#warrior of the shadow mane

[cagemasterfantasy]

MLP AU: Monk: Warrior of the Shadow Mane

Note this uses the 2024 rules for Monk

The Way of the Shadow Mane is a monastic tradition that delves into the darker aspects of the mind and spirit. Practitioners of this path, often driven by ambition, greed, or a thirst for power, learn to manipulate and control others through fear, trickery, and raw force. They are masters of psychological warfare, weaving illusions, sowing discord, and preying on the weaknesses of their opponents. Shadow Mane Monks often operate from the shadows, pulling the strings of events from behind the scenes, their influence subtle yet pervasive. Whether they are driven by a disciplined desire for order through fear, a chaotic hunger for domination, or a calculated pursuit of self-interest, Shadow Mane Monks are a force to be reckoned with, their power growing with each soul they corrupt and each mind they break. Their abilities allow them to not only physically dominate their foes but also to instill terror, sow confusion, and ultimately control those around them, making them masters of both body and mind.

Level 3 Chosen Path: Choose one of the following 3 options, you may change it at the end of a long rest:

The Disciplined Dreadmane:

Fearful Aura: As a bonus action, you can emanate an aura of fear in a 10-foot radius. Creatures of your choice in the aura must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become Frightened of you for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. This aura lasts for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.  

Calculated Strike: When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 1 Focus Point to force the creature to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is unable to take reactions until the end of its next turn.

The Untamed Nightmane:

Maddening Whispers: As a bonus action, you can unleash a torrent of psychic whispers that sow confusion and discord. One creature of your choice within 30 feet must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature is Charmed by you for 1 minute. The Charmed creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.  

Unpredictable Blow: When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 1 Focus Point to teleport up to 15 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. This movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.

The Manipulative Gloommane:

Veil of Deception: You gain proficiency in Deception and Persuasion. Additionally, you can cast the Disguise Self spell a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Sapping Strike: When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 1 Focus Point to reduce the creature's speed by 10 feet until the end of its next turn.

Level 6 Shadow Step: You can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is in dim light or darkness. You must use this feature before you make an attack or as part of your movement. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Level 11 Dark Bargain: As an action, you can spend 3 Focus Points to summon shadowy tendrils that attempt to bind a creature within 30 feet. The creature must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is restrained. A restrained creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Level 17 Nightmare's Embrace: You become a master of fear and manipulation. As an action, you can force each creature within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 8d10 psychic damage and is incapacitated for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much psychic damage and isn't incapacitated. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

[aquatic-batt]

thought I’d draw some med cats with murderous intentions! @mokusai they would be besties >:]

Skywing (silver tabby) belongs to @mokusai and Cherrynose (white and reddish) belongs to me!! >;3c

[flightrising]

We're a little late to celebrate Dragon Age Day, but we hope "Literally Dragon Age" makes up for it! Instead of the usual FRFanArt Friday, today we want to see your dragon Wardens, Hawkes, Inquisitors, and Rooks! Share them with #FRDragonAge today and you could see your dragon Dragon Age heroes reblogged!

Video description & dragon information below the cut!

[Video Description] 00:00 - 00:04 seconds: We see a trio of dragons walking through ruins on a beautiful day, complemented by sweet bird song. The foremost dragon on the left is an Earth Flight Coatl rogue dressed in brown leathers. In the middle to the right is the Arcane Flight Obelisk mage dragon, dressed in purple robes with a long, flowing braided mane that transitions from pink to orange in an ombre. In the back, center is the Lightning Flight Ridgeback warrior, dressed in blue-green metals and leather.

00:05-00:07 seconds: The birdsong suddenly goes quiet as a large Autosaving… with rotating circle appears over head. The dragons notice the Autosaving mechanic and jump, their eyes going wide at the implications.

00:07-00:11 seconds: The indicator fades as the skies turn pinkish purple with spiraling clouds and a very large shadow of a three headed dragon appears in the center distance. We hear an ominous multi-harmony chorus start singing.

00:12 - 00:16 seconds: Luminax the great undead dragon is revealed as the chorus picks up in intensity. As the chorus fades out, Luminax roars with all three heads and our intrepid trio jump again, their eyes growing even wider at the sight.

00:17-00:19 seconds: A powerful orchestra with percussion drums in as our Mage, Rogue, and Warrior Rooks ready for battle, determined and surrounded by powerful elemental auras, before the video fades.

[Dragon Information] Rogue

Genes: Coatl, Earth Flight, Ribbon & Eel Camo/Umber Contour

Apparel: Tanned Rogue Set, Primal Claws, Bandolier, Saucer Stare, Intense Attention, Power Up Aura

Mage

Genes: Obelisk, Arcane Flight, Orchid Chorus/Choir/Glimmer

Apparel: Mage's Nightshade Set, Sunrise Unicorn Mane, Winter Staff, Saucer Stare, Intense Attention, Power Up Aura

Warrior

Genes: Ridgeback, Lightning Flight, Copper Petrified/Lode/Scales

Apparel: Aeruginous Scale Set, Lightning Sword, Saucer Stare, Intense Attention, Power Up Aura

(The color of the Power Up Aura was changed to match each dragon's element for the purpose of the short video.)

[official-darkforest]

been bouncing around an au in my head for a while. i dont have much solidified yet but here’s the three and their respective parentage

finchfeather (jayfeather) is the oldest of the three, he was born shortly after whitewing and birchfall became warriors (he was.. unplanned LOL)

finch and dove are siblings as jay’s wing and dove’s wing were siblings. it just makes more sense to me

since jay and dove have bird themed names, ivy gets a new one - pigeonfall to parallel dovewing (pigeon- from doves and pigeons being in the same family; -fall from her father since -wing is from their mother). jayfeather got changed to finchfeather since he’s no longer crow’s son (jays and crows are corvids)

holly and lion inherited their “manes” from leafpool’s side of the family

u can see the “order” of the three by the # of white dots on their faces lol

pigeon gets green eyes cuz pretty

finch can perceive light and shadows, but not much else. to him, starclan cats radiate very brightly its almost impossible for even him to miss them.

squirrelflight has fertility issues, yellowfang did lie about being completely barren, though. she and brambleclaw had been trying for kits for moons so he considered it a miracle by the time the three were finally born. it was considered a cryptic pregnancy as whitewing didnt know she was pregnant until her third trimester!

sandstorm, daisy, and ferncloud noticed leafpool’s pregnancy. the latter two kept quiet, and had to convince sandstorm not to mention it before leafpool was ready.

i dont havw any other notes rn but maybe i’ll post more of this au later lol

[cryptidclaw]

Yellowfang!

Design Notes:

An Adjusted + improved version of my previous design!

She is a dilute tortie bec she has big tortie vibes and also it explains her name!

Character Bio:

Yellowfang

Molly; she/her

Age as of 1st arc's beginning: 10 cycles, 7 moons; ~53 Hyrs

Title meaning: -fang = a cat who is very skilled in battle; they have powerful teeth and jaws and have a biting centric fighting style; this cat is out spoken and have a bite to their words; may have distinctive teeth, most likely extra large or sharp

Warrior -> Healer of Shadow Order -> Healer of Thunder Order

Mentors: Deerleap (Warrior); Sagewhisker (Healer)

Mother: Brightflower

Father: Brackenfoot

Siblings: Nutwhisker; Redberry; Mint; Marigold

Adoptive Sibling: Tallpoppy

Ex-Mate: Star Raggedpelt

Kits: Star Brokenheart; Hope; Wish

Grandkits: Littlecloud; Wetfoot; Brown

Other notable kin: Swampfur (nephew); Blossom (niece); Oak (nephew); Ciderfur (nephew); Stumpytail (nephew); Turtleshell (adoptive niece); Toadfoot (adoptive nephew); Apple (adoptive niece; Marshpatch (adoptive nephew)

Character Summary:

In Progress (to be added later)

...

[Image ID: a digital drawing of Yellowfang from Warrior Cats. She is standing with her left side showing, her right paw is raised, and she had a displeased, grumpy scowl on her face. She is a large, stout, long furred molly with a squashed Persian-like face and mustache like long fur on her muzzle. She is a gray and yellow tortoiseshell with yellow patches mostly o her flank and the left side of her face and fluffy mane. She has large yellow fangs front her lower jaw, and pink claw scars running across her face and on her side. she has several green leaves and yellow flowers adorning her pelt as well./End ID]

[acourtofmoonlightandstars]

Find me - Chapter 3

Pairing: Azriel x fem!reader

Summary: At a ball you meet the one person you thought you would never see again, you left him once. Will you leave him again?

Word count: 2.8k

Warnings: Violence, I guess?

Note: We have some new friendships and some good old Rhysand and inner circle slander, høhø. Let me know if you wanna be added to the tag list.

Chapter 2

You jumped from the balcony, not caring about the height you’d had to fall to reach the garden beneath. You were still in your nightgown but you didn’t care. There was no way you weren’t leaving right away. 

There was nothing to do except sprint towards the staples, you might have a mate with wings, but since you yourself didn’t have any, they would have to be borrowed elsewhere. 

You ran on bare feet, not even noticing the cuts the rocks beneath your feet caused. Nothing mattered, nothing except this, except him. 

Luna was in her stable, dark and strong as always. The fairy lights shone on her blank feathers and reflected the light. Your father had gifted you the pegasus because he thought she matched your eyes. And the two of you had instantly bonded. 

You quickly slid into your riding pants and their matching leather boots, all meant to keep you safe and warm in the high altitude. 

“Hey girl, are you ready for a trip to Night?” you whispered into the neck of Luna, you twisted some of her mane around your finger as she gently pushed your hip. It was almost as if she asked you to hurry up and get going. 

You chuckled, and the shadow that had manifested in your skin came back to life and slid up her mane and rested between her ears. It looked like she was suddenly wearing a crown of shadows, and it made her look even more majestic than she already did. 

Luna stretched out her wings and made room for you to climb up her back, and just as you set off into the night, Lucien came crashing into the stable, only to see you disappear up into the sky.

Azriel had never really gotten up after the meeting in Rhy’s office earlier that day. He had stayed in that spot on the couch. As usual no one really seemed to notice. When the meeting had ended they all scattered to find out information about his so-called condition, no one stayed behind to check in, to hug him as he cried. 

He clawed at his chest again. She would’ve, she would’ve stayed. He kept repeating the thought as a mantra. 

It was dark out when the High Lord once again joined him in the office. “Az, what are you…” he started, but was quickly interrupted. 

“Let me go, let me go get Elain” he asked. “I need to feel like I’m doing something…” 

Rhysand sighed as he sat down on his large chair behind his desk. “You are doing something, your shadows are doing more than any of us ever could.” he rested his cheek in his hand as he looked at his brother. 

Azriel only shook his head. “I don’t care, and honestly Rhys, I’m going with or without your permission” his eyes were cold, in a way that was only ever directed at his victims, the people he tortured, never had he ever looked at anyone from his family with eyes like that. 

Rhysand sat up in his chair, face folded in his neat mask with that feline smile of a cover for his true emotions. Azriel rolled his eyes at his behavior. 

“So, this is how it’s gonna be, huh?” he asked as he let his power roam through the room. It was enough to make the fiercest warrior afraid, but Azriel wasn’t just anybody. 

“Yes” he answered as he stood up. The High Lord of Night’s eyes darkened. “You’re in no position to leave, you're broken, bruised and you’re definitely not thinking straight” Rhysand stood from his chair, palms placed at the cool mahogany surface. He let some more of his power free. 

“Just because you were willing to let Feyra go, just because Cassian refused to tell Nesta the truth about who they were to each other, doesn't mean I want to do the same brother.” he spit out the last word as he felt his shadows dance around him in a protective manner. “Let’s be honest, the two of you were cowards, too afraid of them refusing you to even try to fight for them, for their love. I have no intention of doing that. I have always been rejected and refused, but not with her, at least not yet. And if she were to refuse me I’d rather have that happen sooner rather than later” 

“That’s not fair, they both did what they thought was best for us” Feyra said from the door opening with Nyx in her arms, but Azriel only shrugged. 

