#use it as you see fit and may the tails of your OCs become even more beautiful

[calistozom]

A nostalgia post. It's been a long time since I've drawn Meteora, and for much longer I've had an old idea related to her, namely, a decoration for tails. A long time ago, I often came across "chapters in the book of spells" that various authors did on behalf of their OCs in the SVTFOE au’s. I wanted to try it too, but nothing really worked. The title picture, poem, spells and wands did not give me much in terms of inspiration and only when I came across the idea of a diary and monsters’ tails did I strike gold.

Sadly, in another fit of self-criticism, I abandoned this project half-way through and only recently found the strength to return to it again.

Anyway, here I have several pages of Meteora's diary, in which she showcases various types of jewelry for different types of tails. I think some of the enthusiasm in the description that I have tried to convey here must belong to the ghost of Heinous (the part of her that she has been suppressing for so long). Of course, most of the decorations here would hardly work as intended (the laws of physics and high mobility of the limb will obviously be a big obstacle), but no one pretends to be realistic here.

... and at the end there is also a small gif with a ghost appearance (even two – because I still haven't decided which transition turned out better) >w<

[velkyr]

DUSK QUESTIONS MOMENT. 1, 10, 40, 52!! 👀

ON IT BOSS!!!! o7 (tysmmmm for letting me ramble mwah. I wrote more than I expected as per usual 💖)

(original ask game post here)

I've read more'd this because oops it got so long sorry orz

Why did you pick the race you did for your Tav?

the short answer is always just going to be I love tieflings, I am weak for tieflings, this is a universal unchangeable fact amen 🙏 I think 3 of the... 6(? I might be forgetting some other oneshot-only characters idk) characters I've played at a table have been tiefs or homebrew variants of them! they're very gender to me, I felt that way before I even really knew jackshit about my own gender. absolutely batshit that I still thought I was cis when I started playing d&d lmfao. also horns tails fangs and claws need I say more. I shan't, I don't have to

but yeah specifically for Dusk, I wanted to base them off of my first d&d character in particular, who was a tiefling homebrew to represent an au ra from ffxiv in our homebrew campaign based around the game. so it was important to me they were also a tiefling draconic sorcerer to match!

a lot has changed about them while I've reworked them, but many of the fundamentals have remained the same. gender, motivations, reasoning and general force of personality have been altered towards things that I find more compelling or more fitting, 6 years down the line - but race and class, the idea of them being nobility who left their home(land) and has a bunch of hangups around it, that's all as it was back then.

10. If your Tav didn’t become an adventurer, what else would they be doing?

this is an interesting one, I've been stewing on it a fair bit recently while I've been thinking about what they'd do post-bg3 shenanigans. the thing with Dusk is I've infused them with So Much raw adhd (to the point of it far surpassing my own, oops. this seems to be how I bestow love on my favourite OCs at this point), they Need enough outlets in their day-to-day life or they'll end up in an understimulated mess pretty quickly.

adventuring is obviously a solid option for that need! but without that on the table, I think it needs to be something that caters strongly to their interests and whims. I can see them working well in a profession involving enchantment and/or working with jewels and precious metals. enchanting things would be a good way to siphon off some of that raw sorcerer magic - if they don't use it often enough, there's a build up of sorts. with it being lightning based, it's a bit like having an unstable motor that runs way too fast, and it makes them incredibly irritable.

as for the crafting part of the equation, well, they're already fascinated by shiny things, they're pretty detail oriented and good with their hands, and it's the kind of skilled manual work that requires Just Enough focus to be stimulating. the only thing they'd probably end up hating about either of these would be dealing with noble clientele lmao, but I have no doubt they'd find a way to exploit that anyway. while they may not be the most book smart in the world, they're people smart by necessity. (something something insight proficiency)

and really, as an alternative or perhaps on the side, I don't think they'd be opposed to sex work if it were an environment they felt comfortable in, with a well-vetted set of clientele that they have full autonomy over.

40. What is the biggest mistake your Tav ever made?

welcome to 'pick a struggle' with Dusk, they have their fair share,,,

there's a couple of things that stick out, but I'll stick with one that's pretty fundamental to them. they deeply regret having lashed out at and pushed away the people that tried to help them when they were younger, still stuck living in elturel.

while they can't entirely be blamed for it - they were conditioned to think and feel a certain way, and those patterns were ingrained across a lifetime, all the hallmarks of the abuse they faced - at the end of the day, the friends they'd made after they started sneaking out at night were only trying to help them see how awful their living situation was.

by the time Dusk fled home, they'd burned all the bridges they'd tentatively built over the years. their best friend at the time was the one who made a sort of last ditch attempt to convince them, and it came at the right place, the right time to push them into leaving. but it was outright said that none of them wanted to see them again, after all of the vitriol.

with the distance of years and the gift of hindsight, they regret it all the more. they haven't really forgiven themselves for it.

52. What is your Tav’s worst fear?

oh you already know this one I'm sure 🤠 but I'll elaborate it into something a bit broader that pokes at the Theming more.

they fear being forced back into a gilded cage - whether that's being dragged back home to their family or pushed into a new one. they fear the loss of the autonomy they've carved out for themselves. they fear a loss of identity, and the concept of having it stripped from them, reducing them back into some (feminine) trophy to be given away for material gain.

at its core, it's a loathing of the idea of heteronormativity, really. that's what I always parallel it to, and it's pretty on the nose in that regard.

granted, it's kind of a paradoxical fear for them. they're so thoroughly weary after spending so long living with their guard up, molding themselves into someone who can take on the world alone, that in secret, there's a part of them that just doesn't want to fight anymore. that part would be tempted to give up - to let themselves be reshackled, so to speak - if the circumstances were dire, so long as there were the promise of them being safe and cared for at the end.

as a secondary but very much related thing, they've also come to fear and resent being alone, and the idea of being left behind by people they care about.

[owlfacenightkit]

For the 100 OC questions, for any character, 17. 33. 49. :)

Since you said anyone, I’m just going to tell you about all four of my main OCs

17- How polite is your OC? Do they know how to act in a formal situation? How would they *actually* act in a formal situation?

Lagoon- Lagoon can be very polite, but that doesn’t mean she’ll always be polite. She’ll shove her way through a crowd if she has to. She knows how to act in a formal situation, but her actions depend on the amount of people in any situation, not just a formal one. She both loves and hates crowds, and a formal crowd is the kind of crowd she hates. She would probably be very stiff in a formal situation.

The kind of crowds she loves are crowds of normal riff-raff like her. Market crowds. Hunters. Common people like her.

Leaf- very polite, knows how to act in a formal situation. He would also act very polite.

Will be polite, but kind of stiff. Not like Lagoon, who hates it, but enough that he’ll appear aloof.

Falcon- not very polite at all, ever. She definitely knows how to act in that kind of a situation, but she would make as much trouble as she could possibly stir up.

Sapphire- very polite, knows how to act in a formal situation, will act very polite in a formal situation.

But also, he’ll just be polite because he’s kind. He tries to make everyone’s day better and is overall my sweetest character.

33- What five objects or things could be expected to be found on your OC’s person at any time? Why?

Lagoon

#1) a necklace with glass beads that becomes an anklet kind of thing once she becomes a dragon. She wraps it around her leg and never takes it off. When she was a human, a person close to her gave it to her, so she clings to it tightly.

#2) a small dagger that is strapped to her leg. She may not like fighting, but she will if she has to.

#3) a necklace that Geyser gives her. It has a metal chain and fits almost like a choker around her neck (not a lot of loose chain so that it doesn’t get caught on anything) and it has a small yellow glass fish on it. She wears the necklace all the time, even when she’s asleep (like me. I wear necklaces and bracelets even when I sleep).

#4) her helmet. She keeps the fighting helmet she’s given and wears it all the time.

#5) I don’t have anything else definite, but maybe another piece of battle armor? Or the chest piece of the harness she uses while in the underground ring? Actually I really like that idea.

Leaf

#1) a golden bracelet that he can’t take off. This is a remnant from my earlier versions of the story where the bracelet was imbued with an evil force and that force was actually the main villain of the story. It would posses him and he would have to fight it.

#2-5) I don’t know. Since he’s a dragon, he doesn’t necessarily need anything else.

Falcon

Nothing. Anything she would wear would simply slow her down. She needs her speed.

Sapphire

Golden jewelry. He has bracelets on his front legs and tail and horn rings.

49- What would be the perfect gift for your OC? What would be their reaction to receiving it?

Lagoon- anything related to the sea or water. She loves the water, which is why she loves the fact that she was turned into a water dragon. (Once she accepts that that is who and what she is)

Her reaction to receiving something like that would probably be joy. She would melt inside from the kindness and the fact that someone thought of her.

Leaf- I don’t know. He’s not very picky. Maybe an exotic fruit. He’s a natural vegetarian (his digestive system just can’t handle meat) and he’s always open to trying new things. His reaction would be happiness.

Falcon- I don’t know. Probably something that would be armor but wouldn’t slow her down. Or weapons. Her reaction would be the immediate thought (if she got weapons) ‘I can kill my enemies now’. If she got armor, her reaction would probably be to scrutinize it to see if it would slow her down or be practical.

Sapphire- probably anything glass or gemstone-like. He loves the way light shines though glass and other clear substances like water.

[movedtodykedvonte]

FNaF OC Brainrot

Remember how I said I made another oc? Yeah, here’s Bellwether

Design

Bellwethwer looks like a sheep with a sorta black sparkly snout and white wool like a cloud. She has ram horns that curl slightly, the ends covered in star caps as to not accidently hurt kids. Her proportions are kinda designed to be like satyr as when making him the designers wanted a human aspect, so hunched legs. Body is still covered in wool though. A sheep's tail and goat eyes that are covered by the wool as they scare kids.

He either wear clothes like a farmhand or an outfit themed after dusk/twilight, not sure which but leaning farmhand. Hooves out as no boots really fit him but does have a bell/cow-bell around their neck. Has one of those shepherds staffs.

Personality wise she’s very cautious and observant, following her programming and protocols to a T. Meant to be gentle, he always speaks and acts softly unless instructions must be given out and even then it is very polite/stern rather than barking orders. Assumes the worse thing may happen and tries to hide this stress.

Lore/Mechanics

She was made for the outside area of the main play structure, the area the daycare attendant usually doesn’t go. Her horns work as nightlights making the star caps look like comets and the staff is used for herding the kids to the play structure and around the daycare. The bell on his neck is actually attached to his endo and connected to other little bells the kids are given upon entry to the daycare. This helps keep tabs on the ones who are not in the play structure and ensures she can find his lost “lamb”. Becomes extremely hostile towards adults who enter the area that are not registered as pick-ups and has a habit of chasing out kids unregistered kids.

She takes the kids around the area and make sure they all get around from place to place. Leads them to the bathrooms,  to have lunch and then back to the play structure at that is the “pen” her “flock” is supposed to be in. If they try to escape he scoops them up, usually scolds them, then brings them back safely. Also in charge of pick up and drop off, using her nightlight horns to locate kids who need to be picked up during nap, and the bells when it’s playtime.

In game he is a pre-boss(?) to the daycare, Bellwether is only a threat if you don’t have a bell on you when you enter the daycare. If he sees Gregory, she will track him down until capture and throw him out. The bell allows you to traverse the place freely but she will constantly be on your tail to keep you from getting into other people’s stuff (collectables or items). You’d have to distract him the same way by making a mess or saying you saw a bad lady (True cause Vanny but ur crying wolf). She’ll clop away to it so you can quickly search before she gets back or take off the bell and hide. This needs to happen as she won’t let you slide down as it is closing, meaning you are a late pick up and playtime is beyond over. Starts sadly bleating sadly when you escape as he lost a lamb.

You would lose the bell falling into the ball pit so when you exit after Sunrise screams security, Bellwether will now see you as an adult threat and try to ram you as he believes you are now behind the reason her lamb is gone. 

MISC

Is named after the Bellwether sheep. A sheep that is the leader of the herd and wears the bell

The kicking out kids is based on how Sheep will reject lambs not part of their flock over even not birthed by them

Also does first aid and this a secondary function

Bigger than Sunrise/Moondrop as the PizzaPlex needed a bot they couldn’t easily pick up and keep from working (they play with and put anyone to sleep)

Comes into the daycare when Moondrop reports a child is scared of the dark to act as a nightlight. 

Ha ha, get it a sheep, you count sheep to sleep tee hee

Has a mangle “Guess my gender” thing going on (he/she)

Either sounds like Bubby from chowder or Junie and the Hut Friends (either motherly or like a stressed babysitter)

[fischerfrey]

Chapter 1: What Lies Ahead

Summary: A new year is starting at Hogwarts and Verna Malinda is entering her fifth year. She may have a little too much on her plate for the upcoming year though, because she’s been elected prefect...

Pairings: Eventual OC/Merula Snyde

Word Count: 2.5K

Warnings: Mild swearing

A/N: Matthew Luther belongs to @hphmmatthewluther

As this is a rewrite, some of the dialogue is from the game either directly, or modified to fit the new narrative.

If anyone is interested in being tagged to new upates, let me know!

(Verna was born in December 1972, so she was 13 during the autumn term of her 2nd year)

Previous / Next

Chapter 1: What Lies Ahead

Verna Malinda had been anxiously awaiting the beginning of her fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, even with a detention of indeterminate length looming in front of her. She knew in her heart that this year was going to be important, and not just because of the O.W.L. examinations but because of the events of last June, and the chance of finding Jacob in the next vault. For Verna, summers had, for the past four years, felt like an inescapable limbo. Every year she longed to be back at Hogwarts, delving into the mystery of the Cursed Vaults. This year, however, she had been elected as a prefect to her great surprise. She hadn’t really considered prefectdom as something to aspire to, because all her time was spent either breaking the rules or planning to break them. Was it really appropriate for a Hogwarts prefect to be serving detention? Mysterious were the ways of Professor Dumbledore.

~

As the Hogwarts Express whistled as a signal for departure, Verna waved to her father from the train’s window and then turned to her friend, Rowan Khanna, the one out of the two of them who should’ve been the prefect. Rowan pushed their glasses up their nose and smiled.

“What is it?”

“I ought to go find Charlie,” Verna said as the train picked up speed. She’d been feeling all kinds of weird about talking to Rowan ever since she got the letter proclaiming her prefect. It had been Rowan’s ambition to claim that spot ever since year one, and somehow Verna had managed it even though she hadn’t even tried.

“Alright, I’ll find Ben. We’ll hold a spot for you, if you get a moment to come sit with us,” Rowan replied and the two headed their separate ways. So far it didn’t seem like Rowan was holding Verna’s election as a prefect against her. Even in their letters, Rowan had only seemed supportive and proud. They had been friends since first year, and Verna hadn’t exactly stolen Rowan’s spot on purpose. In fact, she was fairly certain she had entirely too much on her plate for this year even without being a prefect.

~

Once Verna located Charlie Weasley, Gryffindor’s resident Dragon-enthusiast and Quidditch hero, and as it happened, her fellow prefect, the two of them headed to the special carriage meant for prefects and the Head Boy and Girl.

“What in Merlin’s name possessed Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall to make you and I prefects?” asked Charlie, sounding genuinely confused, although in his defence, it was truly baffling.

“I have a theory that it’s to make us so busy we won’t have time to do any curse-breaking,” Verna reasoned.

“Bill’s a prefect and he’s had plenty of time,” Charlie argued but then added: “Though maybe that’s why he became the Head Boy… Wow, actually you might be right.”

“Thanks Chaz,” Verna laughed as the two entered the prefect carriage. It was already quite packed with new and old prefects, as well as Bill and the Head Girl, Ella Higgs.

“Are we late because I had to wait for you…?” Charlie whispered and Verna shushed him as Ella and Bill started to congratulate them on their achievement. Verna locked eyes with a certain Slytherin student across the carriage. Apparently Merula Snyde had also become a prefect. Verna should’ve expected as much. Her hair looked tousled as usual, but she had elected to sport a dark eye-makeup, which somehow made the purple of her eyes look even more prominent. Merula gave her a look of loathing and then promptly ignored her. Verna’s mood sunk.

“Hi Verna!” came a greeting from among the other fifth-year prefects. It was Matthew Luther, a Ravenclaw chaser who had given Verna a run for her galleons last quidditch season. Verna was pleased to see not only complete arseholes had become prefects.

“Hey!” Verna replied, taking her place among the others.

“Hi Luther,” Charlie whispered, smiling.

