#they are a unique danger to cats for this reason

[shithowdy]

am i crazy for thinking it should be a legal requirement for people selling arrangements with lilies to have a warning about their lethality to cats? they are one of the most common plants found in bouquets (unlike most other lethal plants like oleander and sago palm, which are usually found potted solo) and so many owners or well-meaning gift-givers are completely unaware of how a single lick of pollen is enough to kill a cat, meaning unlike other potential toxins they just get left as a table centerpiece. like sure, chocolate and grapes can kill your dog, but you are probably not intentionally leaving chocolate and grapes on surfaces your dog can reach (and they also don't shed particles). about 30% of american homes have cats in them, a percentage you can't really gloss over when it comes to precaution. if you work with florals please, please post visible warnings by your lilies, it will save kitty lives. 🙏

[saritawolff]

Phew. This one took, uh… a bit longer than expected due to other projects both irl and art-wise, but it’s finally here. The long-awaited domestic animal infographic! Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough space to cover every single domestic animal (I’m so sorry, reindeer and koi, my beloveds) but I tried to include as many of the “major ones” as possible.

I made this chart in response to a lot of the misunderstandings I hear concerning domestic animals, so I hope it’s helpful!

Further information I didn’t have any room to add or expand on:

🐈 “Breed” and “species” are not synonyms! Breeds are specific to domesticated animals. A Bengal Tiger is a species of tiger. A Siamese is a breed of domestic cat.

🐀 Different colors are also not what makes a breed. A breed is determined by having genetics that are unique to that breed. So a “bluenose pitbull” is not a different breed from a “rednose pitbull”, but an American Pitbull Terrier is a different breed from an American Bully! Animals that have been domesticated for longer tend to have more seperate breeds as these differing genetics have had time to develop.

🐕 It takes hundreds of generations for an animal to become domesticated. While the “domesticated fox experiment” had interesting results, there were not enough generations involved for the foxes to become truly domesticated and their differences from wild foxes were more due to epigenetics (heritable traits that do not change the DNA sequence but rather activate or deactivate parts of it; owed to the specific circumstances of its parents’ behavior and environment.)

🐎 Wild animals that are raised in human care are not domesticated, but they can be considered “tamed.�� This means that they still have all their wild instincts, but are less inclined to attack or be frightened of humans. A wild animal that lives in the wild but near human settlements and is less afraid of humans is considered “habituated.” Tamed and habituated animals are not any less dangerous than wild animals, and should still be treated with the same respect. Foxes, otters, raccoons, servals, caracals, bush babies, opossums, owls, monkeys, alligators, and other wild animals can be tamed or habituated, but they have not undergone hundreds of generations of domestication, so they are not domesticated animals.

🐄 Also, as seen above, these animals have all been domesticated for a reason, be it food, transport, pest control, or otherwise, at a time when less practical options existed. There is no benefit to domesticating other species in the modern day, so if you’ve got a hankering for keeping a wild animal as a pet, instead try to find the domestic equivalent of that wild animal! There are several dog breeds that look and behave like wolves or foxes, pigeons and chickens can make great pet birds and have hundreds of colorful fancy breeds, rats can be just as intelligent and social as a small monkey (and less expensive and dangerous to boot,) and ferrets are pretty darn close to minks and otters! There’s no need to keep a wolf in a house when our ancestors have already spent 20,000+ years to make them house-compatible.

🐖 This was stated in the infographic, but I feel like I must again reiterate that domestic animals do not belong in the wild, and often become invasive when feral. Their genetics have been specifically altered in such a way that they depend on humans for optimal health. We are their habitat. This is why you only really see feral pigeons in cities, and feral cats around settlements. They are specifically adapted to live with humans, so they stay even when unwanted. However, this does not mean they should live in a way that doesn’t put their health and comfort as a top priority! If we are their world, it is our duty to make it as good as possible. Please research any pet you get before bringing them home!

[hana-no-seiiki]

Sorry for the long hiatus. My meds for my bipolar disorder have made it very difficult to have inspiration/motivation for anything aside from normie activities.

Anyways I have a lot planned for this year! Hopefully you guys enjoy these works that have been in the backburner for a while while now. Love yall.

Without further ado, here’s a little drabble/some hcs as appetizers.

YANDERE BATFAM x HAREM! READER

tw/cw: DID coded shenanigans. Multiple Readers converge from my other works. Confusing fuckery. Yun writing without his meds. Featuring @sophiethewitch1 ‘s loser reader from What We Want. Mad Genius! Reader.

inspired by: The Herta (Honkai Star Rail) and a lil Iron Man.

Okay it but wouldn’t it be fucking hilarious if Reader gave the boys a harem of their own.

Like perhaps they’re just this immortal genius that creates puppets. Each with its unique personality and looks. But all of them share one thing, a love for their creator and the batfam. (And are all under your control…mostly)

Let’s start with your failures shall we? After all, the most precious thing to a genius like you, is your mistakes. However few or many there are.

You created Cat Villain! Reader as a test. No flashy powers beyond invisibility and teleportation. What you did give them however, was a whole load of sass and mystique. Something that drew in the Robins pretty well at first, but they soon lose interest in favor of … well

another work of yours was Alien! Reader. The goody two shoes with a dark side. (You couldn’t make them perfectly straight and narrow, that would have been far too boring). But Alien! Reader started dating Damian way too quickly. And everyone seemed so happy with the arrangement that you quickly ended it all. Swiftly killing your puppet in a fit of boredom. (Don’t worry, you kept some spare parts in order to rebuild them later on if such a whim caught your fancy)

Now, What We Want! Reader was special. It took a lot of time, effort, and whole butt load of money. Crossing dimensions was a lot more difficult than you thought it would be. But of course, in the end, your perfect self managed to pull through.

Replacing the original What We Want! Reader with a puppet that housed a soul from another world? Genius. Absolutely brilliant. You should reward yourself with how smart you are.

Unfortunately the boys got too excited and locked her up. Almost removing your access to one of your favorite experiments! How could they?

And so you send her back home. Safe and sound (and ready for part two!)

While looking through other dimensions, a certain manga/anime caught your eye. Makima! Reader was inspired from the character herself. And Bruce’s lack of participation and eagerness in some of your previous tests. And so you made his utter nightmare. One who killed when it was necessary and kill you did.

Unfortunately Makima! Reader almost made [Favorite DC Villain] pass away and you wouldn’t want that happening, don’t you?

In getting What We Want! Reader to your dimension you failed to account one of your stupid puppets getting into the collider by accident. And thus was What’s Up Danger? Reader was born.

You let it roam free for the most part, but for some reason time seemed to loop around them meeting the batboys for the first time and would never go beyond it. (Probably cause the author hasn’t updated in a dozen amber eras at this point)

Exasperated and in dire need of some fun in your life. You bring back all the readers one last time.

And oh, the chaos that ensued was one for the ages.

Finally, a success.

©️ h.n.s. - yun | 2025

[gay-dorito-dust]

Can you give us a headcanon about Jason in a relationship?

Jason is a big man with an even bigger heart, no one can take this away from me, no one. You can try but you fucking can’t.

