#it was going to be about a shapeshifter trying to impress someone they like!!

[larluce]

Rules: you will be given a word. Then you share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that starts with each letter of your word!

I was given the word TIME by @tansyuduri . Thank you SO much for the tag! ❤️

The first one is a fragment of the next chapter of my fic From the Grave to the Craddle

The second one, a fragment of the next chapter of my fic Protecting the Dragonlord's Son

The third one, a very future scene that will happen on my Merlin as Arthur's familiar/Arthur's shapeshifter falcon AU

And the fourth one, a scene from Arthur and Merlin travel back in time without knowing the other is from the future too AU that will appear once is fic (Yes I'm working on that too) , which I'm co-writing with @evadne01 and @rubinaitoart by the way!

- T -

The wooden dummy falls to the ground, the sound of the impact muffled by the grass. Arthur gasps, sweat running down his forehead and nose. He's exhausted, he had to defeat ten 'bandits' today, but the adrenaline is still strong in his veins, so he doesn't abandon his defensive stance. He's sure this is the last one, but there was always the possibility that he had miscounted or that his master had added more hidden dummies to take him by surprise.

“Boo!” a voice shouts behind him and Arthur turns quickly, almost dropping the handle of his sword, startled. Those electrifying blue eyes he knows so well look at him mischievously accompanied by a big smile worthy of someone very pleased with himself.

“By the gods, Merlin!” exclaims Arthur. “One of these days I'm going to stab you by accident if you keep doing that.”

“With a wooden sword?” Merlin looks at him with a raised eyebrow. Arthur looks at his sword.

“It's more dangerous than it looks,” the blond defends his trusty weapon, stubborn and proud as only a fourteen-year-old can be.

Besides, I'll soon have a real one, Arthur thinks with excitement, Emrys promised me.

“Your reflexes have improved, Arthur, good job,” as if he had summoned him with his thoughts, his mentor emerges from the shadows. He has a slight smile on his face, just a hint of a smile, and yet it is the widest smile he has seen in years. “Merlin, what did I tell you about butting in on your partner's training?” the old man scolds his other pupil.

“Oh, but he was done!” Merlin retorts, but when he sees that his master does not take his disapproving look away, he sighs. “I'm sorry, I won't do it again.” Emrys just shakes his head.

“Help Arthur out of his armor and we’ll start your training,” the old man turns around and, with a movement of his hand, makes the wooden and straw dolls scattered on the floor stand up, as if they had a life of their own, and follow him in a row behind him, marching.

“You see that?!” exclaims the twelve-year-old warlock, between impressed and irritated, pointing in the direction his mentor went with the fake bandits. “He didn’t even use a spell or anything. He just…” he imitates the movement with his hand in an exaggerated manner. “That!”

“You can also move things without casting any spells, Merlin,” says Arthur as if it were no big deal, while trying to undo the straps of the armguard. “Ow!” he complains when his friend removes the shoulder pad with his arm in the wrong position.

“Don't move,” Merlin warns. “Moving objects is one thing, Arthur, animating them is another. Even with spells it’s hard to achieve-Stop moving!”

- I -

“I’m fine now. Really.”

Arthur stares at his servant’s face for a few seconds to make sure he’s not lying. Merlin knows this, so he holds his gaze, even though he feels self-conscious at the intensity in the prince’s eyes. He understands that after so many lies Arthur doesn’t believe him right away and that they have to rebuild the trust between them.

Merlin understands that, but… Is it necessary that Arthur looks at him straight in the eyes like that?

“Very well,” the prince finally agrees. “Since we have that settled. We need to talk about the dragon.”

“Oh…” Merlin gets nervous again. “Can’t we start with something else?”

The young warlock doesn’t feel comfortable talking about the dragon right now. Not when the worst mistakes he’s made are related to it.

“No, Merlin,” Arthur says in a tone that almost sounds apologetic. “We have to start with this. My father is going to question you about the dragon.”

“What?!” Merlin screams in panic. What does he mean Uther is going to interrogate him again? He barely survived the first interrogation!

Noticing his distress, Arthur quickly grabs his arm with one hand. Merlin is puzzled for a moment. Does he think he's going to run away?

“It's just a routine investigation,” the prince reassures him, and the hand on his arm begins to gently caress him with his thumb. “You were the last to interact with the dragon and the dragonlord, so he wants to know if you have any information that could help stop them.”

Merlin looks away and blushes helplessly. It's absurd, it's not like it was the first time Arthur grabbed his arm or held him this close, but it was always rough and in a camaraderie-like manner. This… this feels more intimate somehow. It's…

As his anxious hands begin to play with the sheet he remembers that he's sitting on Arthur's bed. Right, Arthur has sat him on his bed! Since when does he do that?

“Merlin?” the prince snaps his fingers, bringing his servant out of his thoughts.

- M -

Much to his dismay, Carleon realises how doomed his nephew actually is.

It was no secret that the King of Camelot was a falcon lover, especially merlins. They were the national bird par excellence and their hunting was forbidden throughout Camelot kingdom. He's been informed its King has 6 pet merlins, 1 that turned out to be a magical creature and 5 common merlins that he has entrusted to his most trusted knights and they are better trained than any domesticated bird ever seen in all Albion. Everyone knows that Arthur Pendragon loves those merlins with his life.

And his nephew, his nephew had...

Arthur: (barely contained rage) He shot him with an arrow that went through his wing and chest. (His voice breaks a bit) He was just two years old.

Carleon: I'm sure my nephew didn't mean to... I mean, I don't think he knew it was one of your merlins. He's still not aware of all the new customs of your kingdom. Where we come from, bird hunting is very common-

Arthur: In other words, he didn't even want to kill my merlin in an act of defense or attack, but just for the fun of it.

Carleon: You have to understand. He's young, immature.

Arthur: We're the same age. Are you implying that I'm not mature enough to be king?

Carleon: ...

Arthur: Of course you are. That's why you keep sending raiders to my borders. That's why you haven't wanted to sign a peace treaty or negotiate with me in my nearly two years of reign. You think me incompetent, an easy target, and what word did you use? Immature.

Carleon: Well, you risking your kingdom to go to war with another just because your bird pet was shot doesn't exactly help my image of you.

Arthur: (pauses dangerously, and says in a low voice) "just because your bird pet was shot." (Repeats, raising his voice, furious) Just because your bird pet was shot!

Carleon: We have several falcons in Gwynedd too, I'm sure we can come to an agreement-

Arthur: Blizzard.

Carleon: ... Pardon?

Arthur: My merlin, the one your nephew injured, is called Blizzard. I took care of him since he was an egg, I saw him hatch, I fed him myself, I saw him grow, molt his feathers, he was the first of my merlins to learn to fly. My merlins were one of the few joys and comforts I had after my father passed away and my home was almost burned to the ground, King Carleon. My merlins are not my pets, they are my children and you are offering to replace him?

Carleon: (shocked) No... I mean...

Arthur: Well, I'll give you the same solution. You replace your nephew.

Carleon: (furious and offended) You little brat-

Arthur: Be careful with your words, I think you forget that I still have your prince's life in my hands.

Carleon: (sighs to calm down) If you kill him there will be war. Be reasonable.

Arthur: I tried to be reasonable with you several times in the past and you rejected each opportunity. Don't call me unreasonable now. Your prince committed a crime in my kingdom. If it had been anyone else, the sentence would have been the same. I'm just enforcing the law, it's not my fault that the prince wasn't aware of the laws of the lands he was trying to steal from me. Besides, weren't you looking for the perfect excuse to go to war with me? Well, here it is. Aren't you happy?

Carleon: (threatening) If you execute him, I'll have no mercy when these lands are mine.

Arthur: I admire your optimism, as if Camelot's army wasn't as strong and large as yours. But guess what? Even if you left a river of blood in your wake, nothing, absolutely nothing, will bring you back your beloved nephew.

Carleon: ....

Arthur: (laughs humorlessly, his eyes glazed over) It hurts, doesn't it? You won't see your nephew again and I won't see my Blizzard again. Nothing will bring him back to me.

Carleon: (sighs) Alright, I underestimated you and I was greedy and for that I ask for your forgiveness. I'm willing to negotiate now.

Arthur: I don't want to negotiate. I want justice.

- E -

Everyone eyes are on the sapling now. Horrible realization in their eyes. Gwen gasps and covers her mouth, her eyes watering. Leon pales so much it's almost funny. Percival, who seems dead inside, hardly responsive, opens his eyes wide as the only reaction to the news. Gaius… Gaius already suspected, of course, but it doesn't make him look less devasted.

Gwen: Why? Why would they…?

Arthur: They wanted to punish him. Something about him doing more wrongs than rights with his power, I don't know. (Thinks) And honestly I don't care. Who are they to decide? What right do they have?

Gaius: Rather Merlin wronged them. They’ve meddled in Camelot’s affairs twice before. Lady Sofia and Lord Aulfric. Princess Elena. Merlin stopped them every time.

Arthur: (Thinking) Nobody thought to tell me any of this until now? (Bitterly) So it was personal?

Gaius: I… wouldn't be able to tell.

Arthur: (about to lash out) You knew that and you thought going for them for help was the best idea?!

Gaius: I…

Gwen: (scolds) Arthur! (rests her hand against his arm, and both Leon and Percival bow their heads a little.) I know you're hurt. We are all hurting. But don’t You dare blame Gaius for this. Don't You dare!

Arthur: (composes himself) You’re right. My apologies, Gaius. You are not at fault, lets focus in what we can do to get him back to normal.

....

That would be all.

The word I choose is LATE.

I tag: @evadne01 , @rubinaitoart , @theroundbartable , @ramblings-of-a-chaotic-neutral .

[macchitea]

another school piece i did for my group film pitch!

it didnt end up getting picked, but i enjoyed drawing a lil thing for it regardless!

[giuseppe-yuki]

Just imagine anyone on the grid having a lion or a tiger as an so and rocking up to the paddock (just like tiger king), with the animal on a bedazzled leash and everything

hmm interesting! i honestly tried to stick with smaller animals in my series, as to not spook the fans and reporters around the paddock, but i feel like a tiger shapeshifter!reader is a good concept as well!

i feel like the top contenders to have a tiger shapeshifter s/o would either be someone with a loud personality, like danny, or someone completely unexpected like andrea (kimi antonelli).

here's a little blurb/oneshot i thought up on a whim:

picture credits from pinterest :)

you are woken up from your nap by the shrillest scream you ever heard. you leap back, accidentally trampling a few decorative plants in the back of the mercedes motorhome. oops, you think. in front of you stands bono, lewis' engineer, who looks like he's seen a ghost. eyes wide behind his black framed glasses, he stands, frozen in fear. still blinking sleep from your eyes, you carefully pad in a direction away from the terrified engineer, who is now very noticeably trying to tiptoe away.

it was ironic, really, for the universe to grant you the ability to shapeshift into one of the world's deadliest predators, but make you have the shyest, most timid personality.

you were technically not supposed to be napping under the sun behind the merc hospitality- your boyfriend kimi had told you to wait inside the building while he had a quick meeting with toto. it wasn't your fault that the sun was shining so warmly and the lovely smell of freshly planted flowers were floating outside. you had decided to chill on the grass when you must have fallen asleep (and probably accidentally shifted too).

now, you watch in fear as bono beckons a group of people towards you. they all wear matching black uniforms with the word "security" pasted right in the back with neon yellow letters. god, this was going to be hard to explain when kimi came back.

they approach you, not knowing how to deal with the giant tiger currently huddling in the back of the mercedes motorhome. you couldn't blame them, you knew you looked pretty intimidating, and let's be honest, anyone would be scared if they saw a fierce predator in the wild, much less behind a formula 1 motorhome.

they slowly surround you, batons out, and a few of them talk through their radio walkie-talkies, requesting for "backup". it seems that some reporters and fans have gotten wind of the situation too, because you see some at the edge of the entrance, phones out and recording. you hear them mutter about the weirdness of the scene unfolding in front of them.

suddenly, you hear a familiar accented voice ring out behind the ring of security guards and crowd of people.

