unique - for the single-word fic prompt!
[ so sorry for the delay, just completed a multi-state move so I didn't have much time until now <3 Thanks for the ask @gatheredfates !]
"Wait for me!" Stella, a small girl of about five summers, scampered after a plump calico cat. The tiny bell around the creature's neck tinkled as it scampered around the corner, tail lashing as its master's tiny child chased after it. As Stella peeled around the corner, she skidded to a halt as she saw her mother lifting the cat into her arms. Stella's ears lowered just a hair, one hand absently picking at the auri scales on the other.
"What have I told you about pestering Marbles?" Akira scolded gently, as the cat slipped out of her hands and disappeared over her shoulder fast enough that Stella's quick eyes missed where he went.
"I wasn't pestering, we were playing!" Stella clasped her hands behind her back, ears flat back in what she hoped was an innocent expression. Akira didn't look like she was buying it.
"Well, whether pestering or playing, it's past time for you to be in bed," Akira folded her arms, stern expression softened somewhat by her slight smile. Stella's face fell.
"But I'm not tired."
"Even still, kittens need their rest."
"I'm not a kitten!" Stella's floofy but still child-short tail waggled behind her. "I'm a dragon!" The warrior of light barely stifled a chuckle at her child's antics, scooping her up.
"Well, trust me, I know plenty of dragons and they all need their beauty sleep."
~*~
Stella tossed and turned amidst her covers. She wasn't even sleepy yet! Why should she have to go to bed now? She pouted, but then thought of something. She'd only done it by accident a few times, but if she wasn't tired, maybe she could practice. Stella laid down in her bed, pulling her covers up to her chin so her parents wouldn't suspect anything should they check on her.
She closed her eyes, and imagined a blue place full of crystals and bright lights. She tried to imagine being there, as if one of those lights were leading her along to where it lived.
And then, she was there.
The first time she'd visited the Blue Place, she thought it had been a dream. The bright lights that lived there seemed to want to play with her, and she chased them about excitedly. The second time, when she started to recognize familiar crystalline shapes and somewhat...recognize the lights that floated about, Stella began to suspect that it wasn't a dream.
She knew her parents had special abilities, though she never got the full story on either. She knew her mother could sometimes see the past, and that her father's had something to do with his eyes. Maybe they could come to this place too and they just never told her. Well, wouldn't they be surprised when they saw she managed it all by herself!
She leaped and chased after the lights; the air was weird here, and her jumps took her a little higher and further than they should, and it took her a little longer to come back down. She leaped at one ball of light after another, swiping delightedly at them as they flitted just out of her reach every time. It reminded her of when the leaves on the trees would change color and fall, but this was much more fun!
"And what might you be doing here?"
Stella nearly jumped out of her skin; she hadn't heard anyone sneak up on her, and the voice didn't belong to her mother or her father. She spun on her heel, fur on her tail and around the base of her ears bristling in alarm.
Behind her stood a strange man. His hair was a light purple, braided and pulled over one shoulder, with matching purple eyes. He was tall, almost as tall as Uncle Urianger, but his ears were round, not pointy. She wondered if maybe he was only half Elezen, like she was half au ra. As she wondered, he knelt down to look her in the eye. Or, well, almost look her in the eye. He was still too tall even kneeling for that.
"Who're you?" Stella shuffled a slight step back, but she didn't run. Something told her he wasn't a threat. He looked a little sad at that.
"I was hoping you might remember me."
Stella tilted her head for a moment, thinking. She definitely knew she'd never seen this person before, so she thought about how he felt safe, and his voice...
"Wait, you're my friend!" she near-shouted in her excitement. "The one in mama's crystal!"
"Well, not in it, but yes. I thought you'd forgotten me!" he teased lightly, and Stella relaxed her shoulders a bit, her fur finally flattening.
"Mama said you didn't exist!"
"Well, your mother can't hear us the way you can," he sat properly, folding his legs under his long robe, and she sat across from him.
"So who are you? Really?"
"My name is Hythlodaeus, and I was an old friend of your mother's."
"Hythlo...Hy..." Stella struggled around the long name, and he couldn't hold in a quiet chuckle.
"You can call me Hyth if it's easier," he suggested, and she nodded.
"You...were mama's friend? Are you not anymore?"
"I hope I still am! It's...complicated," his smile was somewhat rueful, and though Stella wanted to needle him about it, she held back. Her father always told her it was rude to pry, after all, and that people would tell her difficult things when they were ready.
"Why were you following me?" Stella tilted her head to the side.
"Well," he started. "You're a stranger here, and this place can be dangerous. So I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Dangerous? Then what about you?"
"Oh, don't worry about me. I'm perfectly safe."
"I can't just leave you here!" Stella jumped to her feet in alarm. "If it's dangerous, you should come home with me, I'm sure mama would be okay with it, she always says we should help people if we can-"
"Slow down, Stella," Hythlodaeus cut her off with a somewhat wistful smile. "While I'm sure your mother would be happy to, it's more complicated than that, and at any rate, I'm happy here. You don't have to worry about me." Her stubborn pout spoke to her disagreement, and she folded her arms for good measure.
