#looking more like the owlets

[leoneliterary]

I know they're supposed to be ducklings but fuck do these just make me CRY thinking about them and MC

Searching for character descriptions of Tamu and Sefu STAT

Oh my goodness, I love this! How adorable!!

Y'all should label who is who in this picture, haha!

And Tamu and Sefu are described earlier in the story, but I'll have to add another now that y'all are grown up. I'm pretty sure their artbreeder portraits are around here somewhere. (Speaking of, I need to commission an artist for the portraits, asasp.)

[theamberfist]

Sink or Swim | Stolas x Reader

Romantic! Stolas x Swim Instructor! Reader

Description: When Stolas signed his baby daughter, Octavia up for swim lessons, he never expected to like her new instructor so much

(Notes:) (gender neutral reader) (reader is a sinner) (reader is baby Octavia's swim teacher)

Words: 1,640

❀ Fun fact: I've taught parent-infant swim lessons IRL so all the exercises shown in this are real ones we use with infants ❀

Stolas frowned as he pushed open the door to the building in front of him; unable to help the slight nervous feeling that bloomed in his chest. He supposed there should have been no cause for concern, considering he was a prince of hell and easily one of the strongest beings in this ring, but it wasn't as if he'd ever done something like this before. 

He readjusted his arms, where Octavia rested on his hip sleepily. On a normal day, she would have been napping at home now, but not for much longer. He'd specifically chosen this time because he knew that, once she woke up, she would be as active as ever. Stolas reminded himself that this was for her sake, not his; he could hold his head up high for her, just as he always did.

When he entered, the imp at the front desk looked up from his work and his eyes widened slightly. "Prince Stolas..." He managed before finally clearing his throat and regaining his composure, "Right, we were expecting you." Though, something told the owl prince they hadn't actually thought he'd make good on his plans and come in. 

"The toddler pool has already been reserved, and your instructor is waiting for you there," the imp went on to explain as he checked their names off on a clipboard, "I'll let them know you've arrived." 

"Thank you." Stolas nodded awkwardly before turning and heading through the locker rooms to the pools. Though he could have simply signed Via up for regular lessons, he'd decided a private one would be better for the sake of them both. He wasn't aware that meant they'd reserve an entire pool for them, however small, but at least this way, he would have fewer paparazzi to deal with. 

Finally, he reached the pool deck, seeing that the whole facility only had a few people in it right now. There was a large lap swimming pool in front of him, as well as a splash pad to his right and the toddler pool to his left. When he looked over, there was already someone sitting on the side with their feet in the water as they waited. They wore a red swimsuit with the word 'lifeguard' printed in white, leading him to believe this was the instructor the imp at the front desk had mentioned. 

He made his way over to the toddler pool as Octavia began stirring in his arms now. It was a good thing he'd already gotten her into her swimsuit, or he would have had a hard time getting her to sit still long enough for it now. 

Upon hearing them come over, you looked up and smiled, setting the clipboard you'd been holding on the side of the pool. 

"Hello!" You called, "Here for the parent-child swim lesson?" Stolas nodded and you stepped out of the barely knee-deep pool to come over to him. To his surprise, you seemed to be a sinner, rather than an imp or hellhound like he'd expected. Your appearance differed from them greatly, and there was an energy about you that told him you had to be a human soul. 

You smiled and introduced yourself. "I'll be teaching our class every week," you explained, "If anything is too difficult or uncomfortable for you two as we get started, please let me know. Private lessons means I have a little more flexibility in what we do." You winked at the last part, and though it made the prince's heart beat quicker, he was fairly certain you just meant it playfully. 

"Anyway, who is this little one?" You asked, turning to the little owlet in his arms, whose big round eyes were staring up at you. 

"This is my daughter, Octavia," Stolas replied, immediately relaxing now that the topic of conversation had changed, "She's about a year old; I hope that's alright!" You waved him off.

"That's perfect," you said, gently reaching out towards the baby, "I've worked with kids much older and much younger than this." Octavia's tiny hand grabbed one of your fingers and you smiled kindly before looking up at her father. "And you're Prince Stolas, right?" He blinked.

"Just Stolas is fine!"

You nodded before removing your hand from the owlet's grip and standing up straighter. "Well, if you're ready, then we can get started." You said, that professional air returning to you, "I was thinking we'd have her in the shallow area to start with and ease her into slightly deeper waters." Stolas nodded, setting his bag down on a pool chair and then following you to the water. 

Now that you'd been properly introduced, Octavia was eager to follow after you, and he held her little hands as she stepped into the shallowest area of the pool. You giggled, encouraging her along the way. 

Once she stood so that the water was up to her knees, you brought out a dive toy and placed it on the pool floor, asking her to reach down and grab it to get her a little closer to the water. Stolas sat by her as she did so with ease, and then you moved the toy slightly deeper. 

He admired how much energy you seemed to have with his owlet, as well as how kind you were to her. Your soft voice and easy patience was a stark contrast to Octavia's mother; that was for sure. The two of you watched her repeatedly pick the dive toy up from increasingly deeper as if she had no care in the world. 

Finally, he broke the quietness between you two as you congratulated Octavia at another job well done. "Do you often teach lessons here?" He asked a little awkwardly, "I haven't seen many human souls in this ring of hell before." You smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I teach almost all the lessons we offer here," you replied, moving Via's dive toy again, "It's the same job I had while I was alive, and I guess it's the only thing I've really found that I'm good at."

Stolas couldn't argue with that. Usually, Octavia was much more timid around water than this. She wouldn't even go in it at all if he wasn't holding her hand the whole time. With you, though, she was so enthusiastic that she hadn't even noticed the lack of touch. It was like he'd brought a different baby to the pool altogether today. 

"I see," he replied with a nod, smiling down at his daughter, who was happily splashing some of the water. "Do you have any children of your own?" You shook your head.

"Nope, I mostly kept to myself while I was alive- and, I guess, while I've been dead, too." You shrugged, "But when I found out how few kids in my neighborhood knew how to swim, I started doing lessons to keep them a little safer." 

Stolas nodded, wondering if it would have been too much to hope that 'keeping to yourself' meant you didn't have a spouse or partner, either. 

"If you're ready, we can move to the deeper water exercises." You changed the subject now and the prince nodded, placing a reluctant Octavia back on his hip and bringing her towards the deeper pool nearby. There, you helped him perform the next exercise, which consisted of him resting the owlet's head on his shoulder and trying to get her to kick her legs as he moved her through the water on her back. She was less enthusiastic about that, but you were quick to think; holding a toy up so her focus would shift. 

That calmed her down a lot, and soon enough she was kicking her legs happily as she giggled at you. "Do you get many attendees to your lessons?" Stolas asked in an attempt to strike up a conversation with you again, "I know those who died and ended up here aren't at as much risk of drowning." You nodded.

"That's why I work here," you smiled, "People in the pride ring aren't really concerned about dying unless it's at the hands of angels. I still think water safety is important, though."

The prince couldn't argue there. After all, that was why he'd signed Octavia up for these lessons. That, and he'd thought it would be nice for the two of them to get out of the house together for an activity. 

"Then I applaud you for your work!" He replied, "I'm sure many hellborn children can be quite difficult to teach." You laughed.

"You have no idea how much hellhounds hate swimming." 

The rest of the lesson went on just like that. With each new exercise, you found yourself getting that much more comfortable talking with Stolas, and vice versa. Octavia was also doing extremely well with everything you threw at her, and at this rate, you knew she'd be confidently swimming around on her own soon enough. 

Finally, the lesson ended and you praised the little owl before dismissing the class and hopping out of the water. Feeling warmer than you had when you began, you grabbed your clipboard to prepare for your next class.

Stolas glanced your way as he carefully dried Octavia off. "Same time next week, then?" He asked with a grin and you nodded.

"I'll be looking forward to it!" He didn't say anything, but inside, he knew he would be too. Just as he was grabbing his bag to leave, you came over and handed him a small piece of paper. The owl prince raised an eyebrow. 

"My number," you explained with a smile, "just in case." He nodded at that, feeling his heart flutter as he placed the paper in his pocket, and then you waved them both off as they left.

It seemed he'd gotten more enjoyment out of these little swim lessons than expected, and he couldn't wait to come back. 

[hopelessromantic5]

Merthur fluff for the soul

Thank you for reading.

Baby owls are a lot smaller than one would think.

