#it's three birds with one stone basically

[sharkylass]

ALRIGHT, I ASKED FOREVER AGO, BUT WHO WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT MY ISA LOOPS AU?? | [MASTERPOST]

Heads up this contains a lot, and I mean A LOT of spoilers for In Stars And Time. Including: = Act 6 spoilers, including main mystery and secret encounter = Minimal Act 5 stuff = And a bunch of extra stuff that happens through Act 3 and 4. SO BASICALLY ALMOST EVERYTHING, FINISH THIS GAME COMPLETELY BEFORE READING (ESPECIALLY THAT ACT 6 ENCOUNTER, IT WILL LITERALLY BE THE FIRST THING I MENTION UNDER THE CUT)

With all those warnings out of the way-

IN REPETITION AND CHANGE

Initial Concepts:

I feel it's important to show these sketches because they were the first ideas I ever had. I wasn't even entirely sure I wanted to make an AU at this point, I didn't even know how I'd approach it. But I started sketching and it's been on my mind since- SO! Isa is stuck in the timeloop. I know what his wish is and he DOES have a Loop equivalent! The grumpy dandelion guy is Roboro (it/they/he). Their name is a very small play on Ouroboros and they call Isa "Seedling". However, this post is not about them, as I'm gonna talk about it and Isa's dynamic in a separate post. In short, Isa is his normal loud self up until Act 3, right? They beat the King, they reach the end, and whoops, the loop isn't broken. So now, what happens is that Isa starts getting his brains out. He starts thinking more analytically and tries to problem solve.

The more stuck he gets in his head, the less he's able to perceive his friends as real people, and more like them holding him back. Because even if Isa explains that he's smart, that they shouldn't be surprised if he says something, shock of all shocks, reasonable- They'll forget it the next loop.

So Isa is stuck with trying to portray his confident, loud, supportive facade- Which is fine! It wouldn't be the first time! But it progressively gets more and more frustrating, as he tries to find answers and simply looses the energy to pretend to be stupid.

TL;DR: Isa in the timeloop, unlike Siffrin, becomes more distant and cold rather then something more akin to Sif's mania.

NOW, MORE ART!!!

KILL KILL KILL:

I imagine Isa didn't have this encounter the same way that Sif did. Yeah, frankly, Isa is pissed with the sadness- But that's not why he goes through with this.

In this moment, Isa is trying to kill two birds with one stone. He's trying to get through this quickly, as well as reassure Mira that they can do this! If he shows how strong he is, then she'll feel safe right???

Poor Isabeau forgot that whenever he shows that he thinks ahead, he scares people. How could he forget that? How could he forget that he's inherently---

Family Quest:

I still think Odile is the one to call out to him (same with sus quest).

The hangouts I'm still figuring out, cause I don't think they'd too similar to base game- But, fun fact, at the end of this run, everyone agrees to keep travel together!

Isabeau brings it up, can't hurt if you can fix your mistakes right? And everyone agrees. The relief on Siffrin is the most palpable thing Isabeau has ever seen.

In this moment they love you. In this moment they all love you. In this moment---

Death Screen:

He loops back anyways. (This is one of the initial concepts that I ended up animating. This line in particular is when he reaches the end)

Act 5 Tarot Card:

NOW TO SEE MORE OF HIS PASSIVE AGRESSIVE SIDE

Thanks to @the-bitter-ocean for prescribing tarot cards to Isa (THEY ALL FUCK SO HARD) and for the RAW ASS LINE

If interacted with in act 5, predictably, Isa tears it apart. He doesn't need the divine judgement upon him, he's faced everyone's perception his entire life.

However, he tears it methodically. Tears it once in even pieces, twice, three times, and one of the pieces once more. In a way he isn't even getting his emotions out, it's like he's actively trying to tear it apart so it stops nagging him, like he wants to shut it up. Though, the Judgement card symbolizes rebirth, absolution and inner calling. In Act 6 he'd be able to look at it and find comfort and confidence in the card.

Act 5 Mirror:

And lastly, I have the Act 5 mirror picture. I haven't quite figured out how to make the normal ones work yet, however, I couldn't let go of the idea that Isa would not want to be in the picture.

The idea of seeing himself at all makes his head hurt and his stomach squeeze. The memory haunts him as he stands to the side and says the word. He didn't think the mirror would catch him.

AAAAND THAT'S ALL THE ART STUFF FOR NOW!!

I still have quite a bit of it to post, especially about Roboro, but I'm gonna leave it here for now.

I still gotta figure out the hangouts and potentially the dagger equivalent- but I have ideas for Bad Touch, the glass equivalent, and some extra little things that didn't happen in Siffrin's loops.

I needed to yap about this, because I've been slowly stacking up ideas and writing and I needed to share it at some point- If anyone read all this and has questions and stuff I fully welcome 'em!!

[thehumanwiki]

hi and welcome to

✨bullshit that has ACTUALLY happened somewhere in the Pokémon franchise✨

-a teenaged boy runs away from home because of his abusive mom only to join a crime gang funded by his abusive mom.

-the player character is given a smartphone by and with direct contact to God.

-a man cosplaying God (the same God you got a phone from) attacks you with a demon banished to another dimension.

-a suicide cult led by an evil snowflake kills like one hundred other protagonists.

-there is an entire elemental typing consisting of abused and evil Pokémon that is super effective against everything else.

-the player falls into an alternate world and one of their friends is immediately arrested for playing sports.

-in the thrilling sequel, a bunch of ghosts kidnap children in their amusement park in the Shadow Realm.

-now that I think about it there are like three different games where the player character starts by falling from the sky.

-the protagonist of the TV adaptation has died like seven times, been crucified in Paris, watched several apocalypses, and has watched SO many people die in front of him, and I don’t think he’s brought it up like, ever.

-in one game, you can go on a crusade to brutally conquer the entire continent.

-the player of one game is part of a time loop caused by a magic turtle that indirectly kills one of their friend’s mother. Or father. Depends on the version.

-the player’s adoptive father is possessed by the personification of hate and sends them directly to Hell, then tries to do it again when they get out.

-the mafia’s plan for getting their boss back after he left is to violently hijack a radio station and ask really nicely.

-a space agency’s plan for stopping a meteor form colliding with the earth is to open a wormhole to another dimension. this plan is stopped by a woman in a torn cape who destroys their equipment and robs them.

-the protagonist’s father had a godlike clone fuse his consciousness with a mouse, and fights a man who fused his own consciousness with an alien.

-the one a cult leader chose to be king of his new religion is an abused autistic boy with green hair and wearing a baseball cap.

-you literally rob people’s Pokémon in one game and you’re still the good guy. …is there a gender neutral version of “good guy?”

And now for a BONUS ROUND!

✨shit that has gone down in the Pokémon manga adaptation alone!✨

-terrorists blow up an ENTIRE port city!

-one protagonist spent two years trapped in a Dream Realm™.

-you think that’s bad? TWO protagonists are trapped in the depths of space for like six months!

-you think THAT’S bad?! FIVE protagonists are turned into stone for an indefinite time period!

-a little orphan girl is hypnotized and trapped in a suit of armor.

-they crucify the gym leaders???

-one boy is whipped in the face with a chain used to subjugate the Gods Of Time And Space and he’s literally fine.

-a father punches his son in the face and hurls him down a staircase. The American translation censors this as a lightning strike.

-this same son fell into the ocean because of an earthquake like five chapters after he was introduced.

-one of the current protagonists is basically Wednesday Addams.

-two protagonists were kidnapped by birds and raised by a supervillain.

-two villains try to destroy the environment of an entire country, cause an apocalypse, and are stopped by being trapped in a flying car which crashes.

-a mysterious supervillain saves them— SOMEHOW— and makes them fight to the death for a suit of armor. The one that survives causes the apocalypse AGAIN but dies.

-they both get brought back from Hell to save the world, and after that’s over, they turn to dust and go back to Hell.

-the supervillain who saved them the first time also summons like ten gods and dips out, never to be seen again.

In other words Pokémon is weird (affectionate).

[strnilolover]

Cabin On The Mountain

in which . . . matt and reader decide to go to a cabin for a get away up on the mountains, secluded from everyone and everything else. what happens when they get snowed in their first night and matt decides on how to keep them busy?

content warnings : this is a short little mini series that will explicitly contain smut and mature themes. this whole thing will basically be smut with zero to very little plot whatsoever. this also skips a lot, so they are all different days and things they do each day. length also may very (they will mostly be short, but can be longer).

additional warnings : none for this part!

intro , one , two , three

INTRO

day one and two…

going to a cabin up on the mountains was something you and matt had been wanting to do for a while. going to a place that was away from everyone—secluded and quiet. it wasn’t often that you both got time for just yourselves, so when the opportunity came, you snatched it.

the drive up the mountain had been long, winding roads twisting through towering trees dusted with snow, but it was exactly what you and matt needed—a break from everything.

the cabin was nestled in the quiet solitude of the woods, it was small but cozy, with a stone fireplace and windows that reached from the floor to the ceiling. they framed the snow-covered trees like a painting, making them look absolutely gorgeous.

“look at how beautiful it is matt.” you said once he parked the car, quickly unbuckling yourself and slipping out the passenger door. your head tipped back to look at the building, already feeling the comfort it would bring to your tense mind.

“it’s very beautiful. but not as beautiful as you.” matt said, a smirk tugging at his lips as you just glared at him—heat crawling up your neck. you never could take a compliment from him even after all this time.

by the time you got everything inside—your bags, the groceries, the thick blankets you insisted on bringing—night had fallen, casting a peaceful hush over the mountain. the two of you had settled in quickly, lighting the fireplace and curling up on the couch side by side. your head resting against matt’s shoulder as he scrolled through his phone absentmindedly. the air smelt of pine and firewood—the smell bringing you comfort.

it kind of reminded you of matt in a way—this was all matt.

“y’know,” matt started, turning his head slightly to look at you. “I could get used to this. just us being out here with no loud noises. no one to disturb us.” he smiled at the thought, leaning down to press a kiss to your head. “would live here with you.”

you hummed in agreement, closing your eyes as his arm draped over your shoulders, pulling you in just a little closer. the two of you stayed like that for a while, wrapped up in the comfort of the moment, before eventually dragging yourselves to bed.

outside, the snow had started falling, light at first but quickly picking up, swirling through the air like something out of a movie. you hadn’t noticed—you were too warm, too comfortable, too wrapped up in the feeling of matt beside you as you both drifted off to sleep.

