#the wing shape i used for them was for high speed travel

[raynavan]

drawing for the fic The Tracks Through the Clouds Lead Home, Then Further Still! @cuz-reasons fic!

wings are fun and i also greatly enjoy parallels. the image of Ingo's light coming form above and Emmet's below... it was asking to be drawn.

[minkydinks]

SandWings

It's finally time, people!!!

SandWings have been on the agenda for a while and I'm so happy to finally have them done. Here's as much info as I can give right now.

General

SandWings are medium-sized bipedal dragons that inhabit the desert, badlands, and other transitional biomes of Pyrrhia. They come in a variety of muted desert-y colors, but the most common include: Yellow, brown, red, dusty orange, and some black.

SandWings, unlike most other tribes, are built for running long distances rather than flying. While their wings are still perfectly good for travel, it's far more efficient to travel on foot, since they are the fastest tribe on the ground.

Their wings are smaller in comparison to their body than most other tribes as well, so they largely rely on desert thermals to keep them aloft. In places with minimal air currents, or with excess cold, SandWings have trouble gaining lift.

SandWings have light armoring along the scales of their back, although these armor-plated scales are not quite as tough as you would expect. These armored scales are thicker than the rest as to protect them from the harsh sun; although they do double as a nice additional protector from other SandWings' venomous tails. Otherwise, they're not great for protection.

Their armored appearance bears heavy resemblance to MudWings, and it is believed that MudWings and SandWings are quite closely related; albeit MudWings are much more on the heavyweight-end.

A SandWing's horns can be of any shape and array, although most commonly, SandWing horns protrude forward like bull horns; especially female SandWings, where they're used to vie for the throne. These horns are utilized at high-speed to ram into targets, and to duel with rival SandWings. Being hit by a SandWing horns-first at top-speed is near equivalent to being impaled by a motorcycle on the freeway.

SandWings are also adorned with frills along their head, neck, & chest. Male SandWings have additional frills along their lower jaw & lower torso.

These frills are continuously-growing, meaning that SandWings typically cut, style, & shave them at their discretion. Some SandWings prefer their frills long, like Princess Blister. Other SandWings cut them quite short to keep them out of the way during battles, like Six-Claws. Short frills became standard for SandWings during the War of SandWing Succession, as they became a distraction or a detriment otherwise. It was rare for a SandWing not to have short frills during the 20-year conflict, if they were battlers and not factory-workers.

SandWings are notorious for their potent venom. This venom is created and stored in sacs inside the barb at the tip of their tails.

While adult SandWings are perfectly capable of killing another dragon with a lethal dose, SandWing dragonets are far more deadly. Not strictly because of the venom, but because they lack the control needed to limit how much venom they inject. A sting from a newly-hatched SandWing is more likely to kill you than a sting from an adult, who can decide how much they want their sting to hurt.

Culture

SandWing culture is nothing mysterious; they have some of the most well-known festivals and armaments in the continent.

SandWings, having so much land to themselves, utilize much of it for factories and plants. They are one of the most technologically advanced tribes, with steampunk-esque mechanisms and structures throughout their kingdom.

Their metals of choice include copper, tin, and bronze; much of it mined within the desert itself. However, with the SkyWings' alliance, SandWings on Burn's side of the war have been able to import metals and other materials from the mountains to create stronger weapons & armors. Similarly, Blister & Blaze's forces have been able to do this as well, albeit with fewer materials overall and less armored dragons total.

Weapons and armory aren't the only things SandWings create with their metallurgy though. SandWings, having deep respect for their veterans and a cultural motto that you will always survive to fight, also create advanced prosthetics.

Prosthetic legs & arms are the most common, but you might also catch a SandWing with a prosthetic wing or tail. Some SandWings get horn replacements if their horns break off in battle and become less effective at fighting with.

Prosthetic wings are by far the rarest to find, since they are the most expensive to make & obtain, and don't actually perform quite as well as a normal wing. Most dragons with prosthetic wings use them to show off their worthiness in battle, how they survived and were heavily rewarded for their supreme skill and efforts.

Each prosthetic, weapon, and piece of armor comes branded with several labels: The name of the factory it was made in, the name & seal of the queen/princess it was made under, and its serial number. These labels would allow each rival sister to check their dragons' true alliance. SandWings with the seal of a rival sister would be killed, as it would then be apparent who they went to for their supplies.

After the end of the War of SandWing succession, the seals for Burn, Blister, and Blaze were retired in favor of Queen Thorn's own seal. As a result, armor with the royal SandWing sisters' seals were considered limited collector's items, and have increased dramatically in their value.

Prior to the death of Queen Oasis, these seals were not a generic serial label, but a gift from the Queen, almost like being knighted. To have armor with the Seal of the Queen was considered a great honor, but times have changed.

RGAAAAH I HOPE Y'ALL LIKE THIS If you have any questions or ideas you want me to fill in on, please shoot me an ask or something bc I would love to answer !!

[ladisgarde]

Armand may not have the cloud gift*, but he can experience the exhilarating sensation of soaring through the air at high-speed all the same – on skis.

(New headcanon: Armand is into winter sports, in particular cross-country skiing. I wrote a poly drabble?)

Of course he wouldn't be able to use any ski lifts at night, but it's nothing to him to make his way uphill, fast. He quickly learned the technique and refined it for himself. For a mortal, it would be most unsettling to witness his ascent, something like a water strider climbing upward in bobbing movements. Truly the silhouette of a giant insect moving at alarming speed.

It's not like he would ever beg a more powerful vampire to carry him to the peak, so that he might slalom back down again. He would rather die before he did that, honestly.

Marius preferred to stay at the foot of the mountain, where the lone hut they spent comfortable hours in was. He didn't approve of Armand travelling too far away on his tours, kept warning him to not slip and fall into an icy crevasse, because then "neither he or Daniel would be able to hear him call for help." His maker insisted that he carry an electronic device that allowed him to be tracked, just in case. The fussing annoyed Armand greatly. He wouldn't be that inattentive. He'd only be in danger if someone attacked him, and who would dare to do that?

"So come along with me, my beloved," Armand would tell Daniel. "If we go now, we can climb 2,800 metres and come back long before daybreak. The moon is bright, and I want to show you the Northeastern summit. And it will be safer when we're together, is that not so?" Two vampires were indeed stronger than one, even against the steepest slope. And Daniel could always call for Marius.

Daniel did join Armand in his excursions now and then, and they enjoyed the magnificent panoramic views together. A winter wonderland spread out for miles beneath them. But Daniel's enthusiasm wore off with him getting cold a lot quicker. In time he would prefer to hang around the hut instead; reading, crafting, spending time with Marius. Marius, on the other hand, could not be moved to go near any high-alpine mountain chains, at least not for sport. He would always remind that he had something to review, most notably the latest draft of the council's Rules and Regulations handbook.

It was unsurprising that Marius brought paperwork with him on their holiday. But he did find something new to occupy his hands with. Though not particularly fond of ice as a material, he challenged himself to shape large blocks of them into eye-pleasing sculptures. He carved another crystal flower, honing his new skill.

When Armand came back to the hut from another one of his nightly mountain trips, his heart still singing from the final spurt, he saw Daniel lying flat on his back in the snow, stargazing. A bit further away, Marius was intently working away at their workbench. Carefully the knife carved into the block of ice, Armand couldn't tell what he was sculpting. Upon looking at Daniel again, he saw that his fledgling had made a snow angel. Daniel smiled and invited him to make one too. Armand refused.

"Snow-white wings suit you a lot better than me," he said. Daniel shrugged. Marius said nothing.

Carrying his skiing equipment, Armand stepped around Marius to reach the door. His heart skipped a beat when he saw what he was working on: a bust of himself and Daniel, beautifully carved in ice. Armand's head was placed a little higher, his shining curls carefully framing his face, eyes half-lidded. How did Marius manage to make his eyelashes so detailed? Daniel was close, his cheek by his collarbone, moist lips parted. Both of them looked sensual with their bare necks exposed.

"If we leave this here, it will be destroyed when winter is over," Marius said thoughtfully. "I did not think that far ahead."

"Master... you have outdone yourself. I will carry it to the tip of the mountain where it is coldest all year round, so that I may look upon it again by next season."

Daniel came to join them and stared at the ice statue, impressed. "Masterful, indeed... But it's missing something important." He stared pointedly at Marius, who raised his brows. "I'm mean you, Marius. You're missing from the sculpture."

Marius smiled. "I just made it for myself, you know. For practice." ("For practice!" Daniel exclaimed.)

Putting down his tools, Marius placed his arms gently around both Armand and Daniel. "Never mind that now. We should head inside. You both are more precious than anything that my hands can make." So saccharine his words, the younger men both couldn't help a blush. They leaned in close and allowed themselves to be led into the warmth of the house.

(Imagine Armand getting himself trapped in ice after all. Is this what Marius felt that one time? His maker and fledgling can't hear him!! His iPhone got lost. Maybe he can summon Lestat? Obviously, a terrible idea.)

*Armand DOES have the cloud gift, making this an AU scenario

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Good evening, my request is for a protagonist who is the daughter of Leviathan and Behemoth. And Ziz's younger sister Let me explain, well… with the version of the myth that I understand. God had created three creatures to be tied to the will of his creator, but they challenged him and managed to have free will on their own and decided to live as they saw fit. Behemoth would travel to the plains he wanted and would populate the green fields that he liked the most, Leviathan would rule the depths of the sea and could devour anyone who trespasses his already marked territory, Ziz would fly through the firmament and cover the sun whenever he pleases and play with the birds that it protects under its shadow. God got upset and tried to kill these three creatures, but he could only kill Leviathan after sending an angel with his blessing, Behemoth never knelt before his creator and was furious when his partner (Leviathan is female) was killed, Ziz was more fast and never allowed to be reached by any attempt to knock him down. Well, going back to the request, let's say that Behemoth had a baby with Leviathan, and Ziz took her to a place out of sight of the gods by order of Behemoth, the latter to save his baby was chained by the gods below of the earth and that these will think that only the elusive Ziz was left. Ziz raised the baby until she became a strong girl, because they can have human form, something like Kobayashi-san's dragons, which in their human forms still have their tails, horns and wings showing. Ziz, then receives the help and protection of the Valkyries when they find out what happened, giving them a more suitable and comfortable place to live. How would Poseidon, Shiva and Buddha react if they fall in love with a mysterious woman who is always with the Valkyra as a bodyguard, and then find out who her parents are?

-It had been thousands of years since Ziz, the ruler of the skies, had been seen, hiding away from the eyes of all, gods and humans both.

-Ziz vanished shortly after the gods banded together to destroy their first creations, Ziz himself, Behemoth, and Leviathan.

-They were only successful in killing Leviathan, only because she was in labor with a child, fathered by Behemoth, but she refused to let them know that, as she knew the gods would take and do who knows what with her child.

-Behemoth was captured, chained deep below the earth, captured willingly, so Ziz could escape with his daughter, Y/N, who then hide himself and the child away, taking on a human form to hide his massive form and using his abilities to transform Y/N into a more human-esque form.

-You were an inquisitive child, giving Ziz several heart attacks when your own wings grew in, scaly like a reptile, then came horns and a long tail, all of them making sense when you were able to transform yourself back into your true form, a dragon, covered in F/C scales.

-Ziz taught you to fly, hiding beneath clouds to avoid the eyes of the gods, and he taught you to fight, to defend yourself, and how to be compassionate, teaching you to love, being the best big brother he could be to you.

-Once you were old enough, Ziz told about your parents, about the death of your mother and the sacrifice of your father and his imprisonment.

-You argued with Ziz, demanding that he take you to your father, so you could rescue him, but your brother refused, telling you of the wishes of your father, as he wanted you not only safe, but free, and your freedom was worth his imprisonment.

-You grew into a lovely young maiden, but even in your human form, your tail, horns, wings, and clawed hands remained, but you were bothered by them.

-You were flying high in the sky, flying amongst the clouds, changing the shapes with your speed, having fun when you spotted a maiden on a winged horse, making you blink in awe, as you had never seen another flying creature that wasn’t a bird or your brother.

-You kept your distance, hiding in the clouds, wanting to see more of this maiden and her mount, but you remembered Ziz’s warnings, to not be seen by others.

-After following her for a while, you dove down and took off back home, remaining out of sight, or so you thought.

-When you arrived home you called out for Ziz, letting him know you were home and instantly he charged out of the home, putting himself in front of you, protecting you as you turned, your eyes widened, seeing that maiden had followed you.

-The maiden’s name was Brunnhilde, a Valkyrie, introducing herself as a demigod, and one that hates gods, for their selfish and cruel natures.

-Ziz knew of the Valkyries and knew that she was telling the truth and you were introduced to her, as she knew Ziz.

-She had no idea that Behemoth and Leviathan had a child together, but nobody knew except for the three of you.

-Ziz spoke with her, inquiring why she was out and about, while you were inspecting her horse, stroking carefully and her mount wasn’t scared of you, allowing you to do as you wished.

-She was just out to get away from Valhalla for a bit, getting some fresh air and getting her horse some exercise.

-Ziz was looking over at you, a smile on his face as you fed her horse an apple, a smile on your face, before she spoke, “Would you consider living with us, Sky Ruler, with the Valkyries in Valhalla? The gods know you’re still out there, and I know you don’t want to risk Y/N’s safety, so what is your opinion on hiding right under their noses, with us?”

-He chuckled, smirking lightly at her, amused at her plot, but he could see that she was concerned about you, wanting you to be safe, as she remembers the day Leviathan had been killed and Behemoth imprisoned well, she didn’t want anything bad to happen to you.

-You were in awe in Valhalla, getting to live with the Valkyries as well as Ziz, who became their stablemaster for their winged horses, so he could continue to fly, but told you and Brunnhilde both, that his name was no longer Ziz, but Renanin, to keep himself hidden.

-You weren’t bothered by his name change, as you knew that he and you both were now hiding, just in better living conditions, and your only rule was to not let anyone know who your parents were.

-The Valkyries were quite taken with you, from Brunnhilde, the eldest, to Goll, the youngest, as Brunnhilde had confided in them of who you and Renanin both were.

-Renanin could handle himself when it came to fighting the gods, if they ever figured it out, as his power grew with age.

-You however, were still considered quite young, despite being around for centuries, and although way stronger than you let on, they all wanted you safe.

-You were never seen without a Valkyrie by your side, sometimes with more than one of the sisters at a time.

-Nobody knew who you were, besides the Valkyries, many gods had seen you around, and they knew you were a dragon goddess of sorts, but other than your name, they knew nothing about you, and several were curious about the mysterious maiden that was constantly guarded by the Valkyrie sisters who never seemed to let anyone get close.

-Poseidon- You were different, you seemed to radiate power, he could tell by your aura that you were very powerful, but also so unique with your dragon like features. You were unlike any maiden Poseidon had ever laid eyes on, and adding on the fact that you were guarded by the Valkyries so fiercely, he wanted more, you were like a treasure being held just out of reach. The Valkyries were respectful to him when he approached but he knew they didn’t want him around you, not trusting him as his temper has been known to violent at times. He surprised all of them by speaking quiet with you whenever he came around to visit, gifting you shells, being… gentle! Even Zeus was shocked by his brother’s actions towards you, teasing Poseidon who got defensive and threatened his brother with violence. He found it a bit amusing when you took him flying, him riding on your back after you turned into your dragon form, in return taking you to the ocean. Many thought it was cute, seeing the god of the sea courting a flying dragon maiden. When it was slipped, completely by accident by Renanin, Poseidon was stunned, to learn you were the daughter of the first lord of the sea, your mother Leviathan and Poseidon thought it was amusing to see him and the Valkyries ready to throw hands with him to keep you safe, thinking that he was going to threaten you. Poseidon agreed to keep quiet, asking for nothing in return except for being able to still speak and hang out with you, which shocked many, some thought he was going to take you and out who you were to everyone, while some were thinking he was going to blackmail them for his silence. Your relationship with Poseidon was slow, he didn’t mind, as he had all the time in the world, plus it gave him more chances to prove to the Valkyries and Renanin that he wasn’t going to betray them or you.

-Shiva- He had seen you in passing, walking with Thrud who was showing you around, he had done a double take when he first saw you, the dragon parts of you catching his eye first then your beauty. You were so unique! Parvati, Durga, and Kali all saw you as well, taken with your looks as well and they were quick to approach, greeting you warmly. Thrud didn’t seem too bothered by the three goddesses as you introduced yourself and they returned it, the five of you talking warmly with each other, as she knew that she could easily pull you away if you felt uncomfortable. Shiva was a bit intimidated to approach, even though he was married to three of them, but you were in awe of his own unique features, five eyes, purple-blue skin with tattoos, and he had four arms! You were adorable to all of them when you asked Shiva why he needed so many wives, Parvati giggling warmly at you, before he just grinned, “I’ve got lots of love to give!” all four of them were so nice to you, and Thrud took a step back, letting you do as you please, trusting your judgement with these four. They all seemed drawn to you, to your uniqueness, and they had so much fun riding on your back after you changed into your dragon form, flying high in the clouds above with them, letting them play with the clouds. The Valkyries were hesitant with your growing relationship with the four of them, as was Renanin, your brother inquiring if you were okay joining a relationship where a god had four wives already. You were hesitant, but at the same time, they made you feel so welcome, they never made you feel like the oddball out when you were with them. It was your brother who accidentally let it slip who your parents were in front of your partners, all of them gawking in shock at you before your brother stood in front of you, ready to defend you. However, Shiva wasn’t bothered, as he had not participated in the events that had befallen your parents as he saw nothing wrong with them, and all four swore to keep your secret, wanting to protect you, as you were the fourth wife to be and they weren’t going to betray you.

