#also magic is a reference to puff the magic dragon!!!

[yuurei20]

How do you think Idia got his unique magic? Does it say if he was born with it or something, or was it inevitable he would get that specific unique magic? Is it possible to be born with a unique magic in the first place?

Hello hello! Thank you for this question!

Idia says that people born into the Shroud family all have the same unique magic!

A part of Idia's issues is how so much of his life has been decided on his behalf and there is nothing he can do to change his fate no matter what he does, so I think you are right and it was inevitable that one day "Gate to Underworld" would manifest! (Does this mean that every member of the Shroud family is guaranteed to be a mage? Interesting~)

I like your phrasing very much! Does "this unique magic was inevitable" equate to being born with a unique magic?

From what we have seen in the game and the second novel: I think so!

Both game-Leona and novel-Leona comment on how he was born with a unique magic that he never actually wanted.

Novel-Leona goes into more detail with the scorn he received back home due to the misconception that you have to desire and work towards a specific form of unique magic if it is to manifest, which isn't true at all:

"Unique magic that is inherited at birth has nothing to do with the person’s will, but humans wrapped up in their own superstitions are ignorant to common sense. Or maybe they think this is a power that I desired, and fought to obtain." - Leona in Twst the Second Novel

To answer the questions: Idia's unique magic passes down through the Shroud bloodline, so I believe it is safe to say that he was born with Gate to Underworld!

And it does seem possible to be born with a unique magic, as Leona explains, directly. (It is intersting that both characters also have parallel family issues: both of them born into elite families and trapped in roles they want to move beyond, but can't. In addition to their other various similarities)

But this might not mean that baby-Idia was opening and closing the door to the underworld while baby-Leona was turning people to sand!

It is possible that their respective unique magics manifested at whatever age they were when their magic itself made itself known.

As for what age that might have been: I think it has yet to be confirmed how old mages generally are when their magic starts to appear!

Riddle says that he was receiving special training in magic from the age of three, but Riddle is a special case and probably not a good frame of reference for what is "normal" in this universe.

Deuce mentions using magic in middle school, but in Azul's flashback we learn that he was experimenting with magic and spells from an even younger age: while removed from EN, the passage of time between Azul studying spells and sigils and getting control of "It's a Deal" are denoted via the labels "Child Azul" and "Middle School Azul."

The age at which your magic appears might just vary by person! If earlier manifestation = stronger magic, it might actually be possible that Idia and Leona were using magic as children. But one thing seems consistent: whether Riddle or Deuce, it seems that there are generally several years in between a mage coming into their magic and their unique magic manifesting. (But does this also apply to mages who are born with their unique magics, or do they have theirs from the start? Uncertain!)

What might be still vague is how this applies to faeries!

Malleus says that he lives and breathes magic, but according to Lilia Sebek's magic manifested late, with even Silver becoming capable of using magic before Sebek could.

This might mean that faeries, too, have a period of their lives before they become capable of using magic, but it also might just be an effect of Sebek being half human--I am not sure it has been confirmed as of this post!

Lilia mentions Malleus emitting puffs of flame as a baby, but this may be less a "magical infant" situation and more a "that is a dragon" situation.

Malleus himself explains that he once froze nearly the entire castle in which he lived, "back when (he'd) finally started walking on two legs," so it seems that he was wielding magic from very early on!

[diamondcrownacademy]

DCA Info Part 66: Dorm Leader 3rd Edition Redesigns (Part 2)

View Part 1

Much like their Dorm Fairy companions, the girls also got redesigned! The reason being is that Phoenix felt she was making them look to simple. So she chose to once again redesign them, only this time, designing them to cater more to their preferences and personalities, as well as matching the aesthetics of each Disney Princesses' respective movies.

📚 Rozeline Pierrette

Rozeline's new ensemble was created to represent both Belle and Beast. As well as being an ensemble that looks conservative or old school, not caring for aesthetic outfits and just picked an old pattern from the dress book. Her now unkempt hair is dark brown with a single white streak.

