#Wolf has trust issues but he’s trying

[whumpacabra]

23. Daymare

Nightmare, comfort, fear for others’ safety, referenced gunshot wound, referenced head injury, referenced nonsexual nudity, referenced needle use [IV], vaguely implied past noncon and anticipated violence

AU Masterpost / Previous / Next

The Wolf could hear him whimpering in his sleep. Harrison was nearby - to his right, closer to the ground (he was on a bed?). The Wolf pulled himself into his elbows, ignoring the pulsing pain from the gunshot wound in his right arm.

With his enhanced hearing, the Wolf had been listening to the man’s unsteady breathing; gasps and winces of pain betrayed by the smallest of sounds. Looking down at him (the Wolf's right eye still smothered in gauze) he was clearly still asleep.

Dreaming.

The Wolf couldn’t remember the last time he dreamed. (The was probably for the best, given how upset Harrison looked.)

The room was empty, save for them. He could hear movement and words nearby - the clatter of ceramic on wood (a table?). The voices were talking about him.

The Wolf shied from his own name, sitting up and taking inventory of his body. He still had no clothes (very bad) but the itch and sting of his injuries had faded. The blood bag attached it his IV line had been bled dry.

He removed the needle cautiously, hands steady. He didn’t want the IV stand rattling as he moved around. There was a second bag on the stand - clear fluids running down a line to Harrison’s right hand. It seemed, even in spite of his dreaming, Harrison didn’t toss or turn in his sleep.

The Wolf waited a moment for his fuzzy vision to clear after he sat up, legs swung over the side of the bed. He needed clothes. Rummaging through the dresses found him fresh pants and trousers and an oversized shirt that wasn’t too painful to fit his injured arm into.

Harrison’s breathing was turning labored, sweat beading on his forehead. The voices outside - talking about him, about Harrison - would hear his whines soon enough. The Wolf’s chest clenched at the thought.

His sleeping quarters had always been safe, had been predictably his own space - had been. Until they weren’t.

Would it be the same here?

Were they just lulling the pair into complacency, into false security?

All so they could smile and laugh as they ripped it away again - ?

Harrison needed to be quiet. He needed to wake up.

The Wolf crouched next to Harrison’s cot in a half kneel, putting his body between him and the door. His left hand hovered, fingers shaking. Did Harrison want to be woken? Did he care if their saviors (captors?) invaded this room?

The Wolf wanted him awake. The Wolf cared deeply about keeping the voices on the other side of the door out.

He laid his left hand on Harrison’s shoulder and gently squeezed. The sleeping man tensed, breathing short and pained.

“Wake up. You’re dreaming.” His hoarse whisper didn’t stir Harrison, who only whimpered, eyes twitching behind his eyelids. “Harrison, wake up.”

Shaking his shoulder a little harder, the Wolf flinched away as Harrison gasped awake, grasping at his arm. Harrison’s eyes were wide, tears threatening to spill as he looked between the Wolf and the bed and the late afternoon sunlight filtering between the window shades.

“Oh god I thought - he was - ” Harrison’s whispers shuddered in his chest. The Wolf settled, Harrison’s grip on his arm firm but not bruising. Harrison leaned forward, resting his head against the Wolf’s shoulder as his breathing evened.

And the Wolf let him.

He should have been scared of that, knowing how even gentle touches could wound as deep as any knife. Was it bad that he wasn’t frightened of Harrison’s trembling fingers? Harrison hadn’t hurt him - not even when he was stripped and beaten and weak.

Maybe he had just wanted the Wolf clean. But Harrison had brought him his clothes and hadn’t asked him to take them off. If he had wanted the Wolf dead, it would have been efficient to abandon him after finding the vehicle bay. Why had he come back? What did he want?

At the moment, it seemed he just wanted the Wolf to stay beside him, something steady to cling to. The Wolf would give it to him. He leaned against Harrison’s weight, the embrace alien in its painlessness. He wasn’t scared of giving Harrison this moment of peace and security.

He should have been scared, but he wasn’t.

Harrison was soft. He was gentle and warm and even when his voice had venom it was a balm compared to the vitriol the Wolf’s handler had for him. The Wolf wasn’t made to hold soft things, he wasn’t worthy to sap that warmth and accept that gentleness in turn.

(What creature carved from such violence could be? What rebirth was without blood?)

There were others he had seen, crafted to be sheep in appearance and behavior until their teeth were needed. He hadn’t qualified for that program. His teeth and claws couldn’t be tucked away in cottony wool long enough for that kind of assignment.

Looking back, the Wolf had been envious of those projects. Even when he saw them break apart, shattered and liquidated, he envied their brief performances. How he had wished he was still enough of a person to remember the mask, to be anything but a blunt instrument meant to inflict pain. He had resigned himself to his collar and leash, until -

Until his handler gave him a mask and told him to play the part of a person. The Wolf was cast in the role of human cruelty, a role he knew well as its victim in an earlier production. (His handler was not a person of soft things and gentle eyes, but he was a person nonetheless.)

Maybe the Wolf could play that part a bit longer. He would wait and see if the wool stuck around his sharp edges long enough to let Harrison sleep.

AU Masterpost / Previous / Next

(An AU of my Freelancers series)

Taglist: @i-eat-worlds

[thesirencult]

PAC : SOULFUL MUSINGS FROM THE PRIESTESS

WHAT THE DARK FEMININE ANIMA WANTS TO TELL YOU

PILE 1

Stop letting your past dictate your future. The old stories are no longer serving you, they are imprisoning you in your own delusions. You are not unlucky. The universe loves you, you are the one that's getting in your own way.

For a moment assume the universe is working in your favour. It sounds cliché but "what would you do if there was no chance you would fail?"

PILE 2

You have a hard time balancing your practical with your fun side. The Goddess wants tot tell you that it is okay to be the life of the part sometimes.

The cards I got (2 Of Pentacles, Queen Of Wands reversed and Queen Of Pentacles), tell a story of someone with huge potential who is afraid to make a choice and fiercely lead the way.

Choosing one way doesn't close the door to a different timeline, it brings you more and more opportunities and gets you closer to your end state.

Find a way to transmute your negative past to fuel for your future betterment.

PILE 3

My love, the Goddess wants you to know that now it is time to focus on the present moment. Opportunities lay ahead of you and it would be such a mistake to focus on the negative. I would say that now it's the time to be sovereign. What you have is enough. Your skills, talents and abilities are all you need to reach for the stars. There is magic in the beginning of a journey. Looking back you will reminisc about these days.

I'm hearing "The Call Of The Wild" and it is a book and movie that I love. Basically, it is a dog that has to find the wolf within in order to survive and during this process he sets himself free from societies standards and rules. This is the process you are going through right now. Don't judge yourself based on other people's opinions and standards, choose your authentic path and follow your instinct and heart. "Women Who Run With The Wolves" can help you dive even deeper.

Choose care, diplomacy and love when confronted with hate and knives.

PILE 4

Your feminine self is struggling to be expressed outwardly because of a series of issues that have been haunting you : fear of letting people in and trust issues, negative self image and a mentality that hinders your growth.

I see that you are struggling heavily with being nostalgic and have a hard time letting down your hair and being a bit softer with yourself.

Flowers can not grow when the strong wind is breaking their stems, we need softness and calm to grow and evolve.

You are strong enough to fight through, even if you give it one last try. Accept others' help and don't insist on carrying all the weights yourself. The future may be brighter than the past but you'll never know if you don't give it a chance and keep reminiscing.

An opportunity or a person around you is presenting itself but you are looking back and missing out on it. Act now.

[turbulentscrawl]

Social Dynamics in the Manor

I did this for funsies

Leaders

Eli- The peacekeeper. He’s invested in the happiness of all the manor’s inhabitants, and often steps in (uninvited) to mediate issues between them. Secretly, he likes the attention and fulfillment that being needed gives him.

Luchino- One of the more passive “leaders.” He’s of the opinion that most inter-personal issues will sort themselves out with or without his interference, as nature often does. He gives his opinion on things freely, but doesn’t step in with force unless it’s critical.

Orpheus- A wolf in sheep’s clothing, Orpheus plays the role of a Follower to get a more personal understanding of the others. He prefers to lead from behind the scenes, controlling situations through careful leaking of information, or a specified figurehead.

Emily- A natural mother figure, Emily is sought out for comfort and advice as often as she is healing. Her rapport is especially strong with the other women of the manor.

Ada- A bit of a gaslighter, to be honest. Ada is good at convincing people they want the same things she does, be it through words or hypnosis. Her ability to read people is of strong use. She’s a bit more passive, however, and is less likely to see a need to step in for situations that don’t impact Emil.

Alva- Not a natural-born leader by any means, but his previous role in education has made him an experienced one. Alva is perhaps a bit too calm, a bit too slow to react as a leader, but he is nothing if not level-headed and calculating.

Kiegan- She’s been cold-shouldered for too long, and is not willing to be ignored anymore in life. Kiegan takes charge every time she sees an opening.

Phillipe- Has a strong sense of justice, and will always speak up for whatever he views as morally correct (though it should be noted that his morals are warped and prejudiced, and someone other than him is always at fault.) He can be even more pushy than Kiegan, when his heart burns with enough passion for something.

Followers

Andrew- Likes to think he’s a Lone Wolf, but he often feels directionless.

Luca- Will point a horse towards water, but not lead it or try forcing it to drink.

Freddy- Fancies himself a leader, but for all his intelligence and scheming he’s not well-liked enough to have followers. Also, his plans tend to be too…sacrificing.

Florian- As long as he gets his ten seconds of fame every once in a while, he's fine with whatever the atmosphere ends up being. ironically, he occasionally sides with Freddy, just because that man's "strategies" can be such dumpster-fires that it would be easy for Florian to save the day.

Kreacher, Emma, Lucky Guy, Willaim, Helena, Vera, Kevin, Margaretha, Patricia, Murro, Jose, Mike, Demi, Victor, Edgar, Ganji, Anne, Emil, Memory, Joker, Frederick, Lily, Violetta, Smiley ,Leo, Michiko, Wu Chang, Ann, Antonio, Ithaqua, Sangria, Grace

Lone Wolves

Aesop- Sometimes acts as a follower, but he doesn’t usually feel invested in the various issues and drama that comes up.

Norton- Is willing to follow when a situation calls for group cooperation, but he trusts his own judgment over that of most others in the manor.

Naib- Experience has taught him to fend for himself. He looks out for his allies, of course, but a group-mentality is sometimes detrimental to survival.

Alice- She behaves like a Follower for the sake of blending in, but Alice spends every unwatched moment she gets with her own goals and curiosities in the forefront of her mind.

