#so heavily on the mind ?? little goblin wolf

[mvncesa]

putting silas in a shirt that says ‘NERVOUS’ across the chest in bold letters

[atsadi-shenanigans]

Feeding Alligators 59 - Plans Within Plans

You deal with a couple of problems.

On AO3.

As y’all don’t got no bear around to announce yourselves, y’all decide stealth is the best option. You start on the peripherals, catch stragglers or small groups here and there. Gale can actually silence a whole room while the others move in and take them out. Astarion is as efficient with his knives as usual.

Y’all find a guy in a cage, lamenting the new cult. Goblins, turns out, have their own god. One this codger (you can’t actually tell his age, but little dude’s talking like an old-timer) refuses to abandon.

Gale lets him out, too.

Eventually, y’all wind up in the main hall at the front, where some goblin version of a biker granny tries to brand you. And then tries to mind-whammy you. So she’s got a parasite. She calls you a “true soul” like them people you fed to the owlbear, and she’s one of them leaders Halsin mentioned, so you suggest y’all talk in private and she goes right along with you.

You barely get the door shut when Lae’zel skewers her. Literally. Sword punches clear through her back, out her front as she gasps, and then Lae’zel kind of flicks the blade. And biker granny falls to the ground in pieces.

“Jesus,��� you say.

“We waste our time,” she says.

Biker Granny has a bedroom with another ogress in it (you wonder if it’s the same one hooking up with Man-Wolf, but she don’t seem to recognize you when she spots y’all). The fight is short but mean, and as y’all are looting around, Karlach busts down a door that opens to a spooky hallway. Which leads to an inner temple that puts a sneer on Shadowheart’s face.

“Not a fan of this goddess?” you say, looking up at a statue of a woman in some ancient robe ensemble.

“Selune,” Shadowheart says like a curse. A moon goddess or something. Shadowheart calls her followers hypocrites and a few other choice insults.

Huh. You notice Gale eyeballing her all speculative, but he don’t say nothing.

And then Karlach finds and presses a button that opens a wall. Faerun really, really likes the whole “secret hallway behind a fake door” bullshit.

Below is a fuck off chasm with a ladder disappearing into the gloom.

“Hell no,” you say.

But Gale surprises you by offering to float himself down—y’all watch until he’s swallowed by the gloom—and then fly himself back up. “It’s a Selunite outpost extending into what I heavily suspect is the Underdark.”

You zone out a little. It ain’t murdering the two other ringleaders, and it ain’t getting the worm outta your head, and it ain’t fixing whatever inter personal fuckshit is going on between you and…and everyone and each other.

You ain’t sure how to deal with the other two leaders. One is their general—something called a drow, and the others looks real grim about that—and the other guy is holding a fucking pep rally with another dozen goblins in a room around a dead squidward.

“Fuck,” you say.

Which is when you catch the words “spark powder barrels” and “enough to light the whole place up.” You turn. Find two goblins chatting in the corner.

“What’s this about barrels?” you say.

***

The thing about modern Earth warfare is that people got real, real good at killing other people from a distance. Sometimes even killing people who ain’t in the same room, or continent, as you. Faerun ain’t primitive—that word is loaded with all kinds of racist undertones anyway—but they’re still more used to killing with blades and arrows and spells.

Y’all find a way into the bomb room through Biker Granny’s quarters. You give her cooling body a wide berth.

You and Astarion have been ignoring each other since he chose the lookout option, and he now stands at the edge of the group, cleaning his knives. But you seen him sneak, and you seen him climb, and he’s the best man for the idea brewing in your brain.

And maybe he’ll take it as an olive branch?

(You got nothing to apologize for in snapping at him about Rack Guy. You stood up for yourself, and for Rack Guy. Anybody who’s got a problem with that is the problem.)

“Astarion,” you say.

And he ignores you like a petty bitch. So that’s going great.

Losing your shit ain’t never accomplished nothing. So you reign yourself in, walk over to him, and stop right in front of him. You try to keep your body relaxed and your tone professional. “Astarion.”

He deigns to look up. Give you a smile. “Ah, our illustrious leader. What may I do for you now?”

Murder or lockpicks. His only contributions.

Your righteous huff deflates just a little. That part was uncalled for. Breaking people down to what they can be used for is fucked up farmstead shit.

You really look at him, the minute hunch to his shoulders, the flat eyes, the tiny tilt of his head. He’s a bitch, but that don’t mean you have to be.

Fuck. Damn.

Well, no time like the present. You breathe deep and slow.

“I’m sorry,” you say, trying to ignore the others around you. “About what I said earlier. You’re a lot more than I gave you credit for, and it was outta line for me to suggest otherwise. It won’t happen again.”

Y’all might not be friends, but he’s still a member of the group, and you’d feel like a giant fuckhead going around and making bad feelings.

But…he just stands there for half a second. His face does something complicated—a frown, confusion, narrowed eyes—before settling back on his usual, fake smile.

“Ah, for that, I can only assume you require something outside of my usual repertoire?” he says.

Which…how the fuck does the dirt potion translate something into French??

And ouch. He really took that insult to heart, huh? Fuck.

You close your eyes. “I deserve that. Yes, I’m gonna ask you to do something. And leaving that guy was a dickhead move. But I really am sorry for, for implying that you’re only your talents. Which you have more than two, and that was me being a jackass. But I’m sorry, and you deserve to know it.”

Again, that careful blankness. It only lifts when you show him your baby bird of a plan, all small and ugly and shaking around in the mental nest. He snorts like he can’t help it, and for just a split second, something genuine skirts along the edge of his smirk.

“You’re forming a pattern, darling,” he says.

“If it works, don’t break it,” you say. “It’s how the empire back home deals with everybody.”

“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned something like that,” Gale says. “When this is over, you and I desperately need to have another sit down chat.”

So you can spill U.S. military tactics you learned from the internet to a wizard. Why not.

“And if I run into anyone else skulking about?” Astarion says.

You want to sigh, but don’t. “Still hungry?”

“Always, darling.”

“I guess as long as you ain’t dropping bodies outta the rafters…”

The man lights the fuck up, a kid handed a hundred dollars and let loose in a candy store. He scuttles up the closest ladder with what you can only describe as sheer glee.

“Turning a vampire loose in a den of goblins,” Shadowheart says. “I’m not sure which part is worse. Do you think he can drink himself into a stupor?”

“He got pretty sloshed the night when soldier here stuck her soul in a jar,” Karlach says. Catches your silent question. “While you went wherever it is you went to, old Fangs came back drenched in blood. Looked like he got in a fight with a bear. He couldn’t even stand straight. Then he saw you, well, dead, and he stormed off. Tripped over a root, too, which I only noticed cause he don’t normally do stuff like that.”

…huh. Okay?

Well, he seems to revel in your ideas (when they involve murder or being a shithead). He stopped when you told him to. He was an absolute bastard about it, and he later tried again. But when you told him no, he fucked off (which hurt, you’re beginning to realize, because you apparently have the emotional intelligence of a potato. It actually hurt).

“I think I trust him,” you say, looking up to where he disappeared. “With this stuff, anyway.”

***

Astarion returns with good tidings. There’s a path along the rafters right over to Door Rags and his pep rally. Gale has enough juice to help float up the barrels Lae’zel and Shadowheart can’t hoist up (Karlach looks on like a dog told to sit while you throw a ball). It takes a bit to get everything where you want, but y’all manage it.

You have to step over three dead goblins stuffed into a corner. Astarion catches your gaze and gives you a proud tilt of his chin.

See? it seems to say. Not raining down bodies.

You give him a thumbs up.

Then you sneak off with Wyll to a wall ledge overlooking the rally room. Spot another room off to the side with some magic, floating crystal ball.

“A watcher,” Wyll says. Up close, he smells of mint and some kinda herb—you ain’t sure if it’s soap, perfume, or something he uses in his hair. “Someone is keeping an eye on all this. We’ll want to take that out before any fighting starts. Blind whoever’s controlling it.”

“Can you do that?”

He gives you a warm smile. “The blade will strike true.”

You roll your eyes, but you’re smiling, too. Then you catch voices, and inch further out onto the ledge. Across a wooden bridge, somebody moves. A woman in armor. An elf? Only she’s purple with a shock of white hair.

“The drow,” Wyll whispers, sinking into a crouch next to you. “She’ll likely be a powerful fighter. They’re known for their strength in battle. They kill any of their own who show what they consider a weakness. Which generally amounts to being kind or merciful.”

Because that worked so well for the Spartans.

Wyll must catch a look from you. You say, “I’ll tell you later. It’s stupid and impractical, and usually ends with a couple of people slapfighting each other for status while their nation can’t support itself anymore and collapses.”

And another idea blooms in your head. Which you share with him.

He considers a moment. Nods slowly. “Alright, it seems a sound strategy. I’m beginning to see a pattern with you.”

Which, what the fuck does that even mean?

But y’all need to move. The longer y’all camp out up here, the more likely somebody gets spotted. You both sneak back to join the others.

Previous - Index - Next Chapter

[just-norn-things]

Hello! You've found this page, so you've probably seen most of this pinned post before.

This thing exists to separate my writing and general creative shenanigans from my main GW2 blog @violentnornography. As before, interactions come from @pocketgoth, and I'll be rambling about the same characters, probably even more vehemently.

You'll find fics, art, screenshots, asks, headcanons and general oc chatter here. Quite happy to receive in-character asks, if that's your thing.

Character lore and little drabbles I write for fun will be tagged here, my main WIPs and anything M+ rated will be on AO3 only.

This blog will be SFW, any NSFW asks/posts etc will be over on @violentnornography.

Fair warning: This blog is new and a complete WIP, so some links in this post may link to my other blog until I sort my life out. Please bear with. TYVM <3

Without further ado, roll call:

Kara Brunhilda Jorgensdottir

Norn, Follower of Wolf, Pact Commander.

Born 1309 AE. Soulbeast, Chef, Cat Enthusiast. Other titles involving gods and dragons have also occasionally been mentioned, but she's mostly about the cats. Might have the best booty in Hoelbrak. Will beat you up, and apologise after. Proper and dignified, tries desperately to live up to her own legend. Jumps off cliffs for fun. Once killed a forged forerunner and stole its boots just for the flaming surfboard. Best Friends: Torvi Scorchgear, Rytlock Brimstone and Canach. Mate: Braham Eirsson. Eventually. If they can stop bickering for five minutes. Canach has a betting pool, if you're interested. Ship-related posts are here

Warmaster Torvi Scorchgear

Norn, Follower of Bear, Warmaster of the Vigil.

Born 1308 AE. Engineer, Flamethrower only. Honorary-turned-full member of the Gear Warband. Only dates Charr. Kara's childhood friend. Party goblin. Will encourage you to be feral. Knows what you did at the last alemoot, and now so does half of Hoelbrak. Guest stars in the main fic any time the Vigil shows up, will be mentioned semi-regularly. Mate: Mangonel Gearstrip. They've been ride or die since they got drunk and stole a tank together, and no, they don't want your opinion, thanks. Hoping to adopt a cub or two when Torvi retires from the Vigil. Ship-related posts here.

Rhianwen

Soundless Sylvari. Pale Reaver.

Born in the Cycle of Night, 1305 AE. Reaper. Obligate Carnivore. Swamp Witch. Will safely deliver your baby. Probably won't eat it. Can craft you a tonic to fix just about anything. Definitely not undead. Joined the campaign to Maguuma as a personal favour to Trahearne. After he is captured by Mordremoth, she puts heavy pressure on the Commander to push forward to rescue him, no matter the cost. Was gifted the remains of Caladbolg for her efforts, though she does not generally wield it.

Yngvar the Aberrant

Norn, Follower of Wolverine.

Yngvar is my brand new child and will get a proper character profile at some point, but for now:

Lives in the Aberrant Forest. Cannot become the Wolverine at will, but has the weirdest dreams about it. Boneskinners are friendly towards him, for no apparent reason. Will feature semi-heavily when my fic gets to the Bjora Marches.

Aaria

Norn, Vindicator, Alliance Stance, Follower of No-one.

Aaria is an old, neglected child of mine I found it in my heart to start developing, so watch this space!

Traditional Norn nomadic lifestyle in the cental Shiverpeaks, Aaria often only returns to Hoelbrak for moots. Hammer enthusiast, enjoyer of women. Channels Jormag when they are awake. She is largely unaffected by their persuasion, but doesn't mind the company. Jormag is a hell of a conversationlist, and whilst it irritates them that Aaria is immune to their charms, they do have some lovely chats.

*****

*Names are OC names, may not match in-game names*

[idreamtofmanderleyagain]

Five years ago, the women on this site who treated me like trash over loving Labyrinth and shipping Jareth/Sarah were almost always obliviously consuming Radfem propaganda, or were out and out Radfems/Terfs themselves.

They were the types of people who casually threw the word “pedophile” around against grown women who shipped an adult Sarah with Jareth, aka literally one of the most popular ships for women in fandom for 30 years.

Pretty much invariably, these women had serious sex-negative anxieties, which included a severe paranoia about any and all kink and fetish, and porn in general. I saw a lot of shocking, fear-mongering propaganda surrounding sexual expression. Pretty much invariably, their method of approach involved immediate personal shock-value attacks on anyone they perceived to be “bad.”

Today, you can look at the way some people react to other popular so-called “problematic” ships and recognize the same toxic, fear-mongering rhetoric coming from women who consider themselves regular, trans-inclusive feminists. Sometimes it even manifests in the words of very well-meaning people (including myself here), who feel the need to talk about specific issues that pertain to their own experiences of trauma and oppression.

The people who shit on Labyrinth often seem to not really be able to comprehend that the Goblin King, like the film itself, is canonically a representation of a teen girl’s psyche, a soup of fears and anxieties and desires and dreams. He’s not a literal human adult preying on a literal child, and to read the film that way seriously undermines the entire point of the film. 

When I (and people of many fandoms) say “This is fiction, calm down,” I’m not just saying it’s not real so it cant hurt you and you can’t criticize me. I’m trying to call attention to what fiction actually is - artistic representations of feelings and experiences. The Goblin King is Sarah’s fiction. Therefore, he can be anything she or any woman who identifies with her wants him to be, including her lover when she’s grown and ready for such a thing.

I once took an alarming dive into Beetlejuice fandom to see what content was there (the cartoon was a favorite when I was little). Chillingly, what you’ll find is an extremely wounded fanbase, with a sharp divide between the older women who had long been shipping BJ/Lydia because of their love for the cartoon series (and whom were previously the vast majority of the Beetlejuice fandom), and a massive amount of young people riding the wave of the musical fad who had decided that the entire old school Beetlejuice fandom was populated by literal pedophiles. 

I saw death threats. Suicide baiting. Constant, constant toxic discourse. It did not matter how the BJ/Lydia fandom dealt with any particular issues that would exist in their ship, in fact I’m certain that the people abusing them cared very little to even consider if they were trying to handle it at all. The only thing that mattered was that they were disgusting subhuman scum asking for abuse. If you have at any time reblogged recent Beetlejuice fan art or content from fans of the musical, you have more than likely been engaging positively with the content of someone participating in toxic fandom behavior.

Nobody is really sticking up for them, either, as far as I saw. It’s really hard to imagine how painful it must be to have such a large group of people explode into into your relatively private fandom space to tell you that you are evil, vile, and deserve constant abuse, and also you are no longer allowed into the fandom space to engage in it’s content. But I think there’s something very alarming indeed about this happening specifically to the BJ fandom, and I’ll explain why. 

The pop-culture characterization of Beetlejuice, which is heavily influenced by the cartoon series to be clear, has always in my mind been a vaguely ageless being who matches with the psychological maturity of whatever age Lydia is supposed to be. He’s more or less like an imaginary friend, a manifestation of Lydia’s psyche. In fact, I would argue that i think most of us who grew up with the cartoon or it’s subsequent merchandizing before the musical ever existed probably internalized the idea as BJ and Lydia as this ageless, salt-and-pepper-shaker couple beloved by the goth community, similar to Gomez and Morticia. In each version of canon he may be a creepy ghost in the literal sense, but any adult who is capable of identifying literary tropes (even just subconciously) would read cartoon!BJ as an artistic representation of a socially awkward outcast girl’s inner world. Lydia’s darker dispositions and interests, which alienate her from most others, are freely accepted and embraced by her spooky magical friend. BJ/Lydia in the cartoon were depicted as best friends, but to my memory there was always an underlying sense that they had secret feelings for each other, which I identified easily even as a small child. In fact, their dynamic and behavior perfectly reflected the psychological development of the show’s target demographic. They are best friends who get into adventures and learning experiences together, who have delicate feelings for each other but lack any true adult romantic/sexual understanding to acknowledge those feelings, let alone pursue them.

Though I haven’t seen the Musical yet, I’ve read the wiki and I would argue that it embodies this exact same concept even more so for it’s own version of the characters, in that Beetlejuice specifically exists to help Lydia process her mother’s death.

This is not a complicated thing to recognize and comprehend whatsoever. In fact, it looks downright blatant. It’s also a clear indicator of what BJ/Lydia means to the women who have long loved it. It was a story about a spooky wierd girl being loved and accepted and understood for who she was, and it gave them a sense of solidarity. It makes perfect sense why those women would stick with those characters, and create a safe little space for themselves to and imagine their beloved characters growing and having adult lives and experiencing adult drama, in just the same ways that the women of the Labyrinth fandom do. That’s all these women were doing. And now, they can’t do it without facing intense verbal violence. That safe space is poisoned now.

Having grown up with the cartoon as one of my favorites and been around goth subculture stuff for decades, I was actually shocked and squicked at the original Beetlejuice film’s narrative once I actually saw it, because it was extremely divorced from what these two characters had evolved into for goth subculture and what they meant to me. It’s not telling the same story, and is in fact about the Maitland's specifically. In pretty much exactly the same way two different versions of Little Red Riding Hood can be extremely different from each other, the film is a different animal. While I imagine that the film version has been at the heart of a lot of this confused fear-mongering around all other versions of the characters, I would no more judge different adaptations of these characters any more than I would condemn a version of Little Red in which Red and the Wolf are best friends or lovers just because the very first iteration of LRRH was about protecting yourself from predators.