-Buddha- Had met you only in passing at first, sensing your power and interested in your wings and tail, but didn’t go out of his way to seek you out, at first. The Valkyries had no issues with Buddha, as he was the same, hating most of the other gods, and he didn’t abuse his power like they did, so when he started to come around more, they were a bit more laid back. The same couldn’t be said for Renanin, who only saw Buddha as a man going after his little sister, which the Valkyries thought was rather cute. Buddha was very laid back but enjoyable to be around, and you were one of the few people he shared his snacks with. He found your reactions cute when you would try something new, seeing your eyes sparkle and the blush on your cheeks. He couldn’t imagine a life without his snacks, especially sweets, he was distraught to find out that you grew up without these things, only being introduced to them when Buddha gave them to you. Flying with Buddha had been eventful, when it was around Valhalla he found it enjoyable and fun, but when you went higher, into the clouds, he was hugging you so tightly, afraid of falling off. Buddha wasn’t even alive on earth when your parents were killed and captured, so when you told him of your lineage, he wasn’t overly bothered, he wasn’t going to say anything that was going to risk your safety, plus it was another middle finger to the other gods in power. You adored Buddha, enjoying any time you spent with him, and he felt so at ease with you, except when flying, that’s when he would pout and refuse anything to do with you, which was amusing to you.

[b1asho]

2 things.

1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE your wings of fire headcannon designs, they are so amazing.

2. This is a bit of constructive criticism here, I feel that your IceWings wings are just a bit too small. I understand that you said that they swoop in on their prey, so the smaller wings make sense, but the wings kind of need to be a teensy bit bigger in order for them to cross the snowy landscape of their kingdom nonstop.

But hey, this is your choice, don't do it if you don't want to, I'm just putting my personal thoughts about this in you ask box.

Thanks! My wof designs are kind of a first pass, but I don't really have much interest in developing them a whole lot more the way I do with my aliens. The most I'd do is maybe give them clothes at some point, its been on my mind for a while.

However, here's a look into my thought process on them to maybe explain why they are the way they are:

I agree with you on the wings thing, but I largely imagine them as using flight for hunting rather than travel (plus i chose the wing size based on vibes, vibes that i will now explain). their territories are vast, much like skywings, but theyre cooperative hunters who can utilize their spread out network of individuals and teamwork to find and take down prey rather than having to soar around as much on their own (an energy-expenditure hack thats allowed them to last so long in the more barren cold regions). It should be noted that i think that their world has megafauna/other weirdly op animals alongside the dragons, pressured to evolve that way by their large and lethal predators (since normally big predators mean even bigger and more dangerous prey, like lions vs water buffalo). During a typical hunt, theres usually runner scouts/people on the ground who locate a herd and then signal to the few circling in the sky to initiate the hunt by dive-bombing to get them moving and separate the weak members. Sometimes, if the animal theyre after is small and not a lot of a threat, the flier will stay on/try to pin or even kill the target after swooping in so that the ground pack members can more easily swarm and get it. If not, then the runners will follow and land any bites on the target that they can but they're mostly there to keep the target exposed and moving towards more fliers or into an easier strike location so that the fliers can land another hit. Pretty much, if its not an instant kill from the sky, its then an endurance contest wherein the Icewings usually win using their running proweress and ice breath. this is why they've kept that wing shape and size, to stay in a middle ground of terrestrial vs flying instead of going all the way on either side like a skywing (pretty much only flies) or mudwing (can't really fly). Nightwings are kind of the opposite, where they use flight for travel/tracking down their now-dead prey after only a short skirmish on the ground (which is why they've got sorta soaring wings like vultures)

As a result, when icewings need to move across the long distances, they'd probably just mix bursts of high speed flying and then running, because they have crazy endurance on the ground. Larger wings would make running harder and they'd lose heat faster from the thin limbs and membrane, but maybe there's some subspecies out there with feathers on their larger wings alongside their fur-scales (like an arctic wolf and gray wolf type thing)

[novaursa]

Of Gods and Men

Targaryen Ornithopters

main list (where the story is)

This is Dune/GOT/HOTD/FAB/ASOIAF crossover AU that you've voted for. If you always wanted to see House Targaryen in space, I got you. Please note how some of the lore of both universes is bent to blend in both worlds. This is my original idea that I've been cooking for at least two years. Be gentle with my work, and enjoy the ride.

Targaryen Ornithopters: The Wings of Dragons

House Targaryen’s ornithopters, like their starships, are designed with both form and function in mind. Drawing inspiration from the grace and power of dragons, these aerial vehicles represent the Targaryen mastery of flight and their unique approach to engineering. Combining ancient Valyrian technology with the innovations developed on Albiron, Targaryen ornithopters are unparalleled in speed, maneuverability, and combat capability. These sleek, dragon-like machines serve as essential tools for exploration, reconnaissance, and military operations on the ground and in low-atmosphere environments.

Design and Appearance

The Targaryen ornithopters, or Drakaopters as they are often called, are sleek and aggressive, designed to resemble the dragons that have long been a symbol of their House. Their bodies are elongated and streamlined, built to minimize drag and maximize speed during flight. The main hull is composed of the same crystalline-infused alloy as their starships, giving the ornithopters a glossy black sheen that blends into the dark skies or the shadows of the jungle canopy on Albiron.

Dragon-Inspired Design: The wings of the ornithopters are their most distinguishing feature. These wings are crafted from ultra-light, flexible materials that mimic the structure of dragon wings. They are long, with membranous panels reinforced by a skeletal frame, allowing them to fold and retract when not in use. The wings, powered by a combination of mechanical joints and drakaon crystal energy systems, beat in a rhythmic motion, much like a dragon’s wings, propelling the vehicle through the air with an almost organic fluidity.

Body Shape and Structure: The main body of the ornithopter is narrow and elongated, with a pointed nose and a tapered rear, evoking the form of a dragon in flight. The cockpit sits toward the front of the craft, enclosed in a transparent canopy made from a nearly indestructible crystalline composite, offering pilots a full, unobstructed view of the surroundings. The tail section is equipped with additional stabilizers and rudder-like fins that assist in sharp aerial maneuvers, much like a dragon’s tail aids in balance and direction during flight.

Solar and Drakaon Energy Collectors: Similar to their starships, Targaryen ornithopters are equipped with retractable solar collectors. These wing-like structures gather energy from the sun when the ornithopter is in flight, converting solar power into auxiliary energy for non-essential systems. However, the primary power source remains the drakaon crystals, which provide the raw energy necessary for propulsion and combat systems. These crystals, embedded within the core of the ornithopter, give the craft a nearly unlimited energy reserve, making it capable of long flights and complex maneuvers without refueling.

Flight and Maneuverability

Targaryen ornithopters are designed for speed, agility, and precision. Their dragon-like wings allow for rapid acceleration and deceleration, as well as the ability to hover in place—a feature that sets them apart from traditional ornithopters used by other Houses. The flexibility of their wings allows them to make tight turns, rapid ascents and descents, and complex aerial maneuvers that would be impossible for other craft.

Wing Dynamics: The ornithopter’s wings are capable of adjusting their angle and surface area mid-flight, enabling a range of flight modes. For high-speed travel, the wings flatten out, reducing drag and allowing the craft to soar at tremendous velocities. In combat or close-quarters flight, the wings can spread wide and beat with greater frequency, providing increased lift and the ability to hover or make sharp turns.

Low-Altitude Mastery: The ornithopters are exceptionally adept at flying close to the ground, hugging the contours of terrain with precision. This makes them ideal for reconnaissance, skirmishes, and low-altitude stealth operations. They can skim the surface of planets, weaving between trees, buildings, or rocky outcrops, making them difficult to detect and even harder to target.

Silent Flight: One of the most remarkable features of the Targaryen ornithopters is their ability to fly almost silently. The drakaon crystals provide a unique form of energy that produces minimal sound during flight, and the design of the wings reduces the noise of air displacement. This gives Targaryen forces a significant advantage in ambushes, allowing them to approach targets unnoticed.

Weapons Systems

Though designed for speed and maneuverability, Targaryen ornithopters are also equipped with an array of advanced weaponry, making them formidable combatants in both aerial and ground-based engagements.

Plasma Cannons: The primary offensive weapon of the Targaryen ornithopters is a pair of plasma cannons mounted beneath the wings. These cannons, powered by drakaon crystals, fire concentrated blasts of superheated plasma that can melt through enemy armor and fortifications with ease. The plasma bursts are short but incredibly powerful, making them ideal for quick, devastating strikes in aerial combat or against ground targets.

Crystal-Tipped Missiles: For long-range engagements, the ornithopters are equipped with a payload of crystal-tipped missiles. These missiles are encased in a crystalline shell derived from drakaon crystals, which amplifies the explosive force upon impact. The missiles are guided by a highly sophisticated targeting system that locks onto enemy aircraft or ground vehicles, ensuring precision strikes. The explosion that follows a hit is not only concussive but also imbued with the fiery glow of the crystals, reminiscent of a dragon's flame.

Energy Shields: The same crystalline technology that powers their weapons is also used to generate energy shields around the ornithopter. These shields can absorb and dissipate energy-based attacks, such as laser fire or plasma rounds, providing the craft with a formidable defense against most forms of enemy fire. The shields are powered directly by the drakaon crystal core, allowing them to regenerate quickly between engagements.

Ion Disruptors: For disabling enemy craft or taking out electronic systems, the Targaryen ornithopters are fitted with ion disruptors. These devices emit pulses of ionized particles that interfere with the targeting and communication systems of enemy vehicles, leaving them vulnerable to follow-up attacks. The disruptors are particularly effective against the more technologically dependent Houses of the Imperium, giving the Targaryens an edge in combat scenarios where they prefer to disable rather than destroy.

Interior and Cockpit Design

The interior of the Targaryen ornithopter is as sleek and functional as its exterior. The cockpit is designed for a single pilot, though some larger models can accommodate a co-pilot or additional passenger. The controls are highly responsive and intuitive, making use of holographic interfaces and neural feedback systems that allow pilots to operate the ornithopter with minimal physical input.

Pilot Control Systems: The Targaryens have developed a neural interface system that allows their elite pilots to connect with the ornithopter on a deeper level. Using a combination of hand movements and mental commands, pilots can manipulate the ship’s movements and weaponry as if it were an extension of their own body. This results in faster reaction times, more precise control, and an almost symbiotic relationship between pilot and machine.

Holographic Displays: The cockpit is outfitted with holographic displays that provide real-time data on the ornithopter’s status, as well as tactical readouts of the battlefield. These displays can be adjusted with a simple gesture, allowing the pilot to focus on key information without becoming overwhelmed. The canopy itself also acts as a display screen, projecting augmented reality overlays that highlight enemy targets, potential threats, and navigation paths.

Applications and Use

Targaryen ornithopters are versatile machines, used for a variety of purposes, including reconnaissance, combat, and transportation. Their ability to hover and fly in confined spaces makes them ideal for covert operations, while their speed and firepower allow them to engage in open warfare when necessary.

Dragonrider Scouts: In many cases, ornithopters are deployed alongside dragonriders, providing air support and acting as scouts during large-scale operations. Their ability to move silently and strike quickly complements the more dramatic presence of dragons in battle.

Planetary Defense: On Albiron, Targaryen ornithopters serve as the first line of defense against any potential invaders. Patrolling the skies above the pyramids and cities of the jungle planet, they are always ready to intercept hostile forces long before they reach the ground.

Exploration and Expansion: When the Targaryens venture into uncharted space, their ornithopters are used for exploration and mapping. Their ability to fly in both atmospheric and near-space environments makes them perfect for scouting new worlds and identifying potential threats.

[kaothedemon]

● LMX-000 Galatea -> LMX-000N Galatea Nerine

(a.k.a. the main mech in my novel)

● Height: abt. 21m

● Power Plant: Ultracompact Fission reactor (previously), Ultracompact Deuterion Fusion reactor

● Armaments:

High-Power Prototype Beam Rifle: can fire powerful beam shots: normal, charged, or rapid fire. Its power is almost comparable to a small-to-medium spaceship's main cannons. When not in use, it can connect to normally concealed hardpoints on the back of the waist and on the side of the calves.

2× Spread Beam Cannons/Beam Vulcans: standard mobile doll armament, located in the head, as the name implies these weapons can serve as weaker rapid fire weapons, or can charge up a spread beam shot, followed by a brief cooldown before they can fire again.

2× Variable-Intensity-Blade Plasma Sword/Javelin: the standard close range armament for most mobile dolls, it is a small device held in the mobile doll's hands when operated and is powered by the unit's reactor. It emits a blade of plasma contained by an A-Field and can cut through most armor not treated with anti-beam coating. The blade's shape, length and intensity can be changed to fit the situation, and its handle can extend to form a Plasma Javelin. The Galatea uses an experimental, more powerful variant, and stores them in its forearms.

10× small Psycho Bits: stored in the unit's new thighs, each funnel-shaped Bit possesses 9 micro-thrusters for movement, 4 small beam emitters, and a larger central one. Together they can form a beam barrier, and can return to their storage units to recharge.

2× large Composite Armament Booster Units (CABU): located on the unit's back, these spherical Psycho Bits aid the Galatea's agility and speed, though rendering its maneuverability harder to master. Each Bit has 6 beam cannons, that can easily switch to thrusters, and 8 additional micro-thrusters.

2× Nerine Variable Speed-Intensity Plasma Cannons: exclusive to the Nerine modifications, these powerful beam cannons can alter the strength, speed, and intensity of their shots, even being able to concentrate their plasma enough to make it behave almost like a solid projectile.

● Special Equipment and Characteristics

White Rabbit System: an experimental learning-personality AI in the Galatea. More simplistically speaking, it's the Galatea itself, made to assist a "witch" pilot (shut up I started writing before WfM shut up shut up).

Intention Automatic System: translates strong brainwaves into data, allowing witch pilots to control the Galatea with their thoughts alone, however overuse of the system can bring organ failure due to the heavy exchange of data.

Ultracompact Jetta Drive: a highly experimental miniaturized version of the standard Jetta Drive for faster than light travel. Its use in conjunction with the CABUs causes an effect known as "Wings of Light".

● History:

When the aging monarch of Anur Khufos began growing paranoid of a possible attack from the moon Loum, he ordered the Galatea to be constructed by Lotus Electronics. After the coup d'etat led by his son Dijehd, he abdicated, leading to the planet becoming a republic. Dijehd, now representative of Lotus Electronics, gifted the Galatea to Drusus, emperor of Loum, and his fiancé Matias, as they set off on their mission to change Earth for the better.

It later became the personal unit of Kyoji Vianno, the emperors' human bodyguard, and highly skilled engineer. By his request, the Galatea's color scheme was changed from white, blue, and red, to white and grayish-lilac. The head's monoeye sensor was switched out for double eye cameras, and its single antenna was replaced by 2 "bunny ear" antennas. Back on Loum, Kyoji and the Shirk engineer Anakletos created the Intention Automatic System, and later modified the Galatea to have all of its IAS-related features and equipment.

After years at the emperors' service, Kyoji started a journey to the stars, taking the Galatea and experimental mobile armor Athena with himself. He returned almost 100 years later (having survived thanks to body-regulating nanomachines) to clean up the corruption within the Galactic Confederation, and played an important role in defeating the terrorist group Cannonball that took over several colonies, and almost succeeded in dropping one still in construction on Loum, fighting off their leader Omega, who during the battle piloted the stolen Athena. After the war ended, the Galatea was repaired and upgraded with the Nerine equipment.

[firedragon1321]

Holy crap they just dumped a lot of robots. And other things.

This Shinkalion Change the World update is from Takara Tomy and the official website. It confirms all my past posts thus far, plus provides more info. I'll start with the giant robots in part 1 (had to split this due to image limits). Part 2 is here. Source website is here if you want to explore on your own.

The Shinkalions

First up, it's the E5, which really doesn't look impressive without the attachments but I guess that's the point. There is art of the attachments and Shinkasens, but I can't add those due to image limits. If you want me to grab them, let me know.

"Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa Trailer Form

A vehicle combination of "Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa" and "Elda Trailer".

The ``Trailer Wing'' attached to its shoulders has the function of improving its mobility, and it is good at close combat by making full use of ``Rixou Saber'' and ``Rear Car Shield.''