⸻

the next morning came quicker than you would have liked and you woke to an eerie sort of quiet. no birds, no wind, just… silence. slowly you stretched your arms above your head, rubbing your eyes before turning over on your side to glance over at matt, who was still buried beneath the blankets, face pressed into the pillow.

you giggled softly, reaching a hand out to brush his hair away from his face before you sat up, stretching once more. swinging your legs over the side of the bed you slipped out of the warmth and padded over to the window to pull back the curtains—only to be met with pure white staring back at you.

you squinted, temporarily blinded as the brightness hurt your eyes. you couldn’t believe it—the snow had doubled, even tripled over night and now..you couldn’t even see where things ended and where they began.

your stomach dropped slightly—you weren’t necessarily scared, just nervous at what to do. considering you and matt both had plans that were now going to have to be put on hold.

“matt.” you said, turning back towards the bed as you saw his body shift against the sheets. no response, so you tried again.

“matt baby, wake up.” finally a groggy, muffled sound came from the bed. “hmm?” you rolled your eyes at his response, and you couldn’t help but to smile—but that was quickly wiped away once you remembered what you were trying to tell him.

“we’re snowed in.” and that got his attention. he groaned, turning himself over and dragging himself up before stumbling over to stand beside you, eyes narrowing at the wall of snow blocking the view. “holy shit.” he breathed.

you turned to him. “what do we do? i mean we had plans that we had for the day.” you asked, worry laced through your voice.

he ran a hand through his messy hair, sighing. “well… we could panic, or…” he turned to you with a smirk, “we could take advantage of it.” you narrowed your eyes. “take advantage of being trapped?”

and he nodded. “think about it,” he said, reaching out and wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you against his bare chest before he peered down at you.

“now we have an excuse to do absolutely nothing. no expectations, no interruptions—just us.” and now his mind was racing with just exactly what they could do.

a/n : i came up with this on a whim, props to me for sticking it out and already having the next few parts of this either done or being written.

[deunmiu-dessie]

(unedited) captain price nsfw alphabet with p-links, 𝒶⸺𝓏

𝒜 = aftercare (what they’re like after sex) : john, as i've stated before, is very touchy. he likes having his hands on you in any way that he can. so he'll pull you to his chest as the two of you catch your breath and run his hands along your body, pressing kisses to the crown of your hairline. you usually end up dozing off before john does and so he takes the initiative to grab a warm, damp cloth and clean up the mess of cum between your thighs. after he's done, he'll hop right back into bed and pull you flush to his body, sliding his hands along the expanse of your thighs and counting each beauty mark and mole along your body in the dim lighting of the room until he eventually falls asleep. [connected to this post and this one as well!]

𝐵 = body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) : john's favorite body part of his would have to be his hands. they're big and calloused from work and he enjoys gently grasping your hips with them when he pulls you in for a slow kiss. he also adores how much you love them as well, his hands swamping yours whenever the two of you interlock fingers with each other. now john has an obsession with your lips, for him, they convey your emotions much better than words ever could. he can tell when you're annoyed with him by the purse of your lips. can tell when you're feeling shy by the slight upturn of the corner of your mouth. can tell when you're being sassy and sarcastic with the cute smirk that'll grace your lips and also when you're feeling sad by the way your lips curl in on themselves to form a line, and perhaps that's not a body part but it's his absolute favorite.

𝒞 = cum (anything to do with cum basically... i’m a disgusting person) : john's cum is pearl white in color and it's sticky and thick and there's always so much of it when he cums for the first time. the taste of his cum is slightly salty but it's not overbearing, you love the taste of him. price prefers to cum inside of you rather than anywhere else, this only started after john saw you holding your friend's newborn baby in your arms, it's been john's mission to impregnate you since then. [connected to this post!]

𝒟 = dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) : it's no secret that john is older than you, there's an obvious age gap and some people may sneer at your relationship (as you're in your mid to late twenties and john is thirty-seven.) during playful banters between you and john, your go-to "insult" is always, "old man", "yes, daddy." or something along those lines. and despite himself, price always finds that he's thick and hard in his pants. he won't ever tell you that though.

𝐸 = experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) : okay, price isn't the type to sleep around, he's had some occasional flings here and there, but that's about it. that doesn't mean he's inexperienced though, john puts in work. he studies your reactions and what you like. a delicious roll of his hips has him hitting that spongey little spot inside of you. licking his thumb before planting it on your clit to rub quick figure eights, has your thighs shaking and his name falling off your tongue like a prayer, and whispering lewd things in your ear and kissing you all sloppily in his pussy drunk state? has your cunt leaking all over the place. john price knows how to fuck and make love, he's perfect.

𝐹 = favorite position (this goes without saying. will probably include a visual) : hm, john's favorite position is called the 'g-whiz' it's a stupid name lowkey but it gives him the perfect view to watch your face as you fall apart over and over on his cock. it also gives him access to your g-spot and your clit as well. three birds with one stone (he loves watching your tits bounce too.)

𝒢 = goofy (are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc) : it's a mix. there are times when the two of you are going at it like bunnies and perhaps bump heads a bit too hard. or maybe one of you trips while pulling off a piece of clothing-- there's going to be obvious laughter. during softer sex, where john's thrusts are deep and rolling, slow and intimate--- his gaze is always so full of his adoration for you and it leaves you breathless at times. he kisses gently, whispering words of love to you and smiling at the tears that sting your eyes. so yeah, he's a mix.

𝐻 = hair (how well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.) : john, before he met you, wasn't really sexually active, and so he didn't keep up with grooming himself, there was no need for him to. he was out in the field for weeks on end at a time and when he was off the field all he wanted to do was relax and sleep as much as he could before he had to go back out for another mission. after he met you, however, he wanted to groom himself. not that you seemed to care, nor had you ever complained. but he did it anyways. so, price's hair is brown, nicely trimmed, with no scraggly hairs in sight.

𝐼 = intimacy (how are they during the moment, romantic aspect…) : please, john is madly in love with you and he himself knows it and he loves to make it known to you often, even outside of sex. price loves keeping eye contact with you, whether it's through a mirror, while you're riding him, or in any other position that allows the two of you to be face to face. he loves watching the small ticks in your expression as he grinds his hips into yours, cock sinking into you at the most excruciatingly slow pace he's ever gone. loves the way your cheeks flush and your cunt squeezes him when he calls you his, "pretty girl." this man also says 'i love you' often, and it's always so genuine, you never grow tired of hearing him say it. (he definitely doesn't kiss your chin when you give him an annoyed pouty look at his slow pace, he definitely doesn't apologize and speed up either.)

𝒥 = jack off (masturbation headcanon) : i find it hard to picture price masturbating, but i believe he does so when he's away from home for weeks on end, but it's not mindless masturbation like most men are prone to doing. john, when he's away from you for long periods of time, gets almost…needy?? in a way. this man misses you like no other, he misses the smell of you, your loving touches, your smile, your cooking, you pulling him to the living room floor to dance, your horrible singing when the two of you shower together and god he misses the sound of your voice. and this feeling is all so new to him and it's almost overwhelming. 

so when price has the downtime, he calls you, it's a spur-of-the-moment call and when you pick up, he can hear the thickness of sleep in your voice; he feels selfish and a bit foolish, he was acting like a horny teenager. however, after hearing the excitement in your voice and the surprise, he can only smile and ask how everything has been at home. who would've thought that the sound of your voice, all sleepy and soft would get him hard and thick within his cargos? who also would've thought that john price would unzip himself to pull out his rigid cock, tip leaking with pearlescent pre-cum and pulsing in his large hand. yes, john ends up fucking his fist to the sound of your voice, humming and grunting softly to signify that he's listening to you, thighs tensing and heart hammering in his ribcage. i mean, what you don't know won't hurt you.

𝒦 = kink (one or more of their kinks) : hear me out, roleplay, please! wait, think about it, perhaps it's not full-on roleplay but it's something of the sort, john gets a raging boner when you call him 'captain price' mockingly or 'sir'. another would have to be breeding, john wants to knock you up so bad it's almost an obsession, would love to see you swollen with his child, most definitely says something along the lines of. "good girl, wan' t'get you pregnant so bad. you'd like that, hm?" during sex. a mild voice kink? loves the sound of your voice and almost always cums instantly when you beg him to fill you up.

𝐿 = location (favorite places to do the do) : don't really see john being too much of an exhibitionist but the two of you have had sex outside at a park, while on a picnic. you had crawled into his lap and kissed him softly, pleadingly, blinking your pretty little lashes at him and i mean; who is he to say no to your greedy little cunt? however, he prefers to do it in the comfort of your shared home. ♡

𝑀 = motivation (what turns them on, gets them going) : your teasing. whether it be playful or sexual it always riles price up. it's one of the many things that he loves about you, your sense of humor. and you express it well, not just through your actions or your words but also through your eyes, they're always so expressive and glittering with light mischief that he can't help but sweep you off your feet, throw you over his shoulder, and carry you into the bedroom.

𝒩 = no (something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs) : hurting you in any way, there are some things he's a bit lenient on if you like it; like choking and light slapping but other than that, it's a no for price. man loves you too much to do anything of the sort.

𝒪 = oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc) : as much as john loves having his cock buried down your throat, watching as you stare up at him with tear-stained cheeks, your mouth and chin covered in spit and his cum— he enjoys eating you out. he loves the taste of you on his tongue, loves to overstimulate you, loves to control your orgasms, loves to hear you beg and roll your hips on his tongue. if john could he'd spend the rest of his life buried between your thighs, large hands gripping the fat of your hips to keep you still as your thighs quiver and your pussy pulses from being too sensitive, he would. well shit, i guess that should be one of john's kinks too then, huh?

𝒫 = pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) : price is usually slow and sensual, with fervent deep strokes, tender kisses, and whispered murmurs of love. what can he say? he loves showing that he loves you in all that he does. however, on the days when he comes home after a mission gone awry or being away for a long time in general, he's gonna be fast and rough; using your body any way he pleases. on days like this, he prefers you in 'doggy style' or even the 'mating press', and immediately gives you cuddles afterward though, telling you briefly of his mission as you run your hands through his hair. ♡

𝒬 = quickie (their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.) : hm, john isn't one for quickies, i mean he doesn't mind a quickie, the park sex that the two of you had was a quickie after all. but i believe he much prefers proper sex, that way he can pull orgasm after orgasm from you and take his time as well. 