“Nice to see you two made it as prefects.”

Verna was about to answer but was quickly silenced by Bill who very deliberately raised his voice and started his introduction to the wonderful world of prefectdom, looking at the three of them meaningfully.

~

After nearly an hour of instruction, Bill and Ella bade them pleasant journey and reminded them of their job to patrol the corridors in regular intervals. After that, many returned to their friends or settled down in the prefects’ carriage. Bill walked up to Verna and Charlie.

“Congrats on becoming a prefect Verna!” he said and slapped her arm for good measure.

“Thanks, I’ll be sure to be as responsible as you, William.”

Bill laughed and Charlie rolled his eyes.

“Well, I for one think you two will do just fine,” added Bill.

“If you say so…” Charlie mused. “Should we find Rowan and Ben?” he asked Verna.

“Yeah, see you later Bill!”

“Remember to patrol the corridors! And don’t abuse your power!” Bill called after them as Verna and Charlie headed back to find the compartment their friends were sitting in.

“I don’t think he actually has as much faith in us as he lets on…” Charlie said.

“Yeah, probably not. After all he lives with you, and I’m the one who roped him into this curse-breaking stuff in the first place.”

“Yeah, at the ripe old age of 13.” reminded Charlie. Verna was really starting to doubt Professor Dumbledore’s judgement.

~

Rowan and Ben had found a carriage and reserved spots for them. The two seemed in good spirits and Verna felt much more relaxed. If Rowan was on her side, then everything was going to be okay. Even Ben seemed to be okay, even after he was used to attack Verna under the imperius curse last year.

“How was it?” asked Ben as Verna and Charlie took their seats. He glanced quickly at Rowan, who nodded encouragingly. Verna figured Rowan and Ben had been discussing the incident before she and Charlie arrived. The food trolley had passed ages ago, so Verna nicked a treacle tart from Rowan who gave her an exasperated but amused look.

“Pretty standard stuff, honestly. They explained everything we were told in the briefing about prefects at the end of last year,” explained Charlie.

“Who else was elected?” Rowan inquired.

“Oh you’ll never guess Slytherin’s-“

“Merula,” Rowan said before Charlie could finish.

“Yeah, and she seemed right pleased about it too, I bet she’s gonna have a blast abusing her position,” Verna grumbled. She really was not looking forward to yet another thing to compete over with Merula.

“Not if we abuse our position first,” Charlie said, grinning.

“No,” Rowan admonished them when they saw Verna’s matching grin.

“I’ll disown you both if you sink to her level.”

Both Charlie and Verna stopped grinning.

“Sorry Rowan,” Verna said bashfully. “We’ll try our best to make you proud.”

Rowan groaned in mock-annoyance, and all four of them laughed at the absurdity of the notion of Charlie and Verna as prefects. Even Ben. Verna’s hopes for the year were rejuvenated a little.

~

The rest of the journey went by in a relatively normal manner. Verna and Charlie patrolled the corridors every now and then but didn’t face any incidents. Tonks gave them both grief about becoming prefects though, and loudly announced that this is why she had trust issues. Verna couldn’t exactly blame her, they had after, pulled pranks together in the past and prefects had a well-earned reputation of being spoilsports. After sunset, the train arrived at the Hogsmeade Station and Charlie and Verna were again required to perform their new duties. Verna hadn’t really thought about how small the first years looked until they all filed out of the train and followed Hagrid to the boats. It wasn’t that long ago she had been in their shoes, completely terrified and anxious to start looking for her brother. Jacob. The thought stung like a wasp. It had taken four years and she was no closer to finding him as she was to finding the next cursed vault. Jacob had always been there to protect her and help her and what good was she, if she couldn’t do the same for him?

~

The Great Hall was all decked out for the Welcome Feast when they entered. Verna always felt a sense of belonging at the sight of Hogwarts, but it was also always mixed with something like dread. This year instead of Professor Dumbledore, it was Professor McGonagall taking the podium to hold the traditional speech after the Sorting. Apparently, the Headmaster was on an errand outside of Hogwarts. They were also going to have a new teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts, which at this point surprised no one. The new DADA professor did surprise Verna, though. It was Madam Rakepick, the curse breaker Dumbledore had hired to investigate the vaults last year. Rakepick turned her eyes to Verna and something passed across her features, but Verna couldn’t place the expression. Then, just as fast as it had arrived, it passed, and McGonagall bid everyone dig in their food.

~

After the feast, as Verna and Charlie were getting ready to herd all the new Gryffindors (including Bill and Charlie’s little brother Percy) to their common room, Penny walked up to them, looking excited.

“Hey!” she beamed and tailing behind her was a small blonde girl who looked very much like Penny. “How was your summer?”

“Oh, you know, researching advanced curses, eagerly awaiting for my detention this year, the usual” Verna joked.

“I worked on my extra credit stuff for Professor Kettleburn,” Charlie said. “And hung out with my siblings. Fred and George have gotten it into their heads they wanna be the best quidditch players in the world and I have to be their coach.”

“That sounds really nice! We need to catch up more later, I just wanted to introduce you two to my sister, Beatrice,” Penny exclaimed, and the younger girl waved her hand at them.

“Hi,” she said, rather excitably.

“Hi Beatrice, I’m Verna and this is Charlie.”

Next to her Charlie smiled wide and shook Beatrice’s hand. It seemed to Verna that she appreciated being treated like a grown-up.

“Figured you were Penny’s sister when they called Haywood during the Sorting,” Charlie said.

Beatrice nodded. “And now we’re both in Hufflepuff! I was hoping for it, but I would’ve been happy with Gryffindor too.”

“Bea is… sort of a fan of yours,” Penny explained looking at Verna. “She’s always asking me to tell her stories of my adventures with the famous curse-breaker Verna Malinda.”

“Now I can join you!” Beatrice said. “To find your brother and the cursed vaults.”

This, admittedly, took Verna by surprise. She glanced at Penny who, by the look on her face, had not expected this either.

“Bea…” Penny whispered.

“I mean it, I want to help,” Beatrice insisted.

“Well… Maybe you can help with some small things, but I’ll be honest with you, it’s really dangerous stuff,” Verna told the young witch and hoped that was the end of it. No such luck.

“You investigated the cursed ice when you were just first-years,” Beatrice protested.

“That’s… true…” Penny admitted but didn’t look happy about it.

“And Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who when he was just a baby!”

“She has a point, you know,” Charlie cut in.

“Knock it off, Weasley. There’ll be plenty of time for death-defying adventures when you’re older Bea, for now you can just show Verna what you made for her,” Penny said with a glare at Charlie, who seemed vaguely apologetic.

With only a little complaining, Beatrice presented Verna with a yellow, self-made puffskein toy. It was extremely cute, and the gesture made Verna wonder how much Penny had exaggerated her stories.

“Thank you, Beatrice, this is super cool,” she said as she inspected the stuffed animal. After that, she was served to a story about shaving the Haywoods’ pet puffskein every week for the hairs to make the toy, after which Penny had clearly had her fill, because she whisked Beatrice away and Charlie arched an eyebrow. “Wow, they really do just keep getting smaller.”

~

Up in the Gryffindor Tower, the young students were excited but obviously tired, so Verna kept her introduction short and let them explore on their own or just go to bed. After that, the two new prefects made their way to their favourite corner of the common room. The couch there was already occupied by Rowan and Ben.

“Hey guys,” said Ben meekly behind his new Charms textbook.

Charlie squished into the vacant spot between Rowan and the armrest, while Verna sat on the floor, not bothering to drag the nearest chair closer.

“I think I’m going to possibly have a mental breakdown this year,” she mused. “I mean I still have to find my brother, do normal homework, play Quidditch, study for O.W.L.s, and now be a prefect.”

“If you had started studying for the O.W.L.s first year like I told you, you wouldn’t be in this situation,” Rowan simply said. It’s not like they were wrong, but Verna still rolled her eyes.

“Literally no one else but you does that, Rowan” Charlie jumped into her defence, which Verna appreciated. She fist bumped Charlie over Rowan’s lap.

“You two are impossible,” Rowan said warmly and turned to look at Ben. Verna followed their gaze and noticed Ben looked distinctly uncomfortable. Well, more than usual.

“Ben…” she started.

“I just wanna say I’m sorry,” Ben blurted out. “I know you already said it’s fine last year, but I don’t think it’s fine. I’m too easy a target to use against you, and I don’t think you should include me in your plans anymore.”

Verna stared at him for a moment, trying to find words. Any one of her friends could’ve been used as a pawn by a dark wizard. After all, they were only students up against adult wizards.

“Ben, I get it. I’d probably feel the same way if it was me in your shoes right now, because it easily could be. You’re not weak for losing against an adult.”

Ben bit his lip nervously. “But I-“

“We need you. You’re one of my best friends and nobody blames you for what happened,” Verna countered before Ben could form a proper argument.

“In the train you lot acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary when everything is!” he slumped against the couch and let the textbook fall into his lap. “I’m going to bed.”

With that, Ben got up and disappeared into the boys’ dormitory, his friends’ pleas falling on deaf ears. Verna looked at Charlie and Rowan.

“Maybe he just needs some more time…” Charlie mused.

“I think I was too harsh on him last year,” Rowan said. “I apologized though. In the train. We had a whole chat about it.”

“I’m glad,” Verna said with a smile. It hadn’t felt right, when Ben and Rowan weren’t on speaking terms.

“He just hasn’t had the easiest time at Hogwarts,” Rowan continued. “And all this business with the vaults… I think it has us all on edge.”

“Understatement of the year…” muttered Charlie.

“Well… It’s only the first day of it, we’ll have plenty of time to make more understatements,” said Rowan gloomily.

[yanderecandystore]

Can I have headcanons of how the bullies react to s/o that works in a cat maid cafe? Like they could be trying the new cat maid cafe that opened up recently to just see s/o wearing a maid outfit with cat ears and a cat tail bowing saying ‘welcome back master!’ Not realizing it’s the twins. What would they do?

I appreciate your thinking very much, as I myself really enjoy the maid x master trope 👀 (don't tell anyone else tho- lol). This sounds so much like an anime, God, I love it??

TW/Tags: this is kinda short, yet I would love to go off on how much I like the idea tho 👀 // mentions of possible blackmail/manipulation

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

Fortunate accident [Yandere!Bully OC x Reader - Headcanon]:

→ Alexandra Coldwell:

Oh boy, ain't this the most fortunate accident to ever happen in her life?? Oh dearest, this is rich! And to think she was almost going to miss you wearing that only because she thought "well, there can't be something too special about maid cafes, right?"

Your face while noticing what you just said, and to who you just said, was absolutely incredible! Red as a rose.

"- Oh- Uh-Uhn-" You were struggling to keep the character up, geez, why did she need to be here! This is terrible!

"- W-Welcome in mi-mistress!" You tried making a little cat pose, it didn't go well since you were embarrassed knowing exactly what Alexandra was thinking.

"- Geez, pathetic!" She whispered so only you could hear it, while giggling at how stupidly cute you look. She can't tell if she thinks you look ridiculous or if you look absolutely adorable greeting her like that. It does suit you a lot tho, the outfit, the greeting, the "mistress" coming out of your lips.

So fitting. She was going to enjoy every second of this.

You took her to her table, trembling as you took her order. Well, at least she is alone, wait!-

"- Oh, don't worry, I won't show anyone this video… Well, not yet at least." She took her phone out of her purse while you were taking her order. She decided to film you in your cutesy little outfit.

The video wasn't for anyone else but her, yet she decided to use it as a way to make you anxious. If you slip up or not do what she asks, she will show it to literally every single person in the academy.

Even the teachers. Even the principal.

You, of course, felt terrified. Making sure to take her order to the kitchen so she wouldn't wait too long. Maybe she would even leave sooner, right?

While you bowed down saying "I'll be back soon, mistress!" Trying to give her a smile even though she can tell her presence had shaken you. How sweet!

But, then she started to wonder- Were you like this to all people in this place? All the creeps that are here to see girls in tiny maid outfits bowing to them, were receiving this same treatment from you?

She doesn't think they deserve it. No, they don't deserve any of this at all. And how daring of you, to work in a place such as this. Did you enjoy it as much as the wondering eyes glued to these creeps faces? Maybe the job paid you really well for you to be wandering around in a miniskirt.

"- Hmpf! Unbelievable…." Well, it seems like this sweet occasion was starting to become sour. Alexandra is thinking about how every single person in this place has the privilege of being able to see you like this everyday after classes. How absurd!

When you come back with her order you notice her angry face. Oh well, here it comes-

"- Here it is, mistress!" You said while placing the cappuccino and a strawberry tart she had ordered. You expected her to laugh at you or even scold you for taking "too long".

Yet she only scoffed at you, as she was getting more and more irritated by the ideas clouding her mind. She didn't say anything to you or even looked at you to be honest, which caused you to think you did something wrong to make her this pissed off.

Although her mood was almost destroyed by her own jealousy, the rest of the day wasn't so bad, actually, it only got better from that. Seeing you act like that helped her ego a lot, this is exactly how you're supposed to treat her… And only her.

If all she needs to do to see you treating her with this amount of respect is to come see you in your job everyday after classes then she will totally do it. Unless you get yourself fired so you don't have to deal with her.

If that outcome ever happens, you know she could still use the videos and photos she took of you to blackmail you into doing what she wants, right? She could totally use a little kitty like you serving her stuff.

It would even be a lot more appropriate in her point of view. Having a private maid, away from all the prying eyes of the creeps around that place.

Can you imagine? Being in her room, treating her like the true princess that she is? Hell, she would even give you a little outfit to go with it, something a little more classy than the miniskirt you're wearing.

"- I could get used to this, how about you?"

→ Adrien Coldwell:

Oh. Ooooh, so this is where you work at?? This is probably the luckiest coincidence to ever happen to him. He wasn't all that interested in eating at this cafe to be perfectly honest, he thought it was a place for degenerates and weirdos.

But this?? This is absolutely delightful! God, there aren't many words in human vocabulary to express how much he enjoyed this situation.

Although his stoic face may hide his excitement, don't you dare believe for a second that he'll leave you alone after witnessing you in a tiny cat maid outfit.

He'll make sure to take your attention every second of the job. Ordering or saying how his orders are wrong, make you go back and bring something else for him.

He did it because A: it meant you would spend time with him, and B: because he hated how other customers were looking at you like you're a piece of meat.

How dare these imbeciles look at you in such a revolting way, when he is the only one that should be able to witness such a view?

Urgh, sometimes you really piss him off, you should know better than to be around smiling and saying "meow" to these creeps. What, you enjoyed this? Was the money really that good for you to place yourself so beneath?

"- Honestly, if money it's what you need, I'm pretty sure you could find something better and less ``'tacky ``. We do need a new maid in my house if you're so desperate." He scoffed at you. God, you look amazing, yet- How is he supposed to feel good about sharing your grace with strangers??

"- What-" The idea may have sounded foreign to you. Hell, it may even have sounded ridiculous! Can you imagine? Working for the Coldwells as a real maid?? Even though he bullies you constantly??!!

"- I-I not looking for a new job, master." You wanted to keep the character, but you're so taken back by his odd offer, that you almost vomited at the idea of calling him master again!

He would still dismiss your statement. Really? You wanted to continue your work here? Geez, you're so annoying…

I guess he should use a more convincing tool to make you see his point of view. He'll take pictures and videos of you serving other customers, doing the whole ``nyah`` thing you're doing. This is the best material for running someone's reputation that he ever got, honestly.

Who would've guessed? Little [Y/N] works as a cat maid at a cafe far away from the academy's area. He is surprised he was the only rich student to actually consider going out of their way to enter such a low ranked establishment.

Can you hear the jokes about furries? The constant looks of all the other students? Can you hear them whispering to each other? Can you hear people calling you "kitten" constantly?

Don't worry, because if you can't hear it, he sure can. Oooh, and how does he hear it! Two clicks and the evidence of you working at such a bizarre place will be all over his social media.

How about you put your training in practice and treat him with the utmost respect? Be sweet with your words and go get him one of those cheesecakes, because he'll be here throughout your whole shift, if not every single day after classes.

Unless, you accept his kind offer to work at a comfy mansion where no one else will see you working as a maid, ya know, choices! Life is all about choices, so take your time to consider them, dearest.

Honestly, he is already looking at the best maid costumes he can find. Maybe he should ask someone to make one for you, with the right proportions and class that a Coldwell maid deserves.

