#inara of the underneath

[aroaessidhe]

Godkiller character descriptions for fanart.

Full entry (including spoilers) and database link in pinned post!

Kissen

The leg was finely made, a mixture of briddite and steel wrapped in leather, shifting plates that were light as bone . right leg

gold canine

26

sea-grey eyes

Kissen often drew looks: a reddish-headed Talician with a longsword, a cutlass, and a broken curse on her face.

Kissen reached inside her waxwool cloak, tracing her fingers over her pockets of relics and totems, tools and incense, the tricks of her trade.

The woman was sitting at a table wearing leather that looked hard enough to be used as armour and just low enough at the throat to show a tattoo at the top of her chest, a kind of loose spiral.  Her looks were Talician – pale and freckled, and her auburn hair cropped by her ears and bound in place with some rough-tossed braids and a leather band.

as she smiled the light shone on the pale outline of a scar like a spiderweb, woven from her left eye to her chin: a dead curse.

Her hands shone with scars as well, old burns that gnarled the skin. Elo noticed that she had freckles on her hands between the burns.

she drew the sword at her waist. The blade was dark: briddite again.

her horse: a mid-aged gelding

Without her cloak, she looked bigger somehow; her shoulders were broad and thick with muscle. But she stood a head and a half shorter than Elo; there was no way she could win in a fight.

drawing up her boot. Out of it she took a tired-looking foot-shaped piece of wood and clipped in the new leg. Then, she detached the cap from the leg with a clunk and slotted the cap onto her knee, binding it there with a thick leather strap around her thigh and two thin strips of cloth that went underneath and around the mechanics. The top of this cap had thinner leather straps that she threaded up her trousers and buckled to the leather girdle she wore above her hips. They fixed at an angle that allowed her to move her leg comfortably, but gave assurance that the cap wouldn’t fall off.

white scar on the woman’s face, or what the tattoos on her chest said. He had caught a glimpse of the spiral of ink that spread out above the top of the Talician woman’s cuirass, just below her throat, curled and loose. He had spent long enough in the army to know a swear word when he saw one, and this one said fuck you in Talic. / Kissen made her favourite gesture, curling her forefinger and thumb into a spiral like the one tattooed on her chest. Fuck you.

Kissen rubbed her chest over the sea-script as if it pained her. She also wore a leather pendant around her neck, which looked like some sort of vial.

She often wore her cuirass at night.

Her wild hair was pinned back beneath a band of plaits, and she was well dressed, not out of breath, her pack on her shoulder

She had made her leather armour so it would hold her breasts flat without restricting the movement of her arms too much

Yes, she looked every bit a woman of Talicia, with her wild hair and twists of braids, her broad shoulders, strong legs, and haughty nose.

----

Inara

Inara looked at the clothes in her hands. She was still wearing the leggings and skirts she had left home in, with her wool jacket and buttoned waistcoat. The pearly buttons, her mother had said, had come from one of her grandmother’s robes.

pale blue and grey of House Craier.

she had come out in a padded jacket and travelling cloak, with a kerchief over her hair

Lessa’s hands were dark gold-brown, while Inara was fairer, Lessa’s hair black and straight while Inara’s was brown and curled. She looked like her father, Lessa had said, though had never explained in more detail.

She had abandoned her skirts and was wearing only her leggings, trousers, shirt, waistcoat, and waxwool cloak. She had strung the bow with Skedi’s help, him growing to weigh it down, and bound the shortsword at her waist as Elo had shown her.

She was wearing Telle’s cotton trousers, rolled up almost half their length again, over her leggings and under her skirts. Her quilted jacket was in Legs’s saddlebags, but she wore her waistcoat with the special buttons. She had considered taking it off, putting it somewhere safe, but found she couldn’t

Skedi

the harelike face and antlers of the squirrel-sized god that poked its nose out of Inara’s cuff, his feathered wings tucked tightly against his back. Skedi looked like a cross between a hare, a deer, and a bird. In the barest moment, a knife was in the veiga’s hand. Skedi shrank to the size of a mouse and fled back up Inara’s sleeve as the blade sank into the wood of the table.

A hare’s face, but its eyes were yellow as a bird’s

----

Elo

dark, warm brown skin

He resisted the urge to touch his hair and make sure it was sitting well. It had grown out, its finely textured black coils needing more moisture and care than when he was a knight, his beard too; back then he had always been clean-shaven or wearing protective braids.

Elo went to his fireplace and reached beneath the mantel. There, his lion-headed pommel; he pulled down his sword.

For armour he wore only his bracers, with a leather doublet and jerkin over his shirt, but no more than that, and felt naked for it. Still, with the supplies for baking, and having shaved his beard and hair back to the skin, it felt like everything would be just fine.

a tall man with a longsword on his back.

Elo looked up and rubbed his hand over his shaved head with a half laugh

vambraces with buckles

his jacket and hood,

her eyes catching on something darker within the scar, on his shoulder. A tattoo, or an etching. No. God-script, like hers, but tangled, edged: wild-script, spreading out from a smaller, darker mark, about the size of a thumbnail. It looked like a fork in a road, the one that had been on the wooden board those knights outside Gefyr / She pushed him around and stared at his back. She hadn’t seen a curse like this before. It was simple, brutal, deeply ingrained. A curse like the one on her face was intended to disfigure, but when broken it had merely stained her skin white. Other curses were promises, like if such a fellow set foot on this land again, he’d be turned into a deer. That type of thing. This was a death curse: slow or fast, death would come in shadow on the road, in the shape of shadow. ‘It’s just going to keep growing,’ she said.

---

King Arren

He wasn’t in his state dress, but wearing sheepskin leggings, a lined twill cloak, and a rough shirt of brown hemp he must have stolen or bought from a labourer.

as always the sun rising behind him and a stag’s head beneath his foot. He had a proud-looking face in this etching, and curling light brown hair

The scar started just beneath Arren’s left shoulder. A deep rivet in his flesh where bone and lung had given way. There, his skin was tightly knitted and dark with smoke-script, the language of a god. Elo’s breath quickened, his mouth dry. It had been a long time since he had seen where the scar widened, the skin opening around a dark space, an impossible space. A thing that should not be, but a thing that had saved his friend’s life: in the darkness, the twigs began. A little nest, rounded with moss, cradling a flame where the king’s heart had once been. And the flame was dwindling.

---

Yatho

Yatho’s colours were kind enough, muted cornflower blue and lilac, and she had her black hair shaved short enough to show pretty leaf tattoos behind her ears.

Yatho’s arms were broad and muscled, filling out her shirt to its seams. It had been two months since Kissen had seen her adopted sister and was glad she was looking well, though her eyebrows were half-singed.

Yatho, pale, rumpled and grumpy, opened it, having clearly just shifted herself out of her bed and into her wheelchair, her mind still half in her filigree dreams.

---

Telle

The woman smiled at her. She was pretty, with dark eyes and fine brows that were scored by three straight scars that cut across her face, one leaving a deep cleft in her upper lip. This must be Telle.

[merdeva]

inara smells strongly of red wine, amber, oud and myrrh –– and underneath it all is the very slight scent of something like iron. she uses fragrance oils and lotions to mask the scent of bhaal's mark on her, but when she rejects him in act three, that ever-present tinge of blood disappears completely.

[dreamingmagi]

Name: Arron Nicknames:Crystal Child

Gender: Male Moonland (homeland): Underneath

Species:  Eliwan Partner: Alaban Best friend: Strag, Inara Character:Quiet and calm Hobby: Knitting tapestries Like:Go to the forbidden forest and study it Birthdate: 15 May

  Biography

Arron had the power to see the future from childhood, just like his ancestors. He had been friends with Strag since childhood, as well as Inara. But because of this ability, Arron lost his parents, Argam wanted to take possession of this power, so he asked all those who possessed it to become his servants, and those who refused were shunned. When Agram's Shadow magi went to Arron's parents, when they refused, they were killed in front of the boy (who was speaking in the closet).

When Arron learned that Strag was Agram's relative, the two boys quarreled over it, and their friendship was permanently destroyed when Strag left Underneath.

From that day, Arron was alone, lived separately from others, and rarely went out into the city, and only went to the forbidden forest, the Stone Forest, which according to ancient beliefs lived the first population of Underneath. And which is now dead and growing mushrooms are dangerous for health, but wearing the mask of Arron and covering the mushroom hair, he learn the forest and knows how to treat its poisons.

When Strag saved Underneath from Chur. Arron saw more and more of the future, how death followed Strag.

Strag's brother, Stag, put poison in Arron's tea, which Strag then drank.

When Arron found out, he quickly learned about the poison and gave an antidote, after which he revealed that Stag became a Shadow Mage.

Hearing this news, Leader Underneath took Arron as her apprentice to learn more complex spells.

Dream Creature

[iamdunn]

FoxFire Re-ignited Day 1 Fushimi Inari Shrine

Tomoe Meets Nekotsune

A Kamisama Kiss Fan-Fic

Written by

AJ Dunn

Tomoe mused himself as he relaxed in the palanquin Onikiri & Kotetsu prepared specially for this human convention. One of the few times he could present himself in his fox demon form without scaring the sensitive humans. He smirked as he sipped sake from his eternal cup. He never would have considered such festivals had that wretched human girl not tamed the fire within him dragging him to such horrendous things. Nanami was gone now and Tomoe was free to be feral once again. 

Humans scampering about in costumes depicting the ancient demons and spirits now thought to be a mere myth if only they knew that many among them were in fact real demons, oh how they would scream. The thought boiled in his veins. Many came by his palanquin for photo ops and he managed to ruin every picture with a ball of foxfire, unbeknownst to them of course. 

“Master Tomoe, you should walk around.” Onikiri prodded him. He waved an annoyed at her as if to swat the will of the wisp away from him. 

“Master you are missing all of the fun.” Kotetsu chirped. 

“It hasn’t been fun since she was robbed from me.” Tomoe snapped. “Nanami would have enjoyed this, but I will spend the rest of eternity alone now.” He sipped his sake feeling less satiated by it as time drew on. He stood up as another group of fans came to get selfies with the less than obliged fox demon. He leaped with grace from the palanquin over the heads of the group forming in front of him. 

“I suppose I shall amuse myself with their feeble attempts to copy my likeness,” Tomoe said as he strode into the thicket of humans in yokai costumes. This cosplay convention had begun as a feeble attempt to draw American tourists to Japan. Kyoto was the perfect setting for this as the Sojobo on Mount Kurama would have approved. Kurama himself dawned his “Fallen Angel” ensemble to perform for the masses, while he loved all of the attention he got from the girls, he never forgave Tomoe for failing to protect Nanami. The stupid mortal girl was a danger to herself from the beginning he wouldn’t have to be held responsible for her weakness. The crowd was thick with variations of the demon costumes from Tengu, to Inugami, but what haunted Tomoe most was the many interpretations of Kitsune, the fox demon. The nine-tailed fox spirit had been popular for many years but has constantly changed into this meek cowardly loyal dog. He scoffed. If they want a mutt then they should dress as the inugami instead. Sea Dragons, are they serious. The thought. 

