#magic of body transformation and all of that

[solxamber]

1800-Curse-Control || Lilia Vanrouge

You decide to open a hotline for curing curses with Lilia. It goes exactly how you imagined it would—maybe even a little better.

“Lilia,” you said, rubbing your temples as you leaned against the counter in Ramshackle’s disaster of a kitchen. “Grim’s eating me out of house and home, literally. If I can’t afford the repairs soon, the roof will cave in. But all he cares about is premium tuna! Do you know how much that stuff costs?”

Lilia, who was casually floating upside down for no apparent reason, looked entirely too entertained. “Ah, the plight of a homeowner,” he said, grinning. “Why not turn your misfortune into opportunity? I’ve been told I have exceptional customer service skills, and I’ve been dreadfully bored. Let’s open a hotline for removing curses!”

You blinked at him. “A hotline. For curing curses.”

“Yes, my dear beastie,” he said, flipping upright midair and landing gracefully. “Think about it! This school is crawling with fools who drink unlabeled potions, poke magical artifacts, and anger vengeful spirits just for sport. You’d be rich in a week!”

“…I hate how much sense that actually makes.”

“It’s a foolproof plan,” Lilia continued, already pulling a notepad from somewhere to scribble down ideas. “I’ll handle the exorcisms and the cackling, naturally. You, my dear entrepreneur, can be the charming face of the operation. We’ll call it—hmm—‘Curse-B-Gone.’”

“Absolutely not.”

“Fine, ‘Hex Hotline.’”

You considered it. On one hand, it sounded completely ridiculous. On the other hand, there was that third-year who accidentally swapped his voice with a frog’s last week and the freshmen who kept mysteriously sprouting feathers.

“…How much are we charging?”

“Ah-ha! I knew you’d come around!” Lilia said, clapping his hands together. “Let’s see, we’ll need tiers. Minor hex removal? Hundred thaumarks. Major curses—hair-growing hexes, spontaneous transformation curses—those will start at Five Hundred.”

“And what about something, like, really bad? What if someone’s whole body turns into a pumpkin or something?”

“That’s a premium package. One thousand thaumarks.”

You nodded slowly. “Okay. Okay, I’m in. But if this flops, you’re buying Grim’s tuna for the next month.”

Lilia smirked, his fangs glinting mischievously. “Deal.”

By the end of the day, you’d set up a magical hotline using some weird orb Lilia “borrowed” from the library, a vaguely threatening poster campaign across the campus (“Cursed? Hexed? A jackal-headed god show up at your dorm? Call us!”), and a suspiciously well-stocked supply of anti-curse materials Lilia claimed were “leftovers” from his youth.

You weren’t sure whether to feel excited or like you’d just signed up for the most bizarre mistake of your life. Either way, you couldn’t wait to see how this would go down.

The orb hotline rang for the first time, glowing ominously on the rickety desk in Ramshackle. You and Lilia exchanged glances.

“Answer it!” he whispered, like this was some spy mission and not a cursed customer service line.

With a deep breath, you picked it up. “Uh… Hello, this is the Cursed and Confused Hotline. How can we—”

“YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!” Ace’s voice screamed on the other end. “HE’S GOING TO KILL ME THIS TIME!”

You winced, holding the orb away from your ear. “Ace? What happened?”

“I DON’T KNOW! I WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE TEA!”

“Okay, and?”

“And I might’ve…accidentally used that weird sugar in the Heartslabyul pantry, the one that glows in the dark? And now Riddle’s head is covered in, like…peonies. Big, pink peonies. They keep growing whenever he gets mad, which, uh, is always.”

You slapped your forehead. “You cursed your housewarden?!”

“I DIDN’T MEAN TO!” Ace wailed. “I thought it was sugar, not cursed fertilizer! Look, can you just fix this before he declares ‘off with my head’ for real?”

“Ugh, fine. Where are you now?”

“Hiding in the rose bushes. He hasn’t found me yet, but I think I heard him sharpening a guillotine.”

“Classic Heartslabyul,” Lilia said cheerfully, already packing his so-called emergency kit.

When you and Lilia arrived at Heartslabyul, it was pure chaos. Riddle stood in the center of the garden, his face as red as his hair—and also half-obscured by an explosion of giant pink peonies blooming out of his head like some cursed bouquet.

“TREY!” Riddle bellowed. “GET THE GARDEN SHEARS!”

Ace was crouched in a rose bush nearby, whispering frantically. “Please tell me you brought an anti-cursed-flower spray or something!”

You ignored him and approached Riddle cautiously. “Uh, Riddle? You’ve got—”

“I KNOW WHAT I HAVE!” Riddle shrieked, a few more flowers blooming on his head. “I demand immediate remedy! Or else—”

“We’ll fix it,” Lilia cut in, grinning like this was the most fun he’d had in centuries. “Now, let’s see…” He pulled a vial of glowing liquid from his kit. “This should do the trick.”

“Are you sure?” you asked, eyeing the suspiciously fizzing vial.

“Of course not,” Lilia said, popping it open.

He dumped the liquid over Riddle’s head without warning. The flowers immediately shriveled up and disappeared.

Riddle blinked, touching his head in astonishment. “…It’s gone?”

“You’re welcome,” Lilia said with a dramatic bow.

Ace peeked out from the bushes. “So…he’s not mad anymore, right?”

Riddle’s death glare answered that question.

“RUN!” you yelled, dragging Ace out of the garden as Riddle shouted about punishment for “sugar crimes.”

Back at Ramshackle, you slumped against the desk. “We’re never doing house calls again.”

Lilia just laughed. “Oh, but the drama! I live for it!”

The hotline orb began glowing again, pulsing with a foreboding, bluish light.

You groaned. “If this is Ace again, I swear—”

Lilia waved his hand. “Come now, it’s probably another entertaining disaster! Answer it!”

You reluctantly picked up. “Cursed and Confused Hotline. What’s your—”

“FIX. THIS. NOW!” came Azul’s shrill, panicked voice.

You blinked. “Azul? What’s—”

“I CAN’T EVEN DESCRIBE WHAT HE’S DONE THIS TIME!”

“Oh, come on, Azul!” Floyd’s voice cut in, cackling in the background. “It’s a masterpiece!”

“Masterpiece?” Azul screeched. “You flooded the dining room and filled it with—WHY ARE THERE EELS IN THE SOUP POTS?”

“Because it’s hilarious!” Floyd howled, clearly having the time of his life.

Jade’s calm voice joined in, oozing politeness as always. “To be fair, Floyd has a point. The eels are thriving in there.”

Azul sputtered like a broken faucet. “THRIVING?! THEY’RE STEALING PEOPLE’S FOOD!”

“Sounds efficient to me,” Floyd said. You could practically hear him smirking. “Dinner and a show!”

Lilia perked up. “Eels in soup pots? How creative!”

“Don’t encourage him!” Azul barked. “Do you know how much it costs to repair the water damage he’s caused? The walls are dripping! The chandelier is dripping! I AM DRIPPING!”

“That’s not cursed,” you said, trying to hide your amusement. “That’s just Floyd being—well, Floyd.”

“Oh, no, it’s cursed,” Azul hissed. “Every time I try to remove the eels, the water level rises. They’re like aquatic squatters! Fix it or I swear I’ll—”

The sound of something massive splashing cut him off, followed by Floyd’s uncontrollable laughter.

“HAHAHA! He slipped into the soup pot! Jade, did you see that?”

“I did,” Jade replied, his voice as smooth as ever. “It was quite elegant.”

“AZUL’S AN EEL NOW!” Floyd cried. “Eel bros for life, baby!”

The orb started vibrating violently.

“Get. Over. Here. Now.” Azul’s voice was barely a whisper, the tone of someone seconds away from an aneurysm.

You sighed and grabbed your bag. “Let’s go before he implodes.”

When you arrived at Mostro Lounge, it was exactly what you expected—and somehow worse. The entire dining area was flooded, eels swam lazily in the soup pots, and Azul was perched on a chair, drenched from head to toe and glaring murderously at Floyd, who was happily paddling through the water like it was his personal playground.

“Finally!” Azul barked, waving his wet hand. “Do something! Anything!”

Floyd, half-submerged in a soup pot, waved at you. “Hey! You wanna join the eel party? First rule—no rules!”

Lilia clapped his hands. “This is magnificent chaos!”

Azul groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I’ll double your pay if you fix this immediately.”

You glanced at Lilia, who was already pouring a suspiciously glowing liquid into the water.

“This should work,” he said cheerfully.

The water started to drain, the eels vanished in puffs of smoke, and the room returned to normal—except for Floyd, who now floated upside down in midair, spinning like a cursed top.

“Whoa, this is AWESOME!” Floyd laughed, twirling like a maniac. “I’m a flying eel!”

Azul sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as you said “I’m charging you extra for emotional damages.”

The hotline orb flared up again, casting a frantic purple glow. You groaned, mid-sip of tea.

“I don’t know if I can handle more insanity.”

Lilia, perched upside down on the couch, grinned. “Nonsense! Chaos keeps the heart young. Answer it!”

Reluctantly, you picked it up. “Cursed and Confused Hotline. What did you do, and how bad is it?”

“It’s me! It’s Epel!” came the desperate, whisper-shouted voice of the Pomefiore freshman. “I need your help—immediately! I’ve got the worst curse of all on me.”

“Worst curse?” you asked, frowning. “What’s going on?”

“Vil,” Epel said, voice shaking. “And Rook.”

“...Epel, those are people, not curses.”

“They are when Vil finds out I repurposed his limited-edition face mask jars as apple cider mugs for the guys in Savanaclaw!”

Lilia burst into a delighted cackle. “Oh, that’s fantastic!”

“Not fantastic! Vil’s gonna flay me alive!” Epel hissed. “And Rook’s hunting me down like a rabbit in the woods. Please, ya gotta help!”

