kuwkimora

[zenatness]

Durge's tiefling party was... interesting.

I walked around, talking to everyone, wondering if anyone was going to mention the suspect markings in blood in the middle of camp. Nobody did. Is this what serial killers feel like when they gift their murder trophies to their loved ones and they walk around wearing them in public, completely oblivious to the ghoulishness of it all?

Kissed Wyll. Chatted up Karlach. Made overly suggestive comments to Halsin. Agreed to have some wine with Shadowheart. Ditched her when Astarion suggested sex. Durge is an asshole, and somehow nobody seems to mind. The whole team absolutely loves him. Approval ratings are in the 60-90s. Somehow. Paladin Tav looks on from a parallel universe in disbelief.

We visited the creche, mostly to steal the blood of Lathander. I was fully ready to nuke Astarion in the process, but it was like he knew what was coming. Not only did he discover a secret compartment but he then managed to roll a nat 20 on the second attempt of opening it and got his hand on the crest. Half-drow Ghaunafein (Durge) got to steal a holy relic of Lathander, Shadowheart got a very shiny mace, Astarion didn't get burned to a crisp, Lae'zel got to go to the creche. Everyone's happy.

Things went sideways and we had to kill the entire creche. Well. Had to is, perhaps, not entirely correct. Choose to go out of our way to do so. And got really irritated that we couldn't find the kids that knocked me over with mage hand despite checking every room, including the nursery. Outrageous.

We turned around and headed into the Underdark where Lae'zel and Shadowheart had an altercation. Our brave leader Ghaunafein took one look at the situation, went "not my problem" and went to bed. Woke up to Shadowheart with a knife at Lae'zel's throat. Still not his problem, please keep it down, good night. Naturally I put Lae'zel's body in the ribcage where I keep all the corpses. It would have been rude to just leave her behind. Shadowheart somehow didn't take this uncaring attitude as a warning sign that getting involved with Ghaunafein was a bad idea, and shortly after invited him to share that bottle of wine again.

The camp started to feel dreadfully empty and it dawned on me that we're going to have issues going forward if my only tank is Karlach. I had but one hope.

I got to act 2 and... alas, Minthara did, in fact, not survive despite surviving the raid.

The disappointment was too much. I downloaded the Daughter of Lolth mod, fought with it until it worked, and now all is well. Turns out, Minthara does not get a new set of clothes if you steal them from her unconscious body so she had to stand trial in her undies. I'm glad I was generous and let her keep those, or that would have been even more uncomfortable for everyone involved. It certainly gave the scene a completely different vibe than I think Larian wanted it to.

Due to the Fighting (tm), I also got to see how much more Ketheric reveals about your past when Minthara is there. It was neat. Get a mad dog to judge a mad dog, indeed. People in Moonrise also keep recognizing Durge though they don't seem to know you, and the gnolls? The gnolls remember you and they like you. We're friends. I'm not sure I can murder my way through the tower now, I want my gnoll pals to survive. Where's the patch that let us recruit them?

I returned to camp and found Halsin just chilling with Minthara in her undies. I like to think that I got a solid 20 approval from him for this, considering his fondness for drow. I somehow did not get approval from Minthara when I gave her both casual clothes and armor though. Probably because I was still walking around in her casual clothes and refused to return them to her.

The trustworthy heart of the party and most desirable man alive. Apparently.

[through-a-blackhole]

golden

Summary: All Natsu knew when he met her for the first time was that Lucy was the weirdo with golden hair, golden keys, and golden smile.

-

The first time Natsu Dragneel meets her, the first thought that enters his mind is the fact that she is the weirdest girl he has ever met,

He sees some guy with puny flames pretend to be a mage from Fairy Tail, even going as far as to use Natsu's identity as the Salamander, and immediately his world is turned upside down.

There is a blonde girl who thanks him and Natsu is confused. He broke the spell, the girl explains, and he doesn't care. Igneel isn't in this town and all Natsu wants to do is go back to the guild, fish with Happy, or start a brawl with Gray. But then the weird girl tells him that she'll treat them to a nice meal and Natsu never says no to food so this time it's him who's thankful.

The weird blonde girl becomes the nice blonde girl and Natsu is hooked. Yeah, she's nice but she's so loud. She's vain and loud and talks so much but then she mentions being a mage and wanting to join Fairy Tail.

And the first thing that enters his mind is there is no way on Earthland that this princess will ever fit in with his guild. One look at her and Natsu knows she's royalty; she has probably never even seen struggle her whole life.

For the first time in all his life, Natsu has never been proved wrong multiple times in such a short period.

The blonde girl, Lucy, can fight. She causes a wreckage that ruins the entire port of Hargeon and before he knows it, he's taking her hand and bringing her to his guild.

"Come with me," he says but what she really does is enter his heart.

They become teammates, and then best friends, and he wonders when he ever had this much fun in life.

Lucy is a wonder and she surprises him day by day. She yells and kicks him out of her apartment, but then he knows she secretly loves having them over when she doubles her groceries and never leaves her window unlocked. She gets mad when he sleeps in her bed yet he notices the spare pillow on her bed cover.

So Natsu keeps these little discoveries to himself and treasures Lucy like how she treasures her spirits. And slowly, she infiltrates not just his mind but also his heart.

It is impossible to not think about her, Natsu decides. The more he gets to know Lucy, the more he wants to keep her to himself.

Natsu has never been this exhilarated before. Love, he thinks, is silly.

He learns of her departure and hightails it to her home, and she's shocked that they came to get her. He feels the fear leave his body when she tells him that she just wanted to say goodbye one last time, and she walks back with them to Fairy Tail.

The estate and the garden (which they all mistook as a village) serve as a reminder of how Lucy Heartfilia grew up with wealth and power, and the way she sighs at a high-paying job reminds him that she left all of it for him.

His heart jumps. She left her comfortable life the moment he told her to come with him on an adventure. And Natsu gives her adventures as he promised. But new adventures come with new scars. Soon, her skin is peppered with small streaks of scars, new and old, and his heart feels heavier whenever he sees them.

She jumps off a tower blindly just because she knows he will catch her. And he does.

His body is crushed under rubble and Lucy is getting beaten right before his very eyes, and he begs her to run, but she stays because it's more fun when we're together, she says.

She is beaten black and blue against Sabertooth, unconscious and bleeding, and she has the thought to apologize how she didn't win first place for Fairy Tail.

Her body starts merging with the infinity clock and Natsu's blood is frozen in fear but she finds the courage to laugh. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard. It's almost a reminder to him. And then the entire ship explodes and he sprints across the entire field just to catch her and he does.

She turns invisible and the entire guild forgets her, but Natsu remembers her with his heart and not just his brain, so he says her name out of habit and love more than memory, and she is visible again.

It is the time for viewing cherry blossoms and playing games with his guild and he can't even enjoy it when the person he wants to be with most is stuck at home with a cold. So he uproots the biggest, brightest tree he can find, sails it down a river, and hopes that Lucy won't feel left out.

He doesn't know when or how it starts, but soon it's not just his mind and heart that's full of Lucy. His home is littered with memories of them: their first job together, rubble from the fight where he asked her to run away with him, Lucy's maid outfit, the fake Salamnder signature.

She's golden, he thinks. Everything about her is bright and precious and he must protect her. This nice weirdo who bought him a meal and rewrote his entire life to save him.

Natsu Dragneel is in love with Lucy Heartfilia, he decides. And he doesn't know what to do, so he tells her honestly.

"We'll always be together from now on." I'll always be with you. You'll never be alone again. I'm in love with you.

-

end

-

Thank you for reading this short story! :') I missed writing, kinda rusty but I hope you liked it! I love Nalu so tell me if there are any prompts you'd like me to do <3

[n3ptoonz]

mk1 dialogues with the outworld guys!

a/n: only some characters will have flirtatious lines, while others i can't stand so they WILL get made fun of (i'm looking at you shao.)

i get reiko has fans, so i pander A LIL BIT🙄i can't with havik tho im sorry i didn't grow up w his character so 🧍🏾‍♀️

for syzoth reader is a demon that can shapeshift cause he clearly got a type (ashrah is so freaking pretty)

enjoy ;p

Rain

you: i like wizards

rain: i don't like being called a "wizard"

rain: you couldn't handle the son of a god.

you: if you mean in a fight, probably not, otherwise, absolutely

you: i don't mind getting a little wet from rain

rain: you earthrealmers sure are painstakingly persistent.

rain: i would never court a commoner.

you: you won't be saying that after this match, i guarantee it (wink sound effect).

Reptile

syzoth: if you're from the netherrealm...do you work for quan chi?

you: when i was brain washed yes, now i am reformed and seek redemption

you: do not be afraid, i am kin to ashrah and share her ideologies

syzoth: never thought i would meet so many demons in this life

syzoth: you see what you like? i mean like you- see-

you: demon got your tongue?

you: i find you adorable in both forms, syzoth

syzoth: hey, that's my line!

Shang Tsung

shang tsung: how could I bring harm to such a fine specimen?

you: the same way i'm about to

you: stop flirting with me, sorcerer

shang tsung: not until you consider my offer of ruling the realms by my side

shang tsung: i wouldn't fight me if i were you, i could split your body into eighths

you: tough talk from a man with a silk press

you: you wanna kiss me so bad

shang tsung: kiss, kill, life is all about wonder

Reiko

reiko: you dare poke fun at the ways of an Outworld warrior?

you: uh, you should've seen how you looked shadow boxing at Raiden, I had to laugh

you: come here often?

reiko: wha- you came to my house!

reiko: you just won't quit, will you?

you: there's just something about meatheads that do the trick

you: kiss me, k-k-kiss me, infe-

reiko: it was ONE drunk night!

General Shao

you: just big and greedy

shao: careful, kung lao might overhear you.

shao: ha! you think your puny little self could win against me?

you: you were bested by a farm boy with a sleeper build. nothing about you scares me

you: reiko did not get his looks from his father

shao: soon you won't live long enough to compare!

shao: if i win, you serve as my consort

you: you actually have to have power first to have such imagination

Baraka

baraka: your flesh smells amazing.

you: thanks, new fragrance I made mys- oh you meant as food.

you: so like, does your mouth ever get dry?

baraka: that is the stupidest question i've ever been asked since my affliction

baraka: every day i wake up in aguish.

you: i asked you what time it was...

you: i would ask you to dinner, but you'd run straight for the civilians

baraka: i cannot help what i've become- wait, ask me to dinner?!

Havik

you: what in the actual fu-

havik: continue and you won't be having a mouth either!

havik: why are you looking at me like that?!

you: i'm trying to figure out just how the hell you and baraka pronounce your M's and P's

you: impressive you didn't die from getting a face full of lava

havik: it's probably the only thing liu kang did right!

havik: don't tell me to relax! i lost half my face!

you: hey, you could chill on the whole realm domination and killing a god thing, just saying

--

a/n: this was so hard to write omfg i don't even like half this list😭let me know if y'all want kameo dialogues either in comments or ask box

[supersaiyanjedi14]

Just got done watching the new episode, and can I just say that I freaking LOVE Sally's conversation with Poseidon? This scene not only demonstrates just how much Sally loves her son in spite of the various struggles, it also touches on just WHY Percy is the hero he is.

