#because he has been strength training in relation to hunting

[disabled-dean]

ALL I am saying is if they were gonna have Sam work out and diet so much they should have AT LEAST made use of that plot wise beyond making him an ed girlie like. We get that ONE scene in the Brittish Men Of Letters arc where he's sexily trapped in the basement or whatever and he strong-man's his way out of it and then what? Nothing!!!

Why wasnt it ever like- oh Sam we need this door kicked in will you do it? Oh Sam, there's a heavy shelf (or whatever) and Cas isn't here, can you? Oh Sam, please absolutely just ANNIHILATE this brick wall/monster of the week/random baddie like. What even was the point of any of that???? Literally make him the muscle or shut the fuck up forever. Also he shoulda been evil <3 Next question.

[bonefall]

again looking over the reworked history what the hell happened with Ripwater, I wanna know. What *was* that? How did Riverclan kill it?

Oooooh, quite a request! Ripwater, Queen of the Lake, one of the episodes of BB!Po3!

Ripwater is a Wels Catfish, the largest freshwater fish in Europe. The biggest specimen EVER caught was just landed last year, in 2023, 9.4 feet long. It wasn't weighed, but smaller fish than this one have broken 300 pounds.

And it's not a good thing that we're catching so many big ones.

Wels catfish are extremely invasive across most of Europe, introduced for anglers who want to land record-setting catches. They're massive, intelligent carnivores, sometimes called the "freshwater orca" because they will lunge out of the water to catch land prey. They DESTROY the population of anything big enough to fit in its terrible mouth, including fish, amphibians, and even turtles.

They get that big from a mix of constant food and hot temperature. It's a sign that they're devastating their surroundings, and that nothing has been able to kill them for the decades it takes to get so large.

So of course, some dunderhead put them in British rivers, where they've been spreading upwards ever since. Thankfully they thrive better where it's warmer, so they're not too massive of a threat to BB's modeled regions in Northwestern England, but they're fucking coming.

Ripwater's name isn't an exaggeration. That's how they hunt. They gape their jaw and beat their fins like dragons, creating eddies and currents that suck their hapless prey in. When RiverClan names her, it's because they see her ripping the water in half. I was thinking about her recently, and came up with some new stuff. I'll take a brief break from my drafts to serve up some fragments for you.

[A gray cat with blue eyes, Lakepaw, later BB!Lakeheart, swims in bluegreen water surrounded by lilypads. Below her is the massive shadow of Ripwater, a gigantic Wels Catfish. Its eyes flash in the depths.]

SMALL RECAP OF BB!PO3: (to set the stage)

It is now a breather arc, just dedicated to some worldbuilding!

I feel pretty strongly that Po3's strength is how AWESOME of a slice-of-life arc it could have been. To this end, I removed the Kin of your Kin prophecy from it, until it's revealed only at the very end just before Cruel Season.

That's so I can focus on The Three and their adventures around the lake, without this big prophecy looming over them and making the lower-stakes conflicts look small.

Instead, the various episodes of Po3 are related to problems that their new home presents, with just a teeny bit of Sol's magical influence to spice things up.

While Lionpaw learns about the "meaning of strength" and ultimately learns a terrible lesson he will extend to his kits, and Jaypaw finds his limits and learns to prevent others from defining them for him, Hollypaw is grappling with Fire Alone and how to reconcile her grandfather's legacy with her strict dedication to the Warrior Code.

And SO we find ourselves in one of the earliest episodes of BB!Po3; Ripwater the River Demon. This is like... episode 3 or 4, it's a REALLY early one.

I'm just shuffling it around with ANOTHER RiverClan-centric episode; the Shinewater Plague. The oilspill from TNP is now going to be bumped up to Po3 so it's more about establishing Mothwing and her apprentice Willowpaw, to contrast Leafpool and her apprentice Hollypaw, before Holly swaps to being a warrior. Jaypaw completes warrior training before becoming a Cleric apprentice.

So I don't want them to be TOO close together. Maybe put Ripwater in Book 2 and have RiverClan comment that they don't really want to ask for help because of the last big event, Mistystar hates feeling indebted to ThunderClan.

After all, it could basically replace the "flood" episode from Canon Po3, which is often forgotten about anyway. I'm already having ShadowClan construct dams instead of RiverClan anyway...

ANYWAY RIPWATER

I want to start this episode off with Sol/Harry, who is unnamed, messing around near water. He has a bit of a fish motif going on that I want to establish, and I need to get him to start messing with the Clans good and early.

(Specifically his motif is going back and forth between the koi, also an invasive and notably domesticated species, and the atlantic salmon which is famous for its changing life cycle.)

The Wels Catfish is an invasive species to England, slowly making its way up the island from the South. The fish who will become Ripwater, at this point, is already HUGE but not cat-swallowing huge. She's an 80-pounder.

Sol hits her with some godly magic, which allows her to grow at a rapid rate.

The sort of thing where it wouldn't be COMPLETELY implausible. He just... helped it along.

When we get to her first true on-screen appearance interacting with RiverClan, she is nearly 300 pounds of monstrosity with a length of about 8 feet

I'm unsure how, exactly, ThunderClan comes to know of this. But I DO know that I want Hollypaw to be snooping, and heavily encouraged by her mentor Brackenfur to do so. So, somehow, SOMETHING starts going wrong across the lake and ThunderClan catches wind of it.

Thinking about it, this should probably be her first big action after swapping out of Cleric apprenticeship.

One of the few things she's missing about Clerichood is the way she could be close to Willowpaw without needing to sneak around so much. It's easier to just pass it off as "friendship" and "Clerics need to be close." Leafpool and Mothwing are a similar way.

Possibly work in that Hollypaw's also already seeing Heatherpaw in the tunnels, contrast the two things...

At this point, Hollypaw has a crush on Willowpaw, which is requited, but... it's kinda fading.

She still loves her like a friend, but she's liking Heatherpaw a lot more. It doesn't mean she doesn't CARE for Willowpaw, of course, but

Willowpaw is still IN love, and it's slowly becoming unrequited, when it didn't used to be.

And from RiverClan's POV...

The first disappearance is so sudden they have no idea what's happened. I'm planning for it to be Robinpaw.

(I go back and forth on if it's Robinpaw or Dapplepaw, but I'm leaning towards Robinpaw again, because I like Dapplenose too much to have her get killed off here.)

She went out clamming in the lake with her sisters, Lakepaw and Otterpaw, there was a swirl in the water, and that was it. She was gone.

Just like that.

She never came back up. RiverClan searched for her, following the currents, checking the shoreline, everything. It was like she vanished.

Mistystar is suspicious and doing everything in her power to figure out what happened, but... let's face it. It's the word of two apprentices, who were swimming alone, who swear Robinpaw just went under.

Misty JUST got done with the Shinewater Plague and isn't trying to make RiverClan look like it can't keep track of its own young. The most likely situation is that Robinpaw was sucked down by an undertow that the three of them were too inexperienced to recognize.

So... she's pretty adamant about not sharing this information until Robinpaw's body is found. Jaws Style. "We cannot let the other Clans be alarmed by this, else they might meddle in our affairs..."

(and she's still maybe a little paranoid that some snoop in another Clan is going to find out that Leopardstar wasn't killed by a rogue, y'know.)

I don't want it to be TOO much of a bloodbath, so I'm capping Ripwater's body count at three and just aiming for two deaths total.

I'm also going for a coincidence RiverClan is going to interpret as a pattern; this happens a lot, specifically, when they're hunting Freshwater Pearl Mussels.

Ripwater doesn't like the river as much as she likes the lake, but it has nothing to do with their clamming. They're just going to interpret it as such.

Anyway.

The next one she goes after was lucky. By some stroke, she opens her jaw, and the victim is able to grab onto something before they're sucked in. (Maybe toss in something here were it was Holly who was able to help save them.)

Since the WHOLE Po3 Apprentice Generation is going to be getting more focus, there needs to be more input from the RiverClan apprentices. Lakepaw and Otterpaw obviously need time here, but I also NEED to involve Ripplepaw, to establish how he's going to be seen as one of the strongest in RiverClan by OotS.

EDIT FROM THE FUTURE AS I FIGURED STUFF OUT:

It was Ripplepaw, Otterpaw, and their two mentors on a raft who were attacked next. They were fishing for mussels in a shallower part of the lake.

Otterpaw was tethered to the raft with a flax lead, so it wouldn't float off. Or just tugging it in her mouth. Either way she had a line.

When Ripwater attacks her, she is swallowed on the line like a worm on a hook

And it starts pulling the WHOLE RAFT down, just a crummy bundle of sticks

One of the mentors started shouting to cut the line, else it would drag all of them under, but Ripplepaw dives right down to beat its ass without telling them he's not gonna cut it

Hollypaw just rushed right in, didn't think about it, forgetting she was supposed to be trying to sneak around

Taking control as the natural leader she is, she ordered them to shut up and start pulling the opposite way

Underwater, Ripplepaw braced himself against the fish's lips, grabs Otter's tether, and YANKS

Abovewater, the adult warriors are pulling together, Holly grabs the raft and pulls too

Once their paws touch the bottom of the shallows it's over, one last HEAVE-HO and POP!

Otterpaw is FREE

And when it's finally known that the apprentices weren't mistaken, there's a monster in the water, THAT'S when the debate really starts up. Mistystar does NOT want ThunderClan meddling, and she'll already be pissed off that Hollypaw (and any OTHERS who tagged along with her, I wouldn't put it past Honeypaw to wriggle her little yellow butt into a later draft, or Lionpaw for his massive strength) witnessed something that's not her business.

There's a moment from canon I desperately want to keep; where Squirrelflight comes to fetch her daughter.

(more reason to just say this is replacing The Flood Episode from canon lmao)

It's such an interesting moment, and so forgotten. In a nutshell, Squilf is both furious and concerned that her kit went missing and meddled in another Clan's affairs, but... understands the impulse.

Because it's something she would have done.

So when she scolds Hollypaw, there's this aching feeling that she's scolding a younger version of herself. Calling her arrogant and disloyal, that an apprentice's opinions mean less, and that she needs to listen to "older and wiser" warriors within her own Clan.

In BB, I want to do something big with this. Firestar is the figurehead of Fire Alone, who encouraged Hollypaw's behavior through his deputy, Brackenfur, who he set as her mentor for a reason.

But Squirrelflight is being abused. By Brambleclaw.

This is one of the lowest points in Squirrelflight's life, and she is walking a line between self-worth, the warrior code, and her personal beliefs, just like her daughter is.

SO, since I'm already using Brambleclaw's enabling of Ashfur's physical abuse as one of the contributing factors to Hollyleaf's descent, I ALSO want to show how he acts on other characters.

Brambleclaw, Clan Culture, the pressures of their strength-obsessed social system. So it's gotta be Squirrelflight that reminds her, or even plants the seed in her head;

"What you did isn't consistent with the Warrior Code."

Maybe even have Mistystar herself state this earlier, to be echoed by Squirrelflight, offering an alternate perspective to Hollypaw. Make her realize that ThunderClan's political leanings are not universal or even popular.

But when Hollypaw comes back to ThunderClan, whoever set her to be a snoop wants her to spill the beans. This is also a big WIP part, as Hollypaw struggles with if she's going to obey or not, and I still need to set all the political "players" in this moment.

I know for sure, though, that Firestar's IMMEDIATE desire is to meddle like it's an episode of Scooby-Doo. Though he's savvy enough to be smart about how he phrases it and what actions he takes, his ultimate goal is to put his little cheeto-dust paws all over this. And Hollypaw is starting to question how appropriate that actually is.

This is where it starts to really be a rip in Holly's mind. Clans aren't JUST big, blanket groups with united opinions, they're collections of individuals. Mistystar doesn't want meddling, but Willowpaw is in danger. Otterpaw and Lakepaw went all that time without being believed, after they watched their sister die, because they're lowly apprentices like her. Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw are angry and disappointed, while Firestar and Brackenfur are secretly lathering her in praise.

Now imagine me standing in front of a big board where I'm writing ??? because there's a missing chunk here.

I need to connect THIS part to what comes next, which is where ThunderClan DOES come in and help out. Here's the thought process going on in RiverClan;

Willowpaw comes in to do something important. She adores Hollypaw, knows her value as a Cleric, and knows that StarClan can sway Mistystar.

I want her to have a couple of pieces of a vision... BUT. She decides to interpret it in a way that's convenient, and add a few details.

It's not a tooootal lie lmao. It's just 75% true.

This is the true power of Clerics, when they realize it. No one can actually challenge them without just ignoring them or stripping them of power. They are accountable to StarClan alone.

A mentor simply doesn't say this out loud to their apprentice. It's a quiet secret. And Willowpaw just realized it.

and thinking about it... this should be the thing that finally breaks the budding romance Holly and Willow had. Holly is sickened by this, when Willow confesses how she convinced RiverClan to work with ThunderClan.

But, without even being a full Warrior, the apprentice leverages her power as Cleric of RiverClan, and 200 skill points of Improv Acting, to tell them these things;

"StarClan is so angry with us that they've sent a hog to the water! It's why they've sent a ThunderClan apprentice, we must work with them to eliminate the beast that lurks in our waters. With spears and plans, we must hunt it honorably!"

(Mistystar is defensive, but it's not known why) "We haven't disobeyed StarClan in any way. We'd already accepted their help once before, when sickness drove us to weakness, and it's only let them think they can disrespect our borders as they please. This can't be the holy will of our ancestors."

"It's-- We've been disrespecting this bountiful new land that they've so generously given us. That's what the pile of shells in my dream was. Think about it! The last attack was on the shore where we collect mussels. The second attack was on a cat latched to a raft, and it was only the tether that saved them. And the first..."

IVE GOT AN IDEA, Robin, Lake, and Otter WEREN'T clamming when they were attacked. She gestures over to Lake, knowing that if she doesn't back her up, the theory crumbles.

(Otter is in the Cleric's den, unconscious.)

Lake hesitates, not wanting to lie. Willow jumps back in,

"It's why Otterpaw was attacked," does those little jazz-hands to be like 'come in bitch work with me,' "And it's why Lakepaw has to be involved in killing it, to end what she started, and appease StarClan."

Lakepaw more like I LIKE-what-you-just-saidpaw, "It's true, we were so ashamed to admit it, Mistystar, this is all MY fault, I wanted my siblings to dig up mussels, PLEASE let me atone by stabbing the fish to death"

AND AFTER THAT IT'S NOODLIN' TIME

Mistystar, begrudgingly, accepts Firestar's help, or perhaps reaches out to him. Ripwater is a "Hog in the Lake," a beast too big for them to kill honorably on their own.

ThunderClan is the ONLY Clan that uses spears, and only for boar hunts. To protect themselves and to give their quarry a quicker death.

No other Clan touches weapons for dishonor reasons, as they're heavily associated with the demon Shredtail.

I should have Willowpaw explain her half-truth to Hollypaw here, and it's where Hollypaw just... so very suddenly can't look at Willowpaw the same way.

Jaypaw would definitely face an ableist moment from someone, but it's going to have to be one of those times where he accepts that there IS a very real limit to his ability here. Spears are range-weapons and his whiskers don't reach that far. He can't tell where he's stabbing, and the water is going to make it too hard to smell where Ripwater's dangerous mouth is. He can't be chosen for this hunt.

Meanwhile Lionpaw learns from Willowpelt how to make a spear and it is one of the most satisfying things he's ever done in his life, he's like "this is so awesome oh my god i love weapons"

just gently setting up that he's going to eventually become ThunderClan's head of hunting, and also that he's a lil violent

I feel like him and Lakepaw should hit it off a little because they both think the idea of stabbing a fish in the face is super cool, only for someone to growl at them that they shouldn't be enjoying themselves so much

Maybe Blackclaw, fuck that guy

(absolute tangent but BB!Lionblaze is kind of evolving into a little dork and I love that for him. Local himbo only capable of making friends or enemies, all Clanwide opinions on him are polarized, more at 11)

THE PLAN

So how DO they kill that thing? First of all, it's all about strategy.

Immediately they started making a couple of specialized spears. Most spears they make are exclusively for boar-hunting, so they have a distinctive "lug" that prevents a boar from impaling itself down the shaft to get you.

Someone in RiverClan explains that you don't want a fish having the chance to get off a claw. If Ripwater escapes, they might not find her again until she kills someone else

The solution is that these need to be custom-made, with special claw-shaped prongs, so they're chevron ^ shapes instead of tear-drop points. They stab in, and don't pull out.

So they need to make spears from scratch, which is an intensive process, and they don't have time to waste. RiverClan doesn't want to hunt by water that has a chance of having a freshwater orca spawn and drag you in; they'll starve

And there's only so many artisans in TC that can MAKE spears. Glue, twine, shafts, blades... these are all things that take hours of labor to create.

And MORE IMPORTANTLY, they realized from the Raft Rescue that a tether, attached to a floating object, can be very useful. Each weapon has rope tied through it and is tethered to a raft-- which is even MORE intensive, RiverClan had to repurpose several nets to create so many lines, and they only own three rafts, so the rest have driftwood.

So they only have time to create 3 special water-spears, and bring in 2 modified boar-spears.

Lionpaw is like visibly disappointed he can't have one lmao

The only apprentice given a spear is... Lakepaw. And it's a boar-spear

Because she's gonna be bait. They believe the litter is cursed for their "sin" and she'll be the next target.

But still, they chum up the water near the last sighting with blood and crowfood, like hog slop, and wait.

(Heavy WIP stuff here as we get to a play-by-play I haven't fully figured out yet)

Their plan is to get it on the shore as quickly as possible.

Four cats could pull Otterpaw from its mouth, so 5 spearcats and a dozen strong warriors could pull it onto the shore. Surely.

shorely.