You fit the role so perfectly, you probably won't even notice a difference.

Although, of course, when he said serving the Coldwells, he in reality only meant him, so, ya know.

Don't be so surprised if you actually accept his offer, and all that you do all day is do his bidding.

"- I could get used to this, how about you?"

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

[everythingblreview]

Recommendation of BL games everyone should play Part 1

There are quite a lot of people who are into dmmd so it having probably the biggest BL game fandom in the West makes sense. However, many don’t know or don’t try to look for other bl games, so I wanted to make this recommendation list for everyone, who is into BL games but doesn’t know other games.

When I first started playing bl games in 2013 I, too, didn’t know any other games. Nitro+Chiral games are probably the most well known in the West, but there are so many games out there with such amazing stories and I want to encourage people to play them. So, let’s begin~

WARNING IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 DO NOT PLAY THIS (each game has or will have an English release and or an English translation)

Lamento ~Beyond The Void~

Before we drift away from the N+C zone, I want to introduce this game to those people, who still don’t know about it. Lamento is one of the older N+C games. It came out in 2006, but it still has the best story out of the four N+C games.

The game takes place in a fictional world inhabited by Ribika (who look like humans but have cat ears and tails). Their world has fallen into dark times -- a mysterious void has made some places (and even animals) impossible to touch, causing major food shortages. A strange and deadly disease that has killed off a large percentage of the female Ribika population is also spreading. The hero, Konoe, exists in this miserable world, living alone in the starving village of Karou who have turned to cannibalism. The story begins with Konoe in Karou, where he suddenly begins to see horrible dreams and strange marks appear on his body. This is believed to be a curse so Konoe heads off to Ransen (the big city) in order to heal his body. (summary from Lamento wiki) You can only play 3 routes (aka 3 guys to date) and there is no true ending. Lamento is the longest game out of all N+C game, probably even one of the longest games ever. Actually, at first I wasn’t too much into this game, because I don’t really like fantasy and cat boys, but the story is so good, the world building is fantastic, the art is beautiful and the soundtrack is one of the best. Seriously if you do not know the OST of Lamento what are you doing with your life? The BL part is nice but not the main point. Lamento is more about story and when you finally get to the BL part, you probably forgot that you are playing a BL game. But worry not, the story is interesting enough to keep you playing. So, if you are into fantasy, cat boys and/or just an interesting story, beautiful art and music, then this is your game.

2. Lucky Dog 1

Are you looking for a total sassy badass boss main character? Well then, this is your game. Summary: Life in jail is good for Giancarlo Bourbon del Monte. He doesn’t have to worry about responsibilities, life is slow, he’s friends with the guards… Best of all, he can get out whenever he wants since he’s the master at jailbreak. However, he’s also a member of Cosa Nostra CR: 5, and when 4 of the 5 caporegime are thrown into jail with him, he receives a letter from the Boss to break everyone out. If he succeeds, he’s the new Boss. If he doesn’t, well … he’s probably dead.  Hopefully, Gian will live up to his name as “Lucky Dog” and succeed! (summary by terracannon876.wordpress.com who is also doing the translation for this game) This game has everything: mafia, guns, cool characters, action, jailbreaks and of course boys love. You can play (date) the 4 captains, but let’s be honest - the best guy is Gian himself and his skill to destroy everyone with just words. The art may be off-putting for some (including me at the start), but you quickly get used to it in my opinion. I think the bright colors are a good contrast to the dark themes of the game. The music is top, I especially love the opening. The story is not that twisted like in other games, the goal is set from the beginning: Gian becoming the boss. If you’re into heavy themes and mafia this is a must. 3. Koshotengai no Hashihime/ Hashihime of the old book town

Ok first of all this has an English release, so where are the fans? Why is no one talking about this game? IT’S SO GOOD!

The story takes place in the Taisho Era in Japan, following our main character Tamamori, who failed to get into the imperial university and is now working in an old bookstore, spending his day writing his fantasy novel and talking with his OCs. However, when one of his best friends supposedly commits suicide, Tamamori swears that he will proof that his friend was murdered and catch the criminal. This sounds not that spectacular at first probably but trust me this story is so wild and bizarre that at some point you won’t understand what’s happening. In addition, the story is full of Tamas hallucinations, where you get dragged in crazy fantasy scenes. “Imagine taking drugs, but halfway you get scared and almost regret it, but the drugs are already kicking in and so you let go and have the fucking best time of your life” - summary by a friend Tamamori is a really fun character, he’s really stupid but at the same time a genius writer. And a power bottom There are five routes you can play with the first being the longest of all of them. After the second route the game will become chaotic to the point, where at the end you will question everything that has happened. The music is good and fits the story perfectly. The art is a strong point of this game and beautiful and not censored. So, get yourself some snacks and dive in this bizarre game. Question? Ask me anything 

[imnotwolverine]

The marriage pact - Baby talk

Henry Cavill x OC Alice - multi-chapter

< Part 13 | Part 14 Baby talk | Part 15 >

Disclaimer: reference to doing the naughty 🤭

Author’s note: Since I’m both on a wild writing spree and quite terrible at fixing my own grammatical errors / checking on word flow..do I maybe, just maybe, have some fic-readers on here who’d like to proof read my material before I post it? Anyone? There’s some 10-ish chapters left on this story, in case you wish to know how much work that’d be. Greetings from my writing nook! 🤓❤️

Word count: 1.349

(Link to my Masterlist)

Dear readers,

It is a time of many new beginnings, including the start of a search for a place of my own.

“Why move?” You may due-fully ask, to which I’ll answer; “Well, I need some darn privacy, okay?!”

Now, please do know that I definitely do not wish to nag. In fact my current living arrangement isn’t half as bad as I first presumed it would be. My parents are adorable people and my room hadn’t changed a bit since I left; and it sure is comfortable. Besides, it’s rather nice to have family around and be in a house full with life and laughter, the kitchen always smelling of freshly baked cakes and cookies, the living room buzzing with my dad’s classic rock.

But, being 37 and having a decent paying job and cares and wishes of my own, it simply is time for me to spread my wings and rebuild a life elsewhere. Which, once again, appears to be more difficult than I wished it to be, because apparently nice apartments are sparse on the Channel Islands.

Do you want more than a tiny shack which barely fits your bed and a dining table for four? Then you better have a fat check book or a whole lotta luck.

So yes, in my case; luck it is. Would you cross some fingers for me again?

Much appreciated,

Ali

‘Ooodoo-doo-doo.’ I cooed, squishing Kal’s furry cheeks between my grabby hands, the dog happily wagging his tail as Henry took the moment to clip a leash onto the Akita’s sturdy collar.

‘Going for a walk!’ Henry yelled into the back of the house, his parents probably enjoying some elevenses on the back porch, the grand seaside house quiet. Henry shrugged as no response came, his smiling face beaming at me. ‘Alright then, let’s go.’

Kal barked in excitement, jumping on all fours as I pulled open the front door, the morning breeze welcoming us with hot restless licks. Like it had become near custom, I would hook my hand around Henry’s arm, our footfalls perfectly in tune as we walked down the road, our eyes aimlessly wandering over the silver blue waves. It was nice like this. Simple, but nice.

‘Did you tell your parents about your plans to move yet?’ Henry asked, his voice near lost in the seaside wind that slapped us in the face - the beach was getting nearer.

‘Not really. You know how my mom is; she can get a bit overdramatic.’ I smiled, seeing the beach was quite busy this morning. Many children running cheerfully through the surf of the sea, their feet followed by equally cheerful women waddling with large, rounded bellies, promising even more to come. More children. More happy feet trailing through the wet sand.

Thankfully I wasn’t alone in my quiet stares, Henry squeezing my hand even closer to his chest, offering me a silent but affirmative; “I know, Ali, I can see it too.”

I sighed quietly and tugged on Henry’s arm, leading us down the sandy dunes until we reached a wood logged path, offering us some steady footing instead of having to work our way through the muggy sand. 

Kal happily sniffed around, making our pace far slower as we waited up for the dog every other step or so. ‘So how are you today?’ I asked, looking at Henry as he focused on Kal sniffing through some long dune grass. He clicked his tongue when the dog got a little over-excited, his nose digging into the plant. ‘Okay for now. Though not really looking forward to picking up travelling again. I mean. There’s some fun bits, but it’s also nice to be out here with…’ His voice trailed off as he looked at me with large loving eyes, the rest of his words unspoken. He smiled simply, satisfaction clear on his shaved cheeks.

‘I’ll miss having you around.’ I smiled, far less satisfied and more worried. Would this be the end of our little fling-thing again?

‘I don’t want this to end Ali.’ He said, halting us both and looking into my eyes, trusting Kal wouldn’t be digging up dirty diapers for this one important moment. ‘As much as I appreciate you telling me you’ll miss me..I don’t want that to be necessary. I hate it. And I’ll do anything in my power to prevent this from going south again. We’ve had enough practise now. Let’s..’ He licked his lips, locking hopeful eyes with mine. ‘..let’s make it work this time.’

—

Warm, strong fingers wrapped around mine, the doctor peering at us from over the tip of her glasses, her curious eyes studying Henry perhaps just a bit too much. Sure, it was not everyday that this superstar sinks down in your chair, because he and his ..eh..partner..want to learn about planned parenthood at a later age.

I had been rather quiet through-out the visit, having heard most of the info before, but Henry seemed to be more than a little prepared, asking a gazillion questions. He had been most excited when I had hesitantly proposed he could join me and now here we were. Once again in this tiny doctor’s office, the desk before us filled with leaflets and my notebook which Henry now eagerly used to jot down points we still needed to research.

We. Us. Me and him.

The very idea seemed so very surreal, that I was growing increasingly worried that we were in fact just continuing to build this crazy fantasy. Sure, we might be a good sexual fit. Sure, we were good at talking. Sure, we had quite a few shared hobbies and enjoyed the same things, wanted the same things. But what we didn’t have just yet was time together. And that is where I got a little anxious. I was not made for long distance relationships. I needed physicality, I needed HIM. And no matter what he’d do, it was more than likely that distance would come in between us.

But that was a concern for another moment.

Now we were here to talk babies. BABIES! Kids. Pups. Off-spring. Mini-me’s. And maybe, very maybe, mini-Henry’s. But we were yet to come to a decision on that. First we wanted to know all available options and discuss it thoroughly. We were together for one and a half month now. That was..nothing. That was…

His fingers squeezed more tightly around mine and I looked up, meeting those deep, warm ceruleans of his. ‘Looks like we have plenty to work through.’ He said, his voice surprisingly dark..almost..husky. Was he ..eh..aroused? I blinked for a moment, then quickly steered my attention back towards the doctor, who didn’t seem to miss the subtle hints that he sent my way. She raised a careful, slightly amused eyebrow, trying her best to keep a professional look on her face.

‘Yea..thanks again Doctor.’ I nodded, making sure we’d get out of there before he’d decide to ravish me right there on that tiny desk.

—

By the time we got to his parents place there was no time left for formalities - and how glad I was that his parents were out to visit some of their friends on that particular moment. We barely made it to the couch, our desperate hands tugging on clothes, lips firing heated kisses, no words or actual talk managing to get past our lips. 

It was more than a little apparent, that of all things that we were good at doing together, THIS was definitely one of them. As practised as our morning walks on the beach, so practised were our fingers as they dragged over hot, shivering skin, aching to be touched. 

‘We really need to..talk.’ I panted, feeling his hot breath in my neck, his five-a-clock shadow rubbing deliciously on my skin. ‘L-l.’ Henry groaned. ‘..Later.’ He rumbled, already digging down his pocket for a condom. 

Now there was one and simple conclusion to be made here: of all things that could get Henry hot and bothered, family planning MOST DEFINITELY was one of them.

--

General tagsquad: @harrysthiccthighss​ @tumblnewby @magdelen69​ @thereisa8ella​ @mary-ann84​ @darkbooksarwin​ @summersong69​

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Want to be added to or removed from the tag list? Shoot me a message!

[green-eyed-whumpster]

My OC Universe: Rowan 59

Chapter 59 Summary: Everyone thoroughly enjoyed Rowan taking William down a few pegs. Except William, of course. And it may have been the most beneficial time to snap. (Taggarinoes: @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi, @much-ado-about-whumping, @abitefullofeverything, @whump-me-all-night-long, @sky-or-something-idfk, @tears-and-lilies)

Trigger Warnings: Verbal abuse, dehumanisation, William throws a hissy fit

“My lady,” Cordelia said in a soft voice, breaking through the silence of the others, watching as Rowan curled in on himself in soft sobs. “This certainly does not sound like a creature who will support William or his peers.” The man in question was seething, unable to find any words and so simply growled at the boy in tears.

“Well, what do you suggest?” Marie whispered back. “Too many of the castle staff could recognise him here, especially because he is branded with William’s crest.” Cordelia murmured her plan under her breath to Marie, while Merek stepped in front of them to the two prisoners. “That was certainly a revelation,” He said interestedly. “Do you regret having tasked me with punishing him, now?” Rowan looked up as William snorted. “I regret not letting him die in that den of savages like I should have.” He snarled, spitting at Rowan. “I’m not even surprised.” Rowan gasped as his chest shuddered. “Of course, you were behind it.” “For your information, I do regret having had to do that,” Merek said to him. “He was quite insistent that you wouldn’t be able to function without him.” “You traitor!” William hissed. “You were nothing but a snivelling, spoiled child that cared about nothing but your own pleasure and how to maintain it.” Merek turned, spouting poison at William. “Our nation would have collapsed under your rule like a sandcastle at high tide. We needed a ruler who cared about the future, and was intelligent enough to undo all the damage that you and your father did.” 

Rowan could almost feel the nerves on his hip tingling. His scar had become just that, a scar, but he could still feel the pain as easy as remembering it. “Did you like seeing me scarred with your crest? Was it empowering, to know that among all your treasures and silks and other possessions, that you had managed to claim a person as your own as well?” William met his gaze with a wry smile and Rowan resisted the urge to scream. “It was, for a time,” He admitted, glancing away and shrugging. “Then I realised you weren’t actually a person, you were a pet. Humans have real emotions, personality, opinions. You were like a dog, licking at my heels and wagging your tail every time I gave you a pat.” 

It was true. Rowan didn’t want to admit it. Didn’t want to let William believe that he was right. Even though he was. “You made me that way –“ “You were like that when I walked into the cell you were cowering in! Whining like a needy animal and kissing my boots! I saw a pitiful creature in the barracks and they remained like that for the entire time they doted on me.” 

Marie watched the exchange and sighed softly, looking at where Rowan was resting, fresh tears welling in his eyes. A pitiful creature he was. But not through his own actions. She nodded to Cordelia and turned her attention back to the prisoners. “It’s incredible,” She began, moving out from the makeshift privacy of the corner to stand between them. “You have absolutely no friends left, due to your selfish and cruel actions, and you still decided to turn away the one person who may have still been under your spell.” William glowered at her and she shifted her shoulders uninterestedly. 

“I approached him before we put our plan into motion, and offered him a kindness completely foreign to him since he was first kidnapped. If not longer. And he remained a loyal little lover. Refusing me and swearing by you and after watching you both for longer than I would have liked before chaining you in your dungeon and leaving you to starve, I found it quite convincing that his feelings for you were legitimate. And you destroyed your final ally, the most loyal of them all, despite all the torture you put him through, purely in favour of your self-preservation.” 

Rowan suddenly realised that when she caught him in the servants’ hallway she was testing him, it was a test he had failed. He didn’t like being called William’s ally. He didn’t like having it mentioned that he truly did feel some sort of fondness for William, even after all the torment. “What use is an ally with no resources or skills?” William spat. “He’s too far away to suck my cock so he may as well be dead.” I hate you. “Company is a talent within itself when one is locked away. I’m sure he can speak for that. He tried to comfort you and console you while you were screaming like a petulant child and you respond by kicking him in the face. And degrading him even more.” 

William’s eyes were immediately drawn to the bruise over Rowan’s cheek, and he felt the distinct urge to do it again. But maybe, in the back of his throat, there was a twinge of regret. He was so unused to seeing those dark eyes of Rowan’s not looking at him favourably. A scowl looked positively out of place on his soft features. 

