#i also gave them sharper canines

[starshapedtart]

My Merc Neo (They/them) from Remember you will die by @vapolis !!

I've been following this IF for awhile and my hands were finally itchy enough to design my merc🫶

+Closeup because i love the cat sunnies

[creative-clawmarks]

Longass Vampire AU Loredump

I feel I should preface this with the most important fact of this AU: supernatural beings are not actually a part of this world.

What I mean by this is there is no secret society of vampires, there is no chapter in the medical books on lycanthropy, and ghost hunters still have not found conclusive evidence. As far as you or I or anyone else knows the cast of MH are the only things like them in existence.

Because the Operator did this to them.

It's a parasite, and its strategy is to make people into predators then mop up the trail of bodies they leave behind.

As for why their monstrosity takes the specific forms it does? The Watsonian Explanation is that we will never really know, such things are beyond people's understanding. The Doyalist Explanation is that I have taken the character's metaphorical roles and made them literal to give myself an excuse to draw sharp teeth.

With that out of the way, here's what these freaks are actually capable of:

Alex (Vampire):

Standard package of fast healing, unnatural speed, and unbeating heart. Probably immortal but I guess now we'll never know.

Drinks blood, of course. But I like my vamps fucked up so there's a good dose of gory cannibalism for flavor.

He won't combust in the sun or anything, but his skin is especially sensitive to heat and his eyes are especially sensitive to light.

Heightened hearing, he could hunt someone down with his eyes closed just by tracking their heartbeat.

Venomous, specifically paralytic toxins. Once he's bitten you there's no running away, you're basically screwed.

Fangs and claws are retractable. I also gave him a forked tongue because he's like a terrarium snake to me :)

"Once more I have seen the director go out in his lizard fashion."

He can purr. Because I know what the people want.

Tim (Werewolf):

Standard package of fast healing, unnatural strength, and canine features. Would rather not think about whether or not he's immortal.

Does not hunger for human flesh. If given the opportunity he might maul a deer tho.

Burned by the touch of silver. He also personally thinks wolfsbane is gross but that's unrelated.

When in human form he's mostly that, human. Sure his senses are sharper and he can grow out his teeth and claws a little bit but otherwise he's normal.

When in wolf form, on the other hand, he is DANGEROUS. I'm talking bite through steel tear you in half only thing that can stop him is a silver bullet dangerous.

The wolf form is analogous to Masky in this AU, as in he turns against his will whenever he's threatened or misses a dose and he won't remember much whenever he eventually turns back.

The only time he can change under his own power with his mind intact is during the full moon. He looks forward to it every month because without the threat of loosing control being a wolf is rad actually.

If you scratch him under the chin he goes boneless. Doesn't matter what form he's in.

Brian (Ghost):

Standard package of walk through walls, disappear, and fly. I don't think the term immortal applies to this situation tho...

You know the excuse that ghost don't just physically manifest cuz they don't have enough energy for it? Yeah he's so incandescently pissed that he's tangible more often than not.

Its actually kind of the opposite conundrum where he has to focus and calm down to actually use his ghostly abilities.

Salt circles will totally work on him, but good luck catching him first lol.

Even if you can't see him you can still sort of feel his presence, the room will get colder and the shadows will get deeper.

If you catch him on a bad day he can pull some Poltergeist TM level shenanigans.

Can't really communicate like he used to, his mind is too broken and detached from what it once was. That's why all the ToTheArk videos look like that.

If you were to put a spirit box in the room with him all you would hear coming out of it is his death screams on loop.

Jay (Mortal):

He's just a guy lol, poor bastard doesn't stand a chance.

Why yes, he has read Twilight. Why do you ask?

[sparrowrye]

Alastor x Fem! Reader {soulmates} Part 5

Synopsis: soulmate AU where you have the same mark on your body as your soulmate, and if your soulmate dies, you die too. Alastor needs to make sure that his soulmate is safe so he can continue his reign - whatever that takes.

Part 5: digging deeper

Part Pilot | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

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

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom. I opened my mouth and ran my tongue, which was a little longer than usual, along my sharp teeth. The sharpest ones were my canines that slipped past my lips when resting.

I touched around the base of my horns. The skin was tight near the bottom and paler than the rest of my skin. My horns jutted up, curved down a bit, then back up to a point at the very end. I tried bending them but they were sturdy, even near the tip.

I clicked my claws together then on the counter. It felt strange to have something that felt like elongated nails. I poked my arm until I drew blood, noting how quick it took to do so. My toes also had claws. They weren't as long as my fingers but they were definitely sharper. The skin on my feet felt extremely tough, almost rubbery.

I turned off the light and sat on the cushions by the window. I rested my head on my arm and stared off into the ocean. For the first time in a long while, I tried to think back into my memories.

I was only able to get snippets, though. I could envision myself in small, specific scenes but I couldn't remember anything past my first rounds of fighting. What did my parents look like? Did they give me to the rings? Did someone kill them? Was I born in hell? How much magic did I have and what kind was it?

I had so many unanswered questions.

I met Husker for dinner again. I couldn't stop looking at my claws as I tried to go about normally. Using a fork was new; long nails made it surprisingly difficult. Husker tried not to laugh and I caught him smiling several times.

"Did you know?" I asked him.

"No. Alastor told me he thought you might be a demon but I was skeptical."

"Why?"

"Well it takes effort to have a human appearance yet you always had one when you were asleep or unconscious. Plus you only used Slight magic when we fought."

"So Alastor knew."

"It was more of a theory." The Radio Demon materialized at the end of the table. "No one had ever heard of a human and demon being soulmates." My eyes fell to my plate. I hated looking at him and I hated hearing the word soulmates. "Once you've finished we'll head back to Rosie's."

"Tonight?"

"Yes, tonight.” He almost sounded annoyed. “She wants to unravel your curse as quickly as possible. She said something about it putting a strain on your mind." He touched a pointed claw to his lips. "I'm sure it's nothing."

Husker rolled his eyes and took a gulp of his drink. I offered to help clean the dishes but he refused. Alastor wrapped an arm around my shoulders and practically dragged me outside. I peeled his hand off and walked up to the scorched symbol on the ground. It didn't look like anything I recognized but it was always there.

He pulled me against him by my waist and stuck his cane into the ground. The ground gave way and I held my hair to my neck. We teleported to a different location this time and I soon discovered it was behind Rosie's store. The quiet town had all their indoor lights and radios turned on.

Alastor knocked twice on the glass door before it opened for him. We walked right into the same meeting room as before. Rosie was setting down a hot teapot.

"Welcome back dearies," she curtsied. "Come in come in. I just took this off the stove. You'll love it."

"I have a matter to attend to but I'm sure you'll take good care of my darling," Alastor said. My darling?

"Oh of course. Go off and do your man's work. Us ladies will get to know each other better." She hooked her arm around mine and lead me to the chair again. "I'm sure you've got lots of burning questions." This time I accepted the warm tea. "But I have to warn you sweetheart. This time, when we go back into your memories, it's going to be a lot more dangerous."

"Dangerous how?"

"If you get too wrapped up in the emotions and feelings of your memories, you can get stuck there."

"Stuck? In my own head?"

"I'm afraid so," she sipped on her tea, "When I feel you starting to fall down that rabbit hole, I'll touch your leg to let you know. When you feel me touch you, I need you to reel your emotions back in. Do you think you can do that? If not, there's no shame in waiting for tomorrow.”

"No," I said quickly, "I'll be okay. I can do this."

"I believe you. Now. Let's begin."

She sat beside me on the stool and took my hands in hers. I stared down at my black claws as she asked me to go back in time. I closed my eyes and skipped through my teenage-hood and into my early childhood. I tried to push away the sinking sadness of my first friend's death.

"What did your first master look like?" Rosie asked.

"I know he had white hair. Long, white hair. He always had a scowl on his face and he dragged me around."

"What about your very first fight?"

"I was...I was against another kid. Another girl. She had short brown hair and looked...inhuman."

"Inhuman, how?"

"She...her eyes...they were red and...she just looked insane. Her hair was all matted and she was down on all fours. She was drooling a lot too. I remember she...she ran after me and started clawing and biting my arms. She went for my face and I shoved her off. She chased me in circles around the ring. I can still hear all the men cheering above. They were laughing."

"What did you do?"

"I uh...I grew tired and she eventually caught up to me. She grabbed my foot then went for my face. I don't remember much but I...I remember kicking her off then kicking her head. It bounced off the walls and then she didn't get up after that."

"When did you start to learn how to use magic?"

I paused for a moment. “I…I had a master before him? He…he was the one who taught me. Every so often he would come back during the day and take me into the ring. He showed me how to use it. First it was with wind. He told me to throw sand and dirt in my opponents' faces."

"What else did he teach you?"

"He taught me...how to use my sweat as a weapon...how to pull apart the earth so their foot would get stuck or so that they would trip...he taught me a lot."

"Did you warm up to him?"

"When he was teaching me I was happy. I loved learning how to use my magic. And he praised me all the time when I did well. Eventually he stopped being rough with me. It felt like...like he cared about me."

"But?"

"But..." I felt my heart sink with sadness. "But...he...gave me up...to someone not nice."

"Do you know why?"

"Yeah...he was...apparently just someone who trained children in basic magic then...then sold them off to the highest bidder. I was...I was so angry at him...I thought I was going to make him proud and live to be set free but...but I was nothing to him."

"Very good. Now, what can you tell me about when you first met him? When you first saw his white hair?"

I paused. "I remember...I remember looking up at him. He was such a tall man. I was holding someone's hand but I can't...I can't see their face."

"It's okay, don't push it. Tell me about the hand you're holding. What does it feel like?"

"Soft. But...tough? It's definitely tight."

"Good what about-"

"No. Wait...there was another man with white hair. But his...his was shorter."

"Tell me about him. Where were you?"

"I was...I was in a cage. I was...with someone. I remember seeing him come to the cage often. I was...the person I'm with would always get tense when he did. Why can't I see this person's face?"

"It's okay. Take your time. Tell me what this person is wearing."

"A short sleeve. Her skin is...covered in scars and bruises. She's...she's always stroking my hair."

"What else does she do?"

"She...she hums a lot. There's a small radio in the corner and she hums to it a lot. And...I can feel it in her chest when does. She rocks me back and forth until I fall asleep." I suddenly grew very sad and angry. My hands tightened and my hair on the back of my neck stood up.

"What is it, doll? What's happening?"

"He's...the man...he's wearing a white suite...exactly the color of his hair...and he's yelling with her. They're fighting. There's yelling. He hits her. She's arguing back but not fighting. Why won't she fight?"

"Stay with me dear." She touched my lap. I tried to lower my tense shoulders but it was hard.

"He picked me up and...he closed the door on her. She's screaming. Why is she screaming? Why is he taking me away from her? I can't...I can't reach her. I don't...where is he taking me? I don't want to leave her."

"Enough sweetheart, come back. Come out of the memory." She touched my shoulder this time. "Come back to my store. Come back to this world. It's all just a memory."

"I can't stop crying. Why...is that my mother?"

"Sweetheart, you need to come back. You're going in too deep. Stop the emotions."

"But...I want to see her."

"We'll look next time. We can come back next time but you need to take a break. Come out of the memory. Come back to the store. Blink twice and look up."

I stared at the figure reaching out to me through the bars. I was so close. I just wanted to touch her hand one more time. But it was just a memory. She wasn't really there. She might not even be alive at all.

I blinked twice and looked up to meet Rosie's dark eyes. She let out a huge sigh and patted me on the head. "That was a little too close for comfort."

I felt something brush against my leg. I looked down to see a black tail that ran all the way to my back. I stood up and spun around in an effort to look at it. I felt something pulling on my back and realized I had a pair of black wings to go with it.

"What the..." The black on my hands had stretched all the way down to my elbow now. I found the closest mirror and noticed a pair of long ears sticking up from my human ones. Was I a type of dragon?

"I see you're making lots of progress." Alastor's staticky voice cut through the silence.

"Quite a lot, actually," Rosie answered. "I must say, you sure got lucky, Alastor. She looks like she's got a lot hidden away in her."

"Which is why you're the perfect person to help pull it all into the light."

"How do I hide them?" I asked Rosie, still turning in circles to look at myself.

"Oh, uh..." she tapped her sharp finger to her sharp teeth.

"Picture them receding into your back," Alastor answered. I grimaced at the thought of listening to him but gave it a try. The tail shivered but did nothing.

"I'm sure it'll take getting used to," Rosie reassured me. "But I'm sure you're absolutely exhausted. You should go home and get some rest. We can figure out more later."

"Good idea," Alastor agreed. "Come along, darling." He put his hand on my back but I pushed it off. I thanked Rosie and walked out of her store, my wings hitting the edges on the way out.

"So, what did you learn?" he asked as he shut the door.

"What's it to you?"

"Just curious is all."

"You can stay that way," I mumbled. He grabbed my waist and sent us back to the cliff side manor. As soon as my feet touched solid ground, I pushed his hand off and walked inside. My wings hit anything and everything, frustrating me even more.

"Whoah, ain't you something," Husker commented from the sitting room. I didn't respond, clambering up to my room and locking the door behind me. My legs buckled and I collapsed onto the floor. I sobbed into my arms as the new memories replayed themselves in my mind.

Who am I?

[ficklecat]

Hatake Clan Lore

I cannot for the life of me remember if I ever posted my Hatake lore head canon but it's been bouncing around in my brain so fuck it here we go -

WARNING: long post ahead, all of this is head canon and none of it is based on anything other than conjecture and ✨vibes✨

also not that I anticipate this but people get touchy about this stuff so - if you disagree with me so strongly that you feel the need to yell at me about it, please save your energy; I literally cannot express to you how disinterested I am in engaging with that kind of thing it's just anime you'll be ok pookie

Clan History

Before the First Shinobi War, the Hatake clan was a largely pacifist group unaffiliated with nation or creed. They started out as nomadic but eventually settled into farming & hunter/gatherer communities across the Land of Fire. Though they had no kekkei genkai develop, they did have some persistent clan traits that were easy to spot. Particularly, ancestral traits of early people would remain dominant through generations instead of recessing, such as sensitivity to smells and seasons, characteristics like coarser hair, sharper teeth, longer nails or limbs, and instincts that aligned with the native fauna. This allowed them to live in harsher conditions than the newly settling villages and clans, gave them the ability to self-sustain and develop natural affinity for the wilds of the elements, and eventually, aided in the use and presentation of various chakra natures in some of their clan members.

The Hatakes were small in number and fiercely independent of other clans and families, despite being extremely tight-knit in their own communities; they were not necessarily unwelcoming, rather, they lived very differently from the newly forming clan powers, and were not interested in the quarrels of man. However, due to their reluctance to ally and the growing strains between larger war clans and families, they didn't stand much of a chance when major conflicts began to arise.

When the first war finally began, the already sparse farming and hunting communities of the Hatake clan became widely dispersed as lands were torn up in battle or claimed by other families; they were displaced or absorbed into warring clans over time - some Hatake had already been taken in by the Senju, while some sought refuge with the Uchiha, only to face each other on the battlefield and recognize their clan members in the heat of battle - the wild hair, the piercing eyes, the way they would fight with teeth and claw and kunai over complex justu or weaponry.

By the time the first war ended, there were very few Hatake left to remain in tact as a clan. Many had died in battle, some had renounced their clan to assimilate into the powerful Senju or Uchiha, and the scarce few that remained had to make a choice - let their clan die out with them, or integrate into another.

Thus began the efforts of the Hatake to affiliate with the growing Inuzuka clan - an ally of the Senju but still independent of them, this clan had roots in the Land of Fire's villages already, and their affinity for canines and comparable clan traits and practices made for an easier approach than some of the more "domesticated" families. Even still, the reluctance of the Hatake to fully submit to the 'new world' and lose their precious way of life was enough to keep them at arm's length from the Inuzuka, their need for freedom clashing with the Inuzuka's desire to serve the new developing nations and hidden villages. As such, the remaining Hatake began to dwindle into disappearance, until there were only a handful left.

Kakashi's Family

This bit is also fully personal head canon and an idea I'd always wanted to turn into fic but could never get right; works better as a hc anyway -

By the time Sakumo and his partner, Hoeru Inuzuka, had Kakashi, the Hatake clan was gone, either fully absorbed into the Inuzuka by way of marriage or willing induction, or killed in action during the Second Shinobi War. Sakumo, along with Sakumo's elderly uncle, Kama Hatake, remained alive around the time of Kakashi's birth. Kama had sustained significant injuries during his service in the war, and had been in decline ever since, unable to recover. He never married and had no surviving family apart from Sakumo, but was extremely close to his nephew and Hoeru, particularly during her pregnancy. Hoeru herself was a fierce matriarchal member of the Inuzuka, but had deep respect for Kama and the Hatake clan's heritage - after all, despite their small size and initial reluctance to integrate, the Hatake had become a major part of the Inuzuka clan over generations, and had helped their clan to grow into a foothold in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Kama himself did his best to impart the importance of keeping their clan's memory alive in Sakumo - he would share stories and techniques passed down from his own uncles and parents, grandparents, elder clan members who had long since passed. He shared the importance of their preserved weaponry like the tanto or the kunai - highly usable, compact, and versatile for farming and hunting as well as in battle. When Hoeru was pregnant, she and Kama would spend a lot of time together, in the garden or inside reading when Kama's health began to worsen. Hoeru insisted he promise to live at least long enough to see the birth of their child, and Kama made good on this promise.

He died three days after Kakashi was born, and in his honor and out of a deep love for Sakumo, Hoeru made the choice to allow her son to keep his Hatake clan name. She and Sakumo planned to teach him the important history of their clan, and how both the Hatake and the Inuzuka had come together to help keep their wild spirit alive.

Unfortunately, Hoeru's death when Kakashi was still an infant left Sakumo heartbroken and hopeless. With his dear uncle and the love of his life both gone, being the last remaining member of his clan aside from his son brought him immense and crushing grief alongside his already significant battle with depression. Still, as the years went on, Sakumo did his best to teach his boy about their clan, and about the importance of belonging while keeping the memory of precious people alive. But the excommunication following that one fateful mission brought the final blow to his despair - and with everyone turning his back on him, with no clan, no lover, and no family, he lost the battle to his grief, leaving the only remaining Hatake clan member to be his son, Kakashi Hatake.

[goggles-mcgee]

Bloom redesign!!

I said a while back that I would share them, so we will be going in season order for characters so I can explain parts of my rewrite that is being worked on. Meaning Aisha won't come for a bit but she will be present at some point!

Anyways, on to the headcanons and such.

As you can see, there are two different casual Blooms. The first is her before awakening her powers, and the second is when her powers were awakened. Her hair and pants are inspired by the 70s as I headcanon Bloom to be a thrifter and up-cycler. The bell bottoms used to be her adoptive mom, Vanessa's. She added the sunflower embroidery herself. Her shirt is a self-cropped City of Gardenia shirt, and she wears a green friendship bracelet that Selina made her. She will get rid of it at some point when she's at Alfea. Not forever, she just puts it away.

In her awakened form, she has a little flame that floats above her head. Not many know why, but it is a sign of her being the lost princess of Domino. When she realizes she is said Lost Princess, no one believes her at first because it kind of became a meme for people to claim they are the Lost Princess of Domino. Somewhat like an Anastasia situation where people did pretend to be her, but we're found to be fakes. It then turned into, "and I'm the Queen of England," type joke.