As an urban fantasy, PJO is one of a long line of stories that involve the mundane intermingling with the fantastical, specifically in the context of someone from our world entering into this wildly different one. Superman, Narnia, Harry Potter, just off the top of my head. What makes these stories stand out is that, even when the protagonist gets adjusted to a world of magic and monsters, it is the fact that they come from good old normal Earth that keeps them and their worldviews grounded. No matter how many wizards and aliens they bump into, they are still coming from the position of a human being. Superman may be an alien who bumps shoulders with god-like beings, but behind it all is Clark Kent, a guy from Kansas raised to be a kind and decent person by two people who were shining examples of humanity themselves.

That right there is a big part of who Percy is. Percy's spent most of his life surrounded by gods and monsters with a view of the world that is so wildly different from our own we cannot begin to understand that. But Percy doesn't come from that world, he comes from OUR world. He's not a Greek god intermingling with the puny mortals, he's a kid from New York who understands the people around him. If Percy had been brought up at camp and raised as a demigod, he would have gone hand-in-hand with the Olympian way of doing things, no questions asked. But Sally didn't do that. She brought him up to be a boy first, demigod second. It's what allows him to look at how the gods act and say "No, this is wrong." He refuses to go along with the BS, because any decent person can see that this manipulation and ego flexing is no way to treat people. And this feeds right into his motives for opposing Kronos and Luke. He's not fighting for the gods, he's fighting for the world he actually came from, a world where opposing evil is right and just, not an opportunity for glory.

And Sally and Poseidon both know this. They wanted Percy to grow up separated from all this toxic crap, because they knew he would emerge all the stronger, and more importantly, better, for it.

"I'm Sally Jackson's son" indeed.

[rp-partnerfinder]

HAAAIIIII :DDD

21m looking for a 18+ rp partner to write and do fun stuff with.

I'm semi lit to lit but i'm also very flexible and can adapt to you if you wanna do something more "rapid fire"

I mostly use disc

I like to gush and yap about our characters, fandoms and plot ideas for hours so beware if you get me started cuz there's no stopping me

Really into very mixed genre rps and plots with lots characters and things going on

I'm interested in doing fandom (willing to double up) or fandomless rps...

The fandoms and ships I wanna do:

-Hazbin hotel (Adam x Lute, Rosie x Alastor, Charlie x Alastor)

-Adventure time (Fionna x Marshall Lee, Fionna x Hunter Wizard, Finn x Huntress Wizard)

-Cyberpunk 2077 (Rebecca x David)

-Fire emblem three houses (Dimitri x Byleth, Dimitri x Edelgard, Dimitri x Felix, Sylvain x Bernadetta)

And now for some of my fandomless rp ideas:

- a tomboyish very hyper active girl and a gloomish puny emo boy in an academy/high school setting

- a jaded, war torn warrior who's paid to hunt down a quirky Witch and ends up falling for her

- a serious detective and a sarcastic and playful thief who he fails to catch every single time

Thanks for reading, if you are interested just interact and i'll reach you! Bye bye~ ✌️

.

[beels-burger-babe]

I just read your dnd fic so I figured I would ask

My mc has always been a cleric, Like Solomon is a sorcerer(or wizard whatever) so what I'm asking is how the brothers and dateables would react to an mc who is really good at healing people with magic put is just like too nice for devildom

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Good question! (Also, cleric main gang let's go!) I think some of them would take advantage of it. Like Mammon, at first, definitely, tries to use it as a way to make money and gets you to heal him after all of his punishments from Lucifer. Asmo tries to see if it can heal skin imperfections, so if he has hickey that he doesn't want to be visible, or "diavolo forbid" any acne (there's nothing wrong with acne, but it's Asmo's worst nightmare) he would go to you for a little boost. Levi, similarly, might see if you had anything that could adverse sleep exhaustion so he could stay up longer without sleep and binge more games and shows. But others, like Beel and Satan, would be fascinated. Beel thinks it's so so cool and loves that you have powers that help people and that loves silently watching you work. Satan has a gajillion questions about the practice, and studies the way you cast, what you use, the effects, etc. By the time you leave the Devildom, he has a whole book on it. Lucifer pretends he doesn't care, but he's secretly impressed and values the skill. Something like that could've saved a lot of people during the war. Without his consent, he feels more assured by your presence being in his family home. Belphie was the opposite at first. He resented you for having an ability that if he had it maybe Lillith wouldn't be dead. He resents that a human of all creatures has such a gift and thinks it's selfish that your puny body gets to hold this talent. But after everything, he treasures it. He sees it as something precious and rare and is thankful to have it, have you, around. Diavolo LOVES it. He thinks it's so so cool, and when he first learned about it would definitely purposefully get hurt just to see you heal him. Hands down. For this very reason, your skill exhausts Barbatos. He appreciates the efficiency and applicability of your magic, and is interested in discussing it, but he's too busy chasing around Dia from getting himself hurt, again.

The angels, of course, see it as more proof that you're a good person. They smile at the presence of such a pure gift in a place like the Devildom, and they try to exchange methods and techniques with you. Similar to Satan, Simeon in particular is curious about the actual mechanics behind your magic where it draws from. Where Luke just sees it as another reason to ensure you leave the Devildom untainted and uncorrupted.

Finally Solomon is impressed to meet another magic-using human. The two of you exchange stories and conversations about life in the human world and how you hide your talents while still using them to help others.

[pilferingapples]

7, 22, 24 Feuilly for the character ask!!

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I like that we're about 9000 percent more likely to give him dialogue than Hugo..... >< He's not even one of the Top Three Most Popular Amis in Fanwork or anything but WE REMEMBER HIM<3 And generally try to put him in group scenes and all as much as we can, if we're making those! --also also one perk of modern shift work vs canon era is that it's very VERY easy to justify Feuilly having more Off time overlapping with the other Amis and I have ZERO issues with people using that to include him in the hijinks. Put that political nerd in some Situations!!

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

...I like it when he gets nice things he wants I am a simple creature who likes fluff and fix its but I also like it a lot when he's centrally involved in activism and planning and gets to go on long rants about politics (thought I suppose for Feuilly that is also Nice Things He Wants )! I love his canon tendency to talk about his One Niche Interest, which happens to be EVERYONE IN THE WORLD <3<3<3 and I like when that gets fanwork time (although I VERY MUCH get that it's hard to do! how do you draw "intense interest in global politics and solidarity across national lines" ? it's a lot harder to compose than a handholding scene! XD) For the other part of this...ok I don't exactly dislike it but I do think it's very funny when people decide that since he's a Worker he must be a big muscledy jock laborer. He's a fan painter. Graphic Design is His Passion. His only workplace injuries are carpal tunnel and headaches from paint vapors and eyestrain from going over the same dozen damn seasonal motifs for twelve hours at a time XD Sorry to all the art idealizing men of the Working Classes as Big Buff Hulks, Feuilly is a little glass cannon with puny wizard arms and a migraine (I love him) .

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

..man that is HARD. There are not a lot of characters like Feuilly! Even heroic characters! Especially when so many heroic characters spend huge chunks of their story going " oooohhhh nooooo pleeeaaase don't tell me I have to use my cool powers to do awesome things, I'm just a little birthday boy" and Feuilly's whole thing is I WILL SAVE THE WORLD ARMED WITH BASIC LITERACY AND SOME DAMN COMPASSION

I...y' know what? Captain Kirk. Original flavor, poetry-quoting Stack of Books With Legs James T. " Let Me Help" Kirk. And I wish I could think of more characters like this because I love them, but well, here we are.

[tobyfoxmademeascaly]

Dawntrail Part 18

in which WHAT THE FUCK? WHAT THE FUCK.

(boots game) (bombastic and joyous title theme plays) (logs in and is placed down in burned tuliyollal as The Sad Dawntrail Music plays)

you've heard of Baby Lizard Delight. Now get ready for. BABY LIZARD DESPAIR

yshtola has new Arcane Mysteries to obsess over. its a new squeak toy to her and she's not going to stop chewing on it until the squeaker is torn out

gulool ja ja's palace being built for a 20 foot tall absolutely ripped lizard man and wuk lamat (+ koana) looking so puny in the doorway by comparison. something something big shoes to fill something something visual metaphor

His first attack was an ambush. he will not get another.

yknow ive been asking that myself

ESTINIEN

hey Stinky

to the people of tuliyollal, the auto-soldiers are a horrifying threat that are difficult to put down. to estinien and similar freaks of nature (me), they're just another tuesday

... well, if we're willing to sacrifice a train...

(sickos.jpg) yes.... YEEEEESSSS!

oh i know YOU'D love this plan

dont say it like that

ohhh EEPY

i am sensing a dungeon.

THE CAT THE WIZARD THE LEGEND

(one excellent action scene later)

grinning like a madman. I love this.

YAAAY

NOOO I GOTTA LEAVE ALISAIE BEHIND AGAIN

oh this is some sonic the hedgehog-ass music.

the acceleration bomb is MEAN. i was TOTALLY standing still you dipshit debuff

(points) inferior mullet possessor

what do you think you are, a fromsoft boss? get back down

... wait, what was that about souls?

see? turning into a snake NEVER helps.

oh erenville.

doesn't time flow differently on other shards? There's something very odd going on here.

this has been a VERY bad day for erenville

HAND ON HEART WOMAN

of COURSE the wannabe Alexander the Great comes from ALEXANDRIA

anyways I'm out of image slots so next time: WHAT THE FUCK? (cont.)

[bluerose5]

Some more of my durge x tav ruminations.

...

“Are you afraid of me?”

Falorin glanced up at Erys to find red, glowing eyes already trained on him.

Brow furrowed, Falorin continued to tune Lihala's lute, recalling the lesson Alfira gave him, short yet sweet, and put to an end all too soon.

“I don't know what to make of you,” Falorin admitted. “You don't remember killing her?”

“No. Not entirely.”

“Easy enough for you to say while her corpse grows cold, but we'll see if your actions back up such claims.” He paused to strum a simple tune. “If there is truly some dark force influencing you to commit such heinous acts, then… I'm sorry.”

Erys shook his head with a scowl.

“I don't need your pity,” he spat. “I like killing.”

“As do I,” Falorin scoffed. Flashing him a bitter smirk, he met Erys's eyes, his head held high. “Or at least the darkest parts of me do, but that doesn't make it any easier. That doesn't make being a puppet, being a slave, to something greater any easier. At the end of the day, even if it's something you enjoy, you're still not given a choice in what you do. You don't have any control over your own actions.”

“I am no slave,” Erys growled, but Falorin didn't spare him a second thought, continuing to play.

“Who are you trying to convince?” Falorin asked. “Me or yourself?”

To that, Erys had no answer.

After a few moments, filled with the symphony of a crackling fire and a soothing song, Falorin broke their silence.

“I do not fear you,” he decided, “or this unseen force that guides your hand. I knew another sorcerer not too unlike you, who savored the darkness inside him, but at least you're more upfront about the evil that festers within you than he was.”

Huh. Interesting.

“This sorcerer,” Erys said, nice and slow, “what happened to him?”

Falorin struck a sour note.

Lips pursed, he stared off into the distance for a bit.

Eventually, he set the lute aside and got to his feet.