You tried not to laugh. “How exactly do you want me to help? I can’t exactly—”

A loud thud echoed through the call, followed by Epel screaming, “He found me! NO! PUT THAT BOW DOWN!”

“Bonjour, my friend~!” Rook’s voice came through, as smooth as velvet and disturbingly cheerful. “Ah, how beautiful the chase! Like a fox cornered by the hounds, our petit pomme has finally been found!”

“ROOK, NO! DON’T HAND ME OVER!”

“Oh, petit lapin,” Rook said, unbothered, “the punishment will only make you stronger. Think of it as a trial by fire!”

“I DON’T WANT TO BE STRONGER, I WANNA BE ALIVE!” Epel shrieked.

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Rook, what exactly are you planning to do with him?”

“Ah, worry not,” Rook replied. “I am but a humble messenger delivering him to justice. Vil has been most patient.”

“HE CALLED ME A PEASANT AND THREW A HEEL AT ME, THAT’S PATIENT?” Epel howled.

Lilia leaned forward, thoroughly entertained. “Rook, at least let us have a word with Epel before he meets his doom.”

“But of course!”

“HELP ME!” Epel screamed the moment Rook handed him the phone. “Distract them, hex me, I dunno, CURSE ME INTO A TREE OR SOMETHING—”

“Epel,” you said firmly, trying not to laugh, “you’re going to have to face Vil eventually. What’s the worst he could do?”

“THE WORST? Oh, I dunno, exile me to a skincare bootcamp for the rest of my natural life?”

Rook’s voice floated in. “Imagine it, petit pomme: cleansing facials, detoxifying baths, and no more cider mugs. A new you!”

“YOU STAY OUTTA THIS!”

You sighed. “I can offer one thing.”

“Anything!”

“An apology. I suggest you start practicing now.”

“An apology?! I called Vil’s collection overhyped snake oil. I’m DOOMED!”

“Not if you run fast enough,” Rook chimed in cheerfully. “Shall we test your stamina?”

The call ended with Epel’s scream, followed by the distinct sound of someone bolting at full speed.

“Well,” Lilia said, smiling. “That was worth every second.”

Jamil’s voice crackled through the orb strained and absolutely done.

"Hi, yeah, it’s me again."

You rolled your eyes. "Let me guess. Kalim tried to throw a party?"

"And Cater," Jamil growled, the sound of something crashing in the background. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to manage one chaos gremlin? Now imagine two. They’ve cursed half the dorm—random objects are coming to life, and singing. And I don’t mean pleasant singing. I mean like if a banshee and a kazoo had a love child."

Lilia leaned in beside you, eyes glittering with delight. "Oho, this sounds entertaining! What did they do this time?"

Jamil sighed deeply, as if he’d just aged ten years in the past ten minutes. "Kalim thought it would be fun to 'spice up' a party by enchanting the decorations. Cater encouraged him, saying it would make a great Magicam post. The result? The curtains are now tap-dancing, the chandelier won’t stop singing old sea shanties, and the punch bowl tried to bite me."

Lilia clapped his hands. "This sounds like an excellent way to spend the afternoon! Let’s go!"

You groaned. "Why do I have to go?"

"Because you’re the only one who can keep Lilia from making things worse," Jamil deadpanned.

Arriving at Scarabia was like stepping into a fever dream. The furniture was waltzing around the room, the ceiling fan was chanting, "Spin me right round, baby, right round," and the aforementioned punch bowl snarled at you as you walked in.

Kalim, of course, was having the time of his life, clapping to the rhythm of the furniture parade. Cater was filming everything, laughing as he tried to get the chandelier to do a TikTok dance.

"Do you see what I have to deal with?" Jamil hissed, his hair practically frazzled.

"Let’s fix this before someone dies," you muttered, pulling out the anti-curse toolkit Lilia had handed you on the way.

"Or before someone posts this to Magicam and the entire world sees it," Jamil added grimly, glaring at Cater.

It started smoothly enough—well, as smoothly as any curse-breaking session with Lilia could go. The two of you worked to unravel the enchantments while dodging flying pillows and shrieking party streamers.

Then, of course, you made the mistake of touching an enchanted lamp.

It burst into song—loud, off-key, and somehow extremely personal. The lyrics were all about your lack of a love life and questionable fashion choices. Before you could fight back, it tangled itself around your arms and legs, dragging you upward toward the chandelier.

"Hey, uh, Lilia? Little help!"

Lilia, ever the dramatic savior, leaped into action. With a mischievous grin, he sliced through the magical binds with a well-aimed spell and caught you mid-fall.

You blinked up at him, heart hammering in your chest. His crimson eyes glimmered with amusement, his fangs showing in a victorious smirk. He cradled you with an ease that shouldn’t have been possible given his stature.

"You alright there, my dear?" he asked, voice low and teasing.

"Yeah, I’m fine," you muttered, face heating up. "Just…you know…trying not to die."

But your brain wasn’t focusing on that. It was too busy processing the fact that Lilia was holding you like you weighed nothing, and you could feel your pulse quickening. Damn it, why is my heart beating so fast?

He tilted his head, studying you with an unreadable expression. "Are you sure? Your face is a bit flushed."

"Nope! Totally fine!" you squeaked, scrambling out of his arms as soon as your feet touched the ground.

Jamil, watching the whole thing from across the room, rolled his eyes. "Great. Now you’re cursed too."

"Shut up, Jamil."

It took another hour, but the dorm was finally back to normal—or as normal as Scarabia could be. Kalim apologized profusely, Cater promised to delete the footage (he didn’t), and Jamil looked like he might snap at any moment.

As you and Lilia walked out, you tried to calm your racing heart, but he leaned in with a knowing grin.

"Quite the adventure today, wasn’t it?"

"Sure," you replied quickly, hoping your face wasn’t still red.

He hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder what’s got your heart racing so much. You’re not catching feelings for your favorite partner-in-chaos, are you?"

"Not a chance," you lied, your heart betraying you with another treacherous thump.

Lilia just chuckled, and you couldn’t tell if he believed you—or if he was just letting you stew in your own embarrassment for fun.

The enchanted orb buzzed frantically, and you groaned as you reached for it. The second you accepted the call, you heard Deuce.

“HELP! WE MESSED UP BAD!”

“Deuce?” you asked, already dreading the answer. “What did you do this time?”

Jack’s voice came through, exasperated and growly. “It wasn’t just him. I was there too.”

“Great,” you deadpanned. “So, what kind of mess am I cleaning up now?”

Deuce gulped. “We, uh… were practicing some spellwork for exams—”

“Right by the Spelldrive practice field,” Jack added grimly.

Your eyes widened. “Please don’t tell me you—”

“Destroyed the field? Yeah,” Deuce admitted miserably. “But we didn’t mean to! The explosion was an accident!”

You heard a sharp, angry voice in the background: “AN ACCIDENT?! YOU DESTROYED HALF THE FIELD, YOU LITTLE—”

“Leona’s there?” you asked, already standing up.

Deuce nodded frantically. “He’s so mad. Please come before he kills us!”

“Stay put,” you said, grabbing your things. “And pray he doesn’t finish you off before we get there.”

The Spelldrive practice field was a warzone. One goalpost was completely obliterated, sand smoldered in random patches across the ground, and an entire section of the bleachers looked like it had been hit by a tornado.

Leona was standing in the middle of the chaos, arms crossed, glaring daggers at Deuce and Jack, who were huddled behind a tipped-over bench like it could save them. His team stood a safe distance away, clearly too smart to get involved.

You arrived with Lilia in tow, who was already grinning like he’d just stumbled upon the most entertaining show of the year.

“Oh, this is delightful,” Lilia mused, surveying the carnage. “It’s like an abstract painting of destruction.”

“Not helping,” you muttered, jogging toward the scene.

Leona’s sharp green eyes locked onto you. “Finally. You gonna fix this mess, or do I get to turn these two into sandbags?”

“Leona,” you said, stepping between him and the disaster twins, “We’ll handle it. Just… don’t murder them. Yet.”

Leona snorted. “You’ve got five minutes.”

Lilia hummed a jaunty tune as he began waving his hands over the destroyed sections of the field. Slowly, the sand settled, the goalpost reformed, and the bleachers stopped looking like they’d gone through a blender.

Meanwhile, you kept Leona from pouncing on Deuce and Jack, who were watching Lilia work with wide eyes.

“You two better hope I don’t find out about another ‘accident,’” Leona growled, looming over you.

“Relax,” you said, holding up a hand. “They’re idiots, not criminals. Save your energy for your team.”

Leona rolled his eyes but stepped back, muttering something about “babysitters.”

When everything was finally back in order, Lilia dusted off his hands with a satisfied smile. “That was quite fun. We should let those two cause chaos more often.”

You shot him a look. “Please don’t encourage them.”

Leona, arms crossed and clearly annoyed, stepped closer. “You’re done? Good. I’ll send Ruggie with something to pay you later.” Then he smirked, eyes flicking between you and Lilia. “Now keep your lovesick asses away from my practice field.”

Your brain short-circuited. “Wha—?! Lovesick?”

Leona just walked off with a lazy wave, leaving you standing there, half-mortified.

Lilia leaned in, clearly enjoying your flustered state. “Oh my. He really has a way with words, doesn’t he?”

“Don’t you start,” you muttered, your face burning.

But when you turned to walk away, Lilia was by your side, chuckling softly. He caught your wrist gently, pulling you to a stop for just a moment. “For what it’s worth,” he said, voice quieter and more serious, “you were quite impressive back there, keeping Leona from turning them into mincemeat.”

Your heart did a flip. “Uh… thanks?”

He let go with a grin, stepping back and returning to his usual playful tone. “Now, let’s see if we can avoid the next disaster, hmm?”