“You made our lives far easier, in fact! With your consort realising he despises the thought of you we have one less body to care for.” William and Rowan looked at her unsurely, the potential of what it meant could have been drastically different. But either way, Rowan would be put out of his misery. “What do you think you’re implying?” William asked tensely. “I’m saying that, without the potential for your lover to rally a rebellion, or garner sympathy for you, he’s useless to us.” This is it. I’ve always been useless, now I’m going to pay for it. “So, what? You’re going to drown him in a bucket like people do to puppies?” William asked, smirking at Rowan. “Oh, William,” Merek sighed, looking at the King in disappointment. “Don’t you pity me!” The man in question snarled and Rowan shook his head softly, seemingly the only one interested in his future as was about to be revealed by Marie. “Lady Thornback will be dealing with him.” She said once William appeared to be quiet for the moment. “I don’t care what it means, but she has assured me that it means I won’t need to think about him ever again.” Cordelia nodded and turned her head to the guards. 

Rowan felt his stomach flipping at the idea that he was going to be released into Cordelia’s care. After begging her for help, she would hopefully let him disappear into the throng of alley cats and street urchins of one of the neighbouring towns. Or even if she did kill him, it would surely be more kind than anything William would have earned them both. William watched in fury as the guards removed the chain from the loop it was resting in, allowing Rowan to lower his arms fully again. “He’s not that dangerous,” Cordelia offered, fingers trailing against her belt, were a slender knife was scabbarded. “I don’t think he needs the shackles.” William only became angrier as he watched the soldiers release Rowan from all forms of bondage. He had become a man with more freedom than the King had. “You can’t leave me here!” He roared. “Not while the whore goes free!” Marie offered him an indifferent glance before shrugging. “I don’t see why it matters,” She replied. “I thought you wanted him dead.” Rowan barely hid his smile as he struggled to his feet. “You can’t leave me here!” William repeated. “He is mine! You have no right to take him from me!” If he hadn’t been made explicitly aware of William’s complete disregard for him, Rowan might have thought it was through affection that William said that. Not just from the pure rage that not being in control was doing to him. “Try and stop him.” Merek chuckled. “Don’t worry, William, I’ll always be yours.” Rowan whispered, turning his gaze to him as his knees trembled. “You made sure of that.”

[captain-azoren]

From One Monster to Another

*inspired by @ultranos and their frontier psychiatrist ideas. This scene is part of my Spirit Forged story set during Korra's time. I won't give too much detail for context, but it involves my half animal spirit OC at a crossroads as he tries to find his place in the world and decide his future.*

"Why would I want to go back to being human?" Raiga asked with a violent gesture of his claws. Korra flinched subtly, but enough for the half-spirit to notice. "I'm one of the strongest beings on this planet. Stronger than any bender, maybe even stronger than you. I'm not human, not animal, not spirit... I'm more..."

"It's not about strength, Raiga," Korra replied. "Being the Avatar, having all this power, it's a responsibility, and it's caused me just as much suffering as happiness. How much better is your life now?" Raiga frowned and let out a low growl, his hair and fur bristling. "You might love this power, but it's had a cost, hasn't it? You're lonely."

"I don't care!" Raiga snarled as his tail lashed. "I don't need people, I don't need spirits! I've lived on my own this long, and I can live out the rest of my life the same way." He turned and looked out over the cliff, past the spirit world's horizon. Floating whale-like spirits flew lazily in the distance. "Even when I was human, I was alone. That's what I am. This is what I am, and I'm not changing that. You wouldn't give up bending or being the Avatar just so you could fit in."

Korra winced at his last remark. He was not wrong. "Alright, fair point. I'm not going to try and change you if you don't want to," Korra took a few steps towards the beast-man, his back still turned to her. "That doesn't mean you have to be alone. There are people who will accept you." Raiga let out a bitter laugh.

"Yeah right. Look at me, I'm a monster," Raiga looked at his clawed hands and sighed. "They all think I'm a monster, and they always have..."

"I know a few things about monsters..." Came a voice, brittled by age, and yet giving off a commanding presence. Raiga and Korra both turned to see a small figure emerge from the forest. An old woman dressed in red robes, her snow hair in a tight topknot. Her face was framed by two sleek bangs, her features sharp, and her golden eyes bright behind the wrinkles. She gave them a nod and a sly, subtle smile.

"Master Azula!" Korra exclaimed with shock before quickly giving her firebending sifu a bow. Raiga did not offer the same courtesy, narrowing his eyes at the old woman.

"You..." Raiga whispered.

"Korra, I hope you haven't been slacking off," Azula said as she approached. "You're lucky I was in the neighborhood."

"W-What are you doing here?" Korra asked in bewilderment. She had not seen Azula for over half a decade.

"Just passing through the spirit world on my way home," Azula replied casually. "Thought I would pay my uncle a visit, and he told me what's been going on with your furry friend there." The old master went past the Avatar and stood face to face with Raiga. She was positively tiny compared to him, and yet somehow scarier than the beast-man. "Avatar, would you give us a moment?"

"I... I remember you..." Raiga said. "You're the one with blue fire.

"You're a hard one to forget as well," Azula said. "What with being the lion-tiger man who wrecked my uncle's tea shop."

"Didn't think you'd still be alive."

"Death has tried to claim me many times, and I've always managed to outsmart it," Azula smirked. "Old age is harder to outrun though, unlike you. You've barely changed in decades."

"One of the perks of being a monster," Raiga said grimly as he eyed Azula. "Why are you here?"

"To talk some sense into you," Azula replied curtly as she moved around Raiga. She held her hands behind her back as she looked out over the horizon with them. "How much do you remember, back when you met Aang and my brother, and me?"

"Not much, but enough," Raiga answered. "I remember they didn't trust you. I'd heard bad things." Azula nodded.

"Some of what you heard was true, and they had every right not to trust me," Azula took in a deep breath and sighed. "I thought I was a monster too, once. Some would have agreed."

"You, a monster?" Raiga scoffed. "Don't patronize me. You might have been one of the strongest, scariest, and deadliest firebenders, but you're still human."

"Yes, I am," Azula agreed softly. "But I'm not human just because of how I was born, and just because you grew some fur and a tail doesn't make you less human." Raiga furrowed his brow.

"It's not just my body, it's my mind..." The half-spirit replied. "I don't think like a normal human. Maybe I never have."

"There are all kinds of people," Azula was quick to respond. "You may never meet someone who thinks exactly like you do, but you can't use that as a reason to cut yourself off from everyone. You're afraid."

"I am not-"

"Yes, you are," The firebending master interrupted. "You're doing all this because you're scared of being hurt. You want to escape that pain by driving everyone away, by becoming a monster." Raiga stared at her in stunned silence. Azula gave him a stern yet understanding glance. "I've tried that, to forsake my humanity so I wouldn't have to endure the pain of loneliness and rejection, but it isn't worth it."

"Then what did you do?"

"I got help," Azula answered simply. "From those who didn't give up on me, even when I was ready to give up on myself. I don't know if you've noticed, but Korra and her friends have been trying to help you too."

"They're just trying to control me because I'm dangerous."

"That's what I also used to think," Azula said softly. "It's hard to trust when fear has moved in. I know how difficult it is, but if you really want things to get better, you have to be brave. It's going to hurt sometimes, but you have to keep trying. The pain, the conflict, it proves you're still human, that you still have a heart. Don't throw it away."

Raiga listened to her, taking in Azula's every word. His pointed ear twitched as he contemplated his choices.

"I... I like this form," Raiga said. "I feel like myself, I don't want to give it up."

"I know," Azula said. "That's how I feel about my firebending. Some people wanted to strip me of it, but that power belongs to me. It is me. I'll never let it go, no matter how much it might frighten others. That's their problem. Still, if you're going to keep this power, you had best learn to wield it responsibly."

"Again with responsibility," Raiga huffed. "And what about all this?" He gestured to his face, adorned with rusty stripes on his cheeks.

"I'm afraid I can't offer you much advice when it comes to your appearance, but for what it's worth, you don't look half bad," The old master said with a cheeky smirk. "If someone won't accept you for the way you look, then they aren't worth your time., simple as that. I can guarantee you though, what a few would call beastly..." Azula held her palm open and a little blue flame ignited out of it. "...many more would call beautiful."

"Hmm," Raiga seemed to acquiesce. "What am I supposed to do though? Keep living in the woods? I can't settle down and have some normal human life in the city..."

"No one said you had to be normal. What you need is to find yourself a purpose," Azula began to say. "You're a unique creature, I think you can find an unfilled niche. I heard you've taken down some powerful spirits. That's not something just anyone can do. Even Avatars have difficulty with that." The firebender shot Korra a glance. The Avatar sheepishly looked away.

Of course, Korra was not the only Avatar who had clashed with spirits. Every Avatar before her had dealt with them, often very old and powerful, and always with great struggle. Being part spirit himself, Raiga seemed to be the only person Korra knew who could effectively fight spirits on their own terms without the same drawbacks Kuruk had suffered.

"More and more spirits have come into the physical world," Azula continued. "Many friendly, but many dark and dangerous. I think Korra could use a little help keeping them in check. Also, there will be more like you as humans and spirits cross paths."

"Like me?" Raiga asked with confusion.

"Spirit forged," Azula said with a nod of confirmation. "They may not all be as nice to look at as you, but there have been and will be others transformed by the spirits. Perhaps they could use some guidance, once you've found your own path."

"Maybe..." Raiga said, receding deep into thought. Perhaps he had just been overwhelmed and let himself get carried away. "Thanks for the talk. I think I'm good now."

"My pleasure," Azula said as she turned away and headed back for the path she had come from. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way home. My dum-dum of a husband must be worried sick, bless his sweet heart."

"You can get back to the Fire Nation from here?" Korra asked.

"Hm-hm, I didn't say it was the Fire Nation," Azula gave the Avatar a devilish smirk. "It was nice seeing you again, Korra. Let Zuzu know when you're ready to learn lightning and I'll be in touch."

"It was good to see you as well, Master Azula," Korra gave a bow and a salute, and Azula bowed back. The Avatar frowned as she came to a realization, "Wait, you have a husband?" Korra looked back up, but the firebending master was already gone.

*yes, I am alluding to my other main fic*

[silvermoongirl10swfics]

501st Legion OCs

Doc (CT-4153) - Medic. Doc has military regulation black hair and is clean shaven. Before the war, he was one of the medics responsible for training medics on Kamino. He trained Painkiller and Needle of the 212th. During training Doc became very protective of Needle, partly due to Needle fainting every time an IV or injection had to be administered. Seeing how close Needle and Painkiller became during training, Doc actually made sure they were assigned to the same battalion and he also used his sneaky skills in getting them both assigned to the 212th under Patch (his best friend from his own medic training). Doc appears mild mannered and calm. But if you mess with or hurt one of his ‘chosen’ baby brothers e.g. Needle, you had better run for your life. He is the living defintion/example of ‘never annoy the medic’. Once the war started, Doc could have remained on Kamino training the new medics, but he volunteered for active service and was assigned to the 501st. While he didn’t train Kix, Kix still finds it weird being the Lead Medic, so in charge of one of the medic trainers he knew on Kamino when he was training. Doc was named for all the historical dramas I watch and how every medic gets nicknamed Doc.

Jek ARC Squad of the 501st - the ARC squad I have added Echo and Fives to. This is the squad in the Vopak series Echo is a corporal of. There will be a reunion fic of Jek squad on Vopak. (I’m not sure if ARC squads exist in canon, but in the Vopak AU series they do now.)

Hefty (CT-5620) - ARC Sergeant of Jek squad. Bald with a scruff beard. Hefty has a tough guy persona, but if you are in his squad, you know he is really a softie. Has the bad habit of not sleeping or eating enough when he is stressed about an upcoming campaign or just generally worrying about his Jek boys. Once Echo and Fives were made ARCs, he snapped them up into his squad knowing they would be a good fit. Relatively quickly, he had Echo promoted to Corporal of the squad. He and Echo worked really well together and Hefty became protective of his little brother. After the Citadel mission when Echo was presumed dead, Hefty grieved the loss of his little brother, but carried on knowing he needed to help support a grieving Fives, just as Echo would have wanted. As the clones and Jedi left Coruscant Rex told Hefty that Echo was alive and was travelling on the Negotiator with Fives. In the privacy of his room, Hefty held onto a holo picture of the squad taken three days before the Citadel mission and cried because he was so happy that Echo was alive.

Quote (CT-1721) - ARC Corporal of Jek squad (was promoted after Echo’s presumed death). Quote is bald and clean shaven. He has two quote mark tattoos on his head above his right ear. His armour is painted in blue quote marks of varying sizes, he likes you to know who exactly he is if he is wearing his helmet. The front of his helmet has a single quote mark painted on it, covering top to bottom. The same is painted on the back of his helmet. He got his name in training because he quoted people and things he read, his batchmates gave him his name lovingly. After Echo’s ‘death’ and after Fives refused Hefty’s offer of a promotion to Corporal, Quote was promoted to Corporal and while he accepted his new rank, he hated it. He felt like he was replacing Echo, but he had looked up to Echo for the nine months he served with Echo (Quote became an ARC Trooper three months after the Domino twins). He also knew Echo would want someone who knew Hefty well to serve as his second-in-command of the squad and who would continue to look after the squad. Quote cried the first time he hugged Echo on Vopak.

Dace (CT-4135) - ARC Trooper. Dace has buzz cut black hair. He was the second member of Jek squad, Hefty choosing him personally. Dace didn’t mind Echo being promoted to Corporal, he actually laughed at Echo when he apologised for being promoted before Dace. Dace doesn’t care for promotions, apart from being given ARC Trooper status, he is happy at the bottom of the pecking order. He silently taught Echo how best to be Hefty’s right-hand-man and helped Echo and Fives adjust to being ARC Troopers. He was very proud of the Domino twins and also helped them with some of their chaotic schemes, privileges of not being a higher rank. When he heard about what happened on the Citadel mission, he hugged Fives and then went to the gym on the Resolute, where he punched four punching bags so hard they came loose from the chains holding them up. He was non-verbal for a week and then went back to his gruff self, if he was spotted keeping a closer eye on Fives, then nobody mentioned it. On his arrival to Vopak he kept a close eye on Echo, obviously reluctant to have the injured brother out of his sight. Dace laughed when Echo and Fives’ speeder ended up on the lake, happy to see the twins back to normal. The first time he saw Echo back in his ARC armour (that day on the lake) he cried.

Error (CT-5181) - ARC Trooper. Error has military regulation red hair and a red scruff beard. He was not named because of his hair colour, it was actually because every time he learnt something shocking, his facial expression would freeze, with wide eyes, representing/being a living embodiment of the error.code message you get on a computer. Error was made an ARC two months before the Domino twins and was transferred to the 501st, Jek squad from the 126th Battalion. He was so happy to have brothers the ‘same age as him’, as he had taken to calling Dace and Hefty the ‘goldie oldies’, which Hefty complained about, only because their armour was blue, not 212th gold.

Xerus (CT-2418) - ARC Trooper. Xerus has short blonde hair and is clean shaven. His batchmates are Patch and Fixer from the 212th. He loves that the 501st and 212th often work together as that means he gets to see his batchmates. While training on Kamino, he had initially wanted to be a pilot, but when he watched Commander Colt and some of the other ARCs train, he decided he wanted to be an ARC more than a pilot. After being assigned to the 501st and six months into the war, he happened to confess his aim to Rex while drunk. The next day, the Captain began training him and once Xerus distinguished himself in battle, he was given the official word that he was going to become an ARC Trooper. He liked Echo and Fives immediately and called them the ‘best of the 501st’. After the Citadel mission, he hid for the entire night on the Resolute when he cried himself to sleep. The next day, like Dace, he kept a close eye on Fives. Spent most of the journey from Coruscant to Vopak crying when he found out Echo was alive and travelling on the Negotiator. He and Tactless chose to live together on Vopak and live next to Fara and Quote.

Tactless (CT-2013) - ARC Trooper. Tactless has longish black hair he puts in a nerf tail. He became an ARC four months after the Domino twins. Originally from the 184th Attack Battalion, the same as Copy’s batchmates. He did not like Avid, Gloomy and Vex (Murk was the best of the four of them) and so Tactless may have rubbed in his ARC Trooper promotion and transfer to the 501st to the three Tango squad members. (He absolutely rubbed it in!) Tactless did not know Avid, Gloomy and Vex were the Cadets Echo and Fives spoke to about bullying Copy, once Tactless found out on Vopak. He would take the time, every day, to walk past Tango squad and would grin as he pointed to his ARC armour. As you may have guessed, Tactless is named Tactless because he does not possess a lot of tact. But I love my petty boy.

