#so not only will this be fixed but i also now have stuff like griffons and hippogriffs now having fur and feathers on the correct spots

[chickenmcnuggies]

today on funny dwarf fortress modding endeavors

my white dragon was always super squishy and i didn't quite understand why, but i recently learned how body detail plans work. these are basically telling the game 'what is x body part made of and what's below it, if anything'

so it's what tells the game 'make this creature's upper/lower bodies/legs ect out of skin, with fat underneath, then muscle, then bone'

i did not know this was how it worked, and got very annoyed trying to attatch the white dragon's feathers to it's scales, so in my noob attempts to connect them, i put feathers in it's body definition after scales, which made the game stop spitting out errors.

…what i DIDN'T know was that the feathers were now in the 'fat' slot, meaning instead of fat directly under the scales, it was feathers. but in doing this i also moved every other body material argument back one, which meant it's actual fat was what it's muscles and heart was made of, and it's actual muscles were in the bone slot, meaning it was shambling around on a skeleton of flesh. oops

[lesabear]

Thoughts on Veilguard

TLDR: If empty calories were a video game it would be Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The game is a pleasant enough - if generic and unremarkable - action RPG that basically abandons the themes and feel of the previous games, resulting in a bland story that largely avoids dealing with anything that might remotely cause conflict in the party or force the player to consider anything other than surface level good-bad morality.

If this is the direction they're taking DA, then I think I'm done with the franchise. If I wanted a generic, thematically uninteresting, action RPG there are so many other games to play.

Spoilers in my detailed thoughts below

The good:

It looks very nice - I wish I could have spent even more time exploring the world areas.

Very few bugs or technical issues unlike Andromeda (or most new games in general). I had a few minor issues near the end but overall was very impressed.

Manfred and Assan are great secondary companions. If anyone knows where to find a skeleton and/or griffon friend please let me know.

I quite like Emmerich, Davrin and Bellara and romanced the latter two and (Generally) really liked both. Disclaimer: I tend to have different tastes than the majority of DA fandom when it comes to romances. I expected to have mixed feelings on Bellara because of my issues with Bioware and their cutesy awkward naive/inexperienced female characters but I thought they (mostly) got her right.

Some interesting lore stuff, though I quibble with how it was delivered at times. Still was fun to get a lot more info on the Evanuris, Solas, Mythal, the Titans, etc. And there's also some fun lore stuff in the codices, although again I question whether that's the best way to deliver them.

The final mission is a lot of fun and the clear standout quest other than Weisshaupt maybe. Both are a lot of fun and combine multiple story elements with good gameplay for a satisfying experience.

Combat is engaging although it does get repetitive once you "solve" it. I did a lot of grinding to complete content though so that might be my fault.

Solas is very Solas-y in the game and the highlight of the antagonists by far. I wish there had been more of him and I say that as someone who finds the Solas fandom somewhat exhausting at times. He was far more interesting and compelling than the "even-worse" gods and the fact he's a fuck up who keeps making things worse because he's an egotistical fuck-up who thinks he's the only one that can fix things was is both tragic and fun.

Neve-Lucanis and Taash-Harding are both very cute. I actually think they might be my favorite companion romances off the top of my head (Tali-Garrus does absolutely nothing for me, and I don't even romance either character with my Shepard).

The not good

Why is the Inquisitor wearing pajamas.

Bioware can fuck off for making me pop about a zillion blight pimples. It's really not that much fun after the first 1000

Extremely disappointed with how sanitized the narrative is. There's little attention paid to major facets of the DA universe that are directly relevant to the plot (religion, Tevinter slavery, racism toward elves etc.) and you also get stuff like the Crows now being far lighter of an organization than they were previously.

Just as an example - both Davrin and Bellara touch on what it means to have their gods be the villains but they're just topics for conversation and there's no meaningful impact (especially as the bad guys rely on Antaam and Venatori forces - oh and generic mercenaries). The Dalish are just there (or victims of the bad guys) for the most part. I've read comments from Bioware that confirm this but it seemed obvious Bioware wrote themselves into a corner with making Elven gods be the main antagonists, as you then run into the issue of having the elves not only already be a persecuted minority but also be worshipping evil gods - but instead of writing around it they just avoided dealing with it and acted like it's just the Dalish getting a big win by not joining them.

Speaking of enemies, lots of bland dialogue from the non-Solas big bads. And the Venatori/Antaam/mercenaries gave off major "Cerberus in ME3" vibes - nameless, faceless goons thrown at you in waves that got very boring very quickly.

The way a companion gets hardened because of a choice early in the game is mostly meaningless unless you wanted to romance them. People getting mad about that happening are being ridiculous - if anything the game is too afraid (as usual) to have it actual matter beyond them briefly being upset before moving on.

One of the big choices is to decide whether to protect Treviso or Minrathous when both are attacked by dragons, but it happens so early you might lock yourself out of quests without realizing it. Worse, the ensuing mission is incredibly short and boring (basically a couple of packs of generic enemies and then a very brief dragon fight)

Why is the Inqusitor wearing pajamas.

Why can't I be a mean/"bad" Rook? Even the jokey responses feel super tame compared to previous DAs (let alone the borderline assholish purple hawke). Basically you're only allowed to be slightly different variations of a heroic figure.

While the companions are all nice they all top out at "I like them", with none matching the story or emotional peaks of previous Bioware games. Emmerich comes closest (especially if you account for Manfred) but there's just enough meat to him.

Disappointing romances compared to previous Bioware games(especially but not limited to Lucanis.). Not a ton of depth dialogue wise and at times it feels like they put more time into the companion romance than the Rook version (this time I am definitely talking about Lucanis).

Speaking of which, Lucanis was the biggest disappointment of the companions. I didn't want a Zevran clone but you have a hardened assassin possessed by a demon who (if you choose not to save Treviso, which cuts off a lot of his content) just drinks coffee and likes Neve and uh....

Completely forgettable soundtrack which is a major bummer after previous installments. Also, while I didn't have many technical issues, the music not always playing was one of them (although maybe it doesn't really matter given the lack of quality!)

Bad to horrendous incorporation of previous DA story which was also incongruous with the general tone, especially with the handling of the Inquisitor and the treatment of southern Thedas (especially if you get the Emmerich and Harding picnic conversation at an awkward time like I did.)

Lots of disappointing cameos but especially from my Pirate Queen/Wife from DA2. Isabela's hat is indeed very nice but what is that outfit? And I get they didn't want to deal with too complex a world state but man was it a bummer to see her basically reset after everything her and Hawke went through in my main DA2 playthrough.

Why is the Inquisitor wearing pajamas.

What did they do with Harding? Why did she basically get Dagna's story, even if Titan lore is interesting? She's such a nothing character in this game which is such a weird choice given that she's clearly there because they know fans like her.

The "Actually Varric was dead all along" did nothing for me. He barely shows up in game anyway and the weird framing of every appearance and the fact no one other than Rook ever interacts with him gave it away (at least partially)

[rodeoxqueen]

The Sparda Boys Taking Care Of Stray Animals Headcanons-(AO3 Request by @Zehnmou)

Zehnmou requested: Why is this so cute...urgh, my heart just exploded. 😭. I have always love Dante being a goofy dad

Anyway, pardon me, but might I ask for a request here? I don't have any Tumblr account though,

What about Sparda boys taking care of stray pets in their own ways? (oh any kinda is fine to me though, cats, dogs, birds,....they're all good to go)? Like fluffy stuff. Thank you so much.

I love this idea. Pull my fluff trigger, if you will. I did not write Nero, though I will add his segment later.  I’m too burnt out from school to do more but I still wanted you to have something to read as soon as possible. This was all my exhausted cowboy brain could scrounge up to write. 

Thank you for requesting darling,

Rodeo

Vergil

Our favorite ice king tries not to make it obvious but he is a cat person.

He is a staunch believer that owning a pet is extra work and pointless. Besides, you own another creature and that’s freaky. 

But as soon as he sees them toe beans and twitching whiskers, he’s not that loud about his aforementioned opinion. 

He won’t exactly house them, but Dante sometimes catches him leaving cans of tuna around the alleys. He refuses to admit it’s him. 

It’s even harder to hide he’s the local cat dad when he walks down the street and there’s a gaggle of cats following him, tails swishing the air with affection. 

His pants at the ankle area are covered in cat hair. He can’t walk out the street without a pack of all sorts of cats rubbing themselves on his legs. 

Sometimes there will be some sickly kitten that’s left on the street. Vergil can be found in his plastic white chair, bottle-feeding the poor thing. It grows healthy and cute and he lets the kitty, who he named William, sit on his shoulders while he reads. 

After he lets in that cat, about twenty more show up. Dante had to beg Vergil to be sensible, a rare sight to behold, when there are cats everywhere in his shop. 

Vergil= Crazy Cat DILF. 

V

Unlike his complete form, he’s quite into the idea of animal companionship even if Griffon is annoying as hell sometimes. 

He loves feeding birds. When he’s reading with Shadow’s head on his lap and Griffon is preening, he’s throwing bits of cracker and biscuit onto the ground for pigeons. Sometimes Shadow tries to eat one or Griffon strikes lightning at them with a chortle. He is inconsolably pissed. 

One day at a local park,  he keeps hearing this wretched and pitiable noise. After some tracking around, he finds a raven with a broken wing. They’re hopping around pathetically and incapable of flight. 

When they see him approaching, they freak and screech at him and try to flee. 

“Have no fear, little bird. I mean you no harm.” He stoops down, hands gentle and slow to approach them. 

For some reason, the corvid trusts him, beak stroked by his careful fingers. He cups the bird and takes them home. 

He manages to fix their wing with a splint. The bird hops following him. Shadow tries so hard to not eat the poor thing and Griffon is offended. 

“What?! Am I not cute enough for ya, V? You cheating on me with another birdie?!”

When they begin to heal and can fly again, V sadly lets them leave. He gives them a little push towards the window. 

“Go on now, little wanderer. You’re well and free once more.” They don’t move, intelligent eyes focused on him only. They hop back and caw at him, flying up to sit upon his shoulder. 

“If you wish.” V muses. He strokes the bird’s head. 

“If you are to stay, I must find you a name. How about Poe?” 

“Caw.” 

“Excellent choice.” 

V is not very original. But he has a pet raven and that makes him so much cooler than you.  

Dante

On account that he does live in the shadier parts of Redgrave, there’s a lot of strays. However, there’s also a lot of demons that like to eat the aforementioned strays. It’s a brutal little ecosystem. 

So imagine Dante’s surprise one night, when a hellhound runs into the alley near his shop. 

The hound is snarling with some sort of black goo in its mouth and its claws like scythes scraping the ground. Dante thinks it’s a dog that’s dumpster diving. 

“Same.” He walks away. It barks at him, looking for a fight.

“Look puppy. I fight Cerberus for fun, you are not going to win this.” The hound jumps him anyway, taking a good chunk off his leather coat. He throws the dog off and semi triggers, exposing his demonic skin. 

He assumed the hound would just run away. Instead, it rolls onto its back with its tail shaking. He can’t get it to leave and he eventually lets it inside. 

He has a dog now, he guesses. 

The hellhound is a lot different than a normal dog. Firstly, it’s from hell. 

It also is super strong and fast, and incredibly violent. It should not be treated as a pet.

Dante disregards that and plays fetch with it using an old can. It runs into traffic and comes back with half a stop sign. 

“Come here, boy!” The hound leaps onto him and sends him through a wall. Dante has to borrow Nico’s saw to clip its nails. Don’t even get him started on bathing the hound. It tore the faucet right out of the wall and sent a spray of water right at Dante. 

He never really finds a name for the hellhound. He just whistles and it’s there. 

He and the dog can enjoy a pizza together and he feeds it the olives when they show up on his slices. However, the hound is perfectly happy with some demon leftovers or roadkill. 

Its breath? Terrible. 

He tried to leash the dog and it bit a hole through his hand. No leashes. 

He cannot take the hound to the dog park. The last time he did the dumb hound tried to eat someone’s Pomeranian. 

The hound’s really useful during hunts when Dante brings it.  

Dante gets a side compartment for Cavalier so the hound can sit and let the open air hit its face. The hound can run just as fast as a car but it loves it. 

At the end of a hard day, the hellhound will jump up and down and chase its tail with joy when Dante comes back from work. 

He and the hound sleep on the same bed, the hound laying its stupid little head right on his chest. Both their snores make Vergil want to set the shop on fire. 

(For my Tumblr Lone Rangers Only)-Vergil walked in on Dante doing this to his hellhound and he simply walked out of the building: 

Rodeo’s Two Pieces: 

This Cowboy Is Tired But Never Of Your Requests and Comments.

[thedinanshiral]

My personal DA4 wishlist + thoughts

I’ve been teasing this post for a couple of weeks over at Twitter, i’m the worst! But anyway, since game journalism has decided to confirm, once again, that the next Dragon Age game will be set in Tevinter like that’s breaking news, now’s as good a time as ever to write all this down.

Locations: Tevinter, clearly. It’s been pretty much a given since the end of Trespasser in 2015, with that scene where the Inquisitor stabs a map on a table directly on Tevinter as they promise to go after Solas to stop him. But also concept art and several stories from Tevinter Nights heavily imply Antiva, Nevarra, the Anderfells, and maybe Rivain. For those of you who don’t know your Thedosian Geography 101, that’s basically Northern Thedas. And it makes sense, since so far for three games straight we’ve been first stuck in Ferelden, then the coast of the Free Marches, and later the rest of Southern Thedas. We’ve never been North, only heard of it. So in DA4 i’m sure we will finally be able to visit.

Characters: If we’re going to Tevinter, we must meet Dorian again, maybe meet Maevaris Tilani as well (previously only seen in comics), judging from the latest comics series, i’m hoping for Fenris too. And going by the latest teaser trailer, we might see Varric again. As for characters that so far we have no news of, i’d like to see Cole, the Iron Bull, and if by any chance BioWare feels like blessing us with a Hawke/Fenris reunion i might just die happy.  I’d also very much like to see the Inquisitor, but more on that later.

Companions: considering concept art and the latest teaser trailer, plus Tevinter Nights stories and new characters, we have an interesting repertoire of new potential companions. A Tevinter mage, an ancient elf (like a temple guardian) or a dalish elf (like Strife), a Nevarran mortalitasi or spirit, Antivan Crows, Lords of Fortune (new faction, kind of like treasure hunters), Qunari lady, maybe an alchemist or shapeshifter, Grey Wardens (possibly a dwarf), a liberated or escaped slave, a Siccari (Tevinter spies/assassins)..even past agents of the Inquisition could return. 

Plot: We know Solas wants to take down the Veil. We know there’s two archdemons left, and Grey Wardens are regaining some spotlight in concept art lately. We might have to fight on multiple fronts simultaneously and be strategic about it. Solas might even unleash a double Blight just to keep us distracted while he focus on his own goal, who knows. But many other things are happenig in the margins and all over the place. The Qunari Antaam is having a crisis with some of its members supposedly going rogue, the order they’re so proud of is breaking up, and the whole of Northern Thedas is facing an imminent threat of invasion. Tevinter is still dealing with remnants of the Venatori and might soon be dealing with a slaves rebellion and/or a political and social reform (Magisters Dorian and Maeveris have been working wirh the Lucerni, a group aiming to restore and redeem Tevinter). The Antivan Crows -the de facto rulers of Antiva - may be dealing with a succession crisis, as their First Talon, a powerful feared and respected but old lady, might not be around for much longer and seems her chosen heir has died before his time. Meanwhile in the Anderfells nobody’s heard anything from the Grey Wardens’ HQ at Weisshaupt since the end of Inquisition, and as told in the novel Last Flight, the sudden reappearance of griffons may have had something to do with that radio silence. So you see, get ready for another +100 hours long game because BW has plenty of stuff to keep us busy with. But in short, DA4 seems will be about primarily searching, finding, and dealing with Solas. Regardless of what you decided at the Exalted Council in Trespasser, the Inquisition or what’s left of it is most likely the group orchestrating that mission. As it was so clearly stated then, they need new people Solas doesn’t know so he can’t foresee their actions, so it’s possible the DA4 protagonist is a new agent or a third party hired to do what the Inner circle can’t due to their familiarity with Solas in the past. But at the same time -and this is assuming we get to find Solas in this game - i definitely think the Inquisitor could easily show up again. No, losing an arm doens’t mean they’ve retired forever, prosthetics do exist in Thedas, a world where you can combine dwarven craftmanship with enchantments, seriously, i don’t ever want to hear “but they lost an arm” ever again as an excuse to write them out. And no, marrying Cullen or joining the Red Jennys is no impediment to join the “Stop Solas” Squad; the end of Trespasser means something, mainly that this is personal. Be it they loved them as lovers, as friends or ended up hating his guts for using and betraying them, the Inquisitor’s relationship with Solas makes this very personal, and so having any other character do that face off would cheapen all of it, all that bittersweet angsty development and expectations of either revenge or closure. That moment should happen between those two. It adds a ton of motivation due to their past historyas well, something a new protagonist would lack entirely.  My personal best hope is for a sort of dual protagonist thing, say we play new protagonist for most of the game but a selected missions or scenes where we play as the Inquisitor once again and take over for key and heart-wrenching dialogue options. My second best hope is for the Inquisitor to show up as playable for the moment we catch up with Solas. My third and final best hope is for the inquisitor to be a sort of advisor but more like new protagonist’s boss/employer to whom they report back to and get new missions from. The Inquisitor can be stuck in meetings for the most part of it, i just want to know they’re there, behind a door, super busy but there. A cameo like Hawke’s in Inquisition is the bare miminum i can take, anyhting less than that like a mention in a sidequest description or a footnote in a codex entry would be a total  injustice. 

