I'd be down to see way more of them. As for this AU, I'm curious about what seems to be Shifter-ism (not sure if there's a better word for that), their instincts, and how often Jason and Damian get away with attacking Tim. Are they at least doing better now? It seems that Tim is weary of them, that they attacked him even with full control of their actions, but that he doesn't blame them.

Also, is one of Tim's instincts to take naps in sunny spots? Is he slower when he's cold?

For the cover-up that Tim did, it was brilliant. He crafted a perfectly logical reason for why they would attack him (especially for Bats who are presumably unfamiliar with shifter instincts and thus unable to call him out).

[ozai-the-bonsai]

Cry for the Moon

| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 |

Pairing: Zuko x firebender!reader

Warnings: none

A/N: We are about to arrive at the Crossroads of Destiny and I am so freaking excited for it!!! Ever since I have started working on this story, I have been daydreaming from time to time about what I wanted to do once they all go back to the Fire Nation - which will be happening soon enough ^.^ hope you enjoy this chapter!

Taglist: @annonymatic @yoongiesstar @lost-inthe-v0id @lokigodofmyheart @4l3x1s @potato87123 @asciendo @angelruinz @unamused-boss @junieshohoho @yourlivewire @itszzmoon @coolgirl458 @vyliie @6000-fandoms @aerikim246 @mymummydustxx @xenop0p @saikikusouswife @marsbars09 @stell404

Once again, the amber eyes full of sorrow, disappointment and fury appeared out in the dark the moment he closed his eyes. Zuko took a deep breath as he stood up from where he lied on the deck and walked towards the railings. Everyone else was deep in sleep.

The look of disgust on his face was almost shouting out how much he hated being on that damned ferry. He hated being a refuge, and he hated having to eat disgusting leftovers. He was sick of everything that had been happening to him lately. But still, none of those haunted him the way she did.

Ever since their encounter, Zuko hadn’t been able to get any sleep without the ghost of her words hanging around his neck as if it was some heavy rope. He had long known how heartbreaking it should have been for her, hearing those harsh words from him; however, what he had encountered that day was way worse than what he had been anticipating.

She wasn’t only heartbroken – no. She was angry, disappointed, and most importantly, she had been lying to herself for the last three years. It had never occurred to Zuko that she would, at some point, make herself believe that everything had been a lie. That Zuko had never really loved her. That everything had been part of a plan.

And the worse part – it did hurt him, knowing she had so little trust in his love for her so that she had managed to make herself believe in such a huge lie for the last three years.

Being replaced by Azula was enough to make Zuko feel all different kinds of green because of jealousy, and knowing how his place was being filled only made everything even more unbearable. It felt like a nightmare from which he couldn’t wake up, no matter how hard he would try.

What if there is someone else? The poisonous thoughts slowly crept into Zuko’s mind as his eyes got lost inside the dark, deep waters of the sea. I knew it would be inevitable the moment I left her behind but I never thought how real this could get.

The truth was, Zuko didn’t know whether he could bear seeing her with someone else, finding comfort in someone’s arms other than his. During his banishment, he avoided this very thought every time it tried to come out into the light from that dark, dusty corner it was hidden. He didn’t let himself consider such a possibility; however, now knowing that she had made herself believe she had been never really loved by him, it could very well be the case that she was already over him.

Even the simplest thought about it was enough to bring Zuko on the verge of throwing up.

Shaking his head, the Banished Prince wrapped his arms around his torso, slowly heading back to where he was sleeping before. I need to get some more sleep, he thought as he laid himself down on the hard floor once more that night. I don’t know how long I can go on like this.

[POV Change]

“You were wrong, though. I did love you. Every single day.”

Hearing Azula call out your name made you come back to reality as you straightened your back while riding your mongoose lizard. Ever since you faced Zuko, you were being haunted by the last words he said. Whenever you were left alone with your thoughts, his voice kept echoing in your ears, driving you crazy.

“What did you say, Azula?” You asked, causing the Princess to roll her eyes at you.

“I said that we have caught up with the Avatar.” She said and frowned. “Have you been daydreaming again?”

Ty Lee chuckled upon seeing the way you averted Azula’s gaze. “Azula, don’t get mad – she is simply missing her boyfriend!”

You winked at Ty Lee. “See, she gets it!” You spoke playfully and turned your gaze to meet Azula’s. “We haven’t been apart this long before – it is kind of difficult to get used to.”

Every single time, you ended up more amused with your lying skills and how naturally it came to you.

Azula rolled her eyes once more.

“Why didn’t you bring him with you?” Ty Lee asked curiously, completely unaware of how stupid her question sounded, which made you realise that she hadn’t met Shuzi at all – she did run away before you started dating him.

Azula and you ended up laughing before responding to Ty Lee’s question. “Oh, sorry – it’s just, when you know Shuzi, such a question sounds way too funny.” You said as you took a deep breath. “He is a total sweetheart, but he cannot fight – I think he would have a heart attack if he had to face the earthbender girl traveling with the Avatar.”

“We cannot allow anyone to weigh us down on this mission,” Azula added. “So, he wasn’t even invited in the first place.”

“Oh,” Ty Lee’s cheeks carried a light shade of pink, she probably felt silly for asking such a dumb question. “I just… I never thought you would be with someone who isn’t as much of a fighter as you are.”

Azula sent you an I-told-you-so look. “See, she gets it!” She repeated what you said earlier, causing you to roll your eyes this time. “Wait until you see him, Ty Lee – she can do much better and she insists on not acknowledging that she is settling for less!”

It was common knowledge that Azula never approved your relationship with Shuzi. She didn’t hate him, of course, but she didn’t like him either. At first, you found it quite annoying that she criticized him all the damn time; however, after understanding the reason behind it, her words stopped annoying you.

This was Azula’s way of showing that she cared about you, and she wanted you to have the best. Hence, seeing you settling for less didn’t really make her happy.

Ty Lee shrugged. “I mean, she did do better.” She said casually, completely ignoring the fact that Mai was still there with you. “I believe it is quite hard to find someone better than the Crown Prince himself, right?”

“Well,” you spoke with a cold tone. “The said jerk isn’t coming home anytime soon.”

“And even if he did come home, I don’t believe you would forgive him just like that.” Azula said as she snapped her fingers. You simply nodded.

Mai tried to shift the subject back to Shuzi to avoid feeling more uncomfortable than she already did. “I never understood what you see in Shuzi in the first place.”

The edge of your lips curled upwards as you thought about how happy he made you, which pushed away all those weird feelings Zuko and the remnants of your past relationship had been stirring within you. “He just… makes me happy. He loves me so much and he does everything he can to make me happy. Also, he is super sweet, and we spend the best of times when we are together.” Sending a quick look at Mai, you raised an eyebrow at her. “Was that enough reason for you?”

Carrying the same old indifference on her, the raven-haired girl shrugged. “Whatever.”

Azula cleared her throat. “What I understand from what you have just said is that he indeed loves you, but you don’t really love him, do you?” Her words made you frown as you waited for her to elaborate more on what she was pointing at. “If he stopped spoiling you and making you happy, you wouldn’t let him hang around much longer – correct me if I’m wrong.”

To your relief, your eyes found the Avatar’s flying bison before you had to answer Azula’s question. She had touched a point which you had been carefully avoiding ever since you went on this mission with her and, to be honest, you didn’t really intend to think about it for now. The topic was complicated, you feared the conclusion you could come to, and more importantly, you had the feeling that it could somehow lead up to starting an internal discussion about your past with Zuko.

I don’t have time for this.

“Ladies, that is enough gossip for today.” You said as you pointed at the flying bison. “We have found them.”

Azula’s amber eyes shone with victory as she started to move her arms in a circular motion. Not long after, lightning stroke the tree near the flying bison, causing it to fall down and block the path. “My, my, you are easy to find.” Azula was speaking mainly to the Avatar but he wasn’t to be seen, yet. “It is really astounding that my brother hasn’t captured you yet.”

As you all arrived by bison on your mongoose lizards, a group of girls came into sight. They were in bright green kimonos with black, torso armour and dark green pants. However, the most prominent feature of their look was their unique make-up: their whole face was painted in white other than their red lips and the red paint over their eyes, lined up by black paint as well. It slowly came to your attention that they were all carrying different kinds of golden head pieces.

Wait a second, I think I have seen this kind of face paint before… Was it in one of my books?

The girls suddenly took a v-formation and with a swift movement, they all reached for their fans while activating their shields which carried the Earth Kingdom insignia. “What do you want with us?” The girl standing on the front spoke, she seemed to be the leader.

“Who are you?” Azula asked with a condescending tone. “The Avatar’s fan girls?”