“Have you ever stopped to think that this might all be a trick?” Rhysand asked. “That you’re being manipulated by someone to leave Valaris? That an attack could be coming? If you leave our first defense, your spies, will leave with you and we will be vulnerable” 

He had to admit that his High Lord was making a good point. But he should also know that Azriel would never leave Valaris unprotected. “Fine, I’ll leave a few stationed by the borders to inform you if they catch an intruder. Now if you’ll excuse me, I really wanna get going” 

And with that he stepped through a shadow, leaving his High Lord and Lady alone in the study. Rhysand couldn’t help but wonder if he was well on his way to make an enemy of the Shadowsinger, and if that were the case, he was scared of what that might mean for not only his court, but his family. 

“What do you mean she left?! I thought you said she was so weak that she could barely walk?!” Azriel heard the High Lord of Day yell through the halls. His voice bounced on the walls, and he could feel the almost scolding power that he radiated, despite being no way near him. Helion's voice was sad, heartbroken and worried. It was new for him to catch the High Lord in a position like that. It seemed that these two usually powerful men were both in a vulnerable state. 

“Someones here” Elain said, as she laid a hand on her mates beating heart. Lucien quickly turned towards the hall where Azriel’s shadows had taken him, he quickly put himself in front of his mate, as he lit both the fire and the light that was hidden away in his veins. 

As Azriel stepped into the light, none of the three high fae spoke. He looked like a shell of the person that Elain had seen just the night before, there hadn’t even gone a day, what had happened to her friend? She couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her lips. 

The shadowsinger couldn’t help but smirk, but it never reached his eyes. “I hope you don’t mind me stopping by, but I need your help Elaine”. It only took a few steps for Lucien to get in front of the Spymaster. His hand rested on the back of his neck, checking his temperature. His hands slid up his cheeks and forced him to meet his eyes as they scanned him for any kind of injury. 

“I’m fine Luce'' he said as he brushed away his hands. The most amazing thing that had come from Azriel's previous crush on the Archeron sister was the friendship with the Vanserra. The two men had learned to understand each other on a level no other could. And in the last decade Lucien and Elaine had become the people Az would always turn to. 

None of them really showed the rest of their inner circle the bond that they shared. Elain had always said it would be too dangerous, never really specifying why. So they met up in other courts, snuck away at balls to drink and laugh with one another. 

Elaine was by Azriels side in a second, taking his arms in hers, and it was almost like he collapsed in the pair's arms. Like if he came home and his body finally allowed itself to relax. His knees gave after and he broke down. He didn't even have the energy to hold his wings off the ground. The state of the Illyrian even worried Helion as he called out for his soldiers to fetch him a healer, that was despite the fact that he seemed to have enough worries of his own. 

“Az, what the hell happened to you?” Elaine said as he brushed his curls from his forehead, but he couldn’t meet her eyes. He just stared at his hands. A few seconds later, he passed out from exhaustion. 

You rode all night, desperate to be in the Night Court as soon as daylight hit the territory of one of the oldest allies of her fathers. Helion had always respected Rhysand, always adored Feyra and thirsted after your own mate and his best friends. 

A fire ran through your body at the mere thought of some other person's hands on his body. It was weird, because the bond hadn’t snapped yet, but you still knew that he belonged to you, and the possessiveness was already clouding your mind. You couldn’t help the chuckle. 

Shortly after you had crossed the border you landed on a hillside outside what you assumed to be Valaris, you would wait here, for anyone of the so-called innercircle to come find you. No need to make them worry, they were warriors after all. 

It didn’t take long before you saw the High Lord and Lady winnow a few hundred meters away from you. Shortly after followed the Morrigan, Cassian, Nesta and Amren. But no Azriel. You felt how your heart contacted, how the disappointment sept through your body. Why wasn’t he here? Did he know you were coming and had decided he wanted nothing to do with you? 

“Couldron boil me, that’s a fucking black pegasus” you heard Nesta breathe out in chock. You smiled at her, and she took a step towards you, mesmerized by the creature, but was quickly stopped by her mate. 

A second later you felt as both Rhysand and Feyra tried gaining access to your mind. Your walls of black obsidian, as dark as your eyes kept them out, and it didn’t take long for them to realize there was no way in. 

“Who are you?” Rhysand yelled out towards you. 

“I’m Y/N, emissary from Day” you spoke clearly, tried your best to seem as confident as possible as you were stared down by all of them, your mates' chosen family. 

“How come we’ve never met you then?” Feyra then said, Rhysand was slowly walking closer to you as he assessed you, your stance and Luna too. 

“I’ve spent the majority of my time in Autumn ever since Eris took over, and as far as I know, you aren’t that close with the Vanserras” you felt how the fire in your veins wanted to make them known as you spoke of your other home court, but you kept it hidden. Your father had kept your identity a secret for a reason after all. 

“Only an idiot would willingly spend time with that snake Eris” Cassian said as he crossed your arms. You couldn’t help but look at Mor who to most people was as poised as ever, but you saw how her shoulders shrunk by the mention of your oldest brother. Lucien had told you of how she had decided to keep the truth of her run-in with Eris a secret, and not defend him. Not calling her out, took every bit of willpower you had stored in your body. 

Instead you rolled your eyes, as you had learned your brothers often did when the matter of that day centuries ago was brought up. Mor seemed to recognize the gesture but kept it to herself. 

“None of that really explains why you’re here girl” Amren said with a cold, almost indifferent tone. 

You sighed as you pulled off your riding gloves. “I’m here to seek out your Shadowsinger, High Lord and Lady” you might be better off with fake formalities you thought. 

Rhysands eyes darkened instantly. “And tell me, what is it exactly you want with my Spymaster?” it all seemed like too much of a coincidence to the pair. 

Be careful… Worried… Angry… Afraid. 

The shadow that had accompanied from Day, had at some point managed to slither up your neck and now sat close to your ear and whispered information to you about the people who stood before you. 

It was impossible for you to hold back the smirk that painted your lips. Azriel might not be here, but his shadow was helping you, and it made you feel safe. 

You shrugged. “I have some information for him,” you said. The answer didn’t seem to please Rhysand, and you felt that insane amount of power radiate from him. 

“As far as I know, Azriel is my spymaster, he reports to me. So whatever information you have for him, you can tell me” Rhysand smirked, but his eyes were dark, cold. He seemed on edge, as if he had expected something to happen soon, as if he expected an attack. 

You smiled at him, tried to seem as gentle and non threatening as possible. And then you shook your head and Rhysands smile faltered. “No, this only concerns him, no one else” 

“You’ve trespassed into our court, you seek out one of the most powerful people in all of Prythia and you refuse to tell me why. What exactly do you expect me to do?” He said as he flicked off a piece of lint from his sleeve. No doubt a coping mechanism to seem somewhat indifferent. It didn’t work on you. 

“I expect you to welcome me like you would any other emissary, and something tells me this isn’t the usual welcome wagon” You catch eyes with Nesta as she smirks at your comment. Elaine had always told you that she had a problem with their brother-in-law. 

“You’ve chosen to come at a bad time, and apart from that Helion usually informs me of the emissaries he sends our way, he hasn’t this time. So maybe you’re just one of Eris’s whores, coming here to see if you could seduce the only unmated man in my innercircle to get information” 

Rhysand looked to a few of Azriel’s shadows that stood close by. “Grab her and take her to the dungeons” he ordered, and the shadows rushed towards you. But just like on the balcony these shadows stopped a few feet from you, and when your little friend revealed itself from its hiding place in your hair, Azriel’s shadows rushed up to join it on your shoulders. 

They were filled with excitement as they kept chanting mate, over and over as they took turns to shower you with compliments. You giggled at them, despite the danger you knew stood before you. Your first little friend gave you a peck on the cheek and left you with its friends, slithering away to find its master and tell him to hurry home. 

“Is she a shadowsinger?” Mor said as she took a step forward. The surprise was easy to read on all their faces. Nesta leaned into Cassian with a knowing smirk as she gave you a small nod. 

“I’m not here to cause trouble, please believe that” You said as the shadows calmed and rested in your hair, on your shoulders, up your arms and down your legs. They provided you with an extra layer of protection. 

“Let the shadows go” Feyra ordered, as wings grew from her back. It was an incredible sight to see her shape shift before you. 

“I’m not their master, they go where he orders them to, I'd imagine” you answered, but Rhysand seemed to be filled with your excuses, and sent out a wave of pure power aimed directly at you. 

You heard Nesta scream “NO!” as he did, a reaction that earned her a look from the High Lord. The shadows took the blow, which made you wince on their behalf. You had no idea if they were conscious beings, if they could feel pain. You hope they couldn’t. 

Feyra helped her mate in his attack, sending light your way that never hit its target and fire that never burned your skin. Her frustrations were clear to see for all, personally you couldn’t help the smirk on your lips. 

And then you raised a hand and all light that surrounded the inner circle disappeared, leaving all but Nesta in complete and utter darkness. 

“Did that witch just blind me?!” Cassian yelled out. As he tried desperately to get to his mate. Nesta just rolled her eyes before grabbing his hand, she did however have a subtle smile on her lips. 

“I just wanna talk to Azriel, please… Just tell me where he is” you felt how your voice threatened to break. 

“He’s not here Lightstealer” Amren said with a calm and collected voice. “He’s in another court, and I’m guessing none of us plan to tell you which before you give us our sight back” The small woman crossed her arms as she shot out one of her hips. 

You sank to your knees ready to give up on your quest and let your power go, once again making it possible for them to see. You felt your tears stream silently down your cheeks. The shadows were desperate to calm you, to make you feel better. In that moment you were all they saw, and one second later, something hit you over the head and everything went black.

Taglist: @tele86 @lilah-asteria @photographmymusic

[sapphanimates]

SapphAnimates Art Recap 2024!

Calling it a little bit early, but here's a quick recap of my art progress for the year ^^

JANUARY

My Alacrity AU designs for Team Chaotix! Espio was one of the new designs I was most proud of at the time (despite the fact I ended up slightly modifying it later on). Hence why I chose him to represent January!

FEBUARY

THIS IS IT. THE ORIGINS OF SASHA. A Sonadow fankid I originally made just for shits and giggles, as many other creators were making them at the time, has slowly evolved over the year to become a pseudo-face for the blog! I wouldn't be where I am right now if you guys hadn't loved her as much as I do, and I'm super grateful for all of your support! Stay tuned for more Doom's Child AU news!

MARCH

Warrior Cats designs! These are some Medicine Cat/Healer designs for fun, though it did push me into a short era of drawing a lot of warriors stuff. I think most of my March was dedicated to Warriors content, actually...

APRIL

I like garten of banban. I needed to share my concept for a darker, psychological horror type of banban story, with a hint of infection au in there as well. please forgive me.

MAY

The end of the Sasha's run in the Sonic Fankid Showdown hosted by @head---ache . She didn't last very long, but the support behind our campaign was insane. Same goes for Zayne's run in the second Showdown. Thank you all so much!

JUNE

I did a "Six Fanarts" Challenge, featuring a mix of Warriors and Sonic characters, this one in particular featuring Sonic, Tails, Shadow, Tangle, Yellowfang, and Breezepelt. Shadow was my favorite from the group, with the bright yellow moon in the background and new Doom Wings (the Doom Powers were recently announced at the time).

JULY

Drew some of the horror adjacent Tails designs from some of the zones in my Project Alacrity AU. Ojo, Maggie, and Tailtrap playing Operation together and failing miserably at it :]

AUGUST

Some scrapped art from an animated shorts compilation video I posted on my YouTube Channel! It features some of the main characters, namely Fallen Leaves from Warriors, a Floragato from Pokémon, and a Mimic and Blarret from My Singing Monsters. Please go check out the video if you haven't yet!

SEPTEMBER

September means school, and school means teachers. And I've never met a more wackjob teacher than my current Chemistry teacher. This picture was one I did as a "Get to Know You" project on the first day of school. Labcoat Sapph.

OCTOBER

My first self assigned school art project, and a photography one! A multimedia picnic, a clay frog, a paper doll coati, and a portrait of a ghostly cat-woman, all sharing a lovely shoo-fly pie. Each character was created in a different medium, and the final photo was taken in my grandmother's backyard.

NOVEMBER

Part of a community challenge spurred by @yourpalsalamander . Asha in Wonderland needed a high af caterpillar, and who better to fill the role than Sasha. Just uh... don't touch her shrooms.

DECEMBER

Mlp horror AUs have had a small comeback lately, mostly on TikTok, but I wanted to throw my hat in the ring and create new evil versions of the entire Mane 6. I haven't come up with a design and concept for Rarity yet, but I've had a great time developing the rest of them! I'd love to turn it into a video series if you guys are interested in hearing my thoughts.

