#hatchling should have a canonical name ;-;

[annomalysstuff]

OUTER WILDS SPOILERS

Hatchling being super delusional, lol. They’re like ‘I’m gonna save everyone and everything will be fine’, haha….no

I imagine that if you could take solanum out of the quantum moon she would be alive like 1/6 times you look at her. And people at the village would make sure that always someone is looking at a picture of her

Yes, I am also delusional

[ahamkara-apologist]

finally got the chance to draw so I kinda went ham with drawing up a headcanon sheet for the Eliksni, in which I blatantly disregarded the canon skintones and just had fun (i don't really enjoy how pink they are in canon personally- I think they should have more natural colour variation)

Some notes:

-The freckles on Eramis and Variks are just freckles, they're not due to age. As for the alarming amount of minor scratches scarred into Eramis's neck and, to an extent, Misraaks- those are marks from hatchling claws! They're traditionally considered marks of beauty and wisdom in Eliksni society. Eramis has many to mirror her many litters, while Misraaks only has a couple from Eido

-I drew everyone but Taniks bald because I drew Taniks first and then realized later that it kinda obscured my hcs for their individual head shapes, so their setae is on the bottom. Setae is someting that only fully sexually mature adults develop, and is much closer in texture to a horse's mane than human hair. It also runs all the way down the back of their neck, much like a mane, and in some cases (like Taniks) has barbs or hooks along its strands so that ornaments can be woven into it, which is inspiration that I took from decorator crabs

-Eramis's facial scars were given to her by a Guardian at Twilight Gap, and are deep enough that they cut into her nasal cavity. Luckily, it's right near the nostrils anyways so she isn't impacted too bad, but she does have to be careful about keeping it clear of debris. Deep in her eye sockets, she's also had some electrodes installed that link to sensors in her helmet and give her little buzzes/shocks whenever something passes in front of it to help compensate for being half-blind, but it's a pretty crude device that doesn't work all that well on small objects

-Each Eliksni's ethnicity is written below their names, which is why Eido has a question mark. She's a mixed kid- try to guess which Houses her parents might have been from ::3

-The horns/shoulder spines were extra spikes of mineralized chitin that were common on adults in Riis, and were traits that were lost during the Drift. They often were calcium/mineral stores used to show age and fitness, but since resources in Sol are scarce, they no longer grow during molts. Riisborn Eliksni still have horn nubs, but that's about it

-As for the sexual dimorphism thing: that's more just me musing about how slight it would be with my hcs about their reproduction (which involves females laying fertilized eggs into a specialized broodpouch in the male, who then builds on their yolk supply and gives them the calcium needed to form eggshells, and thus needs to be bigger). When given actual Eliksni with a natural range of bodily variation, it would be near-impossible to distinguish them

[devilsrecreation]

i'd love to hear some headcannons for the crocs in makuu's float! :3

I ACTUALLY HAVE IDEAS FOR THIS ONE!!!!!

-I named him Usumbufu (annoyance/inconvenience)

-He’s just a bit younger than Pua, but the eldest since Makuu took over

-Was and still is a good friend of Pua’s. He definitely visits him the most out of everyone in the float next to Hodari. Pua appreciates the snacks he brings (like a wildebeest leg)

-He wasn’t the best with the hatchlings, but he of course tried to help raise them in any way he could. Pua is very grateful for that

-Like Hasira/the orange skink in Shupavu’s group, he’s seen some shit. But while Hasira’s experiences were more comical, his were more traumatic. He’s basically a war veteran for what he’s been through, tho he doesn’t like to talk about it

-Being the eldest, he always has a story to tell. All you have to do is ask him. Kinda nice to talk to someone once in a while, though don’t expect a heart to heart

-You know how Skips always says “yeah I’ve seen this before” before telling Mordecai and Rigby how to solve the problem? That’s him. He’s the Skips of the float

-He essentially opens up a bit to Hodari after the gecko asks him how he’s doing. One simple question, that’s all it took. And Hodari didn’t just listen, he was supportive too. While Bufu appreciates it, he just goes “ah you’re too good for this world”

-He will not lie, he got a little attached to Nduli. He wasn’t expecting to cuz they aren’t related, but Nduli reminds him of himself when he was younger: innocent and naive. He knows he shouldn’t care about Kiburi’s float bc of the trouble they caused, but he secretly hopes Nduli never changes

-So I’m kiiiiinda toying with a possible hc that he’s Makuu’s father? If I decide that, I won’t say he was a bad one but he…wasn’t the best. Ig he was too hard on Makuu in the past, which would probably explain his teaching methods. But then again, I still really like the idea that Pua was essentially the father figure in everyone’s lives

- Name: Kutegemea (dependable)

- Makuu’s new BFF since the rift with Kiburi. The two were always close, he just got an upgrade lol

-Very smart for a crocodile, as a parallel to Tamka’s stupidity

-The muscle of the group (also a parallel to Tamka’s weakness lol)

-Being bothered by smaller animals happens to him a lot. He doesn’t know why he has to be the unlucky one, but he is. He just wishes no one would bother him while he’s resting, is that too much to ask?

-Is always ready to attack. Potential food? Someone trying to pick a fight? Bring it on, asshole >:)

-Name: Majadiliano (talkative) but everyone calls him Maja

-The parallel to Neema. Neema only makes sounds and doesn’t actually talk, Maja usually doesn’t shut up when you talk to him jfhfhg

-Seriously he and Ucheshi once had a 2 hour long conversation about literally anything on their minds

-He’s more social than the rest of his float. He’s not making new friends anytime soon like Beshte does but it’s nice having someone to talk to. He’d make an excellent public speaker

-While not childish or immature by any means, he is a bit of a jokester and would play small pranks on his float members here and there on a slow day

-He was the crocodile that got his tail stuck under a rock, causing Makuu to hurt his leg in “The Little Guy” (which is canon). He felt incredibly guilty afterwards and kept apologizing profusely to Makuu, even offering to get him some food so he wouldn’t have to move much. While Makuu appreciates this, he claims he’s fine and tells Maja not to worry about it

Name: Wastani (average)

-He’s Wakali’s parallel: He’s the average joe, a role model, everything a croc should be. Don’t get him wrong, he’s fine with that, but he wants to be at least a LITTLE different. He wants to stand out, he wants to have a gimmick of his own. Just one thing, that’s all

-He’s currently trying to find said gimmick. Hasn’t had much luck, but he will….someday. Closest thing he has are his ideas that are actually pretty helpful

-He had the chance to talk with Wakali while she was training with Makuu. Wakali told him she wished she could be like him and he responded with how he wished the opposite. In a way, he played a small role in her journey to accept who she is by telling her to keep being different

-Guess he has a thing without realizing it: he helps animals. It’s not worldly advice but it’s the little things that count

And they all got Makuu’s back :)

[silly-inky]

Luigi is a jack of trades type of guy

He’s a plumber, but is more into the technical side of stuff compared to Mario (by that I mean fixing cars and messing with wires) so he knows how to fix stuff, not because he’s so good at it, but because he’s probably broken the exact same thing before and had to fix it in a panic. He’s clumsy it happens all the time.

Growing up in Brooklyn him and Mario probably used to get into all sorts of stuff, so Luigi probably knows how to pick locks, maybe even Hotwire cars (referencing to previous paragraph) not cause he was a bad kid, more likely his dad lost the keys to his car and had Luigi Hotwire it for him since it would be cheaper to do that then get a new set.

Probs knows how to spray paint too, and he’s not a wise mouth, he knows when to use his words and what to say, I think h would come under with some very creative insults, he’s street smart.

Apparently his granddad is an ex boxer, so he probably taught both of the boys how to defend themselves, and took proper boxing lessons when they where older (14-19 maybe?), again going up in Brooklyn at that time, with him being a target for bullies he would get into fights. So the man definitely knows how to fight.

And let’s ignore the Mario movie and how it portrays Luigi’s abilities (I loved the movie but they did him dirty with how little he showed up) he can jump higher than Mario, knows gymnastics, can even f*cking break dance! And does a lot of running (mostly from enemy’s but still) this is all canon or at one point was. He may be sacred of stuff and look a bit on the scrawny side, but he is definitely physically fit.

He probably knows at least one thing about any given topic, he likes to read, so you could ask him how the mushroom kingdom was established and he could answer in the heart beat, but if you where to ask what Princes Peaches grandfather was (name wise) he wouldn’t have a clue.

