#but its also not all stormclouds either

[volfoss]

talia deserved betterrrrr

[idrawweirdstuffnominors]

Hi!!! Do you think you could do write something about the eltingville boys finding out their S/O is pregnant and how they treat them throughout their pregnancy? (btw I LOVE the way you write!!)

(Lol buckle up this ride ain't gonna be pretty

Here's how we are gonna do it-Its going to be 3 full fics for each guy separately of course because this is going to be A LOT of writing also

tw I'm keeping this real- this isn't going to be fairytale happy stuff so... you've been warned and lowkey I got teary eyed writing this with all that said please Enjoy !

"Yeah? Well, I’m Fuckin’ Pregnant."

(Epilogue Bill Dickey x Reader — toxic softness, pregnancy reveal, eventual protectiveness)

“You’re a goddamn psycho, y’know that?”

Bill’s voice was sharp, fast — his usual go-to in a fight. Deflect, insult, talk louder than the truth.

You stood your ground, arms crossed tight over your chest, even though your throat was already tight. “Yeah? You’re not exactly a fuckin’ prize either, Bill.”

He scoffed, dragging a hand through his hair, pacing across the shitty apartment floor like a caged dog. “All I said was it’s not my fuckin’ fault you’re always so goddamn emotional lately. What, you want a trophy for havin' a meltdown over—what was it—spaghetti?”

You flinched.

It had been spaghetti. You'd cried over pasta.

But—

“That’s not why I’m—” you started, then stopped. Tried again.

“I’m not emotional, Bill. I’m pregnant.”

He laughed. Full-body, disbelieving, cruel. “Yeah, okay. Real original. Is that supposed to shut me up?”

Your stomach twisted. “I’m not lying.”

The laugh died in his throat. He turned to look at you. Really look.

And suddenly the room was quiet. Not tense. Not buzzing with static. Just quiet.

The kind of quiet that happens right after a car crash.

“You’re serious,” he said. Voice low now. Dangerous.

You nodded, eyes shining, defiant even through the tears. “Yeah. I’m late, I took two tests, and—yeah. I’m serious.”

His mouth opened. Closed. He looked like he wanted to say something awful.

But it didn’t come out.

He just stared at you, jaw tight, breathing hard, until finally he muttered:

“...fuck.”

The first week after that was weird.

He didn’t say much. Didn’t yell, didn’t leave. Just kind of… lingered.

Hovering near you like a stormcloud, eyes flicking down to your belly when he thought you wouldn’t notice.

At first, you were sure he hated you.

But then he stopped letting you carry groceries.

Stopped letting you clean the litter box.

Started keeping saltines by the bed before you even said anything about the nausea.

He’d act like he didn’t care. Like he was just being practical.

But then—

“Hey, where’s that shirt with the elastic waistband? You’re bloated as shit, you’ll be miserable in jeans.”

“Don’t fuckin’ look at her like that—she’s pregnant, asshole.”

“I got prenatal vitamins, shut up, they were two for one.”

You caught him staring once, when you were standing in front of the bathroom mirror, lifting your shirt to look at your not-quite-there belly.

He didn’t say anything. Just watched you, then muttered, almost like it hurt:

“...fuck, you’re really gonna do this, huh?”

You turned to him. “We’re gonna do this.”

He didn’t say it back. But he didn’t leave.

By your second trimester, he was a different kind of mess.

Worse temper than usual. Yelling at people who got too close to you in line. Fighting with strangers online because they called a pregnant comic book character “useless.” Refusing to let you carry a laundry basket even though you told him to fuck off.

He'd get flustered about it all the time, too.

If you cried? He'd groan, swear, wave his hands like he was being attacked.

“Jesus Christ, not again—what did I do now—?!”

But he always ended up sitting behind you, arms around your middle, rubbing your back with those rough hands.

Once, when you had heartburn and couldn't sleep, you caught him googling "how to swaddle a baby" at 2am.

He slammed the laptop shut like you walked in on him watching porn.

By the time you were showing, he started talking to the bump.

Only when he thought you were asleep.

Muttering shit like:

“Don’t come out dumb, alright? You’re already starting off with my genetics, you’re gonna need a fuckin’ miracle.”

or

“If you kick her too hard, I swear to God—”

You never mentioned it. He’d probably explode.

But you knew.

That somehow, beneath all the bile and sarcasm and venom, Bill Dickey was scared shitless.

And already in love.

---

"Don't Fuckin’ Die on Me."

(Part 2 of the epilogue Bill Dickey x Reader pregnancy fic)

Themes: real long labor, exhaustion, fear, messy emotions, Bill being Bill but showing up hard

CW: mentions of intense pain, blood, medical imagery, swearing, raw emotions

You were screaming.

You'd been screaming for hours.

And the worst part?

You weren’t even close.

The nurse had checked you three times now — always with that infuriating little smile.

“Still about six centimeters. Let’s try to breathe through the next few, okay?”

You wanted to throw something. Maybe a chair. Maybe Bill.

Bill, who was pacing the room like a caged animal, muttering to himself, biting at his nails and snapping at every single beep the machines made.

“Six centimeters?” he barked after the nurse left. “What the fuck is this, a slow cooker? Can’t they do something?”

You groaned, head back against the pillow, sweat dripping down your neck. “Jesus, Bill, shut up.”

“No, fuck you. You’re in pain, and they’re just—what, hoping you pop like a zit? Bullshit.”

You turned your head just enough to glare at him. “Not helping.”

Bill froze, fists clenched at his sides. He looked at you — really looked at you — for the first time in hours.

Saw your bloodshot eyes, the tremble in your hands, the shaking in your thighs.

The way you couldn’t stop crying even when you weren’t making a sound.

"...fuck," he muttered. He came over, dropped to one knee by the bed, grabbing your hand with both of his like he was afraid you’d slip away.

“I got you,” he said, voice rough and quiet now. “I got you, okay?”

By hour 18, you were delirious.

You’d thrown up twice, begged for the epidural too late, and Bill had been kicked out once for yelling at a resident who didn’t wash his hands fast enough.

They let him back in when they realized you wouldn’t stop screaming until he was.

You were soaked in sweat, your hospital gown stuck to your back, and you felt everything. Every contraction, every stretch, every fire-in-your-bones need to push.

And Bill?

He looked like shit. Pale, shaking, eyes rimmed in red.

But he stayed.

He held your leg. He screamed with you. He cursed the doctors under his breath and kissed your knuckles like it would save you.

“You’re doing so fuckin’ good,” he didn't know what the fuck to say and his voice was rasped, holding your hair back while you sobbed. “You’re scaring the shit out of me, but you’re doing so fuckin’ good.”

You whimpered. “I can’t do this—”

“You are doing this,” he said, panicked now. “Don’t you fuckin’ say that. Don’t you dare. You've put up with so much of my bullshit.

Your eyes rolled back. The pain was unreal. It felt like being torn in two.

And then—

Then the doctor said, “One more push. One more—”

And you did.

The baby came out screaming.

Bloody. Squirming. So small it made Bill stumble backwards, mouth hanging open.

You didn’t see it.

You were out. Not unconscious — just gone. Eyes glazed, body limp, every nerve fried.

They put the baby on your chest, and your hands twitched, trying to hold it, but your arms shook too hard.

Bill rushed over, grabbing the baby with stiff, terrified hands.

“Jesus Christ,” he whispered, staring down at this weird, red, alien-looking creature. “You look like a goddamn raisin.”

But his voice cracked.

And he sank into the chair beside the bed, baby bundled in his arms, staring at you like you’d just survived a car crash.

Which, in a way, you had.

He looked at you for a long, long time.

At your matted hair. Your pale lips. The dried blood on your thighs.

And then down at the baby.

"...you better fuckin’ thank her someday," he whispered, eyes wet. “She ripped herself in half for you.”

---

“I Fuckin’ Love You, Alright?”

(Postpartum fic, Epilogue Bill Dickey x Reader)

CW: postpartum pain and mood swings, sleep deprivation, body image struggles, Bill being a disaster but present, emotional vulnerability

---

You didn’t cry when the baby came.

You cried two days later. Over toast.

Cold toast.

It was 4am. You were in the hospital bathroom, bleeding and sore and shaky. You sat on the toilet with a mesh diaper between your thighs and stared at the plate Bill brought you — untouched, crust curling up at the corners — and something in your chest snapped.

“I’m so tired,” you whispered. “I can’t do this.”

Bill looked up from the chair he’d passed out in, eyes wild and bloodshot. He jolted up, stumbling over to you, voice panicked. “Hey—hey. Hey. What? What’s wrong?”

You looked at him. Eyes dark-circled. His hoodie stained with god knows what. A burp rag on his shoulder. Your spit-up, maybe. Or the baby’s.

You laughed, bitter and quiet. “You look like shit.”

“Yeah, well, you look like a crime scene.” His mouth moved faster than his brain. “Sorry. Fuck. That came out wrong—”

You pressed your palm to your face, trying not to scream.

He hovered. Helpless. Hands twitching. “What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know,” you snapped. “I don’t know, Bill! I want to feel like a human being again. I want to piss without bleeding. I want my fuckin’ stomach to not feel like jello and I want you to stop hovering like I’m gonna shatter.”

“Well what the fuck do you want me to do instead, huh?” he shot back, voice too loud for a room with a sleeping infant. “Wanna go back to yelling at each other? Pretend this shit didn’t happen? Pretend I’m not scared shitless?”

You froze.

Bill’s chest was heaving. He scrubbed a hand down his face and then looked at you like it physically hurt him.

“I almost lost you,” he said, quiet now. “In that fuckin’ room. You looked dead. And all I could think was—I never even told you.”

You blinked.

“Told me what?”

His lips curled, not in a smile. In defense. Like saying it made him weak. Like maybe it did.

“I fuckin’ love you, alright?”

He spat it like a confession. Like a punch to the gut.

Like it scared him more than fatherhood ever could.

“I love you,” he repeated, voice hoarse. “Even when you scream at me. Even when you’re gross and bleeding and can’t look at yourself in the mirror. I love you anyway. I love you through it.”

Silence.

You blinked again.

And started to cry.

Bill panicked, crouching down in front of you, gripping your knees. “No—no no no. Don’t cry. Fuck, please don’t cry—”

You laughed through the tears, snotty and aching. “You’re such a fucking idiot.”

“Yeah, well.” He rested his forehead against your thigh, eyes squeezed shut. “You picked me. That’s on you.”

You threaded your fingers into his filthy hair. “Say it again.”

He looked up.

You didn’t blink.

And this time, softer—

“I love you.”

---

[adobe-outdesign]

hi! have you ever rated petpet colors? would love to hear your thoughts on the picnic one :D

Picnic is definitely a strange colour. First, it's petpet exclusive instead of having a matching Neopet counterpart (not that I think something like that needs to exist, but still). Secondly, it's a somewhat niche concept, mostly being foods but specifically picnic-friendly foods (with one exception—see below). Thirdly, only eight petpets are available in it. And finally, it's a Lab Ray exclusive—which makes it near-impossible to obtain, given the thousands of petpet colour and species combos out there. By extension, some of them also have unique names, and none of them can be painted. All and all, it's weird, but it does work well as a gimmick colour and can be very fun when done right.

The only exception to the picnic food rule is the "Rainy Day Ruining Your Picnic Cirrus", which is entirely too long of a name. On the one hand, this gives the colour a bit more variety, and the grumpy stormcloud Cirrus design looks great. But on the other hand, it does feel like a stretch to connect this to picnics when it could just be a grey Cirrus or even it's own separate Lab Ray colour.

Favorite Species:

Hoagie Kadoatie: First off, it's called the Hoagie Kadoatie, and that's amazing. And secondly, it's a funny silly design. It doesn't make any sense (how does it move?), but the charm outweighs any logical loopholes. My only real issue is that the head spots are incredibly low-contrast and should have been either darker or lighter.

Deviled Egg Goldy: I don't have any strong opinions on Goldys normally, but this one is adorable. I love the expression, and making the Goldy into the yolk part of of a deviled egg is clever and very cute. The overall art quality on this one is also nice.

Potato Rock: Rock petpets rarely disappoint, and this one doesn't either. The concept works with it perfectly and its weirdly well shaded and detailed for what's basically a silly gag petpet.

