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hexagonalhavoc · 7 months ago

Note

Anything about a Lonely Wizard x winged reader that loves to fling him around in the sky? They kind of treat him like a dog with a chew toy, but if the dog was gentler, and had no teeth-

Play around with it if you want, maybe Reader is a bit silly. Maybe Reader is a bit goofy. Maybe all he is to them IS a chew toy 😈

Prized Possession

Lonely Wizard x Inhuman Reader

[Author’s Note: I love this idea! This can be seen as either platonic or romantic. I also tried not to be too descriptive so you guys can have fun imagining what reader looks like but to me they’re a weird bird human combo like a harpy. Enjoy!]

You belonged to no domain, underneath the command of no Scrybe. If this game is a puzzle then you’re a piece that fits no where.

Countless times you’ve tried to insert yourself within the game but everyone knows you’re not supposed to be here. You don’t fit Leshy’s aesthetics, you’re too alive for Grimora, too organic for P03, and too unruly for Magnificus.

The only one you have to call a friend is Rebecha, someone who understands the feeling of not belonging. But she’s too busy repairing bridges to hang out with you.

And so you spend most of your time on a lonely place you call home. It’s the largest antenna on top of P03’s factory. You’ve decorated the structure with all sorts of things from all of the domains, an attempt to make this feel more homely but all the riches in the world couldn’t change that you’re the only one here.

Today is just like any other. You’ve decided to spend your time organizing your trinkets. You gently push another red gem with your hand into a pile with all the others. The gleaming gems and gold artifacts had to be your favorite thing to collect, you’d sneak into Magnificus’s temple frequently to see if you could get your claws on something shiny. Most of your extravagant collection is filled with things that look so pretty in the sun. You just can’t help it.

Your grand collection is something to be proud of and yet something feels like it’s missing. Within the inside of the metal rods that forms the structure there’s an empty spot, every time you tried to fill that spot it just felt wrong. Something special deserves to be there.

A huff leaves your lips as you gaze at that spot. It bothers you. You sit on one of the metal beams and let yourself fall back until you’re hanging upside down by your knees. The sun is starting to fall into the scenery, painting the clouds various hues of pink and orange. It’s a beautiful sight but there’s no one to share it with. You’ve always been alone but lately it’s been bothering you more than usual.

Something flies over you and at first you’re willing to ignore it but you can see it circling the antenna and you realize that your arch enemy is back. A growl leaves your gritted teeth as your top lip is curls up into a snarl. Your wings spread out and flap several times to use the wind to push you back up. Your enemy is still circling but you wait patiently, your hands gripping the support beams as you crouch one of the platforms. Killing is not of an interest to you but you are territorial and you do know how to hunt. A part of hunting is being patient.

Your enemy knows that you’re watching. Both of you are waiting for the other to make a move.

Then it swoops down.

It’s a lot smaller than you and is able to skillfully weave between the bars. You reach out to grab it but it moves too fast. Even though it’s gone as quick as it came you still notice that it stole something: Your most favorite gem.

A sound of frustration echoes in the silence of the landscape. “You greedy magpie!”

In a moment you’re pushing yourself off from your claimed structure. Your wings spread out, the wind ruffles your feathers and keeps you in the air. Normally you didn’t have to deal with anything bothering because you were so high up. It made you forget that you shared these skies with these pests. You’ve never eaten a magpie before but you’re so angry you just want to sink your teeth into it.

You have a larger wingspan that you can use to propel yourself forward but the magpie is much smaller than you. Every time you reach for it the bird manages to move away in the nick of time. Its stature also helps it weave through obstacles. It flies into the Scrybe of Beasts’ domain. The trees are grouped together so tightly that when you try to squeeze between two trees like you saw the magpie do, you slammed your wing against the tree.

A scream of both pain and frustration echoes throughout the scenic landscape. You fall to your knees, sitting there in the dirt for a moment before you start to angrily beat your fist against it.

“You haven’t won!” You scream out to the magpie who’s probably cozy in its next of treasures it has stolelen from you.

After your little outburst of anger you turn your head to look at your damaged wing. You flap your wings a few times to gauge how bad the injury is. It doesn’t look like anything is broken and you still have your full range of movement but it hurts like hell. If you want to fly painlessly you’ll have to stay low to ground.

But for now you decide that you would rather walk and let your wings rest up. The feeling of the dirt between your feet isn’t one you welcome but you don’t have much of a choice. You don’t really like it here. The sound of howling wolves and rustling in the bushes causes you to quicken your pace. To say you don’t like Leshy is an understatement. You tried to make friends with him once but it’s hard to talk with someone when they’re pointing a camera in your face.

You’re able to navigate your way out and cross the bridge. Times like this really make you realize how much you take flying for granted. You intended to go back to your antenna but you still haven’t gotten over the loss of your precious gemstone.

Right across P03’s domain was magnificus’ temple. You could always sneak in and see if there’s anything new for you to steal. There’s no telling where he gets them from but frequently another artifact is added to his collection. Just the thought of getting your claws on another shiny thing causes you to move towards the temple. Usually you fly through one of the windows but given your current condition you should hold off. It’s not too much of a problem though as you’re good at sneaking around.

You manage to sneak in just fine but you’re disappointed. There’s nothing that looks worth taking and you’re starting to wonder if you wasted your time coming here. Maybe it would be better if you returned home so you could regain your strength and let your wing heal.

You’re about to leave but you see a door that you haven’t gone through yet. Usually the door is locked up with thick chains but today it’s bare. Your hand reaches for the door knob and you’re within the confines of a dark void. The first thing that catches your eyes is the forest green hat, and then the whites of someone’s eyes. Their figure almost blended in completely with the darkness.

The figure approaches you at immense speed and your wings spread out in an attempt to make yourself look larger and more threatening. You assume that it’s going to attack but it stops right in front of you. its head cranes up to look at you and you bend your neck down to do the same. The hat makes the figure look taller but without it they probably don’t go any higher than your collarbone.

“At last…” The figure mumbles, the soft volume of its voice causes you to lean closer to hear what it’s saying.

“STIMULATION!”

It screams in your ear, causing you to reel back. Before you can trip over your own feet it grabs onto your clothing to keep you upright. It’s surprisingly strong for being so small. It looks at you with these huge eyes that remind you of a baby animal.

“Oh I’m sorry I didn’t meant to scare you! I just got so excited and-Wow! You have wings!? How fast can you go? Do you have to preen them? It looks like one of them is hurt.” You’ve always been told that you’re too hyper to keep up with but this being’s energy puts yours to shame.

It reaches out to touch your damaged wing and at first you’re hesitant. You assume that its touch won’t be very gentle but it surprises you by slowing the movements of its hand. The delicate touch makes you melt and lean closer. You’ve never had someone be this affectionate with you.

“What’s your name?” You ask the one who runs one of its hands through feathers, tracing the patterns.

“Lonely, I am one of the underlings of Magnifus ” It responds in a less excitable tone. There’s something calming about petting your wings. It’s a soft sensation that it has never felt before.

A thoughtful hum leaves your throat at the name. You lift your head back up to look around the room. It appears to be only the two of you.

Lonely’s name makes you think of your current predicament. Then your face drops when you hear that familiar name. Out of all the people Magnificus has to be your least favorite. Being around him and his insufferable attitude is enough to make anyone mentally exhausted. He always has a reason to be cruel to another person.

“He just…locked you away in a dark room?” You question with a raised brow. It didn’t surprise you but it was still such a harsh thing to do to someone.

“It’s a test and there is a chance that I may be rewarded by gracing his legendary deck…” Lonely starts to trail off. In the beginning, he was willing to do anything for his Scrybe but he’s been in locked in that dark room for so long. He’s had to time to reflect and on what he really wants: And it isn’t being another tool to be used. He would much rather roll in the grass, feel the sun on his skin, take a sip of water. Anything is better than what he went through.

“…But I don’t care about that anymore.”

Lonely looks down and you feel bad for him. It appears that both of you have a similar problem of being unsure of how to live in the confines of this game. It was so cutthroat, it wasn’t made for you guys.

You’ve never really comforted anyone before but you don’t like seeing him slumped over like a kicked puppy. You crouch down take the rim of his hat inbetween your teeth to take it off his head. That sudden action causes him to laugh as he attempts to grab his hat but you go back to standing up so he can’t reach it.

“Hey! Give it back!” He laughs as he jumps to try and get his hat. But you don’t let him. A smile spreads on your face as you start to run. Your new friend joins the pursuit.

The sound of clattering and crashing could be heard. Both of you knock over objects as you chase each other around like two rabid dogs. There’s a burning sensation in your lungs and your cheeks hurt from laughing but you don’t think you ever want to stop. You don’t think you’ve ever had this much fun with someone.

Once Lonely stops then you stop as well, both of you sit on one of windowsills to look at the world around you. It’s nighttime now. Your body is tired but your mind still has so much energy.

You stand up on the windowsill and test your wings by flapping them a couple of times. Your damaged wing still hurts but you have a better range of movement, it’s healing fast. At first the thought of leaving your new friend makes you sad but then you come to a realization.

“You’re coming with me.” The intention is not to be demanding but you’re not sure how else to talk to him. All you know is that you want him in your collection. The only things you put into your collection are things that you like and you like Lonely so it makes sense that he would be among your possessions, doesn’t it?

Lonely doesn’t mind too much as there’s nowhere else for him to go. Everywhere else he would just be seen as a nuisance but for some reason you like him and he likes you too. You’re so fun and free, everything he’s wished to be.

“To where?” He asks as he looks up at you stretching your winds. You look so nice bathed in the light of the moon and the stars.

“It’s the coolest place you’ll ever see. It’s super high up so no one will bother us.” The thought of showing your new companion everything you’ve collected over the past few years makes you giddy. You’re sure that he’ll love your collection just as much as you do. “Have you ever been above the clouds? I know you’ll love it.”

Lonely’s head tilts up towards the sky. It’s pretty clear except for the thin slivers of clouds. He could already imagine the feeling of the wind rushing past him, to see how small everything looks when he’s up high.

“But what about your wing?” He asks but you just shrug, grabbing onto his hand and tugging him to stand up on the windowsill with you.

“I’ll be fine! Just hang onto me.” You smile warmly at him and for a moment he already feels like he’s high above the clouds.

Lonely stands on the tips of his toes and wraps his arms around your neck. Your arms wrap around him and once you’re sure that he’s secure you start leaning forward until gravity takes over and both of you fall off the windowsill. You’re used to the feeling of your stomach dropping but he isn’t. A little shriek comes from him and you have to stop yourself from laughing.

Your wings extend out and push against the air, bringing you both higher into the air. It’s normal for you to twirl around while you fly but now you’re doing it to impress your friend who has both their arms and legs wrapped around you like a koala. His shrieks begin to turn into laughter as you dive up and down, taking the long route to get to your destination. You don’t want to stop and you’re sure he doesn’t to either.

But with your injured wing and the exhaustion of flying long periods of time you finally stop at a large antenna that is your home. You grab onto the bars and settle on the platform. Even though Lonely lets go of you he’s still giggling, his eyes creased up in delight.

“That was amazing!” He pumps his arms out as he nestles in a free spot in between your treasures and you almost let out a squeal of excitement.

You’ve finally found something to occupy that empty spot.

#Inscryption #inscryption x reader #y/n saw lonely wizard and went: Is for me?? 🥺#I had so much fun writing this #lonely wizard #lonely wizard x reader

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ainulindaelynn · 6 days ago

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MUSIC SHUFFLE GAME

Rules: Shuffle your ‘on repeat’ playlist and post the first 10 songs, then tag 10 friends to do the same.