Her hair now resembles that of a flame in color, her nails are sharper, as are her canines, and she now has the elf/fairy ears. She also has new accessories. The silver bracelet she wears helps cool down her temperature since it fluctuates due to her powers being suppressed for so long. The necklace contains enchanted candy water drops that help soothe her throat as she is prone to breathing out smoke in her bouts of anger. These things happen because, as I mentioned in my original redesign post, each fairy and all magical beings have a drawback to their power. Even witches.

Small Headcanons:

• Has multiple versions of the Collections of Grimm Fairytales because the covers are different so of course she needs them.

• Loves Marissa Meyers, The Lunar Chronicles series.

• Sews pretty well and is self taught.

• Amazing artist but prefers to draw people more than anything.

• Anime lover, specifically Magical Girl Anime Lover.

• Is constantly baffled by the fact she and her new friends really do save the day with friendship and love.

• Starts a blog on the Realms Wide Web where she does a docu-diary of her time as a new fairy and such.

• Her full name is when she was born was Bloom Charlotte Feniatare, when she was found by Mike and adopted, it became Bloom Allison Gardner. Then, when she found out her origins it changed for the last time to Bloom Allison Charlotter Gardner-Feniatare. She wanted to honor all her parents by keeping the names they gave her.

• Not anything new, but she loves spicy food.

Next up will be Stella! I'll post her tomorrow.

[wordy-little-witch]

Hiii i love ur crossguild posts so much and i wanna know ur headcanons/thoughts on vampire buggy and crossguild😳🙏 thank u sm ur onepiece posts r like a dose of dopamine and sometimes angst lmao

Hiiii~ 👋I'm happy you like this stuff - it's just as sweet and painful on me so if I go down, I'm taking you bozos with me /j

As for Cross Guild and Vampire Buggy - Oh Boy Have I Got Ideas

Aside from the obvious hilarity that, between the goth, the mafioso, and the bright ass clown, it's the CLOWN who is the vampire.... well. I really love little tidbits about vampire lore and world building so I'm gonna make this a silly lil mix of Vampire Concepts and expanding on Devil Fruit ideas.

It boils down to Devil Fruits being edible deals with the Sea Devil, thus changing their biology undeniably. For zoans, this equates them to smth similar to were-creatures of some kind, bleeding between the lines of their species. For logias, they are more similar to elemental spirits, witches, or some other element based being. ((I love alchemical spirits so I'm leaning to variants or derivatives there bc AAAA)). Paramecias, being the "weaker" of the Fruits, have more... "human-passing" options. It boils down sort of a mind, spirit, body type of thing with zoan, logia, paramecia respectively.

Anyway yeah Buggy's manifests as a form of vampirism. He didn't realize what exactly that was, nor how Devil Fruits work when he first ate it ((He was about 9/10 at most I'd say)). It was only after a meet up and play fight with Whitebeard that the other captain casually asked what Buggy's new side effects are. When nobody understands, he calls over Marco and his other Fruit Eater children because it's time for Devil Fruit crash course and this kid needs an educated adult.

Turns out Buggy's mild anemia was due to his Fruit and his oversensative observation Haki has always impacted all of his senses, so the uptick in smell barely even registered to him. When Whitebeard hears this, he is mildly frothing. He is ultimately assured when Roger chips in there with some of his own observations and even surprised a few people when he wordlessly passes Buggy some of his food as they talk. Bugs scarfs it down like a man starved, swaying happily while Shanks tries to steal more to pile onto the blue hair boy's semi-forgotten plate.

So yeah. Series of weird events for the realization. Very silly.

Come Cross Guild, I think Buggy probably had an entire system there. He's competent all things considered, for a man in a sea of monsters as it were. He just so happens to have a mild sun sensitivity, have sharper canines, have heightened senses and drinks blood. Not the weirdest thing.

Crocodile is vaguely aware of the side effects for paramecia types - Bon Clay often needed reminders of his own sense of self, and he's had others in Baroque Works he worked with. Even Robin had some odd little quirks here and there, well hidden though she kept them. He doesn't recognize Buggy's at first because he hides them and also... doesn't.

It's one of those things where it's known but not really a topic of discussion. Buggy never goes out of his way to hide it. It just Is. The drinks he has all the time? Blood.

Mihawk learns that the hard way lmao.

Actually I'll just make a list of Sillies

• Mihawk once saw Buggy drinking what he thought was red wine, and when the clown set the bottle and glass down to go do something, he snatched it up, gave it a swirl, a sniff, a sip - and immediately paused. Odd, he thinks, placing the bottle back. Odd, but not the oddest thing he has seen.

• Crocodile once dragged Buggy out of bed early one morning for work and made a snide remark about a day not fucking up his fancy skin care routine when Buggy hollered about his sunscreen. ((He did feel guilty later that evening when Buggy was covered in hives and blistered burns. He helped with the aloe and antihistamines that night))

• Mihawk is Fascinated by Buggy's fangs and need to drink blood. He loves trashy paranormal romance, and every time Buggy hisses, or mentions being hungry, or so much as yawns enough to show his fangs, he is Looking Disrespectfully. Straight up Autistic Gaze Meme Eyes.

• Crocodile is also Very Interested but wouldn't be caught DEAD alluding to it. He will side eye from afar.

• some days are harder than most, and when Buggy's clothes get torn or he's low on sun block, Mihawk and Crocodile both will do the shivalrous give-partner-his-jacket/coat thing.

• Buggy makes do mostly with carefully maintained stores of blood in sealed wine bottles and rarely actually bites anyone. Animals aren't common either but he does hunt sometimes. Eventually with Cross Guild rolling in the profits, Crocodile and Mihawk work together to uptick the medical areas and Buggy has access to a far fresher supply.

• post Med Expansion, Buggy can fairly frequently be found skipping along in his typical wear with a blood bag in hand, a corner snipped and a cartoonish swirly straw slipped in. He is THRIVING.

• when outsides hear about vampire allegations, they Immediately think Mihawk, then perhaps Crocodile as a possible second. The hilarity that unfold with the reaction to the truth is never short of insane.

• Buggy actually has only ever bitten a few people in his life. Once, Roger. A few times, Shanks. Once, a nameless, faceless marine in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time. Once an enemy bigger and stronger who threatened his fledgling little crew. It's odd, the feelings behind it, the sensory input. But eventually, he grows comfortable enough with Mihawk and Crocodile to try, to sink his fangs into flesh and drink from them. It's.... steamy to say the least.

Vampire Buggy my beloved ♡♡♡♡

[squilfmybeloved]

peter headcanons peter headcanons peter headcanons!!!! and/or bucky!!!!

idk what your fav ships are but i love basically every ship (except for any clint & bucky ship that isn’t winterhawk lmao) so feel free to yap about whatever ship you want to!!!

i love hearing people‘s headcanons, gimme all the headcanons!

this post gonna be a. 5 page essay

first order of business: peter and bucky headcanons!!

- older sibling & younger sibling duo that listens to mitski together,,, i love mitski

- transmasc/nonbinary peter arguably one of my favoritest headcanons EVER

- bucky is so a cat guy. its canon (ily alpine the cat <3)

- bucky thought the avengers were. odd. until he was overseeing a decathlon team sleepover. the first sleepover he chaperoned was with tony and clint bcs everyone else was busy so! the kids watched shane and ryan and they were like "fuck yeah let's go ghost hunting" and bucky clint and tony took them cause what the hell why not? and bucky's watching these weird ass kids try to find ghosts. he's like "are they. always like this" and tony's like "yeah. their ideas are usually WAY more fucking insane tho." bucky's like "??? it gets worse?" tony tells him last time they watched stranger things and tried to summon a fucking demogorgon. they fucked up and had to get strange to come fix whatever shit they found instead. i might make this a oneshot later idk

- peter definitely has sharper canines. maybe he was born with them or a side effect of the spider bite but whatever. he can and will bite someone. first time the avengers tried to catch spiderman? he bit every single fucking one of them. still a biter to this day

- if i had a nickel for every time a marvel main character got hit by a train i would have 2 nickels. which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice

- peter definitely has scars. i guess in canon he doesn't bcs of the healing factor but canon is my bitch so i say he gets scars <33 bro got a parking garage dropped on his head. he's gonna have a scar or 2 😭

- peter definitely gets kidnapped a fair bit 💀 sometimes it's serious but most of the time it's amateurs who either wanna unmask spiderman (where his only real danger is being revealed) or ppl who think he's tony's biological kid (they call tony up and tell him "yo we took ur kid" and he's so confused like "???" then there's just. screaming. from the other line. and tony's like "OHHH no peter has you. also i'm omw to shoot u now. bye 🥰") (peter fucking bit them. that's what happened)

okkk this is all i can think up rn but there's definitely more somewhere i just gotta kickstart it 😭 but here's a pic of how i draw peter <33 (yes i gave him long hair and a scar just bc i didn't wanna draw the other eye. shhh)

[desires-of-chain]

Ok ok so, the post about Fierce having fangs popped up and it gave me a few thoughts... Basically reader finds it incredibly hot and wonders just how he's willing to use them, while Fierce wonders how far he can push it.

(AFAB! Reader (mostly for body parts mentioned) with they/them used) also this is the first smutty thing I've wrote. Read a lot but never wrote it myself 😅)

Fierce never really paid his fangs any mind, they were just teeth. However, he began to think differently about their affects for fangs on hylians weren't commonplace, specifically reader, who would sneak glances or downright stare at them. But would always look away quickly with a poorly hidden red face the moment he let it be known that they were caught.

The first time Fierce noticed was when he had subconsciously ran the tip of his tongue over one of them while concentrating on whatever task had filled his mind. The squeak that filled the air followed by a rushed pardon to leave left him confused. That was until a few minutes later, a small distance away from the group's camp came a scent that he oddly didn't mind... And one that next time he would be the cause of. Reader would later return to camp less red-faced but in a blissful daze that went unnoticed by everyone else.

The next night the chain sat down for a meal in camp. Fierce almost made a show of using his fangs to tear through things; the meat Wild had slightly overcooked? Torn through with the ease of a wild beast. The thick rope that had been tied between two trees for drying any clothes that had gotten wet throughout the day, the same one that was slightly too long? Severed before Sky could even suggest getting his knife from his pouch. Each small act being nothing short of a teasing show for reader's personal entertainment. In turn their embarrassment turned into his nightly show. The final act being a cocky smirk that displayed some of his teeth with a single fang slipping through teasingly.

By the third night Fierce became curious about something, he wasn't the only member of the chain to have sharper canines than the rest. He slowly approached the rancher who had been tending to his horse for the last few hours and was likely starting to get hungry. Fierce handed Twi a piece of cured meat that was as good if a snack as any (though he had his eyes on another that could easily take the place of a full hearty meal). The rancher thanked him and as expected, ripped it with ease.

"'Bout time you ate something tonight, Rancher. No good Epona being up and at 'em if you're dying of hunger," reader called over. Fierce looked to see reader's reaction, to see none other than slight concern for the Hero of Twilight's wellbeing. Even though they clearly saw the act, they simply turned back to sharpening their blade.

The realisation that it was specifically him that elicited their reactions set his mind into overdrive.

The chain blessed the fourth night as they had found an inn with enough room to house them all, even if some had to partner up. Some pairings weren't too happy with their arrangement, while some were just happy to have an actual bed for the night.

One pair happy enough to have one of them be simultaneously pressing themselves into the soft mattress cover while their chest pushed into the body on top of them. A pleasured cry tearing through as they raked their fingernails down Fierce's back hoping to return at least some of the sensations while attempt to ground themselves as those sharp, pearly fangs that they had craved the feel of bit down into a soft spot on their neck having ran out of places to leave marks on their throat.

"L-lower!" They panted out, not even hiding what they wanted anymore. The smell Fierce had detected all those nights ago had long since filled the room and he was dying to see if it tasted as good as it smelled, but he couldn't treat himself yet when there was so much skin left unmarked. Once reader's breasts matched the art on their neck he finally granted them a bit of mercy as he began to nip at reader's inner thighs. Their hands flew straight to his white hair, and he had to admit the tugs were not just encouraging but very welcome, as he continued his work.

After what felt like a millennia Fierce decided they were sufficiently marked with no possibile way for anyone to mistake them as anyone's but his and could finally graciously eat his meal. The smallest licks at their folds sent reader trying to push themselves further into the sheets to try and gain more friction as the tiny licks were nowhere near enough for what they needed to come undone. He smirked and decided to prolong the teasing, a small lick here, a short suck on reader's clit there, the slightest insertion of the tip of his tongue into their weeping hole. Everything that would keep them going but never enough to push them over the edge.

Fierce took the sharp yank of a handful of his hair as permission to truly begin and the tentative licks quickly devolved into long yet quick movements that displayed how starved he was, yet keeping their pleasure his main priority. It didn't take long for the coil of pleasure to snap as reader let out a scream of pure bliss that Fierce happily helped them ride through.

Once they were cleaned up enough Fierce shuffled up to face them with that damnable smirk playing at his lips.

"How about we make a full night of this my dear? We don't know when we'll be granted the luxury of privacy again," Fierce said.

All reader could do was nod as words had long since left them and, as they felt themselves being slowly stretched out around him, they would have to have a conversation with Fierce about just how much he valued the idea complete privacy affecting the frequency of this happening in the future.

-Soup Anon

(Can I claim Soup? And yes I'm the one who sent the thing of Wild not giving a fuck while Twi and reader were going at it 🤣)

yeyeye! you can be soup anon

SOUP ANON

HOLY S H I E T

Hi-His teefers...my greatest weakness

The fuckin meal I say like *chef kiss* good shit, honestly.

He be such a little shit fr when he finds out reader has a biting/marking kink. Just him brushing his sharp canines against the skin, whispering into your ears what he's going to do later and kfldjskjflsd

[regaliasonata]

Also character ask ZIGGY

Character Ask: Ziggy Grover

First Impression

-Definitely falling under the average green ranger stereotype of being the silly but less engaged member of the team, though that is quite alright cause he'll probably give some positivity to the team due to the state they are in via the season

How I Feel About The Character/Impression Now

-.....I love this twink and honestly me and everyone else should love him, the fact that he was in a mafia, managed to escape, gave medicine and supplies from said group to orphans in needed AND GOT OFF SCOT FREE WITH HIS TOASTER BOYFRIEND speaks volumes.

Favorite Moment

-So far has to be that scene between him and the cartel where he's got that serious face, I'll have to go back and fully complete RPM but seeing Ziggy look so cold is amazing.

Idea For A Story

-okay think of this....Ziggy as a Peter Pan type character who was reborn in another world that raises orphans or children who've passed early and they live in this alternate world with magic, at the same time he's an assassin that's teaming up with Dillon and Tenaya(who also have powers based on fairy tales) to steal ancient treasure from a tyrant king in order to rule the rule, Once Upon A Time walked so this can run.

Relationships

OTPs

-Ziggy/Dillon....obviously, can't have a happy twig without his grumpy muscular emo boyfriend.

-Ziggy/Scott, Ziggy/Flynn. Both these work really well in my opinion.

-Crackship idea if this crossover was ever a thing...Ziggy/Jarrod/Dillon/Casey, imagine all that chaos together with those four like(I'd pay to see a one shot of this tbh). Heck not even a crossover needed because JKP exists in the RPMverse and assuming the entire team is alive then this could fly, crazy twinks and the emo duo.

BROTPs

-Ziggy/Dr.K, honestly feel like he understands Dr.K and they are really close when it comes to hearing each other out, plus Ziggy might actually get her to enjoy some hobbies.

-Ziggy/Casey...seriously Disney fucked us over from ever getting this interaction, be happy with marvel I guess but imagine the send off you could've had.

-Ziggy/Tenaya, she needs earplugs every time he talks about Dillon...

Unpopular Opinion

-Kinda wish we got even more of a backstory for him or seen Ziggy encountering other green rangers. I feel like both him and Trip would get along quite well to be honest.

One thing I wish would/had happened in the show

-....We serious? That Jungle Fury/RPM crossover obviously because ALL THOSE INTERACTIONS AND SUCH WOULD'VE BE LEGENDARY.

-Even if he didn't end up with Dillon we should've had Ziggy kissing some guy.

-Imagine a scene of Ziggy hacking Venjix down with his axe after he found out the program's intention for Dillon, or if Venjix succeeded and Dillon died...it would've been brutal like Ziggy would be shown Venjix why the cartel kept him around🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡

Headcanons

-The RPM team technically has sentient zords because in reality they hold secret Engine Souls like their Go-Onger counterparts. This is actually a result of humanity evolving and without the vitality from Earth's nature so their animal spirits evolved into Engine Souls, thing is the team hasn't unlocked them but when they do the zords will be able to talk(a little fib of my JFAU movie arc idea with RPM cause we deserve that crossover).

-Ziggy's fingernails can turn dark green because of Venjix exposure, some humans after being exposed to the virus during their apocalypse developed small traits via their survival(Scott having sharper canines, Summer being able to detect metals for tools, Flynn when growing out his hair has white highlights and can absorb radiation, Gem and Gemma can see people's dreams and Dillon can purify dirty food and water).

-Ziggy sleeps with a huge dolphin as a pillow or just something to hold whenever he's sad. If he can't morph then he'll fill it with rocks and beat down venjix monsters with it.

-Sometimes when he would leave the dome(before the world began to return to normal) he'd walk miles until making it to the ocean since it wasn't fully destroyed and enjoyed watching the waves. Plus that spot is the only one in the world where the stars in the sky are still viewable.

-After RPM Dillon, Tenaya and Ziggy ventured out into the world to see what needed to be fixed, they built a railroad and it oddly began to glow with energy. This led to the team getting powers via trains and soul power with imagination, humanity's will to keep going(ToQger adaption), villains born from the deceased malice of humanity aim to take advantage of this world and others leading to the team having bigger stakes than last time.

[achaotichuman]

Do you think you could write about dehlia in this context: https://www.tumblr.com/praetorqueenreyna/737196004108058624?source=share, hopefully featuring deadbeat at first mom feyre, horrified stepdad rhysand, tired of it all tamlin and a supportive lucien/eris.

This has been sitting, marinating in my drafts. But it is finally complete. I am fully aware I fucked up the timeline here, but I'm not rewriting all of this, so we're gonna pretend that fancy Fae tests can reveal a pregnancy at four weeks instead of eight like the post said.

And disclaimer before anyone calls for my head, for this fic I am also rewriting Ianthe's character, because she is too interesting for me to just write off as a sex offender and never think about again. Also, it is very interesting to see her as a genuinely morally grey person with good intentions. So, in this fic, she never SAs Lucien, but she does get a cool plot twist so stay tuned for that.

Basically, I have turned this into a rewrite of Acomaf and Acowar. A lot of the events were written from pure memory, and asking Tumblr, so forgive me if some scenes from the OG series were left out or written significantly differently. We mostly got Feyre's version of events anyway, so I'm not too worried.

This will be split into several chapters. Three being for the Mist and Fury rewrite, and then two for the Wings and Ruin rewrite. And if I have time, I'll do an Acofas rewrite. I'll be uploading all three of the Mist and Fury chapters today, and linking them in this post. You can also find it on SquidgeWorld here, and Ao3 here.

Anyway, here is the long-awaited fic, anon. And @r-biter, thank you for the original post, I hope I do it justice. Also @praetorqueenreyna who reblogged the original post.

Also, did I turn this into a Tamcien fic? Yes, of course I did.