It comes as expected, lunging at Lakepaw. She leaps back and tries to use her spear on it, but she is NOT properly trained with it, she stabs its face, but can't break the skull

RiverClan manages to toss a net at the beast, but it's NOT heavy enough

And they managed to get LAKEPAW with it, pressing her to the beast, her spear is dropped into the water

Someone shouts that it swims like an eel, able to just reverse course unlike a REAL fish which must turn

In the panic, warriors start mobbing it.

she thrashes, and splashes and the net is barely holding her back at all

She smashes a warrior with her tail, buffs another with her powerful head

She's stabbed in her side by a ThunderClan warrior (probably Sandstorm), and she turns on the raft they're standing on, breeching and SMASHING it to bits. Lionpaw and the rest of the cats on this raft get dunked

In the water, ThunderClan cats are useless, and RiverClan cats can't properly handle spears.

Someone from RiverClan, probably Blackclaw, tries to free Lakepaw but is scooped up in Ripwater's mouth.

He's screeching and yowling and trying to hold onto its upper jaw, regularly cut off as she dives under

When Willowpelt gets her spear in, she holds onto that damn stick with her LIFE, getting swung around and dunked in the water and then going back up into the air

Thornclaw, holding the other boar-spear, aims for its tail

But it's not enough; Even with several warriors of RiverClan, five spears, a net, and the weight of the two remaining rafts, Ripwater's managing to pull them towards the depths

She's too big to bite, too large to claw, and too strong to hold down

LIONPAW TIME

He grabs the spear that Lakepaw dropped

Ripplepaw seems to zoom right passed him, running away from the fish. He thinks he must be some kind of coward, the fight's NOT OVER YET!! WE NEED TO HELP LAKEPAW

(In a later draft I might have Lionpaw be on the smashed raft, and Ripplepaw brings the spear to him before turning and bolting back to shore. Either way he doesn't explain himself)

He paddles near one of the rafts, and is pulled up onto it

Firestar calls him a WONDERFUL BOY for bringing the spear

Lionpaw mumbles something enthusiastic around the stick in his mouth, wriggles his butt, and jumps back into the water

Grabbing the net sticking to Ripwater and using it like tree bark, he pulls himself on

Bites the spear by the lug like a handle

And stabs it in like a knife

But it's already starting to pull out, too shallow

Filled with anger and resolve, he bites the shaft, and PUSHES

Harder and harder and harder until there's a crackle, the twine breaks loose, and the lug snaps

The rest of the spear slips in as if Ripwater's made of butter

Figuring that's probably deep enough, he lets go of the net, breaching the surface, sputtering and hacking

He's about to dive again to go get Lakepaw, but to his surprise, she breaks the water next to him

and then he feels the fish bump his paws

His name is called from the shore, and there's Hollypaw and Ripplepaw waving. Ripplepaw TOOK HIS SPEAR'S ROPE. Like a GUY WHO THINKS.

Now there was a team of cats on the shore, all the spent warriors who got thrown off, pulling Ripwater to the shore.

And from the feeling of slimy fish under his paws, it seemed like her fight had been all but spent.

And more cats were swimming to shore now, with the ropes attached to the other spears.

Once on the shore, they're able to discover that, tragically, Blackclaw has died. Mistystar in particular looks deeply torn by this, as their relationship was notoriously toxic. But still, he had been the father of her children, and drowned trying to save a Clanmate. She jumps up onto the massive fish, giving a speech about sacrifice, how Blackclaw and Robinpaw would be honored, and that RiverClan has learned its valuable lesson.

Ripwater was symbolic; it's the greed they had unleashed upon the lake by over-exploiting one resource. From now on, they would be respectful of StarClan's bounty. She thanks ThunderClan for helping to fulfill a prophecy, and offers that their debt be repaid by splitting the meat of the hunt.

Hollypaw, internally: "Oh she's doing that on purpose. She knows ThunderClan hates fish and it would be rude to refuse."

Firestar: "well. how could we refuse."

Sandstorm, quietly, in the distance: "easily actually ew"

CLOSING STUFF

I kinda want some kind of "epilogue festival" where the two Clans legitimately celebrate with a somewhat somber meal sharing. Some of these episodes in Po3 will result in lasting traditions and holidays that are celebrated annually.

At that little "fish festival," it works for Holly to officially break it off with poor Willow, to leave this episode off on a bit of a sad note.

This was one of the first times Lionpaw's power becomes obvious, and it's the sort of thing that wasn't really noticed. I figure it would be good for Lakepaw to ask how that lug snapped, she could barely even get the spearhead in. Lionpaw just brags and says it must be because he's SUPER STRONG.

For some reason he's just making a ton of friends whenever I write these out, I think I'm going to lean into it. Lionpaw's got friends when he's a kid lmao, starts losing them over time as he gets more violent.

It's probably because I really need a comic relief in The Three's dynamic. Hollypaw is very dramatic, Jaypaw is dealing with legitimately stressful social issues, and Lionpaw is violent. Someone has to lighten the mood up a little and it's probably because he's The California Girl himself lmao

At this fish festival he also discovers fish isn't actually that bad. Everyone's being weird about this. It's not really that slimy. It's got a strong taste but that's kinda nice, actually?

Could use some berries but like... "damn why don't we do this more often. this would go great with blackberries."

Ripplepaw: "You think so? I can taste sweetness, can I try to make it at home and tell you how it works out at the next Gathering?"

Lionpaw: "It's not hard, you just mash the berries and stew them in a little water before pouring it over your meat. I learned it from Willowpelt, she's got a mad sweet tooth."

Lakepaw: "No offense Lionpaw, but I always thought you were a total lunkhead. I never thought you'd like, cook?"

Lionpaw: "I mean not really, I'm an awful cook, I can just make simple stuff. Willowpelt's just nice enough to be patient with me, my mentor Ashfur says if I can learn something anyone can, haha."

Just a nice little moment for him.

Blackclaw is being mourned in the mortal plane, but secretly, getting a SCATHING trial up in StarClan. His death was heroic, but his ENTIRE LIFE was treacherous.

From teaching Hawkfrost to follow in his father's pawsteps, to joining him in WindClan's Civil War, and his constant arguing and undermining of Mistyfoot back when she was just a deputy trying to do the right thing.

He goes on trial for a bunch of things he did in TigerClan, too, facing his victims who took his misdeeds to their graves. He's not the only cat in RiverClan who is getting a review like this.

Leopardstar is already in the Dark Forest, and soon, Blackclaw's sent there too.

I decided to kill off Blackclaw here so he could have a VERY cool Land Mar;

(context: all Dark Forest demons now get a cool little evil playset area just for them, where they spawn into after they're thrown out of StarClan. These are called Land Mars)

It's still unnamed, but it's basically an even BIGGER Ripwater. It goes above and below the river and lakes of the Dark Forest, popping up in any body of water big enough to hold her.

[bagelrites]

^^^ It has come to my attention that whatever I post next (this post) will be my 5,000th post, so I've decided to make it a special one!

Did you know that I started this blog, it was originally named OfDemonsAndDruids, because all I intended to really post about was my fanfic series by the same name? And if you did know that, congrats! And thanks for sticking around, that's so cool :)

And for the rest of you! you will now be indoctrinated by the epic ODAD lore (which plagues my drain to this day, even after writing 176k words about it.)

George is the crown prince of the Mushroom Kingdom, a secluded but prosperous country which boasts powerful druid magic and control over the Lichens, a strange yet formidable species which bonds with humans when their true name is spoken. George, as the prince, is given a Lichen to bond with when he's sixteen, and the Lichen will serve as his guard, protector, and servant for the rest of his life.

Dream is that Lichen, though his real name isn't Dream. Dream is the "code" by which he goes so no one other than George can speak his true name. He has been trained his whole life to serve the royal family and to protect George with his superhuman powers of speed, strength, and stamina. He wears a mask, as do all Lichens, because their most powerful skill is that of control. When a Lichen looks at someone with their bare eyes, they can completely control that person (and yes, he can see through the mask. It's magic.)

Sapnap is, well, just some guy! He lives in a village north of the Mushroom Kingdom, but longs to leave home and go on an adventure. Maybe someday his dreams can be fulfilled...

Bad is a full-blooded demon, or at least he appears to be, when he wears his enchanted cloak which casts a shadow over his face. He's worked for years building a reputation as the best bounty hunter in the Nether, and works with his team of white wolves to hunt down his bounties.

Skeppy is an imp, a species closely related to demons, though they're about half the size and have wings instead of horns and a fuzzy tail. They're also shapeshifters, and don't follow the code of order that demons do. Instead, they're led only by chaos and a drive for trickery. Skeppy and Bad have been friends for a long time, though that friendship mostly consists of Skeppy teasing and trolling Bad, and sometimes his pranks go too far...

I've just barely scratched the surface about these guys (like this literally doesn't even get into the main plot) so if you're curious, give it a read!

Symbiosis is the main fic in the series, and follows George through the events of a war between the Demons and the Mushroom Kingdom. It's 100k words and very plotty, and focuses on DNF and the four muffinteer's freindship.

Maladaptation is the companion fic to Symbiosis, which follows Bad and Skeppy through the same events, but showing a very different perspective. It's 70k and just as plotty, but focuses on Skephalo (as well as Quackity and Skeppy's friendship - I started writing it over a year ago...)

And Devotion is a short follow-up to Symbiosis, which is basically just a nsfw DNF one shot that shows a bit of Dream's POV on his relationship with George.

While it's been almost a year since I've worked on this series, I want to say that I'm not done with it and I do plan on writing more in 2024, because I've been having some serious brainworms about these guys. But regardless, I hope you enjoyed learning about my complicated fantasy AU, or if you've read Symbiosis, that you enjoyed this walk down memory lane.

With that said, happy 5,000 posts to this blog! Here's to 5,000 more 🥳🎉

[thesecretsoftheuniverse]

Could u do jealous neteyam headcannons or a fic pls? I love all ur works and ur writing style!

clouded perception !

– pairing neteyam x gn!reader | wc 2.6k | warnings a lot of jealousy, a lot of angst i guess (i had way too much fun with this oops) but also some fluff | what's inside neteyam has to learn how to deal with something he has never felt before as he watches you train with a close friend – authors note my first request! how exciting! i'm sorry it took so long. i hope i did your wishes justice anonie and thank you for the kind words! also feedback is of course always appreciated (and i'm the worst at naming fics haha) :)

neteyam excelled in anything you could possibly think of, especially in activities related to hunting, whether it was tracking, archery or flying. he was a natural in everything he persued. so obviously he felt hurt when you decided so ask another one of the skilled young na’vi to help you practice your shooting skills as you had always had a hard time keeping up with the others when it came to using your bow and arrow. you were training to become a healer, which put different qualities to a test. ever since you had been romantically involved with neteyam mo’at startet to take you under her wing to make sure you grew into your role of a possible future tsahík. but knowing every detail about plants and their healing capabilities and getting taught how to nurse and how to form a close bond with ewya didn’t spare you from basic training in archery to be able to defend yourself and your people if it ever came to a worst case scenario. this was the reason why you started to spend more time than usual with one of your closest childhood friends – ‘anoa. it didn’t pass anyone that he was one of the most promising young warriors of the clan, frequently being compared to neteyam te suli tsyeyk'itan, the golden boy and child progidy of the clan. but neteyam had been busy, now more than ever. if he wasn’t with the hunting party, he was planning with his dad for an upcoming raid, assisting him where- and whenever he could. because of that the time you and neteyam shared was scarce and most definitely not used to get additional lessons in archery. that was why you confided in your best friend who gladly accepted your request.

one morning you and ‘anoa were standing on the edge of a clearing, facing makeshift targets. it was still early, the first rays of sunshine barely touching the tips of the trees and morning dew still covering the grass. your back was resting against ‘anoa’s bare chest as you were repeating the basics while drawing your bow, him correcting your position again and again, “you need more core strength. mind your abdominal muscles.” he turned over, pressing the palm of his hand against your stomach, which was slowly rising and falling from your deep breaths, “more, more.” as you were trying your best to tense your muscles just like ‘anoa instructed you pulled funny faces to make your training seem extra exhausting and get a smile out of your friend. “skxawng,” ‘anoa chuckled, slightly tapping the side of your head, but immediately returning to a more serious demeanour, “now just position your elbow a little bit higher and put your hand next to your cheek. close your eyes and feel your breath tingling your skin. sense the tension flooding your body and how it spreads to your arms and legs as you pull the string of your bow,” he said with a calm voice while correcting the placement of your left hand. “good. now that we’ve freshened up that bit try and give it a shot.” you focused on your target, feeling the hot breath tickling the skin of your fingers, mentally checking your position one last time. your mind shut down completely as you were focusing on what was in front of you before you let go of the arrow, seeing it flying into the direction of your target and hitting its center. you heard the impact as the arrowhead drilled itself into the trunk of the tree. “hey, you’re a natural! i don’t even know why we’ve been practicing all morning”, 'anoa cheered with a smile, giving you a side-hug. unbeknownst to you you had been watched. neteyam noticed how you had been up too early for you linking and left the village. surprised by your secretive behaviour and also wondering what you were up to was why he decided to follow you, which led to him hiding in the thicket of the forest, closely observing your little meet up. he knew that he could trust you and that you would never go behind is back. he also knew ‘anoa and what he meant to you, that you had been growing up together and that both of you were very close, almost like siblings as you yourself never had one. this was rather unnatural to na’vi, who tended to come in big families. but due to that you and ‘anoa were basically a package deal as over time he became something like a substitute sibling to you. and neteyam also knew that ‘anoa was already having a partner, a lovely girl. neteyam hadn’t been introduced to her yet, but he knew that she was a talented weaver and that she occasionally helped out his mother if there was something needed last minute while preparing for special occasions. but still, neteyam couldn’t help but let jealousy cloud his thinking, especially when he should’ve been the one standing there with you, with your back pressed against his body, him adjusting your movements and watching you beaming with pride after successfully making your shot. jealousy – something he had never felt before. something he never had to feel, as every male na’vi knew who you belonged to and that the son of the olo’eyktan is someone not to be messed with . so they always kept their distance. neteyam contemplated whether he should interrupt your training session, but settled on heading back to the village, still lost in his thoughts and having a frown on his face, angrily pushing aside every branch crossing his way as he was desperately trying to get rid of the irrational feeling sitting in his guts, which was slowly spreading through his body and engulfing his mind.

something was off. you could almost smell it in the air. this undetectable feeling was following you around all day long, haunting you at work while you were taking care of the wounded, ill and elderly. it was eating away at the food as you were sitting on the floor sharing dinner with your lover’s family and it followed you into your sleep. you couldn’t tell what exactly it was, but something was different. at first it didn’t really catch your attention as you thought this was just a phase. the day of the raid, which had been planned for weeks, was coming closer. so not only was every clan member busy with preparations as everyone who could in some way contribute was imposed with tasks depending on what their role and function within the clan was, but everyone was mostly stressed and worried. over time dinners started to become quieter as the mood shifted. even tuk, who tended to talk your ears off, wasn’t as chatty as usual. in the morning you suddenly were left without a loving peck on your temple, in the evening you weren’t greeted with a welcoming hug, being asked about your day. and this was going on for days. kiri was the first one to notice, to notice how neteyam was the one who grew more distant. more distant of you. how the first thing asking about after coming back from a hunt wasn’t you and your well-being or how he started to barely mention you anymore, requiting questions about you asked in his presence with a grunt. he started to become closed off and stopped talking about you, the light of his life. someone he normally didn’t shut up about. really, he stopped talking to anyone as time went by and jealousy started to consume him, wondering about why you felt the need of turning away from him, self-doubts starting to creep in. neteyam was a people pleaser, always trying his best for everyone around him. not meeting expectations was definitely something he was afraid of. he was afraid, if he had given you too little and if that was why you were turning to someone else, to someone better than him. the mighty warrior was afraid of being inferior. a fear he had been carrying with him ever since he had been able to think, something that had always been sitting in the back of his mind and now his worst nightmare seemingly became reality. losing his love, the one he was destined to be with, to someone else. to an outsider watching this probably seemed like an overreaction, like something blown completely out of proportion. you had been enamoured by neteyam ever since you were children. even a blind one was able to see it. so of course not a single soul would have possibly doubted your connection and your relationship, but neteyam was seeing red as he was confronted with something he was afraid of the most – losing a loved one, which changed his perception severely.

now that he became hyper-aware of the relationship of you and ‘anoa neteyam didn’t fail to miss every tiny interaction between you and your friend. he noticed ‘anoa’s subtle touches and how he put his hand on your lower back to bring you comfort. and neteyam saw the little wrinkles under your eyes, which always started to show whenever someone made you laugh so hard you had to hold your stomach and throw your head back. he noticed more than ever how ‘anoa made you laugh in that specific way, in a way only neteyam should have made you laugh. these little things hadn’t been anything new, but they started to bother him. it started to bother him that he wasn’t the only one in your life, even though this was something that had been off the table since the very beginning of your relationship as this was never going to happen anyway. he knew how much space ‘anoa took up in your life. but nonetheless you had never given your boyfriend any reason to doubt you or your love for him.

when neteyam started to brush off your absent-minded touches the both of you had been sharing ever since you started going out it finally dawned on you. it wasn’t the raid that occupied your lover’s mind, it had been you. but not in a good way. all of a sudden so many things made sense. how neteyam had been deliberately avoiding you all this time. how neytiri started to watch you and her oldest son with a worried look on her face, knowing that there was nothing in the world she could do make the situation any better as she knew she had to let you figure this out yourselves. and how kiri’s behaviour towards her brother became almost unbearable after she finally put two and two together. so you decided to take neteyam aside in an unwatched moment and make him listen to you. you didn’t know yet how to do that, but your plan had been set.