Ty Lee started giggling as soon as she got the joke. “Oh, I get it. Good one, Azula!”

The leader spoke with a strong voice. “If you are looking for the Avatar, you are out of luck.”

You didn’t bother hiding the shocked expressing appearing on your face. Why is the Avatar not travelling with his bison in the first place? This doesn’t make any sense.

Unless… They are separated.

Mai sighed. “I knew this was a waste of time,” she muttered with her voice as lifeless as ever.

Azula raised an eyebrow. “No Avatar, huh? Well, that’s okay.” As she jumped off the mongoose lizard, she firebended at the flying bison. “Any friend of the Avatar is an enemy of mine!”

Taking the hint, you jumped off your lizard as well, following Azula into the fight. While you used your firebending to create a giant fireball, the fighter girls protected the bison by moving their shields together. However, they weren’t ready for the heavy fireball coming right at them with full speed – your attack ended up knocking them all from their feet.

At the meanwhile, Mai pinned one of the girls to a tree. “You are so colourful; it is making me nauseous!” She complained loudly while throwing a bunch of darts at another one. The girl reached for her sword just in time to deflect the darts; however, she ended up getting chi-blocked by Ty Lee.

“You are not prettier than we are!” Ty Lee shouted at the girl.

You rolled your eyes at Ty Lee as you performed a backwards flip in the air, all the while firing blasts from your fists and your feet around you. The edge of your lips curled upwards as you heard one of the girls screaming and falling facedown onto the ground.

“By the way,” you spoke cooly while looking at the almost unconscious girl with the burnt kimono. “That is one really ugly shade of green.”

The leader of the fighter girls deflected another blast from Azula, which ended up setting the fallen tree on fire. The flying bison started acting in a frightened way upon seeing the fire, causing you to raise an eyebrow as you approached Azula.

“Afraid of fire?” You asked, only to earn a small chuckle from Azula.

“That is good,” the Princess said while looking at the bison. “You should be.”

[Time Skip]

You kept looking at their awfully familiar makeup as the prisoners were carefully put onboard the tank train. The itching in your brain was enough sign to tell you that you knew who (or what) these girls were – you just couldn’t remember it! Their makeup seemed to remind you of someone else, some famous Earth Kingdom person who also wore a similar kimono and used fans for airbending…

Your amber eyes widened with realisation. Airbending?!

“I know!” You almost shouted without noticing, causing the leader of the warriors to leap up in her place. She was going to be the last to board the tank train since Azula wanted her to see all the others being dragged in, one by one. This was one of her strategies to break the leader’s strength. “Azula, these are the Kyoshi Warriors!”

The Princess turned to look at you with a frown on her face. “Oh, that explains the… interesting makeup.” She muttered, earning a nod from you. “But aren’t they supposed to live on an island?”

With a sceptic look in your eyes, you turned your look to the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. “Indeed, they are supposed to be on the Kyoshi Island near Southern Watertribe, not on the way to Ba Sing Se.” Crossing your arms over your chest, you asked her. “What are you and your friends doing here?”

The hatred in her blue eyes was so dense that it could materialise any second. “Because some of your friends burnt down our village while hunting down the Avatar!” She spit out the words as if they were venom. “We then decided to help out the others here, in Earth Kingdom, who also had their fair share of the brutality of the Fire Nation!”

You had a feeling that this friend could be someone you knew. “Do you remember who exactly burnt down your village?” You asked, completely ignoring her latest remark. “I can guarantee you, none of us have been anywhere near Kyoshi Island lately.”

She shook her head as she closed her eyes tightly. “I don’t know his name – he had this weird ponytail and a scar on his face.”

“Yep,” you said as you turned to face Azula. “Definitely Zuko.”

The Princess rolled her eyes.

After the guards took the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors also inside, Azula spoke to you with a low voice and a naughty shimmer in her amber eyes. “I think I know how I am going to conquer Ba Sing Se.”

Your jaw dropped upon hearing her words, you immediately stopped in your tracks and turned to face the Princess. “How to… what?!” It was hard to tell whether she was being serious or sarcastic. “Ba Sing Se?”

Azula placed one of her hands on your shoulder. “You have read all about these Kyoshi Warriors, right?” You nodded. “Then you must also know whether they would be trusted allies to the Earth King.”

Still not getting her point, you frowned while you searched for all the information you had about the Kyoshi Warriors in your memory. “As far as I know, these girls are an elite order of female warriors with no official loyalty to any nation – they just care about protecting their homeland.” Placing your hand under your chin, you dove deeper into your thoughts. “However, considering Kyoshi Island is formally part of Earth Kingdom, I can imagine they could arrange an audience with the Earth King without much difficulty.”

A satisfied smile formed on Azula’s lips. “Excellent,” she said as she pulled you behind herself into the tank train. “I guess the kimono of their leader should fit me – what do you say?”

[Time Skip]

To your left and right were guards in Earth Kingdom uniform, they all stood in a single line without letting their gaze leave you and the others. You didn’t remember feeling that observed your whole life and the feeling wasn’t exactly pleasant. It made you aware of every little thing your body did – from breathing to winking to the sweat forming on the nape of your neck.

Following the footsteps of the warrior in front of you, you realised how faster your heart started to beat as you came closer and closer to the Earth King.

“In our hour of need, it is with the highest honour that I welcome our esteemed allies, the Kyoshi Warriors!” The Earth King announced with great joy in his voice as you bowed down in front of him, just like the others.

The warrior in front of you raised her head to look at the Earth King. You and the other two girls followed her lead.

“We are the Earth King’s humble servants.” Azula spoke with an evil spark in her amber eyes.

[lifes-line]

DEFO DEFO TAZ SPOILERS

So one of my favorite taz aus is what I call "the replacement au" or the "Lup Au" which is basically what if it was Taako who died or went missing and it was Magnus, Merle, and Lup working for the BOB

In which case that poses a lot of questions for each arc so lemme tell you my theories on how it would've gone

Here they be gerblins:

Lup has always had a horrible ache in her heart. She wouldn't call it depression but no matters how hard she tries to move on and forget. She has always felt something painful and missing in her heart. Like someone ripped out a huge half of it and left her with the rest. She's had this feeling all her lonely life as a single child and no matter what magic she used on herself or how many people she surrounded herself with... she couldn't escape that feeling... Magnus and Merle somehow helped though. Being the absolute dumbasses they are.

Lup finds herself flirting with barry blue jeans and disappointed he wont be joining them later-

Lup sees Taako's skeleton/corpse and takes the wizard hat and his glave(or whatever his magical weapon he made during their year of artificing was)

She feels drawn to the phoenix fire gauntlet and she teases about putting it on alot(before phandalin goes to shit), she also gives it a high five but she isnt dumb enough to put it on and understands how dangerous it is and how devestating the events that follow are

Lunar interlude one

Lucretia is baffled to see lup having taako's things on but thats not important

im gonna say Lup gets pretty similar things to taako since they are the same class(just different schools of magic)

She doesn't fuck with leon as much as taako does but she still does of course

Murder on the rock port limited:

They get on the train without charm person but of course theyre still "not who they appear to be" as merle keeps loudly insisting they kill the ticket guy

Lup respects angus but they dont get close as he does with Taako so instead Angus gets closer with Magnus though Lup does offer to teach angus some magic lessons

Smokes that crab

Pretty much all of the taako things except she might be a lil less dramatic about the drink cart

Petals to the metal

Lup and hurley are bffs dont even trip

Lup defo found Sloane attractive but backed off when she found out she was taken

also found captain captain bane attractive

a quip of "My type are hardcore nerds with those obnoxious spectacles and sexy science facts"

Lup either picks a mongoose mask or goes with a phoenix I imagine

She would threaten the guards to get into the hammerhead base at first but then switch up to help out Merle's plan - or she'd just straight up kill the last guy and hit em with the "I forgot about that"

Since theres no way to absorb the arcane core she makes it explode and it works just as well

You can assume she has taakos position in the car ride, but most likely she cannot summon Garyl and instead klaarg comes in and saves merle and later her

Red robe shows up and shes the only one who fucking remembers the director telling them about them and she is the only one to insist they dont listen to him

but they do anyway and she gets majorly suspicious

Small lunar interlude:

Fuck Lucas but not fuck him but yknow

Oh yeah the red robe? "I want to let you know I am the only one who actually remembered we should've bounced"

Crystal Kingdom

Oooh transmutation relic not her thing

She cooks tho

Lucretia? "That's such a cute ass name, I'm gonna start calling you Lucy"

can i also have a red suit

that pink thing looks like salt

Also in consensus Lucas in fact a huge asshole.

Actually answers buddy bots question/riddles within the first two minutes

Yeah ill go into the elevator world? Oh no cockroaches? Yeah Lup makes fun of merle for liking cockroaches and then kills the one he missed.