Rozeline's ensemble consists of a muted navy blue long puff sleeve bolero jacket with gold trim with the collar having gold circular roses and the sleeves having white cuffs. She also wears a yellow maxi skirt with muted navy blue and gold trim. For footwear, Rozeline wears a pair of black and white heeled Oxford shoes with gray leggings.

Rozeline accessorizes with a black veil that covers her eyes attached to a muted navy blue bonnet with gold trim, pale yellow roses and black horns, a white ruffle tie, a pale yellow rose brooch with a muted yellow gem brooch in the center and pale tan ribbon with gold trim, a gold belt with ribbon detailing, black gloves and a muted gold crown ring with a yellow jewel on her right index finger.

🏝️ Vidya Nazari

Vidya's ensemble is meant to be a fusion of both Aladdin and Jasmine's respective ensembles, with the top portion taking inspiration from Aladdin's Prince Ali persona. The purple sash was a gift from Kalim and not only serves as a reference to the Magic Carpet, but also reference Kalim's hometown.

Vidya's ensemble consists of a black tunic worn underneath a bedlah top with off-the-shoulder straps with gold accents and matching salwar pants with a gold V-shaped waistline with an opening below the knees and gold trim. For footwear, Vidya wears a pair of curled shoes that are muted navy and feature gold soles and accents.

Vidya accessorizes with a pale gold tiara with a blue diamond-shaped jewel in the center, a pair of blue diamond shaped jewel earrings, a gold choker with blue diamonds, gold shoulder pads with hanging gold threads with a blue diamond brooch in the center, a gold bracelet with blue diamond jewels, a purple sash with floral and swirl designs and gold trim, a gold waist chain with blue diamonds, gold rings above her shoes and a pale gold crown ring with a blue jewel on her left index finger.

🐲 Jinlong Esi

Jinlong received a very notable redesign, now resembling more of an eastern dragon while also possessing turquoise horns, off red nails, three pointed toes with red claws, and a red tail with teal spikes and gold underbelly, the tail also has copper colored fluff at the tip. Jinlong's hair is now in a single ponytail.

Jinlong's ensemble consists of a navy blue martial arts tunic with gold trim, a maroon collar with teal circular gems attached to gold tassels and maroon cuffs with gold detailing. Underneath the tunic is a pair of blue-green pants with gold trim. For footwear, Jinlong sports a pair of navy blue sandals with maroon detailing and straps.

Jinlong accessorizes with a teal earring on her left ear, a pair of oversized turquoise bracelets, a maroon belt with gold trim and designs with a large circular gold brooch with a turquoise gem embedded in the center, and a gold crown ring with a maroon jewel on her right index finger.

🐻 Elu Sorrel

Elu has a slightly more muscular physique due to being a hunter while her ensemble looking more modern and much like Allison and Jinlong, offering more mobility. To avoid making her look to similar to Leona, Elu's braids were moved to be around her ears (though not shown in the picture above).

Elu's ensemble consists of a tan sleeveless turtleneck tunic with baggy pants that include fringes worn underneath what appears to be a brown corset with the bottom having fringes and a dark teal corset with various pale red diamond details and pale red threads. For footwear, Elu wears a pair of light tan boots with teal and white straps and fringes near one of the ends.

Elu accessorizes with a brown cloak with a white trimmed fur hood with the bottom featuring a teal and red diamond design and fringes, a pair of gold goggles, pale red arm bands with teal beads, a brown necklace with red and teal beads with a brown brooch with an orange gem embedded inside and teal, white, red feathers with red beads, brown gloves and a pale gold crown ring with an orange jewel on her left index finger.

🐸 Perrine Bousquet

Perrine ensemble bears some resemblance to the flapper dress that Tiana wears at the end of The Princess and the Frog, while also wanting to match the aesthetics of the 1920s. Perrine's hair is now a golden blonde curly bob cut and she now has green eyeshadow.