“What a purrfect foxfire kimono you have on.” Tomoe heard the voice swirl behind him as he spun to see dared speak to him let alone touch his garment. “Mmmm It looks paw sitively amazing on you… it’s a shame.” Tomoe drew back unable to speak. The audacity of this wannabe prancing about with nine fake white tails adored to her back, her red and orange flamed kimono, and metallic claws. However, what irked him more was the feline ears adorning the short spiky white hair and the feline half mask covering her mouth. Though the craftsmanship and the realistic fangs impressed him, what sort of demon costume was this?”

“How dare you address me.” Tomeo lept back as the girl reached a clawed hand toward his face. 

“It is such a shame. That kimono would look so much better on my bedroom floor.” She spun away from him and slipped through the crowd before he could respond. Heat welled up in him as her words fell upon him weighted with such inclination.  Had her words invoked such a temper in his skin, having not felt the embrace of a woman since dear Nanami fell victim to that hateful creature.

His feet moved forward propelled by some unknown force to follow this creature who had enticed him so. Finding her wasn’t hard as the flaming Kimono was the most unique garment in the entire hall. Her feline presence drove his sensibilities into flames he had to know more. He reached a hand out laying it on her shoulder. Her head turned ever so slight gazing upon the clawed hand. Her eyes shifted up to meet his without fully turning to face him.

“Yours is the most inaccurate of all the costumes here.” He said harshly. “You look more like a feline than a fox demon.” 

“But of course I do,” She smirked at him. “I didn’t come here to be a copy CAT,” her smirked became a grin as she turned to face him. She threw her right arm into the air before offering a bow before him. “I am Nekotsune. The Flaming Feline Cat Spirit, at your service.” Her gleeful tone threw him back again as he watched her elaborate introduction. He smirked at her as her eyes met his again. Suddenly, as if looking into a mirror he saw it. There was something behind her mask, something her eyes spoke that belied the joy in her voice. His heart throttled in his chest as she gazed into her hazel green eyes. Despair that mimicked his own. How can she smile with her eyes while carrying a pain that made tears well up in his eyes? 

Suddenly loud rock music began to play and Tomoe recognized the hateful voice as Kurama began to sing. The girl reached up to her ears in pain her head cowering below her shoulders as she turned and ran through the crowd. Tomoe tried to catch up to her, but she was gone. He felt an emptiness he hadn’t felt since the day Nanami had been murdered. Torn from her as if a piece of his own soul had been sheared from his very being. Tomoe forced his way through the crowd until he was left standing alone in the darkest parts of the hall. He looked back and forth unsure as to where she had gone. He heard the click of a door closing on its own. He turned to his right and followed the sound. 

“Master Tomoe, Master Tomoe?” Onikiri and Kotetsu flew through the sky nearly crashing into him. 

“Out of my way,” Tomoe yelled as he ran past them. He ran through the double doors into an empty hallway. There was no sign of her. 

“Master Tomoe.” Kotetsu finally caught up with him again. He was carrying a piece of paper. “She dropped this.” 

“Who did?” Tomoe collected himself and stole himself back to his palanquin as if nothing had happened. His heart fluttering as his mind washed over her face again in his mind. 

“The woman you were talking to,” Onikiri said handing him the paper.

“YOU WERE SPYING ON ME?” Tomoe fumed as foxfire welled up around him as he sat in his palanquin. He was about to stand up before Onikiri dropped the paper. He starred at it as it lay on the floor of the palanquin. It appeared to be a map of Fushimi Inara Taisha, the Shinto Shrine. There was a handwritten note in the top right corner. DAY 1. It was dated for tomorrow. He snubbed his nose into the air then took another sip of his sake before tossing a ball of foxfire at the note. Onikiro snatched it before the fire caught it, stuffing it into her shirt so Tomoe wouldn’t know it had been rescued. 

Despite the pain in her legs and feet, AJ rose from the bed and hobbled to the bathroom to wash up. She had only been in Japan for two nights now, the first day she pretty much slept off the fatigue that came with traveling from her home in Oregon to Tokyo Japan then taking the jet train to Kyoto. An itinerary that took her 7 years to instigate. Her condition worsened day by day and she knew that if she didn’t fulfill her own death wish, she’d never rest easy in the afterlife. Seeing the shrines of Kyoto had been her dream, her mount Everest of goals knowing that she had been losing her ability to walk since she was 9. Charcot Marie Tooth disease wasn’t a forgiving neuromuscular condition, and it wasn’t alone. Her body, 40 years old, is now plagued with numerous conditions that robbed her of her ability to even breathe without choking, walking without stumbling, even laughing. Her muscles weakened day by down, now the migraines were a plague she couldn’t shake even with prescriptions medications. Last night’s adventure to the cosplay convention was a tempting distraction from her itinerary. Being able to dress up in yokai cosplay was fascinating and she didn’t want to offend the people of Japan by misrepresenting their folklores, so she invented something entirely her own. She would be documenting her anonymously for her online support group. She hadn’t expected to meet such an attractive fox demon fan. Everything about him attracted her. His eyes, his blue foxfire kimono, even his voice. He was the most authentic-looking creature she had ever seen. He even haunted her dreams. 

She slapped her face as her mind wandered again to the statement she had made about his kimono looking better on her bedroom floor. She wasn’t quite herself when she was behind the mask, or maybe that was more her than she had ever been. It was freeing to be able to talk so openly. She had never been able to talk to a stranger with such disregard for embarrassment or rejection. She finished bathing then pulled on her AFO’s. The hard plastic braces supported her feet and ankles but heated her calves. She had to wear knee-high socks underneath to prevent rashes and irritations. They were the most uncomfortable piece to her ensemble. She slipped on her kimono and tied the OBI, which wasn’t as easy anymore as it had been when she first made it. Then once her hair was spiked to perfection she clipped her feline ears into place then pulled the half-mask over her mouth. She inspected herself in the mirror. Luckily her Kimono was long enough to hide the braces on her legs, she didn’t want anyone to notice. Unsure of how she would be received. Since she was a teenager anyone who found out about her condition either treated her like a contagion to be avoided or as a liability to be denied participation. 

She opened her notebook to the second page. DAY 2 was written in the upper corner. Shock fell on her as she realized her DAY 1 map was gone. She flipped to the first page, it had the full map of Kyoto shrines on it outlining the shrines in order from the Fushimi Shrine to the Kifune shrine. Each day she would visit and explore a new shrine, indulge in the cultural festivities, all the while video blogging it. Today she was meant to tour the Fushimi shrine but the map of it was gone. No matter, she would buy one at the visitor booth when she got there. 

She had barely entered the shrine when she began to feel chills rising up in her spine. Chills like last night when he came up behind her. His scent was sweet and alluring like honey cakes & sake. She shuddered, forcing away the image of his eyes peering into her, the thoughts of him haunting and distracted her from her mission. She turned on her camera, a tiny thing mounted invisibly on the bell collar she wore around her neck. 

The thousand Torii gates led up the mountain. This tour would take all day, for her. 2-3 hours just to hike up and back at a regular pace, for someone without restrictions, however, she planned to lunch at one of the many restaurants there. Kitsune Udon was her choice for lunch and maybe some tea. 

The wind blew as she began the hike. She had been studying the map as she held it tight with both hands. This was never a good idea and she soon realized as the toe of her shoe caught something heaving her forward face first into… nothing. Did she stop falling buy why? It took her a minute to realize that there was an arm around her waist coming from someone standing directly behind her. She was pulled back so suddenly, her back landing firmly against a tall pillar, a person. Glancing over her shoulder she could see the man who held her. His short dark hair was tousled as if windblown. His face was stern with a bit of stubble. His eyes looked familiar to her, as did the smell of sake, but nothing else about him seemed familiar. 

“Watch where you are going.” He said firmly before releasing her. She nearly stumbled forward at the sudden separation from him. She felt cold and distant in his departure as he walked past her entering the trail leading up the mountain. She stuffed the map into her notebook then tucked it into her belt and began walking up the trail. His pace was quite a bit faster than hers and she soon lost sight of him. It didn’t take her long before the fatigue in her legs began to burn through her whole body. She forced a few more steps before she simply couldn’t take another. She found a bench slightly off the trail and sat down. Looking out over the path she had just come. She lasted longer than she expected. The burning in her legs became a tingling sensation as if the burning was stripping the sensation from her legs leaving them numb from the hips down. She groaned as the feeling slowly began to return to her legs. 

“You’re not even halfway there, are you giving up so soon?” a voice came gruffly from behind her. “How weak.” Anger fumed up in her as she could hear the unspoken words, the words her mother would have said if she were still alive. ‘You can’t do it so give up now.”

“MMM, rushing such an adventure would be Catastrophic.” She quipped, she loved her cat puns. She heard him scoff behind her but he didn’t leave. 

“Why are you here?” He stepped closer to the bench staying behind her. “Dressed like that.” 

“Do you find it offensive?” She asked smirking under her mask. 

“What? NO.” He nearly shouted. “It’s just, unusual for someone especially a foreigner to be dressed like that.” 

“How do you know I am a foreigner, is my Japanese not purrfect?” she stood up. She turned but he was gone. She made her way back to the path and continued the climb. It wasn’t long before the fatigue came back to her legs. She could smell the savory scents filling the air, she must be getting closer to the restaurants. She could almost taste the Udon. She found the line quite long and stood there. As desperate as her legs pleaded for her to sit she didn’t want to lose her place in line and willed herself to stand her ground. Her knees began to wobble and lip as she fought hard to remain standing. The burning was now giving way to the familiar sensation of tingles and soon numbness would take over. She sighed, she knew it was too late, she wouldn’t be able to move her legs to walk to a bench. Her knees were gone now as she felt her body slip to the ground. She threw her hands out in front of her trying to catch herself but she stopped. Once again, an arm and a familiar scent surrounded her. 

“Pathetic.” the voice once again from behind her. This time as he pulled her against his body he held her firmly as the feeling began to return to her legs. It was only a few minutes, but it felt like a lifetime as her heart pounded heavily in her chest. ‘Had she forgotten to take her heart medication again?’ Soon she could feel her legs again and attempted to step forward letting him know she was okay. 

“Thank you.” She whispered

“Shut up.” his voice was quiet with a feigned harshness. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him looking away. “Keep moving your holding up the line.” She giggled then stepped forward. 

“Kitsune Udon and Oolong tea please.” She asked once she reached the head of the line. She lifted the side of her kimono slightly to reach the thigh pocket of her leggings. She thought it was the safest place to put her wallet. 

“Make that two.” the voice from behind her came as a hand reached over her shoulder to offer the money to the cashier. They handed him a plastic paddle with a number on it. She looked up in surprise but before she could object, his arm was around her shoulders pulling her to the closest empty table. He sat in front of her but didn’t look at her. 

“Why are you doing this?” He asked without looking at her.

“Doing what?”

“Stop.”

“Stop talking your voice is annoying.” he gruffed tossing a glance at her without turning his head towards her. 

“If it’s so annoying, why do you keep asking me dumb questions?”