Tagged by the wonderful @friendly-wizard-bibliothecary :)

I always love to hear new music, so no pressure tagging @ur-friendly-nbhd-cardassian @ithinkthiswasabadidea @brasideios @leofrith @findusinaweek @whereforartthoumisthios @aeide (recent ask aside.. I'm always curious!) @vikingnerd793 @apocketfullofhobbits (hello from the main blog!) and @semperintrepida

I'm trying to lean toward youtube more lately, so have video links!

youtube

My 4yo is in a phase of asking me what songs 'mean' lately and I sort of boil them down, summarize the metaphors, etc. This one was a, "Well, kid... [insert 30 minute ramble]." Also that line, I'll weather your storms for the stillness in you, breaks my brain every time.

youtube

Mollymauk has a firm hold of my mind at present and likely for the foreseeable future. Taliesin Jaffe and his uncanny ability to create characters I have no initial interest in and am fully, wonderfully unhinged about by the end...

youtube

Spaces between the happiness and the hardness is a concept I'm working on atm. And always.

This may be a lot of Taliesin's Molly playlist. We'll see. *awkward cough*

youtube

I told you there was a lot of Molly in here. You were warned.

youtube

Love. Just love. I have a lot of 'end of Vox Machina' feelings about it too. Pulled from one of their playlists and it's the background track for the entire last episode in my mind.

youtube

Gifted this gem to a friend the other day. Can't recommend it enough.

youtube

George Ezra reminds me of time and a person I will forever miss <3

youtube

Deeply, deeply internalized lmao. Noah Kahan always kills it as far as I'm concerned.

youtube

An OC song that always makes me smile :)

#Molly's playlist truly does have me in a death grip at the moment #surprised to see only three #honorable mention to Noah Kahan's Godlight #which sent me down a spiral a few days ago #tag games #music #ainulindaelynn

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unleashed-fest · 5 months ago

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UNLEASHED FEST: WEEK TWO

And that's it, week two is over! Feast your eyes on these gems, check out what you might have missed this week and tomorrow we'll bring you the full anonymous masterlist before reveals in a few days!

🐾

🐾 FIC

Creature Comforts (Draco/Harry, M, 86k)

When Draco is turned into a werewolf, he does not expect to be given a postbellum bedroom in Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, nor does he expect to find a whole new set of friends.

When Harry is turned into a werewolf, he does not expect to make a whole new set of friends. He could have anticipated, however, falling even harder in love with the stubborn, acerbic, workaholic prat who’s been hovering at the fringes of his life for the past seven years.

This is exactly what happens.

Raising Kids (The Other Kind) (Pansy/Neville, E. 4.8k)

"Pansy exhaled deeply. “Neville,” she said slowly, “When I suggested we get a pet, I meant a cat or a dog. I never mentioned a fucking goat.”"

When Pansy suggested they get a pet to practice their parenting skills before trying for a baby, she hadn't expected Neville to walk in the door with the world's worst behaved goat.

The Cat that got the Créme (de la Potter) (Draco/Harry, E, 22.6k)

Draco's doing fine after the war. No, really! He's a repentant, industrious employee by day and a gorgeous, vigilante cat by night. So what if he's been disowned by his parents (father)? Life's great!

And, when he gets into a spot of trouble? Pffft … he's going to save himself! Easy peasy. The Chosen One is not actually required. He just happens to be there. It's not like Draco went looking for him … or anything.

Ripped Apart (Draco/Harry, E, 4.3k)

Following his father’s failings in the war, nobody in the Wizarding World knew of Draco’s affliction - his father’s punishment being his son handed over to Greyback to do with as he pleased. Somehow Draco had managed to claw his way back - pun intended - into some form of acceptance in society again, although he knew there were those out there who thought he should be in Azkaban - or dead. He’d also fallen in love, with none other that Harry fucking Potter. If they know we’re dating, it will only be worse for him, Draco thought as he walked through Knockturn Alley on the way to the apothecary. Draco couldn’t know at that moment how wrong this thought was.

Scales and Sorcery (Draco/Harry, E, 13.9k)

As toddlers, Harry Potter and Draco’s lives change when they befriend each other on James Potter’s Romanian dragon reserve, where Draco is hatched as a rare shape-shifting Hungarian Horntail. The two quickly become inseparable, and as they grow up together, their bond deepens into something truly magical and unbreakable.

Follow them on this unique coming-of-age journey of self-discovery and first love, where Harry finds his soulmate in the most unexpected of creatures.

Kaleidoscope (Harry/Ron/Hermione, E, 39k)

Dear Mooney and Padfoot,

It’s been months, and I’m sorry.

Harry discovers old letters written by his father, and uncles, while organizing Hogwarts' archives. Desperate for any type of connection to the dwindling memories of his parents, he embarks on a journey to become an Animagus with Ron and Hermione - Leaving his job, his emotions, and his fiancée by the wayside. Maybe if he digs around in the past for an answer, the universe would be kind enough to help him out… Unless said universe was sick and tired of Harry Potter looking backwards instead of forwards.

Wherever He Leads Me (Draco/Harry, E, 11.2k)

Draco never knows when a certain someone’s stag Patronus will block his path as he’s trying to sneak out of a memorial or leap on his pelvis during yoga class.

He doesn’t even know if Harry Potter is sending frantic messages via stag on purpose.

But he does know that whenever the stag appears, he’ll follow it.

No matter where it leads.

🐾 PODFIC

Trevor the Escape Artist by DrPansyParkinson (Pansy/Neville, G, 30-35min) Trevor the Master of Escape feels his reputation being ruined because a certain someone keeps successfully locating him and bringing him back to his owner. Trevor is often found in bathrooms because he likes humidity.

#unleashed! fest #drarry #rare pair #unleashed fest 2024 #unleashed! fest 2024 #week two

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ajs-ozian-adventures · 2 months ago

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The Emerald Bard: Part One

Synopsis: After joining Elphaba and Glinda on a trip to her birth city, Emerald Upland finds a kindred spirit in the Eccentric Oz, Feaux Wizard Deluxe.

Pairings: Gelphie, The Wizard X Witch!Bard!OC

(A/N: This is a pretty short and tame little intro to what will hopefully become a “fix it fic” series where The Wizard is actually less of a bad person and listens to the people of Oz and cares about them.)

—/—

“Are you sure?” Emerald asked again, still reeling from the offer. “The Wizard invited you to his personal palace and you want me to join you?”

“Em, you’re my sister, I want you to get to see where you came from.” Glinda smiled, the three girls huddled together conspiringly on the sofa as Glinda tested out her new Magical Manicure Kit on her sister.

Em loved The Uplands dearly. They were the only family she’d ever known, having been adopted when still a small child. And Glinda made certain that Em wanted for nothing, like any good big sister would.

“The letter said I could bring as many guests as I’d like and I want you two by my side. There’s no one else I can picture beside me.”

Elphaba sounded as if she’d been having visions again, her face distant for a moment.

“If you insist! I’d be honored to join you.”

Glinda squealed with delight at her sister’s agreement to the trip.

“Ooh! We have to go shopping the second we get there! Look out Emerald City! You’ve got three more Gems coming your way!”

-/-

A few days later, they were set up in lavish rooms in the Emerald palace, The Wizard’s Esteemed personal guests.

The problem of his non-magical status had indeed been a bump in the yellow brick road on the first day, but he and Elphaba were now chatting away like old friends, pondering how they could turn his image around and help the animals, while not lying to the people of Oz more than he already had.

And that was when Elphaba came to Emerald’s room, a grin on her face that Em hadn’t ever seen before.

“He wants to see you. Alone.” She said.

“Alone?!” Emerald asked. “Oh Elphie I almost fainted the day we got here! How am I going to hold a conversation with him?!”

“He’s not the talking head, remember? He’s a Man. A very nice one. I think you’ll get along fine, Em.” Elphaba grinned.

…

The thought of entering The Wizard of Oz’s Personal study made Em’s knees feel like they would buckle, but she awkwardly knocked anyway.

“Miss Emerald Upland …of The Upper Uplands. A Gem of my Very Own City. Emerald of my Emerald. How very nice to finally meet you properly.” The Wizard Ushered her in excitedly.

Em stood frozen for a momen, aghast at the Curly Haired motormouth in front of her. She still wasn’t accustomed to The Wizard being so friendly. She finally sat beside him on the large green sofa.

“Your sister and her… friend have had a lot to say about you. All good things, don’t worry. But I do have to ask, little Gemstone, Why have you been avoiding me for almost three days?” He asked, pouting dramatically.

Emerald’s face grew hot.

“I meant no disrespectation, your Ozness. I was… well, truthfully, I was afraid.” She said quietly.

The Wizard frowned a little. Emerald’s face practically burst into flames.

“Ah, I see. All of the mechanical head nonsense frightened you, I’m so terribly sorry. I’ve been tinkering with a new version, you know? A projection screen, something smaller. At any rate that’s not who I am. Not really.” He offered his hand out. “My name is actually Oscar. Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs. But please, call me Oscar. Or just Oz… It’s much less time consuming.”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance… Oscar. I’m not nearly as brilliant at magic as Elphaba is, but I gladly lend myself to your service. Magic or otherwise. Though I must tell you I’m more of a Bard than a Sorceress. My Magic is mostly spectacle.” Emerald admitted.

“Oh! You’re a bard?” The Wizard’s eyes sparkled with a new intrigue. “I’ve never had a bard in my palace before… how thrillifying. What’s your specialty, dear? I’d love to see you in your element.”

“Music, your Ozness.”

Oz’s face lit up even further at that, and he took Emerald’s hands in his with a delighted gasp. Emerald felt like her hands were live wires when they touched.

“Oh then this was meant to be! We adore music here in the palace. May I hear something? Something that isn’t about me?” He asked earnestly. “No pressure, none at all.”

Emerald tried to ignore the sparks she would undoubtably see if she looked down at their still tangled hands, her eyes locked onto Oz’s.

She realized in those short seconds how absolutely beautiful she could find someone. His eyes were dark, with flecks of green and blue in the light, and unbelievably kind.

Emerald nodded finally, settling on a lullaby from childhood.

“…if happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why, then, oh why can’t I?”

The Wizard’s eyes had drifted closed, and he was smiling when Emerald was through. He opened them, gazing at Em curiously.

“You know that’s what I do? I help people fly over that rainbow.” Oz murmured. “…Do you like it here, little Gem? Could you be happy here?”

“Oh, Oz, it’s wonderful here! The culture of the City, the People, the magical sights? it’s all so wonderful….” Emerald agreed.

“You’d be able to sing, play music, write, perform plays, anything you’d like. I’ll make sure you have everything you could need. All of Oz’s best. And total creative control. I only ask that you stay by my side. And you’d get to see your Sister and Friend every day. They’re going to be my Ambassadors to the North and the West.” He explained. “Anything your heart desires, just name it. There’s something good here, I can tell.”

While Emerald started out Terrified of the Great and Terrible Wizard, this man in front of her made her feel something she couldn’t explain. It was like they were cut fron the same Eccentric cloth. Like their minds were peering into each other. And when they touched, it was like a current ran through the two of them, making them one.

Maybe that was why they were still holding hands…. And sitting so closely.

