#ingredient: harpy

[dunmeshi-would-you-eat]

Chilchuck and Senshi's "Cockatrice and Harpy Egg Piccata"

[kiame-sama]

Humans Are Extinct (Yandere!TWST x fem!Reader) Monster AU pt 18

(Epel and other flowering Earth/Plant Nymphs have a symbiotic relationship with the bees of Twisted Wonderland. Where the flowers don't create seeds for the Nymph, they can still be benefited by the introduction of pollen from other flowers the bees visit, as it helps their immune systems to fight off plant related pests and infections. The immune system of a Earth/Plant Nymph is not the same as the blooded creatures of Twisted Wonderland because most Nymphs of all kind have no true blood.

Fun fact: Trees are rather carnivorous and will crack open bones with their roots if close enough for the marrow. They can consume meat very quickly. This is true for the Tree Nymphs of Twisted Wonderland.)

Warnings; multiple yanderes, platonic and romantic yanderes, mostly fluff focused chapter with a strong dash of angst and toped off with a bit of dodgy humor from Floyd, food focused chapter (fried food, fruit, meat, sweets), Floyd has no chill, Hellcat, Dragon, Vampire Bat, Shinigami, Nemean Lion, Gnoll, Harpies, Selkie, Shadow-man, Minotaur, Sphinx, Raiju, Cervitaur, Unicorn, Kelpie, Water Nymph, Cecaelia, Mermen, mention of Drider

~~~~~~~~

Despite the stress earlier on in your already delicate balancing act of life, the rest of the week passed quietly. Even getting your stitches removed went without a hitch and you were somewhat able to return to your daily life. Though you had been cleared to walk on your leg for more than a day, Malleus had been insistent on keeping you off of it until he was certain.

In the early morning you awoke before the rest of your ever present nestmates. Malleus had reluctantly agreed to let you walk around a bit the night before and you were eager to get back to moving around on your own. Despite how kind Silver was to be carrying you around, your classes were not his own and he had an education to attend to. Not to mention the fact you refused to allow Malleus to join you for classes.

You slowly slid out of the nest, taking care to not wake the Dragon that had curled himself around you as you all slept. During your gentle extraction from the nest, you managed to scoop up the still sleeping Grim without waking him. His little paws stretched out somewhat as you cuddled him close. You grabbed comfortable clothes and easily snuck away from the Hoard and the Dragon that guarded it.

It was nice to have some time to yourself, even in those small moments. It had become a little more than suffocating to live the way these monsters did.

The faint sound of a videogame could be heard as you quietly padded down the steps and past the main lobby where Ortho and Idia played a co-op platformer. They were so immersed they didn't even glance in your direction as you walked by.

It was early enough that you could still justify sneaking around a bit, wanting to get to making the things you knew you missed. Grim was still in a deep sleep as you quietly grabbed a blanket from one of the couches and wrapped him up in it before setting him on the table in the kitchen gently. He curled up much like a regular cat with his wings tucked in at his sides, snoring softly.

It began with acquainting yourself with the new deep-fryer that Idia had constructed for you, noticing it was mostly a hands-off kind of tool unlike the ones from your world. Once you got it heating to get the thick oil to the right temperature, you set to gathering up the ingredients you would need. Your cupboards had been restocked with a wider variety of spices and food-items thanks to Sam and paid for by the elder Shinigami Papa Hades.

You were going to start the day with breakfast and then move on to the other meals. Thankfully, you didn't have classes that day and intended to ask several of the various monsters you had met to come to your dorm. The reason you were inviting them was simple as you intended to put them to work helping and tasting the foods. Due to your own experience in the kitchen and what you were lacking from home, you already had plenty of foods in mind that you needed to make for your own comfort. Beyond just the fryer, there was the standing mixer that you planned to use to make a donut dough and glaze for the donuts.

The first task you set to was shredding the potatoes and forming them into patties to be fried. While you worked on shredding, another pair of hands joined your work. Clearly the three Shinigami of the Dorm did not need much sleep, nor did they sleep often as Papa Hades silently began to aid you in your cooking endeavors.

It was nice to work with someone who knew what they were doing, his only moments of unguarded curiosity being when you began frying up the shredded potato patties. You figured he was curious as he had not touched the new fryer despite the fact that Idia had been the one to make it. The other possibility was that he didn't wish to use it before you did and without knowing the primary purpose of it. He also seemed curious as you chose a particular cut of pork-belly, cutting the meat so that it had clear stripes of marbling before tossing it into a pan to begin cooking.

Various savory scents began to permeate the air as you flipped the patties to fry on the other side, an ever familiar sound of yapping and scratching drew your attention. Ruggie's familiar sandy-brown hide made you smile as you opened the door to greet the hungry Gnoll. He wasn't the only one waiting. Standing with Ruggie was a mostly asleep Leona who looked like he was regretting getting up.

"Morning you two. I expected Ruggie, but good to see you too, Leona."

"I'm only here because Ruggie never shuts up about the food here and you still owe me that meal your promised."

"Well, then be prepared to be here all day, seeing as Crowley said everyone should have no classes today. I'm making a full feast for every meal today and something tells me there's going to be more than a few visitors. Come in, but please try to be quiet because Grim is still sleeping."

Ruggie muffled his own excited yapping even as his tail wagged at max speed at the idea of a day of feasting. Even Leona seemed pleased by your words, taking deep breaths of the food you already had cooking as they entered the kitchen. Papa Hades only spared the two a single glance as he returned to his task, already having made more than enough for double the amount of visitors you technically had to feed.

You were bold enough to snap a quick picture of the Nemean Lion cuddling the Hellcat to send to Falena, having gotten the number of the Sunset Savana King. Surely it was rare to see Leona deign to be protective of any young especially after his fumble with Cheka, and you figured the Lion King would appreciate the domestically comfortable photo of the less than domestic Leona. Even Ruggie seemed amused by your quick photo as he chuckled softly and the Lion's ears twitched in response to the sound.

Leona surprised you by walking over to the table, sitting down in one of the chairs closest to Grim and settled down for a nap. He seemed to pause with his head resting on his arms before he reached out and pulled Grim over to him, careful not to wake the kit. Once he got his arms situated around the sleeping Hellcat, he was quick to join the slumber.

You were taking the potato hot-cakes out to cool when your phone buzzed impatiently in your pocket. It was Crowley saying he and the other staff members were on their way over to discuss the idea of you starting a Magicam account of your own. Apparently he already told Vil and the Harpy would be arriving around midday with Rook to discuss how to proceed. Though you hadn't expected the decision to be so quick, you had figured Vil and Rook would be involved as they were the ones who seemed more knowledgeable on the various platforms. Luckily, there was going to be plentiful food for these interlopers as you had made extra as well, given your excitement to use the new cooking tools you had been gifted.

A sudden thumping noise paired with the sound of quick steps told you the rest of the Hoard woke up and had taken your absence in the nest as a sign of danger. Malleus was first to enter the kitchen, his emerald green eyes glowing in the early light of the morning. That glow seemed to dim somewhat as his sight landed on you and he began to relax as he took in your uninjured and relaxed appearance. The Dragon was followed by his two retainers and teacher who all seemed to calm upon seeing you cooking away.

"Good morning, Malleus. Be sure to keep your voice down, Grim and Leona are asleep."

He glanced at where the Lion and Hellcat slept, then back to you with a nod.

"I am glad to see you are uninjured, (Y/n). It was... concerning... to wake without you and your cub tucked away safely in the nest. I trust you aren't straining your leg?"

"My leg is fine, Malleus. I've been itching to move around and try out some of these new gadgets in the kitchen. I will say now, however, I intend to be making meals and treats all day, so you may want to pace yourself if you choose to partake. I do hope you'll like what I'm going to be making."

Lilia was quick to join the conversation, bouncing over to you with a pleased smile as he wrapped his wings around you. The Bat nuzzled your neck and hummed with a kind of content joy that made you wonder why he was being so cuddly that morning. Curious if he was seeking more blood or not.

"Though I do detest early mornings, it is always a pleasure to see you, (Y/n)."

"Flattery gets you nowhere, Vanrouge."

"It isn't flattery if it's the truth. Good to see you walking again, though. You seemed so ready to burst with boredom!"

"You try sitting around for a week and see how bored you get."

Lilia just chuckled and let you return to your tasks, sitting at the table as you finished up cooking with Papa Hades. While you transferred the plentiful food to their proper serving dishes, Idia and Ortho entered the room with the five staff members you recognized in tow. Ortho was quick to set the table with Idia's aid, Sam jumping in to help out as well as he got a good look at the delicious smelling feast. From fresh fruits to the pancakes stacked high, even Crewel, Trein, and Vargas seemed rather enthused at the prospect of a good meal.

You grabbed one piece of bacon and walked over to Leona and Grim, holding the warm cooked meat close to the nose of Hellcat who woke with a loud snort. Leona was also quick to rise at the smell of food and eyed the meat in your hands with a more than interested look. He didn't argue as you picked up the blanket and kit from his arms, missing the almost smug look the Lion gave to the seething Dragon behind you.

Grim was quick to eat the nicely crisped piece of bacon and purred excitedly from the quickly melting fat of the meat. Seeing Grim get to have the first bite of that feast sent Ruggie into a loud cackling protest, wanting to take as much as he possibly could. Clearly the others were of a similar mind as everyone took their seats, Malleus once again making a clear show of sitting next to your place at the table and keeping others from taking the chair-high-chair hybrid.

You were eager to see what the others thought of the hash-brown patties and thankfully got first pick for most of the food at the table before the others got to it. Papa Hades took his seat at the head of the table, Crowley sitting across from you and excitedly serving himself a decent share of the food. Grim was eagerly using his tiny paws to stuff food into his face, his little tail waving as he bit into the warm hash-brown and immediately purred loudly. The others had a similar reaction to the fried food, all seeming to savor the crisp golden outside and warm inside.

"So crispy, so fluffy..! Is this what you wanted to make so badly with that oil fryer you had me create?"

"One of the things. I'll be making several foods today with that fryer and even some sweets. Trust me when I say, you haven't lived until you've had some of these foods. Of course, everything in moderation, I won't lie and say they are fantastic for your health if you have too many or too much all at once. You will be wanting the recipes and your own fryer for Ignihyde though. Plus, I plan to use that electric churn you made to make ice-cream at some point, something tells me that one will be popular too."

It was while you were talking with Idia that Leona began to understand just how much good food he had been missing out on. Ruggie had tried many times to get the lazy Lion to come with him in his morning and evening trips to Ramshackle and Leona had sent him away with a bored response. Now he could see just why the loud Hyena man religiously made daily excursions to your dorm and he couldn't believe how foolish he had been to not accompany the Gnoll earlier.

Sam seemed to savor every bite of the food and you were happy to return the favor of a meal to the Shadow-man. He had fed you during your cycle and had been your rock during such an emotionally charged week. Now you could share in the labors of good food and that meant so many foods were suddenly back on your menu.

~•§•~

Lunch was starting to roll around and Trey had already arrived at your behest. He brought Riddle, Ace, Deuce, and even Cater along to help out. Cater was quick to start on dishes and avoided directly talking to anyone other than Trey and Riddle. You knew that eventually you would have to confront Cater and get all of this resolved, seeing as the Nymph was quite different from when you first met him as a result of his own actions and realization of the harm those actions have caused.

Trey was not only excited to try out the sweets you were intending to make, but was also excited to make food with you again. The standing mixer did most of the hard work for you and Trey was eager to ask Idia about it. Naturally, the timid Shinigami tried giving short answers at first but quickly became excited to explain the intricacies of the machines he made using your ideas and recollection of their functions.

Even as Ace and Deuce worked on cutting out the ringed pastries, you were interested in making more than just sweets. You had time in-between making icings for the donuts and actually frying the dough to just take a moment for yourself. After breakfast, Divus talked in depth with you about what he and the other staff had agreed upon in terms of making and managing these photo accounts for you.

