#first time drawing a goat but I like how she turned out

[rubywillkins]

for the cafe, can i request a dark mocha and a shot of espresso with almond, oat and goat milk, then caprese skewers, a hot dog, chicken nachos and beef stroganoff with a club soda to top it off? All served by charles leclerc please <3

Sure darling ♥️

Charles Leclerc| Under Monaco's Glow

Pairing charles × female reader

Dark Mocha dating shot of espresso rough sex almond milk vaginal sex oat milk fingering goat milk Penetrative sex caprese skewers Breeding kink hot dog size kink chicken nachos "God, you love it like this, don't you" beef stoganoff "you can take it, you've done it before" club soda pillow talk

The Monaco sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. Charles stood on the balcony of his penthouse, his gaze fixed on the harbor below. Inside, Y/N wandered barefoot across the living room, her summer dress swaying gently with each step.

Charles turned, catching sight of her. A soft smile spread across his face as he leaned against the doorway. "You know, I could get used to this view," he said.

Y/N glanced up, her eyes meeting his. "The harbor? Or me?"

"You," he replied without hesitation, his voice low and warm.

Her cheeks flushed, and she let out a small laugh. "You’re shameless, Leclerc."

Charles pushed off the doorframe and crossed the room to her. His fingers grazed hers before he pulled her into his arms. "I’ve missed you," he murmured, his lips brushing her temple.

Y/N tilted her head to look at him. "You’ve seen me almost every day this week."

"It’s not the same," he said, his green eyes locking onto hers. "Racing, traveling—it keeps me busy. But this—us—is what I need."

Her heart swelled, and before she could respond, he kissed her. It was slow and tender at first, but it deepened as their bodies melted into one another. His hands slid down her back, pulling her closer, while her fingers tangled in his hair.

The kiss became a wordless invitation as they made their way to the bedroom, the glow of the city lights filtering through the sheer curtains. Charles’s hands found the hem of her dress, lifting it gently as they fell onto the soft sheets.

You didn't even realise when you both get naked... He was kissing you roughly... Like it's the only food he will have for the rest of his life..

Pinching and kneeding your breasts.. his mouth slowly moves towards your jaw.. your jaw to neck.. giving you sloppy kisses...

While he was kissing you... His hands were busy drawing circles on your clit...

He slowly inserted both of his fingers inside you...

Making you moan at his sudden movement...

He was thursting into you with his fingers.. you were thinking.. how good he gonna make you feel once he is inside you... Just the thought is making you more wet ...

And than you tried to touch his dick... Which was huge.. every time you see it.. you become surprised as how big it actually is...

"charles you are so big..." You said having mix feeling of excitement yet a bit hesitant...

"you can take it, you've done it before"

He said feeling proud... "I am going to fill you with my babies"... And he suddenly inserted in you.. without giving you time to adjust his size... Which caused you to moan...his name so loud.. you almost whimperd..

"God, you love it like this, don't you". He said teasing tone... Turning you more on...gosh you love it when he like that..

He was pounding into your core... While kissing you... With each stroke you were feeling so good .. his big dick really works well..

You were moaning his name while piercing his back with your nails.. which he is gonna love secretly...

Finally after some time he cum inside you... Filling your core with his warm thick liquid...

"god you look so beautiful with my cum inside you, you are gonna have my baby, now"

He said making you blush.

Later, as they lay tangled together, the sound of their breathing the only noise in the room, Charles ran his fingers along her bare shoulder.

"You know," he began, his voice soft, "sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky with you."

Y/N smiled, turning to face him. "What do you mean?"

He propped himself up on his elbow, his gaze tracing the contours of her face. "You’ve seen me at my best and my worst. Through wins, losses, and everything in between. And you’re still here."

"Of course I’m here," she said, her fingers grazing his cheek. "You’re not just Charles Leclerc, the driver. You’re Charles—the man I love."

Her words seemed to hang in the air, wrapping around him like a warm blanket. He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I don’t say it enough, but I love you," he admitted. "More than anything."

Y/N’s eyes softened, and she pulled him closer, their foreheads touching. "You say it every time you look at me, Charles. And I love you too."

They lay there in comfortable silence, their bodies entwined and their hearts full. The city outside continued its endless hum, but for Charles and Y/N, time stood still in their little corner of the world.

[oblivionsdream]

Foolknight sketches for funsies

[meazalykov]

getting what she wants

lena oberdorf x reader

part four of five

summary: you wonder if she will take this as seriously as you will, since the unfortunate event will turn her life around

warnings: angst, acl injury

the atmosphere in washington, d.c. was buzzing, the crowd already filling up the stadium for the final friendly before the olympics. 

the last tune-up match. the send off. you should’ve been excited, but your mind wasn’t entirely focused on the game ahead.

your family was here, your non-soccer playing friends have called off from their jobs just to celebrate your achievements.

however, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, though you hadn’t put your finger on it yet.

emma had decided to rest you for the first half, opting to try out some new formations and lineups before the olympics. 

you were okay with it, knowing that your performance in new york had already solidified your spot in the starting lineup for the tournament. still, sitting on the bench with your legs jittering from the adrenaline that always hit just before a match wasn’t easy.

you sat between tierna and hal, the latter relatively new to the national team setup. hal’s wide eyes scanned the field, soaking it all in as she sat nervously beside you.

"y/n," she said, her voice soft, like she wasn’t sure if she should even speak to you. 

you turn your head to look at her, with a light smile letting her know that she can speak to you anytime. 

"i know you’re going through a hard time, according to the team. and i feel like you should hear this since we haven’t talked much but i’ve just... i’ve always admired you. as a midfielder, i mean. your control, your playmaking, it’s... i don’t know, you’re so goated."

you turned to her, surprised by the compliment. you hadn’t interacted with hal much since this was only her third call-up to the senior team. she was still finding her spot, but her genuine words made you smile, if only a little.

"thank you, you don’t understand how much that means to me right now" you replied, offering her a nod of acknowledgment. 

"you’ve been doing great too. i can’t wait to play with you more often."

hal gave a nervous smile, then added, "i know there’s been... a lot of drama lately. with carmine and everything. but i want you to know that i’d like to be your friend, no matter what. i don’t care about the rumors that might make you look bad or any of that stuff."

her words took you off guard, and you felt a wave of gratitude wash over you. 

it wasn’t easy to open up to new people, especially after your ex ruined your trust for a temporary period, but hal’s sincerity was a breath of fresh air.

"i’d like that," you said, meaning it. 

"friends sound good."

the game started, and for the first half, you sat watching intently, analyzing the way emma was testing out the new players. 

mexico was tough, just as they had been in the gold cup back in february, but you knew that your team had enough firepower to break them down eventually.

at halftime, it was still 0-0, and you were itching to get on the field. 

emma must’ve sensed it, because in the 63rd minute, she called your name.

"y/n, you’re going in. i want you to play in your normal position, just like last game, prioritize the opportunity. stay in the line– i trust you."

you nodded, already mentally preparing yourself as you stripped off your warm-up gear and jogged to the sideline. 

when the whistle blew, you stepped onto the pitch replacing rose lavelle, ready to make an impact.

within minutes, you found your rhythm, linking up with mallory, lynn, and sophia effortlessly. you could feel the game starting to open up, and you knew it was only a matter of time before the breakthrough came.

and then, in the 78th minute, it did.

lynn made a run down the left wing, drawing two defenders toward her. you saw the space open up in the middle and called for the ball. 

she cut it back to you, and without hesitation, you took a touch, then drilled it into the bottom corner of the net.

the goalkeeper dives too late to save it.

the crowd erupted as you run to the corner to celebrate. you see your family and personal friends and give them a heart with your hands, happy to see them here.

your teammates swarming you. it wasn’t a hat trick like the last game, but it was your fourth goal in two games, and it felt good—really good.

after the final whistle, with a 1-0 victory secured, you headed back to the locker room. 

the energy was high, the team buzzing with excitement, but there was a heavy pit forming in your stomach. 

something didn't feel right before the game, and you couldn’t shake it.

as you sat on the bench, wiping the sweat and grass dirt from your face, lindsey walked over, her expression serious. she motioned for you to follow her, pulling you into one of the private areas of the locker room.

"hi?" you asked, sensing something was wrong.

is she confronting you about the drama? you weren’t sure. lindsey reassured you many times that everyone still loves you, so you hope there were no new problems now.

lindsey hesitated for a moment, her eyes searching yours before she spoke. 

"i didn’t want to tell you before the game, but... lena got injured in germany’s friendly against austria. it’s her knee. popp thinks it’s her acl."

your heart dropped into your stomach, the words hitting you like a freight train. 

"what?" your voice cracked, panic already rising in your chest.

"she’s in the hospital back in germany right now," lindsey continued softly. 

"i’m sorry, y/n."

you didn’t think twice. without another word, you grabbed your phone and hurried outside to find a quieter space. 

it was 11:30 p.m. in dc, which meant it was 5:30 am in germany. 

lena would still be awake, especially if she was in the hospital.

with shaky hands, you dialed her number. the phone rang twice before she picked up, her voice groggy but filled with pain.

"hey," lena murmured. 

"i was hoping you’d call. nice goal by the way, i saw it on tv."

"lena, i just found out," you said, your voice tight as you tried to hold back the wave of emotions crashing over you. 

"your acl? are you okay? i—i should’ve called sooner but i had that game—"

"i’m... i don’t know," lena admitted, her voice breaking slightly. 

"it hurts like hell, and i couldn’t sleep. i was supposed to start my first game with you at bayern after the summer, but now... now i don’t even know when i’ll be back."

your heart ached hearing the defeat in her voice. 

lena was one of the toughest people you knew, but this was breaking her.

"i’m so sorry," you whispered, your throat tight. 

"i’ll be there for you, okay? after the olympics, i’ll help you with your recovery. i’ll make time, i promise."

"you don’t have to do that," lena said quietly, though you could hear the gratitude in her tone. 

"i don’t want to be a burden on you. you have so much going on—" she switches to german. 

"lena," you cut her off, your voice firm. 

"you’re not a burden. you’re a priority. i want to help you. i’ll be there for you, whatever you need. i promise."

there was a long pause on the other end before lena spoke again. 

"thank you," she whispered. "i... i don’t know what i’d do without you right now."

you sat there, the weight of her words sinking in. the truth was, you didn’t know what you’d do without her either. 

shes been in contact with you everyday since that night. unless there were training or games, there wasn’t a single long-period where you weren’t texting about something– or anything.

despite everything—despite the complicated mess you’d been through with your ex, and the uncertainty that had surrounded your relationship with lena—you realized just how deep your feelings for her ran.

you weren’t official with lena. not yet. but the way your heart was breaking for her right now told you everything you needed to know.

after a long pause, lena spoke again, her voice softer now. 

"i’ll still make time for you, even with everything going on."

"no," you said firmly. "i’m going to be there for you, okay? i’ll help you recover. you won’t have to go through this alone."

"thank you," lena whispered again, her voice filled with emotion. 

you sat there, the phone still pressed to your ear, your mind racing. this wasn’t how you’d imagined things would go. 

lena was supposed to start fresh at bayern after the summer, and now... now everything had changed.

when you returned to the locker room, the news had already spread. the atmosphere was a mix of excitement from the win and the heaviness of what had just happened to lena. 

your teammates, especially the ones who knew her well like tierna, gave you sympathetic looks, but no one said much.

as the team prepared to leave for d.c., the weight of everything that had happened in the past few weeks hit you all at once. 

from the messy breakup with sloan to lena’s injury, it felt like everything was spinning out of control. 

and yet, despite it all, one thing became clear to you as you boarded the plane for the olympics: 

you wanted to be with lena. not just as a friend, not just as someone helping her recover, but you wanted to be hers. and her to be yours. 

the thing is– you weren’t sure how it would all work out with lena, but you knew one thing for sure: you were in too deep to turn back now. 

when all of this was over, you and lena could figure it out together. 

the olympics came and went in a blur, the pressure mounting as you advanced through the tournament. 

the uswnt played like machines under emma hayes, and before you knew it, you found yourself in the final against brazil, the stakes higher than ever.

the atmosphere at the olympic final against brazil was electric. you were in the 2020 olympics with the team, but winning bronze doesn’t compare to this.

you stood shoulder to shoulder with lindsey and sam, eyes fixed on the opponents you’ve had faced so many times before. 

brazil was known for their speed and creativeness, but you knew alyssa naeher was more than prepared to keep them at bay. 

today wasn’t just another game — it was the olympic final. and you were more determined than ever to bring home gold. just to prove to yourself that nothing could stop your game, not your cheating ex— nobody.

but as the national anthem played, you couldn’t help but think of lena. 

you hadn’t spoken to her much over the last few days, mostly because she was in the thick of her recovery then traveling to meet up with her national team. 

though, lena was in the audience. you knew that. lena visited her german teammates as they won the bronze medal match against spain. to say that you were happy for them would've been an understatement. 