“They’re not dumb questions, your just dumb.” he shot her an angry look his hand flat on the table. “It’s clear you can barely stand let alone walk and here you are hiking a trail.” She laughed at him. His angry expression softened. 

“I’m doing it for a fundraiser.” She smiled. The waiter brought out a tray with two large bowls, two teacups, and a kettle of tea, they set the bowls and cups down then poured tea into each cup. His face relaxed as he sat back. His face appeared disinterested but his eyes remained on her. He couldn’t stop looking at her, watching her, wondering what would possess a person to put their bodies through so much pain and agony. 

“What fundraiser?” he folded his arms over his chest as she poured sugar into her teacup. “Aren’t you going to take off that ridiculous mask?” She reached up to her ears and released the mask lowering it to her lap then she began to sip the broth of her Udon. His heart thudded for a moment as he stared at her lips. Her face was unmasked by makeup. Her cherry pink lips were bare of any lipstick or gloss but something remarkable, something… he shook it out of his head. 

“Each day, I will visit one of the many shrines of Kyoto, documenting my adventure.” She tapped the bell on her collar. “And each day I post the said video on my vlog, and my viewers pledge money to the CMTA Research Center.” Anger filled up his demeanor and he hunched forward his hands back on the table.

“You’re filming me? NOW?” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll edit out all of these encounters with you, as I block out the faces of the strangers that I pass.” She said slurping up the noodles with a fork. He watched her hands and she fumbled with the fork. It was clear she wouldn’t be able to use chopsticks as her hands could barely hold the fork. He settled back into his seat shifting his face to look away from her. He reached out to his cup to sip from it not moving on his bowl of Udon. 

“What is CMTA.” He asked quietly?”

“I thought you wanted me to stop talking because my voice is annoying?” She watched him fume again.

“Just answer the question.” he huffed then began to spoon Udon broth into his mouth.

“Charcot Marie Tooth Association, it’s an organization devoted to helping people with CMT strive for a better life and a hope for a cure.” She said before eating more of her Udon. He glanced up at her not impressed with her short answer. 

“What is CMT?” 

“A condition of the peripheral nervous system and results in the deterioration of the nerve and muscle tissue throughout the body.” 

“Is that why you are so weak?” his blunt question was met with a laugh. 

“You could say it was the first stone on my grave.” she laughed again.

“So, you’re dying?” He felt a sharp pang in his chest, she laughed again. 

“We all are.” 

“Speak for yourself,” he announced. 

“Right, because your a fox demon?” she teased. 

“Yes, Wait, what makes you think that?” He said sharply. She pointed to her hair.

“You still have a bit of white from last night just there.” He hadn’t realized the color of his hair had begun changing back. It was too late to fix it, now if had she’d notice and realize he actually was a demon. “What’s your name?”

“Shut up and eat.” he picked up his chopsticks and began slurping up the noodles.  “Do you intend to keep going?”

“All the way to the end.” She said then returned to her food. 

[hadissima]

So, we've had a kind of interesting training brain fart moment. Inara is a pretty mouthy pup, she bites into anything (especially hands 🙈) and started carrying around toys at 3 weeks old. She loves to play fetch. Her favorite game is tug of war.

Now I've decided to finally teach her to hold stuff in her mouth yesterday, but she just doesn't think of opening her mouth at all? I've tried a few objects and decided to stick with my stuffed dummy, it's very thin and light, Zelda learned her "hold" command with it too.

So, got out the dummy and clicker, held it in place in front of her and waited. She enjoys free shaping and offered touching it with her nose (which I clicked for showing interest but only resulted in her pressing her nose onto it, no step further), putting her head on top and underneath it, hitting it with a paw, turning circles underneath it, following it (keeps trying to nose target)... and idk it never occured to her to even open her mouth slightly?

So I did what I never wanted to do when teaching a hold, I got her all excited for the dummy, she even tugged a bit. Got her back to a more "normal" level, aaand... same thing. Mouth stayed closed 🤷‍♀️

I'm a bit lost tbh. I really don't want to click her riled up growly tug bite because I'm pretty sure it would be quite hard to get rid of... she's easily stired up and I want her to hold calmly, and with duration (eventually) (Zelda will hold her objects for minutes if you don't release her)

We'll try again tomorrow, maybe I'll have Zelda demonstrate and Inara watch, Zelda always learned a lot from just watching what earns treats 🤔

[redrikki]

Miscellaneous Fandom Fic Masterlist

The 100

Born to Float - Octavia became a criminal with her first breath. Some people are just born to float. (Octavia Blake, Bellamy Blake, Aurora Blake)

Post-Apocalyptic Ethics 101 - Collection of dribbles & short stories. (Bellamy Blake, Clarke Griffin, Marcus Kane, Jasper Jordan)

Coin Operated Boy - The things John Murphy does to survive. Tag to 3.10. Trigger Warning: RAPE. (John Murphy/Emori, Murphy/Ontari)

Battlestar Galactica 

Persephone on New Caprica - It’s winter on New Caprica and they’re all Persephone here. A collection of short stories. (Gaius Baltar/Caprica Six, Felix Gaeta/Eight, Kara Tharce/Leoben Conroy)

Four Loves (The Canoodling on New Caprica Remix) - Three loves which died on New Caprica and one which flourished. Remix of Canoodling & Conspiracies Oh My! by raktajino. (Maya & Isis, Diana Seelix & Jammer, Boomer & God, Laura Roslin/William Adama)

The Broken Earth series Seismic Shift - Schaffa tells himself he will stop if Eitz says no. This one will be allowed to say no. The boy says nothing at all. (Schaffa, Eitz) WARNING: Child Sexual Abuse

Dark Angel

Tricks & Treats - Joshua and Alec go to a party. Joshua eats little hot dogs and is diverting. (Joshua, Alec, Rita)

Another Day at the Office - Insert zombie apocalypse. (Alec, Original Cindy, Normal)

Pooka Boo - Maybe Ben’s hallucinations started out random and fluffy too. (Alec, Max, Logan, Original Cindy, Pooka)

Dollhouse

Ms. Lonelyhearts -  Adelle knew Victor was a lover at heart. (Adelle Dewitt/Victor, Sierra/Victor)

Downton Abbey

The Hedgehog’s Dilemma - “Mind my spikes.” Five warnings, four relationships and one revelation. Daemons AU. (Thomas Barrow/Duke, Thomas & Sara O'Brien, Thomas/Edward Courtney, Thomas/Jimmy Kent)

Bluestocking Girl - Four books which didn’t change Edith’s life and one letter to the editor which did. (Edith Crawley, Crawley family)

Snakes & Lions - In Thomas, Jimmy finds that courage isn’t exclusive to Gryffindors. Now if only he could find some himself. Harry Potter fusion. Part one of Houses Alike In Dignity (Thomas Barrow/Jimmy Kent)

The House Elf and the Lioness - “Honestly Sybil, he’s practically a house elf,” Mary exclaimed when she caught them kissing in the stacks. Harry Potter fusion. Part two of Houses Alike In Dignity (Sybil Crawley/Tom Branson, Mary Crawley)

The Owl & the Son-of-a-Squib - Matthew Crawley is quite shocked when an owl swoops down and drops off a letter which changes his life. Harry Potter fusion. Part three of Houses Alike In Dignity (Matthew Crawley, Isobel Crawley, Violet Crawley)

The Dragon Prince

Dragon Scales - Collection of short tumblr prompts. (Rayla, Callum, Ezran, Amaya, Soren) You Fight Like You Practice - Callum’s never been good with a sword, but the right teacher can make all the difference. Two lessons, two teachers, and one real fight. (Callum, Soren, Rayla) The Talk - Rayla and Callum finally talk about what happened the night of the assassination. (Rayla, Callum, Ezran)

Firefly

Firefly, In Brief - Collection of short stories and dribbles. (Firefly crew)

Will to Be Well (The Psychosomatic Remix) - Studies on the efficacy of acupuncture are inconclusive but, if River believes hard enough, learning the art might make her better. Remix of If I Could Will You Whole by Spiralleds (River, Inara, Jayne)

Harry Potter

Have to Start Somewhere (The Words to Rebuild Remix) - This diary belongs to Ginevra Molly Weasley and no one else. Remix of Words to Build by Elennare. (Ginny Weasley)

Interstellar

Eureka Moment - The night she solved the equation, Murph had unprotected sex for the first time in her life. (Murph/Getty)

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Requiescat in pace - In which Jonathan Strange discovers that returning the dead to their natural state is more difficult than he would imagine. (Jonathan Strange, dead Neapolitans)

Miraculous Ladybug

Intrepid Reporter - Alya won’t let a little thing like danger stop her from reporting the truth. (Alya, Marinette, Nino) Better Than Ice Cream - Orange, mint, and raspberry could be a tasty combination. The solution to every love triangle should be polyamory, but sometimes it’s just not that simple. (Marinette, Adrien) St. Athanase Day - Adrien and Marinette’s beret the second time around. She forgets the card but still signs her work. (Adrien, Plagg) No Sleep Til Hawkmoth - An overly-caffeinated revelation helps narrow Alya’s search for Hawkmoth (Alya, Marinette, Adrien, Nino, Chloé)

Misfits

Good Housekeeping - It’s been months since his mum kicked him out, but at least Nathan hasn’t sunk to sleeping under the flyover. He’s got a good thing going at the community center and means to keep it. (Nathan Young)

The (Non)Haunting of Nathan Young -And to think he’d scoffed when Simon had tried to warn him. Everyone you love will die. What a laugh, right? Christ, he’s been such an idiot. (Nathan Young/Kelly Bailey)

Pushing Daisies

Li'l Gumshoe - Young Penny Cod was nine years, two hours, and forty-three minutes old when she found the book which changed her life. Like hundreds of other little black girls who would encounter Li’l Gumshoe, she felt as though it had been written just for her. The difference was, Penny Cod was right. (Penny Cod, Emerson Cod, Lila Robinson, Pie Hole gang)

Orphan Black

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl - There’s something magical about Uncle Felix’s flat. Maybe it’s all the art. (Kira, Felix, Cosima)

Devil’s Trap - Helena and Grace have a lot in common. (Helena, Grace)

Despite All My Rage - Rachel is still just a rat in a cage. So much for self-directed evolution. (Rachel, Aldous Leekie, Ethan Duncan)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Shadow Over Mystacor - After Shadow Weaver’s attack on Mystacor, Adora just wants to relax, but that’s hard to do when it’s all her fault. (Adora, Glimmer, Bow)

Parting Strands - Looking out for each other had been their thing, but Adora’s starting to suspect that’s over. Her thoughts during that scene in “Promise.” (Adora, Catra)

The Good Soldier On the sliding scale between perfect soldier Adora and useless malcontent Catra, Lonnie was closer to the Adora end of the spectrum. How the hell had Catra made Force Captain before her? Catra was just going crash and burn and Lonnie? Lonnie would let her. (Lonnie, Catra, Team Horde)

She-Ra (Modesty) Shorts - Adora/Catra shorts written for the 3 Sentence Ficathon. (Adora/Catra)

A Song of Ice and Fire

The Return - Robb sends Theon home to Pyke. If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention. (Asha Greyjoy, Greyjoy family)

Stranger Things

Smurfete Principle - There can be more than one girl in the party. El and Max work things out at the Snow Ball. (Max, El)

Stranger Side of the Force - While watching Star Wars, El notices she and Vader have a lot in common. (El, Mike, Max, Lucas, Dustin, Will)

It Lingers - The Mind Flayer is gone, but El can still feel it clawing underneath her skin. (El, Joyce, Will, Jonathan) Date Night - Everyone and her mother seems to think they’re together and Robin’s getting pretty sick of it. (Robin, Steve, The Party)

Temeraire

Epistolary - Dear Lady Allendale….yours, etc., Emily Roland (Emily Roland)

Umbrella Academy

Heroes for Ghosts - Eudora waits for Diego and things at the hotel go very differently. (Klaus, Diego, Ben, Eudora, Hazel, Cha-Cha, Ghosts)

Peanut Butter and Marshmallows - Stuck in the apocalypse, Five reads about Vanya leaving him sandwiches. (Five, Delores)

Iconic - When Vanya learns Klaus is gay from an article in a teen magazine, she’s upset for more than a few reasons. (Vanya, Klaus) Feed Your Head - Three shitty things young Klaus did for drugs and one thing they did for him. (Klaus, Reginald, Grace) When Evil Rains - Umbrella Academy shorts (Klaus, Diego)

Voltron: Legendary Defender

Players Only Love You When They’re Playing - Coran kept staring at Romelle like she was walking miracle, but Allura couldn’t look at her without thinking of Lotor and his betrayal.