𝑅 = risk (are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.) : john is down to try something at least once, especially if it's something that you want to try. not too long ago, you handcuffed price to the bed and edged him until he had literally begged you to let him cum, it was quite the sight and he's down to do it again. 

𝒮 = stamina (how many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…) : give this man two good rounds, and then he's tuckered out. however he doesn't mind if you're still reeling to go, he'll pull you onto his lap and let you ride him until you're sated. or even make you ride his face, he could never deny you anything after all. 

𝒯 = toy (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) : y'all hear me out once more....vibrating panties. rahhhh, hold on hold on. you guys use it when you're out on walks, at restaurants and sometimes even at dinners with your friends. man gets bricked up at the sight of you squeezing your thighs together, breathless and completely out of it. however, in the bedroom, price is all you need, the man is much better than any toy.

 𝒰 = unfair (how much they like to tease) : teases you often, whether it be with overstimulation, ruining your orgasms, or even having you beg him to let you cum. the man, believe it or not, likes to see your eyes water and your lips pout. loves that he can get his sassy, fiery wife all squirmy and pleading with just a few strokes of his tongue. 

𝒱 = volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make) : john is not shy, he'll tell you how good you're making him feel, not with just his deep, guttural groans, but also with words. price is the king of dirty talk and he does it unknowingly, he most definitely curses when he's moaning as well, drawn out 'fucks' and at when your pussy squeezes him tight, he'll say. "shit, sweetheart y'r pussy s'made for me." calls you the lewdest names known to man, but says it so lovingly that you can't help but be turned on even more than you already are.

𝒲 = wild card (get a random headcanon for the character of your choice) : has definitely had you suck him off while underneath his desk while on a computer call with laswell. poor baby, his face was pink from holding in his moans, especially after you buried him to the hilt down your throat. totally didn't get caught or anything.

𝒳= x-ray (let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words) : the picture speaks for itself. ♡

𝒴 = yearning (how high is their sex drive?) : you guys, price is 37, atp? he's 40, it may not be as it used to be when he was younger but! he puts in the work and most times tires you out before he tires out.

𝒵 = zzz (… how quickly they fall asleep afterward) : it takes awhile for price to succumb to sleep, no matter how tired he is. so it's usually you falling asleep first. he lays there, holding you close and running his hands along your back and then further. he'll drift off to the sound of your slow breathing and the steady rhythm of your heart.  ♡

૮ ˙Ⱉ˙ ა ʳᵃʷʳ ⁿᵒᵗᵉˢ : the full alphabet! ahem, i enjoyed doing this

[astaroth1357]

I have long wanted to write a headcanon where high demons have lesser forms, so take a walk with me on this:

Imagine that the brothers are fighting with each other and one of them takes a serious hit, like, somebody's left hook got them right in the jaw and it was brutal. They fall to the ground, stone cold, and... just. Poof into a tiny little critter. Like a verison of their familiar. And they can't retake human form until they've rested and healed their wounds.

I'm doing that.

Lucifer becomes this fat-ass, little peacock. He's like one of those rotund Chocobo from the Final Fantasy universe, you just want to pick him up and squeeze him but he's slightly too heavy for that. His feathers are black, save for the tail which have black, red, blue, and green markings. If something makes him "Poof!" then he'll hide away in the Castle because he refuses to let his brothers ever see him in that state. MC can visit him, though, and he'll coo and get all fluffy whenever they pet his tummy.

Mammon turns into a three-eyed raven, but not fat like Luci. He basically becomes a bigger verison of one of his familiars, he's about the size of an eagle. For being the second strongest he gets "Poof!-ed" rather often because he gets caught up in so many fights. Most of the time, he's just a bystander then some stray shot hits him and suddenly he's squawking everybody's ear off! Hilariously, he's arguably smarter in this form so when he's stuck as a bird, his grades actually improve (if anyone can read his actual chicken scratch penmanship).

Levi becomes a snake. Duh. He has similar markings along his back to the colorful scales on his neck in his demon form. He isn't even the length of your average scarf, so MC can drape him behind their neck easily and he doesn't get in the way. He's absolutely MISERABLE like this, though, because he has no hands to play games with. He can get extra clingy to people if he's feeling cold, but MC has to invite him to share their body heat because he's too shy to signal what he wants.

As much as Satan would love to be a cat, he becomes a little unicorn (Sorry, I didn't make the lore). He's about the size of one of those miniature horses, but don't be fooled. He will snap your kneecaps and he's at perfect height to rear-kick his brothers right in the crotch. His coat is black but his tail, mane, and the underside of his horn are all his signature green. If he every gets "Poof!-ed!" he's big mad, so he'll spend the entire time trying to kick and spear his brothers so they have to suffer along with him. He's the cause of a lot of chain "Poof!-ings."

Asmo becomes the smallest, cutest scorpion you ever did see. Well, as cute as scorpions can be. His whole body becomes hot pink and he has the biggest widdle eyes (think those jumping spiders who wear raindrops on their heads type energy). He's also venomous as all hell, so his brothers HAVE to make sure that they continously call him "small, cute, and adorable" lest they suffer a week's worth of paralytic toxin. He can fit the palm of a hand and makes MC tie a little bow around his tail so he doesn't feel too bad about being under-dressed.

Beel, unfortunately, becomes a fly. A big fly (by fly standards), but a fly nonetheless. You wouldn't even know that it's him if he weren't traffic cone orange. Literally everyone panics when he gets "Poof!-ed" because it would only take some bozo with a swatter to put an end to the sweetest brother... Belphie never lets Beel out of his sight and even has a tiny leash so he can keep track of him if they have to go out. He's a lot easier to feed like this, but everyone has to resist that automatic urge to smack him away from their dinner plates.

Belphie ironically has the largest lesser form out of his brothers. He's a cow, more specifically a bull, but there's nothing special about him aside from the navy fur. He is a full grown bull and he loves to lord it over the others if they all get "Poof-ed!" at once. Also, good luck getting him to do ANYTHING in this form. He is a bull. If he does not want to move, he will not be moving. Not even Beel can carry him like this. He's the only brother who doesn't mind getting "Poof-ed!" all that much because of it.

[passivenovember]

Random Billy & Steve headcanons because I’m cozy in bed and don’t feel like opening my laptop to continue my wip:

- Billy takes really good care of his teeth, like. Amazing care. He flosses twice a day and uses a pre rinse and is very conscious of how much pressure he’s using when he wields the brush because he saw one terrifying picture of receding gums in the dentists office when was ten and it scarred him forever. He takes such good care of his teeth and everyone is surprised that his breath never smells like cigarettes or anything, really.

- Billy can tongue tie a cherry stem in three point zero two seconds. They’ve timed it many, many times.

- Steve blows his nose at the dinner table. And in the shower. He figures, why waste money on tissues and starts using their dirty boxer briefs to clear his sinuses. Figures they already use the boxers as cum rags, anyway, why not kill two birds with one stone? (Billy thinks it’s gross)

- Steve likes to fall asleep in front of the tv and then awake, suddenly, in the middle of the night to move to the bed. Billy can’t fall asleep without Steve so he stays up late reading and then passes out the second the tv shuts off in the living room.

- Billy likes birds. Steve is terrified of them.

- Steve eats a lot of popcorn. So much goddamn popcorn. As far as he’s concerned, it’s basically a food group. Their first honest to hell knock down drag out “oh my god, I can’t spend the rest of my life with this person,” fight happens because Steve drops kernels all over the place and tosses half-empty bags on the night stand “for later.” Later never comes. It’s a mess. Billy learns to live with it, and Steve tries to do better.

- Steve makes really good breakfast but burns everything that doesn’t include the classic pillars of bacon, eggs, and maple syrup.

- Billy falls asleep everywhere and he snores, but it’s soft and cute and Steve loves it (actually, he sounds like a wonky garbage disposal, but Steve can’t sleep without the white noise)

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR OWN 😇

[roesworks]

my marauder's sex headcannons

james, sirius, and remus x female reader

WORD COUNT : 723

i wanna feed you guys (after literally a year) so enjoy my personal headcannons

james potter -

he is a certified switch. he leans more on the dominant side, but sometimes he just has a need to be told what to do.

when you're on top, without a doubt he is calling you mommy. not to mention, he will whine. he's always whining.

plus he will NEVER SHUT UP.

HE WILL ALWAYS PRAISE YOU.

"you're doing so good f'me, my love."

and he will never hit you or degrade you. he thinks that's just plain mean.

sex should be fun. he does it often so that he can skip out of doing cardio. killing two birds with one stone.

on the aspect of cardio, though, james can last a long time. he could go the entire night if he really wanted to.

"please just one more. one more, i promise."

he's a big guy, so you already KNOW that dick is at LEAST nine inches.

"it won't fit-" "-i'll make it fit."

HE LOVES THE STOMACH BULGE

fucking under the cloak.

while he doesn't like to hit you, he is most definitely leaving accidental bruises from gripping you so hard.

he'd rather grip your arm than the mattress. he loves feeling you.

he's probably the loudest moaner in the entire wizarding world.

he enjoys moaning your name so much that if you didn't cast a silencing charm then everyone in hogwarts would hear him.

he loves your boobs. whether they're big or small, he is most definitely sucking them and leaving them polka dotted by the end of the night.

and literally every night he's with you. sex or not. he's latching his lips onto your nipples and sucking the life out of them like they're lollipops.

he is without a doubt an experimentalist.

like whenever he finds a new position or just a new kinky idea, he's going to bring it up to you.

most of the time, you enjoy it. other times, it's just a one time thing.

he tells you he loves you all the time. it's all part of his 'never-shuts-up' persona.

sirius black -

dom. without a doubt.

"who's pussy is this?" "yours."

he likes making you cry. tears of pleasure are his favorite.

degradation is never out of the question.

and "my little slut."

while that is the case, he will, 'talk you through it' if you will.

"finish for me, baby."

100% getting off to you screaming his name.

he's definitely an ass guy. he likes groping it and hitting it whenever he gets the chance.

he's a little on the smaller side, but he definitely makes up for it in width.

he is very. VERY. loud.

he can last a SOLID three or four rounds.

ngl, he looooves bondage.

lets be real, he keeps a black rope in his nightstand.

he will most DEFINITELY tease you with his wand.

or he'll LITERALLY stick it up there.

honestly, he just likes to tease you in general.

pussy checks in public ALLLL THE TIME.

sometimes if you're wet enough, he will just do it with you on the spot.