"I don't understand, if it's dangerous here how could you be happy here?"
"It's dangerous for you, not for me."
"I'm tough! I can handle it!" she puffed up a little, her tiny tail waggling behind her, and Hyth chuckled again.
"I'm sure you can. But it's not that you're not tough. This place isn't meant for people like you, and that's why it's dangerous."
"If I'm not meant to be here, why am I here?"
"Well," he thought for a moment. "You have a somewhat...unique gift. Most people can't visit here, but you can. I do wonder what else you might be able to do with it."
"Like beat up monsters?" Stella jumped up from her seat, making a punching motion in the air, and he laughed.
"You're your mother's daughter, all right," Hyth grinned at her, only to suddenly glance over his shoulder as if he'd heard something. "Alas, I think it's time for me to go."
"Why?"
"I have someone I care a lot for that has trouble sleeping alone, so I need to go help him get some rest," he explained kindly, getting to his feet and patting Stella's head gently. "You should go home and get some rest too. Maybe next time, if we can drag my friend from his sleep, we can explore more of this power of yours."
Stella was about to protest, when suddenly she felt a wave of fatigue wash over her, and the blue place and Hythlodaeus faded from view until she was laying back in her bed. And though she wanted to go tell her mother everything she'd seen, she was so tired.
She could tell her in the morning.
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Batkids - Evolution Board
Here comes how I headcanon the Batkids’ legacy (centering on the main Batfamily, I’ll make an extended version afterwards if you want ^^) through the ages and the titles they wear, first in canon then into their future!
Starring the team by oldest to youngest instead of by appearance :)
1) Barbara Gordon
Batgirl > Oracle > Mayor of Gotham
- Batgirl (at 18 when she makes her own path into vigilantism then teams-up with the orginal Dynamic Duo).
- Oracle (after the Joker shot her while, as an adult in her early thirties, she distanced from vigilantism and was wearing her Batgirl uniform only occasionally).
- Mayor of Gotham (she gives her ‘Oracle’ title to a reformed Edward Nygma who fully joined the Batfamily and dedicates herself to politics the official way since then, until her election as the new Mayor).
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2) Dick Grayson
Robin > Nightwing > Batman > Nightwing > Retired
- Robin (at 11 after Bruce took him under his wing).
- Nightwing (the disco suit version at 18 after he quit, then the black and blue classical one after Barbara became Oracle).
- Batman (during the transition period over which Bruce was presumed dead).
- Nightwing (after Bruce returned).
- Retired (after Barbara and him married and he decided to fully dedicate himself to being a husband, a father and Babs’ main support over her political campaign).
______________________
3) Jason Todd
Robin > League of Assassins soldier > Red Hood
- Robin (at 10 after Bruce took him in and up to 16 when he was murdered by the Joker).
- League of Assassins soldier (up to his early twenties when he lived with Talia al Ghul and followed her training).
- Red Hood (first a villain when he returns to Gotham, then an antihero who progressively grows closer to the Batfamily. He keeps his Red Hood title up to his old days).
______________________
4) Cassandra Cain
Batgirl > Black Bat > Batman
- Batgirl (at 16 when she arrives in Gotham and after Barbara then Bruce and Tim took her in and considered her a true ally then a family member - she keeps her title until she gives it to Stephanie when thinking Bruce has died and she doesn’t want to fight for him anymore).
- Black Bat (once she returns to Gotham after living a couple years in Hong Kong away from the bats-and-birds).
- Batman (when Bruce solemnly hands over to her his cape and cowl, he chooses her as his rightful heir).
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5) Tim Drake
Robin > Red Robin > Phoenix > Dark Phoenix
- Robin (at 13 after he stalked Bruce and until they cross paths, less than six months after Jason’s death).
- Red Robin (after he was forced to quit for a short period when his father found out about his activities and after Stephanie’s death, he couldn’t take back his old costume so he upgraded his outfit and his name along the way).
- Phoenix (over his mid-twenties when he decided to make a name for himself and take a chance into the ‘other side’ of the fight).
- Dark Phoenix (a nickname given by the press he ended up adopting after his team and him killed the next generation of Batman and Superman, aka Cassandra and Kon-El, what signed his definitive tipping point).
______________________
6) Stephanie Brown
Spoiler > Robin > Spoiler > Batgirl > Nightwing > Batman
- Spoiler (at 13 to frame her dad and spoil his plans before she bonded with Robin!Tim ; she takes nearly eight months off the Game to handle her pregnancy at 15 and its aftermath, needing time to recover after putting her baby up to adoption, then resumes the fight and meets Batgirl!Cassandra plus Oracle!Barbara).
- Robin (at 17 when Bruce finally takes her in).