Being with Jason automatically gifts you with scary dog privileges because whilst to you, Jason is a sweet man who’d get all pouty when you don’t kiss him in the morning or call him by the nicknames you’ve picked out for each other and will make you breakfast in bed because he wanted to show his gratitude to you for staying by him and loving him when he didn’t think you should.

To others however Jason was a this big 6ft something dude who could beat them into next week a multitude of unique ways if they even thought of looking at him funny. He radiates danger just by standing there and yet to you he was the reason that walking home at night from work had become just that little bit easier. It’s not much but it’s enough for you to know that you’ve got someone who’d watch your back vigilantly 24/7.

Jason’s fatal flaw might as well be either loyalty or devotion because this man will not act out of line with you, he refuses to betray and throw away everything you’ve ever done for him just because his eyes lingered elsewhere; which would never happen as Jason’s eyes were firmly locked onto you from morning, noon and night. You were just that perfect in his eyes that he’d rather die again than ever look at someone else the way he does you. You’re his person, his one and only simple as that because you’ve claimed his heart the moment you met.

Your trust is something he values deeply and he isn’t one to play stupid games with your trust either. So if you were to ever tell him about a boundary being crossed or talk about something that rubbed you the wrong way, you best believe Jason will honour that and promise to never do it again.

Two words; Book. Dates.

More specifically the ones where you’d a) go to those cute book cafes where you could enjoy reading your favourite books together in comfortable silences whilst enjoying a warm/cold beverage. Or b) have an in book date within the confines of your shared apartment, where Jason had this small hoard of books he’s been meaning to read, most of which were primarily Jane Austin’s body of work with some of your own recommended books in between.

It’s almost like your own little book club just for the two of you. It’s your thing that you share together that brings you closer together as a couple.

Jason loves it whenever he gets to read one of your favourite books as it brings forth and intellectual conversation between the two of you as you got to hear Jason’s view of the story and characters while Jason got to hear your own point of view; It was beautiful way of admiring the way the other person’s mind worked and find even more ways of falling in love with each other, as if you weren’t already deeply in love in the first place.

Jason loves being near you and once he gets past his aversion to touch, he’ll want to touch and hold you in any given capacity because he’s become well and truly addicted to the feel of your skin against his; so much so to the point where you’ve got him practically melting and closing his eyes in content as he humming in pleasure it almost came across as that of a cat’s purring.

If Jason could he would wholeheartedly want to live out the rest of his life within your arms, they were his safe haven, the one place he could call home as he could let down his guard and just melt into your embrace and allow you to pamper him in kisses and sweet nothings that leave him feeling more warm and loved then before, a tear of two may slip but it’s because he’s so fucking happy to have you in his life. So don’t be frightened when he starts hugging you back tightly, making it near enough impossible to escape his grasp.

Jason is your number one fan. Always has been, always will be. So may your insecurities begone because this man will pull out an exaggeratedly long list as to what about you Jason loved so much.

Spoiler alert: it’s everything. I don’t make the rules because this man will love your gap tooth, your acne scarring, your stretch marks, your love handles, your laugh, your eyes, your voice, your hair. Anything and everything that you’re majorly insecure of Jason will love tenfold because YOU. ARE.PERFECT. THE.WAY. YOU. ARE! And don’t you let some test tell you otherwise!

Also Jason falls under the ‘wear whatever you want, I can fight’ category of boyfriend because it’s not your fault you look drop dead gorgeous.

Hell you could walk in your apartment in sweat pants and an oversized shirt and Jason will stare at you with heart eyes like he would if you were wearing something that you felt confident and sexy in. Please wear it and be your sexy self you sexy bastard! Be the main character in your story!

For by the end of the night Jason will have everyone apologising to you for ruining your night because they thought they could get away with being freaks and weirdos.

Agree or disagree, I don’t care but Jason would 100% would want to take care of the dog -especially if it’s of a breed that’s massively stereotyped as aggressive- you found that was left abandoned in the rain, hurt and suffering back to full health and find it a better home or decided to keep them because he’s grown attached.

[becausegraf]

So... Gulool Ja Ja and his troubled eldest

Some musings on why the Dawnservant, social skills-powerhouse, observant and transparent and trustworthy and capable and responsible Gulool Ja Ja

seems to have massively dropped the ball when it came to, you know...

preventing his own only biological child from turning towards murderous self-destructive supervillainy.

Gulool Ja Ja's biggest, most tragic failure in my understanding is that when it comes to Zoraal Ja specifically, he has a blind spot, and I think he knows it but he can't fix it.

I mean, what do you think is the ONE area that, unfortunately, he truly has nobody, not a single person in Eorzea, he can seek experienced, trustworthy counsel on?

It's being born a Blessed Sibling, living as a Blessed Sibling, Ruling as a Blessed Sibling, and raising a Son Of A Blessed Sibling who doesn't have two heads and will grow up facing extremely vicious treatment by some people as a consequence.

Zoraal Ja is unique, and the complications that come with being what he is in this cultural context are SMACK in the hazard zone of Gulool Ja Ja's own vulnerabilities and struggles.

Gulool Ja Ja's flying blind on this one, and his son's temperament is precisely the sort that his usual tools aren't a good fit for.

Papa's style is to give his children space, let them make their own decisions, to invite them to seek help and give them everything they could ask for in their environment to support them when he cannot.

Zoraal Ja's issue is one that would have required Gulool Ja Ja to be much more confident in his capacity as his parent than he seems to have been. He needed to see clearly that his son was struggling and that under his circumstances, he couldn't just ask for help, and ACT ON THAT OBSERVATION. Asking for support is not something that comes naturally to Zoraal Ja, and I can see a dozen reasons why he would actively avoid it, too.

'Kiddo, something's bothering you and for your own good, we need to talk or have you open up to someone else before this causes you great harm, and I will be accountable for this happening whether you're happy to cooperate or determined to run away from it. We're gonna figure this out, okay?'

That's the initiative it would have taken, at a much, much earlier point in time, for Zoraal Ja to have gotten the support he needed. He needed his parent to see the danger and protect him from it.

Gulool Ja Ja, through no ill intent or inate fault of his own, simply failed in that.

He doubtlessly has his own hangups, painful topics, things that drive even him to look away and lie to himself. Even if he had the amazing instinct of compensating for a shitton of his own flaws and limitations by cooperating with others that had what he lacked, again, in this one regard

literally nobody in existence

would have any sort of experience with this particular complexity, let alone the keen eye to identify Gulool Ja Ja's massive blind spot AND take the initiative to reach out to him and offer aid.

He and Zoraal ja both are masters at hiding their pain (these chicken dudes are a lot like cats, apparently), and both have pretty compelling reasons to do so. There aren't many people that would

a) care about them personally enough to even decide something needs fixing

b) have the emotional insight to detect what's going on and empathize with the exact problem

c) be the kind of person who could think of a suitable way to help without making a mess

d) have the guts to prod at their personal life without being asked to do so, and avoid getting shown the door immediately

In a sense, Gulool Ja Ja's unique circumstances, the rare thing that DISconnects him from others with no overlap with others anywhere, is his Achilles heel, his one fatal weakness in a person otherwise dipped in invulnerability.