"wet already, baby?"

he wants everyone to know that you're his, so he takes measures by leaving hickeys all over you, especially in noticeable places.

LOVES seeing you ride him.

he is 100% stealing james' cloak and doing it with you under it.

remus lupin -

a switch, but much more on the submissive side. so basically a sub.

he will literally get off on getting told what to do. and frankly he prefers being a pillow princess.

he definitely starts off quiet, like a whimper here and there,

and then as he gets more and more comfortable with you, (like around your third time) his whimpers become louder and louder.

he is a SOLID seven inches.

he will do some pretty kinky stuff with you.

like experimenting with candle wax. because he was curious, obviously.

and this guy has a huge thing for period sex. not that you mind it, it helps you forget about your cramps.

the rare times that he's on top, he is the sweetest ever.

"you feel so good."

you've done it in the library a few several times... in the restricted section. nobody has to know that, though.

he loves how you taste and will always tell you that.

your boobs are one of his most favorite things about you.

bite bite bite

and he loves touching you.

anywhere he can get his hands on you he will caress you.

he doesn't really last more than three rounds, but,

there were definitely days where he was so into it that he just couldn't stop.

he loves receiving pleasure and praise soso much.

he's just a sweet boy.

[kyoshitargaryen]

the lullaby method

note: this method was not made by me. I was unable to find the original post or author of this method, but if you know please let me know and I will update my post!

I've been using this method for just two days and I've already had incredible success. I've been working on not trying to shift or manifest -- read that post here -- and this method has made it SO easy for me to do so. It works so well that not even my OCD can combat it!

Step One

Decide what you want to manifest or where you want to shift. If I'm completely honest, I spend some time manifesting specific things for my CR before focusing on shifting to my DR -- this might be counterintuitive for some, but I think it knocks two birds with one stone; I can shift to my DR, and when I shift back, my manifestations will be waiting for me.

Step Two

Begin affirming based on;

isn't it wonderful that...

isn't it incredible that...

aren't I lucky to be/have...

wow, this is so...

how did this...

Your affirmations can be anything -- observational based on whatever environment you're in, just basic facts about yourself and your DR as a whole, even questioning HOW things work in your DR.

Step Three

Continue affirming. Don't try to shift, and don't focus on the act of shifting. Instead, actually feel amazement and gratitude behind those statements. Let yourself completely forget that you weren't already in your DR when you began this process. I want you to completely become aware of your DR by just believing you are there. I really suggest reading this post I made for a deeper explanation on how to and why you should do this.

That's all you have to do! You'll be shocked at how quickly you'll feel close to your DR if not actively being in it. For me, it felt like I had shifted in no time at all, when I previously had to spend literal HOURS trying. You're basically self-soothing your way into your DR. I even plan to use it to help mitigate anxiety attacks.

Below, I'm going to list some examples of affirmations based off of my DRs, as well as what I experienced today using this method. If you're leaving me here, that's totally fine! I hope this made sense!

yoshi!!

My DR Affirmations

isn't it wonderful that Percy lets me sit in the passenger seat of the car because I get carsick?

isn't it incredible that I'm a dragon dreamer?

isn't it incredible that Helaena and I are so close despite Alicent holding poor feelings towards my family during my childhood?

aren't I so lucky to have the best dragon in the family?

isn't being in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express so lovely?

isn't the compartment I'm in so cozy?

aren't I so lucky to be Poseidon's daughter?

isn't it incredible that I'm attending Hogwarts as an American?

how did I get so lucky to have my own dorm room rather than sharing?

isn't the view from the window of the Hogwarts Express so beautiful?

isn't it so nice to be in Scotland?

aren't I so lucky to have such wonderful crewmates?

Depending on where I'm shifting to, I also affirm based off of my location and the specific circumstances I'm in, as seen with my affirmations about the view on the Hogwarts Express and being in an empty compartment.

The lovely @shaysplanet made a great post about affirmations being a form of visualization, which you can read here. Putting situational observations into this affirmation format is something I definitely recommend, especially for those with aphantasia like myself because it is SUCH an easy way to visualize with this method without putting pressure on yourself.

wow, this apple is SO red!

my perfume smells SO lovely

this bed is really comfy

aren't I so lucky to live in the house of my dreams?

christ, Percy needs a shower

My Experience

I said earlier that I was shocked at how quickly I connected to my DR -- today in particular was my Harry Potter DR.

I actually shifted. It felt like it took no time at all. It wasn't a perfect shift, I didn't shift to my scripted wake up scene, but it was a moment I had scripted to happen later on in my DR.

I shifted mid-conversation with Hermione where I was explaining to her my ideas on reform and rights for house elves!

It was actually really lovely. I have aphantasia, so to be able to physically see was a big deal for me. I'm DEFINITELY using this method more from now on.

[bonsiii-art]

gwaaaa, finally did it... finally got the comm examples done _:(´ཀ`」∠):_ it's three that I based on reqs so that I could basically hit two birds with one stone. I think they came out okay; it'll be fun to post them when it's time to uwu For now, I'll be ready to open comms in the coming days!! ╭( ･ㅂ･)و ̑̑ On an unrelated note, I'm gonna change my pfp and blog colors rq bc I finally obtained MT's costume not too long ago! (Via rainbow shards shhhhh)

And with the help from the 8th Anniversary event, I could soon obtain another goal: getting Longan's costume, hehe... ANYWAYS, hope you guys are having a nice Thanksgiving and a good day overall :>

[a-chaotically-small-lunta]

Alright we all know the classic daydream, that I’m pretty sure at least 90% of us have had, of being bored at school or work and then suddenly a giant rips off the roof and snatches you. Taking you far away from your worries and responsibilities. That daydream? Or perhaps for my giants out there, the one where you suddenly start growing at school/work into a giant and the building crashes around you as you grow into your giant size. Or perhaps you’ve daydreamed about finding a tiny at work/school.

Well those are the classics, we’ve all probably daydreamed them at one point however I’m curious about all of your unique ones. Ones that aren’t like the classic three. Well maybe they are similar but they aren’t exactly like them.

For an example I’ll share one of mine. I like to daydream that I’m walking into the woods where I find a large boulder. This boulder is angled and provides the perfect little hiding spot. I go into the hiding spot, sit down, play some music maybe, and doodle. When all of a sudden I hear rumbling and notice two large shadows overtake the boulders shadow. Giants! They’re chatting about how they’ve seen humans about and how one of them needs to stay here to watch out for them. Begrudgingly one is forced to stay here to keep lookout. They hate this and slump onto the boulder that I’m hiding under. I don’t make a sound and try to just continue drawing. Maybe I get lost in my drawings at some point and start humming, forgetting there’s a giant literally above me. The giant hears it and calls out ‘little bird are you humming for me? Where are you? You aren’t supposed to be out this far?’ But I stay hidden as the giant looks around, I also stop humming. They sigh and mumble that they were kinda getting bored and that it was nice to hear something else. So I start to hum and perhaps sing. They try to find me again and realize I’m under the stone but they can’t reach me or move the stone (big stone is way bigger underneath the ground basically) so they leave me be and thank me for the entertainment. They’re also saying I’m lucky I’m so well hidden cause they’d have to take me away if they could’ve reached me. Eventually the giant leaves and I can go home, but obviously I’m going back the next day to repeat it and perhaps build a friendship with the lonely bored giant.

Anyway, what are your guy’s more unique daydreams? You don’t gotta share if you don’t want to but I’m still curious if you are willing to share.

[littlest-w01f]

Sunlight

Helion x Priestess!OC

HELION MASTERLIST

MAIN MASTERLIST

Summary: Helion is low on staff for his libraries, Rhysand casually mentions to him he knows of someone who wishes to try to go out of the House of Winds' library

Cw:None

part one - part two - part three

Alora stood in front of the inner circle of the Night Court in the House of Winds, in her robes, her teal invoking stone sitting between her brows. Rhysand had told her that he had offered her a job at the Day Court as staff there. Everyone was quiet, waiting for her to speak, standing surrounded by the bags she had packed, 3 hours behind as Rhysand had kept messing up her packing.

"So, do we hug goodbye?" Alora asked jokingly, but Rhysand wasn't joking as he instantly held her tightly. Alora wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back.

Rhysand's arms tightened further around her. "We can tell Helion that I wasn't serious, please stay here."

"Rhys..." Alora chuckles, her head in his chest, "I am ready." She smiled looking up at him as he released her from the hug. "I want this."

Alora squealed as Cassian hugged her from behind, the giant twirled her around as she laughed, "Ok, put me down, put my down." The females of the inner circle watched on with smiles of their own as the two hugged.

"We'll miss you, Al." Azriel walked forward, hugging her next, his hands firm around her making her melt in the shadowsinger's hold.

Alora was one of the oldest priestesses working in the library in the House of Winds. She had been saved by Rhysand himself, in a lot more ways than one. So when she looked at Rhysand her throat clogged up. "Thank you for saving me, and for everything else after."

Rhysand was fighting tears, looking at the female he had basically raised, "Why did you have to grow up so fast? It seems you were 17 just yesterday."

"Well, I'm 300 now..." Alora smiled, teary-eyed herself, "I'm glad I met you, Rhysand." Even though she had not met him in the best of ways, and she had thought he would hurt her, use her. "I... I don't know where I would be without you."

"I want to see the world. I am ready for it." She nodded to herself, holding the hand that Rhysand reached out to her. "Helion is a friend to you, I think I'll be ok."

Rhysand squeezed her hand as if they were the only people in the room, "I will write to you every month, and if you for a second, feel uncomfortable, you let me know and I'll come get you."

Alora chuckled, "I'll write back too, I promise."

"My little bird," Rhysand pulled her in a second hug, "The world will be yours, at your own pace. Helion will not hold it against you if you aren't able to stay around him or others, he will treat you well."

"I know, and if not, I'll always have you to bring me back." She pulled away from the hug, she then looked at Feyre and smiled at her High Lady, "Goodbye, Fey." She gave a wide smile to Feyre, holding her elbows in her hands, the female cradling the heir of Night in her arms. "Take care of the little bat."