Romances: I’m open for pretty much anything, as any good BW fan would be. But i’d like romances to feel more alive in the sense that they don’t abruptly get stuck once you exhaust all related quests and dialogue options. As much as my Adaar liked that spank from the Iron Bull, that it was the only thing they could share after their romance was locked was a bit..meh. I liked Dorian’s tho, because his gave one the option to talk a bit, go for a walk, gossip, and sure, it all happened off-screen, and there were limited possibilities, but it was nice and made their relationship feel a bit more real, like they had more to it than kissing and stuff. It happens in most games, once you secure a romanceable companion suddenly you run out of things to do and share with them, and you get stuck with the same 3 lines of dialogue over and over again. There should be a way of solving that.

Side quests: i’m ok with fetch quests initially as it is a good way of forcing the player to go out and explore huge maps, but i’d also like the fetching to have some meaning other than checking things off a list. I want to explore many ruins, and -can’t believe i’m actually saying this- i want a Fade quest. Wait! I know what you’re thinking but don’t kill me just yet, here’s my idea: what if we could visit the Fade at certain locations to witness memories or meet with spirits and recollect information on Solas, his past, his present? Both to understand him better (keep in mind we’ll most likely get a new protagonist who isn’t familiar with him like we are as players) and try to locate him or predict his next move. It would be i think i great way of having visions of Arlathan in its golden age, maybe seeing some of the other Evanuris, how they interacted with each other and with the elves in their service, what really happened ...i just want that sweet, sweet lore, i need it.

Technical stuff: ok, graphics will be amazing for sure, but i also would really really like: better, more varied and longer hairstyles, PLEASE. Body sliders, it’s damn time we get them. Mounts that actually make a difference! Let staves blades make damage in combat, I’M BEGGING HERE. Combined classes, MAGICAL ROGUES! A homebase we can fix up/build on/redecorate as fully as possible (Skyhold was great and i love it to pieces but why were those walls NEVER repaired????) . More casual outfit options, idk i love to dress up my characters, maybe some transmog? A day/night cycle and please i would love to see Thedas’ second moon, also weather variations depending on the region. Yes, i’m ambitious.

Gameplay: i’d like more AI options for companions, but not quite like in DAO, that was too much and i rarely used it. I’m curious how they’ll do combat this time but i know for sure i don’t want the kind of combat that has me going almost frame by frame pausing at every second, it’s annoying for me. I want large areas like in DAI but with a bit more stuff to see and do although one of my favourite maps is the Hissing Wastes so i won’t complain if we get a literal desert but i’d also like it to have secrets hidden around, make me work to find and solve them, i love exploring, i jump and click on EVERYTHING like i’m still a kid playing Monkey Island. A companion in concept art seems to be holding what looks like some form of rifle, so i’m curious how they’d incorporate that in the game. I know Tevinter has the magics and dwarves have the skill, a firearm is totally within the possibilities in-game without breaking any lore; also super curious what sort of skill trees Crows or Lords of Fortune could have, are they rogues, or warriors, or both??

So far, that’s what i got in my head.Well, most of it anyways, i may have missed something but this post has to end somewhere lol

What’s in your head? Feel free to share! Have you been thinking on how you’ll create your next protagonist? All i can think of is magical rogues and that  glowing bow was all the hype i needed.

[cycleof-dusk]

"we’re gonna see each other again, right? right?"

i haven't played Beyond (i will eventually, probably) but this is set ambiguously after those events, and then the second part is sometime during late-LWS5

Everything is...over.

Over, but in a good way. There is no undead lich vizier from Orr, no angry ex-envoy, no fallen gods, no destroyers - well, there are destroyers, but those are...a larger, later problem. One they don't have the manpower for, holed up in the Eye.

But everything is over. The faces of their newfound friends are forever burned into their minds. But Elona and mainland Tyria are far, far from their minds, even as Tahlkora clasps their hands in hers.

"We're gonna see each other again, right? Right?"

Hikari laughs, and squeezes the Vabbian princess' hands. "We can't promise you anything, but we'll try. We...would like to go back home to Cantha, maybe, but..." She glances over her shoulder, where Olaf and Jora laugh over tankards by a small fire. "...we have a homestead I think that needs some fixing up, up in the Marches."

Yawen giggles next to her, and also gives Tahlkora's hands a squeeze. "But we'll write! We'll write so much, okay?!"

The Vabbian seems content with that, and nods, and catches back up with Koss and Melonni as they leave.

-

"You...you said that you both were alive...how long ago?" the sylvari asks, turning a piece of meat over the fire crackling in a small depression, off in the corner of the Eye of the North.

"Ehhh...over two hundred and fifty? I'd say about two-sixty now, give or take a year or so." Hikari flips a coin she'd found in the dirt. "It feels like just yesterday we were doing all of that stuff."

"Can you tell us? About the people? We know now that you knew Koss...what about others?" Aym leans in, a little too close to the fire, as Sionedda pulls her skewer from the flame; a stray curl singes just a bit and he simply tucks it away to deal with later. "When Koss and Kossan met, Koss mentioned someone."

"Melonni." Hikari and Yawen's voices echo. Yawen continues, "They were clueless about each other for so long, you know. We knew they'd gotten married, had children..." She pauses. "The general of Joko's that...that you ended up leaving in the Mists...Lonai. We...we knew her, too. Thank you for giving her peace."

"Of course. We found Koss' autobiography, with some journal entries. They...stormed the Bone Palace together," Sionedda explains. Neither ghost looks surprised.

"Then there was Tahlkora."

The commanders tilt their heads, waiting for the two women to go on. Hikari laughs.

"The spoiled princess. A Vabbian princess, daughter of one of the four Princes at the time. Her father was a good man. Always proud of what she'd accomplished. Loved books and knowledge, loved to write. She wrote us all the time, for a long time, and then...stopped. We got a letter a few years after the letters stopped, in a different hand, informing us of her death. It...was hard. We were old women by that time. But it was still hard." The elementalist stops flipping her coin and pulls her knees to her chest. "I remember her complaining that adventuring wasn't what she thought it would be because she hadn't yet seen anyone in a loincloth and I-" she bursts into bittersweet, wet giggles, "-I moved aside the front part of my skirt to flash her and prove otherwise." A sniffle.

"She threw sand at you and wouldn't speak you you for a week."

"Yeah."

There was a long pause, and rustles of movement from Aurene's lair - she and Sionedda were having a conversation the other three couldn't hear, and she abruptly stands, holding her hand out to the ghosts, even if just for show, to pull them up.

"I'm going to talk to Koss, and we're going to take a trip to Vabbi."

The teleport was fast, even if Koss was a little off balanced, and he has to take a long moment to take in the Branded remains of the Kodash Bazaar.

"Once all this Jormag and Primordus business is done," Sionedda says, also looking around, "I may ask Aurene to see if she can't start healing the Brand here, too." After a moment, she whistles for her griffon, instructs Koss to hold on, and nods to Aym, and off they fly.

They fly south, circling above a plateau for a few moments before finally landing; Hikari and Yawen materialize again, and for a moment, the two of them and Koss are confused - why were they brought out here, of all places?

"Uh...guys, there's-"

"Oh...old friends. These are not people I expected to ever see again." The remains of the last spearmarshal, in the center of the plateau, stir slightly, almost as if trying to stand to greet her allies. "It is good to see you again, whatever the circumstances may be."

There is only the wind, for a moment, before Koss kneels next to the remains. "...Tahlkora? Is...this isn't really you, is it?"

"I'm sorry, Koss. You don't deserve to see me like this. We don't deserve to see each other like this."

"Oh, Tahl..." Yawen and Hikari are stunned, eyes wide, and for a moment the commanders are worried they'll flee. But instead they kneel and hold a small, quiet moment of silence for their friend. "You deserved far better than this."

"Well," the spearmarshal's voice is lofty as she continues, "now who can I thank for that?"

The heroes of Elona, Cantha, and Tyria choke on their sobs, as the princess continues, "Do not blame yourselves for a fate I brought upon myself, my friends. We all did what we had to. We had to cross the Desolation. Koss and Lonai had to try and stand up to Joko. As did I, in my own way. I hope I've made you proud."

"We were never not proud of you, Tahlkora. Never."

[dreaming-gamer]

Hello, dear!😍😍😍❤❤❤

May I request for the dmc boys, especially our boys V and Nero, as dogs?👀👀👀

Like, if they are turned into dogs? What will happen?👀👀👀

You can answer it anytime you want, take your precious time, dear! I really love your works, and I hope you like this request of mine☺☺☺❤❤❤😍😍😍

Hello dearie! ❤️❤️❤️ Thank you so much for your sweet words and this request! I had a lot of fun with it ❤️❤️❤️ Sorry it took me so long to get it done. I hope you’ll like it! 😄😄😄❤️❤️❤️

Random headcanon (or short story): A day as dogs

Upon investigating a library filled to the brim with demonic lore, Nero and V have an unfortunate run-in with a magical trap. After suddenly being emerged in a cloud of smoke both of them find themselves in canine form. And when Griffon emerges, seeing them suddenly on four paws, his cackling laughter echoes throughout the room until Shadow growls at him.

Nero:

His first thought when being turned into a dog: Okay, something feels reeeally different. His sense of smell is a lot sharper but why does it feel like some of the colors of the world dimmed?    

His second thought: What the hell?

It’s so radically different from his Devil Trigger form, having two extra arms was pure instinct, easy to control but suddenly finding himself on all fours on two sets of paws and no thumbs to grip stuff? With something swishing behind him, oh, that’s a tail and it’s long and fluffy, how will Kyrie react, how is he supposed to go back to human?!

And when his questions all come out in the form of barks, an equal amount of disbelief and anger sets in. Griffon’s laughter doesn’t help but his first     uncoordinated attempts to get to the bird are very ineffective.    

Nero wants back to his human form NOW and Nico might not be a scientist but her self-proclaimed genius brain-cells have got to be able to find a solution, right?

White, fluffy fur all over him, he’s taken on the form of a Samoyed dog and he just knows Nico will make fun of him for it, but what other choice do they have? They need her help.

Carries the Red Queen in his mouth but has to ask Shadow to bring the Blue Rose along, his tail can’t really grab anything like his wings could.    

He can even understand Shadow now, what. Is. Going. On. And she’s slightly taller than him. It’s so weird, being stuck on all fours.    

Nero doesn’t want Kyrie to find out, she will be so worried and he just wants to go back to his old self. Unfortunately, since Nico has no clue how to fix this, she enlists Kyrie’s help in looking for whatever can help. The crew of Devil May Cry is away on their own missions and Nero takes that as a small blessing, as Dante would NEVER let him hear the end of it if he found out about this.

Kyrie has a hard time to not just smile at Nero’s adorable, fluffy Samoyed form. If Nero could blush in dog form he so would, especially as she looks at him with such adoration. But when that initial reaction is over, she is of course worried, wanting to know how and why this happened and what they can do about it to get him back to his true self.

They don’t tell the kids at the orphanage about it, but since he can’t do a lot to help in this dog form, Nero keeps an eye on them and they end up dragging him into playing with them. Who knew it could be so fun to play catch? Don’t tell Nico he said that. The kids absolutely adore him and Nero is 100% expecting them to beg Kyrie for permission to keep him, or for them to get another dog very soon...

V:

This is… peculiar. He’s now a Belgian Sheepdog, specifically a Groenendael, a long-haired black dog. The shift in how tall everything is compared to him suddenly is quite staggering.

He immediately makes his brain go through magic, rituals, demons, whatever on earth could have caused this particular condition in the two of them. Never has he heard of anything like it.    

His familiars are still available to him and Griffon’s laughter is not helping even a little. The avian even takes to calling him pet names of the more canine variety in his moments of glee. It’s not “Princess” or “Shakespeare” no more, here comes “Fido” and “Sir Pooch”, to V’s slight annoyance.

Shadow on the other time is confused, but delighted. Her master is now around her size and it gives her joy to be able to look after him more properly. V can also communicate with her more directly now, actually able to tell what she wishes to say without having to ask for an interpretation from Griffon, or by judging from her feelings that get transmitted through their bond.

V is surprised at how happy she is about the whole situation, but ultimately it’s a warm feeling spreading in his chest at how much of a mothercat she is towards him, even in this form. However, he gratefully declines her offer to hunt for him for now. He would very much prefer to consume his next meal as a human.    

He is not at all surprised that Nico brings out a camera to snap photos of them when they arrive, he just obediently sits on his hind-legs, waiting for her to be satisfied and willing to listen. Nero on the other hand drags it out while demanding to know why she feels that is necessary and she would only dare show Dante!

They must communicate anything they wish to say through Griffon, but any words that they attempt to speak come out as a chorus of barks, so V and Nero takes turns to tell Griffon what to tell Nico. Only sometimes, the avian phrases his translation in a way that annoys the Queen of Machines, making an argument break out. Some convincing barks get them back on track, somewhat.

Attempts to help as much as he can while in this limiting form, but not being able to really turn a page in a book without either tearing at it with his paws, or getting slobber on it from using his mouth, it feels much too ineffective to have Nico or Kyrie constantly turn the pages for him. And V has such respect for books that he doesn’t want to destroy any of them. He wishes to be useful in finding a solution, but everything he says has to be translated by Griffon and often not in the detail V would wish for.    

It is… surprisingly relaxing to just lay down, listening to them rustling with the pages of books in their search, scribbling down notes or humming in thought. V’s now more sensitive hearing takes him by surprise from time to time, at how clearly he picks up sounds. How many nuances there are to it.    

Without noticing, the light  crackling of the lit fire in the fireplace has a downright sleep-inducing effect on him. Not to mention that the floor in the front of it is so blissfully warm and comforting. V nods off in a nap that might have been long overdue.

How they change back:

V:

“Someone looks like they don’t mind their new lifestyle.” Nico’s snicker and the click of the camera make the vestiges of slumber withdraw from his mind and V looks up from his place by the fireplace to find her grinning face. Her expression turns almost apologetic.

“Sorry, did I wake ya?” Nico sits down in an easy squat next to him, hand   stretched out to pet him but she stops her hand, close to his dark, fluffy fur. As if she just remembered that hey, he’s actually only a dog in look and not in mind at the moment. Maybe he’s not fine with her just petting him out of the blue.

V smirks, or as much as he manages with his canine mouth, however the  musculature seems different and feels different. Instead he lets his tail wiggle, just a little. She may pet him. Never would he have taken Nico as a dog person but as her grins widens and she scratches him behind his ears, he learns that those fingers that have been coated in oil a million times eases his tension with relative ease. It’s quite the soothing feeling. The smell of cigarette smoke from her doesn’t even bother his nose too much.

“Ye gonna give a poetic recounting for how life as a dog is, once ye turn back?” She jokes, continuing to soothe as she scratches and pets him. V slowly lays down again, just welcoming the nice touches. His back twitches as he chuckles, or at least he would in human form, it more comes out in the form of a huff. It helps that she sounds so sure that he will turn back and not spend the rest of his life as a dog. Though at the moment, that thought doesn’t even seem so bad. But he would miss books terribly much.    

Out of the blue however, Nico wraps her arms around his form, giving him a big hug. Just as she seemingly enjoys the feeling of his fur under her cheek, V feels something change and fast.     

Nausea hits as his vision morphs, adding more hues of color than he had just gotten used to. He closes his eyes, feeling the rest of the change to his body goes much quicker, as if by magic. Legs and arms relocate themselves, paws transforming into hands but with no pain.    

There’s a hint of a sweet smelling smoke left in the air as he coughs, Nico’s arms slowly letting go of him, her eyes wide behind her glasses and her mouth in the shape of a huge ‘o’, a soft “Oh-hee” being mumbled under her breath.