now the germans were here before the ceremony, ready to watch you put on an outstanding performance for gold.

your heart ached when you thought of her, the injury that had thrown both of your worlds off course. 

she was supposed to be thriving, ready to become a star at bayern, and now she was sidelined for months.

but right now, you had a job to do.

the whistle blew, and the final kicked off.

brazil came out swinging, full of energy, and the first twenty minutes were a back-and-forth battle in the midfield. 

every time adriana or marta touched the ball, your heart skipped a beat, but you knew alyssa was solid in the back. 

the triple espresso were pushing the attack, but brazil’s defense was holding strong.

at around the 30-minute mark, you found yourself in space, sam coffey threading a pass your way. 

your first touch was sharp, pushing the ball ahead of you as you glanced up to see the keeper off her line. the triple espresso was blocked by defenders, so without a second thought, you wound up and took the shot from just outside the box, sending the ball curling toward the top corner.

the sound of the net rippling sent a surge of adrenaline through your veins, and the stadium exploded in celebration. 1-0. 

you threw your arms up, letting the emotion wash over you as your teammates rushed to engulf you in a hug.

something inside of you wanted to cry in joy– but you held it in. there was still work to be done, and brazil wasn’t going to back down easily.

the rest of the first half was intense. 

brazil pressed hard, but the u.s. defense, led by alyssa, naomi, emily, crystal, and tierna, stood strong. 

when brazil did manage to get a shot off, alyssa was there, calm and collected, making crucial saves to maintain the lead.

at halftime, the locker room was a mixture of adrenaline and focus. 

the 1-0 lead felt good, but you knew it wasn’t enough. brazil was dangerous, and if you let up for even a second, they’d capitalize.

emma gathered the team for a quick pep talk, her voice steady but full of fire. you listened, making sure that you put on the best performance of your career in this second half.

as the second half kicked off, you could feel the tension. 

brazil came out with renewed energy, and for the first 15 minutes, they pinned you back, testing alyssa with shots from distance. 

she held firm, pulling off save after save, keeping the clean sheet intact.

you cheered, externally or internally, everytime. 

in the 65th minute, emma made a tactical switch, bringing in fresh legs to maintain the pace. fortunately, you weren’t subbed out. 

the game shifted again, and you found yourself back in the attack. mallory broke down the wing, flying past her defender, and whipped in a cross toward the penalty spot.

you were already there, timing your run perfectly. the ball floated in, and without hesitating, you leapt into the air, connecting with the header. 

it wasn’t the hardest shot you’d ever taken, but it was placed perfectly, tucking into the bottom corner past brazil’s keeper.

2-0.

the stadium erupted, louder this time, the roar deafening as you run around the pitch with your arms up high. your  teammates chased then mobbed you once again. most teammates from the bench even jumping up to hug you in celebration. 

a two-goal lead in the olympic final. you could taste the gold now.

with brazil rattled, the game started to open up. there were more chances on both sides, but your defense was unbreakable. 

alyssa, naomi, and emily were locked in, keeping brazil at bay with every attack they mounted. it felt like nothing could get past them, and you could see the frustration building in the brazilian players.

as the clock ticked down, the final whistle was nearing, but you kept your foot on the gas. 

brazil was desperate, throwing numbers forward, and that left them exposed at the back.

in the 88th minute, you found yourself in possession again, just outside the box. 

sophia made a darting run to pull the defenders away, giving you just enough space to take a shot. you faked to your right, cutting back inside, and then unleashed a low, driven strike toward the far post.

the ball hit the bar, but trinity recovered it and tapped it behind the net. 

3-0. the gold was yours.

the crowd exploded in celebration as you dropped to your knees, overwhelmed with emotion. 

trinity laid on top of you, crying with you. 

your teammates swarmed you, hugging you, lifting you up, the joy infectious. you had done it. olympic champions.

as the final whistle blew, the team celebrated like there was no tomorrow, hugging, crying, laughing. 

you had your gold medal moment, standing on top of the world. 

your hands were on your face as your sobs came out uncontrollably. if you told yourself a month ago that you’d be this happy and relieved, you wouldn’t believe it. 

lindsey and tierna comforted you as you stood up to go to the locker room, getting ready to shower before the ceremony. 

as you had a moment to settle down, your thoughts drifted back to lena.

you hadn’t realized how deep your feelings for her had grown.

the fact that she was there, the fact that she was hundreds of feet away in the stadium, recovering from an injury that could derail her season instead of celebrating bronze with her team, weighed heavily on your heart.

later that night, after all the celebrations, after the medals had been handed out and the photos had been taken, you found a quiet moment to yourself. 

the weight of the gold medal around your neck was a reminder of everything you’d worked for, but the ache in your chest was for something, someone else.

you pulled out your phone, glancing at the time. 

lena was probably asleep by now after partying with her national team, but you couldn’t help it. you needed to talk to her.

you dialed her number, your heart pounding as the phone rang. after a few rings, she picked up, her voice groggy.

"hey," she mumbled. 

"you did it!" she cheered through her tired voice. 

"yeah," you whispered, your throat tight. 

"we won."

there was a long pause on the other end, and you could hear lena shift slightly, probably trying to get comfortable in her bed. 

you know that she is someone who sleeps on her stomach, so the brace might make it hard for her. 

"i’m so proud of you," she said softly.

"i wish you were here with me," you admitted, the words slipping out before you could stop them. 

"this doesn’t feel right without you, even if you do have a different nationality than me." you giggled.

"i wish i was there too," she replied, her voice filled with longing. 

"but... i’ll be here when you get back. we’ll figure everything out then. until then, please enjoy your win."

you smiled, tears stinging your eyes. "i’m coming home to you. as soon as all of this is done."

"i’ll be waiting," lena whispered.

as you hung up after the goodnights, the weight of everything hit you all at once. 

the olympics, the gold, lena’s injury, your breakup with sloan, the confusion about what you and lena really were—it was all so much. 

one thing was clear in your mind as you stared down at the gold medal around your neck: it didn’t matter what obstacles lay ahead now. 

you moved on from whatever was in the past and you were in this with lena now, for the long run.

part five, the final part, here

[freebreadmoon]

Hello love can you please do a request on this video

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM6gJuNPP/

And y/n are doing the interview together and there dating and y/n is obsessed with his eyes and can’t stop looking at him CAUSE LETS BE FR HIS EYES ARE SO PRETTY and after the interview thing they go back to the hotel and are all lovey dovey and cuddly and she tells him that she loves his eyes so much.

have a lovely day:)

YES YES YES HIS EYES ARE SOO PRETTY a little scary BUT PRETTY

warnings: fluff, reader plays annabeth (i love leah don’t come for me), no use of y/n

“What are three words you’d use to describe the show?”

There were cameras going off everywhere, and you were trying your hardest not to grimace at the bright lights in front of all the cameras. “Uh…the show…I would say…action packed, heart…and goat legs, I guess.” You looked up at Walker, smiling slightly at his joke, mesmerized by the way his eyes shine in the lighting. When the camera got to you, you tapped your hand on your chin.

“Um…fun, thrilling…and a lot of Percy?” You glanced at Walker, who nodded along.

“Lots of Percy. And blue food.” He stood behind you so he was in frame, poking you in the back subtly to try and get you to crack.

“So much blue stuff, like his shoes. And his eyes.” you pointed your thumb at his face, motioning towards his eyes and mouthing at the camera ‘Soul Eater’. He scrunched his nose, shaking his head slightly.

“She’s jealous of me because her eyes aren’t sparkly. I don’t eat souls. And if I did it wouldn’t be hers. It would taste like…toothpaste.”

“Toothpaste?” You let out a real laugh that time, used to his randomness. Turning to face him fully, you tilted your head a little. “Well maybe you don’t eat that many souls and they’re just…pretty. Or sparkly, or whatever you said.”

“Wow, now there’s camera evidence of you being nice to me.” He grinned, looking back up at the camera and putting an arm around you, pulling you to his side gently, making your face warm instinctively. The camera man gave you the signal to say your name and character, so it could be edited at the beginning of the interview.

“Hi, I’m Walker Scobell, and I play Percy Jackson, and…” He tilted his head down towards you, switching to your right side so you were more in frame.

“Hello!” You introduced yourself, “I play Annabeth Chase in the Percy Jackson Series!” You put a thumbs up at the camera, laughing when he copied your movements.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the hotel, you tiptoed into his room, think he’d already be asleep because of how late it was.

“Hi there.” He mumbled, making you jump. He sat up a little, smiling tiredly and using his phone flashlight to locate you.

“Hey, didn’t know you were awake.” You crawled into the bed, sighing and accepting the warmth he offered enveloping your body.

“Mhm. Eating your soul.” You could feel the smirk in his voice, rolling your eyes.

“Y’know, I liked your eyes first, before I knew anything else about you. they’re just so…”

“Blue?”

“Life-filled.” You laughed quietly, drawing patterns on his hand with your finger and closing your eyes, finally allowing the exhaustion to take over.

“Hm. Life-filled. Like…souls?”

“You’re ruining it.”

“Sorry, shutting up now.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

taglist: @platypusbearrr @ilovewalkerscobell @paytonthereader @kissatelier @diorlorenzo @persassyxo @riptidelor @pleasingregulus @itzmeme @remussbitch

[lynzishell]

The Present 🧡 Chestnut Ridge

Prev // Next

Transcript + Bonus below the cut:

Julian: So, how long have you been living out here? Joseph: About eight years now.

Julian: Why didn’t you call me? Joseph: Figured you were finally done with me. The last time we spoke, you told me never to contact you again.

Julian: When has that ever stopped you? Joseph: [laughs] Fair. Guess it felt like you meant it this time. Julian: I suppose I did. But I’m glad you’re doing well. It’s really good to see you. Joseph: You too.

The font door opens and slams shut. Daisy: [barking] Danny: Papa!

Danny: Whoa. Um. Hi. Joseph: Hey bud, c’mon in. How was school? Danny: Good.

Joseph: Guys, this is my son Danny. Danny, this is Julian and Phoenix.

Danny: So, you’re my brother? Phoenix: I sure am. Danny: Cool. D’you wanna meet my goats? Joseph: Hey now, do you have homework? Danny: Yeah, but I can do it tomorrow. You said I can stay home, remember? Joseph: I remember. But these guys have had a long drive, so how about we give ‘em a break tonight and you can show ‘em around tomorrow. Danny: Okay.

Danny: D’you wanna help me with my homework? Joseph: Danny, what did I just say about givin’ ‘em a break? Phoenix: I don’t mind. I can help you. Joseph: You sure? Phoenix: Yeah. I mean, what are big brothers for if not to make sure you get all the wrong answers on your homework? Danny: Hey! Phoenix: I’m kidding. Let’s see what you’ve got.

Phoenix: Look at you, you don’t even need my help. Danny: Math is easy. I like numbers. Phoenix: I like math too. Danny: I don’t like the word problems, though. I have to draw them, or they don’t make sense. Phoenix: Nothing wrong with that.

Danny: Have you met Daisy? Phoenix: Not officially. But she gave me a little bit of a scare when we first got here. Danny: [laughs] That’s ‘cause she thought you were a stranger. Phoenix: She sounds like a good dog.

Danny: Mhm. She’s my dog. She protects our house, and she helps me sleep. Phoenix: Oh yeah? How does she do that. Danny: If I have nightmares, then she wakes me up and lays with me. She can even turn on the light if I’m too scared. Phoenix: That’s pretty cool. Do you have nightmares a lot? Danny: Not anymore. Phoenix: Sounds like she does a good job then.

Danny: Do you have a dog? Phoenix: Nope. I’ve actually never had one. I’ve never had any pets. Danny: You should get one. Phoenix: Maybe I will. Danny: Do you have any kids? Phoenix: Yeah, I have a daughter. Her name is Aspen, but I call her Annie. Danny: [laughs] That rhymes with my name. Danny and Annie! Phoenix: Yep.

Danny: How old is she? Phoenix: She’s two and a half. Danny: Does she like dogs? Phoenix: She does. One of her uncles has a dog, and she loves him very much. Danny: You should get her a dog of her own. Phoenix: [laughs] Maybe when she’s a little bit older. Joseph: [offscreen] Who’s hungry? Danny: Me!

[moonselune]

Hii! Can you please do a halsinx tav x shadowheart one in which they’re living a peaceful domestic life after fighting the absolute and the hijinks that pursue when they try to introduce the owlbear cub to the orphans? Thank you!

yes yes yes omg writing this made me feral

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Halsin x reader x Shadowheart | Newest Addition

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The new grove buzzed with life. The children ran and played, the air filled with laughter and the occasional scuffle over who got to carry what for the workers constructing Halsin’s vision of a sanctuary. Shadowheart stood by Halsin, a calming presence among the organized chaos, as she gently coaxed a particularly skittish goat into eating from her hand.

"Careful with the goats," she said with a smirk. "I think this one’s smarter than the kids."