Melly- Solitary and private. Melly makes truces, not allies.

Qi- Believes some emotional distance is the key for maintaining a clear head and fair judgement.

Matthias- A recluse for safety’s sake. He partners more closely with a select view, but does not like to call into crowds.

Jack- Only cares about satiating his own desires, and not the manor’s socio-politics.

Bane- A recluse for his own safety. He’s content with being left alone for the rest of eternity.

Hatsur- He speaks for and enforces the decrees of the Baron, but otherwise doesn’t care for the affairs of the other Hunters and Survivors.

Joseph- What’s the point in trying to obtain peace in hell? At least suffering, he thinks, would sometimes be more interesting.

Burke- He’s only concerned with his inventions, his work, and he picks sides and solutions according to what lets him get back to things the most quickly.

Fool’s Gold- Doesn’t care about anyone else’s problems. He barely cares about his own some days.

[asha-mage]

Assorted Thoughts From Forcing My Friends to Watch all of WoT as a birthday gift, Season 2 Edition-

When taken as a whole unit, the show actually completely conveys what's happening with Lan's bond from the jump, it's just that several characters are incorrect or working with incorrect information- as was often the case in the books. Lan thinks he's just been blocked out, but in reality Moiraine has released his bond entirely (as she floated she might do to Alanna back in season 1) and you can see the moment he realizes this in episode 2, when saddling the horses- he realizes that he didn't sense the Fade and what that means, and then Moiriane realizes he has realized.

The show in general is a lot more subtle, and a lot more willing to delve into the idea that often characters are just...wrong, or uninformed, or lying, without holding the audience's hand to explain that fact then I think people give it credit for- which is very in line with Jordan's ethos. For example, Ishamael's telling of Perrin 'the more wolf you become the more you are mine' is a blatant manipulation attempt to scare him into being afraid of his Wolfbrother powers and Perrin, who is going through hell, just buys it- and that makes sense he's already wrestling his own anger issues and fear. He doesn't question why Ishamael would tell him this, or what the effect would be (i.e not trusting the wolves, and thus maybe making himself more vulnerable to the Shadow) he just accepts it because it plays into his existing fears and biases about himself.

Anvare also raises this point really well when she gives her 'ask yourself- is it true?' speech to Moiraine. Moiraine is operating at that point under a lot of assumptions that aren't true- not just that Lanfear is going to hurt or capture Rand, but also that she really was stilled, that she can't trust Lan with her fears and doubts, that her presence is a threat to Barthanes and Anvare (when really Barthanes's presence is a threat to her)- and this moment, is meant to cast doubt not just on that, but on a lot of the assumptions the audience has likely been making too, which characters their taking at face value and which characters their thinking off through the lens of their own biases.

Continuing the trend of Moiraine displaying many of the bad coping mechanisms that will later dog Rand/Rand will internalize from her- @ofthebrownajah pointed out recently Rand's consistent issues with food and eating, which made it stick out to me how frequently in the show Moiraine has a similar problem. People repeatedly try to reach out to Moiraine via food/encouraging her to take care of herself, and she repeatedly rejects them. Lan's attempt to get her to come down for dinner, then to bring dinner to her in her rooms, Barthanes's sandwich, tea with Anvare- Moiraine has her walls raised so high she rejects this basic form of self-care and attempt to reach out hand in hand. This is especially notably because their is a repeated emphasis on food this season. Every major character gets at least one scene eating or drinking this season (Egwene and Elayne doing bootleg, Rand grabbing flatbread on his way to work, Mat with Liandrin's honey cakes, Nynaeve preparing dinner in the arches world, Lan sharing dinner with Alanna's family at her farm) but even Moiraine's eventual forced tea with Anvare goes deliberately unshown.

On rewatch I think that, while I really really love the moment where Renna and Seta are left to the mercy of their own culture by Nynaeve and Egwene in the books, the moment of Egwene killing Renna just makes the most narrative sense for the show- and I think will be a change that they are going to walk out through it's consequences.

The point of that sequence in the book is that Nynaeve understands that Egwene's bloodlust and anger are valid- but that the fact of killing will not help her in the long run. "It's okay to hate them. They deserve it. It's not okay to let them make you like them." I suspect, especially given how thoughtful the show has been about violence and death (and how clearly hollow the experience of actually killing Renna is for Egwene) that the show will take the plank of 'she deserved to die- but killing her did not undo everything you went through or heal you'. Which, again makes sense both Egwene's oncoming Aiel arc, and the fact that the books do spend a lot of time focusing on Egwene working through the trauma of her captivity.

The arches are another thing I've come around on after initial trepidation about their changes. I think each manages to still cut at the heart of Nynaeve's character arc and her struggles. The last one was my biggest concern, the shift from Nynaeve deliberately rejecting a perfect life with Lan for the sake of going back for the other Emond's Fielders to Nynaeve going back after realizing that such a life lived with Lan, as much as it might give her joy for a time, would still be hollow in the end. She can't turn her back on the struggles of the world and her friends without consequence- she can't just go back to life in the Two Rivers. She has to keep fighting for what she loves.

I think the choice itself also works when put in the context of the steady removal of Nynaeve's charges one by one. She thinks Rand is dead (and is probably blaming herself for his death as pops up in her interaction with Tam), Mat ran off, and Perrin is safe with the Shinearans. Her main charge left is Egwene- and hering that she's not helping Egwene but hurting her, overshadowing her- removes the final reason she really had for being at the White Tower, staying on the adventure. If the people she left home to save don't need her- then why is she there?

I continue to really think people are over hyping how bad the show supposedly makes Siuan look- my friends despite being largely uninitiated in the book series immediately groked that Siuan and Moiraine where just doing what they felt was right, in a complicated situation. They both are trying to save the world, and they love each other- but the world is more important.

Moiraine also brings a lot of the trouble on herself by not telling Siuan she was stilled and damaging the trust between them- leaving that detail out is the first crack in Siuan's ability to trust Moiraine still be honest with her, her partner in all this, and then her seeming to have either lied or regained that power, right at the moment she's allied with Lanfear, is the final blow any hope they where still standing together.

Despite stopping frequently to talk at even minor moments, we ran through almost the entire finale without pausing and then collectively all just sat there speechless. Man is the battle of Falme and everything around it so good.

Quote one of my friends re: Moghiden "Oh she's a little freak."

Also shout out to Lanfear for making one of my MLM friends doubt his sexuality with her 'short hair pirate t shirt look'.

That entire scene in the dream world bedroom cased a collective meltdown and one of my other friends to say 'oh I see why you where insane about this'

The effects continue to be killer throughout the season and god I can't wait to see season 3.

[ethosiab]

Did you get asked about the boatboys pirate au yet? That sounds so awesome 👀👀👀👀👀👀

hehe im glad you think so !

the AU concept essentially sprung from my sleep-deprived and angst-craving brain, on a flight to melbourne at 2am.

The basic idea is that Etho and Joel are pirates in a nautical fantasy world, with gods, magic, and fantastical sea beasts (+ Lizzie).

Etho and Joel end up with their souls linked after the two of them take and use cursed magic items 'belonging' to the god of souls, a vengeful being who feeds on the emotions and souls of mortals (it does not have a name yet-). So now they share injuries which means neither can satisfy the urge to strangle the other without causing themself harm. Sad! The items do give them powers though, which is a bonus. Yeah Joel might be seperated from his wife and has to deal with etho but he can also turn into a wolf so its not all bad.

Prior to meeting Joel, Etho was a loner, having already lost his soul in his shitty deal with the god (yet somehow still being alive... hmm... smells like a plot point....). He spent a fair while running around causing chaos (got involved with King Ren a while and worked for him, because despite being a pirate and generally against the idea of a monarchy he will not pass up the chance to get some extra coin if it suits him), but eventually settled down in a seaside pirate-ridden town because he was massively wanted after betraying the King's trust and also kind of tired. Here and there, he did the bidding of his god, which generally consisted of killing people (the god could just smite them but this is more interesting for it to watch). Etho's cursed item is a dagger that gives him the ability to go unnoticed when he's sneaking around places. If people are looking for him, their eyes gloss over him, if he's trying to be quiet he will literally not make a noise, and if he's picking someone's pocket his touch is feather light. Unlike Joel's amulet, there's nothing special about the dagger that gives him these powers, it just grants whatever the user would find coolest or most useful. Etho avoids using the dagger in combat for... reasons, and instead opts to use an arsenal of other knives he has.

Before Joel had his soul split in two (because note that difference, Etho was running around soulless for a decade before this somehow) with one half shoved in Etho's glass eye, Joel was a pirate captain with a crew consisting of Jimmy and probably some other empires people, or just random bg characters. Joel was probably one of the most dangerous pirates to encounter out there, not because of his ships firepower (though they've got a lot of that), but because he somehow always had the environment on his side. (Almost like the Ocean Goddess was his wife... or something...)

Most of the plot revolves around them being sent on a long errand by the soul god to find one of its other 'followers' that it lost track of. They end up putting together a shabby crew, meeting character's from their pasts, and desperately seeking a solution to the soul-linked issue that doesn't end up with both of them dead.

[princelylove]

Risotto’s physique isn’t meant for running. He's too heavy, and big, it makes him slow- but he can work for extended periods of time without any fatigue.

He hates the idea of playing chase with you. Risotto understands that you have a lot of energy and need to get it out, but he'd rather not spend an entire morning trying to wrangle you. You can probably wiggle your way around him for a while, especially if you have any sort of prior training, but once Risotto has a proper hold on you, it's over.

Risotto's grip is firm, although loving. He doesn't intend to hurt his darling. Think of it like restraining a cat that needs their nails trimmed. You're not getting away, this is for your own good, but the intention isn't to hold so tightly that it hurts.

If Risotto is slow, how can he catch his darling if he finds himself interested in someone that does some kind of running sport or agility training? There's advantages and disadvantages depending on the type of running his darling is used to- he can tucker out a short distance runner, but can he close the gap between himself and a long distance runner?

Risotto may be slow, but he's steady; Risotto thrives in endurance and stamina. You can run, sure, but can you last? Long distance runners typically don't sprint for an entire marathon- it's about pacing yourself. Sure, you can sprint for some portions, but eventually your body is going to demand a break. Long distance running is quite literally all about stamina, but running (a minimum of) 3 km / 1.9 mi is different from being chased by a 203 cm / 6'8" man for however long it takes.

There's an easy way out of this, but he doesn't want to use his stand to catch you. Metallica is painful- why would you use a trap to catch a rabbit when you want it as a pet, not food? Risotto's gentle nature forbids him from directly harming his darling, but he has no issue with restraining them. Some animals instinctively submit when you touch them a certain way- will you calm down if his hand is on your throat? Around your wrists? No, no, he shouldn't, he doesn't want to frighten you off, the second you view him as a predator, he's done for. You'll never trust him.