He has the magical ability to befriend people, that quite frankly, should not be befriended, or at the very least would be very heard to be friends with, he's just that type of guy, ways willing to talk and a good listener. He isn't so good with animals, I they are small or are naturally trusting then he's fine, but for the most part, his anxiety rubs off on them. The only big animal that properly likes Luigi is Daisy's Yoshi, who's known him since being a hatchling

Also I think Luigi is a medium, so he can see and feel and hear ghosts and other entities, this is probably why he's so good at ghost hunting, he senses them as well as seeing them when they are actually visible to others

He's a smart guy, and Is smart enough to not show how smart he actually is

Thats all I have for now, may make some more soon if in demand, or I feel like it, I really like Luigi okay.. ┐(￣ヮ￣)┌

[hanafubukki]

Yes, OT3 and No longer you are renting free in my head. Go hit Dawny fantasy of his romance with the strange kind girl he found in the wood one day when said girl is like "Yeah. We cannot be together. Cannot say much but I know what will happen and the future is dark". I mean, even without OT3 involved, this song is so much for Dawn 😭

"The song of past romance"

"The sacrifice of men"

"Portayal of betrayal and a brother final stance"

The only difference is that Dawn don't seem to be the kind who would choose the Monster route, and commit a massacre out of hate/revenge. But yeah, self hate and imposter syndrome are my guess. "I do not deserve my wife. They say I am an hero, but I just have the blood of a mother on my hands." Please. I don't want to think of how tortured this man was when Leia belly started to show. Happy, we will have a child. Sad, I made another child orphan. Happy, the baby moved. Sad, no news of the hatchling dragon that should have already been born. Happy, the baby is born healthy. Sad, I must return to war.

And this guy died alone on a battlefield against other humans as greedy as them. Who knows what he had thought at that time ? Worried ? Relieved ? Dissapointed ?

This man take too much space in my brain for the little screen time he had.

- 🦋 Anon

Hello 🦋 Anonie,

“This man takes too much space in my brain for the little screen time he had”

THE WAY I FELT THIS.

As of right now, he’s been in only TWO chapters 🦋 anonie, just two! And the way he has gripped me??? I want to laugh and just be that Kermit frenzy meme. (Those two chapters were long, but that’s not the point shhh)

….did you know it’s been about…311 days since they reveled KOD as Silver’s bio father? (Give or take a day because of time zones, etc.) I mean who’s counting? Hahaha certainly not me, what are you talking about?? ☺️🥰

(My yume with KOD was recently 300 so that’s how i know 💞🫶)

…wait that means it’s been 311 days since Meleanor was revealed as well… @rayroseu and @kitwasnothere happy 311 days to you both 🥹🫂💞

No Longer Human just hits me in the feels 😭😭💞💞 the future is dark for KOD but bright for his son and I think that’s all that he would have wanted for his family. How frustrated or helpless would he have felt to meet someone he likes who keeps putting a barrier because they know that future and don’t want to be hurt? How would they feel knowing they can’t save him? 😭😭 (this is why I have 10 AUs in my head where he lives, I want him happy ahhh 💞💞)

In canon wise, yes! I agree! It is still a KOD song. For all of the points you mentioned above. What I really love that you pointed out what the opposites of KOD and Lilia. KOD wouldn’t become the monster like Lilia would. But technically, it’s all about perspective in this case, because the label of “Monster and killing for hate” well, the faes or humans might disagree no? Depending on the side you ask?

Not to go too deep, since I talked about it before in this post, but based on perspective. Everyone can be the hero or the villain.

BUT YESSS THE PARALLELS OF MALLEUS AND SILVER EVEN BEFORE THEIR BIRTHS. How must he have felt? To know that he has this happiness while taking away another’s? But at the same time, I want to believe that before he went to war for the last time. He tried his best to make peace with the faes. There’s a reason why the humans turned on him and Leia and maybe this is why.

I want to believe that as he laid there. He at least knew that his son would live happily in a peaceful time with people who love him.

After all, that ring just shows how loved Silver is by KOD doesn’t it? Always shining and helping him, showing him precious memories, and that smile at the end. He’s truly happy for his son and I think with that thought alone. He was happy.

[give me his damn name twst. I love calling him Dawn and all the symbolisms he is and all that without the name and such. Love that in story telling but dang it, give me a name. If I have to wait until the book 7 light novel…I think I will scream. 😆🤣]

[sad-scribble]

Hi ! I love the Camping Buddies AU, do you happen to have more crumbs to share ?

Ah I have not had time to do much writing on this au, but I have been revising some plot relevant things!

mainly the fact that the Reign of Starscream comic is canon to it, including that comics Thundercracker and Dreadwing interpretation. (Spoilers for the comic by the way)

so here’s just some random plot explanation that may or may not make sense

Since (at least in the au) not all Decepticons joined the battle in Chicago, the decepticons were basically aimless for those 5 years, left in the dark about what really happened on earth, not really sure if Megatron was actually dead, and if he was, how many more had perished at his side. They scrambled all of their efforts into self preservation. Thundercracker and Blitzwing (who apparently also has a design in the comics, but he does not show up in Reign of Starscream) go to earth after sensing a signal which they assume is from Megatron, but it instead leads them to Starscream (I’ll find a way to accurately explain the signal thing once I actually get everything down on paper)

Starscream and Ratchet’s whole thing is that they have to contact their respective teams, but Starscream finds it’s a ‘fair’ compromise now that he’s bodyguarding his supposed enemy that they take a longer route to check up on his previous base in Africa, (the one from DOTM where the hatchlings were being kept.) Where there should be some kind of satellite. He doesn’t say it, but he wants to see if there’s a small chance they survived (he knows there isn’t). They don’t say where this is in the movies so I have assumed it is Africa, somewhere near Botswana. Problem is, they are still both wanted by the government (especially Cemetery Wind (if that’s not the name of them forgive me it was a while since I watched AOE and they just aren’t that interesting of a plot point)). Disguising as a rescue vehicle while traveling through a populated area is one thing. Disguising as a F-22 is another. They get up to some hijinx in order to somehow cross the ocean.

They really don’t get along at first, and even as they get used to working together and Ratchet starts to trust that Starscream won’t suddenly turn around and rip his spark out, they both have very different approaches to their situation.

(not canon accurate sizes)

[nonuggetshere]

Hi! I’m sorry this is a bother, but I’m curious of the Hollow King au. The art work for it looks amazing and I love seeing PV having happiness and PK deciding to take on the Radiance to spare them the pain by being a responsible parent.

I’m sorry for asking. I was just curious. Have nice day/evening.

Not a bother at all!

It actually isn't my AU but my bestie's, @bluethepearldiver, but to summarise;

Pale King was planning to go with the original vessel plan, but after carrying part of the eggs he started to have doubts. When they were heading to put the eggs in the abyss, he was holding one of them (Hallow's egg) when the hatchling inside moved. That made him break and he immediately called off the plan and ordered for the eggs to be brought back to White Lady.

So she took care of their eggs while he started to work on finding a new plan. He eventually decided to turn himself into a vessel instead, via a combination of torture to break his spirit and consuming void.

For now though, he focused on raising his children.

He was with them until they were 10, at which point he left to enact his plan. The kids didn't take it well, especially Hallow who was terrified of taking on the mantle of the king when they come of age and learning how to follow in his footsteps without him. They actually yell at him that they hate him, which they regret for the rest of their life.

Hallow was crowned on their 18th birthday, the same day their father would be sealed. They held a funeral for the old king, and Hallow and White Lady went all out. Hallow even made a new holiday to commemorate their father.

Years pass as normal, but the infection eventually returns just like in canon. Hallow immediately throws themself into work, trying to find a solution to it, and just like their father many years before they start looking into void as a solution. Their experiments lead to mild void poisoning and their hands being permanently stained, which they hide with gloves. They also get into arguments with their mother, saying their father's plan was stupid and she should have stopped him; now they and their sibling lost a dad and Hornet lost both her parents, for nothing.

Hallownest falls just like in canon, but instead of retreating to the dream realm with their palace Hallow patrols their former kingdom along with their sister. It goes pretty much the same as in canon, as far as I'm aware; Ghost who had became a traveller returns home and with the help of their siblings breaks their father free. Hallow picks their father up and rushes to get him medical help as infection slowly dies around them.

The Pale King wakes up sometime later in the hospital while the kingdom is recovering, the curtains are always closed in his room so he can't see the state of Hallownest. Hallow and their siblings are busy assisting the survivors and rebuilding the kingdom, but they obviously find fine to visit him, especially when they hear he woke up.

When they first meet and Pale King has that puzzled, blank look on his face Hallow's afraid he really is hollow after all but nah, in reality, they just grew so much he didn't recognise them. Once he does though it's all tearful hugs and apologies.

Pale King slowly heals along with the kingdom, but while he healed physically he's still yet to recover mentally, and after having a panic attack after meeting a moth Hallow's dating, he comes to the realisation he needs help. His family stage an intervention and help him find a therapist and he leaves to another kingdom, accompanied by Grimm and his troupe (imagine packing up to check yourself into a mental hospital and your ride turns out to be a fucking clown car), and he leaves with Dryya as his guard. It takes him roughly 5 years to return.

Also, before he left he and White Lady had another kid named Hope. And during these 5 years he went and killed the Nightmare's Heart so now Grimm is the God of nightmares instead of it.

