#he discovered the power of ice weed

[adapembroke]

Pluto in Scorpio and Sedna in Taurus: The Scouring of the Shire

One of the major differences between Peter Jackson's film version of The Lord of the Rings and the book is the question of what happens to the hobbits after Sauron is defeated. 

In the movies, the Shire is pure and innocent, never touched by the larger battle for Middle Earth. The hobbits return to the Shire, and everything is as it was before. Part of the tragedy of Frodo's story is that he isn't able to participate in the idyllic life of the Shire anymore. He stands on the outside of hobbit society, watching all of his friends having fun and not being able to enjoy it.

In the book, the forces of Saruman invade the Shire, enslave the hobbits, and convert the farms into factories. This is called the scouring of the Shire, and there is a last battle required to overthrow Saruman for good. No one gets through the conflict unscathed. It is a loss of innocence. The hobbits will never again have the luxury of hiding behind their smallness and obscurity when evil arises. They know that the Shire can be reached. They cannot rely on others to fight the battles for Middle Earth for them.

The Lord of the Rings movies came out when I was a teenager, and I've come to see the differences between the stories of the films and the books as a metaphor for what it's like to grow up with Pluto in Scorpio and Sedna in Taurus.

Taurus is the sign of hobbitish things.

It is the sign of farming, pleasure gardens, the wholesome pleasures of food, ale, and "pipe weed." 

If it was possible for a person to have every planet in Taurus, they would be a lot like a hobbit. They would find Taurus delightful. Its biggest downside would be that things don't change very much. And why would you want things to change when things are so wonderful as they are? 

The Taurus person would be puzzled by "outsiders" who aren’t content to appreciate the simple things in life, like curious hobbits who are tempted to wander from the safe walled garden of the Shire, and wizards who don't find much use for their power in the Shire aside from a nice display of fireworks. 

Of course, it is impossible for a person to have every planet in Taurus, so even the most hobbitish person always has a planet or two pushing them to expand their horizons and pursue complexity. Even if they adamantly deny it.

This is good. It makes us more complicated people. Unfortunately, it also means that we don't have the luxury of experiencing the pure, idyllic world of Taurus. We have needs that can't be met within the walled garden of the Shire. We are pulled on adventures that expose us to the wider world. Like the Buddha discovered, the wider world contains suffering and pain.

Adventures can be especially painful for our inner hobbit selves if they involve experiences ruled by Leo, Scorpio, or Aquarius. Having Pluto in Scorpio in your natal chart makes Taurus experiences especially difficult. 

Taurus is challenging with Pluto in Scorpio.

Depending on what else you have in your chart, Pluto in Scorpio people can have an almost supernatural ability to sniff out evil in everything and the inability to look away once they see it. 

Going out for ice cream? Pluto in Scorpio person can't stop thinking about the calves that were separated from their mothers to support the dairy industry. 

Going out for drinks? Pluto in Scorpio can't stop thinking about that time they were smacked across the face by an alcoholic.

Just being a member of the Pluto in Scorpio generation doesn’t mean that you’re condemned to enjoy nothing. Some have easier charts. Some have an easier time pushing plutonian thoughts aside. Some have the ability to do the healing work necessary to allow them to choose to find pleasure in innocent things. That healing comes with the meta bonus of being able to consciously enjoy the pleasure of being able to enjoy things.

Still, the difficulty relaxing and enjoying the simple things can feel like being condemned to be Frodo at the end of the movies. Whether or not it’s actually true, it can seem like you’re a perpetual outsider, watching everyone around you enjoy things that you’re incapable of enjoying. 

Pluto in Scorpio + Sedna in Taurus

I think that the complexity of being a Pluto in Scorpio outsider is part of the Pluto in Scorpio archetype, just because of how it experiences Taurus, but that’s currently impossible to confirm because of a complication with Sedna.

The currently living Pluto in Scorpio generation is the first generation humanity has encountered with Pluto in Scorpio since the discovery of Pluto, and the currently living Pluto in Scorpio generation is (almost definitely) the only Pluto in Scorpio generation any who reads this will ever know.  

And everyone born with Pluto in Scorpio in the 1980s and 90s has Sedna in Taurus.

The dwarf planet Senda is named for the Inuit goddess who rules the underworld and lives on the bottom of the sea. She is the rejected child whose wounds never heal and whose severed fingers give life to the community in the form of the sea mammals they hunt for food. 

The myth and the astronomy of Sedna both seem to indicate that the Exile is one of the planet’s core archetypes, which means that it is difficult to tell how much of the exile-feeling of the Pluto in Scorpio generation comes from Pluto and how much comes from Sedna.

Sedna in Taurus: Generations in Exile

As a member of the Pluto in Scorpio generation, I’ve focused my attention on the experience of my generation, but Sedna’s passage through Taurus has interesting ramifications for all of the Pluto generations that were alive when Sedna was in Taurus (1965-2024). 

I say that it has implications for all generations that were alive, and not just the ones that have been born since 1965, purposefully. The people who were born after 1965 will carry Sedna in Taurus with them forever, but people who were born with Sedna in Aries had to live through the Sedna in Taurus, too. When a person experiences a transiting planet in a sign, it is like they are an honorary person with that planet in that chart while the transit is happening. A transit that lasts as long as Sedna in Taurus makes a serious mark on a person, too.  

What do we do with this? Nearly 60 years of a whole world wandering in exile? 

Someone asked me that, and I was reminded of a quote by Ram Dass. He said, “We’re all just walking each other home.”

In many of the stories of Sedna, the story ends by talking about her relationship with the community. She gives the sea mammals that give life, but she can also take them away when she feels humans are being too cruel. When that happens, the hunts fail, and an Inuk shaman journeys to the bottom of the sea to comb out Sedna’s hair, to do for her the things she can’t do herself because she doesn’t have fingers, to comfort her, to promise that the shaman will help humanity do better. 

Maybe, that’s the best thing we can do with astrological Sedna, too. Take turns diving to the depths for each other, to be each other’s hands, and promise to try to do better.

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[thatrickmcginnis]

ICE-T, Toronto 1989

Around the turn of the '90s I ended up photographing quite a few major names in hip hop, starting with Eric B & Rakim and Chuck D. I was assigned to do a portrait of Ice-T by NOW magazine - one of my earliest jobs for the paper, which took me to a hotel way out in the suburbs of Toronto. Born Tracy Lauren Marrow in Newark, NJ, he lived out a "real life, non-primetime version of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (as I wrote about him on my old blog) when his parents died and he was sent to live with an aunt in Los Angeles. He lived on the fringe of the Bloods, one of the two biggest gangs in the city, and sold weed and stole car stereos before his girlfriend got pregnant and he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He returned to crime after being discharged but stayed away from the gangs and started a career in music, appearing on a series of 12" records before being signed to Sire Records. He was 31 when I photographed him, hardly a kid, and quite professional to deal with, saving the attitude for the pictures.

I remember spending a while trying to find a decent backdrop in the suburban hotel where I did my portrait session with Ice-T, and settled on two locations - below a big round chandelier in the lobby and by a big window covered in rouched curtains. Ice-T was in Toronto for a show at the Concert Hall, one of Ron Nelson's shows, with Maestro Fresh Wes (called "Mystro" on the poster) opening. He had released his album Power the previous year and would put out The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech later that fall, but he'd already been in three movies by then - Breakin' and its sequel Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo and appearing as himself in Rappin', apparently the third film in the trilogy. But it was his fourth film, New Jack City, that would establish him as an actor, most notably playing police detective "Fin" Tutuola across the Law & Order franchise. As I wrote about him on my old blog, he's played to many police officers that "it might be possible that he's made more money playing cops than singing 'Cop Killer'."

Ice-T was a very cooperative subject for our portrait session back in the summer of 1989, and going over these negatives again I discovered quite a few really decent shots that I've never published before. Using the chandelier as a backdrop meant getting down on the hotel carpet to shoot, using my new Nikon F3 and a wide angle lens. He knew that this put him in an intimidating position and he played that up for the camera. The big window with its sheer curtains presented a technical challenge, and while I'm fairly certain that I brought my own light to the shoot, it still wasn't enough to stop the daylight from making my negative flare and blow out. The slightly more pensive look I was able to get from Ice-T for this half of the shoot suited this light, and I think my Photoshop skills have finally helped me pull out the potential of these portraits after over thirty years.

[xaracosmia]

ꕥ — WELCOME TO MARE COSMIA, CIARÁN CALLUM STEWART. 🌗

ꕥ  — OOC INFORMATION;

name / alias: Monet age: 24 pronouns: She/They ooc contact: @thebankery on twt other characters in xc: Philomena Roxbury, Prince Papillon, Obanai Iguro, Kellon Bishop

ꕥ  — IC INFORMATION;

name: Ciarán Callum Stewart age: 125 (25 human years) pronouns: He/Him series: OC canon point: N/A

app triggers: Death/Immortality

personality: Ciarán is a dick. But a well-meaning one. Like, most of the time.

Ciarán is a proud nerd and fighter. He knows that these hobbies usually don’t go together and he takes pride in it. His favorite things to do are puzzles and beat ass. He appreciates the logical, exact, measured aspects of life, and if he had it his way the entire world would just be a game of chess where you get to punch your opponent if you win. He likes to, AND ALWAYS WILL, do things perfectly. There’s no room for mistakes in Ciarán’s world. Not from others, and not from himself. All of his fighting moves are carefully calculated and all of his inventions are cleanly crafted. 

His strict standards don’t exactly make him impossible to deal with, though. He’s an extrovert. Though most of his socialization comes from his spars, he still enjoys spending time with other people without making them bleed. He’s just picky about who he keeps as company. The rude, direct way that he talks to people usually weeds out the people that he doesn’t want to befriend anyway.

Ciarán has few friends and likes it that way. It annoys him that he still feels emotions the same as everyone else, so he’s careful about who he’ll give his heart to. Despite the way he tries to separate logic and emotions, he’s someone that feels deeply and makes a lot of decisions based on that.

His sense of humor is sparse and his willingness to do silly goofy things is low. Ciarán likes to conduct himself in a certain way. He’s not going to make a fool of himself. It’s easy to make him yell, complain, and lose his temper though. So he usually ends up making a fool of himself regardless.

something your muse struggles with: He’s more rude than he is blunt. Finds it hard to lighten up at times.

your muse’s greatest strength: Hard worker and pretty damn smart. Good leader. Focused.

history / background:

Ciarán was born to unknown parents and left at an orphanage. Unbeknownst to them, he wasn’t a normal baby.

Ciarán’s planet was split into eight main regions, usually referred to as ‘worlds’ due to how different they were. There was little to no consistency between all of them despite all being part of one landmass. Magic was only found in one person, the queen, and objects, like magic crystals, enchanted forests, potions, dragons, and everything else that you could think of. But humans weren’t magic. That was unheard of.

 Unfortunately the queen died before she could birth an heir. People from every world began trying to rise up to be the new leader. This lawless powerplay lasted for a year and abruptly ended when seven babies were born. 

Ciarán (and six other random babies) had unique abilities that were obvious from birth. A baby Ciarán could grab and bend the fabric of reality itself, know things about people that no one could feasibly know on the first meeting, and move land just by drawing a new map. He and the other babies, one from (almost) every world, also had powerful magic similar to the late queen’s.

Unfortunately Ciarán was given to an orphanage at birth and his powers weren’t discovered until he was eleven months old. Up until that point, he was raised by the sole owner of the orphanage, a sixty-nine year old woman named Caoimhe. On that fateful day he threw a normal baby tantrum and grabbed at the air in a way that seemed to bend reality itself. Caoimhe instantly recognized it as the late Queen’s magic. The news spread quickly, and the orphanage was flooded with people claiming to be the biological parents of Ciarán. There was only one problem — Royals don’t have human DNA. They couldn’t prove anyone to be his real parent. After months of unwanted attention, bribes and even threats, Caoimhe declared herself the mother and the eleven month old agreed. As much as he could, anyway. No one could argue. Caoimhe became the new queen of their kingdom.

Ciarán had a good life growing up. Friends, money, power, travel, and a strong connection with the six other babies who were being raised in similar ways. He was very aware that his existence had brought peace to the kingdoms and from a young age he took this responsibility very, very seriously.

Only seven babies were born though. There was still a kingdom on the outskirts waiting for their magic. While the other worlds thrived, they were stagnant, waiting to become a part of the new world. Back to that later.

Ciarán was a precocious, lanky, kind of awkward kid. He took a lot of things way too seriously and didn’t smile or laugh often. He got into fights. He got into arguments. He got into trouble. He got into the books. Ciarán genuinely enjoyed STEM and spent most of his time either mastering every weapon that he could or inventing things. He surprised everyone by somehow managing to be both a nerd and a successful fighter. He started off by learning from his knights, and by 13 he was training them. Despite his love for The Spar, he kept his kingdom’s previous name — The Technology Kingdom. They were innovative, always ahead of the curve, and impossible to outdo. That’s the reputation that he wanted, anyway.

Ciarán was a well-loved king. Sure he was rude and short with people, but he cared about them. That was undeniable. They liked him so much, in fact, he never had any pressure to get an heir. He had a partner or two over the years but they never lasted. Years and years and years passed by of relative peace between the worlds. As he got older, his mother aged, and he seemed to stop. 