White Collar

Eyes on the Target (The Solid Ground Remix) - Peter asked her to keep an eye on Neal for him while he’s stuck in jail. It could be going better. Remix of Keep Your Feet on Solid Ground by frith_in_thorns. (Dianna Berrigan, Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke)

[iamanartichoke]

I am so fucking excited guys I found a River Tam fic I wrote in 2008 in my old InsaneJournal (the lesser-used but often-better cousin of LiveJournal) where River was unrequitedly in love with Mal Reynolds, haha. I was thinking about it recently and I thought it was lost forever, but lo, it is not. Idk if anyone is interested, but I’m gonna go ahead and post it anyway. :) 

Amygdala, by charlottelennox.  Word Count: 1915 Summary: River’s in love with Mal, and she can’t not feel it. (Background info: When she was tortured and experimented on, River’s amygdala was removed. As her brother Simon says, “She feels everything. She can’t not.”)  Disclaimers: I wrote this literally ten years ago. I went through and fixed my blatant semicolon abuse, but other than that, it’s largely unrevised. >_< 

River didn't understand. She understood most things - the mechanics, the definitions and logistics. The confusing puzzle pieces that jammed together haphazardly in her brain. What was left of her lucid mind was still powerful enough to grasp the basics. What was basic to her, anyhow - it was not lost on her that her definition of basic was far more advanced than most people's. But no matter. It was all the same - it was all crystal clear, and it never made any sense. 

But crystal clear was not infallible, nor all-inclusive; crystal was only glass, and glass was so delicate, so easily breakable - like so many of the truths that sought refuge in the deepest corners of her mind. And this ... this was the tiniest shard of all, jagged and rough, piercing her thoughts and her feelings until she thought that she would shatter underneath the weight of it. She craved release. She would have welcomed a burst of incoherence, babbling out half-thoughts that made sense to nobody, least of all herself. This truth was too frightening even for that. She harbored it inside, where she feared it - but not as much as she feared others knowing. She sat in the pilot's seat - comfortable against her back where it had gradually sunk in by the weight of her form. For River, who had never quite managed to make a home of her own on Serenity, the pilot's chair was as close as she ever got. Like the way Simon kept to the infirmary, needing to surround himself with medicine and tools and patients, she needed the helm, needed to feel the warm leather of the seat, her fingers against the controls as her bare feet skimmed the rough, cold floor. Sometimes, she lifted her feet, curled her arms around her knees and lay back, seeking protection and warmth in the chair's embrace. If she needed another human's touch, she knew that she could have gone to seek Simon. Could have found solace in his arms, comfort in the way he still cared for her, protecting her, even though she had been gradually getting better since Miranda. She didn't need him as constantly, anymore, but he was always there regardless. But his was not the human touch that she craved. The knowledge caused her to press herself even further into her chair, closing her eyes against an onslaught of feelings she didn't understand but could not push away. She couldn't prevent herself from feeling them - from feeling anything. She could only hold on tightly and ride them out. Her skin prickled; her heart thudded wildly in her chest, like the beating of a hummingbird. Their hearts slammed against their rib cages at twelve-hundred-sixty beats per minute. River's felt like it could surely rival that. She felt lightheaded; her lips tingled. And behind her, he was approaching - he who was responsible for all of this muddled confusion. "You all right, little one?" She'd felt him coming, despite the haze, and she slowly opened her eyes. He stood just behind her seat, brow wrinkled in concern as his eyes bored into hers, seeking an answer. She had the answer, but he would not want to hear it. Not even she wanted to hear it. River drew in a breath and let it out again. She couldn't stop her feelings, but she could lie. They had not taken that from her, at least. "I'm all right," she answered after a long pause, rubbing her arms slightly. "It's a little cold." The captain nodded, shrugging out of his worn, brown coat before draping it over her like a blanket. It was warm and soft and smelled slightly of him - the powerful scent of soap from his skin combined with the wear and tear of dozens of jobs. She could feel danger on the fringes, smell dirt and rock and anger and fear felt and buried and forgotten in the thick brown folds. She grasped a handful of the material in her fingers and pulled it closer, knowing that it was not warmth that made her do so. The coat was the captain himself; if she could not attain his embrace, she would settle. "I'd offer a blanket, but ain't got one handy. Old thing'll have to do," he said as he took the seat across from her, the co-pilot's chair that he occupied only occasionally. River had latched onto flying like she latched onto everything else - with simple ease and grace. She could have believed that she belonged there, if not for the knowledge that it was only hers now because Wash was gone. A death she never quite stopped blaming herself for. It was hard to look at Zoe; the grief and sorrow were still fresh and cut deep. They made River's chest ache. Sometimes, she wanted to tell the other woman that Wash missed her, too. But the way she felt Wash's thoughts at the helm was flimsy, uncertain - sometimes, she thought she only imagined him there. "Romeo stands under the balcony, but she can’t see him," she murmured. "The black frost drowns him like quicksand while he waits for her, but she's searching in the wrong place." Mal never pretended to understand her non-sequiturs, but he rarely judged her for them either. She appreciated that. She could feel his eyes on her now, and another attack of tingled senses threatened to overcome her. She pulled his coat even closer to her body, warding off a shiver. "You oughta try for some sleep," the captain said after a moment of pause as he spun his chair toward his set of controls, eyeing the map. "Still about a day off Persephone and there ain't gonna be much time for restin' once we're on the job." "I'm not tired." She was on and off so many medications - some that made her drowsy, others that put her on full-alert - that she could never quite read her body's natural symptoms. But even if she were tired now, she wouldn't have left. Not until he did, first, and she was sure that she wasn't missing out on the time spent near him. She liked being near him. "Fair enough. Not much for sleepin' myself, right now." Mal adjusted the speed a bit, then shifted back into autopilot. He leaned back then, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "Still, Doc'll be worried you go too long without some rest, an' I ain't really lookin' for another fit pitched my way. When's the last time you left that chair?" River lifted her slender shoulders as the corner of her lips tilted. "I like it here. It's ..." Peaceful, only not just then. Not when she was too ablaze with silent heat, twisting her thoughts and emotions into a tangled web so thick the spiders would get lost in it. "I like it." "Reckon so." He spun around to look at her again; she sensed the idle tapping of his boot. "Bit more peaceful up here." She looked at him sharply, and then exhaled. Through the window, tiny stars dotted the black expanse before them. She had the sudden urge to be outside in it. The only place more peaceful than the helm would be space itself, if she could just close her eyes and float. For a long while, there was only silence. Then, Mal cleared his throat. "You're awful quiet, little albatross," he observed. River clasped her hands together underneath his coat. "My head is ... there's not enough room sometimes," she said after a pause. "Secrets, and lies, and memories ... none of it ever fades, and when something new comes along, it all squeezes together to fit. It hurts." She opened her eyes and looked at him. He was watching her with that soft expression that made her heart pound. His brow was knitted and his lips tight, but his eyes were an unmasked pool of concern - a rare expression from someone so hard, and usually reserved for her. It was the expression of someone who did not understand her, but wanted to, and it made her tiny hopes flare up just slightly. "Sometimes," she went on, meeting his gaze,"something comes along and it's not just all the headspace that it takes up, it's .... your heart gets filled with it, too. That hurts even more." Mal nodded his understanding slowly, let out a breath, and glanced in the direction of the stars. For a moment, she felt nothing, and then she was filled with images of Inara - images that came from the captain himself. It was an instantaneous flow of emotion, and it was gone just as quickly, but it was so charged and strong that it rivaled only the strength of River's own feelings for the captain. And it hit her, again, with hard and unflinching brutality, that Mal would never think of her the way he thought of Inara. Beautiful, kind, and whole - Inara was everything that River was not. She knew it - understood it, comprehended it. But it hurt like a thousand knives stabbing her poor, hummingbird heart. For a moment, she couldn't breathe. 

"Do you love her?" she asked quietly. The captain glanced back at her. He could see the raw hurt in her eyes, but he would never guess that he was the source of it. "That's a question I ain't lookin' to answer, little one." River's nod was imperceptible. She turned away, closed her eyes. After a moment, she felt him move. He got to his feet and crossed over to her. In the next moment, he would urge her to sleep. She kept her eyes closed, but tightened her fists around the coat, lest he take it back from her. He didn't. He stood by her chair for a long moment, torturing River's heightened senses. She wondered if he could hear the pulsing of her heart, the ragged breaths that should surely give her away. She longed, with every fiber in her frightened being, for him to bend down next to her and press his lips to hers. The thought made them tingle as a lump rose in her throat. She was hopeful for what she wanted, and she was heartbroken as she knew it wouldn't be hers. It felt like hours were passing, but it was only a couple of moments before Mal ran a hand lightly over her tangled hair. He was silent, but she heard the thought. It was affectionate and caring, but it was empty of real love. Good night, little albatross. River listened to his footsteps retreating from the bridge, and she exhaled, opening her eyes at last. The weight of what she felt came crushing down on her. It was beyond her control. Her senses were heightened, her hopes were smashed, and it all culminated in a stomach-twisting sob that broke from her throat and was muffled against the collar of the coat he'd left with her. 

She didn't want to feel this. Not the pain, not the elation, not ... not the love. Was it love she felt, for Malcolm Reynolds? She didn't understand.

[niiiveous]

Title: Anything for the Forest: Inara/Yates Fan Lore Part 1 Franchise: Vainglory Characters: Inara, Yates Word Count: 907 Genres: Action, Friendship (?) Notes: Part of the ‘VG Fan Lore’ series

“That tree would look better over there.”