“I’m sorry I just…. i’ve never felt anything like this before. I’m not sure what to say…”

A force, almost like a magnet, was pulling the two together. At first it was slowly, then all at once. Oz untangled their hands, bringing their lips together. He tasted like peppermint, sweet and fresh. Emerald smiled, kissing him back.

A shrill, sharp gasp broke them apart, and Em was mortified to see none other than her sister standing in the doorway with her eyes as big as Saucers.

Oz shot Em a guilty look as she rushed to usher her frozen sister out of the doorway.

“It was… so nice to make your acquaintance, your Ozness. I look forward to… working with you.” Em curtsied, shoving her sister down the hallway.

“Emerald Upland you scandelcious little thing, you!” Glinda whispered excitedly.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about…”

-/-

To be Continued

#wicked 2024 #wicked #the wizard of oz #jeff goldblum #Jeff Goldblum Wizard #The Wizard X OC

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shadowgast-recs-weekly · 2 years ago

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Hidden Gems: A Shadowgast Rec List

This week, we have one of our recurring themes: fics with fewer than 150 kudos! Check under the cut for fourteen amazing fics that you might have missed the first time around:

Ocean Blues by Vailee (3836,General)

Warnings: None

On a remote island, Caleb meets a merman named Essek.

Reccer says: The description of merman Essek with his fins and tail is very adorable.

Breaking Inertia by futureshieldmaiden (31096,Teen)

Warnings: None

A time loop fic where Bren has to work with the Shadowhand Essek Thelyss to straighten out time.

Reccer says: There's a lovely slow burn between the two, and I like the plot develops - with a couple of twists along the way.

flurries by quinn_of_aebradore (1381,General)

Warnings: none

Caleb and Essek visit a night market

Reccer says: It's extremely sweet and soft, with a warm and cozy wintertime feel to it.

the start: wings to chase the sky by mllekurtz (TheKnittingJedi) (2662,Teen)

Warnings: None, but note that the other part of the duology has its own tags! (calamity fic)

Part of a duology of an Age of Arcanum AU where Caleb and Essek are prestigious wizards of Avalir. A getting-together ficlet.

Reccer says: Mlle is so good at writing the shadowgast getting together, and it's fun to see the wizards in this lavish arcane world.

in the blood by VexedVixen (11075,Mature)

Warnings: None

Vampire!Essek rescues an injured Caleb and brings him to his towers in Rosohna. Caleb is them offered a job by Essek - a job that includes donating some blood.

Reccer says: The worldbuilding is so cool! Always nice to see a good vampire AU.

A Thousand Words, Unspoken by soot_and_salt (3150,General)

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings (technically, but it's not a dark story)

Caleb runs a YouTube channel where he films himself restoring paintings. The latest one to come in is a portrait of a beautiful drow man.

Reccer says: If you're familiar with the story of Pygmalion and Galatea, it's a little like that.

you're the only light i've ever known by glossolali (1463,Teen)

Warnings: None

After their bath, Essek combs and plays with Caleb's hair. Caleb enjoys himself.

Reccer says: It's very sweet and tender. And like the author says in the end note, it shows how Caleb has changed and healed over the course of campaign 2.

Break Me, Mend Me by Kaiannae (21835,Mature)

Warnings: Depiction of depression and self-sabotage, CNC if you squint, borderline force feeding if you squint.

Caleb's self-loathing is rearing its ugly head and he is spiraling out of control, pushing his friends and chosen family away, isolating himself from those who care about him and attempting to sabotage everything good in his life. Eventually, Essek decides to do something about it. He knows that nothing mundane like talking would be of any help, so he offers Caleb what the human thinks he wants: punishment, atonement, debasement, a way to quiet the vicious voices in his head.

Reccer says: BDSM as therapy, sort of, getting into Caleb's head for the character study, aftercare for the masses, doms and subs alike.

Silver Couches To Recline Upon And Ornaments Of Gold by soot_and_salt (3242,Teen)

Warnings: None

Essek, unable to leave the tower he resides in, finds a cat on his balcony. He soon discovers there is more to this cat than he could have ever imagined.

Reccer says: It is a fairy tale au and I am a big fan of fairy tales.

Let the River Carry You by Operafloozy (2983,General)

Warnings: none

Essek knits something for each of the Nein

Reccer says: It's very sweet and thoughtful, and I love the description of the patterns

in vaults and cherished amber by allinna (4406,Teen)

Warnings: none

At the Vurmas Outpost, Essek receives some well-deserved love from Caleb and the M9.

Reccer says: it's a sweet, comfy fic that makes you smile! what more would you want.

born from beauty by hanap (2375,Explicit)

Warnings: None

Caleb and Essek have a conversation about their respective experiences with gender and what it means to feel at home in one's body, after which Essek shows his love for Caleb's body by giving him a blowjob.

Reccer says: I resonate with both Caleb and Essek's experiences of gender in this fic, so it was a lovely experience getting to read how much the two of them love each other's bodies that are so similar to mine.

if only I could see your face by lakrisrot (3399,Explicit)

Warnings: Can read having a sex-negative to sex-neutral POV character

Caleb spends some time with Essek after the Transmogrification fails. They end up more intimate that expected.

Reccer says: This fic offers a very intriguing look into Essek's mind as an asexual/demi person. I very much enjoyed that.

And two recs for

the hole in the stone by MinnesotaBruja (13243,Teen)

Warnings: Animal/Pet Death

Shortly after the end of campaign 2, Essek takes a position as a lighthouse keeper on a remote island north of Eiselcross. The fic is comprised of his letters to Caleb.

Reccer 1 says: Essek cares for chickens while living on the island and I find it extremely sweet. Reccer 2 says: Beautiful, heartbreaking, so very well written you will most definitely cry and it's worth every tear!

Aeor is for Lovers is an 18+ Shadowgast Discord server. The above fanfic recommendations were pulled from our community for this weekly event. All fics, unless otherwise specified, will primarily feature Shadowgast. And hey! Don’t forget to leave comments and kudos for the lovely authors!

Check out the previous Hidden Gem Recs Lists here [1] [2]

Have any questions about what this is? Check out the FAQ! Next week's theme is Time Travel/Time Loops!

#critical role fan fiction #shadowgast #essek thelyss #caleb widogast #aeor is for lovers #hidden gems rec list #fan fiction rec lists #cr fan fic

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roseharpermaxwell · 1 year ago

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Bite-Size Drarry - Under 10k (Part Two)

Pausing my RWRB reading (I have an ask about firstprince fics too and I’m working on it!) to answer this, which is the nudge I’ve needed. I’ve done this for Dramione before (under 5k), but I especially love tempting readers to Drarry.

Short works are the unsung heroes of fandom. They don’t get enough love, which makes me so sad, because you definitely don’t always need 100k to deliver a stunning story. These are your bedtime stories, your palate cleansers, your individual serving sizes of serotonin. It’s okay to enjoy these even if you only read slow burn 100k+ fics, I promise. Live a little!

This is a sampling of some amazing favorites, but I’m always reading new things and will add to it regularly. If you find something you love, I know the author would love to hear it, and so would I! Take a deep dive into their work to find other gems.

Here's Part One if you missed it.

Bite-Size Drarry - Under 10k (Part Two) below:

Yours, Draco by @drarrytrash. T, 3.5k. MCD All that's left are 15 letters, and then those are gone, too.

Let Me Count the Ways by @thebooktopus. E, 3.5k. Intimacy comes in many forms. Draco wants to explore them all with Harry.

Thunder Moon by @maesterchill. E, 3.6k. Just like the first rumbling growls of thunder in the skies, a 'thunder moon' is a harbinger of storms and turmoil. During this rare night in July, many wix notice an increased difficulty balancing heart and head, instinct and morality, and even their own desires versus the wishes of their loved ones.

For those who have been bitten and turned, like Harry Potter, this struggle is magnified tenfold.

When his mate is attacked, will Harry be able to face down the monsters in the shadows, and inside himself... for the man he loves?

Perfectly Imperfect by @phdmama. E, 3.6k. Harry is about to have sex with Draco Malfoy. The only thing that’s weird about that sentence is that it’s not weird at all.

Re: Harry’s Crush by @lettersbyelise. T, 3.7k. Ever get that feeling you're being talked about behind your back? Harry doesn't, he's too busy being stupidly, obviously besotted with the guy in the lab downstairs. A fic where the interdepartment betting war at the Ministry gets out of hand, Millicent and Hermione get scheming, Harry Potter ends up wearing black eyeliner, and everybody ends up getting more than they bargained for. Companion piece: Featherlight, T, 1.3k.

Let’s go dip it low (then you bring it up slow) by @andithiel. T, 3.7k. Draco was not prepared to run into Potter in a Muggle gym, especially not a provocatively dressed, dancing and flirtatious Potter.

Absurd by Blowfish_Diaries. E, 3.7k. When Draco discovers a kink that Harry's been hiding from him, he has no choice but to explore said kink, right? Right.

Do You Want to Bet on That by phdmama. E, 3.7k.

Are you ready now by phdmama. E, 3.7k. 8th year. Truth or Dare. That's it. That's the fic.

Limits of Earth and Sky by @jackvbriefs. E, 3.8k. Again and again, Draco Malfoy returns to the public eye only to attempt the most challenging broomriding feats Wizarding Society has to offer. Again and again, Harry Potter watches him do it and wonders why.

Come As You Are by @peachpety. E, 3.8k. If asked, Harry Potter would categorize his high school senior year as normal: football, friends, and one devastating crush on his tutor, Draco Malfoy. When presented with an opportunity to help Draco, Harry rises to the occasion. Unfortunately, so does his dick. Sparks fly and alarms blare… and the Hogwarts Owlz Gossip twitter feed blows up.

Or: the one where an inconvenient erection brings them together.

Fruit Stand by @drarrily-we-row-along. M, 3.8k. Harry never skives off of work; he's never taken a day off, not even when he's sick.

But today is the day. He goes off for a drive and comes across a farm stand that changes his life forever.

Matching Pair by @the-starryknight. T, 3.8k. Harry Potter was possibly the last person Draco had expected to find standing at the foot of his favorite portrait at the Tate Magique. And yet, there he is, looking incredibly fit and monopolizing the attentions of the portrait. It's not bloody fair.

sink your teeth in by @softlystarstruck. E, 3.8k. Harry, or the wolf, or the wolf-that-is-Harry, is possessive. But he's trying not to show it.

Draco, though? Draco wants to be wanted.

Small Things by seefin. G, 3.8k. The Death Eaters went to the village early one morning before anyone was awake, and now the village is empty, apart from the Aurors, and the Order, and several now-stray dogs that sleep in an open garage on the side of one of the oast houses.

August by @wolfpants. M, 3.8k. Summer, 1998. Harry Potter arrives at the Manor to return Draco's wand. The problem is, he keeps coming back.

The Metamorphmagus Needs a Bath by @aprofessionalprotagonist. T, 3.9k. Despite doing their best to avoid each other, Draco and Harry are tasked with babysitting Teddy Lupin... together. That's not going to be awkward at all.

Under Your Skin by @p1013. E, 3.9k. He initials another section and flips the page. Being a junior Auror is a lot more grunt work than he expected, and the paperwork isn't even the worst of it. He's also managed to catch intake duty. It's getting close to 2 AM, there hasn't been a single arrest brought in tonight, and he's still got another six hours before his shift is over. Rubbing a hand over his face, he prays for something, anything, to make the interminable evening better.

Oxygen by Maesterchill. T, 4k. Draco doesn’t smoke. Except when he needs to breathe.