After they return it's mostly cute domestic stuff. PK's family is horrified to find out he started dating Grimm (except for Ghost, who's ecstatic to have grimmchild as their new sibling, literally the only two people happy about this outcome tbh)

[crownshattered]

|| MMMMMMMM some random scrambled thoughts about a possible genshin Isfrid?? Everything is subject to change, especially since there's so little we know about full dragons in this game XDD If any of this info contradicts something we know in canon, PLEASE let me know!! it is so hard to keep up with all the genshin lore omg…

Ice elemental dragon~ But he’s like…..young. He's a young adult dragon, not fully mature by any means but not a child either. Just past his teenage years. Think early twenties in dragon years (like 21/22)

Isfrid is JUST an elemental dragon. He isn't like Neuvillette. He's more like Dvalin, just much younger. He has no ties to the Seven Sovereigns. He's just a dragon.

Over 500 years ago, he was Lyudmila's pet/familiar. She raised him since he was a tiny little hatchling vishap until he was the age he appears to be now. However, when the cataclysm came, she froze over her nation in anguish--and she froze her familiar as well. Isfrid was frozen in ice for five hundred years, and during that time lost all of his memories of his past. He didn't age at all during that time, so he's actually well over 500 years although he doesn't seem that old.

He was found by a human in Snezhnaya. Isfrid didn't any recollection of his past, so the human man's face was his first memory that he can recall. He changed his form to look like a human as well to mimic the man. That human then took him to his village and gave him the name Isfrid. The man--who was the patriarch of village--and his wife raised Isfrid, although he was technically an adult in dragon years. The village raised him like a human, so all he really knows is humanity and not dragons.

However, one day, Isfrid learned that his adoptive father was killed while out in the village. He was the only family Isfrid had ever known, and the knowledge of his death broke the poor dragon's heart. Much like the Archon, Isfrid's anguish overwhelmed him to the point where he couldn't control his ice. He turned the whole village to ice, even freezing all the villagers in the process. In a single day, he lost everything. So, he ran away.

He fled and hid amongst the blizzards of Snezhnaya. Wherever he went, he made the blizzards worse. I need to determine what he did during the time of his village's destruction to the current timeline, so I will update this post when I come up with that. Now, he’s left wandering Teyvat, trying to hide his identity as an ice dragon as well as control his powers (debating on whether or not he should live on Dragonspine now, but idk we’ll see XDD)

Isfrid tries to make himself seem human because he hates his 'dragon' side. So, he’s pretty much always walking around in a human form. He wears gloves to help control his ice, but if the leylines are too strong or he’s too emotional, they don’t help him at all.

He understands humanity better than Neuvillette since he was essentially raised by humans. However, he tries his best to isolate himself from others because he’s afraid of hurting them. (which is why I’m debating having him live in mondstadt bc Alanna wouldn’t leave him alone XDD)

Ummmm….more tba?? idk guys, i just want to write my little ice guy, he needs friends XDD

[tytosiderea]

For the Aurene ask game: 1, 2 and 6!

WOOHOO oc lore time

1. How does the Champion feel about Aurene?

I think I should start by saying that I like to fuck around with canon and the timeline quite a bit when I create OC's. My Champion for Aurene is not the Commander/PC, she is a Zephyrite! Her name is Lux, and she was actually quite young when she first bonded with the egg.

Looong story short, she and Aurene essentially grow up together, so she views Aurene as her sister. They have a very deep, very strong connection- sometimes bordering on codependency, especially during the conflict with Kralk.

2. What were the Champion's first thoughts and reaction when Aurene hatched?

Because she was bonded at a younger age, Lux had more time than the canon PC to spend with the egg in general, years to strengthen their bond and learn how to communicate. They could share things like emotions, things that she could see and hear in Lux's case, and sometimes thoughts through that bond, so by the time Aurene actually hatched, she and Lux technically already knew each other very well. That being said, Aurene still didn't know her own name until she hatched, so Lux would often refer to her as "my friend", or just "Her".

For the hatching itself I'd compare it to meeting someone you've been best friends with online irl for the first time. It was very much a sense of "there you are, you weren't lost, but I feel like I've found you" and "i already know you but its so good to meet you." She'd been a voice in Lux's head for so long, it was almost jarring finally getting to see her and be together physically.

Which was of course immediately interrupted by the Destroyers RIP, but the Commander was there to deal with them.

6. Did Aurene learn any quirk or habit from her Champion?

Aurene like to emulate Lux a lot as a hatchling, sort of mimicking how she walked and the way she carried herself. She also inherited quite a bit of playfulness and a propensity for getting into mischief (of which there was much to be had in a place as big as Tarir).

The biggest one I think, though Im not sure if this counts- is wing preening!

Bonding with a baby elder dragon at a young age and being constantly exposed thereafter to dragon magic, Lux started developing draconic features soon after Aurene hatched. Specifically, she grew wings. But unlike Aurene, Lux's wings were feathery, which required a lot more intentional maintenance to keep them healthy.

So when they were young, while Caithe would preen Lux's wings at the end of the day, Aurene would demand to have her wings 'preened' too, even though they didnt actually need it. Lux would pretend to preen her wings, and they'd snuggle up to sleep. This became their nightly ritual.

Aurene still likes to have her wings preened!! Although now Lux doesn't pretend anymore, she has a special polish for Aurene's scales. Cauthe still preens her feathers. (They are a family your honor)

[raitrolling]

iirc it’s either canon or a common headcanon that lusii name the trolls they look after, and while it is funny to think of assorted growls and other animal noises somehow translating into a proper name, I like to go with it being a job for the cavern workers

Jadebloods flipping through astrology books or books with scientific names for animals or dictionaries in other languages looking for what to name the latest batch of grubs

Looking through bloodline databases and seeing patterns that they need to uphold, and cursing the matron from generations past who decided that every grub hatched into a specific bloodline should have a name starting with H cuz they’re too attached to calling the newest hatchling Trizti

Caverns that give all their clutches themed names. All grubs from one clutch are named after desserts. The next ones are named after sports teams

Some poor overworked jadeblood who has been trying to come up with names for like six hours straight just goes fuck it. This green dude is Cactus. I don’t care anymore

[lieutenantbiscute]

Hello, hi, I wanted to tell you that every time you make a new post I start squealing in joy.

And ask a question….

I started watching tmnt2012 a few days ago (I’m halfway into season 2) and I don’t really understand why people think that raph is abusive toward his brothers (Mikey especially apparently). I mean, I have siblings and we’re a bit rough on each other like, all the time.

So why is it different with raph? Ok, he might have a few anger issues if you really want him to but calling him abusive is just ridiculously absurd

If I’m being wholeheartedly honest here I think the big idea of 12 Raph being ‘Abusive’ to Mikey comes from a LOT of newer fans who’ve come in due to Rise. Seeing clips taken out of context from the 2012 series and comparing them to Rise as a result.

One thing a lot of fans should note is that Rise is the one outlier version that changes a BUNCH one canon material character wise. Someone I follow on TikTok commented something that I think fits how me and some others see Rise,

‘It feels like a spin-off, and AU of sorts.’

That’s not to discredit Rise by any means! The art and animation is phenomenal and it should’ve gotten a full second season. But it also clouds and confuses those newer to the TMNT universe as a whole.

Raph has ALWAYS been the angry, quick to temper brother out of them all. But what makes him special is that he has SUCH a big heart. No matter what he says or does. He himself sees himself as a sort of shield and pillar for his brothers, a slap of reality if need be when times get tough.

In 2012 he’s ALWAYS there for Mikey. And Mikey has been there for him too!!

Raph is always there to cover his youngest brothers back no matter what and if anything Mikey isn’t as innocent as people think. He’s an instigator.

Mikey LOVES to push his brother buttons and gets them into trouble more often then not. Resulting in the others, rightfully, getting pissed off and yelling at him. But what people as well fail to realize is that Mikey can hold his own! He’s been with his brothers since they were hatchlings he knows what they say and do can’t entirely be taken to heart. If anything it results in the roughhousing we see a lot of the time.

If it’s as bad as people are saying Mikey would’ve DEFINITELY left a while ago. Maybe had a bigger fight about it all if it were that bad.

Raph and Mikey’s relationship is that of two brothers who call eachother all sorts of names and put eachother into headlocks and through evil pranks but the minute someone even speaks ill of the other in their direction all bets are off, hands are gonna be thrown.

[flightstalling]

1. would it be okay for me to have a breeding project for a Timothy-inspired dragon bc I love him so so much 2. if I DID have a breeding project once I gened him up I should probably exalt him right away? or maybe he could hang out with my leveled+stored fodder hmm thoughts?? 3. thank you for your art it's. so good ;-;

1. Yes! 

(

Impossible bonus breeding challenge for the most “canon” Timothy, that should never be attempted:

The father must be a coatl, Basic Marigold, Eyespots Saffron, Underbelly Ruby, common fire eyes. He must be named Gerald.

The mother must be a mirror, Basic Gloom, Basic Obsidian, Basic Magenta. Common plague eyes. Must be named Moth.

The first clutch must consist of 2 hatchlings. One will be Timothy and the other Jimothy, a Basic Silver, Basic Grey, Underbelly Coral coatl. Both have common plague eyes.

Good luck.