They meet N03ll3 which is great and all but what do you mean you keep picking up lich activity

Go into Lucas's room cause Lup disguises self

Ok I dont know what a lich is why do you keep harassing me

Merle loses an arm oh fuck

Also gonna kill Lucas

fine lets learn some science

oh its that red bitch again - Lup is only not running because her boys wanna hear this too and also this lich is like weirdly flirting with her

"It's... Lup, where did you get that hat?" "Oh this? I took it off of some skeleton on our first adventure." "... oh my god.. you.. you found him... you..."

Weird I just made this lich who was flirting with me upset about my dope ass hat

YEAH SHES BEEN WEARING TAAKOS WIZARD HAT THIS WHOLE ASS TIME

skipping a bit woah oil can time

woah the crystal guy is back and instead of merle being the most dangerous its Luuuuuup? Whyyyyy????

"Wait haven't I seen you before?" He asks Lup and she tilts her head. The crystal shakes his head. "Nevermind. one second-"

Guys hes calling me a lich or possessed by one what do I do

Kick ass, Not tentacling dick ew, lucas there you are - woah magnus

Oh its the grim reaper, No we are not being shipped together-

Lore

"And you, Lup. Are still dead." "... Sorry what-" "You're dead?" "Nah I still got my hit points, I mean I'm bruised and bloody but I'm still alive." "Yeah is this maybe another Lup... or...?" "No. She's a lich. She is an undead entity that must be locked away in the eternal stockade." "How about fuck that (tries to kick his ass)"

More lore

YoU ATE THE WHAT

Oh hi kravitz, can you look pass this posession if I promise to have someone free me? And if this lich leaves me so im not a vessel anymore you can come get it, trust "... I.. I cannot let a lich get out of my sight." "Bro I cannot fight you anymore." "Well, it would be more dangerous if you died but you refuse to come peacefully." "I dont think Im a lich I just think im posessed - we've done a lot of crazy shit in our adventures-" bla bla bla fine its settled

We'll debrief in a sec ig here lemme uhh. i dont have transmutation its so over , just shape the damn stone and idk someone else can do magic right?

Debriefing oh yeah the red robe was there, yeah i lowkey dont really trust you, ok fine i can settle

They dont talk about the deaths to lucy in canon but after the debriefing Lup gathers the boys up and talks to them "Hey so you know how he called me an undead evil lich. so like... lets not tell the director and merle can you like perform an exorcism or something just to see if its true?" "Uh I have detective good and evil?" "Dope." And NOTHING HAPPENS BECAUSE LUP ISNT EVIL- but merle does detect some necromantic energy radiating off her whole being but he doesnt have like a spell to fix her so theyre like lets not worry about it rn

Lunar interlude

Alright angus this is magic, cooking? Why the fuck would i teach you how to cook

Ok you got me i grew up by myself in a lonesome life as a vendor but i didnt cook or anything I just spent my whole life doing side jobs and saving people. yeah fire is my speciality but like i wouldnt recommend it for you cause its literally fire. and youre a kid.

Whered I get the glave? A skeleton from a cave. He was wearing a red robe so lowkey maybe im possessed by his spirit but like... doubt.

Eleventh hour

I believe in you ango

woah we're here

WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU FIGHTING THE WORMS LEAVE THEM ALONE THEYRE JUST BABIES

alright lets get this bread - bye avi - hello clay perosn. roswell? ok Wow that statue sure is red what the fuck

"This is bad.. this is a bad thing i did." Yeah I kept it.

Hi Cassidy im sure we can be besties

woah earthquake

Lets go in the inn, oh hello pretty elf lady, ok she doesnt care about me wdym you know magnus - guys wait dont make me talk to her alone

"Why do you live in a bubble?" "Lup." "WHAT?"

I wanna meet paloma fuck you guys

I will go to town on these scones, you need gold can I trade you anything else

I can hardly remember these goddamn loops so lets assume that lup and taako do alot of the same shit except she doesnt steal any of this shit -

Put him in a bubble... ok-

Hi Istus, What's this? Not a bag of holding? "This item... has the ability to bring back anyone from the dead, as long as they have been deceased for at least over a decade." "Oh this could be useful for all the guys you killed!" "Yeah!" "Well... you could save it too but... yes I suppose so?" "But only for over a decade." "Why the fuck is that so specific?" "STOP SWEARING IN FRONT OF CHRISTMAS" "ITS ISTUS"

Ok get that cup

Fuck you issak

WOAH ITS THE CUP BACKSTORY TIME; Besides the long periods of static and weirdly fuzzy childhood, Lup's biggest regret in her life? Well she didn't have anything really. She didn't put any of her skills to good use.. except once. She was performing her evocation magic for money and it got out of hand. She seriously injured an innocent person that resulted in their death. "Lup... that is your biggest regret. But it hasn't happened yet. If you claim me, we can go back and save that life. They would have never died. We can go back and save them."

thats the best i can do

Lup probably takes the longest to think this over because she cant handle the fact she murdered an innocent but Magnus's speak of "Tell me what happens if we dont do this" convinces her to stay

DONT KILL THE WORM YOU BITCHES, LISTEN TO JUNE

FREEDOM

Oh fuck its that red robe again - no we dont fucking trust you

"You don't... You don't trust me...?" He looks to Lup, and floats down to her level. Despite his occasional flattery and softness when he speaks to her, lowering himself and looking her in the eye pulls at something invisible in her heart. Something she hasn't felt in forever. "Lup...? You don't trust me?" "I don't even know you." The red robe whispers some more things and electricity flies off of him as he vanishes.

Hi Paloma oh a vision? "In your hour of greatest need, you will receive help from the forgotten one."

Ok back home - oh fuck IS THAT THE GRIM REAPER?

Lets fight? OK!

Lunar interlude

Date at the chug n squeeze? Wrong. Battle of the century. Almost.

Lup v Kravitz the two face off with Kravitz just trying to knock Lup out so he can safely transfer her into the astral plane without her dying

Lup, who doesnt think shes a lich, is just trying not to die.

They dont do this on the moon, they do this in neverwinter

IS THAT THE FUCKING RED ROBE?

As he saves you. As you're down you feel something phase through you as a red robe walks through your body and presents itself in front of Kravitz. He emits that same electricity off of his body and Kravitz looks baffled but only rifts a hole into the astral plane. "You're coming with me." As the battle is only beginning the red robe whispers to you, Lup; "Run."

PURCHASES THE RAGING FLAMING POISONING SWORD OF DOOM

Suffering game

Hey lucy, oh youre not fifty? Oh thats lowkey kind of fucked "Luckily as an elf i dont think i have to worry about that... sorry-"

Maggy where the fuck are you going

I feel like Lup would either follow magnus or magnus would defo ask Lup to help break out robi, so she does.

MAGNUS YOU FUCKING KILLED THEM-

Oh fuck get me out of here fighting these monsters

Lord artemis sterling and his bodyguards... cool.. ok

nvm lydia is hot

Ok this sucks

Lup gets the same sacrifices as Taako, so she takes the bad luck, shes fine with losing some life, hands? No Im not giving you my hand, fuck. MY APPEARENCE...? Yeah i dont care.

Chooses trust instead of forsake.

"Why should this person chose you?" "Uhh... Cause I'm hot as fuck." *applauds*

SAVES MAGNUS OFC - Oh is that the grim reaper? So Lup actually does try to save Kravitz cause lowkey she wants to be on good terms with him

Is that the red robe-

WE'RE TRUSTING HIM NOW????

her ghost looks ... weird.

Its nearly impossible to kill Edward, except when he's a lich. So. That's actually when Lup gets an idea. And she dies. Like full on explodes herself.

LICH LUP WOOOOOO

As soon as Lup is free from her body, her very very death and actually burning corpse. Everything hits her very slowly and soon all at once. So instead of killing edward immediately Lup instantly panics and starts to lose her cool... until "Lup?" She hears Barry's voice. It's not her anchor but it's enough to remind her of the situation at hand.

Lup destroys edward, so lydia destroys magnus's body

As Magnus sees Lup's liches form he isn't surprised, because he remembers when Lup sat down and told them all(?) about her and ... somebody's decision to become a lich... WAIT WHAT

Lup demands more answers from Barry and Magnus does the same, Barry is more sweet about it to Lup than Magnus

Merle is looking at Lup and Barry with upmost confusion and WHAT IS GOING ON????

To Barry's cave! Hey why is there two pods here

"So... I'm really glad actually, Lup, that you're here. And you're back... and as much as i wanna stop the end of the world to kiss you... We gotta move. We both saved what we could from our corporeal forms - mine is a bit more fresh but yours is back from the [starblaster]... so ... I actually don't know what you'll remember but youre gonna need it if we wanna get back on that moon base and confront Lucretia."