I would even argue that the people who have engaged in Anti-shipper behavior over BJ/Lydia are in intense denial over the fact that BJ being interested in Lydia, either as blatant predatory behavior a la the film or on a peer level as in the cartoon (and musical?) is an inextricable part of canon. Beetlejuice was always attracted to Lydia, and it was not always cute or amusing. Beetlejuice was not always a beloved buddy character, an in fact was originally written as a gross scumbag. That’s just what he was. Even people engaging with him now by writing OC girlfriends for him (as stand-ins for the salt-and-pepper-shaker space Lydia used to take up, because obviously that was part of the core fun of the characters), or just loving him as a character, are erasing parts of his character’s history in order to do so. They are actively refusing to be held responsible for being fans of new version of him despite the fact that he engaged in overt predatory behavior in the original film. In fact, I would venture to say that they are actively erasing the fact that Musical Beetliejuice tried to marry a teenager and as far as I’m aware, seemed to like the idea (because he’s probably a fucking figment of her imagination but go off I guess). The only reason they can have a version of this character who could be perceived as “buddy” material is because...the cartoon had an impact on our pop cultural perception of what the character and his dynamic with Lydia is. 

We can have a version of the Big Bad Wolf who’s a creepy monster. We can have a version who’s sweet and lovable. We can have a version that lives in the middle. We can have a version who’s a hybrid between Red and the Wolf (a la Ruby in OUAT). All of these things can exist in the same world, and can even be loved for different reasons by the same people.

I’ve been using Beetlejuice as an example here because it’s kind of perfect for my overall point regarding the toxic ideologies in fandom right now across many different spaces, including ones for progressive and queer media, and how much so many people don’t recognize how deeply they’ve been radicalized into literalist and sex-negative radfem rhetoric, to the point where we aren’t allowed to have difficult, messy explorations of imperfect, flawed humans, and that art is never going to be 100% pure and without flaw in it’s ability to convey what it wants to convey.

This includes the rhetoric I’ve seen across the board, from She-Ra to A:TLA to Star Wars to Lovecraft Country. We don’t talk about the inherent malleable, subjective, or charmingly imperfect nature of fiction any more. Transformation and reclamation are myths in this space. Everything is in rigid categories. It is seemingly very difficult for some of these people to engage with anything that is not able to be clearly labeled as one thing or another (see the inherent transphobic and biphobic elements of the most intense rhetoric). They destroy anything they cannot filter through their ideology. When women act in a way that breaks from their narrative of womanhood (like...not having a vagina), then those women must be condemned instead of understood. Anything that challenges them or makes them uncomfortable is a mortal sin. There is an extraordinary level of both hypocrisy and repressive denial that is underlying the behavior I’m seeing now. Much like toxic Christian conservatism, these people often are discovered engaging in the same behaviors and interests that they condemn behind closed doors (or just out of sheer cognitive dissonance). As an example, one of the people who talked shit to me about Labyrinth was a huge fan of Kill La Kill, which to my knowledge was an anime about a teenage girl in like, superpowered lingere (hence why I stayed the fuck away from that shit myself). Indeed, they even allow themselves plenty of leeway for behavior far worse than they condemn others for, and create support systems for the worst of their own abusers. 

Quite frankly, I’m tired. Instead of talking about theoretical problematic shit, we need to start talking about quantifiable harm. Because as far as I can tell, the most real, immediate, and quantifiable harm done because of anybody’s favorite ships or pieces of media seems to consistently be the kind that’s done to the people who experience verbal violence and abuse and manipulation and suicide baiting and death threats from the people who have a problem.

[writingfromkitchenator]

Thorin ~ Chastity

1,000 Followers Challenge!

Requested by @fizzyxcustard

Words: 1,867

Warnings: Werewolf!AU, minor angst

The cool air of Lake-town was helping calm your nerves, settling away the edge you’d been on since leaving Beorn’s.  You knew the cold would only help momentarily, but for now, it was more than enough so as you weren’t feeling every little thing.

Warm arms wrap around you and a nose nuzzles a little behind your ear as lips press a soft kiss to your neck.  “It is cold out here.”

Your arms fold over his as you fight back a sigh.  “It’s better.”

He pulls you closer to him, your back pressed to his front tightly, his warmth seeping into you.  “I know how hard this is Y/N, but there is no need to torture yourself for it.”

The sigh escapes this time.  “We both have our own coping mechanisms Thorin.  I need this.  Please.”

Thorin hesitates for a moment, but then pulls away.  You can feel his eyes on you as you return to lean on the balcony, staring at the water below.

Gandalf had invited you on this quest and you’d met the company just outside of Bree, having had your own issues the night before, and again, Thorin had stared at you, but then, that had been for a very different reason.

Neither of you had ever thought that you would find someone living with what you are.

It had been a…tense explanation, when the two of you had had a quiet chance to talk, both of you weary of the other, keeping any real reaction well hidden until Thorin had told you that his family had been like this for several generations now.

You’d never heard of a werewolf being born before.

Thorin had been equally as stunned to hear that you had survived an attack from a wild one, as he’d never heard of such a case happening. As it was, his own people had put certain measure’s in place to ensure that such a thing couldn’t happen after many deaths early on, but you explained that out in the wilds, such cases were rare, but not unheard of.

It started something unlikely between the two of you and a part of you was sure that Thorin was just glad to have someone along that could understand, someone that wasn’t his two nephews, who were also shocked by your appearance, and it wasn’t long before quiet words and shared looks were had between the rest of the company.

The werewolf side of you was always in the back of your mind though, the itching in your gums, the aches in your fingers and burning in your joints.  The longer things went without a transformation, the worse it all got.

“Wolves aren’t meant to be caged.”  Thorin had said one night when you asked him how he coped with such things.  “Sometimes it is necessary for them to be let lose, if just to tame them again for a while so we can have some normalcy back.”

“We are surrounded by others Thorin,” You’d said back.  “We cannot possibly do so out here.”

But it seemed Thorin had already planned for this.  You, Fili, Kili and himself staying behind for two days while the company continued on, and, despite your nerves, you felt the thrill of the hunt starting, although you weren’t sure how you’d react to suddenly having others around you.

Four sets of howls filled the air that night, you falling into easy step beside Thorin, as if you belonged there, Fili and Kili on either side. Together, the four of you hunted, killed, and put your wolfish sides to eventual rest.

You and Thorin were particularly quiet for the following days, both knowing, but being unwillingly to say anything, still not quite ready to believe that such an odd coincidence could happen.

But as you leapt in front of Thorin to save him from a warg, you both knew that this unspoken thing could not remain so.

“You were lucky you did not turn,” Thorin said by your bedside in Rivendell, your leg having been tended to from where the warg had sunk in its teeth.  “You were lucky that it did not put the rest of the company at risk.”

“I know,” You said, testing out the movement in the bindings, making sure that you were looking at it instead of him.  “But it was a risk I had to take Thorin.  If you’d been hurt…”

His hand rested on yours, bringing your gaze to his and for a long moment, the two of you just stared at each other.

Thorin’s thumb brushed your cheek.  “Don’t do that again.  I cannot trust my own reaction if you do.”

You smiled.  “Well, don’t put yourself in harms way again.  I can’t trust my reaction either.”

He returned your smile and rested his forehead against yours, the two of your sitting like that until you were interrupted.

The goblin tunnels proved too much of a challenge for you, the pull of the moon too strong and the threat against Thorin too high, fire roaring through your blood as you turned, teeth snapping as you charged at the goblins, vision filled with red.

How Thorin didn’t turn was still a mystery to both of you, but somehow, him being there, him watching, it was keeping you away from the others, as if he was protecting them, and as you caught up at Beorn’s, it took Thorin a long time to convince you that it was okay.

His lips had pressed to yours, silencing your worrying and bringing forth something that was being buried by the both of you since that first shared turn.

You accepted him as if he was an extension of yourself, your body melting into him as he held you close, your lips following his easily, hands holding him tightly.  A low growl had rumbled through him, sending a thrill of excitement through you and your wolf as it sat on the edge of your mind, and you knew that he was feeling the same way.

The wildness of the wolf tugged at your mind and you had to force yourself away, both of you breathing heavily, Thorin’s blue eyes tinted with amber as he stared at you, both in shock and confusion, wondering why you had pulled away.

This was new to you and that wild feeling frightened you, it was so much stronger than normal and you were still unsure of that at the best of times.

A journey such as this was no place for such things, for either thinking, talking or actioning it.  Thorin had agreed with you then, but you knew, in the way he watched you now, that it was at the forefront of his mind.

It seemed that Mirkwood and being trapped by the elves made that final decision for Thorin, this time turning to save you as orcs attacked the barrels, later pulling you free from the water and curling close around you, keeping you warm.  It took a long time to convince him to turn back and even longer then to convince Bard to smuggle you all into Lake-Town.

Feeling Thorin like that you had realised just how much you could tell about him, sensing where he was in a room, being able to scent each change in his emotions, wanting to be close to him at all times.  The worst part of it was, the more you seemed at risk, the more it set your wolf on edge, the more you could feel.

Which was why you’d placed yourself out in the cold.

“Do you think you could at least try to love me?”  Thorin’s voice was quiet, laced with hurt and it made your chest ache in a way it never had before as you turned to face him, his expression hurting.

Your eyes pricked with tears.  “I do Thorin, I promise I do, more than anything.”

“Then why do you run from me?”  He asked, unmoving.

“For the same reason that you do not move now,” You said, breaking away from the pain in his gaze.  “Because this frightens you.  This…this is intense Thorin, neither of us can deny that, and…if we…if we…”

You swallow, wanting to finish the sentence but unsure how as the low growl of the wolf rumbles through your mind, wanting to go to him and never let go.

“It frightens me Thorin.”  Your voice sounds small, far away.  “It frightens me that I feel so much when you’re here, and I’m unsure of how to process it all with…with my other side so close.  I feel as if I do what you want of me that I will lose all control and that I cannot have happen, I will not let it happen.  I’ve seen my fair share of feral wolves Thorin and-”

“You would never be one,” A gentle hand rests under your chin and brings your gaze back to his, his own eyes shining.  “It is not in your blood or strength or honour to be so. Your loss of control, if there is any, would be with me and for me only.”

Your hand takes his and presses it into your cheek, letting yourself nuzzle him slightly, a small whimper leaving you as you ignore the urge to move closer.  “Then let me come to terms with that.  Please. I was not born with rules and tales to learn from as you, I was made into this.  I have overcome and adapted so much just to get here, forced control upon myself, but this, the feel of the wolf in the back of my mind edging for release when you’re so close…”

Thorin places a gentle kiss to your forehead, his thumb brushing away a stray tear, his gaze soft on you.  “I would never rush you into anything, please know that.  I want you to be comfortable with me as I am with you as our wolves are.  I told you then as I will tell you again now, I will answer any question that you may have to the best of my abilities.  No one should ever be alone in this.”

You close your eyes with a sigh, just enjoying the warmth of his hand for a moment, forcing your mind to slow, putting the wolf slowly back into a state you could control.  “Thank you Thorin.  Thank you for understanding.”

Carefully, he steps in a little, taking it slow as he wraps his other arm around you, ensuring you were comfortable before placing a soft kiss into your hair.  “I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

Your head rests against his chest, taking in a deep breath, keeping yourself braced in case your wolf flared up again.  “I just need time.”  You sigh as his heartbeat does more than what the cold ever seemed to do. “Once we have some, then I can ask my questions, then we sort this out properly and maybe then I won’t be so afraid of myself.”

Thorin smiles, resting his head atop yours and closing his eyes as the two of you stood out in the cold.  “I promise Y/N, you have nothing to be afraid of.”

[hellyeahheroes]

Building Amadeus Cho in D&D 5e

I really need to distract myself from how bad elections in my country went, so here is another build. I noticed about every single one I’ve made - Cassandra Cain, Nico Minoru, Virgil Hawkins, Laura Kinney, Emiko Queen - are all “let’s dump strength” builds. So why not do something about it and make someone who is all about Strength? Well, maybe not “all”, let’s make him smart as well. You can probably guess who comes to mind

Let’s start with our goals for this build. First of all, we need to be both strong AND smart, finding a way to show both of them in combat. Second, we need to express somehow Amadeus’ perk for invention and gadgets that aid him. And finally, we need to get knowledge skills to reflect well our status as the 7th Smartest Man on Earth.

As with Tulok the Barbarian, who inspired these pots, I will be using standard points array for Ability Scores - 15, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8. If you want to roll or use different point buy or your DM insists on that, treat these as a guideline

Strength: 14, you were once The Strongest One There Is after all

Dexterity: 12, You are somewhat agile, maybe more than an average Hulk

Constitution: 13, very important for both taking hits and not getting distracted when you do SCIENCE!

Intelligence: 15, you’re 7th Smartest Man on Earth after all

Wisdom: 8, dump it, Amadeus was always known for being really freaking reckless after all.

Charisma: 10, Amadeus has shown he has as much of a chance to woo a girl as to annoy his teammates, you may as well leave this one entirely to the dice

Now for Race, which in D&D terms mean species. Amadeus is currently a superhumanly strong, green-skinned individual with an ability to increase his strength by getting enraged. And you know very well what that means for people who make character builds in 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons

Seriously tho, Amadeus is a human who got transformed into this green form, but a human none the less. Variant Humans get +1 to two Ability Scores, even out Intelligence and Constitution. For your free skill pick up Religion, first of our Knowledge Skills - you didn’t hang out with Hercules without having that mythological knowledge run off on to you after all. Pick whatever is relevant to the campaign for the bonus language.

For the feat pick War Caster - it gives you an advantage on the Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on a spell whenever you take damage, lets you perform somatic components even with a weapon or a shield in both hands and you can cast a spell instead of attacking whenever a creature provokes an opportunity attack from you, as long at the spell has a casting time of 1 action.

For Background we will go with Sage, giving us proficiency in History and Nature, two more Knowledge Skills and you also learn two languages of your choice, again, pick whatever’s relevant. You also get the Researcher feature, allowing you to, if you do not know something, at least know where to easily obtain that information.

Now for the Class, let us get us some Brains. And as with Static, we will do a little trick and treat magic as science. Maybe your magic really is your technological inventions? Or maybe you just used your brilliant mind to study it like science? It makes sense really - a scientific mind in a world where magic is a tangible force and all sci-fi elements are nonexistent would study magic with a scientific approach. If only there was a class known for this. 1st Level Wizard gains proficiency with our last knowledge skill, Arcana, and one more - pick Insight, Investigation or Medicine. You get saving throws with Wisdom and Intelligence and proficiency with  Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs and light crossbows

Wizard learns Spellcasting. You gain a spellbook containing six 1st-level Wizard spells and each long rest you can prepare a limited number of them that you can cast and you cannot prepare spells of a higher level than your maximum level known. You also get cantrips that you can cast as many times a day as you want but you only know a few of them. Finally, you can spend 2 hours and 50 gp to copy any spell you have found into your spellbook as long as you can cast spells of this level, adding them to a number of spells you can choose from. If your spell requires a spell attack, you make it with modifier equal your Proficiency Bonus + Your Intelligence Modifier and if it requires Saving Throw, you take that number and add 8 to get your Save Difficulty. You also gain Arcane Recovery, which lets you recover some of your spell slots on short rest, but they cannot be of higher combined level than half of your wizard level rounded up.

For Cantrips you get to know 3 and here are some good choices:

Prestidigitation is a multi-use tool that allows you to make all kinds of minor magical effects that last up to 1 hour 

Either Booming Blade or Green Flame Blade - each is a spell that lets you make an attack and causes some effect if you hit, either making green fire leap from it to the second target to give it damage equal to your Intelligence Modifier, or deal the target additional 1d8 thunder damage if it willingly moves before end of your next turn. Either of those scales up with your total character level

Shocking Grasp lets you make a melee attack as a part of casting a spell as well, with an advantage if the target is wearing armor, and if you hit they take 1d8 lightning damage (again, scaling with your total level) cannot take reactions until the end of your next turn.

Now for the 1st Level Spells, we get to know six of them even if we can only cast two per long rest.

Fog Cloud lets you create a 20-foot radius sphere centered around you that makes an entire area in it heavily obscured.

Jump lets you triple your jump distance for 1 minute, getting that trademark Hulk jumpIdentify lets you learn all magical properties related to a touched item or what spells are affecting the touched creature

Grease turns an area within 10-foot square from a chosen point into difficult terrain for 1 minute and every creature standing on it or entering it must succeed on a Dexterity Saving Throw or fall prone.

Feather Fall has a casting time of a reaction and lasts for one minute and each from up to five falling creatures within 60-feet range, you included, slows down on falling to 60 feet and if it lands on the ground before the spell ends, it takes no damage

Finally, Find Familiar lets you summon a familiar. There is no dog or wolf on the list but I’m sure a GM can be persuaded into allowing you to have a coyote pup. Familiar acts independent from you but obeys your commands, if it dies you can bring it back by recasting the spell, you can communicate with it telepathically if it is within 100 feet from you and for action see through its eyes and if you cast a touch spell your familiar can deliver it to the target. This has a ton of uses and if done well it will make your puppy a beloved pet of the party.

We will now jump to Barbarian. You get proficiency light and medium armor, simple and martial weapons and shields. As you might have noticed, we do not get tavern brawler to deal better damage on unarmed strike. This is because I remembered that Amadeus was once wielding mace previously belonging to Hercules. I see no reason why not to return to it to give Amadeus more of his classic flavor. Also, it will mesh better with some features we will get than punching with your fist. You can also pick up that huge two-handed hammer he was using as Brawnhammer.

1st Level Barbarians get an ability to Rage, allowing you to enter a state in which you gain an advantage on Strength checks and saving throws, +2 to damage dealt by strength attacks and resistance to bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing Damage. It lasts for 1 minute, until you’re knocked out or if you ended your turn without attacking any enemy for your turn. You can do it twice between long rests. Sadly, you cannot cast spells or concentrate on those already cast in Rage. This will be a more last line of defense than a common go-to strategy.