"I mean Rhysand, by the way." She called out with a smile in his direction, making the High Lord flip her off.

One by one the rest said their farewell to Alora, she approached Nesta and hugged her, taking the female by surprise, "Thank you for trying to help the others, it means a lot to me." Nesta hugged her back, "They... They needed a push to get better, and you were that push, I am quite grateful for it."

Nesta smiled, holding the priestess in her arms, "You are so much stronger than you might think, leaving here will be so much better at healing you fully. I'm sure of it."

Alora turned back, Rhysand had picked up her bags quite easily, thrown over his shoulders, holding his hand out to her, "Shall we, little bird?"

"Yes, yeah." She nodded, walking forward and holding the hand he had reached out, she gave a single look back to the rest of them before darkness surrounded her, winnowing out of the Night Court, out of the life she had grown used to.

Alora gasped softly, seeing the brightness of the Day Court palace, even at night, it was bright and beautiful, and the guards looked surprised to see Rhysand still bowed to the High Lord. Alora's eyes were wide with excitement and a little fear as she noted everything, the walls were white and with gold accents, and she smiled at everything.

"Ah, you're here late," Came a deep voice, Alora spun around to see the High Lord of Day, he was the most gorgeous male to ever exist, his dark brown skin had a glow to it with his powers, his russet eyes set on Rhysand. Helion was in some comfortable white silks as if he was preparing to sleep.

Alora couldn't look away from the male, any praises she had heard of the male couldn't live up to how he looked to the eye. He was a sight for sore eyes, simply put. A blush formed on her cheeks when she realised she had zoned out during the conversation between Helion and Rhysand, "This is Alora, the priestess I told you about."

Alora bowed to Helion in an instant and the male chuckled, that sound seemed to imprint itself on her, it was wrong, she thought, to feel this way about a male she knew nothing of, or to feel any attraction at all. Flashes of some scenes from Nesta's smut books fill her mind.

"Get up, please, Alora," Helion smiled, waving his hand at her, "No need to be so proper around friends."

Helion's breathing hitched when she looked up, making eye contact, he felt his cheeks heat from his power. Her eyes took most of his attention, her eyes were jewels, soft doe-shaped, one emerald, the other sapphire. He was sure she could get any male or female she wanted with just a simple look from those heterochromatic eyes, and could make people do anything. She was all in all, gorgeous. He looked away the second it hit him why she had been with Rhysand, he shouldn't be looking at her in the way he did more people easy on the eye.

"Friends?" Alora asked, looking between the High Lords. Rhysand smiled, wrapping his free hand around her shoulders.

"Of course, sunshine." Helion nodded, Alora blushed slightly at the nickname, "Any friend of Rhysand is a friend of mine."

Helion approached Rhysand, patting the male on his back, "After all, it's not always you see the High Lord of the Night Court talking of someone in such a peternal manner."

Rhysand rolled his eyes, "Don't make me take her back."

Helion raised his hands in surrender, and Alora smiled at the High Lords' playful banter as they walked to Helion's study. Alora tried noting everything, staying back to look at every single detail on the furniture.

"Little bird," Rhysand called out, "It's time for me to go, alright?"

Alora's eyes softened looking at him, a small smile forming on her lips, "Alright, goodbye, Rhysie."

Rhysand held her in a hug a final time as Helion watched the two, a smile on his face, he had her bags already winnowed to her new room. Alora pulled away as Rhysand pressed a kiss to her forehead, with another "bye" he winnowed away.

Helion smiled at Alora, keeping his distance after Rhysand had left, he nodded to her, "Come, sunshine, let me show you to your new room," He held his hand out to her, "If I may?"

She looked at his hand, then back up at his painfully gorgeous face, "You may," She smiled, reaching her hand out to hold his.

{general taglist: @nox-ceur}

[colettebronte]

She Rings Like a Bell Through the Night: Chapter 1

Taglist Form

Series Masterlist

Ao3 Link

Bridgerton Masterlist

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Pairing: Vampire!Anthony Bridgerton x Witch!fem Reader

Summary: In 1695, a young woman is chosen as a sacrifice to appease the will of her village's Protector. The resulting encounter is formative for both of them and though parted, our heroine spends the ensuing years learning about herself, the craft and about the man who still haunts her dreams, over three centuries later

Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings: 18+ for the overall fic. For this chapter,  not much except for some sensuality. Minors DNI. I will put this up on Ao3 so please do not repost my work elsewhere

Author’s Note: Just a quick note, before this gets started. While I am Pagan, the traditions and spell work portrayed in this fic are pulled from a variety of groups of Paganism, legends and lore and should not be taken too seriously. With that said, I hope you enjoy this, my Halloween fic

Thank you @fayes-fics for betaing 🫶❤️

Somewhere in Rural England, 1695

You pull the hood of your cloak over your head and with a last glance back at the stern elders, you take a fortifying breath and begin the long walk across the stone bridge that separates your village from the outside world.

Though well-lit by torches, the further you walk across the ancient cobblestones, the thicker the mist gets. You pause to light your lantern with one of the torches before resuming your solitary march.

Despite your own light source, with each step you take it becomes more difficult to see through the haze. You wish you could pull the gauzy white fabric off your face, but you know the rules as laid out for you by the elders, ancient and unbreakable, or so they’ve said.

Once put on, only The Protector may remove The Chosen’s hood.

Like most in the village, you know very little of The Protector. Only that he has blessed (cursed) your village by keeping it protected (cut off) from the rest of the world for longer than any of The Elders can remember. According to them, every Samhain he demands an eligible young lady as a sacrifice. If he is pleased, the village is protected for another year.

But the young woman is never seen or heard from again.

This year, you were selected as The Chosen. In truth, as the village outcast, you had thought you might have been selected sooner. Having no father of record and your mother having died when you were young, you were left to rely on the “charity” of your grandfather, whose disdain for your very existence he made no secret.

But unbeknownst to him and the rest of the village, your mother had left you three gifts, an amethyst and silver pendant carved into the shape of the waxing and waning moons, a Book of Shadows and when you turned thirteen, the power to command both.

Albeit, you were still learning. Away from watchful eyes, you tirelessly practiced your fledgling magic and had lit yourself on fire more times than you actually managed to light any candles. But after several years of hard work and quiet persistence, you were able to conjure some basic magic successfully.

And although you had no say in being The Chosen, it was your fervid hope that you could somehow convince The Protector to release his hold on your village and let the rest of the world know of its existence. 

A new century was approaching and surely, it was time to join the world, whether or not you survived the night to see it.

The mist has now become so thick that even with your lamp, you can’t see anything in front of you but you proceed forward all the same. Overhead you hear the flapping of a bird’s wing and then the fog suddenly clears without warning. You look down to see you have reached the end of the bridge.

Looking behind you, you see the swirling mist, but when you turn to face forward, you are startled as someone tall, dressed in a white cloak is standing before you. Frozen in shock, you can only watch as they step toward you and, in one fluid motion, gently pull back your hood. This surely must be The Protector.

You boldly raise your lamp to his face, mostly concealed by his cloak; you can make out a stubbled chin and a sharp smile. He places a surprisingly cool hand atop yours and moves the lamp closer to your face. You can feel his eyes inspecting you and unconsciously, you hold your breath. After a long moment, he nods and then extends a hand, beckoning you to follow him.

And so, you do.

**********

The walk is oddly peaceful as you silently follow behind The Protector. Though free of the mist, the only light, aside from your small lantern, is that cast off by the half-full moon. The man before you treads quietly, holding no light source of his own. It’s almost as if he can see in the dark.

You shake off the ridiculous thought and continue to follow behind him. You’re unsure of how long you’ve walked or even where your destination is until you come to a tall metal gate. The Protector pushes and it gives way under his touch as he walks through. You pass through it and then you hear as the gate seems to close on its own behind you.

It’s another short walk and then you come upon a stone cottage, well-lit by a pair of large braziers at the entrance and then the glow of candles from inside, some visible through large glass windows.

The Protector stops at the door and you’re so engrossed at the sight of the house that you stop short, mere inches from walking into him. He reaches out to steady you with one hand as his other takes the lantern from you and extinguishes it. 

And that is when you hear his voice for the first time.

“Will you grant me the pleasure of your company tonight?” His voice is deep, if not a bit rough, as if he doesn’t speak much on a daily basis. For some reason the sound of it brings a pleasant flutter to your belly as you parse his words.

You furrow your brow, confused. “I have a choice?”

He huffs a soft laugh. “Of course you do.” He pauses and seemingly to himself says quietly, “Whatever do they tell you in that village?”

Whether you’re meant to answer him or not, you do. “They don’t tell us anything. And then whoever comes here, never returns.”

He nods absently, clearly lost in thought, before his still-covered face turns to you.

“I shall explain everything. But first, may I offer you a meal?”

The rumble of your stomach is answer enough and then you can just make out his smile in the firelight. Making a decision you tell him, “I accept.”

The heavy wooden door of the cottage swings open without him touching it and then he’s holding out his arm. You take it and pass through the entrance of his home together. As you walk through it, that’s when you feel it —the tell-tale tingle of magic.

The room you enter is large and cozy, with a stone fireplace against one wall and an array of mismatched, well-cushioned chairs and benches surrounding it. In another corner is a large wood table with a pair of chairs with a single place set, a large stew pot steaming in the center. The scent wafting from it is delectable and your stomach rumbles again.

This seems to spur The Protector into action as he directs you to sit in the chair with the place setting. As you get comfortable, he proceeds to scoop out a heaping serving of stew for you and despite your nerves, you tuck in. It’s absolutely delicious and as you ponder if he’ll let you have a second bowl, he pours you a glass of water from a pitcher. He sits at the seat across from you, his own goblet filled with a dark, red drink. Wine, perhaps? He, at last, pulls down the hood of his cloak, revealing a darkly handsome visage that has your stomach reacting in a whole other way.

Draping his cloak over the back of his chair, he doesn’t partake of the stew, instead insists you eat as much as you like, and so you do. He refills your water goblet while he takes measured sips of his wine.

You’ve finished your third helping when you declare yourself full. The Protector comes around the table and pulls out your chair, helping you stand. He gently unclasps your cloak with cool, nimble fingers and drapes it over the back of your chair. Taking up your water goblet, he leads you over to one of the plush-covered benches. As you sit down, he joins you, sitting on the edge, leaving a fair amount of space between you.