When Ciarán was twenty-five his mother was ninety-four. He never really thought about her age before — she was always old. He couldn’t remember a time when she wasn’t. But when he woke up one morning and she didn’t come down for breakfast he knew that she was gone. Unwilling to face it, he went about his day as normal, completely engrossed in his work, so focused and closed off the castle workers couldn’t bring themselves to ask him about it. Her funeral was the next day and it was a kingdom-wide event. He didn’t go.

 Time seemed to be moving differently to him. He never knew how to explain it, but he knew — he was immortal now, and his only living family was gone.

Now at (technically but not mentally) 125 years old, Ciarán is an even tougher ruler than he was before and even harder to befriend. He still had the other six magical royal friends, at least, and some of them even had descendants. Ciarán kept pursuing his work and maintaining his kingdom. His powers are mostly micromanaging and keeping everything in working order. He’s essentially the ‘coder’ of the world and has the ability to bend reality to a certain extent. He was more than happy to just keep ruling and maintaining the world with no heirs.

One day his ex took an interest in a citizen from the still unnamed, unruled kingdom. Ciarán instantly took notice and kept a close eye on them. A non-royal invading the royal family wasn’t going to go well. He didn’t need special magic to know that. And he’d be damned if his perfect system was messed with in any way.

powers / abilities: 

Stat Reader - Ciarán can see everyone’s stats. This includes their full PREFERRED name, current pronouns, species, age (including immortality and maturity age if applicable), inventory (only items currently on their person), occupation(s), height, weight, natural and current hair and eye colors, and vitals (including injuries, diseases, allergies, past surgeries, and anomalies). He looks through a magical visor to do this, and others can look through it if he lets them.

 1-Up -  He can give someone a temporary extra life! If you die, all of your status effects and injuries will be cured, and your health will be completely restored. He can only do this every 5 hours, and doing it puts him out of commission for 30 minutes.

Reality Bender - Nerfed because he’s not in his original world, but he can bend reality like the warp tool. It doesn’t work on people. Ex: If there’s a table in front of him with a can of soda on it, he can twist it like ♻ This wouldn’t break the can or table but it would make the can slide around, depending on how he bends it.

Inherent abilities:  Ciarán is not human. He’s considered A Royal in his world, and they’re magical beings with special physical properties. Magic might affect him differently than it would on a human, depending on what it is. 

- He can’t get human illnesses or diseases.

- Immortal in age, but he can still die (he only has one life left…)

> His Fighting Skills Are OP. Just Being Honest. <

Skilled Fighter - His highest stats are shit like evasion, agility, avoidance, speed, and perception, but his others are nothing to sneeze at. He can hit hard and take a hit. His win-to-loss ratio is basically 1000-0.

Weapon Expert - He can use any weapon exceptionally well except for a gun (or anything like it) because they don’t exist in his world. 

items / weapons: 

Insane Weapon Collection - Literally every weapon that you can think of minus guns. His favorite of every category. Not listing all of them. Includes sword, bow, mace, halberd, dagger, bow staff, nunchucks, chakram, etc etc etc. No shields, sheaths, or armor or anything though.

Photo Album - A thin but well taken care of book. Has A Group Picture (Ciarán, Kellon, and a mysterious third guy(?)), A Picture of His Ex That He Needs To Get Rid Of, and A Picture of Mommy.

Bracelet His Ex Made For Him - dude

starting ability: Stat Reader starting item: Photo Album

extra:

6’5”, bi, wears nothing but black and white (and clear)

His hair is so long because he challenges people to cut it during a fight. It’s been a literal century since someone has managed to.

All of his clothes are like the bare minimum to cover as much skin as possible

This is so his nurses could easily access/tend to injuries, but it’s mostly because he can’t be assed to put together real outfits.

He seems to be mildly monochrome. Even his blood is slightly desaturated.

yeah kellon is one of his bffs im having an arc 

discord id: 00prionnsa

[deramin2]

Alfrid Nebis Backstory

I'm joining a new D&D game today and I'm looking forward to my new character Alfrid Nebis (he/him). Hill Dwarf Circle of Spores Druid.

----

Alfrid Nebis grew up in the Dwarf community of Undhilda to a supportive family. He struggled in school and eventually took up stone carving little animals and ritual figurines but didn’t have the discipline and concentration for the guild system, so he sold them solo at the market.

In his 20s he rapidly developed debilitating migraines and fatigue that ruined his life. No one had a cure or much that helped, although medicinal weed (high CBD low THC we'd know today) helped a bit, and he took to being mildly stoned all the time to take the edge off but not inhibit him too badly. He became so light sensitive that he basically hasn’t seen the sun since because it’s too painful and learned to navigate and work by feel in the dark when normal lights hurt. He tried to keep working but it became really hard.

He found beauty in the bioluminescent mushrooms in the caves and began to long for the simple life of a fungus colony. Did they experience pain without a nervous system. He’d lie awake unable to function wondering about mushroom facts. Slowly he began to long to be a mushroom. It started as a joke but became genuine. Just to feel some other way became an intense fantasy. He prayed to the Wildmother for guidance. She gave him a vision of a reclusive sect of druids who take on mushroom powers.

Desperate for anything that might help, he set off on a quest to join them and fulfill his dream of becoming a mushroom, traveling deep into the Underdark. He found them and trained under them, though it was hard and exhausting with his disabilities. He found that while the druids do take on fungal powers, they don’t have the secrets to the ultimate transformation.

So after a few years he set off once again to discover this knowledge. He’ll bring it back to the circle, and then transform himself. To him it represents nirvana.

-----

Migraine Rules:

You suffer from debilitating headaches. Some days you're fine, other days you feel like ice picks are being jammed into your skull.

Every day roll a d20. on a 1 you wake up with a headache. Take a point of exhaustion, to a maximum of five. If you wake up with a headache, you do not recover a point of exhaustion from your long rest.

Lesser Restoration can remove a point of exhaustion.

Greater Restoration cures all points and will prevent headaches for 30 days.

[choccochocco]

Dc crossover

veloci moves to Gotham or metropolis or [insert corrupt city here] to do more evil schemes

it syncs up with the squads school field trip (either out of convenience or because he’s trying to weed out who specifically is a dino), and the squad meet different heroes (more chaos if they’re teen heroes)

danny phantom crossover

ms Moynihan and victor veloci are halfas and the team ends up discovering that the ooze does some ghost thing that imbues them with the power and form of a dinosaur or something and theyre also half ghost as a result

they must then come to terms with the fact that if they remove the dino they’ll be seriously harmed and significantly weakened (cue mad scientist jack and madie)

You could have it so veloci teams up with them at fist, but they see him try to attack Danny because he recognises him, and they realise he’s a true, prehistoric dinosaur halfa, and as a result, a much rarer and more valuable test subject

fnaf au

the squad become the animatronics (victor veloci and ms Moynihan are the original ones, they’re like the fun time ones or security breach ones, but more dino versions)

Age swap au (can’t think of name)

the squad adopt ms Moynihan (child in this au) and must help her fight against the mutated animals as she deals with her school rival victor veloci (potentially got bit by a mutant dino animal and the ooze entered his blood, so he has more experience than Moynihan) (can play out as many genres, ideally (in my mind) a high school drama, or a horror (think ghost face, but velociraptor instead))

on a similar note;

Infection au

veloci made a batch meant to mutate humans, but messed up some genetic coding, so they have become mindless and moving with only basic urges (eat, drink, sleep, fight back), and the squad, having already come in contact with the successful ooze, must fight this

(Easy fix: their normal tech works, but repair tools must be aquired harder fix: tech brakes, turns out to be a state wide (or global) event)

Mlp crossover

they wake up in the world of Mlp, and chaos ensues

they remain unsure of how to get back (I had g4 in mind, but it’d honestly be funnier with earlier generations)

Warrior cats au

can be with or without powers

dino clan sounds awesome

ice age au

they become ice age animals instead of dinosaurs

and they get plot progression too

Monster high crossover

Any generation

they mistake one of the characters pets for a dino (or veloci turns animals into dinos) and they follow it to monster high

Keep Jackson Jekyll and holt Hyde in so they have someone kinda similar (turn from human to something else)

scream street (British kids show one) crossover

They get mistaken for monsters and dragged there, ms Moynihan assumed to be their mother

Ben ten crossover

he mistakes them for fellow omnitrix users, and copies the dna of one of them so he ends up able to turn into dinosaurs (likely ms Moynihan since she’s originally a dinosaur)

they help him with aliens, he helps them with their dino animals

Ninjago crossover

S1 specifically (my favourite season)

Also, veloci and pythor arguing sounds glorious

Edit: I added another

Xmen crossover

specifically x men evolution (high school setting)

they end up in separate classes, and buzz chills with the brotherhood for a bit and gives toad a confidence boost since he thinks amphibians are cool

the others get into the x men by pretending that they’re mutants

Fiona meets the morlocks

scenario in which they meet their future selves

scenario in which they get sent to the future

the squad meet past veloci and Moynihan, who are exactly like smart, immature crows

they end up stuck in dino for (or just one of them) and they find ways around it (or other wise get caught)

one of Caruso’s hair gels ands up very similar to the primordial ooze one night when he’s particularly tired, and he secretly uses it for a power boost, only to discover that it’s slowly making him more dino than human (he can’t reverse it)

Yall, Gimme Dino Squad Story Ideas

There is only around 30 fics on AO3 and that is a travesty so.

[woltourney]

ROUND 1 / SIDE B / POLL 12

Lopu Rhaavuna (@mages-ballad) v. Big-Chungus Funny Icarus (@swageus-harmonia)

Lopu Rhaavuna:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Lopu Rhaavuna, she/her

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. IC-ly her primary jobs are Bard and Dancer. Secondary to that, Sage and Reaper.

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Mateus [Crystal]

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. I took inspiration for Lopu's character and story from the mahou shoujo genre, with the core elements being that a seemingly-average girl discovers she actually has the capability for magical powers, and uses those to help spread hope and save others. Love is a major theme for Lopu, and its what gives her the strength and motivation to do what she does. Lopu grew up in Gridania, where she left and became the Warrior of Light at age 25. She's always had a deep feeling of wanderlust within her, and the events of the MSQ are what kickstart her into being able to get out and see the world. She's lived her life knowing there had to eventually be more out there for her, and her assumptions are proven right as she takes up the title of the WoL and makes herself known. She's no doubt had her ups and downs, but never once has she regret her journey. Others may call her a hero; but even after all this time she still considers herself just an adventurer that likes to help people. In her free time, Lopu has a few hobbies she likes to indulge in! She's very big on cooking and sharing the food she makes, gardening and growing her own ingredients, hunting, training, running Treasure Maps, and of course hanging out with the Scions. Outside of saving the universe, she's a very sweet and humble woman.

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. "Ah? Um…" Lopu takes a lock of her thick hair to twirl around and play with while she ponders the question. "I think I should win because… It would make me really happy if I did?" She laughs a little, giving a flash of fangs. "Truthfully, I can't really think of a good reason! I guess there is the fact I saved the universe, but I wouldn't want people to feel obliged to put me on a pedestal just for that." "Maybe… If I win, I'll bake a huge celebratory cake to share with everyone! That works, right? People tend to be more motivated to vote if there's food involved, yes?"

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. AS HER CREATOR I SAY VOTE FOR LOPU BECAUSE SHE IS SO CUTE AND HUGGABLE AND SILLYGIRL-CORE AND HAS THICK THIGHS AND I LIKE HER A LOT AND ALSO IF SHE WINS I WILL ACTUALLY DO A GPOSE OF HER AND THE CAKE AND EVERYONE CAN HAVE SOME!!!!! VOTE FOR LOPU #LOPUSWEEP #LOPUSWEEP #LOPUSWEEP #LOPUSWEEP #LOPUSWEEP

Icarus:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. technically his name is Icarus but his name in critically acclaimed mmorpg final fantasy xiv is Big-Chungus Funny so do whatever you want with that information (he/they pronouns also)

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Mr Chungus is a whole ass Viera

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. His class is whatever I damn well feel like playing with, but for an actual conk creet answer he mains gunbreaker reaper and black mage

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. im on zalera crystal data centre :)

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. Icarus is just Some Guy really, homeboy just woke up in fuckin uldah one day and lemme tell ya it went downhill from there lmao. He is also cursed with Not Remembering Anything(which is my excuse for not knowing some shit abt the story because my dumb ass skipped cutscenes OMEGALUL), dude got REALLY fucked up in shadowbringers with the whole light poisoning thing and just. lost memories of shit pre-shb. Also his dork ass horns and wings were bc of the whole shb thing dont worry abt it. Anyways now he just fuckin sits his bitch ass around his stank aah island smoking weed that makes you evil idk

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. uhhh uhhh fuckin uuh #BIGCHUNGUSSWEEP

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. man my wol was just a shitpost character and i got too attached i had to pull all this info out my ass :/

[dourpeep]

The Chalk Prince

Summary: Between the lines of his existence, lies a story. But above all, Albedo is most thankful that he has found his happily ever after. Contains: Albedo x gn!Reader, fluff, papa Albedo A/Note: for @xiaosmoon Valentine's Day collab, day 21, "kissing them while they're asleep." I had a lot of fun thinking of what to write for this, but the idea of making it like one of those fairytale kisses where the prince kisses their fated lover and everything just suddenly seems to be good won out-

Long before the Mondstadt of today existed, there was once a lonely boy whose eyes shone of seaglass and had hair spun of the finest flaxen thread. Born of the earth and the dreams of a lost nation, he set out with his master, his mother and creator to discover more about life.