He stormed through the forest, glowing red hook in hand and commanding a hoard of people. He was dressed in some sort of light cloth, white and not hiding him between the trees, the fur of his hood ruffling every few steps.

“Or you could just cut it down, whatever’s easier.”

She saw him shrug with the arm that didn’t have the hook, and growled at the pained cries of the dirt he drug his hook through. From her place among the trees, she follows the men across, hearing their flippant comments about cutting down trees and landscaping. The whispers of the trees filled any empty pauses when the men stopped talking, and she knows she has to halt them when the trees cry out in fear during the talks of removal.

“Sir, don’t you think clearing this entire area is a bit much?”

“The people need their space, much more than these trees do.”

“We don’t have to clear all of it.”

“If you don’t like my decision, you can leave. You needn’t continue with me.”

She watches the men hesitate, skittering and unsure of their next action. Maybe the one had spoken sense into the others, had jittered the group of 10 others enough to stop them completely.

“Fine, if you don’t believe we’ll need the space more, I’ll go off by myself.”

The leader stormed off, hook strapped onto his back, and she follows, still hidden by the trees. She jumps from tree to tree, swiftly and gracefully, barely a sound as her feet lands on sturdy branches.

She keeps a careful eye on him, a few of her wisps floating behind and around him to light his way for her as it got dark. He stopped near a small clearing, enough for one man without a pack, and settled his items down. He was too far from his men now, and she was sure that none had followed him out of their free will.

So she jumped out in front of him, curved blades out and readied. He jumped back a few steps, hook now unstrapped and no doubt eager to pull.

“What do you think you’re doing to my land?”

It wasn’t a question, it was a demand. She growls at him, ready to go on the offensive should he do the same.

He laughs at her, booming and echoing against the trees around them, “Are you lost little girl? Did you run away from home?”

He didn’t take her seriously, but he smiled and he had fangs like a wolf’s, and it told her he wanted a fight.

“Answer my question!”

“The people need this land more. Trees can be replanted.”

“And people can be relocated.”

“But where do you relocate them once lands become inhabitable? Once lands are taken over and are no longer safe? Once there’s too many people?”

She smiles at him, and she had no fangs but her eyes held all the aggression she needed, “You kill them.”

He was much more prepared than she thought, and pulled her in with his hook. The blades missed her, barely, but she got dragged and pulled ever so closer to him. She can see him smile up close, teeth gleaming and dangerous, and she slashes him with the blade on her right arm.

He grunts, the blade cutting through the flimsy fabric on his side and revealing the chain mail armour he had underneath, and pushes her away. She stumbles back, before jumping back to him, but stops short and screams when an unfamiliar electric shock runs through her.

He uses this chance to swipe at her with his hook, two times and cutting a line through her dress and stomach and drawing a shallow stream of blood, before she manages to kick him and jump away. A wisp flies around his head, as he jumps off and lands behind her, closer to the trees around the clearing, and she jumps back to him, knocking him against the tree behind him.

He grunts again, louder as he hits his head against the trunk, and she dashes to him and spins, her blades out and slashing at the thick piece of leather on his chest, almost managing to cut through.

She places her left blade on his neck, and leans in, snarling, “I hear human arms grow back when they get cut off, let’s find out.”

He smirks at her, a perk of his fangs showing, and she feels a familiar pressure on her torso before she’s jerked against him, her head knocking against the trunk of the tree in the process. Her arms flew out and around her, losing grip on her blades in an attempt to find grip anywhere else to stop her movement.

She hears the tree cry out in shock, but she’s too dazed to register the mocking laugh next to her.

“The trees will grow back. People, on the other hand, will have nowhere left to go.”

“People will find a place eventually, they always do.”

“Because we cut down trees, and make our homes from there.”

She moved a little to glare at him, lips curled and she managed a snarl before her eyes felt too heavy to keep open.

“Are you sleepy, little girl?”

She buries her face into the fur of his hood, letting out a soft groan, “I’ll just rest.. my eyes… for a minute.”

[inarabeautyspa]

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[ladydarkphoenix-blog]

First lines

I was tagged by @crystallized-iron

Rules: List the first lines of your last 10 published stories. See if there are any patterns yourself, or have other people say what they notice. Tag up to 10 friends!

Tagging: whatever writers follow me?

1. Goodbye Brothers

They were trying to clean the lab for their father after his latest science binge with them before tragedy struck. Dum-e was by the door trying to see when he was coming back while Butterfingers and U were doing the actual cleaning when the missile hit, debris flying everywhere and flames erupting all around.

2. The Shine Underneath

There were a few life lessons Tony had learned in the time spent with his father's butler, the man who's name was given to his most complex A.I. to fill the empty spot his passing had left. There were lessons in school subjects and duties that Howard had considered beneath a Stark that the young boy had enjoyed. At the older man's side he helped make food and clean things, while not his favorite things, meant time spent with a man that cared for him in a way his father never did.

3. Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Tony liked to touch and move, that was a fact. He touched things he probably shouldn't from time to time but he couldn't help himself. For all the words he had, there were never enough to convey all the emotions he always had running through him. This was why he used his hands, his whole body when he was truly excited, words just weren't enough sometimes.

4. Wax Heart

Everyone thought Tony was so callous when it came to his heart. Yes, he'd had a few relationships here and there, but nothing that seemed to last. A machine heart to match the machinist, but that couldn't be further from the truth. To the man himself, it felt like he had a heart of the softest wax, always breaking or melting.

5. Weakness

Weak heart:

After the whole kidnapping, it was obvious that he had a weak heart. How else would it be with shards of shrapnel wanting to tear it to shreds? The palladium poisoning hadn't helped matters any, giving new hurt to his already damaged body. It was a miracle that the muscle hadn't given out from all the strain put on it through the fights and just fighting to survive.

6. I Hope You're The End of My Story

Tony stood at the back of the church fingering the soft leather of the collar he wore under his suit, trying to prepare himself to walk down the aisle and meet the love of his life where she was waiting at the altar for him. The soft strains of her favorite Pistol Annies song starting as Mia took his hand, red eyes of her own as she led him to her.

7. The Funeral

Obie tried to get him to leave quietly. His father’s partners not liking the fact the heir to his now dead father’s company and fortune was obviously very drunk as he openly wept over his mother’s body, ignoring the more important man beside her.

8. The Way You Saved Me

Tony stumbled into the hallway from the elevator, pulling the half dressed hooker he'd picked up after getting his supplies for the evening. It was party time, despite the most recent fight with his father, he was going to live his life, Howard be damned. Yes he was young, had more qualifications than most people twice his age, but bristled at the thought of joining the company like his father wanted. The whole reason he had been treated like nothing more than a means to keep the place running, nothing more than his mind to keep the money lining daddy's pockets so needed beat into submission regularly for daring to try to be his own man, not just a puppet.

9. Apprentice

Tony was but an awkward child of twelve when his mother sent him away to train as a companion to save him from his father. There weren't any other boys at house Madrassa, so he felt alone. The priestess was kind to him, allowing Tony to serve the registered Companions tea when they weren't contracted out. His favorite one to serve though was the one called Inara.

10. The Soldier

It was a quiet day in the tower, a rare down day where nobody seemed to be attacking and everyone could relax. Tony had Bucky up in the lab with Steve, poking around the inner workings of his arm to see if there was anything he could find to help as it had been hurting the man more and more recently.

I apparently have a thing for Tony, angst and death...

If anyone wants to share their insights on these first lines then feel free to comment. I need more fluff and maybe Jesus.

[shirasade]

midnightestsun replied to your post “midnightestsun replied to your post “not to flood your askbox, but...”

Inara is ❤ ❤ but I never got around shipping her with anyone. Kaylee would be a good choice, tho

Being in the mood for comfort tv, I’ve started a rewatch of Firefly, and yep, Inara/Kaylee would totally work - as would Mal/Simon if I was more into the antagonistic type of ship. But Mal/Inara is rooted too deeply in my heart. They’re not my usual bff-type ship (that really would be Inara/Kaylee), but it’s so obvious from the start that they care deeply for each other underneath all that attitude... (However, these days watching Firefly I’m always a bit taken aback that yes, NONE of the main cast is actually Chinese. Seriously, how hard would it have been, Joss?)

[vaniloqu3nce]

TW: Mentions of death, choking, and blood

4000 words.

Inara was strangely nervous, to a keen eye, one could even make out the slight shake of her hands as she carefully approached the mahogany door. The way she chewed on her bottom lip and looked around didn’t help her case either. Even if this had been her idea, standing in front of the door was entirely different from thinking about it. The fledgling had wanted to speak to someone who could help her with her classes and possibly more questions she had, and Inarahad a lot of questions. About vampires, about healing, about classes and the state itself. Inara figured she might as well immerse herself in her new world, her new home. She would be here the next few years, and she could not pretend and stall for time. She could not close her eyes and deny the situation anymore than she already had. She had to get used to her new...home, her new body, her new urges. She also wondered about...any..alternative options to blood. She’d yet to feed, and she could feel the effects of it on her body. Weakness and hunger, she was no stranger to starvation and pains, but there was something new. Something underneath the hunger, something primal that made her jaw ache with the urge to bury fangs into someone’s skin. The very idea made her sick to her stomach, that her body yearned to inflict harm on another. That feeling of disgust kept her in check, everytime she felt her hunger spike, her mind rejected the very thought of feeding. To the point of actual illness, she’d felt close to throwing up plenty of times, except there was nothing inside her to regurgitate. It was a vicious cycle she could not stand.

Feeding wasn’t an option, she needed another option, or she feared her hunger would only grow. Inara didn’t want to think of what would happen if she could no longer control herself. She wasn’t giving herself that option either, Inara took no joy in the thought of losing herself to something like hunger. She could not-*would* not stoop so low.

Inara was told to simply enter, but doing so without knocking felt rude. It took her a moment, golden eyes fixated on the door. Before Inara sat her future, Inara knew there was truly no turning back, nothing of her old life. Beyond this door, nothing of the person she used to see in the mirror. The freshly-turned took a breath, preparing her mind, then raised her hand to knock. Her hand hadn't even made contact, the door swung open without anyone standing at the door on the other side. Blinking rapidly at the suddenness, Inara peered inside, having trouble processing what exactly had just happened. The room was dimly lit by the soft glow of a lamp from the corner where a small bookshelf sat. The black curtains filtered out any natural sunlight from the window, leaving the only source of light to be that weak lamp. A mahogany desk sat in the middle of the room, stacked with papers neatly in different small piles. Filing cabinets on one side of the room, simplistic, nothing unordinary. Yet the room was filled with a heavy sense of dread. Like walking into the den of a beast, something incredible unsettling lingered.

A beautiful woman sat at the desk staring directly back at her expectantly, dark hair falling down her shoulders and just barely tickling the top of her chest, which was exposed from her top. The room itself was so ordinary, but Inara couldn’t help but focus on *her*. So far every vampire she’d met had been gorgeous in their own right, but Inara had never met someone she’d deem ugly. It was different this time. It was different every time.

