#ursus au

[ask-the-amph-greater-universe]

Ursus is just strolling into the Cluster a few weeks later, tossing her newly stolen Star at Black Star and her spare arm at Cygnus.

Black Stars jumbles with the star for a bit. Finally growling at her and saying he's not taking it. Giving it back to her. Threatening that if she pushes he'll just dump it somewhere random her world. Meanwhile Cygnus Is very happy. Carefully walking down the arm to see if he can get it attached. Antares offhandedly asks If that is a good idea. Rigel hides under a blanket.

[digi-sams-au-hell]

This has started to act silly. Aghh.

This is the original conversation.

Last things said.

Me response.

Rigal snaps that she's still believes they should have done better. That they should have fixed themselves somehow. That they made their own ruined lives, And she got better because she's good-er than them. She doesn't care that their lives went to shit. Because it's all their fault according to her. He's in the wrong for being upset, that she's telling them they could have a golden life when they can't get it anymore! He can't be angry according to her. Because he's stupid and wrong. Because he's the bad guy. He should have made better decisions. He somehow worse than her despite them both being eclipses. Despite that he's the one who lost everything. Because he should have fixed something that was long gone. And she can't even fathom them fixing it anymore.

Rigel just returns with a snarl.

Ursus snarls that she’s pissed at him because he keeps assuming things about her and insisting she’s saying shit that she’s not. She never fucking said he couldn’t be angry, or even angry at her, she’s pissed because he keeps accusing her of thoughts she doesn’t fucking have! She never said it was all their fucking faults, just that they all, including her, fucked up! She never said he was worse than her, she’s repeatedly fucking yelled in his face that she’s not! She said he’s depressed and he keeps treating her like she doesn’t have a right to fucking react!

[kiame-sama]

Humans Are Extinct- (Yandere!TWST x Fem!Reader) Monster AU pt 4

(Since my computer died, I will use some of the other monster AU art I haven't used in a chapter yet instead. Hopefully I can rustle up another computer soon or get Ol' Peepaw Sammy (my 10+ year old laptop) to run my drawing software without having a heart-attack.)

Warnings: collaring, aggressive kindness, yanderes are rampant in this story, invasion of privacy, romantic yanderes, platonic yanderes, monster AU, some history for the monster AU, mention of Humans being eaten, Teachers and Crowley are going to have a ROUGH time, more characters being introduced, reader insert, fem reader, Driders, Crows, Minotaurs, Shadow-men, Selkies, Dragons, Fae, Bats, Harpies, Unicorns, Nemean Lions, Grim is less boisterous/confident in this AU given his rough life but he is still the sassy and clueless kitty-creature we all love, reader is called several affectionate pet names by platonic yanderes (Pup/Cub/Chick)

~~~~~~~~

"So... What happened here?"

You cuddled your new monster friend close to you as you looked upon the building you had been carried to by Rook. He had been swift to return you and the cat-monster you befriended to the building the supposed teachers had been leading you towards. Even as you sat on the large spider's back and stared up at the building, you could see the apparent change that had overcome it.

It mostly looked the same as it had when you had run away from it, but there were several improvements and adjustments that had been made in the short time you were away. Where the windows had been boarded up, they were now all clean and fixed. Where the siding of the building had been in obvious disrepair and even falling off in some places, it now looked like it had received a needed bit of care and reconstruction.

"I can answer that!"

You let out a yelp at the sudden interjection, unconsciously reaching out to Rook's torso and clinging to the spider-man in fear. The way you yelped made your sudden visitor giggle in amusement at your behavior. Hanging from what appeared to be a dead tree branch above you was that same pink and black haired guy that had been in the Dragon's nest with you. He had an impish smile as he regarded you, that smile slipping ever so slightly as his eyes flicked over you and how tightly you held to Rook.

Rook was actually both amused and felt endeared by the fact that you grabbed onto him in a bid for protection from the Drider. It was so very sweet to him to see he had earned some goodwill and trust from you by rescuing you from the Undying Ursus Minor. Even when you relaxed upon realizing who was speaking, you very clearly held tightly to your soft companion, Grim.

"Oh? Did you make a friend out in the forest?"

The Bat Fae dropped from the branch, righting himself before he even hit the ground as he approached your little group. He took a long moment to look at Grim before he gained a kind of impish smile.

"I'll have to inform Malleus about your new charge. We wouldn't want this little one getting burned to a crisp by Malleus. Besides, I know how protective and adoring Children of Man can be when it comes to their cherished companions. The last human I met died for their companions."

Grim seemed unsettled by the Bat's presence and you could feel the way his torn wings seemed to pull closer to his body. Maybe it was the fact that the Bat had wings that were a lot like Grim's, and maybe it was the fact that this newcomer had been so keen to startle you. Regardless, you felt a strong need to protect your new friend as he was the only one who didn't seem to have some kind of twisted agenda planned for you.

"Anyway, Malleus and the other Housewardens showed up after you ran away- not a wise move, might I add- so several of them decided you should be somewhere safer than an old run-down building. Malleus did most of the fixing, but it seemed even Schoenheit was keen to make several additions to your accommodations. They're still mostly here, Malleus went back to his nest to give you some space."

You carefully slid off of the back of the large Spider man, noticing the unusual softness of his fur along the back of his Spider body. There was a kind of intimidation you felt now that you were back on level ground, as the height of Rook's Spider back did make you feel somewhat safer. Now you were on level ground and felt very small next to the blond who towered over you.

In some ways, you wanted to question the unusual Bat, but it quickly became clear you were not going to get that chance as the more adult-appearing men approached. The Crow was in the lead and was flanked by four others that seemed to be older than the monster men you had encountered en masse when you first entered this twisted nightmare land. Two of the men you recognized as the two who came with the Crow to retrieve you from the odd Dragon that had claimed you. The other two were unfamiliar to you, but no less beastly than the first.

One of them seemed to be an older man somewhere in his fifties with gray hair and clear creases along his brow and mouth. Attached where his lower half should have been was the body of some kind of big cat, a pair of oddly large wings sprouted along the shoulders of the cat body and the lower back of the man. He almost seemed to walk with a slight limp as his back leg had clearly suffered some kind of damage in the past.

The second newcomer was a man that seemed to be wreathed in shadows. All you could really make out from the darkness was the skeletal white mask adorning his face, lining up on the same place his own skull would be. His bright purple eyes pierced through the darkness and gleamed like gemstones beneath the brim of his top hat. He seemed younger than the others, but you found it difficult to accurately gauge his age due to the shadows that wrapped around him.

"Now that you're done racing off with no regard to your own health, foolish little chick, it seems I must have a lengthy conversation with you regarding the dangers that are ever present to someone as magically lacking as you."

~~~~~~~~

Several Housewardens and even a few Vice-Housewardens gathered nearby the Ramshackle building and watched the interaction curiously. It was true many had all pitched in to make the decrepit building a bit more liveable for you, but it was nowhere near the level of quality they believed an extinct species should have. They did what they could in the short amount of time they had, busying themselves with the project instead of charging headlong into the forest like many wanted to.

Rook and Lilia had excused themselves from the stern lecture the Crow was giving, opting instead to retreat to the nearby group. Many of those present took interest in Rook, as they could detect the scent he now carried due to carrying the fragile Human back to the safety of campus. A few even tried to take a subtle sniff of the Drider in an attempt to catch more of that uniquely Human smell.

"Roi du Poison, your faithful Huntsman has returned victorious with the little Human completely safe and sound!"

Rook was quick to take his place next to the peacock Harpy, practically beaming from the joy of another successful hunt. For all the beautiful muses Rook had claimed, he was closest with his muse Vil Schoenheit as the peacock Harpy had been one of the primary driving forces in Rook's life. From learning to care for his own appearance to taking care of Vil's pin feathers, he had few he could thank half as much as Vil.

Vil gave the slightest of smiles at having his second in command back by his side, his feathers ever so slightly rousing and fluffing out to show the Harpy was pleased. For all the eccentric behavior his Vice-Housewarden showed, Rook was nigh irreplaceable to Vil. Just knowing Rook had been the one to rescue the little Human was also another source of pride for Vil as it was another source of envy from the others.

"At least Rook can be trusted to bring the Human back promptly. I doubt the same would have been said of you, Leona."

The Nemian Lion was standing away from the group, but the clear way his ears angled back showed he was annoyed. Leona knew he wasn't trusted around the Human without supervision. He and anyone else from Sunset Savana would have to prove themselves 'domestic' to even be considered.

It was Sunset Savana that continued to eat Humans the longest and thus had been branded by the other Kingdoms and Queendoms as barbaric monsters. Leona didn't often pay attention in class- especially boring ass History- but even he knew the way Humans had been adored by so many others. Riddle went as far as not letting Leona out of his sight the second they arrived at the rundown excuse of a dorm. He knew the others wouldn't trust him around that fragile Human even with supervision.

"Piss off, Birdy."

Rook was not thrown by Vil's casual sniping towards Leona, the two proud Housewardens always seeming to be at odds. Instead, the Drider turned to the red-haired Unicorn with a pleasant smile.

"Roi du Règles, you will be pleased to know mon Trickster is Mademoiselle Trickster. You mentioned earlier you could sense her purity, non? That would make her a Human Maiden; the ideal boon companion for a Unicorn such as yourself!"