)

2. Exalting would be the most “canon” option, but it’s completely up to you. He can hang around doing various things as he is a known entrepreneur.

3. Thank you! ;u;

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Can I request some sibling moment between Nozel and Noelle? I really, really need more of it, especially after the latest chapter. How about something with Noelle being sad (you can choose the reason) and Nozel comforting his little sister? Or the other way round. You write so well and I loved your latest sibling piece with Nozel and Noelle so much!

Hello~! ^-^

Yeah, they really should get more sibling interactions in canon, and hopefully, after the current arc ends, there'll be such moments. Anyhow, I hope you like this ^-^

Summaru: Nozel and Noelle leave goodbyes to Acier

Genre: hurt-comfort (?)

Warnings: implied mention of death

The terrors of the Spade were behind them. The dark and the torment, the ghosts of winters past, the vengeance long in the making. It was all… done. It all was done, except for one more thing. One last thing that they ought to do.

Though Acier, the mother that was cloaked in warmth, had left her goodbyes, the children, the Silver Hatchlings of the Steel Princess, they had not. They had only stood there, dumbfounded, and unable to do anything else. They had simply stood there as their mother had held them, and told them how proud of them she was; how very proud she was both of her son and her daughter.

They had simply stood then, and so they only stood now.

A cross, a headstone stood ahead of them, one that wore their mother’s name. But she wasn’t there, in the grave before their feet. She was somewhere else. She was finally free, free as a bird, ready to soar higher than ever before, all the way up into the high heavens where she belonged. No, she wasn’t in the ground, marked by the headstone. She was finally at peace.

But. It was as good of a place to leave goodbyes in the end, as good as any. It was the place where they were supposed to leave their farewells after the funeral, but hadn’t. Not in their hearts at least.

Noelle stood there, a lone breeze taking a hold of her hair and making it sway like a river of silver. Meanwhile Nozel crouched down, and stared at the stone from behind the memento that always hung in his vision. His chin was down and his posture was hunched as he thought about what to say. What could he say for it to suffice as a goodbye? What could he tell their mother that wasn’t there?

Noelle glanced over to her brother, and then back to the name, and the stone. She had never really known their mother. But she was certain that she had been an absolutely wonderful person. And so, she’d stay. She’d always be a wonderful person, a loving mother, and the parent, that was proud of them. The person who’d always validate them both.

She, too, thought about it for a moment. What could she say? But. Then she concluded that it was a goodbye, and… their mom… there was no ‘wrong thing’ she could say. Or so she figured, and thus, she simply began.

“Mom… I-, I never really knew you. But… I wish I had. I wish that I could have gotten to know the person that you are. And I wish that I could have gotten to learn from you. But it’s okay. Because I’m getting strong with the help of my friends, and Nii-sama too. So… we’ll be okay. We’ll be okay, because we’re your children,” she smiled as a tear, from each of her eyes, rolled down her cheeks. “So… goodbye mom… I’m glad that I got to see you.”

Nozel had turned his head away from her as he listened to her speak. The few fragments of words hat had existed in his head, loose threads of things he might say, they had all slipped his mind. There had been so many things he had had still left to say, but now he came up with none. And yet, he should say something. That was why they were there after all.

“Goodbye… mom…” he only whispered with broken syllables that dripped from his lips onto the ground, accompanied by a few tears that he was adamant on not letting Noelle see.

And yet, she could hear them in his voice.

So, she crouched down next to him, sitting onto the ground and wrapped her arms around him. “We’ll be okay Nozel-niisama…” she mumbled, uncertain if she should, for she had never, that she could remember, given him a hug. But he really looked like he needed one. And, if she was perfectly honest, she needed one too.

Against her expectations, he wrapped an arm around her and held her close. “Yeah…” he mumbled, still looking away. “We will be…” he still continued, feeling an array of emotions, but still… he felt lighted than before.

And in the end, their goodbyes weren’t about vengeance, or the trauma, or the anger in their veins, it was about them. It was about how two children missed their mother. It was about how they missed their mother, but knew that she was proud of them both.

[xeno-bio-sociology]

Do you have any thoughts on an Alternian conlang? Years ago I had a cowriter who tried to figure out enough of a conlang to assign meanings to all the characters' names and I liked that. (Theory we went with is the lusus makes a noise at the hatchling and the jades transcribe it into words.)

I've seen a couple of people trying to conlang Alternian over the years but have no real thoughts of my own other than I would want it to not be at all like any existing Earth language and should include noises humans can't reliably pronounce or hear, with SBurb having done the translation bits between species.

I have some meta floating around somewhere about quirks being a transcription of a sort of "accent" one acquires from one's lusus. Young trolls are mimics with a wide vocal range so as to learn how to communicate with their lusus, and as they grow their voicebox solidifies such that they lose most of their range but retain both what is needed for the alternian dialect and what they've used for custodial communication.

The thing about names being a transcription of lusus noises is I think canon, though of course it is entirely possible it's fudged a bit in reality. It would, for instance, be difficult to get a "feferi" out of Glubglub (forget how that's spelled) without killing a large percent of the population.

[sunnidaydreamer]

Playing with Fire

CW: OCs(if y’all don’t like that) OC x Canon(eventual, again if y’all don’t like that)

Characters: Volga, Silva(OC), Lizalfos and Dinolfos

Tags: Self-Indulgent, A whole village worships Volga, like a cult, Human Sacrifice, Gifted Bride, I’m bad at pacing, Wrote This For Me, Canon-Typical Violence, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, fat OC, just to keep that in mind, Friends to Lovers

Summary: Volga is given a sacrificial bride from a nearby village as tribute. Volga wants nothing to do with the situation, but if it will get the villagers to leave him alone, then she can stay. Her name is Silva.

////

Chapter 6

 Month 6(June)

Summer was in full swing now, with muggy nights filled with fireflies, and hot days spent by the river and in the shade.

Silva’s birthday was coming up.

She knew that Myra, at least, would want to do something for her. She would probably want Silva to spend the day with her, maybe the night. But that would be discussed as time got closer.

For now, Silva would work on getting up the courage to ask if she could go to the town by herself. Getting him to trust her to do that, however, meant a hell of a lot more training. His coming to find her after dark that day showed how little confidence he had in her as a fighter.

Her not keeping to her word about being back by dark certainly hadn’t helped elevate her in his eyes.

Silva had approached several members of the tribe about sparring, and each one had beat her stupid. She was left with so many bruises and cuts they overlapped, and still, it didn’t seem like she was improving.

She supposed she could ask someone to direct her, but most of the tribe didn’t seem interested in being teachers. Silva didn’t dare ask Volga, he had so little confidence in her as it was.

But who could she ask? The village didn’t have anyone that knew how to fight. They had confidence that Volga, their Great One, would protect them.

How Silva wanted to tell them he didn’t care. That he was just protecting his territory.

So she returned to her drills, feeling more and more envious of Volga and the tribe, their natural strength. No matter what she did, Silva felt she wasn’t making enough progress, not fast enough.

She wanted Volga to believe in her.

She wanted to impress him.

Silva stopped where she was, lowering her daggers. Sweat dripped from her brow as she realized just how much this meant to her.

She wanted Volga to like her.

She wanted his trust, his confidence.

This...was more than just being attracted to him.

“I have a crush on Volga…”

---

Silva found herself wondering if she should avoid Volga for a while if that would make the crush go away. Maybe if she spent more time in town. But if she suddenly did that, avoiding Volga and the caves, everyone would notice something was off. They would know there was something Silva felt was wrong. They might even think they upset her.

Maybe she could get a job in the village, and have an excuse to be there more often.

Silva would still have to talk to Volga about it. He was giving her looks now and then when she talked about going to the village or Myra’s by herself. Especially the village. But now she understood why he felt the way he felt, at least in part.

If she was stronger...if she was strong enough...could she…?

No. No, she couldn’t. It didn’t matter how strong she was.

Silva hid in her nest, sheets pulled up over her head.

A crush on Volga.

Thinking she could win against her mother.

What was she thinking?

There was movement outside of her nest.

Silva peeked out from under her covers.

There was a little group of hatchlings standing in front of her nest.

Silva sat up. “Yes, little ones?”

The hatchlings exchanged glances, looking to the largest of them and nudging.

He shuffled forward, looking down at his little claws. He looked up at her after a moment of awkward silence.

“Read?”

“Read? You want to learn how to read?”

There were a few murmurs among the group. They looked at her and shrugged.

“You want me to read to you?”

They all perked up and nodded in unison.

Silva laughed softly. “Of course, I’ll read to you!”

She carefully got up from her nest, the little ones scattering a bit. Silva went to her chest, opening it, and pulled out a book of fairy tales.

“Here, let's go somewhere we can all sit comfortably, shall we?”

---

Volga walked into the dining area, feeling peckish. He’d hurried to finish his patrols that day, and wanted a snack before he went to train. He halted in surprise a few feet in.

Silva was sat in a chair, book in hand, a little group of hatchlings seated before her. There were even a few adults.

“The tower was built far in the forest, built high up. The prince needed a way to climb the tower."