The "Grand Cross" equipped on the chest unit releases a powerful blow.

Total length / 11m Weight / 65t

Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa

Shinkalion is the transformed lead car of the E5 Shinkansen Hayabusa.

The chest unit is equipped with a Grand Cross.

It is good at high-speed battles that take advantage of the speed of the E5 Shinkansen, and is compatible with the Elda Trailer, which enhances its mobility.

Total length / 11m Weight / 50t

Shinkansen E5 series Hayabusa

A high-performance vehicle that achieves high speed, speed, and environmental friendliness.

Its running speed is 320km/h, the fastest in Japan.

Elda Trailer

The Elda vehicle was developed with the motif of a large trailer used to transport the Shinkansen overland.

Unlike a normal trailer, the body has a special shape, so Shinkalion can be transported overland in an emergency."

Next, the E6. GOOD GRIEF HE'S NAKED- until the attachments go on. All the Shinkalions are like this btw.

"Shinkalion E6 Komachi Top Lifter Form

A vehicle combination of "Shinkalion E6 Komachi" and "Elda Top Lifter".

It doesn't give the opponent a chance to get close to it with its shooting attacks using the "Kintei Gun" and agile movements using the "high mobility rollers" on its legs.

The large cannon "Twist Rock Buster" attached to its back boasts overwhelming firepower and won't miss even distant enemies.

Total length / 18.5m Weight / 59t

Shinkalion E6 Komachi

Shinkalion is the transformed lead car of the E6 Shinkansen Komachi.

The forehead is decorated with red waves and silver, reminiscent of the symbol mark of the E6 Shinkansen Komachi.

Due to the high running stability of the E6 Shinkansen, it is compatible with the Elda Top Lifter, which requires precise sniping performance.

Total length / 11.5m Weight / 47.5t

Shinkansen E6 series Komachi

A Shinkansen that boasts a speed of 320 km/h, comparable to the Shinkansen E5 series Hayabusa.

It can also travel through narrow tunnels and curves where regular Shinkansen trains cannot travel.

Elda Top Lifter

The Elda vehicle was developed with the motif of a top lifter working to move large containers at a freight station.

The short body of the vehicle allows it to move around in tight corners, allowing it to run quickly while avoiding obstacles."

Last we have the E7. Still called the Kagayaki despite Google Translate's fooling around.

"Shinkalion E7 Shiny Drill Form

A vehicle combination of "Shinkalion E7 Kagayaki" and "Eldadrill".

The thick armor worn all over the body, such as the ``Kusaku Bumper'' on the chest and the ``Drill Leg Armor'' on the legs, can fend off enemies that approach.

The heavy blows from the "Twin Kussaku Drills" attached to both arms are the key to breaking through the front lines.

Total length / 11.5m Weight / 100t

Shinkalion E7 Kagayaki

Shinkalion is the transformed lead car of the Shinkansen E7 Shinkansen.

The forehead has an arrow-like design reminiscent of the shiny symbol mark of the E7 Shinkansen.

Due to the characteristics of the E7 series, which runs on difficult railway sections such as gradients, it is compatible with the Elda Drill.

Total length / 10.5m Weight / 55t

Shinkansen E7 series Shinkansen

The equipment is compatible so that it can run across regions with different power supply frequencies.

The maximum speed is 260km/h.

Elda Drill

The Elda vehicle was developed with a focus on the strength of large heavy machinery for tunnel construction and mining work.

No matter how hard the rock is, it can drill holes with great effort using a large drill in the front and small drills on the left and right."

My Rambling

So one thing I consistently noticed here is that the attachments are called "Elda". This could be Google Translate messing with the word "elder", but I'm not certain.

Not much to say that isn't obvious. These are standard for their type and don't bring any surprises to the table (no heavyset E6 or sniper E7, for example). And Gran Cross will also naturally return.

But Wait- There's More!

Something I noticed on Takara Tomy's Twitter is...

They combine! Not only that, but there's three possible combinations that feature the body and weapons of each Shinkalion. I would have killed for something like this in Z (Hanabi and Taiju deserve better.)

You may notice I posted toy ads. There's no clean anime art right now. I don't know how soon these will drop in the anime. But I don't expect the wait to be very long.

[gaddaboutgriffon]

Ok continuing the dragon breeds with the Zephyrwing. One of the smaller breeds but with its tight swallow shaped wings and rudder like tail it is the fastest and most acrobatic flyer. It can fly faster and outmaneuver any other dragon breed. They actually spit a flammable mucus that will stick too and slowly burn whatever their target is so they don’t use as much gasses up that they need to stay light enough to fly. Most likely to use hit and run dive bomb tactics. Personally wise this breed is fun loving pranksters.

Next we have the Starblast. Most of their scales are a dark color with light spots and stripes. The spots and stripes are also florescent to light up like a firefly. They will flash light in patterns for communication. One of the smarter and more stoic breeds it often is either alone or in small quiet groups. It isn’t the biggest breed but not the smallest either, about mid sized. However it has a stand out explosive attack where it spits a gas filled mucus ball that explodes on contact with anything in a destructive blast.

On to the Rockhide. These big guys have the thickest and biggest scale plates making them like living tanks. But those thick scales make them a bit heavier and harder to fly. So they are much more likely to breath fire in a fight. They also have massive claws for digging and a hard club on the end of their tail. Despite all these offensive and defensive traits the Rockhides tend to be gentle giants and big marshmallows that will let youngsters climb all over them.

And I accidentally put the next dragon next the rock hide and don’t know how to undo that on the app. So that is the Sentrydrake. They have the best senses of any of the breeds and are impossible to sneak up on. Most sentrydrakes tend to be on the over cautious side but if you tick one off they will hunt you down and with their senses you will not be able to hide from it. Their fire, strength and abilities are able to keep up with other breeds but not really stand out. They make up for that by being trickier and out smarting most other dragons. (This is what I was thinking of turning Tim into.)

Ok now we have the Wavedrake. Another breed that doesn’t have the right gases to breath fire. Instead the gas sacks are used for floating and diving in tge water and extra oxygen storage. They also can produce massive amounts of electricity to sock prey or opponents. The wings are shaped like fins and they have webbed feet and a paddle tail. These laid back dragons range from surfer dude to manatee to dolphin personalities. Just happy to chill or play.

Next is the Nannydrake. Yeah it’s name implies what it’s role like will be. The claws are blunt and they don’t have much fire to breath but have pretty thick skin and scales to take hits while shielding the young. They also have saliva that is incredibly disinfectant killing most bacteria or viruses. The big bow shaped ears give it great hearing to keep track of its surroundings. Also because these dragons are egg laying mammals the Nanydrake has the unique ability to lactate at any time. This fussy dragon is a perfect baby sitter. Nanydrakes are always in packs with other breeds of dragons. You will never see a pack of just this breed.

Well onto another breed. The gigantic Sailwing. This is the biggest breed with the biggest wingspan. They soar high for days on end and are built for long distances travel. They also have a concusive sonic roar that they use for their primary attack, as they want to save their gases for flight or staying afloat when they need to rest on the ocean. The whale shaped tail is used for diving down and then speeding to the surface fast as possible to gain clearance for their wings. Sailwings also tend to be sleepy gentle giants and peacekeepers. Though usually they will just lay on the aggressor until they calm down.

Ok onto the flightless but fast Swiftclaw. The fastest runner and ground hunter. They will use an electric shock to stun prey after they have chased it down. And finishing it off with a strong bite. The short wings are more used for balance and helping it quickly turn. The tail is also used to make quick turns like how a cheetah uses its tail.

Now onto the shy and elusive CaveDrake. This flightless nocturnal dragon spends most of its time underground in caverns. It can use its fluorescent spots to light up its surroundings but is more likely to use the feeling on its ears and sonar. It can’t breathe fire but can spit a rock melting acid. It’s wings have adapted into a second pair of arms to help it climb cavern walls.

Ok down to the last two. This is the Stormmane. An elegant flyer that cam both breath fire and generate electricity shocks. It is a bit on the haughty side though so it is tough to gets it’s friendship. The mane along it’s back is super soft and generates a ton of static electricity which it uses to defend itself. This also makes it a fastidious clean freak always grooming itself.

@puppetmaster13u so you seem to like branching out of the DPxDC and also like dragon-ized characters. Well I have had a fic Idea for a while.

A gem that when put in water makes it turn a glowing purple and anyone submerged in that water turns into one of sixteen breeds/subspecies of dragon based on which one fits them best. (More on each breed later.)

Now for the plot part. There’s a treasure/magic weapon some bad guy is looking for that can only be found by dragon eyes. He decides to essentially take street kids and use the gem to turn them into dragonlings promising to turn them back after he gets what he wants. Tim Drake/Red Robin and Damian/Robin are investigating the disappearance of the kids and find the bad guy pushing a kid into glowing purple water and the transformation into a dragon. Of course there is a fight and it ends up having Tim turned into a dragon but they escape with all the dragon-ified kids, but the bad guy escapes with the gem. Now Damian has to take care of and keep a bunch of juvenile dragons hidden and track down the bad guys with the gem to ever be able to undo this. Oh being turned into a dragon comes with some instincts and pack behaviors that makes Damian’s job harder.

Ok the Pack tends to be divided into eight roles. 1 the Alpha is the leader and protector of the Pack. 2 The Beta is the second in command and helps enforce the orders of the alpha. 3 the Scout is the one that has the best memory for land marks and obstacles to the pack and goes ahead looking for danger. 4 the Hunters does the most hunting, fighting, general tasks to protect and provide for the pack. 5 Tracker is a specialized hunter and is one that will track prey down or find missing pack members. 6 Sentry has the best senses of hearing smell and/or sight and acts as a early warning for the pack. Often works with the Scout. 7 Nanny is the one that takes care of the babies in the pack or injured members or elderly members. 8 Omega/Peacekeeper this one breaks up tensions in the pack by diverting attention of fighting members from each other onto them. Often through annoyance or play.

Now for the different breeds and what each does best. Oh and the Dragons are not really reptiles. They are more like egg laying mammals and the scales are made of fused overcoat hair like the Pangolin has. The digestive system produces gases that combust when combined with oxygen in the atmosphere and use an electric spark like the electric eel and the bombardier beetle. Those gases are lighter then air and with the hallow bones helps make them light enough to fly, but if they use to much for fire in a fight then they can’t fly for a while. There are some breeds with exceptions and those will be explained. Can you tell I am a bit of a biology nerd.

First we have the Pygmydrake. It is the smallest breed like the chihuahua of the dragons, being about the size of a medium sized dog. It has fire and spits acid and a fully prehensile tail. Tends to be more cooperative and live in much larger packs than any other breed. In a pack with mixed breeds will often act as an omega or scout.

Next we have the Shiftscale. It can change the color of its scales at will and can blend into its surroundings it practically goes invisible. Sharp retractable claws for silent movement. It can breathe fire but not as much as other breeds. More likely to ambush prey and if they don’t have the element of surprise is likely to retreat.

Ok now the Firerex. These are the second biggest breed and they have the biggest gas sacks for ton of extra fire. Very much more likely to roast an opponent then the other breeds because they can. And their jaw strength is like a hydraulic press for really strong bites. Just big guys that are affectionate with their pack and will be the first to fight to defend it.

Onto the Spearback. They can breath fire but are more likely to fight with their quilled tail. These prickly guys are not fond of strangers or surprises and are likely to slam their spike tail to impale anything that startles them. They can flick their tail fast enough launch a loose quill like a giant dart. But once trust is earned they will be glued to your side.

Moving onto the IceScale. This breed has a mutation where their body does not produce the right gases for fire but instead they spray a liquid that will freeze when mixed with nitrogen in the atmosphere. Thus they can’t fly either. The body is better adapted for freezing weather and the wings and tail for swimming. They have a great sense of smell and can track down scents from miles away. Eyesight isn’t to good though.

Going to have to finish the rest of the breeds in a reblog.

[theultimateultimateweapon]

Kirby: Meta Knight and the Knight of Hades (Chapter 10)

Morpho Knight swung his sword down the slope, releasing a powerful shock wave. The crescent-shaped waves hit Meta Knight in quick succession.

Meta Knight flew left and right, but his arm was hurt and he groaned in pain. Morpho Knight didn’t even look tired.

Meta Knight remembered what happened in the underworld. In that world, he couldn’t feel tired, hungry, or pain at all. The red knight might not feel any of those feelings no matter how much he fights because of the power of the butterfly of Hades.

If so, does Meta Knight have no chance of winning…?

(No, it can’t be...) Meta Knight gripped his sword and thought. (Those who do not feel tired do not understand the breath of battle. Those who do not feel pain cannot read the movement of their enemy.)

Behind Meta Knight were King Dedede, Kirby, and Blade Knight. Both the great king and Kirby fought desperately, but they had finally lost their strength.

Only Meta Knight was standing. He didn’t know if he could get through this mess. Already, just breathing was painful and his whole body hurt.

(Good. I feel tired and painful because I am alive!)

Meta Knight gathered his strength and jumped up, slashing at Morpho Knight.

However, he repelled it easily.

Morpho Knight slashed violently at Meta Knight’s landing.

Due to his tiredness, Meta Knight, who had been struck before, couldn’t move. He held his sword over his body and guarded desperately, but the damage was great.

His head was fluttering. His eyes were hazy, and his feet were swaying.

(Will I… will I go to the underworld again? This time, forever?) When such an ominous idea came to him, something happened.

“Meta Kniiiiight!”

He heard a loud voice. Waddle Dee’s voice.

Meta Knight raised his face.

Waddle Dee overcame a broken pillar holding something.

“Don’t come any closer!” Meta Knight shouted out.

Waddle Dee turned around, gained momentum, and threw what he was holding in his hand.

“Meta Knight! Here…!”

Something flew through the air. Meta Knight quickly reached out and took it.

Immediately, Meta Knight’s whole body shook. His fatigue and pain disappeared as they were swept away. He felt the power in his hand.

“My treasured sword… the Galaxia!”

It’s unmistakable and genuine. Meta Knight held the Galaxia high. A bright light spilled from the tip of the sword.

Morpho Knight attacked. Meta Knight lightly dodged, shook up and jumped high.

“Spinning Knight!”

While spinning in the air, he slashed at Morpho Knight.

Morpho Knight flinched and was struck down.

Then, immediately, he held his sword horizontally and drill slashed!

Morpho Knight was blown off and struck against a collapsing wall.

Meta Knight had completely regained his power. The Galaxia gave him strength. And the Galaxia was also strengthened by returning to the hands of its true owner. The sword fighter and the sword, united for increased power!

However, Morpho Knight wasn’t finished.

When he stood up, he swung his sword down and sent crescent shock waves one after another. They flew with tremendous speed, but Meta Knight didn’t give up, dodging one after another, getting closer to him.

“Take this-!” Meta Knight swung after Morpho Knight. 

Morpho Knight disappeared suddenly. He escaped with teleportation in an instant. Morpho Knight materialized above and behind Meta Knight.

Meta Knight looked back, feeling sick.

Morpho Knight slid in and rushed through the air.

It was tremendous speed. Meta Knight couldn’t dodge it.

“Kah…!” He was moving before he realized.

He grabbed the Galaxia, held it in front of him, and took a strong stance.

At the moment of attack…

“Galactic Counter!”

A deadly mystery that uses the enemy’s attack power against them!

There was no delay, the timing was perfect.

“...ts!” Morpho Knight stiffened his whole body and his attacks were slow.

The game was on. Meta Knight quietly stared at the enemy.

A streak of light spilled out of Morpho Knight. The lights gradually increased, two, three, and the brightness increased. His mask, his sword, and his wings on his back were swallowed by the white light. The knight turned into a ball of light and disappeared with a burst.

After the knight disappeared, countless red butterflies were dancing. The butterflies flew turbulently, fading little by little, and eventually disappeared as if melting away.

“Meta Knight…”

Meta Knight, staring at the disappeared butterflies, was called and turned around.

It was Kirby. He had been injured in the fight, but seemed to regain some energy.

“Did you win?”

“...Yes.”

“Meta Knight really is strong! I couldn’t do it at all.” Kirby looked a little sick.

Behind him, King Dedede stood up slowly. “Uh… Uugh…!”

The king, leaning on his hammer, managed to support his body and said with envy. “I was supposed to do it… I could’ve mustered the strength…!”

“Didn’t you turn and run?”

“I didn’t run off! I was getting a better vantage point!”

Blade Knight also stood up, in tears. “Meta Knight, sir, wow, you’re safe!”

“Yes. No need to worry about me.”

“But what happened? I could have sworn you were on the battleship Halberd…”

Waddle Dee rushed in before Meta Knight answered. “Meta Knight! You won!”

“Waddle Dee.” Meta Knight turned to Waddle Dee.

“I’m grateful you returned my strength with the Galaxia. Thank you.”

“I just carried it. It was the Galaxia that strengthened you…”

Waddle Dee jumped up. “Wait, we still need your help! Your knights are in a hole!”

“A hole?”

“This way!”