Least Favorite Species:

Picnic Symol: I can't. Figure out what this is supposed to even be?? Like, it has a generic name that isn't helping, and it looks more like a woodland petpet than anything picnic related. I don't know, maybe this is just a me issue, but I feel like the concept should be clearer regardless. On the plus side, it's at least very nice looking from a technical art perspective.

[psycheofaphaggot]

trying to get into the swing of using this for brainrotting again, so may start chronicling my adventures.

currently i’m remaking my way through some fandoms: rereading old series (now that SOTR has come out i’m reading all THG books over again in order), finishing new ones (experiencing PJO for the first time).

so i’ve been trying to get through PJO in the best way that makes sense chronologically. just finished The Last Olympian, and have now started the Heroes of Olympus series. apparently it’s recommended to basically get through alllllll of the other series books to get all the context before finishing the last two percy jackson-centric books.

for one, seeing Percy through other people’s perspectives is already really interesting i can tell (mind you, i’m still at the very beginning of TLH, at the second Leo chapter). its really funny seeing leo’s perspective and he’s like “wow this percy guy was into everything around here huh”

like YEAH lmao. thinking about it from not percy’s perspective is so funny cause he really was running with everyone 😭 and becoming a defacto leader both in general and in the war is unfortunate.

now i’m going to ask a lot of rhetorical questions that i know i will get no answers to (i don’t want spoilers). and i also KNOW they will be answered by either the end of this book or by the end of the others. quite honestly i’ll probably make this a damn thread every time one of my predictions or questions was correct. but this is SOOO interesting.

it’s already made obvious that Jason is another child of Zeus. i thought it from the very beginning because of the way stormclouds rolled in when he spoke about gods, and of course the lightning strike not killing him etc etc. BUT it only confirmed it for me when they reminded us of Thalia’s last name. my outside knowledge of the fandom (which isn’t much, but its enough) plus the fact that i started the chalice of the gods before realizing i was definitely missing some context. anyways i know that his full name is Jason Grace.

but the one thing i AM interested in is it seems like he was almost some kind of prisoner? of sorts? like you would think his amnesia was some event that happened and he does actually know piper and leo, but it seems like he DOESNT. and considering the tattoo? plus the fact that percy also comes back later (based on the VERY beginning of COTG, do not crucify me) with amnesia of that time. it feels like they came back from the same place?? also hera definitely has something to do with it

anyways, next thing. pipers parentage. i’m SO interested but she’s so vague even in her own thoughts. pipers story like this in general is very interesting to me, it feels as if we’re getting another (in basics) Silena situation, but we actually get to see it from the inside. i’m very curious about it

leo is interesting but its mostly the situations around him that are interesting i’d say. the curse on cabin 9, and the fact that he seems to have a running theme of ghosts and dead people. that is what im curious most about.

now, aside from things about the main 3. there are two things i’m VERY curious about. so the one thing i’ve seen consistently as an outsider to the PJO fandom is Percebeth (of course) and Solangelo. and i only have two thoughts about this (solangelo)

Nico is a very extremely beloved character, and understandably. He’s an angsty kid, who is actually sweet at heart, and has a lot on his shoulders. he’s both easy to like and easy to hate, which makes him a big target for fandoms. but as far as i’ve seen, he has not been…a big character? like i expected him to be so much more pivotal than he was? i know that the former great prophecy stuff was very important and it was surrounding him especially because percy worked hard so that he DIDN’T have to bear the burden of the prophecy. but outside of that i was so surprised to have seen him so little!! i was expecting him to end up in the group of 7 heroes of olympus and yes i know i’m still at the beginning of this but in terms of both age range, and characters i’ve seen and heard of, i’m not sure he is?? there’s gonna be Jason, Leo, Piper, (i assume) Percy and Annabeth, Hazel (whom i will know nothing about till next book) and then just one more slot is left. of course there is still possibility for it to be him— house of hades and all. but i’ve seen more talk about percebeth is HOH than anything else. sooo, my question is (and i actually do want this one answered) does nico actually get more spotlight in this story or did he just become a popular character in the fandom because people love him? like is he such a big face just because a lot of people latched onto him? it’s fine if that’s the case! i’m just curious

secondly, will is almost in a similar position to nico in my head. Almost. they only specifically started to mention him (at least enough for me to notice) around the war in the last book. which i was actually very excited about!! however i noticed he seemed to have a reputation of being like this complete embodiment of sunshine and someone who is always positive and i’ve seen…none of that in his personality so far. nothing wrong with that, considering what’s going on. i’m just curious, is that actually how he is or how he becomes eventually or is that just a fanon thing? especially considering he’s a child of apollo, would make sense for that to be a trait pushed into him to get the sun/moon dynamic, especially if he’s just a happy guy for the most part later on

i dunno, these are just my thoughts so far. if you actually read all of it i commend you. i have commentary CONSTANTLY. so i’ll probably dump again when my questions have been answered or when more pop up. don’t be surprised if you see me again

took me past my childhood to finally sit down and get through PJO as it was constantly around and recommended and yet i never picked it up. but i’m excited, i’ve enjoyed it a lot so far.

[bonefall]

personally voted stormcherry for the simple reason of stormcloud being my blorbo from my shows (books). when i first read abt him in bramblestars storm i LOVED him. he rotates in my brain when i think abt canon thunderclan and im. so absolutely mad they do nothing with him. when he briefly appears i get so happy. when he showed up and spoke in squirrelflights hope? i went nuts. and BB's version of him is just so fun!

and i just think their dynamic would be a little fun. its one of the few tropes i like (headstrong partner with chill partner) and i trust you to do the pairing justice (aka make it. realistic with its ups and downs!)

I'm surprised StormCherry is so popular! I wasn't expecting it to be the second most voted on option. We're all desperate for the background characters to get actual development, aren't we

Don't worry though, if it's not Moonpaw, I'm still keeping my eye out for getting the two of them a litter at some point. I will not accept canon if either one of them dies, consider the both of them to have Certified BB Immunity from canon horseshit and also a coupon for Free Babies.

Sources of potential future kits (If Moonpaw StormCherry doesn't happen);

Molewhisker is dead in BB; if he ever has canon kits, Cherryfall will get them instead.

If Cherryfall OR Stormcloud have kits, they'll have them in BB too

I still have Leafshade, Eaglewing, and Honeyfur on standby. Honeyfur could make an interesting StormCherry kitten, being named for her aunt Honeysnake.

So yeah. I've got your backs out there. If you were only voting StormCherry because you want them to have SOME kits, that will come with or without Moonpaw being their baby, I promise.

[scvcnofswords]

Headcanon On: magic, power, combat, and interest {Reginleit Lavellan}

The first type of magic Regin learned was elemental, and she had a very clear affinity for air, lightning, and water magics- but mostly in relation to weather. That's how she reads to the senses, if someone pays attention to her aura or magical signature- hurricane winds dancing through the air beside you, a storm building with ozone thick in the air. Her magic feels like wind and lightning to other mages, and I feel like even before the anchor, her magical energy would have read as a shade of green. Summoning and banishing rainclouds was practically a game for a younger Regin, and her Keeper definitely encouraged this mode of study; and she was ridiculously gifted at it. Her natural skill in it led to her ever-growing obsession with weather, weather patterns, cloud types, and so everywhere they went, any town they passed, Regin would attempt to scrape together enough money to buy any research books on the matter that may be found in a book shop or researcher's scraps.

She would practice and play at summoning and creating storms from either small pre-existing 'sparks' (aiding in the collision of cold and warm fronts of air, increasing air pressure, charging stormclouds with lightning, ect) and then at creating them from purely her own will; as well as dispelling and calming existing ones where possible. Learning to use the ambient energy in them to boost her own spells, even to funnel their power in unconventional ways, was a high priority to her for many reasons. A very favored tactic of hers when she was Inquisitor was to begin building a storm while in a fight- and then to funnel all of that destructive energy into the spirit-blade she uses as an arcane knight, which would then give the blade enough destructive energy to shear through almost anything- a barrier, armor, a blade, stone or flesh and bone.

She could create the cover of storm to help if ever a group of hunters were being pursued, or even to increase their chances of not being caught by their quarry whenever hunting, could create a storm and direct it to aid in protection from foes, or could weaken and disrupt them so as to protect a Dalish settlement, or a small village from things such as flash-flooding, white-out blizzards and the like.

She also learned to embed her own magic into storms she was attempting to observe or track. This could then be used to track how quickly a storm was moving so she could try and stay out of its' way if unable to dispel it, or to understand how powerful a storm was building on its' own so she would be able to plan accordingly on what to do when it would strike. A favored trick of hers is to manipulate the temperature and flow of the air around herself or around a companion's vulnerable points - hands and feet, nose and ears and lips, ect- to keep them warm during cold environments or blizzards. Wind-manipulation and lightning-manipulation/ wind/lightning creation and direction are the particular abilities she's most inclined to and has the most ease with; rain and water themselves are still quite doable, but not as innate. Fire generation/manipulation on the other hand, is genuinely difficult for her, and whilst she has studied and practiced with it as well, it takes greater energy and greater focus, so she tends to just ensure that someone alongside her in combat will have at least a greater degree of flame affinity than herself, to cover her bases.

Shapeshifting is a magic she pursued much more quietly. Her Keeper guided and encouraged Regin's skill with weaving and unweaving storms, with elemental and chaotic magic as such. Shpaeshifting in most of DA canon seems to be a much more controversial magic, and taboo in many ways. I don't think it was necessarily taboo in clan Lavellan, but still would have been regarded with a wariness. She stumbled across teachings of the abilities in a ruin that her clan had settled roughly near in Starkhaven, and committed to the study almost as a reward for herself; after she had accomplished a goal or a skill for her storm magic or for her Clan in general, she would work her way through the shapeshifting manual to learn from it, rewarding herself.

The first form she mastered was a golden-coated wolf, the same as her hair. The second was a gyrfalcon, and the third was an elk. In all honesty, I don't know if she pursued any other forms as deeply, once she mastered those three; but she keeps this particular skill mostly to herself even among her clan and ESPECIALLY once in the Inquisition. It's an insurance policy; if the Chantry/Cassandra does not know she can become a beast, they cannot plot to trap that form or prevent its' escape, should she ever need to bolt from their custody. This was a fear she developed almost immediately, and as far as game-canon, she never truly learned to trust Cassandra or the Chantry forces, though once Inquisitor, she resigns herself to the fact that fleeing is not an option; the world needs her. The people who cannot protect themselves from the rifts, from Corypheus, need her. And those IN the Inquisition, who she does not trust the Chantry not to misuse or harm- like Cole, like Dorian and Solas, like Sera and Vivienne, all members of societal classes the Chantry holds no respect for and grants no dignity to.

** In my own personal opinion, Regin has always been deeply powerful for a mage in the modern, Veil-spun era; but she receives a serious boost in power, magical stamina, and magical knowledge after drinking from the Well of Sorrows. Drinking from the Well isn't necessarily something she WANTED, persay. She ultimately does it, honestly, out of a mistrust of Morrigan, and ultimately her sense of duty and responsibility; to the world, to elves (Dalish AND non Dalish), to the Inquisition. This leaves her disgustingly powerful; not on-par with an Evanuris, most likely, but certainly a great deal stronger and more knowledgeable than majority of modern mages.

She's not as bound to her staff as many modern mages seem to be; her staff is a focus and a tool, yes, but she, as an arcane-knight, as a shapeshifter, and a storm mage, also uses her body and her physicality in her magic. She does not need her staff, or even the spirit-blade to cast and focus her magic; but she does prefer them in high-stress situations, up until the era of Veilguard honestly. After that; it doesn't entirely matter to her, she's comfortable casting with or without a focus. However she will always have at least one spirit-blade hilt on her person; more often two.

Regin is a deeply athletic, physical person; she free-climbs trees, buildings, cliffs and canyons without fear {cough, Dalish parkour??? cough}, she practices swordplay once embedded within the Inquisition, taking great pains to learn from those skilled in swordplay and bladework wherever she can; from Wardens, to knights, to Seekers and Templars, despite her inherent mistrust of the latter two. Alongside that, she's always been a dancer (think a Dalish form of contemporary and ballet, as I can absolutely see the Dalish utilizing dances like these for story-telling and celebrations. Regin, therefore, has been practicing dance through her entire life, and is exceptionally well-muscled from it). [Honestly, thank gods for Veilguard letting us customize body-types because Regin was NEVER the willow-frond body that Inquisition gave us for F!Lavellan in my mind. She's short, yes, {5'4''} but she's curvier and much more densely muscled. Honestly, think THIS body type; [images are tate mcrae in an adidas sports bra and short set while on her 2024 tour] because that's the dancer, that's the work-out, that's the 'eating to fuel your body' sort of build I have always pictured for her.] The background and continued practice of dancing and somewhat-gymnastics root of the skills she uses to traverse and explore lost and forgotten places lent itself greatly to her skill in combat and swordplay, particularly the sheer level of control she has over her body, her balance, adaptability, and her flexibility.