V’s looking like a human again, as if nothing was amiss in the first place. Frankly, the loss of fur suddenly makes him feel a bit chilled as he is only wearing his usual sleeveless leather coat and pants. Thankfully, the warmth  spreading from the fireplace helps.    

“I’m a genius.” The confident glint in Nico’s eyes brings out a chuckle from V as he has a hard time to imagine that Nico’s hug was really the reason he suddenly found himself back in human form. Nico’s eyes snap to him, but there’s a grin evident on her face. “Welcome back sir Pooch.”

“Please do erase the existence of that nickname from your mind.” It feels surprisingly weird to speak in human words again but from now on, he won’t take that for granted. 

Nico just grins at him and he is not taking it as an affirmative. She raises from the floor, holding out her hand for him to take. He does and it feels good to come back to his usual height, how the world used to look.    

“Gonna see how the jackass is doing. Ye comin’ with?”

“I’ll leave that to you.” V softly picks up a book from the bookshelves, he has felt a longing to read after all. The touch of a hard leather cover feels good, the weight just right in his hand. “I have some reading up to do.” He smirks. Finding out the source of this particular adventure would be preferable. Shadow brushes against his side, ultimately happy he’s back to his original self, from what he can tell. Perhaps he should write a recollection of this, in the form of poems...

Nero:

After spending most of the day as a dog, Nero tries to activate his Devil Trigger to see if it can cancel the whole transformation, or if he will turn into a doggo with wings. Sadly neither of the cases happens. In fact, nothing does.

Kyrie pats him when his sad puppy eyes breaks her heart. Her embrace is as calming as ever when she hugs him tight and tells him everything will be alright. Hums a calming tone next to his fluffy ears.

Her scent is even better than he’s used to, thanks to his heightened sense of smell. It’s a calming scent of something flowery, making him let out a sound of content. Only it sounds like a huff. His ears pull back in excitement.

But suddenly, that flowery scent is overpowered by a new, sweet scent that coats the inside of his nose and by the Qliphoth, what is that and where did the smoke come from, why is his body suddenly feeling stretchy but there’s no pain to speak of--

The spell and smoke wears off, leaving Nero finding himself in a very sweet embrace with Kyrie. Why or how it wore off, he doesn’t care, he just beams and holds on to her, his love for her and the kids having grown a little bit from the whole ordeal. Hey, even his clothes came back, however that could be. Nero shrugs it off as ‘magic’.

“Welcome back.” Kyrie’s soft voice and kind smile is all he ever wanted to behold. Nero feels as if he never wishes her to go.    

“It’s real good to be back.” He grins, moving in for a kiss.              

Only for him to snap his head back at the sudden sound of the door being thrown open behind them.    

“Aw man, I guess Kyrie’s got ye covered huh? V’s back too!” She snickers. “Don’t worry, I’ll give ye copies of yer ‘day as a dog’ pictures.” Nero blushes furiously, cheeks red as tomatoes as he shouts at her to get out.

Aftermath:

Upon returning to the library, making sure to be protected by charms against spells this time, they find a diary depicting how the spell trap was a hastily scribbled together joke spell that the self-proclaimed librarian had set up. It was never meant to last very long, but one way to break the spell early was through a “physical sign of caring.” Finding the inscriptions for it was easy enough once they started to look and hopefully, erasing the lines would mean no one else had to go through this strange series of events. Ultimately, V felt as if this experience had not been all bad. It does make him realize he feels more comfortable with his own skin than he had previously realized.

[etlunainmorte]

***

A few moments later, Dante arrived at the other side. But, his path was blocked by V, himself, who was standing still, his back turned away from him.

"You alright there, V?" Dante asked as he scratched his temple in confusion. "Aren't we - ?"

"Yes, we are." V cut him off, raising his metal cane and using it to point at something before the two of them. "We have finally arrived."

The younger brother followed V's line of sight, and what he saw before him simply took his breath away.

"Holy mama - !" Dante breathed in awe at the marvelous sight.

***

🌙 To You Who Rejected Me 🌙

***

III

***

"Holy mama - !" Dante breathed in awe at the marvelous sight.

And who could blame him?

What V and Dante saw was a small group of herders, men, women, and children, walking towards the edge of the forest not far from where they were.

However, the brothers were aware that this group of people weren't just mere herders. Aside from the fact that they were dressed entirely different from the tourists and locals of Delphi, the animals that were with them were the kind that the brothers haven't seen before. In fact, it was safe to say that they would never see those kinds of creatures roaming around where they came from.

They were horses and stags. But, not just any kind of horses or stags.

The horses have two pairs of wings, a pair of twisted horns, like a goat's, and the smallest of them stood at least seven feet tall. The stags were of the same height as the horses but, they have long and twisted horns that seemingly gleamed when exposed to direct sunlight.

And they looked absolutely breath taking.

"Those horses don't look like Geryons to me." Griffon, who let go of Dante's back and landed on V's waiting arm, whispered.

"They don't look demonic to me, at all." Dante added.

"Look." V whispered, pointing at the group of herders, and Dante and Griffon did as they were told. The children, aside from the fact that they looked unearthly beautiful for their ages, seemed to float with every step they make. Like they were hovering when they skipped. And the adults? Aside from the fact that they were the most graceful group of people the brothers have ever seen, their ears,... were pointed.

"Do you think those are," Dante whispered. " ... Elves?"

"The peace - loving kind, yes." V answered as quietly as he could.

It took them quite a while before they could even make a single move. Seeing all these were foreign to the brothers, and they simply couldn't take their eyes off the otherworldly sight. And when they finally vanished through that forest, they realized that none of them has made a single move to go on with their quest.

"What now?" Griffon asked a few moments later.

"What?" Dante answered absent - mindedly, his eyes still fixed on the spot where the Elves and the strange creatures walked.

"We can't just stand here all day! Ugh!" Griffon screeched, his shrill voice piercing through the quiet and peaceful atmosphere. "V, what do we do?"

"We go through that forest and follow those Elves." The poet answered, not sure what to do next after that. Which proved how unprepared they really were in going through with this wild plan.

Dante and Griffon didn't say anything else as they finally made the first step towards the Elven realm. And as they ventured, they saw more and more wondrous sights before them. The wild and exotic birds that made unique and curious little noises. The soft, sentient glow in the grass where they walked. The pastel colored sky where other, unknown creatures of all shapes and sizes freely flew. Even the sweet scent of the cool air. Everything looked and felt amazing. Breath taking.

And as they were about to enter the forest, V turned, took one last look at where they came from and saw, with wide awed eyes, the temple of the God Apollo.

Except that it was no longer in ruins. It stood tall and proud and majestic. As if the gears of time turned to restore it to its former glory and honor.

As if it was never destroyed by war, or time, or people who turned their backs on Apollo and neglected it.

*

Their short and peaceful walk through the forest proved to be their only reprieve from the things that were about to come their way.

As much as they wanted to stay longer in the forest, to see more strange creatures, to look at the weird and wonderful plants, flowers, and trees, and most of all, to rest their tired bones, even for just a little while, they still, unfortunately, have a score to settle. A problem to solve. Not to mention a group of murderous Elves still hot on their trails. So, they couldn't afford to stop now. Not now when they've come so far. They must go on with their journey.

And as their eyes wandered through the city they just entered, they felt more and more unsure of what to do next. For one thing, some folks were beginning to notice how strange they looked. Plus, they haven't eaten breakfast.

V, on the other hand, would not be deterred by hunger. Never.

"I think we should start looking for her." V stated, ignoring his rumbling stomach, as he cautiously looked all over the place.

"Where should we begin? I mean, look at this place!" Dante said as he waved a hand on what's before them: a bustling crowd amidst a busy town with small white buildings and stalls owned by merchants offering all sorts of food and items. "At least this thick crowd is good for some cover. Those killer Elves won't even realize we're here."

"I got some disguises!" Griffon, who just flew down carrying some stuff on his talons, happily and proudly announced.

"How and where did you get these?" V asked as he received some clean white linens from the demonic bird.

"From an old man with funny ears. And oh, I asked nicely." Griffon answered, and V knew it was a lie.

"Hey, this would totally help!" Dante agreed as he took one hot pink linen from the familiar's talons and covered his head and face with it. "How do I look?"

V didn't utter a word in fear that he might offend his brother because of how hideous he looked, and instead focused his attention back to the busy crowd. "I wonder if they're celebrating something?"

"Who knows?" Dante answered in a higher pitch in an effort to disguise his voice, as well.

"Put on yer disguise, V! We have a lot to do and we must hurry! Chop, chop!" Griffon commanded as he put on a polka - dot patterned linen over his head to cover his horns. Which, unsurprisingly, didn't do really well for a disguise.

"How do we do this? Do we just ask around?" Dante asked, once again in his high - pitched voice, as he pulled the linen lower to his face.

V narrowed his eyes at his younger brother for his shenanigans, and pointed, with his cane, at the tallest and most imposing building he could see from a distance. "The Elf who rescued us said she's the future Queen. Assuming she's a Princess," He brought down his cane, wore the white linen like a scarf around his neck, and gestured with his head towards that building he was pointing at. " ... it would make perfect sense if we go look for her there first."

Dante, with his mouth wide open, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right." He said in his normal voice. "Let's do this."

The three did not waste any more time. Squeezing in through the crowd of Elves dressed in all manner of weird and wonderful clothing, they made their way towards the castle but, the closer they got to it, the harder it was to walk through. And as they got closer and closer towards the huge iron gates of the castle, they found out what's causing all of this.

Apparently, a bard and a jester were performing on a platform right in front of the gates of the castle. And what's more, a group of heavily armored guards were on stand by next to the platform.

Which spells trouble for V, Dante, and Griffon.

"How do we get past that?!" Griffon, whose talons held onto V's back, said, craning his neck to see past the sea of heads to witness what's going on.

"I guess we just wait for this clown show to finish." Dante answered as he crossed his arms and started to casually watch the said clown show.

"Then, we make our move." V added as he watched the jester perform magic tricks as the bard sang in time.

As the crowd went ooh and aah with every trick the jester performed, V noticed some kind of pattern in his movements. He saw how the jester manifested some rings of energy of different sizes and colors with his fingertips, scattering them around him and invading the entire stage. He also noticed how the bard, despite him not knowing a single word of what she's singing, pronounced the lyrics, like she was actually reciting some form of poetry, and not just any kind of song. V saw how the jester made those rings of energy with each phrase she sang, and when the tone of her song got higher and somewhat more ominous sounding, the jester suddenly spread his arms wide open. And when he brought them together with a loud clap of his hands, the rings moved, ascending into the sky with such speed. 

The crowd got even more excited as the jester started performing some kind of a ritualistic - looking dance, and the rings of light started moving towards the middle, slowly aligning, as the bard went on singing. With one last snappy movement of the jester and with the highest note of the bard's song, the rings finally aligned, then merged into one huge ring which reflected so many colors. And when the performance ended, the ring exploded, its many colorful shards filling the air and falling down on the audience. 

V noticed everyone around him catching a shard of their own as a souvenir, so he did the same. And what happened next made his eyes wide with both surprise and amusement. The shard transformed into a piece of paper the moment it made contact with his skin. And on the piece of paper were words written in a language he, of course, couldn't understand.

And with that final magic trick, the crowd finally started to dissipate.

"I can't wait to see the Convergence!" A young girl dreamily told her friend as they made their way back to the market area of the city. "I want to see it with my own eyes."

Convergence?

"I agree with that." Her friend answered. "Fifty years is just too long for such a spectacle."

"I don't care! As long as I get to witness the Millennial Coronation, I'm satisfied."

Millennial Coronation?

"V, look!" The poet heard his brother's voice, and when he turned his attention back to their mission, he saw the guards leaving the platform to open the gates of the castle.

"Now's our chance!" Griffon whispered as he moved closer to V.

V hid the piece of paper in his pocket and followed Dante on his way to the gate.

This is it! It's all or nothing,...

"Where," All of a sudden, they heard a voice behind them, startling them and making them turn around in caution. " ... do you think you're going?"

When V saw the man who spoke those words, he felt a chill run up and down his spine in a very awful manner. Dressed and poised in a very intimidating way, with his weapon, a long sword, drawn and in clear view, V couldn't help but feel both nervous and slightly frightened before him.

V knew his limits. He can, more or less, analyze how strong his enemy is. V knew when or when not to attack.

And this,...

This was definitely one of those times they should avoid having a fight,...

The man before them smiled, his green eyes shimmering with threat, and his hard, yet ethereal, facial features seemingly mocking their very existence. "Well?" He pressed on, authority emanating from that single word alone.

"Oh!" Dante stammered, again in his high pitched tone. "We're here to,... ahh,... visit someone! Yeah."

Fuck! V savagely thought. Not now, Dante. NOT NOW!

But, V knew warnings were useless now.

"And who, might I ask, is the person you wanted to grace with a visit?" The man pried even further.

Dante's eyes grew wide as he held up a single finger. "The Princess! Yes!"

"Gahhh!" Griffon whispered as he hid his face with his wing in shame of what Dante just did.

"THEM!" They heard another voice, and when they turned to see who it was, they saw a short old man with long and twisted ears pointing an accusing and shriveled finger at them. And to make matters even worse, he was accompanied with a group of armored guards.

The old man with the funny ears!

"THEY STOLE MY TOILET LINENS!" The old man howled in agony.

"I'm surprised!" The man boomed, grinning as he pointed his weapon at them, making the other guards do the same. "I didn't know the Princess is expecting a couple of thieves as guests!" And with a sudden frown, he added. "Mortals who associate and procreate with Demons!"

Fuck,... - !

Despite V's warning, Dante unsheathed his Rebellion, clearly looking like he was awfully itching for a good fight. And when he snatched the pink linen from his face, threw it on the ground, and gave a challenging look, he spoke, "Took you long enough to figure that out." He drew his weapon and gestured with his finger, taunting the Elven male. "Let's rock, Legolas!"

"Oh, sweetheart, you don't know what you've gotten yourself into,..."

None of them, even Dante himself, was able to attack the moment they heard that silken, female voice and felt a powerful presence just behind them. And even when they turned around to see who, or what it was, they only felt wind pass through them like they were nothing.

"Pulling magic tricks, eh, Legolas?" Dante said and was about to raise the Rebellion when he suddenly stopped moving.

Like something was controlling him.

It was too late. The moment Dante howled with pain and dropped his weapon to the ground, a woman with long, platinum colored hair emerged from behind Legolas and winked at him.

It was her. That powerful presence V felt,...

It came from her.

Legolas nodded with approval at the woman. "Wonderful as always, Gladiola." The man said and pointed at Dante with his sword, who was still struggling where he stood. "Do your work, my sister." He commanded with such spite.

The poet tried to react in time. He raised his left hand, ready to snap his fingers to summon his strongest familiar when the woman named Gladiola made a gesture with her fingers. And when she did, V instantly felt numb all over his body. The action she made also forced Griffon back to his body as tattoos, and the moment she made another graceful and fluid gesture with her fingers, both he and Dante fell on the ground, defeated without even a single fight.

So, this,... is the power of the Elves,... V thought as he helplessly watched the man sheath his sword, satisfied with the victory his sister has brought him.

"D - don't,... you dare - !" Dante growled through gritted teeth as he watched the guards take the Rebellion and V's cane away. He looked up and saw Gladiola smiling down at him, her gaze both alluring and deadly. She walked closer towards him, knelt down, and touched Dante's hair, the action instantly knocking him out unconscious. She, then, stood, and went straight to where V was.

The last things the poet saw before he closed his eyes were her melancholic green ones, and her stoic facial expression as she laid a hand down his head.

***

🌙 Tagging @la-vita , @dreaming-gamer , @thottyonmainsquid , and @birdgirl69 .🌙

***

🌙

***

[sethrine-writes]

Smile, Light of the World

Fandom:  Devil May Cry 5

Pairing:  V x Reader

Words:  2335

Warnings:  Mild sexual tension, Mildly suggestive

Commission Request:  900 words, set within their fic’s universe, some sexual tension between V and the Reader that is built up without touch until the very end, where a small gesture unravels the tension into a tasteful fade-to-black.

A/N:  This was a commission by the positively lovely @fivetail/@one-equal-temper It was such a delight to delve into the world of One Equal Temper! Thank you so very much for commissioning me! As you can see, I got carried away in the best of ways.

------

Thankfully, the day was clear and bright with the sun’s rays beating down upon the ruined, upturned city that was Redgrave. It was a beautiful early afternoon to what might as well have been considered the tail-end start to the end of the world, but a beautiful day, nonetheless.

