#i think he and the other beasts would be more or less similar to discord

[98chao]

me: im gonna take a break from drawing today!

also me: DRAW THESE BITCHES AS PONIES

ive literally never drawn mlp art a day in my life. What is wrong with me

[dystopiandilfs]

Dream's discord podcast. Basically him answering questions for 2.5 hours. This will sort of be in order but I fucked up my notes so it might not be in order completely. (From 13th May 2021)

For reference the photos at the end are: A prototype of fidget spinner merch as loads of people asked, a reference photo of his favourite merch and a photo he sent of his hair to prove he wasn't a brunette.

•He said his teeth are mostly straight but he's thought about getting Invisalign. He's never had braces. He has a tiny gap in the left side of his mouth and his canines are longer and sharper (vampire arc). He's never had teeth surgery so has his wisdom teeth still.

•He thinks pineapple on pizza is good.

•He likes seafood like lobster and crab. He had crab made in an air fryer last night. He like peas. He thinks quesadillas are good and likes most food.

•He hates Coffee and most drinks

•The Dream Shorts team is Ken who is his personal reminder (Ken's main job is to spam him with texts so he doesn't forget things as he's got a habit of reading texts and not replying) and also comes up with a list of sets for Dream shorts. The builder is a friend and munchymc builder "his talent gets wasted on Dream's shorts but we pay him so"

•His editors are currently Dizzy, Firesale and Mjcr. Willz doesn't edit for him anymore

•The mask animation isn't done but Mask should be released May 21st. He wants to release them together as "the whole song is a double meaning and the whole nuance will be lost without the animation" but no matter if the animation is done the song is getting released on the 21st.

•He and Sapnap eat together often.

•He and Sapnap prefer medium rare Steak

•He wants a home gym it's something he's willing to splurge on. They currently have a weight rack but they haven't even set it up.

•"Eat the rich? Shut up shut up" - Dream

•Talked about money basically saying "Most people don't understand how money works I don't have millions in my bank account it's in assets like merch, land and warehousing for that stuff" (He's not in his landlord arc)

•He's been debating Pride Merch because of Rainbow Capitalism. He doesn't want it too be seen as a money maker and if he does most proceeds would go to charity. He's currently super busy merch wise with Sapnap joining and George in the middle of joining. He did say "Only if the LGBTQ+ community in this community wants it" He thinks he's going to at least change the merch website to a pride one. Sapnap wants to make pride merch including a rainbow flame on his.

•He wants to create a charity that's centered around helping LGBTQ+ one day because he thinks that there's a lack of them. He mentioned that creating a charity was expensive and took a lot and was a complicated process including a board of directors but he wants to do it someday.

•He wanted to buy a bunch of houses in Florida which was a service to house mostly LGBTQ+ youth and people stuck in abusive households for free to get them out of bad home environments. But he didn't because he didn't want people thinking he was profiting of of abuse victims and LGBTQ+ community.

•He said he's terrible with time management and replying to people which is why Ken helps him (and also helps George and Sapnap). He mentioned how Sam messaged multiple times and Dream just forgot to answer but felt bad "I feel like people think I hate them..... Cause I'd be mad if people did that to me"

•He tries to reply to a few texts a day (community number). He also can't do birthday messages everyday because you can only reply at certain times so it's not abusing the system so if you get one it's special. He said he does try but it's got a weird time gap.

•Him and the manhunt winner are trying to come up with a good time to film

•He wants to stream this MCC on twitch and says his team is good.

•He talks about why he's not partnered with Twitch. Basically Twitch has a lock rate (in which you make money) and you legally can't stream on YouTube. So legally if Tommy wanted to stream on YouTube he couldn't. Someone then mentioned how Bad is a twitch partner but still streams on YouTube "Bad streams on YouTube but he has for a while and I don't think that he cares" - Dream

•He likes to reply to every donation he gets on stream and feels bad when he doesn't so he'll turn them off when he streams and wants a platform deal where he can be payed to stream (not twitch). If he gets a streaming partnership he will stream a couple of times a week. He looked in to Facebook but they don't have an alias system meaning you can see everyone's actual Facebook account and personal info, he doesn't like seeing real names on Facebook so it would require a lot of altering if he was to stream there so he's thinking it's probably going to be YouTube.

•He was asked about if his demographic was what he expected and he said he went in with no expectations, he didn't even know what stans were, wasn't really on social media so he wasn't aware of the fan culture. "You guys are a handful sometimes but it's worth it"

•He also mentioned how he and the DreamSMP changed the twitch audience demographic. It used to be male dominated in both streamers and audience and now it's almost split which is unheard on.

•He has 5 fidget spinners in his house. Two in his bedroom. Two in his office. One in the living room.

•He likes his Minecraft skin as he thinks the arm is cook and you never see the rest of his skin really. He says it's unique and different and "me". Dream: You can't even tell half the skins apart on MC.

•He's not lost the motivation to stream. Most of the times if he wants to stream he gets George or Sapnap to do it and he just turns up. It's more beneficial to them as they have donos and subs on. (Don't we fucking know it "can you say hi to")

•He has listened to Lovejoy. Says the ep was great and they're very talented and awesome. Doesn't know what his favourite song is but probably would pick One Day because the chorus slaps.

•RIP to acoustic Roadtrip. He said instead of acoustic Roadtrip we get Mask so no losses today for Dream stans.

•"With Roadtrip I went to Parker and I said Hey I have a story I want to tell through music. I have no experience with that can you help me" He said sure. He crafted the music and melodies and how things are formed where it's catchy. I have less comfort singing that. I love the song and it's my song, it's very representative of me and I'm sure I could sing it but it's a song I'd be kinds of scared to sing live, with Mask I basically did everything. I sat there the entire time and maybe an hour out if the 100 I wasn't in the call. Dream came up with the lyrics and main melody for Mask (First one he's ever come up with) "That was just notes in my fucking voice memos"

•The clip we heard of Mask was a prechorus not the actual chorus. He thinks he'd be more comfortable to do a mask acoustic and it's more melodic than Roadtrip. The chorus also has a lot of instruments similar to Roadtrip. Mask starts of slow and guitar with minimal reverb and is more raw.

• He doesn't want music to be his main thing. It's something fun to do and he's passionate about it as it's a way to express emotions. He wants to release mask then go from there. He wants to release at least one more song but has nothing on his mind currently. His two ideas were Roadtrip and Mask.

•He wouldn't quit his job to become a pizza delivery man.

•His favourite features on himself are eyes or freckles and he also confirmed that he does have eyebrows.

•He was told that Parkour warrior would be bought back some time in the near future and he got excited for it. "Even if I don't win, which I will, it'll be fun"

•Went on about his MCC team but I'm not going to put that in as we should be getting them today. He did say he wasn't on Pink but he did sound confused. (For reference he's always in Pink as it's the last team announced and keeps the hype up by announcing the biggest streamer last)

•Said he and his mum had the Mr Beast burger. He recommends because he likes the avacado. He mentioned how Mr Beast uses "Ghost Kitchens" which is basically where he gives restaurants permission to cook his food so it's restaurant quality food.

•His favourite piece of merch is the circle smile. (The pool photo on Instagram). He said the quality was bad (he worked with a different company and didn't have his own company) and it was elasticy feeling and he's planning on re-releasing it again but with good quality.

•He's started to send merch out in custom packaging. So his bags have the smile and will mostly be green. Sapnap's has the flame and is either black or white. He's also trying to make it so every order has the sticker packs for both him and Sapnap.

•He loves the coins as it's cheaper than a hoodie but still celebrates the milestones and will last a long time. He mentioned how the old coins are getting removed off the site and how if you have any of the coins your special because only a few thousand get made. He's kept around 100 of each coin that he wants to give away in person.

•He wanted to have a cool store where you could access computers that give you access to the DreamSMP in spectator mode. But it's too costly and would require too much time and isn't safe fight now. He doesn't think it'd be worth it financially.

•Most of the hoodie are black instead of multiple colours because of limited supply and covid. Getting the colours are harder because if the pandemic which hopefully won't be an issue soon.

•He wants to do a short meetup tour with Sapnap and George with a few locations in the US (and if others nearby want to join like Quackity or Karl they can). He also wants to visit Australia, UK, Canada, Mexico and Philippines and do something like that there but definitely at least visit with George and Sapnap.

•He's never been to the Philippines but his mum has. He wants to set up a place in the Philippines where he can ship merch in bulk and it would help to reduce shipping. However it would probably be big milestone merch.

•He's not got the vaccine yet but will get it when he needs to. He doesn't leave the house so he doesn't see the point.

•He's the ideas man. George's footcam video was Dream's idea. The T-shirt video was Dream's idea. Most if not all of the Dream Team's videos are Dream's ideas.

•Said he's got a similar/the same hair colour as Froy (Dream buddy at this point the only difference between you and Froy is that one of you is dating Richard Madden /lh)

[gleam-and-darken]

I’ve been listening to the Divine Beast themes and trying to figure them out and ohhhhhhh boy did Nintendo pop off on these, yes I am about to ramble out an essay of my headcanons based on the music so be prepared

1. The SOS. By now, it’s fairly common knowledge that the divine beasts contain an SOS, as well as the fact that Revali’s is last. However, there are multiple other little details about the volume, timing, and delivery of the signals that I’d like to point out, and propose my take on the subject.

Mipha’s SOS comes immediately, before the music even starts, and is the loudest and easiest signal to hear. It’s possible she did this when Waterblight appeared, as most people say, but I like to think she actually sent out her signal when she first saw how corrupted the Divine Beast was. She was a new pilot, the beast wasn’t supposed to be covered in malice, Vah Ruta was in pain, Mipha panicked. She wanted someone who knew what was happening to help her, as soon as possible. In every Divine Beast, the SOS repeats - they were likely programmed to send the message over and over to make sure it wasn’t missed - but the recorded cycle for her is only ten seconds long, which is far shorter than any if the other champions’. It’s likely she died the fastest.

Daruk’s SOS also comes immediately, but is much quieter than Mipha’s. Similar to the zora princess, he was largely unfamiliar with the divine beast but still recognized that something wasn’t quite right. However, he was less prone to panicking, and thought it wasn’t worth distracting the other champions, especially since they were all getting ready to fight Calamity Ganon himself. His signal reads more like a “hey guys, something’s going on over here, so whenever you get the time I’d appreciate a little help.” It’s far less urgent, and quiet enough that he maybe didn’t even want the others to notice, so as not to distract them. His signal is almost constant, which makes sense, since his protection meant he could survive a long time. The problem was, he didn’t deal enough damage quick enough.

Urbosa’s SOS is also immediate, at a volume in between Mipha and Daruk. She recognized the urgency of the issue and that she would need backup, but she was able to keep herself from panicking. It is also consistent, and intermingles with the search and destroy (SAD) signal multiple times without changing pace or volume. She was able to hold her own against all of the monsters within the Divine Beast. Well... all but one.

Revali’s SOS is famous for coming around late - about fifteen seconds in. Unlike the other champions, he didn’t send a signal when he saw the corrupted beast; rather, he waited until he knew he was doomed, as Windblight appeared. Even so, his message has about the same urgency as Urbosa’s, maybe even less. He was still proud, or maybe he’d already realized that no help would come for him. There’s even a possibility that he received the SOS signals from the other champions through his Divine Beast, and made his own signal quieter so they wouldn’t worry about him. Interestingly, unlike Daruk and Urbosa, his signal does not loop consistently. After fifteen seconds of it playing, there is a very obvious gap in both the SOS and the SAD transmissions. His pride led to him dying very quickly as well.

2. The beginning music. All of the Divine Beasts have a distinct theme that plays throughout and picks up in intensity as you gather more terminals, with the final terminal resulting in the music greatly increasing in speed as you go to face the blight. However, in all of the beasts, the theme when you first enter is very different from the theme that plays when you begin activating terminals. The way I interpret it, this is how the champions felt at the time of their death, when there was no hope of rescuer whatsoever.

Vah Ruta’s beginning theme is the closest thing to what could be called “music” in any of them; while the chords are still dissonant and follow a loose excuse for a pattern, they can still be followed as some sort of music. The fairly light chords reflect how Mipha was young, innocent, and far more grief stricken than angry over her death. The opening is much more obviously sad than that of the other beasts, as Mipha mourns how she’ll never be able to see any of the people she loves ever again.

Vah Rudania’s beginning is quieter, similar to his SOS signal. The chords play almost in the background, Daruk’s feelings buried under the mechanical sounds of the beast and the Calamity. His tune is sparse but unhappy, seeming more disgruntled and angry at his death than sad. His anger is harder to hear, like he’s choosing to let it simmer inside of him as opposed to letting it out.

Vah Naboris’ opening is much more violent and obviously angry than all of the others. It sounds more like someone furiously smashing the keys on a piano than a clear musical theme. Urbosa wasn’t sad at her death - she was outraged. She made no attempt to hide her feelings; there’s a reason her ability is called Urbosa’s Fury. Still, it’s almost more of a begrudging anger, like she knows that all of her outrage is powerless in death.

Vah Medoh’s entrance is both discordant like Urbosa’s and light like Mipha’s. He was angry that he’d been killed, but still mournful of his young death and losing his chance at a full life. His theme doesn’t follow any musical pattern, reflecting how jumbled his thoughts were at the time of his death and after. His mismatched chords reflect a sense of confusion as well; how could he possibly have died so quickly?

3. The main theme. As stated previously, once you get the map from the Divine Beast, the music becomes much more consistent. In most (if not all) of the beasts, the SOS confines, but it’s much less apparent. Each theme reflects how the champions’ attitudes change once they realize Link is finally saving them.

Mipha’s would be expected to be the happiest, since the one she loves has finally returned, but her theme is instead the saddest of all. Even though she is being saved at last, she knows that she’ll never have the chance to be with Link, especially since he doesn’t remember her. Her theme is faster than it was before the first terminal was activated, conveying a sense of urgency alongside her despair. It’s almost as if she’s saying “you shouldn’t be here.”

Daruk’s music picks up fairly quickly once Link has started making his way through Vah Rudania. Of all the Divine Beast themes, his is the only one with a hopeful chord progression. He wholeheartedly believes that Link will be able to save both him and his people. Furthermore, he’s willing to put aside any of his own feelings the moment he realizes someone else is there.

Urbosa’s theme drops most of the fury she had for the first portion and shifts a bit into her usually regality. Still, it’s very sparse compared to the myriad of mechanical noises in the music. She’s still angry, but letting it simmer in silence instead of bombarding Link with it. Her instruments come in more as the terminals are activated, gaining life as her faith in Link overcoming her old foe and her desire for revenge overcomes her want to let her anger continue brewing. By the end, her theme is playing consistently with the mechanical sounds, showing how she has decided to stand up and fight once again instead of spending all her time resenting her own loss.

Revali’s music doesn’t necessarily sound particularly happy or sad; rather, it feels like him slowly trying to overcome both his confusion and his hatred of Link. The music stays fairly low, but occasionally rises only to go right back down as he dares to believe Link can save him before remembering no, if he was killed by that creation of Ganon so quickly, then Link doesn’t even stand a chance against him. Still, the theme is always there, showing his interest in Link’s progress and want to always keep an eye on how he’s doing. He always holds on to some form of hope, even if he’d never admit it out loud.

[ramble-writes]

Better With Practice

O lord please don’t mind me. It was a convo that I started randomly with @franks-mixtape over discord about our Franks and how weird their interactions are. It’s either some weird ass relationship, or chaotic af brothers of some sort... Or something else I dunno. This is going off the brother thing sooooo don’t mind me! *scuttles off* And thanks for letting me ramble about it bro.

----

Breath coming fast.

Heart beating rapidly.

Legs forced to move faster.

Midnight black locks whipped at Frank’s forehead as he ran, emerald green eyes were nothing but a ring around blown pupils as his eyes scanned the darkened forest that whizzes by him. Boots dig into the ground and arms move like jackhammers to propel him forward. Teeth are bared as he pants for air, his heart loud in his ears as he strains to listen for what’s got him to run.

There, off to his right, he heard the sound of thundering steps running beside him. Frank vaulted over a downed log, catching a glimpse of the shape chasing. Large and big in shape, the slight glint of long teeth caught in what little light is breaking through the branches from the half moon in the sky, and vibrant amber eyes focused right on him while dodging oncoming the brambles on the ground.

His legs burned as he changed course with a sharp turn to his left at a large trunk of a tree. The thing behind him followed in suit, a growl reaching his ears despite the wind howling loudly. The thing hung back, not making an attempt to catch up any quicker which irked the raven-haired 19 year old. Raising his voice as much as his lungs would allow, he shouted over his shoulder to the thing.

“C’mon ya big bastard! I know you can run faster than that slow shit!”

That seemed to set it off. The beast quickened its pace, its own breath coming fast as it sped up that it was close enough to just snag the back of Frank’s jacket. But it didn’t. The rumbling sound stopped, meaning it jumped. He knew this by how the hairs on the back of his neck raised up like an alert and he did the one thing he was told: He drops down onto the ground like a rock.

The large mass of a creature sailed over him, but he snapped back up like a sprinter out of the blocks and pounced onto the thing. Hands were quick to take a hold of thick fur in a vice like grasp to hold on. The thing under him let out a snarl as it veered to ram its back to a tree to knock him off. But Frank was quicker than that. His arm wrapped around its thick neck and took a hold of the fur on the other side and yarded on it hard.

The beast yelped and its feet stumbled under its body. They both took a hard tumble to the ground, the wind getting knocked out of Frank when it landed on him along with his back connecting with the ground below them. Just because he took a hard fall, his grip on the creature didn’t let up, muscles locked up like the jaws of a dog. His legs moved to wrap around its waist the moment it rolled onto its side and his ankles twisted together to hold. It started to struggle, trying to stand to shake him off to gain the upper ground. This made Frank let out a snarl between his teeth that canines just barely poked at his bottom lip.

“Oh no you fucking don’t! I ain’t finished with your ass yet flea bag!”

It snarled as it did its best to twist its head around to snap at him, but his other arm came around to take a hold of his wrist in a lock and pulled his arms towards himself. Muscle under fur rippled at the sudden strangulation when Frank’s arm tucked right under its chin where less muscling is to protect it. The beast let out a choked sound before using one of its appendages to slap the ground a few times.

“ACK! Let go!”

“SAY THE WORDS DAMN IT!!”

“Mer-” A gasp for a breath. “MERCY!!”

A grin spread across Frank’s pale features, but as the rules go, his limbs detangled and let the thing go. It stumbled up onto its feet with gasps before looking at the smiling teen who proceeds to roll onto his back with arms tucked behind his head like the smug bastard he is.

“Lighten up Morri, I won fair and square. Your dumbass just calculated your shit wrong.”

Morri, as the now identifiable wolf, lets out a huff as he sat down. Thing is, the wolf’s form shifted to that of a human upon sitting. Same age, similar facial structure, but different in his own way. The now human Morri let out a sigh as he rubbed at his neck.