You weren’t sure if your face would ever cool down.

Potions class with the first-year gang was never uneventful. Today was no exception. The room smelled faintly of burnt caramel as Grim waved his tiny paws at Ace, who was leaning smugly on the table.

“I told you not to put that in!” Grim yelped.

“I barely touched it!” Ace shot back.

“It doesn’t matter who did it!” Sebek barked, slamming his hands on the table. “What matters is that our potion is—”

“About to blow,” Jack growled, pointing to the cauldron bubbling ominously.

“Wait—WHAT?!” you yelped, but it was too late.

The cauldron erupted, spraying a shimmering pink mist over everyone. The class erupted into chaos as Sebek shouted about “inferior techniques,” Epel coughed dramatically like he was dying, and Deuce tried (and failed) to douse the sparks with his coat.

You, unfortunately, caught the brunt of the potion to the face.

You thought the effects were mild at first—just a faint warmth in your chest and the echo of the sugary-sweet scent in your nose. But when you sat down at lunch with Lilia and Malleus, the symptoms became impossible to ignore.

Lilia was chatting animatedly, laughing at his own jokes and waving his fork in the air, while Malleus nodded thoughtfully. But you weren’t hearing a word.

Your brain had decided that the only thing worth focusing on was how kissable Lilia’s lips looked.

Wait, what?

You shook your head, trying to clear it, but it only got worse. Now you were noticing how nice his voice was. And his smile. And the way his hand brushed yours when he passed the salt—

Oh, no.

“Child of man,” Malleus said, pulling you from your internal meltdown, “you seem… distracted.”

You blinked rapidly. “Uh. Yeah. Distracted. Totally fine. Definitely not—uh—totally infatuated with Lilia or anything.”

Lilia looked up, smirking. “Oh? How flattering.”

You nearly choked on your drink. “IT’S THE POTION!”

Malleus watched you pace back and forth in the hallway, his expression somewhere between amused and curious.

“You have to fix me,” you begged, grabbing his shoulders. “This has to be the potion talking. There’s no way I just—randomly—started thinking about Lilia like that!”

Malleus tilted his head, his eyes studying you intently. “You truly believe you are under an enchantment?”

“Yes! Of course!” You gestured wildly. “I mean, it’s Lilia! He’s my partner in crime! He’s—he’s—”

“Kissable?” Malleus offered, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

Your hands dropped to your sides. “You are so not helping.”

He stepped closer, his presence calm but commanding, and placed a hand on your shoulder. “Very well, child of man. Allow me to assess your condition.”

Malleus leaned forward, his magic swirling faintly around him as he studied you with eerie precision.

After a moment, he straightened, folding his arms. “The potion you were exposed to was a failure. Its intended effects are nonexistent.”

You froze. “What are you saying?”

Malleus raised an eyebrow. “I am saying that you are not under a spell. Your feelings are entirely your own.”

You stared at Malleus in horror.

“So… you’re telling me… I’m not cursed?”

“Precisely.”

“And this… this whole… wanting to kiss Lilia thing…” You paused, voice dropping to a mortified whisper. “That’s just me?”

Malleus nodded sagely. “Indeed.”

You covered your face with your hands. “No. No, no, no. This can’t be happening.”

Lilia’s voice drifted from the next room. “Are you done conspiring with Malleus, beastie? Lunch is getting cold!”

You peeked through your fingers at Malleus, who looked like he was thoroughly enjoying your suffering.

“Good luck, child of man,” he said, patting your shoulder.

You groaned. “I’m going to die.”

And yet, as you returned to the table and sat down next to Lilia, who greeted you with his usual teasing grin, you couldn’t help but wonder if maybe—just maybe—this wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

You didn’t think it could get any worse than being late for class, but that was before Grim decided to experiment with potions unsupervised. Now, you and Lilia were sprinting through the halls of NRC, dodging a cursed army of flying spoons.

“I told Grim not to use the potions lab as a snack bar!” you gasped, barely ducking as a spoon zoomed past your head with terrifying precision.

Lilia, running beside you, was grinning like this was the most fun he’d had all week. “I must admit, this is an impressive level of chaos. Even I wouldn’t have thought to curse cutlery!”

“Glad you’re enjoying yourself,” you panted, grabbing his arm as another wave of spoons turned the corner. “Hide!”

The two of you dove behind a nearby tapestry, pressing against the wall as the spoons zipped past, their metallic clinking fading into the distance.

For a moment, it was quiet—except for the pounding of your heart.

Your breathing slowly steadied, but your heart didn’t. Not when Lilia was so close, his eyes gleaming with excitement and his cheeks flushed from the chase.

You couldn’t take it anymore.

“Lilia,” you blurted, voice trembling but determined, “I’m in love with you.”

Lilia blinked, his surprise evident for a split second before a soft smile curved his lips. “Ah, I see. Was it the spoons that gave me away, or my undeniable charm?”

You groaned, burying your face in your hands. “I’m serious!”

He chuckled, gently pulling your hands away to meet your eyes. “So am I. I’ve felt the same for quite some time.”

Your breath hitched. “Really?”

“Really,” he murmured, leaning closer. His lips brushed yours, soft and fleeting, but it sent your heart racing like you were being chased by a thousand cursed spoons.

He pulled back, his grin mischievous. “Now, let’s survive this first date, shall we?”

He grabbed your hand, pulling you from your hiding spot just as the spoons began circling back like a swarm of metallic bees.

“Run!”

You laughed despite yourself, sprinting hand-in-hand with Lilia as the chaos erupted around you once more.

And yet, as you glanced at him—his hair wild, his smile unshakable, his fingers warm around yours—you couldn’t help but think:

I want this forever.

Masterlist

[doberbutts]

Coming from the other side of things (someone who did not like giving oral or kissing with tongue but is very demonstratably gay considering the amount of anal sex I've had with mlm)

It's interesting to see that this is what queer infighting has turned into while I have TERFs sexually harassing me for years about how gay men only like me because I, and I quote, "suck cock for free". Nevermind that A: isn't sex in a typical romantic relationship usually free and B: I didn't like oral sex until 2 years ago when T gave my sex drive a major boost and changed some of my preferences. They'd be all over my notes calling me a cocksucker and making references to choking on it etc and every time I'd be baffled because I... wasn't doing that.

Also the inherent homophobia of calling someone who engages in gay sex with other men a "cocksucker" is not lost on me.

I also didn't like kissing with tongue until a clearly negotiated scenario with a partner where he asked if he could try something and I found out very quickly that my problem with open mouth kissing was mostly a question of oral hygiene and technique, and someone who regularly brushes their teeth and also doesn't magically transform their mouth into a vacuum cleaner when kissing is actually quite pleasant to kiss this way. So sometimes it's just a matter of negative or unpleasant past experiences, or dysphoria, or comphet, or whatever causing a sexual boundary to exist.

Similar to the ass eating post, I don't really understand this prevalence within the queer community to shame each other over quite frankly normal sexual boundaries and desires. The attempt to shame people for not performing oral sex as mentioned in OP, or my experiences of TERFs trying to shame me for doing so, is just odd. There's more to sex than mouths and what body parts we can stick inside them.

I'm really tired of the trend of using one's desire (or lack of) to put their mouth anywhere as a measure of sexual orientation.

Some people don't do oral or open mouth kissing, and it doesn't mean they're incapable of attraction. It has no correlation with attraction at all. You can love someone and want to have sex with them without it including any oral activities on either side.

Y'all are fucking obsessed with trying to performatively out-queer each other, and it only hurts the whole community in the end.

Bonus unsurprising aphobia

Do better.

[helluvabossrewrite45]

You Reap What You Sow - The Final Helluva Boss Rewrite

Tw: Mention of SA/R4pe

His neck itched at the golden chain wrapped around his neck. He can smell the ingested air suffocating his closed breath, wincing quietly for Satan not to hear his highly pitched voice that emulates a scared little boy. His body shivered in intense heat around him.

He can tell he was frozen by the glares from the royals deadpanned faces, as though he was a bug that trespassed their homes; waiting to be stepped on without an ounce of care or sorrow. Satan exhaled a deep fiery breath to Stolas’ tiny shrivelled face, causing him to cough the smelt of crisp flames from out of his beak. Satan’s hands snatched Stolas’ face to meet his. “You know what your punishment is, don’t you?” Satan inquired in a firm tone. 

“U-uh…execution?” Stolas squeaked. 

Satan shook his head. “Do you really think I’d let you off that easily?” He continued. “You committed an illegal act, one that violates the order of this state. One that has disobeyed and has not only tainted the legacy as The Goetia but as your own; The great prince of Hell.” His voice lowered as the aggression became stronger. “You really think death would be a suitable answer to your crime? To no longer think of the harm you displayed upon your family? Your ancestors, your wife, your daughter?”

Stolas nodded weakly. “No” He mouthed. “N-not at all…”

Satan sneered. “I thought so.” He inhaled, his tone turned reserved. “Such waste shall not decay its legacy any further, can they?” Before Stolas’ attempted to respond, Satan slammed his face down the rocky floor. He let out a muffled screamed as his face banged to the rock’s gritty texture. His body jittered out of his initial standing position as he felt something inside of him jumping vigorously to be out of his body. Satan grabbed his neck in a tight grasp, causing Stolas to choke as his eyes darkened; only seeing Satan’s icy glare with his mouth disclosing; “You reap what you sow,” before it all turned to black.