Merle can't hear anything and he is so confused, Magnus can understand this all and contiens demanding answers- before they both enter the tank, Magnus gets Lup's outfit while Merle pulls out deniem blue jeans AND WAIT BARRY AS IN BARRY BLUE JEANS?? beFORE THEY DO THIS

Lup looks to Barry and asks where Taako is. The name sounds familiar to Magnus, but his head is splitting in two before he can remember such a person. Barry can't bring himself to reply so he simply tells Lup he isn't sure but he doesn't have high hopes.

As they both go into their own tanks, Barry doesnt know anybody or anything. Lup steps out and she throws on her outfit and demands answers from magnus and merle of what happened after she died. "Am I a lich? Am I posessed? IS THAT BARRY?" And why is barry still so goddamn attractive?

Barry looks at Lup like shes the love of his life and actually starts being timid and nervous around her

Magnus tries explaining but once its all static the idea of another void fish comes to mind... PLANNING

BACK TO THE MOON BASE

heres the relic, magnus is dead, fuck you.

Oh hi angus, the truth? uhhhh i guess we can tell you oh is that zone of truth. dammit barry-

SECOND VOID FISH?

Oh my god........ my brother is dead. Taako is dead.

Hi Lucy, "I'm gonna fucking kill you now." But Barry holds Lup back as her fire wall is pathetic against her shield.

"I'm so sorry Lup but.. the pain was too unbearable. Taako.. Taako is gone. And he's not coming back."

Story and Song

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT-

As all hope seems lost after Lup remembers the other half of her heart, Barry and Lup are refusing to die because they cant be liches forever. They dont have anything to go back to-

She remembers Paloma's prophecy, and Istus's gift. It's a simple ritual - a simple spell and only thinking of her brother she casts it. And Lup almost loses it again when nothing happens.

It takes too much but Lucretia is the one who channels a spell to crush these beats in their own shield before she vanishes. ANd now we gotta do other shit yay

Lup and Barry and sent to find the ship but she can't bring herself to do so... "I... I know we're supposed to save the world and everything Barry but... but what's the point... without Taako here with us?"

Barry does what he can to comfort his fiance before he notices the sphere of black glass. "Listen.. do you remember in lucas's lab when we was going over everything?" "Ye.. yeah?" Barry takes a breath to elaborate but Lup cuts him off. "Barry you know transumtation isn't my school of magic." "I know but..." He points to the glave she's holding. "It's his."

And with that they feather fall down and give it a try.

While Barry begins to fight for his life - with the help of Lucas who joins them, Lup continuously tries and fails to open this portal. She slams her head against her own creation and curses Taako for not being here. How is she supposed to go on when Taako is gone? And she didn't even get to grieve? Or say goodbye? And why did Istus lie to her?

And then a rift in space opens. And there he is. Taako appears in his red robe without his hat or his weapon. Lup feels a hand on her shoulder suddenly as she hears her brother's voice say "Don't worry Lulu, I have magical powers." And when he touches his weapon to the sphere it's like an explosion goes off.

"Taako! Where'd you open that portal to?!" "The Astral Plane."

When Lup sees Kravitz (and he looks fucking awful.) behind him she suddenly flips out; "ARE YOU DATING THE GRIM REAPER?" "SHUT UP"

But it doesn't last long before Lup embraces Taako tightly.

TAAKO ONLY CAME BACK BECAUSE MEREL RECONNECTED WITH THE GODS BTW SO ISTUS COULDNT HOLD UP HER END OF THE DEAL UNTIL SHE WAS BACK-

OK SHIP TIME WE GET TOGETHER EVERYONE IS PISSED AT LUCRETIA BUT as theyre discussing the science behind it she suddenly offers, looking at the tres horny boys briefly that there is a third option. Thanks Paloma.

Taako stays on the plane to fight while Lup, sure she wont lose him again, kicks the hungers ass.

Epilogue, everything is pretty much the same because lup doesnt wanna run a school for magic and now that taako was apparently routing for lup in the astral plane the whole time shes off the hook

THE END YAYAYAYA

EDIT I KNOW I HAVE MORE WOOHOO:

Why does Taako die? Why does he care?

Well, Taako knew he couldn't just rely on a dance to cheer up Lup - so Taako decided he was going to do something good and destroy his sister's relic. Obviously he can resist the temptation but Cyrus Rockseeker does not. Taako blasts him with his glave(or clave or whatever) into the safe but ultimately dies.

We then we Taako wake up in the astral plane, behind the bars of the eternal stockade where a skeleton stands before him checking off a list. He says something in a cockney accent along the lines of "Finally, I've been lookin' for you."

"Crazy accent you go there Ghostrider, where am I?" "You're in the Astral Plane, Taako. Finally. You wouldn't happen to know where your others friends are? They're supposed to be locked up in here with you."

"... What-"

AND OVER THE TIME TAAKO SUCCESSFULLY FLIRTS AND SEDUCES KRAVITZ ESP POST CRYSTAL KINGDOM ARC AND THATS WHY THEYRE DATING NOW OK COOL-

[dteamomegaverse]

Day 3: Animal Features/Hybrids

Welcome back to prompt explainers, where we give you a more literal description of the prompt, as well as inspiration and examples!

You can find the original post with all of the prompts here. Today our topic will be animal features or hybrids.

Animal features and hybrids are not the most popular omegaverse trope, but its pretty interesting! Especially as omegaverse is a take on humans having more animalistic ways of bonding.

Like the graphic says, this prompt highlights the pairing having animal traits, being animal hybrids, or being able to shapeshift into an animal! This could be something limited to just one member of the pairing, or it could be something everyone in the world has! Whether you go small with things such as sensitive senses or the ability to purr, have more physical traits such as wings or tails, or even go full on with the ability to shapeshift like a were-creature, the possibilities are endless!

The specific animals each of the members are is completely limitless. Maybe you go for a simple panda!Sapnap! Clever with alligator!Dream! Or out-of-the-box with jewel beetle!George! Whatever the case is, it's important to keep omegaverse dynamics in mind with your pairing. In fact, you can even choose specific animals that have known relationships to influence your pairing, like mongooses and vipers or coyotes and badgers! You can even use minecraft mobs or mythical creatures like creepers or unicorns for your pairing (especially since one of our sub-prompts for this day is a magic au).

Maybe each secondary gender has a type of animal they'll have traits of! Like alphas could be non-mammals like reptiles or birds, betas could be sea-creatures, and omegas could be mammals. Or only specific features will show depending on your secondary gender. There are way too many ways to taxonomize animals, so how they are categorized can vary.

Animal features and hybrids can have specific stereotypes associated with them in your world. Maybe having predator blood is believed to make you dangerous. Or having furry ears or a scaly tail are a ticket to dehumanization. Maybe shapeshifters have to hide lest they be hunted to extinction. There's so many ways you could take this prompt, the world is your oyster! (and let us all say thank you to stereotypes being such a helpful plot device!)

With the definition out of the way, here are some examples of fic ideas about animal features/hybrids! Some of the prompts will combine the sub-prompts in the idea.

the pairing are both hybrids but naturally ward each other off, like a cat and a creeper

a member of the pairing hides their animal traits from their partner but it turns out their partner loves them for their traits

One of the pairing obsesses over their partner's instincts/traits, like purring or tail wagging

hybrids of animals that hate each other are on different sport teams but fall in love and/or become mates

shrek au, or where one of the members is cursed to become a werecreature, shapeshifting against their will under certain circumstances (such as a full moon, being hit with water, or during their cycle)

Still need some help? We have an inspiration board on Pinterest for each prompt! Find the one for animal features or hybrids here.

We hope this helps you understand the prompt and think of some wonderful ideas! We can't wait to see what you post on October 15th!

[judesmoonbeauty]

If Jude and Ellis were animals, what would they be according to their appearance and personality?🧡

Anon~

Thanks for this ask because a couple of weeks ago I was thinking about this myself, but gave up because I felt like it was too difficult to find an animal to symbolize Jude & Ellis.

Contains some mild spoilers ✨✨

With out further ado, I present to you:

RED PANDA ELLIS & MONGOOSE JUDE!

Allow me to explain 👩🏻‍🏫📝

👆🏻Do you not see their adorable FLUFFINESS???

Seriously though, Red Pandas are agile like he is and they are FLUFFY like his hair. A part from that they can live in family groups or be loners (just like Ellis), and tends to be gentle by nature (Again, Ellis for the most part.) I was going to go with a giraffe because of his height…..but that would’ve weird.