“Geez. Ya didn’t have to pull so hard like that, Frank. Any harder and you might’ve bruised something.”

“What. You gonna be a pussy about it? Your neck is literally thicker than my waist! You’ll live if you stop being such a bitch baby about it.”

That made Morri scoffed. Now thinking, even though these two just met about a month ago, it still was pretty weird as all shit to address him as the same name they share. Talk about parents with shit tastes in names. It’s why he says to just go by Morri, a shortened version of the last name they both share, or just Morrison. Either way, it was one way to call them both out if needed.

Frank glanced over, with the little light peaking through, he can see Morri muttering to himself. Of course, keen ears picked up what was said, but when it comes to his half-brother, he ain’t one to pry for information unless shits serious. His chest expanded with a breath, then let out as a sigh. He got himself up onto his feet, brushing dirt off from his ass and his back, then went over and held out his hand towards Morrison.

The russet-haired boy looks up to the other, amber meeting emerald before glancing down to the hand held out to him, to the hints of a tattoo sleeve of roses. Letting his hand drop from his neck, he took a hold and Frank took a step back to haul Morri to his feet with a grunt. Now standing, it’s easy to see the two are the same height. Many kids looking at the two would say they’re fraternal twins or something. Same name, same flaming jester skull tattoo on the neck, but whereas Frank is pale, Morri is a bit tan. Hair color was another thing. Russet to raven black. Though, the sibling thing was right. Same dead beat father that didn’t give two shits, but different moms.

Frank was only half of what Morri is. Werewolf. He couldn’t shift like the other, but sight, smell, hearing, and other things were enhanced. Morrison was full werewolf. Able to shift from human to wolf in seconds with, thankfully, clothes on. Other than that, they see each other as full on brothers. Who the fuck cares about the differences? They don’t.

“Ey, bro. You mind if I crash at your place for a bit? Clive is giving me shit again.”

Morri blinked at that, but nodded. “You know you’re always welcome. Swear though, one of these days I’m gonna rip the bastards throat out.”

Frank chuckled at that and looped an arm around Morri’s shoulders. “I wouldn’t mind that. Fuck. I’d even watch that happen. You wanna know what the fucker does with the checks he gets from family services?! He-”

“Spends it on alcohol. I know. Half the time I can smell it on you. And you’ve told me this, multiple times.”

Well that made Frank shut up. But he sighed and nodded. Morrison chuckled a bit, then rested his own arm over the other’s shoulders as they made their way through the forest to the dark street of Ormond.

“At least you’re getting better. The more practice, the better. Soon enough you just might be able to fight me head on,” Morri said, changing the subject. This pulled a slight smile from Frank at that.

“Yeah? Me being able to kick your ass without running? Siiick.”

The wolf listened as his other half rambled about how cool it’ll be to fight without any given leverage. Banter was thrown as they made their way to Morrison’s current foster home, acting like as if they haven’t been separate for 19 years. Safe to say, this felt normal. Like it should’ve been.

[gofancyninjaworld]

Meta: What rough beast slouches to be born?

Right, webcomic chapter 125 has raised quite a few questions about cyborgs and I purposely left it aside. Until now.  I’m sorry for the length, but I’m only allowed one ‘readmore’. :(

What we knew

Many moons ago for us, 9 or so weeks ago for them, Genos showed up at Saitama’s doorstep like a refugee from another world, telling a tale of destroyed towns, rampaging cyborgs, and desperate revenge quests.   It’s seemed rather far-fetched, particularly as not much has happened on that front.   Over the course of the story, we’ve had little bits of independent corroboration about the veracity of his story.  The town that he was born in was definitely erased from the map.  Yes, a cyborg is wanted in connection with the incident. 

But where is that guy? Does it have anything to do with the powered suit-flogging cyborgs seen early on the series? Does it have anything to do with the ‘glimpse behind the scenes’ chapter the manga offered us with Drive Knight (but no context as to how that glimpse fitted into the wider story)?  Come to that, where are all the cyborgs?

To start with, there are a lot of cyborgs of various sorts in OPM.  Quite a few moons ago, I wrote a bit about them, drawing a distinction between those who used parts to replace lost function and those who looked at it as a change of identity: “Is the Organization a Claw Analogue?”

 Chapter 125 has been surprisingly good about confirming some of what I surmised about cyborgs, but it’s brought some very good additional information!  On we go!

There are cyborgs; and then there are Cyborgs

Our ambassador through the world of cyborgs is new Neo Hero recruit Koko (Solitude), who modified his body for the world of cyborg fighting, only he was a little too successful and no one would bet on him.  We see him scanning various people and passing commentary on them.

The first to give him serious pause is Webigaza, who lost six months of life to getting her body modifications done -- no wonder she’s pissed off that her rival has self-destructed in the interim.

Koko is shaken by her having 71% of her body modified.

obsessive determination is terrifying to look at

Percentage body modification of the sort Koko is used to seeing, 30% maximum, you can do right here right here and now.  It’s equivalent to losing a leg and most of the other. Here and now, we can also do brain implants to control tremors or fits or some neurological conditions,  replace part of the heart, spine fusions, quite a few bits and pieces.  The sort of modifications Koko is used to seeing are very functional ones that make sense for someone looking to get an edge in fighting for money.  They’re also along the lines of what we’ve seen with One-Shotter or Death Gatling.

If you lose and replace all four limbs, that's 50% of your body modified. While quadruple amputees unfortunately exist IRL,  I don’t know if anyone has had the kind of money, physical fitness and pure grit to do that.  Nevertheless it’s not technically impossible. 60% sounds about right before you're now looking at breaking into the more vital parts of your body.  The point at which the risk involved just can't be justified in terms of restoring function or health. I’m emphasising that because I’m going to come back to this point.   He’s shaken because modifications that extensive aren’t about simply gaining an edge; they’re being willing to exchange serious bodily harm for serious power.  It says a lot about who Webigaza is.

Within the Hero Association, I think we do know a hero round about that 60% mark.  Jet Nice Guy comes to mind.  He sports an armored exterior, powerful artificial limbs (which will need internal reinforcement to not just rip up his body), but his innards are all human. After the way he started to bleed out after Nyan slashed him, I realised that the reason it looked like intestines when the Deep Sea King ripped him open is because they were... >.<  Sorry, dude. 

the worst of both worlds -- too modified to have an easy life, still too weak to deal with the real monsters that exist

Scary enough, but then the security staff come in to stop the kerfuffle that Koko and his buddy, Mars Leo, were causing.  Koko scanned them and was stunned into horror:

as disciplined and ruthless a pair of killers as you could never hope to lay eyes on.  Definitely not frothing at the mouth, these two!

These two have modified themselves so extensively they’re almost inhuman. 94, 95% body modification is equivalent to having only 3.5 - 4.2 kg of live mass left assuming an original live mass of 70 kg.  And, if the similar naming convention didn’t tip you off to it, it’s around the sort of hyper-extensive modification we see Genos having. [See under the readmore for a first-principles estimation I did a long time ago.]  Maybe Drive Knight too if he’s a cyborg.   What kind of power have they exchanged their human bodies for?  What kind of people are willing to do that to themselves? Koko is very sure that he does NOT want to know.

When he tells you who he is, believe him

That’s dating advice often given to ladies overlooking obvious red flags  but it goes with great force in OPM. ONE has characters tell us who they are early on, even if it doesn’t mean anything to us for a long time. 

And he’s had Genos be a particularly straightforward and truthful character.  He doesn’t always interpret things correctly, but he says it exactly as he sees it.  Looking at the way the high percentage cyborgs we’ve met thus far either be very inhuman looking or completely disguised as regular human beings,  he’s chosen an appearance that puts both his humanity and mechanical nature on display.

Something that the chapter has brought up that I've kept saying to people on the Discord and on Reddit: there is no medically justifiable reason for Genos to have a body as modified as he does.   Which Genos TELLS US for fuck’s sake.  His giant wall of text is a synopsis, no more and no less.

When he says that “...I asked Professor Kuseno to perform a procedure to modify my body. Then I was reborn as a cyborg for justice...”  (Viz)  “...I begged Dr Stench (sic) to transform me into a cyborg and I was reborn as a cyborg who fights for justice...” (Boon scanslations, who copied verbatim whoever did the webcomic version). It’s nothing to do with health.  Feel free to have whatever headcanons you like, but please don’t confuse them with the story.

But it doesn’t end there.  I look at Destro and Erimin and realise that there’s another perfectly truthful statement that’s been staring us in the face.

Genos knows. Why would he ask a mechanical engineer who uses a wearable battle suit and pilots armed drones to modify his body, let alone modify it to such an insane degree?  Because he knows that Dr Kuseno knows how to build cyborgs like the one who destroyed his town.

We don’t know if Destro and Erimin have any responsibility for the destroyed town, but someone of their ilk does.   Which brings us to a third nakedly truthful statement. When Genos talks of not believing that he could be defeated by anything other than the rampaging cyborg, he’s not anticipating winning because he’s suicidal.  It’s because he’s aware that if he’s throwing rock, so too is his enemy: mutual annihilation is the best he can hope for.

At least until he met Saitama. And started to hope for not mutual destruction, but victory (check the difference in chapter 108 of the webcomic).

a world away from the attitude of mutually-assured destruction he started with.

Stepping away from the text a bit, it casts a different light on why he’s been so desperate to learn from Saitama. Learning Saitama's secret is his balance-breaker. He wants something other than rock, that is guaranteed to smash whatever rock his enemy might throw.    But that’s not all there is.   As Garou said, once he discovered Blue Fire’s flamethrower, once you know how a freakish weapon works, you know it.  Any edge a new weapon might give Genos is liable to be studied and replicated  (see how quickly Dr Kuseno was able to reverse engineer and adapt the principles of G-4′s curving energy beams).   But Saitama’s strength is unphysical: no matter how closely you inspect his body, you can never relate the physicality of Saitama’s body to the power he can generate.  That unphysicality, that’s what Genos wants too.   It also puts in context why he’s been so fascinated by psychic power and wants to learn it if at all possible.

neat trick, I’ll take two!  Genos dodging G4′s beams in chapter 38, and putting the principle of them to good use in chapter 120

And finally, since in his world, knowledge is literally power, it gives yet another layered reason Genos is so determined to keep anyone else from becoming Saitama’s disciple.  If they learn his secret too, then the advantage he seeks will be lost.  (that it doesn’t work quite that way for Saitama is a fact for us to enjoy and for him to find out).

Nothing is as scary as a human being

Nothing is as scary as a human being is one of the things that Reigen says to Tome on occasion. It’s in full force in OPM.  Monsters may be strong, but they all live in the now.  Only a human being could have put together the Monster Association.   When it comes to cyborgs, their abilities may be inhuman but their thoughts, imaginations, morals and appetites are all 100% human.   It’s a terrifying combination.

There’s something I missed when I likened The Organization to a Claw Analogue. In Mob Psycho 100, the protagonists are children and they're fighting an organisation made up of over-grown children -- adults who have refused to grow up. In One-Punch Man, the protagonists are adults and the bad humans in the story are very much adults too.   With calculated cruelty and depravity to match. When The Organization bares its claws for real, this is going to get so brutal.

If Genos has not been standing still, then neither has his enemy.  From the manga, even if we hold Drive Knight blameless and independent of all this mess, his besting Nyan told us that cyborgs can indeed come crazy-strong and highlighted how much more work Genos had yet to do. It also highlighted how very clever and calculating cyborgs can be -- well, they’re human, duh!  If I was worried for his prospects then,  in the webcomic, Genos is nowhere near as psychologically, physically or emotionally ready as his manga version is.   And the guys who look to be his enemies aren’t going to be cutting him any slack.   They’re very real.  They’re not mad.  And they’re closer than he ever imagined.

Fighting monsters is barely adequate preparation for whatever it is that’s to come.

Whenever Genos gets dragged into whatever it is those cyborgs are up to  -- or runs into it, since he claims he’s still hunting the rampaging cyborg -- ‘rough’ doesn’t begin to describe it.

Extra Stuff

Edited from an answer I gave on Reddit to the question of how much of Genos was still organic about 2 years ago.  It’s unexpectedly relevant!

Short answer: by mass, under 10% , assuming he would have weighed  approximately 70 kg. By function, quite a bit.

 The long answer.

I’m going to write this starting from what is most readily observable and readily inferred to the least. In appreciation of this being a work of fiction that treats physical laws lightly, I too am taking a more-or-less approach and will keep technical terms to a minimum. I'm also not a medic and I don't play one on TV -- assume generous hand-wavium. Items in {curly brackets} are incidental notes you can skip.

Level 0: Canonically observable.  The least controversial observation is that Genos does have an organic brain. Genos does not live in a lab, but is able to live largely independently, including being able to eat whatever he likes with no ill-effect. Not just that, but he lives an active and hard-fighting life that appears to do him no permanent harm (I will return to this in a few paragraphs).  What can we take from this?

Edit: There is also ONE’s initial settings for Genos, which I quote here from the Hero Data Book

ONE: There's no need to visit Dr. Kuseno's place every time when his wrist break down, because he got his own spare parts at hand. Dr Kuseno's Lab is there In case for a big reparation job, a drastic upgrade or an examination.

It’s tempting to think that because we see that he definitely has a brain that’s all there is – the brain in a jar phenomenon, so to speak. Something a lot of people miss is that the spinal cord proper isn’t optional either -- it’s a core part of the central nervous system.  Spinal cords are a lot shorter than most people think they are, averaging 12 inches long for women and 15 inches for men.  The rest are nerve processes that can be cut and will regrow (within limits). We’re also happy to allow for nerves and their endings -- there must be an interface for the prosthetics so they're under the fine voluntary control that we see. However, that’s not all that there can be. The Cartesian mind-body duality is completely wrong when it comes to physiology. Our brains are intimately bound with our bodies and our bodies with our brains. So what does one need?

Level 1: Perfusion. This is the most obvious one. Without a blood supply providing oxygen, glucose and removing waste products from our brains, we have 4-5 seconds of consciousness available, 2-3 minutes in which we can escape brain damage and 8-10 minutes in which not to die. So, number one is a reliable blood supply.  Absolutely necessary therefore are a means of generating the various blood cells, perfusing and distributing them and disposing of damaged cells (red blood cells have a lifespan of 1-2 months). While not as acutely important, a self-sustaining blood supply is also the basis of a functioning immune system.  It's a bit of an oops moment when your super-killer cyborg catches a cold and dies.

Accordingly, bone marrow is essential as a source of hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells. A suitably reduced blood vessel and lymphatic vessel system is also needed to run the blood where it needs to go. {An awesome feature of living beings is that new blood vessels will be recruited to where they need to go and redundant branches pruned back, a process known as vascular remodelling}. A reduced liver and possibly spleen will be needed to appropriately destroy worn out blood cells. At least one functional kidney, in the role of producing the hormone erythropoietin, without which red blood cells will not be formed. Not essential: a heart and lungs, which he definitely doesn't have. How much blood is needed?  I’ll come to that answer once we’ve tallied how much body is needed.

Additionally, since part of perfusion is getting rid of metabolic waste, a liver and kidney will be absolutely indispensable.  

Level 2: Homoeostasis. A living organism has a very narrow range in which its internal environment, such as oxygen saturation, temperature, pH (acidity or alkalinity) amongst other things can vary without harm.

There are around 40 or so hormones, the signalling molecules that keep us going as functional concerns, regulating such things as blood pressure, salt/water balance, available energy, sleep cycle, body temperature, mood, immune system... the list goes on. Each has a stupid number of secondary functions and interacts with others in a ludicrous number of ways (note highly scientific language). Their levels vary and change on the order of seconds to hours. It's a good job that the main organiser of homoeostasis, the hypothalamus, is part of the brain. {Incidentally, this is why a brain-dead cadaver cannot be kept ‘alive’ on life support indefinitely – everything falls out of sync and eventually to pieces.} To do this artificially is to have your cyborg never leave the lab: if you're not constantly monitoring and adjusting levels, then they will die. Fortunately, as mentioned, a living, functional brain has the control network needed to keep everything working without the extensive and expensive effort. Just add air, water and food (in that priority).

At this point, we've already met most of the organs needed to maintain homoeostasis in their capacity of maintaining a blood supply. We need to add some bone, not just to serve as a niche (living environment) for the bone marrow and its stem cells mentioned previously but as a source and sink for minerals, the adrenal glands and the thyroid gland. Finally, one must not forget pancreatic islets -- or it'll be for nothing as he goes into a diabetic coma.

Level 3: Energy.   Speaking of food, a brain needs essential fatty acids for turnover and lots and lots of glucose for energy. It’s entirely possible to supply nutrients as total parenteral nutrion (TPN for short).  People whose digestive systems have completely failed get individually formulated TPN solutions, which requires that they spend several hours a day feeding it into their blood supply. Not something we see Genos do.  And yes, you heard it here: not everyone poops, but everyone sure as hell pees.  While a brain only weighs about 1.5 kg, it uses up about 500 calories a day as glucose, so 700 ish calories a day should suffice for all the needs of his live mass. This bears no relationship to the amount of food we see Genos put away on occasion. Why hasn’t he wrecked his liver in a matter of weeks? The answer would appear to lie in the artificial digestive system Dr. Kuseno has given him which turns food into biofuel. It must be patched into a feedback loop which allows it to only supply what’s physiologically necessary at any given time. Lucky for some!

Level 4: So how much body does that add up to exactly?  Nothing says you have to keep the necessary organs and blood vessel network the same size. With only a 1.5 kg brain to support, many can be shrunk a good 50% if not more. A total living mass of 7 kg would be quite feasible. We know from organ-on-a-chip experiments (and from unfortunate people who have lost part of their organs) that provided the essential architecture of the tissue is respected, they will work fine. Nothing says you have to keep them in the same place as the original organs were -- you can encapsulate it all in a can and shorten the nerves serving the organs to a more rational, manageable length. It's nice and compact and can be protected as heavily as the brain is.

Now we’re in a position to answer how much blood Genos has. There are about 70 ml of blood per kilogram of body weight, so at ~ 7 kg, we’re talking about 500 ml of blood. For comparison, the typical 70 kg person has 5 litres of blood. Why does this matter?  Because it allows us to answer a question many may be curious about: how often does Genos get hurt?

The answer is: Almost Never. With so little body, and with most of that body consisting of aptly named vital organs, even small injuries can turn catastrophic in no time.  Genos will bleed out with around 150 ml of blood loss, which is less than half of what is donated in a typical blood donation.  Horrible and dramatic as the smashes he gets into are, it’s more akin to a Formula 1 race car tumbling end over end and catching fire, only for the driver to walk out unscathed.  His cyborg parts are replaceable and can be sacrificed to protect what’s irreplaceable if need be.

[bawkrya]

Ok i’m answering all the questions from that one ask meme bc i was basically sent all of them from discord friends

🌳How does your clan use the landscape of their territory to their benefit. Do they alter it?