A Field of Dahlias

“Are you alright with this?” He asked, it may have been the hundredth time he asked, Feyre gave him the same exasperated eyes she had given him all night long. 

Everything pointed to her being more than alright with this. Him pressed into the sheets below her, their clothes forgotten on the floor, her eyes glazed with lust. The rush of new hormones in her head no doubt fuelled the arousal that was now pressed against his wet slit. She leaned down, teeth a touch sharper than normal. She kissed his neck, dragging her canines along his fluttering pulse like he would for her. 

She ran her now larger hands down his slightly smaller than normal frame. Hands finding his breasts and squeezing relentlessly, pinching his nipples, her rough fingers, calloused from years of work from before she had been turned fae. Tamlin bit down on his lip, not wanting the whimper that pressed against his vocal cords to be released. A part of him still didn’t understand the switch in the power dynamic and begged to flip her over, to shift them both back to normal and continue this the way he knew well. 

But he didn’t, he remained underneath Feyre. Her chest flatter, set a touch wider, her shoulders broader. Her hips, now more narrow, rocked forward ever so slightly, as if on their own accord, as if her body was begging to bury the length now resting between her legs into the tight warmth before her. 

“I’m fine, more than fine, like I’ve said a hundred times already.” She added an eye roll to the last part, Tamlin countered it with his own. 

“Fine, but if you want to stop at anytime-”

“Are you okay with this, Tam?” She asked, hands becoming more gentle, roaming his skin like she loved it, like she cared. 

It was still new, the loving and the caring, the likes of which Tamlin hadn’t felt in years. 

“I’m okay.” Tamlin said, forcing his voice to remain steady. He loosened a breath, then spread his thighs wider. 

“Well?” He asked, adding a grin to his words, “Lets see how sloppy your form is, wicked creature.”

Feyre gave him her own wild grin, eyes filled with that lust and love. Something caring and devoted in her face, she leaned down and put her face into the crook of his neck, licking at the skin in a careful, deliberate manner. 

“Let’s see how well you hold up, Faerie Lord.” 

***

Tamlin shuffled a few papers on his desk. Briefly glancing over all of them before sorting them into piles and picking up the one closest to his left. With nimble fingers he paged them apart and began to read each complaint. A sigh escaping his throat. 

He tried to ease the worry sitting low in his belly but it wouldn’t relent, as the pile of complaints grew higher, the headache pounding behind his eyes tightened. 

After he was done reading the letters, he moved to open a drawer in his desk. Then the feeling of his stomach lurching overwhelmed his senses. Nausea made his legs shake, he retched, then quickly slapped his palm over his mouth before winnowing to the nearby bathroom. 

He had all of about three seconds before he was bent over the toilet, vomiting until he was shaking so badly he could barely stand on his knees. He dry heaved for a minute before finally his body relented and he slumped back, panting heavily, beats of sweat gathering on his forehead. 

“Gods dammit.” He cursed, forcing himself to his feet and quickly cleaning up. 

As he rinsed out his mouth, a pain shot up his spine and the sickness returned with a festering wrath. Tamlin groaned, a low sound from the back of his throat, he gripped the sides of the sink. 

***

It didn’t relent, the sickness came and went throughout the days. Tamlin thought he could handle it. Thought he could make it through the seemingly endless hours without anyone knowing something was amiss. 

“Two of you will head for the south border and I will send another group towards-” Tamlin was cut off by bile rising quickly in his throat, burning him from the inside out. He couldn’t get another word out before he sprinted back inside. Leaving five very confused sentries outside. 

He rushed past several servants, all of which stopped to stare in concern. Tamlin ignored all of them. 

It was Alis that didn’t stare. Rather broke into a sprint after him. The Summer Faery found Tamlin practically doubled over while he emptied the contents of his stomach. Alis snapped in a gasp, then quickly ran over to pull back his hair, sticking to his face from sweat. 

“Tam…” She murmured. 

Tamlin could barely see, the world tipping from one side to the other. 

“Why are you staring?” Alis shouted at somebody, or somebodies at the door. Tamlin had enough sense to look back over his shoulder. He saw several servants who were loitering at the door, wondering what exactly was happening. 

“Leave this instant, go back to your duties.” She shouted, then quickly slammed the door, everyone scattered as quickly as possible. 

Tamlin panted as he sat back on his heels, tilting his head to the ceiling, “Gods.”

“Tamlin, are you alright?” Alis asked, helping him onto his shaking feet. He wanted to shove away from her and insist he was fine, but he was still getting his bearings back and the world was too bright, and he had a headache. 

She led him to the sink and coaxed him into washing up. Tamlin splashed his face with ice water, and rinsed out his mouth. Then he looked up to see the mirror. 

Gods, he hadn’t realised how little sleep he had been getting until he saw the deep purple under his eyes. The gauntness in them, along with his too pale face, made him resemble something of a ghost. 

“I…” 

“Tam.” She murmured. Putting a hand to his forehead, the rough bark of her hands rubbing against the soft skin. She furrowed her eyebrows, “You don’t have a temperature. 

“I’m fine, Alis.” He said. 

She breathed in deeply, face carefully controlled, “You need to see a healer. I will call for one-”

She turned to leave, but Tamlin took hold of her wrist. The light shining from Faelights in the bathroom too bright, he was so tired. 

“I don’t need a healer, Alis. It’s nothing.” He told her. Ignoring the image of himself in the mirror, ignoring that fact he knew very well that he did not look fine.

Still Alis wouldn’t go against his orders. She sighed, shoulders slumping slightly, her eyes cast downwards, “Just… fine then. Just please see one if this gets worse.”

Tamlin bit down on the inside of his cheek, but nodded all the same. 

***

It got worse, and there wasn’t anything he could do to hide it from anybody too close. 

So he locked himself in his study or his room, and tried to focus on anything else. Anything other than the constant headache pounding behind his eyes. The never-ending wish to lay in his bed and sleep until his days ended, and the constant vomiting. 

It didn’t relent, instead it worsened. 

Alis found him again. In the bathroom in his room. When she spotted his hair, dirty and tangled, eye bags even darker and skin paler than ever. She narrowed her eyes, but quickly tied back his hair. Once he was done, she told him, “We’re getting a healer.”

Tamlin wanted to protest again, but he was so tired. So he said nothing, instead he slumped against the nearest wall and closed his eyes. 

Why was this happening? Now of all times, when he needed to be alert for his Court. For the people who were still recovering. 

“It’s just stress.” Tamlin told Alis as she put a dampened cloth to his forehead. 

“I would still like for you to see a healer.” 

‘I don’t believe a word you say’, is what that meant. Tamlin chuckled, but the sound was hollow. 

“Alis, I-”

“Hush now, child.” She murmured, brushing a stray strand of hair away from his face as she sat down beside him, “I’ll call a healer, we will figure out what is happening.”

It felt too familiar. Like the days spent in his childhood when he and Alis would sit on the ground in the gardens, whilst she sang him songs in a language he didn’t know at the time. A language she had taught him, so he could sing with her. 

It was too nostalgic. He didn’t deserve to feel that love again. That deep rooted, innocent love, it belonged to the child that hadn’t been stained by the world. 

It belonged to the kid that hadn’t been ruined in every sense of the word. 

Alis didn’t seem to care in the slightest. She took in her hands three strands of blond hair and began to weave a braid. 

“It’ll be okay.” She assured him. 

Tamlin scoffed, he felt her fingers pause in his hair, so he mumbled, “Nothing seems okay now.”

Alis tilted her head slightly, to see his eyes better. Her brown irises rose to meet his green ones. Alis reached out, her rough fingertips caressing the side of his face ever so softly. 

“It will.” She whispered, “It will get better, Tam.”

***

The healer that he saw was named Heilda, she was a short sweet-faced lesser Fae with fluttering mosaic wings and short near white curly hair. Her eyes were all black and her teeth were sharpened. Tamlin was sitting in her office, in a small cottage in the middle of one of the busiest villages, close to the Manor. One of his hands rubbed his temple while the other tapped his leg. 

Lucien had dropped him off at Heilda’s residence before leaving to inform Alis he had indeed gone to the healer and not run off. Tamlin had then insisted he didn’t need to, but the headache came back, and Tamlin was powerless to stop the determined redhead. 

“How long has the vomiting been happening?” Heilda asked. 

The High lord bit the inside of his cheek, quickly thinking back on the past few months since they left the Mountain, “Give or take a month and a half.”

She quickly jotted that down in a leatherback notebook in her hands, then asked, “I’ve also been told you’ve been experiencing severe headaches? How long has that been happening?”

Tamlin shrugged, “I’ve had them all my life, just recently they’re occurring more and more.”

Heilda nodded as she jot notes down in her leather book, before turning to a variety of medicinal herbs and bottles of strangely coloured liquids. 

She rifled through a few before taking a mortar and pestle and began to grind a mixture of dried plants and herbs, asking questions as she did. 

“Have there been any recent changes in diet?” 

“No,” Unless Alis was slowly poisoning him, but he didn’t think her the killer type. 

“Drinking water regularly?” 

“Yes.”

“Have you been sleeping properly?”

Tamlin almost answered yes, then he remembered the nightmares that riddled his sleep, “...No.”

“Alright, that could be one cause, but from the extent of your headaches I’m inclined to believe there could be something else.” She took the herbal mixture and went to a fireplace where a small cauldron bubbled incessantly, “I’d like to run a few tests, my Lord.”

“Whatever you need to do.” He said. 

She took a blood and urinary sample. Tamlin waited for what felt like hours as she put them through several tests, mostly mixing strange things together and watching what happened. Occasionally noting reactions. Tamlin was bored out of his wits, staring at the ceiling, Heilda had given him some strange purple tea, it eased the pressure in his head and the nausea in his stomach, thankfully. 

There was a light rapping on the door, followed by a very familiar voice, “Lady Heilda, I was sent by Alis.”

“Come in, Lord Lucien.” Was all Heilda said, not looking up from her work. 

Lucien opened the door, his eyes immediately drawn to Tamlin and the drink in his hand. He nodded to it, a silent question, Tamlin just shrugged and jutted his head in the direction of Heilda. 

Lucien sat down in a chair beside Tamlin, “How are you doing?”

“Better since drinking this thing.” He said, showing Lucien the painted mug. Lucien nodded. 

“What's happening now?” He asked. 

“Heilda’s running tests, hopefully we’ll know what’s causing the nausea, we can fix it, then be on our merry way.” Tamlin said, drinking the last of the strange tea.

That was when Heilda clicked her tongue, “I don’t believe this is a problem we can simply fix, my Lord.”

She spun around in her chair, “I believe this problem will be a bit bigger than originally considered.”

Lucien and Tamlin furrowed their brows, glancing at each other before eyeing the healer worriedly. It was Lucien who asked, “And what is the problem exactly?”

Heilda took in a breath, seemingly steeling herself, as if on instinct, Lucien took Tamlin’s hand in his own. Holding him tightly. 

“My Lord,” She said, addressing Tamlin, “Have you shapeshifted into a female form, sometime within the last five or six weeks?”

Tamlin was taken aback by the question, he blinked at her, hand tightening in Lucien’s, “I mean… yes, but I’ve done it before, I don’t know how it could cause any issues. Especially not…” He counted the weeks since that night with Feyre, “Six weeks later.”

Now Heilda snapped in a deep breath, “This may be an uncomfortable question, but did you have any penetrative intercourse whilst in female form?”

“You’re right, that is an uncomfortable question.” Tamlin said, blinking at the healer like she had grown a second head, “That shouldn’t have anything to do with my symptoms.”

“Just trust her, Tam.” Lucien said, squeezing his hand in an assuring manner. 

“I just need a yes or no answer.” Heilda said gently. 

Tamlin sighed deeply, eyes squeezing shut, “Yes. Feyre is a shapeshifter as well.”

Heilda nodded, then leaned back in her chair, “Did you use any contraceptives this night in question?”

Now Tamlin gritted his teeth, “What does this-”

“Tam.” Lucien said gently. Tamlin looked over at his friend and sighed. 

“No, we did not.”

Heilda nodded, then she rubbed her hands together. Wringing out her fingers and cracking the knuckles as she crossed one leg over the other, “Okay. What I’m about to say may be shocking.”

“Just spit it out.” Tamlin said, finally and fully fed up with these riddles and strange questions. 

“Alright,” Heilda looked between Lucien and Tamlin, Lucien tightened his grip on Tamlin’s hand. 

“Congratulations, Lord Tamlin Fairburn, you are pregnant.”

One heartbeat, then a dozen. Tamlin stared at Heilda like she had two heads and a tail. Lucien had gone completely white, the fire lord looked as though he was about to pass out. 

Heilda looked between the two, she smiled, then clapped her hands as she wheeled her chair away, “This is what happens when you don’t take contraceptives.”

Tamlin laughed, he laughed hard, nearly falling off his chair. He gripped Lucien’s hand so tightly he could feel his bones grinding under his fingers, Lucien didn’t pull away regardless. The Fox remained silent whilst Tamlin fell into hysterics. 

“No!” Tamlin said, pushing himself back into his chair, “No, no, no. I am not- I am not at all. That is wrong!”

Anger now pressed through the hysteria. Heilda sighed like she expected this reaction, turning around she looked over at Tamlin, “Listen, you were in a female form and you-”

“I am not now aren’t I?!” He shouted, standing up from his chair. His sudden motion snapped Lucien from his daze. He quickly stood up and wrapped an arm around Tamlin’s chest. He made to wrap his free arm around his stomach, but suddenly didn’t. When Tamlin looked at him the Fox was breathing deliberately slowly, staring at his abdomen with an unreadable expression. 

It only served to piss Tamlin off even more. Heilda, unlike the two before her, stayed calm, her voice soft and gentle when she replied, “No, but you can still retain a womb in this form if your magic allows it.”

“I shifted back the morning after!” Tamlin shouted, “This should’ve never happened! You are wrong!”

“I’m not, and I think you know I’m not. Spring thrives off of fertility magic, your magic protected the foetus growing in your womb.” Heilda replied. So casual as if this happened every other day. 

Tamlin stammered and stuttered, trying to figure out someway around this. Some loophole or information that would directly challenge this. Like if he wished hard enough he could prove her wrong. Like if he managed to get angry enough, he could make this go away. Tamlin eventually looked to the floor. Beginning to process the information for what it was. For exactly what it meant.  

“I recommend shifting back into the form of a female, it will make this more comfortable.” Heilda said, her voice still so gentle. It stopped making him angrier, and as the initial shock and denial wore off, the world began to tip from one side to the other. Lucien held him up. The red-head’s fingers intertwined with Tamlin’s. 

“Is there anything else, Heilda?” Lucien asked, his voice a soft murmur behind Tamlin, yet a dull vibration in the face of the ringing in his ears growing with each passing second. 

“Bring him back for some more tests once he’s processed this.” Was all Heilda said. Tamlin was caught between wanting to wake up from this as if it were a dream and wanting to rip her throat out for being so casual about this. 

Only Lucien murmured his thanks. Tamlin considered cursing out the healer, but his sudden lack of energy made that impossible. 

In the future he would thank Heilda for being so calm, for now, he hated her for it. 

Lucien and Tamlin were silent as they left the healer’s office. Lucien kept his hand on Tamlin’s, gently leading the way as Tamlin was still reeling. Barely thinking, he couldn’t hear much besides some of Lucien's gentle murmurs and promises that they would figure it out. 

But as Lucien made to winnow them he suddenly stopped, eyes wide, face pale, hands shaking. Tamlin furrowed his brow whispering, “What?”

“Can-Can I winnow you? That won’t hurt…” Lucien bit his lip as he made a quick gesture to Tamlin’s belly. 

Tamlin snarled, his fangs a flash of white. He ripped his hand away from Lucien’s and marched in the general direction of Rosehall.

“Tamlin!” Lucien called out, quick to follow him, “Tamlin you can’t just storm off!”

“Watch me!” Tamlin turned around and screamed at him. Lucien stopped dead in his tracks, his nose scrunched as he furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Don’t scream at me, I’m only trying to help!” Lucien told him.

“I don’t need your help, Lucien! I don’t need you!” It was a dirty lie, because Tamlin needed Lucien more than air. Especially now. He felt his legs shaking, he wanted to fall to the ground. He wanted to sleep for a thousand years. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream and rage and throw things. He wanted to get angry. He wanted to go back to this morning when this didn’t exist to him. 

Tamlin didn’t wait to see Lucien’s reaction to his venomous words, he turned around and continued to storm away. 

He didn’t get far. Lucien appeared behind him and picked him up. Holding him in bridal carry. Tamlin yelled and thrashed, spitting curses at him, some of which he had forgotten he even knew. 

“Put me down!” His voice was drawing attention from passersby, but Lucien didn’t put him down, just waited. 

“Lucien fucking Vanserra let go of me!”

“Stop being a dickhead and I will.”

“You-”

“Tamlin.” Lucien warned. The tiniest hint of a growl in his voice, something about the way he said it made Tamlin stop squirming. The glare of death in the High lord’s eyes never left but he gritted his teeth and stopped moving. 

“Good.” Lucien said, putting him back on the ground, but keeping two hands on his shoulders. 

“Tamlin, we need to deal with this.” Lucien said, his eyes hard, his face unforgiving. 

“I know-”

“No, you will try and ignore this until you are physically unable to any longer, and then we will be unprepared. You and I are going to talk about this, and form a game plan.”

Tamlin’s eye twitched, “Then can you wait until we get back to Rosehall?”

“We will walk back.” Lucien said as he let go of Tamlin and plucked a paper and pen from the space between realms. The red-head scribbled something down before sending it off. Tamlin knew it would be something to Alis to say they would be returning later than expected. 

Tamlin’s hands once again curled into fists. He took in a deep breath, “I have shapeshifted, a little magic will not hurt.”

Lucien’s chest rose and fell with a deep breath, “We don’t know that Tam.”

Tamlin laughed quietly, at what he didn’t know. The world was going so fast, at the same time it came to a complete halt.  

“What the fuck are we going to do?” Tamlin asked quietly. 

Tamlin stared at nothing, vision slowing like a haze was settling over his bones, a dark mist that made everything seem so far away. 

“Hey.” Lucien murmured, taking the High lord’s hands in his, “We’ll figure it out.”

They walked. Over the rocky cobblestone paths and through the blooming gardens abounding through Spring, the smell of pollen wafted through the air, mixing with the scents of sweetened coffee and baked goods. The sun was speckled over the ground by the constant clouds passing overhead. Gentle breezes caressed the delicate petals of roses, lilacs and lilies. 

Tamlin resolutely stared at the ground ahead, each footstep deliberate and careful. He could feel whenever Lucien’s watchful eyes flicked to him. The High lord wrapped his arms around himself, releasing Lucien's hand, and made sure to not so much as flick his gaze to his emissary. 

Eventually it felt like Lucien got the message and looked ahead as well, the clicking of his eye never directed in Tamlin’s direction. Finally Tamlin looked at him, to see Lucien with his head held high and facing straight ahead. His red hair a banner behind him in the breeze. His stride never faltering. 

Tamlin felt like a newborn foal next to him, not so graceful and elegant, more clumsy and foolish. 