Meta Knight followed Waddle Dee to the knights.

The rescued knights were quiet, even surrounding Meta Knight. Everyone’s hearts were so full that no words came out.

Meta Knight opened his mouth. “It was foolish of me to worry, everyone fought so well.”

“Meta Knight, sir…!”

The Meta Knights wept as if the thread of tension had broken.

Sword Knight said. “You’re the real Meta Knight, aren’t you”

“Do I look like a fake?”

“No! You’re definitely real! There’s a big difference!”

Sword Knight saw Beryl crouching down.

Mace Knight snuck behind and grabbed Beryl’s head.

Axe Knight asked, “Let’s punish him for what he’s done. What do you think?”

“Hm…” Meta Knight thought about it.

Beryl was shaking, rattling. 

Javelin Knight spoke. “Let’s tie him to the bow of the battleship and let him enjoy space travel.”

Trident Knight replied, “Why don’t we send him to Castle Dedede? Let the Waddle Dees take a break and let him do all the castle work alone!”

Axe Knight added, “No, let’s send him to all the towns he destroyed and make him fix them back up again! First, Dreamland!”

Meta Knight spoke. “That’s still too kind. Let’s tie him up so he can’t move and have Kirby perform a song for him.”

“Eh!?” Kirby was surprised. “Why do I have to sing for this guy!? What a waste…!”

“...No, trust me.” Meta Knight told Kirby. “Persuade him with your wonderful singing that he should never do anything wrong again.”

“...Eh? Persuade him?”

“Listening to a wonderful song can change someone’s mind.”

“Oh yeah… songs have the power to move hearts. I see!” Kirby was determined and nodded. “I will sing! It’ll be a moving song that will gentle the heart of any villain!”

“While you’re at it, would you like to serve your home cooking as well? You should make a special dish that will make him cry with excitement.”

“Okay! Looks like Meta Knight is kind to his enemies.”

“Waddle Dee.”

Waddle Dee, who was swaying and listening to the story, jumped up when Meta Knight called out. 

“Ye...yes!”

“I’ll leave it to you. Hold Kirby a concert and set up a special seat for Beryl. Don’t forget to serve Kirby’s special dishes. Have Beryl eat until he is full.”

“Uh… uh… uh, yes…!” Waddle Dee imagined it and nodded in tears of fear.

(Me, Meta Knight…! What a terrifying thing! Kirby’s song is so terrible it could crack the walls of Castle Dedede, and Kirby’s food is so bad he could lose his appetite for the rest of his life…!)

Kirby said with a smile. “Heh, I’ll do my best! Let’s work together, Waddle Dee!”

“Ah… okay…”

“What should I sing? I have to sing with all my heart so Beryl doesn’t do bad things again… of course, I’ll do my best to cook too… Wow, I’m excited! Hey Beryl, I hope you’re looking forward to it!”

“Oh, oh. I’m sure I’ll change my mind.” Beryl was relieved and grinned.

The Meta Knights and King Dedede whispered in the shadow.

“Beryl’s acting like he’s saved.”

“How stupid, he doesn’t know the horror of Kirby.”

“Meta Knight is too cruel. No matter what he did, I’m sorry for Beryl.”

“How could sir make such a proposal…”

“Wow, he’s not kidding around! Good luck, Beryl!”

Meta Knight turned over his cloak and started walking. “Well then, let’s go back to the battleship Halberd.”

“Yes sir!” His subordinates saluted in unison and lined up.

Captain Vul and the Meta Knights were enjoying tea time leisurely for the first time in a long while.

Meta Knight wasn’t there. It seems he had something to do, so he went out without telling them where he was going.

Captain Vul was talking about, of course, Meta Knight.

Axe Knight said. “Even so, it’s strange. Why did Meta Knight, who had been unconscious on the Halberd, appear in the ancient temple?”

Captain Vul replied. “I have an idea, but I can’t quite explain it. I think…”

Captain Vul took a sip of his tea and continued.

“At that time, Meta Knight’s body and mind were disjointed. His body was in a bed in the Halberd here, but his mind was wandering somewhere else.”

“...Huh.”

“Usually, the wandering heart returns to the body. However, Meta Knight is a very strong person, so I think this time his body was called to his heart.”

“...Hmm.”

Blade Knight said. “Meta Knight has a strong body, though.”

“...Well, that is correct. However, if anything, his heart is stronger!”

“Persuasive, if not…” Sword Knight muttered.

“At that time, Galacta Knight took a big hit. Moreover, he was combined with the red butterfly to become even more powerful.”

“Yeah, but what about it?”

“I think I’ve got it. Meta Knight’s desire to fight a strong opponent called to his body.”

“I see, then I understand.”

The Meta Knights nodded.

“Meta Knight’s enthusiasm to fight can be a bit overkill.”

“Hold your tongue. Meta Knight doesn’t like fighting. He likes to make himself stronger.

“Regardless, his desire to fight a strong enemy caused a miracle.”

“As expected from our master!”

Around the time when the peaceful tea party was held on the Halberd, Kirby’s special dinner concert was being held in the basement of the Castle Dedede.

Meta Knight was standing alone in a flower garden of Dreamland.

A pleasant breeze blew and the colorful flowers swayed.

Meta Knight picked up a yellow flower and took a deep breath. It had a refreshing smell.

“It has a nice scent. Pink was… too sweet, wasn’t it?”

Meta Knight couldn’t forget Papi’s happy voice. The whole time he was trying to stop Meta Knight from returning to the original world… At the very end, he was desperate to save Meta Knight. Without Papi, Meta Knight wouldn’t have been able to return to this world.

He wondered, what was Papi doing now? Was he fluttering around looking for someone to talk to?

At that moment, a white butterfly flew by and perched on a yellow flower. It was slowly drinking from the flowers.

Meta Knight muttered in a small voice. “If one day you go to that world, let me know.”

The butterfly stopped moving, as if it had heard Meta Knight’s words.

“I’d like to thank that talkative butterfly with light blue wings. Papi was a good guide… no, a good friend.”

The butterfly fluttered away, and began to fly from flower to flower.

Meta Knight quietly watched until the butterfly disappeared.

(Chapter 9 - Table of Contents)

(The end, thank you so much for reading and all of your support!)

[dragimalsdaydreams]

ok soooo... I’ve never played Pokemon or watched the show or anything, but my dear friend @cobwebbing got into SWSH a while back and infodumped a lot of interesting trivia onto me, including the thing about fossil combinations. we were both horrified by the implications, to the point that she wrote a fun fic exploring the concept (HIGHLY recommend it), and I got invested in speculating the ACTUAL original Pokemon (also, these designs are technically ‘canon’ to her fic)

I tried to mimic some of the official art in lining/shading, but I don’t think I stuck fully to the ‘cartoony’ vibe of Pokemon. ah well, good experience either way

for ease of reading, I’ll be slotting both the image descriptions AND the extra “Pokedex” info about these guys under the cut-- I thought a LOT about their behaviors lmao. for the image descriptions, please assume that the style of all pieces is a mix of ‘cartoony’ and realistic in form, with solid lines and base colors

+bonus! to see the belly <3

[IMAGE ID: text above the Pokemon reads “Zoomzolt” with a yellow button underneath reading “Electric”. the background is a dull yellow with some areas of shade.

this Pokemon is shaped like a prehistoric raptor, with a small/round horizontal torso, a thin neck curved upright, small arm-wings, lithe digitigrade hind legs, and a thin tail held stiffly out at an upward angle from the body. most of the body is bright yellow with small areas of purple, as will be described. the Pokemon is standing cheerily, facing to the left.

the head has a long snout with a prominent bump emphasizing the tip, where a small purple nostril sits on the visible side. the mouth is held open in a happy gape, showing a purple tongue. the front half of the upper and lower jaws have serrated edges resembling sharp teeth, which seem to interlock. the eyes are closed, the lines of the eyelashes turned up with the smile. a small doodle to the left of the head shows the head with jaw closed and eyes open, showing off glossy black-button eyes with tiny eyelashes, and sparkles floating around the eyes. the head is framed by a crown of large, decorative feathers, all of which are a lighter yellow than the body and sport a couple spots of purple. each cheek also has a single purple spot.

a pair of small arms are held loosely to the sides of the body, each with three bare-skin purple talons with long claws, peeking out from under the fluffy yellow feathers of the arm. each arm sports a set of primary feathers resembling a simple wing, ending at around the elbow. these primaries are a lighter yellow than the main body, with a couple spots of purple near the edges. the overall outline at the trailing edge of the primaries forms a lightning bolt shape. there’s a long decorative feather on each of the wings, close to the body, which extends out into a simple zig-zag, before ending in a rounded tip which resembles a peacock feather with a small wisp and a couple purple spots.

the bonus image removes the closest wing primaries, better showing the lighter-yellow underbelly, and the hind legs. the hind legs are long and lithe, covered in yellow feathers up until the ankle, below which the skin is bare and purple. each foot has three toes, two of which are based flat on the ground with mid-length claws. the third toe closest to the body is raised high, sporting a large, sickle-shaped claw, curved sharply compared to the other claws.

a fan of long, light-yellow feathers spans out from the tip of the tail, resembling both the wing feathers and the crown of feathers on the head, adorned with purple spots. the overall outline resembles a diamond, with a vague zig-zag formed by a few feathers on the sides. two long decorative feathers resembling those found on the wings sprout from the sides of the fan as well.

END ID]

Name: Zoomzolt

Type: Electric

Animal Inspirations: road-runners, cockatoos, microraptors in general

Extra design notes: since the spots on the cheeks canonically match the other fossil in the pair, that gave me free-rein to choose whatever color I felt like, and I eventually landed on purple. I also redesigned the arms/wings b/c the shape was just kinda awkward and dull? I think the new wing shape adds more flair to the design, especially in combination with the tail. btw I only thought of the partly-arboreal lifestyle halfway through the piece, and I didn’t feel like changing the claws to fit it better. just know I’m aware that the wing claws should be curvier, and the toe claws (sans sickle) shorter, lmao

Pokedex entry:

Zoomzolts are a highly social species, roaming the moors and forests in groups of 20 or more. while individuals aren’t particularly strong, their tight social bonds more than make up for the lack-- several Zoomzolts can combine their electric powers and deliver devastating blows to even the fiercest opponents. if this isn’t enough, Zoomzolts are a quick and agile species-- they can race away across the plains or climb up nearby trees before their opponent can recover. their unique feet provide an advantage here-- a marriage between an arboreal lifestyle with the curved sickle-claw for climbing, and a grounded lifestyle with the rest of the flat toes for stable running.

besides scaring off predators, Zoomzolts mainly use their electricity to attract and capture prey. at night, packs of Zoomzolts will gather in the upper foliage of tall trees, settle down, and allow small sparks of electricity to arc across their purple spots-- from one part of the body to another, and from one individual to another. this creates a dazzling light show that many nocturnal Bug Pokemon simply can’t resist. when these bugs venture close, the nearest Zoomzolt will quickly snatch them up before returning to formation.

Zoomzolts are friendly and curious to a fault, known for snooping among human belongings if left alone for too long. they’re very easy to train and bond well with humans, but a Zoomzolt will always need more of their own kind to truly thrive. at least 3 or 4 other Zoomzolts are needed for an individual Zoomzolt’s social/mental health, but not all trainers are committed to keeping that many of one species.

~~~

[IMAGE ID: text to the right of the Pokemon reads “Dunkovish” with a tan button and blue button underneath reading “Rock” and “Water”, respectively. the background is a light blue with some areas of shade.

pictured is a fish-like Pokemon, with a typical torpedo-shaped body and a stocky, blunt head. most of the body is blue, with areas of orange and pale yellow, as will be described. the body is positioned in a downward curve, as if the Pokemon is poised to strike at something off-screen.

the head is heavily armored, with most of the main skull forming one large oblong-dish shape. much of this armor is dark blue, while other sections are a bronze-orange color. the jaws are formed out of large, jagged plates, creating massive interlocking orange teeth. the jaw is gaping slightly open, showing a pale blue inner mouth. the visible jaw hinge is rounded and prominent on the cheek. two small, round, bulging eyes sit just above the jaws, on either side of the head near the hinges. the eyes are pale yellow with black, vertical, rectangular pupils.

a few other large plates of armor (some dark blue, some bronze orange) extend out past the main head piece onto the body, arranged like overlapping scales. these plates all have lines at the trailing edges, implying a simple texture. the main body beyond these scales is pale blue, with splotches of dark blue and smaller spots of orange splattered across the body, arranged in a pattern to imply small scales.

there are two sets “limb fins”, one directly behind the lower jaw, and the other near the tail. both sets are built on prominent lobes extending from the main body and matching the main body colors, before the spines of the fin extend out from the ends, flaring out in a pale yellow. the front set of fins is medium-size, smaller than the head, while the back set is much smaller.

the tail fin starts on the back, in the middle of the spine, and extends down to the tip of the tail, then underneath into an extra lobe of spines. visually, this means the main fleshy part of the tail extends into the upper lobe of longer spines, while the lower, shorter lobe of spines flares out underneath, unsupported. this tail fin is pale yellow.

END ID]

Name: Dunkovish

Type: Rock, Water

Animal Inspirations: dunkleosteus, coelacanth

Extra design notes: added in a rock type b/c of the whole “armored fish” thing, and some orange to complement that

Pokedex entry:

this Pokemon roams the open ocean, traveling dozens of miles every day in search of large prey to attack. once spotted, Dunkovish will swim off an appropriate distance, then charge the prey at full speed, ramming their rock-hard skulls into their prey. these charging attacks can easily shatter bone and internal organs, leaving their prey weak and defenseless as Dunkovish feasts.

Dunkovish aren’t typically a danger to humans, as they usually steer clear of shorelines. small shipping vessels are more at risk, as Dunkovish can mistake the ships for prey and ram into them, causing shipwrecks and major losses.

while their power makes them dangerous for the inexperienced, Dunkovish are shockingly easy to train. they’re very food-motivated Pokemon, so all a prospective trainer needs is a lot of tasty chum and a bit of patience.

~~~

[IMAGE ID: text to the upper left of the Pokemon reads “Arctoise” with a light blue button underneath reading “Ice”. the background is light blue with some areas of shade.

this Pokemon looks to be a cross between a tortoise and a plesiosaur, with a large, rounded shell, two sets of long fins, and a paddle-like tail. the shell is mostly snow-white, while the rest of the body is mostly blue with areas of white, as will be described. the body is floating at rest, fins spread-eagle from the body for balance.

the shell is fairly tall and dome-shaped, with the lower half wrapping underneath the torso, between the front and hind legs. the shell has some ridges at the back implying “layers” of snow, which smooth out as they reach the front of the shell. the base color is snow-white, while the lower two “layers” get progressively darker, into a blue-ish light grey. this grey peters out into spots as it reaches the front of the shell.

the head is long, thin, and sharply pointed, making for a thin spear shape. the snout resembles a dolphin beak-- long and rounded at the tip. the eyes are sharp and triangular, with visible white sclera, light blue irises, and round black pupils. the nostrils are based at the center of the beak, raised up along with a small ridge of bone at the center-line of the beak, meeting the forehead. the nostrils are merged together into a small heart shape. a set of small spiral shapes frames either side of the cranium, implying some kind of auditory system. the neck is tucked into the body in the main art, but a small doodle to the side shows the neck fully extended-- long and serpentine like a heron. while the main body (outside the shell) is an aqua blue, the head itself is mostly dark blue, with a few stripes of aqua blue at the tip of the beak.

there are two sets of long, pointed fins, the front set slightly larger than the back set. the front set of fins sit to either side of the neck, settled into the open body cavity of the shell. the back set extend from the shell as well, just in front of the tail. each fin’s base color is dark blue, with white tips and white spots that vaguely follow the inner bone structure of the fins.

the tail is thick and somewhat short, smoothly transitioning from the wide main body-shell down into a pointed tip. lobes of short cartilaginous fins sprout from the top and bottom of the tail tip, the top lobe taller but not as long, and the bottom lobe shorter height-wise but longer. the main tail is aqua blue, while the fins are dark blue.

END ID]

Name: Arctoise

Type: Ice

Animal Inspirations: sea turtles, tortoises, plesiosaur, herons, anhingas

Extra design notes: in retrospect, the ‘shell’ is prolly meant to be a mane of fur, but I like my shell idea too much to change it (if I were to redo it tho, I might’ve gone for like... seal inspiration? selkie lore?? hm). also certain restorations of plesiosaurs shaped the ‘paddle’ on the tail like I’ve shown, which makes more sense to me.

Pokedex entry:

this Pokemon is closely related to the modern Lapras, as seen in their many shared structural features. many researchers even believe Arctoise to be a direct ancestor to Lapras due to genetic similarities, but this question hasn’t been fully resolved.