“That's simple.” He shrugged, even though the situation was anything but. He strolled right up to Erys and leaned in without hesitation to whisper in his ear, “I killed him.” Erys's heart raced. Out of fear or some other emotion, Falorin couldn't rightly say, but he smiled nonetheless at that sweet, sweet sound. “For better or worse, what remains of his dark powers passed on to me. Make sure to remember that.”

Reaching out, he gave Erys's shoulder a warning squeeze before he straightened up to his full height.

“Give me reason. Prove yourself a threat to me or Ast—” Falorin stopped short, then corrected himself. “—or our companions in any way, and you will meet the same fate as he did.” Turning to depart to his tent, Falorin didn't once look back while he called out to him. “Sweet dreams, my dear!”

Erys stared after him, dumbfounded yet oddly mesmerized.

The audacity of that puny wizard, to even dare to threaten him.

Part of him wanted to tear and maim, to put him in his place.

Yet a much larger part of Erys respected him for standing up to him. For standing his ground against the bloodthirsty monster that killed that precious bard.

In spite of himself, Erys's tail started to brush back and forth along the ground, a smile on his face.

[theseventhoffrostfall]

I'm sure it's been pointed out before (as part of the general teardowns of the College of Winterhold questline, which are pretty much all justified) but the lads and I were discussing the other day that that whole faction stands out for being a hilarious display of Nord incompetence in a game that's otherwise completely riding the "Glorious mighty beardbaconer Nords trample puny elves" train.

There are two competing factions of Altmer wizards involved. Primary faction's representative realizes the college has an ancient mystical artifact, figures out exactly what it is while they're all still beating their dicks in the dark and running to get help from the Imperials, and proceeds to very nearly accomplish his order's occult theological goals in an afternoon. It's only "very nearly" because the second group of Altmer wizards manipulates some magically-inept newcomer into serving as their catspaw so they can stop the first group, seize the artifact in question, and use the shock and chaos of the incident to establish their pawn as the new leader of the Nord wizard order.

During the questline, the Nord order only manages to have what little effectiveness it does because they don't even have a Nord in charge and both Altmer groups mainly manipulate them into doing legwork and manual excavation labor on their behalf. Every Psijic that appears is capable of the high-level/near-impossible feats of arcane-based time manipulation and teleportation, while the greatest Nord wizard present, the master of Alteration magic in Skyrim, is bodied by an Alteration spell and isn't capable of keeping track of his basic research materials without help.

This isn't a 'waah, the Psijics are secretly evil and manipulative' thing, of course. As I mentioned way back in the day with my remarks on the Telvanni, things like 'ethics' and 'morals' have no place among master wizards. Every step in this questline is just power move after power move on behalf of the Altmer magi (who, I remind you, we're supposed to see as smug hate-fodder and enjoy killing with our awesome manly muscles)

Once again, this image holds true:

[fairydares]

fuck it, new fic. let's do this.

(there's a 'keep reading' line so don't worry, this isn't too long.)

Title: Chasing Tails (AO3 Link) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3)

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Rating: E (Explicit) because I'm almost positive there will be eventual smut. I'll be clearer about this as I actually decide what I'm going to write lol. Overarching Warning for Graphic Depictions of Violence.

Categories: 2nd gen fic; adventure, humor, romance, fluff, and angst in approximately that order. i guess.

Pairings: Nalu, Gruvia, Gajevy, Jerza, Miraxus+Fried (don't know what that ship's called sorry), Chendy, Sting/Yukino, Baccana-- next gen has pairings, too, but I don't want to reveal those yet.

Tags/TW's: The first chapter contains UFC/MMA-esque violence as well as some implied street violence. There may be more TW's I need to add later, but I honestly haven't written the whole story or decided everything, so that's all I can give you for now. I'll do my best to tag appropriately as I go.

Summary: It’s been almost 12 years since 17-year-old Layla O'Neil was found living alone on the streets and put in foster care, and she likes to think she’s done a pretty good job of forgetting the past. She doesn’t remember her birth family, the name “Nashi [*1] Dragneel,” or where she heard the absurd stories she told the police who found her. Stories about Wizard Guilds, flying cats, and–most cringey of all–her self-proclaimed status as a “Fire Dragon Slayer.”

But the past becomes pretty impossible to ignore when it confronts her in the form of some middle-aged, pink-haired stalker who won’t stop calling her the ridiculous name she’d nearly forgotten, and trying to convince her to come back to “Fairy Tale.”

Oh, and claiming to be her dad.

Like Layla doesn’t have enough problems! The last thing she needs is some delusional freak following around. Especially one who’s starting to make her want to take his hand…

Yep, this is a Second Gen (and therefore post-canon) fic. The idea took root and just would not let go. I’ll warn you ahead of time that the premise is somewhat dark. That said, I’m the kind of writer who likes (and tries to write) stories with sad beginnings, hopeful middles, and triumphant ends. I don't want to give too much away, but you shouldn't expect major character deaths or anything like that, though their may be some forms of lightly implied abuse.

Feel free to reblog, make your own additions with commentary, whatever. I'm quite lax with stuff like that. Hope this was comprehensive enough, and that you enjoy!

Chapter 1: Dragon-Slaying Aliens

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

“That’s correct…a world that exists independently from the one we know. And, unfortunately, a world that’s begun losing its Magic…unlike here, in Edolas, Magic is a finite resource. Without limits on its use, it will one day disappear forever.” -from Episode 78, “Edolas”, (English dub, ~00:09), Carla’s line [*1]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------To say this mission had gone sideways was a big-ass understatement, and even Natsu had to admit it. 

It had started well enough. A relatively small mission. Not even S-Class! Puny wannabe Dark Guilds like the one Shirotsume needed dealt with–what was it called? Bony Jewel or something? Anyways, they were a dime a dozen, these days. Hell, Natsu was pretty sure he and Happy took out, like, a billion of them in the past seven years by pure accident. So how the hell was he supposed to know that this time, he’d get blasted to another world–one even Team Natsu hadn’t wound up in? 

And he was positive they’d never been here. He may have had a bad memory (something he’d begrudgingly been forced to actively acknowledge as he grew into a man) but he was sure he’d have remembered somewhere that made him feel this bad. It wasn’t just that he couldn’t use his Magic. If it had just been that, this might have been fun. Hell, a lot of the worlds Team Natsu had visited–even Edolas–had been fun.

This one sucked. 

If he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought he’d been transported to the future–one where FACE had been activated and all the Magic had been dissipated. Because it had felt, truly, like all the Magic was being sucked out of him. When he’d woken up on the forest floor, he’d felt as if he was dying. His lungs had burned with each breath (and not in the good way). His limbs had felt like lead when he tried to rise. 

He’d quickly realized that couldn’t be the case, though. Even if the Dragons hadn’t destroyed FACE, if all the Magic had been sucked from Earthland he’d have Magical Deficiency Syndrome. He’d either be down or in forced into his END form. 

He’d wandered around the small forest he’d woken up in alone, trying to focus through the stink and noise he was only capable of perceiving through what felt like about a hundred layers of thick blanket, and calling for his best friend as long as he could. It hadn’t been long before he gave up and left; Happy had never shouted back (something he considered fortunate, at this point; hopefully Happy was back in Earthland) his stomach was trying to eat itself, it was dark–and, worst of all–he still couldn’t use his Magic. At all.

Actually, scratch that: the absolute worst part was when a glance at his (as usual) bare shoulder showed him that his guild mark had vanished. It was just gone. So was his scarf, and so was his Mini Communication Lacrima. Obviously, his guild mark and scarf were bigger deals personally, but the Mini Comm was a bigger loss in immediate, practical terms. After That Day, seven years ago, Laxus–now Fairy Tail’s Master–had started putting Navigation Enchantments on everyone’s Comms so that anyone who went missing could be traced. There was a 3D map of Earthland and Edolas visually tracking everyone’s movements in the Master’s Office. It could even find them in Edolas. 

Now, Natsu’s was nowhere to be found. No one would be able to find him, wherever he was, and any hopes of contacting them were obviously dead in the water, too. 

He was gonna have to find his own way back, somehow. He only prayed his scarf was somehow back in Earthland, and that Happy had grabbed it for him. 

As he hobbled down the weird, too-neat walkway he’d found, he had to believe that whatever was preventing him from using his Magic was what kept him from sensing anything beyond the general–the stink, the sound, the pain, the hunger. Normally, with his better-than-normal resilience and enhanced strength, his pain would have mostly taken care of itself by now. Usually, making himself move helped. Now, it seemed to be making things worse. 

After finding the pathway, he’d kept shouting for his little buddy a whole bunch of times, but all he’d gotten were several loud verbal confrontations and one physical one. He’d expected to beat the massive brute towering next to the smaller woman beside him–and he had. But it hadn’t been as easy as he’d expected. His movements had been slower than normal. His limbs had felt like lead. His strength had been lesser. Every time he tried to call up his Magic, a wave of dizziness and lethargy had overcome him. It was like he’d feel the rushing up inside of him only to sputter to coldness at the last second; he hadn’t seen so much as a spark since he’d woken up. 

In the end, it was only experience and determination which had allowed him to level the much larger man, and hard-earned wisdom which had seen him running from the screeching woman and the gun-wielding, uniform-wearing soldiers her screeching had drawn. Yet the punch he’d taken to the nose had made it bleed and the kick to the thigh had made him limp. 

It wasn’t just that his Dragon senses had vanished, making him woozy, making it difficult to stand and excruciating to move. His strength was gone as well. Not even sealstone would have weakened him this much.

He’d wandered, now, for what felt like several hours. The number of Magical Vehicles around were astounding–astounding, and nauseating; just looking at them made Natsu want to vomit. The one good part of having an empty stomach was that he had nothing to give up. He meandered in a stupor, through unbelievably thick crowds, dodging Magic Vehicles and their honking, and glaring down anyone who yelled at him for not understanding something, occasionally barking back to scare them off.

He’d never been so disoriented, and the worst part was that deep down, he knew that there was no one to blame but himself. 

Lucy and Happy had asked him, point-blank, if the Quest he’d chosen had anything to do with his search for their long-lost daughter and kitten. 

It had. Of course it had. 

However, Natsu had denied it. Because if he hadn’t, he and Happy wouldn’t have been able to leave right then. Lucy would have forced him to bring someone else along; she was busy taking care of their son, Luke; the Perve-sicle was already out on his own mission/search for Juvia, and Erza was away, which meant he’d have had to ask someone outside Team Natsu. 

No thanks, he’d decided, covering up the fine print on the mission request with his fingers before holding it up to Lucy’s nose. 

Now, as he snarled at yet another person yelling at him for being in the way, Natsu was starting to consider the possibility that he just maybe should’ve been more upfront, and even that he should–perhaps–have waited for the stripper to get back before taking on Bony Jewel or whatever alone.

But how the hell was he supposed to have known it would end up like this?! It had been going fine–in fact, it had been going great! A couple opponents had offered a real challenge before their Master had shown up. Natsu had been laying down brick in that fight, too. Yet when the guy had been on his last legs, he’d whipped some creepy, sparkly rainbow skull from nowhere (now that he thought about it…that might have been what the Guild was named for!) and shot one last attack. One so big, Natsu had been unable to dodge–though, of course, he’d made to both block and finish the fight with an enormously powerful Fire Dragon Wing Attack. 