He told you of the one photo that had circulated most of Twisted Wonderland and the negative impact it had as a whole due to the fact you looked so uncomfortable and unhappy in the photo. Apparently several activist groups had gotten ahold of the photo and decided to use it to fuel the fires of removing you from Night Raven College. Your idea to have your own photos was unorthodox, but it couldn't do more damage than the first had especially considering the fact you already had a target on your back.

To some extent, you wondered about deciding that Cater should be in charge of the account, seeing as Cater had previously been very interested in Magicam and other such social media platforms. According to Trey, Cater hadn't touched the app after you were attacked and had since withdrawn from others, most of whom likely blamed him for your injuries. Looking at the crimes committed against you, Riddle was technically more dangerous to you than Cater had been, but Cater caused a cascading event that left you in constant danger.

"Hey, Trey?"

"Yes, (Y/n)?"

"Why won't Cater talk to me?"

The Kelpie flinched at this and looked away with a sigh before turning to fully face you, seeming somewhat stressed by your question. It was a fair question, but Trey didn't know how to best approach the topic with you. Cater was Trey's close friend and the two had been near inseparable for the years they spent in school together.

"He... Cater blames himself for your injury. Others blame Cater for your injury. Sage Island has become a hot-spot for poachers, species enthusiasts, and- ahem- 'Humanfuckers' due to that photo Cater took."

"... Humanfuckers?"

"Various species that have idolized and sexualized Humans as a whole. It wasn't so prevalent or considered all that harmful when Humans were extinct, but now there is a confirmed Human living here..."

"The Humanfuckers came out in droves."

"Yes. Many have made what they call 'pilgrimage' out here to try and find you. Many have contacted Cater for more... revealing... photos of you. Some even try to threaten Cater to make him do what they want. He's deleted the Magicam app from his phone, but some are desperate enough to dox him for more photos of you."

You felt more than a little repulsed by the idea of these monsters trying to take sexually charged photos of you and hearing the mistreatment Cater recieved made you feel a twinge of guilt. Sure, Cater played a dumb game and won a dumb prize, but that didn't mean he deserved to have every aspect of his life uprooted. It certainly didn't mean you deserved the same, but your life had already been uprooted the moment you fell into this world. Cater wasn't a monster, but he was being treated like one.

"Okay."

Turning on your heel, you abruptly ended the conversation with Trey as you made your way to the Water Nymph that seemed more than a little forlorn. He visibly flinched when you reached out your hand and touched him, seeming to want to be left to his own dark thoughts. You persisted.

"Cater?"

"..."

"Cater, turn to face me."

The Nymph turned to face you, his green eyes refusing to meet your own. His face was very different from what you remembered when you first met him. Where he once seemed to never stop smiling, all that remained of that previously cheerful look was a sullen expression and sunken eyes. Now he faced you, you could see the apparent change that had overcome the Water Nymph.

What could be considered bruises littered his translucent skin and made it more than obvious to you that someone had been beating on him. His once vibrant hair seemed dull in color as he avoided looking you in the eyes and slightly shook as if afraid of what you would say to him. He had thinned compared to how he had been prior, now seeming to be almost a shell of his former self. His eyes were dark and almost looked bruised, a distant look on his face as he refused to meet your gaze.

"Cater, please look at me."

His eyes flicked up once to your face before darting to the side again, unable to hold eye contact with you.

"I'm sorry," Cater's voice was a soft whimper instead of the loud and boystrous tone it once held, his eyes welling up with tears, "I'm so sorry, (Y/n). I didn't know... I didn't think... It's becuase of me that...! I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry-!"

There was a kind of genuine pain in you upon seeing the once outgoing and social Nymph reduced to a poor-excuse caricature of a social outcast. Your hands moved before you really had time to reflect on what Cater was actually saying, pulling the distressed man closer to you. He flinched and almost writhed as if burned by your touch, but you held fast to the struggling man.

It took several moments for him to stop trying to pull away and several more seconds for him to return the gesture. As your arms wrapped around the shaking body of the Nymph, you felt the tears rolling from his eyes against your shoulder. Shuddering sobs were pulled from the raw throat of a wounded man. His skin was an unusual texture compared to your own, almost like a jello or some kind of gel bead beneath your touch.

"I'm sorry..."

"I know. Cater, you need to stop blaming yourself now. What has happened cannot be undone, and what happens in the future is out of your control."

He pulled away at this, shaking his head and trying to wipe away his tears as if he were angry with himself for crying on your shoulder. You could see the rough way he almost scratched at his own skin in an attempt to keep his emotions down and contained.

"But it's all my fault! I thought a few stupid likes from people I don't even know were worth bothering you. Now, because of me, you've been attacked, you're not safe to spend any time alone, all of your injuries are my fault-"

"Cater."

He flinched again, but stopped his rapid-fire speaking, still refusing to lift his gaze. You gently grabbed his hand with your own, lifting it up until his palm rest against your non-dominant arm. The skin was still discolored and marked from the deep wound that had cleaved through it and he visibly shuddered at the feeling of your scar.

"You didn't cause this injury. Riddle did this. Mr. Rule-Enforcer-I-Know-What's-Best-For-You himself. You didn't do this. You didn't hire the Wolves that attacked me, we already sussed that idiot out and I'm told he is now facing trial for his actions and possible execution in the Queendom of Roses. Cater, you made a bad decision and it hurt someone other than you, but driving yourself into the ground and taking on all of the blame is genuinely unfair."

"But the others are right, I'm a wretched-"

"I don't give a singular fuck what the others say. They aren't me. They do not speak for me. I speak for me. And I am saying- no, I am begging you to stop hating yourself for what you didn't realize. If we hate ourselves and punish ourselves forevermore, we do not grow past it. We can never become a better person when bogged down by the mistakes of our past. Mistakes that cannot be changed or undone. You need to decide to get better, to move on knowing you are not the same person who made those mistakes."

"But, I-"

"They were and are a part of you and your past, but you aren't that same Nymph. You aren't who you were yesterday. We grow and learn and come to realize what we did in the past was the mistake of someone who didn't know any better. Now you know better. Healing takes time and effort to be better, I envy those who can move past their mistakes in mere hours, but most can't. I don't hate you. I'm not happy I can no longer be left alone, but I don't hate you. Cater, if you didn't do it, others would have. I assume others already have. I don't doubt that other, less introspective students, have taken photos of me for a bit of extra cash and clout even after the one you took."

"Please..."

"I don't hate you, Cater Diamond. I don't want you to hate yourself so deeply. Forgive yourself for what you didn't know and what you didn't realize before the hate you feel for yourself consumes you. You're not a bad person. A little misguided, and a little lost, but not bad. You have a good heart, sometimes you forget to listen to it."

The second hug was less of a fight than the first, Cater melting into the affectionate gesture quickly. He finally started to take deep breaths and with that deep breath came a relaxation of his tensed limbs. Stress and the heavy burden of his actions rolled from him slowly, but so long as they continued to fall away any progress forward was enough for you.

"Sorry doesn't fix everything. Your actions going forward show if you have changed or not. Now, if you really want to help me, then help me by forgiving yourself. I want you here. Trey wants you here. Even Riddle wants you here. You deserve forgiveness as much as anyone else. So come with me, help me make this meal, and try to forgive yourself the mistakes you made before you knew better."

"Okay... Okay. I can... I can try."

~•§•~

You finished up the fried chicken with Cater as you waited for the dough to finish proofing, letting it rise in the warm peudo-oven also made by Idia. Once the dough proofed enough, you would start frying the donuts but had to wait until then. A polite knock came at that side door and you were happy to see the familiar polite simper of the tall Eel-man Jade. Behind him stood his compatriots Azul and Floyd who happily joined Jade as you invited them in.

"Come in, come in! I hope you three brought empty stomachs, because I have a few new foods for you all to try!"

"Oya, your kindness knows no bounds, (Y/n). Thank you for inviting us over despite my recent failure."

"You didn't fail me, Jade. We didn't know what was waiting for us. Besides, I figured I may as well extend the invite since so many others are already here."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I mean the dorm leaders of Ignihyde, Pomefiore, Heartslabyul, Diasomnia, and Savanaclaw are already here. I asked Silver to invite the Housewarden of Scarabia, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet about them."

"My, that is quite the arrangement. We were happy to accept the invitation."

"Good to hear."

You easily moved among the several students that were all mingling around the large table, Idia hiding by Ortho and Papa Hades. Many cast nervous glances at the large Shinigami but even the ancient man didn't seem too put off by the hesitant behavior of the others. You set out the large plate of fried chicken, grabbing a leg for Grim and feeding the little cat.

Azul could feel the way his mouth watered at the absolutely delectable scent from the chicken in front of him. Truthfully, had had chicken in the past and was somewhat fond of it, but it never smelled this good before. He was curious as to the taste of the food but nearly wept upon his first bite.

Warm breading paired with the crisp skin of the meat as it danced on his tongue an played a symphony with his senses almost made him audibly moan out. Food could actually taste like this? The things he could do with something that tasted this good, even beyond the Octolounge and just for his own stomach, had Azul's mind racing with the best contract he could ever write.

"You're looking kinda love struck or even turned-on, Azul. Like Jade whenever he talks about little Shrimpy! Got something in mind?"

"We need to ensure Octavinelle is next to guard her. Whatever it takes."

"So you are horny-"

[spookygibberish]

I love Jar of Mice! I've never seen creature designs like Thrones before.

You mention Ibis tissue in some of the posts, and I read the old post about it - has the lore changed since then? Does it have anything to do with the bones of God at Godtomb?

I'm very flattered! I don't think of Thrones as particularly creative but I suppose that's because I know all the ingredients for them... Actually let me take this post as an excuse to go into them a bit!

I extremely enjoy taurs and human "hybrid" style creatures like sphinxes a massive amount, but there are a ton of artists who's particular styles and sensibilities have inspired me. Coming to mind off the top of my head are artists on social media like Bwusagi, Suzumori521, Deerchip, Theveryworstthing, iliothermia, and definitely more...

I tend to collect a lot of art of centaurs, sphinxes, harpies, and dragons that catches my fancy, here's some of it:

(An Islamic depiction of Sagittarius, Salome Sphinx by Nicholas Kalmakoff, ????, Nagas by Rabi Behera, Şahmaran)

Edit: forgot the Lamassu, which is a more specific inspiration than any of the things above or below.

Jim Woodring is one of my inspirations for Thrones that people tend to clock, and they're correct. It's probably the colors, patterns, eyes, shapes.....

Oh and.

Her.

And for the second question, yes! The tissue was once on the bones, although the Ibis tissue used in the temples for the creation of dagnyds is much more equivalent to a cell culture than anything at this point. It's desire to grow and take form is the creative force that humans have harnessed to create dagnyds..... for better or worse.

I don't have any art of it i'm happy with, but here's some several year old pixel art of an Oracle Computer, which is filled with the stuff. Honestly though, I don't think "black goo" is very compelling or visually interesting considering what the stuff actually is. It needs work.

Everything always needs work...

[mediumgayitalian]

The infirmary door creaks slightly as Nico pushes it open, wood swollen in the summer heat. He freezes, listening for the sound of angry curfew harpies, but luckily there don’t seem to be any around (they tend to camp around the Hermes cabin, understandably).

The infirmary is much darker than it usually is, letting the three or four people in it overnight rest. Some softer lights are on at the nurse’s station, making the blonde head under them glow. Nico pads forward, steps a practiced silence on the clay tiles. He can’t see if Will has his hearing aids on under his hair; he probably does, because Nico can’t imagine him on duty without them. Either way, he makes sure to approach the medic from in front, tapping the counter when he’s close enough. Will doesn’t startle, only glances up, flashing a smile — he heard.

“Hey, darlin’,” he greets.

Nico rolls his eyes, firmly holding back the smile that tries to force its way on his face. “Hey.”