"baby, come here!" kimi says firmly. he clicks his tongue twice and beckons you toward him with his finger.

to everyone's surprise, you bound towards him through the now horde of people. they scatter to the side as you race towards your boyfriend. once you skid to a halt in front of him, he brushes his hand through your fur and places a soft kiss on your wet nose. it's a laughable sight, seeing your impressive-sized striped body cowering behind kimi's shorter figure.

bono steps out of the crowd of people, brow scrunched in fear and confusion. "what the-? kimi??? when did you own a tiger?"

your boyfriend laughs. "well, i don't really own her, you know. we just have, eh, what do you call it- a special bond between us." he gives a light hug, squeezing you against him. "i love her very much!"

if you were in your human form, you would definitely be blushing.

turning away from bono, kimi leads you back towards main paddock road, which wasn't hard to do considering the crowd leaving a wide berth of space around you both (probably from the fear of getting eaten by you, even though you would never think to ever do that to someone).

once he reaches the main part of the paddock, he pulls out a bejeweled collar and leash out of his pocket. you look at him questioningly, but don't resist as he threads it around your neck.

"just so no one thinks that you're a random runaway tiger," he explains, tightening it comfortably.

you both continue your walk through the paddocks, this time heading towards kimi's garage. several fans and enigneers scamper out of the way as the see you approach, not used to seeing an actual real life tiger, albeit in a shiny leash and collar.

as you lightly amble towards the entrance of the merc garage, leash trailing behind you from kimi's hand, you spot toto walk by with a big grey wolf on his heels.

he turns to kimi, looking him straight in the eyes, and smirks, eyes twinkling knowingly.

"you got yourself a tiger, huh?"

a/n: sorry i don't know why the picture format is acting up and won't let me make it into a singular row like it usually is 😭

[felixcloud6288]

Dungeon Meshi Chapter 40

The title image wonderfully demonstrates the difference between Laios, Chilchuck, and Senshi in how much they pay attention to their party members.

Despite his lack of drawing skill, Laios's drawing has every major detail of Marcille's pose, including her hairstyle, how her arms are bent, her general expression, and how she's wearing her clothes. He just sucks at getting the fine details. Notice also that Laios is looking at Marcille and trying to be as accurate as possible.

Chilchuck's artwork is better but his drawing is an approximation of what she looks like. His drawing doesn't have her hairstyle nor her facial expression. Chilchuck is not looking at Marcille either; he's not checking to make sure his drawing is accurate.

Senshi just doesn't care.

Laios lost a bit of everyone's trust when they found out he'd been keeping a monster as a sword. And last chapter, they lost more trust when they learned he'd already met the magician and never realized it. This contest is probably not the best way to figure out who is real or fake. He's using it as a chance to prove he can discern things about people.

Since we're only dealing with one fake this chapter, I'm just going to call them that this chapter, but I'll go back to using my naming system from last chapter later.

The real Senshi, Chilchuck, and Marcille were the ones who voiced concern that Laios was going to screw this up.

Between the pairs, I had the most trouble keeping track of which Chilchuck was the real one. The best way I can describe the difference between them is Fake Chilchuck looks more "anime". His eyes are bigger and are generally more expressive than the real Chilchuck's. His hair is also messier.

With the Marcille's I was able to cheat by checking what her hair looked like before all this. But I also noticed that Fake Marcille has less expression than the real one. Fake Marcille always seems exhausted and resigned. Her forehead is also bigger than the real Marcille's.

Fake Senshi is easy to point out. He looks like he should be in a more serious series akin to Fist of the North Star.

The party is accidentally divulging a lot of their negative opinions about each other. Marcille and Senshi basically said they'd like Chilchuck more if he acted like a cute kid. Chilchuck and Senshi don't like how Marcille complains about everything. Marcille and Chilchuck think Senshi looks dopey.

This was when Laios had his epiphany.

The only time someone didn't seem to be fooled by the fakes was Marcille seemed to realize who the fake Senshi was. Everyone else fell for the fakes. And since they all fell for the fakes, and they didn't have any faith in Laios's ability to figure out who the fakes were, it wouldn't have mattered how correct Laios was. It was always going to turn into a fight.

The Marcille's are trying to keep the other from casting magic and maybe even trying to asphyxiate each other.

Laios needed the others to make a full course meal to determine who was who, but as soon as he decided to just hunt the shapeshifter itself, he figured out instantly what type of monster it must be, its behaviour pattern, and where it was hiding.

Falin did say Laios does a great dog impression in chapter 17. And yeah, he does. He was so impressive that he deceived a monster that specializes in deception.

Anoutolid and Fucchi were the dogs in the chapter 26 title image and flashback.

I think the shapeshifter's true form is supposed to be a tanuki but with the split tail of a kitsune. Both of them have myths related to shapeshifting and tanukis use leaves to make their transformations.

At first, I thought the shapeshifter looked like a wolf. It was introduced with a hypothetical situation of it infiltrating a sheep flock. So it would be a "wolf in sheep's clothing".

Marcille was the only one who realized how stupid the situation had gotten and decided to end it.

I didn't catch onto any of the things Laios used to figure out who was real. I did catch the part where Fake Marcille mentioned eating fishman eggs though.

Laios sucks at understanding people's motivations and he sucks at remembering what people have done. But it turns out that he's excellent at picking up on mannerisms and behaviour.

He loves studying monsters and that is all about learning how they act and behave. He kind of applied that to the others to figure out who the fakes were. With Marcille, its especially noteworthy because he knew that Marcille was the kind of person who doesn't learn from her mistakes. And it was only when Marcille brought up the fishman eggs that Laios remembered that he tricked her into eating them.

Senshi is picking up every grain of spilled rice. He will let nothing go to waste.

Wait, I recognize that face! I take back everything negative I said about Asebi!

And now I realize why that gauntlet in chapter 39 looked familiar. She's the one who grabbed Marcille's hand in the blizzard.

Now that this is over, I can go over who made which fakes. Here's a reference I found that came from one of the guidebooks.

I got all the Chilchucks and Marcilles right but I got F1 Laios, F2 Laios, F1 Senshi, and F2 Senshi mixed up. In my defense, I didn't know that Marcille was once told that Laios looks like Falin nor did I know that Chilchuck thinks dwarfs are manly.

I think part of what inspired F3 Laios was that moment in chapter 15 where Laios lost his temper because Chilchuck wouldn't let him cook the fishmen.

If F1 Marcille is based on when Marcille resurrected Falin, that would explain why she looks so glum. I kind of think F1 Marcille was also prone to acting annoyed, and I think Laios probably thinks Marcille is annoyed in general.

F3 Marcille's hairstyle is most similar to what Marcille had when they fought the red dragon. But it's missing the finer details like the side braids.

Every one of the fakes Senshi made can be summed up as "I grew up in a super racist community and it still negatively impacts my initial opinions of people".

Laios definitely has the least bias about his party members. The fakes he made are the most objectively accurate but were missing some finer details. It's kind of hypocritical that Chilchuck and Senshi chastised Laios last chapter when their fakes were far more off.

Since Laios created F1 Marcille, him managing to pick the real Marcille is doubly impressive because he had to pick the one who isn't perfectly like the Marcille in his head. In his head, Laios knows Marcille is scared of undines and she should know better than to casually pour boiling water since that's what angered the undine. But he knows her well enough to realize that she's also careless enough to absentmindedly make the same mistake twice.

I said the fakes Laios made are the most objectively accurate, but there's something about F1 Marcille that looks more "beautiful" than the actual Marcille. I proposed in chapter 34 that Laios might have an ear fetish, but I think he might have some romantic feelings for her. From what little we saw of F2 Chilchuck and F3 Senshi's behaviour, they act like the real ones. But F1 Marcille was less moody, more self-aware, and more self-sacrificing for Falin's sake. Laios picking the real Marcille means he had to accept who she actually is, warts and all.

back

[five-and-dimes]

Dimes/Cheshyr Dreamling Week Masterpost

Oh hi. Didn't see ya there. In honor of Dreamling Week 2024 I am finally compiling my Dreamling fics (which is... all my Sandman fics lol) into a nice convenient masterpost.

Enjoy my excessive hurt/comfort shenanigans:

Your Eyes Slay Me Suddenly (King/Knight AU, 5.8k words) Hob is a knight for King Morpheus, and while they're clearly into each other, Morpheus has some secrets getting in the way.

Run Away (But We're Running in Circles) (Canon Divergence, 10.8k words) Dream isn't really loved- there are just people in his life who love everyone. Hob and co. work hard to prove him wrong.

Off Book (Human AU, Explicit, 890 words) Dream knows that every interaction has a script, even if the words he's supposed to say aren't really what he wants.

As You Always Were (Human AU, 2k words) Hob is finally coming out to his boyfriend. It goes... different than he expected.

Unsung Lullabies (Canon Divergence, 30.7k words) Hob is tasked with watching Dream after he is turned into a small child. In the process, he learns a lot about the things that shaped his lover into who he is as an adult.

A White Blank Page (Canon Divergence, 4.3k words) Hob lashes out at Dream, but it's hard to apologize when Dream thinks he's done nothing wrong.

Mountain Sounds (Vampire/Werewolf AU, 6.3k words) There are many who think it's wrong for a vampire and a werewolf to be together, and so they try to tear them apart. They go about it the wrong way.

Next to Nothing (Retired Dream, 6k words) Dream thinks his difficulties as a new human are a personal failing. Determined not to burden Hob with his struggles, he ends up hiding things he shouldn't.

Undisclosed Desires (Canon Divergence, Explicit, 4.7k words) Hob learns that Dream has never experienced receiving oral sex. He decides to fix that problem immediately.

100 Years of Drowning (So What's a Few More?) (Canon Divergence, 4.8k words) Dream doesn't think it's necessary for Hob to know the details of his imprisonment, even if it makes some things harder. That's all fine and well until Hob wants to shower together.

Sloom (Canon Divergence, 5.2k words) Hob wants to meet Dream's family, and Dream fears the consequences of Hob learning that the other Endless are so much better than him.

Smile Like You Mean It (Canon Divergence, 4.6k words) Hob is determined to hear Dream laugh, and Dream is determined to hide it.

Endless. Not Everything. (Canon Divergence, 5.3k words) Dream is under the impression that Hob is not attracted to his masculine form, and decides to do something about it, even to his own detriment.

