#like look at his little winglets

[steelthroat]

It was indeed fruitful.

It's unfinished, but I'm going to sleep now, it's almost midnight here 💀

Guys.

Cybertron, but the surface and the buildings are shaped like bismuth crystals...

Look at how pretty it is please!!!!!

[court-jobi]

Flip of a Switch

((banner by me! I don't own Horikoshi's work or this splendid art))

Pairing: Hawks x reader (fem!reader)

Words: 3.4k

Rating: M, 18+ (put down the spicy chicken bucket, baby birds)

Warnings: NSFW, oral (m receiving), fingering, praise, slight!overstim, est. relationship, sweet dirty talk, marking, Hawks / Reader are SWITCHES, porn w feelings, where we're going we don't need plot

Summary:

Any chance he gets, Hawks is going to be bounding into your apartment, ripping off his shirt and ready to spoil and be spoiled by your loving hands when he has a free afternoon or a rare night off the patrol circuit. His 'issued residence' is hardly a zen getaway for him, but your home is. Pleasing and pleasuring your beloved Pro Hero is the least of your worries. It's playing with yourself that's the hard part, so opening up your bedroom to your Keigo to let him try his hand at it is still a touch-and-go battle. But it's your playtime, too, and he's set on making you feel as sexy as you look.

A/N: It's smut hours, yall, and pretty bird is up next. Thank you all for the comments and love, hope you like this one!

For my My Hero Academia Masterlist, check it out here!

Read on Ao3

"Stop," Hawks breathes out fast, "Stopstopstop…"

With a rough hand, your personal Pro Hero forces you to listen: he smooths over your hair to get your attention along his hip, and cupped your chin with a lift to keep it up and away from temptation.

Looking up all too innocently, your small voice cracks from… lack of use.

"Wass'matter?" 

You swallow some residual ‘excitement’ from the corner of your mouth with a flirty tongue. Hawks's pupils are blown.

"Bad idea. Fuck... You're too good at that." He smirked, reining himself in.

"Mmm, thank you~" you laid down along his abs, mindful of the pulsing just below you, in between your breasts. Rocking back and forth under the excuse of 'getting comfortable' only got a rise out of Hawks more– your beloved companion inhales a cleansing breath to steady himself.

"And here I thought you had those pesky confidence issues, lovedove…"

"I did, a little." You pressed a little kiss and a twiddle of fingers along his sides, "But m'better now, thanks to you-"

Those fingers press and press towards his back, and the thought just crosses your mind…

Hawks clutches a wrist almost instantly- frowning hard to hide his near outburst.

Eyes flickering between Hawks’s face and his squeezing hand, you narrowed your set stare.

"... Are you ticklish?"

"No."

"You're lying."

"My wings aren't ticklish. Common misconcep’shn."

"Oh." you hushed. "So you won't make a fuss I do this..."

"Okay now, don't you gooo-ooh-woah, HEY!!"

Hawks rose up with laughter as you gave him a mighty ‘ole raspberry on his taut stomach. 

Happy Keigo is your favorite Keigo.

The bark of his involuntary giggles echo for a passing beat in your perfect, cozy room, cascading into low chuckles as you sought out his sides -close to where his winglets are pinned down– to tickle him further. 

The cuteness aggression on both your parts died down as he continued to cry uncle, so you eased up with the sweetest realization: this was probably the first time you recalled having so much pleasure and fun in bed. What a combination…

"You absolute brat!" Hawks rasps incredulously and pins you back towards the foot of the bed. This puts you squarely out of the covers to force your little squirming self against the cold- bringing out your subsequent pout. No amount of bargaining will help you now, "Oh no~ you don't get to hide. You asked for this."

And he copies your razz, causing you to burst out in high, carousing squeals- after which you immediately slap a hand over your mouth. 

Surprised by yourself, you had to mute the sudden noise with a panicked look at the door.

Hawks hummed, disapproving. 

"Look who's being loud now. Whatever would the Hikamotos say?"

The game of teasing only brought out your competitive nature. Your dear old neighbors hold no weight over you, but you weren't about to spark their wrath at you for being too loud again. 

You winked and teased your lip, "What they don’t know won’t hurt them."

"That so?" Hawks' eyes sparkled in the low light. "Then I have your permission to make you scream another way…?"

That made you stiffen- in all good humor, but aware of the sinful look in Hawks' dilated sights, you knew this wasn't a bluff. It's a promise.

"Okay, wait, no-- they'd definitely suspect something then!"

"Since when do you care what the old coots across the hall think?" Hawks countered, a jealous twang slipping into his words.

"Since I’m the one who has to deal with them whenever you're gone. And PopPop asks me -often- about my love life, and what I think about those heroes I'm always hanging out with. Pretty hard act to play, when I have to be cool even though I'm thirsting after your ev-.. ev’ry move, while you're.. y’know..not here."

Your words were slowing off your tongue as Hawks' wandering hands skimmed over your skin- one heading up your body to cradle your head, the other snaking down and swatting back the bunched-up covers to give him space.

"Yeah? And what're you going to tell the poor geezer now, hm?"

You smiled suggestively, but the sensations thrumming through your bones now send you reeling- knowing what was coming next, and already feeling the nerves push back up your gut.

Hawks' gaze flickered down as a hint. A whisper on his lips instructs you to 'open your legs a bit', very easy going. 

Letting your thighs go lax, you busy your hands by tugging his upper body down close so you could reach his hair- something, anything to hold onto, to touch him gently enough so he'd show you mercy.

He says it's his favorite way to unwind, being at home with you. Fierce Wings shed all over your room in batches, stripped down in next to nothing himself, unencumbered by teeming fans and villains alike– your boyfriend lights up at the idea when you offer your own cleared schedule to spend it with him. 

Within minutes of texting a particularly alluring selfie his way, Hawks is bounding into your apartment, ripping off his shirt and ready to spoil and be spoiled by your loving hands anytime he gets a free afternoon or a rare night off the patrol circuit. His apartment -while calm and aesthetically pleasing in its simpleness- is an ‘issued residence’, and reminds him of his commitments to work and thus far from his ideal zen getaway.

But making him feel good is the least of your reservations. It didn't take you longer than an episode of a kid’s cartoon to make him lose his mind and start begging to cum. 

It's playing with yourself that's the hard part, so opening up your bedroom to Hawks to let him try his hand at it was still a touch-and-go battle. 

You knew full well you were in the best care with him, knew it in your head and heart– but the flare of insecurity would not leave you alone when you're with him like this. Your entire waistline will tremble on its own, your spine will go stock still, and your legs are unable to really go weightless unless he’s telling you step by step to do so. 

But he makes it really convincing, bat of his eyes and all. He's never once rushed you or made a jab about how long you take to unwind. This is your playtime, too; where he can see past your flirty shell that's obviously attracted to him, but needs a little encouragement to turn sensual. He'd offer you the moon if he could- whatever would make you feel as sexy as you look.

Seems that simply watching you does it enough for him, at least… hence why he had to forcibly remove you from his lap to avoid releasing too soon. 

"So?” Hawks croons down to you, “You were going tell him..~?"

"That I-- uh..." you raked along his skull to feel grounded.

Gone are the featherlight and soft touches. Hawks is on a massaging mission. Memorizing  you by way of warmed skin and the stuttering breaths of almost kisses.

"You–?”

You squirm, brow furrowed.

“I– I can get the- uhm-”

“No…” the twist of your body is halted by his palm on your hip. Shaking his head at your suggestion of a toy to speed things along, he presses a chaste kiss to your nose, “no rushin’. Gonna try this the old-fashioned way.”

You flare with heat up your neck.

“Old-fashioned way?”

“Mhm~ Lovin’ touchin’ squeezin’, mama.”

He's honestly getting a bit creative in a way you haven't felt before. Rather than dip into where he knows you’ll be wet and stuff you full, he's mapping the entire area with expert touch, until he happens upon the nub of you that takes his full, thorough attention. 

Once he's got it, Hawks' rubbing grew distracting, very quickly. 

It's a good spot– the spot.

It's just little circles, why does this feel like it's numbing me straight to my brain…

Dammit, those teasing looks. You moaned, shutting your eyes to focus down. 

Your brain traipsed nearer and nearer to a fuzzy state, as was each word pushed out with lidded eyes: cast to him for an answer. 

"I-- mmmm.. What the hell you doing, and why'sitfeelsogood?..." 

Hawks drank them in and studied you with a proud but soft expression, watching you slip closer and closer to what he wanted. With bated breath, he nosed close to your ear,

"Gonna make you cum, sweet thing." Hawks cooed ever so lovingly. "Gonna go nice and slow~ just relax for me, deal?"

“B-but you haven't even-”

“I know~” kisses start getting littered on your neck, “I know, but I'm easy, babe. Wanna get you warmed up a bit, too. Only fair to my lady with that pretty, pretty mouth of hers, y'know? I hafta make things even~”

A broken hum in the affirmative, you give in and sink towards his neck and let him touch. 

“I– it's… it's not as easy for me, though… might take a while, n’ you shouldn’t hafta wait so long.. I don’t- know if I can…”

You’re never short on reactive noises, but your shyness overtook when the warm fluttering waves dominated your focus. It was too much and not enough; and between Hawks’ ministrations and his words, you had a hard time pinning your thoughts down on anything at all. 

“We don't have a timeline, sweet’eart,” your loving boyfriend nuzzles you, “s’just you and me here. Lemme love on you a little, hm?”

That voice of his- low and rolling, like he uses to talk to his higher ups in order to get away with his charming bullshit- was doing something powerful to you now.

"You sound amazing like this. All let loose and open for me?” Hawks lays on the praise thick, “Oh, I could listen to you all day and night. Just might do that.. mmm, feels good to touch you like this, too."

Fuck, Keigo. 

"Wanted to, for the longest time.. wanted to feel how much you missed me, if you miss me as much as I miss you... I want to listen to you breathe, like we did before. Hear you sing your own little birdie-songs, and just let everything else fade away.. wanna feel you around me and just let that heat take over -fuck, you're so wet, aren't you…”

Fuck, Keigo… 

“Wanted… to lay you back down on that sofa in my office that first day you said you'd come n’ meet me for lunch. Almost kept you all’to myself. Even after fighting every fuckin’ thing in sight between here to Tokyo, filthy as sin- I wanted you, even then..."

He’s kissing down your torso now, speaking this lovesick poetry straight to your core. 

To his retreating warmth, you grasped along his arm for his hand until you connected.

"Didn't fucking matter though, did it sweet’eart? You had my whole heart in a chokehold, I know that now– but God was I such a damned idiot for waitin’ so long. All I wanted was to tell you how much I loved you... N’tell you everything I do, and how I do it. All the stories you want– they're yours. Knowing I have you to come back to... To come home to..."

Next to bursting, your breaths came sharp and painfully arousing.

 "Keigo~~"

Ever the enticing hero, Hawks slunk down on his belly -ear to your abdomen- speaking right to you. Granting you the sweetest words he can muster in the gentlest voice- you feel closer than ever to the man claiming he's always been yours. 

"M’never letting 'nother day go by…” Hawks praised you with needy fingers still dancing around your folds, “Gonna swear to you, every single chance I get: how much I want you... adore you.. how much I fucking love you."

"Fuck, Keigo~~!" 

