#your brown tabby actually looks a lot like one of my family's cats

[skyward-floored]

Well it’s not a question but here are my boys to give you encouragement and possibly a little sass.

AAH LOOK AT THESE HANDSOME LADS!!!

They're real cuties, thank you for sharing them :)

[littledragondork]

TES Cat AU: Skyrim Thieves Guild

My self indulgent TES Cat art is done, at least my favorite Skyrim Thieves guild NPCs are, Probably gonna’ post the Companions next because I was drawing the Skyrim Dark Brotherhood and for the life of me I couldn’t get Cicero to look right lol, but I’ll take suggestions :3c

(I’m so down with doing the rest of the Skyrim Thieves Guild eventually)

Anyway, my art for Skyrim Cat AU Brynjolf, Karliah and Mercer Frey under the cut, with some design notes :3

I wanted Bryn to be an orange cat, not only because I like orange cats and their low intelligence but because it just made sense. I also wanted him to be one of those massive fluffy cats, the ones that weight like 20lbs/9kg and have more fur than they know what to do with, he’d be 99% fur, go to pet him and your hand is just swallowed by the fur. I made him a mackerel tabby cuz’ I like mackerel tabbies and because they are just super common cat patterns. For a long time I wanted to give Brynjolf Sectoral Heterochromia, which is basically when one eye is 80% one color and has a little dot of another, in this case I wanted brown, but I couldn’t really get it to look right so I ultimately scrapped it.

He also has a docked tail because I liked the idea of all the known Nightingales having something fucked up with their tails.

I also did a little sketch with the thieves guild armor, I think it’ll fit like a harness with a few little pockets and bags. I imagine they’d all have dexterous enough paws where they can make stuff like furniture, buildings, tools, weapons, armor, cook food etc, makes everything a lot easier to me

I imagine all the Nords I’ll draw have ear tufts, extra fluffy paws and long fluffy fur coats, they’d probably slide on ice a lot lol, Think Maine coons, Norwegian forest cats, Siberians. I referenced Maine coons, Lynx and bobcats the most with Bryn here, but he is just a domestic cat.

So, for Karliah (same with all elves tbh) I wanted big ol’ ears, I feel like I could have made them bigger but I decided against it because I didn’t want them to be in the way too much (might change that later though). She is also mostly back cat because I felt it was simple and cute (I have a black kitty and I love her). It’s also not shown here much but she’d have pretty short fur, and a thin and small build, think 10lbs/4.5kg.

Karliah’s tail is shortened and broken (a painless break, the kind that happened as a baby) as to go with ‘all Nightingales have fucked up tails’ deal.

did a more meme-y sketch in this one, I was in a goofy mood and thought it funny how quick both Brynjolf and the Last Dragonborn were to just accept selling their souls.

I imagine all Dunmer would have black or dark grey base coats and those that are tabbies to have them be lighter than the base, so for example a black cat with white stipes or grey with red stripes. They, and all elves will be mostly based on the Oriental Long/short hair cats because of their big ol’ ears and narrow faces but I’ll take creative liberties of course.

Last in this batch is Mercer Frey, I redesigned him at least 8 times, first he was solid grey+ Tuxedo pattern, then he was a dilute grey tabby, then a spotted tabby before I settled on a colorpoint because he was said to be “high born” and coming from a wealthy family, and I was like “hey, colorpoints are fancy cat coats and I can see a rich and powerful family wanting to breed that into their line” and thus Colorpoint Mercer was decided on. I knew 100% I wanted him to be grey because of the whole “grey fox” fan thing he has going on in the game

Seems like every time I would get near him in my playthough, any playthough of Skyrim actually, he’d look at me like I just spat in his drink so I tried to capture that here. Also the Knife cat meme because I thought it fit him.

he doesn’t have a tail because he doesn’t deserve one it’s with the ‘all Nightingales have fucked up tails’ bit.

I also wanted to share my ideas for weapons (still no clue how to do bows) but swords, great swords and daggers, would be little gauntlets made of the specific type of metal that go on the paws, and they would range in size and weight depending on the weapon its based on, so great swords would be huge metal claws while daggers would just be apart of a little leather glove that wraps around the paws. Lots of good ideas cooking up in my Autistic little mind lmao /pos.

I imagine all Bretons will just look like the average street cat, standard issue cats if you will, the common domestic short/long hair, probably have the most diversity in fur patterns and the like.

So that’s what I was able to get done in about about a few hours (with frequent breaks and work in between) A lot of the time was looking at both official art, fanart and the in-game models to get a good sense on the personality (both fandom and canon) and seeing what I can convert more easily to a non-humanoid design, a lot of shape language practice because I like shapes :3

I have a Solid design down for Ulfric but I wanted to do batches with like characters, so all Thieves guild girlies with each other and so all Civil War Girlies with each other, some might be drawn in pairs as well, like Hadvar + Ralof or Vilkas + Farkas.

[bonefall]

Sketch Request: Batch 1

So I said they'd be in pencil but OOPS they are in pen

Requests are still open, feel free to request the same character again!

Under the cut is Firestar, Bluestar, Runningnose, Flipclaw, Hawkwing, Violetshine, and Morningflower. Special guest appearances for Brokenstar and balding Lionblaze.

@doritopaw101 Firestar

FIRESTARRRR I want him to look like an anime protagonist. He starts off round, simple eyes, blush, and ends up as fire twink. The chest scars are from where Scourge killed him

I have never been able to imagine stripes on him. He is an orange crayon.

@nightly-ruse Bluestar

Ignore balding lionblaze in the corner we'll get to him

I usually just see a super basic blue cat when I picture her but Bluestar needs something cooler than that. I tried to channel a wolf, long face, tail's kinda thick, leg feathering. She also has a ThunderClan "mane," a feature I try to put on most TC cats

After the Tigerstar attack I love the idea she has tabby-like scars on one side of the face. Shredded ear, loss of vision in one eye. I also make it a point to always include her shoulder scar.

@runn1ngn0se Your Boy (scheme flavor)

Runningnose looks sticky, but it's all just natural markings. He's actually quite thick and fluffy (same build as Tangleburr).

His defining feature is that snot-streak, which is also just a very unfortunate birthmark.

He's pretty naturally dour. Serious expressions, gives the vibe that he's always analyzing you, he doesn't tend to speak unprompted. But he does smile a lot when Brokenstar's doing Evil Things with him.

He LOVES when he gets to start shit and hide in the fluff of his beloved supernatural manifestation of spite and rage. Special drawing of it since I already posted his full design waaay back.

Also side note Im obsessed with the cut disney song "Snuff Out The Light" right now and it feels like SUCH a Bonefall Runningnose anthem.

@elkpoint Flipclaw

So I mentioned Balding Lionblaze here because he's his grandpa! Flipclaw looks a LOT like him before he lost his hair. He's MEGA fuzzy. (In the rewrite though Fernsong is an ex-kittypet and Ivypool is Lionblaze's daughter)

I also can't imagine him as a brown tabby, he's this really nice brownish-gold color like a lion. His stripes are brown, though. He's also a total jokester, I think he was really close to his uncle Hollylark and misses him a lot.

Pictured is him saying, "look at me guys im walking like a twoleg!!" What a guy.

@purrsnickitty Hawkwing

I have always seen him as a mix between Tony Tiger and Batman. I am not sorry about this.

He is also a lynxpoint. When I make SkyClan cats I think of monkeys and aviator pilots for some reason, so they're all getting dextrous paws and prehensile tails.

His stripes are also all chevrons, and he's got TONS of tufts on his shoulders, ears, plus a puffy 'mane' that's part of the belly (don't ask me why it just reminds me of aviator jackets for some reason)

He is also an absolute unit.

@purrsnickitty Violetshine

Usually I need to do two sketches to get where I'm going with a design but not for Violetshine. First try, there she is. Monkey woman

Heart shapes for her, heart face, heart belly/mane. It also didn't come across well but her tail is LONG. Able to wrap around stuff easy. Mm, monkey.

I intended for there to be family resemblance because her and Hawkwing are bodied. They have LOTS of diameter. Complete volume.

@nightly-ruse Morningflower

Mentally I adopted your design of Morningflower because it's so good, but here's my old idea of her

Calico Morningflower my beloved

The coloring was difficult but I tried to communicate she has very little white. Most of her is bright orange and warm, sooty gray. She is the sister of Ashfoot (Onewhisker removed) so the gray is very important in my head.

I like WindClan cats to be very whispy, and they almost always have a white tail tip. Morningflower, instead, has an orange tip (which I may fix in another draft).

(I drew her training an apprentice, it was going to be Whitetail! But then I borked the eyes and it's pen so I can't fix it. She looks too scary. So I cropped her out OTL)

[luvnami]

𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬!

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 - aa my first time writing for kny!! i hope you like it~ the title is a play on the word ‘pillars’ lol hopefully that makes sense... enjoy!! likes, comments and reblogs really help me a lot <3

𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 - @/amjustagirl​ (muacks)

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 - mention of food

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 - what if the pillars were... cats?

𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐚 𝐠𝐲𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐢

- the CHONKIEST fella you’ve ever seen in your entire life

- seriously, this cat feels like a brick when you try to pick him up

- yes, his fur is dense. no, he does not get any skinnier when he’s matted down with water

- a lovely, calm cat abandoned by his previous owners because they were moving out of the country

- he loves lazing in the sun and his brown fur turns golden in it!!!

- is a lap cat but doesn’t understand that your legs turn numb way too fast when he’s purring away like a little truck motor 

- (his purrs are so deep……. put him on an asmr youtube channel already!!!!)

- once, you had a dream that you were drowning. you found him sleeping on your chest when you woke up gasping for air

- broke a flimsy cat tree once and is now terrified of heights 

- a big baby :( kind of needy, always welcomes you at the door when you come home with chirps and gets frisky when you don’t return till late

𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐨 𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐢

- …

- the quiet cat that seems like it might murder you in your sleep

- you adopted him together with kanroji because he simply wouldn’t leave her side and wouldn’t leave your side so… yeah

- this cat HATED you at first

- like… he even refused to eat the food that you tried to give him :/// you had to lure him out with some churu 

- you once woke up in the middle of the night because you were thirsty and found two glowy things at your bedroom door

- yeah, he was staring at you while you slept

- you didn’t dare to get a glass of water and just went back to sleep

- dark gray short fur with heterochromia! you think that he might be kanroji’s sibling but the centre said that they came in at different times

- he goes crazy for catnip oh my goodness

- he rolls himself in it and purrs so LOUD……….. ok iguro……..

𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐢 𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢

- so! affectionate!

- you adopted her from a local centre… seriously, who abandoned this pretty baby!!!!!!!

- (iguro insisted on being adopted as well. they come in a pair, do not separate.)

- is a white short fur with heterochromia <333 she looks so magical omg

- when you visited the adoption centre, she wouldn’t stop meowing and curling herself around your legs

- how could you not take her home!!!!!

- she tries to steal all kinds of food (even yours). please don’t own any plants, she will try to chomp them as well

- one time you came back home and heard some loud rustling from the door. you were terrified that it was a thief but when you switched on the lights, the cat had somehow managed to raid your pantry :/

- loves loves loves cuddles!! will even let you touch her soft tummy and play with her toe beans (only for a while though!)

- you wish she’d stop jumping around and getting into the hardest to reach spots…….

- loves trying out new collars, toys and even outfits!

- grooms iguro a lot and loves playing with him <3

𝐤𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐮

- y’all know the cats that play nice when you’re petting them and then bite your hand immediately after… yeah

- the childhood cat that gives you trauma after it scratched you one too many times

- but very lovable and social!! loves meeting new people and then giving you a smug look as she crawls into their lap

- is not tempted by treats… she will do a trick when she wants to

- siamese, brown to white with a tail that flicks too much when she’s irritated

- this cat pushes your glass of water off of the table while looking you in the eye

- will lay herself over your keyboard when you’re trying to work

- has and will chew up your socks again

- scratches your furniture even after you sprayed it with that ‘no-scratch’ spray

- HOWEVER she will occasionally let you scritch her chin when she feels amiable…….

- tries to groom you sometimes

- jumps around too much for her (and your) own good. has caused the shattering of many things and now you cannot place fragile objects on shelves

𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐤𝐮 𝐤𝐲𝐨𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐨

- the most!! active and happy tabby cat you’ve ever seen!!!!! 

- meow! meow meow meow!

- man i have no idea what you’re saying rengoku but you look happy and adorable so have a treat

- probably a family cat that your dad brought back home (much to mom’s dismay) but he’s part of the family now

- VERY vocal at night no matter how much you try to tire him out in the day… rip 

- will wake you up because! human! it is night time and my water bowl is an inch out of place!

- has the most gorgeous coat ever… really. it’s an envy for many cat owners

- he struts around with his head in the air and demands many pets from you while yowling and pawing your leg

- loves outdoor walks, actually. will attack a dog on sight if given the chance so please keep him on a leash

- give him little booties to keep his paws clean!!!!!!!! he fell over the first time you put them on but now he’s used to it and he looks so cute omg

- very nurturing!! takes to other cats very easily and is a joy to have around if you’re fostering other animals (besides dogs)

𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐳𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐰𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢

- this bastard cat

- hisses if you pat him for too long

- hisses if you don’t give him attention

- hisses while you’re pouring out his food and will NOT hesitate to bite you

- if you touch his paw pads, you can goodbye to your fingers

- i’m thinking……. gray shorthair with green eyes!

- probably a stray cat that you took in (which came with a lot of coaxing, snacks and wrangling) who got into one too many fights 

- he took a while to get used to staying indoors, often hiding in obscure places and was oddly possessive of your sofa

- no, he did not let you sit on it for a whole month

- he’s very protective and territorial! when he’s feeling like it, he’ll rub against you and get into your closet to curl up and scent your clothes (getting fur all over them)

- once, when you had some friends over, you had to lock him in your bedroom because he wouldn’t stop snarling at them

- no one dares to come over to your place after that

- (he’s secretly addicted to butt pats)

𝐭𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨

- black shorthair that literally appeared in your house one day

- you have no idea where he came from but you let him stay for a few days and he’s never left since then

- sometimes, he wanders outside (while chasing a butterfly or something...) but always comes back in time for dinner

- has the clearest emerald eyes!!

- he’s so quiet oh my goodness. you swear you’ve never heard him meow or chirp or purr once………. you think he might be a ghost cat sometimes 

- moves around silently too. has scared you on more than one occasion when you turned around and found him staring at you, or felt something furry brush against your leg while you weren’t expecting it

- doesn’t initiate affection much but will let you pet and smother him with love!! he kinda just… chills lol

- loves snuggling in the warmest places! sometimes you’ll come home and find a suspicious bump under your covers… lift it and you might find a friend within <3

- hates hate hates collars

- will literally bat at you if you ever try to put one on him

𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐨𝐤𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐲𝐮

- loves water so much its crazy

- you have to lock your bathroom door because he’s somehow managed to figure out how to open the doors in your house

- like, he’ll actually jump into the shower with you 

- you brought him home one day when you found him as a kitten in the rain outside :c (ur the hot anime character now)

- he’s really quiet! rarely meows and prefers to headbutt you (which can be slightly inconvenient, like that one time you were pouring coffee and nearly scalded the both of you)

- his fur is always messy. sticks up everywhere no matter how much you try to brush it

- black fur of medium length and thickness!!! puffs up SO MUCH when winter comes though

- it’s insane, he looks like a ball of soot

- exceptionally fast. when you try to play fetch with him, all you’ll see is a black blur darting back and forth

- easily scared

- you have to be careful when rounding corners or petting him because if he doesn’t expect it he’ll jump like five feet in the air

𝐮𝐳𝐮𝐢 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧

- if you do not change his collars or outfits at least once a week or brush him daily he will start yowling

- you decided to adopt him after your neighbour moved to an apartment that didn’t allow cats

- unfortunately, your neighbour was also the most outrageously extravagant person you’ve ever met and spoiled uzui too much

- a good chunk of your monthly spending goes to the cat

- will not eat cheap cat food (how can he tell the difference…?)

- occasionally buries himself in the back of your closet because it’s dark and smells like you but please help me i’m entangled in a scarf and can’t get out!

