#ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THAT ONE COULD SAY HE HAS BOTH WINGS AND TAIL FEATHERS

[polrification]

Alhaitham wtf board v2.5! its 2.5 because I think I have more stuff to add until official v3 but I am not normal and will not let anything rest

images taken from twitter

[dr3am-t3am]

dteam wing!au, bc literally nobody can stop me.

my brain spit this out this morning, and i was like “i could make this and nobody could stop me” and now it exists. i put so much less thought than i should’ve into this. i dont even care. if anybody asks, this is inspired by “Minecraft, but we’re always flying” or something, but that’s not true i just wanted to draw the boys with wings.

some notes under the cut: 

- Dream was definitely the design i actually thought about the most. I wanted something fast and maneuverable for him, but not super expected (like a falcon or something, which is kind of a moot point considering the other two are super stereotypical wing designs, but also do i really care? no.) so I was thinking something like a kingfisher or a hummingbird at first, but that didn't really fit either, and plenty of birds are fast but not really agile. I then went into swifts, which are the fastest horizontal flying birds and are. super fast and maneuverable,, but guess what? they aren't the fastest horizontal flying animals.

- bats are.

- these tiny bats go around flying at 100 mph, making crazy turns and such all the while. theyre insane.

- Brazilian free-tailed bats ! look them up

- anyways i didn’t want to use bats at first bc stereotypical “evil” connotations combined with dream’s,, uh,, tendencies? (every manhunt vid, but especially speed runner v. mutant. you Know.) seemed like a super cliche take, but like come on. it worked too well. crazy bat boy doing crazy bat boy things. imagine the pun potential. 

- so anyways. he’s a bat.

- to be honest, I dont know what universe this would really exist in, real life or minecraft, but both have a lot of potential so. i might do more with this, because i supposedly made this up based on “minecraft but we’re always flying” i’ll put it in the mc world for now but like. both seem like too much fun

- anyways

- Dream is as I said, crazy bat boy. He is still minorly afraid of heights,, not as much as he probably is in real life but like,, he isn’t the most comfortable with them. He does love flying though, and in typical bat fashion he does a lot of dodging and weaving through trees and other crazy stunts. Bat wings are super jointed and flexible, so he’s able to weave through super busy landscapes pretty easily,, much to George and Sapnap’s chagrin

- George is a barn owl ! Partly bc though I know nothing about harry potter but i know owls are a thing with wizards and stuff in general, and george is apparently The harry potter nerd in the dteam, and partly bc owls are the bird equivalent to cats and george is a cat if you've ever seen one. also, his stupid goggles look like giant owl eyes. it works ok ? 

- he’s not as fast a flier as dream and sapnap, but he’s still a very effective hunter. he can fly Silently and he uses that to his advantage a Lot. unfortunately, he’s still colorblind, but he’s still got really good vision. his night vision, especially, is super good, as is his hearing

- george has. Lorge wings. he’s pretty average size, same as in real life, but he’s shorter than both dream and sapnap and has Massive wings. they’re super fluffy too, making them look even bigger, and the resulting image results in george looking pretty small for how Massive his wings are, like a child that hasn’t really grown into their clothes yet. they are the absolute best wings to cuddle with, even though he doesn’t do that often, and when he gets startled he raises them automatically to look a lot bigger than he actually is, in that owl way of becoming a circle. dream and especially sapnap find it hilarious.

- sapnap’s a red tailed hawk ! he seems to suit a bird of prey really well, and I associate the color red and orange with him a lot. Sapnap’s a great flier and very much enjoys screwing around in the sky, often way higher than dream and george really like to go up. He’s a fast enough flier, definitely faster than george, but nowhere close to Dream if they’re flying horizontally. However, he Can dive, and he can dive very very fast. He dive-bombs george Constantly, and sometimes manages to pull one on Dream if he and George do the planning beforehand. it doesn’t always work because Dream’s a little weasel and can maneuver himself out of place Fast once he notices, but they Have pulled it off a few times and his reactions are Golden. 

- Sapnap is *pretty* chill, but if you trigger his territorial instincts then he can become and absolute pain to deal with. This, of course, is why you can very often find sapnap and dream flying and chasing each other because dream was being a little a-hole and stole sapnap’s stuff or something. (he’s also very protective of his friends, who he consider as his territory, or home, not that he’s gonna say it or anything.)

- when sapnap gets into Instinct Mode he also rarely does the red-tailed hawk screech, which usually is enough of a shock to kick him out of it as both george and dream laugh themselves silly. both george and dream get the most flak for being the loud ones,,, (not even bc of his bird, for george, but just bc. He’s George) but that Screech puts everyone else to shame,, it’s just,, So Loud. 

- dream, when he isnt flying, is actually very protective of his wings. it’s not immediately obvious to the others, but because his wings are so small and maneuverable dream tends to fold them up and hide them under his clothes when he can, and otherwise keep them folded and away from everything else when he can’t. george has his wings folded about half of the time, and sapnap really never has his folded. they fly so much that it’s not super obvious, but dream’s wings are Delicate and full of tiny bones and joints thank u very much and he’s very protective of them

- both george and sapnap have feathers along their back and neck that will raise when they’re alarmed or scared. dream doesn’t, but his hair is Extremely fluffy and fine, to the point of almost seeming like fur instead of hair. 

- both dream and george lean towards a nocturnal sleep schedule, and sapnap basically grudgingly follows. they have a completely screwed up sleep schedule, just like real life. it be like that sometimes.

i’ll cut this off for now, but i have. more thoughts. we’ll see what becomes of them haha.

[mshomestyle]

Tokoyami Fumikage x Reader: Applying crow-like instincts to Tokoyami [Head Canons].

This is from an ask I received, and I’m so happy to do this because I adore Tokoyami. He needs more love. Also, if anyone has any other asks for me feel free to send them!

What would these crow tendencies mean to Tokoyami Fumikage:

(Number 11 involves sex.)

1. “Crows have a varied and evolved language. They can mimic the sounds made by other animals, and they learn to associate noises with events, especially with the distribution of food.“ If you want to learn a new language, look no further than Tokoyami. It’s easy for him to learn a language. If you go to foreign countries that you’ve never been to before on vacation, all it takes is reading a language book on the plane and listening to the locals talk for Tokoyami to be able to parrot back the language rather well, especially when it comes to ordering at restaurants. It’s nice not to need a translator with him around.

2. “Crows are omnivorous, and they don’t seem to be picky eaters. Their diet includes fruits, mice, frogs and carrion.“

“What should we eat for dinner tonight?”

“Whatever you want.” And Tokoyami means it when he says it. He’s not the type to deny anything you chose, and you can sit there and name various places and different cuisine options, and he’ll say ‘yes’ to every one. Anything is fine to him. He only seems into it when apples are involved!

3. “Crows maintain only one mate for their entire life. They don’t reach sexual maturity until they reach the age of 2 but some often wait longer to get their soulmate. Once they find their soulmate, it is a lifetime’s bonding!“ Tokoyami and Hawks have definitely had this conversation before, and they see their love lives in the exact same light. “I’m only falling in love and getting married once,” Hawks says.

“I feel the exact same way.” And Tokoyami has expressed this to you as well. He also has no problem taking his relationship with you slow if that’s what you want. He’ll wait for you no matter how long it takes, and he’ll always see you as his one and only.

4. “ Both parents take care of the babies and help them with feeding. That may not be weird but this is weird – some of the offspring will actually stay back to look after the next batch of babies.” Tokoyami is a very involved father. When your babies are newborns he has absolutely no problem waking up in the middle of the night when they’re hungry to feed them with a bottle. Half because he wants you to get your sleep, and the other half is because he likes the bonding time with his kids. And if you and Tokoyami end up with another baby later in life, when your other kids are older they will help with it as well, possibly even offering to move back temporarily.

5. “A crow is actually a songbird and it has a complex system of calls.“ If you are careful enough, you’ll be able to hear him singing in the shower, and when you do his voice absolutely melts your heart. Tokoyami is a really good singer, though waves that off if you mention it. He does, however, not mind playing his guitar around you.

6. “Crows have such high level of intelligence that it has been observed that if a crow is unable to crack a nut, then it puts it on a highway so that vehicle could pass over it to crack it open. It was also observed that they prefer to put the nut under smaller vehicles so that the kernel is not be reduced to pulp!“ Tokoyami is incredibly smart, and it’s easy for him to solve any problems that you might have. You could be stumped with something all day, but if you take it to Tokoyami he can solve it quickly without fail. And while you’re just looking at him in amazement, especially since he manged to come up with a way to solve it that you didn’t even consider, he just shrugs.

7. “Crows, being the smart birds that they are, investigate an area for possible threats after another crow dies there.“ Tokoyami is a bit more protective than he’d like to think. He doesn’t want you going into any areas that have a large crime rate. In fact, if you’re planning to go somewhere new, Tokoyami will check it out beforehand, whether it’s in person or via the internet.

“Hey, is that Tokoyami and the other guys over there?” Mina asked, drink in her hand. You just rubbed your eyes, knowing that this would happen the second you told Tokoyami that the bar you were going to had a fight happen in it last week.

8. “ Crows will adopt: Cornell researchers witnessed something both heartbreaking and heartwarming: after an adult crow known simply as RV died of West Nile virus, his children were orphaned. Amazingly, his neighbor and crow friend adopted and cared for the baby crows!” It’s no doubt that Tokoyami is a hero. Every time he has to handle a case where a little child is involved and unprotected, his heart breaks for them. You’ve gotten used to him coming home with children saying that you’ll both look after the child until a proper home for them can be found. You don’t mind this at all, and you find it very cute. After all, you knew that if it were realistic for Tokoyami to adopt every child that needed it, then he would.

9. “They can solve puzzles: For a study, researchers once assigned a crow a simple puzzle involving eight tasks—picking up objects, moving them, and other complex steps. The crow had never seen them in sequence before. Yet, the crow finished it easily—the first bird to ever accomplish anything like it.“ If you do not like to lose, then don’t play puzzle games with Tokoyami. It takes him no time at all to figure puzzles out, and he does so effortlessly. You could cheat the system, however, and employ his help when you play with people that aren’t him! Midoriya still can’t seem to figure out how you managed to beat his high score at online sudoku so quickly.

10. “Corvids are all about family: Mama crows don’t push their young from the nest as soon as they can fly.” Hawks and Tokoyami talk about family, too as well! Tokoyami dotes on his kids, spending lots of time with them. He doesn’t force them to make life decisions, but rather gently encourages them, letting them know that they will always have the help of their family. You don’t exactly mind that, in fact, you find it cute. You just wish he would stop spoiling them...Seriously, when you came to know him, you didn’t think the children you had together would have him wrapped around their tiny fingers.

11. “The mating habits of this bird take place on the ground. The male bird has a courtship display of facing the female and fluffing his body feathers. Then he partially spreads his wings and tail and proceeds to bow repeatedly while uttering a brief rattling song. Once a male and female have mated, they perch together and may touch bills and preen each other's feathers.” Before you have sex, Tokoyami likes to make sure he’s nice and presentable, usually. He doesn’t just go it, looking any kind of way. And he also makes sure to court you before having sex (at least for the first time or special occasions.) He takes you to dinner and makes sure to properly seduce you. Once you’re both done having sex, he does an amazing job with the aftercare, holding you close, kissing you, and stroking his fingers through your hair. He definitely wants you to feel loved.

[yourdeepestfathoms]

There’s A Dragon At My Doorstep

an old AU from last October i found in my school account’s docs

for the record, this is not a DnD AU. i just used some of the races because i thought they were Cool. i have never played DnD in my life

Word count: 6840

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

All things considered, Aragon was doing a very good job at keeping herself calm.

And, honestly, it could have been worse. They could have been dead or used as a sex toy by now, but they were still alive. Really, they were lucky. The rain was steadying up, too.

Aragon and Anne sat beside each other, wrists shackled together with a chain that attached to a tree. There were many hunters around them, and they couldn’t fight them off since their weapons had been taken. They kept exchanging nervous looks, wondering how exactly they had gotten into this big of a mess.

It’s simple. And it was Anne’s fault, really, since it had been her idea in the first place. They went a little too deep into the bad parts of the woods. Now they were chained up and surrounded by mad men.

You see, these weren’t normal hunters. They didn’t track down just animals. They stalk other races that weren’t human and killed them for parts. Lizardfolk for their scales, Aarakocra for their feathers and wings, Leonin and Tabaxi for their pelt, to name a few. It was highly illegal to do this--it was murder--but they didn’t care. They were good at covering their tracks, too. But what did they want with two humans if they didn’t kill them? Simple.

  “You’re royals,” Said the leader, pacing in front of the pair. “I’m sure the council wouldn’t want anything to happen to their precious queen and mistress.”

  “So you’re going to use us for blackmail?” Aragon spoke, keeping her voice strong. “How cowardly.”

  “Would you rather me kill you? Or use you as our personal plaything?”

Death sounded better than being these men’s whore. Aragon shut her mouth and looked back down at the ground.

  “That’s what I thought.”

The man was a brute, bigger than both Aragon and Anne. Without their weapons, he could easily take down them both single-handedly. Maybe even when they did have their swords. He had a scarred face and tangled black hair that reached his shoulders. His hands were like bear paws, large and strong, and his eyes could pierce anyone’s soul with a single stare. It would be best to not make him mad.

  “What do you hope to gain from us?” Anne decided to ask, taking her turn at speaking. “The throne?”

  “Of course not.” The leader chortled. “Why would I want such a thing? To be bound to a velvet chair for the rest of my life? Ha! No, I’m in this for the gold, the treasure.”

  “Should have guessed.” Aragon muttered under her breath.

She looked at Anne, who was, once again, trying to pull her hands free from the shackles. Like the other four times, it didn’t work and only achieved skinning her wrists raw.

  “Where are you taking us?” Aragon asked.

  “Back to our camp,” Answered the leader, looking down at a map. “We have a special something to get ready for.” With a wicked smirk, he unpacked something from the caravan and held it up to the pair of royals.

An egg.

A dragon egg.

The dragons were said to be killed off long ago, in a great purge. The stories said it was for safety, that the creatures would regularly kill people for no good reason. They had to be culled from the land.

  “But they’re all dead!”

  “Not as dead as you think,” The leader chuckled.

He turned away from the pair to speak to some of the other hunters, probably to discuss plans or directions. Somewhere in the conversation, one of the hunters pointed to Anne and Aragon and said something to the leader, making him look at them, too.

  “Joan!” He called out loudly. “Get over here!”

Rustling came from the grove nearby, and then a girl came out. She had sun bleached hair done in a braid that made her silver eyes stand out like bright diamonds in the night. She was clad in furs, a size too big and drowning her petite frame. Her arms were dripping with gore; clearly she had been at a gutting post for dinner. Rivulets of blood ran down too-sharp-to-be normal fingernails, thickly dyeing freckled grey skin. Coils of bramble were caught in her small, branching horns, and mud was staining her long, thick tail, which was tipped with tufts of black fur at the very end.

Aragon blinked at this girl in interest. She had never seen a tiefling before. This one was very young, too. What was she doing with these cut throats?

  “Joan, watch our guests.” The leader said. “I’ll get someone else to finish gutting. Chop off a finger if they try anything.” He tossed the tiefling a wickedly curved dagger, which she looked at with a sickened expression. But still, she nodded wordlessly and stood guard beside the tree Aragon and Anne were chained to.

For a long time, it was quiet, aside from the chatter of the men further into the temporary camp. Aragon’s and Anne’s guard wasn’t doing a very good job at watching them, as she was completely focused on carving a piece of wood she had snapped off of the tree. It wasn’t long before Aragon’s mind began to waver, and she drifted off without realizing it.

------

It was raining when Aragon opened her eyes again. The forest was shrouded with grey mist, hanging above the wet ground. Overhead, the sky is obscured by an impenetrable mass of dark clouds. In those early hours of the morning, everyone was asleep.

Aragon stirred in the mud she lay in, jumping when she realized someone’s hands were on her. She instinctively swung her arm up, jabbing her elbow at the person. A hiss let her know she landed the blow.

When the haziness in her eyes receded, she saw the tiefling child crouched beside her, rubbing her jaw.

  “It’s you,” Aragon said softly. 

The tiefling’s ears twitched slightly in recognition. “I’m going to get you out of here.” She whispered.

Aragon raised a suspicious eyebrow and inquired, “Aren’t you with them, though?”

  “Not by choice.”

Joan ended it there and slipped a key out of her fur covers while Aragon shook Anne awake. Aragon then noticed something on the younger girl. She squinted, seeing red marks around her wrists and neck. It looked like painful blisters, ones shackles would usually create.

In a few seconds, the chains binding Anne and Aragon fell off. Joan gave them each a dagger before standing to go get the horses. And that’s when she ran right into one of the hunters. 

He was up on his feet in an instant, glaring down at her. Joan struck too late; he had already bellowed for the others to wake when her knife sunk into his chest. His battle cry died on his lips as she pulled her blade free, moving to the next opponent.

She ducked smoothly under a clumsy swing and jabbed her knife up into the second man’s armpit, tearing open a large gash. Twisting on her heels, she hauled the body around to shield herself from an oncoming sword. The blade pierced the hunter’s flesh instead of hers and she released him to bleed out and die. When she was turning to strike again, something heavy smacked into her head.

Joan tottered before sinking to her knees, pressing one hand to her skull while the other clumsily tried to fend off the hunters gathering around her. Her vision began to darken as she was shoved to her back. The leader was above her, a sneer on his scarred face.

  “Next time, you’ll stay in the chains.”

Without another word, he swung his boot savagely into her chin, and, with a crunch, Joan’s world went black.

------

  “I don’t understand why we’re keeping her alive.”

  “She saved us.”

  “She’s one of them! Plus, she’s one of those things…”

  “Don’t say that, Anne.”

  “What? It’s true! You know what her kind--”

  “Shh. She’s waking up.”

Aragon lifted the cloth she had pressed to the tiefling’s head and watched as the child slowly came to. Her ears twitched first, then her tail lashed like a snake in the mud, and then her eyelids fluttered before finally peeling open. Joan flinched backwards when she saw Aragon.

  “Easy, easy,” The queen murmured, holding her hands out in front of her harmlessly. “I’m not going to hurt you, sweetheart.”

Joan’s ears twitched again, and then she relaxed slowly. She nodded slightly.

  “I’m glad you’re awake.” Aragon said. “I thought that rock cracked your skull. You were bleeding.”

Joan winced when she seemed to notice the pain. Aragon pressed the cloth back the area of impact on her temple, and she looked up at her with big, sparkling silver eyes, as if this were the first time she had been touched with so much gentleness.

  “What about the other..bandits?” Joan slurred her words slightly.

  “Took care of them.” Anne said. She was standing a few feet away, sword in hand, eyeing Joan wryly. “Wasn’t that hard when they all grouped up after you blacked out. Really, it was their fault they died for getting together.”

Joan nodded slightly. With a grunt, she pushed herself up into a sitting position against a tree. From beside her, Aragon made a noise of disapproval.

  “What are you going to do with me?” She asked softly.

  “Bring you back to the kingdom, of course,” Aragon said. “You saved us!”

  “What?” Anne yelped. “Wait, I didn’t--”

  “Really?” Joan looked up at Aragon in wonder. 

  “Yes, really.” Aragon smiled at her.

Anne didn’t have a say in this decision, though she continued to spitter over it on the ride back to the kingdom. Especially when she saw that Joan had grabbed the dragon egg from the caravan.

  “She’s going to kill us all, Catalina,” Anne whispered to Aragon. “I hope you realize that.”

  “She is not.” Aragon said. “Will you stop being so rude?”

Luckily, Anne shut up for the rest of the trek.

The guards posted around the city and at the castle alike were relieved to see Aragon and Anne return safely, but they all eyed Joan with great suspicion. The girl merely hunched her shoulders and sunk into her saddle, trying to make herself smaller than she already was.

Upon stepping into the grand palace, Aragon and Anne both were bowled into by a furry mass. 

  “You’re back! You’re finally back! I was so worried about you!”

It was Anne’s younger cousin, Katherine, or Kitty for short. She was a satyr, with neatly combed, light brown fur on her goat-like legs and big, furry ears. Her amber eyes were wide and beaming as she grasped tightly to Anne’s hand.

  “Sorry to worry you, Kit,” Anne said, ruffling her hair. 

  “Are you okay? You aren’t hurt, right?” Kitty asked, inspecting the two.

  “We’re fine.” Aragon assured her.

Kitty sighed in relief. “I’m so glad.” She turned her head, “Anna! Catalina and Annie are back!!”

Heavy footsteps thumped down the hall, and then all three of them were lifted off of the floor and squeezed tightly.

  “Ack--” Aragon gasped.

  “Good to see you, too, Anna!” Anna laughed wheezily.

Cleves set them down and stepped back, grinning widely. She was a large minotaur, with thick red-brown fur, powerful hooves, and long, pointy horns. A golden hoop glittered from her nostrils on her broad snout.

  “Sorry about that,” She said. “I didn’t break anything, did I?” Being as tall and big as she was, she had to stoop down to inspect Anne and Aragon.

  “Not this time,” Anne said, laughing.

  “EEK!!” Kitty suddenly shrieked, leaping backwards in fright. “A tiefling!!”

It was only then that Kitty and Cleves seemed to notice the stranger. Joan stepped back slightly, ears drooping. She coiled her tail in close to her.

  “Why is there a tiefling here?” Kitty asked shakily, hiding behind Cleves.

  “This is Joan.” Aragon said. “She saved us. That’s why she’s here.”

  “And what’s that in her arms?” Cleves questioned.

  “A dragon egg.”

------

  “No, no, absolutely not.” Jane, an elf, and the queen’s advisor, said, pacing around the library. The dragon egg was sitting on a table, which she kept eyeing suspiciously.

  “Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a baby dragon around here?” Aragon said. “We can bring them back!”

  “They’re dead for a reason.” Jane growled. “We should kill it.”

  “You can’t just kill it,” Bessie, a lady in waiting kenku with messy feathers, said. “It’s a baby.”

  “It’s a dragon.” Jane said. “They’re dangerous monsters. It’ll kill us all.”

  “Killing it would be like stabbing a pregnant woman.” Bessie argued. “It’s wrong.”

  “When did you start caring about things?” Kitty muttered brattily. “I thought crows were supposed to be omens for death.”

Bessie ruffled her already-matted feathers until they were even more in disarray and glared at Kitty. Her talons scraped dangerously across the floor.

  “You think we should just let this thing hatch and rain terror down on our kingdom?” Jane said. “So many people died at its claws.”

  “I am the queen and my word is law.” Aragon said firmly. “And I say let the creature live.”

------

Two weeks.

For two weeks, Joan watched over the egg, unsure on if it was doing okay. She didn’t sleep very often and barely left her room without the egg in a sling in fear of it hatching when she wasn’t there. She created a nest of her blankets and pillows to try and keep the little thing as warm as possible. Sometimes, it moved. Sometimes, it didn’t. In the third week, that changed.

It was around dinner time, raining. Joan was strumming lazily at a lute she had been learning to play on the window sill when the egg began to jump and shake. Flakes of shell fell from a cracked area. Joan saw a curve of a beak, silver claws, an edge of a foot. As a flash of lightning lit up the sky, the rest of the egg splintered into a thousand glittering pieces, and the tiny hatchling, shiny with albumen, was left before her.

  “Oh,” Joan gasped.

He was perfect. Perfect in every single way.

Shiny black scales with hints of dark blue glimmered in the torchlight. Sparkling white wings with a scattering of ebony and emerald and sapphire speckles underneath stretched out and flapped in the air. Tiny horns tipped his elegantly narrowed head. The adorable little forked tail swished across the ground. Big mossy green eyes blinked around in wonderment.