You also get Unarmored Defense, allowing you to add your Constitution Modifier to your Armor Class, which helps since Cho isn’t known for wearing armor.

2nd Level Barbarian gets Danger Sense, if you are not blinded, deafened or incapacitated, you have an advantage on Dexterity saving throws against any effect you can see, such as traps or spells. You also gain Reckless Attack, allowing you to gain an advantage on your attack rolls made this turn at the cost of giving your enemies advantage on attack rolls against you until your next turn.

2nd Level Wizard gets a new spell slot to use. You also get to choose an Arcane Tradition. School of Lore Mastery gives us two features. Lore Mastery itself allows you to substitute your Intelligence modifier for Dexterity modifier when you roll for Initiative and doubles your proficiency modifier in all Knowledge Skills you are proficient with. Which are ALL OF THEM! You’re welcome. Spel Secrets meanwhile allows you to, whenever you cast a spell that deals  acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, radiant, or thunder damage to just declare you change it to another type. Meaning you no longer care for resistance or immunity to damage. ON TOP OF THAT, if a spell requires someone to make a saving throw, it also lets you change whichever Ability they have to roll for. So if you’re fighting a group of Goblins, you don’t make them roll Dexterity but Strength o that Grease.

ALTERNATIVE: School of War Magic allows you to add your Intelligence Modifier to your Initiative rolls with Tactical Wit and with Arcane Deflection you  can spend your reaction to give yourself +2 to Armor Class were you be hit by an attack roll or +4 to a saving throw you failed, but you cannot cast spells other than cantrips until end of your next turn.

Okay, we have brains, we have brawl, but Amadeus is both - not just a genius or a Hulk, he is Brawn and he combines these two sides of him. We will let him do that...in a moment

First Level Fighter gets to choose a fighting style. Depending on what you picked up as your weapon choose either Dueling (+2 to damage rolls if you’re using only one weapon in one hand) or Great Weapon Fighting (when you use two-handed or versatile weapon wielded in two hands you can reroll all 1 or 2 on damage rolls but must use the new roll even if it is as bad or worse). You also gain Second Wind, letting you once per short or long rest use a bonus action to regain health points equal 1d10 + your fighter level. This will get us some of that healing factor.

EDIT: if you really want Brawn who fights with his fists then pick a new Fighting Style from Unearthed Arcana on Alternate Class Features - Unarmed Fighting. It changes the damage dealt by your unarmed attacks from flat 2 to 1d6+your STRE modifier, 1d8 if you attack with both hands and grants you an extra 1d4 damage dealt whenever you successfully start a grapple with a creature and whenever you hit a creature you’re already grappling.

Second Level Fighter gains Action Surge - once per short or long rest you can gain an additional action for your round. This means an extra attack or lets you cast a spell and attack in one turn.

Third Level Fighter gains a Martial Archetype. And this is what we are here for. Eldritch Knight. First, it lets you learn a ritual that creates a bond between yourself and a weapon and you can have two such weapons bonded to you at once. As long as you hold one you cannot be disarmed unless you’re incapacitated and if you are to part from it you can summon it as a bonus action, making it teleport in your hand as long as you’re on the same plane of existence. Teleporting gear he needs into his hands does sound like a very Amadeus thing, gotta say.

But now to the real meat of Eldritch Knight. You get to learn spells as a fighter. As opposed to Wizard spells you know a limited number of them and you spend spell slots to cast them without preparations. Sadly you cannot cast Wizard Spells you know from Eldritch Knight spell slots or vice versa. However, two levels you took will count to determine your number of spell slots. Consult this table using the following guidelines - every 4 levels of Eldritch Knight you take count as 1 level on the table and every level of wizard counts as 1. If the table would give you access to spell slots of a higher level that you should know by normal class progression, you can only use them to cast spell slots of a level you know.

Also, since your casting ability is the same for both classes, your spell attack and save difficulty modifiers are the same.

You learn two Cantrips from a wizard spell list and they work pretty much as the wizard ones.

Thunderclap is a very Hulk thing - make a burst of sound forcing every creature within 5 feet to make Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 (since we are above 5th level) thunder damage. As you can guess, it scales with your total character level.

Lighting Lure forces a target to make Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 10 feet of you and take 2d8 lightning damage if it finds itself within 5 feet of you. And yes, it does too scale with your total level.

You get to know 3 1-st level spells from Wizard Spell list but they must be abjuration or evocation. As you will learn 4th one on the next level I will list all 4

Thunderwave forces every creature within a 15-foot cube from you to make a Constitution saving throw or take 2d8 Thunder Damage and be pushed 10 feet away from you. On a save it remains in position and takes only half of the damage.

Protection from Evil and Good lets you choose one type of creature - aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiend and undead - it is a concentration spell lasting up to 10 minutes and gives that type of creatures disadvantage on attack rolls against you and you cannot be charmed, frightened or possessed by them. This is for next time you run into the Enchantress

Absorb Elements lets you chose damage type you are about to take from acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder, giving you resistance to that damage. The first time you hit on your next round you deal additional 1d6 damage of that type to the target, +1d6 per spell slot level if you cast it from a higher level

Chromatic Orb lets you make spell attack against the target, dealing it 3d8 (+1d8 for each higher level of spell slot used) of damage of your choice - poison, acid, fire, cold, lighting or thunder.

4th Level Fighter gains an Ability Score improvement, for now we will focus on increasing our Intelligence. 5th Level gives us Extra Attack, letting us make two attacks as a part of the same attack action. 6th Level is another Ability Score Improvement, Round up the Intelligence

7th Level Eldritch Knight gets to learn a new Spell and gains access to 2nd level spell slots. Snilloc’s Snowball Storm makes fury of snowballs explode in a 5-ffot sphere from the chosen target, dealing every creature in range 3d6 cold damage and a half on successful Dexterity saving throw. if you would rather go with the Hulk-lite theme, pick up Shatter instead - works similarly except dealing thunder damage, asking for Constitution save and dealing 3d8 damage instead of 3d6 and imposing disadvantage on the saving throw to creatures made out of inorganic materials.

You also gain a feature - War Magic. Whenever you cast a Cantrip as an action you can now make a single weapon attack as a bonus action.

8th Level Fighter gains another Ability Score Improvement, boost up your Strength. You can learn a new spell and this time it can be one out of any school. Hold Person lets you force a Wisdom saving throw on a target and if they fail then, for your concentration, they become paralyzed until they succeed a next Wisdom save on their round, you break your concentration or 1 minute passes.

9th Level Fighter gains Indomitable, letting you once per long rest reroll one failed saving throw.

10th Level Eldritch Knight learns Eldritch Strike, meaning that now whenever you hit a creature with a weapon attack, it has a disadvantage on the save against the first spell you cast until the end of your next turn. You also learn a new Cantrip and a new Spell and another one on 11th level

Ray of Frost makes you make a spell attack against a single target and if you hit you deal 3d8 (since it scales with a level) cold damage and reduce its speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.

Scorching Ray makes you pick up to 3 targets (+1 for each higher level from which you cast) to be hit with 2d6 Fire Damage.

Melf’s Acid Arrow lets you make a spell attack against a target. On a hit, it takes 4d4 acid damage now and 2d4 on the end on its next turn, on a miss it only takes 2d4 acid damage once.

11th Level Fighter also gains the third attack to be done as a part of the same attack action.

12th level Fighter gains an Ability Score improvement, this time increase your Constitution.

On 13th Level you get to use Indomitable twice between long rests, can learn one new spell and gain access to 3rd level spells. You get another one, this one from any school, on 14th level as well, alongside next Ability Score Improvement (which should go to Strength)

Counterspell allows you to interrupt an enemy costing spell. If it is casting a spell of a level equal or lower than that of spell slot you used, it fails immediately. if its level is higher, you counter it if you succeed an Intelligence Check with difficulty equal to 10 + spell level.

Haste is a concentration spell for up to 1 minute, it doubles your (or another target you used it for) speed, gains +2 to AC, advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws and on each of its turns gains one action it can use to make a single weapon attack, dash, disengage, hide or use object. Once it ends target must spend 1 turn doing nothing to regain its strength.

15th Level Eldritch Knight gets to use Arcane Charge, which lets you teleport up to 30 feet as a part of an action you gain by Arcane Surge. Our Capstone is 16th Level Fighter. Final Ability Score Improvement - round up Strength - and final spell to learn - Fireball lets you cause an explosion in a 20-foot radius from the target, dealing every creature in it 8d6 fire damage or half on successful save +1d6 for each higher level of spell slot you used to cast it from.

So here is how I would do Amadeus. School of Lore Mastery Wizard 2/Barbarian 2/Eldritch Knight Fighter 16. :et us see how valid this build is. For one, you are a good tank with multiple ways to reduce damage dealt to you and make up for not wearing armor - protection from good and evil, indomitable, absorb elements, rage (which works with some of these abilities), second wind, Unarmored Defense - and a lot of hit points. You also get a varied array of spells that deal different types of damage and many of them have various utilities attached to them, with added bonus you can fluff them as either gadgets or Hulk abilities, and your wizard levels let you cast them using 5th level slots (see the table again) which actually allows you to deal more damage with them than pure Eldritch Knight. You do not need to worry about having either too many or not spells of one damage type for any given situation with Lore Mastery either. Hell, you could refluff the same spells as different gadgets multiple times. You also have ways to get in more attacks and to make up for relatively poor Dexterity. If you run out of spells you can enter rage and go into full combat. Finally, you have all the knowledge skills to truly be 7th Smartest Man on Earth.

On the downsides, you are a jack of all trades but master of none, lacking real focus. Your array of spells is limited and even though you can learn more via wizard spellbook they’re only gonna be of 1st level. Spells you do know are only of 3rd level at best, meaning their usefulness will be limited. And Rage basically turns off your entire spellcasting and concentration spells, meaning you have to choose which one to use. We didn’t max out Constitution and Dexterity is low, meaning our AC is not as good as it should be. Finally, your Charisma and Wisdom Saves are low, meaning you should expect to be banished to another dimension or mind-controlled to turn against your party a lot.

However, you are a very balanced character who can be useful in many things and has an answer to all kinds of problems. You are brains and Brawl in one green package. Just remember you cannot do everything and you work much better as a part of a team. So don’t your teammates get sick of your ego.

ERRATA: Original build started with levels in Barbarian but it was pointed out to me that you need to take a casting class to take War Caster feat, I have made changes to reflect that.

UPDATE: Changed Wizard School to Lore Mastery, with War as an alternate option.

- Admin

[spackeets-written-madness]

Of Monsters and Men

The Kingdom of Fife was quiet, so Ser Proletius and his Knights of Crail spread throughout the kingdom to help the people more directly. Proletius had gone to the town of Enest, surrounded by thick forest to see if they had any problems. Turned out that they had a monster problem that needed solving.

On Ao3!

Warning ahead: I got slightly discriptive with describing corpses, and battle

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ser Proletius and his Knights of Crail had been out in the Kingdom to patrol some of the towns and villages to secure then as well as the cities since everything had been a bit quiet. Since they were only patrolling towns, they didn’t need many knights to secure them and had chosen to go in pairs of two or three; except if you’re the Grandmaster who went to the forest town of Enest on his own with only his unicorn as his companion. He would’ve brought Farcry, but the eagle was simply too big to land in the tightly packed forest that surrounded Enest. 

He had been on the road to Enest for a few days now and could now see it in the distance, his unicorn had seen it too for e quickened eir’s pace so that they could get to the town before nightfall as the sky began to darken. As they cantered along the road, they passed a portion of the forest that was felled, a good half-acre, in fact, was simply, gone. It stunned both Proletius and the unicorn enough that e slowed eir’s canter to a trot, walk then full stop to take in the damage.

Normally seeing felled trees or plains isn’t too odd especially near farming towns, but this area is very heavily forested (and he didn’t know that there had been approved logging in this area) so this had been odd to Proletius. What was odder still were the corpses suspended and intertwined in tree roots that pushed their way through the earth, the bodies crushed and pierced. The eyes and faces of the corpses were picked away by ravens and other carrion feeders. In Proletius’s line of work, seeing corpses isn’t rare nor is adding to the corpse count, what was odd about this was the fact it looked like nature itself fought back against the carnage.

The Grandmaster made a ‘hmm’ noise in the back of his throat as he surveyed what happened. He then looked to his right towards Enest a few kilometres in the distance. “I suppose we’ll find out more in the town,” he said aloud.

The unicorn snorted in agreement, turned around and started back up towards the town in a faster canter, but not quite a gallop. With the unicorn’s pace, they got to the town quickly and entered it, heading straight for the inn and had stopped in front of it.

Proletius barely managed to dismount from his unicorn when he heard wheezing and puffing from behind him. He finished getting off the unicorn, turned around to be met with a rather rotund and overweight man with auburn hair, dressed plainly, with a blue cloak and doubled over to catch his breath. Waddling up to stand next to the man was a mastiff-sized wingless dragon: a drake-hound, and a green one at that. The Grandmaster waited for the man to catch his breath.

The man caught his breath and stood straight, he took the time to brush himself off and gather his nerves before he spoke to Ser Proletius. “Evening Ser Knight! I am Munroe, the local logger overseer, that came down to this town about a little over a week ago to clear out some of this wood,” he started to explain.

The Grandmaster had interrupted whatever Munroe was going to say next. “Enest supplies the kingdom with mushrooms and truffles, not wood,” he said.

Munroe blinked and floundered. “Well, Uhm, not yet the town won’t be. I came to change that and brought some men with me from my village to help out, locals haven’t been helping us, which isn’t a problem, the problem is that three days ago a monster that slaughtered half my men and rendered the rest too afraid to work!” the man finished, a bit flustered.

“A monster? See anything that would make you think that?” Proletius asked. Something had seemed off about this man.

“Oh, I wasn’t there, but I heard it from the surviving men - in the midst of fearful babbling mind you - that they were attacked by wolves and ravens, the men ran, and the ones that apparently didn’t get away in time were crushed by tree roots that had risen from the ground. I went down to the location awhile ago. So yes, it was a monster,” Munroe expanded as he patted the drake-hound at his side.

Proletius thought back to the sight he saw back before the village, the empty forest floor with the corpses of lumberjacks crushed in intertwining roots, their bodies covered in wolf bites and their eyes pecked out by ravens. It did look like a monster had attacked them, but why would it attack now? Proletius decided not to ask Munroe, he only arrived a few weeks ago, he wouldn’t know. “Thank you, Munroe, I’ll look into it,” the Knight said respectfully to the man.

“Please try to hurry, Ser, I don’t mean to rush a distinguished knight such as yourself, but I fear that the rest of the men may leave the town if the threat of this monster keeps up,” the overseer said.

Proletius gave a curt nod and Munroe waddled off with his drake-hound hot on his heels. The Grandmaster turned back around to face the inn that was his original objective and looked at the squat wooden building that sat upon a foundation of carved stone, the sign to this inn had a goblet with a crack in it and words that read ‘The Cracked Chalice’. He checked to make sure that his unicorn was alright and walked up the three steps to get inside. The barkeep will have more information he figured.

When the Grandmaster walked through the door, he was met with a remarkably clean establishment, the tables were well taken care of, the chairs and stools had some furs on the seats to add a bit of comfort and it was well lit with candles. There were a few patrons already seated at some of the tables and bar that turned to look at Proletius when he came through the door, all a bit in awe that the Grandmaster himself had come to their village. He walked up to the bar and sat down at one of the stools in front of it, his armour clanking and rubbing against itself as he sat down, his sword on his hip bumped slightly against the bar.

The barkeep saw Proletius walk in and had waited for him to get situated before he spoke to the Grandmaster. “Evening, Ser, what brings you to Enest?” he greeted.

“Making sure that everything is alright in the kingdom. Now I heard from a man called Munroe that you have a monster problem?” Proletius said.

The barkeep and several of the patrons grumbled about Munroe under their breath. The barkeep then spoke up. “We never used to have a problem with nature before Munroe and his men came to fell our woods,” the barkeep began, “but they didn’t listen to our druid when she told them to clear the woods she marked, because of animal homes and the like, and they didn’t listen, felled some trees not where she marked and got what was coming to them.”

“So even you don’t know anything about this monster?”

The barkeep shrugged his thick shoulders. “Nope. Though I saw it’s carnage, everyone did. Some kind of nature beast or spirit that they pissed off. Best to talk to Alina about it.”

“Alina?”

“The druid I mentioned earlier. She knows nature. Though it’s best you go visit her in the morning, she doesn’t like visitors this late,” the barkeep advised.

Proletius turned around to look out the window and sure enough, the sky was a lot darker than earlier. Well, he should probably sleep then. “I’ll grab a room for the night, then. As well as something to eat and drink,” the Grandmaster said.

“Sure thing, what would you like to drink?”

“Mead.” came the Grandmaster’s answer. He figured it’d be okay to have one drink.

The barkeep turned around to the counter behind him and grabbed a cup and a bottle of mead poured it into the cup, and set it down in front of the Grandmaster. “Something to eat? The cook has prepared a nice steak with some mushroom gravy for the day,” the barkeep offered for something to eat.

One of the things Proletius liked when he travelled the kingdom is trying the different foods of the villages and towns. “That sounds perfect, I’ll have that,” the Grandmaster said as he sipped at his drink.

The barkeep nodded and walked to the back to give Proletius’s order to the cook. The barkeep stuck his head out to check on the front before ducking back to attend to something else. This left Proletius alone, which he didn’t mind of course.

While he waited for his meal, he thought about the things he saw and started to pile the evidence about what this ‘monster’ might be. Admittedly he wasn’t sure, monster hunting wasn’t his expertise. Now, goblin and chaos wizard hunting, on the other hand, was in his expertise. He was brought out of his thoughts by his food being placed in front of him, that brought his focus to enjoying some food.

The barkeep stood back behind the bar and looked at Proletius as the Grandmaster ate. “So, what are you going to do when you talk with Alina?” he asked. He sounded concerned for the druid’s well-being.

“Callum, let the knight finish his food,” someone else at the bar scolded the barkeep.

Proletius simply chewed his mouthful and swallowed before he answered. “Talk to her. Listen to her, see if she spoke and negotiated with Munroe, try to help negotiations. This monster issue sounds like a relatively easy fix,” he said. At least, he hoped that it was an easy fix.