He was little more than a child then, unsure of the world and its secrets, eager to discover more but every new experience making him cower. Yet with this apprehension, he took each step in calculated pride.

‘The true nature of this land will unfold as you move on, ■■■■■■.’

He didn’t quite understand what it was she meant at the time, instead offering a wide-eyed look and the nod of his head.

The art of creation and the transmutation of the world surrounding.

To be able to take something—a dying branch from a tree, a delicate butterfly—and transform it into something entirely new. An opportunity to take what little life gives and make it into something more.

So the boy dove into his studies, to his master’s delight

With every new discovery shutting away the loneliness, the boy bloomed and grew in skill and curiosity.

There was a time, long after he first was created, that he and his master set foot on the grounds of a great mountain shrouded in chilling winds and ice. ‘A promise.’ She said, staring out at the bleak landscape as he leafed through the few notes he took. She told him, that day on the mountain, that she knew he would achieve more than he could imagine.

-

Albedo’s thoughts were taken the moment his pen plucked from his grasp.

“What’s today’s date?”

His brow creases, lip turning down into a small frown. Surely, it hasn’t been that long since? Between his research and side project, he’s ensured to keep track of his meals, breaks, as well as any notable events.

So, he answers, only to be met with a tap to his nose and an exasperated sigh from his lover.

“You’ve been here since Tuesday, Bedo—it’s Friday morning, come home and rest, please?” You press a kiss to his temple, smoothing out a few stray hairs. They stick right back up. “You’ve done enough work to last a whole month, at least.”

…Perhaps those few power naps he took weren’t naps after all.

“Papa!!”

Upon his return home, a little voice speaks up.

Bright and just as interested in Teyvat as Albedo himself. Colm tugs on his father’s coat, prodding at him with questions about some weed picked out from between the stones of the cobbled road, asking him if he liked the cream cake you slipped him between experiments. Each little inquiry was met with a smile and finally followed by the gentle pressure of his lips to his child’s forehead.

“Mm, yes, the cake was just as delicious as you said it’d be.” To his delight, there was another piece tucked away safe for later.

“We can share!”

But, as all things tend to be, there was a time and a place for everything.

The little pout of Colm’s lip tugs at his heart, Albedo’s resolve only crumbling a bit before he shakes his head. He soothes it by hugging him tightly.

“How about we share it tomorrow for breakfast? Then we can start the day off properly.”

The bribe seems to work well enough, so long as he tells a story before bed.

Nighttime routines seem to go by quick. Teeth brushed, pajamas on, and worn rabbit tucked in beside his son, Albedo finally sits on the edge of the bed. Twin eyes of brilliant green stare back at him.

And with that, Albedo tells his story.

By the time he has fallen asleep, the moon peeks above the rooftops. With Mond quiet for the night, all that’s left is a last second check of the locks before bed. They secure with a click, gently illuminated by candlelight.

With a single exhale the light is extinguished, dousing the house in the dark.

-

You look so peaceful, near ethereal with the moonlight shining through the thin curtains and illuminating your face in a gentle light.

But Albedo couldn’t seem to bring himself to move closer. After all, this is the kind of thing that princes do—rescuing their fated lover from an indefinite sleep, braving the dangers to risk it all in the name of a love that they’ve never known before, the pursuit of a happy end.

Not him, aside from his namesake, not an alchemist from the city of Freedom.

His mind drifts back to that half-written draft.

It isn’t until after a moment longer of watching you sleep at peace that he leans in.

Lips touch in the gentlest brush, savoring the softness of yours, the familiar feeling. In his chest he can feel the way his heart flutters and rejoices. He finds himself retreating all too soon. Through half-lidded eyes, Albedo takes in the sight of you, your lips parted gently and features soft, serene.

You lay still. With every breath, your chest rises and falls, a steady rhythm.

“Hm.”

He shifts, careful as he adjusts his position until he has you snugly in his arms.

Though his life is nothing like the fairy tales that he tells his son, Albedo rests peacefully with the fact that he has found his happy ending.

[madeofcc]

Your OCs are invited to a movie night and asked to bring snacks. What will they bring?

Oooooh ♥ That's actually a fun question ! Thanks a lot @someone-elsa ♥

Let's say it's a Britchester movie night so it includes Destiny, Leïla, Hiro, Milo and Aïssa .

Destiny would be the one bringing ice cream and weed ... Yep, Des discovered the power of marijuana and it helps her a lot to eat and sleep and she's craving for coffee ice cream when she's stoned so ...

Leïla would bring some homemade stuff like cookies or msemen (arabic bread). She always love to bring homemade food/stuff to her friends.

Hiro is totally the kind to bring booze and pringles as he always forget about the party and takes care of it in the last minutes ...

Milo is usually the kind to organize the party so when he's invited he brings weed as well and more movies or TV shows in case the previous selected one is dumb.

Aïssa doesn't have to bring anything. Her presence is already enough :)

[foramomentonly]

Saved-A Meet Ugly

Author’s Note: Behold, the promised meet ugly inspired by @aewriting ! Blatantly stealing titles from early aughts teen films of my youth at this point.

Summary: Alex discovers a) his new roommate is a Christian Fundamentalist who hates him, b) he’s love with said roommate, and c) he’s super wrong.

 CW: negative perspective on organized Christianity/Fundamentalism

Read on AO3

Alex meets his dormmate briefly in the hall as he and his parents are heading out to lunch. Michael Guerin is friendly, his barely-contained, nervous energy evident in the restless way he passes his hands through his close-cropped curls. His parents are formal, bordering on sour, and they glare at Alex’s eyeliner and polished fingernails with disdain. They don’t invite him to eat with them. Then again, Alex thinks as they part and he wanders towards the room he’ll share with Michael, his own father didn’t even bother to drop him off at school. Glass houses, or some shit like that.

Michael has claimed the left side of the room, his bed neatly made up with simple, blue sheets and his desk stuffed with thick textbooks, some already clearly marked with wear. A battered, clunky-looking laptop charges on his nightstand. Some secret tension in Alex slowly uncoils with the knowledge that he isn’t sharing living space with some rich prick; when he eschewed the Manes family military tradition for higher education, Alex left home with little more than his scholarships and a military duffle stuffed with clothes and stolen linens to his name. Knowing his days of watching douchebags like Kyle Valenti flaunt expensive tokens of their parents’ unconditional love are over is a small comfort. 

That is, until Alex notices the crucifix resting on Michael's plaid pillowcase. It’s innocuous enough; Liz Ortecho's small home has plenty, family heirlooms hung as reverently as Texas gas station finds, and Alex counts her among his true family. But the facts fall into place like thundering dominos—Michael’s parents' disgust at Alex's makeup, the family's conservative clothes, Michael's closely-chopped hair and, after a bit of snooping, the two well-worn Bibles Alex finds, one in Michael's nightstand and the other on his small bookshelf. Fundamentalists, most likely. Alex swears loud and defiant into the empty room. He thought he'd left bigots and homophobes in his dust, but like a plague of fucking locusts, they followed him, and here he is about to share a sink with one of them. 

But Alex also knows better than most that kids aren’t always carbon copies of their parents’ stupidity; he’d flip his shit if someone assumed they knew literally anything about his beliefs based on his asshole father. So when Michael returns to the room Alex is in stealth mode, spread out across his bed and feigning disinterest by flipping through his welcome packet, tracking Michael’s movements out of the corner of his eye. Michael blows a loud puff of air out through his lips and looks like he’s about to flop onto his bed. When he sees the crucifix, he freezes; Alex is about to celebrate a victory against religious indoctrination when Michael lifts the small cross reverently off his pillow and, after an appraising scan of his space, hangs it low on the wall above his nightstand, dragging his school-issued lamp in front of it. He jerks his chin down in a small nod of satisfaction before his eyes dart quickly over to Alex; he almost catches Alex in a glower. Instead, Alex is quietly seething over an intramural sports schedule, his face blank, eyes burning holes in the middle of the page. He figures he’s in the clear when he hears Michael’s bedsprings creak with the sudden weight of his body. Alex glances up and Michael is crossing his arms lazily behind his head. He lets out a loud, satisfied sigh and shoots Alex a disarmingly sincere grin.

“Free at last, huh?” he drawls, and Alex arches a cold brow.

“Sure.”

Alex has every intention of icing Michael out of his daily existence, but as months go by—months where Michael lets his curls grow wild, rambles on and on about the science of irrigation, offers Alex his extensive biology notes for midterms, and laughs loud and deep at all of Alex’s snarky asides—Alex finds himself smiling easily at Michael in return, willingly passing lazy lunch hours and weekend afternoons with him. It comes down to this: for all Michael hasn’t done—the crucifix is an ever-present shadow above his nightstand and weekly video check-ins with his parents are never missed—he just doesn’t fit the mold. He smokes weed on the abandoned picnic tables behind the dorm at night, signs every social justice-oriented pledge and petition shoved at him on a cheap, plastic clipboard on their way to class, and he never wakes up before noon on Sundays. He isn’t fire and brimstone, hate and hellfire. He’s marshmellow fluff; laid back and open, sweet and eager to please, all messy curls and broad shoulders and goofy smiles with too much teeth and—oh, fuck. Alex is in love with him. 

Alex is in love with Michael and Michael probably thinks Alex deserves to burn in hell and it’s Kyle all over again. Alex was never in love with Kyle Valenti, but he loved him the way a neglected, angry little boy would love the popular, gregarious kid who was his only source of sunlight. Graciously. Blindly. Kyle was Alex’s best friend, and when middle school puberty made evident that Kyle was a stud and Alex was, well. Alex felt the betrayal of Kyle’s sudden targeted cruelty like a punch to the gut, long before Kyle or his new friends ever laid hands on him. And now, Alex realizes, Michael is his best friend and his heart’s deepest desire and, he’s finally ready to admit, who he jerks off to on lazy mornings after Michael’s barely made it out the door for his 8 a.m. class with a shirt on. Alex is well and truly fucked. “Damned” is too on the nose.

Then one day Alex is dragging his miserably-in-love ass back from class and he totally misses the tie that slipped from the doorknob onto the ugly carpet in front of their door and he opens it on Michael and some random guy going at it on Michael’s bed, sheets bunched at the foot of the mattress, shirts tossed inside out on the floor, and Michael’s hand deep down the guy’s jeans as he pants and whines into Michael’s mouth.

“Shit!” Alex cries, waffling between shutting the door behind him to shield them from the prying eyes of hallway passers-by or in front of him to shut himself out of his own room. “I-I’m so sorry.”

Michael looks flustered, but it’s not the bone-deep terror of being outed; Alex is intimately familiar with that darkest timeline of queer identity. His boyfriend—hook up?—just looks annoyed. His dark eyes glare at Alex and he snaps, “Do you mind, man?” with a sharp nod towards the door. Alex squares his jaw and opens his mouth to retort when Michael says softly, seriously, “Don’t talk to him like that,” shaking his head at his bedmate. The guy huffs in disbelief, rolling off the bed to pull on his shirt, still inside out, and fasten his jeans, brushing his fingers through messy, deep brown hair. 

“You’re seriously kicking me out right now?” he murmurs low, and when Michael doesn't answer, he spits, “You are such a dick.”

Michael winces and bites his lip, normally bright eyes dim and gaze cast down towards his own hands. The sight of Michael cowed, flushed and hurt and getting told off by the same Hot Topic reject who was getting off with him not five minutes ago trips Alex's long-dormant kill switch. He steps into the guy's space, pulling back his shoulders so his shirt stretches tight over the muscles of his arms and chest, and draws up to his full height.

"You have thirty seconds to get the fuck out of our room," Alex says, voice low and eerily calm, even to his own ears. The guy glowers at Alex, but the corner of his mouth twitches and he blinks first, intimidation evident in his narrowed eyes. He brushes past Alex and slams the door behind him.

"Are you okay?" Alex asks, moving closer to Michael on instinct and setting a comforting hand on his bare shoulder. Michael gazes up at him with wide, honey eyes, opens his soft, pink mouth, and blurts, "I love you."

Alex blinks, gapes, and what comes out of his mouth is an incredulous, “But I’m gay!”

Michael snorts, cups Alex’s forearm gently and runs his palm up and down his skin, the soft hair on his arms.

“Yeah, I know. That’s kinda why I’m hoping I have a shot.” He pauses, hesitation creeping across his face, and he takes his hand off of Alex abruptly, as though he hadn’t quite realized he’d put it there in the first place. “If you’re not interested, I totally—”

“No, no, I am,” Alex says, and the wattage of Michael’s answering grin could power the university’s electric grid for the rest of the semester. “But I thought you were, like, Team Westboro or whatever.”