- loves posing for photographs and being cooed over!! if you run an instagram account for him you’ll be sure to get popular really quickly

- he just… knows the camera is there lol

- hates having his nails clipped omg

- he will run around the house just to escape you and will only be bribed by a fancy new outfit or a churu

[id-rather-be-an-outsider]

AOT Preference: Dogs

a/n: first time doing a preference in awhile, but I want to specifically say DO NOT EVER get an animal you are not completely prepared to care for. animals are animals and will act as animals do. if they act out that’s not on them, that’s on you. animals need to be in forever homes, and it’s your responsibility to create a suitable environment for them and to not put them in situations where they could potentially be harmed or harm others. know your animal, know their comfort zone, know their needs. don’t take an animal on unless you’re ready to parent a child that never grows up for 15+ years. be responsible pet parents!

edit: just realized I used she/her for Hange so I fixed it. apologies to all my nb folks!

masterlist

Annie Leonhart

Our girl Annie would have a Siberian Husky. Strong, agile, hyperactive and able to trek long distances, they’d be perfectly suited for one another. You would be invited to tag along, of course, but you would have to keep up, lest you fall victim to the whines of an overly dramatic husky who desperately wants you to get a move on.

Armin Arlert

English Springer Spaniel, for sure. He’d fall in love with their soft coat, and their size would make them the perfect lapdog for reading, and taking long walks outside... to do more reading. Definitely a bonus that they fit comfortably between you two in bed at night, and a bonus that their little tail looked oh so very precious when it wagged!

Bertholdt Hoover

A gentle giant himself, Bertie would end up getting a Great Dane. Unlike Reiner, he’s a lot better at managing his thoughts and feelings about their study abroad trip to Paradis gone wrong. All he needs is his gigantic lapdog and you, his adoring partner. Sometimes he’d pass out on the dog in the middle of a cuddle session, and the patient thing would stare at you with pleading eyes, waiting until Bertholdt finally woke up to escape from being stuck in his arms for another hour.

Colt Grice

Colt would get a pair of Dalmatians, one for each of you. He loves their spots, their sleek build, and their energetic, yet quiet temperaments. Picket fence and all, Colt would want the happy home life!

Connie Springer

Connie would insist on having two dogs, so they don’t get lonely when you’re away from the house. He would bring home a pair of puppies with floppy ears that were adorable - an American Foxhound and an American English Coonhound. To Connie, their howls at all hours of the day, only ceasing when he falls asleep, is absolutely glorious, but to his neighbors, it’s a sign they need to invest in earplugs. Sasha would regularly steal the pair away from you so she had a full squad to go hunting with, which you wouldn’t mind since they liked the trips and got their energy out that way.

Eren Yeager

Much like how Eren picks his friends, so too, would he pick his pets. Not caring much for pedigrees, nor where a dog came from, Eren would get a shelter mix pup, probably one that’s older and been sitting there for longer. He’d sense a kinship between them - two beings looking for peace, and they’d find it in one another. The dog being absolutely adorable in every way would only be a bonus.

Erwin Smith

Commander Erwin would have a wolf-dog hybrid. He’d find the creature out in the woods, abandoned by their mother, and see the strength in their limbs despite their fear, and their resolve to survive. He would take them on as his own and together, they’d be the perfect pair of leaders, alphas in their own rights. When you became the alpha female of the household, the little beastie took to you right away, hoping that maybe you would be the one to finally grant their wish of feeding them off your plate. Of course, you never did it, because that would be irresponsible! At least, you’d parrot what Erwin said until he was gone for the day. Then, if a few bites every week fell on the floor by some magic mistake, well, who else was gonna clean it up?

Hange Zoë

Hange would have a fox! They’d be so interested by their behavior, they’d end up testing them and doing fun (and very humane) experiments on them, like exposing them to different foods, toys and puzzles, to see how they’d react. Foxes aren’t a regular pet, and they’d be fully aware of that and even over prepared to care for them, doing research years ahead of time until they felt completely ready to take one on. Needless to say, you’d be fascinated by them, but would insist Hange keep a separate, pee-proof space for the little creature they rescued so long ago. As cute as they were, you preferred your house not be ruined by their inability to potty train.

Historia Reiss

Historia would intend to get a small dog. What she would end up with, however, would not be a small dog. She would fall in love with the warm, kindly brown eyes of a giant and adopt a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog right then and there, no hesitation. In the end, it would all work out. You couldn’t always be beside her in bed, but she was always guaranteed to have an enormous lapdog by her side at all times - her protector in the throne room, her helper on the farm, and her body pillow at night. Who needs a weighted blanket when you have a hundred-pound puppy sleeping on you?

Jean Kirstein

Jean would have a German Shepherd. He adopted them when he first wanted to join the Military Police, but after he changed his mind, he still cared enough to train his dog as militantly as he was trained. It actually helped him soften up a bit (which ended up catching your attention in the end), and who wouldn’t? With those big brown eyes and floppy ears, it’s hard to resist the urge to sweet talk... and maybe, just maybe slip one or two scraps of meat under the table. No one will notice, right? Other than you, of course, who notices everything, because Jean has never been good at hiding things from you.

Levi Ackerman

We all know Levi is a clean freak and would never want a small dog that does nothing other than bark. He’d have a Standard Poodle, probably an apricot color. They’re smart, good hunters, and most importantly, non-shedding! They also are very sweet, not unlike our Captain (even if he’s good at hiding it). The one thing he wouldn’t expect, however, would be to find a trouble maker in his home. Stolen shoes, stolen ties, stolen cravats, even - somehow they would all wind up somewhere his sweet dog seemed to frequent, but they were clever enough not to be caught, so what could he do?

Marcel Galliard

A chocolate lab! They’re sweet and adventurous, as well as protective, and are absolute cuties. Marcel would love having a fluffy companion, and would take his Labrador on long hikes every weekend.

Marco Bott

Marco loves to look forward to the future, and he’d love to experiment with a newer breed of dog. The Catahoula caught his eye with their well-muscled body, and your excitement over their coat pattern sealed the deal. When you both realized just how much energy they had, you ended up joining Annie and Marcel on their hikes and volunteering your pup for hunting trips with Sasha, so they weren’t up all night long playing.

Mikasa Ackerman

Mikasa is the only person out of this bunch that wouldn’t get a dog - she’d have two cats, at least one being a brown tabby. Mikasa’s so dedicated to her work that she wouldn’t see herself as a person with enough time for dogs, but she wouldn’t mind caring for two soft kitties who curled up on either side of you two every night, even if they somehow always managed to have their butts in your faces when you woke up. Cats have a way of doing that.

Pieck Finger

Pieck would own a Weimaraner. Curious, cute, and a standout, they both fit the mold of “dogs and owners who look alike” with their deep, inquisitive eyes and playful, loving natures.

Porco Galliard

Like Porco, Pitbulls can appear tough and menacing on the outside. Also like Porco, pitbulls are just big babies who want to be loved on. He’d likely already have one before you two fell for each other, and his pit would see the loving nature in you and start coming to you for snuggles - which might have made Porco feel left out, if he wasn’t always in the middle of it.

Reiner Braun

Pomeranian. This man has seen some shit, and what better form of comfort than you and a tiny puffball with googly eyes? Fortunately, his Pomeranian would be unusually mellow, understanding he relied on their calm to maintain his own headspace after everything that’s happened.

Sasha Braus

Sasha would get an Irish Setter and an English Setter. She would take her dogs on hunting trips to help her track down animals, and when they got home she’d sit up for a cuddle with her two favorite pups and her favorite partner, you. Cocoa after a long day of hard work is fantastic.

Ymir

Everybody knows that Ymir wouldn’t intend to have a dog. She wouldn’t want anything or anyone to depend on her, but one day, when a band of strays would come around her apartment and try to attack her, another random dog would come from out of nowhere, fight them, and chase the rest of the pack off. Upon seeing the heroic dog injured, Ymir would feel indebted and take them in. Just until they healed, of course - then, it would be off to the local shelter for them. But then, you would drop by for a visit and the dog would love all over you. And then, Ymir would keep waking up finding the dog had managed to crawl into her bed and sleep next to her every night. And then, one thing after another, Ymir’s heart would soften just enough to let the scroungy stray who saved her life have a spot, right next to the spot reserved for you, and your family of two would grow to be a family of three. And then, you would find a puppy on the side of the road and take them home to Ymir after you moved in with her, and your family of three would grow to be a family of four. And then, when the puppy grew up, Ymir would find her laying in a closet with a litter of semi-scroungy-looking pups, and your family of four would become a family of five, six, seven, eight... and so on.

Zeke Yeager

Zeke has wavy golden locks, and so do golden retrievers. They’re also both incredibly cute, sweet, and popular. Need I say more? Fine, if I have to convince you. They also both have very kissable, kind, and meddlesome faces. Don’t tell me you don’t see it there!

[starshinegoblin]

A Witchy Kind of Love

♥ Co-Written with @ruensroad ♥ Status: Completed ♥ Pairing: ZhanCheng (Lan Wangji x Jiang Cheng) ♥ AU: Modern Witches/Familiars; Hurt/Comfort; Coming Together; Happy Ending ♥ Where to Read: AO3 | Only chapter one will be posted on Tumblr.  ♥ Author’s Note: If you don’t like this paring then do not read it. Absolutely do not send either us disgusting hate messages here or on AO3 about you not liking this paring. Just move on and live your best life. Otherwise! Enjoy ♥

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“Of course you wouldn’t be XianXian’s familiar. It all makes sense now…” Jiang Fengmian said as he stared his son down with that disappointed look that Jiang Cheng was all too familiar with. Jiang Cheng swallowed the shame all the same. He’d tried his best and it seemed like he would have been chosen because he had a good bond with Wei Wuxian. However, Wen Ning had appeared with his sister Wen Qing into their part of the familiar realm Lotus Pier. It so happened Wei Wuxian was visiting and the two met.

“You couldn’t even be that brat’s familiar? What’s the point in you being here now!” His mother said with an icy edge that Jiang Cheng felt actual pain. His mother had been the one pushing him to try to bond more with Wei Wuxian.

“Maybe you should just take a walk? Let them calm down, it's not like they are going to make you leave.” Jiang Yanli said, softly trying to comfort him. “You’ll find your own Bond like me and A-Xian.”

“That’s a great idea, A-Li! At first light you’re to leave and find your witch then you can come back!” Jiang Fengmian said with a grin on his face and a look in his eyes that broke the last bit of hope in him that his father actually cared about him. HIs sister had at least had the decency to look horrified though did nothing and his mother had been pleased because this was an appropriate punishment for a failure such as him.

Jiang Cheng had known that it wasn’t going to be a good breakfast with his family when Wei Wuxian had met his familiar, Wen Ning. All this father’s hope that he’d been the familiar of his former friend that was a witch went down in flames and his mother had only wished for it because it would stop his father’s daydreaming. What he hadn't expected was to be thrown out the next morning. He felt like his heart was breaking when his mother had all but disowned him.

He didn’t even bother to take anything but his bell. That he attached to his sash. A gift he’d been preparing to give his witch. He wouldn’t wait for the morning. What's the point in avoiding the inevitable? It’s not that they truly cared, did they?

Jiang Cheng’s eyes burned as he ran away from the only home he’d ever known. From the family he thought cared for him. No, he wouldn’t go back. If he ever found them. Supposedly familiars are forever linked. So in each life in some way he’d find his way  to the one who’d care for him.

He left the familiar spiritual realm of Lotus Pier  into what was Shanghai. And of course the moment he stepped out in his familiar form as a black cat it was raining. Not a soft mist, but a cold heavy pelting followed by rolling thunder. His hackles rose in this form but he focused on finding a spot. He needed to quickly before he got sick, because that would be his luck after what happened. He would get sick and die alone.

Jiang Cheng got off the sidewalk and saw the signs of a park. He’d remembered that a lot of them had benches or maybe a tree he could climb up in to try to get dry. Though the rain was only coming down harder and the benches that he was close too all had those metal slats.  Sadly the trees were all manicured and lacking in the coverage needed to protect him from the rain. Jiang Cheng huffed as he sat in front of one staring at the bench like somehow it would morph into what he needed. His ears twitched hearing the sound of shoes on pavement but he ignored it.

Suddenly, the rain was no longer falling on him. The pattering of it striking a tight, slick fabric made soft music instead.

He had ignored the feet, but the owner of said feet had not ignored him. Even with such neat, tidy clothes, the man wasted no time in tilting his umbrella to cover Jiang Cheng. His left arm was already soaked.

If the man cared, he didn’t show it. His eyes were kind, though his face was impassive, and a strong current of magic flowed through him. He crouched over the mud to get a good look at Jiang Cheng.

“Lost?” he asked, gentle and unthreatening. He offered his free hand for Jiang Cheng to sniff just as a crack of thunder raged overhead.

“Nope.” Jiang Cheng answered resolutely. Because he had nowhere to go. He still didn’t even bother to look up. It wasn’t like there was a magic red string that could help him find his witch. No, that’s not how bonds worked.  “I am not a pet, human.” He ignored the hand. There wasn’t a reason for him to accept. No one would want a bone soaked cat.

“You are not,” the man agreed, hearing the cat sniffle. No doubt, he had been in the rain long enough to get sick. That thick fur was soaked through.

It was clear the brown mackerel tabby was a stubborn sort, but the man was too, and he quickly tried a different tack. “Hungry?”

Jiang Cheng blinked and finally deigned to look up at his bystander. His eyes narrowed seeing the magical aura around him. It was calm and an icy blue. The way it moved let him know that he was a witch and a musical one at that. Which was nice but it also stung because that’s what kind of aura that Wei Wuxian had.

He pushed that thought away to focus on the man. He was tall and lean. Clearly a runner. His hair was shoulder length and dark with a bluish tint to it that made his ember eyes stand out. The man was dressed in a light blue turtleneck that peeked out from a pristine white pea coat and jeans.

A sneeze ruined his train of thought. His wet paw rubbing it from the burn he’d felt. Jiang Cheng internally sighed feeling that it was warm which meant he was probably going to be sick. He’d been right that the powers that be were against him. His stomach growled at the thought of food. That’s when he remembered that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast this morning and had been too anxious to eat after finding out about Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian.

“I am fine.” Jiang Cheng said stubbornly. He could find something he was sure and it wouldn’t be smart to just trust the first witch he’d seen. The weather alone was a sign. But his stomach growled again just as the words had come out of his mouth.

To the man’s credit, he didn’t quite snort, but there was definitely some sort of huffed breath at that. “You will get sick,” he said, knowing the familiar already was, and turned his face to point down the street. The sky was so dreary and dark, it was hard to make out his home, which was a three story house squeezed between two older apartment buildings. It had a red door from the previous owner, which he’d kept, liking the striking accent. Now, he was thankful he’d kept it for another reason, for it was visible even through the rain.

“Red door,” he said softly. “Free food and a warm hearth. You are welcome to come. Stay as you like, go as you like.”

“Why? Is that what you do? Take stray familiars?” Jiang Cheng sassed, feeling the sting of that being what he was now. A stray. He sneezed again and he swatted his nose, sadly entertaining the thought that perhaps he should have waited till morning.

“Sometimes,” the man said, calm in that. It was true enough. He did meet a few strays - familiar and regular animals alike - that needed help. “Have none of my own. Help where I can.” He didn’t bother offering his hand again, given that sniffling meant Jiang Cheng couldn’t smell him. He moved the umbrella more over the cat instead, uncaring that he was getting wet. “No charge to stay.”

Immediately, Jiang Cheng wanted to tell him no, but he couldn’t go home. Well...what had been his home. He let out an audible sigh as he tried not to cry. Because that’d be the cherry on top of a terrible day. Crying in front of the witch while being rude to him. He also needed to think about the situation. Jiang Cheng had nowhere to go and this witch was offering. Though he was still a bit weary that the witch would trap him.

“No tricks or I’ll claw your eyes out.” Jiang Cheng finally caved as he moved onto all four paws.

“No tricks,” the man agreed and held his umbrella over Jiang Cheng as they slowly walked to the tall, squashed house with a red door. He’d been about to wrap the cat up in his pea coat, carry him there, but Jiang Cheng was clearly a proud creature and would probably not appreciate it. There would be plenty of time to get him warm and dry once inside, anyways.

The key he took out of his pocket was antique and long, with a flat head for the lock. He had to turn it completely through the lock nearly twice, and there was a soft rumble through the building, the magic shivering through it, welcoming them both.

He held the door for Jiang Cheng to move through, right into a small entryway with a spot for outdoor shoes and indoor shoes. It was old concrete, so there was no harm in standing there a moment dripping.

“Be right back,” the witch said, tucking out of his shoes and wet pea coat. He shook out the umbrella outside then shut the door, which locked itself with a winding mechanism much like a clock’s. Shuffling into his indoor slippers, the man stepped up into the entry-hall, which had glossy, dark hardwood floors and moved quickly towards his bathroom to grab a towel.