When Arthur’s horse came upon a fallen fledgling in the forrest, he stopped and cradled it, checking for injuries. He found what seemed to be a broken wing but otherwise, nothing fatal.

Arthur knew exactly what he was going to do, the moment he set eyes on the creature.

As if reminding him, a very familiar voice called out from behind.

“Arthur, what is it?”

Without saying anything, Arthur rose and tucked the tiny creature further into his own wing, hidden from immediate sight.

He turned, and stalked up to his manservant who was still looking to him expectantly for an answer.

Arthur presented the owl to Merlin.

Whose entire aggravated persona fell away when his eyes cast upon it.

To Arthur, it was worth it all just for that. The absolutely besotted look on Merlin’s face as he cupped the bird into his hands without being told to.

Arthur tried to hide his smile, at that.

He pushed it down to a small smirk that just wouldn’t go away.

“It’s yours.” Arthur said, then immediately turned away, not seeing Merlin’s expression.

He was never one to face his emotions head on.

After he mounted his horse again, he heard Merlin say

“Thank you.” In the softest tone Arthur had ever heard.

The owlet’s wing was patched up when Arthur saw it next.

Sitting atop his manservant’s shoulder, watching the world around him, seemingly unbothered.

Arthur felt something like pride well in his chest. In his own eyes, the owl was a gift to Merlin. A companion.

And now everyone saw it.

Of course, they wouldn’t know, but Arthur would. And that’s all that matters.

“He doesn’t like when you stare at him.” Merlin said while stacking dirty plates to take to the kitchens.

“Even if I’m admiring the shine of his feathers, he still doesn’t like it?”

“He knows that’s not what you’re doing. He’s very clever.” Merlin’s smile broke through. “Don’t underestimate him or you might wake up with one less eye.” He shrugged and started towards to door.

“Is that a threat, little bird?” Arthur questioned to the bird that definitely couldn’t understand him. “That’s treason, you know.”

Just as they made it to the door, the bird let out an answering squawk to which Merlin threw his head back and laughed.

It was a beautiful sound that echoed through the silence of the camber once he’d gone.

The next day, it was raining.

Storming all hell was more like it. Lightning falling trees and wind going faster than any human could withstand.

Everyone living in the lower town were locked in their homes.

And the nobles were locked in the castle.

Arthur, of course, was locked in his cambers with Merlin…and the bird.

“Achilles.” Merlin corrected him as they stared out the window towards the pelting rain.

“Pardon?”

“His name. Achilles. A great warrior.” Merlin smiled to himself, like that it meant something to him.

Maybe it did, or maybe Arthur was just getting his hopes up.

At the mention of his name, the bird flew a few inches off Merlin’s shoulder before landing back down with a thump.

“Stop that. I told you, you shouldn’t be doing that yet. It’ll make it worse.” Merlin scorned the bird, and it seemed to pout in response.

Merlin came back with

“Yes. Well.”

Then he turned back to the rain.

As if they two had a conversation, and it was over now.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at the two.

[penny-anna]

i have other things to do but here we gooooo owl house fic recs:

Autism to Autism Communication by Polyhexian

"I understand sarcasm," Hunter said, sounding offended. He crossed his arms. "You didn't do the voice thing." Darius stared at him. "The what?" Hunter put his arms in the air and gave his hands a sarcastic little wave. "I GuEsS I'LL hAvE tO sToP cOmInG oVeR, tHeN," he said in the most over the top and comical parody of sarcasm that Darius had ever heard in his life.

everything by this author is great & this one is a joy and a delight!!

Extant Species by Polyhexian

She'd been called a monster more times than she could count, but she knew what a real monster looked like.

i'd happily rec a bunch of polyhexian's stuff but this lil vee & hunter fic was a highlight. especially enjoy the part where hunter's advising her on how best to go about murdering him. love that for them both!!

Owlet by Polyhexian

"Eda!" Hunter yelled as he shouldered open the door and Hooty cooed and rambled at him, "I need help with my potions homewooooooaaaat the HELL is that?!" Luz looked up from where she was sitting on the couch and reading what appeared to be a romance novel about werewolves. "What is what?" "That!" he yelled, pointing at the hulking behemoth curled up in the middle of the room in a massive pile of blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals. "Is that the owl beast?!"

& 1 more!! short n sweet n cute

With Clay and Star Scraps by SiryyGray

Hunter decided to do some research into Grimwalkers. First discovery: Grimwalkers were outlawed in every city under every rule as far back as the history books go. Second discovery: Grimwalkers have no natural means of death. Third discovery: there’s a caveat to that second one.

some absolutely brutal grimwalker content. SPOILERS: hunter can't outlive belos.

Intrusion by rayrock

'He drops something in. It moves and writhes, but it is clearly exhausted. “Eat,” is all he says, voice barely above a whisper. But it is a demand nonetheless, intimidating enough to send shivers down her spine. She hisses in protest once more. He tucks the notepad and pen into his cloak and pulls out a staff. It unfolds and glows a bright red. He does not say anything more. He is nearly always silent when she sees him.' Or: Vee and the Golden Guard’s relationship is complicated, but it is there

some more vee & hunter content for you

just a little bit left by prodigalDaughter

The first time Darius had seen the new Guard unmasked, the fury and betrayal had risen in him like floodwater, bubbling and steaming out of creeks and sewers. Creed had never told him he had a son. —— Hunter has discovered what he is, but he’s not the only one who has to grapple with assumptions made about his origins.

hey remember the other day when i was talking about 'what if darius thought hunter was the previous golden guard's son'! well here u go someone wrote that fic

Wild and Wandering Cries by PorcelanaRota

So his uncle goes flying into the wall directly above him and he is unable to dodge. And his uncle, who is now more palisman curse slime than he is flesh and blood, splatters on the wall, on the ground, on him. Hunter’s been in hundreds of life-or-death situations. He’s felt real and true and visceral fear that sank into his bones and marinated into terror more times than not. Still, nothing has ever left him so shocked and horrified and just flat-out scared that time has actually stopped.

belos splash zone? belos splash zone.

mistakes (the thrilling saga, in high definition) by quynnyah

"This," Amity says, "is not normal human behavior." (Or: Amity and Hunter volunteer to help Camila on a grocery trip. It goes about as well as expected.)

some banging amity & hunter in the human realm stuff for u

Notched by angelcloves

Belos removes the ear tag from his newest Grimwalker.

tiny wee fic giving a backstory for Hunter's notched ear. i rotate this concept in my brain all the time. absolutely twisted.

There is no open window, but the floors still creep by theprincessofdenial

On Tuesday, they eat Chinese. On Wednesday, Camila once again doesn’t have the time to cook, so pizza it is. On Thursday, she wants to make a proper dinner but there’s a hold up at the clinic, Luz knocks over a shelf, Willow has a wardrobe emergency, and then Amity’s cat goes missing. And Hunter beats Gus up so badly the boy ends up bleeding, so there’s also that.

hgnnnh i would rec this entire series if i could (it's 14 fics totally 200k total). its all so chewy i want to get my teeth into it and rrrrrrrrrr. ANYWAY this is my no 1 fav i've been back and re-read it about 7 times. love the Camila Noceda POV; the way it captures the chaos of all 6 kids in the house and makes it feel so real & vivid; the absolutely brutal Hunter characterisation. if ur a Hunter fan go read this right away.

Distance by theprincessofdenial

For the first minute, they all just stand there in silence and watch the airship slowly disappear beyond the horizon. Even though they’re supposed to react quickly, the cold still comes as a shock. It takes some time for the reality to settle in and for them to realize how useless everything they have brought is going to be when their marrow freezes. Hunter hears some of the Scouts inhaling sharply after they approach the ledge and look down. They turn around, unsure where to start, and they shuffle their feet in the snow (terrible decision, really, this way their boots are going to get wet even quicker). Hunter’s the first one to break the silence, and oh, he does it with style. He has been rehearsing that line for a week. “See you at the bottom, suckers!” he exclaims as he pulls out the staff and disappears in a flash of red light. (or: The Obligatory "Leave Everyone at the Top of the Mountain and See Who Makes It Back to the Bottom Alive" Fic. With a splash of Steve)

2nd rec from this series. exactly what it says on tin. *banging pots together* you like whump come get your whump i ADORE what this author does w Hunter. also Steve is there (whump for Steve!!)