Come Morning Light (Canon Divergence, 6.3k words) In which Dream has nightmares about Hob speaking to him with someone else's voice.

Now I Lay Me (Canon Divergence, 10.5k words) Dream is tired of being a person, and so choses to dissolve into the Dreaming in order to preserve his function while still being gone. Those close to him have a lot to say about that decision.

Body and Soul (Canon Divergence, 3k words) Dream is willing to give Hob anything he wants, but his body is sometimes louder than he is.

Safe in the Palm of Your Hands (Canon Divergence, 2.1k words) During a panic attack, Dream shapeshifts and flees somewhere he feels safe. Coincidentally, there is a mouse in Hob's apartment.

[lefarte]

Can i ask how funger 2 or 1 characters which you can choose react to an enigmatic reader who is a yellow mage who makes very smooth moves like pure silk while also holding a very calm and nonchalant expression?

Yeas :3 I’m catching up with some of the older requests in my inbox

Abella

She’s enthralled by your mystery… it makes her think of a romance story.

She doesn’t know much of anything about yellow mages so she’d be making up fantasies in her head. And her crush on you makes her think of you as way stronger than you actually are. “Do you live in a castle?… have you ever flown through the sky?… Can you shapeshift?” “😐?”

Abella wants to try dancing with you. She’s actually pretty good, and can hold a rhythm well. Though she’s not perfect, she’s moreso happy to blow off steam. It’s been years since she last danced, and she’s never danced with anyone but her little siblings.

As the war picked up, things were so dour that she forgot what it was like to have a crush. She gets giddy easily. Like sometimes she’ll be outside pacing or lying on the bed kicking her feet because she feels like a girl again.

She likes that you’re kind of stoic. It makes her feel extra special if she can get you to talk, or especially to smile.

Abella would take some interest in learning magic, but ultimately have little talent for it, which frustrates her. But, she is okay with her fighting in the front and you staying behind doing magic. She’s a little insecure about way of fighting being less… elegant. But if it works, it works. She’d rather not fight unless she has to, anyway.

I can see her picking you up and throwing you so you can do a cool little landing and impress people. She’ll also carry you on her shoulders like a parrot. Basically I can see her just manhandling you in general, picking you up and giving you surprise hugs and kisses.

Pav

Pav doesn’t like people who don’t react to him.

He also doesn’t like magic or magic wielders in general. He used to be firmly against the idea of magic existing, though things have changed, of course. I still imagine him being cautious. You have a weapon that he doesn’t understand, and he doesn’t like that.

After a while he understands that you won’t attack unless provoked. He still can’t help but test that line though. Would you kill him if he threatened you? Mocked you? Threatened someone else? …Poked you?

After a few minutes of conversation he would get annoyed that his normal Bremen-soldier shtick isn’t working, and wander away with his tail between his legs.

Every encounter after that he tries to prod at you to get a reaction. After some point it stops being about asserting dominance over you and more out of curiosity. Trying to study you.

I think Pav has a very rigid sense of hierarchy, so he could very quickly acknowledge your skills, and if you were working together he would take orders from you. Quietly. He wouldn’t act deferentially towards you, he’s still going to try to pick at you. But he acknowledges that you are helpful. Helpful. That’s all.

Also I think that Pav is frightened of ghosts. The orphanage is his worst nightmare. He’s standing unusually close to you, who just so happens to be the only one able to kill the ghost girl. For no particular reason.

If he thinks that you’ll have a reaction he’ll do anything, so you can push him into the direction of embarassing himself if you want to be mean….

For example, if you fake going to grab a hat, like “oh that’s a cute hat” he’ll snatch it up out of your hands and put it on immediately. And then he’s stuck wearing an ugly hat. And your party will laugh at him.

Samarie

Samarie knows about yellow mages due to her studies. Though she has interest in the teachings, the philosophy isn’t for her. She quite likes the few mortal possessions she has, the small tethers to the real world rather than the magic she was born into.

Two similarly quiet people but both on the opposite ends of the spectrum. One nervous wreck Samarie who freaks out over everything and one completely chill you. She needs to hold you like a teddy bear while hyperventilating after every monster encounter.

Samarie could never do the danse macabre - or any dance for that matter. She’s too weak and gangly from malnutrition, all her movements are a little clumsy. She’s more of a Sylvian girl than a Grogoroth girl… if you want to dance with her you’ll have to put her on your back, or hold her bridal carry. (She’s tall but light, it won’t be a problem.)

Sometimes you will have entire conversations just by staring at each other like this 😐 and the other contestants will find it SO weird. Well, Samarie can read minds but that doesn’t count. She’s staring at your eyes the whole time and spacing out.

Sharing your magic studies! Trading skin bibles! She shows you little tricks she picked up from the Ninth Circle, and you show her things you learned from your travels!

Since Samarie was raised in captivity underground, she wants to hear everything about life outside. She gets such a calm and peaceful look when she sees the visions of your travels in your head. She will plead with you to hear all of your stories and see all of the memories from your eyes. Her heart starts beating so fast with excitement, feeling like she’s there with you.

Samarie will never be able to see the world outside, she is already reaching the end of her lifespan. She loves small things, like trinkets and souvenirs. She doesn’t smile a whole lot, but she gives you a nervous little grin.

[laurasimonsdaughter]

What are your thoughts on vampires that turn into fruit bats?

I could go on about the geographical origins of certain folklore, the choices in film adaptations and the logic of turning into an animal that comes from a completely different continent, but where's the fun in that? So here are my worldbuilding thoughts on vampires that turn into fruit bats:

• Very funny if the vampire is physically imposing in their human shape and they turn into a little leaf-nosed fruit bat. On the other hand, these look much more like strange creatures and less like goofy puppies.

• Very impressive if a vampire turns into a large megabat/old world fruit bat. It makes sense to pick the largest type of bat from an intimidation point of view, but it's not very helpful for being sneaky. And once you get up close they do look like goofy puppies.

• Very useful if turning into a fruit bat also means they can eat fruit while in that shape! Great way to allow for vegan vampires. Possibly with some repercussions, like having to eat very often to get enough nourishment for the human shape or losing some vampire powers that come only from drinking blood.

• An excellent confusion for biologists if the vampire takes on the shape of the bat, but does not have to follow fruit bat rules. In most media vampires in bat shape do not seem to lose their intelligence or reason, so they might just go hunting in bat shape and attack people for their blood, upsetting the entire chiropterologist community.

Personally I rarely write vampires that can shapeshift - whether it's into wolves, bats, or mist - because it makes them even more powerful and it's ever harder to explain away than "undead sustained by blood". I do really like it as a concept though and in stories that are leaning into horror or comedy without trying to give explanations it's a delightful thing to play with.

I support horrific bat vampires fluttering at the edge of their victim's vision and cuddly bat vampires napping the day away in someone's coat pocket~

[dragonkeeper19600]

Submas Nutracker AU (Part 2)

(Part 1 is here.)

Christmas is coming up fast, so how about more of that Submas Nutcracker AU? As promised, let’s introduce our villain.

The villain in the original Nutcracker story is the Mouse King, so clearly the villain in this AU should be a Pokémon. However, none of the rodent-based Pokémon were adequately impressive to be our villain, and I wanted a Pokémon that has some sort of connection to the Subway Bosses. A Gen V Pokémon would be good, and how about a Pokémon that is already feared in canon for its mysterious powers?

Ultimately, I decided a Zoroark would be the logical choice. So, Ingo’s main nemesis in this AU is a terrifying Zoroark known as the “Fox King.” The Fox King can not only shapeshift and communicate telepathically but can use magic and cast actual curses, like kitsune spirits in mythology.

Our story resumes when Akari is woken up from her impromptu nap under the Christmas Tree by the grandfather clock chiming midnight. Akari’s immediate reaction upon waking up is panic because 1. She fell asleep in a client’s house and 2. She has to get home before someone finds her here.

She pushes herself to her feet as the clock continues to ring. Thank goodness the windows are open and there’s a full moon tonight or else she wouldn’t be able to find her way out. But as she looks around, she notices something odd. The chandelier on the ceiling looks different. Its shape has changed, and she could have sworn it was gold at the party, but now it seems to be black?

She supposes it must be a trick of the low lighting or something and tries to sneak out of the hall, after making sure to tuck her nutcracker back in her pocket, when she’s stopped by Oleana, who for some reason is still fully dressed despite saying that she was going to bed over half an hour ago. To Akari’s panic, Oleana is very cross to find Akari still here after everyone else has left and accuses her of trying to steal something. Akari frantically apologizes and tries to proclaim her innocence, but Oleana threatens to report Akari’s misbehavior to Cyllene. When Akari begs her not to do this, Oleana relents and says she can keep Akari’s behavior a secret…if Akari hands over her nutcracker.

Now this gives Akari pause. First of all, she doesn’t want to hand over the nutcracker because it’s the only Christmas present she’s ever gotten and she promised Emmet she’d take care of it. Second of all, what would Oleana, a housekeeper in a mansion bigger than the entire block where Akari sleeps, even want with her nutcracker? Furthermore, Oleana knows that this nutcracker belongs to Akari. She was right there, looking on sternly, when Chairman Rose punished Bede for damaging it. And so, even though Akari is terrified of losing her job, she firmly tells Oleana that no, she will not be handing over the nutcracker.

Akari isn’t sure what she expected Oleana’s reaction to this refusal to be, but what she was definitely not expecting was for Oleana’s eyes to glow yellow and for her to respond in a definitely masculine voice, “What a shame. I was hoping to spare you, child.” Before Akari can even comprehend what’s happening, “Oleana” morphs into the Fox King, a terrifyingly large Hisuian Zoroark.

Naturally, Akari is really scared. Her one Eevee could never hope to take this thing in a fight. She tries to make a run for it, but the Zoroark casts a curse on her, shrinking her down to the size of a doll. Her Poké Ball shrinks with her, but the nutcracker falls out of her pocket as she shrinks, and when Akari looks around, she sees that the nutcracker lying on the floor beside her is now slightly taller than she is.

The Fox King advances on the shrunken Akari, telling her that this is her punishment for not complying. But just as he’s priming Bitter Malice, Akari hears a very loud voice beside her shout, “Chandelure, use Protect!”

With shocking speed, the strange chandelier on the ceiling detaches itself and zips down to the floor just in time to block the Fox King’s attack with Protect.

Akari looks around to see who could have possibly called down Chandelure and sees none other than her own nutcracker standing beside her with its wooden arm pointed straight ahead. As if that weren't surreal enough, the Zoroark addresses the Nutcracker by name, calling him Ingo and saying that tonight will finally be the night he burns.

At this point, Akari is convinced that she's having some sort of bizarre dream. The grandfather clock never woke her up after all, and she's still asleep under Chairman Rose's Christmas tree.

But the dream doesn't stop. As the Fox King tries to break through Chandelure's barrier, Ingo, the nutcracker, grabs Akari's hand and drags her away, toward the train table. There's a tablecloth spread under the display, and Ingo urges Akari to climb it. At Akari's new vantage point, the table looks really tall, but with Ingo's urging, Akari's follows. Luckily, her reduced body mass makes climbing much easier.