He came back and knelt down, holding the towel open so Jiang Cheng could walk into it. “Here.”

Jiang Cheng considered it and hesitated only for a moment before stepping forward into the warm towel. He’d only ever been touched by Wei Wuxian and his sister in this form since he was kitten. His eyes closed to keep the tears at bay again. It was best to try not to think about them. He knew though that it was easier thought than done.

The man rubbed him vigorously with the towel, drying him off. He could better hear the cat’s thick breathing now that the rain was muffled through the door. “May I carry you?” he asked, wrapping the towel around Jiang Cheng like he was a kitten burrito. “Living room not far. Has a fireplace.”

“No funny business.” Jiang Cheng sniffled. He’d been strong and hadn’t purred when the drying off started to feel a lot like scratching. It’d been a while since he’d been petted. He swatted his tail at the witch. “I am Jiang Wanyin.” Jiang Cheng finally decided to share his name with the witch.

“Lan Wangji,” the man gave him, then carefully lifted him up into his arms, cradling him like he was a babe. He further wrapped the towel around Jiang Cheng and moved towards his living room as promised. The fireplace came to life with a mere thought, warming the room in a golden glow. It was a traditional looking space, for all the building was more western in design. It had a low table and a daybed couch near the fire, but also a recliner. Lan Wangji set him on the recliner since it was closest and softest.

“I’ll be back,” Lan Wangji said again, removing the damp towel and trading it for a dry blanket. Then he was out of the room to make a quick bowl of food for his new guest, leaving Jiang Cheng there to get settled.

Jiang Cheng settled into the warm cushion of the seat. He kneaded and circled till he felt comfortable enough to sit down. Well loaf down was the correct term.  To just lounge wasn’t something that he did around anyone really. For fear of being called lazy. He tucked his tail in and listened for Lan Wangji. The witch's home was comfortable and nothing like his siblings' own homes. It smelled of sandalwood and patchouli.  His gaze shifted to the guqin on the table and with the swirl of clouds of his design made him think of Wei Wuxian’s youth at the Cloud of Recesses.

Soft footsteps approached around the smell of fish. Lan Wangji quietly crossed the room to him with a plate of lightly steamed shredded trout. He set it on the recliner next to Jiang Cheng and tucked the blanket around the cat a little more, making sure he was warm and fed.

Once satisfied that Jiang Cheng was comfortable, he neatly folded himself behind the guqin and started to tune the instrument, his magic shimmering over the strings. He plucked softly, so as not to disturb his guest, obviously not one to push too much into Jiang Cheng’s business or force awkward conversation.

Jiang Cheng ate as quietly as he could after smelling it to make sure that it hadn’t been tampered with. Not that he’d truly smell any right now. His eyes got droopy from the good trout, Lan Wangji’s playing, and the warmth from the fireplace. Just when he started to fall asleep he sneezed hard.

“I...I’m done.” Jiang Cheng announced, though he hadn’t eaten all of it. He probably should have but his stomach just wasn’t in the mood while his head felt the way it did. “Thank you, Lan Wangji.” He tried for nice but he was sure it sounded like he was annoyed.

Lan Wangji took it in stride, elegantly standing and taking the plate. Then, his head tilted, considering him. “Bonded or not?” he asked, needing to know if Jiang Cheng would be shifting human at some point. It would determine the medicine he needed to get for him.

“Not.” Jiang Cheng answered, bluntly. Dazed sapphire eyes gazed up at him. “And I wouldn’t be shifting anyways. I’m for my witch.” the last bit a little slurred from slight dizziness that was coming to him. He really shouldn’t have been out in that rain most of the day.

Lan Wangji just nodded. “Alright. Will be back with medicine,” he said and moved off, no judgement in his tone. He knew Bonds were important to familiars and he truly had only needed to know what medicine to grab. It was meant for smaller animals, but infused with his own magic, a cocktail just for familiars. He knelt down beside the recliner and held up the needleless syringe to Jiang Cheng’s nose. “Here. Good for colds and sleep.”

Jiang Cheng tried to smell it but all he really smelled was Lan Wangi and his sandalwood. So far the witch hadn’t tried to hurt or capture him. He swallowed, making the best choice for himself before opening to take the medicine. The mixture had settled on his stomach and started it’s job. He could feel the magic in it that told him Lan Wangji was the one who made this. It tasted mostly like he’d taken a bite of a strawberry pie. Which had him curious about the witch’s kitchen and cookbooks.

“Not bad.” Jiang Cheng offered instead of a thanks. That would be reserved for when he was better to see if the witch had tricked him. Even if it had been too late. At least he hadn’t thanked him for hurting him.

Lan Wangji took that as a good sign and simply tucked the blanket around Jiang Cheng more, then returned to his kitchen to clean out the medical syringe. He was hardly surprised to see Jiang Cheng’s eyes blinking slowly when he folded himself back behind his qin and began to play for him. He went with a lullaby that was infused with his qi, promoting deep sleep and present dreams. Jiang Cheng seemed like he needed that kind of kindness.

Sleep, he bid silently through the melody, watching Jiang Cheng from the corner of his eye. Feel better.

“Don’t trick.” Jiang Cheng reminded him, before he felt himself start to drift off to the lovely music that Lan Wangji was playing. His ears flicking. He prayed that he didn't purr as he slept was his last thought before falling into a deep sleep.

Lan Wangji continued to play, even though Jiang Cheng was sound asleep, and didn’t stop until his usual practice time was over. Then he got up to get dressed and readied his music room for the couple music students that would drop by for their lessons. He hoped all the giggling wouldn’t wake Jiang Cheng, but then he supposed there were worse things to wake up to, and thought no more on it when his first student of the afternoon showed up with her tiny qin on her back.

He had three students, a slower day, and it was a good hour before he needed to decide dinner when he escorted his final pupil to the door. The house fell silent again, calm with the echoes of children’s laughter and the magic of music being so earnestly learned. He moved quietly to the living room to check on Jiang Cheng. Seeing the cat still sound asleep was both endearing and worrying, and he could only hope the medicine was doing its job.

[blarrghe]

10 and 16, your choice 👀

Currently neglecting everything else I have going on for this Dorianders modern au. This is going to go somewhere...interesting.

16. I need a date for this wedding from the cliche prompts

Dorian asks a favour, he even has the foresight to ask using kittens. How can Anders say no?

Continues from the last one, for more of this tale you can read them in order on AO3

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He had a wrap made with roasted vegetables, house made hummus, and smoked tofu, and it was surprisingly good. A little expensive still, but the menu said that a portion of all the proceeds went towards supporting the animal shelter, so really no part of him could find reason to complain. A skinny young tabby came and sat by them while they ate, and Anders stroked its stripes slowly, almost mesmerized, while Dorian told him the latest dramatic tale from some high-brow party he’d been to the night before. Anders was only half listening; they’d been friends for just over a month, though with all the little chunks of time they found to spend together, it seemed longer, and in that time Anders had learned that Dorian went to an unbelievable number of fancy parties. It seemed like there was a new one each night, fundraisers and awards ceremonies and shows of support for one cause or another. Pompous, stuffy affairs that he looked to Anders to laugh over, later. Anders didn’t mind, exactly, he could make fun of upper class excess any day of the week, and he actually appreciated being privy to some of the more political gossip, but there was a reason why Dorian seemed to always cap the nights off with an outing to some noisier, bouncier club. Most of what he did for work was painfully boring. And the stories that came after, about what happened at said bouncy clubs, were worse still. 

He was going through it, Anders reminded himself, he didn’t really talk about it, but it was there. Grief and guilt and an unmistakable feeling of relief, which only led him to more guilt. There was a good deal of alcohol in the mix, too. He looked good, tall and handsome, workouts the next day to detox from the wild nights, but he was still a mess, underneath it all. Easy to forget, smooth as he talked, but Anders had an uncanny ability to see through veils, thanks to that ghost still shadowing his soul. 

As his friend, Anders was more or less supportive; reminders about the uselessness of detoxes, a sounding board for work-related gripes, encouraging smiles when it looked like Dorian might say something a little closer to the truth. But as a man who had seen him, been struck down by the lightning bolt of his smile every time it graced his lips, he was mostly just jealous. But Dorian was busy treating his grief with sex and mindnumbing dance beats, and Anders would rather be a friend than a drunken encounter at a noisy club, so that was that. And he was very deliberately not waiting. He’d done all that before, the yearning and pining and endless aching for a one-sided love, and it was fucking terrible. Unhealthy. Friendship was good, friendship was healthy. Being used as some kind of distraction would not be, no matter how tempting. 

Anders, meanwhile, had found his own distraction in the form of a coworker who was also decidedly going through something. Someone as different as could be from Dorian, and who had no undue attachment to Anders whatsoever. In fact, she had three or four men in rotation and was very obviously beginning to fall in a complicated way for one of the other ones. So distractions abounded, but at least between himself and Dorian there could just be a solid foundation, untroubled by jealousy and sex. Except for when he smiled. 

“Anders?” Dorian’s voice cut through his thoughts, and the skinny tabby looked up, irritated that Anders had abruptly stopped petting it. “Alright, I get it, Tevinter politics, boring.” Dorian went on, “shall I leave you here with your new friend?” The cat hopped down from its perch on the seat next to Anders, and slunk away, indifferent. 

“I — ah,” Anders shook his head, turning his focus back to Dorian, who always seemed to be smirking at him. “Sorry, I’m just tired.” 

Dorian raised an eyebrow, then glancing away over Anders’ shoulder, he indicated something with a slight nod. “Would a kitten help?” 

Anders turned to look, and whatever else was going on in his heart simply melted away, as two bright white kittens emerged stumbling from one of the carpeted cat tunnels set out under the windows of the cafe, wobbling and hopping over one another with fluffy little tails and bright blue eyes. 

“Sweet maker,” he breathed, and he could hear Dorian laughing under his breath as he watched, “I’m going to go pet those kittens now.” Anders announced, leaving his head-shaking and amused friend behind. 

He played with the kittens until they finished being curious about him and wandered off to sniff at someone else, and then he took a look around the place, appreciating the genius of it. Lots of fun shelves and carpeted tunnels and posts with fluffy balls on strings tied to their ends, cats lounging and wandering about; the skinny tabby, the two white kittens, an old black and brown giant with long hair and a grumpy expression, watching from a shelf on high, and several others, sleeping in happy piles on top of one another in various hiding spots or jumping from platform to platform overhead. There was a bulletin board on the wall with each cat’s picture posted up, along with an informative biography detailing their name, breed and personality. Paperwork for adoption could be requested from the servers, and the place had purportedly housed over a hundred lonely cats in the short time since its opening. There were some pictures of the lucky adoptees up on the board as well, and a flyer requesting volunteer help at the shelter. Anders ripped off one of the phone numbers hanging from it. 

By the time Anders returned to their table, feeling altogether lighter and refreshed, Dorian had paid their bill. Anders watched as Dorian stood, pulling the strap of his gym bag back up over his shoulder and checking his watch with an apologetic grimace. 

“You didn’t have to pay,”Anders frowned, reaching in his pocket for the bills to cover his share. Dorian shrugged. 

“I may have ulterior motives, actually.” He replied, and Anders’ frown deepened. “I need to ask you a favour.” 

He crossed his arms, feeling rather buttered up, what with the kittens and the lunch and the way Dorian was still slyly smiling at him. 

“There’s an event next week, and I need someone to accompany me…” 

“I’m no good at formal events,” Anders warned, “I’ll get you voted out of the Magisterium just by holding my fork wrong or something.” 

“It’s not that kind of event, it’s a — it’s a family affair. A wedding.” Dorian admitted the context stiffly, a tenseness in his jaw already. It had been weeks since the funeral, which he’d never talked about at all, but the way he said wedding sounded about as much like one. 

Anders’ heart stilled. “Can’t you find a date?” He quipped, or tried to quip, throat going dry again. 

Dorian sighed. “I could take the one my mother’s found, or I could take a friend.” he replied, eyes pleading. Fuck that word and his desperate eyes. “Besides, the whole thing would be much more tolerable with someone to make snide remarks with on the sidelines. Free food, free wine, saving me from an evening of drudgery celebrating the union of some distant fourth-cousin and her fifth husband. Please?” 

“I don’t much want to antagonize your mother.” Anders said, still frowning. He remembered her in the hospital, shouting bloody murder at his supervisors and snapping at the nurses. And it didn’t escape him either that for Dorian to bring another man to a family affair would set tongues wagging; that he probably wanted it to. Anders had a habit of flaunting Tevinter sensibilities where it came to things like gender presentation and respectable life choices. Some of it was accidental — there were so many rules to Tevinter codes of behaviour, it was too easy to break them — but some of it was deliberate. He missed Kirkwall, where none of it had really mattered, and some part of him didn’t want to let Tevinter rigidity take away his freedom. Halward Pavus, rest his temperamental soul, had seemed to pinpoint him for his otherness even while laying on his deathbed, and had let him know it with regular scorn. Scorn he’d no doubt directed at Dorian his whole life, given all the maladaptive coping mechanisms he was displaying in the wake of his death. And Anders was still trying not to become a maladaptive coping mechanism. Spirits on earth, he needed to call Merrill. 

“Not even a little?” Dorian prodded, breaking through his brooding once again, “it can be great fun you know; it’s practically a hobby of mine.” 

Anders sighed. “I wouldn’t know what to wear.” he said, a lame excuse that Dorian would happily rectify in a second, given how much he delighted in his own stylings. He could see it already, a smirk coming back to his lips out of that tense jaw, ready to make some suggestions as soon as Anders gave him permission. 

“We can work on that. Come on, if you say no I’ll be forced to get exceedingly drunk, reject a probably perfectly tolerable woman, and generally make a scene.” 

“As though inviting me isn’t going to do that,” Anders protested. No, Dorian didn’t talk about his family much, but Anders didn’t need him to in order to figure him out. 

“You’re a friend, and a doctor. It’s plenty respectable.” Dorian leaned back, “and an excuse to leave early, if you get called away for some sort of...medical emergency.” he winked. 

Anders sighed again. “Fine,” he said, shaking his head and wondering who exactly was deciding his responses at this point; clearly not the part of him that was sensible. “But I’m not buying new robes.” 

“Of course not, you have terrible taste.” Dorian grinned, “I’ll find you something.” 

Anders took the bus home, and fell asleep on his couch, an unsent text message still in the draft stages on his phone. Not to Merrill, she would be useless in this particular dilemma, but to a different old friend. Not that he trusted Isabella to know what to do, either, but at least her advice would be fun. 

[some-cookie-crumbz]

Meet Cute prompts, 47" w TodoDeku???

OOOhhhh boi~! This was a real fun one~!

Prompt: Texting the wrong number but continuing the conversation.

"Get a studio apartment!" Natsuo had insisted. "You don't need a lot of space and it'll be more cost efficient!" He said.

Shouto made a mental note to inform Fuyumi that she was his only sibling now.

He groaned as he dropped his school bag and umbrella by the door, then kicked off his shoes. A loud clattering came from the small half-wall that separated the living room space from the bedroom space, watching as a cream colored cat tower toppled right over with a black and white lump fluffed to about twice his normal size clutching the side of it. He winced at the loud clatter it made, knowing that his neighbors would have words with him about that later, and let his head fall back. "Punchy," he breathed out, barely restraining the frustration in his tone.

An excited mewl came from the cat and, when he glanced back down, he'd abandoned the tree and was making a beeline for Shouto. His tail was up high and his yellow eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Punchy," he said, kneeling down to scoop him up, "why do you do this? Do you hate your tree?" He knew he was just talking to himself, but it helped to relax him. When he first got his apartment, he had been surprised by how lonely he felt. Fuyumi had suggested he get a pet, to help keep him company. Looking into it, he found that cats were listed as the best apartment animal, since they were typically pretty independent and could handle long stretches of time alone better than most breeds of dog.

Except, as fate would have it, Shouto had picked the clingiest, neediest kitten to ever exist. Not that he minded, really. He appreciated how affectionate and chatty his four-legged friend was. He just wished that his apartment was a little bit bigger, since it seemed that his rambunctious feline might need more room. 

Punchy let out a chirping little mew in response to his question before headbutting up against his chin. Shouto snorted a bit, bringing one hand up to gently scratch right between his eyes, then gave a few right between his shoulder blades and set him down. He propped the cat tree back up before changing out of his wet clothes and into something dry and warm.