He rests his hands on his thighs, fingers fidgeting, as if he were nervous. You find that oddly charming. As the minutes tick by, you watch the fire together, the hissing and popping of wood the only sound. You find his quiet presence comforting.

You’re not sure what you expected would happen tonight, but surely, it wasn’t this. Making the decision to be bold, you take a deep breath and turn to him and speak.

“Sir, I’d like to make a request, if I may?”

He seems to startle at the sound of your voice. He stares at you for a long moment, his dark eyes impenetrable.

“You may ask,” he rumbles, “But I cannot promise to grant it.”

Taking another deep breath you make your request. “Sir, would you please release your hold on our village?”

He arches an elegant brow, his lips quirking up in a sharp smile that sends a pleasant zing to your core.

He slides a fraction of an inch closer to you. “That is an intriguing request indeed,” he muses. “If this is truly what you desire, what shall you offer me in exchange?”

You look down at yourself, knowing exactly how to answer his question. “Sir, I am as you see me. I’m afraid I have nothing to offer you,” you pause to touch your pendant before adding, “Nothing but myself.”

His nostrils flare. “Do you understand what it is you’re offering me?”

Now it’s your turn to slide closer, your fingers mere inches apart on the bench. “I do indeed, Sir.”

He reaches over and brushes cool fingers across your cheek and you can’t help but lean into his touch, turning your face to kiss his palm. He moans softly and then, in a blink of an eye, he stands, lacing your fingers together to help you stand.

He pulls you close, your body tightly pressing against his. You’ve read about lust in your Book of Shadows. Surely, that is what you feel now, thrumming through your veins. The Protector breathes in sharply. He leans down and presses his nose to the side of your neck, inhaling deeply.

“Please join me in my bedchamber,” he all but whines in your ear. You feel a flood in your knickers at his words.

“Sir, yes. I will join you.”

He pulls away from your neck to stare into your eyes. His dark eyes soften and seem to glow in the firelight. He smiles softly and says, “Thank you. And please, call me Anthony.”

Anthony. You repeat it over and over in your head as he takes you by the hand and leads you into another room.

His bedchamber.

Next Chapter

taglist: @queen-of-the-misfit-toys @faye-tale @cosmiclove330 @abridgerton @fiction-is-life @kmc1989 @alexandrainlove @ietss @multi-fandom-lover7667 @turtle-cant-communicate @liliac-dreamer @hottytoddyhistory @queenofmean14 @jtheteenagewitch

[tryingahandinholdingapen]

idea for another tcf au, though this one is much more simple it's just a "okay start with this fact. then see how that affects everything else"

krs is not cale henituse au. haven't decided whether original cale still regressed or not, but krs instead of waking up as cale wakes up as a Motif

Motif is the name I'm currently giving to a species (?) I made up; haven't decided whether to consider that a placeholder name or if that's my final decision

anyway. the basic idea is that when someone's soul has been damaged in some way, they can't reincarnate normally. also I'm assuming GoD is mostly responsible for death/reincarnation type stuff because that's...logical. there'd essentially three options for a damaged soul then

option 1) they fucking die. their soul is completely destroyed they completely cease to exist. this is NOT the preferred option generally measures will be taken to avoid this at all costs

option 2) GoD leaves them to just kind of half-doze in an in-between state between incarnations. once enough time has passed that their soul has naturally healed (takes a Very Long Time) they're then reincarnated without memories like usually happens for most people

option 3) speedrun the healing process. instead of a PROPER reincarnation they spend one lifetime as a Motif, which sort of brute-forces the healing process for their soul to be once more undamaged

And now I get to ramble on about what Motifs are. Please bear in mind I made this all up and it's not 100% complete/set in stone yet I may change or expand on little details later

essentially, courtesy of GoD they'll wake up as a bird associated with death (crows, ravens, etc) with or without their memories from their previous life dependent on which option is deemed more likely to help them heal faster. As a Motif they can swap between human and bird form - although in a manner very noticably different from beast tribes, like you can see the difference if you watched a Motif transform vs a beast person - although they'll probably spend most of their lifetime in bird form. Because their human form grows in accordance with their bird form (e.g. crows apparently become proper adults at around 2 years old, based on a quick internet search, therefore if a Motif happens to have a crow form then they will look like an adult human at 2 years old, and at that point would be as mature as an adult NOT as mature as a human toddler) which means that staying in human form when they're little is....extremely conspicuous (I SWEAR that kid looked like they were 6 a fortnight ago but now they look at least a year older than that?? what the fuck) as well as incredibly inconvenient in terms of clothing etc. Also growing that fast isn't great for your physical health so it's somewhat recommended to stay in bird form until you're nearer adulthood. Once they've reached adulthood their aging process starts to more closely resemble their human form rather than their bird form, which sort of has the effect of them seemingly aging really fast and then abruptly slowing to a crawl

If you're thinking "wait, hang on, if they're recommended to stay in bird form til adulthood but adulthood only takes ~2 years, why did you say most Motifs stay in bird form most of their life?"

......yeah. about that! Motifs have a very short lifespan. It's not...It's not a proper reincarnation, you know? It's not actually intended to be a full LIFE, it's just a stage of healing to fix any damage to their souls before they get chucked back into reincarnation. As such, assuming a Motif lives to die of old age, they will only live HALF as long as their bird form does. That's not very long!

For example, say a crow lives ~8 years or so in the wild. That means if someone wakes up as a crow Motif, they've got ~4 years before they die. That's It. So those ~2 years are half their life. On the bright side, because they age more like humans upon reaching adulthood, they don't actually have to deal with being elderly?.. Even if they die of 'old age' their human form will likely still look like early twenties at most, so unlikely to have to deal with arthritis or anything like that

Generally Motifs will be either on their own, will stay with ACTUAL birds associated with their bird form (as in, a raven Motif will hang our with regular ravens), or travel around in human form. But if they somehow manage to get themselves taken in or get a stable job (despite the whole, no identity, either has been observed to age really fucking weirdly as a child OR seemingly appeared out of nowhere as an adult, both of which are extremely suspicious) then their life span may instead resemble half that of their bird form's lifespan /in captivity/, which is. You know. Weird implications there that I guarantee you any Motif ever probably tries to avoid thinking about, but would significantly improve their lifespan

(Using crows as an example again. Regular crow in the wild lives ~8 years, therefore most crow Motifs who understandably struggle to not come across as extremely suspicious can live a max of ~4 years. Regular crows in captivity can live around ~20 years, therefore a crow Motif who managed to get themself taken in (in human or crow form although I doubt many would be able or willing to be taken as a pet in crow form) can live a max of ~10 years. That's a big difference!)

Motifs are naturally associated with GoD and some people may be able to pick up on them having some link to the divine. Pretty high chance that they'll also be able to chat with GoD sometimes

It doesn't actually matter /too much/ how long they live as a Motif? Ideally they should live as long as they possibly can, in the best conditions possible, for optimal healing of the soul but if they somehow manage to die or get killed a mere month in then that's okay their soul will still heal it will just... I said the point of Motifs is to speed up or brute-force the healing process of a damaged soul, right? Yeah well if they die early on or live in horrible conditions then that forces GoD to put extra emphasis on the 'brute-force' side of things and it's NOT pleasant for the soul in question

Not many Motifs ever exist. Firstly, because they only happen when someone's soul is damaged, and the chances of that happening /by accident/ are incredibly low and the chances of it happening as a result of someone's deliberate actions aren't that much higher. Secondly, because even when someone's soul IS damaged there's a reasonably high chance that GoD will just leave them to recover in the in-between instead of spending (admittedly minimal, doesn't take much effort) power on making them a Motif

Theoretically a Motif COULD make their life span last longer than, like, a decade or less. If they can find and be accepted by an appropriate anchor (I will probably want to give this an interesting name at some point too, instead of anchor)

Essentially at some point they'll start having dreams that include some other real people in, instead of it being entirely made up by their brain. Any of those real people could theoretically be an anchor for them: this would sort of match their lifespans to more closely resemble the longer-lived one, and make the Motif's heal slower but better by essentially giving them a blueprint of "like that. we want to heal to look like that undamaged soul". Also somewhat links their souls which makes it more likely that both parties will eventually reincarnate a) around the same time and b) in the same general area, making it more likely they'll meet each other in the next life and possibly experience some weird nostalgia or deja vu when they do

Of course this requires that the Motif can firstly identify which in these dreams are real people vs normal dream people, AND find a real person they'd like to be anchored to, AND get them to understand and agree to it (whilst being unable to 100% explain in the dream, or at least, unable to guarantee that the real person will 100% remember the dream when they wake up) AND then track them down in the waking world in order to properly form the link

Anyway. KRS wakes up as a Motif, because his soul was damaged. Theoretically he might not have suffered that much damage if they'd only been one or two metaphorical blows, but the Cataclysm/unranked monsters PLUS being born in a world he wasn't originally intended for PLUS dealing with some effects of the curse intended for White Star....it all adds up. Damaged soul, not his fault, GoD decides to take pity and let him fuck around as a Motif for a bit instead of waiting semi-conscious in the in-between for like, a few centuries

(If I'm misremembering any details there please do feel free to correct me but bear in mind I may choose to go with the incorrect version anyway for sake of this concept working)

He actually wakes up as a Motif quite a while before canon starts, and I'm saying he at some point ends up with the original Cale Henituse as his anchor. Undecided on whether I want him to know about TBOAH plot or not. If KRS DOES know about TBOAH, then he probably chose Cale as his anchor for reasons related to that. If he didn't, choosing Cale was a coincidence but is also ultimately the reason he gets involved in plot stuff. Sort of inevitable when the protagonist rocks up and gets into a (hopefully not going beyond words before KRS intervenes-) fight with The One Guy who you're dependent on both for resources as well as living beyond like five years

I think that's all I have to say about this for now! If I wrote this it would very much just be "how does this one thing (KRS existing as a separate person, who is also sometimes a crow, associated with GoD and probably is constantly Aware that his soul is damaged and may or may not know why) affect canon?"