Watch Out (here I come) by phdmama. E, 4k. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Hermione mutters, her smile never faltering. “Harry, stop it.”

“Stop what?” Harry mutters back, not looking away from the grey eyes narrowed in his direction, as the man himself mouths what? Harry gives up on the punch and signals the bartender, asking for whiskey.

“If you’re going to eyefuck Malfoy, I’m going to go find Ron for a dance,” Hermione says, turning to set her glass down on the bar behind her.

The Waking Lights series by @magicalrocketships. T, 4k. Draco Malfoy ends up reinventing himself. On Instagram. And TikTok, as it turns out.

rawhide on your polish series by softlystarstruck. T, 4k. Draco acquires a new interest in Muggle Studies.

Two Lies and a Truth by phdmama. E, 4.1k.

Eyes on Me by Saras_Girl. T, 4.1k. Harry cannot dance. Will not? Better not.

Cupboard Love by @shealwaysreads. G, 4.1k. Harry’s life, and love, in food.

Still Waters by @iota. M, 4.1k. Coincidence brings Harry to the same alpine lake as Draco for summer field research, kicking off a month staying in a shared tent, endless opportunities for swimming and self discovery, and maybe a little studying too, if Harry has time.

in his hands by p1013. E, 4.2k. Draco’s got a bit of a thing for a certain part of Potter’s body. No, not that.

To Be Honest by shealwaysreads. M, 4.2k. Malfoy’s not fucking anyone. Harry’s curious. He’s just curious.

A Gentleman of Good Conceit by MaesterChill. M, 4.2k. Harry worships me, hungers for me. Facts are facts. What's also a fact is that I'm egotistical, an utter snob, and totally impossible to live with. But then, when has the impossible ever stopped Harry Potter?

Thirst by @fluxweeed. E, 4.4k. The path of Malfoy’s scent is obvious; Harry hasn’t fed for days, so his senses are sharp. Deadly. And Malfoy smells so good.

dive (and have no fear) by @callmegri. T, 4.5k. Draco Malfoy loves baths, but has no access to bathtubs. Harry Potter loves his friends, and has many of said bathtubs. It makes perfect sense to call Draco over to have a bath. ...Right?

Even Children Get Older by @lou-isfake. M, 4.5k. It started with don't wake the baby.

Good For You by @dodgerkedavra. E, 4.5k. Draco has only ever wanted to be a very good boy. He has no intention of blurting that out to Harry Potter at pub night.

But It's Better If You Do by louisfake. M, 4.6k. “This is exactly where you like me, isn’t it,” Malfoy mutters hoarsely in his ear, and Harry hears the unspoken beneath you, defeated. Harry laughs softly, lowering his arse onto his lap. The burlesque!Harry fever-dream oneshot that nobody asked for.

Tastes Like Soap by InnerLilith. E, 4.6k. Harry goes to the foam party hoping to finally have casual sex. Draco goes to the foam party expecting yet another night of casual sex. Harry and Draco do not have casual sex.

Passably wrecked by @tenthousandyearsx. E, 4.6k. “Potter,” Malfoy says, sitting down next to him at breakfast. “I think we should have sex.”

Lucid by @dracoladon. E, 4.7k. Harry's not sure what makes him harder; listening to Draco talk about astronomy, or shagging Draco so thoroughly that he can't talk at all. Both, probably.

Amber by @slytherco. E, 4.7k. Despite his numerous flings, Harry's thoughts keep circling back to Draco, only half-aware of his perpetual draw where they're not strangers, not-quite friends, but definitely something. When they both get played by the same person, Harry and Draco find a way to get back at him, and maybe get something extra out of it as a result.

When The Party's Over by @sweet-s0rr0w. E, 4.7k. Parties aren't quite so much fun when you're accidentally bonded to your sworn enemy. At least, that's what Harry thinks at first...

Sports Star by @moonflower-rose. E, 4.8k. Life as a professional Quidditch player involves a strict routine, and more hydration than Harry could have imagined. He's happy to follow the rules, but he does keep one little strategy to himself, his secret to success on the pitch.

Unfortunately, that secret is about to be exposed to Draco Malfoy.

As Easy As That by Moonflower-Rose. E, 4.8k. Trust Potter to be the target of a rogue bonding spell from a crazed fan. Trust Draco to try and leap in front of it.

Still Warm, Still Warm by @tsauergrass. G, 4.8k. The oranges ripened and grew heavy; the branches dipped under their weight. They picked some for breakfast every morning: Harry twisting the fruit off with a snap, Draco carefully tugging each one off.

Harry peeled an orange and handed a wedge to Draco.

Their fingers grazed, and Draco took it. The tender flesh; if he pressed just a little harder with his fingers, it would burst into a juicy mess.

Harry is up to something. Why else would he keep giving Draco presents?

Dinner and Diatribes by @ohdrarry. E, 4.8k. Socialising isn't Harry's thing. Draco does his best to help.

And if his idea of helping is a touch skewed– well. Harry isn't complaining, is he?

Game On by @pennygalleon. T, 4.8k. Draco blows Harry a kiss and the press goes nuts. Harry suggests they use this to their advantage.

City by the Bay by @caitlincheri28. M, 4.8k. Draco Malfoy had made all the wrong choices. After his time in Azkaban, falling in love with Harry Potter over parchment and ink, he decides he must attempt to make the right ones. Even if it means sacrificing his heart.

Dirty Fucking Dangles by p1013. E, 4.8k. The first time Harry watches Malfoy skate to the blue line, Harry can't drag his eyes away. His footwork is insane, and Harry's captivated. It doesn't hurt that when Malfoy takes his helmet off, his blond hair is plastered to his head like burnished gold and his eyes are the same color as an Alberta sky in midwinter. It doesn't hurt that Malfoy skates like he was born for it, that his puck handling makes Harry's breath catch, that when Malfoy scores—top shelf, hard enough to knock the goalie's water bottle off the net—he grins like a sunrise, too bright to look at and warm enough to make Harry sweat.

Float by @shiftylinguini. E, 4.9k After a night out, Harry wakes up feeling like he slept on concrete, like his body's made of sand, like he accidentally pissed on his housemate the night before.

Because he did accidentally piss on his housemate the night before.

Ferrety Little Mouths and How to Snog with Them by fluxweed. M, 4.9k. “I don’t think the size of your mouth has much to do with how good at kissing you are. People with ferrety little mouths can be good snoggers too.”

“You’re clearly an expert. You’ll have to teach me.”

sending my love all over you by @cavendishbutterfly. E, 4.9k. Draco figures out he’s got a praise kink. Harry figures it out faster. Or: five times Harry talks Draco to orgasm and one time Draco tries returning the favour

Fading in Love by Andithiel. E, 4.9k. Draco’s Dark Mark is fading, and everyone thinks he’s up to something. Everyone except Harry, that is, since he’s been too busy keeping his fuckbuddy situation with Draco a secret.

Continued in Part Three! (And here's Part One, if you missed it)

Give the authors some love! I also adore hearing if you found a new favorite fic or author.

I’ll be regularly adding to this, so if you’re seeing this as a reblog, feel free to check my Master List of Recommendations for the most current list. If you see yourself and you’re not tagged, or I've got a broken or misdirected link, please let me know!

#drarry fic rec #drarry fanfiction #drarry fanfic #hp fanfic #drarry

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hmshermitcraft · 1 year ago

Note

Gem was officially starting to get worried. Lizzie hasn’t properly spoken to her for weeks! Lizzie had cancelled 7 alliance meeting (totally not dates, nope) and their exchanges have been over the communicators, with Lizzie giving short answers in reply, and Gem missed her!

As much as she loves being Head Wizard of the Crystal Cliffs, the elders in her council frequently make her wanna smash her head against a wall, and Lizzie was her biggest saving grace from that. Lizzie is bright, loud and chaotic, everything the elders aren’t.

So when the fourth week without proper speaking passed, Gem had enough, strapped her elytra on her back and flew off to the Ocean Empire, almost midnight be damned!

And Lizzie was…different. When last they spoke, they had been almost the same height, but now Lizzie towered over her, despite her hunched over form. Her skin was blue, scales shimmering under the light of the moon, her long pink hair was a frazzled mess, and her eyes were staring at her in fear after her sudden approach. There was silence between them for a few long moments, before Lizzie spoke.

“I understand if you want to end things between us.”

Her voice was so quiet and afraid, and it broke Gem’s heart.

“Why would I want to do that?”

Lizzie simply gestured to herself, standing to her full new height. Gem looked her over carefully, before stepping closer and taking Lizzie’s hands in her own, and placing gentle kisses to her knuckles.

“I don’t care how you look. I don’t love you because of your appearance.” She said quietly. “I love you for who you are. I love how much you care about your friends and your empire. I love how passionate you are, about anything you set your mind to, and I love how you fight so much to make the people you care about happy and safe.”

Gem looked up at Lizzie to see tears brimming in her eyes, and she reached up to wipe them away.

“I love how you make me feel happiness I didn’t know was possible.”

How fun for mortal enemies fWhip and Jimmy to find out their sisters are both hopelessly in love with eachother

Also, Gem may love Lizzie regardless of her appearance but she has no idea how this would be considered a downgrade. Look at her! She's so beautiful. Her scales glitter with iridescence in the sunlight, her hair swirls around her with the grace of the ocean and her ears are instead fins - fanning out like the coral of her home.

Gem only wishes Lizzie felt like she could come to her. But now, at least, she hopes she realises Gem will stick by her no matter what.

(As long as that doesn't involve her supporting demons. One caveat.)

#empiresshipping #ask #lizzie tag #gem tag #shadowtay #mod 🎀#weekly theme: gods

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brandileigh2003 · 2 years ago

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Masterpost:

Here's my rec lists!

•main, •Hidden gems/underrated fics, •wips, •chronic illness/disability/deaf/blind, •trans remus/Sirius, •older aged wolfstar, •fluff, •raising harry and/or teddy, •autism, •mcd, •Asexuality, •texting, •tattoo parlor, •Holidays, •coffee shop, flower shop or bakery, •Hogwarts era, •divergent post-azkaban, bring back black, lie low at lupins •athletes •soulmates •podfics •fake dating

•Recs part2 •one shot version, •my to reread list, •my read a 3rd time, •jegulus

(I try to keep all of these updated (at the bottom of each) and always feel free to tell me what I missed, or give a self rec)

*please give these authors love if you like their work*

•all my fics are currently hidden but I don't mind sending them to people who are ok with messaging me.

And I also still love to talk about them.

They will probably be back at some point so I am keeping the rest of this post. Besides, I'm proud of my rec lists.