What captured Inara the most was her dark red eyes, the color of freshly spilled blood. They were almost hypnotic in the way they seemed to glow, cutting through the lack of light in the room and traveling over the length of her. She was being observed, Inara knew that. She felt naked, like she was being undressed and carefully studied. Inara wasn’t sure she liked it, feeling as exposed as she did, it made her feel as if she did have something to hide. As if she should stand up straighter, or maybe apologize for being late, even if she wasn’t.

Had she not dressed formally enough? Was something wrong? Inara wasn’t sure, but she felt a sudden flood of something unpleasant. “I cannot believe her.” Cold and sharp, like a blade pressed against the jugular, just on the edge of danger. Inara flinched, feeling scolded, even if she hadn’t been who those words weren’t directed at. “Willow didn’t accompany you? Did you have trouble finding my office?” The woman asked calmly, “Sit down, Inara.”

Inara had the bright idea that her words were not an invitation or a suggestion, but rather a polite order. The newly turned opened her mouth, but no words came out and her body didn’t move, she simply stared back at the red eyes, gaping. There was just something so unnatural about it. The woman raised an eyebrow, silently questioning her lack of a reaction before motioning to a chair in the middle of the room without a word, which finally jogged Inara’s motions, eyes darting to the chair then back to the entrancing eyes. Her unwavering gaze unnerved Inara, the fledgling almost felt like some sort of prey. Like a rodent that had curiously wandered into the den of a snake. She was being stalked, hunted. Inara wasn’t sure if sitting down was a good idea, but her body went against her better judgement and moved into the room. Inara listened to the door shut behind her when she sat, flinching at the sudden noise that resonated through the silence. “Well?”

Her accent was noticeable, a smooth layer over her words. Inara wanted to know where she was from, but knew this was the wrong time. She wasn’t sure there’d be a right time though. “O-Oh um...I had a little bit of trouble, but I asked a few students.” The room smelled like lavender, the calmness of the scent misleading. Inara swallowed thickly, trying to sit up straighter, she almost wanted to impress this woman, simultaneously frightened and intrigued. She was beautiful afterall, in the kind of way that was startling. It was unlike Willow’s mesmerizing beauty, nor Lady Katou’s alluring beauty. It was threatening. Her presence was so large it felt like she was sucking all the oxygen out of the room. Inara had to focus on making sure she was still breathing. “A-And Willow didn’t need to-”

“Nonsense,” The vampire smiled gently, her words causing Inara to shut her mouth, “it’s unbecoming of a young lady of her status.” Inara wanted to disagree, but instead meekly nodded, shifting in her seat nervously. “In any case, Inara Ahreveriye, I am pleased to finally meet Willow’s roommate, I had hoped it’d be someone who would be a...good influence.” Her words held much more weight to them, Inara knew there was more than one meaning to that, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“I-I am not sure I understand.” Inara offered, voice barely above a whisper, her hands clasping the edge of her chair. Willow was her roommate, a girl with wonderful green eyes and an infectious smile, she was confident and had a habit of getting very close. Those qualities alone hadn’t proved she was...bad, or in need of a good influence. In fact, Willow was very sweet and helped Inara with a lot. Did Willow have some sort of history? Inara wasn’t sure why they were discussing Willow, but she assumed Ms. Leviath was acquainted with her more personally than simply a professor and student, Willow had said she was an important royal figure, so maybe it had something to do with that; or possibly Ms. Leviath and Willow shared a class or two. She seemed to worry about her.

“Ah,” The pureblood waved her off again, a careful smirk stretching across her painted red lips. “Don’t concern yourself. Just come to me directly if she happens to act out of order, I’ll straighten her out for you. She can be rather unruly if you don’t put your foot down.” Inara had no intentions of getting Willow in trouble but she nodded anyway, worried she might say something out of line if she’d opened her mouth. “So what brings you to Valeria?”

“I-I...what?” Inara knew that sounded dumb at the very least, but the way she phrased it, like coming here was simply a trip. A vacation. It was much more complicated than that, Inara was caught off guard, unable to do anything but stare strangely back at those red eyes that had yet to leave her face, still tearing down her every action with precision.

“Nyx gives fledglings a choice. You came here of your own will. Why.” Her tone was very calm, soft even, yet Inara knew Ms. Leviath wasn't asking, she was demanding answers. The atmosphere was thick with some sort of unnamed tension, it did nothing to ease Inara’s already frantic nerves. She had the urge to curl up and close her eyes, as if that would help and wasn’t completely out of the ordinary. She wanted to hide from this woman’s eyes, they had yet to look away, yet to leave her be. Inara was under surveillance, every nervous tick was being noted. She could tell, she often did the same with people herself, but she always tried her hardest to be welcoming, to be open. This was overpowering, like her eyes were tearing her apart and peering into her very soul. Inara didn’t feel safe.

“My...my mother was sick...I had heard-...I had heard vampires could heal people. Medicine wasn’t working.” Reminding herself of her unwell mother made Inara a bit disheartened, if only for a few seconds. Inara hadn’t spoken to her family since she left, and while she expected that, losing her family hadn’t gotten easier. Inara knew it never would. The fledgling bit her lip, wondering if she should continue, Ms. Leviath hadn’t stopped her yet, in fact, her eyes encouraged more words, a better explanation. Inara didn’t want to disappoint. “The doctors said she only had a year or so left, estimated, but they’re not sure. She could die any day, and as much as I prayed...God did not answer, I turned to someone else for answers...I am hoping I find them here.”

“Huh.” Virivan said quietly once she finished, resting her cheek on her palm, “Then you do not truly worship Nyx?” Her tone wasn’t accusatory, but Inara felt as if she’d been caught doing something wrong, flushing and quickly dropped her gaze. It was true her worship fell more out of a sense of obligation than belief, she wasn’t hiding such a fact, but under Ms. Leviath’s keen eye, it felt like blasphemy, or maybe worse.

“No-...I-...I was Christian before this, ma’am.” Inara wondered if that made it worse somehow.

“Oh?” Ms. Leviath’s voice was gentle, yet her tone laced with underlying intentions Inara couldn’t decipher. The fledgling was perspective naturally, she always had been. Often she’d been called a bit ditzy, which is far from the truth. Inara is acutely aware of those around her and always has been. She’s always loved people, whether or not she understands everyone’s actions fully or not is up to the person, but she is aware. An empath. Feelings and emotions of those around her come easy to her, whether she liked what she was feeling or not.

“Yes I-...my family did not approve of my decision,” Inara answered, squirming in her seat, “But I figured it didn’t matter. I wanted to help my mother more than anything. I do not have many others who love me…”

Virivan nodded, no judgement in her eyes, despite her goddess basically being used for mortal whims. Inara could’ve sworn she saw something close to understanding pass her face, but it didn’t ease Inara at all. The very iris’ that held no discrimination also held something frightening, Inara couldn’t tell if she was imagining it or not. The fact that she was nervous to begin with hadn’t helped, but the golden-eyed female couldn’t shake the insistent feeling of danger. “But I also know it takes a while to adjust. Is there anything I can help you with? Questions? You came to me to speak about your schedule and classes, no? All first years are required for the vampiric branch,” Inara listened intently, wanting to know all she can. “There are things you can choose to study outside of vampirism, something you will need to learn inside and out if you ever want to return to your normal life. There you will learn of our history, what your new body is capable of, how to control yourself and your domain-”

“D-Domain?” Inara stuttered curiously, she believed she’d heard Willow mention that before.

Virivan didn't falter at the interruption, voice leveled. “Domain. Not to worry, you will spend two years studying each of them, and then two on two domains you excel in, or maybe ones you’d like to improve in. It’s important for both self defense and-”

Inara listened but couldn’t stop the frown from appearing on her face as Virivan went on. “Ma’am, I have no interest in self defense...in power. Or anything like that, healing people is all I wish to accomplish. I don’t want to hurt someone, or even the ability to.” Inara stated quietly, golden eyes flickering up then back down to her lap, “I want to know what classes I’ll be taking if I want to learn how to heal someone of illness...and also...if there is any substitution to blood?”

There was a pause. Inara didn’t look up, the lack of sound itself was deafening. The longer it went on, the more anxious Inara became, the fledgling couldn’t tell if the silence was good or bad. Inara wasn’t sure she wanted to find out. It felt like an eternity before Ms.Leviath spoke again. “What?” Inara winced at the lack of the previous softness in the woman’s voice, something treading along the line of anger. Inara was quick to jump to her words this time in an attempt to soothe the situation. Her fingers twitched nervously as she searched for a proper explanation.

Inara swallowed, “Blood, ma’am...it uh, I don’t like it. It makes me faint if I look at it.”

There it was again, silence. Inara made the mistake of looking up, because as soon as she did something cold slithered around both of Inara's wrists, yanking her hands back behind the chair. A squeak left her mouth, quickly looking down and finding the sight of pitch black tendrils rising from the ground, pulling at her limbs and trapping her against the chair. Fear began to settle in Inara’s chest, stabbing through her heart as she desperately pulled her hands, using all her might to try and free herself from the grasp of the tendrils. A hopeless sinking emotion came with the realization that whatever these things were, they were stronger than her. She pulled again, whimpering and shaking her head then Inara quickly looked up, met with a sharp glare as Virivan rose from her desk chair. Terror followed suit, quickly kicking her legs in an attempt to move, get up, do *something*, but found that soon her legs were bound against the very chair she sat in. Movements restricted, Inara wriggled in her seat desperately, the cold tendrils tightening to the point of almost pain and Inara found the more she tried, the harder they grasped.

What was happening? What were these things? How does she get out? Is she going to die? Inara’s mind raced, blinking rapidly as she fell still out of shock or maybe fear. Ms. Leviath walked around calmly to the front of her desk, a strict gaze lingering on Inara for a second longer before tearing away and shuffling through a few papers on her desk. “When is the last time you’ve fed?” Her voice was calm, but Inara was not. Her heart thudded against her chest and no words came out, “Inara.” It was a warning, a groan of pain left her mouth as the dark things coiled around her tighter, encouraging the words on the tip of her tongue to be spoken.

“I-I haven’t, ma’am!” Inara quickly sputtered out, squeezing her eyes shut and holding her breath.

Apparently, that was the wrong answer, “Do you know how dangerous that is, Inara? Fledglings like yourself begin to starve after one day.” The anger in her eyes was not reflected by her calm, almost casual tone, which somehow made it so much worse. The pressure on her arms and legs let up, but not enough for Inara to move at all, only to ease the pain. “Bloodlust is not something to toy with. You could hurt someone, yourself.” Inara wanted to respond, but words failed her in the face of Virivan’s fury. “Your stupidity is unforgivable. I will have no more of this nonsense, you chose this, it is not anyone’s fault but your own. Others shall not be held accountable for your actions.”

Inara struggled to make sense of it all, bloodlust? Hurt someone? “I’m not going to-”

“Shut your mouth.” Virivan snapped, and Inara shrank back into her chair fearfully, not like she could move anywhere else. The woman turned to face her again, stalking towards Inara. “And on top of that you think you may opt out of some classes? What do you think this is, Inara? What do you think we’re doing? By becoming a vampire you have automatically put yourself at risk of hurting plenty.” Virivan’s words grew harshier by the second, standing in front of the student with unflinching displeasure. “Especially at this stage. It seems you have not fully accepted your life as it is and still fruitlessly cling to your old one.” Inara felt another one of those lifeless appendages crawl up her body, a scream getting caught in her throat as she watched it slither upwards towards her neck, brushing gently along her skin and sending shivers across her entire body.