[kiame-sama]

I wouldn’t use the term ‘Stupid’ for Malleus, rather he’s more unfamiliar with certain things since to Fae (Especially the very long living kind) time is much different to them compared to Non-Fae species (As Sebek did mention Briar Valley isn’t technologically up to date like how modern society is)

I believe Malleus mentioned before how Society tends to change ‘Rapidly’ during lessons (When it’s been a decade or a century)

It makes complete sense in the Monster AU for Malleus not to realize Reader was a human until Lilia explained it to him (Regardless it doesn’t make him any less cute)

I find Malleus cute when he’s unfamiliar with certain subjects as it adds a certain charm to him OR when he takes pride talking about things he does know, like Gargoyles (I always lovingly refer to him as a ‘Goober’ whenever he does anything cute, silly or dramatic)

I wrote this because I think your doing a fantastic job writing for Malleus (My favorite part is how you write him being protective of the ones he loves)

Thank you! My mans literally had no idea that sensitive technology was not supposed to get wet and would possibly stop working when wet (Lab-wear Malleus Vignette).

In my monster AU, Humans are basically the equivalent of Mastodons or Dodos. They went extinct several centuries before Malleus emerged from his egg. Sure, there is some information about Humans but not all of it is true (Hence why I had Riddle give three 'rules' where one was nonsense (humans can eat pigs regardless of genetic closeness), one made sense (don't boil or freeze your human if you want them to live), and one that was purely opinion based (humans have no true set mating rituals) to show that even if Humans once existed, they are basically legends and myth at the time of the story).

Malleus basically saw a bird's nest- with an unusual looking baby bird (so he assumed) inside the nest- and went "yeah, that's more than likely a baby bird right there" instead of going "That is a Pteranodon". He saw a creature laying beneath a Human-based Gargoyle that looks somewhat like the Gargoyle (since it was a Human gargoyle, after all), and he assumed the Human was a Gargoyle instead of making a leap of logic to an extinct and lesser known species he had never encountered before.

TWST literally has living stone Gargoyles in the universe (looking at you Nobel Bell College Gargoyles) so he would be more likely to assume these Gargoyles are living and just don't want to talk to him, instead of automatically believing what he just found was an extinct/mythical creature. If anything, he accepted Lilia's knowledge far too quickly given the fact Lilia just told him something that no longer existed was sleeping in his nest.

[sanyu-thewitch05]

What if F! Black reader’s Black mom got transported to Twst?

A/N: Doing this because it’s been on my mind.

Girl, your situation is a whole ghetto mess.

First off, you and your mama got ran over(?) by a carriage.

Then you both wake up in coffins dressed in robes, and there’s a flaming cat.

👩🏾‍🦱: Where the fuck are we?

🦐: I think we should be more worried why I can see more white people in robes than anyone else.

🐦‍⬛: Welcome to Night Raven College! A historic a famous Arcane-

👩🏾‍🦱: Listen, we don’t care bout none of that mess. We want to go home. How do we get home?

🦐: Can we bring the cat?

🐦‍⬛: Well, I don’t know a way to your home, wherever that may be, but I could look for one. It will take some time though so, I suppose you could stay on campus and let your child attend my glorious school until we can send you home.

👩🏾‍🦱: Deal.

When yall arrive there, your mama wasn’t having it.

👩🏾‍🦱: Listen here you unseasoned bird, you must think I’m boo boo the fool, because how did you think I wouldn’t notice the malevolent ghosts living in the rotted out dorm. My daughter, cat son, and I had to fight them off until they were friendly! You are going to get us proper accommodations that are livable-are you listening?!

No, no he was not. Crowley had a thing for women that scolded him or called out his bs.

🐦‍⬛: 0///0 Umm…yeah sure, I can use a quick spell to fix some basic stuff like the bed. I don’t know about the rest of the place though, that would require actual money. You know, while your daughter and the cat are getting accommodated to classes, I can show the rich history of NRC and Sage Island?

👩🏾‍🦱: Whatever.

Which is how you end up with a semi-decent dorm.

It greatly improved your sleep, and you weren’t struggling to wake up anymore.

While you were away at classes, your mom took notice of Kalim(from his cooking), Leona(he knows how to do braids and drinks respect women juice), and Malleus(because he was in the garden all night).

That’s when she thought to herself, if yall were going to be staying for an indefinite amount of time, you might as well secure a bag and future at the same time.

👩🏾‍🦱: Baby, I know that horned dude is your friend, but I also know these two are your friends, too. So you know what, you got three chances to be your own Meghan Markle if you want to. Three! Chances!

🦐: Mom! We’re all just friends! Besides, I’m pretty sure Hornton doesn’t even like me like-…well…ok he says a couple flirty things-

👩🏾‍🦱: You’re about to be Meghan Markle!

🦐: Oh my god I’m about to be Meghan Markle!

Your mom and you share a hug as you both fall to the floor laughing.

🦐: Speaking of…what’s with Crowley? He’s been offering you a tour and lunch in town for like weeks.

👩🏾‍🦱: Ugghh…he has a crush on me, but I’ve been trying to avoid him lately.

🦐: Why?! He’s probably like uber rich collecting tuition from all these rich and royal students. Don’t you always say to me to get that bag and be in my bag? That man always goes on vacations for every break. We could be going on vacations for every break instead of staying here.

👩🏾‍🦱: I know…but what if we don’t work out and he kicks us out.

🦐: Are you kidding me? He doesn’t have a choice but to keep us here. I’m practically the school’s counselor, and you’re helping him by keeping the staff calm wherever he does foolishness. Plus, he’s like head over heels for you, if you broke up with him he’d be crying for days.

👩🏾‍🦱: When you put it that way, I really don’t have an excuse. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.

Tomorrow arrived and by the time you went to lunch, you saw your mom and Crowley talking outside the cafeteria.

👩🏾‍🦱: So yeah,…a lunch and tour would-hold on. GRIM DREMARIUS JONES! STOP EATING THOSE STONES! As I was saying, a lunch and tour sounds great.

🐦‍⬛:…I…I…

Despite Crowley reading so many romance novels he wasn’t very good at love.

👩🏾‍🦱: I’ll see you tomorrow at 12.

You smiled as you watched your mother walk away from the stunned and flustered bird, only to watch Crowley chase after your mom with a big smile on his face.

[ryin-silverfish]

LMK S5 Fix-it: the Four Divine Beasts

My feeling on LMK S5 has stayed pretty consistent after first watching the Chinese dub: "nice character moments, but what even is this worldbuilding?"

And personally, the Four Divine Beasts/Guardians/Symbols are the biggest symptom of S5's worldbuilding problem.

Namely, they feel more like plot devices that are just there to die and cough up the Color Stones, and as a result, 4/5 of the "Find the Color Stone" plotline felt like a worse version of S3 and the Samadhi Rings, but with even less flavor.

Now, I'm aware of the 11-minute episode constraint, as well as the pressure the studio change might have created that contributed to the overall feeling of rushed-ness.

However, my criticism here is about the writing and worldbuilding, not the animation quality——things that, in my humble and uneducated opinion, could have been done a lot better even if we were sticking to the "Find the McGuffins" plotline.

Thus, this post. As always: very lengthy, very Chinese-mythos inspired.

Four Guardians & Five Phases

A brief Google Search on the Four Symbols, aka Sixiang, will tell you this: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise are divine beasts in Chinese mythology that watch over the four directions, each associated with a color and one of the Five Phases.

(An old post of mine briefly talked about their origins as personifications of four big constellations that occupy a quadrant of the sky each, and their relations to the 28 Lunar Mansions)

And S5 certainly paid homage to their elemental associations, however brief and surface-level it is.

The Vermillion Bird's ability to use fire and its flaming temple is the most notable example, but this screenshot of the seal that appeared at the temple entrances also shows five symbols:

From middle left, going in the clockwise direction, these appear to be the characters for Wood, Water, Fire, Earth and Metal in Oracle Bone/Bronze Script.

Which begs the question...why would you spend so much effort on the tiny visual details, yet not show most of their elemental association through the narrative itself?

Like, suppose you are a foreign audience that knows nothing about Chinese culture and legends, who have just finished watching S5, and I ask you "What elemental powers do each of the Four Symbols have?"

Apart from Vermillion Bird = Fire (the obvious one) and the Black Tortoise = maybe Earth (which is not mythos-accurate, btw), can you honestly answer it, based only on what the show has given you?

Which leads me to my biggest gripe: their random-as-hell placement.

Even the Samadhi Rings have a map, however vague it is, but with the Color Stones, the gang basically just wandered all over the place in the hope of eventually running into one of the divine beasts——and they did, somehow!

Like, I'm not asking the writers for an entire mini-arc that's just them piecing the clues together. But will it be too much to let SWK or Tang make an off-hand comment like this?

"Well, legends said that the Four Symbols watch over the four directions and their respective elements. So if we wanna find them, we just gotta go real far in these directions, toward places with the most of that... elemental stuff! Right?"

And that brings me to the actual fix-it part. The Vermillion Bird can stay where she is, but the placement of the other three should also logically follow their elemental associations.

Oh, and though there's limited space for their characterization, they should at least get some individual characterization apart from "wise ancient guardians".

Xuanwu, Black Tortoise of the North

The fact that Xuanwu, or rather, it's snake half, can transform into stone at will might lead you to believe that its element is Earth.

Well...no, not traditionally; the Black Tortoise and the North correspond to Water in the Five Phases system, and I'm gonna both stick to that and build my fix-it off this foundation.

Instead of cosplaying a stone statue in the middle of nowhere, Xuanwu is gonna be residing on one of the islands in the North Sea, where dark tides and huge snow storms rage endlessly under the sunless sky.

So Sandy, being the water travel specialist, is gonna head out there on his boat. Mei would go to her great x N granduncle, Ao Guang's place, to see if he has any clues on, well, this big blue dragon that's also of the East.

Pigsy and Tang would head west, classic JTTW style, towards the mythical Mt. Kunlun where Queen Mother of the West resides (based on one of Tang's books that said the White Tiger was her emissary), while SWK performs an all-round search everywhere on his somersault cloud.

Which leaves MK: his dilemma is not about some random divergence in the road, but which of his friends to follow. Like, what if he goes with one person, and something bad happen to the others in the meantime?

In the end, even though he reluctantly goes with Sandy, he is still constantly distracted by his worries about everyone else, which segments nicely into the meditation training of S5E3.

But since they are doing it on a boat, there can be an external storm to go with the internal storm, causing further distractions for MK and also forcing them to seek shelter on the nearest island.

An island that, strangely, seems to be coated in a thin layer of ice. It isn't just the earth that's frosted over: all the plants, a few unfortunate multi-headed (???) seabirds, and a snake have also turned into ice statues...

