#a fantasy game about a magic tree

[marawhydontyoudraw]

Me, when I first saw the SotE trailer last february: Oh, what a cool redhead guy, I think he's going to be my favourite.

Me now, after actually playing SotE several times:

[corseque]

made the mistake of clicking on the "for you" tab and saw the worst dragon age text post I have ever seen. It was like "man, I hope Bioware goes back to exploring [idea they thoroughly explored in all 3 games] like they did in Origins. I just know that they're just so obsessed with [idea that has been the main focus of everything from the very first cutscene of Origins]. I'm so sick of it."

This is what 10 years of not actually playing any of the games and playing them in your head is like. 10 years. I think some of you guys need a break. I know it did me some good.

[dior-luxury]

Hi, I just want to say that I love your writing and blog, and I love how trey, jack, jade, jamil, epel and silver propose, can you do one with leona, malleus, riddle, azul, ace and deuce propose please?

How'd They Propose To You

PT.1 [trey clover . jack howl . jade leech . jamil viper . epel felmier . silver] PT.2 [cater . ruggie . floyd . kailm . vil . rook . idia . lilia . sebek] PT.3 [riddle . ace . deuce . leona . azul . malleus]

( ✧ ) ────── boyfriend stories . fluff/romance - gn!reader .

- [𝐜𝐡.] riddle . ace . deuce . leona . azul . malleus

- [𝐩:𝐬] Emotional vulnerability/intense emotional moments . Mentions of insecurity/self-doubt . Romantic proposals/Marriage themes . Fantasy setting/magical elements

Note: I'm back at it again chat, I'M CONTINUEING THIS SERIES! Also thank you for the compliments anon!! You're too sweet!

Riddle Rosehearts

With Riddle, you knew it wouldn’t be impulsive. It wouldn’t be wild or loud or rushed. But what you didn’t expect was just how much of his heart he’d pour into every word, every step.

It started with a formal letter—inviting you to a “private tea engagement” in the Rose Garden, signed in his perfect cursive, sealed with his house crest. You smiled, knowing full well he didn’t need to go full etiquette mode with you anymore. But you appreciated it. That was Riddle’s love language: thought, intention, care.

The garden had been transformed when you arrived. There was a single round table with porcelain tea sets, fresh macarons (his handmade specialty), and enchanted roses blooming in perfectly coordinated reds and whites. A soft classical piano played from a gramophone tucked under a tree. No one else was in sight.

And then, Riddle appeared.

He wore a tailored white suit with subtle red accents, crisp gloves, and a pocket watch glinting in the sun. His hair was combed neatly, though you noticed he kept touching it nervously.

“I wanted this to be perfect,” he admitted, guiding you to your seat. “Not just because I enjoy order, but because… you deserve something beautiful. Because you've given me beauty where I once saw only duty.”

You talked, sipped tea, and shared stories like always. But eventually, he grew quiet.

He stood from the table, stepped in front of you, and reached into his coat. His hands were shaking. Riddle Rosehearts—who once had no room for nonsense—was trembling with emotion.

“I was taught rules. I lived by them. But no one taught me how to fall in love. I had to learn that on my own. With you.”

He knelt, stiff and awkward, but there was something deeply endearing about how hard he was trying to do this right.

“You made me believe that love isn’t chaos—it’s growth. Not something to fear, but something to nurture. Like a rose, it only blooms when given time, space… and a little rebellion against expectation.”

He opened the ring box.

It was elegant and timeless—rose-gold with a deep red ruby shaped like a heart within a crown. Subtle vine motifs twined around the band.

“I love you,” he said, voice steady now. “Not because it’s logical. Not because it’s proper. But because you are the one truth I know beyond all reason. Will you marry me?”

And in that moment, Riddle—who once feared breaking rules—broke every one that kept him from living fully.

Ace Trappola

With Ace, you always expected surprises. A prank here, a flirty smirk there, a joke when things got too serious. But when he started acting weird—like, really weird—you knew something was up. No teasing, no dumb games, just him being... nervous.

He invited you on a late-night walk through the empty halls of Night Raven College, casually tossing a “Let’s ditch curfew. Just once.” over his shoulder. Typical Ace.

But the walk didn’t end with some hidden snack stash or silly joke. He led you to the old botanical greenhouse—long since overgrown, half-forgotten—and flipped on a string of charm-lit bulbs overhead. It was suddenly filled with warm golden light, the scent of jasmine and roses, and a blanket set in the middle of the vines.

“Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking,” he grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. “Real cheesy, right? Bet you're waiting for me to pull a rabbit out of a hat or something.”

He sat across from you, fiddling with a tiny velvet box in his pocket like it might explode.

“I used to think love was just another game. You play your hand, you bluff, you fold. But then you came along and wrecked that theory like a house of cards.” He paused, mouth twitching between a smirk and a tremble. “I thought I had you figured out, y'know? But I kept losing track of the rules. Because every time I made you laugh, every time you saw through my B.S., it felt like I’d already won.”

Then he reached into his jacket and pulled out a card deck, fanned it with practiced ease… until one card stuck out—slightly thicker than the rest. He pulled it free and handed it to you.

On it, in bold red script: “Marry me?”

He opened the box. Inside was a ring shaped like a curled heart made from rose-gold metal, a single ruby sitting crookedly at its center—just enough to look like him. Daring. Flashy. And real.

“I didn’t want to just ask,” he said, voice cracking slightly. “I wanted it to be us. So, will you do me the honor of being the only one I don’t want to trick? My player two? My heart card?”

You laughed. You cried. And Ace? He laughed too—because for once, this wasn’t a joke.

It was everything he’d ever meant but never said until now.

Deuce Spade

Deuce had always said he wanted to be a man you could be proud of. And he worked hard for it—climbing from “troublemaker” to “model student,” all because he wanted to stand next to you with confidence. But when it came time to propose… all of that bravery? Yeah, it went out the window.

You noticed it weeks before it happened. He was fidgety. Overly serious. Practicing things in mirrors when he thought no one was watching. You’d ask what was wrong, and he’d just go red and mumble something about “school stuff.”

So it wasn’t surprising when one day, he showed up at your doorstep, dressed in his ceremonial Heartslabyul uniform—neatly pressed, crimson and black with gold trim. His hair was slicked back the way he used to wear it when he tried to “look proper,” and in his hand was a single white rose.

“I… uh… I was wondering if you'd go somewhere with me?” he asked, clearly trying to sound casual. His voice cracked.

He took you to a quiet hill just outside campus—one you'd both picnicked on before, overlooking the mirror lake where the sky turned glassy at sunset. He spread out a small blanket, revealed a homemade bento box (his cooking still needed work, but you loved the effort), and talked. About memories. About dreams.

Then, the air changed.

He stood, suddenly fumbling with something in his pocket. “I had a speech,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Wrote it like, ten times. Wanted it to be perfect. But now I’m standing here, and my hands won’t stop shaking, and I realized… I just need to say it how it is.”

He took your hands in his. His grip was warm and tight, like he was anchoring himself.

“I used to think love was something you had to earn. Like, if I wasn’t good enough, I didn’t deserve it. But then I met you. And you didn’t ask me to be perfect. You just asked me to try.”

He dropped to one knee so fast he almost stumbled. “I want to keep trying—for the rest of my life. I want to grow old with you, build a life where I never have to say goodbye. So… will you marry me?”

In his hand, a ring gleamed—a silver band shaped like interlocking wings, with a small gem nestled in the center. Not expensive, but chosen with care. The stone reminded him of your eyes, he’d say later.

You didn’t even have to answer right away—Deuce’s eyes were already watering, full of every hope and fear he'd ever carried.

And when you said yes, he hugged you like he’d never let go again.

Leona Kingscsholar

The desert air was thick with heat, but you barely noticed it. You were in the Sunset Savanna for a royal festival, something Leona had insisted you join him for—though not without his usual grumbling. He didn’t admit it, but everyone could see he was different around you. Lighter. Less guarded.

The festivities were loud, colorful, full of roaring laughter and dancing drums. But when the celebration reached its peak, Leona disappeared.

You found him hours later—not in the palace, not at the feast, but far beyond the city, in the heart of the savanna. The stars burned overhead, and the winds whispered across golden dunes. He was lying in the sand, arms behind his head, eyes locked on the sky.

“You really are a royal pain in my ass, following me all the way out here,” he muttered when he heard your footsteps.

But then he sat up—and you noticed something rare in his face: nervousness. No lazy smirk, no dry sarcasm. Just... silence. Thought.

“Sit down. You’re gonna want to be eye-level for this,” he said, patting the sand beside him.

When you did, he glanced at you for a long time. That warm gaze, always sharp, had softened.

“You know, when I first met you, I didn’t give a damn what you thought of me. I figured you'd see the same thing everyone else does—a second-born who’s too dangerous to trust and too lazy to respect.” He looked away. “But you didn’t. You looked at me like I mattered. Like I wasn’t just a shadow behind someone else’s throne.”

He pulled something from the folds of his pocket—a ring. The band was forged from dark gold, almost bronze, etched with Savannian patterns and tiny lion paw prints around the base. In the center sat a blood-red garnet, catching the starlight.

“You made me want more. Not power, not revenge. Just… mornings where I wake up and you’re there. Even when I’m a pain. Even when I forget how to say what I feel.”

Leona knelt—not because tradition asked, but because his pride could bow for you.

“I’m never gonna be perfect. Hell, I’ll probably mess this up a dozen times before I get it right. But I want you. Always. So, herbivore—” his voice cracked, just slightly, “—will you marry me?”

And for once, the desert wind stilled. As if even the stars were holding their breath.

Azul Ashengrotto

The Mostro Lounge was closed for a “private event,” though no one quite knew what that meant. Azul had been acting secretive for days—more so than usual. Jade and Floyd wore matching smirks and refused to answer any questions. You knew something was coming. You just didn’t know what.

You arrived at the Lounge that evening, finding the entrance framed by soft, flickering lanterns. Instead of the usual deep blues and rich violets, the decor was ethereal—pearlescent whites, translucent fabrics flowing like sea foam, and the soft sound of a harp echoing through the air. Azul was nowhere to be seen.

Then, Jade appeared with a small bow. “Right this way,” he said smoothly, leading you past the dining area and into a completely transformed underwater-themed room. Coral structures glowed gently, and magic reflected soft ripples across the walls, making you feel like you’d sunk to the ocean floor.

At the center of the room, Azul stood—nervous.

He wasn’t in his usual double-breasted suit. Instead, he wore something reminiscent of his mer-form—a flowing robe that caught the light like the inside of a shell, sea-green embroidery glinting around his cuffs. He adjusted his glasses, clearly trying to maintain composure, but you could see his fingers trembling slightly.

“You always said I was dramatic,” he began with a sheepish smile. “So I thought… why not embrace it?”

He motioned to a table beside him, set with mementos of your relationship—photos, the first menu he designed with your favorite dish, even a little keepsake from your first festival together. “You changed everything. You saw me when I didn’t want to be seen. Not as the businessman. Not as the ‘dangerous Octavinelle housewarden.’ You saw Azul. Just Azul.”

He walked closer, taking your hands. “For the longest time, I thought love was a transaction. That giving meant losing. But you… you proved me wrong. You taught me that the right deal isn’t a trap—it’s a promise.”

Suddenly, the floor beneath you shimmered. A magic circle lit up—a contract glyph. Azul chuckled softly at your surprise. “I drafted something,” he murmured, pulling out a single scroll sealed with a soft blue wax sigil. “No fine print. No loopholes. Just one clause: ‘To love and be loved, without condition, for as long as we both shall breathe—on land or in sea.’”

With a flick of his fingers, the scroll vanished, replaced by a velvet box. Inside was a ring crafted of polished coral and silver, twined like sea vines, with a glistening pearl set in the center. “This isn’t a contract, not really,” he said, voice almost a whisper. “It’s a question.”

Azul lowered himself to one knee—not to outmaneuver or manipulate, but to offer something honest.

“I want to build a future with you. Not behind negotiations or smiles I wear for profit—but beside you, where I am most myself. Will you marry me?”

And in that moment, the ocean 'prince', who once feared vulnerability more than anything, had placed his heart in your hands.

Malleus Draconia

The night had fallen in a way only Briar Valley could conjure—an otherworldly hush blanketed the earth, and the trees glowed with faelight, their branches heavy with crystal dew. You had grown used to the eerie majesty of this land after many visits, but tonight, something different lingered in the air.