Halsin chuckled, glancing at her with a warmth that spoke of the deep bond you all shared. "I think they’re learning from each other."

Their conversation was cut short by a high-pitched squeal of excitement coming from one of the meadows. Both turned, brows furrowed, before exchanging a knowing look. The source of the commotion was obvious.

"Do you think—" Shadowheart started.

"Yes," Halsin said with a sigh. "Let’s see what they’ve done this time."

They made their way to the meadow, where a surprising and chaotic sight awaited them. You were in the middle of a small field with the now fully grown owlbear cub. The massive creature was playing gently, letting the children climb on its back, nuzzle into its feathers, and laugh as it rolled over with a deep, purring growl. You, glowing with delight, stood proudly in the middle of it all, showing off the owlbear to the children like an eccentric parent introducing their newest family member.

“Come on, take turns!” you were instructing the kids, guiding them to pet the owlbear’s thick feathers. The owlbear, now a fully grown adolescent with a playful energy, squawked happily as the children giggled and squealed.

Halsin and Shadowheart stopped in their tracks, exchanging a look.

“I don’t remember agreeing to this,” Halsin said with a quirk of his brow.

“I don’t remember being consulted,” Shadowheart muttered, though her lips twitched upward.

The children, ever sharp, noticed them first. One of the older boys leaned over and stage-whispered to the others. “Uh oh. Someone’s in trouble.”

The group of children burst into a chorus of delighted “ooooooo” noises, drawing your attention. You turned to see Halsin and Shadowheart standing at the edge of the meadow, arms crossed, expressions amused but clearly expectant.

“Oh no,” you said dramatically, throwing your hands to your forehead like a performer in a tragedy. “The council has convened.”

The children giggled even harder as you trudged over toward your lovers, dragging your feet and muttering mock laments. “If the owlbear must go, then so must I. It’s been good knowing you all.”

Shadowheart couldn’t keep a straight face and snickered. “At least there’ll be more room in the bed.”

You gasped, clutching your chest in feigned betrayal.

“How could you, my love?” With an exaggerated wail, you turned on your heel and collapsed against the owlbear, burying your face in its feathers. “Goodbye, sweet world.”

Halsin pinched the bridge of his nose, though his laughter rumbled like distant thunder. “Stop being ridiculous and let us say our piece.”

Still leaning dramatically against the owlbear, you peeked out. “You may speak, Wise Druid.”

Halsin shook his head, smiling. “Of course the owlbear can stay. This grove is meant for all creatures seeking refuge.”

Your eyes lit up, but you quickly looked to Shadowheart for her verdict. Before you could even ask, she was already cooing at the owlbear, pointing out a shady patch near her section of the camp.

“You’ll like it here,” she told the creature. “There’s space, and I’ll make sure the children don’t feed you anything they shouldn’t.”

Beaming, you threw your arms around Halsin first, kissing him firmly, and appreciatively before spinning and grabbing Shadowheart kissing her deeply. Behind you, the kids groaned in unison.

“Gross!” one of them shouted, as others kept gagging and complaining that their eyes were burning.

“Oh, come on!” you called back, breaking away to grin at them. “That’s nothing compared to what I’ll do later.”

The collective shriek of dismay from the children sent you, Shadowheart, and Halsin into fits of laughter. The owlbear, as if sensing the celebration, let out a joyful squawk, its feathers fluffing up as it nuzzled into your side. The meadow buzzed with life, love, and joy, as the three of you stood together, reveling in the world you’d built and the chaos that made it perfect.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

This was actually so fucking fun to write omg, definitely one of my new favourite pairings. Hope you guys enjoyed it! - Seluney xox

If you want to support me in other ways | Help keep this moonmaiden caffeinated x

[knight-a3]

Hazbin Sketchbook Tour part 3

Masterpost

I started some preliminary sketches of Charlie to get a feel for her. I wasn't exactly happy with them. I did like how Alastor turned out in the dancing one, just...not the rest of it.

Before going back to Charlie, I had a couple ideas for a Vaggie redesign I wanted to sketch out. She'll go through a few minor tweaks over time, but overall not bad for a first pass. (There's also a stray Emily)

This is when I started seriously redesigning everyone. I would search up other people's redesigns for inspiration, then move on from there.

More design notes under the cut, and a couple fun Bible facts!

Vaggie: First, I doubled down on the moth theming. I wanted it to be more obvious than it is in canon. It also serves to show that Hell is corrupted, and it makes everyone more inhuman. All the angels will look more human, because "Biblically accurate angels" is not actually all that accurate. After she Falls, she becomes more moth-like, and is not truly an angel anymore.

[I've got this whole idea concerning the blood colors of the various groups. Maybe I should make a dedicated post to explain, but here's the rundown: There are three main groups: Hellborn, Earthborn, and Heavenborn. Hellborn have black blood, and Heavenborn have a glowing white. Earthborn have 3 subgroups: Living, Sinner, and Saint(aka winner). While alive, Earthborn have red. After death, the color depends on if they Fall or Ascend. Fallen Earthborn become Sinners and the blood darkens to purple. Ascended Earthborn become Saints and it lightens into golden yellow. When a Saint Falls, it darkens to purple. When a Heavenborn falls, it darkens to orange. Ascended Sinners will gradually lighten to yellow(albeit it won't ever be quite as bright as the other Saints). Hellborn cannot Ascend.]

All that to say that Vaggie does not have pure angel blood anymore. And I'm trying to decide if the Exorcists are Heavenborn or Earthborn. I'm honestly favoring Earthborn right now, since that's what Adam qualifies as.

Even when she gets her wings back, Vaggie's form is still corrupted and they come back as moth wings, to fit her theming. I wanted to get her long hair out of the way of her wings, and figured that since her hair is sorta moth themed anyway, why not make them the same thing. It works cuz...magic. I also really do not like the floating X over her eye, so I made it a broken eye spot instead.

Charlie: I knew I wanted more goat themes. So the ears were an obvious place to start. I also made her ponytail to look like a goat tail. But I saw a few designs that gave her snake hair and I thought it was great. But I didn't want to draw so many and decided to just give her one. Then named him Hugh. Short for Hubris aka Pride. I designed the Morningstar family around the goat and snake themes, where Charlie gets the goat traits from Lucifer, and the Snake traits from Lilith.

Lucifer: Canon Lucifer has way too many different design motifs. The Biblical Devil is associated with snakes and goats, so I wanted to narrow down on those rather than the forbidden fruit(which is never confirmed to be an actual apple, by the way) or ducks. He can still likes duck, but it doesn't go further than that. Since canon Lucifer is not exactly evil like the Biblical version, I decided it would be thematically appropriate to have his Fall turn him into a scapegoat, of sorts. Which would also mean that Lucifer is not the True Devil. The real Evil is the darkness trapped in the abyss(should I call it Abyss?). Lucifer, as a Fallen Angel, actually created Hell to prevent souls from getting lost in the abyss. So as bad as Hell is, it's actually a relatively good thing. Oh, and he lost his wings during his Fall. (Fun facts: the Devil isn't actually called Lucifer in the Bible, that was a translation quirk basically referring to the fall of the Babylonian king. Similarly, the number 666 probably refers to Roman Emperor Nero)

Lilith: Because I committed to Lucifer as a goat, but still wanted to implement the snake theme, I gave it to Lilith. I wanted to give her snake hair, but also maintain the flow of her long hair. So I decided to give her 7 snakes, each to represent one of the deadly sins. The top one represents pride. They're all named, like Charlie's.

Pride=Vani(Vanity), Greed=Ava(Avarice), Lust=Libby(Libido), Envy=Desi(Desire), Gluttony=Tony(Gluttony), Wrath=Irene(Ire), and Sloth=Sloth(...)

Overall, I haven't fully decided what I want to do with Lilith. It would probably help if we had more canon info on her. Is she secretly an antagonist? Or is there something else going on? Regardless, I enjoyed designing her.

I had this whole tangent about the mythological origins of Lilith, and how she's not actually a biblical character at all. It got too long winded so I cut it. But basically, liliths were a type of demon in Middle East/Mesopotamian cultures. Then a satirical Jewish story written in the medieval era made Lilith Adam's first wife, then she ran off with the Great Demon and started having 100 demon babies a day. She had to promise three angels that she wouldn't hurt any human newborns if they had a special amulet. She was associated with seduction and child-killing. She wasn't a feminist figure until the 1970s. She was just evil before that. Read HERE if you want more info about it.

[gamerbearmira]

Wish???? WHATTTTT

So this is different from my usual content but I randomly wrote this??? Very short snippet last night and did the drawing this morning.

Mostly got to do with the rewrite I wanna do; Asha's childhood would be a lot more relevant, especially her father. Like he was barely mentioned in the movie, and I understand he was dead and all, but dang, barely even a name drop is CRAZY

any uhhhhh have fun reading ig idk

—————

Asha sat on the large tree, its branches knarled and aged as she gazed out at the vast ocean. She looked upwards, the stars twinkling high above her. She remembered when her papa would sit next to her, singing and telling stories about the stars and wishes.

Wishes.

She never really knew what her wish was. Not really. But now that she was 13, and everything had changed so much in only a year...she knew what she wanted it to be.

But she knew it'd never be granted.

Never in the history of Rosas was a wish like it granted. To bring someone back from the dead. Sure, King Magnifico was powerful, but even Asha had her doubts abiut a wish like that.

But even then, she was sure her father wouldn't want that. Certainly not her mama or Saba. No, he'd want her to move on and be happy. He always talked avout how she should have a wish, a dream, and hold onto it tight.

She looked down at her hands. She fiddled with her curls before sighing and leaning back and looking up at the sky again. "Star light, star bright..." She hummed softly. Her eyes scanned the sky before they landed on a star that twinkled a little brighter than the others. "First star I see tonight,"

Asha stood, carefully keeping her balance as she walked along the branches, climbing higher. "I wish I may, I wish I might," she grunted, pulling her self up onto one of the higher branches. "Have this wish I wish tonight."

She stared at the star for a long time. Closing her eyes, she whispered something. Something on shr and the star above could hear. When she opened them, she swore the star shone beighter, just for a flicker of a second. She blinked, her hands gripping the bark and she leaned closer. Her lips parted as she gasped softly. But before she could say or do anything further, she heard bleating from below. She dropped down on the branch, leaning over the edge.

"Valentina! How did you get out if the barn?" Asha wuickly climbed down, her attention from the star distracted—but not forgotten. Once down on the ground, she picked up the goat, nuzzling her surprisingly soft but dense mohair. "Your getting big! Soon I won't be able to pick you up anymore," she laughed. It was true. Valentina's back hooves were nearly touching the ground now.

Valentina let out another bleat, nudging Asha before the girl let her down. "You always know how to find me. Of course, I'm always at the same placed," she said, walking off, with the goat trotting after her after munching at rhe small flowers that dotted the grass. As she walked, she glanced back at the star. It looked normal again. But for some reason, deep down, she knew it wasn't just a figment of her imagination. She could feel it, deep in her heart.

She sighed, walking down the path back to the village and to her house. It was late. Valentina walked beside her, her long, droooy ears flicking absently. Asha suddenly turned to her companion. "You know. One day, I'm gonna be a great wizard like King Magnifico," she bent down, picking up a long stick resembling a staff. She twirled, waving it around. "Just imagine. Me, Asha, weilding magic and making everyone's wish come true!" She laughed, turned to Valentina, who was watching her while lazily chewing on some grass.

With a soft sigh, she continued walked, her homey cottage coming into view. Valentina had already begun walking back to her pen, but Asha lingered outside her door, looking up st the sky one last time. "I swear it. I'll grant everyone's wish."

—————

Asha's young teen design keeps changing 🌚 not by much. Pretty similar to her kid design, idk.

[storydays]

My Bookworm

Shy!Clay X Actor!Male!Reader

This takes place after the movie. Lots of Descendants references and one or two Helluva Boss references, I own nothing but this fanfic!

(3rd POV)

Clay laughed as Viva and Poppy dragged Brozone along. Since some of them have been disassociate from Pop Culture for 20 years, Queen Poppy decided to show them some of the new stuff they'd been missing out on.

Today, it was a movie premiere and there was a bonus performance from one of the actors. "Girls, slow down, they can't start until y'all are there anyway." JD laughed as the two royals smiled sheepishly and walked at a slower pace, finally arriving.

"So what's this movie about anyway?" Clay asked Branch. The blue-gray Troll went to answer when Poppy interrupted talking a million miles. "OhmygoshClaythismovieisthethirdofapopularfranchiseanditsbaouttheoldfairytalecharactershavingkidsandwefollowthekidsintheiradventures--" "Poppy,breathe!" Branch chided, shaking the Queen's shoulders with a grin.

In that moment, Clay was thankful for being used to Viva's motor mouth that he understood every word she had said. Their brothers on the other hand...need Branch to slowly repeat what was said. As he explained, he listened to the trolls chattering behind him.