Michael’s face falls, his whole body withers, and he hugs his arms around his naked waist. The impact of Alex's words on Michael horrify him, and he drops onto the bed next to Michael, takes Michael's hand in his and strokes his thumb across it’s back, feels the knots of Michael’s knuckles as he grips Alex's hand in return.

“Why the hell would you think that?” Michael asks, staring at their palms pressed together in his lap.

Alex shrugs, answers, "I mean, I didn't. I don't. Not about, like, you." Michael turns his head, brow wrinkled in confusion. "It's just. The cross? The Bibles? Your parents, I—"

"They're not my parents, "Michael interrupts, voice flat. "They raised me, but. They never formally adopted me, and I'd have fucking run the other direction if I thought they were gonna."

Alex stays quiet, waits for Michael to continue, squeezes his hand gently to let Michael know he's listening.

"They're Fundamentalist assholes, for sure, but I never bought into that shit, especially once I—I realized I like more than just girls." Michael reaches out, pushes his lamp out of the way and glares at the crucifix. "I'd love to never see their fucking faces ever again, but winter break is coming up, and then summer vacation, and—" He hangs his head, nearly whispers, "I need to have a place to go. I can't afford an apartment on my own yet. So I play nice. Put that on my wall and make sure it's in the background for video calls. There’s, like, zero support for kids who age out of the system alone. I fucking hate it, but I need them." 

Michael leans his head close to Alex's, catches his gaze and holds it with deep, whiskey-colored eyes Alex all but falls into.

"I'm not ashamed of what I like or who I love," he says, "and I'm so fucking in love with you, Alex. I just thought maybe you weren't into me."

Alex licks his lips, and a flush of arousal darkens his cheeks as Michael tracks the movements of his tongue with hungry concentration.

"I'm extremely into you," he says, his throat very suddenly bone dry, his voice husky. Michael's gaze hasn't moved from his lips, but he has flipped Alex's hand in his lap, starts running slow, feather-light brushes of his fingertips across Alex's palm and up his arm, fingers snaking under the short sleeve of Alex's shirt.

"I really wanna kiss you," Michael breathes, "but I’m also aware you just walked in on me hooking up with, like, Alex Manes-lite, so I—"

Alex closes the distance between them, pressing his lips to Michael's and cupping his neck, fingers finding their way into Michael's curls like he's been fantasizing about for so long. They're silky, clingy, and Michael tastes like lingering mouthwash and he smells like rain and Alex presses himself into Michael's lap, desperate to feel Michael's arms around his waist, the hard press of his chest against Alex's.

"I really want to do more than kiss you," Alex pants when they reluctantly part for air, when Michael’s fingers slip beneath his shirt and his nails scrape down Alex’s spine, and Alex feels the touch much lower on the geography of his skin.

Michael laughs, loud and free, and his strong hands on Alex's hips guide his legs apart until Alex is straddling his lap, those same hands pushing Alex's shirt up his chest, over his head.

"Thank God," Michael laughs, and reaches for Alex's belt.

[gaytransgirl]

A Thorough Dissection of Snapcube’s “Sonic The Hedgehog (2006)” Dub and its Recurring Themes and Plots

I have organized this into two main plot threads, one recurring theme that aids both plots, and a series of noteworthy jokes and/or bits that add story cohesion to the dub as a whole. Luckily for me, Shadow T. Hedgehog himself brought about a generic theme message of the dub inside the dub itself, so that was part of my work alleviated from me. For the sake of the post being long as hell, all the information will be placed under a readmore.

STORY THREAD: THE FORTNITE GAMING SAGA

8:00 - The first mention of Fortnite. 8:13 - The introduction of alternate Battle Royales and their existence in the dub. This does not necessarily include real Battle Royales such as PUBG, instead branching off into fictional works, such as Doki Doki Literature Club Battle Royale. 8:55 is where we get the first mention of Tilted Towers. Eggman is revealed to also like Fortnite, and Rouge's username is leaked. 13:43 - It is revealed that Memphis Tennessee is also an avid Fortnite gamer, and we see his gamer pad. 14:49 - "That just makes you a beta cuck." Not FULLY related to the plot, but worth mentioning because it is gold. 16:38 - Sonic defends the integrity of the real best Battle Royale, Tetris 99. 17:28 - The future of Fortnite is revealed. 17:56 - Rouge starts her plan to create her own Battle Royale. 22:52 - The world on fire, seen in Elise’s That’s So Raven moments, is revealed to be caused by Sonic's Battle Royale soundtrack. 25:55 - Eggman sends Sonic and co. into “Fortnite Minecraft” for the PS4. This is never elaborated upon. 26:58 - Alfred somehow predicts Fallout 76 Battle Royale before it was revealed. Because he is Alfred, and that is the magic of the dubs. 27:11 - Elise's key role in the perfect Battle Royale is revealed, establishing a more solid character motive for Eggman. 29:29 - Tails discovers Rouge's Battle Royale, and Sonic inserts himself as the main character. 38:19 - Memphis shows off his new Fortnite map. 41:19 - Omega shows a distaste for Fortnite, the first character thus far to do so, and plans to stop it from being the top game of 2018. 42:02 - Shadow asks Todd Howard to publish his game, and it is revealed that Shadow was made by Todd Howard as part of a Battle Royale. 48:49 - It's revealed that the purple and yellow energies are being used to power Fortnite. 51:55 - The Duke attempts to revive Elise using the gamer gems, but the gamer piss kills her. However, she is revived shortly after. 1:00:22 - Eggman's Fortnite account is hacked, and he has a birth of cactuses out of his asshole. 1:01:33 - Memphis realizes he has more gamer potential than anticipated, and moves far beyond Fortnite, disregarding the new map he made. 1:04:53 - Fortnite is destroyed by anonymous hackers, and Eggman's social security becomes someone else's. 1:21:25 - Elise takes Sonic to see the Flame of Gamers, and they extinguish it together. 1:23:06 - Game over.

Overall conclusion of this thread: No matter how well-intentioned a conflict may be (Fortnite vs PUBG vs Tetris 99), all that a conflict can breed is hate. Casualties may arise (Elise, Eggman’s social security), and outside groups (the hackers) are bound to take advantage of conflicting parties for their own gain.

STORY THREAD: SHADOW'S MARITAL AFFAIRS

30:33 - It is revealed that Shadow and Rouge had a wedding once. 32:16 - Shadow describes this arc before it truly begins. 35:27 - The power of Za Warudo unites Shadow and Sonic in marriage, though chaos ensues at the question of who is the bride. 35:59 - Shadow reveals his love for Memphis Tennessee, and they kiss off screen. 38:24 - Shadow asks Memphis on a date. 39:21 - We see the first sign of strain in Memphis and Shadow's relationship. 40:45 - Omega confesses his feelings for Shadow. 44:42 - Shadow and Silver do A Gay Thing together. 51:12 - Shadow obtains a portable Memphis. And what do you know? The perfect shape. 56:38 - Omega gets his revenge for Memphis for stealing Shadow. 58:29 - Rouge and Omega bond over the friend zone. 1:03:40 - Memphis voices his regret over dating Shadow, and chooses to instead fuck his clones. 1:06:14 - Sonic first recognizes Silver's status as a twink. This comes into play later, when Sonic is revived. 1:13:29 - Memphis unleashes his ultimate gay power, technically making Shadow his boyfriend again. 1:18:28 - The gay gems revive Sonic, and he forms a polyamorous marriage with Silver and Shadow.

Overall conclusion: Being gay is good. Try it some time.

RECURRING THEME: WEED AND VAPING

28:32 - This is the first mention of Knuckles' desire for weed, a joke returning from the first dub. Sonic establishes himself as a weed smoker. 29:39 - Rouge reveals her weed stash to Shadow, firmly cementing that she is not a dealer. If she was, she would’ve given it to Knuckles (for a price). 31:57 - "YOU HAD THE WEED THE WHOLE TIME?!" 36:50 - A robot asks for weed. Yeah. I did notice this. 37:21 - Rouge offers Omega some weed, and once weed.exe downloads, he short circuits in a beautiful display of Alfred’s note-holding capabilities. 40:29 - Omega is revealed to have the ability to inebriate others through his presence, as shown by Memphis’s red eyes. 41:46 - Omega asks for more weed. He does not get it. 43:53 - Shadow uses weed to slow time. This is the first display of weed having supernatural abilities. 54:22 - Shadow encourages young Elise to vape, and ties the themes together into an essential message about freedom... or whatever. 57:32 - Omega once again reveals his incredible dependency on Rouge's weed. He should get his own supplier instead of leeching off Rouge. 1:10:44 - Memphis obtains the Corrupted Weed Gem and uses it to McMurder Sonic. He does it entirely by accident, though.

Thematic message: “All living things deserve freedom... Freedom to weed, to vape, to Fortnite... That’s what we’re all tying into, I think. That’s the central message.”

Other Recurring Jokes of Note: Instant Ramen: 9:35 - 9:58 - 10:12 - 36:46 - 46:15 Finding The Computer Room: 7:55 - 17:49 - 41:59 - 1:00:10 The Ice Cream Air Ship: 7:24 - 55:08 - 1:05:17 My Bed Is Made Of Scorpions: 0:31 - 1:13:50 "One": 2:57 - 7:13 - 22:44 Tell It In Excruciating Detail: 17:00 - 21:45 Amy Making Murder Threats: 24:00 - 34:12 - 1:16:16 Characters Surprised By Their Own Abilities: 5:51 - 7:21 - 1:11:27 - 1:15:40 Pumpkin Hill: 18:11 - 24:39 - 1:14:52 Omega's Counting Habits: 1:00:53 - 1:01:49 - 1:04:26

Overall, Snapcube’s dub of “Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)” delivers a message of self discovery and personal freedoms. We all have issues that might bog us down, and we may suffer from insomnia. But one thing that unites us all (other than Pumpkin Hill) is the idea of personal growth. Whether that comes through game development, an exploration of sexuality, learning that you have hands, or letting a child vape, there’s something for all of us in the Computer Room of Discovery. And once we find the computer room, we can code our future.

[vertigo-effect]

Aight, time for Icy's headcanons!

- She's the eldest Trix and she absolutely uses this as an excuse to order Darcy and Stormy around.

- Her real name is Azurine. Her classmates choose the nickname 'Icy' for her after seeing her do magic for the first time and she just went along with it.

- She was born on the Ice Kingdom, but her family moved to Whisperia when she was 7. Her father was an ambassador for the Ice Kingdom, but after seeing Whisperia for the first time during one of his travels, he fell in love with its beauty and decided to go live there with his family.

- She used to be a fairy, but decided to become a witch at the age of 15. Losing her wings left two scars between her shoulder blades.

- The reason behind this choice is the fact that she didn't feel comfortable as a fairy anymore and that, after meeting Darcy, she'd been fascinated by dark magic and witches.

- Even if she would never admit it, she became a witch mostly because she didn't want to get separated from Darcy after middle school.

- Her family wasn't happy with her choice and always blamed it on Darcy. This is why Icy hasn't talked with them since leaving Whisperia for Magix.

- Darcy was her first real friend. There are no secrets between the two of them and they'd both risk their lives to save the other.

- She's 180 cm/5'9" and wears heels to reach Darcy's height. Darcy does the same thing to keep on being taller than her.

- She's ticklish.

- She and Stormy pull pranks on one another at least once a week. It's a war that started in their first year together at CT and none of them is planning on giving up anytime soon.

- She smokes when she's nervous. When she feels especially anxious, she steals from Darcy's weed stash.

- Differently from other witches, she can heal with her magic too. It's the only thing that still ties her to her old fairy powers.

- She can do water magic too (she did so in s1e26) and, although it's easier to control, she feels more comfortable with using ice instead.

- She's insomniac and relies on Darcy's help to fall asleep. They talk for hours, until Icy eventually falls asleep against Darcy's side.

- She had a dragon phase when she was 10. Sometimes she still wishes she had her own pet dragon.

- She's bisexual.

- She does both Darcy's and Stormy's make up.

- She and Darcy used to fight over the Valedictorian title a lot back in CT.

- She can forge notes in anyone's handwriting.

- She loves reading. She possesses a never-ending collection of books from many different planets, Earth included.

- She often quotes her favourite writers.

- Even after the Trix lost the Battle of Magix, the Dragon Flame didn't leave her. Bloom can still sense it in her, and the Flame bounds them in a way that neither of them fully understands.

- The Dragon Flame increased her body temperature and power level. It also gave her a limited control over fire magic.

- After Bloom was kidnapped by fake Avalon, Icy spent a lot of time keeping her company and talking about the most disparate things.

- In that time she also discovered that they share some common interests. Sometimes she misses talking with Bloom about them.

- She found Frostbite in an abandoned box when he was still as small as a common lizard. The plan was to take care of him until he grew big and strong enough to take care of himself, but by that time she'd become too fond of him to let him go.

- She doesn't listen to music often, but when she does it's usually vaporwave, hard rock or heavy metal.

- When she sleeps next to someone, she always hogs the blanket.

- She's a decent cook.

- She's a great ice skater and won a ton of trophies and medals. She keeps them all exposed in a display cabinet in her room.

- She can speak 7 different languages.

[malecdiscordserver]

We’ve officially come to the end of the Malec Discord Mini Bang 2020 presented by the Malec Discord Server. We had a fantastic turnout with 35 writers, 21 artists, and 22 betas making it across the finish line. I hope you’ll join us in giving everyone a huge round of congratulations for this fantastic content. 