Fara (CT-6118) - ARC Trooper. Fara has military cut brown hair and has a scruff beard. Fara is the baby of Jek squad and is the most protected of the squad. Fara became a member of Jek squad two months before the Citadel mission, Echo took Fara under his wing and Fara hero-worshipped Echo. When Rex told Jek squad about Echo’s fate on the Citadel, Fara found a corner of the hanger and cried for a few minutes. After composing himself, he went to the ARC’s barracks and found Fives curled up crying on Echo’s bunk. Without saying anything Fara went and cuddled Fives for the entire night. Even though, thanks to Echo’s influence, Fara didn’t need to be watched over anymore, he let Fives be protective of him without a word. Four months before the end of the war, Fara was badly injured in a battle, Fives got him to Kix and then proceeded to have a meltdown in the middle of the Medbay. Once Fara was conscious he comforted Fives and pulled the older ARC onto his medical bed and they cuddled for the night. Once he heard Echo was alive, Fara spent the journey to Vopak smiling and helped Rex gather up pieces of ARC armour for Echo. Once he saw Echo, Fara hugged him tightly and was relucant to let Echo go. Once living quarters were chosen in the Vopak Temple, Fara and Quote made sure they lived next door to the Domino twins (Hefty and Dace lived on the other side of the twins). (Fara’s name was inspired by the lotr character Faramir.)

[novellaquill]

Starling: Starting Over

—

Drabble with OC!Batsis x Batfam

Summary:

Lerina begins to doubt her decision and doubts if she can make it on her own but with help from friends she starts to enjoy her new found freedom. However, an old friend may accidentally ruin it all.

Warning: This talks about depression, mental illness, and other serious topics. If these topics make you feel uncomfortable don't read. There is also cursing.

A/N: You finally get to see what she looks like and are introduced to a new character! Young Justice are mentioned.

—

“It’s all anybody wants, right? Clean slate. A new beginning. Like that’s gonna be any easier. Ask the guy pushing the boulder up the hill. Nothing’s easy about starting over. Nothing at all.”

― Meredith Grey

“Everyone has that moment I think, the moment when something so momentous happens that it rips your very being into small pieces. And then you have to stop. For a long time, you gather your pieces. And it takes such a very long time, not to fit them back together, but to assemble them in a new way, not necessarily a better way. More, a way you can live with until you know for certain that this piece should go there, and that one there.” ― Kathleen Glasgow, Girl in Pieces

—

I'm not going to lie this has been hell. My anxiety is skyrocketing,  I've never done this before. I spent nights wondering what my family would say if I ever saw them again. Would they be angry or disappointed? Who knows? Why should I care? I shouldn't, but I do. Dick's birthday is coming soon. I've never missed a birthday before what am I going to do? Will they survive without me? Of course, they will. Will they be okay though?  Again I ask who know? I shouldn't care, but I do I always will. Every day is a nightmare, it feels like you're on your own even though you have people to help you. 

— My best friend Shani gave me a place to stay until I got on my feet, but later on, we decided to become roommates since rent would be cheaper and she's basically my second sister. We got a four bedroom two bath apartment in Star Ciry. Honestly, we didn't need all that space, but Leilei insisted on having a place to sleep when she came to visit, and we both wanted a workspace. Shani mainly just wanted Leilei there so she could get free food whenever she came to visit, that vulture.

Now for the hell part, it's difficult to take care of yourself without having to take care of someone else at least physically. At home, I would remember to eat because I helped Alfred make breakfast for my household. Now I have to remind myself that I have to eat for me. Eating was necessary for survival just another task for me to do. It was hard to find the joy in anything especially when it's for myself. Oh, don't get me started on finding the motivation to do anything. Now that someone isn't relying on you it feels like you can't do anything or find to energy to do anything. When living is a chore with others, and now you're by yourself it feels like you're pushing a boulder up an unclimbable mountain. Maybe I should just go home? I mean what am I going to do out here? Really? Like what's the-"Okay get your ass up," Shani my best friend said dragging me off my bed and into the shower, "You did this at my old place you're not doing it here." "AH! SHIT, YOU SON OF A BITCH THAT'S COLD," I screamed as she drowned my body in the water. "Forget them Lerina you are a strong independent woman who doesn't need a man. Act like it! Now you have a degree in psychology if you saw someone acting like this what would you tell them to do," she asked dismissing the fact that her best friend is still in her clothes and in the shower having cold water pouring down on them. "I'm not a psychiatrist, but I'd tell them to go see one and get to get their life together," I answered pissed. "So what should you do?" "Yeah, I get it. Get out so I can take my own advice." "You're welcome bestie!" "I hate you." — Luckily I did see a psychiatrist. It's kinda fun to talk to him because of my background in psychology, I know the medical terms. I also received a new private doctor so it could be harder to track me. Together my doctor and my psychiatrist found medications that worked for me. Basically all the medicine I hoped to avoid I had to take. I'm on an antidepressant and medication for anxiety, but at least I don't have to take Adderall anymore. I used to as a child, and I haven't used it over a year. I'm officially off it now. I'm supposed to manage my stress, but I went ahead and got one of the most stressful jobs ever. I'm a neurologist! I originally went to school to be a psychiatrist, but that wasn't my calling. I continued the course then switched it to neurology I still love psychology and use the knowledge I learned to read others and give advice from time to time. Let's be honest, it's easier to fix someone else's problem than to fix your own. I didn't want to set a bad example for my patients. It took some time to job hunt and to get the okay from my doctors, but I finally started working. Life has its ups and downs I know that now and after three months my life is coming together. Maybe just maybe I can do this.

—

That naive little fool. Did she honestly believe starting over would be that easy? In only three months as well? Ha! She’d have better luck seeing Jesus and watching hell freeze over with him by her side. Did it not occur to her that her younger siblings would indeed look for her? Oh yes, the batclan began to search for her whereabouts two weeks after she went disappeared and haven't ceased searching since. I bet you curious to why it took two weeks for the clan of vigilantes to look for their missing bat. Well, it all started two months and a week ago. --

Tim noticed Lerina's disappearance the second he entered the Batcave. There was no welcome home kisses, bone-crushing hugs, or dinner. No questions about the mission after being dragged into the infirmary. There was nothing but the pained groans from his fellow vigilantes and the sounds of the keyboard used by Bruce. Tim looked at Jason and Jason looked back a Tim. It was if they shared the same mind that moment, they knew for a fact without a single doubt something was wrong with their sister. "Hey, Alfred did you see Lerina anywhere," Jason asked while getting a bullet wound stitched up "I'm afraid I haven't seen Miss Lerina at all during my return," the butler answered. "She's probably in her bedroom," Dick proposed, "Doesn't she have a board meeting tomorrow?" "Indeed she does but-," "I am certain that Oriel is alive and well," Damian interrupted unbothered by his butler and older brothers' concerned tone. "I didn't know you cared Damian," Cassandra said while putting away her gear, "I don't I believe we should consider taking the time to appreciate the beautiful silence her absence has brought us," he replied with a smirk. "If Lerina isn't here it's for a good reason. Now I want Tim-" "Bruce I'm pretty sure Lerina is missing," Tim interjected. "Nonsense Drake, Oriel is most likely working on father's business files and if not she's with her grandmother. Do Not disturb her I'm enjoying the silence," Damian sneered leaving the group. -- That's how it was for the entire time she was gone. Jason, Tim, and Alfred started their search immediately, however, the others didn't decide to join until 3 weeks later Kamalei complained about not seeing her granddaughter, even if that was a lie. It was then when the police, the league, and young justice were notified of her disappearance. There wasn't even the tiniest unit of dust to point them in the right direction but they continued to search losing hope until someone got a text. "That was Wally," Dick explained as the other began to suit up, "He saw Rina in Star City."

-- "Did you see the news today Rina?" "Oh yes, 'No it's true I am the real Lerina Oriel-Wayne' please," Lerina mocked the latest beauty queen who pretended to be her, "Another demented fangirl craving fame and fortune."  "Yo, but did you see how much money your family was willing to lay down for your return? Nearly fifty thousand dollars! Hell, I'm willing to put lipstick on a pig for that much money," Shani exclaimed powerless to hide the shock that trekked across her body. "Only fifty thousand? A pity I thought I was worth more than that," she shrugged entirely unbothered by the amount of reward money her family was willing to spend for her retrieval. "However, what is worrying is if someone recognizes me and reports back to my family. Are you certain it's safe for me to be out in public?" "I'm sure, you don't stay out long enough for the public to remember what you look like and thanks to papa Bruce's neglection he doesn't have any recent pictures of you. Relax, you're in the clear." Shani responded in a laid back tone, "Now let's go get some coffee-SHIT!!" "What," the older woman questioned, "What's wrong?" "It's Wally he's here! He heard everything and he's coming right at us, RUN!" You didn't have to repeat yourself to get the oldest Wayne to run as if a demon was right on her tail but as a regular human, it's impossible to outrun a speedster. Within a second a livid red head blocked their path. "Wally hi. How's everything with Artemis?" "Don't play that with me Lerina you have a lot of explaining to do,' Wally growled taking off with the pair. -- "That's it? That's why you dropped off the face of the Earth?!" Wally shouted his rage scorching the air. "What do you mean "that's it', Lerina argued, "That's a great reason." "You couldn't have left a note?" No, because I didn't want them to find me!!" "Listen Wally," Shani began getting the attention of her best friend and the speedster, "You're not really being fair-" "HOW AM I NOT BEING FAIR!?" he screamed, "The league, Young Justice, her own family are currently killing themselves to find her thinking that she's in some sort of danger only for me to find out she abandoned them! How am I being unfair?" "I didn't abandon them I left to-" he cut her off, "You left to spite them." "I left because if I stayed they would use that 50 grand to plan my funeral," she snapped her response draining the color from Wally's face."W-w-what?" he stuttered unable to get the words out, "I left to save my life, Wally, I would've killed myself in that house," she said voice cracking, "I didn't leave a note because I didn't want them to carry the burden of knowing nor did I want to face them ever again." He sat down on their couch head lowered and fingers running through his red locks, "SO what am I supposed to do, huh? I already texted telling them I saw you here. They are on their way if they aren't already here." "Well, you don't have to tell anyone you found us," Shani stated. Wally's head snapped up, "Are you saying that I lie to them?" "No, I'm just saying-" "I know what you're saying and it's still a lie. Asking for me to lie to my best friend and the bat clan is one thing but the team and my girlfriend too? You've got to be kidding me." "Artemis already knows. You can't be in Star City without one of its vigilantes finding out," Shani explained "Listen," Lerina said sitting next to him, "You can tell them I was here but by the time you come back I'll be on the next flight somewhere else. Why? I finally made a life where I'm not numb and I can live my life to the fullest. I'm not sacrificing my happiness or my health for anyone. Not anymore. Now you don't have to keep my secret I'm not going to ask you do but if you do I know a senior citizen who is always willing to fill that bottomless pit you call a stomach." Wally sighed putting his face in his palms, "He's my best friend, Lerina you can't just-" "Shh let's talk about something else, how are you and Artemis doing," she questioned. The only response was a groan. -- "Are you absolutely sure you saw her?" Nightwing questioned looking over the city. "You saw the picture I sent, it was her," Kid Flashed answered in monotone. "But?' he asked turning to his glum friend. "There were too many people around during a rush hour. I couldn't catch up." he said sighing in defeat. Nightwing didn't show it but he was distraught and Wally knew this but a new feeling of hope also filled the blue vigilante’s heart, "It's fine man. Thank you for notifying us, we'll keep looking in that area during the time she was last spotted to see if we can find a pattern. Then we'll branch out to the rest of the city. I'm sorry for all the trouble." "Yeah," Wally said as a mixture of  relief and guilt  settled in his stomach, "I'm sorry too."

--

~Novella Quill

[dreamstorym]

A few artists that I follow are jumping on the world-building train and I thought I would too! I've been wanting to share some species lore on centaurs for quite some time but just haven't gotten to it.

What you are about to read applies to centaurs in my universe, you may use my lore but please remember to give credit!

This has proven more difficult than I had anticipated though...

Anywho, if you can get through this upcoming word vomit, I hope you enjoy!

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

Centaurs are a demi-human race with the upper body of a human and the lower body of an animal though, this is not limited to horses. This lore post is primarily referring to horse centaurs.

The hair on their head is usually the same color as their tail. A centaur’s lower body varies in the same color patterns of any horse from base colors of bay, chestnut, black to duns, appaloosa patterns, roans, champagne variations, pinto patterns, and greys. The hair on their body tends to gently fade out when meeting with their raised torso. Most Centaurs' upper bodies are hairless, excluding facial hair and the hair on their heads. Few male centaurs have chest hair.

Centaurs are herbivores; Their diet mostly consists of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and eggs. Meats are hard on their stomachs.

They particularly love anything salty and adult centaurs love wine.

Biology -

The average height of a centaur is 8.8 ft. but heights can vary drastically between different subcultures, genders, breeds and species. So it's not really an average.

The average lifespan of a centaur is 70-100 years of age. They are commonly air longevity is caused by and toned their diet and healthy lifestyle.

If a Centaur were to gain too much weight, they wouldn't be able to wipe their own bottoms after using the toilet.

There are many different kinds of centaurs: Ponies, deer, zebras, horses, donkeys, ponies, etc.

There are also more mythical variations such as unicorn centaurs, aka Centicorns. Scientists aren't entirely sure if there are pegasus and alicorn centaurs though.

The following terminology is used to describe centaurs of various ages:

-Foal: Offspring of either sex from birth to 4 years old

-Colt: A male centaur from the age of 4 to 17 years of age. Yep, it's a pretty wide gap

-Filly: A female centaur from the age of 4 to 17 years of age.

-Mare: A female centaur 18 years and older

-Stallion: A male centaur 18 years and older

History -

For centuries, centaurs were a violent, militaristic race that lived around the art of combat. While Stallions developed into being muscular, vulgar, violent beasts who only saw raw strength as valuable, Mares favoured technique and became refined, though prideful, warriors.

When they were first discovered by humans, they were quickly enslaved

In history, they were mostly unconsidered as humans in society and were commonly treated like enslaved farm workers and mounts.

In later years, they took deep pride in the art of archery. Colts often used it as a way to show off their skills and strength in front of potential mates.

Centaurs also served as soldiers and knights. They also continued to work on farmers even when they weren’t in captivity.

Clothing -

Now, the age old question: Should Centaurs wear pants? And if they should, how would they put them on? Well, for all of you who have been wondering and still haven't gotten your answer, this video(youtu.be/n5ESSI2U48g- you only need to watch till 0:22) demonstrates a centaur filly successfully putting on her pants.

Centaurs commonly prefer to online shop for their clothing because shops that tailor to Centaurs aren’t very common.

Centaurs can wear tops from any store as their upper bodies are human and they can therefore fit human shirts and jackets..

The most common choice when it comes to bottoms are shorts and skirts as they still offer enough liberty to run, unlike pants that cover the joints and dresses that they may trip on

For horseshoes, the most common, everyday material is rubber. Elders and more old-fashioned centaurs may wear metal horseshoes and there are gold horse shoes for special occasions. Centaurs are also capable of wearing special centaur boots that come up to the knee.

Centaur Equestrian -

The sport of Centaur Equestrian is much more popular nowadays that regular equestrian.

Equestrian is very common and more popular than traditional equestrian. Most Centaurs get into sports when they’re young and compete in teams of 2, the mount and the rider.

Riders and Mounts generally tend to be in close relationships such as best friends or lovers.

Equestrian organizations are very wary when it comes to teams made up of an adult and a minor and generally don’t allow such combinations. If a team like that were trying to compete, they would organize an investigation to look into the matter and make sure there was no slavery or traficking invovled.

Though these sorts of situations are more common when colts or fillies are involved, they still may organize investigations for suspicious activity even when two adults are involved.

There are 3 subcultures of Centaurs: Stags, Countryfolk, and Wilds

Stag Customs-

One of the questions I'm most frequently asked(for Special Week in particular) is: Can I ride her?

The answer is a big, fat NO! Stags see the act of riding(especially bareback) as a sacred thing, as sacred as sexual intercourse. If word got out that a Stag was bribed into letting a biped ride them bareback, they would be labeled as a whore or a pimp.

They believe that only a bipedal spouse should be able to ride bareback and if riding for sport, there must be a saddle separating the rider and the mount.