Already, the plants on your balcony were looking a bit perkier than normal. With the days tending to be on the dreary end, courtesy of the massive demon tree growing toward the sky some distance away, you were beginning to worry over a few that really needed the sunlight. By whatever graces above, perhaps a farce of luck from below, they were getting exactly that, thriving through the impending-apocalyptic state of the city you called home.

The thought of it had you grinning as you carefully snipped away a few dead leaves from some of the smaller greenery. All those tall plants were greedy little things, soaking up the most light – you would have to move some things around to ensure they all had a chance to flourish in the warmth of the day.

“There is a Smile of Love, and there is a Smile of Deceit-”

You paused in your pruning, turning from your crouched position to find V leaning against the opened balcony door, eyes roving the page of his poetry book as he held it before him.

“-And there is a Smile of Smiles, in which these two Smiles meet.”

“I don’t think I’ve heard you recite that one, before,” you spoke almost wistfully. V’s voice had a way of making you feel like that when he read to you, spoke to you, wistful and longing and soothed to the very soul.

“The moment felt adequate,” he mused, eyes continuing where he left off from the poem. He must have been keen on just saying those few lines, and that was fine. He had a tendency of doing that, and whatever words were said usually had some sort of significance to them.

It was a rather sweet gesture that he let you in on his inner thoughts through those very poems he so loved; at least, you assumed it was.

What did he mean by those particular words, exactly?

“So, which one is mine?”

Your question must have caught the mysterious man off-guard, because he looked a tad on the surprised side at your inquiry, nearly confused.

“Which one is your…?”

“My smile,” you iterated, “which one is it? Loving, deceitful, maybe somewhere in the middle? Maybe it’s none of those. Huh, never really thought about it, until now.”

You watched V’s expression change to that of thoughtfulness, and you wondered briefly if he hadn’t quite thought of it, either. No, that didn’t seem right – V wouldn’t have recited such an obvious thing that eluded to something more if he didn’t have any intent behind it. It may have been presumptuous of you to think he was referring to your smile, in general.

The question, then, was why had he said anything, to begin with?

The prompt snap of V’s book had you almost jumping out of your own thoughts. He was smiling, plush lips lilting to one side and green eyes holding the twinkle of something you couldn’t quite place, like a little secret, one you were privy to, but hadn’t realized you knew of, yet.

“Perhaps that is a question better answered another time.”

He held your gaze for a moment longer, and the contact felt exposing, electrifying. You waited until he finally turned away to let out a semi-shaky breath, blinking a few times to compose yourself.

That was…that was definitely strange, but in a good way.

The sun was getting a tad too warm against your neck and your face, you decided, and the ache in your head was becoming more pronounced. It was time to go inside.

It was an apt excuse to the warmth in your cheeks, at least.

---

Something had changed during that bright, sunny day, something you couldn’t quite put your finger on, not at first.

Whatever it was, it was subtle, if not maddening.

V still went out during the day, doing his best to rid the surrounding area of any lingering demons while venturing further to eliminate what he could. He would come back, always a bit haggard, casting a lingering, lilting smile your way as Griffon squawked his praises and tribulations of the day and pestered you for the hell of it, if not just to get a rise out of you. Shadow would come out to soothe you, sometimes even growling out at Griffon for being too wordy, hilariously enough, and then you would head to bed with a little wave and a small smile, only to start the day over again come morning.

It was the same routine, but things had shifted. The dynamic between you and V had changed yet again to something just a bit more.

And neither of you were acting on it.

Not only was it excruciating, but it was also damn near driving you crazy. You were both playing by rules you didn’t even know had been set out. Nothing was necessarily different, but it was, and the tension between you both would drive even the most mundane of fools insane, you were sure of it.

For some reason, one of the unwritten, unspoken rules was to avoid physical contact. Not even a tap of fingers, and it was something you didn’t even realize was a thing until you very nearly dropped V’s mug of hot chocolate as you passed it to him at even the promise of a lingering touch.

The motion hadn’t gone unnoticed, nor had V made any inclination that he would broach the subject of whatever it was that was happening.

How utterly maddening, indeed.

In an effort to ease your tremulous thoughts one evening, you had taken to fiddling with the hospital band around your wrist, having already read your personal information on it over and over again. Surely, you were doomed to read it a few hundred times more, especially with the odd way you were feeling at that moment, fidgety and all too aware of the closeness between you and V.

He had taken it upon himself to rest right beside you on the couch that evening, the day’s events having worn him out more than usual. You hadn’t moved, lest you accidentally woke him, and found yourself gazing about and losing yourself in thought for all of barely half an hour. He had woken up from his rather brief nap some time ago, gracing you with yet another small smile, then promptly pulled out his book of poems to read over idly in the quiet.

V didn’t seem at all interested or even worried by your close proximity to him, neither commenting on the matter nor moving away. In fact, when you attempted to move, he simply stopped you with that soothing voice of his, looking up from his book to fix you with an intense, imploring stare.

“I rather enjoy the company, if you don’t mind indulging me,” he admitted quietly, and you were damned if you didn’t feel that admittance in your very heart.

So you stayed upon the couch as he read in the quiet of the room, nothing but the sound of the wind picking up outside from time to time as well as the beat of your heart pounding away in your eardrums and very nearly causing an uncomfortable headache, in the process. He didn’t seem at all concerned with your fidgeting fingers, either, or the light smack of your lips as you attempted to ignore the small distance between you, but unable to figure out exactly what to do with yourself besides remaining in his company, as if doing so satisfied both you and him equally.

It did, but it wasn’t something you were willing to dwell on for long.

“Geez, kid, you look wrung out! Didn’t take you for the kind to be on that crazy stuff, but, y’know, end of the line, and all that.”

Griffon’s voice had startled you something fierce, not having expected the avian demon to appear like that upon the pushed back coffee table. You jumped, feeling your heart nearly skip a beat as your hand pushed down hard beside you, fingers just grazing smooth leather-

“I’ll be right back,” you all but said in a rush as you nearly flew upward in your attempt to stand, nearly tripping yourself in your haste to move away, at least far enough where you couldn’t feel the tension as strongly.

You could hear Griffon making a ruckus about having said the wrong thing for all of a moment before the apartment was quiet again. You waited out a few minutes in the bedroom, taking in deep breaths and attempting to will your heart back into a semi-steady rhythm.

Something was there, but neither of you had been willing to breach the pull, to break the tension that seemed to hold you both suspended in…something or other. At the rate you were going, the tension was going to kill you.

It made you nervous, not knowing what to expect. It made you want to make whatever was being left out in the open happen, just to rid yourself of the anxious feeling and finally get somewhere.

When you turned to move back into the living room, you very nearly ran right into V, barely avoiding colliding against his towering form with a sharp gasp.

In the dim, fading light of the sunset through the bedroom window, his expression almost looked worried.

“I’m okay,” you murmured, but even your quiet words sounded far too loud in the silence that surrounded you.

You made to take a step back, but V followed you with his own step forward, and you were suddenly even closer to the man than you were before. You could very nearly feel the heat that emanated from his form, comforting as it was tempting, devastatingly so.

Whatever concern had been within his gaze had disappeared with the shift in the atmosphere, and once more, you were being suffocated in the cloying energy that had created tension between you several days ago. Speaking was out of the question; you were barely able to keep your breathing in check, let alone question exactly what was happening, if what was happening was even allowed, at that point.

V raised his hand slowly, allowing you to track the movement with your own eyes. The glint of silver against his skin caught your attention, the elongated ring that adorned him and made his long fingers look even more elegant by proxy glinting in the fading light. You followed the glossy metal’s closeness until you could no longer see it as his hand passed your face, nearly out of sight of your peripheral.

The tickling sensation of barely-there fingertips against your jawline was a startling, liberating feeling.

V was walking a thin line, apparently, teetering on the edge of breaking the tension that was coming to a head right at that moment. He was playing coy, perhaps under the pretense of not wanting to spook you away, after all that build-up.

That was what you wanted, wasn’t it, though? You wanted the tension to stop, for whatever silly game you were both playing to just end so you could finally breathe in his presence without feeling like your heart was ready to jump out of your throat.

Was it possible that, given the moment, given his current actions, he felt the same way?

You reached out hesitantly towards him, fingers brushing against what felt like thin strings, though you were unable to look away from V’s intense gaze to rightfully say so. You tugged, regardless, and felt the leathery, twine-like string loosen with the motion until the small knotted bow had been effectively unraveled.

V made no move to stop you. You were in no mood to stop.

With slow, careful movements, your fingers unraveled the string corseting V’s coat together, the dark leather coming apart in slow increments until there was nothing hindering you from parting the material and revealing the inked skin of his abdomen to the slight coolness of the room.

There was hesitation in your next move, as it was new territory, a line in the sand you had yet to cross with V. Any worries were quickly being deemed unnecessary by the way V was looking at you, intense and eager for whatever lay ahead.

You inhaled sharply at the feeling of his skin against your palm but a moment later, and the quiet groan of satisfaction that parted his lips was downright sinful.

The following kiss was expected, a natural progression to the tension finally snapping. Even so, you weren’t sure who had succumbed first to the need to be close, closer, closer still, bodies pressing against each other and clumsy hands roaming with quick swipes and rougher-than-necessary squeezes before easing into soothing caresses that spanned limbs and torsos and faces.

When you finally pulled away for air, you were laughing, breathless and delirious on the high that was V.

“Are you alright, my Starlight?”

V was faring no better, pale face slightly flushed and lips looking even plumper from your brash kisses. It was a look you found you rather liked on him, one you wouldn’t mind seeing again and again, as long as you still had on earth.

You smiled at him, full and sincere.

There was a look in his eyes, the one you noticed from before on that oddly sunny day but only just then recognized, thoughtful and contemplative and heated.

“And no Smile that ever was smild, but only one Smile alone, that betwixt the Cradle & Grave-”

“Shut up, and kiss me again,” you mumbled, stepping up on tiptoes to reach those poetic lips of his. All he could do in that moment was comply, and he did so without preamble.

[zenithlux]

Cadence Update - CH 13

SURPRISE

I know I said I was going to lower my updates, but then I went on a writing spree and my backlog is back up to a good level. So here we were! With a random Sunday update! Hope you enjoy  🥰 🥰

In which Nero and Vergil finally talk for longer than a minute and Roxy shows off a special talent.

Catch up on the story here!

------------

Ain’t nobody bring us down, down, down down, down, down They could try but we’re gonna wear the crown You could go another round Round, round, round, round, round, round Wish you luck, but you’re not bringing us down

POP/STARS - KDA

------------

Nero visited Devil May Cry two hours before Vergil planned to move out.

It was spectacular timing on his part for a multitude of reasons. Vergil had had every intention to leave that morning instead, but Dante had practically begged that Vergil stay one more day to “leave things in good shape”. Then, just a few hours after that, Vergil had unplugged the phone, ensuring no distractions that weren’t personal, and forwarded half a day's wages to Dante instead so his brother wouldn’t complain. (At least, not more than he was going to already). The only reason Vergil hadn’t left yet was because he was waiting on Roxy’s return message and had gotten distracted reorganizing the admittedly meager pile of books in Dante’s old duffel bag. 

So, when Nero walked in with the confidence of a skittish feline, Vergil assumed the best thing to do was get the disappointment out of the way first. “Dante’s not here.”

Nero’s eyes narrowed, but he did stand a little straighter. Vergil wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. “I’m not here for him, jackass.” 

That gave Vergil pause. And, for a long moment, he simply stared into the abyss of the half-empty bag before him, as it was marginally easier than meeting the eyes of his son. Thankfully, regaining his composure took only a few seconds, and he turned with his usual, indifferent grace. “Is that so?”

“Crazy ain’t it?” Nero muttered as he plopped down on the couch. “But I promised Kyrie I’d come, and I’ve been pummeled by Nico more than enough for the year.” He glanced at Vergil without really looking at him. “So let’s talk, old man.”

That was the closest thing to ‘father’ Vergil had ever gotten from Nero. He was also painfully aware of what that said about the current state of their relationship.  “What about?” Vergil said carefully. The last thing he wanted was for Nero to storm right back out the front door and proclaim him a lost cause (or something like that). Though, given the sound of the van that had to be lingering about a block away, he had a feeling that Nico would run Nero down before letting that happen. “We’ve attempted this before.”

“Yeah we have,” Nero said, his confidence returning as he stretched out on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. Except that only made Vergil tense up even more. This was the first time he had ever seen Nero in this relaxed state without Vergil himself being banished to another room. What did Nero want from him? What was he expecting him to do? It could be anything, really. Kyrie had mentioned the children at the orphanage. Nico had mentioned the influx of silly jobs that had kept Nero from the more important things. Dante had mentioned a potential clean up and rebuilding of Redgrave City. And while all of those things were important, Vergil knew he couldn’t agree to any of it. Not right now. Not when he finally had someone who needed him. Someone who wanted to rely on him. Not someone who felt obligated to.

So what would he do if Nero asked? If he said no… would things go back to the way they were?

“Nico told me you’ve got a new job.”

Vergil blinked, momentarily stunned before he caught himself. “And where did she hear that?” 

Nero snorted with a rather dramatic, Dante-esque eye roll. “Where do you think?”

“Dante had no right to…”

“It’s that woman, right?” Nero said. “Roxanna or something like that?”

Vergil resisted the urge to sigh. “Yes,” He admitted, impressed at how even his voice was. “I am assisting her for the time being.”

“That’s a whole lot of words for ‘babysitter’”. 

That time, Vergil didn’t bother hiding his annoyance. “Do not patronize her,” He said. “It was difficult enough for her to request anyone’s help. The last thing she needs is my family belittling her for her courage.”

At first, Nero said nothing, but Vergil didn’t miss the way his son’s jaw dropped before he thought to clench it. “I’ll admit,” Nero said, his voice as stiff as his posture. “I expected you to defend yourself.”

Perplexed, Vergil said, “for what, exactly?”

Nero shook his head. “Look,” He said as he practically jumped off the couch. “I know you and I started off on the wrong foot. Most dads don’t greet their sons with a sword to the gut.”

“Neither do most sons.”

Nero shrugged. “You deserved it.”

“And I knew you’d live.”

“Bullshit,” He snapped before taking a slow breath and continuing. “You’ve done a lot of pretty terrible stuff, and I ain’t quite ready to forgive ya.” He bounced a little from foot to foot but met Vergil’s gaze with perfect clarity. “But I’d be an idiot to wait for you to make up for all of that.” When Vergil didn’t respond (what did one say to such a statement?), Nero continued. “I came here to ask for a favor. Something you could do to prove that you really have changed or aren’t the bad guy or whatever.” Nero shrugged again; a nervous tick? Maybe. Vergil hadn’t observed him enough to know. “But then Dante mentioned that job, and Nico confirmed it and I just…” He sighed. “That’s proof enough, right?” 

“That isn’t for me to decide.”

“Course not,” Nero said. “But I need to stop being an ass about it and give you a chance.”

And of all the things Nero could have said, that shocked Vergil the most. And for the first time in as long as he could remember, he didn’t have a clue what to say. “You… what?”

Nero huffed. “You heard me.”

“Yes, but…”

“Look,” Nero said as he jabbed his finger into Vergil’s chest before Vergil realized his son had even crossed the room. “All I’m asking is that you prove to me and to everyone else that you’re serious about this. Got it? No more towers or giant trees or whatever it is that demons try to raise nowadays.” Vergil started to speak, but Nero cut him off. “Sure. You have that half-demon form of yours, and I’m sure as hell not telling you to stop using it. But for now, you’re human, just like the rest of us.”

Vergil felt numb. Yes was the obvious and easy answer. Yet his heart seized at the thought. Human. He was human… did he even know what that meant anymore?  He’d never had a chance to be human before. He’d never wanted to be.

But that’s what he was doing. These jobs. His friendship with Roxy. This entire conversation…

Slowly, he nodded. “That’s all I’m trying to do.”

That, at the very least, was the truth.

Nero sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Then I have one more request.”

“And that would be…”

A sudden HONK startled them both, followed by the screeching of tires. Dante’s voice echoed into the building, “are we going kid or not?”

Vergil’s eyes narrowed. “Going where?”

Nero chuckled sheepishly. “To see your new pad.”

“And why is Dante in the van?”

“Nico’s already there,” Nero said. “Dante had planned to go ahead of us but Nico wasn’t too keen on that so…”

“Why would Dante go first?”

Now, Nero’s face was scarlet. “Something about buttering her up or enjoying dinner or something. I’m not really…”

He trailed off as Vergil slung the bag over his shoulder, and grabbed a spare backpack as he stormed past Nero with murder in his eyes. 