Studying knight-enchanter/arcane knight skills is something that she became fixated upon whilst serving as Inquisitor. She'd found... Pieces of lore and instructions of arcane-knight abilities while traversing ruins and exploring forgotten places alongside her clan, but never enough to truly build herself into one. Given the resources now at her fingertips from being 'Inquisitor' she took everything she'd found, sent some scouts to search ruins to try and find her more on ACTUAL arcane-knight tactics, and learned knight-enchanter skills from the teacher found by the Inquisition forces. It allowed her to make much more use of her boldness and to be much more actively protective of her companions in the field; and frankly, sitting back on the backlines whilst others threw themselves into the fray never sat well with her.

Regardless, she took quite well to the discipline and the skillset, and gladly combined it with the magics she'd been practicing and studying the whole of her life up until this point.

This isn't to say that all of Regin's magical ability lies in combat. She's skilled at disruption of curses and enchantment, as well as warding magic and illusions. She heals quite well, though honestly prefers mundane/physical healing methods where possible. She greatly enjoys experimenting with magic and discussing and debating ideas and theories with it; many of her best storm-focused abilities came from sudden ideas she'd chased down until she'd determined whether or not they were possible; and if they were, then focused upon them until she'd made them reality, such as collapsing the anvil of a tornado to destabilize and snuff out a cyclone. She's honestly deeply proud to be a mage in all meanings of the world, and sees magic as a tool to better understand and interact with the world around you. Her life has mostly resulted in her being very combat-oriented, but she thinks reducing magic only to what can be done to attack or defend is something only done by the small-minded or the frightened, and she refuses to be either.

I highly doubt anyone's read this far, but if you did, I love you lmao.

[imaginarianisms]

okay so now continuing onto the targaryen dragons family tree in my& speculation. according to the lore, balerion was named after an ancient god of the valyrian freehold; he was born in valyria, & was one of the five dragons aenar the exile targaryen brought with him alongside four dragon eggs & all his wealth, wives & slaves when he fled to dragonstone, the westernmost established outpost of the valyrian freehold built in 314 BC, to survive the doom of valyria, due to the vision of his daughter daenys the dreamer (who, btw, was the first rider of balerion the black dread) while house targaryen's rivals in valyria saw this as an act of cowardly surrender. joke's on them, though, because the rest of them all died in valyria. after the other four of aenar's dragons died, balerion became the last creature to have seen the freehold in its prime. he was presumably born either in or before 114 BC, with my gut saying he was born before 114 BC because it makes no sense otherwise, daenys had claimed balerion – who, at the time no bigger than a horse – the night before her fateful dream of the Doom, so balerion must have hatched few years before 114 BC, & daenys was his first rider. the doom of valyria happened in 102 BC leaving house targaryen the only dragonlord family 12 years later. so that means vhagar & meraxes must've been hatched after the exodus to dragonstone from valyria, vhagar specifically in 52 BC during the century of blood & later died on the 22nd day of the 5th month of 130 AC at the gods eye aged 181 & meraxes was born from anywhere between 114-88 BC, presumably, but i'm going to presume that she hatched after balerion, considering he was the oldest out of the three of them & meraxes was smaller than balerion & vhagar so 88 BC it is. so at the beginning of the conquest, there are only three dragons: balerion, vhagar & meraxes, which means that the vast majority of the targaryen dragons, save for the cannibal, must've came from them. i'd& like to think that, like aegon & his sister-wives, balerion coiled with both vhagar & meraxes. meraxes died in dorne at the hellholt in 10 AC alongside rhaenys, though, so she was unable to have any more batches of eggs so balerion mated with vhagar afterward from then onward. i'm& of the theory that the cannibal was on dragonstone long before the targaryens even arrived on the island. here's my& speculation.

dragons bred by house targaryen before aegon's conquest aside from the triarchy: archonei, essovius, ghiscar, valryon & vermithrax.

first generation & the main targaryen triarchy, first century after aegon's conquest: the cannibal, balerion, meraxes & vhagar.

second generation: quicksilver, dreamfyre, vermithor, silverwing, & sheepstealer.

third generation: caraxes, meleys, grey ghost, seasmoke, & syrax.

fourth generation: vermax, arrax, tyraxes, sunfyre, moondancer, stormcloud, tessarion, morning, the last dragon, morghul, shrykos, drogon, rhaegal & viserion.

note: this is only speculation, but according to my research, studying both dragonlore in asoiaf & reading about actual lizards in our world, it's a possibility that not only do dragons already have no fixed gender, but are “now one and now the other, as changeable as flame" according to septon barth, and like lizards, can change sex at need, usually to suit the weather, but dragons could also additionally reproduce asexually by way of parthogenesis, meaning that a female can reproduce even without a male to mate with or having never mated at all, although this is rare & is usually seen as a last resort in nature & it usually happens in captivity. it occurs in many invertebrates—snails, scorpions, zooplankton, wasps & some honey bees. besides some sharks, parthenogenesis has been witnessed in amphibians, some fish, reptiles like the crocodile which scientists speculate that this unique ability might be inherited from an evolutionary ancestor, suggesting that even the dinosaurs could have possessed the capability for parthogenesis, lizards like salamanders, geckos & komodo dragons, at least six species of snake like pythons & boas, & even a few bird species like domesticated domesticated chickens, domesticated turkeys & even domesticated pigeons. sometimes it's just a plan b or optional, especially in the absence of a potential mate. oftentimes, though, it happens in captivity, prompting some researchers to suggest that mateless females, with no recourse to other means, resort to parthenogenesis as a conscious, if desperate, attempt at offspring & in the case of birds, lizards & snakes, the offspring of parthenogenesis will always be male, thereby establishing a sexually reproducing population (via reproduction with her offspring that can result in both male and female young, though zoologists advise against this in our world but keep in mind that this is house targaryen, the house of the dragon & in our world the negative affects of inbreeding for both humans & animals was only given a proper study by charles darwin after the medieval period so it's possible). essentially, it's a virgin birth. additionally, sex determination in lizards can be temperature dependent, with the temperature of the eggs' environment can determine the sex of the hatched young, with low temperature incubation produces more females while higher temperatures produce more males. applying this to dragons, it makes sense considering that most of the dragons of the targaryen dynasty were/are male & considering most were raised in the dragonmont of dragonstone, this makes a lot of sense considering it's essentially a volcano. komodo dragons in particular, the largest lizards in the world, which is what i'm getting a lot of these possibilities from, also eat their own kind, even their own young at times, so cannibalism isn't unusual in this species & dragons have been known to exhibit behaviors of opportunistic cannibalism. on top of that, they may be monogamous & form pair bonds, which is rare behavior for lizards, & they can also go for a very long time without hunting so i'd imagine that would naturally apply to dragons, as well. dragons may be magical flying fire-breathing creatures, but they're still animals.

the cannibal (first generation, unridden for the vast majority of his life until he is claimed by rickon stark at skagos in the north at age 11 in 300 AC, coal black scales with baleful molten green eyes, this could very well be an instance of melanism, this is the only dragon according to our speculation & our portrayal that is completely unrelated to the targaryen dragons & had made dragonstone its territory long before even house targaryen arrived there with their dragons, he was about 250 years old during the reign of aegon iii targaryen in 131 AC & is still alive on skagos at 420 years).

balerion (first generation, bonded to king aegon the conqueror i targaryen then later in life, maegor the cruel i targaryen, princess aerea targaryen & king viserys the peaceful i targaryen, described as having black scales & wings & red eyes; his flames were a mixture of black & swirls of red, this could be an instance of melanism which means a creature is completely dark resulting in completely black fur, feathers or in this case, scales, the darker a dragon, the more effectively it can catch sunlight, which will warm it faster, a major advantage over dragons with lighter colors, if food becomes scarcer, a dark color can be the decisive factor as a condition for survival, but it also has disadvantages; a black color not only ensures faster warming, but also a faster onset of heat, so that it cools down faster, & on top of that, makes it less visible to other dragons and use it as an advantage to forage during nighttime hunting, so if he were a wild dragon he'd thrive in the wilderness)/meraxes (first generation, bonded to queen rhaenys i targaryen, described as silver-white with golden eyes, this could be an instance of leucism, which means a creature that results in partial loss of pigmentation affecting skin, hair, feathers or scales but not the eyes which makes most look completely white save for the eyes) > quicksilver (second generation, bonded to king aenys i targaryen then later his son prince aegon the uncrowned, born in 7 AC on dragonstone & died in 43 AC south of the gods eye in the southern riverlands at 36 years old, a she-dragon who, like her namesake suggests, likely had silver and/or white scales with pale white flames, her eye color is unknown, so she could either be leucistic like her mother or albino), & silverwing (second generation, otherwise known as gēliotīkun, bonded to queen alysanne i targaryen then ulf the white, silver scales, silver wing membranes, & orange eyes).

balerion (bonded to aegon the conqueror)/vhagar (first generation, otherwise known as queen of all dragons, bonded to queen visenya i targaryen, then later prince baelon the brave targaryen then lady laena velaryon then prince aemond 'one eye' targaryen, a she-dragon who was bronze & jade green with blue-jade green highlights & green eyes) > dreamfyre (second generation, otherwise known as ēdrurzys in high valyrian, bonded to princess/queen rhaena i targaryen the black bride, then later queen aemma arryn then princess/queen helaena i targaryen, a she-dragon with pale blue scales & wings with purple & silver crests & markings, this could be an instance of cyanism, which means that a creature has a predominance of a vibrant blue color, a very unusual phenomenon that's usually especially seen in aquatic animals, amphibians and reptiles like chameleons, almost nonexistent in fish and is totally absent in birds & mammals or otherwise feathered or furred animals), vermithor (second generation, otherwise known as the bronze fury, bonded to king jaehaerys i the conciliator targaryen then later in life, hugh the hammer, bronze scales, orange eyes & black horns), & sheepstealer (second generation, bonded to nethania xhalana / "nettles", mud brown).

vermithor/silverwing > caraxes (third generation, bonded to prince aemon targaryen then later prince daemon targaryen; red scales, yellow eyes, & bearded horns, called the bloodwyrm, this could be an instance of erythrism which means that a creature is unusually red which results in fur, feathers, & in this case, scales looking completely red in tint when it would naturally look brown, particularly very dark brown), meleys (third generation, bonded to princess alyssa targaryen then later princess rhaenys targaryen-baratheon the queen who never was, a she-dragon with scarlet scales & black markings with greenish-yellow eyes & a crown of bright copper horns, called the red queen, this, like, caraxes, could indicate that she's erythristic so going along with this theory, somewhere in balerion or vhagar's line there must be an erythristic gene that may have skipped a few generations & one or both parents may hold the erythristic gene), grey ghost (possibly second or third generation, pale-grey white dragon the color of morning mist, unridden, wild dragon), seasmoke (third generation, otherwise known as embrōrbar in high valyrian, bonded to laenor velaryon then later addam of hull/addam velaryon, a pale silver-grey & white dragon with light green eyes) & syrax (third generation, bonded to princess/queen rhaenyra i targaryen; yellow scales & green eyes, this could be an instance of xanthism, which means an unusually yellow coloration in animals, in fish it shows their scales and part of their fins with an attractive golden metallic sheen which gives the impression that they have been covered with gold dust, in birds it may be a sex-dependent mutation, that is, recessive in males but dominant in females, both in the feathers & in the eyes, legs & beak, giving yellow specimens with pink legs & red eyes. sound familiar? in reptiles, this usually results in a loss of camouflage which no longer allows it to hunt, mimicry, which is the skill to resemble other organisms & blend in with their own environment, would be impossible & not be hunted by blending in with its environment by making its silhouette blurry; it surviving in the wild would be highly unlikely, but not impossible, and the survival of such a creature would be compromised in the short term so she's very lucky that she's not out in the wild.).