See you all next year! Template is by @zontarzon

[debbiecolon]

My second tarnished oc, Rem. He usually wears the nightmaiden twin crown, but I wanted to draw his face unobstructed. His lore is super meaty and I'm quite happy with it!

Rem is a descendant of the Nox, people of the Eternal Cities. He was raised in Sellia, well versed in Night sorceries and taught melee combat by his 'sisters', Nightmaidens who warden over the town. His days are spent rigorously training his body and mind, honing himself into a warrior capable of subduing the most formidable of foes. Easily identified by both his silvery skin and hair, Rem appears more Silver Tear than anything, yet his golden eyes speak of his heritage, which he is incredibly proud of. And it is perhaps because of his heritage that Rem holds very little love for the Two Fingers and the Golden Order.

Rem had been fortunate enough to meet General Radahn in his youth, and had been privy to the demigod studying gravity sorceries. He grows to admire the flame haired demigod and leaves the Sellian territories for the first time when he offers his services to the General, as both sorcerer and swordsman. He stood among the Red Mane soldiers in battle, dressed in the silks of the Nox, looking elegant as a dancer yet fighting with all the ferocity of a beast. His end is met like many others in the Caelid wilds: witness to the scarlet flower bloom, particles of rot saturating the sky, clogging the beauty of the stars.

He wakes after centuries, called back from a peaceful void to return to the Lands Between. His memories are muddled, mostly lost, but through adventuring he remembers himself, for better or worse. He remembers that wretched flower, and he seeks a power strong enough to oppose it.

Rem is an extremely quiet and emotionally guarded tarnished who borders on selectively mute, speaking little more than he has to. He makes very few connections but is not unwilling to cooperate with his fellows, seeing such actions as a great way to garner much needed knowledge. He gauges everything like a threat but closely safeguards those who win his trust and affection, albeit from the shadows.

Beneath his guarded exterior is a deep longing to return to a home no longer there. Caelid is a fetid wasteland and nightmarish shadow of what it once was, and it is the only time that he openly expresses deep pain upon seeing the remains of a land he once loved so dearly. It hurts more than he can bear to know that Radahn lives as Caelid does--as a shell of his former self. He does not hesitate to participate in the Festival, seeing it as a final act of kindness for his beloved General. It is a hard fought battle, but Rem leaves with Radahn's blades as his trophy, swearing to wield the colossal weapons in battle.

Though Rem was raised in a town of sorcery and has proficiency with night magics, his greatest strength comes from physical prowess. He wields all manner of great swords and colossal blades, overwhelming his foes with sheer strength and relentlessness. He embodies duality, using stealth, life sapping mist and poison to turn the tide of what could have been a heavily skewed battle. He does not see underhanded tactics as something to frown upon. After all, combat (and life) does not play fair. Aside from sorceries, Rem has studied incantations on a surface level, enough to know hos to cast a poisonous mist or mend his injuries.

Rem's loyalty to the red haired demigod is akin to a love that is all consuming. It was a love that felt unrequited, but his unwavering belief and devotion to honing himself into the perfect weapon caught the interest of the towering Radahn. They seemed an unconventional pair, but they both bonded quite easily through combat and a shared love of animals. Leonard, Radahn's steed, received many a rowa berry and nose pats from Rem.

He felt as though he lost Radahn twice over. Once, against the one-armed valkyrie and her scarlet rot, and a second time at his own hand. Though it was a mercy, to grant his beloved demigod a warrior's end, a part of him died again with the General. The loss is an ever present ache that leads to the nihilistic belief that nothing in the Lands is worth salvaging.

The pain of loss and his keen awareness of the loss of many others drives Rem down the path of becoming the Lord of the Frenzied Flame. He does so, not to spare Melina from a fiery end, but to bring an end to it all, to be the Lord of the lost and the broken. To put to rest all that distinguishes and divides, hoping that perhaps the flames will consume him too.

[cherllyio]

The Warrior of Flower Fruit Mountain

This is Macaques design from my Moana AU.

He is currently an enomurs and terryfing Shadow Monster, but he was once Sun Wukongs old "friend", and travel buddy on their many voyages together in the past.

Why is he like this? Well i made little angsty backstory, with clues to what happend to the once great Warrior.

You can read it either here, or on A03 where i also posted it (here)

The Voyager, The Sun and The Monster

Chapter 1 (Prolouge): Drowned by your Love

There is a small island, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, where both terrifying demons and small monkeys live together. One of these creatures inhabiting the Island, while just as much monkey and demon as the rest, stand outs quite a lot.

He has beautiful silk white hair, six magical ears, that can catch the wind flap of a bird thousands of miles away, and a pair of radiant golden eyes, that will pierce through anyone who dares come near.

His name? Liu Mihou. Also rightfully known as “The Warrior of Flower Fruit Mountain”

On normal circumstances The Warrior would be either be training, gathering food supplies for him and the other monkeys, or making his presence known, to any hostile idiot, dumb enough to try and challenge him. 

But not today. Today, you can find The Warrior in the early morning light, preparing for voyage he is not sure when, or if he will ever come back from.

Yet... The Silk Monkey knows it will be worth it. For the person he is looking for is worth everything, and more, that can be worth something in this world.

 “The King of Flower Fruit Mountain!”, “The great sage equal to heaven!”, “The Monkey King!”. Or, as Mihou knew him: “My Sun”.

Just a few hundred years ago, these two celestial monkeys were sailing through all the great oceans together. Battling through storms, strong enough to destroy entire islands, becoming more powerful than the other demons could ever hope to become, and at the same time forming a bond strong enough, to become something greater than friendship.

Except…that all changed when Sun Wukong started playing against a power, he was not prepared for. The power of the Jade Emperor.

This traitorous act against the emperor, would ultimately end in the great sage’s downfall, where he would be catched and imprisoned by the Buddha himself, and pinned down by his very hand. And now, he was now trapped under “Five Element Mountains”, until an unknown destiny would free him.

Nobody, not even the wisest of the immortals, knew when that day would come.

It’s been 500 years since the great sage’s new destiny, fell upon him. Yet now... he has disappeared.

Mihou didn’t know how or where, or if it was done by fair means or foul. He solely knew that the once immense mountain, that had once sealed away his sun, was now only rubles and ashes of its former greatness.

Initially Mihou had been exited, ecstatic even, about this news. However, he quickly realized that like mountain, the King too was gone.

No messages, no clues, no anything. He was truly… gone... But he wasn’t "gone, gone" that would be crazy! "Sun Wukong, The Great sage equal to heaven" could never, would never.... Yea... His sun is fine, he will surely find him!

Plus, Mihou got all the things he needs to find The King, his magic ears being a big part of it. And then… they can be together again, and everything will be balanced, just like before! After all, how can a moon shine without its sun?

He confidently looks down at his own reflection, his silk white hair and shining ears animated in the cold and radiant water below. Everything is going to be ok.

But then he notices the dark roots crawling up his hair.

Dark roots that are slithering its way inside his silk white hair, like an infection, and turning it as dark as a burned corpse.

And nearly, one thirds of his entire mane can’t reflect any of the suns glow back anymore. And it will never be able to do it again.

For a second, it catches The Warrior off guard, but he really shouldn’t haven’t been surprised by this.

These dark roots have slowly been taking up more and more of his silk white hair, for well… Mihou keeps failing to remember that, but it was before his sun disappeared, he knows that much.

Mihou closes his eyes, trying to push the thoughts back. But instead, an old memory creeps up, and fills his soul with dread.

...

A demon. It attacked them.

They were young, stupid and furthermore in love, and together, they thought nothing could stop. Neither in celestial realm nor on earth.

Sure, Mihou was barely half the power of his counterpart, but that didn’t matter. It never really had mattered. The only thing Mihou and Wukong had ever cared about was each other.

Except, this time, it DID matter. Because… Wukong got hurt. Badly hurt.

There had been so much blood… Macaque could barely look at him… and Mihou had started panicking… while a piercing cry had cut through the air, when his Sun was impaled… The world turned around… everything had become so awfully quiet.

And Mihou had just been STANDING THERE. He had done nothing, but tremoring in horror over the cursed remains that was his dying sun. And then that awful, awful demon that had HURT HIS SUN, started whispering terrible, terrible words in his all too powerful ears…

“Oh, how sad” … “did he mean much too you?” … “What a pity…” … “you should have protected him better then…”

And… He listened. For wasn’t it true?

Wasn’t he the one who now stood beside his fading sun, that could barely light any brighter than the flickers of an ending campfire? Wasn’t he the one who had just been standing by his side, while his sun had worked so hard for everyone. Worked so hard and continued getting stronger. To get strong enough to protect his people. To protect Mihou. And he is now dying for the sake of a six eared demon, that would never be able to pay him back. Mihou hadn’t earned any of that. Wukong hadn’t deserved that. Mihou was a traitor.

The demon didn’t even notice, before it was too late. The demon didn’t even notice, before his insides lay before him, and he lied next to it. The demon didn’t even seem to notice Mihou’s scream of agony and pain, before his soul had already left his body.

Everything after that was a blur.

A blur filled with small glimpses of his dying sun, while an unworthy Warrior had desperately tried to save him.

And when the world finally came back into the view, his sun… His sun was ok. His sun was ok. His sun was ok.

“Sorry I scared you so badly there, my dear moon”, Wukong had said with a sad look on his face. “I must admit, he wasn’t as strong as me, but he sure was clever.” His sun had said with a grin on his face.

And oh… How Mihou could have looked at that smile forever. Yet… he was constantly reminded of what had happened.

If that demon… If that god forsaken demon had been any stronger, just a bit, Wukong…

Mihou couldn’t risk that… Never again would he look at his dying sun, covered in his own torn open flesh and shattered bones. Never again would he hear, Wukong’s breath draw close to its final limit. Never again would The Great Sage be betrayed by his own Warrior, who he thought he could trust to always protect him.

For in The Warriors own eyes, he was a traitor. A foul soul who would simply overserve as a prejudiced destiny would drown out the only spark of hope left for their island and its people.

Hence why Mihou did, what he did next.

On the darkest day of the year, where the shadows rosed higher, than their own creators, Mihou stood in the middle of an abandoned Island. He was hoping for someone who could help. And soon enough, someone rose up. The silhouette of the darkness. A spirit. One made of magic not seen quite often.

“The six eared Macaque asks for my help. Don’t you have enough assistance from the king already?” the spirit remarked in a gravelly, judging, voice, whilst turning itself into a clone of The Great Sage to prove its point.

“Yes, please, I need your wisdom…”

“My wisdom… Well, there sure is a considerably amount of that, you will have to be more specific…”

Even though he knew exactly, what he had been come for, it still took Mihou a few seconds, before he finally answered:

“How do I protect someone, who is stronger than me? How do I make sure, I can help someone, when I barely have the strength of the wind, against a storm coming their way?”

Mihou could feel small tears starting to pierce through his eyes, yet he did little to stop them. “How do I make sure, I don’t betray the people I love, when they need me the most?”

The silence after that was barely enough time for the water to hit shore in its never-ending rhythm. Despite that, it had felt like millions of winters and summers had already passed, by the time the silhouette finally spoke again.

“There is one way….”

Mihou looked up.

“However, as all things, it comes with great consequences.”

“I will do anything, please! Just tell me what I need to do!”

The silhouette seemed to watch him like a hawk.

“You are more stupid than you look, Warrior of Flower Fruit Mountain.”

The shadow started morphing into something else.

“Liu’er Mihou, for my power you need to know. This power requires the utmost control. One step aside could lead you drowning in its pit, leaving you only as host to submit.”

The shadows showed The Warrior consumed by shadows, until there is no light left in him.

Mihou took a deep breath.

“How can I control it then?”

“Warrior, only destiny will be your reaper.”

It morphs back into its normal silhouette.

“Now… do you accept this power?”

Mihou, looking back, should probably have thought it more through. But back then, the guilt and love for his Sun had been so strong, it had almost blinded him.

“I do, I accept it.”

And then everything went black.

...

Hundreds of years later, Mihou still doesn’t know, how or when he ended back on Flower Fruit Mountain.

But that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered then, was the power he had now. The power to protect the island, its monkeys and… his sun.

Wukong was skeptical at first, luckily the King had always been more of the oblivious type, so he quickly started to pride the new power as much as Lihou used too.