“Nightmares?”

Surprisingly, no, although maybe that’s just because Nico couldn’t fall asleep at all. After the third hour of trying — which was, frankly, remarkable, he should get an award for staying in his bed the entire time like the Mature Person He Is — he gave up, figuring he might as well put all his annoyance to good use. And Will, for some reason, is endlessly amused by Nico’s complaining, so it’s his personal mission to make the stubborn boy crack. One day, gods help him, Nico will turn that usually sunny grin into a scowl, just so he can make an irritating Apollo-related comment about it.

(He’s hoping for the same eye twitch he gets when he attempts any ‘Underworld-y stuff’).

“Something like that.”

Will hums, but doesn’t press. After a minute he gestures to the spinny chair behind the nurse’s station. Nico takes the hint, ducking through the half-door and sitting on the old leather.

He likes the infirmary at night. Maybe it’s a strange place for him to find so much peace — ghosts often linger here, many of them pained, and it always smells of rubbing alcohol and eucalyptus — but he likes it anyway. It’s less visually sterile than a hospital, more akin to an apothecary, and the whole place always feels warm. Will’s off-tune humming echoes quietly as he works, mixing with the soft snores of the few patients and the repetitive grinding sound of whatever poultice he’s currently preparing. If Nico wasn’t so randomly wired, the sounds would lull him to sleep. They have before.

“Prepping for tomorrow,” Will explains when he catches Nico looking. Some of the softness on his face fades as he tightens his jaw. “I’m sure we’ll need it.”

Nico uncurls slightly from the armchair, peering curiously forward. He’s not sure what’s more intriguing — whatever healing magic Will is prepping, or the uncharacteristic bitterness in Will’s voice.

“…Need what?”

“Everything.”

“Oh, well, thank you, that clears things up nicely.”

Will snorts. His grip on the mortar loosens.

“C’mere, then, I’ll show you.”

When Nico is close enough, he sets down the pestle, revealing very fine, almost bleach-white powder.

“Shells,” he reveals, pointing to several still-whole ones. He smiles slightly. “It’s the kids’ job to gather ingredients, and this is probably their favourite. They’ll play with the naiads for hours to get enough, Gracie’s always tuckered right out after.”

Nico matches his small smile. Gracie, Will’s youngest sibling, is a cute kid, obsessed with mermaids. He imagines collecting seashells from the Greek version of mermaids is practically a dream come true.

“What’re the shells for?”

“They’re pure calcium carbonate, basically. Good for dyspepsia, which won’t help for capture the flag, but also good for caustic burns, which will.”

Nico nods. He has, for some reason, spent enough time around the apothecary to pick up more than a few medical terms – largely because Will talks like he swallowed a pre-med textbook, which isn’t that far off from reality.

“Why use shells, though?” He gestures to the powder Will is still crushing, even though Nico can’t imagine it getting any finer. “Why not just have Chiron order the stuff? It’d probably be easier.”

“Yeah, but it wouldn’t work as well.” Apparently finally satisfied with the crushed shells, Will tips the powder out into a much bigger bowl, then sets it aside. He carefully selects six of the whole shells and begins to crush them – Nico winces, because the first few cracks are much louder than he was expected in such a quiet room. “Whatever Chiron ordered would be crushed by machines, in a factory, probably made from chalk or limestone. It would still function as an antacid, sure, but –” Will pauses for a minute, facing Nico fully. His voice is softer, and he has to lean in to catch it. “Seashells held living beings. For years, they were homes. Maybe for an entire lifetime. And they were gifted, willingly, by spirits of the sea, and then crushed by human hands. At least three exchanges. There’s magic in that, and that makes them more powerful.”

As Will crushes the new shells, Nico steps up beside him, reaching into the larger bowl and digging into the powdered carbonate. The granules are finer than sand, fine as sugar – he buries his hands in them and concentrates, and in seconds he can feel the tiny remnants of spirits in them. Not souls – there is no human death lingering here – but thousands and thousands of fractured pieces of something that was once living. His arms tingle, goosebumps raising all over his flesh.

“Huh.”

Will grins. “Yep.”

Nico watches him out of the corner of his eye as he works. He is totally focused on his work, face slacking again as he sinks into the motions of it: twist, twist, scrape, check grain size; over and over, again and again. His arms must ache. It’s something like three in the morning, he’s been on duty since ten. Nico knows him too well to assume he’s been sitting idly for any of that time.

“Why don’t you ever play capture the flag?” he asks, surprising himself. He’s not usually one to break silences. Will tenses slightly beside him, and the rest of the words come tumbling out of his mouth, although he was unaware he’d been holding them in so tightly. “I mean, you’re always on shift. I know you’re in here a lot, but you like training, usually. Especially stuff where you get to run around. I would’ve guessed that –”

“I know that capture the flag is important,” Will interrupts. His hands have gone still. Nico snaps his mouth shut immediately. “Obviously. Everyone needs to keep their skills sharp.” His presses his lips together. A particularly loud snore from one of the patients makes them both look over, and it’s a long time before he speaks again.

“But I don’t like when we play war against each other,” he says. He turns to Nico and smiles humourlessly. “I know it’s dumb. But it just feels…I dunno. I’ve treated the injuries after the fact for years – too many of them aren’t accidents. Besides, I’m more help here, anyway. Chiron’s a field medic, anything more serious will need the infirmary.”

He abruptly turns back to crushing the shells, clearly ending the conversation. He has also begun humming again – aggressively and upbeat. The tension is gone from his shoulders, but his knuckles are white against the grip of the pestle.

He is not telling the full truth, Nico thinks. Will is a bad liar. All Apollo kids are, but Will especially – he squirms.

But Will is his friend. And Nico can take a hint – or maybe a silent begging to drop it.

“What time does your shift end?” Nico asks. “Six?”

Will slumps in relief, shooting him a genuine smile. “Yeah. Austin’s taking over for the morning while I sleep, then I’m back again at 2, just before the game starts.”

“I’ll stay up with you, then.”

“Absolutely not, doctor’s orders, Nico, you need to sleep –”

Nico places his hands over Will’s shaking ones, fleeting. His stomach erupts in a way he’s learned to ignore. The tremor in the medic’s hands finally stills, grip loosening.

“I’ll stay up with you.”

“Yeah,” Will says finally, starting the pestle up again. “I guess that’s fine.”

———

part two

[dollpuppets]

Medieval monsters hunt au!

I colored the four characters! Here is an au concept of the Characters that are in colored. I hope people will enjoy this au I've made! Here are the characters!

Wally is a limia snake monster in this whole au. I like to gave him a snake eyes! Let's just say he is a trickster or sort of an villain in this au. He has been working and be friends with the unkown beast of the forest " Home."

Eddie is one of the a main character of this au. His mother is once a great hunter of the village. He take on her place and tries to be the great monster hunter. But since he meet Frank Frankly the harpy, he see not all monsters are evil. Eddie be friends with the friendly monsters and fight the against the evil. He still a clumsy hero and scared of small bugs. He also has a dark curse which it was unknown how he has it. He sometimes turns into a beast (werewolf or minotaur?) by rage within.

Frank Frankly is another main characters of the au. Frank was an harpy but unlike other harpies , he is friendly and wants to be friends with the humans. Frank love to read books and learn spells and alchemist. Let's just say he's is not like any other harpies, he is smart and stay on Eddie's side. He also have feelings for Eddie. Frank also good at cooking and find some ingredients in the forest. ( I gave him a long tail. I thought it was cute!)

Julie Joyful is a faun and friends with Frank. She love to play and wonder in the forest. She live with her brother and sisters in the forest who are supposed to take care of the animals in the forest. Julie wants to have fun and be friends with Frank instead. She likes to put flowers on her hair and Frank to decorate it. She also speaks to the trees (except for the tree monster's) and the flowers. She also have a curse unlike Eddie's, she can go mad and insane she'll end up transformed into a more horrifying monster. But mostly she is sweet and lively girl.

I'll finish the others four soon. I'll probably want to redraw the four of the main characters here.

Hope you like this au!

Medieval monsters hunt au by me!

[ranticore]

due to the tannins, is the sea ever described as bitter or acrid by any sirenians? does it affect the taste of edible plantlife? speaking of which, do sirenians even have a palate that works like their human ancestors' or is it completely different? 🌾

yes! very much so, the overall taste of the water in the areas most affected tends to be peaty and bitter. good-tasting drinking water is sourced from underwater springs or inflows which haven't had time to mix with the stagnant lower layer (which is where the plantlife decomposes and releases those acrid tastes). too much time spent swimming in the brown water can dye your fur too

plants themselves have developed a wide range of defences to grazers including bad or 'spicy' tastes, but the main domesticated reed-plant of the eastern continent is very palatable and bland, with a starchy profile. other food plants can be wild-harvested and added to this to make strong tasting food, but with the base reed 'taste' being a simple sugar, there's always a slight sweetness to reed dishes. it's often offset by side-dishes containing savoury and salty foods.

the palate is about the same as their ancestors' but tastes do vary based on geographic region and culture. typically the coastlines are the most varied and eclectic, due to trade and the general biodiversity peaking around the coasts - they have access to a lot of ingredients to make varied food. pelagic people who live in isolated underwater villages lean more carnivorous and can't cook over open fires so their food is more uniformly bitter from being essentially stewed in tea as a cooking method. same goes for inland people who eat mostly animal protein with wild grasses.

all plants in siren have a high silicon content which would render them inedible to unaltered humans (that's glass. ur eating glass). so although their sense of taste is more or less the same, sirenians also have very resilient teeth which don't wear easily or develop cavities, which accounts for the harpies' ability to eat such sugar-dense foods without risking their teeth. and they only have four.

[jesterjaxx]

Halloween AU lore dump!!!

❗️WARNING❗️

so much infodumping world buidling and headcannons

DJ- Robot

Originally built to be a robo cop type deal. But when given free will refused to hurt anyone and got scrapped

Was found and repurposed by "Momma" to be a son

Really fuckin loves animals. Nature in general but mostly animals.

They get spooked by him a lot though

Hes kinda sad about this but gets it.

Momma is a scraper/engineer and outfitted him with everything a "good human boy" would need, like touch receptors and an ability to taste

Nothing to be done about majorly changing how he looks tho

The ability to feel is a bit too much sometimes

Sometimes all he can feel is cold

Goes to Duncan to see if he can do something about helping communicate to animals that he is a friend. Ala magic.

Machinery and Magic don't mix well typically, you gotta be crazy specific, which isn't really Duncan's styel

Duncan likes DJ tho, and proceeds to steal some of Harolds spellbooks

Side plot of them being wayyyy to hard for him to read, in both way too high level and shitty handwritten chickenscratch that fucks with his dyslexia, so he has to ask Harold for help

Maybe they learn to better understand eachother idk

Maybe they kill eachother

Harold and Duncan team up 6 dead 9 injured every single person is fucking baffled

Anyways DJ is like iron giant up in this bitch

His Momma is kinda worried that one day he'll learn enough mechanics to fix himself up and wont need her anymore

Tyler - Harpy

Ok the chicken fear makes sense now

He gets the uncanny valley feeling looking at chickens

I would too

He would fly into a window

Can he fly?

Hes like a turkey

Or a seagull

Wait im an idiot hes a chicken

Duh

Eva - Gargoyle

Her carver loved buff women thank god almighty for that

Punches like a brick wall

Living Stone

lion paws for feet

Did you guys know sound resonates the best through solids??

Her music listening experience is legit i just know it

Noah - The Blob/ slime monster

Oh god that poor guy

Hes gonna get slime all over his books

Harold - Witch

He's the type of witch to have seperate waters for different kinds of spells

A pretty dorky Witch, even by witch standards

Wears proper witch PPE (robes and hat)

Has his sheldon Big Bang Theory style shirts on underneath tho

Uses incantations and written spells in magical languages mainly

Uses the starlight, paper, ink, historical artifacts and an assortment of magical ingredients as fuels

Has a large collection of quality spellbooks for references

Not those shitty amazon spellbooks that are just a list of pre written spells, these ones were written by some old hag 80 years ago and through flowery rambleing language tell you how write spells yourself. They go into spell syntax.

Harolds books for writing incantations and spells are spiral notebooks

If he uses smbols will typically craft a custom sygil for it

Uses alot of number magic and latin

Uses his confidence in his skills with writing spells to harness magic