A Potter's Field by theprincessofdenial

The view from the staircase is, well, not stunning, that’s definitely not the word. It’s just that “view” is supposed to be accompanied by “stunning,” and Luz can feel her brain coming to a screeching halt and refusing to process what they’re seeing. It's skeletons. Come on, they both knew it was going to be skeletons. The entire Isles know at this point. (Or: despite what the stories would have you believe, in the aftermath, there are things to deal with. Those things include ruined infrastructure, electing new leaders, and prosecuting those responsible for the old regime. And apparently, also Grimwalker mass graves.)

& third and final. unbelievably chewy post-canon fic. lets get into the reconstruction of the isles in full detail. goes hard as hell. will sit in my brain for a long time i think. cannot rec this enough.

and rats all for now!! i got a bunch more stuff in my 'marked for later' so watch this space

[ink-splotch]

hey friends I’m looking for some reading recommendations!

I’ve just been rereading old favorites, which is a joy, but I’m hankering for something new to surprise me and capture me. I’m open to anything but have particular soft spots for:

- narrators or POV characters with distinctive, atypical voices, perspectives, or assumptions who make an ordinary or extraordinary world more interesting by being seen through their lens (ex. Martha Wells’ Murderbot, owlet’s This, You Protect)

- clever, precise plotting and storytelling such that final conclusions or reveals click together like delightful, unexpected but perfectly predictable clockwork— the sort that you can see obviously in the first chapter but only after you’ve read the last page; stories where the authors trust the reader to pay attention and figure stuff out (ex. Megan Whalen Turner’s The Queen’s Thief series, The Westing Game, Pamela Dean’s The Secret Country)

- worldbuilding with depth and texture — it feels explorable, immersive, like you could study it, like you could get lost, like other stories are going on just off the page (The Secret Countey gets a second honorary mention here, great book, I highly recommend)

- characters you can root for, especially ones that are slowly, quietly, unregretfully tearing themselves apart for something they care about (Kip Mdang from Hands of the Emperor, Newt from Designations Congruent with Things, Nico D’Angelo from the Percy Jackson books, Arthur in rageprufrock’s Presque Vu)

I like stories with momentum, stories that swallow you. I like beautiful things. I like stories that surprise me and make me think. Help a gal out? What stories have captured you?

[mint-flavoredd]

Helluva Boss + SPY x family crossover inspired by Laviko_weid drawing on Twitter!!!!

I have so much fun thinking of the character dynamics and the fun added bonus of all of them being from Hell. (This is a world where there is a problem of hellspawn migrating to Earth, and the government is working with Hell to purge their world of secret Hellborn residents)

Stolas

Stolas ran away from the throne and his arranged marriage WITH his grimoire when he was 23, fleeing to the human world to start over. (Meaning Stolas is much more accustomed to ‘real life’ than canon Stolas. Still love them both tho)

Due to not using a crystal and instead uses sheer magical will that Stolas stays in human form, he finds it difficult to keep his eyes constantly changed, so opts to just keep his eyes closed. This doesn’t limit him at all, and he can see perfectly fine with them shut. However, if feeling intense feelings, especially if sudden, he forgets or just doesn’t care to keep them shut.

Stolas became an assassin at age 25, finding an odd sense of belonging to the profession. A control he never felt in his previous life. But as the years passed, Stolas became increasingly worried about being found out by the government. Most likely he wouldn’t be executed, but at this point, he has grown fond of his life on Earth and is making no plans on returning to his loveless marriage or royal duties back in Hell.

Blitzø

During the Circus fire, the fire had spread to nearby trees and buildings, including a building that was owned by a dangerous gang in the area, the fire killing a solid number of important gang members. For years they had hunted Blitzø, and while trying to escape them one day, Blitzø landed himself inside of a jail cell, meeting Moxxie in the process. After breaking out, they both decided it would just be safer to leave Hell all together.

Blitzø steals Veroskia’s (how to spell??) crystal and gives it to Moxxie then proceeds to steal himself one by sleeping with a succubus. They flee to earth. Blitzø is 22 at this point.

He found himself hating that hellspawn are hunted on earth (the whole point of going to earth was to be able to live without that fear of being prey) he attempted to become an assassin, however, Moxxie went into spy work and was easily persuaded since he thought it was the next best thing because you got to dress up AND you got to shoot people.

(Blitzø is a great spy because he is unpredictable and spontaneous- definitely a different kind of spy compared to Twilight.)

(Millie is human in this AU, Millie is that one coworker, Camilla, Moxxie is Frankie. These two are married, don’t question it)

Octavia

Octavia’s egg hatched a week after Stolas had left. (Stella had kept the egg a secret from Stolas, wanting to not constantly be pestered by the owl demon)

Stella was set to be wed to another Goetia, and she didn’t want to bring the owlet from her first marriage that failed spectacularly over to her second one. She wasn’t close enough to the newly hatched bird to be bothered. But It couldn’t get out that a Goetia had been given up to the streets of hell, and Stella didn’t want this girl to be unfairly exploited or raised improperly for being a Goetia, especially when she looked so much like her father already. Stella manually transformed Octavia into her human disguise and handed her off to a succubus who she had paid handsomely and instructed her to be handed off to a family who could take care of her. Unfortunately, Octavia had been handed off to demon obsessed lunatics.

At the age of 4, they had Octavia read a spell that they had no idea what it did. She had the magical ability to cast it, but she had the reading ability of a four year old and she was attempting to read a language she had been taught second hand by people who had taught themselves how to read it. It didn’t go great, she passed out in the process, however, when she awoke, she was granted the gift of telepathy.

Stolas and Octavia are both unaware that she is his actual blood related daughter, but it’s constantly mentioned by other characters that they look much more related than Blitzø and Octavia do. But it’s late to change the story now!

When the show starts, Stolas is 28, Blitzø is 25, and Octavia is 5

Also also Loona is Bond, the future seeing dog.

[autumnmobile12]

Helluva Boss S2 Trailer:  “You don’t love mother and you don’t love me!”

I have a problem with this line, and I’ve had a problem with Octavia’s character for awhile now, so I’m going to talk about it.

To cut her some slack, her house and family life is a mess.  Fighting parents, cheating dad, feeling neglected by both parents, and she’s a teenager on top of that.  I get it.  Moody, angsty teen with a really good reason for being moody and angsty.

And Stolas isn’t blameless in all this.  With the cheating, he’s actively a problem, but we can see that he loves his ‘little owlet.’  But he is a terrible father.  In the Seeing Stars episode, I thought that it was going to be a lot more Stolas and Octavia-centric on their relationship, but no.  He and Blitzo spend most of the time looking for her just dicking around in some human comedy act when they really didn’t need to be there.  Seriously, it wouldn’t have been the first time Blitzo massacred a group of humans to get out of an awkward situation, but if Stolas is so concerned about his daughter, then why didn't he do something about their situation? If he loves his daughter so much, why is he okay with this distraction? He's not even the one who gets him out of it in the end.  That was the first time Helluva Boss actually disappointed me.  I don’t think the brief bit of backstory we got with Blitzo and Loona justified the rest of that whole bit, so it was really pointless.  That piece could have been handled better.

Throughout the Stolitz ship, Stolas is 100% ignoring Octavia.  But terrible dad aside, the line from the Season 2 trailer, “You don’t love Mother and you don’t love me!” should be emotional.

Except…. “You don’t love Mother….”

…why would he?

Does Octavia not see what a violent, toxic bitch her mom is?  She has seen her screaming, getting violent, and throwing things. I suppose Octavia could have the opinion that Stella's anger is justified with the cheating and all, but then that explanation implies she thinks reacting violently like that is acceptable behavior. And let’s not forget Stella straight up ordered a hit on Stolas, which nearly succeeded.  Does Octavia not know about this?  Again, Stolas being a terrible dad for not taking steps to get the daughter he supposedly loves away from the psycho who ordered an assassination, but did none of this get back to Octavia?

Not that any of it makes Stolas' infidelity okay. If you're unhappy in a relationship, leave it. But with the way Stella behaves, there's no rational way Octavia can expect her parents to love each other. It sucks to be the child in that position, especially a teen still figuring things out, but that is very much an 'it is what it is' situation and you gotta make the best of it in whatever way you can.

As it stands, it isn't fair for Octavia to entirely blame Stolas for their family falling apart.