as you were on a break from your duties and sitting outside of one of the healer’s tents, thinking about how you could approach the issue, which had been on your mind for several days at that point you spotted neteyam. he was just about to leave for the next war council, accompanying his father who was discussing the next steps with other great warriors of the clan. you knew there probably would have come a better moment than this to stop him from whatever he was doing in order to talk. but you had to get this sorted, especially when anything could happen to neteyam during the planned raid. so you pulled yourself together, got up and headed into the same direction as him, following him into the woods. after a few minutes of just walking neteyam finally made a halt. you noticed the tips of his ears perking up, which gave away that he had heard you and that he knew who had been tracing his every step. neteyam inhaled deeply before slightly turning his head and acknowledging your presence, “y/n, I know you’re here with me.” you hesitated to react and give away your hiding spot. “you can come out. i know you’ve been following me ever since i left the village. i noticed your step pattern.” shit, you thought. of course he did. you slowly emerged from behind the plants you were hiding, not caring about the leaves rustling and the branches cracking under your feet. “yeah, it’s me”, you confirmed. you hesitantly approached him from behind, trying to not get too close as you didn’t want to intrude his space. neteyam lowered his head, still having his back turned to you, as you confessed, “i wanted to talk.” “well, but I don’t want to talk”, he requited. even though he was so quiet he was almost whispering, which was why you could barely hear him, you noticed how he sounded hurt, disappointment tinting his voice. “my love, you’ve been avoiding me for days know. i don’t know what i did wrong or how and why i hurt you. so could you please talk to me so that we can resolve this together?”, you asked gently, trying to stay diplomatic, even though anger was boiling within you due to his unfair treatment of you. “you truly don’t know what’s going on, do you?”, he snorted, but shortly after admitted, “to be fair i don’t even know what got into me myself.” “no, doofus! of course i don’t know what’s going. you didn’t say a word, just blatantly decided to avoid me.”

you finally dared to come closer, now standing directly behind neteyam’s back, putting on of your hands on his shoulder and slowly turning him around. “talk to me”, you encouraged him. neteyam sighed, putting his forehead against yours and taking your hands into his, stroking his thumbs along your knuckles. “it’s him. i know it’s irrational as he has always been here and he always will. nothing is ever going to change anything about that.” it took you a second before you understood who or what your boyfriend was talking about – ‘anoa. the look in your eyes became soft. “oh, yawne”, you whispered, putting one of your hands on his neck, playing with his hairline, and cupping his cheek with the other one, “i love you. so much. nothing is ever going to change about that,” you reassured with a hoarse voice. never in your wildest dreams would you leave neteyam, your fiercest protector and greatest confident. “i needed some more training, okay? and i knew you were busy. there is so little time we have to spend together and i value it too greatly to just waste it on some stupid bow and a stick, alright? that’s why i approached ‘anoa as i knew he would be understanding and gladly help me out.” you noticed how tears dared to escape your boyfriend’s eyes, a state he was seldomly seen in, while he was repeatedly nodding his head, "i guess i just felt useless." your heart broke into pieces as you listened to his words. “you will never be useless. not to this clan and especially not to me. your pain is my pain. so please cheer up, okay? i can’t stand seeing you in all this agony,” you said with the hint of a smile on your face, now tearing up yourself, while gently shaking him to try and cheer him up. neteyam sighed in reliefe, coming to realization that you weren’t going anywhere but sticking right to his side.

© thesecretsoftheuniverse 2023 | all rights reserved. do not repost, republish, steal, translate, modify or claim my work as your own.

[altocat]

You guys discussing Project G and Genesis reminded me of when I started researching Genesis’ history with Deepground and the horror of Deepground itself….and fuck.

Shinra obviously arranged the whole place, but I am positive Hojo was the one running it, because you can see the signs of his type of influence everywhere and it’s utterly terrifying.

For instance, don’t look too deeply into literally everything about Weiss or you’ll start to see some extremely eerie parallels to Sephiroth, particularly insane Sephiroth. From his specific design and weaponry, to his hatred of humanity, to his violent relationship with authority, to Hojo specifically controlling him…and…well, he was the first and the best of all Deepground’s soldiers, wasn’t he.

I swear, Hojo has been trying to recreate and control Sephiroth for so long. Weiss had to have been another one of his brainchildren.

Hell, maybe Hojo tried to create a better Vincent with Nero too.

Then there are the Tsviets like Rosso and Shelke, who were so fucked up by the experimentation and brutal soldier training they went through that they either turned into sadists or were stunted in some way that specifically related to childhood. All of them have Hojo’s exact style of horror all over them when you really break them down and analyze their stories and personalities. You can just see his handiwork.

And when I put this together, I began to strongly suspect that this was all more evidence, all more implication of what happened with Sephiroth. He was the strongest soldier ever created. The strongest in humanity. Nothing could parallel him, and with his strength he survived everything that Hojo threw at him—the same type of brutality that broke the psyches of the Deepground soldiers.

Sephiroth was simply too powerful. Until Nibelheim and until he literally could not take it anymore. He has all of the key traits of the broken-minded Tsviets combined, and his post-insanity agenda went beyond any of theirs. He didn’t decide to hunt only certain humans like Weiss or just be a sadist killer like Rosso—he wanted to erase mankind from existence all together and hated them with every shred of his strength.

I am sure Deepground and all of those key plot-points in Dirge were unique, but also absolutely meant to explain the catastrophe we see at the beginning that is meteor and why the person that summoned it did what he did. Dirge does this a lot, also by having more backstory for Lucrecia and Vincent as well, also showing Hojo’s sadism at its worst…I think it’s why Hojo was the ultimate villain.

Dirge only vaguely addresses Sephiroth directly, but so much of its story revolves around him with this unspoken dread and tragedy.

The game asks you, “Ok, you beat Sephiroth…but was he ever the true villain behind everything? Or did it go deeper than that…”

That very question leads us straight to Hojo. No coincidence.

Hojo pretty much has his hand in everything. In every story except for Advent Children, he's pretty much the catalyst for so much trauma. I admire his commitment. The fucker.

But yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if all of Deepground and the Tsviets was Hojo's doing. It's totally his style.

[volterran-wine]

In Sickness and Health || 𝐂𝐚𝐢𝐮𝐬, 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐱 & 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢 (𝗛𝗖)

ʀᴇQᴜᴇꜱᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ @mywinterivy​: “Can I request Caius, Felix and Demetri having/meeting a mate with some significant/visible Child of the Moon scars? I know two of our boys have scars so they can relate but with Demetri he’s someone who’s outwardly seen as ‘vain’ so I think people might think ‘why tf would he choose them?’ and how he/they would deal with that. Thank you!”

Good afternoon friend, and thank you so much for your lovely request. I do think these vampires you have chosen would be excellent at handling this kind of situation. That being said, you are correct that the intital belief around Demetri.

!𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒! Angst & Discussions of scars.

𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰.

—  𝐂𝐀𝐈𝐔𝐒

The moment the king saw his mate’s scars the bond would instantly strengthen from his side, reinforced. If their relationship ever were to fail he would always have a certain fondness for them. There is no vampire in the world who have a deeper fear and respect for COTM, he will let his mate take their time to speak of them; never even looking at them in the beginning in order to make it clear they do not bother him.

Caius knows all about visible scars from COTM, he has two rather extensive scars on his face alone that crosses over his left eye and on the right side of his jaw. In the beginning he too was quite self-concious of them, feeling as if he now was something ‘other’ than his fellow vampiric brethren along with the whitening of his hair.

His mate would be one of the few people he would tell the entire tale of what happened to the COTM. It is a story he does not recount often, but when his mate comes to him late one night he cannot refuse them. At the end of his stories the two of them would be curled up, holding on to one another in a tight embrace.

If they wanted training he would gladly give it to them. At this point in time Caius is one of the most skilled fighters and know exactly how to both get out of fight with a COTM, but also how to avoid them entirely.

Having this man as your mate would be a great help, Caius wears his scars as a reminder of all that he has been through and the lessons he has learned because of them. Through a relationship with him I imagine that he would teach his mate how to live with them as best as they could.

Being Caius’ mate not a single vampire would dare to even think, let alone whisper about the visible scars. And if anyone did... well, Caius is no stranger to all sorts of punishments. In fact, he will happily indulge.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

—  𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐗

The head of the guard knew the moment he met his mate that their scars would be something they would have to talk about. After spending centuries together with Caius he was well aware the psychological toll an encounter like that could be. For the longest time his mate would refuse to speak of it, even when Felix tried to bring up the subject gently he would be shut down with further explanation.

It would all come to a head when Felix showed them his forearm, for the guard had not made it a habit to show off his scar from COTM. His quarters would grow quiet as they both stared down at the jagged scar left behind by sharp teeth. He would tell them the tale unprompted, how he had been out with Demetri and the tracker had frozen in fear. Had Felix not been there he would have been dead.

If they wanted him to Felix would tell them all of the stories from when Caius hunted down COTM, and how he unfortunately had been along for most of them due to his strength and expertise in violence. The two of them would speak until the sun came up, both having divulged the circumstances of how their scars came about. A new thread of deep trust had woven itself around their fledgling bond.

Felix would only touch the scars with direct permission from his mate, he is well aware that they can both itch and be irritable; so if his beloved needs physical reassurance in those areas they would have to ask. 

If they wished to cover them up somehow he would also be supportive of it, more than willing to help them figure out a way to be confident about the scars and normalise them.

Much like Demetri he would go against any who spoke of his mate in an ill manner due to their scars, in retaliation Felix would most likely being showing off his own more frequently. Making it abundantly clear it was nothing to whisper about. 

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

—  𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐈

A sadness overcame Demetri the first time he saw his mate’s scars, everyone in the guard knew how terrible a fight with a COTM could go despite most of them only hearing stories. Demetri would be instantly brought back to the time when he almost lost his life due to his own incompetence, and a deep sense of not being enough for his mate would settle in him for a while. He would not be able to protect them, and it tore him apart.

The way Demetri became aware of his mates insecurities was because Felix came to talk to him. Fearing the trackers reaction and beliefs his darling mate had gone to the ever dependable Felix instead. Fear of rejection had kept them from confronting the tracker about the visible scars.

While Demetri would be hurt by his best friend’s words he would not be shocked. It was a common misconception that he was exceptionally vain and cared too much of appearances. He would conturing his mate soon after, not giving them much choice but to listen to all he had to say, both the good and the bad. A common understanding would be met at the end of the day, both of them with venomous tears in their eyes.

If his mate was in the right mind space he would joke about how he always found a good scar dashing, earning him either a glare or a fond shove to the shoulder.

With time he would sit down and speak to them of how he almost died because of a COTM, and how he was enterally grateful to Felix for making sure he would get to live another day. He would tell them how his insecurities terrified him, that he would not be able to protect them if he needed to. His mate would softly remind him that they would from now and into eternity protect one another equally.

Further more, if other vampires began whispering about his mate and their scars Demetri will be hitting them with backhanded comments within seconds. No one would speak ill of his gorgeous mate, and he would make damn sure of it.

[how-the-feathers-have-fallen]

hiiii just popping in to ask if u have a favorite Rangers Apprentice character ^_^

So far? (im like 2 chaps. from finishing. i think) Fucking love Halt he’s funky and Gaelic in some flavour and shaping up to be dad shaped for Will (Question/Theory: Is Holt Will’s Dad? wait don’t answer that. Did Holt Know Wills Dad? wait don’t answer that either). (love the thread of him will trying to get him to smile, it’s very in character or him and really made me smile in the end. heh. also wills curiosity feels so real and relatable to me he’s the kinda you know is an adventure in his heart and soul) anyway back to Halt-

He has the air of a person who’s been around a while and has aged with the world but doesn’t know everything to the point of cliche. He’s also really funny. the book in general was funny which i was not expecting to such an extent.

JENNY. she’s so sweet and i love her. she’s main character to me. she’s fat and round and loud and lovable and not only is she okay with that. she takes pride it in. it’s a STRENGTH TO HER. i remember the scene where she’s making her case to apprentice under the castle cook and she says “im the right shape for it” and everybody agrees wholeheartedly with her in an admiring tone and i just brimmed with joy as a plus sized person.

ngl Horace’s arc shortish and simple as it was is quite dear to me i didn’t expect to like him so much but spending time in his head felt so right to me. and i just love the whole “mortal enemies now closest and loyalest of friends with a deep mutual respect” trope. i just. i love it. its giving arthur and merlin/arthur and lancelot in a way i just find delicious. i love horace growing in this space where’s he’s the biggest fish in the pond cause he’s big and strong but being taken out of that habit and being, transplanted, almost into battle school and suddenly realising just how “small” he is and that he’s not that much. of anything.

also gil is fun. he’s giving rodrick in the older brother ish figure that’s cool and everybody kinda simps for. also kinda jealous he gets a sword on top of his already pretty sweet ranger gear. also i love the ranger gear its so cool and get so practical and well designed. can’t wait to see more of him. and the ponies. i love the ponies so much. them and bill from lotr should form a club of best beasts of labour in fantasy lit. ever.

I LOOKED UP A CHARACTERs NAME CAUSE I FORGOT THEM AND GOT LIKE THREE SPOILERS IM FONNA KMSSSSS

Anyway. George you funky lil nerd i can’t wait to see more of you.

I’d also love to touch on the world building. idk if it’s cause i’ve been listening to a podcast about it recently and religiously (world building for masochists highly rec) but it’s so rich just in this first book. the detail about the major wars being sprinkled in just enough, the though and logic that goes into the ranger weaponry and training, the simple yet very logical workings of battle school, how are characters are easily spilt up by the narrative in a way that’s realistic to real life. also i’m loving the celtic mythology in this, intentionally or not cause the names, the focus on weapons like the bows. even the kalkara called to mind the bears of celtic mythology and lore. the fear of fire and the impenetrable armour and everything felt straight out of scotland.

also as a history nerd and a historical lit/fantasy nerd the boar scene delighted me sm because i feel it does shades and shadows more justice to the ferocity and danger that went to boar hunting. like those beasts are HUGE. pigs in general are ginormous. so many people now a days are so urban they no longer see meat before it’s been slaughtered and sanitised so they have this slight dissociation with their food. it’s not really meat but a pink blob. and that affects how we interact with hunting and omivorism in general. but this felt so REAL AND CONNECTED GOSH I LOVE IT.

also the towns people feel. real. not overly important as to break you from the story but their not idiots. will knows them well enough and shares in with them and their beliefs and so do his friends so they don’t feel distinctly npc-like to the point where it puts you off cause will and co feel like they’re being written above the rest.

anyway those are some of my rambling first impressions sorry for the spelling mistakes it’s like 1 am here.

[blackbloodteeth]

121 Soul ideas (Pt. 1)

For fun and because I love ramblin' around, I've decided to share all the newer prompts I had stored for the March of Madness event that I hadn't really brought up anywhere. Since they don't need to be left open for interpretation anymore, I've even added some more info to some of them. Honestly might return to some of the ideas myself some day, but if anyone gets inspired by anything feel free to do whatever haha

Since this list is pretty long, I've gone and split this up into two parts, which you can find the second half here.

———

Soul and Maka are rivaling hitmen constantly at each other's throats, however they are so evenly matched that neither can manage to outplay the other. One day, one of them finally figures out how to defeat the other, only to start to reflect on their long-going rivalry now that there's a means to put it to an end.

2. One day Soul wakes up to find that everyone in the world has vanished. In the original idea this is inspired by, it involved a short story of wandering around to find where everyone went, eventually leading to seeing people still inside the mirror and the character (in this case Soul) realizing he's trapped on the wrong side.

3. In his desire to protect Maka, Soul ends up turning into a monster and losing conscious awareness of himself in the process. Maka can only watch on in horror at the devastating power he now has.

4. A King Kong-inspired AU where Maka gets separated from her exploration team while on a previously undiscovered island, and ends up finding a giant ape (that being Soul) who is curious about her. Soul actually lives with his brother but had been lazing around by himself, and he is quite friendly and eager to show her some of his favourite views before she has him take her back to her team.

5. Every winter Soul leaves to live in the woods, as he turns into an inhuman creature for the entire season. His conscious mind most likely "sleeps" during this period.

6. Soul returns from his long-term Death Scythe training, and finds that during the time Maka had been simultaneously training her Grigori soul, she'd also picked up archery to expand upon having different ways to use Soul in fights. Mostly had been a one-shot idea where the two are eager to see each other again and compare their strengths since they were last together.

7. Due to his hunting instincts, Soul starts to lose control of himself whenever he smells blood. I had shark inspirations in mind for this one, however it's up to interpretation if he's a demon weapon.

8. Soul needs to consume at least a little bit of blood to use his inner power. Maka's blood has an unusual effect on him, however.

9. Due to demon weapons being more carnivorous (and probably more like actual demons), Soul needs blood as his main source of iron, which weapons need a lot more of. Human blood is more effective in maintaining good health and staving off hunger.

10. Soul and Maka investigate the ongoing case of livestock being taken and eaten. After splitting up, Soul however ends up not coming back once night falls, and Maka catches a glimpse of the thing responsible. Idea was initially werewolf related, however the details are left to interpretation.

11. Soul believes he has died and become a ghost, only for him to actually still be alive the entire time.

12. After Soul eats a witch's soul without knowing what it is, he discovers that he's actually a demon weapon when it results in his soul "overflowing" due to becoming bigger than his body, giving him superpower-like abilities including manifesting his scythe form outside of his body. Originally a doodle idea that I didn't get around to.

13. Soul wakes up in the middle of the night when a serial killer sneaks into his room after being attracted to his soul, which ends in Soul managing to kill the murderer in self-defense and waking up his family. This was a one-shot idea I had related to the previous idea, however it works as its own separate idea.