Take a look at the AO3 collection here!

Without further ado, here is a masterpost of all submitted pieces for this event. Please be sure to give all of these fantastic creators the credit they deserve for these amazing stories and incredible pieces of art. 

The Games We Play by @accal1a

Rating: Explicit Summary: Alec and Aed play a diabolical game, Magnus and Francesca look on, teasing their partners all the while.

When Life Doesn't Give You Lemons by @jesssssah

Rating: Mature Summary: Magnus and Alec are contestants on Masterchef. Without a recipe, they must each make a dessert by celebrity chef Jace Wayland or risk elimination from the competition. Magnus' talent is for desserts but Alec is inexperienced at those. So to save him from going home Magnus must give him some lessons in baking.

The Angel's Treasure by @notquiteascrazy 

Rating: Mature Summary: When a change of life circumstance gives Magnus the means to go in search of adventure, there is only one person he can think of who should accompany him: his college friend, Alexander Lightwood. After all, what could possibly go wrong with taking the man you've always had a secret crush on to explore a tropical island on the hunt for long-lost treasure? Link to completed fic

You Are The Music in Me @brightasstars 

Rating: Explicit Summary: Alec wakes up one morning, in a hospital’s bed, alone and far away from home, only to discover that he has lost his lower leg and all that he had, is now gone forever. With his new life, comes new relationships and encounters, and Alec finds himself working on his dream with Magnus, a famous cello player, who shares with him more past than he could imagine. Heart grows fonder as they get to know each other but it terrifies Alec to reveal everything to Magnus, scared that it would be too much, for he isn’t ready to lose everything all over again.When truth is forced out of him, even his own skin doesn’t feel safe enough. Luke’s question echoes through his mind, is he ready to let someone see him? let someone love him? A story of losing and winning and everything in between. Link to completed fic

hollow crown by taurussieben 

Rating: Teen Summary: He nodded at himself in the mirror, took the keys from the bowl on the sideboard in the hallway, checked for his pockets for his card and phone, and stepped out. The door closed behind him with a soft click.

“I think we should take a break.”

A story about how we shape our own world and that sometimes, that shape is much more different then we thought it is.

of track meets and heartbeats by fallenhurricane

Rating: General Summary: Alec takes a deep breath and rolls his shoulders, bouncing from foot to foot. He adjusts his grip on the pole one last time before starting his run.

His run feels good and right; his knees are pulling up high and the pole is steady, if a bit lighter than normal, in his hands. As he approaches the crossbar, he straightens and speeds up a bit, extending his arms above him. The bottom of the pole settles into the plant box and Alec swings himself forward and up, just as he’s done hundreds of times before.

But.

But.

While Alec has plans to clear this jump and advance to set his personal record, the pole that Camille loaned him has a different idea.

OR: The high school track team injury AU nobody asked for.

Please, Don't Turn Back by hmweasley

Rating: Teen Summary: Once they're 18, both demons and angels must visit Earth with their own personal missions before they come of age. For angels, this means saving souls. For demons, it usually means little more than corrupting a human or two, but Magnus isn't a run-of-the-mill demon. He's the son of a Prince of Hell, and his mission must reflect that. What Asmodeus gives him is a mission that's rather straightforward on paper: kill Alexander Lightwood, the son of high-ranking angels.

There's just one thing the plan doesn't account for: how Alexander makes Magnus feel.

Dormancy by Hermit

Rating: Teen Summary: Love used to be a weed that threatened to choke him. Now, it will never again be in the cards for him. Magnus absolutely, and with all the certainty of centuries, knows this. Until Alec Lightwood unknowingly waters his heart. It decides to grow. This is undeniably a problem, but both Alec and Magnus have to choose if it can bloom.

catch me when i fall by @mirrorofliterature

Rating: Teen Summary: When Magnus Bane walks into Alec Lightwood's office on one frosty fall night, fresh from a conference about a particular world-destroying lie-detector, the Damocles sword doesn't drop onto their heads.

Or: Robert Lightwood doesn’t tell Alec about the Soul Sword, and things change. Magnus and Alec stay together. Yet -

How much more does he have to lose - how much more does he have to suffer - before he’s finally left alone?

In the perpetual, lonely silence filling his home, Magnus Bane falls to his knees, and cries.

Meet Me On The Ice by @aceon-ice

Rating: Teen Summary: Magnus is at the top of men's figure skating, with a solid winning streak, but he's no longer interested in the sport- until he meets Alec Lightwood.

Alec is a pairs skater struggling with competition anxiety whose life takes a turn for the better when he's approached by Magnus Bane.

AKA the figure skating AU nobody asked for but I wanted to write.

Artwork for Meet Me On The Ice by @koryandr​

the way to a chef's heart by @lecrit

Rating: Mature Summary: After a scorching review on his restaurant in one of the world's most famous food magazine, world class chef Magnus Bane is set on finding the food critic who dared to slander his art and make him change his mind. He doesn't expect someone as stubborn or infuriating as Alec Lightwood.

Artwork for the way to a chef’s heart by @whatanexcitingfewdaysithasbeen

I loved your colours (before I loved you) by @hopesilverheart

Rating: Explicit (Chapter 10 only) Summary: Magnus Bane is a journalist who's always dreamed of modelling for Lightwood Fashions. When the CEO Alec Lightwood starts looking for new models for their spring collection, he jumps on the occasion.

In the meantime, Alec Lightwood is struggling with the idea of finally announcing his role as co-designer. When Magnus Bane strolls into his life, Alec is torn between keeping his secret or throwing all caution to the wind. Link to completed fic

Artwork for I loved your colours (before I loved you) by @calliartss​

Bleeding Heart by sivan325 

Rating: Explicit Summary: “Are you sure? Maybe there is some other alpha out there for you?” Jace asked.

“What other alpha?” Alec asked as he stared at the beta, and added, “I don’t have a choice in that anymore, I’m without an Alpha, I’m more like pack less, someone that does not belong anywhere.” Link to completed fic

Artwork for Bleeding Heart by @miss-shiva-adler​

They Call Me a Thief by @lightwormsiblings

Rating: Teen Summary: The Lightwoods are relatively new to the criminal scene but are quickly making a name for themselves. What happens when they run into world renowned con-artist Magnus Bane and his team when on a job after which Alec realizes he and Magnus might be after the same thing.

or a Shadowhunters Leverage AU

Artwork for They Call Me a Thief by @killiarious

Love, but Make it Fashion by theweird1

Rating: Explicit (Chapter 9) Summary: Alec couldn't stand corporate life anymore. Now he needs a job and Izzy is the girl to help. Unfortunately, it is to be a PA to the most overbearing and annoyingly handsome fashion designer to ever grace the pages of Vogue. A man with a heart of ice, but even ice can be thawed with enough care. Ghosts from the past will surface just when it looks like love is in the air. Suddenly Alec finds himself in the most awkward position of pretending to be his boss’ new fiancé. Magnus and Alec will have to decide if their fake engagement can become a reality before they are completely torn apart. Link to Chapters 1-5 Link to Chapters 6-Epilogue

Artwork for Love, but Make it Fashion by Kuro

To Shine A Light by Nadja_Lee

Rating: Mature Summary: Alexander Lightwood is a very old and powerful Warlock, who has risen to become a leader for the Downworld. When one of his people, the Warlock Andrew Underhill, is accused of breaking the Accords and faces sentencing Alec shows up at the New York Institute to set the record straight. Camille, leader of the NYI, has plans for the powerful Warlock, plans she is eager to see carried out. She has Idris’ best soldier, Magnus Bane, assist with the interrogation of Alec, unaware what she is setting in motion by doing so as Alec and Magnus are instantly drawn to each other. Soon Magnus will have to choose between helping Alec and his oath to Idris. Will Magnus dare to risk it all for the possibility the powerful Warlock will take a chance and open his heart to him? Link to completed fic

A Bit of Space by @facialteeth

Rating: Mature Summary: Alec and Magnus are the sole survivors after their spaceship crashes on an uninhabited planet. They have no way to contact anyone to let them know they’re still alive but somehow, they make it work. In the end, all they really need is each other. Link to completed fic

Artwork for A Bit of Space by @accal1a​

A Prince of Gold and Glass by @harkasun

Rating: General Summary: When Magnus sends himself to Edom in order to protect Alicante and the world, Alec must come to terms with the possibility that the man he intended to marry has sacrificed much more than his freedom. Meanwhile, in the demonic realm, The Queen of Edom finds a warlock, the half-breed son of a Prince of Hell whose corruption can ensure that the throne of Edom is once again claimed by a creature of demonic royalty: one who will become her Prince of Edom. Link to completed fic

Artwork for A Prince of Gold and Glass by DarayFlair

Cradling the Sun by @cuubism

Rating: Mature Summary: Alec’s known for a long time that Magnus is a hard person to hold. He’s so much—so much power, so much energy, so much brilliance, so much love. He shines so bright he’s hard to even look at directly, never mind try to hold in one set of hands. Now that Magnus himself is losing his grip on all of that, well. Alec will just have to hold him a little bit tighter. Link to completed fic

Artwork for Cradling the Sun by @faejilly Also found on YouTube and Spotify

A piece of night sky by myulalie

Rating: Teen Summary: There are rumors that Valentine is back. And he's searching for something. When his dealings with dark magic cause swarms of demons to crawl New York, the city is not safe at night, especially for downworlders.

Alec is doing his best to keep the city safe. With no support from the Clave, the New York Institute is desperately understaffed. He begins patrolling with help from the Downworld factions - which proves to be tricky at best, and becomes almost impossible when the werewolves start hunting Alec.

His siblings have no idea of what he’s up to at night and to keep them all safe Alec needs to keep it that way.

Then, he meets the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Suddenly, patrolling also includes pop songs and bird puns in between watching someone's back when fighting demons.

But, what’s one more secret to keep? Link to completed fic

Artwork for A piece of the night sky by @jesssssah​

Dona Nobis Pacem by lawsofchaos

Rating: Teen Summary: “When Alec kneels before you on that dais, Magnus,” Jace keeps going, “he’s telling every person present that it is your judgement, your respect, that he places before all others. In you placing that rune on his neck, Alec is publicly proclaiming that it’s your blessing and your judgement on him and on his reign as Head that gives him the right and the authority to uphold the Covenant.” Link to completed fic 

Artwork #1 for Dona Nobis Pacem created by @cloudburst-ink Artwork #2 for Dona Nobis Pacem created by @cloudburst-ink

isn’t it just so pretty to think (an invisible string) by @iambeingcoy

Rating: General Summary: alec had jumped at the chance to work in paris when the offer presented itself to him. it was a chance to run away from new york for a year under the guise of a good career opportunity. there, he meets magnus. while falling in love with the other man, alec finds himself falling in love with the city too. when the year begins to come to a close, alec doesn't realize that what you're running away from can always catch up to you and, just maybe, he isn't the only one who has been running.

it's easy to fall in love in paris.

Artwork for isn’t it just so pretty to think (an invisibly string) by @spark-draws​

Copper, Gold, Silver, and Glitter by YourAverageNerd 

Rating: Teen Summary: "Oh. Yeah. You know how you invited Magnus Bane to Jace and Clary's wedding as a joke?" Alec shrugged. "He actually showed up. We went out for lunch yesterday."

Silence. It was silent. The kind that Alec craved and usually could never find and wow, he should drop bombs like this more often because he really liked it.

Then Jace ruined it by nearly screaming, "I'm sorry, what!"

(In which there's a wedding, some celebrities may be nicer than they appear, and Alec is trying to keep himself from turning into smoke.)

Blame It on the Fairy Dust by slyvir 

Rating: Mature Summary: Pandemonium is Magnus's territory, the lack of Alec's presence by his side despite the latter's apparent open stance on downworlders is slowly brewing into political issues. That clubs are not Alec's scene it is not a surprise, the reasons why he tried to avoid nights at Pandemonium however blindside Magnus, especially when they came out in the open in a fashion that is uniquely normal for them.

Both Alec and Magnus are ready to give away a piece of themselves for the other. Suffering in silence, with the intent to protect their partner from pain or guilt. But the way to Hell is paved with good intentions. And the more one let someone else in, the more one can get hurt. No one has any doubt that Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood are deeply in love, they show it all the time, even when no one’s looking. So it should not come as a surprise that they end up being each other’s reason to hurt so much. Link to completed fic

Artwork for Blame It on the Fairy Dust by @a-ghost-named-k​

In Every Universe, We Find Each Other by EternallySilverMagnusandAlec 

Rating: Teen Summary: Tensions have been rising between the Clave and the Downworld to the brink of near revolution in the wake of Valentine's return. Magnus is asked to lead in these trying times, pushed to fight at the forefront of his people and the downworld as he has for centuries. Despite this, Magnus and Alec still meet and dance around with whatever is growing between them, time stretching into months of stolen interactions despite the swelling conflict, and fall in love. And Alec Lightwood still makes the decision to choose Magnus Bane. Or: A collection of moments in a time of growing tension Magnus and Alec share, and the product of their final choices

Artwork for In Every Universe, We Find Each Other by @greentealycheejelly​

Codename: Bane by @bidnezz 

Rating: Mature Summary: Magnus Bane meets Alec Lightwood by pure coincidence on two occasions: one morning in a quaint coffee shop, and again during a mission briefing for The Clave. It’s only supposed to be one mission, but leaked information and the kidnapping of his friend and mentor Ragnor Fell lead to undesirable predicaments, and hard as he tries to keep it professional, Magnus can’t help his growing affection for the spy he’s hired to watch and navigate through the murky treachery of espionage.