Your back tipped off the bed and suddenly, you felt attacked by the strangest surge of need that you gripped his wrist still; willing it to.. not stop- pull away? Or pull nearer?

He peeks up to you again with a devilish smirk. Popping up with a passionate lift of his wing’s assist, Hawks grumbles teases against your neck, 

"Bout to fly off into the clouds, are we?"

You whined beautifully; or at least, you think he'd say so. Through your head swims, swirling in all of his confessions of one-sided pining, you tried to beg for the unknown: 

Things feel tight, and achey.

"Wai-- Kei, I can’t-"

"Yes, you can," Hawks pressed into your neck and sped up his hand, "Yes you can, sweet thing. Let go, you're so close."

Breath was hard to come by. Little nosies grew high and light in your moans, and you're clutching at Hawks to come back up to you, seeking his protection and his warmth- higher and higher as your impending, ultimate high dangled mysteriously in front of you.

But no, he's back onto his belly with nothing but kisses to your midsection and some open mouthed nibbles at your skin on his way. 

Honestly, you had no real clue how this could happen with what he was doing, how he moved so expertly and pinpointed this edge of pleasure and agony for you with amazing precision- all by some fanciful words. 

This was different from any encounter you've had before. You think you know why, too, since it was apart of your draw to him in the first place- 

You are stuck on his voice. His mind. His inner man under all the showmanship. It all comes out through a honey-sweet tone that means every secret he spills is true. And he knows that'll strike to the core of you; you're a wordsmith, after all. He turns poetic, because he knows that will resonate with your artistic heart. 

It's working, because you’re  pulsing everywhere  and  need him so badly-

"Shit, Keigohoney, please!!" you begged- near tears- cupping his strong neck and looking for his assurance and safety.

–only said object of your affections is too into this, and aims to please and tease your way through to finishing. 

“What's that, baby? Whaddyou need?”

“I-I wan’ you, ughhh…” 

Those needs melted into moans the more you feel him pet and stroke. 

Your darling boy simply smiles and kisses you tender and quick against those trembling lips.

"I got you," Hawks rasped, his tone becoming urgent and coaxing, excitement lighting his eyes and nodding along with you as you convinced yourself: 

…this was new, but going to be oh-so worth it, just like he said- how he promised- 

Hawks bobs his head while he picks up the speed of his fingers on your clit, 

"You're gonna come for me, yeah? Gonna come hard and fast and you're gonna love every second of it, c'mon-- I got you, I'm right here."

You begged in half-whimpers.

‘I'm right here,’ the bed seems to agree- currently being rutted against by Hawks’ more hybrid tendencies, with you in between: 

"You're gonna feel so good. You don't need to beg… there's nothing but all the time in the world, nothing but this room, this bed. Nothin’ but your Keigo. Just you and me here."

Your very heart rose to the surface, slurring your words,

“Love you-…”

"Mm. I hear how much you love me," his moan into your ear to ramp up your pleasure, and make you cry out, “N’ I love you, too, little dove.”

He's caressing you even faster, but equally as light. It's not a push, but a thrum of constant pressure.

 "My girl’s almost ready to cum, isn't she?"

"FUCK yes!" you moaned at the change of pace. You're a panting mess and embarrassed by it– but  he's so excited to see it.

Chancing a look at him, Hawks is a man starved. Just touching you alone, he's heaving big breaths.

"That feels good, huh?” Hawks growls- nearing feral, “Gonna be even better with my cock inside you."

 It's the key to unlock your next cry.

"GODS, fuck me now!!"

"Not. Yet.”

Hawks tips your chin up with a possessive hold on your neck. His palm -gloveless since this began- cradles you from underneath, bringing your gaze to his fire-lit eyes.

“You go first. Then I'll fuck right into you, just like you want. You cum first for me, yeah? You gonna cum?"

"Yes~" you begged, breathless and in a trance under him, "Yes yes, please, I'll co-- ahh, I'm- ah.."

Hawks with his controlled strength squeezed his hand ever so gently, craning your head up and up, grinding with your leg in perfect rhythm with his hand's curl.

"That's it-- there you go, c'mon. C'mon."

Hawks spat his passions again and again, delicious in its roughness.

Then, you finally sobbed until it silenced you–

You’re jumping up against the weight slotted to you -his weight- but immediately stilled by Hawks' hard kisses over the column of your throat: kisses adorned with canines that bite when you start to shake through your pleasure.

Ultimate relief gushed out of you while you twitched and crashed against him, riding out his  hand to your body's high.

As the shocks spilled over, you're gasping- eyes wide open. 

Then as quick as it came, your entire body gave up its ghost; limp and clutching close to your anchor while he started chuckling in complete rapture,

“Atta girl, atta girl!! You did it, baby, I knew you could!”

He's celebrating this win, over and over as if it's his own. It was a vain effort since your ears felt stuffed with cotton from the exertion you'd just been put through, and could barely make anything out with the headrush ebbing away. The only thing you could register was Hawks’ frame bracing himself up on an elbow above you– your source of shelter.

Veritable alpha energy coating you from top to bottom, you relish each passing second of settling down easy while receiving little assuring kisses along your hot skin. 

Well, at first, they were kisses. Then some longer ones. Then a few licks along your neck working to cool you: he was tasting your sweat.

"Ohhhh-ho that's my best girl! You were amazing to watch- fuck~~. That was the most gorgeous thing I ever did see, hmmm... Oh, poor thing, can you hear me? Shhh hey, you. Can you hear me alrigh’?"

His voice was turning playful, and when you finally open your eyes, the dizzying sensation had gone away finally. But while the intensity had dimmed, it only reignited your heat when you met your lover's adoring features. 

Brilliant half smile on display, Hawks brushes your hair back and presses some loving forehead kisses across you… eliciting light breathless chuckles in thanks to the touch.

Hawks centered back on your flushed cheeks and lax brows- free from all tension,

"Back down on the ground with me?"

"...Holy shit."

"Good shit?"

"Good shit~"

“Color?”

“Golden.” Better than green, when it’s him.

You giggled in relief, shuddering against the cold and turning to the side aghast at yourself. Only in the let down of your post-bliss did you realize how fast you'd turned into a full sap the moment his hands were on you. 

And after being in control of his pleasure for so long before… he flipped a switch and blew your mind. 

Hawks was an incredibly fast learner, though was there any surprise there? You cover your neck for a second and gave a glowing laugh again, "Wow, my throat is tired."

Your blond beauty atop you simply stroked still-damp fingers along the supple edge of your breast. The experimental touch could hardly be considered fondling due to the soulful look of reverence in how he handled them. He'd be sure to shower up with you later and clean it off. 

"You were enjoying yourself- I’d call that a good job~”

"I don' think I can make any sandwiches for you after that one," you limply waved your hand: "no bones right now."

“Haha! No offerings needed, lovedove. It's entirely my pleasure.”

He’s your absolute angel, you’re convinced now more than ever.

Hawks rumbled happily, "Tired girl, huh. You do look pretty wiped out." He twirls your side swept hair aside. “S’pose I won’t be making good on my promise to fill ya up this time, will I?”

The tease prominent on his mind (and now yours), you focus in: broke from the daze and blindly shift your leg up and over Hawks’ thigh- pulling him in flush to you and grinding up with a smirk, 

"Not that tired, pretty bird."

[mosaicfangs]

Moon would not be small!!! Her dad is Morrowseer and she's described as having big muscles!!! She's the only NightWing in the entirety of Arc 2 who's had a good diet for longer than a few weeks!!! She's the dragon equivalent of 6ft tall and she would look like she can bench you (and let's face it she probably can) but you talk to her and she's the sweetest most tired little bookworm ever and she's got dark circles and tense shoulders and 3 dragons in her winglet understandably head-over-talons in love with her and it's like. Y'know that one picture of the little rabbit obsessed with a girlfriend 3 times his size? Yea that's Moonbli and Moonjou SHE WOULD NOT BE FUCKING SHORTER THAN HIM I SWEAR TO GOD-

[cozzzynook]

Megatron and Optimus agree on a peace treaty and to make sure both sides hold up their end of the deal they decide to bond their creations to each other.

Megatron has four kids Soundwave, Shadow Striker, Overlord and Tarn. He decides that when his kids are older one of them will choose to be bonded with an Autobot for the sake of peace. Instead of deciding for them because he doesn't want them to be treated differently and he wants them to decide for themselves.

Optimus on the other hand goes to the nursery sees Hot Rod, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper sleeping together and chooses Hot Rod.

He was an accident and unlike his siblings his sire wasn't around. Optimus couldn't bring himself to choose Bumblebee or Cliffjumper because he loved their sire and he didn't want to lose them.

Hot Rod had always been a fussy sparkling and he had a hard time bonding with him because of it and because his carrying was rough.

Growing up Hot Rod always felt like an outsider because he would one day bond with a Decepticon. His carrier was always distant because he felt guilty and was saving himself from the pain of losing him when he was taken to Kaon where he'd live with his bond mate.

Everyone else already saw him as a Decepticon and treated him differently because he'd be bonded to one of them. His home never felt like a home growing up it always felt like a temporary place where he lived.

He spent his entire life learning about Kaon and the Decepticons and how to please his bond mate.

He always thought he'd been chosen because he was the oldest and thought he'd bond with Soundwave. Which is why he made sure to learn everything about him because he wanted to make sure his bond mate was happy.

Then he found out Megatron had given his kids a choice and he wondered why Optimus didn't do the same for him. That's when he learns the truth and is spark broken.

I am in love with this idea.

Big brain theoceanoasis, big brain.

Poor Hot rod.

Everyone made it obvious that he wasn’t from the same sire as his siblings and he wasn’t allowed to play with them much. He didn’t have a bond with his carrier or siblings. He mostly grew up spending his time with Ratchet and his sparklings. He didn’t act like a royal outside of classes and he didn’t always remember what his siblings looked like and sometimes he accidentally calls Ratchet carrier and Drift sire.

The only bots he misses are Ratchet and his family but he didn’t want to intrude since he wasn’t their sparkling or kin.

When he sees how close Soundwave is to his own siblings and sire he cries when alone.

He missed out on so much love growing up that he shuts himself off when he sees it. It takes him so long, years really, to accept even a fraction of affection Soundwave and his siblings give him.

Megatron is pissed at how he’s treated his sparkling and Hot rod brushes it off because he truthfully doesn’t want to go back. He doesn’t want to see those uncomfortable faces or be reminded he wasn’t wanted.

He doesn’t know affection or being wanted until Drift and Ratchet come barging demanding to see him. First aid, Red alert and Winglet are with them. He’s so shocked to learn Ratchet and Drift were okay with just uprooting themselves from home and coming to live here. They’ll spend one half of the year in autobot territory and the other half in decepticon territory.

Drift used to be Deadlock so he’s familiar with the territory and he knows Hot rod was going to be fine which is why they didn’t immediately rush to see/get him.

Hot rod is overcome honestly.

Because all these bots can show him love and care about him but his own creator couldn’t. It honestly puts him off on having any sparklings and thankfully since Soundwave has siblings its no pressure. Soundwave wants sparklings but he won’t force Hot rod who tells him he can berth who ever he wishes and that he’d claim any sparkling Soundwave has so there would be no issues.

Soundwave is…not happy how little Hot rod thinks of himself but he’s truly been gifted a kind partner and he appreciates it he does. He just wishes Hot rod saw himself the way he does.