14. Soul finds he loves dissecting all kinds of things and seeing how they tick, but doesn't understand why.

15. Bloodborne-inspired AU where Soul is much like the Orphan of Kos, abandoned by the river after his mother passed away giving birth to him and sorrowfully looking up at the moon every night.

16. While investigating an abandoned lab with Stein, Kid, and Maka, Soul ends up getting forcefully taken by one of the machines after they accidentally start it up, and his body ends up getting near-perfectly duplicated. His soul, however, does not.

17. AU based on Exit 8. Soul finds himself trapped in an endlessly looping hallway and must find the differences to progress, only going forward when that iteration of the hall has no anomalies. Unbeknown to him, Kid is monitoring him as this is actually a test.

18. Soul has the ability to move objects telekinetically like you would in VR, however he mostly just uses it to be lazy. A potential idea I had for this world is that powers like these are usually restricted outside of their homes due to how easy to misuse they are, which contrasts with Soul using it in the most mundane way imaginable. Hey I mean couch snacks are couch snacks.

19. Soul loves the smell of the freezer, however this ends up getting him in trouble when opening it up for too long and too often causes ice to start spreading into the rest of the surrounding apartment.

20. Soul and Maka run a diner at the edge of the multiverse. Bonus points if they act like an old married couple.

21. Soul and Maka challenge each other to seeing who can beat a Sudoku puzzle first. After a few rounds, Soul’s puzzles start containing strange symbols and he finds out that he must complete the puzzle he started or he can’t leave.

22. After riding his motorcycle out to take a walk in the woods, Soul unknowingly encounters Siren Head until it's too late and he's then grabbed by it. The shock ends up turning him into a scythe (an ability he didn't know he had) and only saving him because the sudden transformation startles it, causing him to be dropped and letting him escape back on his bike. This was originally a one-shot idea that ended up changing a bit as I thought of it as an art piece as well.

23. I had a dream of adding a prompt where Soul turns into a werewolf and eats someone's livestock with the phrase "Sorry Maka, I was so hungry." Seems to be based on the earlier one where Soul and Maka investigate the missing livestock case.

24. As a prank, Soul pretends that he laid an egg when he woke up that morning. When he continues to incubate it for the joke, it hatches into something unexpected.

25. In a Wonderland, the “Mad Hare” is keeping “Alice” captive at a tea party, and must decide if he will let her go or take her soul to finally leave Wonderland for himself.

26. After finding out he’s a demon weapon, Soul travels through the Nevadan Desert on his own to find the elusive Death City, and sees some strange wildlife along the way.

27. Soul is a circus performer who works alongside a Clown (as in the kind like in Soul Eater but not with the same lore), and despite him feeling more at home here, he’s lately been struggling with feeling like he doesn’t fully belong when he sees the other troupe members start to have deeper affections for each other. And then Maka comes along.

28. One-shot idea where Soul is watching the cicadas call at sunset before Maka joins up with him, and it leads into the joke of Soul saying "Trees are screamin' again." These two are scholars in some sort of alternative time period, and Soul is taking a break out in the grass while Maka, as usual, is carrying far too many books/scrolls.

29. IT-inspired AU where child Soul is lured into the drainage by a reality-bending clown, however because Soul isn’t afraid of all the fun circus-y stuff (and because of his sharp teeth), the clown decides to just keep him instead.

30. After finding a cool rock stashed away in a tree in the woods, Maka takes it home and leaves it displayed in her living room. As it turns out, Soul's soul is inhabiting said rock and has now been awakened, making him haunt her apartment. Maka is oblivious to him being there, and because he can't really be detected or have much influence on the world, Soul ends up mostly moping on her furniture because he's lonely and depressed. Eventually though, she starts to see him after something causes her to "connect" with him and leads to them steadily interacting. At the height of the story, it is revealed that Soul was merely cursed to be trapped inside the rock after wishing he could be left alone, but now he wants to break free with the two having ended up befriending each other.

31. Partly a joke idea based on a video of a small group of people trapped inside a room with a pig-masked chainsaw murderer outside, and them escaping by just phonk walking out with the killer not knowing what to do. I'll leave this one up to your imagination.

32. Everyone’s always joked about how “it’s the humidity that’ll get you” until Soul gets pursued by the fog.

33. Soul is coerced into joining along in karaoke night because people (especially Maka) love the sound of his singing voice. He, however, does not and spends the night trying to figure out how to worm his way out of singing.

34. Based on the one hypothetical scenario where "if aliens invaded, would you fight them or try to hide," except it's actually occurring for real. I think this idea made me wonder if DWMA has any protocol for if aliens ended up being real and invading.

35. Post-canon idea where Soul and Maka end up going on a break of sorts to improve their connection and resonance when it gets worn thin, though things turn a little awkward when the "mind" and "body" portion involves close-contact social activities such as back massaging each other and soaking in the same hotsprings together.

36. Soul finds a plush rabbit that turns out to contain the soul of Maka who'd been sleeping before he took it home.

37. Soul and Maka, whom have never met, are being arranged to marry very soon. Soul dreads this because the wedding rings will bind them for the rest of their lives, however he comes to realize that Maka is far more dangerous than his family is.

38. A one-shot I call Who's Afraid of the Were-turkey. It's a Thanksgiving-themed idea where there's a local urban legend about a "man turkey" that will catch you around Thanksgiving if he finds you during the full moon, and will either eat you if you've eaten turkey or simply turn you into one if you anger him. While Soul's a little more wary of the possibility of this tale being true, Maka wants to debunk it after their idiot group of friends kept going on about it, and drags him along to disprove it once and for all. As it turns out, following the neighborhood turkeys was probably a bad idea when they all corner them and summon the Man Turkey. After reigning his judgement and the two are swarmed by the turkeys, they wake back up covered with scratches and bites, and the turkeys are nowhere to be found. They both look up when they remember the moon if full, and decide to hide under their jackets while returning home.

39. Another one-shot idea I've had for a long while where after Soul and Maka get stranded on a snowy mountain during a trip with no way to contact anyone for help, Soul reveals he is a were-animal and willingly changes to keep her warm for the night. Given there were two different iterations of this idea, I don't mind it being more open to interpret for the time being.

40. …Okay apparently I did have the other iteration on the list hah, can't say I wasn't tired by this point haha. After Soul and Maka get separated from their friend group in the mountains, they decide to seek refuge in a small cave for the night and Soul reveals he is a werewolf as he willingly transforms to make sure she’ll be warm during the snowstorm.

41. Another one-shot idea, where Soul's mother is on the run with her infant son while being hunted, as demon weapons are seen as actual demons in this world. To save him, she drops him off at the door of a church before running the other way to distract her pursuers, leaving him crying in the rain before Spirit (who is a part of the church to hide his own weapon nature) quickly takes him inside when he catches on to what's happening. At first he's nervous about there potentially actually being a demon baby as Soul has started growing in sharp teeth by this point, however he's soon taking a liking to him when Spirit's presence calms him, and he carries Soul further inside to help dry him off.

42. Another one-shot idea, where a young Soul is taken to the square with his brother to watch a young Maka be publicaly executed for being a witch. Despite the pleas of her father and Maka's tears, the fire is lit until suddenly it goes out, the crowd then parting as dozens of arms reach up from the ground, all running away as Soul walks up to Spirit quickly freeing his daughter. Now with her back in his arms, he thanks Soul for saving her while the strange hands return to his shadow, and offers him to come with them to live a new life. Soul turns to see Wes is already gone, and quietly nods, fleeing into the shadows with his new family.

43. After Soul gets convinced to skip school on his first day, things are all fun and games of being one of the cool kids until he gets turned into a donkey. Pinnochio-inspired AU.

44. Soul and Maka take on a special training assignment where they must face their innermost fears separately, and then together.

45. Soul is the Pied Piper, able to control any living creature with the sounds of his music playing. He doesn’t like to speak much as Black Blood is his sickness. May take place after the events of spiriting away the children of the town that refused to pay him for his service.

46. Had one prompt listed that was just me picking out any of my SoMa Week prompt ideas, such as "Catharsis" where a non-linear story interweaves the events of Soul playing piano for Maka after he smashed a mirror, and "Confession" where Soul finds Maka sleeping in a way that reminds him of the scene of Juliet being "dead," causing him to ramble out his feelings about Maka until it turns out she wasn't ever actually asleep.

47. Sekiro AU where Soul has the form of a wolf in the shape of a man, and Kid is Kuro. Was noted that it didn't have to be lore-heavy since it would've probably been loosely described for open interpretation if this had been chosen.

48. When a curse is spreading where people suddenly turn into animals, Soul ends up afflicted by it and turning into a wolf, a common but highly feared iteration. As fate would have it though, he finds himself waking up the next day as a human despite that being completely unheard of, with only the vague memory of a hand and the face of a girl having been in front of him.

49. The gang decide to set up a game of water balloon tag. This was originally an idea I had long ago where it was set up like the Hunger Games simulator, except just… water balloons haha

50. One morning Soul gets a frantic phone call from his best friend Maka, and quickly bicycles over to her house with a couple Poptarts still on hand. He's surprised to find that not only has she apparently woken up as a Kadabra, she's talking to him with just her thoughts, and he soon offers her a remaining Poptart of sympathy.

51. Soul and Maka go to investigate a wrecked house for an assignment, and once inside, their reflections begin to move and start messing with their heads.

52. Soul suddenly wakes up in the display case of a museum, not knowing how he got there.

53. Soul is a cyborg that utilizes DWMA's recent tech which operates on the power of one's soul, in turn making a literal phantom limb that is able to be used physically. When he gets infected, however, his false arm begins to act strangely.

54. Soul was once a spirit of the forest, now reduced to being only a nature park. He is wary of humans, but approachable to those wanting to help preserve and restore nature, although part of his skittishness stems from a dark look-alike that seems to be his direct counterpart and a spirit of pollution.

55. Wes is the dragon of the West Winds, Soul is the dragon of the East Winds. The two travel around on their respective halves, however sometimes they end up clashing and causing great storms.

56. Fern Gully-inspired AU, where Soul gets shrunk down and meets the fae of the forest.

57. Having been owned by a witch his whole life, Soul suddenly finds himself not knowing what to do when said witch is killed during the confrontation with a lone weapon in a suit of armor. The warrior, despite being heavily injured, refuses his help, and not being used to the concept of free will, Soul decides to follow her anyway until she passes out. Having carried her the rest of the way to have her injuries treated, he lingers around afterwards to help her recover back to health, and finds out more about who they both are.

58. After Soul jokes about wishing he had the memory of an elephant, he ends up getting turned into a small elephant.

59. A story like The Three Little Pigs where little piggy Soul lets a big bad wolf inside when he claims to be here to talk to his parents. After keeping him company like a proper guest, because Soul has been raised with good manners, his mother comes in, terrified, and the wolf simply leaves her with a warning to look after her son a little better as he was put in a good mood. It's then revealed that this is Soul retelling having unknowingly met Free when he was a kid to Maka.

60. A young Soul gets lost in a crowd and separated from his parents until a strange man finds him and offers to help reunite him. Soul isn't really aware of what's going on, but the strange man has them both avoid the dangers lurking around them (part of the cause of why Soul ended up separated), and soon enough gets him back to his family as promised. When Soul tries to point out the stranger that helped him, however, the man has already completely vanished.

[thoroughlycollected]

Regarding the MDZS donghua:

So I was rewatching random episodes, as one does, when I got Lan family feelings.

(First, I should say that I’ve long held the interpretation (headcanon?) that in the Lan Sect if the Sect Leader is indisposed then the “heir apparent” takes over until a proper heir is born and old enough to lead. For this reason as long as QHJ is in seclusion, LQR leads. And depending on adaptation LXC is either an adult or coming into adulthood when the Wen attack, meaning that if QHJ is dead afterwards then LXC is the Sect Leader. And if he’s on the run [indisposed] then his “heir apparent” is LWJ! I’m saying I think that one of the reasons Wangji sprinted back to his people after the false Xuanwu cave rescue is because he was worried about his family foremost and concerned he might technically be in charge secondly.)

So anyway, I’m watching the donghua, it’s episode 12, Lotus Pier just got wrecked, Wangji is vining in his Ancestral Shrine, and this Lan Elder approaches Wangji. According to the Tencent youtube channel’s subtitles the conversation goes—

Lan Elder: Wangji

LWJ (bowing in greeting): Great Uncle (Shufu).

Lan Elder: I heard that you’ve sent disciples to Yunmeng and Meishan to look for the Jiang Clan leader’s daughter and son, and his senior disciple.

LWJ: Yes.

Lan Elder: Wangji, this time Wen Clan of Qishan used a heavy hand and destroyed Jiang Clan of Yunmeng in one night. They even hunted down the three young people at that night. With every effort to kill them all. Do you know why?

LWJ: I understand.

Lan Elder: Then why did you have to help Jiang Clan and get yourself in trouble? Wen Clan of Qishan made such a big deal to deter us just to show it’s the unchallengeable leader of the clans. Who obeys will live and who objects will die. Now the rest of the clans avoid confronting them. Our Lan Clan has been hit hard. It’s better to bide our time and focus on building up strength.

LWJ: Great Uncle, the clans are closely related, the others will be in danger if one of them falls. At times like this, we should contend with the Wen Clan together.

Lan Elder: To contend with? Wen Clan of Qishan is so powerful and strong. How’s it possible to get rid of them easily? The one taking this lead will be the target of Wen Ruohan later. The Cloud Recesses is the legacy that our ancestors have built with hundreds of years of efforts. We shall not ruin it.

LWJ: When a nest falls, all the eggs break. And someone must take the lead.

[Lan Qiren enters the scene]

Lan Elder: Just listen to you, why are you so stubborn? notices LQR Qiren, your timing is perfect. Come on, talk some sense into Wangji.

LQR (bowing in greeting): Uncle, I think what Wangji said was totally right.

Lan Elder: What?

LQR: When a nest falls, all the eggs break. Facing such a crunch, all the clans should join their hands to pull through this. Tomorrow, I’ll hit the road to Qinghe.

Lan Elder: Unbelievable!

And then the Elder leaves! And Lan Qiren encourages Wangji, reminding him that the Elder is only worried about the clan, and then asks Wangji for any updates on Xichen. Wangji hasn’t heard anything and he’s like “no news means good news. He’s smart. He’ll survive this.” and then he asks for updates on the Jiang kids!

And like. Imagine Lan Qiren who knows what it’s like to have your older brother suddenly not there, leaving you in a position of authority you weren’t really trained for, supporting Lan Wangji as he tries to lead his family into the beginning of uncertain times with war on the horizon. Where’s the fic about those uncle-nephew conversations?

[shooks-stupid-stuff]

shook talks way too much about her ocs, episode 1: generational trauma!!!!!

slight context: this literally only exists bc i was thinking about two of my ocs that are distant relatives, and kept forgetting how exactly they were related so i decided to draw out a family tree for my own reference

and then wrote a 4 page lore and info dump to accompany it, which could have been much longer tbh i definitely left some stuff out-

anyways here's the family tree, lore dump beneath the cut, enjoy(? i guess lol)

notes:

The Families The Tayasu are a long running lineage of yokai hunters who are known both for their skill in their craft and extreme prejudice against the non-humans they hunt. They are a primarily patriarchal line, with the eldest son typically taking over as head of the family, though there have been exceptions to this. Notable examples include the family's first head, Tayasu no Ayumi, who was a woman, and the current head, Tayasu Masahiko, who is the youngest out of his brothers. Typically any sons who do not become head of the family for whatever reason will either marry into other familys, taking on the surname of said other family in the process, or leave to pursue their craft on their own. Examples include Jun'ichi Inori and Tayasu Aiiro, who will be discussed more in depth later on. The line also seems to be more prone to developing supernatural abilities, though this is not true for all members and often takes the form simple sensing abilities rather than anything extraordinary.

The Inori are similarly a long running lineage who are believed to have descended from the Kami Inori (note: i will be italicizing his name so it's easier to tell when i'm actually referring to him), and serve as shrine maidens in his service. They are a matriarchal line, with every Inori to date having had at least one daughter, and succession is decided by which heirs are able to commune with Inori himself, though there have been cases in which none are able, in which the most capable candidate is often chosen. Due to the nature of their work, which often involves battling spirits, yokai, and other malicious entities, many of the Inori lineage die young. The oldest known head of the family was Inori Reina, who passed away at 66 after serving as the family head for much longer than usual due to her daughter, Inori Chika's, death at the age of only 23. All Inori are born with the inherent ability to sense non-humans, as well as a natural talent for spiritual and exorcism techniques, though their specific strengths will vary by individual.

The Individuals Inori Haruka was the daughter of Inori Chika. Her mother's death spawned a deep hatred of yokai within her. As a result, she nearly exclusively trained herself in combat, and married a heir of the Tayasu in the hopes of producing a child with exceptional yokai exterminating abilities. She never capable of hearing Inori's voice, a fact which drove her mad. Died when Inori Rei was 8.

Inori Jun'ichi was the eldest son of his generation of Tayasu. He married into the Inori family due to his lack of combat ability, though he quickly embraced their lifstyle and picked up some spiritual techniques. Despite, or perhaps because of, his lack of combat ability, he sought for his child to be exceptionally talented. Died when Inori Rei was 8

Inori Rei is the current Inori shrine maiden, as well as the youngest when taking over the position. Though she both claims to hate yokai and is exceptionally skilled with spiritual and exorcism techniques, as well as combat in general, she only goes after those who are actively causing trouble, and rarely ever truly exterminates them. She is however, very emotionally closed off and acts coldly towards most. Has been able to hear the voice of Inori since she was very young.

Inori Mars is the son of a craftsman who ran away from home at a young age in pursuit of the arcane arts. Though he has little to no natural magical talent, he has nonetheless become a powerhouse in his craft through a combination of hard work and supplemental devices of his own making. He and Inori Rei make a surprisingly good team.