Silva turned the page. The group looked enthralled.

“The prince returned day after day, hoping for only a glimpse of the singer in the tower. All of his ladders were too short, and it would take a while to have one built that could scale the mighty tower.”

Volga forgot about his hunger, walking closer to the group.

“One day, the prince was in luck. He stayed hidden in the brush, and there in the window of the tower appeared a fair maiden.”

The hatchlings made little cooing noises and leaned forward, some piling together.

“Her voice was clear and beautiful, carrying through the wood. Seeing the one he’d sought for so long, hearing her wonderful voice, the prince fell in love.”

Volga sat in a chair, a little behind the group.

“He knew he had to speak to her. So he went to the base of the tower and called up to the maiden.”

Silva lowered her voice.

“‘My lady, my lady! Can you hear me?’ called the prince to the maiden. She was startled and frightened by this stranger calling to her. ‘My lady, please! Do not flee! I only wish to talk to you!’”

She spoke in a higher tone. Volga leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs.

“‘Who are you? How did you find me?’ the maiden asked as she leaned out the window, looking down.” She lowered it again. “‘I followed your singing, good lady. I followed your voice here, to this tower.’ The maiden was stunned to hear this. Her singing had carried so far?”

Volga rested his cheek on his chin, just listening. He watched Silva’s face, her expression changing as she spoke. He never thought his kin might also enjoy reading. With their claws, his kin might be able to handle scrolls, but books like Silva had were out of the question.

His ears twitched a little as she changed her voice for the characters, but all in all the experience was soothing. Volga found himself drifting off, Silva’s gentle voice relaxing him.

She looks lovely like this. Volga thought. Almost...motherly.

A few of the hatchlings were in a pile now, staring up at her. Some of the adults were leaning forward in suspense.

Wait, where were they in the story?

“The prince looked high and low for his love, eyes blinded by the witch not stopping him.”

It seemed he had missed a bit.

“After months of searching, searching through perils unnumbered, he finally heard a voice. ‘My love, it’s you!’ Even though he was sightless the prince looked around. It felt like her voice was all around him, and he couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from.”

“Arms surrounded him, holding him tight. ‘My love, you’ve found me!’ The prince smiled wide, wrapping his beloved in his arms and picking her up, spinning them around. Then the maiden noticed his scarred eyes. ‘My poor love!’ She pulled his face close, kissing the scars. Tears spilled from her eyes, falling on his face. Then, by the magic of their love, the scars vanished. The prince opened his eyes, and again he could see.”

Silva turned the page one more time.

“Now, with his sight restored and his beloved found, the prince returned to his homeland. Shortly after arriving, there was a grand royal wedding, and the prince was crowned King, alongside his new Queen.”

Silva turned the book around. On the last page, there was an illustration of two humans in fancier attire than he’d ever seen, with a castle in the background and less detailed people standing under the presumed King and Queen.

She waited a few moments for the group in front of her to get a good look at the picture.

“The end.”

She closed the book as her audience clamored excitedly, with little cries for more from the hatchlings.

“More?” Silva laughed gently. “You want me to read another? We’ve been here all morning!”

“More! More, more!” They cried in unison.

“Little ones.” Volga stood from his chair, coming out of whatever fascination had taken him.

The entire group jumped as one, looking up at him.

“Volga! When did you get here?” Silva seemed more than a little startled.

“Around the beginning of the story. You didn’t notice me?”

Silva shook her head.

“Either way, as you said, you’ve been here all morning. I think it’s time to do something else.”

The hatchlings made noises of disappointment, looking at Volga, then Silva, pleadingly.

“I’m sorry little ones, I have other things I’d like to do. Tell you what; I’ll read to you around bedtime, how about that?”

They sighed exaggeratedly, looking up at her once more in hopes of more stories. Silva smiled ruefully and shook her head, making them sigh and get up. They said their goodbyes, the adults as well, leaving Silva and Volga alone.

Silva felt warm, eyes drifting away. She got up from her chair, stretching, and after a moment she just smiled and nodded at Volga. She turned, intending to leave, when Volga spoke.

“When will our next lesson be?”

“Next lesson? Oh, for your reading! Um… whenever you’re ready? I’m always available.”

That was that right? Okay, off she went-

“How about now?”

Crap.

“Ah, if you want? I’ll have to go grab your books.” Silva tapped her fingers on the cover of the book she held.

“Alright. I will wait here.” Volga went back to his previous seat, sitting down to wait patiently.

Silva exhaled softly, cheeks going pink. This was bad. The more time she spent with him, no doubt the deeper her crush would get.

She had lived here without issue for six months, and now she had a crush. Why couldn’t she have just stayed interested in Nathaniel? She still found Nathaniel attractive, but now nothing more than that. No, that wasn’t true, not really; but her crush on him had dampened significantly.

Silva returned the book to the chest and got out the easier book she used to help Volga, as well as a pen and paper. She’d need more paper soon. Maybe when in town she could buy a sketchbook, like the one she used to have.

It’d be something to do when not training.

With that thought, she returned to Volga.

---

A few days later Silva decided to talk to Volga about getting a job in the village. That way she’d have a reason to go there more often by herself, and earning a few rupees of her own wouldn’t hurt.

“A job?” Volga set down his pike, turning to face Silva fully.

“Yes. The general store manager needs someone to run errands for him, and I figure it will give me something to do, as well as give me some rupees of my own. I could pay you back for all the rupees you’ve lent me.”

“You don’t need to do that.” Volga grabbed his waterskin and took a few sips. “Am I not supposed to provide for a member of the tribe?”

“I would feel better if I could pay you back at least a little. Having a job would make it so I could, and so I wouldn’t have to rely on your rupees so much.”

“How long would you be in the village?” Volga set the skin down and picked up his pike again.

“That depends. I’d have to ask about the job first.” Silva shifted a little. She knew what was coming next.

“And, I assume, you want to go alone?”

“Yes.”

Volga looked at her for a long moment. Ever since she hadn’t come back on time, Silva hadn’t really left the caves to go to Myra’s or the village.

“Be back before dark this time. Or I will send someone for you.”

“Of course.”

Silva tried to express without words her trustworthiness, but really how could she do that? The only way to get his trust was to prove she could be trusted.

“Very well. Go to the village and see about this ‘job’.”

“Thank you. If I get the job I’ll make sure you know what time I need to be there and when it ends.”

“Good.”

He turned from Silva to return to his drills.

Silva got her bow and daggers, strapping the sheaths to her hips and slinging the bow over her shoulder. She didn’t see why she wouldn’t get the job at the general store, but then again would the owner even consider her?

With her living in the caves, would she be able to get to the village each morning on time, if that was when he wanted her to work?

Well, she could try.

She set out, waving goodbye to a few dragonfolk as she left. It was a nice day, kind of hot but not too muggy.

Silva made good time to the village, she was much more used to the long walks now than when she had begun living in the caves. She’d lost some weight but always seemed to regain it somehow.

Still, even with the weight, she felt healthier than she ever had.

Once in the village, she made a beeline for the General Store, politely waving and saying hello to several villagers on the way there. No one really approached her unless necessary, no one had since she’d been chosen at thirteen.

“Hello?” Silva called out as she entered the store, the little bell above the door tinkling softly.

“Hello, hello! Silva, how wonderful to see you!”

“Hello. I was wondering, do you still need someone to run errands for you?”

“Oh, that job offer I posted? You would want that?” The owner crossed his arms, looking a little confused.

“Yes. It would give me something to do, as well as earning a few rupees for myself.”

“You don’t have enough to do as the Great One’s bride? What about when you start having children? Did he even okay this?”

“Ah, no there’s not really a lot to do in the caves. The tribe has everything figured out. And yes, I did ask Volga, and he did say it was alright.”

“Presumably, you’ll stop when the two of you conceive?”

“….Yes, presumably.” Silva didn’t know how to answer other than that. How could she tell him they weren’t planning on ever having children, that they weren’t even acting as man and wife?

“Then welcome aboard, my dear! Wait just a moment and I’ll grab my list.”

Silva shifted uncomfortably. She was sure the store owner wasn’t the only one waiting for news of children. But how could she tell them that would never happen? That Volga had no interest in her in that way?

Silva dreaded the thought that if she did, they’d tell her to come back to the village, and send another, prettier girl in her place. Volga had only begrudgingly let Silva stay; would he accept another girl? And hadn’t he just that day called Silva a member of the tribe? Would he make her go back?

“Here we are. You can leave your weapons here, my girl. No need for them in the village.” He held out a piece of paper.

Silva took it and unfolded it, looking down the short list of errands and deliveries. “Do you have any idea about what time I would start and end each day?”

“Husband wants to know, eh? No surprise. Well, we’ll do around noon each day, end around...let’s say seven. We’ll work out autumn and winter when we get there.”

“Alright. Thanks for telling me. I’ll get started right away!”

Silva set her weapons down, picked up a package labeled for the house near the falls, and set out.

There was a lot of running around, but Silva had expected that. Time passed faster than she was expecting, and before she knew it, it was getting close to sunset.