👆🏻Uh, these faces say it all LMAO.

But really, mongooses can also be loners or live in what’s called mobs. (That’s just a coincidence. I didn’t choose the mongoose because he’s a monster). Also, if he could be, I’m 110% sure Jude rather be alone.

Mongooses are also aggressive/ruthless towards dangerous animals such as venomous snakes, (Just as Jude is to those who are venomous like snakes), & while they are carnivorous they also include plant matter in their diets. (Jude eats meat but prefers, fresh produce and salads.)

Also, I intentionally chose not to use beasts of prey since I don’t think they really fit well with either of them. 💜

[monstersandmaw]

Hey Ghosti! I just wanted to say I'm a part of your patreon, and I absolutely love you and your writing!! I am utterly OBSESSED with ShipMates, I love the dynamic between all of them. How each relationship is different yet equal. Anyways, I'm super glad I found you through Momolady and TheTravelerWrites because you have become one of my all-time favs!! I was just curious: If you could pick one thing you personally would love to write but haven't yet, what would that be?

(Also, as a plus-size bisexual woman, I love the inclusivity and the body representation in your masterlist!!)

I really needed this, so thank you so much! You made my whole night!! Thank you so so much for your support, on here and on Patreon. @momolady and @thetravelerwrites are incredible writers and wonderful human beings, so I'm really touched you found me via their amazing work!! (everyone go check them out too if you haven't already!!).

Thank you for saying that too about my masterlist - I feel like I write the same thing over and over (especially when people ask for more specific readers, when I tend to write gender/body neutral more than most others these days).

I'm not sure there's anything I haven't written yet in terms of general topics, because when I'm not doing commissions, I pretty much just write what I want to write and hope the people supporting me (on here for free and on Patreon) also continue to want to read it!! However, I have a few ideas for novels/stories that I've not had the time or the energy to dedicate to writing.

One (which @mongoose-king knows about and got very excited for when I mentioned it!) is a complete reworking of the first incarnation of the Citadel idea I had over on @weaverofthreads. I decided I wanted to change almost everything in that, except for the idea of magically bonding an elite soldier with a fully-qualified mage...

More on that below for anyone interested: (it's kinda long-winded!!):

Background:

(much of this is the same as the first incarnation of the first novel over on @weaverofthreads but a lot of it has also changed...!)

The Citadel is an ancient 'university'-type institution where mages are trained (going from novice, to apprentice, then journeyman, and full mage. To become a master (gender neutral), they must study further (like a PhD kind of vibe). The Citadel is also where Greycloaks are trained, separately from the mages/scholars. These are elite soldiers, and once a person has gained their Cloak, they can be employed by anyone from the Crown to anyone willing to pay enough to retain their services. It's extremely demanding, and the dropout rate is very high, and the final Proving (test/exam) for becoming a full Greycloak is very tough. Those who gain their Cloak usually find employment as personal bodyguards to the rich and influential among the Great Houses and merchants.

The Citadel has a tradition of bunking first year mages with first year Greycloaks (or 'squires') to foster friendship and respect between the two very different disciplines taking place on site. It's a practice which dates back to the days when there were more mages, and when Bonding was a much more common occurrence. The process of Bonding is the creation of a magical bond between two people, and while extremely intimate, it does not have to be romantic in nature. It's given the same reverence and significance as marriage, but it's not automatically assumed to be romantic. A married mage may also Bond a Greycloak, and vice versa.

The Bond gives the Greycloak heightened senses, enhanced endurance/stamina, and durability to withstand wounds that would kill anyone else, and it gives the mage a much greater pool of magic and strength from which to draw during rites/spellcasting (though this varies depending on the natural 'core' of each person. Every living being has some degree of magical 'reservoir' or 'battery' within them, but only mages are able to access it to create spells/rites, whereas most people cannot). However, the Bond allows you to feel the emotions of the other person as if they were your own, and you can always feel a 'pull' to them, so you could locate them anywhere in the world. It gets fainter with greater distance. It's possible to 'block' it, with a lot of mental effort and practice, but if the Bond is magically severed, both parties die, and if one party is killed, the other dies. Depending on the strength of the Bond, this can be instantly, or within a matter of hours, but it always ends in the death of the other. Because of the intimacy of the Bond's nature, and the permanent lack of privacy in your own head/heart, it's not actually that common a practice anymore.

Characters/Story premise:

Gil is a physically disabled necromancer who grew up in the dockland slums, and whose magic manifested later in his life (at 15) than it does for most mages (usually around 10 yrs old), and as a result of some pretty severe trauma. He was then brought by the mage who attended the scene to the Citadel, even though he was three years younger than the age when most students begin their studies. Mages are pretty rare in the population, so until then, individuals showing magical potential are usually apprenticed 1-1 with a master to cover the basics, and their fundamental/'school level' education is also covered. Mages taking apprentices have the costs covered by the Citadel, and not every mage is in a position to take an apprentice. Gil didn't have any education at all after the age of eight, so he had a lot of catching up to do, but the mage who took him under her wing saw to that, and he's a Bright Boi, so he caught up academically, if not socially. He was given special dispensation by the Archmage to live at the Citadel, so he's already familiar with the place by the time the story starts.

Meanwhile Tomas is the second son of a duke, is very privileged, and has been learning sword-craft and how to run an estate since he was pretty much able to walk. He trained with his mother's Bonded Greycloak, and is an accomplished horse rider too, but he soon discovers that he's still got a lot to learn if he wants to acquire his full Greycloak status like his older brother. However, Tomas is still affable and open-minded despite his background, and is intelligent and particularly interested in history, even if he's not the most academic overall.

The story I want to tell begins with Gil meeting Tomas at the start of Tomas' first term (oh my god they were roommates), and because Gil is socially inept and anxious, he makes a blunder and the two hardly speak for their entire first year. Their schedules are very different, so they basically only overlap to sleep. After their first year, squires are then housed together in the barracks, in a separate part of the Citadel grounds, and so Tomas doesn't interact with Gil at all. Eventually though, they do meet again, and Gil is a bit less awkward, and Tomas a bit braver, and they become friends...

There's a solstice ball, a visit to Tomas' country home, a spirit and a family in need of closure after a traumatic event, and some estranged family drama, and eventual falling head over heels in love.

The reason I haven't written more than a few chapters of it it is basically because I don't have a 'Big Bad' for them to face or a real story arc, other than this spirit that needs addressing. Tomas' mother is a mage who doesn't like necromancy (she has her reasons, but it's mostly just prejudice), so there's a bit of drama there, but with the story's first incarnation in Weaver of Threads, the two main characters were gonna go off on this huge adventure in search of a lost art of magic, but these two don't have that...

Anyway, that was probably WAY more than you were looking for when you asked what I'd write that I haven't already XD. I'm sorry!!

Thank you once again for your support on Patreon, and I'm so happy you found me via two truly excellent writers! Thank you x

[perpetualexistence]

Tell us about your other Alenoaheather AU(s). I know you have them. 🔫

- Totally not Ophe

Hello completely random anon whose identity will forever be a mystery!

See, with the way you've phrased this, you've actually opened yourself up to a few options. I'll tell you a little bit about each one and you can tell me which one you want to learn more about first.

Currently unnamed G/T Alenoaheather

Definitely the most detailed AU of the bunch. It's got backstories and character arcs for each of the three. Probably the best way to describe it is Urban fantasy since none of them are (completely) human, but they pretty much live in a modern setting.

It does get dark at times. Think Beastars-adjacent in terms of vibes. Including the murder bits. But it's mostly self-defense or being forced into it, so take that as you will. I will say that it's nowhere near the levels of toxic relationships that something like the Sea Monster AU has. And they do actually improve as people. These three still get drama mind you, but it's from keeping secrets rather than being genuinely manipulative. ...Well. Too manipulative. It does have Alejandro and Heather in it. But it's got fluff moments because fluffy giant/tiny dynamics are precious and must be preserved at all costs.

It's got Alejandro who's a giant-shifter able to grow even larger than most other giant-shifters thank to his Burromuerto heritage. The Burromuertos are a completely upstanding giant-shifter family and definitely don't have any incredibly fucked up family traditions they expect Alejandro to continue.

Noah's a were-mongoose. Werefolk come in a large variety, though mongoose is on the far more uncommon side. Unlike most werefolk, this kid genius actually figured out a way to not completely give into his instincts during full moons. This has absolutely no negative repercussions on his wellbeing.

Heather who's a giant-shifter hybrid unable to grow thanks to her human heritage from her father's side. She's the only one of her siblings unable to grow. She definitely doesn't have a complex about this. But she has managed to find her own way of making herself just as much of a physical threat as her two boyfriends. (Aka the day I take away from Heather's inherent badassery is the day I die.)