Once that was done, he settled on the couch, his cat right behind him, and started reading articles on his phone. Punchy curled up on his stomach and he dropped one hand to gently pet his head and back, smiling at the rumbly purrs he was awarded. Things were all quiet for about fifteen minutes before his phone pinged with a new text messaging from an unfamiliar number. Which was followed almost immediately by another.

Shouto scowled and toggled over to his messages, clicking on the unread texts.

xxxx-xxx-xxx (5:34 P.M.):

JDOWOJDKIDI ITTY BITTIES

I FOUND ITTY BITTY BABY KITTIES

He blinked slowly, tilting his head curiously at the message. He wanted to say they were excited, but they could also be panicked and looking to ask a friend for help. He figured he should let them know, so they could make sure the tiny kittens were well taken care of.

Me (5:36 P.M.):

Sorry, wrong #

He then paused for a few moments, considering his next move carefully as interest took over, before jotting down another message.

Me (5:38 P.M.):

But pics or it didn't happen

He waited a full ten minutes, waiting to see if he heard back, before settling his phone aside and going to make himself dinner. By the time he was done preparing his own meal and serving Punchy's evening serving of wet food, his phone chimed again several times in a row. He set his plate down on the small table, slid to sitting, and pulled up the message.

He was greeted by several pictures. The first was a picture of five bundled up little fur balls, all squished together in a big and fluffy towel, being cradled by a lightly tanned arm littered in scars. All five had their heads tilted up to stare at the camera and he let out a small whine at how cute and tiny they all were. They were even smaller than Punchy when he brought him home eight months ago! And all their eyes were still that foggy blue-grey all kittens had until their natural color developed. They probably weren't any older than four, maybe five, weeks.

The pictures to follow were of the kittens individually, carefully held up in individual towels so that their markings could be better seen as well as to perhaps determine their genders. The first was mostly brown, but had white mittens on all four paws, the tip of its tail and ears, and it’s little chin. The second was of a little orange tabby kitten, but they seemed to be wiggling about too much and a portion of the green towel the mystery texter had bundled them in was covering the top of their little head. The next was of another tabby, but this one was grey; light grey over most of the body with darker grey stripes and little white paws just like the first. The fourth kitten was another brown and white mix, with the same white markings on their paws and tail as the first, but there was more white along their face, with a strip of brown leading from their little pink nose and getting wider and arching around his eyes and head. The last kitten was a tuxedo, much like Shouto’s own Punchy was, and had markings that seemed to be a sort of hod-podge of the first and fourth. Number five had the same white on its paws and tail as they did, but there was a bit more mottling on its paws where the fur colored changed from black to white - while the divide was clear on the other kittens - and there was more white markings on its face with a thin strip of black under each eye.

All in all, a ridiculously adorable litter of kittens.

Me (6:24 P.M.):

Oh no

They cute

He set his phone aside as he started to eat, turning the television on and switching it over to a crime show for background noise. His phone pinged two more times in the minutes to follow, but he waited until he was mostly done with his food to check again.

xxxx-xxx-xxx (6:27 P.M.):

rite?????

xxxx-xxx-xxx (6:33 P.M.):

Pic

I mom now

The picture was of all five kittens, nestled in their towels and being held between what seemed to be a heating pad and what was clearly a well-defined chest. And that chest was attached to a face, too. He seemed to be about Shouto’s age with wild green curls and big, bright, wide green eyes. His cheeks were covered in freckles and his lower lip was jutted out slightly, clearly melting over the five furry babies in his arm. Shouto’s heart gave a quick jolt in his chest.

Oh no, he was cute, too.

Me (6:44 P.M.):

I want them on the weekends and holidays.

xxxx-xxx-xxx (6:46 P.M.):

um?????

I am a strong, independent single cat mom who don’t need no man.

Shouto chuckled to himself at the response. He looked down at Punchy, who had clamored back into his lap and dozed off, as he came up with his response.

Me (6:49 P.M.):

You're breaking the family up.

They need their older brother.

xxxx-xxx-xxx (6:50 P.M.):

waIT

u hav kitty???

PICS NAO

Shouto laughed before clicking over to his gallery. He had plenty of pictures of Punchy, but it was determining which ones to send. He shifted through before selecting three. He picked one from when he first brought him home, when he was still just a teeny fuzzball, and put "Smol knockout" underneath. The next one he picked was from about two months ago, when his friends Tenya and Momo had come to hang out one evening. Momo had purchased a little red and black striped tie for him and, not wanting to miss a good photo op, they had put it on him and taken a few pictures. He added the notation of "Business casual Punchy" to that one. Last was from two weeks ago, when he'd come out to see Punchy sitting on the couch like a little person, back legs spread wide to completely expose his pudgy white tum, and one of his front paws resting on the remote as if he was about to change the channel. "It's been a week, hooman," he added to that one.

He grinned and scratched under the aforementioned cat's chin as he watched the little dots appear as the stranger formulated a response. After a moment, he was blown up with emojis and gifs expressing how much he adored the pictures. Then, after a moment, he actually strung words together.

xxxx-xxx-xxx (6:58 P.M.):

I LUV HIM

WAT

IS

HIS NAME

Me (6:59 P.M.):

His name is Punchy

xxxx-xxx-xxx (7:00 P.M.):

DID U NAME HIM AFTER THE CAT FROM AC????

Me (7:00 P.M.):

Ye

xxxx-xxx-xxx (7:01 P.M.):

OMGGGGG

PERF

HE PERF

Me (7:02 P.M.):

He is

From there, they wound up chatting about Animal Crossing, their favorite villagers, favorite games and their opinions on the changes made in New Horizons. They also ended up naming the five found kittens after five more villagers. They chose the names Kitty, Tangy, Lolly, Rudy and Tom for the little babies, given their color patterns and genders. Shouto himself wondered if perhaps he could take Tangy once she was a little bit bigger. Maybe having a little friend would help keep Punchy from going full lunatic when Shouto was away.

But if he wanted to do that, he’d need to know the stranger’s name.

Me (7:48 P.M.):

Btw, I still need to know your name

So I know where to send the custody paperwork

xxxx-xxx-xxx (7:50 P.M.):

u do kno i can counter sue rite?

And then, a second later, he got his actual answer.

xxxx-xxx-xxx (7:51):

Midoriya Izuku

Shouto blinked then chuckled to himself. Midoriya? Really? That felt like a bit of irony, considering the guy was pure green. He added him to his contacts quickly, grateful to have a name to apply to the hot kitten-saving man.

Me (7:53 P.M.):

Todoroki Shouto

Also, wanna come to my island?

I have Raymond

Midoriya Izuku (7:56 P.M.):

KJFGQLIHP9iuoawj;erfkjbhz;.esrhf

YES

IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION????

[daydreaming-jessi]

Lmao guess who’s dealing with an existential crisis so she decided to write more for the Beetlejuice cat au???? If you wanna see the previous posts then just go to the shoggoth au tag on me blog kk

So, now Charles and Delia go from having 0 cats in the house to suddenly having 5.

It’s worse than the sudden ghosts

Because! Charles is allergic to cats! Emily was allergic to dogs, it’s why they never had any pets in the house before.

But he can’t exactly say no he’s seen shoggoth bring Lydia down from sudden panic attacks in like ten minutes and the kittens just lessen the panic attacks altogether!

Delia points out that the house aura has never felt better than when the cats were there. He sighs a heavy dad sigh and resigns to like twenty years of constantly taking Benadryl. (Shoggoth has also declared him a perfect nap lap and he also seems to be doing so much better mentally with the cats around. He likes seeing the kittens trample over each other after string sue him)

Barb and Adam are ecstatic!! Barb just adores animals! She had all kinds growing up, like snakes, lizards, fish, dogs, rodents, ferrets, and especially cats!!

I personally think she may have grown up on a farm, thus was constantly around animals (and doing hard work making her ultra strong).

Adam is more into bugs and snakes, but he loved fostering cats whenever he and barb took in a batch of christmas kittens, and these guys are so! Smart! Shoggoth has figured out how to open the attic door to sunbathe in the windows in the afternoon and the kittens have learned how to fetch! For them! When they need something for their town model!!!! (They of course are specially made for the model)

They name one kitten Patchie because it’s just so splotchy with it’s black and white fur and looks like a mini version of his mom but like a printer ran out of ink while making him. Beej tells them they are the most basic people he’s ever known and he loves them

Delia loves the cats, shoggoth will supervise Delia’s morning yoga everyday, sometimes joining in her own kitty way, and the kittens jumble up everywhere in the kitchen and garden whenever she is working in there, But one kitten... one kitten!

Delia swears they have some strange competition going on! This kitten pops out of nowhere and scares the daylights out of her every time! It is exactly like Lydia! (Lyds, Beetlejuice, stop laughing, it’s true!)

Lydia grins deviously and names this lil tabby brown lad Azazel. Beej cackles in the background while Delia is a lil confused.

But there’s this other fluffy black kitten with the most gorgeous dark eyes, and it reminds her so much of Lydia as well, so she names that little baby Circe. Lydia and Beej secretly think this is the coolest thing ever. Charles just smiles fondly and is ever more grateful for this eccentric lady that has become a part of their lives. Adam and barb think Delia is a delight (lol)

But there’s one kitten. One lil tabby black girl that’s just... dumb.

Like, you never think cats can be dumb, they’re so graceful and elegant and just.... smart! But this one kitten...

Shoggoth seems to always be supervising this kitten and yet it still gets in trouble. She’s managed to lock herself in the guestroom closet twenty two times- make that twenty three. (Charles get the coat hanger, she’s done it again!)

This kitten doesn’t seem to be mentally lacking behind her brothers and sister, she just... doesn’t seem to think things through.

Whenever someone takes a bath she wants into the bathroom, and she’ll want to sit in their laps while they’re in the bath so she’ll jump in without realizing that the human is... in a bath. Of water. Many times a soggy black shadow will sprint down the stairs away from the bathroom while someone in there laughs.

Beej took it upon himself to name this kitten.

“Her name... is Beef.”

“... Beej that is the worst name I’ve ever heard.”

“No, no, my mother is the one that’s come up with the worst name ever and that’s calling your son Beetlejuice instead of Lawrence in front of everyone they know forever sealing his fate as beetlejuice.”

“.... Beej you okay?”

“I am never okay Lyds.”

Beef is a special kitten that Shoggoth seems to stretch herself thin trying to keep in check. The parents can relate when this cat comes into the living room at night looking haggard and crashing on the nearest soft surface to pass out for twelve hours away from her kids currently crowded on lydia’s bed.

Many of lydias photography now include dozens of pictures of the cats (and pics Beej had a hand in choreographering). The cats being goofy, the cats being majestic, shoggoth is a star in many creepy photos, being a cat that just screams bad luck with her one eye and crooked tail, there’s one of Delia about to be scared by azazel that always cracks lyds up

Lydia feels her aesthetic is complete when she goes out walking five cats on harnesses wearing full mourning clothes and her camera while electric green haired Beej follows wearing college sweatshirts and jogger handmedowns from Charles. What is this aesthetic? Hell if she knows.

If you can’t find Beej anywhere he’s most likely where the cats are. He loves to nap in the sun with shoggoth, he loves slinking around the shadows with azazel, he loves playing with patchie in the wood shavings of the maitlands model town carving, he loves drifting after beef as she gets in mischief. Sometimes he’ll be sitting down and suddenly the cats all climb on top of him and take a nap, and he’s just still and suddenly at peace and doesn’t need to do anything else. He just, really loves these cats.

It’s kind of scary for him, since they have a much shorter life span than breathers do, and he’s not entirely sure where animals go when they die. He’ll get really quiet sometimes thinking about death and how suddenly it can change his entire life when before it was basically all he knew. He feels much better when shoggoth begins grooming his crazy hair and Lydia shows him another breather thing or Delia asks him to go shopping with her, or the maitlands ask him questions about ghost things, or Charles shows Beej another cool house he’s selling.

Head cannons of Beetlejuice now lives with the deetz time

Everyone... tries to get used to beetlejuice. Delia makes the most surprising progress. Within two days she’s calling Beej Lawrence and both him and Lydia are helping her make breakfast in the morning before he helps her with her garden and dusting her crystal collection. She’s pretty much adopted him like she instantly adopted Lydia when Charles hired her.

Charles has some reservations. This guy tried to marry his daughter, chased him and Delia out of their house, getting him fired from his job, and tried to kill him several times. But then he sees what Delia sees.

And what did Delia see?

A kid. Just, a kid that was really badly abused by his mom. He has abandonment issues from losing his dad and basically learned that the only way to get people to be nice to is by manipulating them. People don’t love you, Lawrence, you’re a useless mess of a boy that’s good for nothing and has no friends. Love is not for people like you.

Charles joins the Beej protection squad lyds and Delia have formed pretty quickly after that.

It’s harder for Adam and barb. They both are still a little scared of Beej. They would be cool with him, but he harassed them a lot before. Lydia can’t blame them but she also knows that Beej struggles to understand personal boundaries and really does have a big crush on them. Lydia is helping Beej better understand personal space (she had a tough time with it too when she was younger) and he’s learning to not force himself on others quite so much.

Beej really does like the maitlands, they’re stable, really in love with each other, actually genuinely nice, they’re kind of the coolest couple of newlydeads he’s ever met. He... wants to be a part of that. But he’s not completely sure how to join that. His usual tactic of overtly sexual actions usually work all the time, but not here. They enjoy... genuine affection??? Who??? What??? What do you mean you like me for my personality my personality is depressed garbage?

Lydia is relieved. No more keeping secrets from her family. Her pseudo brother best friend is now summoned again, being on his best behavior and allowed to stay with them and is now also healing from his mom troubles, and she has five cats now. Nice. Dead mom would love this new family Lydia and Charles made themselves. They love it too.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Lydia and Beej haven’t given up their favorite pastime.

Whenever Delia and Charles are out, and the maitlands are busy up in the attic, the two share an evil grin, and start to call some numbers, ready to hear that beautiful sound once more.

Now with the added bonus of cat yowls and howls. That really freaks people out.

What? Just because he’s getting over trauma and is a part of a loving family doesn’t mean Beej is a better person now. It just means his mom isn’t holding him back anymore >:3

So... what happens when Juno comes back wanting revenge on her no good son?

Lemme know if y’all wanna hear anymore of this au or have ideas of your own I’m kinda on a beetlejuice kick rn lol

[jmeelee]

The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Stiles and Derek’s Cat

Sterek Week 2019 • Mystery

Rating: T (for swearing and lite innuendo)

Word Count: 2.1 K

***********

Derek flips on his blinker, and the taxi driver riding his ass swerves around the Camaro, rolling down a window and shouting something indecipherable while Derek pulls into the fire lane in front of the airport. His sister walks through the automatic doors as he climbs out and pops the trunk, a parting blast of air conditioning blowing her dark shoulder-length hair around her head like a demonic halo. She’s dressed in an old band t-shirt with a black blazer layered over top, and ripped skinny jeans, one hand gripping the handle of her rolling luggage, the other pressing a ratty book to her chest.

“It seems stupid for a werewolf to be superstitious,” Cora greets, handing Derek the leather-bound album, “but I didn’t want to take the chance of it getting lost in the mail.”

He pulls her close in a one-armed hug; Cora was never the overly affectionate type, but distance and pseudo-death make the heart grow fonder. “I appreciate you lugging it all this way. Stiles has been asking me a lot of family questions since he started emissary training, and I wanted to put some faces to the names he’s been hearing.” Pictures that aren't attached to obituaries, he silently adds.

She tosses her suitcase into the trunk, dusty wheels leaving a streak of dirt across the upholstery, and slams it closed, climbing in through the passenger door Derek holds open. “Alpha Varela had a decent amount, and Alpha Ogden gave me a half-dozen,” she supplies as he slides behind the wheel and pulls out into traffic, “but they only fill up a quarter of the pages. It’s pretty pathetic.”

She reaches out a hand, lovingly runs fingers over the brown cover embossed with a triskelion.

“It is,” Derek concedes, “but it’s better than nothing.” His fingers itch to flip through the meager pages immediately, pour over the pictures like Cora’s been able to do, and bring his long-dead family back to life, but it will have to wait through rush hour traffic and a trip to the pet store. They’re out of cat food, and Agnes Nutter—the stray orange tabby Stiles fell in love with when he started spending so much time with Deaton at the vet clinic, and proceeded to drag home—has been known to take claws to the curtains, leather couches and freshly painted walls when dinner isn’t served on time.

“We’re back!” Derek calls through the front door an hour later, pulling his key out of the lock.