"You don't love mother and you don't love me," makes it sound like Octavia is consciously choosing her violent, narcissistic witch of mother over her dad. This also doesn't make sense with the plot because there's no sign of Octavia having a close relationship with her mom. There are no portraits of them together in a loving embrace as we see with her and Stolas. Plus, Stella doesn't care about Octavia. The only two times in the show she vaguely mentions her is as the 'one egg that finally dropped out of her' and when she and Andrealphus are discussing the inheritance that will go to Octavia. She doesn't care about Stolas either. The only effect the cheating had on her was the idea of public embarrassment for their family.

Neither of Octavia's parents care for her the way they should, so for the, "You don't love mother and you don't love me," line to work to its fullest impact, it should have been phrased as, “You don’t love me!  Neither you or Mom love me!”

I do love Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel…but Octavia’s character is really poorly handled.  I remember it being said in an interview that Helluva Boss does have heavier focus on its male characters while Hazbin Hotel was supposed to be more female-centric, but when it comes to Octavia, that structure in the storytelling is crumbling under its own weight. There is a story here and it has some major gaps that need addressing.

To give them some benefit of doubt, maybe this’ll be addressed in an episode before that line hits, so maybe it’ll make more sense. Or they could make it clear she said it out of anger.  At least, I hope so because I really need some righteous retribution for how Stolas behaves with his daughter.

...

Edit for clarity: The point of this post is a criticism of the lack of story we get for Octavia that justifies her motives, not a criticism of why she herself behaves the way that she does. The dysfunctional family is heavy stuff and since it is a front and center issue with Stolas' background, it needs more attention than the series gives it.

[forests-fabled-stage]

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「 ᨒ↟⸙ 𝑵𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑩𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒘 ⸙↟ᨒ 」

「 ᨒ↟⸙ 𝑻𝒂𝒈 𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆 ⸙↟ᨒ 」

General Tags》 #sc: forest fables — #sc:ff Lore Tag》 #sc:ff lore Character Tags》 #sillybilly — #musemoose — #fiestyfoxy — #oli owlet — #smiley snailshell — #swirlysquirrel — #betty bucktooth — #fred froghop — #poempony — #horatio spectō — #kaiza kickboard Asks / Annon Asks》 #sc:ff ask — #sc:ff asks Polls》 #sc:ff poll Art / Work in progress Tags》 #sc:ff references — #sc:ff art Writing / Stories》 #sc:ff writing Fanart》 #sc:ff fanart

「 ᨒ↟⸙ 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 ⸙↟ᨒ 」

-{ The Crew }- (W.I.P.)

Red — MuseMoose (He/Him)

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Orange — SillyBilly (He/Any) — This is SillyBilly, the goofy, childish, comedian of the crew! He is always there to lighten the mood with his jokes, big or small, and even if the jokes dont land, he is willing to make a fool of himself for the benefit of his friends. He brings joy, and sorrow to those that listen.

Yellow — FiestyFox (She/Her)

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Green — Fred Froghop (He/They)

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Blue — SwirlySquirrel (He/She)

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Purple — Smiley Snailshell (They/Them)

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Pink — Betty Bucktooth (She/Her)

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White — Oli Owlet (She/They)

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-{ The Guests }- (W.I.P.)

Beige — PoemPony (She/They) — A talented poet, PoemPony is better expressing their feelings with a pencil than with their voice, and their friends know that underneath that shy and nervous look there's an artist big and shiny like ink on a page.

Aqua — Kaiza Kickboard (Any/They/Them)

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Lime — Horatio Spectō (He/They) — 'In my mind’s eye' is how Horatio starts most of their lectures, those that always tend to fall on deaf ears since that is their curse and their blessing; while he can see and perceive far more than the naked eye and be as wise as an owl, their shrill tone and dismissive attitude end up making people skeptical of their knowledge. Something that frustrates them a lot, but there is special providence in the fall of a sparrow, or in this case, of a parrot.

-{ Special Editions }- (W.I.P.) Joke)

Black — HomicidalHonk (He/Honk/It)

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「 ᨒ↟⸙ 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒔 ⸙↟ᨒ 」

》 Green Dainty Chains》 Cafekitsune

》 @novalizinpeace for PoemPony's art & ref

》 @novalizinpeace for Horatio Spectō's art & ref

》 @itzsharks-3am-thoughts Creator of Kaiza Kickboard

[walks-the-ages]

[ID: a screenshot of a Tumblr post by midwinter-dream, showing a snowy owl with a nest in a tree with three owlets, with the adult owl using its wings to cover the owlets from the falling snow.

The adult owl's wings are shaped and contorted in an impossible position so they look more like shoulder pads, it has no visible beak and instead a repeating grey v pattern on the center of its face, and the owlet's faces are distorted and are a strange, airbrushed grey.

This video is AI generated. It is not tagged by the OP as AI.

Do not reblog it thinking it is real, please.

If an owl was actually trying to shield their chicks from the weather, they would literally just sit on them.

Snowy owls also next on the ground, not trees.

Here's some real life pictures of baby snow owls in all of their hilarious, bedraggled glory:

[ID: a photograph of a snowy owl on a ground nest. It is laying in the nest and looking directly at the camera, with a clearly visible black beak. Im front of it in the next are three snowy owl chicks which are dark grey with their faces not fully covered so their beaks look very large in comparison. End ID]

[ID: a photo of a different snowy owl on the ground with two snowy owlets. The ground is gravel, and the adult owl is perched with its wings partially spread, visible from the side. The two owlets in the picture are facing away from the camera, sitting underneath their parent as two fuzzy grey shapes. End ID]

There is an excellent BBC Documentary narrated by Paul Mcgann if you want more details about them.

Tw: animal predation, blood

[myobsessions247]

A Hunter Au, it might not be for everyone but there is mama Eda and a younger Hunter, also big thing: Hunter is cursed (but you’ll have to wait to find out how!)

Runaway Owlet

Chapter 1 - A Lying Emperor and His Ward

He thought he should look up to his uncle. But once Lilith and he started to get close, they became more comfortable around each other. He realized the stark contrast between Belos and Lilith, how he could talk to Lilith about wild magic but his uncle… The atmosphere when he’s around Belos is very different to Lilith, shouldn’t it be the opposite? Shouldn’t he be able to talk about his interests to his uncle freely?

Hunter stares at himself through the mirror, with a far look on his face. He watches the blood stream down his neck soaking into his sweater, staining it. The last six minutes were a blur. The strike across his face was a blur. The run back to his room, leaving a trail of tears and blood was a blur. He thought so many different thoughts staring at his bloody hands and face, as all the colors around turned vivid and blur, was a blur. 

Would Lilith do this to him? He wouldn’t blame her if she did. He doesn’t know if she would. No, she wouldn’t. Lilith would never have to hit him. Not even if he’d mention how life might be better without the coven system, or being able to cure his uncle’s and his curse with wild magic. She’s too kind to hurt him for thinking there’s a better way to live. 

Hunter feels unsafe around Belos.

He should’ve known this for a while now. 

His heartbeat races. His breathing shortens. His bloody hands shake. He feels the feathers forming on his arms, face, hair, legs, and chest. His eyes widened. He frantically searches for a golden yellow potion. He finds it in a drawer and chugs it down, face furrowing in disgust. The feathers lift as he sticks his tongue out, I keep forgetting how bad this tastes! He remembers.

He looks back at the mirror, it suddenly reminds him of the wound. Now calm, he grabs his healing kit and gets to work cleaning up his injury.

He doesn’t feel safe around Belos.

It’s patched up, though you can see where the blood dried and the splotches of a darker red in his sweater.

Hunter doesn’t feel safe in the emperor’s coven.

He wants to leave so badly, yet he doesn’t. He doesn’t know where else to go. But wouldn't living homeless be better than living in a place that doesn’t feel like home? How would he eat, he barely eats here anyway. What about Lilith, what about Belos?

Hunter isn’t safe here.

He finds a bag to pack his stuff in. Two pairs of clothes (he’ll have to deal with not being able to wash them), some extra bandages, and… he doesn’t need anything else, does he? Though he does want some things. One of his favorite books, and a stuffed frog. 

Oh! Elixirs! 

…

He doesn’t have any more. He looked in the dresser drawer, desk, under his bed even! No sign of a golden yellow potion. He won’t get that stressed, would he? If he can survive without food, he’ll be fine, maybe.

Hunter, you are not safe there.