Is better at doing spells for other people, when doing spells for himself he tends to overcomplicate things

Actually went to magic camps and magic summer schools

"I was trained for this!" and it's Mostly true

Can make the most specific fucking spell work for him

I cannot stress he is good at this type of casting.

Duncan's way of doing magic pisses him off. Both are convinced their way is better

Harold to Duncan ->"What the fuck do you mean you increased your strength with a posca marker, bare knuckles and a dream. How are you not dead yet >:[ "

He has a lot of respect for magic itself, Duncan's almost disrespectful way of using magic makes him mad.

Whats worse is that it works.

How Harold casts a spell

Writes down a goal -> outlines different methods to achieve it (incantations, scrolls, potions) -> writes out the spelleork with alot of detail accounting for almost every outcome -> it takes very long -> outwardly or inwardly recites writes spell to activate it -> profit

Alejandro - Siren

(I give up with organization here no more bullet points)

Mermaids and Sirens are almost identical, with few overt physical differences

Sirens will typically have colored iris', 2 finned gills, longer tounges, boned ears and uniformly sharp teeth

Mermaids have colored scalera, 3 smooth gills, finned ears and sharp canines

This isn't a rule, and in modern times there are few families of sirens or mermaids that havent mixed with other monsters at some point

Both species have shape-shifting abilities.

Mermaids have two forms, and can switch between them at will, though the process takes hours and the mermaid will have to stay in either aquatic or land form for a couple weeks before changing again. though this wait time can be speed up with tailsmen, it's can cause health problems.

Siren can shift their features at will, including shifting from aquatic to non aquatic with no wait time, some families of Siren encourage "good breeding" and fostering shifting abilities to the point of shifting bone structure, hair, colors and gender at will. This level of shifting controll is a very desirable trait, and cannot be learned.

Alejandro is one of these few families who try to stay purely Siren

Hes a 100% Siren, but unlike his brothers he lacks any shape-shifting abilities, a flaw that has brought him great shame (this is just a genetic fluke, it's like a birth defect)

but he has both a very powerful ability to enchant his words and natural charisma. Dangerous combo.

Because of the well known knowledge that Sirens can manipulate people with ease, Alejandro semi pretends that he is a Mermaid, using his long hair to obscure his gills

He more just lets people assume hes a Mermaid and does not correct them rather than actually lying

He lies about many things but outright lying about species is a bit much

Siren Speech doesn't work as good if someone's also using magic at the same time or knows what's up about it

It doesn't work that great on Heather, Duncan or Harold point blank, or Lindsay, Beth Trent and Justin if they're shifting or shifted

Good thing hes manipulative on his own!

Beth - Mermaid

Yeah sure why not

I don't know enough about Beth yet i need a moot whose obsessed with her

Ezekiel - Ghost

Lmao hes invisible

Poor dude probably gets looked over all the time

Hes just clothes and a transparent person

Justin - Werewolf

The twilight girls would go crazy over him i know it

Cody - Puppet

Oh poor dude

Itll look cool tho

Hed make knock on wood jokes all the time

Trent - Werecat

The trustin girls would go crazy over this i know it

But real like hes chillin

Would use claws as a pick

Geoff - Frankenstein

A man of the people

Literally

Looses limbs easily

Wakes up after a party like "wheres my leg lmao"

Heather - Zombie

Oh this is good

Shes vegan

Would insult people like "i can tell you have a brain why the hell don't you use it"

Very concerned over phsyical appearance

Uses so so many products

Pretty alive looking for a zombie cuz of it

It's kinda creepy

Her eyes got no eyeshine tho

Like a shark.

Gwen - Skeleton/Ghost

Ok this was an accidental double Gwen got both Skeleton and ghost

Since Ezekiel is already a ghost i'm Gonna lean into the Skeleton bit more but throw a transparent silhouette over all of her for the ghost bit

Ghost vs Zombie rivalry

She'd do all sorts of cool drawings and markings on her bones

Gwen, drawing a bat on her femur with sharpie: tattoo moment

Her eyeliner is also sharpie

Who the fuck cares about skincare when you don't have skin

Lindsay: you shouldn't put permanent marker on your face! It can hurt you 🥺

Gwen, floating bones:

LeShawna - Chimera

YES I LOVE MONSTER COMBOS

LIKE COMBINATIONS OF MULTIPLE ANIMALS

lets do classic chimera but with one head

Lean into the Lioness bit cuz Leshawna is a boss bitch and Lionesses are so fucking cool

I might give her a scorpion tail

Duncan - Witch

Another double whoops lol

He's a "fuck it we ball" typa witch

lmao he and Harold are beefing like crazy i know it Harold has 12 spellbooks hes memorized with their specific ways of casting and Duncan is writing runes on his knuckles with sharpie

Duncan to Harold ->"Why are you using 2 pages of latin for a fire spell??"

"Because i need only this bit of wood to light on fire a little bit and nothing else and if i dont i could loose control of it or blow it up or it might not even start"

*stares in did finger guns at a branch and cremated it for fun*

Harold to Duncan ->"Why are you writing runes on your nailpolish??"

"i'm tired of being the only scary bitch here without claws"

*stares in once accidentally rubbed spell notes off of his spellbook and onto his face while passed out on his desk and gave himself acid burns for 3 weeks"

They go crazy they go stupid

Hes self taught

The Duncan and Harold bullying arc turned Street smart vs actually Smart but make it witches

Mostly just picking shit up as he goes

"Stole" (it was free) a pamphlet on different types of magical symbols and has managed to make the symbols illustrated in it work for almost every spell he wants

Fueled by raw unrelenting audacity

Real lore tho- magic is created with belief and harnessed with confidence, you can either go the intellectual route and control every variable and have trust in your control of those variables to harness the magic like Harold, or like Duncan, have enough semi-unearned confidence in yourself to harness magic with little need for more than a few variables.

Basically as a general rule, it has as much meaning as you truthfully believe it does

Doesn't explain what hes casting or how hes doing it

"Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"what are you a cop?"

(learned from illustrations, word of mouth, and other witches on the street)

Has a couple stick n poke magical symbols, several other scribbled on symbols that are temporary

Biggest one is a glyph for fire on his hand, he doens most of his spells using it

Has burns around his glyph tattoos from spells backfiring cuz he got distracted

Uses sharpies, spraypaint, eyeliner and the insides of firecrackers for drawing symbols

If he needs a magical material he'll typically substitute whatever he has on him, belief goes a long way.

"Pure Holy Silver?... this earring looks silver enough

This doesn't work for potions cuz potions are only a little left to normal chemistry.

Has alot of talisman he wears

Carries extra ingredients on him ala accessories cuz fuck it it looks cool

Mains his spells with symbols, uses potions or material fuels if he cant make a good connection between what he wants and one of 10 symbols he remembers at any given time

Uses moonlight, bones, rocks, and personal artifacts as fuels

How duncan casts a spell

Draws glyph -> creates a mental connection between what the glyph means and what he wants to do (this is mostly subconscious with Duncan he doenst know what hes doing he just knows he does it well)-> activates glyph physically (ie hitting, tapping, lighting, punching, tracing with finger)

Example: draws fire glyph on Chris's camper -> wants to set it on fire but not the surrounding grass and trees -> smacks the side of the camper that has the glyph on it -> profit

Duncan, to Harold: You make magic math, i make magic my bitch

Bridgette - Alien

Aww she could be so cute

Surfer girl from planet nine

Owen - Plant Monster

This could visually look really cool

Big carnivorous plant

Izzy - Angel

kaleidoscope = biblically accurate form, cuz she "Looks like a kaleidoscope! Duh!"

Lindsay - Selkie

If you steal her coat ill fucking kill you

Sadie - Vampire

Ough thats cute

I'm Gonna make her pigtails batwings

Katie - Zombie

undead girlfriends

Sadie thinks Katie is so pretty it doesn't matter her eye just fell out

Courtney - Demon

Oh this bitch looooves contracts

Is also upset about Duncan but she just doesn't like witches in general

Whats the point of making deals with humans for magical powers of some humans give themselves magical powers

Demon of what?? Pride maybe?? Or envy??

Shes a sweetheart tho

[sereia1313]

Happy Hour

A little birthday idiots-in-love for @theshipthatgotaway.

Summary: After learning Sesshoumaru's secret, Kagura forces him to face his demons--or rather, a certain miko.

Read it on Ao3 and FFnet.

Sneak Peek

"Who is she?"

"Who?"

"The woman in your story."

He shrugged a shoulder. "A figment. It was needed to create a connection. A lifeline," he emphasized.

Kagura shook her head, undeterred. "Nice try, but I know when you're lying. Kimi thinks she does, but you've mastered that particular tell. Especially when she's around." The receipt machine to her left whirred to life, signalling a server would be by soon for a round of drinks, and she started mixing ingredients. "Is it someone I know?" she asked.

Knowing she wouldn't sleep and, therefore, not allow him to sleep until he answered, Sesshoumaru sighed. "There is no reason to speak of this. It is a fruitless endeavour."

"Maybe to you," she said, measuring out shot glasses. "But those of us who step out of our comfort zone now and then require a little more spice to our tea."

He frowned at the euphemism, tucking the receipt under the tallest glass. "I will not have her name dragged through the mud."

Crimson eyes widened in shock. "So she actually exists? Does she know you hold her in such high regard?" She spun around, arms crossed. "Don't tell me it's one of the harpies your mother set you up with."

He snorted. "Certainly not." He paused, hand hovering over a blue liqueur bottle. For a moment, he went back in time, the edges of the bottle softening into a pair of sapphire eyes. They never focused on him, no matter which memory he recalled, and he shook himself, willing the claws of nostalgia to release him.

[writingamongther0ses]

Flufftober, Day 11 & Monstober, Day 4: Ingredients & Spells and Harpies

Prompts by @flufftober and @yandere-sins

How to Gain Harpy Feathers

Harpies are Mediterranean monsters, who are associated with bad weather. Their feathers can be used for weather manipulation as well as curses, but other spells can also require their use. It is a good thing to keep in your potion ingredient set. But, if you don’t have harpy feathers on hand, here’s how to gain them.

Locate harpy: Most magic shops will sell harpy feathers, but these will be slightly old. If you want fresh feathers, most harpies live in mountains or areas that receive heavy storms. If you go with the latter, don’t forget to bring a raincoat and a spell that blocks lighting strikes.

Bait: Harpies have huge appetites for food. They mostly prefer rich, heavy foods like whole roasted chickens, but they are willing to settle for smaller meals. They are also willing to eat small animals, like bunnies and cats. You’ll want a lot of bait, no matter what you choose.

Hide: Once you have set your bait up, hide. You have a limited amount of time to do this- the minute the bait comes out, the harpies are coming.

Wait: Harpies flock in about groups of three to five, but you want to wait for the outsider or the runt of the flock. These will usually be alone and less connected to the flock, so nobody will come running if she screams.

Tackle: Wait until the rest of the flock is gone. Keep yourself low to the ground as you take a running start, then tackle her from behind. You want to be quick about this, since harpies have a great sense of smell.

Run: The minute you have your feathers, run like hell. Harpies are fast and are willing to bite. You don’t want to die after succeeding in your goal!

[sanyu-thewitch05]

Yandere Prince x Witch! Reader pt. 2

TW: Drugging mention, abortion mention, violence, honestly just the ordeal of waking up and finding out you're pregnant.

WANNA GET ME A ☕?

Five Months Ago...

"I need it. I need the reassurance she'll love me when I pick her," Helia said, walking into The Woods.

The Woods have light peaking from the tall trees, vines in the sky, and houses of flying creatures in the tree branches. Like an ecosystem, the fairytale characters and creatures that aren't in a castle harmoniously live in the Woods as a community. Near the lakes and streams are where the mermaids and nymphs live. The forest grounds are where mostly minotaurs, elves, fairies, dragons, and dwarfs live. Meanwhile, the sky has the harpies, phoenixes, and others. But everywhere in the forest has witches, vampires, and other magical beings to find and chat with.

"Excuse me, Mr. Elf, do you know where to find someone who can make a love potion?" Helia asked, tapping on the elf's shoulder.

"Oh wow, another royal in these woods. Luckily, you'll find what you seek right in front of you. My friend Y/N made extra potions of the highest quality with the most potent ingredients for the upcoming ball of Prince Helia," The elf responds, handing Helia a vile of pink liquid.

"Do the people who requested this potion want to use it on the prince?" Helia asks, giving the elf some golden coins. "And what does this friend of yours look like? Is she a witch?

"Haha! No. Let's just say gala and ball babies are trendy," The elf laughs, creeping out Helia. "But if you want to see her, look there."

Helia looks at the sunny Woods' path and sees a witch with a basket of herbs, fruit, and meat.

"She's beautiful," Helia thought, embodying the feeling of being bewitched.

Helia returns to his castle and doesn't look back at the woods, for if he did, he'd never return.