To give background on what Phrauge’s territory actually looks like, a LOT of it is actually desert. The sand is a deep red, and despite being a desert, dig a shallow hole and it’ll be filled with a toxic liquid that the scientists in the clan are still trying to figure out. Anura, the main city, kind of sits at the beginning of the desert, but is surrounded by trees in kind of a U shape. Then the Malignant Redwood, a super toxic jungle, sits along the border of Shadow

BUT! The main thing Phrauge has done is found a way to solidify the sand in a dragon-friendly way in order to make homes. A lot of homes are directly connected to the ground, so sloped homes are a common occurrence. It wasn’t until recent years that Phrauge started using balanced concrete pads to start building houses/other buildings. The one HUGE altercation they’ve made above ground was when Bawkrya started expanding their territory into the Redwood, where he built his home

The trees, plants, and animals found at the location his home is in was sent off to mages, scientists, etc. to be studied-- he actually didn’t plan to build a house there until it was offered to him

UNDER Phrauge is a dragon-made cave system for the most part that was expanded into an underground city, and the houses/buildings there share a similar look in that they’re built from the stones and all that. A good portion of the “Higher Mall” is carved into the walls of the cavern.

🏠What are the housing accommodations? Any architectural influences?

There’s housing in basically every part of Phrauge. Due to how old Phrauge is as a Clan, the majority of this housing are tall apartment like buildings where families have lived for several generations. These apartments tend to be PRETTY large as they accommodated Imperials and other large species for the most part

While the majority of the house will be made out of sand/concrete, wooden decor, supports, etc. are implemented throughout it, but like especially for decoration. Bone is also a common decoration, with both wood and bone being carved with smooth and stupid intricate designs.

For the wooden and bone decor like that, for apartments that had several generations in them, some of the decor may tell stories of those who lived there, or list position in the clan, or have a family tree. If the family ever moves from these houses, the decoration is either taken with them or sent to historians in order to preserve them

Also Phrauge really loves some tiling. Tiled floors with wooden walls is pretty common, esp with how customizable it can be. Despite the popularity, there’s not too many dragons in the clan who actually make tile-- so there’s maybe three or four dragons really well known for the tiles they’ve made.

As for influences, there’s a LOT. If you can think of a style, it’s most likely sitting somewhere in Phrauge. the housing described above is moreso the style that belongs to the clan, but since a LOT of dragons are moving in from various flights, housing of different looks tend to drop in all the time

❤️How are hatchlings raised? By the clan? Just the parents? Just one parent? Is there a nursery for eggs? How is that set up if so?

It really depends on the area. In Anura, it’s generally only the parents raising the kids, given how many different dragons run through the major city from different flights, but there are plenty of childcare options for parents who may be in the higher ranks of the clan. There’s mostly daycares, but teens can make a living off of babysitting!

In Gabbro, a smaller city based near the Earth border, it’s more communal based. Less tourists go through that area, so everyone knows just about everyone, and with how much security is in place, parents are generally at ease letting their kids run around doing more simple errands.

As for underground, it’s almost strictly just the parents. While Bawkrya is trying to make it a more safe city, dragons still try to do shady business there, and it’s an overall much more strict setting. Most families don’t live there unless they have to-- for ex; the home has belonged to a family for a long time. Still, for those on the richer side, they mostly keep security in place for that home in favor of buying a new one aboveground.

For members of the clan who are Officials, children are usually taken care of by other officials, or by specifically hired babysitters/tutors. For example if Xentheryn and Akeldama, the two official Blood Mages/Scholars of the clan, were to have children, Bawkrya (leader), Fortinbras & Valencia (Head of Trade/Supreme General), etc. would be some of the few who may keep an eye on the kid(s).

🌧How do they lay their dead to rest? Is it a cemetery? A hall of the dead? An item crafted to remember them by?

Due to the nature of the sand in Phrauge, most if not all are cremated. This is mostly so dragons may keep their family with them, as there really isn’t anywhere to bury someone. On top of that, Imperials used to make up the majority of the clan, so bodies couldn’t be buried even if the family wanted them to be.

Some families may build temple-like concrete buildings in order to store the urns of their deceased. These buildings are generally small, and located near the woods. They’re also able to be moved from where they’re placed if needed-- which is why Bawkrya, with the permission of the families, relocated a lot of these temples to a specific area thats under more security.

These temples are protected by a magic talisman that’s fueled by the living family. So, unless you’re blood related or otherwise bound to the talisman, you won’t be able to go in or move these temples. If a family no longer has a surviving member, it is usually bound to the clans Immortal (TBA Dragon), who will continue fueling it so long as their loyalty lies in Phrauge.

For Dragons of higher rank, with the families permission, their urn may be placed in the Capital Building. Urns in this building are protected by two talismans, one fueled by the family, and the overarching one fueled by the Immortal.

In the temples, important items that belonged to the dragon may be set next to the urn. For ex: Bridal Boas, small weapons, journals, etc. As for items families may keep, since jewelry is super popular in the clan, Rings, Necklaces, and other forms of jewelry are typically worn by the dragons Heir, or whoever they may have left it to. Bawkryas pendants are a well known example-- it’s rumored they belonged to his mother, but they only thing known for sure is that it was passed onto him when he was young.

⚔️How do they get along with beastclans? Is there tension even if they get along well?

Honestly, pretty well. The most trouble Beastclan folk might face in Phrauge is from tourists who aren’t familiar with the laws set in place protecting them against dragons. So, many tend to live in the Gabbro instead of Anura.

Dragons also still have beastclan familiars, like Bawkrya does! Familiars in this sense are treated equally, and are more of a partnership between dragons, whether it’s familial, platonic, or romantic. Familiar is just the universal title most end up using

🍽Any culinary inspirations or specialties?

There’s several Phrauge specific specialties, and every single one is a meat based dish. I don’t have names yet for them, but the most well known is a soup made from bone broth with lots of meat in it. Grouse is the most common choice of meat, with different sorts of seasoning, sauces, etc. depending on the region/who cooks it. Veggies and the like are mixed in too-- but again it’s all dependent on where you have it made

A special kind of beef jerky is super popular too, with magic based ingredients!

But, also, since plenty of dragons move into Anura every day, specialties from other clans or flights gain traction as well. Though-- nature specialties don’t really last long

🔑If your clan is land locked or lacks bodies of water how do you feed pescatarians? If its dry or frozen how do they feed herbivores? Does this area limit what dragons have joined your clan due to unstable dietary supplies?

A LOT of food is imported! Like a lot. Phrauge does a lot of trading among other clans/flights, so there’s rarely ever a shortage, especially since Bawkrya and Fortinbras have teamed up on trade. So, dragons aren’t really limited.

🎀Does certain clothing mean anything in your clan? Colors or items signal a rank or status like marriage, warrior, healer?

Bridal Boas are a super common, Phrauge specific thing. It’s something all partners in marriage wear, and something they make for each other. Bridal Boas are made from fur, decorative metals, and jewels. They don’t specifically have to be boas, just made out of fur! As for colors, white is the most common, but Reds, Dark Greens, and Dark Purples are other colors associated with marriage.

For Mages, they tend to wear metal masks with heavily jewelry. Xentheryn and Akeldama have the most prominent masks as they’re the Official mages, but all Mage related masks are decorated depending on what they specialize in. For those two specifically, being Blood mages, Red jewels, copper metal, etc. is used for their masks with more flowy designs

Bawkrya has a specific uniform he has to wear when doing Clan Ceremonies. The majority of this uniform is made from bone-- with the bones being from past enemies that Phrauge has defeated. The fabric used is from specific beasts too, all which past Leaders have killed themselves. Also, passed down jewelry and the like.

⭐️Is your clan healing magic based? Apothecary based? Surgical? A strange combination?

It’s more of a combination, with how many dragons there are. And, it really depends on the injury or illness a dragon may have. But, the most popular form is magic based, with most if not all mages in the clan basing their studies in healing.

✏️What are real world influences that have been implemented into your clan’s design or culture?

For fashion, a lot is inspired by the 1930s fashion from various countries! For a specific source, the fashion in Winter Begonia is a huge influence. I just tend to make the clothing sluttier LMFAO

so just really nice and layered tuxes and semi form fitting dresses. but in Phrauge theres boob windows somehow implemented. + STUPID heavy jewelry + LOTS of fur and potentially bones

[chubbyheroesworthyheroes]

Since the cow thing is actually a really cool idea how about a little cow transformation with Keaton and some weight gain mixed in pretty please!

Keaton was well known among the Wolfskins as being a kleptomaniac -- anything that he liked the look or smell of, you’d better believe he was taking it with him to stash away with the rest of his treasures. It was less of a Wolfskin thing and more of a...Keaton-ism, but the pack didn’t mind too much since he kept his collection away from where they all lived.

However, Keaton was soon going to find out that some things simply shouldn’t be picked up from where they’d been left behind…

The echoing sound of a howl rent the thick air of the forest, Keaton listening intently for a returning howl, ears at alert and tail wagging idly behind him.

He’d gotten lost again, but at least this time he had gone into a different section of forest, and the playful teasing of the pack wouldn’t be too bad. It was always a little embarrassing to get turned around so close to their village. But, it was worth it for the new treasures he always found in areas they didn’t go to very often; people and animals would come and go, leaving all sorts of treats behind for him to inspect.

But, today, the fog had really come in quick, and the damp was messing with his sense of smell and direction. Hence the howling to reconnect with the others! They always had his back, and he’d always have theirs!

Only...he’d been waiting for a reply howl for so long already now...Had he really gone that far off from the rest of the pack that they couldn’t hear him?

“Man, this really blows…,” Keaton harrumphed to himself, tail low and ears down. He’d either have to wait longer, or try to make his way back on his own. Kicking up some dirt in frustration, the Wolfskin chooses the latter option; he’d have to get closer to the pack eventually, right? Just had to keep moving and howling every now and then to check in--

His boot connected with something as he started off in a randomly chosen direction, the tinny sound of a cowbell making his ears perk up in interest. Searching around in the dirt for a brief moment, Keaton whooped in delight at the treasure he’d just stumbled upon. It was beaten up and dented, no shine to it at all, and there was mud and dirt caked into every bit of it! Jangling it around, it produced the most discordant noise he’d ever heard in his life, and Keaton loved it. Grinning to himself, he jostled the old bell around again for the fun of it as he walked off, hardly noticing the odd echo the sound seemed to have now.

Trekking through the woods wasn’t a difficult thing for Wolfskin, but after hours of directionless wandering, even Keaton got tired. Plopping down in the damp grass, back resting against a fallen tree, Keaton let out another howl. Ears tuned in for any sort of response, he whined low in his throat when he didn’t hear anything. This was really getting old, and outside of just being tired and lost, he was getting incredibly bored.

Sitting back against the tree roughly, Keaton’s attention is once again drawn to the rusted old cowbell he’d picked up. It still had the strap attached to it -- as weird as that was, as that probably should have rotted away already -- and just staring at it gave him the strangest feeling that he should put it on. Not the type of person to really think anything through before he committed, Keaton shrugged and went ahead to put the bell on. It settled around his neck rather comfortably, and it made noise whenever he moved around.

“Maybe I should make this a permanent look, huh? Baha, well, maybe not around the others...Dressin’ up like a cow when I’m a Wolfskin is kinda funny,” Keaton laughs to himself, poking at the bell to create more jangling, tinny notes.

It’s after one such poke that Keaton winces, feeling an odd pinch in his chest. He presses a hand to the area, yelping in surprise when his hand meets the wet material of his shirt.

“What the…?!”

Bringing his hand up to his nose, he sniffs, blinking in shock when he smells milk. The Wolfskin doesn’t have much time to process this, however, when the ache in his chest spikes -- Keaton’s eyes widening at the sight before him.

His chest is...puffing up? Getting bigger? He was mostly lean muscle when outside of his Beast form, so it was easy to see the difference, especially when it happened so fast. He could only sit, stunned, watching as his pecs rounded out and enlarged. It wasn’t like he was getting bigger with muscle, though, his chest quickly transforming into something soft and squishable to the touch -- milk slowly trickling from his puffy nipples as they grew larger. By the time his milky man boobs were big enough to be cupped in his hands, Keaton started to notice other changes to his body.

His stomach gurgled ominously underneath his bombastic tits, Keaton whimpering as he felt his middle bloat out in a similar fashion to his chest. It was uncomfortable at first, like his skin was being stretched far enough to split, but the feeling soon dulled away into a soft warmth. His trim abdomen was soon replaced with a fat, pillowy gut, that overflowed onto his lap; chunky love handles causing his belly to divide into upper and lower folds of fat. His thighs had piled on with fat so fast, his pants didn’t stand a chance, busting at the seams and oozing out soft flesh. His ass was also exploding with growth, wobbling as the weight piled on and cushioned Keaton’s bloating form against the ground.

Finally snapping out of it a bit, Keaton let out a desperate howl for help -- trying to project it as far and as loud as he could, praying that any of his pack members heard him and came to help. His howl was cut short, however, partway shifting into the droning call of a cow. The shock of his howl not being...well, a howl anymore had Keaton jolting -- which sent his blubbery body jiggling -- the cowbell clanging around his swelling neck. His neck was getting so fat, topped off by his face getting all puffed out and chubby as well, that he feared for a second that the strap from the cowbell would choke him if he kept getting bigger. He tried to pry it off, struggling to get fat fingers around the leather. After a frantic moment of flailing around, the Wolfskin realized that the strap was adjusting to his size.

It was a small relief, as the massive amount of milk building up in his overflowing moobs was driving him absolutely wild. He was pawing at the overfull mounds of fat as best he could, but his arms were getting so weighed down, he just couldn’t keep it up long enough to get any satisfaction from it. He squirmed and panted, his bulging fat making quick work of his tight clothes and busting open anything that was still fighting to hold back the onslaught of chub.

His whines for help had now fully lowered into the simple lowing of a cow, terrified eyes dulling into a dazed look as he grew. Small, stubby horns popped up by his temples, and the trademark black and white fur of the Wolfskin shifted just a little to look more akin to the spotted hide of a dairy cow; the pattern even spreading to his skin in patches, making his massive figure seem even more rounded out.

By the time other Wolfskins from his pack had tracked him down, Keaton was barely recognizable aside from his scent. Massive body reclined against a fallen tree, the creak of wood beneath the amount of weight being leant against it, Keaton looked like a well and truly spoiled cow. Fat face sunk into his soft neck, the other Wolfskins could hardly even see his face passed the incredible swells of his milk-filled udders-for-tits. His belly was wide and flabby, almost reaching the fold of his knees; most of his weight seemed to settle into a pear shape, giving him juicy thighs and an ass that could kill.

It took a little bit to catch the massive Wolfskin’s attention, a dreamy look in his eyes as he smiled at them.

“Hey, guys, wanna taste?” Keaton mooed out lazily, tail swishing above his globular ass cheeks as he teased milk from his nipples.

[thewhirlwind]

STRANGE OMENS — CHARACTER SUMMARIES

CHARACTERS WRITTEN / CREATED BY FORSYTHE ( @thewhirlwind ):

ANTONIO REYES— Antonio Reyes is the sheriff in Frostford’s local sheriff’s department. He’s Vothine’s half-human son, bearing four arms and a nuanced senses. He was born in 837 BC, his mother was a slave who escaped Ancient Greece with her former lover’s help, and raised him in Spain. He starts off investigating the strange cult activity that starts going on in the surrounding region. Canonically dating Ivory Wells, or at least will be.

AINSLEY LACHLAN— the son of a Russian mobster and twin brother to Renard, Ainsley Lachlan is one of the local Catholic priests, and arguably the only openly gay one in the area. He firmly believes these things aren’t mutually exclusive, but eventually he’s lead astray by Vothine, who manipulates him into thinking that releasing Epsolise will create a paradise for mankind, and the truth is, all he’s ever wanted was to help people, to make up for his father’s crimes.

RENARD LACHLAN— Ainsley’s slightly younger, twin brother, Renard is Frostford’s local neurosurgeon, sometimes moonlighting as a trauma surgeon when his schedule is open. He took an interest in neurology due to his own, rather severe dyslexia, which slowed him down in school, until Ainsley was old enough to read to him and help him learn how to read despite his disorder. Like his brother, he wants to help people, but he has no hang ups about his father’s crimes. Later, when his brother unleashes Epsolise, he becomes host to the Elder God, and it messes him up severely. His best friends are Alana Reid and Ruo Silva, and canonically he’s dating Everett Novak.

THEODORE HUDSON— Theo is the owner of Hudson Technology, better known as HudTech, a global leader in all kinds of technology and founded when Theo graduates MIT, some years back. (I haven’t decided on a year yet rip.) Best friend to Everett Novak, Theo often hires him as a freelancer to work on the coding side of his various project; together the two can accomplish nearly anything. In 2015, he was fooling around with a project trying to create a kind of artificial intelligence by combining eldritch magic with technology. In doing so, he inadvertently summoned Vothine, who killed him—brutally. Violently—and then melded with his body. This did revive Theo, albeit much, much weaker, but he was able to fight back when Vothine went after his best friend and interfere with his attacks. Eventually, Everett does manage to free him from the god’s hold, but he’s left with a great many mental and physical scars.

ALANA REID— Alana is part of Renard’s surgical team. Along with Ruo Silva, the three of them went to college together in NYC, NY, and she moved out to Frostford after Ruo told them there were job openings at the local hospital. (So did Renard.) when Ruo died, Alana may have personally beaten the shit out of her murderer and abuser. After she ressurects, Alana canonically dates Ruo. The two of them are also Renard’s best friends.

THE LOTUS TWINS—They’re also known as the twin gods of discordance. Initially born in the depths of a dying star as the singular god of balance, Asikolise, they were ripped asunder by the black hole formed in its death. With balance rent in two, they became two gods that slowly tipped the scales of the universe back and forth from one far end back to the other, over extended periods of time.

EPSOLISE— One of the two lotus twins, known for forming the garden, an Eden for eldritch horrors to feed on the living things that roamed the earth. Man, beast, whatever. When Ipsilise is bound, Epsolise walks free.

AURI’ELL OV’AGOTHA/AURI’ELL ILLI’ED— Auri’ell is thought of as two gods with incredibly similar names, the kings of the sea and of magic,  it the truth is—he’s one singular entity with two titles and two domains. He was born Alain MacNamara of the coast of Ireland in 1389, to a sailor who would eventually take him to sea with him. At first, his study of eldritch magic was a passing interest with which to study marine life; but as his mind deteriorated due to the magic, he became obsessed, focusing on what was on the other side of it. Eventually, he broke through it, becoming he god of the sea and the god of magic, being the one who advanced eldritch magic the most over his life. Unstuck in time, he went back to he very beginning—and eventually, he introduces magic to the world, when mankind is old enough to understand it.