Artwork for Codename: Bane by @myulalie​

A Wonderful Institution by @rhosyn-du 

Rating: Teen Summary: Magnus doesn’t have time for this bullshit. Warlocks are disappearing in New York City—five people in less than three months—and Magnus is determined to find them and protect the rest of his people from whatever took them. He doesn’t have time for politics, and he certainly doesn’t have time for whatever nonsense the Clave is proposing about marrying a Shadowhunter to a Downworlder as part of the new Accords. He doesn’t really have time for a pretty Shadowhunter who’s surprisingly kind to warlock children, either, but, well, he’s always been good at multitasking.

Alec always knew he couldn’t have what he wanted, but he’s spent the nearly four years since the newly-appointed Consul recalled his parents to Idris without explanation making the best of what he can have. When life suddenly offers up almost everything Alec actually wants on a silver platter, he can’t quite bring himself to trust it, especially when it comes with a million caveats and a side of impending disaster. But he knows how to handle disasters, even if the return of the Circle on top of Clave secrets that could destroy the Accords is way beyond the disasters he’s used to fielding. Hope, on the other hand? He doesn’t know what to do with that. Link to completed fic

Artwork for A Wonderful Institution by @bidnezz​

Coming to America by PisangGoreng 

Rating: Mature Summary: His Royal Highness Asmodeus Magnus III is the crown prince and sole heir to the throne of Edom. He has never left the island and is pretty desillusioned with the royal treatment. The law says he needs to wed before he turns 30, so on his 29th birthday his father arranges a marriage for him. But when his fiancée turns out to be an awful familiar face, Magnus takes matters into his own hand.

He bargains with his father, who gives him 3 months to do whatever he wants. So Magnus comes up with a plan: he's going to live life as a normal guy and find a partner all by himself in New York.

Not wasting any time he starts looking for love, with little success. Until he encounters the most handsome, intelligent and charming man he has ever seen! Without realizing it himself Alexander Lightwood sweeps Magnus off his feet, and along the way Magnus finds that he's in deep and has no plan, his dream guy is already in a relationship and every day he is closer to his return to Edom.

And even if he manages to get Alec's attention, will there ever be a good time to tell him he's been a prince all along?

An adaptation of the 1988 romantic comedy Coming to America (but probably a lot less funny). Link to completed fic

Artwork for Coming to America by amillustration_

until death do us part by ColorfulWarlock 

Rating: Explicit Summary: In the past, a still traumatized six-year old Magnus thought he would have to endure the darkness of Edom alone. Until another child – a boy with dark hair, pale skin and bright hazel eyes – found him and lighted up his heart.

In the present, the High Warlock of Brooklyn Magnus Bane works with the Shadowhunters and other Downworlders to bring Valentine down. What he doesn’t expect is that Valentine controls a very powerful being, and how to fight someone to whom you give your heart centuries ago?

Artwork for until death do us part by @eternallysilvermagnusandalec​

Keris by AlterEgon

Rating: Mature Summary: A recent death shakes Magnus Bane with some eerie parallels to his own past. As the supposed suicide turns to probable murder, he begins questioning the circumstances surrounding his own mother's death. When proximity to the dagger that took his mother's life brings him visions of details long forgotten that do not fit into the narrative he had taken as truth regarding her last days or weeks, he, Alec, and their friends and family begin to investigate, uncovering unexpected connections and a killer who has been on the loose for far too long

It's What You Do With Life That Matters by @skylar102 

Rating: Teen Summary: Alec has come to the Sinnoh region in search of a rare pokemon. Along the way, he meets a trainer who is more than willing to help him out. Is there more to the stranger's generosity? Will Alec be able to capture the pokemon he's been long searching for? What secret is Alec hiding?

On this journey, Alec is going to make new friends, finish a long overdue promise, and finally confront a piece of his past.

Aligned by @jaackkitty

Rating: Teen Warning: Non-con in a chapter (not descriptive or explicit) Summary: In six months, Prince Alec Lightwood is set to become King of Idris. He’s been waiting to take the throne since his parents' unexpected death at sea eight years ago. Since then, Valentine Morgenstern has been serving as king. Needless to say, Valentine’s rules & regulations only serve Valentine and his trusted followers, with no regard for the well-being of the people of Idris, least of all the magic users. Afraid of them, he created a law to bind their magic to another. By circumstance, Alec finds himself aligned with magic user, Magnus Bane. Link to chapters 1-9 Link to chapters 10-16

Artwork for Aligned by @greentealycheejelly​

My Fearless Love, I Will Not Say Goodbye by @arialerendeair

Rating: Explicit Summary: When their first time together results in an accidental mating bond, Alec and Magnus have to decide how they want to proceed. Especially since they were both sure that the other didn't want a full mating...right?

Also known as: Alpha Alec, Omega Magnus, and a fuckton of pining. Link to completed fic

Artwork for My Fearless Love, I Will Not Say Goodbye by @skylar102​

Sixteenth Sunset by Nhixxie

Rating: Mature Summary: NASA astronauts Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood spend one year living and working together in the International Space Station. They fall in love one astounding view of Earth at a time.

Artwork for Sixteenth Sunset by @miss-shiva-adler​

Untitled experiment by @imandras

Rating: General Summary: But it happened at the time that in one of Alec's lectures the proposal to conduct an experiment was presented so convincingly, that Alec and his guitar were allowed to (or rather had to) spend some time (with considerably less wages) in the subway.

And as fate would have it (she was in a good mood this morning) Magnus went to work earlier than usual, because he wanted to start the day pleasantly with his dear friend Cat and an extensive breakfast together.

Remember, it's all Simon's fault! 

Artwork for Untitled experiment by @a-ghost-named-k​

[oddlyhale]

RWBY Moon and Sun Apostles AU

Because I am so exhausted of the RWBY logic and the broken system of Season Maidens, I decided to condense it to 2 major factors that can hone the same abilities as Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

After the fall of humanity caused by [new character soon that ties with Cinder's new backstory that I am planning to write,] the Gods decided that the light and darkness would be maintained by two Apostles that bring balance upon Remnant.

The Sun Apostle was created by The God of Light. He gave this Apostle the powers of Spring and Summer. Creating wars, strength, passion, harnesses the power of fire, plant life, the power of awakening.

For summary's sake, The Sun has the same powers as Helios, the Greek Sun God. Unparalleled Heliokinesis Solar Manipulation Unparalleled Photokinesis Unparalleled Pyro-Thermokinesis Unparalleled Pyrokinesis Advanced Psychokinesis Telekinesis Earth Manipulation Vision Manipulation Brute Strength War Mongering Clairvoyance Flight Nigh Omniscience Temporal Cognition Fire Animal Creation Invulnerability Rapid Regeneration Enhanced Power (source: https://greekmythology.wikia.org/wiki/Helios)

The reason why the Sun God gave so many abilities to his Apostle was because of how he knew he was limited in his own work. Hearing that his Brother was making his own Apostle created fear in him to invest the strongest follower. He was widely known as The Jealous Sun, the one that humans and faunus looked at with ugly expressions, yet looked at The Moon Brother with smiles.

The God of Light thinks with brutish intentions, believing in chaos and cycles that create his creation (Earth.) The strongest live, the weak creations die. Magic should be distributed among humans to weed out the enemy and keep the innocents safe, keeping the world beneficial to their existence.

Meanwhile, The God of Darkness created the Moon Apostle, yet He decided to make this Apostle contain his ideals along with powers, which would be the importance of magic, knowledge, understanding and wisdom, kindness, and nurturing. The Moon Apostle (or also known as the Lunar Priest / Priestess) had the same range of powers as Hecate: Witchcraft, magic Necromancy Sorcery Earth manipulation Ice and winter powers Controlling the water, controlling air Absorbing lunar energy Dream manipulation / sleep Immense knowledge Lunakinesis Lunar Control/Arts Menekinesis Moon Manipulation/Control/Arts Selenokinesis Cynthiakinesis

The God of Darkness values knowledge and study more than chaotic control like his Brother does. He wants life to continue, but not the way that the Jealous Sun wants it to. He believes knowledge is more precious than living as a war-monger.

The Apostles can be anybody that is worthy of the power, however, this is carefully chosen by the Apostles themselves. An assassin cannot steal their power away if the Apostle is killed - instead, the powers will go to their chosen successor, but who it is, will be the biggest conquest to discover.

Even then when the successors are found, the powers are not awakened yet. They have not acknowledged or unlocked their spirit yet to the ultimate responsibility, and so they need help to unleash it and hone it as their own.

The only way an assassin can take the power is to forcefully extract it, but even then these forcible transfers had always failed. Apostles are ordered to execute themselves if they've failed to keep the power safe, and the cycle continues. Whatever power the assassin tried stealing will also leave them once the Apostle is dead.

If the Apostle is killed, then the Apostle is killed. The powers will vanish and be nesting in the new host, new user of the Sun or Moon.

What the Apostles are created to do is keep balance on earth. They are protectors of balance and protectors of the Gods' power, killing any of those who pose a threat to their mission. They've been sworn to be keepers of peace and harmony, and if not, they are more liable of becoming the most powerful enemies of humans and faunus.

Now, the transfer of power can be very tricky. It must always be passed down to a newborn, letting the Sun or Moon's powers grow and mature with them in their lives.

Whoever possesses the powers can easily fall into darkness, using their powers for destruction and mayhem, or to make humans bow to them. While humans may have magic, semblances, and their own forms of the capability of fighting, they are no match for a demi-god.

The reason why they are Apostles and not 'Maidens' is to make this exchange of power be opened to any person in the world of Remnant. Female, male, in-between, or no-gender, the power will be housed in the body of the new host. Gender does not matter, the only thing that matters is that this power has a vessel.

What Apostles must be wary of is that the power should not be exchanged to someone close to them. A newborn relative, a newborn of a friend, or anyone that could be linked back to them. It'd be easy for the assassins to capture and kill the child.

If the Apostle has no idea where the power goes next or has not planned it out at all, this will cause an eruption upon the earth. Balance is broken and the effects of a failed Apostle (Sun or Moon,) will be clear throughout the world.

If a Sun Apostle is not chosen, the earth will live in darkness. Heat is nonexistent, and neither are food resources. Plantlife will die. This will cause a massive chain-effect of animals and humans' deaths.

If a Moon Apostle is not chosen, the gravity of earth will be heavily shifted. The temperature and seasons will be crazed, the ocean will no longer move. Fall and Winter will stop existing, causing the intense heat of the moon-less earth to kill off natural resources.

--------

Not the best I've written but it's sumfin.

[hedonisthierophant]

The Dead Man in the Mirror

Hi everyone, (it feels funny saying that when I imagine that the amount of people who will read this is probably in single digits.)

Here is my first fic for The Devil All The Time. It’s an introspective piece, exploring Arvin’s psyche. I’d love feedback, bonus points if you can guess what I’ve been watching lately that was somewhat of an inspiration for this. I owe the courage to both write and post this to @ill-skillsgard. I dedicate this piece to her and to @sophie-writes-for-arvin-russel who inspired it, I hope you both like this. Enjoy!

Warnings: disassociative identity disorder, blood, violence, mentions of suicide.

Length: 2K

The Dead Man In The Mirror

His father seemed to fight the devil all the time. Growing up, his father Willard had always been Arvin’s hero. His father was big, strong,  incredibly handsome, a fearsome protector, his love existed but it was distant and could be cold. His mother…well his mother’s very nature seemed defined by her ephemerality. She had been kind, gentle, quietly beautiful, wonderfully nurturing…and gone too soon. If his mother had been the life-giving spring with its gentle time to grow, his father was the harsh winter that demanded that Arvin mold himself into something different if he was to survive. When he went out with his father he could perfectly go through the motions of the lessons he was being taught but Willard somehow knew that Arvin wasn’t really learning them for himself, merely copying, the same was true of his mother, when given an example he could put on an impeccable performance of the polite and humble young man she was attempting to raise, but she too realized that she was only taking in a show. Without either of their examples to follow Arvin was simply still, empty like a mirror left alone in the dark with nothing to reflect. Arvin supposed that made him the autumn, a product of two stronger forces with the redeeming qualities of neither. People like autumn because it’s not too much of this, or that. To him, being autumn was simply the absence of being. In the stillness of autumn as the world prepares to slumber people often use the ensuing quiet and peace as a reprieve to find themselves. For Arvin though, there was nothing to find. He was empty. In the in-between where his mother’s lessons intersected with his father’s they agreed on only a single point. That Arvin must find himself and discover who he was or other people would take advantage of his emptiness and use him as a vessel waiting to be filled. He wouldn’t find out how correct they had been until much later.