***

His eyelids slowly opened half-way as he turned around to the grand door. He sprung up and knocked firmly on it, only to be given with no response. He aggressively kept knocking with the same non-response. His teeth bared along with his feathers bursting from his skin as he attempted to transform into his demon form. Yet all that came out was tiny feathers on the floor. The pupils of his eyes widened to shaky dots as he stared at his hands. ‘What is wrong with me?’ He wondered, aghast. He raised his hands to appear his magic, flickering the same movements he was taught, and yet the magic never re-appeared as before. He gasped as he slowly shifted towards the door, his teeth gritted as his hands turned to a fist. “HEY!” He shouted. “SATAN! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME-” He got cutted off by burning coffee splashing from the back of his head to his eye, drenching his feathers with a disgusting pale brown liquid. An imp wearing a janitor uniform with one of their horns being slightly chopped off yelled back; “You suck, Stolas!” While raising a middle finger towards his direction. Stolas turned back to the janitor and scoffed. “Excuse you, I am a Goetia and Great Prince of Hell. You shall not speak to me like that-”

“Then where’s your crown then, huh?!” They cutted Stolas off as they turned their head back, cackling. Before opening his mouth, Stolas began to touch his crown, only to feel the soft feathers of his head. He froze as he stared at his clothes; No golden crown that accompanied his sophisticated hat, no fluffy posh cape, not even maintaining the clothes with of popping velvet-red. It’s now dingy with a pale red alongside a drabby texture, fading it’s life away just like his now-gone powers. His pants scruffed with cuts in some areas, making him look like those imps he saw on the streets. He coiled. Gasping in between breaths as he fixated on his hands, trembling rapidly.

A light bulb has gone off in his head. Blitz! He turned around yet didn’t see him. “Blitz?” Stolas echoed in the hallway. He takes a few steps forward. “Blitzy?” His hands quivered together as the minutes passed without a word from Blitzo. Stolas speeded out in the hallways, screaming with all of his might; “BLITZZZZZZY! WHERE ARE YOU?!” 

***

His knees were like worms, crawling itself as he kept running while on the verge of collapse. As he rummaged across the unfinished limp buildings, people from it dumped their garbage onto Stolas, chanting their insults -

“Fuck you!”

“Racist piece of shit!”

“Ha! How’d ya like being poor now?!”

He wiped off their trash as he hurried to get to Blitzo, the only one he can rely on at this point. The only imp he truly needed. He’s his imp, his doll. A doll too must take care of their owners, after all. 

He saw a demon silhouette dancing with another who looked wolf-like in a wall of an alleyway. His eyes began to lit up as he rushed towards it. “BLITZZZZ!” He tripped in front of Blitzo, panting up to him like a dog. “Oh Blitzy-I-I’m so glad to see you, I was so scared-” His bright smile faded as he saw Blitzo’s disgusted face. 

“Y-you, you're not dead?” Blitzo snarled. His eyes crossed as he backed himself further away from Stolas.

“No, I haven’t. I’ve lost…everything. My family, my powers, my status, everything.” Stolas directed his eyes to Blitzo, pleading as he began to form tears. “Look, I-I know we didn’t have the best start but please if you can just-”

“No.” Blitzo rejected with a dead-panned tone.

Stolas lips were wincing. “B-but-” 

“No.” He repeated.

“Blitzo please! I-I don’t have anyone else!” His tears streamed down his face, wettening his feathers from blubbering. “You're the only one I have!” He felt his throat closing up, burying his face in his hands as he wailed loudly in front of Blitzo and Loona. Both glanced at each other as they rolled their eyes at him. 

As Stolas continued his weeping, Loona glare tightened as she began to raise her hand and smack Stolas’ puffy face. “Shut up! God, can you ever accept a no for once in your fucking life?!” She fumed. She jumped at Stolas before he could chime in a response. “You used my dad’s own fucking body,” she took a grip of his feathered head and began punching him throughout her speech, “for your own selfish gain,” her fists became harder each punch, “always acted like were nothing but little pets to you,” stolas’ beak began to bleed, streaking down his nose as Loona continued punching him, “and NOW when you lost that power, you still treat us like your pets-fuck you!” She forced Stolas back up before kicking her leg upwards to slam between Stolas’ legs. “FUCK YOU!” Stolas whined in pain as he curled himself up to a fetal position. 

“Loona, sweetie!” Blitzo comes up to Loona as she’s seethed. “It’s okay-”

“No it’s not okay!” Loona snapped. “He’s a racist rapist and thinks he can just prey his way back-” She paused as she stared at Blitzo. “I-I’m sorry dad.” She stuttered in a regretful tone. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” Blitzo gave Loona a warm smile. “It’s okay sweetie. I just don’t want you to waste time on..” He paused as he directed himself towards Stolas in a crossed glare. “Him.” Stolas can feel Blitzo’s eyes pierced through him in the same way those at the Demon Jury did. “He’s not even worth it.” Stolas watched Blitzo and Loona leave as his body remained frozen, unable to speak. Not even a whine or wail or peep out of him. Nothing. All he has now is his thoughts. The very thing he avoided for so long. And all it has been doing so far is repeated those final words; 'You reap what you sow.'

[siremasterlawrence]

Kingdom Of Lawrence: A King’s Tale

It is literally midnight when I hear the clock go off ringing loudly as a sound breaks past my room as I exit the door, closing it as I am rushing down the staircase to the last step on to the main floor and I spot him as he turns to see me with a stern face as places the last gift down under the tree he places his hands in his knees as he leaps up on to his feet.He giggles a bit making a hand gesture land in a figure pointing at me he wagging it very much with a disapproving stare as I roll my eyes at him, he is in shock by my actions as I stare upward above him as his eyes follow me he is too slow as the net drops on to him covering him entirely sending his massive body to the floor and I watch him struggle to escape. I begin to giggle heading toward him holding on to the wall I brace it managing to remove the light plus on the tree to pull it out before flipping the switch on as the lights flipping it off, I stare him down grabbing a book from my desk as the light shines over it for him to see clearly and Santa’s mind begins to rack at this unforeseen consequence of a man on the good list.

“Is this really how you behave?”

“Apparently! It’s obvious”

“You were always on the good list”

“Yeah! About that “

“Insolent”

“Poor pathetic baby “

“Do you know who I am speaking too?”

“Of course! Santa Clause”

“Release me! I will forget it”

“This is my rules”

“I am in control “

“You will be my…”

“Victims?”

“Oh brother!”

“What? Say it”

“God you are stupid!”

“No! My asset”

“Your asset?”

The young man claps a bit watch Santa’s urgent need to escape unfortunately for him the night is only just about to begin for my twisted tracks simply put as I stomp my feetat all because the trap is set the net entirely covers him and slowly begins to lift him up In to the air he watches the young man who is asserting his permanent control on to this legend. The young man cracking up a loud set of barrel of laughter as it ricocheting in the wall bouncing back in to his ears with a thunderous cracking sound hitting him hard right smacking him hard as his ears burn in shame and barely without a second thought he reaches for his pocket knife and slashes the net allowing him to fall right on to his back and soon he cries in pain. Santa Claus is getting back to the basics a expression of fear is apparent on his face he peers in to my eyes deeper then anyone ever else he is some how unearth from me as I walk ever closer to him and he uses his hands and feet to back up to the tree and the lights slither down wrapping him up like a Christmas present.

“How did you? What the fuck? You listen..”

“I will be doing the talking now”

“I am the one who is charge “

“You work for me now”

“LOOK AT ME”

“I AM YOUR KING “

“YOU WILL SUBMIT”

“I will…”

“You will what ?”

“Say it”

“I will submit “

“This house is a Santa Booby Trap”

“Why are you …”

“You are hottie so built and I claim you “

“Far from a answer “

“I am tired of my life “

“You want to start over “

“I guess you deserve it! Let’s make a deal “

Kris Clause is on his feet smirking as both of his eyes are glowing with such a beautiful green tint ever so emerald green as be sees things in a new way as the air piling under him swirls past the top of his head like a hurricane and swirls through him summon up magic overtaking his body as golden aura of color powers him as it flows off of his body. Flowing in the air finally it iscollecting on to my hands encircling upmy arm to my shoulders straight diving in to my ears causing my stir shaking mein to a fiery session as I fall to my knees his power infusing in to my nerves, bloodand now my brain and my mind is sent in to tunnel vision out of my house in to a cold airy state in Santa’s workshop and hoard of elves appear. I wake up to see my house completely transform my homein to a palace of power as I sit on the throne empowered as Santa takes a knee when hewalks in.

“What is my name?”

“Master Lawrence “

“You are my property now! So serve me”

“Yes Master”

“Master Lawrence “

“The power Of Santa and the North Pole “

“Good boi!”

“Mmmm! Oh My God!”

“You are enthralled and in love “

“My lust did you knows no bound “

“You are my God!”

“My first present is a second slave”

“I love you sir”

“Sir Yes Sir”

“Watch my power brings it”

“Magic is real and it’s all yours “

“Master please meet your second boi “

“I am your favorite, your number one but this

is Slave Charlie your knight and bodyguard.”

The end

[seraphsfire]

///ARCANE s2 finale SPOILERS ///

LONG POST

SO. THAT VIKTOR ARCANE LEAGUEOFLEGENDS GUY HUH.

some observations that are my personal opinion and/or interpretation of viktor's transformation and physical state. (my screenshots, idc if u repost them or whatever just don't say they're yours, etc)

minor edit: added a sentence i could've sworn i'd written that i hadn't and so my paragraph made no sense lol

love love love the aspects of body horror and character design going on with viktor's post-sourdough-starter cyborg body here, so i was trying to get a better look at it to maybe sort of figure out how his body was transformed, and what it's made of now (metal, magic, a third secret thing, idk)

so it looks like, in general, his skeletal structure and the metal parts in his back brace and his leg brace were fused together and then fused *into* his musculoskeletal structure, not just sort of copied by the hexcore. You can see here he has actual bolts in his spine before he got robot-ified, and to me it seems like this could have been a way for his brace to hook or snap onto his spine more securely to give him extra support.