Stags are the most domestic, civilized, and modern of the centaur subcultures. They are the smallest subculture of all the groups.

Males are required to wear bottoms to cover their manhood(if they don't want to go to jail).

Females are a different story though. If a female's tail is long and voluminous enough to cover her womanhood, she is not required to wear bottoms. Though if her tail is cut short or her menstrual menstrual period is on, she will then wear bottoms., usually pants.

Most stags work as soldiers in the military, compete as as equestrian athletes or in centaur pageants, or join a breeding program and mares may become wet nurses. They do perform modern jobs as well.

Countryfolk Customs-

Countryfolk are more southern, traditional centaurs. They are the largest subculture of the Centaur race.

The countryfolk filly shown is @hubedihubbe 's OC, btw.

Now as for countryfolk, they don't see riding as such a big deal. In the country, any biped can ride as long the centaur is okay with it.

Countryfolk commonly live on farms in the countryside.They usually work as farmers and/or pull wagons and carriages.

Centaurs from this subculture make up the majority of the athletes in the centaur equestrian circuit, especially in rodeo.

They wear shirts and other tops but go bottomless. They most commonly wear old-fashioned metal horseshoes.

They are firmly set on traditions of hard work and can be pretty stubborn at times and look down upon beings who are lazy.

Countryfolk and stags don't primarily get along as they live by different values and beliefs. Countryfolk scoff at the stuck-up, hoity-toity stags that become lazy and too domesticated.

Countryfolk courtship traditionally involves gifts. As they value the harvest, gifts tend to be flowers or food. To give a present you grew or made yourself is a very meaningful gift indeed. Centaurs in love may bake treats, write songs, arrange bouquets, plant gardens or build houses-- all specials gifts for that special somebody that's caught there eye!

Wild Centaur Customs -

Wilds are, as their name suggests, wild centaurs. They're the second largest of the Centaur subcultures in the world.

Wilds are somewhat hostile towards outsiders who aren't centaurs, especially scientists.

The knowledge that is currently known about Wilds is commonly provided by centaurs who grew up in wild herds but then became Stags in adulthood.

They greet others with subtle nods and gracious bows to the highly admired.

Wilds wear no clothing at all, not even horseshoes but mares and fillies wear clothing on their chests to reduce movement if needed.

The wild filly shown up above is an example of the varied results that often occur between Centaurs as of result on a very wide gene pool. She is partially based off of Pocahontas and Rain from Spirit, you know, the horse movie about the wild mustang.

Wilds live in nomadic herds of 5-30 centaurs. The leader is the strongest of all the stallions and he protects the herd. The lead mare(either the lover of the lead stallion or the strongest mare) leads the herd and chooses locations.

Being the biggest and strongest, the leader has first pick when it comes to mares. Mares have the chance to decline if not interested, thought this rarely occurs.

Wilds encourage rogues and lone centaurs that may be roaming about to join their herds. They encourage the new blood and genes that the new centaurs bring.

New Stallion members are allowed to challenge the leader for his spot. They compete in a series of challenges and duels and the winner becomes/stays the leader.

If the new member loses, he is allowed to stay within the herd but most stallions don't in order to avoid embarrassment and hostility.

Male and female members of most herds may go as they please and some herds even allow them to return.

Wild herds do not have schools and fillies and colts are taught how to survive in the wild by an appointed instructor within the herd.

Mares most commonly find the strongest, largest stallions as the most attractive(usually the leader), though--as with all races--there are obviously different preferences between different mares.

Weddings -

Traditional Centaur weddings are very similar to modern ones. The slight difference is that instead of rings, the bride is given a headpiece and the groom receives an ear cuff that is permanent unless the couple should divorce.

Centaurs from all the subcultures usually incorporate these traditions in their ceremonies.

If there is a marriage within a wild herd, the honeymoon consists of the herd running behind the bride and groom as they choose different routes and locations.

A traditional honeymoon for countryfolk and more adventurous stags will consist of trekking in the countryside. Going camping, unplugging from electronics, living on the land for a few days. Going back to the roots of their wild ancestors. They usually have some sort of guide accompany them.

Most upper-class stags go for the traditional honeymoon of a cruise or going to a resort.

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

Well that’s all for now folks! I enjoyed doing this and if you got through all this info, thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed!

If you still have questions, feel free to ask something you may not be sure about in the comments!

If you have a race that you’re interested in knowing more about, write in the comments your suggestion for my next lore post!

[universal-kitty]

.: NatsuShio: The OC/Canon Ship That Ruined My Life :.

(In the Best Way)

@supernatural-cat98, get buckled in.

   Let’s start with how I started. An Okami OC.

   Her name is Shiori, but her full name is Shiorigami, a brush kami OC for the game Okami. Once an adoptable from DeviantArt, I made her into a fully-fleshed out character fit for the game. Sure, she’s an usual hybrid (nekotori; cat body, but with tail feathers like a small peacock), but she’s the kami of Poems and Literature. She’s got social anxiety and a thinly veiled reference to autism, as she is stunted to everyone, including her extensive family...but writing is where she blooms.

   Fiction, biographies, history, poems of all kinds... If it’s writing, she’s happy. It protects her and makes her happy, even when she fears she isn’t a good enough brush kami. Even if her powers are an inky echo of her mother’s.

   She once had short hair. She once loved a Lunarian named Kazuki... A scholar of the Moon Tribe, during a period of tension and war between his people and the Celestials... Shiori’s people. Despite it all, they truly did love each other, despite never admitting it out loud. He was gifted a scroll of poems he inspired her to write. He gave her a golden necklace- almost collar-like- with the symbol of the Moon Tribe engraved on the back.

   ...He would end up dying in a slaughter done by the evil the Moon Tribe had summoned. Those who fled to the mortal world to escape the war becoming the only survivors. Kazuki was gone...and left Shiori not only with a deep depression, but also with a fear to care for anyone who was mortal.

   Who could die and be ripped from her grasp, just like Kazuki had.

   Her hair grew out over the years (faceclaim: Suiren Shibazeki from Hibi Chouchou), protected by her mother to ease her pain of the death of the one she loved most...and in the years after the events of Okami, would stay either in her room on the Celestial Plain or occasionally live on the mortal world, in a small house to herself among a forest not too far from Ryoshima Coast.

   And so. It would be this starting point for a fateful meeting...

   Natsu Dragneel. Specifically, burningheartdragneel, my roleplay partner. (To my Shio, @goddessof-poems.) He met Amaterasu first, having somehow...gotten himself a little universe-lost. Befriending her was easy; both liking to fight, both loving to eat... It was easy for them.

   Yet he poses an interesting challenge for sweet, quiet Shiori. Little bookworm, easily forgets to eat at all, and isn’t much one for the adventuring scene, like her mother or Natsu.

   ...However, it’s because of her Natsu learns the joys of reading; specifically, an adventurous story of fiction Shiori had written some time before. He makes a small, but decent meal for the forgetful Shiori, ensuring she eats...and even motivates her to get out of her home, taking him to show off Ryoshima Coast and her own Water Tablet that Amaterasu gifted her.

   It’s our current roleplay and a still on-going one, but we came up with so much more as we talked over Discord. They will slow burn their way, but us? We know how the path goes....and we ended up falling in love with a pairing of our own creation.

ExoticGeneral: Ah gods I love this! Especially since Shiori isn't the kind to stop her work to eat or anything Natsu would at some point bring snacks with him and probably feed her (and he hardly likes sharing either) because somebodies is gonna have to be watching over her. But if he woke up with her all beside him, he'd be pretty flustered about it. Plus as an added bonus he always oddly warm, which makes for good cuddling in the winter/chilly days. :3c Yeah, he'd probably be more careful with her because even if she is a brush good she's just so fragile. He'd probably bond with her relatively easy though since he's always been a cat kinda guy? But yeah, demon hunting would be a big no-no while she was around. No need to try and scare her away. But I thought about that heat headcanon thing would be funny cause I can't see either making the first move ever! xD

Aki: Oh gosh, yeah. Shiori's the type for "skinny love" situations, where it's almost painfully obvious she loves the person, but if nobody acts on it, then it's this firm stalemate. Tbh, she'd likely only "confess" if he got really hurt and she was scared for him....but even then, it's confusing for the oblivious bc-?? Was that a confession? What if it wasn't????

ExoticGeneral: But god a confession like that would be hilarious cause it might just go over his head! He'd probably just grin like an idiot, being all like 'Thanks that means a lot' and playing it off as completely platonic possibly. He may be bold in everything else, but love is something he's actually insecure about considering his first girlfriend died, his mom, like three of his dads and his brother wants to murder him.

Aki: Ommmmggggg. She'd probably laugh a little and keep trying to tell herself it's better this way, bc like...... (And this is what kills me) She'd rather have a friend in him than nothing at all bc of rejection so she'd start spiraling down and try to keep upbeat even though she keeps thinking about it and getting guilty bc what if he only wants them to be friends???? What if he didn't like romance at all?? She doesn't want to push him away from her..... She'd rather suffer years of not having him love her back then lose him. (And re-reading this..... Ouch on the death of the first girlfriend. Shiori knows that pain.... Except slightly more painful that she also never confessed to the guy and lost him to the slaughter of the Moon Tribe.)

ExoticGeneral: AKI DONT They'd both end up suffering because they're shy potatoes who can't convey their feelings properly for the life of them! It wouldn't even get better cause she'd only start going down hill after a while and he'd more than likely notice but not realize he's the problem in a way and FUUUUUUCCCKKKK

Aki: HAHAHAHAHAA, YOU'RE TOO LATE; MY POWERS HAVE BEEN REALIZED She'd actually manage pretty well for awhile, being oblivious, but then the feelings would start and that very emotion would be her downfall. Because then what are you supposed to do when you want to hug your "friend" for no apparent reason and just...stay there? That you wouldn't mind if he stayed over all the time and got to sleep with him, because that's when the nightmares kept away from her? (And even if they did show up, he was there to comfort her...) She's an absolutely wreck after awhile and keeps spacing out and begins to screw up and she's like a black hole collapsing in on itself and it hurts so bad to watch

ExoticGeneral: STAHP YOURE HURTING MY SHIPPER HEART BEFORE THE SHIP ACTUALLY EXISTS That blackhole though, like how do you even fix that??? Because the closer you get to her the more it's probably hurting her and you could confess but getting closer is what caused it to progress. HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOUR SHIT WHEN YOU'RE THE PROBLEM!?!? Your making me emotional and it's only like 8 in the morning, I don't want to start my day sad already!

Aki: Shiori finally breaking down in front of Natsu though. Like, it was a little trip over a tree root or something and she says, "O-oh, n-no, I'm fine...." But Natsu's just-??? No you're not, you're crying. Why are you crying? What hurts?? And from there she starts bawling and Natsu is awkward but tries his best. He also has little to no idea what she's saying pass those sobs of hers, but oUCH PAIN EVERYWHERE. Then- awhoop- right out of that sobbing mess comes a pretty clear confession, whoo boy--

ExoticGeneral: But HOLY SHIT when a confession happens he'd get flustered. To the point of constant figgeting and just a permanent blush would cover his face. He'd probably end up staying silent, then just start crying and fuck me up. The first confession of his life??? hE WAS NOT READY FOR THIS BUT IS TOTALLY ACCEPTING OF THIS! She'd get to see an entirely new spectrum of him though when he gets all soft-hearted and actually reveals his romantic side???

Aki: Shiori's equally as flustered and waiting to please just collapse in on herself and cease existance....and then once she realized she didn't fuck things up, she's crying with him and so much affection????? Oh no, the cutes. Cutes everywhere. Also Shiori is a huge sap and she's going to love that. But now he has to deal with his cute new goddess gf blushing whenever he smooches even just her cheek. Or holds her hand. Or snuggles up to her..... When he breathes LMAO, Jk...~

ExoticGeneral: THem crying together. THat thought just gives me life cause they're just two mushy emotional destroyed people atm. Just I don't even know who would actually recover first at that point, maybe Natsu, and just give her the longest most affectionate hug he's got in him. This relationship ain't gonna last long, give it like a week and he'll probably die from a cute overload. He'd try to pamper her a bit (though he wouldn't know how really) and just take her out to star gaze and do some silly things. But holding hands??? Like that's really lewd ya know.

Aki: Yeeeaaaahhh, he probably would. Shiori's trying to calm down, but those silly tears won't stop~ But she'll still snuggle close when he hugs her and hug him back. AH. AAAAAAHHHHHH. Natsu coming back to her place after that little event and suddenly, her new greeting is, "Welcome home," with a bright smile. Natsu kneels tf over bc cHRIST DID HE JUST HAVE A HEARTATTACK?!?!?!??

   Oh yes. We had a LENGTHY talk about their confession... But is that all? Of course not!! We’ve also had conversations about...

   Sleeping habits:

Aki: Oh man, and if she woke up to that racing heart of his.... All sleepy and concerned and it's right out of a romance novel and someone help Natsu bc death is rapidly approaching

ExoticGeneral: And the thing is that's one of his quirks. Like his way of saying 'I think I like you' IS sleeping at there house a lot more often. TO the point where it's just an everyday exerpeince and it's only weird if he DOESN'T show up one night.

Aki: !!!! Natsu being late one night and he's surprised bc it's late as fuck but there's Shiori, obviously tired and ready for bed, but unable to sleep because she'd gotten used to sleeping with Natsu and his warmth. (He has to pull confidence and fake cheer before he's allowed to start dying in the darkness of her room; that was so fuckin' cute and she was holding onto that little cat plush and she looked so lonely jfc whAT THE FUCK that level of cute is illegal in all the states and all of the worlds and timelines, bYE)

ExoticGeneral: But I can totally see that! He just kinda pushes open her door and it's like 2 in the fucking morning. The conflicted feelings he must have though knowing that when he walks in there he's gonna suffer for a few hours or more but is like 'fuck ing worth it.'  (She needs to tone it down because if the guy who lives to fight wants to SNUGGLE then there's a problem. No one man, goddess or not, should be allowed to have so much power!)

Aki: She's just more than happy to see him bc dang it, she couldn't sleep without him...and the second she's comfy and curled up against him? Boop. Out like a light. (Plot twist: her real power is being cute as hell. Her cuteness so strong, who needs weaponry?? Flutter those lashes, tilt her head... If she has the ears and feather tails out? B y e. You're dead now. Sorry, don't make the rules.)

ExoticGeneral: JEEz THOUGH! Not being able to sleep without him! Now all of a sudden he becomes like a necessity for a proper nights sleep, or any at all really. (But that's one way to competely get to him. Sexy? Pfffft, he can ignore that most of the time. Cute, fucking slay him okay? Just 'Here lies Natsu, rest in pieces' and fuck she's a cutie!)

Aki: I mean.... He could be a mean little one and let her pass out once it becomes too much, but there's also the huge implication that Natsu actually sorta gets her on a sleep schedule?? Something she usually doesn't have at all???? When Natsu's getting snuggled up in the futon, it basically becomes a sign of, "Oh, time to stop for today and sleep." Reverse alarm clock, Natsu is. Getting a certain poetry goddess to bed rather than waking her up (or keeping her up, as is). (Shiori perfected the cute ability. Cute traits that'd be passed down for generations. Flirting-but-not-flirting, the ultimate technique. How will poor Natsu ever survive?!?)

   Dinners with Mom Amaterasu:

Aki: Meet the parents? More like, "Forget that formal stuff! Let's go out and eat dessert before dinner!!!!" Because Ammy doesn't really do formal anymore and why not just....use the time for the better?? Like eating???? Not to mention, then she can embarrass the two like, "Now you gotta feed each other. Do it, do it, do it~!!" Ammy is a gr8 mom, as you can tell

ExoticGeneral: Well I don't think it could happen. I think Ammy and natsu met because he tried pelting her with water ballons. There is no need to be formal after that! But I can see Ammy rigging everything somehow. Just like ordering milkshakes for all three but 'accidentally' forgets one so she gets a whole one while Natsu and shiori share. with coincidentally two staws.

Aki: "Hmmmm, would you look at that.... Strange." Casually drinks at her own like NBD--  And that's true!!! No formality exists here; there's only the two dorks and the shy poet, who's more than happy to be the little side-line cheerleader for their antics. (Unless they're questionable. Then she's worried and trying to get them off of the idea. Probably crit. hits Natsu by being cute.)

  The time I almost wrote in our RP that Shiori was gonna kiss his cheek....and they’re not even CLOSE to dating, oh boy:

Aki: .....It suddenly occurs to me that I want an aesthetic made of NatsuShio.............