Perrine's ensemble consists of an off white green tinted blouse worn underneath a pastel green dress with the top portion resembling a blazer, with green lapels and cuffs. For footwear, Perrine wears a pair of green pumps, a style popular with working women in the 1920s as they featured minimal decorations and were less expensive than trendy strap shoes or lattice pumps.

Perrine accessorizes with a green cloche hat with a light green satin ribbon with a yellow flower with green leaves and a green circular gem in the center, a silver necklace with a green gem pendant, a yellow flower brooch with green leaves and a vine as well as a silver circular brooch with floral detailing and a circular green gem in the center, a pair of pastel green gloves and a silver crown ring with a green jewel on her left index finger.

[kitkatscabinet]

big get fucked to J.K Rowling and any transphobes I in no way support her. I do not read the books/watch the movies/buy the merch. Her opinions and lots of what she wrote is trash

Harry Potter Au but it's during the timeline of the books.

This ended up being way fucking longer than I thought so:

Aegon is in Harry's year. Aemond is a first year when they're in 4th year and Jace joins Hogwarts a year after Aemond.

Contains hcs for Aemond's and Jace's first year and Aegon's 4th.

(Helaena is a ravenclaw and a year younger than Aegon)

Aemond:

We all saw it coming but he's a Slytherin. Pureblood, comes from one of the most prestigious magical families in history.

He longs to uphold the family line/tradition and is both incredibly cunning and ambitious. While yes he's very intelligent, he learns to further his own goals and standing so it's a no brainer really

Aemond is a true loner. he has no friends even within his own house. the children his age are hardly representative of what their house should be and he thinks many of them to be sheep.

The Targaryen's did not fight for voldemort, Viserys' first wife was a halfblood after all. The Hightower's however, while not openly, did support his regime from the shadows.

It's during the first task of the Triwizard tournament that he bumps into an overly friendly fourth-year Hufflepuff.

she thinks he's just the cutest little thing and when she notices how much he brightens when he sees the dragons she asks if he likes them

Aemond ends up ranting at her for three hours before he realises what he's done. but she doesn't seem mad. In fact she thanks him and leans down to kiss his cheek.

from there he starts to see her everywhere, and everytime she sees him she'll talk to him.

he spends hours discussing everything from magical regulation laws to how he's adjusting to hogwarts.

she's the kindest, prettiest, smartest and funniest woman in the entire world he quickly decides.

one of the older boys confronts him about spending so much time with a puff, and even worse, a mudblood.

Aemond is a little distraught and confused. He didn't buy into the same prejudices as most of his housemates but still, muggleborns weren't as strong or wise as purebloods.

But... you were. You were quick-witted, and fierce and hardworking.

He thinks you're more of a dragon than his father

he pulls away a little and you give him space, but not before letting him know you'll always be available

Aemond's forgotten what it's like to be lonely and decides he cares little for it.

sits next to you for breakfast one morning and you are over the moon, introducing him to all your other friends who all fawn over him.

he sees you cry for the first time when Diggory dies. You try to hide your sorrow from him but he refuses to leave your side.

This is when he vows to get strong enough to be your protector, to be worthy enough for you.

Voldemort is back and you're one of his causes targets, he wont let anything happen to you.

Jace:

Gryffindor. The picture of chivalry.

He's a year younger than Aemond and quickly becomes one of Mcgonnagall (I forgot how to spell her name) favourites because he's so polite and well mannered.

he is still a lion though and has earned himself plenty of detentions for punching bigoted slytherins.

his mother has tried to claim him as a pureblood but everyone knows he's a halfblood.

While jace doesn't care about blood status so much, he does care about the implications it has on his mother.

he's popular with both students and teachers

gets lost in the first week of school and runs into a very pretty Ravenclaw first year who's also late because they spent too long in the library

it's love at first sight, especially when she tells Flitwick that she had gotten lost and Jace had helped her.

he's James potter if James wasn't a fuckin twat.

some of the staff refer to the two of you as the next James and lily but truthfully Mcgonnagall knows you're closer to being the second coming of a polite James and a studious Sirius

he's far more courteous though, and while he's the farthest thing from smooth when he actually does have feelings it's kind of endearing.

study dates (he can't wait until you can both go to hogsmeade).

it only takes him half a year before he writes his mother to beg her to let you stay during the holidays.