seasmoke/syrax > moondancer (fourth generation, otherwise known as hūrlilio in high valyrian, bonded to lady baela targaryen; a she-dragon with pale green scales, with cream-pearl horns, frills on her head & tail, crests & wingbones), vermax (fourth generation, bonded to prince jacaerys targaryen/velaryon, olive-green scales & pale orange eyes & wing membranes), arrax (fourth generation, bonded to prince lucerys velaryon, pearlescent white with purple wing membranes, a golden chest & golden-orange eyes & orange frills & yellow flame) & tyraxes (fourth generation, bonded to prince joffrey velaryon, grey scales & red eyes), & tessarion (fourth generation, bonded to prince daeron targaryen by 120 AC, a she-dragon with cobalt blue scales & copper claws, crests, wings, frills, bellyscales & flames, named the blue queen).

caraxes/syrax > sunfyre (fourth generation, otherwise known as vēsperzys & sunfyre the golden, bonded to prince aegon the elder later known as king aegon ii targaryen, gleaming golden scales that glisten in the sunlight & pale pink wings & amber colored eyes & orange frills on his neck & body, considered by some to be the most beautiful dragon ever seen in the known world, he is likely xanthistic like his mother), stormcloud (fourth generation, bonded to prince aegon the younger, later king aegon iii, grey scales & supposedly purple frills), & morning (fourth generation, bonded to lady rhaena targaryen, a she-dragon with pale pink scales, & black horns & crests).

seasmoke/dreamfyre > morghul (fourth generation, bonded to princess jaehaera targaryen, unridden, supposedly dark grey) & shrykos (fourth generation, she-dragon, bonded to prince jaehaerys targaryen, unridden, supposedly olive green), the last dragon known as eventide (fourth generation, green scales, unridden, bonded to princess/queen naerys targaryen).

dreamfyre by way of parthogenesis > drogon (fourth generation, bonded to queen daenerys i targaryen, jet black scales with vivid scarlet red horns, spinal plates, crests & wings & his eyes are red as coals, as the smoldering red pits of hell & black dragonflame, called balerion come again & the winged shadow), rhaegal (fourth generation, unridden, hatched & commanded by queen daenerys i targaryen, a jade green and bronze dragon & bronze eyes, with orange-yellow dragonflame with streaks of green, known as "the green dragon") & viserion (fourth generation, unridden, hatched & commanded by queen daenerys i targaryen, cream-white scales, with molten gold eyes, horns, wing bones, wing membranes & spinal crests, with pale gold dragonflame with red & orange, known as "the white dragon".)

[shadowsong26fic]

In the Rain

Author: shadowsong26

Rating: PG

Fandom: Star Wars

Characters: Anakin, Padme, Obi-Wan

Warnings: Nope.

Summary: On a rare trip together, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme get caught in a sudden storm.

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of their respective creators.

Notes: Written for the Year of the OTP event. June prompt: downpour.

I am catching up on the June prompts I didn't get to last month, and then the July ones will be coming not too long after that. I should be back on track and doing things in the correct month for August, lol.

(I am also doing this for BSG and some of my original ‘verses, if you’re interested in checking those out! One ship per canon. The fanfic ones will be posted to AO3 probably a day or two after they’re on tumblr. This fic is also available on AO3 here. Master list of all fills can be found here.)

It had been that rarest of things--an opportunity for the three of them to spend time together, alone, legitimately.

Padme had been specifically requested for a delicate series of negotiations on a neutral planet with a cache of valuable natural resources; that delicacy meant she hadn’t been able to bring security from Naboo, as that might indicate, symbolically, that she was representing her own people rather than the Republic as a whole.

But she was allowed a pair of neutral escorts for the three-day trip across the planetary divide (which had its own attendant rules and traditions); and as Anakin and Obi-Wan happened to be between assignments, it had all fallen into place so neatly.

An entire three days, with Anakin and Padme and no eyes on them.

Obi-Wan hadn’t realized how much he’d wanted something like that until the opportunity had arisen.

Especially since the terrain they were crossing was astoundingly beautiful; almost as beautiful as the two beings at his side. Mountains rising to staggering heights on either side of the narrow valley, capped by sharp white peaks; lush indigo grassland grazed by wild local fauna in varying shades of grey and brown.

Even when, late in the second day, those peaks grew shadowed with approaching stormclouds, it hadn’t dimmed the beauty, or the simple joy of the experience.

They had planned for that, of course; the local authorities had advised them how high into the hills they would need to camp to avoid getting caught in a flash flood if it rained, and, even though it would make them late for their rendezvous on the other side, they broke off early and hiked upward into a darkening sky.

And a good thing, too--the tent was barely up when the clouds opened on them.

Padme yelped and dove inside, Obi-Wan half a step behind her, but Anakin--

He had stopped, laughing, arms wide, head tilted up towards the sky.

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan called. “Come inside!”

“In a minute,” he called back, turning in a slow circle under the rain to face them, grinning. “I just want to feel this first.”

Ah, yes. Some things never really change.

It was…nice, to see him smile like that. To fall back into the simple joys of his youth; the wide-eyed delight of a desert child in the rain.

Padme’s soft sigh beside him indicated that her thoughts were probably along the same lines.

“You could join me, you know,” Anakin called.

“Or you could come in before you freeze,” Padme called back, but she was smiling.

“All right, all right,” he said, and squelched over to the two of them.

Obi-Wan caught a fleeting hint of mischief from him, too fast to realize before Anakin swept the two of them up in a close, tight, and very wet hug.

“Love you,” Anakin murmured, kissing first Obi-Wan’s cheek, then Padme’s.

“Love you, too,” Padme said, before extracting herself. “Now get in the damn tent so we can all dry off. I’ll make hot chocolate.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” he said, laughing. “I’m coming.”

Obi-Wan leaned his head against Anakin’s for just a moment before pulling away too. “The rain will still be beautiful from inside,” he said, softly. “And a good deal more comfortable.”

Anakin flashed a smile, soft and sweet, and followed them into the tent to wait out the storm.

[buffa-z]

the infamous ep 26

authors note: this episode (specifically its cliffhanger reveal) is what caused me to turn a little handful of behind-the-scenes into the entirety of two men coming to the same horrible conclusion over a horribly long amount of time (or two men coming/tmc for short).

yeah i mean we all knew geats was gonna dodge that strike. he's playing pretend here

buffa noticing that geats isnt really fighting all that hard while hes busting his ass trying to use this clunky buckle

fudanziin just standing there watching them fight

hey why did tycoon and nago literally just forget how to fight? what happened? like either way the lightning blast had to hit for plot reasons, so why not have it hit them while they're doing a good job fighting, thus showing how even the best of their abilities aren't enough for this purposefully unfair game design? WHATEVER MAN

(youll notice that ill start complaining a lot more than im complimenting from here on out)

oh boy i sure hope that giant jamato lightning tower thats slowly turning towards me doesnt completely fuck my shit up forever LOL who am I kidding im kamen rider geats the biggest badass in the world and the most plot-armored bastard in the entire timeline

BUFFA LAUGHS AT HIM when the timer goes off and geats is still on the ground buffa LAUGHS its a GAME to them. SICKOS!

then as soon as buffa and knight walk away, geats changes his posture and huffs and kinda grabs at his hip. like he was hiding how bad buffa hurt him until now.

is the implication here that ace's rooftop is the dgp training rooftop? but theyre physically different rooftops. so are niram and samas at ace's rooftop? they just appear there so they might have literally just teleported there. bc thats how ziin found ace in the first place. but still. imagine the fucking producer on your private contemplation rooftop.

let's start negging ace to see if he unlocks a new form out of spite

watching michinaga put on his stage face is interesting. its different than geats-- geats puts on his mask or switches it from one second the next. but when michinaga does it, he changes where his eyes focus. he doesnt move his eyes a lot in scenes that arent meant to be broadcasted, but every time he realizes he's on camera, he starts being very mindful of where he's looking. like here lets break it down:

this is before he realizes ^

this is the process of him realizing ^

then he goes out of his way to make eye contact w/ tohru-knight bc thats what you do when youre talking to someone except michinaga doesnt usually make eye contact with the people he talks to

oh thank god there's canon justification for jamato only needing water to live. i thought i was being presumptuous. also 🪩the world is small through my MIRROR--🎶

daichi coming in to make sure everyone is adequately tortured. yeah i feel like the hate for him is not overblown he loves torturing people

"there's nothing objectionable about a friendship between a pair of jamato" is such a loaded loaded sentence. its even somehow homophobic in a way no one was ever asking if you could be. it is Perfectly engineered to piss michinaga offfffff

proving my eyes point further:

him thinking ^

^ him remembering he's on camera. notice the set jaw and the brow furrow. the way he angles his neck. like he's physically pulling his own marionette strings tighter.

anyways back to ace walking directly towards the camera

ziin: i could help! i could be your fighting buddy! ace: [visible stormclouding]

"when we fight, it's not for fun" ok ace listen im on your side against ziin here but. well you couldve fooled me. we all saw you and buffa a couple scenes ago.

''hi im ukiyo ace, star of the star of the stars, and im also the kamen rider that saved your festival. sort of. to make sure you connect the dots in case you didnt see, im wearing a fox fur-lined coat. and im gonna save the day.''

OH WAIT IS THIS OLD CLUES? ace asks that the temple has been there for 1000 years. is that implying he's been here in previous lives too??? AND IF THATS THE CASE DO THE DGP STAFF KNOW THAT?????

"why" child you got attacked by a monster yesterday what do you mean why did they cancel it

this sticks out to me as a type of expression + angle that we never get from ace. he's eye to eye with this kid, showing genuine concern that the kid might lose his wish bc of the jgp. this is the nameless fox that paid those hospital bills. we're not supposed to see his face like this. but the whole point of this episode is that his mask is slipping, right?

FLASHBACK! time to remember ace's mom again. get those clock bells tolling babey

SORRY BUT WAIT ive been playing infinity nikki so much and this looks JUST LIKE A SHOT FROM IT im not kidding. the fake roman architecture + the flowing white dress with long loose curls + high exposure bloom is literally straight out of that game. forget the goddess geats your mom is the fucking silvergale

ACE HISTORY FACT COUNTER WHATEVER: referencing a story in the Kojiki about using a festival to lure out the sun goddess. and supposedly that's the origin of festivals

^ once again not proof of remembering reincarnation. its merely proof that ace has read a lot of books.

the actual guy who works there and knows more about those stories than him: "yeah i've heard of that theory"

look at him reading off a script. in this scene we watch him write and then perform a script to cheer up that child in real time. and just like michinaga, he meters out his eye contact according to what he thinks he should be doing

tohru-knight standing up on the landing with michinaga

that fist-bump is so eerie. ive never seen a scary fist bump like this before SORRY WAIT

whats with tohru's big ass watch???? is he ben ten or something????? hes got the military black ops tactical timepiece DUDE YOURE A CLONE OF A GHOST

daichi saying that he'll become a jamato if/when the occasion calls for it. no offense but no way he survives the method michinaga did. a live person has to work their way up to that sort of thing.

its very cute of everyone to help out with the festival. tho where is ben? but yeah i kinda wish this had been a beach episode festival + outfits break. id be interested to see someone in-depth explore the event staff vibe of that day lmao

tsumuri being like "why am i here?" lmao

let neon play with the damn toys shes probably never been to a festival before + it helps kids be less apprehensive to try

very deft covering of the camera logo ms tsumuri. shes a professional! she's good at what she does!

well that was fun for 30 seconds. now lets get to the real show

ace locking in to go alone and then the others are like "we'll help" and ace SNAPS AT THEM bc in his mind things are already set in stone and theyre infringing on his preconceived notions-- and then he remembers hes a person and hes on camera and there are kids around and he shouldnt be mean so he corrects himself and tries to make it about protecting the festival.

the shared look between neon and keiwa after he said that too like "we're gonna talk about that later right" bc if ace was mysterious before hes straight up distant since the jgp started and they for sure have noticed he's being weird

tsumuri being worried bc despite everything she still cares about him and ace outright rejecting that and doing his little fox peck. dude this is why no one likes you. great that you can save the day but you need to be nicer to the people who make that possible for you

you can even see neon holding in her words of anger behind ace's back as he walks away. thats actually a really good detail im glad i noticed that this time. shoutout to yuna for always giving it 110%

AHA! toei has made a fatal error and left in a very recognizable building, the kumagaya rugby stadium. with the power of google lens and maps i was able to place the exact spot where this encounter takes place. critically valuable data.

let it not be said that i dont adore the drums in these episodes. really awesome premise and execution on that. pretty much the only thing keeping it all together.

two on one melee fight is no good! no good at all for geats!

do you think buffa brought knight on for this fight because subconsciously he isnt sure he can kill geats? like emotionally. theres a chance that knight might deal the killing blow and then it's not even in buffa's hands. so he doesnt have to even worry about it. even.

yayyyy we love hurting innocents yay yayyy

despite what i said before i definitely think buffa wants to/is capable of hurting geats. he can hurt geats bad. and he is. hes doing it right now.