So this game you keep playing- chase, he calls it- is majorly stressing him out. He doesn't want to follow behind you like a wolf would, but if his sweet, little doe insists on playing this game, he has no choice but to play along.

He won't discipline you. He spoils you in that sense- you get away with bad behavior because he can't bring himself to raise a hand against you, or really scold you, or even lightly tap your wrist. He gave Prosciutto the responsibility of disciplining the rest of the team because he wants nothing to do with that- but his darling isn't a team member, and he refuses to give your care to someone else, so it puts him in a difficult situation. How can he punish you when he understands that you're only behaving this way out of fear?

He guesses there's nothing he can do but humor you. He always catches you, and he'd find you if you were to slip away, so it's fine. That doesn't mean it's any less stressful for him, but he'll keep doing it and will take more precautions when he brings you back home.

Risotto's physique is good for a lot of things (namely the ability to haul heavy objects for long periods of time), but it isn't perfectly well-rounded. He has good mobility, endurance, strength, and coordination- but isn't very flexible. Perhaps it's a personal bias of mine, but when I imagine men with Risotto's physique, I typically don't think of flexibility as being their strongest point.

Flexibility isn't something Risotto thinks about often- he doesn't need to be flexible to protect you. You cannot push his legs back without him making that needy, initially uncomfortable expression- but he lets you anyway, as long as you’re happy. Truthfully, Risotto would prefer to service you, but he gets off on you using him freely. It makes him feel wanted. Not that he’d ever say that- he’s terribly shy.

After all, it’s a bit hard to tell someone “I want you to think of me as your sex toy sometimes.” It certainly isn’t romantic- and Risotto would prefer to keep things romantic. He’ll keep it to himself, for now.

[valeskawhore]

SHERIFF! BIGBY WOLF!? X fem! Reader!

A/n: “So literally just finished my own interpretation of the telltales game, “The wolf among us” and I swear. I am Inlove with this man/hybrid, thingy.” So I figured why not write about it?

Here’s what it would be like for the one and only sheriff of Fable town to meet you..

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Arightly, we ALL know. This is pretty much basic information if you know anything about this man.

He doesn’t give a shit. Honest.

I mean, he cares. But especially with his “friendship” with snow in the series we all can already tell that this man has some serious authority issues.

He’s not used to people telling him what to do, and what to say or how to act. Bigby gets very offended in the series when one of the options for a response when beginning to talk to TJ about what he saw when Lilly died, snow asks bigby to be more “less like himself” he did not respond well..

He came from being the “big bad wolf” once upon a time. Nobody trusts him, and honestly, I think he prefers it that way.

All he’s ever done, or known for that matter is hurt. Pain. Being the one to always inflict it.

And because of this power of control, he was elected sheriff of fable town. Perhaps others in the higher power thought that it would be beneficial to work some of that natural rage out.

To wrap up, he’ll do things his way.. pretty often.

Depending on the circumstances always. Now if his way would put anyone in danger that he “cared” about on some kind of level, he’d avoid all conflict. He wants to change..

He just doesn’t know how. And he won’t trust anyone enough to show him.

Though.. when YOU came along..

You weren’t a fable, you weren’t rich.. you weren’t special.. you couldn’t turn into a troll or a fairy or even a wolf.

You were a mundy. A normie.

Ofcourse growing up in the “real” world your entire life, fairy tales were strictly “fairy tales” and that’s all there was to it.

On the way home one night from driving home, you drove into an unrecognizable neighborhood. But something about this place felt strange, almost like de ja vu..

Had you been here before..?

You saw a sign for the only sheriffs office in town and decided to stop their for directions.

The place was like a fucking motel..?

On the way to the elevator to find this office yourself, (since the fucking security guard was passed out cold) you bumped into a strong figure on the way in the elevator as he was coming out.

“Shit.. that was my last one,” the figure mumbled, his voice scratchy yet light.. familiar. The man took a step back and crossed his arms. His stair formed into one of disgust and annoyance.

The stranger took a step back and even.. EXAMINED you. He was tall.. stone cold even just by looking at him could you tell. His sniffed lightly, his nostrils expanding a little bit, with a wince, he finally spoke.

“A mundy huh?” He coughed out some smoke. A annoyed look on his face.

I stared at the man, confused and desperate for some sleep.. ‘did he say mundy? Or did I miss my medication today?.’ I questioned myself silently.

“Sir.. can you please repeat that?” I asked kindly, (or tried) I kept a smile on my face but even a dumbass like the tweedle twins could tell it was fake.

“Hm.” He scoffed a little. He pulled his hand up to his face and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “What can I help you with?” He grumbled, finally releasing his nose and crossing his arms once more. Trying to keep a smile, his was tense like my own.

Just two strangers staring at one-another, both tired and annoyed— trying to be polite.

I finally put my fake smile down and realized why I was even here to begin with. I tried to smile genuinely this time, “yes! Please I need to see the sheriff, or anyone honesty who can tell me where I am and why these roads are so confusing” I said that last part with a laugh, a shitty joke erupted from my nervousness. I mentally smacked myself.

This guy doesn’t wanna hear my shitty jokes.

The man tilted his head slightly and let out a loud sigh, “that’s me.. sheriff wolf.” I reached out my hand instantly for manners and mutual respect for the fact that we both obviously needed some good sleep and quiet.

He hesitantly shook my hand with a firm grip. His bottom lip puckered slightly, his jaw tense, though he didn’t let go my hand, just held it with quite the grip.

I stared at him and then down at our hands intertwined with eachothers. I let out a nervous laugh.. “hey Uhm—“

He cut me off, “well? Eh? You gonna tell me your fucking name or not.” His voice got stern, I felt myself shrinking under his gaze.

“Y/n” I laughed, but I felt a surge of sudden confidence take over me, my gaze locked on his, I squeezed his hand back just as hard, something about this seemed right.. our hands together.

“What’s your name sheriff?” I smiled,

The man stared me down, his eyes went to our hands then back to my eyes. I felt him shake in my grasp, whether with anger or fear, I didn’t know.. but I wasn’t some cute little girl.

“Bigby— sheriff bigby.” And he ripped his hand out of mine. His hands tensed, curling up into fists at his sides. “You’re in fable town, you must have taken a wrong turn missy. Cause this is NOT where you’re supposed to be.”

He warned, I laughed.

“I’d love an escort sheriff.”

“I don’t have a car”

“Big guy like you walks around eh?”

He growled, obviously not finding me amusing whatsoever. “Here” he took out a little note pad, he gave me the address for somewhere else.

“Follow the signs sweetheart” and with that, he walked away. The crumbled up piece of paper laid on the ground near my feet, I snatched it up with a scowl on my face.

“Fucking asshole.”

You didn’t know what to think of this guy, and that bothered you because you were the typa girl to always have a plan and analyze everything and everyone. You couldn’t read this guy, something about him.. felt so primal.. so inhuman.

His eyes, his canines, the facial hair even. The way he smelled for jimminy Christmas. He wasn’t normal,

Then again who was nowadays?

He was an asshole, stubborn and irritable over the smallest thing.. but.. why ..

Why couldn’t you stay away from him…?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You were annoyingly pretty. Almost suspicious.

Faith was dead, now Lilly, fables running around town causing shit with nothing better to do.. and now you?

He wouldn’t buy that ‘just got lost’ bullshit. Something was weird about this girl.. too eye catchy and doll like. Fragile and confident all the more. He needed to find out more about you.

You owed him a new pack of smokes too.

[thankskenpenders]

How do you feel on the whole Misadventures arc of IDW? You touched upon it briefly, but I'm still curious. I myself found it frustrating since I despise "everyone trusts the newbie first" plotlines, and TBH "Silver and Whisper just stake out Duo and then attack him once confronted" felt like a frustratingly stupid way to resolve things. The pacing of the four issues, with how it felt like little happened, honestly made it feel like a collection of stories meant for an Annual that never came out.

I disagree. For one, I've found the pacing really refreshing. Even though this is a "breather" arc after all the stuff with Surge and Kit and the Eggperial City, it feels like we've had a lot of meaningful developments for the supporting cast in a short amount of time. Instead of spending 4+ months exclusively on one idea and one set of characters, we're hopping all around and getting these shorter stories from a wider variety of characters. But they all feel connected, primarily due to the background plot of Clutch and Mimic trying to undermine the Restoration. It feels like a whole lot of pieces are being moved into place for whatever's in store, whether it's getting Knuckles off of Angel Island more, having Silver and Blaze finally become a team, or establishing new threats for the Restoration.

And, yes, I'm even here for the silly backup story about Rough and Tumble messing up Cream's house. That stuff's fun! I've never been a person who thinks that everything has to be plot, plot, plot all the time. I love heavily episodic series. I like seeing what happens when you mash together random characters who haven't interacted before.

I kind of see why this might feel like the sort of material that's usually saved for the Annuals, but his was the norm during the Archie days. We didn't have Annuals, we'd just have backup stories about the supporting cast, or one-off issues that weren't necessarily part of a four-issue arc. That's something people have been interested in seeing from IDW from the very start, and folks like me were excited to see them finally give it a shot.

As for the stuff with Mimic/Duo: that's actually been my favorite part of all of this. I think it's made for some extremely juicy drama. Yes, it's a story about a suspicious new character showing up and people immediately trusting him, but, like... forget about the trope for a second and step back. This is just how the Restoration works. They aren't an exclusive club, they're a humanitarian volunteer group that's constantly welcoming in any help they can get. Every new character who decides to join the Restoration has immediately been welcomed in. The HQ is constantly full of randos. Amy put Jewel in charge of the whole operation after one conversation. Lanolin in particular has barely known Tangle, Whisper, or Silver any longer than she's known "Duo." She went on literally one mission with Tangle and Whisper before all this. The villains are observing the way the heroes work and taking advantage of it.

I also disagree with the claim that Whisper and Silver were being stupid in trying to confront Mimic. Well, okay, they kind of were being stupid, but it feels completely in character for them. Silver's always been a little too eager to act without thinking first. This is one of his defining character traits going back to '06. The irony here is that for once he was RIGHT, but the villain he accused of being a villain made him think it was just another case of Silver starting a fight for no good reason. And Whisper's acting rash because she ALWAYS acts rash when Mimic is involved. Any time Mimic has been a threat, Whisper has decided to go all lone wolf out of a fear that Mimic will kill Tangle like he killed the old Diamond Cutters. It's a constant struggle for her due to how deep that trauma is. It was the whole premise of the Tangle and Whisper miniseries!