VOTHINE— the god of chaos, he’s in love with the lotus gods; all three iterations of them. From the dawn of time he’s been tipping the scales back and forth between Epsolise, and Ipsilise, hoping that one day, someone would find a way to stop them—by fusing them together into the one entity they were truly meant to be. His methods, however, are rough, due to be whole... chaos thing. People who deal with him frequently end up hurt, traumatized for life. A fine example being Theodore Hudson. Vothine is not so unlike Auri’ell, in that he was created from a man, but his wasn’t a choice. He was a slave in early Ancient Greece, experimented on by his owner until he became something more. With his new found powers, he likely slaughtered this who owned him and the one he loved, before helping her escape back to her home country, Spain. But she grew scared of him, as he grew less and less human with each passing day, until finally they—amicably—agreed to go their separate ways. He still loves her, but he understood he had a different purpose now. He, like Auri’ell, was also unstuck in time. But instead of going back to he beginning, he was drawn back to the point in which the lotus gods were created, feeling the way their power balanced out, appearing mere moments before they were torn apart.

CHARACTERS WRITTEN / CREATED BY FOA ( @ephemeraltheory & @exemplaryambiance ):

EVERETT NOVAK—Initially a gifted software engineer as well as a magic user, Everett had sworn off of using magic after he’d accidentally caused permanent nerve damage to his father’s hands when he was fourteen. His father was a woodworker and had his own business so he had to take over most of the weight of the business until he left for college.  After his best friend Theo gets taken by Vothine,  Everett is permanently injured by Vothine, leaving him with nerve damage in his lower back and leg. He refurbishes a library in Frostford with the goal to learn every ounce of magic that he possibly could in order to save his friend. Everett becomes a master warlock by the time the story begins and later,  he canonically ends up dating Renard Lachlan.

RUO SILVA—Ruo was fourteen when she met her abuser ( emotional abuse and much later,   physical abuse ),  Mallory.  Ever since then,  Mallory has coerced Ruo into a romantic relationship and over time,  she gradually isolated her from any possible friends she could have made as well as from her own parents. She convinced Ruo that their relationship would be in danger if she spoke about it to anyone.  Ruo is able to escape the home she ends up sharing with her abuser to go to college to be a nurse.  Here,  she meets and befriends Alana and Renard, who provide a taste of what it actually feels like to be cared about, what it feels like to not always be afraid that people you love will hurt you.  What it feels like to have actual friends.  One night when Ruo reluctantly returns home to bathe and retrieve things she’d needed,  she and Mallory get into an argument about Ruo’s consistent absence and Mallory eventually forcibly holds Ruo beneath the bath water,  drowning her. Having been wearing an ancient family heirloom,  a garnet necklace,   after 2-3 months, Ruo is reincarnated as an Enenra, which is essentially a fire elemental / smoke demon / spirit. Her best friend is Renard Lachlan and canonically,  she and Alana begin dating after she’s reincarnated.

IVORY WELLS—Ivory is the crime scene technician for Frostford’s local police department. As a child, Ivory lost a close friend Iris to a serial killer when she was about twelve. For about six years, they weren’t able to find the person responsible nor were they able to figure out what had happened to her. Around the time Ivory turned eighteen however,  they’d re-opened the case due to another child’s death that had the same M.O. They used the most current technology to go over the collected evidence once more and were able to finally find the convicted murderer, which brought not only herself and Iris’s family closure and justice, but also closure and justice for the families who had lost a child to the same fate. This is what drove Ivory to become a crime scene technician, to offer that same closure to others. She has worked with Antonio Reyes for 5 years and canonically,  they start dating sometime in book 1.

IPSILISE—One of the two lotus twins, she is benevolent towards humanity but has an obsessive need for control, to the point of detriment. One of her common names is CROATOAN, but she’s responsible for other missing cities; Atlantis. Sodom & Gomorrah. A handful of others we have yet to uncover. When Epsolise is bound,  Ipsilise walks free.

[less-than-wholesome-shipper]

Dog DayZ

AO3

newTumbl

So I started writing this Starker beast fic on discord for some peeps, and I'm really liking where it's going. 

WARNINGS: Beastiality, Pet-Play lifestyle (eventually)

Part 1

Tony, the genius CEO behind tech mogul Stark Industries, has an intact male doberman that is getting very temperamental and a bit aggressive. He loves Ace very much and can't seem to figure out what has his poor pup so up in arms.

Thankfully, a close friend recommended Tony look into having an Animal Behavior Specialist visit Ace to determine what’s wrong.

Tony's definitely skeptical. He’s more or less expecting whoever this Parker guy is to just roll up, spout some weird "you have to show him who's the alpha" bullshit, and demand an exorbitant fee for his services, but his friend swears this should help Ace, so Tony’s willing to give him a chance.

He isn't expecting this adorable twink to step out of the elevator, completely ignore the hand Tony has out to shake, and make a beeline for his dog.... who is uncharacteristically excited to meet a stranger.

Tony wants to be irked at the rudeness, but as he’s watching this kid (and really, that’s the best way Tony can describe him since he looks so young) roll around the floor with Ace like they’ve been friends for years is just too cute.

After about a minute or so of this, though, Tony starts to feel like a third wheel. “Hi. I’m Tony Stark. I was told you could help me with Ace’s behavior issues?”

That gets the kid’s attention. “Oh, right! Sorry about that. I’m Peter Parker. But you knew that already… yeah, so uh-”

As Peter goes to stand up, Ace immediately grabs onto his hips and starts humping away at the air.

Tony has never been more embarrassed in his life! “ACE! Get off of him! God, I’m so sorry, Peter, I seriously don’t know what’s gotten into him lately.” As he’s apologizing, Tony’s trying to tug Ace off by his collar, but Peter really isn’t doing anything to help.

Actually, Peter’s just sitting there giving Ace a sympathetic look. “Well, here’s the good news, sir. It seems Ace just needs a bit of release.”

For being a genius, it takes Tony an awfully long time to process that.

“Release?”

Peter nods and looks at him with a wide, innocent expression that makes Tony feel like his mind is in the gutter and that’s not the kind of release the kid is talking about.

“As in….”

“As in… He’s sexually frustrated. Intact males are not too different from humans where they get pent up and just need to get off every now and then. It’s really unnatural for dogs to be kept intact with zero sexual outlet.”

Tony kinda feels like his brain short circuits a bit… is he really being lectured by this pretty little thing about his dog being allowed to fuck?

“Ok, so how do I… un-frustrate him?”

Peter’s face brightens with a big smile, completely ignoring the fact that Ace is practically choking himself on his collar to get back at Peter.

“Well there are a couple of options: 1. You could neuter him. This tends to be most common fix as it does help protect certain breeds from prostate issues in the future, but personally it’s not my favorite. 2. You could put him up for stud services. More often than not, most people are looking are looking for Pedigreed studs, but there are some who are just looking for a similar breed for puppies. I wouldn’t recommend stud services, just because there are already so many pups out there that need homes, but I know some people want to know all options available so there it is 3. You could take advantage of our doggy spa package where, as one of my vetted clients, you can schedule Ace to be attended by a professional a few times a week. Or 4. You could give him a hand, if you know what I mean”

The kid has the gall to wink at the end and Tony is just speechless…. As if he’d ever think to give his dog a handjob

Also…

“Wait, this spa thing… is it like hookers? I’d be buying doggy hookers for Ace?”

Peter looks a little perturbed and huffs “It’s not ‘doggy hookers’ Mr. Stark. It’s merely a clinician applying safe and tested methods in which to give Ace the release he needs.”

Why does that sound more like people hookers jerking his dog off?

Except instead of a hooker, his brain easily substitutes this pretty thing in front of him..

And why does that thought catch his dick’s attention?

“Honestly, that sounds a little sketchy to me? This spa is some facility right? I don’t know if I’d feel comfortable just leaving Ace somewhere like that… Do you have like house visit options?”

Tony tells himself it’s for Ace’s protection, so he’ll know what exactly is being done to his dog at all times with his home surveillance…

“Well… we’re in talks about implementing a Home Care option… but it would only appeal to a very specific type of pet owner and it would be very expensive...”

Something changes in the way Peter looks at him - scrutinizing - evaluating him, but also hungry - and Tony can’t get the words out fast enough “Money isn’t an issue and I can assure you, Ace’s care is my top priority.”

Like a switch being flipped, Peter is back to his beaming, innocent self as he kneels on the carpet. “I’m glad to hear that, Mr. Stark. You can let Ace go. Oh! And you’ll want to get a towel, I have other appointments today, so I’ll have to make this quick.”

Tony dumbfoundly lets go of Ace’s collar and stares as Ace’s licks all over Peter’s face and Peter’s opens his mouth for it, sucking on the dog’s tongue when he can catch it.

Eventually, Peter’s looks to him expectantly “You’re gonna want me to have that towel, Mr. Stark, this can get quite messy and I’d hate to know how much it would cost to clean this carpet.” Peter’s eyes stray down the length of Tony’s body and linger for a bit before glancing back up with a shy smile. “I promise I’ll wait until you get back to start properly.”

And that has Tony dashing for the bathroom faster than he’s ever moved in his entire life. He’s back and panting in a matter of seconds, offering up the towel not unlike the way Ace offers the ball to be thrown again.

“I apologize again, for making this quick, but next time, I promise you’ll get the full package.” Peter’s laying down the towel while looking at and petting Ace, but Tony can’t really tell who the kid is actually talking to.

Of course, Tony doesn’t really care because, in the next moment, Peter slips his hands up under Ace and the dog’s hips start going. Tony has to crane his head a bit, but he can see both of Peter’s hands lined up as Ace’s bright red cock slips through them.

Even over the soft praises Peter is giving Ace, it starts getting noisy pretty quick and Tony wonders where the slickness is coming from, but more than anything, he’s astounded by the frantic pace Ace is going at it.

And then he notices the knot.

At first, Peter’s hands stays in a uniform tunnel, but pretty soon the lower fingers are being pushed out of the way and now it’s right there, thickly bloated and slick for Tony to see whether he wants to or not.

Peter slips his fingers behind the knot and angles the whole dick down towards the towel, the other hand gently working over the knot and the swollen shaft.

If Tony were honest, he’d never really paid attention to a dog’s dick before this. He was aware of the “red rocket” jokes and yeah, he’d seen Ace’s a few times here or there, but it had never looked anything like this before.

To say he’s a grower is a fucking understatement.

It’s big in every way imaginable, bigger than his at full mast for sure.

And red. A dark red that’s turning purple and Tony wonders if it aches as much as it looks.

Peter’s doing his best, but the poor kid’s fingers barely touch around the shaft, Tony knows there’s no way they’re doing much for the knot, but it doesn’t seem to matter to Ace. His hips have stilled and he just stands there, dick continuously twitching in Peter’s hands. Honestly, Tony wouldn’t have even noticed that Ace was actively coming if Peter hadn’t cupped his hand beneath the tip, catching a few spurts, before bringing to his mouth and noisily slurping it up.

Tony almost comes right then and there despite being too mesmerized to even touch himself.

“You know, he could keep this up for about 30 minutes if his knot was tied in a tight hole.”

It takes Tony a minute to work his way through that sentence. “For 30 minutes? The knot?”

“Mmhmm. The knot. And him coming.”

With that, Tony can’t breathe.

“I wasn’t kidding when I said it gets messy, Mr. Stark. You can easily fill a glass with their come, so imagine all of that getting pumped inside someone with nowhere to go because this knot plugs them up just right… and then when he’s decided he’s had enough -”

Ace side steps a bit and kicks his back leg out to bring it over Peter’s arm, causing that still pumping cock to pull back behind him with Peter’s fingers still circling behind the knot.

It makes for the filthiest sight Tony’s ever seen, only escalate with Peter leaning in and sucking at the tip as he loosens his fingers and lets the knot slip away with a nasty schulp - making eye contact and smirking the entire time as drool and come drip from his mouth.

Tony wants nothing more than to add his own to that mix and squeezes the tip of his dick to tease himself.

The movement catches Peter’s attention and he licks his lips.

“If I weren’t in such a hurry, I’d help you too, Mr. Stark. We’ll be in touch to discuss the terms of Ace’s Home Care package.”

Just before he moves to get up, Peter uses the towel to wipe his face and Tony hears the distinct sound of him sucking on the fabric.

This kid was going to be the end of him.

[hopeandharmonizing]

RP Plotting Sheet : Briar Rieka

Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicy jumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted.

Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Template here.

tagged by: stole it from an old blog

Mun name: Rachel or Teceraca OOC Contact: Start with tumblr IMs. I have discord as well. Talk in the tags.

Who the heck is my muse anyway: 

Creeping up on middle-age, part-time Happy Huntress, part-time musical performer, wolf faunus lady who occasionally plays with gender presentation, mostly on stage. She has a painful past, but it only hardened her into a stronger, kinder self who wants to help everyone else to never hurt that badly, or at least not have to shoulder the pain alone. All she wants is to empower people, and yet all she seems to do it make them weaker and intimidated in her presence. Regardless, she continues to try and inspire through words and music, and protect through fists and claws.

Points of interest: 

black and white wolf tail, thorny vine tattoos wrapping most of her body, a semblance which cancels out others’ semblances, skilled in Aikido, guitar, keyboard/piano, and vocals. Graduate of Sanctum and Atlas Academies. Her huntress license lapsed after its first expiration date and remained that way for ~10 years until she reinstated at the behest of Robyn Hill. She will love you if you love yourself, and likewise do her best to truly scare the shit out of you if you mistreat others.

What they’ve been up to recently:

In mainverse, she’s living her best life in Mantle city, trying to bring hope to the masses and occasionally going on stake-outs for Robyn Hill or acting as entertainment or security detail for her rallies.

If you want to meet her somewhere in the past, you can find her either just looking to survive, mastering her music, or completing combat training followed by huntress training. then, trying but failing to work effectively as a licensed huntress, and slowly feeling like she’s lost herself before she finds music again.

Where to find them: 

In chronological order:

Morkmani Village Anima forests Argus Sanctum Academy Atlas Academy Mantle city  - wherever the work was   - performances at nightclubs, bars, street venues, coffee shops, etc  - libraries, cafes, anywhere she can sit and work on her stuff  - her apartment  - supporting other people’s shows! having fun in the crowds.  - out shopping, especially to add to/update her wardrobe with cool shit

Current plans:

make the world better! or at least feel like less of an oncoming storm. continue to be a badass? love as many people as she can. from a distance, usually.

Desired interactions:

WHEEZE. A lot of this is similar to the associations bit in my page but here we go.

Robyn recruiting her to join the huntresses, any and all shenanigans that may follow. Fraternizing with fellow huntresses in general, or missions together.

Qrow and/or Clover semblance shenanigans and training. Also her and Clover generally giving each other shit bc it is just So Much to have those two egos in one room.

Bitching at Ironwood about what trust and loyalty REALLY means or maybe just her venting to someone about him, but this requires her getting to know him somehow in the first place, or at least to hear from others what he is like. idk. this muse has meta feelings about micromanagement, I would love to thread them.

Giving Weiss vocal training classes when she was a lil’ girl. and/or catching up in current verse. 

Briar getting to meet Blake and absolutely gush about her speech at Menagerie bc she saw it from some scroll recordings.

Basically anything with Jaune. I still have no idea what is going to happen when these two semblances meet each other. I do know hers can basically act like a spiritual resistance weight to help his get stronger. It probably goes both ways. Semblance arm wrestling is what I’m sayin’. But also she just.......... she has a lot of feelings. It’s like a Qrow/Clover thing too where she looks at him and sees everything she could be, but isn’t. She’s too proud. Help her work through this and question herself a little bit so she can come out better for it, and realize they are both different yet who they are supposed to be.

Silver eyes training with Ruby!!!! She doesn’t know anything about them besides what she’d find out from the crew, but she does have plenty of skills and pep talks that can probably help Ruby focus and/or project her power. Briar's semblance color is silver for a reason.

Semblance/aura training with anyone in general. But when I say that I also mean “learning not to rely on your semblance” training. She’s good for that. She may get being a professor for it added to either her history or her future, idk yet.

This also leads into being able to have a discussion with Oscar/Ozpin about a different take that can help her fully realize her semblance abilities. If you’re interested, we can chat mun to mun so I can let you know my ideas and you can decide how your muse wants to guide her through it.

Other OCs idk who what where when why how but that’s exactly the point. the whole verse is our oyster, let’s see what happens. come @ me. let’s let our muses help develop each other.

Offered interactions:

Briar’s actually pretty easy to have interactions with villains? She probably won’t know any better if she runs into them and they aren’t immediately stirring trouble. For better or worse, she’ll give them the benefit of the doubt if they are trying to confide in her about something or just chatting.

Also I haven’t made one yet but she’d be damn good for a villain herself AU.

She will listen to you! She will sing to you!! She wants to make you happy and help you grow, plz come to her with whatever. (Or vice versa! She’s not difficult to get to open up and she will talk with you about her own doubts and demons if u want).

Anyone can watch one of her performances and/or come find her hanging around the venue afterwards. I’ll probably make some opens for this kind of thing.

Are you another performer character??? Duets??? duets.

Faunus mentor!! Music mentor!!

Sanctum or Atlas Academy student days can be a thing. Likewise for her more interspersed street performances during those times.

future volume interactions if you’re comfortable with hcs of what goes down until we find out canon. She can go after Robyn/Qrow in the immediate timeframe, or run into any of the kids in the process. I like to think she joins up with the main cast to head to Vacuo when that happens. Whether to just bring her music along for them and/or to start spreading it to more reaches of the world bc hopefully Atlas/Mantle is under control at some point and in good hands with Robyn and however that leadership shakes out, and damn the whole world needs hope right now, so it is... Time To Dream Even Bigger.

Current open post/s: 

here’s the open starter tag!

Anything else?:

I thought there was a shipping section on here but uhhhhhh i’m too much of a wuss to make one myself right now. maybe a bias list in the future. I feel like I should get some general interactions going first. 

Tagging: I’m not making anyone commit to this beast. If you want it, take it and most certainly blame me and tag me so I can read it.

[inkedmyths]

What is this, Peter Pan?

This idea came out of the @linkeduniverse Discord

Even though it, at least at this point, has little to do with LU (we get off topic a lot)

Anyway, a concept: Every Hero has to face his inner demons. Wild has a pretty unconventional reaction.

Enjoy this disaster of 2,404 words

The title of Hero has been passed down for millennia in Hyrule. Stories upon myths upon legends speak of those brave enough to face evil head on. No adventure is exactly the same, but similarities thread through each tale of daring. Certain events, certain names... certain trials.

Among those trials is that of the Shadow. Each Hero, on his quest to prove himself, must face his Shadow in battle. Typically, this is involved in proving their worth in wielding a sacred item, most often the blade known as the Master Sword.

The battle was to be a test of strength in the body and mind, as well as endurance, tactics, and overall skill. It often requires preparation, as it is no easy task to face one's own darkness. Many took as long as they could to prepare for the showdown. It was an important marker on the journey of a Hero.

A marker of which Link knew nothing about.

That isn't to say he wasn't told. In fact, he'd known all about it at some point. He'd even completed said trial.