YOU LOSE, GEATS!

'ohhh i have to actually fight. hold on let me activate my wish baby everyone-believes-in-me powers'

tsumuri and ace probably both have the same sort of sense for the Narrative (pictured as a large current through which events flow for the broadcast) and that if you time things right, you win because the story only makes sense if you do. geats abuses this power to win fights. tsumuri uses it to be the Navigator of that current.

watch out guys hes got determination like from undertale. he cant lose. this guy can literally reset from last save. so you cant really win against him.

^not exactly what buffa is thinking but he does briefly think of undertale when geats says that. bc michinaga is significantly online and exactly the right age to have been hit by undertale when it came out. even tho he clearly didnt take much from it

now that we've gotten plenty of shots of geats' outfit at all angles. let me say that this is him officially merging who he is in the dgp and who he is in real life. he's got the luxurious tailored fabrics, but it's shaped like armor, and it's fox fur he's wearing. plus his red shirt looks very similar to the one he wears with his dgp uniform. and then the black pants and shoes are just to accent that/be like the default rider legs.

*screams so loud my mom can hear me in space*

let's all be honest with ourselves here. ace had no fucking clue what was gonna happen when he did that. he just knew he had to do Something. and he's really hoping this does something

the producer looking pissed off while samas is 👀 about the goddess granting a player's wish

"the moment has finally come." "what are you talking about?" id like to know too man

ok now time for my conspiracy thought: niram runs out of kousei's room because he thinks that ace's parentage is about to be revealed and he needs to pull the big lever on his back-up plan RIGHT NOW. that backup plan being his demonstration with the four "previous ace incarnation" wish cards. 'that's why ace is so good, i promise! not bc his mom is the goddess and his dad is the producer. thats not Realistic!'

I MEAN REALLY why else set up niram as a critic of kousei's fatherhood if not setting up for himself to be equally as hypocritical? it honestly just feels like a thread that got dropped randomly bc theres multiple scenes that dont make much sense unless niram is ace's dad imo

"this is the power i needed" me when i have no idea what just happened but its definitely an upgrade

BOOST! MK II!

they call him geats mk ii bc theres at least two guys in there *🙏* lets go multiple personalities 🎉

"you're--" "Kamen Rider Geats. If I said that, would you believe it?" READY. FIGHT!

^ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA sorry but thats badass

immediately punches buffa out of the way

time to kick the shit out of everything so fast, no one even knows what happened

YES HE GETS TO TRANSFORM INTO THE FOX FUCK YES

boing boing boing destroying all the jamato towers

notice how geats also knocks over/steps on the festival banners. what a chump he's not even getting points for that

FUCK YES this is the first time he goes so fast we can only see him in black and white

again its so fucked that they made knight a tohru clone. does knight really think its tohru? like does it genuinely believe that michinaga will save it?

THE MIRRORBALL CRACKING YES

theres also the fact that geats kept knight alive long enough for buffa to make a decision about saving it. curious

and the kid got the bell!! yay!! this is what bravery and determination can do for you, kids. and yup his mom is better too

^ did anyone notice ace just granted someone's wish? that feels important. the mk ii buckle is crazy but ultimately just another sponsored upgrade. but ace just realigned the timeline so that kids' mom got better. how did he do that.

ok. here it is. the thing that has tormented for over 2 years now. niram on that goddamn rooftop holding four supposed desire cards.

YOU AND I KNOW DAMN WELL THAT ISNT TRUE

cute graphic by the sub team but unfortunately that doesnt make it any more true or real ESPECIALLY YOU ACE GARFIELD

chances are with his fox ears ace can kind of hear the producer a couple rows over and is trying to eavesdrop while looking ominous and badass in his new suit.

"you shouldn't even exist" now That is niram' telling the truth's sincere belief.

[shoezuki]

“Okay, Sero.” Breath in, out, in, out. Their phone was held in their hand, grip tight. The time, 2:45am, glowered down at them. Their blankets were pulled tight up to their head, covering their ears and hair, just their face exposed to the night air. One arm was pinned under their own body, already tingling.

“C’mon, Sero,” their chest felt tight. Their eyes were pinned to the already written text.  “Don’t chicken out again. Just fucking do it.”

They clicked send before they could even think about it, screeching the instant they realized they sent the fucking text, and throwing their phone across the room.

It hit the far was with a thump, light tracing around the room as it felt into the heap of dirty laundry Sero couldn’t be bothered to find the time to wash.

They stared at the light, counting down in silence.

1…

Sero’s heart was thumping.

2…

They could think of two responses, both extreme.

3…

One, where all his loving, supportive friends embrace him with open arms, tears in their eyes sparkling like stars, and weeping about how much they love and support them as they are. (Yes, Even Bakugou. Extreme, right?)

4…

Or , they’re instantly shunned. Cut off from the group in the blink of an eye. They’re abandoned.

5…

No matter how many times Sero tells themself it’s ridiculous, (after all, most of their friends aren’t straight) the idea always comes to mind. It chews and bites at them.

6…

It’s obvious which they’d prefer.

7…

But, Sero’s never had the guts to even bring up gender stuff before. They only know one person they can even talk to about that. So what if--

Ding!

Sero vaults out of bed, stumbling across the floor and smashing their knee into the floor at the notification. They grab it and sit down on the ground, unlocking their phone, opening right into the group chat.

Ducktape [2:48am]: hey yall jus saying that im not actually a boy i want to be nonbinary okay love yall gnight everyone

Alien Queen [2:50am]: aaaawww love u too boo <3 have a good slep

Okay that’s… neither of the things Sero thought of.

They frown at their screen, sliding back until they feel their back hit the edge of their bed. “okay…” they hums, teeth digging into the inside of their cheek. “ashido that’s… okay.”  The anxiety that had been coiling in their gut all day, bitter and sickening, had made room for something more empty.

The group chat starting going off in spurts. Sero read every text.

Sparky [2:53am] yall seriously goin to bed NOW??? when the nights still young?? Weak i tell you !!! WEAK

Shadow_Blade [2:54am] youre one to talk

Sparky [2:54am] TOKOYAMI WHAT THE HE LL DOES THAT MEAN

Alien Queen [2:54am] haha toko got ur ass kaminari

Sparky [2:54am] D:

RedRiot [2:55am] guuuyyysss stop being so LOUD sero is sleeping. Cool it with the group chat

Alien Queen [2:55am] oh hhey kiri i been meanin to ask hows ur workout routine? Ive noticed a change

RedRiot [2:57am] oh my god okay really??? Omg im glad ! I actually swapped it up a bit u see im tryin to focus more on my legs n have doubled my daily squat and lunge count. Not to mention bumped up my time for doin some plank based exercises. That killed me the first few days haha but i used to always focus more on my arms shoulders n back so i figured swapping some of it up a bit would be good for me and i guess it has been!!! :D

Bakugou Katsuki [2:57am]: holy fuck shut your fucking mouth we don’t need some god fucking bullshit essay about your muscles at 3 in the morning you ass

jEARrou left the group chat

“they didn’t mention me coming out once.” Sero scrolled up, down, and back up again. “Did they even read my text?”

But they were saying goodnight… they frowned. Did they only read part of it? Did they ignore that part? Why would they do that? Would they rather ignore this part of me than accept me?

But that couldn’t be right. For all they knew, they were overreacting. Maybe the idea of someone being nonbinary was so casual to them, that’s why they didn’t address it. Maybe it’s nowhere near being a big deal, like Sero thought it was. Maybe Sero had no reason to spend hours and hours hiding in their room, rewriting a simple text over and over again.

At least… they’re not rejecting me, right? Sero frowned even deeper: no response is… better than a bad response, I guess.

No matter how many times they thought it over, that thought didn’t feel right.

They were just getting back in bed, pulling the covers back up and curling into themselves, when their phone went off.

Sero looked at his screen, raising his eyebrows at the text sent directly to him in private.

TWINKle [3:04am]: aaaaaaaa !!! My friend~~~ you came out!!!!

TWINKle [3:04am]: you DID it!!!!!

TWINKle [3:05am]: ohohh my dearest is all grown up,,, oh how proud i am…

“Aoyama,” Sero offered a dreary smile, sniffling and shaking their head at their friend. They dragged the heel of their hand over their damp eyes, snorting a laugh before responding. 

Ducktape [3:07am]: yep haha. Finally worked up the nerve

TWINKle [3:07am]: nice to finally get it off ur chest, no?

Ducktape [3:08am]: yeah but like. No one responded to me. Or the Coming Out part anyways

TWINKle [3:09am]: ahahah dont fret about it. Give it time to set.

TWINKle [3:12am]: or im sure everyone is just tired.. 

Sero was certain they nearly chewed a hole through his cheek.

They stared at his text, (but it is so important to me. Should i not want at least a response?) deleted it before it could send, typing out a quick ‘goodnight’ instead and trying to let the disappointment sink through their body.

[horizon-verizon]

Doesn’t Rhaenyra having illegitimate children affect Alicent? A lot of people say that it’s “none of Alicent’s business” but it is. Rhaenyra having obvious bastard children puts Alicent’s own children in danger, because there will be people that want her son to be king over Rhaenyra’s bastard. It doesn’t matter whether Aegon wants the throne or not. People would still rally behind him which would threaten Jace’s rule, and Jace would eventually be forced to kill him to eliminate the threat.

I agree that Rhaenyra as a woman would always face opposition, but her having three obvious bastards really didn’t help her case, and it put her siblings in even more danger. I don’t blame Rhaenyra for not being able to have children with Laenor, but I do blame her for choosing Harwin to father her children. So I think Alicent trying to expose Rhaenyra’s bastards is her way of trying to protect her children’s lives.

A) I've addressed bastards and Rhaenyra this in the following:

A Semi-Master Post of Links

On Blaming Rhaenyra Alone and Specifically, sans discussion of bastards, for what happened to her and Not about Choosing Harwin

The Post already linked in the post/reblog linked in #2 as "Counterpoint"

In other words, they were NEVER in serious enough danger from any set of lords other than the greens. Neither in show nor book/canon lore.

B) About Harwin...

Do not mention Rhaenyra getting a Valyrian-descent man of either noble birth (which could only come from Houses Celtigar, Velaryon, or that one that starts with "Q"). There is the issue of how much she and Viserys could trust such a hypothetical man to not come back around and try to claim that he's the dad of these kids she would have with him more than if she could with a hypothetically straight/bi Laenor. Laenor was her closest cousin and had a good character. Laenor also came with the benefit of Corlys wanting grandkids as rulers. The problem worsened once you tried to find another hypothetical candidate from Essos, since his presence would need to be explained with Rhaenyra already married. AND, as I think I already mentioned in the post I linked above as #3, Rhaenyra using say, a Lysene sex slave or Pentoshi prostitute. Same issue as the hypothetical Essosi nobleman--you need to explain their presence and risk loss of reputation or at least it's suspicion that would lead to such loss. But if a slave, then we have another amoral act that we don't want anyone to perform: forcing an enslaved person to father your child for your own gain. Plus that's expensive and something not worth the money, with all its unnecessary and potentially damning risks.

Rhaenyra loved Harwin, and the reverse is true as well. She trusted Harwin as an individual and was sexually/romantically attracted to him. Trusted him with her and her loved ones' lives. Because she trusted him to not backstab her or block her, even would just see their kids as belonging more to her than to him, she saw someone necessary to her and their kids' security. Theirs was not just a political or business relationship, and in feudal politics, the personal and "business" can't ever be truly separate because reproduction is the business of marriage arrangements and alliances.