And Zoraal Ja is the arrow that came for it, and it makes my heart break for the both of them.

(This gets a little personal for me, too, in the sense of 'my parents are so capable and smart and empathetic, they're so admirable and competent with everything and everyone EXCEPT WITH ME, for SOME reason, what the FUCK is wrong with me'. Nothing, my issues were just too much like their own issues, which isn't my fault and not theirs either.

Tell ya what, it's really weirdly painful to be in such a position as a kid, caught between love and admiration on one hand, and burning frustration and resentment and shitty self-esteem on the other.)

[wordstome]

Last night I did what I always do when I can’t fall asleep: think about fictional men. Here’s a list of wonderful stories written by incredibly talented people who have helped me think about fictional men by providing the most delicious playgrounds.

In the interest of keeping my recommendations brief, I'm going to talk about what I liked about the fic instead of summarizing what it's about. To know what it's actually about you're just gonna have to click through and read the fic <3

(and just in case anybody's gotten lost, this is all COD, mostly modern MW)

✦ complete ║ ➠ ongoing

König

✦Just Friends by @kneelingshadowsalome Salome is so good at capturing a very unique interplay between König’s social awkwardness and his deep, dark, nasty inclinations. He’s so feral and enjoyable to read, and the sheer force of his desire for Engel is downright intoxicating. I find it difficult to describe how much of an impact Just Friends has had on me and my portrayal of König, to be honest. There's a reason why three of Salome's fics are on this rec list.

✦Fatum Nos Iungebit by kneelingshadowsalome Five words. König with his cock out. That's it. Okay, but in all seriousness, I love his character applied to this setting. All the raw visceral violence a König could ever want, a pretty little lady in his bed—he's so boyish and happy in this au it brings me such joy. The way their relationship between him and Fee develops is so natural and so sweet. Please for the love of God read this.

➠Cat/Mouse/Den by @papaver-decervicatus The chase. The pursuit. The adrenaline when Mouse dances out of König's reach once more. I'm a little biased because I adore Julius and Jenny (I could call her Lucretia but the double J names make me giggle) as ocs already, but CMD is so, so well written. The tension, the flirting, the scene where he catches her falling out of the tree?! As I said in a reblog, I shrieked. You know when you're reading something that's so good you want to bite down on it and shake like a dog with a toy? (No? Just me?) That's how I feel about CMD.

➠Anything by @darklordofthesimp Anything, in only 7 chapters (they are hefty, don’t get me wrong), has turned König and Birdy’s dynamic from “THIS MOTHERFUCKER HAS IRREVERSIBLY SCARRED MY BODY AND MY BRAIN, AND I CANNOT TRUST HIM” to “these two are going to get married someday”. (author if you’re reading this, I say that not as an expectation or prediction, but as a vibe reading.) This one is for the hurt/comfort girlies. Also, shoutout to all the other stories set in the Anything-verse. Sunshine and Ghost are just soooo *grips my hand in a fist so hard it shakes*

➠If you need to be mean by @gremlingottoosilly This mostly serves as a blanket recommendation for all of Gremlin’s fics. I found If you need to be mean, and then visiting Gremlin’s author page was like opening a treasure chest. Want to be König’s pampered, (unwilling) little housewife? That’s If you need to be mean. Want a harem fic with almost all of the COD MW men? Gremlin has two, both with their own little spin to keep it fun. Do you want König to keep you in his basement or hunt you down as a serial killer? Gremlin's got it. Monsterfucker? Gremlin has that too. Special shoutout goes to 1295 kilometers. I think about fucking König on a train a lot now.

➠Break my mind by @kaiasdevotion (kaiasown on ao3) There’s no way around this. This fic has the most unhinged, kinky, downright dangerous smut I’ve read in the cod fandom so far (positive). Just Friends König is the metric by which I judge all other Königs’ nastiness, and Break my mind König is tipping so hard on the “unhinged horny violent freak (affectionate)” end of the scale he’s about to fall off. I don't know if you guys have noticed, but I've developed a taste for writing/reading from König's perspective, and he's so chillingly deranged in the most controlled way possible during the chapters from his pov. Incredible writing. Chefs kiss.

✦Experimental by @uhohdad (surgeoninspace on ao3) Alright, enough of just König being nasty. He is still nasty in this one, but he’s not the only one who gets to have a little fun and be a total creep. Our little scientist here is a grade A pervert, and I was delighted the whole way through. The most important thing I need in a fic is suspension of disbelief, and Experimental takes an unrealistic, maybe a little bit silly situation and makes it so believable. Everybody reacts the way you would expect them to, even if the scenario they're in is A Lot.

➠Little Mouse and Rotes Madchen by @sprout-fics I'm combining the recommendation for these two because while they are both very much distinct, unique fics, I love them the same way. Sprout is such an engaging writer, and the internal dialogue of her characters is so well done. It reveals their personality, motivations, and internal conflicts without being overly expository. Do you guys remember that post I put on the König bible about instant obsession? It's this inexorable attraction borne from obsession that sticks me to Little Mouse like a glue trap. (Is that too morbid?)

✦Hot in Sarajevo by @50cal-fullauto Rags' König characterization post is on my Königcore bible, for very good reason. They get it. König is a feral dog forced to live as a man and loves like a total maniac, emotionally and sexually. I marked Hot in Sarajevo as complete but I don't know how many parts there are going to be, and frankly, I do want more. However, if you're going to only read one part (which. why would you do that??? read both.) I recommend the second part. I want to write love like that. Goddamn.

Ghost

Yeah, this list is a little bare bones right now. I'm gonna get back to it, I promise.

✦Anhedonia by kneelingshadowsalome The way. Salome takes the "I would take a bullet for him but he's so cold to me" premise and then flips it entirely on its head for the second part is so important to me. The way Simon craves the reader is like human catnip. I reread this fic all the time.

Keegan

✦For the Weak and Weary by @halcyone-of-the-sea Read this if you want to believe in true love. That's all. Go on now.

Multiple

✦Easy by @danibee33 When people say "I wish this were a book!" about fanfiction, they usually mean it in a "this is good enough to be published by the traditional publishing industry" way. When I say I want Easy (and Diablesa) to be a book, I mean it in a "I want to get this story bound in a beautiful ass cover and keep it on a shelf so I can take it down and reread it whenever I want" way. I don't want the traditional publishing industry to get their claws in this, because it's perfect as it is. This fic is so wild and fun, and the character moments are so special and well done. Do yourself a favor and savor this one.

➠@ghouljams's entire blog [masterlist] "What do you mean someone's entire blog" YOU HEARD ME. Those aus are some good shit. Good characterization, delicious premises, love the group effort of it all. To absolutely nobody's surprise, my favorite couple is König and Bee from the cowboy au (ditzy but well-meaning and competent in her own way woman x big strong man who is obsessed with her and maybe also creeping on her, my beloved), but I also have a fondness for Ghost and Die from demon darlings au. Trust me on this one. Dig into those masterlists babey.