Then a sound filled his ears, one that made him stop dead in his tracks. Tamlin quickly snapped his gaze to his left, looking across a nearby field, filled with a plush blanket of white, purples, pinks and reds, there he saw a gaggle of children. Some lesser Fae, others High Fae. All blowing on dandelion fluff and laughing until they fell to the ground. Two boys with purple skin and big black eyes, chased each other with worms on sticks. A girl with delicate fluttering wings carefully placed a flower crown on a girl with pointed ears, freckles and ginger hair. 

Another two girls threw mud onto each other, ruining the delicate lace of their baby blue dresses. And one boy, much smaller than the rest, with wispy brown hair laughed until he fell onto his back. 

“Tam?” Tamlin didn’t look at Lucien as his eyes were captivated by the children of his Court playing without a care in the world. 

One hand scrunched in the fabric of his trousers, strands of blond hair were picked up by the wind, fluttering over and around his face. 

Lucien walked back to stand beside Tamlin as he saw what had halted him. The Fox of Prythian reached his hand out and wrapped Tamlin’s in it. 

“It’ll be okay Tam.” He whispered. 

“Dahlias.” Tamlin rasped, voice breathy and shaking. 

Lucien hummed in confusion and Tamlin pointed to the field, “The field its… the flowers are all dahlias.”

A heartbeat of silence passed them by, floating along like a butterfly on the wind, Lucien squeezed his hand ever so slightly, “A field of dahlias.”

***

The rest of the walk home was less exciting. Mostly Tamlin stayed caught in silence whilst Lucien broached the harder topics that would later need more discussion. The complications of having an Heir of not just Spring, but of the Cursebreaker, so quickly after Amarantha’s reign had come to a completion. Even Feyre was not completely settled into her new body as a High Fae, and certainly not settled into her new role at Court.

Tamlin wouldn’t dream of putting a singular extra duty on her shoulders that she didn’t need to have to stress about so soon after all had been said and done. But he had to admit they needed more publicity, something for the rest of Prythian to see that Feyre Archeron was the Lady of Spring, the saviour of the Mountain, and the Warrior who sent Amarantha to her grave. 

He didn’t want her to be a show pony, only to be paraded to see her achievements. She had said it herself on a number of times that she wanted a quiet life. But if a baby was now on the way-

No, not thinking about that. 

He didn’t want to think about ‘it’ , he wanted to think about how to get Feyre properly settled. Then how to stabilise the Court, and regain what had been stolen and lost to Amarantha. He needed to focus on the Court right now. 

The sight of Rosehall came into view and Tamlin felt a heavy weight settle over his shoulders, he spoke to Lucien while his eyes examined every detail of his home. “Organise dinners, celebrations, prepare for the upcoming holidays. Pay special attention to the farmers, whatever they need, send it to them. The doors of Rosehall are completely open to the public and any that come in seeking refuge from other Courts. And Lucien.”

Tamlin stopped and Lucien halted as well, his brown eyes meeting green, “Make preparations for the tithe, we need to get it back up and running. We are barely holding on as it is, with everything Amarantha has done we cannot afford the losses that have hit us.”

Lucien nodded, Tamlin went on, “Most of the money and jewels from the treasury were stolen and until we send people back under the mountain to retrieve what they can we are on a tight budget. Every coin goes straight into the refugees, the farmers and the villages that have lost their homes.”

“Of course, but Tamlin-”

“The people are in low spirits and the magic will sense that. Spring thrives off of fertility and celebration from the Fae. I haven't even seen the wisps since before we went under the mountain. Until the native creatures of the land return we are in emergency mode. I want a list of everyone we lost to Amarantha, I need a spreadsheet of the damages and the costs necessary to return everything to its former glory, until we are back to normal we will not rest-”

“Tamlin Kali Fairburn!” Lucien eventually yelled.

Tamlin blinked, then he blinked again. Lucien gritted his teeth, the light hitting the emissary in just the right way that his skin seemed to glow with his frustration, “You are stressing yourself out for no reason.”

Tamlin gawked at that, “There is a reason, our Court is still half in ruins-”

The fire lord marched forward and put his hands on his shoulders, “And I will help you to restore it. But you cannot try and handle everything yourself.”

“I am not trying to do everything myself-”

“You are thinking of everything at once, when you need to calm down.” Lucien’s head fell, he took several deep breaths, “Listen, Tam. Like it or not we… you are now responsible for another life.”

Tamlin bristled at that, fangs starting to point through his teeth. Claws pressed against his skin, threatening to burst through. 

“Tamlin.” Lucien said slowly, “I know you don’t want to think about this, but that doesn’t change the fact that Spring is…” Lucien took another steadying breath, like he was falling apart at the news himself, “Spring is having an Heir.”

There were the words that crushed Tamlin even more. This… it wouldn’t be just another baby, but an Heir of Spring, a possible successor. A potential future ruler of the Spring Court. 

They had no choice but to think about this. 

“We will take this one step at a time.” Lucien moved his hands down to clasp his friends, thumbs rubbing the backs of his palms. 

Tamlin stared down at the dark fingers massaging gentle circles into his skin. He closed his eyes, the headache pounding harder. He was so fucking tired. 

“This is awful.” Tamlin whispered into the space between them. 

“I know Tam.” Lucien murmured, his voice near drowned out by the sounds of laughter in the distance. 

He felt like he might collapse. A headache pushed into his temple. He noticed a flicker of movement, and then saw that it was in fact a butterfly, small and blue and clueless. Making laps around their heads. 

“It’ll be okay.” Lucien reassured him. It was false, they had no idea if it would be okay. 

***

It was not okay. 

It was absolutely not okay. 

He had a headache all the time and sleep became a luxury he apparently could not afford. All of a sudden complaints pushed from all sides as bandits began to infiltrate the Southern and Western borders. Seeing quick money and easy blood to draw. 

Many of the servants and sentries had left the grounds for other Courts in order to visit family after the Curse’s conclusion. With quickly hired, inexperienced staff, the grounds began to descend into chaos. 

Not to mention how everyone was coping. That being barely. 

Nowadays even into the dark hours of the morning, every hall was lit and not a single room didn’t have some form of a faelight and an open window. No one wished to be forced back into darkness, and everyone needed the reassurance of open, blowing air. 

The second Tamlin had stepped foot back into his office he was thrown back into work. Now, days didn’t end until he was near passing out from exhaustion and they started the second the ray of first light hit his face. 

He wasn’t the only one. Lucien he barely saw anymore, as much as the Fox of Prythian attempted to check on him, they both lost all sense of time. Unable to keep up with their workloads and desperately attempting to pull the Court back into order. 

With everything going on, Tamlin had yet to tell anyone about… it. 

Alis had tried to push for answers, but even with all her stubbornness, the female knew when she had to back off. The quick snappish answers and flare in temper were enough to tell her, it wasn’t time for her to ask what happened that day with the healer. But Tamlin could tell she was worried. 

With everything happening. Tamlin had forgotten the last time he even so much as laid eyes on Feyre.

He was sure he saw her during the nights at some point, but as everything merged into a dazed blur of work, work, work, he couldn’t be sure. 

That wasn’t even including the constant strain from symptoms. 

Vomiting, and headaches were just the start of it. At times he could barely keep his eyes open even after hours of sleep. If he stood too quickly, all blood rushed from his head and black spots filled his vision. Random outbursts became more prevalent, everything setting him on edge. 

"Dear Gods," He cursed, rubbing his temples. Elbows planted on his desk. Tamlin screwed his eyes shut as yet another wave of throbbing crashed over him. 

There was a light rapping at his door. Tamlin didn't need to look up as the door opened to know who it was. The scent of cinnamon spice was enough telling. 

"Tam." Lucien said tenderly. 

Without opening his eyes, Tamlin said, "Lucien Vanserra, if the next words out of your mouth aren't, here is a giant cookie and hot chocolate, I will toss you over the border and back into Autumn."

There was a heartbeat of silence. 

Tamlin wouldn't throw Lucien back into Autumn, Tamlin quite liked Lucien. 

He would very possibly steal and hide all of his left shoes. Lucien was fully aware of that. 

Lucien left the office, and when he returned, he opened the door saying, "Here is a giant cookie and hot chocolate."

Indeed, he was carrying a tray with a giant chocolate chip cookie and two mugs of steaming hot chocolate that made Tamlin's mouth water when he saw them.

Lucien is a smart man. Everyone should be like Lucien, Tamlin thought. 

Setting the tray on the dark wood coffee table by the empty fireplace. Lucien sat down on the green velvet lounge. 

Tamlin left his desk and joined him. Settling into the soft fabric and hands immediately reaching for said cookie. Lucien smiled softly as he took up his mug. 

"Heilda said it would be more comfortable to shift to female form." Lucien said as he absentmindedly toyed with the handle. His voice was soft as he broached the subject, not wishing to provoke anger. 

Tamlin bit into the cookie and nearly moaned. 

To shift into a female form. To stay like that. It would raise eyebrows and suspicions. And good Gods, when he started to show-

No, not thinking about that. 

"So?" Tamlin asked. He knew he had to listen, he had to take into account the possibility of having an Heir for the Court. 

Gods, an Heir so soon. They just came out from Under the Mountain. It was all still fresh, too fresh. He could still see her eyes above him. Pushing him down into the sheets-

No. 

Not thinking about it. 

"So..." Lucien traced the rim of his cup with his finger, "Perhaps you should think about listening to her."

Tamlin's eyes snapped to Lucien's to find the fiery male staring right back. He lifted a perfectly groomed red eyebrow and waited for a response. One leg crossed over the other and head held high. 

Lucien didn't back down for anyone, not Beron, not Amarantha, and certainly not Tamlin. 

"Or perhaps I won't." I am a grown male, and I will make my own decisions, did not need to be said for Lucien to get the gist of it. 

"She is the professional, Tam." He hummed. 

"Don't call me that." Not now. Don't be gentle with me. 

Lucien put the mug down on the table, it banged as his hands didn't bother to control his strength. 

"Alright, this has gone on long enough." Lucien said, "We need to do something about all of this."

"What do you want to do exactly?" Tamlin snapped, temper flaring. 

"Gods above." Lucien rubbed his temples and Tamlin wanted to throw something. 

"Come up with a goddamn game plan, Tamlin. I want to know what the next moves should be. I mean, have you even told Feyre?" Lucien bounced his knee up and down. Tamlin thought that at any moment he might get up and start pacing. 

"Well I- there isn't anything that can be done Lucien!" Tamlin shouted, finally beginning to snap. He hated this. He wanted to be done with it. 

And he hadn't told Feyre. He didn't want to. He didn't want to talk about it. 

Like if he refused to so much as think about it, it wouldn't exist. 

Lucien opened his mouth, eyes blazing and preparing to yell. Then he cut himself short and snapped his mouth shut. Face falling back into carefully crafted blankness and eyes losing any emotions at all. 

Tamlin's claws nearly shot through his hands. Fire blazing through him, not just because of the subject at hand, but because of how easily Lucien put his mask on. Hiding his true thoughts so well. 

Tamlin wished for the courtier mask, but no matter how hard he tried there was nothing he could do to hide himself. 

Fuck this all. 

"You need to tell Feyre," Lucien said, crossing his arms. Relaxing back into the lounge, as nonchalant as ever. Tamlin hated it. 

"I don't need to do anything." Tamlin hissed. 

Lucien chuckled and claws finally pierced to the surface. He dug them into pillow beneath them, slowly counting back from ten. 

"What is so funny?"

Lucien picked up his mug again as he shook his head, "Sure you don't need to do anything Tam."

"Get out!" Tamlin shouted. 

Lucien rolled his eyes, he put his mug down and slid off the lounge gracefully. A swagger in his step as he left the room, as he passed through the threshold his hand caught the door. He tossed a seething smile over his shoulder and said, "Figure it out on your own then, but figure it out, Tam."

Lucien slammed the door shut before Tamlin could yell at him. 

***

Feyre wasn't happy. She didn't know when she started feeling this way, when the total weight of how she felt finally settled into her bones. Like mist in the morning, it descended slowly until she was consumed by it. 

She couldn't look the Fae around her in the eyes anymore. Not without seeing the Faeries she had stabbed. The boy's screams filled her eyes at every ring of a bell or snap of a tree branch. 

And dear God, the girl who had prayed before she had ended her life. The words seemed carved into her skin, she heard them in the laughter and song of the Priestesses that came in groups for lunch after long days working in the Temple. Every time those swishing robes passed her by, she remembered that prayer. 

One of the Priestesses had taken a special interest in her. One of the twelve High Priestesses. Feyre knew little of how religion worked in the Fae Lands. The idea of Gods and such had never interested her. She had worked for too long back in the cabin to spend her time thinking of them. 

And if they did exist certainly the Mother was laughing at her.

As of now, Feyre stared out at the gardens. She was sitting by a small table on the porch, watching dahlias sway in the wind. The grounds were covered in them, they had been a flower Elain had grown back at the cabin and then at the new manor they resided in now. One of the only plants Feyre could pin-point. 

"I thought I might find you here." A voice said, breaking the silence. Feyre looked back over her shoulder and despite herself a small smile graced her lips. 

"Good morning Ianthe, shouldn't you be at a ceremony or such?" Feyre asked.

Ianthe chuckled, her voice and sweet face reminded Feyre a little of Elain. But her overall demeanor and strange stoniness reminded her of Nesta.  

"No, the girls are handling everything this morning. I have a break." 

Ianthe strolled over to where Feyre was sitting. She pointed to the chair opposite of her and asked, "May I?"

"Please." Feyre said. 

Ianthe gracefully slid into the seat, crossing one leg over the other. She did not wear her robes this morning. Her body still completely covered. However, the layers of her dark blue dress were lighter to account for the warmer weather this morning. A pale blue silk scarf covered her head so only a few curling blonde hairs fell around her face. 

"Did it hurt? The tattoo I mean." Feyre eventually asked. The tattoo of the phases of the moon, they interested Feyre. Whilst she now had a swirling tattoo along her arm, that one had been stained magically. 

Violet cruel eyes. Taunting hands and a laughing voice. 

No. Not thinking about him. 

Ianthe watched the swaying gardens as she answered. Her face was not cold, but it wasn't warm either. Like a stoic mother, Feyre thought. 

"Yes, but it was worth it to be given this honour." Ianthe answered. 

Feyre hummed, "Did you always want to be a High Priestess?"

Ianthe chuckled, finger tracing her knee, "My, my, many questions this morning."

The Archeron sister stiffened for a moment, "You don't need to answer if it makes uncom-"

Ianthe lifted a slender hand, she turned her full eyes back to Feyre and smiled, "I am teasing Feyre."

"Oh."

"As for your question, I always knew I wanted to be part of the Court. I worked well with the others. And I knew I could help this Court, the way the former High lord ruled he..."

Ianthe cut herself off as a darkness filled her eyes. Her mouth twisted into a straight line. Feyre furrowed her brow, concern beginning to creep in, "He...?"

Ianthe quickly shook her head and straightened, pulling herself from her thoughts, "He just... He wasn't a good male and I knew I could do something to help. As for becoming a High Priestess specifically I-"

Now a soft smile adorned her face as she lifted her eyes to the white sun's rays. 

"I have always had an affinity for the Mother and her creation." 

Feyre turned her own eyes back to the dahlia flowers. Blooming prettily as if not just months before the Spring Court had been ravaged and left in ruins. 

"The world is going back to normal." Feyre noted. 

Ianthe laughed suddenly, and Feyre snapped her eyes back to her. 

The High Priestess shook her head and murmured, "Nothing will ever be normal again."

"You weren't even here for the fifty years," Feyre pointed out, recalling what Lucien had told her before. How Ianthe's father had sent her and her sisters to the continent right as the curse was hitting. 

At her words Ianthe balled her dress up into her fists, "You don't know my story."

"Then tell me." I will listen, Feyre wanted to say. 

Out of the corner of her eyes, Ianthe watched her. Blue eyes like sapphires in the light, "You won't understand."

"Try me."

A shake of her head and an amused smile, "Count the blessings you have flower, appreciate them. For at any moment, they can all be taken."

Feyre blinked. Then her face fell into deadpan. 

What was it with Fae and their riddles?

Ianthe threw her head back as she laughed at Feyre's confusion, "Flower just know not to take the word of Faeries at face value."

Ianthe leaned back into her chair and Feyre asked, "Can you guys just... tell me what you mean?"

A sly smile and glinted eyes, "Now where's the fun in that?"

***

She hated her reflection. She stood in front of the mirror as Ianthe carefully placed a crown of daisies and dahlias in her hair. 

"Why dahlias?" Feyre had asked.

Ianthe had shrugged, "You seemed to like them."

They had gone through enough dresses to last Feyre a lifetime. She had never liked dresses and today did not change that. She longed for something she could move in. Felt like restricted in. But she sucked it up. 

Ianthe had brought in a myriad of different dresses for her to try. To find one she liked best. 

"Do they all have to be so..." Feyre had gestured to large puffy sleeve and Ianthe had snickered. 

"For the record these were the former Lady of Spring's dresses."

Feyre had gone very, very still at that. Guilt shocking through her at how she hadn't liked the look of them. 

Ianthe had then rolled her eyes, "Do not fret, child, the Lady hadn't particularly adored them either. But it is tradition to wear the dresses of the former Lady. This were the Lady of Spring's before hers, and before hers. Now they will be yours."

Ianthe had then reassured Feyre, "Just for today at least, then they'll go back into a bag and into the closet to sit for the next several centuries."

Feyre had laughed suddenly at that, and the knot of anxiety welling in her stomach had begun to ease. 

Feyre had then rifled through the atrocious amount of fabrics. And eventually her hands landed on one particular dress. It was the biggest of them all, with an atrocious amount of tulle, lace and puffs. It was beautiful, Feyre could admit as much as that. But it was... so much. 

Feyre had bit down on her lip, trying not to laugh. Then she had looked at Ianthe whose eye was twitching as she pursed her lips, desperately keeping her own laughter down. 

They met each other's sights and were helpless but to fall into hysterics. 

The dress had been laid on the bed, but Feyre had decided on a far simpler one. Long, green silk simple sleeves, and a high neckline that opened just above her cleavage. The corseted part of the dress was embroidered with gold designs and tightly hugged her waist. Her far too small waist. As Ianthe had tied the back her eyes flicked up to Feyre in the mirror, hands still on the strings. 

Feyre had looked down, Ianthe continued and neither spoke of just how frail she had become. The High Priestess occasionally opened her mouth to say something, just to snap it closed. Ianthe didn't appear to know how to comfort, how to reassure. So, she didn't try. 

Now the look was complete. Feyre watched herself in the mirror. The long green skirts of her dress swirled as she moved. 

"There." Ianthe said. Feyre met her eyes in the mirror. 

"Are you ready?" She asked. 

Feyre didn't answer. She thought back on that day in the field when Tamlin had proposed to her, how happy she had been. How in so long the memories of Under the Mountain hadn't haunted her. 

Yet after all was said and done, it all came back. All had asked to show them the ring and expected her to gush about the future wedding and her engagement. Yet all enthusiasm had drained from her. Like the second Tamlin was not directly in front of her she no longer felt that passion any longer. 

It was just nerves. Nothing else. Once this day was said and done it would no longer bother her. 

"Yes."

Ianthe nodded, her eyes firm and set on Feyre through the mirror. A heartbeat passed and Feyre said, "We best be going then."

As she moved to leave. Ianthe put her hands on Feyre's shoulders, "One moment, my Lady."

The Cursebreaker furrowed her brow but remained still. Ianthe didn't break eye contact as she swiftly pulled a necklace out from underneath her robes. It swung from her neck, a beautiful green emerald that shone in the light. It was small and hung from a golden chain. 