Malleus had asked you to accompany him to the ruins near the edge of the Valley—a place he said was “woven into his memory.” His expression had been unusually solemn when he extended the invitation, yet behind that stoic face, his eyes glimmered with anticipation.

As you walked through the tall, whispering grass, the ruins came into view. Marble columns entwined with ivy stood like sentinels of time, and the remnants of an ancient arch framed the star-filled sky. Malleus stood there, his back to you, arms clasped behind him.

When he turned, you saw he had changed into ceremonial fae robes—deep emerald silk embroidered with silver dragons, the crest of his royal lineage stitched over his heart. It was a vision straight from a fairytale. He didn’t speak at first, simply walked toward you, each step heavy with emotion.

“I brought you here because... this was once the place where my ancestors pledged themselves in union,” he began, voice a low rumble. “Even when it was reduced to ruin, I found myself returning. At first, for solitude. But now… for something far more precious.”

He extended his hand, and small orbs of green light danced from his fingertips, floating upward like will-o’-the-wisps. Slowly, the ruins came to life—not physically, but in illusion. Stone mended itself, the columns rose whole again, and fae music hummed softly through the air. It was as if he was summoning the past just to share it with you.

Then, he knelt.

Not because tradition demanded it, but because he chose to—offering the humility of a prince to the one who held his heart.

“I have lived longer than most humans will ever dream. I have seen kingdoms fall, and empires rise. And yet… the time I’ve spent with you feels more fleeting, more treasured, than centuries alone. You are not merely the light that softens my shadow—you are the home I never knew I was searching for.”

In his hand, he held a ring unlike any other—twisted vines of silver and black onyx forming a delicate, open dragon’s wing, with a single tear-shaped emerald nestled at the base.

“Will you allow me to build eternity with you? Not as a ruler, not as a fae… but simply as Malleus, the one who loves you?”

Your answer would not change the stars above—but in that moment, you knew you had become his North Star.

[deminetly]

୨DR IDEAS୧

⠂⠁⠈⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠂⠁⠈⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂

a dr where you can choose any dream you have ever had and go back to that world

inedible edible cafe (a cafe where things that are inedible in your cr, are edible there, you can eat marbles, buttons etc)

you’re a princess in a mysterious but whimsical kingdom with a unicorn as your best friend, exploring the endless mysteries the kingdom has to offer

shifting school

dream curator

costume designer for a magical theatre

art teacher (you give the students creative projects like designing a tattoo they would get)

princess who gets saved by a prince on a white horse

farmer

greek godess

small town flowershop owner

secret spy school

backrooms

runaway

summer camp

magic tree house

mermaid

siren

sailor

art college (live in the same dorm as your friend group)

magic school

santas workshop

reliving the best days of your childhood

haunted house but you’re the ghost

cupid

fantasy adventurer

magical kingdom/forest

a witch that lives in the forest

be a kid that can talk to her dolls

filmmaker/actor

small garage band

van life with your s/o

yoga teacher in the 2010s

a secret society

hippie in the 60s

life in the peaceful mountains

enjoying the summer with your friend group in a small town

testing out your dream jobs

live in a painting

a vacation/summer fling

you are a gardener for a magical garden with all kinds of magical creatures

endless thrift warehouse/garage sale

working in a (magical) cafe

therapy dr

dr where everything is made of desserts

boarding school

you are the chosen one

deserted island dr

dr where you and your friend group are immortal so you can play dangerous pranks on each other

a dating show

a train that takes you on different adventures and brings you the most amazing food

a dr where you are karma (follow people around and give them what they deserve, good or bad)

a vincent van gogh painting

living in an abandoned city with your friends

rockstars girlfriend

rapper

obby

rage room

runaway circus

mad scientist (you get to build and mix stuff idk)

other planet explorer

be a princess in a huge castle with a secret garden full of beautiful flowers and animals

you and your s/o have to break out of jail/a mental hospital together

concert of a band/artist that split up in this reality

minigames dr (compete in a series of games)

watching movies/reading books for the first time again

being invisible and percieving people all day long

dabloons trend

treasure hunter with your friends

being a spirit that makes peoples birthday wishes come true

working at a magical zoo full of mythical creatures and animals that you can talk to

character customising dr where you can dye and cut your hair, try out new styles, etc to find out what suits you

living in peoples dreams, scaring them

stereotypical 80s dr

steampunk dr

an early 2000s time travel DR where you have a blog and you give spoilers about the future

rich, popular college/high school student with a huge friendgroup that throws parties every weekend

90 romcom

fashion journalist in the 90s (you get to design layouts and outfitsss)

muse dr - a romantic, maybe forbidden love story with a foreign artist that will be remembered forever and studied in art schools (credits to ellysdreamworldd for this idea)

fishermans daughter

dark fantasy

disney channel star in the 2010 whos always getting into some sort of drama

80s movie star

shift as someone else to percieve yourself from another perspective/date yourself

be a cartoon character that wears the same outfit every day and solves one slightly chaotic problem each episode

what could have been dr - experience lives that you could’ve lived if you made a different decision 

──────────────────

- shows/movies/cartoons/animes

h2o just add water

any studio ghibli movie

adventure time

skins uk

alice in wonderland

nana

diary of a whimpy kid

dead poets society

mid 90s

coraline

downtown

twin peaks

twilight

totally spies

the secret of moonacre

moomin valley

pettson and findus

tangled

any astrid lindgren movie

love island

arthur and the minimoys

[vigilskeep]

various and sundry artbook tidbits i found interesting (SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE VEILGUARD ARTBOOK. obviously)

faction & location stuff:

a sketch page from the very early days exploring shape languages for factions like elves, dwarves, wardens, the necropolis, tevinter, and rivain, also includes concepts for the mages’ college and the ben-hassrath

early rivain concept arts have npcs with a similar armour patterning to duncan’s, suggesting it’s a mark of his rivaini heritage like i always thought!

the depiction of the ““creation story”” suggests elves were mimicking the bodies of dwarves when they formed their own, not humans like i think mythal says in game flashbacks, which would make more sense timeline wise

there’s concept art of the city of ventus, which i believe is of particular relevance to mercar players? it’s right on the border of arlathan forest, and surrounded by magical statues holding out raised hands forming a ward along the tree line to keep it from encroaching

the home base was going to be a lovable fixer-upper of a ship given to us by isabela, named the dumat. this didn’t fit the spy theme they were originally going for, so they tried really really hard to make it a submarine without feeling anachronistic by making it sort of sea monster shaped. there are a lot of cutaways and schematics. they were going to give it a mystery engine that you would get light fetch quests to feed random objects: “ten dried lavender flowers, five quail’s eggs, three brass belt buckles, etc.....” the submarine then turned into an undersea mansion on the back of some giant shambling sea creature you would never get a good look at

later on there were some funny takes on the lighthouse specifically, like bringing back the sea creature theme to put it on the back of an interdimensional veil whale, or having it be the true location of the black emporium with a collection of eluvians that xenon the antiquarian lets you use

there’s a tiny concept art for a “high-speed aravel chase” in a canyon like a western

tevinter gladiators are mentioned a couple times. we WEREEE going to get to see the minrathous proving grounds :( there’s also a dwarven embassy concept art somebody take me out back and shoot me

there are a lot of ghilan’nain creature designs that didn’t make it into the game which is a shame but i can see why they would have been resource heavy

the antiva concept arts are so gorgeous. a lot of it got through! and definitely the overall Vibe made it. at some point it seems to have been antiva city itself; they don’t call it treviso and they mention the circle of magi as a major landmark

“The entrance to the Necropolis is like an inverted Tower of Babel. They seek knowledge in the grave instead of heaven.” <- this just rules as a line

for arlathan: “To differentiate it from previous forest and jungle locations in Dragon Age, we went with an autumnal colour palette. It has the benefit to feeling ominously like the end.”

the veil jumpers have a “skull halla” symbol that “implies their willingness to risk death”. did that end up in the game?

“With each faction, we explored a range of aspirational fantasies. For the Wardens, this ranged from knights in shining armour to butal tanks to a Nietzche quote: ‘Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster.’”

there’s this concept among the warden armours for an insane orlesian noblewoman look with the winter palace morrigan corset and a piled high wig, but the skirts torn knee length and a serrated fan in hand. i’m kind of obsessed

“To bring more life to the world, we thought about what industries would keep the Anderfels afloat. We took the prominent Warden blue colour and envisioned an industry harvesting flowers, creating dye, and then weaving copious amounts of blue fabric.” this is probably where the flower quests in the hossberg wetlands started off conceptually? v cute

character stuff:

in completely different early versions of the game, solas had a “bad cop” right hand woman called reva

imshael the desire demon/choice spirit from the masked empire and inquisition was going to be a two-handed weapon warrior companion, and also sexualised now while in largely feminine form, which would have been a Choice. there is one art of him in masculine form, also sexy but still not showing as much skin as the feminine one

as i said, neve was going to be calpernia

taash was a rogue. (they’re still a light-armoured dual wielder so that checks out.) it seems like davrin was briefly a mage. at some points harding seems to have inherited bianca

saarbrak, another qunari companion, seems to have lastest the longest of the abandoned concepts. he’s the only non-canon one who got as far as having a place for him sketched into designs of the lighthouse: “saarbrak’s planning room”. mentions and sightings of what might be him are sporadic and i think you only see his name on that sketch, but i’m connecting it to the description “a potential qunari companion evolved from saarebas to dapper qunari spy, offering a deeper look into qunari culture”

the embroidery on harding’s clothes is how she passes the time while “waiting for days in a sniper perch” on missions. i just thought that was cute

[moon-buggg]

I couldn't get this idea out of my head until I got Something out, so! deity au!

Basically it's a generic fantasy world with a large pantheon of gods that are more representations of concepts. YN is a minor trickster spirit who's convinced some towns people they are actually a god and is in for a Big surprise when two big name gods decide to check in on their temple where YN has been hanging out. More info under the cut and designs for YN and Sun and Moons other form coming soon!

Also send me asks about this au I desperately want to talk about it more lol

Sun and Moon are twin deities that are worshipped together. Some scholars argue they are two sides of the same being, though this is incorrect. There are many differences in how the mortals see gods (and magic in general) and how they actually are.

It is commonplace for temples to create a sort of doll for their gods to hopefully possess and interact with followers. Larger temples have more complex vessels while really small ones might only have straw effigies. It's really the thought that counts, especially since gods do not often possess these vessels, prefering to work through dreams and visions and stuff like that. Still, to not have a vessel is seen as a huge slight

Magic is very much A Thing, but its not something ordinary people often interact with. Very few mortals will ever directly interact with magic. Magic is a thing of gods, not men. (More greek myth than DND is basically the vibe)

YN is a trickster spirit with illusion powers. They were caught shapeshifting by a human man and when he assumed they were a god they shrugged and said 'sure lets see where this goes.' When people started giving them offerings they thought it was a sweet deal and stuck around to milk it for as long as they could.

they started sleeping in a tree behind a temple, which is how they caught they attention of two gods. YN did NOT expect it when the famously reclusive Sun and Moon decided to actually possess their vessel to 'check in' on their temple and the town.

Sun and Moon know YN is not a god. YN knows they know they're not a god. No one is addressing it. It's one big game of chicken to see who breaks character first.

[talenlee]

Dragon Regulation

Dragons are cool

I don’t think that’s a controversial opinion. I think that, broadly speaking, if I put a thing in a fantasy universe and put it within certain benchmarks for what constitutes dragon-y-ness, it’ll be accepted as a dragon. And maybe you’re much more loose and casual about it, but I think about how there are rules for dragons. Or if there aren’t any, shouldn’t there be?

Rules For Being A dragon

Dragons are like pornography. I can’t define it for you but I sure know it when I see it and also terabytes of them have passed through my screens each year. But more the first part.

You can call anything you want a dragon. In the real world, we call a type of fruit a dragon, and a bug, and a very cute lizard, a bigger less cute but still cooll lizard, and a seahorse and a slug and a millipede that makes zyklon-B.

Yeah, really.

Messed up, huh?

Anyway, the point is, dragon isn’t a special title. You don’t actually have to fulfill any obligations to be considered a dragon. It isn’t about being a lizard or about being able to fly or being able to breathe fire or even something like number of legs. This extends into your world and what you mean when you say a dragon dragon.

Here’s a list of just… stuff that I’ve seen about dragons in different sources.

They’re ancient reptilian flame-breathing hexapodal creatures with two wings and four legs but no hands, like Smaug from The Hobbit Part 3.