"Oh me gosh, I can't wait to see Nix, daughter of Nebula! She can be my captain anytime." giggled a teal Glitter Troll seductively.

"Forget that, I can't wait to see (Y/N)! He looks so good in red." A Rock troll yelled, throwing up the goats, and making an indecent gesture.

"Who's (Y/N)?" wondered Clay aloud. "'WHO'S (Y/N)?'" The rock troll grabbed the taller Troll and shook him insanely, "(Y/N) is only the hottest actor in all of Pop Troll History! He's won a Glitter XXX award 9 times in a row! He is--"

"Well," chuckled a thick Australian accent, drawing everyone's attention, "That's quite an introduction, but I think you oughta let 'em go now." The Troll speaking, pushed down his shades to glare at the Rock Troll. "Oh my God," Smidge yelled distantly, "It's (Y/N)!" Suddenly cheers and screams echoed through the arena, but honestly, none of that mattered to Clay. All that mattered was those pretty (e/c) eyes and how suave the superstar Troll was dealing with his fans and making his way over......'Wait! He was making his way over, don't blow this Clay!' He screamed in his head.

"You alright, mate?"(Y/N) smiled, holding a hand out to the taller Troll on the floor from where he was dropped.

"Wow, you are hot.."Clay said confidently before realizing what just came out of his mouth, and his fur turned a dark blue as his cheeks flushed.

His brothers were doing their best to hold back their laughter, seeing their usually confident brother be turned to into a blushing schoolboy.

(Y/N) blinked and laughed loudly, before helping Clay up. "I like you, you remind me of the first time I saw my friend, King Trollex, with his hair down for the first time. I was like, 'Oof, you're one good lookin' bloke.' But then I wanted to die.." (Y/N) continued to talk, not notcing Clay's discomfort. "Because, Trollex is like a really great friend to me, and I'm just like, gross....." The movie star paused and looked to the side with narrowed eyes, "I could tap that." He mused, before shrugging and turning back to the taller Troll.

"Anyway, why don't you and your friends come with me, and you guys can come backstage, get a real nice view of the show. Crikey, I don't think I got ya name..."

"Uh, I'm single. Damn it." Clay face palmed. "Ha! Nice to meet you Single. Well, c'mon, it's almost show time!" (Y/N) waved off security as Brozone and the Pop sisters followed behind, teasing Clay along the way.

"Well, here are the best seats in the house! You can watch the shows from here, and afterwards, Single, if ya don't got any plans, I was thinkin' we could go to this great sanger shop nearby." (Y/N) pushed his shades up on his head and offered Clay a hopeful smile.

Clay stuttered over his words before Bruce smacked him on the back, almost as if he were a record player and coughed. "That's a snager?" Clay wondered. "Heh, it means sandwich, mate."

Now knowing what the other Troll wanted to do, Clay nodded eagerly. "Yeah, yeah that sounds great." "Great! Well, gotta go. Be back soon, and hey, enjoy the show, huh?"

With a final wave, the movie star rushed off. Leaving Clay at the mercy of his brothers. Clay brushed it all off, too ecstatic to even be embarrassed.

The lights dimmed and the teasing stopped to watch the show.

*end*

[mintywolf]

A Long Road Home - Page 93 Author's Notes

Page 93

(Sorry Imogen Laudna is very much A Creature.)

When I started drawing this I realized that the pages I cut around 82 (the alternate script is here) to avoid conflict with What Doesn’t Break actually had the function of showing her using Wither and Bloom to defend herself for the first time, and therefore went into greater detail of how it manifests. (Like in Remember Us it takes the form of shadowy vines that leech the color from the target and causes flowers to bloom on Laudna or whomever she wants to heal.) Now without that introduction it just kind of . . . happens without explanation, haha.

There was also, as I mentioned earlier, a scene I cut that would have taken place right before they went to the Gloating Goat for dinner. (Hence the library books Imogen is carrying.)

Page 92

Panel 1: In the little town library, they're situated at a table with several books open between them (and a few hovering by telekinesis). Imogen is frowning over a book while Laudna is reading hers with interest, taking notes. Panel 2: A closer look at what Imogen is reading. It's a book on Tal'Dorei history, open to a section about Whitestone. A brief paragraph mentions the occupation of the city by a Sylas and Delilah Briarwood between the years of 805-810 PD before its liberation by Vox Machina, but details are sparse. Panel 3: Closing the book, she Mage Hands it over into their growing discard pile and stretches. Imogen: We really gotta find a way to get into that academy in Jrusar. Not a damn thing on red storms, psychic powers, or necromancy in this whole library. Laudna: That's not really surprising. I think the last is illegal on most continents. Why are you researching necromancy, anyway? Looking for more dead friends in your life? Panel 4: Outline of a woman amid the shelves and books. Imogen: No! I was just curious about your whole . . . (gestures) you. And that woman in your head, if I'm bein' honest. Laudna: Well, if you really want to know about her, I could probably arrange an interview . . . Panel 5: She leans towards Laudna, who reciprocates with a smile. Imogen: And also . . . well, I was thinkin', after what you told me the other day. Laudna: Oh, about how I was murdered, hung from a tree, and then poorly resurrected? Imogen: No, not that . . . Laudna: Or is this about the time I fell out of the tree as a child and cracked my head open, died, and then un-died? Do you want to see the scar? Imogen: No, that's . . . Panel 6: Imogen starts fidgeting with her pencil. Laudna: You know, for having the constitution of a wet rag, I'm surprisingly hard to kill. It was very upsetting for my parents at times, as you might imagine. But children have surprisingly malleable skulls. Imogen: Actually . . . I was wonderin' if maybe you'd want to finish your schoolin'? Laudna: . . . Me?

Page 93

Panel 1: Discomfited, Laudna starts building a fort for Pâté and Calamari with the discarded library books. Laudna: No, no. If either of us goes, it should be you, Imogen. You're so bright, and so talented, and you have so much potential. And like I said, I was never very good at school. It really was for the best that my parents kept me home. Imogen: Don't say that about yourself. You're smart, Laudna! Laudna: Oh, I've always loved to learn! It was just . . . everything else about school that I had a hard time with. Panel 2: We see a school-aged Matilda looking dreamily out the classroom window. Her slate on the desk before her contains part of an arithmetic lesson before dwindling into a doodle of a dragon. Laudna: (VO) You know, all the sitting still, paying attention, turning in assignments on time . . . Panel 3: She startles as the teacher, looming over her suddenly, slaps the back of her hand with a ruler. The laughter of other students erupts around her. Teacher: Miss Bradbury! Laudna: (VO) Never really got the hang of all that.  Panel 4: Back in the library. Imogen reaches over and takes her hand, rubbing her thumb over the same place that was struck.  Imogen: We don't have to enroll. But just think of how much you could learn in a library like that, at your own pace, studyin' what you wanted to. Imogen: (internally) And also when you're not bein' drugged out of your mind. Laudna: That does sound like fun. There are a great many things I've been curious about, but I've never had the means to find answers. Panel 5: Imogen starts setting aside the books and putting away her notes. Laudna notices one of the books she was reading. Imogen: Well, I'm ready to head out if you are. Laudna: Oh! That's a book on Tal'Dorei history. Imogen: Um. Yeah, I . . . Laudna: You were . . . fact-checking me? Panel 6: Imogen hurries to reassure her. Laudna brushes off her own unease with a laugh. Imogen: It wasn't like I didn't believe you! I was just curious about the history you lived through, that's all. Laudna: Oh, well. If that's all! I suppose I'm a little foggy on the details too. It's been so long, after all.

I cut it for a few reasons, primarily pacing, but it was also a remnant of an angle I decided against taking in this chapter where Imogen was not entirely sure whether Delilah is real. She would have believed she existed, historically, but thought that her presence in Laudna’s mind might have been like Pâté, a personality she made up to help herself cope with what happened to her. Ultimately I decided against it and instead made the main conflict between them that Imogen doesn’t realize at first that Delilah, Laudna’s invisible protector and the source of her power, and Lady Briarwood, her murderer, are the same person.

I did like Imogen’s suggestion though that Laudna finish her education in Jrusar because it made it seem less like Laudna is just along for the ride, only interested in going there for Imogen’s sake. As far as I know Matilda having been pulled out of school early is unique to the backstory I’ve given her here, but the possibility is hinted at briefly in the very first episode when they’re considering enrolling in the Starpoint Conservatory as students in order to have access to the library and Laudna considers going “back to school.” Back in Ye Olden Times (before the early 20th century) the school-leaving age was around 14 and it wasn’t uncommon for children, especially of working-class or farming families, to finish their education with the eighth grade and then go to work to help support the family or manage the farm or family business. High school and college level education was for the upper classes rather than the norm. This is what she meant a few pages back when she told Imogen that she was nearly of an age when she’d be allowed to leave — at 12 she was expecting to have only a year or so more of education to complete (since the wizard on whom she pinned her hopes as a prospective teacher for her unique magical skills hadn’t arrived in town yet). It’s unclear from Laudna’s dialogue in that episode if by “back to school” she means the higher education she never had a chance at before, or the basic education she didn’t get to finish, but she goes on an interesting face journey considering it.

Also I felt like it was maybe a little too unsubtle with the “Laudna is neurodivergent” subtext, but I mean. It’s not very subtle on the show either!

[gumbootillustrations]

day 18 - headcanon

i had too many so no drawing today. instead, i offer a list.

bogan laurance. or, more specifically, bogan meteli. like cmonnn u Cannot tell me that meteli (esp old meteli) is just a standin for small-town new zealand/australia. anyway, they all have aussie/nz accents. laurs is the most obvious bc i think its funny. @shadowqnights @abxolotl this one goes out for you guys <3

on that note, ru'aun's environment is basically new zealand's. especially the sacred forest - it has major nz bush vibes. like.

cmon u Cannot tell me that these were taken in the sacred forest of ru'aun.

anyway. travis gets kept up at night by kiwi screaming at each other (seriously. take a listen.)

also, tu'la is inspired by the roman empire. ill probs elaborate on this in the future.

necromancer cadenza! i've spoken abt this before here if u want to see a bit more :3

irene's cathedral/dimension/whatever is less cathedral and more eldritch labyrinth. specifically, i envision it to be a lot like the theatre of domination from honkai impact 3rd.

garroth gardens in his free time! it's how he grows all the flowers for his flower crowns.

meif'wa are werecats; they can 'tuck in' their ears and tails like werewolves can (but it's generally super uncomfortable, no matter the species), and have a sort of hybrid cat-human form that they can also shift into.

melissa is the first ultima - i sort of got into it in this post, but essentially after mel comes back to find falconclaw destroyed and her siblings, aaron and lilly, dead (to the best of her knowledge - aaron is still alive, however), she strikes a deal with a goat-eyed being to bring them back, but because the fine print was specifically worded to fuck her over, her soul ends up getting fused with the wolf that she sacrifices for the ritual and she gets ultima'd.

also, lilly is now aaron and mel's younger sister. she's a ghost.

juror relics! i hate hate Hate how the jurors never get fleshed out in canon, so i gave them a bit more backstory in ashes, ashes. their powers originally came from smaller, less powerful relics that xavier carved off of his own, but after they get lost, they become figureheads for a long time until about 20-25 years prior to the start of ashes, ashes. there's a bit more on this in my day 20 post, pinky promise.

the generals of the shadow lord's army are called "death knells", and although they lead their own units/squadrons/whatever, their primary purpose is to oppose the divine warriors; including the shadow lord (who opposes irene), there are only ever seven death knells at one time. an example of a death knell is gene, who is intended to oppose kul'zak.

zianna is a witch, although, for most of her life, her abilities were passed off as her having prophetic magicks; these 'magicks' are why she was married off to garte, as the ro'meave line wanted to introduce these magicks into the family. unfortunately, the heir, garroth, didn't inherit his mother's abilities, but her two other children, zane/zuwellyn and vylad, did.

nicole is a half elf from her mum's side; her mum is matilda's sister, making her and levin first cousins. this is based on matilda lowkey looking really similar to nicole. idk i just think its fun.

garte sells out o'khasis to tu'la for more power during s2, thus transferring the jury of nine into the control of the king. it's a whole mess, and in the process, he essentially scapegoats zianna by faking his death.

however, this does make zianna lord of o'khasis. we love a girlboss.

the relics have different effects on their wielders; for example, esmund's relic makes its wielders a lot more physically dense, meaning that they'll sink into softer surfaces like sand and mud. xavier's relic turns its wielders hair red.

consequently, zane has red roots. he dyes his hair black (its natural colour) to hide them.

katelyn has the moniker of "the dragon of o'khasis". the phoenix drop gang mostly assumes that it's because she's ruthless on the battlefield... until she decides that the best course of action is to breathe fire at an opponent uncle iroh-style.

katelyn is also Stupidly superstitious. like. she fully believes in the sweater curse and will Refuse to walk under a ladder even if theres no other available path.

mys!nicole gets forever potioned. this has Consequences for the home gang during the events of s5-s6.

speaking of mys!nicole, her and dante are queerplatonic coparents to dmitri. they had him when they were in uni after a brief fling. he's the street's baby.

anyway i think thats abt it. lmk if u have any questions :3

(ps two days until day 20)

[sio-writes]

Sacrifice - Chapter 11

< Chapter 10

<< Chapter 1

Summary: This winter has been brutal, and Kyla is out of options. So, with teary eyes, she takes her best goat into the woods, hoping for some pity from whatever god finds her. And oh, she is found.