~~~~~~~~~~

It's been six months since the ball, and your relationship with Helia couldn't be better. However, that's because after the first love potion dose wore off on Helia, he's been giving you doses so you can't wake up from your lovely dream. But more importantly, the two of you have been preparing for the arrival of your baby girl, Maya.

"How's my beloved wife doing?" Helia asks, crawling onto the bed and rubbing your big stomach.

"You're gone too long. You missed our little girl kicking when I ate some peppers," You say, kissing your husband.

"Aw, sorry I missed your feeding time, baby," Helia coos, kissing your stomach. "How about this? I'll give you extra cuddles while we sleep."

"No complaints from me as long as I get free access to your cock if I get horny," You say, pulling back the covers and letting your husband in.

"Deal."

Helia climbs into bed and spoons you as sleep creeps up on you for the 45th time today. You wake up at 3 am, your body floating a foot in the air. Questions run through your fatigued body as you process your surroundings. A mirror sparkles in the moonlight, and you see the silhouette of your pregnant belly.

"Wha?" You whisper, subconsciously feeling the other side of the bed as if someone was supposed to be there.

You get up and look at your body. Your stomach is large with child, and your breasts are big and swollen with milk. You stare at your reflection in horror, touching your stomach and confirming your new reality. A whimper escapes your lips, and you sink to the ground. Your fetus kicks your stomach, and your whimpers turn into cries.

"Stop moving!" You cry, your nails digging into your stomach.

Your fetus kicks more and more, making you look for a way out of the bedroom. You see an uneven wall and run towards it, hitting the wall for a secret opening. Eventually, you hit the right spot, and an opening appears, leading to a dark passageway with cobblestone stairs spiraling downward. You put a hand on the wall to help keep your balance and go down the stairs, hoping for an escape. When you reach the end, you take your first step toward freedom as you walk on the crisp new grass of spring.

"Into the Woods I go," You say, walking away from the castle and to your home.