I think the circles in the middle of the brace over his sternum might have also snapped into bolts in his chest, and you can see them better here

the cloth and leather parts of the brace have either dissolved or been turned into metal.

--I just want to take a side note here to note what im sure other ppl have mentioned but I haven't seen talked much about at least recently, is that viktor's disability wasn't just his mobility issues and bad respiratory health, that he must have been in terrible pain to have a procedure as extreme as bolts being put into his spine and/or chest deemed necessary / beneficial to his quality of life.

In the scene where he tries to destroy the hexcore, he can barely push himself up, and it takes all of his strength to lift a stool over his head that's only a few pounds :(

He later asks jayce to destroy the hexcore because he can't, and ive seen most people interpret that as him not wanting to destroy his life's work, but i always viewed it as him not physically being able to--the hexcore was too strong, and it snapped out at him and knocked him over just at the threat of him destroying it.

That circles over to another thing i thought was interesting, is that when he comes out of the goop he still seems very weak and unstable, even though he now has his back brace and leg brace fused to his skeleton. He still has to use his crutch to walk toward jayce and make effort to straighten his legs, because they're still twisted. It makes me wonder if the hexcore didn't so much heal him as dull his sense of pain so he couldn't feel it, and its energy forced him to move.

That's something i thought was interesting, and it made me think of his line about not feeling cold--he then says he feels something that is exactly how I'd describe coldness to somebody who's never felt it before, it just seems like now, his nervous system doesn't process it in the same way as he used to recognize the sensation of coldness. Interestingly, he still describes it as "unpleasant"

back to the design of viktor's body: what exactly is it made of? Here's where the body horror aspect of it comes in, because i think there's a possibility that's still mostly his body and what we're seeing here is exposed, preserved muscle fiber, because the hexcore either burned or melted off his skin or it literally rotted away while he was in the goop. There's a few artsy little flourishes from the hexcore magic peeking through, but except for the slightly darker color, it looks eerily like how muscle fiber on preserved cadavers looks, down to the way the little filamenty veins are. Granted it could just be a metallic structure the hexcore created, visually mimicking human muscle structure. Or the sourdough starter could have been something super gross like magic sentient cosmic energy formaldehyde--that also makes sense to me because of how when his hair grew out some of the tips had lost color, like they'd been bleached.

anyway the visual aspect of his resurrected hexcore appearance that makes me think of a reanimated cadaver most was how strange and unsettling i found it that he's completely gray and glowing with purple sparks, is that for some reason he's still got a bellybutton and almost a normal skin-like surace to that part of his stomach.

On the other hand, his hip socket and the rest of his pelvis is bony and skeletal. You can kind of see his pelvis not being attached with muscle fiber to his hip socket in that lower corner, it looks the same atp as when he's in his cosmic form.

the jokes about "jayce hugged him with his whole ______ out!!!!" just make me sad bc obviously any extraneous soft tissue was completely obliterated, (I say obviously but idk how many ppl literally believe they were censoring human body parts here.)

Like, he doesn't even have fingernails anymore. The only reason he has a stomach still is because abdominal muscles are a skeletal support structure.

That gives the he heebie jeebies so good, honestly, and what an fascinating choice by the design team instead of giving him idk, age of ultron steel robot shaped abs, which i've seen a lot in like human--robot transformations, he's this horrifying mix of petrified/preserved cadaver tissue, magic metal, and sentient cosmic energy. (Even more tragic and sad if you think about it that way and that jayce might have been hugging his dead friend's preserved, skinned corpse)

the "reanimated corpse" idea fits into the interpretation that viktor's emotions and thoughts are still his, but they've been very dulled by the power of the hexcore, because a reanimated cadaver body isn't going to be able to work as effeciently that way anymore.

or idk maybe the idea that he was still sort-of there, faintly is one i like because it makes me feel better, i can at least pretend some part of him felt comforted being held in such a horrific situation. had to post this screenshot bc that sad little face when hes getting hugged is destroying me

Anyway. many thoughts, many feelings, many possibilities and interpretations. Do with this what you will. I, for instance, will be walking into the sea and never returning probably

[varteeny1234]

MARMRUE TIME!!!!

Summary:

Rue has gone missing. Marm is going to bring her back home- it doesn't matter how far she is.

Words: 1942

Chapters: 1/1

Warnings: Mild injury/medical care, but not gone into detail and VERY VERY minor

Ship: Marma1ade/Rue

:3

Rue was missing, and Marm was distraught. 

Just the other day, they'd spent time together, just talking to each other while they meandered through the winding paths of the swamp. But since she'd left, Marm hadn't heard from Rue at all. 

She'd then mentioned Rue's absence to Leon, who also found it strange that they'd vanished seemingly out of nowhere, and once Anathra said that he, too, had no idea where they could have gone, Marm knew something had happened to them. Something bad. 

Fortunately, there was a magical library (well, it was more like a messy, half-shelved collection of books than a true library, but it was whatever) underneath the Mangrove kingdom. Marm had a suspicion that if Rue had ended up somewhere else, she could find them using her powers. 

She wasn't in the void, or Limbo, or anything like that. The void would have told her. 

Wouldn't it? 

Through the entire night, Marm stayed up, reading in the lanternlight. There was lots of information about various spells, nature-related magic, even ingredients for different potions- but only one mention of inter-dimensional travel in the entire collection. A single footnote in a random chapter, declaring that the person who'd owned the book (not even the original author!) had discovered that there was a type of crystal with the power to open portals between dimensions. 

Now, that was an interesting thought, indeed. 

Marm found herself staring back at the Heart of the Swamp. The same place where she'd seen visions of places she knew, though she could not remember why. The chance that this was the same type of crystal described in the text was low, but... 

It was possible. A bright, gleaming possibility. 

And that was enough. 

Marm stepped closer to the crystal, and nothing happened. Unlike before, when all she'd had to do was look at it intensely, she remained in the same place, on the floating rocks above the void, shards of crystal ominously floating about. She came closer and closer until her hands were placeed upon the smooth surface of the glowing Heart. 

It felt, surprisingly, warm to the touch. 

Then, she saw something, 

Rue's face was reflected on a single facet of the crystal. A moment later, it was gone, replaced by an enormous cherry tree. Then again, a pink sheep, peacefully sleeping. Then it was a little house, a smaller cherry tree growing next to it. Then it was Rue again. Then, the same broken bridge and wall and tower that Marm had seen once before. 

So this was the power of this crystal...

She knew where Rue had gone, now. All that was left was to find a way to bring her back to the kingdoms. 

Marm's intuition helped her more than anything else. She felt the magic within her body begin to stir, flowing towards her fingertips, sending shivers through her core. She closed her eyes, letting the magic lead her. 

The crystal beneath her fingers, once smooth, began to ripple and warp before giving way completely, letting Marm's hands through the surface. She opened her eyes, and was given only a second to see that the crystal was no longer reflecting anything back at her, glowing too brightly. The world around her changed, just like it had before. 

In a blink, Marm was standing in a grassy field in the middle of a valley. There were pink petals falling all around her, and the sky was bright blue. There were icy mountains surrounding the little valley on all sides but one- the one with the wall. 

There was a person sitting on a wooden swing. A very familiar person.

"Rue?" Marm called out, softly. Then, louder. "Rue!" 

Rue noticed Marm then, the surprise obvious on her face. 

"You're here," Marm sniffed, unable to help herself from tearing up. She and Rue ran towards each other, sharing an embrace. Marm held Rue close to her- she wouldn't be letting her vanish again if she could help it. "I can't- I can't believe I managed to find you."

And she wouldn't let her disappear again, she was too precious to just let die or go somewhere far away with no explanation, Marm loved-

"How did you find me? Even I don't know where I am!" Rue's voice was shaking. 

Marm squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "Magic, of course. Magic, and a lot of luck- I accidentally came here once before. But we need to leave as soon as possible. My magic won't be able to keep me here for long, the connection's already fading." 

Holding out her hand, Marm showed Rue how the tips of her fingers had begun to dim. When she'd arrived here, they'd been emitting a shining pink light: void magic. The power to travel between different worlds. 

"You'll be able to take me with you- right? I want to go home," Rue murmured. 

Marm gave a firm nod. "Of course I'm taking you home. Just hold on to me, and we'll be there in a moment. I don't know how you got here, but I can pull you back, through the void."

She almost didn't catch the way Rue flinched when she mentioned the void. She would have to ask them about it later, probably... even before they'd vanished, they didn't flinch at a mere reference to it. Maybe in a few days, when this all had passed by completely.

"Let's go." 

The magic swirled around them, enveloping them in a bright glow. For a moment, it felt like flying... actually, it was more like being in free-fall. Everything around was so bright, Marm closed her eyes. 

Then, Rue vanished from her arms, and then Marm blinked- she was back by the crystal, underneath the swamp. She had strands of magic in her hands, and it was pure instinct that made her pull them back- and again, that and a bit of luck saved her. 

It took all her strength. She kept her grip on the magical connection, and slowly was able to take a step backwards- then another, and another- on the rock she was standing on. Her bare feet dug uncomfortably into the roughness. 

The magic was flowing from her body towards the crystal, going inside of it. attached to something. But Marm kept pulling, and Rue appeared once again, holding on to the other end of the magic. 

Then, the connection and the spell released with a ton of force all at once, and the both of them were thrown away from the crystal, which was glowing just slightly more ominously than it typically did. 

"Agh..." Marm groaned. "Did... did it work?" 

"I think so," came a weak voice.

Marm had caught herself on her arm when she'd been thrown, scraping her skin. She was also definitely sporting a few bruises... that had been quite a harsh landing. She'd have to check that out later, but no matter- Rue was just a ways in front of her, pulling herself up and dusting herself off, noticably favoring one hand. Clearly, she hadn't escaped the injuries either. 