Silence between us a soft wolfstar falling in love, features Sirius dealing with anxiety, and remus who is deaf and has an adorable service dog. (Complete, 30k)

Silence between us universe: can stand alone, but will have some spoilers for main fic. collection of one shots, more to be added. Silence within remus' pov of silence between us, Signs Between Us, Where the Silence Began

---All completed unless marked, no particular order---

Collapsing: 1st war divergent wip, accident leaves Remus severely injured. (17k now complete)

A New Chapter (26k) follows trans remus from Hogwarts through divergent end of the war, studying how lycanthropy and disability affects his life and relationships

Inevitable When you finally fall in love, you never expect that you'll have to lose them way too soon. Cancer fic with MCD. Ending did help me heal some from heartbreak though. (8k)

A Matter of Loyalty (13k) 1st war divergent fic, dual pov, angst, check tags, now completed

DN(R): lie low at lupins, canon divergent. Remus explains what led him to get a "DNR" tattoo (3k)

Identically pining Hogwarts era 1 shot. mutual wolfstar pining, identical twins sirius and regulus where Reg decides to help get them together. Remus is disabled. (6k)

I've got you: hurt/comfort sickfics (56k)

Other Side of the Screen: sirius falls for remus' voice, even more as they become online friends. But there's still a lot they don't know about each other. (3k)

Memories of you: Exploration of Sirius' grief in two parts. (7k)

Through the Years: older wolfstar. Married with grandkids (2k)

Parks and Playdates: Remus didn't imagine joining a playgroup would bring so much joy into his life (4k)

I don't wanna be anything other than me trans fest fic: Lily and remus friendship, remus transitioning at school, pining Remus (4k)

Tears of Blood: mcd, 1 shot, historical fic exploring Spanish influenza (3k)

Hearts finally in sync: divergent lie low at lupin's (3k)

House of cards: 1st wizarding war wolfstar internal thoughts (3k)

Bad practices: remus is spiraling bc of his past and Sirius helps him work through it (make sure to check tags) (2k)

It all comes back around: centering around two run-ins with boggarts (5k)

The truth sets no one free: Sirius was given a trial and gets his freedom but it's at a steep cost. One that he'd rather not pay.

I would do it again: fluffy and sappy wolfstar

An unlikely place to fall in love: au/modern 1 shot: both chronically ill and meet in the hospital (2k)

Guarding remus au/modern 1 shot high school colorguard fic, Sirius pov, ft trans remus (7k)

In Every Universe: series of unrelated one shots for FFF. Updates when inspired by prompt.

Song Interrupted siren Sirius who wants a way to not have to kill to live. (4k)

A matter of choice sirius turns to alcohol after a bad mission and he's questioning choices and love (1k)

On sinking ships (you showed up just in time): Titanic dorlene fic with no mcd (14k)

How to find me: i'm on tiktok and Instagram. I have Twitter and youtube under same screen name but I don't do anything over there.

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sorcerous-caress · 1 year ago

Note

That are some dnd race quirks you like to add for flavor?

I like to add that Gith flick their ears forward like Frilled-neck lizards to signal a non-verbal warning and chirp like tree frogs when very happy. ( they will try to kill others to hide it.)

Elves can purr but Drow can't, kinda like how some big cats can't roar but can meow.

Drow blink slowly to show affection and their eyes reflect how stimulated they currently are. ( they will also try to kill others to hide it.)

-githzerai anon

I really like your concept about gith, honestly it's very wholesome.

The frog symbolism works especially great with the mindflayers octopus thing since frogs start their lifecycle as aquatic tadpoles and are able to go on land.

Hmm for me.

I like the idea that elves are inherently just plants/fungus. Cannibalism has no consequences for them because of it but the modren elf doesn't bring it up much. Like while it would take a life or death situation for a human to eat the flesh of someone else, it would take much less for an elf to do it.

Humans start with an xp multiplier because how can you justify having a human wizard and an elf wizard be at the same level? So humans just tend to learn or absorb things faster

Gnomes have the most complex and intertwined political structures between all the other races, they're just veru secretive about it.

Dwarves treat your birthstone like how humans treat your zodiac signs.

Dragonborns and Gith bond over being born from eggs. Drows take care of gaint spider eggs for Lolth a lot so they can relate a bit.

Dragonborns and Draconic bloodline people do take some personality traits from the dragon they're based on, gold ones tend to be chatty and social while red ones tend to be arrogant. It's not a very prominent thing, your own personality traits will shine more but sometimes the dragon's traits slip through.

Oh and they can eat gems, both of them. It does nothing.

The feeling of shame, self loathing and jealously are inherently human traits. Other races feel them but at a much more watered down version

Likewise elves can feel so many other types of love that most races can't comprehend, but also much more types of hate.

Passion for dwarves shapes the meaning of their lives.

Tieflings are allergic to holy water, not deathly but more of a sneezing and itching allergy.

Half-orcs have very advanced and affordable dental care.

Dragonborns do shed their scales like snakes, their scales are extremely sensitive after so they do it alone.

Curly hair is exclusive to humans, Haflings, and tieflings. If you have it, there is a big chance one of your ancestors mingled with one of those races to add it to the gene pool.

Same with brown eyes, it's very common in humans but very rare in other races. A lot of them are really fascinated by it.

It's mostly why Dwarves think humans were carved out of great rocks deep in the earth. They see them as an excellent work of art and their creator should be praised.

But well, humans don't have a creator in dnd, no god and no origin.

I like that a lot, because when a god exists and is omnipotent, it technically erases free will for that race. If the god knows everything you're going to do before you do it, then you're predetermined.

But with humans, there is no god, so they are the most free and unpredictable of the races. Even when they try to sort them into boxes, the idea of humanity is that there is no ideal shape for a human to be moulded into.

Another flavour text i like to add, is that maybe humans were made in the image of the said gods but without any of the godly powers. So they have extremely short lives where they feel like they're missing something greatly and are never satisfied with all the powers or knowledge they collect. They always want more, to go further or deeper or faster.

Maybe try to weave the whole forbidden apple into it, humans were cursed by it to be the thing they are today. They are born with inherited sins. It explains why they are so squishy and defenceless, they were meant to stay in a safe bubble in heaven the gods created for them and not roam the dangerous lands.

But they got too curious for their own and paid the price.

Still i do prefer the no-known creator origin for humans, i a world so well documented it is funny to think human origin was the biggest mystery all along.

#♡human kink #♡githzerai anon

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thedo0zyslider · 8 months ago

Text

I Love You (I'm Not Supposed Too) - Chapter Nine: Trip To The East - 8k Words

Jimmy takes his own two week long trip to the Grimlands, which reveals its own things that Fwhip would rather leave hidden

A03 Link

Maybe a week or so after his meeting with Scott, Jimmy is being sent to the Grimlands; on a trip that mirrors Fwhip’s own almost two, maybe three months prior. At least this time, his mother had informed him where he was going and when he would be leaving. It truly was the very least she could do. He didn’t even get a goodbye from her when he departed, only Lizzie coming to send him off. His sister hands him the latest letter from Joel, hugs him tight, and promises to message him daily and to watch over the swamp for him while he’s gone. Jimmy hugs her back, takes the letter, and doesn’t return the promise before he’s being whisked off towards the East.

As soon as the ocean is out of sight, it feels like a large weight has been lifted off the cod’s shoulder. He leaves all his worries and responsibilities back at home, and finally feels like he can breathe for the first time in over a year. He hasn’t felt like that since the arrangement had been made, or since his first trip to House Blossom. He’d missed what it felt like to not have a weight constantly on your chest.

He arrives just over a day later, right as the sunrise fades and the next morning truly starts. It does take a while to travel to the other side of the continent, after all. Gem meets him at the door, waving frantically as he approaches. She nearly trips over the wizard's cape flowing behind her as she runs out to meet him, causing all the staff that had accompanied her to let out chuckles and snorts of amusement. Jimmy smiles, waving back at her as his bags are taken by one of the manor’s staff members.

“Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy!” Gem calls, coming to a halt. Her hair is all frizzled up from the August heat, though the Grimlands is noticeably less humid than the swamp and the ocean are. Her wizard’s hat is surprisingly off, probably because of the temperature. The blonde laughs at her, accepting the hand he’s offered as he gets out from the traveling carriage. If he’d known he was missed this much, he would’ve ordered a visit to the Cliffs months and months ago!

“Hi Gem!” He says, and is promptly pulled into a hug before the words even leave his mouth. “I missed you too!” He huffs, caught off guard, and hugs the young wizard back to the best of his ability. His ribs are currently being crushed by her, which makes returning the affection quite challenging. But the cod thinks he manages it well enough.

“Where’s Fwhip?” Jimmy asks, once the two of them pull out of the embrace. It’s surprising that he’s not here yet, really. He was most likely supposed to meet the Grimland’s newest visitor at the door, being the future Count and all. His father, the current Count, probably was too, now that Jimmy thought about it. Though, as curious as both their absences were, it doesn’t mean they were really missed. And Gem had done an amazing job of greeting him by herself, anyways. He’d prefer this over Fwhip any day.

“He’s coming down!” Gem says, smoothing her messed up hair to the best of her ability. “I practically had to drag him out of his workshop.” She huffs, giving a pointed glance to her home's front door; like she’s trying to burn a hole through and straight at her brother. Jimmy just chuckles again, and figures he can wait for a few more minutes. He needs to get accustomed to the new surroundings anyways. This place is almost uncomfortably different from the ocean and the swamp. There’s a lot more grass, for one, amongst other things.

Fwhip appears two minutes later, his coat halfway on his shoulders and goggles hastily shoved on top of his head. (Goggles that the cod’s never seen before, and will have to ask about later. He wonders how he fits those over the horns.) Jimmy doesn’t know how he survives in the black jacket all the time, but maybe half dragons are more resistant to heat or something. Or Fwhip is an insane person , which is also just as likely.

“There you are!” Gem says, her brother striding over to meet them quickly. “You can’t be rude when we have guests! It’s proper to greet them at the gates!” She scolds him, and the words have an air of familiarity to them. Like she does this often, or at least does it enough. Jimmy just looks between them, feeling out of place, and offers the future Count an awkward smile when his gaze flicks over to him.

“Yeah, well I’m here now.” Fwhip huffs, fixing his coat until it rests correctly on his shoulders. He seems unbothered by his twin’s tone, and barely acknowledges her lecturing. Gem just makes a noise of slight annoyance and rolls her eyes at her brother’s easy indifference. “Hi Jimmy.”

“Hi.” The cod breathes, feeling suddenly self conscious. He doesn’t know why. It’s the feeling that everyone is watching you, that’s the feeling he now has. Even though the only ones watching right now and Fwhip and Gem. The former of which watching now makes him….very nervous, for some reason. Not having time to unpack all of that, Jimmy just shifts his weight, and hopes neither of them notice his slight shift in body language. If there was one at all.

If Fwhip notices any odd behavior, he doesn’t comment on it, just turns back to his sister as she starts speaking. “Come on, Dad wants us to show him around!” She says, turning around just as quickly as she’d gotten here. Her tail flicks across the ground, clearly telling her brother and their guest to follow. Jimmy wasn’t even that versed on half dragon body language and he could tell that. Or maybe he was just getting better at reading the twins.

“He’s not greeting the guest? Like he said he would?” Fwhip asks, following behind his sister; a frown starting to stretch across his face. Gem said nothing for a minute, and did the opposite of what her brother had done with his coat just before, now shoving her cape off her shoulders and holding it in her arms. The heat must be getting to her then, while Jimmy remains decently unbothered. Comfortable, even.

The cape is a new accessory, Jimmy notes, like Fwhip’s black and red goggles are. It’s purple, with white puffy sleeves and the same material lining the edge of the hood. The color makes a nice compliment to her normal green and brown-colored attire. It’s big on the young wizard now, basically trailing down to the floor; but it’s clearly made to be grown into. Which makes sense, Gem hasn’t had the growth spurt half dragons normally have yet; according to both twins. The boys nearly tower over her right now, Fwhip sitting somewhere above five foot seven and Jimmy a comfortable six foot six. Gem’s only five foot four, but she’ll probably be Fwhip’s height one day. Her brothers probably done growing for the most part, but Jimmy knows he has at least another half a foot left to grow. But that’s far beside the point right now.