"Is she? Then it seems I must endeavor to even greater heights to protect her. No doubt the common rabble here will be eager to get at the only Human and only female on campus."

It was then a certain displeased yell split the air, originating from the Human in question. The shout unsettled the various students present and even managed to make Riddle almost rear from the sudden interjection.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

~~~~~~~~

You stared incredulously at Crowley, your hands resting over the collar that now sat securely on your neck. Despite how you pulled and groped at the material, you couldn't find a way to unlock it and free yourself from the new and rather dehumanizing feeling of being collared. Even Grim got himself a matching Collar, though his looked more like a pristine bow. Both his collar and your collar had a little device hanging where the tags would be on a dog's collar.

"You've made it more than abundantly clear that you will wander away to areas that can be dangerous to your health if you are allowed to freely roam. I can't have you ending your life prematurely simply because you didn't have the sense to stay away from something dangerous. That collar of yours will make it much easier to dissuade you from going places you shouldn't."

Grim was still trying to wriggle out of his collar while you glared angrily at the overgrown Crow who put it there. You eventually had to stop Grim as the little cat-creature was beginning to thrash and could hurt himself if he wasn't careful. Luckily, the little beast soothed with your touch and stared up at you through his mismatched and scarred eyes. Even though you wanted to lay into Crowley for daring to put a collar on the two of you like you were some kind of pet, the man who had introduced himself as Divus Crewel spoke up.

"I know you don't like the collar, but try to think of it from our perspective, sweet pup. You aren't a normal sight here or anywhere in our world. If certain ne're-do-wells caught wind of a Human living on our campus, they may try to poach you if given the chance. We don't want to give them the chance."

You frowned angrily at the men but also somewhat understood where they were coming from on the matter. Though you really couldn't grasp the concept of Humans being extinct- given the fact you came from a world where Humans were the only truly sentient species- you did somewhat understand where they were coming from. Classifying an animal as endangered only made an increase in the demand for pieces of said animal. They were certain Humans were extinct, so you were more than just a prized commodity to collectors and hunters alike.

"How does the collar help against poaching? If someone wanted to get me with an arrow or a knife, a collar doesn't do anything to stop that."

"That is true in most cases, but your collar is enchanted. The collar keeps track of your location and will alert us as well as the Housewardens if anything does try to harm you. It can't stop a full attack, but it can deflect minor magic."

"Why did Grim get collared too?"

"Because, though I am loathe to let a beast of the forest stay with you, it is better you have some kind of magical protection with you. His skills are subpar compared to a Housewarden, but it is still more skill and magic than you have available to you. Best to keep track of the both of you."

Grim didn't fight his collar anymore, but he certainly didn't look happy as his little torn wings drooped and his ears angled downwards. He was clearly quite displeased but didn't seem too upset despite the fact he did not sign up for this kind of treatment. Once he resigned himself to the collar, he slightly perked up and raised his lopsided gaze to meet that of Crewel.

"Hey, seal-guy, does this mean I have to go to classes with my Hench-Hooman like a student and stuff?"

"It would be ideal to have (Y/n) attend classes, if only to keep her around professors and prevent the loneliness from negatively impacting her health. Humans were known to be a social creature, after all, and with no other Humans around the other students would be the next best thing."

"... So does that mean I can actually be a fancy-pants student and become the greatest mage to ever live?"

"Whatever keeps you by (Y/n)'s side. Though it may behoove us to enlist the aid of other students as well... They will have to prove themselves first, of course."

Crowley nodded along to Crewel's words as if they were the most obvious thing and you vaguely got the impression that the Crow really didn't realize what he was agreeing to. Though he was the Headmage- which to you meant he was the head of the school- he seemed far less aware of the situation as a whole and leaned on the other professors for that information. Something about him made you wonder why he was so eager to keep you on school grounds. It made you think back to his comment about the last human he met and you wondered if that had anything to do with how keen he was to keep you yet seemed keen to let the others take point in explaining things to you.

It was during this thought that the older looking man spoke, his voice aged and almost fatherly in how he spoke to you.

"Naturally, you are still the only true expert on Humans, being one yourself, so we will have to ultimately trust your judgement. I am of a mind with Divus that we should not be allowing a forest beast unrestricted access to you, but you seem to trust this Grim. Should you need something, you have but to ask us one of us. I also feel Mr. Rosehearts, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Draconia, and perhaps even a number of others would be keen to aid you. Don't ever go to Savanaclaw for aid. Though it may have been several hundred years ago, many of those from Sunset Savana and those of specific beastman lineages were instrumental in the extinction of Humans. Better to be safe than sorry with your safety."

He had been introduced to you as Mozus Trein, the History professor. Though you were curious as to why he seemed so fond of you, you figured it had something to do with you being Human and his natural love and fascination with history. You had to admit, it was nice that he didn't talk to or about you like you were a pet or some kind of exotic toy- an exotic animal, maybe, but not a pet. Most of the professors seemed to be of a similar mind- minus the Crow- and that somewhat helped put you at ease with them.

"So, does that mean it will only be Grim and I in here? No one else?"

"Well, the ghosts may pay you a visit and check in on you. Would you like someone to spend the evening here as well? I understand this is a new place and some company may put you at ease. It is my understanding that Mr. Draconia has already made a secondary nest in this dorm for you to use at your leisure, no doubt the others added beds or various furniture as well."

"No, I kind of like the fact that it's just me and Grim, I was just wondering because all of them are here," you gestured to the group of Housewardens and Vice-Housewardens nearby, "so I didn't know if they were staying or not. It is getting super late at night..."

"They should be returning to their dorms soon, though Housewardens and Vice-Housewardens are not bound by the same curfew as the other students."

He glanced at the others before back at you, a serious look of concern painting his features.

"Are you certain you would rather be alone tonight? Some wayward fools may try to enter the dorm when we leave."

The genuine concern in his expression and tone made you seriously consider his words. It was true that you didn't really feel very safe with anyone other than your small companion Grim, but the wizend professor did have a point. His prompting paired with the fact that you had made many poor choices for yourself this night did more to sway you than expected. You looked at the several monsters waiting nearby and had to conceed that someone keeping an eye out was not a bad idea given the already rocky start to your time in such a world.

"... I think you might have a point, actually..."

"How about this; you choose from the Housewardens and Vice-Housewardens who helped fix up this old dorm for you. Clearly they have at least shown they care for your wellbeing enough to put in an effort to make it livable. I will say now- however- should you choose Leona, I will choose someone else for you. I would love to say all our students are safe, but that just isn't the case and we can't take chances with you."

"That seems fair... But how do I know which one Leona is?"

"Leona is the Nemean Lion- ah, but I forget, you don't have Nemean Lions where you're from, do you?"

You shook your head. You could recall that there were Greek myths of Heraclies slaying a golden lion known as the Nemean Lion, but nothing like the monster men you have met.

"I will point him out when you decide who you feel is safest to stay with you."

"Okay. Grim, want to help me choose?"

The stout creature smiled eagerly in response to your question, holding up his front legs for you to pick him up. He was not like a cat in the sense that he was thrilled when you held him, but he did seem to enjoy your warmth and the fact he didn't have to walk when you carried him. As you cuddled Grim, professor Trein began to lead you to the group.

It was easy to feel somewhat safe with the older man and you kept close to his side as you two approached the group of fellow students. They all looked curious at the fact that you and the professor had approached them first. Perhaps you were going to thank them or ask them for something else to help you settle in.

"Listen up, you lot. I would hope others have enough common sense to leave (Y/n) here alone, but we all know that isn't going to happen. Since you are the ones that actually showed up to ensure our only Human is safe, it is safe to assume you care what happens to (Y/n). We feel it would be best to have either a Housewarden or a Vice-housewarden remain here for the evening in the event someone tries their luck."

Professor Trein then glanced back at you, nodding his head towards the group in clear invitation to approach. As you drew close, you couldn't help but take note of how all eyes quickly fell on you. Some of the people there were familiar to you, and some were not.

Rook was among the familiar, same with the Harpy that stood next to him. The only one whose name you recognized was Rook's as he had been the only one to actually introduce himself to you.

"... Can I choose Rook? He's the only name I know..."