Wait, snake? How does a reptile survive this far out in the north?

They have a bigger concern, however. The ice is slowly but steadily spreading, over the beaches and the surrounding seawater, and if they don't finish the search soon, the ice might get too thick for the boat to break.

So MK dashed off to do a grid-by grid search, then circled back to the place with all the frozen statues...and found the snake missing.

Cue, peak paranoia moment, and going on a wild-goose chase for the missing snake that might or might not be an ice-wielding demon waiting to ambush them.

In fact, the snake almost seems to be taunting them, seeing how they run into several "frozen snake statues" that turned out to be made of actual, solid ice. Sandy keeps reminding him to stop and think, while MK finds it harder and harder to put the lessons to practice.

By following the trail of ice statues, however, they eventually arrived on a little island in the middle of a frozen lake, where the real snake——the one half of Xuanwu lay coiling around the Blue Color Stone.

Just when MK is about to dash out and grab it, the snake comes to life with a hiss, and they barely dodged the ice spikes rising up from underneath their feet.

"Begone, foul spawn of Hundun! Return to thy conniving master, ilk of the Floodbringer, before I freeze every single drop of thy tainted blood!" "Um, I-I think you've mistaken me for someone else? I'm the Monkie Kid, and I'm here to collect your Color Stone so I can save the world——" "Doth thee mistake me for a fool, too?" The snake bore its fangs, rising its head high up into the air. "I can feel the flames of dear Lingguang on you, murderer, ripped straight out of its rightful owner's chest! She would not have perished without a fight, nor shalt I!" "Enough, Zhiming."

The tiny island itself begins to shake, revealing the other half of Xuanwu, the Black Tortoise itself. The snake still manages to half-encast Sandy in ice, before the Black Tortoise traps it inside a ball of flowing water.

She briefly apologized for her twin's hostility——whereas the strain of keeping the world together affects her body in the form of visible cracks, her other half has not been in his right mind ever since the Vermillion Bird's fall, living in the distant past and rarely able to perceive the present.

(The whole conversation is punctuated by the snake's psychic screeches in the background, which alternates between accusing her of betrayal and stating she must have fallen victim to the "poisonous blood of the enemy".)

Which makes the upcoming trial even more necessary. No, it's not "mercy-kill her twin". Yet. MK needs to prove his ability to control his body and mind, that his psyche will not break like her other half here under the tremendous pressure.

Thus, the trial of meditation. And he needs to act fast, for she cannot hold the snake back for long, as made evident by the slowly creeping ice inside and outside his watery prison.

"If you are truly worthy, then vanquish your fears, and stand before us in your true form. Brandish Lingguang's stone, so that we may be released from our watch in the long night."

MK succeeded, like he did in canon, with a small difference: his mastery of the monkey form is required for, and enables the limited usage of the stone's power.

So, holding the Red Color Stone, he unleashes a wave of fiery light that melts away the ice on Sandy and finally brings the snake back to his senses...somewhat.

He only managed to say the Vermillion Bird's name in a wistful voice, exclaiming "How I missed thy warm flames!" before melting into a puddle of water.

The other half of Xuanwu soon followed after giving him the stone, disintegrating into a mass of snowflakes that is swept away by the wind, but not before dropping one last bit of foreshadowing:

"Trust not the Floodbringer's Emissary."

(Sidenote: I think it'll be neat if the Four Symbols refer to each other using their IRL Daoist titles. Vermillion Bird - Lingguang, Black Tortoise & Snake - Zhiming, Azure Dragon - Mengzhang, White Tiger - Jianbing)

Azure Dragon & White Tiger

...And I thought Xuanwu's placement was random.

No, seriously, why is there a random music festival that just happens to be Azure Dragon and White Tiger themed that just happens to be near the actual place the two divine beasts are at?

To stay within the show's time constraint, I will not be giving White Tiger his individually themed placement, and instead try to come up with something that is appropriate for the pair as a whole.

Since Azure Dragon's associated element is Wood, it makes sense for him to have plant powers. Namely, whereever the divine beast resides, floras and faunas will flourish, no matter how out of place with the local geography and climate.

Once Mei learned that from Ao Guang, theoretically, it becomes quite the easy find: the mythical oasis city in western China, one that shows up multiple times in historical travel records yet has never been found by archeologists.

And the reason will soon become clear, as Tang and Pigsy make the drive from one desert city to another on their way to Mt. Kunlun (joined by Mei after she returned from the Samadhi Fire side-arc).

Namely, it's like a magical version of the famous Peach Blossom Spring of Chinese literature: an entire city that has been glamored over by the power of the divine beasts, occupied by people whose way of life hasn't changed since the Tang dynasty.

But as the guardians' powers fade, so does the illusion that veils it from the outside world, and the elemental magic that sustains this paradise.

Instead of a music festival, the gang finally discover the city that, according to the locals, has appeared out of thin air a few days ago, while it is in the middle of an archaic ritual procession.

The atmosphere is a lot more solemn, and it isn't hard to see why. Not only has the illusion vanished, exposing them to a profoundly alien world, the foliage of the oasis are growing and dying in rapid succession, clogging the streets with fallen leaves and yellowed petals.

An opera play is going on atop a nearby stage. It sings of a teal-robed immortal who rescued the refugees of a long-forgotten war, who turned desert into fertile soil with the help of a mighty divine general, concealing their existence from the greed and malice of the outside world.

The people in the procession knelt down and pleaded to the immortal for aid, to not abandon them in their hour of need. And their prayers are, indeed, answered, just not by the divine beasts in person.

The 14 Lunar Mansions that belong to the Azure Dragon and White Tiger descended from the sky, summoned by their masters, though they seemed to have been given different orders.

Namely, the Azure Dragon 7 spread out to guard all the major city gates, letting no one enter or leave, while the White Tiger 7 are ordered to round up all the residents and start setting up a teleportation formation.

Soon afterwards, Nezha arrived in the midst of the chaos. He is just as clueless as to what was going on as the Monkie Kid gang, but the moment he caught sight of SWK and friends, he's after them in hot pursuit.

Meanwhile, Li Jing is not happy about the Lunar Mansions suddenly acting without his orders, and commanded them to stand down or be arrested for insubordination.

"With all due respect, Devaraja Li——" Before the Moon Fox Star could finish her sentence, another stellar beast stepped forth, his tiger tail swishing behind him. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Results: most of the Azure Dragon 7 get sucked into his pagoda, but while they were fighting, the White Tiger 7's formation activated, teleporting the majority of the city residents to god knows where.

While shit was hitting the fan, Tang hurriedly teleported the gang away, right into the sanctuary of the divine beasts——an underground temple.

"It's over, Mengzhang. Now that the Harbinger is on our doorsteps, and your pet mortals are safe at the cost of our loyal warriors, will you finally rest easy?" "Not...yet. There are still...stragglers, left behind." "Stragglers you have doomed yourself! Their fate is sealed the moment you cast your mirage over their ancestors and create this little utopia, frozen in time." The cracks on the tiger's body widened. A thick layer of condensation began forming on the metal reliefs, as if the very walls of the temple were weeping. "I should have never agreed to stay and help." "Yet you...still did. And I'm so glad you are here."

Yep, in this fix-it, I decide to use the Azure Dragon & White Tiger for some thematic parallels, with them basically repeating Nvwa and the Pillar of Heaven on a smaller scale.

The former created a garden city in the middle of the desert, while the latter uses his power to provide the water source that sustains the city (because Metal births Water).

As the end approaches, however, they are faced with the problem of ensuring the city residents' safety, since, upon their death, the entire oasis will revert to a desert overnight.

The White Tiger feels like there's no point in trying anything, since their death means the Harbinger will fulfill his destiny soon and give the world a reboot.

But the Azure Dragon insists on channeling his power into the land until the very last possible moment, so that the people's last memories will be a mundane, peaceful one.

Besides, they know very well that Fate and Destiny are no longer ironclad, when the very laws of reality are breaking down. How, then, can he be sure that the cycle will end and the world will be reforged as Nvwa intended, seeing that its premature beginning is already an outlier?

After a long argument, they had reached an uneasy compromise. Thus, the chaotic arrival of the Lunar Mansions and the hurried evacuation of the residents.

"You will understand, won't you, Harbinger?" The dragon looked into his eyes. "Even if you know it's selfish and futile, that you can't keep them safe forever, you are still going to give your all, just so their happy days will last a little longer..." "It is easy for Brother Jianbing to say, let go, face your end with honor. For Metal is the clashes of blades, the unforgiving axe of executioners." "I? This old fool just saw lives. Of men and women, children and elderly folks. And I cannot stand by and watch them wither."

MK nodded quietly, feeling Mei's worried, "are you not telling me something" glance on the back of his head. He reached out a hand, and the two divine beasts press their foreheads together.

The dragon faded away in a rain of falling leaves and petals, and when the Purple Color Stone hit the ground, nothing remains of the tiger but a thin layer of silvery, metallic sand on the floor.

Appendix: Inside the Pagoda

The fix-it is mostly over at this point, so the following is just me adding some additional worldbuilding and foreshadowing to MK's solution in E10, to make the whole "giving powers to everyone" thing a little less out of left field.

In the previous section, it was mentioned that a bunch of Lunar Mansions end up inside Li Jing's pagoda too. And when MK and friends run across them, they are in a pretty bad state.

Namely, the same cracks they see on the divine beasts are now appearing on the Lunar Mansions' bodies too.

"Isn't it obvious? Our masters are no more, so we now bear the brunt of the weight that was once on their shoulders..." "And are on our way of being crushed to a pancake." "Very tactful, aren't you?" The one-horned man sighed. "But yes. Lord Mengzhang is a stellar beast too——the greatest of all. He is a constellation, while we are merely the stars that make up the dragon's body, embued with a tiny fraction of his power." "And when the very sky of the East has fallen..." "How can the stars remain unscathed?"

After that, they basically exit the scene to fade away offscreen. But the information they revealed plants the seed of an idea in MK: specifically, that the Color Stones' power (and burden) can be shared between multiple individuals, like what happened at the end of E10.

Also, tiny fix: instead of MK learning the circlet spell outta nowhere, he's gonna tap into the power of the Color Stones during his fight with SWK, just like he did during Xuanwu's trial, to buy enough time to make his sacrifice.