Joan didn’t even realize she was crying until she breathed in shakily and hiccuped. She crouched down, holding out her hand, which the baby dragon nibbled on curiously. She pulled him into her arms, weeping tears of joy and relief.

  “You’re alive,” She breathed. “You’re alive!”

Even with the heavy rain and thunder, surely everyone in the castle could hear her cheering.

  “What should I call you, little guy?” She paused. “How about Scales?” She giggled. “Silly, isn’t it? Do you like it?”

The hatchling’s tail wiggled in excitement, so Joan took that as a yes. She held Scales close to her chest, tucking his head under her chin.

This meant there was still a chance.

A knock came at her door. Joan jumped and slowly turned her head to the side to see Aragon and Anne peeking in.

  “Good Lord!” Anne exclaimed, her eyes bulging. “It actually hatched!”

  “It’s a shock indeed.” Aragon said, slowly crossing over to the nest of blankets. She crouched down and let Scales sniff her hand. “It’s adorable.”

  “He,” Joan corrected. “His name is Scales.”

  “Fitting.” Anne said, slowly walking over. 

  “How can we help?”

Joan was actually quite surprised upon hearing Aragon’s question. She hadn’t expected them to help her with the hatchling. It made her happy to know some people were looking out for her.

  “Some.” Anne said. “We can help some.” 

  “I need to keep him entertained if I’m not here.” Joan said. “Do you think you can bring some old toys for him to play with?”

Aragon nodded. “I have some lying around. I think he’ll like them.”

  “Thank you.” Joan said. “Do you think I could use the training field sometimes to help him learn how to defend himself?”

  “Of course,” Aragon said, ignoring the look Anne was giving her.

Joan nodded and smiled slightly. “Thank you. This means a lot.”

Aragon gently rubbed the top of the girl’s head before standing up.

  “Dinner’s calling,” Anne said. “Good luck, Joan.”

And with that, they’re gone. Joan’s left alone in her room with a hatchling in her arms. She looks down at Scales and feels her throat tighten. She's never been needed like this. It's just her and him against the whole world.

------

For four months, Joan almost always took care of her hatchling alone. She slipped out of castle business, stole extra food, and forgot what it feels like to get a full or good night of rest. Scales required almost all of her attention, but she didn’t mind, even when he wakes her up wanting to play.

He’s getting bigger. He’s just below her thigh, now. His horns and teeth were growing sharper, too. But even with his natural weapons that could easily tear someone’s throat out, he was like a little puppy. He loved being pet or playing pounce. He was the light of Joan’s life.

The two of them soon became inseparable. Joan taught him different kinds of songs, becoming the best duet England has ever seen. Joan would play her lute or the castle piano if she got the chance while Scales sang in off-tune, but charming keens and whistles. It was hard to see why people wouldn’t love him. But Joan knew that many would feel like that. She knew right away when she decided to take him to a banquet with her.

Many people stared and made disgusted faces at the little dragon perched on the tiefling’s shoulder with his tail curled loosely around her neck. That night, Joan realized how many were against her. She couldn’t find a friendly face in the crowd anywhere. Aragon looked very worried and Anne wouldn’t even make eye contact with her. Cleves at least made an effort to be nice, while Kitty completely pretended like she didn’t even know Joan. But the person who seemed to be the most unhappy was Jane.

Jane was a beautiful, but cold-blooded elf. She was a part of the high council of this kingdom, the queen’s eyes. If you tried anything sneaky, she would probably find out first. It was best to tread carefully around her, Joan decided, or just keep her distance. The woman obviously had some kind of grudge against her.

Attending parties was a rare occasion, but Joan liked letting Scales get used to other people and socialize. Or, try to. Most of the people ignored his clicks and coos.

  “They just can’t see how great you are,” She would tell him, scratching under his chin.

One day, Joan was out at the training field, running Scales through a few drills she had made up. He had learned how to fly pretty easily, but still needed some help on using his fire and frost correctly. It would take work, but practice made perfect.

And that’s when it happened.

A group of struggling knights came hobbling into the area, limping and bleeding. It got Joan’s attention, so she inched closer.

The guards spoke of how they were on patrol when they were attacked by something. They fled, but some were left behind; they needed reinforcements.

This is what Joan and Scales were training for. They could finally prove themselves! She whistled to the dragon and hurried over to the stables.

Finding the place wasn’t that difficult, she just headed to the normal patrol spot in the forest and listened. She followed the sound of growling and moans of pain.

Dismounting and peeking through the underbrush, Joan got a glimpse of a large and ugly pig-like creature. It was hunched over holding a mace. A few feet away, lying against some rocks, was a bleeding knight.

This was it.

Joan whistled a command and Scales leapt off her shoulder, claws brandished and mouth open. She jumped out of the bushes to distract the monster while the dragon latched onto its back, sinking his talons and teeth into its hide.

The creature shrieked in pain, swinging its mace around wildly and nearly hitting Joan. She ducked underneath its flailing weapon, slipping in the mud, but balancing herself out. Leaping back, she called another command and Scales let go, taking off into the air in a spiral of black and white. He hovered for a moment before orange and gold erupted from his beak. Even from where she was standing, Joan could feel the heat from the flames and realized how powerful the little dragon really was.

With a final moan, the monster collapsed into the charred grass. Scales landed on its head, grasping its throat between his talons, looking triumphant. His pelt was blood-soaked and, for a moment, Joan couldn’t recognize him as the little hatchling she raised. But this was always going to be his purpose.

Shaking her head, Joan hurried over to the wounded knight. She crouched down, shaking him, smearing blood all over her shirt. He was gasping and wheezing, grasping a gouge in his thigh. Muscles and tendons were dangling out; it was bad.

  “I got an idea,” She pulled out one of her daggers, “Heat this, Scales. I might be able to cauterize the wound.”

It would be painful and maybe a little messy, but it could save this man’s life.

Scales obeyed and breathed a small plume of flame on the blade. He was situated on a rock just above the man’s head, looking down at him curiously.

Joan was just bringing the dagger to the gouge when heavy hoofsteps thundered through the forest.

At least a dozen knights, including Anne and even Jane gallop into the clearing. Anne looked horrified. Jane was disgusted. Holding a dagger over a gash while smeared in blood probably didn’t look too good.

  “This isn’t what it looks l--” But Jane didn’t even let Joan finish.

  “Arrest this murderer!” The woman shouted, her voice dripping with venom. “And bring its monster along, too.”

Before Joan can even think to run, a knight was on her. He’s at least two heads taller than her and much stronger, seizing her painfully by the forearms. She dug her heels into the dirt and struggled, but was still shoved forward.

  “Please, listen--” Was all Joan can choke out. The knight backhanded her head hard and shoved her onto a horse, tying her to the back like she was a sack of flour. The stallion took off running, fast.

The world was falling away. Joan was Scales behind her, grabbed tightly, screaming and shrilling. When their eyes met, he squirmed harder and extended his claws to her. Then, even he was gone.

------

There were many rumors regarding the dungeon tower. Some say there were ghosts of the people that had been tortured to death inside. Others talk about how the place broke down a person’s mental stability. Even the guards go mad, they say. After three days of being in there, Joan started to think they may have a point, whoever they were. Everything about her tiny, grimy cell made her feel miserable.

The first day inside, she bawled and wept uncontrollably. The second, a few tears and hiccups would slip. And by the third, she was too dehydrated and exhausted to even cry anymore. Her body just couldn’t make tears. Now, she just sat against the bars or peered out the tiny window.

It was around dusk and Joan was trying to sleep on the dirty rags that made up her bed. Somewhere down the hall, she heard the guards talking, so she got up and moved closer to the bars to listen.

  “I’m telling you, that’s the one that had the dragon.” Said a half-orc guard with tired eyes and messy hair.

  “And killed a knight.” Added a hobgoblin. “I was there. She was pulling a knife right out of the gash in his thigh, burning his flesh with a heated dagger while also stabbing him. Poor Sir Lance. He didn’t make it.”

He might have if they would have let her help, Joan thought. And she didn’t ever touch him, anyway! These people only see what they want to see.

  “Figures,” Sighed the third, a bronze kobold. “Poor man, indeed.”

  “Cauterizing, actually.”

The guards turned to stare at the tiefling leaning against the bars to her cell, studying her dirty and bitten claws. She looks up with narrowed eyes.

  “If I would have stabbed the knight with the burning knife I had, it would have cauterized the wound instantly, doing no real damage. So, yes, I definitely killed him. You deserve a pie for figuring that out.”

The guards just stared for a moment.

  “What? If you’re going to tell a story, at least tell it right.”

  “You really think we’re going to believe you?” The hobgoblin said, frowning.

  “No.” Joan shrugged. “But you don’t know for sure.”

  “Don’t speak to the prisoners.” The kobold said. “You know better.”

With that, the guards turned their attention away and talked amongst each other again.

After that, the night was quiet and dragged on slowly, turning to day, which was just as boring.

Around midday, Joan heard a familiar biting voice from the stairs. She was lying in her bedding, tired. Finally, she felt exhausted enough to sleep, so she didn't move.

  “Madam, we were told to not let anyone see her.”

  “I don’t care what you were told,” Snapped the voice. “Take me to her at once. I am a part of the high council. That’s an order!”

There were a few more murmurs before heels clacking on the stone floor approach. Someone hit in the bars of the cell, making them rattle.

  “Get up, pest. And give me your name.”

Joan stirred and got up, stepping towards the bars. She gave Jane a tired and slightly agitated look. The woman knew her name, but she just wanted to make her obey. With Scales on her mind, the girl does:

  “Joan.”

  “Ahh, yes,” Jane said. “You came in from a bunch of bandits. And a dirty tiefling. You’re just what I expected.”

Joan said nothing.

  “Though, I thought you were smarter than this, really. Why did you do it? Why did you bring a monster to our city? Why did you kill a man?”

  “I didn’t.” Joan said. “I didn’t hurt him. I was trying to help. And Scales would die without me. I couldn’t leave him alone.”

  “You are a liar,” Jane hissed. “We’ll just torture the truth out of you. Then we’ll kill that abomination you brought in here.”

  “No!!”

  “Shut up, you poisonous little mite!” Jane spat. “I’ve heard enough.”

Before Joan could reprimand, Jane turned away and strode to the stairs. She listened to her footsteps until even those fade.

It was well past noon now, and, somewhere, Joan heard something screaming. She can’t help but think it was Scales.

Someone new entered the dungeon. A cowl-wearing kenku with highly unruly feathers. Bessie, if Joan remembered her name correctly, the only kenku in the court. Or the entire kingdom, apparently. She was talking to the guards. Maybe she could listen to some reason.

  “Hey,” Joan called out. “May I speak to you?”

Bessie looked cautious, but she walked over. Her talons scratched against the stone with each step.

  “What do you need?” She asked.

  “I just want to talk. Might be the last time. The guards don’t speak to me and it’s not like anyone comes down to visit with me.”

Bessie shook out the feathers on her arms. “Go on.”

  “Where’s Scales?”

He was the only thing on Joan’s mind.

  “Locked in a quarantine shed, from what I heard.” Bessie said.

  “What’s going to happen to him? After I’m gone, I mean.”

Bessie frowned. “I’m not sure.”

Joan nodded and looked at the ground.

  “Listen--” Bessie sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you never wanted this to happen. I don’t believe that you murdered that man, but it’s no use what I say. There are too many people against you.” She paused. “The least I can do is give you a request. Is there anything you’d like me to do for you?”

Joan felt her throat tighten and she braced herself for one last difficult conversation.

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to say goodbye to everyone. Can you do that for me? And tell Catalina I said thank you for all she’s done for me.”

Bessie nodded. “Of course.” She said, her voice tight. “I have to go now, but I’ll make sure to pass your message.”

She started to leave, then stopped.

  “Be brave. This isn’t goodbye.”

------

The next day rolled around, another night of no sleep washing away. Joan stayed up watching the sunrise and wondered if this would be the last time she ever saw it.

When evening came, she was led out of her cell. But instead of being taken to the chopping block, she was guided down a hall.

  “Where are we going?” She asked her escort, who was tying her wrists with rope. “I thought--”

  “To the trial,” The aarakocra guard said. She was frowning deeply, a look of pity in her eyes.

  “Trial? I’m getting a trial?”

  “Every prisoner gets a trial. It’s only fair.”

They stopped at a large door; the guard even looked nervous.

  “Well, kid,” She said, taking a deep breath like it was her about to be judged. “This is it. I wish you luck.”

Joan gave her a small smile and hummed in thanks. She was very anxious, hands trembling. She had to make a good impression and try to get free. Though, it would be hard to do that when she was still covered in four day old blood.

Regardless, this was it.

The door swung open. Inside is a giant room with marble floors and crimson carpet. On the left side were civilians who decided to attend, sitting on row after row of elevated wooden benches, while the right held nobles and people of higher standard. There was a raised dais at the end of the room where the council awaits. Three council members, Thomas Cromwell, a large leonin, Catherine Parr, a sophisticated-looking half-elf, and Jane. Aragon was also there, with Bessie and Anne beside her.

Joan approached with as much confidence as possible. It would look bad if she came barging in in hysterics.

  “Let’s begin.” Jane said. Joan could tell she was imagining how nicely her head would look on a pike.

  “Very well.” Thomas said. “Joan, you are accused of bringing a dragon into the city. Do you admit to this?”

  “Yes, honored Council.”

  “You are also accused of murdering a man. Do you admit to what you’ve done?”

  “No.”

There were a few gasps on the side with civilians. Jane sneered. Cathy looked interested and Thomas straightened himself more.

  “I see.” He said slowly. “Well, let’s see the beast you’ve brought into our city.”

A set of doors beside the dais open and Cleves led Scales by a chain. There were a series of gasps and murmurs when he was brought in; some of these people had never seen a real dragon before.

When Scales saw Joan, he strained on his chain and reached his talons out to her. He started whistling a song she taught him and, suddenly, Joan was fighting tears.

The guard beside the tiefling sets a hand on her shoulder- a silent warning. But Joan doesn’t listen. Maybe she can show these people how important and beautiful Scales was. She could impress them.

  “Easy, boy,” She murmured in a broken, but soothing and velvety voice. “I’m here. It’s okay.”

Joan waited for Scales to settle before whistling and giving a few hand gestures. The dragon jumped into the air and did a few flips, letting his frostbreath stream from his mouth, before landing again. Mist wisps from his nostrils; he looked pleased with himself for the tricks.

There were a few murmurs of approval and even some hesitant claps, but nothing more.

  “Refrain from interacting with the beast.” Thomas scolded. He shifted himself in his seat and leaned forward. “I’m sure it was very hard to get your hands on something so valuable. What I want to know is why you decided to take it here.”

  “I had nowhere else to go.” Joan said.

  “Why did you keep it in the first place?”

  “Because he makes me happy and I deserve a little happiness for once.”

It’s not a cry for pity, it’s the simple truth. Joan sees Anne wince off to the side.

  “You think your good mood is more important than your life?” Cathy asked, not criticizing but actually curious.

  “Yes.” Joan said. “All I do is get ignored and forgotten. Dusk to dawn. Year after year. It’s all the same. I’ve never been needed before. Let me ask you this: do you know what it feels like to be abandoned? To be left all alone to die? Why would I want the same thing for him? I got Scales and, for once in my life, I thought I could be important. I’m going to enjoy him.”

Well, she did.

  “We can hardly fault her for that motive.” Cathy said, turning to the other two council members.

  “But we can fault her for her crime.” Thomas said.

  “Exactly!” Jane snapped. “We can’t let her run around threatening everyone’s lives. Don’t feel bad for killing her. She’s a filthy tiefling.”

  “And you’re a snake.” Joan said coolly. “What’s your point?”

There was a small swell of impressed coos coming from both crowds. Scales chortled. Joan felt a small bout of pride, but it didn't last long.

  “If it was my choice, you’d be dead by now.” Jane hissed, even more agitated now.

  “Enough,” Thomas said sternly. “There’s no need to argue.”

Jane muttered something and sat back against her chair, almost looking like a pouting child. Joan wanted to laugh, but her throat hurt too badly. She wanted to be with her dragon already. His longing stare and soft churrs were killing her.

  “If you have any, ask your questions.” Thomas said to Cathy and Jane.

Of course, the elf snapped back up and got the opportunity first.

  “I think we’re all skimming over the worst crime. This pest killed a man!”

  “That wasn’t a question,” Cathy muttered.

  “Actually,” Joan managed a laugh. “No. I didn’t. You see, if anyone in here had any brains, you would have seen how the knight’s thigh was torn, not stabbed or sliced into. The wound was deep; to the bone at least. I was wielding a rather blunt dagger that couldn’t possibly make that wound in such a short amount of time.”

Jane growled and was quick to strike again.

  “You’re covered in his blood.”

  “Yes, that happens when you try and help someone. It gets on you.”

  “Bold and intelligent,” Cathy chuckled. “Though, you must learn when your words will help and hurt.”

Joan dipped her head. Her guard squeezed her shoulder, but she didn’t know if it was physical scolding or for reassurance. Her wittiness won’t hold out for long. She was exhausted and felt dehydrated. Dizziness was coming at her in violent waves; this is what she got for not sleeping.

Finally, she raised her head and was met with three different expressions. Cathy looked both concerned and pitiful, while Jane was annoyed, but amused. Thomas looked rather patient.

  “Finished with your nap?” Jane crooned, making Joan wonder if she actually nodded off.

From the side, Aragon dug her nails into the arms of her chair. This was cruel. It looked like the young tiefling was being forced to function through a fever.

  “You say your beast can help this kingdom, yes?” Cathy said, finally able to address deeper into the topic. “How can he do such a thing?”

Jane made a soft “tsk” sound when they got off of her topic and crossed her arms.

  “Would you like me to show you?” Joan offered, even though it would drag this on longer. But she would do anything to protect Scales, even risking her own health.

Cathy looked at Thomas, who nodded.

With the word given, Joan turned to Scales. Even though her lips were cracked and painfully dry, she whistled a command and gave a few subtle hand gestures.

The dragon lunged forward, ripping free from Cleves holding him back. He was flying for one of the guards, claws out, jaws open. Mere inches away from tearing through the armor, he snapped up, moving as fast as a bullwhip, spiraling into the air. Golden flames leaked from his mouth as he glided back and forth through the room, obviously showing off at this point. Joan doesn’t mind. If it helped them, then he could do whatever he wanted.

When she whistled for him to stop, he started to go over to her, but she looked away- a silent command that he could not be near her. The joyful look on Scales’s face faded and he settled back on the ground, growling when his chain was taken back into a strong grip.

  “Very impressive.” Cathy said. “He’s well trained for a beast. He listens better than some of our knights.”

Joan smiled slightly. “He has charm.”

  “But I think the decision is clear.” Jane said, glaring at Scales. “This is a killing offense. You just saw what the creature can do. It’s a killing machine. Even if the beast could be used, it’s ruined by this girl. It has to be culled.”

At that, Joan jerked violently, looking like she would attack if she could. She struggled with her arms, like she was trying to get free from her binds. Red began to wash on the ropes. Her tail lashed furiously. 

  “No!” Joan shouted. “Do whatever you want to me, but don’t hurt Scales!”

The dragon sensed his keeper’s panic and began to keen and shrill loudly, tugging at his chain again.

  “How sweet of you,” Jane purred, enjoying the show. “But there’s no other option. We can’t have either of them tainting our people.”

  “Please, listen,” Joan said breathlessly. “You don’t have to do this. Please, he’s just a baby! He’s more than some monster you accuse him of being. He can protect the city! Just give me a chance.” The tears were coming back and she doesn’t know how much longer she can fight them.

  “Why do you risk so much for this fiend?” Thomas asked.

  “Everything I’ve done has been for him.” Joan answered, almost choking on her words. “This is all for him. He means more to me than you people will ever know.”

Scales made a soft churr and Joan smiled weakly at him.

  “Please,” She started to speak again. “Let us prove our worth to you.”

There was an uncomfortable silence that filled the room. The court was silently making their choices.

  “Well then,” Thomas said, “I think we’re ready to make our decision. Cathy?”

  “I don’t want her killed. I’d be a waste. If she can tame a dragon, then she can help us.” The half-elf said.

  “It was a baby.” Jane scoffed. “When a dragon hatches whatever the first thing it sees is usually what it gets attached to.”

Joan quirked a brow. How could that snake know that? She doesn’t seem like one to know things about the kind she despises.

  “Anyway, I vote to have her killed.”

Thomas cleared his throat as everyone held their breath.

  “Joan, while you have done things many of us look down upon, you’ve shown promise. Your life will be spared this time. I hope to not see you in this situation again. I can’t promise you’ll be as lucky.”

Joan was paralyzed. Around her, there are some angry people, some relieved, and a few who are actually happy. She saw Aragon and Bessie celebrate amongst themselves, hugging tightly in relief. Anne actually looked at her like she wasn’t a stranger.

  “Thank you,” She murmured hoarsely. “Really..thank you.”

  “Mhm,” Thomas said over Jane’s griping. “I hope you heed my words, Joan. We are putting our trust in you.”

  “You won’t regret it. I promise.”

The guard started to untie Joan’s bindings. Her wrists were rubbed raw and they would be tender for a while, but it was worth it. When she got the word of permission, she raced to Scales, who rushed to meet her. She threw her arms around the little dragon, holding him close to her chest. She buried her face against his head, weeping softly about how much she missed him.

Whatever happened next, happened. They would do it together.

[yinyangswings]

Love & Legends Shifter AU

So I thought about the Dinae in the Love & Legends universe (have not read tales of the wild yet), but thought about what would happen if MC could transform into an animal. So I made my Shifter headcanon list.

General

They call themselves shifters. They do not know how they arrived to Earth, though MC later thinks that it may have been the Dinae that came to Earth at some point in similar circumstances as she did.

Shifters have evolved to remain as hidden as possible on Earth, due to the lack of magic known by humans. They do not showcase any features of their animal side. 

They can partially shift which makes them look the closest to the Dinae, though they usually don’t. 

While there are other mythological beasts/creatures on Earth such as vampires, werewolves, etc., shifters still keep themselves as much of a secret as possible. Technically they are were-creatures in this world, though they don’t like to admit it.

Due to the decades and centuries of separation, Shifters from Earth can be considered a different species than the Dinae in the Fantasy Realm

Shifters tend to stay in packs of similar species though packs of different species are not unheard of. 

Their clothes do not shift with them, so depending on the size, they either have to make sure they grab their discarded clothes, or have a spare set somewhere. 

Being stressed can affect their ability to shift. If they’re in animal form and they grow stressed they can’t shift back, if they’re in their human look form they can’t shift into animal form. In other cases the stress will make the shifter change randomly

August Falke 

MC can shift into a falcon. She enjoys flying, and feeling the wind through her feathers and did it plenty of times in Chicago as it wasn’t completely unheard of to see a falcon in the city.

When partially shifted, she gains wings on her back. She rarely does so due to the fact it normally ruins her shirts, until Solaire outfits her shirts with openings for the wings

She has severe anxiety when being caged, or in closed off spaces that have no obvious windows. 

She only manages to stay relatively calm the first time she’s thrown in the cells because she’s confused as hell as to what’s going on. 

She almost has a panic attack when Alain kidnaps her the first time and practically has one when he attempts to take her again. The Ice Crystal incident is what finally invokes a particularly severe fight or flight instinct mode due to stress and confusion. 

When she is thrown into the cells a second time, she does have a panic attack but forces herself to not transform, knowing full well it would make things worse.

She reveals she’s a shifter to the others in the middle of Season 2. 

August is stunned and asks several questions, mostly concerned about her relative safety from the generals and the WQ as he can’t exactly protect her in the air

She normally shifts to fly ahead to make sure everything is safe. She’s careful and vigilant about Jinhai due to his affinity with controlling animals. 