"I would happily accept, Mademoiselle Trickster, but there is one far fairer and better than I at all but hunting. I suggest you choose Roi du Poison, the beautiful Vil Schoenheit."

The spider man made a sweeping arm motion to his side towards the Harpy, as if he were presenting the bird-man to you. The bird in question seemed surprised by the sudden introduction but took it in stride and instead turned his purple eyes to you. As you locked eyes with him, something odd happened. His feathers seemed to quiver before the feathers atop his head raised, his tail feathers doing the same to create an almost dazzling display of iridescent colors. He was clearly a peacock bird-man, but what didn't make much sense to you was why he was showing off for you. You didn't think you were really worth showing those feathers to since you weren't a bird like him.

"You are welcome to choose one as fair as me, little Human. I will ensure your safety to the furthest of my capabilities."

It almost seemed like the peacock were trying to make himself seem like the best choice, showing off colors and strength in an effort to have you choose him. If anything, you weren't the only one who was surprised at seeing such a display from the peacock. The others seemed almost shocked by this showing of feathers but someone was clearly far less than pleased upon seeing Vil posturing for you.

"Absolutely not! I refuse to allow anyone who does any kind of display dance for her to be permitted anywhere near her. I would have your head if you weren't my senior, Vil! Such a maiden should not be accosted by eager men who only see her as a breeding toy. Professor, I demand you override this choice and select me to guard this Human. I shall uphold every rule the Queen has set and I will not allow such tomfoolery to burden this Human."

Vil seemed angered by this as his feathers ruffled and stood on end, eyes glaring angrily at the offending Unicorn man. The wickedly sharp tallons on the ends of the bird's fingers seemed to only be sharper when displayed with such clear disdain for the Unicorn. It seemed like a fight was on the verge of erupting before Grim's voice interrupted them.

"I don't like any of them! Maybe the spider-drider-guy, but this is my Hooman which means I should choose who protects us!"

"Are you-? What the hell is a 'Hooman'? She is a Human, not 'Hooman' and I don't appreciate your casual disrespect for her species-!"

It was during the Unicorn's rant that you interrupted, feeling angry that the man would dare talk to Grim like that. Sure, you found it odd that the cat creature called you Hooman, but you certainly didn't mind it either. Even above all of that, Grim was your friend and these men were not.

"And who said it was your place to correct him? I know what I am and I think it's cute he calls me Hooman. What I don't appreciate is how you think you can yell at him! He can call me Hooman if he wants, you are not afforded the same privilege! And I have a name. It's (Y/n) (L/n), so don't you dare ever call me anything else."

Your sudden snapping at the Unicorn clearly surprised and unsettled him as he took several steps back, almost seeming like he was about to rear from your yelling. Even though his blue eyes stared in absolute surprise, you felt no need to back down and if anything you wanted to chase off the delicate Unicorn for daring to raise his voice at Grim. A light chuckle met your ears and drew your ire away from the Unicorn and to another familiar grinning face. It was the pink and black haired Bat.

"Keeheehee, seems she doesn't like you very much Riddle. Or, it could be that Humans are traditionally a pack-bonding species and little Grim is now her pack. Clearly Riddle isn't your choice, so who actually will be?"

You frowned at this question and went back to looking at the group, Grim seemed to be doing the same as he purred and snuggled down into your arms. From those you now knew, you still figured either the Bat or Rook would be best. It was then someone else caught your eye bringing you to a halt as you stared at them.

He had sun kissed skin and dark mahogany hair. Even as he stood in the light of the moon, he almost seemed to have a golden glow that wrapped around his scowling figure. When he noticed you looking at him, his bright green eyes narrowed ever so slightly before looking away from you. His actions were as if he were trying to dissuade you from picking him despite the fact he was among the group. You vaguely recognized him from the many who you first saw when you came tumbling out of the coffin.

"Choose someone else, Mousey. They won't let you pick me, I might gobble you up."

"I'm not a-"

"Yes, you are. You are a little Mousey herbivore of the only sentient species Nemean Lions dared to feast upon."

"Nemean...? You're Leona?"

"I'm surprised you even care enough to know my name. Leona Kingscholar, second prince of Sunset Savana and Housewarden of Savanaclaw. Careful, Mousey, you aren't safe around me. I may not have tasted Human before, but I'm willing to break several laws to give it a try."

He almost seemed like he was trying to actually get you away from him, a look of vague sadness hiding behind his smouldering emerald eyes even as he glared at you. There was more to this tale than he was telling but you knew he wasn't going to give you the information you wanted. With another long look at the golden Lion, you turned you gaze back to the group as a whole.

"I guess... Since the Dragon- Malleus, if I'm remembering properly- isn't here, I'll pick the Bat."

"Aww, I'll be sure to let Malleus know you wanted to pick him. I'm sure he'll be pleased. I can keep an eye on you and make sure those other whippersnappers don't come sniffing around. Keeheehee, cute that you call me Bat, but I also have a name if you feel like using it. Lilia Vanrouge, at your esteemed service, (Y/n). Malleus is my primary ward, but he certainly wouldn't be too displeased if I kept an eye on his hoard as well."

You nodded, wondering just why the Dragon decided you were one of his but not willing to question Lilia as to the true motives just yet. It almost seemed like those present fixed Lilia with a jealous sneer as the Bat happily joined your side. Trein simply nodded, accepting your choice as it was not Leona- whom he planned to berate for threatening you- and was a fairly safe choice. Lilia was of the few who had encountered a Human before in his many centuries, so no doubt he would be safe around you.

"It is decided then. I shall see you in my class tomorrow, (Y/n). Do not hesitate to reach out to me should you need anything. Your other professors and I will be working on getting you a phone to communicate with us faster. For now, sleep well, little cub."

[wannab-urs]

Written in the Stars - Got So Much to Lose

Summary: The Mandalorian turns in the bounty, then feels guilty about it.

Series Summary: The Mandalorian takes a job unlike any he’s ever had before. Driven by his guilt over working for the Empire, even indirectly, and the strange bond he formed with the man, Din rescues his bounty. What follows is not something either of them ever expected.

Warnings: The Mandalorian/Prospect crossover AU, canon-typical violence, season 1 rewrite, eventual smut, slow burn, eventual romance, GUILT, Din caring about another human being, this one is really similar to the actual episode but I added some (hopefully) interesting little bits from Ezra’s POV.  WC: 2.9k

A/N: I'm seriously losing steam on this story. I have a couple more chapters already written, but I'm stuck on chapter 5. Rest assured there's plenty more chapters coming before we get there.

Thanks to everyone who has helped with this story. I hope y'all like my take on this episode of The Mandalorian <3

Ezra Masterlist | Din Djarin Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist | AO3 | Kofi

Hyperspace, Outer Rim

“So where are we going?”

Mando doesn’t answer. Ezra has gotten pretty used to Mando not answering his questions… or responding to his stories… or saying anything, really. It doesn’t deter him from speaking.

Ezra fills the silence of hyperspace with stories. “At the tender age of 12, I piloted an escape pod through the dangers of Wild Space and eventually I happened upon this desert planet the locals called Ursu. I–”

“Wait, you piloted a kriffing escape pod through uncharted space at 12 years old?” Mando interrupts.

“Ah, now he speaks.”

“I am not going to sit here and let you lie to me. What other lies have you told me?”

“I speak the truth, Mando. Speaking of which, is that your real name?”

“No.”

“And have I not earned the right to know the name of my captor, my very own Charon, guiding me to the afterlife?”

“No.”

“At least tell me why Mando.”

“Have you not heard of the Mandalorians?”

“Errrr no. Not that I can remember.”

“We are a warrior people. Weapons and armor are part of our religion.”

“Why have I never heard of you?”

“The Empire destroyed our home planet. We are few in number and very scattered.”

“And now you’re working for them.”

Din doesn’t respond. Typical, when presented with a difficult or uncomfortable question. Ezra thinks he feels a smidge of guilt from the man.

“Why don’t you ever remove it? The armor, I mean.”

“We swear a creed when we come of age. The Creed dictates that we never remove our helmet in front of another living thing.”

“Sounds… lonely.”

“This is the Way.”

Later, lying in the Mandalorian’s bunk, Ezra contemplates their conversation. To don armor when you come of age and to never again remove it in front of another person… it’s unfathomable. Ezra cannot imagine shielding himself that way, and he hid from the entire galaxy for the majority of his life.

It fills him with a profound sadness, a shockingly empty desolation, and he goes to sleep to avoid his spiraling thoughts.

As Nevarro comes into view, a holo transmission light flickers on the dashboard. Mando presses a button and a man dressed to the nines in a fancy robe appears on the console.

“Mando. I've received your transmission.” Ezra notes that the man has a deep, jovial voice. He sounds very familiar with Mando, and Ezra wonders if perhaps they are friends. “Wonderful news. Upon your return, deliver the quarry directly to the client.” The man chuckles. “I have no idea if he wants to kill him or torture him, but he's very antsy. Safe passage! You know where to find me.”

Ezra hopes they are not in fact friends. He sees Mando tense up at the man’s blunt words. “Dammit, Karga,” Mando breathes.

“So you’re turning me in huh? The rescue didn’t put me in your good graces?”