-----------------

The van was the only reason all three of them got there in one piece, as Vergil had no interest in paying Nico to fix it. 

Dante’s jacket, however, wasn’t so lucky.

“That was my best one,” Dante sniffed as he shivered despite the almost sweltering heat. The jacket itself was in the van’s trash can, shredded to unwearable pieces. Of course, Vergil knew he had another one to replace it. He wasn’t that cruel. But his brother had to learn somehow.

Learn what exactly, Shakespeare? Griffon huffed.

Vergil didn’t have an answer to that.

“I didn’t even do anything wrong!” Dante said as his expression twisted into a goofy grin. “I was just going to be nice to Sunshine Verge! I’ve gotta cheer her up before she has to deal with you for the rest of however long.”

“Shut up,” Nero said as he kicked open the door of the complex and practically yanked Dante inside. “I have to clean up enough blood as it is.”

“At least you two are talking again,” Dante said. 

Both Nero and Vergil paused, exchanged glances, and looked away. “Guess you could say that,” Nero muttered.

We got it all in our hands now, So can you handle what we’re talking about?

All three of them paused as Vergil’s eyes drifted to Roxy’s doorway. “Is that music?” Dante said as his nose wrinkled. “Some pop nonsense.” 

We’re so tough Not scared to show you up Can you feel the rush now?

“The kids love this song,” Nero said with an odd sense of nostalgia. 

Dante snorted. “The kids, huh?”

Nico’s groan echoed down the hallway. “My word Rox, you’re way too good at this.”

When Roxy spoke, Vergil thought she sounded breathless. “Stop distracting me.”

“But I want to win!”

Wish ‘em luck but they’re not bringing us down…

“Well you’re not going to!” Roxy said. 

“I can see that!” A thud cut her short. “Did your dragon just throw a pillow at me?”

Dante snapped to the doorway and put a finger to his lips with a dramatic wink as he reached for the knob. He pushed it open with shocking tenderness as if he planned on sneaking up on a demon on the other side. Instead, he stepped far out of the way and gestured to Vergil, mouthing “come look.” And, for the briefest of moments, Vergil considered walking away. He knew where his apartment was. Roxy had given him a key a few days ago. He hadn’t seen it yet, and that sounded like a better idea than entertaining Dante. 

But then Nero peered in and gave a low whistle. “Damn,” He whispered. “She’s pretty good.”

So, Vergil stepped forward with a quiet huff, more than aware that Nero didn’t have a clue what Dante was trying to pull. 

And while Vergil didn’t know what to expect, Roxy swinging small, black devices of some kind around in the air in front of the television was not it. 

A part of him thought the scene should have been a lot funnier than he thought it was. Nico was sitting on the arm of the couch behind her, glaring at Kuro. And Kuro, a bit larger than his usual child form, was glaring right back, tail wrapped around a bright red pillow as a gray one lay discarded at Nico’s feet. Aki was sitting between them, head bobbing back and forth either confused or excited at the potential pillow war that was about to unfold.

Then there was Roxy herself. The device on her head was massive, pushing her ponytail up far higher than she usually put it. She was swinging into nothing, but he could hardly call it flailing. Her movements were strangely controlled, and it took Vergil another second to realize she was moving exactly on pace with the song that was playing. Then, he saw the katana like swords on the TV, swinging perfectly in time with her. Boxes shot forward from black nothingness, but she didn’t miss a single one. Her movements were fast. Controlled. Calculated. Precise.

Nero groaned beside him. “Holy shit,” He said as he glared at Dante. “You were actually serious.”

Dante snorted. “Of course I was. Your old man is…” 

A summoned sword appeared as Vergil glanced behind him. “I’m what, Dante?”

Dante grinned as he flicked the sword. It didn’t move, but he didn’t seem to care. “Infatuated.” 

Vergil scoffed. “I’m shocked you know what that word even means.”

“And you’re not denying it.”

“I am not…”

Only winning, winning now Ain’t nobody bring us Down, down, down, down.

With a final, clean slice, Roxy spun toward Nico, tore the headset off, and grinned triumphantly. Behind her, a series of numbers flashed on the screen: 733/733; 630,280 Points. Vergil assumed that score was adequate, as Roxy loudly proclaimed “Beat that, Nico!”

The younger woman burst into laughter. “A perfect score at that speed? You must have been practicing that for days!”

Roxy’s demeanor turned sheepish. “I have a lot of free time.”

“Clearly,” Nico hopped off the couch as she took the controllers. “Did you like what you saw, V-man?”

Roxy jumped, her face flushing in that way it always did when she was caught off guard. Though Vergil noted that she never blushed when the others surprised her. At least… not as far as he had seen. 

He found that oddly endearing. 

“Hello,” Roxy said with an awkward wave. “I forgot how quiet you are.” 

“Alright kiddos,��� Dante said as he shoved his way through the front door. “Move aside.” He swung his arm in front of him and pointed his thumb dramatically at his chest. Then, after a quick wink, he said, “Uncle Dante is here.”

The awkward silence that fell at the proclamation was almost enough to steal Vergil’s composure. It didn’t help when Roxy and Kuro exchanged glances, as if uncertain whether to invite the younger twin in or kick him out. Aki was the only one who responded, chirping excitedly as he hopped up on his back paws and yanked one of his wings in toward his chest; an attempt at imitation. It was enough to make Roxy giggle before she could stop herself, and that alone opened the floodgates for everyone else. Vergil could only stare, perplexed, as the rest of his family nearly collapsed with laughter. 

“You’re…” Nico said as she tried to catch her breath. “The worst.”

“What is he even announcing himself for?” Nero said before forcing a long gasp to try and control himself. It didn’t work. “And the bird… what… why?”

“Imitation is the best form of flattery,” Dante said as he scratched the bird's head. Aki toppled with a startled cry, but rolled over and landed on his feet with astounding grace. He purred as he rubbed his face against Dante’s hand, and his tail flicked excitedly back and forth. “See?” Dante said as the room finally started to calm down. “He gets it.”

Roxy rolled her eyes as she dropped the headset into Nico’s lap. “He just likes to be pet.” She held her hand out with a quiet whistle. Aki’s head spun to her, startling Nico as he burst from the couch and landed on Roxy’s arm.

Dante coughed loudly as he brushed a pair of feathers out of his hair. “Alright Nico,” He said as he held his hand out. “Let the master show you how it’s done.”

“Hell no!” Nico snapped as she yanked the device away. “It’s my turn!”

“And you honestly think you’re better than both of us?” Nero said as he stormed his way past Vergil and stuck his finger into Dante’s chest. “You’ll trip over the cord sooner than you’ll beat that score.”

“Try me,”

“Vergil?” Roxy said.

Vergil twitched, eyes snapping downward. When did she get there? He hadn’t even seen her move. Yet there she was, standing right by his side as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “I finished up the apartment today,” She continued with a smile. “Wanna go see it while they’re distracted?”

“Are you not worried about your home?”

She shrugged. “Your brother wouldn’t risk losing his pizza money.”

“Money for the bills, you mean?”

She chuckled. “That’s what I said.” Aki chirped as she slid into the hallway. “I think you’re going to love the place, Vergil.”

After one last glance at his family, whose argument had turned into a literal pillow fight with Kuro tossing smaller pillows in pure amusement, Vergil moved to follow her. 

Nelo…

He jerked back as pain shot through his skull. That name… that voice… Why was it tormenting him so?

Open the portal.

His hand reached for Yamato before he jerked it away. 

Open. Open. Open.

“Vergil?” 

He blinked as the voice slipped away. Roxy’s hand hovered close to his chest, and he was certain she had barely stopped herself from touching him outright. Beside him, the apartment had gone silent, and Vergil didn’t dare look at any of his family lest he give it all away. 

“I’m fine,” He said. “I was just…” His mouth went dry at the impending lie. “I’m fine.”

She pulled her hand back to Aki’s head, but the concerned look on her face was almost too much to bear. Vergil hated it with every fiber of his being, especially when he knew it was all his fault. “If you need someone to talk to,” Roxy said. “I’m here.”

Vergil stared at her as she moved down the hallway. Slowly, the world went back to normal. Dante, who had rightfully decided to not ask Vergil what had happened, restarted the argument with the younger hunters, yanking all of their attention back to himself. Kuro, however, hopped off the couch and slid over Vergil’s feet. As his tail brushed Vergil’s ankle, the dragon glanced over his shoulder. “She cares for you, Son of Sparda,” He said with an irritated flick of his tongue. “Do not squander it.” 

Then he was gone. A dozen snowflakes lay in his wake before vanishing completely as if neither they nor the dragon had existed at all.

Ko-fi – Master List – AO3

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #10

Characters:

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi; rapier

Rysiel, half-elf druid; acid burns, simple clothing and leather armor, scimitar

Teir, tiefling warlock; acid burns, vibrant gold skin and black hair w/silver highlights, horns, hooves, expensive-looking clothes and leather armor, carries a dagger as his only (physical) weapon

Zastu, dragonborn rogue; white scales almost completely covered in a hooded cape and mask, leather armor, short bow and shortsword + dagger

Noteable NPCs...

Sydiri Haunlar, human (Chondathan) fighter; brunette, chain shirt, dagger, shortbow, wooden club

Zephyros, cloud giant; windswept white hair, wispy white bear, billow purple robe with gold stars

Amarath and N'von, two human cultists missionaries and their seven human cult followers friends; all dressed in tight fabric wrapped around their thin bodies, topped with head wraps and decorated with feathers. Amarath carries a disturbing "smiling bag"

We were all tired and braindead during this one, so details are sparse...

Zephyros welcomes the party (Rysiel, Teir, Zastu, plus Sydiri at this point) to his floating tower. He explains that his extra-planar allies have told him that someone would come to help fix the mess that is the Ordning. What is the Ordning? It's giant society. Ever since forever, giant society has been ordered by type—with Storm Giants at the top, and Cloud Giants (me, Zephyros) below that, then whoever –handwaves– below that (fire and frost giants, stone giants, hill giants). Giants used to rule this land, until the war with the dragons millenia ago (giants and dragons are mortal enemies you know). Well, with the recent uprising of the dragons (a couple years ago), Annam got angry at us and called us all lazy and complacent. Oh, Annam, he's the Giant god. He looks over everything. And he broke the Ordning, that's why you've been hearing about giant attacks lately—everyone is trying to prove they're the most fit giant to rule over all of us. Er, you have heard about that, haven't you? Well, I thought that king Hekaton, lord of the Storm Giants, would be able to keep his seat of power, and hold control over giant society. He certainly seemed like he was going to continue that way. But then... Well, his wife, poor Neri, went missing. She had a soft spot for the small folk (that's you), and met with them on a regular basis, on an island off the Sword Coast. She turned up dead a while later—murdered. Hekaton, as you can imagine, flew into a rage. He would have led the giants to smash every small folk settlement on the coast, if it weren't for their youngest daughter—Serissa—who held her mother's affection for the small folk. She convinced Hekaton not to destroy you all, for Neri's sake. But now he's... Well, nevermind. Rysiel and Teir pipe up, insisting that Zephyros finish that thought. He's resistant at first, but they guess the truth, or near to it. Hekaton has gone missing now too. He went in search of his wife's murderers, but hasn't been heard form for weeks. His youngest daughter—Serissa, remember?—holds the throne, with her elder sisters—Mirran and Nym—acting as advisors, along with her uncle Uthor probably.

The party decides that going straight to the Storm King's throne is the best idea, and ask Zephyros where it is. Unfortunately, it is beyond them for many reasons. Maelstrom is a citadel deep within the Trackless Sea. Technically Zephyros' tower can bring them there—or close anyway, but they'd definitely be destroyed without magical protection, and Zephyros isn't interested in risking death. He offers to bring them close, but assures them they would die (kind of non-chalantly, at which point Mirri tells them that Zephyros isn't all there due to his fondess for contacting other planes and sometimes going temporarily insane). He knows how to get there, but they aren't near important enough—yet—to be able to manage it. The party sighs collectively, and asks to go to their second destination—Triboar—to deliver the news of Darthag Ulgar's death to his ex-wife at the Lionshield Trading post there. Zephyros brightens up immediately and says it'll take about 11 days (275 hours exactly) to get there. He asks if there's anything else he can get them before he retires upstairs to consult his extraplanar allies (Mirri rolls their eyes, "Not again!") —I also tell the party that they can treat Zephyros as a sort of merchant, but his supplies might be limited since he's a giant. Zephyros mentions that Mirri's (+1) rapier used to be a clothes pin, so who knows what he might have. (Rysiel asks for -something-, but I roll for it and he doesn't have it :/ ); They get some food—very airy spongcake-type stuff, and Zephyros brings down one of his many journals from the Moonshae Isles, which he wrote and illustrated himself. Mirri can't read them, but has been looking at the pictures a lot. Rysiel translates for Teir, who is increbily interested. The journals are about 100lbs each, and 4-5ft tall, made of thick parchment. (They can be used as a mundane item that grants advantage on certain knowledge rolls, but specific information isn't really available unless I go read a jillion wiki articles about the Moonshae Isles and their history/fauna/flora/etc). There's also some roleplay with the Tressym (Rillix) as they figure out what to feed it. Zephyros drops a hunk of raw meat at some point (and some of the griffon's hay bedding for Bobble), and Rysiel creates a bonfire to cook with. Zephyros reminds them not to come up to the second floor, or the griffon aerie. (Not that they have the ability anyway) The days start passing... Teir seeks Sydiri's help in wearing armor and using shields (they improvise with a giant wicker coaster). On the first day, Zephyros approaches "Ryan" to tell him that someone is looking for him. They go aside (outside) to talk, and Teir sneaks behind to eavesdrop. Both "Ryan" and Teir are disappointed though, when Zephyros reveals that "someone is looking for you" is the entirety of the message. Zephyros doesn't seem to notice, but the next day he comes down after speaking to his allies again and tells "Ryan" that "A Rainy Kevin" (or is it "Kevin Rainy"?) is the one looking for him, but that it will be someone else that finds him. Ryan/Rysiel thanks Zephyros, but looks confused.

On the third day, the party is surprised by some visitors, because no one wants to stand in the wind and cold to watch the fucking majestic countryside far below. There's a fluttering of many large wings, and then a moment later—some shouting. The voices ask—in the common tongue—for the owner and resident of the tower to come out and say hello. Zephyros is sleeping upstairs at the time, so the party waits until the owners of the voices make their way inside. Nine slendar humans appear, all dressed similarily in fabric wrapped around their bodies, tied tightly. They have more fabric wrapped around their heads, and are decoraed with feathers. Two of them appear somewhat more decorated, and one carries a shoulder back with a distrubing-looking smiley face. Teir recognizes the bag as magic, but doesn't remember why. The newcomers seems somewhat surprised to find some small folk, but ask if there's a cloud giant around. The party stands around looking offended until Zephyros calls down and greets them. "Have you heard of our Lord and Saviour, Yan C Bin?" One of the cultists missionaries asks. Zephyros looks confused. Two of them introduce themselves (to Zephyros) as N'von and Amarath, and explain that Yan-C-Bin wants his help to 'restore the planes to their rightful primodial state'. They're hazy on what this means, they just want a yes/no from Zephyros. Zephyros is confused, so he asks the party. Teir seems to think this is a bad idea, and is jealous of the newcomer's arrival, and also: how the fuck did you get here? The missionaries try to ignore him, but it quickly becomes obvious that he's not going anywhere, so: "On our giant vultures, of course." Teir tries to recall what he can about giant vultures (kind of an unusual choice of mount, but not unheard of) and what cultures/societies/groups were known to use them (no one close by! probably from another plane?) (I don't remember the rest of the conversation, but Zephyros goes upstairs to consult his planar allies on the matter, and the missionaries go outside because they like the wind and open air)

More than an hour passes and Mirri realizes that Zephyros must have had an 'accident' (he failed his saving throw on the spell), and is lying comatose upstairs. Teir sends his raven up to check on the giant, and then they have a game of pantomime to try to figure out what's going on (Zephyros is laying on the floor, but is alive). Mirri explains that he'll be "fine" in another 8 hours or so. A little while later, the two speaking missionaries pop back inside to see what's taking so long. (I don't remember what was said) They have an argument with Teir and Zastu (Rysiel is brooding in the corner or something? Idk), and Mirri walks by with 'Calm Emotions' (make targets indifferent), causing one of the missionaries and Zastu to chill out. The missionaries go back outside. Moments later they hear the flapping of wings and a scrabbling on the tower wall. Normally they'd ignore it, as the grphyons that Zephros keeps are constantly coming and going, but something is suspicious. Zastu sneaks outside and counts the missionaries and vultures there—only seven of nine of them are there. She goes back inside to tell the party. They are very offended by the presumptuousness of these cultists missionaries!!! To be continued...