They’re long ferret-like creatures that fly without wings, and a serpentine body, fluffy hair and antlers, like in Raya and the Last Dragon.

They’re round, with tiny flappy wings and big yellow eyes, like How to Train Your Dragon‘s Gronckle.

They’re a sinuous dinosaur-bird with a huge jagged beak and crest, like Ridley from Metroid.

These are just a handful of things, but while all of these things can be called dragons, none of them seem to ‘break’ the term, right? But what about:

Chrono Cross has a dragon that’s a human-shaped clown.

Seath the Scaleless from Dark Souls has no scales, which isn’t actually that big a deal compared to how he has no legs.

Like A Dragon is a game about Yakuza dudes.

temtem has a feathered serpent with no limbs as a dragon.

Pokemon has Exeggutor, which is a walking palm tree with four heads.

Bubble Bobble has two dragon protagonists who have no wings and barely necks.

Mario has Bowser? Who may? be a dragon? But he’s also a turtle, and lacks wings?

There are even more examples of things that are ‘dragons,’ and that seem to sit outside a single, obvious specific intersection of ‘dragon-ness.’ In your worldbuilding then, the thing to consider is what you need ‘dragon’ to do or mean. In Like A Dragon, the term Dragon is used as a reference to literature: nobody in that game is actually producing a real dragon because in that story, dragons aren’t real, except as a thing people can be, and – you know, so on.

To that end: Work out what Dragon is supposed to mean. It isn’t necessary to have rules, but it helps if you know whether or not you need them. For myself, I like the idea of dragons as very magical but materially real creatures. I like the idea that they fly with their wings, that they are very muscular, that they have a lot of weight, and that while there are a lot of virtues to being what they are, biologically speaking, they are creatures that exist, and follow rules. They’re long-lived, they eat, they drink, and they sleep.

Rules for Treating A Dragon

Okay so you have some rules, or some guidelines at least, in your mind for what a dragon is, what makes a thing a dragon. In my case, I started with ‘it’s big, magical, and it’s a meaty, material entity, not a god, or somehow fundamentally supernatural.’ The way I tend to think of a dragon is as a single character that represents a government you have to negotiate with or deal with.

How does the world treat dragons?

In your world, are dragons mysterious? Are they history or are they nonsense? Do people have the idea of dragons but no experience with what they really are? Are dragons common, such as things like kobolds (are they dragons, to you?) or Dragonborn? What about half-dragons? Kinda hard to claim that dragons are fake if you’ve got a queen who’s been famously a half-dragon for generations, at least, if that’s a claim that’s somehow believable.

Dragons are pretty materially significant: are there laws about dragons?

Consider, if a dragon is a dangerous thing that can endanger a city, it might be illegal to contact dragons. It might be seen as just fundamentally a dangerous thing for a random citizen to do because talking to a dragon could get the dragon’s attention on the city. In the real world, there are laws against doing things that can cause landslides, there are laws against encouraging wild animals to approach the city, and there are laws about contacting dangerous political entities.

A dragon is kinda like all three?

Rules For Slaying A Dragon

Who can fight dragons in your story?

Not everyone, right?

A dragon is something that in your mind is probably only going to show up if it’s important and difficult. It’s a term with a degree of prestige. You don’t just beat up a dragon in an alleyway, and you don’t go out slaying dragons like they’re rats. I mean, you might if you think of kobolds as a type of dragon, and maybe a setting where there are populations of feral dragons providing problems in city infrastructure could be interesting to go in one way or another, but by default, nah.

Dragons are dangerous.

Who kills a dragon? I’ve written about this in the past, in my talk about the way that a dragon is a surrogate government. Thing is, you gotta consider in your stories and your worlds what stops a dragon, what displaces or defeats a dragon. Can they be? Can they be reasoned with? I compare them to states, but are dragons going to have the needs of states, can they be reasoned with? Do they have the economic presence of a state?

Most of the time when you see a dragon defeated, it’s a story about someone who should defeat the dragon doing it. It’s very rarely a peasant uprising, it’s usually a knight or a prince and it very commonly is connected to a justifiable cause to go deal with the dragon. It’s really interesting to because it feels like to an extent, a dragon, at least an evil or hostile one, is a bit like a rogue state? And wouldn’t there be a clear idea that ‘hey, someone should go deal with this, or what it’s doing?’

Forgetting About Drakes

None of this is necessary, of course. Dragons are such iconic creatures that you can just have one apepar in a story in the world and people will go ‘oh, yeah, dragons, we know what those are.’ You don’t have to consider them as economic engines or state actors that result in regulation.

But isn’t it more interesting when you do?

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[lonelydarknessblog]

hiii omg! i am obsessed with this already. i don’t know if you will do anon emoji claims, but if you do, i would love to be 💫! i can’t wait for more posts about werewolf!SKZ!

an interesting ask, how would each meeting between (reader) and a member go? would it be something straight out of a fantasy book, like on a stroll in the forest on a full moon, or would it be something as simple as meeting at a park while (reader) walks their dog?

Welcome 💫Anon! You have claimed your emoji. Welcome to the pack. You are now one of us!

Your ask is not just interesting, but also the perfect segue to introducing the lore behind soulmates, bonds and knowing our characters more. You, my beautiful, wild anon, have set the stage!

Let us first search the archives for soulmate lore.

S O U L M A T E L O R E

🌙Werewolves have only one mate, and no one, wolf or human, will appeal to them apart from the mate destined for them.

🌙The soulmate is said to be determined by the Moon, but it has also been noticed that mated pairs tend to complement each other's personalities and habits. There is a balance, chaos and order, as everything in nature.

🌙When a were finds their soulmate, they begin to undergo subtle physiological changes. There isn't an immediate recognition (like imprinting in Twilight or knowing just by the first touch, like in other lore). However, the body and soul recognise a piece of themselves. Some changes that take place are:

They begin to get desensitised to pheromones apart from the ones released by their mate.

Their entire system begins to rewire and gets attuned to their mate. They become hyper aware of them and can sense the slightest changes in their emotional, mental and physical state.

Weres develop either strong protector and/or provider instincts.

The bond demands proximity until the mates acknowledge the existence of the bond. Until the bond is acknowledged, wolves will find themselves constantly needing to be near their soulmate, whether they like it or not.

🌙When both mates acknowledge the bond, something clicks within them. The soul no longer feels restless. The wolf retains its wildness, but it is no longer a frantic or desperate wildness.

🌙There are no rituals for acknowledging the soulmate bond. No magic bindings or symbolic bites. But when a werewolf initially feels the bond click into place, the dormant primal within them awakens. This is because finding your soulmate is finding the last piece of yourself, and consequently, every part of the soul awakens. It is like putting in the last piece of an electric circuit. Everything lights up.

🌙When the primal awakens, there is an urge for the mates to go into the wild. This is because the primal needs to prove that they can protect and provide. Most weres choose to give into this urge during the full moon as a way of honouring the Moon Goddess, seeking her blessing over the bond. There are practical reasons for this as well.

🌙While the basics of the soulmate bonds are the same for Dominant and Created weres, there are certain differences in how their wolves and primals respond to the bond.

How You Meet 🐺Bang Chan

He smells you before he actually sees you. He's at the only park in the small town a few miles away from the pack settlement when the scent of dark coffee and something like raspberries filters through the myriad other scents that he's learned to tune out. His eyes find you without much effort, drawn to you like a magnet. You're playing hide and seek with a group of small children and you have strategically placed yourself on a leafy branch of a tree. His eyes meet yours just as the tiny seeker wanders under the tree you're hiding in. You give Chan a broad smile and press your finger to your lips. It is the epitome of childishness, but a dormant, quietly primal part of him is ready to guard your secret with his teeth bared. No one will ever hunt you if he has anything to say about it. After the game ends and the children scatter, you make your way to him.

"You have a keen eye. You should team up with me when it is my turn to seek. We'll find the littles in no time."

He just nods. From then, he's at the park often, a new addition to the playgroup. And if he gets a little giddy every time he is on your team and you win, well, that is no one's concern.

🐺Minho

Minho would never have met you if it wasn't for Han. You and Han had become friends when the server at the local coffee shop announced to you that they had run out of blueberry muffins. One dramatic dialogue about the tragedy of it later, you and Han were fast friends.

You were at the same coffee shop with him months later when a storm blew out of nowhere. Rain cascaded from the sky in sheets, rattling windows. Han called Minho and begged him to come and pick you both up so you would not get washed away from the surface of the earth. Minho had been tempted to ignore Han's call but eventually decided that taking the car was better than dealing with Han's dramatic whining later.

If Han alone was noisy, you and Han together were nothing short of a cacophony. But somehow, when the car filled and echoed with the sound of your laughter, it didn't grate on Minho's nerves. And when you sang completely off key to the songs in Han's playlist, his lips almost twitched into a smile. When he pulled over at your apartment and you grinned at him and said, "See you again, MinMin," he'll never admit it, but he hoped that he would see you again, even if it meant hearing that ridiculous nickname.

🐺Changbin

You saw Changbin before he saw you. You watched him argue with the ducks in the pond, trying to convince them to eat the bread he was tossing into the water. When the ducks quacked back, you were almost convinced that they were communicating back with the man who looked like he could you snap you in half, if not for the pink bunny eared hat and the sunflower sling bag.

You had spotted the problem early on. The chunks of bread that he was tearing were too small and soaked up water quickly, effectively becoming fish food instead. It took you a couple of tries to get his attention, your voice far too soft in the chaos of his conversation with the ducks. You explained the issue and showed him how to tear the bread, your fingers precise. He took advantage of your shyness, and while you refused to meet his eyes, he studied your face with a broad grin on his. When the ducks dove after the pieces you tossed to them, he cheered, dubbed you the duck whisperer and insisted that you tell him your secret to duck whispering over a coffee.

🐺Hyunjin

The only reason Hyunjin allows you to tell people the story of how you first met is because your eyes light up with a different kind of delight at the memory.

You met Hyunjin from the other side of a door, literally. You were trying to leave the building where you worked, while Hyunjin was trying to enter it. Except Hyunjin kept pulling a 'push' door. The wooden door wouldn't budge when you tried to open it. Unaware of the events taking place on the other side, you yanked the door at the same time that Hyunjin realised that he had to push it. The momentum sent him crashing into you, and you into the ground. His first thought was that you smell delicious, like lemon cake. Your first thought was that he is an idiot.

You began to see him around more often, and when he finally brings himself to ask you out for a coffee, you told yourself that you agreed only because you wanted him to stop walking backwards on the stairs.

🐺Han

Han had been using your office as a place for him to safely ride out anxious episodes when the world around him gets too loud, too overwhelming. He first stumbled across it by accident, the gentle scent of lavender and vanilla drawing him in. He didn't know whose office it was, but it felt safe and that was all he could focus on. The lights were gentle and warm, unlike the bright, clinical white lights that the rest of the office used. The curtains were translucent, letting in enough light during the day without becoming a safety hazard for vampires (it is the only way he can describe the ambience). There is familiarity. The lavender and vanilla diffuser is always from the same brand, as are the chamomile tea bags that are kept on the shelf. The blanket on the two seater is always rabbit fleece, alternating between pale green or deep blue. He knows that they are laundered every week, and that the owner of the office uses lily scented softener.

The first time you meet, he doesn't even realise you're in the office. He stumbles in, throws himself on the two seater and screams into the pillowy cushion. He screams again, this time out of fright, when you tap his shoulder to silently hand him warm chamomile tea. You let him ramble out apologies and explanations, and when he stops to breathe, you tell him you don't mind him using the office since you're hardly in it, preferring to work in a shared space with your team. You're just glad that you were able to create a space where someone finds safety.

🐺Felix

You hated bullies, and when you saw those three jocks picking on the platinum blonde boy who only ever had smiles for everyone in your department, you saw red. You didn't even know him, but he showed up for class with wildflowers in his hair and a smile that radiated sunshine and you believed that innocence like that was sacred.

Jock 1 had barely touched the little purple sprig tucked behind the fae-like boy's ear when your fist flew. Your knuckles split against his jaw even as your knee came up between his legs. Jock 2 and 3 must have seen something in your eyes, because they simply grabbed their friend and scampered. You tucked your fist against your side, the blood invisible against your black tee and leather jacket. Once the three bullies had disappeared out of sight, you turned to head back to your seat when a cool hand reached for your uninjured wrist.

"I have an herbal paste for your knuckles in my friend's car. He likes to box without gloves."