- Spoiler (after Bruce fires her, leading to her ‘death’ and her spending nearly two years far from Gotham, in Kenya to recover with Leslie Thompkins. She returns at 19 wearing her original alias).
- Batgirl (at 19 when Cassandra abandons the title and she takes up the mantle for ten years to come).
- Nightwing (at 31, after two years off the the game to welcome her daughter Taylor ; she passed the Batgirl mantle to her apprentice Nell Little during her pregnancy).
- Batman (the one she never wanted to take up, but endorsed after Cassandra’s death to carry on the legacy).
______________________
7) Damian Wayne
Robin > Angel > Nightwing
- Robin (at 10 when he arrives in Gotham and meets his father, then forms a Dynamic Duo with him and with Dick during the transition period Bruce is out).
- Angel (at 20, he gives the Robin title to Carrie Kelley the same time Steph gives the Batgirl mantle to Nell Little).
- Nightwing (when Stephanie becomes Batman).
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Now to get Kikyo personally mad at me (as is my job in life), has she ever had any sexual fantasies about Sesshomaru? If so-- what are they? Asking for me. I'm curious.
SEND ❓+ A QUESTION AND MY MUSE HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO ANSWER TRUTHFULLY || @fightingthetides
"......"
Were her porcelain cheeks quite reddened ? Yes. The audacity of such a question would make anyone blush, more so one who leaned towards the conservative and somewhat prudish spectrum. Not that there was anything wrong in having sexual appetites. It was completely healthy and normal. And yet, it was one thing to discuss in a professional role and another, to pry into her personal preferences. The former she can do without so much as a stutter, but the latter..that was very much different. Particularly as it was coming from someone that was not Sesshomaru.
Such a topic was only appropriate to discuss with the daiyokai..should it ever arise--when it arise. Hmph.
"Unless your name is Sesshomaru, I do not believe this topic is appropriate for your ears.", she finally replied, her irritation lightly infused into her tone.
"But very well..the answer is yes..to a certain degree. I am not that familiar, knowledgeable or experienced in this department. I never really looked into it except for the occasional curiosity due to what colleagues may have mentioned..", she admitted, brushing a few strands of hair off her neck.
"Be that as it may.." Kikyou exhaled slowly, in an attempt to subdue her rapid heartbeat and flushed cheeks. "Being dominated beneath the moonlight with his mokomoko wrapped around me is one..His familiar features plain to see..from the markings on his cheeks to the crescent moon on his forehead." It was fitting seeing as both found a sense of comfort from the moon, among other things. "Feeling his fangs on my skin, the wind in our hair..the sweet smell of the grass in the air." Naturally it would be a very private and intimate location, free from prying eyes. Being marked by him under the tree he took her to..sparked this particular fantasy.
"Use of ribbons..or silk as restraints..in our intimate sessions.." Television as vulgar as it could be..at least introduced a few things she otherwise may have gone without hearing about--such as mild bondage. "It goes without saying that..riling up my beloved and taking charge for as long as possible is something that I also entertain. It may not last long but..a woman can try, can she not~?" Tease him enough until even his admirable restraint and discipline is put to the test--or better yet, snap.
"Spontaneity--taken..roughly against the wall with one of his famous, rare smirks..I believe that is more than enough to quell your curiosity." Kikyou was admittedly quite warm--and needed to go cool herself off now.
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So... Thad. Tell us. Just how 'human' is Match, if you know what I mean. Does any of Bad Dragon's lineup look a little familiar? 😏
Accepting || Ask My Muse Anything
It could be anything at all, no limits, no restrictions, and my muse has to answer to the best of their ability.
(Note: I'm not being canon compliant for this question; We're having a lil fun here.)
Thad only manages to get out an embarrassed stuttering of, "I— I'm not— I wouldn't know tha—" before he's shoved out of the way, a flash of gold shines on the hand doing the shoving, and he tumbles over the back of the sofa while a potential future version of himself takes the place of where he was standing just moments before.
"I'm not—" The older version of Thad begins before glancing in the direction the very dazed present-day version of himself and then back to the anon, "We're not one's to kiss and tell, but seeing how there's no answering the question without present-day Thad embarrassing himself to death, I'll take the reins here. Just remember Match's mine, I'm just sharing some scientific facts. Though don't let Match know I said anything." He says before adding with a smirk, "Not that he has anything to be ashamed of."
He chuckles, "Heh, cute, anonymous, but honestly? You're not too far off the mark in your comparison. However, they certainly can't compare to Match in my personal opinion. His, ahem, equipment has a similar structural design to that of a cisgender human male, but there are apparent differences on a first look regarding aspects such as shape and texture. However," He flashes a smile at the anon, "those intimate details are for me to know and for you to never find out."
"Honestly, I'm more surprised you're not asking about his other differences. The prominent fangs. The unique vocalizations such as growling. Elevated temperature. And more." He raises his fingers one by one, "Kryptonians are incredibly fascinating."
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