“Ah, I see. Sorry, she’s been a big help here ever since she moved here five years ago. Helping us fell the right trees and not change the landscape drastically in the process. She’s not like most other druids,” Callum - the barkeep - said. 

Proletius had been quietly eating his food while Callum talked. He swallowed his last mouthful. “What do you mean ‘not like other druids’?” he questioned.

“You’ll see.”

“Is it that hard to explain?” Proletius asked in a slightly joking tone.

Callum chuckled. “Well, no, it’s just easier to see what I mean when you actually meet her.”

“I see.” Proletius went back to his food in silence and Callum left him alone to finish the meal and sleep. The Grandmaster ate his food, paid for both the meal and the room and left to the said room after the keys were given to him.

                                                            ***

The Grandmaster slept well that night and awoke to the sun shining in his face, which, for a knight is not unusual but no less annoying. He got up and got ready for the day, washed his face a bit, got dressed and donned in his armour, that kind of thing. After he did that, he went to the bar to grab a quick bite to eat before he went to talk to Alina. Callum talked to him a bit while he had eaten.

After that, the Grandmaster asked Callum where Alina lived and went on a nice walk to the druid’s house to go talk to her. When he approached the house (which was five minutes off the outskirts of the village) it looked like many of the other houses in the village: squat, wooden and small. The differences to this house where the garden beds, the many ground-bird coops and feeding stations. Yep, this was a druid’s house. Proletius walked up to the door and gave it a good loud knock since he heard something fall inside the house.

“Just come inside!” came a feminine voice in answer to the knock.

Proletius nudged open the door and stepped inside to be met with a lot of red birds and a bit of chaos. There were birds on the rafters, the sills, everywhere and they looked very similar to ravens in size and shape though were a brilliant shade of red with the tail and wingtips gradient to blue, all the feathers had an iridescent sheen with the beaks and feet of the birds being yellow.

A young-looking woman wearing a plain beige shirt, brown pants and slippers came into view carrying a box with what looked to be yarn-nests in her slender yet lithe arms. Her build wasn't small or terribly thin, but it wasn't muscular either. Her long blonde hair was haphazardly brushed and pulled into a loose tail, her green eyes focused on the birds and not her guest. She set the box down and began to hand each bird pair a nest from the box, the pair flying off through the window and the next pair stepped up. They were queueing. 

Proletius could see that she was immediately busy and stood near the door to wait for her to finish her job. He looked around the room he stood in, there was a small round table to his left, a desk near the table with piles of loose paper scattered on it, herbs, a mortar and pestle, other plants, a few loose feathers and quills. Above the desk were a couple of shelves that held books and a few potted plants.

“Here, Big Miss Muffet wants to go outside,” the lady said as she passed briefly by Proletius and shoved something into his hands to no doubt put outside. She still didn’t seem to notice him as she disappeared behind a corner in the back to get something. (Probably more nests, since she ran out of the ones in the box she got out.)

Proletius looked down at his hands to see a decently sized tarantula in them that the druid gave him. The Grandmaster stared at it for a few moments before he leaned down and let the spider crawl outside the open door. When he stood back up, he saw the woman standing in the opening she went into, staring at him. “Alina, I presume?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes… Sorry for pushing a spider into your hands, I thought you were someone else,” she apologised. She held a box with more nests in her arms.

Proletius waved a hand dismissively, “It’s alright, I’m alright with spiders. I’m Ser Proletius, Grandmaster of the Knights of Crail. I wanted to ask you a few questions about the apparent nature spirit or monster that attacked some of Munroe’s men,” he said, getting to the point.

Alina looked pissed at the mention of Munroe’s name. She set the box that was in her arms on the countertop with a bit more force than what was necessary. “I told him and his men not to cut down that area, I even showed and marked an area for them to fell because those trees were all old. But no, he chose the young trees that a critically endangered bird species were nesting in, or rather, managed to adapt to nesting in,” she said with annoyance.

Proletius looked at the red ravens that helped each other get the nests out of the box. “Are those the critically endangered birds?” he asked for clarification.

“Yeah, Pheonix Ravens, thought to have been pushed to extinction fifty years ago but I found two dwindling and barely surviving flocks. I’ve been trying to help them adapt to living in a different area, but it’s not easy. Nature often tends to be stubborn,” she said exasperated. “I’ve spent the last three days trying to help them after Munroe felled the trees that they managed to call home.”

The Grandmaster looked at the red birds in surprise.  Even he thought that the Phoenix Ravens went extinct. It made him consider telling the King about it. “Even I thought these birds went extinct, I’m glad they didn’t. I can help you talk to Munroe to work something out and I can even talk with the king to make them protected to help them,” Proletius said.

Alina’s tired face suddenly lit up. “You will?” at his nod, she couldn’t hold back a smile. “Thank you! If you let me tidy myself up a bit more, we can go talk to the man now?” she asked.

“Sooner is better. I can wait outside for you,” Proletius offered.

“Oh no, it’s alright, you can wait in here if you want. I should have some biscuits if the birds didn’t eat them all that is,” she said off-handed and reached for a jar on the counter next to the nest box. She opened the ceramic jar to check inside it. “Oh nope, they didn’t eat all of them,” she commented as she set the jar down on the table and put the lid back on before a Phoenix Raven tried to take a biscuit.

Ser Proletius shook his head at her offer for him to stay in her house. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll wait outside for you. I do want a biscuit though,” he said. The Grandmaster picked up the jar to get a biscuit, upon doing that, he felt a weight descend on his right shoulder and twisted his head to see a phoenix raven looking at him. “I get the feeling that if I open this, this one with dive for it.”

Alina looked a bit done with the antics of the phoenix ravens. “Yes, she will.”

Proletius had an idea. He put the jar down, reached into his pocket and brought out a bit of jerky (a treat he normally gave to Farcry), broke a decent sized bit off the strip and gave that to the raven. The piece was a bit too large for the raven to swallow whole which gave the Grandmaster enough time to take a biscuit out of the jar and eat it. He managed to do all that while the raven was trying to break the jerky upon his shoulder in order to eat its snack.

When the raven realised that the Grandmaster tricked it into eating a healthier snack and not the sugar biscuit it wanted, it looked at him very offended. Alina had laughed at the Grandmaster tricking one of the phoenix ravens. After the raven had gotten off Proletius, the Grandmaster went to wait outside while Alina made herself more presentable.

Proletius didn’t have to wait long for the druid to make herself more presentable since she had come outside wearing the same things as before, but her hair was neatly brushed and braided, laying against her neck. She also had a staff that was made of simple wood, the top of the staff was gnarled and twisted like a dead tree. "Are you ready?" the Grandmaster asked just to be sure. 

She nodded. "Yes, I am, let's go find Munroe and talk to him. The nature spirit should stop killing his men if we manage to negotiate with him," she said. Alina did not mention what would happen if they didn’t.

Proletius nodded and both set off back to the village side by side to talk to Munroe. They walked in silence for the first half of the trip while they looked for Munroe after they got into the village. 

"So what brings the Grandmaster to this little town?" Alina asked. 

"The kingdom has been quiet. No problems from the neighbours, no chaos wizards, no goblin issues. So I told the knights to secure the kingdom by assisting the people with their problems, and I myself went out as well," Proletius answered. 

"I see. Oh, there he is!" Alina pointed towards Munroe, the man's figure had set him apart from the norm. 

Both the Grandmaster and the druid made their way to the overseer, who had turned to face them. When he saw that Alina was with Proletius his whole body seemed to huff in annoyance. 

"I see that you went to talk with the druid…" Munroe said when they got closer. 

"The monster that attacked your men was a nature spirit, defending the loss of habitat of critically endangered birds," Proletius started. "She tells me that she talked to you and even showed you a place to log. Why did you choose to cut down the trees in the unmarked area?" 

Munroe huffed. "Those trees were old, young trees are better." 

"For what? Older trees have a lot more wood in them to be used for everything!" Alina argued. 

"Furniture requires the delicacy and lightness of the young wood!" he countered. 

Alina's features hardened. "And why so picky? Wood is wood, older trees have already lived their lives. They are suited for home building or furniture!" 

Proletius could see that this would only escalate and so interrupted the pair before they continued. "Enough! We came to you, Munroe to reach an agreement. You want wood, Alina has already shown that she is willing to help as long as you listen to her," he said with a slightly commanding tone. 

Proletius's command caused both to shut up and listen to him. They both shared a glance with each other. 

"Well, now that you say it like that, I suppose that I can agree with the druid and will go remove the trees she marked herself," Munroe relented. "And the birds?" 

"They will be fine. I'm headed back to the capital and will tell the King about the surviving Phoenix Raven flocks. They will be protected," Proletius said to Munro's concern. 

Munroe faced Alina and held out a hand to shake on it. "I suppose that we have come to a deal?" he asked. He had a kind smile while he took the deal. The drake-hound that was always at his side, wandered off. 

Alina took his hand in her own and shook it. "Yes, we have a deal," she said, something felt off to her though. 

Proletius nodded, outwardly glad that they had gotten along, but he felt like something would go wrong. "Glad that this will be solved and no more monster or nature spirit problems for you, Munroe," he said. 

"Of course! I will deal with selling older wood, but I'll live. Now, Ser, you're probably going to head off soon, aren't you?" Munroe asked. 

The Grandmaster nodded. "If there's not much more for me to do now, I was going to head back now." 

"Of course! I won't keep you any longer, Ser," Munroe said, letting the knight know that he can head off. 

"There is nothing more I need from you, either, thank you," Alina said. 

"Well, farewell to you both and I hope all will be well," Proletius said, then called for his unicorn. The unicorn was quick to answer the whistle and stood next to the Grandmaster to allow him to get on. He climbed onto the unicorn's back, and both headed off to the exit of the village. 

                                                            ***

Proletius and the unicorn had been three hours away from the village when the Grandmaster’s gut feeling got worse, even his unicorn slowed eir’s walk and tilted e’s ears to listen to the forest. Ser Proletius scanned the bushes and drew out his blade just in case. 

Both had heard a tree suddenly snap and fall. It crashed and shattered where the pair had been. They were no longer there because the unicorn had leapt forward when they heard the suspicious crack. 

An arrow flew out from the bushes but was deflected by Proletius’s sword just as several people, armed with swords jumped out of the bushes and rushed the pair. Both the unicorn and the Grandmaster focused on the people that attacked them.

A green blur tackled Proletius of his unicorn and onto the ground. The knight lost grip on his sword when he fell but managed to use his armoured bracers to stop the drake-hound’s powerful jaws from going around his neck. It still hurt like hell when the jaws snapped down on the metal around his arm and he punched the animal’s nose to get it to let go. Hang on, he recognised this green and the drake, this was the same animal that was at Munroe’s side. The bastard had staged an ambush. He knew something had felt off.

He managed to throw the drake-hound off after he had stunned it and got up, retrieved his sword and went to help his unicorn battle the men that crowded around it. The Grandmaster struck the men down, even as a few more had come from the bushes.

A howl echoed from the forest in a radius and suddenly a pack of wolves, as well as a flock of ravens, exploded from the foilage to attack the men that assaulted the Grandmaster. That made the remaining men focus on the animals as well as flushing out the rest - including Munroe - from the bushes. There had been a lot of screaming from the men as they got attacked by the wolves and ravens.

Munroe fired his crossbow at a few of the ravens - which killed them - then took aim at Proletius and fired, but the bolt was deflected into one of his men. “No hard feelings Ser, but I can’t let you go report to the king on this,” he said with his familiar smile and good-natured attitude.

Proletius was not pleased. “I will still go to the king about this and will now include how you had attacked a Knight and the Grandmaster. Death will not be easy for you, Munroe,” the Grandmaster warned.

Munroe took aim again in answer and prepared to fire. Proletius closed the gap quickly, disarmed the crossbow from the man’s arms and prepared to engage the man as the overseer brought out a dagger. The drake-hound also bounded towards the pair and leapt at Proletius again, though the Grandmaster dodged it. 

Roots broke from the dirt and entangled the men, crushing and piercing them - or in Munroe’s case, simply restrained him - which caused the battle to die down as a woman wearing leather armour, a staff, familiar braid, hair colour and eyes walked out from some roots herself. Alina faced Munroe. “I knew you were up to something, Munroe,” she said bitterly.

Proletius looked at the roots, the birds and wolves while he checked on his unicorn. He thought back to the scenery he had seen yesterday. So that was her. She was a powerful druid that’s for certain.

Munroe had a mixture of fear and frustration written on his face. “Surprised that you didn’t call me a rat, monster!” he insulted.

“That’d be an insult to rats,” she countered back.

“You’re a powerful druid, Alina,” Proletius complimented, ignoring Munroe.

She turned to him and smiled. “Thank you. Thank you for also not listening to Munroe,” she said.

Proletius nodded. “It’s no problem, something didn’t feel right about it and I did what I had to,” he said.

“So what about him?” Alina pointed her staff at Munroe who glared daggers at both the druid and the knight.

“Well, I don’t have the necessary equipment needed to arrest him, so I’ll need to get back to the capital for that,” he mentioned, then looked around at the roots. “Think you can hold him in someplace temporary until I get back?”

“Of course I can.”

Proletius turned towards his unicorn and got back onto eir’s back. He looked at Alina. “Thank you. Also, next time something like this happens again, get us,” he advised.

Alina grinned. “Certainly, but come quicker next time so I don’t have too,” she countered. The druid then remembered something, “wait, Ser, did Bush’s teeth break your armour and skin?” she asked, the green drake-hound sat obediently at her side. The drake then snorted.

Proletius checked the bracer that faced the brunt of the bite, while it was malformed a bit and punctured in places, he didn’t feel any skin broken. “It didn’t get past my armour enough to break the skin, why?” he asked.

“Forest drake-hounds have deadly venom, they use it for defence,” she answered, relieved.

The Grandmaster made an ‘ah’ sound, glad that he dodged that arrow. “Thank you for the information. What will you do with the drake-hound?”

“I’m going to keep him,” she said proudly. “And rename him, he needs a better name than ‘Bush’. Probably Surthian.” She gave the drake a few good scratches while Munroe vocalised his annoyance at that. He was left ignored.

The Grandmaster shrugged. “Fair enough. Farewell, Alina, I’ll be back later to pick up Munroe.”

Alina nodded. “Yes, see you then, Ser Proletius.”

Both then parted ways, more permanently this time, Alina took Munroe back to the town and Proletius went back to Dundee to report to Angus McFife I about what had happened at Enest.

[wyattvsmusic]

Tyler, The Creator - IGOR ALBUM REVIEW

Tyler, The Creator has been apart of hip hop for a decade now and he’s impacted the genre and become a legend in his own right. His work as a solo artist and a member of Odd Future have influenced a lot of young rappers today. Tyler seems to put out a project every other year and this time he’s back with IGOR. Much like his biggest musical inspiration Pharrell who seems to reinvent himself with every artistic endeavor, every Tyler album really does sound different. Last year, I finally saw Tyler live for the first time and he said that there is a big divide in his fanbase between the ones who love Cherry Bomb and Scum Fuck Flower Boy and his older albums like Bastard, Goblin and Wolf. After his last album, 2017′s Flower Boy, he gained a lot of new fans and they seemed to gravitate toward the sound that he captured on just that album. Just like how all his albums are different from each other, IGOR is different too. Even though there are plenty of hip hop elements throughout this album, it isn’t really a rap album. There’s a verse here and there but it isn’t the focal point of the music. I remember a while back after the release of Wolf in 2013, Tyler said he wanted to sing more and felt like rapping trapped him. I feel like IGOR is this album that he’s been hinting at making with Cherry Bomb and Flower Boy. Flower Boy was probably Tyler’s most vulnerable album since Wolf dropped in 2013. It discussed his emotions and sexuality heavily. Lyrics about his emotions are on this album too. I love how this album starts off with IGOR’S THEME. This menacing synth is met with this knocking drum break that instantly gets your head nodding. The hook and the melodies of the piano on top of the beat are beautiful and made me rewind the track at least twice after I first heard it. EARFQUAKE was a good track and I was surprised that Playboi Carti’s incoherent lyrics didn’t make me mad. I don’t care for Carti’s music but I didn’t mind his little ad-libs at the end of Solange’s track Almeda. I guess I felt the same with this track. Every time Tyler and Charlie Wilson link up, we get something great. Speaking of Solange, she appears on I THINK, a song I really love a lot. Solange sounds great on the hook. The beat reminded me of Pilot from Cherry Bomb. The song RUNNING OUT OF TIME was fantastic. The use of that sample on A BOY IS A GUN is absolutely perfect. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Tyler, The Creator song so soulful before. That same sample is used on Kanye’s Bound 2 by the way. Speaking of Kanye, he appears on the next track, PUPPET. The song features my favorite Tyler verse on the whole album. Tyler seems to inspire Kanye a lot and I feel like that’s why Kanye sounds good every time they collaborate. The last time they were on a track together was Smuckers which also featured Lil Wayne. I honestly expected a Lil Wayne verse on this album because he had standout verses on both Cherry Bomb and Flower Boy. The song GONE, GONE / THANK YOU sounds like the non-hip hop lovechild of his songs Glitter and Enjoy Right Now Today. Tyler’s influence from Pharrell and N.E.R.D. are shown on this album and Pharrell even makes an appearance on the last track as well. Tyler and Pharrell is such an amazing pairing and every song they’ve done is nothing short of great. The production and use of all the uncredited features are all very well executed and enjoyable to listen to. I don’t quite understand the title IGOR but this album is fucking great nonetheless. 

Fav Tracks: IGOR’S THEME, I THINK, NEW MAGIC WAND, A BOY IS A GUN, PUPPET, WHAT’S GOOD, GONE GONE / THANK YOU

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Haven Raised- Chapter 3

On AO3

Summary:  Harry's life is completely changed when his aunt and uncle are forced to take him to a funeral at a relatives. Now being raised by Primrose Evans, her sister Grace and the citizens of Havenfall, his life is going to be a roller coaster.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

September 2012

“Please don’t mess up your clothes!” Prim called out to Harry who was rolling around with Spot. “We’re having family photos today!”