But that was a century prior to waking up with no memory. And, as it turned out, amnesia meant he had to go out and prove his worth again. Not that he minded too much, seeing as he didn't remember doing it before anyway and wasn't entirely sure himself if he qualified as 'worthy'.

In fact, Link thought it sounded like great fun to repeat his prior actions. Exploring and relearning the world was quite a good pastime, in his opinion. A legendary blade that wouldn't break was certainly a plus as well. He was tired of those useless pieces of metal he picked up off of bokogoblins.

He'd finally been able to pull the blade out of the stone the princess had left it in. It gleamed in the setting sun, polished metal glinting elegantly. Even if he hadn't known it was the Master Sword, he'd have guessed it was a powerful blade by looking at it. This was a far cry from the swords left by monsters and simple travelers.

Link whistled as he walked aimlessly. He had no idea what he was whistling, but it invoked images of a fresh, green forest. Since he was approaching one at that moment, he deemed it fitting.

As he scanned the trees in front of him, he returned to turning over a thought he'd been coming back to since leaving the Lost Woods. He was fairly sure the Great Deku tree had mentioned 'trials of the Hero' that he had to face. Link, being as unknowledgeble as he was, had no idea what those entailed. The Shrines, perhaps? Divine Beasts? Despite having pondered the statement repeatedly, he wasn't all that worried. He was sure he'd figure it out one way or another, whether that being someone telling him or him stumbling across the answer on accident.

That train of thought was quickly derailed as his eyes locked on a structure past the trees. Link's ears twitched slightly at the sight of the bokogoblin camp. He couldn't tell how many there were from here. Sitting down, he started shuffling through his gear.

The sun dipped down behind the hills and darkness settled across Hyrule as Link dug around in his gear. This bag of holding was useful, but a bit of a pain to find stuff in.

It was at that moment that his sword began glowing.

The Master Sword, to be specific. Link looked over in surprise, a feeling which only increased as he glanced behind him to see his shadow cast by the glow... shifting? Which most certainly was Not A Thing Shadows Should Do.

It wavered for a moment, as if being seen through water. Then it stopped. Then it did it again, before solidifying once more.

And began moving on it's own.

It shifted an arm, feeling its fingers as though testing them out. Link watched in fascination as it shifted its arms. Then it turned its head towards him, red orbs appearing where eyes would be.

The shadow then seemed to bubble. Not as in it began shifting across the grass in a certain way, but as in an actual black substance bubbling on the ground where the shadow was. It pulsated upwards, oozing and popping as it began to take shape. It shifted and grew and writhed until it formed a vaguely humanoid shape that was getting less vague by the second. One twisting dribble became an arm. Another swirled into what looked like fabric. After a continuing shifting and formation, Link was, to say the least, rather surprised.

Standing in front of him was his Shadow. It looked exactly like him, apart from the fact that it was mostly black and dark grey with white hair and pure red eyes. But definitely him. He tried to think of something to say, since it- he?- seemed to be waiting for him to do something.

"...oh."

That wasn't the reaction he was expecting. No no, he was pretty sure that wasn't right. Wasn't he supposed to look horrified or something? At least battle ready.

But instead the Hero looked at him with a look of surprise. Not even shock, no, just surprise. Which he thought was rather rude. After all, he was the incarnation of his darkness. He was way more properly aghast last time-

Hang on. Why was there a last time? He was pretty sure there wasn't supposed to be. Now that he thought more on it, he'd definitely done this before. The Hero had won, right? So why was he back here?

He fixated the boy with a glare. Only one way to find out. "Well?"

Said boy blinked, looking mildly confused. "Well what?" Apparently his Cold-and-Intimidating voice hadn't worked.

"Well? What are you doing on the ground?" He hissed.

Link blinked again at his Shadow's question. He supposed it was a fair inquiry. What was he doing here again? Then he remembered.

"Oh yeah, the bokogoblins."

He went back to rummaging in his bag, pulling out the last few things he'd been looking for. As he did so, he pondered the Shadow's presence. Hadn't someone at some point said the Master Sword would guide him? It had started glowing when the Shadow appeared. Maybe this was its way of providing guidance. A bit unconventional, he supposed, but then again so was just about everything else he did. At least he thought it was unconventional. To be fair, he wasn't a hundred percent sure he knew what 'conventional' was. For all he knew this was the norm.

He had definitely not been expecting that response. "Bokogoblins?" He asked, slightly incredulous. What did that have to do with the fact that they were supposed to fight? Which was something he was pretty sure they had to do. But hadn't they already done that?

"I'm getting there," the Hero replied absently. He pulled out a bow and arrow before setting them aside and started pulling off his tunic.

"Why are you taking your clothes off?" He was more confused than ever. He was fairly sure the Hero had not been like this before. More like a typical hero. And had definitely kept his clothes on.

"It's better." The boy stuffed his clothes into his Convinent Magic Bag.

"...better?" It couldn't possibly be better for a fight, so he hadn't the foggiest as to what he was going on about.

"For fire." A fire arrow was gestured to for emphasis.

...okay then. "And what is the fire for, exactly?"

"The bokogoblins." With that, he stood up, bow and arrows in hand and sword slung on his back and set off down the grassy slope towards the trees.

With lack of a better thing to do, along with being frankly quite stunned at the entire exchange, he followed the Hero down into the forest. The Hero, whom he noted, had both changed and not changed. He didn't look like he'd aged much since the initial Trial of the Shadow. On the other hand, he was significantly more scarred. His entire left side was a scarred, which was currently on display seeing as he wasn't wearing anything save for his undershorts. It looked they were burn marks, so severe that he had to question how this here Hero was alive.

How being set aside, the very much alive Hero crouched behind a tree, ears perked attentively as he examined the encampment of monsters in front of him. Peering around the him, he could see that it was quite large, a several story structure wrapped around a tree. Several bokogoblins wandered about the levels, as well as a few moblins. He glanced to the Hero.

"What exactly are you going to do about this?"

The Hero was silent as he took aim. "This," he said as he fired the now ablaze fire arrow into the encampment. It hit a bokogoblin, who promptly burst into flame. Screaming, it ran into another one of its brethren, who in turn now had flames coursing across its body. This domino reaction continued until one of them flailed straight into a red barrel, which promptly exploded. The resulting fire ball set off other barrels, flinging monsters and turning the camp and the surrounding trees into a blazing furnace.

To his shock, the Hero was grinning. "Now that's how you do it." His eyes sparkled in the light of his bonfire, giving him an almost manic look.

He decided he actually quite liked this Hero.

Glancing up at the blaze, he spotted movement. "Looks like some of them survived."

"Damn, that usually does the trick. Guess they want more fire." He started to reach for another arrow.

"... Do you have any wooden weapons, perchance?"

The Hero paused, then grinned wider. "I like the way you think." He reached into his bag and pulled out some kind of club. Standing up, he made note of the monsters still standing. "Alright, here goes nothing."

And he charged forward. Nimbly dodging flames and various items scattered by the blasts, he smacked the first bokogoblin he ran into, which died immediately. He continued across the clearing, his now aflame club making short work of the leftover enemies. Laughter could be heard among the squeals and crackling flames. It belonged to both the Hero and the Shadow, who seemed delighted but this absolute chaos.

Yes, he decided, he did rather like this Hero.

Link finished off the last moblin before turning to face his Shadow. He was still sitting at the edge of the clearing still, laughing. Grinning, Link made his way over.

"Now that was what I call a good way to spend the evening." The Shadow chuckled more at that.

"One hell of a way. Fantastic. Absolutely amazing."

Link laughed with him a moment, before another thought occurred to him. "Say, who are you anyway? I mean, I kind of assumed you're... I dunno, my shadow or something?"

His "shadow's" laughter subsided. "That's about right. I'm supposed to be a trial of some sort." He paused, glancing up to see his reaction.

Link considered this. "Like, a battle trial or something?"

"Essentially. I vaguely recall fighting before though, so I'm not sure entirely what this all means. It's supposed to be a onetime thing."

"I'm redoing everything, so I guess that makes sense. I probably did fight you previously in that case."

His shadow raised an eyebrow. "Why, pray tell, are you redoing everything."

Link shrugged. "I was in a coma for a century and lost my memory, so I guess that made my worthiness questionable."

"Alright, next question. Century long coma?"

"Calamity Ganon."

"Ah," he replied, seeming to understand, at least somewhat.

"By the way, are you... like, made of Calamity?"

The question was met with an offended pout. "Wow, rude. No I am not one of that pig's henchman. Darkness, yes, but a different kind entirely. Better, more refined than that rubbish."

"Okay then." Link hesitated, shifting awkwardly. "So, do we, uh... fight each other then?"

"In theory. I don't really feel like it though."

"You don't?" Link asked, surprised.

"You kidding? You just set an encampment of monsters and the surrounding area on fire." He stood up. "Sticking around with you sounds far more entertaining than fighting."

Link processed this for a moment. "So... you'd rather just, like, hang around than fight me?"

His Shadow rolled his eyes. "That's what I just said."

Link’s ears perked up slightly. A traveling companion! A very strange one, but still. “One more thing. Do you have a name? Since you can’t just have mine, and I’ve kind of just been thinking of you as the ‘shadow’ up until this point.”

He waited while his question was considered. “I haven’t thought of that. I guess we can’t both be Link, that would get confusing. Shadow is too basic,” he decided.

“Okay... what about... Night? Darkness? Shade?”

“Nope, still too basic.”

“Nocturnal?”

“Better, but I don’t like how it rolls of the tongue. Got any more interesting ones?”

Link bit his lip in thought. “...Caliginosity.”

“...What is fuck all does that even mean?” 

“Misty or dark, I think.”

His shadow gave him a look. “You can’t remember doing the Hero Trials, but you remember some obscure word?” Link only shrugged in response. “Whatever. Why don’t we move away from darkness related words? Got any other ideas?”

“Uh... Chain? Like, Link and Chain?”

“Nope.”

“Drake? Dirk?”

“No and no.”

“...Gloopy.”

“If you call me that again I’m going to change my mind about fighting you.”

This went on for several minutes before the shadow was suddenly struck by an idea. “Say, what’s your heroic title? What are you the Hero of?”

Taken aback, Link answered. “Hero of the Wild.”

“’Wild’ as in nature or as in crazy?” Once again, only a shrug in response. “Okay, wild, wild... something related to that.”

“How about Feral?”

His shadow blinked, then broke into a smile. “Feral. Feral. Yes, that has a nice ring to it. I’ll keep it.”

“Finally,” Link sighed.

They stood there for a moment. The fire had mostly gone out by now, though there were plenty of embers still glowing. Smoke curled around the remnants of what had been the encampment structure. Ashes swirled on the night wind.

Link turned again to Feral. “Want to go find another encampment to burn?”

“Hell yes.”

[emptyespada]

UlquiNel drabble ~ taken from Discord

{ Please keep in mind this is copy-pasting long messages from both writers so honestly idk what’s it gonna look like, ONE PARA = ONE MESSAGE FROM ONE MUN }

{ also tagging peeps who wanted to read it @svnshinex @lordsosukeaizen @glacies-tempestatem and the other mun - @raggedyespada }

They said that there was a thin line between love and hate- and perhaps, that was true. Both involved 'caring' for someone. Either caring enough to have the energy to hate them, or caring enough to have the energy to admire them. She fell in the latter category when it came to the Quatro. “During our missions for Aizen, he had always been steadfastly loyal and never... not even once... caused unnecessary damage or bloodshed. Perhaps... he was not as heartless as he thought he was. No. In fact,” she thought, “underneath that loneliness, there lay a lot of love that he possibly longed to offer someone. Or at the very least, he ought to relieve some of that loneliness in her favorite place.”  She lifted her eyes over to his, gesturing towards the corner of the library. "This is my favourite place in Las Noches." And one could see why. It was a blank room filled with white shelves- all piled high with an assortment of books. "A book is a type of friend that you can always share your troubles with.... they never judge us, so we should never judge them," Nelliel informed him with a fond smile as she stroked the spine of a book. 

Ulquiorra had not seen it coming, the way they agreed,  connection, similarities, possible attraction. Nelliel was an Arrancar he spent most of his time lately, started out as missions ordered by superiors, then talking to each other if they happened to be in the same part of the castle, and now there were meetings. Cuatro always found the books to be interesting and a good way to spend free time, if he had any that is. He has never been into the library simply because he was busy with many assignments by Aizen, but now he wasn't so hellbent on fulfilling tasks he didn't need to. He looked around for a bit and then back to Nel, listening to her words carefully. "Interesting way to put it. I assume you're here quite often then?"

Nelliel was here often. Usually she read, even when she was assigned on missions. Especially when these missions involved saving Nnoitra's self. He was always up to mischief . However, it changed when she got more assignments with Ulquiorra. He was calm and usually never tried to fight her. He was a lot better at accepting things that weren't his fault. "Mm... Yeah. I like making friends... But I don't like to fight," she sighed. 

Making friends is something Ulquiorra has seen as absolutely futile, but since it was a metaphor for books he let it slip without voicing his attitude. He could understand her about not fighting, he can be violent and gruesome as much as Aizen desires him to be in order to fulfill a mission, but he finds no pleasure in it, it is a duty and nothing more. "It is something that can't be avoided in this world of ours." He said almost casually but there was a hidden meaning behind the statement, something among 'don't disobey Aizen' lines "What is the last book you read?"

Nelliel hated violence. It was something she had been surrounded by all her life and now that she felt like she was above such things, there was no need to take part in anything so uncouth. So... Disgusting. She abhorred threatening behavior. Instead, she enjoyed people using their minds. And she liked Ulquiorra's curiosity. A keen intellect and somehow, she did not think he would remain the cuatro for long. "The happy prince. A statue with rubies and gold and gives all of his things away to make life easier for others. You would like it."

Spending time with Nelliel actually felt quite comfortable, he felt like he could be completely open with her and drop his cold facade for a bit. "If you say so." He shrugged slightly and looked around some more, the place seemed nice- big but comfy and private, he highly doubted any other Arrancar would bother them here. "Is it a book from World of the Living?"

Nelliel offered him a smile, enthusiastic as she spoke of her true love of words from the book of the living. She's laughing at his naivety. "Ulquiorra... The only people that write are those who have stories. And don't you know? Dead people tell no tales." Her eyes are sad and understanding, but her smile is still upon her face. She's pushing a book into his hand now. It's in a different language and she's holding his fingers underneath the book still. "You like the silence and I love these words... Maybe one day we can write a story."

He raised an eyebrow at her laughing at his statement, he didn't understand the reasoning behind it but decided not to question it since by now he learned she had no bad meaning, she was probably just amused by something. He doesn't quite understand the words she's saying, was she implying only humans write? It made him wonder do the Arrancars have anything worth writing down for someone to read. Or perhaps it was the opposite, he could never be 100% sure with Neliel. He accepts the book he's given, gently running his hand over the covers. If she liked it it was probably a good read and worth giving time to. Green eyes move to her again soon, slightly confused at her statement, but instead of asking he just nods a bit. "I can't say I understand, but I would be a liar if I said it doesn't sound interesting "

"Your sincerity is nice, Ulquiorra," she complimented him. Even if he did not understand, the fact that he was trying to- that effort alone- was worth every single word in this library alone. She flashed him another understanding smile and let her fingers leave his hands. He probably could not begin to understand everything that was running through her mind, but it was all fine. After all, didn't they have plenty of time to explore these things? "... Why do you follow me, Ulquiorra?"

"You invited me to come along, I simply thought this would be an entertaining way to spend my time." He shrugs slightly although he has a feeling that's not quite what she meant, but he didn't really feel like answering to it if she made herself clear. 

Nelliel nodded. "I did, I think you are.. not as violent as the rest of our kind. I feel like we get along."

"I would agree with that statement." It's not like he had much choice anyway, was he supposed to lie? "I find you a pleasant company unlike others that act with such a disgusting attitude considering their high position."  If there is something Ulquiorra is not fond of that is definitely individuals being regraded with respect while they would barely give any to Aizen, trash.

"You are correct. I can't abide by senseless slaughter..." Nelliel glanced over at Ulquiorra. She knew that this was not the norm for their kind. Arrancar sought battle. They sought that glory. "Ulquiorra... what do you seek in life?"

Her question did catch him slightly off guard, though he refused to show it anyhow, and doesn't hesitate to utter an answer almost automatically, like a programmed robot. "My only purpose here is to serve Aizen-sama." If she were anyone less generous than who she was, she would have been crushed by his answer. However, she could only offer him her usual, gentle look. She placed a hand on his cheek, her thumb running down his green estigma lines. "And?"

You could actually pinpoint a moment when Ulquiorra's pupils went wide at the sudden touch. They were on good terms yes, but this... Cuatro isn't comfortable with unnecessary touching in general, but didn't back away, although he could literally feel his blood flow increase its pace by each moment. "There is no an and, I've told you my answer." 

"I see..." she breathes out a sigh then and lets her fingers drop from his face. Perhaps she had been foolish to assume that he... held any fondness for her. After all, his devotion was entirely towards Aizen. Nelliel understood it and yet... it did make her feel a little sad. "Well then... I hope you enjoy the book, Ulquiorra. You should have more of a purpose than to serve others. You aren't just made to serve." 

He lets out a breath he's been holding for a few moments when her hand was on his cheek. It brought him small relief, though he wasn't exactly glad, when she moved it away. "Aizen-sama created all of us solely for the purpose of assisting him in his goal." 

"No... he did not create us, Ulquiorra. You and I existed long before Aizen-Sama came. He assembled us together. Gave us a reason... that is true... but we were here before that," she elaborated with her usual smile. 

"We were bloodthirsty beasts before Aizen-sama, Nelliel." He says in a cold voice, probably not the best thing to say but it was a simple truth, they were both Vasto Lordes, Hollows made of thousands of souls and following only their animalistic ways.  

"That's true. I am grateful to Aizen-Sama for allowing me to become something other than an animal..." she agreed quietly. "But it does not mean that was our only desire." "But it is our duty, and duty we have towards Aizen-sama is more important than what we might sought for ourselves." He pointed out, not really sure why exactly they would have such a deep discussion. "Is there another answer you want from me?"

Nelliel tilted her head, regarding him with something like curiosity once more. So that was how loyal he was to Aizen, then? His duty... he could not forget it even for a moment, could he? She wouldn't make him uncomfortable and so she shook her head. "No... if it's not in your head, then we don't need an answer. Ulquiorra... I'll protect you."

Protection? What would he need protection from? Did she doubt his abilities and doing it on his own? But it probably wasn't about something physical since she despised violence above all. "I need no protection." His voice is cold and dead, void of any emotion as ever.

Yes. He did. After all, she was stronger than him. Her hands were gentle once more as she held his cheeks. "I will still be on your side."

His eyes widen once again, seriously considering moving away but somehow managed to stay still. The touch felt so foreign, so unknown, something he could simply not comprehend.  "Are you implying you would get blood on your hands for me?" 