The newfound power Liu’er Mihou had gained were shadow powers. He could manipulate, create or absorb any shadow as he pleased.

This power also made it easier for him to learn the “72 transformations”, which Wukong had already learned hundreds of years ago, since Mihou could “copy” them using his shadow powers, until he didn’t need Wukong by his side anymore to do it.

Though, as all things, it wouldn’t last long until he learned the consequences of his choices firsthand.

Wukong and Mihou had been fighting a demon, who was stronger than what they were used to, but they had been fighting a lot of them recently, anyway. However, for just a second, Macaque had become cocky, and his let the shadow powers run free to devour their enemy whole.

Expect, after the fight was over, Macaque noticed the dark hair for the first time.

It had been small at first, barely noticeable, but with every “slip up” it had gotten more and more noticeable.

It wasn’t just if he got cocky in battle. If something had hurt him mentally, it would also grow. Which, when Wukong got trapped under the mountain… The infection had grown to the length of two small snakes crawling up his legs and arms in just a few hours.

Moreover, when they got into a fight while Wukong was trapped… The fur on his legs was almost completely black.

So, the 500 years that had slowly been passing by had been both a physically and mental war in his head, that from each day that had went by got closer and closer to winning…

The lack of a king also meant that more demons had started to attack Flower Fruit Mountain, therefore Macaque had to use way more power than usual, which would just make the curse worse...

And then every night, if it was a quiet one, he would cry himself to sleep, in his now empty nest.

Yet, as the black fur was getting dangerously close to his heart, which Mihou did not want to find out what happened if it reached it, there was… hope.

Wukong was free now after all!

Mihou was so sure, that as soon as they found each other again. When he could finally embrace that golden fur again, everything would be fine.

And as Mihou looked down the boat, now ready for the long voyage ahead, he felt A hope rise in his chest, for the first time in these 500 years.

Everything will be ok; nothing bad ever happen anymore.

Wukong is waiting for him after him after all!

…

Right?

[talonabraxas]

Pha Yant: of lord surya (the sun) “a ruby flashing in the sky” Credit: JintheNinja (金齊天大聖)

Surya Mantra

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

"Japakusumsankasham Kashypeyam Mahadhyutim

Tamorim Sarvapaapagnam Prantosmi Divakaram"

Meaning : I bow down to the Sun God who is the cause of the day break, who dispels all darkness, who destroys all sins , who is matchless in brilliance, who is the son of Kashyapa and who is as red as a Japa Kusuma flower.

Surya Gayatri Mantra OM Bhaskaraya Vidmahe Mahadyutikaraya Dhimahi Tanno Adityah Pracodayat'

According to Hindu Mythology, Sun is a Kshatriya and born to Sage Kashyap and Aditi who is the mother of Gods. Her sons were defeated by the demons. Aditi prayed to the sun to be born as her son to fight and defeat the demons so that the Gods could get back their due. Sun agreed to it and was born as Aditya. Hindus believe that Sun is ever moving in a chariot drawn by seven horses. Surya, the Sun, is short in stature and has a prominent, shining appearance, with two arms, a curly mane of hair and shining, golden-brown eyes that are the exact color of honey. His mind is incisive and His complexion coppery or golden and He wears clothes of dark saffron. In both His hands, Surya has two red lotuses. The wheel of Surya's chariot represents the year and its twelve spokes are the twelve months.

God Surya (सूर्य) can be called the only god in Hindu religion who can be seen and prayed to in daily life. The Surya is depicted as having a body as shiny and radiant as pure gold. He is believed to be a golden red man with three eyes and four arms, riding a chariot driven by seven white horses. The Chariot harnessed by seven horses represent the seven colours of the rainbow or the seven chakras.

Surya is the life giver, sustaining all life on earth by providing all radiance and energy. He by mounting the wheel of time is also the one who is responsible for the beautiful seasons and causing the cycle of day and night.

The Surya is referred to in Sanskrit as "Mitra" or "Friend" down to the invariable warmth. Surya is depicted with two hands holding a lotus in both; sometimes he has four hands holding a lotus, chakra, a conch and a mace.

Surya in ancient literature

In Vedas, numerous hymns are dedicated to Surya, the Sun personified, and Savitr, "the impeller", a solar deity either identified with or associated with Surya. Even the Gayatri mantra, which is regarded as one of the most sacred of the Hindu hymns is dedicated to the Sun. The Adityas are a group of solar deities, from the Brahmana period numbering twelve. The ritual of sandhyavandanam, performed by some Hindus, is an elaborate set of hand gestures and body movements, designed to greet and revere the Sun.

The mantra in Rig Veda praise to the Surya as :

आ कृष्णेन् रजसा वर्तमानो निवेशयन्न अमृतं मर्त्यं च । हिरण्ययेन सविता रथेना देवो याति भुवनानि पश्यन ॥ (1/35)

(Throughout the dusky firmament advancing, laying to rest the immortal and the mortal, Borne in his golden chariot he cometh, Savitar, God who looks on every creature]

Gaytri Mantra in Vedas for Lord Surya

ॐ भूर्भुवः॒ स्वः॒ तत्स॑वितुर्वरे॑ण्यम् भ॒र्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑ धीमहि। धियो॒ यो नः॑ प्रचो॒दया॑त्॥

(Om bhoor-bhuvaH svaH, tat-savitur-vareNNyam, bhargo devasya dheemahi, dhiyo yo naH prachodayaat.)

In the Vedas Surya Dev is referred to as the god of light who is responsible for all life on earth.

The Children of lord Surya are : Shani Deva (शनि), Yama, Yamuna, Tapti

Names of Surya

Ravi, Suraj, Aditya, Adit, Bhaskar, Pusha, Divakar, Bhanu

Vedic Mythology with stories

The Mahabharata describes one of its warrior heroes Karna as being the son of the righteous queen Kunti and the Sun. The Ramayana describes Lord Ram (श्री राम) as being descended from the Surya Vansh or the clan of kings as bright as the Sun. The Sun God is said to married to the beautiful goddess Ranaadeh, also known as Sanjnya. She is depicted in dual form, being both sunlight and shadow, personified. The charioteer of Surya is Arun, who is also personified as the redness that accompanies the sunlight in dawn and dusk.

Sun God in different cultures

The Solar deities associated with different aspects of the cultural universe of the society, but for the most part its raw image remains identical. In the 3rd millennium BC, the winged sun was an ancient symbol of Horus. The Neolithic concept of a solar barge, the sun as traversing the sky in a boat, is found in the later myths of ancient Egypt, with Ra and Horus. Egyptian myths imply that the sun is within the lioness,

Proto-Indo-European religion has a solar chariot, the sun as traversing the sky in a chariot. During the Roman Empire, a festival of the birth of the Unconquered Sun was celebrated when the duration of daylight first begins to increase after the winter solstice, — the "rebirth" of the sun.

In Germanic mythology this is Sol, in Vedic Surya, and in Greek Helios (occasionally referred to as Titan) or Apollo. Mesopotamian Shamash plays an important role during the Bronze Age, and "my Sun" is eventually used as an address to royalty. South American cultures have emphatic Sun worship. Svarog is the Slavic god sun and spirit of fire. In Aztec mythology, Tonatiuh was the sun god. The Aztec people considered him the leader of Tollan, heaven.

Surya in vedic Astrology

God Surya is the King of all the planets and is responsible for controlling all their movements. The Sun in Vedic astrology is called RAVI, or SURYA. In western tropical astrology, the Sun rules the Sign of Leo. He is exalted in the sign of Aries, and he is in his fall in the sign of Libra. In vedic astrology the Sun is known as the ATMAKARAKA, means .an "indicator of the soul." The Sun is the indicator of the father, our ego, honors, status, fame, the heart, the eyes, general vitality, respect and power.

He is particularly beneficial for the fire sign Ascendants of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. His nature, or temperament is PITTA, or fiery, and the gemstone associated with the Sun is the red ruby. The Sun's metal is Gold and his direction is east. His day is Sunday, and he comes into full maturity and brilliance at age 22.

The Vedas adore him as a witness (Sakshi) of all actions. He is the lord of Leo in the Zodiac. He stays one month in each Rasi and takes 365 days or 12 months to complete a round of 12 Rasis. Worship of Surya on Sunday is supposed to bring in manifold benefits to the worshippers. .

Surya and modern Astronomy

Our solar system consists of an average star we call the Sun, the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. It includes: the satellites of the planets; numerous comets, asteroids, and meteoroids; and the interplanetary medium. The planets, most of the satellites of the planets and the asteroids revolve around the Sun in the same direction, in nearly circular orbits.

Our solar system the part of whole solar system, together with the local stars visible on a clear night, orbits the center of our home galaxy, a spiral disk of 200 billion stars we call the Milky Way. Again Our galaxy, one of billions of galaxies known, is traveling through intergalactic space. The order of planets revolving around the Sun are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

On February 14, 1990, the cameras of Voyager 1 pointed back toward the Sun and took a series of pictures of the Sun and the planets, making the first ever "portrait" of our solar system as seen from the outside.

Prayers to please Lord Surya

Surya namaskāra

Lord Surya helps one gain his eyesight and SURYA NAMASKAR will strengthen one's bones, cure illness, however severe it may be, cleanses the devotee from his sins and bestows on him progeny, wealth, good-health and long life. He is the cause for rainfall benefiting the world.

The lord Surya is prayed in the simplest way by folding one's hands in a namaskar at the time of sunrise. A simple chant of Om Suryaye Namah pleases the lord Surya. A Hindu worship Lord Surya at the rising of the Sun, known as Surya namaskāra There are twelve physical postures (asanas), which correspond to the twelve signs of the zodiac. During the sun's apparent journey through the heavens it passes through each of zodiac, and is said to triumph over each sign as it enters its domain. Associated with each other of the twelve positions of Surya Namaskar is a specific mantra. The 12 mantras for surya namaskara:

ॐ मित्राय नमः (aum mitrāya namah) ॐ रवये नमः (aum ravayé namah ) ॐ सूर्याय नमः (aum sūryāya namah ) ॐ भानवे नमः (aum bhānavé namah ) ॐ खगय नमः (aum khagāya namah ) ॐ पुष्णे नमः (aum pushné namah) ॐ हिरण्यगर्भाय नमः (aum hiranyagarbhāya namah) ॐ मारिचाये नमः (aum mārichāyé namah) ॐ आदित्याय नमः (aum ādityāya namah) ॐ सावित्रे नमः (aum sāvitré namah) ॐ आर्काय नमः (aum ārkāya namah) ॐ भास्कराय नमः (aum bhāskarāya namah)

The Gayatri Mantra is also associated with Surya.

Another hymn associated with Surya is the Aditya Hridayam, recited by the great sage Agastya to Lord Ram (श्री राम) on the warfield before the fight with Ravana in Lanka. .

[bonefall]

BB!Tigerheart -> Heartstar

For @noisycitrine and @halogenwarrior who wanted more info on the most woman ever.

[Image ID: An AU version of Tigerheart from Warrior Cats, now named Heartstar. She is a small, lithe russet-brown tabby with a long tail and bright golden stripes. She has a two-colored mane, raptor claws, and oval 'glasses'. There is a bright golden 'heart' on her chest.]

FUN FACT did you know that Canon ShadowClan had 7 male leaders in a row, from Houndstar to the modern arc? I said no. Girl Tigerheart be upon ye.

Names are sacred and carry immense weight in Clan Culture. When a cat is about to become a leader and would have a name conflict with an unfaded ancestor, StarClan renames them. Heartstar was particularly special.

She returned to the Lake after bringing back the love of her life, Dovewing, and died in a raid to take back ShadowClan kits from the Kin's remnants. Tigerheart's father, Rowanstar, couldn't bear to lose his last child. He declared her his deputy, and plunged into the Moonpool with her body.

He drowned the last of his lives away, so that she could live. StarClan itself was awed by this sacrifice, and performed a miracle. Heartstar burst from the water sputtering, ready to rebuild ShadowClan anew.

As a leader, Heartstar is back and ready for the controversy. She watched her Clan fall apart twice, once from Dark Forest meddling and a god's games, and again from Onestar refusing to lend aid during a yellowcough epidemic, and has vowed to never let that happen again.

She's ferociously protective of her family, supporters, and clanmates, in that order, and is not afraid to gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss if she thinks she's doing the right thing.