[yan-lorkai]

Hiiiii if you're not too busy could i request yandere Leeches (twst) with a Yuu who basically ignores their red flags and thinks it's cute instead, like accepting almost any behaviour once they're in a relationship, killing, stalking, kidnapping, sadism, clinginess, threats to other people, etc the only thing they need is to not have their technological devices be checked and ofc being able to use them…or so they thought until they heard one of the tweels hurt a cat out of jealousy whether pet or not…that making them go basically bersek and for them to fight the eel, actually somehow being able to land some punches(probably out of pure adrenaline) and actually be able to cause some harm giving the moray a hard time but ultimately losing, Yuu not caring about any punishments for it, not even giving them the pleasure to cry, be happy or make any expression or emotion about it, and refusing to let the aggressive state down now despising them with their life (so hard that not even a love potion would make them stop hating them) Side note: Tbh t'm always excited to read your latest updates. Your writing style is so unique and your ability to capture emotion is truly remarkable 😫 your writing has a way of transporting us readers to another world, and your characters are so vividly presented that it's impossible not to become emotionally invested in their journey (Huh saying this makes me imagine myself with a mustache for some reason but anyways i truly love your writing please never stop 💞💞💞) -Curious Anon

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ﾟ a/n: It took me a while but I finally came around and finished writing this. Thank you for your gentle words and I hope you enjoy this ♡♡♡

It happened too fast.

Right after your "I hate both of you."

You blinked and suddenly were on the floor, face hurting from the slap you had just received from one of the men who was supposed to love you and care for you. It hurt. It stings, even. Your trust was betrayed, and played like it was a rare game many couldn't have. But you wouldn't cry, even if your heart was bleeding.

"That's all you got?" You asked, voice even, as you stared at Jade, who was looming over you.

He seemed to be examining your swollen cheek, searching for any signs of weakness he could explore. Now, he was just a predator and you were his prey; his very loved prey who was preparing to fight, to show your claws and teeth. After all, two can play this game, even if you were in disadvantage.

"Shrimpy was talkin big but you sure ain't that strong." Floyd muttered, guiltless as he stared down at you. "I could do so much worse. Could tear ya to shreds and bathe in your blood. Still wanna play this game, honey?"

Floyd’s grin stretches wider, all sharp teeth and predatory amusement, as he looms over you. His shadow swallows you whole, the weight of his presence suffocating.

"But I ain’t gonna… not yet, anyway," he purrs, tilting his head like a shark circling its prey. "See, I like it when ya squirm. When ya think ya got a chance to run and hide, and fight with these cute little hands of yours."

His hand shoots out, fingers tangling in your hair — not enough to hurt, but enough to make sure you don’t go anywhere. He yanks you just close enough that his breath ghosts over your lips, warm and tinged with the salt of the sea.

"So tell me, shrimpy," he murmurs, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You still wanna play? Or you gonna admit ya lost and ask for forgiveness?"

Your pulse thrums in your throat, trapped between defiance and survival instinct. But something in his eyes — wild, unstable, hungry — tells you the wrong answer might just tip him over the edge.

And Floyd Leech loves edges.

You search for your other lover, seeing if he agrees to this. The worst part is that he does. Your heart pounds as desperation is clawing at your throat. "You— you can't seriously be okay with this," you plead, searching his eyes for any flicker of reason.

But Jade only smiles, slow and serene, like a predator who’s already won.

"Now, now," he chides, tilting his head with that same eerie calm. "Floyd does have a point. You have been rather… reckless with our affections, everything we do is for your own good. You shouldn't doubt us and yet, you did." His gloved fingers trail along your jaw, deceptively gentle. "Nonetheless you also said you hate us. Perhaps a lesson is in order."

Your blood runs cold.

Floyd’s grip tightens in your hair, his laugh vibrating against your skin. "Told ya, shrimpy~ Even he thinks ya need to be put in your place."

Jade steps closer, his voice a velvet purr. "Don’t worry, darling. We’ll take very good care of you."

And then —

They both lunge forward, and there's pain, sorrow and hatred, blood, laughter and bones breaking.

And your world goes dark quickly.

[theshepherdshound]

13, 14, 31 for the narinder ask list!

i did drawing for these!! so the answers might take a bit because i like drawing narinder so

narinder questions for context

13. Does your Narinder have any unique features?

yayayayaya silly white heart narinder!!

originally cause i thought about how lots of black cats have little white hearts and that That Is Cute- and ended up informing a bunch of other stuff simply because i think a bleeding heart death character is always fun. like how does one go from happy go lucky to being so jaded you commit siblicide? also it is a fun visual representation of his mental state (his fur also does a lot of lifting on this) i never looked at a picture of him while doodling which is how he ended up with 4 scars on his arms, but i guess he had four siblings so EHHHMRHHHHM i stand by it tbh I fully couldn't make his eye look good which was the start of where the design of being an eldritch being who sees 4th dimension came from- like why does it open or close beyond just being like mortal and stuff? or semi mortal? so instead he got a spooky closed third eye he also explodes, less so now that bessarian split from his design so there's that. but he still splits into seeing in 4D and is filled with ghosts so that also happens alongside his eyes to be a visual representation of that. honestly he's kind of been having a bad time for a lot longer than being trapped so?? alsoalso realizing i forgot them on these images but his robes also have eyes for that reason, but i dunwanna go back and add them. i also forgot to look at in-game robes. i don't spend a lot of time trying to ref the game sprites for their designs cause i think it's fun to see their designs evolve over time he also have long tail, is over 7' tall, and always looks tired af

14. Is he based on any particular breed of cat such as a puma or a British shorthair?

Not really unless there is a type of cat that does this

not like quite the same appearance-wise, but part of his dishevelledness is based off my cat who is a black smoke tabby. he is very beautiful in person and kind of just looks like a sickly manged creature in photographs, pictured here stealing the dog's mat

but it often looks like his fur is floating. so somewhere between a long hair and a short hair? largely because i think longer fur makes it more fun to draw him stylistically for emotion purposes mainly he is kind of void-adjacent in my mind over being a cat

31. Deep down.. does he agree that it was necessary? (implied by question list order, this is him being chained by his siblings)

...kind of?

part of it he blames shamura for, for some of it he blames himself for his own emotional weakness. i wouldn't personally put the majority of blame of the necessity of locking him away on either of them though; they are all by nature the thing they were made to be. locking narinder away is a strategic way of keeping control of a situation that was actively a danger to the rest of them- and as a god of war shamura will always make a strategically advantageous choice a lot of it though is that he, in concept, is an incredibly useful thing to control as a god of death. and he... doesn't have good boundaries- which makes him incredibly dangerous and a liability. but he wasn't raised to have good boundaries so he could be whatever shamura needed him to be; so while he would agree that the concept and threat that he would, in another perspective, be necessary to lock away he wasn't a huge fan of the decision

playdough wet bag cat cryptid

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Do you think Felix's behaviour when pursuing Kagami in Pretension was supposed to be seen as comedic like Marinette's romantic antics ? I know Kagami said that he was bad for stalking and kidnapping her but then she blames these actions on his lack of social skills which reads as an absurdic comedic scene to me (calling your kidnapper socially inept doesn't sound like a scene that's supposed to be played straight at all).