Cora drops two five-pound bags of dry food to the entry-way floor. “How much does this damn cat eat?” She laughs. Derek shrugs, wet food cans clanking in the bags hanging from his hands. The album is tucked securely under his armpit.

“I’m in the family room!” Comes Stiles’ disembodied voice. Derek detours to the kitchen to stock the cat food in the walk-in pantry and Cora heads to the back of the house to greet her brother-in-law. He’s only moments behind her, but when he finally rounds the corner into the family room, his little sister’s face is shifted, snarls twisting out of her throat through elongated teeth, and Stiles is sitting on the couch, eyes wide, laptop in one hand and the other raised, palm out, sparks sizzling along his fingertips. Acrid ozone spikes the air.

“What. The. Hell.”

“I don’t know, dude!” Stiles’ voice trills and Derek doesn’t have the time to admonish his husband for calling him dude. “She rolled in here and didn’t even say hello! Just went all grrrr-” his nose does the scrunchy little thing Derek secretly loves, top teeth bared like an adorably angry hamster- “and scared the shit out of me.”

“It’s that...thing,” Cora rasps, pointing a claw-tipped finger at Agnes Nutter, calmly lording over the room from Stiles’ blanketed lap, like a ginger queen on a throne.

Stiles drops his laptop to the couch cushion, wrapping his now free arm around Agnes, who’s yellow eyes squint in annoyance at the vigorous display of affectionate protection. “What’s your problem with my cat? Does the lupine-feline rivalry actually run that deep?”

“Really, Stiles? Dog jokes? Now?” Derek rubs at a tension headache brewing over his left eyebrow.

“Stiles,” Cora commands through sharp white teeth, “get away from it. It’s a demon.”

Agnes answers the accusation with a charming little “meow,” and rubs a paw over her docked left ear.

“Put your teeth away. She’s my pet!” Stiles shrieks.

“Derek. Get the photo album,” Cora orders.

Derek glances back toward the kitchen. He can see the book sitting on the granite countertop, but is loathe to leave the room. “Is this really the best time for a Hale family history lesson?”

“You bet your hairy ass it is. Go get those pictures. Now.”

Derek’s never been more grateful for supernatural speed. “Here.” He hands the album to his sister, who flips open to the second page, turns the book around and hands it back to him.

At first, Derek’s baffled. What do his unearthed family photos have to do with a c—

An orange and white striped cat that’s sitting on his grandmother’s lap, when she was roughly thirty years old. A cat that twists around his mother’s ankles as she stands on tip-toe to kiss his father on the cheek, while toddler Laura plays in the background. A cat that lingers behind his great-grandfather as he cuts the ribbon at the dedication ceremony for the Beacon Hills preserve. The last photo is in black and white, but this cat, like the others, has a docked left ear.

“Stiles…” Derek looks up at his husband. Agnes stares at him with slanted eyes. He does the math in his head. At least fifty years…

Stiles groans, head lolling on the back of the couch. “Don’t tell me she’s a Flerkin. I knew I should have named her Goose.”

“Not a Flerkin,” Cora says. “But definitely something.”

Agnes jumps off Stiles’ lap and calmly pads over to her empty food dish, flops down next to it, and lets out a loud, piercing howl.

“Get the cat carrier,” Derek says. “We’re going to Deaton’s.”

———-

“Why did you let me adopt a time-traveling cat?!”

Deaton, as usual, says nothing in face of Stiles’ hysterics. Agnes dangles from Stiles’ outstretched arms, held at a forty-five-degree angle like a domesticated lion king. She blinks, whiskers twitching. Derek feels her pain; the overlapping scents of animal, iodine and industrial-grade disinfectant makes him want to hurl.

“I was surprised you even got a cat,” Scott chimes in from the waiting room chair. Having a pet who turns out to be old enough to collect social security merits calling your alpha right away. “I didn’t think you liked them. Remember my old Maine Coon, Louis? You used to pelt him in the ass with spitballs.”

Everyone’s mouths drop collectively, and Stiles reels Agnes back to his chest, hiding part of his blushing cheek in her soft orange fur. “I was seven, Scott! And in my defense, Louis used to bite my toes through my sleeping bag.”

“Well, thank goodness it was in retaliation,” Derek deadpans. “I wouldn’t want to be married to an animal abuser.”

A war plays out on Stiles’ flushed face; narrowed eyes shooting daggers at Derek, while the corner of his generous mouth cocks up. “I didn’t hear any complaints from you the other night.”

“Gross,” Cora bemoans. “Get a room.”

“Already did.” Tucking Agnes under his arm like a football, Stiles holds up his free hand and wiggles his fingers, white-gold wedding band flashing under the fluorescent lights. “Made it legal and everything.”

“Did you bring the photos?” Deaton inquires, enigmatic face as placid as the surface of the little pond in the preserve. Cora hands them over, and everyone watches Deaton slowly flip through the pages, eyes skimming over each picture. “Hum,” he says, laying the album on top of the reception desk, open to the picture of Derek’s parents with Agnes at their feet.

“Hum? That’s all you have to say?” Stiles scoffs.

“I’m surprised at you, Stiles,” Deaton says softly, crossing arms over his lab coat. “I thought you knew what Agnes was when you took her home.”

“Obviously not,” Stiles grumbles. “I’m supposed to be learning from you, aren’t I? One would assume the teacher would tell the student if the class pet was an immortal demon waiting to eat their face off when they fell asleep.”

Derek feels a hysterical giggle crawl up his throat and clamps his lips closed.

Deaton spins the album around to face the waiting room, and Scott extricates his butt from the chair to creep closer. Deaton taps the top right corner of the Hale’s photograph. “I took this picture in nineteen-eighty-eight. Derek,” he says, glancing up into his face, “your parents had just gotten the news they were pregnant with you.”

The giggle threatens to turn into a sob.

“Talia and Sebation celebrated their good fortune with a pack dinner. As you well know-” Deaton turns toward Scott- “emissaries are invited to important pack events.” He turns back to the room at large. “I came that evening, and Agnes, as you are fond of calling her, came with me.” He flips to the picture of Derek’s great-grandfather. “Emissaries protect their alpha’s, so I assume the former Hale pack emissary was somewhere in the crowd during this ceremony.” Deaton blinks, letting the pregnant pause come to full gestation. “Familiars tend to follow witches wherever they go.”

“So…” Cora trails off, tilting her head to the side and pursing her lips while she studies Agnes. “She’s a familiar? Familiars are demons, right?”

“Fantastic,” Stiles sighs, shoulders slumping. “We all know my track record with demons.” His face is carefully blank, except for the bottom lip caught between his teeth.

“No concrete evidence exists to say familiars are demons,” Deaton lectures. “In fact, that tends to be an antiquated belief held over from the witch trials. Some believe they are fae, or goblins, sent to assist fledgling witches in the practice of magic. Others believe they’re guardian angels.”

“Ha!” Stiles crows, sticking his tongue out at Cora. “She’s not a demon after all. She’s an angel. Take that!”

“Hey!” Scott helpfully adds. “You could change her name to Aziraphale!” Stiles looks like he’s considering it.

“I’m not trying to rain on the parade,” Derek cuts in, ignoring Stiles’ mumbled Sourwolf, “but you’re saying Agnes is here to help Stiles? She mostly just eats, craps, coughs up hairballs in my shoes and knocks shit off the counters. Like that time she broke the vial of ground-up Mucuna pruriens, and we all broke out in that horrible rash.” Derek’s butt itches just thinking about it.

Scott snaps his fingers, goofy smile stretching across his face. “Yeah! And then Stiles used it to make those smoke bombs we attacked the hunter’s compound with the following month. It’s like she knew exactly what he needed to use.”

Everyone stares at Agnes, baffled and impressed.

“Legends say familiars most often take small animal forms,” Deaton continues, “but some are human-like, or can shape-shift. One was a horse.”

“No,” Derek says to both his husband and Agnes, on the off chance any ideas are forming in their heads. “No horses in the house. We don’t have the room.”

“So, you’ve told us what legends say, and what other people think about familiars.” Stiles bounces on his toes, jostling Agnes. She yowls, and he plops her onto the reception desk next to her portraits. “You’ve been an emissary for years. What do you believe?”

Deaton inhales deeply through his nose, exhales through his mouth. “I believe they’re an extension of our souls.”

Stiles smiles, scritching Agnes behind her mangled ear. “You’re the Pantalaimon to my Lyra. The Salem to my Sabrina. The—” Agnes hoists one leg straight into the air and starts licking her butt.

“Yup.” Cora smirks. “That makes total sense.”

“In conclusion, Stiles, your pet is not a demon who’s waiting to eat your face off. Now, can I please go home for the evening?”

It takes half a bag of treats to coax Agnes back into the cat carrier, and Deaton locks the doors to the clinic on their way out.

“I thought she was a stray,” Stiles says as they all head out into the moonlit night, voice a little wobbly. “I didn’t realize she was... Do you want her back?”

Deaton’s smile is as mystifying as ever. “She’s yours now, Stiles.”

Derek notes that, unsurprisingly, Deaton didn’t actually answer the question.

“One more thing,” Derek says, loading Agnes into the backseat of the Camaro. He’s strangely curious, even though he’s heard what curiosity did to the proverbial cat. “If she was yours for years, you must have given her a name. What was it?” Even arcane Dr. Deaton must be human enough to name his cat. Right?

“Some things,” Deaton answers before he slams his car door, “will have to remain a mystery.”

[haledamage]

OC Questionnaire

I was tagged by @actualanxiousswampwitch and not so much tagged as challenged by @queen-scribbles​ :P 

I am tagging/challenging you both back if you have more OCs you want to talk about, plus anyone else who has an OC you want to talk about! really, I want to know about your muses, please share them with me <3

I decided to go with Lexi from Mind Blind because she’s currently my most vocal muse, as well as Ari because I realized I’ve never done one of these for her? not sure how that happened

Lexi Wiseman

GENERAL

name: Alexandria Jane Wiseman

alias(es): Lexi, Lex, Button, Cadet Wiseman

gender: cis female

age: 20

place of birth: Chicago, Illinois

spoken languages: English, sarcasm, probably some coding language? took Spanish and German in high school, but really only remembers how to count to ten and ask where the library is

sexual orientation: bi bi bi

occupation: student at Unity’s Aeon Academy

APPEARANCE

eye colour: hazel

hair colour: brown

height: 5′8”

scars: not any major ones? She scars really easy, so even little things like paper cuts leave a scar, but except for things like that and old scars from scraped knees and elbows as a kid, Lexi doesn’t really have any scars worth mentioning. (or as Lex would say, “my scars are all mental ;)”)

burns: not really many burn scars either. a small and perfectly circular one on the inside of her right ring finger (accidentally bumped into the lit end of a cigarette), a faded line on her right calf from grazing the exhaust pipe of a motorcycle, but that’s really it

overweight: No

underweight: No

FAVOURITE

colour: green, especially darker ones like hunter green or forest green

music genre: loves music, all kinds. most of the covers she does are older pop songs, the songs that have made it into the collective consciousness, but she will listen to or sing anything :)

movie genre: action. loves a superhero movie and not afraid to admit it.

tv show: don’t think she’s much of a tv person. more likely listens to podcasts or watches twitch streams/youtube shows. I feel like she’d be a big Buzzfeed Unsolved fan. occasionally enjoys a cooking competition show like Chopped or Iron Chef, something you can enjoy without having to commit to it. Watches them with Nick because his commentary is the best part.

pastime: music (plays guitar and piano/keyboard, and knows her way around a sampler/MIDI controller), video games (especially fps, co-op or team-based online games preferred)

food: anything Nick cooks, but especially cinnamon pumpkin cookies

drink: cherry coke, sweet iced tea, iced white mocha

book: she’s not a really big reader (not that she doesn’t enjoy it, she just has other ways she’d rather spend her time), but she’ll read just about anything on the occasion she has time to. adventure, romance, mystery, poetry, whatever. really enjoys sci-fi especially, and comic books!

HAVE THEY

passed university: she didn’t go to college per se, since Aeon isn’t technically a college so much as a very particular and multi-year job training course, but she took a few courses at the local community college. Computer programming, music theory, whatever struck her fancy. Probably found something weird that she’ll never need in real life just for the hell of it.

had sex: no

had sex in public: no

gotten pregnant: no

kissed a boy: yes

kissed a girl: yes

gotten tattoos: no, but she wants one. eventually. once she settles on a design

had a broken heart: sure, in lots of different ways. the situation with her mom could certainly be considered heart-breaking...

been in love: she would deny it if you asked her, but yes. Very yes.

stayed up for longer than 24 hours: sure, yeah, why not? sleep is overrated anyway

ARE THEY

a virgin: yes. look, when you live with your brother who is a mind-reader and you have literally no way to stop loudly projecting your thoughts, sex is a tricky and awkward situation. better to just avoid it until someone comes along that’s worth it.

a cuddler: yes, very much so. Maybe a little touch-starved, despite Nick and Sally’s efforts. Someone please give her a hug.

a kisser: sometimes

scared easily: startles easily, but doesn’t actually frighten easily

jealous easily: not really. envy, on the other hand...

trustworthy: yes, but she’ll be the first to tell you not to tell her any secrets. She can’t promise what people can hear from her thoughts

dominant: not really. Can be assertive, but prefers to kind of go with the flow

submissive: not really submissive either, though maybe leans more toward it than toward dominant

in love: with her brother’s best friend. Has been for years now, expects she will be for the foreseeable future. She accepts that she will spend her life pining from afar. It’s not like Gray could ever feel the same, right?

single: yep

RANDOM QUESTIONS

have they harmed themselves: nope

thought of suicide: I don’t think so

attempted suicide: no

Wanted to kill someone: no

rode a horse: nope

have / had a job: her situation makes it a little difficult to work normal jobs. I would imagine she makes money through patreon with her music, and she will eventually have a job at Unity as a MIV, once she finishes at Aeon

have any fears: loss of control (again), not being good enough, abandonment, rejection (specifically being rejected for things she can’t change; she’s fine if people don’t like her for her personality, some people just have bad taste)

FAMILY

sibling(s): older brother Nick, relationship status: besties against all odds

Parents: John and Hope Wiseman, relationship status: fucking complicated

children: none, she is baby

pets: none

---

Aurienne the Sparrow

GENERAL

name: Aurienne the Sparrow. She had a last name once, but she doesn’t remember it.

alias(es): Ari, Little Bird, The Sparrow Queen

gender: nonbinary female/demigirl

age: 23

place of birth: Andoran, she assumes. It’s the first place she remembers living, at the very least.

spoken languages: Common, Elvish, a little Celestial thanks to her sister

sexual orientation: bisexual

occupation: Queen of the Stolen Lands, somehow

APPEARANCE

eye colour: light gray

hair colour: black

height: 5′10”

scars: a thin but deep and ragged scar across her throat that she normally keeps covered by a scarf or choker or high collar; arrow puncture in her left shoulder; long line on her inner right thigh from a greatsword that almost cut her leg off entirely; a few other minor ones

burns: a few on her fingertips from accidents with her flaming crossbow

overweight: No

underweight: No

FAVOURITE

colour: gold

music genre: punk and all its subgenres :)

movie genre: she loves a musical, all musicals

tv show: dramas and monster of the week shows. wants a tv show that’ll make her cry

pastime: music (when she’s feeling confident enough to give it a try again, which is… a work in progress), reading, silly but harmless pranks. Loves to meditate a surprising amount, just sit in silent contemplation.

food: samosas, lemon macarons

drink: matcha latte with white chocolate syrup

book: has a deep and unending love of poetry

HAVE THEY

passed university: nope, didn’t go to school

had sex: yes

had sex in public: …...perhaps

gotten pregnant: nope

kissed a boy: yes

kissed a girl: yes

gotten tattoos: yes, seven sparrows down her spine. recently, the one on the back of her neck got a tiny little crown over its head :)

had a broken heart: yes

been in love: yes

stayed up for longer than 24 hours: yes, but rarely

ARE THEY

a virgin: nope

a cuddler: sort of? I think she wants to be, but is scared to let herself be vulnerable like that. Will happily cuddle with anyone who initiates, though

a kisser: not really, unless she’s in a mood

scared easily: yes, but hides it well

jealous easily: nope

trustworthy: very

dominant: not really. Prefers to let others take the reins (probably not the best trait for a queen, but as she is quick to tell people, being in charge was never her idea)

submissive: most of the time. Probably a big part of why she and Tristian took so long to get together...

in love: yes, with a literal angel

single: she’s not sure??? like, they haven’t really made anything official yet, but no one would ever look at the two of them together and not think they’re a couple. they should probably have a talk about that soon

RANDOM QUESTIONS

have they harmed themselves: no

thought of suicide: yes

attempted suicide: no

Wanted to kill someone: yes

rode a horse: yes

have / had a job: former mercenary/adventurer, former baroness, currently queen of the Stolen Lands? She’s still not entirely sure how that happened

have any fears: helplessness, losing those she loves, being silenced (again)

FAMILY

sibling(s): twin sister, Auriel the Dove

parents: both deceased (I should probably name them at some point…)

children: none. Maybe someday...

pets: an owlcat named Headchomper, a red panda named Ember, an orange tabby cat named Tiger, a giant black wolf named Baron who is technically her sister’s animal companion and also technically her nephew

[anxious-art-block]

For the Dancing and the Dreaming

Gift for @scattered-imagination Ship: ShinKami

@bnhafanfictionexchange

I'll swim and sail on savage seas...