Based on his current predicament–he had to assume it hadn’t worked. Even though the skull had shattered in the heat of his flames at the last second, the blast had still hit him. His one consolation was that he was pretty sure his little buddy had heeded his final warning to get back. So he was almost definitely still back in Earthland.  

It had taken Natsu several pathetic attempts to stand. Getting here felt like a blur. Now, he had no idea what he was doing. What he should do. Their money had been in Happy’s knapsack, and without his precious nose, finding food was basically impossible anway. 

Man…Lucy’s gonna kill me, he grumbled internally, grunting at another group who shouted at him for bumping into him. 

Okay, yeah, maybe he should’ve been honest. Maybe he should’ve waited. But how could he do that when the lead was so good? When there was even the smallest chance he might finally find Nashi [*]? 

At the thought, his footsteps halted temporarily. He ducked his head, bangs shadowing his eyes. He balled his fists at his sides. The thought of the missing daughter he’d never stopped searching for never got easier to bear. 

It was the worst thing that could happen to a parent, to lose their child. Something he wouldn’t have wished on Fairy Tail’s most vicious, evil enemy. He and Lucy understood that too intimately. Still, he didn’t let himself get bogged down, not when it might hold him back, not when it might keep him from finding her. Seven years, she’d been gone. Her, Wendy–so many of their nakama and allies. Time had neither hindered nor halted his search for any of his missing comrades, but especially his little girl. She’d be twelve, now. He’d gotten better with birthdays and anniversaries when he married Lucy. He’d woken up and started crying on April 14th this year, the same as his wife. 

Still, even on that day, he’d spoken of her. When he was with Luke, Lucy, and Happy, he talked about it. He talked about how he’d find her and Harley–Happy and Carla’s kitten–how they’d be a family again. He spoke of the future to give it power, just like Igneel had taught him. Just like he’d taught his own kids. Wherever Nashi was, he was sure she must be doing the same; speaking of how she’d find them again, the same as he strove to find her. 

But he couldn’t continue his search (covert or not) until he got home. So getting home was definitely at the top of the to-do list. Right after eating. 

He kept walking.

Wherever he’d wound up was seedy, dark, yet strewn with lights that made paths across his newly-sucky eyes when he looked at them directly. Gross and smelly, too. The people he’d just bumped into started shouting back at him, something about bumping into someone’s girlfriend, and he huffed irritably. Normally, he’d never back down from a challenge like this, but believe it or not, he was too lost, confused, hungry, and tired to deal with another fight–not when the injuries he’d sustained from the previous one were still hurting this much. 

It was humiliating. He’d always been the type of person who refused to back down from a fight, no matter how outmatched he was. These days, a lot of fights were honestly pretty boring for him. Erza would always be scary, and Gray was admittedly pretty strong (if not badass enough to stand up to him, or so he would always insist). He could proudly admit to having achieved (at least) Gildarts-level strength without the clumsiness to make him dangerous. 

Now, he was balking out of fights with people who weren’t even using Magic. 

There was something viscerally terrifying about how much his injuries were troubling him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t limp without worsening whatever injury that asshole had doled out on his knee. His nose felt bigger than his head. 

He stumbled on, brooding. 

The guy whose girlfriend he’d bumped into got louder, closer. Obviously, the freak wasn’t gonna let it go. Cursing, he started hobbling more quickly, turning the next corner. To his relief and curiosity, bright lights, loud voices, and a huge crowd–littered with food stands he might be able to beg food from–appeared. He made his way into the thick of it, ignoring the shouts behind him, and ducked and wove between people. It took him several seconds to realize he was still trying to find food by his nose, which barely even freaking worked. Frustrated, he turned his attention to the source of the light, which seemed to focus down on whatever sat in the middle of the crowd. 

Curiosity shoving past the numbness and hunger, Natsu pushed his way towards it. 

“Ow!” 

“Hey!” 

“Watch it, freak!” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Natsu grumbled. “Watch your damn selves!”

He still felt like shit, but the crowd was oddly invigorating. As he crashed through the thickest (front) lines of the crowd, more lights came on while the darkness behind him fell deeper. Natsu winced, blinking. It took him a few moments to register what he’d stumbled upon: a roundish sort of stage, elevated a few feet off the ground and bordered by some kind of chain-link cage thing. Two corners were open to be entered, but fended off  by some big dudes in black suits, holding back the crowd. 

“WELCOME, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” boomed a voice that came from everywhere and nowhere at once, making Natsu flinch again and the crowd start chattering loudly. 

Match? Natsu wondered despite his disorientation and exhaustion, thinking of the Grand Magic Games. He shoved aside every stranger who tried to take his place at the front of the audience, looking around with wide, curious eyes, shoving his gnawing stomach to the backburner.

“FIGHT FANS! ARE YOU REAAAADDDDYYYYY??!!! ” 

Fight? Natsu thought, perking up, conveniently forgetting his injuries in a burst of excitement. Several people started chattering at the crack of the loud voice that was everywhere and nowhere, making Natsu look around even more fervently. 

“BECAUSE THIS LONG-WAITED MATCH-UP IS… ABOUT…TO…BEGINNNN!!!”

The cheering got louder, the shoving got more aggressive, and Natsu got more aggressive right along with it. He’d be damned if he was going to miss a good fight. Besides. He needed to see what the Magic here was like. He was being smart. So ha! How about that, Lucy?!

“INTRODUCING: OUR FIRST FIGHTER!” the voice shouted while Natsu continued to elbow and shove, anticipation rising. Music rang out, a dude’s loud, snarly voice backed up by a bunch of deep bangs and booms which had Natsu trying to decide if what he was listening to was awesome or fucking awful–nope, definitely fucking awful. For the first time, he was glad he couldn’t hear properly since he got here. 

A light flashed at one corner, drawing his eye. “UNLIKE HIS OPPONENT, THIS FIGHTER IS WELL-ESTABLISHED IN THE SEMI-UNDERGROUND OCTAGON! HAD HIS PERFORMANCES BEEN FORMALLY JUDGED WHILE THE UNDERGROUND WAS STILL ACTIVE, HE WOULD LIKELY HAVE LONG-BEEN PERMANENTLY DISQUALIFIED! YET, IN SPITE OF A CONTROVERSIAL CAREER, HE HAS REMAINED A STAPLE OF THE SEMI-OCTAGON FIGHTING WORLD FOR TWO YEARS!”

“Er, feels kinda harsh?” Natsu muttered to himself, sweating slightly. Though he didn’t really get what “controversial career” meant. 

“WHILE THIS IS NOT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE, DUE TO HIS HISTORY, MANY WILL NO DOUBT VIEW HIM AS REIGNING CHAMP AND DEFENDER! INNNNTTRRROOODUUUCCCINNNG… ‘MAD BULL’ MATTHEW BRON!” 

A door Natsu hadn’t even seen was slammed open as if it had been kicked, and an enormous man–even bigger than the one that had managed to tag Natsu just a little bit ago, a man built like that potato head guy from Lamia Scale, and actually bearing a similar-shaped bald head–appeared, yanking off headphones and chucking them over his massive shoulder one of the lackeys who’d followed him out. The much shorter guy jumped, barely catching them and fumbling a lot once he had. “Mad Cow” or whatever grinned maniacally as he stormed for the ring, dark eyes wild.

The response from the crowd was mixed but mostly positive, Natsu quickly noticed as he glanced around. His eyes skated quickly over the group next to him (which was booing, unlike most of the crowd) then returned his focus to the stage-circle thing. He could see well enough, he was glad to note, even if his vision was nowhere near as sharp as it was back on Earthland. Big Guy took his place at the corner of the ring and immediately started pacing, lifting tree-like arms and roaring as he did so. Meanwhile his lackey scurried for the bit of protected corner behind him, trying to shout for his attention and getting nowhere as he continued to pace. 

Natsu quickly decided he didn’t like the looks of this guy, intro aside. He was the type of asshole Natsu lived to knock down a peg, and despite his injuries and exhaustion, Natsu found himself appraising the big bastard, hands twitching. Sure, he wasn’t in the best shape, but since when had he been one to turn down the chance to kick some ass? It was more a reflex than anything. For about the billionth time since he’d landed here, he tried conjuring up some fire only to curse internally as all he got for his efforts was a wave of dizziness and a wash of helplessness. 

“NOW FOR OUR CONTENDER,” the voice boomed. “SHE’D ONLY BARELY ENTERED THE UNDERGROUND BEFORE IT BECAME THE SEMI-UNDER, BUT WAS ALREADY MAKING WAVES! THIS FIGHTER HAS SPARKED INTENSE DEBATE ABOUT WHETHER WOMEN SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO FIGHT MEN–IN ANY OCTAGON!” More mixed din. Natsu frowned in confusion. Was it for the other fighters’ safety or something? Because someone should ban Erza from contributing to the guild hall violence. Oh, yes. That was a great idea. He’d have to bring the idea up to Gray when he got home. 

“BUT IT’S DIFFICULT TO ARGUE WITH HER HANDY VICTORIES!” the voice boomed. “THANKS TO HER NEARLY-UNBROKEN STREAK OF INSANE WINS, SHE HAS BEEN NICKNAMED THE THE ‘PHOENIX’, ‘UNDERDOG’, ‘TENMEN’...AND HER PREFERRED NICKNAME…” 

A new song started, and this one was undeniably cool, in Natsu’s opinion. Something hard, fast, and catchy, punctuated by an angry-sounding woman singing something about “not giving a damn” about something or other. The door at the opposite end of the ring swung open. A girl came swaggering out, and Natsu froze.

“THE DRAGONESS, LAYLAAAAA O'NEEEILLLLL!!!!”  

It wasn’t his daughter. It couldn’t be. Her name wasn’t Layla. Her name was Nashi. His Nashi would be twelve, and this girl was in her late teens–maybe even her early twenties. The fact that her fighting nickname was “The Dragoness” was a nasty coincidence, but that’s all it was. This couldn’t be Earthland’s Nashi.

But it was this world’s Nashi. Of that, there was no doubt. And Natsu couldn’t make himself take his eyes off her, couldn’t even make himself blink as he stared, ignoring the cheering and booing all around him. 

A couple strands of unruly pink hair at her bangs had broken free of their tight braids, as adorable and predictably unpredictable as his little girl’s. They clung to her forehead, bouncing as she strutted towards the monster still pacing, practically frothing at the mouth, and Natsu vaguely registered the sound of several peoples’ alarmed murmuring. If he hadn’t been so distracted, he’d have understood; she was about half the guy’s size and about -50% as insane-looking.

Not scared, though. 

And…she looked like Lucy. She looked so much like Lucy that it hurt. He could still remember times when he’d call his little girl’s name, she’d turn around, and he’d gasp–because it really was like an adorable, wild little pink-haired Lucy turning to look up at him, her whole face lighting up like he was the greatest thing in Earthland. The memory choked him up, a feeling he’d gotten used to over the past seven years. He swallowed hard.

But that wasn’t Lucy’s smile. Natsu felt like he had seen that smile somewhere but he wasn’t particularly interested in thinking about it all that deeply, because what mattered was that it was her smile, his little girl’s, big and toothy and unmistakable–a little lopsided, the corners of her lips characteristically curling. 

It hit his chest like a shot from Zeref, making him briefly clutch at his waistcoat’s dirtied fabric. 

Natsu knew, firsthand, just how similar other worlds’ versions of his loved ones could be to his. Hell, Edolas Lucy had chopped off her hair to make it a little easier to distinguish herself from Earthland Lucy. 