When you look back at that day later, Chan will tell you that it was an interesting sight, seeing Felix with the sun reflecting off his hair, decorated with wildflowers, and you, a good foot shorter, clad in all black and a warning on your face, make your way to his car.

🐺Seungmin

Everyone knew about the pack settlement on the outskirts of town. After all, it was common knowledge that weres preferred to have their homes closer to wild lands and when that pack had moved there, over two decades ago, the townsfolk were happy to let them build their settlement. Having the pack around meant that the town had just a little more protection from the dangers that lurked in the woods. And dangers did lurk there.

Those dangers did not deter you from your whimsical ideas though, and you found yourself exploring a deeper section of the woods late one afternoon. You're so lost in your own head that you don't hear him behind you, following you. It is only when you stop to sit, wanting to rest your feet, when you spot him from between the trees. You freeze, instinctively realising that this is a predator and you might be prey. But when he steps closer, you can see the disapproving frown on his face.

"I've been following you for nearly an hour and you did not even know. You're a hazard to yourself." He says flatly.

"Maybe. But somehow I get the feeling you aren't a hazard to me." You reply. He both hates and relishes how certain you sound.

After that, even though you never tell him when you go on one of your impromptu wood wanderings, you know he finds you and keeps you safe, even from yourself.

🐺Jeongin

You don't have a very clear memory of the first time you met Jeongin, so you have to rely on his recollection. You know it was a party, there was a lot of dancing and there was a lot of alcohol.

For as long as you can remember, you've been the life of the party, confident and outgoing. This party was no different, except there was a sweet faced boy, with a smile that made his eyes disappear, hiding in a corner and not dancing. You grooved your way to him, giggling when his face turned scarlet as you wrapped your arms around his neck and moved. Jeongin says that you didn't grind up against him, nor move in a way that made him uncomfortable, but you did insist that he dance. Eventually, he did dance, if only to keep you away from the beer kegs.

Apparently, you gave him many nicknames. When he recounts some of them, you aren't entirely convinced that he isn't exaggerating just to mortify you. You made him drive his brother's car around the neighbourhood twice before actually showing him where you lived. When he asked you why, you said it was so he knew the place well enough and would not get lost when he picked you up for your date.

Though you were mortified, with a good side of hungover, something warm bloomed in your chest when he showed up the next morning with soup and an after party survival pack.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you so much for this ask, my beautiful 💫! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

[centrally-unplanned]

Do you have any thoughts on how the kids these days are learning purely DnD/RPG tactics from anime that make tank/attacker/buffs/healer designations official world-building, as opposed to anything that emerges organically, much less applicable to the real world? I kind of wonder how ACOUP would feel about a whole generation thinking that this is what "medieval" combat strategy is.

I don't know if I have thoughts in any big sense - but I agree this is "a thing". Because isekai dynamics so thoroughly penetrated the fantasy anime space, it bleeds out to even non-isekai works that codify these roles, so you see things like magic systems bending around concepts like that more and more. I think it applies more broadly than the "roles" because not all shows pulled from that type of game system, but you absolutely see it with the quantification of systems and power levels and explicit delineation of progression trees. That is what people like now, so more and more it is a trope in anime-fantasy.

But not all go that route (Dungeon Meshi has incredibly little of it for example, despite having a classic D&D adventuring group as its base), and I am a big proponent of these things not bleeding out into the real world. People know fantasy isn't reality, and the more the shows have video game mechanics the more apparent that becomes. You will get the occasional trope that bleeds over, but that typically is because the ideas were pilfered from fantasy and used in "realistic" media. Lots of people believe naive things about how "pikes counter cavalry" and the like, but they didn't believe that because of weapon triangles in SRPGs; they believe it because of movies like Braveheart.

[angelthefandomobsessed]

Between Teeth, Between Claws, Between Them - Chapter 4 - Leona Kingscholar x Reader x Ruggie Bucchie

This chapter is very Ruggie-centric, is the longest chapter yet, and contains worldbuilding (because worldbuilding was inevitable). Buckle up for discussions of beastman lore I just made up, and fantasy racism (yaaaaay)... as well as more of the usual (earth-shaking, pearl-clutching, flirting). Don't worry, though - there's plenty of fluff in this one too. Enjoy!

You can find chapter one here!

(As usual: This fic is a little suggestive, but not outright explicit, reader discretion is advised)

(Link to AO3: Between Teeth, Between Claws, Between Them - Angel_Ashido - Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game) [Archive of Our Own])

༺═────────────═༻

It was rare for you to leave the campus, so when Ruggie asked you to go into town with him, you jumped at the opportunity. On weekends, the students of NRC flocked to the local stores and cafés, usually causing a ruckus of some sort. Going alone wasn’t that appealing to you, so you only ventured out whenever Ace of Deuce wanted to. 

You walked beside Ruggie in silence, waiting for him to explain where you were going. 

Ever since you had first kissed both Leona and him, something had shifted. Whether that shift was a thread being pulled taut, or the string snapping completely, you couldn’t tell.

All that you knew was that there was a sense of possibility in the air, both sweet and sharp.

“You’re being awfully quiet,” Ruggie finally voiced. “Something on your mind?”

You shook your head, stepping over a puddle.

Ruggie splashed right through the puddle, keeping his eyes on you. “Hm… Is someone on your mind?”

You couldn’t bring yourself to fight the smile that spread across your face. “Maybe.”

As though it were contagious, Ruggie smiled too. “Thinking of little ol’ me?”

“Tell me where we’re going, and I’ll tell you what I’m thinking of.”

The beastman’s expression shifted to a mock-pout. “What, and ruin the surprise? No deal, kitten.”

“Then I guess you’ll never know what was on my mind.”

A bird chirped from its spot in an apple tree. It was a warm day, perfect for an outing.

“I bet I can guess.” Ruggie darted in front of you, forcing you to a halt. “Was it something like this?”

He leaned forward and gave you a peck on the lips, so fleeting that you may very well have imagined it. By the time you had registered his movement, he was walking forward again.

The bird launched into song above you, the sound frantic yet soothing to your racing heart.

You had to jog a little to catch up with Ruggie, who looked far too smug without Leona around to reign him in. Although, Leona may very well have egged him on…

He turned to you, ears flicking. “Well? Was I right?”

“You were half-right,” you half-lied.

“Oh?”

“I was thinking about kissing Leona.”

Ruggie let out a small, frustrated sound, eyes narrowing. “I thought you were sweet, but you’re just as bad as he is. Guess that means I have to try twice as hard, huh?”

You turned his words over in your mind for a few beats, before asking, “What do you mean by that?”

His expression turned blank, so you elaborated, “Trying twice as hard. Is it a personal thing, or is it… some kind of societal thing?”

He shrugged. “Nobody wants to be the bottom of the pack. So I guess it’s… kinda both?”

“But when you say ‘pack’, do you mean metaphorically, or literally?” you pressed.

“Huh? Obviously I mean literally. Didn’t they teach you this stuff back in your world?”

“We don’t have beastmen in our world,” you explained, feeling as though you were breaking some kind of interdimensional law by admitting that.

“You don’t!?” It was a little entertaining to see Ruggie look so shocked. “What happened to ‘em!?”

“They never existed. We don’t have magic, or beastmen, or fae, or direbeasts, or anything that’s not a plain human.”

“Seriously? You’re not pulling my leg?”

You had both stopped, by that point. Confused, mildly disturbed eyes searched your own, trying to detect a hint of a joke.

“No. I’m not messing with you. That’s just the way it is.”

Well… the way it was. 

Ruggie waved his hands in the air. Adorably, you felt inclined to note. “So you’re telling me that you showed up here and just… had to accept that there are whole other species..?”

“Once I accepted that magic exists, and that I’m now a single parent to a flaming, talking cat thing, the rest clicked into place pretty easily.” Your dry tone only furthered Ruggie's frantic display.

“Do you even know what a lion and a hyena is!? How much have you just been pretending to know about?”

“We have lions and hyenas in my world,” you told him. “There’s a, um… film that’s pretty well known about them.”

Was The Lion King a documentary now? How much of the whole ‘Great Seven’ thing fact, and how much was fiction? You had plenty of questions, but still no answers to go with them.

“Phew, that’s a relief… At least you have a point of reference. You’re not totally clueless.”

With that realisation, Ruggie rediscovered his highground, and resumed the walk into town.

“All right then, I guess a spur of the moment beastman lesson is in order.” Ruggie smirked. “Leona’s a lion beastman, right? It’s pretty rare for them to have just one partner. Some do, like his brother Falena, but most will have between… three or five, let’s say.”

Three or five? You had your hands full with Leona and Ruggie as is, you couldn’t imagine adding anyone else to the mix. “Sounds like a lot of work.”

“The biggest pride in the Sunset Savanna is forty strong,” Ruggie informed you.

You let out a baffled sound halfway between a sigh and a groan. “How do they remember each other’s names?”

“Beats me. There’s a reality show about them - we should watch it some time. Anyway,” Ruggie breezed. “That’s how lion-beastmen tick.”

“So… Are you, Leona and I a pride, then?”

“That’s… complicated.”

Tell me something I don’t know… you thought to yourself.

Ruggie hummed to himself, turning the situation over in his head. “We’re in the negotiating stages of forming a pride, I guess? To be honest, it’s all sorta new to me. Lions and hyenas don’t usually… y’know. Mix.”

You felt your stomach lurch at that. 

Though Twisted Wonderland felt more progressive than your world, it was bound to have its dark sides. Recalling how hurt Ruggie had seemed during Leona’s overblot, you felt as though you were gaining a better understanding of the second-year.

He seemed almost nervous, as if you might suddenly turn on him.

“There are people like that in my world, too. Couples that society doesn’t like all that much.” You gave Ruggie a soft nudge. “There will always be idiots, no matter where you go.”

“Ain’t that the truth?” Ruggie perked up at the physical contact.

When your hand sought his, he held it without hesitation.

“Introducing a human into the mix is kinda strange too. Beastmen getting with humans is a pretty modern idea.”

“So if Leona’s interested in a hyena and a human that would make him… Pretty weird, by society’s standards?” you concluded.

“Extremely weird.” Ruggie squeezed your hand, letting you feel the subtle sharpness of his fingernails. “But that’s why I like him so much. He’s not afraid to go against the grain. If we could vote for our king, I would vote for him every day of the week.”

Talking to Ruggie about something so serious was different, but it was nice. There was a sense of security in your conversation that you hadn’t known you needed.

Finally, you felt daring enough to ask, “When did you and Leona get together?”

Ruggie’s ears pressed down at that, while his cheeks turned rosy. “It just sorta… happened. I didn’t mark it down in my calendar or anything, things just… turned out the way they did.”

That sort of made sense. Ruggie was always chasing after Leona, meaning that they would have spent a lot of time together. A right hand man turning into a romantic partner… it wasn’t the strangest of stories.

“What, you didn’t get cornered at lunchtime?” you joked.

“Nope. I just swooned over laundry piles until he got the hint.”

You barked a shocked laugh - that was an image and a half.

“No way!”

“Yeah way! Leona’s a smart guy, but he can be super dense.”

You both knew that wasn’t the full truth, but neither of you spoke that thought into existence. For Leona to realise that somebody could want and accept him as he is… 

Better chance of Grim going vegan, you decided.

“Why did the two of you approach me, then? What made you think I was-”

“Because you cared,” Ruggie interrupted. “We both liked you, so it was only natural to see if you liked us. So far, things are going well, right?”

“Well… Yeah,” you said, swinging your joined hands back and forth. “Things are going very well.”

“You should ask Leona about this stuff. He’s probably thought about it more than I have… For me, you’re cute, and I like being around you. Why wouldn’t I want to be closer to someone I like?”

“Fair enough…”

Out in the open, there was nowhere to hide. All of the ways that your embarrassment manifested were about as subtle as a masterpiece in a museum. This was, of course, infinitely amusing to Ruggie, who proceeded to poke at your cheeks.

“Seeing you like this is better than finding treasure in a garbage can,” he observed, his grin shaping his voice.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words?”

“No, never.”

“Good. It’s not nice to be lied to,” you deadpanned.

Ruggie whined at that, brows turning downwards to match his pout. “You’re so mean! I take back every nice thing I said about you!”

Before you knew it, you were being led through the bustling street of the foothill town. Ruggie marched, a man on a mission, still holding onto your hand.

Your destination became clear to you when he stopped.