Its easy to fall in love with the mech but its also so hard not to grab him and demand he let Soundwave give him everything his spark desires.

optimus is not allowed to step pede in the kingdom for a long time and Ratchet tries to throttle Optimus the next time he sees him

[cyyyyanity]

Tales of magic and the wonderful or horrid things it could do were a prevalent part of Hydros' childhood. From his hatching he'd felt an icy chill in his talons, as though a freezing blizzard lay just beneath the surface of his tough skin. He lived in the very outskirts of the ice kingdom, where snow lay in a blanket on the ground but far from the subzero temperatures residing in the core of the ice kingdom. His parents had thought him sick, for the descriptions of a chilling bite through his talons, at least, until his first spell came. 

It was small, an accident, where he'd been playing in the snow with his father and had accidentally nicked his father's talons with his small serrated claws. He had never hurt his parents before, even if it was an accident. Since he had not been taught strictly like the higher circles of the rankings, he had been shaken. His father, kind as he was, had told him not to worry, that if Hydros held his talon in his small ones and chanted "heal the cut nice and quick, the pain will go just as slick," it would heal faster. But when Hydros did as asked, the cut healed and the scales knitted together over it as though it had never been there to begin with. 

That was the day his parents had learned he was the first icewing to have animus magic in generations. That day, in order to ensure Hydros was never found out to be an animus to allow him a normal childhood, they taught him of what the magic held and that it could be used for good, but could easily be deadly. They needed to ensure he was aware of how dangerous it was to wield magic, and to never use it unless the situation was dire and as long as it was used only to heal and protect, never to harm another. 

Hydros had abided by these rules to ensure he never caused his family pain. They had told him even of what the royal family might do if they found out. In order to keep his peaceful life in the lowest of the circles in the farthest outreaches of the kingdom, he had to keep quiet. He never used his magic, that is, until news of Darkstalker rising up from the earth came. He was only about a year old when it happened, and his small developing mind had made a choice. 

'Make myself so that animus magic cannot be used on me.'

If he was safe from magic, then nobody could ever force him to do bad things. Shortly after this spell, his parents got sick with the icewing plague when he did not. That was the third time he used his magic to help his parents. He was so small, barely knowing what he should do, but his parents helped him where they could. The terror of Darkstalker came and went, and Hydros stayed hidden with his family as it blew over. 

By the time Hydros was 5 years old, he was picked to go to Jade Mountain. They had already had royals go there before, back when Darkstalker came back, but this year they chose a dragon from out in the outskirts of the ice kingdom. Something about being more inclusive of the parts of the ice kingdom that didn't fit their general mold. Hydros had never imagined he would be picked, but then, he fit the idea perfectly. He had never strived to climb the ranks, preferring to stay where he was. If he stood out too much, they might find out his magic. 

His parents saw him off, giving him what he needed, even despite getting what he might need at Jade Mountain Academy itself. The trip took a little longer than he thought it would, but soon enough he was there. His talons landed on the smooth stone, sliding more than intended. He had never stepped on stone before. He straightened himself, tucking his wings in close as his tail flicked across the rock. 

He dipped his head lightly in greeting as he was welcomed in, holding the scroll they gave him gingerly. He unfurled it, dipping his snout in close to inspect where he was to go and who he'd room with and what winglet he was assigned to. There were two other dragonets he was housed with: Plateau and Morning Dew. He could only guess which tribes they belonged to. 

He looked along the walls, figuring out his way. He was so engrossed in figuring out how to get to the cave he'd be sharing and referencing the scroll that he found himself accidentally bumping into another dragonet, feet stepping over one another and wings jerking as Hydros stumbled to detach him from the obstruction. 

He tips his snout down to see the dragonet he'd run into, who stood nearly half his height with bright blue and purple scales, red and orange horns and spikes, and bright yellow ruff and fins. Bright green eyes looked up into his own dark and light blue ones, expression placid towards Hydros. He dips his head further in apology, remembering his manners as quickly as they could come to his mind. 

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was headed."

The dragonet in front of him tilts his head slightly, expression barely shifting. The other's lips twitch, almost like confusion. Though it's hard to tell with the barely shifting expression. Then, with a hum, bright green eyes blink once, then twice. 

"It's no issue. Were you headed towards the sleeping caves?"

Hydros had never met a more inexpressive dragon in his life. It was almost like the other didn't feel much emotion, though he shouldn't judge from appearance only. The most the other does is glance in the general direction of the sleeping caves, gesturing where they were. Hydros' tongue feels heavy in his mouth for reasons he couldn't explain, so he nods. He clicks his tongue, bringing himself instead to ask, 

"I didn't catch your name."

The other dragonet seems to look at him once over, tilting his head once more. He feels as though the other is deciphering his words deeper than what he means it as. For a moment he wonders if he'll even get an answer, and he's taken aback when eventually an answer comes. 

"Morning Dew. Who are you?"

Hydros' eyes glimmer in recognition, his body straightening up into a more proper position. So this is one of his clawmates, and one of the two that he'd be sharing a cave with. It felt meaningful in a way, even though his first impression is that he really doesn't understand this dragon, but still wishes to know. He knew not to expect everyone to be just like himself, but this isn't quite in the range he was expecting. He realizes a little too late that Morning Dew is still staring almost expectantly. 

"Oh, right- I'm Hydros, I'm sharing a sleeping cave with you and one other."

He shuffles on his feet while Morning Dew blinks, his ruff opening slightly more than before, ears twitching where they connected to his ruff. Morning Dew suddenly lifts a talon up, surprising Hydros. He freezes, tail jerking in surprise. He lifts his own talon far too quickly to grasp the other's talon in a light shake. 

"Nice to meet you."

Morning Dew's words come plainly, and Hydros can't tell if he's uninterested or not. Though he doesn't really mind, not when for the first time his talons feel warm. The biting chill subsides for the first time since his hatching. It's unfamiliar, but he finds he really enjoys warmth more than he thought he ever would. 

General Information:

Hydros is the first icewing animus in generations. This is thanks to the distant nightwing in his blood. A few generations ago, one of Whiteout's descendants met an outer circle Icewing and they had a dragonet together. This dragonet would later find another icewing to be with. In the end, since animus magic was able to skip generations, it inevitably led to Hydros. 

This is the same timeline as Darkstalker and Moon's prophecy, so the jade winglet exists and they are now older. 

Hydros made the enchantment to keep himself safe from animus magic out of fear when the news of Darkstalker spread. He did not enchant his parents because this spell had been with little thought, he just knew he needed to be safe since he also had magic that could be dangerous if used wrong. This means Darkstalker could not summon him like he did with the other existing animus dragons. 

Morning Dew's story and appearance are coming up next, and from there on will be the rest of the main dragonets cast. 

[some-pers0n]

Memoir of an Albatross

Chapter 1 - The Legacy of a Monster

[1] [2] [3] [4]

(Art by Loquatic)

Chapter Description: Turtle and the Jade Winglet have decided to spend a night at the long forgotten Island Palace. Turtle is petrified. This is where Albatross, the mass murdering animus, had killed dozens. But, late into the night, he spots something strange.

The Island Palace was quite possibly the last place Turtle wanted to visit. Why would he? It remains as a scar on Pyrrhia, a reminder of the dangerous potential of animus magic. A stain on the Sea Kingdom's history of what happens when animus magic goes unchecked.

Albatross was not a dragon Fathom wanted to be. A mad dragon. A terrifying murderer. An animus who could not control his own magic. Simply thinking about him made his stomach churn. Knowing that it was a possibility he could end up like Albatross horrified him. He would be better than that monster.

So, hearing that the Jade Winglet wanted to spend a night at the Island Palace was definitely something he was not interested in doing. 

Unfortunately, Qibli and Kinkajou were firm in their decision to do just that.

"Oh come on," Qibli said, "it's only one night!"

"We shouldn't...be here," Turtle mumbled. "Isn't this disrespectful? I mean, we are just going to run around in a place where so...so many dragons lost their lives."

"And? It's not like they're alive to see it. They've been dead for a long, long, LONG time," Kinkajou called out. "Who cares? It's going to be fun! Trust us."

"It's supposed to be scary anyway. It's Faust's Hallow. Wouldn't it be a little fun to spend it at some creepy old palace? We rarely get together nowadays, and besides, didn't Queen Coral give us permission for this? Turtle, this is our one chance!"

Turtle reluctantly looked at her, sighing. "If you say so..."

He was never fond of Faust's Hallow. It was a biannual "celebration" of one of the forgotten brother of Imperial, Oracle, and Perception. As the NightWing legend goes, while the other dragons ascended into the night sky to become the moons, Faust remained. He was tied to the world with his earthly connections. Thus, becoming the first-ever spirit. It was the basis for SandWing spirituality, so to say that Qibli was interested in it was most definitely an understatement.

Turtle on the other talon? Well, all he could think about was death and horror. His older brothers took joy in dressing up as ghosts and scaring the living daylights out of the younger ones. Not to also mention the constant imagery of skeletons and mourning, with Coral always having a memorial for her lost daughters.

Then, of course, Albatross himself. The reason they were coming here. A legend was that Albatross's spirit had never passed on. That his soul remained at the Island Palace, restless and still just as mad as the day he died. There had been stories of overly curious and confident dragonets running home after an encounter with Albatross at the Island Palace. But, those were just silly rumours. Little myths. That's what it is, certainly. 

Albatross wasn't there. How could he be? Well, the story of Faust was based on him wandering the continent for eternity. Perhaps, maybe- no. It's a made-up story. Turtle wasn't going to fall for some sort of story his brothers would tell to scare him. He already had enough sleepless nights, filled with anxiety and worry over the concept of Albatross still being around.

He's not. He's dead. This was just going to be a nice, if a bit restless, night out in the ruins of the abandoned Island Palace. He will not be scared.

They touched down on the beach around it. If Turtle remembered correctly, this was the Sunrise Beach. It was empty, completely devoid of any sort of life. The palace in front of them was crumbling and tattered. The lavish white walls were discoloured and washed out from weathering an impossible amount of storms. It was covered in moss and sea flora, with barnacles growing on the base of the palace. The light of the setting sun basked the palace in an ominous glow of oranges and purples.

A deep, horrible feeling persisted within Turtle. It made him aware of the light sensation in his claws. The tiny burning from within. Only a little ways away, tragedy had taken place. Two thousand years ago, Albatross, his great-grandfather, slaughtered twenty dragons. He carries the same power he does. Even right now, he could kill all of his friends. One stray thought and who knows what would happen.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Kinkajou bounced ahead. "We've got a whole palace to explore! I call looking on the upper floors with Moon!"

"Wh- me? Uh...okay then?" She stepped forward, following after her. "See you, I guess?" She waved to Qibli and Turtle before disappearing off into the courtyard.

"So, that just leaves me and you." Qibli rested his wing on Turtle, pulling him closer.

"Hurray..."

"Where you wanna go? If they're going up, let's check out the ground floor. Gardens. See some cool old statues that've been crumbling from age."

"What fun..."

Qibli frowned. "Hey, look. I know you're a bit freaked out. You didn't really want to come here. I'm sorry for dragging you along. But, I promise it'll be fun! There's nothing here to hurt any of us. Even if Albatross is still floating around somewhere, I'll be there protecting all of you." He raised his tail, showing off his obsidian-black barb.