Serial Killer AU

It's exactly what it sounds like. With exactly the vibes the name implies. Definitely the darker one. They're just a thriving villain throuple with a body count. It's also mostly Noah-focused so far as I haven't figured out Alejandro or Heather's motivations.

Noah stumbles across a body of a serial killer spree, only to be the first to realize that one serial killer is actually two. Curiosity leads him to investigate...but not for the reasons you'd think.

(For this one that's pretty much all I can share before just going into the whole AU)

And then, on the completed side since might as well dump all the Alenoaheather AUs:

Noah and the Beanstalk

Another giant/tiny AU! This one's actually got its own post already. I don't really have anything else that I didn't already mention in that post. But it's my blog, so I'll advertise my own AUs as I please!

Collab AUs

The Royal Court AU

Originally named The Lords In Black AU because it was originally inspired by me watching an animatic of The Summoning from Nerdy Prudes Must Die. Then it evolved into something far beyond that where the name doesn't seem quite right anymore.

It's got Alenoaheather as the worst teens at school and unashamed about it. ...Until Alejandro goes missing, and nobody else really seems to care. Leaving Heather and Noah to investigate and try their best not to be next.

They fail, but hey, at least they get cool eldritch powers out of it!

This AUs also dark because the premise is them being kidnapped to be used as sacrifices. And it's got plenty of eldritch horror in it. The posts for it are scattered because they ended up going into two separate reblog chains with @total-drama-brainrot and @ur-local-brown-multifandomist. If you look up 'lords in black au' on my blog you should be able to find most of it. I'm going to just centralize it for ease of organization one day. It'll just be. You know. Effort.

Also, @ur-local-brown-multifandomist is currently making a fic for it! It's their first one, so feel free to check it out.

Fake Dating Alenoaheather AU

This one's a collab AU between me and @total-drama-brainrot, a person you have never met because you are a completely anonymous anon. Noah gets caught in between Heather and Alejandro's attempts to make the other jealous by each making him pretend to be their boyfriend. Shenanigans and drama ensue. The posts for this are also scattered and tagged on both our blogs, and one day we might make a fic about it. For now, there actually is someone already making a fic about it that you can feel free to read!

I still can't believe two different people decided to start making fic of AUs I helped create. It's wild, and I'm incredibly touched.

"Why are all of these AUs except for one dark in at least some way?"

I honestly couldn't tell you exactly why my brain works the way it does. It just decided that the two canon villains and one-villain coded teenager deserve to be at least a little feral. As a treat.

Maybe one day I'll have an AU with them that's not so dark. That day will be a surprise to us all.

But yeah, that's all of the Alenoaheather AUs I got! The first two I'm more than happy to go into more detail for if you ask!

[theremustbeabear]

i'm curious how and why the terror fictives here got their non-source-related names, they're all great and they all seem to make sense somehow

AHA! [cracks knuckles] well, lucky for you, we absolutely adore talking about our system, so here is, from what i can remember, the true stories of every single one (so far, we have a couple of new ones from today that have yet to change theirs):

remus halcyon (fitzjames) -- the 'remus' in our url (theremustbeabear) jumped out at him, and he was also inspired by remus from sanders sides. halcyon was meant as a sort of good luck charm going forward, plus, he just thought it sounded neat.

hugo mcculloch (crozier) -- i'm fairly sure he stole hugo from an actor, but he just sort of heard it and liked the sound of it. same with his last name. not much thought here.

roland conagher (goodsir, also the one writing this post, hullo) -- i asked friends for name suggestions that were relatively unassuming and similar to my original one, and liked the suggestion of roger, but we already have a headmate named roger, so i rolled it around a bit until i settled on roland instead. conagher is shamelessly stolen from the engineer (tf2).

javert atilax (jopson) -- often when folks are more recognized by their last name, they'll take inspiration from their last name for their new first name, or vice versa (such as our stanley tsp's last name being stanford). jav wanted the name javier, which simply came to him, but it turned out it was on his mind because somebody already has that one. remus joked about him stealing javert from les mis, and he essentially went "alright, bet". atilax is a genus of mongoose, because jopson gets referred to as a mongoose on several occasions, and he thought it would be a funny subtle reference.

brigadier shaw (tozer) -- he thought a military rank would be fitting, and the idea of having the nickname "brig" was funny and ironic to him, considering. well, you know what a brig is. shaw is after liam shaw from star trek.

leiland douglas (irving) -- leiland is a character we like from dimension 20, and he somewhat related to him. douglas is simply because we're scottish and so often fall back on scottish names when we don't have other inspiration. also, real irving was scottish.

terrence hudson (hodgson) -- thought it would be funny to name himself 'terry', as in, short for 'terror', but ended up really liking the name terry and extending it to terrence. he also thought it would be funny to shift his last name just a little bit to the left and steal from a different explorer who died badly. one thing we can all say about terry is that he certainly knows how to commit to a bit (yes, this is about the mpreg conversation on discord, you know who you are)

myler lepetit (little) -- stole his first name from a warrior cats character that we really like and he finds relatable. stole the last name from julia from drawfee, because he thought it would be funny, and terry was encouraging him. i agree, i think it's very silly.

and that's all currently, because collins, mcdonald, and stanley have yet to change theirs, and that is our present total of introjects. thank you for the ask, hope this doesn't disappoint!

[mongoosefangs]

Fursuit Camp 2024: Getting Started

Welcome back to Fursuit Camp! It's time to start this thing proper! Whether you're ready to build along at home or just enjoying the ride, let's go over one of the most basic and important steps: planning our project and choosing our fabrics!

For this demonstration I'm going to be making a coyote partial! I don't always plan my projects thoroughly in advance (I may or may not have a dragon head base from like 2017 that I'm still stumped on how to finish) but I usually like to do at least some rough doodles to figure out what kind of colors and markings I want. These details may be subject to change as the build continues, but this is a decent starting point.

I'm going with a 'yote because I've wanted to make one for a long time and they're pretty iconic in the desert Southwest where I live. It helps that I already have all the right fur fabrics on hand for this design. I also figured a canine species would be good for this demo, dogs/wolves/foxes etc. are eternally popular and common choices for fursuits, and a fine place for beginners to start.

Although you can make whatever you want if you're following along at home, I will say that if this is your very first build, you might not want to start with a beloved fursona or visually complex character. Keep it simple with less pressure to make it perfect as you get used to the building process. My first suit was a generic fox; I didn't attempt to make my mongoose 'sona until later.

Here are the faux furs I'm going to be using for my coyote. You can see I've got a mixture of both long and short fur, and the colors don't exactly match 100%, but that's okay. Have faith! There are a lot more faux fur choices now than there used to be, but sometimes you're still limited. Depending on what you can get, you might want to start planning your project the other way around. Look at the fabrics available to you and pick an animal based on that.

You might be fortunate to live in an area where stores sell fur locally, or you might have to order online. You might even find yourself cutting up furry pillowcases and jackets from the thrift store for that perfect fur you can't find anywhere else (which is totally okay, in my opinion, as long as the fabric is clean). Regardless of where you source it, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Always inspect fur in person. This means buying samples first if you're ordering online, but I promise it's worth the extra hassle. Make sure it's the color and texture you want before dropping $30-50 per yard on the stuff. How's the durability? Gently tug on the fibers; do they stay put or fall out? Part the fur with your fingers; does it seem flimsy or patchy? Faux fur quality can vary tremendously between styles, sellers, and even when the fabric was made. You won't know for sure until you've got it in hand.

Buy more than you think you'll need. How much that actually ends up being will depend entirely on your design. For this 'yote I probably won't need more than half a yard in any single color, but it's always better to have extra in case you make a mistake or want to add extra fursuit parts in the future. Don't assume you can just order more of the same exact fur later! It might be out of stock, discontinued, or not the same color or quality that it was in the past.

Know your terminology. What's the difference between fox fur and shag? Beaver and seal? Multiple types of furs are commonly used on fursuits and there are pros and cons to each kind. Let's go over some of them:

-Beaver, Seal, or Super Seal: very short fur, dense, soft, and kind of shiny. The short orange and cream in the photo above are beaver/seal style furs. A great choice for fursuit faces and finely detailed areas, but doesn't come in very many colors, and seams are more likely to show though the fur.

-Bunny or Teddy: short to medium length furs, up to about an inch long. Soft and fluffy, comes in a variety of colors, but some of them can be kind of thin furs in my experience. Not as dense as the shorter stuff. May need to be shaved down if used on fursuit faces.