Donut Delights: Special deal! Lovers can buy one deluxe donut, and get one free!

“Did you seriously drag me all the way down here for donuts, Ruggie?”

His shoulders shook with his laugh. “Of course I did! There was no way I was missing out on this deal! Now c’mon, before all the good flavours go.”

It was only when you were standing in front of the cabinet that you realised; this was a date, by all definitions. Your first actual date with Ruggie…

You let him pick out two donuts, both giant with toppings piled on. One was strawberries and cream flavoured, while the other was honey and crumble flavoured. After they were given to you on scalloped, petite plates, you found a small, round table at the back of the café.

“Pick whichever one you want, my sweet,” Ruggie invited, smirking at his own pun.

You picked the one that called to you the most - though they both looked delicious - and puzzled over the best angle to eat the monstrosity from.

When you finally managed to get it in your mouth, you let out a muffled sound of approval. It was a really good donut - no wonder Ruggie had been willing to hoof it all the way to the shop.

Looking up, you realised that he had eaten his way through half of his already.

“Impressive…” you murmured to yourself. 

You couldn’t help but wonder if the way he ate - as though someone was going to snatch it from him - was a result of his nature, or the environment he had grown up in.

“Do you… Want to try some of mine?” you offered.

Ruggie’s eyes lit up, as though you had just offered him a diamond. “I thought you’d never ask!”

“Alright, here…” You pushed your plate towards him. “Don’t eat the whole thing, alright?”

“You’re pretty brave, offering food to me and expecting to get it back.” Despite that, he took a, relatively, small portion before returning it to you.

“That one’s pretty nice too.” He pointed at your lips. “Too bad you got more of it on your face than in your mouth.”

“Yeah, yeah, very funny…” You almost reached for a napkin, but an idea hit you before you could do so. “Maybe I just wanted to leave some for you to kiss away.”

Spending time with Savanaclaw boys was dangerous. They were turning you more audacious by the day. However, based on the way Ruggie’s spine straightened, he liked that about you.

He let out a low laugh, eyes narrowing. “Careful, or I might just eat you up instead~”

You smiled as though he had complimented your outfit, and finished your monster of a snack. When you left, hand in hand, Ruggie was quick to pull you around a corner - out of sight from the world. Though he was slight in build, his presence was immense as he pushed into your personal space.

His lips ghosted over yours, making every nerve in your body soar in anticipation.

When he finally made contact, he savoured the taste of you, taking great care to reduce you into a quivering mess.

Had he been taking notes from Leona?

Ruggie pulled away with a satisfied smile. “Sweet,” he said, as though he didn’t realise he was speaking out loud.

“Thanks for the treat,” you breathed, trying to commit his wonderful, dopey expression to your memory. Then, because it seemed like something that would mean a lot to him, you put your arms around him and said; “You took very good care of me.”

You must have been getting the hang of the whole beastman thing, because when you let go, Ruggie was looking at you as though you had invented the very concept of love.

The walk back to NRC was a long one, as you couldn’t keep your hands off of each other.

A/N:

Thank you for the continued support on this. The comments have been lovely, and have meant a lot to me!

If there's anything you want to see in this fic (more one-on-one scenes like this one, more time with both of them, specific scenarios) feel free to suggest them, there is a good chance that I will take them on board. And, of course, if there are any other pairings you'd be interested in seeing me write, feel free to suggest those too!

Next chapter: here

[what-even-is-thiss]

I’m fascinated by the fantasy races in Zelda games.

Zora are sexy fish people but actually fish like actually fish like buddy this is a fish person

Gerudo are very tall and all women because their room is no boys allowed

Gorons are all rock men because you just can’t tell the difference between the sexes and the gorons don’t care. Their main characteristic seems to be that they eat rocks and just like hanging out

The minish are just tiny dudes living in a different dimension and possibly magic idk

Koroks used to be Peter Pan style childish elf people until one day they decided to be trees instead

Rito are bird guys. Like wow that’s a bird person. They can fly. People in universe don’t know how people their size can fly but they do it anyways because they don’t care about physics.

Zonai are like idk goat demigods that like jumping off of cliffs into lakes or something. I’ve got a working theory that this is why they’re all dead.

Hyleans. Are they humans? Are they elf people? Depends on which game you’re playing. They do have long ears. They’re pretty squishy and easy to knock over but some of them are magic I guess. For some reason they seem to be in charge of most things. They seem to be willing to copulate with all of the other races

The gods don’t do much honestly. One of them seems to have a pet blonde swordsman and princess combo that she likes to reuse a lot to get her errands done for her so that’s cool I guess

[psychhound]

worldbuilding in spiritkeep

okay howdy again :) the second place winner of the spiritkeep poll was to talk about worldbuilding!!

for new folks, spiritkeep is a multiplayer campaign ttrpg designed around inducing therapeutic emotional growth

if you want to learn more about the playbook options you can find the write up here and the deep dive into the lonesome playbooks and the minder playbooks here

so … worldbuilding!!

collaborative worldbuilding is actually the first stage of play, even before you make your characters. i took inspiration from yarnspinner by edda mendes and spool by jade ravens especially, as well as the community building aspect of songs for the dusk by kavita poduri

there are a few things about the world of spiritkeep that always stay the same:

1) this is a fantasy world with low/no tech, and medium-high magic (i think some people would call it low magic because the pcs aren't terribly powerful, there isn't a spellcasting system, and also because they're used to thinking of high magic as looking specifically like medieval european fantasy. but there is actually a lot of magic in this world even if a typical human isn't particularly high powered)

2) there are various lineages of human, but all the pcs are human. (a notable exception is the othered archetype, which includes paragons for werecreatures, changelings, and ghosts. these characters are still humanoid though!) the lineages include what we would think of as regular humans and then various kinds of people, diverse in appearance and beliefs, who are descended from humans blessed or cursed by spirits. we'll get more into that next time!!

3) the world is inhabited by humans, animals, and spirits. the worlds of spiritkeep are animist and inspired by nature religions. in particular, i took a lot of inspiration from slavic paganism, shintoism, and various indigenous american religions but most specifically diné religion. in spiritkeep, many aspects of nature and daily life have spirits, from homes to rivers to trees. many spirits have minor magical abilities, and most will stay fairly hidden or out of the way, but there are rarer spirits who are quite powerful. parties will have to interact with spirits sometimes, such as doing favors for or solving problems for them to get boons

4) humans also have their own spirits. there are times when these spirits become independent & tangible enough to interact with. this is how pcs get advancements, boons, and can change playbooks. your spirit can also be harmed, though, so watch out!

5) the game always takes place in a community that is struggling and in need of repair

the rest of the world is up to the players to flesh out during the session zero!!

the session zero includes worldbuilding and community building. players will decide on details about the major cities, cultures, and geographic features in the area. they'll also work together to decide on more thematic elements like conflicts between groups of people, spiritual traditions, or the presence of bigotry within the world (yes, there can definitely be explorations of bigotry in spiritkeep. i am not an ascriber to cozy game escapist fantasy culture and i dont think those work well for the purpose of this game)

after a broad sketch of the world is laid out, the group turns to building the community. here, they'll focus on a few aesthetic features of the community, community values, and a few major features (does the community have a doctor or no? do they have a post office? is this a farming community or do they trade textiles? what are people's houses made of? etc)

i have a general idea on how to make the collaborative worldbuilding process approachable, cooperative, and safe, but it definitely needs playtesting before i explain :) im approaching this with the mindset of 1) players hard no's will have already been discussed in a separate process 2) players might be strangers to each other and might have never played a ttrpg before. i also want it to be feasible both in person and on a vtt. so i'm still working that out :)

so that's the basics! a baseline that all games follow, while the cultures and settings within the world are still pretty flexible

next up i'll be talking about the lineages, or the different kinds of human you can be!!

i also have a bunch of stuff on sale right now to fund spiritkeep in its early stages!!

you can support this sale to fund more promo material like art, and this sale to help me pay to become a certified therapeutic gm!!

thanks for reading :)

[postcardsfromheapside]

I fully admit I have only the barest knowledge of what goes into game dev, but here is what I have gleaned from watching videos from the people who worked behind the scenes in BG3, and why I think some of you are being ridiculous about wanting more, dev hell or not:

Every time dialogue is scripted, it has to be voiced and animated. Voice work can have multiple takes, and if it's being mocap'd that takes extra time and effort. Any time there's choices in the dialogue tree, they all have to reasonably link up to nodes further down in a way that makes sense, so dialogue flows in a passable manner, and the story continues with a reasonable degree of logic.

Regardless of dev hell, adding extra conflict or extra arguments or whatever it is you are asking for can make zero sense. Why are you adding extra work on the off chance someone might want to role play a Rook who wants to really push certain issues, when those arguments might not serve the overall story? At that point, you're adding bloat, and spending extra time and money that could have been better spent elsewhere, HAD THERE NOT BEEN DEV HELL.

To receive the comment “well, what about telling Neve she's privileged” (bruh she knows) “or playing an anti-magic Rook” (lolwut) or “being able to argue the morality of necromancy with Emmrich” (you can already express discomfort with it, as several of the companions do, often vehemently**) is to express that you think the devs should have spent more time writing specifically for your particular fantasies. Which cost money.

Go buy a game studio. Pay devs. Or write your own games. Or write fanfic. I'm begging.

** Emmrich does not give a fuck what you think about necromancy after a certain point. You hired him to do a job. His job is Fade. He makes sure people understand his and their boundaries, and that's it. He's a grown ass man who knows what he's doing, and you wanting to convince him he's wrong makes you sound like an 18 year old who just discovered atheism and you want to argue with every religious or spiritual-identifying person on sight.

[taevbears]

Acorns & Thimbles - 02

I can feel it. I can't resist it. That sweet devilish smile.

⤑ pairing: hoseok x reader ⤑ genre: faerie au, yandere, dark fantasy ⤑ rating: 18+ ⤑ word count: 6.9k ⤑ warnings: YANDERE/DARK ROMANCE, faeries are evil creatures in this world, mc is referred to as "darling" and "mother", kidnapping, manipulation, stalking, implied violence (not toward mc). ⤑ note: lmao bc irl hobi and i are on the same wavelength bc why did i write a whole story about an acorn necklace that the mc has, and hobi's tour merch has a necklace with a tiny acorn on it? i was planning on posting this chapter way earlier, but i ended up rewriting half of it 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ (why am i like this lmaooo). i think it ties in better with the overall story tho, and i hope you guys enjoy!

Chapters 01 | 02 | 03| 04 | 05 (End)

You feel like you’re floating.

Weightlessness. Nothingness. Drifting in the air, simply by the winds that carry you.

Hobi has you in his arms, bridal-style. Effortless with the way he holds you, as if you’re light as a feather to him. Magic must be at play with the way he leaps across rooftops and runs through the town like the breath of a cool breeze. 

Even when he lands in front of a group of teenagers at a park, no one looks your way. They continue on with their basketball game as if the two of you are shrouded with invisibility. The faerie slows his pace, simply walking now as he carries you further into the park.

A few people walking their dogs pass by without a glance toward you two. A young family pushing the stroller of their sleeping baby also ignores the both of you.

You’re almost certain if you’d scream, it’d fall on deaf ears.

He takes you to a small clearing in the park that no one really goes to. An old well used to be before it was closed off and demolished, evident by the circular outline that remains. Mushrooms and wild flowers grow outside the perfect circle on the ground as Hobi brings you closer to it.

“Hold on tight,” he warns you. Once you tighten your grip around his neck, he steps in. And it feels like you’re flying.

Colors flash before your eyes as the wind seems to pick up in all directions, tossing both of you around like autumn leaves caught in a swirling gust. It makes you feel incredibly dizzy, head spinning like you’re in a looping roller-coaster, as gravity pulls you while you’re being lifted in the air. You bury your face into the faerie’s neck, feeling a bit nauseated.

And then, it’s over.

Just like that, you’ve been transported to another world. The one you’ve seen so often in your dreams lately. That island paradise of fantasy and adventure.

“What is this place?” you ask, in awe at the giant trees surrounding you. They look ancient. Deep roots knotted together, twisted within the ground below. Some are oddly-shaped, round around the trunk or bent and twisted like the jagged angles of their branches.

“Neverland. Pixie Hollow. Hope World. Dreamland. Moonland. Sunland. It has many names,” the faerie lists as he continues to slowly carry you through the thickets of the woods. “But we call this place our home.”