As August gets used to her shifting, he winds up forgetting that it’s strange to call a falcon ‘my love’.

It leads to quite the interesting conversation with his father when Bayard sees August arguing with MC in falcon form. 

August enjoys preening her feathers when she’s in falcon form and she’s just resting on his shoulder. It has a calming effect for the both of them, especially when the stresses of the WQ and the war becomes more and more prominent. 

Similarly, he can run his fingers through the wings on her back when she’s partially shifted.  

MC will also preen his hair, though it usually winds up looking more and more like a mess than anything

August finds out that MC’s bone structure is more fragile than his. He has to try and figure out armor that will protect her, but is not heavy enough to do more damage if she does get hit.

MC makes a charm using one of her feathers for him. He wears it with pride, and cherishes it. If she has to fly for recon or anything in that manner, he’s normally seen clutching the charm. 

When MC is sent back to Chicago and sees him in her dreams, he is clinging to the charm almost like a lifeline. 

She’s a lightweight when she’s drinking and shifts when she gets drunk with Solaire. August is awoken to a very inebriated falcon careening into his room. She thankfully shifts back before ranting at August and passing out. 

This is the first time she partially transforms back in front of August. He does tease her slightly when she wakes up, commenting that when she’s embarrassed, her feathers on her wings ruffle up.

Having to try and find her clothes the next day and August having to explain why there are random female clothing in the bushes is both amusing and embarrassing.

The WQ’s curse begins to affect her ability to fly. She decides to not shift until it's fixed, and finds herself staring up at the sky a lot during those days, wishing to fly but unable to.

When August stabs her in the chest with Aisetha, she loses the connection to the Shifter side temporarily. It’s quite the blow for both of them, though MC is quicker to recover than August, who feels immensely guilty at the idea of her losing an integral part of herself. 

She tells him she’s alive, and that’s all that matters because they can stay together.

She regains the connection with it in Season 8 and shifts and takes flight for the first time when they return from Chicago.

When she shifts back, she shifts in mid-air and lands in August’s arms, excitedly claiming that she can still fly. August doesn’t need to hold onto the guilt. Both are crying out of relief and no one really comments or teases them about it.

When they discuss children, August worries that him being human may harm them. MC is quick to tell that either a child will be a shifter or won’t be, there won’t be one that is half. 

When MC meets Revi, she’s thrown off because she’s never seen a shifter with ears and a tail out in the open for long periods of time. 

She’s also not used to nudity or such little clothing on a daily basis. No, August. Shifters from Earth don’t look like that. For god’s sake, they’d have been arrested for public indecency.

The Falke family find it funny when both Della and August visit at the same time. August and Della not as much. Mostly because they both get teased for both falling in love with women who can shift into an animal.

Saerys 

MC can shift into a Panther.

Her partial shift is her claws, teeth, and eyes changing

She shifts the first time when Lennox forces Saerys into turbo mode. Lennox is quite stunned, as are the others when a furious she-Panther appears and nearly kills Lennox and the other Generals. 

She has to stay in panther mode as she accidentally destroys her clothes shifting. Initially August insists she returns to human mode until she shifts back in annoyance and is completely nude. Cue a stammering and blushing August and the other retainers who can’t so much as look in her direction. 

They find her cloak so she’s able to transform back before returning to the castle, but she can’t really move without revealing everything, so she has to sit on Wyndsor when heading inside. 

She explains that it’s not normal on Earth, and while she says it’s possible, she has yet to meet another Shifter. 

She’s surprised to find out about the Dinae in this world. 

Her and Saerys bond over this, which makes them closer a lot quicker.

When she is in WQ’s castle, Lennox and Jinhai attempt to control her beast side. It results in several black eyes, and scratch marks. 

For a little while after Saerys gives her half of his soul, she can’t transform. She initially thinks that she lost that part when she died, but it winds up being that the demon side and a small part of the shifter side had to merge together and become a separate entity to the WQ soul.

Saerys is seen many times in the library with a purring jaguar on his lap. She really likes his heat and curls up to him a lot. She also purrs, which is embarrassing for her, but Saerys loves it.

The jaguar side considers him her mate pretty early on (like Season 1), and is protective of him. 

When the jaguar consciousness returns, Saerys literally feels the jaguar almost stalking around his mind, taking him in. It’s quite nerve-wracking at first, but he gets used to it quickly. MC is nervous at first, worried he’ll be put off by it. 

He reassures her over and over again that would never happen. 

Altea manages to figure out how to make a beam of light move around. They cannot get enough of playing with MC in her shifter form. So much chaos ensues because of that. 

It’s all fun until Altea and Iseul point the light on Saerys’s chest and all of a sudden Saerys has an 150 pound Jaguar tackling him. 

When Saerys goes into Demon God mode and if she shifts, her teeth and claws are longer, her fur is wilder looking, and her eyes glow red.

The Jaguar side and the Demon souls argue like an old married couple, which is both amusing and exhausting for MC and Saerys

Saerys wonders what children that are half-shifter/half-demon could be. MC is curious too but actually somewhat excited at the prospect whenever that happens.

Altea Bellerose 

MC can shift into a raven.

She has black wings when she partially shifts and her tendency to try to look for sparkly things is more severe

Cue MC’s inner panic when Altea starts calling her ‘my raven’ 

Because crap maybe Altea can sense that there’s another part of her and wouldn’t that make them all suspicious of her. 

She barely manages to not shift due to that.

She reveals what she is in the beginning of Season 2 to Altea, who in turn begins to do as much research about shifters as possible. 

They let the others know after Altea researches enough to know about MC and that her shifting is not a trick by WQ

Altea enlists MC to play a prank on Iseul by having MC shift and fly up to Isuel’s room. MC awakens Iseul quite abruptly by cawing and making loud noises. Iseul is not a happy camper, though Altea finds it hilarious. 

Similar to August, this MC’s bone structure is more fragile due to being hollow for shifting into a bird. This causes her to worry constantly when MC takes up a sword to fight with.

Her worst fear comes true when MC is badly injured protecting Altea in her raven form and one of her wings and several of her ribs are broken. Altea is practically beside herself with worry and guilt as MC recovers. It is not known for a while whether or not MC will ever be able to fly again, leading to some stress between them.

Thankfully, MC recovers enough and takes to the skies again, Altea being incredibly relieved that she can still fly.

She also dives into defensive magic because she can’t go through that again

When Altea gains her own wings, the two go on flying dates. A lot. 

On land, if MC changes into raven form, she sits on Altea’s shoulder, making happy raven sounds whenever Altea gives her attention.

Boy does she love it when Altea preens her feathers

She begins to unknowingly court Altea by hiding glittery and shiny objects around their room for Altea to find. She doesn’t initially notice it, and it isn’t until Altea comments about finding another shiny bauble on her pillow that MC figures out what is going on. 

She is blushing so much and refuses to look Altea in the eye for a few hours. She doesn’t tell Altea for a while afterwards because she’s embarrassed. 

When Altea figures it out, she blushes and is grinning like an idiot as she wanders aimlessly around the castle. It’s very concerning to the other retainers. 

Altea makes her intentions known as well by giving MC a very shiny, sparkly ring. 

MC stares at it for a few seconds before her face lights up and she transforms into a very ecstatic raven. 

She accidentally transforms in front of Altea’s parents due to stress, and they are less than thrilled with their future daughter-in-law being a bird. 

Altea isn’t pleased that her parents call MC a crow. 

Lionel finds her fascinating, asking questions nonstop about being a shifter to the point MC can barely keep up. 

Reiner Wolfson

MC can shift into a wolf. Her pack resides in Chicago, though she is estranged from them due to her tolerating and residing among humans.

When she partially shifts, she gains ears and a tail. 

She shifts the first time in front of the others when they come to rescue her in the beginning to Season 2 and attacks Magnus.

When she transforms back, she’s unfortunately nude due to her clothes being damaged from the transformation. Reiner is stunned, but doesn’t really ask too much at that moment. He just covers her up with his cape and escapes until they can find her cloak.

When he does ask for more explanation, she explains that she didn’t hide being a shifter from him or the others because she didn’t trust them. She had been raised to hide it from everyone that it became second nature to hide it, even from him. 

The irony of her being able to shift into a wolf, and that she is with Reiner is not lost on anyone and the retainers do not have any problems teasing them about it.

It becomes common to see Reiner doing his rounds and a black wolf following closely behind.

He gives a lot of ear scratches when she’s shifted, which she rather enjoys.

Her sense of smell and hearing are greatly heightened even in human form.

She’s actually receptive to marrying Reiner. The wolf part of her already saw him as her mate, though she kept that little tidbit of information quiet when they started their relationship.

When she and Reiner are sent back to Chicago and are reunited, she has to work incredibly hard to not tell him anything about her being a shifter. 

It hurts a lot because she feels like she’s lying to him again. 

She partially shifts to reveal what she is, and though initially stunned and asking if this is some elaborate joke, just listens to her explanation. He takes to it rather quickly. It makes her fall in love with him even more

During this time, she is reunited with her original pack and dealing with the members of the pack, mainly her father. Though he is glad she is back, he is not happy with discovering her in a relationship with a human, even if he is from another realm. He orders her to cease contact with Reiner, which she refuses to do, resulting in MC fighting her father to protect Reiner when he finds out that she told Reiner about her being a shifter.

Though she succeeds in winning the match, she is formally ousted from the pack and disowned. She finds she’s not as upset as she thought she would be. 

Her mother defies the decree made by her father so she can say goodbye to her daughter, saying that she hopes she will find happiness with Reiner.

She does not tell Reiner for quite awhile afterwards being disowned by her family. It’s only after the WQ is defeated that she explains the events with her family

He feels guilty for a little bit about her losing her family, though she tells him that she would have lost them no matter what, and she considers him and the retainers a new pack. 

Nobles aren’t exactly thrilled with her bloodline and see her as a savage and treat her as such behind Reiner’s back. 

She keeps it relatively quiet from Reiner, unwilling to burden him with the gossip with everything going at that moment. He eventually finds out though and is less than thrilled about what the nobles are saying. 

Him and MC have a long talk about the nobles and the others and what has been said to her. He reminds her he fell in love with her, which means both parts of her. 

She sometimes wears her wedding ring around her neck on a long chord so that way she can wear it when she’s shifted.

Reiner wonders if her being a wolf might mean multiple children in a ‘litter’. MC assures him that it’s just as likely there will be a single child (as she was), as there could be multiple litter mates.

Iseul Idreis 

MC can shift into a fox. She does not have a pack in Chicago, though instinct makes her consider Sophie a pack member

She looks similar to Revi when she partially shifts, though she only has one tail. 

Iseul can sort of sense that there is something different about her, though he doesn’t know what. It makes him suspicious of her for a little while.

She reveals that she’s a shifter to Iseul in the beginning of Season 2. He wasn’t expecting that at all.

When going after Jinhai in her human form, his abilities cause her to have a paralyzing headache. Iseul is able to lessen the pain, though it is obvious that it still hurts her.

In fox form, Jinhai’s abilities are extremely painful and is like a sharp ringing in her head telling her to obey him. It takes the entirety of her human side to keep the shifter side from attacking the others. 

In contrast, with Iseul it feels like a wave of warmth easing the headache in an instant

Iseul is most reluctant to let her shift when doing recon because of Jinhai. He doesn’t know what he would do if she was returned to them under Jinhai’s control. He also doesn’t know (neither does she to be honest) if he would be able to tell if she was under Jinhai’s control

Ishara is suspicious of her, and Iseul initially doesn’t tell his mother about MC’s abilities. They tell her right before she gets injured.

MC is badly injured protecting the egg. A fox is not exactly a big creature and not a heavy hitter. Iseul is beside himself with worry when he finds her injured and barely conscious.

When she thinks Iseul is dead, she kind of just curls up into the blankets and makes a makeshift burrow. She is partially transformed through all this due to the stress and the tail is wrapped around her. It’s distressing for the other retainers to say the least. 

Only Solaire can get close to her and get her to eat or do anything remotely outside the room.

When Iseul returns she tries to keep away from him because hormones, her feelings, as well as the fox emotions are incredibly confusing and stressful and she’s worried about the baby's health because of it. Iseul has to use his abilities to calm the fox part down long enough to explain everything.

When finding out about what she is, MC wonders if WQ was a shifter or part of the Dinae. Magnus denies the possibility but she and Iseul can’t be too sure of the truth to his denials.

She’s actually reluctant to get the ultrasound because she doesn’t know what the baby will look like, though she still suggests it. Cue relief when they see a human, not a fox or some sort of hybrid.

Iseul and Ishara are at first unsure if the well would accept changing MC because of the animal part of her. Thankfully it proves to not be a worry.

She doesn’t know if Iris will be a shifter. Time will tell.

Helena Klein 

MC can shift into a bear.

When she partially shifts, nothing is entirely obvious that she has changed, but her strength and speed are greatly increased 

Though Helena can sense the shifter side, she initially thinks it’s just the WQ’s magic. MC doesn’t correct her

MC doesn’t reveal that she’s a shifter until nearly the end of Season 2.

It’s quite the shock for Helena to see a large bear taking the place of MC

Helena is just amazed at how much MC eats and manages to store without seemingly gaining weight. For one so tiny, she can eat quite a lot. 

MC loves cuddling. Which is great and all, until she nearly crushes Helena when rolling over in bear form.

MC snores...quite loudly. She did not know this until Helena is hitting her awake with a pillow after the second week of them sleeping in the same bed.

MC goes into short periods of ‘hibernation’ which usually lasts only a few days. It is fine and all given the bear part...but she neglects to tell anyone that, so right after a battle, she just crashes and falls unconscious. Cue to her waking up to a distraught Helena a few days later. She has to make it up for Helena a lot for that.

Afterwards Helena is observant to see signs that MC will be going into hibernation soon.

WQ gets attacked by a furious MC when she kills Alain and nearly dies because of it. WQ makes sure to avoid MC in bear form after that

When they return to Chicago, they make plans to get property away from the city so MC can lumber around as a bear without fear of a random passerby in the city

Alain Richter 

MC can shift into a black cat.

Partial transformation includes cat ears and tail. Yes there are many jokes during Halloween to be had.

Alain was well aware of her being a shifter as the WQ was one as well (though she was considered half Dinae), though that connection was not as strong as MC’s is.

When WQ rose to power she basically tore that part out of her, destroying it. 

MC witnesses that when they were children, Alain would carry her around in kitten-form when she was tired or upset. She starts doing that and he holds her in a similar fashion and states he’s missed this.

After initially escaping she stays in her cat form as much as she can so she can be lighter for Nyx to carry. 

Alain is incredibly protective of MC’s secret and doesn’t reveal the secret to anyone, not even the Generals prior to these events.

MC revealing this to the retainers and Reiner is a very tense moment for him.

She does purr when she’s curled up to Alain, which is mainly an instinctual thing. It is embarrassing for her, but Alain finds it cute.

She will do a lot of cat-like things, such as pushing things off of shelves and tables, staring at walls, etc.. She tries to keep it at a minimum when around the retainers initially.

Then they figure out the light trick. The retainers are amused, Alain is as well, though he tries to hide it.

When they are in Chicago, her and Sophie manage to convince him to hold her while spinning slowly in a chair, saying ‘I’ve been expecting you Mr. Bond’. Sophie records it

He doesn’t get why Sophie and MC are cackling after the whole thing.

When MC meets her other counterparts, she also meets their shifter sides, and is surprised to see that each one has a different animal form.

She also finds the broken spirit of the WQ’s cat form, and clutches it, apologizing over and over again. That part eventually merges with MC and becomes a part of her.

Her and Alain plan to have children. She does tell him she doesn’t know if she could get multiple in a litter or just one child. He doesn’t care, as long as the child is happy and healthy.

[cyb-by-lang]

Cosmic Escape Velocity

Did a little bit of writing in the whole YYH situation thing! It’s silly. It also takes place during Hell Year in its own branch timeline.

Kei.

Yeah?

I suspect your personal fate and fortune may be… Isobu paused, clearly trying to come up with a single word that would sum up the disaster of Kei’s life. All of his tails swayed uncertainly in her mind.

Unlikely? Hilariously broken? Kei’s suggestions, as always, went over like a fleet of lead balloons. She didn’t react at all when Isobu mentally swatted at her with those tails in irritation, keeping her hands behind her back in perfect parade rest.

We are standing in the office of a thousand-year-old spiritual being that has a pacifier in his mouth, said Isobu, angling his palms as far up as they’d go without breaking his not-at-all-physical shell. He just didn’t have the limb rotation range. I am not sure there is a way to sum up this latest catastrophe without stretching the language.

Kei shifted her weight from her right foot to her left. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with just screaming.

I do not scream, Isobu huffed. 

Too much dignity?

Not enough lung. 

It was Kei’s turn to roll her eyes as subtly as she could.

“Are you even listening?” asked the baby, standing up in his chair to loom as far as he could over the top of his desk. The two mountains of paperwork to each side of him did not care, and in fact made him look even smaller. Despite the added weight of his spiritual energy—not chakra, as had been specified a few minutes ago—Kei didn’t take him much more seriously.

Look, she had the equivalent of a nuclear reactor implanted in her chest through spiritual surgery. There was only so much comparison to make. 

Still, what Kei actually said was, “Of course, Koenma-sama. Sorry for the interruption.” 

The baby sat back in his chair, frowning around his pacifier. “Then as I was saying, I can’t send you back to your starting point.” As Kei’s hopes for a quick resolution took a dive, he went on, “Going by your spiritual signature, you arrived from a world that has a different wave pattern from our own. Forcing your way through during convergence must have cost tremendous amounts of energy—”

Well, it wasn’t like I passed out in a bush on purpose, Kei thought despairingly, silently cursing her circumstances for the umpteenth time. Koenma’s attendants had picked her up, dusted her off, and plopped her in front of their boss with barely any time to react. 

“—but once the intersection period passes, that cost skyrockets. By a factor of a hundred.” Koenma laced his pudgy baby fingers together as far in front of his face as they’d reach, a contemplative look crossing his expression as he observed her. “How well do you understand the concept of a leyline?”

Kei considered. Then she unfolded her arms and brought her hand to her chin, to facilitate her thinking. It was probably a placebo effect, but it made her feel better. “I don’t know if you’re going for the ‘weak point in reality’ or the ‘source of magic’ version, but I think I get the basic idea.”

She’d only read enough fantasy novels to fill her entire brain with tropes.

Koenma stared at her with his eyes narrowed almost to slits, as though trying to decide if she was being facetious or not. “Well, you must have found a leyline from your home world at the exact moment the waveforms met. And whether you knew it would happen or not, using any kind of spiritual energy near something that volatile has…consequences.” 

Of the wormhole kind, Kei thought.

Your luck is atrocious.

“But this is no time to give up hope,” Koenma said firmly, wagging one finger. “Your world’s wavelength is appreciably short by human standards! The best time for sending you home could be anywhere in the next year to the next four. It’s certainly better than the half-century for some worlds. Some others haven’t come back in my entire lifetime!”

Kei shot a mental glare at Isobu. You were saying?

I stand corrected. It is worse.

Kei took a careful, meditative breath to steel her nerves. No time for freaking out. She could have her moment of wordless panic when she could find a corner to cry in without being observed. Even the emotional deadening of the last few months couldn’t stand up to this. “I see.”

Koenma’s face scrunched into a frown. If it was ever going to be less strange hearing fully-formed sentence coming out of that face, Kei didn’t imagine it’d be any time soon. Then: “In the meantime, would you like to have a job?”

Kei’s thoughts screeched to a halt. “I’m sorry?” 

“It’s not the same as a solution; just a stopgap,” Koenma explained patiently. “But if I understand humans, it’s better to have something to keep your hands busy than to sit around in despair until a miracle falls into your lap.” 

“What kind of job?” Kei asked, careful to keep the suspicion from seeping into her voice. She’d had more than enough contracts go bad in the midst of her long deployment to learn a little caution. Sensei filtered what he could, but now Kei was out of his reach.

And she hadn’t said no, so Koenma leaned forward in his seat with full lecture mode engaged. “I have a new spirit detective—a boy a few years younger than you—undergoing training to improve his combat skills. But while he’s busy getting whipped into shape, I don’t have anyone to handle his workload.” Koenma’s half-hidden eyes gleamed. “Are you interested?”

“What does the job entail?” Kei asked, as most of her sense of humor dropped right out of her body. Even if she didn’t know where she was, some things never changed. It wouldn’t be her first time being hired halfway through a contract, though it was always at Sensei’s discretion. There had to be a reason why a person whose agents had found her in a bush under a purple sky, in the land of the dead, thought she would be useful for his purposes.

Koenma replied, “In your case, it mostly means completing any minor missions he can’t. Stamping out trouble caused by apparitions of all kinds, but especially demons. Your duties will change after he returns.” 

Something in the back of Kei’s head started itching, like a thought she’d forgotten sometime over the last seventeen years. The blanket of emotional exhaustion was too thick to avoid smothering it.

I will look for it.

Thanks.

Kei’s gaze roved slowly around the room, from the stacks of paperwork to the employer offering her busy work. “Let me read and edit the contract before I sign anything. I’d also like any reference material you have on apparitions, and maybe an assistant if you have one to spare.” 

Something in Koenma’s expression softened, at least as far as Kei could tell. Babies did not have terribly suitable faces for adult emotions. “I’ll send for Ayame-san. She’ll also be your contact if you do decide to take me up on this offer.” 

“Thank you, Koenma-sama,” Kei said, because it didn’t hurt to be polite to a god who administered the afterlife. Sure, Kei was a little corporeal to be a resident, but that could always change. 

Kei barely paid attention as the oni attendants bustled around the pastel office and eventually escorted her out into a waiting room. While blue- or red-skinned humanoids registered as unusual, the sheer number of them running around like headless chickens cut down on the unfamiliarity quickly. They were just barely clambering up the slope on the uncanny valley in their tiger-skin loincloths, and most of them ignored her presence entirely. 

I wonder if that is a self-preservation instinct.

If any of them can tell you’re here, it is. Kei, sitting in an armchair no more comfortable than those plastic abominations in a waiting room at a hospital, mostly let the world pass her by. Do you think anyone’s realized we’re gone?

I doubt the nearest jōnin has, Isobu muttered resentfully. Then, more thoughtfully, he said, The crane might have.

Kei’s hand shot to her mouth before she’d even articulated her thoughts. Using her kunai would be more sanitary, but hell, she was in the land of the dead. She bit down on her knuckle with one canine, drawing blood for the contract. Then her hands flew through the hand signs with barely enough time to name them: Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram.

For a split second after she slammed her hand into the nearby coffee table, Kei’s nerves jangled with fear. What if this doesn’t work? What if I do this wrong and Tsuruya gets hurt— 

Chakra-derived ink spread across the wood in a familiar pattern. Sure, the drain behind the technique was an order of magnitude higher than anything she’d expected. And sure, that usually meant bad things, and she was probably breaking several interworld rules in one fell swoop. 

But Kei didn’t care.

Because, amid the sudden burst of white chakra smoke and the terrified screaming of oni office workers, she heard a familiar voice say, “Keisuke-sama? Did you call for me?”

Tsuruya beat her wings once, sending paperwork flying through the air along with the rapidly dissipating smoke, much to the dismay of the oni audience as the flailed after their disrupted files. Once she could see, she jerked her dark head to see Kei better with one eye, then the other. Then she folded her huge wings against her sides and bowed low.

Kei launched herself out of the chair and hugged Tsuruya’s three-meter bulk with enough force that her crane companion let out a startled honking noise.

“I missed you too,” Tsuruya said once she regained her balance, dropping her beak to rest against Kei’s back. Her wing looped around Kei, shielding them both with metal-edged feathers. “Though if you do not mind my asking, where are we?”

Kei said, “Probably the afterlife?” but was so muffled by her summoned friend’s feathers that she didn’t get a response.