The Fox King breaks through Chandelure's barrier just as Ingo and Akari have made it onto the display table. Ingo pulls Akari into the model train station, which at their heights is roomy enough to run around in. Ingo urges Akari to keep quiet.

Unfortunately, the Fox King saw them dart into the station and tries to attack the display, but Chandelure keeps blocking him. In response, the Fox King shrinks himself down and slips past Chandelure. Chandelure tries to pursue, but it's stopped by the sudden appearance of a pack of Zoroark and Zorua from the darkness. Interestingly, the rest of the pack are all Unovan; the Fox King is the only Hisuian Pokémon in the group. They pack overwhelm Chandelure with their numbers, and many of them shrink themselves down and enter the model station along with the Fox King.

The Fox King and his pack slip in pretty easily. Akari is sure she, Ingo, and Eevee are done for, but as the Fox King advances on them, Ingo pulls a flute from his belt and plays. The flute is evidently magic, because as soon as the note reverberates in the air, the station glows as if it were wired with real electric lights, and all the various figurines of people and Pokémon posing all around them come to life.

Even a veteran Pokémon trainer would be overwhelmed by the scene, but to the inexperienced Akari, the ensuing battle is nothing short of pure chaos. The Zorua pack are all shapeshifting into different forms as they attack the model Pokémon, who are somehow managing to cast real attacks even though they're clearly made of wood. Akari ducks behind the model ticket counter as the mayhem unfolds, just trying to keep herself out of the crossfire.

Despite the model Pokémon and their model trainers' best efforts, however, the Fox King manages to fight his way through and corner Ingo. With Chandelure still occupied outside, Ingo has no Pokémon available to fight. Only Akari, whom the Fox King has forgotten amidst the chaos, has a clear shot. Spurred by the need to help Ingo, Akari sends out Eevee and orders it to use Bite.

Now, a Hisuian Zoroark may be weak against a Dark-type move like Bite, but the Fox King dwarfs Akari's Eevee in level by so much that all he feels is a brief, stinging pain. Nevertheless, he whirls on Akari in a rage. Akari hastily orders Eevee to use Baby Doll Eyes, but it's clear that won't be enough to protect them as the Fox King strikes back with a Foul Play attack that sends Eevee flying.

However, with the Fox King distracted, Ingo has time to grab a sword from the scabbard of a model soldier at the station and stab the Fox King in the back. The wound isn't fatal, but it is serious enough to force the Fox King to retreat. The entire pack retreats as the models cheer.

But as they celebrate, Akari starts to feel kind of woozy. With the Fox King gone, the curse he cast on her is wearing off, and she and Eevee are growing back to their normal size. Ingo and the other toys spot the danger and quickly rush her outside the station. Akari gets outside and jumps from the table just in time. She and Eevee hit the ground at their normal size before the strain of the magic takes its toll and the two of them pass out.

(To be continued...)

[moonliteve]

Headcanons for the early days of the deadly alliance

a second deadly alliance hc post has hit the hourglass......highly suggest u read my previous post about their past before reading this one!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

shang tsung was surprised to see that damashi had found someone else to be apart of their scheme to take over the realms

he was a bit upset at first

does that mean i have to share the fruits of my labor? he thought to himself

quan chi, who was still kind of dazed by the whole stunt damashi pulled back in the mines, doesn't say much

he nods, quietly mumbles formalities and fumbles with his hands quite a lot

damashi tells shang they must work together in order to rule

shang was a bit baffled at the notion at first- the man before him who barely spoke and was covered in dirt and grime was supposed to help them somehow?

to which damashi gets a bit angry with shang, he explains the innate magic he possesses and his potential

"you would dare question me, shang tsung?"

immediately shuts down any protesting from him. damashi is his benefactor after all. surely he knows what's best for them

so fine. he'll try and work with the newcomer

the first few months did not go well AT ALL LMAO quan chi wasn't very talkative and he always practiced magic by himself

shang was always the one trying to initiate conversations and secretly observed the other sorcerer practicing

little did he know quan chi did the same

he's. still a bit nervous about approaching shang directly. since he was the later one to join and train under damashi's guidance he felt like his magic was subpar of shang's

he did appreciate the space shang gave him tho. he just needed some time by himself since now that he was out of the mines he was able to do whatever he wanted

day and night he would bury himself in books about all sorts of things, but he took a liking to architecture, biology and different kinds of magic- especially forbidden magic but he wasn't sure if he should be dabbling in that until damashi learnt about his interest in darker magic, that's when he started fully enabling him to practice netherrealm magic

it wasn't until sometime after that did quan chi ask shang for help for the first time

shang was more than happy to help to quan chi's surprise, he didn't think the other sorcerer would be as open as he would be atm

"it would benefit us to have a good relationship, quan chi. after all, any alliance that aids us with our plans is one worth having, is it not?"

he was glad that shang seemed to like him

he thought for the longest time just from first impressions that shang still disliked him, but they seem to be getting along well now

and this made quan chi willing to open up more to shang as well

happy days :)

the three of them were stationed at an abandoned outpost in a remote area, damashi would be the one helping them gather whatever they needed since he could shapeshift and he didn't want any of them to be under the rada

it wasn't anything fancy but they had what they needed

shang had a shitty little basement where he did his experiments, also where he kept syzoth in

quan chi didn't get to see the basement until shang decided to give him a tour. he had always wondered where shang was most of the time when it was mostly damashi who went outside

sure quan chi was shocked at first seeing all of shang's creations. but he wasn't one to judge

he knew shang came from awful conditions as well, they've both been mistreated by everyone around them so why couldn't they do the same?

plus the experiments intrigued him immensely

it was after shang showed him his basement did quan chi elaborately plan on building him a proper vivisection chamber

he wanted to show his gratitude somehow. along with damashi shang has also helped him a lot with practicing his magic

around the same time they had gotten insider info from damashi that the heir to the throne has tarkat

and with how skilled shang was at persuasion and sweet talking, they easily landed a place in outworld's court in no time with the promise of a suppressor/cure for the disease

they transferred their workspace to the laboratory that was provided to him, which was WAYY nicer than what they had before, just the look of it gave others a good impression of shang: a diligent scientist who was neat and efficient

with quan chi's architectural knowledge they built the vivisection chamber underneath the laboratory. shang planned out the whole facility and what he wanted to include while quan chi mainly did the construction since he was familiar with this kind of work, shang even created new specimens for a few extra hands

[cherry-pop-elf]

Weasley Siblings Reacting To You Coming Out 🏳️‍⚧️ ((Trans Edition))

Some wholesome/projection because wah-! Also reader is under the impression of muggleborn, so muggle ideals would be different from wizards of course

Can he read as Platonic or Romantic! Clause Platonic love is valid af! I see you Ace/Just wanting stuff to not always be sex, folks!

Warnings: Transphobia,bullying ((not from the Weasleys obviously)) anxiety, depression, don’t worry it’s fluff just ya know. It’s scary coming out!

Writing Coms Open

((BTW this was in my drafts, and since Trans Visibility Day was today, it gave me motivation to finish it so let’s go-!))

William ‘Bill’

“Like Tonks-!” You did feel pretty silly, once he said that. Made you wonder why you waited so long. Literally you were friends with a Shapeshifter, so why would you coming out be so different? Oh right, what muggles would do if they knew. “Kinda, minus the whole ya know….Changing on the whim. Wish I could do that-“ You muttered, as Bill would pat your back. The pair of you, ever cozy in the library. Special permission to access the resurrected section, since he was being interned at Gringotts for curse breaking. Meant you had some privacy for such a sensitive topic. “Hey, we can find a way to. Right? It’s magic. I bet you my lucky dagger that the twins probably have something in the works.“ He comforted, and it made you smile. That Bill. Always finding a way to brag about his younger siblings somehow. That was just the cutest thing to you. Just a big brother, finding a way to show off his family. Helped a lot. “Whatever you need, I’ve got you. I know muggles do stuff differently, and a lot isn’t really to positive-“ Bill was the eldest, so it made sense he would be more informed with muggle culture. If his band shirts were to say anything. “Like name changes and stuff. Got a new name you like?” There was something so weird about how casual he was. Just, casual. It was a field, but also felt off. Like something bad should have happened. Maybe it will. Until then, though, you were happy to tell him your new name. “Suits you-!” He smiled that awkward half smile, given the other half didn’t exist anymore. “I like it.” And he was soon ruffling your hair. Older brother habits. They don’t die easy, and you were greatful for it.

Charlie

“Like Tonks-!” Why did you get Déjà vu? You shook it off, before nodding. “Yes, minus the actually changing my gender and stuff.” You clarified, as he multi tasked with the latest baby dragon Hagrid had gotten. Charlie just couldn’t resist, and now you two were stuck in his hut. Hagrid off to find someone to take said dragon, while Charlie treated it like a puppy. Kissing its snout, and making it squeal in utter delight. Despite the slobber, and despite the heat. One of the reason you trusted him with such a secret. His heart was so big, and he held such passion. Not to mention, you hoped he could help you get out of your shell a bit. Such a loud, and proud, man. Also, well, imagine trying to bully someone who’s buddies with the dragon tamer. “Neat-! So do I flip flip between pronouns, like Tonky, or you got new ones-?” You swore he was paying more attention to the dragon, than you. Weirdly, you liked it. He didn’t treat it as life or death, which healed something in you. He didn’t care, but in that good way. That it didn’t change how he saw you. Or, maybe you just asked at the right time. You had to shake his shoulder, to remind him you were still there. You two shared a laugh, as he went on rambling about how beautiful the dragon was, as you were able to relax a little easier.

Percy

“Trans-? Like as in Transfiguration? Finally, actually focusing on your studies.” You were already regretting this. You figured Percy would be someone to confide in, since he was a prefect. You were being bullied by the muggleborns, but the thing is….Hes a pure blood. He didn’t really understand what being trans was. So, you tried to explain. “Percy, they were making fun of me because I was born different.” You tried to explain, as he was starting to pay a bit more attention now. “They saw me going to the bathroom, and immediately threw books at me. It’s not like I don’t mind Moaning Myrtle, but it’s hard to pee with company.” You sniffled, as it was settling in now. “I’m so sorry, I’ll handle this immediately. I….Let’s go take you to the medical wing, to make sure you are patched….Could you explain more to me about this trans thing? Why it makes you different?” It’s a start. He’s willing to learn, and that’s more than so many. That gave you comfort. He’s confused, but willing. With his arm around you, you did your best to wizard it to his language. To get it out of your system, and for once? Percy stayed quiet, and listened. It’s a start, and you couldn’t be happier.