ExoticGeneral: I'm laughing. This isn't a pairing (Yet) and you're like grabby hands

Aki: Hey. Hey. Compare this to the time I almost wrote in Shio kissing Natsu's cheek waaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy too early, and a little aesthetic ain't that bad~

ExoticGeneral: You know if you had wrote that slip up I would have went along with it too. It would have been a hilarious mess.

Aki: LMAO. Even Shiori would be confused like, "......I have never before in my LIFE ever done that.... Why did I do that now?!?" This is the Sims and I am the tru god and their lives are my pLAYTHINGS

ExoticGeneral: He would have stopped everything for a solid 5 minutes then continue like it didn't happen. If you don't react it's like it never happened, right? I mean that's how we do it anyways. We make them suffer cause it's fun

Aki: Plot twist, though...... Isn't even freezing considered a reaction?! So by freezing he thinks he didn't react, but the act of freezing up is a reaction in itself......!! YOU'VE BEEN PLAYED, NATSU!!! They aren't suffering yet, buuuuut..... All in due time

   Memes, of course:

ExoticGeneral: Ammy: So do you and Shio call each other pet names? Natsu: Pfffft! No! Of course not! Ammy: What do bees make then? Natsu:....Honey? Shio, from the other room: Yeah, sweetie? Ammy: Don't you ever lie to my face again.

Aki: tHIS WOULD HAPPEN, F U CK-- I AM LOSING IT

   And the moment we acknowledged how we know this ship was The One; our OTP forever and always: (featuring the best rant I’ve ever written for this ship)

ExoticGeneral: It's literally freaking insane how you just start having ten billions of ideas running through you're head! Like okay time to put then through some angst hell, then recovery fluff, little slice of life, smooches and some bonding/ development??? Like Im getting way too far ahead of myself here??? But the ideas/drabbles keep on rolling anyway. This is how you know this is the one.

Aki: Yes!!! And like.... Honestly, I pride myself on doing "realistic" stuff? Having my characters contradict themselves sometimes, do something that would hurt....cause humans are like that. Hell, it's why I also brazenly went for Shiori's emotional breakdown when she heard the news that all Lunarians had died..... Including her dear Kazuki.  Being able to imagine and know how that breakdown went in my head, where nothing she tried worked, until she went crawling back to her mother to grant her wish to not exist...take the pain away......  Boi. B o i. When it comes to big time storywriting, I get hELLA AMPED. I'm ready to show them every corner of the world, good or bad. Perfection or deep flaws. Give me that angst where they will realize that it hurts, but having someone to hurt with makes the pain ease a little. It doesn't fix everything, but having those assuring words and someone who cares deeply makes it harder to be upset. Let them have those slice of life days where Shiori wakes up in bed for once, stomach not aching or feeling like a void, and ready to start a new day. Have him drag her out to explore and shake up her old, rigid life. Let them, in the future, kiss and hug and wonder why....but know that if waiting so long meant finding love and getting it this right, then it was worth the wait. Let them develop so much, that we look back to where we started and cackle with joy, cause they friggen made it. Wow, a sappy rant from me, yEEHAW

ExoticGeneral: Damn right sister! Preach it! Like sometimes I just sit there with some bsckground music on and its so fitting that you just throw out 20 paragraphs like no problem. I just need those days with them where they argue over something little and it gets so blown out of proprtion and convoluted that they just forget what is was about? Just random nights of stargazing then falling asleep? Or literally doing nothing and either of them thinks of their s/o and gets super flustered for no reason? The day they actually become a couple but still trains his tush off and shio doesnt ask how he got strong, but why he did cause heckie is that gonna be one wild ride of a story. But the simple, final answer is to  protect her. Not because she's the daughter of Ammy, but because he failed to do so with his dad and elder brother and doesn't want to lose her too. Like I want weakness that comes with trust? Fear that comes with love? But also the fulfilling satisfaction of contentness. That you wouldn't trade this for anything else, its a unique feeling that only they can deliver. Ya feel?

Aki: Right??? Good heavens, mention music and now I need to go look up Shio's number one mood music........ Can't think Shio romance (especially where it's "skinny love") without remembering the song, sO-- Right?? Well, more likely her trying to fight back but she angry cries and just gets frustrated and shuts down. Won't talk. Won't feed the flames anymore with replies, but doesn't seek peace, either. It's a night where it alternates between dead silence in the home once more or quiet, strained sobs of someone who's already used to being hurt; she's just finding it harder to keep that pain quiet.    But it's..... It's home. More than it's ever been. From a family she couldn't quite connect with some days, to her own home all to herself... A place her own and where her life fit.    Last thing she would've ever expected is to find- in many ways- her opposite....and yet someone she'd find herself falling for all the same. Where it's funny to imagine her home used to be quiet and peaceful. Now there's some training dummies outside and even if he strays from home, she can hear him making noises out not too far away. There's footsteps of another person in her home now. This home....it's his home, too.    Something they're both happy to have. Company, understanding, and just.... An imbalance that makes it a balance by not being perfect.    She slows him down. He speeds her up.    They learn something from each other.    It hurts sometimes. His life will likely be long....but to what length? Will it end? Does she want to know? Should she ask?    And understanding what her mother saw in mortals from that.... Just because they cannot match in eternal age, doesn't make it all any less. The memories shared? Still memories made. Love was still had and wasn't it sweet? To love someone so completely, to have fought and made up, loved and lost...    It's scarier when it's you who can be hurt; this isn't watching someone's life play out like a movie. This is her life now and his and theirs together and it breaks her heart to know she could potentially lose him, but..... He's going to teach her so much. And she would understand what her mother does.    He'll be loved all the more for it.

ExoticGeneral: I literally have absolutely no words for this. I cant believe you would make me cry like this at midnight. This was the most hurtful, true, heartfelt yet heartbreaking thing I've read. I freaking forgot you did poetry is you spare time like holy.

   ...They just. Work together. It’s the perfect “opposites attract” relationship while still maintaining a balance between who they are alone and what their relationship is. The bolster of inspiration and motivation that they get from each other... He motivates her to leave the house more (often with him on a little adventure) and gives her that experience. As said, she slows him down and gets him to read more. Even try writing for himself, writing Shiori a small poem that he [slams down onto her desk and runs off in a hurry] gives her.

   Broadening their horizons with each other. The support and pure affection and how they do their best in their own ways to support each other... It’s perfect. Made a home in our hearts. And we sure wouldn’t want it any other way.

   As a final note... Have one more silly little meme we came up with:

Aki: So I'm re-reading our chat [again] and I just thought of this...... Natsu: I live to fight, so Imma take you down!!! Shiori, in her sleepy-whiny voice: Natsuuuu...... I wanna cuddle.... Natsu, already leaving: .......Someone else lives to fight and will take you down!!!

ExoticGeneral: You know that old saying goes, he who runs away lives to fight another day I'm glad I'm the only who just goes back and re-reads this entire message board of gross romance and heartbreak

   So yes, ship NatsuShio. Your heart will thank you...after it dies for 2 hours because of the angst that tails this ship in bittersweet flavors.

[twitchesandstitches]

CATHIGULA - THE UNIVERSAL BEASTFOLK

An attempt to make some kind of universal species to accommodate any anthropomorphic animal/furry OC or character that fits that motif, as well as any fandom with characters that might also suit the motif, such as Sonic the Hedgehog’s Mobians. If it’s an animal person, they can be here!

A huge and massively diverse race of humanoids, possibly the most common species in the entire multiverse, the Cathigula are not the only kind of beings to be called ‘beastfolk’, but they are certainly among the most famous. Fitting into everywhere, seemingly anywhere you look, these friendly folks are equally happy being at your side or at your wedding, and they don’t generally mind either.

They have an interesting quirk as a species; rather than being entire sub-species that resemble or descend from terrestrial animals, they become those species while fundamentally being the same kind of beings as their brothers and sisters. As they mature as children, they adopt the forms of animals they spiritually resonate with, transforming into beings like them as they discover themselves.

These beings are quite old, though have fared as badly as any other species in the multiverse; it is believed they might be one of the oldest known species, dating back to the ancient times of even the shoggirls and other primordial creations, though they themselves disagree to whether they evolved naturally, are some kind of apotheosis of all life that exist beyond form that any race may eventually grow into (And thus, there have been many of their kind in countless variations), or were created by some magical force. Some even believe that they were once entities of raw magic, who assumed forms inspired by animals and grew so complex they became truly alive and mortal.

These might also all be true, with the modern Cathigula being a composite of many different beings that all interbred and produced the modern people as they are today. Certainly, they tend to be magically powerful, very easily altered by mods and magic, and have the unusual ability to interbreed with virtually any species.

Physically, they are almost always humanoids (with others of different body types, but seemingly modeled after specific alien races that live near them), but their appearances are clearly derived from the animals of all different worlds. Each individual, as they grow up, manifests the appearance of a different animal, altering to more closely resemble them. Birds, reptiles, insects; all can manifest among these beings.

This is not genetic; any cathigula can become any potential animal, though some lines tend to run in families with similar personalities or outlooks. These can be any species imaginable; from the karkliosaurs of Tuchanka, the turbo-foxes of Cybertron, or the many kinds of animals from Earth, any individual can appear to be any one of these, with a few exceptions. Most of them tend to be animals that have some kind of resonance in sapient culture; while they can resemble animals that are obscure or unrespected, it's quite rare. Even extinct animals can manifest among them, though it’s uncommon. Mythological animals are not especially rare, like dragons or phoenixes, though it is usually taken as a sign of arrogance or self-importance.

They are not born as these animals, but as they mature, they gradually develop a sense of kinship for these creatures and their bodies shift, growing to match this animal. This process is of enormous cultural importance to them, and they don’t even need to know the animal in question; many of them take on the form of an unfamiliar creature, and will go on a journey to see one in person to learn about it. This is apparently a sign of their character and personality, and learning about this animal will help them understand themselves.

Prior to this change, a cathigul appears to be a mixture of the animal types of its parents. A fox and a rabbit may make a fluffy and small child with a big tail, and a whale and housecat might produce a very large and plump spherical child with thick fur. As they grow up, they slowly shift; fur falls away to reveal scales and/or feathers, chitin forms where there used to be moist flesh, or they even spin a cocoon with sudden spinnerets.

One may be a bird, another a mouse, and a third a tyrannosaur… and they may all be siblings. Again, while certain animal lineages run in families, this is not a rule and they can look very different from one another, even those of the same animal type. This is even more pronounced with extinct animals whose appearance is not altogether certain.

Another big difference is that they do not always map up to their animal types. Yes, cows tend to be extremely busty and whales strongfat, and armadillos rounds, but its not certain. There are some sauropods that are only a few feet tall, while there are mice and rabbits that stand more than twelve feet high and are built like walking (and jiggling) trucks of muscle and meat. Each cathigul is an individual above all, with a totally unique body, size, and shape.

In terms of appearance, the cathigula have a huge range of size, from under a foot tall to potentially under twenty feet, sometimes based on their animal-type. They tend to look like cute and sexy anthropomorphic incarnations of the animal they are based on, with exaggerated body types; breasts bigger than their heads, bulges so large they strain against their pants, enormous muscles and massively engorged bellies are all extremely common among them. When they are thin, they are spindly and frail stick-beings. When they are fat, they are massive and jiggly mountains of firm flesh. And when they are beefy, they are often towering piles of pure muscle.

Some other oddities include; human-like facial construction and lips even if they shouldn't have them, a tendency towards slight muzzles rather than full on animal-heads, often growing hair on their scalps for no apparent reason, and so on. Individuals might have stranger traits.

Many cathigul can manifest their animal traits more stronger, channeling magic and mutating into more monstrous humanoid beast-things. These forms are brutish and savage in the extreme, at least half again as big as their base form,with extremely pronounced natural defenses. There is nothing appealing about this form, it is a straight up monster and often called the war form. However, changing into this form doesn’t make them uncontrollable or vicious, but it can be harder to resist their instinctive reactions. They mostly resemble barely bipedal versions of their default forms, huge monsters lacking the dexterity to od more than rip and tear.

And finally, as far as diet goes, barring a few individuals, they are omnivorous, even if their animal analogues are not. Voracious behavior is highly common with them, and has no real relation to what their animal types would normally eat; whales won’t just eat plankton. As a result, they have different cultural norms about consuming sapient life, though it is still illegal on most stable worlds barring supremacist rule. They simply regard the taboo differently, viewing it as just murder rather than something taboo. Magical abilities to consume others without harming them are very common among these beastfolk, to the point that their law enforcement often employs them to arrest people or just bring them in for questioning.

Lifespan: They live for a fairly long time, upwards of about eighty years or more without the use of longevity treatments. Species known for long lives, like tortoises and jellyfish, have noticeably longer lifespans, but the reverse doesn’t apply for short lived creatures like mayflies.

Culture Notes: Originating on many worlds, they have had hosts of different civilizations with few common threads. Harsh authoritarian societies dominated by warlords with deceptively frail animal analogues; democratic societies dominated by herbivores with predator/omnivore second-class citizens, liberal utopias where all are considered equal, and grand space-faring nomadic fleets who treat space travel as a massive party forever. There are few common denominators, and their psychology seems all over the map.

They’re somewhat atypical of most species; the norm is that normally species drift away from governments of their own species (Human Federations and so forth) and form newer, vital societies with beings of many different kinds, seeing one another as ‘their kind’. The cathigula, on the other hand, have apparently always commingled with others for the most part. They are certainly numerous, boasting massive fertility scores and incredible birth rates (whether they lay eggs, incubate litters on pouches, or simply give birth to many children at once), so that they individually are so common that these beastfolk are ubiquitous among the species of the multiverse, outnumbering any given alien species (barring extreme birth rates) by at least three to one.

Among themselves or areas where they dominate, they tend to encourage a more easy-going mentality, since their own biology demands freedom of expression to find themselves and mature into a form that embodies who they are. Their enclaves are havens for non-combat modding for this reason. They can be fractiou though; they inherit some of the instincts of their animal kin, so while wolf and dog types might be family-oriented, tyrannosaurus are more solitary and many herbivore types are extremely ferocious. This is not hard and fast; cat-people don’t need a colony structure to thrive, and many bird types do fine without a flock, or fish without a shoal, and sharks happily deal with extended family groups.

Above all else, they are individuals. Their animal natures are an influence, but do not determine their fates.

Technologically, they tend towards magic-focused devices. For whatever reason, they have a strong spark of magic within them and even their least talented wonderworkers can power basic magic devices, so they make use of faster than light travel that goes through the realms of magic without worrying too much about the denizens within, and most can master at least a few essential combat and mundane techniques, such as superhuman strength or working magic into mundane tasks.

Language is a tricky matter for them, as many of them have mouth shapes ill-suited to conventional language. Hand signs, non-verbal communication and written language - preferably that which is easiest to write quickly, with hundreds of extremely specific pictograms - feature heavily. With modern technology and mods to enable easier communication, this isn’t as necessary, but they still demonstrate a fondness for it. Historically, they also tended to favor clothing that informed an onlooker of their social class and skills at a glance, with specific cuts and colors as a visual cue.

They can interbreed with any other cathigul, regardless of animal type. A lion may romance a hyena… or a crocodile, or a mosquito, without any concerns about compatibility. At a certain level, they are all the same species. Generally the children are born in the way suitable to the mother’s animal type, even if this doesn’t fit the father’s biology: a croc-lady laying eggs with a lion father, for example. They have a lot of children at once, with four or six children being typical. As a result, extended and large communal families that are mini-communities dedicated to teaching and rearing the children on their own are the norm, out of practicality.

They can also interbreed with almost any sapient being, barring robots (and if they are dealing with mechanical life, that’s another story), though the resulting children are almost always of the other parent’s species, with animal traits from the cathigul parents, not developing their own. These traits are often minor; animal-like ears, a tail, small claws, minor instincts, and so forth. With magical power, they might be able to fully shapeshift into the animal their parent associates with, but this isn’t widely known.

If they cared to, they could likely dominate the entire multiverse or at least establish a firm control base, but thus far, no major group of them has cared to. Due to their sheer numbers, they can pop up anywhere; assume any reasonably large group that doesn't bar different species from membership have a sizable amount of them: especially the MILF Fleet and Cobalt Stingers.