But really, I just think it's so deliciously evil for Mimic to be playing the Restoration like this for so long. To me, it'd be a crime NOT to do something like this with Mimic. It's such a perfect use of his nature as a deceitful master of disguise. Whisper IMMEDIATELY figuring him out, only for Mimic to pit Whisper's allies against her, gaslighting her into trusting him and thinking that she fucked up? That's great! Well, I mean, it's terrible for her, but I'm here for the drama.

This is all a ticking time bomb that's going to impact so many characters when it goes off, and I can't wait to see how that plays out. How much damage will Mimic and Clutch be able to do to the Restoration as an organization? How will Lanolin react upon realizing her grave mistake? How will Whisper, a character who already has massive trust issues, respond to having some of her worst fears come true? She already left Restoration HQ once out of a fear that Mimic would target her friends, and then almost immediately after coming back THIS happens? How will Tangle respond to being caught in the middle of all this? And now Surge and Kit are apparently getting thrown into the mix as unexpected wild cards next issue??? This is the kind of drama I really eat up with these characters!

(If I have ONE small nitpick, though... it's that I initially misread the issue with the confrontation, and thought that Mimic really did break his own arm in his fight with Silver to help maintain his cover. I was like, holy shit! That's messed up! Mimic's messed up! But then I realized he was faking his injury. I kinda like my initial read better, but it's, you know. A kid's comic. That probably would have been a bridge too far lmao)

[riddle-me-ri]

a/n: don't mind me, still on my Bigby bullshit but struggling super hard with a smut one shot with him that I've been slowly chipping away at for the past few weeks 🙃 so have some jealousy headcanons

Content Warning: none that I can really think of?

Bigby Wolf - Jealousy Headcanons

- Bigby thinks he's above jealousy.

- He definitely doesn't want to hover over you or suffocate you.

- Plus he trusts you more than anyone else, he has no reason to be jealous.

- It's never you that's an issue…it's other people and Fables that choose to disrespect your boundaries.

- Like Jack may get a little too close to you, and Bigby has to refrain from biting his head off…

- Bigby will come to your rescue, though, especially when he can tell you're trying to politely turn Jack or anyone else away that's invading your personal space.

- He'll place a hand on your shoulder and squeeze it reassuringly or wrap an arm behind your back and pull you closer to him.

- Bigby does take some satisfaction from seeing you immediately relax next to him.

- However there's also the instance where you seem to be enjoying yourself more with someone else than with him.

- This frustrates him most because he knows it's just him being his worst enemy.

- But when you've been heavily disliked if not straight up hated or feared…

- It's easy to be worried someone would leave you for someone else who…isn't seen in that light.

- Bigby may grow a little distant or act short around you, but he catches himself and regrets acting shitty.

- You are always there to reassure him, however, that there's no one else you'd rather be with than him.

[heradion]

Derek not being there in Season 5 was a huge missed potential.

Going to start by saying I am not going to respond to or entertain any toxic stans hating on characters, this is just a what if scenario and is not a personal attack on any characters.

Now I know Tyler Hoechlin left because of some personal issues but it's interesting to explore the dynamics if he had stayed for S5.

I think Derek being in s5 was a missed potential for developing 4 relationships in the show, namely:

Derek and Malia

Scott and Derek

Stiles and Derek

Liam and Scott

Derek and Malia: You cannot tell me Derek wouldn't help Malia try and find her mother or in tracking down the Dessert Wolf cause, firstly they are cousins and he knows what it's like to long for lost family.

It would've been great to see him come back with Braeden if not earlier to help Malia not just with the dessert wolf but figure out what kind of relationship she would want with Hale family.

2. Scott and Derek: Derek would have 100% helped Scott with the Dread doctors and with figuring out Alpha stuff like he did in s4. He would have helped him with the issues he was facing not just with Stiles but also Liam when he attacked Scott.

Scott has a "We don't kill" policy and trusts people easily but Derek isn't the same, so I believe he would try to make Scott understand his POV while siding with Stiles regarding Theo.

3. Stiles and Derek: This would have been a major turn in their dynamic because I know Derek would be distrustful of Theo despite the whole pack just disregarding his concern. Once Stiles accidentally kills Donovan, Stiles would've gone to Derek because although Scott has a "we don't kill" policy, Derek doesn't and would probably understand.

Derek would 100% be distrustful of Theo because of how hard he seems to be trying to convince Stiles that he had good intentions and would probably side with Stiles regarding Theo, while talking to Theo about it.

I think things would be very different if Derek was in the hospital when Stiles's dad was admitted, He would probably make both Scott and Stiles sit down and have a much needed conversation without trying to get in between.

4. Liam and Scott: I think with Liam being a young beta with anger issues, Derek would know exactly how to handle him and his outbursts. He'd be able to help Liam see Scott's POV and help him keep his anger at bay, because Derek was pretty much the same as a teenager, He would probably teach Liam how to channel that anger into making it his anchor while using it during his shift.

The whole Scott and Liam fight could have been avoided had Derek been there, Liam got angry at Scott and felt betrayed but Derek would probably restrain him or make him understand why Scott was doing what he was.

Overall, Yay Derek, wish you were here.

[racefortheironthrone]

So! I was planning on writing a Batman fan fic and had a question about the urban facing side I was wondering if you could help on. I suppose this can intersect with other super hero / billionaire figures. Interested in exploring urban development in the setting but trying to avoid pitfalls , but ofc no worries if this isn’t something in your purview or interest

I feel like Gotham, so deeply realized as a fictional setting and riddled with its issues as a city, would be a great template to explore these urbanist issues. And while Batman treats symptoms - protecting people from acts of violence, and also pursuing those who are responsible for the corrupt systems who have put themselves above conventional pursuit. But Bruce Wayne I feel like by a lot of fans can he overlooked as an agent of improvement in Gotham - he can use his political and economic clout to both publically and privately improve the systemic conditions of the city, like his famous hiring program for ex cons. And I would like to explore this side a lot deeper, however I’m wary of showing a billionaire as the only solution , or even the best solution to a city’s issues and basically recreating public policies privately.

Since showing a privatized solution to be the answer to all these problems isn’t the sentiment I want to give, as often private corporations are the ones exploiting / building up this cult of personality around millionaires is already troublesome. But ofc, Bruce Wayne is fictional and can be an example of how a CEO ought to act, but would like to show these solutions are achievable and to be sought after in the public sphere - we shouldn’t expect CEO to hire ex cons, build free transit, eliminate all these zoning issues by buying half the city because 1) unrealistic and 2) can institute a dangerous mindset where it’s like “just give everything to billionaires and they’ll fix things!” (See, the cult of musk)

So my question is, do you have any recomendations on how to achieve this balance of using Wayne as a championing workers rights, urban development , reform etc. without just shilling for billionaires? Because, after all, billionaires have been opponents and don’t want to diminish that. Perhaps using his influence to give away his infouence to others , if that makes sense. or even better - historical examples of figures of privilege utilizing their position to advocate for the public sector and go all in as earnest urban Allies as a roadmap to model this after?

This is a really interesting question, and I think points to some of the limitations of what can be done with the Bruce Wayne archetype.

As I've said before, I think what can be done to make Wayne an enlightened person without falling prey to the mentality that "the billionaires will save us!" (looking at you, RALPH) is to really explore the limitations of top-down reform.

Because if there is one genuine weaknesses both to the Batman and Bruce Wayne, it's that he has a well, "heroic" mindset in which he thinks that if he's just smart enough, prepared enough, tough enough, that he can win a one-man-war on crime and other social evils - but you don't really see him engaging in movement-building in either his vigilante or civilian sides.

In the former, even if we leave aside his more "lone wolf" depictions, Batman has issues with trust and working well in groups. At best, he cultivates a small number of people (the Robins, the JLA), and he tends to keep people at arm's length. In the latter, even when Bruce is trying to make systemic, social interventions in transportation or housing or health care or social welfare, it's usually done through a top-down approach - build this project here, support this politician there - rather than sitting down and doing an analysis of how he could build a sustainable majority coalition with the muscle to change Gotham on its own.

Realistically, an honest, militant, and strategic Waynetech union (albeit assisted from the shadows to keep the mob and the supervillain gangs at bay) could do more to change Gotham for good than any Foundation that has ever or could ever exist.

[deadlygronkle]

Ancestors Legacy Chapter 17

The Desert Chapter 7

Word Count: 5444

Ao3 Prev

Warriors awoke to the sound of paws padding against the cool stone floor. The noise should have been quiet and yet like most things now it rang loudly as if it was right next to his head. How anyone was still asleep was beyond him. 

He lifted his head up, careful not to dislodge Wind who was curled up by his side. Looking around, Warriors spotted a familiar golden wolf carefully making his way over to the small spring.

“Time?” Warriors watched as Time flinched, ears pinned back, “What are you doing?”

Time turned towards the Captain, looking mildly embarrassed, “Ah did I wake you up? I was just getting a drink of water, or trying to at least,”

Warriors let out an amused huff, “Everything wakes me up with these ears. The world is  like 20 times louder than it was before,”

“That I can agree on,” Time’s tail wagged slightly as he nodded in Wolfie’s direction, “How he has dealt with this sensitive hearing for so long I’ll never know,”

“You make it sound like he wasn’t always a wolf,” Warriors joked slightly, trying to ignore how Time’s eye widened, as he continued at a whisper, “How are you so sure he is the ‘Wolfie’ that we know?”

Time didn’t answer right away, his head tilted slightly as he thought of a response. Warriors had a far easier time reading Time as a wolf than he did when Time was a Hylian. Perhaps it was because Time wasn’t used to this form and what it entails. Though before that happens Warriors plan to take advantage of being able to read the old man for as long as possible. 

“He is….” Time sighed, shaking his head, “Just trust me on this okay? He’s our Wolfie and is here to help us as much as he can,”

Warriors gave Time a long, hard look. The older Link knew more than he was letting on, just like how he never talked about where Twilight disappears for hours on end. Time wasn’t going to tell Warriors anything no matter how hard he was pressed.

So he will concede on this, for now at least.

“Alright,” Warriors’ tail smacked the stone floor as he shifted in place, “But if I find out he’s holding onto information…..”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you,” Time turned back around to get the drink of water he was talking about. 

Warriors turned his attention to looking over the sleeping bodies of the others. Everyone still seemed to be fast asleep, or at least pretending to be. All except the writhing gray mass trying to squirm his way from under Wild. Grumbles and grunts could be heard from the large wolf, not that Warriors could understand any of it.