“Sorry, Mama!” Harry said, sitting up and rubbing Spot’s head. Prim shook her head and adjusted her hair as she waited for Grace to finish setting up the camera. She ran back with a grin and sat down next to Prim, Harry running over to jump in their laps.

“Alright- ten- nO! SPOT!” Grace shouted as Spot jumped up onto their laps as the Camera began to flash steadily.

Looking at the photos, Prim had to say it was the best family photo she’d seen.

Spot had jumped on them and knocked Grace over so she laid on the couch, the dog licking her face while Harry laughed in glee and Prim covered her mouth, eyes alight with humor.

It was perfect and one she did not put into the special potion to make it move.

It was perfect as it is.

October 2012

“I wanna dress up for Halloween this year,” Harry said to Prim as she worked on some bank statements from Gringotts. She’d encouraged the goblins to buy shares in the muggle world and it was making good money.

“... You sure kiddo?” Prim asked, pushing her glasses up.

“Yeah. I… is it bad that while I was happy to mourn them last year it’s…” Harry hesitated, trying to find the right word.

“Not as strong of an emotion?” Prim asked. Harry shrugged. “...Harry, you don’t need to mourn your parents as… people…” Prim frowned. That sounded weird. “That sounded strange.”

“A little,” Harry admitted. Prim hummed. “I mean, I liked our memorial last year but I don’t… want to do it this year? I wanna… dress up. Have fun… I miss them but…”

“You miss the idea of parents more than the actual parents,” said Prim. Harry looked surprised at her. “What? In the wise words of JD, I know stuff.”

“Is it wrong?”

“What?! No!” Prim said, shaking her head. “You didn’t know them. Not really anyway. Maybe if you were older I would wonder what sort of parents they were you don’t mourn them but… you don’t need to mourn them more than you have honey. No one gets to tell you when to move on, and no one gets to tell you that you need to keep mourning.”

“...Thanks.” Harry said softly and Prim beckoned him closer to kiss his forehead.

“So what do you want to be for Halloween?”

“I dunno. I want Spot to come with me though.” Prim chuckled and nodded. “Hmm, maybe a ringmaster and Spot can be a wolf?”

“Sure honey, we’ll figure something out.”

-0-

“He’s a strong kid,” Razi said as Prim cleaned the floor. She had no idea how Razi became her go-to for family talk after a year, but she didn’t mind. She liked the man- he was kind and sweet. “So, ringmaster costume?”

“There should be something in Indianapolis or at the very least something I can cobble together at the thrift store.” Prim shrugged.

“Well, this might work out well. I was thinking of creating formal Fridays…”

“Wait, what?” JD said, coming from the stockroom where they totally had not been paying attention.

“Yeah, like everyone dresses up in a nice formal dress.”

“...We work at a bowling alley,” said JD. Prim scrunched her nose.

“I have to agree. Imagine having to handle all of the customers in a dress.” Prim made a face.

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Razi said grinning. “It’ll be more interesting than just hanging around all day like we all do half the time.” Prim had to wonder how the hell the bowling alley stayed open some days, given it was true that other then the bar there wasn’t much reason to go to the alley.

“Alright, however, I absolutely refuse to wear makeup for work like this,” Prim said. Make-up was really itchy.

“Deal.”

“Ugh, I hate suits.” JD groaned.

“Then wear a dress,” Razi replied. JD blinked.

“Huh, I do look good in them… but they’re always so frilly.”

“Only if they’re dresses like those reenactments or the ones some wear for cosplay or such,” said Prim. JD looked confused.

“Wait, they aren’t like that anymore?”

“Very funny,” Razi said dryly while Prim just stared at the two. What the hell was that about?

-0-

Harry was dressed in his ringmaster outfit with a wolf costume on Spot. Grace was dressed as one of those women who rode the horses and did tricks while Prim had been convinced to dress as a trapeze artist. It was Razi who took the photo for them after the family had stopped at the bowling alley to see Razi and JD. JD was dressed as an angel, prompting laughter from Prim.

“If you ever had a halo it was held up by devil horns,” she teased them. They cocked a grin.

“Why Prim, thank you!”

Razi was just wearing a top hat, prompting booing from Grace.

“You need to dress up Razi!” she said, glaring. Razi just smirked.

“I’m fabulous every day of the year. Adding one thing is a costume.” He winked and Harry went pink and scurried away with Spot. Grace withheld her snickers while Razi blinked and then covered his face. “I did not know that.”

“It’s a little adorable,” Prim said with a grin. JD snickered from beside Razi, a big grin on their face. “Please don’t tease Razi in front of Harry or Harry in front of Razi. He thinks we don’t know.”

“Can I tease him when he’s a teen and has a boyfriend or girlfriend or datefriend or whatever?” JD asked with a grin.

“Yes,” Prim said with a snicker. Razi just sighed.

“Okay, it’s a little funny… and I will happily take the place of being Harry’s first crush because again, I am the more fabulous one.” JD looked heavily offended as Prim and Grace left, Harry already outside the door.

Mackenzie was patrolling the town looking for teenage pranksters and gave them a nod.

“Excellent costumes.”

“Thank you, Sheriff,” Prim said with a grin. The group went door to door, Harry eager to get candy and Grace happy she had an excuse to get candy herself instead of feeling too old.

When they got to the doctor’s door, he winced at seeing Spot, but the dog just wagged his tail, much to his surprise.

“Dogs… usually don’t like me,” he said, petting Spot with a big grin on his face.

“If you want I can bring him around sometime!” Harry offered with a smile and Diego grinned.

“Thank you, Harry, that would be excellent.”

At the end of the night they did go back to let Spot play with Diego for a while, Harry falling asleep in the truck as Grace pigged out on her candy and Prim stole candy from the both.

It was a perfect night.

November 2012

Prim walked in to hear two people speaking Hindi and grinned.

“Hello!” she called out in the same language. She heard two callbacks and walked into the kitchen to see Chetas and Harry at the table, a delicious smell coming from the stove.

“Mama! Chetas is teaching me!” Harry said in English, grinning.

“He is doing well learning,” Chetas said in English as well. “How are your lessons coming?” she asked in Sanskrit.

“As well as they can, given I’m older and have a…” Prim frowned.

“Tougher?” Chetas asked, repeating it in both languages.

“Ah yes, that,” Prim said with a nod. “Tougher time learning.” Chetas waved her hand, assuring her she was doing well.

The little Indian woman often came to town to teach Harry and help Prim cook. Apparently, her grandchildren rarely visited and she got bored easily. Prim was somewhat surprised the little old granny could move so well and could drive to Havenfall as easily as she did.

Prim sat in for the rest of the lesson and learned some new dishes for Harry who adored them all. Grace was working that night and she complained about missing out all the next day.

-0-

“Does Chetas celebrate Christmas?” Harry asked Prim who frowned as she made dough for dumplings.

“You know… I don’t know.” Prim replied to Harry. “Probably not though. Why?”

“Her grandkids don’t visit much she says a lot. I thought ‘bout having her over for Christmas might make her smile?” Harry asked.

“I think that’s a fantastic idea honestly,” Prim said with a grin. “We can ask her next time we see her, yeah?” Harry grinned and nodded as Prim continued the preparations for the evening. If she hadn’t had Harry, she was fairly certain she and Grace would live off of fast food with how often the two were tired after work, but with Harry neither wanted him to become ill or sick because he did not receive the proper nutrition.

The mailbox lit up and Harry went over to pull out a letter from Remus. With the laws back in place, Remus was forced to only send letters to her again, though half the time it was obvious it was supposed to be Harry receiving the letters.

“Me or you kiddo?” Prim asked as Harry opened it.

“Me!” Harry said, grinning at the letter and going off to read it as Prim finished the dough. The doorbell rang then. “Mama?”

“I will be getting that young man!” Prim called out. She never wanted Harry to answer the door- feeling it would be too dangerous.

She washed her hands quickly and then went to the door, opening it to find Grace at the door, holding a bunch of bags, which was why she rang the doorbell.

“How did you get here from the store?” Prim asked in confusion, grabbing a few bags.

“I saw her trying to fit them onto her bike, so I gave her a ride,” a voice said. Mackenzie Hunt was coming up the steps, having pulled Grace’s bike out of her trunk.

“Thank you, Sheriff,” Prim said, smiling at the taller woman. “Would you like some coffee as a thank you?” Mackenzie shook her head.

“No, it’s fine.” the woman said. “Have a nice afternoon, alright?” She smiled at Prim who smiled right back before she left. Prim closed the door to find Grace grinning behind her.

“...No.”

“I was only going to say that your old crush seems to be back.” Prim rolled her eyes at her little sister’s comment.

“It’s called I have eyes and am super bi, so I can see she’s hot,” Prim replied to Grace. The younger girl pouted.

“You never date,” Grace said. “You’re twenty years old and I know you think people are attractive, why not?”

“Because the dating pool in this town sucks,” Prim said, following her sister to the kitchen where Grace began putting away groceries and Prim began preparing the rest of supper.

“I dunno- I mean you’re close with the town doctor, Razi, JD, and the sheriff. And they’re all hot.” Grace replied. Prim gave her a look. “What?”

“The town doctor who I speak to as a customer, the sheriff who comes in to yell half the time at JD, my boss, and my coworker?”

“Well… they’re hot.” Grace shrugged and Prim sighed as Harry looked up from the letter.

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“Your crush on Razi,” Grace replied with a grin. Harry went brick red.

“It’s not a crush!” he cried out. “Razi is just super cool okay!?”

“Mhmm,” Grace said with a bigger grin. “So that’s why you neaten your clothing when you see him and make sure to always bring back your history homework for help?”

“Mama!” Harry cried out.

“Stop teasing Harry about his crush Grace.”

“It’s not a crush!!”

December 2012

“Thanks for letting Chetas come to the party, Harry’s excited,” Prim said to Razi. He waved his hand.

“Chetas is more than welcome given she’s helping Harry connect with his heritage.”

“She needs to participate in White Elephant though!” JD said, passing them by. Razi shrugged and Prim chuckled.

“I’ll tell her that. Is Diego coming as well?”

“Yeah, so is the sheriff,” Razi replied.

“What?” Prim asked, tilting her head.

“She works Christmas this year- so I thought I’d invite her to the party for Christmas cheer.” Razi shrugged.

“...did you just use Christmas cheer unironically?” Prim asked as JD raised their eyebrows and stared at Razi.

“Oh shut up the both of you.”

December 20, 2012

The party was rather simple that year, with everyone simply sitting around at the bar and chatting. Prim wore the snowman sweater Grace had bought her, while Grace wore a sweater with a cat wearing a Santa hat on it, while JD pouted about not being able to wear their shirt with a Christmas tree burning on it.

“It’s not really festive,” Prim said.

“Festive?!” JD huffed. “Like the sheriff’s plaid is festive?!”

“It’s red and green,” Mackenzie points out. JD rolled their eyes while Grace snickered. Chetas chuckled from her position on the couch and Prim gave her a confused look. They hadn’t been loud, how could she hear that?

“Mama, can you help me sit on a stool?” Harry asked Prim who agreed and went to help him sit on a stool next to Diego who smiled at them.

“Pleasure to see you too.” Harry pouted at Diego who chuckled. “Not liking I had to give you some shots?”

“No,” Harry crossed his arms and glared at Diego who just laughed. Prim laughed and ruffled his hair as Razi handed Diego a drink.

“Think fast!” Chetas suddenly called out.

 They all turned to see Chetas holding a camera, and she took a photo of them all. Prim laughed as both Diego and Mac protested they hadn’t been ready, while JD just laughed at the whole thing.

“Nice one,” Grace laughed. She took the camera and got Chetas to stand in the photo, taking another photo that was somewhat more refined, with everyone aware of it.

At least until it was developed and you saw JD giving the sheriff bunny ears.

March 2013

“I DON’T WANNA!” Harry shouted at Prim who scowled.

“Well, I don’t care if you want to or not! You have to go to school and apologize to the teacher-” Prim said firmly, hands on her hips when Harry shouted out,

“I HATE YOU!” he stomped off and hid in the bowling alley bathroom, leaving Prim staring after him. She sat on a stool, thankful that no one was in that day.

JD and Razi traded glances, and then JD shook their head and crept off despite the annoyed look Razi was sending them. The man sighed and then filled a glass with water, placing it down beside Prim.

“Here, have a drink.”

“He hates me,” Prim said softly.

“How many times did you say that to your parents?” Razi asked.

“Once and then they died the next day,” Prim replied. Razi did not answer, to busy staring at the back of her head. “...Mostly joking.” Prim said.

“Well, then you know you didn’t mean it, right? I remember saying that to my parents a few times.”

“I’m fairly certain JD means it when they say they hate their dad,” Prim said.

“JD’s case is… special.” Razi replied. “I would not base your relationship with Harry on JD’s with their dad. Do you know why he yelled at his teacher?”

“She dislikes me,” Prim responded. Razi made a face. Sure, some of the hate towards the Evans family was gone from what it once had been, but it was still there. “She doesn’t do anything to Harry but she made a comment about me he overheard and…” Prim shrugged.

“And yet you’re making him apologize?” Razi asked.

“I am angry at what she said, but I also understand that Harry yelling at teachers will accomplish nothing. As well, I wish for him to respect teachers. Yes, she does not like me but she has never let it affect how she treats him. If it did, I would let him scream and yell at her, and report it, but as it isn’t- then he needs to respect her.” Prim said. “She has earned his respect by acting like a teacher.”

“So you’re teaching him respect,” Razi stated.

“As well, I find it funny how most people take my attitude and get confused that I never negatively react to them. It’s hilarious.” Prim admitted, smirking as she turned around to sip her water. Razi snorted at that.

“Trying to teach Harry how to act like you then?”

“More trying to teach him how to mess with people by acting very polite and kind when they are not,” Prim said. “But also trying to teach him that as she has earned this respect, she gets it.”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll understand. Let him cool off a bit and then have another chat.” Razi said. Prim smiled and reached out to pat his arm.

“Thank you, Razi.”

“What I’m here for. Advice and to pay you.”

“You’re good at it.” Prim snickered. Razi rolled his eyes at her and she just laughed.

Luckily, Harry did cool off and they had a long conversation about respect that ended with Harry agreeing to apologize. The teacher was shocked when he did and seemed to treat Prim a little better after that. Prim just smiled when she did. 

It was very satisfying.

June 2013

Prim flipped through the channels on the TV, feeling exhausted. She’d agreed to pull a double shift as there had been four birthday parties booked and Razi needed all hands on deck- especially when it turned out one party had glitter decorations. Prim had tried to wash her hair three times but there was still glitter in her hair.

A documentary about Bigfoot appeared and she grinned, clicking on it. Bad documentaries were her favorite things to watch. As well, it would give her an excuse to avoid sleeping in her room. She still wasn’t used to it.

She was rather absorbed in the documentary when Harry touched her arm.

“Honey?” she asked in surprise. He had red eyes that he rubbed at.

“I had a bad dream,” he said in a soft tone, hanging his head. Prim reached out and pulled him down to sit with her, letting him snuggle into her, holding onto a stuffed stag that Remus had sent him for Christmas.

“Want to watch a terrible documentary?” Prim asked. Harry nodded and the two watched the documentary, giggling at the bad effects until they fell asleep.

Grace took a photo the next morning, one that would join the many on the walls of the two cuddling on the couch.

July 2013

“Happy birthday Harry!” Chetas sang out as she set down a cake that she and Prim had made together. Harry grinned at the group that had shown up. He had a few friends from school, but he typically didn’t hang out with them because he didn’t like how their parents gave Prim weird looks and he hated people being mean to his Mama!

Razi and JD had shown up though, given the amount of time he spent at the bowling alley Harry felt like they were part of his family. Though he did not want to add Razi to the family like that!! It wasn’t a crush!!! It was admiration!

He blew out the candles as everyone cheered around him and his Mama came to kiss his forehead.

He closed his eyes and smiled.

Everything was perfect.

September 2013

“I hate picture day,” Harry grumbled as Prim fixed his hair.

“And I hate that your hair won’t stay flat,” Prim replied.

“It’s the Potter curse Uncle Remus says,” Harry smirked at his mother who just stuck her tongue out at him.

“Maybe growing it out will fix it,” Prim said. Harry immediately perked up.

“Can I put it in a ponytail?” he asked eagerly. Prim chuckled. The crush was still going strong.

“Course you can baby,” Prim said, kissing his forehead. She then sighed. “I give up. Grace! You said you had an idea?”

“Punk rock!” Grace said gleefully as she danced into the bathroom, listening to her iPod through one headphone. She had just bought the new Jonas Quinton album and was thrilled. “Not your style.”

“Okay, one- you dress in pink and blues and soft tones,” Prim said firmly as Grace began styling Harry’s hair in a spiky style. “Second, I do wear jeans and t-shirts!”

“And then you wear things like pleated skirts and blouses or dresses and shawls.” Grace shot back, sticking her tongue out. “I’m more hip than you!”

“I’m 21, you’re 16-”

“Almost 17!”

“Almost 17, that is not much of a difference, thank you.” Prim rolled her eyes at Grace’s face she made as she finished with Harry’s hair and then got him to change his shirt to a black button up instead of the white.

Prim did not mention how much better it looked.

Grace’s smirk made her realize she knew though.

October 2013

“So you hooked up with some guy in Indianapolis and now you’re feeling guilty?” JD asked Prim sighed. “This is weird.”

“It’s not guilt. It’s… being unaware if a… hook up was proper when you have a son.” Prim said. JD rolled their eyes.

“Look, you had fun, right? You enjoyed yourself and Harry was at a sleepover so he was taken care of. Grace is old enough to be by herself- stop feeling guilty!” They threw their hands up in annoyance.

“I can’t just stop JD,” Prim said. “It’s… I don’t know. Should I be looking for someone special? So that I can give Harry another parent?”