Turtle awkwardly chuckled. "I don't think you can really stab a spirit."

"Are you saying I've never fought a spirit before?" the SandWing grinned confidently. "I'll have you know that, as Queen Thorn's personal guard and adoptive son, I had to fend off armies of spirits. Vengeful ghosts of dragons. Such is the way of being queen, I suppose. Anyways, I just need to fight them. Give them the ol' one-two. Beat 'em off with a stick." He swung his arm, mimicking hitting something.

He laughed, feeling his anxieties melt away. Qibli looked back at him, a soft, genuine smile on his face. "Feel a bit better?" He patted him on the back. "Right, let's go exploring."

The experience was dampened by Turtle's constant anxiety, but even then he couldn't doubt the majesty of the palace. Despite its decaying state, it was beautiful. Quiet, with only the sounds of waves crashing in the distance and the gentle trill of the breeze blowing through. Roaming the vast, empty halls was an experience to say the least. 

It made him picture the nights that happened in this palace. Legends say that it was originally used for diplomats to rest, but also for parties and special occasions. Turtle, having the soul of a writer, felt his mind wander as he imagined the sorts of stories that would've spawned from such a place. The balls and weddings. The ceremonies and speeches.

...then, of course, there's the massacre, but Turtle would still rather not think about that.

After a long while of exploring through forgotten gardens, they reached the main gathering room. It was central to the rest of the palace, with several collapsed balconies around it. Dried-up ponds and steams littered the floor. In the middle of it all was a large, grand statue of a SeaWing. Despite the ruin around it all, the statue remained somewhat intact. Turtle could even make out the royal blue of which it used to be.

Off to the side was a large archway leading out onto the other beach. The setting sun was just about on the cusp of the horizon, painting the sky in vibrant oranges and yellows. The sapphire blue ocean pulled in and out rhythmically. It was as though it was the sea's own heartbeat.

"Woah..." he whispered, awestruck.

"Sure don't see places like this too often." Qibli walked ahead, eyes glazing over every detail.

"Hey!" a voice called from ahead. Turtle looked up, seeing Moon and Kinkajou on a balcony.

"What did you find?" Kinkajou asked.

"Not much. Bunch of gardens. Cool statues in them though," Qibli said. "How about you?"

"Bunch of old bedrooms," Moon replied. "Kinkajou thought she could find some treasure still. Checked all over. Nothing."

"Doesn't seem like it," Qibli said, "palace has been picked clean for centuries. Any chance for any sort of gems are probably all lost."

"Yeah..." Turtle quietly said. "Is anybody else feeling a little tired? Like they don't want to explore a big ruined palace that a bunch of dragons died in anymore and just sleep?"

The SandWing laughed. "I don't know about that."

"I'm feeling a little tired myself," said Moon. "It's been a long day of flying. I can probably lay down with Turtle if you don't mind."

"Oh come onnnn guys!" Kinkajou wined. "This is supposed to be a cool adventure for us! Sleep? Bleh! Gross! I want to stay up all night and look for all of these ghosts. It'll be fun!"

"I know, but...I just want to rest. Besides, this was all mostly for you two anyways." Moon opened her wings, flying down to the ground floor. "Sorry for being disappointingly boring..."

"No, no! It's all good." Qibli waved them off. "It's fine, really. Kinkajou and I can stay up and face those spirits ourselves. Buuutttt if you hear us screaming and calling out for help as we're being chased by a very scary old murderer dragon, you wouldn't mind helping us out, right?"

Moon and Turtle chuckled. "No, not at all." She turned her attention to Turtle. "I guess we can settle down here. I doubt we'll find a blanket of some kind."

"Ah, so we have to lie on the cold, hard floor."

"Yes, probably."

"Hey, if it'll make it up to you, I could try and find something. There's gotta be a stash of blankets that are still around," Qibli said, lifting himself into the air.

"Even after two thousand years?" Turtle asked.

"Worth a shot!" He shrugged, flying up to Kinkajou. "See ya around." He dipped his head before wandering back into the palace with the RainWing, leaving them both to themselves.

"Well, see you in the morning." Moon walked in a circle, patting the ground before lying down.

"Hey, quick question," Turtle said, "do you feel scared?"

Moon tapped her claws. "A little."

"You aren't just saying that to make me feel better, right?"

"Of course! It's just that, you know, being alone in a big palace. Makes me think about Darkstalker and that whole...thing." She sighed. "I know you're freaked out too."

"It's nothing, really. I'm just a little anxious over nothing. Spirits don't last forever, right? They move on. Pass onto some new stage of life we can't even comprehend. I doubt that he would still be here."

"He isn't, and, well, if he is, then we'll do everything to protect you."

Turtle glanced at his talons. There was a gentle tingling within them, a feeling he had only noticed when his magic was briefly taken away. "You shouldn't need to protect me."

"Hm?"

"I have magic, don't I? I should be able to protect myself. I should be the one protecting you in case something goes wrong."

"Nothing's going to happen though."

"I know, but, I still feel like I should be using it in case things happen. Stop being so scared of it. But..."

"But you don't want to end up like Albatross?" Moon asked.

He smacked his lips. "Yeah, pretty much."

She exhaled. "I'm sorry. But, it'll be a nice night, I'm sure. We can just sit and sleep if that makes you happy. The night will pass and we can listen to Kinkajou and Qibli and their adventures in the morning."

"That sounds nice." Turtle laid down next to her, yawning before resting his head against the marble floor. It'll be fine. He just has to sleep. When morning breaks, it'll all be over. When morning comes, Albatross will be gone.

He didn't know what time it was when he woke up. All he knew was that it was dark. Pitch black. Turtle blinked, his eyes slowly adjusting to the night around him.

He didn't wake up from some nightmare or anything. He didn't dream much these days. Instead, he felt a presence around him. A shift in the air. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but it was uncomfortable enough to drag him out of his sleep.

Around him were the rest of the group. Kinkajou and Moon were huddled together while Qibli held his wing over Turtle. Looks like the hunt for a ghost didn't turn out so well if they were all asleep here.

He wiggled out from under there, slowly rising to his feet. He looked around, trying to see if it was just his paranoid imagination or if there was really something amiss.

Then, off in the distance, he noticed something. A dim light. A faint glow out by the ocean up ahead.

Immediately, Turtle's stomach dropped. His mind instantly went to the worst thing possible. It was him. He was here and he was going to kill them all. Why would there be glowing right there if not for being the aura of some spirit?

No, no... It's fine. Deep breaths. It's all okay. It's probably a moonlight jellyfish. They glow in the dark. Maybe it washed up on the shore. He could help it out a little. If he did that, then maybe he'd realize there was nothing to be scared of. That there is no ghost. No dangerous, vengeful spirit of a long-dead murderer.

He steadied himself as he walked forward. He repeated to himself over and over that he's got nothing to worry about. It's all okay. He walked up to the edge of the archway, right before his talons would touch the sand.

It was a glowing dragon with a massive spear plunged right through its neck.

His weight slipped beneath his talons and he fell forward. He tried to quickly turn around and fly, but, clumsy as he was, he tumbled and was now barreling towards it. He rolled along the sand like the most terrified armadillo to walk this continent before finally stopping. He froze completely. Paralyzed. His heart pounded against his chest as he tried to comprehend what to do.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting for an attack that never came, he sheepishly looked up.

Gazing back at him were two eyes, darker than the night around them. Their scales were a sickening pale grey. The most eye-catching thing of all was the silver spear that was lodged in his throat. Its hilt was stinking out one end, with the blade poking out the other. Faded stains of blood were dotted around his body, the most being around where the spear had hit him. Outlining the body was a gentle blue light that flicked like a lit candle.

The two stayed like that, staring. Turtle did not dare to blink, fearing that one small movement would instantly set him off. This was him. This was Albatross.

"Fathom?" the spirit asked. His voice was calm, if rather confused and surprised. "No, you can't be him. Fathom must have died ages ago. You're someone new. Someone in his likeness."

"...please don't kill me..." Turtle squeaked. He wanted to say something with more meaning. Cast a spell or anything. Yet, he was trapped in his fear. He couldn't think.

Albatross's expression dimmed. "Right. You must be terrified of me. I was so distracted by you looking like my grandson that I forgot about that horrible, horrible night. That night which made me what I am now." He tapped the spear. "Though, I do think you're the one to last the longest when seeing me. Most run. Maybe they'll throw something at me or try attacking me. Never works. Can't exactly kill a ghost, now can you?" He quietly laughed.

Turtle tried speaking again, but all that came out were mere whimpers.

"Goodness, you're petrified of me. I mean, anybody would. I haven't left the palace since the day I died, but I know enough to understand. I've been there when visitors come around. They steal the things out of my own house, cursing me and what I've done. It's upsetting to know what I am remembered as, but I don't blame you for being scared. I don't blame anybody. I should be condemned for what happened."

He finally shut his mouth. The more Turtle looked at Albatross, slowly, the less fearful he was. Granted, he was still very much horrified, but there was an air to the way the spirit spoke that resonated with him. That he was being genuine.

This wasn't what he expected. He pictured Albatross, the mad animus, as a being of chaos that the world has never seen. Some dark, twisted dragon who could barely control himself. He was imagining him to be vicious, bloodthirsty, and wanting nothing more than to kill.

Instead, he seemed mournful. He spoke warmly. There was reason and understanding in his body language. Even if it was idiotic, Turtle let his guard down somewhat.

"How...what..." he stammered.

"How am I here? I couldn't tell you myself. I've never read that much on spirituality and ghosts. But, I'm the only one left here. The rest have all gone away. Yet, I remain. I'm bound to this palace. I can't leave. If there was a way, I would've found it years ago. Then maybe I wouldn't be here, scaring you."

"You sound...sad," Turtle blurted out.

Albatross snorted. "Pff, do I really? I didn't know I sounded so melancholic. I haven't had anybody to talk to in ages. You're good company. Thank you for listening to an old sea dragon ramble, even if you're still scared. I know it's not much to you, but I promise I mean no harm. I've never meant harm. Ever. It's just..." He glanced away, breaking eye contact. "I was emotional. I had no excuse. I let my own instincts and desires take over my own better wishes. Despite doing everything right and trying my hardest to avoid it, it still happened."

He looked back at Turtle. "I'm sorry for what I've done for our tribe. You can run away now. I'll just be happy I had somebody to talk to, even if it was a one-way conversation." He smiled a crinkly, awkward smile.

Turtle stared. Then, he made what should've been the stupidest decision of his life:

He stood up but did not flee. He sat there. "My name is Turtle," he said quietly.

"Turtle?" he echoed. "You aren't flying away screaming?"

"Not unless you give me a reason to, I guess?"

"Isn't looking at a dragon who's killed dozens of dragons in one night enough of a reason?"

"It...should be, but I'm not that scared of you. You seem too sad to hurt me."

"Hurt you? I'd never do that! My magic is limited. I can't do much besides lift some rocks and play around with the water." He waved his talons. Behind him, a small amount of water rose into the air, shaping and twisting into the shape of a bird. A seagull.

"Even if I could do more, I wouldn't dare to hurt another soul. I've already done enough damage," he continued.

"You confused me for Fathom earlier. Your grandson, right?"