Inori Shin is the next in the line of succession, and will be the first man to ever have the position. Though he is not as capable as his mother, he still has very strong natural abilities, as well as having a very good handle on said abilities for his age. He is calm and thoughtful, preferring pacifism when possible but willing to achieve peace through combat if need be. Is able to hear the voice of Inori, though less clearly than his mother.

Inori Yoku is the twin sister of Inori Shin and the first female Inori to not become a shrine maiden. This is due both due to her lack of desire to do so, as well as her inability to hear the voice of Inori. She is extremely energetic and tends to be obsessive, but has an incredible natural talent for magic. Likes to cause problems and play pranks.

Tayasu Aiiro is the middle son of his generation of Tayasu. He rejected the position of family head to pursue his craft of yokai hunting, though his natural coldness made him the less likely candidate regardless of his place in the order of succession and incredible natural combat ability. Has the ability to sense non-humans.

Tayasu Masahiko is the youngest son of his generation of Tayasu, and current head of the family. He is kind and generous to his fellow man, but becomes ruthless and unforgiving when dealing with non-humans. His combat prowess is exceptional, having even slain oni in the past, but his current focus is training his daughter to take over as head of the family. Has the ability to sense non-humans.

Tayasu Mieko is the eldest daughter of a well known family of martial artists who married into the Tayasu family. She is incredibly kind and loving, often going above and beyond for her family. She also has incredible combat prowess due to her upbringing, though prefers peace over violence. Has slight telekinetic abilities.

Tayasu Hatsue is the eldest child of the current generation of Tayasu, and next in line to be head of the family. This is due in no small part to the resemblance she bears to the family's original head, Tayasu no Ayumi, both physically and in demeanor. She is considered to be a prodigy, and is well loved due to her cheery demeanor. Surprisingly has no supernatural abilities.

Tayasu Hidemi is the middle child of the current generation of Tayasu. He has next to no combat ability, and cares more for romance than yokai extermination. He is kind but tends to come off as quite vain, and hopes to marry into a different influential family one day. Has the ability to sense how someone is truly feeling.

Tayasu Shino is the youngest child of the current Tayasu generation. She does not share the prejudice for non-humans that the rest of the Tayasu typically have, something which has led her family to entirely ignore her existence at the behest of her father. It is not known how most of them feel about this decision, but she has become cold and isn't very emotive as a result. She is very skilled at hand-to-hand combat, and has the highest potential for supernatural powers of any Tayasu to have ever existed. Primarily has psychic abilities like telekinesis and can sense non-humans, though her abilities are still developing.

if you made it to the end then uh

feel free to ask some questions or let me know who your fave is or whatever idk ckhjvbc

and also thank you thank you for reading all of my insane ramblings-

[bekaroth-reads]

Hey! I’m new to your blog, but i was wondering what you think wesker would be like as a husband throughout the years, maybe starting a year or two before the mansion. Thank you if you see this and have a wonderfull day or night!

[Listen, if there’s one thing we don’t half ass here, it’s the Albert Wesker content. So, I did a short list for every version of him that I could think of :) ]

[On another related note, it hurts my soul that there has been nothing but radio silence for Albert for about nine slutty, slutty years. The closest we’ve gotten were the cameo voice clips in Umbrella Corps. ,a gun named after him in seven, and HUNK talking to him in 2 remake in which we don’t even hear his voice. Capcom PLEASE!]

1990’s Wesker before the mansion incident

He would be a bit distant to be honest

All in when he is with you though

But he doesn’t want people from STARS and more importantly Umbrella to know about you

He knows that there’s too much danger for you to know anything bout his lifestyle or anyone from his life to know about you

This will translate with him loving being around you but, “having to work late” many nights as he wanted to be sure that there was no chance that you get involved

He knows that there’s even more of a chance of something happening to you as he is in the works of betraying Umbrella, STARS, and Birkin

So, basically there’s three different groups that would gladly hunt both of you down for sport (truth be told, he’s more concerned about Annette than he is about William)

Because of that your support, no matter how unknowing, is appreciated in his time of subterfuge

It feels like it’s just he and you against the world

Has a bit more of an ornery streak than most people think he would, but doesn’t know how to really express it

He has to kind of learn that he is no longer at the Umbrella Training program or a special ops police force and that at home most people don’t practically brutalize each other for a joke

In his defense, he doesn’t mean to

He just doesn’t realize his own strength

Goes to playfully hip check you and accidentally send you flying across the room

1990’s Wesker after the mansion incident

He would be a lot more emotionally distant than he was before

Getting back in touch with you and getting you out of Raccoon City would be his first priority

He knows there’s going to be a lot of bad things going down there soon

Partially because he’s going to cause some of them

Though he would be sure that you were with him again, he would be very quiet and withdrawn

He’s going through a LOT what with the reanimating and what not

That’s part of his reasons for trying to keep some distance from you as he’s not very sure what he is now and how he might start acting

He’s headed enough Umbrella projects that he knows that even though he feels fine at the moment, the there’s noting stopping his biology from freaking out somewhere in the next few weeks or so

To be honest, he would rather have you somewhere really far away from him rather than right here

But, seeing as Vladimir is searching for him and anyone that he could use to get to him, you have to stay right here

His playful side will be gone for a good while, and he’ll be a bit testy

But he’ll still want you around, not matter how much he might accidentally make it seem otherwise

Late 90’s Wesker (c. Code Veronica)

He’s much more at peace with who he is now

In fact, he rather enjoys all his new powers

And he loves to show them off to you too

While it might be good to see that he is back to his old self, there’s also something that’s a bit concerning that’s starting to emerge

It’s not enough that he didn’t die, or horribly mutate for that matter

He seems to be drunk on power and wants more

And while you were often assured that he wouldn’t be taking things overboard( rather more overboard than they have already gone) he suddenly told you that he was going to be away for a few months

Seeing as he was working for another sketchy bio company and in the process of starting his own operation by this point, free time isn’t really something that he has a lot of

So the only reason that he would ever need to go somewhere himself was if he planned on getting modified in some way again

He would call you any time that he could while he was away and make sure that you were still at the safe house that he had set up for you and that no one had tried to bother you

He has his playful streak back, but this time he’s a little rough on purpose

Thinks it’s funny when you stumble from something he does

But would never actually try to hurt you for real

He does go a bit back into his dower introspection when he comes back after those few months he talked about and half of his face burnt

Early 2000’s Wesker

Here’s the thing, you would either hardly see him or you would see too much of him

There will be times where he might be gone for a week to a month at a time as he is a very busy bio-terrorist during this time

He’s not only higher up in that organization now, but he’s also putting the finishing touches on dismantling Umbrella and taking all of the BOW data for his own purposes, and make sure that Ada Wong was on her way to Spain

But, when he does get to be with you again, he is going to be very possessive

The two of you will basically be connected at the hip, and there won’t be a single moment spent apart

At this point, it doesn’t matter if you ask him to stop adding more superhuman stuff because he has himself convinced that he needs it for both of you

He’s already starting to get the idea of world domination rather than just carving himself a little niche in the seedy places of the world

His other reason that he tells you and himself, whether or not it’s really true is he needs to be stronger so he can protect you better

He’s got himself caught in a loop where he gets more powerful, so people are more likely to go after him, so he gets more powerful, so people are even more inclined to go after him, and so on, and so forth

Whatever the case, your husband is starting to seem less and less human as time has gone on

Maybe there was something more going on with him than he thought initially

Not to mention he has mentioned more than once that it might be a good idea for you to get the same superhuman enhancers that he has

All because he wants the best for you, of course

2009 Wesker

There’s no denying at this point that this is most certainly not the man you married all those years ago

This guy is insane

A gentle insane to you, as what little sanity he has tells him that you are important to him

His new self translates that as you are the only other person in this world aside from him that in better than everyone else

The suggestions that you become super human turn into insistences

Now, it’s not like he’s going to sneak Ouroboros into your system while you’re asleep or something

But there’s a clear understanding that it will happen eventually, more likely sooner rather than later

Is super possessive of you by this point

He will have you with him all the time, and just lock you in a different room if he thinks things are getting too dangerous

By this point he literally thinks that he is a god, so there’s no need to doubt his ability to protect you no matter what

Speaking of which, he thinks he’s a god, so he knows what’s best for everyone, and that includes you

Again, he tells himself and you that it’s all for your good and that his moon goal here is still to protect you, even when it might not seem like it

Here’s the thing, if you aren’t for all of his, “total world saturation,” business and don’t want to be turned into a sticky, tentacle monster of some sort, then you’re only hope is going to be that Chris and Shiva get you away from him soon

If you are with him on everything, and you luck out and don’t have a visceral and violent reaction to the Ouroboros, then I hope you like volcanoes :)

Wesker c. 2013

He would be similar to how he was back in ‘09, but a bit more subdued

There’s nothing that will get someone to take it down a peg better than getting thrown into a volcano

He would be even more possessive and would quite literally make you disappear from the entire would except for him

This is partially because he can’t have anyone know that he’s still alive, but also because he knows that if he was out of the picture and someone knew that you were involved with him in any capacity then you would be hounded and watched for the rest of your life

So, as soon as he has the chance, he would fake your death and spirit you away to somewhere that only he knew about

Going with him being possessive, he would be even more paranoid than he was before, and would make sure that he was the only person that you saw, not only because he didn’t want anyone knowing that either of you were still alive, but also because he literally wants the be everything to you

Would be almost sickeningly sweet to you, to the point where it’s unnerving rather than nice

And it’s incredibly noticeable because of how vicious he is with literally everyone else

At this point he’s more monster than man, the various viruses and parasite mutations basically piloting his body, and running off of his base emotions

That’s why he’s so hell bent on gaining power, and in turn so possessive of you

All that gnawed up brain of his can process now is the fact that you were somehow important to him, and the thing pretending to be him tries to pantomime what it thinks husbands are supposed to do, which is not quite real enough or in Wesker’s original personality so it’s very uncanny valley

Like sometimes if you ask him something or maybe do something that mess under his skin, clawing at his brain doesn’t quite understand, he’ll basically dissociate for a moment while his internal spaghetti monster does a google search in his old memories to see what the correct reaction is

Even then there have been times where it pulls up the wrong one

And you will be seeing a LOT of him too

Now that he’s the one running everything, and that he’s being secretive and won’t be going out and doing much things himself, there will be plenty of times where he can just keep track of things from a few computers where ever the two of you are currently living

While he would still want you to get all of the progenitor virus related stuff that he has to keep you with him potentially forever, he’s not as pushy with it, as the turn of events in Africa a few years back are making him rethink his strategy on things, including that

Overall, a pretty lonely, yet fairly comfortable life other than the fact that your husband is one of the most wanted men in the world, and sometimes acts like he’s straight from an episode of the Twilight Zone with how uncanny he can be

[sepublic]

The Kids’ Growth VS Emperor Belos

I love how in the fight against Belos, all the kids have their part to play, as a callback to past adventures that culminates here???

Like Luz. Her being human is of course vital here, at least to Philip in that he wants to project his failures over Caleb onto Luz as revealed in Hollow Mind, and thus opts to spare her. This allows Luz to strike a deal and trick Belos like in Young Blood, Old Souls, using her invisibility glyph, a very Luz-specific ability from Echoes of the Past! Her plant glyph from Enchanting Grom Fright works well with Willow’s spells, as does Luz’s ice glyph from Adventures in the Elements (an episode that developed Luz and her future girlfriend) acting with Amity’s magic!

Then we’ve got Willow and Amity, acting as the powerhouses of the group as their type of magic has been established to be in Through the Looking Glass Ruins, having taken down an Abomaton together in Labyrinth Runners; They’re in sync now and trust in each other’s abilities. The show has been building up Willow’s physical strength in particular with her ability to restrain Belos and hold up the pillars thanks to the training from Any Sport in a Storm, while we see how Amity’s Abomination magic has developed as it had in Escaping Expulsion, using the hip flask introduced in Eclipse Lake to shield Luz!

Gus comes into play here with his illusions and ability to project memories, as well as the mirror he won from Adrian, all from Labyrinth Runners; His feats pay off in his ability to distract Belos with his own memories, while also getting a glimpse of them... No doubt relevant for Season 3 when we delve into the lore of Gravesfield. Kid chose to stick with his illusions and believe in them after Through the Looking Glass Ruins and that faith paid off!

Hunter established his ability to warp and move at high speeds in Separate Tides, which he uses to save Gus, who’s done the same for him. It allows Hunter to avoid Belos’ attacks, and we’ve had the buildup of Hunter and Flapjack’s relationship from Hunting Palismen; Hunter still being able to use magic while being drained because Flapjack is an outside source. And Flapjack’s mere presence kind of saves Hunter, as the sight of him exposes Belos’ rage and causes the facade to drop; A bitterness over Caleb we saw in Hollow Mind.

And finally, King; King the Titan, of whom only they can free the Collector. Who established a connection to him thanks to the Titan Trappers in Edge of the World, enabling King to see a sympathetic side to the Collector during O Titan, Where Art Thou, Clouds on the Horizon, and King’s Tide itself that contributes to his decision to free him and thus defeat Belos. All while King is initially protected by the spell passed down from his father, that he began to wear in Echoes of the Past! And while not related to Belos, his roar from Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Hooty’s Door comes into play at the end...

I just love it... The way specific adventures and stories have developed and established key points in these characters’ arcs, in the growth of their abilities; How it all culminates and ties together so beautifully! How the kids and their abilities don’t feel interchangeable, that they each have something invaluable to contribute to the team, and it really has to be THIS person for THIS part; Even as they combine in specific ways to establish key phases of the battle!

It really does feel like everything matters and has built up to this great battle against the Emperor, all of the storylines that hone these kids’ magic, the victories and things they gain and earn, from glyphs to palismen to magical artifacts. The synergy they develop by working to overcome their issues, instrumental for teamwork... Both character development and plot come together so beautifully here for this fight scene; With the plot and magical abilities a reflection of the growth of these kids!

[sktsmiyasimp]

How Katniss & Peeta Heal Each Other (even before Mockingjay)

This post is inspired by @ cinnaliya‘s tiktoks about Katniss, her mother, and how that broken mother/daughter relationship made Peeta such a great partner for Katniss. I wanted to expand upon the already great points made, though honestly a lot of this is word vomit because I love this series like no other. I’m also summarizing part of the videos for context.

If you’re interested, Cinnaliya’s stuff also talks about the attachment styles involved here in more depth, so I highly recommend watching!!

Anyway, it’s been forever since I’ve written anything longer than a twitter-length post about fanfic, but here we go.

Peeta’s Support and Katniss’s Mommy Issues:

After Katniss’s father dies, her mother shuts down and leaves the girls to fend for themselves. Katniss must take on the responsibility of feeding her family with no income while also handling her own grief without any support system.

As a result, Katniss learns early on that she can’t rely on her mother for emotional support. She also learns that she doesn’t really have time for emotional matters, whether it’s positive (romance) or negative (grief) (I use those terms loosely since +/- emotions carry the wrong connotation, imo, but that’s for another day).

Then, with Peeta, she suddenly learns that being emotional isn’t just ok, but can also be an asset. Peeta’s unwavering kindness and support shows her that she is allowed to grieve, have fear, and otherwise show “weakness” without worrying that she would have to face those things alone. He holds her when she cries or has nightmares (the train/Victor’s Village), shields her during tough social situations (D11/interviews), and otherwise proves himself to be compassionate, caring, and most importantly, available. He tends to her emotional needs in a way that nobody else has in recent years, and he consistently checks in on her in ways she craves (literally, girl craves cheesebuns and suddenly he’s there with a platter).

So not only does Peeta’s character overtly subvert gender roles by being gentle, artistic, and creative, but he also quite literally helps heal the wounds left by an emotionally absent mother.

Katniss’s Strength and Peeta’s Parents:

Meanwhile, Peeta grows up in a rather violent household, where his mother is the abuser and his father remains passive.

Now, I wouldn’t call Peeta a passive character by any means; he stands up for what he believes is just and his resulting words play a huge role in both the rebellion and his relationships with others.

However, we do see many moments where Peeta diminishes his own importance. He plays up Katniss’s hunting skills without any word about his own physical strength, talks about how nobody really needs him, and is so self-sacrificial that, if not for the peace/war symbolism that he and Gale provided, I would have genuinely non-stop feared for his life throughout the entire series.

Katniss, however, sees worth in Peeta and seeks to protect him. She points out his assets to Haymitch, physically protects him in the arena, and continues to look out for him politically in Mockingjay. Katniss advocates for Peeta in a way that he’s never been advocated for in the past. She shows that he is someone worth the sacrifice, even when his own father wouldn’t sacrifice his relationship with his wife to protect him.

So, just like how Peeta helps support Katniss in ways her mother never could, Katniss protects Peeta in ways his father never did.

A note:

While Katniss and Peeta both help heal each other’s childhood wounds left by their parents, I think it’s worth noting that neither of them blatantly “therapizes” the other (minus the real or not real game in Mockingjay, but that’s not necessarily related to the childhood wounds at hand). It’s not like Katniss and Peeta listened to each other’s life stories and decided to try and fix each other; in fact, I’d say that both characters would agree that they don’t need fixing. And it’s not like K&P are tailoring their responses to one another to purposely address what their parents failed to do; Katniss is protective of everyone she loves (Prim, Rue, all the other victors, her prep team, etc), and Peeta shows kindness towards everyone he meets, even if he doesn’t particularly like them at first (Haymitch, Gale, other victors, etc.). It’s more like these same characteristics that they display with everyone just so happen to perfectly fit in with what they need.

TL;DR: Katniss and Peeta were always meant to be together because their personalities and values inherently fulfill each other’s needs and complement one another.