Arctoise are very successful predators of the frigid southern pole, utilizing a unique hunting technique. they float patiently out near glaciers, necks tucked into their shells and staying perfectly still for hours on end. when other Pokemon see the Arctoise’s shiny white shell, they’re fooled into thinking it’s a snow-covered glacier, safe to rest on. when the Pokemon settles comfortably on the shell, Arctoise snaps into action, quickly flipping over so their prey is thrown into the water. sometimes this is enough to drown the prey (often true for Flying Pokemon that dropped down to rest), but usually this only stuns the prey. this gives Arctoise the chance to snap out their long neck and capture the prey in their powerful jaws. once subdued, Arctoise will right their body in the water and enjoy their meal.

despite the ponderous size/shape of this species, Arctoise are still able to float quite easily due to air sacs located near their spine (thus, near the top of their shell). these sacs allow Arctoise to carefully control how they float, and help hold the large dome of their shell above the water.

communities of small Water Pokemon often form around Arctoise. the large shell and quiet demeanor makes for a stable underwater haven, and a steady source of food from the scraps that Arctoise leaves behind. they’re usually safe from Arctoise’s appetite, as they’re too small to be considered a proper meal. additionally, these small Pokemon often attract larger prey to the area, providing Arctoise more hunting opportunities.

Arctoise is an aloof species, and won’t respond well to “overly-affectionate” bond-based training. but as long as their space and solitude is respected, an Arctoise is willing to cooperate with a trainer towards mutual goals.

~~~

[IMAGE ID: text to the upper left reads “Dracoleon” with a purple button and magenta button underneath reading “Dragon” and “Poison”, respectively. the background is a light purple with some areas of shade.

there are two Pokemon in this image, one to the left with a “female” ♀ symbol, and one to the right with a “male” ♂ symbol. both Pokemon resemble stocky, low-set herbivorous dinosaurs, with short/thick legs, and round/heavy torsos. the female is far larger than the male, and sports two rows of large spikes along her back. the base color of both is a dark green, with large swathes of magenta patterns, as will be described. both are poised with their heads low to the ground, and the female’s tail raised in a defensive position.

the heads of both sexes are wide and triangular, with sharp points at either side of the skull, and a pointed beak at the tip. their round eyes rest underneath the flat top of the skull, facing outwards to either side. the female’s eyelids are pointed down in an angry expression, while the male’s eyelids are pointed up in a worried expression. their visible sclera are white, and their irises are dark magenta. their nostrils sit on either side at the point of the beak. there are prominent bumps on either side of the skull, just behind the eyes, implying an auditory system. the flat top of the skull is bright magenta, while the rest of the head is dark green.

the small head transitions into the larger body via a thick, short neck, held low to the ground. the torsos are both round, heavy, and somewhat horizontally flat like a lizard. the base color is dark green with a light green underbelly, while the magenta pattern on the head extends all the way down to the tail, covering the full back. several pointed spikes of color stick out from the pattern, trailing down the sides of the torso and legs.

the female has two rows of light magenta spikes sticking out from the upper-sides of her torso, 7 pairs in total. the front-most spikes are the largest, with a horn-like shape that curves out in a wave of out-up-out into a sharp tip. the shape of the spikes gradually transitions from round horns to triangular plates at the end of the tail. the sizes transition from the largest at the front, smaller on the torso, larger at the center of the tail, then small at the tip again. all the spikes point at an angle out/up from the body, except for the very last pair on the tip of the tail, which stick out flatly from the sides of the tail.

the legs of both sexes are short and stocky, with thick underlying muscles. the feet are all digitigrade, but the foot/”hand” sections are very short. the feet all have 3 main toes set flat on the ground, while the front feet have a dew claw set higher on the hand, above the ground. all claws are short/thick and hoof-like, though the female’s are slightly longer and sharper. the hind legs are longer than the front legs, pushing the hips higher than the shoulders. the legs are all dark green with light magenta claws. the female has extra magenta stripes running horizontal across the legs.

the tails are both thick, transitioning smoothly from the thick body down to a pointed tip. the male’s tail is short and stubby, while the female’s is longer, sporting the spikes.

END ID]

Name: Dracoleon

Type: Dragon, Poison

Animal Inspirations: stegosaurus, ankylosaurus. (also.... Kaim from Devilman......)

Extra design notes: I mostly color-picked for the other Pokes, but I shifted Dracoleon’s color a lot from the canon colors. the og colors were just a bit too much for me-- hurt a lil bit to look at. so I shifted the red more magenta, and the green to a duller, more subdued saturation. I’m hoping the purple-shifted red conveys the Poison type better. also added a couple more spikes to the tail for flair.

Pokedex Entry:

due to their heavy sexual dimorphism, researchers originally identified male Dracoleon remains as juveniles of the species. it wasn’t until this Pokemon was fully restored in the flesh that this misconception was corrected.

female Dracoleon are highly territorial, aggressively defending their territory against anything they perceive to be a threat. thus, females are generally solitary, only tolerating the presence of male Dracoleon. this aggression only increases during breeding season, when females compete for male attention, and then nesting season when defending their hatchlings.

male Dracoleon are much smaller and more docile than their female counterparts. while females will actively protect males when the males are still within their territory, males usually find protection in numbers by banding together into small groups. males are as attentive to nesting needs as the females, but since they end up mating with several females a year, they roam in small groups across several territories. they’ll visit one female’s nest to help with food and nest protection for a while, before heading off to the next territory for another round of nest-duty. these transition periods from one territory to another are where males are most vulnerable to predation, so they try to travel quickly.

females’ spikes are covered in a toxic oil which is mostly an irritant to fellow Dracoleon and Poison-types, but can easily kill other species if it penetrates the skin. their magenta patterns build an association between their bright coloring and toxicity, which helps protect the males from predation by association, despite the males not having toxic spikes.

while Dracoleon are herbivorous generalists of thick forest regions, they seem to prefer roots and tubers over foliage. Dracoleon territory is easily identified by scattered areas of dug-up soil and holes.

while male Dracoleon are generally easy to befriend and train, females are very stubborn and aggressive towards most training attempts. however, if an experienced trainer is determined enough to prove their worth to their Pokemon, Dracoleon can become one of the most loyal and trustworthy companions a trainer could hope for.

[seventfics]

Autumn Birds

Written for @witcher-rarepair-summer-bingo

Prompt: We fell in love, but your previous lover reappeared/returned Relationships: Eskel/Jaskier (w/ past!Geralt/Eskel and past!Geralt/Jaskier) Rating: T Content Warnings: None Summary: They’d met just as the leaves were turning yellow. 

Read on AO3

* * *

They’d met just as the leaves were turning yellow.

Jaskier had heard of a witcher staying in town and, as was his prerogative since his acquaintance with a certain White Wolf, he’d ventured to see what the man was all about. It was not so often one got to meet someone of their caste. Why not have a little courage to break the ice himself?

The whispers spoke of a witcher with a terribly scarred face. Two swords strapped over his back, their pommels shaped into wolf heads. The women said he had a voice like a dog’s growl, so grave that when he spoke, it made children cry.

He thought that last bit was rather mean, and followed the trail of curses into a grimy tavern where a fight was about to break out.

“You promised fifty.”

“The best I can do is half.”

Jaskier’s hand freezes on the door. Whatever he’s come to doesn’t look good. The witcher’s back is to him, his padded shoulders raised with tension. The village’s alderman paces in front of him, fuming over a contract’s fee. There’s a few antsy people in the crowd too. The anger written on their faces makes him nervous.

He’s seen how this ends a dozen times. It’s gotten his own arse kicked butting into the middle of a witcher’s bargaining, actually.

“Now, now, gentlemen,” Jaskier interjects boisterously from the doorframe anyway. “This is no mood for drink and cheer. Calm your spirits with a little of the former—”

The alderman grumbles under his breath about merry idiots meddling in what they shouldn’t. “Shut up, bard. This here’s serious business. And I’m not about to be robbed by a witcher’s ridiculous high prize.”

“It’s not ridiculous. The contract says fifty, and,” the witcher stops to lift the bloody stump of a water hag’s head, “it’s already done.”

“That contract was up weeks ago. The reward’s gone down. You’re lucky half’s on the table at all.”

The witcher grunts—a familiar sound to Jaskier’s ears which translates to wordless annoyance—and drops the head on the floor. “You’re lucky the hag didn’t move closer into the village in that time.”

“Is that a threat?”

At the rising outrage in his tone, Jaskier slips closer to stare at the alderman over the witcher’s swordless shoulder. “Ah, I believe the witcher means more of your people would have died, had he not taken care of the problem so promptly. The reward hardly sounds like an unreasonable amount. I could get twice as much on a profitable eve of singing. In fact,” he flips to the witcher, who does not yet deign to look back at his unforeseen defender, “I could turn this place around and earn us both a decent share in one night. I’m no fop on the job!”

It’s then that the witcher looks towards him, but the bard only manages a quick glimpse of an incredulous set of eyebrows before the alderman starts shouting.

“Get out! Both of you! Out of my town or I’ll have the dogs chase you out!”

They both take that as their leave, Jaskier with a bit more speed in his jog.

At the outskirts the witcher turns fully, and at the sight of his whole face Jaskier almost gasps out loud. A long scar runs through his cheek, from eyebrow to jaw, and over his lips. It puckers the skin all around it, disfiguring half of his face.

Whatever caused that scar must have hurt a lot.

The witcher shifts in place, quiet for a long second as Jaskier does his best to hide his nerves. “I’m sorry to have involved you.”

“Oh, please, don’t be. I involved myself. Jaskier’s the name, by the way,” he introduces himself, hand extended in greeting.

The witcher scratches the back of his head. His lips twist to one side, bashful. One of his teeth peeks through the scarred tissue over his mouth. “Uh. Eskel.” He takes the offered hand and shakes it.

It’s the firmest handshake Jaskier has ever received.

“Well, Eskel. Are you short on coin? Because so am I.”

The snort he gets is—soft. Not at all like the gruff from before, with the alderman.

“I’m not doing too bad, I’d say. Just currently fifty short of what I expected to have at the end of the day.”

"How about I help with that? I wasn't lying when I said I could earn both a decent share, given the right crowd."

It's the sunset hour, and the leaves were falling on top of them. Everything is gold. The sky, the trees. Eskel’s eyes when they blink at him and he breaks into a genuine laugh.

Jaskier knows he’s a romantic. His heart flutters every odd day over strangers with pretty smiles. He’s just never seen such a shy, sweet smile on someone with such an intimidating facade.

Making him smile again became a personal quest.

* * *

At the next town over, Eskel speaks to the alderman there. This one is more reasonable at least, and up front about the sort of beast that lurks in the northern farms. Which brings up a whole new conversation as Jaskier doesn’t part from Eskel’s side despite the obvious danger.

Eskel grunts and sits him down, not unlike the times Geralt tried—and failed—to convince him to stay put. Jaskier just blinks his pretty blue eyes and says, “and how will I write a song of your prowess in battle if I am not there to witness it?”

“This is a dangerous contract, bard. It would be best if you let me handle it alone.”

“Oh no. No, no, I’ve heard that before a dozen times.”

Eskel pauses at that. “What?”

“I am perfectly capable of staying out of your way.”

The wyvern they encounter says otherwise.

To be fair, he had done a good job of staying out of the witcher’s way for most of the fight. It is only when the beast slams its tail into Eskel’s side on a backswing that Jaskier shouts in worry from his hiding place and brings undue attention to himself.

Wind whips around him for a split second, scattering dust into his eyes. It takes a moment to wipe them clean so of course he doesn’t see the great shadow flying at him. Doesn't realize the immediate need to hide or flee for his life until a giant claw snatches him by the bunched fabric on his back.

Jaskier's stomach plummets as he soars up. The ground recedes. His clothes start to rip. This is it, he panic-screams in his mind, this is his final day. Either as monster food or a blood splatter on a rock, his time has come.

A severe overreaction, and his own mistake for not trusting in a witcher's skill. He doesn't realize it in all, what with all his flailing about, but Eskel fires a crossbow bolt perfectly at the wyvern’s eye.

The beast screeches terribly loud in his ears. It flaps its wings once, twice, before twisting midair and letting him go.

They both fall, but Eskel catches him.

By the silence that follows after an earth-shaking crunch, he knows the witcher's won. Victory is not immediately on his mind, though. The way his sight spins and the sun paints a halo behind Eskel's hair, Jaskier dumbly thinks, oh—I've quite literally fallen in love.

“See?” he says instead, breathless with terror at almost having died, “I’m perfectly fine.”

Eskel raises a thick brow at him. And he's smiling too, the bard thinks. Could just be the scar making it look like a lopsided smile, but he wants to believe that he's made the witcher smile again with his foolish sense of humor.

“Are you alright? The tail,” Jaskier frets once his vision settles. Some of these monsters have poisoned stingers on the end of their tails. Are wyverns one of them?

But Eskel waves him down before he can consider the worst. “Relax. I cast Quen in time.”

“That’s a, uh, magic shield, right?”

Surprise colors Eskel's features. So it seems he's right. A point of pride on Jaskier's belt for remembering witcher signs.

Getting proof of a contract well done takes the witcher a good minute to collect. Wyvern skin is tough. The head would normally satisfy as proof, but it's too heavy to be lugging around town. He will have to make do with the wing tips. Should they question him, the remains aren't going anywhere.

“Come on, bard. Time to get our day's work done. And after that, we're going west.”

“'We'?” Something about the proclamation has his heart beating fast.

“'Course. I'm not letting you out of my sight now.”

He makes a show of bowing dramatically. “I wouldn’t want to be elsewhere.”

* * *

“You’re a friend of Geralt’s.”

Jaskier looks up from his notes.

Traveling with someone is always interesting—with a witcher even more so. So far he's learned that Eskel has far more routines than Geralt ever did, like counting his coin at the end of every week, and making sure he has two of every potion ready.

Jaskier quirks a half-smile. “I am. How did you figure? I never said his name.”

“Your song.” He points to the scribbled mess on his lap. “Or, I guess your work in progress. I see an expression he uses a lot, that he learned from me.”

“Oh?”

Eskel sits by him and nods, as if finally understanding Jaskier’s odd ease partnering with a witcher, and starts the story of where the expression in his handwriting originated from.

It’s funny at first, imagining a much younger, somehow more foolish Geralt together with this huge, frightening man who is not frightening at all to talk to. Eskel speaks so softly, so tenderhearted about the old memory—two boys, witchers-to-be, practically joined at the hip, making crude jokes. So he reciprocates with a tale of where he comes from, as destiny deigned to put them in each other’s paths.

As it happens, a lot of their first stories aren’t even their own, but Geralt’s.

And Eskel has many more over his. He’s more than happy to share them over camp.

Some of it leaves Jaskier’s throat aching. This is someone who clearly cares about his big grumpy friend. It's someone he can understand.

Then Eskel claps a bare hand on his back, his thumb and forefinger a hot press just under his nape, and oh, he’s more than a little foolishly in love actually, as his head is emptied of all reason at the small touch.

“Am I to become your travel bard,” Jaskier quips with an airy giggle. “I’m excellent entertainment at parties.”

“Not for long. It’s almost winter. Soon I’ll have to head north to meet my brothers.”

His heart sinks. “Oh.”

Eskel squeezes his shoulder with careful strength. “You better keep out of trouble while I’m gone, you hear?”

“Of course. I don’t go looking for trouble.”

“No, trouble just finds you.”

Well, if ‘trouble’ is a scarred, smirking witcher, he sure hopes that to be true.

* * *

They meet again when the trees are just beginning to color with spring blooms.

There is also a griffin tearing through the town's cattle, but that’s besides the point. Easily dealt with. Which is good, seeing as Jaskier had been near the scene and probably next on the menu. No one had told him about the griffin, so really. He's just as surprised to find Eskel as he is about the beast.

“You alright, bard?”

“I am now.”

Matter resolved, Jaskier walks in step next to Eskel. The town opens before them, welcoming the witcher not with smiles, but grudging gratitude.

“You sure? Trouble didn’t come knocking while I was gone?”

“Only a man with a lover’s grudge come to kick my ass out of a wonderfully luxurious establishment. Didn’t even get to enjoy the hot bath I paid for, which is such a terrible waste of hot water.”

A deep hum comes out of the witcher. “A lover’s grudge?”

“Just a past dalliance that won’t forget me.”

Eskel stops and shifts on his feet, like he wants to say something but he doesn’t know how to start.

Oh, witchers and their awkward conversation skills.

“You know what, I’m starving. I think a good, hearty meal is owed between us. What do you say we go collect your reward and we break fast at the alderman’s recommendation?”

“We don’t have to get the coin right now. I could go for some food.”

“First tavern we see then. Come on.”

Right as he says it, he wraps his arm around Eskel’s, and maybe he’s just being too obvious, too hopeful, but Eskel doesn’t shrug him off. They make their way to a large and welcoming tavern, him talking his head off about the barn smell that permeates the whole town and ignoring the dark looks people give them down the street, as Eskel listens, not a word coming from his mouth. It worries Jaskier a minute that he’s becoming more annoyance than the teasing meddler he wants to be. But Eskel is just scratching his chin, looking down and letting Jaskier lead.