"Yes, Fathom." Albatross's eyes narrowed. "You have the wing patterns. You're royalty as well?"

He nodded. "...and I am also an animus."

He barked a laugh. "Really? I've never believed in reincarnation, but you're the spitting image of Fathom if I've ever seen it."

Turtle shuffled his talons. "Thanks. I got that once before."

"Hm? By who?"

"A big evil NightWing who wanted to kill the entire IceWing tribe. He was friends with Fathom as well. How did I meet him if he was alive two thousand years ago? It's a long story."

"Don't we all have long stories to tell." Albatross turned his back to Turtle, staring back at the ocean. "If you don't mind, may you sit next to me? I enjoy watching the sea."

Turtle hesitated, but he followed. He joined the spirit.

It was a tranquil night. A clear sky, the moons beaming down in their full glory. The cool salty breeze brushed against Turtle. Strangely enough, he felt at peace. He never would've thought in a million years he'd say that when right beside him is the ghost of Albatross, but what can you do?

"I'm sorry if this is selfish," Albatross began, "but do you have the time to listen to an old dragon's story?"

"Huh?"

"You seem like a wonderful dragon, Turtle. You're far too sweet than what I deserve. I apologize if it's a bit much, considering how I am still a murderer in your eyes, but could you listen to me tell my story?"

"Your story?"

"My life. Nobody ever heard about it. They only see me as a monster. I am, but I can't help but want something else. I want to tell at least one dragon about it. Set it all straight. Pour my heart out if only to get everything that's been festering inside me out into the world."

"That'd be alright. I like stories."

"It's not a very happy story. There's a lot of tragedy. Too much, now that I think about it. I'm sorry."

"No no! It's alright. I do want to hear it. What life was like for you," he said.

Albatross cracked another smile. "Thank you..." He sounded as though he was fighting back tears.

He waved his talons, the water rising once more. "I suppose I should start it when it all went wrong." The water slowly began to shift into the form of a dragon. "The day when I discovered my magic." 

[dragon-queen21]