The two of you are attached at the hip and many of the staff are genuinely dismayed when your houses have classes apart. Not as dismayed as you and Jace though.

You've already planned out your future electives so you can have as many classes as possible together.

his mother likes you very much, but you and Daemon and seem to hate each other.

you are always competing with his step father, throwing snarky comments and trying to outdo the other.

Anyone that thinks its ridiculous Daemon had picked a nemesis in an 11 year old very wisely keeps that thought to themselves.

Well that is, after some pureblood on the lower end of the social hierarchy had said so at the latest ball and you had hexed him beyond recognition.

Screaming that only you could say such things about Daemon.

"I thought you hated Daemon???" "Why would you think that? I love Daemon more than I love you"

Jace becomes insanely studious after that harsh blow. he also begins training to join the quidditch team. Something that Daemon hadn't been on.

Aegon:

Genuinely the hardest to choose a house for. but he's a Gryffindor as well. If just for the fact he is none of the other three.

Aegon wants to distance himself from his family

But he has the potential to be brave and chivalrous, the hat has placed him exactly where he needs to be. Alicent (ravenclaw) is less than pleased but Viserys is delighted he's taking after Rhaenyra

he in 4th year with Harry and is only the second biggest pariah at the school because of the triwizard situation.

he has no friends. He's known as the biggest twat in the school

the twins are the only ones that like him, they're oddly perceptive to how Aegin really feels and it freaks him out.

Oh and that one girl that's somehow in all his classes, is always in the common room when he's there and almost always eats with him, even though she's super popular and has lots of friends.

she's a chaser on the quidditch team, gets along well with the so called 'golden trio' and is the perfect mix of daring, precocious and charming that all the teachers seem to love her.

she's so perfect it pisses him off, and it seems that no matter what he says or does she's sticking around.

she's a half blood, not that Aegon cares. but he knows grandfather will, and for that he tolerates her presence

(it's not because he's lonely and she actually pays attention to him, sees him for him)

his house members sneer that he doesn't belong.

Aegon knows this, but he also knows he belongs even less in all the other houses. A complete outsider everywhere he goes.

he's used to hearing such sentiments.

so when you stand and start to screech in fury in the middle of the great hall, throwing food, insults and hexes at every person that had every badmouthed him before the teachers could intervene

you lost an insane amount of house points as well as 'friends' and social standing as well as gained detention for the rest of the year

but you had officially gained one positive thing that nearly nobody else had. Aegon's love

and even if you hadn't you would still do it again.

[chilly-weirdo-in-a-tomb]

Alecto Prediction #2

John refers to Pyrrha, Paul, and Pash as “Peter, Paul, and Mary”. He also asks them to sing Puff the Magic Dragon.

[foxyverserambles]

Ori, Elly n Zhn rambles

CW: Buncha stuff honestly. Mentions of death/killing/poisoning idk In general this is about the edgiest thing I've written in a WHILE and I am unapologetic about it.

So like.

CW: Cringe.

Zhn met Oriana when she was already really deep into the brainwashing, to the point where she'd drink poison without flinching.

The point of the poison was numbing people's emotions on the job, Ori's dose was especially big because she's very emotional and also she had to literally kill people on the fly so they couldn't afford her hesitating.

Except uh. Ori's magic handling? Bad. This is both for her using magic and people using magic on her. Especially when it came to her mind. They gave her a dose that was way too high so Oriana was very much losing herself.

Supposedly they gave antidotes to people after missions but with Oriana being the only human and frankly them not caring, it absolutely wasn't enough.