Nelliel caught the look on his face, almost haunted, if only he were capable of feeling that. She was grateful he didn't move away or dismiss her declaration. Instead, she leaned closer, pressing her forehead to his. "What I want to say is that... I won't let anyone hurt you."

Another form of touch occurred once her forehead was leaned against his, and his breath immediately hitched. Why was she doing this? All this, physical affection thing? It was something definitely new to Cuatro, not necessarily bad but definitely weird. He wonders why doesn't he just say the words back, he doesn't mind getting his hands dirty whatsoever if needed, and if there was someone he'd have to protect it would be Nelliel. "Why are you telling me all of this now?"

She knew this sort of closeness wasn't something they shared often. If at all. But now that they were in her safest place in Las Noches, apart from her room, she wanted to let down some of her walls. She also wanted to let Ulquiorra know that he was valuable to her. "Because we are... alike. We don't belong like the rest of the Arrancar... but we do belong here. And we are friends."

Friends? Ulquiorra wouldn't consider what they had between them friendship, not because he didn't care about her or anything alike, it's just that Ulquiorra does not know what being friends exactly is like, how would he know anyway? Anyone could tell any lame-ass definition of it and he'd buy it, but he wasn't too fond of the topic in general, since the only thing he knew about it is that it includes emotion, something that was a big no-no for him. "Where exactly do we belong then, Nelliel?" Sure there was a lot of similarities between specifically two of them and other Arrancar, but is that a reason to isolate from them even more? 

"I don't know... " She sighed. This time, she withdrew from him entirely. This was probably too much, too fast. Whilst she desperately needed a friend that was not afraid or disgusted by her... she could not pressure Ulquiorra to become close to her. Even if she longed for it. She stood up gracefully, dusting her uniform and then grinned at him. "You look so serious, Ulquiorra. I am not such a terrible friend, am I?" 

The slight relief washes over him once she steps back, even though he just started to get used to the feeling. "You are anything but terrible to me, Nelliel." His tone is barely a shade softer than it had initially been, and someone who hasn't spent much time with him probably wouldn't have noticed. "You, you are a good friend, an only friend." Maybe, just maybe, he would try to see it from her side, and let her show him what that friendship actually is

Whilst she was sad that Ulquiorra had no fraccion to fight beside him, or to even keep him company, she was honored to consider herself one of his friends. And to be acknowledged by Ulquiorra was such a momentous thing that she immediately threw her arms around him in a tight bear hug. "ULQUIORRA?! REALLY?!" She gushed, excited and even squeezed him tighter. "I'm so happy to hear that!"

The hug, especially one of Nelliel's trademark hugs, was definitely unexpected, and he stilled on the spot as though he was petrified. "...Did the protection you mentioned earlier apply to suffocation too?" It felt like she was gripping him with the same force she used to fight. Only after a few moments, slowly but surely, his arms loosely moved to rest on her back, barely touching the surface. 

“Ulquiorra is such a funny little thing sometimes.” Nelliel resisted the urge to squeeze him even tighter and instead, nuzzled his cheek with her own. She loved giving out hugs, though most could not handle them. At least he had the strength to even return it. One day, she wondered if he would hug her back? But... to have a friend hug her... it was so good. "O-Oh... sorry, are you... are you okay?" She loosened her hold on him, peering at him in concern. "Ulquiorra?"

The feeling of her cheek on his was such a new territory, and although it definitely lit a certain spark inside him it still felt weird. "I believe I've handled more dangerous situations." He responded to both of her questions with the same answer, although a simple yes would have worked too. "If I may ask, Nelliel, is there a reason for you initiating so much physical contact today?"

Nelliel was beginning to see him with a lot more fondness than she would have had even a few weeks ago. Truly it seemed that with time, she has learned a great deal about Ulquiorra. "Because it's what friends doooo~!" She laughed, taking his hand and twirling under it.

Now a hand, in the name of Aizen, so much weird and unexpected touching for him today. He doesn't know how exactly friendship works, so he can't exactly say that her putting her hand on his cheek or leaning her forehead against his is something people that are more than ‘friends’ do, he just had that feeling. "If you say so, Nelliel." He was almost sure it was more than what just friends do, something he could not prove nor compare to another friendship he had, maybe it was just a hidden and unconscious wish caused by spending so much time with her lately.

Hazel eyes kept meeting him as she faced him after every twirl and finally, she let go of him, just spinning on her lonesome. "You should dance with me some time, Ulquiorra! It's better than fighting!" Unfortunately, when tried to shimmy backwards, she was knocked over a desk and yelped. "Kyaa!!" She fell straight on her back, rubbing her head. "Oww..." Normally, this would not have caused as much embarrassment, except that... for the Tres to suddenly lose her balance... she flushed, grinning again. "Looks like we're all falling for you."

He watched her spin around and couldn't help but get a bit warm feeling inside of him, one he could not describe. It was like he was happy to be seeing her at this very moment, and watching her made him feel somehow... good? Like she had no worries in the whole world, so free and beautiful. "Gomen, I don't dance." She, and he, dancing? It as one of the last things he'd ever imagine himself doing with anyone, and found it weird how the comment was somehow out of the blue. For some reason he couldn't react quick enough to catch her when she fell but immediately moved to her side. "Are you alright?" He asked as he got down on one knee beside her, it was almost unconscious action, he had the natural need to check if she was alright, which she seemed to be except for the deep shade of red on her face. ‘Looks like we're all falling for you’  What was that supposed to mean? Was it because she hit her head? "Perhaps you should lay down on the couch, you are red in face and not exactly talking ordinarily."

Nelliel waved aside his concern and shook her head. She got up on her own and flashed him another smile. Ulquiorra was so clueless, even though she had been making her feelings so obvious. But... she supposed he could not help it. Things like... affection and other feelings, were foreign to the Espada. "Hmm... perhaps I will lay down, hehe, too much dancing?" "...Yes... too much dancing." He mumbled and got lost in his thoughts for a few moments, Nelliel was such an enigma, everything around her happens so fast even her mood was hard to follow, but unlike with other similar situations, he actually wanted to know more. "Here, lay down." He said pointing to one of many sofas in the library and this one was just a few steps away from them. "Would you want me to make you tea?"

He was still nice, despite his... disinterest (?) in her. She supposed just being friends with him was good enough. He was good company and she enjoyed the fact that he wasn't insecure about his strength. He was willing and thoughtful in his own way. They worked well together. She lay down on the sofa that he had pointed out, an arm over her masked head and wondered if there was such a thing as happiness that they could attain. She turned to face him. "I don't want tea... I want to sit with you."

He raised an eyebrow at her request, fining it somehow odd and maybe even attributing it to her fall a few seconds ago, but he believed Espada like her had to get a much harder hit to mess something up in her head. Slowly and carefully, he made his ways towards the sofa and sat beside where her waist was, emerald eyes locking down on hazel ones. "Is there something you wish to discuss with me?" 

Ah. He may be oblivious to her feelings, but not to her general sense of self. She still lay on the sofa, glancing at Ulquiorra who had now taken a seat beside her body. She knew she took up a lot of room, but Ulquiorra was still polite enough to sit beside her. She offered him a mild smile. "What do you think of me, Ulquiorra?"

The question wasn't a complete surprise considering her usual act most of the time. Not having to think too much, he answers pretty quickly. "You are someone I, above all, respect as a warrior and superior. I am aware that you have a sharp mind and skills good enough to conquer any nation you want." That's where he stops for a moment, that is Nelliel that is presented to everyone, but there were parts of her she didn't share quite so openly. "I admire your self-control in a battle, you are calm often but I actually do not mind you behaving more care-free when we are alone, and you are only delighting company around here." So, in short, not a trash.

She had heard this spiel before. Great warrior. Excellent fighter. Brilliant strategist. It sounded like Aizen had fed these words to Ulquiorra to regurgitate towards her. Nelliel sighed when he paused. So... she was just a superior to him. She blinked when he continued. Admire? Ulquiorra admired the things that infuriated so many others? That... those flaws of hers that she couldn't hide at all. Nelliel found a soft smile appearing on her face. "Thank you, Ulquiorra. You have a good heart. And my own can't help but relax around yours. Your company... it's so pleasant. I wish I could share it all day and night." 

{ mun’s note: IC: I have a good what? }

He was about to deny the existence of the alleged heart but he waited for her to finish speaking and once she did all the thoughts about the heart disappeared from his mind as the realization hit him- what Neliel was doing all along. Was she seeking a relationship with him? Relationship with Cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer, seemed almost impossible in theory. They were on pretty good terms but this... this was really unexpected, she actually saw something in him worth an effort? Even if she did he certainly didn't, he would have never imagined to be in this situation. Top ranking, and only female, Espada, one everyone feared and admired, and he did hear occasional comments about her hot body here and there, actually wanted something with him? His gaze adverts from hers, mostly down to the rest of her but simply to avoid eye contact. "Don't do that to yourself." He whispered quietly.

Yes. She was. Her hazel eyes waited for the penny to drop and she managed a little smile at his almost-shy response. He did not look... pleased. She supposed she ought to have expected this. No man enjoyed a more powerful woman as a mate. It was lonely in a sense, but... she was a forgiving person. "I like you... but if you are not interested, I will not mention this again, Ulquiorra."

"It's not about that." He responded almost automatically to her ‘not interested’ comment and moved his gaze back to hers. "We are Espada, with a lot of work to concentrate on." It was not an excuse it was just the truth, Ulquiorra treasures his duty to Aizen above everything else, Nelliel has been a distraction, a really pleasant one, so far. He couldn't even imagine how less focused on work he would be. Besides they are so different, she believes in emotion, she believes in the heart. "You could do better than me anyway."

Ulquiorra's gaze was stoic as usual and she could not read him as easily as she could the books in this library. If only... but she could not force him to like or enjoy her presence. She only offered him a mild and kind smile. She knew how important Aizen was to Ulquiorra and would not want to impose. "... I only want you. There is nobody better in my eyes, but I think I have been presumptuous. I'm sorry, Ulquiorra, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Her words echoed in his mind a few times before actually registering them. She actually felt that way about him? Nelliel, in fact, considered him to be the best option for her? Ulquiorra honestly couldn't wrap his mind around it, he never thought anyone would even like him - he was cold, denied the existence of the emotions ( even though it was really hard to keep that stand while with Tres ) keeping mostly to himself, and considered almost everyone trash. Why would someone so kind like Nelliel even show interest in him? They did have common points and he enjoyed her company, so it wasn't weird to assume she liked it as well, but an actual relationship? "I would not be able to give you what you want." He didn't exactly even knew what it was, but it had to include emotions, which he was not capable of. "That is the reason above everything else." 

"Do you not feel anything for me?" She inquired, probing him a little more each time. The Espada... the fourth... “he always assumed that he didn't have emotions. That there was nothing inside his empty chest... but that was not possibly true.” She liked his restraint. She was attracted to his mind and his resurrecion was powerful. She believed he had the potential to do a lot more.. and be a lot more. Except... maybe not to her. "I think you forget what I said. What I want is you... but if you cannot be with... a woman who carries my rank... then I understand." No man enjoyed it if the woman under him could defeat him in battle. It hurt their pride. Their attraction... She was glancing back towards him and placed a hand over his cheek. "You are kinder than you think, Ulquiorra." 

He froze on the spot at her question, the automatic response would be 'no', because he does not feel, he can't allow himself to, but now... he found the answer to be... pretty hard? Did he enjoy her company? Yes. Would he be opposed to more of it? No. Did he find her attractive? Yes, but physical looks meant next to nothing to him if he wasn't fond of the individual's personality, which was definitely not s case with Nelliel. Was he attracted to her? She seemed to somehow draw him towards her... Even without any effort, just being herself, she awoke this feeling inside of him, a wish to be closer. But was it a real wish or something else? Is that what a feeling is supposed to be? "I... I don't know, Nelliel, but I can't say it's nothing." The truth, wasn't the worst response he could give her, but he was aware she knew him well enough to know that emotions aren't exactly his field of expertise, and won't take it the wrong way. When her rank was mentioned he immediately shook his head his, he didn't want her to assume his thoughts, especially about her. "That is not the case at all. Your power is something I admire about you, I would never see it as a downside of anything." Once her hand was on his cheek he stilled on the spot, he could actually feel his blood race faster through him and he looked down at her, his own hand gently moving over her own. "You are the only one that thinks that, meaning you are either incomprehensibly naive or dangerously intelligent." 

“I will take that response,” she replied graciously. At least… it was not nothing. She felt heartened by his admission - it must have taken a lot of courage for him to fight his loyalty towards Aizen, to be used as his tool… and suddenly to come to terms that he felt a friendship towards her. Nelliel was honoured. Ulquiorra’s good opinion was not easy to acquire and yet, he responded positively towards her affections. She wondered and hoped for more of course, but she should not get greedy. He was wonderfully complex… if one took the time to look. To understand. Her lips curved into a gentle smile. “I have been known for being both those things, Ulquiorra Cifer,” she’s glancing up at him still, holding his gaze for a long moment and feeling her throat run dry as his pale hand is upon her tan ones. She can feel the mildest of pink tinges upon her cheeks, fusing with her red estigma. “… ‌I truly like you. Would you like to explore this something you feel with me?”

He more of hoped than expected the response he got, Nel was warm-hearted and understanding. There she is with that smile again, that is one thing he always found somehow weird or incomprehensive about her, how could she smile so much. However a blush on her cheeks is something new, and green orbs narrow for a moment. She was a puzzle, something unknown, he could not know that he was letting himself into. Her question causes his breath to hitch, 'I truly like you', it's like he couldn't completely register that fact, and he takes a good few moments to think about his answers, although no seemed like a logical answer, he couldn't make himself say that.  "...Explore how?" 

Nelliel smiled around the people she liked. They put her in a consistent good mood - -and Ulquiorra always made her smile. He was thoughtful, considerate... and curious. ‘His curiosity made him gentle’, she thought. A gentle Espada... the thought was almost laughable. Except now she believed that it was true with his gentle fingers over hers. "Ulquiorra..." she's flushed now, not sure how to express it. Her hand is now moving over towards the center of his face and her thumb grazes over his lips. She's glancing away from him now, towards the floor. "I... if it is not something you desire, feel free to say no." 

For a moment he focuses on the feeling of her fingers beneath his, and he wonders how long has it been since he touched another individual so delicately, with care and no bad intention. Ulquiorra usually doesn't touch people, that is something he isn't exactly fond of but Nelliel was a whole another story, the feeling was unfamiliar yes, but it didn't have to mean it's bad. His eyes lock on her face again, catching the flush and finding it somehow amusing, how the powerful Tres Espada looked so innocent at the moment. His breathing stops once her thumb moves over to his cold lips, getting whole new sort of feelings to form inside him yet he couldn't make himself express them out loud. "I know when to say no, Nelliel, do what you seem fitting." 

She was powerful and with that power, came isolation. The isolation that she did not enjoy because she loved surrounding herself around people. Around other beings. And yet, he was now not shying away from her company as much as he had before. Her gaze slid back to his, she leaned forward, her mask almost crashing into his but she wasn't going to be impulsive. "May I...?" The Espada was now asking for permission, her lips hovering just inches from his. 

The tension was growing heavier pretty quickly, with each inch that shrank the distance between them. He knew she wanted to kiss him for a good half a minute now but it's like he just couldn't fully let that fact sink in, that's why he stayed still and didn't react most of the time. Asking for permission wasn't completely unexpected, but he felt like he should do something as well, this way he was giving her a hard time understanding his intentions and wishes, no matter his view of these actions. Slowly, he leaned forward, his lips just gently brushing over hers, not quite yet a kiss, he didn't want to play it too fast, in case she changed her mind or something. Heart racing inside her chest, Nelliel's quietest fears are alleviated by the gentlest, softest brush of his lips against hers. They are dark, but not as cold as she had imagined. She draws him into her warmth and soon, she's kissing him with a lot more urgency than she can quite control. Her lips move softly against his, gentle at first, then coaxing his lips to move against her own. She's tilted her chin to angle it better and has moved her body to pull him closer to herself. "Ulqui...orra...." 

For a first second he isn't really sure what to do with himself, did she want him to continue? Was he bad it? Was she reconsidering? About a thousand thoughts crossed through his mind but soon only one remained - how soft and warm Nelliel's lips felt. He expected her to be more of a type for some gentle, slow kiss, which was proved wrong, not that he minded, when notable vigor was added. Her lips do the perfect job of coaxing his own into more movement, and soon he completely surrendered himself to the feeling, allowing his body to move only in a natural way. "Nel..." he whispers her name against her lips between the kisses when he hears his own, his hand slowly, and unconsciously, moves up to gently rest on the side of her waist.

She had always imagined being like this with him. The images came more frequently as of late and suddenly her lips were upon his, inviting and hot as they pried his lips apart. There was no cero, no insults... just warmth and desire as pink tongue slipped out to slide against his lips. She enjoyed his attention, his mysterious beauty and... his hand on her body. Kissing him felt so unbelievably amazing. "Kiss me, Ulquiorra..." she whispered, running her hands down his back. 

{ mun’s note: LMAO he WOULD cero someone else if they tried to kiss him XD }

He never imagined, in his Arrancar life that is, that being with another person like this would feel so good, whether it was the fact that this was Nelleil or the pure physical act, although it could be a combination as well. His mouth parts for her instantly once he feels her tongue on his lips, and his grip around her waist tightens a bit, as though she would slip from his arms and disappear if he wasn't kissing and holding her stronger. When he hears her request he has no choice but to oblige, gently sliding his tongue against hers and changing their position in a way her body was being lowered more down on the couch with him moving accordingly above her, lips still locked.

Nelliel had admired him for a while now and she knew that once her desires were met, they would only grow. The fire in her body, at his touch, only continued to roar inside her blood. She was flush against his body and continued to run her tongue against his, exploring the cavern of his mouth until he started responding. He was not completely... naive? She had assumed she would be the one instructing him. Her head met the back of the couch and she sighed, staring at him looming above her, lips against hers and wondered if he would continue kissing her all night. "Don't stop..." she murmured against his lips.

Having her laying down gave him a better angle to kiss her, but made the situation more intense and heated, with him completely above her, their chests pressed against each other's and now he took one of her hands in his, entangling their fingers together and pushing her down into the soft surface a bit more. The feeling of her tongue in his mouth couldn't even be described, it definitely ignited some kind of a spark inside him, something that made him want to do so much more, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will, they are just kissing for the first time after all. His own wet muscle moves against hers, and it's like she is challenging him, tempting him to do more. 