That didn’t make it hurt any less to suddenly see another world’s Nashi– Layla, this one was called. That was Nashi’s middle name. It made sense, when you thought about it. Names were one thing that seemed to sometimes differ slightly between worlds, as he’d learned on the 100-Year-Quest [*3]. Her canines were sorta sharp, maybe, but they weren’t Dragon Slayer sharp, like his and daughter’s. Besides. Edo Nashi and Fireball’s canines were a tiny bit sharper than normal, too. 

It couldn’t be her. It couldn’t be. Looking at her still felt like being punched in the chest by Erza. Yet he couldn’t stop watching as the music, cheers, and boos faded, she stripped off her sweats (to much catcalling and whistling) to reveal a black sports bra/shorts getup sort of like “Mad Bull’s” shorts, revealing a body packed with much more muscle than any of Fairy Tail’s women would’ve allowed themselves to accumulate. She looked pretty badass, he decided. 

The voice that was everywhere and nowhere boomed on:

“NOT ONLY A CHANCE AT THE UPCOMING TITLE ON THE LINE, BUT–POTENTIALLY–THE FUTURE OF MIXED SEMI-UNDERS. TWO CHALLENGERS, SQUARING OFF FOR A CHANCE AT THE SEMI-FINALS. THIS IS A GIGANTIC CULTURAL MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF THIS SPORT… ‘MAD BULL’ MATTHEW BRON VS. THE ‘DRAGONESS’ LAYLA O'NEIL!” 

“‘Dragoness’ is fucking right!” Mad Cow or whatever roared while he hugged one arm across his chest, grinning ferally at his much smaller opponent. “Here hoping some man will look at you, fugly?!” 

Several people in the audience laughed. Even the announcer chuckled. Meanwhile, Natsu’s blood boiled. On some level, he knew he needed to separate himself from this. From this fight, from this “Nashi.” Especially when he was this powerless to do anything about any of it. But it was impossible to listen to someone say that to another version of his daughter and not have every protective instinct in his body flare, especially when the spectators apparently thought it was fucking hilarious.

However, her grin didn’t even flicker. “Like you’re one to talk!” she cackled. “You look like Popeye fucked Bigfoot!”

Natsu didn’t flinch at the language like many people in the audience seemed to. In fact, he found the disapproving murmurs confusing. The other guy hadn’t exactly been polite, but he hadn’t gotten the same reaction. Still, a solid number of people were laughing their asses off, including the group next to him which had booed Mad Cow. 

He also had no clue what the hell she’d just said even meant, but the way Mad Cow’s smile dropped off his face, a handful of people started howling with laughter, and the commentator’s chuckles cut off abruptly was enough to make Natsu grin. 

Some random guy in some sort of black, collared uniform entered the arena, signaling to the loud, annoying commentator. Unlike her opponent, no one had followed This Nashi into the arena; she was all alone. So she ran back to her own bit of protected yet empty corner and threw her clothes and a water bottle over the chainlink fence, then ran back towards the middle of the arena. There, she  hopped up and down, shaking out her arms. Stretched them above her head. 

“OUCH!” The commentator finally seemed to recover, though he sounded somewhat vexed. “WELL, ONE THING’S FOR SURE, THE CHALLENGER CAN TALK GAME…WHETHER SHE CAN LIVE UP TO IT IS ANOTHER QUESTION.” 

“God, I fucking hate when Hansis commentates,” the guy next to Natsu muttered, his friends snorting in agreement. Then he glanced at Natsu–only to double take. “Oi, are you related to the Dragoness or something?!” he asked, eyes on his hair. 

“Uhhh…” Natsu chuckled nervously, feeling himself start to sweat. He may have been what Erza would (and frequently did ) call an “impulsive idiot”, but he had no clue how to explain that he was the father of her other self. “Something like that.”

“Whoa, seriously?!” The guy’s friend leaned around him to look at Natsu with wide, shining eyes, then continued, “I won’t ask anymore, ‘cause obviously you’re trying to protect your identities or something, but that’s so cool! We’re huge fans!” 

“Hmm…” Natsu said, scanning their apparel–t-shirts and hats emblazoned with her face and silhouette–and what looked like homemade signs of her name, written in fiery letters. “I can see that…what is this, exactly?” He asked this while looking around at the lights, spectators, an unfamiliar kind of money being exchanged and counted between several people.

Natsu tilted his head, blinking. “No?” he said. 

“The semi-underground tournament?” the only girl in the group said, eyes almost as wide as her friend’s. When Natsu only continued to look confused, she said, “What, do you live under a rock?! You’ve at least heard of MMA, right? Mixed Martial Arts?” 

He perked up at this. “Like a fight?! Hell, yeah! How do I get in on this?!” He grinned, cracking his knuckles, his earlier scuffles and empty stomach completely forgotten. 

“YOU DON’T!” the entire group shouted, eyes bugging. 

The dude who’d first started talking to him huffed, sweating slightly. “The ‘semi-underground’ octagon used to just be called ‘the underground fights,’” he explained loudly, Natsu still having to lean in to catch what he said with his new, bad ears over the increasingly excited din. “It was illegal, but, like, illegal in the ‘everyone knows but won’t squeal’ way, you know?” 

Natsu nodded, fully getting this. After all, how many times had soldiers arrested him only for Queen Hisui to let him off with a finger-wag. Of course, his luck on that front had run out seven years ago…

“The feds finally cracked down on it,” the guy continued, “but didn’t prosecute any of the fighters. Now, it’s called the ‘Semi-Underground’...it’s got no weight-classes (which is why the Dragoness can fight big dudes like Mad Bull). All genders are free to compete and fight each other. It’s a bit more for entertainment than pure fighting prowess– that was different, before,” the guy added with a wistful tone. “But still! You can’t just go waltzing into the octagon, you know? Back in the basement where this used to happen, you could’ve gotten away with that, but now you’ve gotta work for it, you know? Seriously, do you live under a rock or something?” 

Irritated, Natsu opened his mouth, but his response was cut off when a loud voice–not as loud as the announcer, but still–redrew all their attention to the ring. “Alright, fighters,” the black-collar guy said into a microphone which was smaller and not as loud as the commentator’s, quieting the audience. “We’ve been over the rules. Protect yourself at all times. Follow my instructions. We’re going to have a clean fight, you hear me?” He glared at Mad Bull, but This Nashi was the only one who dipped her chin in recognition. Natsu’s eyes narrowed along with hers when her opponent refused to acknowledge the guy’s words. “Now, touch gloves at this time, and come out ready to do this!” 

Both fighters instantly danced away from each other. Black collar guy scowled. Both the commentator and the audience made sounds like “ OOOOOOOH!” 

“NO TOUCH!” came the commentator’s gleeful voice, “I REPEAT, NEITHER FIGHTER TOUCHED GLOVES, AND SO FAR, NEITHER ARE REALLY MOVING FOR EACH OTHER–” 

“SAY YOU’RE PRAYERS, BITCH!” Mad Cow roared. “YOU’RE DEAD MEAT!” 

“BRING IT!” This Nashi roared back, and Mad Cow lunged, swinging in immediately with a big, dramatic overhand hook that would have knocked her out immediately if she hadn’t skated out of its way. It took about three similar exchanges for Natsu to sag in disappointment. 

“Oi!” he shouted, utterly let down, “Where the hell’s the magic?!” 

“Geez!” the guy next to him laughed. “The fight’s only just started: give them a minute to warm up! Then we’ll get to see the cool stuff.”

“What, they’re not allowed to use it at first or something?” Natsu asked, still staring as This Nashi fended off huge, devastating blows raining down from above and leapt back from the powerful kicks, eyes narrowed and expression tight. 

“...Er, what?” the guy asked. 

“Magic–duh!” Natsu huffed, flickering wide eyes between the guy and This Nashi, who was now darting backwards around the round-ish ring, still fending Mad Cow off, weaving and ducking with a speed few could hope to match. “You know?! Fire, Ice, Celestial Magic…?

The guy stared at him for a second along with his companions, all of whom were also sweating. It was then that Natsu knew: 

Something more was going on here. Something he didn’t understand. This place…wherever he was, it was like Edolas. Not now, but back when he, Lucy, and the others had gone there. Magic didn’t just not exist, here; was some kind of… taboo on it.

“Oh, sorry,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. Trying to keep his voice as quiet as he could over the crowd, he continued, “I didn’t mean to say something that would get you in trouble...” 

The group’s only response was to sidle away from him surreptitiously, glancing at him and sharing looks with wide eyes. Natsu was thrown for a loop once more. Ooo- kay, talk about overly-suspicious. Were there guards listening in on their conversation or something? As discreetly as possible, with his hand still at the back of his head, he looked around, eyes narrowed. 

Yet…he saw nothing to warrant their suspicion. An unruly crowd…and an astonishing lack of guards. At the Grand Magic Games, there’d always been a ton of guards. Way more than he wanted to be there, honestly. Did this have something to do with the whole “underground” thing? 

He looked at the group again, then realized something important: it was him they were looking at nervously. Nervously, and like…he was crazy or something. 

It had taken time, but the years had made Natsu wiser–cooler–about situations like this. Even as his stomach sank with the realization that getting home was going to be a much harder task than he’d initially realized, he acknowledged that he’d need to be careful about mentioning Magic here. Dropping his hand, he forced a small smile at them then turned his attention back to the arena, where Mad Cow continued to chase This Nashi around the edge of the arena. Meanwhile, his mind continued to reel, loud to himself and no one else. 

“–IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SHE’S CAUGHT IN A CLINCH, HERE, AND THEN OUR NIGHT WILL BE OVER!” the commentator was blaring. It was sort of surprising, how easily he’d been able to tune out when Natsu’s ears were registering so little. “I HATE TO SAY IT–” (Based on the glee in his tone, Natsu doubted that.) “–BUT HOWEVER MUCH OF AN EXTRAORDINARY FIGHTER SHE IS, SHE’S STILL A FEMALE FIGHTER. HER OPPONENT HAS WELL OVER A HUNDRED POUNDS ON HER [*4]. AND, AGAIN, I HATE TO SAY THIS–BUT THERE ARE JUST PHYSICAL BARRIERS NO CHICK FIGHTER WILL EVER BE ABLE TO OVERCOME! RIGHT NOW, THIS IS A DOG FIGHT, AND NOT ONE SHE CAN KEEP SCRAPPING IN! SHE’S NOT GOING TO COME OUT AS THE ‘UNDERDOG,’ THIS TIME–”

“Man, she’s getting her ass beat!” someone from the group broke the awkward silence as This Nashi was swept aside by a blow that caught the guard at her ear. 

“Maybe she’ll make a comeback!” another guy said, tremulous but hopeful, as a log-like shin crashed into her stomach. 

“She definitely will!” the guy who’d first spoken to Natsu said, though there was a distant note of doubt in his voice as she barely reeled from an arrow-fast straight right. 

Despite the awkwardness of their last interaction, Natsu couldn’t help appreciating these people, who were so devoted to this world’s Nashi. He decided to end their night more positively. “Is that what you think?” he asked in a somewhat bored tone, eyes on the girl still gliding backwards, dancing away from the hits and kicks or else blocking them. He felt, rather than saw, the group’s eyes jumping to him, some of them quickly leaping away only to dart back. 