“If it hadn’t, you would have been in carbonite.”

“I’m not in carbonite because it would have killed me and you’re worried about your reward. I saved you and you’re carting me off to my death,” Ezra spits. Any taunting previously in his tone now wrapped in ice.

“I would have had it without your help. And I’m just doing my job.”

“Sure, Mando.”

Ezra snatches the silver ball out of the air and drops it in his seat before storming off to the cargo hold.

Nevarro

Din knocks on the door of the Client’s building and the droid scanner pops out. He shows his chit and the door opens. Din steps in, pulling Ezra along behind him.

Two stormtroopers appear from the shadows and grab Ezra roughly, dragging him toward the office.

“Easy with him,” Din grunts as he follows them, feeling guilty.

“You take it easy,” one of the troopers retorts.

“It’s fine, Mando,” Ezra grumbles.

The doctor – Pershing, Din remembers – immediately begins examining Ezra. He scans him with a handheld medisensor.

“I’m assuming the arm was lost before you located him?” Pershing addresses Mando.

“Cut it off myself!” Ezra offers.

“Otherwise he is healthy.”

“Your reputation was not unwarranted,” the Client states in his strange accent.

“How many fobs did you give out?”

“This asset was of extreme importance to me. I had to ensure its delivery. But to the winner…” He takes out a camtono and opens it to reveal stacks of Beskar.

Mando eyes the largest cache of Beskar he’s ever seen in his life before turning his attention to Ezra being taken to another room by Pershing. Ezra meets his eyes through the visor and Din feels another pang of guilt stab at his chest.

“What are your plans for him?”

“How uncharacteristic of one of your reputation. You have taken both commission and payment. Is it not the code of the Guild that these events are now forgotten?”

Din stiffens, but doesn’t react.

“That Beskar is enough to make a handsome replacement for your armor. Unfortunately, finding a Mandalorian in these trying times is more difficult than finding the steel.” The Client clearly expects the payment to shut Din’s questions down. The second statement is likely a threat, though not one Din takes particularly seriously.

With the delivery complete, if weighing heavily on his heart, Din heads to the covert to deliver the reward to his Alor.

The Armorer is a striking presence. Her gold horned helmet and fur cowl set her apart from the other mandos in a way that is quite rare among Mandalorians.

Din sets the camtono in front of her and unlocks it. The Armorer picks up a stack of Beskar and inspects it as a group of mandos close in to see what Din brought in.

“This amount can be shaped many ways.”

“My armor has lost its integrity. I may need to begin again.”

“Indeed. I can form a full cuirass. This would be in order for your station.”

“That would be a great honor.”

“I must warn you, it will draw many eyes.”

Paz Vizla comes over and picks up an ingot of Beskar.

“These were cast in an Imperial smelter. These are the spoils of the Great Purge. The reason that we live hidden like sand rats.”

Paz throws the ingot back onto the workbench. He is angry, and his anger only fuels Din’s guilt over working for the Empire – over turning Ezra in to those monsters.

“Our secrecy is our survival. Our survival is our strength,” the Armorer says.

“Our strength was once in our numbers. Now we live in the shadows and only come above ground one at a time. Our world was shattered by the empire with whom this coward shares tables.”

Paz grabs Din’s helmet, jerking him to his feet. Din breaks his hold and draws his blade, attacking Paz. When they each have their vibroblades at each other's throats, the Armorer steps in.

“The empire is no longer and the Beskar has returned. When one chooses to walk the way of the mandalore, you are both hunter and prey. How can one be a coward if one chooses this way of life? Have you ever removed your helmet?

“No.”

“Has it ever been removed by others?”

“Never.”

“This is the Way.”

Din and Paz slowly lower their blades.

“This is the Way,” the mandos say in unison.

Din comes to stand in front of the Armorer again.

“What caused this damage?”

“A mudhorn”

“Then you have earned the mudhorn as your signet. I shall craft it.”

“I can't accept. It wasn't a noble kill.” Din cannot imagine the guilt he would feel, carrying the signet of a beast Ezra helped him take down. “I was helped by an enemy.”

“Why would an enemy help you in battle?”

Was Ezra his enemy? No, not truly. But Din had been his.

“He did not know he was my enemy.”

“Since you forego a signet, I shall use the excess to forge whistling birds.” Small guided missiles housed in his vambrace would be extremely useful.

“Whistling birds will do well. Reserve some for the foundlings.”

“As it should always be. The foundlings are the future. This is the Way.”

“This is the Way.”

The Cantina

Din visits Karga wearing his new armor, every scrap of muddy red now replaced with pure silver Beskar. His heart clenches as he wonders what Ezra would think now. He’d certainly never stop calling him a tin can.

Din asks Karga who else had a fob and learns that everyone in the guild had a fob, but Din won. He doesn’t feel the pride that Karga insists he should. Doing work for the Empire, work that could somehow further their interests, has left him feeling wrong. And at the expense of Ezra. He feels like his new armor doesn’t quite fit right.

Din’s jaw twitches at the sight of a Beskar ingot in Karga’s hand. Beskar belongs with the Mandalorians. He asks for his next job to cover up his irritation and to get the taste out of this last job out of his mouth.

Before he leaves to track down the bail jumper, he pauses. “Any idea what they're gonna do with him?”

“With who?” He knows damn well who.

“The bounty.”

“I didn't ask. It's against the Guild Code.”

“They work for the Empire. What are they doing here?” Paz really got under his skin. He’s no hut'tuun (coward) but he does feel like he did the wrong thing. He should have brought Ezra somewhere safe and claimed he could not catch him.

“The Empire is gone, Mando. All that are left are mercenaries and warlords. But if it bothers you, just go back to the Core and report them to the New Republic.”

“That's a joke.”

“Mando, enjoy your rewards. Buy a camtono of spice. By the time you come out of hyperdrive, you will have forgotten all about it.”

Mando storms out of the cantina and back to his ship. He goes through the preflight checks on autopilot, until he reaches the lever with the silver ball. It’s still not screwed on where it belongs.

Din turns in his seat and finds the makeshift fidget toy in Ezra’s– in the jumpseat. He picks it up and screws it back on where it belongs before powering down the ship and going to rescue his new friend.

“I need you to cooperate with me, Ezra, or Gideon will become upset with me.”

“Please do inform me why I would care if this Gideon is ‘upset’ with you?”

“Because he will kill us both.”

Ezra grumbles but lays down in the scanner as he was told.

“Now please levitate the object.”

Ezra doesn’t so much find it difficult to use the Force while strapped to the machine as he finds it extremely irritating, but he cooperates. He lifts the small durasteel cube into the air and launches it at Pershing’s head.

He has a brief flash of pain, thinking about Mando. He really thought they’d formed a bond. Ezra chattered and Din listened and only complained occasionally. Ezra had saved his life, for kriff’s sake. Ingrate.

Then he feels a real, physical flash of pain as Pershing sends jolts of electricity through his body.

“I didn’t want to have to do this, Ezra, but you give me no choice.”

Din perches on the roof of a building across from where Ezra is being held. He tunes in with his helmet and hears the Client tell Pershing to kill Ezra. He drops to the dirt and stalks across the alley. He knocks on the door and breaks the chit scanner, causing two guards to head to the front of the building. Din dips around the side and uses his charges to blow his way in.

He takes out two troopers with his blaster in rapid succession. Then he moves up on a third and shoots him too. They’re making this too easy. Mando sneaks up on the fourth stormtrooper and pulls him to him with his grappling hook and knifes him in the throat.

He shoots the last trooper and then aims his blaster at Pershing.

“No! Please don’t hurt him. He’s important!”

“I’m not here to hurt him.”

Ezra is lying unconscious, strapped to some sort of scanner. His blood is being slowly drained through various tubes. Din sees red and nearly kills the man on the spot. But he needs to know what state Ezra will be in.

“What did you do to him? What did you do to him?”

Pershing cowers in the face of Din’s rage. “I-I protected him. I protected him. If it wasn't for me, he would already be dead! Please! Please. Please.”

“It doesn’t look like you’re protecting him,” Din growls, but he leaves Pershing alive.

Din pulls Ezra into his arms and holds his blaster out from beneath the man’s legs. He’s out cold. Din leaves the room and comes up on three more troopers. He takes out two before the third one can get a shot on him. It pings off the wall next to him. Not even close. Din takes out the third with little issue.

He moves into another room and blaster fire opens up. Din dives, leaving Ezra on the ground and pops back up, firing a shot at one trooper and taking out another with his flamethrower.

He goes to retrieve Ezra, picking him up and turning around to find himself cornered by four troopers.

“Drop the blaster!”

“Wait. He’s very valuable. Here.” Din gently shuffles Ezra out of his arms and onto the floor. He sets down his blaster next to Ezra.

“Now turn and face me”

Din slowly stands, activating his whistling birds as he does and taking them all out at once. He picks Ezra and his blaster back up.

When Din exits the building, he notices that every single bounty he passes has a tracking fob that lights up.

Din starts whispering to Ez that he’s gotta wake up, they’re being hunted. He can’t fight them off if he’s carrying dead weight. Karga pops out, blaster drawn, from around the corner of a building just as Ezra starts to stir.

“Welcome back, Mando! Now put the bounty down.”

Din sets Ezra on his feet, but keeps his arm wrapped around his waist, holding him up. He aims his blaster at Karga.

“Step aside. I'm going to my ship.”

“You put the bounty down and perhaps I'll let you pass.”

“He’s coming with me.”