Clanmew Name: Gaorbabun, Babishai (Tiger + Heartbeating, Heart will Beat + Star)

Alignment: ShadowClan, brief periods as ThunderClan and SkyClan

Relationships: Mate - Dovewing Children (adopted) - Lightleap, Shadowsight, Birchkit, Rowankit Parents - Tawnypelt, Rowanstar Siblings - Dawnpelt, Flametail Nespring - Strikestone, Sleekwhisker, Juniperclaw Mentor - Marshwing

Below the cut is trivia first, then all the changes to the character arc-by-arc, up to OotS, AVoS, and Heartstar's Rise.

Trivia!

Rowanclaw is now the son of Brokenstar along with Littlecloud! They were honor-sired for Newtspeck.

They have a distinct bi-colored mane from their mother, and 'glasses' from their father.

Tigerclaw's family trait is being brown tabbies with raptor claws.

Heartstar got all of the traits because she deserves it

I also miss how she was once described as having 'gold' in an older description so compromise; golden stripes.

I feel like you can't just miraculously resurrect without some kind of cool physical change, so, Heartstar gets to have a raised heart-shaped keloid scar on her chest.

She didn't sire any of her kittens; Light and Shadow were Bumblestripe's, and Strikestone's death left two more behind. It's free baby.

Heartstar fights in perfect tandem with Dovewing. Heartstar is so small that she can leap freely around and under her, skilled enough to never trip her up.

Their favorite tactic is for Dovewing to grapple with a huge opponent, allowing Heartstar to pop like a weasel from up between her legs to viciously attack the opponent's belly.

Tigerheart was the smallest member of the Tigerkin family, by far. In a lineup of record-setting Clan giants, Heartstar is barely larger than an apprentice.

She is much smaller than her entire family. Pocket pikachu.

Heartstar's favorite food is crayfish. She likes how most Clans are unsettled by this, Reedclaw was unbothered.

BB!OotS

Change NUMBER ONE is that Tigerpaw is the only survivor of Tawnypelt's second litter, born during the Cruel Season that saw the rise of Bramblestar.

His siblings, Dawnpelt and Flametail, are much older.

A tom-kit initially named Goldenkit, the other kits in the litter died to illness. Before her last child died, Tawnypelt angrily challenged StarClan by renaming the survivor Tigerkit.

"Go on, take a tiger into the stars so it can bite your faces off. No? Thought so."

Dawnpelt and Flametail were cool older siblings, Tigerkit especially idolized Dawnpelt and her quick sass.

The rowdy and troublesome kit was assigned to Marshwing, the cat that Brackenfur saved from an eagle during the Great Journey, now one of ShadowClan's finest warriors.

Marshwing's mentor was Oakfur, who liked to joke that whenever Marsh wanted to admit defeat he'd take the little twerp instead.

Tigerpaw met Dovepaw on the journey to unblock the southern river.

During this time, Dovepaw made her realize that she was definitely not a boy and probably also a lesbian.

This was to Rowanclaw's soft amusement when she returned home, as he is also transgender and figured it out after going on a long journey

"Maybe if we send you out again you'll come back with another one"

Dove and Tiger were fast friends after this eye-opening trip. Dove's perspective expanded to include the other Clans and the death of Rippletail made her realize how much they matter.

Tiger's perspective expanded to, "I do whatever i want because I want to see Dovewing"

Unfortunately for them, tensions between ThunderClan and ShadowClan were beginning to sour. Blackstar and Russetfur were not fond of the new management style of Bramblestar and his aggressive deputy, Thornclaw, both of which had recently taken power shortly before Tigerheart was born.

Unknown to Bramblestar, Thornclaw was training in the Dark Forest, and trying to encourage him to act more aggressively than Firestar.

Tigerpaw started training in the Dark Forest through her good friend Redpaw, who was brought in through his mentor Applefur. Applefur was the sister of Marshwing.

Her paternal grandfather was Brokenstar, and her maternal grandfather was the infamous Tigerstar. If Tawnypelt had given her this name to ward away StarClan and protect her death... then surely there was a power to gain from him?

Tigerstar took a shine to his granddaughter immediately, introducing her to his dead son, Hawkfrost.

It was very surprising to not find Brokenstar in the Place of No Stars, but Runningnose was there to... "explain" is not the right word, more like, "cryptically leave breadcrumbs of answers"

Tigerpaw was often pitted against Ivypaw in particular, as if their mentors considered them rivals. It fostered a lifelong resentment between them, especially as Dovewing began to speak highly of Tigerheart.

Tigerheart remained a supporting character, someone that Dovewing was able to talk to for a different perspective from her father Lionblaze and sister Ivypool, until near the end of the arc during a fateful battle

Attacking ShadowClan for control of a contested berry patch, Russetfur was killed, and Blackstar was devastated.

A troublemaking calico creature slid into his good graces. Sol, God of Chaos and Games, convinced him to abandon his leadership.

In the scramble, Redwillow, Ratscar, and Applefur took control of ShadowClan, and started enforcing their own rules. Tigerheart was more cunning than them, and realized they were not going to be able to keep power.

She was threading a thin needle, not openly supporting her fellow Dark Forest trainees, and she knew it.

When they were thrown out of power by Rowanclaw rallying Blackstar to return to power, Tigerstar punished them harshly in the Dark Forest and praised Tigerheart for her foresight.

Shortly after, Flametail had figured out the plot. Redwillow, Ratscar, and Applefur were freakishly strong and Thornclaw was encouraging Bramblestar not to help. They were all in cahoots!

The Dark Forest used their powers to kill him so he'd be silent, ice cracked by demonic meddling.

Tigerheart didn't know if she was going to be able to save his soul, but she had to try. Once again, Tigerstar had ignored the warning sign to preserve his family, calling off the execution.

In that moment, it proved to Hawkfrost that he was undeniably playing favorites. It wasn't about the plan. It wasn't about breaking out of the Dark Forest. It was all another project for Tigerstar's ego... and he was not valued like his bloodline through Tawnypelt.

(Go check out my meta intentions with Hawk's redemption arc over here!)

During the Great Battle, Tigerheart stayed to watch the embarrassment of the first attack, but defected as soon as the fighting got serious in the second one. She wasn't going to hurt her Clanmates, haughtily announcing that this was the best opportunity to, "join the winning side."

After the fight, Dovewing's powers started to ebb away... taking her hearing with it. Meeting with Tigerheart was always refreshing, sometimes it felt like she was the only one who really 'understood' what she wanted.

Things began to get serious when Tigerheart's apprentice, Sleekpaw, developed a rebellious streak, and a group of strange cats arrived at the lake. Onestar reacted badly, and ShadowClan fell to the kin.

BB!AVoS

If Tigerheart has any regrets, it's how she was careless with her niece. She didn't think it was a problem to just let her work it out.

It seemed... harmless. Kids who wanted to feel cool and powerful, she could empathize with that.

The apprentices weren't wrong, at first. The way Onestar immediately became upset about the outsiders, the way two kits were separated because of a vague prophecy, how Clans refused to cooperate even after everything. Tigerheart was frustrated by much of it too.

But there was something wrong about Darktail. Especially when he announced that he was accepting any cat who felt wronged and excluded from Clan society.

Maybe the impulse was harmless. Maybe Darktail was the problem in the end. In any case, the yellowcough outbreak ravaged ShadowClan and the Kin, and WindClan refused to let either of them collect mullein to treat their sick.

Dying to yellowcough is a horrible fate. Catmint can cure, but mullein must be used to prevent lung damage. Tigerheart watched clanmates survive the illness, only to choke to death in the end.

Crowfrost, the deputy and Tigerheart's brother-in-law, was one of them.

Crowfeather, Harespring, and Heathertail went behind Onestar's back to deliver what they could, but too late to save many cats that Tigerheart loved.

After this, ShadowClan quickly fell apart. The Kin was stronger, having immediately kicked the sick out of their group and quarantined.

Cats like Scorchfur said that if Rowanstar wasn't a weak leader, he would have made "hard choices" and done the same

Tigerheart realized that every group had a different reason for following the Kin. Some wanted Clans to be harsher. Some wanted more diplomacy. Others were just looking for connection.

She's smarter than most, and realized that this was much like the Dark Forest. The Kin was everything and nothing, and that meant there was probably an ulterior motive behind it.

They couldn't be trusted.

But no one listened to her. ShadowClan crumbled, she had to flee, and her last memory of her sister Dawnpelt is the image of her worried expression over her shoulder, leaving her behind in the Kin's new camp.

Dawnpelt wouldn't separate herself from her kits, including Sleekwhisker.

An ancient curse was filled yet again, tabby tiger watching their golden sibling fade away.

While staying with ThunderClan, Tigerheart found herself wrapped up in the messy sort-of-relationship between Dovewing and Bumblestripe

Dovewing was clearly unhappy, caught between two uncertain options, growing increasingly frustrated with ThunderClan

When Violetshine brought SkyClan back to the Lake for the final fight with the Kin, Tigerheart decided she needed to go be with her freed Clanmates, wherever they were to go.

Tigerheart asked her to come, but Dovewing wasn't ready. She couldn't leave her Clan, especially not when it wasn't even clear if the ex-ShadowClan cats would be fully accepted into SkyClan

Shortly after making that choice, Dovewing became pregnant. Dread twisted into panic as she realized she didn't want to raise kits with Bumblestripe, the thought of ThunderClan constantly speaking over her as a parent sunk in, and the knowledge that she had already turned Tigerheart down overwhelmed her.

With ShadowClan disbanded, Rowanclaw refusing to choose a new deputy and rejecting his remaining lives, Tigerheart and the survivors had to try and get used to being part of SkyClan.

Heartstar's Rise

This is a summary; go ahead and see the 1st draft outline of Heartstar's Rise over here!

After Dovewing choose Bumblestripe over her, Tigerheart returned to the ShadowClan survivors

They had been annexed into SkyClan, as Rowanstar was refusing to lead after his Clan fell apart under his watch

He never replaced Crowfrost after his horrible death, and was calling himself "Rowanclaw."

Ironic, that he was now in the same position as Blackstar, just before he was made deputy... but this time, there was a safer, more stable Clan for his cats to serve. He was convinced he was doing the correct thing.

This was causing problems related to the ex-ShadowClan cats having a lack of autonomy over themselves; they were no longer a Clan, but still felt like one.

They didn't want to be SkyClan cats. They were ShadowClan.

Tigerheart was more of a leader than Rowanclaw, but he was insisting ShadowClan would never have another star to its name.

"Let it rest in peace."

But before she could hatch a plan, Dovewing vanished, and Tigerheart was told by Poppyfrost (open to change) that she fled because she was pregnant.

So, of course, Tigerheart charged off to go find her.

After traveling far, far east for many days, she hit the church of the Guardians.

While there, her resolve to rebuild ShadowClan only grew stronger, though she promised Dovewing that this time... it was her choice.

She would stay and raise the kits with her, become a Guardian. Anything.

Dovewing, however, felt that this wasn't right either. Tigerheart needed to get home, her love of ShadowClan was completely different from Dovewing's dread for ThunderClan.

And... though she loved it here, she would love being wherever Tigerheart was.

Several guardians decided to join them for their own reasons; Blaze, Ant, and Cinnamon.

Spiresight is probably not going to be one of these (open to change); because he is now the leader of the Guardians. His name refers to the Guardian's new leader ability to sense anything that happens in their territory through the flora that grows there. It was not a name given by Tigerheart.

They came back to SkyClan and ex-ShadowClan cats having an argument over kittens that the Kin's remnants were still in possession of.

Yarrowleaf had been exiled from the Kin remnants and was begging for them to go back and 'save' the newborns Hopkit and Flaxkit.

The ex-Shadow cats wanted to launch an attack; Leafstar didn't feel there was enough evidence to justify a kitten-stealing raid.

How could she know if Yarrowleaf was telling the truth that Nettle was a danger to the kits? Yarrowleaf could have been exiled because she was the danger.

Tigerheart decided that enough was enough. ShadowClan was clearly still a separate Clan in their hearts, and they should be making their own choices, not begging someone else's leader for permission.

She will make controversial, ShadowClan-centric choices as a leader-- this time around, I want it to be less "black-and-white," so that the Kin remnants aren't completely evil and there's nuance to this situation... which Tigerheart tramples, displaying how she makes decisions.