Spells cast:

Mirri:

Abilities:

Cantrips: Mage Hand

Spells: Calm Emotions

Slots used: 0/4 1st; 1/3 2nd; Regained: All (multiple rests)

Rysiel:

Cantrips: Create Bonfire

Spells:

Slots used: 0/4 1st; 0/3 2nd Regained: All (multiple rests)

Teir:

Cleric abilities:

Cantrips:

Spells:

Rituals:

Slots used: Warlock 0/2 Cleric 0/2 1st Regained: All (multiple rests)

Killcount:

Mirri: 0 Rysiel: 0 Teir: 0 Zastu: 0

Treasure looted:

Supplies for 4 minor Potions of Healing (bought for 12gp ea. by Zastu)

Made 2 minor Potions of Healing (Zastu)

[kleeboy]

okay im deleting and reposting this because i put a swear word in the tags and it wasnt even showing up in searches for my personal, and i don’t trust the mobile editor to fix my problems but its time 4 me to make a post

Here's what I’ve got for a Thunderbirds D&D AU! I'm not gonna get into numbers and stats and levels because I do that enough when I play normal d&d and I'm gay and tired. Also, there’s probably gonna be a touch of rule bending not only to reconcile d&d with the Thunderbirds canon but just to boost the fun factor a bit. It’s not like we’re setting up a playable campaign so it doesn’t really matter as long as we’re not making it unrecognisable as part of the d&dverse. At that point, you might as well just call it a fantasy AU (still lit tho lmao). This is mostly TOS based but I’ll add some notes on TAG stuff now and then in italics because I’m here to provide. It’s hefty, so everything's under the cut. Hopefully comprehensible.

IR (presumably going by some other name but we’ll just stick with that for sake of ease) is still a rescue organisation - it operates on a somewhat smaller scale but access to magic means it’s got a pretty big reach for typical d&d technology. It’s centred around an ancient deity that few people have heard of and even fewer worship. There’s only one known temple dedicated to said deity and it had been abandoned for a long time before they found it, so it’s currently being restored - if rather agonizingly slowly. Anyway, IR is deity-based because nothing screams “fight for a cause” like paladins! They’re paladins, mostly, is what I’m saying.

Jeff is likely an ex-adventurer, probably a paladin but I’m seriously considering cleric just for interest’s sake so sue me, I love clerics. His party did some pretty cool stuff back in the day, and adventuring pays well as long as you don’t die, so he’s pretty well off. He left the party and settled down in one place when Scott was born, and the rest of them presumably disbanded and went about their own lives eventually. Or maybe they’re still out there causing a ruckus. Who knows. Pretty easy to just say “and he’s not there anymore” for TAG, rationalise his disappearance as you please. Either way, at some point he decided to start an organisation that would make saving lives a bit more structured than the usual “Let's hope a squad of adventurers stumbles on our predicament” that people have been relying on.

Scott is a Battle Master archetype fighter who multiclassed into paladin. Battle Master provides the most appropriate mechanics for a field leader, and also seems like the sort of thing Scott would have been doing previous to IR. He’s the least proficient spellcaster of the group if only by virtue of his class, but access to paladin magic gives his fighting an extra kick which, along with the Battle Master maneuvers, makes him pretty damn dangerous with a sword. It also means he can cast Find Steed, and because said steed’s form can go beyond normal when permitted by the DM and we’re making the rules here I’m giving him a pegasus, which is about the fastest flying mount you could get as far as the monster manual goes. A roc would just be too much. Very VERY cool. But too much.

Virgil is a College of Lore bard into paladin. When it comes to support classes, nothing beats a College of Lore bard for versatility. He’s got the range, darling. Slap an arsenal of magic items on that and you’re well on your way to the d&d equivalent of Thunderbird 2. He has some good offensive spells and weapon training but mostly works to keep others from getting hurt. With a high constitution, the Tough feat, good armour and a shield he pretty much becomes a mobile wall to be put between danger and anyone who can’t take too many hits. Find Steed again lets me give him something interesting to ride, and what better than an owlbear. A big one. Not quite as appropriate stat-wise as the pegasus for Scott but when it comes to aesthetics I’m yet to find something as good as a bear-shaped and -sized owl.

John is predominantly a Divination wizard, with a low paladin level - two maximum - giving him access to a lot of powerful magic but leaving him, how do you say, squishy. Divination is gameplay-wise pretty underwhelming, with not many spells to its name, but for someone whose job is centred around keeping an eye on things, the ability to see very far away and receive premonitions is gonna be useful. The system by which distress calls are sent is giving me some concept trouble but when it comes to receiving it’s as easy as a focus with some capability to project images and sound, gear already necessary to cast Scrying. So, as in canon, rather than going out on missions (at least for the most part), it’s John’s job to keep tabs on incoming signals and active operations. This is all based in the previously mentioned temple - out of the way enough to let me call it a T5 equivalent. He also has the secondary job of making sure nothing else tries to take up residence in the decrepit building. They had to clear it of goblins the first time. As far as Eos goes I don’t have room for all my thoughts (so many) but let’s call her a sentient magic item. Additionally, TAG John probs gets a level or two in cleric.

Gordon is a paladin into druid, Circle of the Land (Coast). He and Alan didn't have any previous class levels before becoming paladins. Neither of his classes give any bonuses for it beyond proficiency for paladins but nobody can stop me from making his primary weapon a longbow, plus the Sharpshooter feat is helpful. Coast druid is the only subclass of any d&d class that has a specific focus on water and what could go wrong if we let him turn into animals? It also has some good circle spells, when he gets to that point. He’d probably have a lot of fun with Mirror Image. There was probably an incident that catalysed his becoming a druid, I'd like to think it's the equivalent of the boat crash just placed on a different point in the timeline. Might get into it at a later date.

Alan is just pure paladin, it's all he's really had time to do with his life so far beyond being a kid and growing up, y'know? I’ll get a little into the subclass here, all of IR’s 3rd level or higher paladins take Oath of Devotion. From the PHB: “These paladins meet the ideal of the knight in shining armor, acting with honor in pursuit of justice and the greater good.” Devotion’s core tenets are honesty, courage, compassion, honor, and duty. Also their Channel Divinity: Sacred Weapon is just really cool. Who doesn’t like glowing stuff, man. Alan's got some more powerful paladin abilities than any of his brothers but probably has the lowest total level regardless. Giving him the Athlete feat, which lets him jump and climb a lot easier, feels appropriate. He snuck a griffon home when it was a baby, and is trying to train it. It's not very well behaved and causes a ruckus when it gets bored but he adores it. One day it’ll make a phenomenal companion. For now, it will continue to attempt to eat his fingers.

Brains is an artificer! Love that class. Artificers, rather than casting spells (though they can do that), make magic items. The artificer class is from Unearthed Arcana and a lot of the mechanics can be hit or miss, it’s been revised many times by lots of different people. But when it comes to the basic idea, it’s the obvious choice for Brains. The less common a magic item, the longer it takes and harder it is to make. The higher level an artificer the more, and more powerful, their creations are. Pretty simple. Also pretty much every version of artificer you come across has some sort of option for a mechanical companion so there’s MAX for you.

Tin-Tin is also an artificer, with a few levels in paladin for good measure. Her time is split between making and repairing gear and going out on missions, and when on call is incredibly useful for lightning fixes and is incredibly creative when it comes to the ways magic items (and nonmagic items) can be used to get out of predicaments. This is the character who constantly has Inspiration. Kayo is an Assassin archetype rogue into paladin. Assassins do… a lot of damage. If you know much about d&d rules (I don’t expect you to), the only thing scarier than a bard, stat wise, is a rogue. +10 to stealth is pretty easy to get by 5th level, combine that with Sneak Attack and Assassinate and you can deal up to 26 damage in one hit with a dagger alone. I said I wouldn’t do any maths but I lied.

Penny doesn’t necessarily have any class levels, though rogue would be appropriate. She falls more under the NPC umbrella, somewhere between Noble and Spy, perhaps? NPCs have a lot less restrictions when it comes to what they can and can’t do laterally, but it’s harder to make them powerful without assigning a class. I also think it’d be really neat to use the fantasy setting to make her nonhuman. High elf would be fitting and cool, but she’d also make a fantastic tiefling. Though, like, call me biased, everyone would make a fantastic tiefling.

I think that’s all I’ve got to say on the matter right now. I have a lot more specific details that I’ll get to eventually but this post is more of a jumping off point listing some options for anyone else who might want to mess around with a d&d AU but doesn’t know where to start. Pick out things you like, ditch things you don’t, add whatever sounds cool, and honestly? Congratulations on getting through this whole thing. This post is kind of in shambles. And thanks! I love taking any excuse to pore over these books.

Shoot me an ask or something if anything’s too incomprehensible or there’s something up with the formatting. Later, skaters.

[shannaraisles]

Love At First Bite

A Ko-fic for @vanilllya, featuring her OC, Sabrina.

In the festive season, in the middle of a night shift, a veterinary surgery gets a decidedly panicked visitor.

[Read on AO3]

Griffon Lives Veterinary Center had a reputation for helping, no matter the time, complexity, or cost. They employed only the most dedicated of staff, and were known in the region as the place to go for any kind of emergency veterinary care. Most of the time, their waiting room was bustling, even in the dead of night. A quiet shift was almost unheard of; a quiet night shift was practically a gift from the gods. And at this time of the year, a quiet shift came with additional duties.

"Just a little bit more to the left ... no ... there! And about an inch higher?"

Perched on a chair, obeying instructions for the hanging of tinsel garlands over the doors, veterinarian Cullen Rutherford glanced over his shoulder at the receptionist giving the orders.

"Would you like me to grow a third arm from my forehead, too?" he suggested.

Leliana ignored the comment. "Just fix it there and come down before you break something important."

"Tell me again why Alistair isn't the one stretching to the ceiling with his ludicrously long arms?" the vet asked a little testily as he thumped down from the chair to survey his decorations.

"Because your backside makes for a better view than his," Leliana told him with a shameless grin.

From behind the reception desk, the nurse in question's voice made itself known.

"I resent that. And I'm busy making Isabela beautiful for the holidays."

Cullen rolled his eyes. "Isabela doesn't need to be beautiful for the holidays, Alistair."

Alistair Theirin came into view, straightening from his crouch with a sleek black cat in his arms. Isabela was the clinic's unofficial mascot, and for some reason, she didn't mind being dressed up with a sparkling red collar and curling silver ram horns for the season so long as it was Alistair who did it.

"I beg to differ," he declared, holding the gorgeous feline up to rub his nose against hers. "Aren't you just the prettiest kitty in the whole world ever? Don't listen to that grumpy Cullen, he's just jealous."

The purring was almost obnoxiously loud, twinned as it was with a pointed glance in Cullen's direction before Isabela flicked her tail and nuzzled into Alistair's jaw. He grinned over at his colleagues.

"Yes, congratulations, the cat knows you are a soft touch."

Despite the resigned annoyance in his tone, Cullen reached out to offer his hand to the beautiful surgery cat. Isabela sniffed his fingers, finally deigning to mark his hand with a firm butt of her face against his palm. As Alistair adjusted to let Isabela lean her head heavily into the vet's hand, Leliana snorted with laughter at all three of them.

"And some people still wonder why we have such loyal clients," she commented, easing into her seat at the desk again. "It couldn't possibly have anything to do with two handsome, professional men, quite clearly wrapped around the paws of a very spoiled cat."

"She's your spoiled cat," Cullen began, trailing off at the sound of squealing brakes and the distinct sound of a car crunching almost gently into another vehicle immediately outside. "What the ...?"

As the trio turned toward the door and the darkness outside, they could just make out a terrible parking attempt and the shadow of a scrambling shape pulling open a door to heave ... something ... out of the back.

"Are they coming here?" Leliana asked, rising to her feet as the shadow staggered closer.

"It would appear so," was Cullen's surprised murmur as the door rattled.

Alistair handed Isabela down onto the reception desk and crossed the foyer in a couple of long strides, pulling open the door to admit a tiny woman in pajamas bent painfully under the weight of a large mabari, staggering into the light with bare feet and haunted eyes.

And time stood still.

Alistair saw the glistening grey eyes, pale and grief-stricken, filled with guilt and fear, and all he wanted was to wipe that terror away. Cullen saw the terror-fueled strength that allowed a woman under five feet to carry a mabari that easily weighed more than two hundred pounds, and couldn't help admiring her even in that state. Leliana saw a client in a state of shock and panic, and her two colleagues staring as though they'd just seen the most delicious festive treat laid out just for them. She rolled her eyes ... and time flowed again.

"He's dying!" the little woman exclaimed in panicked horror. "Please, you have to save him!"

"Oh! Right, yes, that's why we're here -"

Remembering himself, Alistair reached out to take the hefty canine from her arms. As soon as the dog was out of her arms, she whimpered, pressing her hand to the rigid belly worriedly.

"What if he stops breathing?" she demanded, big eyes shiny with unshed tears of utter panic.

Alistair hefted the mabari a little closer into his arms and pinned her with a reassuring smile. "He won't," he promised. "We're good at this."

"What happened?" Cullen asked, pushing open the door to the treatment room so Alistair could get in quickly.

"I-I don't ... I don't know," the woman wailed, hugging herself tightly. "He was fine, and then he went all floppy and his stomach's rigid, and every time he moves, he whines, and ... my brother's going to kill me!"

"Has he eaten today?" was the next question as Alistair laid the whimpering dog down on the table.

The woman bounced on her toes in the doorway, not making eye contact for more than a brief second before she looked away again.

"He had his biscuits, the same stuff he's had every day for the last two years," she insisted. "Oh, and, uh ..." She pulled a ripped bag out of her pajama pants. "He had most of these, too. I killed my brother's dog!"

Alistair took the bag from her as Cullen started to examine the mabari, stethoscope out to listen to the animal's abdomen even as the big canine attempted to weakly lick his face. At the door, Alistair smiled encouragingly at the panicked client.

"Why don't you go back into the waiting room with Leliana?" he suggested. "She'll look after you."

"You are going to save him, right?"

Alistair reached out, squeezing her arm gently. "We'll do everything we can. Just give us a little time."

Leliana wrapped an arm about the little woman's shoulders, gently drawing her away as the door to the treatment room was closed. The redheaded receptionist was used to having to console panicked owners while the vets and assistants worked on the animals, even owners who were as petrified as this one seemed.

Within a matter of minutes, she had determined that their client's name was Sabrina, she was house-sitting for her brother over the festive season, and she was genuinely terrified that she might have actually killed his dog on her second night. She had also learned that Sabrina was incapable of sitting still, or holding eye contact, and hadn't yet realized that she was wearing pajama pants that seemed to be staying up only by the grace of the Maker. The Starkhaven accent could have been soothing, if the copper-haired pacer hadn't been reaching a pitch only audible by dogs every time she started thinking about the mabari she had brought in. Her anxious gaze flickered often to the door behind which the professionals were working. No amount of friendly conversation could snap her out of it. And the touching ... Leliana didn't quite know what to make of the touching. Every now and then, Sabrina would seize her hand, squeeze it for a few seconds, then let go and resume pacing. But everyone was different. Leliana was used to seeing all sorts of reactions from those waiting to hear news of their beloved pet.

But less than half an hour after the door had been close, it opened again. Cullen stepped out, and immediately backed into the wall as Sabrina all but charged him from the waiting area.

"He's dead, isn't it?" she declared, mortified tears threatening in her voice.

Cullen blinked, glancing at Leliana with a slightly cornered expression before pulling himself together.

"Ah, actually ... no, he isn't," he assured the little woman, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder. "We would just like to keep him for a little while longer for observation."

Sabrina's eyes widened, hope filling her gaze for the moment that it touched his before whisking away again.

"Really? And he's not going to die, he's better?"

Despite himself, Cullen smiled at this rather sweet response.

"No, he's not going to die," he began, instantly interrupted by a loud squeal from Sabrina.

In fact, not just a squeal - she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck with a delighted laugh. Shocked, his back bounced off the wall again, arms automatically catching her even as he felt the blush starting to make itself known. After all, it wasn't every day a pretty woman threw herself at you.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" Sabrina was laughing happily, peppering kisses onto his cheek as she dangled from his neck. "You're a miracle worker, a wonderful man, how can I ever repay you? You have totally saved my neck!"

"Oh, ah ... miss ..."

With his face burning, Cullen couldn't really do anything at this point, acutely aware that Leliana was watching this with one of those wide, knowing grins that annoyed him so much. In fact, Isabela was watching with her, the judgmental eyes of the beautiful cat seeming to scold him for not knowing what to do with the delightful pixie of a woman in his arms. One awkward hand patted Sabrina's back as he bent his knees, hoping that the sensation of her feet on the ground would encourage her to remove her arms. Not that he wasn't enjoying the unexpected embrace, but he was supposed to be the professional here.