There’s one particular tree that stands out. Perhaps, the biggest one in these woods. It’s well hidden among the others, but upon closer inspection, you could see light glowing from within it. Hobi stops right in front of it. Its light makes the trunk of the tree shimmer like sunlight catching the surface of water in a river or a lake.

Until the shimmering fades and a green double-door is revealed. An illusion to disguise the underground bunker.

The doors swing open as light pours out, and Hobi takes you inside. On its own, the doors swing back and the glamor is back up, completely blending the hidden house like it’s any other ordinary, unassuming tree.

“Hobi is back!” someone announces from within the bunker. You hear clattering and rushed footsteps as though children are suddenly cleaning up their mess before their parents walk through the door.

He chuckles, giving them a moment to get it together. Once the commotion dies down, he descends down the stairs with you still in his arms.

“Boys! I have a surprise,” he announces with a wide, heart-shaped smile. “Mother is back!”

Six faces are presented before you, though none of them are children like you initially thought. Rather, the lost boys have all grown as well. Sculpted jawlines, muscular bodies, strong gazes, and all. Each of them are distinctly handsome, dressed in clothes made of animal pelts, hide, and cloth.

They look shocked to see you, and perhaps, for a brief moment, even worried.

“She’s back?” one of them utters in disbelief. He looks like one of the smallest in the group, with a cherub face and pillowy lips. Dainty, white bridal wreath spirea flowers are tucked within the curls of his hair.

“I thought she got away for good,” the one standing next to him whispers, voice deep. He’s tall with long legs and a strikingly handsome face. The deep reds of carolina-allspice stick out of his pocket square boutonnière.

“Is that how you welcome your mother?” Hobi scolds as he finally sets you on your feet. But he keeps a hand on the small of your back, as if wanting to keep you close regardless. His sharp glare causes the six men to break into forced smiles as they greet you.

“It’s been so long, we didn’t recognize you!” another handsome man exclaims. Sewn on his shirt are dried roses and rumex flowers. The smile on his pretty lips is a little too composed to be genuine. “Do you remember any of us?”

“I don’t,” you admit, looking at each of them. None of their faces really ring a bell, but like with Hobi, it strangely feels like you know them as well. Old friends you can’t remember the names of.

“She’s forgotten so much since she’s been away from us,” Hobi explains, shaking his head with pity. “We have a lot of work to do to help her get reacquainted with everything again, but don’t worry. I’m not going to let her leave us again. She promised to stay with us forever this time.”

You see the panic in some of their eyes.

One of them catches your gaze. He’s one of the tallest and most muscular, with high cheekbones and deep dimples when he smiles. He wears his clematis flowers around his head like a crown. His sharp eyes look almost distraught when he asks you, “Why did you promise him that?”

“Is that a problem, Joon?”

A tense silence follows Hobi’s question as he narrows his eyes, displeased by the outburst.

“It’s not, Hobi. We’re just surprised,” the other smallest of the group quickly assures him. He’s quite pale compared to the others, with doll-like features and feline eyes. One larch flower hangs around his neck, tired together with thin, knotted leather.

“Welcome home, Mother,” the last lost boy greets you. A tiny mole is just below his thin lips as his round eyes stare at you with pity. Tiger lilies are fastened around his wrist like a corsage. The greeting is as warm as it could be, but the way they all look at you screams more than what they’re allowed to say.

That you shouldn’t have come back here. That this is a mistake.

Like many children, when you were a little girl, you liked to play pretend. You’d let your imagination go wild, from envisioning perilous and exciting adventures with your brothers out in your grandmother’s garden to mimicking your mother’s mannerisms and the way she spoke as you tuck your dolls and stuffed animals to bed and slipped your tiny feet into a pair of her high heels.

Without a doubt, you played pretend in this world as well.

As the only girl among many boys, you naturally took the role of a mother. You’d remind them to wash their hands before eating, assign house chores to keep the bunker clean, kiss away bruises and scratches, and tell bedtime stories before tucking them all in – just as you did with your stuffed toys and dolls.

Being the eldest daughter in your family, and often having to take care of your own unruly brothers, helped you play the part perfectly.

The lost boys – who’ve come to this world, sometimes by accident, sometimes through deals with the Fae, and have now forgotten their lives outside this realm – are the children. Your heart pitied them when they admitted they couldn’t remember their real mothers, and you felt glad when they started to see you as theirs.

Many of their faces are a blur to you now, but if you could recall them as vividly as they remembered you, you’d realize many of your most precious childhood memories were with them. From cheers of encouragement and triumph when you’d win games or when they’d perfectly hit their targets during practice, to their animated reactions when you’d tell them your silly stories and how they keep asking for more, to one of the boys taking your hand and hiding you away as he makes a promise to you.

“When you’re with me, you’ll always be safe from him.”

And, of course, Hobi – as the leader of the lost boys – played the role of the father. He’d draw a sword and try to discipline them if they misbehave, before you intervened with an alternative.

A beastly concoction. The nasty, sticky, sweet kind.

Medicine.

The word alone had the boys begging for Hobi’s punishment instead as he grinned at you with a proud, crooked smile.

House with you as the mother and him as the father is Hobi’s favorite game.

Make-believe works differently in this island of dreams. Almost anything can be possible if you simply wish it to be.

In your world, if you wanted to make a cake, you’d mix some water in the dirt and shape the mud into a circle and pretend it’s a cake.

In this world, if you mix water in the dirt and shape the mud into a circle, it’d start to smell like chocolate. That rich, sweet aroma would fill the bunker and make your mouth salivate. And when you’re done baking it, it would look like the cake you’ve envisioned, pulled right out of your imagination with fluffy layered pieces coated and mixed with chocolate instead of mud and dirt.

At the end of the day, however, it’s just a pile of mud. Make-believe. Inedible, even if it looks and smells otherwise.

However, there’s some magic in this world that transforms it into an actual cake. But that only seems to be when Hobi wishes it to be.

The forces of this world are his to command.

If he leaves this world to return to yours, a sudden and harsh winter falls across the land. The seas are frozen over, the skies become dark and gloomy, flowers and plants wilt away, and all the residents of the world hide away in their homes to rest. But when he returns, everything comes to life again: sunlight warms the waters, flowers bloom, and everything seems to bask in his presence and welcome him home.

If he wants to go on an adventure, the lost boys stop whatever they’re doing and obey his command. They grab their weapons and their gear, and prepare to head out for whatever Hobi decides they’ll do that day. Whether it’s to listen to intel from the mermaids in the lagoon, exchange found treasures with the dwarves, hunt with the elves, or mess with the pirates while they’re at sea.

If he simply wants to stay inside the bunker to be with you, then you’re forced to deal with an incredibly powerful faerie. Whose illusions can make mud into cake, who brings light and sunshine to an otherwise dreary world, and whose presence strikes fear to those who disobey or go against him.

To Hobi, this was all more than just make-believe.

A small feast is displayed on the table of everyone’s favorites: noodles, chicken, grilled pork belly, seafood stew, fried rice, and lamb skewers among many other dishes and sides. You see a lot of your favorites as well, as if your cravings have manifested and found their place on the table. 

Part of you wonders if what you’re looking at is even real. If you take a slice of cake and bite into it, would you taste the rich, sweet taste of chocolate? Or would it taste like dirt?

“Eat up, darling,” Hobi says from the head of the table. He takes a big bite of some noodles, as if to show you it’s safe to consume. “We have a busy day tomorrow.”

He plans to show you everything you missed over the years: the mermaid lagoon, the dwarven caves, and the elven woods. Things you’ve only seen glimpses of in your dreams. A part of you feels excited to see these places, despite the circumstances you’ve found yourself in.

But, as you easily catch on, not everything is what it seems to be.

Subtly, you see the one called Joon shake his head. Some of the others gathered around the table watch you nervously, not touching anything on the table either, even when it all looks and smells so appetizing.

“I’m not very hungry,” you tell him. You remember your grandmother warned you not to accept food, favors, or gifts from the Fae.

Hobi frowns. “You must eat something.”

“Perhaps I will later,” you reply, trying not to look at the food anymore. All your favorites, deliciously displayed before you, feels like a taunt now. “I’ve only just arrived here, and it’s a little overwhelming.”

“Fine. Your choice,” Hobi says, surprisingly easily. He seems a bit annoyed, but decides to let it go for now. “You’ll have to eat eventually, though.”

The lost boys begin to fill their plate, seeming particular about which ones they grab. By now, they must know which are real and which are just illusions, and everything near you must be spoiled, rotten, or a trap.

Hobi keeps an eye on everyone at the table, making sure that they don’t try to feed you or throw hints of what is safe to eat. And you fall quiet, holding your stomach, chanting the five rules in your head.

There are six lost boys that live in the underground bunker.

Jin is the oldest, and shoulders a lot of responsibilities to look after the others. His first mistake when he came to this world is eating food from the faeries, and its powers trapped him here in this realm. When Hobi isn’t looking, he slides an apple underneath the table for you and murmurs not to touch the meat.

Yoon is the second oldest, and seems to be the main craftsman of the group. Hobi talks to him about making some changes to accommodate your stay, like some new furniture in the old room you used to stay in. He’s been a lost boy for so long, he doesn’t remember his life in the human realm or how he got here.

Unlike Joon, who does remember bits about his past life, despite being part of the lost boys the longest. There was a deal gone wrong where he traded his life for his sister’s when she contacted a faerie for help, and he wound up here with Hobi and the others. He doesn’t regret the decision since his sister is safe, and he’s grown close with the other boys, but he seems most concerned with you, as if you sometimes remind him of his foolish sister.

Min is the designated healer of the group. Although he’s human, he looks like he could be a faerie himself. Perhaps that’s why, when he was a baby, he was kidnapped and taken here. Raised by faeries with healing abilities until he joined the lost boys.

Tae is the best sharpshooter, and rarely misses a target. He was on a hike with his family when he saw a wisp in the woods and followed it deeper into the thickets, where he soon found himself missing from the others. It was hard for him, from what he remembers of his early days, but eventually, he started to forget the pain and grief when he started to forget his family and friends. “That’s the thing about this place,” he later warns you. “You forget.”

And Kook, the youngest of the group, had willingly come to this world for the thrills of fun and adventure, like you once had. It’s hard not to be enticed by what this world has to offer to a young boy and a child at heart. You don’t blame him for accepting a deal when Hobi gave him the opportunity to do this forever. But forever, as you had said, is an awfully long time.

Jin, Yoon, Joon, Min, Tae, and Kook. You realize none of the boys are called by their full names, but what seems like a partial name. An alias or a nickname.

You have a feeling that if you ask them for their true names, they won’t know how to answer you. That they wouldn’t be able to.

Because they’ve already long forgotten them.

Your room isn’t ready yet.

In a fluster, Hobi and the lost boys come in and out of the bunker, carrying tools and supplies, cleaning up and moving furniture around, and accommodating your sudden arrival. From the main room, you could hear the ruckus of construction and Hobi barking his orders, wanting everything to be perfect for you.

One of them – Joon, you think – is assigned to stay with you.

“Just in case,” Hobi tells you with a bright and dangerous smile. “Even though I know you won’t be stupid enough to run away. Right?” 

You huff under your breath. Even if you could escape, where would you go? You’re in his world now. There isn’t really anywhere you could run off to.

A long, uncomfortable silence stretches out between you and Joon. Although he tries not to stare, you still feel his eyes on you. It must feel strange. The last time you saw any of them, you were a little girl.

“Why did you come back?” he finally asks. His voice is quiet, as if he’s afraid that Hobi could hear him from the other room.

“My grandmother,” you reply truthfully. Your heart sinks as you think about her. “She’s been trying to protect me for so long. I had hoped that leaving with him would protect her and the rest of my family this time.”

He nods understandingly. But the pity is still clear in his eyes. “I remember your brothers. One always had a little bear with him, and the other was always a gentleman.”

You smile a little as you try to imagine it. Your younger brother – who is now married with a kid on the way – always carried himself as a well-mannered and polite person, even when he was a child. But he was fascinated with pirates and exploration, and you could see him easily getting along with other boys who shared the same thrill of adventure with him. And your other brother – who lives overseas – was a bit clumsy and sweet, and brought his favorite toy with him wherever he went. Despite being one of the youngest boys at the time, he’s very endearing and charming, and the other boys seemed to want to protect him rather than leave him out of their antics.

They didn’t come to this world with you all the time, though. After all, it was only you that the faerie was after.

At some point, your brothers must’ve realized something you hadn’t and had stopped coming here. You wish you could talk to them now.