“What is worse is the sheer hypocrisy of it all. You didn’t want to see your mother die, and yet here you are refusing to eat because you’re scared. How long do you think you can last without blood, Inara? Before your body shuts down? Before you die?”

“I-I don’t-” Inara tried, tilting her head back and making a low noise of fear, she hadn’t truthfully planned that far ahead. Her cravings were taken day by day and grew stronger by the minute, she didn’t think about what would happen if they got too strong, or how long she could last. Dying wasn’t an option, and hurting someone in a fit of hunger wasn’t something she’d allow herself to do either.

“One day.” Ms. Leviath interrupted. “One day is as long as a fledgling usually lasts before they’re overcome.” Virivan took a step closer, eyes narrowing as she took Inara’s chin between her fingers, tilting the young woman’s head from side to side and inspecting her. “It is a sheer miracle you’ve lasted anywhere close to this long without attacking anyone. And one born of an idiotic idea.” Her grip tightened, forcing Inara to look at her. Inara fought, only to discover that the woman before her was much stronger than she appeared, her slender figure was misleading. The fledgling ended up staring into cold unflinching eyes. “Bloodlust will overtake you and you will become no more than a rabid dog. I usually am far more understanding of third formers having small slip ups,” Her other hand lifted, brushing the back of her fingers across Inara’s neck, feeling the girl tremble below her. “but when it is self induced, I have no problems putting said person down. Is that what you want? To be treated like an animal? For me to treat you like a loose dog?”

The implications made Inara swallow, searching for her words, eyes darting around Virivan’s face frantically and searching for any sign of a joke, or maybe a bluff. Something. What Inara found made her stomach drop, nothing but sheer malice. She was serious. Inara parted her lips, only able to manage the word ‘please’ before the soft brush against her skin turned sinister, Virivan’s hand wrapping around her throat and squeezing just enough to limit the airflow, just barely above crushing Inara’s windpipe. “Or maybe I put you on a leash. Is that it? You need to be monitored after all. But of course it would be so much easier to just…” Her voice trailed off, smiling as Inara attempted to gasp for air. The sudden realization of what was happening made Inara whimper pitifully, trying in vain to tear herself away from the snake who had her in its clutches, dread overtaking every inch of her mind. “Snap your neck.” Virivan whispered, sounding so very amused with herself.

Chuckling softly, Virivan began to slowly squeeze tighter, her other hand cupping Inara’s face and cooing softly, mockingly. Inara’s chest hurt, eyes watering as her vision began to fade and all she could see were those red eyes, filled with nothing but bloodlust. The situation seemed hopeless, but Inara fought it, despite her shaky hands she pulled at her restraints, tugging and grunting. Desperate, anguish fueling every action, but Virivan acted as if she didn’t notice. The tendrils squeezing until Inara wheezed out a cry of pain, the pureblood delighting in the wonderful sound. “It would be so easy too, a pretty little frail thing like you. I could splinter you like a twig, rip your throat open and drink you like fresh wine.” Her words made Inara begin to shake violently, her body jerking in an attempt to tip the chair over, anything to get away. Anything to save her life. “You’d never see your mother again, never have any chance to heal her. All this would be for absolutely nothing...wouldn’t that just be so precious.”

*No!*

Inara felt her strength leaving as her vision grew blurry, darker, treading along the fine line of consciousness. Her struggling, dying down slowly, eyes dilating, and the world going black. Red eyes glittering happily, the last thing she’d ever see. Then suddenly her throat was released, air flooding into her lungs so fast it hurt. The fledgling hunched over, coughing and sputtering as Virivan watched, unbothered. Inara panted heavily, warm tears sliding down her face as she took in what exactly had just occurred. It had all happened too fast, her very life could’ve been ripped away, before she was able to achieve what she’d come here to do. It was a sick and twisted feeling of defeat, Inara didn’t even bother trying against the black things that restrained her, she merely stared blankly at the ground, huffing loudly. “Do you see how incredibly easy that was for me? And what did you do, Inara? Cry? Beg for your life? You are lucky I gain nothing from killing a young woman capable of many things.”

‘W-What?” Inara murmured, head spinning, barely registering the words being forced down her throat. She looked up, appearing like a pitiful kicked puppy, Virivan would feel bad if she cared.

The snaked sigh, looking down at the student in the chair for a moment before speaking. Inara couldn’t process it all well enough, one moment she was being choked within an inch of her life, and the next she was being given a lecture? It didn’t make sense, all she could do was stare with shocked eyes. “There are many humans who would kill you for merely existing now, Inara. I know them, I’ve seen them. I take no pleasure in killing anyone. Whatever makes you think you don’t need to learn how to defend yourself, it is wrong. If you want to help your mother, help yourself first.” Virivan crossed her arms across her chest, standing at her full height and tilting her head curiously. “You can start by eating, if you die before you even finish your first year, this will all be a childish reckless decision, not that it already isn’t. Admirable that you love your mother, but your thinking is flawed. You don’t even like blood, how long did you think you’d survive like this? As one of us?”

Inara didn’t answer verbally, but her eyes changed, softening every so slightly. “Do not insult my kind, or me.” Virivan warned, shaking her head in disdain, but her face remained neutral. “You need to eat. It looks like I’ll have to keep a close eye on you, I am surprised Willow hasn’t said anything to me, this is dangerous and she knows it. That girl gives me a migraine. The least she could do is report it to me.” Inara wasn’t even sure the woman was talking to her at this point, rolling her eyes and turning around. As casually as she’d been before, the woman took a seat at her desk, paying Inara no mind as she went back to the paperwork at her desk, twirling a pen between her fingers. “A vampire afraid of blood, it’d be funny if it wasn’t the most idiotic thing I’d ever heard. You will stay here until I make sure you feed, don’t try to move. My patience runs thin already, I would hate to have to make *sure* you can’t run away.”

A monster, an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening. How narrow minded. It almost made Inara laugh, a monster could be very beautiful, Inara feared she was staring at someone who had very beautiful monsters, ones so large and frightening, her very gaze could silence a room. Inara watched her, she had no words, no idea what to say, no idea how to sort through it all. She was told not to run as if her arms and legs were not bound by creatures of darkness, Inara wondered if God’s light reached this room. If she was being toyed with, if she’d die here, in the den of a predator she willingly wandered into. “I doubt you need anything from the human branch, you were human before this after all, but we should see if you have an affinity for magic.”

“I-I…” Inara wheezed, voice tight, “O-Okay.” the fledgling finished fearfully, voice timid. Whatever she was going to say didn’t seem worth angering the woman before her again.

“Good girl. Don’t fret, I might have Willow keep an eye on you for me too. Only to punish her for her neglectfulness.” Inara wondered if this woman could do that, and like magic Virivan chuckled softly, her next words answering that exact question. “As a headmistress I can do many things, forcing a student to take care of another is outside that range. Willow is a special case, I just like annoying her.” Inara couldn’t believe that the woman who’s eyes held murderous intent was now chuckling in amusement, “So I’ll just threaten her a bit, I have been rather bored recently…oh and please relax, I am not going to kill you if you behave.” It was ludicrous, that was the only word Inara had to describe it.

“There is no way she didn’t know you were afraid of blood, not someone like her.” Virivan sounded far too amused for the situation, Inara didn’t bother opening her mouth, instead she hunched over and focused on breathing, calming herself, slowing her heart. It seemed impossible with this woman in the room though. “So why not, I need to pay her back anyways. Just sit tight, I’ll have someone bring you something to eat. And if I have to force you to feed, I will. That or I can use you as my personal snack.” Virivan looked up for a moment, smiling gently in what Inara could only assume was supposed to be reassuring, it only succeeded in making her heart rate spike, especially at the idea of being forcefully fed.

[ahvarchive]

@valorcorrupt

           “I had a nightmare that Blackwall shaved his beard and there was nothing underneath it.  Like.  Nothing.  His face just ended right below his nose.”  She shudders.  “The stuff of NIGHTMARES, Inara.  I can’t get it out of my head.  I can’t look the man in the eyes!”

[paladins-moshpit]

Maeve along with her cat-like vision, also has a small scarred up mottled tail thats now missing more than half its length from years of fighting on the street. when you have a long furry appendage that enemies can grab, they will use it against you. Maeve currently hides the remaining (6-7in?) stub underneath her coat, and occasionally her pants, refusing to let anyone even see it anymore. to her the less people who knew the better. Occasionally she can still feel the full length of her tail and suffers pains from when it was cut off.

When around other’s Maeve will try to pretend it doesn’t exist when the pain flares up but for some reason she feels better around Inara, she doesn’t know why, and will usually go to lay curled up on mama rock until it goes away.

[paladinsheadcanons]

Psst...Mod Evie...how about more Zhin x Sha Lin? Maybe a first kiss....? ♡♡♡

YOUR REQUEST HAS BEEN ANSWERED BY YOUR LORD AND SAVIOUR MOD ZHIN (i should be studying for my exams but screw it. I had no idea where this was going so YOLO. Please forgive me.)

Zhin didn’t forget the night Sha Lin got injured. That night had left a huge impact on both of them. They both realised that the possibility of easing the tension between the both of them may not be so easy to achieve, probably impossible.

Was it considered… bad, to be annoyed that Sha Lin didn’t forgive him so easily? Zhin wasn’t sure. He was so used to people following and going by his way, even if it was by fear. The fact that Sha Lin turned the tables around had startled the ex-tyrant, even if he didn’t want to admit it. 

‘He was right when he said we’ve both changed… too much…‘ Zhin thought as he was half-heartedly sharpening his sword. Thankfully, none of the other flanks were around, for he didn’t want anyone to notice his unguarded and distracted state, and he had been scraping his blade against the stone for like, an hour. (The sound would have irritated Maeve so much)

Zhin was not expecting this heavy feeling in his heart. Ever since he saw Sha Lin’s hurt and angry eyes, it had not left. Another annoyance. One small part of him knew that Sha Lin would not forgive him, and he told himself he’d be fine with it. It didn’t matter to him. Why should it?

… So why did he feel so… disappointed?

Zhin clicked his tongue in annoyance. He grumbled, stopping his actions. He placed his sword against the wall, sitting down on his bed. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but he had grown accustomed to it. 

He knew deep down that he basically screwed up making up with his only friend. True, Ying and a handful of champions were nice enough to welcome him, but Sha Lin was the only one he had some other unknown feeling for. It felt warm, comforting, whenever he was with the archer back in the day, just like his fire. Now all he felt was this stone wall separating them. (INARA’S STONE WALL YEEEAH) 

Zhin would never admit anything related to his true feelings, but… he was feeling so melancholic because he missed Sha Lin, didn’t he? 

More than what friends would feel. He knew this.