With their position switched, she was now finding that she wanted more than just kisses from the Espada, but this... this was all she could ask for. She knew Ulquiorra had trouble expressing himself and so, she would be forgiving. Her eyes closed as his tongue slid against hers and she whimpered his name out, pushing her body against him with urgency. "Ul..Ulquiorra.." she's whimpering his name out as his fingers lace into hers against the back of the couch. He was... everything she was expecting and more. "Mmmh..." He found her whimpering his name to be such a wonderful sound, and moaned her own quietly in return. Her body being pushed up against his brought another new wave of sensation, sent shivers down his spine and made his blood boil at the same time. Their position was really.... convenient now, being so close; their hands conjoined, front parts pressed together, mouths locked on each other's. All of it sparked a question in his mind - did she want more? He did know her well but not exactly the kind to know what she thinks about sex, so he decided not to assume anything and just see how things go. "N-Nelliel..." He mumbled against her lips.

Her cheeks are flushed with every kiss and every slip of his tongue across hers. She's sucking on his lower lip now, grasping at her shirt with the other hand that wasn't holding his. The third Espada was exposed in a way she has not allowed many men. But for Ulquiorra, she would make every exception. She panted his name, feeling her breasts pressed to his chest and ran her soft lips along his neck. Her eyes are clouded over with tender lust as she adjusts their position just so she can untie her costume a little more. She's finally found the zip to the side and turns towards Ulquiorra. "Please... Stay with me tonight?"

The feeling of her sucking on his lower lip was so mind-numbingly good he couldn't even describe it, his eyes closed and every thought from his mind disappeared, he didn't even notice her grasping at her shirt. He found his neck to be more sensitive than his lips, and the new feeling was more intense and sensual. He was almost losing himself in lust and ecstasy but  snapped out it when he noticed her adjusting their position and going for the zipper, making him almost completely sure she did want to take this a step further, but he wasn't sure did he as well, even if he did, there was no way in hell that will be in the library. "I will, but not here." Even though chances were very small, someone could still walk in on them.    

[fyrapartnersearch]

looking for a writing partner

a bit about me -20something who RPs to unwind. I try to reply as many times a day as I can, but of course, real life comes up. If anything major crops up, I would inform my partner ASAP. I live in the US, in the eastern timezone. I am searching for a long term writing partner. -As I am over 18, I would like my partners to be too. This is a non-negotiable, since I enjoy have mature content (sex, drugs, rock and roll, along with language and violence). -In relation to the above, I am fine with smut, but it can't dominate the story. I prefer plot above all else. A good story is the fun part of RP for me and too much smut drags the story down. I do have my limits and things I'm fine with but that can be discussed when we connect. -As for my writing style: paragraph/novel style, 3rd person. I try to put in at least two decent sized paragraphs a post. One liners are not my thing, so no worries about that from me! -I prefer to play female main characters. All of them are over 18 and range in personality, color, beliefs, etc... Side/secondary characters are whatever they need to be and I can play as many as required. A good cast is important! But I don't double, at least in the traditional sense. -well rounded characters are life. I love figuring them out, crafting backstories and personalities for them, seeing how they react to situations. -Romance is always fun. I prefer to play out m/f relationships, with me as the female.  -As for where I prefer to RP: email (pasteldust@outlook.com), skype, googledocs, Discord. I have Hangouts, but that is for planning and ooc chatter. plot related matters -original characters and settings are my jam. While I do take inspiration from fandoms (Harvest Moon, Shameless, Grey's Anatomy, AHS Coven and Freak Show, Clerks and all films in that universe, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Community ), I only use original characters and settings. So, all of the above are things I am only open to using as inspiration, either a little or a lot. The genres I prefer are mainly slice of life, 'historical' (for lack of a better term) and urban fantasy. We can also just do a thing where we make characters and have sort of a TV show structure: smaller plots with an overarching plot/theme/whatnot (ie the adventures of two friends as they fall in love, with supporting cast members being family and friends). That is mainly because there are ideas I would be open that don't seem like they would work long term and it would just be fun to throw our characters into a variety of adventures. now, onto less vague plot ideas! Best Friends:  basically the idea above. That seems like it would be fun, jumping from story to story as two best friends fall for each other. Hooker/Client: which explains itself, now that I think about it. A hooker and her client get too close when they should not be. The client can be anything but a married man, since infidelity is a no-go. Maybe he's a doctor, lawyer or business executive. Or a literal superhero or supervillain, which could be a fun twist. Online: Our characters are YouTube famous, making videos and those Benjamins. So they have to deal with that unique brand of fame and a budding relationship. Knocked Up: again, it explains itself. Two people have an unplanned pregnancy. It could be two friends, two strangers, the world is open! I would love to combine this with the Shameless inspired plot aka slice of life with a heavy dash of dysfunction, chaos and drama in case you have not seen the show. Or maybe she's pregnant by a guy who is no longer around but is vibing with someone else (so no cheating here), which could add more drama. Could be combined with the best friends plot, or even the freak show idea! Related to the above: not quite accidental pregnancy. A single man decides to hire a surrogate so he can have an heir. Feelings crop up, shenanagins ensue. Maybe there are Jane the Virgin-esque shenangins, to varying degrees depending on what you want. And of course, the RP continues after the kid is born. A slow burn is preferred with this plot. Homecoming: Something like the above would be the backstory. A couple has a thing and have to part ways, for whatever reasons. He could have gone into the military, maybe it was work or school, something happened to break them apart. And some time later, they reunite and surprise, she has a kid. Now they must navigate parenthood, old and new feelings and general drama RJ/BB: Romeo and Juliet meets Breaking Bad. Two people from rival drug dealing cliques meet and there is a spark. But their crews are dicks, to be concise. Or maybe only one of them is dealing. Arranged Marriage: Can take place in modern day or a historical setting. For the modern day, it could be a business deal on the parent's end that includes a wedding of some sort. As for a historical setting, it could be a few things. Maybe it is how they end a war. Or it is a business deal of some sort. For those two or something similar, I like the idea of them sniping, having hate sex, generally being snippy and then, thing progress and they learn to work together. Or...Maybe it's like what Dany and Drogo from Game of Thrones had, but with a happier ending (I would love this one). Or it is just an outright kidnapping sort of deal. Which could tie into the Beauty and the Beast dynamic. Maybe one of them is like a prize to the other (ie a warrior/gladiator being gifted a prize for winning a tournament or battle in the form of a bride or a warrior is taken hostage and is given as a prize to the ruler's daughter?)  But I am open to ideas of course! Related to the above, kinda. A cruel, tyrant of a king takes a bride for reasons that are not all that genuine. Someone who is either part of the rebel forces or maybe a lone wolf kidnaps her and they wind up on the run, first as captor and captive and then as something more. Untitled: Set in the classic pseudo medieval time period, a person of noble or royal blood has either fled or been cast out of their home (the latter could tie into a beauty and the beast ish plot). They cross paths with a person of common blood and things develop. Untitled 2: A princess/noble woman and a knight (or other kind of castle worker) become close, but their stations in life and maybe a few other things make it complicated. Untitled 3: Something with pirates could be fun! Untitled 4: This idea is a cracky one but hey, lets throw it out there. It's a fusion of Grey's Anatomy and Buffy. Basically my character is a Slayer who decided to go into medicine instead of slaying since due to the events of the finale, she is not the one girl in all the world. But this is still the Buffy-verse and with the soapy dramatics of GA thrown in, life is not simple. So there will be romance, action, adventure and so much more. Note: I have only seen the shows and have not read the comics. And of course, original stories inspired by the fandoms listed above. Something Shameless, AHS Freak Show, Dany/Drogo or IASIP inspired would be amazing right now. It could be combined with a plot of course.  As I have said, I deal in originals only. misc: There are some relationship dynamics I would like to explore: love to hate, age gaps (older man, younger woman, up to 15 years), best friends falling for each other, werewolves or werewolf/human, vampire/human, artist and their muse, opposites attract, boss/employee, co-workers or partners. The three shows I would use to sum up my sense of humor are: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Most Popular Girls in School and Community.

-I use face claims, but only if my partner does as well. So it is not mandatory at all.

-Also, OOC chatter is fine with me. I like to geek out  over characters as well, chatter about them, talk headcanons, maybe do little AU sidestories and whatnot. I love pinterest, polyvore and even making playlists on spotify.

I am open to ideas and plots can always be combined. Don't just send a message saying 'hey wanna rp?'. Tell me about yourself and what you want to write. I am fine with drama and angst in the story, but not all the time. RP is supposed to be fun!

[desperatelyseekingroleplay]

a bit about me -20something who RPs to unwind. I try to reply as many times a day as I can, but of course, real life comes up. If anything major crops up, I would inform my partner ASAP. I live in the US, in the eastern timezone. I am searching for a long term writing partner. -As I am over 18, I would like my partners to be too. This is a non-negotiable, since I enjoy have mature content (sex, drugs, rock and roll, along with language and violence). -In relation to the above, I am fine with smut, but it can't dominate the story. I prefer plot above all else. A good story is the fun part of RP for me and too much smut drags the story down. I do have my limits and things I'm fine with but that can be discussed when we connect. -As for my writing style: paragraph/novel style, 3rd person. I try to put in at least two decent sized paragraphs a post. One liners are not my thing, so no worries about that from me! -I prefer to play female main characters. All of them are over 18 and range in personality, color, beliefs, etc... Side/secondary characters are whatever they need to be and I can play as many as required. A good cast is important! But I don't double, at least in the traditional sense. -well rounded characters are life. I love figuring them out, crafting backstories and personalities for them, seeing how they react to situations. -Romance is always fun. I prefer to play out m/f relationships, with me as the female.  -As for where I prefer to RP: email (pasteldust@outlook.com), skype, googledocs, Discord. I have Hangouts, but that is for planning and ooc chatter. plot related matters -original characters and settings are my jam. While I do take inspiration from fandoms (Harvest Moon, Shameless, Grey's Anatomy, AHS Coven and Freak Show, Clerks and all films in that universe, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Community ), I only use original characters and settings. So, all of the above are things I am only open to using as inspiration, either a little or a lot. The genres I prefer are mainly slice of life, 'historical' (for lack of a better term) and urban fantasy. We can also just do a thing where we make characters and have sort of a TV show structure: smaller plots with an overarching plot/theme/whatnot (ie the adventures of two friends as they fall in love, with supporting cast members being family and friends). That is mainly because there are ideas I would be open that don't seem like they would work long term and it would just be fun to throw our characters into a variety of adventures. now, onto less vague plot ideas! Best Friends:  basically the idea above. That seems like it would be fun, jumping from story to story as two best friends fall for each other. Hooker/Client: which explains itself, now that I think about it. A hooker and her client get too close when they should not be. The client can be anything but a married man, since infidelity is a no-go. Maybe he's a doctor, lawyer or business executive. Or a literal superhero or supervillain, which could be a fun twist. Online: Our characters are YouTube famous, making videos and those Benjamins. So they have to deal with that unique brand of fame and a budding relationship. Knocked Up: again, it explains itself. Two people have an unplanned pregnancy. It could be two friends, two strangers, the world is open! I would love to combine this with the Shameless inspired plot aka slice of life with a heavy dash of dysfunction, chaos and drama in case you have not seen the show. Or maybe she's pregnant by a guy who is no longer around but is vibing with someone else (so no cheating here), which could add more drama. Could be combined with the best friends plot, or even the freak show idea! Related to the above: not quite accidental pregnancy. A single man decides to hire a surrogate so he can have an heir. Feelings crop up, shenanagins ensue. Maybe there are Jane the Virgin-esque shenangins, to varying degrees depending on what you want. And of course, the RP continues after the kid is born. A slow burn is preferred with this plot. Homecoming: Something like the above would be the backstory. A couple has a thing and have to part ways, for whatever reasons. He could have gone into the military, maybe it was work or school, something happened to break them apart. And some time later, they reunite and surprise, she has a kid. Now they must navigate parenthood, old and new feelings and general drama RJ/BB: Romeo and Juliet meets Breaking Bad. Two people from rival drug dealing cliques meet and there is a spark. But their crews are dicks, to be concise. Or maybe only one of them is dealing. Arranged Marriage: Can take place in modern day or a historical setting. For the modern day, it could be a business deal on the parent's end that includes a wedding of some sort. As for a historical setting, it could be a few things. Maybe it is how they end a war. Or it is a business deal of some sort. For those two or something similar, I like the idea of them sniping, having hate sex, generally being snippy and then, thing progress and they learn to work together. Or...Maybe it's like what Dany and Drogo from Game of Thrones had, but with a happier ending (I would love this one). Or it is just an outright kidnapping sort of deal. Which could tie into the Beauty and the Beast dynamic. Maybe one of them is like a prize to the other (ie a warrior/gladiator being gifted a prize for winning a tournament or battle in the form of a bride or a warrior is taken hostage and is given as a prize to the ruler's daughter?)  But I am open to ideas of course! Related to the above, kinda. A cruel, tyrant of a king takes a bride for reasons that are not all that genuine. Someone who is either part of the rebel forces or maybe a lone wolf kidnaps her and they wind up on the run, first as captor and captive and then as something more. Untitled: Set in the classic pseudo medieval time period, a person of noble or royal blood has either fled or been cast out of their home (the latter could tie into a beauty and the beast ish plot). They cross paths with a person of common blood and things develop. Untitled 2: A princess/noble woman and a knight (or other kind of castle worker) become close, but their stations in life and maybe a few other things make it complicated. Untitled 3: Something with pirates could be fun! Untitled 4: This idea is a cracky one but hey, lets throw it out there. It's a fusion of Grey's Anatomy and Buffy. Basically my character is a Slayer who decided to go into medicine instead of slaying since due to the events of the finale, she is not the one girl in all the world. But this is still the Buffy-verse and with the soapy dramatics of GA thrown in, life is not simple. So there will be romance, action, adventure and so much more. Note: I have only seen the shows and have not read the comics. And of course, original stories inspired by the fandoms listed above. Something Shameless, AHS Freak Show, Dany/Drogo or IASIP inspired would be amazing right now. It could be combined with a plot of course.  As I have said, I deal in originals only. misc: There are some relationship dynamics I would like to explore: love to hate, age gaps (older man, younger woman, up to 15 years), best friends falling for each other, werewolves or werewolf/human, vampire/human, artist and their muse, opposites attract, boss/employee, co-workers or partners. The three shows I would use to sum up my sense of humor are: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Most Popular Girls in School and Community.

-I use face claims, but only if my partner does as well. So it is not mandatory at all.

-Also, OOC chatter is fine with me. I like to geek out  over characters as well, chatter about them, talk headcanons, maybe do little AU sidestories and whatnot. I love pinterest, polyvore and even making playlists on spotify.

I am open to ideas and plots can always be combined. Don't just send a message saying 'hey wanna rp?'. Tell me about yourself and what you want to write. I am fine with drama and angst in the story, but not all the time. RP is supposed to be fun!

[shipmistress9]

FTLOAP - 40.5: Interlude 5: The Ride

Fandom: HTTYD

Theme: Hiccstrid - Medieval-style AU - Romance - Angst/Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Reduced to little more than a stable boy, Hiccup, despite his noble birth, has few prospects for more in life. But when he meets a girl who came to look at the horses, being a stable boy might not be enough anymore. Together, they have tough choices to make and great risks to navigate if they want to survive and be together.

Rating: Explicit

FF-net  -  AO3 -

Discord-server for discussions and questions

Part 1: Prologue; Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9; Chapter 10; Chapter 11;

Part 2: Chapter 12; Chapter 13; Chapter 14; Interlude 1; Chapter 15; Chapter 16; Chapter 17; Chapter 18; Chapter 19; Chapter 20; Chapter 21; Chapter 22; Chapter 23; Chapter 24; Chapter 25; Chapter 26; Interlude 2; Chapter 27: Chapter 28 ; Chapter 29 ; Chapter 30; Chapter 31; Chapter 32; Interlude 3; Bonus 1; Chapter 33

Part 3: Chapter 34; Chapter 35; Chapter 36; Interlude 4; Chapter 37; Chapter 38; Chapter 39; Chapter 40

Alpha/Co-author: @athingofvikings

. – * – _ . o O o . _ – * – .

AN: Ah, yes, this is why I don't like posting too long chapters... Judging by the reactions, the points that were important to me seemed to have drowned in everything else. Ah, well... Splitting the previous chapter and drawing it out longer wouldn't have been a good choice either, so I'll have to live with this now.

This week, the summer holidays started here. That means that I will have even less time to write, but I'll try to stick to the schedule nonetheless. I can't make any promises though, especially with me and my family going on vacation in the week before the next planned update. All I can promise is that I will try.

But! Chapter 41 is one of the most important chapters of this entire story to me and I want to get it right! Meaning, I won't update in two weeks if it's not in a state I'm satisfied with. Sorry.

. o O o .

With a tired sigh, King Osmond of House Hofferson, ruler of the United Kingdom of Volantis, took a moment to rest his head in his hands. Sometimes he wondered just how much time exactly he spent in this room, sitting at his desk and brooding over reports, lists, and requests. But then, did it matter? Someone had to do this and as King it was his duty to make decisions. And if he made the wrong decision, or even let anyone else make these decisions, thousands could and would suffer. No, it was his responsibility to make sure the right decisions were made – or at the very least the ones that offered the minimum amount of harm… 

However, it looked as if his recent decisions were paying off positively. Going through the reports of the last two weeks helped bring a grim smile of satisfaction to his face. He still wasn’t happy with the solution he and his friends had settled upon some months ago, but he couldn’t deny that it was working. Before they’d begun these festivities, he’d compiled a single list of the men they knew were in the conspiracy, and another list of those they reasonably suspected of being in it by association and personal reputations. Those two lists had composed the core of the guest list. And now he was crossing off names from both. Nearly two dozen dead so far, and nearly all of them were on one of the two lists. From what it looked like, the greedy agitators were even murdering each other for their chance at the prize, presumably getting rid of their most dangerous competitors first, and making the upcoming work of the King’s Guard that much easier. Indeed, aside from the incident with the boar, where his huntsman had deliberately set a group of the known traitors after a boar – when they had only been prepared for hunting deer – every other death had come from their fellow men.

The next report listed the injured and the maimed. Here, the divide between the innocent and the guilty wasn’t quite as favourable, but he knew the patients would get the best possible care, which was all he could do for them. Injuries were a common risk, after all. 

Yes, as much as he detested having to use this approach to get rid of the traitors, he had to admit that it was working out splendidly. The highest priority target, Duke Thuggory, might still be alive – and had, annoyingly, been the one to finish off the boar – but there was plenty of time to remedy that fact.

He put the list aside, took a sip of his wine, and reached for the next report. It was the account of the guards that had been sent out to look for the missing tax collector. Neither the man nor his coach had been found by now, so the question remained whether he’d been attacked or had gone into hiding himself. Osmond’s gut told him that it was likely the former, as the man had been loyal for many years now, but that wasn’t why this report made him grimace. This incident wasn’t directly related to the current events at the castle, but... The money and goods this specific man had gathered had been meant to pay for Astrid’s wedding, both for the celebrations and also her dowry. And while the castle’s treasury was filled well enough to compensate the loss, this report only reminded him of what he tried not to think about too often – that this entire charade was being paid at the expense of his beloved daughter. 