[rannadylin]

Some canon characters appearing in the Citlatl cast needed portraits to go along with all these orlan OCs of mine. :-D Edér and Aloth are visiting Vi’s hometown in Ixamitl so of course they, too, are wearing Ixamitl clothes. Also, I like drawing Ixamitl clothes with all their fancy embroidery and beads.

Won’t be necessary to type up all the character details since I’m sure PoE players already know who these fellows are, but some notes on their roles in Soul and Shield:

Edér is courting Violet (which is how you know this story is an AU, I guess...) since the end of Clan and Court some months ago: Established relationship, yet still sort of figuring things out. 

Currently in the story he’s mostly just helping out wherever needed with the investigation...plus being on his best behavior since Vi’s parents are still not quite persuaded their daughter should be dating him.

Aloth may or may not have become aware at this point of the particular attentions of a certain recently-Awakened elven rogue in his direction...

In Vi’s worldstate, Aloth suppressed Iselmyr; but I’ve been writing it more as a matter of him taking control of his own life to the extent that she doesn’t interfere as much because he’s less in need of intervention. She’s not as silent as suppressed-Iselmyr seems to be in Deadfire, at any rate, and writing the two of them coordinated is one of the most delightful parts of this fic project.

Currently in the story, Aloth is most interested in the part of the investigation that involves interfering with whatever the Leaden Key are up to in the region, though they’ve had little progress on that since he helped Lenneth fight off one of their attacks and then the whole group - well, most of the group - fought off another attack in the Tlacu marketplace. Aloth has assisted Anselm a bit with looking for LK clues in various unsolved cases but that’s been a dead end so far. So he’s also been accompanying Lenneth, sometimes, on her visits to temples in an attempt to remember more of what Glynis - her Awakened life - knew; Aloth’s also been, along with Violet, a voice of experience and empathy in helping Lenneth learn to deal with her Awakening.

Behind the cut, some of my favorite scenes so far for these two in the story:

Aloth

Think she’ll lead us stret to the hooded fyndes? Iselmyr suggested hopefully.

Aloth couldn’t discount the possibility. There had to be more Lenneth wasn’t telling them, and he had noted how earnestly she argued for the pursuit of the animancer, even if it meant leaving the Leaden Key (coincidentally, or conveniently?) unchallenged. But for the moment, Lenneth seemed to be leading them nowhere directly, but taking a most circuitous route, as if she knew she was being followed.

Fortunately, Aloth had a fair bit of experience with tailing and being tailed. Ferretting out the Leaden Key around the Dyrwood had been much simpler when they kept coming after the Watcher. In his attempts to shut down their well-hidden operations since then, he’d had to learn their tricks more thoroughly than even when he had been one of them. Iselmyr had little patience for these subtleties -- but she could also be remarkably perceptive when he let her take the lead, and keeping up with a mark as slippery as this one seemed to appeal to her competitive nature. Between the two of them, Aloth managed to keep Lenneth in his sights, just barely, as she skirted the temple district, blended with the crowds in three separate marketplaces, doubled back through alleys, and traveled rooftops through a seedier district that turned out to be the home of the Adra Antelope.

Aloth watched her vanish into the inn, not by the front door under the weathered sign painted with the inn’s namesake animal in garish green as far as it could be from the actual color of adra, but through a second-story window. He crept a quick patrol up and down the streets overlooking both that window and that door, waiting to see by which she would emerge. As he turned the corner, he caught sight of a familiarly hooded figure lurking across the street from the Adra Antelope’s entrance. The sight made Iselmyr crow with joy. Our quirry! Ga’on, let’s take this’n oot --

Aloth bade her wait. Pausing as if to take his bearings at the crossroads, he counted three more of Iselmyr’s hooded fyndes watching the building. I don’t think she’s here to meet with them, he grudgingly advised Iselmyr. And I don’t think it’s us she was avoiding, with that route.

Iselmyr drew his attention to a fifth lurker, now creeping down the inn’s wall toward the same window Lenneth had entered. Fye, that’s yin she’ll be hard pressed ta avoid. Let’s take that’n oot, fer a start.

Aloth concurred, already finding the page in his grimoire and beginning to summon the spell. With the last arcane word, the figure on the wall froze in place, halfway through the window, then suddenly peeled away from the wall, his petrified form no longer able to grasp the handholds, and plummeted to the street below.

“Lenneth?” She turned to find Aloth lingering in the parlor too, wringing his hands and hesitating to look at her.

“Yeah?” she prompted softly, coming to sit in the chair next to him.

“I…” He met her eyes briefly. “First, I owe you an apology. For my rudeness when we first met.”

“Oh.” She chuckled. “You know, I really don’t blame you if you didn’t trust me. I was lying about why I needed to find Grigor, and anyway, I’m hardly the most trustworthy sort.”

“I’m not certain I agree,” he murmured before meeting her eyes again. “Look. About your Awakening. You’re in good hands now, you know. Violet knows what she’s doing, as much as anyone can, in these matters.”

Lenneth smiled. “That’s...good to hear. Thank you.”

Aloth nodded. “It helps that she’s a Watcher, of course, and that she’s experienced an Awakening herself. But it’s not just her own Awakening. She has a way of...of collecting people like us, it seems,” he finished with a slight laugh and a sudden tension, clasping his hands together so that the fidgeting stopped.

Lenneth gasped and grabbed at his arm. “Wait, you too?”

He shrugged, confirming it with half a nod and half a smile. “Me too.”

“Really? Oh, that’s -- No, you have to tell me more now. What’s it like? How long have you…?”

Aloth’s smile turned wry. “Do you ever ask just one question at a time?”

“It would take longer!”

“I’m not sure that’s true.”

“Okay, for starters, have you been Awakened long? Longer than me, I assume.”

Aloth nodded. “Most of my life. Since I was a child.”

Lenneth’s eyes widened. “What’s it like?”

“Terrifying, at first. Confusing. But, once I understood what had happened to me: annoying, mostly,” he said. “Which is why I spent most of my life fighting it. I’ve...come to terms with it, more or less, largely thanks to the Watcher’s influence, and it’s not all bad, there are some advantages, but it’s still often annoying, that intrusion of a presence that just doesn’t really fit with this life.”

“Same,” Lenneth sighed. “I mean, it’s sort of intriguing to think that somewhere deep down I might actually know what’s going on with the light out there,” she waved at the window, “but there ought to be less awkward ways than springing memories on me like that, right?”

“If only.”

Time passed, not easily marked by the night sky in its current condition, as Lenneth drew out more and more of Aloth’s story and he grew more at ease with telling it. So they were deep in a recounting of how he had come to terms with Iselmyr after so many years spent resisting her Awakening, when Aloth interrupted his own story with an involuntary yawn and Lenneth couldn’t help but echo it.

“Sorry,” she said. “Guess it’s later than it looks, and all that.”

“Indeed,” he winced. “I apologize for keeping you from sleep like this, especially with as much damage as you took before we reached you in the fight today.”

“No, it’s fine,” Lenneth assured him. “Honestly, thank you for this. I’m glad we got to talk. It’s...such a relief knowing it’s not just me, you know?”

Thanks to her sudden vise-like grip of his hand, Aloth had a moment’s warning. This allowed him to, none too clumsily, catch Lenneth when she gasped and her knees suddenly gave way there in the birthing chamber. “Lenneth?” he began to call to her, “Lenn--” but broke off as he realized that what was happening was probably just the thing they were trying to achieve. So he caught her and carefully hefted her over to the nearest couch. Well, birthing couch, technically, he supposed. But it would have to do.

“What’s happening?” the little priestess worried at him. “Is she all right? Did she trip? Is she --”

“Fine,” Aloth insisted, to himself as well as to the priestess. “She’s fine. Just a spell -- this sort of thing takes her sometimes -- climbing all those stairs, perhaps,” he fumbled.

“Oh, heavens,” the priestess breathed out in what sounded suspiciously more like delight at the drama than concern for a woman’s well-being. “Here, lay her down. She’s breathing, isn’t she? Make sure she’s breathing.”

She was staring straight ahead, still squeezing his hand for dear life; but yes, she was breathing. Very deeply breathing, in fact. “She’s fine,” Aloth repeated.

“Does she need a physician? Oh, it’s a shame we don’t have midwives on staff here these days. Of course I suppose it’s not a midwife she needs, but a proper physician -- unless,” she cast a hopeful glance at the catatonic Lenneth. “Is she with child?”

Aloth felt his face warm and avoided more than a glance out the corner of his eye at Lenneth’s petite form. “Not...not that I’m aware of, no,” he managed.

“Oh, what a shame,” the priestess sighed. “For a moment I thought -- well, I hoped the light in the sky might have heralded such an event! The first birth at the Sky-Mother’s temple in generations! Ah, well.” She patted Aloth’s arm, then Lenneth’s. Then she frowned at Lenneth’s continued stillness. “Perhaps I should go for that physician after all.”

“I really don’t think that will be necessary,” Aloth insisted, studying the flickering of Lenneth’s eyelids. “But could I trouble you for -- for some refreshment? For when she recovers, that is. She…” His memory flashed to that morning, at the Haven’s edge, when he’d observed Xipil sitting with her through just such a vision as Aloth hoped she was having now. “She does find a bit of chocolate to be very restorative, at these moments.”

The priestess smiled kindly. “I have just the thing. Wait right here.” And with a flutter of her feathered headdress, she darted back up the stairs.

“As if we were going anywhere else,” Aloth muttered under his breath when she was well out of hearing.

A minute passed, then another. Then Lenneth’s eyelids fluttered again, and with a gasp, she sat up, still clutching Aloth’s hand.

“My baby!” she croaked with the voice of a woman whose cries had for hours flown to Hylea under her midwife’s care. Panting for breath, she blinked slowly, looking around in bewilderment at the underground chamber. Her eyes met Aloth’s. She blinked once more, and then quietly asked, her voice fading back to its normal register, “Did...did I just have a baby?”

“You most certainly did not,” he answered with a wry half-smile, untangling his fingers from hers as her grasp finally relaxed. “But I think, perhaps…”

Her eyes went wide as she finished the thought. “Glynis did.”

 Edér

Violet came back to herself as she slowly became aware of the sound of a heartbeat. Not her own, she realized after a moment. She was warm, and cozy, as if waking up from a nap, but also there was movement, and quiet, familiar voices surrounded her.

She drew breath and blinked her eyes open to see Edér looking down at her, first in concern and then with a relieved grin. “Hey honey,” he murmured. “There you are. All good now?”

She stirred, looking over her shoulder to see that she was in his arms, held against his chest in a bridal carry, and they were walking through the streets of Citlatl again. Ahead, she saw Audie arguing with Anselm in low voices. Behind, she heard Yolotli questioning, then Lenneth in reply, and Aloth sounding curt and strained.

“What happened?” Violet asked quietly, looking back to Edér.

“Typical Watcher stuff, at first,” Edér reported. “Then you just dropped. Out cold. Couldn’t rouse you.” He held her closer and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “It was like one of them nightmares you used to have. Scared us all.”

“I think I’m out of practice,” Violet said. “I don’t remember getting so caught up in a soul like that before. When it came to the end, it was -- it wouldn’t let me go. Like its desperation overtook me.”

“Well, there’s some in the party,” he nodded in Audie’s direction, “as just about took a piece outta Anselm for putting you in harm’s way like that.” Indeed, it looked like Anselm was not to hear the end of it anytime soon. Audie’s grudges were legendary; she’d barely come to terms with Anselm’s treatment of Violet years ago, even after months of his friendly association with the family at Caed Nua. “Aloth and me, we figured you’d snap out of it like usual. But we’re on our way back to the house, just in case.” The tension in his voice, and relief at having her awake to hear this report, belied his calm dismissal of the episode. Violet wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Edér stroked his beard, stepping closer to the Haven. “So it’s just some magical hoard sort of thing? Storing all the power? Think it’s actually dangerous, up this close, or…?”

“Well, it may be,” Aloth began. “To condense so much essence in a confined space, that could…”

But before he could finish his thought, Edér was poking at the Haven with the edge of his sword. “Huh,” said he. “Don’t feel anything much.”

Aloth blanched as Edér switched to poking at it with a finger. “Be careful. It could --” But too late: With a brief shout, Edér brought up his shield and barreled straight through the barrier to the other side. He turned around to grin at them all even as they were still drawing sharp breaths to cry out. “Huh,” he said again. “Tingles a little. Long as I’m not on fire, seems okay?”

Anselm crossed his arms, regarding the man with a smirk. “No fire that I can see. The state of your hair suggests a bit of static, nothing more. Please don’t go and get yourself killed, though. There’s no way I could explain that to Violet.”

Edér nodded sheepishly, running a hand through his hair that did little to actually smooth it down, then walked along the edge of the Haven for a few steps, inspecting it from the outside. “Looks about the same over here. Hey, Aloth. Can you cast something through it? A missile or something?”

Aloth frowned. “At what?”

“Well, not me,” Edér said. “Promised not to get myself killed. Rock over there’ll do. Just to see if a spell goes through.”

So Aloth obliged, lifting his grimoire again and summoning a small bolt, then a larger one. Both sailed cleanly through the Haven and impacted against the target rock, the first in a flash of light and scattering of splintered stone, the second in an explosion of dust as the whole rock shattered.

“Okay,” Edér nodded, “so that looked about right. Now come cast one from this side.”

Aloth paled. “If I can. I’ve expended a fair bit of my grimoire’s resources already today, and if the Haven interferes with its recharging…”

“Just one,” Edér insisted. “Got an idea about this thing. And don’t worry, it’s safe enough to step through. Makes your hair stand on end, is all.”

So Aloth drew a deep breath and plunged through to the outside, where Edér greeted him with a friendly slap on the back. As he drew out his grimoire again to find a suitable spell, his eyes widened. “Hm. It’s...That’s interesting. It has recharged somewhat.” He glanced over to the Haven. “Passing through this thing...perhaps the essence held within remains accessible so long as the grimoire, too, is within its bounds.”

Anselm’s eyebrows raised. “Good to know.”

Aloth walked along the Haven’s edge to a place a few yards away from those still standing inside its bounds and again launched a spell from his grimoire. Without impediment, the arcane bolt sailed forth at his gesture towards the wall of light, but this time, rather than passing cleanly through as the previous spells had, it crashed against the Haven with a flare of light and a shriek of inanimate wrath.

Edér looked around the group with a satisfied smile. “It’s a shield,” he interpreted, hoisting his own, more mundane shield in demonstration. “City can fire magic out, but no one can fire it in.”

Lenneth looked from the group on the inside to the two now on the outside of the Haven, and back again. “Okay, but is it just for magic? Can you two get back in?”

Edér’s smile faded to a concerned furrowing of his brow. “Huh. Hadn’t thought of that.” He approached the Haven and once again poked at it with his sword, then gingerly pressed his shield against the barrier. “Seems okay,” he said. From there it was a matter of once again poking at it with a finger before he finally gathered confidence, raised his shield before his face, just in case, and stepped back through.

He stood for a moment, slowly lowering his sheld and glancing back over his shoulder at the Haven. Aloth fidgeted on the other side and called out, “Well?”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Edér said. “Still tingles a little, and it’s -- it sorta slows you down, going through that way. Like walking through porridge. But it wouldn’t stop anyone. Come on back.”

“I’m going to take lunch up to Mother and Papa,” she began, lacing her fingers with his and biting at her lip. She glanced up to him, and the corners of her eyes creased with tension. “Come with me?”

It took him a moment to grasp why she looked so nervous about lunch, or about visiting her mother like they’d come here to do in the first place, or why she’d need Edér to help when he hadn’t as yet even met -- “Oh,” he said as comprehension dawned, gathering her hands in his and drawing her closer. “Ah. Course, Vi. I’m with you, sweetheart. Nothing to worry ‘bout. Gonna go fine.”

She giggled -- a brittle sound, not her usual light bubbling of amusement he so loved to hear -- as he bent to kiss the tip of her nose. “Now you sound more nervous than I feel,” she said.

“Nah, it’ll be fine,” he repeated. “Just...y’know, anytime I’ve gone to meet a gal’s parents, officially and all, it always sort of...goes to pieces, somehow. If I mess this one up, I’m sorry. I love you, and I’ll be on my best behavior, but…”

Violet smiled and threw her arms around his waist, resting her cheek to his chest. “I already expect this one to go to pieces, dear Edér. But it has to be done all the same, doesn’t it?”

“And now’s as good a time as any,” he agreed, holding her close. “Least with expectations like that, nothing much’s gonna disappoint you, huh?”