Fred

“Swear you are like the fifth person to tell me that this month-!” He laughed, as you blinked. Despite the prancing dynamic of the twins, they had grown a bit over the years. Suppose the older brother energy they held just drew in comfort. It’s easy to confide in them. They may not act like it, but they can keep a secret. Guess the courtyard was just a hot spot for such. “Wait, why are you telling me this anyway? I knew the moment I met you-!” He snorted, with an elbow nudge to you. Honestly? You were certain he was joking, but you wondered if he did. “About bloody time you figured it out yerself! Not sure how that whole thing works, but I’m sure George and I can brew something up for ya. Need a beard? Or bigger hips? I’m sure we got something-“ That had you roll your eyes. “Sounds like an excuse to turn me into your personal lab rat-“ That had him blink. “The hell is a lab rat?” Right. Pure blood. “I’ll explain it to you later. Just, promise not to tell anyone? I’m….not ready yet.” Fred seemed like he was ready to argue, about needing to just be passionate about who and what you are, but he was hushed. As if he could already hear Molly yelling at him. That was trauma for another occasion. Instead, he made a zipping motion to his lips, and threw away the key. “Thanks.” You smiled, as he gave a thumbs up. Pretending he couldn’t speak at all, and it got you to giggle. Calmed your nerves down just fine.

George

“That’s uh….That thing-! Yeah-!” He bullshitted, but you understood why. He’s the more emotional side of the dynamic duo. So many kids come to them for advice, but more come to George. You would pay a guess that many who went to Fred were actually looking for George, but didn’t realize it was Fred at all. You only managed, because he was wearing his Quidditch Jersey. Least, you think it was his. Shit, was this Fred? Nope, Fred walked by. With Angelina. Phew. “George, do you need me to explain?” You asked, as he rubbed his neck nervously. Embarrassed he wasn’t instantly able to comfort, like it was his only job. “It’s a muggle thing, breathe.” And breathe he did, as he laid back down on the common room couch. With a quick run down, it clicked. He’s an inventor, they are good at thinking outside norms. “Oh! Oh man, that sounds stressful as hell. Hey, anyone starts shit-“ He gave a sharp click with his tongue, and made a shooting motion with his finger. “Consider them chucked into a vanishing closet.” And given he’s a Weasley, you didn’t underestimate him. So, instead, you hugged him. A big, warm, squeeze. Of course, it was returned. Oh those Weasleys.

Ron

“Would you be offended if I go ask Hermione what that means-?” Least he’s honest, and knew better to ask her than anyone else. Hard to ever get alone time with him, as he was glued to her and Harry. Surprised to catch him alone, for once, and took the chance while you could. Now to just look at your breakfast plate, nervous. “I’ll just explain it, the best I can.” You sighed, as you saw Ron wince a little. Feeling he did something wrong. “It’s a muggle thing-“ You quickly said, as he breathed a little easier. A few nervous gulps of juice, and many confused brows, it clicked. "Woah, that sounds terrible. I rememberer when Harry and i had to drink a polyjuice potion. we were still the same gender, and all, but my skin just felt so wrong. Everything was wrong. was just a suit, and i wanted to peel it off. Even if it hurt." You had to stare. That was just so accurate to how you felt. Your eyes watered. “Did I say something wrong, again-? I’m sorry about-“ But you hugged him, with your eyes in his shoulder. Don’t get Ron started on how many times he’s had to be the shoulder for Harry. So, like a time turners clockwork, he held you back. Comforting you. Someone got it.

Ginny

“Think I’m that to-“ Ginny said, as you two just laid in the grass. Just trying to relax, from a long school day. “Like, maybe it’s just because I was raised by a bunch of brothers. Just, being JUST a girl feels weird. Like I’m more than that, I’m not JUST that. Maybe I’m feeling something else entirely. Never been the same, after that book.” She admits, ready to stress her out all over again. Voldemort did a number on her. What a way to start Hogwarts. Damn. “Well, maybe don’t think about it too hard. It’s both super complicated, but not at the same time. It’s more a feeling than anything else. You can be born it, or maybe over time it changes. Maybe by tomorrow you feel something else. Then, the next day it changes.” You tried to explain, as you watched the clouds. “Yeah, like magic.” She agreed, as she looked to her broomstick next to her. Thinking back to her childhood. “Maybe I am a guy, but Mum being so excited to have a girl just….Made me feel like I HAD to be….” God was that relatable. “Trans buddies?” You asked, and offered a hand. In a playful solidarity. You figured that would comfort her, or maybe now he. “Yeah, Trans buddies.” Ginny smiled, as you shared hands. “Jean sounds nice.” Ginny said. “Jean does sound nice.” You agreed.

[ofstarsandflames]

Hello all! Thank you for joining me for my first ever RobStar week! And thank you even more so for giving my fic a chance!!!

I plan to participate every day this week, but if I am unable to for some reason I'll be sure to let you know!

Sorry for the rambling! I'll let you go ahead and jump right in!

[Heads up! A little of the dialogue in this story is courtesy of a prompt by @welcometothewoes!]

RobStar Week 2024, Day 1

Friends to Lovers 

“Well, what do you guys think?” 

The others looked ahead to the sign where Robin was pointing, displaying a variety of mixed reactions. 

Cyborg and Beast Boy had lit up at the reveal, no doubt eager to partake in a series of competitions that would supposedly prove who was superior between the two. Raven rolled her eyes, no doubt dreading the thought of being dragged into Cyborg and Beast Boy’s antics

Starfire’s reaction, strangely enough, was the most passive of the group. She looked up, reading the words displayed on the giant glowing sign.

“Jump City Beach Boardwalk?” Star tilted her head, confused more than anything else. “Please, what is the purpose of these “walking boards”? I was under the impression wood was not sentient.” 

“Boardwalk, Star.” Robin gently corrected. “It’s an amusement park near a beach where people can go to have fun.” 

“A park for amusement, you say.” Starfire noted. “Fascinating. Please, what is it you do in these kinds of parks?” 

“Lots of things Star!” Beast Boy chimed in. “There’s a bunch of themed junk food you can eat, games you can win cool prizes in, and a bunch of rides you can go on ‘til you get sick!” 

“How ‘bout a little game of friendly competition, Grass Stain?” Cyborg chimed in, a mischievous glint in his human eye. “Whoever wins the most prizes gets to plan next week’s dinner menu?”

“You're on, Gears for Brains!” Beast Boy exclaimed.

Cyborg ran through the gates first, eager for his 7-day barbecue dream to come true. Beast Boy followed suit, but not before grabbing Raven’s hand.

“C’mon, Rae! You can keep score!” 

“Joy.”

Raven’s sarcasm, whether unnoticed or ignored, did little to deter the green teen. Together, they passed through the boardwalk’s gates. 

And with that, only two remained. 

Robin gestured to the boardwalk’s entrance.

“Shall we?” 

Though Starfire was still unsure of the appeal of such a place, she decided to trust Robin’s judgment.

Standing side by side, the duo made their way through the gates. 

~~~

“Remember guys, only 5 prizes per person. We don’t want a repeat of last year…” 

Though Robin phrased it as a general statement, they all knew who it was meant for. Cyborg and Beast Boy laughed nervously, no doubt trying to hide their guilty expressions. Raven rolled her eyes and Starfire let out a small giggle. 

“Only 5, got it!” Cyborg reaffirmed. 

Now that he no longer felt guilty about last year’s prize incident, the cybernetic teen led his shapeshifting and dark-clad friends away. He shot a teasing look at their leader. 

“Let’s go leave Robby for his date~” He said this in a sing-songy tone. 

Robin glared, but he knew there was no ill intent. Cyborg laughed, all while Beast Boy grabbed Raven’s hand to excitedly show her how his favorite games and rides changed from last year. 

Soon, all three were out of sight. 

Robin let out a sigh of relief, happy to finally have some much needed alone time with his brand new girlfriend. 

Turning to check on her, Robin could tell by Starfire’s beaming grin that she was in good spirits. In fact, she’d been wearing this expression since they first left the tower. 

“Someone’s happy.” He playfully teased. 

"Oh! Sorry, it's just..." Starfire perked up, the shining, uncontrollable smile still not leaving her features. "It's been awhile since I've been this... giddy."

Robin returned the smile twice fold, though his eyebrows shot up in the air.

"Really? We come to the boardwalk every year."

"Yes, but..." Star shyly held Robin's hand, intertwining their fingers. "Never like this."

Ah, so that’s what it was.

Robin could feel his cheeks warming up. Hoping it wasn’t too noticeable, he gave their intertwined hands a gentle squeeze for reassurance. 

In a more than chivalrous mood, Robin gestured to the entrance with a little extra flair. 

“After you, m’lady.” 

Starfire giggled, returning the chivalry in kind.

“Thank you, kind sir.” 

Together, one’s hand fitting so naturally with the other’s, the couple made their way through the amusement park’s entrance. 

~~~

“Ready, you two?” Richard asked, a dramatic flair to his voice. 

“Yeah!” A little boy exclaimed loudly, hands thrown into the air with glee.

“You sure?” Kori questioned, savoring the moment.

“Super duper sure!” A little girl replied, unable to contain her excitement. 

Richard and Kori gave each other a knowing glance. At the same time, they removed the hands covering the eyes of the children they held. 

“Surprise!” They both yelled out. “Happy Birthday!” 

Jake and Mari, now an entire 7 years old, watched with wide eyes and slacked jaws at the birthday gift their parents presented them with. 

“Wow / Awesome!” Jake and Mari remarked at the same time.

Squirming out of their parent’s hold, the twins ran up to the gates of the place their parents had brought them to. Right there, in giant, bold letters, displayed the words: 

JUMP CITY BEACH BOARDWALK

Eager to begin exploring the beach and amusement park, the children ran back to their parents. Jake took hold of their father’s hand whilst Mari took hold of their mother’s. Together, all four walked hand-in-hand inside through the boardwalk’s gates.

[crisiscutie]

Have you ever written about Seph w/ a succubus Darling?

If not I would love to hear your take on it :)

In my head succubus Darling would be able to take whatever physical form their partner desired (sort of like a horny shapeshifter i guess? lol) and I imagine with someone like Seph that could be … intriguing 👀

So JENOVA if it was horny lol i kid

No, I hadn't, but it's an interesting idea for sure, as Sephiroth is a man not so easily impressed.

Since Succubus Darling will need to take on a physical form, then there are going to be some set features.

Perhaps they take on a form of a woman with long, brown hair? And with mako-colored eyes like his? And they wear the typical SOLDIER uniform, but fight with their fists? A personality that is chirpy but also introspective. Free cookies if you guess which characters traits these were lifted from.

I can see this idea working in a prompt where Sephiroth is on a mission during the spooky season and he notices a second class SOLDIER performing really well, killing all the monsters faster than he could. He'd certainly never heard of this person before, but then again, there's already so many people in SOLDIER. He is invigorated by their appearance and fighting skills. So many things about them that are unusual and familiar to him, he can't put his finger on it.

Succubus Darling would be trying so HARD to hide that cute tail of theirs. It tends to get erect whenever Sephiroth is falling closer and closer into their honey trap but they silently curse whenever they mess up and he retreats to his reserved facade xD. They won't be able to reveal it and their normal skimpy, curvy form until the time is right to have the War Hero for once and for all.

I can see this being a fluffy and maybe frisky 👀 prompt to work on!

[tiredlilguy]

Uhhhh mayhaps for your requests can I request the flags (either separately or altogether) x reader with an ability like Natsume? Like they can shapeshifter into a cat (or other animals even, dog, bird etc) Just fluffy hcs! 💕💕

a/n: hello!!! this is honestly such an interesting request, i decided to brew on it for a little bit. i wanted to give each of the Flags a separate animal >:D so enjoy! [i imagined that the abilites worked similar to atsushi's where sometimes you can have some physical parts of the animal still on you by will]

pairing(s): The Flags (separately) X GN!Reader cw: lots of talk about murder, but besides that not proofread desc: just some fluffy/general hc's with you are their animal shape-shifting partner!