But, this time, the raid has a consequence; Tigerheart died in the attack.

this is a formative moment for Shadowkit

However, Dovewing couldn't accept this, and brought her to the Moonpool in desperation.

Once there, Rowanstar refused to watch another child die. Declaring her his deputy, he grabbed her body and dove into the water, drowning away all of his lives so that she could live.

StarClan was touched by this heroic display of self-sacrifice, and was emotional enough to perform a miracle; Rowanstar's last life became Heartstar's first.

And with that life, Rowanstar gave her strength. Strength he used for one last kick, to send her thrashing back up to the surface of the pool as he sunk into the abyss below.

After this, Heartstar rebuilds ShadowClan. She can be a very biased leader, often ending up in situations where she lets her family off the hook easier than other warriors, or doling out 'theatrical' punishments just to say she did it. On that note, there are aspects of the code she barely cares about.

For this reason, even with the Clan she has the achievement of rebuilding, she can be quite polarizing. Her supporters adore her; her detractors despise her. This hasn't inhibited her ability to rule though...... yet.

(Better Bones does not cover arcs that are not done yet!)

Her political profile is largely 'soft' Traditionalism. She believes that ShadowClan must come first and that fighting keeps the Clans strong, but is committed to preserving the strength of the other four and does a lot of diplomacy. On Clan collaboration, she leans towards Fire Alone. On most other things, she leans Traditionalist.

[queenofmoons67]

Star of the General: A Warriors Fic (2/?)

Summary:

One minute, Link is fighting a wizzrobe, and the next, he has four hooves and a mane. When Impa comes looking for him, all she finds is the stallion he’s been turned into. A year later, Zelda gifts Link to eight strangers as one of the best warhorses in Hyrule’s stables, with her hope and blessing that he’ll keep them safe. Link will do his best, even if they do all think he’s just a horse.

First / Previous / Next

Warning: Graphic descriptions of violence

Having had the chance to see his boys again, Link allows Twilight to wrangle him and plods along peacefully once more.

The path they’re on cuts through a long field. Once full of farmland, it became a battleground in the middle years of the war, when Cia and Ganon pushed the Hyrulian forces almost all the way back to Castle Town.

The months before they reclaimed the area were probably the darkest of the war. The farmland was razed by the opposing army and Hyrulian soldiers alike—the former to prevent food from being harvested, and the latter so they couldn’t be ambushed by the enemy hiding in the tall stalks. By the time the fighting was done, blood had soaked deep into the earth.

It will likely be years before anything but scraggly meadow grows there again.

While the field’s history is full of death, the traveling group gradually becomes more full of life. It is as though the joking about Twilight and Hoshi has broken the flow of sadness built by the news of Link’s “death.”

In the openness of the field, Link walks side by side with Epona, and the morning sun covers him in her shadow.

Link was not a small Hylian, and he is not a small horse. Judging from glances he has seen of himself in rivers and water troughs, Link knows he is a Kiso* horse, which are bred to be sturdy and quick on their feet, adept at both carrying armored warriors and dodging opponents’ weapons. Impa herself remarked that Link is tall for a Kiso at thirteen and a half hands high.

Epona, however, is a Ban’ei** draft horse, and Link wouldn’t be surprised to learn that she’s a solid seventeen hands. She’s built for heavy lifting, and the heroes have utilized her well, outfitting her with saddlebags and hanging some of their heavier weapons among them.

It makes Link wonder what use the heroes will find for him. The grooms kitted him in armor and dressed his golden mane and tail for battle, but no one has moved to ride him.

Up ahead at the front of the group, Time raises a hand and calls everyone to a stop. They circle up around each other, letting packs slide to the ground and stretching out tired limbs, and Wild passes out what looks like a mid-morning snack of apples, celery, and nut butter.

Epona yawns, then bends her head to start picking through the grass for the healthier, tastier bits. Link follows her lead—

But then Twilight pulls his reins back, stopping him from grazing. Link blinks crossly at him with half a mind to go back to eating anyway. Twilight just smiles, and his fingers start to nimbly pick at the fastenings keeping the bamen on Link’s face.

“There, that’s better, isn’t it?” Twilight says, pulling the bamen away and smoothing a hand down the star on his forehead. “You’re a handsome boy, did you know that?”

Link blows air in Twilight’s face. Yes, he knows. Twilight is just the latest in a long line of people to tell him so, though admittedly his comment is much more welcome than Cia’s cooing or a traitor’s scoffing. It feels more like his mother cupping his cheeks in her hands and touching her forehead to his.

Link hasn’t had much of a family since Tune and Mask both went home, but now his brothers are back and quadrupled in number.

It’ll take time to get to know them all, especially considering Link’s current physical state, but he might actually enjoy this.

Just as he thinks this, a glowing portal shimmers into the air over the trail. Link startles and sidesteps. Epona warned him about the portals, but he didn’t expect one so soon—and neither did the heroes, if the loud cursing from Legend is any sign.

“Whoa, Hoshi,” Twilight murmurs, and the hero’s hand winds its way into his reins and pulls him back to Twilight’s side. But the portal also tugs at him, as if there is a tether between it and his stomach, and between that tether and his reins, Link feels like he might split in two.

He tosses his head, then bucks, unsure what exactly he wants and therefore unsure what to do next.

All his action seems to do is make Twilight pull the reins over his head so they lie on his neck. Then the hero sets his left boot in the stirrups, and Link locks his knees to steady himself.

Weight pulls at Link’s left side, then Twilight settles in the saddle and his weight redistributes across Link’s back. Hands gather up the reins, keeping them short but comfortable, and knees squeeze at Link’s side to urge him on.

Link walks, Twilight on his back and Epona following behind.

The other heroes turn to look at them when they approach the group. They had been gathering their things together, not that there was much when it had only been a short break.

Now, Sky squints up at Link’s rider and asks, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? It’s his first time through a portal; who knows how he might react to it?”

Link huffs, offended on his own behalf even as the leader in him knows it’s a good point, but Twilight just pats his neck and says, “He settled the moment I was in the saddle. He’s a trained warhorse, he’ll do fine.”

Twilight does keep an excellent seat. He knows what he’s doing in the saddle, and his steady calm radiates from him, through the reins, to Link himself.

But the portal continues to pull at Link, and it’s true that everyone reacts to magic in different ways. They won’t know how it affects him until he steps through.

Time studies Link and Twilight, his one eye narrowed, and then he nods and says, “Wild, Epona, and Sky will go through first, just in case. I’m with the rancher. Everyone else, pairs as always.”

The rancher? Link twists his ears, trying to keep track of everyone’s movements, then remembers Epona mentioning nicknames. He assumed those were just the names they used instead of Link, but did they have other nicknames, too? Twilight being a rancher explains why he’s attached himself to Link.

No one has to explain Time’s inclusion in the trio: When he approaches and stretches his hand out for Link to nose, Epona’s meadow-light scent is so strong it almost overpowers Time’s own strange, lightning-infused smell.

Epona is Time’s horse, which makes him suited for helping Link if anything goes wrong in the portal. Not to mention the calming effect of having his younger brother at his side again, Link thinks, and noses at Time’s head affectionately, lipping at his hair before huffing to blow it away.

Time grins at him and his eye crinkles at the corners even as he pushes Link’s head away and, ahead of them, Sky, Wild, and Epona step through the portal. Time wraps his hand around Link’s reins, up close under his chin, and leads him on.

Tether and rein pull him in the same direction, and the closer they get to the portal, the calmer Link feels.

Then he steps through. The heroes had been worried, but Link feels no worse for wear as he exits into a small, sunlit clearing surrounded by trees.

Link sees the bokoblin running up behind him before he hears Sky shout, and he bows and kicks back with both hind legs, praying that Twilight manages to keep his seat.

When he lands on all fours again, the ‘blin lays splayed out on the ground and Time has let go of his reins, leaving them to be gathered back by someone who can only be Twilight.

“Atta boy, Hoshi!” his rider laughs. “Time to see what else you can do!”

Link’s heart gallops in his chest at the challenge, and he screams his readiness around the bit even as he wheels at the slightest touch of Twilight’s heel to his right side, neck arched, ears pinned back, and eyes rolling to take in the fight they unknowingly walked into.

There are four bokoblins, four moblins, and four lizalfos. There’s no sign of a monster camp, but there is a path that cuts through the clearing. The portal must have dropped them right in the middle of a roving monster band.

The lizalfos have surrounded Sky and Wild, but the two heroes are back-to-back and seem uninjured. Epona stands at the tree line, hooves kicking out at any monster that dares get too close.

Time makes a stand in front of the portal, drawing his sword to face-off two of the bokoblins and one of the moblins. The other monsters have started to converge on Link and Twilight, but Twilight drives Link towards them and the ‘blins scatter, shouting, under the half-a-ton weight of an armored horse. Most of their weapons glance off Link’s armor or don’t come close to him, but a few are deflected by Twilight’s sword.

One weapon makes contact, a searing line of heat drawn by a spear that makes it past his armor to his vulnerable belly before the wood handle snaps under Link’s hooves.

If the heroes are going to ride him into battle, they’re going to have to get the proper weapons. Link refuses to get up close and personal with spears again just because the longest weapon his rider carries is a sword.

For now, Link focuses on the path to the portal. Four and Wind have already emerged into the half-circle of grass right at Time’s back, but while Wind immediately draws his own sword and leaps to Time’s side, Four sinks to the ground clutching his head.

The standoff at the portal is two against three, and there are still two more unsuspecting heroes to come through.

Link cuts to the side of the moblin, and Twilight takes the opportunity to slit its throat as they ride by. Link makes note of the kill even while he digs his hooves into the dirt and turns, galloping around the portal’s back edge to rush the monsters regrouping from their first collision with Link and Twilight.

Ahead of them, Sky and Wild have managed to stay back-to-back and killed two of the lizalfos. Four staggers to his feet, still holding his head but now also holding his sword, and Time and Wind stab their blades into the hearts of their opponents in unison.

Then Hyrule and Legend stagger out of the portal, Hyrule collapses, and the portal winks out of sight—but Link barely notices, busy once more using his own body as a battering ram against the regrouping ‘blins.

One of the bokoblins falls under his hooves and doesn’t rise again. The other, along with the three remaining moblins, runs away from him and toward the larger collection of heroes. Twilight curses and guides him in a tight turn.

“After them, Hoshi! Hya!”

Boot heels dig into Link’s sides, the reins go loose, and Twilight leans forward, giving Link his head and urging him to thunder after the monsters. Time and Wind don’t look tired, but they’ve been fighting at a disadvantage the entire time. Legend is battle-fresh, but he’s got an unsteady Four taking care of the fallen Hyrule right behind him.

With Link and Twilight coming up behind the monsters, though, the ‘blins have effectively cornered themselves in a pincer maneuver. It doesn’t take much for the heroes to win the battle as, on the other side of the clearing, Sky and Wild dispatch the remaining lizalfos.

When the last of the moblins disappears, Link lets his head hang, too tired to do much else. This was his first real battle as a horse. He’d been trained in his own world, but never actually seen combat.

It’s different, he thinks, to fight on four legs instead of two. No one looks to a horse for orders. No one expects elegant swordplay, either. Instead, Twilight used his greater height, weight, and speed to his own advantage.

“Good boy,” Twilight murmurs. His rider shifts, leaning forward in the saddle, and a hand pats his neck. “You did incredible, Hoshi.”

Link arches his neck into the hand, happy to take in the praise. He keeps his eyes on the other heroes, though, as they pick their way around the clearing and check on one another.

Hyrule is awake and walking, albeit with his arms slung across the shoulders of Legend and Time. Four and Wind lean against one another for support; the former seems to be unsteady from the portal still, while the latter has a cut across his thigh that’s oozing blood. Neither of them are hurrying, so Link assumes the injury isn’t serious.

Twilight nudges his sides with his heels. Link sighs, but starts to follow the others. His own wound stings anew with the movement, fresh, hot blood trailing across his stomach. Link had forgotten about it in the rush of battle, but now, he wonders how much blood he’s lost. He thought his tiredness was from adjusting to battle as a horse, but how much blood can a horse lose?

Link snorts and picks up speed. On his back, Twilight makes a surprised noise, but ahead, Epona looks up from Wild and trots toward him instead. In seconds, she’s at his side, sticking her huge nose into his wound. He sidesteps and snaps his teeth at her in warning, not appreciating someone being so close to a weak point.