It's a silent walk on the way home as the village surrounding the castle is asleep. With only you, your fetus, and your thoughts, you begin to talk to your daughter.

"You know, I thought about trying to find someone to abort you, but it wouldn't matter anyway. No one on this land, Woods or not, would do it. Ever since the royal family passed the lineage law a century ago, nobody could abort a fetus of royal lineage, illegitimate or not. The last time someone did that led to everyone not human living in The Woods. It's not your fault you're inside me, it's not my fault I'm pregnant with you, it's not our fault we were in that castle," You say, stumbling into the lively Woods.

As you walk the village's dirt roads, the castle erupts with noise. You hear horses leaving their stables and running out.

"No, no," You groan, walking into the Woods faster.

"Find Queen Y/N, and bring her back to the castle or King Helia. Do not harm her!" The royal head knight commands, making you run further into the Woods.

The Woods become dark, and the liveliness you love and know becomes non-existent.

"I must be in the Fairytale district," You say, holding your stomach as you trek through the dark woods full of thorns, shrubbery, and trees that seem to be closing in.

"My love," Helia says, seeing your figure in the woods.

You run, tearing your dress as it gets caught in the thorns.

"Y/N, my love! Wait! You'll hurt yourself!" Helia yells, making his horse speed up.

You jump over a fallen tree and try not to focus on the pain from your feet.

"Leave me alone!" You yell, sliding down a steep hill.

You think you can handle the speed, but suddenly, you're sliding out of control. You scream as you head toward a dark valley full of fog and embrace your stomach, preparing for the worst. A hand grabs your arm at the last minute, and you're dangling an inch above raging rapids. Helia carries you back up, and you both rest on the forest floor.

"Are you crazy? You could've gotten yourself killed!" Helia screams, grabbing your shoulders.

"It would've been better than whatever was going on in that castle!" You scream, holding your stomach. "Do you know what it's like waking up and not knowing what happened to your body? What happened to yourself, and why you can't recognize places that feel familiar?"

"All you had to do was stay as my sweet wife, but it's my fault. I didn't give you another dose of love in time. But I won't make that mistake again," Helia states, pulling out a syringe filled with a love potion.

"No! No, please!" You beg, holding Helia's hands.

"Just stay still, and it'll all be over!" Helia screams, trying to stab your neck.

"NO!"

Magic shoots out of your body, flinging Helia across the forest. The silence from the forest takes over, leaving you with your tears and your baby's kicks.

"I'm sorry, May-Maya-no, May. That's right, May. I'm sorry, May. I shouldn't have hurt your daddy," You ramble, crawling to Helia's body.

You grab the syringe and use your magic to incinerate it. Then, you tap on your husband's cheeks for a sign of life. If his body is found in The Woods, it'll be the end of the magical and supernatural creatures in the kingdom.

"Helia, please. Please wake up," You beg, lightly slapping his cheeks.

"Mm...my love, you didn't leave," Helia groans, weakly holding your hand.

You couldn't leave. Not if you wanted any semblance of a future for your friends and family.

"Hey, how about we read parenting books, and have dinner?" You suggest, hoping he will not wonder where the love potion went.

"Queen Y/N, what happened to King Helia?" The head knight asks, jumping off his horse.

"A bear was about to attack me. Helia defended me and got wounded in the battle," You lie, holding Helia's hand.

"Guards, take King Helia to the infirmary for treatment and get the royal doctor and wizard. I'll take Queen Y/N back to her quarters," The head knight commands, picking you up and putting you on his horse.

And so, the witch and the prince return to their castle. Their unborn child is as calm as ever as the witch opens a book with a stork carrying a baby on the cover. The prince, now king, curls up next to his wife, his hand rubbing her belly. The witch hiding her disgust and she turns the next page.

[dunmeshi-would-you-eat]

Senshi's "Harpy and Cockatrice Eggs Benedict"

[bubuslutty]

hc: witch!reader x 141 (+ Ale, Rudy, König, Horangi) as monsters

A monster's high

word count: 1.5k

tags: they/them pronouns, poc friendly, 3rd person pov, proof read by me so sorry for any mistakes, nsfw, fluff

warnings: a bit of body horror

a/n: i initially meant for this to be fluffy but uhhh I guess I'm a whore 🥰 enjoy either way!!! 💙 pls if u wanna see anything pls let me know, cuz I just want more excuses to talk abt monster cod mw2 guys!!

Soap (werewolf):

Johnny has a habit of scenting his witch when they have to go somewhere without him, and he claims it's to keep them safe from other monsters. but does he really need to rub his face all over their tummy and ass??

Johnny's witch takes care of him during his ruts by brewing him teas for his stomach aches. and provides him with their worn clothes so he can have familiar and comforting scents around him when he's rutting.

Soap also likes to hang out with his witch during nights on a full moon, so he can turn and run in the forest. and sometimes they even play catch with him, by throwing a stick and he runs after it, getting it for her, for pets and praises, tail wagging and all.

Ghost (symbiote):

Simon Riley is pretty cool, kind and pleasant to hang out with, Ghost on the other hand is dark in a weirdly attractive way (monster fucker alert). Ghost doesn't really have a form, they're just a mass of black matter that merges and melts into Simon's pores, but also has a voice of its own.

Reader has gotten used to Ghost jumping in on conversations when they're talking with Simon. And has even gotten used to Ghost threathening (flirting) to eat them (??). While Simon always apologises about Ghost, reader hasn't figured out if Ghost wants to eat them literally or sexually.

Reader has also gotten used to walking around Simon's place and being suddenly pulled into a dark corner by a cold tentacle attached to Simon's symbiote. Then asked in a very ominous voice "Can you get orange juice from the corner store? Simon can't, too tired."

Reader shrugs and nods, "Okay." while being held up in the air by dark matter.

"Thank you." Ghost whispers, their voice raising all the hairs in reader's body.

Price (Dragon hybrid):

he can breathe fire, but doesn't allow himself to so he satiates the urge with cigars. Breathing fire is a hazard and can put others around him in danger, and he can accidentally destroy his belongings by allowing the tickle of a flame leave his throat.

But sometimes he slips up, for example when he's balls deep in reader (don't ask me how we got here). They were curious about what it'd be like fucking a dragon hybrid and how can Price say no to those pretty eyes?

It happens when he's about to orgasm, and he feels fire tickle his throat, and when he can't swallow the urge back, he throws his head back and let's out fire escape his lips, blowing it upward so it doesn't catch on anything.

And then when reader realises what he just did, he gets shy about it. Usually he doesn't spit fire when he fucks someone, but reader doesn't need to know that.

Gaz (Crow harpy hybrid):

first of all, Gaz has the prettiest, softest feathers. They're black but Show different colours when lights hit them in different angles. And reader spends a lot of time just admiring them and caressing them while he plays his favourite video game.

And when they accidentally press on the feathers a bit too hard, he jumps and grabs their wrist, "Don't do that again, please."

"Did I hurt you? I'm sorry." Reader apologises

"You didn't, they're just a bit sensitive… That's all." Gaz mumbles and they nod, resuming caressing his feathers in the gentlest way possible as Gaz resumes his game and tries to ignore the tingle at the base of his spine, making him shudder and heat up.

Horangi (Tiger shifter):

at first he scared reader because when they first met him, he was in his tiger form napping in the living room when reader walked in, completely clueless with a bunch of ingredients for a potion in their arms, "I got the-"

They used all of their strenght not to drop everything in their arms because the ingredients are expensive while they stood, facing a sleeping tiger, taking up the whole couch.

The tiger quickly noticed their presence and woke up, lazily blinking and letting out a big yawn, revealing a sharp set of teeth and reader readied themselves to cast a spell if the tiger was to ever attack or try anything.

The tiger kept staring at reader until they got bored and stood up on the couch, and shifted just like that, fur flipped into pink soft skin and bones reshaping themselves in real time.

And so reader was face to face with a naked man in the middle of Soap's living room.

König (eldritch):

König wears a huge diy'ed mask on his head, covering red and black smooth salty skin and tentacles. Sometimes he lets them hang outside the mask, poking and prodding this and that when he's comfortable, but most of the time they're hidden, out of sight.

Reader has yet to figure out where all of his tentacles come from, they know they come from his head, from the area that would be considered his chin and jaw if he had one, like a beard that has a mind of its own.

They've seen peeks of König shirtless a couple of times, but couldn't see any extra limbs or tentacles coming out of his skin, so how earth does he manages to wrap them in huge long tentacles? Where do they come from??

They've asked König of course, but all he did was smile, his eyes shaping half moons, patt their head and walked off without a word.

Alejandro (werewolf):

The only other werewolf in the bunch apart from Johnny. This man has also an obsession with scenting reader after Johnny scented them just to get a rise out of him.

He's territorial of course, very protective and loves to bite and nip at reader when they let him. Be it their hips, waist, tummy or ass, he'll happily sink his teeth in any part of their body as long as they let him.

He's also allergic to wearing clothes when the sun shines, if Alejandro senses that summer is very near, he'll strip to his boxers and hang around in all of his tan and hairy glory.

And reader is only human, when they see him like that, their heart skips a beat and they quickly leave the room Alejandro or otherwise he'll somehow smell them getting aroused.

And Alejandro doesn't even need to smell their arousal to know they're affected, because he can hear their thumping heart when he focuses his hearing.

They also try to avoid him when they've had their back blown by a local resident monster (only Soap's pack tho, no one else or they'll (141 & Co.) have a mental breakdown lmao) because he can smell the cum plugged inside them. and even when they've showered, washed away all traces of sex, he still can smell it underneath all the soap, lotion and body mist. And when he does smell it, he corners them and bullies them into telling him how it went down while they whine and beg him to let them go (they actually love it dw guys, ale would let them go as soon as they express real discomfort)

Rudy (human):

The second human in the pack after reader. While reader is a witch and in tune with the spiritual and supernatural world, Rudy can't feel shit. like nothing at all. everyone might be on edge because they can smell someone's heat and he'd be sitting there absolutely oblivious, at least reader is knowledgeable enough to know the signs of a heat or rut without smelling it.

Reader might be reluctant to go somewhere because they feel like the vibes are off, or the place is cursed and haunted, and Rudy would shrug and go in to retrieve whatever must be retrieved.