Gem doesn’t look back at them, just keeps trudging ahead towards the manor. She squares her shoulders, obviously more than a little tense, and Jimmy can’t help the way part of him floods with worry at the motion. “He….said something came up.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure that something was a bottle.” Fwhip mutters, starting the walk back inside the manor. Jimmy gets the feeling no one was supposed to hear that, but everyone around him did anyway. Gem glares sharply at her brother for the remark, but follows behind him regardless. “Come on, codboy, we don’t want you getting lost.”

He says nothing to that, and follows them up the short set of stairs to the house’s front door. The staff around him, the one carrying his bags and seeing off his escorts, look like they just bit a lemon; their expressions all sour or horribly uncomfortable and awkward. They all heard Fwhip’s comment, then, and are trying their best to act like they did it. No one meets his eyes when he looks at them, either out of shame or something else entirely.

Jimmy holds back a sigh as the grand front doors are held open for him, (the staff member to do so not looking at him, either,) and wonders just what the hell his mother’s gotten him into this month.

_____________________________

The first few days of the visit are relatively uneventful, for the most part. After the decently lengthy tour, they get Jimmy settled in. He has a pretty lavish guest room, one on par with what Fwhip’s had been at the Palace. It’s right down the hall from the twins room, Fwhip’s being the closet. And by the wink Gem gives him, Jimmy’s pretty sure that was a purposeful decision from her. Fwhip doesn't see the wink, and continues on with his day peacefully unaware of his sister’s matchmaking antics.

Nothing much else happens on the first day, other than mealtimes and Jimmy getting himself familiar with the castle. He sees a bit of the village as well, when they’re walking around the gardens, and also the decapitated heads that were kept on spikes inside said gardens. They were for decoration, as Fwhip had said when Jimmy asked. Even though it was the creepiest type of decoration possible. But, as he hadn’t been quick to forget, the Grimlands were weird enough to house the Salmonfolk, so maybe this was normal decor for a kingdom full of weirdos.

The only other interesting thing Jimmy learned about Fwhip, or the empire at all, was that the royal family had adopted two puppies over the past year. One of them was apparently a little older, but Jimmy couldn’t tell you which; they both just looked like puppies to him. The puppies had been in their own room during the tour, probably to prevent them from destroying any furniture right now, since they looked to be quite young. The first one that had run up to him had been named Nova, and the other one was Koda.

They were supposed to be family dogs, Gem told him, but they were very clearly Fwhip’s dogs instead. (He was probably the only person around them the most anyways, minus the staff members.) The little guys were also clearly attached to him, considering how both puppies had gotten excited upon seeing the ginger. They were cute dogs, Jimmy had to admit, and wouldn’t mind seeing them for the rest of the trip. (Jimmy also makes a mental note to bother someone in the castle about a cat again. A pet would liven that place up quite nicely.)

At some point in the coming weeks, Fwhip should probably teach him about Grimlands culture or whatever, like Jimmy had done to him for his visit. That is probably the whole reason for this trip, after all; or at least part of it. Clearly, the ginger has absolutely no intention of doing so, content to just do a basic tour of his home and nothing more. (Admittedly more than the cod had remembered to do for him with the Prisma Place, because back then he didn’t care if Fwhip got lost in a hallway and starved to death.) And zero adults were forcing them to play nice this time around. Fwhip also doesn't think Jimmy is all too interested in learning either, even though he clearly is. That isn’t a problem though, Jimmy’s gotten pretty good at learning when nobody wants to teach him.

He also keeps the cod in the manor and the surrounding area when he can, mainly to keep him away from the salomfolk. For both their sakes, Fwhip says when the blonde asks him about it one day. Jimmy silently agrees, and then says nothing more on the matter for the rest of the trip. The less bloody salmon he sees in his lifetime, the better. Even if it means less room to stretch his legs and less visits to Eastvale’s village

Today, on the third or so day of the trip, they are hanging out in the small workshop the twins have. That has been Fwhip's and only Fwhip's for a little while now. The half dragon is at his desk, working on a small invention. It seems to be a communicator that needs some fixing up, by the looks of the device. Jimmy sits on the corner of the work desk, not caring how much space he’s giving the other. They’re close enough to touch if they really wanted to.T

his empire is kinda boring, he has to be honest. (Though half of that boredom is probably caused by his limited village access, to be fair.) Don’t get him wrong, this is a nice break from setting up the cod empire; but without something to occupy himself Jimmy is so incredibly bored . There are no parents watching them, and Gem isn’t here a good sixty percent of the time, so the blonde is forced to hang around Fwhip. And the ginger seems to spend his time in this dark little workshop, or the kingdom’s forge (which Jimmy is not allowed in for safety reasons) and that’s it. If he doesn’t get some stimulation soon Jimmy thinks he’s gonna lose his coddamn mind.

He looks over, lazily watching what Fwhip is doing. The half dragon is now messing with some exposed wires, gloves covering his hands and his newly gifted goggles moved down from the top of his head. Probably in case something electrical happens, or something explodes, if the Cod had to guess. (PPE equipment, or whatever the half dragon had called it when he first walked in here.) He’s being very careful too, precise even. More so than he is in any other scenario. Usually, Fwhip’s on the more uncoordinated side, but that doesn’t seem to be the case when he’s working on something mechanical.

Jimmy doesn't really know anything about mechanics, or smithery, or any field that Fwhip works in, but he knows talent when he sees it. And it’s very obvious that Fwhip is an amazing inventor for his age, anyone with eyes and a single brain cell could see that. The way he moves and handles the materials are a tip off, but seeing him in action is something different. There’s a reason he’s aloud in the forge so young, that's for sure.

"Sausage was right." Jimmy hums his thoughts into the air less than a minute later, idly kicking his legs out. His tail moves a bit as well, and the future Count watches it carefully. Just to make sure it doesn't knock anything off his work desk. If something gets broken it’s gonna be hell for that fishboy, mark his words.

“About what?" Fwhip responds, irritation already starting to flare up in his tone. The cod's only been there a good five minutes, and he's already starting to get annoyed. Heh, that's a new record. Usually it takes about seven minutes for that to happen. Jimmy would know, he timed it in his head once. Ten minutes of no annoyance was the maximum limit, though. Fwhip never quite made it to eleven.

"You are a really good inventor." Jimmy says, his eyes trained on the little device Fwhip’s working on. It’s something Sausage said to him years ago at this point, but he always kept it filled away in the back of his mind. And yeah, the Mythlander had been damn right back then, and he certainly was even more right now. The ginger hasn’t been working for long, maybe only ten minutes, but he’s clearly made a good amount of progress on it. He’s stopped fiddling with the wires, and has moved onto something else that needs fixing; what looks to be a dent on the back of the device.

Fwhip rolls his eyes, fishing around his desk for something. "Thought you didn't like me." He quips, almost cutting himself through the gloves on a loose piece of metal; which he also glares at. Jimmy was going to try and help him look for….whatever he’s looking for, or warn him of the loose metal, but decided against it after being so rudely snapped at.

"I can still recognize talent when it's there." The cod hums, parroting his earlier thoughts. His tail moves again, and Fwhip shoots the limb yet another look as he finally finds the tool he needs. Yet another reason Jimmy was content to just let him suffer, instead of helping him sift through the mountain of stuff. Really, this place would be a lot better if he organized it, but the blonde feels like he’ll get his head bit off for even trying to suggest such a thing. He’s sure Gem has tried though, with how organized her own bedroom looked to be.

"Shame I see no talent in you, then." The half dragon huffs, sounding far too casual as he flicks a screwdriver between his fingers. He unscrews the back on the device with practiced ease, and ignores the way the cod squawks with offense next to him.

"Oh can you just take a damn compliment for once!?" The cod snaps, giving the ginger a glare; one that hopefully matches the multiple he’s already been given today. Fwhip seems determined to be insufferable today, it seemed. He hadn't been this bad last time they had messaged each other, but that had been almost a month before the trip. And, as Jimmy knows very well, a lot can change within just a single month.

"No, not from you." Fwhip ignores him almost entirely now, not even looking up as the cod shifts his position. He seems to at least be trying to focus on the device he’s fixing, not even caring when Jimmy experimentally flaps his tail a few times; just to see what part of the mess he could move. It seems like the half dragon’s gotten focused on his work again, and that many days of this trip are going to be spent exactly like this. Jimmy would know, it’s the second of his maybe four days that it has. He holds back a groan of boredom at the thought, and decides Gem is probably gonna be better company. If she’s even here today, that is.

"Arse." Jimmy huffs, sliding off the work desk. His tail almost knocks something off alongside him as he does, and the blonde ignores the low snarl that starts to come from Fwhip’s throat. He’s almost glad that he’s being such a nuisance, and kinda wishes he had actually knocked something important off. It would serve the half dragon right, really.

"I know." Fwhip calls over his shoulder, still not looking up. His response is delayed too, meaning he’s not hearing the cod right away. The half dragon’s really in the zone then, and will probably be fully unresponsive in the next minute or so. Jimmy’s attempt at getting some minor simulation had been short lived and probably pointless in the end, as he should’ve expected.

"Then stop being one." He shoots back, not really thinking when he says it. Arguing back with Fwhip specifically is like second nature at this point, even if he’s guaranteed to get little to no response. Wait, no, scratch that. Especially if he’s guaranteed to get little to no response. Can’t be insulted if the other person isn’t hearing you, after all.

The half dragon responds, this one even more delayed than his last one had been. Yeah, Jimmy was losing him. He was about to be taken by the hyperfixation and mechanics, and nothing can stop it. Unstoppable force vs Immovable object type situation here. "I won't, because it annoys you."

"I'm leaving." The cod says, turning towards the door. He lets his tail drag across the floor, purposefully making a mess for the other to pick up later. If Fwhip even notices he’s messed anything up, with all the miscellaneous stuff on the floor that definitely shouldn’t be. But knowing him, and how the half dragon’s an organized mess kinda guy, he probably will notice and yell at Jimmy for it later. But it’s fun to knock a few stray boxes and stuff over, that’s for sure. (This is the part where Lizzie would call him a cat, and where he would whine about being called one; if he were at home that is.)

Fwhip yells over his shoulder, his voice echoing down the hall for a brief second. If he weren’t so distracted, the cod is sure that pure, unbridled annoyance and contempt would lacing his tone from top to bottom. "Good riddance! You were just gonna get in the way!"

Jimmy nearly slams the door behind him, and starts down the hallway. He heads towards one of the places Gem frequents, and hopes today is one of her manor days; as he’s started to call them. She hadn’t been at breakfast, but she had been known to come over at any time in the day from what he’d heard; so there was still a chance. Maybe it’ll be the cod’s lucky day, and he can finally have a break from the grumpiest person in the world. Cod be willing.

(He is not lucky. Gem is not there that day, she is at class in the Cliffs; as the staff tell him when he asks. So Jimmy makes him at home in the library for what has to be the millionth time, and flips through books he has absolutely no interest in. He gets so bored, he almost wishes he were back home instead. He also briefly considered going to see the puppies again, but decided against it. He’s not good with dogs, especially baby ones that don’t know him. He’ll have to see them with Fwhip one day then, which further kills his options for fun.)

(Worst. Vacation. Ever)

_____________________________

The next day, Jimmy’s back in the workshop again. Though this time he sits on the floor, tinkering with some loose bolts, screws, and other things he’d (somewhat) positive won't harm him too badly. Yesterday, the outside of the workshop had been just as boring as the inside of it had been. Even the manors library wasn’t that interesting to him, since he’d absorbed most of the politics of the Grimlands over the past year on his own time. The books on history had been slightly interesting, but nothing worth stealing or checking out. (And he probably shouldn't steal books from here anyways, but the habit is ingrained in his bones by now. Leaving any kind of trail for anything still makes him uneasy, even when he’s not at home.)