Tags: There is some very light gore/blood descriptions

Aurelius, it turns out, is a very hands on teacher. In the weeks following his first lesson, he has me reciting my page of runes in the morning when we wake, and every evening after dinner. He watches over me as I practice the plant growing spell over and over in the greenhouse every morning, telling me I need to increase my stamina if I'm ever to cast more than a handful of spells without falling unconscious.

I'm getting better though, little by little. I know how to position my hands and feet the exact right way, I concentrate by squinting my eyes, something Aurelius tells me will be problem later, but it's the only way I can even begin to feel any magic. Writing the runes is the easiest part, they can be written on paper and set in arrangements; it's channeling the magic through my body where I find trouble, and then there's the manner of passing out if I try too hard. Aurelius keeps an eye on me, though, to make sure I'm safe.

"Don't force it, you're pushing too hard," Aurelius tells me after another plant, halfway through budding a new leaf, shrivels and blackens under my hands.

I'd grown so frustrated I'd started to tear up. "Why can't I do it? You do it perfectly every time."

He chuckles, folding his arms over his chest. "I have had eons of practice, whereas you started," he pauses briefly and counts to himself, "two weeks ago."

I huff in mock impatience and fold my arms across my chest. "You can make the plants listen."

"You must convince them, not me," he says, and I look down at my hands. It's a fickle thing, this magic. It flickers over my skin, cold water that crackles like electricity; it makes my hair stand on end whenever I cast. I feel it in my bones, moving under my skin, a snake of sensation from my spine to my fingertips, asking for guidance. When I do it right, I feel the power, this otherworldly strength I'm learning to wield.

After another failure of a session, when I'm on the brink of a meltdown, he wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me in. "Even when you fail, you make progress."

Through gritted teeth I manage to say, "I'm sick of being weak."

"You're not weak, my doe." He rests the side of his head against my temple. "You're just learning." At my frustrated blow of air through my nose, he chuckles. "You're much faster than the human before you."

At that, he has my attention. "Oh?"

"Mhm. They couldn't get anything to grow."

I don't mean to, but I swell with pride. For once, I'm better than someone else at something, namely, an important something. "Okay, let's try again."

There's still more festival preparations to be made. I'd finished the paperwork needed to organize things, but tit requires some tweaking. I hadn't done anything incorrectly, but Aurelius told me some spots needed to be changed.

"The satyrs will not tolerate being next to Eodine."

"Why?" I ask. I'd thought my placement of them was rather clever, putting two soft creatures next to each other. They both sell baked goods, I'd thought the combined smells would draw more patrons.

Aurelius shrugs. "A centuries-long spat between families. I'm not sure even Eodine remembers why."

That makes me chuckle. "Humans do that, too."

"Do they?"

I nod. "There were two families in town, one made shoes, the other, buckles, and it was all-out war when they so much as shared a room." I pause to recollect their names, but I can't recall either family, I only remember that they hated each other. Strange, usually my memory is very clear; I remember how to navigate the town I lived in, I remember my family, but the details of my life in the human realm have become fuzzy. When did that happen?

It brings another question to mind that I hadn't thought of. Aurelius once told me that time moves differently here, so how much time has passed since I left? How long has it been since I buried my brother? My parents? Those thoughts are followed by a wave of grief, a burning behind my eyes as my mind dredges up images of the four of us working on the farm, or sitting at the table eating dinner. Arthur whittling. I can picture him now, in front of the fire, bent over some new project. Arthur was my everything, my rock, our bond was nigh unbreakable. When he passed, I was stuck in a sort of limbo for days, looking for him around corners, asking questions to someone who was no longer there.

I shake my head to clear the memories, letting them fall away like loose dirt on cloth. There's no use dwelling on the past. My life in the human realm was over the moment I asked an ancient forest god for help, and there's no turning back. I'm not sure I'd want to even if I was asked.

Aurelius brought supplies from Dachaigh to set up the stalls, and no matter how many times I circle the outside of her, I don't see any removed wood. He carried pile after pile of wooden slats to the north side of the house, refusing my offer of help and insisting he enjoyed the physical activity. I suppose I would too, if everything could be done for me at the snap of my fingers.

I tried to help Aurelius set up the stalls, prepared myself to do a fair bit of manual labor, but with a muttered word, a rune in the air and-- there it is, a snap of his fingers, the slats of wood spring into action and hop into place, making booths and stalls, stretching from the edge of the farm to the tree line. At my look of confusion, he shrugs. "It would've taken too long to set up manually."

We inspect the layout hand in hand, easily dozens of stalls, testing the walking path, checking the magic to make sure things are steady. I watch as rolls of fabric in every color imaginable fly over us and settle over the planks to canopy over the stalls. Some are bold, solid colors while others are patterned, or dyed very artistically.

At the far east side, there's a large section of bare earth, a place meant for dancing if I remember correctly. The grass is soft when I press my hand to it, bright green and healthy. "How do you keep everything here so nice?"

"It is mostly Dachaigh," Aurelius says, examining a large, lone chair at the head of the floor. It must be for him, to oversee the festivities. In the weeks I've been here, he hasn't seemed particularly enthused about the festival, despite going through such pains to make it happen. I'd been meaning to ask him about it, but it never felt like the correct time.

"She's quite powerful, then," I say instead. There's no mention of a giant magical tree in any of the books I've read, but that may have been intentional on her part.

Aurelius hums in agreement. "She is older than both Eodine and myself, but will not tell me her age."

I sniff, undignified. "It's rude to ask a lady her age," and Aurelius chuckles.

Eventually, I move on from growing little plants with purple and white leaves to a plant a little less hardy: a rose. The delicate nature of the plant makes the manipulation of magic more difficult, so this is a step of improvement for me. Aurelius is pushy when I take too long, but I think he's trying to be encouraging. There's a timing element, he tells me; that I need to be aware of if I want to master higher level spells. There's a limited window where the magic can't move through the body anymore and the offering, the button, will be useless.

Practicing on my own is less stressful. I can take things at my own pace. If I sit still for long enough, Aurelius calls it meditation, I can feel the flow of magic over my skin, like ice over a river. If I stand, it changes course, moving around me, through me, like it has a mind of its own. I want to learn it's moods, greet it like Aurelius does, like a friend. Dachaigh offers me books on magic and the occult, where across the tomes I recognize where some humans have deciphered some of the runes I've memorized. But they're incomplete, missing a mark here or an accent there. To think that humans have uncovered this much about magic and are still looking for ways to control it is astounding.

When I'm not practicing magic, I'm either sewing more clothes, or reading. I learn from the books Dachaigh pushes to me that magic is everywhere, in everything. It's temperamental and prone to mood swings like a child, but isn't actually alive. It likes to stay in these strange fae lands as the earth here is more primed to contain it. I learn that humans generally can't perform magic, that they don't have the capacity, and the idea that I'm some kind of special breed makes me kick my feet with glee. I've never been anything extraordinary before.

There's other books Dachaigh gives me are less academic. Small little books with paper covers of people in some form of undress. Falling into these stories is easy, and helps me become more comfortable with reading for the spellwork. I enjoy the stories, too, the sex scenes are arousing, and the men are courteous and kind, usually. There's a few books I read that remind me of Aurelius and I a few weeks ago: chaotic, harmful. Still, the woman ends up happy and is fucked very thoroughly.

After a week of growing roses over and over, Aurelius gives me a rather old looking, leather-bound book that, when I open it, is a collection of spells and enchantments. It's hand-written, in tilted cursive, and I realize I recognize it. This is Aurelius' handwriting. I flip through the book and see all manner of things I can do, from a dish that washes itself to small portals that can be opened like a purse and used for storage.

"I've ear-marked some simple spells for you to work on," Aurelius explains, not touching on the fact that he's given me something he wrote. "Once you can do them perfectly, we'll move to more advanced pieces."

The first spell is an example of transformation, made by a single rune written on bark taken from an elm tree. The magic is supposed to warp the wood into a small sculpture that can fit in my palm, and I feel a distant flash of grief again that I quickly push down. I'd had a collection of carved trinkets along the windowsill of the bedroom. Unlike the plant-growing spell, the bark acts as the exchange, so I don't need to bring my bag of buttons that Dachaigh helpfully offered me yesterday. I'm excited to be moving on from the plant spells, I feel like I'm actually improving with each horribly-carved figurine I make.

Progress feels slower than cold molasses, but Aurelius insists I'm improving with each session. He pats me on the head as if I'm a child, but I find I don't mind it. He has a certain way that he shows affection, and I realize that I enjoy figuring him out. Head pats, for example.

"I need to go to the market." I announce to Aurelius in the library, after my latest iteration of the rose spell used up the last button that I'd dug up from my scraps bin. He's reading in the study, a small room off the library containing floor-to-ceiling shelves of massive tomes.

"The market," he repeats easily, marking a page in the massive book he'd pulled from above the rafters of his room. "I suppose I could take you there--"

"Actually," I interrupt, "I've been invited by the other humans to go today."

Just as I'd about run dry of buttons, I'd received their letter, inviting me for a whole day out at the market. I'd meet them at the cottage at high noon, and we'll travel together to watch the change of seasons inside. I've even got a dress set out just for the outing: a pale blue fabric with pre-beaded embellishments on the bottom. It contrasts (thank you Dachaigh for that word) wonderfully with my brown boots, especially when they're cleaned of mud. I'm quite looking forward to it. All I need now is Aurelius' permission.

"You'll be careful?" Aurelius asks.

I smile. That's not a no! "Of course!"

Aurelius folds his arms and huffs through his nose. "I don't trust those humans."

"They're not bad people."

Aurelius studies me for a moment, then sighs again. "They're not, but I am worried about losing you." He looks down at the ground, then off to the side. I reach out a hand and rest it on his arm.

I'm struck with an idea, a horrible one, but a small part of me wants it to work. "Would you feel better if you met them?"

He perks up. "You'd allow me to?"

I frown. I didn't think I allowed him to do anything. "I don't think I could stop you if I tried."

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"You can sort of do whatever you want. You know, all-powerful god of the forest?"

If Aurelius blinked, he'd probably do that while staring at me for so long. "Should I remain here, instead?"

"No way! You're definitely meeting them."

Aurelius closes his book, stands and brushes himself off, then gestures with one hand. "Come with me, then."

We walk through the hall and into our room-- and I pause. That's a new thought, our room. Back home I shared a bedroom with Arthur, which made for very close quarters. The only time I had the house to myself was after everyone had died, and I hadn't wanted anything to do with it by then.

There's a large blanket on the floor that Aurelius pulls aside without comment. Underneath, in a circle, are complex symbols that look like runes cut and pasted together, surrounded by columns of the tiniest text I've ever seen capturing the circle of runes into a square. It smells like iron and fresh grass, and when I bend down to inspect it, I realize that everything has been written in blood. It reminds me of the dias where I sacrificed Mortimer, all that time ago. "Aurelius, what is this?"

Aurelius had walked further into the room, and the shadows around him stretch into the loft. They bring down a book I've seen him reading, one as big as I am tall, that falls open on the floor with a loud thud. He sits down and begins flipping through pages. "I've been researching how to remove your tracking sigil," Aurelius says simply as he gently turns a page.

My eyes widen in surprise. "Truly?" This is wonderful news! I'd thought he'd forgotten about it and I'd be branded forever. "What changed your mind?"

A long moment where Aurelius stares at me with those black sockets, then he flips another page, and then he sighs again. "You did. You're unhappy being tethered to me-- no no, it's okay, I'm not upset. So I'm removing it."

I frown down at the book, but then I notice his hand. It's bandaged, very poorly bandaged at that, and I see the dark stain of dried blood in the crevices of his skin. I walk over and crouch down next to him, picking up his bandaged hand. "Don't you…need to know where I am?" Not that I'm particularly attached to the sigil, but the thought of being on my own, in a situation where Aurelius needs to reach me, and he can't…

"It's not fair to you," he says simply, flipping a final page in the book before murmuring, "Ah, there you are."

I remember what happened to him when he put the sigil on me, it nearly took off his whole head. He said that he healed, but I can deal with the sigil if it saves him from undue pain. "Aurelius…"

"You'll need to remove your dress to expose your back," he says quietly, almost meek.