Yep, as best I can tell, that's supposed to be a joke or, at the very least, a cute moment:

Kagami: What is it you want to tell me?! Félix: I... I don't know. But ever since I saw you, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I've felt that... you and I... were the same. (Kagami looks surprised.) Félix: We have so much in common, and yet, you're also so different. I've never met someone like you. Kagami: We don't even know each other! Félix:I know you. I've been following you non-stop. Kagami: Even better! You follow me, you spy on me and now you've kidnapped me to get to know me?! Félix:(shyly) Uh... yes? Kagami: You are utterly incompetent at social relations. (Sighs.) You can't take someone away against their will! Félix: Sorry, I won't do it again, I... just wanted to protect you from your mother. She can't talk to you like that. (Kagami stares at him in awe and confusion.)

There's a reason I say Marinette's issues aren't unique to her. She showcases the problem the most since she's the lead, but her worst "romantic" behavior is normal in the world of Miraculous. It's why Gorizilla ended with Adrien giving his email to the creep who chased him all over town:

Wayhem: That was awesome! I helped Cat Noir save Paris from that nasty big ape! Adrien: I knew I could count on you. I'm sorry I had to ask you to stand in for me earlier. You must think I'm not very brave. Wayhem: You kidding? I got to be in Adrien's shoes for a few minutes! A dream come true! I'm really sorry I posted that photo on the Internet. You must be mad at me. (Adrien takes out a marker and writes "adrien@agreste.mode" on the mask, making Wayhem once again excited) Is that your email? Adrien: Yeah. If you can manage to stop running after me screaming, I'm sure we can be good friends! Wayhem: I promise, Adrien!

Same energy as the Feligami scene.

Btw, I hate Wayhem so much. This scene was bonkers. Whatever happened to stranger danger?

Now that I'm thinking about it, this scene relates to another one. It's basically the opposite of what happened in Volpina. Adrien is shown as a good person for indulging a person who didn't respect him while Marinette was punished for getting mad at someone disrespecting Ladybug. This show expects celebrities to be way too nice to people who aren't nice to them which is yet another terrible message for kids.

[petalkitshadow]

Just read through the entire fic last night and I love it! What inspired you to make Mapleshade a cannibal? It's very unique!

Thanks so much for reading <3 <3!

And it's inspired by an old fan theory! (I'm new to the fandom, only started reading in 2020, but I heard about this fan theory alot from more long-time fans XP )

Before MV, the erins said they couldn't write a mapleshade novella because it was "too dark". So many people theorized she was a cannibal, or something crazy like that, but cannibalism was the most popular theory.

I read guardians of ga'hoole as a child, NOT wc, which had... a TON of cannibalism in it, for some reason. so I guess I expected the same from wc, haha. so when i saw those theories I was very intrigued by them!

I thought it would be fun to do a nod to that fan theory. i think some occasional meta humor/easter eggs can be fun. like Duskwater getting out of work by saying she needs to go to the dirtplace, and Petalpaw at the gathering wondering why there's so many dark brown tabby tom leaders. after all, warrior cats' fandom is so creative and passionate, i think it's only fitting to pay homage, even in small ways, to the community in my work!

but aside from that, i think it could also tie in well with what Mapleshade represents as a character. The thesis of Petalkit's Shadow is the danger of letting your anger control you (something i think is very evident in the newest chapter... petalpaw, you are embodying the wrong mother right now. almost like.. her blood is betraying her, or something....). The characters have a right to be angry about what's happened to them .... but stewing in your anger forever instead of trying to do something constructive about it will ultimately destroy you and the people you love. Reedshine specifically says this to Mapleshade in their confrontation... it was her dying wish, essentially. And now, Reedshine is gone, and Petalpaw doesn't want to let her go.... but in her grief, she's doing the very thing Reedshine warned against.

overall Mapleshade is meant to portray this idea very plainly, that your emotions can destroy you. The cannibalism specifically represents how obsessive she is. she sees loved ones as her possessions that she has a right to own and control. like she says to petalpaw - "we will be together forever". She both loves and hates so thoroughly and intensely that it destroys herself, and destroys those around her, the ones she's supposed to love. her emotions are, quite literally, all-consuming!

So, all that plus months of starvation, isolation, and stewing in her own thoughts, well... why let a perfectly good murder victim go to waste? XP

Anyways sorry this got a little long. i always jump at the chance to ramble about this story, as you can tell haha

[redux-iterum]

So I’m curious about Goldenflower’s reaction! We’ve seen how aggressively she reacts when kits or young cats are put in danger (ie. Fireheart being left out alone). So I was surprised she allowed the ceremony to proceed. Is Bluestar’s failing mental health the reason why she didn’t react more strongly and shut that shit with Aspen/Ash/Cloud down? Also where do the clans draw the line in regards to someone like Bluestar when they’re not stable enough to really be held accountable, but they are putting other clanmates in danger through their actions?

There's a couple things going into this, so bear with me.

This whole situation is extremely difficult for everyone in a position of power, let alone the average warrior. Ideally - that is, how the Clans imagine stuff like this to go in stories - the leader can be disobeyed and disregarded by their followers, no questions asked, the instant they fuck up or do something dangerous. The matriarch has all the power over kits, the deputy can step in as the proper head of the Clan, the elders will be looked to and the seers have all of StarClan to give out judgements and commands. This is a sort of checks-and-balances type of society! It's going to be so easy to handle if it ever does happen!

Realistically, though, Clans are hardwired to obey their leaders above everyone else. It's why Brokenstar got away with everything for so long, it's why Tigerclaw would have been so much more dangerous if he'd gotten there, and it's what's allowing Bluestar to keep her position even though her mind is visibly failing. Leaders aren't untouchable, theoretically, but it is so very hard for a Clan to look at the cat who's so important to their society that they have an entirely unique suffix just to denote their rank and tell themselves "I refuse to honor them and do as they say", even if they have a good reason, or several. Even at this point, ThunderClan will obey their leader over their matriarch, and the matriarch will be forced to go along with this, not knowing what else can be legally done.

To disobey says so much about the warrior and the Clan as a whole: they made a mistake placing such massive responsibilities on this cat's shoulders, they have nowhere to put the demoted cat that will go smoothly, they're threatening the unity and structure of the Clan by shaking the very foundation of what they've grown up and lived with. It's so hard for a cat, let alone a warrior, to adjust to severe changes like that, especially ones that imply something at fault within themselves - which, inherently, following a bad leader for any length of time will shine a light on. Sometimes it's easier to keep silent - or, at the most, mutter complaints to your friend while doing nothing.

There's another aspect of this botched apprentice ceremony: the apprentices themselves. Changing from a kit to an apprentice is such an important, valuable, special thing for everyone; it's the biggest change in your life so far and it marks you as ready to serve your Clan and grow up to be someone great. To go through with the ceremony and then rip away that gift from cats so young and new to the world is a particularly cruel sort of disappointment, bordering on punishment in the eyes of that kit. Can you imagine being a grade schooler, about to enter middle school, and then being told you have to go back to kindergarten because someone else fucked up your paperwork? How awful would that be?