Sabrina's tight grip loosened as she found her feet, but she seized his hands instead, that dancing gaze of hers flicking back and forth as she beamed up at him.

"What happened to him?" she asked. "Did I do something terrible?"

Momentarily distracted by how tiny her hands were in his, Cullen blinked, forcing himself to remember that he was a vet, not a teenaged boy in the arms of his first crush.

"Ah, no," he told her. "Well, yes. Treats should generally be given in moderation, not an entire bag at once." He smiled as she blushed under his gaze. "But the bag was actually out of date."

"But I checked, it can't have been!"

"It is written in Fereldan," Cullen assured her. "Someone from the Free Marches wouldn't be familiar with the characters used."

"So ... not my fault?" she queried, seeming to need this confirmed.

"No," he promised, chuckling softly. "Not your fault."

He grunted as she threw her arms around his waist, knocking the breath out of him with a squeeze that would have suffocated the dog if she'd been holding him instead. Catching Leliana's eye, he cleared his throat, absentmindedly patting Sabrina's head gingerly.

"Can I see him?" was her next request, and that, at least, was a question he could answer without concern.

"Of course. Alistair is just bedding him down." He untangled her arms from around him, and gestured toward another door. "Just through there. Take your time."

"Thank you!"

As she nudged open the door and slipped out of sight, Cullen caught Leliana smirking at him from behind the reception desk, feeling his ears burning once again. Without a word, he disappeared back into the treatment room. He knew he wasn't going to hear the end of this.

The kennels were warm with the sounds and smells of multiple animals sleeping and resting. Sabrina passed the smaller cages with little creatures inside - gerbils, rats, nugs, cats - peering ahead to where she could see the second of the men who had saved her life kneeling beside one of the larger enclosures. What had the vet said his name was? Oh, Alistair, that was it.

He glanced up as she approached, a warm smile creasing his face.

"Come to make sure he isn't in the gentle hands of death?" he asked in a merry tone, almost immediately backtracking at the anguished guilt that flared in her eyes. "Oh, no, I didn't mean it! He's fine, look!"

He gestured hurriedly to the kennel, where the big mabari lay on his side, his stomach considerably less rigid and swollen than it had been, with the satisfied look of a canine that had been given some truly effective painkillers. The dog raised his head happily as Sabrina dropped down onto her knees, licking her fingers through the bars.

"Thank the Maker," she breathed, giggling with relief. The mabari grunted cheerfully back at her. "You gave me such a scare! We are not telling your daddy about this, okay? You get all better, and I'll give you ice cream or something to keep it on the down low."

"Make it vanilla, dogs love it," Alistair suggested, his face brightening into a grin again as her gaze darted to his.

"Really?" Bright grey eyes flicked back to the dog. "Then vanilla ice cream it is, and don't tell your parents, mister!"

Alistair laughed, enjoying the sight of a tiny woman who had seemed on the verge of a complete mental breakdown when she'd arrived scolding and conspiring with a mabari gloriously out of it on special medication. In fact ... yes, she was very pretty. And all that energy was fantastic.

"So the vet said something about keeping him for a bit? Can I stay with him?"

He blinked out of his absent admiration. "Oh! Yes, we just want to keep an eye on him," he promised her. "He needs to rest, really. You can pick him up in the morning, though. We just want to make sure he's completely purged his system."

"So this is your job, huh?" She smirked in his direction impishly. "Purging innocent dogs who eat too much?"

"Glamorous, isn't it?" he countered with a cheerful grin, rising onto his feet. He offered her his hand. "Come on, let's let him sleep it off. Leliana'll give you our contact details, so if you get worried, just call us. We're here all night!"

"And I can come back and get him in the morning?" Sabrina asked, pulling on his hand as she stood up.

Alistair nodded, leading the way back out to the waiting area and reception, where Leliana took her quickly through the paperwork. Sabrina scribbled her signature to the release forms and payment, setting the pen down with a bright grin. Then she turned, and Leliana got to see her other male colleague turn bright red as the manic pixie-like woman wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you so, so much," she exclaimed happily, bouncing on her toes as he unconsciously bent down so she could kiss his cheek again.

"Oh, it was nothing," he began, interrupted when Cullen snorted with laughter behind him.

"It's a pleasure to see you smiling again," the other man told Sabrina, not quite fast enough to avoid being hugged yet again. Alistair pouted at being abandoned, but swallowed the expression fast when Leliana grinned at him.

"You're both awesome," she declared. "All three of you, absolutely awesome. I'll bring you breakfast in the morning. You like eggs, right? Eggs and toast. Oh, and bacon! Everybody loves bacon. I should go and sleep."

With a grin and a wave, she was gone almost before they had a chance to acknowledge her generous offer to feed them at the end of their night shift. Silence reigned in her wake, three faces turned toward the door - Leliana in amusement, Cullen and Alistair in definite shades of lusty surprise. It was broken only by the sound of Isabela washing herself in ladylike fashion. Then Alistair roused himself, tearing his eyes from the long-closed door to grin over at Cullen.

"Rock-paper-scissors," he suggested. "Best of three gets to ask her out first."

Cullen frowned at him, glancing down at the paperwork. "I think not," was his response, flicking a slightly wicked smirk back at his friend and colleague. "She clearly prefers me."

"Now, hold on a moment -"

"Boys."

Leliana held up her hands, laughing at the playful argument about to erupt. Two sets of eyes turned to her, half-guilty, half-indignant. She sighed, rolling her eyes at the pair of them.

"Make sure the dog lives before you start planning your wedding."

[thedenofravenpuff]

The Purpose of the Cutie Map

I felt it’s been up in the air for a long time what the cutie map is really about.

Of course we know the surface of it. The map is a magic mcguffin summoning chosen ponies to deal with ‘friendship problems’ on different scales.

But why? And, I suspect the original purpose behind all this, whatever it may be, might gone off track over time.

Let’s take a look at that, while I Ramble.

So, what do we know of the map?

It appeared with Princess Twilight’s Castle, or Castle Friendship, when created by the Tree of Harmony to replace the lost library and provide a more royal base of operation to the young alicorn.

The map activated the first time when all of the Mane Six was together in their thrones provided along with map and castle.

The map chooses specific ponies, at first solely only the Mane Six, and shows them where to go with no further directions on what to do. But it has a clear end goal in mind, as it also signals to the map when their mission is complete.

The Map’s name, Cutie Map, refers to its choice of communication by the use of ponies’ cutiemarks, and by the episode title it was first introduced in. As well as being a play on the word Cutiemark, and without that context “Cutie Map” isn’t the most dignified name. Although usually just refered to on show as “The Map”.

So, what kind of missions do the map send its ponies to, and for what purpose?

Missions of Season 5 - Communities

The first mission (The Cutie Map, s5ep1-2) included all of the Mane Six and sent them to Starlight Glimmer’s village. With nothing to let the Mane Six know what it was even about, why they were chosen to go where and what any of it meant.

The mission turning out to stop a cult and its charismatic leader. A small growing society with a spreading ideology, climaxing with the leader FORCING ponies, a princess even, to join her cult without the softer convincing used on her subjects. The cult was ended with the members having their cutiemarks returned and their leader running away.

Next mission (The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone, s5ep8) sent two ponies, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, outside of Equestrian boarders and to the griffon kingdoms. Specifically the falling apart town of Griffonstone which had lost a great artifact in the past. A society crumbling until provided new means to prosper through a new ideology of working together instead of focusing personal greed. It was not all fixed in one go, but a seed planted to hope it would grow and change things.

Rarity and Applejack is sent to Manehattan (Made in Manehattan, s5ep16), to save community from losing touch with each other and remember that a small thing done by each can together make something bigger.

And then Twilight and Fluttershy (The Hoofield and McColts, s5ep23) goes to stop an old family feud between two clans with settlements close by unable to coexist until solving how to work together instead of against one another.

The full 5th season the Map’s focus is on saving communities from falling apart. The scale is bigger. A cult spreading, growing to a point where free will is no longer an option on whether or not one is to join. A foreign town fallen from glory in need of new directions. A city community that used to be the driving example of working together to help one another. Two clans wasting their resources on fighting (with inspiration from a real life clan feud which had a plenty of a death count).

Then Starlight Glimmer returned at the end of season 5 and repurposed the Map to power a time travel spell. The Map no longer summoning certain ponies by their cutiemarks, but stays an anchor in the different timelines for Twilight to keep traveling back and look for a way to fix things.

Then things changed. The Map had to be reactivated by Twilight Sparkle the now reformed Starlight Glimmer in the start of season 6, to once again call ponies in for friendship missions.

Magic Mishaps and Small Scale Problems

The missions had changed. Instead of sending ponies to save communities, the focus became a much smaller scale. A couple of shop owners with a failing business. A lying business owner manipulating his staff. Wonderbolt cadets in need of tutoring to pass their class. 

Following that Twilight Sparkle in season 7 (Celestial Advice, s7ep1) uses the map for a spell to create images of her worries about sending Starlight Glimmer away.

Shortly after the map gets accidentally teleported by Trixie (All Bottled Up, s7ep2).

After that (A Royal Problem, s7ep10) the Map only sends ONE pony on a friendship mission, Starlight Glimmer, to help the Royal Sisters with their personal problems between the two of them.

Spike, the first ever non-pony summoned by the map, is tasked to fix the friendship problem he was causing himself (Triple Threat, s7ep15), by not trusting his friends to get along and instead cause a war between them.

From saving communities, the Map had scaled down to smaller problems one wouldn’t think would need outsiders from afar should be needed to fix. Two Wonderbolt students might fail. That’s a teacher’s job to realize and fix. One could argue it’s about helping the Mane Six to develop further as they each learn lessons from their missions.

The Map proves it’s still in for the big scale when providing clues in the season finale Shadow Play (s7ep26-27) on where to find the Pony of Shadow and let the Pillars and Elements work together to save a lost pony while also banishing a dark force. AFTER Starswirl manipulates it to show his own ideas where to look first.

Then the map goes back to smaller scale problems afterwards. A hippogiff kid is unsure whether to live with Mom or Dad (Surf And/Or Turf, s8ep6), the summoned ponies being the Cutiemark Crusaders. Sunbursts get called all the way from the Crystal Kingdom to go with Starlight to fix their relationship with their parents (The Parent Map, s8ep8).

Unseen Future and Technical Issues

Did the Map change from the magic manipulation and breaking over time? Or do these small scale cases still fulfill whatever grand scheme the Map is plotting?

That, of course, alludes to there actually being a grand scheme behind the Map. Why does it send ponies on friendship missions? Why certain ponies for certain places? In the start the focus was on whole communities and the long term effects the actions on the missions will have. It seemed grander.

Then the Map was manipulated by a time spell, to be fixed by magic of a unicorn and an alicorn. Ponies like Twilight who saw small issues to be the same scale as big ones. Did they change the original setting to something they figured was as good? Unintentionally of course.

The Map isn’t invulnerable towards magic manipulation, seems like any pony can effect the Map. Trixie teleported it while still learning magic beyond her usual skills. Or are these smaller cases just more densed down issues which can have a greater effect later on?

After all, in time travel we learned any slightest change in the past can and will change the future greatly. Even if only interrupting a race between foals in different manners. Potentially, the Map is seeing ahead and knows to change little things in the presence to preserve the future.

Two young cadets needed in the Wonderbolts as individual talents instead of relying on one another to succeed. What do they mean to the future of Equestria? After all, they are joining a military force. Spike was actively told by the Map to cut that crap out and stop causing an incident between two powerful nations by not trusting they could get along. Dragons and Changelings are great allies to keep after all.

But then there is saving a failing restaurant, usurping a hotel and casino manager, helping a kid to deal with life in two homes and fix the relationship with parents for two side characters.

Is the Map funked up from its original purpose, or are there still a grand plan behind it all? Was there ever a grand plan to begin with?

Map of Wonders Friendship

What IS the Map? It grew with the Castle Friendship into existence from where the Tree of Harmony planted its power. The Tree of Harmony and Elements in general still mysterious forces. Even those who originally planted the Tree of Harmony had no clues what it would become.

Is it directly linked to the Elements? Linked to the Tree of Harmony? The Tree was first planted merely to save a seed of the grand magic of the Pillars of Equestria before they sent themselves to Limbo. They had n o other plan beyond hoping this seed could grow to a force that could help protect Equestria.

The Tree was later discovered by the Royal Sisters, who took the Elements it held to defeat Discord with their power and the representation of the values the Pillars used to stand for. 

Without the Elements, after 1000 years the Tree of Harmony faltered in its duty to protect Equestria. Unable to hold back the vines Discord planted ages ago and thus let havoc loose. Reunited with the Elements the Tree could once again protect Equestria, rendering even the Everfree Forest so little a threat that ponies constantly wander in and out of it freely now. 

In return the Tree created a Chest of Harmony the Mane Six could only unlock with special keys they earned through understanding both sides of their respective Element.

This unlocked the Rainbow Powers that temporarily gave the Mane Six the super powers to defeat the big bad at the time. Leaving a discussion for the fans whether it was the power of the box or just the unlocked potential within the Mane Six themselves.

The Chest itself is brought to Ponyville by the Friendship Rainbow Super Duper Powah of Dah Tree of Harmony And Stuff, where it is planted where the destroyed Golden Oak Library used to be and creates the Castle Friendship along with the Map.

Is the Chest the Map? Is the Chest the Castle? Or were both things a gift from within the Chest? Might the Chest still be somewhere within the castle or underneath it?

That is hard to tell. 

Is this an ever growing force that will keep creating more McGuffins, or is the faulty map the last twitches of this exhausted magic source of power still struggling to keep Equestria safe?

Hard to say.

Conclusion(?)

Harmony, Friendship, Cutie, Castle, Elements, Chests, Boxes, Trees, Maps and so on. All coming from one seed those who planted it had no idea what it would grow to be.

How does these things know what to do and how. What rules and guidelines do these forces follow? The Elements turned a living spirit into an eternity of stone imprisonment, another was banished to a thousands years on the moon, before purged from the evil within caused by jealousy.

The stationary Tree suppresses danger and negative influences on the land.

The Chest unboxed new wonders and real estate. 

The Map sends ponies out on seemingly random quests with no rhyme or reason on WHY, starting from saving communities to just helping individuals on small scales they could solve themselves or at least not be a catastrophe when lost, least of all to the unrelated ponies who got sent out to fix the problems in the first place.

So, will we ever truly know? Will any of these things ever truly be explained or will ponies just continue to shrug it off and just roll with it until a new mcguffin is revealed? 

Who knows?

Personally... I still think SOMETHING is the driving force of all of this. And I feel it can all be tracked back to the Tree itself, the driving force starting this chain.

Each thing we got from the Tree, the Element, the Chest, the Castle, the Map, each is planted by the tree for a purpose. Setting its own seeds of power to grow new artifacts. Just like it once was seeded to become a new protective force. It is a new life, made up of magic force, acting like any other life. Spreading its seeds to carry on its purpose.

Each thing that comes from the Tree each given their own purpose.

But as with anything happen seemingly at random without a first planned purpose, these items are created with more intention than actual plan. They are just fruits of different flavours, each happening to help in saving the day in different ways. Shaped by the needs sensed from the ponies around them.

The driving force is not one of thought. It is a pure magic force simply acting like a plant, setting its seeds to grow into more magic force with a physical form. The Castle of Friendship carries Twilight’s cutiemark. Provided with thrones for each of the Element Bearers. Because they all effected the Elements of Harmony, before they were returned to the tree. Before the Mane Six, the Elements were shaped like simple gems, even when used by the Princesses. The Tree holds the mark of the Sun and Moon, the first to find the Tree and use its fruits, the Elements. All these things shape based on who interact and influence them.

Will it stretch too thin or keep growing stronger? We don’t know.

The Map? Ah yes, the original subject of this whole ramble.

The Map may seem faulty, and I believe it very well might be from magic mishaps in the past. But as random as its actions and choices may seem, both before and after the first magic mishap, is driven by a specific force. Time. It foresees the past, presence and future. It provides clues to fix tiny in the timeline before they turn into a problem for a yet unseen future. Was this the original purpose? Or a side effect from Starlight’s time travel?

Was is in the start only meant to fix settled communities? And then moved to fix minor issues to save an unknown future?

I like to think so.

But this is just me rambling my own thoughts. Thank you if you managed to get through this whole wall of text if you made it this far.