He waits until it’s two in the morning before leaving his room. He lived in the castle, he knew the scouts’ schedules and the layout like the back of his scared, gloved hand. Sure, it’s not like the entire building is empty, there are plenty of guards still guarding. But the only flaw: is shifts. Hunter waits near the entrance until the security walks away to get the next shift of scouts. That is when Hunter takes his chance to leave the castle. And then, he runs.

He runs for a good hour until his legs give in and he collapses on the cold forest floor. He doesn’t know how long he’s been crying, he only notices once he leans against a tree. Keep running. A little voice in his head nags. He ignores it, no, I’m tired. 

Belos will find you. Keep. Running.

No one knows I’m gone. I’ll worry about it in the morning.

Hunter’s breathing slows, and his legs ache. It’s cold, his nose is running, and he can feel his cheeks wet from the tears. Why is he crying again? 

Snap! Hunter jolts awake, he didn’t even know he drifted off. His ears twitch, in whatever direction the sound came from. It’s Silent. Is he going crazy? He hugs his legs, why did I leave? He hates that he wants to go back. He hates that he would rather get hit again, but still stay and rest in his bed. But I don’t want to! He keeps contradicting himself! 

He can’t get what he wants, a place to stay with a bed and food, and not to get hurt for a thing he says or does. He wants Lilith and not his uncle. He has to choose. Go back. Stay here.

He didn’t notice he started crying again. Oh well. Lilith would comfort him if she was here. Belos would just say “Quit crying, that’s not how you handle things.” He would say to grow up, and no one else is crying about not getting dinner. 

Like most nights, Hunter cried himself to sleep. Hugging himself and his pink stuffed frog he got out during his crying fit.

NOTES:

This will be a short chapter just like another few after this, I am trying to write a lot of the chapters ahead of time. I have so many ideas for this and for fluff I write what ever feels right in the moment. And most of the mysteries will stay mysteries until it either needs to come up or the truth will come out later(hint hint for Hollow Mind >:3) I do hope you like this idea enough to stick around, and don’t forget to let me know if any of it feels unnatural, like characters or anything else.

And lastly thank you for reading! Have a good night/midday/morning!

[theamberfist]

Sink or Swim Part 2 | Stolas x Reader

Romantic! Stolas x Swim Instructor! Reader

Description: When Stolas is busy, Stella must take Octavia to her swim lessons instead; which no one is very happy about.

(Notes:) (gender neutral reader) (reader is a sinner) (reader is young Octavia's swim teacher) (Part 2 of Sink or Swim)

Words: 2,488

Read part 1 here

"We're going to be late!" Octavia called as she tugged on the taller owl's hand. "Mommy, come on!" 

Stella rolled eyes but followed after her daughter, who was practically dragging her to the pool. For the owlet's sake, she kept her frustration about the situation inside for now. After all, swim lessons had never been her idea, so it peeved her that she was now the one having to deal with them because of Stolas.

The prince would have attended in her place like usual if not for some work-related obligation that had come up. And, since the pool had a rule that required a parent to be present for all lessons, Stella had been forced to perform the responsibility in his absence until he got back. He'd promised to be as quick as possible, hoping to show up before the lesson ended, but she highly doubted that would happen. 

Finally, they reached the building and headed inside, where the imp at the front desk immediately recognized Octavia and checked them in. Stella helped her into her swim suit, thankful that the little girl was at least old enough now that she wouldn't have to get in the water with her.

Stella couldn't understand the point anyway. It wasn't as if any of them used the pool they had at the house, and she would hardly have been caught dead getting her feathers wet, anyway. She didn't know why Stolas insisted on keeping Via enrolled in her lessons these last couple years, but it seemed it was just another reason for her to hate him. 

Finally, she and Octavia made their way onto the pool deck, where the little owlet instantly recognized her swim teacher and grinned from ear to ear. She called your name and then let go of her mother's hand; taking off running for the water. 

"By all means, run." Stella mumbled sarcastically. You turned around, smiling but reminding the girl not to run. She slowed her pace but continued going over to you. 

"Good to see you again, Octavia." You smiled before pulling yourself out of the water you'd been waiting in. When you noticed Stella, rather than Stolas following behind her, a look of slight surprise appeared on your face. There was a flash of disappointment in your eyes, too, before you quickly put on a smile and took a step forward, extending your hand to her.

"Hi, I'm-" She cut you off.

"I do not care," she informed you with a wave of her hand, "Just get on with it. You're lucky we didn't skip this lesson entirely." You retracted your hand at that; smile faltering.

"Alright..." You could only assume that this must have been Stolas' wife from the way he'd described her to you before. She was even worse than you expected, but you had little time to dwell on it as Octavia gently tapped your leg. 

"Can we get in the water?" She asked excitedly, "I wanna show Mama what I can do!" Your smile returned at that and you nodded, leading her back to the side of the pool as her mother collapsed on a nearby pool chair.

Sighing, you hopped in the pool and then turned to help the little owl after you. She was even more eager than usual to be in the water, and you assumed it had to do with the excitement of a different parent having accompanied her; though you could hardly share her sentiment. 

Once she was in the pool and holding onto the side, you started her on her usual drills. Since you'd been working with Octavia since she was an infant, you were well aware of her strengths and weaknesses, as well as her favorite activities when it came to your lessons. She chatted on as you two worked, telling you about whatever came to her mind, and you felt glad she'd gotten so comfortable with you over time. 

"Daddy's working today so Mommy brought me instead," she went on to explain as you two sat on the wall doing more kick drills now. 

"I saw." You smiled down at her, trying to keep the positive energy you knew was so necessary for teaching kids. 

"But he said maybe he'll be able to come to the end of the lesson," Octavia explained, "So maybe they can both watch me then!" You grinned and then pushed yourself into the water before turning to her.

"I'm sure he'll try his best to make it." And, if you were being honest, you hoped you were right. Stolas' company at these lessons was something you thoroughly enjoyed. He would always chat with you before and afterwards, and had such insightful thoughts that you constantly looked forward to his and his daughter's weekly classes. 

Stella, on the other hand, was thoroughly uninterested in what her daughter was up to; her eyes trained on her phone as she lounged on the pool chair. Considering she'd shown up in a full gown, you assumed she didn't find herself in places like this often, and therefore, did not care what you taught Octavia so long as you left her alone.

The owlet seemed to notice this because a frown appeared on her face. When you took her in your arms and began helping her with her front glides, she called out to her mother on the deck.

"Mommy, look at me!"

Stella's eyes never left her phone. "That's nice, Via." She replied. Unfortunately for her, though, her child was smarter than she seemed to give her credit for and her frown deepened. 

"You aren't looking!" She exclaimed sadly as you reminded her to kick her legs. Stella rolled her eyes before glancing up for a second and then returning to her phone. 

"You're doing great." She said dismissively. Octavia looked a little sad so you quickly stepped in to cover.

"She's right; you're doing great," you told the girl with a reassuring smile, "Can you look down at the bottom of the pool? See if there are any runaway fish down there I need to catch." Octavia giggled at that but obliged anyway and put her face down in the water to check for said fish. 

After a moment, she looked back up with a bright smile. "No fish!" She exclaimed happily and you smiled back at her.

"None? Are you sure?" You asked cheerfully and she looked down again for good measure. Finally, she raised her head again. 

"No fish!" You giggled and she did the same as you finally brought her into the wall. 

"Well, thank you for checking!" You told her, "I'm glad we don't have any loose fish today." You placed her on the wall again where she checked to see if Stella had bene watching.

As expected, she hadn't. Octavia's smile immediately dropped and she turned back to you with a sad expression. Feeling pressure to keep her happy, you quickly spoke up. "How about we work on your back float again, hmm?" You suggested. She nodded slowly before letting you support her back and leaning into your hold. 

"Lay back like you're sleeping in bed," you reminded her, "and look to see if any fish are in the sky!"

"The sky?" She asked through giggles and you nodded.

"Yep! Sometimes they like to swim around up there. Watch out for Craig specifically; he'll try to splash you." Octavia laughed before bringing her head up to look at Stella again. You couldn't help but feel bad for the girl's neglect by her mother; wishing Stolas would come back to encourage her like he always did. It was so important that kids be told how proud their parents were of them; you knew that. 

"Mommy, look at me!" She called again and your heart squeezed. Stella glanced up again.