“What do you mean?” the first guy ventured when he said nothing else, edging a little closer once more.

Natsu crossed his arms over his broad chest, eyes thinning as Big Boy brought down a hailstorm of fists on This Nashi’s head. His eyes tracked the way a particularly big hit caught her forearm–but only barely, seeing as she’d slid out of the enormous range even as she blocked. Just like he’d thought…

His stomach churned uncomfortably. It was eerie and cruel, how much her movements and the memories aligned–

“OUCH! That hurt, Daddy!” After the exclamation, Nashi began grumbling, vigorously rubbing her forearm where his fist had just him. 

“Woops!” Natsu chuckled sheepishly, “My bad!” 

Despite the fact that she was still rubbing the arm he’d tapped with a light hit, the little girl who barely came up above his knees scowled. 

It was midday, now. In their front lawn; his and Happy’s house, now much larger with the rooms he’d added for Lucy and their kids. 

“But–” He grew serious. “–you think your enemies will take it easy on you, Nashi? You think they’ll give you a break because you say ‘ouch’?” 

She dropped her arms to her sides and scowled–pouted, really. She was so cute, he couldn’t have kept his lips from quirking into a grin if he tried. Strutting forward, he planted a hand on top of her head, rubbing the unruly locks. He only grinned wider when she turned her scowl/pout up to him. “Sorry, kiddo, but they won’t!” 

Lucy would have lost her mind, if she saw the interaction. Natsu could just hear her now: “NATSU, WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?! SHE’S FIVE! BE CAREFUL, WOULD YOU? BLAH BLAH BLURGH BLAH– !” 

He never really got Lucy, when she acted like that. Nashi was a Dragon Slayer, like him. She could take much more than a normal human, but would never learn that she could if he didn’t show her! Not to mention that Igneel had been way tougher on him, when he was five. Besides, he didn’t want his kid to be some weakling! What father did want that? 

Not any good ones, that was for sure. Especially not when their kids had Nashi’s determination and drive. 

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” he apologized again, still rubbing her head affectionately. “But you’ve got to understand…if I hurt you, it’s because I know your enemies will hurt you the same way…I don’t want it to surprise you. I want you to be able to fight back, still. You do still want to be a big-time Dragon Slayer, don’t you?” 

She stared up at him dubiously, but the smile caught on quick. She’d never been able to resist smiling back at him. 

“...Yeah,” she admitted finally, feigning reluctance. 

He lifted his hand off her head, cupping it around his ear and leaning down towards her. “What was that?!” he shouted. “I couldn’t hear you…what was it you want?!” 

“I–pfft–I WANT–” Her small smile turned to a grin–the big, corner-curled grin only his daughter ever could or would achieve. The one that always melted his heart. 

“I WANNA BE A DRAGON SLAYER!” she managed to roar through her grin. “NO–I MEAN, I WANNA BE THE STRONGEST DRAGON SLAYER EVER!” 

“HELL YEAH, YOU DO!” he roared back, the pride managing to make his chest burst even as he squared up again, preparing for more training. An adrenaline only teaching one’s prodigy could spark electrocuted his system. “IF THAT’S REALLY TRUE, THEN COME ON, NASHI! YOU’VE GOT MORE IN YOU! I KNOW YOU DO!” 

“OH YEAH? WELL I DO! I GOT WAY MORE IN ME!” She dropped into the stance he’d taught her, grinning for everything she was worth. The sun illuminated her smile. 

He somehow managed to grin even more widely. “Right, then listen up!” he commanded. “When Dragon Slayers fight, they got one big advantage: they can take a whole bunch of hits–then still get up. So that’s exactly what you’re gonna do.” 

“...Huh?!” The little girl’s eyes bulged out of her head. “You’re sayin’ I’m gonna let myself get hit?!” 

“Well, not too hard,” he elaborated. “And not too much…you’re just gonna play defense for a while, see?” He moved for her, throwing a fist much more slowly than he normally would have. Automatically, she wove away, eyes wide on his face. His right fist was followed by his left, then a kick–all too sluggish to be real. She easily moved around and blocked all of them. “This way,” he continued, throwing another kick. “You can learn the guy you’re fighting, how step, how they breathe…” 

“How they step…how they breathe…” she repeated to herself in a murmur, eyes flickering all over his body as he continued to pantomime a real fight. Natsu couldn’t help but grin. Nashi was a distractible kid, but when it came to fighting, she was always on the ball.

Natsu didn’t mind one bit when Lucy blamed him for that. 

“...how they fight,” he finished. 

“...how they fight!” she whispered. 

He started speeding up his movements. Let her orient before he lit up his fists. She mirrored him, flames igniting her much smaller fists. Their dance became even faster “That’s it, Nashi!” he praised as she leapt back from a kick, only letting it clip her shoulder. “Get into the flow of it! Read my movements! Remember, breathe, and–” 

“She’s reading him,” he murmured, voice softer than he’d meant it to be. “Fending him off and waiting for the right moment; his hits are only clipping her.” His hunger was catching up with him again, as was his pain. He ached. He wanted to sleep. And…

…It hurt. It hurt too much. Knowing it wasn’t his Nashi…that just made it hurt more. Each hit, each block, each flash of those brown eyes…they felt like shards of glass piercing his heart.

I can’t stay here, he realized. 

“What was that?” the girl in the group asked, venturing closer to him. 

His heart was heavy, sinking as he watched the girl. Embarrassment washed over him as he realized that had been a stupid thing to say in the first place. This wasn’t his Nashi. She wasn’t using what he’d taught her because he hadn’t been the one to train her. Hell, she probably wasn’t even gauging her opponents’ movements; she was probably fighting for her life, here. 

She would lose. 

“Nothin’,” he replied thickly, dropping his arms even as he watched the girl roll away from a rather impressive and extremely long-ranged crescent kick, not even the man’s big toe catching her at all. “I was wrong…enjoy the rest of the fight, guys.” He used the ensuing beat of silence to stare–for just one more second–at the girl. This world’s version of his girl. 

Without thinking, he went to heft up his backpack, only to sigh in quiet defeat–the exhale almost visible even in the warm air–as he remembered it wasn’t there; he was just a weakling in this world. That’s why his back (and whole body) felt so heavy. 

“Oh, you’re leaving?” the first guy who’d spoken to him said as he turned away, pushing back through the crowd. His tone was an odd mixture of relieved and disappointed. Natsu said nothing, merely waving. 

Overhead, the booming voice–which he’d tuned out during the competition–continued to sound off. “–AN ADMITTEDLY UNBELIEVABLE DODGE, BY ,” it said, clearly shocked, as Natsu pushed past a woman who was obviously excited to be moving closer to the arena. “BUT THE NEXT FLURRY OF BLOWS LANDS, ALTHOUGH IT APPEARS SHE’S BLOCKED MOST OF THEM–” 

“YOU’RE DONE, BITCH!” roared Mad Cow, so loud that he managed to drown out the commentator–who went silent, anyway. This made Natsu pause, his brows knitting with fury. 

It doesn’t matter, he reminded himself. She’s not your daughter. He refused to look back, forced himself to take another step, then another. She’s just some fighter from another world who’s, apparently, out of her league. She’s not–

A loud slam, like a body falling on a mat. “SHE’S DOWN! I REPEAT, ’S DOWN!” 

Natsu smirked. “See, dumbass?” he murmured to himself. 

“IT’S ALL OVER, FOLKS! SHE’S–” 

All of a sudden, a fleshy CRACK rang through the air, followed by an enormous chorus of gasps and cries of surprise from the crowd. A deafening silence ensued. 

“... HOLY– UNBELIEVABLE!” the commentator managed. “A KICK FROM THE GROUND–AND O’NEIL'S BACK ON HER FEET! THEY’VE GAINED GROUND FROM EACH OTHER, AND MAD BULL–MAD BULL IS NOW TRYING TO RECOVER!”  

Despite himself, Natsu slowed even as he urged himself to keep walking. Even as he continued to force himself not to turn back. Looking back is only a distraction. It’s not Nashi. That is not Nashi. It’s not–

“Man, I really hate guys like you, you know that?” 

The seething voice was what made him stop, closing his eyes. There was just…something about it. A growl. A fire. Something that punched right back into his memories:

“Remember, breathe, and keep your eyes on my chest! That way, you can see my whole body at the corners of your eyes!” A combo, one which he pumped more speed and power to than before–throwing her off on purpose. 

“Oof!” she grunted as she landed on her butt. 

“There, when you fall– that’s when you make your comeback! Now that you’ve watched your opponent, and tricked him into thinking you’re down– now is when you get back up and blow them away! That’s how a Dragon Slayer fights! That’s how a Fairy Tail Wizard fights!” She stared up at him with huge eyes, shining with admiration, and flushed cheeks. 

He grinned. 

“So?! Get up! Always get back up, Nashi! I’m not asking the impossible of you–you can do this! I know you can!” 

“I–I will!” she scrambled to her feet, fists blazing with gold heat as she lunged for him. “I’ll always get back up! No matter what, I’ll–” 

His chest seized. He clenched his jaw, knowing he needed to make himself keep walking, but unable to do it. Even as people churned around him, trying to push past him, he found himself shoving them off, refusing to move from exactly where he was. One foot planted in front of the other. Half-hovering. Eyes still closed. 

Whatever just happened had quieted the crowd, an anticipatory sort of silence that made him clench his fists, eyes still closed. 

And then, Natsu’s world flipped upside down: 

“You didn’t even bother to study my previous fights, did you?” Her growl carried across the hushed crowd. “Tch, typical…if you had, you’d know: You’d know I always get back up!” 

His eyes flew open. 

He whirled back around and watched, wide-eyed and world rocking, as the pink haired girl rose. Rolled her shoulders against her ears, one at a time. The grin was gone, a heavy, intimidating scowl having taken its place as she recovered, getting her feet back underneath herself, her stance back in place. Her nose was wrinkled in fury. Her eyes burned. 

Natsu’s lips parted on a gasp as he stared. 

Mad Cow scoffed, hunched and rubbing his chin with a hand like a mitt. Natsu guessed that This Nashi must’ve caught him there–probably with a kick, given the size difference. That must have been what made the crowd react with shock. They were recovering now, though, getting louder.

“And why the fuck would I bother to do that?!” Mad Cow shouted, dropping his hand. “I don’t need to! Every guy you’ve faced could’ve beaten you easily if they’d quit acting like even more of a little bitch than you! You shouldn’t fucking be here anyway…fucking birds, knowing dudes will take it easy on you so you can take advantage of it and collect the reward…well I’M NOT ONE OF THEM!” He roared the last part. The bitter fury in his voice was a kind Natsu was familiar with. 

“Studying what you can find of your opponent’s fighting style–that’s basic! And you wanna sit here and bitch about how I don’t deserve to be here, you lumpy-headed fuck?! ” 

“The FUCK you just call me?!” McCow snarled back. 

“YOU HEARD ME, SHITWIT!” 

“THAT’S IT!” the man shouted. “I’ve had it! I was gonna take it easy on you, but–” 

“THAT’S MY LINE!” 

It seemed that was both their limit. 

They flew at each other. But now, everything was different, and Natsu doubted that anyone without a trained eye and fighting experience like him could recognize it. 