Speckletail made about as good of a call as she could in that moment, taking the apprentices' ages, their mentors and the Clans' culture into account. Let them be apprentices until they prove they're not ready, and if they aren't, they can go back to being a kit. This sort of solves the problem in a way - the apprentices will be eager to prove they can keep their -paw's and will work hard to do so, and if they fall behind...well, maybe they can just stay in camp for another month and then come right back to training with some experience already! It's not ideal, but it's the best Speckletail could do.

As for the final question... did you know that it was believed that planting an elder tree by your door would keep the devil away?

[sugar-coated-prat-dragon]

Originally, Magic was tolerated - after all, it had always been part of the world.

✨✨✨ Once Uther created the magic ban, many other kingdoms, and out of respect - or fear - for Uther, their rulers have accepted his ban on sorcery and enforce it in their territories too.

“To many, the decree came as a relief; a powerful sorcerer could threaten a king, but no rulers had previously dared to challenge the might of magic.”

🤔 Thoughts: It seems like it was originally tolerated by everyone of both classes as the natural state of the world; but most likley magic was a bigger threat to kings and lords since that kind of power undermined their royal or noble blood. 🩸 Especially since a powerful magic user could be a peasant and therefore throw the leadership of kingdoms into chaos.

✨✨✨ Gwen herself originally referred to the thought of Cara (aka Nimueh) being a sorceress as sounding “like madness”.

She said and I quote, “It was like some of the insane accusations that were occasionally made in the villages, and even in the city, whenever some poor old lady - usually someone with a cat - behaved a bit oddly. Uther had managed to instil such a dread of magic in his subjects that 'witch hunts' could flare up at the drop of a pointed hat.”

🤔 Thoughts: Gwen admits that Uther had managed to instill of such fear of magic in his citizens that there had been ‘witch hunts’ in the past that had resulted in people being falsely accused. More often than not; it was old woman with cats.

✨✨✨ Gwen herself was not immune to the kingdoms fear of magic and viewed it as a dangerous and powerful thing. She even thought that if magic was the thing responsible for Merlin dying from the poisoned chalice; then she could even understand why Uther hated it so and had outlawed its use. She imagined she could hate magic as much Uther did for being the thing responsible for Merlin’s death. (ironic 🫤)

🤔 Thoughts: However, Gwen recognized that if magic could be used to save Merlin’s life; then she would have performed the spell herself.

✨✨✨ Gaius views magic as an elemental power. “In the wrong hands it was something to be feared. But above all, it was something to be respected.”

🤔 Thoughts: Gaius respects magic and yet he also views it as something that could “take hold of him” and feared he would lose all reason - he would become its slave and it would take command of him.

Gaius had a very unique view of magic. 🪄 He describes it as “no feeling that had a name” - but it was raw and powerful like them (them being magic users).

✨✨✨

Intresting thing to note: Merlin didn’t seem to know when he came to Camelot, that magic was punishable by death.

He knew magic was outlawed, but finding out Camelot executed people for magic was a suprise to him.

He also didn’t know Uther had killed the dragons.

Book description: “Such practices are banned, on penalty of death."

The man had been condemned to death - for using magic! The smile left Merlin's face. Suddenly his new life in Camelot no longer seemed like an exciting adventure. It was dangerous here.”

Uther made it his mission to destroy everything from that time. Even the Dragons.'

Merlin sat up. He hadn't expected that - Dragons.

Source: Magic Begins. Poisoned Chalice and the Merlin Complete Guide books 📚

@samwinjester @miyriu @nephew tunesyellowsands hew

[det2x-fanfic-dump]

Satan's Powers and Abilities

Disclaimer: This is my headcanon and basically as reference for my the fanfiction and is a repost from my last year's post because there's a lot of changes and additions. This is just inspired from my knowledge of the game and does some stuff to spice up.

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

Celestial creatures such as demons in the Devildom and Angels in the Celestial Realm are indeed strong in both magic and strength but have you ever thought on why demons requires to be in a pact with humans or angels needs to be a human's guardian angel?

Because in the human world, they require a mortal host to be able to do certain magic in the human world.

UNIQUE POWER AND ABILITIES:

Satan heavily depends on his magic rather than physical strength. He mostly does magic even without chants and incantations except for curses because it requires conditions that needs to be said. Satan is the fourth born out of the seven brothers so based on hierarchy, he is stronger than his four younger brothers and weak against the older three.

LEVEL 01 Abilities: These are passive abilities that demons can do easily that affects human lifestyle.

Control a Human's Anger and Wrath

An ability that Satan can do as the wrath demon. Satan can influence a mortal's emotions whenever and whatever mood he has into rage. He can make someone angry or moody for no reason or take away their wrathful energy if he so chooses.   This includes him making someone be blinded by rage allowing someone to do dangerous things out of anger or cause a lot of tantrums.

LEVEL 02 Abilities: These are abilities passive abilities that demons can do that is inclined to magic. It may require someone's magical energy.

 A Little bit of Every Elemental Magic but has the highest Affinity for Pyrokinesis

Each of Satan's brothers except Lucifer masters one element but Satan can do everything his brothers can do. You can even call him the Avatar. Fire is mostly inclined to very strong emotions of wrath and destruction hence, fire magic is his strong suit.

Reason:

(1) In real life, Satan is the universal name to refer to a demon so I think it's nice to have him the same power as the rest of his brothers. Imagine that his elemental magic is a basic version of what his brothers can do.  

(2) This is also a reference that he is created from Lucifer so that means he's just like Lucifer.

A Master of Cat related Curses and Other Curses

He is an expert of curses.  Satan is a big fan of the feline specie. He can curse someone to change into a cat or have yourself worship a cat or be obsess with one or have an army of cats go against you. He may also give someone a curse that involves elements, mind control, etc. For example, one is cursed to have a raincloud to follow them or have you dance until he's satisfied.

Telekinesis

[An ability to control objects, making it fly and move on its own out of his command.] Reason: Based on the Obey Me Wiki  and I think it's pretty unique too so I added it.

Level 03: These abilities require a lot of magical energy, has to rely on a human's magic and their life. Highly dangerous as this may affect their sanity.

Elemental Powers/ Natural Calamity 

This is just the stronger version of the first ability with the condition of having strong emotions of anger or energy from either himself or his human catalyst.  Satan can manipulate the elements bringing natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes, and fire that can't be taken out.

TELEKINESIS:

A much stronger ability where Satan can throw you like garbage. Imagine Sans from Undertale.

Reason: 

 He is the Avatar of Wrath so  of course, natural disasters are his motif.  Causing Natural disasters is one way to express his madness.

ABILITIES THAT SATAN CAN GIVE TO MORTALS AS A DEMON IF MADE A PACT:

The Gift of the Elements.  The Mortal can control the elements of the earth with Satan’s blessings.

Telekinesis. Includes flight and floating.

[rowena-rain]

OK, so we all kinda joke about that "monster." In Harry Stomach, That jkr writes about to describe Harry's "Jealousy" when he sees Ginny kissing Dean (literally wanting to rip Dean's Throat out or something along the lines.)

(It's been a hot second since I've read that part.)

which I find interesting because I used to headcannon Harry as being bi, but ever since I read (hollowed-theory-hall) article on his Sexuality I can only ever see him as gay...headcanon what ever you want though Obviously.