Rudy could be checking himself out in a mirror while a spirit would be looking right back at him and reader is just standing there, uncomfortable while he hums and fixes his hair and the spirit is highly confused because how the fuck isn't he being seen by the dumb very handsome human?

He's the type of guy who'd brush off any attempt at scaring him or cursing him without a second thought, a witch would try to curse him by planting a little pouch under his door matt and Rudy would absolutely have no idea and would never step on the matt at his doorstep because his legs are long and he never needed to step on it in the first place, he even has another one inside his house as well, it's just there to look nice really, so the curse never took effect in the first place until reader shows up and hisses in disgust, immediately finding the pouch for Rudy and throwing it away.

Even when a demon is actively trying to cause him nightmares, Rudy doesn't even notice because every night our boy passes out on werewolf knot, brain melted out of his ears, he barely has the energy to open one eye so it's impossible for his brain to conjure up dreams or be active enough so the demon can plant nightmares into his head.

I imagine Rudy getting his organs rearranged in the nastiest way possible while the invisible demon is just standing there like 🧍‍♀️😐 waiting for Rudy and the werewolf, who is probably Ale to be done so he can give him nightmares.

He's our unbothered King and I love him very much.

tag list (pls ask to be added or removed): @canadianmilkbag @angryandreadytokill @obiwankenobis-lap @goapgrim @smalldemonlover @silviafantin15 @reveluving @bobastayhigh @originalsimp @h-leigh @gxldyjess @msdrpreist @chaoticevilbakugo @Lacunaanonymoused @whore4dilfs @canadianmilkbag @ahoeformando @ray-rook

[artstar1997]

Finally, I’m back to the drawing board after a hustle of struggles I’m trying to get through. Here’s Trollex and the subtribe trolls for my Monster AU.

Trollex is a leader of the water monster community who is in league with Rose and the Nevermore Clan in causing terror to the Gileadeans. He uses his shark-like senses and superhuman condition to look out for monster hunters and for prey to feast on. He and his fellow sea monsters live in an abandoned mansion with a saltwater swamp-like setting to party and if they’re up for fun, they’d invite the other monsters for a swim party.

Chaz is a siren, which looks similar to Trollzart’s harpy species but he is actually lighter, has superhuman condition, the iconic siren song, which he channels in both his singing and saxophone playing, and he has seabird features, like the wings, feathers, and feet of an osprey and the bones of a gannet mixed with humanoid features, which makes him lethal and adaptable to swimming. Confident and chilled, Chaz passionately loves his music. He has a low opinion for certain monsters, including the Snack Pack, expressing his distaste for their music, calling it cheesy and pointless. He frequently makes Jazz-based puns and wasn't shy about admitting he was "evil" to anyone but he showed a lot of self-pride in himself, much to the ire of his ex-girlfriend, who turned out to be Rose.

As punishers of evil humans, Hickory and Dickory are some of the resident Krampuses of the monster community. Hickory, himself is a laid-back and relaxed Krampus who deployed simple logic and observations on who should he punish while Dickory is straightforward and aggresive. The two would attack Gileadeans as an everyday activity, but every year, the two adoptive brothers and their family, along with their entire community and the Perchten community would terrorize naughty or evil humans, who are usually the targets of the Grand High Krampus, the leader of their species, who is still living in Germany with his pack. Even though Hickory loves haunting humans, he has a soft side for his friends, like Poppy, Branch, and Rose, especially his nixie girlfriend, Dewdrop. Both brothers have superhuman condition and the ability to teleport with their shadow manipulation, an ability they share with boogeymonsters that helps in punishing evil humans.

The Reggaeton Trio, Tresillo, his sister Marimba, and their cousin Tambora, are jungle monsters, humanoid species which Jane Boolittle is a part of, but they hailed from the Puerto Rican jungles. Don’t let their colorful appearances fool you because behind their beauty, they have rows of sharp teeth to rip their prey into pieces. They later moved to the mainland, where they reunited with Rose, whom they are pen pals with back in the jungle, and using their superhuman agility, flexibility, animalistic senses, and vampiric abilities, the three would relentlessly hunt humans who are loyal to the Divine Republic, but their favorite food is goats, which earned their alias, the Chupacabra.

The K-Pop Gang and the K-Pop Trio are two covens of Korean witches who descended from witches and human outcasts from their home country. Like Cybil, they were trained in using magic with the help of the coven elders and matriarchs, but they also have distinctive magical gifts like the vampires. The K-Pop Gang are quintuple coven, composed of the coven leader, Wani, the eldest was gifted with zoolingualist, the second child, Gomdori has lumokinesis, Ari, the middle child can manipulate plants and flora, which is useful when the witches need ingredients for potions and elixirs, Baby Bun is the resident dream granter, and the youngest, Kim-Petit has the ability to transform appearances, personalities, or anything her own or anyone’s liking. As for the K-Pop Trio, they are a coven of best friends, with Bi-Na having the ability to sense emotions and try to fix their pain, Young has electrokinesis, and Min is a clairvoyant. All in all, they are experienced spellcasters and mages.

There’s more to come so stay tuned!

[harpygee]

Ash is adding a secret ingredient to King Alvarius's Special Frog Soup Recipe! Revealed in today's Harpy Gee! Get it while it's HOT! https://www.harpygee.com/comic/king-alvarius-hops-up-pt-10

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[mellohiizz]

ngl i've been thinking abt eggwatobu in the fantasy au for a while now

and they're so funny and stupid lmao

because it started with wato finding a large ass harpy in his living room and a guy the harpy brought with him, he tries to get them both to leave but they just keep coming back for some reason

(i like to think that the reason that they're staying there is because something happened in the zam empire and now the both of them need someplace to hide, i'm not entirely sure what yet though)

what finally convinces wato to let them stay with her is when she finds out that wemmbu was able to get the more difficult ingredients that she needs to sell

i like to think that slowly, little by little they get more enamored by eggbu by the day, like they find things about them that they come to find very charming

like egg's stupid jokes that make him giggle or wemmbu's chirping cackle that she can't help but be entranced by

even the things she should find annoying, she feels a warmth in her cheeks instead

like when wemmbu would try to annoy him by dangling the ingredients he got for him in front of his face, with his taunting smirk or when egg would accidentally burn a part of the kitchen and would try to ask for forgiveness by fluttering his eyes (or eye?) at wato, even when he has an unapologetic look on his face

i think it would be really funny if it ended up with all of them somehow cuddling on wato's bed and wato having to think 'are-are we in a relationship???????' with both egg and wemmbu just snoring both at the left and right side of her

fuck, they're gonna be rotating around in my head for a while i think

YES, YES, YOU GET IT!! i've honestly been thinking about just fantasy watobu, but i think all three of them getting together would make so much more sense, and it would be such an interesting and fun dynamic.

i feel like their relationship would start blossoming very slowly. slowly enough for wato to not even notice that he's falling for them.

i can only imagine wato would first notice that he's looking forward to the late night talks that she sometimes has with egg, when wemmbu is either passed out already or haven't even came back yet from getting the ingredients wato asked for, or something like that.

then he'd realize that he feel almost jealous when he watched eggbu interact. because i like to think they do have moments when they're very touchy with each other. like he'd catch wemmbu leaning on egg's back while the other cooks for them and watches as wemmbu giggles when egg tries to wave him off because he's distracting them. and he realizes that he wants a part in that too.

and then, very slowly, they lose track of who they're more envious of, and the moment she's trapped cuddling with both of them in her bed is when she's like "oh. oh, i understand now."

i can imagine him asking them about it at some point, and eggbu just look at him like, "oh we thought we were already dating" and wato is just confused because they never talked about this before but apparently they kind of are at this point??

[waywardxrhea]

Part of Your World - George Weasley

Chapter 21

pairing: George Weasley x fem!Muggle!reader

installment list / previous chapter / next chapter

word count: 2,788

content: good ol' family fun, fluff, some angst when remembering Fred

One summer morning a couple of years later, you and George had the day off, so after dropping Louise off at the Burrow, the two of you plus Fred took a trip to Diagon Alley. For what, you didn’t tell your little boy, but you couldn’t contain your excitement as George tapped the proper brick to admit the three of you into the alley after a quick breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron. You had to keep your emotions in check though for the sake of keeping the true reason for this shopping trip a surprise. 

In order to make Fred think this was a normal shopping trip, the three of you went to various shops, gathering odds and ends for around the house as well as for the shop. The three of you picked up owl treats, potions ingredients, writing quills, parchment, a couple of books you had your eyes on over the last few months, and the new set of work clothes George had gotten tailored last week. Once everything was packed away in your very own bottomless bag that you were still ecstatic George had charmed so you could feel like Mary Poppins, George ruffled Fred’s hair as he said, “Okay kiddo, just one more stop.”

“And then we’re going back to Gran and Gramps’?” Fred asked as he bounced up and down with pent up energy from behaving in all of the previous stores. “Uncle Ron and Harry said everyone is going to be over and I wanted to take a turn on James’ broom!”

You glanced over Fred’s head at George who nodded to you, and a wide smile broke out onto your face in response. So, as George waved his wand and positioned the boy on his shoulders, you asked, “How about we go get you your own broom so you don’t have to share with James anymore?”

“Really?!” Fred shouted excitedly, his eyes wide as he realised that the three of you were walking right toward Broomstix. 

“Really!” George told him with a chuckle as he ducked down to enter the shop where the three of you were greeted warmly by the staff running the shop. “All right, Kit? We’re here to get this one his first broom!” George said to the sales associate as he lowered Fred back to the ground. 

“Another day living the dream! The kids have been having a grand time with the latest products from the shop, by the way!” Kit said to George as he shook his hand. “First broom eh?” the man asked as he rounded the counter and turned his attention to Fred. 

“Yeah! I know how to fly, but I haven’t had my own broom yet!” Fred told the man. He leaned in close and checked over his shoulder before saying to the man in a stage whisper, “Dad’s broom is a bit old…”

“I heard that!” George teased from his place by the window looking at a vintage Silver Arrow, pulling an extendable ear back toward his pocket. “Won’t be getting a Silver Arrow then if you’re worried about the broom being old,” he said as he approached once more. 