“My apologies, but I do not think I caught what you said,” Tsuruya said. When this, too, failed to incite an audible response, Tsuruya changed tactics.

“Ow!”

By hitting Kei in the head with her beak, just like old times.

It was at this point in Tsuruya’s fussing that they were interrupted by a polite cough. Kei kept one arm slung around Tsuruya’s neck as the two of them turned to face the interloper.

A dark-haired woman stood amid the chaos of the oni attendants’ panic, expression placid. She wore a black kimono and carried a centimeter-thick stack of paper bound neatly with gold thread, along with an oar strapped to her back.

She bowed.

“Can I help you…?” Kei prompted, after managing a half-assed bow despite her stance.

“Ayame, Gekkō-san. I have your contract.” When she straightened, Ayame added, “If you’ll come this way, there is a side room where we can discuss terms in private.”

“Are you helping represent my interest or those of the spirit world?” Kei kept the obligatory lawyer joke tucked well inside her skull. 

“I only want to help both parties come to a compromise.” 

Well, that was helpful. “Thank you, Ayame-san. Please lead the way.”

-----

An hour later, Koenma received the modified contract and began to read it, while Tsuruya, Kei, and Ayame all stood around. Of the three, only Ayame seemed perfectly in place. 

Ten minutes after that, the oni outside his office were startled to hear a cry of “How many thousand yen per month?!”

Kei stared down his fury with patience born of entirely too long spent alone and nail-biting desperation. “I’m still human. I’ll need to pay rent, buy food, and obtain supplies while living in whichever city I need to cover. And I know what my expertise is worth.” 

Koenma gaped at her for a moment longer, only avoiding the goldfish impression by dint of his pacifier, then glared down at the contact. As he perused it with increasing fervor, he muttered under his breath. 

Kei caught the words “unbelievable” and “never in my life” and “not made of money.” 

Over Koenma’s shoulder, Ayame smiled faintly. 

“FINE!” Koenma burst out at last, throwing down his fountain pen in defeat after almost fifteen minutes of desperate rereading. “It’s legally sound, and you have a point about living world expenses. But when the call comes, you need to be ready to fight! Is that clear?”

Kei bowed in full shinobi style, dropping to one knee with her head angled toward the floor. Koenma didn’t need to know she was hiding a smile for, however tangentially, managing to frustrate a god. “Of course, Koenma-sama.” 

Oh, he may regret that.

“Then get out of my office! Ayame, show her how to get everything organized so she can start as soon as possible!”

Ayame swept Kei and Tsuruya out of the room amid the god-child’s impending tantrum. While Kei sat sidesaddle on Ayame’s oar as they took flight, Tsuruya pumped her huge wings and trailed in their slipstream with deceptive ease. 

“I look forward to working with you, Ayame-san,” Kei said, though even she wasn’t sure how sincere she was. “Please take care of me.” 

Still, Ayame replied, “Like one of our own, Keisuke-san.” 

It wasn’t until they’d landed in some human city that Kei realized, however belatedly, that she’d never told anyone her name. And that to be in the spirit world meant she’d been separated from her real body. Which was, of course, also lying in a bush.

All she could say to that, once she was again on her own two feet, was, “Well, that figures.”

Dead twice she could remember, and all she got out of it was a job.

[in-tua-deep]

What type of wand and patronus Would the kids have in Hogwarts AU? Would any be animagi?

okay we are really scraping the barrel of my harry potter knowledge here,,, i didn’t even finish the books guys have mercy on me i genuinely had to do vague research to answer this but here we go

Luther: 

Wood: Holly. Holly wants often choose people engaged in dangerous or spiritual quests, and I mean Luther’s search for answers and the truth and figuring out his feelings regarding his father and his family is certainly a big old quest in my books. The wood is considered protective, which I thought would be a nice match for Luther’s durability and ability to act as a shield for his siblings.

Core: Unicorn hair. I just like the symbolism of loyalty to their first ‘owner’ and Luther struggling with breaking his connection to Reginald tbh. It’s also a very consistent wand core and Luther if anything is a creature of habit (he stayed at home and took orders for years) and would appreciate the loyalty and consistency of a unicorn hair core.

Diego: 

Wood: Blackthorn. This wood is supposed to be best suited to a warrior, and Diego is very much a fighter. This wand wood is found among aurors as well as people in Azkaban, which I thought would be a nice tie in since Diego has a strong moral compass but also tends to operate outside the law. The blackthorn bush was wicked thorns, and Diego does tend to be a prickly person, but is also has sweet berries which I’m making symbolically represent the soft squishy side we all know he has.

Core: Dragon heartstring. A powerful core that learns quickly, but is also the most temperamental. Which I feel like matches Diego pretty well? He’s got his own mood swings but is a powerful individual who goes out of his way to help others even when there’s no real reward in it for him. 

Allison: 

Wood: Silver lime. Silver lime is a very pretty wand and also has a reputation for performing best for seers and those skilled in legilimency. Of which Allison ends up being exceptionally proficient in. She ends up being really good at all the mind arts, actually. If you need to obliviate someone, Allison is someone you want on your side. Plus the status the wand wood gives matches her ambition.

Core: Veela hair. It’s a temperamental wand core, but I feel like Allison has the stubbornness and mental fortitude to succeed with this wand core. She can be temperamental as well for sure lmao but also I like Veela hair for the effect veelas have on people which could be considered a soft of mind magic. Allison’s wand is literally the “mind magic wand” okay that is all

Klaus: 

Wood: Sycamore. Sycamore is a questing want that is eager for new experiences and, when bored, will literally combust. If that isn’t the perfect wand for someone as much as drama queen as Klaus then I don’t know what is?? The wand is for those curious and adventurous, and I mean. Look. People don’t wax their ass with chocolate pudding because they’re boring, and they don’t stay in Vietnam during a war for a year without having enough courage for a few adventures

Core: Thestral hair. Come on, I didn’t go with a wand wood associated with death but this one was free for the taking. Invisible creatures visible to those who see death??? Come ON. It’s perfect for Klaus no I will not take any criticism. Apparently it’s unstable but I mean so is Klaus, so. 

Five: 

Wood: Red Oak. Red oak wands tend to choose people who are quick-witted and adaptable. Did I choose this wand wood just because of the words adaptable in the description? Maybe so. It’s a very good duelling wand, which Five excels at (a nod to his assassin/sniper skills in the show) with fast reactions (a nod to his jumping). 

Core: Thunderbird tail feather. A powerful core, but difficult to master. I feel like Five would be someone who has a somewhat temperamental wand that he needs to earn the respect of. Apparently this core can sense danger and cast curses on their own which I feel like Five would find cool since his whole things is being reactive and adaptive. I feel like him and his wand become super bros eventually.

Ben: 

Wood: Rowan. Rowan is a wood that likes the clear-headed and pure-hearted but also takes no shit. Okay it doesn’t say that but it does say that they frequently outperform other wands in duels despite the virtuous reputation, which I feel is fitting for Ben lmao. Rowan has a reputation for being protective, and I feel like Ben really excels at defensive magic?? He doesn’t like fighting but will it he has to

Core: Dittany stalk. There’s not really much info as a wand core, but as a herb it’s healing and restorative. Since I like the idea of Ben eventually pursuing being a mediwizard, I like the idea of him having a wand core associated with healing and fixing things. Ben is also like, the capybara sibling who no one wants to offend and as such can force others to get along so I feel like that’s appropriate as well! Since they all do research into their wand cores, Ben’s knowledge of Dittany comes in handy. Especially during their fifth year lmao

Vanya: 

Wood: Vine. Vine goes to witches and wizards with hidden depths, who seeks a greater purpose and astound those who know them best. I mean. Vanya definitely had hidden depth, had ambitions (first chair), and astounded her family by revealing her powers and destroying the world so. I also kind of like it symbolically, since vine isn’t wood from a tree so it’s not something you would think of as a wand wood which speaks to Vanya going under the radar

Core: Phoenix feather. The greatest range of magic, but take the longest to reveal themselves. I mean, Vanya’s powers certainly took a long time to manifest considering Reginald highkey drugged her for all of her childhood so there’s that. Phoenixes are independent and detached, and Vanya herself is the most independent in the show (has a stable job, has an apartment, published author, etc.) and the most detached (isolated for her entire life) so look it fits okay.

As for patronuses (patroni?) uhhHHHH

I feel like Luther’s is a lion (house pride), a bear (strength), or a dog (loyalty)

Diego’s is probably a wolf because he’s a ‘lone wolf’ that is actually very sappy and loves his dumbass pack no matter how much he denies it

Allison is uh? Maybe a snake (house pride/associations with manipulations), or some kind of bird. Don’t know why I just feel like she would have a nice bird patronus. Maybe some symbolic thing about her being the one to spread her wings and actually get married and have a kid in the show idk i’m making this up as I go along folks

Klaus probably gets a raven or a cat? Both very intelligent creatures with some association to death or bad luck (in the case of a black cat, depending on where you live)

Five hmm. My heart says a hare or a hummingbird perhaps? I like the idea of a hummingbird because of how quick it is, if you aren’t watching closely it really is like it does tiny baby teleports! Or maybe a fox, for the association with cunning?

Ben: obvious joke answer is an octopus or a squid lmao bring in some of the casual horror symbolism. Hey do you think Ben is chill with the great squid in the lake??? I’m not sure though in all seriousness. Maybe a rat like in the daemon au? Intelligent and very good creatures uwu

Vanya: HMM. An owl? or maybe something super fancy like a phoenix actually. I feel like there’s plenty of symbolism regarding phoenixes that could match up well with Vanya, including but not limited to her whole being reborn as the White Violin thing in the show yeah you know what i’m going with phoenix why not

As for being animagi - yes! The whole squad starts working towards it in their 5th year with some prompting from ghost!Fred after an Incident Occurs but I have no idea what their forms would be tbh outside of stuff I already suggested for them with patronuses. Though I guess their patronus could be one thing I considered and their animagus forms another?? Who knows!

Author’s notes: 

Luther I almost picked Ebony just for stubborn points. I liked Pine for Diego until I got to the point of “these wands are destined for long lived people” and then i was like lmao nope that’s none of the Hargreeves save perhaps Five they all died at thirty. Allison I also considered Elm and Applewood for, Applewood especially if I remember correctly.

I liked Aspen and Maple for Five a lot! Aspen I like for the dramatic imagery of Five with a white wand I’ll admit lmao but I like what I ended up choosing. Klaus I also liked Yew (but felt it was too obvious because it’s supposed to be a wand with power over life and death) and Dogwood, which is apparently for mischievous and loud witches and wizards. Fred and George had dogwood wands!!

Ben I also considered Alder and Beech but I liked Rowan better lmao. Vanya was so hard!! I really loved Elder for her with its deeply unlucky association. I also really liked Cedar since it “carries the potential to be a frightening adversary, which often comes as a shock to those who have thoughtlessly challenged them” which I feel is very Vanya

alright that’s all i got for now i’m tired and looking at wand woods is way more in depth than i was originally planning on going for this au lmao if you have different opinions or suggestions i would love to hear them uwu

[captainchocolatesstuff]

Wings of the American Redstart (Part 2/Final)

Harpy! Katsuki Bakugo x Reader

Getting along with Katsuki was not easy. 

At all. 

He yelled at you when you went to redress his injuries, and when he tried dressing the injuries himself he would often use up the small ointment bottles that you usually had saved. You hardly let his behavior get to you unless you were doing something that needs the majority of your attention. Still, there were occasions when you let him be aggressive and tease him about his behavior after he threw his “tantrums”. You didn’t always let him get away with that behavior often, so half the time you had to put your foot down when he was going too far and he’d reluctantly abide by your wishes with a pouty scowl.

Katsuki always hated it when you helped him catch his food, and he especially hated it when you had to help him preen the backside of his wings, he took solace in the fact that you’d never go as far as helping him preen the underside of his wings. “At least you know your boundaries you damn dirt walker”, he’d say after you were done helping him preen, he’d either get a nonchalant shrug of your shoulder or a light tug of his hair in response to his insult. 

“Hey, land crawler”, Katsuki called to you as you walked on foot with Stardust clopping after you.

“Yes, Kacchan?”, you hum as you loaded your gun with the bullets you had, knowing Katsuki would hate it when you used a nickname his fellow harpy gave him (Izuku was his real name apparently, not Deku).

“I told you not to call me that dumbass”, he huffs before continuing, “Why did you begin this whole “jumping slaver trades” shit thing? I get that slavery is a shit awful thing to do with anyone, but you made a name for yourself and there are very few people like you. Hell, that one slaver you ran into while saving our flock looked like he was pissing his pants already when he saw you”, he stared at you as he walked beside you.

Stardust snorted as you sighed, biting your lip as you pat the horse’s muzzle, “Well, for one, I was a former slave”, you explain, Katsuki nearly widened his eyes but caught himself as he looked at you, he made a small sound that signified that he was still listening. “I think I was five or six years old, do you know an old kingdom by the name of Muselua?”, you ask.

“Yeah, it was known for its arts, magic, and advancement in medicine I heard that a war started between them and a neighboring kingdom, Deusbellum”, he recalled.

You give a wry smile, “I was a citizen of Muselua, and the war took away the lives of my family, eventually I was found by some slavers that were collecting any survivors from the war. Eventually, I found myself serving a noble of Deusbellum, and of course, I had to serve them anything they wished for if I even messed up the slightest bit they would come up with punishments to remind me that I had no rights, I was nothing more but an animal to them”, a distant look was in your eyes as Katsuki listened to your story. 

“But if anything I hated the slavers more, they were worse than the nobles, cruel and awful people who got their kicks when they hurt their “cargo”, we weren’t even seen as animals in their eyes, we were just objects that they could use whenever they pleased… One slaver killed a man just because he lost in a game of poker…”. You closed your eyes at the memory distantly hearing the cries of his daughter, and the sounds of bones breaking and flesh ripping, “His kid was forced to watch before they too were thrown around for being “too loud” when they were crying”.

Katsuki couldn’t say anything, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to after hearing your origins, but you were able to briefly catch the sight of his fist clenching. “I was able to escape by some miracle, but I had to steal in order to get a meal for a single day, eventually I began to make a lot of ruckus for an old adventurer to take notice of me”, you smile with a soft chuckle.

“His name was Achillies, a man of a few notable talents, master swordsmen and ex-scribe to list a few, I began to see him somewhat like a father, he even gifted me these clothes you see now, but he passed away several months back”, you trail off as you looked up at the sky. “For a while, I didn’t know what to do not until I recalled the day I gained back my freedom, I remember thinking; “I didn’t need wings to break free from my chains back then, maybe I can spread that thought to others that are like me”, and it was then that I decided that I would venture out and stop all slavers that crossed my path, I would save slaves from their chains and give everyone the hope they needed to rise and break free from the people who wanted to take away their rights”.

Katsuki looked at you with slight wonder as you grinned at him, “All beings have the rights to freedom, maybe I could be the spark that drives others to do the same”, you say as you look ahead, “There is a town up ahead, I’ll go see if they accept Harpy guests”, you sigh softly as you walked over while commanding Stardust to walk beside Katsuki.

Katsuki could only stare at your back as you walked ahead, looking down at his arm he saw several feathers growing back and his arm was healing up nicely, he scoffed before letting out a lax smile as he looked at Stardust, “Your master is really something huh ponyboy?”, the appaloosa whinnies as he nudged Katsuki’s shoulder before nibbling on the harpy’s hair, “Hey, my hair isn’t dry grass you long-faced bastard!”.

As days passed you took note of the small change of behavior Katsuki displayed, he still was loud and threatened you on several occasions, but you took note of how “playful” his threats were. You never mentioned it though, you knew it was him adjusting to you. Katsuki also took note of the few displays you showed that meant you were comfortable around him, and he took it to heart despite how he acted, your prodding of one another was more playful rather than mocking or rude. Katsuki’s wing healed well to the point where he could move it but still, he couldn’t fly just yet.

“When Deku first got his flight feathers the idiot didn’t know how to handle them, so he ended up flying into several trees and one time even broke his wing”, Katsuki huffed out a laugh as you chuckled.

“I hear his species are often fast, considering their small size”, you say as you took a sip from your drink, “Must be hard trying to learn how to fly”, you give a lazy grin.

“Heh, as if, I mastered it in no time”, Katsuki boasted.

You chuckled again until you both quieted down, you two were going to be parting ways soon, you were nearing the Skies of the Harpies, a place no human had stepped foot in unless they were backed up by a harpy.

“Hey (Y/n)”, Katsuki calls to you as you give a light hum, “I… I want you to come to the Gathering of the Rising”, he suddenly says, making you nearly choke on your drink.

“Wha-what?”

“I know no human has ever stepped foot in the heart of our community, but… I want you to be there when I get my ranking”, he confesses, his voice didn’t waver as he held your gaze with his own. 

“I know they would accept you, they can’t ignore what you have done for us, hell I’m even a witness to what you do when you saved other harpies and humans alike from the slavers, they have to accept you”, Katsuki’s brows furrowed as your lips slightly parted.

“Katsuki…”, you softly say.

“I mean I understand if you have places to be, but- damn it! You’ve become really important to me, hell!- I’ve even think of you as a- a flockmate!”, he grits his teeth as you smiled, touched that he sees you as a very close friend in harpy terms. But Katsuki was frustrated, he wanted to say something else, you were more than a flockmate to him, he just couldn’t figure it out.

So with a smile, you spoke so Katsuki wouldn’t have to explain, “I’ll go with you”.

Katsuki froze as he gave you a bewildered look, “You- you’re going? No joke? Because if it’s a joke I’m kicking your ass-”

“I’d like to see you earn your rank in the Guardian of the Rising ceremony Katsuki, besides I am more interested in seeing you kick someone else’s ass”, you grin as Katsuki’s expression changes back into his usual grin.

That was also the moment you two overheard a certain conversation, “I hear there are slavers trying to catch some harpies again, north of here I think”.

“Really? Again? Slavers don’t usually stay in one place though”, another replied.

You and Katsuki look at one another, grins on your faces, “You ready Katsuki?”

“Come on let’s give those bastards a nice surprise”

~~~

It was a trap. 

Honestly you should’ve been a bit more careful, and now that you thought about it the two men that spoke of these slavers trying to catch harpies did raise their voices in a way that should’ve put you on edge.

You cursed at your lack of caution as Katuki scratched one of the pursuers’ face when they got close, “DIE JACKASS!!”, he roared.

“Come on Stardust! You can do this!”, you urge your appaloosa, who panted and grunted as he jumped over a log on the ground. Looking back you saw several of them trying to aim their crossbows at you only to miss when you sharply changed course.

“Tch! These bastards are persistent, I’ll give them that!”, Katsuki grunted as he dodged a flying short spear.

With gritted teeth, you furrowed your brows, “Sorry Katsuki, but this is where we split”, you suddenly say, Katsuki sharply turned his head towards you.

“What did you just say?”, he demands, eyes wide as his tail feathers rose. You suddenly tie his non-injured wrist to Stardust’s reins as you look back at him with a wry smile as you pull out your gun.

“Take care Katsuki”, with that you jumped off your horse, surprising Katsuki as your pursuers caught up to you.

“(Y/NNN)!”, Katuki called to you as he tried to untie himself, looking back at you he saw you fire your gun with a loud bang echoing through the forest as more men gathered around you until you were out of sight.

~~~

You stare at the ground as you stand at the stake, arms above your head and weapons stripped away from you as well as your armor. Your body was a bit sore after the beating you took when you attacked the ringleader of the slaver group, you knew you had a price on your head, but to hear that it was nobles and slavers that wanted you dead, you could only give a dry laugh at the news. 

But you were happy that Katuki was at least safe now, the slavers interrogated you about any harpy hot spots you could know about since they found you with the two harpy feathers, they figured that you were well educated with the harpy culture.

You never said a word, you didn’t bother to speak or have the pleasure of hearing your pain. You tilted your head up and took note of the rising sun, ‘Ah, this would be my fourth day here then’, you muse as you close your eyes. When you opened them you saw some blurry birds that were starting to become larger, you would have facepalmed if your hands were untied when you figured out that the reason that these “birds” were getting bigger was because they were harpies.

Two of them looked very familiar, it was Izuku and Eijiro the hummingbird and cardinal that you met when you saved a flock of harpies several weeks back.

“What…?”, you absently say as they circled around you with six others in tow.

“(Y/n)!”, you hear Izuku and Eijiro shout for you.

Feeling someone’s presence in front of you, you looked ahead of yourself and jolted when Katsuki was there, climbing up the steps to reach you.

“You know, it was really stupid of you to tie me to your damn horse to take on people that obviously outnumbered you”, Katsuki huffed as he went to work with your chained up arms, you could only smile.

“I see that your arm is all healed, can you fly?”, you ask.

“Don’t change the subject, I still plan on kicking your ass for what you pulled”, he huffed, you could only grin.

“Bakugo, you should really hurry! We don’t know how long it will be before the slavers break down the door!”, bluejay harpy shouts down at him.

“I get it four-eyes! Just hurry up and leave!”, Katsuki shouts back as he picks the lock with his long nails.

“Hey! Wingless One!”, a feminine voice shouted down at you making you look up, it was a long-tailed tit harpy, in her talons was your armor, “We got your stuff!”, she chirped.

“Yeah! And your weapons too!”, the girl next to her also cheered, she took after a pink robin it seemed.

“I’ll have to thank you some time then!”, you shout back at them as you grin when Katsuki was able to release your arms, you momentarily stumbled when your feet touched the ground, Katuki was able to catch your waist when you did. 

“Yo! Bakubro! They broke the doors!”, the prairie warbler harpy warned.

“Shit!”, Katsuki cursed as you stood on your slightly wobbly feet with a wince.

“Let go then!”, you yell as you make your way off the platform, Katsuki followed after you as his harpy friends flew in different directions.

You both ran as shouts and yells soon began to sound out from behind. “Kaminari! Sero! Now!”, you hear Izuku shout. 

Looking up you saw the prairie warbler harpy again, accompanied by the crow harpy, flying past you with some barrels in their talons. Following their flight path, you saw them drop the barrels in front of your pursuers’ path, and a large puff of smoke took over.

“Todoroki!”, you hear Eijiro call.

“I’m on it!”, you hear a different voice shout, looking above you again you saw the brahminy kite harpy carrying a torch before dropping in within the smoke, lighting it on fire.

“You guys really came in with a plan!”, you shout.

“No duh! As if I’d get your sorry ass out of this dump without a damn plan!”, Katsuki shouts at you.

“Guys- wait-!”, you hear Izuku shout, you both looked up at him before looking ahead and skidded into a stop. It was a cliff. You heard Katsuki curse before you both heard the shouting catching up from behind.

“Katsuki~”, you warn.

“Damn it- tch! Fine…”, he growled before holding onto you, looking up at him you furrowed your brows, “Just trust me”, he says before he picks you up and jumps off the cliff. You couldn’t help the surprised scream that followed as you both fell. You could hear his friends calling for him as you looked at him.

“Katsuki!”

“How ‘bout we test we test that wing!”, he grins, you were caught off guard as he let go of you -while fixing your position to have your back face him- before handling you with his talons, wrapping them around your waist before spreading his wings. 

There was a sudden gust of air as you felt the twists and turns before you felt…steady. You didn’t realize you closed your eyes until you opened them, bending your head to look down you saw the body of water and large trees below you. You didn’t notice Katuki looking down at you, but the expression you had was certainly a memory he would remember forever.

“Yeah! We did it!”

“That was so close!”

“So cool!”

Katuki heard his friends cheer, and he couldn’t help but smirk until he looked at you, “(Y/n)”.

You looked up at him with a confused expression, he huffed as he continued to speak, “What are you doing Wingless One? You’re in the sky now, spread your wings already”.