"Oh, Rue...!" Marm coughed.

"You actually did it... you really brought me back here." They sounded almost in disbelief, staring at the rocks, and crystals, and their own hands like it was all a dream, and they were going to wake up any second. With a teary-eyed grin, they stared up at Marm. "And to think! I didn't believe it when I was still alive, let alone that I'd ever return here."

Marm smiled back. "Rue, of course I came to get you. I care about you!" She held out her hand, and Rue took it gratefully. "I'll always come find you, no matter where you've gone. You could be sent to the furthest corners of the universe and I'd never stop looking until I could bring you back home, safe."

Rue leaned against Marm's shoulder. She breathed a laugh. "I didn't even go that far, I don't think. Wherever I ended up, it was somewhere the void took me. Doesn't mean I want to go around testing it, though," she said. 

"That's fair." 

The faint hum of the magic in the air was calming, like it was trying to protect the two. Marm could feel a tug on her connection to both the void and the swamp. It seemed all the magical forces around wanted to keep Rue safe- her included in that!

"Do you want to head up to my house? It's cozier in there, and I think we both got a little banged up on the return journey," she offered. "I've got some bandages."

"Yeah, that sounds good! Thank you, Marm," said Rue, yawning. Marm's heart went pang, as she helped her up, suddenly feeling more affectionate. 

Neither of them were wearing elytra right then, so Marm cast a simple spell on the vines to carry them up. 

The frogs that inhabited the swamp were hopping around in their path, once they were on top of the island. Marm groaned, frustrated that she nearly stepped on one, but Rue snickered, and she felt a little better. They had a nice laugh. 

Hey, at least it wasn't the slimes again!

Only a minute or so later and safely inside Marm's hut, Marm had found her first aid supplies and was carefully wrapping a cut on Rue's right hand. They were both sitting on the bed, a blanket wrapped around Rue's shoulders. 

Suddenly, right as she finished tying the bandage, Marm noticed Rue make a small sound. She looked up to see her looking much sadder than she'd been before, which was a worrying change. 

"Are you okay? Is there something you need?" She asked. 

Rue tucked herself in even smaller. "I... just a little thing. It's really no big deal, but..." 

"Rue?"

They took a deep breath. "I know I'm supposed to live at Cherry kingdom, but- I'm sorry, I just don't want to go back there. At all. Marm, can I stay here? With you? Sorry, I... I hope it's okay, I don't want to make you feel like I'm intruding on you or anything..."

"Hey, hey, it's okay! Rue, you're alright, dear." Marm gently cupped the sides of her face in her hands. "You can stay here as long as you need to. I won't make you go anywhere you don't want to- I won't make you even talk to anyone that you don't want to."

Sniffling, Rue hugged Marm, burying her face in her collar. Marm stroked her hair, running her fingers through the soft strands. "I can keep people out of the swamp- it's got a mind of its own, but it's very good at letting people know they're not wanted. It'll keep you safe."

"You'll protect me? But- but what if it's one of your friends who tries to hurt me?"

Marm's heart shattered. Rue's voice was so small, she sounded so unsure of herself. More questions roseto the surface... was it one of her friends that had betrayed Rue? Who would ever do something like that?! Even Avid would never! 

Just thinking about the possibility, her voice lowered to a more dangerous octave. "I'll protect you from anyone. If someone's knowingly hurt you, or if someone tries to hurt you, they're not my friend anymore."

She felt Rue shiver, ever so slightly. "You'd really do all that for me?" Rue asked. 

"Of course I would." Slowly, Marm lifted Rue's head up to look at them. She pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "I care about you, Rue, so much."

As a single tear fell from her eye, Rue whispered back, "I care about you too."

[bimbosanddolls]

If someone could magically transform you into your ideal complete bimbo self, would you rather be changed in an instant, or have a slow drawn out transformation over days or weeks?

If someone offered a complete transformation, what would you be willing to give up in exchange?

Oh instantly for sure! I'm already doing the slow, drawn out transformation thing and while it's totally fine... I would love love love a way to speed up the process!

But like... my one condition would be that I wanna be aware and feel it happening, y'know? I've written about the transformation for years; I wanna get to feel it for myself!

I'd be willing to give up a lot. My family would be the only non-negotiable. If I'm gonna be all bimbo'ed, I want my wifey to be the one that's like... handling all the smart girl decisions for me.

But things like intellect, education, personality, my name... change it all if you'll give me the body I want!

[bobbinfire]

Wicked/Transformers One Crossover

Okay Okay Okay…

I finally got to watch Wicked (pt 1) recently. And I do see where people on a few random posts have made crossover opportunities between Wicked and Transformers One, obviously placing D-16 as Elphaba and Orion Pax as Glinda. But here me out…what if we have a very different type of casting? To best explain, let me first-

Set the stage…. 

(*waves hands dramatically to cue magical transition*)

We start with D-16. All things considered, his life is perfect. Really. He always does everything right, he is at the top of the charts in anything he competes in, and now to solidify that reality D-16 will be attending Shiz, the top school in all of CybertrOz. He barely steps a foot into the school and is already the most popular mech around. Nothing can ever go wrong. Well, until he is startled by Orion Pax. Pax has a… unwelcome disfigurement (I will figure out that later) that sets him apart from the others. It is because of that, and totally not his shimmering blue crystal optics, D-16 finds he can’t stop looking at him. Luckily for D-16, Orion states he is not attending and is only here for his brother, so he won’t have to worry about ever seeing him again. Later, D-16 tries to approach Alpha Trion, the top professor and head of the sorcery department (conveniently what D-16 is studying). He ignores D-16 inquiries about potentially hosting a class for it this semester, even after bringing back up his paper on t-cogs and their transformative purposes for sorcery. But he is D-16, so he will just have to work hard like always and he will get into that class in no time. Then out of nowhere he notices a well meaning professor over-handling a handicapped bot named B-127 (either he can’t walk or can’t talk haven’t decided). Objects in the room fly because Orion Pax, who as it turns out is the older brother, freaks out. Alpha Trion calms the students down by claiming it was a stunt he performed on his own, but D-16 knows it was that increasingly more mysterious Pax. He tries to approach Alpha Trion about it, only to somehow accidentally volunteer to room with Pax?! For the first time in his life he is not listened to and he doesn't get his way. And it’s all Orion Pax’s fault. Oh and to top it off he is so talented with magic he’s now getting PRIVATE lessons from Alpha Trion. But D-16 will rise above it. He is D-16, so everything will be perfect in the end. Within the first few moments of rooming together though, both of them express their deepest undying feelings for each other: loathing. The two proceed to spend the next few weeks purposely getting on each other's nerves as much as possible. The rest of the student body seems to back D-16 up too. Why wouldn’t they? They are obviously his friends. Orion Pax is unbothered by it, and while he makes it clear how much he hates him, there is the smallest twinkle in his optics each time he pulls a stunt. And D-16 hates to admit it, but he gets the smallest joy from their squabble as well. Only the absolute minimum joy, of course. One day after a class with Professor Ravage (not D-16’s favorite professor, I mean really how hard is it to pronounce his name? It is a D and then 16. Not hard at all) D-16 begins to see Orion Pax in a new light after someone rudely vandalizes Professor Ravage’s board saying “beastformers should be seen and not heard”. Pax stays behind after class is dismissed and helps clean up. While it is not D-16’s job to help, he does feel a stab at his spark from the sadness of the situation. 

Oh well time to focus on other things because a royal is coming to attend classes at shiz! Princess Elita-One, a strong willed and goal oriented dreamer. While she can be a little intense and can list off all the codes of conduct at the drop of a hat, she knows how to really enjoy the moment (especially when it revolves around her). She is perfect, D-16 is perfect, so why not make the perfect situationship out of a perfectly timed impromptu dance party. As D-16 gets ready, his friends find an ugly old mask from his relatives that is meant for regal government parties but more looks like a battle mask that has gone through war. They claim it’s so ugly that there is only one bot who could wear it, and that is how D-16 finds himself giving it to Orion Pax claiming it will go with what he wears. He feels guilty about it but tries to dance away his feelings as the party begins. During the time of his life dancing with Elita-One, Alpha Trion approaches his saying he has been accepted into his class and hands over his training T-cog. A t-cog! An object that allows your body to transform and perform great visual and magical feats. Only the top ranking officials and the Prime himself have them. As D-16 tries it on and watches his future change before him both metaphorically and physically, he asks why now? Alpha Trion says he is doing it against his better judgment, but only because Orion Pax said he would quit otherwise. D-16 is about to ask why he would do that, only to realize not only did Orion see the mask as a kind gesture, but you ended up setting up B-127 with another bot for the dance tonight. Just then Orion Pax walks in, looking very unique with his worn mask covering his mouth. Realizing all too late that it was a prank, he begins this weird dance that has everyone staring. Elita points out how well he is reacting and that it’s almost like he doesn’t care. But D-16 knows that underneath that mask is all the hidden sadness that can be seen growing in Orion’s eyes. D-16 suddenly joins the dance, trying to make amends by damaging his own reputation. Instead the dance catches on and both rise in popularity. 

D-16 and Orion are now the best of friends and decide to have each other's backs no matter what. Orion ends up sharing a secret with D-16 about how he feels responsible for B-127 disability, all because their father didn’t want Bee to be born looking like Orion. D-16 reassures him and decides to help Orion by making him more popular. All you have to do is be as cool looking and awesome as Megatronus Prime. Orion is put off at first, but nonetheless their friendship grows. And it feels nice, the word “friends” rolling off of D-16’s glossa. He is popular so he has a ton of friends but…this one…feels genuine. Perhaps more. An odd thing he notices though is Elita-One and Orion Pax acting odd around each other after a particularly sad day of class. Professor Ravage was removed from class and the new professor decided to bring in a baby Dinobot in a cage. He didn’t remember falling asleep, but when D-16 came to Orion, Elita, and the baby Dinobot were gone. The two came back later and that is when they started acting weird.