All she was doing, so far, was delivering packages to the villagers. Silva imagined that she’d have more to do other times, but that this would mostly be her job. She wrapped up her day, stopping into the store to grab her things and say goodbye to the owner.

“So, you’re so useless there he’s sent you here to work?”

Silva froze, standing straight, a cold sweat coming over her.

“Well? Turn around and look when your mother is speaking to you!”

Silva did so, turning around to look at her mother. There was no one else around at this hour, most or all home for the night.

“Mother.”

“Answer my question. Are you so useless there that you had to get a job?”

“No! No, there’s just not much for me to do.” Silva looked down.

“What, not pretty enough for him? Maybe you’d make a better meal, you’re surely fat enough.”

Silva bit her lip, tears pricking her eyes.

“I’m surprised he even let you stay. He could have eaten you, you know? Saved me a lot of trouble, either way.”

“I have to get back,” Silva whispered.

“What’s that? Speak louder!”

“I have to get back. Volga gets upset if I’m not back before dark.”

“You call him by name? You’d insult him like that?!”

“What? No, he told me to-”

“He is your lord refer to him with respect!”

“I- yes, mother.” Silva’s shoulders slumped.

“Now, here you are wasting time when you should be returning. Shame on you.”

“I-”

“Well, get going.” Her mother turned and walked away.

“...Yes, mother.”

---

Silva tried to walk fast back to the caves, but the conversations with her mother and the store owner kept replaying in her head.

Volga didn’t see her as a potential partner, so there would be no children. She was a failure as a bride. If the village knew, they would be so disappointed in her. They would make her come back, back to live with her mother, and would send someone else. Someone prettier, smarter. Someone Volga would want as a wife.

Her mother… even with six months away her mother still got her to stand to attention and keep her eyes low.

Not even strong enough to stand up to her mother. No wonder Volga didn’t want her.

Silva stopped, fighting back tears.

What good was she? She couldn’t be what the village sent her to be, what she’d been trained to be. What purpose did she have when she couldn’t fulfill the one she’d been given?

The sky opened up and rain started pouring down on her.

Silva tilted her head back, looking up at the sky. Tears were flowing freely now, masked by the rain. Silva just stood there for a few moments, before screaming at the sky.

What was the point? What was her purpose? She was just...existing now.

She closed her mouth and stood with her head back for a while, letting the rain hit her face. Finally, she looked down, deciding she had wasted enough time.

It was time to go home.

She was thoroughly soaked by the time she got back, spending time by the entrance ringing out her clothes and hair. It was dark now, but she’d made it back in time.

Silva looked up and saw Volga and another member of the tribe approaching. They paused when they saw her.

“So, you made it back in time. Not before the storm, however.” The corners of his lips quirked up a bit, seemingly amused.

“I was already on my way back when it started.” Silva wasn’t in any mood for amusement. She was too depressed.

The dragonkin next to Volga chattered softly, a language Silva still didn’t understand. Volga listened intently before his eyes slid back over to Silva. Belatedly, Silva noticed he was dressed down today. He was probably going to send his kin to find her if that was what they were there for.

His kin left with a wave at Silva, and there was an awkward silence.

“You’ll get ill if you don’t change soon. Perhaps a bath would help.”

Volga looked down for a moment, oddly quiet.

“If you want to talk, you know where to find me.”

Silva was stunned. Talk? Could he tell she was feeling bad? He started walking away.

“Volga!”

Volga stopped, turning slightly to look at her.

“Thank you.” Silva smiled at him, trying to fight back the tears that were forming.

Volga nodded, a little smile briefly flitting across his lips.

---

 Month 6(near the end)

It was getting closer to Silva’s birthday. She figured it would be the same as every year: she’d spend it with Myra and her family. Despite being chosen at thirteen Silva’s training was the priority. Whether or not she did things like celebrating birthdays or holidays, well that was on her.

Silva approached Volga, who was spending time with the hatchlings. For as big and scary as he seemed, he was very kind, fatherly even. He seemed to enjoy spending time with the youngest members of the tribe.

Volga was sat among a small group of hatchlings, one even lay on their belly on his head, limbs and tail dangling. Most of them seemed to be napping, and Volga seemed content to let them use him as a bed, a soft smile on his lips.

“Hello.” Silva felt nervous. This was the first time she was asking about staying somewhere else overnight, after all.

“Hello.” Volga kept his voice soft, turning slightly to see her better. The hatchling on his head looked at her as well, chirping softly in greeting.

“I have something I have to ask.”

“What is it?”

“My birthday is coming up-”

“Birthday?” Volga raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. It’s a celebration of the day someone is born. Birthday.”

“I see. Go on.”

“Well, my birthday is coming up in a few days, and Myra wants me to come and stay at the farm that night to celebrate.”

“Overnight?”

“Yes.” Silva bit her lip lightly. She was a little worried he wouldn’t let her.

“You will be safe there?” Volga shifted slightly, careful of the hatchlings.

Silva hated how she still found herself surprised that he cared about her safety. “Yes. I always have been.”

There was a sudden movement in Volga’s lap and a little head popped. “Ssilva!”

The hatchling scrambled out of the dragons' lap and over to Silva, raising her arms and hopping up and down. Silva laughed softly and picked her up, laughing more when she made her way up Silva’s shoulders to peek out from under her hair.

“Hello to you too, Scylla.”

The little Dinolfos giggled and began playing with Silva’s hair.

“How long will you be?” Volga continued.

“Only, hehehe, only a day.” Silva giggled as Scylla snuggled closer, strands of her own hair tickling her.

Volga seemed to be contemplating the situation. Silva had never asked to be away overnight, and it wasn’t something she asked lightly.

“Very well. You may stay the night there.” He didn’t sound too pleased with the idea. “When?”

“In a few days. I’ll say something the day of.”

“Alright. Make sure to.” Volga noticed one of the smaller hatchlings seeming to wake up, looking up at him and yawning.

“Is it alright if I stay?” Silva questioned quietly, afraid of waking any more hatchlings.

Volga only nodded and Silva sat behind him, her back to his, Scylla coming down from her shoulder to rest in her lap. The hatchling that had just woken, a little Lizalfos named Nuri, noticed Silva then. He crawled over Volga’s thigh to join Scylla in Silva’s lap, the two snuggling up together.

Without thinking Silva leaned back, resting against Volga. If he thought anything of it, he kept it to himself.

---

 A Few Days Later

Silva packed a small bag in preparation for going to Myra’s. She’d help around the farm while she was there, but the day of her birthday she would spend relaxing with them. She wondered what Volga thought of birthdays now that he knew of them. Did he find them another waste of time that humans had? She’d never really talked to him about things like holidays and traditions before. Maybe next time.

Silva would be leaving in the morning to go to Myra’s, so for today, she’d spend time helping around the caves.

She left her den and went to the nursery again, they could always use help there.

“Hello? Lumi, I’m here to help.”

A large Lizalfos raised her head, looking over to Silva at the entrance. The hatchlings of the nursery chittered and chirped happily, some coming over to meet Silva.

“Sssilva. Come to read to the little oness?”

“If it’s what you need. I’m here to help. I’ll be gone all of tomorrow, into the next day.”

“Away? Why would you away?”

“It’s my birthday tomorrow. We, humans, celebrate the day we are born.”

“How?” Lumi tilted her head to the side, a tiny hatchling making their way up her side. “Stop that.”

Silva carefully weaved her way through the hatchlings, taking a seat on a small boulder. As soon as she sat she was swarmed; little claws pricked through her pant legs as she was scaled like Lumi, hatchlings squabbling over who got to sit where. They worked their way up her shoulders, one particularly brave Lizalfos making their way to her head, laying on their belly and letting their limbs and tail dangle.

“Well for birthdays, everyone celebrates differently. There are a few consistent things, however; there’s cake, presents and the one celebrating their birthday spends time with their friends and family.”

“Ssso you celebrate with family tomorrow?”

“...no, but I will be with some friends.” Silva’s mother had never celebrated her birthday.

“No family to celebrate with?” Lumi wasn’t being unkind, Silva knew that. She was just curious.

“No, it’s just that my mother never celebrated my birthday. So I celebrate with my friends instead.”

Lumi seemed confused at that, looking at Silva for a long moment before chattering softly. A little Dinolfos on Silva’s lap looked up and chirped at her, seemingly also confused.

“It’s alright. I enjoy celebrating with Myra and Kai. They’re practically my family too.”

“Tribe family?”

Silva stopped moving, having no answer. Was the tribe her family now? Did they see her as family? She’d only been there six months, but they spent every day together. So it wouldn’t be odd for strong feelings to develop. But, did she see them as family?

“I…”

Neither noticed Volga lingering by the door.

“Does the tribe...see me as family?” Silva asked quietly.

“Silva is tribe. Tribe is family.” Lumi moved closer, the hatchlings making room for her.

Tears fell unbidden, splashing onto the head of a little Dinolfos in Silva’s lap, who looked up confused. Lumi jumped in surprise.

“Water from eyess?”