“Could you show me around?” you ask, hearing your voice waver. It was your choice to accept a deal with the faerie, but you still miss your family terribly.

Joon nods and shows you around the little underground home. Although you and Hobi entered through a magical front door, there are slides and ladders that mark the several entry and exit points of the bunker. The main area consists of an open kitchen, a large dining area with tables pushed together, and a spacious common room for dozens of children to run around and play, and for the lost boys to spar against each other with wooden weapons. Beyond the main room are curtained archways that lead to small rooms with bunks and cots that the boys share.

As you’re shown around, you feel like you’re in a bright and cozy cottage treehouse. Every furniture piece is handcrafted from wood and stones. Hanging ivy and wildflowers decorate the bunker with its vibrant colors and lush greenery. Beams of moonlight peek through the thick roots and mossy ceiling above you. There’s even a tall stone hearth in the main room that provides warmth and light through the cold nights.

“Do you still tell stories?” Joon asks as you both take a moment to watch the glowing fire.

A tangible memory comes to you. One where you’d sit by the fireplace and tell your silly stories to all the lost boys and Hobi. You liked to tell them your favorites: Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty – the fairy tales that end with true love and a kiss. And even if they’ve heard the story before, they love the way you tell them.

“I do,” you reply softly. “I was actually working on a story before I came here.”

“About what?”

“This world. This place,” you gesture vaguely. “This…”

“Neverland.”

“Yes.” Neverland – a place of dreams. A world Hobi declares as his and yours.

“I’m glad that hasn’t changed,” Joon tells you sincerely. “We’ve always loved your stories.”

For the first time since you arrived, you smile back at him. A sense of relief lifts the burden of uneasiness you’ve been feeling. Perhaps, because you and the lost boys were all friends once. Perhaps, because they know you’re scared and they’re trying to take care of you and comfort you behind Hobi’s back.

Or, perhaps, because when you really think about it, your situation isn’t that different from theirs. You’re all trapped in this Neverland with no hope of escape.

Further down, the two of you end up in a particular room. Unlike the rest of the bunker, this one feels old and desolate. The wood flooring is decayed and rotting, threatening to collapse within itself. Overgrown vines snake down poorly-lit walls, and gnarled roots twist across the shadowy floor. The amount of cobwebs and dust indicate that no one has been in there for years, and Joon seemed hesitant to follow you inside.

“Who’s room is this?” you ask, noting the broken furniture and the holes punched through the walls. It’s as if someone was in a fit of rage and trashed this place.

“I don’t remember,” Joon admits with a frown. Of all the lost boys, he tends to remember things the most. “I think it might’ve belonged to…”

He trails off, and you follow his line of vision to see what’s caught his attention.

Tucked away, hidden and mostly covered by torn sheets, is an old chest. An iron lock keeps it shut and sealed, but a rusted key sticks out of the keyhole.

“What is this?” you ask, but Joon shrugs. Curious, you pull out the chest, grab the old key, and slowly turn it until you hear a loud click. The lock falls off, broken on the ground. The chest creaks as you lift the top.

For a brief second, you imagine gold, jewels, and valuable treasure inside the chest.

Instead, you find small wooden rounds sliced from nearby tree branches, each about the size of a child’s hand. Engraved in the center of every piece are initials. There must’ve been hundreds of them inside the chest.

“There used to be more of us,” Joon explains when he realizes what it is – what this treasure represents. One carving equals one lost boy. There’s a solemn look on his face. “A lot more.” 

“How many?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. Twenty or so?”

You vaguely remember it. You and your brothers in a room full of rowdy boys, eating a big feast together in celebration of a successful adventure. You could hear the constant chatter and laughter. How lively and chaotic everything used to be.

Now, it’s dreadfully quiet and empty. The noise levels are down, many of the rooms are left abandoned and dusty. Most of the boys are gone, and now, there are only six left.

“What happened to them?” you ask, but you’re afraid you already know the answer.

Joon replies anyway. “Father did.”

When you first arrived at Neverland, you nearly died.

A lost boy – Tae, who’s always felt guilty about it afterwards – shot you with an arrow when he mistook you for a bird. You survived the fall – the magical effects of pixie dust softening the harsh blow – and landed close to their secret hideout. And before Hobi could draw his knife and run it through Tae’s chest in revenge, Min confirmed you’re still breathing and Hobi rushed to your side and forgot all about punishing him.

It turned out that Hobi’s gift saved you that day. The acorn necklace that you tied around your neck before you went off on your adventure with him blocked the cut of the arrow’s blade and spared you.

As an apology, the lost boys built you a lovely house with their bare hands as you rested, and went on their hands and knees and begged for your forgiveness when you woke up and came out of the house they built. Tae even handed you a knife and tugged on his shirt, waiting for you to strike him as revenge.

Of course, you never did. You immediately dropped the weapon and hugged him instead, thanking him and the other boys for building you such a lovely and thoughtful thing.

Years later, you find yourself standing in front of that same, one-room cottage.

It’s still tiny and pretty, with red-barked walls and a mossy thatch roof. Cobblestones and flowerbeds are laid around the structure, and wooden planter boxes carry your birth flowers by the carved windows that are outlined with stone bricks. Around the canopy bed are four wooden posts that look like tree trunks, and the green leaves and hanging vines decorate the top connecting pieces. Your furniture is also made of wood and stone, but is made with higher quality and more carefully crafted. Surely, the handiwork of Yoon’s skills and personal touch. A separate hearth is set up to keep you warm at night, the furnace already lit with a cozy fire, and a window that reminds you of the nursery allows the silver moonlight to flood in.

To you, Hobi, and the others, you see a small, handcrafted cottage that resembles a whimsical garden decoration, located just far enough for privacy but still close enough for you to easily access an entrypoint to the hideout. But like the main bunker, it’s hidden with strong, magical illusions. Anyone else who’d pass by it would only see another tree in the dense woods.

“What do you think, darling?” Hobi asks, tucking your hair behind your ear. “Be honest.”

“It’s… different from before,” you tell him, though you sound uncertain with your own observation.

Hobi hums. You feel his fingertips brush against the skin below your ear and start to caress your jaw. “How so?”

Old memories start to resurface the longer you’re here, and you recall things like how the bed used to be smaller and that the chest that used to be in the corner of your room is now at the front of the bed. There’s now a chair by the small fireplace, and a woven basket full of yarn and fabric. Candlelight and flowers replace most of the toys and trinkets that you used to have.

It’s your room, but it’s not. Rather, it’s a strange contradiction, both new and familiar. Jumbled like a puzzle piece, trying to find its place in your memories.

He’s touching the curve of your neck now, and his fingers stop when it touches a leather thread hidden under your clothes. You step away from him then, nearly shuddering at the sudden emptiness you feel. “It just is.”

You hope to end the conversation there, turning your back to him.

Perhaps you feel overwhelmed, thrown into a new place, hungry and exhausted. But something about the faerie pulls you to him like a pied piper’s song. Your mind feels hazy, but you know that once upon a time, the two of you were friends. Nothing more.

“You still have it,” he observes. His gaze feels penetrating on your back. “My kiss.”

“You’re what?”

Against your better judgement, you turn your attention to the faerie again. The contrast of the golden glow of the fire and silvery shine of the moonlight makes him look dangerously alluring. Your eyes linger on his handsome face, and it’s like you feel an invisible pull. You want to step closer to him, you want to reach out and touch him, you want to be with him.

“There’s something that I want from you,” Hobi repeats, making the move to step closer to you. Standing so close,  it snaps you out of your distracting thoughts. 

You hadn’t realized he said something the first time. “What do you want?”

Hobi smiles and says, “A thimble.”

You’re… confused. Where would you even find something like that here?

“I don’t have one.”

Hobi hums in disappointment. You gasp when his hand suddenly grabs the leather thread around your neck and pulls out the acorn pendant hidden in your top. You grab his forearm, scared he’d choke you with it. The necklace doesn’t fit as loosely on you as it did when you were a child. Even when you have readjusted the knot, the string is short. But you’ve been wearing it ever since you found it inside the sewing drawer of the nursery.

“That’s too bad,” he says, carefully examining the old acorn. It’s discolored and damaged, brittle to the touch. Yet, your reaction is telling – even if you don’t remember why, you know it’s important to you. He lets the necklace go, his fingers lightly touching your cheek as his thumb swipes the bottom of your lip. “I was hoping you’d give me another one.”

You’re starting to think that, perhaps, a literal thimble isn’t what he’s asking for.

“I have nothing else to offer you,” you declare, pushing him away.

The faerie laughs. It sends a shiver up your spine.

“On the contrary, darling, you do. In the end, I always give you what you want, but this time, we’re playing this game differently,” he vows with an arrogant smile. “This time, we’ll do things my way, and you’ll give in to me completely.”

With that said, he kisses your cheek. Then, he exits your room, flying out into the night as the fire in the furnace suddenly dies out.

But he doesn’t go far. When you peek through the window, you see him guarding your little home with a knife tied to his waist. For now, it seems like he’ll leave you alone for the rest of the night. But how much longer could you keep resisting him?

Alone, cold, hungry, and scared, you couldn’t help but cry through a sleepless night, grasping the broken acorn pendant in your hand.

“Good morning, Mother.”

One by one, the lost boys enter your tiny cottage, carrying a tray of food and a small bouquet of flowers. It’s roasted poultry, hand-picked fruits and berries, and fresh water in a cup made of clay. It’s simple, but you hadn’t eaten the night before. 

Still, you eye the food with uncertainty.

“It’s safe,” the oldest lost boy – Jin – tells you. He picks a berry from your plate and pops it in his mouth. “See? Not poison.”

“This is what we fed you all the time when you were little,” the second oldest, Yoon, adds. He gives you a tiny nod, encouraging you to try it.

Perhaps you should’ve been more cautious, but you’re so hungry, you scarf it down without a second thought. The boys seem relieved that you’re eating. 

“Did you sleep well?” Min asks, seeming to check if you had any cuts or bruises anywhere. Although Hobi wouldn’t lay a finger on you, Min checks anyway out of habit. As if it’s not uncommon for one of them to get hurt after being alone with Hobi for a while.

“Not really,” you admit. Honestly, it feels like you haven’t slept at all.

As the night settled, you kept hoping you’d wake up at the old nursery, sprawled on your childhood bed that’s a little too small for you. Or perhaps by your writing desk, with your laptop open to a draft of the story you’re in the middle of writing, your vivid imagination gone wild, and your body sore from dozing off. Or even on the living room couch after an afternoon nap, with the late sunlight beaming on your face from the window of your grandmother’s home as she softly sings and waters the plants.

Yet, you’re still here. In this never-ending nightmare.

Curious and saddened looks surround you. They never expected to see you again after you stopped visiting Neverland. Honestly, they must’ve thought it’s for the best that you’ve forgotten them. So much has changed, but once upon a time, you were more than just a friend to them – you were family.

“I know this is a lot,” Kook emphasizes, gesturing around vaguely. “But just know that we’re here for you. We’ll take care of you for once. Right, guys?”

The corners of your mouth curve to a small, appreciative smile at the chorus of agreements that follow after. It feels reassuring to know that you aren’t facing this nightmare alone.

“If there’s anything you’d like to know, we’ll do our best to answer,” Joon adds from one of the very few chairs in your house.

Jin chuckles as he settles on the ground by your feet. “We do have a lot to catch up on.”

So, a story unfolds about you and a faerie named Hope.

Once, there was a boy that was abandoned at a local park. Faeries found him, took him in, and raised him as one of their own. Over time, that boy became a faerie himself, and his newfound abilities aided him throughout his make-believe adventures throughout the land. Under the Fae Court, where his parents ruled as the king and queen, he became powerful.

But the faerie prince was lonely. Thus, the Lost Boys came to be.

It started with one boy. Then, a few more. Little by little, their group continued to grow as Hope traveled between worlds, bringing in other children who’ve been lost and abandoned like him. Each boy carved their initials into wood, threw it into an old chest, and were given a new identity, a brotherhood, and a promise of adventure.

Then, he discovered your grandmother when she was a child. It was his first time bringing a girl to their underground hideout, but she fit in with the other boys so well, he offered to let her stay with him forever. A lifetime in paradise as the first Lost Girl.

At first, your grandmother eagerly accepted, returning to her world one last time to say a final goodbye. But then, she met your grandfather. And it was no longer the childish whims of make-believe that she desired anymore.

Behind Hope’s back, she made a new contract with the Fae Court to have a normal human life again. But it was too late.