It isn’t long before D-16 focuses on other things because Orion is going to visit the Prime in the Golden City! The entire class is there to wave goodbye, including Elita who shares another awkward moment with Pax. Clearly it is in regards to professor Ravage’s dismissal, so D tries to make a connection with them by changing his name, since Ravage couldn’t pronounce D-16 right, to Megatron (named after Megatronus Prime himself). His peers cheer his selfless act, but D-16 doesn’t feel better by it, and Elita and Orion seem still in their own little moment. That moment soon ends and Orion is off on the train to the Golden City. Then suddenly he is calling for D- Megatron to join him. Megatron is unsure whether he leapt or was dragged on by Orion but soon they are off to meet the Prime. 

Once there Megatron and Orion travel and see the sights. They party, tour, and Orion gets a special Megatronus sticker for Megatron. They even get a little convenient lore drop that explains how there once were great Primes that ruled over CybertrOz, then they passed away leaving the secrets of the all powerful Matrix to be left alone. Nobody was worthy to control it, until the day the Prime appeared. The two mull over that as they make their way to the Prime. The Prime himself is quite the show off. Sentinel Prime talks about his plans for the future of CybertrOz and that one day Orion will be a part of it, he just has to prove his worth. The next few moments flash by in a blur. Alpha Trion appears and leads the way to where they store the Matrix. The Matrix responds to Orion’s presence. But…something goes wrong. An unplanned outcome of a spell, a plan to use spies to capture the remaining talking beastformers, Orion running, Megatron running after Orion, guards chasing them. More chaos, more ruin, and then…and then, they are alone. Megatron scolds Orion for not filling the rules. What is happening to beastformers, while it does hurt Megatron’s spark, doesn’t affect them and therefore he can move past it. But Orion can’t and Megatron can see that. Orion brings an old jet pack back to life and gives Megatron the offer to leave with him. Megatron wants to…but he can’t. He can’t throw everything he’s worked for just for Orion. He notices Orion trembling so he searches for something to provide warmth. They’re in this old dusty tower though so there isn’t even a tarp to throw on the poor bot’s back. The only thing of warmth and worth is Megatron’s temporary t-cog. So he gives it to Orion, assuring him of his choice and wishing him well. Just then the guards break in and grab Megatron. Orion shouts to focus their attention on him before leaping out a window and falling towards an opening that leads to the depths of CybertrOz’s core. Right as he passes the barrier his jetpack launches him to the sky and he outflies several of the guards. He declares that nobody will bring him down before flying towards the vastness of the unknown surface singing like an Idina Menzel wannabe, everyone declaring he is wicked.

And that is only Act 1.

Hope you enjoyed my rambles. Originally I was gonna do a simple explanation and then I got too into it. I apologize for the horrid grammar.

(I have yet to see anything in regards to Act 2 and I would like to see Wicked Pt 2 as spoiler free as possible)

[lagt-duck]

Day 27 of Monkey May

MAGIC!!!

Aka

When the eldritch shapeshifting god is also a silly lil monkey

As always the challenge belongs to @vorpaldoodles

[1001aus]

Phantom is a member of JLA when everyone finds out that the Bats have contingency plans against everyone else.

While everyone else is shouting about trust and betrayal, Danny can't help but be relieved. He's seen his bad future, after all. Dan is reformed now, but that doesn't retroactively save the timeline he wiped out.

Danny only has one issue with the contingencies for him: Batman mistakenly believes that his intangibility works the same as Martian density shifting.

It doesn't. In fact, they're very different powers. Intangibility is more of a phase shift where he turns his physical form into energy.

This means that none of the contingencies in his file will work because they don't accurately account for one of his basic powers.

(The shouting actually gets derailed for a bit when he brings it up. All the scientists are a bit horrified about the implied energy conversions happening whenever he uses this "basic" power. As a halfa with an actual physical form, Danny should be giving off enough energy to blow up the planet whenever he transforms.)

[bonkalore]

Some good ol' monster transformation angst! Shockingly, I don't have a lot TF sequences done, but that's mostly bc they're hard to draw and tedious lol

Anyway, Danny boy had gradual bouts of TFs before fully getting to see what it is exactly he's turning into. Hoagie also having some PTSD having to see this go down when he also has dealt with unwilling TF bc he was human before... Fun stuff for both parties.

[tumblingxelian]

Fox Miraculous - Reimagined:

This is inspired by the fact its "illusions" cannot be seen by cameras. Rather than this being a weakness, its a reflection of the fact most users do not understand the fox.

Name: Trixx Animal: Vulpes Era: Caveasphaera Domain: Mirage and Manifestation Kindred: Horse (Action & Migration) & Butterfly (Transmission & transformation)

Mirage: The Fox is often mistaken for creating illusions, but this is not so, in truth it creates what can be described as hallucinations within a certain range, altering the perspective of those within it to match the imagined perceptions of the user.

Manifestation: The power to manifest one's innermost thoughts, an image, ideas, or more via the Fox can also be applied on others. Just as the Turtles Shield can encase the user or a foe, so two an the Fox manifest a mirage based on the perceptions of someone other than the Holder.

Some Mages Thousands of Years ago: ... and this one lets the handler place hallucinations in someone else's mind, or even externalize their targets thoughts, manifesting them as a sort of shared mirage. Useful for trickery and interrogation.

Trixx, who just got here: Yeah that sounds about right.

(Maybe) Lila/Alya thousands of years later: So what you’re saying is I can use this to make people see the world as I do. That I am essentially eroding the barrier between my perception of the world and theirs, imposing my thoughts, feelings and visions upon the target. Which could allow me to steadily warp and erode their sense of self and view of the world until its either the same as mine, or simply whatever I sculpted them into. Essentially allowing me to steadily overwrite an entire personality and perception of reality? With all it costs me being the risk of my own slower erosion of self as all those around me join together in a panopticon like hivemind?

Trixx & Some Mages Thousands of Years ago:

Note: One can try and reshape people over time, but one cannot always predict the results. So it could go really, really badly.

[relaxtimestwo]

Dan Heng Δ Witch Hat Atelier AU ⋆｡˚ ⋆

This is part of a Witch Hat Atelier AU concept I've been cooking up.

Hear me out!

The Astral Express is a moving atelier on rails run by the two witches Himeko and Welt and its watchful eye Pom-pom. The atelier has four apprentices- Dan Heng, March 7th and the twins, Stelle and Caelus.

The pointed cap and cloak designs are based on Pom-pom's outfit in-game, and also the "Welcome" profile pictures.

Hopefully I can develop this concept more when I have time next week!

edit- changed the "armband" colour to black for better contrast (it was bothering me but I couldn't understand why lol)

( ´ ▽ ` )ｏ♡ Witch hat atelier is one of my favourite manga of all time. Shirahama Kamome's artwork is god tier and the magic system and worldbuilding in it is so interesting! I highly recommend it!

➷ "Welcome" profile pic for Dan Heng in-game

➷ rough sketch for Dan Heng's full body design

[witchofthesouls]

Hey, for the other!tfp trio….let's assume that the team remained on really close contact despite the distance after the war (RID 2015 who knows you? Certainly not me). I wanna see a really touching reunion between the bots and their protegees, but here's the twist:

They return to their kids, only to find out that these three are no longer kids, but young adults (maybe late teens for Raf, because our future little Dragon always will be the youngest of the trio) and are no longer humans (cause they have fully embraced their other heritage)

This time-lapse could be explained by either A) the bots spending a bit longer on Cybertron and losing the human sense of time or B) The kids deciding to make a joint trip to elsewhere/the other side after the end of the war, where time doesn't move the same as in the human plane (they went as kids, but elsewhere spit them as grow ups even though this change doesn't make sense to the bots.... because they are seeing things from a human sense of time); now, when exactly these three got lost and then reborn, that's privy to them alone.... I prefer the B) option if you ask me....

Regardless, I think that these three would remain tightly nit, as tight as possible (they could be on the other extreme of the planet or any other plane, and yet they would return to each other...eventually). Cause after all the went through, separation is not an option for them

Reactions and talks/explanations are meant to happen in response to this..... and what roles June, the Esquivels and the Nakadais families had to play in all this

Ohhh, this is interesting. I hinted or understated in some pieces that time can get weird in Elsewhere as a call to the folktales and myths of humans stepping into an otherworldly space to spend a few hours there, and then stepping back to their world to find out decades had passed.

Perhaps it's their heritage, singing in their bone marrow and igniting from the Matrix's influence, June's own presence (haunting and hungry, no matter how muted or how well she hides her own teeth), or a strange combination. Perhaps it's the experiences they shared, forged in fire and blood as Earth's own chaotic nature. But these three are bonded. Intertwined with each other, even across the world.

Distance means both little and much to them now. They ventured onto foreign, alien planets and spaceships, traveled to lands across the world in the blink of an eye, and went on the run from a manhunt.

Miko keeps the Apex Armor and takes it back to Japan. At the right moments and when the urge gets too much to bear, she steps into the sea and goes farther than any of her relatives could go, even the ones that can hold their breath for 20 minutes.

She hasn't been the most filial of daughters, but she is her parent's child. Her sea-blooded mother stole back a human that survived and thrived from Elsewhere and claimed that man as a spouse. Bloodlust and wet works are no distant strangers to her. She's inexperienced but a willing learner. She already cut her teeth on foreign flesh.

Down in the dark depths where there's no difference between going up to the sun and going towards the abyss, but where her steps tread, she meets someone with pearly, iridescent scales across a long, serpentine body and a face so much like her own (and her mother's and her grandfather's and her-) with large, dark eyes with an amber ring.