Warriors couldn’t help but not trust Wolfie. Just how he was acting made Warriors suspicious, especially with the whole ‘glowing eyes and trying to kill him’ deal. There was no ounce of recognition when Wolfie was glowing. Hell, Warriors had never seen such a crazed expression on Wolfie, especially pointed towards him. Annoyance sure, but never pure, blinding rage. 

It just didn’t feel like the same wolf who curled around the campfire, always mysteriously vanishing when they woke up. Not to mention the issue with how Wolfie got up here in the first place, wolves aren’t exactly made for cannon travel after all. There must be some other way up here that Twilight doesn’t know about or he was lying that the cannon was the only way up. 

As Warriors ruminated, Wolfie had successfully gotten himself out from under Wild all without waking the scarred Hylian up. The large wolf quickly took to looking over everyone from where he stood, head tilting slightly as he made eye contact with Warriors.

Wolfie was still coated in blood, whether it be human’s or monster’s Warriors rather not find out. Even the chain had specks of blood on it that would have to be dealt with soon so it doesn’t rust. The white parts of his fur were no longer glowing nor were his blue eyes. 

Wolfie broke the staring contest by shaking his head and snorting irritably. He then proceeded to make his way over to the water, and, without much bravado, jumped in it. Wolfie, being the size that he is now, easily stood in the water and had to lay down to be fully submerged.

“Who-” The Great Fairy suddenly appeared at the sudden disturbance of her waters, “Ah, it's just you Divine Beast, washing off all the grime from your outing I take it?”

Wolfie raised his head from under the water, “Yes, Sorry about disturbing you. This is the only water source that I know of in these parts, and I rather not smell like rotting meat while I search,”

Warriors was surprised by Wolfie’s voice. Sure it still had the echo but it no longer sounded like the wolf ate sandpaper moments prior. Despite how quiet Wolfie was, Warriors could have sworn he heard that voice before. 

The Great Fairy simply waved him off, “You do as you must, now what are your plans for today?”

Wolfie grunted as he shook off a paw before putting it back into the water, “Look around the local area while I hunt for food for these guys. Light Spirits know how much energy it takes to shift forms, they’re probably starving,”

Warriors turned his head slightly to look over to see Time’s reaction. Time had stopped drinking water and was listening to the conversation with surprising intensity. His ears were completely forward, directed at the two, and his entire body was frozen.

Warriors himself was still processing the information he just heard. Wolfie spoke as if he had some personal experience with transforming. Did Twilight tell him, or does Wolfie actually have a human form?

“A wise decision but,” The Great Fairy moved some of her green hair out of her face, “You have a few herbivores in your midst,”

“THAT is the hardest part of the hunting trip, I hope I can find some plant among the wildlife they can eat,” Wolfie responded, looking out to them as well.

“Might I suggest looking out for some grass and shrubbery, bark as well though I don’t suppose they’ll be too happy about that,” The Great Fairy finished with a smile. 

“I don’t suppose they’ll be happy about raw meat-,” Wolfie’s ears flicked over in Warriors and Time’s direction as Time shifted from foot to foot.

Wolfie turned his head slowly towards the two, eyes widened slightly. Wolfie’s ears went flat against his head as he stared at the two. Warriors can’t even fathom how sensitive Wolfie’s ears were if he could hear Time shifting slightly from across the cavern. 

The Great Fairy followed Wolfie’s gaze, and a look of understanding briefly past her face. She raised a singular eyebrow at Time and Warriors before her attention returned to Wolfie.

With a brief touch to the top of Wolfie’s head, she got his attention again, “Perhaps you should take one of them with you to learn?”

Wolfie shook his head, his voice now sounding like it did the previous day, “No. They aren’t ready,”

Warriors couldn’t even think about responding before the Great Fairy replied sternly, “You do not know that Hero. It is better for them to learn under you than try to figure it out like you once did,”

Wolfie let out a small growl, and moved to get out of the pool, “I won’t let THAT happen to them,”

The Great Fairy frowned, “You have no way of telling the future, help them now so they can help you in return,” 

Time decided to shake out of his stupor and responded “Just give us a chance. Adapting to new challenges is what we do best,”

Warriors didn’t verbally respond, but he did nod along as he watched Wolfie’s reactions. Wolfie was staring down at the stone floor, his ears still flat against his head. Finally Warriors could hear a sigh from the Wolf, as he got out of the water and shook himself free of the water, it somehow not even flattening down his fur fully.

“Fine.” Wolfie looked more towards Warriors than Time, “Which one of you two are coming?” 

“I am,” Warriors responded before Time could, “Sorry old man, but the others listen to you better than they do me. It’s smarter for you to stay here,”

Time did a motion akin to raising an eyebrow, “Then what are you going to do about the little otter at your side?”

Warriors bobbed his head up and down in lew of a shrug, “Sailor sleeps like a rock, I can just put him on you easily,”

“Oh really now?” Time’s tail wagged slightly, “When did I agree to this?”

“What else would you be doing? Talking to the Great Fairy? Having a staring contest with your reflection in the water?” When no answer came Warriors chuffed, “Exactly,”

“Do you even know how to pick Wind up without hurting him?” Wolfie’s voice croaked as he shook himself one last time for good measure and made his way over to the two.

“I- shit,” Warriors looked down at Wind who was still sleeping peacefully at his side.

If he wasn’t careful then he could do some serious damage. Time was even looking a bit frazzled by the implications. Both of them weren’t used to these forms enough to do that without harming the otter.

Wolfie silently moved over to standing directly next to Warriors and stared down at Wind like he was sizing him up. Then with surprising grace and gentleness, Wolfie bent down and picked up Wind from around the middle. The otter looked so small in Wolfie’s maw, like he could be swallowed in two bites. 

Wolfie tilted his head wordless at Time, encouraging the other to lay down. When Time walked over and got settled Wolfie placed the otter gently on his side. Surprisingly Wind didn’t even stir and only moved to bury himself in Time’s fur.

“How did you do that so effortlessly?” Time asked, sniffing at the small otter on his side. 

“First lesson is on controlling your strength,” was all Wolfie answered with, his chain clinking against the floor as he moved to the stairway, “are you coming or not?”

Warriors quickly got up and took off after the large wolf. Saying a quick goodbye to Time as he went.

“Stay safe,” Was all Warriors could hear from Time as he went to the next level of the dungeon

—--------------------------------

“Sooooo…. what are we going to be hunting?” Warriors asked once they were outside of the cave.

“Anything,” Wolfie turned to tilt his head at Warriors, “Try and find a trail,”

“A trail?” Warriors asked as his ears went to the side slightly.

“The scent trail monsters, people, and animals have that they leave while walking,” Wolfie explained, “Lions’ sense of smell isn’t as good as wolves, but you shouldn’t have an issue with it,”

Warriors bent down, giving the sand a test sniff, “So how does this work exactly?”

“It works differently for different people. All I have to do is sniff around to find the trails,” Wolfie unhelpfully explained, “Just don’t start following trails that smell… dark,”

Warriors looked up, “Dark?”

“Corrupting, evil, whatever you want to call it. Smells different for everyone, for me it smells like rotting meat,” Wolfie had a distant look in his eyes as he turned away. 

“Alright then….” Warriors turned back to the ground as Wolfie went silent. 

Wolfie had a hardened look in his eyes. Warriors definitely knew something was up, maybe an unfortunate experience during the quest here. Twilight got the same way when they were questioning him on his relationship with the Queen. 

Sniffing the ground, Warriors tried to make sense of what he was smelling. There seemed to be thousands of smells intertwined just in this one area. A sour smell was most prominent coming from either Wolfie or older ‘trails.’ Unluckily enough Warriors couldn’t differentiate any of the smells.

“Did you find anything?” Wolfie asked upon hearing Warriors sigh.

“Nope, the main thing I smelled is something sour coming from you and the area around us. What’s up with that?” Warriors stood up fully, watching as Wolfie bent down to sniff the sand.

“Must be remnants of those three,” Wolfie’s nose was wrinkled, showing faint signs of sharp teeth.

“So there are three ‘interlopers’ as the Great Fairy put it? What’s their deal anyway?” Warriors asked.

“All you need to know is that they are the ones who stole the Great Fairy’s power, and they are the reasons the Zone is here,” Wolfie said, once again looking away from Warriors.

“But you know more,” Warriors supplied, “Why not just say it now rather than just keeping it to yourself? We are a team after all,”

Wolfie snarled, “Nothing I have learnt will help as at the moment. If it was relevant I would say something,”

There it was again. That damn look like Wolfie knew better than Warriors. Which may be true in this whole ‘animal’ thing, but knowing the details of a mission is critical. This isn’t something a team member should keep to themselves just because they can.

Warriors growled, “Listen here Fido- I am tired of you hiding information from us. So actually answer my questions, like where Twilight is or even the information you are clearly hiding,”

Wolfie just looked down at him cooly, “I don’t know where Twilight is, we went our separate ways at the Cave of Orde-”

“BULLSHIT!” Warriors got up directly in Wolfie’s face, “if he was around then he would have already found us! So tell me what happened to him before things get serious,”

He was done with Wolfie’s games. Twilight could be hurt or worse and he wasn’t going to risk it because this wolf wanted to be secretive. Just talking to this beast angered Warriors for some unknown reason.

Wolfie’s eyes widened, “Nothing’s happened to him! I- he-.... Just trust me on this alright? He isn’t hurt, and he is safe,”

That slip up did not go unnoticed by Warriors as he briefly wondered why both Wolfie and Time were so obviously keeping something from him. It bothered him to no end, teammates are supposed to share things. Especially if it was related to the job they were doing. 

“Give me a reason to trust you and I’ll let this drop because this entire thing is suspicious as hell,” Warriors felt his tail flick wildly side to side. 

Wolfie’s ears twitched, “What kind of reason do you want? Do you need me to prove that I am the ‘Wolfie’ you know or what?”

“That would be a good start,” Warriors was keenly aware of every movement the large wolf made.

“Fine,” Wolfie sighed, “When you were looking around the castle and encountered that poe. I saved the entire group, even getting a bit of my fur cut off in the process. Or I could talk about the time I woke you up from a nightmare roughly 2 weeks into m-.... Twilight joining you,”

Warriors was too surprised to process the slip up as he stared at the Wolf. It was for sure the wolf from the castle, although something wasn’t adding up. He didn’t remember Wolfie being there when he woke up. In fact it was Twilight who was on watch and woke him up. 

Wolfie at that point was basically an enigma, barely being seen at the edges of battles, taking out any monsters that came too close. Wolfie didn’t even get into the light of the fire until a good month into their travels. So how exactly was this wolf the one to wake him up?