“If you truly care about him, then you'll put him on the speeder and we'll discuss terms.” Care about him? Is that why he’s doing this?

“How do I know I can trust you”

“Because I’m your only hope.”

Mando elbows Ezra in the gut, waking him up. “When I say run, you run. Got it?” he whispers.

Ezra nods and Mando leads him to the speeder, pauses, then throws him on it and jumps on himself, firing his blaster as he goes.

“Change of plans!” he yells. He orders the droid to drive, hiding behind cargo boxes. “Take cover!”

Din takes out several hunters before Karga shoots the droid driving the speeder and it crashes into a pillar. They’re completely surrounded and Ezra is still pretty out of it. Din starts sniping people with the amban rifle from behind the speeder.

“That's one impressive weapon!,” Karga shouts.

“Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna walk to my ship with the bounty and you're gonna let it happen.” That’s definitely not going to work, but it’s worth a shot.

“No. How about this? We take the bounty, and if you try to stop us, we kill you and we strip your body for parts.” That’s not going to work either.

One of the bounty hunters attacks Din from behind, running at him with a vibroblade. Din hits him with the shock baton part of his rifle and knocks him out. He’s pretty pinned down, but he still has a few tricks. He uses his flamethrower to take out several of the hunters, but runs out of fuel.

Din is close to giving up. He’s nearly out of options. He looks over to Ezra, whose gaze pierces his straight through the visor. Din feels a surge of protective instinct, a desire to make sure the man is okay.

He lifts his blaster, ready to fight to the death for this man he’s just met. Just to spite the Empire. That’s why he’s fighting so hard.

Suddenly, the sky is filled with Mandalorians. His brothers and sisters have arrived on jetpacks to come to his aid. They start taking out hunters, outnumbered but certainly not outgunned. Paz has a rotary blaster cannon and is obliterating every enemy in sight.

“Get out of here! We'll hold them off!" Paz yells.

"You're going to have to relocate the covert.” Add that to the list of things he feels guilty about.

“This is the Way,” Paz states.

“This is the Way.” Din returns.

He grabs Ezra by the hand and drags him back to the ship. Just as he’s about to lift the ramp, Karga corners him.

“Hold it, Mando. I didn't want it to come to this. But then you broke the Code.”

Din shoots his grappling hook at a gas canister, vapor filling the cargo hold, and escapes deeper into the ship. He shoots Karga in the chest and the man flies out of the ship. He slams the ramp shut and rushes to the cockpit, taking off and setting a random course to get out of the atmosphere as quickly as possible.

He goes back down to get Ezra, helping him into the cockpit. He puts Ezra in his chair and resets his course for Sargon, another Outer Rim planet.

Paz flies up next to the ship before it exits the atmosphere and salutes them.

“You gotta get one of those,” Ezra says, levitating the metal ball into his hand. “And I like the new armor, Tin Can.”

header graphic by @atinylittlepain // other graphics by @saradika-graphics

[emmebearpaw]

It's finally here. The Genshin Impact as Arknights races list

Decoding chart Why are there so many genshin characters. Some of them I do have multiple ideas for obviously. Feel free to ask questions and I will try to explain why. I didn't use a ton from Arknights lore because I do not know all of it and also it's hard to map these characters into a world like Arknights, but some of them I tried my best on. Like for example, the Church of Favonius makes guns, that's where the guns in this genshin au come from now. Other notes under cut

Honestly Childe has Anaty vibes (he's like a wolverine or badger I think) but also he is an abyssal hunter. Yes I am fairly sure only aegir are supposed to be abyssal hunters. Yes I am acquainting the narwhal to the Seaborn. He got some Abyss or narwhal blood in him when he was down there and it did things to him.

Only the archons are allowed to be Draco/Lung. Mavuika would probably be Draco until proven otherwise (though if not for the brain surgery I would love to put her as K'uk'ulkan. Because she isn't a european dragon). This does make them much more special than in Arknights but I don't care. The archons are dragons.

I also like zalak qiqi

Weirdly small amount of Ursus we have but I don't know who else has bear vibes. i mean my brain keeps respondign "Shenhe" to that question but

Sethos also gives hawk (liberi) to me but I chose goat.

Kazuha could also be an elafia (deer) and I can not explain why

yanfei could also reasonably go as caprinae

I put Faruzan as a petram because something in me connected the long history of metallurgy that we don't know anything about really with her exploring ruins.

Furina has fake horns and tail while pretending to be an archon. She is pretending to be Draco to fit in with the other archons but she's a cuttlefish or a mimic octopus

Neuvilette's fragment is passing himself off as an otter and thus he would identify as Anaty

I'm not 100% certain how Venti and Zhongli hide their dragon so they can chill but Venti passes as a Liberi and Zhongli probably goes as a Caprinae or Qilin. Maybe they can shapeshift I don't know.

yes we do have a lack of Sarkaz. It's hard to pin someone down as a Sarkaz. Especially a specific type of sarkaz

[bedlamsbard]

“The soldier,” Thanos said. He flinched a little as one of Natasha’s widow’s stings hit him in the side of the head, but brushed it off as if it was nothing more than a mosquito bite. “The man out of…time.”

Thanos let the last word linger there between them. The Stones set across his knuckles glittered in the fading sunlight as he turned his left hand over, thoughtful.

He was a kid playing with a new toy, the kind of boy who burned the wings off flies with a magnifying glass and a sunbeam. Steve knew the exact instant Thanos realized he could use more than one of the Stones at the same time.

March 1945: With the deaths of Johann Schmidt and Steve Rogers only a month old, the SSR has spent the intervening weeks hunting down the last of Hydra’s holdouts. When Peggy Carter and the Howling Commandos are unexpectedly called back to London, however, the return of Steve Rogers from beyond the grave raises more questions than it answers – and draws the attention of a dangerous new enemy.  (Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanoff)

Previous: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

11: In the Woods 135K, AU, WIP

Chapter preview:

For a long moment Lebedev just stared at Steve, his expression blank. Steve met his gaze, letting everything that he was and everything he had seen show on his face.  He’d faced down gods without blinking; a couple of Soviet commandos who had gotten too big for their britches was nothing. He saw the moment when Lebedev remembered what Steve was, that he was something other than the annoyance they had been sent away from the front to retrieve.  He’d seen enough during their joint missions to know that Captain America was something more than propaganda and a shiny star. “Kolya, get out there with the dolls and search the perimeter,” he ordered, turning to look over his shoulder at the other two commandos remaining in the room; the matryoshka they had been playing cards with had left at some point.  “Dima, the drug –” Bukharin produced the leather wallet and pulled out a syringe, a hypodermic needle, and a fresh vial full of viscous-looking liquid.  As he fit them all together, Lebedev walked a wide circle around Steve until he could get behind him, obviously with the intention of holding him still while Bukharin stuck him.  A gesture brought Ursus over, warily circling Steve’s other side so that he couldn’t watch all three of them at the same time. Steve flexed his wrists in the manacles, sending pain shooting up into his bad shoulder, then tested the restraints on his legs again.  This was going to go poorly for someone, but he didn’t intend for it to be him.

[kiaroscuro]

Title: as the world caves in

Warnings: descriptions of violence, major character death

Rating: Mature

Main Pairing: Ren Amamiya / Arsene

Main Tags: post-canon, zombie au, angst, hurt / comfort, road trips

Warning:

· · ─────── =^.^= ─────── · ·

The persona is nothing if not attentive over the next few days, always around Ren to make sure that his side and eye didn't get worse; there was little to do for the lighting-strike other than to keep the surface of Ren's skin soft and flexible, and they've started treating it like the burn wound on Ren's arm. They don't speak much, basking in each other's presence while the wind howls outside, rattling the metal carcass of the plane and howling in sorrow. Once Ren feels as if he can walk for more than two steps, Arsene takes him to the pilot's cabin, making Ren sit down in the seat while the persona occupies the other, and then he starts talking about the controls of the plane. Arsene recites from not-memory how to fly a simple one, how many of the little devices were used by the military first. After some time, he started taking apart and inspecting the radio unit of the plane in the hopes of repairing it. Ren listens to him, watches the snowstorm swallow everything in white while the voice of his other half washes over him, and imagines a simpler life, one where he could've finished high school and then gone back to Tokyo for university. Sometimes, flecks of the star-lit sky become visible, and Ren's eyes search out familiar constellations, the North Star always a focal point, Ursus Major another he recognizes.

Ren closes his eyes and imagines meeting Zenkichi and Akane and the Yoshizawa twins in another life; maybe a new Metaverse would've emerged over summer vacation, and he and his thieves could've met Zenkichi as an officer working on the same case. Akane and the twins could've joined them as persona users, and Zenkichi and Sojiro could've met and gone along splendidly. Maybe Konoe would be one of Ren's confidants, the man a broken mess even before the cataclysm. He ruminates on their possible code-names, imagines how his thieves would've reacted to meeting them, imagines how Mona would've gotten along greatly with Akane. Arsene's voice has fallen into a steady rhythm, and he shifts ever-so-often to adjust his wings in the seat, claws drawing over the console and plucking around electrical wires without any power left.

Maybe, maybe, maybe...