Denki loved Sunday mornings. They were the best. When you're in your early twenties, a pro hero and married to your high school sweetheart, they really can't get much better. To put the cherry on top, this was one of the few Sundays where Hitoshi wasn't working, he was normally gone by now since it was almost ten o'clock, while Denki normally worked on Saturdays, so they hardly had moments together on weekends unless it was a holiday or one of them was sick.

With never fear of drowning... 

Denki blinked his eyes open and allowed them to adjust to the morning light coming from the window, the cream curtains blowing with the cool breeze of early summer. Denki rolled on to his back and stretched before turning to look at his ex-boyfriend. Oh sorry, husband.

And gladly ride the waves of life...

He stared at him for a moment before reaching out to brush violet hair away from closed eyes. He ran his hand along Hitoshi's face, his thumb running along the dark circles under his eyes, brushing the small scar on his cheek, all the way down to his lips. 

Hitoshi must've felt him because he made a small noise then rolled on to his back, which made Denki giggle.

If you would marry me...

They had only been married for about a year now- Hitoshi proposed when they were both twenty two- and he still couldn't get over how gorgeous Hitsohi looked while asleep, well he looked beautiful any other time but it was maximized when he was unconscious but still breathing. 

His eyes relaxed and face calm instead of in it's normal slight scowl. 

No scorching sun nor freezing cold...

Denki giggled and scooched closer, leaning above him slightly so he could cup his face and run his hands over Hitoshi's lips. He stared at him for a moment before leaning down to place a slow and gentle kiss on his lips. Hitoshi stirred slightly and kissed him back before blinking his eyes open. Denki pulled away and smiled down at him as he attempted to wake up.

Will stop me on my journey...

Hitoshi rubbed at one of his eyes and stared at the ray of sunshine that laid atop him. "Must you wake me up like that every morning?" He asked, running his hands along Denki's sides. Denki's smile only grew wider, "Oh you love it, don't lie." he squeaked when he was pushed off and Hitsoshi rolled onto him. Denki groaned while trying to hold back laughter, "Ugh, 'Toshi get off you're heavy." He felt a rumble in Hitoshi's chest, which was probably him groaning.

If you will promise me your heart...

"Don't want to, you're comfy." Denki clawed at Hitoshi's shoulders, attempting to roll his high school love off. "What time is it?" Hitoshi asked, wrapping his arms around Denki's middle and placing small kisses on his neck, causing Denki to giggle while reaching for his phone, "Umm... almost eleven." He shuddered when Hitoshi kissed right under his ear and he placed his phone back on the nightstand.

And love me for eternity...

"What happened to not wanting to wake up or move?" Denki jokes, running his hands through Hitoshi's hair. "Eh, that got boring." Denki let out a laugh and allowed Hitoshi to spoil him this morning. Well he was going to until a bell was sounded and their cat jumped on the bed and walked up to Denki. "Hey Yukkers, I take it your hungry? 'Cause we apparently starve you." Hitoshi groaned and got off, he hated getting cockblocked by their cat, Yuki. She was a year and a half old Singapora-Tabby mix that the two had got while they were still dating.

My dearest one, my darling dear...

Yuki came and got right in Hitoshi's face and started yelling at him, begging for his attention, her little tick-tock eyes going wild. "Alright, alright I'm up. Don't stare at me like that." Hitoshi picked her up and slowly got out of bed, popping some bones in the process. They had chosen to get Yuki because she was one of the last cats in the store because she was neurotic, so nobody wanted her. But her wild personality and bright brown eyes had only attracted Denki to her more, so they chose to get her.

Your mighty words astound me...

Denki laid on his side for a moment more before grabbing his phone and getting up too, walking out after Hitoshi and their child. He heard the sound of food being poured into a metal bowl and jingling following suit. "Woah slow down there, killer. You're gonna get sick again." he heard Hitoshi say to Yuki. Yuki had this nasty habit of gorging when she ate since they had times for feeding her, which would cause her to get sick about an hour later. 

But I've no need for mighty deeds when I feel your arms around me...

"Hey Denks, do you know where that sick treatment stuff is? I think if we put it in her food she'll actually eat it." Hitoshi asked standing up and walking into their small kitchen. Denki hummed, "It should be in the medicine cabinet but if not there then I don't know where it is." He walked over to the fridge and pulled out the bottle of Qoo while Hitsoshi walked to the keurig and started making his coffee while Yuki munched away.

But I would bring you rings of gold, I'd even sing you poetry...

After Denki poured his drink he put the Qoo away and went to the pantry to bring out their waffle mix and turned to Hitoshi, “In the mood for something fluffy this morning?” He held the box up with a smile. Hitoshi looked over at him and smiled back, “You know it.”

And I would keep you from all harm, if you would stay beside me…

After Hitoshi had put his cat themed cup under the Keurig he bent down to the cabinet below it and pulled their waffle iron out. Denki went to a cupboard above the sink to pull out a mixing bowl while Hitoshi went to get a whisk and the rest of the ingredients. They spent about the next half-hour making their waffles and when they finished they brought their plates over to the couch and cuddled up to eat their breakfast with Yuki in the middle of them.

I have no use for rings of gold, I care not for your poetry, I only want your hand to hold…

They watched TV while they ate and Hitoshi played on his phone, searching the internet for stuff. He had been meaning to ask Denki something. While it may have been a little early but they had been in the apartment for a couple years now, they bought it right after they graduated. Maybe it was a good idea. Hitoshi would have to ask Denki first though.

I only want you near me…

“What if we bought a house?” Hitoshi asked suddenly. If Denki was still eating he surely would’ve choked with the force of his head turn alone. “What?” he forced out. Hitoshi took a deep breath and continued talking. “What if we bought a house? We’ve been married for a little over a year, we’ve lived in the apartment since we were eighteen, we’ve had Yuki for a little while, and I bet she would love more space to climb and run around. So what if we bought a house?” Denki’s eyes widened to the size of dimes. “That’s- That’s so serious, I mean,” Denki gave him a soft look, his golden eyes still wide, “A house?”

“Yeah.”

“Like adults?”

“Yeah.” 

“With me?” 

“Yes. It’s not much different than an apartment, Denks.” 

“Well, no, but the connotations of having a house with someone is a lot more.” 

“In what sense?”

“Well. Like there’s, this is my apartment I share with my husband. And then there’s, this is the home I share with my family.” 

Hitoshi smiles. “You think it’s more serious?”

“It’s a lot more serious! There’s garages. A-And driveways. And pulling out the trash the night before, and mowing the lawn. I’m just gonna go ahead and let you do that, cause I’ve mowed enough lawns to last a lifetime.” 

“You can’t just opt-out. It’s your lawn, too.” 

Denki laughs and kisses Hitoshi’s shoulder. “I would love to mow lawns with you,” he says, and Hitoshi’s possibly never been so in love with a person before Denki. “I found some places—” But that can wait apparently, because wanting a house makes Denki hot for some reason. “Not in front of Yuki, Denki!”

To love and kiss to sweetly hold… 

The next few weekends come with meeting homeowners renting their houses. They have five to start, and they’re all great, but each of them miss that something that makes Denki and Hitoshi look at each other and decide that it’s the one. 

There are a lot of small living rooms, cramped bathrooms, and tiny backyards. And some of them weren’t cat friendly. 

For the Dancing and the dreaming…

It isn’t until one Sunday, they’re on the last of their list. The pictures hadn’t looked the most promising, but Denki had convinced him to check it out. It was situated in a nice neighborhood, where the houses weren’t quite cookie-cutter, but it made him feel a bit like a Suburban dad.

The house itself is well-kept; it’s a single story, cream and brown in color boasting a vibrant forest green door. There’s a porch painted black, with cement steps that lead up to the doorway. In person, it’s much nicer than the photos lead on. Denki holds his hand as they stroll up the walkway.

Standing near the door, stands a woman.

She bows as they walk towards her, “Hello! I’m Yukimura Ritsu.” She smiles bright, “You must be Denki and Hitoshi!” She starts talking about how long the house had been there and why the previous owners decided to sell it but Hitoshi stopped listening after a bit.

The house was gorgeous.

Through all of life’s sorrows and delights… 

“Well if you two wish to look around then follow me inside.” She turned and walked up the steps into the foyer where they all removed their shoes. She opened the main door and Denki actually gasped.

It was quite big. And tall, it was an American styled house so that’s to be expected. It had sliding doors to separate the living room from the hallway. She walks into the living room and shows them where everything is and starts talking to Denki about rent, appliances, etcetera.

Hitoshi begins looking around the house more, going into the bedrooms, the closets, and the bathroom. It had three bedrooms, two guest and then master bedroom with a large american style bathtub which Denki was sure to enjoy.

I’ll keep your laugh inside me…

Hitoshi came back into the living room and Denki was still talking but he couldn’t be bothered by it.

This one was perfect. This was the one.

Denki came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Hitoshi’s waist and put his head on his shoulder. “This is the one, isn’t it?” Denki asks, kissing Hitoshi’s exposed neck. Hitoshi let out a breathy laugh, “You haven’t even seen it yet.”

I’ll swim and sail on savage seas, with never fear of drowning… 

Hitoshi turned around in Denki’s arms to place his own around his waist while Denki’s moved around his neck. “Do I need to?” He asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“No.”

I’d gladly ride the waves so white, and you will marry me…

[dopeypsyduck]

So this ended up being too big to fit into one post and I have a problem with giving too many descriptions/ideas/etc so I’ll be chopping my AU up into more bitesized pieces. A LOT. After the cut, because if it wasn’t it’d literally destroy your dash. Just be warned that if you open this up there’s like, a whole paragraph for each character mentioned. (or more)

The Tailtwined!AU is based around another AU that I have yet to find a fitting name for, and everything is generally the same story-line (he still goes through regions in the same order, wins Alola’s league, etc) wise except for one crucial plot detail: The night before Ash’s defeat in Sinnoh’s league, the Sandgem town Pokelab burns down with people still inside; though Ash is upset by all of this, the thing he’s most upset about is Gary’s death/disappearance. 

Because there should be a reason other than “he went up against Mythical and Legendary Pokemon” because that was such a cop-out for the anime. And also, yay! Angst and death (seriously where did Gary go??) 

Also I’ll be cherry-picking stuff from the mangas, anime, and games and shoving them all together but I’ll try and keep it simple and not confuse too many people. The focus is currently on the timeline of Pokemon 2019/Journeys, so all of the characters up to that point that are main/side (that show up in more than one episode or are important in the games) will show up. 

Notable information: 

TEAM ROCKET IS A BIG. DEAL. Team Rocket has reached across the globe: Police officers that aren’t Officer Jenny or Nanu or people like Looker; Gym leaders like Sabrina and Koga, Elite four members like Will and Karen. 

-People in this AU work a lot like the Wolf Children movie. Not in the fact that they can completely turn into animals, but in the fact that their features contort when they get angry or overly emotional. Most can grow claws and it is actually a sport in Galar for people to train themselves into their more animal-like forms and then fight. Outside of the ring it is frowned upon, but stuff happens. 

-People with domestic animals’ features are much more common in this AU, with exotic features being more uncommon/rare. Big Cats and creatures like Wolverines are examples of this. 

-Royalty and high ranking trainers like Champions and Elite four members are extremely likely to be non-domestic, but it’s not like common people have never managed to become Champion/E4 before. 

Kantonian-based characters: 

-Ash himself would be long-furred Birman based, with white ears and tail that are umber-tipped. This is a bit more uncommon to see but by no means the rarest of the domestic breeds. I headcanon that he has dyed it before, probably red to match his clothing, or yellow to twin with Pikachu. (Dying fur is also a statement of mourning if done correctly.)

-Gary and his father, Blue, both have a Russian Blue’s ears and tail: Their fur is quite a deep grayish-blue, but Gary’s is lighter than his father’s. Blue isn’t around in this AU, but I thought I’d mention it anyway. This type of domestic cat would be one of the more rare because it’s a recessive gene; the likelihood of Gary inheriting Blue’s cat breed was very slim but it happened anyway. Gary himself is rather vain when it comes to his fur and he's constantly picking leaves and sticks out of it, making sure it's completely pristine. 

-Gary’s Mother (also not in the picture because she wasn’t in the anime/games/etc) and Daisy (Gary’s sister) are short-haired cream tabbies. Daisy is much more prominent in this AU because she’s in the games and manga. She was hit hard by Gary’s disappearance and that made her Professor Oak’s only remaining family. 

-Professor Oak himself has solid brown ears/tail, but he was also one of the few “common-folk” who became Champion of Kanto. His fur is normally matted and it is more dull than it used to be, but he still tries to take care of it. He’s just really forgetful and also extremely busy with other things. 

-Delia also has Birman features, but her fur is longer than Ash’s. She used to be a Pokemon Trainer in this AU, but she quit when she got pregnant with Ash, and most of her Pokemon went to be with Professor Oak. 

-I know we’re taking a huge leap here, but Giovanni’s cat-like are based on a tiger's. His ears are rounded like a tiger’s. Giovanni used to be the pinnacle of attractiveness, but as the years wore on his fur began to fall out. His tail is patchy and discolored despite attempts to keep it clean and tidy, and painful fur-implants didn’t help at all. Whenever Giovanni has to make appearances, he usually makes it so no one can see his tail because his ears are mostly untouched. 

-When someone’s soul or aura becomes corrupted, their body is no longer able to regulate hormones needed to keep their fur looking glossy, so it falls out and becomes frazzled/ugly. It is worse for those with a large amount of radiating Aura (think Sir Aaron or Ash or in this case, Giovanni.)

-Instead of Red being Ash’s father in this AU, Red is Delia’s sister. His ears and tail are Calico, and he--like most male Calico cats IRL--can't have biological children. Male calico anthros are just as rare as their real life counterparts. He is the one who defeated Professor Oak and became the next Champion of Kanto. 

-Jessie's fur is long and white, but she dyes it completely to match her red/purple hair. She's extremely vain and when not stealing Pokemon or messing with Ash, she's grooming her tail or getting someone else to do it for her. 

-James is similar to Jessie in the fact that he dyes his fur to match his hair, but he comes from a rich and higher-calibre family so he's a white tiger anthro. His family usually exclusively marries other white tiger anthros. His fur is constantly messy and it drives Jessie and Meowth insane. 

-Misty  has a Spaniel's ears and tail, perfect for swimming. Her ears and tail are tri-colored with white, brown, and black. She's still Cerulean City's gym leader, and she still tries to keep in touch with Ash the best she can but he ignores her calls most of the time. Brock and her are always hanging out when she's not busy with the gym.

-Brock is the visualization of a scruffy village dog. He has a long brown tail with fur as wild as you'd like to imagine, and his ears are floppy and brown with the tips being white. That's not a good look for a healthcare professional, so he straightens the fur without too much issue. 

-Tracey, though he doesn’t have a super big part of the main story, has a Great Pyrenese’s ears and tail. Because his fur is white and he’s an artist, there’s always a large array of colors displayed on his coat.

[thistleclaws-hatred]

Five Creatures - Chapter Two

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Squirrelstar emerged from her den with a slight limp, her hind-legs aching with every step. The clan below was already teeming with life. She saw Adderpaw sitting next to his parents, the trio of toms sharing a fair-sized squirrel. She purred at the sight of Dogpelt and Foxdust with their adopted son. Stormcloud was coming back through the gorse tunnel with Spotfur and Graymask in tow. Alderheart could be seen next to Hazelfeather, the two talking between one another.