"Great, sweetie." She replied nonchalantly. This seemed to finally be enough to upset the owlet, though, because she didn't take it for an answer. 

"You aren't looking!"

"Yes I am!" Stella shouted back, angry herself now. 

"No you aren't!" Octavia replied, crossing her arms as she continued to float on her back with your support. "You're not close enough to see!" Stella rolled her eyes again but stood from her pool chair now and put her arms out as if to say 'see?' 

"Better?" She asked in a frustrated tone.

"No!" Octavia called back, "You aren't close enough!" Grumbling, Stella took a few steps closer to the pool. Before she could even ask, though, Octavia was already calling to her. "You're not close enough, Mama!" She exclaimed through slightly teary eyes that made your heart clench, "I want you to see!"

Nearly fuming now, Stella came even closer to the pool so that her feet were right by the edge now. "There, am I close enough for you n-" She couldn't even finish her sentence, though, because as she was walking towards the edge, she slipped on some water and fell back. Her back smacked into the concrete of the pool deck and then the rest of her body slid into the water. 

It was at this moment when you realized Octavia's mother likely did not know how to swim. She flailed about in the water, which was a little deeper than where you currently stood holding the owlet, and seemed to panic as the weight of her huge dress pulled her down. 

To make matters worse, the lifeguard that was currently supposed to be watching the pool while you taught your lesson was hardly paying attention. Even when you called his name, he hardly batted an eye. Sighing, you replaced Octavia so that she comfortably rested in your left arm now; the way a parent might carry their toddler around.

There was no time to put her safely on the deck if you wanted to save her mother, and it wasn't as if you could leave the girl in the water by herself yet when she had only ever ran assisted drills up to this point. So, you were left with no choice by to swim through the water and towards Stella with the little girl in your arm. 

"Mommy!" The owlet called in fear as you finally made your way over to her mother. Stella was still flailing about in the water, which was a good thing at least, since it meant she hadn't yet lost consciousness. 

Amidst all the commotion, you didn't even notice that another owl now entered the scene, coming onto the pool deck with a bright smile that immediately disappeared when he saw what was going on. Unsure what to do, he rushed over to the deck near where you and his family were, but he worried he might not reach your group in time to help. 

Finally, you reached Stella and grabbed her by the waist with your free arm, dragging her up to the surface as she continued to flail. She smacked you in the face multiple times but you didn't waver; keeping Octavia away from the path of her arms and making sure both their heads stayed above the water. 

The lifeguard finally seemed to have noticed what was going on now, because he stood from his chair as if to help, but you just glared at him; having already done most of his job in this situation. 

You reached the pool deck now, where you let go of Octavia as soon as she was holding onto the wall. Stolas reached you too, immediately taking her into his arms and out of the water as he asked if she was alright. 

You turned your attention to the still-panicking Stella now; making sure she was still breathing as you helped her to sit on the poolside. The lifeguard had grabbed a first aid kit and was coming over to you four now as you looked her over. Luckily, she seemed relatively unharmed, aside from the scare. 

"Are you alright?" You asked, "You didn't hit your head when you fell, did you?" Now that she was on dry land, the owl's glare returned as she stared you down.

"No," she replied, crossing her arms, "But my dress is completely ruined! This is all your fault; you filthy sinner!" With that, she stood up from the side of the pool and stomped away, ignoring the lifeguard that tried to offer her medical attention as she passed. 

"Mama, where are you going?" Octavia called from her father's arms. Stella didn't pause.

"To get a new dress tailored!" Stella called back, glancing at you again, "And I'll be billing you for it!" Finally, she stormed through the locker rooms and out of the building as you shuddered. The lifeguard gave you a look that asked if you were okay but you just nodded and waved him off; pulling yourself out of the water. 

"I think that'll be it for our lesson today," you sighed, turning to Stolas, "I'm so sorry about that." Before he could reply, the owlet in his arms shook her head.

"It wasn't your fault; Mama fell!" She exclaimed as your expression softened. She turned back to her father now. "She needs swim lessons too." He smiled.

"I don't think your mother will be going anywhere near the water after that." He admitted and then looked to you. "But I am sure you had nothing to do with it. Stella can be quite...Easily angered." If he were being completely honest, he couldn't help but wish she hadn't been saved, but he knew you would never let that happen. "And, of course, I will not allow her to take any legal action against you; that includes her clothing expenses." You grinned.

"Thank you, Stolas." You said softly, grabbing your towel from one of the nearby pool chairs and wrapping it around yourself. "If you want to reschedule your next lessons with someone else, I understand." You would have expected him to do so, actually, but he quickly shook his head.

"No need!" He exclaimed a little too hurriedly, "Via enjoys working with you so much and I wouldn't want to uproot her over something like this!" Luckily, the little girl in his arms nodded in agreement, effectively covering for him. You smiled back.

"If that's what you want."

"It is." Stolas assured you with a grin, "It really is." There was a brief moment of silence between you both as you gazed into one another's eyes, and then the prince finally remembered where he was and what was going on as he composed himself by clearing his throat. 

"A-anyway," he spoke, "Thank you for saving my...wife." Your heart clenched at the word but you nodded.

"Of course." Then, you turned to Octavia, who was still in her father's arms. "I'll see you next week!" You told her, "Then you can show your dad how much progress we made today." She grinned and nodded excitedly.

"Yeah!"

With that, you bid them both farewell and watched as Stolas carried his daughter out of the pool building. Somehow, as he left, it felt as if a part of your heart went with him. 

[arynowl]

A happy ending for Kludd.

The fire was still smoldering in the forest, and ash settled on Nyra's feathers, a reminder of loss. She returned to Metal Beak's body, to take one more look at her husband, her king. But she didn't see him.

It was Kludd. The owlet who secretly loved her. She knew, and his silly crush sometimes amused her, but she liked his devotion to her and the cause of the Pure Ones. He lay at her husband's feet, with a broken wing, like a frozen shadow.

He wasn't strong. He wasn't worthy of her attention. But in his eyes, she saw pain, a reflection of her own.

He was visibly delighted to see her. Hope sparkled in his eyes. He stood up, walked towards her, and did something inexplicable - he pressed his face against hers, as if seeking comfort in her feathers.

Nyra was unfamiliar with such displays of affection. But she didn't push him away. He was so miserable that she felt sorry for him.

"Not everything is lost yet, Kludd," she whispered, covering him with her wing. "We lost the battle, but we won't lose the war. We will have our revenge."

She didn't know if he would hear her words. But she wanted him to know that she wouldn't leave him. She wouldn't turn away from him. He was one of them, and he would never be alone.

[reallyghostlypost]

[Fic] The dangers of camping in the valley's forests

You know what Stardew Valley needs? More cryptids and unknown creatures. Also more fics with Jadu and Gill.

Jadu wrapped his cloak tighter around him. He actually liked whenever Camilla was sending him to visit Marlon, listening to him and Gill share stories and gossip around the campfire was always a delight, but he really couldn't get used with the weather in the Valley. Autumn nights here were always bitter cold for him, used with either the desert heat or the dry cold nights of the Badlands, not these humid winds that seem to seep into your bones. He took another gulp of hot mulled wine and looked up at the mountains.

The nature surrounding them was already shrouded in darkness despite the sky still having a greyish orange tint from the setting sun. The vegetation was too thick to see even a foot forward and to someone trained to fight in open terrain of the corrupted desert it felt really claustrophobic. Shadow brutes, or any monster really, could be just a few steps away from him and he wouldn't be any wiser.

Jadu moved closer to the fire, feeling his teeth start to clatter. Really, he wasn't a child any longer to get scared by creepy stories told around the fire. But he couldn't help but feel that the shadows between the trees were unnaturally dark. He realized that Marlon stopped speaking a while ago and that made him tense suddenly. What was happening?

Looking up he noticed both Marlon and Gill staring at the same spot... tree? Jadu tried to see whatever got their attention but there didn't seem to be anything there. A sound then came from the darkness, like a stream of water running over rocks. Were they this close to the river? But listening closer he could also hear whispers, like a group of people were close by speaking silently with each other. Jadu gripped the wand stashed in his robes.