(I highly recommend checking them out. I asked them the same question as I'm asking you)

But like it's also described as "swelling with pride" or "wanting to puff out its chest" or "Curling up in his stomach and purring in Content/Satisfaction"

Like, jkr be so fucking for real wtf 😐

BBUUUUUUTTT, hear me out......Dormant creature gene?

Like you can't tell me that it doesn't read as instincts or some shit without or even with context, or you can tell me it doesn't read that way. Your opinion is valid and something I value.

And if you are inclined to indulge me. What sort of creature gene do you believe he would have?

Dark fae? cù-sìth? Harpy? cat-sìth? Maybe Lord Moldy-Voldy gave Harry some varey mild Naga genes along with parseltongue.

Who "knows"..he...get it?..like "nose".....i'll see myself out now..🏃‍♀️‍➡️...like his nose....lol

Anyway, sorry for making this so long. Have a lovely day, stay safe and drink some water🥰

Interesting question! Okay, so disclaimer that creature fics aren’t really my thing, so I don’t personally head canon Harry this way. HOWEVER, what I am a big fan of is taking something that was OBVIOUSLY meant to be metaphorical--something where EVERYONE is going to be interpreting it metaphorically--and being like okay but what if it was literal and then doing a whole analysis on that. So, yeah, I’ll play along.

Ah, the infamous chest monster! What the hell was that, anyway?? Well… okay, so I was thinking the fact that, as you mentioned, the creature focuses on pride, jealousy, and possessiveness (and not, I might note, actual attraction or love) suggests that it would be a creature that was also associated with these emotions.

Now, like I said, I don’t really know creature stuff all that well, but when I originally read the books, I read the chest monster as kind of dragon-coded. You know, “roaring in triumph” and all that stuff. And dragons are associated with hoarding/possessiveness, so there’s that. We also know that Harry fought a Hungarian Horntail, the most dangerous dragon there is, when he was 14 and lived to tell the tale, which is pretty badass. BUT, at least in HP, I don’t know of any humans who take dragon-creature forms.

THEN I got to thinking, okay, what about another type of magical reptile? Specifically, a Basilisk. Now, we don’t know about human-Basilisk creatures, either, BUT there probably isn’t anyone (or hardly anyone) besides Harry that was bitten by a Basilisk and survived. I think Basilisks are pretty rare, anyway, seeing as breeding them basically requires human intervention (hatching a chicken egg under a toad) and was outlawed in medieval times. So, it’s reasonable to suppose that Basilisks have some traits that aren’t very well known.

Now, we know Harry has a piece of Voldemort’s soul in him, which also makes him magically unique. He is the only known human horcrux. And who created horcruxes? Herpo the Foul. And what else did Herpo the Foul create? The first Basilisk. Salazar Slytherin later used Herpo’s method to create Slytherin’s monster for the Chamber… And Voldemort later used Herpo’s method to create his horcruxes. We also know Tom/Voldemort is the Heir of Slytherin and thus the rightful master of the Basilisk in the Chamber. Which is also the Basilisk that bit Harry, of course.

So… what if Harry, as Voldemort’s horcrux, has something in him that was activated by the Basilisk venom? Thus, the “creature” kind of reflects Tom’s personality in a sort of primal way. It’s jealous, possessive, and prideful.

So why Ginny? (Particularly if you view Harry as gay -- personally I put him at about a Kinsey 5, but that's another post). Well… this is where it gets tricky. At the time when the Basilisk bit Harry, Tom had been possessing Ginny for almost a year, she opened the Chamber, etc. She also told Tom allllll about her crush on Harry and cemented herself as a potential mating rival.

The Basilisk-creature is jealous and possessive. But it doesn’t have agency on its own. So it drives Harry's jealousy to pull Ginny in. And then, if they actually have sex, it injects her with the Basilisk venom that lives in Harry’s body, and she dies. Probably anyone except the rightful master of Slytherin’s monster who has sex with Harry dies.

The End.

Ahhhhh so yeah, I wasn’t even trying to, but apparently everything I touch turns to Dark Tomarrymort… 💀💀 Sorry (not sorry)

[nobodysdaydreams]

I know it's late for this, but here's how I think characters in the Mysterious Benedict Society would have reacted to the solar eclipse.

Nicholas- obviously he'd be so excited for this. The world goes dark, he passes out with joy.

Rhonda- buys everyone eclipse glasses and makes sure they understand the dangers of looking at the sun

Number Two- complains about the traffic because tons of tourists are coming for the eclipse and her mom has a ton of weird conspiracies about what the eclipse means, but once the eclipse is happening, she very much enjoys it.

Milligan- happy that he's able to experience such a unique and special moment with his daughter that he will treasure forever

Miss. Perumal- educates the children on how solar eclipses happen and bakes cookies for the watch party

Kate- climbs a tree so she can be closer to the sun and get a better view

Martina- was planning on forcing the tetherball team to practice through the eclipse, but begrudgingly cancels practice to join Kate in the tree

Reynie- is excited about the eclipse in a very average, but endearing way.

Sticky- is fascinated by and excited for the eclipse, but then he saw a video about what happened to that one person that stared at the sun and even though he knows that won't happen to him because he has the right glasses, he still can't get the thought out of his head. His friends help him calm down, and he ends up enjoying the eclipse.

Constance- pretends she doesn't care about it that much, but she actually does and writes an incredibly beautiful poem about it afterwards which she shows to no one.

Nathaniel/Curtain- cancels classes at the Institute to view the eclipse and somehow turns it into a metaphor about himself. I don't know exactly how he would do this, something about the moon being the darkness of Nicholas that blocks out the brilliance of the sun (himself), but the sun is all powerful and shall surely rise again, I don't know, something like that. However, if this happened during season 2, he would 100% incorporate it into his cult's doctrine just because he can. He'd make that the day and hour of his evil plans just for the symbolism.

Jackson and Jillson- they also saw the video about the people who stared at the sun and they have made it their personal mission to warn everyone about proper eye protection

SQ- he's happy to be able to spend the day with his dad watching the sky. He later draws a really beautiful picture of the eclipse.

Jeffers- stares directly at the sun and suffers permanent eye damage despite being warned multiple times

Dr. Garrison- fascinated by the eclipse for scientific reasons, but takes advantage of the distraction to escape and begin hatching an evil plot

Marlon- does not care at all that the eclipse is happening but goes along with whatever Curtain wants

Captain Noland- views the eclipse as a sign of coming doom

Cannonball- is 100% on board with whatever conspiracy Noland believes

Number Two's mom- views the eclipse as a sign of coming doom

Number Two's brother- is 100% on board with whatever conspiracy his mom believes

Number Two's sister- doesn't care at all that the eclipse is happening, but goes along with whatever her mom wants

And I know I've been doing mostly show characters, but...

Crawlings- stares directly at the sun and suffers permanent eye damage. But he only stared at it with one eye because he kept the other one closed thinking that would somehow save him from being burned, so now he wears an eyepatch over his bad eye, but that's not the same one as the one where he lost his eyebrow, so it doesn't cover that damage either, he just looks like a mess.