Osmond leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face, but then stood up and, almost without thinking, walked over to a large painting that hung in the more comfortable corner of his office. With tired eyes, he looked up into the face of his beloved Brenna; it was so similar to Astrid’s that he sometimes, when she entered a room or they met in the corridors, thought it was her. 

“I wonder what you would have to say if you were here, my love,” he murmured, reaching out to let his fingers glide along the gilded frame. “I assume you’d scold me for using our daughter as bait, especially after the price you paid for her life. But that’s the lot of the royal family, isn’t it? To make sacrifices for the good of the people. And from what it looks like, she’s going to marry Eret’s son; that isn’t too bad, right? Not what you and your best friend had hoped for, not her marrying her son but only her nephew. But given the circumstances, this is the best option for her. I just wish I could already tell her why all this is necessary, but I promise that I will do so eventually. I hope she may forgive me one day, and… and I hope you can, too.”

But, of course, he got no answer. Brenna just kept gazing down at him with those beautiful deep blue eyes and that slightly cheeky smile of hers. Gods, how much he missed her...

For a little while longer, he stayed where he was, gazing up at the painting, before he returned to his desk. He knew that Astrid wasn’t thrilled about any of this, but at least she seemed to be better now that she’d apparently made her choice. All he could do now was hope that, over time, the close friendship she and young Eret shared would turn into more; that was why he’d instructed to grant her more time with him and Oswald’s boy during the weeks before her birthday, after all. 

Although… given how much pain love had brought him, he wasn’t so sure whether that was really something to wish for. Losing Brenna, the love of his life, had nearly killed him too. It had certainly maimed his heart for many years. Only reluctantly, he’d agreed to marry again ten years later, and it had taken three more years to overcome his aversion against the woman his advisors had picked for him. And just when his heart had started to love again, she’d been taken from him, too. Logically, he knew that the bad days were only bearable because he could remember the happy ones… but he also hoped that none of his children would ever have to suffer the pain of burying their loved ones way too early. 

. o O o .

“Ah, there’s nothing quite like a good ride through the countryside, don’t you agree?”

Osmond glanced at his friend Eret II from the corner of his eye, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I do. But you do remember that not everyone feels the same way, yes? There’s no need to tease Oswald tonight for not wanting to come along.”

“Ah, but where’s the fun in that?” Eret pouted.

From the side, Spitelout approached them on his white stallion. Out of the four of them, he was the only one not riding one of the Jag’r horses, as he’d never had the patience to learn how to deal with one of the demanding beasts. “No, really, Eret. You shouldn’t tease Ozzie; he gets enough riding of another sort, after all. Grapevine has it that he and his mistress are expecting again.”

“Oh, is that so?” Eret laughed. “You really do have your spies everywhere, don’t you?”

Spitelout shrugged with a wide grin. “I like to be well-informed.”

Osmond joined in into the laughter that followed, though only half-heartedly. His eyes had fallen on someone dressed in a wide flowing dress of blue and turquoise, and after a murmured excuse to his friends, he led his horse to her side.

“Good morning, Astrid,” he greeted her, smiling warmly, but just as he’d feared and expected, she barely even looked at him in return. 

“Good morning, Sire,” she replied obediently, making a perfect bow on the back of her broad gelding. 

Her formal address pained him, but he didn’t let anything show. He was aware of her current opinion of him, and as much as he’d liked to explain and maybe redeem himself in her eyes – he knew that this wasn’t the time, not yet. Maybe it would come one day – when the traitors were dealt with and secrecy wasn’t as crucial anymore – but for now, it was better she focused all her anger on him. It hopefully meant that her heart was otherwise free to find warmth and comfort in young Eret’s arms. 

“I hope this ride is to your liking,” he tried nonetheless. “I know how fond you are of riding, so I hope this is a welcome diversion to the latest events for you.” The necessary hunts and tournaments might be supposedly to her honour, but Osmond was no fool. He knew his daughter well enough to know that she wasn’t enjoying those, which was why he’d done everything in his power to follow young Eret’s suggestions and squeeze in this ride between the other planned events. 

Astrid, however, merely shrugged. “I’ll try to enjoy it if that is your wish. With this saddle, this company, and the expected pace, I can’t make any promises though.” 

With these words, she directed her gaze to the side to where now the last members of the party, young Eret and his squire, Stoick’s boy, came to join them. Her turning away without a word in public was borderline discourteous – he hadn’t dismissed her, after all – but she hadn’t turned her back on him. So, Osmond didn’t reprimand her. He wanted her to focus on the newcomer, after all. 

Instead, he simply gave the signal for the group to get started. He rode at the front, with Astrid at his side and a few guards loosely around them, but soon the formation shifted and changed and he could only watch her from a bit of a distance as he made way for the young men around them to talk to her. For a short while, young Eret rode next to her and it was obvious how much more relaxed she was around him. But soon, voices got louder that demanded their share of the Princess’s time as well, and so her attention was taken up by the ever-changing and increasingly desperate conversational partners. 

“They haven’t given up just yet, eh?” Eret II muttered as he rode next to Osmund and shook his head. 

Spitelout snorted. “Of course, they haven’t. Many of them came a long way to court her, and so far, nothing is official. I doubt even tonight’s ball will change that.”

They all watched as young Snotlout took his place at Astrid’s side next and it didn’t escape anyone’s notice how she pursed her lips at that. Osmond threw Spitelout an inquisitive look, interested in how his friend would react to the obvious rejection, but either he didn’t care much or he was way better at hiding his opinion than he’d thought. There was no reaction in his friend’s face whatsoever, so Osmond just shrugged and for a while, they rode on without much in terms of conversation. It really was a lovely day, and spending it outside with a leisure activity like peacefully riding along the shore of Lake Vola instead of brooding over even more reports was a great diversion.

“Oh, I can’t believe it!” Eret exclaimed after what had to be nearly two hours into their ride. Soon, they would take a break to eat the picnic the servants riding with them had brought along before they would return to the castle. 

Curious about what agitated his friend so much, Osmond followed his eyes to the young man who now approached Astrid – and gritted his teeth. Duke Thuggory of Meathead. If he could, Osmond would have forbidden him to come close to his daughter. But he had no legitimate reason to do so, nothing but assumptions, suspicions, and secret information. No, all he could do was watch and silently apologise to Astrid for making her endure this. 

But apparently, his friend’s agitation had another reason.

“I wonder how that piece of filth got his hands on one of our horses,” Eret hissed. “Because he certainly didn’t get it directly from us. I’d rather take a good stallion back to our farms again before I hand him over to someone who wouldn’t treat him right. But with his influence, it probably wasn’t difficult for him to find a middleman. Odin, I wish I could demand the poor beast back from him. See? He can’t even control him right!”

Osmond’s eyes narrowed to slits as he watched the hated nobleman. Eret was right, the stallion the duke was riding was barely under his control, prancing left and right and throwing his head around. The sight wasn’t exactly reassuring – although it did come with the hope that the Duke would get thrown from the saddle and break his neck, thereby removing the biggest threat to the realm, as Thuggory’s lands were a knife poised at the heart of the kingdom, only a day’s ride from Lake Vola. But there was the fact that he was so close to Astrid, and riding so haphazardly. It was only his knowledge about Astrid’s exceptional riding skills that kept him from interfering then and there. 

A decision he regretted only seconds later – and probably would for the rest of his life. 

It happened in an instant, too fast for him or anyone else around them to react. When Thuggory rode closer to Astrid, his stallion threw its head up and tried to bite Astrid’s gelding without warning. Astrid’s horse shied away from the aggressive stallion with a distressed whinny. She tried to reign him in, but couldn’t hold him when Thuggory’s stallion attacked again, his jaws snapping with a harsh click! that Osmund could even hear from his place yards away. When Markor bolted away from the attacking stallion, his panic infected many of the horses around him, but Osmund was less concerned about the sudden stampede than he was about the fact that Astrid was at the head of it, barely able to keep her seat as Markor ran for his life.

“After them!” he bellowed, unable to get to his daughter himself with all the jumbled horses around him. But his words drowned in the general uproar, all men around shouting over one another. It was chaos, and he barely managed to keep sight of Astrid and her horse as they set off across a field and toward a nearby copse of aspen. Again, he tried to push through the chaos, but to no avail. Thor, keep her safe! he prayed desperately, helpless to do anything. 

Then he lost sight of her completely and only a few moments later, a bloodcurdling scream thundered over the plain. The chaos grew as even more horses panicked at the noise, running off in all directions. But Osmond froze even as his steed beneath him pranced left and right, his heart stuttering painfully. No… No, he couldn’t lose her too! 

Frantically, he tried to push through the mass of milling horses and riders; most of the mounts weren’t battle-trained and were running wild, resulting in utter chaos. He kept having to halt and turn or risk a collision, but he didn’t dare stop; his eyes were darting to and fro, looking for that patch of blue and turquoise that would tell him where his daughter was. He couldn’t find her, but a moment later he spotted something else that, while still telling him nothing about where Astrid was or whether she was alright, at least somewhat eased his mind. 

There were two riders darting past the general throng, one on a big black stallion and the other one astride a smaller chestnut mare. But unlike most of the others on this ride, they were clearly still in full control of their horses, heading in the direction Astrid’s gelding had disappeared to. 

With knowing that young Eret was already coming to her help, Osmond was able to calm down somewhat, enough to concentrate on his own surroundings again. It took him a few minutes, but eventually, he managed to find a way out of the chaos as many men got their horses under control again. 

When he and a group of other men reached the copse, it took them a minute to find Astrid and Eret, the sounds of her wailing and of soft whispers leading their way. The sight that greeted them was reassuring – but still bad enough. 

From what it looked like, Astrid was unharmed with only her hair and dress ruffled from the fall. He couldn’t be entirely sure though as she was largely hiding from everyone’s view, encased in Eret’s embrace and her face buried against his chest. The same couldn’t be said for her horse though. The gelding lay a few steps away from the couple, unmoving, and with Stoick’s boy kneeling near his head.

“Oh, by Thor’s hammer!” Eret cursed as he reached his side a few moments later. He’d apparently seen the obvious too – the unnatural angle in which the gelding’s left hind leg dangled, a bloody splinter of bone sticking out from the skin, the bloody dagger lying next to his head, and the equally bloody hands of the boy stroking the dead horse’s mane. From the looks of it, the horse had stumbled, possibly in a burrow or on other uneven ground, and thrown Astrid off, who had miraculously landed uninjured... but Markor had broken his leg, and badly. Stoick’s boy had given the only mercy available to the poor beast.

During the next minutes, more men appeared around them, taking in the scene with gasps and hushed whispers. Some offered their sympathy even though nobody dared to get any closer, and Osmond doubted that Astrid heard any of that between Eret murmuring into her ear and her own sobbing and wailing. It was a strange sight and it took Osmond a minute to understand why. 

Astrid was crying. 

He tried to remember when he’d last seen her in such a state but came up empty-handed except for very early memories of her toddler years. No matter how dreadful an occasion, be it her stepmother’s funeral or the assaults on her during the past year, she’d always kept up her facade when in public, had always shown nothing but strength. For her to break down like this now… His eyes wandered back to the dead gelding, and only slowly did it dawn on him how hard this must have hit her. He wanted to go to her, too, to take his daughter into his arms and comfort her. But she wouldn’t appreciate that – even her warder kept his distance, leaving her the space she needed – so he held back.

Instead, he ordered to no-one in particular, “We will return to the castle immediately.” That would give her at least a little privacy. 

Around him, the men hustled about, delivering the message to those standing farther away. Young Eret tried to pull Astrid away from the site of the accident, and Osmond heard him murmur “Come, there’s nothing left we can do for him,” when she weakly fought against him. Eventually, she gave in though, and let him lead her toward his own horse. She was already on the stallion’s back, young Eret about to climb up behind her, when a highly unwelcome voice spoke up near them. 

“Isn’t this an unfair advantage to Sir Eret if the Princess rides with him? It’s not as if her choice is official yet, she could still change her mind.” 

Osmond gritted his teeth but kept his expression neutral as he turned toward Duke Thuggory. There was no hint of remorse on his face, even though he and his lack of control over his stallion were to blame for this accident. If only he’d interfered sooner – or had gotten rid of the traitor already.

He was about to form an answer when he caught sight of his friends’ expressions standing nearby. Eret was grimacing, clearly as enraged as Osmond was about the Duke’s behaviour, but Spitelout looked more cautious, and when he caught his eyes, he shrugged apologetically. “He has a point.”

Osmond pressed his lips into a thin line. Of course, he had a point. Not only about giving an advantage to one of her suitors, but letting her ride on a stallion was also highly inappropriate. Letting out a low sigh, his shoulders slumped down. As much as he wanted to grant her the comfort of riding with her soon-to-be-husband, he couldn’t allow it yet. His eyes wandered around, pondering the alternatives. If it were only about not giving an advantage, she could ride with him or one of the Grand Dukes, but they were all riding stallions, too, and it wasn’t really becoming of their status anyway. Her warder would be a better option, but Osmond doubted the old pony the man was riding could carry two people over such a distance. His eyes wandered on, over the guards who also all rode stallions and the servants with their full picnic baskets. None of them were suitable options either and he wasn’t sure whether to trust them with Astrid in her brittle state right now anyway. He was at a loss as to what to decide – until his eyes fell on the lonely figure still kneeling next to the horse’s corpse.

The boy rode a mare, didn’t he? In addition, he had no further weight to carry, and hadn’t he become something of a friend to Astrid, too? Also… he didn’t know the boy at all, but with what Osmund remembered about his parents, how his upbringing must have been, and how highly Daniel was thinking of him – he couldn’t help but trust in the boy’s character. 

Being satisfied with this decision, he declared in a voice which clearly didn’t tolerate protest, “The Princess will ride with Sir Eret’s squire.”

. o O o .

Here again the reminder that I can't promise there won't be a new chapter in two weeks! We're on family vacation and the next chapter is too important to be released in a half-finished state.

Next chapter

[dark-canary]

A Day of Demands from the Dreaming.

“Milk into coffee with chili and chocolate, cinnamon whipped cream and a marshmallow poppet, a pinch of pink salt and a stir – one, two, three – and there you have a witch's cup of tea.” ~ to the tune of My Favorite Things Hail and Hallowed Hunting my friends and fellow witches, practitioners of magic, the patient and the restless. Today I will speak freely, allow myself to untwist my tongue, and pick apart my thoughts piece by piece. Why? Because I am puzzling through some things and I feel like sharing them. First, let's talk about sleep. Or in my case, lack thereof. I don't sleep much on a good day unless I've reached the point that I can't wake up in the mornings. But insomnia has plagued me particularly the last couple of weeks. Days where I can't sleep at all or where I am up until six, seven in the morning before catching a few hours of sleep. It's not a very healthy state of affairs, I know. And I can't quite pinpoint the reason for this lack of what little sleep I usually do get. Even when I do sleep lately I find myself caught in a state of half-awake, drifting through those sorts of dreams that are less like dreams and more like speaking to something. I can't remember if I've mentioned this before, I think I have when it first happened. But this has become a normal patter that occurs after my moon rituals, has done so for the past couple of months. Last night I was caught in one of these particular dreams. And I felt like the woman I was speaking with (I remember only that she was a woman with long, dark brown, curly hair, and that she felt very familiar to me), was showing me something. No, it was more like we were doing something together. That sense of learning that occurs sometimes in those strange, waking dreams or trance or meditation. Except I am sure I was mostly asleep. Even with this though, I cannot for the life of me remember what it was we were doing. If it follows the same pattern though it'll come to light within the next two weeks or so. There is a vibration rising, moving through the Web, through the earth, or around it. A steady hum becoming tighter, louder. Another shift in the energy perhaps? But it feels like a very specific sort. Early Thursday morning, and by early I mean like two or three o'clock, I was unable to sleep. I lay in bed, drifting in and out of almost sleep and restless wakefulness. I decided to meditate, to try and relax my body and mind so that I could get some rest. Instead, I had another one of those strange, sorts of dreams, or mingling of dreams and thoughts. This one I remember. I met with Arn I think it was, drifting. And I sort of casually asked something along the lines of "well, what now?". Since after my last ritual I've been at a bit of a loss. And I had the distinct feeling of being drawn back, for the first time since the formation of my new grounding and centering and shielding method, the snake-like roots or vines or threads for grounding moved on their own. And I felt myself being drawn along with those reaching roots until they intertwined with the roots of a redwood forest. They hummed, lit up sort of, a sound that brought a strange vibrancy to the forest as a whole as if I could see all of it from another pair of eyes while looking at the edge of it from my own. And he said to me "Go back to your roots". I was taken to a cave in a mountain. But not the ones I'm used to seeing that are underground. This one was more like a massive cavern. And it was dark when I entered. But then it was illuminated by a fire burning inside of it. And the fire was surrounded by furs and cloths and on the opposite side from where I stood at the entrance was a man. He was both young and old. Grey hair and wrinkles but clearly young. I walked into the cavern and was standing closer to the fire. I asked the man "How do I become stronger?" "Sit down," he said, "And I will tell you." So I sat down opposite him and looked at him through the fire. His features became blurred, shadowed, hazy through the flames. "First, you must find three things." He told me. "A skipping stone whose burden you cannot carry, a flower that blooms most vibrantly in the heart of winter, and a bone from the beast you fear the most." He told me to go out and find these things and return when I had and he would tell me what to do next. It was a very brief, but very vivid, encounter. And the reason I'm talking about it here is that the people who have joined me in my Web work and I have been discussing being more open and public about our experiences. These encounters, the work we are doing, our trances, methods perhaps. Things like that. We're planning to be more open still with our little discord group and start working with people so that we can help them advance or grow their own personal craft and so that if they decide to work with us they have a good foundation for starting. After writing that, it feels like it needs context, doesn't it? What is “the work”? What are we actually trying to accomplish? Things like that. The truth is that that is something we're still trying to understand ourselves. We've been set on this path, found our way to one another, and continue to reach out to others who may be interested in working with us. And yet it's an undefinable thing. Each time we find someone new, someone who connects, we learn something more. Another piece of the puzzle. And we are starting to understand, I think. For me, The Web and The Gathering, has been a fixture in my craft (the very center of it really) for the last eleven years. Since I was sixteen and first discovered it after my grandmother's passing. There are a lot of similar theories of connection out there, lines of power, that everything is connected. And yet this is just slightly different in some ways. Massively different in others, because it is something being created. Slowly and surely, through the connections we make, it is being built and is almost like a tool, something that is a means to an end. It is a conduit of change. And the aim is change for the better, in both our individual lives and the world we live in. As always it is a difficult thing to talk about when I am just trying to explain it without any interaction, speaking to the masses. Perhaps because it is more personal than that, it requires interaction, connection, to talk about it. A give and take, questions and answers, conversation. To just write it isn't the same as speaking about it. But I do intend to try, to the best of my abilities, a little at a time. For now, I just wanted to share with you what's been going on the past few days since the New Moon. I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. Until we meet. Adjourngrund, Aria