When it becomes clear that Eskel doesn’t have any rented lodgings yet, Jaskier offers his own. “I’m sure the innkeeper won’t mind us bunking if we pay for two, at the end of our stay.”

Eskel doesn't say no. He also doesn't say yes. It takes them finally being settled in a table of their own, full of fruits, cheese and bread, neither of them taking the first bite to eat, for Jaskier to nervously ask, “What is it?”

“Nothing,” comes the too-quick response.

“If I overstepped in some way, please tell me.”

“It’s nothing like that, I—uh.” Eskel shakes his head, his expression scrunched up unpleasantly.

“Whatever it is, I won’t be offended.”

He's already writing a million apologies in his head for any of his imagined offenses, that he's not quite prepared for what Eskel says instead.

“You are...different from what I expected.”

Jaskier blinks. “How so?”

“I don’t know. You’re just. Human. You’re normal.” He makes a point of gesturing at the table, the people keeping their distance. “I don’t get why you do all this for me.”

It's slow-creeping, but once the pieces align, Jaskier starts to understand what he means. That confusion, he’s known it with Geralt. Why do you stick with me? What does a witcher have to offer a human that isn’t the service of a silver sword? What does a human want with a mutant when there are plenty of other ordinary, uncomplicated folk in the world to have for company?

“Because you’re a good man,” he tells the witcher gently. “Because you saved my life and I want to repay you in kind. Most reasonably of all, because we’re friends, and friends take care of each other.”

Of course there’s more to it than that, but if a friend is all Eskel wants, then a friend he shall be.

The rumble of the tavern fills the air as Eskel stares at him a little wide-eyed. Jaskier gives him a slight smile. As a close, he pushes the platter of cheese forward with an encouraging, “now eat your fill, my friend.”

Once Eskel returns his smile, he thinks that, well, that everything will turn out alright.

And they’re happy eating their food when Geralt shows up for the griffin that’s already dead.

At his distinct silhouette, Eskel stands up. “White Wolf.”

“Eskel,” Geralt calls back gravely.

They clasp arms and pat each other’s shoulders in sync. It might not seem like much to outsiders, but what a rare sight to behold—two witchers, two mirrored grins on both their faces.

Eskel is the first to part from the hug with a chiding, “You didn’t come for winter.”

“I know. I had a lot going on. Saw your handiwork hooked to your horse’s saddle.” Then he looks down, and spots Eskel's table company. “Jaskier?”

“Geralt.”

Their held eye-contact feels longer than it is. Looking away, Jaskier half expects the whole tavern to be staring at them, but as it turns out, no one cares to pay the witchers and their odd bard any attention now that the monster's been dealt with. It's just him, imagining his heart hanging out of his sleeve for everyone to judge.

And maybe Eskel senses something's up between them, because he leaves them with the excuse to collect his coin.

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” Jaskier says after Geralt takes Eskel's abandoned seat. “Have you really been so busy that you couldn’t let your friends know you were alive?”

Geralt's silence is its own answer—a little shame, a little remorse. He remembers how Eskel had said that as time went on, Geralt just, lost touch. There had been something heavy in Eskel’s eyes when he said it, and Jaskier had felt it in his soul. Now he understands why. Him and Eskel, they'd both gone through the same impossible task of loving someone who doesn’t believe he can be loved.

By gods, he still loves Geralt, but Geralt's heart is a rusty cage, and neither of them can coax the old bird that lives in it anymore. Soft words and gentle promises have run their course.

“So,” the witcher starts, “you and Eskel? Didn't know you knew each other.”

“Maybe if you’d met either of us during winter you would have heard.” The phrasing's rough, but there's no resentment in his voice. He would have liked to know that Geralt had been safe in his wintering home, with Eskel.

“Yeah. I’m...surprised.” Jaskier raises his brow at him. Which just earns a quick shake of Geralt’s head. “He doesn’t make friends easily.”

“Neither do you, and yet look at us.”

“Look at us,” he echoes, staring at the empty plates.

“We missed a lot of opportunities together, didn’t we?” It doesn't make the truth any easier to swallow, but acknowledging the what-could-have-beens has always made him feel better afterward. Like closing a book, and getting ready to open a new one. He hopes Geralt knows that there's no bridges destroyed between them. Only those missed moments.

He still very much cares for Geralt, and he knows that Geralt does as well. They just have to come to terms with what's over—and what might come next.

“I won’t lie to you,” Jaskier adds more seriously. “I don’t want to miss any opportunities with him.”

The 'him' in question is unmistakable. Geralt nods. He looks down, one end of his mouth drawing up to dimple his cheek.

He says, like an olive branch offering, “His favorite flower is yarrow. Not because they’re pretty, but because they’re useful in the most surprising ways.”

* * * 

They spend the day catching up, all three of them, before Geralt is on the road again, taking his own path. Jaskier sees how it brightens Eskel’s spirits to have seen him off, and cheers up twofold. 

“I’ve known him practically my whole life,” Eskel tells him.

“I’ve known him half of mine.”

“So you understand.”

“That he’s a prat? Oh yes. Good at heart, backwards about verbalizing it. Cheeky when he wants to be. Oh by the way, here.”

From out of his little travel bag, Jaskier pulls a swathe of yarrows.

“Saw some at market street,” he explains, presenting them. “Thought you might find use in them for your potions.”

Eskel turns to him, his bright witcher eyes bouncing between him and the yarrows. Jaskier feels his heart climb up his throat, wondering what runs through Eskel's mind that makes him pause for so long.

Then Eskel takes them with one hand and with the other, he touches Jaskier’s face. It's big, warm, calloused against his skin. And sudden.

“‘Cheeky when he wants to be’, right?”

Jaskier stutters to say, “Well, yes, I mean, but this isn’t about him—”

He forgets how to speak after Eskel kisses him. It’s the lightest peck on the corner of his lips, so light that once he draws back, he wonders if he's not still dreaming back in their rented room.

“Thank you. I know just what to use them for.”

The yarrow gets tucked away with the other herbs in Eskel's saddlebag. A few glasses clink together as he moves things around so they don’t get crushed. And then, as Jaskier stands there, stupefied and slack-jawed, Eskel mounts his steed, a soot-black beauty that neighs softly at Jaskier’s face.

“Where are you headed for now?”

“Nowhere. Anywhere.” Wherever you’ll go, he thinks to himself. Wherever you'll have me.

Eskel grins wide at him, and it's the most beautiful sight, his smile, with all his teeth gleaming.

“That sounds like trouble.”

[thebowlofhygieia]

It had taken months longer than he’d anticipated. Focused energy and careful questioning. The unliving had short memories and the older ones had volitile natures. Emotions ruled where logic had once been. Music helped them focus, but once it was gone? They drifted back to familiar rituals or lost their way.

Jakub had spent a dangerous amount of time skirting along the lines between the Here and the There. The Things that stalked the borders had taken notice - but what good was this power if he couldn’t use it to help?  He’d been too late for most, but Clay was still new. Still young.

He took one last draw from his bong before snuffing it out and settling his frame into the Loft bed in the little cottage he called home. He pressed play on the old CD Player resting on the bed beside him and fell back into his pillow.

The world ripped open - a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes, waving into a blur and finally solidified - like a Minecraft portal gate - into the world justbeyond his own. It looked nearly the same, though it seemed to fade into nothingness just at the edges of his visual range.  Everything shimmered slightly, cast into a misty almost there he could not directly interact with.

He could hear, more than see, the ominous, slithering presence of the Things gathering at the gates - eying him with an unquenchable hunger that gnawed at the edges of his consciousness. It was the cost of being a living thing in this place. They knew. And they wanted.

Time and Distance worked differently here. Now that he knew where he needed to go, he focused his will and ‘traveled’ like a hawk on the wing. The world slipped beneath him at phenomenal speeds - a blur of faded colors and the whispers of the unliving fading in and out of his mind as he passed them by. It had taken dozens of trips like this one - and dozens of conversations with those trapped in-between to finally triangulate where he was heading.

It took mere moments to reach his final destination, though it felt simultaneously like an eternity. The Things chased after him like greyhounds on the hunt. Baying and growling and chattering maddeningly on his heels the whole way. The longer he was there, the more dangerous it became.

The outline of the biggest City Jakub had ever seen loomed ahead of him. Buildings taller than the sky rushed past. The chatter of the unliving became nearly deafening. The music he could hear echoing from a place far..far... away kept him focused. Kept him grounded. And sped him through the maze of vehicles, people, past desperate, surprised ghosts of all shapes and sizes and hurtled him toward one of the high-rises that looked identical to the rest.

Through the walls. Up .. up ... up ...

He paused long enough to ask a resident specter where he needed to go and was guided gently to a small, dark room with two people, and one ghost.

“I found you...”  Jakub’s otherworldly voice held an edge to it Clay had not heard in the short time they’d known each-other. “Hey.. Hey .. I thought you might have lost your way. It’s been months and you haven’t been back.”

@theghostofagentweiss

[sin-of-jess]

Hawks(Keigo Takami)

Type:  Smut

~

I didn't think twice about the click I heard when I locked the door to Annati Cafe. There had been a fight between a few heroes and villains a couple of blocks over, and many bystanders had chosen to visit the cafe I managed once all the action was over.

This part of town was mostly a shopping district, so this was a familiar type of day for me. Letting a huff of air pass, I crane my neck a touch to see if any of the disasters from earlier was visible. Not seeing anything I just shrug and make my way to the counters. Doing the routine final touches that my coworker Nani tends to miss, I move towards the door that led to the storage room.

The ceiling was significantly higher in this room, and the wall lights didn't brighten the top of the back shelves. Using my illuminate quirk, a soft ball of light forms at my fingertips. Giving a gentle push, the ball bobs in the air a few times before going still just before the ceiling.

Seeing the box at the very top shelf, I want to curse the nearly 7-foot Annati, who is the only person who uses the shelves that high. "So you're who I want," I mumble to the box.

"I hear that a lot." I hear behind me. I let out a quick shriek as I spin around, coming face to face with the winged hero.

"H-Hawks!" I shakily say, heart still in my throat as I give a quick look over the handsome blonde. "How did you get in?"

The hero jabs his thumb over his shoulder, "Was gonna stop by for the usual, but noticed it was 5. I was leaving when my hand nudged the door and it budged." He explained.

"Oh no," I sigh aloud, "Annati-san says the door hasn't been closing properly for her, I bet it did the same and the lock didn't work."

Hawks took a step closer, crossing his arms with a smirk, "it's a good thing I was who popped in, and not some bad villain out after a pretty lady." I felt a shiver down my spine. "So which box did you need?"

"Huh?" I turn my head slightly to the side, confused for only a moment. "Oh!" Spinning on my heels, I point up at the box with dark pink lettering. "It's the one saying Suguwora!" I felt my cheeks heating up when I felt his breath on my neck as he leaned in to see where I pointed. It had been enough time that the ball of light was losing its glow, but Hawks had no problem lifting himself and grabbing the box. The room was somewhat cramped, but he only needed one flap of his wings after a jump to grab the box.

I felt bashful as I shifted my hair back in place, the wind of his wings causing papers and empty boxes to flitter around. He places the box on a shelf beside me, leaning against it with a lopsided grin. "That's that, anything else you need help with?"

the L shaped shelving system meant I couldn't step back again, I'd only bump into more shelves.  Nonetheless, the winged hero was only a step forward, and I was beginning to feel flustered. "N-no! I think that should be it."

He took a half step closer, fingers sliding down my arm for a fleeting moment, "It's a shame, my favorite thing to do is help beautiful women."

I think every inch of my skin turned red. Was that a compliment? I wasn't used to such bold flirtations, and I wasn't sure how to react. I shuffled on my feet as I looked away, "Well I'm sure there are plenty of pretty girls to save." It was hard to feel on the same level as someone so glaringly gorgeous as Hawks was, and the photo's don't do nearly enough justice to the real thing in front of me.

"Yeah, but I'd rather do it with beautiful ones like you." He spoke, leaning over me and giving me a smoldering look.

Had it been some random guy, I'd be angry by his brazen intents; there was something about the pro hero Hawks that made my insides twist and panties moisten. I wasn't one for flings, and this certainly wasn't the setting to find one, and yet I felt like her next words defined where it would go.

Putting my shaking hands behind my back, effectively pushing my chest out as best as I could while still wearing the unflattering Cafe apron, I spoke in the only way I could without my voice wavering, a whisper. "What do you like to do with beautiful women like me?" I ask, pushing my chest out more and standing straighter.

The hero leans in, his warm breath dancing on my lips and yet never breaking eye contact. "I like to fuck 'em."

I wasn't sure how far the hero wanted to go in such a situation, but at this point, I was ready to find out. With nothing else to say, I turn my shock into bravery and rid us of the small space left between our lips.

His lips are soft, and I'm instantly melting into his touch as his hands find my hips. I put my hands inside his jacket, the tight shirt allowing me an easy feel for how strongly built he was. His lips moved against mine with expertise, feeling more and more flustered as the kiss deepens.

His hands slide from my hips to lower back, coming up to pull the apron strings, then down to the very top of my ass. The cafe uniform was simple; the black dress of a modest maids outfit with a basic pink and white apron with the cafe name and logo in black on the chest. With the apron now hanging loosely from my neck, I break the kiss long enough for a deep breath of air and to pull the apron over my head and to the floor.

When our lips met again his hands grew bold, sliding down and groping my ass lightly, as if a little tease of a feel. All the kissing had left me lightheaded, and the feel of his hands was only fueling the fire.

He pulls away, his hands finding my hips again. His gaze is clouded in lust, "You okay, yeah?" He asks, wanting to be sure he had consent before continuing.

"I'm great," I breathe, embarrassed at how visibly aroused I feel.

That's all he needs, and he's back to kissing me. His hands trail up my ribs, thumbs grazing along the underside of my breasts the moment they can reach. With no sign of hesitation from me, he grows bold as he massages me through my bra. After a minute, his hands travel back down to my hips, under my dress and up my back. The dress rides and stretches up to accommodate Hawks hands as he eases them to the clasp of my bra, releasing them in no time as my breasts drop to their natural perkiness.

He pulls his lips away to give light kisses to my neck as his hands move to my front, the dress hiking up higher as my [f/c] panties are fully exposed. I don't have a chance to think of how exposed I am when his fingers find my nipple, the left one given full attention while he palmed my right breast.

With nothing covering my lips, whimpers and light moans are coming from me as my hands migrate into his hair. The soft locks keep me grounded while my breasts and neck are given attention.

"Hawks," I whisper out, voice so full of lust I nearly feel surprised. It's as if he already knew, his hands going to my panties as his lips return to mine. He slides them down until they fall to the ground on their own, grabbing my asscheeks with a groan.

"You feelin' good baby?" He asks at a whisper, grinding his obvious erection into my front.

"Fuck yeah," I whine out, holding onto his shoulders for dear life.

He grips me better, lifting me up to where the very edge of one of the shelves was under my ass, my legs wrapping around him. He uses one of his hands to help support my body, the other squeezing between us to rub his fingers along my soaked slit. A moan garbles from my throat, my body happy to feel direct stimulation.

His fingers alternate between rubbing along my folds, and dipping just a knuckle deep into me. I moan as I grind into his fingers, wanting more. He obliges, putting a finger fully inside and giving a few pumps before adding another.

"You're so wet for me." He whispers in my ear, scissoring his fingers to enunciate his point.

"Ngh... Fuck." I moan out, my core hot and wanting.

He pulls his fingers out, making a show to suck both fingers individually. Once all the juices were licked off his hand moves back down, though this time it's to his own pants. He skillfully unbuckles and opens his pants with one hand, his impressive cock being freed to the cool air. I could drool right now, his cock long and thick; a prime example of good meat.

He pumps his dick a few times, unable to get eye contact with how hard I stared. "You want it?" He asks, already knowing the answer.

"Uh-huh," I answer, unable to think of anything but the cock in front of me.

He shifts slightly, then the pair watch as his cock slides into my soaked slit. He goes slow, pleasure shooting throughout my entire body at every inch he gives me. He groans once he's fully sheathed inside me.

I mewl as he begins to thrust, gripping onto his jacket as I grind my hips into him in sync with his movements. He slides his arm around my waist, supporting my weight so he could slide his fingers up my dress and back on my nipples.

"Fuck!" I moan, fingers going white as he speeds up and pinches my nipples. I can feel an orgasm coming, my hips grinding harder as my eyebrows furrow. I've had my focus on his shirt since his cock first entered me, and the look on Hawks face was enough to send me over. His eyes were hazy yet his face looked serious, eyes glued to my tits that were exposed while he played with them.

My back arched and my knuckles turned white, the hero name coming from my lips in an elongated moan as my head dropped back. His thrusts never slowed, and it felt like the euphoric feeling would never stop.

My breath quickens, the high pleasure making my head feel as if it was in the clouds.

Hawks shift the position, pulling my tits from the top of my dress before wrapping his arms around me. His hands are in my hair, gripping without actually pulling. His forehead touches mine, and he's got a cocky grin.

"You cum fast Y/n." He speaks lowly, eye contact never breaking. "Think you could cum again for me?"