When did he even start feeling this way? He had an idea, after he felt this unbearable pain in his chest ever since he walked away from the injured archer that night. It gnawed away at him, causing him nothing but anguish.

 ‘… If only I could turn back time, maybe-’

Zhin was so lost in his thoughts he failed to notice his room door creaking open, and Sha Lin quietly walking in. He wasn’t the only one hung up about their broken relationship. 

“Zhin?“ Sha Lin asked gently, unable to suppress a soft chuckle when he saw Zhin visibly react with a tiny jolt. “Did you not notice me enter? You’re usually so guarded.“

Zhin knew what Sha Lin was doing. He was being unusually cheerful to mask his real emotions in. He eyed Sha Lin as the younger man sat down, who was taking in a deep breath and drumming his fingers on the edge of the bed. The archer crossed his legs and turned to face Zhin. “… We need to talk.”

Sha Lin was fully aware of his feelings for Zhin, and he knew that Zhin knew as well. He was thankful that Zhin didn’t say anything about it, but this current tension needed to go. It was not a good cover up for his emotions, and it was killing him inside. He wanted his friend back at the very least.

He and Zhin could never be anything more, much to his disappointment. 

This whole time, Kai was chilling in a basket in one of the shelves watching them now. He knew how both of them were like these past few days, quietly going back and forth to check on both of them. He did love them both, and wanted to make sure this uneasiness came to an end soon. He slithered down to where the men sat, and eyed them both. 

“Kai?” Sha Lin said, petting the little dragon, who simply stared at his hand, before chomping down on it. Sha Lin yelped, and Kai dragged his hand to Zhin’s and placed it on top of his before letting go. The two men stayed still, processing what the little dragon had just done. They both simultaneously looked up at each other, heat rushing to Sha Lin’s face. Zhin was still so exquisite…

“… It seems that we aren’t the only ones who want this… to end,“ ‘this’ referring to the tension between long lost friends. Sha Lin looked down at their hands again when he felt Zhin move. His eyes widened as Zhin slid his hand away from underneath Sha Lin’s, only to hold it tenderly. “Zhin…?“

Zhin was looking down at their intertwined hands too, using his other hand to clasp onto Sha Lin’s. He was silent, this strange foreign feeling now stronger than ever. He liked this feeling. It felt… nice.

“… I wonder when was the last time we were like this.“ Zhin said it as more of a statement than a question. Sha Lin just nodded. “… When we weren’t so… tense, huh.” Then it went silent again. That same reoccurring, uncomfortable silence. It needed to stop.

“You came here to talk to me about us, didn’t you?“ Zhin spoke up, looking directly at the blushing archer who was already staring back at him. “Go on.“ He was being much more gentle than either side thought he would be. Sure, he still had that grimace on his face, but his tone was… soothing, calming. (Is Zhin even capable of such things.) 

Sha Lin took in a deep breath. “… I want to be friends again, Zhin, but with how much the both of us have changed, and you suddenly coming here, I… I don’t know how I-” He paused, realising that he was going to ramble if he didn’t stop himself there. He subconsciously squeezed Zhin’s hand. “… I miss you.”

That was much more direct than Zhin had anticipated. Sha Lin acted cocky and chill in front of everyone, but he knew how awkward the boy could be. “I know,” he said. “I know.”

He wanted to be closer to Sha Lin again. He wanted to be able to have someone to rely on. After years of tyranny and enemies wherever he went, it was only now he knew how safe he felt with someone familiar.  He didn’t have to be on guard all the time anymore, he could relax and enjoy someone else’s company. It felt… easy, for once… after so long…

Was this… love? Was this what foreign feeling Zhin felt? He was never familiar with it, considering his life, and had no intention of ever feeling it. He was taught that it was nothing but a burden, a weakness. He had to control his feelings in order to be in rule. However, now that he has felt it, he welcomed it. This was the feeling that was missing in his life. He really came to the Paladins to change… and to be with Sha Lin. 

This would be the only time he’d ever admit it.

He leaned in close, Sha Lin’s eyes wide and questioning, but the young archer didn’t draw back. What was Zhin…?

Zhin softly pressed his lips onto Sha Lin’s, keeping his gaze locked with his. Sha Lin gave a silent gasp, blinking rapidly, having difficulty in processing what was going on right there and then. He tried to looked away, but his gaze was stuck on Zhin, who seemed to have no difficulty in doing the same.

He was kissing Zhin. Zhin was kissing him. It… wasn’t a dream. It was real. It was happening.

Sha Lin dared to respond by pressing back softly, but that was about it. Zhin pulled back after staying like that for a few seconds, his face still as blank as it was before. The Desert Wind was dazed, his mind hazy. “Sha Lin?” the ex-tyrant’s voice snapped him back to reality.

“Uh…!” Sha Lin scooted back, shaking his head. “S-sorry, I…” He had no idea how to respond to Zhin. He did want this happen in the back of his mind, but he thought that it would only occur in his dreams. To think that Zhin was the one who initiated to kiss was… surreal.

Without another word, he ran out of Zhin’s quarters, completely forgetting what he had intended to say to Zhin. Zhin could not suppress the small smile on his face. He stopped Kai from chasing the embarrassed individual. “It’s alright, Kai.”

The little dragon was confused, but felt happy for them. He crawled up Zhin’s arm and nudged against him. “I hope that was enough… for him.”

He was looking forward to the next time he’d see Sha Lin, which was breakfast time. He undid his hair and lay down on the bed with Kai, finally feeling at peace after a long time.

“Good night, Kai.“

[mav--64]

OPEN BETA 45 PATCH NOTES

The Stone Warden

Open Beta 45 Patch Notes |March 3rd

NEW CHAMPION: Inara, the Stone Warden

Abilities:

[LMB] Stone Spear

Fire a burst of 3 projectiles dealing 225 damage each over 0.4 seconds, every 1 second.

[RMB] Earthen Guard

Enter a defensive state that lasts 5s where you and your deployables take 30% reduced damage.

[Q] Impasse

Deploy a wall that grows out of the ground and lasts 5s.

[E] Seismic Crash

Throw your spear, passing through shields and stunning any enemies within 40 units of its impact for 2s.

[F] Warder’s Field

Place a stone obelisk that pulses which slow enemies for 60% and deals 150 damage per second.

Cards

Legendary - Mother’s Grace [Default]

Earthen Guard gains 20% increased damage reduction.

Legendary - Treacherous Ground

Warder’s Field now cripples.

Legendary - Tremors

Reduce the Cooldown of Impasse by 7s.

Geomancer

Reduce the cooldown of Earthen Guard by .5/1/1.5/2s.

Sacred Ground

Standing in Warder’s Field grants you 5/10/15/20% Damage Reduction.

Summit

Activating Impasse underneath you knocks you up by 600/700/800/900 units.

Living Stone

Reload 10/20/30/40% faster during Earthen Guard.

Plateau

Increase the duration of Impasse by .5/1/1.5/2s.

Standing Stones

Reduce the Cooldown of Warder’s Field by 1/2/3/4s.

Stone Bulwark

Heal for 20/40/60/80 Health per second during Earthen Guard.

Whetstone

Eliminations grant you 10/20/30/40% Reload Speed for 5s.

Caretaker

Standing in Warder’s Field heals you for 20/40/60/80 Health per second.

Cloudbreaker

Impasse gains 500/1000/1500/2000 Health.

Crag

Impasse gains 10/20/30/40% more Damage Reduction from Earthen Guard.

Insurmountable

Gain 8/16/24/32% Crowd Control reduction.

Lodestone

Activating Warder’s Field generates 1/2/3/4 ammo.

Rolling Stone

You cannot be slowed by more than 60/50/40/30%.

Shear

Activating Earthen Guard generates 1/2/3/4 ammo.

Steadfast

Gain 150/300/450/600 maximum Health.

GENERAL

MISC

All Achievements now reward 1000 Essence.

Players that already earned achievements will be retroactively refunded Essence.

Added an alert to items that have been recently earned.

The home screen now supports additional images.

BUG FIXES

Fixed an issue with duplicate customizations received from Radiant Chests not granting Essence. We’re working on a solution for players affected by this during OB44 release.

Fixed the First Win of the Day Gold received at end of match lobby displaying the incorrect value.

CUSTOMIZATIONS

Inara:

Garnet

Head: Garnet Blossom

Body: Garnet

Weapon: Garnet Spear

Amethyst

Head: Amethyst Blossom

Body: Amethyst

Weapon: Amethyst Spear

Celestine

Head: Celestine Blossom

Body: Celestine

Weapon: Celestine Spear

MISC

Voice Pack: Inara

Emote: Paramount

MVP: Zenith

Tyra

Baroness Tyra

Head: Baroness Tress

Body: Baroness

Weapon: Baroness Stinger

Androxus

Exalted Androxus

Head: Exalted Arch

Body: Exalted

Weapon: Exalted Pistol (existing weapon that goes with collection)

MAPS

Co-Op:

Mid Life Crisis

Tyra, Buck, Makoa, Maeve, and Sha Lin in a 5v5 Survival encounter. When any of them reach 50% health they activate their ultimate permanently until they are killed.

Test Queue rotation

Added Grotto V2, Dark Crossing, and Arid

CHAMPIONS - BALANCE/UPDATES/FIXES

Barik

Architectonics

Fixed a bug where this card was not properly reducing the Cooldown of Turret by 3s.

Updated card description.

Tinkerin

Updated card description.

Bomb King

Poppy Bomb

Fixed a bug where Poppy Bomb would knock back for more if it was detonated before hitting a surface.

Buck

Bounce House

Now increases the Cooldown of Heroic Leap by 2s.

Drogoz

Combustible

Fixed a bug where Combustible’s Damage over Time effect was dealing True damage.

Fire Spit

Fixed a bug where sometimes fire spit would appear to hit a target on the client, but not hit them on the server.

Evie

Ice Block

Now grants immunity to all debuffs

Grohk

Shock Pulse

Will now only slow each target once per cast.

Totemic Ward

Updated card description to indicate that this card increases the healing of Healing Totem by 20%.

Grover

Deep Roots

Fixed a bug where the minimum duration of the root was 1s instead of 0.5s.

Kinessa

Fixed a condition where Reconfigure card was incorrectly granting ammo.

Maeve

Nine Lives

No longer heals Maeve by default.

Pounce

Reduced damage from 600 to 500.

Range reduced from 70 to 50.

Fixed an issue with Maeve able to cast twice.

Prowl

Reduced Movement Speed from 80 to 65%.

Increased Cooldown from 9 to 12s.

Artful Dodger

Nine lives now also heals Maeve for 500 in addition to cleansing debuffs.

Cards

Patch Up

Description updated to indicate that Nine Lives no longer heals by default.

Pip

Healing Potion

Reduced projectile size by 50% to allow it to travel through spaces easier.

Torvald

General

Reduced Shield Health from 6000 to 5000

Fixed an issue with Torvald's Arcanist skin not playinganimations

Tyra

Fire Bomb

Fixed a bug where Fire Bomb’s damage over time effect would not last its full duration.

First Blood

Lifesteal increased from 20% to 30%.

Ying

Lifelike

Now reduces healing of Illusions by 30%.