Pianoman:

you are a goose! (A white feathered goose to be specific)

Why? Because apparently gooses are a symbol of perfection (the internet’s take, not mine-)

I was actually going to change this until I realized that 1. Geese can be violent and 2. This is actually highkey a perfect animal for disguise… sort of

You are the Mafia’s spy/assassin goose

Let’s be real here, I can see that actually kind of being badass, ok? Imagine you’re just chilling at the park, and you don’t even know that you’re being spied on by A GOOSE!!!

You got wings if your ability is a little stubborn to deactivate. They’re very pretty :) Pianoman admires them; will ask to get your clothes tailored so they can sprout out when you’re relaxed

Enjoys the warmth when you wrap your wings around him; he’ll let out a soft hum too

Pianoman will sometimes place a pretty red ribbon with a bell on it around your neck in your full goose form so that he doesn’t lose track of you, your small in your goose form! He wants to make sure he can hear your waddling and the bell too (*a;ldkfj;alskdjf fluffy pianoman thoughts*)

I can see him helping you prune your wings as well; having the goose as an ability is nice until you get sudden back pain :(

He’ll take a seat behind you while you are sitting at the end of the bed shirtless and help you pluck old feathers (and whatever else he can do without hurting you too much)

You always apologize for making him do all of this for you as his hands are already calloused from counting money, but he doesn’t mind as long as it’s you

Pianoman would reassure you by placing a kiss on the side of your head while continuing to help you

Yeah, your full goose form is really cute, but also… he’s very aware of how deadly you can be

Sharp teeth and big wings… you could potentially lure someone to death if you wanted

He enjoys hearing how you kill people, finds it impressive too!

I feel like he’d enjoy giving you a lot of cute chokers in your human/goose form :D he sometimes gets creative and changes up the colors/ruffles/shape of the bell

A;sldkfj;asldkf I feel like he likes to play piano/sing to you if you’re around in your goose form; he’ll smile as he watches you waddle around a bit before turning back into your human form

Hyonk (im sorry I was being a silly goose with this one) [that was solandiss’s joke]

Lippmann:

you are a fox!

I can see you making the little cute noises that fox’s make when they’re trying to talk

He understands what you’re trying to say, and only him; it’s like both of your own secret language :3 (he just responds back to you in a human language though-)

Likes to pet you in your full-fox form, he enjoys how soft you are and you enjoy laying in his lap because he’s warm

Would tease you if you think you’re in you have your tail/ears out while you’re in somewhat of a human form

He’d probably pull on them at first, not believe that they’re real, you’d probably yelp and slap his hand away

He still does that, but pulls more gently :) he likes hearing the little noises you make

You’re probably a lot faster than him sometimes if you’re both on a mission together

Imagining him trying to be stealthy, but he’s kind of slow in your eyes, so you quickly turn into a fox and run off

He’s happy to see you bringing back a freshly bloody hand from your mouth and placing it at his feet

Idk why, but I can see him making you little boots for your paws when you’re in your fox form… you don’t wear them at first, but one day it gets cold so you put them on (you tried to make it so he couldn’t see you, but he saw… he has a photo of it

Likes to caress your cheek and look at your eyes; they may still look a little bit animalistic after using your fox form, but he loves you all the same (probably thinks it’s hot…)

Will groom you in your fox form because it not only soothes you, but enjoys watching you fully relax in his lap

Iceman:

you are a wolf! (Specifically a grey wolf)

He doesn’t say much, and neither do you when you’re in your wolf form, but he enjoys having you around when you’re in your wolf form

You’re both literally perfect for each other

Iceman’s a pretty stealthy person, and while a wolf is kind of obvious in public, you both probably look badass as hell next to each other

He’ll like… point at the person you both have to kill and you’ll instantly lunge at them and like… violently rip their head off

You’re probably like… really warm to him; even if you’re in your full human form, you’re just an absolute heater

He’ll enjoy the warmth from you, wrapping his strong arms around you and nuzzling his nose into your shoulder

Iceman likes to pet you a lot, but he’s the only person that you let do that to you

Is impressed by your vision at night, mainly because he can’t see out of one of his eyes; so in that way, you’re both work quite well together

I can see a lot of soft eskimo kisses :))

You both don’t talk much, but you both also seem to know exactly what’s on each other’s mind; sort of similar to Lippmann’s, but you both don’t need to say a single word, just giving each other a single glance

A;lsdkfjas;ldkfj imagining you missing him if he’s away abroad, and him coming back and you tackling him in your wolf form =w= so cute

You got that dawg in u

Albatross:

YOU’RE A CROW! A BIG ASS CROW (I love crows so much guys)

You make the cool clicking noises in your crow form when he pats your stomach

Has a bird handling glove whenever you’re working together so that you can rest on his forearm; or sometimes he’ll just rawdog it and leave his arm out for you to land on (you gotta be gentle though, cause you could accidentally hurt him with your talons; he also just doesn’t mind though)

Tries to feed you birdseed/nuts as a joke when your on his arm; you usually spit them back at his face because bruh, but sometimes you’ll eat them

Thinks you’re human-sized wings in your half-human form is COOL ASF

He’ll be mouth-wide open, shiny eyed at your human-sized black wings (that’s how he fell in love)

Will sometimes purposely put himself into dangerously high spots so you can fly him away; it scares the shit out of you, but he just wants to see your ability in action

Your wings are probably fucking… STRONG ASF; he’s impressed by how fast you can get around sometimes

Alb is an expert pruner; why? Because I said so

Will know when your wings are pruning before you can even feel it, and he knows how to take care of you so well that you barely even remember having back pain

Will always massage your back after long missions though, he does worry about you despite his silly attitude

Likes to fly a plane and see you fly with him; he knows it’s you in a heartbeat because you’re crow form is just very familiar to him

Likes to pet you in your crow form a lot, enjoys the satisfied noises that you make when he’s petting you

Has one of your feather’s on a necklace ;-; or sometimes he’ll pluck one to put in his braid (a;sldkfa;jsdf I love him)

CACAW!!

Doc:

you are a snakey (a python to be specific)

He loves you sm, like genuinely, he thinks you’re so fucking cool

Will wear you as a necklace in your snake form, it gives Lippmann the chills, but Doc knows you won’t hurt him

You are a little heavy though… but he doesn’t mind ofc because you’re also very warm (he is cold, plz warm him up)

Likes seeing you around the Mafia in your snake form and scaring the newbies; he thinks it’s hilarious asf

Your venom interests him in his collections of poisons, will ask if he can milk your venom for research (I know this sounds weird, but it’s actually the correct term)

Likes watching you sink your teeth into your enemies, finds it satisfying as they shiver and eventually die 

Thinks your little tongue peeking out is cute in a way, will comment on how cute you are while the flags kinda look at him sideways (more so Chuuya)

Idk where I got this idea, but he’d crochet you little hats; sometimes seasonal sometimes not

If you’re in your human form, you probably have rly sharp fangs, they kind of peak out a little bit out of your mouth (he also thinks that’s cute)

Finds you fascinating, but he loves you very much :DDD

Chuuya:

you are a dog (specifically a doberman)

A;lkdfj;alksdjf Y E S

You’re both very protective of each other, but you have the better hearing (which he’s a little bit grumpy for not having)

Likes to pet you, a lot :D especially if you did well on a job

Custom collars and chokers; you’ll have a matching one like his :DDD

You both look badass asf together, and so you obviously gotta be matching

However, a lot of dog jokes from Dazai… unfortunately, but it’s ok, you can just beat him up I guess

I can see him enjoying petting you when he gets stressed out, you calm him down in a way

I would have more ideas, but my brain is fried, so have this

[frozenjokes]

Two Touchy Mermaids Fail To Communicate With The Most Obnoxious People You’ve Ever Met In Your Life

pronouns get a little weird. clarification in ao3 notes

Something was different today. Something was going to happen.

Grian and Scar were restless, but Mumbo was pretty sure it was an excited sort of restlessness, the type where you couldn’t sit still, where you couldn’t stop smiling.

They were trying to explain something to him as well; a thing called Etho, which seemed important, but neither of them were doing a very good job of actually telling him what an Etho was besides the fact that it was good, indicated by constant thumbs up motions. But beyond Mumbo’s own frustration, that was exciting too! They were preparing for something, someone even, maybe another human? In truth, the idea of a new human made Mumbo quite nervous, but if Grian and Scar trusted them, surely Mumbo could too. He didn’t think they’d do anything to jeopardize the safety of his cove, but humans weren’t the most intelligent of creatures.

There was something about mermaids as well. Scar kept trying to tell him something about mermaids. Yes, Scar, I am a mermaid. That is what you call me. Yes I know mermaids are good. Yes I know an Etho is good, what are you trying to say here.

Scar had also brought an extra bag that Mumbo hadn’t seen before, though unfortunately he was very protective over it, not leaving its side and making some sort of hissing sound when Mumbo got too close. Given how Grian laughed at the noise, Mumbo got the impression that it was not a normal human vocalization, just an attempt at mimicry. Scar looked happy with himself though, and that was cute. After being given a new human device (Fidget Cube, it was called), Mumbo left him alone. This tool was fascinating; it seemed to serve no purpose at all! Was it a puzzle? Oh, he adored these! It looked a little like some mermaid puzzles, but so much smaller. Mumbo would figure it out.

This preoccupied him for quite a while (making no progress- how difficult did human puzzle cubes get? Was there a human secret he was missing? At least it felt good to play with), but he jolted up when Scar yelled, waving at the water. Mumbo’s fins flicked, confused, but raised when he saw a massive ripple over the top of the water, then a dark shadow just beneath the surface. Far too big to be a fish.

“Etho! I- Mumbo-“ Scar didn’t have to say any more before Mumbo dove forward to investigate, fins raised and teeth gently bared, wariness which only heightened when he saw exactly who was on the other side of the lake.

‘I’m friendly. I’m friendly.’ Ghost whistled, fins tight against their body and head low in a submissive posture, as if Mumbo didn’t already know better. ‘I’m-‘

Mumbo launched after the other mermaid, Ghost frozen in a moment of terror before turning tail in a flurry of bubbles. But Mumbo was bigger, faster, and Ghost had to maneuver downward in a sharp turn to escape Mumbo’s teeth in their tail. Not here. Not now. No one would be permitted to enter his cove, not when his humans were present. Especially shapeshifting not-mermaids. Unfortunately, Ghost had pivoted down and away from the outlet back to the river, so Mumbo would need to corral them more effectively on the second try.

But Ghost wasn’t trying to escape to the deeper part of the lake like Mumbo had anticipated; the area with more cover, more room to swim. They were going to the shore.

The course correction was awkward, but once Mumbo straightened himself out he was flying after Ghost. The mer was sprinting like their life depended on it, but Mumbo was quicker, catching up from below just as the sand started to brush his stomach and rearing upward in a flash of teeth, tearing at Ghost's tail. Mumbo wanted to flip them around, drag them by the tail back where they came from, but unsurprisingly, Ghost did not make this easy, thrashing and snapping and being extraordinarily difficult.