I can't speak, loud moans the only thing my mouth does when I part my lips. Instead, I shake my head, yes, his cock hitting a new spot inside me that has me well on my way to doing what he wants.

He moves his head until his face is in the crook of my neck, his hips now pistoning with vigor as he kisses my damp skin. One hand has an iron grip on the back of his coat, the other in his soft locks. He's stopped kissing my neck, and the grunts and airy moans from his lips sound angelic.

The dam breaks again, my entire body going rigid as my pussy walls clamp around the thick cock inside me. My body is shaking as what is easily the best orgasm of my life flows through me.

"Ahh~ shit!" Hawks curses as he pulls himself out, the first spurt hitting my soaked pussy before my dress slides down and warm cum coats it.

Our breath is rigid, neither of us moving. Hawks was still in my neck, our limbs a tangle as we let our orgasm high come down. Hawks is the first to move, carefully holding me as my legs dropped down. I was far too shaky for him to let go, so Hawks held onto my waist until my legs could support me.

We finally pull away, Hawks fixing his pants while I realize the damage to my dress. Pulling my boobs back into the dress, I notice the neckline was stretched out. Looking down I also realize just where most of the hero's cum went. There were two white streaks up the bottom of my dress, the hem between the two streaks also painted white.

"oh no..." I groaned out at the sight of myself.

Hawks eyes go wide before he looks what only could be described as bashfulness. "I'm sorry, maybe turn your dress inside out?"

Though at close inspection, the inside hem was white as well, this side didn't look like cum at least. I turn away as I quickly turn my dress inside out, only realizing as I reach for the apron that I had shown modesty towards a man who had his cum on me. With the apron on, my ruined neckline was hidden away. I face Hawks again, "Decent?"

"Gorgeous," He replies with a flirty tone. "You'll need to fix your hair, but in all, you don't look freshly fucked." He answers with earnestly.

I blush at how brazen he is, but I'm happy I don't look as dirty as I felt. The loud ringing of the store phone makes me jump out of my skin, wide eyes turning to the wall phone by the door. I answer, blushing when I realize it's my boss, did she know?"

"So how many decorations do we have??" Annati asked.

I stuttered, realizing I was too busy with hero dick to count the festival decorations Annati had asked of me.

"Was the store busy? If you haven't gotten to it yet just text it to me!" She replies, thinking nothing of how disheveled I sounded.

"O-of course! I just got the box down, I'll let you know soon!" I tell her, happy to get off the phone right after. Hawks is beside me again.

"When you find your phone, put this in it." He hands her a piece of paper, numbers written neatly on it. He opens the door, pausing so he could speak, "It's been fun, we should meet up sometime." With a final peace sign, the Pro hero walks out the door and heads to the cafe front door. I watch him, feeling smitten at the reality of it all.

A hero wanted to fuck, and wants to do it again.

[solalunar-eclipse]

Scars You Can’t See - Chapter 12

Chapter title: Beliefs

Word count: about 4100 words

Author’s Note: How did I write over four thousand words?? Mostly I’m just grateful this chapter got out in time, but still. Wow.

First  | Previous | Next

...

Over the next few days, Team Sonic dedicated their time to helping their counterparts recover from the exhausting ordeal of the past couple weeks. Tails worked to replace some of Omega’s burnt-out wiring (from his attack on G.U.N.), while Knuckles and Sonic...well, they wanted to take care of Rouge and Shadow, but it was very difficult when both Mobians kept insisting that they were “fine really, don’t worry about us so much” despite looking like they could collapse at any second.

The general stress level on the island was only raised upon a second call from the president, since she requested that a few of them come see her to discuss what should be done with G.U.N. at her office. Shadow and Rouge obviously weren’t going. Neither of them were ready to deal with the president, let alone the press (even if the latter continued to insist otherwise). The sheer idea of being in the same city as G.U.N. had especially shaken Shadow, even if he refused to say so.

Sonic had seen how he cringed at the mere idea.

Since Knuckles absolutely refused to leave his island, it was decided that Sonic, Tails, and Omega would travel together to see the president and hear what she had to say. She seemed pretty trustworthy, and if any of her staff wasn’t...they’d be able to handle themselves just fine.

While Tails helped haul Omega into the back seat of the Tornado (an impressive feat considering that he’d used to struggle with lifting Sonic in his early years) and prepared for takeoff, the hedgehog in question was zipping all around the island, trying to make sure everything would be okay while he was away and unable to defend his friends.

“You guys are sure you’re gonna be alright?” he asked for what was probably the fifth time, after Shadow had needed to physically stop him from starting a mini-whirlwind.

“Yes, Blue, we’ll be fine. Now go! You don’t want to keep the president waiting!” Rouge insisted, pushing the worried hero towards the Tornado.

He twisted around, trying to make eye contact with both of them. “You’re really, really-”

“Sonic.” Shadow said calmly. “It’s going to be alright. I promise.” 

The hero could practically feel his body untense, finally willing to jump onto the top wing of the biplane and prepare for takeoff. Before Tails fired up the engine, he took one last look at his friends.

Knuckles had walked up beside Rouge and looked like he wanted to put his arm around her waist without being awkward...which just made him look awkward anyway. The bat took the initiative herself, leaning against him comfortably. Her eyes were back to teal again, since she and Shadow had both taken out their contacts pretty quickly. 

Rouge had taken off her leather jacket by now, and Sonic could see it lying on the altar next to Omega’s generator- Angel Island was pretty warm, after all. Shadow was still wearing his hoodie, though he’d taken off the glasses. Omega had tried them on once out of curiosity and nearly broken them in the process...so the hybrid simply hadn’t bothered with it after that. His quills were still in a ponytail, which Sonic wasn’t complaining about in the slightest. (It was a good look on him, that was all!)

He switched on his earpiece and settled into his ‘flight’ position once again. “You guys read me?”

“Loud and clear, hon.” Rouge said. “Now go!”

The Tornado’s engine kicked up a roar as the plane wheeled down the clearing and began to lift off the ground. Knuckles and Shadow both waved, while Rouge opted for a mock-salute, which Sonic returned cheerfully as the plane pulled up above the altar.

He crouched low on the top wing as Tails pulled into a turn, angling the plane so that their course was set for Central City yet again. The fox switched on the turbo engine, too, but it would still take them about an hour and a half to reach the city at this rate.

To pass the time, Tails and Omega started talking almost immediately about how they needed to take some time in the workshop to fix up the latter’s various dents and scratches. Both of them seemed pretty excited about this- the former because he’d get to return to his workshop, the latter for style reasons, and both because they’d get to spend time together. Somewhere along the way, Omega insisted loudly that Tails “must return me to my original color as soon as it is possible to do so.”, clearly less than happy about his current paint job.

Sonic sighed as the conversation turned to advanced technical terminology, feeling a little bored. It was a little funny for him to say so, considering that he was blasting through the sky on a biplane going at speeds rivaling advanced jets...but here he was. Bored.

He tapped his feet, trying to look for shapes in the clouds or enjoy the feeling of the wind on his face, anything to avoid checking how long they’d been up in the air….

Too late.

The hero sighed loudly upon discovering that it had only been ten minutes since takeoff. How could something that was usually so cool be so...just...not?

Sonic quickly decided that he had to call up Angel Island right now so that he could find somebody to talk to. As the earpiece patched through to the other end, he heard a sudden “Ngh-” followed by a loud sigh. 

“Hey, everything okay there?” he asked, resulting in a startlingly high shriek from the other end.

“Sonic! Don’t do that!” Shadow hissed at him. “Give me a little warning next time!”

“There’s, like, actually no way for me to do that without talking.” Sonic shot back cheerfully, feeling more upbeat already.

“Ugh.” the hybrid groaned, before some sort of thud came through the mike.

“Seriously, though, you okay?”

Shadow sighed. “I’ve spent the past four minutes walking through a tangled, vine-filled forest in any direction that is away from the altar. It could be worse, but it could be better too.”

Sonic frowned, worried. “And why were you walking away from the altar? Are Rouge and Knuckles with you?”

“No.” the hybrid muttered. “They’re kind of busy making out. At the altar. Which is why I’m not there, obviously.”

“Aw, man...they probably just missed each other a lot.”

Shadow sighed. “I know they did, and I’m not judging them. But they deserve some privacy, and I really deserve to not have to watch that.”

Sonic grinned. “Hah! That’s fair. So whatcha doing now?”

“Lying on the ground next to a lake and watching some Flickies on a tree. You?”

“Sitting on the plane. And bored. Or, at least I was. Bored, I mean.” Sonic amended quickly.

The hybrid snickered. “I’d hope you’re still sitting on the plane.”

His smile only grew. Talking with Shadow was always fun- he didn’t know why he hadn’t called sooner!

“Soooo...you feelin’ any better after those power naps of yours?” he asked curiously.

“Actually, yes. Mostly it helps to not be looking over my shoulder all the time.” Shadow sighed again. “It’s…” he trailed off, clearly embarrassed.

“Hey, you can tell me!” Sonic said encouragingly.

“It's difficult to adjust. I...still catch myself looking over my shoulder only to see it’s a fly buzzing, not a plane, or something like that. I shouldn’t be, but I am.”

Sonic wished he was back at the island already so that he could give Shadow all the comfort he deserved. “There won’t be any planes there, Shadow. I mean it. And none of that ‘shouldn’t’ talk, either, ‘kay? It’s alright to be a little stressed, just remember everything’s gonna turn out fine.”

“That means a lot...thank you. Again.”

Sonic could feel a grin spreading across his whole face. “No problem! Now, what I really need to tell ya about is……”

He spent the rest of the flight chatting with the hybrid, catching him up on all the jokes, memes and random news he’d missed over the past couple of weeks. Shadow was eager to listen, and Sonic was so glad to finally be able to tell him everything that he swore he’d never take his friend’s presence for granted again.

Eventually, though, he was pulled back to reality in the middle of a particularly passionate explanation of why exactly it was so cool that the Tomatopotamus 2 movie’s release date was finally out when Tails tapped on his shoulder. “Uh, Sonic? We’re here now.”

“What?” The hero glanced down, only to discover that yes, Central City was in fact right beneath them. “No way, that was like twenty minutes!”

Omega shook his head. “Correction: it has been an hour and twenty minutes.” He sounded smug for some reason, and Sonic glowered at the robot irritably.

“I guess I gotta go for now, sorry.” he sighed into the earpiece. 

“Good luck to all three of you.” Shadow said. “I’ll be listening in, and I’ll go break up Knuckles and Rouge now.”

“Good luck to you.” Sonic snickered. He could practically hear Shadow roll his eyes at that one.

They coasted to a stop on the back lawn of the president’s home, the hedgehog pointedly ignoring Tails and Omega’s conversation about the theory of relativity, or something along those lines. Even though he didn’t know what exactly they were talking about, he could guess, and he didn’t approve. At all.

Sonic hopped off the wing of the plane before it had even finished landing the moment he spotted someone on the grass, waving hello as the president herself walked over to greet them. He rushed over to her, taking her hand and shaking it happily. 

He and the president had spoken a few times before- being a hero meant he ended up talking with quite a few famous people, but she was one of his favorites. She was relatively young compared to most of the others who had held that title, but she handled herself with the confidence and strength she deserved (and needed) for this station.

“Hey there! How’s the job?” he asked with an understanding grin, knowing all too well how it felt to be responsible for large groups of people at a time.

She dropped his hand (and the remaining air of formality) in favor of running copper fingers tiredly through her hair, letting out a long sigh. “These last few days have been tough, but I know it’s probably not as much stress as you guys have been dealing with. Still sorry about that, by the way.”

Sonic looked up at her, still sympathetic. “It’s not your fault. I bet you’ve probably got a lot on your plate too- dealing with this fallout ain’t gonna be easy.”

“I know, but it’s what I have to do. For your friends, and for everyone.” she said, squaring her shoulders determinedly.

Tails rushed over not long after, having parked and shut down the plane by now. “Hi, Ms. President! How are you?”

“Hello, Tails,” she said. Impressively, she was one of the few adults who refused to talk down to the young fox, instead treating him like the mature person he was. (This definitely earned her a few extra points in Sonic’s book.) “I’m perfectly alright...I hope you all aren’t doing too badly.”

The president had the thoughtfulness to at least look a little awkward at that, clearly embarrassed by the fact that some of the United Federation’s most famed heroes were now essentially unable to live in the country without being in serious danger. 

Omega greeted her as well as he made his way over, clearly alright with being at least somewhat decent to the woman who had helped shut down G.U.N.

“Would you like to come inside?” she asked politely. “I promise, there’s nothing inside but some Secret Service...and hopefully cake, if I requested it early enough.” she added with a warmer smile.

“What are we here for?” the robot asked bluntly, unprepared to trust as easily as the two Mobians were.

“Right!” she said, taking his question in stride. “I’m working on a new set of rules with the congressional branch that deal with some of the problems within G.U.N. so that they don’t crop up in the future, as well as trying to figure out what to do with them in general- so I wanted your opinion on both of those subjects! As long as that’s alright with you?”

Shadow spoke up in Sonic’s ear. “Rouge is interested and so am I.”

“Totally!” Sonic chirped, following her inside. Omega agreed with Rouge and Shadow (somewhat reluctantly), having tapped into the hero’s communications as they were landing.

Halfway up the stairs to the president’s office, the first lady came rushing in the opposite direction, apologizing all the while for getting in their way. “Hi, Sonic! Hi Tails! Hello, Omega! So nice to see you! Sorry, the cat’s gotten loose again…” she sighed, sagging against the railing briefly.

“We really need to get him a tracking collar, don’t we?” The president shook her head, her soft Afro bouncing as she pinched the bridge of her nose briefly. “Good luck finding him, anyway.”

“Have fun in your meeting!” the first lady chirped, winking overdramatically at her wife for emphasis before rushing off in search of their cat.

Tails grinned up at the president. “I know how you feel...sometimes I want to get a tracker chip for Sonic when he stays out too long on a run.”

“Hey!” the hero protested, but nobody seemed to be terribly worried about his pride. He could hear Knuckles, Shadow and Rouge laughing in his ear, too, and he pouted, wishing more than anything that he could offer a snappy comeback- but he couldn’t give away the fact that he had an earpiece in.

The president invited them into her office and began to lay out her plans for how to improve the country. The legislative body was working with her on some sort of complete shutdown and restructuring of G.U.N.- it seemed like there were going to be new leaders, new hiring processes, review systems, a different set of priorities…and that was just the start.

It was a lot, but Sonic was glad that she’d at least given them the opportunity to hear about these plans. Shadow and Rouge got to provide their input as well, which was great, but only through Omega, not Sonic. They would’ve trusted the president with that information, for sure, but the two members of the Secret Service behind her desk?

No way.

Especially not when Rouge recognized one of them from G.U.N.’s special training programs. They might not be close enough with the organization for it to really mean anything, but the group definitely didn’t want to take chances.

Partway through the meeting (not long after the cake arrived), the main phone on the president’s desk rang, startling everyone out of their conversation. She picked it up with a calm “Hello?”, but her eyes quickly widened as the person on the other end began to speak.

“Thank you.” she said quickly, before putting the phone down. Her eyes met Sonic’s, and he felt his stomach drop. The hero suddenly wished he hadn’t eaten just yet…

 “Three representatives of G.U.N. are at the front gate.” the president said quietly.

The hero heard a gasp in his ear. He wasn’t sure who had done so, but the sound made his surprise morph quickly into defensiveness. “Omega. Tails. Do you guys want to meet with them?” he asked coolly, his face losing most of its expression. 

“I would...like to do so.” the robot said.

Tails met Sonic’s gaze. “Yeah, same here.”

They moved to the main conference room, and the three heroes stood at one end of a long table, waiting for the members of G.U.N. to appear. It didn’t take long before they were buzzed in, and Sonic could feel himself shifting into a more confrontational stance, prepared to fight if necessary. 

The commander was the first one to enter the room. His presence immediately raised everyone’s tension levels- at the very least, he seemed to be aware of it. He almost looked...a little embarrassed? 

The silence on the other end of the communicator was near-deafening.

He was followed almost immediately by an agent that Sonic didn’t recognize, a wolf who seemed more than a little bit awkward and apologetic. She sat down to his left, sneaking glances at each of the three heroes in the room.

After that, a skinny, pale sort of guy entered the room, looking incredibly full of himself. Sonic wasn’t usually one to get bad first impressions of people, but this person irritated him almost immediately. Omega obviously recognized him- and not in a good way- as he began to make several loud clicking noises not unlike those of guns loading. On purpose, of course.

The commander sat down last (still seeming less than comfortable), cleared his throat, and looked up at the other three. “Before I speak, is there anything you would like to say?”

Sonic, Tails and Omega regarded him in stony silence.

He shuffled some of the papers in front of him and sighed quietly. “I would like to begin by apologizing for the distress I and the organization I serve have caused to you and your friends. All of you. I wish...no, I should have handled this in a different manner- requested a meeting, spoken with you first, done something to ensure that my intentions did not appear malicious. But instead…

“...instead I have distanced myself from three of the most skilled people ever to serve under my command, as well as further tarnished G.U.N.’s already ruined reputation. I…” The commander sighed here. This speech was already taking a lot out of him, Sonic could tell.