C) Finally....the Targs at this moment of ruling Targ history has the most dragons, more than the three Conquerors who managed to conquer all of Westeros (except Dorne) in less than three years....I think Jace was fine. Especially as long as Alicent's kids stayed in place and ALL FIFTEEN (or so) DRAGONRIDERS put down the hypothetical and unlikely rebellious lords:

*Daemon/Caraxes (if he somehow outlived Rhaenyra)

*Rhaenys/Meleys (if she outlived Rhaenyra)

Jacaerys/Vermax

Joffrey/Tyraxes

Aegon the Elder/Sunfyre

Aemond/Vhagar (or if he hadn't been sneaky, some other dragon)

*Helaena/Dreamfyre (if she were allowed to fight)

Aegon the Younger/Stormcloud--not really bc he is a child

Viserys (Rhaenyra's son)/whatever dragon he would have claimed--not really bc he is a child

Baela/Moondancer

Rhaena/Morning

*Jaehaera/Morghul (if allowed to fight, but she shouldn't because of really severe mental disabilities)--not really bc she is a child

Jaehaerys (Helaena's son)/Shrykos--not really bc he is a child

Maelor/whatever dragon he would have had--not really bc he is a child

PLUS whatever kids Aemond or Daeron would have had with their Andal wives and their dragons

I think that such a bevy would have been enough of a deterrent for the Andal-FM lords who would wish to rebel, even if there were any dumb enough to try. Expect maybe the ironborn, but those who mainly wage war by sail never really presented themselves as real trouble against the Targs after the Conquest and while the Targs had dragons. It is when we get to the Dance, when the Targs are fighting themselves that the ironborn really became a worse threat and it wasn't because of bastards so much as profiting off of the green's usurpation.

All those too young to fight would still leave behind enough grown riders who are intimidating enough.

**All Listed Riders and Dragons are by the time Jacaerys is king: Rhaenyra, Lucerys, Laena, Laenor**

[bigskydreaming]

@hood-ex

Okay but re: the subject of wingfic.....picture this....His Dark Materials style AU where instead of kids having daemons who shapeshift until they settle, kids have wings that are constantly shifting and trying out new forms until they settle.

And maybe Dick’s generation is the first one to have this.....like, the DC multiverse is constantly having these universe-altering Crises, that are all metaphysical and unleash and reshape cosmic and universal creation energies....and early in Dick’s tenure as Robin, let’s say the DC multiverse undergoes a Crisis whose resolution has an unexpected side-effect.....at that point forward, teens begin manifesting their like, soul or whatever, in physical or metaphysical form, in the shape of wings.

They first pop up around when kids start entering puberty, and tend to settle around them kinda ‘finding themselves’ as adults....and we’re not talking just bird-type wings. Wings of any kind, any shape, any material. They’re described as ‘metanatomy’ not in the sense of metas having altered anatomy but more in the sense of how metaphysical relates to physical.....these wings don’t have to prescribe to any biological or anatomical rules because they’re not biological in nature. Kory’s people describe the wings as a child’s ‘over-soul’ - a manifestation of their fundamental, individualized essence that’s overlaid on top of their physical self.

So, many wings are bird-like in nature, physically capable of being touched, damaged, healed, etc....but just as many are batlike or dragon-like, they can be just wing-shaped and made of fire, they can be mechanical appearing or insectoid or pretty much anything. There was a period when Dick was around fourteen when his wings were just wispy wing-shaped stormclouds behind him, lightning constantly flickering up and down their lengths as though it were the wings’ veins.....another period where they were just giant sweeping shadows behind him that he could nevertheless fly with, and while he was Robin, they most consistently manifested as bright, gleaming swaths of luminescence that glowed as though they constantly had spotlights trained on them. 

(Which had Bruce paranoid it would just make Dick an easy target, until they realized that a ‘side-effect’ of Dick’s wings when they looked like this was instead of making it easier for the bad guys to train their weapons on him, even the most hardened villains would find themselves hesitating to pull the trigger. Some kind of pulsating, emotion-laced effect of those wings drawing their attention was it was more like moths drawn to a flame....they were so busy being momentarily entranced or hypnotized by the spectacle of them that they were usually a second too late in actually firing....by which time Dick was in a position to strike them first. Well, at least that’s how it went until the Joker managed a lucky shot anyway. But then, when isn’t that asshole an exception to the rules?)

Some wings had little quirks or fringe effects that went with them taking on a certain form or appearance....though those didn’t tend to stick around when the wings shifted to a different appearance, unless a person’s wings settled in the shape a particular fringe effect was associated with. Like when Roy hit adulthood, his wings settled in the appearance of bright red feathered wings with black accents......his wings are fairly small and not suited for long range flight, or even flight in general, as they tend to be more useful in helping him glide in short, quick spurts. But they also come with a perk unique to him....when Roy uses his own feathers to fletch his arrows, those arrows never ever miss. 

In adulthood, Donna’s wings settle as giant bird-like wings, all black feathers with silver specks of stars scattered all across them, same as her Troia costume. They’re like patches of night sky sliced straight out of the heavens, and when Donna’s in costume she’s impossible to see cutting through the dark. Her huge sweeping wings would cast an easily noticed shadow over the ground if not for the silver specks dotting her feathers, but thanks to those, by the time she’s close enough for you to make out her features, distinct from the night sky, its far too late to do anything but go oh fuck.

Wally’s wings are more of a presence than a visual. Hummingbird type things that match his speed but never manage his stillness. Beating at the air a furious several hundred wingflaps per second, so even when he’s standing still he’s far from motionless....the air around him thrumming with movement, humming with vibrations that make it look like he’s constantly surrounded by shimmering ribbons of heat baking off an asphalt pavement. And again, that’s when he’s just standing still. When he actually gets agitated, they hit the air like a thunderclap. Sparks shooting up from the points of contact as the friction of them is so fast and furious it ionizes the atmosphere around him all on its own.

Garth’s can be a bit unwieldy when on the surface, but in the water they make him glide faster and smoother than any Atlantean before him. Stretching out from torso to underarms like the wings of a manta ray, they’re black and gray and streaked with purple like his eyes and the tattoo around it, just inverted. The material of them thick and coarse enough that when he flings his arms out or wrapped around himself just so, the folds of his wings draped around him create a dense barrier capable of shrugging off any number of projectile impacts.

Vic’s are mechanical marvels, smooth and sleek metallic expanses that aren’t dissimilar to Marvel’s Archangel, but where Warren’s feathers are knife-like flechettes, Vic’s host a variety of sensory arrays and feed him all sorts of data. Gar’s never fully settle....they shift as often as he does, sometimes vast and feathered, sometimes batlike and leathery....always green though, and always there no matter what animal he shifts into. He’s never a snake so much as a feathered serpent, a pegasus instead of a horse, a manticore instead of a mere lion, and well, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen Beast Boy take to the streets of Manhattan as a T-Rex with giant pterodactyl wings. Why his wings never fully settle could be due to his shape-shifting or it could just be in his nature.....Gar’s the original Lost Boy who’ll never FULLY grow up.

Raven’s are purple and black on the outside but bone-white on the inside.....like her empathy, they cut both ways. When she pulls her wings tight around her and someone else like a protective shroud, they can shield her and those in her care from prying eyes and scrying magic....when she throws them wide and strikes out with them at enemies on either side, the touch of her feathers is like feeling the cold of the grave. Kory’s are a deeper, royal purple juxtaposed beside Raven’s shadowed inky violets.....but rather than feathered, Kory’s are tall and draconian, imperious and imposing canvases adorned with swirls of red and green like nebulas painted across a cosmic backdrop. Curling emerald flames lick around the edges of them just like her starfire sometimes dances through her hair.....even when ‘ablaze’ her wings are cool to the touch if she invites you to touch them, but touch them uninvited and you’re going to get burned. Badly.

Lilith’s are four enormous feathered wings of green and gold and black spread behind her like the many layered wings of a seraph. They’re decorated in various places with dark concentric circles like those found on peacock feathers....until those circles flare and open wide and you realize you’re staring at dozens of eyes that are all looking back at you.....each a window to your own soul, freezing you in place with a glimpse of your own darkest secrets or possible destiny.

Joey’s are many-hued mosaics, like wings made of stained-glass windows. Hazy and indistinct shafts of rainbow light slanting through his varied ‘feathers’ when he spreads his wings in the air behind him.....like viewing screens or windows they show glimpses, afterimages of everyone he’s ever joined his soul to when riding shotgun in their bodies.....making them forever a part of him, a link he can tap into at will and rendering his power less about possession and more about connection, a forever-door that lets him merge with one of his previously tethered-to teammates, no matter where they are in relation to him. But with the slight change that now what he makes up for in range, he loses in stealth, as his wings show up behind the body of his ‘host’ for as long as he remains merged with them.

And Dick’s wings finally settle in adulthood to sweeping feathered wings of blue and indigo banded with gold.....but where his presence is less attention-commanding than in his younger years, his impact is definitely felt. As his settled wings act as an epicenter for a kind of gravitational bubble around him that’s keyed to his mood.....when he’s lighthearted and in high spirits, everyone around him feels a little bit lighter, purely in a physical sense, gravity within his sphere of influence being a little less heavy, leaving his friends and teammates a little lighter on their feet, quicker in their reactions, etc, etc. When he’s feeling heavy though, his immediate environs feel it with him - though that’s not always the worst result when surrounded by enemies he’s better off having feel overburdened, weighed down, like they’re struggling to get to their feet and the air itself is sitting a little heavier in their lungs every time they take a breath.

[warriorsbutnotreally]

Different Clans And Their Naming Headcanons

here i go again with my rambles of headcanons while working on several things so that i can empty my brain

this is all about naming

Now, obviously I agree with the idea that cats should be named after what cats know, but I'm also not a traditional namer and I love the fun and wild sounding names!

This is not about this, though

Also this is entirely headcanon, like stated before, and you don't have to agree with me at all

.

I headcanon that the Clans have a 'general' idea of names that are shared by the Clans [the basic names like White-, Bird-, Bark-, Frog-, Grass-, Feather-, etc]

but each Clan also has their own unique ideas of names that separate them from each other. They sound weird to other Clans, but to the Clan they come from it's completely normal!

to explain better-

.

ThunderClan

unique to ThunderClan are storm names that don't appear in other Clans. While other cats are alright with simple Storm-, Lightening-, and Thunder-

ThunderClan takes it a step further

Flash-, Spark-, Bolt-, and Rumble- are examples of this

They're also drawn to symbolic names when it comes to certain cats as well, Fireheart / Firestar being the best example, as Bluestar saw him as the 'fire that will save the Clans'

If it had been any other cat to find her, it's without question that either Twigkit or Violetkit would've been named Skykit

.

ShadowClan

when it comes to naming, ShadowClan loves names that will strike fear into the hearts of others. They're not afraid to give strange names to their kits, even if it's seen as odd.

Claw-, Broken-, Hollow-, and Stumpy- are only some of the easier options, but it isn't out of the question for a queen to look at her kits and decide to use Blood-, Screech-, or Bone-

ShadowClan often revels in the idea that the other Clans want to leave them alone for their odd names.

.

WindClan

WindClan doesn't often go out of its way with names, though they do use ones that aren't common in the other Clans.

They're not afraid of using bugs for names

Worm-, Tick-, Maggot-, and Flea- are actually WindClan names, but not commonly used as WindClan doesn't like when the other Clans mock them for their names, even if ShadowClan's names are worse.

Even then, they are also the ones to use more herb-related and farm-related names

Lovage-, Barley-, Oat-, Horse-, Sheep-, Woolly-, and Hay- are examples of this

.

RiverClan

other Clans easily consider RiverClan names a bit silly. They'll go into the strangest details about names, but they don't mind as the names have a lot of importance to them.

Names relating to fish - like Scale-, Fin-, and Gill- - and names relating to water - Foam-, Bubble-, and Algae- - are normal and respected.

.

Old SkyClan

Old SkyClan names are very.. Pretentious at times. They're one of the few Clans that openly used -spirit and they also value names that sound grand.

Their names were always strange and they're the ones to normalize naming kits out of attributes of personalities like Brave-, Shy-, and even Bold-

They also were the first ones to use Song- and Sweet-, giving themselves names that stood out

.

Modern SkyClan

Mordern SkyClan is more fun with names.