“So, do you believe me now? Or are we just going to keep going in circles like this?” Wolfie interrupted his thoughts, tilting his head. 

Warriors nodded, “It’ll do right now. Only when we find Twi will I actually believe you,”

Wolfie huffed, “So we can go now, or am I going to be interrogated more?” 

Wolfie’s forced gravelly voice dropped just for a second. The echo was still there, but it sounded eerily close to Twilight’s. In fact, Twilight said something similar back in the castle. Just what was the connection between the two?

The winds shifted slightly and Wolfie perked up, “Let’s go,”

‘Wait what?” The lion asked, having to bound after Wolfie just to keep up, “Where are we going?”

“I smell a Bullbo, we can use that to feed everyone easily,” Wolfie looked around, ears swiveling in every direction, “Just have to make sure we don’t encounter the rider,” 

“It has a rider? Just what are we hunting?” Warriors asked, sniffing the air to try and find anything.

“A giant boar basically. The Bulbins use them to travel and for meat,” Wolfie’s head turned to their left for a moment, as he led them to the right.

“Will we encounter any Bulbins there?” Warriors asked, trying to keep up as Wolfie increased in speed.

Wolfie froze, head turning to the left again, “Look,”

Coming across a nearby dune was a warped creature. It was roughly the shape of a Bulbin but pitch black, a mask of white on its face. Glowing red lines were so bright that Warriors could see it from their position.

“What in Din’s balls is THAT?!” Warriors asked, watching the best shamble as if something was weighing it down

“Shadow cursed Bulbin, a fate that awaits for any monster that are trapped here,” Wolfie answered solemnly, “It shouldn’t bother us for now,”

“Will that happen to us?” Warriors took one last look at the pitiful creature before bounding after the wolf.

“Luckily no, your triforce protects you,” Wolfie started to drag one of his paws through the sand for some reason.

“Then what of you?” Warriors asked, watching as Wolfie’s fur rose for a moment. 

“....You don’t need to worry about me. The Zones barely have an effect on me, even after all this time,” Wolfie finally said after a long moment.

Wolfie refused to talk anymore than saying a yes or a no to any other questions Warriors asked him. Due to that, the two settled into a slightly uncomfortable silence. The only noise being from Wolfie’s chain grinding in the sand and their sound of their feet hitting the sand. 

Eventually Wolfie stopped, crouching into the sand as he looked onward. Warriors did pretty much the same, trying to figure out what the wolf was looking at. 

It became abundantly clear what Wolfie was looking at. There was a small oasis at the bottom of the dune where a giant boar was eating. The boar has a saddle and didn’t even appear worried about any potential hunters. It looked like a perfect area for everything they needed.

“Is that the Bullbo?” Warriors asked, watching Wolfie sniff the air.

“Correct,” Wolfie spoke in a hushed whisper.

“So what’s the plan?”

Wolfie thought for a moment, “You flank it- attack either its legs or underbelly- I attack head on,”

“Is there a risk it will try and kick me?” Warriors asked, analyzing the beast.

Its hide was thick and coarse. Just from the look of it it was made for endurance more than intelligence. The more stupid the beast or person the more dangerous it is.

“Are there any doubts?” was all he got in response.

Warriors bit back a snarky response, “Any tips?”

This actually made Wolfie pause for a moment, “.....Trust your instincts, and back out if it gets too dicey,”

Warriors’ ears went back, tail smacking the sand with irritation, “Same stuff as usual then, what if you get injured? What then?”

Wolfie looked over, blue eyes filled with earnesty, “You don’t have to worry about that,”

Warriors huffed in annoyance as he went to his position. He was getting tired of people telling him not to worry. It must be a usual thing in this world as now both Twilight and Wolfie have essentially told him not to worry. 

Once he was on the dune behind the Bullbo he saw that Wolfie started to approach it. Wolfie was crouched into the sand, keeping low to the ground as he approached the boar. It was a smart plan as Wolfie approached from downwind, freezing and crouching low whenever the Bulbin turned it head slightly.

Wolfie strategically moved to the side, eyes never leaving the Bullbo’s neck. Then with speed Warriors had rarely seen from the wolf, he struck. Teeth digging into the top of the neck of the beast, forcing it to kneel.

The Bullbo let out a pained squeal as red blood dripped into the sand. It shook, and stomped trying to get Wolfie to let go. He held on though, somehow keeping the large beast bent down as it squealed in pain.

Warriors took this as his time to come in and help. Racing in, he carefully avoided the flailing legs and jumped. He landed smack dab on the saddle of the beast, nearly slipping off immediately. This earned him a glance from Wolfie as he continued to bite down.

Warriors shook away any discomfort from his messy landing and looked at the beast. He could now tell that Wolfie was aiming for the spine of this beast to kill it. From how deep Wolfie’s teeth were in the beast’s neck it was only a matter of time.

After another moment of hesitation warriors decided to turn around and go for a back leg. His claws made it a relatively simple task to turn around, his tail going back and forth quickly as he tried to maintain balance. 

Digging his claws into the Bullbo’s rough hide felt weird. It was somehow easy, but ripping at the muscles was a whole different task. Eventually he got to make an inch cut in the skin, the bullbo now screaming in pain so loud that Warriors winced.

Then, almost in slow motion, he felt the bullbo break free of Wolfie’s iron tight jaws rearing up on its hind legs. Warriors, almost like it was second nature, leaped, avoiding the boar trying to flip and gore him with its tusks.

Blood was pouring from the wound on its neck, as Wolfie moved to block the Bullbo from the Captain. Wolfie barked and snarled, jumping away from the beast almost in a taunting manner. The Bullbo took the bait and sluggishly charged at Wolfie.

Then, at the last possible moment, Wolfie dodged out of the way and immediately changed his direction to attach himself back onto the neck. The Bullbo let out one last scream, before crumbling to the ground lifelessly.

Wolfie let go, blood still dripping from his maw as he moved towards Warriors, “Are you alright?”

“Are you?” Warriors asked, seeing how tired Wolfie looked.

“I’m fine, it’s just been a while since I had to do something like that,“ Wolfie glanced back at the corpse before managing a smirk, “I wasn’t expecting you to jump on top of it though,”

“It seemed like the right thing to do,” Warriors bobbed his head towards the small plants in the oasis, “Shall we?”

The wolf’s ears flattened, “Let’s just hope we can secure the plants so they don’t fly away,”

The lion snorted, making his way towards the grass. Somehow they would figure this out even if it took all day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was eventually decided that Wolfie would take the Bullbo as Warriors took the plants and fruit. This was mainly because of Wolfie’s larger size and the fact he was actually able to move the beast. 

So, Warriors took to securing the plants and fruit they managed to gather to the Bullbo’s saddle. Wolfie had torn the straps apart to get it free. It was a difficult task for Warriors to make a knot, especially with no opposable thumbs. Eventually though he managed to secure it with a sloppy knot.

“Alright! That should do it,” Warriors stood up fully to admire his work.

“Finally,” Wolfie grumbled as he stood up, “Now come on, the others are waiting for us,”

“Right,”

It was slow going as pulling the Bullbo up sand dunes was visibly starting to wear on Wolfie. There were still no complaints from Wolfie however as he obediently pulled it, getting slower and slower as time went on. 

Warriors sighed, annoyed. It was clear to him that Wolfie wasn’t going to ask for a break anytime soon. Twilight did the same thing occasionally, especially when he was caught in the rain one night and was running a fever. Though this particular instance seemed a bit more dangerous than just being a little sick.

“Can we take a break? I need to readjust the knot,” Warriors lied easily watching the Bullbo corpse stop moving.

“Alright, we’re nearly back anyway,” Wolfie answered quickly, flopping into the sand with a huff.

Warriors spent as long as possibly pretending to fix the knot. He couldn’t drag it out for too long though as then Wolfie would come to see what the holdup was. When enough time passed Warriors turned around to tell Wolfie he was ready to go, only to see a familiar golden glowing poe.

“You.” Warriors snarled at the poe, who looked just how he did last he saw him.

Wolfie could immediately be seen on alert ears swiveling until he noticed the poe, “Shade?”

“You know this freak?” Warriors asked, looking at Shade unamused, “When did that happen?”

Wolfie thought for a second, “He helped to train both me and.. Twilight during his adventure,”

Shade shook his head and looked at Wolfie, his red eye showing just a faint bit of amusement in them.

“Your sense of humor is still skewed. I don’t see what’s funny about this,” Wolfie seemed to retort, though the shade just tilted its head.

“What? What did he say?” Warriors asked, but were ignored.

Shade tilted his head as a bandaged arm raised up and gestured to the area around them. Wolfie’s ear flattened and looked embarrassed. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Warriors asked, looking in between the two.

“You can’t hear him?” Wolfie asked, as Shade shook his head.

“No! It’s just you replying to this silent prick!” Warriors replied, sending a glare over to the shade.

He hadn't forgotten his first encounter with the poe. How Time looked utterly terrified when making eye contact with it. Nor how the Shade seemed to be indifferent until they mentioned Twilight. Even now this ‘Shade’ seemed far more expressive than their previous encounter.

“You’ve actually met him before?” Wolfie asked, shooting a look at Shade.

“Yeah, he’s the one who pointed us to you,” Warriors said, pausing to look over at Wolfie, “So what was it saying?”

“Well-” Wolfie stopped and looked over at Shade, a small whine of confusion able to be heard.

Warriors look over at the Shade, seeing it raise its hand and signing out:

(I was telling him to take better care of himself)

Wolfie’s ears perked with interest as Warriors responded, “Wait you can sign? Then what was all of that cryptic pointing and glaring at Time shit?”

At the mention of Time, Shade’s hands clenched tightly mid-sign before relaxing and continuing, “(I… have my reasons for doing what I do)”

“You sure about that?” Wolfie innocently asked, which would've worked if not for the hard stare he was giving the poe.

If looks could kill, Shade would be 6 feet in the ground. Warriors was wondering what Shade was saying that was earning him that look.

“Another thing!” Warriors once again drew the twos attention from the staring contest, “Why is it you have Old Man’s helmet? Are you the original owner of it or something?”

The lion could actually see amusement in the red eye, “(Why do YOU think I have it…. Captain?)

Warriors’ blue eyes were blown wide open as Wolfie looked between the two confused. Shade had just used his ‘sign name’, something that very few people knew and even fewer used it. 

He thought back to those in his world and who helped him in the war. This poe was recognized by Wolfie so he must be attached to this world somehow. That ruled out a good chunk of his allies, leaving only two people- well Links- that it could be that used his sign name.

“No way…” Warriors found himself sitting down, “Time?!”