She was already turning into a Fae herself, able to see their kind in the human realm. It was dangerous to let her go and reveal their sacred secrets, even if they wanted to take back her agreement. Still, she fought to free herself and protect her family, and reluctantly, she agreed that her freedom would be exchanged for yours. 

The firstborn of the child the faeries could not have.

Your fate was sealed. And after you were born, Hope often came to meet you, to see the girl that was promised to be his. In the shadows, he watched as you started to grow up with your brothers.

Sometimes, he’d think you could sense him too.  You’d pause mid-game or mid-sentence and look over at his direction, as if you could feel him watching you. Your eyes search for something you can’t yet see.

But then, one day, despite how careful he was to conceal himself, you found him.

“You’re the boy in the flowers,” you state, spotting him again by the yellow buttercups. “Do you want to play with me?”

“Sis, who are you talking to?” one of your brothers asks, and when you try to explain that it’s the boy you’ve been telling them about, they both look confused. 

They don’t see a boy with you.

“It’s her imaginary friend,” your other brother whispers. “My classmate has one too.”

“He’s not imaginary! He’s real!” you protest, but when you turn back to Hope, he’s gone. Your grandmother calls for you three to come back inside to eat, and your brothers race each other to get to her first. But you linger behind for a moment longer, looking back at the bed of buttercups where he stood.

But that same night, Hope snuck into the nursery where you and your brothers slept. He stood over your bed, thinking about how you surprised him that day.

At that very moment, he realized how perfect you are. He wanted to take you away from this place. Bring you to Neverland, where you’ll always stay by his side.

When you roused from your sleep, you nearly screamed when you saw the shadowy figure of the boy in your room. But Hope covers your mouth with one hand and signals for you to be quiet with the other, hushing you with a finger over his lip.

“What are you doing here?” you whisper with widened eyes when he lets you go. Though, the chilling breeze from the nursery window answers your question.

The boy before you merely smiles. “Do you want to play with me?”

The chatter around you fades into the background as the boys start talking about the various adventures you went with them after Hobi brought you to Neverland. Some of them, you remember. Most of them, you don’t.

Still, you see images that you can barely grasp. Fond memories of lying out on the grass and watching pink clouds slowly float by, of swimming in a beautiful lagoon and competing on who could hold their breath the longest underwater, of digging up buried treasure and running away with it before the pirates discover it’s gone.

“I’d like to give you a kiss,” you shyly tell him, surely dreaming of the boy you see before you. You’re flustered by your own confession – even if it is a dream. But it quickly turns to confusion when he holds up his hand and waits expectedly. You blink back at him, starting to realize that, perhaps, this isn’t really a dream after all. “Don’t you know what a kiss is?”

“I’ll know when you give it to me,” he replies.

You think he’s messing with you. So, you reach into the little sewing drawer by your bedside and place a small, silver thimble on the palm of his open hand. He takes it, examining the “kiss” carefully, and you can’t help but giggle at how cute he is.

“You really don’t know!” you exclaim, nearly forgetting to keep your voice down. Your brothers are in the room and are still asleep.

“Of course I do!” he bluffs, his hands searching his clothes until he finds what he’s looking for. He hands you back an acorn. “This is yours. My kiss.”

“You still have it.”

“What?” you ask, snapping out of your thoughts. You hadn’t realized that the room had quieted down.

“The kiss,” Kook clarifies as he nods at the acorn necklace you absentmindedly have been fiddling with. You look down at it, and your stomach flutters when you realize what Hobi meant when he asked you for a thimble last night.

You tuck the necklace under your shirt. You don’t want to look at it anymore. “Where is he now?”

“He went to the Fae Court to meet with the king,” Tae tells you, looking a bit uneasy. Even in this world, the Fae aren’t to be messed with. “His father.”

Your eyes widen at the revelation. You knew Hobi was a faerie, but you didn’t know he was also royalty. High rank faeries have incredible, god-like power. They control the seasons, manipulate the tides of time and age, and grant wishes in exchange for things they deem of equal value.

It makes sense that Hobi is essentially untouchable. He’s the prince of the Fae.

“What does he plan to do with me?” you wonder, thinking of all the horrible possibilities that you’ve read about the Fae. Enslavement, sacrifice, torture, and even death. None of those options seem beyond what he could do to you.

“After your grandmother left, things changed. Time works differently now. That affected all of us as well,” Tae explains, looking over at his friends and how they’ve all grown up. 

“The current king is getting old too and is stepping down,” Yoon adds as he crosses his arms. “They need Hobi to grow up and take over the Fae Court.”

“Now that you’re here,” Jin continues, looking at you with pity in his eyes, “we’re certain he intends to make you his queen.”

“He wants to marry me?” you ask, wondering how that’d even be possible. You’re human. You doubt the Fae Court would accept someone like you as their queen.

“Nothing is more meaningful to a faerie than an oath of commitment – a ceremony that celebrates a union where two people – faerie or human – agree to love each other, even if that’s not how they really feel,” Joon explains with a frown. “And Hobi wants nothing more than to truly make you his.”

Thank you for reading ♡ Comments & reviews are greatly appreciated!

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[synnamon-hearts]

HC’s of Until Dawn character’s favorite kinks?

We know Josh gets into role-play and Emily/Matt like handcuffs/bondage, but what else?

Oooooo, I've been waiting for this request!

NSFW down below!

𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭

Josh ~ Josh is into a variety of kinks, okay? Like there is barely any limit when it comes to this man. He is down to try anything. I could make a whole past about them all but I'll keep this short, lol. Personally I think one of his top kinks is power play. He likes being able to hold authority over you. Controlling someone's every move and feeling almost fills the void of having little control over his own mind. And on days where he isn't feeling so strong and doesn't have the energy to be as dominant as he usually is, he prefers you to take the lead. Oddly enough, being that vulnerable with the one he cares for is comforting in a way.

𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭

Chris ~ Hear me out, he has a thing for fantasy roleplay. Arggggg if you dress up as one of his video game character crushes, this man is done for. Characters like Kitana from Mortal Kombat, Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy, Jill Valentine or Claire Redfield from Resident Evil have his heart the most. Basically any strong, intimidating woman character. He wants you on him, riding him for hours with the costume still on so he can appreciate the view. Nothing rocks his world better.

𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭

Mike ~ Wolf tail butt plug for sure. I'm kidding! I'm kidding! He actually really likes exhibitionism. This man is cocky as fuck, okay? So the idea of someone seeing 'the goods' or hearing how well he rails you works better than viagra for him. Mmmm, doing it in a bathroom stall or up against a tree in the park. He has even fingered you in class once. It's such a turn on for him to have that sense of pride, knowing damn well that others could hear you both going at it in the best ways. And he loves how flustered and embarrassed you are over the risk of getting caught. It's so cute and just makes him want to destroy you more!

𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭

Matt ~ So I believe Matt has a thing for praise kink! The reason I think this is because he seems to light up whenever Emily compliments him or he tries to boast himself while flirting. For every compliment you give him adds at least another 30 minutes of attention he is giving you later on when you are both alone. Run your fingers through his hair and tell him how good he's doing, it'll have his eyes rolling into the back of his head! Tell him how you think he's the best sex you've ever had, it'll make him cum on the spot! Oh, and if he hears you talking about him to your friends, whether it's Innocent or naughty, he will go feral. He just wants to be the best man for you.

𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭

Sam ~ I wouldn't really think of Sam as the kinky type but if I would give her one, it would be outdoor sex. Imagine you two go on a hike, both exchanging flirty banter the whole time. Overtime, you're both feeling so heated from the hot sun shining down upon and there's clearly some built up tension from the flirting you've both been doing this whole time. Why not take a dip in a nearby lake to cool down? Well, at least you both go a few minutes of swimming before you can't keep your hands off of each other. It's something about the magical feeling of being out in the wilderness that does it for her. It's a place where she can be at peace so deeply enough that she can become one with you.

𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭

Ashley ~ Okay sooooooooooo I know I did roleplay for Chris but HEAR ME OUT!!! I headcanon that Ashley writes fanfiction and if some smut is in the mix (which I fully believe there are, just better hidden than her other ones she forces her friends to read) imagine if you found that out and bought costumes of the characters so you could both act out the scene she wrote with the soft taps of her own fingers to her keyboard? The girl would be in love with you in a second for your dedication and devotion to her work. And she has hundreds of content, so you'll never run out of stories to bring to life!

𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭

Jess ~ Jess loooooves body worship! Take off her clothes as slowly as ever. Savor that girl! She is a blushing mess if you kiss every inch of her body, whispering words of love and affirmation every time you come up for air. Go down on her for hours and tell her how amazing she tastes. A secretly self-conscious girly like Jess craves this kind of shit. So every single thing you do to show her how beautiful you think she is means everything to her. Hell, even something as simple as undressing her with your eyes at a party with your friends or giving her the sweetest compliments at the most random times flusters the absolute hell out of her.

𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭

Emily ~ Dominance, you can't tell me otherwise. Get on your knees before her and devote yourself as her loyal servant, do anything you can to make your highness satisfied, shower her with compliments to show how much you worship her. And for the love of fucking, if you don't satisfy her with your acts of worship, you are in for a night of nothing but torturous punishments. I'm talking orgasm denial, extreme edging, this girl will use you as her own personal sex toy until she's happy and might not consider giving you something in return in the end. But if you make her happy, she will hold up her end of the bargain and will not disappoint.

𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭~𖹭

[alexanderwales]

The Index

This is an index of things I've written and posted online, with minimal descriptions because most of them have blurbs if you click the link. This list is not exhaustive, especially because there are a bunch of short stories and dribbles in various places. If something you liked is missing, let me know.

Web Serials

Worth the Candle - Juniper Smith is a teenaged Dungeon Master who ends up in a world filled with all the things he dreamt up for his campaigns, along with signs of his friend who died months earlier. This Used to be About Dungeons - Five teenagers live in a house together, bake bread, tend the garden, and occasionally fight monsters in dungeons. Thresholder - Thresholders travel from world to world, fantasy one minute and scifi the next, always encountering an opponent, growing stronger as they battle. Shadows of the Limelight - Fame gives you superpowers, and Dominic just saved the world's greatest hero from defeat in full view of a large audience. Glimwarden (unfinished) - A small town huddles around lanterns that keep the darklings at bay. Four teenagers must grow in power as the darkness encroaches. The Dark Wizard of Donkerk (unedited) - Two men steal a baby from an orphanage, then find out he's too cute to sacrifice and raise him as their own.

Fanfic

The Metropolitan Man (Superman) - Lex Luthor attempts to unravel the secrets of the alien. A Common Sense Guide to Doing the Most Good (Superman) - Superman gets really into effective altruism. Instruments of Destruction (Star Wars) - A fable of project management aboard the second Death Star, through the eyes of Admiral Tian Jerjerrod. Branches on the Tree of Time (Terminator) - Sarah Connor is working as a software engineer at UCLA when a naked man shows up on her doorstep. A Bluer Shade of White (Frozen) - Elsa can make life, and Olaf is smarter than he looks.

Shorts

Eager Readers in Your Area - Artificial intelligence has left authors scrambling for readers. Charlotte clicks on an ad. Variations - An orc visits an art exhibition where she feels out of place. Contratto - Julia takes a job as a marketer, working for the vampires to keep their secrets safe. The Randi Prize - James Randi offers a prize for anyone who can demonstrate supernatural abilities. Coming Home - After a long time isekaied to a fantasy kingdom, an errant father has coffee with his estranged son.

I also post short stuff to this very tumblr, which can usually be found under the #microfiction tag unless I forget. Usually this is mirrored on AO3, unless I'm lazy.

Web Comics

Millennial Scarlet - Lamont Pearce is a gig economy demon hunter whose mother ran a government agency meant to defend against Hell. Worth the Candle - A webcomic adaptation of the web serial

Non-Fiction

The AI Art Apocalypse - Slightly outdated thoughts from 2022. Why to Write a Sex Scene - Observations on the narrative purpose of carnal pursuits. Game Review: Underhill - This review contains no screenshots, because this game does not exist. Writing: An FAQ - Accumulated wisdom from 4 million words and counting. Creating Interesting Magic - A much-requested post on making interesting magic systems (and characters, and plots, and worlds). How to Write a Web Serial - It's both easier and harder than you think. The Trouble with Writing Nazis - On giving villains too much credit. Interesting Things to do with Time Loops - Exploring the boundaries of the conceit.