I unlace the side of my kirtle as Aurelius adds a few more symbols to the outside. This dress I'd sewn myself, so I remove it completely to keep it from getting dirty. It leaves me standing bare, save for my stockings, in the middle of the room.

"Turn, please," Aurelius says, motioning to me with his index finger. "In the center of the circle, and don't move a muscle."

My protests of saving him from pain die on my lips, and I do as he asks. Nothing I say will convince him to change his mind, he's more stubborn than I am. I don't want to stop him, though, I want this itchy tracking sigil off of me. He's trying to make up his behavior to me, I think, and if this will help him feel better, then I won't stop him.

Aurelius murmurs behind me, and a breeze goes through the room. It's cool as it brushes my skin, and makes me shiver. Then, on the end of it, comes a feeling that raises the hair on my arms, and I realize I'm feeling the magic of the incantation. It's powerful, almost threatening. I hadn't felt it before. Or maybe I did, and didn't recognize it at the time.

The configuration on the floor begins to hum a low, harmonized note, and then it begins to glow orange. The air around me crackles as Aurelius continues to run through the incantation in a low, even voice. Then, like someone dragging their nails down my back, a flash of pain moves from my neck to my spine, there and gone again, and I nearly run from the room in terror. But Aurelius told me to stay still, so I lock my knees, and trust him to know what he's doing.

Twice more that feeling of nails on my back appears, but on the last instance, the orange glow around me begins to fade. The hum dies down with it, and eventually the room returns to the padded quiet of our bedroom.

"You may move," Aurelius growls, and I pick up my dress from where I'd tossed it. I throw it on as quickly as possible, and turn around. What I see next makes me gasp. It's as if Aurelius has been cut right down the middle. He's sat against the wall for support, shiny red organs spilled across the dark, blood-drenched floor, and he's not moving. I feel panic start to set in.

"Aurelius? What can I do?"

He shakes his half-head, no branch-antlers to keep his head from hitting the wall. He points with a shaking hand to the book on the floor, nearly covered in his blood. In his looping script, it says: Kyla-- This will take a considerable offering of my body to complete. Do not worry, I will heal if I remain with Dachaigh. You cannot do anything to help the healing process, it will just take time.

Over the next several days, I appoint myself as Aurelius' personal doctor. I collect his organs in a bucket and set them close to his body. I clean the blood from the floor and his clothes, and do my best to salvage the book he'd ruined, but I can't make out any of the sigil he'd been referencing.

Slowly, I get to experience of seeing Aurelius literally coming together. He can't move from our bedroom, so I bring everything to him. Each time I enter the room I'm hit in the face with a wall of magic energy, Aurelius' magic energy, that smells like grass and freshly turned dirt. Sinew and muscle are knitting themselves together before my eyes, shadowy and almost transparent, and I wash off the parts of him that have come back. I think I'm doing a good job, practicing my spellwork on the side and taking care of his the rest.

On the day of the trip, Aurelius walks with me to the changeling cottage in his smaller form. It's the only form left where he's whole, and even then, he's still missing several fingers. He offers me his elbow which I take, and we fall into step together as we start down the path. My other arm is holding a basket full of roses that I grew with magic, and it's what I intend to trade with at the market. "Are you sure you're well enough to walk?"

"I'm feeling much better, thanks to you."

The sky is blue, with some light storm clouds hovering threateningly at the tree line. There's a lovely breeze coming through the trees, and the path is dry this time, thankfully. Aurelius keeps his eyes low, though, examining the plants we pass. It gives me an idea. "Could we start a garden?"

"A garden?"

"Yes. I like the food from Dachaigh, but I feel bad taking from her all the time." She's been feeding me for weeks, now, offering me fully cooked meals every time I feel hungry

"She offers it freely."

I groan dramatically, letting my head tip back to look at the canopy. "I know, but I'm sick of taking handouts from her. I'm already in debt to both of you."

Aurelius stops walking, and for a moment I think he's found a plant to start a garden, but when I turn, I see that he's staring at me. "You think you are indebted to me?"

Similarly, I stop walking, and I feel like I've said something wrong. "Y…yes? You saved me from death, kept me in your home despite my actions, and have provided for me all throughout."

Aurelius steps up to me, and gathers my hands in his. "You don't owe me anything."

He squeezes my hands, and I'm filled with a rush of warm emotion. I smile at him softly. "You don't owe me anything either, then."

"Deal."

The remainder of the walk is peaceful. Aurelius and I exchange a few more words, mostly me pointing out the different fruit I would grow, and I can feel Aurelius coming around to the idea of a garden by the time we reach the cottage. It's as lovely as ever, lazily nestled within the trees that're slowly turning their color over to a deep orange. They've added a few embellishments like pumpkins along the ground, crawling orange and red vines around the windows with big, flat red leaves, and bouquets of red, orange, and yellow flowers by the door.

Before I knock on the door, I shoot Aurelius a look over my shoulder. "Be nice, okay?"

He rests a hand over his chest, offended. "I'm always polite."

"You scare them."

He chuffs so hard through his nose that I feel it on my face. "I cannot help that. I have a powerful magical aura and they cannot make eye-contact." At my flat look, he starts, and brings up that same hand again. "I have a reputation to uphold."

It's my turn to roll my eyes. "Well, put it away for the next few minutes and greet my friends."

He chuffs again, but doesn't respond, and if he shifts his energy or suppresses his aura, I don't feel anything different as I knock on the door. It's only a moment before Gregory is opening the door, a big smile on his face. "We were wondering where you--" he glances to Aurelius behind me and his smile flickers on his face. "Oh! You brought his lordship!"

That earns a chorus of disbelief from the rest of the house. Past Gregory, I can see Josefina and Sveta on the couch in the living area, painting their nails with small bottles of varnish. They've both stopped mid-action to watch us in the doorway.

"Come in, come in!" Gregory waves us inside, where I can take a better look at the decorations adorning the walls. Everything is meant to invoke the feeling of Fall, a strange sensation since I was celebrating Christmas with my brother not two months ago. There's the same crawling ivy from outside are all over the wall, woven together to hold a small candelabra or prop up a shelf. There's small fairy lights interwoven with the ivy and bobbing along the ceiling, and it casts the whole room in a warm yellow glow. There's decorative pumpkins everywhere, on the table, lined up on the windowsill, and even in Gregory's earrings.

The decorations are lovely, but alongside it I also feel a brief sadness. I adore Fall, the leaves changing, the festivities, ushering in the winter. Seeing all the decorations in the cottage almost makes me homesick, until I remember that mother hated festivities and never let us celebrate. Arthur and I had to celebrate quietly with Father during times Mother was busy with the farm, which is a memory I used to enjoy, but looking back on it with a clearer mind makes it seem sad.

Josefina and Sveta pull me out of my past and my memories, both of them standing quickly to bow at the waist and greet in unison, "Welcome, my lord!"

I tug on Sveta's arms to bring her upright. "Please don't do that!" I'm unsure if Josefina will allow me to touch her, but thankfully she straightens as Sveta does. "He's got far too big a head for you to be bowing."

"His head is small, though?" Sveta asks, sounding honest. "He fit in the door, so it must be small."

I snort. "Not what I meant, but it doesn't matter."

"Your home is lovely," Aurelius says, looking around. He runs the tips of his fingers over the wall as he walks, the same way he does with Dachaigh. Does he speak to this house as well?

"Thank you, my lord!" Gregory says, chasing after Aurelius as he continues through the living area and into the kitchen.

Gregory gives Aurelius the tour of the small cottage, showing him the kitchen, the game room, and then the gardens. We follow them out the back door to the small backyard enclosed by a fence. At each corner of the yard a tall pole sits on top, and between each pole are strings of small electric lights. At the far end of the yard is a garden, recently turned over so the dark, fresh dirt can be ready for new seeds. "What're you growing?"

Josefina appears beside me, quiet as a shadow. "We're planning on pumpkins for All Hallows' Eve and Dia de los Muertos."

My brow furrows. "Dia des los…?"

"De Los Muertos. The Day of the Dead, a time of remembrance for those we've lost." Her expression turns sad, making me want to comfort her, but I remain standing where I'm at.

Aurelius politely continues the tour of the house, even complimenting a few decorations, until he wanders back to the front door, his hands clasped behind his back. "I only wanted to meet the friends of…" he looks to me for confirmation.

"Kate."

"Kate," he says with a nod. "You've all kept a lovely home, I thank you for allowing me entry. You are welcome to visit us anytime."

"Wait, really? The Unknowable House?" Gregory asks, astounded and eager. He shares a look with the others who seem just as excited.

Aurelius nods. Gregory whoops in excitement, and I decide to ask about that later as Aurelius asks, "What method are you using to get there?"

Gregory pulls up a map of the woods surrounding their home to show me the path we'll take. "This lake here is where we'll make the jump."

I frown. "Jump?"

"We can't teleport to the market on our own. Luckily, some magically-inclined fair folk had the same issue around three-thousand years ago, and made a convenient door for us!"

Gregory folds the map into a very tiny square and tucks it into his back pocket. I want to ask about his clothing-- I think they're called blue jeans, with a thin button-down shirt with short sleeves that's tucked into the jeans. The six of us (Emile and Francois had no interest in the market) and I wave to Aurelius as he writes a few runes in the air. As he waves back, the air seems to ripple around him, and then he disappears from sight. Sveta, Josefina, and Kimiko all exit the cottage behind us, and I'm glad I chose a simple frock for this outing, otherwise I'd feel over-dressed. Everyone else is in simple clothes, pants and mid-length skirts, shirts with short sleeves, all to take advantage of the last of summer's weather.

As we start into the woods, Gregory appears to my right. "You've changed him, you know."

I feel my face warming despite the cool temperature. "Oh, I'm not sure about that."

"The festival has been the only time any of us see him. He never left that tree he lives in, the Unknowable House. It's said there's hundreds of rooms to get lost in."

I hum in thought. "I haven't been beyond the rooms at the lower floor."

Kimiko catches up to us to say, "I heard that the higher you go, the more it drives you completely mad."

That's a concerning thought. My eyebrows knit together and I frown. Not once has Dachaigh been malicious to me, at least, not that I've been aware of. Although, I don't know much about her, and I couldn't find anything in the library talking about an ancient fae tree. I don't know how to speak with her as Aurelius does. Perhaps I can learn?

We walk for two hours, caught up in casual conversation with one another. They're all fascinated by my roses, even though they're nothing special. I'm proud that I grew them myself, but compared to the other spells I've seen? I'm unsure how they'll be received at the market. Kimiko tells us they want a hand mirror to apply something called makeup, Josefina and Sveta are on the hunt for the best snacks, and Gregory just wants to do something called window-shopping. Everyone is excited to go, and their mood is infectious; I'm practically skipping down the path by the time the lake comes into view.

The lake is massive, surrounded by the forest on all sides, with a small shore made up of bleached animal bones. "Watch out for the waterhorse that lives here," Josefina tells me with a serious expression. "Don't pet anything."

A short distance away, I see a metal dock sticking into the surf. It glints gold in the sunlight, and as we draw nearer I realize that it's not a dock, it's some kind of portal, framed with a gold border that's been etched with runes and other symbols. The hair on my arms raises as we approach, the magic pouring out of it is intense and foreboding. Not hostile, though, something in me knows this.

Josefina and Kimiko both push ahead as they shout variations of, "Me first!" Josefina wins the battle, and without fanfare or even a glance backwards, she tips herself forward and disappears.

I look into the door. The water around it ripples slightly, like the magic itself is barely contained beneath the metal frame. Through the door is more forest like the one we just walked through, I can even see a dirt path on the ground. Beyond, nearly hidden by the trees, I see the mouth of a grand cave, peppered with lights where the sunlight doesn't reach.

I turn back to Gregory. "I just…?" I make the hand motion he demonstrated earlier, and Gregory gives me an encouraging nod. I swallow, nervous, my mind still bracing against the idea of falling flat on my face. But the other three made it to the other side without any issue, they wouldn't all go in on some prank to make me look foolish. So I close my eyes and fall forward.

A rush of wind, the smell of burnt roses, and my weight shifts the same way it does when I go from sitting to standing and then suddenly: I'm walking in the woods.

"You did it!" Kimiko says, stepping up to me with a smile. "It's terrifying, isn't it?" They check over me, turning me around before nodding confirmation that I am, in fact, alright. Gregory is quick to follow, and he wraps an easy arm over my shoulders.

"See? Easy."

The mouth of the cave is exactly how I remember: tall, imposing, and containing many glowing rocks in the ceiling. We all walk down the winding set of stairs, and when the market comes into view, I understand why the others wanted to come.

The market is packed to bursting with stalls and vendors, all in some shade of red, yellow, and orange to celebrate the changing season. The same crawling orange vine on the cottage makes an appearance here, crawling up the walls, winding around stands, coating the whole space the fresh, green smell of new growth. Dotted throughout are lights of every color imaginable, fairy lights that I recognize from my reading. Every inch of the space has been themed into Fall, I even spot a large section in the back where evergreen trees are being sold, some with tiny lights on them.