Ren closes his eyes, feels his side dull to a slow throb, and listens as Arsene fumbles around with the broken radio unit while talking about his adventures of long past, telling tales about the world war because both of them were in a maudlin mood. It's a strange camaraderie, almost domestic in how at ease he finds himself in the persona's presence, and Ren thinks that he could grow used to staying like this forever.

(What a dangerous thought.)

Deft claws take apart the front panel of the radio, more wires exposed, a tangled mess that has Arsene hiss in displeasure. Ren eyes it, watches cables and wires twine together and destroy each other, and closes his eyes, exhaling once while he lets his weight sag against the seat. "...it's all such a mess," Ren murmurs, and Arsene's wings twitch and his fire flickers before he turns towards Ren with a low-burning confusion.

I can untangle them just fine, do not worry, mon cher. The persona says, but Ren shakes his head. "Everything had been perfectly fine, and then it got-- tangled together, and now I don't know--" he stops, stares down at his hands and imagines the blood of the nebiros and mithra on them. He can still taste the blessed flesh, insides protesting at the sense-memory. Arsene is silent for a moment.

...we aren't talking about the radio unit, are we? He asks, softly, and Ren breathes in shakily, tries to keep his voice even. Arsene's fire softens, before he puts the mess of cables and wires down on the console again, turning towards Ren.

"I should've listened to you and leave, but--" He shudders, "-- I really thought I could trust him. I just don't know why--"

He paid attention to ye, Arsene comments, still soft. At thy exploits and thy knowledge, and he allowed thee to use it for the people in a way that made a difference. My dear, this was not a trap thou could've known how to escape, because Maruki made certain to slather the oil with honey. He exploited natural human need for companionship and thy natural desire to help people -- for that, I cannot be sorry enough.

Ren draws in another shaky breath, eyes blinking because he can feel the tears stinging. "But--"

My greatest regret is not being there for ye throughout all of it.

I let him touch me--! Ren cries, unable to voice it out loud. He clenched his hands into fists before winding them around his elbows, pressing them against his stomach at the sick feeling surfacing. The wound on the side gives off a dull throb almost as if in warning, but Ren ignores it, relishes in the pain. "...I let him touch me," a broken murmur, "even though..."

Claws carefully pried his fingers off, smoothing them out one by one, Arsene's finger pads trailing over the palm of Ren's hands until they stopped clenching and lay flat on his thighs. Ren glances sideways at his persona, who had never looked so human as in that moment, regret trailing down over his mask like tears of golden ichor as he knelt next to Ren. Did what happened with Mademoiselle Shiho or even our own Panther make them weak in thy eyes? The persona asks gently. Ren hiccoughs and shakes his head. Of course not, but Ren's fallen for Takuto's soft words and machinations while Ann and Shiho had been forced into compliance...

Arsene thrums, lowly. His head tilts to the side, claws gently squeezing Ren's hands. Like this, Ren can see the cut on his throat, the thin line of discolored flesh. Had Fox not believed that Madarame was a honest and just man because he was raised under pretenses? Had he not cared for the artist almost like a father, because he was at one point treated as such? Ren, what happened to thee is in no way thy own fault. Thou should know this.

And the thing is-- the thing is: rationally, Ren knows this. But Ren also knows that he'd enjoyed Takuto's attention, his soft and ready touches and gentle smiles and adoring gaze -- his and Sumire's both. Ren also feels distinctly used and manipulated, and he wants to do nothing more than scrub the memory of that last dinner off of his skin. He hates himself for his feelings, because that silk-thin strand of possibilities that had been growing between him and Arsene--

Ren isn't sure he deserves it, anymore. "Even though--" he tries again, tries to get Arsene to understand, because Ren feels wretched and hollow and so, so greedy for taking all of his persona's attention, and--

"Ren, my dear," Arsene rasps softly, "seeking out a connection in these circumstances is not something I would ever begrudge thee." I will be happy with whoever thou decide to settle with, as long as both parties consent to it.

Ren shudders. "...even Akechi?" He asks, half in jest and half because there had been something between them, amidst all the murder and subterfuge and deceit. Arsene makes a noise, wings twitching. He's got them pressed tightly against his back, Ren notes, which has to be uncomfortable. Even Crow, though I would  question thy sanity on that matter. He admits, and then adds, softer still: I mean it, though.

"I don't want anyone else's attention," Ren admits, lowering his lashes and eyes growing distant. "I... for a long time now, I think, I didn't want anyone else's attention but yours." He's still fixated on the cut, remembering how soft the skin had felt under the touch of his lips. Arsene's exhale is a breath of warm air.

"I know, mon cher."

"I know I'm never going to have all of it," Ren continues, haltingly, because it is in Arsene's nature to be flighty. He is a magpie with treasures of gold and women, hoarding one shiny thing until something new catches his eye. Ren's read the novels, and moreover, Arsene is part of his own heart, and-- "but if I could have it for now, I'd..."

Oh, Ren, Arsene murmurs, squeezing Ren's hands before carefully turning his kneeling into a crouch, his mask pressed to the side of Ren's face. "I cannot promise that you'll have me forever, but for as long as I am by your side, you'll have me." You've had me ever since the day we've met for the first time, Arsene adds, softly.

Ren breathes out a weight he hadn't noticed holding. "Oh," he murmurs, before closing his eyes and turning in his seat until he can hug Arsene, until he can feel the persona's claws trail through his hair and over his cheek while Ren burrows his head in his neck. Thank you.

First << >> Next

[happy-tori-friends]

I've sur'd the names... haha...

Take any and all meanings with a grain of salt. I cannot guarentee how accurate behindthename.com is, especially with any names that were user submitted. This also isn't confirming ethnicities or religions headcanons for any of the characters - all surnames were picked due to their meanings rather than trying to designate things like that. They probably don't even flow together the best. Oh well. These are all subject to change, especially if I find out that any of them have bad connotations that I was unaware of.

I scheduled this post - so hopefully later on I type up the mascot information for Magical Warrior AU, and go and decide on + add character tags at the very least, maybe ship names and tags too... (Also maybe add more tags, like a headcanons one. Who knows what I'll decide on tomorrow, aka today when you are reading this.)

Flippy/Fliqpy Blair - Okay, this one does kind of have a secondary meaning - it sounds like bear. It is of Scottish origin and the listed meaning is 'from any one of several places of this name in Scotland, which derive from Gaelic blàr meaning "plain, field, battlefield".'

Lifty and Shifty Steele - Another double meaning. I wanted a name that meant something along the lines of metal or shadows. I couldn't find anything with gold, silver, or copper that I liked for them, and well... Steele sounds like steal. It is of English origin and the listed meaning is 'Occupational name for a steelworker, from Old English stele meaning "steel".'

Splendid and Splendont Astra - Do aliens have surnames? Regardless, I went with a space / celestial theme. And cheated a little. Astra is on the given name site, but I think it sounds cool and it's my silly little fic so I do what I want. It's listed as a rare name of English origin, with the meaning of 'Means "star", ultimately from Greek ἀστήρ (aster). This name has only been (rarely) used since the 20th century.'

Shiver and Spice Smith - For their civilian surname I went the easy way out and chose Very Common Surname. The most common, according to the website. It is of English origin and the listed meaning is 'Means "metalworker, blacksmith" from Old English smiþ, related to smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world. A famous bearer was the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).'

Pop and Cub Orsini - I considered just goving them the surname Berenstain because I thought it'd be funny. Then I saw Orsini and remembered I used it as a surname for a bear faunus RWBY OC once. She might've had a brother too, it was a long time ago. It's of Italian origin, and the listed meaning is 'From a nickname meaning "little bear" in Italian, from Latin ursus "bear".'

Cuddles Lachance - I ran out of ideas for meanings at this point. Rabbit's feet are meant to be lucky, right? Not that he gets very lucky considering the universe he lives in. It's of French origin and the listed meaning is 'Means "chance, luck" in French, a nickname for a lucky person.'

Giggles Blythe - Happy surname for her (I also just like the name Blythe, and I need to use it as an OC name one day). It's of English origin and the listed meaning is 'From Old English meaning "happy, joyous, blithe".'

Toothy Tremblay - Toothy, Toothy, Toothy... He was so hard, and for what? I went to the T section and picked from there for alliteration. It's of French origin and the listed meaning is 'From French tremble meaning "aspen". It is especially widespread in Quebec, being the most common surname there.'

Petunia Meadows - This popped into my head immediately when I thought of her. It's of English origin and the listed meaning is 'Referred to one who lived in a meadow, from Old English mædwe.'

Handy Nagel - I learned there is such thing as a nailsmith. Hm. It's of German and Dutch origin and the listed meaning is 'Means "nail" in German and Dutch, an occupational name for a carpenter or nailsmith.'

Beartholomew 'Disco Bear' Ballerini - Beartholomew canon. It's so funny to me. But this is about his last name. It's of Italian origin, and the listed meaning is 'From Italian ballerino meaning "dancer", an occupational name or nickname for someone who liked to dance.'