-Lux Shag, aka Punky Muppet: a long style fur about 1.5" to 2". One of the most common choices for fursuits, widely available, comes in a huge array of colors. The long grey and orange in the photo above are examples of lux shag. Will need to be shaved if used on fursuit faces, but does not always shave down neatly. Quality varies. Can look clumpy or messy over time. Better for cartoony suits, less ideal for realistic styles.

-Fox: longer than lux shag, usually 2" or more, and a little more realistic in color and/or texture. The long cream in the photo above is an example of a fox style fur. Not as soft as lux shag, but also not as clumpy. Will need to be shaved if used on fursuit faces.

-Mongolian: a type of shag that's extra long and kind of wooly looking, with a chunky or kinked texture. Might work for some characters but probably not what you want in most cases.

-NFT/NFTech: National Fiber Tech, this is high quality faux fur used professionally for film and TV. Can be custom made to order to almost any length and color, especially good for fursuit hair tufts, but prohibitively expensive for most folks. They do sell overstock and random remnants, which can be a great value, but the selection is pretty unpredictable.

There are also other types of fabrics you may use for a fursuit, especially if you're like me and want to avoid shaving long fur at any cost (we won't be covering that in this build at all.) If you need something really, really short, but you can't find it in fur, try one of these instead:

-Fleece: just regular old anti-pill fleece can be a fantastic choice for fursuits. I always use at least some for things like inner ears and mouth linings, but I've made entire faces out of it, and some people have even used fleece for whole suits. Fleece is cheap, easy to work with, comes in a zillion colors, and hides seams surprisingly well with the right stitch. It's not fluffy like fur is, though, so it can't hide everything. Try to make your underlying structures as neat as possible if you're using fleece.

-Minky: commonly used for stuffed animals, comes in different styles, some are fluffy enough to mimic a bunny style fur. Tons of colors and prints to choose from. Can be used in a lot of the same ways as fleece, but I honestly don't like it as much. It doesn't hide seams as well and it's messy to work with. Good for making plushies, maybe good for some small details, but probably not my first choice for a fursuit.

These are just some of the fabrics you might end up using, but honestly, that's only the tip of the iceberg! I could literally spend the rest of the summer just weighing the pros and cons of every conceivable material you might use on a fursuit, but I'd rather actually make a fursuit. How about you?

If you're looking for fur online, try these sellers. I'll add to this list as I find more recommended shops!

Big Z Fabrics

FursuitSupplies

Hairymann's Closet (NFTech)

Howl Fabrics

JoAnn Fabrics

Mendel's

Next time, we'll compile the rest of our shopping list and price out everything else we need to make this fursuit. It may be more affordable and accessible than you think!

If you're building along at home, please use the tag #fursuitcamp24 or reply directly to this post, I would love to see what you're working on! Let's do this thing!

[misty-wolf-draws]

Portal 2: The (Unauthorized) Musical Analysis - Wheatley's Past Wounds

Okay so I was rewatching part two of the 2015 production and at the part where GLaDOS revealed Wheatley's original purpose I noticed a really interesting detail.

So y'all know this quote from the game right?

Well when Graeme Thompson (2015 Wheatley) says it in the show his voice breaks a bit, almost like he's on the verge of tears. (timestamp 16:40-16:42 if you wanna hear it yourself) I didn't notice it the first time I saw it but I was focusing solely on Wheatley this time and it almost made me cry.

Anyone who truly knows Wheatley will know that GLaDOS (or anyone for that matter) bringing up his past hurts him greatly. He's tried to bury that part of him for so long and GLaDOS not only reopens that wound but keeps twisting a knife into it. And while it's small, you can hear it in Wheatley's voice how painful it is and how his frustration is starting to boil up.

As stated by @the-wheatley-core in this post:

"...But then GLaDOS brought it up and reopened that old wound of his that he’s desperately been trying to forget and sweep under the rug for most of his entire life. (...) He knew what he was. What purpose he was meant to serve, but he didn’t want to accept it. He didn’t even want to think about it. It was too painful to think about. To know that literally the only reason you’re alive is to be stupid and to make others stupid. To have everyone constantly underestimate you and your abilities. To be treated as tiny and insignificant. Wheatley didn’t want to think about it. He refused to think about it. It was too painful. And so he lashed out."

Whether or not Graeme doing that voice crack was intentional, it still managed to get me emotional and I'm glad I managed to catch it. I swear I'm too attached to this metal orb it's not funny-

I want to give thanks to @mx-mongoose for unintentionally giving me inspiration to analyze the Portal musical. I am now going to be breaking down and analyzing both versions and posting what I find whenever I can.

I also want to give thanks to @the-wheatley-core for their detailed and very informative list of analyses on Wheatley. If I hadn't found their blog before I watched the musical I wouldn't have caught that detail and connected it to his character.

[mybleedingboy]

Hannibal Fic Recs

for @raniofzepuchas (I'll make this short and only include my very favorites so I'm not overwhelming you with fics) (no particular order)

A Clutch at Balance by Devereauxs_Disease

Rating: E | Word Count: 25,466

When Will Graham storms into Hannibal's house muttering about kissing Alana Bloom, the good doctor makes Will an offer: Pretend to date Hannibal in order to prove to Alana that Will is not only stable but capable of being in a relationship. When Alana is convinced Will is the man of her dreams, Hannibal will step aside and Will can get his girl. What could possibly go wrong?

Really fun and balances that fun with some excellent writing. Spot on dynamic, fantastic chemistry.

highway 190 by occultiism

Rating: M | Word Count: 10,343

He has found the Devil and wants to live inside of him. There is no more room for God. / Chronological snapshots throughout Will Graham's life.

Arguably one of the best-written Hannibal fics (and fics in general) ever. Hard-hitting, painful throughout but like a punch that hits the knots right out of you. If that makes sense?

Five Times Hannibal Visits Will and One Time He's Already Home (or: Coffee Cake) by bones_2_be

Rating: E | Word Count: 82,385

When Will tells Hannibal to leave at the end of Digestivo, he goes. And then, a few years later, he shows back up. They have long conversations, drink a lot of wine, at the end of it all they find something that works.

Excellent progression. Love the characters in this. Again, great fucking writing. Restricted fic, so you'd have to be logged in.

The Mongoose and the Mouse by Hiding Now

Rating: E | Word Count: 109,582

With Mother's and Father's Day impending, Will has been feeling particularly irascible. He has parent issues (as do we all) so as a therapeutic exercise, Hannibal suggests something novel: a vacation together to recapture the childhood he never had. His caveats: Will must choose someplace he's never been, someplace he always wanted to go as a child. The idea is ridiculous. Will can only think of one place. But there is no way Hannibal will agree to go to a place where turkey legs are a staple, and cartoon characters offer hugs on every corner. Will calls his bluff. Hannibal calls it right back. OR ~Will and Hannibal spend a week at Walt Disney World for perfectly sound psychological reasons~

It's the disney fic! Always fun to read back.

each according to its kind by chaparral_crown

Rating: M | Word Count: 192,571

Will does the only reasonable thing that someone fresh out of a mental hospital with no support system does - he leaves, and goes on a road trip to the Pacific Northwest.

AU of Season 2. This is my favorite Hannibal fic, and one of the best-written at that. Every paragraph is rich in flavor. I would definitely eat this. This is the fic I recommend the most often.

their beaks not yet turned red by chaparral_crown

Rating: M | Word Count: 134,420

Will stares at the bird. The bird stares back. In its beak, a very finely embroidered cloth, and in that, the tiniest of soft fists pushing forward from a folded corner. “Don’t you dare,” Will says, crouching, hand that is not currently cradling an overly large pour of whiskey pointed at the bird to ward it off. --- After Hannibal is arrested and the trial dates are set, the stork visits Will Graham. With it, it brings a baby, a legally binding birth certificate, and a hope chest full of gifts for her. Nobody except Will thinks this is weird. (Alternatively, what if the Scarlet Letter was a dark romantic comedy?)

So good and heartfelt throughout. I wished this was canon.

Ravenous by rageprufrock

Rating: M | Word Count: 38,448

Whenever I go into a new fandom, I look for pru's works first. This was no exception, and it's so fucking good. It's a genuine thriller. There's no description, and pru doesn't tag, so I will let you go in blind. An exciting read, brilliantly written both stylistically, plot-wise, and character-wise. The dynamics here are wonderful !! Hard-recommend.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

You said in a previous ask I sent where if Aro learnt that venom had an alien origin, being the equivalent to hot sauce for aliens, that he wouldn't be surprised, but worried they might send in the metaphorical mongoose to take care of the vampire pests.

Well, I'm asking, what if they did?

Not immediately after the alien visitor messed and gave it's human buddies the venom hot sauce, because the answer would be boring. The vampires would have been nipped in the bud before they could become a problem and the entire Twilight series would have never happened.