[gffa]

Last time I went about five months between doing a set of STAR WARS fic recs, this time it’s only been three months! Hurrah! It helps that, as always, this fandom puts out an incredible amount of excellent fic, so I feel like I’m never hurting for fics I want to yell about and shove at people, which is something I continue to appreciate as it often feels like so much of the world is such a huge tire fire. It helps to be able to find fics to retreat into, to have fun with, to express joy and creativity with, and so many of the authors in this fandom are just so good at this! To the point that these sets sometimes take awhile because there are always more fics I want to add, until the post starts threatening to be overly long instead of a decent length–in my defense, no seriously, you guys are just too good! Also, I forced myself to stop at 69 fic recs, because yes I do think it’s funny. (Nice.) STAR WARS FIC RECS: PREQUELS RECS: ✦ a comedy in four acts by jesuisdeux, obi-wan & dooku & yoda & qui-gon & cast, time travel, 4k    This was what time-travel is: staring at the dark sockets of skulls everywhere your gaze lands on. Being haunted by ghosts long gone. The apprehension of the slow yet sure approach of the inevitable which is sending chills down your spine. ✦ No Rest for the Weary by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & jedi & ocs, 61k    Needing a break from life at the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, visit a Jedi AgriCorps settlement on the Midrim planet of Helia. There they encounter new friends, new enemies and have new adventures, all while attempting to navigate their sometimes turbulent relationship as Master and Padawan. ✦ Stars of Tatooine by Be_Right_Back, ahsoka & kanan & mace & rex & obi-wan & cast, 10.5k    After the end of the world, Ahsoka more or less kidnaps a child, has to air some old grievances, and tries to find whatever peace the universe can still offer. All paths in the Force lead home, eventually. ✦ Festival of Light by dendral, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & rex & cast, 8.7k    During his first year at the Jedi Temple, Anakin learns that even the Jedi celebrate holidays. ✦ the master, the padawan, the Force by skatzaa, depa & caleb, 1.4k    Caleb expects things to be different after Master Depa takes him as her padawan, but really, it feels like nothing really changes. ✦ desecrate my lungs by loosingletters, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & padme & cast, 16k wip    Time-travel fix-it in which Mustafar haunts Anakin decades after it happened and years before it would. ✦ Grace by dismantlingsummer, obi-wan & anakin, 2.3k    Shortly after Mustafar, Anakin realizes what he has done. He finds Obi-Wan to beg for death. ✦ Fifth Migration by wrennette, yoda & mace & obi-wan & ki-adi & yarael & coleman & plo & palpatine & cast, 2k    How about an AU where the Sith’s Grand Plan accounted for everything -everything that is, except the fact that the Jedi temple is actually an very ancient spacecraft and the second word got to the Jedi about there being clones on Kamino, all Jedi are called back inside and they take off immediately? Just imagine the dear chancellor’s face… ✦ fill pages with scribbled ink by magneticwave, obi-wan/padme & sabe & mace & quinlan & cast, 9.8k    A year after the Invasion of Naboo, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi is invited by Queen Amidala to return to Naboo and participate in a rite known as the Night of Fireflies. Things kind of snowball from there. ✦ Mind Your Words by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin, spanking, 7k    Obi-Wan reminds Anakin that there are consequences for careless behavior for young Jedi on missions. ✦ (you taught me) the courage of stars by grumpyhedgehogs, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & cast, 5.1k wip    Ahsoka Tano flees after a warrant for her arrest is issued, but not before receiving aid from an unexpected ally. (Ahsoka proceeds to go on a road trip filled with a bunch of strangers who all say the same thing: Obi-Wan Kenobi is much more than he has ever appeared to be.) ✦ they faked it (guess everything’s complicated) by katierosefun, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 4.5k    Ahsoka temporarily loses memories of the events of Obi-Wan’s fake death. To help with the healing process, Anakin and Obi-Wan have to pretend that they’re okay. ✦ programed to dream by ghostwriterofthemachine, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, body horror, 1.3k    The spaceship Comet-rider is the fastest, most efficient vessel in the galaxy, and is crewed by Separatist-funded pirates. Anakin Skywalker is missing. Unfortunately, these two things are connected. ✦ Unpleasant Truths by hellowkatey, obi-wan & anakin, 2.1k    Obi-Wan and Anakin are stuck in a room with one another while waiting for truth serum to wear off. ✦ moment’s silence by skatzaa, obi-wan & owen & beru & luke & leia (pre-obi-wan/beru-owen), 2k    Owen had long since resigned himself to trouble, whenever Beru got that particularly stubborn set to her jaw. ✦ hold gently and let go by shatou, obi-wan & anakin (pre-slash?), 1.7k    A troubled Anakin comes to Obi-Wan to discuss attachments. ✦ sun child by Ro29, obi-wan & anakin, 2.1k    (or; sometimes being so tied to the Force causes problems, Obi-Wan helps his Padawan as best he can) ✦ A Dinner Out by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & cast, 1.6k    Obi-Wan can’t get his young Padawan to eat much, so he tries something new. But trying something different has unintended consequences. ✦ Shades in the Desert by loosingletters, obi-wan & anakin & luke & owen/beru, 10.8k    Not even from a certain point of view did Darth Vader kill Anakin Skywalker. He wished he did, but the specter of the Jedi’s light escaped before he could finalize his fall to the dark. Meanwhile, Anakin is raising his son on Tatooine. ✦ somewhere along in the bitterness by CallToMuster, obi-wan & anakin, major character death, 3.8k    It was probably the twelfth day floating alone in space that Obi-Wan and Anakin realized no one was coming for them. ✦ Songs for Little Jedi by soft_but_gremlin, mace & younglings, ~1k    The initiates are having nightmares, so Mace sings a lullaby to comfort them. ✦ atmosphere level by softredscrunchie, obi-wan/satine & qui-gon, 1k    As a joke, Satine tells Obi-Wan she thinks Mandalore is flat. He doesn’t take it well. ✦ on sith holocrons and misunderstandings by billowypants, obi-wan & anakin & mace & yoda & cast, de-aged!obi-wan, 7.2k    or, de-aged!Obi-Wan has the same Force bonds as adult Obi-Wan, and he does not react well. ✦ Perseverance & Resilience by loosingletters, obi-wan & anakin, 1.1k    In the aftermath of Naboo, Obi-Wan realizes he needs strength to protect his new Padawan. Growing up, Anakin needs peace. ✦ A Delicate Balance by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & yoda & jedi, spanking, 9.6k    As Anakin’s skills grow, so too does his penchant for getting into trouble. After a training mishap, Obi-Wan struggles with his role as Anakin’s master. ✦ mirror, mirror by CallToMuster, obi-wan & anakin, 5.4k    Obi-Wan has been rescued by Anakin after being rather embarrassingly kidnapped on the remote planet of Ilnuria during his investigation of rumored kyber crystals deep beneath the planet’s surface. …But is all as it seems? ✦ Mace Windu Appreciation Week by Redminibike1, mace & obi-wan & anakin & ponds & cody & jedi & cast, 12.5k    Set of unconnected ficlets for Mace Windu Appreciation Week, because he deserves it :) ✦ begin again as a quiet thought by skatzaa, obi-wan/quinlan, d/s, ~1k    Cool, smooth leather touched his jaw—gloves. Because of course Obi-Wan had thought of that as well. ✦ Drunken Lullabies by Siri_Kenobi12, obi-wan & anakin & siri & quinlan & aayla & garen & bant & ferus, 6.5k    “Do I really have to go to this thing?” Fourteen year old Anakin Skywalker dramatically sighed. “It’s sooo boring!” ✦ heaven knows how I love you by the_13th_battalion, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 1.2k    Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka are stranded on an unfamiliar planet overnight. They spend their time exploring the community- and maybe they get a little closer to each other along the way. ✦ A Reckless Padawan by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, spanking, 3.9k    When Ahsoka upsets Anakin with an act of reckless disobedience, it falls to her grandmaster to help her see the error of her ways. OBI-WAN/ANAKIN RECS: ✦ Too Hot by secretsolarsystem, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 4.8k    Too Hot: A game where two players kiss without stopping and without touching each other. If one player touches the other, that player loses. The winner gets to do whatever they want to the loser. ✦ Nostos by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin & padme, NSFW, 17k    Or, how Obi-Wan and Anakin discover that there are many ways to come home. ✦ to touch the light, darkest by treescape, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 1.9k    Obi-Wan begins to fuck Vader back to the light ✦ encode by loosingletters, obi-wan/anakin & padme & handmaidens & cast, 26.3k wip    Instead of being accepted into the Jedi Order at the age of 9, Anakin Skywalker became a ward of Naboo. ✦ Hunting the Homeward Light by GreenQueenofClubs, obi-wan/anakin & mace & ahsoka & shmi & padme & cast, 31.9k wip    When Anakin Skywalker was nine, he left his whole life and mother behind to follow Qui-Gon Jinn to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple. When Anakin Skywalker was twelve, he left his whole life and Master behind to follow Mace Windu to the Outer Rim and away from the Jedi Order. When Anakin Skywalker was twenty… ✦ use my body to break your fall by tennessoui, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, 44.7k wip    Obi-Wan Kenobi is too good at being a Sith Lord general of the Separatist army. The Jedi Council approaches Anakin with an offer he can’t refuse. These things are, actually, related. ✦ Over and Over by obiwanobi, obi-wan/anakin, 1.4k    “I love you,” he blurts out, loud and impossible to miss. Obi-Wan blinks once, twice. And freezes. The first time Anakin tells him is a mortifying experience. ✦ Exceptions by rinverse, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & mace & quinlan & cast, NSFW, modern au, 23.4k    Young and brilliant, Anakin is the mind behind JEDI Tech’s latest innovation. Obi-Wan is the company’s perfectly composed Director of PR & Marketing. And last night, they were just two strangers at a bar, looking for something quick and easy. But life had other plans when it crossed their paths again the very next day. ✦ Here There Be Dragons by Ghost_Owl, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, 10.1k    Anakin knows why he can’t shift into his animal form like every other Jedi. It’s because he doesn’t want to, it’s because he’s had a vision of what he would become, and he doesn’t want it. ✦ Waiting in a Sea of Stars by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan/anakin, ~1k    Stranded in deep space, Obi-Wan and Anakin wait for rescue. ✦ Tristitia by JSwander, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, 5k    An alternate timeline where Palpatine focuses his attentions on Obi-Wan Kenobi instead of Anakin Skywalker after the attack on Naboo. ✦ Prompted - Chapter 11: Communication, What Communication? by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, modern au, mobster au, 7k    a 7k obikin PWP that is somehow a prompt mashup of a mobster au, an accidental sugar daddy au, with a soupçon of an anakin never left tatooine au, and a pinch of qui-gon was anakin’s dad au ✦ who a person truly is cannot be seen with the eye by RexIsMyCopilot, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, d/s, spanking, 3.6k    Anakin purposely avoids doing what Obi-Wan tells him to do. ✦ Prompted - Chapter 12: Potidaea, 432BC, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, historical au, 4.3k    Here is a short smutty scene inspired by all those classics asks, Alcibiades praising Socrates in Plato’s Symposium, and this vase c.490-480 B.C. depicting standing, face-to-face intercrural intercourse between a bearded man and a youth, which as far as we can tell was the most common and accepted position for it in Ancient Greece. ✦ Prompted - Chapter 13: Minikin and Tiny-Wan by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 5.4k    Happy May the Fourth! In honor of this happy day, I have written the fluffiest, crackiest, vanilla-flavored smut imaginable. Based on long discussions on discord with tomicaleto about her adorable Tiny AU. ✦ to hold until brightness by treescape, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 1.4k    Obi-Wan feared that it drew out the darkest in him, to bring Vader to these flashes of light, but it was a trade he would make again and again without hesitation. ✦ May Be Found, If Sought by ghostwriterofthemachine, obi-wan/anakin & mace & quinlan, magical academy au, 2.3k    In which Quinlan, Mace, and Obi-Wan teach Non-Traditional Magical Philosophy in an institution rampant with academic snobbery and discrimination, something dark is stirring in the nearby forest, and no one is ever prepared for Anakin Skywalker. A small story about first meetings in magical academia. ✦ infinitely varied by loosingletters, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, modern au, 2.2k    Also known as Obi-Wan and Anakin teach a tiny program called A.H.S.O.K.A. how to be something more than lines of code via the power of linguistics. ✦ recipe for disaster by tennessoui, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, modern au, 9.8k    When Ahsoka tells Anakin she doesn’t want to learn piano anymore, Anakin is heartbroken. He doesn’t care about the instrument, obviously, but he’s practically in love with her teacher. Obi-Wan offers up a solution to their impending separation, and it’s not dating like any normal person would suggest. Instead, he’s gonna teach Anakin how to cook. Except Anakin’s a pretty well-known chef, and Obi-Wan is absolutely awful in the kitchen. ✦ Pretty Kitty by GayCheerios, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 2.2k    “Master, you always take such good care of me,” Anakin says, a little chirp coming after his sentence, as his thumb rests on Anakin’s plump bottom lip. ✦ As One, Into Eternity by Pseudonymoose, obi-wan/anakin, force ghosts, 3.1k    Death comes, but the man who was, and is, and will be Anakin Skywalker is not gone. And in the Force, he will never be alone again. ✦ does he make you laugh? by y0u_idjits, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & cast, fusion fic, 3.6k    “Tell me it’s not about screwing the guy who’s screwing your husband.” ✦ Rotten Work by secretsolarsystem, obi-wan/anakin, 2.8k    Obi-Wan: I’ll take care of you. Anakin, with bloodshot eyes and a broken back from hours of terrible posture: It’s rotten work. Obi-Wan, who needs to bathe this man for his own sanity and health: Not to me. Not if it’s you. ✦ afterimages by shatou, obi-wan/anakin, 1.3k    Mustafar is nothing but a bad dream. ✦ understanding is honoring the truth beneath the surface by RexIsMyCopilot, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, d/s, 7.3k    Anakin asks Obi-Wan to take control. ✦ The strongest stars… by Tomicaleto, obi-wan/anakin & beru & cast, NSFW, 7.4k    The war’s end seems to be close, with everyone looking forward to it. And when Anakin is doubting himself the most, an unexpected visit arrives at the Temple. ✦ home has a heartbeat by izazov, obi-wan/anakin, 5.6k    Or: Anakin and Obi-Wan are together, but there are still some things left unsaid between them. ✦ turn back now (i’m haunted) by tennessoui, obi-wan/anakin & padme & quinlan & ahsoka & cast, modern au, ghosts au, 25k wip    Anakin Skywalker’s house is haunted. Luckily for him, Padmé knows a ghost hunter. Unluckily for him, it’s the hottest, most english-professor ghost hunter he’s ever seen. And extremely unluckily for him, he’s starting to get the feeling he understands maybe ten percent of what’s actually going on here, not to mention what’s at stake. ✦ game plan by treescape, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 11.2k    Or, Vader keeps capturing Obi-Wan during the Wars. Obi-Wan keeps escaping. It’s kind of a thing. ✦ Provocation by ToolMusicLover, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 4.9k    Or: Obi-Wan and Anakin attempt to navigate their complicated relationship with barbed words and wilful ignorance. It wasn’t going well. ✦ Languages by Crowgirl, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 6.5k    So Anakin pulls out a map and makes a list. REBELS RECS: ✦ The Scent of You by ambiguously, kanan/hera & cast, a smidge of nsfw, 2.9k    Everything changes after Malachor, and Kanan has trouble finding his balance. ✦ Heard It in a Love Song (Can’t Be Wrong) by ambiguously, zeb/kallus, 2.7k    Kallus can’t quite figure out what makes Zeb tick, but he keeps trying. ORIGINAL TRILOGY/MANDALORIAN RECS: ✦ A Discussion of Choices by Peppermint_Shamrock, luke & mace, 2k    Mace Windu has traveled the galaxy since the fall of the Republic, keeping out of the Empire’s sight and teaching where he can. Upon the request of a ghost of an old friend, Mace finds himself instructing Luke Skywalker, who is still reeling from the truth of Vader’s identity. ✦ staring down the barrel of the hot sun by magneticwave, luke/din & obi-wan & grogu & mace & cast, 25.7k    “Gone to a Child of the Watch, the Darksaber has,” Grand Master Yoda announces in his creaky little voice. “Peace, there is not, and yet peace, there must be.” ✦ Released by Peppermint_Shamrock, cody & rex & luke & cast, 6k    Nearly two and a half decades late, Cody’s chip is finally removed. Adjusting to having his mind returned to him after so long takes time, and Cody struggles with questions of his purpose of the past, present, and future. Fortunately, he does not have to struggle alone. ✦ A Tatooine Rainstorm by skatzaa, leia & luke & shmi, 1.7k    Leia meets a ghost. ✦ Dealing with the Darksaber by Peppermint_Shamrock, din & bo-katan & cara, 1.3k    After her recovery, Bo-Katan contacts Din to challenge him for the darksaber. Din is still very much not interested in the whole affair. FULL DETAILS + RECS HERE

[archived-kin]

solomon deserves a husband so i'm giving him one (it's you)

note from kin: i don’t know HOW i’ve managed to get this out so soon after my last piece but i do know that it is a miracle (now watch me disappear for like a month lmao)

anyway there’s a severe lack of content for the boys in this fandom and therefore i am here to try to mitigate that!!

(as a heads up, this is sort of an au version of obey me’s story?? there’s no exchange program, and the general human world doesn’t know about the devildom or celestial realm, apart from sorcerers and similar special cases. solomon and simeon both still visit the devildom, though - solomon because he has a sort of job at the r.a.d., and simeon as an ambassador sort of thing for the celestial realm. the r.a.d.’s also less of a school and more of an organisation?? i haven’t really fleshed it out haha)

fandom: obey me!

character(s): male! reader, solomon, mammon (briefly), simeon (briefly)

pairing(s): solomon/reader

warning(s): blasphemy??? solomon disses god really briefly and that’s about it

genre: fluff!!!!!!!!!