Silva wiped her eyes quickly, trying to gather herself.

“I’m sorry, I…” She sniffled.

“Silva sad? But, why?” Lumi reached out, resting her hand on Silva’s shoulder.

“It’s nothing. Silly.” She kept wiping her eyes, trying to stop her tears. But no matter how she wiped they still kept coming.

The hatchling on her head descended to her shoulder, chirping softly and nuzzling against her cheek.

Volga frowned heavily. Why would being called family elicit such a reaction from Silva? It was almost as if she had no family, but that wasn’t true. She had told him before about her mother. Did she not even feel like family with her mother?

What kind of mother did she have, that she didn’t feel like they were really family?

Silva tried hard to stop her silent tears, but they just kept coming.

---

Silva splashed water onto her face, rubbing lightly. She looked up at her little mirror; her face was puffy and red, and she felt she looked awful. She looked back down and splashed more water onto her face. Silva took a deep breath and grabbed a towel, patting her face dry.

She decided she’d go a day early, she needed some time away from the caves. But she’d have to wait until her face went back to normal to talk to Volga about it. Until then, she’d stay in her den, pretending to straighten the area.

She busied herself with collecting her bedding for laundry, dusted her meager belongings, and rearranged the things in her chest to be more neat and orderly. Silva gathered her sheets into a basket and headed outside, walking fast and pretending not to see anyone on her way out. Near the entrance were the soap and washboard, grabbing them on her way.

Silva power walked until she was about halfway to the river before finally slowing. She was panting softly, arms starting to hurt from holding so tightly to the basket, soap, and washboard. Silva walked the rest of the way as if she had all the time in the world, intending to take as much time as needed to do her laundry.

It was annoying that the river was a mile or so from the caves, but today that was a blessing. She didn’t have a great amount of laundry to do, but it would take a decent amount of time if she did it slow enough.

When she got to the river she got straight to work, setting the wash basket down and emptying it of the sheets. She filled the bucket with water, set up the washboard, and got to work.

---

Silva had been gone for what felt like all day.

After she had begun crying she’d left the nursery, not even seeing Volga as she passed. She had stayed in her den for some time, and he’d waited patiently for her to emerge. He’d left to grab something to drink and by the time he’d returned Silva was gone, one of the tribe telling him they saw her leave with her laundry basket.

So he’d waited more.

But now she’d been away for hours, or so it seemed, and he was tired of waiting to talk to her. He walked to the river, and sure enough there she was. Silva stood by the river, ringing out a sheet.

“Silva.”

The brunette looked back, still ringing the sheet. “Volga?”

Volga came to stand beside her. “What’s taken you so long? You normally don’t take so much time.”

Silva started folding the sheet, she would let them dry back at the caves. She had an offshoot of her den where she had set up some rope to use to dry her laundry. Hauling it back when wet was the hard part.

“Sorry. I guess time just got away from me today.” Silva turned and put the folded sheet into the basket,   picking up her washboard and soap to add to the basket as well.

“Here. I will carry it.” Before Silva could protest Volga picked up the basket, gesturing to Silva for them to start back.

“You don’t have to carry it, I can.”

“It’s fine.”

The walk back was quiet. Volga wanted to wait until they were in private before asking about earlier. He’d never seen her react so strongly to something before.

He walked her all the way back to her den and into the side room, setting the basket down. Silva silently sidestepped him and started hanging up the sheets. After a moment, Volga did the same, grabbing a sheet and following Silva’s movements.

“Ah, you don’t have to help. You carried the basket, after all.”

“Nonsense. I can help.”

When the last sheet was finally up Silva couldn’t take it anymore.

“What aren’t you telling me? What do you want to talk about?”

Volga finished hanging up the last of the sheets with a deep exhale.

“Silva. Are you happy here?”

“What?” Silva froze.

“Are you happy here? It’s been six months now.”

“I...I am. I’m happy here. I like living here.”

“Really?”

Silva had her back to Volga, and he gently took her wrist, encouraging her to turn around. Silva did so, looking up at him.

“I am. I’m happy here, Volga.”

She smiled up at him, but it was a weak smile.

“Why did you cry earlier?”

“Earlier?” Her eyes widened.

“In the nursery. Lumi called you a member of the tribe. Family. You started crying.” He let go of her wrist.

“You saw that?”

“Even if I hadn’t, do you think it wouldn’t have gotten back to me?”

Silva sighed and looked away before reaching up and putting her palm to her forehead.

“I…”

Volga waited.

“I guess it just...made me emotional. Myra and Kai make me feel the same way. I felt...happy. So happy I couldn’t keep it in.”

“So you cried?”

“Yes.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Volga looked at her like she was crazy.

“No, it doesn’t. That’s just how it is though.” Silva laughed a little. How strange it sounded, even to her.

They didn’t say anything for a while after that, the only sound being the dripping of water from the sheets.

“As long as you’re happy.” It was all Volga said before leaving.

Silva decided she could wait to go to Myra’s until the next day as planned.

---

Early the next morning Silva took her packed bag and went to find Volga. Dinner last night had been a quiet affair between them, but it hadn’t been a bad quiet. Silva had a lot to think about, and the quiet had been nice.

She found Volga just as he started his patrols.

“Volga, I’m leaving until tomorrow.” She called out.

He turned and nodded at her, acknowledging her words. “Then, we will see you tomorrow. Be safe.”

“I will see you tomorrow.”

She left with a small smile on her lips, feeling warm and happy. Usually, she felt some kind of joy on her birthday, but only around Myra and Kai. They were the only ones who made her birthday special, who made her feel special. But now she felt a different kind of special today. She had a new family. It was a strange family, but it was hers.

It was around ten o’clock when Silva finally arrived at Myra and Kai’s farm. Silva was pleased to see that her favorite cow, Daisy, was near the front gate.

“Daisy!” She called out to the cow excitedly. She knew it wasn’t likely, but it was almost as if the cow was waiting for her on her birthday.

The cow raised her head and mooed loudly, trotting over to meet Silva at the fence. Silva set her bag down and started rubbing Daisy’s snout gently.

“Hey, big girl. How are you doing?”

Daisy mooed again and raised her head, exposing her neck for Silva to scratch. She spent a few minutes with Daisy, cooing over her and giving her scratches.

“Silva!”

Silva turned to see Myra waving wildly.

“Myra!”

They ran to each other, hugging when they met.

“Happy birthday!” Myra said into Silva’s shoulder.

“Thank you. Where’s Kai?” Silva pulled away.

“He’s mucking the last few stalls. We got up early to finish our work in time for your visit.”

“You didn’t have to do that, I’m always happy to help.”

“But it’s your birthday! You shouldn’t have to work on our farm on your birthday!” Myra insisted.

Silva shook her head with a chuckle and the two linked arms, heading to the house. When they got there Myra led her to the kitchen, where the table was already set and food waiting.

“We need to wait for Kai, but he should be done soon. Why don’t you go put your stuff in the guest room while we wait?”

“Sure.”

As Silva walked to the stairs the door opened.

“Ah, our guest of honor!” Kai called out playfully.

“Hello, Kai. All done?”

“For now, for now. You just get here?”

“Yes, I’m putting my bag in the guest room, then we can have breakfast.”

“Can you wait until I no longer smell like manure?” Kai crinkled his nose.

Silva laughed. “Sure, we can wait.”

---

Once Kai was clean the three sat down to breakfast, chatting away happily. Myra told Silva of the plan to spend the day by the waterfall lake in the woods. They had been there many times before, and it was a popular spot in the summer for cooling off.

They headed off around noon, bellies still full from breakfast, but a basket brought along just in case. Myra jumped in before any of them, more then ready for a day spent relaxing. Silva and Kai dropped off the basket before racing in after her, splashing and laughing loudly.

They raced to the top of the waterfall and jumped in, splashed each other, and timed to see who could hold their breath the longest.

They took a break from their fun around three, eating the small sandwiches and snacks they had brought along. Kai took a nap as Silva and Myra went back to swimming, spending the day at the lake until six when they decided to wrap it up and head back.

When they finally returned to the farm all three were exhausted and pleasantly so. It was a good tired, the tired of a long day spent having fun. They ate a light dinner, settling down in the living room to relax and let the excitement of the day melt away while eating slices of chocolate cake, baked by both Myra and Kai.

Myra pulled out a medium box, handing it to Silva.

“Here, we thought you could use something to do in the caves.”

Silva opened it to find a spool of cloth, several rolls of colorful thread, and a small case of needles. Embroidery.

“Thank you. I certainly have enough time to learn.” She said with a laugh.

She hugged them both, and before long night was falling, causing the three of them to retire for the night.

It was the best day Silva had had in a long time.

[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

Thera's Journal Entry #61

(This one isn't as good as the others, but at least I posted something.)

I flipped a dagger of light in my hand. I sat at the base of a tree, under the shade, as Crow stood in the clearing in front of me, showing off by shooting the painted targets on the trees.

It was nice, being in the sunlight again.

Crow finished. He had hit a few bulls eyes, but a few did not quite make it. They were close though, so I had to give him some credit.