           In the end the cancer itself may have only struck down his mother, but it defeated both his parents. Charlotte only knew how to deal with problems that were like weeds, insects, or disease in her beautiful garden, they could be plucked and pruned, treated with this remedy or that, Arvin remembers that she used to sing to her plants. In the absence of treatment all his mother’s ways were useless against the sickness devouring her. His father was a warrior through and through, once pointed in the direction of a solution there was no stopping him. It is how he had solved the problems of the battlefield and Arvin would learn much later that he had solved their housing situation the same way. The thankless unforgiving work of the slaughterhouse was simply another battle to be fought. In the absence of an enemy combatant, Willard was powerless. Cancer was an intangible, intransigent enemy. Charlotte lost ground to it every day, and there was nothing her devoted soldier could do to help. That desperation birthed the prayer log, a place where in Willard’s mind, he would focus all of his devotion and manifest a miracle for his beloved. Arvin, ever the mirror, was expected to reflect Willard’s zeal in order to amplify their call to heaven. In a detached sort of way his father’s suicide made sense to Arvin. The great soldier had finally lost a battle, and doctrine dictated that under no circumstances was he to allow himself to be taken alive in event of defeat. Slitting his throat from ear to ear in an inadvertent grotesque parody of the smile Arvin had been longing to see grace his lips had simply been only available recourse.

Arvin used to stare into the mirror for hours on end when he was young, he could see his mother’s fine features and soft caring eyes easily enough but from the moment he was old enough to compare he felt he was lacking because he didn’t see any of his father’s face in him, let alone his strength or determination. When Charlotte fell ill Arvin didn’t look in the mirror anymore, this was not by choice for he dearly would’ve liked to continue his nightly ritual of self-analysis, if only to take his mind away from his mother for a while and even more so as an escape from the burdensome log. His mother had insisted that they cover the mirrors as she grew weaker. His father ever the dutiful soldier, glad to be given a mission to accomplish, saw to it as nearly as soon as the words left her pale, trembling lips. Her faint wish was executed zealously as though it were an order from an empress, or an angel’s command ringing down from on high. Willard flew to the general store as fast as their battered truck carry him and returned with the heaviest sheets young Arvin had ever seen. Not one for any half measures ever, Willard affixed sheets to every mirror in the house tying the edges with impenetrable serpentine knots he learned in the war. On the inside Arvin wailed at the loss, as though he were being deprived of the priceless treasure as opposed to a simple chance to look himself, but without a physical mirror to ground him, he became lost in a spiral of self-doubt and could think of himself as only a pale reflection of his parents. Outwardly however he said nothing, his face betrayed none of his turmoil, for that was one of the mandates of winter. All these years later Arvin still asks himself why reflections were banished from their home, he thinks perhaps that not even his mother could stand the sight of her radiance fading away, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment.

Young Arvin tried to defy this edict once when he was starving for a reminder that he himself was alive. He snuck the smallest mirror in the house, a relic of a bygone age when his mother had wistfully mentioned that she wished to have a mirror to do her makeup in. His father had driven six hours next day and returned with a luxuriously polished and impossibly bright mirror from a department store in Cleveland and placed it on his mother’s dresser before she even awoke. Armed with a dull butter knife that had long since lost its luster for there was no one around to cook anymore, Arvin’s clumsy child’s hands sawed ineffectually at the Gordian knot separating him from just the smallest reassurance that he was a person. The punishments of winter were cruel, but purposeful…this would be of rather cold comfort to Arvin. His father opened the door to his room and saw what he was attempting to do, coldness came over his face as though his exquisite mien had been frozen into a perfect ice sculpture of emptiness. He approached with the inevitability and weight of a blizzard, that would bear down upon Arvin’s small, desperate, perpetually inadequate frame. There was a cold precision to the pain inflicted upon Arvin. The worst punishment, assigned to his hands, for they had been the instruments of his sin, was dealt first. He was force to immerse them in ice water for an hour, Arvin begged and pleaded, his tears melting with the instrument of the sanction placed upon him. Through piteous groans and screams and cries, and apologies and promises made all the more earnest by suffering the ice in his father’s face did not crack, but the moment the timer rang his father lifted his hands from the ice and began to dry them showing a tenderness that was rare for him. After enduring the loss of feeling in his hands Arvin was stripped and made to go outside and select a willow switch, Arvin had thought he might never feel warm again but the heat of shame proved him wrong. He was beaten with an almost… tender precision, in all things his father was in absolute control of himself and the application of justice is no different. The lashings never broke the skin never left too serious a bruise and his face and what lay between his legs were spared. The morphine held his mother under its powerful spell and his screams never reached her. Afterward Willard helped Arvin dress and gently held him in his arms before carrying him away to bed and tucking him in. The moment the door shut quietly behind him and there was enough distance between him and his son’s sniffling breaths the ice that held Willard melted his body shook with silent sobs as tears sprang from his eyes and mixed with the vermilion blood on his hands as he knelt to pick up shards of glass from the petite mirror he had shattered for daring to remind him of happier times.

The day those boys had cornered Lenora, forced her to her knees and thrown a bag over her head Arvin tried to say a prayer in his mind as he was surrounded and kicked, but it wasn’t the Lord who answered, something inside Arvin had. For the first time in his insecure, anxious, people pleasing existence, Arvin was filled with a sense of confidence. Something had finally risen and filled the emptiness inside of him. In his current situation there was nothing even this mysterious force that had brought certainty to him at last could do, but  it knew all it would have to do was wait for the right time. The presence became a constant companion in Arvin’s life, he saw a tire iron at work and the voice whispered to him tales of vengeance for him and his sister. The day he ambushed the boy on the bus and beat him with a tire iron the voice roared in approval, Arvin as he was before wouldn’t even have had the strength to lift the iron deal such vicious blows but he was possessed of someone or someone else’s strength. Later when he attacked the boys in the garage bringing the hood of a car down on one of their heads and beating the others the voice whispered that it was proud of him and a shiver ran up his spine.

The day he came home and found Lenora hanging in the shed the voice let out an unholy scream and Arvin was overcome with the sense that he’d come home to something like this once already and couldn’t bear another, even though that was impossible. What happened to his father had felt…different. When he confronted preacher Teagardin the presence took over his lips and made him whisper of dark, sexual things, urges that were not of the Lord to lure the predator into a false sense of security. When he shot the hypocritical holy man who had dared to abuse Lenora, whom he’d failed to protect the voice was elated whispering all sorts of praise that echoed in Arvin’s ears. As he struggled to catch his breath and come back to himself afterward in his car something about the situation struck him is familiar, more than déjà vu it was as though he had lived this already. The voice had snarled at the couple that had picked him up as he hitchhiked to Knockemstiff, the cold certainty that these people meant him harm came over him though the source of this feeling was not Arvin. After he had slain them the voice whispered that it had been vindicated and the photograph he’d come into possession of was proof that they were not righteous. When he confronted Lee Bodecker he was out of his depth, crouched behind a rock as bullets flew around him, the voice urged him to surrender to it promising that it had the strength and knowledge to help him face this challenge, but that he had to surrender control. Desperate and afraid Arvin agreed. He rose with the stance of someone who had seen battle, dodging from cover to cover as though he’d done it a hundred times, his fear had evaporated as though he dealt with this sort of situation regularly, the forest around him started to blur and the trees became something akin to those he’d seen in pictures of the South Pacific instead of familiar West Virginia Pines. He wielded the gun expertly and struck down the sheriff, the voice was quiet.

Before Arvin left, Earskell had said “I ain’t seen a look in anybody’s eye like that since your Daddy died.” He’d attempted to say goodbye to his grandmother before his courage had deserted him. He knew in his heart that her mind was beginning to go but she’d clutched his face close to hers, her venerable hands trembling. Her last words to him had been “Oh my dear Willard, you look so handsome.” There had never been any mirrors in the house in Knockemstiff, his grandmother held that they were objects of vanity and portals to sin, so Willard left not knowing what she’d seen in his face that had confused her.

As Arvin settled into the back seat of the hitchhiker’s car, he asked him where he was going. He glanced up and gazed into the rearview mirror. His father’s impossibly alluring face, arctic as ever, stared back at him. His voice is not his own when he answered: “well there’s a lot of no good sons of bitches out there, and I aim to get right with ‘em.”

[1zashreena1]

Diego Requests an Audience -1

18+, m/f, technically OCxDiego Jimenez [Power]

Summary: Princess gets the rich bad boy equivalent of a call the next day from what she thought was a fairy tale of a one night stand.

WARNINGS: Ridiculous descriptions and 'the code is more like guidelines' outlook on grammar. Is it OOC if the character was given essentially zero development in canon???

Mentions of drugs/alcohol use, no actual smut in this one but references to multiple forms of sexual activity with m/f dynamics, plus size woman+fit man, early stage sugar daddy vibes, bad boys with too much money and not enough impulse control, secondary OCs, excessive swearing (???), illegal business dealings... I mean, its DIEGO

A/N: Princess took on a life of her own and has essentially become an OC. There are infrequent mentions of her description (specifically as plus size) and her actual name in later pieces (its Bicki). She started as self-insert so she looks like me. If that is not your thing, I totally understand. And do not feel obligated to read this, I will not be offended!

I'm not a fan of "plot" so be aware that most of this series is just meandering through their relationship, angst-fluff-smut whiplash style. But with dick jokes.

Constructive criticism is always welcome. I'm an old timer at Fandom but a baby content creator.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read @chelsfic Princess pieces first, that is the beginning.

https://chelsfic.tumblr.com/post/613340476058304512/princess-for-1zashreena1-diego-jimenez-x

https://chelsfic.tumblr.com/post/618297838815920128/princess-awakes-diego-jim%C3%A9nez-x-reader-ficlet

Last thing before Murder Panther, I promise!

Huge, tremendous, throbbing THANK YOU to @chelsfic​ !  My fanfic creator mommy, I could not and would not have done this without you or your devious reverse psychology  You're gonna have to thwack me super duper hard with a rolled up newspaper to get rid of me because ily.

Massive shoutouts to @symbiont13​ @rosee-sensuelle​ @bunnykjm​ @mandoplease​ @nicke0115​ (y’all know what you did)

You're sitting in your car on your lunch break listening to the same song for the seventh time in a row because that is a thing that you do. When you like something, you like it. The song has pounding bass, if you close your eyes you can almost imagine being in a club. You never did get to do much of that, your twenties were spent working two jobs and sleeping in your car sometimes, so your just passed birthday weekend escapade was really something else. You've never done anything like that before and it was-

Ding-DING

Your phone chirps with a text message from an unknown number. You peer at the screen with a furrowed brow, I don't know anyone in California, must be a wrong number. You open the message cautiously, who knows what kind of weirdness it might be. 

Good morning Princess

What. No. There is no way. Absolutely not possible. Un uhh. Nope.

You should come back to NYC. I want to have you again.

Holy fucking shit. Its really him. It's Diego. Its Diego of the big brown eyes, even bigger hands, and absolutely the biggest cock you have ever seen. Diego viciously-gorgeous stupefyingly-rich incredibly-dangerous exhaustingly-insatiable Jimenez. 

Whom you most definitely did not Google upon your return home only to discover that he is an international criminal. Yeah, he's criminally hot.

You really do wish that little voice in the back of your mind was helpful. 

Yes, but he was nice to you. Really not helpful. How many times did you even come that night? There was the bed, the floor, over the back of the sofa, the kitchen counter (which he referred to as 'snack time' because he ate, and wasn't that adorable), and then that kiss/invasion of your oral cavity before you left. After he made you breakfast. And gave you a pair of Ugg boots that were magically in your size because it was cold out. Okay, so he was REALLY nice.

Wait. I didn't give him my number, what the fuck.

Hi Diego

And you hit send before you can stop yourself. What in the actual fuck am I doing?

I knew you remembered me. 😉Come up here this weekend. I want you

He wants you. He said it himself. Oh my god oh my god oh my god. Like, want-want? He saw you naked in broad daylight so he definitely knows what you look like. I want you, your mind just keeps repeating it. Hold up, is an international drug lord, cartel boss, top ten FBI most wanted man texting you with emojis???

I hadn't really budgeted on another trip so soon

Is that too much? Are you revealing your pathetic poor-ness and he definitely will not be into that?

Please🤚 Do you want to come?

Oh lordy, but he knows exactly how to word things. 

… I mean, yeah. Preferably repeatedly

Okay, yes, you've always been a pervert but something about this man only encourages you. Surely it wasn't how he laughed every time you made an innuendo. 

Then I've got you 💵😙 Princess👑

Do you want a hotel or stay with me?

Harrisburg is your nearest airport, yes?

Never before in your life have you had cause to use the word 'Baller' but here you are. Is he seriously going to fly me to him? Am I seriously going to go? What level of booty call is this?

Penthouse. Spoil me 😏

And yes Harrisburg. What are you going to do, fly me up there?? Lol

At this point you might as well see how far you can milk this. Also, apparently he knows where you live?

...yes. I have a private jet. I'll text you the info. We're going to have fun little girl😈

Well damn. 

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

You send the entire conversation to Lisa in three screenshots. She calls you at 4:37 while she knows you're still in the car and you spend the entire drive home screaming together as best friends do. 

"I can't believe him! A private jet? Oh my god girl, you better bring home some stacks!"