He hums to himself as he shuffles through the floor’s mess, confident Fwhip isn’t hearing him. Or, if he is, he’s able to tune it out with his work. He wonders if Fwhip and Gem sit like this often, working and reading together in quiet company. Because he and Lizzie don’t, not anymore. He hasn’t hung out with his big sister consistently for a few years now; for a very obvious list of reasons. Part of the other cod misses it, the other part is glad he gets some alone time. He thinks if he didn’t he would actually lose his mind.

Wait, hold on, back up; does Fwhip let Gem in here while he works? He seemed pretty irritated with just Jimmy’s presence yesterday, but maybe that had been because he was himself and was also sitting on the table. Did Fwhip do this all the time? Sit in a dimly lit room and tinker for like, twelve hours a day? If so, it’s no wonder why he was so pale, the half dragon never saw the bloody sun! It’s a wonder he didn’t melt in the Ocean Empire, honestly, with how much sunlight he had to be getting. Had he ever seen the sun before, actually, or know what it was like to do anything else with his days? Because this kinda sucked, if the blonde had to be honest. This right here kinda sucked big time when it came to hobbies, for him at least.

Well, only one way to answer all those questions was to ask, Jimmy supposed.

"What else do you do? Other than tinker I mean?" He asks, turning yet another bolt over in his hand. He’d been doing that during his whole ramble of thoughts before, and wasn’t about to stop now. The metal felt nice when it was twirled in between his webbed fingers. Anyways, the question is asked out of genuine curiosity, for this is the only hobby of Fwhip’s he’s ever heard of. He’s sure there’s gotta be at least one more, unless Gem isn’t exaggerated and he really does spend all his free time in here and inside the forge. Which would be rather concerning if true.

"Why do you care?" The half dragon asks, deadpan. He’s deadpan a lot of the time, Jimmy has noticed. Especially when he’s starting to get absorbed in his work like that. Like his brain can only focus on what he’s doing, and doesn’t try to force emotion out when a flat tone will get the job done. Which, yeah, valid honestly. Jimmy wishes he could do that instead of being painfully awkward everyday of his life.

He hums again, an old tune from the Cod Empire. A worker's tune, one they used during particularly long shifts. It had been taught to him over the past few months, and he’d gotten a nasty habit of humming notes of it to fill a silence. "I don't. Your empire's just boring."

"I farm, sometimes." Fwhip admits after a quiet moment of saying nothing, eyes still fixed on his small machine. He seems a little shy about the admission, tone getting a bit quieter when he speaks. The cod even sees a bit of pink color on his face, a smidge of blush if you might. But he decides not to point it out, and tease the half dragon about something else instead.

The blonde's eyes light up with a dumb idea, and Fwhip just knows he's made a mistake by admitting to that. A mistake he feels deep in his very soul. “Farmer Fwhip!” Jimmy exclaims, a cheeky grin now stretching across his face. The half dragon just holds back a groan, and resists the urge to bury his head in his hands. He will not be called something..…..something so stupid like that! He refuses the nickname! Refutes it, even! He especially will not be called that by Jimmy! Farmer fucking Fwhip! Gem would tease him about that forever if she found out (It’s a wonder his twin hasn’t already invented the name herself, really, with how much time he used to spend in the fields.)

"Shut up!" He snaps, cheeks already starting to burn from embarrassment; more than they already were from the admission itself. Though the blush is what makes Jimmy determined to not shut up, a devilish grain stitching across his face. He’s gonna be calling the half dragon Farmer Fwhip till the sun explodes, and that’s a promise.

"Show me the farms then, so I can do something other than deal with you." The cod scoots closer as he speaks (and promptly ignoring the order to shut up, might Fwhip add,) most of the things he’d been fiddling with now abandoned in a small pile. The ginger finally looks up from his work, and down at Jimmy; who is now practically sitting beside his chair. Kinda close, if you asked him, but they both knew the blonde wasn’t moving from there. Even if asked nicely.

"Oh gladly ." Fwhip huffs, putting the tool he’s currently holding down. He has a hunch that progress won’t be happening today, not with a certain fishboy sitting at his side like the puppies do when they want attention. "Next thing tomorrow morning, that's where you're going."

"That's the best thing you've ever said to me." Jimmy quips back, his head resting against the edge of his work desk. Like he owns this damn room and isn’t invading Fwhip’s personal space everytime he puts a foot through the door. He notes that the cod’s hair is getting long again, now trailing down the back of his neck, and makes a mental note to remind him about cutting it later.

"What about you?" Fwhip maneuvers the chair until they’re facing each other, grimacing at the sound of the legs scraping across the wooden boards of the floor. Jimmy feels his fins moved back in displeasure at the sound, but thankfully the chair is moved quickly. Different as the two boys are, their sensory issues remain eerily similar. “What…hobbies do you have?”

Jimmy hums, turning his thoughts over in his head for a minute. He does have hobbies, more than Fwhip probably, he just doesn’t get to do them much anymore. So it takes him a minute to actually remember what he used to do in his free time, before the cod empire happened. "I like building, but I'm not very good at it."

"Figures." Fwhip snorts, shoving his goggles back on his head. He’d kinda forgotten they were over his eyes, only realizing once he noticed that Jimmy was more red-tinted than normal. He fixes any messed up strands of hair while he’s at it, promptly ignoring the offended sounds coming from the cod next to him.

"Hey!" Jimmy’s face turns into a pout rather quickly, and he pokes Fwhip harshly in the leg for that remark. The half dragon decides to ignore that, lest he retaliate by hitting the cod with a wing of his tail. Which he really wants to do and is a really tempting idea, by the way. "I mean I can swim, but that's a fish thing."

Fwhip leans forward a little, chin resting on his palm. He had disliked the closeness earlier, but was now making it worse, for whatever reason. Maybe Jimmy’s uselessness was just that interesting. "So your only talents are building and swimming?"

"You know what my mums like. Fun isn't an option to her, especially not anything too 'boyish.'" Jimmy huffs out, putting air quotes around the last word. His tone is sour, many unpleasant memories from childhood briefly flashing through his mind. “I was only taught to do ‘feminine’ things, like sowing. And I haven't done that in years.”

“Oh yeah. That. Sorry.” Fwhip says, momentarily dropping his earlier tone for a more apologetic one. He probably should’ve come to that conclusion on his own, really, with the Ocean Queen everything . He was a little surprised her children hadn’t spent their formative years locked in white, boring rooms, with how much she seemed to hate anything that wasn’t orderly and proper. A real buzzkill, that's what she was. “But you can sow?”

“Yeah. Lizzie always said I was good at it.” Jimmy says, and then promptly changes the topic to another skill he had. The half dragon makes no comment on it, but he does file the information away in the back of his mind. "I guess I can use a trident too."

"That's….not too bad of a skill. It's kinda useless on land though." Fwhip says, going to poke at the cod’s buttons again now that they’d moved on from a rather sore moment. Also, he would never miss an opportunity to make fun of this guy. Especially one that had been practically handed to him on a platter like this one had.

"I am well aware of that , Fwhip. Thank you very much." Jimmy says, with a quick roll of his eyes. Which, wow, okay, rude . Such disrespect, in his workshop, no less. The cod shifts his position slightly, until he can wrap his tail around his legs comfortably. Fwhip decides to ignore the clink of things being thrown astray by his movement, and figures he can just fix all that later. Ya know, whenever he actually gets around to cleaning and organizing this room. Whenever that may be, if it ever happens at all. (Sadly, being part dragon did make you somewhat of a hoarder. And the autism he probably had didn’t help either.)

"You're welcome." He says, a wide smirk stretching across his features. Those really aren’t the best remarks he’s ever thrown at Jimmy, but they’re something to be proud of. Annoying the cod like this is always funny, and would never not be.

"You cheeky little…." The cod grumbles, narrowing his eyes at the other. Fwhip just continues grinning down at him, even when they lapse into momentary silence. Jimmy starts to hum his little tune again, the one he’d been humming the whole trip, and the half dragon listens until one of them can think of another conversation topic. (Yeah, no more work will be done in here today, that’s for certain…)

“How's Gem?” Jimmy asks, glancing back up at Fwhip. He’s seen the young wizard, sure, but she was busy with her studies. She was always being kept busy, it seemed, and the cod hadn’t really had a chance to check up on her; or spend more than a handful of hours together. He’d known the twins had maken up, but nothing much else, so he couldn’t help but be a little worried. Especially with the… everything he’s seen from this family so far.

“She's doing good.” The half dragon said. His tone sounded far too stressed for the news he was delivering, but Jimmy didn’t have any reason to not believe him. Gem was doing pretty okay, from what he had managed to see. “We've talked but….things still feel rocky.”

“Oh, well that’s better than before!” Jimmy offers a lopsided smile, one that he hopes is reassuring. He wishes he could offer more, knowing how nasty their fight was. But, without knowing all the details (one’s Fwhip definitely doesn’t want to talk about,) it really is the best way he can respond right now.

“Yeah, I guess.” Fwhip sighs, resisting the urge to run a slightly stressed hand over his face. His whole household had been like….what Jimmy was seeing for a bit now, and the fight with Gem had only made it worse as of late. Even if they had made up already. “Thanks for…being concerned with my family stuff, but you don’t have to be. I can handle it on my own.”

“Think of it as repayment, for helping with my mum.” Jimmy just shrugs nonchalantly, fiddling with yet another screw between his fingers. The seventh one he’d randomly found on the floor, if he remembers correctly. He might’ve moved away from his little pile, but there was still more junk nearby; there always was in this room. “And no, I don’t think you can.”

“Whatever.” Fwhip huffs, but he appreciates the sentiment anyways. The half dragon doesn’t say so, or even give any indication that he actually does, but Jimmy just has a hunch. A hunch supported by how the half dragon isn’t short with him when he responds. (He is getting close enough to Fwhip to tell some of his mannerisms now, dear cod.)

“I like it here.” Jimmy says, his gaze moving to focus on a wall for a minute. The one wall in this room that’s not full of shelves of stuff. It’s a good point to stare at when you wanna zone out, or not look at anyone else. He wouldn’t be surprised if Fwhip does that often.

“...You do?” The half dragon asks, sounding a little surprised. The cod can’t really blame him for sounding that way either. He’d spent the whole trip clearly miserable and bored out of mind, or awkward due to any of the weird family dynamic stuff. And don’t get him wrong, all of those things sucked, but that didn’t stop him from liking the manor. (It was a lot better than his house so far, something they could both probably agree on.)

“Yeah,” The cod responds, feeling the smallest smile starting to stretch across his face. One of the first real ones he’s had since he got here, he thinks. Certainly the first real one he’d sported all day, that’s for sure. “Feels easier to be myself here, y’know?”

“Yeah, I know..” Fwhip mutters, the prior surprise in his voice now having faded into something softer. Something in his gaze is softer now too, now that he’s looking at the cod. Jimmy ignores how his stomach flutters at that and keeps on talking.

“I finally feel like I’m not faking.” He says, remembering how all the weight had vanished from his shoulders when he’d left the Palace. He was always walking on eggshells back at home, trying to not upset his mother too horribly and also keep things civil with Lizzie. Which was an impossible task. His mere existence seemed to upset the Ocean Queen, and Lizzie was so frustratingly neutral about everything wrong with their family. Here, in the Grimlands, it feels like he can finally breathe. It feels like he can finally just exist without worrying too much, and that's a luxury Jimmy doesn't want to take for granted anytime soon.