He was started to feel dizzy. This odd noise of water and whispers reminded him when he was training with Camilla by the river. He still didn't know what potion she gave him that time, but it was supposed to help him communicate with the elementals. The river then started to speak with him in a similar way, to call him with whispers hidden beneath the clear sound of running water, awfully familiar, and Jadu knew that he would be able to understand what it was telling him if only he could get a little closer. He could feel his mouth numb, a weird sweet taste on his tongue. He was so close to the water now, only a step forward and he could fall in the river to join the whispers, when a hand shot up to stop him from drowning himself.

Jadu jumped violently pulling the wand from his robes only to point it at Gill. "Sorry lad, but you looked really out of it." Gill apologized before removing his hand from his shoulder. Jadu was still panting trying to figure out what was happening. He could feel sweat on his back despite the cold air surrounding them.

"That owl is back." Marlon said in a tired voice. Jadu looked at the scarred adventurer then back at the same tree Marlon has been watching before, but he still couldn't see anything. Gill patted his shoulder without a word and pointed at a branch higher up in the tree and that's when Jadu noticed it. It was a small white owlet with black spots all over its feathers, small enough that could fit in the palm of his hand, but it was... wrong. Its almond shaped eyes were pitch black, with no pupils or irises, and was that a third eye on its forehead or just another black spot?

As soon as he laid eyes on the small owl his head cleared and most of the cold and dread was gone. Were they caused by the critter? Now that he was less confused Jadu could definitely recognize it as a dark elemental, inhuman spirit birthed from the darkness of the forests covering so much of the southern part of the Ferngill Republic.

The owlet opened its small black beak and the same weird water sounds mixed with whispers came out from it. Jadu could feel his ears getting stuffy, and the same coldness was starting to encroach him again. Marlon picked a rock and threw it at the bird who flew off with a horrible scream, like dozens of bats screeching at the same time. Just as it disappeared into the brown dry foliage Jadu noticed that it had a second identical face on the back of its head, it's second pair of eyes staring straight at him, making the hair at the back of his head stand up.

"Don't worry." Marlon reassured him as he poured more hot wine in his mug and urging him to drink. The heat of the wine felt good. "You'll get used with its magic soon enough and it won't affect you this badly."

"It hid into a crack of our roof for a while and we couldn't understand why we kept having nightmares or hallucinated in the middle of the day." Gill chuckled. "It wasn't pleasant, but the owl seems otherwise harmless. It keeps following us around and tries to get back into that crack before we chase it away, so we got used with it by now."

"More and more spirits like that have started to appear. Magnus has been working overtime trying to keep the dangerous ones from getting close to the town so he doesn't have time to chase away the smaller elementals from mingling with humans. We considered requesting a meeting with Camilla but things are under control for now and we don't want to take more of her time."

"Weird." Jadu managed to say before starting to cough. His throat felt weird and dry which made him scowl. Why was he so affected that small spirit?

Marlon gave him a sympathetic look. "Don't beat yourself up lad. You're trained to deal with desert spirits not forest ones. Spend more time here and you'll recognize their magic before they can charm you."

"Yeah." Gill remarked dryly. "Like we did last week when we started accusing each other of whispering in the middle of the night." Marlon huffed amused at that before taking a sip from his own mug.

"I'll speak with Camilla about this, maybe she can think of some solution without the need of a whole council meeting." Jadu picked a dry fish from the pile of food placed between them. "When did it start to happen?"

Marlon and Gill looked at each other for a second before Gill cleared his throat. "When spring came around and the new farmer moved in the valley."

"Farmer?" Jadu was confused. What did a farmer had to do with spirits and elementals acting weird?

"Oh, kid." Marlon sighted. "You have no idea what a long history that cursed farm has."

[hellaverseapocalypse]

And The Whirlwind Is In The Tree

Striker's Story - A Helluva AU

Pairing: Striker and OC Amelda(adoptive father/daughter relationship)

Warnings: angst, whump, hurt-comfort, injury, blood, harsh language, death, gore, killing in self-defense, graphic depictions of violence.

Summary: What if the Angels didn't stop at the Pride Ring? What if they didn't stop on Extermination Day? What if they never stopped? This is Striker's story of how he survived those 7 years of the angel invasion. An Apocalypse type story co-written by two fans! R&R.

Notes: Welcome! This is the start of myself(@storm89) and Candy's story, And the Whirlwind is in the Tree. (It's a lyric from a Johnny Cash Song). It all started from a fan art we saw, and the idea just snowballed from there. We decided to start with everyone's favorite cowboy, Striker. I hope you all enjoy our hard work! Also, big shout out to @eyecandyeoz for being an awesome editor and the bombastic art she made! We don't own Helluva boss, but we do own Amelda.

 Read on ao3 - 1k words

If you asked Striker where he was at Angel Invasion, he would tell you the truth.

He was robbing a corpse.

Whenever there is extermination, he usually waits it out and robs whatever corpses he can find. Sometimes he luckily finds a dead overlord, they carry the best loot.

This extermination felt different.

There was tension in the air, something that made his tail rattle nervously.

For one thing, the sirens rang way earlier than usual and then the angels started swarming;more than usual.

He then saw one kill an imp and then another kill a Goetia.

The rules have changed.

Striker quickly goes to an alley to find cover, trying to outrun the screams he hears.

They seem to be louder than usual.

Windows shatter around him, exploding from the angelic force. He was about to try to run into a building when red feather caught his eye,

He looked and froze.

A red feathered Goetia lay dead on the ground, next to him was a Wrathian female imp. He wondered briefly if they were lovers when he heard a small cry. He looks at a nearby dumpster and finds a surprise..

There was a small owlet sobbing as she hugged herself. Her red feather shows her parentage to the dead Goetia, but the biggest surprise is the nubby imp horns on her head.

A hybrid...like him.

“This ain't my problem.” he thought as he backed away; his boot breaking a piece of glass. The halfling eyes shot up at the noises and her eyes locked on his.

The two stared at each other, both not moving.

A nearby scream breaks the tense moment and Striker will later blame what happened next to be the result of unnatural imp instinct.

He reached over and grabbed the halfling, breaking into a run. She suddenly screeched, wriggling out of his hold and running back to the fallen Goetia.

“Oh you little shit!” Striker growled as he grabbed the halfling again, noticing she took something from her fathers body.

He didn't know where he was running, all he knew is that he had to find somewhere safe. An angel attempted to cast a charm on him, but he dispatched it quickly with a swift bullet to its head. The owlet gave another screech, making him turn and face the tip of an angelic spear.

Raging pain exploded in his left eye, making Striker roar in pain as he staggered. He felt that same angel throw him towards a wall, making his head spin.

Before he went unconscious, he heard more gunshot and a tiny hand pulling his own.

666

Striker groaned as he woke up. A pulsing pain in his eye made him sit up quickly, making his head swim.

“Take it easy, you gonna make yourself sick.”

Striker looked to the source of the voice and saw it was that imp woman that worked for Blitz. What was her name again?

“It's Millie, by the way.” she said, raising her eyebrow at him. Too many questions popped into his head, his sense trying to catch up with his thoughts.

“Something was different,” he mumbled. “Th-the extermination.”

“Yeah.” She said, “ This wasn’t an extermination. It looked to be more like an invasion. We been hearing that the angels are not just attacking folks in Pride, we heard that somehow they are also going to the other rings.”

Striker sat back, letting the news sink in.

Oh this was a bitch of a fucked up situation. He then glared at her.

“The hell you save me for?” He asked, “We're not exactly friends.”

“We are being invaded for fucks sake.” She said with an exasperated sigh. “We gonna need all the help we can get.”

Striker huffed, he guess that makes sense. A thought suddenly jolted him from his seat.

“Wait there was a kid with me!”

Millie placates him with a raised hand.

“She's fine, don't worry.” She said, “ Really scared, but she ain’t hurt anywhere.”

She then looked at him intensely.

“Why’d you save her?” She asked, “Thought you hated anyone that was royals.”

“I don't know.” He shrugged, “I just felt like I had to.”

Millie nodded, a knowing smile on her face to showcase her paternal understanding. Striker growled at that, his hand running over his own features. He froze when he felt the coarse bandages shielding his face.

“Shit, what's with my face?”

Striker shot out of the bed and rushed to a nearby vanity, removing his bandages with haste as he looked in the mirror.

He had a large gash over his left eye and coarse stitches sealing the open wound shut. His eye was now milky and lifeless. Decrepit.

Fuck his life.

He was blind in his left eye.

All to save some royal bastard.

“Hey.” Millie said, getting his attention. “You gotta get yourself together. Pride isn't safe anymore.”