On top of naming cats after cats they know [see Firefern, Stormcloud, and Harrybrook], they also aren't afraid to use names for words that the other Clans don't understand

This is due to SkyClan being more open with who they are as a group of former kittypets, loners, and rogues

Their names sound wild to the other Clans, but to them it's a part of who they are

Gravel-, Fidget-, Pillow-, Blanket-, and Snip- are examples of this

They also will name cats after others they know and have the option for outsiders to keep some part of their name as a prefix

This ends in rather funny sounding names like Harveymoon from canon but also eludes to possible names like Mittenspaw, Cheeseclaw, or Raspberrystorm

.

again these are just my fun headcanons

it's all fun and games and in the end these are just silly little cat books and there's no harm in having fun with names

anyway there's my brain juices emptied for now

but knowing me there will be more fun headcanon stuff on its way cause I like sharing my personal thoughts on things and seeing other people's thoughts as well

[smells-like-mettaton]

Perhaps #5 (Hold my Hand) with Papyton for the fic ask game if you are still doing it?

(I hope you're okay with me writing this as a sequel to one of my other papyton fics! This could still be read on its own, but it will make more sense if you read the first chapter. If you don't want to, just know that the part in italics at the beginning is from a fanfic that Alphys wrote.)

The Greatest Fanfiction of All: The Sequel

Rating: T Word Count: 1687 Read on AO3: here

---

Papyrus’s hands are warm. Of course they are. Theyre always covered in gloves. Not even Mettaton, his boyfriend of one month and thirteen days, knows what his bony phalanges look like beneath the plush red fabric.

But tonight, that's going to change.

xxx

Exactly one month and thirteen days had passed since Mettaton had read the beginning of Alphys’s “papyton” fanfiction. It also happened to be one month and thirteen days since Papyrus had agreed to be his boyfriend, sending him on a magical journey of love and romance.

That journey had given him plenty of new perspectives and discoveries. Yet the mystery of what lie under Papryus’s gloves was not one of them.

He sat next to Mettaton on their usual bench at the center of the hedge maze. The sky was dark with stormclouds, which kept any stray spectators away from the park. Papyrus was prepared, as usual; a tall MTT-Brand Umbrella leaned against his femur. Nothing and no one would ruin this moment.

Now Mettaton just needed to have the moment. Preferably without resorting to calling Alphys and Frisk again.

“METTATON? IS SOMETHING THE MATTER?” Papyrus asked, his browbone furrowing in concern.

Mettaton’s fingers were already laced through his; Mettaton rubbed his thumb against the back of Papyrus’s glove.

“Well. It is a very special day, darling.” Special enough that Mettaton had worn the outfit Papyrus loved most—a cropped shirt that said COOL ROBOT and galaxy-print leggings that hugged his metallic thighs. Papyrus himself had worn a bright Tetris shirt and shorts that exposed his gleaming femurs.

“IT IS?” Papyrus blinked. “IS THERE A SALE ON RIGATONI? BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT STARTED NEXT WEEK.”

“Hm? Oh—not that I know of, but I will keep that in mind.” He imagined creating a pasta bouquet for Papyrus, and a smile graced his lips. “Today is the one month and thirteen day anniversary of our glamorous romance.”

“WOWIE! TIME FLIES WHEN YOU’RE DATING A HOT ROBOT!” Papyrus grinned, pressing his teeth to Mettaton’s cheek in a close approximation of a kiss. “HAPPY ONE MONTH AND THIRTEEN DAYS, METTATON! IS THERE A SPECIAL WAY YOU WANT TO CELEBRATE?”

It was perfect. Mettaton couldn’t have set it up better if he tried.

“Actually…” He turned Papyrus’s hand over, examining every seam and stitch in his crimson glove. “I was hoping to see your hands. I know they’re just as handsome as the rest of you.”

He winked, and a light blush spread across Papyrus’s cheekbones.

“MY HANDS? I’D GLOVE TO! BUT, ERM…” His fingers disentangled from Mettatons, instead fidgeting nervously with the hem of his right glove. “I DON’T KNOW THAT YOU WOULD FIND THEM AS UNBEARABLY ATTRACTIVE AS THE REST OF ME.”

Coming from Papyrus, that was practically a statement of self-loathing. Guilt bubbled in Mettaton’s soul-tank.

“Beautiful.” He grasped the top of his boyfriend’s arms and squeezed them gently. “There is not a bone in your body that I would not find attractive. Of course, I will not ask you to perform if you are suffering stage fright, but I do think you shine so much brighter in the light.”

Papyrus smiled a little, though his browbone was still turned upward with worry.

"IF YOU'RE SURE…"

"Positive as my ratings, darling."

Papyrus nodded slowly. "I TRUST YOU, METTATON."

Those words were like ambrosia to Mettaton's soul. He would do anything to remain worthy of his boyfriend's trust.

"PLEASE, JUST… DON'T BE FRIGHTENED, ALRIGHT?"

Mettaton couldn't imagine anything about Papyrus being frightening.

Then, with agonizing care, Papyrus peeled off his gloves. And Mettaton understood.

The bones of his hands were scorched an ashen gray, nearly black. Hairline cracks laced through them like spiderwebs. Mettaton was half afraid that if he touched them, they would crumble to dust.

"I'M FINE, REALLY!" Papyrus must have noticed the look on his face, no matter how quickly Mettaton had schooled his expression. "THESE BURNS ARE SO OLD, I BARELY NOTICE THEY'RE THERE!"

His grin was strained. Mettaton wanted nothing more than to reach out and squeeze his hand, but he didn't dare.

"They don't hurt?" Mettaton asked, then winced. He could've phrased that more tactfully. It was probably better than asking how on earth the injury had happened, at least.

"WELL… THEY ARE A BIT SENSITIVE WITHOUT MY GLOVES. THEY HAVE HEALING MAGIC, YOU SEE." Papyrus held out one of his red gloves, his expression turning to one of pride. "SANS DID THE SEWING, AND I DID THE ENCHANTMENT."

"No wonder you love them so much." Mettaton smiled. It was adorable how much Papyrus loved his brother. Their love had inspired Mettaton to finally patch up his relationship with Blooky and Mew Mew.

Papyrus smiled back, running a charred fingertip fondly over the fabric. "WOULD YOU… LIKE TO TRY ONE ON?"

"Me?" Mettaton blinked.

"OF COURSE! WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO EXPERIENCE THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S LEGENDARY HEALING MAGIC FIRSTHAND?"

Mettaton chuckled at the pun. "How could I possibly refuse?"

He slipped off his white gloves, revealing the unsightly bolts in his own fingers. He hardly felt self-conscious about that after seeing Papyrus's hands, though.

Papyrus's glove fit like a dream. Like holding his hand, only from the inside. Warmth seeped from the fabric into his metal joints, slipping through his cracks like sweet oil.

"This is… quite the enchantment," he breathed.

Papyrus couldn’t be in pain with that much healing magic caressing his bones. But on the other hand, even the constant healing magic had failed to permanently erase the scars. Mettaton still wasn’t too familiar with physical injuries, but surely that wasn’t normal, right?

Papyrus’s wink sounded like magical glitter."WHAT CAN I SAY? I'M VERY ENCHANTING."

He looked just as bright as ever. Just as energetic, as full of life.

Just as beautiful, inside and out.

"That you are, darling." Mettaton kissed his cheek.

Papyrus pulled his left glove back onto his hand, then twined his fingers with Mettaton's. Red on red, warmth on warmth Their hands matched perfectly.

"YOU PROBABLY HAVE SOME QUESTIONS," Papyrus said quietly.

Mettaton's eye flickered to Papyrus's bare right hand before returning to his eyesockets.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't feel comfortable with, darling."

Mettaton was curious of course. If this injury had been caused by another monster, they would face the wrath of a true killer robot. Knowing Papyrus, though, he had probably forgiven whoever was responsible.

"I ALWAYS FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH YOU." He smiled. "AND IT IS… NICE. TO HAVE SOMEONE BESIDES SANS KNOW THIS."

"No one else knows?" Mettaton’s eyes widened. He'd thought Undyne would have found out, whether Papyrus told her on purpose or she burned off his gloves during one of their cooking lessons.

"I AM A SKELETON OF MANY SECRETS." Papyrus winked again. This time it sounded like tinkling bells. "IT HELPS THAT NO ONE ELSE REMEMBERS THE ACCIDENT, THOUGH."

An accident. No one had hurt Papyrus on purpose.

Mettaton sighed in relief, powering down his killer robot protocols.

"I WAS HELPING MY DAD WITH HIS WORK ON THE CORE. I ALWAYS CALIBRATED THE PUZZLES WHILE HE CALIBRATED THE GEOTHERMAL POWER LEVELS."

Papyrus looked down at their tangled hands, his expression distant.

"I STILL DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. ON THE DAYS SANS REMEMBERS, HE PROMISES THAT IT WASN'T MY FAULT. THAT DAD WAS TOO CARELESS. BUT THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION, AND DAD, HE… HE FELL…"

Something in Mettaton crushed as Papyrus's voice cracked.

"I WAS LUCKIER. THE BLAST ONLY GOT MY HANDS." The smile returned.

"Papyrus…"

Mettaton didn't know what to say. What could he say? Ghosts didn't have parents. His cousins were his family, but he couldn't imagine them dying, either. Blooky physically couldn't.

But this wasn't about him! It was about Papyrus, who had lost his father and scarred his hands and still counted himself lucky.

"DON'T BE SAD, METTATON. IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO. LONGER THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE."

Papyrus looked into his eyes, and for a moment, Mettaton saw something old. Mettaton had been alive—albeit as a ghost—for nearly two centuries. Right now, though, Mettaton wondered if Papyrus was even older than that.

"I suppose so,” he reluctantly admitted. “I don't even remember an explosion at the CORE."

"OH, THAT'S NORMAL. APPARENTLY DAD WAS RATHER FORGETTABLE." His smile was sad. "EVEN SANS DOESN'T ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM. BUT I… WELL."

He closed his blackened fist.

"IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO FORGET."

Mettaton opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Luckily, it didn’t seem like Papyrus was looking for a response.

“WHEW! ALL THIS HONESTY IS EXHAUSTING!!” Sweat beaded on his skull. “DO YOU WANT TO GO GET NICE CREAMS?”

“Of course, darling, but—are you sure that you’re okay?” Mettaton couldn’t help the concern in his voice. It wasn’t every day that he unlocked his boyfriend’s tragic backstory.

And here he’d been so concerned about something as trivial as holding hands. He truly was as selfish as everyone believed.

“PLEASE, DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME,” Papyrus said firmly. His hand gave Mettaton’s a tight squeeze. “I MEANT IT WHEN I SAID IT WAS LONG AGO. PRACTICALLY A DIFFERENT LIFETIME. I ONLY TOLD YOU SO THAT YOU WOULD KNOW HOW MUCH I TRUST YOU.”

Trust. Mettaton trusted Papyrus, too. Trusted that he didn’t need Mettaton to coddle him. Trusted that if he wanted Mettaton’s help, he would ask for it.

“I… thank you, darling.” Ghostly tears welled in his eyes. “Your trust means everything to me.”

“WELL THEN!” Papyrus’s grin turned mischievous. “I TRUST YOU TO KISS ME UNTIL I CAN’T BREATHE!”

Mettaton’s fans whirred and whirred. The sound was quickly drowned out by the raindrops that began to fall and fizzle on his shoulder pads.

“Darling, you’re a skeleton. You don’t have lungs.”

“NEITHER DO YOU.” Papyrus twirled the umbrella before popping it open, protecting Mettaton from the threat of short-circuiting.

(From the rain, at least.)

“You truly know how to give me a challenge, darling.” Mettaton cuddled closer, reaching up to brush his red-gloved hand against Papyrus’s cheekbone.

“ONLY BECAUSE I KNOW YOU’LL RISE TO IT!”

Mettaton grinned back, and that was exactly what he did.