“Silver Arrows are the fastest of the vintage brooms, though!” Fred protested. 

“Well, what are you wanting your broom for, lad? Racing or Quidditch?” Kit asked, taking out his wand and flicking it so that a measuring tape began floating in the air to take Fred’s measurements as the man gestured how he wanted the boy to stand. 

Fred pondered for a moment before replying, “Quidditch! I wanna be able to play with my cousins!” He held out his arm for the tape to measure as he asked excitedly, “Did you know that my Aunt Ginny was the captain of the Holyhead Harpies?”

“I did know that!” Kit told him. “Do you wanna be a professional Quidditch player like her?”

Fred nodded enthusiastically in response, and it made you smile from ear to ear to see the joy he was exuding as his eyes darted around the store at the variety of broomsticks hanging on the displays. “How about you tell him what the Quidditch World Cup was like when Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry took you?” you asked him which prompted him to fly into telling the shop keep his many stories about when he went to the Quidditch Cup with the Potters just the other weekend. 

While Fred animatedly told his stories and Kit walked him around to try out brooms, George came up beside you and wrapped an arm around your waist, his hand landing on your hip. “What’s on your mind?” you asked as you leaned into his embrace. 

“Just remembering when I got my first broom,” he replied, a small smile on his lips in response to the memory. “Mum and Dad had saved up for months to get Fred and I our own brooms so we could try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. They were second-hand and about a million years old, but we figured out how to take care of them and get them into top shape before tryouts.” 

“And from stories I’ve heard, you two were quite the team out there,” you told him quietly, your heart heavy for George having to relive the memories of his twin brother. 

“That we were,” George said with a sadness in his tone that he tended to get when talking about Fred, even after all these years. “The brooms I have out in the shed are actually those same ones. We played on them the whole time we were at Hogwarts, and we flew on them to leave when we set off those fireworks before our grand departure from the place. I just don’t have it in me to get rid of them.”

“You don’t have to, love,” you told him, wrapping your arm around his midsection to give him a hug in turn. 

Before you could offer any more words of comfort to George though, Fred was shouting for the both of you to come over and look at the broom Kit had in his hand, ready for Fred to try out. “You think this is the one, Freddie?” George asked as he approached and examined the broom in Kit’s hands. “A Firebolt Supreme huh?”

Fred nodded excitedly, telling him, “It’s the broom that the Bulgarians used in the Quidditch World Cup! Aunt Ginny told me that they’re the best brooms for playing Quidditch because they’re fast and can make turns super easy! She thinks I’ll be a Chaser like she was!”

“You think you’ll be able to keep this in top shape so you can still use it when you get to play Quidditch at Hogwarts?” George asked as he kneeled down beside Fred and examined the broom with him. 

“As long as you teach me how!” Fred said, appealing to his dad’s love of teaching his son any and everything he could about Quidditch. 

“Then let’s see how it flies,” George told him with a boyish grin on his face. 

Kit asked you to step aside toward the outskirts of the shop before he waved his wand and suddenly the size of the room expanded to where there was enough space for Fred to do a few test laps around the store on the broom! While he did, you couldn’t help the smile that made its way onto your face, seeing the joy not only on Fred’s face, but on George’s as he got to be a part of such a big part of his son’s life. The two of you were privileged to be able to provide for your family in the way that you did, and it was moments like these that made you happy that you were able to set money aside into savings for purchases that would make memories for years to come. 

After finalising the purchase with Kit and getting the broom wrapped up, the three of you used the Floo Network in the Leaky Cauldron to get back to the Burrow where most of the rest of the family was getting ready for lunch in the garden. “James! James! Guess what I got!” Fred shouted in excitement as he tumbled out of the fireplace in a rush to greet his cousin. 

“He’s in the garden helping Aunt Ginny set the table, dear!” Molly called to him which prompted him to dash out the door and to the garden with his broom in tow. George followed quickly after to ensure that the chaos was controlled, at least a little, so the broom wouldn’t get broken in the boys’ excitement. “I take it he likes the broom?” Molly asked with a quiet laugh as you entered the kitchen area to help with whatever was left of meal prep. 

“He’s ecstatic,” you told her, a wide smile taking over your face. “George is too. I think he’s excited to teach him how to take care of his broom. I mean, his and Fred’s are still in working condition in the shed back home.”

Molly’s actions froze for a moment, and a sad smile made its way onto her face as she said, “Those old Cleansweeps were their pride and joy. Before the shop that is. I’m surprised they still work, they have to be at least fifty years past the manufacturer date by now!”

“Well, when you take care of the things you love they tend to last,” Arthur said as he approached Molly from behind and wrapped her in a hug before kissing her cheek. 

“You two are too cute,” you told them before taking a dish out to the garden where the table was being set up for the meal. 

It was difficult to keep Fred and James in their seats for the duration of the meal because of their excitement at Harry and George’s promise of a small Quidditch match afterwards. The two boys scarfed down their food quicker than you could even finish half, but since they were done, they were permitted to at least fly around on their brooms to warm up before the match. 

Once the rest of the family present was done eating their meal, brooms and Quidditch supplies were retrieved and small goalposts were summoned so it would be as real as possible for the kids. Because of the number of people who were willing and able to participate, the teams were small, with one player in each position. On one team was James as Beater, Ginny as Chaser, Harry as Seeker, and Ron as Keeper. The opposing lineup was George as Beater, Fred as Chaser, Charlie as Seeker, and…

“What d’you think about playing Keeper for us?” George asked as he motioned you forward toward the team huddle. 

“Me?” you asked incredulously. 

“Yeah! We’ll make Ron stay off the broom and lower the goalposts so they can be blocked standing or jumping,” George told you. “‘Think it’d be a right bit of fun!”

You eyed Ginny, the former professional Quidditch player, for a moment, before laughing and throwing your hands up in defeat. “Why not?” you asked, earning a ruckus of cheers from both teams and non-player family members alike. 

Quidditch gameplay was something you were familiar enough with from seeing all of the backyard games and listening to George discuss it in depth with the kids time and time again. Actually playing it though was a whole other level of intense! It took Ginny scoring about five goals on you in a row before you finally started to get the hang of things. Luckily, Fred and his new broomstick were fast and nimble enough to almost keep up with Ginny’s prowess on the makeshift pitch. 

After about twenty minutes, a timeout was called and everyone took a break for some water. George kissed your lips quickly before telling you, “You’re not doing half bad out there!”

“Not half bad, huh? Guess I should step up my game,” you teased, poking your tongue out at him. 

There was a tug on your hand before a few orange slices were being put into it as Louise told you, “You’re doing so good, Mummy!”

“Awe, thank you, love! And thank you for the snack!” you told her, picking her up and resting her on your hip with a grunt of effort. “I have the best cheering squad out there because you’re in it!”

“How am I doing?” Fred asked as he came over and you gave him one of your pieces of fruit. 

“Good!” she cheered. When Fred cheered and ran off once more, she dramatically whispered, “Auntie Ginny is doing better.”

“Well, as long as Fred keeps scoring and I find the Snitch, we’ll be celebrating a victory!” Charlie said, clapping you gently on the shoulder and ruffling the little girl’s hair before the teams resumed their places for the game. 

Things were back in swing minutes later, and at one point, it looked like Ginny was going to go for the hoop to your right, but at the last second you watched as her centre of gravity shifted and you jumped straight into the air to catch the Quaffle and rebound it to Fred, who whooped as he scored a goal! 

The game surged on for the better part of an hour, with Ginny continuing to slip more goals past you than you managed to save, but Fred and George worked seamlessly as a team on their brooms to make up for your lacklustre Keeper performance. Your fond thoughts of your husband and son were interrupted , though, when you were almost knocked off your feet as both Harry and Charlie zoomed right past you in close pursuit of the Snitch! The chase was short-lived, and ended up with Charlie’s hand raised in victory! When the cheering was finished, everyone looked over to Arthur, who was the official score-keeper for the game. He cleared his throat and announced loudly, “And the winner of the match… With a score of 230 to 200… Captain Charlie Weasley, your team has won!” 

While Fred, George, and Charlie celebrated the team’s narrow victory, Ginny came up to you and smiled before asking, “How did you know how to block me out there? One of my strategies on the Harpies was to confuse professional players on which post I was going for!”

“Oh, it’s something George told me about how you play! He says there’s a subtle shift in your centre of gravity before you switch to your true target,” you told her, a small smirk tugging at your lips. “Not that it helped all too much, we only won because Charlie caught the snitch before Harry!”

“Well blimey, I’m glad he never sold me out to the Quidditch tabloids!” she said with a laugh. 

A few more hours of family time passed before the four of you were heading back to your house via the Floo Network. After making sure Louise got ready for bed and tucked in, both you and George headed into Fred’s room to tell him goodnight. When you did, the both of you were engulfed in a hug and were flooded with a series of thank you-s from the boy. “I had so much fun with my broom today! I can’t wait to learn how to take care of it!”

“You’re welcome, sweet boy,” you told him, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead which made him cringe but he accepted your embrace anyway. 

“I can’t wait to teach you,” George told him. “Now get some rest, you had an exciting day, kiddo.”

“Can I at least read my broom manual until I’m tired?” he asked, pleading eyes boring into your soul. 

You put your hands up in surrender and handed this one over to George. Quidditch stuff was out of your domain, you had both agreed on that. George took the question in stride and chuckled before telling him, “I’ll give you half an hour and then I’ll come back, okay?”

“Deal!” Fred cheered before grabbing the book off of his nightstand and tucking himself in as you and George walked out after you wished him sweet dreams. 

“I’m glad he’s happy,” you told George as you changed into your pyjamas once the two of you got into your bedroom. 

“Me too, and I can’t wait to teach him everything Fred and I knew,” George said, pulling you into a quick kiss before the both of you got under the covers for the evening. Your mind was filled with dreams of Quidditch and of you flying, and it was one of those times you too wished you were magical. 

what a fun little chapteeerrr! i hope you all enjoyed this magical family time chapter! in the next one, it'll be fun Muggle family time and it was SO fun to write (as was this one)!

likes and comments are always appreciated! xo, brooke <3

taglist: @willowlovestheweasleys @v1ckycheesue @superduckmilkshake @5starl1ght @oneandonlybbygrl