As a general rule of thumb, Solomon doesn’t believe in destiny.

He’s lived long enough to know that, no matter what he does, the universe does not care about him, much less have some sort of plan for his future. The course that the world takes isn’t affected by some grand puppet master pulling the strings; one has to force the so-called path of fate in the direction they want it to take if they want something. Solomon knows this better than anyone.

It’s as much a downfall as it is a strength - as much as power as he’s amassed over the countless years, his constant need to challenge the universe’s power has lead him down a path far from humanity. There had been a time when he was like every other human on the Earth, when he was still young, full of hope and determination and promise, believing earnestly in some God high in the sky who would guide him through his life.

He shudders to think what sort of insufferable fool he’d been back then. An almighty God? Don’t make him laugh. The ruler of the Celestial Realm is incompetent at best, and a downright childish brat at worst. He doesn’t know how the angels put up with him - though he supposes his realm-smiting power is part of it. Why the universe chose to place such power on such a being’s shoulders will always be beyond him.

Long as it has been since he had been so naive, Solomon has learnt his lesson, to say the least. He’s seen people come and go, witnessed kings and queens reign and fall, watched on as friends and family live and die. It’s a truth that he’s been forced to learn across the years of his long, long life, a curse that he brought upon himself the moment he gave up the purity of his soul in pursuit of magical arts. 

He supposes he’s always had an insatiable thirst for the unknown - to play all his cards out front, to tempt fate’s hand, to jump into the void and hope to find ground beneath his feet when he lands. It’s that sort of reckless abandon and hunt for knowledge that has led him so far down this path, through so many years, across so many sleepless nights. The world continues to swirl around him, always changing, but Solomon refuses to be swept away. Because, even in the tumultuous movement of the universe, there has always been one constant that keeps him anchored - you.

The night he'd first met you isn’t as clear in his mind as he would have liked. He wants to be able to remember everything - the way the soft blue light of the will-o’-whisps had lit up your eyes in the dark of the night, the way that your hand had felt in his as you greeted him with a handshake, the way that you had said his name for the first time - in sharp detail, but Solomon knows better than to hope to recall something so long ago so perfectly.

He’d still been relatively new to a sorcerer’s life at the time - excited and determined and a little too full of himself. You… well, he doesn’t remember exactly, but he does remember thinking that you must be the most handsome being to exist. The you of today would probably shake your head and dismiss the past you as an obnoxious high hoper, but Solomon has loved you for so many years that he’s never been able to think of you as anything less than perfect.

There are times when he wondered how he managed to stumble upon such luck. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Solomon has has had truly insufferable periods over the years he’s known you, and he’s always considered it a miracle that you still chose to stay. Even through all the restless nights and the exhausting trips, even after all of the clashes and vexation, you have refused to give up on him.

He had asked you once, in the aftermath of an argument spurred by his inability to confide in you and your own frustration with his refusal to communicate. He remembers that night so vividly that it might well have happened just yesterday - the frustrated shouts, the shattering of glass, the warmth of your arms around his shoulders as he finally collapsed on himself. He doesn’t know what your face had looked like as he stuttered the question out in stuttering breaths, head buried in your shoulder in an effort to conceal his tears, but he imagines that it had been soft.

“I’m not going to leave you to yourself,” You had told him matter-of-factly, stroking his hair with such fondness  that it still sometimes brings a tear to his eye when he remembers it on particularly long nights. “And I’m not giving up on you, either - not now, not ever.”

Solomon had been unable to speak, too choked up by his feelings and the sudden, overwhelming love spreading through his entire body to reply. He’d only sunk deeper into your embrace, wishing that the moment could last forever.

I wonder if he still remembers that…?

“...lomon! Anyone home?!”

He jolts up from the table he’s sitting at so abruptly that he nearly knocks his head right into Mammon’s chin. The Avater of Greed, however, reacts quickly, and hops back before Solomon can break his jawbone.

“Jeez, you’re off on a different planet today,” He comments, setting his hands on his hips as Solomon shoots him the sort of look that tells him that he’s not particularly enthused about his presence at the moment. “What’s up with ya?”

Solomon isn’t quite sure how to answer. Sorry, I got distracted thinking about how perfect and lovely my husband is and how I’m the luckiest man in the entire world - nay, the universe - to have him. He nearly physically shudders at the thought of how much teasing he’d receive if he answered like that.

Instead, he chooses a much safer and still technically true option. “Just thinking about going home today.”

Mammon nods in understanding, pulling up a seat next to him and throwing himself down into it without much grace. “I feel ya. S’ been a long day.”

“You’ve barely done anything today,” Solomon quips flatly, not particularly impressed by the demon’s attempt at… empathy? Relatability? Either way, it isn’t working. “I doubt it’s been that hard.”

“Now, now, Solomon, let’s not be rude,” interjects a soft voice from behind them. Simeon is still dressed in his fancy envoy cloak - the one so long and heavy that it trails along behind him like a bridal train, decorated with a number of elaborate golden charms that jingle as he moves.

Solomon attempts to shoot him a slightly annoyed look, but it’s kind of hard to stay irritated by one of the literal embodiments of holiness and light, even if he wakes you up at very unholy hours of the morning to help him figure out how to answer an email. Solomon isn’t ungrateful for the new age of technology descending on humanity, but he’d like it a lot better if it hadn’t somehow reached the angels as well. The amount of times he’s had to tell Simeon that he needs to actually turn his D.D.D. on before he starts calling someone is… embarrassing, to say the least.

“You’re back in the Devildom, I see,” He observes as the angel pulls up a seat and sits beside him. “Did Michael send you down again?”

Simeon nods with a smile. “There were some arrangements that needed to be made with Lord Diavolo. Naturally, I volunteered.”

“Naturally,” Solomon echoes, raising a brow at his friend. “I don’t suppose your biases had anything to do with your decision?”

“Well, they may have had some effect,” Simeon answers with a shameless smile and shrug, beginning to undo the tassels of his heavy cloak and draping it on the back of chair he’s sitting on. He’s still wearing all of his regular clothes underneath it - including the other, much smaller cloak. Solomon wonders how he hasn’t somehow melted in the heat.

“When’re you gonna start heading home, anyway?” Mammon asks, beginning to pick at a loose thread on his jacket sleeve. “It’s gettin’ late.”

Solomon blinks and looks up at the clock. “...ah, you’re right. In that case, I'll get going now.”

Mammon shoots him an odd look as he pushes himself up from the table and reaches for his bag, managing to hoist it onto his shoulder with some effort. He’s never been particularly good at heavy lifting - you’re usually the one helping him carry everything around the house.

“Oi, oi, what’s the rush?” the demon asks as Solomon adjusts the weight of his bag and starts heading for the door. “You on a timer or something?”

“I promised [Name] I’d be home earlier tonight,” is Solomon’s slightly absent-minded reply as he fiddles about in his pocket to find his transportation charm, nearly losing his balance and dropping his bag in the process. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

Mammon watches him in clear confusion for a moment as he pats down his pockets, mumbling a quiet curse under his breath as he realises that he’s left his charm at home again. How many times this month does that make it now...? He supposes that he could always perform a teleportation spell, but knowing his luck with those, he’ll probably end up somewhere in Morocco again.

“Oi, Simeon,” Mammon hisses to the angel, who cocks his head slightly to the side and leans over so as to hear him more clearly. “Who’s this ‘[Name]’ Solomon’s talkin’ about?”

“You don’t know?” Simeon blinks at him in blatant perplexion - as if he can’t even fathom the idea that Mammon might not know who Solomon’s talking about. “He’s talking about his husband.”

There’s a long moment of silence. Then—

“Solomon has a HUSBAND!?” Mammon practically shrieks, completely flabbergasted. “I thought he was totally, like, the forever alone type!”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never noticed?” is Simeon’s bewildered response. “Who do you think Solomon is always talking about buying groceries for?”

“I thought he was just buyin’ them for himself!” Mammon fires back, looking far more ruffled and shocked than he probably should be. He whips around to look at Solomon, who’s flicking through the little packet of blank charms he keeps on him at all times in an effort to find the right one to create a temporary transportation charm. He’s had to do it so many times this month that he’s already beginning to run out. “You’re married?!”

“Of course,” Solomon answers vaguely, briefly raising his left hand, allowing Mammon to spot the soft glint of a ring around his fourth finger. “You’re not?”

“Wh— ‘course I’m not!” Mammon exclaims, positively scandalised by the very concept. “Why would I get married, huh?! It’s a waste of time and a waste of money!”

“Think whatever you like,” Solomon dismisses him easily, which only seems to irritate Mammon further.

Finally having found the right blank charm, he plucks it out and begins carefully tracing patterns onto it with a single glowing finger. He’s dimly aware of Mammon furiously whispering to Simeon in the background, with the angel responding in kind, most likely sharing some exaggerated story from back when the three of you had worked together - when Solomon had accepted a job from the Celestial Realm. The details of the whole thing are a little fuzzy to him now, long as it has been, but he’s almost completely sure that Simeon somehow still remembers the whole thing flawlessly.

“How old even is he?!” He hears Mammon hiss.

“I’m not so sure myself,” Simeon replies, placing his chin in a thoughtful hand. “Let’s see… their two millennial anniversary’s coming up in about two years, and I remember Solomon saying that they got married when he was around two hundred or so… which means he’s about twenty-one hundred years old.”

“Holy shit,” Mammon mutters in disbelief, turning glance at the sorcerer as he starts folding down the corners of his charm into the right shape. “Humans aren’t supposed to live that long. How’s his husband still alive, then?”

“That isn’t really a question for me to answer,” Simeon shakes his head slightly. “I suppose you can always ask him yourself if Solomon ever brings him to work with him.”

“I doubt it,” Solomon speaks up for the first time since announcing his departure. “He’s usually busy during the day. Besides, transportation charms make him queasy, and I’m not making him walk all the way down here.”

“Aren’t you a wizard?” Mammon asks, scratching his head. “Just do one of ya fancy teleportation spells. Why d’you need a charm?”

Solomon sighs. He hates to admit it, but he can’t be bothered to make up some other reason to cover up for himself. “I’m afraid that teleportation spells aren’t actually particularly accurate. We could end up somewhere in the Pacific if I’m not careful.”

Mammon looks thunderstruck. “Then what about all those times you’ve teleported us?! Don’t tell me we coulda ended up in, like, the Archaic Pit or something?!”

“Well, it was always a possibility,” Solomon shrugs in reply, finishing the charm with a deft flick of his hand. “You’re a demon, I sure you could have handled yourself.”

“But…!” Mammon crosses his arms and turns away like a grumpy child. “Hmph…”

“Do say hello to [Name] for me, will you?” Simeon requests as Solomon turns to open the door, ignoring the sulking demon sitting beside him. “We haven’t been able to talk for a while.”

“You text him every day, don’t you?” Solomon asks, shooting him an unimpressed look. “I’d say that’s conversation enough.”

“Now, now, there’s no need to be stingy,” Simeon countered with a smile, tilting his head slightly to the side and leaning forward. “Besides, one misses the presence of an actual person after a while of nothing but electronic communication... especially texting is so difficult. Tell him he’s always welcome to come around for some tea - Luke would be happy to see him.”

Solomon shakes his head, but makes a sound of affirmation nevertheless. You had mentioned that you’ve missed seeing Simeon since he’d started the whole negotiator businesss, and he isn’t the sort of person to deny you the company of a friend. “I’ll let him know. Anyway, I should really be going now…”

“Have a safe journey!” Simeon calls after him as he swings the door open and sweeps out. Solomon waves a hand over his shoulder in response, then disappears down the corridor, most likely to a quiet spot in the courtyard to use his charm. He’s been banned from using them indoors ever since he accidentally shattered one of the fancy artifacts in the assembly hall and sent hundreds of shards flying everywhere. Apparently Barbatos is still finding tiny pieces of glass in the crevices of the floor.

“Why didn’t Solomon ever say anythin’?” Mammon asks Simeon after a moment of quietude. “Seems like the sorta thing you’d mention.”

“Solomon’s a private man,” Simeon says with a shrug. “Besides, he and [Name] have made plenty of enemies over the years, and you’d be shocked by how quickly names and locations can spread…”

“Does he mind us knowin’ about it, then?”

“Well, personally, I’ve known for a while,” Simeon answers, “And I’m sure the others will have worked it out by now - Solomon’s always finding ways to mention [Name] in passing. But no, I’m sure he doesn’t mind. He’d say something if he did.”

Mammon nods and goes silent for a little while. Then he asks, “What’s this [Name] like, then? Must be some guy if Solomon liked him enough to put a ring on him and keep him for that long.”

“Well, let’s see…” Simeon drums his fingers thoughtfully against the tabletop. “He has quite the penchant for raising deadly plants, he hasn’t gone more than a full month without exploding something or another for about five centuries, he takes clocks apart in his spare time, he likes his coffee with a touch of vanilla, he collects cursed books, he makes a lovely butterscotch-cinnamon pie, and he works as a curse breaker for hire.”

It takes a moment for Mammon to process all of the information that’s just been dumped on him. “...sounds like the kinda guy Satan would get along with.”

“I thought so as well,” Simeon agrees. “Their house even reminds me of Satan’s room, in a way… [Name] is quite the avid reader.”

“What, you’ve been?”

“Only once,” Simeon’s eyes flutter closed for a moment as he reminisces. “Quite a long time ago now. I wouldn’t know where to find it even if I wanted to go again, though - it’s always moving.”

“Do they move house a lot, then?”

Simeon shakes his head. “Oh, no, no. They’ve lived in the same house for centuries - it’s the house that moves itself.”

Mammon pauses. “...what?”

“The building,” Simeon clarifies. “They’ve got an enchantment on the whole thing that makes it change locations every couple of weeks or so.”

“But… why?”

Simeon shrugs. “[Name] doesn’t like staying in one place for too long.”

“Still, isn’t that a bit much…?” Mammon pulls a face. “They could always just travel, ya know…”

“As Solomon said, transportation talismans make [Name] feel queasy,” Simeon explains. “And he prefers not to use teleportation spells when it comes to him, just in case they end up somewhere dangerous.”

“And he doesn’t care about the rest of us ending up somewhere dangerous?” Mammon huffs and collapses forwards onto the table.

“Well, you can’t really compare the two,” Simeon says patiently as the demon continues to mutter indignantly under his breath. “He’s his husband, and we’re essentially just his friends from work.”

Mammon opens his mouth to make a rebuttal, then thinks about it for a moment and changes his mind. After a moment, he comments, a little less resentfully, “Well, you’d think he’d at least introduce us.”

“He’s been planning to for a while, actually,” Simeon tells him. “Give him some time and he’ll probably bring it up on his own.”

Mammon nods. “He’d better!”

“I’m home.”

You look up from the book you’re reading and hop down from your seat on the roof just in time to see Solomon emerge from the back garden, looking noticeably dishevelled, with leaves decorating his head like some sort of fancy accessory.

“Welcome back!” You greet him happily, setting the book aside and moving forward to start picking the leaves from his hair. Solomon smiles softly at you as you take his bag in one hand and start pulling him to the front door with the other. “You forgot your talisman again, by the way.”

“I noticed,” He laughs, gently removing your hand from his upper arm and wrapping his fingers around it instead. “Why else do you think I ended up in the hedges again?”

“It’s a wonder that you’ve had to make these temporary talismans so many times and you still haven’t gotten one right yet,” You tease in reply, nudging him in the shoulder. “How many points is that on the tally now, then?”

“Ten for the basement, seven for the roof, and eleven for the hedges now,” He answers with a small pout as you laugh. “Honestly, you’d think I would have learnt my lesson...”

“You never do, love.” 

The door creaks as you and your husband enter the house, only to immediately be greeted by a bundle of scales hitting you head-on. You manage to keep your footing and steady yourself on the doorway; Solomon isn’t so lucky, and ends up laying spread-eagled on the floor with about two hundred kilograms of excited adolescent dragon purring on his chest.

“Looks like Triton missed you,” You comment with a bright smile, setting Solomon’s bag down beside the umbrella rack and leaning over to give the dragon a scratch behind his left horn, just the way he likes it. He rumbles happily and jingles the little bell around his neck at you. “Isn’t he getting big?”

“I saw him this morning, [Name],” Solomon wheezes from his position on the floor, somehow managing to reach up and tickle Triton’s chin with one hand despite the dragon’s weight. “He can’t have grown that much in ten hours.”

“You never know!” You tell him, reaching up and wrapping your arms around Triton’s neck. He coos in a delighted fashion and raises his head, setting it heavily on your shoulder. Solomon uses the brief lightening of the weight on him to take in a deep breath as you allow your dragon to nuzzle furiously into your neck. “Dragons are unpredictable, you know.”

“Believe me, I do,” He sighs tiredly as Triton blows out a pleased puff of hot air and knocks the clock off the wall again. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, Triton, I’d quite like to get back up again.”

The dragon blinks and raises his head from your shoulder, glancing down at the sorcerer that he’s crushing under his weight. Then he huffs and turns away again.

“Oh, you—!” Solomon curses as the dragon seems to press even harder into him. Your laughter rings out across the hall, and while he’d normally take a moment to admire the sound, he’s a little preoccupied. “[Name], stop laughing and help me!”

“He’s like a rebellious teenager!” You splutter helplessly in reply, voice still trembling slightly out of mirth. Triton makes a happy noise as you reach up and rub his scaly cheeks, his ears fluttering slightly. “Awww, you’re really growing up, aren’t you, baby? Your poor dads are really going to have their work cut out for them, huh?”