“That’s good.” Fwhip says, his tone still soft around the edges; even though he’s back to making fun of the cod. A weird mix to be sure, but certainly not an unwelcome one. It's better than whatever yesterday was, that's for sure. “But you’re still a faker the rest of the time.”

Jimmy feels a real laugh start to bubble out of him, and he stops fixing all his attention on the wall, and turns it back to Fwhip. “You are too!” The half dragon has that cheeky grin on his face when the cod looks at him again, and Jimmy wants to smack it right off his stupid face once more.

Right as the blonde says that is when the door swings open, and Gem is sauntering into the room before either of them know what’s happening. Both boys jump at her arrival, startled, and Fwhip almost falls out of his chair in the process. Jimmy’s too busy being scared to laugh at him. “I don’t know what you two are talking about, but you can be fakers together.” His sister, however, is not too busy to laugh, and her words end up muffled towards the end. Fwhip says nothing, just glares at the wizard while he rights himself in the chair once more.

“Hi Gem!” The cod says, once he’s done being startled by her entrance. He flashes the wizard a grin, genuinely getting excited to see her. It’s not often they did talk in person after all, which made her scarce presence around the manor even more disappointing than it normally would’ve been. But she’s here now! Yay!

“Hi Jimmy!” Gem returns his smile, shutting the workshop’s door behind her. Her wizard’s hat is perched atop her head once again, though the cape has now vanished to who knows where. Probably because of the heat, which reminds Jimmy that the future Count is still insane and still wearing a thick black coat, even when the humidity is making ninety degrees feel like a hundred and two.

Fwhip parrots his sister with a giggle, running a hand through his hair; fixing any strands that had gotten messed up in his near fall. His tail smacks across the floor absentmindedly, but the sound is quickly swallowed by all the other noises around it. Which is mainly the three of them talking. “We’re fakers together, huh?”

The young wizard walks further into the room, kicking a few spare screws and stuff out of the way as she walks. Fwhip doesn't even bother glaring at her for that, well used to his sister disrespecting his organized chaos. “Yep! You’re always being fake about something!”

“Am not!” Fwhip protests, wings almost flaring out behind him. Jimmy couldn’t help but smile at the twins' exchange, and also be glad he wasn't the only one taking the mick out of Fwhip anymore; or being the only one who enjoyed doing so. Finally, an ally in his never ending quest to annoy the half dragon to death.

“Yeah you are!” Gem says, leaning an arm against his chair. She invades her brother’s personal space in the process, to annoy him further of course. He moves away as if on instinct, and Gem leans further against the chair in response. The half dragon moves away again, seeming content to play this game until she leans too far or he falls out of the chair. Jimmy would rather that not happen though, because one of the twins would probably end up falling on top of him. And he likes not being crushed into a pulp, thank you very much.

“She’s got a point there.” Jimmy chimes in, an amused smile stretched across his face. Gem shares a gleeful look with him, clearly also excited to have a partner in crime, just like he is. Annoying the half dragon was just too funny of a hobby for many people in his life to pass up, it seemed. Which worked out wonderfully for everyone but him.

“I am being bullied and harassed right now.” Fwhip huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. A small pout formed on his face as well, leading Gem to playfully punch him in the arm. All she got in a response was a nasty but clearly not very serious look, leading to nothing but laughter at the half dragon. The ginger grumbled something under his breath, and pouted until the laughter died down. Which certainly didn’t help his sister and Jimmy’s giggling in the slightest, and only prolonged his misery even further.

“Now that you’re in here, entertain fishboy for me?” Fwhip says once the two are done bullying him, turning back around in his desk; chair momentarily scraping against the floor once again. Jimmy sticks his tongue out at the half dragon, and though he couldn't see it, Fwhip was absolutely aware that he was doing it. The cod didn’t really know how, but he just was. His response was a middle finger, which just made the Ocean prince roll his eyes and stick his tongue out harder.

“But I thought you liked being around Jimmy~?” Gem teased, ignoring the two boy's exchange beside her. Jimmy gave her a look , which she either didn’t see or was also ignoring. Though, now that he thought about it, looking at her like that was not helping the crush allegations. Much like every other interaction they had on this trip, sadly.

Curiously, Fwhip’s face turned a slight shade of pink at her words. For his own sanity and mental well being, and probably fwhip’s as well, Jimmy was not going to dissect that and just assume it was from being embarrassed and teased. “Not when I’m working.”

“Uh-huh.” Gem said skeptically, raising an eyebrow at her brother. The looks he gave him said more than enough, and the half dragon just gave a scoff. Jimmy shifted where he sat, feeling embarrassed the longer this went on, well aware of what Gem was implying. Her suspicion that they were secretly dating was never not going to fluster him, really. But at least it had stopped being mortifying as of late, for whatever reason.

“I don’t even like you when I'm working.” Fwhip reasons, pointing a wrench at his sister.

“Whatever.” Gem huffs, taking a seat on the floor a few inches away from Jimmy. Fwhip, figuring trying to work on anything would be futile once more, turns the chair for the third time that day until he can face both the guests. The scraping of the legs against the floor is now a sound that fades into the background, being overtaken by the sounds of people shuffling into more comfortable positions and new, curious questions being asked.

“Hey guys?” Jimmy asks, tail twitching idly where it rests. He can feel himself getting slight pins and needles from sitting still for too long, and makes a mental note to get up and move around soon. Or at least switch positions, lest he get too antsy.Gem looks over at him curiously, head now resting against her knees.

“Yeah?” Her hair falls over her face a bit, and it’s the first time Jimmy notices her hair is not in braids. He doesn’t know how he didn’t see it before, really, since that was how she wore her hair about ninety percent of the time. Maybe her surprise entrance had just startled him that much..

“Why do you sometimes bind your wings?” He glances between the two twins as he asks the questions, finding his anxiety from the very start of the trip returning. The one he’d felt when he’d first seen Fwhip. He doesn’t know why it’s back right now specifically, and isn’t interested in finding out why either. “Not to be insensitive or anything, I’m just curious.”

“It keeps them from getting in the way in the forge, and keeps them uninjured. Sometimes I just forget to unbind them.” Fwhip says, said wings moving slightly behind him as he talks about the appendages. Jimmy nods at the explanation. It makes sense. From what he’d seen of the forge it was small, and had a lot of dangerous materials inside it. And badly injuring a wing can have some pretty nasty, potentially even life long, consequences.

“Binding one's wings back used to be a cultural thing for half dragons long ago, but it’s not really practiced anymore. There’s a book on it somewhere in the Cliffs.” Gem explains, her own wings unconsciously twitching as she talks; just like her brother’s did. Other than that, they are mostly still sat behind her. “I also do it for safety and movement reasons. The Cliffs weren’t really made to accommodate people with wings.”

“Ah, okay.” Jimmy nods. That makes sense as well. He’d only been to the Cliffs once, but from what he remembered the hallways were decently narrow, and he can only imagine how small the classrooms and libraries that Gem spends most of her time in are. Especially if there’s more winged people occupying them at the same time. “Does it hurt?”

“Only when you do it for too long,” Gem responds first this time, and then pauses, as if looking for a better way to describe the feeling. “Like when you wear a chest binder for too long, or a brace.” Is what she eventually settles on, and it makes all the information click a lot better in the cod’s head than it had been.

Jimmy nods again, now able to understand what binding one’s wings for too long might feel like. He’s had experiences with wearing both a binder and a brace for too long, and is quite familiar with the pain, discomfort, and possible conditions that can come with overusing them. He imagines those feelings are amplified by ten though, with how big half dragon wings can get, and how decently sized the twins are right now.

With that now done and over, Fwhip switches the topic. His gaze focuses in on his sister, and the overall feel of the room seems to hinge on whatever she says next. Which is totally reassuring and not nerve wracking at all. “Where were you earlier, by the way? You didn’t answer your com.”

“Oh, sorry about that,” Gem says, immediately sounding uncertain of herself, and how she should answer that question. Like she has to walk on eggshells about this topic. Something else that is also very assuring and not nerve wracking at all. “I was with mom.”

“Oh. Joyous.” The half dragon snorted, clearly sarcastic. The mention of his mother was obviously not a welcome thing, depending on the day and the time; something Jimmy has never related to more in his life. Mothers tended to be unpleasant like that, it seemed. Or, at the very least, they were very good at being so when they weren’t meant to be.

“Fwhip.” The young wizard switches into scolding mode immediately, which the cod knows will do nothing but upset her brother more. Fwhip doesn't like being scolded, for a large variety of complicated reasons, especially over topics like this. Everyone who knows him knows this. You think Gem would’ve learned that by now, really, after literally being related to and living with him for over half her little life. “Don’t be like that in front of-”

“He’s dealt with worse, trust me.” The half dragon snorted, barely sparring the young cod a glance. Jimmy says nothing, just kinda….sitting there as the two half dragons glare at each other. They seem to be having some sort of nonverbal argument, one in place of anything they wanted to say out loud. And, while the cod didn’t know what either of them were thinking right now, he felt more than a little inclined to side with Fwhip here. As crazy as that sentence was.

Jimmy had seen Gem and her mother around, on the first day or so of his stay. (Though she did have to leave before her brief return earlier that evening.) And he recognized instantly what was happening there, with the two of them and Fwhip. He didn't even have to think about it, even see them have a fight to understand. It was the way they all acted when in a room, the way they glanced at each other and the words held back because of the guests currently present. He sees the tension around the family, and knows it's thick enough to be cut with a butter knife.

He sees part of his own mother in the Head Wizard when she’s around, and has to stop himself from being curt and rude with her for no reason. Well, no reason in her eyes, at least. He sees so much of Lizzie and her behavior in Gem, Jimmy has to stop himself from slinging so many words at her. Or punching a poor innocent wall to let out all his pent up rage and frustration and pain. The pillows in his guest room aren't that good of a substitute, sadly.

The only other person in the family is Grimland’s Count, and he barely sees the man. Jimmy thinks his children see him the same amount, if not less. Jimmy’s almost glad he has no horrible father figure to compare that man to, or else he thinks this trip would be fully insufferable. And again, he can only destroy so many pillows before people start asking why all his pillows have claw marks in them.

He brings himself out of his thoughts as the two twins stop glaring at each other, and Gem turns to ask him something. Something about how things have been at home, or something about Lizzie. The cod doesn't hear what she says, still a little out of it, and has to ask for the question to be repeated. Once they managed to get his attention, that is, because the wall was starting to look like a mighty interesting thing to study.

Fwhip says nothing as the two of them sit on the floor of his workshop, chatting slowly. The tension doesn’t really dissipate for the rest of the day, even after dinner and everything. Jimmy goes to bed that night with a small knot in his stomach, still on edge from that one small moment. There had been so many unspoken feelings between Gem and her brother, and the simple knowledge of it felt just as suffocating as living it had to be.

He lays down to at least try and get some sleep, and his bed feels strangely empty that night. Jimmy doesn’t know what else would quell that feeling, and hopes the unease that’s filling him will be gone when he wakes up. (And figures that it probably won’t.)

#ron.fic #jimmy solidarity #fwhimmy #empires smp #fwhip #FORGOT THIS WAS POSTING UNTIL NOW. WHOOPSIES #ily (im not supossed too)#empiresshipping #Copy pasting this on mobile is hell 💔

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