Regressor Moon + cg's jade winglet minific

@babyminty

I wrote this such a long time ago but never had the courage to post it till now. I have another little bit written but it's not as completed as this one with Winter and Qibli. Maybe I should finish these and post them on ao3. I'll think about it, in the meantime... enjoy :D

~~~

“Aww how old are you hatchling?”

Moon shrugs. She had honestly thought she was doing a half alright job at hiding her regression. Either she was sorely mistaken (which was slightly worrisome) or her friend was just super observant.

“Two? Maybe one? Or maybe younger?” The rainwing seemed to just be rambling off numbers at this point. Moon tucked herself closer to the smaller dragon, as if trying to shrink away from the other two dragons who had now entered the cave.

“Scorpions tails! Moon did something happen to you?! Did she go insane? Is this something that happens when you can read dragons minds?!” Qibli asked frantically, reaching out one paw like he was going to touch her but pulling away at the last second. "Wait did she get cursed?!"

Kinkajou look mildly annoyed for some reason, red curling around her snout and eyes. “She’s not going insane, and this isn't some type of animus magic. She's regressed.” The small rainwing was met by two blank stares.

"You're telling me that neither of you know what that is?"

"I could take a guess, but it'd probably be wrong." Qibli adds, unhelpfully. "But she doesn't look physically younger so..."

"It's a type of coping mechanism. You know, to deal with trauma and stress?"

"Like all those stupid activities the dragonets of prophecy keep trying to get us to do?" Winter says, thinking back to the different art and music caves scattered across the school that often are being used by dragons dealing with painful memories from the war. Trying to get them to deal with their feelings in a healthy way, that didn't involve fighting.

"Exactly! I'm trying to figure out how old Moon is."

Winter couldn’t imagine showing this kind of weakness being allowed back at the ice palace, and by the look on Qibli’s face neither could he imagine it. It made sense that a rainwing of all dragons would know about such things. Though Qibli did have the decency to walk up to Moon, crouching down besides her. “Hi there.”

She gave a small, but friendly chirup, reaching out a paw to grab at his snout.

“Moon careful.” Kinkajou warned, taking her friends talons away from the sandwings face.

He bumps snouts with Moon when she starts looking to upset. "She's alright, can't do much more harm than what's already been done to me."

Winter clear his throat. “So what do we do with her?”  Wondering why they couldn’t just leave her and come back when she was normal.

“Usually someone looks after a regressed dragon till they go back to normal. Anyone watching over you Moon?”

The nightwing nodded, looked as though she was going to say something before thinking better of it,  then frowned, then shook her head. Winter did not have the time nor patience to try and figure out whatever that meant.

"Okay, well obviously that means that we've got to look after her right?" Qibli asked, looking over at Kinkajou, who nodded.

"If that's what Moon wants."

"Really?"

"Of course hatchling!" Kinkajou chirped, scales shifting to show dapples of sunny yellow across her body.

“Hey it’s like having a little sister again! One who won’t try and kill me!” Qibli said, already sounding much too fond about looking after Moon than Winter was.

[ravewing]

honestly after rereading arc 2 ive realized that ive come to like the idea of qinter than the actual canon version of it.

like at the end of the day ive been a qinter fan since i was in third grade so of course im going to be biased towards it and itll always hold a special place in my heart but i must say that a lot of their canon interactions were just qibli making jabs at winter to a point where it sort of seemed like he didn't like it anymore?? if that makes sense?? dont get me wrong i love the sunshine x grumpy dynamic but with them idk.

i cant lie i feel like the entire jade winglet completely cut winter off and they were always against him even though literally he was completely justified in pretty much everything he did?? like im sorry but him going to save hailstorm (HIS BROTHER THAT HE THOUGHT WAS DEAD FOR YEARS) rather than going to look for the ancient nightwing who has killed hundreds of his tribe was perfectly reasonable. the vase scene was completely reasonable (could you imagine YOUR best friends defending the man who put you under a spell and wanted to commit genocide on your people and wipe them out entirely?? id be pissed as hell). to an extent, winter being suspicious about moon and the cave explosion was reasonable (i do agree that he came off as very aggressive in that, but at the same time you have to see things from his point of view. how WOULD she have known about the bomb?? not to mention how hes been conditioned and indoctrinated to distrust nightwings).

i feel like qibli especially comes at winter for these things and tells him that hes wrong for it and that hes being toxic even though hes LITERALLY NOT. and the whole thing with him saying that if he had animus magic that he would change winter's personality always rubbed me the wrong way. i feel like toxic is too strong of a word but i dont think that theyd be necessarily healthy together, not until theyve matured a little more and have found better ways to cope with their past traumas instead of repressing it and putting on this charming guy who makes jabs at people persona or taking it out on other people through anger and frustration.

in all honesty i feel like tui shouldve gone with moon not making a choice in the qibli/winter/moon love triangle to sort of show that you dont need to be with someone to be happy and that its okay to stay as just friends– icl, thats how i thought that it was going to end when i first read arc 2. i feel as though moonbli was a little rushed, and i do like the idea of winterwatcher (just like i do with qinter) but i dont think that he's emotionally ready for a relationship. also this is unrelated but when initially reading book 6 i thought that moon was going to end up with turtle; ive always thought that theyd be cute together lol.

im thinking about it now and i really like the idea of turtle and winter but i cant for the life of me remember if theyve ever had any one on one interactions. if theres anything please can someone send in reblogs ..

im getting off topic now so tldr i like the version of qinter that exists in my head but i feel like they shouldnt be together in canon, not at least until they sort out their own issues.

[sombrathedragon]

Ranking all Wof Cover (except winglets and graphic novels) because I’m bored :p (Some spoilers!)

#1: The Dragonet Prophecy. Personally, I think it’s cool, although I think it could have a little more action on it. In the drafts, it was gonna have Queen Scarlet’s arena, which I think would’ve been a cool edition to the cover, but sadly they removed it. 7/10

#2: The Lost Heir. Ok this one is awesome. It really shows Tsunami’s personality in her pose and it has so much action yet not to much. But they did forget to put the royal markings on her wings, which kinda makes her seem a little less important if you’re just looking at the cover. Originally it was gonna be called “The Last Heir” which sounds epic, but then again Anemone is in the book, so it wouldn’t make sense. 9.5/10

#3: The Hidden Kingdom. One of the coolest covers, I’m a sucker for the wings contrasting with the background (which is a reason I love The Dangerous Gift) but to be honest, Glory just kinda doesn’t stand out. Even with Tsunami being blue on blue, she stands out while Glory just… doesn’t. I think it would be cool if we saw her using venom, and if you say “But she doesn’t use venom in the Rainforest in the book!” Boy are you gonna do a flip when you see The Lost Continent. 5/10.

#4: The Dark Secret: Honestly… just kinda… meh. I mean sure Starflight’s pose is cool, as it shows how the Nightwings are supposedly these evil mind reading future seeing beings that are going to rule the world, but it’s not really as cool as Tsunami’s or Clay’s. If anything I think the background makes up for it. The blue cloudy sky contrasting with the dimly red lit stone just catches my eyes immediately. 5/10.

#5: The Brightest Night: I love this cover. Mainly because I love the way Sunny is portrayed on it as she is a hybrid but also I love the three moons in the background and the Sand Kingdom. Sunny’s golden yellow on the black night in the back is just perfection to my eyes. 10/10.

#6: Moon Rising: I adore this cover. And not because Turtle is on the back but that’s a reason I love it as well. Moon having that green fade on her wings is just really cool imo, and this is one of the covers that actually takes place in the book. I think it would be a little bit better if MoonWATCHER was look in the direction of the MOONS, but other than that I love this cover. 9/10.

#7: Winter Turning: The draft for this wasn’t going to have purple on it, and to be honest, I’m glad they added that. The purple really brings out Winter and the Ice Kingdom, and it really makes everything pop. 10/10.

#8: Escaping Peril: Ok so maybe I’m a sucker for red on blue but Peril’s cover is just, wow. Her being chased by Scarlet is awesome, but I’m a little sad it didn’t happen in the book. (I think? Haven’t read this in like a year) My only complaint is that it doesn’t look like the Sky Kingdom in the back. Like if I first saw this cover and didn’t read WOF, I would think they’re flying over human city’s. 7/10.

#9: Talons of Powers: Don’t be bias about this one because Turtle's in it, Don’t be bias about this one because Turtle’s in it, can you tell that this is my favorite cover? Other than the fact that Turtle’s on it, I love the fight between Turtle and Anemone on the cover, giving away a key point, but not too much spoilers. I also love all the action on the cover, with Turtle soaring out the water. But they did forget Anemone’s royal patterns, so it’s not perfect. 9.9/10

#10: Darkness of Dragons: Qibli’s yellow on the sunset background is just perfect, alongside the dark pieces of stone from the ancient Nightwing city. His pose really shows how Qibli is brave and daring, but they did forget his snout scar, which is like the one thing that makes Qibli, Qibli. 8/10.

#11: The Lost Continent: Blue’s, well blue is the perfect contrast to the orange Pantalan savanna and the tan hives. Now, most people don’t like this cover because, “Blue doesn’t get his wings in the book!” or, “Cricket described him as blue, but on the cover he’s purple and green!” And my response to these are, 1: Tui actually was going to make Blue have no wings on the cover, but she thought he looked more pretty with wings than without. And 2: I personally love purple and green blue, It makes him look more related to Admiral and it makes him less of an eyesore imo. (If you seen the book description version of him on the wiki, you know what I mean). 10/10.

#12: The Hive Queen: Again, even though it’s yellow on yellow, Cricket still manages to stand out. I think it’s because Cricket’s more yellow, while the hive is more orange. I think the lights and the.. hole dens? Really just make the background so visible but not the main focus. 10/10

#13: The Poison Jungle: How does Joy Ang manage to put the same colored character on the same colored background and still make them stand out? Magic. Anyways, Sundews pose and the Poison Jungle in the back just really shows how fierce she is. Her small gold scales make her pop from the background, and I think the light behind her is the key to not have her blend it. 10/10

#14: The Dangerous Gift: Like I said in THK, I love wings that stand out from the background, so this is one of my favorite covers. Snowfall flying with Lynx by the coast where the Silkwings would fly in gives away so much yet so little. Also I love Snowfalls pose, no reason why it just looks cool :). 10/10

#15: The Flames of Hope. Honestly…. This cover is the worst in the Lost Continent Arc. Honestly Lunas pose is cool, and I think it would look really awesome if it wasn’t for the lighting of the flamesilk. That kind of blends her into the background at makes it a little boring to look at. But I do have to say I love Sky with Wren on the back and even thought Sky is described as pale, I love a red Sky. 6/10.

#16: Darkstalker: Darkstalker in on his mewing streak on this cover 🤫🧏‍♂️👌. I love his black on red background, but it’s boring. There’s nothing going on in the back, and he’s just standing there doing nothing. 6/10.

#16: Dragonslayer: I don’t have much to say about this cover. It has so much action but so little at the same time. It catches my eye but at the same time it doesn’t. I’m honestly very meh about this cover. 5/10.

[paradoxalarchive]

Here's another WOF oc! This is Thistle, a half icewing, half rainwing hybrid!

Thistle is one of Cotton's friends, and part of her winglet at Jade academy :)

He can't spit venom, but he does have what I'll call "cold" breath. Which is a very weak form of the icewing's freezing breath. He can't really freeze things with his icy breath, but it's good for cooling you down in the summer, or for keeping your drinks chilled lol

His spots change colour, exactly like a regular rainwing, which leads to some odd looking camouflage (he doesn't usually even try to camouflage because it's a little pointless)

I threw together some examples of his spot camouflage and colour changing:

[wings-of-fire-confessions]

I actually don’t hate Peacemaker, or the ending to Darkness of Dragons. “Oh!! But it betrays the themes of Arc 2!!” I think it’s a thematic punishment- ironic even. Darkstalker spent his ENTIRE LIFE stripping people of their autonomy, or at least trying to (Arctic, Clearsight, Indigo, Fathom, Moon, Anemone, Fierceteeth…. Need I go on?). And- on top of that- he refused to go back, refused to do anything better. He stuck by his genocidal stance until the minute he “died.” And- really- what else were the Jade Winglet supposed to do? He was immortal, invulnerable, and could kill any one of them with a strong THOUGHT.

There’s also so much potential for Peacemaker. More NightWings are going to hatch with powers now, who’s to say one of more of them won’t find out he used to be Darkstalker from a little slip in one of the Jade Winglet’s thoughts? Moon is mentioned to constantly be looking to see if Peacemaker shows any traits of Darkstalker. Those dragonets have probably heard of Darkstalker from their parents, so what happens when they find out the little hybrid next door used to be a Genocidal monster? It opens the door for Peacemaker either to become another Darkstalker, scorned by his father tribe (again)- or for him to turn a whole new leaf and allow him to live his own life, kind of like a better-ending Hawthorn.

What I DON’T like is these seemingly fandom-wide decision that if Peacemaker takes a Darkstalker turn, it’s because there’s a piece of Darkstalker still in him. I’m fine with nightmares, similar to how Pyrite/Hailstorm dreamt of icy mountains. But “oh! Yeah there’s still some Darkstalker there!” Defeats the ending of Darkness of Dragons even worse than Darkstalker becoming Peacemaker in the first place. That (to me, personally) takes even more autonomy away from a character already deemed by the fandom to have been born of a lack of it. Plus, the idea of Darkstalker’s shadow looming over Phyrria feels much more real and would have a bigger impact on the story and themes than if Darkstalker just… came back.

Sorry for the tangent, but I hope you enjoyed reading it nonetheless!

Hopefully this doesn’t spark a war, but I hope it doesn’t. Guess a bonus confession would be that WoF is the best fandom I’ve EVER been in. ^^

.

[clearsighting]

woah sixty notifications anyways,

to preface arctic is my favorite character but narratively not in a “wow he’s a good person” way so let that shape your opinion of my opinion

giant fucking essay under cut i’m sorry

can anyone hear me. why is arctic portrayed in the fandom as tragic and had a negative character arc after killing those icewings with his magic. when he’s been horrible the entire time, just more subtly. he found everything in his life to be utterly tragic and boring and it all to be a big drag. he was a prince and he was expected for the animus powers he held and the offspring he’d have. arctic saw himself as an extension of diamond— which all princes are to their queens, basically— and he hated it. he had no authority over his own life and this was also enforced by the ranking system and general icewing culture.