Feyre blinked, opening her mouth to ask what was happening. But Ianthe answered her question, as she unclasped the necklace and swiftly placed it around Feyre's throat. 

"Ianthe-" Feyre started. 

"Take it, Cursebreaker." As she let it hang from Feyre's neck she murmured, "You may need it."

"Need it?" Feyre whispered. 

Ianthe just smiled, "Trust me."

"You said yourself not to take the words of Fae at face value." Feyre countered. 

"I did." She stated. 

Before Feyre could once again point out the blatant hypocrisy, Ianthe said, "Try to see past the person, Feyre. Try and see what may lay underneath."

***

He hated his reflection. Standing in front of the mirror whilst Alis fixed his hair and jacket burned a flaming rage deep in his core, but there was little he could do. Other than stand still and allow the Summer Faery to do her work. 

"You look very handsome." Alis smiled up at him as she stepped back, admiring her handiwork. 

Tamlin tried to give her a smile back, but he could only manage a weak nod as he stared at himself. 

Shell of a person. Eyes sunken from lack of sleep, skin unnervingly pale, gaunt, hollow. 

At least the suit was well made, tailored, green with whites and golds. Alis had braided flowers through his hair and dusted his face with just the slightest of makeup, she told him it was for the look to come together perfectly. But he knew it was to coverup the deadness in his face. 

The lesser faery opened and closed her mouth. Eyebrows furrowing. Tamlin nearly groaned. 

"What is it, Alis?" 

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, brushing away a speck of lint from his shoulder. Tamlin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

"I am sure." He said, finally turning away from that godforsaken mirror. He faced the door of his bedroom. Lucien stood there. Dressed to the nines in green. Far more understated than Tamlin but just as gorgeous. 

"Ready?" Lucien asked. 

Tamlin shifted under his piercing gaze. The Fox scrutinized every inch of him, he was on display, wholly and completely. 

"I'm fine." Tamlin settled to say. He wouldn't admit how he felt sick to his stomach and the fluttering of anxiety was threatening to send running to bathroom to throw up once again. 

He held strong. He wouldn't be made weak. No matter how weak he truly felt. 

Lucien didn't believe that for a second. But he said nothing as he moved from the doorway and said, "Well then, the wedding is on in less than five minutes."

Feyre hesitated from her place at the end of the aisle. 

Her eyes agitated, hands shaking. Tamlin held his breath. She looked beautiful, but Feyre was always beautiful. A ring of flowers adorned her head, her eyes held the wedding venue before her. 

Ianthe was the one she watched; Tamlin risked a glance at the Priestess who watched Feyre closely. Slowly she raised a hand, and with a soft voice beckoned, "Come, Lady of Spring."

Feyre loosened a breath, her chest rising and falling with measured, calculated breaths. She took a step forward and Tamlin's chest constricted. He sucked in a breath, and she took another step forward. The knot pulled tighter and tighter. 

He remembered when she had been dragged in by Attor. Tossed to Amarantha's feet. 

Panic had filled him. He had nearly fainted. Surely, she wasn't there, because he had sent her back. She was back in the human lands there was no possible way for her to have come Under the Mountain. 

Yet there she had been.

The image faded in and out. Shifting from Feyre's perfect, unmarked face to the bruised snarling face she had worn that day so many months ago. 

She took a step forward. 

He was going to throw up. 

Then she took a step back. 

For a second, for a fleeting moment, the knot in his chest loosened and he felt like he could breathe again. 

Then she took another step back. The knot tightened once more. 

Eyes widened, and whispers erupted in the crowd of Fae. 

Fuck. 

No. 

Like a rope pulled him forward, Tamlin took a step towards Feyre. The world slowed to one moment in time. She stumbled further back, shaking her head. And Tamlin stepped further into the aisle. 

Something snapped in her gaze. She turned on her heel and sprinted. 

There was a gasp, and hot white rage flew through the High lord. Filling his veins, breaking something that had been pulled taut for too long now. 

He nearly launched into a run after her. 

"Tamlin." Lucien hissed, as he lept forward and pulled Tamlin back. 

Tamlin turned around to snarl at him, but in a second they were gone. Winnowed. 

Tamlin shouted into the darkness that enveloped them. And by the time they landed he was screaming curses at the red head. Lucien didn't seem to care. 

They were in his study. The window were open and sunshine was pouring in. Yet the house was empty as the grounds descended into chaos as the groom and bride had each disappeared. 

"Why did you-" Tamlin shouted, but Lucien snapped. 

"She was running away, what were you going to do?! Grab her and force her to marry you!" Lucien shouted, whilst pointing a finger into Tamlin's chest. 

"You-"

"Don't start with me Tamlin! We will find her, but for now calm the fuck down!" 

Tamlin blinked, initial rage simmering into something else entirely. 

What just happened. 

In the span of a few seconds, he had gone from jittering at the altar, watching his bride, then watching her run from him as he attempted to go after her.

He must have looked as shocked as he felt, because Lucien put a hand on each of his shoulders and guided him to the lounge. 

"Sit." Lucien ordered, Tamlin obeyed. Staring into nothing, mind horribly blank. 

Eventually one smaller thought came to mind, "I thought I wasn't allowed to winnow."

"You can in short distances, I spoke to Heilda. But she recommended it be someone else doing to actually winnowing."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Lucien sat down on the arm of the lounge. 

"What do I do now?"

Lucien stared at him and for the first time said, "I have no idea."

***

"Feyre!" 

Feyre didn't respond to the call. She crossed her arms and pressed further back into the trunk of the tree she was sitting in. Her knees bent, keeping her curled into the branch and just out of sight. 

"Feyre oh sh- Mother lead me." Ianthe hissed as she caught herself from cursing, "Where is that girl?"

Feyre craned her neck to look down. She saw Ianthe holding up her pale blue robes in one hand and her shoes in the other as she trod through grass and mud. 

"Feyre! I know you're out here somewhere!" 

Somewhere indeed, currently right above her. 

Ianthe screwed eyes shut and sighed deeply, "Couldn't have run somewhere inside, no we had to go out into the forest."

Despite the guilt and shame, the anxiety and hurt knotting and writhing in her stomach, threatening to make her lose her breakfast. Feyre chuckled. 

Bad decision, as Ianthe straightened, her fae senses alerting her to the sound. 

Ianthe whirled her head back and forth, "Feyre?"

Feyre had the muffle her laughter with the palm of her hand. But it wasn't enough to escape the hearing of the High Priestess. 

Finally, Ianthe furrowed her brow and looked right up. Her confusion fell into deadpan as she saw the Cursebreaker nestled in a branch. 

Mouth pursing, Ianthe gripped her robes a little tighter then asked, "Flower why are you in a tree?"

It hit her again. 

As she had walked down the aisle. Seen the people, the faces staring and waiting. Seen Tamlin watching her. Then had seen Ianthe. 

Permanant. Permanently stuck here. Permanently with the memories. Seeing everyone watching, like they had watched Under the Mountain. 

That prayer had rushed through her head again. And she saw their faces when she stabbed them. 

"Feyre?" 

Feyre looked back down to Ianthe, but gritted her teeth and did not answer. 

"Feyre." Ianthe said, deadpan, "Do not make me climb a tree."

Still Feyre remained silent whilst she brooded on her branch. 

Ianthe's eye twitched. And finally she sighed heavily, mumbling something about the Mother punishing her. 

"Fine! Fine." She said, dropping her shoes and letting her robes down from her hand. 

Then Feyre watched as the pristine, tidy, and uptight High Priestess of Spring, grabbed onto a branch and planted her foot into the trunk. Climbing the tree. 

She nearly slipped and fell, a curse nearly falling from her lips before she caught herself. 

Her robes got caught on a sharp piece of bark and there was a ripping sound. Ianthe made a disgusted sound, before she climbed up higher and higher. 

Finally, after clumsily forcing her way onto a branch right beside Feyre, she sat down. Panting heavily. Then she checked the small hole made in the hem of her robes. 

She gritted her teeth but ultimately let it fall away as she faced why she came out here. 

"Feyre, lovely spot you have here." Ianthe said, sarcasm lacing her voice. 

"Thanks, picked it out myself." Feyre snapped. 

The High Priestess sighed, "Feyre, you have to come down."

"Yes, I have to go down. And I have to go back to the wedding, don't I?" She snapped. 

Ianthe observed her for a moment, before shifting uncomfortably. Stoic face seemingly trying to figure out what the best course of action was. Thinking logically, no doubt just wondering what the quickest way to get Feyre back to the wedding was. 

It struck her that Ianthe didn't actually care what Feyre was feeling. She was doing as she was told, no other reason. It made Feyre feel all the more alone. 

Back in that dungeon, with nothing to keep her company but her will and a bargain. 

"Do you... Do you not wish to marry him?" She asked. 

Feyre gritted her teeth, she screwed her eyes shut. Darkness pressed in and she remembered the Attor dragging her into the throne room. 

She wanted to scream. She wanted to forget anything that ever happened. She wanted to go somewhere none of it ever touched her again. 

"Feyre-"

"Just go away Ianthe I don't want to speak to you!" She shouted. 

Ianthe bristled, "I am just trying to help-"

"Well you aren't!" 

Now, her face iced over. Stone cold and fed up, "We have to go back, now either we can go willingly together, or I will get the sentries and they will drag you back."

A tremor ran up her spine at the threat, "I don't want to go back, Ianthe."

Ianthe loosened a tight breath, "Feyre, let's go home now."

"No."

"Archeron-" Her tone was warning. 

"I don't- I don't want to go back." Feyre insisted. 

Ianthe scrunched her nose slightly, eyebrows furrowing. Then her face evened out and her voice sweetened, "Feyre, we must go back."

The sudden change in tone, in face, a lure. An attempt at false comfort. The Priestess held out her hand. 

Feyre looked at the pale hand before her. 

Then at the ground. 

Back to the pale hand. 

Feyre reached out and Ianthe smiled. 

The Cursebreaker batted her hand away with enough force that Ianthe shouted but nearly fell off balance. Giving Feyre enough to time to jump to the forest floor and bolt. 

"Feyre Archeron!" Ianthe clung to the branch as she watched Feyre's form disappear further into the dark forest. 

Slowly she took inhaled, before releasing her breath. She closed her eyes and asked the sky, "Why, why, why, why, why?"

Feyre ran and ran and ran. She lost a shoe but she didn't care. The feeling of dirt underfoot somehow comforting. Reminding her she was still there and breathing. In the wind, in the open space. Not in that cave, not Under the Mountain. 

Yet still there. Always there like it followed her. A ghost of those months looming over her head. 

She reached a clearing of grass and wildflowers. She fell to her knees. Legs unable to hold her any longer. 

She shook, trembling hands and arms. She should've been able to run faster and far further than that. 

But looking at her arms, they were spindly. Her legs which were sticks compared to what they had once been. She felt her cheeks, her face which was hollowed out. 

Her fingers to skinny, her organs pressed against the skin of her torso. 

When was the last time she had eaten? Had felt the urge to eat anything?

She licked her lips, her throat dry. The air was suffocating. Pollen that was sickeningly sweet. Air open, without any end. 

A part of her wondered whether she had ever come out from Under the Mountain, feared, dreaded that at any moment she would awaken. 

She heaved a sob, cries racking through her too fragile bones. Like she was made of glass she trembled. 

Feyre felt like she was made of glass. Like at a single touch she might crack and fall into a thousand pieces and never be able to be put back together again. 

'Make it stop.' She cried in her mind, sniffling, 'Someone make it all stop.'

'Take me away.' She pleaded with nothing. 

There was the sound of stick cracking underfoot and Feyre's head snapped up. 

But instead of Ianthe or sentries, violet eyes shone down upon her. 

"Hello Feyre Darling."

"You!" Someone shouted, Rhysand and Feyre looked up to see Ianthe panting as she pointed to Rhysand. 

Feyre had never seen her quite so dishevelled. But rage lined her features. 

Rhysand however, simply smirked, before grabbing Feyre's arm as she screamed. The Night Lord lifted her tattooed hand and pointed to it. 

"Don't mind me, pretty Priestess, I am simply collecting."

And just like that. 

Rhysand winnowed them away. 

***

"What do you mean she's gone?" Tamlin asked, voice near breathless. 

Ianthe's eye was twitching relentlessly. She looked as though she had been dragged through a thorn bush. Then again if she had run after Feyre she may have been. Stick and leaves were stuck in her hair, some parts of her robes were torn. And dirt smudged her cheek. 

"I mean she was whisked away by the Night Court." Ianthe said, "Our worst fears came true, and Rhysand made good on his word."

"Bastard son of a bitch." Lucien cursed from behind Tamlin. 

Tamlin said nothing, unable to move. His eyes turned to Alis by the door who looked between the Priestess and the High lord with sympathetic eyes.

Slowly it lapped at his core. Rage that made his eyes start to black out. His hands trembling by his sides. 

Chest rising and falling quicker. 

Ianthe looked him up and down, then said to Lucien, "I'll leave you two to deal with this. I am going to have a six-hour long bath."

In a second the Priestess was gone. Alis following after her.

"Lucien, get out." Was the only warning Tamlin gave him. 

Lucien's eyes went wide, and he sprinted out the door, slamming it closed. 

And Tamlin's magic exploded in a second. 

The High lord screamed as his magic ripped through him. flooding his veins with uncontrollable, overwhelming power. He screamed and fell to his knees. A ringing filled his ears, his vision went white. 

When it resided, a sob wracked his body as shaking overtook him. His skin heated, getting hotter and hotter until his clothes were soaked with sweat. Trembling, Tamlin tried to pull himself to stand, but he suddenly doubled over and threw up. 

The door flung open and Lucien shouted something he couldn't hear. The world was a swirling, dizzy haze of nothing. 

Someone gasped and Tamlin looked up to see Alis sprinting for him. The female cupped his face, and Tamlin blacked out.

Link to chapter 2 is here! Link to chapter 3 is here!

[chaseisglitched]

What jse headcanons do you have that you really like

oooo you gave me an excuse to ramble. here are some of them!!! (sorry if this is all over the place )

jj, henrik, and chase's eye color are all dull and de saturated because of anti. however chase's eyes are still a bit more colorful compared to henrik and jj

anti's presence is warm like a fever

how anti looks is influenced by who is looking at him and how he wishes to be seen. two people can look at him at the same time and what they see will probably not be exactly the same. he also has a messed up red hallway labyrinth dimension thing people can get trapped in that is like a part of him since he's an eldritch horror

marvin's appearance has slightly changed because of his magic and higgins so he's a bit more cat like, his eyes are unnaturally green (they used to be hazel before magic), his pupils can turn into slits, sharper canines etc. to add onto this when marvin touches/ uses the Argentum Inanis his hair and eyes turn black :]

chase and jackie are really good at drawing. jackie makes his own little comic books for fun.

and a bonus twins hc because why not. this counts and i love them: the twins are both really fucking tall (brother is about 6'5" and sister is 6'2"). also the sister has a prosthetic right eye :D

[kidsnextdoor-doodles]

Aside from Herbie's partial heterochromia, do you headcanon any other physical conditions, mutations or disabilities with the Moonbase Crew?

Aaaaa!! Okay so;

Canon stuff out of the way; Patton has a cleft chin, Herbie has a double chin, glasses, overbite, and braces, and Fanny has freckles (though I imagine her with a lot more than she has in canon jgnjf)

Rachel has a lot of moles on her body, three specifically on her face.

Rachel also starts getting major eye bags once she becomes supreme leader. Even after becoming a teen she has an awful sleep schedule so there’s no chance she’d be able to get rid of them as an adult.

Fanny starts developing lines around her eyes as a late teen, and has noticeable crows feet by the time she’s in her midlife.

I’ve given all four of them heterochromia because I love colouring heterochromia and I think it looks cool (It started with just Fanny, than I gave it to Rachel, then I said ‘fuck it’s and gave it to Patton and Herbie as well)! Both Patton and Herbie have partial heterochromia in one eye each. Patton has green eyes and the top half of his right eye is blue, and Herbie has purple eyes and the top half of his left eye is red (in a more realistic world, it would probably be blue and a reddish brown). Rachel has partial heterochromia in both her eyes, in which the top half of them are brown and the bottom half are a deep purple (again, more realisticly it would most likely be dark blue.) Fanny has complete heterochromia; her right eye is green and her left is orange (again again, would realistically be a light brown).

Herbie had disastrously crooked teeth, like painfully so, which is why he has braces now.

Patton has a fractured tooth, which happened during his cadet training. His parents have tried to convince him to get a fake tooth but he refuses.

Rachel has a tooth gap that started out small but got wider over time. She absolutely hated it when she was younger and beg her parents to take her to get it ‘fixed’ but they never did (mostly because her dad also has a tooth gap and he was offended she hated it so much). Eventually she ‘got over it’, but she still doesn’t like people giving attention to it.

Fanny has ‘fangs’, which are just her slightly sharper canines protruding irregularly (snaggle-tooth). Fanny doesn’t really care much about her appearance so she’s never thought about getting them fixed. The only time the idea crossed her mind was when her mother raised concerns about possible dental hygiene issues, but ultimately neither of her parents thought it was a big enough deal to get them fixed.

Rachel is a tad bit underweight, because she grew up with only one proper meal a day and now as supreme leader she has the habit of skipping meals entirely unless she’s eating with friends.

Patton went through some early puberty. The most noticeable side effect was his voice getting deeper and growing side burns.

Herbie’s body in general is just, a bit of a struggle for him. He has a poor immune system so he gets sick realky easily (which is why he avoids doing field missions and prefers working behind a screen). His growth has also been stunted because of said tendencies to be sick and a lack of a nutritional diet (single dad who does NOT know how to take care of a kid!! But he’s trying… not well but still trying).

Both Fanny and Patton get injured regularly, which will definitely cause problems for them in the future.

Patton starts suffering hearing loss in one ear during his late teens/early adulthood, and ends up with a hearing aid.

Rachel needs glasses. She didn’t wear them at all as a kid because her vision issues were not major enough for people to really notice, but she’d start wearing reading glasses as a teen because her eyes got worse. And then her eyes would get even worse so she’d wear glasses regularly as an adult, though she’d prefer wearing contact lenses.

Patton has asthma and thinks it’s SUPER embarrassing and tried to hide it when he joined the KND. Obviously he couldn’t keep it hidden for long, but in present times the only people who know are the rest of the mooncrew.

Fanny is allergic to penicillin (this has no reasoning it’s just pure projection LMAO)

[meirimerens]

so about those teeth shapes headcanons you mentioned? 🤨👀

you're so crazy. i love that in a reader.

twirls hair anyways... so matching with this morning's anon let me tell you it all. let me tell you. i'll tell you like one would tell a close, intimate friend.

Dankovsky: he has. i think it's called snaggletooth(teeth?), where his upper canines are implanted higher and more forwardly than the incisors. he's the one dude i have like. a #claim for, which i'm very sorry mademoiselle [art commentary/drama youtuber that autoplayed on me one day] you get to be here again:

exactly. he also has the same high, pointy lower canines.

Burakh: wide upper row... big teeth. His upper incisors are mostly straight, with the outer ones being implanted just a tad higher than the front ones. his upper canines as well as premolar look quite sharp. his bottom canines are revealed, with the gum being lower than on other teeth, making them look longer and sharper. they, as well as his bottom premolar, are a bit crooked from his wisdom teeth pushing at the back.