Your eyes widened for a moment before you smiled, with a laugh you did just that, opening your arms you cheered with the rest of his friends who laughed with you, feeling the wind flow through and past your body. Katsuki smiled as you laughed and while he was sure that no one would notice, Izuku did and he went along with it, to keep his friend happy.

~~~

“So you can fly again, pass the trails in the Gathering of the Rising with flying colors, and earn your recognition, what do you plan on doing now Kacchan~”, you grin lightly as Katuki gives you a light glare.

“The hell if I’m supposed to know, maybe look for my own territory and begin building my nesting ground…”, he grumbled as he trailed off, you only nodded.

“Well, that’s a start”, you say as you get your bag up on Stardust, when Katsuki suddenly laid his hand on your own, you look over at him. His face had a small but noticeable red hue as his eyes diverted from you before he glares at you and holds your face in both his hands.

“Then, I want you as my nest mate!”, he blurts before nuzzling your face against his own, you blushed and stuttered when he did before he let go of you before trying to march off.

You stood there dumbfounded for a moment before grinning cheekily, jogging after him you “Katsukiiii!”, you yell, jumping on his back.

He cursed at you as you laughed before you shut him up by tilting his face towards you and kissing the corner of his lip, making him freeze.

“I love you too, you dork!”, you chirp as he huffed, ruffling his feathers as he turned towards you and hugged you, covering your body with his wings.

______________________________________ 

 Tagged;

@mrsreina

[universal-kitty]

.: Summer Days :.

Mani-Neko is insecure, and Hawks thinks about how he wants to spend his future.

NekoHawks

   “...I never liked the summer,” they blurted out, eyes still focused on the hustle and bustle of the city below. An unexpected comment, but it caught Hawks’ attention enough to turn, a brow raising. He’d wonder where it came from, but the temperature has been going up lately... Not too much, but the humidity will be their downfall sooner or later.

   “Humidity too much for ya?” Mani-Neko is keeping enough eye out (and ear) for the both of them, so Hawks takes a break from watching life roll by to focus completely on his partner, a small smile already on his face.

   “That...and I’m tired of it. Very, very tired of it.” A pause, a certain pain coming into their eyes. “...Actually, I’m getting pretty tired of everything, Hawks.” That part surprises him; he’s always known Akira’s taken life pretty hard over the years- he’s seen it personally enough times to get the idea- but the pure pain that’s seeping in this time...

   He didn’t notice the buildup. And that’s where the guilt kicks in.

   “Hey, kitten... I’m so-”

   “Don’t be,” they say, cutting him off. A sigh leaves Mani-Neko, standing up, though not meeting his eyes. It’s fine for now- they function better not looking at people sometimes- but Hawks already knows it’ll make him nervous soon enough. He wants to see their eyes... See the pain and try to help. “I...I didn’t tell you. You would’ve had no way of knowing.”

   But he should know. He can’t help but feel he needs to be able to read those eyes better than anyone else.

   “...Is it anything I can help with?” They laugh in that breathless, sad way that makes his heart hurt. The sound of the defeated and exhausted. When Mani-Neko’s been cornered by their own thoughts...a villain so tough, not even speedy Hawks can defeat it.

   It’s so frustrating, but... There’s things he can do to soften the blow. He knows this. It’s all the more frustrating that they have to wait to get there, though. Waiting’s never been an option for Hawks, as long as he could help it.

   “Take over the rest of the shift?” Mani-Neko finally asks, voice soft and uncertain. “I...kinda want to rest at home. Focusing is-”

   “Say no more,” he assures, stepping closer and pulling Mani-Neko into a one-armed hug, kissing their forehead. (He’s always liked that about their hair; perfect for forehead kisses.) “Go home, baby. I’ll be there soon.” It’ll be easier to round up on, too. Solo-work means flying as much as he pleases for patrol. Much as he loves his baby, being grounded for too long makes him itch for movement.

   They nod, sighing out some of the stress...and press a kiss into his neck before they go. After that, Hawks is alone, and free to patrol as he pleases.

   Hawks is still flying on patrol when a certain glow of lights catches his eyes, pausing in his sweep to stare. A jewelry store...huh? Things like that have never really caught his eye before- and what jewelry he has typically came from what few modeling gigs he picked up in the early days to bolster his name, from the rings to the custom watch.

   Now, however... He watches a couple exist the store, talking happily about something. Though with the bright smiles on their faces and exciting chattering, it’s not the biggest secret on what they probably went there for, though...

   It gives Hawks pause, watching from above...and sharp eyes noticing movements in a nearby alley. Seems that couple wasn’t the only group who wanted to go shopping... It’s just such a shame these guys don’t seem intent on paying, if the dark clothing and masks are anything to go by.

   Dealing with them is almost too easy: first go the feathers to pin them against the brick, then Hawks swooping down himself, subduing anyone he missed or who was strong enough to get away... The bigger guy- the muscle or the leader...?- gives him a bit of trouble, but a smaller size and far more speed hands the win in his favor.

   After which, Hawks steps into the establishment, to the confused gazes of the workers and customers.

   “No problems, just helped you guys avoid trouble,” he assured, waving a hand casually with an even more casual smile. His eyes sweep over the store until he spots the rings, walking further in with no hesitation. “Cops’ll be on their way soon to pick them up...but in the meantime, could I get a recommendation on a ring?”

   The silence was quickly filled with shocked gasps.

   Akira was still up by the time Keigo got home, landing on their balcony with long-practiced ease and a newfound weight in his pocket. Unsurprisingly, his partner had already taken residence on the couch, watching videos off of the internet while mindlessly eating chips. Though judging by the paper plates he sees on the table, there had been other food involved at some point early on. Nice to know they’d extended their interests to other foods and not just chips.

   “Hope you’ve been eating healthy,” is how he decidedly calls attention to himself, opening the sliding glass door and stepping inside. As a point and testament to how much of a badass, gives-no-fucks his datemate is, they simply tossed another chip in their mouth before responding.

   “I eat healthy enough. Better, actually, since you’ve moved in.” A moment of pause as they swallow the remains of chip, giving up on the bag for now to focus on and talk to him. “Patrol go well?”

   “Quiet and happy for it,” he admits, a small smile on his face as he takes off his boots, taking them in hand and walking over to set them by the doorway. “Stopped a small group from jewelry theft.”

   “Oooohh, a classic. I’m surprised criminals still do that,” Akira remarked, an ear flicking. “Anything else?”

   “We’re past our bedtime, maybe?” Keigo grinned at that one, leaning over to swipe the bag of chips from their arms, ignoring the gasp that sounded and the pleading whines for him to give it back. “Clean up the table, baby. And brush your teeth, okay~?”

   “...You’re terrible.”

   “You only say that because I upkeep the rules,” he shot back with a soft laugh, picking up the abandoned clip off of the kitchen counter, rolling the bag up to clamp closed. Quietly pleased when he heard soft rustling; the sound of Akira listening to him and cleaning up as he asked.

   Getting ready for bed went on without incident. Snarky comments and hilarious retorts going on as usual, Keigo having to hang up his jacket for the night. Hesitating...but unsure. Was it even a good moment? Did they even want to...?

   He hung his coat quietly, then went back into the bedroom to get changed into his pajamas.

   “Called out of work for a spontaneous date...? I never thought you the type,” Akira hummed, arm in his. People gasped and crooned, took pictures as they would...but to their credit, Akira handled them so much better these days. Much as Keigo was loathe to admit it, most people ended up tying his image to them. The only reason their heritage was put aside, as much as early-days rumors went flying at how Hawks was going to experience “abuse” at the hands of his new, public lover. How he would surely be screwed over by that--

   He needed to stop thinking about that. It always pissed him off so much remembering how nosy and assuming the press had gotten when the news leaked. Here, Keigo had been trained by the best how to wear masks and appear personable and friendly to the public... Be anyone they needed him to be.

   But at that one moment in time, Keigo had considered some pretty unherolike stuff if it meant clearing Akira’s name.......but considering it would’ve put BOTH of their images in the trash to do so, he spent more time around them, calmed down, and then took it to the press himself. Together. Just so they could handle the media onslaught.

   Damn, it’d been embarrassing to have been shown up so easily by Akira...but he was damn proud of them, too.

   Ah, anyways. Akira benefits, they’re better off, and people love them. That’s fine, isn’t it? It’ll have to be.

   “It’s a day well deserved,” he hums, sending a few feathers out to help some lady who’s dropped her groceries. Much as he’d love to help everyone, as per usual...he can’t waste too many today. Gotta keep his wings together for a flight later.

   “It is...but you’re such a work addict, you know,” Akira points out, a brow raising. “What changed?”

   “Oh, just some thoughts I’ve been having...” As of a few weeks ago, on and off, but who’s keeping track? Surely not him, who’s pocket is once again burning as hot as Endeavor’s flames.

   “I won’t let you keep spoiling me like this, you know.”

   “Oh, you will. Especially today.” Akira’s steps stutter a bit, looking up at him in bewilderment. Even-footed as she is, that threw them off harder than expected. Especially today...? What does that even mean?!?

   “Wh-?”

   “Oh, here we are~! Just where I wanted us to be.” And yet, before they can ask, he’s stopped them in front of a fashion store...? Their eyes widen and stomach drops in sudden, deep embarrassment; they’ve brought this up to him before in passing, mentioning how they’ve always wanted to dress cuter- more feminine- and though Keigo’s been covering bases on the masculine side... They never thought...

   He drags them in, despite their flustered protesting, and for a brief, tiny moment......they’re kinda glad Keigo never listens.

   “I can’t believe you made me dress cute just so we could go hiking,” Akira huffs, tail flicking as they scale the mountain ever-higher. It’s more like...a steep hill- just small enough to barely count as an actual mountain- but at the rate their going... A lot of view is about to open up before them, regardless. “For someone with a Quirk that allows him to fly- No, I’ll just say it: this is so out of character for you, Kei.”

   “I have my reasons for it!” He laughs, hand firmly in their’s. Not even minding the sweat that gathers there from the cooling temperature compared to their warm bodies or the exertion on either side. “You’ll see. Just give it some time.”

   It’s easy to miss their grumbles, Keigo- at the moment- at tad more focused on working out his stress than his datemate’s obliviousness. Granted, it’s likely for the best; he risked enough pulling a last-minute “how are you on marriage” bit that he can’t believe gave away absolutely nothing of his plans.

   “Marriage? A weird time to ask...” They’d muttered over lunch, confused, but rolling with it. “I used to really want to get married as a kid, actually. However... I guess faking my identity curbed my fierce desire to get married by a lot; couldn’t exactly get married, if I wanted to keep hiding who I really was. But it’s never gone away in full. It’s just a matter of figuring out how I want my life to go and how hero work fits into that...”

   Well. Hero work can be figured out another day. For the moment, Keigo feels like doing something that’s only been becoming more and more obvious the more time passes...

   As expected, the view is gorgeous. The nature in the area is without compare...and the flowers in the distance only add to it. Farther out, even, the rice fields in eye-pleasing patterns. The wind cools them off of any worked up sweat, but Keigo needs to pull in his wings more to avoid being buffeted too harshly. Last thing he needs is his wings dragging him away in such an important moment.

   “Well... It’s definitely worth it,” they murmur, green eyes taking on a new light as she peers at every last flower and tree their eyes can pick up. It’s adorable, how greedy their eyes are for the sight...but that’s not why Keigo brought them up so high.

   His hand slips into his pocket, heart rate officially picking up a stressful, worrying amount. But he forces himself to ignore it, pulling out that box, taking a deep breath...and turning to face Akira. Stepping back so he could go down on one knee... Watching their eyes widen in shock, mouth falling open at the pose alone.

   The way their breath (and heart) picked up when he lifted up that little, dark green box.

   “I don’t know how this went unexpected,” he said, giving a breathless laugh. “But I asked how you felt on marriage earlier for a reason... Cause I never thought much about it until you. You made me start thinking about how much I want a little band on our fingers. How much I want a private ceremony for us...or maybe a public one, if you’re ready for another paparazzi showdown.” He grinned a little more as they clasped their hands over their mouth. Good reaction? Bad reaction? Fuck, he can’t even tell and it’s stressing him out.

   ...Might have to wonder if smiling is a stress reaction of some kind. Hmm.

   “What can I say? Wanna spend my life with you the old fashioned, official-by-the-law sort of way... What do ya say?” Well, he can only hope for an answer as he opens the box to reveal the ring inside. A simple band for now (he’s going to surprise them with the fancy shit at the wedding), but engraved on it all manner of the sweet nicknames he’s called them in their time with him...and with one of his smaller feathers tucked under the band. (A bit of a reference to one of their favorite games, if a red feather instead of blue.) Though fighting back tears at the sight of the ring now before them...

   Akira manages to nod, muttering a chocked up “yes” through what’s likely about to be a sob. It’s an immediate relief on all the stress that’s built up, wings spreading open in joy despite the wind blowing around them, accepting the pull against his body as he scoops them in for a tight, delighted hug. One of the rare times he’s been filled with laughter, burying his head into their shoulder.

   A snap sounds as the box closes, clutching it tight as his wings unfurl a little wider....and flap them into the sky, grinning so wide it hurts at that familiar little squeak of surprise from his now-fiance. Only spurred on with how hard they hold him, the soft tears of happiness, and feeling their heart beat just as strongly as his.

   They’ll be okay... He’ll be okay, knowing he’s got a home to come back to no matter what. To a partner who’s always had his back and can hold their own. He’ll be able to help them even more, spoil them whenever he wants...be there for them whenever they need him. Keigo... He’ll give them one of his feathers. To keep. Fuck, anything they want.

   “I love you, Akira,” he murmured, face pressing closer into their neck. Relishing in the simple pleasure of calling them by their first name...especially when he knows their last name will be his soon, too.

   “I love you, too, Keigo... So, so much.”

[mogwaei]

Here’s my huge first piece for @dadrunkwriting​ (Thank you @contreparry​ & @midnightprelude​ for the delightful prompts!)

I ended up combining these two and it got out of hand. It’s sitting nearly at 6k words, so you’ve been forewarned! Will be posting this over on my Ao3 as well.

A little background for those who haven’t read The Guardian:

-Maori knows who/what Solas is, but he doesn’t know that she knows

-She has sketchy abilities that no one else is aware of in the Inquisition (Solas knows she can shapeshift and has shared that he can as well)

-Maori hates killing dragons

-Minor spoilers for those who are following my fic ^_^

~~

“I am going to kill the Inquisitor when we get back to Skyhold,” she swore, breath clouding thickly before her mouth. As if to emphasise her immense displeasure, the creature just above them let loose a magnificent roar that shook the pale stone of Etienne’s Ring. “There aren’t dragons in Emprise, Maori! The only hot things there are the Pools of  the Sun! And me when I’m present,” she said, mimicking an Antivan accent. A couple of white clouds puffed to her left and right as her companions laughed quietly behind their cover of the coliseum walls. It wasn’t the greatest protection, since all it would take was for the dragon to breathe into the corridor and waste them to ash. “No dragons, Inquisitor? Because I counted three fucking dragons.”

“I love when she gets like this,” Sera said between stifled giggles as she strung her bow. “Mao, if you can ride the dragon, I’ll show you how to pick locks with a blade of grass! Plus, Quizzie will shite nugs when he hears.” Solas hissed a stream of ghostly vapour between his teeth.

“This is no time for games, Sera!” he whispered, voice barely audible over the whooping of wings. His head popped out from within one of the alcoves, stormy eyes narrowing at Maori. “Lockpicking and bragging rights are not worth being rent apart by a dragon!” Maori looked away from him, hiding a grin.

“Oh, c'mon, live a little Solas!” Bull whispered. He barely flinched like the rest of them as the entire earth seemed to quake with the dragon’s romping above. “If you can ride the dragon, I won’t tell anyone about the raven I saw.” Maordrid’s mood soured instantly. She turned a smoldering gaze on the Qunari and gripped her hilt tightly. He flashed an animalistic grin. He saw me change form Fuck. Fenedhis. Kaffas. Vashedan. You’re getting careless!

They all cursed and ducked back into cover like startled mice as splinters of ice blew into the corridor.

“Ah, so she’s an ice breather,” Maori grumbled. The hivernal chuffed her frustration, obviously trying to find a way to access them.

“Bonus points if you can ride the dragon into something. That way you aren’t technically killing her,” Bull amended, still looking at her with challenge.

“Fenedhis!” At Solas’ sharper tone of voice, they turned their attentions on the elf to see that a massive column of ice had fallen and nearly crushed him. “The dragon will not go away if we simply ignore her. We need a plan.” Sera blew her tongue at him.

“Who thought it was a good idea to bring elfy along? Nothin’ but naggin’.” Solas said something too low to Sera for Maori to hear, but her attention was instead on joining the Qunari warrior behind his large boulder.

“I’ve a plan,” she told him. He raised a brow in surprise at her fervour but an enthusiastic gleam grew in his one eye. “If you charge out, it will give me time to cloak and get behind her. Once she turns her attention to me, help the other two to get out of cover and into position.” Bull nodded and grinned.

“You do have experience killing these things,” he accused, lowering his voice.

“Going to run along and tell your superiors in Seheron?” She drew her hilt and willed the shimmering labradorite blade into existence between them. The spirit within greeted her happily, as always. Bull cast his gaze to the rest of their party on the other side of the path.

“They’d probably be pretty interested in an elf that isn’t the Inquisitor with a history of killing dragons,” he admitted. “But the Boss himself? He doesn’t know you can fly like one.”

“You’re serious about riding the dragon?” she deadpanned. Bull’s thick hand wrapped around her bicep and pulled her out of the path of a falling slab of ice.

“Y'know, if I were talking to almost anyone else, I wouldn’t even bother  and casually mention it to Yin anyway,” he said, unstrapping his great axe with a clank. “But I like you and I can see that rattles you good. Here’s the thing–they’re paying for my services.”

“Are you suggesting I outbid them for your silence?” Bull grinned.

“Up to you. Can’t really outbid a dragon.” She considered him, but then shook her head. Something like disappointment fell across his scarred, grey features as he hefted his axe in both hands.

“Get on with your distraction, Qunari. Or this dragon is going to crush us like ants,” she said. They got to their feet and turned to face Solas and Sera. “We’re going to lure her away from you. Get ready.” Solas’ lips pinched at the corners and his hands clenched a little tighter around his staff, but he nodded his agreement with Sera. With a grim smile, Maordrid cloaked herself and ran up the crumbled path behind Bull who charged out of cover with a fierce roar that startled the dragon.

The fight commenced with a burst of silver magic and a rippling roar that shattered the frozen puddles of the Ring. Raw magic swarmed the hivernal, reaching high up into the sky where the clouds began to swirl in a heavenly maelstrom.

As promised, Maordrid initiated her distraction of the dragon by wrapping ropes of magic around her lashing tail, tethering it temporarily to a rock jutting out of the ground. The dragon let out a confused growl and swung her great head around to look for the invisible pest at her back. Maori dropped her cloak, popping back into visibility. The hivernal’s yellow-ringed eyes snapped to her form immediately. At the same time, Sera and Solas emerged from below, spreading out along the top as fast as they could.

Then there was Bull who’d a bigger death wish than herself. He went straight for her breastbone with a roar to challenge the fierceness of the dragon herself. It, of course, drew her attention back to him. Seeing that she was surrounded, the great winged reptile took an agile leap back, nearly crushing Maordrid who dove straight into the icy puddles to avoid it. The Veil around her sharpened, then grew taut and frigid as the hivernal drew it around her in a protective barrier. The air began to thrum with the telltale signs of a winged attack. Maori pushed herself to her feet, feeling a barrier settle over her skin. Solas was running to the edges of the arena tossing barriers and fireballs like candy. Sera was somehow perched on top of a broken arch, safe from the howling gales that pulled at Maori’s body like wraith’s hands back toward the dragon. Arrows aided by the wind sailed through the air like minnows in a creek, feathering the thick flesh at the dragon’s neck. Magic from the enchanted arrows blossomed across the hivernal’s scales in rippling colours–a well-aimed shot at her foreleg actually crippled the dragon temporarily. Spotting danger, Maori redirected, stepping through the Veil to jab her sword between entrail-encrusted teeth and Iron Bull’s shoulder.

“Your tactics are shit and you are going to die like a cow in her jaws!” she screamed in Qunlat at Bull who was wrenching his axe from the ice where it’d been trapped. The dragon tried to snap her spirit sword in half between her teeth but Maordrid dispelled it and spun away before she could retaliate.

“Say, your tongue is pretty good. One more thing I can add to my reports!” Bull returned. Maordrid growled.

“It’d be a shame if the water were to freeze around your ankles–” Bull turned the dragon’s entire head to the side with the flat of his axe, diverting a lunge that would have put Maori’s entire upper body into her gullet. “I will have trouble keeping a straight face telling the Inquisitor and your Chargers that their pet cow served as a frozen hors d'oeuvre for a dragon.”

“Hey, my offer still stands. Just sayin’--WHOA!” He laughed with abandon as they were both tossed backward by the force of the dragon’s foot slamming into the ground. Next came the familiar whoop as the dragon prepared to lift off. The proximity almost burst her eardrums.

“Throw me!” she shouted, getting to her feet and running back toward Bull. His eye widened with excitement.

“Seriou–”

“NOW!” His arm wrapped around her waist and with a bodily spin, she was airborne. She heard Solas swearing up a storm as she landed on the hivernal’s neck just as the dragon took to the air. Maordrid scrabbled for a hold, sliding down the dragon’s craggy hide. A jerk of the reptile’s body sent her hilt tumbling into the void and to the unknown below. There was no time to mourn its loss, especially since she was still falling herself.

Her hands found tenuous purchase on the dragon’s tail spikes, the force with which she caught them throwing her heart into her mouth and her body into a flagellate motion. Maori risked a glance downward and saw the earth dwindling. She could no longer pick out Etienne’s Ring.

Mere seconds later, they broke the clouds and the only sounds were the leathery slap of wings on wet air and the wind in her ears. She cast a skin-tight barrier around her against the wintry currents threatening to freeze her limbs solid and began her climb up the dragon’s body to seek a safer position. The hivernal screeched, her call muffled by the grey. Maordrid let out an involuntary cry of surprise when her stomach became weightless as the dragon righted herself in the air. She took the opportunity of the horizontal change to climb as far as she could up the bluish-grey spine, digging the tips of her gauntlets and boots into the ridges formed by the scales. Flecks of white danced and swirled past her face and she lifted her gaze to see snow drifting across the rocky landscape of scales and scars. Some caught in her hair and lashes despite her barrier.  

It was almost funny that her worries did not lie in surviving the dragon or cold itself rather than that they were with the furious elven mage and the devious Qunari that awaited her back on solid ground.

Solas was going to kill her.

~~~~

The three of them rushed to the edge of the frozen arena, staring up into the darkening skies after Maordrid and the dragon. Solas laced his hands atop his head, loosing a stuttering breath. His heart fluttered with fear and anger - a very unpleasant mix.

“That was grand! I can’t believe you threw her!” Sera tittered to his right. The Qunari had the gall to laugh.

“Right? Fuckin’ didn’t expect that!” Solas turned on him, a frown twisting his lips.

“Why?” he snarled. “Why would you put her in even more danger?” Iron Bull hefted his axe over his shoulder still bearing a jolly grin. He wished to burn it from his face.

“Sorry Solas, it was in heat of the moment. Plus, she made a pretty convincing argument.” It was pointless to argue with the Ben-Hassrath about this.

An eerie screech echoed down from cloud cover.

“There!” Sera crowed, pointing with an arrow. A jagged shadow appeared in the white, skimming just out of sight before they took a plunge, taking Solas’ heart with it. “She still attached?” The question was answered as the dragon spun mid-fall to reveal the small form of Maordrid crawling her way down its body. A strangled cry escaped him as she came apart from it in a free fall.