[secretlovesoftheheart]

So I’m changing some names for my rewrite, either because I hate the name (Onestar or any names making fun of appearances) or I don’t like names that are already things (Sandstorm, Rainstorm, Sunbeam, etc.). So some name changes for my rewrite! At the bottom will be name changes simply name changes for aesthetic/story reasons. Some names will be left out due to spoilers for how I tackle some characters. Onewhisker -> Whiskerbreeze (not a traditional namer I swear I just think the One- prefix is stupid) Stumpytail -> Stumptail (ten times less mean when put in the context of it being a tree stump instead of “lolol shortie tail mcshort short”) Deadfoot -> Duskfoot (as cool as the name is on its own, I don’t want cats named for their disabilities but kept -foot to keep the name familiar) Runningnose -> Runningstem (the prefix stays since that’s just what his mom named him thinking he may not make it since he was always sick, then just anything other than -nose is good but he got -stem for his medicine knowledge without making Spottedleaf share her suffix) Wetfoot -> Waterfoot (I know why a kit would be wet but Wet- just sounds mean and gross) Tornear -> Rainear (why name a kit Torn-? saw someone go with Rain-, forgot who, but liked it better than Torn-) Sandstorm -> Sandwind (after her dad Runningwind, note however Stormheart will remain Storm- through my bullshit reasons) Rainstorm -> Rainwind (first name change honestly and wanted to keep the theme of rain storms) Sunbeam -> Sungleam (gleam is just a good suffix and while it doesn’t change the name much, it’s enough so that it’s not an actual thing anymore) Stormcloud -> Stormpath (after the path he gave himself by staying in TC) Nightsky -> Nightflower (she got a sister named Breezeheart so I thought it’d be cute to have two sisters get really cutesy and traditionally feminine suffixes) Whitethroat -> Cottonthroat (translation names really hit good) Brambleclaw -> Strawberrylion (-claw obviously had to go so he was named for his loyalty to LionClan, then Strawberry- is also a good translation name) Pouncestep -> Dawnstep (fits the light theme the first litter could have had all around and I forget if Dawnpelt was missing or dead at the time but she’d still be named after recently dead Dawnpelt) Conefoot -> Pineconefoot (just makes more sense and I’m not afraid of long names) Birchkit and Rowankit -> Antlerkit and Bramblekit (Tigerheart dies on the way back to the clans so these two will go to CloverStrike, then random names go!) Rippletail (ShC) -> Ripplesnow (just don’t want two so soon after one another) Sparrowpelt -> Sparrowjump (Halftail doesn’t get the name change and Firestar wouldn’t name a second Sparrowpelt even if they’d never met, so -jump for a SkC cat) Mintfur (RC) -> Mintpelt (again, no twins even if it’d be funny) Pebbleshine and Stormheart -> Pebbleheart and Stormshine (they switch roles and yay! No P?bbleshine confusion!) Quailfeather -> Quailear (original name please?) Wrenflight -> Wrenfeather (the writers just wrote about WC how did they forget they already had a Wrenflight in “recent” memory. I know I ragged on Quail for it but I’d rather there be no repeats than unoriginal names) Larkwing -> Larkleap (for the leap of faith she made to stay with her clan instead of giving in to the DF’s promises, not knowing if she’d even be forgiven) Sootfur -> Sootstorm (Ashfur, Cinderpelt and Sootfur all have the same name basically so I changed Soot’s name so he’s named after his dad) Songleap -> Songheart (leap just seems awkward after song so I went with a tad bit more generic name) Cherryfall -> Cherryleap (after her first mentor who had a large impact on her) Hollytuft -> Foxtuft (after Foxleap instead since Holly lives) Bristlekit -> Pansykit (well kinda, she actually becomes Stemkit and Stemkit becomes Pansykit since I don’t want the BC story to end the way it does, not sure what will happen yet but Bristlefrost will very likely survive) Robinwing -> Robinfall (WC, named after her mentor who saved her live while fleeing Brokenstar) Robinwing -> Robinheart (ThC, she was always so kind so why not -heart?) Robinwing -> Robincreek (RC, just tired of all the Robinwings so no one gets Robinwing anymore and this one got a watery name) Loudbelly, Sneezecloud and Heavystep will be getting new names too since those feel mean too, even if Heavystep can also be taken as a compliment since “woah this man is huge”

[zutarasecrettunnel]

OK I did it I updated my Zutara Week chapter fic. This idea was inspired by the Day 6 prompt for this year, "Spirits".

Story summary:

The war is over for everyone but Katara, who keeps seeing the scarred face of the boy who sacrificed himself for her and for the world everywhere she looks. When she finds out why she is experiencing these so-called hallucinations, she may be led right into a trap centuries in the making.

Here's chapter 2 of Your Face, I See. 

You can also read it on AO3.

Teardrops marked her path like breadcrumbs as she made her way through the empty streets of the Fire Nation capitol. She raced toward the palace, desperate to believe that what propelled her was just another hallucination, albeit much more terrifying this time. She wasn't even sure the voice that sounded so much like Yue had been real. Why had she talked about Tui and La? Why had her visions of Zuko intensified? Why could she now hear his voice? She was convinced that her mind was lost, reduced to ash by the flames of Sozin's comet.

Katara threw open one of the grand, heavy doors of the palace. Her feet pounded into the lacquered wood floor, aching with each impact. Her breath was frayed, lungs inflating jaggedly as she struggled to take in the breaths needed to recover from her long, swift escape. Her passage through the daunting royal halls was blighted by tears and dim torchlight. She wiped at her eyes pointlessly as she pressed on.

The many-legged monstrosity had not followed her. She ran from her fear, her grief, and her doubt. She ran aimlessly, toward nothing in particular. She ran straight into something solid but soft.

"Master Katara?"

At first she didn't want to hear another voice, but when it's owner registered in her mind, she turned her chin upward to meet the surprised gaze of Fire Lord Iroh. His face was gaunt but kind, his half-illuminated expression full of concern. She blinked slowly, finally able to gain some clarity in her blurred vision. This was the first time she had seen this man since the joyless coronation ceremony held shortly after the end of the Hundred Years War. He had used the duties of the crown to avoid the younger war heroes almost completely, only holding audience with Aang and even then infrequently. The reluctant ruler had lost his lust for life with the loss of his nephew. He operated only in duty now.

He gazed at her, confused at her sudden appearance in a misplaced palace hallway. At her silence, he tried again.

"Master Katara? What are you doing in this part of the palace, especially so late at night?" His tone was doleful and flat, but not accusatory. He sounded tired, and uncharacteristically old.

She tried to maintain the facade she had so carefully cultivated over the recent months. She tried to reinforce the levies of her fears and sadness. With the sound of Iroh's broken spirit, the waterbender was overcome. Her emotion spilled over the dams she had built like a tidal wave.

She launched herself at the man's midsection, burying her face in the silk of his robes. She soaked them with all of her pent up mourning, all of the anguish, consternation and madness. Iroh stood for a moment, unmoving, before finally pulling the crying girl into an empathetic embrace. She sobbed, openly and fiercely, the sounds eventually trying to form words that were finally ready to come out.

"I can't stop seeing him."

Iroh resisted the urge to pull away from the soggy girl at her admission, instead placing a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. He waited a moment before calmly asking the question he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer to.

"Can't stop seeing who?" It was at that point he felt her tug, removing herself from the sleeve of his robe to look directly at him.

"Zuko."

Iroh took a small step back, regret clear in his features. The suspicion had been present in his mind since the girl spoke her first sopping words to him in the darkness, but to hear it caused his latent guilt to come roaring back to life like a tigerdillo. At the same time, the tidal wave of emotion in Katara had begun to recede. She couldn't continue to meet the old man's forlorn gaze. Her wind-tangled hair fell around her shoulders as she studied the floor.

"He's been haunting me ever since. . ." she paused, sniffling hard, before continuing quietly. "About a week after he. . .after he died."

The aged Fire Lord pondered for a moment. Silence hung between the two figures huddled in the opulence of the royal chambers like the fine tapestries on the wall. Iroh was slow in his words as he responded, returning to the sagely demeanor that had defined his character prior to the end of the war.

"Grief. . .does many things to people," he started, stroking his beard. "It can often feel like a negative spirit hanging over you, or a curse. You most of all were connected to the. . ." the older man lost his words at this point, but regained them after a moment, "the loss we all suffered. You were there. You were. . ."

Katara didn't lift her head or move from the spot as Iroh found himself unable to finish his statement. "In any case, I'm sure you wi-"

The water tribe peasant demonstrated her knowledge of and respect for Fire Nation customs as she pointedly interrupted it's ruler.

"I only see his face, always just staring at me. But tonight he called my name, asking me to help him. Begging me. But this time there was a monster and-" the words tumbled out of her as she faced Iroh again, only coming to a halt when he grabbed her by the shoulder.

"What kind of monster?!" His whisper was a shout in disguise.

"I-it crawled. It had so many legs, like a giant centipede. But it had his face," Katara felt her eyes stinging again as she recounted the features of the miscreation that had poached the scarred visage of the fire prince. "I don't know," she shook her head, hands on either ear, "I didn't look at it too long. I ran straight back here."

The already feeble posture of the lament-laden Fire Lord continued to cave. It was as if Iroh had lost his footing on the thick wood of the palace hall.

He uttered one syllable, his eyes unfocused. "Koh."

Katara let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding on to.

"Who-what is Koh?" she hurled her question more forcefully than she meant to. The possibility that she may not just be going insane had slipped from her weeks ago.

Iroh turned from her, waiting before speaking. "The face stealer, a nefarious spirit," he replied. The wizened old firebender muttered to himself quietly while Katara attempted to process what had already been said.

"A face...stealer?" the information settled into the young girl like a stone in a lake. "You mean it. . .he. . .Zuko. . ."

The waterbender quieted, a different kind of storm brewing inside of her. Her voice was a low rumble when it came from her next.

"Do you mean to tell me that this. . .Koh. . .stole Zuko's face in the spirit world and has been haunting me with it ever since?"

Iroh placed a palm on the crimson painted wall of the palace hallway, steadying himself on this renewed grief.

"It would appear so," he replied softly, sadly.

"So how do we save him?" Again her inquiry was hushed, a murmur of hope too scared to make itself known.

"We don't."

The Fire Lord's voice was a scratch in the darkness as he uttered the short response, as if the words themselves burned in his throat like his element uncontrolled.

The growing thunder in Katara rumbled louder.

"What do you mean 'we don't'?"

"Master Katara," Iroh began, "this spirit is dangerous."

She stared intently at the older man, her lips a thin quivering line of a response not yet ready to be released. In its stead, the tired ruler continued.

"When I was a younger man, after I lost Lu Ten, I entered the spirit world to find him, to bring him back. It took many months of study, and in trying to find my way in, I also found knowledge of Koh the face stealer, a spirit who can take your face if you show any hint of emotion in his presence," he explained, "If you go after him, it will only be to give him your face, too. I do not know of a way to defeat him."

Katara stood firm. The sadness that had hovered over her like a stormcloud for months finally snapped, and the waterbender unleashed the full power of the anger that now coursed through her like the lightning that had been its origin.

"Dangerous? I've been haunted by this spirit for months. I've been seeing Zuko's face everywhere, and I thought it was just guilt, just sadness, just me going crazy because he died saving me. He died saving me and for what?" she cried, her emphatic syllables echoing through the chamber. "For me to do nothing? For me to be afraid? Even if I can't bring him back, I can't leave his spirit like that. He risked it all, his country, his future. . ."

Her words slowed as the tempest within her drained itself. Her voice broke and quieted again as she finished her thought.

"I can at least risk my face. I can at least. . ." She felt her own fingers lightly touching her left cheek as she trailed off.

Her companion waited, ensuring the storm had passed before issuing his decree.

"I forbid it."

The assertion was strong, an uncharacteristic order more suited to the Dragon of the West than the grief-stricken old man he had become.

"You will lose yourself in this doomed quest. Do not try to go after Koh, Master Katara," he softened, adding one final thought to his order. "I will have the fire sages and the healers work to find you a remedy for this influence. You shouldn't see him again."

Tears flowed freely from the girl's eyes as she refused to allow them to look up at the man in front of her.

"I will go to them in the morning, Fire Lord Iroh," she responded weakly, "now I am tired. May I please be excused to my chambers?" He bid her the leave she requested, but not before placing both hands on her shoulders in a gesture of comfort to the wounded girl.

"I promise you will have peace, my dear," he said calmly, his own pain present in his tone, "the sages have access to vast libraries of spiritual knowledge that will be used to heal you of this affliction. "

He barely heard her mutter a thank you before she bowed and quickly made her way down the grand hallway.