“So where are you going?”

“Lust. It way safer than Pride.”

“What makes you think I will go with you?” Striker scoffed.

“Cause there's nowhere else to go?” She said with a shrug, about to leave, but then looked back at him, “By the way, the little owl’s name. Its Amelda.”

She leaves the room, leaving Striker alone with his thoughts.

666

When Striker finally went outside, he saw a lot of people, mostly Imps, packing whatever they had and going through the ruins.

Sweet Satan, Pride was in shambles.

Buildings were toppled and bodies littered the streets. He could see angels flying in the distance, circling over Pentagram City like vultures.

“Hey!”

He turns and sees Blitz waving at him.

“Your horse is here.” He said, pointing to the side, turning back to the IMP company van. “Get ready, we are leaving in five.”

Striker would argue back but his new blind eye throbbed. He went to his horse (Fuck, he loved this horse so damn much) and petted his fiery mane.

“Boy, just what the hell did we get ourselves into?”

He heard a chirp behind him and saw Amelda peeking at him from behind a wrecked car. His tail rattled and whipped in annoyance as he sneered at the halfling.

“Piss off,kid!”

The child didn't move, still staring at him with her purple gaze. Millie appeared next to her and gently took Amelda’s hand.

“Come over here, honey.” she said as she led her away, Amelda still watching him.

Striker shook his head and mounted Bombproof, clicking his tongue as he grabbed the reins.

Something has definitely changed, he thought as he looked at Pride's ruins.

Things are definitely going to be different from now on.

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Taglist: @captxin-rex @gospelofme @fangirl-goes-nova @romanoffs-gf @sstarwarsss @r2d2staser @nahoney22 @ashotofspotchka @art-of-the-twistedstitcher @only-a-simp-deals-in-absolutes @justalittletomato @twiggoblin @xsherryberryx @kriffclone @deewithani @tinker-tech @megafrost4 @minx067 @freesia-writes @boontaeveboba @ahoeformando @arctrooper69 @taz-107 @lizzowinkyface @chad-something @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @merkitty49 @nonsenseandm3mes @id-rather-be-a-druid @m-o-o-n-s-g-o-o-n-s @the-chains-are-the-easy-part @succulent-momma @virtualexpertanchor @padawancat97 @amorfista @storm89 @hurtbywhisperedmuses @misogirl828 @seriowan @plushymiku-blog @the-dathomirian-jedi @ladykatakuri @mysticalgalaxysalad @talesfrommedinastation @dukeoftheblackstar @littlecrowtime

[bokh00tos]

Shot Day :)

Bokuto Koutarou x trans man reader

Based off of how my weekly T shot goes (plus a little bit of lovey dovey mlm) with my favorite owl baby instead of my bestie😅 This isn’t proof read lmao, I wrote it in my notes and copy pasted it onto tumblr.com— i am merely a little himbo, pls b nice❤️

Bokuto looks at you as he fidgets on the bed to get comfortable, uncapped syringe in one hand, while the other was being used to hold up the sleeve of your t-shirt, “Okay babe, d’you wanna do the countdown or should I?”

You’re not new to this, yet the feeling of being acutely stabbed in the upper arm week after week never fails to stress you out. “Um, I’ll do it, for some reason it feels like it hurts less when I do it,” you say, looking up to meet his beautiful gold eyes, “I know that’s not how it works but that’s how it works.”

He laughs, loud as always, “I get it! Okay owlet, I’m ready when you are.”

You feel your face heat up at the nickname, taking a small breath in before counting down from three, looking away as Bokuto sticks the needle into your bicep. He’s so focused; the tip of his tongue poking out as he delivers your injection.

“Halfway done,” he mumbles, glancing up at your side profile as you control your breathing, “you’re being such a good boy, holding so still and being so strong, Y/N, good boy.” You hear him talking— you only heard ‘halfway’ and zoned out, but you register his gentle, loving tone of voice and it settles your nerves a bit.

By the time you’ve tuned back in, it’s unfortunate that you feel the sting of the needle leaving your body, but Bo is always quick with the alcohol swab and the bandage— holding the cold alcohol swab on your injection site until he got the bandage packaging open— this one came from the ‘Bluey’ box, “You’re gonna be excited about this one, because I know I am!” He’s grinning as he puts the bandage on, you look down at your arm as he uncovers the design: it’s Chattermax! You had said when he was introduced that Chattermax reminded you of Bokuto— a talkative owl! It’s silly, you both know, but it’s still pretty cute.

“Ah! I do love it!” You laugh, and he’s sitting there, eyes bigger than saucers, lips slightly parted, breathing noticeably heavier than normal.

“Bo? Are you—“

“MY HEART HAS A BONER CAN I KISS YOU PLEASE?” He asks his question and instantly deflates from holding his breath. You’ve been together nearly 4 years, yet every time you’re not already in a steamy scenario, Bokuto asks your permission to kiss you, and it makes you fall even more in love with him when he does.

You pull him in by his shoulder and kiss him, moving your hands to the back of his head and running your fingers through his feathery soft hair. He lets out a soft gasp, grinning into the kiss. He whines, tugging at the edge of your shirt to match his shirtlessness. Bokuto normally walked around in just his boxers, while you would be in one of his shirts and your boxers because of dysphoria reasons. But after your T shot? Your confidence was through the roof, and you nodded, helping Bokuto pull it over your head.

Once it was off, his hands immediately went to your hips, trailing up your torso to feel you up before crossing his arms behind your neck as his lips moved against yours. Bokuto scooted closer to you, moving his legs to rest on top of yours— practically in your lap. Your hands that were once at his hips are now holding his waist, pulling him closer to you for your tummies to press against each other. He was full on in your lap now, legs wrapped around your torso as his tongue is halfway down your throat.

You pull back to breathe and a string of saliva connects your lips to Bokuto’s still. He whines, bouncing slightly in your lap and you laugh, “Baby! I need to breathe! And I want to lay down and cuddle, my arm is sore,” you put one arm beside you to support you both as you fall back into the bed. He sighs, moving his head into the crook of your neck and leaves a few kisses, “Tell your lungs to get bigger so we can kiss longer..!”

“They work as hard as they can! My binder constricts them all day, I’m sure they’re still just getting used to being free after work, baby Bo,” you rub his back and feel old and new acne scars around his shoulder blades, as well as his strong back muscles, “but I’ll be sure to pass on the memo.”

He yawns and tucks himself into your smaller frame, nodding and giggling softly, “Good. I need them to know that I can’t get enough of your lips~”

You groan playfully and ruffle his hair, blushing hard, “You’re so gay, Bo!!”

“Yeah, gay for you, owlet.”

[ghost-bxrd]

I know a few people already mentioned Dick hallucinating Jason visually but imagine Dick hallucinating Jason via sound. Like, he doesn't see him, but he can hear him calling and chirping for him. Dick would be so distraught and upset that he can hear him but can't find where the chirping is coming from. I'd also imagine it would be a specific type of chirp that Jason would only use when he's in trouble and in need of rescuing.

Hope you don't mind me adding more angst into this <3

Yesss!!!!

So I think I mentioned this once before, but the chirping and hooting sounds Dick and Jason (and also Bruce now, to an extent) make aren’t an actual language. It’s more of a guesswork thing. There are some sounds Dick only makes when he’s calling to Jason, so Jason knows it’s a kind of “look at me/pay attention” kind of thing. Likewise, Jason only makes his “baby cheeps” when he’s with Dick and is feeling happy/content.

There are hundreds of personalized calls between them now. Many of which Dick taught Jason, and some that they’ve come up with together while surviving on the streets. But basically most calls would “translate” to certain catch phrases, greetings or supplications. And for Jason, using “owl speech” is sometimes easier than using human words when communicating his emotions. In those instances, Dick is the one who has to translate for him if they’re taking to Bruce or Alfred lol.

Ok, getting side tracked again.

So basically you’d be absolutely right to assume there’s a bird call only Jason makes that’s meant to alert Dick 1. To his location, and 2. that he’s in danger/scared/hurt.

I’d imagine that, immediately after his death, Dick would hear these calls absolutely everywhere and frantically search for Jason, long after he remembers that his owlet is dead. Similarly to how humans sometimes think they heard a familiar voice calling their name or something. Very heartbreaking in a context where that person is dead. 😔🦉 🥀

(Yes Dick is kind of going insane with grief)