[galadrieljones]

Eleven

Tagged by @thevikingwoman for this one. Thanks, you! ^^

1. Post the rules 2. Answer the questions given to you by the tagger 3. Write 11 questions of your own 4. And tag 11 people

1. First fandom you read fanfics for?

Nineties boybands! *NSync, Backstreet Boys, and Hanson specifically. I wrote some, too. o.O

2. Favorite way to relax?

Wine, a TV show I’ve already seen a million times (currently that’s Party of Five), and doing stuff like this questionnaire on tumblr. Also, when husband and I want to relax together, we’ll make popcorn and watch documentaries on Netflix.

3. Something you disliked as a kid/teen but like now?

...myself? Eep, sorry if that’s too heavy. It took me forever to figure out that I was a person. I feel like I was always striving to be some other person--some other girl. I was like an identity chameleon. Part of this was that the things I was good at and really loved doing, I kept a secret, because my parents didn’t understand them and would therefore kind of approach with suspicion: writing, art, music. I played sports in high school and masqueraded as a jock for a long time. I was popular, and I dated jocks, hung out with jocks, mostly till I was in college. In college, finally out from under household suspicion, I kind of got rid of all that. I dated different kinds of boys and sang a cappella and majored in creative writing. The creative writing success got me into graduate school, where I specialized further and finally eventually figured out what the fuck I was doing, and I found the parts of me I liked, and I used those, and the other parts, the worse parts, most of which were bad habits, I took note of, so I could fix them over time. I learned to be like, “I’m not perfect, but that doesn’t mean I’m a shitty person.” It honestly took me until about I was 30.

Oddly, I did end up marrying a jock. But he was like the boy version of me in high school--he was good at sports, and it was easy to masquerade as someone who loved them and to participate in the culture they inspired. I still love sports, but tbh I’m much happier in my quiet writer lady existence and very glad I found my intellectual jock husband. 

4. How far away do you live from the place you were born?

About 2,000 miles.

5. One thing there HAS to be in Dragon Age 4, which does NOT involve Solas

My facking Inquisitor. I have several. They do not all romance Solas.

6. Favorite fanfic trope

When characters dress up and go to a fancy party!! 

7. How many first cousins do you have?

I don’t actually know? Part of my family is estranged. I know for sure there are ten.

8. (I’m stealing this one!) You’re stranded on a desert island. What three fictional characters are there to help you survive or escape?

John Locke (Lost), Lara Croft (Tomb Raider), Clarke Griffon (The 100)

(I have no survival skills and am a major mouse so I need the best of the best.)

9. What do you eat for breakfast?

Uh, a donut. Lol.

10. If you lived in Thedas, would be prefer to be a mage or not? Why? Which race would you want to be?

No. Magic is an unwieldy construct to me. In Thedas, I don’t know which race I’d prefer, but I think I WOULD be a merchant class human, like a blacksmith’s daughter, living in a mid-sized, sort of backwater city in the Free Marches or Ferelden.

11. Most beautiful nature you have seen?

The views from Big Sur. The sublime weirdness of Wyoming. I love the canyons of Orange County. The night sky from my brother-in-law’s cabin in Carmel Valley, CA. I haven’t travelled much. I’ve been all over France and England, and we’re going to Greece and Italy next year, and I am very excited. Of everything I’ve seen, I feel like I still always love the desolate, feral natural world of California best. Probably it’s because it’s just right in my aesthetic.

My Questions:

What is your favorite plant?

Did you dress up as anything for Halloween this year? If so, what? If not, what would you like to dress up as in the future, given the opportunity?

(Stealing) What is something you disliked as a teenager, but like now?

How do you feel about your hometown?

Your favorite Dragon Age related headcanon?

What is the first fandom you wrote fan fiction for? How old were you?

What is your dream career?

(Also stealing this one) If you had to be stranded on a desert island, which three fictional characters would you bring with to help you escape/survive?

What is your FAVORITE breakfast?

Do you have any tattoos? If not, would you ever consider getting one?

What is one of the most important things you have learned (about anything) in the past year?

tags for @buttsonthebeach @wrenbee @amburururu @littleblue-eyedbird @ladylike-foxes @whosafraidofthebigbaddreadwolf @tel-abelas-mofo @thatoneelfwitch @iawv @hansaera (Only if you want!!) <3

[irisplayground]

ALRIGHT I WILL ASK THEM ALL :D

OH LORD WHAT DID I DO

OK, well, get yourself some tea or something and then buckle up because you are in for a ride. I love talking about myself. The beast has been unleashed.

satyr: have you ever been drunk?Yes. Not shitfaced, because it takes quite a lot to get me there and I simply don’t feel the need to get to a point where I won’t remember anything the nextday, but I’ve definitely been “under the influence”. The time I felt it most was after the birthday party of a friend who lived across the country at the time, and we did a drinking game. Getting home by public transport definitely was interesting after that.

fairy: what would you call your aesthetic?I’ve already answered that one here.

scarab: have you ever eaten a bug?Yes, I’ve swallowed several flies by accident. The most memorable time was when I was about 10 years old and I was taking horseback riding lessons. Occasionally, a group of us would get to take one of the Shetland ponies and walk around with them in the forest nearby. At some point, one escaped and we were chasing after it. I was shouting its name and a fly zoomed right into my mouth. I coughed for about a week after that.

changeling: is there a part of yourself that you’re especially insecure about?Um, most parts, actually. I’ve always been very insecure about various parts of my body & my weight, but also about less tangible stuff, a.k.a. stuff that is on “the inside” (such as that I’m actually a really shit person and maybe everyone secretly hates me. Whoops, there it is).

faun: do you enjoy being outdoors?Yes, but in nature, not necessarily in the city. I grew up with a forest, the beach, dunes and fields literally all around me, so while lounging in a park or something is nice, it doesn’t really do anything for me.

siren: do you ever sing in the shower?Sure. Back when I still had flatmates, I used to only sing in the shower when I was home alone. Now that I have my own place, I sing everywhere. I’ve sort of made it a rule to not go all out after 10pm though, because I’m not sure how well my neighbours can hear me. (This is me singing, by the way.)

selkie: are you a strong swimmer?I used to be, yeah. I’m not sure if I still am, because I don’t get to swim all that much.

ghost: are you a shy person?I’ve already answered that one here.

phoenix: do you like hot weather?NO.

sprite: what is your favorite combination of colors? (ex. purple and blue, orange and pink)Autumn colours!

pixie: what is your favorite joke/pun?I’ve already answered that one here.

shapeshifter: if you could choose to switch places with any celebrity/actor/etc who would it be and why?Recently, I’ve been pretty obsessed with The Staves. I’d love to be one of them for a while. They’re kind of low-key famous in the sense that they can still go places without needing security or being mobbed, plus they make wonderful music.

dragon: would you rather grow wings and soar through the sky or grow gills and dwell in the water?I imagine flying would be the ultimate feeling of freedom, so I’d love to try that. But the sea is in my heart and soul and veins and she is my mother and I love her, so OF COURSE that’s what I would pick.

sylph: have you ever wished you were invisible? if so, when?Hmm. I’ve definitely thought about how cool it would be if I could become invisible, but I don’t think that’s quite the same thing. I used to be pretty obsessed with The Incredibles, and since I was a very shy, kinda awkward kid, Violet’s powers of invisibility and force fields obviously spoke to me A LOT.

angel: what are three things you love about one of your close friends? (you can name them or not)Screw the “one of”, I’m going with my fellow bandmembers.1. They are always there for me and each other. We are each other’s support system and we ROCK at it.2. We are flippin’ funny together. Seriously. We frequently comment to each other that we should have our own reality show.3. COMMUNICATION. I wasn’t used to this before I met these guys, but talking about stuff that bothers you and working on a way to fix it is a thing that actually exists.

griffon: what’s your favorite animal?I don’t knooooooow! Dogs? Cats? Wolves? I like whales and elephants too. Does it have to be a real animal? How about dragons?

succubus: are you a virgin?Yes. But I don’t like phrasing it like that, because I don’t like the way “virginity” is presented as something holy that we must preserve, as if it’s a tangible thing and not just a concept.

valkyrie: is there something that you would fight to defend? if so, what is it?Equal rights. I happen to be surrounded, both in real life and on social media, by so many people who are directly affected by the inequality (especially LGBTQA+ wise) that is still rampant in our society and it makes me SO angry. Yeah, I’d punch someone in the nose for that.

gnome: what’s your favorite plant or flower?Are trees OK too? I like birches and oaks, and I’m very partial to my avocado tree that I’m growing myself. ;) I also like snowdrops and sunflowers and succulents.

doppelganger: do you know anyone who looks like you?Not EXACTLY like me, no. But I do see a lot of my features on both sides of my family. I guess I’m a pretty successful mix of both my parents.

goblin: what do you fear losing the most?One of my very serious fears is a housefire. (I don’t even like to talk about it, as if that might somehow make it happen.) So I guess I’m afraid of losing a lot of things. It’s just that I’m such an introvert, and a bit of a hermit, that I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my special nest in this world.

mandrake: when was the last time you screamed out loud and what were the circumstances?Not sure... I’m always doing funny voices and stuff so I fake scream a lot when I’m among friends and when I’m bantering with co-workers, but I definitely don’t go all-out on those occasions. I’m also not someone who screams when startled, and I don’t raise my voice to a scream when I’m having an argument with someone. I think the last time I full-on screamed was on a rollercoaster?

Thanks for asking... I guess? :P

magical/mythical asks

[etlunainmorte]

✒ P.S. I Love You ✒

***

IV

***

"Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum,

Mister Sandman, bring me a dream. Make him the cutest that I've ever seen. Give him two lips like roses and clover, and tell him that his lonesome nights are over. Sandman, I'm so alone. Don't have nobody to call my own. Please turn on your magic beam, Mister Sandman bring me a dream.

Bum, bum, bum, bum,..."

V and Griffon both looked at Nico in utter confusion.

"What?!" The woman blurted out.

"Mister Sandman? Really?" Griffon sassed, slightly irritated at the song's cheesy lyrics.

"Hey, it's better than nothin', 'kay?" The woman answered as she went back to rearranging the mysterious wires that were scattered on the floor. "Or do ya want me to put in Zeppelin again?"

"NO! STOP! I BEG YA! PLEASE!"

"THEN, QUIT COMPLAININ' AND HELP ME HERE!" Nico screamed at the bird as she pointed a strange looking radio at him.

"AYE!" The bird obliged, swooping down on the floor near the wires to fix them.

"What is that?" V asked when he noticed the radio like thing on her hand.

Nico's eyes lit up in excitement as she looked at V and then at the gadget on her hand. "Oh, this work of art is my latest invention! It can record all kinds of sounds produced by both humans AND Demons!"

"Does it work on ghosts?"

Man, woman, and bird alike all glanced at the door as they saw it being pushed open. A few moments later, Avery and an unknown man, most probably the fiancé she was talking about, entered the threshold looking really tired and stressed.

"We'll see 'bout that. But, ya know, my inventions always get their job done." Nico proudly answered with a huge smile on her face.

"I hope so, because our wedding is next week. And you have to get rid of that - " But, even before Avery could say the word, guest, they heard the same noise that they heard earlier on the second floor. When the weird noise finally subsided, the blue haired woman shook her head in disbelief and faced them once more but, this time, with a sincere smile. "Never mind. By the way, I would like you to meet Roman, my fiancé. Roman, these are, ah,..."

"Nicoletta Goldstein." The Artisan introduced herself as she came forward and offered her hand to Roman. "Just Nico is fine."

"Pleased to meet you, Nico." Roman, who looked really shy and awkward, kind of like the opposite of his fiancée, took Nico's hand and shook it, his slight smile and furrowed eyebrows clearly betraying his uneasiness for being inside the house.

And when it was V's turn to introduce himself with a handshake, Roman's eyes widened in fright at what he saw behind him. Apparently, Griffon, who sensed the poor guy's uneasiness, noticed this and decided to latch unto V's shoulders to tease him. Poor Roman hid behind Avery and pointed at the demonic bird, who started making silly faces just to creep him out.

"¡DIOS MIO! ¿QUÉ ES ESA CRIATURA?" Roman screamed as Griffon raised his beak and swayed his head from left to right. He only stopped when V finally gave him an angry look.

"Hey, hey! Sshh! It's okay." Avery cooed her fiancé as she wrapped him in her arms. "It's harmless. See?"

Griffon saw this opportunity, raised his beak, and swayed his head once more, making Nico and Avery stifle their laughter so as not to offend the poor, frightened Roman, and making V bow his head down low and pinch the bridge of his nose, both embarrassed and annoyed at his demonic familiar's rude behavior.

Because of that, no one could really blame Roman for being too nervous and cautious in the dining hall a few minutes later as they enjoy the Chinese takeout he and Avery bought for everyone. His eyes cautiously roam and darted from V, to Griffon, then to Shadow, who was quietly staring at everyone from one corner of the room.

But, V had other things, or questions, in his mind, on the other hand: Maria, and that boy, were nowhere to be found.

"How did you two meet?" Nico mildly asked Avery and Roman as she enjoyed her noodles.

"Not without difficulty, to be perfectly honest." Avery candidly said as she raised her chopsticks. She leaned closer to the Artisan and mocked - whispered, "I made the first move, you know. Courting, confession, and all. I even took him out to Starbucks, gave him gifts, and sang to him! I have the voice of an angel, and he's just too shy, not gonna lie."

"Whoa, Roman! Aren't ya a lucky guy?!"

"I' am." The man proudly answered, blissfully unaware that Griffon was already stalking him from behind, trying to reach one of his dumplings.

"So, who proposed?"

"Me!" Both Roman and Avery looked at each other upon simultaneously answering Nico's burning question, the hilarity of the moment making all three of them laugh. Plus, it enabled Griffon to steal three of Roman's dumplings.

And as they were having fun with their conversation, V felt those cold daggers against his back once more. He carefully turned, and as all the other noises drowned out, plunging everything in total silence, he saw the boy from earlier peeking at him behind that half - closed door with those unnerving, dull - colored eyes of his.

And he looked as though he wanted to show him something, like he was beckoning at him,...

A hand suddenly went down to his shoulder, startling him and making him look up. It was Nico.

"Let's go."

V was still thinking of what happened earlier as he and Nico followed Avery and Roman towards the guest rooms. Occasionally, he would look behind him and see the boy following closely behind without being seen by either Nico, Avery, or the ever nervous Roman. And when Avery and Roman stopped at the third door from the left hallway, the boy hastily hid behind one of the Grecian statues near the grand staircase.

"Okay, we're here." Avery said as she opened the door of the room, revealing its old - fashioned interior, complete with two canopy beds, a walk - in closet, a vanity table, and a door which probably led to the bathroom. The large window was open, allowing them to see the garden outside that was being illuminated by the radiance of the full moon.

"Whoa, this looks really nice!" Nico breathed in awe as she entered the room and dumped her stuff on the first bed.

"I'm glad you like it." Avery said, then she turned to V. "Hey, man, you can also stay here if you want, or I could show you to another room."

"Nah, there's no need! V could behave, unlike Nero. Isn't that right, V?" Nico nudged the poet once more and winked at him.

"Yes, there's no need for it, Ms. Avery. After all," V replied as he playfully twirled his cane and tilted his head to the side. He smirked at them, making both Avery and Roman confused and uncomfortable. Especially Roman, who was still being stalked by the very mischievous demonic bird. " ... I won't be sleeping much in it."

It took both Nico and V almost two hours just to settle on their room. He waited for her to get comfortable enough, and when he noticed her finally snoring loudly on her own bed, he picked up his cane, motioned for Shadow to follow him, and opened the door.

"Hey, V, what about me?" Griffon asked as he flew right behind him.

"Stay here." The poet answered with a sideways glance at his familiar. "And protect the mouthy woman should something,... unexpected,... happen."

"I don't wanna get left behind with that woman! Look at her!"

V and Griffon turned and saw the very unbecoming Nico as she snored with her mouth wide open and turned several times on her bed, unknowingly throwing all her pillows and her blanket on the floor with her flailing arms and legs.

"See? Lemme come with ya, Shakespeare!" Griffon pleaded.

V just smiled at him as he finally came out. But, before he closed the door, he turned to him and spoke, "Consider it as,... punishment,... for terrorizing Ms. Avery's fiancé."

"WHAT THE F - !"

"Maybe next time, isn't that right?" V looked down at Shadow as he closed the door and left Griffon behind with Nico. "Because for now," He looked at the Grecian statue and saw the boy come out from behind it, waiting for him to join him. " ... we have a more,... pressing,… engagement."

***

✒ Thank you so much to @micaelagua for providing Roman's name. ✒

✒ @la-vita ✒

***

✒✒✒

***