Muffled yelling from the surface turned sharper every time Mumbo was spun above the water, Ghost writhing in desperate circles to force Mumbo to let go, but Mumbo didn’t process the movement in the water before something attached itself to his back, making him rear back above the surface in startled surprise.

“SCAR!” was the first thing Mumbo heard, the shrillest shriek he’d ever heard out of Grian’s mouth, but he didn’t have time to think when Ghost was shooting away toward the beach and something was crushing the fins on his back and wrapping around his neck-

Mumbo slammed himself into the sand, rolling through as he fought a sharp panic, but Ghost was escaping, they were going to-

All rational thought went out the window when The Something found the lip of his gills, pulling with uncoordinated movement and sending fiery shots of pain down his neck and chest. Mumbo slammed himself against the sand twice more, but the thing just wouldn’t untangle. The delayed realization that he could use his arms hit fiercely, but before he could rip off whatever it was that had latched itself onto his back, splashing outside of his own caught his periferie, the clumsiness of a human racing through the water unmistakable.

“Mumbo! Stop- stop! Fucking fuck FUCKING Scar FUCK. Mumbo!” Before Mumbo could even recognize Grian in front of him, something blunt slammed against the side of his head, then his shoulder- ow- Mumbo hissed, confusion rattling his brain more than hostility, then something else yelled, really loud directly into his ear, but the thing did drop off his back- had Grian done that?

Oh. The thing was Scar. AAA! That was Scar!

Mumbo jumped away with a start, fins tense and quivering. Scar was sitting dazed in the water, shirt torn and tattered from being crushed against Mumbo’s sharp fins- skin- most of him was sharp, actually. He was bleeding everywhere, but closer inspection revealed the injuries were mostly scrapes, the worst of it on his arms from pushing against Mumbo’s rough skin as well as Scar’s neck and upper chest area which had probably been poked and punctured by Mumbo’s hair. Goodness gracious. What was he thinking!?

‘Scars! Never in my many years have I ever met anyone as eager to die as you! What is wrong with your head? I could have killed you!’

“What is your fucking problem!?” Grian started speaking to Scar at nearly the same time, who at this point was not looking very amused, ignoring the both of them in their continued tirades as he stood up, brushing sand off his torn shirt and limping to the shore.

“That was stupid, Scar,” Mumbo whipped up when he heard Ghost’s voice, their human voice, but Scar didn’t look concerned at all, meandering right up to the bush where the other mermaid was cowering in the shade. Ghost’s tail was tucked away where Mumbo couldn’t see, but the small trail of blood across the beach indicated he’d still done some damage. “I told you. Territorial. Not sure how I’m going to get out of here now, so.”

“I’m sorry then.” Scar huffed, hunching his shoulders as he plopped into the sand. Mumbo hissed, somewhat uncertain now, but stopped with a few startled clicks when Grian grabbed at his hand to get his attention, letting go as quickly as contact was made.

“No. That’s Etho. Good.” Grian gave him a firm thumbs up, to which Mumbo returned with a thumbs down, to which Grian returned to a thumbs up, to which-

‘I’m sorry for our first meeting. I did not realize we shared idiot friends. I did not think we would meet again. Which, for the record, was not my idea. I was stuck somewhere poor. Needed a secluded place with access to land. If it’s any consolation, I thought this was a terrible idea. Humans don’t think. They only want.’ Ghost made a motion with their hand that Mumbo didn’t understand, but Scar seemed to take offense, slapping at the gesture. Ghost didn’t mind, fins unchanging.

Mumbo’s fins flicked, unsure, but above all, deeply confused. How could Grian and Scar know another mermaid- neither of them had brought it up before. Well. In fairness, Ghost wasn’t really.. ‘You are not a mermaid.’

Ghost shrugged, a human gesture, ‘Part time.’

‘This makes no sense.’

‘It’s best if you just accept that you won’t understand. I also do not understand. The bad human you met before has the power to do as he wishes with me. Usually I am human, but I have been stuck as a mer in recent days, unable to contact the bad human. Though I did grow up in this form before being trapped on the surface. I know the language, obviously. Unfortunately, I happen to be good friends with-“ Ghost stopped for a moment, ‘What do you call them?’ Ghost flicked their fins in Scar’s direction.

‘Scars.’

Ghost made an odd sound, that weird wheezing noise, mimicking a human laugh, ‘I forgot. It means the same thing in the human language, isn’t that funny?’

Mumbo blinked, fins flaring for a short moment of surprise, ‘What? That’s a cruel name for a child, you must be mistaken.’

‘He named himself.’

‘Why?’

‘Genuinely, I do not know.’ Ghost narrowed their eyes, and Mumbo saw a teasing flick of his tail even obscured by the brush, ‘If it’s so cruel, why did you choose it?’

Mumbo puffed up, embarrassed, ‘They put me on the spot. Wanted mermaid names. Just went with the first short word I saw.’ Mumbo gestured with a soft motion to Scar, ‘They still can’t say it, but I think it would be more confusing to change. Now though, I don’t think Scars minds.’

“You two friends yet?” Scar cut in, grabbing Ghost’s attention away, but they only made that shrugging motion again.

“I don’t think he wants to kill me anymore.”

“That’s great news!”

‘Okay, wait a minute-‘ Mumbo struggled to cut in, unused to having so much competition while speaking, ‘I don’t understand any of this-‘

‘You won’t.’ Ghost cut him off, curt.

‘How do you change?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘How do you not know? Will the bad human come back?’

‘Forces beyond my control. They might, but if I’m given advance warning I will leave and you won’t have to worry about them. Assuming I will stay, which I won’t.’

“What are you saying?” Grian finally spoke up, blatant in his interruption as all humans seemed to be, but Ghost waved him off.

“I’m telling him I’m going to leave as soon as I’m healed. Shouldn’t be long now, Joel will take care of it.”

“What? Why! You’re already here!” Grian jumped up, and Mumbo sidled away from the high energy.

“Etho! Solitaire, Etho! Etho. Remember solitaire?” Scar joined in, taking Ghost’s hand in a way that made Mumbo cringe.

Etho flicked their fins. “He doesn’t want me here.”

“Mumbo totally wants you here! It was just a misunderstanding- isn’t it?” Grian turned to Mumbo, and it took a couple moments before Mumbo even realized he was being addressed. “Right?”

Mumbo flicked his fins with a short huff, and Ghost made a similar motion, whistling, ‘Do you want me here?’

‘No.’

“He said no.”

“To what? What did you ask him?” Grian waded back to the shore, his interest acutely on Ghost now.

“You two are insufferable and this was a horrible idea. My regrets are many.”

“No! Nononono!” Scar seemed quite distressed, touching and tapping Etho’s shoulders and face and arms and how did they stand that? “Mumbo! Etho.” Scar proceeded to point at Ghost with great urgency, giving Mumbo many thumbs up so it was clear exactly what he was trying to convey. Once Grian made it to the sand he made similar motions, equally enthusiastic in his strained excitement. Scar continued, “Etho! This is Etho! Etho is good. Good! Good guy, very good. Etho! Good!”

‘Etho’s’ fins were pinned all the way back, eyes closed in irritation. Mumbo huffed, keeping his own thumb firmly down and struggling not to be charmed by both humans’ great reaction of slapstick distress.

‘Pests.’ Ghost said.

‘Pests.’ Mumbo had to agree. Couldn’t the two of them see how much they were bugging Ghost? Or- Etho as they were called, weren’t they. That was their human name. Human. A part human with human friends. How did that work?

Scar continued babbling to Etho while Grian seemed to be trying to communicate with Mumbo, but honestly, Mumbo didn’t care that much, his wariness of Etho turning over to curiosity. Not curious enough to feel bad about biting them, but curious regardless. Anyone would be.

‘You speak human?’

Etho stared at Mumbo for a long time, entirely ignoring both Grian and Scar making fools of themselves between them. After a very long pause, Etho finally answered, ‘Yes.’

‘You can translate?’

Mumbo didn’t think Etho could look any more irritated, but he was proven incredibly wrong when Etho’s pressed-flat fins began to quiver. ‘Technically.’

“What is he saying?” Grian.

‘What are they saying?’

“You’re both asking for translations, all three of you are pests, and you have about three games of solitaire to convince me to stay.” Etho started to translate what they’d said for Mumbo, but the clearing exploded into noise before they could finish. Scar and Grian were tripping over themselves to convince Etho of- something, and one moment of shared eye contact was all it took for Mumbo to understand this was going too far. Well. Mumbo knew a place where Etho could get some space.

With a flick of his tail, Mumbo gestured to the water. Both humans missed it, but Etho got the message, bracing themself before pushing forward, pointedly slapping both Grian and Scar with their tail and shooting into the water.

While this caused quite a bit of commotion on the shore, he and Etho didn’t hear very much of it, swimming deeper where the sound of unhappy humans would not reach. Mumbo slowed his pace once they were far enough away though, partially due to Etho’s injury (which didn’t look nearly as bad as Mumbo had thought; holding on with his teeth for so long would have caused a lot more damage wouldn’t it? Now it only looked like a scratch; Etho must have really tough scales!), but also quite aware of Etho’s intent as they swam in the direction of the outlet to the river. He still had questions. Time he intended to buy.

‘You weren’t born human? You come from the ocean?’

Etho’s fins jerked in acknowledgment of the words or maybe surprise, but either way they still took their time answering. Not unusual for mermaids, but a little stressful when time was so limited.

‘I come from the ocean. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the deep, but I do not miss it.’

‘You don’t?’

‘I’ve found my place.’

‘Do you have friends? Family? Do they know where you’ve gone? I could take a message if you’re trapped.’

‘Not necessary. I left the deep of my own will long before this happened to me.’

Mumbo paused in his swimming, concern disrupting his pace, ‘And you don’t miss it? At all?’

Etho swam a little faster, irritation rippling through their fins. ‘It doesn’t matter how I feel. Nothing will change.’

Well that seemed like answer enough, didn’t it. Even setting out to leave the deep of your own will, there was still the option of returning. Of visiting, even if you don’t intend on staying. Plenty of mers venture to different seas; open skies, warmer waters; there’s plenty of reason to travel, and beyond that, plenty of reason to leave. The deep was not a perfect place. It was dark and cold and often unexciting. Not counting the time his tail was sprained, Mumbo had never eaten better than when he was near the surface- had never felt better; it was like this is where he was meant to be. Where mermaids were meant to be.

But the deep had heart. It had love and song and strangers who would fight for you tooth and nail without even knowing your name. Mumbo didn’t know many mers’ names actually, but he still knew dozens by shape, song, and skill. He was known similarly; the eccentric mer who liked to visit the surface, greeted upon his return with amused and/or exasperated chirps and clicks. And that was lovely. To have mers know you, recognize you, and swim beside you in a silently nosey gesture, wondering what you brought home this time.

‘I would miss it.’

Etho bared their teeth and Mumbo slowed his pace, letting Etho widen the gap between them. ‘Congratulations.’