Epona doesn’t move away, though, instead tossing her head and striking the ground twice with a pointed hoof. The commotion draws the attention of the heroes, and it’s a mere moment before they’re all next to him and Epona trying to soothe them. Link tenses, tempted to snap at them as well—don’t they know not to crowd an upset horse?—but if he accidentally makes contact, they won’t be able to shake it off like Epona would. Twilight has a tight hold on the reins now anyway, one fist keeping them down at the base of Link’s mane while his other hand rubs circles over Link’s withers.

“What’s up with them?” Legend complains. He’s stationed himself smack dab between Link and Epona, both hands outstretched so he can scratch both their haunches at once. “They got along fine earlier.”

The two horses share an eye roll, and then Link shifts, purposefully angling his side so the trail of blood is in the heroes’ direct line of sight. It’s probably hidden under all his armor, but red stands out against white-gold, and it’s only a moment before Wild’s eyes widen and he squats to get a better look at the wound.

“Wild?” Twilight asks, saddle creaking.

“Hoshi’s hurt,” Wild signs, body angled into Twilight’s view but eyes still focused on Link’s injury. “Maybe a spear?”

Twilight curses, then says mournfully, “We don’t have the proper weapons to fight from horseback. I had to get up close and Hoshi—“

Wild stands, taps at a strange mechanized box on his hip, and pulls out not just a saber, but also various types of spears and lances.

Link stares at the pile that’s formed at his feet. Well. It would have been useful to know Wild had the proper weapons before he and Twilight charged in with nothing more than a longsword, but the fight had been sudden. They’d have the weapons for next time, at least.

Link gets distracted when Time steps up to his head, fingers grasping him by the bridle.

“How bad is the wound, Wild?” Time asks.

Link has a second to brace himself—then a cloth wipes along the injury, and the pressure burns.

Intellectually, Link knows he’s safe, but the horse instincts flowing through his body insist that pain means danger, danger means run, but he can’t run, he’s trapped—

Link rears the best he can with Time holding him still. He doesn’t go far, hooves stomping the ground instead of lashing out, his stomach and the injury it bears still well within Wild’s reach. Twilight’s weight doesn’t even shift on his back.

Then, suddenly, Wild’s hands are gone, and most of the pain with them. The wound still throbs, but Link manages to steady himself against it in time to catch the flash of Wild signing, “It’s long, but shallow. One potion?”

Twilight heaves a breath out, and his hands—which had held the reins firm and tight while Wild investigated the wound—scratch at Link’s withers.

“Thank Hylia,” he says. “If we lost ya just because I didn’t have the right weapon… and right after…”

Twilight trails off, but the words he doesn’t say are easy to guess. All at once, the ease the group found again disappears at the reminder of Link’s believed death. His ghost stands among them, even when Link himself is right there.

But his presence doesn’t matter. He might as well not be there, for all the good his horse self can do.

<end chapter>

* Kiso horses are native to Japan. Once ridden by samurai into battle, they’re now endangered. They typically average about 13 hands in height, ranging from 12 to 14, so Warriors is right that he's tall for a Kiso horse—but he's totally lying to himself about not being a short Hylian or a short horse, lol.

Hoshi is technically in the range for being a pony (10 to 14 hands) and taller horse breeds go all the way to 17 hands. That doesn't even include draft horses, which can reach 19 hands, or Sampson/Mammoth, the largest horse ever recorded who stood at a solid 21 hands. In terms of Warriors' regular Hylian height, I'm basing everyone off @pinkittwice's excellent Linked Universe research.

** Whether or not Ban’ei is a breed depends on who you ask. Japan has a sport called Ban’ei in which draft horses race while pulling weighed-down sleds over small hills.

I hope chapter two lived up to expectation! Any reblogs and comments are much appreciated and will fuel more writing.

While you wait for chapter three, I also want to advertise my new Linked Universe fic, "Bound":

Warriors only joined the Chain a week ago, but Hyrule knows something is wrong. “I’m the Hero, bound by law, just as Artemis is bound by law as Queen. When the Hero breaks the law, the Queen is bound to punish him. Do you understand?”

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[sukunaslilgurl]

Blades of Betrayal

Chapter six: Unforgettable lust

Irene galloped through the snow, her heart racing as she desperately tried to put as much distance as possible between herself and Toji. Every hoofbeat of her horse left a trail in the fresh snow, a path that was becoming increasingly dangerous to leave behind. The threat of him catching up was constant, lingering in her mind like a shadow, but she couldn’t afford to stop. She needed to find a place where she could hide, a place where she could rest, even if just for a short while.

As the snowstorm began to worsen, Irene’s gaze darted across the landscape, the storm intensifying around her. The snowflakes whipped at her face, and the wind howled like an angry beast. The visibility dropped quickly, and she knew the snow would soon cover her tracks. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought, but the weight of exhaustion was heavier.

After what felt like an eternity, she spotted a cave in the distance, barely visible through the swirling storm. Without hesitation, she steered her horse toward the cave. The moment she entered, the cold winds outside were replaced by a temporary calm, and she quickly dismounted, tying the horse to a rock inside the cave. Her breath fogged in the cold air, and as the snowstorm roared outside, she knew she was safe for now.

Irene quickly got to work, setting up a small fire with the supplies she had brought. The warmth of the flames crackled to life, spreading an orange glow in the otherwise dark and cold space. She rubbed her hands together, trying to bring warmth back to her frozen fingers. It was the first moment of solace she had had in hours.

Then, she turned her attention to the horse. She gently walked over to it, feeling a strange comfort in its presence. The horse had been with her through this entire escape, and for some reason, its quiet nature provided her with a sense of calm. She reached into her bag and pulled out an apple, cutting it into pieces. The horse sniffed at it eagerly before taking the pieces from her hand. Irene smiled weakly as she stroked its mane, feeling the softness under her touch.

“You’ve done well,” she murmured, though her voice was barely audible over the howling winds outside. She didn’t know if the horse could understand her, but it didn’t matter. She needed to feel some connection, even if it was with an animal.

She took out her water bottle and gave the horse a drink, watching it drink deeply. The small act of kindness settled her. For a few minutes, she simply stood there, feeling the animal’s presence beside her, grounding her in the moment.

Sitting down near the fire, she leaned against the cold stone wall of the cave. The fire flickered and crackled, offering some comfort as she closed her eyes and let herself breathe for a moment. It was strange, but the warmth of the flames reminded her of the warmth of Sukuna’s embrace. Her mind wandered to those memories—the moments of peace before everything turned to chaos.

It was painful. Every time she thought of him, she felt that deep, gnawing ache in her chest, a reminder of the love they had shared. But she couldn’t go back. She had made a choice, a choice that haunted her every day. The memories of Sukuna were both a blessing and a curse. She wished she could have stayed, but the life she had chosen, the path she walked now, was too far removed from that.

Her thoughts lingered on him longer than she had intended. She remembered the way he would look at her, the way he would smile, even though he rarely did. Those moments, the intimacy they had shared, made her feel weak. The fierce warrior that she was—strong, relentless—would always soften in those memories. She knew she couldn’t afford to let herself become weak again, but she couldn’t help it. It hurt so much to think about him.

“Damn it,” she whispered under her breath, shaking her head as if trying to push away the ache in her heart. The horse continued to eat and drink quietly, and Irene felt some peace in the rhythm of its actions.

But her mind kept drifting back to those intimate moments with Sukuna, how everything had once been good, how her heart had once belonged to him, how their lives had once been so intertwined. It was hard to let go of the past, and it pained her even more to know that there was no turning back.

The warmth from the fire began to settle into her bones, and the storm outside seemed to rage even harder. But in this brief moment, with the horse beside her and the memories swirling in her mind, she let herself rest. The world outside was unforgiving, but here, in this small cave, for just a little while, she could allow herself to simply be. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift into a light sleep.

A dream

As Irene rested against Sukuna’s chest, feeling the warmth of his body against hers, she couldn’t help but trace the lines of his tattoos, the black ink swirling like dark rivers on his skin. The coolness of his flesh contrasted with the heat of their proximity, making her feel as though she was cocooned in a space where time didn’t exist. The quiet crackling of the fire in the distance only heightened the peaceful stillness between them.

“I never imagined I would find peace like this…in your arms…,” Irene whispered, her voice soft as she broke the silence.

Sukuna’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile, but his eyes never left hers. He always knew that behind Irene’s strength, there was a deep vulnerability, one she didn’t often show. It was a side of her he saw in moments like this—when the world faded away, and it was just the two of them.

“You should,” he said, his deep voice rich with confidence and affection. “You’re not just a warrior, Irene. You’ve always been more than that. You are my empress.”

She paused, letting his words sink in. There were times she had doubted her worth beyond the sword. She had trained her whole life to fight, to survive. But hearing him speak like this, it was as if the weight of her constant battles, both external and internal, had suddenly lightened.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever truly believed that,” she admitted, her gaze drifting down to her fingers still resting on his chest. She could feel the steady beat of his heart beneath her touch, grounding her in a way that no battlefield ever could. “I’ve always been told that the sword is the only thing that can define me.”

Sukuna tilted his head slightly, his red eyes watching her with an intensity that made her feel seen in a way she had never experienced. “I don’t believe in definitions, Irene,” he said, his voice low but firm. “People are more than what others say they are. You’re not just a weapon. You’re strength, you’re fire, and you have the heart to protect what matters.’’

Sukuna’s gaze softened slightly, though it still held that undeniable intensity. He leaned in a little closer, as if the space between them had become too large for him to bear. His voice dropped even lower, a husky, almost dangerous whisper, filled with raw emotion. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, Irene,” he murmured, his words heavy, almost as if he was confessing something he hadn’t fully allowed himself to admit before. “You are my fire, my ravager. Without you here… it would be as if the very world was being torn from my hands.”

His eyes, usually sharp with contempt for most things, held something else now—something darker, yet almost vulnerable. There was a storm in his red gaze, the kind that mirrored the turmoil he never spoke of. The darkness in his eyes flickered as he spoke again, his voice growing even more intense. “If anyone tried to take you from me, I would burn this world to the ground. I would destroy everything—no one would survive.”

The power in his words was unmistakable, a promise of devastation. But there was something more beneath the surface, something that made his typically cold, venomous eyes betray a flicker of need—a vulnerability, rare for someone like Sukuna. He was a king, a force of nature, yet in this moment, he was unguarded, allowing her to see a side of him that no one else ever had.

“I can’t live without you, Irene. You’re the only thing that keeps me tethered to this world,” he continued, his voice raw and urgent.

Sukuna’s eyes, glowing with that same fiery intensity, locked onto Irene’s, as if daring her to pull away, yet offering something deeper—something more. His fingers grazed her jawline, tilting her head slightly upward as his thumb brushed over her skin. There was no hesitation in his movements, only certainty.

With a deep breath, he leaned in, his lips capturing hers with an undeniable force. The kiss was demanding, not in a cruel way, but with the weight of everything he had kept buried for so long. His lips moved against hers, possessive and strong, as though claiming something he had always known he would one day take. His other hand pressed against her back, pulling her against him until the heat of his body met hers, a warmth that seemed to burn through her skin.

There was no softness, no gentleness in this kiss. Sukuna kissed her with purpose, his dominance evident in the way he held her captive in the moment, his lips asserting control while drawing her deeper into the kiss. She could taste the urgency in him, the hunger, the need for more. His kiss was powerful, intense, and there was nothing sweet about it—only raw, unfiltered emotion that surged between them.

His tongue traced the outline of her lips, asking for more, and Irene, despite the overwhelming rush of feelings, gave herself to him. She couldn’t stop herself; his presence overwhelmed her, and she melted into him, her hands finding their way to his chest as if grounding herself in his strength.

Sukuna’s grip tightened, his kiss deepening as though he wanted to fuse them together, to make sure she understood just how deeply he felt. There was nothing soft about it—just sheer power, passion, and a raw intensity that left no room for doubts or hesitation. It was a kiss that spoke louder than words ever could—one that marked the beginning of something neither of them could walk away from.

Irene’s heart raced, the intensity of the kiss igniting something deep within her. She felt the power of his dominance, the raw passion he poured into every movement, and it awakened a part of her she hadn’t realized was buried. The way he kissed her, with such force and intensity, wasn’t something she feared—it was exactly what she craved.