Apparently, the commentator was one such person: “THIS IS–THIS IS INCREDIBLE!” the voice boomed, full of disbelief, as the girl caught the fist rocketing towards her face with a hard elbow, making Mad Cow let out a roar of pain. She kicked away an arm flying towards her head, and launched a sidekick at his now-uncovered stomach–one that landed hard. She built on the damage, bearing down on him as he stumbled backwards, tripping over his own heels. A right roundhouse followed by a left to his head. Despite the fact he was obviously disorientated, he caught the first one– blocked it and tried, unsuccessfully to catch her foot–but not the second, which cracked into his ear and made him stagger, her chasing him and hammering him with surprisingly powerful blows. Each one of her hits accumulated speed and strength.

The commentator picked up again, saying something or other about “striking machines”, but Natsu didn’t hear. His eyes were wide, now, and glued to the girl cracking her shin into her opponent’s nose, teeth bared. The expression on her face…the fire in her eyes…the speed of her hits…her fighting style…it was like he’d begun watching the fight currently happening through one eye and a stream of memories through the other, his breath going still in his lungs–

“–No matter what, I’ll always get back up!” screamed the little girl, running forward and hammering him with fiery strikes, kicks, and even elbows. They’d only just started elbow work. Natsu staggered back with each good combo she landed. He put in the effort to make it look convincing, pride swelling within his chest. 

“That’s it! Build on it! Faster…harder! C’mon!”  

This Nashi slipped underneath and into one of Mad Cow’s big overhand hooks, the corrected trajectory of his fist barely skidding over her shoulder as her right fist tore up, slamming into his chin. Even as his eyes rolled and he staggered backwards, her expression was so mutinous it was almost funny. 

But as good as the uppercut was, it turned out to be a set-up: 

“LOOK AT THIS COMBO…CROSS, HOOK–WHOA! AN ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING LEG KICK! CLASSIC MUAY THAI-INSPIRED COMBO FROM TURNING–” 

“FUCKING BITCH–!” Mad Cow roared, but his opponent cut him off with a voice like thunder. 

“I’M THE BADDEST BITCH YOU’VE EVER MET!” 

“I’LL ALWAYS GET BACK UP! I WILL! I’M GONNA BE A GREAT DRAGON SLAYER, JUST LIKE YOU! NO–I’LL EVEN BEAT YOU, ONE DAY!” Nashi took a deep breath, and Natsu grinned, allowing the pause in the fight, because he knew what was coming. The catchphrase both like his and not. Inspired by him, but all her own. 

Her fists blazed brighter than ever. The sun illuminated her grin.“JUST WATCH ME, DADDY! DON’T EVEN BLINK! BECAUSE I’VE–” 

“–GOT A FIRE IN ME THAT YOU’LL NEVER PUT OUT!”

Mad Cow’s eyes were wild with fear as he desperately swung for another, big lead cross–one which spelled his downfall. The Dragoness leapt off her left leg–her back leg. Her right shin cracked into his already dipping head. 

He fell forward and bounced off the mat, limp as a ragdoll, while the audience screamed all around him. 

Even as the giant fell still, she made for his prone form, fist raised, but didn’t fight at all when the black-collared man appeared seemingly from nowhere, grabbed her around the waist, and practically threw her away. Instead, This Nashi– The Nashi skipped backwards, smirking, and raised a wrapped fist. 

And that was the realization which thundered through Natsu, now gaping up at the victorious, pink-haired fighter stalking towards the edge of the cage: not This Nashi. The Nashi. 

After seven, grief-filled years, Natsu Dragneel was absolutely sure he had just found his daughter.

*1. Yes, there will be quotes from the original series (the anime dub, sub, or the manga depending on whichever version I like best) at the beginning of each chapter. HOWEVER. The quotes are not spoilers and are often only tangentially related to my plotline. The one for this chapter, for instance, is specifically about Edolas, but is not actually true of the world where Natsu has landed.

*2. Yes, I know the canon Edolas Nalu child is “Nasha.” I decided on “Nashi”, instead, for reasons which will be explained later.

*3. Sorry in advance, but I pretty much kept what little I remembered/liked from 100YQ and ditched everything I didn’t. Same with the original story, but way more with 100YQ. Idk what it is but even though I’ve read the whole thing, 100YQ has this unique quality where a lot of what happens slips straight out of my mind as soon as I’ve read it. In one eye, out the other. So you’ll just have to roll with me, sorry.

*4. Real-life inspiration for Layla (/Nashi) comes mostly from Ronda Rousey, whose biography I read and happen to have on hand, along with Kaoklai Kaennorsing (especially his fighting style). Those are the two main ones. If you’ve read My Fight, Your Fight, you’ll understand how Layla (/Nashi’s) personality is inspired by her–especially as you go on. I highly recommend looking up the Thai kickboxer/Muay Thai fighter Kaoklai Kaennorsing. He has been called the Giant-Slayer because he did, in fact, defeat opponents who had over 100 pounds on him. Watching his fights is just an incredible experience. Other inspirations include Rose Namajunas, Connor McGregor, and some others. There are also several fictional inspirations including and outside Fairy Tail which I won’t bore you with (some of them I’m sure fellow anime fans will be able to guess lol).

[niofo]

ah shit, here we go again

aneirin is now a half-drow cleric of kelemvor, which means out of 3 current games i'm playing, 2 are with clerics (the other one is a drow priestess of lolth that i want to romance minthara with).

idris had dark brown eyes, but i decided to give aneirin dark red, just bcos of the drow stuff, he got them after his mother, while his red hair are from his human father. (the other way round than with idris, who had elven father and bannora trevelyan was his bio mother)

i went with life domain bcos there isn't really anything going with kelemvor in the game. but also that means shadowheart will be sitting in the camp most of the time... which is probably good for her as with my previous run i was using her as a tank, i'm sorry sh, but between two puny wizards and astarion... yeah, she was the only one able to tank.

[adiprose-abernath]

Rough Draft: A Wizard's Weighty Wish

To begin with, I'd like to say greetings. This isn't a first tumblr account but certainly is my first post. That being said, this is primarily for my commissions I make over at grommr. So if you are interested in more content, I will leave a link in my bio.

______________________________________________________________

A Wizard's Weighty Wish

Sir Archibald strode through the thicket with his fellow adventurer, a wizard by the name of Percival. Archie and he were heros, through and through. Though, to be honest, work in the adventurers guild was beginning to be a little slow. Simply put, monsters in the area were growing stronger and without some intermediaries, the two were getting their butts handed to them battle after battle. No matter how hard they tried, it just seemed like they couldn't cut it.

"I just don't get it," said Archie. "You would think that after a few hours of searching we'd find a village, a hamlet or, something." Percy had kept to himself at the time, simply lost in the beauty of the forest around. The swaying of the trees in the breeze reminded of him when he was home, enjoying a nice cup of tea. Ever so relaxed to enjoy just a moment of pe-

"HELLO?!?" Interrupted Archie, pulling Percy out of his day dream. "My apologies, my good man. I was simply in my thoughts. What do you need." "Clearly you can see," Archie said, pointing to his sword, dull and jagged "we've seen much battle as of recent." Percy listened keenly, aware that Archie was simply not a knight to be interrupted when in "speech mode." "Despite this, there is nary a hint of gold or a single bit of treasure that stays between my pouch. It's simply cruel." pontificated the knight. "What do you want me to do about it? I am nothing more than a simple mage." Replied Percy. "I don't know, I don't read that fancy riff raff. I'm much too busy with my training. I have to keep strong but it seems that's never enough. Don't you know any kind of spells that can...I don't know...do SOMETHING about that?"

The question left the wizard at pause as he was want to do. He had been a master at conjuration and alteration when back in wizard school. Yet, without a library to peruse, he'd have to craft his own knowhow to potentially support this hapless hero. After all, his own stomach growled due to their failings in fights.

"Alas I am not of much use without a good book, you see. I'd need to study some form of alteration spell that'd give you more strength." sheepishly quoted the wizard. The knight made a noise like the beginning of a scoff when his ears perked up. They were not alone.

Suddenly, out of the bushes, a massive slime appeared. Gooey and engorged, the beast lunged at our heros. Quick as lightning, the knight swung his blade, gouging the gargantuan grotesque giant in its oozing form. Lightning too did the wizard call from above zapping the creature splattering its mass all around the ground. The monster swung back, a dripping tentacle whipping around the knight, pulling the spellcaster into what can only be assumed to be its maw.

"PERCY!" screamed the knight before the wizard was drawn within. The sounds of battle muffled around him and he could feel himself slowly digested. Yet, there appeared to be something at the center of this mass. Using all of his might, he reached for the book in front of him and slammed it closed.

Like a pop-up book closed in on itself, the creature retreated into the pages of the book and the wizard was free! "Percy! I thought I'd lost you," cried the knight, unbecomingly beset with emotions. "I'm fine, I'm fine" said the wizard, chuckling a bit to himself at the anticlimacticness of the fight. He then turned his gaze to the book.

The cover was of a paladin, bespecled with armor and rippling muscles. Every part of him seemed to ache with power. The title, embossed in a script he'd luckily knew was in giant, said boldly "Gary's Growth Guide: A Book for the Puny Peasant in Need." Wow! thought the wizard. With a book like this, I could easily make him stronger. Hell, I could make myself stronger. I might not even need Archie. These thoughts were unheard to the knight, recovered from the shock of losing and regaining his companion, now anxiously tapping a metal foot to the ground. "Well, what is it?" said the knight, impatiently.

"I think it's the answer to our prayers." replied the wizard, eagerly opening the book to devour its contents. Different cantrips spells and rituals were detailed on the tome, each more complicated and more powerful than the last. His amazement peaked even further when he read one spell in particular: Engorge. Reading it quite quickly, it dictated that a user concentrating this spell on a target can increase the size and stature of a creature. Jackpot!

The wizard tucked the book in his bag. "I wanna try this spell out on you, but it only appears to last for an hour. I could cast it now or when we fight our next foe." The knight raised a quizical eyebrow. "What spell is it?" "It's called 'engorge' I think? I'm not exactly sure of the details but I think it will make you stronger overtime. It also states the effects might be permeant so..." the wizard explained, his voice trailing off as he imagined himself like that paladin: toned, ripped, hell he'd never need a party member again. But he had to test it first. Juuuuuuust in case.

"Well hit me with it then." said Archie, headstrong as ever. The wizard grinned a tiny bit, glad that their fortunes appeared to be turning. He turned his eyes from his friend and began to chant the spell. The words seemed to leave his mouth and hang in the air, a fiendishly red light snaking from the book to the ground. It slither and slid its way ever closer to the knight who took a cautionary step back. Suddenly, the light surrounded the knight and as the cacopanous noises and lights reached its climax, the chant was over and the two stood face to face.

Nothing seemed to have changed. The spell did say, however, that it would take an hour to reach completion so perhaps there wasn't much in that form.

Of course, this would mean that Archie would be doing most of the fighting. This was actually pretty good, considering that this gave Percy the ability to observe this craftsmanship at work.

A roar echoed over the horizon. It seems it must be their lucky day. A large direbear emerged out of the thicket, seemingly drawn into the light and sound that had permeated the plot they just stood in. It's go time! The knight swung his trust broadsword vicariously at the beast and they began to clash. Blow after blow rained upon the bear and despite the spell not seeming to do much, the knight seemed to gain the upper hand quite quickly. The surprise of it all might've been the key but that wasn't the only thing that was surprising.