“Damn, Mao is badass!” Bull hooted. He watched in abject horror as Maordrid twisted her body and maneuvered her way between the dragon’s deadly limbs. He saw her reach a hand out, placing it against the dragon’s underbelly. There was another flash of silver punctuated by an agonised roar as she opened its belly with an ethereal blade visible even from there. The dragon’s lifeblood seeped from the deep wound, flowing upward, spattering her and drifting between the thick flakes of white that had followed them down from the clouds. His heart rattled painfully against his ribs, watching the tableau of death play out. He wondered how her heart was beating. Was it a blood-thrilling rhythm for battle? A hymn of lamentation for the life she’d taken? Or was it erratic with fear, like his own? Perhaps it was cold and evenly paced, cruelly indifferent to it all.

The dragon began to careen, wings jerking in the throes of its death. Her head whipped from side to side, maw unhinging to pour a stream of uncontrolled magic and ice into the air. Solas cried out once more when it caught Maori in its path, this time knocking her loose and far from its body.

“Shit,” Bull groaned with dread as they dropped toward the Elfsblood river. Sera screamed her own terror, so loud and shrill that it raised bumps along every inch of his skin. Without waiting for them, the rogue began scrambling down the rocks without any heed for the danger that the landscape itself posed.

“Wake up,” Solas begged her. “Wake up, vhenan…”

His heart skipped a beat as her form wavered and smoke unfurled from her body. He blinked and the raven had replaced the elf. She continued to fall with the dragon and he knew something was wrong when she didn’t try to fly to safety.

Limbs shaky and numb with adrenaline, Solas followed Sera, using magic to make the descent less precarious.

~~

They reached Judicael’s Crossing in time to witness the dragon crash into the frozen river just below, sending skyward a geyser of ice shards and water that almost reached the bridge. There was no sign of Maordrid.

It took far too long to find their way down and by then a handful of Inquisition agents who’d witnessed the spectacle had made their way to the riverbank as well. The snow was knee deep on him - ordinarily he’d walk upon it but that would only draw attention - though halfway through the trees he gave up and melted a path as he went.

The air glittered with fibres of ice crystals even in the gloom, making each intake of breath sharp before they melted in his throat. Despite the tranquillity of the wilderness, Solas was anything but, fraying further when the grotesque scene came into view. The dragon’s corpse was hanging half in the water, face down with its wings shredded and broken from the impact. Vivid arterial blood seeped and steamed from multiple wounds in the bright, painterly flesh and had spattered much of the snow on the banks. The water around the body was bubbling, though from what, he could not say.

“Did you see an elf anywhere?” Solas asked a gaping agent standing near the edge. The strawberry-blonde woman blinked rapidly and looked at him, seeming just as surprised at his arrival as she was of the mythical creature’s corpse. “Obsidian of hair and short in stature?” The agent shook her head slowly.

“No, Messere, only the dragon,” she said in a thick Orlesian accent. “Should I have someone search downriver?” He nodded curtly and turned as Bull and Sera joined him, wading through the snow. Sera’s eyes were rimmed with red and she was sniffing too much for it to have been from the cold. Iron Bull had little expression, eye fixating on the corpse behind him.

Solas opened his mouth to speak, though what he meant to say, he wasn’t sure, except that no one present deserved to be the target of his anger.

“She has to be somewhere,” he said, hardly aware of how hollow his voice sounded in his own ears. “The snow is deep…and there’s forest we can searc–”

“Solas–the ice!” Iron Bull pointed a meaty finger to something behind him. He spun, eyes searching and landing on a spot down river that was…glowing? Then he recognised it as magic - fire, to be precise. Solas took off at a run - or so he tried, forcing his body to plough through the snow toward the red-orange splotch. It pulsed once, twice, and then the surface exploded with such a force he felt the wave of heat on his cheeks. Water rained down all around him, but he forged ahead and slid down onto the river, sprinting when he heard desperate gasps and saw blue-tinged hands scrabbling for something to grab onto.

She slipped back under, but his hand plunged into the water, closing around her wrist just in time. He pulled up and her frightfully pale face burst from the freezing depths, bloodless lips parting for another gasp. Vhenan, oh my love, you reckless thing! With his help, she clambered clumsily onto solid ground, leaden arms tangling listlessly with his. Solas ripped his cloak from his shoulders and wrapped her in it. She wasn’t shivering, which was a sign that she wasn’t out of peril yet. Maordrid slumped forward on her knees, head bowed. Was she laughing? How dare–

“B-Beautif-f-ul,” she whispered, peering up at him with winter-silver irises. Even like this, drenched and weak, she was a vision that stole the breath from his lungs. She is so real. A blankness stole over her features and her eyes rolled into the back of her skull. Real and in danger. Solas caught her, drawing her into his arms, not caring who saw as he wrapped her body tightly in his cloak.

Sera and Bull came skidding across the ice just as he got to his feet with the unconscious elf in his hold.

“Tell us what she needs and I’ll bluddy do it,” Sera told him, reaching out to brush a knuckle along Maori’s cheek with a tenderness not befitting the rogue.

“A tent. Bedroll, blankets,” Solas managed and Sera was already bolting back across the river toward the Inquisition scouts. While they waited for someone to return with a kit, Solas sat with her, passively warming Maordrid’s extremities as he could. An hour later, the tent was erected and Solas took her inside. Sera refused to leave even when he assured her he had it under control. When she showed no signs of listening, he caved and allowed her to help him undress Maordrid to her smalls and covered her beneath blankets imbued with heat spells after he had checked her over for broken bones and internal bleeding.

He finally got the rogue to leave on some mission to fetch a hot broth for when Maordrid woke, allowing him a moment of respite with his reckless heart. If they weren’t surrounded by agents or in the company of the other two, he would have joined her beneath the blankets - kept her warm with his own body heat. It would not do for someone to walk in and get the wrong idea. The thought repulsed him to his core.

Solas had not doubted her survival. Maordrid had come back from worse, after all. Certainly he feared for her life, but his anger he found was directed at her continuous neglect for herself. She’d no sense of self-preservation and seemed to find a thrill in taunting death. Her excuse would be something along the lines of “It’s for your own good.” It was the only thing predictable about her.

Her disregard had been so concerning that he’d requested she fight from afar rather than engage in dirth'ena enasalin. She’d taken it as an insult, rightfully so, as a true Arcane Warrior should. Ghilan'him banal'vhen, he’d asked of her. Yet…the next time they fought he found her beside him wielding a staff. He remembered her wry grin when he asked what had changed her mind. To give my heart some peace of mind. Plus, did you not want to keep me close? How could I resist a request like that?

How? By simply not caring what I think, he thought now, but perhaps that was unfair to her. He knew that she was not good with expressing her emotions, but never had he doubted her love for him. And it was a kind of love he had never known. Fierce and protective as the dragon she’d slain today while simultaneously terrifying…and ensorcelling. He revelled in the fires of her love. Some day, she might burn him to ash and he would love her for it.

His little warrior was a walking paradox.

“When you wake…” he trailed off as anger, hurt, and frustration swirled through him like the snow by the winds outside. He sighed. “Wake soon, vhenan.”