Clara: her teeth are silly #moving and #squirming but what is sure is that she has a small gap between the front incisors, with the itty bittiest hint of a chip to the corner of one of them. her canines are small and low, but somewhat dull, and her premolars sharper in both rows.

Andrey: unilateral partial maxillary agenesis babyyyyyy i'm all about that. basically his left outer upper incisor is missing, and instead he has a canine. it's like this:

(Heilung singer(?)). on his left upper side, he has one (1) wisdom tooth, that grew because the back of incisor gave it some space to grow. Low and sharp canines on the top & the bottom. vampyric...

Peter: the same ^ but mirrored. 🫶 i'm crazy i'm insane insane asylum... so he's missing his left upper outer incisor + has his upper right wisdom tooth.

Rubin: straight row above, his bottom teeth slightly overlap in places (middle incisors slightly overlap, and his side incisors overlap the middle ones by being more forward). His upper canines are a little dull, with his upper premolar being sharper (having a wide maxillary, it's visible). his bottom canines are sharp enough.

Lara: she has quite a narrow upper maxillary, so her top front incisors are forward, with relatively sharp canines behind.

Grief: i'm seeing/extrapolating what his p1 portrait has, which looks like:

so i'm seeing prominent front incisors that kinda make a /\ shape forward out of the row of teeth. like a little bunny very cute. [the teeth. i will not pronounce myself on either bad grief or Yuri Reiser on this picture, who i do not know personally]. i also think he's missing his upper right premolar. got it socked out of him in a brawl. happens to the best of us.

Eva: wide front incisors slightly more forward than the row, rounded and smaller outer incisors with sharp canines somewhat tucked behind.

Yulia: pointy but somewhat dull outer upper incisors and canines, with the gum revealing a lot of the canines on both rows.

Khan: don't think i've drawn him smiling which is really funny. anyways i think he has a teeny gap between his two front incisors.

Notkin: computer CROOK THIS GUY'S TEETH! i was gonna go at length but i found the perfect stock image hold on

yes something of the sort. front incisors slightly overlapping, outer incisors somewhat tucking behind, canines sharp with one implanted higher that the others. bottom row as some overlapping here and there + canines implanted slightly forward. i also think both of his upper outer incisors have the little. don't know what it's called. serrated shape you see on the right side [our left] of this model.

Capella: she gets a gap too #gang i've drawn it a bunch on her actually. hashtag girl

i like to draw her in ways where she looks like a little bnnuy from the straight + downturned nose so she can have a gap and be a lil bit. what's the bame. buckteethy(?)

Catnip: my my. what big teeth you have. it's true! she also has a wide jaw that allows for big canines and she loves to do big wide smiles to show them off. it's like a power move.

also her front teeth all form a. somewhat "‿" whape? ykwim? slope. cup-line.

Dandy: what i know for a fact is that his upper front incisors have a gap accentuated by one of them being crooked outwardly. like he could hold a matchstick in the hollow if he wanted. very useful!

[brodudemanbroski]

HELL YEAH DIFFERENT LOOKS WITH THE FOREIGN KIDS THAT’S WHY I DRAW PIP WITH HIS BURN SCARS & A TOOTH GAP IT MAKES THEM FEEL MORE REAL

YEAHHHH!!! I DRAW PIP WITH A TOOTH GAP TOO. now, since you mentioned differences once. I shall ramble.

Pip: For differences in teeth, I draw his canine teeth and he has a gap in between his two front teeth. He has never gone to a dentist, not even with the adoptive family I gave him. Small fun fact for you. Idk it’s fun. His differences in appearance: He has small bits of acne under his bangs, he has freckles along his face and body, and I’ve started to consider burns but I keep forgetting, sadly. I forget freckles a lot too, but SHHHH.

Damien: I have many MANY different kinds of teeth styles for him. Some with all sharp teeth, some with proper fangs, but they all involve braces. Because he would just loveeee braces (he hates them), he tries to break the brackets thinking it’ll make them go away faster, but that will only make them stay longer. His dentist hates him so much as he is rude and has tried to bite them. Appearance: His fingertips have faded ashy look, not burnt, they are just.. ash, because of his fire powers. He used to clean them but got too lazy. He doesn’t have any differences other than proper animal features, I like to think he has a goat tail when he gets older and has horns that he hides in his hair but that’s mainly it. Bags under his eyes, though born with it.

Gregory: He has had braces, which if is brought up he will have a full blown fit. He is a mint heavy guy, he has actually forced Christophe to have some of these mints, I will sometimes drawn his canine but that is rarely. Appearance: I don’t draw him with freckles (i forget), but I have mentioned that he has had freckles in roleplays! Only on his face. Gregory has small scars on his hands from past fights and injuries, he is prideful of them because he knows they tell a story without words.

Christophe: I.. love… his differences. I always love to draw his teeth. They are chipped, missing, and stained. I draw his canine as well, I believe they are sharper than average ones. His teeth are chipped from getting injured so often and getting rocks in the face while digging through holes. He has been forcibly made to brush his teeth countless times by his mother and Gregory. He hates the dentist so much that they have to hold him down and hold his mouth open or else he bites and tries to attack. Appearance: I haven’t drawn him with scars yet but he would have many from when he came back from being attacked and killed by the guard dogs. He would also have scars from other injuries, as I HC that everyday is a new injury, big or small. Christophe has a mole by his eye, haha im hilarious.. i added that feature and then remembered he is “The Mole” so. He also has acne from being so unclean, I like to believe that he forgets hygiene exists so he is often greasy and dirty, which causes the acne to show up. Bags under his eyes AND CHAPPED LIPS. HE GOES THROUGH IT.

Pocket: I haven’t discussed him much for appearance yet as at the time of making the teeth guide, I wasn’t much of a Pocket and Estella fan.. now look at me. I love them. He has his buck teeth ofc ofc, how would we ever forget that. I feel like his teeth are straight and pretty alright, and he uses his toothbrush way too hard. He probably brushes his teeth after every big meal and FLOSSES. Like a mad man. I like to think he has one chipped tooth from one random moment and that’s it. Appearance: Freckles dude, we love them. Freckles. He probably has small spots of acne as well, nothing that extreme.

Estella: She would have the straightest whitest teeth, perfect in every way and she would make sure of it. She brushes constantly and makes sure everything is spotless. I draw her canine teeth as well. Estella uses that expensive charcoal tooth paste or whatever that claims is better, but is probably the worst. Appearance: Again, she has no acne, no freckles, no scars. She doesn’t even have a bruise. Estella has a skincare routine, she has no freckles or scars. But has a birthmark on her ankle, but never shows it. She dislikes it as she feels it’s a wound on her perfect skin.

Rebecca: She has a gap between her teeth, which later on she gets braces so her teeth are perfect. She brushes a lot and flosses. I don’t draw her canine teeth all the time. Rebecca would grind her teeth at minute due to stress and worry, which ruins her teeth a great amount. Definitely a dentist’s favourite. Appearance: She has freckles, YES I FORGET I GET IT, on her face and body. She has acne around the sides of her face and on her nose, which she tries her best to hide and get rid of but nothing works. I like to think she also has sensitive skin, having to use special soap. She would have bags under her eyes,

Mark: He had/has braces and wears a retainer later on, not the invisible one. He got braces because of how many gaps he had between his teeth, his parents wanted his teeth to be perfect instead of gappy. He also takes good care of his teeth, similar to his sister. I don’t draw his canine teeth, so sad. Another dentist’s favourite. Appearance: I haven’t thought much on this, he probably has acne on his nose and chin, which he tries to clean and get rid of. He would have chapped lips as he dislikes the feeling of chapstick on his lips and feel bad about it. Mark would have bags under his eyes, like his sister. He has small scaring around his nails from picking at them out of nervousness and habit. He would also have sensitive skin and allergies that makes him have to have special soap.

(somewhat outdated tooth guide for foreign kids. “Fang” means canine teeth in photos, there are a LOT more on that page but I stuck with our lovely little foreign kids.)

There wasn’t any Rebecca and Mark on the original sheet because I hadn’t remembered they existed yet sooo.

[kaiteki-dons]

Babiessss!!!

Story with it under the cut.

Wiz felt herself falling first, after her knees buckled. Strong arms caught her before she hit the ground and her head spun for a moment.

The last thing she heard before passing out was her best friends’ voice gently saying “I have you my friend.”

She awoke in the space with a start, then flinched as her body started aching something terrible. She closed her eyes, curling up on the ground and taking deep breaths as she waited for it to pass. Once it had, she didn’t feel too much better, having a headache and many bodily aches.

She sat up slowly, her torso swaying as she looked around the space. It seemed empty and quiet. She wasn’t sure what time of day it had been, just that apparently it was too early for anyone else to be in bed yet. 

She swallowed dryly, looking down at the floor and froze. Her hands looked… odd. The color of her skin was darker and her fingers looked longer than they had been before. Her nails were also longer, and looked sharper than usual. 

She stood slowly, supporting her trembling body on the wall as she trudged to the nearest bedroom where there was a floor-length mirror. She pressed her hands on either side of it and stared at herself in shock. 

She looked so… different.

Her whole body had been changed, still subtly her, but oh so unfamiliar. The only retention of her previous skin tone was in the stripes that went down her limbs, tail, and forehead. It ended at the start of her snout which was longer than before, with newly sharpened canines that poked her tongue uncomfortably. Her tail was no longer short and stubby, but reached her knees. She looked taller and her plastron scutes were overlaid rather than pieced together. Her shell was mostly the same, if not slightly larger due to her increased height. 

What terrified her more, tho, was just how thin she looked. Her shell almost looked too big for her, and she could see some of the bones in her arms and face.

She took a step back from the mirror, all the way to the door, and slid down it slowly. She put a hand on the back of her neck, sighing. 