“...Prim, you’re 21.” JD said, leaning on the bar counter and giving her a look. “You don’t need to focus on finding the ONE right now or your soulmate or whatever. Yeah, it would be great for Harry to have like a dad or another mom or a… bibi or whatever, but like… real talk? He just needs a stable family and you’re that already. Plus like Razi is his super crush slash uncle which is weird to think about, but yeah. You can focus on having fun and having a few hookups.”

“...His parents did sign him up for some fancy boarding school next year. Maybe I’ll have some more fun then.” Prim chuckled. JD pointed at her.

“See? And really?”

“Harry’s technically a lord though… not really? I believe the title was removed a century ago.” When there was something that had happened with the Black family. Prim honestly had not opened that can of worms after learning some of the more… disturbing situations the Blacks had caused.

“...Bullshit.” JD said. Prim shrugged and they stuck out their tongue, revealing a piercing.

“Didn’t know you had that pierced,” Prim remarked, a little impressed. Other then her ears, she had never wanted any other piercings. Much too painful.

“Oh, yeah. An ex-girlfriend had one and it was wild so I got one.” JD waggled their eyebrows and Prim shook her head.

“...Thanks for the chat,” she said finally. They shrugged.

“Hey, no problem. We’re friends, right?” They winked at her and she grinned.

“I suppose I put up with you enough.” Prim shot back.

“Yay, we’re all a happy family,” Razi said, voice dry as a desert. “Now please get to work.”

“Right away,” both said, sharing grins.

-0-

Prim clutched the phone in her hand as she tried to figure out what to do. Harry was sick, while Grace and she both had work. She couldn’t take Harry into work and she couldn’t miss work either- nor could Grace! She was finally being trained as a waitress. They needed to go to work!

She struggled to think of someone to watch her kid, someone who had the day… off…

She dialed a number and prayed it would be okay.

“Yo, this is JD.”

“JD can I ask you a huge favor?”

After explaining the situation, JD agreed and ended up driving up on their bike.

“You have no idea how much this means to me,” Prim said at the door.

“Eh, not like I had anything else to do.” They said with a shrug. “He’s asleep?”

“Yeah, probably won’t wake up but if he does he’ll just want to sit on the couch and watch some show. He’s really into Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood right now-”

“You let him watch that?” JD asked, somewhat surprised she would let him watch such a bloody show. She didn’t seem the type at all. Prim frowned at them.

“It’s not that bad and I trust his maturity level.” Prim shrugged. “Alright, I have to go- there’s a bunch of food in the fridge. Help yourself!” She waved and left, leaving them behind. JD entered the house and wondered what the hell they’d been thinking, agreeing to babysit. Like, sure, they liked the kid but babysitting? Ugh.

They grabbed some food from the fridge and turned on the TV, noticing someone had been watching some sort of documentary about aliens on CrispyFlix.

“Who watches that?” They wondered out loud. Maybe it was one of the late night needing to sleep binges. They flickered through the shows before landing on an anime their sister had said was good. They had plenty to say about Hikari but she had good taste in anime.

Watching for a little while, they heard someone coming down the stairs. Pausing the show, they saw Harry coming down the stairs carrying his stag plushie.

“Hey kid,” JD said, giving the kid a grin. “You up now?”

“Mmm,” the kid mumbled, coming over to the couch to grab a blanket and wrapping himself up in it. JD wordlessly turned the show to the anime he would like. JD had just finished the series themself so it would be interesting to watch it with the kid and see his reactions.

“I like Edward,” Harry said softly halfway through the episode where they meet Greed. “He’s a good big brother.”

“I agree with you there,” JD told the kid. “I do like the Colonel’s alchemy more though.”

“Mmm, I like Mei’s stuff. Super cool throwing knives and directing her power.” Harry said.

“Hey, that’s a good point.”

“And she has a cute panda.”

“Who bites. I like that thing.” JD chuckled. Harry smiled at JD who flashed a grin back. They continued their quiet chatter throughout the episode, Harry gasping in horror at the death of the various chimera in Greed’s base. “Yeah, it gets darker here on out. You sure you wanna watch without your mom?”

“Yeah,” Harry said, sounding a bit nervous but he swallowed. “You’re here, right JD? I trust you.”

“...Trust me with what?” JD asked slowly.

“Being there when it gets dark,” Harry responded. JD stared at the kid, confused and a little touched by the honest words from the boy, though they didn’t say anything. Just swallowed and went back to watching.

JD was unaware of Harry drifting off until soft snores came from the kid after a few more episodes. They paused the TV and hesitated for a second, looking at Harry. The kid was sleeping weird and probably would get a kink in his neck if he stayed there longer. And… the kid was a good kid and sick and…

“This means nothing,” JD muttered as they picked up Harry and carefully carried him upstairs. It took a few minutes to find his room, and they paused to see that Spot was sleeping at the end of the bed. The dog woke up when JD entered to tuck Harry into his bed, raising his head. The dog traded a look with JD before going back to sleep.

“Yeah, you don’t say anything I won’t either,” JD muttered to the dog before they put Harry into his bed. They left after making sure the kid was covered. Wouldn’t want him to get sicker.

Afterward, they went back downstairs to pretend it had never happened at all.

October 31, 2013

“I am Dracula!” Harry said in a loud voice, showing off his costume for the bowling alley. Spot wore a pair of bat wings attached to his back and looked done.

Meanwhile, JD was covering their mouth, looking way too amused while Razi was smiling widely and Diego just stared. JD was dressed up as a ‘slutty witch’ as they called it complete with a very short skirt. Razi was again just wearing a top hat while Diego wore his normal clothing.

“Nice costume,” Razi said as Prim removed her witch hat. She had dressed as the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of OZ and was already regretting the paint.

“He's been obsessing over vampires since Grace found this website of vampire jokes.” JD perked right up as Diego groaned.

“Tell us some!” JD insisted. Harry grinned while Prim grimaced.

“Why did the vampire flunk art?” Harry asked.

“I don't know, why?”

“Because he could only draw blood!” Harry grinned as JD snorted. “How did you know the vampire was sick said the nurse. Well, the doctor said, he wouldn't stop coffin!” JD started laughing as Harry continued to state bad vampire jokes, Razi chortling a few times himself while Diego just looked long-suffering.

Prim managed to remind Harry about trick or treating but JD made the boy promise to give them the website he got the jokes from.

Prim was not looking forward to the next few months of work.

November 2013

“Chetas is kinda like my grandma,” Harry said to Prim as he struggled with his homework at the bar. Prim was cleaning glasses, feeling exhausted. She had been working extra shifts as her truck was having issues and she needed the money.

“...Huh, I suppose she is.” Prim blinked. “...Do you wanna call her that?”

“...Nah. She’s Chetas.” Harry shrugged.

“Yeah, that’s true.”

-0-

 Diego checked Harry’s blood pressure, Prim sitting in the room quietly.

“Well, looks like another clean bill of health… and no shots,” Diego said with a chuckle. Harry grinned as Prim chuckled.

“Thank you, Dr. Diego!” Harry said in a happy tone, smiling up at the doctor who grinned back.

“Thank you for bringing Spot over to play. I miss having a dog.” Diego told tas he packed his bag with the ease of practice. “Have you thought about doing a sport?” He asked Harry who shrugged.

“I’m going to a boarding school my mum and dad signed me up for at birth. Mama says it’s a really good one. They’ll have sports then!” He grinned and with permission ran off. While his mama always made sure to include him in discussions about him, he also got bored easily and trusted her to tell him stuff.

“Is there any reason you brought up sports? He’s a fairly active child with Spot.” Prim asked the doctor who finished packing his stuff.

“...It’s a small town Miss Evans, and I am well aware of the fact Harry does not have…”

“Many friends?” Prim asked. She tilted her head and gave a smirk, raising an eyebrow. “Is Razi gossiping again?”

“Somewhat,” Diego admitted with a chuckle. Prim shook her head, a fond smile on her face as she rolled her eyes.

“That man. The thing is Doctor, is that Harry is going to be going to a school in England. As well, the school only has physical mail sources as they believe that computers are detrimental to the learning process. Harry’s aware of the struggles it would cause to remain friends and wishes to be alone because of this.” Prim shrugged. “As well, he’s not… comfortable with people still. He prefers his dog.”

“So you don’t push because you worry for him?” Diego asked. Prim nodded.

“Quite right. He’s a good kid and… well, I wasn’t that social either as a child though that was more due to bullying and the… dislike of the town. However, I still turned out fairly all right.” She shrugged again. “I will consider sports or something similar for summer programming if his lack of a social life continues while he’s in England.”

“You’re a good mother, I don’t doubt you’ll do the best you can for him,” Diego told her, nodding. “Have a good evening.”

“You as well doctor, and thank you again for your house calls,” Prim said to the man, walking him out.

“Well, not much of a hospital here in town and I don’t enjoy the thought of a bunch of people coming to my house to spread illness where I sleep.” Diego chuckled. He nodded to her and left the house as she waved him off.

Harry was busy roughhousing with Spot in his room when she checked in on him. She watched for a little while, smiling but she left, sighing.

Was she doing the right thing by not forcing her kid out to socialize? She knew that most experts said that at least one productive after school activity would help Harry in the long run- even if it was something like a swim club where it was more individual focused sports- but she had never really bothered because she knew he was going to Hogwarts.

All she could do was hope he could make friends there.

December 2013

“Okay, worst date go!” JD said, pointing at Razi. It was a ‘staff meeting’ night or a night where the three would just sit around and chat. Razi had started it after he’d noticed the tension between JD and Prim but they never stopped doing them after the two became friends.

“Ugh, okay so it was with this guy and he was very… focused on the idea of being a top?” Razi said, making a face.

“Not one of those types.” Prim groaned, covering her face. She’d met a few ladies who were more focused on being as dominant or as submissive as possible. Some weren’t bad, but others…

“I have no problem with either way but this guy was… he was offended at my height and muscle mass!” Razi rolled his eyes. “It ended with me just leaving.”

“Ugh that sucks,” JD said. They then pointed to Prim. “Your turn.”

“It wasn’t a date but it was a… friends with benefits situation.” Prim began. “It was when I was traveling. I met up with a very pretty woman who was traveling as well and I thought; well then, let’s travel together. We started… having fun together about two weeks in. We both found each other attractive and we both agreed that sometimes it was hard to find a partner while traveling so why not.”

“Let me guess,” JD said. “One of you began taking it more seriously?”

“Yes. We both made it clear that were would break it off or talk if one of us developed feelings. Or that we would never assume said feelings would be returned. We both were aware that…” Prim shrugged. “Well, we were aware humans make unhealthy choices sometimes and that we might not talk or break it off so… we promised. However she…” Prim made a motion with her hand, just waving it. “She decided that I had to have feelings for her and when I broke it off to come back here, she was furious that I was not only breaking it off but also that I didn’t return her feelings.”

“I’ve had a situation like that,” JD said, shuddering. “But again, worst date.”

“You just let me tell my story!” Prim said.

“You offered it, I agree though. Worst date!” Razi said with a grin. Prim rolled her eyes but laughed.

“My date tripped into the waiter coming back from the bathroom and the waiter dumped a hot plate of pasta on me while I was wearing a light blue dress,” Prim said. “Ruined the dress, the guy thought it romantic to go ‘Oh baby, wanna go back to my place to change?’” She mocked the man's voice in her most ridiculous tone, causing JD and Razi to burst into laughter. “Only bright side is I got free food out of that.”

“That sucks,” JD said, still laughing. “And my worst dates usually involve misgendering or people being dicks.” They shrugged as Prim and Razi made faces at that. “Razi’s turn to ask a question!”

“Alright… what is… your favorite take-out order?”

“Razi, ask a real one!”

“What? We’re all hungry!” Prim laughed as the two bickered, smiling at her friends. She hadn’t expected to earn such a bond with them when she first started working at the bowling alley but she loved it.

-0-

Chetas sat at the bar, watching as Prim spoke with Harry, the two playing some arcade game while JD and Grace cheered them on.

“She’s a good one.” mused Chetas, accepting the drink Razi handed her. “Haven’t said anything yet?”

“No. We thought it more appropriate to wait.” He replied, leaning on his arms that he folded on the bar. “You tell her?”

“Better to come from close friends than old woman they see once in a while,” Chetas replied. Razi shrugged.

“Well, when the kid goes off, we’re gonna have a chat. Maybe we will, maybe we won’t.” Razi said.

“You mean if the child stays here after the kid leaves. It’s a way to judge isn’t it?” Chetas asked in amusement. Razi shrugged and turned to Diego who had been keeping out of the conversation to give him a drink. He also grabbed the camera to snap a photo of Grace, Prim and Harry laughing as the two stood in front of an arcade machine.

It was a good picture.

January 2014

“I am never going to a New Year's Eve party JD hosts again,” Prim muttered, head between her legs. She was sitting on the couch after falling asleep the night before and had a horrific headache pounding in her ears.

“Hangover from hell, hmmmmmm?” Grace asked in a teasing tone, setting down a glass of water.

“I am never drinking again,” Prim muttered. Harry was being very quiet and she hated it because he had gotten terrified when she came in drunk. He remembered his uncle far too well when he got drunk.

“Or at least not with JD. Razi called and said you matched them shot for shot- and I know they have crazy tolerance.” Grace said.

“Leave me alone,” Prim said. She curled up on the couch and ignored her sister and son as the two giggled at her.

Never again.

March 2014

Harry was sitting in the diner eating a big sundae that his mama had got him for acing his latest science test. Grace was keeping an eye on him with Luce’s permission, the owner still not a fan of the family but she had a soft spot for kids.

The door opened and two men came in, quietly chatting. As it was a seat yourself place, the went and sat down behind Harry.

“Alright, so this place?” one asked.

“Only weird thing is the fog, Dean. That’s the only weird thing.”

“And no big deaths or anything at all?”

“Nope. Just a lot of fog.”

“Alright, do we have a case at all Sammy?”

“A few towns south yeah- missing people.” The door opened then and JD came in.

“Who has the Impala? That’s a thing of beauty!” they called out and the people behind Harry laughed.

“Thanks… uhhh…”

“Name’s JD,” JD laughed. “Nice to meet you.” They came over, stopping to say hi to Harry before they started a conversation with the two behind Harry about cars and bikes. Harry finished his sundae before his mama came into the diner.

“JD, Razi says get back to work before he decides to come after you,” Prim told her coworker who sighed.

“Fine. Have a nice night off Prim. Thanks for the chat, Dean.” JD left with a wave.

“Prim, is it?” asked Dean in a weird voice. Harry turned around to kneel on the seat, looking at Dean.

“Why are you talking like that to my mama?” Prim chuckled and ruffled Harry’s hair.

“He’s being foolish sweetie. And my answer is no.” She told Dean who shrugged. Harry gave her a confused look and she just laughed.

“Yay, my sister gets hit on by a hot guy-” Grace muttered as she walked away.

“She’s underage,” Prim told Dean who raised his hands.

“Whoa, wasn’t going to lady.”

“Just making absolutely sure. Harry, let us depart.” Prim said, ruffling his hair again. The two left, leaving behind the strangers as the mother and son headed to their truck.

July 2014

It was a nice sunny day when the mailbox glowed in the corner of the kitchen. Grace dug through the mail pile that had arrived, grinning when she found one certain letter.

“Mr. Harry Potter, the second biggest room-” she read off the envelope before Harry grabbed it, cheering.

“It’s my Hogwarts letter! I’m going to Hogwarts!!”

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

I lied. The next two years got squashed together because I couldn’t think of any other cute scenes. As well, first-year happens before Season 1 of Havenfall, so we’ll get through this and then the Havenfall fun starts. As well… I originally was completely sure about where the pairing was going but now I’m torn because I thought of like eight REALLY GOOD plot points for another route and now it’s… gar. At least I have year one first before the big decision.

PLOT STUFF I WANNA CHAT ABOUT

-I love the MC original outfit but I also love the idea of Prim wearing these super cute prim and proper outfits like *insert links* so… yeah. She wears a wide variety of clothing. She’s just picky about when she wears them.

-The scene with Harry asking if it’s okay if he stops mourning is something I decided on due to far-reaching plot points. Yes, the previous chapter had him mourning but this is due to the fact it was the first time he knew. It’s not… to me, the idea of Harry always mourning his parents as people just doesn’t make sense. He didn’t know them, and here- not only did he get negative and wrong information from the Dursley family, but Prim doesn’t really know much other then Lily was a nice cousin sort of thing. So he mourns the idea of a loving set of parents, but not his actual parents. Add in that Prim is his mom now, and he more mourns the what if, but he’s a kid and bounces back.

-You know, originally I had this huge plot where JD and Prim fought a fair bit because Prim is very much not like JD, but the more I wrote it the more I went: Damn it, I like their canon interaction in all their routes (friends who mess with each other) too much. So yeah, less bickering than I originally intended.

-I know Razi canonly is a fucking brick wall, but Harry is tiny nine-year-old who has gay baby crush on Razi and is OBVIOUS AS FUCK. Running away red because of a gin? Yeah, obvious. Probably had more stuff happen before this and now it’s hitting him.

-The teacher bit… oh, no I’m not stating how the Snape thing will go down. Not at all.

-Ages ago I wrote a one-shot with JD having a tongue piercing and it literally is my favorite headcanon of them. I got told I was the one to be the originator of this and like: what? But anyway- it’s canon. NO ONE CAN CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE.

-Chetas was going to get called grandma but like… I realized while I will be dragging her in and out of the story I kinda like the idea of her being just Chetas? I dunno? She’s Chetas.

-It’s canon that Diego makes house calls and was going to the MC house in his route to give Grace shots for college. As well, it’s mentioned the hospital is a bit away so I assume there’s a small town nearby (but with some distance) with a hospital that most Havenfall folks go to in an emergency, while Diego does act as the general doctor in Havenfall he just makes house calls mostly. (There was a town near mine growing up that did something similar).

[zara-baloamora]

Not Sorry...

Dim lantern light flickered over the Sin’dorei’s features as she sat in quiet contemplation of the holding cell. It wasn’t the first time she’d spent in such a place. Her temper was nothing new, always a part of why she spent so little time in Silvermoon. Moments in her past had shaped who she’d become, setting her apart with a defensive fury. It kept her moving, one place to the next. 