Then, he waited.

~~~~

She came to in the grips of heat and a white brightness glaring her in the face. Her body felt as though the dragon had sat on her all night. Each limb was stiff, too hot, and tight with pain. Her eyes swivelled in their sockets, trying to get a read on where her body currently lay. A tent, so it would seem. Shit, she thought with dread. Something had gone awry–

Oh. Right. She’d shapeshifted in an attempt to glide away into safety but hadn’t accounted for the drag created by the dragon’s body. She didn’t think the soul-sucking chill of the Elfsblood river would ever leave her.

With a soft groan, she forced her arms to lift her into a sitting position to escape the rude sunlight pouring in through the hole in the tent. Blinking the brightness from her vision, she found that she was alone, but only within the tent judging by the low hum of voices outside. Though her head pounded and her mouth was dry as bone, Maori first donned the clothes she found folded on a stool by a table. A cup of cold tea sat on the corner of it as well as a half-eaten ration of porridge. She swallowed the tea and decided that before she faced the wrath of anyone, she needed to visit the hivernal and pay her respects. She hadn’t meant to take the dragon’s life, but things had spiralled too far from her control to have avoided it.

Maordrid slipped out of the tent with her hood drawn and darted for the nearest wood her eyes landed upon. Only once she was in cover did she turn and take stock of her surroundings. Apparently, her companions had seen fit to take her as far away from the site of the dragon’s final resting place as possible. The head of the Elfsblood river was to her left, just beyond the shattered bridge and its frozen statues.

It would be a long walk to the dragon.

~~

It took little over an hour to make her way down the frozen river, but eventually the colossal stone bridge came into view around a high bluff, as did the great grey-blue corpse of the dragon, her body still laying in the river where she’d fallen. By then, it had begun to snow again and the sun had disappeared behind the clouds. It was as though the world knew that it had lost one of its skyward children, mourning her by the way she had been in life, surrounded by cold and ice.

Maordrid had to stop and lean against a riverside boulder as a sense of shame and sorrow bore down on her spirit. She had murdered a spirit of the natural world. A remnant of a time before mortal beings had taken root in this plane of existence. And for what? A selfish endeavour of hers?

Her feet carried her across the blue vein, but then stalled when a flicker of motion on the treeline caught her eye. Not yet. She relished the tranquil scene of the falling snow, the silver-dusted pines, and the stones riddling the landscape, for once her eyes sought the ancient wolf watching her, she knew it would all be over.

But there was no use delaying the inevitable.

She acknowledged his presence, turning her body to face him. He leaned against a tree, arms crossed, ankles hooked, and a stern expression on his noble face. Maordrid reluctantly pushed back her cowl so that he could see her eyes.

“Why do you sneak about like a sordid thief in the night?” His soft voice carried across the wintry stillness, light as the falling flakes of snow around her. She frowned, wondering how long he’d been following her for.

“I would rather pay my dues to the dragon without interruptions,” she answered truthfully. Solas pushed away from his tree and began making his way slowly down the snow, nary leaving a track as he walked. He stopped when he reached the edge of the bank, hiemal eyes cold and filled with an indescribable emotion. Even if she could not read him, she sensed the trap waiting to spring on her. She sighed. “And I know you are upset with me.” Solas scoffed, swinging his head to peer at the dragon’s still form. A muscle in his neck tensed as he clenched his jaw.

“That is one way to put it.”

“Solas, I–”

“What were you thinking, Maordrid?” It was unnerving how he could speak in little more than a whisper and it would cut through the silence of the world like he’d shouted. “Ah, yes, you weren’t. Should I even be surprised?”

“You could do without the insults,” she muttered, then louder so that he could hear, “It was–”

“For our sakes, so you say. As always.”

“Will you allow me to get a damn word in?” She glared at him - he regarded her on his higher ground, looking down at her like a patron upon a supplicant. An Evanuris and his slave. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to dispel the horrible images and memories that flashed to mind. He never owned any. Quit it.

“Of course, let us see what excuses she can spin for this misstep.” She bristled, taking a step forward and meeting his eyes defiantly. Solas tilted his head, looking every bit like a wolf with his fur-lined cloak and features made almost feral with irritation. “Oh! Allow me - I cannot think of a single valid excuse for riding a dragon.” She threw her hands up despite the wrenching ache in her muscles.

“No! I don’t have a bloody excuse! Are you happy that you get to be right once again?” The cloud of white that came out of her nose was not steam, but smoke. The mage tucked his hands behind his back and this time it oozed condescension. “I was not going to offer excuses, Solas. I have an explanation but it seems like you are set on being angry with me. Or is this another attempt to push me away?” This, at least, garnered a reaction from him. Insult, then hurt. Oh, and how she abhorred that look. She wanted nothing more than to take his face between her hands and - no. Not this time.

“I simply do not understand why you acted so recklessly! Careless! I thought we had worked past that!” he said, voice raising just a hair in volume. She did not remember when he had climbed down from the riverbank, but now they were on even ground. “I have asked very little of you - not that I have any right to, but everything that happened yesterday could have been avoided.”

“You don’t know that,” she interjected sharply. “Any one of us could have been injured or worse! It is the way of battle –”

“Is taking the most perilous path possible–?”

“Solas, I had no choice!” He fell silent, a line forming between his eyebrows as he frowned. “In spur of the moment, I had no way around it.” She could see him trying to rearrange the pieces of the situation in his mind, attempting to find some way to box her in again - to gain the upperhand.

“The raven,” he was quick to puzzle out. She nodded.

“Bull saw me shift before, though I’m not sure when,” she said, running her fingers across her face. “Sera joked about riding the dragon and Bull saw it as an opportunity to…coerce me.” Solas’ eyes darkened, but he nodded for her to continue. “Ride the dragon and he won’t tell anyone. Though I suppose there is nothing truly keeping him from spilling what he knows about my abilities. So yes, I am a fool. But I took the chance.” A strange expression formed on his face as he looked back up the river. “What is it?”

“I believe he may have regretted his actions after what happened,” he said, sounding almost…smug. She knew Solas had a borderline hostile relationship with Bull - it had been a damn nightmare travelling from Skyhold to Emprise because of it - but the way his little grin curled his lips chilled her. Again, she was having a hard time reading him, which was…unusual. “As you should your own.” She resisted the urge to throw her hands up again.

“Thank you for the kind reminder, Solas,” she said, hating the way her voice cracked. “I was on my way to reflect on my mistakes alone when you saw fit to intercept me.” She stepped into his intimate space, looking up into his face, baring her own so that he could see the hurt in her eyes. “I regret it all. But what do my words matter to you? You don’t want to hear my ‘excuses’.” At his silence, Maordrid turned from him in anger. “So please excuse me now. I have rites to perform before Iron Bull brings the Inquisition down on my head for…lying by omission. Chances are I will be forced to flee.” She got a total of two steps in before bumping into him, having not even sensed him move.

“I have seen you lie before,” he said, close, but not touching her. His words sent a real chill cascading down her spine. Solas tilted his head, trying to capture her eyes with his. “Would you give up so easily against his claims, should he decide to expose you? You would face down a dragon but not a threat waged on your reputation? I do not understand you.” Maori shook her head, stepping back from him with a steady exhale.

“I have been outplayed. Leliana is already watching me closely, looking for any excuse to pin me down as some kind of criminal,” she confessed.

“I think you are lying to yourself now,” his voice was hedging back into his insufferable condescension once more. As though he knew better. “You have convinced yourself that you cannot talk your way out of it.”

“What a convoluted way of suggesting that I lie to them, Solas.” There was a bout of silence where they simply stared at one another.

“There are many ways to go about doing it.”

“Bold of you to assume that I would be fine with lying.”

“Let us pretend that you are, for a moment.” She stared at him, slightly aghast. He continued unaffected, “He may claim to have seen you shift into a raven - but what proof does he have?” She chewed the inside of her lip, shaking her head slightly. “An outright denial is one option.”

“And what would you do, wolf?” He didn’t react like she expected he might. Cool as the ice beneath their feet.

“Start a rumour about myself of absurd accounts. A dragon, a griffon, a nug…a wolf, whatever takes your fancy.” He smirked, clasping his hands behind his back. Maordrid once more looked to the side, considering. “In fact, I would strongly advise we do that, even if Bull decides not to. As a preventative measure, should he change his mind.” He paused. “You may even come to derive amusement from the way your reputation changes before your very eyes.”

Is that how you felt, once? Not anymore, surely.

“We?” she repeated, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. “I did not take you for a gossiper.” His cloak swayed once with the single step he took toward her. His cinereous eyes reduced to slivers beneath his lids as he fixated on her. This close, she could see tiny snowflakes alighting on his lashes and a faint flush on his freckled cheeks from the windchill.

“Tall tales have their uses, and are not always malevolent in nature,” His lips twitched against a smirk. “We can get very creative.” She was not sure if he was still angry with her, but testily, she reached up and twined the leather cords of his amulet around her fingers. When he did not withdraw, she took it as a good sign.

“If we are to stick with the shapeshifting theme…you could shift into your wolf and walk by my side past one of the camps,” she mused, running the thumb of her other hand over the jawbone. “Might they think me an Emerald Knight from the olden days?”

“It would likely be more sinister than that, though I do enjoy the idea,” he said.

“Ah, sinister, is it? I can hear it now, ‘She walks beside Fen'harel! The demon-witch from the Fade is in cahoots with the Dread Wolf!’” Solas cast his head back and laughed heartily, clumps of white vapour curling from his mouth. The next thing she knew, his arms were tugging her to him and his mouth was on hers. The liar’s tongue tasted like mint and gingerroot today.

“That may not go over well with our Dalish Inquisitor or his sister,” he hummed against her lips.

“You were the one who suggested we be absurd. The idea was a good one.” A shadow passing overhead had them both looking up to see a raven flying toward the riverside camp. “Ravens and wolves. In Dalish legend…Dirthamen and Fen'harel.” She gave him a devious look. Oh, how I enjoy this game. “Imagine spreading the rumour that we are two elven gods come to assist the Inquisition.”

“I would rather not involve myself in these rumours,” he said, brushing a rogue strand of hair from her face.

“You wouldn’t need to. Shift, walk with me for a bit, then hide and shift back. No harm to your pristine reputation.” Solas’ eyes gleamed with amusement. “Or, teach me how to shapeshift into a wolf and I will do it myself. Who is she, really? Fen'harel? Dirthamen? If I knew a dragon form, I’d throw an Old God rumour into the pot.”

“I think it is rather set in stone that those two are males, vhenan,” he chided.

“Oh? I will prove to you the power rumour has over even stone.” Solas chuckled and pressed his lips to hers once more, plush and warm, but chaste. She untangled her hands from his necklace to loop them around his neck, pulling him close.

“Will I regret getting involved in your mischief?” he asked over her head, arms moving to encircle her waist.

“So long as you do not mind hearing the undoubtedly racy rumours that are bound to spring up about me,” she said with her own laugh. “Beyond that, you know what is true.” He drew back with a raised brow.

“Do I?” His thumb swept along her bottom lip. “I think you are lying, vhenan.” She smirked, lifting her eyes to the gloomy skies.

“That makes two of us.”

[johobi]

Satan, Baby

Word count: 2.6k

Pairing: Seokjin x Reader

Warnings: If you’re sensitive to religious topics and imagery I would skip this one, some rather major if brief angst, alcohol as a crutch, slightly scary in places, especially if you don’t like goats, fingering, tentacles (yep, however brief), archaic dialogue.

Prompt: “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?” -The VVitch (2015)

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16946889

When the devil knocks, you’re only too happy to answer.

Gin-gle bells, gin-gle bells, gin-gle all the way!

The greetings card sits, sardonic, opposite you. It has become a tragic premonition of this year’s festive agenda.  And the friend who’d gifted it you, gleeful grin and all, likely has no inkling of the accuracy with which it speaks. But how would she, when, blithe flake that she is, no longer favours you for her company this holiday. And not because you demanded it of her; of course not. You’re not the type to presuppose anything of anyone. It had been she who proposed your cosy Christmas twosome. A three-day extravaganza of turkey, gift-exchange and, yes, gin. Indeed, she’d been emphatic in her suggestion. It’s only been two weeks, after all, since you unearthed your ex-girlfriend’s year-long, adulterous deception. And you shouldn’t be alone after that, she’d insisted. But, no. The day before its Eve, your apparent best friend fucked off with her degenerate, drug-peddling boyfriend to a romantic retreat.

Christ.

So much for friendship.

So much for love.

Every unenthused effort you’d exerted in giving that other bitch - the cheating one - the Christmas she’d pouted for was wasted. The lurid lights, the offensively cheery decoration of your living room; it distresses your eyes and heart both. Reminds you how hideous a charade the whole ordeal has been. It’s relentlessly fake. A blanket of spray-on snow over nine layers of flaming lies.

It wasn’t just the pantomime of Christmas, though. Everything had been for Lily.

Your family’s desertion of you, for one. To say that they were disapproving of your relationship was underselling the strength of their abhorrence. Backwards, backwoods, and back-to-back harassment was their mentality and method in a nutshell. But you braved their repudiation for a love so true that it gave you the wings they purported God would tear from you.

If He feels so vehemently that a woman shouldn’t tongue another, though, he can fucking keep them.

And so you sit alone, gin in one hand and your dog snoring under the other, pensive. Numbly so, by this point. One can only weather so much before seeking shelter inside somewhere warm and safe. For you, it’s your mind and in the dregs of a bottle. Can’t drink too much, though. You have work tomorrow. The world doesn’t stop for Jesus these days.

Your drink becomes too cloying to endure. Its bottle, while only half-imbibed, sits suddenly heavy and offensive in your palm, because even alcohol has betrayed you. The stunts your stomach is showcasing deters you from persisting, so you relieve yourself of the bottle’s burden in an extraordinary way. Like an active grenade you lob it into the fireplace opposite and revel, exhilarated, how it enrages the flames for an alluring moment. The crack of splintering glass stirs your dog from repose to alarm in a split second, but you soon have him settled. He peers up at you with a question, but you only need smile before his placidity returns.

Maybe I could skip town? the scenario is heady to conceive. It grips you as you speculate within, everything outside your mind’s four walls forgotten. All but the flames afront of you. As they snap and writhe like the souls of those damned, the fire mesmerises you into a deeper state of introspection. You feel free of the compulsion to blink. Sink further into stupor.

I would sell my soul for another life.

The blaze speaks back. It knows you as well as you do. It is you.

Is that so?

Yes, I would, and there’s no hesitance to your thinking so. In your trance you feel easy, open.

That is quite the sacrifice, your mind supposes, though why you’ve taken on a different, more masculine voice to debate yourself is something you won’t allow yourself to examine.

Your eyeballs prickle in protest for being denied moisture. Nevertheless, it’s impossible to blink. My soul is rotten, if I even have one, and you truly believe that. I’ve been through too much.

The second voice inhabiting your body deepens. Deepens, and mutates, until there’s a trio of them speaking in perfect tandem; a whisper, a growl, and a voice of silver silk. Contrarily, it is luminous. Wouldst thou grant it to me?

“W-What?” you splutter it outside the confines of your internal monologue. Because that is not you conversing back. As soon as the exclamation stumbles over your tongue, your reverie disintegrates. You regain your ability to blink, but within one or two you feel yourself shift into an eerier reality. The fire is no longer quite so bright nor dazzling. The embers gasp their final, fiery breaths as they fade. The room is dark but for the paltry twinkle of your looming Christmas tree. Pluto barrels from the room, tail tucked to his stomach, a piercing yelp in his wake. “P-Pluto?”

Silence.

The rapid in-and-out of your breath is all that meets the muted air. Until the slightest shiver of movement catches in your periphery, and then you’re panting like a dying dog. You shrink into the sofa’s security, legs folding to your chest to screen your defenceless body. It must be a trick of the lowlight, but your eyes insist that there is a figure some eight foot tall occupying the corner. But it can’t be, because the tree’s illumination, however scant, catches nothing tangible. And yet, as your eyes squint through disbelief and murk, you swear, solemnly, that two, twisted horns sit atop this silhouette’s head. “Who’s there?” you don’t so much as threaten as squeak, catching your teeth on the tops of your knees. “Show yourself. How did you get in?!”

One blink and the demonic shadow vanishes, like your dry eyes were the instigator of this nightmarish hallucination. But something still remains there, you’re sure of it. It doesn’t breathe, it doesn’t speak, and it doesn’t disturb this plane of existence in any capacity, but you know it’s there. “Who are you? Have I finally gone insane?”

Your heart-rate is in the cosmos. And it only continues to ascend when the shadow responds, in that same, flanged voice. It’s otherworldly and melodic, bordering on soothing, were it not for the growl underrunning every spoken word. “Thou art of clear mind and clearer eyes. Thou hast summoned me.”

The dark form offers nothing to the truth of its identity, and yet you already know what stands there. There is no doubt in your mind. Strange, when up until this point you’ve been atheistic to the point of obnoxiousness. None of that is of any importance now, though, when faced by a being exuding the formidable truth. “Th-The Devil? I summoned you?”

It’s unnatural how your heartrate quietens when it - he - steps forward from indistinction. With him he brings an aura of utter tranquility, and even on its boundaries you feel like you’ve consumed a healthy dose of some benzo or another. Empty of anxiety, you’re able to appreciate the godless beauty of this man. Yes, a man, or perhaps that is how he’s choosing to present himself to you today. Quite against expectations he’s donned head to toe in white; a suit perfectly tailored to cling, and hair like platinum thread. Wide shoulders and narrow hips draw your eyes first, but then they land on, and refuse to waver from, his divinely-featured face. Everything you see there is sculpted by a deity’s master hand. The man possesses voids for eyes; they neither let light in nor out, and as he observes you without relent, you fear for what might happen if you fall into them. “Thou didst,” he murmurs past ripe, apple red lips, and this distraction is almost more damning. God, you want his mouth. More than all those who came before him.

“I didn’t think you were real. I didn’t think any of this kind of thing was real. What else is real? Do you have a name?” you’re not really the type to babble nonsensically, but you just feel so serene. Weightless. Words are but feathers on the wind, and to release them is to be free. There being an ancient, malevolent entity in your vicinity is of little worry.

“Seokjin is one of mine names,” he smirks; a mere twitch of his generous mouth, and cherubs are in chorus in your heart. The rest of your stumbling enquiries go unanswered. “Address me thus, if thou pleases.”

“You look more like an angel,” you breathe into the space between you.

The Devil smiles wider. It’s tenuous, but perhaps you spy two rows of vaguely pointed teeth. “There is nary a difference. They live to serve their Creator, as doth mine conscripts. I, however, am transparent in mine subjugation. He is not. One might consider that,” he tongues a tapered tooth. “Devilish.”

There’s little time to form an opinion on the matter because he takes two more steps to you, and every incremental increase in his proximity robs you of the wherewithal to function. He’s absolutely breathtaking, fatally so. It’s only when you heave in an urgent breath that you realise how even your most autonomic of impulses are impaired by him. You lower your legs to both see him better and signal your receptiveness to his advance. There’s no suggestion of what he may do when he comes near, but his eyes graze your exposed thighs without apology, only that sultry smirk pulling at his mouth. “Say to me,” he whispers low and slow, savouring each syllable like an indulgent meal. “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?”

You don’t react verbally, not just yet. Your body, however, gives an immediate answer. There is a diabolical stirring between your spreading legs, intensifying for every second his gaze lingers there. It must be some dark magic hitching up your shift and soddening your cunt, but you sense it comes solely from you. You’re inebriate on his exotic musk, so dense that it fills not only your nostrils but your mouth; an irresistible tang compelling your asphyxiation. Rather than draw breath, however, you release a wanton whine. Each moment you go untouched by him your pussy strengthens its revolt. You’re so, unbearably tender, so shamefully wet, that little more than the heat of his breath on your skin will undo you. That much you’re sure of, as you squirm, open-legged and leaking for his pleasure, beseeching him for his mercy.

“Grant me thy answer, sweet girl,” the demon persists at range. He studies how unreservedly you present yourself to him, leaking so copiously that it moistens the sofa beneath. “I must hear it by thy own lips.”

It takes everything remaining of your modesty to prevent yourself from masturbating. “Y-Yes. I want to live a delicious life. Please.”

The one hand obscured in his pocket, he withdraws, raising it to the air. Adorning it is a ring, inset with a peculiarly flickering jewel. You rise, too, but whether it be by sorcery or out of your own, debauched necessity, you don’t know. The sofa dips under the soles of your feet as you straighten awkwardly to attention. The arousal streaming your legs in depraved amounts demands you keep them apart. An undignified stance, to be sure, but something you care little about in your condition. Fuck, you twinge like a metronome at your centre, mouthing around nothing but a desperate wish.

That wish, Seokjin grants. It’s only one more step before he’s level with your bosom, peering up at you completely soulless. Completely endless. His aroma is spicy and thicker than ever, and more potent an influence on you than the strongest of spirits. “Delightful,” he hums with a resonance that tickles your insides. And there’s no time before he actually is. With just the one, bold hand, he bypasses the lacy hem of your shift and embeds two fingers straight into your pliant cunt. Immediately you are boneless and require his shoulders for support, flagging over him like a damsel courting unconsciousness. You’re very much awake, however, because you feel it all. The quivering of your cunt as he stretches you in slow, circular motions. The press of his fingertips as he palpates your g-spot with enough power to weaken your knees. And then, most peculiarly, how he advances into you even at his knuckles’ limits. What felt like fingers before are now far too thick and flexible to be considered as such. The tendrils that penetrate you lash and writhe along the limits of your pussy, caressing the puckered opening in your cervix. The girth of him transformed is almost too much to bear, but you’d rather be torn asunder than risk his withdrawal. You don’t even think to question the unearthly occurrence. It’s far more gratifying than any appendage a mortal can offer.

But despite your best to keep him, The Devil withdraws. Slowly, painfully, he dislodges his digits from your sticky cunt, until there’s nothing there but an intolerable ache. You tremor as you raise yourself from his shoulders, poised to beg his return. “I need more,” you’re starved; raspy. “Please.”

He doesn’t capitulate to your pitiful plea. Instead, he removes his hand from beneath your skirt, fingers demonstrably fingers. They shine with slick so thick it barely runs. And vacant from his index finger is the ring you swear embellished him once. Confusion can’t establish itself before he ensnares you in his sordid eyes once more. “Sign mine book. Kiss these lips. Thy soul is the price,” he’s guttural but hushed all at once, and before you can fathom his proposition he produces a book in his unsoiled hand. Inlaid with bone and scale, the tome looks primeval. The spoiled, aged pages flip to one without entries, and Seokjin smears your essence in its margins. You require no further explanation.

The quill lies immaculate and waiting. “I can have anything I want?”

“All that thou wishest,” his tongue moves more than his lips do; a serpent behind sharp teeth.

It hurts to behold him much longer. The eyes that bore, unabating, into you; you feel him already taking stock of your soul. He’s in you, somewhere, too hot and too intense. And yet you want more. “Can I have you?”

His self-satisfaction suggests that your request isn’t a revelation to him. Just another of his ploys bearing fruit. “Thou desirest me desecrate your unworthy cunt, girl?” Seokjin waits a beat for your manic head-bobbing. “Very well. Sign thy name.”

You do. There’s no reluctance between your scribbles despite the agony that accompanies it. Each stroke scores itself raw into some unplaceable part of your body; your receipt for this cursed transaction. As your signature dries on the page, it’s with crazed anticipation you meet his waiting gaze. “I’m ready.”

The book slams and disapparates with an ear-shattering snap, but not even that can deter you from your trajectory. Delicately but determinedly, you bend until your lips are a whisper upon his. The kiss doesn’t remain chaste for long, however. Seokjin’s tongue pours like molten lava into your mouth, scalding all it touches. Your eyes drift closed while twined by tongue, and it’s then that he seizes you into a steely embrace. Rough, ravenous hands drag you from the sofa and plant you to the floor beneath him. His heat and weight are suffocating, wonderfully so, and each lap of his tongue is a lick of flame purifying you of misery.

God, you think, staring through the ceiling as Seokjin sinks his whetted fangs into your breast. Let me burn.

[nerdsinatree]

The Swan

He was insane he told himself. He had to be. That could be the only explanation for the illusion he had stumbled across the night before. And even more so, his desire to seek after said vision. True he was no where even near being old enough to fall victim to senility, (which rarely plagued active magic users anyway). But perhaps years of bachelorhood had caused him to grow desperate. Imagining up some fanciful fairy tale of beautiful, shapeshifting nymphs...

But then again, stranger things had happened before where magic was concerned...

The sorcerer descended from his workshop and stepped out into the cool air. He had often left his tower in the middle of the night to pick night-jasmine under the light of the full moon, when the flowers magical properties would be at their peak. So he knew the guards would think nothing of him venturing out into the castle gardens at this hour.

However, he had no intention of harvesting any potion ingredients tonight. No, this time he had a different goal in mind. In a place he had accidentally stumbled upon last night. Where he had seen her...

He had told himself he was crazy. Rationalizing it must be some sort of delusion brought on by fatigue. And he would have continued with that explanation had it not been for the tangible proof he held in his hands.

His fingers caressed the long feather. Nearly completely white, save for the tip which was colored a light lavender. It's unique appearance was strange enough as it was. But he honestly wouldn't have put too much stock into it, had he not come across the exact same kind of feather many times before.

Within the past few years his rather abysmal life had suddenly taken a turn for the better. So much so that he had actually managed to earn the long coveted respect of King Roland II and the rest of Enchancia. As such, he had even given up his long held dream of taking over the kingdom in order to gain such approbation.

However, he had come to notice over this time period, that whenever a particularly fortunate event occured. He would find a feather. Which he had begun collecting from the second or third time he had seen them. And they all bore a striking resemblance to the one he had found lying on the ground where she had once been. Just moments after he thought he saw her transform and disappear into the sky...

It took him a while, but he eventually found the most elusive part of the garden. A secert area, hidden behind some inconspicuos branches. He pulled back the plants and bent down slighty, entering in through the small opening.

Straightening himself back up, he gazed out into the large lake. Where he could see a single solitary figure swimming under the moonlight.

Stepping closer to the water allowed him a better view of the creature. A swan. It's body completely snow white and almost shining in the moonlight. Save for small amount of lavender, which colored the ends of it's wings and tail. Upon it's long graceful neck was a silver collar of sorts, decorated with a small tear shaped pink jewel.

An amused smile came to his lips as he observed how the creature swam closer to him, whilst still trying to keep her distance.

"It's alright." he assured her. "I know what you are. You don't have to hide from me." doing his best to sound confident. Though inwardly he was squirming a bit at how foolish he would sound if this did indeed turn out to be just a regular water fowl. At least no one else would be around to witness his blunder.

He was then pleasantly surprised, when the swan suddenly began to glow in the moonlight. After a flash of light, and swirl of rising water that completely covered her form, a young woman now stood upon the water where the swan had once been.

Cedric's mouth gaped in awe at the sight before him. She was young looking (though he was aware that was not always a proper indicator of age when it came to magical creatures), with large blue eyes and auburn hair which was tied into a simple ponytail a top her head. She wore a small white sleeveless dress. The length of it barely covering her thighs, allowing him a good view of her long graceful legs and dainty bare feet. The silver choker having transformed into a silver chained necklace, the pink gem hanging from it much bigger than before.

What really caught him off guard though were her arms, which were covered in the same long, white, lavender tipped feathers he had been finding over the years.

He flinched, falling to the ground as she suddenly disappeared from the top of the water. Plunging gracefully into the lake, before emerging once more and swimming towards him. Leaning up on the bank to present him with a big smile.

Cedric leaned back, and gulped. A little unnerved by how close she was to him. He was about to say such, but was prevented when she spoke first.

"It's so nice to see you again, Cedric."

"I..I..What?" he stuttered, trying to find his voice. "Who are you? How do you know me?"

"It's me, Sofia." she answered simply. As though he should already know.

"Sofia?..."

She nodded eagerly, "That was the name you gave to me after you saved me. When I was still just a little cygnet."

"What?...I never!..." he ceased his protest however when suddenly an old memory from his boyhood returned to of his mind. Of him rescuing a baby bird that was being tormented by some of the other students at Hexley Hall.

He didn't really know why he had reached out to the little cygnet at the time. After all, he wasn't exactly an animal lover. Perhaps he took pity on the creature because he saw himself in her. Both of them outcasts and ugly ducklings in their own right. But with her destined to eventually grow into a magnificent swan. And he hoped to be able to follow the same path as well.

So he cared for the little bird. Nursing her back to health, and calling her Sofia. A name he had heard at random once before and decided he liked. His mother was especially supportive of his decision to care for her, and had even consoled him when he awoke distraught one morning to find his that little charge had mysteriously vanished. Assuring him that his kindness to the creature would prove to be a great blessing in his future.

Now, looking at the beautiful nymph before him. It seemed his mother had known far more about the identity of the animal he had rescued than she had let on...

"Yes...yes I do think I remember you..." he said softly.

Her already radiant face seemed to light up even more at his remembrance. Before her eyes took on a rather wistful look "I'm sorry I never got to say good bye to you. But my mother found me and brought me back home, and I was only deemed old enough to make contact with humans a few years ago. Or, I would have tried to find you sooner."

He cleared his throat, blushing a bit before turning his attention back to the feather he still held in his hand.

"So...you're the reason my life has gotten so much better these last few years..." he observed aloud. Gently stroking the edges of the plume, and savoring the soft texture upon his fingertips.

"Only a little..." she admitted, "I can help bring good fortune, but my influence is only so powerful. You did the rest of it yourself."

He smiled to hear that. Feeling a little relieved to know that he was at least partly responsible for his new, better, lot in life. But at the same time grateful for her hand in it.

"I wanted to help you. Just like you helped me all those years ago." she said,

He pocketed the feather in his sleeve before holding her gaze with his own. A smile on his face. "Thank you, Sofia" he said sincerely.

She blushed lightly, before doing something that completely caught him off guard. She leaned up, and planted a sweet kiss on his lips before looking up at him with adoring eyes, "I love you Cedric. Will you be my husband?"

Cedric started to sputtering. Totally unprepared to receive a kiss, confession, and proposal all at the same time.

"I wanted to ask you sooner." she continued, apparently unfazed by his response. "I've loved you for so long... But I only became old enough to leave my mother's nest a few weeks ago."

The sorcerer was at a loss. On one hand her confession seemed so sincere, and her sweetness was certainly tempting. But on the other, the fact remained that they still barely knew each other. And he wouldn't feel right bringing her so swiftly into a relationship a part of him feared she may come to regret someday. Plus, it was clearly evident that she aged much slower than himself. Considering that she was still a maiden, despite them having both been children at the same time. And that was sure to pose some difficulties in their relationship.

But perhaps, things would work out. If they took the chance...

He cleared his throat, "Well, I'm not sure marriage would be the right course of action to take at the moment."

Her face fell a bit as, as she cocked her head in confusion. Clearly upset by his seeming rejection. The sight of which nearly broke his heart, and he swiftly acted to correct her misunderstanding.

"What...What I mean is! I think it would be better if we got to know each other a bit more first!" he added, "That is to say. I'd like to court you."

Sofia's features lightened in relief as she considered his offer. She wasn't completely naive as to the customs of humans, who often preferred a longer courtship than her fellow nymphs. And if this is what made him most comfortable, she would be happy to oblige.

"Sure" she smiled, "I'd like that."

[venus-says]

Kamen Rider OOO Episodes 17-32

I'm really holding myself to not make a joke with a Katy Perry song.

Yes, I'm late. Yesterday was my mom's birthday and I was taking care of that for the past three days so I didn't finish writing this post on time, I'M SORRY. But here I am now so let's get to the juice.

You know, looking from the point we left in the last post I expected things to go downhill and I was prepared to have another W's mid-season experience. Aaaaand I was wrong! And thank god for it.

The complaints I had from the first part are still present here, but they picked on the good points already present and expanded so much on them that when you put things on paper the positives more than compensate for the bad ones. As I mentioned before, arcs introducing a new "ranger" in the middle of the season are for the most part very hard to me, I usually don't like those, and the way they introduce Birth sure was rough in some edges. But despite the elements I dislike still being there, I've grown to like Akira/Birth and I think their inclusion to the cast played a big role in making this second part as solid as it was.