“(It has been some time since I was referred to as such)”

“Wait what?” Wolfie looked between the two, his voice no longer having the distorted effect, “What’s going on? How do you know who he is?”

“He used my sign name, not many people use it even today,” Warriors looked at the poe, “I’m surprised he remembers it with how…. Old he looks,”

“(You are not surprised by this.)” Shade noted.

“Well… yeah,” Warriors sighed, wishing he could scratch the back of his head, “Twilight kinda told me that he met Time- well- YOU during his adventure. That idea expanded when Twilight freaked out towards your Stalfos form. I wasn't expecting to see you so…”

“(Dead?)”

“Yeah.. that,” Warriors said noting how Wolfie flinched, “You signing would have been useful for leading us Twilight rather than this prick,”

Warriors looked at Wolfie who was avoiding looking at Shade with all his might. His ears were completely flat as he took to using his other paw to fiddle with the manacle around his leg.

“(I showed you the way to Twilight)” Shade casually looked at Wolfie, who now looked panicked.

Warriors frowned, right about to say something as the pieces fell into place. The matching scars on the left arm, the matching tattoos, even the ear piercings. The refusal to answer his questions all made sense. How did he not notice that Wolfie and Twilight sounded and acted so similar to each other?

“Holy fuck. You’re Twilight,” Warriors said it like it was a statement, as Wolfie’s head snapped towards him.

“What? No-” Wolfie looked to Shade, “Back me up here!” 

Shade lifted both of his hands up, apparently saying something that Wolfie did not like as he growled.

Warrior grinned, “You're totally him!”

“No-” Wolfie tried to refuse, as he was interrupted.

“All that bravado and aloofness-” Warriors fully laughed now, “You were just trying to keep your identity a secret!”

“I just told you-” Wolfie paused, seeing Shade shake his head.

He continued, now looking defeated, “This is your fault Shade. Fine, I’m Twilight, happy now?”

“I can’t wait to tell the others,” Warriors replied smugly.

Twilight’s eyes widened with panic again as he quickly walked over, “You can’t!”

“Why can’t I?” Warriors met the panic with calmness. 

“I…” Wolfie paused, “This form of mine, isn’t from the usual magic everyone uses. I was cursed- you know that necklace I wear?”

“The one you freak out about if anyone so much as looks at it?” Warriors specified, “What about it?”

“Zant cursed me to this form, shoving that crystal into my skull,” Twilight looked down with disgust, “It’s dark magic, not very befitting of a hero,” 

“So you're worried about their reaction to you using some unconventional magic?” Warriors waited until Twilight nodded, “...Your a fucking idiot,”

“What?” Twilight tilted his head, his ears bending with gravity. 

“You’re family, why would we care about the specific magic you are using? You’ve already proven you can be trusted 20 times over,” Warriors sighed, “But fine I’ll keep it a secret for now. Who all knows about this?” 

“....Wild, Four, and Time,” Twilight responded with a sigh, “Now can we go? The others have to be wondering where we are,”

Of course those three knew, they were constantly hiding things and making excuses as to why he was gone in the first place. Warriors internally grumbled at all the blatantly obvious hints to Wolfie’s identities. Even Time’s slip up made sense now.

“Sure…. Mr. Floof Flooferton,” Warriors grinned as Twilight snarled.

“I can and will bite you,” 

“But you won’t,” Warrior looked to where Shade was only to find he had disappeared, “Where did he go?”

“Who knows?” Twilight grumbled, “He does this everytime, gives some cryptic advice before vanishing into mid air,” 

Warriors went over to the saddle, ready to pick it up again, “Well let’s just get to the others, I can’t imagine how hangry they are,”

“We will find out soon enough,” Twilight grabbed the reins of the Bullbo, once again continuing to lead them back to the Cave of Ordeals.

[starrylayle]

Marauders headcanons — Remus Lupin

Ok so, I’ve been seeing a lot of controversy surrounding the fanonization of the marauders era characters,, and while they’re in no way problematic per se, I’m more interested in headcanons that expand on canon characterization, so here’s a few of my personal headcanons:

5'10 -- quite thin, terrible posture

I imagine that Remus was quite strong despite his thin stature, possibly due to his werewolfness. We know from the books that Remus was able to contain sirius when he was in fits of anger, despite previous description of him as thin and frail.

Remus hates his strength, he is terrified of what he may or may not be able to do. He always tries to compensate for this, trying to be mellow, patient and doing his very best not to succumb to his anger. He thinks the anger comes from ‘the wolf’ and not him, so he does all he can to suppress it.

He is a very angry man tho — he just tries to suppress it, coming off as patient and mellow.

I also picture Remus from a poor background — I think that is mostly canon anyhow — he always tries to compensate for this by speaking speaking as posh as he can, dressing presentable, etc, etc. He doesn’t quite succeed in this tho and ends up coming off as a little awkward and stilted.

Ok now a little bit of projecting with something that’s definitely not canon but I think really fits into his character — he has OCD. Most of his intrusive thoughts contain him hurting his loved one as a werewolf, because he’s a werewolf, etc, etc. idk if this is common knowledge or not but a lot of ppl who have ocd (like me), when they’re met with these violent intrusive though perform obsessive rituals as a way to ‘counter act’ these thoughts from becoming real. So I imagine Remus is always mumbling to himself and doing repetitive tasks/gestures that no one really takes notice of except Sirius, who just assumes he’s being his quirky self.

Remus grew up pretty isolated, and when he did interact with ppl it was mostly with older adults so he doesn’t really know how to communicate with kids his age until he gets to hogwarts

I hc that his dad left shortly after Remus was bit (Lyall couldn’t stand the guilt and the hurt of having a werewolf as a son), so Remus grew up with a muggle mother who had no idea how to handle his wizard/werewolfness so he was being constantly hospitalised as a kid. His mother was also a little afraid of him and even tho Remus knew she loved him very much, he knew she didn’t quite know what to do with him. Also I imagine that his mum mental health slowly deteriorated after his father left so she was bed ridden quite a lot.

He loved reading and listening to music (could be a bit of a snob when it came to those two interests) as that’s how he used fill his void as a child. I really like the dyslexia hc that atyd had tho so maybe if he didn’t learn to read till hogwarts, he would spend most of his childhood in small isolated corners dreaming up worlds — and when he finally learnt to read that was his substitute.

Remus Lupin was not naturally smart,, but he never thought he’d be able to get into hogwarts and so he feels like he kinda owes it to himself to get good grades. Thus he studies so hard, way harder than sirius or James ever would have to, yet he doesn’t ever get quite as good as them. He is a little bit jealous but he would never hold that against them because he’s so grateful that he was even granted such an opportunity.

He feels like he doesn’t deserve friends as good as the marauders and has a huge inferiority complex. He keeps to himself and always tries to keep his issues away from his friends so as not to burden them.

He can be sarcastic tho, and has dry wit. He doesn’t think he’s very funny and always gets surprised when ppl laugh at his joke. He can also have a bit of dark humour at times.

He blindly trusts and idolises dumbledore. He thinks he owes his life to him, and would do whatever he could to please dumbledore.

During The Prank, he didn’t actually think he would kill Snape, probably just bite him, but for him a fate as a werewolf is much worse than death so he hates sirius for allowing that to happen. (In canon — it is stated that werewolves don’t often kill ppl — they usually just injure them or bite them into becoming one). Tho of course he forgives sirius eventually despite his better judgement, because he could never hold a grudge, especially against one of his closest friends (or lover…).

Appearance-wise, I hc Remus to be biracial. His mum is a Black woman from London and his dad is a Jewish Welsh man. he has light brown skin and eyes, a wide crooked nose broken from his nights in the full moon, and 3a-3b dark brown curls. I also imagine Lily to be from a Jewish background so I like to think that she would introduce Remus to Jewish traditions he felt that he’s been left out from — oh and speaking of which, Remus and Lily have a very special friendship!!

Also on appearance — i imagine that he’s super average looking. Like literally just some guy — sirius however thinks he’s so hot and that the sun shines out of his ass (no one gets it))

Remus with chronic pain + mobility aids. I think that lycanthropy being used as a metaphor for disability and such is quite common, and reasonably so.

Oh yeah, and this probably goes without saying,, he’s like, super gay. And in love with sirius. His marriage to tonks was one of convenience lol. (Again, just my headcanon!!)

Oop this was super long and ramble-y. Let me know if u enjoyed it and if u have any similar hcs! Prolly gonna do sirius next because that man is super mischaracterised in fanon holy shit.

[endclover]

TRUST ISSUES - Grian x Reader

Warnings: Angsty (kind of), blood, wounds and injuries, wild animals (wolves), and of course death.

Note: This is based on The Life Series and can be read as part of any season. Grian has wings and Reader is allies with Cleo.

My first mcyt fic!! English isnt my first language so i'd appreciate if you stay kind ♡. Might make a part 2, most likely not though.

A small gasp escapes your mouth, the sting of the cold air coming in contact with your wounded thighs was slowly getting to you. Not only that, dusk was slowly creeping in and night in the mountains wasn’t a fun time.

“I’m serious! please just cooperate will ya’. I’m carrying you back home whether you like it or not.” Grian kept on insisting

“I told you I don’t want to!” You weren’t quite sure how to tell him, that your crippling anxiety and trust issues simply don’t trust him enough to not drop you a hundred miles up in the sky.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared of heights” He questioned in disbelief

“Am not” You defended

“Then why wont you just let me fly you home?”

“Its just-” You wanted to trust him. But after all that’s happened, you don’t think its possible anymore. And to put yourself in such a vulnerable place is asking for a death wish.

“Do you not trust me?”

Silence befell upon the two of you. Your heartbeat was racing, trying to supply your body with the blood it need that was constantly being loss due to the huge scratch that was causing you excruciating pain.

The whisper of the wind filled the surrounding area, along with the hum of leaves and snow. You looked at Grian in the eyes, and you knew he understood what your silence meant.

"Well then, I’ll be off to hunt." You said, putting on your boots

"Be back before night; they might be around. And try to only go after passive creatures, you know how wild animals can be" Cleo advised

"Alright, alright." You wave, making your way out the front door.

~

You were halfway up the mountain when you realized you'd forgotten to bring a shield.

"Oh well, already up here, might as well continue," you sighed.

Little did you know that letting that slip would cause a catastrophe.

~

You extended your arm to fire another arrow. You preferred to hunt from a distance, seeing as you haven’t got a shield to protect yourself. You reach to your waist, where the pouch containing all your arrows was, but to your surprise, there was none left. What an unlucky day you whine to yourself after coming to the conclusion you didn’t refill it the last time you foraged.