The Rest of the Ten Men- think Crawlings is an idiot for looking at the sun and claim they don't care at all that the eclipse is happening (Sharpe lowkey does, would never admit it).

Seymour, the orphanage cat- continues being a cat. Is very confused when it is suddenly nighttime. Then when its daytime again, he shrugs it off and goes about his business.

[silverhalla]

Seleny Merlot, 8:92 Blessed

Teia had looked far too pleased when she asked him to dinner. That should have been the first clue.

Viago didn’t trust restaurants. In all honesty, he detested them. He could only test for so many poisons at once, and had only developed his immunity to a few dozen. A restaurant was danger. It was his life, in the hands of an unknown chef, in the hands of many unknown persons with many untold reasons to perhaps want him dead. As a rule, he avoided them, but Teia was... insistent. She owned the little bistro, though, and had personally vetted anyone with access to his food for the evening. It was a touching gesture, truly, to make him feel more comfortable in a place he felt deeply, uniquely exposed.

It should have been his second clue.

(also on [ao3]!!)

The establishment was irritatingly nice. Candles flickered on every table, although theirs was the only one taken. If he’d been on edge before, his concern was certainly peaking now.

"You're planning something," he groused after the waiter walked away, pulling out Teia's chair for her. She sat delicately, looking up at him through her lashes as he sat down across the table.

"I am not," she insisted, sounding far too smug.

Viago sighed. "It's bad, isn't it?"

"Oh, hush. Drink some wine." She reached for the menu, smiling at him in a way that reminded him far too much of a satisfied cat. "Try to enjoy yourself for once."

"I'm enjoying myself," he huffed, not enjoying himself at all. "Hand me the wine list."

“Of course,” she said, taking a quick glance at it before passing it over. "Seleny Merlot, 8:92 Blessed. Isn’t that Rook’s favorite?”

Viago squinted at her, unamused. “Why do you know that?”

“Oh, it just came to mind.” She waved a hand dismissively, returning to her study of the menu. “It came up recently in conversation.”

That was news. “You saw Rook?”

“No,” Teia purred, batting her dark, pretty eyes at him. “I saw Lucanis.”

Viago’s voice went deadly serious. “Andarateia.”

“He was thinking of buying a bottle or two,” she hinted, “or so I heard.” She leaned forward, barely hiding a smirk, and he could feel a vein at his temple begin to throb.

"Why is a Dellamorte..." - he hissed the name through his teeth - "...buying expensive wine for my protege?"

Teia fluttered a hand, looking nonchalant. “Oh, I’m sure there was a reason. Perhaps her nameday?”

“Half a year ago,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “You planned her trip to the coast.”

“Did I? I must have forgotten.” Teia bridged her fingers and rested her chin upon them, blinking up at the man innocently. “Well, friends buy friends gifts. Like the dagger she got for him, or so the vendor mentioned.”

It was a trap, he knew, and he walked into it anyways. “When?”

“A few months, give or take.”

That was a horrifying concept – how long he’d gone without spotting it. "Months!?"

“Oh, don’t be so glum,” Teia teased, “I’m sure it's nothing. She would’ve said something. To one of us, at least.”

There was a beat, where Teia smiled serenely and his fury simmered.

"Did she say something to you?" he asked tersely, already regretting the question.

"Nothing comes to mind." She pretended to think about it carefully, her brow furrowed. "I suppose she hasn't had much time lately. The last time I saw her was..."

"When you were planning Caterina's funeral," Viago finished, wheels turning in his head. "...and he brought her with him."

"For moral support, wasn't it? He needed her close by, just in case." She paused, tilting her chin thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, there was a comment..."

"Teia...," he groaned, his eyes pleading.

She waved a hand dismissively. "I had complimented her. And insulted you in the process, of course."

"Of course," he said, sarcastic as ever.

"And Lucanis got a little..." Teia paused, considering her words carefully. "...defensive."

Vi's eyes narrowed. "How so?"

"He told me not to flirt with her." That, at least, seemed like a decent idea.

"For once, something he and I agree on," he said, casting her a scathing look.

She ignored him, continuing. "And he looked absolutely pitiful about it," Teia added, "...and he called her his colleague."

There was another shoe that had to drop, surely, but he had to know. “Is that it?”

"Oh, but he almost didn't. 'Teia, don't flirt with my... colleague'!" she mimicked, affecting his slightly posher accent, "Like that."

"Like he wanted to call her something else." Viago frowned, brooding. "Did she seem surprised?"

Teia's grin only grew. "She��blushed. To the tips of her ears."

Viago cursed, leaning back in his chair. It was a bigger problem than he'd thought. If Lucanis was smitten, he'd kill him. If Rook was smitten, he could give her a strong talking-to and make thinly-veiled threats. Of course the fool had to fall for a Dellamorte, of all people. It was irritating how easily she shaped up plans to ruin her own life. If it were a one-sided crush, yes, he could deal with that. Find a way to dissuade her, or to threaten him. But if that interest was mutual... Mierda.

“Maybe we’re reading too much into it,” he said hopelessly, desperate for another explanation. "Plenty of Crows send out gifts for well-struck contracts. Maybe a gift for a job well done?"

“Perhaps,” Teia conceded, going back to perusing the drink menu. Her eyes kept flickering back up to him, though, a mischievous look on her face, which he ignored for as long as he could manage.

Finally, after a minute of terse silence and furtive looks, he sighed. “What?”

“Nothing! I’m just thinking about that wine,” Teia hinted, “It must be good.”

He considered deeply whether he’d done something stupid recently. Stupid enough, at least, that she’d poison him for it. It wouldn’t be anything he hadn’t built up a tolerance for, but it would certainly make for an unpleasant evening.

The waiter, seeming to sense his acquiescence, materialized at the table. “Signora?”

“A glass of Antivan White,” Teia said sweetly, flashing the boy a dazzling smile that had him stammering as he turned to take the other assassin's order.

“And… and for you?”

“I’ll try the 8:92,” Viago sighed, annoyed that he had to take the bait, “…a glass, but only if you have a fresh bottle. We’ll uncork it here.” The odds of getting poisoned at one of the Cantori’s restaurants were low, but never zero. He untucked the tester kit from his sleeve regardless.

“Of course, signore. If you enjoy the vintage - well, it should be much easier to come by in these next few months.”

“Is that so?” Teia chimed, flashing the boy one of her dazzling smiles, one she'd used on Viago on plenty of occasions. It politely demanded conversation.

“Yes. The winery is under new ownership, you see. And under strict orders for restaurants to keep a reserve.” He returned the Seventh Talon’s smile, every bit as starstruck and moony-eyed as would’ve been expected, faced with Teia’s interest. The comment did not go unnoticed.

Viago recovered as best as he could, already on edge. “What do you mean?”

The boy launched into a long demonstration that he didn’t comment on simply because he was fuming, and feeling utterly foolish, and because language seemed to escape him. The Dellamortes hadn’t just bought the wine, the sommelier had explained cheerfully. They’d bought the whole vineyard.

Teia smirked, and Viago nursed a headache that began forming almost immediately. Somewhere, he was sure, he had a poison that could end this misery.

“On second thought,” he grumbled, “…I will take the whole bottle.”