This time was different. She knew there would be issues that would arise from her choices. She just hadn’t expected for them to come so soon. Especially in the Bay with the diverse population mingling through their business and guilty pleasures. 

The voice rang loud in her thoughts, “You’re no longer welcome in Quel’Thalas... No longer a daughter of Silvermoon... Tainted.. by a dirty human...” The thought alone stirred the distasteful sneer at Zara’s lips. 

(( @conwulf​  for mentions))

Two weeks prior; it was earlier in the day when the Sin'dorei stepped off the ship fresh in from Ratchet. The past weeks had sent her a relay of jobs and had lined her pockets with just enough that seemed to burn at them. A shuffle of her shoulder as she jostled her bag and a crooked grin crossing her lips as she gazed out at the Bay. 

The stay had only been intended to last a few days of alcohol, gambling, and light ventures while she tracked down the next line of work. Instead a human sat her table asking to join the next hand of cards and the rest seemed to fall into place. The pair barely spoke a word knowing little of the other’s language but the company came surprisingly easy. The night soon turned into days and those days formed into weeks with little sign of their interests fading.

It was an appointment with a previous contact that pulled the woman from the freedom of roaming and enjoying the port. Stepping into one of the pubs adorned in her heavy leather boots, loose fitted leather breeches, and a billowed buckler blouse, Zara made her way towards the bar. Sage hues shifting through the small few gathered, noting the goblin goons at the corners of the room. There was a faint roll of those sage hues before an upward nod was given to the bartender. 

Elbows pressed over the bar as, faintly calloused fingers scooped up the shot, throwing it back only to clap it to the bar. That was when she felt the eyes looking over her form. Looking to her right, Zara dipped her head. The figure a tall Sin’dorei with short blonde neatly mussed locks, well toned figure if not a bit more lanky. He was an investor in the Bay by the name of  Kairrem Sharpsinger and rarely had any shortage of work available. From escorting a purchase to delivering a message, the pair shared a history that went back nearly fifty years. 

“Miss Balo’amora, Hadn’t thought to see you about these parts. Last I heard you were off towards Rachet.” Came the deep arrogant tone. The man well aware of his value and then some. The gaze held in his eyes was always thinking, processing the outcomes of the conversation and how he might work his words for his profit. 

Pale brows furrowed at the man, “Bullshit, Kairrem. You put word out two days ago that you needed a rider. Unless I’m mistaken, rider’s don’t venture this far south often, leaving your pickings slim. You need me. I’m here.” The hand closest to the emptied shot glass motioned outward with a presenting wave. Pinked lips curled into her signature crooked grin and a knowing nod. 

A deepened hum sounded from pressed lips, the male looking off towards one of the goons in disapproval. Some one, it seemed, hadn’t done their job. “True. I did. I don’t anymore. Not from you. Though I have heard that your sort can find work down at the docks cleaning the fish or mucking out chamber pots. If you’re in need of work I’d be glad to put a word of recommendation for you.” 

It was a smug gaze that found Zara leaning her head back, baffled at the man’s words. “Excuse me?”

Speaking a little louder and more slowly as if the woman was dim, “We. Do. Not. Need. You. It has been sorted out.” Kairrem shook his head, he couldn’t speak the words any clearer for the woman. He gave a careless shrug, considering as the corners of his lips pulled down ward and waved his own hand at her, “I want to help you Zara, but I can only do so much given the circumstances.”

Leaning her head forward, appearing to still struggle with the concept Kairrem was presenting. “You’ve always got something. You’re up to your balls in projects and you’re telling me to go gut fish and empty chamber pots?” Zara squared off her shoulders pulling back to spy the humor on Kairrem’s face. “Quit fucking with me, Kairrem. I’m good for the work, you need a rider I’m the best south of Arathi.”

The investor gave the woman’s figure a once over. Accessing her form in almost admiration then tarnished with his own distaste. “It’s a real pity, but you need to leave, Zara. I don’t keep traitors under my employ.”

Sage hues stared blankly at her long time acquaintance. After a few breaths her shoulders slumped. “How...” She started to ask before nights with Conwulf flashed through her mind. She felt her blood grow warm. “What I do on my own time is my business, it’s the fucking Bay for gods’ sake. I’ve Always come through for you.” Zara barked back, more hurt that Kairrem would turn his back on her now after all their history. 

The humor held to the investor’s face, straightening as if he’d just realized it was all a joke. A smile pulled at his lips, showing off his brilliant pearly whites, “Oh! My apologies, I hadn’t pegged you for a whore, Zara. But now that I look at you, I can see it. Bed them take their gold, all an act? Yeah?” The corner of his lips pressed with a thoughtful hum, his own green hues lofting up through thick lashes as he canted his head this way and that considering. Looking back to Zara with a bright smile, “There’s a brothel just up from the third dock, I’ll send them your information, let them know you’re flexible with clients.”

There was a slow roll of her tongue to wet her lips, the man’s insults not lost on her. That familiar stir and pang pulled at her stomach. The corner of her nose twitched in a sneer. It was no more warning than that, Zara rushed the two steps pouring her weight into her swing, and connected her closed fist with the the pretty elven face of his. Kairrem’s head shot back, stumbling back, knocking over several bar stools in a loud clatter. The ruckus bringing all the attention to the pair. 

Two of the goons started, moving closer if the woman wanted to start trouble with their boss. Kairem’s hand held at his face, pulling his hand away with a puddle of crimson smeared over his palm and slowly dripping over the left side of his lips. All humor was gone from his elven features. The words that came next were spit like venom, “ “You’re no longer welcome in Quel’Thalas... No longer a daughter of Silvermoon... Tainted.. by a dirty human... I will see you outcast for the traitor you are.”

The words hurt. The hurt swiftly turned to anger, it was an energy she was well familiar with. Instead of tears, Zara’s cry was a swing of a fist or a blow of her ax. It was as she roared out in her anger, pressing upon her toes to lunge at Kairrem again, she was suddenly caught by her arms and pulled back in the goons’ hold. The woman spitting obscenities between calling the man on his own sins felt the hit at her gut leaving her breathless and suddenly silent.

Kairem gave a wave of his hand, “Get her out of my sight. Take her to the Bruisers and have them hold her for the night to come to terms with...” He shuddered, “A new profession..”

Dim lantern light flickered over the Sin’dorei’s features as she sat in quiet contemplation of the holding cell. It wasn’t the first time she’d spent in such a place. Her temper was nothing new, always a part of why she spent so little time in Silvermoon. Moments in her past had shaped who she’d become, setting her apart with a defensive fury. It kept her moving, one place to the next.

This time was different. She knew there would be issues that would arise from her choices. She just hadn’t expected for them to come so soon. Especially in the Bay with the diverse population mingling through their business and guilty pleasures.

The voice rang loud in her thoughts, “You’re no longer welcome in Quel’Thalas... No longer a daughter of Silvermoon... Tainted.. by a dirty human...” The thought alone stirred the distasteful sneer at Zara’s lips.

Weighing on the events of the last weeks, a game of cards gone awry. There was no denying that though the man was human.. or worse yet, worgen, she’d not been as much of herself as she was with him. Things she’d thought lost were slowly coming back. When he looked at her she felt less cold. The feeling had nothing to do with lust, though that was there too. It was a feeling she’d not known in decades. When she weighed the events against the distaste Kairrem had shown, it became an easy choice. The idea of losing the wolf was a far greater ache than the idea of loosing the investor. 

Her sage hues drifted to the wood planks that formed the floor, common words parting her lips with the foreign Thalassian accent heavily curling it’s tone, “Not Sorry...”

[equinoxparanormal]

Shapeshifters: Werewolves, Tricksters, Monsters, and More

While the traditional image of the werewolf is, without a doubt, the first thing that springs to mind when a discussion of shapeshifters takes place, the truth of the matter is that there is a veritable menagerie of such infernal things in our midst. Were-cats, were-tigers, were-hyenas, and were-coyotes are also near the top of the monstrous list. Then, there are the ancient beliefs that those who died violent deaths—or those who were, themselves, murderers—were often destined to return to our plane of existence in the forms of hideous beasts, including wild and savage ape-like animals, fearsome black dogs with glowing and blazing red eyes, and mermaid-like things. There are also beings from other worlds: aliens, extraterrestrials, and Men in Black.

Even the legendary monsters of Loch Ness, Scotland, are believed—in certain monster-hunting quarters—to be paranormal beasts that have the ability to alter their appearances at will. As are legendary vampires, who, the old legends suggest, can transform into the likes of bats and wolves.

Collectively, all of these "things" amount to an absolute army of otherworldly creatures, and half-human monsters that have plagued and tormented us since the dawning of civilization. And, they show zero signs of slowing down anytime soon. The things you thought were only fit for campfire tales, late-night stories intended to thrill little children, and entertaining monster-movies, are, in actuality, creatures of the real world. Of our world. Shapeshifters are everywhere: they lurk in the shadows, in the deep woods and expansive forests, in dark and dank caves, and in the murky waters of our lakes and rivers. Maybe even, after sunset, in the recesses of your very own backyard, patiently waiting to pounce. And many of them like nothing better than to terrorize and torment us, the human race. Let's take a look at a few examples:

Werewolves The latter part of the 1800s saw the surfacing of a tale of shapeshifting out of Germany—a country that has a long and checkered history of encounters with werewolves. It's specifically to the town of Ludwigslust we have to turn our attentions, a town with origins that date back to 1724.  One particular creature that became almost legendary in 1879 was a large, wild wolf that seemingly was completely unaffected by bullets. The brazen beast would even creep up on hunters and steal their bounty—their dinner, in other words. It's no surprise that word soon got around that maybe the wolf was more than just a nimble animal that had been lucky enough to avoid getting shot. Some thought it was supernatural in nature. Others, in quiet tones, suggested Ludwigslust had its very own werewolf. They were right. Witnesses claimed to see a wizened old witch transform into the deadly beast—and back again.

In April 2016, a very strange story surfaced out of the north of England. And to the extent that not just the local media, but the national media, too, were busy chasing down the strange and sinister story of what has become known as the "Werewolf of Hull," reportedly an eight-foot-tall, hair-covered monster. The case was, however, notable for the fact that several of the witnesses claimed the beast shape-shifted from a terrible, foul monster into the form of a black-cloaked old witch.

Most of the reports surfaced in and around the vicinity of what is called the Beverley and Barmston Drain, a land drainage operation, the origins of which date back to the latter part of the 1800s. A tunnel that carries the drain can be found below an old bridge on Beverley Beck, a canal in East Riding, Yorkshire, England—a location where a number of the encounters with the hair-covered thing have taken place.

So, what might the creature have been? The UK's media picked up—and picked up quickly and widely—on a local legend of an abominable beast known as "Old Stinker." It's a terrifying half-human/half-animal thing that has a long history in the area, a history that dates back centuries. So the story goes, the name came from the legend that the creature allegedly suffered from severely bad breath! And its physical appearance was said to have been no better either: it was covered in hair, and had piercing and glowing red eyes. On top of that, it regularly devoured the corpses of the recently deceased.

Were-cats Jennifer's encounter occurred in her small Oregon hometown in the fall of 2011. Late one night, Jennifer saw what she assumed was a large black dog walking towards her, on the sidewalk. As the creature got closer, Jennifer was horrified to see it was actually a significantly-sized cat. As in the size of a jaguar. Jennifer was about to make a run for cover—but to where, at that time of night, she admitted she had no idea—when the cat suddenly stood upright, changed its appearance and ran across the road, at a phenomenal speed, and vanished into an alley on the other side of the road. Notably, Jennifer said that the cat did not lose its black color as it changed into human form, nor did it lose its cat-like head. It was, according to Jennifer, something that appeared half-human and half-cat. A definitive were-cat.

Elementals Of the many and varied kinds of "elementals" that were said to possess the awesome powers of shapeshifting, certainly one of the most mysterious, and strangest of all, was the Dryad. It was a definitive entity of magical proportions that took shapeshifting to a truly unique level. The Dryad was a supernatural entity that features heavily in ancient Greek mythology, and which was exclusively associated with forests, woods, and trees. There was a very good reason for that: the Dryad had the uncanny and eerie ability to transform itself into a tree!

Coyotes Perceived almost unanimously by Native Americans as a trickster-like animal, the coyote is said to have the ability to control the weather, specifically rain and storms. And, like so many other trickster entities—such as fairies and goblins—the coyote can be friendly, playful, and helpful. But, and also like all tricksters, the coyote has a dark side: it can be manipulative, deceitful, and even deadly, and as the mood takes it. As for what Native American lore says of the shapeshifting abilities of the coyote, we are told that the animal can take on human form, usually in the guise of a man with a large mustache. Coyotes are said to be able to transform into the forms of birds, fish, and cats. Also according to Native American mythology, witches and those familiar with magical rituals can transform themselves into coyotes. Thus, a coyote seen running wildly late at night may well be a shapeshifting witch or wizard, embarking on some dark and disturbing mission.

The Kitsune Japan has its very own shapeshifter: the Kitsune. It is a word that means "fox." Japanese lore has long maintained that each and every fox that lives—and that has ever lived—has the ability to take on the appearance of a human, whether that of a man or of a woman. And, like many of the shapeshifters that we have focused on so far, the Kitsune alternates from being a malevolent creature to a placid and helpful entity. Mostly, however, it acts as a classic Trickster – manipulating people, and playing endless mind-games.

And that's just the start of things: the Men in Black who terrorize UFO witnesses have been seen to morph into the forms of blazing-eyed, black dogs. The legendary Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virginia has been described variously as a winged humanoid, as giant bat-like animal, and as a huge bird. Clearly, the beast is able to take on multiple guises. Bigfoot witnesses tell of the creatures changing into bright balls of light. The legendary creatures of Loch Ness are said to have the ability to take on the forms of beautiful women and large black horses.

If you think that shapeshifters are merely the things of folklore, mythology and legend, it's time to think again. Shapeshifters are here, there, and everywhere—and in multiple, monstrous forms, too...

[Nick Redfern, Llewellyn]

[natural--blues]

The April Fool

Fandom: Doctor Who Pairing: Rose x Ten Baby!fic, Time lady!Rose, Doomsday rewrite. The Doctor unable to return turns out to be a horrid prank.

AO3

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Last night I had a dream. Rose. I heard a voice and it was calling my name. Rose. Rose. Rose. I had a dream. I told Mum, and Dad, and Mickey. Anyone else would think I was mad. But not those three. They believed it because they’ve met the Doctor. So they listened to the dream. He was calling me and that night, we packed up, got into dad’s old Jeep, and off we went. Mum cried the entire time she packed my duffel. She said she knew that I had never belonged there. She said she understood it even more when I’d gotten shot at Torchwood, by a bullet that had meant to be a rubber round, but was instead live. It hit me in the heart, and I was on the ground, choking on my own blood.

It was the best and worst feeling of my life. I was going to die. It was a certainty that I’ve never before experienced with anything else in life. They’d called Mum and Dad to say goodbye, but instead, the light energy still latent in my dna, missed by the Doctor, came to life and lit me ablaze in the longest and shortest shock of my life. I’d seen this, when I’d been Bad Wolf. I’d become this.

Mum’d had kittens when she heard.

The medic had informed her, after a full workup, that I had two hearts. Multiple stomachs. That everything was healthy still… that my body had known how to protect….

She’d always known that I was going to become an alien and run off with the Doctor. Now, here was my chance, sad as she was, she was also happy knowing I wouldn’t have to watch everyone I love grow old and die before me – not alone, anyhow.

We followed the voice across the water, kept on driving hundreds and hundreds of miles, because he was calling.

Rose.

Rose walked alone across the windswept beach, duffel in hand, remembering the last time she’d tossed it at the Doctor, laughingly telling him that he was stuck with her, now. There she was, at last…. and she’d have to tell him the story of how she’d died. He’d hate it, for sure. An image of the Doctor appeared in front of her, startling her from her revierie.

“Where are you?” she asked, fearing his response. Fearing letting go of all of her newfound hope.

“Inside the Tardis.” His voice was so grim….

Inside the Tardis….. he’s going to say he can’t come and get me…. I’m damned to live here and watch them all wilt…

“There’s only one tiny little gap in the Universe left, just about to close, and it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I’m in orbit around a supernova. I’m burning up a sun just to say goodbye.”

The words were like a shot. She knew then, that the best course of action would be to lie to him, tell him everything was fine, that she was happy…. but she couldn’t…. could she?

“You look like a ghost…” she murmured.

“Hold on,” he responded, and the sound of the sonic was something she’d missed so much.

“C…. can… I…?” she reached, but his instant negative response made her flinch and stop.

“I’m still just an image…. no touch.”

Yeah, boy, doesn’t that sound like when we first met…?

“Can’t you come through properly?”

We’ll never be together…

“The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse.” I’m losing everything. It feels like my universe is collapsed anyhow.

“So?” she joked bitterly.

I have to be strong for him. I should….

“Where are we? Where did the gap come out?”

“We’re in Norway.”

“Norway. Right.”

“About fifty miles out of Bergen. 50.17 miles, to be exact. It’s a town called Dårling Ulv Stranden.”

“Dalek?” “Dårlig. The A with a small circle above it, makes the ‘aw’ sound. It’s Norwegian for Bad. It translates as Bad Wolf Bay.” He nodded, and she felt prompted to say anything.

“How long….?” she could barely get the words out, tears streaking her face.

“Two minutes….” she could hardly hear him over the water rushing sound in her ears. Her mum was crying softly in the background. She’d never wanted this life for her girl….

“I can’t think of what to say…” she laughed a bit, nervously.

“You’ve still got Mr. Mickey then?”

“There’s five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey and the baby.” it rolled off her tongue so automatically.

“You’re not?!”

Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit….

“Oh no, it’s mum. She’s three months gone. More Tylers on the way.” Had the Doctor seen the look of abject horror and confusion on Jackie’s face, he would have seen through the lie.

“And what about you? Are you–”

“Yeah, I’m back working in the shop.”

“Oh, good for you…”

“Shut up. No I’m not. There’s still a Torchwood on this planet. It’s open for business. I think I know a thing or two about aliens.”