“I fear that my father’s views have heavily influenced my own, to say the absolute least, especially regarding my job and what needed to be done to serve this organization. ‘Shoot first and ask questions later’ was a favorite motto of his, and one that I accepted for a long, long time...my family has discussed with me lately (and quite gently, perhaps more so than I deserve) about how that ideology is problematic, to say the least.

“I liked to think I was not a bad person. That I was being more open-minded. But now I see that I was foolish to believe as much. I chose to try and salvage G.U.N., to cover up the mistakes as others have done before me because it was ‘for the good of the country’, because ‘other people wouldn’t understand what needs to be done’, and more. My guilty conscience wishes I would blame my father for my mistakes, but at some point, one must take responsibility for one’s own failures.

“Particularly…” and here he looked directly at the three of them, though he almost seemed to be searching for someone else instead, “...having alienated the last person on this planet who truly can comprehend the life I have led.”

Sonic realized with a start that he was talking about Shadow.

“All I can say now is that as of tomorrow, I am resigning as commander of G.U.N. I clearly have not succeeded in improving this organization at all, so I believe a new, younger face...someone without prior biases or contacts...would be better for us now.”

The hero heard gasps in both his ears- one from Rouge and Shadow, the other from the wiry man in front of him. Said human immediately started stammering at the commander, asking him why in the world he thought this was a good idea. The older man in turn merely waved him off with a stern word or two, forcing the other human to sink back into his seat with an obviously displeased expression.

The lavender wolf, the president, Omega, and Tails, on the other hand, all seemed to approve of the commander’s decision, as did Sonic. The hero felt nothing but relief now, hoping that finally, the big things could start to change for the better.

They spoke a little longer, the tensions mostly eased now (with the exception of the skinny guy, of course, who Rouge irritably identified as the less-than-respectful PR officer that the team had spoken to way back in the beginning). The conversation wasn’t very important, just polite nonsense about how change should be made soon and all that. 

Things weren’t comfortable by any means, and they shouldn’t have been, but...Sonic felt a little lighter at the thought that someone important in G.U.N. at least accepted what was going on.

As the three heroes left, the commander asked them for one favor. “Could you please tell Shadow and Rouge that I apologize for the way G.U.N. has behaved? The way in which I have commanded this organization is wrong...I can see that now.”

Sonic offered him a quick flash of a grin, realizing that the commander truly didn’t know about his earpiece, nor Omega’s connection. “Hey, being able to apologize says a lot, too. I’ll be sure to let them know, don’t worry.”

“Thank you, and safe travels.”

“You too, alright?” he replied politely, before hopping onto the Tornado with a wave.

The flight back seemed to take forever (really, this time), partly because Sonic was dying to get back and partly because his friends seemed too busy talking seriously to chat. He tried his best to bask in the feeling of hope, but it was difficult to focus when his excitement was rising with each passing second.

As soon as they landed, he jumped off and ran over to his friends. “It’s gonna be alright now, guys!” he said, grinning at them. “You’re gonna go home soon!”

Rouge gave him a big smile back, before rushing over to Omega to celebrate. “Did you hear that, Omega? We’ll be home in a couple of weeks, max! Shadow-”

She trailed off, watching him carefully. The hybrid was staring down at the ground, his hands trembling slightly. “It’s...done? Then what now? What should we do?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm and failing miserably. Sonic’s ears drooped a little as he heard the shake in his friend’s voice.

“Now you get to rest. You’ve earned it, you know that? I know it’s tough to just...go back and chill after everything, but you gotta know when to let other people carry on the work ya started, alright?” Sonic said carefully, stepping closer and closer to Shadow. His hands hovered slightly over his friend’s arms, unwilling to touch the hybrid unless he was alright with it first.

Suddenly, Shadow leaned into Sonic’s chest, his eyes shut tightly, clearly fighting back some sort of emotion. The hero held his friend tightly, sinking to his knees in an attempt to comfort Shadow better. Rouge and Omega rushed over, holding him tight as well. “Hey…” the bat said gently, “Shadow, we’re all going to be okay, I promise. We can stop now.”

“How do we know? What if something happens and it all goes wrong-”

Sonic stopped him right there. “We can set up whatever you need to feel comfortable, but trust me, we’ll all make sure nothing goes wrong. I’ll hold the president to her word, and so will everyone else here.”

“But...nobody’s ever really been able to stop G.U.N. before...not even me.” Shadow said quietly.

“There are more people on your side now, Shadow.” Omega replied, looking down at him. “You are not alone in this fight- so many others want this too.”

“I’ll have to wait and see before I can believe that.” he muttered, sighing.

Tails and Knuckles walked over too, the former offering him a hopeful smile and the latter clapping a hand on his shoulder. “You guys can stay here a while longer, I guess, until everything’s sorted out.” the echidna said, trying his best to help.

“Yeah!” Sonic cheered. “We’ll make sure this all gets fixed up properly, alright?”

Shadow smiled faintly at him. “I’ll hold you to that, Sonic.”

The hero couldn’t help but grin back, all his hope for his friend bursting through. And when Shadow’s smile grew just that little bit more real, he was determined to do absolutely whatever it took to make the hybrid smile properly again and again, without any fear holding him back.

He knew, without a doubt, that Shadow was more than deserving of all the happiness in the world.

[elliemarchetti]

If Need Be

At this point I don't know if it makes sense to anticipate everything with a brief description of the plot, but for all the possible new readers who will run into this  chapter and for some strange reason haven’t seen the previous ones, this is the story of Elva, a half-elf of Mirkwood, leaving with the Fellowship in place of Legolas. The actual tale begins shortly after Gandalf's death, and it all centers around how Elva's presence impacts not only on the mission but on Haldir's life.

In this part, the Fellowship finally leaves Caras Galadhon to resume their Quest.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Words: 2448

In the morning, as they were beginning to pack their slender goods, some Elves went to Haldir’s talan to bring many gifts of food, mostly in the form of very thin cakes, made of a meal that was baked a light brown on the outside and inside was the colour of cream, and a hooded cloak.

"For someone who spends most of his time at the border, you are very popular," Elva commented, after thanking yet another visitor.

"They fear I may not come back, and they tell me that my brothers will be helped in every possible way,” the marchwarden explained. “These are lembas, or waybread, more strengthening than any food made by Men and more pleasant than the cram made in Dale. It must be eaten little at a time, for these things are given to serve when all else fails and will keep sweet for many days, if they’re unbroken and left in their leaf-wrappings.”

“Those are fair garments, though,” Aragorn commented, stroking the light but warm silken fabric, the same the Galadhrim and the court wove. It was hard to say of what colour they were, as they seemed to be grey with the hue of twilight under the trees and yet, if they were moved or set in another light, they were green as shadowed leaves or brown as fallow fields by night; in the dusk, they looked like water under the stars, and even the brooch that fastened them, a green leaf, was veined with silver.

“They must be from the Lady,” guessed their host. “Yet, as you said, they are garments, not armours, and they won’t turn shaft or blade, only serve us well in staying out of the Enemy’s sight.”

"They seem to have done their work so far," Elva said, trying to cheer up the room and hinting that after all his wanderings he was still alive.

"Sure, and a considerable number of blades to the throat were also needed," he replied, after which silence fell, and was maintained as they walked through Caras Galadhon’s empty green streets. In the trees above them, many voices were murmuring and singing, and flashed of barely comprehensible words followed them to the lawn where the other members of the Fellowship waited and down the southward slopes of the hill, to the great gate hung with lamps until the white bridge, after which they took a path that went off into a deep thicket of mallorn trees and passed on, winding through rolling woodlands of silver shadow, leading them ever down, southwards and eastwards, to the shores of the River, laid in a shining lawn of grass studded with golden elanor that glinted in the sun. On the right and west the Silverlode flowed glittering and on the left and east the Great River rolled its broad waters, deep and dark, with woodlands still marching as far as eyes could see on the southwards shores, bleak and bare, as no mallorn lifted its gold-hung boughs beyond the Land of Lorien. On the bank of the Silverlode, at some distance up from the meeting of the streams, there were moored many boats and barges, some brightly painted, shining with silver, gold and green tones, and some either white or grey, like the three that had been prepared for the travellers. Haldir threw some coils of slender but strong rope in each, and Sam went to inspect the workmanship, similar to that of the cloaks they wore.

“They are made of hithlain,” their guide explained, anticipating his question. “Had I known this craft delighted you, I could’ve taught you much, but at the moment I think you’ll have to settle for a theoretical explanation during breaks.”

Sam seemed satisfied by the pact, and went to take his place with Frodo on the boat captained by Aragorn; Boromir thus settled for Merry and Pippin, and Haldir for Elva and Gimli, with whom he had most bonded during their stay in Lothlorien. The boats were moved and steered with short-handled paddles that had broad leaf-shaped blades. When all was ready, their guide led them on a trial up the Silverlode, where the current was swift and they went forward slowly. Sam sat in the bows, clutching the sides, and looking back wistfully to the shore, the sunlight glittering on the water dazzling his eyes. As they passed beyond the green field of the Tongue, the trees drew down to the river’s brink: here and there golden leaves tossed and floated on the rippling stream and the air was very bright and still, bringing only silence except for the high distant song of larks. They turned a sharp bend in the river, and there, sailing proudly down the stream towards them, they saw a swan of great size. The water rippled on either side of the white breast beneath its curving neck and its beak shone like burnished gold, while its eyes glinted like jet set in yellow stones; its huge white wings were half lifted, and suddenly they perceived that it was a ship, wrought and carved with elven-skill in the likeness of a bird. Two elves clad in white steered it with black paddles and in the midst of the vessel sat Celeborn, with his wife behind him, tall and white, a crown of golden flowers in her hair and a harp in her hands. Sand and sweet was the sound of her voice in the cool clear air as she told the story of gold leave shook by the wind. As if the first vision of the Mirror had awakened in Elva an ancient memory that didn’t belonged to her, she too sang of Lorien’s first winter with bare and leafless trees, but she didn’t have the heart to finish, because it spoke of the departure beyond the Sea, of that journey that tasted like defeat and she could never face, even if she wanted to. Haldir stayed his boat as the Swan-ship drew alongside, so the Lady could tell them she had come to bid their last farewell and to speed their boats with blessings from her land. The half-elf wasn’t quite sure their intentions were that noble, but she said nothing, and ate lunch with the royals on the grass, as Celeborn suggested, speaking again of their journey.

“As you go down the water,” said the Lord, “you’ll find that the trees will fail, and you’ll come to a barren country. There the River flows in stony vales amid high moors, until at last after many leagues come the sheep shores of the tall island of Tindrock, that we call Tol Brandir. With great noise and smoke, the waters fall over the cataracts of Rauros down into the Nindalf, the Wetwang, as it’s called in your tongue.; that is a wide region of sluggish fen, where the stream becomes tortuous and much divided and the Entwash flows in by many mouths from the Forest of Fangorn in the west. About that stream, on this side of the Great River, lies Rohan, while on the further side are the bleak hills of the Emyn Muil. The wind blows from the East there, for they look out over the Dead Marshes and the Noman-lands to Cirith Gorgor and the black gates of Mordor. Boromir, and any that go with him seeking Minas Tirith, will do well to leave the Great River above Rauros and cross the Entwash before it finds the marshes. Yet they shouldn’t go too far up that stream, nor risk becoming entangled in the Forest of Fangorn, a strange, little known land, but doubtless, you don’t need this warning.”

“Indeed we have heard of Fangorn in Minas Tirith,” replied the person most concerned. “But what I’ve heard seems to me for the most part old wives’ tales, such as we tell to our children. All that lies north to Rohan is now to us so far away that fancy can wander freely there, but it’s now many lives of men since any of us visited it to prove or disprove the legends that have come down from distant years. Anyway, I have myself been at whiles in Rohan, but I’ve never crossed it northwards, although, when I was sent out as a messenger, I passed through the Gap by the skirts of the White Mountains, and crossed the Isen and the Greyflood into Northerland. A long and wearisome journey it was, four hundred leagues I reckoned it, and it took me many months, for I lost my horse at Tharbad, at the fording of the Greyflood. After that and the road I have trodden with this Company, I don’t much doubt I shall find a way through Rohan, and Fangorn too, if need be.”

“Then I need say no more!” exclaimed Celeborn. “But don’t despise the lore that has come down from distant years, for oft it may chance that old wives keep in memory word of things that once were needful for the wise to know.”

At those advice, Galadriel rose from the grass and taking a cup from one of her maidens she filled it with white mead and gave it to her husband.

“Now it’s time to drink for our farewell,” she said, and when they had all done as she commanded, chairs were set for her and Celeborn. For a while she looked upon her guests, but at last, she called each in turn, offering them gifts, starting from Aragorn, whom she addressed as the leader of the Fellowship, giving him a great stone clear green in colour, set in a silver brooch that was wrought in the likeness of an eagle with outspread wings.

“This was left in my care to be given to you, should you pass through this land; I gave it to my daughter Celebrian and she gave it to hers, and now it comes to you as a token of hope. In this hour take the name that was foretold for you, Elessar, the Elfstone of the House of Elendil!”

Aragorn took the stone and pinned the brooch upon his breast, and those who saw him wondered how they hadn’t noticed before how tall and kingly he stood: “For the gift that you have given me I thank you, Lady of Lorien of whom were sprung Celebrian and Arwen Evenstar. What praise could I say more?”

The Lady bowed her head, and she turned to Boromir, giving him a belt of gold, similar to the silver ones Merry and Pippin received; to Elva, she gave a bow such as the Galadhrim used, longer and stouter than the bows of Mirkwood, and strung with a string of elf-hair. With it went a quiver of arrows, while Sam received no weapons or wealth, but only a little box of plain grey wood, unadorned save for a single silver rune upon the lid, filled with earth from Galadriel’s orchard: “It won’t defend you against any peril, but if you keep it and see your home again at last, then perhaps it may reward you. Though you should find all barren and laid waste, there will be few gardens in Middle-earth that will bloom like yours, then you may remember Galadriel, and catch a glimpse far off of Lorien, that you have seen only in our Winter, for our Spring and our Summer are gone by, and they will never be seen on earth again save in memory.”

Sam went red to the ears and muttered something inaudible, as he clutched the box and bowed as well as he could.

“And what gift would a Dwarf ask of the Elves? ” said Galadriel, turning to Gimli.

“It’s enough for me to have seen the Lady of the Galadhrim, and to have heard her gentle words,” he replied, courteous.

“Hear all ye Elves!” she cried to those around her. “Let none say again that Dwarves are grasping and ungracious! Yet surely you desire something that I could give? Name it, I bid you! You shall not be the only guest without a gift.”

“There’s nothing, Lady Galadriel,” said Gimli, bowing low and stammering. “Nothing, unless it might be permitted to name a single strand of your hair, which surpasses the gold of the earth as the stars surpass the gems of the mine. I don’t ask for such a gift, but you commanded me to name my desire.”

The Elves stirred and murmured with astonishment, and Celeborn gazed at the Dwarf in wonder, but the Lady smiled. “It’s said that the skill of the Dwarves is in their hands rather than in their tongues, yet that is untrue of Gimli,” she said. “And how shall I refuse, since I commanded you to speak? But tell me, what would you do with such a gift?”

“Treasure it, Lady” he answered, “in memory of your words to me at our first meeting. And if ever I return to the smithies of my home, it shall be set in imperishable crystal to be an heirloom of my house, and a pledge of good will between the Mountain and the Wood until the end of days.”

So the Lady unbraided one of her long tresses, cut off three golden hairs and laid them in Gimli’s hand: “These words shall go with the gift: I don’t foretell, for all foretelling is now vain with darkness lying on one hand and only hope in the other, but if hope shouldn’t fail, then I say to you that you hands shall flow with gold, and yet over you gold shall have no dominion.”

Then she addressed Frodo, and gave him a small crystal phial, glittering with rays of white light from the Earendil’s star as she moved it: “May it guide you in dark places, when all other lights go out.”

Lastly, she looked at Haldir, giving him a sheath made to fit his sword, overlaid with a tracery of flowers and leaves wrought of silver and gold: “The blade drawn from this sheath shall not be stained or broken even in defeat,” she said, leading Elva to question again what their guide might’ve seen in the Mirror. Were those words a hidden condemnation? She couldn’t know, and after the gift that had been given to her, she couldn’t ask too. Haldir bowed, but found no words to say, so the Lady arose, and the yellow noon laid on the green land of the Tongue accompanied their last farewell, for so it seemed to them that Lorien was slipping backward, like a bright ship with enchanted trees, sailing on to forgotten shores, while they sat helpless upon the margin of the grey and leafless world.