"Alright. Your turn." He said, walking back to me as he tucked his gun into his holster.

I stood up and unsheathed the Ace of Spades. I didn't bring it out to the field a whole lot, but I still brought it out to practice every now and then. I spun quickly, shooting each target. Every bullet hit its mark, the red circle in the center, in just a quick minute.

"Show off," Crow muttered.

I only shrugged and went over to him, my hand held out.

Crow sighed and deposited thirty glimmer, which I put away into my pocket. We had been going for quite some time and had a bet over who would hit the most bullseyes.

"Come on. Let's go for a walk." I suggested as I slid my gun into my holster and nodded into the forest.

Crow caught up to me and we walked side by side. Eventually, he reached over and took my hand. He seemed nervous, though I could tell he was trying to hide it.

"No one's out here if that's what you're worried about," I told him.

"I feel like someone is out here." He said. "I know it sounds crazy when you say it aloud, but it's just that feeling that I'm being watched. That we're being watched."

"No one ever really goes out here. I think we're alright."

"I sure hope so."

We walked for a while after that, until suddenly Crow stopped. Glint appeared after sensing his Guardian's worry.

"What? What is it?" I asked, looking around as one hand reached to my hand canon.

Crow was staring off into a part of the forest. Finally, he said something. "There." He pointed. "Someone's over there, sitting on that rock."

"A Guardian?" I asked.

"They have a cloak, so maybe it's a hunter."

"Do you have your mask?"

"No. I left it on your ship."

"Stay here."

I let go of his hand and walked over to the person. They never once turned around when I approached.

"Hello. I'm a Guardian from the Last City. Who are you and what are you doing out here?"

"I call myself the Ranger nowadays. And as you can see, I'm sitting on a rock."

The person Rouge had told me about.

"Why are you sitting on a rock?"

"It's a nice rock. High up too. And if you stare out there," They pointed. "You can watch a few squirrels while they get their breakfast. Or lunch. Or maybe brunch."

I stared at them. They had a helmet on so I couldn't make out any features.

"I hope I'm not being annoying. I don't mean to be. Just here to enjoy the view."

"One of my friends. They saw you out here before."

"Ah, right. Rouge, I think her name was. I don't think she liked me very much, with me being on her terrain and all. I left pretty quickly after she went off. She was a bit scary."

"Rouge can be sometimes. But what are you really doing out here? And are you a Guardian? If so, why aren't you going to the Last City?"

"I'm only out here to enjoy some scenery, as I was saying before. And I do still consider myself to be a hunter."

"You didn't answer my last question."

"I don't want to."

"Alright then," I said with a sigh.

"Hey, aren't the people working with the Fallen now? Mithraks and his gang?" The Ranger asked.

"Yes. How did you know that?"

"Just do. Hey, found a skiff way back there. Crashed." They told me, standing up and gesturing to another part in the forest. "Down below a cliff. You and your buddy might wanna check it out. I best get goin. Ain't gonna do me much good to stick around here. Whatever shot down that skiff might still be lurkin around." They jumped off their rock.

I looked towards where they had pointed, and sure enough, I could make out a bit of smoke coming from that area. I went to turn towards the Ranger again, but they were gone. I ran back to get Crow.

"It was this person called the Ranger. They said there's a Fallen skiff back there. We should check it out."

"Can we trust them?"

"Not sure, but I know a friend who's met them before, and they seemed friendly enough."

We began our way towards the smoke from the skiff, then leapt down the cliff, doing another jump just before we hit the ground as to not break our legs. Crow started to run towards it and knelt down. I walked up behind him. Many dead Fallen littered the ground around us. A few were burned from where the fire from the ship had enveloped them.

But many, many were around the area, as if they had begun to run. They had not died from the crash, but something else.

I went to one and rolled it onto its back. I gasped as tears welled in my eyes. Clutched in its arms was a child, also dead. Both were from bullets in their heads.

I didn't realize Crow was behind me until I heard him mutter a curse, and then stomp off. We both knew it had been Guardians who did this. He was going off to say more choice words, and he didn't want me to hear.

"Sometimes I wonder if the Guardians are even good guys, Scout," I said to my Ghost.

He gave a sad whirr. "I can't believe it was Guardians who did this. If I could, I would say anything to give us the benefit of the doubt, but it is far too obvious. No one else would be around here to attack them except maybe other fallen, but I highly doubt they would attack their own kind. Many Guardians do fly their jumpships out here from time to time. That is probably how they shot the skiff down." He spoke solemnly.

"Thera? Thera come here!" I heard Crow say with a sense of urgency in his voice.

I ran over to him. He stood, holding something in his arms.

"Look." He turned it over to me and I peered at it.

Four tiny eyes peered right back.

"Oh," I looked around and spotted two dead Eliksni, very close to each other. "Oh, no. The poor thing."

"What will we do? We can't leave it out here." He stated, staring at me as he waited for an answer.

"No, of course not. Here, let me see it." Crow handed the hatchling to me and I held it in my arms.

"I have a friend. An Eliksni of House Light who already had a child of her own. Trildir. We can go to her."

Crow scouted around for a bit, with the hope there may be other survivors. I went to the ship, and he came soon after. I handed him the child as I took control of the Queen of Hearts. In no time, we had returned to the Last City, covered still in darkness.

We transmitted to the Annex and (after Crow put on his mask, just in case) then went to the hidden area of the City where the Eliksni stayed. I walked past many Fallen and went straight to Trildir's home. It had changed since I had last been there. We had visited many times in the past few days.

A banner with the House Light symbol hung on the wall, and there was a nice carpet on the floor. It was only a single room, and a cot was in one corner, with a nest of blankets on a crate. For Ralis, I was guessing.

Trildir was in there, luckily, and was startled when we arrived.

She took a single glance at the child in Crow's arms and motioned to the futon in the room. Trildir then pulled a curtain to close of the doorway from prying eyes.

"Where did you find her?" She asked immediately. Crow passed the hatchling to me.

"You- you wouldn't want to know."

"I do. Yes, I do."

I sighed. "A skiff, shot down from the sky. All the other Eliksni were dead. She's the only survivor."

"I do not mean to seem... oh, what is the word?" She clicked for a moment. "Rude. But, was it light-bearers?"

I sadly nodded. "It could be no one else. And I have no idea which ones did it either, otherwise, I would be going after them right about now."

"I want to believe that someday we Eliksni and you can live in peace, but Guardians such as those make it so hard to do. Here, let me see the child." Trildir held out her top two arms and I put the child in them.

"Yes, definitely a girl." The hatchling clicked at her. "And most likely hungry."

Trildir went over to a shelf and produced what looked like a meat scrap. The child ate it quickly and Trildir gave her a few more.

"I will take care of her." Said Trildir with a few clicks.

"It won't be a problem? You already have one child-"

"I know of mateless mothers like myself who have six hatchlings. I believe I can handle two."

Trildir's mate had been one of the Fallen to die when their skiff crashed.

"Thank you," I said to her.

Trildir began to give the hatchling a liquid I could not name.

"She will need a name. Would you like to pick one?" She asked, looking at Crow and I.

"Um, I don't know of any Eliksni names," I told her. I didn't want to pick out a name that would seem silly to the other Eliksni.

"You can choose human names. Misraakell's daughter was named after an old friend of his, an awoken."

I thought for a moment. I looked at Crow to see if he would suggest anything but he only shrugged. I turned back to Trildir.

"Would Sora be a good name?" I asked.

"Yes, I think it would suit her well."

Sora had fallen asleep in Trildir's arms, so she laid her in the crib of blankets to rest. Then she went back to Crow and I.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but where is Ralis?" I asked her.

"Oh, she is with a sister of mine. She does not have a mate of her own but loves hatchlings. She will gladly take care of any if it is needed." Trildir explained. Her gaze shifted to Crow. "You have not introduced me to your friend." She stated. "I am Trildir, but I am sure Thera has already told you this."

"My name is Crow." He introduced himself.

"It is very nice to meet you."

A dreg suddenly pulled back the curtain and chattered something in Eliksni. Trildir spoke back, and the dreg left. She then turned her attention back to the two of us.

"Sora will be in good hands. Because of your visit, I have forgotten what I was doing. I must return to my job, and I will leave Sora with my sister and Ralis. Thank you for coming to see me."

Trildir took Sora in her arms and went out of her home.

"I know she'll be safe," I told Crow as we stood up.

"I like her." He stated.

"She's very kind, and not like the rest of the Eliksni. She isn't afraid of Guardians."

"Crow, Crow where are you? Why are you not in the H.E.L.M?" Came from Crow's comlink.

"Is that Osiris? Oh sh-" I exclaimed.

"You're with Thera aren't you? Get back to the H.E.L.M, now."

"Yes, I'm headed there now," Crow responded, giving me a look. We both knew we were in for it.

"And bring Thera too. If she keeps sneaking you out-"

Crow shut off his coms.

"You're going to get in more trouble for that," I said with a laugh.

"We both are. Now let's go so we can get that lecture over with."