"I know! Like, what the fuuuuuuuuuck! Lisa, Lisa, oh my god, Lis, what the hell should I pack?! Oh no, oh shit, I don't have any sexy pajamas!" Your high is coming crashing down. Its Tuesday, so you have two whole days to figure this out.

Her laughter is so loud it makes your speakers crackle. "After what you told me from that first night it sounds like you better pack a case of lube and an ice pack!" She dissolves into hysterics.

Well, she's not wrong. "Dude! I was so sore, I couldn't walk for days. This shit is BYOIP: Bring Your Own Ice Pack!" Lisa shrieks while you howl with laughter. 

"Okay, okay. Meet me at Macaroni Grill and we'll formulate a strategic plan of attack over carbs. We have to go to the Frederick's of Hollywood outlet." Lisa is already crafting a plan. 

"See, this is why you're my BFF!" You proclaim before you whip across three lanes of traffic to change course. 

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

You take way more clothing than you could possibly need for a weekend but better safe than sorry. The private jet looks like it came straight out of a music video, you're afraid to even think about how much this costs. Hell, he even paid to have your car valet parked in the only locked and guarded parking garage at this tiny regional airport. There are all kinds of snacks and drinks on the plane, there's even a tiny galley and what looks like a daybed. Noted for later.

The driver who picks you up at the airstrip in New York is Bastian and he is pleasantly surprised that you talk to him. You're pleasantly surprised at how nice Escalades are on the inside. The last time you were in this vehicle you were a little, ahem, distracted.

Diego is extraordinarily pleased to see you wearing the Ugg boots he gave you. The man is all growly innuendo and (mostly) gentlemanly manners, the contrasts are mind-meltingly hot. The weekend passes in a blur of a good time; orgasms, a stroll through some really expensive stores, more orgasms, two clubs on Saturday night, another set of orgasms (Did I really let him finger me in a VIP booth??), your first time trying weed, a sleepy orgasm in a jacuzzi tub (Wet Diego, so gorgeous), the best brunch of your life, another first by having orgasms while on top of a man, and, just before you leave on Sunday evening, a very nice Brahmin purse that you gawked at in one of the stores on Saturday. 

Yet again, Diego corners you by the elevator and attempts to climb down your throat before you're allowed to leave. You have no complaints.

~~~~~~~~~~

The very next Monday you get an extremely sweet text very early in the morning thanking you for coming (all puns intended). Wednesday brings a cookie bouquet to your front door with a note stating that you don't seem like a flowers kind of girl. Incredibly early on Saturday morning is another text, he sounds like he might be a little drunk, confessing that he wants to do it again. 

You forward the message to Lisa with your own addition:

Look, all I'm saying is I'm gonna take this top shelf dick and all the gifts that come with it for as long as he wants to give it to me

It only progresses from there.

[corolune]

Breathing Underwater Chapter Two: Nimbus

AO3 / Tumblr Alex had always known he wasn’t like other children. They didn't hear the song of the ocean in their ears, or feel the thrumming rhythm of the waves in their hearts like he did. Then he finds a silvery coat made of seal fur, glistening and calling him to slip it on — and everything he thought he knew about himself washes away like foam on the sea. Alex Rider is a selkie, and this is the story of how a seal becomes a spy. Prologue 〰 Chapter 1: Zephyr 〰 Chapter 2: Nimbus 〰 Chapter 3: Lightning

nim·bus — a large grey rain cloud

The weeks after their little holiday found Alex holed up in his room, going through everything they’d brought back from the lake cottage, his fur coat always by his side. The locket was stubborn, and refused to open no matter what he tried. But he noticed it warmed in his palm the nearer it was to the seal fur. He spent hours and hours researching selkie lore and seals, although he was under strict instructions from Ian to not breathe a word of it to Jack or Tom. He scoffed at the thought, as if he could honestly even try to tell them. What would he even say, Surprise, I’m actually a seal? No, that was a conversation for later, or maybe never.

He told them the sealskin, which was oddly shaped like a small coat, belonged to his mother. It was a passable lie — the head of the skin was shaped like a hood, and the flippers turned into sleeves when it was laid out on his bed. Even when he wore it, it looked like a strange, oversized hoodie with its uneven hem and lumpy material. The internet assured him that young seals had uneven fur which would soon turn velvety smooth as they aged, so he supposed that one day it might look like an elegant coat. The fact that he wandered around wearing his mother’s old fur coat was maybe a little strange, but it was much more sensible than the truth. Unfortunately, once Ian came back home from another business trip, he decided to put an end to it.

“Alex,” he started, once they were alone in the kitchen, Jack having gone to sleep. “You have to put all this away. School’s starting soon and while this…” he waved his hands at the fur which was, as always, around Alex’s shoulders, “is simply incredible, I don’t want you to lose yourself. You’re Alex Rider, a normal, ordinary London boy, not a...selkie.”

“But I am one!” Alex insisted in a harsh whisper. “And I’ve been a perfectly normal boy for my whole life! It’s not exactly the most exciting and desirable thing to be.”

“Trust me, Alex, you’ll thank me for this when you’re older.” Ian shook his head, tugging at the coat. “We don’t want this falling in the wrong hands, do we? Even your mum said to keep it hidden away, and here you are, showing it off to anyone who cares to look.”

Alex stayed standing where he was, crossing his arms to keep his uncle from sliding the fur off of him, and thought of something else his mum had said in her letter. He’d even read about it in one of the many books on selkies that he’d borrowed from the library — an irresistible charm, and a power of persuasion that selkies, especially male ones, held over humans. He’d tried it on Jack earlier in a bid for extra ice cream, and it had worked extraordinarily well. Squinting his eyes, he locked gazes with Ian, and focused on the ocean song that had settled comfortably around him ever since he’d first worn his sealskin. “I think you’d like to change your mind about that,” he said slowly and purposefully.

He was a little offended when Ian just chuckled and ruffled his hair. “Nope, that’s not going to work on me. Not until you’ve had more practice, anyway.”

“Fine,” Alex grumbled, letting his arms drop to his sides. Ian gently took the coat from him, shaking it out softly. “Don’t worry, we’ll find someplace safe to keep this. I’ll make sure we take plenty of holidays to the seaside, and you can wear it then.”

Later, Ian showed him a secret drawer in his study, and Alex carefully folded the fur into the tiny, hidden space. He was still reluctant to part with it, but he had to agree with his uncle that he should be more careful.

〰〰

When Ian was at home, Alex once again spent his days doing schoolwork, playing football, and sneaking off to the shops downtown with Tom. But when Ian was gone, Alex would slip quietly into his study after dark, when Jack was fast asleep. He swiped paperclips from his uncle’s desk and deftly bent them just the way Ian had taught him. It took a little practice, but soon he was easily popping open the lock with a few soft clicks. From the hidden drawer, he would pull out his fur coat, content to hold it close for the night before locking it away again when the sun rose.

Sometimes, if he was feeling especially daring, he would secret it away into the bottom of his school bag where it would settle into a pleasant warmth, like sun-kissed sand. On those days, he would feign sickness to skip football practice after school and make his way to a tiny park nearby, where a large pond sat behind rusted metal gates. It was a strangely quiet, peaceful patch of nature in the middle of the city that he had found quite by accident while biking home one day. Ages ago, it had been closed off with a metal fence running around the empty lot — it was quick work for Alex to throw his bag across and clamber over the flimsy metal. As dusk fell in the short autumn days, he would be hidden from anyone curious enough to peek through the overgrown willow trees and needly shrubs that clung to their makeshift trellis of criss-crossed metal.

There, he was safe enough to dig through his school books and papers, shoving them aside to pull out his sealskin. Sometimes he would only sit on the rocky edge of the pond, dangling his feet in the cool water, basking in the waning sun. Other times, he was brave enough to pull on the skin completely, and splash into the water, leaving his books and shoes behind on the pebbles. Swimming as a seal was so different from all the times he’d swam before — water that should have been icy cold seemed refreshing and he could hold his breath for much longer. Most exciting of all, he could float into all the nooks and crannies and explore them with his much clearer eyesight, following little fish or finding the perfect, shimmery pebble. Once, he even chased an unassuming flock of ducks, delighting in their confusion when he ran after them and dove into the water, reemerging as a seal. Then, before the sun started setting in earnest, he would trudge back to shore, sliding off his coat and shaking it dry in the chilly air.

Alex was able to keep this up for a lot longer than he’d thought — he had to give credit to Ian’s lessons on subterfuge — but as time went on, he became too confident, and his rare days of swimming became more of a regular habit.

It was the spring term of Year 8, with the weather starting to warm and trees starting to bloom — the perfect time for a weekend trip to the lake house, but as usual Ian had gotten tied up in his work and Alex was stuck in London. He’d begged off a film night with his friends, and quietly wandered towards his hidden reprieve. The gentle breeze whistled through the clear skies, and the neighborhood path was filled with children playing in the flowery gardens that lined the street.

He ducked underneath the looming branches of the old weeping willow, and brushed aside the creeping leaves that crawled their way up the fence. In the few years that he’d discovered the little pond, weeds had taken over much of the black metal, and tall grass took up residence on the coarse gravel around it. He’d broken the lock earlier in the year so now the door swung open easily, but latched back into place as he carefully closed it.

The sun glinted off the water invitingly, and he could already tell how warm and pleasant it would feel against his skin. In his haste to peel off his blazer and shoes, he didn’t hear the gate swing open, or the soft footsteps that crept inside the clearing as Alex dug out his coat. By the time he pulled it on and splashed his way to the edge of the water, there was someone else following Alex with his mouth hanging open.

“Mate, you’ve been skipping films and footie to hang out in this dump??”

Alex froze, standing still in the sunlight, before slowly turning to face his friend. There, shaking his head in disbelief, was Tom.

“Er, I can explain?” Alex knew there was no way to explain but surely there was no harm in trying.

Tom pointed at the pond, which was littered with slimy algae and water plants. “You know that’s probably like a biohazard, right? Please tell me you haven’t been swimming in there when there’s perfectly nice swimming pools at school.”

“Um,” Alex tried to stall.

“Oh my God, you have,” Tom groaned, burying his face into his hands. “My best mate is gonna turn into a sea monster and I’m gonna have to find anchovies to feed you!!”

“Okay you’re taking this a bit too far, I’m not going to start eating anchovies just because I swam in a natural pond.”

Tom huffed, throwing his bag down, where it tipped over Alex’s, and rolled up his trousers before wading into the water next to him. “Do you really hate superhero films so much though? You could’ve just told me, we could have ditched the rest of the boys and watched something else.”

Coming from Tom, who lived and breathed superhero films, that was saying a lot. Alex decided then, that this was one of Ian’s rules he would break. Tom had always stood by him and was really one of his only friends — he didn’t deserve to be left in the dark. Maybe he would regret this later, but it seemed like the right thing to do.

“Well, maybe you weren’t, um, too far off with the sea creature thing,” he started, glancing at Tom out of the corner of his eye.

Tom stared at him like he’d turned into a frog. “Mate, I think you drank some of this water or something. How’re you feeling?” He brushed the back of his hand to Alex’s forehead. “You’re burning up, why’re you wearing a fur coat in this weather?? Listen you gotta take this off and then we’ll —”

Alex shoved his hands away, pulling his hood back on. “Tom, stop, I’m being serious!”

Tom took this as a challenge, and attacked the coat, tugging sides of it in an effort to take it off. Alex retaliated by grabbing the coat and pulling it closed, and in the scuffle they both splashed into the water, the hood falling over Alex’s face. As he slid into the pond, he could hear the familiar melody of the ocean, and instinctively let it wash over him.

An instant later, he cursed his reflexes.

“Stop pulling my coat!” He tried to say, but what he heard was, bark baaaark ba-bark. He turned wide eyes to Tom, who was again staring at him like he’d turned into a—well, a seal.

“...Alex?” His voice sounded strained. Alex nodded. “Could you, uh, roll? Off of me?”

Oh, thought Alex, that’s why he sounded out of breath. As he moved his flippers around, Tom scrambled out of the water, gasping for breath on the grassy stones behind him. Alex flopped his way over to him, hoping he hadn’t given Tom a heart attack.

As he got closer he could hear Tom mumbling to himself, rubbing his eyes viciously. Alex put a reassuring flipper on his knee. Tom peeked out at him and hesitantly patted the flipper.

“So...this isn’t a dream?”

Alex rolled his large, round, seal-y eyes.

“Ok, so I’ve somehow managed to turn my best friend into a seal, no big deal, we’ll figure out how to turn you back into a person again.”

“Oi, I’m still a person!”

Tom pushed his hands onto Alex’s mouth, looking around frantically. “Bark a little quieter, will you? People are going to think I’ve kidnapped a seal!”

Alex finally came to his senses, and let the watery rhythm evaporate from his mind. Peeling off the wet fur and letting it drip onto the grass he scowled, “I’m a selkie, not a seal.”

“Oh good you’re a person again,” was Tom’s response as he fell back onto the grass.

That was as good a response as any, Alex thought, as he dropped down next to his friend. Later, Tom would have a million questions, and come up with outlandish theories, and stage an impromptu fashion show with the sealskin. But for now, he was just glad his best mate hadn’t turned into a mutant sea monster.

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