Flaky Tenley - Technically this probably doesn't mean point in the way I wanted, but oh well. It's of English origin and the listed meaning is 'Possibly from the name of an English town derived from Old English tind "point" and leah "woodland, clearing".'

Nutty Dufour - Another hard one sonce I couldn't find many surnames that meant sugar or sweet. So an occupational name for a baker it was. It is of French origin and the listed meaning is 'Occupational name for a baker, from French four "oven".'

Sniffles Mendel - Surname that belonged to a scientist anyone? It's of German origin and the listed meaning is 'Derived from a diminutive of the given name Meino. A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.'

Lumpy Lennox - Lumpy was another hard one. Alliteration method round 2. It's of Scottish origin and the listed meaning is 'From the name of a district in Scotland, called Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly meaning "place of elms".'

Lammy Pecora - Sorry Mr. Pickels. No surname for you. Maybe a little on the nose, but oh well. It's of Italian origin and the meaning is listed as 'Means "sheep" in Italian, an occupational name for a shepherd.'

Russell Seaver - Easy water surname, and another one I used for a RWBY OC, except I use Zale a lot more than the bear girl whose name I've forgotten. It's of English origin, and the listed meaning is 'From the unattested Old English given name Sæfaru, derived from the Old English elements sæ "sea, ocean" and faru "journey".'

Mime Lozano- I might toy with Mime just being a nickname, but for now I'm just too lazy to find a first name. He could have just become a mime to fulfill his destiny after being named that. My family and I once saw a kid named Artistic Talent on a baby names board. This was also a tough one... It's of Spanish origin and the listed meaning is 'Means "healthy, exuberant, lively" in Spanish, originally used as a nickname for an elegant or haughty person.'

Mole Durand - Similar to Mime, 'The Mole' might just be a nickname but I'm too lazy to find a first name. 'What should we name our son?' 'How about The Mole?' 'Honey, you're a genius.' Anyways, last name. It's of French and English origin, and the listed meaning is 'From Old French durant meaning "enduring", ultimately from Latin durans. This was a nickname for a stubborn person.'

Cro-Marmot - He doesn't get one. Sorry Cro-Marmot.

[askfallenroyalty]

Chapter 1: Start! (done)

An Everybody Au where Everyone Lives! After a True Pacifist ending Frisk and Asriel are shocked to find Chara crawling out of their grave. Reunited, the siblings must decide to meet with their parents or not.

Side Story - Baker's Trouble:

(Flashback) After a week since falling underground, Chara sets out to escape. Will their captor's son be help? Or will he betray them?

Chapter 2: Burning Regrets (almost done)

After the Dreemurr Family ages up from Asriel's time as a flower, the family has to cope with all these sudden changes. Meanwhile, Chara and Frisk struggle to communicate. As problems start to stack up, the family begins to truly unravel...

Side Story - Mountain Climbers (Rise - Fall):

Hol decides to climb a mountain.

Angus lands in the Ruins.

Chapter 3: Long Live the King

Now that everyone is on the same page and recuperated, the family sets out to the Capital to spread the news and build a new life for themselves.

Side Story - Freeze:

Franky and Raine traverse the snow and rain. They search for an exit.

Chapter 4: Welcome to Monsterland!

(Will be renamed tbh >_>)

Now free on the Surface, some of the Dreemurr family set out to enjoy summer by taking a hike. Surely nothing can go wrong with that!

Side Story - Boil:

Ursus tries to make a home in Hotland. Billy searches for them in New Home.

Chapter 5: Lost in the Dark

5 years later... life has changed greatly for the family. Frisk wants to make new friends and run for class president; Chara deals with the absence of Asriel. Their problems run to a head when they all fall into an artificial darkworld.

Side Story - Merry Christmas, Chara!:

Asriel comes home for Christmas.

Chapter 6: Continue

Determined to cut off Asriel, Chara begins to plan.

Chapter 0: Reset

After breaking their promise, Chara and Frisk look for a way to save the future.

Chapter 7: Continue Again?

Chara sets out to keep their promise to Asriel.

Epilogue:

2 Years later, Chara sets off to College. Asriel has trouble letting them go.

[digi-sams-au-hell]

Happy gay month, list of current ships here include

-Lord Infero x Lord Vescor

-LB Foxy x @madcatdaderpydrawer-blog’s Dying Fire

-Vim x @amphiptere-art’s Cluster Glamrock Freddy

-Glint x LB Monty (mutual pining, will not be resolved in the main timeline)

-LB MXES x @amphiptere-art’s DH Earth

___

-Spider George x Creator

-Rox x @amphiptere-art’s Black Star

___

-SPFL Foxy x Eclipse (unresolved)

-SPFL Solar x Forkface x Ruined Monty

___

-Mama Sun x Dauncle Monty

-Dadcode x Papa Bear

___

-Honey Bakely x Killcode

___

-AA Eclipse x Funtime Freddy

___

-Sozo x Lamb Bloodmoon (older twin) x Leshy

-Helob x Lamb Bloodmoon (younger twin) x Narinder

___

-UTSB Papyrus x Monty

-UTSB Toriel x Golden Freddy x Asgore

___

-Ursus AU Killcode x Glamrock Freddy

___

-Pizzaplex 2 Glamrock Chica 2 x Roxy 2

[civilight-eterna]

fic request guidelines masterpost and tag library

fic requests are currently [OPEN/CLOSED]

fulfilled requests quick link [here].

ko-fi page [here].

see below the read-more for guidelines!

things I prefer to do:

f/f ships

arknights

vocaloid

nsft(w) depending on prompt

my otp chenmiya (typically I age up amiya for these)

sweet and wholesome, sane and consensual

toxic and messy, insane and dubious

ticklekink trash

other ships I love; ch'en/blaze/amiya, ch'en/blaze, horn/mandragora, texland, abyssal hunters/each other/irene in any combination, ursus girls in any combination, scavenger/closure, leizi/blaze. I'll update this as I remember more but those are the top ones

characters I love, all the above plus; dorothy, scavenger, warfarin, closure, earthspirit, cantabile

things I'll do:

almost any f/f ship

star ocean 2 femslash <- and if you're a star ocean 2 fan i wanna be fwiends (つ≧▽≦)つ

ex astris girls

fandoms you know i know

polycules (abyssal hunters, ursus girls, nearl and the girls and most any others you can think of)

het on a case by case basis-there's a few I'm down with like whisperain/phantom (based purely on the op rec interaction being really cute) and...I can't remember any others rn. i'm not inherently opposed to a decent het.

I can and will write fucked-up shit. Don't be shy. You will not surprise me and I will not judge you.

examples: sexy cannibalism, sister incest, dub-con in the right circumstances.

gen-fic is okay too though i promise

au's are fine too

things I won't do:

self-insert or cis male!doctor/anyone. if I'm writing the doctor they are either female, nb or genderqueer in some way and they will be their own unique character

anything that goes so far against a character's personality that it's too difficult to write. if you want something specific you can get detailed in your prompt request though and I'll do my best to rise to the challenge!

lesbian-coded characters in het ships. I know this can be a little subjective so it doesn't hurt to ask if you're not sure.

blaze/greythroat. sorry. it's just an ick for me.

characters that are fairly obviously not even pre-teens yet. suzuran is too young.

some considerations:

amiya is kind of a special case. there's a lot the game suggests about her mental maturity vs. her age and i think in any setting aside from arknights i usually call bs because it's usually a lay-up to some kind of 'ship yourself with this underage character, look it's okay' kind of vibe, but arknights puts pretty exclusive emphasis on the familial relationships with amiya and the 'self-insert' character. i feel that as a pharmaceutical CEO with a lot of stress and centuries of grief and empathy stored in her body...girl can do what she's gotta do with the other characters. I do like to age her up a little bit to avoid the gymnastics of trying to explain everything every time though. I ship her with pretty much any woman in the game in the right contexts. update: please please PLEASE consider this carefully before you offer to let me come be in a server/come discuss story ideas anywhere. i write what i write because it matters to me and even if it didn't matter to me as much i really strongly feel that art is the safest medium in which we explore things that might be harder for people to understand otherwise. i am very clear and front-facing with chenmiya being very important to me and it's a pretty solitary existence at times because of it, so please don't invite me somewhere and then ask or expect me to amputate that part of myself because i will be very very hurt.

I do reserve the right to refuse a request for any reason. I do this for fun in my free time, for free, to work on my writing a little, and while I don't refuse things outright most times, please understand if I just lose a little steam.

length of the work will depend entirely upon my inspiration-I'll try to make sure you at least get a drabble size of a few sentences, but I'll do my best to make the most out of the prompts you take the time to send me.

i know most triggers to tag for but if you need something else tagged drop me a line. I gotchu.

okay, that's about it! I'll update when I'm taking requests at the top of the post, so check for availability before you send in a prompt.

thank you for reading! can't wait to write for you.

[h0oty]

Tell me everything abt dusk shadows? Please? Theyre so so pretty and cool and edgy and i love them already and i know nothing abt thrm

ive waited my whole life to hear these words... this is going to be very long.

theyre my little skrunkle next gen oc i made when i was like 9 and have kept alive since then, their story has changed around throughout the years but i did make it when i was 9 so its not the best literature, keep that in mind.

basically theyre the mane character of my next-gen-mixed-with-au hootverse that all my silly little redesigns come from, some story elements are changed and this is important because Sombra takes the place of Chrysalis in season 9 because she accepted Starlight's friendship after she freed the hive.

so when the trio gets unfrozen to be reformed Twilight takes on reforming Sombra and of course it goes like this