He might've been imagining it, but Percy could see that red magic pulsing slowly around the torso of the knight. As it did, he could see it was growing. Yet, unlike the photo presented, the effect was...interesting. The flat and toned middle of the man began to slowly buldge, unnoticably to the hero, but steadily it grew from what could be seen as a rough bloat to a ball belly proudly owned by a drunkard.

The chainmail strained a tad at this, being held for once tightly than it normally had contained when his pecs began to melt seemingly, with breast tissue growing slightly in the area where they were. His hips swelled bloating wider and wider. The stance of the knight was shifted too as his thighs thickened and his butt began to balloon. No part of the man was spared from this growth but he seemed relentless in his conquest.

Strangely, he seemed to fight more savagely. Despite his girth going from toned to tubby, his strength seemed to ever grow as did his waistline. The knight was fighting harder and harder reminiscent of the wizard's shaft which seemed to be oddly enamoured by this display. The belly of the bloating battlemaster buldged forward slowly straining the armor he possesed. The wizard could see a second chin forming on the knight as his armor began to creak and groan.

The knight lifted his sword high into the air bringing it down on the beast with a BANG! This bang, however, was not from the corpse of their foe. Rather, the chestplate the fattening fighter shattered, torn to the ground exposing the massive muffin top ebbing further and further from the armor.

The knight realized suddenly what was happening and shouted to the wizard. "What the...WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENIN-" he was interrupted by the blast of his gauntlets, clattering to the floor in a heap as his arms once covered in muscle and siney now covered in fat and flesh. His leggings followed soon after, leaving the knight nearly nude as his buttocks shown in full view of a aroused mage. The body of the knight was simply beautiful to behold.

Like the slime they'd fought earlier, not a single scrap of muscle remained on the poor pudgy pig. Every inch of his body was piled with poundage. He truly was obese. His belly now had a fold in the middle and his moobs were like soccer balls. The arms had no definition other than pitiful, the weight sagging off. His ass, though, ballooned most, nearly doubling in size and girth. His legs, prior like branches, looked like stumps, buried deep within one another. As Archie turned, he could see the awe and...was that horniness he could see? He'd wanted the attention of the many but this...was this really what he had in mind?

The spell began to fade from view as the swelling slowly stopped, the knight nearly 150 pounds heavier than before. The wizard composed himself a tad and began to mend the armor. Silently, the wizard worked with the hefty hero wordless for what seemed like the first time.

Neither spoke a word for a time as the wizard worked carefully. Indeed, the knight had grown stronger. Quite stronger, in fact. He could feel his body radiating with a power stronger than he's ever felt before. Of course, however, it didn't happen without consequence. Lifting a bit of his gut, he could feel it flabby and smooth. This was no ordinary growth. This WAS his skin and size. The question then became, was he gonna be just a toned tiny adventurer or was he gonna give in. Though neither would say it, they both had an idea of what that answer would be.

[jellyloveru]

just realised that my favourite mediocre children's book is somewhat similar to some far more mediocre children's book :(

[immaculatetfs]

The Orc King

A bit of a longer one :P sorry for inactivity!

(Also couldn't find any clothing appropriate images so just imagine that Pate has clothes on <3)

The crisp evening air gave way to a thick smokey haze as Hal entered the 'Pigs. It was the tavern he frequented most often throughout his short career as an adventurer, and he always coming back following a hard day of questing. There were always people around, he recalled, adventurers, magicians and thieves and the like, but around now was when it was busiest. The air was filled with loud drunken chatter and the dull thunks of a tankard hitting wood. When he saw through the crowded room that there was a stool still empty stool right up at the bar he thanked the gods.

“The usual?” asked the barkeep, a squat, pug-nosed woman, when he sat down

“You know it Helga” He gave her a worn smile

As she filled a mug with thick yeasty ale, his attention shifted to the man beside him. Built like a plowhorse, he wore a boiled leather vest a sweat-stained tunic, emphasizing tightly, emphasizing the hefty muscle and sizeable gut that bulged out from his arms and torso. Two wide shoulders framed him, with wide and strong arms that connected to rough hands, calloused and brown from years of hard work. He smelt of leather and sweat, and when he looked over and caught Hal staring, a cheeky smile came across his bearded face.

“You come here often?” was the only thing Hal could think of saying before he felt a red flush come across his cheeks

The stranger gave a chuckle “Nah, I'm new in this area. The names Pate”

Pate shook the Hals hand, crushing fingers under his grip

“you a regular?”

“I’m Hal, and yeah, I do come here often. This is where I come after my quests”

They were interrupted by a sharp clearing of Helga's throat. “two silvers”

Pate dropped a fat golden coin on the counter.

“Will this do for tonight for me and my bud?”

He had never seen Helga move so quickly as he did then.

“Yes Yes, of course” she said, snatching it and giving a cautionary bite, before another customer called he over

Hal must have looked as shocked as he felt because Pate chucked again when his eyes reached him.

“How do you have that kind of money? That coin is worth what I earn in an entire year!”

“Believe it or not, I’m secretly royalty,” he winked.

Hal's jaw dropped

“I'm just jesting," an affectionate hand patted Hal on the back "came across a Wizard that was traveling on his way over here, said he was transporting an ancient artifact. He hired me, called me his “extra muscle" He took a sip of ale "we were ambushed, turns out I wasn't much help. I don't even remember how I was knocked out, but I do remember waking up in the middle of the road with the mother of all headaches and a chest full of treasure, with and this on top.” He held out a small hollow green tube, rubberlike and the width and length of an ear of corn, an inscription along the side reading in an alien script

“Dunno why they left that chest, and everyone was gone, so I took the valuables as payment and decided to complete the mission I had been hired for. Do you know any places here that have anything to do with orcs? the old wizard was talking about them when we were on the road”

“Whoah, that's crazy, You've probably got more money now than i'll ever see in my life as an adventurer” He studied the table “I might've heard some stuff about them as a kid, they say that they live in these local woods. You know, it's kind of dangerous if you would go out searching here… you know..” he looked into Pate’s dark brown eyes and his cheeks were red again, but not off drink

”...without a guide” he quickly distracted himself with his ale, trying to mask his embarrassment with the thick yeasty drink.

“Say, why don't we go on an adventure together then? Might be that I can't go back home now, since the Magician's colleagues would hang me for a thief if they knew I took the gold. You seem as good a partner in crime as any”. A thick hand lightly caressed Hal’s thigh. The younger man's gaze returned to Pate’s eyes, cheeks like raspberries as he tried to ignore the stirring in his nethers.

"What do you say? Partners?”

“Yes!” Hal said, a little too quickly.

“Good.” he spat on his hand and held it out for a shake, a gesture which Hal reciprocated.

A short few hours of talking made Has feel as if he had known Pate for years, and before they knew it the 'pigs were closing for the night.

They found a soft bed of moss out in the woods that surrounded the tavern to set up camp. A cool night breeze blew pleasantly on the pair as they lay down from their first night as partners.

Pate wrapped his bulky arms around Hals's reclining body, moving in for a spooning. Hal could feel hot breath on his neck, and the warmth of Pate’s larger body radiating into him, but most of all he felt a hardness pressing upon his lower back. He felt his own member begin to twitch as rough hands rubbed across his body, absently stroking and folding the mounds and crevices of his lithe body. His own hand moved up to meet one of Pate’s as it folded his pecs.

“You like this?” he heard Pate murmur

Hal turned around to gaze into his green eyes, illuminated by the starlight

“Do you?”

They plunged their lips together, the taste sweet on each other's mouths. Hal tore Pate’s tunic over his head and tossed it, revealing a sturdy chest, pelted with the same dark wiry hairs that scratched Hal's face. His nipples were two dark diamonds in the starlight, his body smelling of sweat and leather and dirt. Hal’s lips moved down, taking his right nipple into his mouth and teased it with his tongue. Pate gave a soft moan and pressed his right hand into Hal’s fluffy brown curls.

Suddenly, A voice came into Hal's head. Deep and rumbling it told him, commanded him. His hand reached into the satchel that lay beside them, fingers securing around the thick green pipe that Pate had shown him earlier that night, only now it was softer and slightly moist.

Like he had done it a hundred times, Hal tore down Pate’s britches, revealing a long mast that stood proudly in the night. Before he could say anything, Pate was overwhelmed by a sense of otherworldly pleasure as his cock pushed into the soft green material, pulsing madly in the warm cocoon.

Hal’s member was next, sliding in to meet his partner’s cock within the strange object, their pre intermingling as they did. They embraced again for another long kiss. Where the skin of the two men met, It seemed stuck together, seeming as though Hal was sinking into Pate's embrace. From these points, a dark green shade overtook their previous skin tones. Hal's torso sank blissfully into the warmth of Pate’s huge chest, his own body losing form as their insides homogenized. Where their two cocks had once come together, a fat green monster, long and thick as a beer bottle now stood, leaking warm wetness across its engorged mushroom head. Their arms and legs merged, becoming engorged with muscle and fat with the same evergreen hue as their member. From where Hal’s ass and back had been, pushed out an imposing muscle gut, covered with long wiry red hairs that grew into a Forrest as down to his crotch. framing this impressive green orb were two meaty pecs that pushed out of his chest like fat hairy cones. A massive green hand reached down to stroke the tower of flesh between his thighs, sending tidal waves of pleasure that broke the two men’s brains. Their faces merged together, individuality melting away like butter in a pan, features rearranged to create something new and exciting. His nose became bulbous, pushing out from a wild tangle of long red hairs that grew across the new creature's face, forming a wild untamed beard. His eyes darkened to black, lower canine teeth pushing out to form two intimidating tusks. The hair remaining from the heads of Pate and Hal fell away, leaving a shiny scalp dripped with rivulets of perspiration. Memories appeared to the creature that had been Hal and Pate, slow simple messages that even an orc-like him could understand

“I Ugrull”

“Orc king”

“Must make kingdom”

He climaxed, a torrent of potent hot green cum blasting in a torrent across his mountainous torso, leaking down across his back. Deep down, Ugrull knew that all a man had to do was smell his seed to become overcome with lust, to submit to him. They would want nothing else but to take his hot thick Warhammer of a cock down their puny human throats, for their king to make them his orc slaves. “Humans submit, become sons”, he thought as his fingers glided across his slick belly, grinning wildly. He would be the greatest incarnation of the orc king this world had ever seen before.

[onward-magic-princess-barista]

😤😡 Omgosh @princessofonwardsworld if Callum so much lays a finger on Barley and Isa, especially so much laying a a finger on Barley with his evil ring magic, so help me I will gladly imagine this AU "Puny god" moment with Amelia:

Amelia: *thrusts Callum with a velocity spell from her sorcerer magic gift where the rings fall off his fingers*

Callum: ☠️😈 ENOUGH!!!! I'M A POWERFUL WIZARD YOU DULL SORCERESS AND I WILL NOT BE BULLIED BY- 😈☠️

Amelia, beating up Callum with a levatation spell from her sorcerer magic gift like:

Amelia: 😜 PuNy WiZaRd 😜

Callum: 💀🐥🥴 *lets out a small weak wheeze* 🥴🐥💀