The worst part, the true cream of the crop, was that she had no earthly idea what had happened.

~~~

Aggie stepped into the space, looking around to find it empty. There didn’t seem to be anyone there yet at first glance, but he found one of the bedroom doors closed. When he tried to go in, he found it locked. 

“Hello?” Aggie knocked on the door. “Anyone home?”

There was no answer, only a slight shuffling through the door. Aggie furrowed his brows. He didn’t have any way to tell who it was yet. He’d either have to coax them out or wait for the others to get there so he could use the power of elimination. 

“Are you okay?”

Nothing. Aggie sighed. “Come on, I can’t help if you don’t let me.”

After a few more tries and no results, he sat outside the door, looking into the living room for whoever would arrive next. 

Phet came first, giving him an odd look as he shrugged. The softshell quickly went about his business, grabbing Tiny when he arrived next to occupy another room. Bingo came after that, followed by his ghostly brother. Bingo trudged past looking more annoyed than usual, while Bluey stopped and waved to Aggie. Aggie waved back and gave him a small smile. 

“What's up Aggie? You look like you’ve got something on your mind.” Bluey hovered over, curious.

Aggie looked at the door. “Someone’s been locked in here since before I came, but I haven't figured out who yet, and they won’t say anything or let me in. I think something’s wrong.”

“Want me to take a look?” 

Aggie brightened. “Would you? Just be careful, I don’t think they’re up to talking.”

“I gotcha.” Bluey gave a thumbs up as he partially drifted through the wall. He peeked into the room to see someone curled up against the door, covered in a light purple hoodie, even their legs pulled up against their chest under it. 

Bluey moved around silently, looking as much as possible while staying out of sight. He noted the strange tail that wrapped around the hoodie, too long to be anyone he recognized. Thoroughly confused, Bluey pulled back, looking at Aggie. “Did we get a new arrival recently?”

Aggie furrowed his brows, whispering his answer. “I don’t think so, we haven’t had any new Donnie’s since Bingo, and the last companion that was new was Bitey.”

Aggie narrowed his eyes. “I don’t really think any of our images could be changed enough to make us unrecognizable. That’d take quite the feat.”

“Jeez. I can’t recognize whoever’s in there, either we have a newbie or something… something happened.” Bluey shrugged with a slight cringe at his own mental image.

Bluey’s expression went flat with one raised brow. “Remember last time?”

Aggie raised his own brows. “You mean that big monster? What about it?”

“I'm just saying it’s possible ok.”

Aggie looked at him, concerned, before looking at the wall, trying to mentally figure out what he meant by that. 

Bluey shook his head, already moving back through the wall. “Regardless, I'm gonna take another look.”

“Don’t spook them.” Aggie waved, getting up. “I’m going to see if anyone else has arrived.”

“Don’t worry Aggie.” Bluey reassured. “They probably can’t see me anyway.”

Bluey followed his previous pattern, floating just out of sight before deciding to risk it. He hovered in front of the new arrival with curiosity.

Their downcast reddish-brown eyes flicked up and locked onto him.

“Oh!” Bluey was taken by surprise and waved to the new face. “Hi, I didn’t-” Bluey cleared his throat before sticking a smile to his face. “I’m Bluey.”

Their face scrunched up, and a hand popped out of the collar of the hoodie, pulling the hood more over their face as they shook for a moment, letting out a few heavy breaths. “I know… I know who you are, Aciano.”

Bluey froze for a moment, his brain struggling to compute. “W-WIZ!?” 

She flinched, curling up tighter in the hoodie. 

“What happened!?” He rushed down to her side, trying his best to respect her space while searching for newer injuries. “Are you ok, are you hurt, what’s going on?”

“Haven’t the foggiest,” she shook her head. “I don’t remember anything.” she huffed, turning her gaze down. 

Bluey took in everything new, from her striped tail to her snout, to the reddish tint to her eyes. It reminded him of the painful transformation she endured in her last visit. A brief thought passed his mind, ‘could this all be lingering effects from that? Will she ever go back to what she was before?’ 

“Is… is touch ok?” Bluey opened his arms to her. “Do you want a hug?”

She looked at him with a frown. “I don’t think I have the energy for the spell at the moment, sorry.”

Bluey took in a breath and focused, bringing Wiz into a hug.

She stiffened, surprised for a moment, before relaxing into his hold, letting her legs out of the hoodie so she was more comfortable. 

Bluey moved to pull her closer, his hand brushing over her thinned arm. The alarm bells in his head were blaring as he pulled back to get another look at her. With a slight struggle he managed to push back her hoodie sleeve 

She pulled her arm back, yanking the sleeve back down. “What are ya doing?”

“Wiz have you been eating? You’re so thin!” Bluey’s mom modeᵗᵐ was going full force.

She drew her shoulders up, hugging herself. “I- I don’t know. I don’t remember. I was only awake for a moment before coming here, everything before that just isn’t there.” she shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Bluey was pretty sure he felt his heart break. “I’m sorry.” Bluey retracted his hands.

She looked at him for a moment, then at the ground for a moment, contemplating something. Then she reached up, grabbing the shoulders of the hoodie and slipping it off, setting it on the ground in front of her. She kept her eyes on the ground, not looking at him as he got a full view of her body.

Bluey felt his breath hitch as his eyes widened, seeing every old scar in new light. Her face was a tint darker, her cheeks flushed from what he assumed was embarrassment. “Hey,” Bluey leaned down to try and meet her gaze, offering a soft smile. “It’s gonna be ok.”

She gave him a skeptical look before leaning forward a bit, offering to touch their foreheads together. 

It took him a minute to be solid enough to oblige, and the warmth of her forehead took him by surprise. He almost lost his focus again, nearly phasing through her head. “Wiz are you sick?”

She glared at him. “Stop asking me questions I don't have the answers to.”

“Right, right. Sorry, I’m just worried for you.”

She nodded. “I don’t feel great, but I figure it has to do with whatever this is.” she motioned toward her tail. “Maybe Dad will make me some soup.”

“I’m sure he will if you ask, Bellflower.” Bluey hummed.

She nodded. Then she looked at the door for a moment. She shifted on her knees, and moved to unlock the door. Her arm trembled as she grabbed the handle, pulling it open before pulling herself up slowly.

Bluey stuck close, watching with concern. “Are you ok to walk Bell?”

She nodded stiffly as she held herself up on the doorframe, breathless. She had pulled the hoodie with her and managed to wiggle back into it. “I’m fine, just need to-” her knees buckled and she toppled to the ground once more. She managed to catch herself before she faceplanted, and supported herself with her arms, glaring at the ground. “Bloody hell, ya’d think this wouldn’t be that hard.”

“Yea, no. C’mere.” Bluey bent down to scoop her up in a bridal-style carry. “You are not walking.”

She squirmed for a moment, but ultimately surrendered, setting her head on his shoulder with a sigh. “This is humiliating.”

“It’s not the weirdest thing done here.” Bluey replied before he steadied himself, taking very controlled steps forward. With each step it became harder to keep a hold on wiz and not phase through her. Eventually he was stuck, unable to take another step without losing his hold on being solid.

“You okay?” she tightened her grip around his shoulders.

“Yep! Just kinda…” Bluey strained his voice as he tried not to lose his focus. “Stuck.” 

“Set me down.” She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t drop me, please.”

“Not dropping you is specifically why I’m not moving.” Bluey gave her a look of his own.

She closed her eyes with a sigh. “Ya need dad?”

“… yes” Bluey looked rather embarrassed, despite not having the capacity to actually blush in any way. “Sorry about this. Hey Aggie!” 

Wiz took a small breath in, pulling her hood up quickly and hiding her face in Bluey’s collar as Aggie ran in. 

“What’s up? Did you-” Aggie looked at the ghost carrying someone and tilted his head. “What’s happening?”

“Long story.” Bluey rolled his eyes as he talked trying to seem as casual as he could. “I’m in a bit of a predicament. Can you call dad? Please?”

Aggie looked confused “uh, okay?” he ran back out, and several moments returned following Dad. 

Dad, needless to say, was also confused about the person floating in the middle of the living room. 

“I’m stuck.” Bluey chuckled awkwardly.

Aggie repeated it to dad, explaining that Bluey was there. After a short back and forth, Dad stepped around, gathering Wiz in his own arms and allowing Bluey to release her. Wiz shifted into the new hold, but remained silent and as hidden as possible.

Bluey released the tension in his arms when Wiz was lifted away. He nearly flopped onto the floor before he floated back up to Wiz’s level mouthing ‘I’m sorry’.

“So…” Aggie stuck by one of Dad’s shoulders, trying to get a better look at Wiz. “mind explaining a little more, Bluey?”

“Uh…” He looked to Wiz, unsure of what he could share. “It’s not really for me to tell.”

She tensed, curling up more and pointing at the couch. Dad looked at her neutrally, but followed the direction to settle her down in the cushions. He kneeled in front of her, keeping a hand on her shoulder as he turned to Aggie. “Aggs, could you go for a bit?”

“But how are you going to understand Bluey?”

“I’ll manage.” Aggie huffed, but obliged, exiting the room.

Dad turned back to Wiz, moving his hand to brush her cheek. “Hey Sweetpea. Are you feeling okay?”

Bluey did a double take, staring wide-eyed but unseen at dad. He knew.

Wiz looked at him, her mouth hanging open for a moment before she put a hand over it and looked at her lap, leaning into Dad’s hand. 

Bluey watched, his stomach swimming with guilt. He didn’t mean for dad to recognize her all because he couldn’t do the simple task of walking.

“Hey,” Dad got up on the couch beside Wiz. “talk to me, honey.”

“Sorry.” she mumbled. “I didn’t expect ya’d recognize me.” She wrapped her arms around herself defensively. 

Dad nodded, sympathetically. “Even if you look different, you’re still you. You have the same body language and build and look in your eyes.”

Another stab of guilt shot through his gut. Dad knew Wiz so well he recognized her so easily. Here he had tried to introduce himself as if she was a new arrival. 

“What happened?” Dad asked. 

Wiz shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Dad put an arm around her shoulders carefully, and after a second, put his hand to her head. “You have a fever. Are you feeling okay?”

Wiz shook her head.

“Want some soup?”

She nodded. 

He stood up, wrapping a blanket around her before stepping into the kitchen. 

Bluey watched Dad leave giving Wiz one more glance over before slowly drifting back to leave her be. 

“Bluey.” She got his attention. He froze in place, not daring to move. “Stay? Please?” she looked down. “I’m not used to this.” she motioned her head toward the kitchen. “I feel less awkward with you around, at least.”

Bluey nodded, moving quietly back into her line of sight. “I’ll stay as long as you need me too.” He spoke with a smile, despite not being able to meet her gaze.

She watched him for a moment, then patted the spot next to her to invite him over. “c’mere.”

Bluey complied, setting himself in the spot she had patted, watching the kitchen door for dad.

“What’s on your mind, Cornflower?” she asked slowly. 

“I… I feel bad. That I didn’t recognize you.” Bluey shrugged.

She was quiet for a moment, pulling her knees up to her chest. “I got here around noon, y’know.”

“That long?” Bluey’s head snapped back up to Wiz in surprise.

She nodded. “I’d just…” she shrugged “regained consciousness, i think? And I took two steps before I passed out.” she looked at her hands. “Everything hurt, I was terrified, and when I realized something was different I went to the bedroom to find a mirror.” She pressed her forehead to her knees. “I didn’t even recognize myself…” She glanced at him. “I’m not upset with you, just surprised with Dad.”

“I… still feel like I should’ve seen sooner.” Bluey looked wiz in the eyes with a small and soft smile and open arms. “But, I am here for you now.” 

She raised her brows at him. “You’ve got me?”

Bluey made a humorous huff. “Yes, I’ve got you.”  His smile widened, growing more earnest. “Always.”

She leaned into him, humming. “Always.”

There was an odd thumping behind them, and they turned to see that it was her new tail, hitting the cushion over and over. 

She pressed a hand to it, pinning it down. “That’s not going to be inconvenient at all.”

Bluey chuckled, his own tiny tail moving a mile a minute. “Better watch out for that new whip.”

“Aggie is going to want to tie a bow on it.” she noted.

“Oh absolutely.” Bluey grinned. “Just hope he picks out a good color for you.”

She poked him with a finger. “You underestimate his fashion skills. He’s the only one here that would look weird without any on.”

Bluey shrugged. “Fair point.”

Her face fell, and she blinked. “How am I going to explain this to everyone?” she motioned at her body. 

“I’m sure you’ll figure out something. You always do.” Bluey rested a hand on her shoulder. 

She looked at the wall. “I think it was the mutant infection. Last thing I remember was going to April because I was sick and then…” she cut off, taking a deep breath. “Things started getting a little fuzzy.”

“So you don’t remember any of your last visit?”

She looked at him with furrowed brows. “The last time I was here, I was under the weather and everyone kept trying to push me into bed despite this being a dream.”

Bluey tapped a finger against his knee as he thought. He didn’t know if explaining her brief monster moment would upset her. “That’s… not exactly… hmmm” Bluey trailed off into humming

She sighed, sitting up and glaring at him. “What happened??”

“So, how do I put this delicately?” Bluey muttered, keeping a steady tapping. “You did show up another time between then and now… and you weren’t exactly yourself. ”

She closed her fists, looking down. “Was anyone hurt?”

“No, everyone was fine.” Bluey paused to think over his phrasing. “Let's just say you made quite the entrance.”

She looked at him sadly. “Did anyone know it was me?”

“Not to my knowledge.” Bluey shook his head. “I was really the only one to see you up close.”

She nodded. “Good. I wouldn't want anyone here having any more trauma just cause I was dumb.”

Bluey just nodded, not trusting himself to continue talking without upsetting her.

She was quiet for another moment. “I remember being in April's apartment, and my leg started really hurting.” She rubbed the still-there scar where the infection had entered her body. “The lights went out and…” her breath hitched. “Her and Casey went to the other room to look for flashlights. When it got worse I was… I was alone.”

“And your brothers?” Bluey’s brows knit together in concern.

“They were out trying to maintain the infected mutants. I threw up in the van so they dropped me off at Aprils. I think I interrupted their date and they were not very happy about it.” she sighed. 

“I’m sure they didn’t really mind. They might’ve been a little upset but I severely doubt they would blame you. You were sick.” 

“April didn’t seem too mad. Casey was. He said I was cramping his style.” She laid back on the couch. 

“Ah Casey, as tactful as ever.” Bluey shook his head. “He’s not even my Casey yet I want to smack him upside the head.” 

“He’s a good guy, just…” she shrugged. 

“Blunt? Brash? A dumbass?” Bluey tried to supply.

“All of the above.” she sighed. 

Bluey snickered. “Classic Casey. At least he isn’t much different.”

“Compared to yours?” Wiz scoffed. “He’s a saint.”

“Ha!” Bluey laughed. “My Casey is a menace.”

���My Casey is less of a menace and more of an awkward idiotic hunk.” she smiled fondly. “One time he was our distraction, entering a tech company to return a toaster as dramatically as possible. He ended up smashing it and the desk and took out two security guards before he was kicked out.”

“That sounds about right. Why did you guys need to be in a tech company anyway?”

“The first time we defeated the Shredder, Splinter disappeared, and we tracked him there.” she fiddled with her hands. “We needed to get April into the security room so that she could let us into the building.”

“Oh. That sounds…” Bluey held something between a smile and grimace. “Interesting. To say the least.”

“Turns out it was run by the Utroms, and run by Leatherhead's father, Professor Mortu.”

“Leatherhead has a dad?” Bluey blinked.

“Adopted dad. The Utroms took care of him when he mutated.”

“Oh. He’s a lot luckier than my Leatherhead.”

She looked at him, her face falling. “What happened to your Leatherhead?”

“He was stuck with the kraang, a lot less friendly than the utrom.” Bluey shrugged. “Also he’s a little feral, and not our age. More and more differences.”

“Oh-” her brows knit. “At the time LH was still missing, in Bishop's hands. I guess that’s one of those universal equivalents. The other things, not so much. LH does lose control sometimes, but not often.”

“Ours goes nuts at even a mere mention of the kraang.” Bluey cracked a smirk. “He has a bad habit of grabbing Bingo by the face.”

She laughed. “When LH loses control, it’s usually Mikey he ends up throwing around. That’s how we met him in the first place.”

“We met ours by Mikey bringing him home and he threw Bingo around a little.” Bluey shakes his head. “Bingo still holds a grudge.”

“That seems flipped.” She said, Bluey nodded at her. “At least your Bishop isn’t a psychotic conspiracy theorist.”

“Our bishop is actually an Utrom.”

“Ours would rather dissect Utroms.” she glared at the ground. 

“Yeesh.” Bluey recoiled.

“He’s the one that started this whole mess!” she threw her arm out. “Staging an alien invasion, kidnapping the queen, then framing us for it.”

Bluey furrowed his brow, listened to Wiz rant.

“His stupid makeshift aliens blew up if they were hit too hard, and all their residue created the mutant outbreak.” she huffed, crossing her arms. 

“Oh no.” Bluey gasped. “That’s what started…” Bluey trailed off not wanting to draw Wiz’s attention back to her situation.

“I hope Leatherhead was able to finish the cure I had started. I figure that’s how they turned me back.” she stared off into space. 

“At least we know it works considering you’re… you.” Bluey offered.

“Mostly works.” she corrected. 

“Right, right.” 

She brought her hand up. “I still feel so different, weird…” she clenched her fist “angry.”

Bluey hums in acknowledgment as his brows draw up with concern. “You think you’re gonna be ok?” 

She didn’t respond for a moment, continuing to look at her hand. “I’ll adjust.” She set her chin on her knees and wrapped her arms around them. “I always do.”

“I’m here to help you through it Bell.” Bluey offered his hand for her to mess with. “I promise to do my best to help you through things.”

She nodded, setting her hand in his. “We really should stop Aggie before he tells everyone there’s a new turtle.”

“Oh crap.” Bluey’s eyes widened. “I forgot he doesn’t know.”

“Would you grab him?” She asked. “Apparently I can’t walk.”

“Of course Bellflower. I’ll just be a second.” Bluey zipped off to find the young lizard.

As if sensing the end of the delicate conversation, Dad stepped out of the kitchen with a tray of soup, offering it to the turtle as Bluey lost sight of the two.

Bluey zoomed through the halls, passing through and promptly spooking multiple don’s before halting in front of Aggie. “Aggie wait!”

Aggie looked at him, interrupted mid-conversation. “What’s up Bluey? Is that turtle okay?”

“Yea she is! Uh also it’s a bit of a complicated situation.” 

Aggie smiled. “That’s good. Are we okay to meet her now?” Wolf perked up from beside Aggie at the words, nodding eagerly in his direction. 

Bluey thought a moment. “M-maybe. Not right now but in time. She does want to talk with you. I think.” Bluey mumbled the last sentiment.

“Me?” Aggie pointed at himself. 

“Yes you. There’s some explaining that needs to be done.”

Aggie started following after him, telling Wolf to hang back. “Is she okay? Is she hurt?”

“She’s a little sick. Dad made her some soup.” Bluey avoided the dons he previously flew through.

“Ah.” Aggie put his hand over his mouth. “Do I need a mask?”

“Aggie you can’t contract anything here.” Bluey chuckled.

“Right…” Aggie frowned, dropping his hand. “Then how did she get sick?”

“She was already sick when she came in. It must’ve just stuck with her.” Bluey shrugged.

Aggie nodded. “Okay, anything else I should know?”

“Probably just.” Bluey halted outside the doorway poking his head in. “Give me one sec ok!”

“Ooh, announcing me?” Aggie teased.

“Something like that.” Bluey gave him a grin before floating back to Wiz. “I have aggie by the door, do you wanna explain it, or would you rather not? I just figured it’s not my story to tell.”

“I’ll explain.” She took a deep breath. 

Bluey nodded going back to Aggie. “Alright bud, come on in. Just don’t flip out ok?”

Aggie came in, approaching Wiz slowly as Dad sat beside her, softly rubbing her shell. 

“Uh-” Aggie fidgeted, unsure how to start any sort of conversation. 

Wiz took a moment before looking up at him slowly, through her hood. “H-hey, Aggie.”

Aggie blinked, his whole body going rigid for a moment as his mouth fell open. 

Then he flung his arms up in the air, dramatically shouting “WIZ?!” she flinched at the sudden reaction, recoiling further into the hoodie as Dad stiffened. Bluey floated next to Wiz offering his hand again. 

“Aggie-” Dad started.

Footsteps were heard running towards the room as Wolf poked his head through the door. Mouse ran fully into the room with a questioning chirp. Phet also followed behind, curious about the commotion. 

Wiz pulled the hood over her face again, her shoulders trembling as she muttered low enough for only Bluey and Dad to hear. “I didn’t want everyone at once…” Dad shifted, pulling her further back on the couch as he stood, blocking everyone’s view. 

“Private conversation!” he said sternly. “Out, now.”

Mouse’s expression was extremely worried and sad. “Is she ok?” Wolf came over to promptly yoink him out of the room.

Wiz reached for dad. “It’s fine. Better now than never.”

Dad looked at her for a moment. “Are you sure?” 

She nodded stiffly, and he stepped aside. “nevermind.”

Mouse inched forward, still staying a fair distance away.

Wiz looked up at him slowly, swallowing, before pulling the hood off slowly. “Hey, Mouse. Guess we’re more than book buddies now.” She gave him a tired smile.

Mouse made the smallest gasp as he quickly shuffled over to the couch. “What happened, are you ok?

“I’m- I’m not feeling great.” she admitted. “And I’m not sure what happened, I don’t remember.” she offered a darker colored hand out to him, inviting him closer.

Mouse promptly scuttled over to her, sitting next to her on the couch holding out his arms for a hug. She leaned into him, sighing as Phet stood by the door, looking confused but as understanding as he could get. 

Mouse wrapped an arm around her, landing in an almost protective position over her shell. His expression changed as he looked her over for injury. “You’re thin… and a lot taller.” He hummed.

She nodded and Dad sat down on the opposite side again. “Dad and Bluey had to help me get in here.”

Mouse nuzzled his snout into her shoulder, squeezing her as gentle as possible. “I’m sorry Wiz.”

She relaxed into the touch. “I was the one at fault.”

“No-” Mouse’s voice was stern yet calm.

“Yes.” she interrupted. “I got infected by the mutant outbreak virus by that cut in my leg. I should have kept running tests instead of trusting just one, especially when I got sick.”

“That doesn’t make it your fault.”

She didn't respond, squeezing his arms. 

Finally, Aggie spoke again. “You look… different.”

She looked over at him, Mouse feeling her tense. 

“Not a bad difference!” he backtracked. “I mean, the tail is nice! It needs a bow like your mask. Where is your mask?”

“Aggie.” Dad smiled fondly at the child. “Stop digging.”

“Right.” Aggie looked around awkwardly, then gave Wiz a thumbs up “nice to meet you! I mean-” he clamped his mouth shut, taking a breath through his nose. Then he turned and robotically marched out of the room, red in the face. 

Bluey stifled a giggle at Aggie’s actions. Wolf teased him a little as the young lizard left.

Wiz tapped Dad’s shoulder. “Think we can get everyone else?”

Dad nodded. “I’ll try. Not sure Bingo will want to come out.”

“He’s a bit… grumpy at the moment.” Bluey added.

Wiz hummed in acknowledgement. 

“I’ll try.” Dad promised. “Don’t want any later confusion, right?”

Wiz nodded and Dad left to find the others, shooing Wolf and Phet from where they were spectating unless they had something to say. Wolf left to go tease Aggie further with a mischievous grin. Phet returned to The room he’d been in with Tiny. 

Dad returned with Pup and Bitey in tow, leaving Tiny be since Phet locked the door. He also brought Poppy and  a very reluctant Bingo.

Wiz once again sat stiffly with their eyes burning her skin. She didn’t look at them yet, unsure how the few that hadn’t come running when her name was said would react in comparison. Mouse gave her a reassuring squeeze that she returned with a deep breath. 

 Pup slunk closer, ever so slowly, until he bumped his snout against her shin, sniffing a moment. Then he perked, looking up at her with a smile and a chirp. She gave him a pat on the head.

Bitey crept over next prodding her arm with his snout with a curious chirp. She offered her hand for him to sniff and he pressed his head into her palm with a happy churr, almost petting himself with her hand. She pet him herself feeling the callous skin of his scars and he pressed his cheek into the contact. He made a plethora of happy noises with a smile that she mirrored. Pup shifted, laying against one of her legs and offering a spot next to him for Bitey. He joined pup when Wiz’s hand got tired and the pets died down.

She looked up to see Bingo studying her with a critical gaze.

“You brought me out here to see that Wiz got an upgrade?” He gave dad a dramatically offended expression. “She looks great but I have important things to be doing!”

“I brought you out here,” Dad narrowed his eyes at the teen, challengingly. “So that there won’t be any future confusion should anyone not recognize her.”

“Yea cool whatever.” Bingo waved dad off as he turned to leave. “You look great, Wiz! Glad you’re not grievously injured or whatever.” 

Dad went to move after him but Wiz stopped him. “Don’t. He saw, he’s fine.”

~~~

The next visit had Bluey pacing, waiting for her to show up. She had to show up. Was she already there, like before? He checked the rooms over again and again just to be sure.

He zipped over upon hearing the chime like he’d already done three times. Wiz was standing there, yes, standing, with her mask returned and her tail wagging behind her. 

“Hey, Bluey!” she smiled, and offered her arms for a hug.

Bluey crashed into her arms with a smile. “Wiz! You’re doing better, you’re standing this time!”

She nodded, stepping back and spinning. “I’m working on it. I still need to regain some more muscle mass, but I’ll be okay.” She looked at him. “I’m okay.”

“I’m glad.” Bluey smiled wide, his own little tail wagging fast.

“I need to keep moving around to gain my strength back,” she stepped over to a table, summoning something Bluey couldn’t see past her. “I don’t know if that applies in the space, but I guess there’s only one way to tell.”

There was a click, then some pop music began to play from the radio she’d set up. She turned to him, holding her hand out. 

“Dance with me?”

“W-what?” Bluey chuckled with a lopsided grin. “Yeah, sure, but why me? I can’t dance worth a shit.”

“Who else am I supposed to ask, Bingo, Dad???” She was naming the worst options, and he knew it, taking his hand and pulling him in a circle. 

Bluey laughed as they spun. 

“Tell me why?” She motioned her fist toward him like a microphone. 

“Ain’t nothin but a heartache!” Bluey belted out on near instinct before mimicking her movements. “Tell me why?”

“Ain’t nothin but a mistake!” she grabbed his free hand, swinging it side to side. “Tell me why.”

“I never wanna hear you say!” 

They both spun and pressed their shells together, singing the next line at the same time. “I want it that way!”

[whump-fated-wonderland]

Vanishing Point - A Point of No Return

Vanishing Point is a series I share with @ilasknives, it follows our OCs Emmett, Vallis, August, and Carasen.

A Point of No Return follows my OC vampire Vallis after being captured by his father in the Underworld. While my other OC, an angel named Carasen, is trying to save him.

Trigger Warnings: Torture (Blood, knives, broken bones, and nails. Teeth whump (pulling teeth) and restraints.

When Vallis woke up he wasn't where he had fallen asleep. He wasn't a known sleep walker.

Where he had woken up was dark and damp, there were no windows so he didn't know what time it was. His head hurt like hell and he couldn't recall why, the last thing he remembers was trying to understand the small black box that Emmett carries around.

It seemed like Vallis lost his mask since he wasn't wearing it. He brought a hand to run through his hair but stopped when he noticed the handcuff connected to it. The handcuff was also connected to the wall. Vallis pulled on it but it didn't even budge. The movement made his head hurt even worse and left a painful stinging sensation on his wrist.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. He's been in these situations before but it didn't help the anxiety from welling up. He looked at the cuff around his wrist, it wasn't something he'd seen before. It was covered in symbols he didn't recognize.

Before he could come up with an idea on how to get them off, a door slammed shut above him and the creaking of stairs.

Fuck!

There was nowhere for him to go and he didn't know what his captor wanted. He could play dead, it was a good strategy in his defense.

Before he could play dead, his captor noticed he was awake and walked in front of him.

“Well, it's been a while, Vallis. I would be lying if I said it was good to see you,” The man crouched in front of him.

Vallis gave him one of his most charming smiles, “I've pissed off a lot of people, you're going to have to remind me of what I've done.”

The man roughly grabbed his chin and searched his face for something unknown to Vallis.

“You truly don't remember, do you?” The man asked.

“I've been alive for a long time, please be a little more specific on what I need to remember,” Vallis had no idea what this man wanted or who he was.

The man sighed, “Always such a disappointment, it's embarrassing being related to you.”

Vallis stilled, his whole world was turning upside down. This man had to be lying.

Vallis couldn't detect a lie, but it can't be true.

They couldn't be related.

Right?