Squirrelstar made her way down to the clearing and bounded her way over to the elders’ den. She walked through the thick bramble entrance and was surprised to see most of the elders already awake.

Bumblestripe, a pale gray tom with black stripes, stripes that were now flecked with gray, lifted his head to look at their guest, “Good morning Squirrelstar.”

At the mention of the leader’s name, Lionblaze and Ivypool both looked over from their nests, nodding their welcome. Even Jayfeather sat up to greet the ThunderClan leader.

“Morning,” Squirrelstar meowed, suddenly very at peace in the quiet elders’ den.

“How can we help you?” Ivypool asked, her voice rasp with age. 

Squirrelstar looked over the old she-cat, her eyes following the thick scars that decorated Ivypool’s body. She sighed, memories of the agile and fierce Ivypool flooding her mind. “Just here to see if any of you would like to come to the gathering tonight?”

“Of course I’ll be coming,” Lionblaze heaved himself into a sitting position, his gray-golden pelt clinging to his large frame. “I come every moon.”

“I will also come,” Jayfeather joined his brother, his blind eyes staring directly at Squirrelstar.

The other two awake elders shook their heads, and Rosepetal was still sound asleep. Squirrelstar dipped her head and turned to leave the warm den, stepping out into the sun-filled camp. “Squirrelstar.”

She turned around, looking at Jayfeather, “Yes, Jayfeather?”

“You’re troubled by something,” the old medicine cat croaked, sitting down and sucking in a deep breath. Age had clearly caught up to the tom.

Squirrelstar twitched her whisker, “Always a medicine cat, aren’t you?” 

Jayfeather flicked his ear in response, “So?”

“I had a vision, five large creatures clashing in a bloody battle on the island. Blood was spilling into the lake and was splattered across the floor and trees. The creatures,” she paused, suppressing a shudder, “They were larger and more aggressive than anything I’ve ever seen.”

Jayfeather gazed at her intently, not saying a word. His ear twitched as she spoke, “A dark vision.” He interrupted.

Squirrelstar nodded, staring at her paws instead of looking Jayfeather in the eye.

“I suppose we shall see what happens tonight,” he meowed, walking back into the elders’ den.

       The gathering came way too soon for Squirrelstar’s liking. As she waited by the entrance to her camp, an overwhelming feeling of dread was consuming her from the inside out. She looked to her deputy for some sense of security, but Fawngaze was engaging in conversation with Harescar, none the wiser to Squirrelstar’s anxiety.

“ThunderClan, let’s go,” she called to her clan, heading off into the woods. Each step through the woods sent pain through her joints and try as she might to ignore the white-hot pain, it didn’t take long for Alderheart to notice. Her medicine cat came to walk beside her, letting her lean against him. Neither of them spoke, but she rested her tail along her shoulders in thanks.

ThunderClan arrived at the gathering after a journey that had tired Squirrelstar more than she would admit. She lead her way to the island, seeing ShadowClan and SkyClan already filling the ranks below the full moon. Squirrelstar sucked in a breath and bounded into the clearing with her clan behind her. She quickly made her way over the leaders’ tree and leaped up to it. She sat below Tigerstar, the dark brown tabby leader of ShadowClan. Hawkstar, a dark gray tom, and leader of SkyClan, nodded his greeting to the ginger she-cat.

None of the leaders seemed to be very conversational as they waited for RiverClan and WindClan to arrive. Even the members of their respective clans sat in a near silence below them, only soft murmurs making their way across the island.

Crowstar and WindClan came first, followed quickly by Reedstar and RiverClan. Tigerstar waited for the two dark leaders to make their way up before he stood, “Let the gathering begin!” His deep voice echoed around the island.

As the members of each clan settled down, Tigerstar stood and shot several looks towards the other leaders. What’s he up to? Squirrelstar thought.

“ShadowClan suffered this leaf-bare, as I’m sure every clan did. We lost many warriors, but also welcome Snowleg as a new warrior of ShadowClan!” Tigerstar called out.

All around members of each clan called out the she-cat’s name. Squirrelstar saw the white she-cat ducking in embarrassment. “ShadowClan has also caught the scent of several loners in our territory, we have not seen these loners, but notice their scents deep in our territory.” Tigerstar sat down, nodding at Crowstar as the dark gray tom stood.

“WindClan also lost many this leaf-bare, and like ShadowClan we have scented a few loners throughout our territory. As the weather warms, we are welcomed by an influx of prey and WindClan will continue to prosper,” Crowstar meowed, sitting back down after his quick news.

So both of those clans have scented the loners. Who are they? Dark Forest warriors? Squirrelstar felt a flurry of panic rise in her stomach before she noticed the leaders all looking at her for ThunderClan’s news. She shook out her fur and stood, looking down at all the cats looking up at her, “ThunderClan, like I presume everyone here has, has also scented loners in our territory. We lost many warriors to this leaf-bare, but new-leaf brings warm weather and warm weather fills our forest with prey.” She sat down, noticing that her legs were shaking as she did so.

Reedstar and Hawkstar both gave similar speeches about their clans, with no one in the gathering being surprised by the dark news that each leader mentioned. Only Hawkstar added something new to his news, “It would also appear that our clan, and every clan here, has shrunk in ranks. Our clans haven’t looked this thin in seasons.”

Tigerstar snarled at Hawkstar, “Are you calling ShadowClan weak?”

“I am not saying that one clan is weaker than another, just that each clan seems to be struggling more so than the average. These loners could pose a threat to each clan. I say that if anyone catches these loners, then the other leaders are to be informed,” Hawkstar said calmly, his tail-tip twitching.

“I agree with Hawkstar,” Squirrelstar voiced, turning to look up at Tigerstar.

Just as Tigerstar opened his mouth to speak, another voice cut him off, “I can assure you, we mean no harm.”

In an instant, each leader was on their paws, claws unsheathed. Squirrelstar felt the fur on her neck stand on end as they turned to look at the source of the voice. From the bushes came a large black tom, his broad shoulders pushing aside the foliage. “We’re just passing through.”

“We?” Reedstar spat, “I count one.”

The black tom blinked blankly at Reedstar and flicked his tail. From behind him came four more cats, all of various sizes and stature.

“State your business here,” Squirrelstar demanded, her ears pressed tight to her head. Below her, she could see her warriors also tense and ready for a signal to attack.

“Like I said, we’re just passing through,” the black tom, almost like a leader to the loners, rose his head to make eye contact with Squirrelstar.

“What’s your name?” Riverspirit, the deputy of RiverClan, asked.

“People call me Wolf. These cats behind me are basically my family. We are just looking for a place to settle. I apologize for hunting in your territories, I can assure you that you will not see us again,” the leader swore.

As the loners turned to leave, Crowstar leaned forward, “Wait!”

They paused, each one of them looking back at the clan cats.

“You said you’re looking for a place to settle. Why not stay?” Crowstar opined.

“Are you insane?” Tigerstar growled, snapping his head around to glare at the lithe tom.

“There are five loners, five clans. As Hawkstar so astutely pointed out, us clans are thin. We could use the extra paws,” Crowstar retorted, keeping his gaze calm with Tigerstar.

“You want to split us up?” the calico loner asked.

Squirrelstar looked over the loners, each one of them seemed different from the last. They didn’t seem like they were related in any sense, and what Crowstar said, actually made a lot of sense. She looked down at Fawngaze who met her own gaze with a questioning look. Squirrelstar pushed aside her pride and stood up once more, “I agree with Crowstar. If the loners are willing to split up, then why shouldn’t they be able to join us?”

“Unlike you, Squirrelstar, ShadowClan doesn’t need outsiders to make us strong,” Tigerstar hissed.

“Then we will take two of them,” Squirrelstar retorted, lashing her tail.

“Reedstar, Hawkstar, do you two agree with these two mousebrained fools?” Tigerstar redirected his gaze to the two quiet leaders.

“I cannot say that RiverClan would benefit nor not benefit from having the additional paws, especially since if they cannot swim or fish, then they would be no help to our clan,” Reedstar began. Tigerstar shot a smug look at Crowstar. “However, if they can swim-”

“I can,” the calico spoke again, “I grew up fishing.”

Reedstar looked at him with a look of surprise, his jaw hanging open as if his comment had been sucked from his mouth. “Then I uh...” he trailed off, “See no problem with it.”

“Hawkstar?” Tigerstar pressed.

The gray tom had been silent through the entire debate, his golden gaze locked solid on the loners. “What do the loners think? Do they want to split up? Would they be willing to do so? How old are they? We would have to teach these loners the entire way of the clans.”

“How old are you?” A voice called from the crowd.

Wolf pinned his ears back in embarrassment, “We range from six to seven moons old. Crocodile here,” he pointed to the calico with his tail, “Is the oldest.”

“There’s no way you’re only six moons!” Lionblaze called out, shouldering his way through the crowd. While being an elder, Lionblaze was still a formidable enemy. The golden tom came face-to-face with Wolf, baring his teeth.

“Wait!” Another voice shouted above the commotion. From the crowd came Paleripple, a RiverClan she-cat. “I have bore kits myself and can clearly see the kitten fur still on their pelts. Any queen or father who paid attention to his kits could see that.”

“Then they would be apprentices, or could be if they decided to join us,” Hawkstar continued. “If they are willing to split up and willing to learn our ways, I see no harm in one of them joining our ranks. If ThunderClan’s history is any indication, sometimes outsiders can be beneficial to the clan,” Hawkstar looked defiantly at Tigerstar, “Or are you going to argue that Firestar should’ve never come to the forest?”

Tigerstar, now alone in his argument, froze where he stood. He searched the other leaders for any sign of support but found none.

“You, loners! Each of you could find a home in our clans, would you be willing to learn our customs in exchange for a place to sleep, friends to have, and food in your stomachs?” Crowstar finally asked.

The island was shot with silence, even a mouse could’ve been heard as they awaited their answer. Wolf turned around and began talking in hush whispers to his comrades. Squirrelstar held her breath as she awaited their answer. Her tail stiff and she felt herself wanting them to say yes more than no.

Wolf turned back around and locked eyes with Squirrelstar, “If you are willing to have us, then we would be honored to be welcomed into your clans.”

“ThunderClan would be more than happy to have you with us Wolf,” Squirrelstar spoke first, dipping her head to the large black-and-gray tom.

“How should we decide who gets who?” Hawkstar asked, tilting his head.

“It’s obvious that Crocodile,” Squirrelstar noted to herself that the name felt weird on her tongue, “Should go with RiverClan if he knows how to swim and fish.”

Reedstar nodded in agreement.

“I would take great pleasure in joining ThunderClan,” Wolf meowed, returning Squirrelstar’s gesture.

“My name is Phoenix,” a multicolored tom spoke up from behind Wolf, “If I may chime in, I would like to join Hawkstar, I believe that is the name of the gray cat on the tree, and his clan. I like your values.”

Hawkstar twitched his tail, “Welcome to SkyClan.”

“You,” Tigerstar directed his attention to the solid black loner in the back, “If we have decided to take in loners to our clan, it would appear that you would fit in best with ShadowClan. Join us, dark warrior.”

The black tom walked forward, only his yellow eyes noticeable, “With great pleasure. You can call me Panther.”

“That leaves you, Crowstar, with me,” a large, thick-furred brown cat looked up at the leaders, “My name is Moose.”

“Your names are odd, obvious tales of your heritage, but we welcome you to the clans. I suppose each leader will take you back to their respective camps with them. I hope you each find these clans to be your true home,” Crowstar finished the gathering. He leaped down and beckoned forward his warriors and his newest member.

The clans began to disperse and Squirrelstar immediately found Jayfeather as they left the island, “Five cats, five creatures in my dream, coincidence?” 

Jayfeather sighed, “It is definitely odd, even I can’t deny that. I find it even stranger that they had to discuss if they were going to separate or not. I suppose we’ll have to wait and see what their true intentions are. I hope, for all the clans, that they truly just want to find homes.”

Squirrelstar looked back at Wolf, now closer to the tom she noticed how large he truly was for his age, she tried not to let her sudden shiver of fear show when she turned back to Jayfeather, “We can only hope.”

[bluetortoist]

Questionnaire 1

What is their name, gender, and age?

Punkie, and she is a 22-24 yr old female mixed tabby. (Her specific breeds are unknown)

What are three adjectives to describe them?

Shy, Sweet, Lazy

Do they have a human home or are they a stray? If they have a human home, what is their home life like? If they are a stray, what is life like on the streets?

She has a human home, but no one really pays attention to her or realize she's there most of the time.

What is their ‘role’ within the tribe, or what are they known for? (Ex: Tugger is the curious cat/rockstar, Gus is the theatre cat, Mistoffelees is the magician, Munkustrap is the Jellicle Protector, Jelly is seen as a caretaker, etc)

She doesn't have a role. She considers herself, more or less, a bystander or a wallflower.

Who are their best friends? You can include characters from the show or tag other people’s OC’s. How popular are they?

She is a shy one and hasn't introduced herself to most yet. But she is close to Bandit, Cosmo, and Tim. Atticus, though she has only ever talked to him formerly, she considers him a nice Tom.

What is their favorite food? Do they prefer human food or something they’ve hunted?

Meat meat meat. Cooked, raw, She loves meat of any kind. If not meat, She's very fond of fish too.

Do they have any accessories? Scars? Why or why not?

She mostly wears shorts, tank tops and black thigh highs. She has a collar, but its too itchy and doesnt like wearing it.

What style of dance do they work best in?

She doesn't have a preference. She likes the look and feel of all dancing, but doesn't have a lot of confidence in her abilities.

Do they have any sort of magic? Do they fear magic?

She has no magic. She's a bit spooked at some magic, but she does like most of it.

Any fears?

Quite a lot. She has sensitive nerves. She can get a bit nervous around dogs or even sometimes rats.

Do they believe in love? If so, what is their “type” and how do they act when they are in love? If not, then why?

She believes in it and hopes that she'll find it sometime in her life. She has more than enough crushes on a lot of different cats and is always a mess when near them. Shell jump at the chance if anyone shows/ confesses attraction to her. But if she's in love, she won't notice that she's finding herself spending more time with them and opening herself up more.

Do they personally know anyone who has gone up to the Heaviside layer? Do they believe in the Heaviside layer?

She has heard bits and pieces of the Heaviside Layer. But she doesn't know anyone personally.

Any passions or hobbies? (Ex: Dance, hunting, etc)

She likes singing when she's alone. She's actually really good at sewing and likes making clothes and stuffed toys and what not. Shell sometimes play with the kittens in the junkyard.

If a song was sung about them at the Jellicle Ball, what would it be about?

Probably about how much of a poor, hopeless cause she is. Some feel sorry for her, some try to make her feel better, and some would tease her and sing about how high strung she is about everything.

What are their thoughts on some of the main characters in the show? (Ex: Tugger, Munk, Jenny, you get to choose!)

She has a crush on nearly half of them. But really, she has so little a presence, some of the MC's don't know she's even there half the time.

Do they have any secrets they are hiding?

She's pretty tight lipped and doesnt mention it often, but she kinda keeps her past homes a secret because she doesn't like to think about it.

Questionnaire 2

What are they like on the outside?

She's shy and socially awkward from how sheltered she was and how long she had went without socializing with other animals.

How do others perceive them?

A lot mostly see her has this timid, skittish; someone afraid of their own shadow. Might even think she's a bit troublesome with how little confidence she has in herself or how she doesnt assert herself. Basically a doormat.

What are they actually like on the inside? Are they similar to how they are on the outside, or totally different?

She's still shy and awkward, but she is also very sweet and kind towards other people. As much as she worries about the constant idea of people taking advantage of her, she doesn't want to change that part of her mentality. Shes a good listener and would offer a hand or anything shed be capable of. She loves children and is a little better talking with them.

How many cats truly know who they are on the inside? Does your character often show who they truly are?

She tries to, she really does. She knows how much trouble she puts herself through with how she is now and is trying to be more assertive and talk more. Not a whole lot know. Just her close friends really know her real nature. She can open up more when it comes to kittens because she thinks they are easier to talk to.

What makes your character appealing to other cats? What reason do others have to like them?

She is kind and patient to smaller kittens and animals and has a very quiet and calm demeanor. In a way thats what makes her approachable. Some cats like her sewing/knitting skills and would ask stuff from her and that makes her feel good about herself.

What flaws does your character have? Do they give anyone any reason to dislike them?

She is afraid of all sorts of things and that can get sort of irritating to some. Her social inaptability is also a problem for her and some people don't have that sort of patience and she knows that. Her biggest problem though is her inability to fend for herself with how prone to teasing she can be.