…except that he never had any ill thoughts about that. it was always about what power his mother held over him. interesting! he didn’t care for the system and the hierarchy enforced by it, because by being an animus prince he was naturally at the top all the time and he didn’t have to care about how he treated other dragons because he was his mother’s favorite little dragon.

he detested THAT. his MOTHER was the one deciding everything for him. and he was powerless to do anything about that! how could a prince stand up to his queen and mother, animus or not, and live past that conversation. so he lashed out outside of that. he hated and ignored snowflake because she was just an extension of his mother. he describes her as “sparkly and boring the way mother likes” because he never bothered to see past what role she served in his life. she’s actually deeply complex as we can tell by runaway winglet where she’s her own pov, with an intricate and dark mind and more motivations than arctic ever had in his life.

arctic does not care, because he considers her lower than him. his mother can exercise her power on him through other dragons all he wants, but he still knows that he is severely more powerful and more important than any other dragon except her in his life. …and also, i think he has a weird complex about female dragons. hear me out,

when arctic meets foeslayer, it’s the first time he meets a nightwing. he expects them all to be boring and not of any interest to him in the slightest, but foeslayer just happens to overhear his conversation with snowflake and finds it hilarious. she laughs in his face, makes fun of him for forgetting his betrothed’s name. this is interesting to arctic. nobody has dared to make fun of him in his entire life because of his status. instead of being upset, like most icewings would, his situation with diamond shaped him to respond with amusement. what does he have to gain from laughing at himself with a nightwing? well, he gets a bit of freedom. room to stretch his wings and see beyond his mother’s (and the icewing rankings, but mostly he thinks of it as his mother) suffocation on him and every opinion he dares to hold.

arctic barely sees foeslayer as a romantic interest because because she’s charming, funny, pretty. he sees her as a way to piss off his mom. look at this dragon who doesn’t follow rules, who is starkly not an icewing noble with pretty glittery scales, who is not at all someone diamond could ever see her precious animus son with. foeslayer is crass and doesn’t think before she speaks and clumsy and not at all caring of how other dragons think of her and arctic likes that. he even gives her one of his earrings and enchants it, dares to defend her in the meeting hall by saying that she hadn’t actually stolen it and that he had given it, because he knows it’d get to his mother. he’s spitting at the ground in front of her feet, saying, “i can do more than you want me to”, “i am my own dragon”, and “you don’t decide my life”.

to arctic, female dragons in his life are a tool more than they’d ever be individuals.

obviously arctic’s rash decision to fall in love with a random nightwing is not the narrative’s favorite choices. obviously.

let’s skip forward a lot and, almost at the end here i promise, look at how he treats his offspring.

by the very start he meets darkstalker with contempt. he doesn’t like his name (because it’s creepy, and because foeslayer chose it and not him) and he doesn’t like how much attention foeslayer gives him. let me restate. arctic, the grown, married, ADULT MAN. Is jealous of his newborn son for taking up more time in foeslayer’s life. how interesting.

he detests darkstalker because he also looks more like a nightwing than whiteout. we don’t see whiteout hatch (because darkstalker is off running around and being the most self absorbed guy ever, even if he pretends he’s not) but we know this about her and arctic. arctic named her, and arctic doesn’t think of her as much of a dragon and more of a pretty thing he can flaunt around until he’s done. darkstalker points this out, which is means to scrutiny because darkstalker himself is a very unreliable and rose tinted narrator, but i think it makes sense based on arctic’s track record, honestly.

female dragons are NOT anything he cares about as individuals. Loud and clear. this is not a trait that is recently developed after he finds out foeslayer ‘betrayed’ him. He has been like this the entire time.

he wants to bring whiteout to the icewing kingdom not because he cares about her, but because he wants to use her and make his mother like him again. arctic wants to go back and grovel to his mother using his daughter as a bargaining chip, because he doesn’t want to kill his offspring, that’s a bit too much for him. but he does want his mother’s attention back, because foeslayer has stopped serving the role of a surrogate caretaker to him. now that she knows better. arctic by this point has learned loud and clear that the nightwings (against foeslayer’s wishes and hidden from her but he doesn’t really care by this point) wanted to steal him for his animus powers.

that’s.. not what he wanted. in the unwilling prisoner sense AND in his fantasy of sticking it up to his mother and spitting in the face of her power over him. now he’s in the power of another queen that he doesn’t like. isn’t that great, it’s all looped back on itself and arctic realizes that he receives consequences for his actions of being a complete asshole and misogynist!

anyways yeah. he’s one of my favorites because he’s deeply complex, at least in my brain if the complexity i’ve outlined here was unintentional on tui’s part and was just a big fumble that ended up being GOLDEN. also this essay doesn’t exist to try and convert anyone into my way of thinking and as a big brainwashing scheme to make you like arctic, no, i just wanted to get my thoughts out clearly before i got cancelled for the thought crime of liking a fictional dragon misogynist.

anyways cheers if you’ve made it this far, thanks for listening to my insanity.

[theadventuresofalittlebug]

heres part 2 of this

Jade Winglet and Snowfall:

Winter, Qibli, and Moon also regress, as does Peril, Kinkajou does too at times

(Human ages still) Winter would sometimes be 2-4 and sometimes 6-7, Qibli would be 3-5, Moon would be 0-2, Peril would be 3-4, and Kinkajou would be 3-5

When Winter is smaller he is extremely affectionate 

Winter really struggled to regress voluntarily at first, he probably occasionally involuntarily regressed before trying on purpose. I imagine the rest of the JW tried to get him to try it, because they thought it would help him, eventually he was willing to give it a try and he struggled a lot with the vulnerability of it, but after that he tried it a few times by himself, and was able to regress more comfortably 

Once he got comfortable being small around the others he was actually pretty open when little, very talkative once encouraged (he had a lot of anxiety about talking about his interests due to his upbringing, but he eventually was able to open up), he loves infodumping about scavengers

I just had a kinda funny idea of what if Wren and Sky cared for him while he was little, I imagine he would probably love learning about human culture from them

Anyway, Qibli and Moon are his caregivers typically 

He also likes to draw and color, he prefers coloring patterns to scenes, although he likes scenes with scavengers in them

He doesn’t know how to play, as non educational play is forbidden in the royal family, and he typically just avoids it.

Moon does not like being alone at all when little. She is typically cared for by Qibli and Kinkajou 

I feel like she would actually really like to talk when little, mostly babbling but still

She probably has cute nicknames for all her friends (partly because she can’t say their full names)

Kinkajou would be Kiki or when smaller just ee-ee, Qibli would probably be Ibi (can’t pronounce the Q or L), Winter would be Winnie, Turtle would be Urtle or Tur-tur.

She likes being read to, and also looking at scrolls with pictures 

I feel like she wouldn’t want her mom to know about her regression, with how she treats the other “odd” things about her, however she also probably regresses a lot around her mom because she makes her feels so safe

She probably feels comforted by the rainforest, but only if she has someone with her, being alone there brings back scary memories 

I imagine she likes watching Winter draw, which definitely is slightly awkward for him, as he isn’t used to showing anyone his drawings 

Qibli is very jumpy when little, Moon is his caregiver at JMA and Thorn is his caregiver otherwise 

If he is feeling up to it he loves playing with Kinkajou

They like to play hide and seek (when she is big she remembers not to camouflage, she sometimes forgets when little though and it’s too hard for him, I feel like sometimes Moon would have her wear a necklace or something so he can see her)

He is frequently overwhelmed and also extremely excited by large amounts of food

Peril’s caregivers are Clay and Turtle

She is extremely affectionate with them 

I like to think that Turtle’s unintentional invulnerability spell makes him immune to her, so they can actually touch

In general she just likes to try to experience as many “normal dragonet things” as possible 

She would probably have little figurines made of stone

She really doesn’t know how to play, but she tries, she feels more drawn to active games like tag, but she can only play with Turtle and Clay. Her secret dream is to play a big game of tag with a lot of other dragons.

I think Kinkajou would convince her to play hide and seek in the caves, but she would get bored 

Kinkajou regresses less than the others, her caregivers are Tamarin, Turtle, and Moon

She typically regresses voluntarily, however the smell of smoke and dark cramped spaces can make her regress 

When she regresses involuntarily she is extremely anxious and jumpy, she camouflages instantly and it is hard to coax her into talking about what happened or coming out of hiding

In those cases Moon is typically the only dragon that can get her out

I imagine regression is actually pretty normal in Rainwing culture, it’s just a good way to help with stress

When she voluntarily regressss she really struggles to stay focused on one thing, she gets bored really easily

She loves any crafts, however most go unfinished as she can’t focus long enough to complete them

Moon is trying to teach her how to read

She and Tamarin typically play normal Rainwing games, although they avoid camouflage related games for Tamarin’s sake, but sometimes Tamarin will hide for her to find

Turtle likes to read to her, and she also loves to hang out with him while he’s writing, asking him to read her his stories and suggesting wild plot twists. She also likes to try to paint his characters, although they are rarely recognizable. I imagine Moon would do this too, both small or big, as practice

She probably likes playing with blocks and figurines

Snowfall I think would be the only of the arc 3 characters to regress

She regresses from stress

She is a baby regressor

Lynx is the first one to know, and is her caregiver

I think eventually her sisters would find out, Mink would find it really fun to be the “big sister” for once, and would give her lots of ice carvings, which she likes to look at. Crystal wouldn’t really care, but is secretly happy that she has a healthy coping mechanism 

She probably likes to watch the palace walls with the snowflake enchantment, it’s kind of like a mobile 

She would probably start regressing soon after or during the events of book 14-15

She mostly just likes doing things that require no thought, watching snow, listening to Lynx talk, etc

She probably avoids regressing because she is afraid of Tundra or another official finding out

[merlinfromberlin]

Solace from Solitude

It might have been by a combination of mere luck and dumb chance that Jazz had stumbled into the sparkling’s hideout on his hasty retreat from the Decepticon base he had been spying on, but he would still do everything in his power to protect the little one now. Or: Jazz found a Bumblebee and he is not going to give him up again.

Warnings: Praxian Wingcant, unspecified non-graphic injuries; honestly - yeah, there is Angst, but especially considering some of the other stuff I've written this is surprisingly fluffy Chronology: Pre-Canon: shortly after the fall of Praxus; not necessarily TFP specific but still classified as such; Wordcount: 671 words

Written for @angstober - Day 17: "Shhh!" Prompt list can be found here: X

Story below the cut or on AO3.

"K, bitty. Ya don't have ta tell me ya name if ya don-"

“Shhh!” the little yellow sparkling suddenly interrupted Jazz with an urgent hiss from his little vents as he turned around on top of his tower of empty crates. He had climbed up there earlier in order to keep watch out of a broken window while the spy took care of his injuries in a corner of the ruin they had taken refuge in. 

The little Praxian’s optics were cycled open wide with panic. His doorwings were fluttering wildly as he stood there, frozen in terror. At least to the spy, there was no coherent meaning discernible in their erratic movements. The message was still clear—there was someone, probably Decepticons, approaching their hiding spot.

|Come here| the saboteur beckoned with a jerky, yet distinct movement of his own, relatively small winglets. It was not perfect, tone and grammar probably butchered even worse in his current agitation than usual, but it seemed to be clear enough for the bitlet to understand. Jazz smiled as the sparkling climbed down his tower silently and stretched out his servo for the little one sneaking to him. 

Never before had he been so grateful that Prowl had insisted upon the effort to teach him some Praxian Wingcant.

As soon as the bitlet had come close enough, Jazz grabbed the little one carefully and pulled him swiftly against his chassis. He took a moment to hold the sparkling close to his spark and stroke his little helm in a feeble attempt to soothe him. Then he wedged the Praxian securely between his own frame and the wall he had propped himself up against, effectively shielding the little one from the sight of whoever might dare to enter the room. The sparkling in turn pressed his faceplates into Jazz' bumper, softly nuzzling the older bot as he hid himself away.

Once the bitlet quieted at his side, he drew his blasters.

It might have been by a combination of mere luck and dumb chance that Jazz had stumbled into the sparkling’s hideout on his hasty retreat from the Decepticon base he had been spying on, but he would still do everything in his power to protect the little one now that he had found him. From the looks of it—his badly scratched and dented yellow armour, the paling protoform underneath and the much too dim glow of his optics—the bitlet had been alone in the ruins of Praxus for far too long. The bitty desperately needed someone to look out for him, someone that knew what it was like to be alone, to be able to shift into the shadows and vanish and survive against all odds.

And Jazz was willing to do just that. Like he had done so many times before, for so many struggling bots. None of them had been civilians in a very long time, though. None of them had been quite this young in far longer. If he thought of the other Autobots, not only but also his special division, he was nonetheless certain that they would manage to offer the sparkling something better than rubble and ruin.

Outside of their room, a piece of debris clattered to the ground. The bitlet flinched slightly, his doorwings flicking anxiously but he stayed quiet even as he pressed himself even closer to the older bot. Jazz tensed and trained his blaster on the door, powering it up on the lowest setting. Even though the soft humming of the weapon posed a risk to their hiding spot, the saboteur would much rather be discovered with his gun drawn, first shot ready, than be caught defenceless—especially now that he had a sparkling cowering at his side.

Then, suddenly, a familiar EM field reached out to his from the empty air and Jazz laughed quietly as he lowered his blaster. 

“That’s ‘Raj, bitty,” Jazz told the sparkling as he leaned back over him with a barely contained grin. “Ya gonna love ‘em.”

[cursed-cuckoo-wasp]

Moonstone Shards

Chapter Four

The sleeping cave tunnel broke open into a large cavern, a wide hole in the rock ceiling allowed the morning sun to adorn the stone with its warm glow. Numerous students went varying ways, the sheer amount of colours and patterns made me feel dizzy as I trailed behind my winglet. Abruptly halting in the crowded space, others around us also began searching for a sign on where to go. 