After meeting the yokai that birthed her lineage centuries ago, Miko finds her way back to the Americas. A blessing and a warning kept in her heart.

(One day, Miko will understand what her sea-blooded mother meant when she told her that her father was a 'good Man.'

Raf's deep fascination (admiration, obsession) with space exploration and technology is taken in stride among the Esquivels. He doesn't raise any suspicion among them because that's how they all are.

He absorbs whatever he can, consuming the hard-earned lessons under Ratchet's care and oft-handed commentary. The Esquivels hunger and Raf is no different as he swallows how Cybertronian theory and application and attempts to further bridge between human and alien equipment.

Raf had found his teeth and his siblings recognized it as their baby brother doesn't disappear on them nor shrink away from their more vicious arguments.

(They are a family whose flesh descended from fire tempered by earth. Raging passion and violent temptations. Wicked protection and immense wrath. Voracious, cruel, and beastly, yet so very kind and vigilant.)

Mama kissed her youngest boy (because Raf will always be her baby boy) on his head and told him to be careful, praying for his safety as he went with Jack.

That protection will save them on a summer trip when Jack retraces his steps to all the places he once called home.

Ever since his mission to Cybertron, Jack dreams of strange, wistful things. An unquenchable thirst, an itch in his bones... he feels bereft for some reason.

He misses Arcee. He misses all of them. But for some reason, Jack still dreams of the timelessness of Cybertron. There's still something that calls to him in that eerie stillness. Not the desolate ruins of alien cities, although they quietly sing between hope and despair, but it's the outskirts that wait with bated breath.

In the summer after graduation, he takes his new-used car and travels across the mainland United States. The windows are down as the radio blares, wind ruffles his hair as Raf laughs and tries to figure out maps since some locations are so off-beat that the GPS can't confirm the coordinates.

Deep in the bones of a decrepit old house he once called a home in his long-distant childhood because June and Jack moved repeatedly, hopping from place to place without rhyme or reason... there are the echoes of a wailing scream buried within it.

A living corpse for a copse of trees that guard the area.

(A mother will tell her son what exactly brews in their powerful blood and what she has done to ensure he grew up safe to make a choice.)

Elsewhere exists in so many ways, shapes, and forms. At one point, the legends and myths had once walked upon Earth and left their marks. Something happened in the unwritten, unspoken past that corralled those legends away.

The trio will venture through the many portals and gateways and have many more adventures as they realize there are far more Cybertronian relics on Earth...

Mermaid queens and Seelie emperors, dignitaries of unearthly shapes painted in enamel and precious jewels, sharp animals with sharper intelligence that speak in prose, the faint imprints in slumbering environments, and empty, the lingering remains of humanity's role among such great and terrible things.

(Humanity was (is) great and terrible themselves.)

(Miko's father is a 'good Man,' and that means something different to such beings.)

"Long ago, Man made peace with Magic." "Long ago, it was decreed that Man would stay."

Time isn't linear in Elsewhere which incorporates so much that a single or several maps would be useless. Time flows in so many directions that it's a constant battle to recognize and travel to and from their own particular section of a river.

Perhaps it's his heritage or a minor blessing from the Matrix, but Jack is more sensitive to flow and can locate the best spots for them to get back to their Earth. To the same week, month, or year they ventured away.

Miko explores her own bloodthirst and prey drive. The singing, thrumming chant in her blood and how the Apex Armor responds to it.

Raf hones his own instinct on his particular guidance to find portals and lucky happenstances. Between him and Jack's instincts for 'shiny' things, little can escape them.

In some worlds, they grow older. Aging and bulking, exploring how to reshape themselves and all sorts of careers. In others, they seem immortal compared to the rapid change around them in a species whose lifespan is a single human year.

"We could be gods here," says a man with a firestorm trapped in his bones and has become a dragon. Not a Dragon because he searches the stars for a mech he once called brother. "Are we not gods already?" The not-man made of shadows and feathers replies. He still dreams of a far-distant metal planet and realizes that it whispered to him back then. "Does it matter," laughs a woman encased in armor that's more like a second skin, tendrils sweeping upon the floor like the gentle motion of a calm tide upon the beach. Pink for her lost girlhood and passion, a warning and a sign from her many great-grandmother. Green as the metal she once called her kin.

When humans are pulled Elsewhere. Three things usually happen: they break there, they struggle or thrive, or they break at home.

"How many times have we done this?" A boy that's not really a boy, who shall become a dragon in so many lifetimes, asks his companions. (Raf keeps his sister's warning close to his heart as she once died in a foreign, strange desert and was resurrected in her own pyre to devour the city that enslaved her and so many countless others. Pilar has become a Dragon and that legacy between mortal and divine shall be her epitaph in a battlefield far sooner than later.)

Ratchet returns. Some things change, while some remain the same.

Jack tastes the grief and repressed anger upon the medic and leaves him be. Raf remembers Ratchet parked in the garbage and keeps the old medic busy between lessons and searches. Miko digs into the festering tangle of emotions, lapping into those wounds as she uses the Apex Armor on the training mats to absorb those fighting skills and grills for information about Cybertron and the rest of Team Prime.

She cares, she really does, but the boys' avoidance of Ratchet's issues won't help anyone, especially if (or when) the medic leaves the planet with no way to contact again.

Ratchet went Elsewhere twice. The first time was a rough pill to swallow as Team Prime never realized its existence. He wondered where the trio had scavenged a considerable amount of Energon crystals and the resources to guard the new base with all the newly acquired. He stiffly apologized to them because he had thrown hurtful words over their travels, calling them "superstitious" and "better than that" and "this is why you never applied yourselves" was the least of the insults. The second time, he realized just how much and fast humans age as he counted each tick on his chronometer as they ventured across new continents and strange seas. Those years and crippling injuries and strange bodies melt away from the trio as they return back to their native Earth and their baseline human form.

June visits them. Ratchet never thought to ask how she found them in Nevada when Agent Fowler would have never told a civilian about them. No one questioned how she managed to bypass all the security with her car.

He tallies all the strange, eerie signs as she leaves hints to solve their challenges, how she seems to appear when food is low and they're too busy to bring anything more substantial than a simple run to the nearest fast food joint or a quick foraging session, how all the security in the world, both Cybertron's and Earth's, cannot track her.

"I am what I need or want to be." The one called June Darby demurely answers.

The only family member of Raf's that Ratchet will officially meet is Pilar whose bones are filled to the brim with rituals, survival tips with monsters, gods, and hostile environments, and formal protocols in so many kingdoms, both dead and alive. She grieves as well. She had given up the Dragon to return home but her memories are bursting full of laughter and people and color when the crumbling ruins the new Team explores are long empty of an extinct people or a fallen kingdom.

"Sometimes I think I carved out parts of my heart and left it there. All I have left are the memories as I'm the only one that remembers the campfire songs and the lessons of all those who helped me."

Ratchet will never meet the Nakadai family face-to-face, but he gets a hint of what they are with all the messages and packages they send their only child. Izumi sends pointers on how to prepare certain sea creatures and how to differentiate the signs of an underwater portal in treacherous waters. Her husband will leave cryptid messages and strange, gold pieces. Sometimes he sends coordinates for Miko to dig up a weapons cache or an informant to cultivate.

Of course, things change when the not-quite-human trio spirit back a Primal Artifact of Quintus Prime...

[dnangelic]

the nature of dark's existence is still technically, inherently, one of a curse. within the context of dnangel dark and krad are literally the product of a mistake, but metaphorically can exist as the punishment for the hikari and niwa family line's fatal 'sins' : the hikari for crossing forbidden lines, playing god and instilling life and magic into their artworks; the niwa for being thieves and interrupting the process and letting things go out of control while attempting to steal the kokuyoku. both dark and krad are entities that are described as hindering their host clan's prospering; dark is meant to obstruct by the transformation gene (more specifically, how uncontrollable it is since the hikari can transform too,) while krad shortens his host's lifespans down to practically nothing.

i joke about daisuke being a magical girl and like he totally does fall under the classification (iirc even asuka tags dnangel as a magical girl manga odhgsbdfkjf) but his burden is much heavier and. well. darker because what he's hiding isn't just an alter ego or like, cute cat features that pop out sometimes, instead an entirely conflicting-seeming 'self' that's regularly guilty of crime and extremely easy to reject or revile and accuse. smth smth 'why was i bound in chains in this cold and dismal place / not for any mortal sin but the wickedness of my own abhorrent face.' dark can look scary! he can totally look evil! he's flat out not human! and this is something that can get daisuke into serious trouble no matter dark's own attempts to protect daisuke within him; even a monster with a human heart can still end up being treated as a monster.

conflicting appearances aside, dark occupies the entirety of daisuke's life: he takes it, possesses it for himself and his own inherited intentions; daisuke isn't saving the world or fighting crime or villains, he is the crime, the infamous azumano troublemaker; was destined and raised for it thanks to dark and his ancestors, and this is an inescapable truth, part of the curse that has remained unbroken for 2000 yrs. dark's appearance or personality being one that's easy to completely villainize is just another aspect of the curse itself; i know that just about every satoshi develops a sense of bitterness, envy, or frustration over dark and daisuke's relationship for their getting along with each other better than the hikari's relationship with krad, and for daisuke, the curse truly is, in a way, 'broken' thanks to his being surrounded by so many people who support and accept him (his family, the other artworks,) but dark absolutely still has aspects of himself that serve to be more curselike than any sort of blessing, something to hide, something negatively and maliciously-twinged, in tandem with the way dark is also daisuke's aspiration and dream. as much as dark constantly supports and goads daisuke on, pushing daisuke's back and helping him to keep going -

he's still getting in the way, in his own subtle, manipulative ways sometimes.

[olivegardenfurryaccount]

we need a magical girl transformation in the style of a skin sloughing/tearing werewolf transformation