With a sudden shift, Irene pushed him back, her strength surprising even herself. She straddled him, her body on top of his, as she deepened the kiss with equal ferocity. She wasn’t just responding to him now; she was giving it right back, matching his passion with her own hunger.

Her fingers ran through his hair, tugging him closer as she kissed him with an intensity that matched his. She wasn’t passive in this moment; she was in control, and she wanted him to feel it. Her lips pressed against his with a sense of urgency, as though every second apart from him had been too long.

Sukuna’s eyes flared with something dark and pleased, but it didn’t stop her from continuing her relentless kiss. She could feel the heat between them, the growing tension that only intensified with every passing second. She was wild, she was fierce, and she kissed him as though she were marking him as her own.

The world around them seemed to disappear. There was only him—only this feeling of being so utterly consumed by the man beneath her, by his touch, by the way he made her feel alive. She wasn’t the quiet, reserved woman most Japanese men prefer. She was fierce, unyielding, and she reveled in the way Sukuna seemed to bring out that fire in her. She could be herself….she could be strong and free in his arms.

Her heart raced, but she didn’t stop. She kissed him fiercely, her body pressed against his, her breath mingling with his. The energy between them crackled, thick with tension and need, and Irene knew in that moment—this was the kind of love she wanted. The raw, passionate, and unrelenting connection that ignited something deep inside her, making her feel both powerful and vulnerable at the same time.

Irene jolted awake, her body trembling, a scream still lingering on her lips. Her heart pounded in her chest, as if it were trying to escape, and the sweat on her skin made her feel like she had just run a marathon. She looked around the dimly lit cave, taking in the stillness of the surroundings, the cold air still biting at her skin. It took her a few moments to realize that it had all been a dream—yet the vividness of it was so real that it almost felt like she had just experienced it.

Her breath came in shallow gasps, and her hand instinctively reached up to her chest, as though trying to calm the pounding of her heart. The echo of Sukuna’s kiss, his presence, still lingered in her mind like an aftershock, and the emotions—the passion, the intensity—still burned through her veins.

“Get it together, Irene,” she whispered to herself, her voice shaky but firm.

The warmth of the fire in front of her flickered, casting long shadows that danced along the cave walls. She turned to glance at the horse, still resting nearby, seemingly oblivious to her internal storm. She swallowed hard, trying to calm herself, to rid her mind of the overwhelming feelings that the dream had stirred within her.

But no matter how much she tried to push it down, the dream left a mark. Sukuna’s voice, his touch, the way he made her feel—everything about him felt so raw, so consuming. She closed her eyes, exhaling slowly.

“Why now?” she murmured. “Why do I still think of him like this?”

The pain in her chest was sharp, but she knew deep down that no matter how hard she tried to bury it, her past with him was something she couldn’t escape. She had chosen this path, this loneliness, but the pull toward him, the bond they once shared, was something she couldn’t easily erase.

Taking a deep breath, Irene stood up, brushing the remnants of the dream from her mind. The coldness of the cave around her was a reminder that she couldn’t afford to dwell on the past. She had to move forward, but a part of her still wondered if she ever truly could. Sukuna was always in her mind, the good side of him was always in her mind……

[lionacuty]

okay okay!!!! :D

Prism and Zephyr are part of a group of gods that has brought life onto a planet and down below, in the pic of an old unfinished art of mine is a diplay of all the gods

Solar, god of the sun, a lion with flames consiting his mane, brother of Neoma and father of Sunrise (a bunny) and Sundrop (a lion)

Amadeus, goddes of all kinds of love, a deer with a bow n arrow that can bloom any kind of relationships once it hits and mother of Kaylee

Dimita, godess of the earth, wildlife and plants, a centaur with fairies being her helpers and lover of Neoma

Neoma, godess of the sea and moon, a mermaid with a voice so beautiful she can command the waves and moon, sister of Solar and lover of Dimita

Pandora, godess and gardian of Hellfire (aka hell were all the hell born demons are born in and were all the sinners and fallen angels go to), a cat and a goat hybrid that is feared by sinners and loved by the hellborns and she has a lover that comes from space and that lover is the queen of her kind (the queen of the aliens that makes robots like Wilbur!!) and sister of Erembour

Zephyr, god and gardian of Euphoria (aka heaven with the angels that were born here and were the good people go to), a bunny lamb hybrid (I decided on the hybrid part just rn after writing about Pandora cuz you know goats and lambs and stuff) beloved by all in his kingdom tho no one could comprehend his chaotic side, brother of Phoebe and lover of Prism

Prism, god of creation, distruction and wisdom, a spider which if he looks at you with all of his eyes open it means that you have done something unforgivable, leader of the gods and lover of Zephyr

Erembour, god and first leader of the shadow realm, a wolf as dark as night who's a fearles warrior and brother of Pandora

Phoebe, godess and first leader of the light realm, a pheonix reflecting the white light coming from the sun the atmosphear interprets as multiple colours and sister of Prism

(yes, I kinda forgot to draw Erembour and Pheobe in that old drawing)

Prism and Zephyr used to be lover until some univers travel fuckery caused the fate of the current universe to change for the worst as eons ago, Pandor and Zephyr teamed up to ravage what they all have created, causing many deaths and the almost extinction of the nephalems (aka angel demons) due to roles being to keep the 2 gods in check as the nephalems balanced the world

The 2 have been banished to the void for their actions and their godly gems being taken aways as they weren't trusted with them, it left a big scare over all the rest of the gods with the one being affected the most being Zephyr

also, the godly gems are what the god get their powers from and unlike the crowns from my cotl au, they are not parasites as the gods were born with them from their star nest in space

so yeah, here's some stuff about them :3

[cryptidclaw]

Lionheart!

Design Notes:

Big ol mane and mustache man.

this is the exact same design as my last one, I just fixed the proportions a bit and relined it!

Also fun fact! Lionheart is one of my fave first arc names, its so good <3

Character Bio:

Lionheart

Straight; Cis Tom; he/him

Age as of 1st arc's beginning: 5 cycles; 36 Hyrs

Title meaning: -heart = a cat who is full of love and care; a cat who is noble, proud and brave; this cat stands tall and is prideful of their role in the Order; a cat who is not afraid to speak out about what they believe in; often a leader type

Warrior -> Second of Thunder Order; was in line due to being the previous leader, Star Sunfall's son.

Mentor: Leopardfoot

Mother: Specklesnap

Fathers: Star Sunfall (biological); Tawnyspots

Siblings: Goldenflower

Mate: Frostpad

Kits: Thornclaw; Brightheart

Adoptive kits: Cinderspark; Brackenburrow

Grandkits: Yarrowbird (Whitewing); Cinderheart; Honeyfern; Poppyfrost

Other notable kin: Fogtalon (aunt); Smallear (uncle); Featherwhisker (uncle); Swift (nephew); Brambleflower (nephew); Tawnyclaw (niece)

Character Summary:

He's nearly exactly the same as in the books.

The main big change is that his fathers are Star Sunfall and Tawnyspots! they were friends with Specklesnap and asked her to be their donor, they had an arrangement where Speckle could be the kits mom (bec she wanted to be a momma!) and the two toms could both be the kit's dads!

the only other change is that he adopted Cinder and Bracken! they were kits stolen from Wind Order by Shadow and were saved at the same time as Thorn and Bright, Frost and Lion immediately accepted them as their own and gave them a loving home. After Wind returned they learned that Cinder and Bracken's bio mom was dead and they had a donor sire so the two Orders agreed it was better for them to stay in their adoptive Order!

oh ya also I made his mentor Leopardfoot bec I like Leopardfoot :)

he has the vibes of the cishet dad who goes to pride events and gives out dad hugs <3 he ends up adopting like 50 queer kids in the process hehehe

[shadowsageingempress]

Tierlist of the Twilight Princess costumes from Hyrule Warriors Legends.

Costumes and explanations below the cut.

While Warriors did get a costume based on Twi (which I will show later), his normal costume for the Twilight adventure map seems to be based on the rare chu jelly powerup. While I don't hate the gold on Warriors, I think it could have been done better. It's not great, but it's far from terrible.

I think Impa's design from Skyward Sword might be my favorite one, and that version herself is my second favorite (only behind the one from Ocarina of Time). So I obviously love this look for the Hyrule Warriors version of Impa. The dark blue clothes look perfect with the red and orange highlights and her pale blond hair.

I think that Lana's outfit is based on Warriors', kind of like Cia's Masterquest outfit. The multiple greens work well together and especially with the blue cloak and her hair. Solid design.

I'm 90% sure that this Sheik costume is based on the concept art for her scrapped appearance in Twilight Princess. If that's the case, then that's really cool. As for the costume itself, it's good, but nothing too special.

I'm pretty sure that this costume is what made the Zelda team make Flower's main outfit in Breath of the Wild blue, because damn does Valor look awesome. The slightly silvery metal that her armor looks to be made of compliments this cooler colored dress.

Holy sweet flowers of Hell in a handbasket. I love this coloration for Ganondorf! The black metal and cloth of his armor. The gold trim. The orange hair and red crown. Gods, I love it!

Even though the changes made to Darunia's appearance in his costume aren't as drastic as some of the others, I actually like it quite a bit. The face and body paints look really nice and blend well with his subtly paler skin. He also looks really cool with that white mane.

Ruto's Twilight map outfit appears to be based on Rutella. I find it pretty similar to her Great Sea outfit being based on Laruto, partly because it's thematically appropriate and partly because she looks really good. She's very pretty in ponk.

Agitha has apparently evolved from normal goth to pastel goth. I can respect that, and she looks really good. Not much else to say.

Midna's costume gives off vibes of shadow turning to light, which I think fits very well for her, both in terms of theme and aesthetic. The cyan markings being turned gold and the visible paler stone of the Fused Shadow just have this aura of light, but at the same time, she still retains her distinctly shadowy beauty. This is one costume begging for an artistic rendition, and I would be happy to do so.

Apparently for this costume, Midna decided to revive Zant's spirit for the sole purpose of stabbing him to death again. Okay, jokes aside, I really love the phantom Zant inspired costume. The colors and slight translucency are already some of my favorite traits for design just in general. Also his scimitars also being affected by this change is the cherry on top and looks cool as hell.

Fi's Light Spirit outfit is easily one of the most beautiful out of the Twilight Princess themed outfits. It might also be the case that this is what she would look like after the Master Sword is infused with the two Sols, which I think is a cool idea. Also, I remember seeing an artist joke about her looking like a lemon meringue pie with this outfit, so that gives her a few bonus points.

Another outfit inspired from another game, Ghirahim takes on the appearance he had in his Fire Sanctuary boss fight. I think the black on his arms look pretty cool and I appreciate the reference. There probably could have been another reference made with this one, maybe one to Twilight Princess, but I like this one for what it is.

With this costume, Lana and Cia can dress as each other for Halloween. And she looks really good. I'm a bit disappointed that her hair wasn't changed to blue, but the cool colors of her clothes make up for the lost potential.

Volga's costume is suitably goth for Twilight Princess, and it looks awesome on him. Like with Ganondorf's, the gold lining of the armor adds a lot to this outfit. It's simple, but it's very well executed

I think this is probably my favorite of Wizzro's costumes, maybe even better than his normal one. It's obviously inspired by the Twilight Princess poes, which are already cool looking, so not only does the costume thematically fit, but it slaps harder than he does. I think his eye being blue is my favorite detail, but the pale robes looking slightly singed around the edges is a close second.

Bonus: Also reviewing the other character-based costumes because the tierlist doesn't have options for them

I've probably made it no secret that the Twilight Princess incarnation of Link is easily my favorite. So I was obviously going to like the costume based on him. While Warriors does lack the kindness in his eyes that Twi has, I still love this costume and regularly use it while pretending to play as Twi. S tier.

I think the postman uniform is a joke costume. I did chuckle a bit when I first saw it, but it's nothing to write home about (pun not intended). C tier.

I was fully prepared to hate the Cassiopeia inspired outfit for Valor on principle alone. But I actually think it's pretty nice. I like the dress, hair and crown, and Valor looks much warmer and kinder than Cassiopeia ever could. A tier.

I never got too attached to Ilia as a character when I played Twilight Princess, so I don't have any strong feelings about the outfit for Valor based on her. I do, however, think the idea of the town horse girl beating up monsters to be funny, so that's worth something. B tier.

Finally, the Era of Twilight armor for Ganondorf. This was already one of my favorite designs for the character, so I'm obviously going to like it here. S tier.