Our nervous questions were answered with a sudden booming yell, silence quickly covering the crowd like a heavy quilt, “Everyone! Look this way!” My eyes searched the impossibly packed cavern, finally falling onto a bold blue dragon. “Each winglet has an assigned meeting cave and teacher! For today we’ll just be getting to know each other, have fun!” Tsunami shouted, just as quickly disappearing into the gathering of dragons as she had appeared. 

‘Meeting cave?’ I thought to myself, I don’t recall being told about any locations… and by the looks on my clawmates faces, it seemed they didn’t either. However, relief spilt over my tense midnight scales as Duststorm took off in a direction, pushing his way through the other students effortlessly. 

Leading the way, the Sandwing seemed to loosely know where to go, his brown eyes glancing back at us occasionally. After turning down a few twisting tunnels, we seemed to arrive at our destination, judging by the decrease in Duststorm’s speed and the dead end looking cave. 

The loose pebble littered tunnel ground met damp stone walls as we approached the cave. Water trickled lazily down the rock, the liquid glistening in the torch light. Little bioluminescent critters scampered across the roof, looking like running sparks. Opening up into a surprisingly decent sized cavern, my winglet and I filed into the meeting cave. A raised platform was carved out of the floor, a well crafted large table perched on top of it. 

Various coloured cloth banners swung from the ceiling, each representing a tribe. A couple of curious fish would swim to the surface of a small river through the cave, observing the group of dragons entering. “Ah, how are my students doing today?” A voice came from inside the cave, stepping forward a colourful Rainwing smiled at us. The older dragon had a strong athletic build to her, her colours leaning more towards comforting that pure vibrancy like young ones. Blushing pale pink scales decorated her back, bursting into a deeper pink at her wings. The dim cave light made her dark pink throat appear almost red, her piercing blue eyes strikingly contrasting the warm hues. 

For a few moments no one replied to the teacher’s greeting, shock and nerves clipping our vocal cords. However, Woodnymph recovered quickly, “we’re doing great! What are we doing today? When do we start?” The deep purple Rainwing’s voice had an excited splash to it, her joyful grin showcasing all of her teeth. 

Chuckling at the fellow Rainwing’s excitement, the teacher’s friendly blue eyes swept over us, “not much of the nervous type are you?”

Startling slightly at a sudden snort, all of our heads turned to observe the source. “More like the kind to talk our ears off…” Wallaby remarked, his huge charcoal frame leaning against the cavern wall. 

Offended by the statement and the mocking grin on his face, Woodnymph’s previously ecstatic smile twisted into a small frown. Her scowling green eyes narrowed at him, “at least I don’t watch other dragons while they’re sleeping!”

An insulted expression contorted Wallaby’s thick snout, “we were supposed to forget about that…” he huffed, angrily eying the purple and green Rainwing. But before the two could devolve into another pointless fight, the beautifully coloured teacher stepped in between them. 

“How about we start with proper introductions? That seems the best thing to do on your first day!” The teacher suggested, watching Wallaby and Woodnymph’s expressions carefully. She then expectantly turned to the rest of us, obviously anticipating an answer. The dusky coloured Skywing pushed out his golden chest, happily being the first.

“I suppose I can go first.” His grey eyes closed as he pretended to be taking one for the team, “my name is Sundown, I’m a Skywing, and I’m one of the best warriors the Sky Kingdom has.” Confidence and arrogance dripped disgustingly from his words, he paused, seemingly awaiting applause. His burgundy patterned wings deflating in disappointment as the teacher did nothing but nod. 

Looking back at all of our avoided faces, the pink Rainwing spoke again, “so who’s next then?”. A pleased expression rippled across her scales as the younger Rainwing elevated her arm, desperate to be chosen. 

“I can do it, me!” 

“Go on then”

Woodnymph’s emerald eyes lit up, her words spilling out a little too quickly in her eagerness, “my name is Woodnymph, like the bird! And I’m a Rainwing! I like plants, insects and shiny things!” Nodding in response, the teacher cast an awaiting look like a net, and unfortunately we were the fish. 

A grumpy, sharp voice muttered, the base of his words rumbling the rock beneath our claws, “I guess I’ll go next…” Reluctance gripped his words like his namesake as Stalactite sighed. “I’m an Icewing, my name is Stalactite, and…I like to draw.”

“Very well done, and how about-” The teacher began before being cut off by an abrasively arrogant yell.

“And grumpy, you shouldn’t forget grumpy.” Sundown snarked, his barely disguised insult and cocky nature enraging the Icewing. Stalactite began to yell at the sunset coloured Skywing, causing me to shake my head at the frequency these two fought. 

Snarling and growling bounced off the domed space, a chill in the air and smoke rising from Sundown’s mouth cautioning that this could become serious. Before the two could get into a frost breath versus fire battle, the light tan Seawing loudly began her introduction. “My name is Danio. I’m a Seawing as you can see, and I like to study corals.” She firmly and thunderously informed, forcing the two bickering males into silence.

Gratefully smiling at Danio, the elderly Rainwing closed her eyes and took a breath before continuing, “a very nice introduction, thank you Danio! Now how about…” She trailed off, her startling eyes landing on the Mudwing towering over the table.

Ducking his boxy head, Wallaby hesitantly replied, his dark red eyes darting around the room, “I’m Wallaby.” He took a breath, “um, as you see, I’m a Mudwing, and…” Another pause, “and I like hunting.” Another awkward few seconds of wordlessness settled before the vibrant teacher pointed a claw at a lonesome Duststorm. 

The Sandwing opened and closed his snout a couple of times, disappointed that his plan of standing in the back had failed. Hanging his white tufted head, the Sandwing sighed, “Okay. I like to sculpt. I’m obviously a Sandwing and my name is Duststorm.” 

My heart began to race, knowing that I was inevitably next. Shrinking back from the Rainwing’s piercing blue gaze, I tucked in my wings to appear smaller, terrified to answer the silent query, “I- uh, I’m Tormentseer, I’m a, uh, I’m a Nightwing and I like birds…”

“Very good! Thank you.” The blush coloured Rainwing nodded, her eyes going over the winglet once more. By the glazed look in her eyes, it was obvious that she was doing her best to memorise the names. “Now!” She excitedly clapped, “since we all know each other, I suppose I should introduce myself.” The teacher chuckled to herself, not surprised when she received no answers, “Drumroll please!... I’m Callistemon.” The pink dragon took some time to seat herself on one of the plush mats, “you all must be wondering why we put you in these groups, yes?”

“Exactly! Why have I been disgraced with the likes of these?” Sundown gestured an oversized wing towards most of the group, however notably, skipped over me. 

“Well curious little Sundown! Each of you are considered outcasts of your tribes, that is what links you all to each other.” Callistemon announced happily, oblivious to each of the winglet’s reactions. Most of the dragons silently averted their eyes, too ashamed to be perceived, however the teacher’s words seemed to cut Stalactite and Sundown deeply. Interestingly, Duststorm’s expression didn’t change, seemingly already have accepted his place among his tribe. 

Determined to block my emotions from my face, I was shocked to learn that the other dragons were in the same position as me. Rocking on her four claws, Callistemon excitedly continued, “Okay everyone, out first class will be…! Exploring the outside of the academy! I want you to all pick one item each from outside and bring it back to show everyone.”

‘A little ironic that our first class is outside of the school…’ I thought to myself as the teacher said enthusiastic farewells, rustling wings and clicking claws funnelling out of the cave. Watching Danio’s lime spotted tail disappear into the dimly lit tunnel, I limped to catch up, not wanting to do this alone. 

“Would you come here please?” Callistemon’s joyful voice sang out, stopping me from scampering off into the dark. Averting my eyes, I glued them to the stone floor, wordlessly shuffling towards the teacher. 

Observing my trembling frame, she extended a white-pink talon as I approached. When I had reached the older and larger dragon, she gently held her claw underneath my forest green chin. Not particularly knowing what to do with myself, my grey-green eyes slid to the side. A soft smile graced Callistemon’s dark pink scales, her voice quiet and motherly, “can I ask you a question?”

“...Sure…”

“Why are you so nervous little dear?”

I was silent at first, unsure of how to respond, “uh, I have just learned that I need to be wary of everyone.”

“I see… has your tribe treated you poorly?”

Another couple seconds of silence as I stomached the question, “...Yes. They aren’t big fans of me.”

Callistemon’s talon moved from my chin to my black scaled shoulder, her grip reassuringly tight, “may I ask why that is?”

My shoulders drooped at her words, worried that she would hate me once she found out too, “they just think I’m ill proportioned and they’re… scared of me.”

“Why could they ever possibly fear you?”

A frown unpleasantly etched into my dark plates, “I was born under three blood moons, two of which were full. That’s why I have these weird red scales on either side of my body…”

“I see them, I think they’re beautiful… I don’t understand why your tribe would think they are something to fear?”

“There’s a myth in my tribe that Nightwing’s born under blood moons are evil harbingers of disasters. Apparently they are supposed to see devastating events and project their thoughts onto other dragons.”

Callistemon didn’t reply, an uneasy silence resting in between us before she spoke again, “but I’m sure you’re not like that yourself, are you?”

“No, I’m not like that, I don’t have any powers, no Nightwing does.”

“Exactly. So your tribe is wrong to dislike you. It’s not your fault that they demonise your very existence.” She squeezed my shoulder once more, “make sure to not let them ever break you. Now get out there and bring back something cool.” Callistemon encouraged, removing her paw from my shoulder as she smiled warmly. Feeling overwhelmed by the before unknown display of positivity, I wordlessly exiting the meeting cave. Hurriedly throwing a farewell to the teacher, I raced down the rocky tunnel, glad to burst into the open front space. 

Setting my anxious yet determined eyes on the yawning mouth of the mountain, I unevenly rushed over. The welcome warmth of the day spilt over my dark body, ‘here we go…’ I sighed before taking a step into the unknown.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

For the X-Men Evolution 🖤Dark AU + Wings of Fire-fied, making it the 🖤Night AU, I have very specific ideas of how the three main kids/teens/dragonets (Reader is yet to be decided) appear:

Kurt is mainly part RainWing/SilkWing, with some NightWing ancestry too, so he'd have royal blue, indigo, and midnight blue scales, speckled with silver and black scales that are iridescent like stars or drops of metal or poison; his eyes are a bright yellow, and his smile lights up the whole room; has fangs, cannot spit venom; has not gone through Metamorphosis yet, so has wingbuds in shades of swirling midnight indigo and silvery gray and twilight blue and white; his tail is prehensile like a RainWings and is extra strong; has an odd ability to produce smoke rather than fire, but it smells like sulphur, and he blends into his environment to seemingly disappear; has one odd animus-related power, to teleport, but only within about two miles of the current area and he has to see where he's going; has fuzz that is super soft; his ruff is shaped a bit like a butterfly wing, and is usually dark blue with specks of white and lines of black; has long claws; will gain silk glands in the future; he's very sweet, is very funny, has a laid-back attitude, enjoys food and lots of it, and considers himself a friend of Reader; his name is Kurnia, like the butterfly (yes, he's a blue bby boi 💙💜🖤🤍🐛🦋🐍🌌🌖)

Kitty is part RainWing/IceWing, and had a great-great-great-great-many-greats-grandparent who was an animus, where she gets her powers from; her scales can shift snd change color and appear opalescent, and can turn invisible, save for a faint shimmer where she is, and her animus-related ability is to phase through objects; does not have frostbreath, just a faint mist ability, and has acid venom, but it is weaker than regular venom; has light purple, baby pink, or peach orange base for her scales, with usually dashes of foggy blue/green, yellow, and bright pinks and purples; has long claws that are sharp, like a snow leopard's or fox; has long spikes down her neck and back in slightly darker purples and/or pinks; has a few tail spikes at the end of her tail; is incredibly smart, loves to read, can be a little sarcastic, is semi-adopted by Logan, and considers herself a friend of Reader; is named Snowfox (💜💖💙❄🦊🌨💎)

Pietro is part IceWing/SkyWing, with NightWing blood from an unknown relative; his scales are silvery and green-blue, like a frozen lagoon or nacre from abalone; is whip-thin, has sharp angles and joints, and long legs due to both his IceWing and SkyWing blood; has large wings and has the fastest flight of any known dragon or dragonet; there are some darker green/teal/gray patterns down his neck and spine, like shadows on snow or moss on a rock, and it dapples across his wings as well; does not have fire or frostbreath; can breathe a mist or fog, but nothing stronger; has sharp eyesight, fast reflexes, and can withstand burning hot and freezing cold temperatures; has a long tail and long neck and long legs, and has five or seven spikes at the end of his tail, which clatter like icicles in the wind; can be a bit cocky or arrogant, but has a sense of humor, likes to sneak little trinkets and snacks, and has lots of hobbies and activities he tries; can be nice, and looks up to his father; considers himself a friend of Reader; is named Silver (🤍💚💙❄🦅🪶🧊)

Reader is a hybrid, but no one knows what their tribes are, as they appear to be from only one tribe; are nice, friendly, helpful, and empathetic; have beautiful scale colors, smooth horns, and has ink-stained claws from writing in their journals/diaries/scrolls/notes; has met and acted as a friend to almost every featured hybrid/mutant in the X-Men/Brotherhood/Acolytes (their Wings of Fire-fied versions); is the youngest of their winglet/wing/dragonet group, save for Laura and Jamie and a few of the New Mutants); if they appear NightWing, let them have all kinds of beautiful star scales, on their forehead, two teardrops by their eyes, and several scattered across their body; if they appear IceWing, let their scales be shiny and smooth and like diamond or silver or ice, with pretty undertone colors ; if they appear MudWing, let them have rich, warm brown scales like amber and bronze and tiger's eye; if they appear SandWing, let them have a special pattern like a diamondback-snake or sand-like freckles; if they appear RainWing, let them be in the most vibrant, striking shades of colors you can imagine and regal as a snake; if they appear SeaWing, let them have a rare scale color in their coloring like pink or orange or black or white or yellow, colored like a clownfish or a koi or an orca or simply having blue or green or teal or aqua or purple scales with a rare colored webbing and sail; if they appear SkyWing, let them have shiny and jewel-like red or orange or golden or orange-gold or red-gold scales, and graceful neck and tail and legs and wings; if they appear LeafWing, let them have wings shaped like your favorite leaf, and healthy, vivid brown or green colors, maybe even rare membrane colors like red or golden or orange or pink; if they appear HiveWing, let them have your favorite mix and pattern of red, orange, and/or yellow with black, and have fuzz like a bee and bright eyes like venom or honey or soda; if they appear SilkWing, let them have the most amazing, jaw-dropping colors and iridescence, with any colors and shades you want, and have soft fuzz like a moth...

(I hope this helps y'all a bit if y'all step into the Wings of Fire-fied 🖤Dark AU, called the 🖤Night AU!)