Jackie’s loud snort and Mickey’s cough were thusly ignored, although the Doctor did raise an eyebrow.

“Rose Tyler…” he said her name with so much affection. It reminded her of the way he said it when they made love, when he kissed all along her body, when he gasped it into her ear and mind when he came.

“Defender of the Earth. You’re dead, officially, back home. So many people died that day and you’ve gone missing. You’re on a list of the dead. Here you are, living a life, day after day. The one adventure I can never have.”

“Am I ever going to see you again?”

“You can’t.”

She crumbled. “What are you going to do?”

He was putting on a front. He kept biting his lips, trying to keep his face brave for her. “Oh. I’ve got the Tardis. Same old life, last of the Time Lords.”

“On your own…..” she breathed. Just say it, you idiot. Last chance. “I…. I love you….”

The look in his eyes was shocked to the teeth, and he looked like he was struggling to form words for a moment. “Quite right too… And, I suppose, if it’s one last chance to say it, Rose Tyler, I…”

The Tardis vanished, and she collapsed to the beach, sobbing. Jackie ran to her daughter, throwing her shoes off to get a better grip on the sand.

“You can’t get so upset, it’s not good for the–” she was cut off by the sounds of the Tardis.

The Tardis was solid this time, and she looked at him in shock as he exited, smiling wildly. “Happy April Fools Day!” he announced, as though he’d just pulled a rabbit out of a hat.

His smile took on a confused and strained look, and then he finally gave up the ghost. “Rose….”

She was breathing heavily, trying to control the urge to let him bloody have it mixed with her body recovering from shock and the worst sadness of her life. This was where her mum took over, pinging rocks at him from the beach left and right, that he struggled to dodge, both hands up in defense.

“BLOODY. TIME. LORD. ARSEHOLE! YOU! DO! NOT! DO! THAT! KIND! OF! PRANK!”

He tried to take Rose into his arms, getting winged by sand dollars by Jackie when Rose swung at him. She barely missed.

Even Mickey shook his head at him. “Some bits don’t even begin to be appropriate, Doctor. You can’t joke about this sort of bit. Pregnancy pranks, death pranks, screamers, and breakup pranks. They’re literally not okay.”

“Oh….” he murmured, looking confused. “They were appropriate on Xylon 5. Prank capital of the Universe….”

“Earth, mate. You should know.”

Rose’s lip quivered, and he felt like the biggest bastard in the universe. He reached for her, and she sobbed in his arms, as he spun her around.

“I thought I’d have to spend forever without you….” she hiccupped, and he shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I thought you’d figured me out…. what with that whole bit about the shop….”

“N…. no…”

He shushed her, holding her tightly.

“I’m…. s’me…. I’m pregnant….”

“You don’t have to do a joke in reverse, Rickey just said that those pranks aren’t appropriate.”

Mickey flipped him the bird.

“S’not a joke….” she whimpered, unable to handle much more emotional drainage today.

He suddenly felt it, felt exactly what she was, and then felt the life blooming, once he had begun paying attention. “Y…. you….. we…. oh, Rose….”

His tears came without prompt, and she gave him a watery smile. “I told you…. forever…. I jus’ really, really meant it….”

He held her tightly, and after a few apologies and goodbyes to Jackie and everyone else – ‘YOU HAD BETTER MARRY HER’ screamed in his ear – he took off with the love of his life, the holes in the universes closing as soon as he left.

“I’m just saying,” he kept trying, feeling guiltier and guiltier by the second. He’d pretend permanently broken up with the mother of his child. Who was now a Time Lady, who would have had to outlive everyone… oh, he was space rubbish… “It seemed funny at the time. I thought we’d have a laugh.”

“It wasn’t funny. It was dreadful.”

“I’m rubbish at pranks, Rose, I’m so sorry–”

“Make it up to me?”

He was about to ask her how, when he caught the hidden meaning and grinned, widely. Oh yes. He would.

—————————————

A few hours of rowdy lovemaking, one telepathic bond, and a mug of tea later, Rose sat on his lap, on the jumpseat, wearing only his shirt and a pair of knickers and socks. He was honestly up for round four, at this point, nuzzling into her neck and repeating his promise to never do that type of prank again.

“I, The Doctor, do solemnly swear…”

“I, The Doctor, do solemnly swear…”

“To never again perform a prank that makes people cry…”

“To never again perform a prank that makes people cry…”

“Or to act like such a penisgoblin about it….”

“Or to act like su– such a what? A penis what?”

“Ahem.”

“Or to act like such a penisgoblin abou— really, Rose, a penisgoblin? What even is a penis goblin?”

“Doctor….”

“….Or to act like such a penisgoblin about it….”

“Forever and ever and ever, the end.”

“Forever and ever and ever, I love you Rose Tyler, the end.”

She giggled, and nuzzled him. “Forgiven.”

He sighed in relief. “I just didn’t know what sort of prank would be funny– ”

A redhead in a wedding dress appeared, and began flipping out.

“Apparently…. neither does the Tardis….” Rose murmured, blinking as the redhead threw her jacket across the room.

[entergamingxp]

Making a Video Game Hero: Platformer Edition

May 6, 2020 2:30 PM EST

Step back into our video game creation lab as we build the best platform hero ever by combining the genre’s best in a Frankenstein creation.

Recently, we took a look at all of the video game heroes who make their living in hallowed halls of the action-adventure genre. After analyzing each of them (very scientifically, we might add) we put together an amalgamation of their body parts to build the greatest action-adventure hero. Like a modern-day Dr. Frankenstein, we built the ultimate hero for that genre, and now we’re back again with a new, fan-favorite genre. That’s right, it’s time to build a Mario.

Now, like action-adventure games, platformers have a ton of different sub-genres within their sphere. Not only do you have 2D and 3D platformers, but there are also games that mix shooting, mind powers, and even naughty swear words. That said, we’re looking to build a hero that can work their way through whatever situation developers can throw at them. So, give our beautiful monster a look below and let us know if you’d make any changes in the comments below.

Brain: Alucard (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) Runners’ Up: Razputin Aquato (Psychonauts) and Clank (Ratchet & Clank series)

To kick off the list, we have a trifecta of great options. On one hand, you have Raz from Psychonauts, a young boy with considerable psychic powers. Not only has he mastered many PSI skills while training to be a Psychonaut, but he also boasts nearly impenetrable psychic defenses. On the other hand, Clank is a robot with access to a gigantic database of information that he can call up in the blink of an eye.

However, on the third (?) hand, we have Alucard, the dhampir son of Dracula. Now, as a half-vampire, he lacks the immortality of his father’s species; however, he still has all the other powers. With his brain, we get access to a library of powerful magic and, presumably, the ability to shape-shift into a bat, wolf, or mist. So, while he might be a little less of a smartie than Clank, we’ll take the wolf morph every day.

Eyes: Six (Little Nightmares) Runners’ Up: Crash Bandicoot and Fez

Again, the platformer genre gives us a plethora of options for our monster’s eyeballs. We’re tempted to go with Crash and his gigantic, terrifying, lifeless eyes, but frankly, even we’re too scared by the thought of what those eyes have seen. Why are they always so wide open? What makes them spin? These are the questions that keep us up at night.

Instead, we’re going with someone a bit smaller. Fez was strongly considered due to his ability to see the world in multiple dimensions at once; however, we decided to go with someone who’s faced down horrible, sausage-wielding “chefs” and lived to tell the tale. Six from Little Nightmares might not be the strongest platforming character, but we can trust her to stay brave, regardless of what terrifying monster we find ourselves up against.

Mouth: Kirby Runners’ Up: Conker (Conker’s Bad Fur Day) and Earthworm Jim

Honestly, this might be the easiest choice on the list. A potty-mouthed squirrel and an earthworm full of bad puns are hardly a match for the power-stealing jaws of Kirby. I mean, sure, our hero can already morph into a wolf, but what if they could also morph into Bowser? Or Dr. Neo Cortex? Or even Professor von Kriplespac? The possibilities are truly endless, and it’s nearly impossible to imagine any other character’s mouth in Kirby’s place.

Torso: Meat Boy (Super Meat Boy) Runners’ Up: Banjo (Banjo-Kazooie) and Tim (Braid)

Here, things get interesting again. If we take Banjo’s body, do we also get Kazooie? If so, that means we can fly, but since we already have multiple morphing powers, that’s not really needed. Tim’s squat body might let us control the flow of time, which is going to come in handy when braving spikey pits.

That being said, we’re going with Meat Boy. After all, there aren’t many heroes who can say they’ve withstood more punishment than that slab of beef. And he just keeps coming back for more. That’s a trait our monster needs.

Left Arm: Mega Man Runners’ Up: Yarny (Unravel) and Rad Spencer (Bionic Commando)

The first thing we have to ask ourselves is “would we marry our robotic arm if we found out it was our previously thought-to-be-dead wife?” And, obviously, the answer is yes. However, if our creation is married to their arm, then they’ll live a life torn between us, their creator, and their arm-wife. That doesn’t work for us, so Rad Spencer is, unfortunately, out.

Yarny presents another interesting option; however, their power feels limited. There’s only so much you can do with yarn. Mega Man, on the other hand, has a smorgasbord of power-ups for our monster to take advantage of, making him the easy choice.

Right Arm: Donkey Kong Runners’ Up: Cuphead and Voodoo Vince

Cuphead’s arm would definitely be a fun addition, but that feels like a bit of overkill. Voodoo Vince combos well with Meat Boy’s body. Stabbing that slab of beef and inflicting damage on our enemies seems like an easy win. However, our platformer build is missing something. We need…power.

Enter Donkey Kong’s right arm. Did you know that gorillas can lift an estimated 1800 lbs? Imagine what that kind of strength could do to a man or Goomba. We’re talking complete and total destruction. Our monster needs that.

Legs: Madeline (Celeste) Runners’ Up: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sly Cooper, and Arthur (Ghosts ‘n Goblins)

Again, tons of great options. If you’re looking for pure, video game speed, Sonic is the obvious choice. Maybe you want world-class agility that would let you sneak your way into any heavily-guarded fortress. In that case, Sly Cooper is your guy. Heck, maybe you just want to look good in your undies, making Arthur the man for you.

For our creature, we’re taking Madeline’s legs. If you play Celeste on Assist Mode, you can turn on infinite stamina. That means Madeline can jump forever. And, even if we don’t turn on Assist Mode, her legs are some of the best leapers in the business. Her air control is top-tier, a fact our beast will take full advantage of.

Hat: Mario Runners’ Up: The Boy (Inside) and Shovel Knight

(Note: Spoilers for Inside below)

Okay, our last category continues to be something of a catch-all. At first, we thought we’d just slap The Boy from Inside’s ability to turn into a massive flesh blob in here, because what an awesome sequence. If our monster can just transform into that whenever they want, why wouldn’t we want that? However, it feels wrong to not have Mario involved in our video game creation in some way. So, we’ve decided to continue enhancing our beast’s ability to morph into other creatures by adding Mario’s hat. Oh, and Shovel Knight is cool, but only cool enough to make the list and not overtake Mario.

At this point, our platformer hero has basically become the newest Animorph, with the power to morph into whatever animal or object needed to get past any obstacle. Bowsers everywhere are surely crying into their pillow, as they dream sweet nightmares about our creation.

Thus ends our latest creation. Be sure to check back in the near future as we tackle the next video game genre. And stick with DualShockers for all your weird, imaginary video game science experiments.

May 6, 2020 2:30 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/05/making-a-video-game-hero-platformer-edition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=making-a-video-game-hero-platformer-edition

[reversewerewolf]

Answer character creation questions for your D&D boys!

HOO BOY OK

Naveen:

1. What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)?

Appearance and personality…? I wanted a sassy gay elf lol

2. Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?

No, I didn’t really know the setting or the other characters when I was doing character creation.

3. How did you choose their name?

My best friend/DM for the campaign I use Naveen in actually named him. I had a name for him and it didn’t fit, and I was struggling before the start of the first session. She asked me a bunch of questions about him and named him at the table literally five minutes before we started the first session of the campaign. It fits him better than any name I could’ve chosen for him.

4. In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?

Not applicable… I hashed out a very basic backstory for him before our first session, but didn’t know anything about the world until later.

5. Is there any significance behind their hair color?

Nah

6. Is there any significance behind their eye color?

Nah

7. Is there any significance behind their height?

Nah

8. What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?

I relate to Naveen a lot. He tends to feel very alone and even though he doesn’t want to burden others with his problems he relies on other people very heavily… he wants to be a better person, and he wants to be more confident in himself and his ability to love other people. He wants to lift other people up and make the people he cares about happy.

He’s also fat and trans, lol.

9. Are they based off of you, in some way?

No. As he grows as a person, I find he has traits I’d like to see in myself, though, lol.

10. If they have an LI, how much of their character is tailored to be compatible to that person?

Assuming this means love interest?? He has crushes on like… three to four people. Maybe more… No part of him was made to be compatible with any of them, and he’s not compatible with any of them.

Maybe with Reginald…

11. Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation?

I mean… I went into creating him like “bitchy gay elf haha” but like, the finer details of it, not really? He likes people regardless of gender. I also thought he was asexual at first which has turned out not to be true in the least.

12. What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)?

When I created him I wanted to draw him, obviously, but I hadn’t tried to draw seriously in at least two years. I had a set idea of what I wanted him to look like and didn’t have the skills to do that which is why the initial drawings I have of him are so different from how he looks now - I went outside my comfort zone to try and teach myself how to draw different hair and body types, for example. I’ve gotten better, but that was really hard.

I also try to write poems as him to get a better feel for his character, which has been helpful, but was difficult as I hadn’t tried to write a poem in over a decade.

13. How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all?

We haven’t finished the canon yet!

I just want his story to end happily.

14. If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

1. He’s going to do stuff I don’t want him to.2. I should lean into that a little bit from time to time.

15. What is something about your OC can make you laugh?

He’s very easy to pick on, which tends to make for funny situations.

16. What is something about your OC can make you cry?

He’s a fucking idiot who doesn’t know how to relate to other people and he constantly puts his foot in his mouth and it’s so frustrating.

17. Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

Uhh… I regret his whole existence sometimes.

I didn’t want him to be horny but he is and I hate that.

18. What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?

He likes kids, which is sort of surprising? Like, they’ve found themselves around a bunch of goblin kids and a little vampire girl and he was kind of overwhelmed at first because he hasn’t spent a lot of time around kids, but he really loved them. He was amused by their antics and wants to take care of them.

19. What is your favorite fact about your OC?

The two strands of hair that frame his face are coiled just a little bit tighter than the rest of his hair because he twirls them around his fingers when he’s nervous!

Dro’gul:

1. What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)?

I just wanted a beastmaster ranger. (Naveen was initially going to be one but another player claimed that class first!!) Dro’gul has actually been through a lot of iterations. He was initially a female half-elf and has gone through a lot of revamps until he became something I was happy with.

2. Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?

Sort of. I wanted a character whose personality would mesh better with this particular campaign’s chaotic team than my straight-laced, goody-two-shoes drow wizard.

3. How did you choose their name?

I liked the shorter name “Gul” for a while because it frequently came up on the Orc name generator I used, lol. I found out during that time that it also means “rose” in Persian, which I thought was sweet. I just added “Dro” to make it longer.

4. In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?

Honestly? None at first… In fact his backstory really makes very little sense for the time period this particular campaign is set in (1920′s, but we all keep forgetting and picture it as medieval fantasy…).

My friend was also wanting to switch their character to someone more fitting for the vibe of the campaign, so our DM asked if our characters could know each other. We linked their backstories (”he broke her out of jail and they’ve been together since!”) and it quickly went downhill into shipping them, lol. That’s been more influential. But it’s fun and it’s solidified who he is as a character very significantly.

5. Is there any significance behind their hair color?

Nah

6. Is there any significance behind their eye color?

To match his wolf!

7. Is there any significance behind their height?

Wanted… big boi

8. What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?

I relate a lot to Dro’gul as a survivor of family abuse who struggles with PTSD. He’s been through more and worse than I’ve been through but I relate to the feelings of despair and guilt and panic that he feels. He’s done bad things and he thinks he’s a bad person though he tries to combat that line of thinking. He wants to do good to make up for the bad he’s done. He wants to raise other people up.

9. Are they based off of you, in some way?

No, though we share the self-deprecation and (usually unintentional) self-sacrifice.

10. If they have an LI, how much of their character is tailored to be compatible to that person?

He’s dating my friend’s tiefling sorcerer, Nowhere. They were created separately from each other, and he wasn’t tailored to be compatible with her, but they work well together incidentally. I love them together very much but with that said his devotion to her is pretty decidedly unhealthy. If she felt like taking advantage of his good nature it would be easy for her to do so. (She doesn’t want to, luckily!)

11. Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation?

Not in the least. When I created him I wasn’t really thinking about his romantic or sexual preferences. I kind of assumed he was straight for a bit but I was incorrect. I also thought he was cis, but he’s nonbinary - he’s comfortable being identified as male but he doesn’t really care about differences in gender one way or another and thinks the idea that there are masculine traits and feminine traits are ridiculous.

12. What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)?

I… can’t draw muscles or strong jawlines or body hair or tusks or curly hair, but he has all of those things.

I’m still learning.

13. How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all?

I’ve talked about his plans with Nowhere with Nowhere’s player, but for now those will remains secret! We haven’t finished the campaign and therefore the canon yet so it’s up in the air either way.

14. If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

1. He’s an idiot2. He’s going to die because he’s an idiot

15. What is something about your OC can make you laugh?

His lack of intelligence makes for funny moments - for example, someone described coffee to him and he became convinced coffee was drugs. He also thought their very short party member was an actual child. Both of these are things he believed for some time.

16. What is something about your OC can make you cry?

He’s got too good of a heart and he’s going to get hurt because of it.

17. Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

I wish his conversation confessing to Nowhere had been more romantic. But, it was really awkward and genuine, which makes more sense narratively, so I’m okay with it.

18. What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?

He’s got a lot more anxiety than I thought he did, lol.

19. What is your favorite fact about your OC?

He fidgets a lot when he’s nervous - runs his hands through his hair, rubs the tips of his tusks against his upper lip, rubs his cheek. He cute.