"This is gorgeous," I exclaim for about the hundredth time since we stepped foot in the market. Everything draws my attention, the colors, the food, the attendees. I keep the group at the edge of my field of vision so we don't get separated, but they're as distracted as I am, checking almost every single stall. On my last visit here, I hadn't gotten to see much of anything. Aurelius was quick and efficient with his trades, and didn't explain much to me outside of what his favors were for, those little roses made of glass. The irony is not lost on me that I now carry roses in my basket as well.

I stop in front of a short fence that takes up a large section of the aisle of stalls. Inside, sectioned off, are animals I've never seen before-- Candy striped horses with curling horns and plush manes, shimmering blue cats with tails like the end of a fish, and a tank of brown, half-pixie, half-snake hybrids that're being sold in large plastic bags. The stand is set up like a petting zoo, allowing children inside, but the animals are restless-- pacing their enclosures, growling at the gnomes running the stand, anxiously chewing on the handful of worn-down toys. They shouldn't be in such small pens, kept for the entertainment of the fair folk.

In the back is what looks like a red boar, at least twice as tall as I am, with massive, star-studded tusks dipped in gold. It scrapes the ground with it's powerful front hooves, snorts dangerously out of it's massive snout as the group of gnomes trying to keep it contained with ropes. No visitors are approaching it, and I don't blame them. My time on the farm taught me that when an animal is angry, you get out of it's way. Calming it down is secondary to your own safety, my father taught me.

So I step back from the fence, pick my way through the small crowd, and catch up to where I see Gregory examining a sculpture. "Those animals are miserable."

Gregory pops back up and glances over his shoulder. "Hm? Oh, yeah, those. They're here all the time, poor things." He throws a sympathetic look over his shoulder. "Those gnomes have no idea what they're doing."

I nod in agreement, and that puts the issue to rest as we approach a stall that's different from the rest-- it's shrouded in black canvas with white stars on the inside that remind me of Aurelius' eyes. Inside are all manner of trinkets-- glass baubles with tiny moving scenes of nature, a large bowl of loose rings, paper books bound in the rough bark of a tree, and dozens of small jewelry boxes lined with velvet. I pick up on of the baubles, roughly the size of a grapefruit, and examine it. The inside looks like the forest surrounding Aurelius' home, with a small farm containing tiny animals smaller than my pinky nail. I spot a tiny black goat, and that's when I decide I need to give this to Aurelius.

The stall is empty save for Gregory and I, but I remember my manners as I walk up to one of the women manning the stand. An older woman wearing a cloak, with wiry silver hair down to her shoulders and a serpent's face. "Excuse me, what trade is sufficient for this?" I hold up the glass sphere.

The woman's eyes go wide in excitement as she taps the other woman on the shoulder. "The pretty human wants an ornament! What do you think it worth, human?"

I fish out one of the roses, looking for a nice one with all the petals intact, and present it. It's a pale yellow, not a red, I'm saving those for a bigger trade. Her eyes quickly shift and her nostrils flare, an expression there and gone in an instant, and then she eyes the flower with skepticism. She reaches out one knobby hand, her serpent tongue flicking to scent the air. "May I?"

I hand it over and watch as she turns it over in her hands, handling it with a delicateness I hadn't expected. After a moment, she hisses. "Yes, yes, this will be lovely."

The trade goes over with ease, and I walk out feeling moderately accomplished. It's only when Gregory finds me and loops his arm through mine that he says, "They completely swindled you."

I gasp, and check my basket; the bauble is still there, as are the remainder of my roses. I look back to Gregory skeptically. "Swindled."

He nods, very confident. "You're human."

"And that makes me more likely to be ripped off?"

"You can do magic," he whispers loudly. "If you grew those traditionally, they'd be worth much less, but grown with magic? They're worth much more than you think they are." His expression is earnest, he's not trying to trick me. I purse my lips and think. I feel foolish for letting those witches take advantage of me, but it's not like they stole my whole basket. I can part with one out of two-dozen roses. "Here's a tip: Whatever you think it's worth, offer half. You probably could've gotten three or four of those little things for the one flower."

Doubtful. "It can't be that valuable."

"You've left residual magic in something with a limited lifespan. Trust me, it's valuable."

"You've studied a lot of magic, haven't you?"

At that, Gregory's cheeks and ears darken. His semi-serious expression resolves into a shy smile, and he rubs the back of his head. "I tried to do it myself, once upon a time. Read all the books I could find, but nothing took. I just don't have the magic touch like you do." He shrugs at my sympathetic expression. "It just wasn't meant to be, and that's that."

He turns his head toward the line of stalls, cutting off that line of conversation. We visit the other vendors where I make much more sensible trades and walk away with three bolts of gorgeous brocade fabric, a tin of sewing supplies, several jars of buttons, and two golden necklaces, which came in a set. The fabric is a gorgeous deep orange color, and I picked it specifically to make a dress for the festival. The necklaces I picked them up immediately made me think of Gregory. It's a heart pendant, cut in half, each necklace containing a piece, and the two halves fit together perfectly. There's faded indentations on one side, but the metal is so worn down that I can't make out what it's meant to say.

I offer one necklace to Gregory, and he smiles at me. "The others are going to be jealous."

I shrug, much like he did earlier. "They only had the one set." And that makes him laugh.

We meet with the others a short while later, spotting them all at an art installation, a large sculpture made of metal meant to look like one of the large cats I saw. A large centaur in blacksmithing garb applies a flame to the piece, and I realize the structure isn't metal, it's glass. He's applying it directly to the piece as part of the installation. Fascinated, I watch and let the others continue on, keeping them in my line of vision so I can catch up later.

Suddenly, I hear a commotion from the crowd where we approached from. A scream, a breaking of glass, and then people are running. "Move!" "Get out of the way!"

Then I see it-- the boar, the one as tall as a house, is barreling through the stalls, destroying everything. Flames erupt from it's massive snout, smoke billowing out of it's mouth as it's chest heaves. It squeals, or rather, it screams, and then closer it gets, the more injuries I see, as well as a poor gnome that's hanging on for dear life to one ear.

I'm frozen to my spot. Where everyone else has cleared the area, I'm standing here like an idiot. "Move come on!" shouts the chorus of the crowd behind me, half watching in fear, the other looking for a show.

My instincts kick in at the last second and I jump out of the path of the boar-- gods, where's Aurelius when I need him?-- and stumble to my feet on the edge of the crowd. The boar crashes into the glass sculpture with an ear-shattering screech. The creature practically turns on a dime, back towards me, and it snorts, flames igniting and roaring out of it's snout. It charges for us again. The crowd behind me disperses, and I try to jump out of the way but my timing is off by half a second, and my legs catch on the boar's tusks and I'm swept to the side. I slam into the booth, what's left of it at least, my head cracking against the wooden skeleton of the stall.

Individuals from the crowd look in to see how broken I am, and then there are my friends, all surrounding me at once, helping me stand and checking for any serious injury. My head feels fuzzy, I feel like I'm under cold water, floating through space. Our attention is drawn back to the boar, though, when someone in the crowd screams. Through the wreckage and the dust, I can see it.

It's sprinting towards us.

I scream. "NO!!" and fling my arms out in front of me. My eyes screw shut as static crackles over my skin, through my whole body as if pulled from the ground, compressed through me, and shot through my hands. I try with all my might to Stop the hulking beast before me, it's footsteps growing louder and louder in my ears. I notice the faint smell of fire and burnt metal, when suddenly the air in front of my hands erupts in a flash of lights, a symphony of sounds and swirling colors that envelop the boar before disappearing with a dramatic flash. It takes less than a second of time, before it's gone. And then, all at once, the boar freezes, stopping on a dime, half a scream marring it's face as the fire and smoke are suspended in the air. I've frozen it.

My ears are ringing, but I hear, distantly, the cheers of the crowd. They pop up out of the wreckage of stalls, staring in wonder at the boar floating a few feet off the ground.

I feel like I've been put through a shredder. Raw and hurt, out of will as all thoughts empty from my head like a water basin being overturned. I bend down, vomit up a combination of bile and rose petals, and then the world goes black.

>> Chapter 12

[berrypass-de-murdler]

2 - 35 A Surprise for a Psychic

these titles I can't

check out my next drawing though enfnjbvnjkgbnkfg

Today me and Fletch are gonna complete our Aureolin and Lady Violet cosplays for Halloween :D

We wanted Bandit to be Officer Copper after we found a dog costume but there's no way he would be willing to wear it lmao

Also doge reveal <3 <3

DON'T READ THE EPISODES WITHOUT READING THE BOOKS!!

IRRATINO: Yo, Logico. I got a quest for us. LOGICO: Yay, a ‘quest’. IRRATINO: I’ve agreed to give the PRL one more shot to prove themselves legitimate! LOGICO: WHAT IS THE PRL?!? IRRATINO: Psychic Research Lab. LOGICO: Why… didn’t you just say that the first time. And also that sounds extremely stupid. Let me guess - you’re going to give them a million dollars? IRRATINO: No, the bank won’t let me… LOGICO: GOOD.

They go to the PRL, which is located in the prison. That’s probably a good thing? Azure, Mauve, and Glaucous surround a dead mad scientist.

IRRATINO: Oof, that’s kinda rough for the case. LOGICO: It’s not rough for MY case. GLAUCOUS: Oh… hello, Logico! LOGICO: Don’t embarrass me.

They scour, and Logico tries to ignore Mauve pecking at the floor like an actual chicken.

MAUVE: What? What are you looking at? LOGICO: Ugh, I don’t like your new catchphrase! Go back to the old one! MAUVE: What are you even talking about. LOGICO: The thing about the metaverse. MAUVE: I’m making the metaverse! LOGICO: You know that’s not what I mean!! GLAUCOUS: Um… p-pardon me, if you don’t mind… MAUVE: WHAAT. GLAUCOUS: I’m so sorry to bother you, Madam President, I just… MAUVE: HAAAAhahahhahaeh. ‘Madam President’. NO. I’M THE VICE PRESIDENT BISH- GLAUCOUS: R-Right… um… you said you’d… you know… I don’t want to be rude… MAUVE: [extremely loud sigh] GLAUCOUS: You said you’d be willing to pay if I moved those supplies for you. MAUVE: OH. Ahhhhhhmmmm hm well ahm I changed my mind. GLAUCOUS: O-Oh. Well… no worries… I suppose… LOGICO: What SUPPLIES? MAUVE: Noooothing.

What a moving exchange. Irratino is lost in a crystal ball.

LOGICO: Don’t become the new head of the PRL, or someone will murder YOU immediately too. IRRATINO: No… Logico, I can see! I can see everything! This crystal ball weapon belongs to Dean Glaucous! LOGICO: Really. And how do you know THAT.

Irratino turns it around. It says ‘Property of Dean Glaucous’ on the bottom. Logico coughs.

It turns out, Glaucous had killed the psychic because he was in an isolation chamber.

GLAUCOUS: It was so isolating in there… I couldn’t handle it. So I killed the first person I saw, for my own safety! I’ll do it again if one of you locks me back in there…

He reaches for his crystal ball, but sees Irratino standing with it.

GLAUCOUS: Oh! You’re… Logico’s, um- LOGICO: Ahem. GLAUCOUS: Oh… hello Logico. LOGICO: [to Irratino] Will you excuse us for a moment? [to Glaucous] You’ve gone insane, Poppy. What is wrong with you? GLAUCOUS: Oh Logico… I’m so sorry. Azure and Mauve sent me down to the chamber to store some supplies, but then they locked me in… I panicked. LOGICO: Is that SOOOO?

Azure and Mauve run away!

AZURE: [in the distance] Ugh, and I didn’t even get a line…

Logico goes back to Irratino.

LOGICO: Sorry your… ‘mission’ failed. IRRATINO: Aw, Logico, it’s alright. I got to solve a murder with you, and that’s all I really wanted to do.

In reality, he’s secretly fawning over the fact that Logico calls his dad ‘Poppy’. That made his whole day.

The end!

I fucking love mauve fnvjnfgkb

She looks so young and then she has this voice that sounds like a chainsmoking old woman 😭 I don't know what I was doing

I REQUIRE PLUSH

The power of Goat Lord compels you!

See you next time murdlers!

[mylastmoleculeofserotonin]

One of my favorite things about KATAOW is Wolf’s character development. It’s so subtle and gradual that on my first viewing of it, I didn’t really notice it until the end of each season.