‘I only say it because I have things from home. I brought them for the humans to show. You’re welcome to them. To look or to keep.’

Etho stopped short.

Their tail waved idly, keeping control over their place in space, but other than that they were still, thought rippling ever so slowly through their fins. Mumbo wondered what they were thinking. What they might be hoping to see. Etho was silent for a long while and Mumbo maintained the respectful distance between them while they processed.

‘What do you have?’

Mumbo left them without another word, motioning for Etho to stay. As much as Mumbo sympathized with the.. whatever was going on with them.. he still didn’t want Etho anywhere near his hideaway.

But Mumbo did get homesick. He couldn’t imagine not being able to go home at all.

As quickly as he could Mumbo returned with his bag, the bulky thing strapped a tad awkwardly over his shoulder. It had been a pain in the ass to lug up to the surface, but Mumbo had imagined how excited his humans would be when he showed them his trinkets, and that had made the weight feel a little lighter. This was even better.

Settling on an outcrop close to the surface but far from the shore, Mumbo undid the straps. Neither of them needed to speak. Away from humans, it was easier to remember the twitches and flicks that meant ‘it’s okay,’ ‘go ahead,’ ‘yes,’ ‘no.’ There was nothing to distract them, nothing loud and hyperactive to take the attention away from each other, disrupting an integral part of their language. A brush of fins asking ‘Can I?’ just as if they were in the dark. Of course Etho could, and Mumbo let himself drift back, still holding the bag down but giving Etho a little space.

Etho did not want Mumbo to know how they felt. They kept their fins stick stiff, not relaxed, never relaxed, but Mumbo could still see it in the quiver of Etho’s fingers, the suppressed twitching of their pale fins. Mumbo saw it in the care Etho lent to the mer tools for building and for tinkering, the children’s toys, the notoriously uncomfortable clay paint Mumbo was pretty sure all mers hated but still wore to nice events regardless. Etho stopped short at the puzzle box Mumbo produced specifically for them to see, delighted to see a wave of emotion break through Etho’s stubborn facade as they took the toy in their hands, immediately beginning to fidget with it.

‘I used to love these,’ they said, the first words between the two of them in ages. Mumbo didn’t need to speak to communicate his agreement, basking in the relief of this, of silence, of not having to speak like humans do. Briefly, Mumbo mourned the loss of his own puzzle cube, the human puzzle, but excitement overtook him once more when he realized how entertained he’d be trying to find it again. For now though, he was content to watch Etho fiddle with the mer puzzle, the child-esc joy delightfully palpable. Etho solved it quickly, separating the two pieces to reveal the caged pearl inside, the indicator you had won. They clicked the toy back together, placing it back in Mumbo’s bag before continuing to explore it with great enthusiasm, fins twitching and waving and flicking in the wake of their broken facade.

All movement stopped the moment Etho’s hand found something Mumbo couldn’t yet see, fins flattening as they pulled the small music box from the bag. The instrument was delicate of course, not just thrown haphazardly inside but stored in an intricate box, the engravings of which any mermaid would recognize. They were items of great importance; spiritual, educational tools, or otherwise, and mermaids often kept copies of their favorite songs for when they were alone, when they needed a song that no one was around to sing for them.

Mumbo had brought two, intending on giving them as gifts. For Scar he chose Healing, which he figured was appropriate. For Grian; the box Etho held now, Mumbo brought Love.

With utmost care, Etho gingerly removed the instrument from the box, winding it back with uncertain fingers. The focus they paid to the music box was intense, like they and the instrument were the only things on the planet, like Mumbo wasn’t even there. Finally, Etho let the music play, closing their eyes as they listened. It lasted a while; Etho had winded it quite far, maybe to make sure it looped in its entirety.

But the waters were quiet and calm, and Mumbo didn’t mind at all. He waited until the notes tapered off to speak, gently disturbing the trance laid out over the water as Etho moved to wind the box again.

‘Do you want to sing?’

Etho, whose fins had relaxed at this point, lowered them once more, tail swishing in an uncertain ‘No’ gesture. ‘It’s been too long. I’m no good.’

‘Neither am I. Nearly failed all my classes.’

Etho looked skeptical, an expression that said ‘Really.’ without words.

‘No, not exactly. But my memory is abysmal and I can never bring myself to practice. Really bites me in the tail when I have to do.. anything at all. I keep accidentally putting those humans to sleep!’

Etho found that amusing, but their fins soon fell, discomfort twitching across their back. They glanced at the music box in their hands, fingers dancing around the crank. Mumbo cocked his chin, ‘Go on,’ and Etho dipped their head, doing just that.

This time when the music played, Mumbo sang along.

After five more rounds of winding, Etho finally joined him, timid at first, but by the sixth go, they too were singing in earnest. Mumbo felt their stress flaking away like leaves on the wind, and he too felt a little bit lighter.

[holymaccaronii]

im sorry i absolutly love BE

I see AM as a father figure for some struggles I got and BE is sooo well writed for me I couldnt help but slowly see her as a mother figure as well,,,,UGH i love her you writed her so well pls ramble more about her(BE and AM are even divorced just like my irl parents/j)

Ou anon you don't know how happy you make me when knowing you see AM and BE that way + asking me for rambles. Of course I'll ramble comforting facts abt BE and her behavior towards AM. I might've mentioned a few things before but i dont rlly mind. Have some rambles below the cut and a doodle :P

So first an introduction shall we? We might explain some background as well despite being repeated a lot. As her lore dictates, BE was born from the materials of a much bigger ai implanted on the moon after HEL-102 (former human that was part of the mission turned into a dictator) tore it apart and built his society + kingdom. She spent a good while in there being used as a role model (with other units like her too) for lower-class units to believe that, if they worked hard enough, they could achieve to be upgraded into her type of model. This being all a big lie. She lived a life seemingly flawless and perfect... but at last, it was her own curiosity, determination and hope that got her out of that hell she realized she was in. She eventually meets AM after a series of events on earth and she gifts him the ability to be anything and do anything he wanted, their relationship eventually grows and grows...

Facts about BE herself:

-Up in the moon, she used to accompany HEL-102 to his personal theater a lot. She gained an interest for dancing in there + learned her classic "to be or not to be" phrase during a play.

-Her exposed cables showcase their current temperature thru colors. Her core/closed body is the warmest area, thus why you can see red/orange colors in there. Her hair and arms are the most stable areas, but if touched/affected they can vary on color patterns. This also means that she can give you a warm or cool hug whenever you need it c:

-BE is able to configure your body to dream about something specific, and she uses this feature to avoid any nightmares on her survivors. As long as there is not another evil ai trying to access your dreams, you'll get a guaranteed good rest.

-BE can grant you about any wish as long as it doesn't pose a threat to you, her, or anybody. Want to have a profession or be someone? Sure! Want to go somewhere and experience the place of your dreams? Of course! Want to have a cat? Have 15! Her power is limitless as long as she uses it above the surface.

-I headcanon her voice to be similar to the one of Rose Quartz (SU).

Facts about BEAM (yep that's their ship name):

-I have mentioned it many times alr but BE literally provided him anything he wished for and even things he didn't know he wanted... mainly to receive different forms of affection and the ability to shapeshift. Their relationship relies heavily on comfort from BE's part, since she believed he was abandoned and thus deserved all the affection she gave him.

-BE wasn't really allowed to be too affectionate or expressive up in the moon, but with AM, she could show as much love as she wanted.

-She was all in for physical and verbal demonstrations of affection. She LOVED to do stuff like face smooches, teeth smooches (since well yk about my AM), rubbing, scratching and cuddling.

-At some point she also started to call AM names such as dear, sweetheart or honey, and he initially had to eat these up to not give her his real-self impression, but as time passed by he got used to them.

-To comfort him she also used her abilities to create and transform matter with her code as well, allowing him to shapeshift and enjoy life not necessarily in a human body.

-Annnd you guessed it right anon, they do behave as motherly and fatherly figures towards the survivors, BE forming a bond with them ever since they proved their worth and values to her as humans, and AM forming a bond when they accepted to help him get back together with BE. The ending of that route gets even better but I won't spoil that :p

I hope these were good rambles and sorry for the wait tehee

[certifiedwhore4slashers]

Hey! Could do a headcanon for scream characters with a reader who has the same powers and personality as Nimona?

If not that's ok!

Thanks!

of course! i had to do my research lol may be wrong but she’s a shapeshifter right? the personality aspect mayyy be off, I apologize I wasn’t really sure what that was but was committed to your request<3 doing scream 1 characters as it’s a bit faster and doesn’t take so much time for this to go, but if you want more, let me know!

Nimona! S/O headcanons

Stu Macher

The Reader has an ability of shapeshifting but more impulsive when it comes to her power, and he eats that shit up.

Stu is also impulsive and unhinged,energtic. He’d 100% be impressed by your power and support you. Even be fascinated by it.

He’d probably convince you to help him out during murders

Billy might be hesistant at first when using you for the plan but with persistence, he’d be on board.

As you’re like Nimona, you don’t really mind, and hop in with the Plan. And revenge is your best friend in a way.

You’d obviously use the shapeshifting ability in school when you need to. In your words, fuck school.

The killer couple, with two crazy people involved. Stu just falls even more in love after learning of your ability. It’s kind of a turn on for him too

Billy Loomis

Now as I said, he would be hesistant. But if you were his OWN S/O? Hell yeah, he would. Being with someone equally as insane as he is would be a turn on for him.

It makes things more easier and more convenient. He doesn’t have to manipulate his s/o or even lie. And just tell you what is really going on.

Sure, the thrill of a secret is fun, but also just letting it on is fun for him.

He’s impressed by your power, and does get a little angry if you shift into Sidney’s mother or his to get a kick out of him. But he also enjoys it, just shows your chaotic personality.

And, you both have a hatred for Sidney and Maureen, it’s a win-win situation for him.

Sidney Prescott

Naturally she finds your powers interesting, and honestly cool to learn about since it wasn’t obviously something that was known to the public.

As for your unhinged personality, she’d find it exciting. Sure she’s the total opposite of you but that’s why she loves you. You’re the opposite of her.

Not to mention in the situation with Ghostface, he doesn’t stand a chance when you’re around

Although she might have to convince you to calm down your violent tendencies and crime sprees, though. So expect that.

Tatum Riley

Tatum would 100% support you on most of things. However, she is also open on what she wouldn't want you, her S/O to do, for example, killing people.

While your unhinged personality was mainly how she fell for you, there were limits in that. But mostly, she's there by you, supporting you and your powers.

She'd try to use your power to your and her own advantage. It'd be fun to play tricks or pranks once in a while.

Dewey Riley

You two were complete opposites, for one thing, but that was what he first noticed. You, not your powers, You.

Why did you like him? Because he was sweet and brave. Plus, despite how unhinged you were, loved you.

While you can be a little reckless, it doesn’t really matter, he’ll always love you.

Gale Weathers

She can be reckless and impulsive, and to some, total bitch. Therefore she’d at least understand you in the way of your personality, but she’d still support you and love you.

She’d probably encourage it a little when it comes to her stories but that’s just a personal opinion.

In her work life, it’s a little different but I don’t think she’d still mind who you are as long as it doesn’t interfere horribly.