because its a next gen and they get in a genuine relationship and Sombra works on himself and gets better, + they have kids but then he slips up one day and accidentally grows evil crystals or something by accident and the kingdom's ponies don't trust him and some even start saying shit like "what if their kids turn out evil like him >:((((" "i cant believe twilight loves tis guy what if SHES evil too?!?!?" and it was disrupting harmony and Twilights like "damn this is wild!!!!! i am going to start twilighting 24/7". so to 'keep her safe' in his eyes, while shes pregant with Dusk, Sombra acts like hes evil again and runs away and then when Dusk is born Twilight has to give them to up for adoption movie style on the doorstep in the rain because its the edgy 2010 oc backstory + ponies were threatening the children because of Sombra and all that (they couldnt give them to one of the mane 6 because it would be too risky for someone to realize it was her child)

Dusk goes to friendship camp one year as a filly and meets their first real friend, Firefly. They keep in contact until their teenage years when Firefly becomes a rockstar and stops talking to Dusk because of the pressure of keeping up a "popular" image. Dusk starts spending all of their time with their other friend Frost Lily, but their declining mental state causes them to see one of those waking nightmares (the ones Sombra trapped the castle with. they inherited it and like. cast it on themself by mistake somehow) and they see a vision of Frost Lily getting really sick and dying. They don't know this was just a nightmare their magic made them see, so they leave town, thinking there's nothing left for them there now. Their wandering leads them to Canterlot, where Twilight sees and recognizes them, and summons them to the castle, where she explains Dusk is her child and everything that happened and why she had to give them away, expecting them to be all happy huggy 'i love you mom'ing!!! But they were actually just really upset and angry at Twilight for not even trying and she kept and raised their other child, ect.

Twilight gets worried about Dusk's mental state which leads to her worrying about Dusk going down the 'same dark path' as Sombra, and she sends them to their own small town just like Celestia did for her when she was young so they can discover joy and friendship magic

this is getting SO long but they become a part of their own mane 6 of sorts that includes firefly, a griffin named boe, a dragon named Carbon, an axolotl named snorkel and a 'baby' ursa minor that goes by ursus once they get there. on the way they meet a suspicious trio of "ponies" that may or may not be demons summoned by Sombra to keep an eye on his child and report back to him on how theyre doing.

Eventually Dusk also turns into an evil alicorn thing but y'know their friends fix that with the power of friendship™  and then they defeat the demons too

wow look a window

i want you to know i was writing for an hour with no breaks i didnt even blink at all during this im so sorry

[jojobegood1]

🇨🇵⚠️💘🐈‍⬛🐕⚠️ URGENTISSIME ADOPTEZ SVP

[undeadhetalian]

Hetalia characters as Arknights races

Forget Hogwarts houses, let's assign an animal to each nation!

Decided according to either national animals or real species that are common in / are associated with the nations

Arknights (Check out this game!) has lots of races, but you don't really need to worry about knowing what they are because they are just real-life animals and mythical beings/creatures

Main cast

Italy Veneziano - Lupo - Italian wolf

Germany - Liberi - white-tailed eagle

Japan - Kylin (qilin race)

America - Liberi - bald eagle

China - Lung (Chinese dragon)

England - Aslan (lion race)

France - Liberi - Gallic rooster

Russia - Ursus - Eurasian brown bear

Central Europe

Austria - Caprinae - mountain goat

Czechia - Itra - Siberian musk deer

Hungary - Liberi - saker falcon

Liechtenstein - Caprinae - mountain goat

Poland - Kuranta - Konik

Prussia - Sarkaz ("demon" race)

Slovakia - Ursus - brown bear

Switzerland - Caprinae - mountain goat

Mediterranean Europe

Cyprus - Caprinae - Cypriot mouflon

TRNC - Caprinae - Cypriot mouflon

Greece - Aegir - dolphin

Italy Romano - Lupo - Italian wolf

Portugal - Vouivre - green wyvern

Spain - Forte - Spanish fighting bull

Turkey - Perro - Kangal Shepherd Dog

Western Europe

Belgium - Cautus - Holland Lop

Ireland - Cautus - Irish hare

Knights Templar - Sankta ("angel" race)

Luxembourg - Cautus - Netherland Dwarf rabbit

Monaco - Zalak - wood mouse

Netherlands - Cautus - Dutch rabbit

Northern Ireland - Liberi - owl

Scotland - Kuranta - unicorn

Wales - Draco - red dragon

Nordic Europe

Denmark - Liberi - mute swan

Finland - Ursus - brown bear

Iceland - Kuranta - Fjord horse

Norway - Kuranta - Fjord horse

Sweden - Elafia - Eurasian elk

Eastern Europe

Belarus - Forte - European bison

Bulgaria - Vulpo - red fox

Estonia - Liberi - barn swallow

Latvia - Liberi - white wagtail

Lithuania - Liberi - white stork

Moldova - Feline - lynx

Romania - Feline - lynx

Ukraine - Liberi - nightingale

Asia

Hong Kong - Ursus - panda

India - Liberi - Indian peafowl

Indonesia - Savra - Komodo dragon

South Korea - Feline - Korean tiger

Macau - Liberi - black-faced spoonbill

Malaysia - Feline - Malayan tiger

Philippines - Liberi - Philippine eagle

Singapore - Aslan - Asiatic lion

Taiwan - Ursus - Formosan black bear

Thailand - Cerato - elephant

Vietnam - Forte - water buffalo

Africa

Cameroon - Aslan - northern lion

Egypt - Feline - Abyssinian

Seychelles- Liberi - Seychelles black parrot

Egypt - Feline - Abyssinian

Seychelles- Liberi - Seychelles black parrot

N/S America + Oceania

Canada - Zalak - North American beaver

Cuba - Liberi - Cuban trogon

Ecuador - Petram - Galapagos tortoise

Australia - Zalak - red kangaroo

New Zealand - Liberi - kiwi

Notes:

Prussia is obviously inspired by Cardverse

Knights Templar is here instead of the other ex-immortals because I have a soft spot for him (he is literally an angel here, with a shotgun!!!)

I know, natural lions don't exist in Europe, but England (and many other Europeans) use them as their national symbols. I didn't want too many Aslans in the list and I decided that Netherlands (and his siblings) are better off as rabbits, and I can't think of anything else for Iggy, so he's the lion now

I will one day draw this AU because for some reason I'm starting to like [animal]boys and [animal]girls (NOT FURRIES, but ok maybe I'll draw the furry version as well because they exist in Arknights heh. An excuse to practise drawing animals lol)

I guess you COULD use this as a reference for an HP au because PATRONUSES

Ok, I'll admit, I love Eng and Port as a lion and a wyvern because look at this!!!

[dammitradar]

Have you ever thought of doing A Hunchback of Notre Dame AU with The Grinning Man?

Quasimodo - Grinpayne

Esmeralda - Dea (But they end up together)

Frollo - Barkilphedro

Phoebus - David

Clopin - Ursus

Djali - Mojo

Gargoyles - Osirc and Angelica

I'm almost positive that's exactly what Victor Hugo was doing when he wrote those books in whatever order he wrote them

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

I'm that anon who lore dumped for my fanfiction and asked for your help in describing Ephemer's personality. Still don't have the fic done, but in my defense the first chapter is going through like four or five games.

Anyway, here's my interpretation of the unions:

Each union specializes in a different aspect of fighting,

Ursus: Brute Strength

Leopardus: Speed

Vulpes: Magic

Anguis: Strategy

Unicornis: A combination of all of the above, as well as more emotional regulation/mental health focused stuff (i.e. helping yourself and your fellow union members deal with the trauma)

I also have the unions of the keykids that have lore relevance (don't know what to call them, lol):

Ventus: Leopardus, transfered from Ursus

Strelitzia: Unicornis

Zee (Player): Leopardus

Brain: Anguis

Ephemer: Vulpes

Skuld: Ursus (idk why, she just has brute force vibes, I guess)

Elrena: Vulpes

Lauriam (misspelled?): Vulpes

Jason (random keykid with minimal lore relevance based on the au I'm writing for, but also my Ux lore in general): Ursus

Random Fun Facts:

Vulpes and Leopardus call eachother step unions because of Ava and Gula's relationship

A keykid's union matches their strengths and in cases such as Ven's, where their strengths don't lie where they first thought, the keykid will transfer unions to one that better matches their fighting style

Keypads are bequeathed at age 10; they're chosen to be wielders a few months before their 10th birthdays, and then are bequeathed by the master of whatever union they chose a week after their 10th. Bequeathing ceremonies are public events, and a big deal

All Chirithys are siblings

Keyblade Wielders who are talented enough in magic (or not) can create their own custom spells. These spells, however, take much more mp

Spells can be used for a variety of things, such as; hiding armor as trinkets/accessories (think Riptide and Jack from PJO/MCGA), locating people, creating portals (doing this practically leaves people drained and then some; some people have nearly died), and more

Several keykids have called their union leaders "Mom"/"Dad," Ava especially

The Dandelions stay in one big house in Data Daybreak Town... until it breaks, and half are sent somewhere/somewhen safe, and the other half volunteer to stay

Dandelions are mostly sent to times after the Second Keyblade War, but some are sent before it

Ava, Invi, and Luxu are all biologically related– Invi is the oldest, Luxu is the middle, and Ava is the youngest. They are biologically related to MoM

Gula was a street kid that Ava befriended, who proved himself worthy in MoM's eyes to be trained

Ira and Aced were friends of Invi that MoM decided to train– their parents signed away custody of them and mysteriously disappeared

Luxu does/did have a keyblade that wasn't No Name– a design has not yet been thought of, but will be soon (and then poorly described in my fanfiction)

Strelitzia will return and eventually be reunited with Lauriam (this is kinda cannon, but I needed to add a truly happy/fun fact to end this)

hey these all sound pretty great!!! I actually have had similar or the same thoughts on a lot of these things, like Gula being a street kid and wielders sometimes accidentally calling their foreteller mom or dad. I really like the idea of bequeathing ceremonies being a thing that everyone goes through and wielders being able to make their own spells!

I wish you the best on your fic! I know it’s not easy to get it all sorted out but I’m sure it’ll fall into place soon enough