The come and go of the medals is still confusing and hard to keep up with, the antagonists are still kind of a mess, some of the MOTW plots are weak, but each one of these negatives come with a positive. Yes, is hard to keep track of the medals, but the new combo forms Os got in these episodes were amazing both in visuals and in powers. Yes, there are still many "factions" acting as antagonists, but each one of them had something added to them so they don't look just like a bunch of pawns trying to act like a king and just looking like a bunch of ants who broke formation coming back to their colony. While some MOTW didn't have a very engaging story, each one of them had at least one quirk that made them interesting.

If there are things I'd consider fatal flaws in this particular block of episodes I'd say they are: how they didn't know how to manage the GREED, Gotou's storyline, and those horrible episodes celebrating the 1000th episode.

Regarding the GREED, this is a problem I had in the first part as well, they're completely underused. First, they quickly ditched two generals (the ones with most personality) at once, so I thought we would see Uva and Kazari as two different forces going against each other, but no Uva was pushed to the side for the most of it and we only saw Kazari doing his things. Then there's the matter of Ankh's body who's sitting on a very thin line and sometimes it's pending more to the interesting side and in other times is just sitting in the "really, queen?" side of things. Now not everything is bad, adding a new GREED that wasn't one of the original 5 and having this GREED be merging with both Eiji and Dr, Maki is very interesting and I'm quite curious to see how it'll develop, I feel like they're building up for Maki be the final boss and I'm kinda thorned about it since I really like Kougami and I wish he was the final antagonist, but episodes 29 and 30 shed a new light on Dr. Maki and I started liking him a little more so I think I'm okay if that's the path they'll take.

Gotou is a mixed bag of feelings for me. I really started disliking him around episode 12, and I disliked him more when they started to hint him as being the next Rider to join, and I still think he's a very weak character and he's definitely not in my favorites' list. But I started to get more sympathetic towards him and a huge part of that is because of his interactions with Akira, I'm still not interested on seeing him becoming Birth but thanks to this period he spent with Akira I think when the change happens I'll be more open-minded for it. I also can't deny that he had a great part in on of my favorite stories of the season (Episodes 21 and 22) that made me soften my heart for him, seeing his internal conflict about his own sense of justice was very cool, the conclusion he came to wasn't what I wanted but it was still great nonetheless.

The 1000th episode arc was... just boring and embarrassing, I'm sorry. I know I don't have the knowledge of this franchise to catch all the easter eggs and such, but with easter eggs or no is a very weak plot and I wasn't interested in anything. Again, I'm sorry.

But now let's talk about the good stuff. First of all, I wanna take a moment to talk about the power-ups, Os got two new combos in these episodes and they're both great. Seeing that I'm a sucker for water powers I thought ShaUTa would be my favorite, and while it looks pretty good and the fight underwater we got as cool as heck my favorite form is TaJaDor, I love the design of the suit, I love the design of the wings, I love that attack with the peacock feathers, I love when he goes to the sky and start looking like a phoenix, that power-up is *chef's kiss* perfecto! I don't know if PuToTyranno is considered a power-up, but the form is also pretty darn good, I think the ptera wings are a bit weird and attacking with a tail is a bit too much for me (especially with that CGI), but I love the ax/gun weapon he got, and I can't wait to see more. (also PuToTyranno is a very fun name to me because "puto" is not a family-friendly word in Portuguese and I just can't help but crack every time I think of it XD)

Talking about characters, Eiji is as great as ever, his smartness continues being on point, he has great comedy moments, and the delivery on the emotional moments is very well done. What I liked the most about him in these episodes was seeing how he could gave some very strong speeches about justice and helping other people and said speeches didn't sound generic or fake like in the many other shows with a young male target audience. They were a bit idealistic while staying very grounded in reality which I loved. We also got to see the full scope of his backstory too, I don't necessarily love the part about he coming from a wealthy family, but I can see that this also adds a lot on his shoulders so I'm okay with it, is still a very strong character point. I thought it would take long to another Rider to dethrone Shotaro as my favorite, but Eiji is coming very close to it, let's see how the show will handle his character in this final third.

Ankh... is still Ankh. I thought they were building a narrative of him betraying Eiji, and I thought that could be a very nice point to make him grow as a character but that didn't come true so, I'm still kinda meh about him. Hina is still boring, but this time I'll blame all on the actress/direction they gave to her because there are good moments for her here but the delivery is very lackluster. Chiyoko is still a very nice side character, I really liked her participation in episodes 29 and 30 with her interactions with Maki, I hope we can see more of this in the future.

The things in Kougami foundation are still a high point for me, Kougami himself seems to be becoming more crazy and obsessive as time passes and I just love it. Erika is by far the best support character, and I love that badass action scene they gave her in episode 20! I wish the booty shots didn't have camera angles that weren't so IN YOUR FACE, but I guess is a fair trade considering the many closeups on Eiji while he's on his underwear so...

I already talked a bit about Akira but I feel like I need to highlight him again. I wasn't expecting to like him this much, especially seeing how he crashed this party without previous notice, but I really enjoy him. He's so upbeat and straightforward, yet he's not just an easygoing character, we can see his dept and whenever he goes serious it doesn't seem like a very drastic change. It's kinda impossible to dislike this guy. I'm a bit afraid for him, because the signs that he's going to die are all here, and I don't wanna see him go because I like him so much, I hope that if they do it it'll be on a nice way and it'll make him justice, BUT I'LL TRY TO STAY POSITIVE TILL THE LAST MINUTE AND I'LL BELIEVE THAT HE'S NOT GONNA DIE (pls OOO, don't crush my heart).

I believe this is all I had to say, I can't believe I'm already so close to the end of this wonderful series, I really hope they won't drop the ball in this final stretch. How yall feel about the middle portion of OOO, anything you agree or disagree with? Let me know in the comments. See you, folks. o/

[inexchangeforyoursoul]

*chucks this to the starving lions* Can I get, uhhh… you interested in some dabihawks intimacy over burns? (2k+ words) ( AO3 )

Hawks lacks his trademark energy. His movements, be them his quirky little leg bounce or a mundane lift of a hand, have become sluggish- that is, if he even bothers moving. Everything about him screams exhaustion, even after almost two weeks of being off duty. Forcing himself to get outside makes Dabi think the hero crazy for two entirely new reasons.

First, he’s everything but suited to walk the streets like this, with restricted mobility that’s just begging for some nosy assholes to tail him. Especially nowadays. He also could have become easy prey to petty villains in the first shady alley, as there’s no way in hell that he can use his left wing for anything but sending out some warped or puny feathers. Considering the cotton pads lining his neck and that his upper body is still covered in bandages under the tee, two sizes too big, this is also not subject to change for a while. There’s one additional pad on his left cheek, likely hiding the spot of a particularly nasty blister. And this mess here had the nerve to ask for a meetup and sneak out to this infection-ridden hole, but let's not even go there.

No, there's a bigger issue. The other reason Hawks is a madman… the thing that ties an unswallowable knot in Dabi’s stomach, and makes him reconsider coming for the umpteenth time, and legitimately uncomfortable… is that the gauze on the other's body is hiding second, if not third degree burns that he himself had inflicted, under circumstances he’d rather not even think of.

Once it becomes obvious that he won't be the one to initiate, Hawks’ familiar voice rings with forced bravado. “What’s with the long face? You look even deader than usual,” he chides the villain. It almost sounds like there wasn't a rotting elephant carcass in the room. Almost.

There's no answer he can muster. He’s just staring vacantly at the left side of the other’s face. A silent thought notes how the hero's hair grows about as fast as his feathers do after being shaved. Or burned. He made all those passive-aggressive jokes in the beginning, about what high quality kindling Hawks would make if set ablaze. And he really does burn so fast… so easily.

He should have ignored the message altogether.

Hawks sighs; his scowl softens and the tired smile disappears without a trace. No point in waltzing around the metaphorical bush, is there. “See… this is why I wanted to come. Because I figured your punk ass would wax emo over it. She's safe and sound, isn't she? And I'll just have to deal with it. It’s for doing the same damn heroic thing you keep chewing me out on, after all. Can’t help not make dumb decisions? Then let them bite you in the ass! So it did, you were right! Congrats. Not that it’s a big deal, though. This shit’s always been part of my job description.”

He cannot find it in himself to give an edge to the words, or get any snarkier with Dabi right now. The incident had some really bad timing. Things… had already been changing between them, for better or worse. Dabi’s painfully aware of this, too. As for Hawks…

It's hard to forget what it looks like. The way a man's blind rage and murderous intent change to the frantic panic and horror of a child at the drop of a hat… What seeing it feels like, as your left side is set on fire in real time, feeling a thousand-degree hand print itself into your flesh in slow motion, before it’s yanked away as if it had been charred by something burning even hotter inside you. What Dabi’s voice sounds like when in distress, calling out for someone he cared for, thinking he hurt them. Then the change to a faint moment of immense relief in those haunting eyes as your body goes into shock, before giving way to some kind of indescribable emotion that’s the bastard child of those preceding it, and more.

Dabi blinks, eyes still fixated over the rose-laced, ghastly pale patchwork on Hawks’ tan skin. That's a job description he wouldn't have to worry about if he had been given a choice, the idiot. First, he was mad at him that he would intervene. But… if Hawks hadn’t been there, and jumped in between a few minutes later, he---

“It's weird and creepy to have you staring at me like this, you know? The world didn't quite end, but aren't there some news which you should be raving about…? There's chaos and distrust all over the place, people are suspicious of everything labelled hero… they even got rid of that flaming pile of garbage to save some face, didn't they? I'm having it nice with the second guesses around my alignment and inactivity, to be honest… Slipping from the top ten while also being hospitalized makes you have time for yourself! Who would have thought?” It won’t stay like this. No, no… his name is just clean enough from every available angle that both the populace and the Commission trust him and in his return. Latter will want to get him battle ready as soon as possible, right after screaming their heads off at him. He’ll get a message next week, tops. He’s almost happy to oblige, though…

“I’ve been wanting some me time for a while now, but, how should I put it... now that I got my wish… I feel like shit, and can’t do shit that I’d like to do. Karma, bitch- I’m sitting in my room all day, with no idea how to pass time, haha!” No learning to play the guitar, gardening, or how to bake brownies. He can't even take a proper shower with all the bandages and his left shoulder being as stiff as a board. There's only his body, pulsating with slowly rising, light fever, and the numb existence after taking one of those potent painkillers before the aching starts all over again. He usually cannot even remember what happens in the series he ends up watching. It’s frustrating as all hell, and killing his ADHD-plagued ass whenever he has the energy to do something. He would have gone crazy if even his right hand had been off-limits.

If not for Hawks, he would have...

The blonde’s eyes flicker to his aching side as his fake smile returns, and he lifts a hand over the bandages covering his neck. The fingers look mangled under thick layers of shedding, dead skin; the rest, still hidden from view. “The model gig is off the table, too, I guess. They are planning to patch my face up once my wings and joints are salvaged, from what I could gather. Not that it’s a priority, though.” There’s a pause. “I also caught up with my feed, and some ‘fans’ just up and left after getting a little sunburn, too… like, seriously!? That’s just mean,” he moans with thinly veiled disappointment. He exhales with closed eyes and the barely-smile, fingers lingering at the edges of the exposed burns. The expression sticks for a moment.

He would have… burned his mother.

Dabi steps closer, reaching up to Hawks’ face, then barely touches his wounded cheek. This prompts the other to open his eyes again, with light surprise, confusion, and perhaps wariness reflecting in them. “It’s high time those little snots reevaluated their tastes,” Dabi speaks up at last, brushing the back of his fingers over the sensitive skin. He never gave a flying fuck about pretty faces, but… “You never looked better.”

To anybody else, this would sound like a dig… which, it kind of is. But Hawks can read and hear the subtext, which is to say, mild disdain and genuine gratitude. It’s… something else, though. Basically being told that he’s the most beautiful he’s ever been. It’s doing funny things to him inside- it’s beyond great to feel something after the days spent as a walking vegetable. Those fingers are, ironically, also nice and cool against his aching skin, but all of this is getting a little too much to handle at once.

Intended or not, it worms an involuntary (and rather painful), real smile out of Hawks. “Wow… gross.”

He’d be amused at the answer already, but the smile is what gives Dabi whiplash, cracking the uneasiness boulder the size of a truck sitting on his chest and sending him straight to cloud nine. Which is not something that he wants right now, goddammit.

And he would backpedal on the spot, because this backfired really bad, but Hawks has already placed his marred hand over his, and is reaching up with his other one, too. The relatively undamaged right is placed over his bare arm and traces over the scarred-up skin.

“… Does it still hurt a lot?” Hawks asks then, examining the burns meticulously; the texture sends a small chill down his spine, forcing all remaining hair on his body to stand.

He lost sleep over thinking about this. It’s a little embarrassing… thinking about whether Dabi’s wounds hurt as much as his do, all of the time. Or how he took the news. Last thing he kind of remembers before waking up to numb aches is getting an ice layer cast over him by the youngest Todoroki, and all he knew after finally catching up on the news was that the villain managed to escape and was MIA. Honestly… he had just been worried and thinking about Dabi a lot.

… Okay, it’s very embarrassing. And alarming.

“Can’t feel much where it's like that,” he admits. Where gentle fingers run over dead skin, there's a ghost of a presence that the surviving nerves deep below give notice of. A hint of warmth, maybe. Nothing more. “Not now, nor when the stuff cracks and bleeds. What will hurt… are these spots,” he guides the man’s hand up to the staples over his wrist, then takes the same hand and rubs lazy circles over a healed-up spot. “Dead and live skin don’t get along well. They get pulled apart easily, especially if you are still growing… and shit swells and tears when you are not careful. But you’ve already seen that happen to me.” Having finished the vaguely educational monologue, he looks Hawks in the eyes. “It’s also bold of you to waltz into a cesspool like this one. The plague eats roast meat for breakfast, and I hear chicken’s his favourite.”

The last line revives the smile before it could fade, and he looks back at Dabi, too. “Aww, worried~?”

“Nah,” the villain replies with the corners of his mouth also creeping upwards. Hawks’ dulled senses don’t even register that he’s already in his face until it’s too late; “The plague is me.”

The kiss is tender, and lasts only a second or two; before the hero knows it, it’s already over. He blinks first, trying to decide whether he just hallucinated this under the influence of drugs, or it was a real-ass thing that just happened… then hides his mouth behind his free hand with a blushing face.

“… that was totally uncalled for,” he mumbles, trying not to sound whiny, while also trying his best to look as angry as possible. It’s entirely futile as he can’t get rid of the fully grown, shit eating grin, though. “I’m still running a fever, you know. This is not helping.”

Burning face and heart aside, a part of him feels bad about this. Even if nobody asked Dabi to do this. It’s as if he was using the situation for selfish gains.

“In that case, get your sorry ass back to the hospital or whatever, little phoenix,” Dabi purrs, giving another kiss on his temples once Hawks manages to look at him again. The villain lets go of the hand at last, but stays close, staring into the other’s eyes for a moment.

There it is again. That ‘more’ he saw in them back then. It’s stupid, yes… but Hawks would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy basking in the glint that’s so foreign to those eyes.

He doesn’t get much time to enjoy himself, as Dabi’s lips are already curling into an impish smile; “Then, once you resurrect from those ashes… maybe we could run a fever together, hmm?”

Hawks spends the next minutes cursing softly from behind both hands as his ears start burning up, too... and Dabi just laughs, not caring for the blood leaking from his face.

***

*old HDD processing noises* not that I’m particularly happy with it, but yeah, I think this is the first kiss I’ve ever written. hell, those may be even the first vaguely suggestive lines that are meant to be taken seriously that I’ve ever written. Hide yo wives, and hide yo husbands, this is the beginning, I’m going hog wild y’all

ps admit it… the half-assed summary had your expectations fooled

[lovebug5151]

Child reluctant demon!henry

So @inkspottie I know I’m still working on gramp vamp, but I’ve seen the reluctant demon Au and the child Henry aspect to it and I NEED FF! And well, guess Im doing it Lol.

——————

Sammy walked into the small office they had set up with two small cots and slowly opened the door. They had set up this room for Linda and Henry, after Henry had fallen ill. Allison has been able to figure out that it was Sammy’s feathers that had caused this, and he felt awful. Even it it wasn’t his fault, he still felt guilty for letting someone get ahold of his feathers. There was a good point though, since he wasn’t a full angel, Henry would pull through. He wasn’t weak, so there wasn’t really a chance of him dying.

Sammy pushed open the door to the office and froze. “What the?...” the around 3 foot tall person turned around, and Sammy gasped. It was Henry, but he looked like a demon child. “Sammy? Why are you so tall?” Henry asked.

Sammy almost laughed. There’s no way that cute voice could be Henry. But he stopped. “Well Henry. Your now three feet tall bud. And you look like a demon child. There were a couple seconds of silence before a “WhAt?!” Screeched through the studio, sending everyone running to the office.

————————

Shortly after the whole debacle of telling everyone what Sammy had found, the studio went much back to normal. Except the fact that Henry seemed much weaker, as he couldn’t change forms, and that he was stuck in his child form until he got stronger. They found though that Sammy could now hold him because the angel feathers worked as almost a vaccination against holy items and angels. Everyone had differing views on demon child henry. Weird, cute, funny, rediculous, nerve wracking, playful, demon, but everyone agreed on one thing. If anyone tried to hurt Henry... well, it was their funeral.

Someone had actually tried to kidnap Henry a couple days earlier, but Tom and Sammy refused to say who it was, where they are, or whether they were still alive. Though Sammy had come back with blood on his feathers, so everyone had an idea of what was happening, but no one asked questions.

For the next few days Henry was frightened of going anywhere alone, and he was restricted to the studio unless two or more people from the studio were with him. He gladly agreed to that, though he said that all this protection will go away once he’s an adult again. He missed the smirks that were shared when he turned his back though.

After Henry was sure he was safe, he started playing little pranks on people. You know, a bucket above a door way with water, or with nothing. Cleardoor wats trick, switching pens trick, basically anything he could do while staying in the studio.

Soon enough everyone was sick of the pranking. But it only got worse when Joey introduced his finest Black Magic creation, Bendy! Honestly, Bendy was an adorable little toon, and he could do toon stuff too! He was the perfect devil sidekick to Henry’s pranking plans, and everyone in the studio cringed when they were together. If they were whispering glancing at you, you were getting pranked soon. The only people they didn’t prank was Linda and Joey. Linda because she was Henry’s wife and was very nice, and Joey because he was mean and scary. Even Sammy wasn’t exempt from the pranking. They kept it toned down on Allison though, on account of them scaring her once and kicking Henry and Bendy into a wall. Though she apologized afterward, they were undeniably wary of her fighting training, and only did pranks that had them out of limb reach. And often out of sight, because she would try to chase them if she saw them.

One day though, they made an extraordinary discovery. Tom, Allison, Linda, and Sammy were talking when they heard giggles from the hallway. They all looked out warily and saw henry and Bendy whispering to themselves. They heard Wally and Sammy chuckled. The two pranksters whipped around and yelped. Bendy sank into the ink with a “cya dude!” And Henry cried out “no fair bendy!” Before starting to run. We chuckled but then watched in shock as a red portal appeared In front of Henry. He went through it, and they heard a yelp of surprise and a yelp of fear from the projector room. They rushed to the projectors and found Henry in the air flying unsteadily, and Norman on the ground staring up at him. Norman heard everyone come in and looked at Linda. “Linda. I would appreciate if you kept your husband under control. Please!”

—————————————

HEHEHEHEH NOW THAT FLUFF IS DONE ITS TIME FOR SLIGHT ANGST (idk if I’m that good at it plz be nice)torture and stuff like that under this line, if you aren’t comfortable with that hen skip this part.

—————————————

Henry woke up with a start. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was- he sucked in a breath. Was walking by the front door of the studio and being thrown into a moveable demon trap. He rubbed his head. They also knocked him out. Damn that hurt. Henry heard steps coming towards him and tried to cower back, but was stopped by an invisible barrier. He looked down and froze more. He was in a very complex demon trap, one that sapped any powers away conpletly. Usually used so supernatural hunters could torture demons for information. Henry was breathing fast, and wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings, so his first slap with a Palm with holy water on it stung a whole lot more than it should have. He howled in pain, and his eyes snapped to the person that slapped him. He looked about thirty years old, with markings all over his body and one hand on a sword and one hand on a boy about 15 years old. They were both staring at him coldly, but the boy was slightly afraid.

“As i was saying Jonas, This is a Young demon. He wasn’t in hell which is why we got him so easily. Since he is in this circle he is very weak, and you will be able to step in the circle without him harming you. But as for the reason your here, remember. This is your initiation. Attack him. Torture him. Then you will be a part of the Hunters. Are you ready?” “Yes master Mathew. I won’t let you down.”

The young boy stepped toward a table beside the circle and grabbed what looked like a knife inscribed with runes specifically to hurt demons. “C’mon little demon...” the boy murmured “it’s time to pay...” he turned to Henry and Henry’s ears flattened to his head (as much as he can) and his tail went between his legs. He cowered, and then the boy leapt forward. Henry screamed. He couldn’t help it. It was incredibly painful. It didn’t help that the boy kept cutting and cutting. Soon his shirt was tatters and he was bleeding heavily. He was curled up crying, when he heard “master, may I use the ice?” Henry froze then started quietly freaking out. Ice was super painful for demons. Most likely because they were fire and heat, and ice was water and cold. Polar opposites. Henry was so deep in his thoughts he didn’t notice he not walking closer. “AGGHHHHHHHHHHH” henry cried out. The ice was way more painful than he had ever imagined. It felt as though his skin was sloughing off. As he lay panting from the ice, the boy grabbed one more thing. “Several lashes shall get you to pay for some of your deeds...” the boy murmured. Henry cried out as the boy lashed him 7 times, then put ice on his back. This was repeated seven more times, which made it even worse. 7 was considered a holy number, and holy stuff and demons didn’t mix. Soon enough the boy was done with the lashes, and picked up one last thing. “Maybe you will be able to repent someday demon child, but not soon enough.” He growled out. He lifted the Brand and stuck it on Henry’s side. Henry cried out in pain, because it was a fire-ice brand. Made especially for demons. It was somehow both ice cold and firey hot at he same time. Henry lay on the floor panting and crying in pain while the boy went to the older man. “Good Job Jonas. You may join the leagues of the Hunters. Leave this demon here, we will deal with him later.”

They walked away leaving Henry lying in his circle. He was crying himself into sleep when he heard quiet foot steps and the sound of flapping wings. He lifted his head slightly, and saw Allison, Tom, Sammy and Norman walking towards him. “Oh my god...” Sammy murmured. “No... buddy what did they do to you?” Henry cried out, sounding very much like a helpless hurt baby demon. Allison started getting rid of the circle, and as soon as it was gone she grabbed Henry, being careful of all his injuries. They started walking out when they heard a “HEY WHO ARE YOU?” They started running but an alarm went off. Soon enough they were trapped in a corner with a bunch of Hunters surrounding them. Henry was still curled into Allison’s chest, but she passed him to Sammy so she could fight. Right as hey we’re about to fight several red portals opened up around the room. All the demons Henry had told the other about, and others he hadn’t, had shown up. All called by the call of a hurt baby demon.

Soon enough, everyone went back to the studio. As his was Henry’s second time being kidnapped, he was never the same. But Linda helped him through it.

The Hunters though? Well, it’s safe to say that all the supernatural groups learned one thing that day. Don’t mess with a child demon. You won’t be alive to make that mistake twice.

——————————————

Well I guess it ended slightly fluffy but still. I had fun making this, I’m sorry Henry but it had to be done!

[shards-of-realities-blog]

DrAGgggoN

(Oof I forgot about this ask it say half finished in the drafts for FOREVER oops. I also completely forgot what this ask is in response to but I am alsways happy to talk Dragons so...also on mobile the formatting is being weird tonight so forgive me for that)

Bro how’d I know you’d ask....this has changed so much since you last heard me mini dump about it so let’s bEGIN

I’m arranging this real neatly in like, sections an stuff because this is about to be the mOTHER of all infodumps babey!!

Overview

Okay so basically we got five (six?) main dragons, the basic plot I have is that a massive earthquake causes an even more massive rockslide on the mountains where one breed of dragon lives, and tears up the territory of the other breeds. So while they try to recuperate and survive, they send out a party made from one dragon of each breed to go find new lands for them.

Enter Crimson, a Mountain Dragon; Breeze, a Moor Dragon; Coral, an Ocean Dragon, and Jay, a Forest Dragon. They meet an outcast Flightless called Slate on their journey, and the sixth dragon will come later.

Breeds

Mountain

Mountain Dragons are based off of dinosaurs as a whole, but primarily pterodactyls. They have the same heads as them, but a little larger and rounder. Their skin is all leather, and is all one color, usually a shade of gray and sometimes black or white, with the occasional red dragon. They’re strong, but in more of a scrappy way than a muscular way. They have similar feet to a pterodactyl, as well as TONS of spikes. Ridges of spikes over their eyes (which have evolved to be narrow against the harsh wind), spikes around the base of their head sort of like a triceratops, spikes down their neck to their wings, spikes on their tail- and wingtips. Very aggressive looking.

They’re born with only a few spikes at the base of heir heads and wings that are little more than floppy flaps of skin. As they grow from hatchlings to dragonlings, their skin toughens, spikes begin to grow in, and wings get stronger. By the time they’re fledglings, almost all spikes are grown in and wings are fully developed.

Fledglings learn to fly by lining up on a ridge where two peaks are very close together, then essentially flinging themselves off of it. An older, stronger dragon acts in the role of Flight Assitant, and flies after them to help if they fall.

Names on the mountain are generally just supposed to sound badass and correlate with appearances (hence Crimson, who is a deep red).

Mountain Dragons are tough, strong, and too proud for their own good. A lot of them have some form of trauma, because of dangerous life among the peaks, but they’d never let it on. Most know to leave a suffering dragon alone to spare their dignity, unless they’re in real danger. A very aloof and cunning group altogether, that places too much emphasis on all forms of strength.

They also have the power of Earthspeak, which allows them to communicate without words. It’s best on solid rock, but dirt will work in a pinch. It doesn’t transmit words so much as feelings, like fear or pain. Dragons can’t tell who’s sending the message unless they know the dragon well enough to sense a sort of aura accompanying their message. It helps a lot when another dragon is panicking and doesn’t want to be patronized, since others can send subtle reassurance to them without exposing their “weakness.”

Moor

Moor Dragons are styled after lions, with thick, square heads, bodies, eyes, and also manes. Females have manes, too, but smaller and less extravagant than males. They’re fur covered, and generally shades of green or brown to blend in with their surroundings. They’re the largest dragon breed, with Mountain Dragons barely coming higher than their shoulders. Basically, think Elliott from Pete’s Dragon, but with a big dark green mane.

Hatchlings are a lot like small Great Danes or other big dogs—long legs, massive paws, and big heads. Their wings are very big too, and drag on the ground. As they get bigger, they grow into their disproportionate bodies and begin to grow manes, and by fledgling age they look almost proportional and have substantial manes. Very strong legs, good for running, and impossibly huge wings for lifting all that body weight.

Since they live on the moors, there aren’t any high cliffs for Moor fledglings to fling themselves off of, so usually they just run to build up speed, then crest over a rise and jump into the air. Softer crash landings, for sure.

Names are based off the moor and surroundings, things their breed represents (hence, Breeze).

Moor Dragons are considered to be all brawn and no brains by the others, and while they may be a smidge lower on the IQ scale, they’re brilliant emotionally, and make great friends—or terrible ones, if you’re a Mountainer.

They have the power of....something that isn’t named yet, but they can hear very, very well. Not dog-well, we’re talking miles and miles and miles. They can stretch their hearing at will, and if they had less of a moral compass they’d make great spies. It helps for assessing danger, hunting, and locating lost/hurt/whatever dragons.

Ocean

Ocean Dragons are based largely off beta fish—I love their fins and tails! They have a much wider range of possible colors, mostly vibrant ones like pinks and oranges and yellows, but other colors are possible (Coral, of course, is pink-orange). Like beta fish, they’re covered in long, gorgeous fins, and the ends of their wings taper off in the same fashion. Their wings also act as extra flippers in the water! They have gills to breathe underwater but can stand being above the surface for a few hours, a day at most, before they start having serious issues. Dry land makes their scales itch, as well, and after a while their fins will tear like paper. They have big, round eyes and snouts, and small but razor sharp teeth, unlike the long, thin fangs of the Mountain or the thick, pointed teeth of the Moor.

They begin as hatchlings with a few very small fins, huge eyes, and no wings. Their wings develop as they grow and fins progressively get longer. As dragonlings they have small wings, dull teeth, and more proportional eyes.

They learn to fly by swimming very hard and fast to the surface and launching out of the water, which takes some getting used to bc of the water-to-air transition and the strength required to jump out of the water at all.

Their names are usually based off of their environment or their appearance, or both in Coral’s case.

I haven’t figured out what power they have yet...maybe it’s just the ability to swim? Who knows man...

Forest

Forest dragons are based off of birds! They have huge raptor beaks and talons and feathers, and they strongly resemble birds of prey in terms of body shapes. They also have the coloring of common birds, and not just raptors, but little things like robins and chickadees and such. Colors aren’t hereditary though, because I said so, so a robin and a hawk could totally have like, a dove. And just like birds, they start off a little floofy and a little ugly, then grow out their plumage as they get older. Very small, short enough that a Mountain dragon could rest their chin on a Forest’s head without too much trouble. Stocky, though, and those claws/beaks are sharp.

Just like birds, Forest Dragons learn to fly by throwing themselves out of trees! Falling is rough, what with branches and a looooong way down, but luckily most of them are okay. (Jay doesn’t, though. She can fly, but not well, and it causes issues).

Names, if it wasn’t obvious, come from the birds they resemble. For example, Jay is colored just like a blue jay.

Forest Dragons have the power to communicate with the forest around them sort of telepathically, and can ask the trees to move for them or coax the flowers to grow. (Note: Ask or coax, not force. Nature is temperamental)

Flightless

The Flightless Dragon I mentioned is part of a group of outcasts outside the rest of the territory, and obviously the group is made of dragons who can’t fly, due to injury or birth defect or whatever. Technically they aren’t formally exiled, but no one likes to stick around, especially because the attitude towards hem isn’t a nice one.

Some of the Flightless take new names when they leave, but others keep their old ones, like Slate.

Slate used to live with the other Mountain Dragons, until he fell from a ledge as a young fledgling and tore/broke one wing on the rocks. He tried his best to survive, but the worst place to be grounded is the mountains, where there’s very little you can do on foot. It’s just too treacherous.

And now, the mysterious sixth dragon. These dragons don’t live near the others—they were discovered by Crimson, Breeze, Coral, Jay, and Slate on their journey.

Desert

The Desert breed is made of descendants from another group of Flightless who traveled to the desert ages ago. Because they’re descended from different breeds, they vary a bit, but generally they resemble prairie dogs, with long, thin, furry tan bodies, short legs, and those cute little faces.

Being descended from Flightless, these dragons actually don’t have wings, the result of evolution over many years. Living on the desert, there isn’t much need for wings the way there would be on the forest or mountain territory.

Desert Dragons actually have double-barreled names, because back in the beginning you’d have a Forest and Moor dragon mate and fight over how to name the young dragon, so they just gave two names. That evolved to starting out with one name and gaining the second after they grow up. (Our main Desert Dragon is called Cactus Blossom).

They don’t have powers; the genetics of all the different breeds got muddled, so they just don’t have any. They do have nice desert survival skills though.

Okay, that’s all on the dragons!! I never talked about the six in detail, personalities or anything, but hopefully this was still interesting? If you wanna know about that hmu and I’ll ramble some more....if I remember to check my inbox (note to self: check inbox after posting this)