I feel like Season 1 could be used as a masterclass for this kind of character development. Even though there are major changes in the way she lives, they don’t change her immediately. At the start of the show, Wolf’s life fundamentally changes by living with another person, but she is basically the same as how she was before for about the first 4 episodes. However, during this time, she disagrees with Kipo on just about everything, but the way they resolve conflict slowly gets better and better, going from physically fighting over eating/keeping Mandu in “Burrow Girl” to Wolf willingly going along with Kipo’s plans in “Cactus Town” and even risking her life to do so again in “The Astronomers in Turtlenecks.” But even after that, they don’t start working seamlessly together. Wolf still is the person who she was before she met Kipo, putting herself and her security above everything else. But in “Tad Mullholland,” we see that this now is beginning to encompass her long-neglected social needs, which then comes into conflict with her physical safety in “Mute-Eat-Mute World” where we see her instinctively prioritizing her physical safety above all else.

But by the end of Season 1 and the start of Season 2, we see that Wolf’s concerns over physical safety, have grown to encompass the safety of Kipo and the others as well. This is a very subtle and important change which turns her rugged survivalist mentality into a more fiercely protective one, as showcased in “The Goat Cheese Prophecy” and “To Catch a Deathstalker,” where Wolf is more than willing to charge headfirst into danger to protect Kipo. But then, in “Benson and the Beast,” when Kipo is able to transform whenever she needs to, Wolf suddenly is not in charge of protecting Kipo and the others, which takes that stress off of Wolf and makes room for her to trust Kipo and actively participate in her plans for redeeming Scarlemange in “Sympathy for the Mandrill” and “All That Glitters.” This building trust eventually culminates in “Heroes on Fire” where Wolf has no weapon to fight with and she actually asks Dave for help, which was a small thing but made me pause the episode to appreciate how far Wolf had come.

In Season 3, Wolf gets a new weapon to replace Stalky, which I choose to take as an indication of how Wolf changes in this season. Her new rope dart not only compensates for all the disadvantages she had when fighting Emelia (reach, contests of brute strength, etc.) but also has non combative uses as well (ie restraining people and climbing). However, one of the biggest differences is the fact that it is often out of sight and not always in her hand. This both symbolically and literally shows that Wolf drawing her weapon to fight is a choice now that Kipo can turn full Mega and all of these properties of her new weapon are shown in “A Wolf in Wolf’s Clothing” where she makes the conscious choice to stop fighting Margot and helping her instead. When she chooses to do this, she does it because of how being around Kipo has influenced her and made her more willing to make peace with people instead of fighting them. Unfortunately Wolf does not, in my opinion, get enough screen time in Season 3, but we do see little instances where she chooses to do things the Kipo way such as getting the other HMUFA members to set traps for the invading humans instead of waging an all out war in “It’s a Trap” and stopping Kipo from sinking Emelia’s ship in “Requiem for a Dave.” She even agrees to do Prahm Kipo’s way as a genuine party instead of using it to kill Emelia, which was particularly cool to see because it took her some time to overcome her desire to protect Kipo and actually let her take this risk, but not only because she knows that Kipo can defend herself if worse comes to worst, but because she understands that it’s the right thing to do. She not only comes around to supporting Kipo, but gets Scarlemange to do so too and even prevents him from mind controlling people again, not because Kipo said so, but because she understands that it’s morally wrong. Everything then culminates for Wolf’s development in the show when she takes off her wolf skin and symbolically letting go of her old worldview for good in the name of peace and cooperation and then stops fighting Greta in “Age of the Wonderbeasts” to convince her to break free from Emelia and her manipulation.

And I think that this is a beautiful ending for Wolf’s arc. Not everything was wrapped up neatly for her, but she’s gotten to a point now where she can heal and move forward from her past to find an identity for herself within a community, and while we don’t know who she will eventually become, I think it really works because it shows us that we don’t need to know where we want to end up as people, but that just being around the right people will, by it’s very nature, change us and that this type of growth is possible for anyone. And I think KATAOW nails this in the subtlety of Wolf’s growth and that it just emerges because she spent so much time with Kipo.

Anyways. This was a lot longer of a post than I intended to write, so if you’ve made it this far, thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #194

I did A WHOLE LOT OF STUFF today. And I wish I could tell you all about it all at the same time simultaneously, but I don't live in a space where that's possible, so I guess I'll have to settle for starting at the beginning.

Actually, no. I'm going to start at the end. And then I'm going to move to the beginning! Here's a doodle I made today!

Please go easy on me; it's been a number of years since last I doodled with multiple media (or at all, really, with any kind of seriousness), and Sharpie isn't exactly the most forgiving medium...

Anyway! Back to the beginning! I cooked a food!!! This is broccoli, pan-fried in butter, with garlic powder, parmesan cheese, and the leftover goat cheese from that time when I made mashed taters when R visited my house!

...And here are a couple of the steak I cooked. Br was visiting, and she said she always wanted to try a tomahawk steak, so I got one and tried to figure out how to cook it!

This was super simple, actually. All you gotta do is stick it on some parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and stick it in the oven at 225 degrees F (or like 107 degrees C) for 30 minutes, take it out, flip it, and then stick it back in for another 30 minutes. Once that's done, you season it however you like on both sides (in this case, my classic mix of salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder), and then sear it on a griddle. Sometime while I was cooking, J went out to play laser tag. M wasn't hungry.

I also made bok choy, pan-fried in a little butter and chopped garlic:

You gotta be careful with bok choy; if you cook it for too long, it becomes terribly, horribly bitter.

But! I didn't cook it for too long! And so this is the plate of awesome deliciousness that resulted from all of this:

It all turned out really excellently. Br went back for a second helping of everything! I wish I could have given you a plate of this.

Br boiled water for tea for us, too. I got a new kind of vanilla rose tea that I think might be suitable to include along with your necklace. I got two tins so that I could test one and ensure that it is the same as the one that I am familiar with. It's the same brand, and they say it's the same flavor, it's just that this one comes in a nice tin instead of in a paper box.

The flavors are a little bit different. At first, I was displeased because I didn't expect that. But on further evaluation, I decided that I think I like the new one a little better. But I have to test them side-by-side to know for sure which one, if either, is superior.

Once Br and I were done eating, she suggested that we play a game in which we take turns doodling on a sketchbook page. Br is an amazing artist, and I haven't doodled with any kind of seriousness in a while, so when I was presented with the blank page, I felt pretty daunted. And especially when she reassured me that I could doodle whatever I like, my mind flooded with so many options that I got overwhelmed and didn't know what to pick.

So after a while, I thought, "Well I'm good at doodling eyeballs." Because Br had noted that my facial expression was very interesting as I tried contemplating things during my feelings of overwhelm. J keeps telling me that my eyes get like saucers sometimes, so I imagined that that's what I was doing (my face does things without my knowledge or consent, I guess...). So I decided to draw an eyeball, and before I knew it... well...

Whoops. Hahaha...

This one is done in a combination of mechanical pencil and Sharpie marker; I have a collection of different Sharpie colors because... I don't know why. They're pretty, I guess. I pulled out all the blues and also my metallic silver for it.

Here's a bigger picture of the doodle:

I doodled the eye first. And then I doodled the feather. Br doodled the abstract flowery squiggle in between; isn't it cool???

Here's a close-up of the feather. It's not the best-est, probably. I still kinda like it though:

Br got tired though, so we both decided to take a short nap. I had several very interesting dreams, and when I woke, I felt compelled to draw what I saw. But I am not going to show those images.

Instead, I will show you a couple pictures of the sky I took right before I took a nap with Br:

I'll also show you what I did with the eye doodle after I discovered that Br had brought her Nupastels:

Oh hey! We're back at the beginning of the letter! Hahahaha...

Hey, Sephiroth? Have you ever tried to doodle? If you have, what sorts of things do you like to draw? I tend to like doodling organic things, but some people like to doodle buildings, and some like to do abstract shapes, and others like to do geometric things, or landscapes, or any number of things. So... what would you draw? What sorts of things do you imagine?

Once J got back, he, Br, and I watched the Steven Universe movie, because Br had just gotten through the original animated series, and so the movie is up next. J and I have already seen it. I hope someday you'll get to see it; I think you'd find Spinel extremely relatable for a variety of reasons.

...Please try to get an ending like hers, okay?

You can find people who will treat you better. Not everyone is like the people who raised you. You can find some of those people who will treat you better, people who want you around, right here at my house. Pop by for a visit if you're ever in the neighborhood, okay? We can make you tasty snacks.

...I guess I'll end this one here. It's getting pretty late, and I wanna go to bed.

I love you. Please stay safe out there, okay? Because I'm gonna write again tomorrow, and you wouldn't wanna miss out on all my weird, delightful shenanigans, right? All the weird, delightful shenanigans that comes with living my version of an ordinary life. All the weird, delightful shenanigans that you can have, too, if you make choices that bring you there.

Your friend, Lumine

[quibbs126]

Oh yeah, I made this last night

I was complaining yesterday about how I can’t draw, and while I tried and failed to draw traditionally (I think I’ve been out of practice too long and I can’t adjust to the layout of it not being right in front of my face at the same angle, if that makes sense), I decided maybe I can try drawing these guys again

I’m pretty happy with how the main trio turned out in this redesign, I think I was able to give them all distinct looks

Cassidy got some changes, Rasmus pretty much stayed the same other than a permanent ponytail, and Rowan's hair got completely changed. Mostly because I wanted to make his hair have a more distinct shape

I still need to come up with new names for them though. Best I got is Rowan becomes Rusty, but I don’t know for the other two. All I know is that in another world, Cassidy would be Peppermint, or some other variation of mint

Anyways, a while ago I was considering changing the setting of the story to be cowboy themed. It was mostly because at the time, a Discord I was on was making a Cookie Run cowboy AU that I really like, but also because the story never had a clear time period setting. It was part modern day, part fantasy, and I never really got it to be consistent

Though the big problem is that I’m pretty unfamiliar with cowboys and how they operate. Which is ironic because I’ve been living in Texas for over a decade. But like, I’ve never been that interested in Westerns or that cowboy stuff, probably in part because I heavily dislike country music. So I don't really know much about the era other than Victorian times were also happening

I would also have to change some things around so that they fit in the time period, most importantly the whole situation with Rasmus and the others. I'm thinking maybe I can turn that from science experiment to witchcraft and have magic be more of a thing, since they are meant to have magic

I've given a little thought into how the story works now, like that these three got hired either to drive cattle to a certain area or keep watch of a ranch. I guess if they got to travel, then the former, but if I just want them to hang out, then the latter. Former's probably better though, since if I want to make an actual plot, there's your overarching goal

I think I need to do more research on the time period though, so I know what I'm doing. Though also this isn't going to be like, completely historically accurate. I mean these guys are fictional goat thing people with magic powers. I don't think something like the Civil War happened recently, and I'm not sure I want sexism to be a prevalent thing in the plot. And I think I also personally I need that reminder since sometimes I forget that I can give myself wiggle room

In that vein, the cattle are probably also semi fictional, or at least maybe they shouldn't be exactly the same as real cows. I don't know, I feel like it'd be really jarring to have normal cows alongside brightly colored goat people

Anyways I trailed off, back to the actual drawings

So because of the cowboy consideration, I tried to sketch out outfits they could wear. As well as body types (though they didn't turn out as varied as I'd like). Cassidy and Rasmus I think are fine, but Rowan might need more tweaking. I also need more cowboy refs, especially ones that aren't just costumes or AI pictures in Google Images

Then afterwards I decided to start sketching some of the other characters I've made up. Which just so happen to be the parents of the main characters. Who also have names because I came up with the naming scheme at that point

Top to bottom is Periwinkle, Basil and Silver

Of those three, I think Periwinkle turned out the best, but for one thing, she's been in my mind much longer than the other two, so I have a much clearer idea of what she's supposed to look like. And on top of that, I've actually drawn her before, so I know what to change. Basil and Silver are very much first drafts, and first drafts are usually not the best when it comes to designing new characters. No wonder redesigns of characters usually end up better than the original, since you have a base design where you already know what works and doesn't, as opposed to working from the ground up

And with Silver, I made it a point that he and his son don't look anything alike other than both having darker hair, so I quite literally had nothing to work with, unlike Basil or Perri

I'm also realizing that I've made a pattern with the parent designs, namely that all three of the main characters pretty much exclusively look similar to their moms. I suppose you can't tell much here, since Rasmus was born green but got changed via the experimentation, while I drew Silver, Rowan's dad that he looks nothing like, with the mom he does look like not being depicted. But yes, Cassidy and her bio mom are blue, Rasmus and Basil are green, and Rowan and his mom are red

Periwinkle and Cassidy are probably the two who look the most distinct from another, in part because they're two different shades of blue. Which is ironic because in my more recent working of this world, I made it a point that Perri's family has crazy strong genes, with everyone in the family (outside of marriage) is blue. I might have to take that out or just change how this works

I mean with Rowan, I don't really know how to change it, since his dad's family is all in the greyscale, so him being red would have to come from his mom. And with Rasmus, his parents are supposed to be green and red, with the idea that it's plausible that he could turn out brown, while in reality he was born green. But I mean I guess I could turn him a more yellow-ish green? I don't know, I'll figure it out

And uh yeah, I guess that's it. Not really anything that remarkable, but at least I drew something