Let's say, some time after Breaking Dawn, the alien species the original visitor came from finally find out what a big mistake the visitor made. Well, now's the time to fix this mess. So, they create and send in the vampire mongoose to wipe out the vampires. It is designed specifically to kill vampires and won't stop until they have been wiped off the face of the Earth.

I guess what I'm asking is how would the characters, the Volturi and the Cullens in particular, react to this existental threat to vampires? Would they band together in hopes of increasing their odds of survival, or is it every vampire for themself?

... Anon, I hate to inform you that historical attempts to introduce an invasive species to take care of the other invasive species has rarely (if ever to my admittedly limited knowledge) gone well or only affected the targeted species.

Caveat

The vampire thing is actually pretty under control thanks to the Volturi. It's a brutal way of doing things, horrifying, but the law means that anyone who eats too many humans gets the axe.

What this means is I doubt our aliens would notice post Breaking Dawn. They actually think the invasive species wasn't that damaging to the ecosystem, go team, and if they notice anything it's the large population of humans who seem to have done quite well for themselves despite being the only food source of an apex predator.

That's a little strange.

Point is though, I doubt they'd act as they'd consider it under control.

They Release the Mongoose

This fucker kills everything, I'm sure. Look, I'm sure it's designed to hunt vampires, but that doesn't mean it's not causing collateral damage to everything else. That's how life works, if you run out of food sources you have to get creative.

This thing is going to eat other creatures and it is going to be bad.

But focusing just on the vampires as you asked...

Depends.

First, they have to notice this is happening and realize what it means/what they can do to stop it. Probably they won't band together though as it was hard enough getting everything together for the trial.

If Carlisle tried really hard again he could probably get his friends together (but he had a month to do so last time) and Aro clearly has his own people and things going on but the species as a whole, I just don't see it.

Also, what would the vampires even do together as a species that they can't do as individual cohesive groups? I'm sure the Volturi would much rather deal with this as the Volturi versus involving people like the Romanians who will gladly take this as an opportunity to stab them in the back. The Cullens, similarly, won't want to be with those who supported the Volturi and might take this as an opportunity to quietly feed them to mongoose.

Whatever they're doing, they'd probably try to solve it on their own first and then spread the word.

[shadowsandbag]

I've been meaning to get to this all month, so let's do these first 10!

Henshin! A Sentai RPG - I haven't played this one yet, but its on my shortlist of games to run.

Paranoia (Red Mongoose Edition) - I GM'd for this Sunday and we did mission de-brief, which is one of my favorite parts of the game.

Fellowship - I've run one campaign of this and played in two more in the past couple years.

Mouse Guard- Maybe it is cheating to choose a game based off an already gorgeous graphic novel series, but I don't think it is.

Paranoia - The writing in this is just so fun, it's a joy to read and i find myself laughing every time I go back to check anything.

The Quiet Year - I love the quiet year, and try to bring it and run it at a convention. I also played it at my local public library, where three of the people were brand new to TTRPGs, so i saw first-hand how easy it is to learn.

Murders and Acquisitions OR Paranoia - I'm not really sure what this question is supposed to mean so I'm going to take it overly literally. The former has a Resume Form you fill out for character creation, and the latter has a lot of forms you can fill out, such as the Pre-emptive Alibi Declaration Form.

Paranoia RAM deck - I really like all of the cards for Paranoia, but The R A M deck i bought last year is probably my favorite. It has suggestions for things to happen when The Computer Die is rolled, but they all Very Paranoia. Stuff like requiring every character to end whatever they say with "I am not a traitor". My favorite is one that gave every player one minute to draw "A Traitor" and whoever i decide did the best job gets a bonus card.

I'd really like to see some resources to better use physical cards online. Roll20 has a function to upload and create your own deck, but i've found it to be a bit glitchy. There are a few games I play that have some custom cards, and its a little annoying whenever i want to use them.

Capers, Paranoia, Mouse Guard - Capers is a game about 1920s gangsters with super powers, and so would be a blast to watch if done well. A Paranoia show would be great, but I think it might be hard to get the tone right. I'm still salty about the Mouse Guard movie getting canceled.

[emeraldtied]

➤ Take A Look | Accepting (slowly)

↳ @ofteaandmagic asked: For Mina: send CHANGED for a scene from my muse's past that represented a turning point in their life

{➹} – SHE WAS SURPRISED TO see the hedgehog only just waking up when she got out of the shower, still in bed but sitting up when she exited the bathroom and stepped into the bedroom again, towelling off her hair. She noticed with no small amount of humor the look that came over his face when he saw her, that tired almost dishevelled look coupled with surprise. But, unlike her original thought, his words dispelled her suspicion that it was because he wasn't expecting to see her in just a towel that morning.

"You're...still here?"

She laughed, giving him a look settled between amused and prying. It wasn't that weird she had stayed over. Not in her mind, though she did have to remind herself that the hedgehog was a little different when it came to certain expectations, but in a cute way. "Yeah? Something wrong with that?"

"No, just...one more thing I didn't expect, I guess," he admitted, somewhat sheepishly but his smile was almost appreciative. He had plenty to thank her for, but he had a feeling saying as much might just get him laughed at. He was still very much out of his element here. "I'll have t' add it t' the list."

"Then you'll probably be super surprised we'd usually do breakfast too. Unfortunately, I have a sound check to get too, and I'm already running a little late. If you can call it that, not like they can do anything without me," she smirked, that air of confidence about her still managing to throw the hero for a loop and it showed. It only made her smiled more as she started gathering up her clothes, stopping only to sit on the edge of the bed to take one of his hands and give it a gentle squeeze when she was done. "We should do this again sometime though."

She had to hold back actual laughter as he blinked, utterly puzzled. "What do you mean...?"

"You know exactly what I mean. Even you're not that dense, Blue." Though she had to wonder how true that was when he kept staring at her like that. Rolling her eyes, the mongoose gently cupped one of the hedgehog's cheeks, forcing him to look at her, to hear the sincerity in her voice. "I liked spending time with you. And I don't just mean...you know. I liked talking to you, getting to know you. Plus you're not a terrible listener either and that's pretty hard to find."

"Mina..." Sonic's voice trailed off but his expression had morphed to something almost wistful as he raised a hand to cover hers in turn. He did know what she was getting at now, which was made this next part harder. Chaos, he had never had to do this before. Not like this. "I liked it too, I don't think I've talked t' anyone like that, well...ever. But...I can't. An' it has nothing t' do with you, 's...everything else."

It sounded bad, and he hated that. He could only hope she knew what he was getting at too, that what he was saying had nothing to do with what they did or even her. It truly was him, his life. The monumental plight that he lived each and every day, one that showed no signs of stopping. A perpetual Hell.

Sonic gave her hand a squeeze, a bit of desperation in his eyes that even he didn't comprehend. He couldn't drag someone else into this. He just couldn't. "I can't bring you int' this. You don't deserve that, not when you have the beginnings of your career ahead of you an' a ton of better options that don't involve you either being half scared t' death or wondering how you're going t' stop the next robot army from levelling a city without dying."

For a moment, she said nothing, unsure of what to say before she defaulted to what was supposed to be humor, but it didn't quite come out that way in her consternation. "You make it sound so glamorous..."

"'S not." His voice cut across firmly, and that made Mina frown as the enormity hit her. It was just like last night, that look in his eyes, that turmoil, was too real. He was terrified, but not for himself. It would have been touching in a way if it hadn't been so painful. "It's really not. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, especially someone like you. I...can't even say I'll ever be ready so 'm not going t' give you that hope. But I...I do appreciate it."

The mongoose remained quiet, but he could see that what he said had struck a chord with her. Sonic could only hope she didn't take any of the last few hours as a bad thing. He wasn't that kind of guy, but he couldn't start something he knew he likely wouldn't around to finish, or even truly enjoy. It wasn't fair, not to her.

And, in truth, part of her did understand but the young singer's mind had trailed off in a completely different direction. She couldn't get over that look, the fear. Couldn't get over how the hedgehog in front of her was only shy of a year older than her, that they were the same age and lead vastly different lives. Not once had she ever had to fear for her life, not once did the mongoose end up maimed in a hospital, never had to fight for her life. Never had to worry her actions could be life or death for someone else.

But Sonic did. Every damn day.

All Mina wanted was for her music to have meaning, to speak her mind and not give a rat's ass what other's thought. She wanted to uplift and empower without censoring herself, to make a difference doing what she did best. She couldn't fight, and she would respect his choice in not starting something at what had to be the worst possible time for him, but there was something else she could do.

She had a voice, one people would listen to. And she was sure as hell going to use it. She would always use it to help those who couldn't speak for themselves, people who were undermined and taken for granted. People like Sonic.