“Hey,” Solomon calls reproachfully from beneath Triton’s enormous chest. “Your husband’s still being crushed down here.”

“Oh, right!” You click your tongue and give Triton a meaningful look. He grumbles but obeys nevertheless, hopping off of Solomon (though not without knocking all the air out of him by using his chest as a launchpad) and scampering off, most likely to go play with the salamanders that have set up shop in the storage room again.

“I’ll never understand how you manage him so well,” Solomon sighs as you bend down to pull him to his feet, rubbing at the sore spot on his chest. “He never listens to me.”

“Aw, he loves you, really,” You reassure him, taking his hand and pressing a comforting kiss to his knuckles. “He just likes roughhousing with you.”

Solomon shakes his head, wanting to complain further about the big lizard that the two of you had adopted six months ago after the last one grew up and flew the nest, but then he sees the smile on your face, and he feels the flicker of irritation in his chest die down almost immediately. It’s at times like this that he’s really reminded of how absolutely worth it all of the nonsense he has to put up with at work is - because, at the end of the day, you are here, with your warm eyes and your lovely smile, with your comforting hands and your warm embrace, and there is no road too long to walk if you are waiting for him at the end of it.

“I know,” He sighs, tugging off his shoes and stepping into his favourite pair of slippers - the ones with the little cat faces printed on them that you’ve charmed to always maintain a perfect temperature for his feet. He glances at your own feet and notes that you’re wearing your matching pair as well.

The two of you have long since set up a routine for this sort of occasion, and you both fall into it with unconscious ease. Solomon changes into something more comfortable while you put the kettle on in the kitchen, and the two of you inevitably spend so long snuggled up together on the largest armchair in the living room, unwilling to leave the warmth of each other’s presence, that the water cools down, and you end up having to put it back on again. Then you sit together at the table, you with a coffee with a dash of vanilla and him with his favourite chrysanthemum tea that you always brew just the way he likes it. Sometimes you’ll sit side by side, shoulders pressed up against each other as you show him the specifics of your latest curse-breaking commission, and sometimes you’ll sit across from each other, holding hands across the tabletop as he tells you about his day.

Today it is the former, but Solomon can’t help but zone a little out of the detailed deep-dive you’re giving him about the intricacies of the spell that’s cursed this teapot to shoot its contents at anyone who attempts to fill it. It isn’t that your explanation is boring - quite the contrary, in fact; Solomon could probably listen to you describing the most mundane or trivial of things on loop for the rest of his life and be perfectly content with it. No, it’s more to do with the fact that this is the first time he’s been home before dark in a long while, and he can’t help but revel in the fact that he can spend time with you like this again. Of course, there’s something wonderful in coming home to be able to collapse into bed beside you and bury his face in the crook of your neck, drifting to sleep as you burrow closer to him even in your sleep, but Solomon can’t run off of that forever - he needs to see you with your eyes open as well, after all. 

“You’re not listening to a word I say, are you?” You ask as you note the far-off look on your husband’s face. You’re not offended in the slightest by the way he starts at the directed question, evidently guilty, but you are a little puzzled. “Is there something wrong?”

Solomon’s mouth falls open slightly, then shuts again. There’s something about the way you’re looking at him so earnestly that makes his heart stutter like nothing else. Honestly, you’d think he’d be used to this after nearly two thousand years, but it seems that he’s still as weak for you as he was on the very first day of your marriage. “...I suppose I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“You always have a lot on your mind,” You counter softly, giving his hand a brief squeeze. “Come on, you can tell me.”

He laughs quietly, bringing your linked hands up to his face and gently holding yours to the side of his face; you, in turn, unfurl your fingers from around his and rub his cheek affectionately. After a moment, a fond smile pulling at his lips, Solomon replies, “I’ve… missed you a lot this week.”

You pause in mild surprise, but it quickly turns to endearment as Solomon presses his body even closer to yours. The hand that you’re using to hold your mug of coffee moves to settle on his shoulder as you pull him closer. “Really now? What a coincidence. I’ve missed you lots as well, love.”

He chuckles a little bashfully, his cheeks flushing. It seems that your ability to fluster him hasn’t declined even a bit over the years. He’s still well and truly besotted.

You can’t help but find it rather amusing that, despite already having spent a good hour and a half or so in the living room, bundled so close together in the blankets that you could feel his breath on your skin, the two of you are still nestling so close together now. You suppose it’s the effects of a week with much less contact than usual.

You lean forward and press a kiss to his jaw before pulling back again, reaching for your coffee and taking a sip. Solomon exhales softly, pulling his own drink towards him and draining the last of the tea in a single mouthful.

“You know,” He says, setting his empty cup down on the table. “One of my coworkers was asking about you earlier.”

“‘Coworkers’,” You snort at his choice of language, earning a reproachful poke in the side as punishment. “Come on, just admit that they’re your friends.”

“Fine,” He sighs. “One of my friends, then - Mammon, the one that Lucifer’s stringing up all the time.”

“The one with white hair?” You recall, thinking back to the group photo that Simeon had sent you a while back. “He’s the Avatar of Greed, right?”

“That’s the one,” Solomon nods. “Apparently he never noticed that I was married.”

“Well, you can’t really blame him,” You say, giving him a playful nudge. “Honestly, the way you keep your mouth shut, you’d think I was some shameful secret or something.”

Solomon looks scandalised by the very idea - it had only been a little joke, but his eyes flash with such affront that it’s almost as if someone has genuinely called you such a thing. “Of course not! I’d never—”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, I was joking,” You cut him off before he can get more riled up. Solomon calms down quickly once you set a comforting hand on his knee, though he still looks a little indignant. “I know why you don’t like talking about us much, but really, it’s okay. They’re your friends, aren't they?”

He hesitates, then nods, releasing another deep sigh soon afterwards. “I suppose. There isn’t much I can really do about it at this point anyway… according to Simeon, most of them have somehow figured it out already.”

“They’re probably a lot smarter than you give them credit for, Sol,” You hum, reaching up and brushing a stray lock of hair out of his eyes for him. “They’re demons, after all. They’ve lived even longer than us.”

“Believe me, they really aren’t.” Solomon shakes his head, a frown pinching at his brow at the very memory of the amount of things that his coworkers have done recently - some of the most notable being Diavolo setting an entire flock of geese free in the courtyard for an ‘experiment’, Levi quite literally throwing himself out of a window just to win a bet against Mammon about who could get down the stairs faster, Asmo causing a stampede in the main hall by dropping and shattering a bottle full of a powerful aphrodisiac potion that became even more powerful once released into the air, and Lucifer accidentally breaking one of Solomon’s favourite cauldrons when he’d transformed into his demon form and inadvertently smacked halfway across the room it with one of his upper wings.

“I’d really love to meet them some day,” You sigh, swirling the contents of your mug around. “They sound like fun.”

“Trust me, the trouble isn’t worth it—” Solomon attempts to reason with you, but he gives up laughably quickly as you pout at him in protest. “Oh, fine. But don’t blame me if you get sick because of the charm again.”

“We don’t have to use the charm,” You shake your head. “Just do a teleportation spell!”

“You know that that’s risky,” Solomon sighs, chucking you under the chin and leaning forward to kiss the tip of your nose. You laugh as he draws back again, a pleased smile rising on his face at your reaction. “We could end up anywhere.”

“You’ve teleported them a bunch of times, though, haven’t you? And you haven’t ended up in Texas or the Sahara Desert any of those times!”

The resemblance to his earlier conversation with Mammon and Simeon is almost uncanny. “That’s different. I was still teleporting them within the Devildom, not across an entire realm barrier… and besides, I can afford the risk with them. You’re a different story.”

You pout again, shoulders dropping in defeat, though it doesn’t escape Solomon’s notice that his sentiment seems to have appeased you at least a little. “...guess we’ll just have to use a transportation talisman, huh…?”

“That’s your only option if you really want to visit, yes.”

You go quiet for a moment or two, nose wrinkling and face scrunching as you think it over. Solomon doesn’t mind the lack of conversation - he entertains himself by studying your features, wondering for perhaps the millionth time how he managed to find someone like you.

Finally, a determined look rising on your face, you nod and proclaim, “Then I’ll do it!”

Solomon cocks his head slightly to the side. He can’t say he’s surprised by your eagerness, but he had expected it to take you longer to make up your mind. He opens his mouth to say something, but tou answer his question before he’s even asked it, a skill that you’d managed to pick up within the first year or so of knowing him.

“I really wanna see what you actually get up to when you work,” You explain, looking a little sheepish. “You’ve had a job there for nearly two years and I’ve never even said a word to the people you work with.”

Solomon laughs. “It isn’t usually a requirement in the workplace. Wear appropriate uniform, bring any equipment you need, introduce your husband to your coworkers within the decade…”

“Still, I’d feel bad if I didn’t at least meet them,” You say. “Besides, I want to see Simeon as well. You said he’s working down in the Devildom for a bit as well, didn’t you?”

“Why are you so eager to see him, huh?” Solomon’s tone is light and teasing, so you know not to take him seriously as he puts on an hurt expression. “I’m offended. Your dear husband’s right here and you’re thinking about some angel.”

“Oh, stop it, you,” You shake your head in slightly exasperated amusement as he runs a finger down his cheek in lieu of a tear. “You know it’s not like that.”

“Isn’t it?” He pulls an exaggeratedly petulant face and pretends to turn away like an upset child. “Sometimes I feel like you love him more than me.”

“Simeon’s a lovely guy, but you’re still the only guy for me, you doof,” You tell him, tapping fondly at the cheek he’s turned to you with your free hand. Solomon obligingly turns back around to look at you, a grin pulling at his mouth. “Why would I marry you and then stay here for two thousand years if you weren't?”

“I guess I always assumed it was out of pity or something,” He jokes in response, leaning forward and briefly brushing his nose against yours. “And, just so you know, you’re the only guy for me as well.”

“I’d better be,” is your lighthearted reply as he pulls away. After a moment, looking at him expectantly, you begin tentatively, “So…?”

He sighs, but gives you a smile nevertheless. “I’ll ask Diavolo. He probably wouldn’t mind if I brought you without asking first, but Lucifer definitely would.”

“What’ll we do if they hate me?” You ask. “Do demons actually eat humans?”

“They wouldn’t dare,” He replies firmly. “Not if I have anything to say about it. Besides, they won’t hate you. I doubt anyone could.”

You laugh and drop your head to rest on his chest. “You’re too nice to me, love.”

Solomon turns to wrap both his arms around your shoulders, setting his chin on the crown of your head. You smile into his jumper, looping your own arms around his waist and pushing yourself closer to him.

“I’m not just being nice. Honestly, [Name], you’re kind of the most perfect man in the universe.”

[spinaroos-47]

Hunter Noceda AU: Venance

(can't digitalize these rn so you'll get the sketches for now)

So yeah, Golden Guard version two!

When Belos does find out about Hunter in YBOS, Hunter gets the bomb dropped about them being related (idk how yet). but Hunter obviously doesn’t believe in it. Until Hunting Palismen comes around and they find this small thingy, Venance.

(thank you @bernardo-draws-and-cries​​ for the name. Its based on the name Venâncio, which means “the one who hunts”)

He is another grimwalker made by Belos, he’s 12 (yeah.) and way more stressed (Belos has gotten more iron fisted after losing Hunter). Someone save this poor child

- He’s just starting out as the Golden Guard (and he’s not a coven head. Kikimora is. And she still wants him dead too), he’s still getting the hang of it. He does act tough and serious, way more serious than canon GG/Hunter, no space for goofyness.

- So yeah, a duo Hunting Palismen thing would be fun. Haven’t sorted out everything here but I do think Hunter would also go with Luz because of no palisman reasons. And he hasn’t met Ven yet, he only heard Lilith talking about him and Luz and Eda dealing with him on Separate Tides (he was busy drowning in guilt and trying to help with the money situation in other ways), so when he meets Ven and when he sees his face and how similar they are (and how many scars that kid already has), he’s reasonably confused/upset, like “Oh, that creepy man wasn’t lying. This doesn’t make anything on this situation better”

- After the initial surprise/confusion, Luz and Hunter jokingly call him Ghaterer until they learn his name, then they start calling him Ven. At first Ven hates this nickname but ends up reluctantly accepting it.

- Even before Eclipse Lake he’s so scared about being replaced, and knowing about Hunter’s existence in the Boiling Isles makes it worse, now he’s super sure he isn’t as valuable to Belos anymore. So he hates Hunter

- Hunter: come here youre part of the found family now

Ven: NO

Hunter: too late *picks him up*

Hunter: If Luz taught me something is that if you didn’t want to get assimilated into my found family, you should have killed me when you had the chance

Yeah that’s their dynamic when Hunter learns a bit more about him

- Venance doesn’t have much respect as the Golden Guard yet. He’s small (like, maybe even less than 1,50m/4′11″), young, has just been starting out on this role, like, in the last few months, could easily be picked up like a kitty, so he has to fight quite a bit to be taken seriously. Which results on him being way more grumpy and short tempered

- So he doesn’t take it very well when hes made fun of by the scouts in Latissa. Not at all

- Hunter, who was joking around until then:…are you okay?

Ven: I AM! *barely holding the tears back*

Hunter:

Hunter: that’s it youre part of the family now

Ven: you can’t do that

Hunter: we’re two and you’re one, we have your staff and youre very light.

(he still would put up a fight, and it would take a while for it to end. And he bites hard, he has very sharp fangs)

- Scouts: Go home with your sibiling

Hunter: *oh. Oh yeah i forgot we have the same freaking face*

- They don’t know yet about the grimwalker thing. Well, maybe Ven discovers later but at the moment where Hunting Palismen happens, neither of them know anything besides them being related, Ven got told he is his brother, and that Hunter was taken away from the coven before he was born

- Rascal seeing Hunter: hey you’re cool, i kinda want to be your palisman

Rascal seeing Ven: oh heck this kid needs help 

- I’m not sure if Hunter gets Lil Rascal. Because on one side, would be fun for him to have Lil Rascal and train doing magic like this, but also could be good for Ven to have some small support back at home, like how they are to Hunter in canon. So this hasn’t been decided yet. Hunter could either get Lil Rascal and Ven doesn’t get a palisman/gets a blue jay palisman, or Ven gets Lil Rascal and Hunter comes back also empty handed

- So I’m going with the no palisman for Hunter route for now. 

- It’s a bitter moment for both him and Luz. He tries to convince her that it’s okay, that they’ll get theirs soon, but she still kinda feels like a failure about this. And he himself thinks it’s because they don’t have a magic bile sac, so it’s not a good time for them. Eda and King lift their spirits a bit about this, though.

- Either by peeking around or just flat out being told, Ven does learn about him (and Hunter) being grimwalkers. What does he do with that? He has a crisis about it, which raises even more the stakes for him in Eclipse Lake. He still wouldn’t know his purpose for the Day of Unity, but he would know that he was created for it and could lose his position if he didn’t prove himself worthy of it.

- He would explode at Hunter one day and end up telling the truth about them being Grimwalkers (after Eclipse Lake)

- Ven: Do you want to know what you really are?! You’re a clone! You’re just someone’s clone just like me! A replacement!

Hunter, trying to not freak out but freaking out anyways: ...are you okay?

Ven; WHAT DO YOU THINK?

- If Belos is searching for Hunter, on the grounds of him being a more mature grimwalker than Venance, Ven could end up resorting to sabotaging the searches, he doesn’t want to be replaced.

- And he’s making Ven convinced that he will be replaced, to pit both boys against eachother. He gets Ven more under his thumb and not risking Hunter making Ven change his mind. Which doesn’t work as he intented, Ven does get scared about it but Hunter ends up pretty quickly going “dude why do you think I want to replace you?” and Ven is quickly thrown into a loop because he can’t understand why he wouldn’t want to do that

- Ven: what do you mean with “I don’t wanna be the Golden Guard”? If you’re like me you should DESIRE IT SINCE YOU WERE BORN

Hunter: lol no. I dealt with my need of approval a year ago on therapy.

Hunter: Also being a cop sucks.

- This boy is a tense child always a few bad moments away from a breakdown/meltdown. And has anger problems. A lot of anger in a very tiny body

- There’s some more interactions between Ven and the Noceda duo, and he would rather die than admit that he’s got slightly attached to them

- Eda: Luz told me that Golden Guard is a uwu smol boi that needs to be protected, hell knows what this means 

Hunter, who definetly came there too because FUCKING COOL ASS CAVE AND LAKE: i hate/love her

Ven: If i ever see that human again-

Amity AND Hunter: watch your fucking mouth

(definetly not how it would play out but very funny sdkdshdfsj)

- In terms of strength he couldn’t defeat Amity in a fight for the key, he would lean more on the blackmailing. He is a 12 year old but he’s still on a position of power on the emperor’s coven and he knows where the key is, it would put the owlfam on Belos’ line of sight again (if they even ever went away from it)

- That or he passes out, gets dragged out of there by them (he’s a lil shit but they’re not going to leave him there alone where Kikimora could kill him) and he falls asleep for 12 hours in the couch on the owl house. Which ends up giving him a day where he can be just a kid. He’s very weirded out by everything but he enjoys it a little bit at least. He would still try to get the key and would be torn apart by the guilt of thinking of doing this and the guilt of not doing this

- It wouldn’t take much to make him want to stay in the owl house. He’s starved for positive attention. It wouldn’t be easy but also it’s not as hard as for how Hunter is right now in canon

- I don’t think this could happen but I keep thinking about one day him and Hunter switching places so he can be just a kid for one day. Would be cool to see him sneaking into Hexside (or being dragged there, which is more likely to happen) and interacting with Willow and Gus

And that’s some of what we have for Ven right now! He’s a fun character to figure out :3

This took SO MUCH TIME to write