The man was just trying to get under skin, so why did feel like the man was telling the truth?

“Bullshit,” Vallis spit in the man's face. The man smacked him across the face.

“You should know better than disrespecting your father,” He smacked Vallis again and again.

“Wha-,” Vallis couldn't finish before he was hit again.

“Quiet.”

Something in his voice makes Vallis still.

This man terrifies him and he can't explain why. Something in the past maybe?

Vallis wanted to fight back but he was so scared.

He had been torture before but nothing effected him this much and it had only just begun.

“Listen,” the man waited until he had Vallis’ full attention, “the sound of your voice grates my ears, I do not want to hear it. Understood?”

Vallis opened his mouth-

Smack!

His head spun.

“Understood?”

Vallis nodded.

“Since you find your family so unimportant, let me remind you of what you've done,” The man got up and grabbed a pair of pliers, “Good thing you can't die here, huh?”

He knelt down in front of Vallis and inspected his canines, “Let us start from the beginning, shall we?

You were always a disappointment of a child. You never listened, always talked back, always got in trouble with the locals, etc.” He tapped the pliers against Vallis’ canine tooth. “We treated you well but you still never listened. One day you came back home differently, you wouldn't speak about it. But I noticed. I noticed you leaving in the middle of the night, your teeth were sharper, something wasn't right. I took you to Father Beau and that's when we found out.”

He opened the pliers and closed them around the tooth, “We found out you were a monster, more specifically a vampire.”

He pulled on the tooth slowly, it hurt like hell. Vallis tried to escape his grip but the movement made it hurt even more.

“We couldn't let you live,” Vallis’ father continued, “We made the hard decision to burn you at the stake.”

He pulled the sharp canine out of Vallis’ mouth.

Vallis screamed.

His mouth felt like it was on fire, it burned. Blood flowed freely from his mouth. He tried to use his tongue to stop the bleeding but it wasn't effective.

“You were dead for weeks but suddenly you reappeared. You reappeared and slaughtered us all,” He wrapped the pliers around Vallis’ other canine.

“You are the worst monster I have ever had the displeasure of meeting,” He pulled on the other tooth, repeating the steps he had done for the previous tooth.

Vallis screamed again, but choked on the blood that was leaking out of his teeth. He coughed, tears streaming down his eyes.

Vallis’ father took a step back and admired his handiwork.

“I-I'm sorry,” Vallis choked out.

“What did I fucking say about you speaking?” He roughly grabbed Vallis’ chin, “If you can't keep quiet, I'll do your eyes next.”

Vallis winced as he closed his mouth to keep quiet. His father smiled and let go of him.

Vallis watched his father go back to the table and pick up a hammer, “I want to rip your eyes out last.”

The smile he gave Vallis was sadistic and it made Vallis sick.

His father brought the hammer down hard on Vallis’ shoulder, he heard a deafening crack.

Jesus fuck that hurt!

“Fuck!” Vallis screamed.

“Be quiet!” He brought the hammer back down on the same shoulder once more.

Vallis couldn't keep quiet, it fucking hurt.

“I'm going to make you regret ever being my son,” He put the hammer down and pulled out a knife. He tapped it against Vallis’ cheek.

Vallis couldn't stop himself from shaking. Like any normal person, he didn't like knives near his face.

“I could never make enough examples out of you, maybe this will be the last time,” He began carving lines into Vallis’ cheek. The carved lines started to crisscross, making Vallis’ cheek look like a roadmap.

Vallis whimpered each time the knife touched his skin.

“I'd prefer you to scream,” He plunged the knife into the shoulder that wasn't broken. Vallis tried not to give him the satisfaction but he couldn't keep it in.

His father frowned and picked up the hammer again. His sadistic smile returned as he brought the hammer down on his knee.

Vallis screamed and he screamed loudly.

Fuck

Fuck

Fuck

Jesus fuck!

Vallis closed his eyes tightly and tried to calm down.

The hammer was brought down onto different parts of his body again and again and again.

Vallis’ vision was swimming, he was on the verge of passing out.

The hammering suddenly stopped, then freezing cold water was poured onto Vallis’ head. Shocking his system to keep him awake.

“You're not allowed to sleep yet, I'm not done with you,” He swung the hammer across his face. It wasn't enough to break anything but that doesn’t mean it didn't hurt. It was definitely going to leave a mark.

His vision swam again making him feel sick.

Vallis opened his mouth to make sure his jaw was still intact. He spit out blood and bits of flesh from when he bit the inside of his cheek.

His eyes were starting to feel heavy again, he just wanted to lay down and sleep.

He missed Carasen and Emmett.

Hell, he even missed Emmett’s cursed collection.

He felt trapped, like he did in his nightmares. But this was something he could not escape by just opening his eyes. Maybe his nightmares would be safer.

He heard his father sigh but it sounded far away, maybe it was. Suddenly, Vallis was slammed into the wall behind him. He screamed in pain, both of his shoulders burned. His fathers grip on them made it so much worse.

“Do you never listen?” Vallis was slammed into the wall again, “I told you I wasn’t done with you and here you are falling asleep. So fucking weak.”

Vallis could hardly keep his head up. The pain was getting too much for his body to handle.

“Please,” He begged, speaking hurt his mouth but he couldn’t keep doing this.

Please, make it stop.

Stop, please.

His father laughed, “Oh you’re begging now? How amusing, someone as “strong” as you is begging. We just got started too, maybe if you beg a little more we can stop.”

Even as blood flowed out of his mouth, he still begged, “Please, stop. Please.”

He continued to beg until his father gently lifted his head so Vallis didn’t have a choice but to look into his eyes, “Did you really think I would stop? How gullible are you?”

“I’m sorry, please stop.”

His father’s grip tightened, he looked over Vallis before letting go, “Hm, you are no fun when you’re in this state.”

He returned the hammer to the table and went back up the stairs without a word.

Vallis had never been so relieved.

He felt like crying and throwing up.

He felt like a brick house had fallen on him. His body was broken, covered in bruises and knife marks. He had lost his fangs, they will most likely grow back but it would be equally has painful as losing them.

Gods, he was tired. He closed his eyes and let his nightmares take him somewhere that had to be better than here.

Vallis woke up to a wet rag pressed against his cheek. His cheek felt raw and the water made it burn.

He tried to move but he was still chained to the wall, causing pain to flare up in his shoulder. Suddenly the pain from yesterday hit him tenfold, he groaned. The rag was removed from his face shortly after.

Val finally opened his eyes to find a small boy kneeling in front of him, rag in hand. The boy looked way too similar to Vallis when he got the courage to look in the mirror.

The boy continued to clean his face, “Father didn’t want to see you dirty.”

Vallis hummed in response, his mouth hurt too much to speak. The boy finished in silence and left without a sound.

Not long after, the sounds of heavy boots could be heard coming down the stairs. Vallis’ father walked past where his son sat, branding iron in his hand.

Well, fuck.

His father sat the iron down near the furnace and made his way back to Vallis, “Good morning, Vallis. Did you sleep well?”

Vallis knew better than to respond, so he didn’t. Well more like he couldn’t. His mouth throbbed and his head hurt, speaking would be a feat.

“You know, your mother wanted you to give you the day off, let you rest. But I told her that I couldn’t do that, you don’t deserve a day off,” He tilted his head in consideration before grabbing a handful of nails and the hammer from yesterday.

He set the rusty nails and hammer down by Valli’s foot, his father removed his boots and placed the tip of the nail on Vallis’ ankle, “I will make sure you can never escape.”

He brought the hammer down on the nail, plunging it into Vallis’ skin. He added more and more nails until they encircled Vallis’ ankle. The nails burned more than anything, tears streamed down Vallis’ face each time another nail was added.

“I covered them in Holy Water,” His father smirked, he was enjoying this. He likes breaking people down, Vallis has learned.

He tried to kick his father away but he couldn’t, moving in anyway hurt too much. His father repeated the steps on the other ankle, he made sure that the only part of the nails that could be seen were the heads.

The Holy Water made it feel like Vallis was on fire, he didn’t know how he was going to be able to remove them. His father had put in every nail he brought with him into Vallis’ ankles, every single one.

“I’ve always hated how much you looked like your mother, I feel quite bad for her,” His father gently ran a hand through his hair.

He removed his hand and went back upstairs, he came back with a small bowl and a hose, “Your hair is short enough that this shouldn’t take long.”

He hooked up the hose to the faucet and set it near Vallis. His father then dumped whatever was in the small bowl onto his head, it tingled slightly as it was mixed into his hair. Once his father was done, he turned the faucet on to clean his hands.

The tingling sensation started to burn the longer the mixture was in his hair. After what felt like an eternity, cold water hit him in the face, causing him to choke. He coughed when the water was directed to his hair. Hands ran through it as the water poured over his head.

Vallis kept his eyes closed as his father worked through his hair.

Fuck, Val wanted his mask.

He didn’t want to be seen.

Water hit him in the face once more before it stopped, “See, I told you it wouldn’t take long.”

When Vallis finally opened his eyes, his face stared back at him. The knife marks were the first thing he noticed, they were an angry red and crossed over his nose. Then he noticed his hair, it wasn’t black anymore, it was white.

Fuck.

Vallis didn’t like it, where was his black hair?

He wanted to cry, his hair meant quite a bit to him. He had control over it.

Although, not anymore.

The mirror was removed from his line of sight and Vallis could breath a bit better.

“There, you look much better,” His father smiled proudly, touching the ends of Vallis’ newly dyed hair.

If Vallis could, he would spit in the man’s face. But he didn’t have the energy and frankly the idea of upsetting his father scared him.

Something burns.

What the hell?

Fuck it hurts.

Vallis screamed and screamed.

He didn’t notice his father had branded him with the iron he brought earlier.

Burns, it burns.

Make it stop.

Stop.

STOP!

Please.

Suddenly, everything went dark.

The crunch of rocks under his boots and the baas of sheep were the only things Carasen could hear as he approached the farmhouse in front of him. Vallis had mentioned living with two younger vampires in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, hopefully this was it.

The stairs creaked loudly as he stepped on them. He approached the door and knocked, he really hoped they were home. If not, he would have to break in.

The door opened just as Carasen was about to knock again. A young vampire stared back at him, “Can I help you?”

“Are you Emmett?”

The young vampire nodded slowly, he was suspicious, Carasen concluded.

“I’m Carasen,” Emmett’s eyes went wide but before he could interrupt, Carasen continued, “Vallis has mentioned you had a cursed object collection.”

“Oh my god! You're the guy!” Emmett’s excitement confused Carasen.

“The guy?”

“Yes, the guy! You know the one he talks about often? Oh, I cannot believe this- What does he look like under the mask???”

What the fuck was happening?

How does this child not know?

“You don’t know?” Carasen asked quietly, how has Val never shown him?

“No, he honestly doesn’t talk much about himself,” The young vampire frowned.

Carasen was going to kill Val.

“But maybe you can tell me some things, right?” Emmett looked hopeful for answers, but Carasen was here for something else.

“Maybe another time, anyway, can I borrow your most cursed object?”

“Why?”

Oh this guy was going to ask a lot of questions, wasn’t he.

“Listen kid, I don’t have a lot of time. Can I please borrow it?” Carasen was getting desperate, if Emmett didn’t give over the object he was going to have to get it by force.

“Yes,” Emmett paused, “Only if you can answer some of my questions.”

Carasen took a deep breath, “Make it quick.”

“Oh thank god! Please come in,” Emmett moved out of the way to let Carasen in.

He followed the young vampire into the house and noticed a collection of different objects sitting upon a shelf.

He didn't like the energy they omitted.

“You didn't answer my previous question, what does he look like?” Emmett watched him closely as he examined the shelves.

“Uh, your average guy? Black hair, heterochromia, um, he has a few scars,” He paused, remembering the last time he'd seen Val, “Um, his ears a little bit pointed, oh, and he has freckles.”

Emmett frowned, “That's it?”

“Yes? I told you what he looked like, didn't I?”

Emmett's frown turned into a pout, “I suppose. Anyway, I have another question. How did you two meet?”

This child was confusing, how did Vallis put up with him?

“We met at a bar,” Carasen really didn't want to get into the details.

Emmett stared at him, Carasen sighed and mumbled, “We got into a drinking contest.”

Emmet blinked at him, “Dude, you are giving me nothing! Do you want the object or not?”

Carasen wanted to bang his head against a wall, “Fine, I was assigned to kill him, so I followed him to this bar. I don't remember how but he managed to get me involved in a drinking contest. I, um, did not win,” he lost and he lost hard, “There, happy?”

Emmett pursed his lips but didn't argue, “I have one more question for now, are you two like best best friends?”

What the fuck?

“Um, I guess?” They've known each other for a very long time, does that count as being best friends?

“If you truly are best friends, you would know some of his secrets, right? Tell me one,” Emmett begged.

Doesn't Val tell him this shit himself?

Apparently not.

“If I tell you one,” Carasen held up a finger, “will I get the cursed object?”

Emmett nodded.

Carasen groaned, “Fine, let me think,” he paused, it seemed he had plenty to work with since this kid knew nothing, “He's actually a really good artist, but nothing he draws is lighthearted or for those with a weak stomach.”

Emmett nodded and handed him a small black box, “Your cursed object, sir!”

Carasen took it, thanked him and left.

Gods, that kid is strange.

Carasen walked through the gates of the Underworld. It wasn’t his first time here and most likely wouldn’t be his last.

He sighed as he walked up the steps of a giant palace, the place always made him uncomfortable. The cursed object felt like lead in his pocket as the doors opened.

“Carasen,” A deep voice called from farther in the room, “It’s been a long while.”

Death’s voice flowed over Carasen like an icy river.

“I take it you’re here for that vampire of mine, no?” Death continued as Carasen walked further into the dark room and kneeled in the center, “I believe he is having a wonderful time here.”

Carasen knew that wasn't true.

“I have come with an offering,” Carasen knew Death was a collector of cursed objects.

“Oh? What do you have that is worth what is mine?” He could hear Death’s interest in his voice.

Death thinking he owned Vallis made Carasen extremely angry, Vallis was not a weapon to be used and thrown away afterwards. Carasen knew what it was like, he knew the life of a weapon. To be used and used and used again until you can’t take it anymore.

Vallis was Carasen’s escape. Val convinced Carasen to leave, but unbeknownst to the angel, Val was in the same situation. How hypocritical of him, but it was Carasen’s turn to help his friend escape.

Carasen kept his voice steady as he slowly pulled out the object, “I have this to offer.”

The object was a small box covered in magical symbols, inside was a small broken porcelain ballerina doll. The doll cursed anyone that opened its box.

He could feel the weight of Death’s eyes. There was a snap of fingers and the object was lifted out of Carasen’s hands.

“If you can find him, he’s yours to keep.”

Carasen quickly got to his feet and left. He didn’t want to stay any longer and say something he would regret.

After what felt like hours, he found a small cottage on the edge of a very dark forest. There was nothing else around that Carasen could see for miles. Gods, he hoped this was the place, he was tired of walking.

He knocked on the door, he may be on the search for his friend but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to be polite.

An older woman opened the door. Carasen was definitely in the right place, this woman looked almost exactly like Vallis. They had the same face shape, nose, and hair color.

“Do you need something?” She asked quietly.

“I’m looking for a friend of mine and I’m positive he’s here,” Her eyes went wide, Carasen was definitely in the right place.

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She tried to close the door but Carasen put his boot in the way.

“I’m getting him one way or the other,” He pushed past her, he was fully ready for a fight but wasn’t met with any resistance.

A young boy sitting at a table watched him with curiosity. Carasen didn’t pay him much attention and continued searching the house. The boy trailed after him, however, keeping silent. He was as silent as the dead.

Carasen came to a locked door in a hallway, he was fully ready to break it when the young boy finally spoke up, “Father’s asleep, please don’t wake him. The keys are in the kitchen, I can get them for you.”

He didn’t wait for Carasen’s response before disappearing, he returned shortly after with the keys. He placed them in Carasen’s hand and left him alone.

Carasen unlocked the door to a dark basement, he made his way down the rickety stairs. At the bottom of the landing, Carasen found Val chained to the wall on the other side of the room.

The sight made Carasen sick and angry. He is going to rip apart the person who did this, but Val was his priority.

Vallis was slumped over, unconscious and without the comfort of his mask. Bones pierced through his skin, there were marks lining his face, his hair was much lighter than the last time Carasen saw him. The smell of burning flesh was strong and he nearly threw up. He noticed nails hammered into Vallis ankles, there was no way Val was going to be able to walk out of here. Carasen’s healing abilities were not good enough to heal the extent of these injuries.

Carasen unlocked the chains, he gently touched Val’s face.

Who could do something like this?

“Oh, Val, I’m so sorry,” He whispered to himself, his voice breaking. He gently lifted the vampire into his arms and cradled him close.

He carried him up the stairs, the young boy was nowhere to be found. However, Vallis’ mother was watching him closely as he left.

He walked the entire journey out of the Underworld carrying Val’s unconscious body. He couldn’t take him home yet, he needed to see a healer and Vix owed Carasen a favor.

The trip to Vix’s was longer than he wanted it to be but he couldn’t travel too fast. Teleporting with a very injured and unconscious vampire was not easy.

He arrived at her practice right as it was closing, the door was held open by a previous customer and he rushed inside.

“Vix! I need your help right fucking now!” He did not have time to be polite anymore. He walked into the back and laid Vallis onto the table without waiting for a response.

“Carasen what did you do- What the fuck happened!?” Vix froze in the doorway and took in Val’s sorry state.

“Just heal him, please,” Carasen didn’t have time to answer her questions.

She didn’t push further and began the healing process, “These won’t heal in a clean manner, they will leave scars.”

That didn’t matter to Carasen, as long as Val was okay - that was all that mattered.

Vix worked in silence for what felt like an eternity. By the end, she was pale and probably at her limit. She glared at Carasen and motioned for him to take Val and get out. He knew she wouldn’t be happy with him just showing up but he was glad she could help. He would drop off the payment once Vallis was safe at Emmett’s. He needed to come back into town later anyway.

Carasen struggled to quietly open the door to Emmett’s, but he managed. He somehow didn’t attract Emmett’s attention.

He made his way to one of the bedrooms he say earlier and hoped it was Vallis’. When he was sure that no one was inside, he laid Val down on the bed. Carasen looked from some spare clothes for when Val woke up. He laid the clothes on the edge of the bed next to Val’s feet.

Carasen would need to get him new boots too.

He needed to tell Emmett that they were home but didn’t want to leave Val’s side. He sighed and stood in the doorway, “Hey, Emmett, we’re home.”

Carasen left the door slightly open, as much as he wanted to respect Val's privacy over his face, Carasen needed to run some errands.

There was a thud then the sounds of someone running. The door flew open seconds later, Carasen blocked Emmett's view from Val.

“You're home?” Emmett beamed, “How is he?”

Emmett tried to look around Carasen’s shoulder, but the angel blocked him, “He could be better.”

Emmett narrowed his eyes, “what do you mean ‘he could be better’? Let me see him.”

Carasen put his hands on Emmett’s shoulders, “Listen to me. I don't know the extent of what he went through but it was a lot. If you wake him up, he will kill you,” He dropped his hands from Emmett’s shoulders, “Anyway, I have a few things I need to do, so can you watch him until I get back? I'll share more about him if you do.”

Emmett nodded.

“Great! I'll be going now, don't die!” With that Carasen walked around Emmett and left the house.