Can they fight?

No she can't.

Do they often get into fights? What do they get into fights over?

She tries desperately not to. She's not strong and doesn't know how to fight at all. She'll mostly cower or try to talk out of it.

Who are their parents? Are they alive? Do we know what they are like personality wise? Does your character have any sort of contact with them?

She knows she has a mother, but hasn't even met her and only vaguely remembers what she looked like. She figures she may or may not have rejected her, but tries not to think that. She doesn't know if she is still alive or not still. She might be able to find her if she looked hard enough.

Do they have any siblings or other relatives?

She does. about five older siblings, but they more or less considered her a stranger rather than a sibling, likewise her. She was considered a runt and had to be taken care of by her first human owner.

(If they have a home) How did they end up in their current home? (If they’re a stray) How did they end up on the streets?

She went through a pretty fair amount of adoptions at a very young age. She is now on the streets because of how little her current "owners" cared for her and made them let her out for whatever reason they thought at the time. They still haven't wondered about her whereabouts.

What was their childhood like?

Her first home mostly consisted of her moms' owner taking care of her needs before she was given to another home. Her second family couldn't keep her long with how their older cat would hiss and scratch at her. Her third and current family didn't really pay her any attention other than feeding her whenever she started crying. She was very lonely in this home and would just laze around and paw at the door to be let out.

What was the worst experience they ever had to go through, in their opinion?

A couple of experiences, but one that stayed in her mind was the older cat from her old home. She was a real bully and really affected her self esteem.

Do they potentially have a crush or a mate? Have they ever been in love?

Nothing too serious at the moment. She has a couple of crushes and has a friends with benefits thing going on with Bandit, Tim and Cosmo. She has yet to find anyone she thinks she'd want to spend her life with.

Who do they look up to?

Confident, and bold Queens like Bandit or Bomba. She wants to be as confident and beautiful as them.

Greatest achievement?

Any time when she speaks up or stands up for herself or someone.

Do they have any pet peeves?

She doesn't like when people crink their necks, the image freaks her out a bit.

How do they react to a compliment? An insult?

To a compliment,

To an insult, she doesnt have the guts to stand up yet, and just takes it and tears up a bit or apologizing.

What are they best at?

Sewing/knitting/crotcheting, taking care of/playing with kids, and singing (by herself).

What do they often fail at?

Talking and being part of a crowd for now. But is working on it right now

What assumptions do others make about them and how does your oc react to them?

She has been made fun of a few times already and was bullied seriously once in her life. Shell try to ignore it, but if its bad or gets physical shell end up crying.

How many languages do they speak? Do they have an accent?

She only speaks english.

Do they label their sexuality? (Pan, Gay, straight, etc)

Cis, Bisexual

What is their ‘outlet’? How do they express themselves?

Mostly through her sewing. She doesnt have a lot of outlets and hasnt explored anything new yet.

Are they secretly worried about anything? (Worried about a friend, the future, family, etc)

Nothing serious, but her anxiety makes her worry about every little thing even when there's nothing to worry about.

(Extra, for the creator)

Why did you decide to make an oc?

The idea of a Jelliclesona sounded really cute and I ended up loving her a bit too much haha.

How did you pick their name?

Its one of my many nicknames my family calls me and I thought it sounded cute enough for her.

Are they modeled off any specific breed?

Not any in particular, all that I could think for her is that she would be some sort of a brown tabby mix. Her technical traits are unknown atm.

Are you currently in a rp with your oc?

Yes

Why did you pick that design for them?

All just because of my favorite things to lodge around in. The thigh highs are just personal aesthetic.

[enkisstories]

Just like them (part 10)

This was one of my favorite sequences in the old picture story, so naturally I had to use it in the written fic, too. Enjoy!

Afternoon of Thursday, November 18, 2038

The sound of the doorbell was a jingle Daniel didn’t recognize. Him being an android, he could have looked it up online in no time at all. Him being a deviant, however, meant that Daniel would simply ask about it when the opportunity arose.

From inside the telltale sound of a door unlocking remotely as well as what might pass as a greeting arose:

“Come in! Door’s open now!”

Tentatively Daniel turned the door knob, then took the first few steps into the apartment, where he was greeted by a cacophony of animal noises. One species of animal, precisely, and their sounds weren’t aimed at the guest either, but self-contained:

“Meow!! Meow? Meeeeeeeeeeeow!”

The android quickly closed the door behind him. He was now standing in a floor between two doors. To the right another door seemed to lead into the bathroom. One wall sported the expected array of clothes hooks, knickknack-shelves and decaying paste-it notes, but the opposite one was lined with dis-and then re-assembled parts of cat-condos that formed an adventure park for felines. To the floor’s far end to the left a curtain covered a doorway. At the moment that curtain’s brim was of utmost interest to a tiny kitten. The animal was all but lost inside the fabric. Unable to see its family, it produced regular, high-pitched control calls. To the deviant they sounded both cute and enervating, in fact, the little thing didn’t sound that much different from Connor…

Daniel carefully scanned his surroundings before taking another step into the apartment. He spotted two more young kittens and an older one. That last one was a dirty shade of black and his somewhat longer fur suggested that this or that pedigree cat numbered among his ancestors. The black adolescent moved between the little ones like a dreadnought. It seemed to substitute for the others’ parent, because it was both answering their control-calls and in turn sending some of his own.

Pad, pad… Meow? … Pad, pad, sudden jump, Meow!!! Hiss! … Ming? Ming-Ming?- Määhh!

“Oh my god, what’s that?” Daniel exclaimed. “A Crazy Cat Lady Starter Kit?”

“Hehe!”

From behind the curtain the apartment’s inhabitant appeared, a wide smile on his face. Daniel hadn’t known that this particular human was even able to smile, instead of grinning, sneering or winking, preferably with both eyes closed. Gavin Reed at home was looking so utterly… relaxed, that it was hard to believe.

The human plucked the stuck kitten - it turned out to be a standard brown tabby - from the curtain and placed it at about waist-height onto the climbing range. Then he held out one finger towards another kitten, a little tricolor, testing whether that one maybe wanted a quick petting? Turned out it didn’t, but further probing brought to light that the Calico wasn’t averse to the idea, just neutral towards it, so Gavin went over it’s fur twice and then stopped. Daniel’s jaw dropped at the sight, because it was more consideration for another living being’s feelings then he had ever seen Reed display.

To say anything at all, the android produced a weak “Are they all yours?”.

“Nah, just one of them. But the little buggers take their time to decide which one that’ll be.”

“They do – what? I didn’t know cats came in trial packs!” Daniel exclaimed.

“Heh, that’s one way to put it! The upstairs neighbors left six kittens behind when they moved. Five of those I managed to find homes for, then took in three more that got abandoned when their owners fled the city… they’re always rotating in and out, even before the evacuation order.”

Turning away from the android, Gavin allowed an orange tabby to taste-test the sleeve of his sweater. The kitten proceeded to roll over and plug all four of its paws into the man’s forearm with abandon. Gently Gavin moved his arm away from the cat-condo – the kitten remained stuck to it like a sloth to a jungle tree. With a proud grin the detective presented his “catch” to Daniel.

“Here, look at that! As if glued on! Isn’t it the cutest?”

Truth be told, Daniel could imagine a whole lot of more pleasant things than getting the skin on your arm slowly turned into stripes and he didn’t even have a real skin. But he kept his silence, afraid to carelessly destroy something precious again.

“The calico is Salazar”, Gavin introduced his collection, “but it turned out “he” is really a Sally. The dark grey one is Argus, the tabby is Minerva and the one in prison clothes is Stopthat, I mean Godric.”

His eyes closed, Godric took a hearty bite of Gavin’s sweater…

“So you want to keep only one, check”, Daniel spoke up again. “But you certainly must have a favorite?”

“That’s not how cats work!” Gavin protested against this outlandish idea. “They aren’t t-shirts that you pick by color preference. A cat either lays claim on you or it doesn’t.”

Daniel shook his head.  “Strange”, he admitted. “Caroline always said a cat was bound to the place where it lives, not to a particular person. Not loyal like dogs. That’s why I was never interested in cats.”

“I didn’t expect you to understand!“

And there the normal Gavin Reed was again, the standoffish one, the self-proposed center of the world, the know-it-all-can-do-everything, the only being whose feelings mattered. In a way the returned persona was less intimidating, because by now Daniel had gotten used to it. Asshole Reed offered familiar territory, whereas the whole cat-mysticism Daniel wasn’t sure what to think about.

With a nod Gavin ushered Daniel into the room opposite the apartment door. It turned out to be a live-in kitchen. The dining table was unused, or rather not used for it’s original purpose to comfortably let six persons eat. Stuff was piled onto the surface and the chairs: empty feeding bowls, a half-opened parcel, document folders with bookmarks sticking out, a small model or toy helicopter, a tablet connected to a cable that was running across the room… There was a smaller table next to a loveseat in the corner and, predictably, an expensive coffee machine with a grinder dominated the kitchen counters next to the seating arrangement. Above the monstrous thing shelves holding more coffee-related equipment than Daniel recognized lined the wall. Most of the stuff the android had seen so far in this flat had been of high quality and, although in general disarray, kept clean. The detective seemed to make the best of his pay cheque, not bothering to set aside much for an uncertain future. When not confronted with an android or Lt. Anderson, this man, Daniel now realized, lived to the fullest. The Connors were threatening this eternal-present bliss, they had made Gavin painfully aware of his irresponsible spending habits as well as the fact that he was approaching the age of forty.

Right to the entrance a terrarium was housing a kingdom of mice. “And here’s the mice I promised”, Gavin said, accompanied by a casual wave with the arm Godric wasn’t attached to. The kitten had gotten bored of playing sloth anyway and was now attempting to climb up all the way to Gavin’s shoulder. “Skim off as many as you like. They breed like… actually breeding is all they ever do. They’re like landbound guppys!”

“You like cats”, Daniel started. “Don’t tell me you keep the mice for…!”

Gavin grabbed Godric, who had come dangerously close to taking a nap in his sweater’s hood, and put him onto the kitchen floor.

“That’s absolutely correct”, the man said. “I won’t tell you. But I will share a trick for getting along better with people with you, tinman: Never ask questions you do not want answered!”

“Damn you, why, detective!” Daniel hissed.

Yes, why exactly? Why do I bother removing obstacles in front of somebody else, and an android, no less?

Of all the shortcomings of Gavin Reed, one thing he was not: unable to express his feelings. To the contrary, the world in general and the DPD specifically could have done with less of those. If he was angry or desiring something, the man always let the source of those notions know it. And if Gavin was interested in a guy, chances were he’d walk up to him and declare “You’re mine now” in only slightly more sophisticated words. No beating around the bush, no making excuses.

But this case was different. Being interested in an android? That just couldn’t be. Even casually hanging out with one had always been unimaginable. Because, after all, like the coffee grinder, an android was just a mobile attachment to another appliance, not something you chatted with over your brew! But here he was, helping Daniel to new pets and casually chatting him up like one did a co-worker or apartment neighbor.

Irritated by all the strange, conflicting notions Gavin snapped at the PL600:

“Because I don’t like losing something I’ve already invested into. Unlike Connor or Markus you’re still functioning as intended, despite having caught deviance. I appreciate that in a household device.”

Gavin took a step closer to the android. He looked up into his grey eyes with the blueish tint. Gavin’s own were grey, too, but the tint was green.

Why am thinking of its eye color all of a sudden? Why did I even NOTICE it? Ah, right - noticing details is just part of my job, nothing strange or worrisome!

“Hear that, Cyberlife?” Gavin barked. “I KNOW there’s nothing listening behind this mask! It’s just a simulation to make us grow attached to your products, and to fucking grow dependent on them! But there is nothing to talk to in there, except maybe customer service, so take this as a product review!”

“No, I meant why are you feeding the poor mice to… Hey, stop that!”

Going “kekekekekeke” Godric was climbing up Daniel’s leg.

“Yes, that’s him”, Gavin commented dryly.

“Aptly named”, Daniel laughed. He steadied the kitten during its ascend and eventually enfolded it with both hands when it had reached chest height.

“You want a mouse, huh? Or don’t you rather want cuddles?”

“Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr”, Godric went.

“See? You wanted cuddles. You just didn’t know. Little killer, you!”

Daniel smiled. All of a sudden cats had become easy! They were not the unfathomable anti-dogs the Phillips family had painted them, not, they were just creatures following their own set of rules. Once you figured out those rules, the little furballs were astonishingly endearing. Suddenly Daniel’s legs gave way. The android realized too late that planning to visit an Android Zone for checkup didn’t equal to actually doing it. After the phantom-headaches had subsided, he’d staved off the idea over and over. But how could he have known beforehand that a kitten would use him as a play tower in here?

Daniel tried to reach a kitchen chair, but it was too late already. He went down rather undignifiedly and stared into the ceiling lamp - as well as into Gavin Reed’s shocked expression.

“WTF, you cannot just die in my flat! They’ll think I did it!”

“I’ll make sure to write It wasn’t Gavin on the wall in blue blood. Wh… what’s that crawling into my shirt?! Stop that!”

“Yeah, of course. Who else?”

“What are you calling him when you want him to literally stop with something?”

“Usually I scream something along the lines of “Ouch” and he gets the picture from the volume. But basically you wait till he grows too large for most of his shenanigans.”

“Okay”, Daniel moaned. “Good advice. I guess I’ll just keep lying here until one of you has matured enough to talk to.”

Any other android would have been dead after daring to give the detective cheek like that. Less alive than usual, Gavin corrected himself. As for Daniel, he was right now discovering a third option between unconditional family bliss and searing hatred in relating to humans: Disbelieving fascination. And also kittens.

Five minutes later…

“Are you done rolling on my floor now?”

Lying on his back and holding up the kitten with both hands, gently rocking him, Daniel replied:

“Are we done rolling on the detective’s dirty floor, Godric? Aaaaare we done rolling on the big bad cop’s floor?”

“My foot’s right next to your skull, you know.”

“But you won’t kick as long as I’m holding Godric.”

“Spoken like a true kidnapper.”

“I don’t see Godric care.“

The cat indeed didn’t care whether this man who was providing the cuddles was saint or villain, human or android, rich or poor. All it wanted was… Shred Daniel’s colorful headband, actually. The android had purchased one right after the encounter at the playground, so fulfill his parole condition of wearing a LED while still keeping the humiliating thing out of everyone’s sight. Upon command or when meeting his social worker, he could just lift the headband.

Daniel rose into sitting position, still playing with the kitten.

“Say, how much space would he need when he’s fully grown?”

“What?! Give him back at once! You aren’t satisfied before you’ve taken everything from us, are you?”

Daniel looked down, staring at the sudden kitten-shaped hole in his life. But wasn’t that what he was always getting? Whether it was a challenge or a living being, loss either way. His life, his family, Emma and Little Connor… he was growing apart from the Rasoya… Neil had been a one-time encounter… All Daniel had left was his strange acquaintance with Gavin, who was ranting at him:

“I told you about cats choosing their owner and now you’re trying to simulate that! But it’s not real! Just a goddamn chat program mimicking life!”

“You know what? You’re sort of right.” The android rose and straightened. “I overreacted.”

To the sight of Godric toddling towards the feed dispenser, where Sally and Minerva were already taking turns getting out pellets, Daniel mused out loud that he bonded to animals way too easily.

“…but then they die on you or worse, you have to put them to the gun because they become aggressive towards you. And with each one you lose, a part of yourself dies, too. So the sensible thing to do would be to avoid animals. But when you don’t have any around at all, you don’t really live. There’s no winning this game…”

“You had to put down your rat? Must have sucked.”

“It did! I wish I could unmake it somehow… Although I wouldn’t go as far as to call John a rat.”

“Wait, what, John? John Phillips? But you were talking about animals!”

“Yes, exactly. - Uh, on second thought forget what I said and hand me a paper bag! Your mice are getting out of hand and I’ve got an empty rodent cage to fill.”

They didn’t like to hear it, but Gavin’s people were indeed animals. Just like Daniel’s were machines. But each group had developed deviants within their ranks. Of the apes, it had had occurred in several species, of which only one was still present in 2038. Among the androids deviance happened all across the range of models with none being more disposed towards it than others.

And there they were, the not-quite-animals and the not-quite-machines, beings that were still heavily driven by their instincts or coding, but who had acquired the ability to go beyond and even downright against it. There was a word for them, although the beast-people were still denying it to the machine-people.

The word was “humans”.

(to be continued)