After getting over your mistake, you approach your now-dead target to get the resources you needed. You reach down to grab the miss-shot arrow by its side in case you might need it again, and as you do, lurking behind you was a pack of hungry wolves looking for their dinner.

In the snowy alp you were in, the song of the snow and occasional rustling of leaves is all there was to hear, so the low growl and sound of steps were definitely noticeable, but you weren’t able to react quick enough.

As you turn around to the woods, a wolf pounced on you. The wild animal’s claw dug into your thighs; it retracted its paw, making the scratch bigger than it already is almost reaching up to your knees.

You skillfully draw your sword, swinging it across the wolf’s chest giving you time to get back on your feet and retreat. But the rest of the wolves wouldn’t let you get away so easily.

As fast as you could, you ran to the woods to hide. You knew it’d be damn near impossible to make the wolves lose track of you because of their unmatched sense of smell, plus the trail of blood your leaving but you had to try. You can’t die a coward.

The rest of the pack swiftly chase after you, their large paws leaving prints on the ground, their claws and fangs ready to attack.

A smaller but faster wolf got to you, but after slashing it with your sword it backed-out. Soon after, the rest of the unfriendly gang retreated after discerning that you weren’t such an easy target.

You didn’t want to take any chances so you continued to run, the adrenaline in your blood was pumping making the wound barely noticeable but soon enough it started aching. the unbearable snowy terrain made it more and more difficult to run, and the possibility of running into another wild animal made you anxious. There was no decision or choice to be made, however. The only correct answer was to run.

~

After figuring you had gotten pretty far from the scene of injury, you stopped to catch your breath. Near a cliffside you took a seat, weapon still in- hand, just in case.

You heaved out a big sigh and closed your eyes for a while. Moments after, you regained a bit of energy and stood up, though your legs weren’t quite ready to walk. You turned your head to look back at the forest, where you saw a figure in the distance.

‘huh… didn’t know hallucinations were a side effect of wounds.' You whisper to yourself.

"Hey [reader]! "Is that you?" A familiar voiced called out. the figure now running towards you. Once again the adrenaline started kicking in. Surely, they aren’t here to kill you.

In the cruel game you were in, it was every player for themselves. Past friendships were barely taken into consideration and if they were, most of the time it would end in betrayal. With only a few hours left before you turn red, you too were starting to get desperate.

“What happened here? are you alright?” He said, wings drooped down. He tried to approach you further, taking small steps to where you were stood.

“No! don’t get any closer.” You step back, using your bad leg accidentally, causing you to whimper.

“It’s alright, I wont hurt you. I’m only here to help.” he claimed

You sneered to yourself. After all the deaths he directly and indirectly caused, it was quite reasonable for you to be wary of him. But your brief alliance and agreement during the start of this world made you ponder if he means the truth.

“Ah that looks bad; you’re losing too much blood.”

“Yeah, obviously.”

“Come on, I’ll fly you back.”

You were stunned by his words, and shocked at how much he thinks you trust him. For him to fly you home, to bring you up in the sky, hundreds above the ground, is basically giving him the opportunity to drop you and gain more for himself.

“I’d rather bleed to death, thank you.” you said in a monotone voice.

“I’m serious.”

You cant help but take a step back despite having a cliff behind you. “You have it wrong Grian, I am not afraid of heights, nor am I afraid of anything.”

“I am too.”

”Well, I think I’d rather have you be upset about heights than have you dead. So stay still because I’m carrying you back.” Grian said, moving forward and reaching over to grab hold of you.

“Then what’s all the fuss about?”

The moment you’ve been dreading, to tell him four simple words ‘I don’t trust you’. This game is one man for themself. No feelings or emotions have to be taken into consideration, and all relationships are out the door, yet you cant help but be disheartened to tell him the truth.

“Its- Its just…” You cant find the words, a thousand voices are speaking in your head yet the one you have doesn’t have anything to say.

“Do you not trust me?”

“…”

“If you stay here, you have zero chances of getting out alive. If you go with me, at least there’s still a slither of hope.”

“With the way you say it, you make sound so easy.”

“I just want to help. And to put justice to the agreement we made at the beginning”

You recall the start of this world, where all the worries of death are far, and alliances are being built. Now’s the complete opposite.

“Grian, this game is life or death. Trust is more rare than diamonds you should remember.” you murmur.

“And more valuable. I know with all the disasters and chaos I’ve caused, its hard to trust me. But just this once please let me help. After this, we owe each other nothing.”

You couldn’t keep up the facade you were putting on. You knew you needed help, and you were willing to trust him. ‘Just this once’ you promise yourself knowing damn well it won’t the last.

[cloudycaffeinatedcryptid]

If each of the counselors got into a one on one fight with a bear, who would win? Assume it's at camp and they only have access to what's present in Hackett's Quarry

oh lets get INTO it. thank you! i love this (disclaimer: i do not condone violence against animals, unless they are a slimy boy named nicholas furcillo. thank you)

Abi is out of the game immediately. i love her, but she has less than zero logic when it comes to local wildlife. she's mauled. instantly. Nick,,,, Nick's a runner. i feel like he would try to run away & also incites such a Violent Rage in anything nearby that the bear needs to eat him. this isn't personal, i just know SMG wolfed Nick early in the game bc he stands no chance against any opponent otherwise. so the lovebirds are out

Dylan,,,, look, i love Dylan & he is Tall but i just do not trust him not to scream & cower. HOWEVER if he got his twinky little hand(s) on the blowtorch from the scrapyard, i trust his speed enough to think he stands an okay chance there. set that mf bear on fire. that's my boy

Emma? Emma??? this is the same 5-ft-fuck-around-&-find-out girl who has the opportunities to taser, bear spray, & sparta kick a werewolf (& an old man!) so honestly, i'm not worried about her. she has the taser, she prolly has a gun, i kind of feel bad for the bear :/

sweet Jacob has one of the guns & absolutely misses his shot, even tho the bear is right there, so he screams, tries to make himself bigger, & hits the bear with the gun. i can't say this would work out well for him in the long one, i do unfortunately think this round goes to the bear, but it's a good effort 👍good work king

Laura bodies the bear, no question. she's the terminator

Ryan can be a bit jumpy with the gun, but he has decent aim, so i suppose this fully defends on who can aim a kill shot first. if Ryan hesitates, he's done for, but if he gets a good shot in, i think our man has a fighting chance. for the most part.

the love of my life, Kaitlyn, is having no issues here either. wild animal? check. gun? check. permission to kill? she's good. unless she has one of her helpless moments that don't make a ton of sense in game but do happen, & drops her gun or something. but she's small & quick, so i feel like she has good chance to stay out of range & just keep hammering the bear with shots until it's enough to drop it. persistence, baby!!

*sweating* so,,,, Max. um. listen. lis- hey, i know. i know, i love him too. i love him, but we've all met the guy, yeah? he's not,,, he doesn't really,,,, *sweats harder* Laura how did you get in my- *gunshot*

Max is fine. Max does fine. He does absolutely fantastic against the bear and we're all so impressed and proud of him. Thank you.

[jupiterwrites99]

You're On Your Own, Kid -- 13

Trust Issues

A/N: Short and Sweet to build up for the next one

“How’d you find me?” She asked hesitantly, she couldn’t hear the others but if he had found her, they must not be too far. It had been five days since she had run from the Uleys cottage, and Sage had no plans on returning. She was trying to find her way back to Josh’s house from memory, though it was taking longer than expected.

“That doesn’t matter right now.” The man grumbled as he crossed his arms. Whether he meant to intimidate her or not, it was certainly working. “You need to come home.”

Sage scoffed, “Yeah, no thanks.”

There was no way she was going back there without a fight, which is exactly what she was prepared to do. Sage had enough self respect to not stick around where she wasn’t wanted and clearly, Sam did not want her in his pack if he was willing to shove her out like a misbehaving dog. The words he had used to describe her echoing in her mind. 

“Do you have any idea what you're putting Paul through right now?” Jacob argued, and her heart sank. Of course she did, she felt all of it. It's not like he cared what she was going through, if he did, she left enough of a trail for him to find her. If he was the one that had run away, she would’ve found him already. It's been five days, and nothing. No sign of her mate.

“He started it! He doesn’t want me…No one wanted me there, so I left. I made it easier for everyone else.” She exclaimed, the more she thought about the more upset she became. Maybe she was a runt after all and that's why Paul didn’t want her. Sage was spiralling and she knew it.

Jacob shook his head in disbelief, “He’s in love with you, Sage.”

“I saw him with your sister.”  The younger wolf pointed out. The image of them looking real cosy with each other crossed her mind. She tried to control the small ripple of betrayal she felt, like it never left her.

“That's what set you off.” A look of realisation hit Jacobs eyes, before taking a step closer to the she wolf, his hand held forward with his palm up. A sign that he wasn’t going to hurt her. “Sage, he doesn’t love Rachel, he never has. Paul broke her heart,  a lot, but she did it to herself by not leaving when he told her to go. “

Sage furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. His explanation lined up with Pauls, but it still didn’t make sense why he went to see his ex, “So why did he go see her then? He told me he had work.”

“I don’t know, you’ll have to ask him that but you are the only thing that he truly cares about. It's time to come back now.” Jacob coaxed, and Sage could feel his desperation, so much so that she wondered if Paul or Sam sent him to find her. He was the one that got her in trouble, maybe they thought he could bring her back by making amends. Though in her mind, they already have. He apologised when he came out to talk to her that night.

“I can’t.”Sage shook her head. She had been a part of a corrupt pack her entire life. One that was quick to banish those who dared to defy the Alpha, or worse. She didn’t want to be subject to that hierarchy again. “I won’t be a part of Sam's pack, not even for Paul.”

“Why not?” Jacob asked. Sage admired his genuine question. The older wolf seemed to be the only one who cared, who even bothered to ask why. Paul and Sam just assumed she wanted to be in their pack because of the imprint, she never asked and now that Sam had shown his true thoughts of the w

Sage shifted uncomfortably, “He said I was dangerous, and I’m not.” She watched as Jacob opened his mouth to speak, and interrupted him quickly, not wanting him to agree with Sam, “That's not me!”

“Sage,” He spoke softly as the tears formed in her eyes. She wasn’t dangerous, not on purpose at least. She knew she needed to control her wolf better, but that was the only thing keeping her sane when everyone turned against her former pack. That's all she has.

Jacob wrapped his arms around the younger girl in a hug and she quickly tried to push him away, not used to the gentle kindness,“No!” She gave up quickly as he held on to her, “I spent my entire life feeling like I didn't belong in my pack, my family. I won’t do it again. I don’t agree with Sam, I won’t follow him.”

“I have a solution.” Jacob told her softly, asking,  “Do you trust me?”