Zhn, whose doses of poison was much smaller (and frankly, too small to even have an effect on him), started giving her his dose of antidote. It wasn't enough to undo the effects but it was a start.

Being the only dragon and human, they were both outcast. Zhn convinced Ori they should watch each other's backs because of this. Ori had been told she was below everyone else and even if Zhn was "just a dragon", he was part of "everyone else". So she agreed.

Still, being treated with humanely was a nice change of pace that helped Ori regain some of her. Well. Humanity.

Elly's not very relevant in their story, but considering Ori was, according to everyone, Elly's pet. She uh. Was "let know" Zhn was socializing "too much" with Ori.

Elly was very much against Ori being referred as anyone's pet but she knew it was for her safety (Mostly because Anastasia's a freak, more on that some other time). So she started "watching over" Ori and Zhn, which resulted in her growing close to the dragon.

They weren't friends.

But compared to everyone else... their company was almost pleasant.

How did Zhn fall for Ori? How could he not?

So bright, in both personality and intellect, even while treated as a mere pet and deprived of her senses for hours on end, letting her thoughts wear on her. She gives her whole self to everything she does, even if it puts her at risk. She wears her heart on her sleeve. She covers her mouth when she laughs, she puffs one cheek when she's upset. She sings songs from another world, shrugging off their meaning, as she walks around town pretending to lead a normal life. Kind without a hint of hypocrisy, beyond the regret of the cards she's been dealt.

She stares at the stars for way too long and sometimes for only a second he can see life in those empty eyes.

How could he not want to bring life back to them? Whether he loved her or not, she deserved better than this hell.

Ori initially responding "Me too" to Zhn's "I love you" because she thought he was just joking.

He loved that about her too.

It was awkward. And almost a bit too upsetting.

Zhn went into this knowing he'd be rejected but hearing Oriana so easily dismiss her value as a person, her deserving of love, was enough to drive him to find a way to get her away from the mill.

Well.

We all know how that went.

[private-bryan]

as i promised, i'm in your inbox asking about your easter eggs/inside jokes/references from your writing that you want to share! i love to share my own, and love to hear about other writers'.

and, in somewhat the same vein, what are some things you've included in your writing that are a private joke to yourself?

What is it with people turning my asks back on me lately 😉J/K I love it! I slip so many little bits like that in that I lose track myself, but here are some highlights:

For inside jokes, In “Charming” James sings Puff the Magic Dragon to get Anna back to sleep; this is the same song that I would sing to my kids when they were wee to do the same - and is the only song I can sing and not sound like a strangled cat. Also, in “She”, aside from the author insert with the British soldier (Gerry’s right that people from Pompey get a wee bit insulted if people think we come from ScumSouthampton), Mary and Gerry also share the same anniversary date as my wife and I (give or take 29 years).

From a wider perspective, “She” actually has a lot of little bits it - Inspector O'Hare mentioned in the news report is named after the inspector from Hope Street, a Northern Irish police procedural drama; Angela Rippon was one of the original presenters of Top Gear, which actually did air on the date the fic is set - and conveniently allowed me to do the Rippon/Ripping joke; Erin, ever the romantic but always unlucky, has her birthday the day before Valentine's day - missed it by this much… etc.

My favourite two jokes are when Shea and Sarah leave the pub to the strains of Anita Ward’s latest single, what was “Ring My Bell” - which is just what they were off to do, if you know what I mean… (*waggles eyebrows*) Also, there’s a Doctor Who reference when Orla tastes the blood - “Blood. Human blood. A positive… with just a dash of iron.”

I also quite like referencing the wider canon too - In “To Travel” James has a wee garden, as it's established in Erin's Diary that he's a talented gardener, and I thought he'd probably like to have a proper go at one when he had his own house. James saying “Right, OK, etc” when having a cack attack is a reference to him trying to use the computer in episode 1x06.

Oh, and referring to Erin’s “swishy” skirt in various places (especially "A Confederacy of Fathers). I snuck that in to tip the hat to another fanfic author, but I can’t for the life of me think who…

[velvetwarfare]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄.

𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐒 : Valentine. [ Can be professionally referred to as ‘Miss Drozdov Valentine’. ]

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 : After being tricked into signing a contract with the Overlord of Lust, Betty’s life almost immediately changed — for the worst.

Esque to a living doll on stage, Betty mains the night club - dine in performances, serving as a cabaret type of woman. On the side, her elixir business was put to ‘better’ use — mixing in love potions and other detrimental, mind altering possessions the V’s hold into her already dangerous concoctions.

A part of her adores the attention and spotlight as someone who used to be a bard known as ‘Lullaby Betty’ in her human years — but the other part is slowly going mad with being relentlessly exposed to Valentino’s toxic pheromones. These pheromones are used to control her — as Betty is aggressive and will rebel if disagreeing heavily with something.

Red smoke frequently puffs out of her mouth and nose like dragon steam due to the overabundance of it in her lungs. The pheromones also weep from her eyes, nose, and mouth depending on how much she’s consumed. It serves as a tranquilizer and renders her either bitterly calm or put into a drunken state.

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 : Her Victorian attire is traded for a wardrobe better suited for her cabaret performances.

Flashy, seductive, something to entertain the audience’s eyes with.

𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 : Betty’s blood magic is now rendered unstable due to the influence of Valentino’s typhokinesis. Using it means she’s at risk of harming her own self with her own blood weaponry. Her vertigo also makes it more troublesome to focus on constructing weaponry.

[paintedkinzy-88]

Y’all I’m finally doing references ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

I mean, kind of. I had a little bit of time to do one, so I thought I’d start with the one that’s the most confusing. XD It was a little quickly drawn, especially since I didn’t originally plan for the skeleton version, but it’s good enough to get the gist of his design! This also gives me a chance to edit some design aspects I wasn’t totally happy with, specifically Nightmare’s bones!

Please do ignore any bad bone anatomy, it’s called Magic, and I hope the noodle boi makes a lil more sense now—

Note: because this is his main ref post, I’ll likely edit his information on and off when I think of something else to add or feel I need to tweek something already here. So this will be updated as we go! (〜￣▽￣)〜

Nightmare, Guardian of Negativity

Full Dragon Form Reference

Half Dragon Form Reference (WIP)

Dragon Breath:

Negative Fog

This smokey gas enhances the negative feelings of those around them, the intensity depending on what kind of intent Nightmare puts into it. That does mean it can be nearly harmless, if properly used. It’s completely opaque, so most victims caught up in it would loose all sight, left wandering in the complete darkness. He has a slight control over its very form as well, so if he wanted to, he could open bubbles inside to keep the fog from majorly effecting specific people, or just control where it goes. Without his presence, the fog will slowly dissipate by itself.

In use, Nightmare can either allow the victims to suffer on their own, or he can further torment them himself. The complete darkness makes his white bones and eyelights stand out drastically, creating a ghostly effect. Or, using his regular shape shifting, he could also taunt them as figures they know, similar to what he did to Cross in Underverse.

Downsides: Having too much magic or not enough control can cause him to puff fog out without his intending to and/or choke on it. Alongside that, his fog only enhances the negative feelings of a person. If someone feels absolutely no negative emotions, it’s completely ineffective.

General Abilities:

• Nightmare keeps all of his usual abilities:

- General negative aura, and absorbing other’s negative emotions

- Tentacles, while not naturally formed, can still be summoned from his back

- As previously mentioned, he can still shape shift — this means traveling via shadow-like puddle as well

- Mostly immune to physical weapons, with some exceptions

• Often uses his tail like a whip to either trip people up, or slice at them.

• Though he has no wings, his claws make it extremely easy to crawl around surfaces like walls/ceilings, through trees, or even up his own bookshelves!

• He is also not against stabbing someone with the spike on his snout.

Hoard:

Due to his past of being alone and afraid most of his days, and his guilt over accidentally turning Dream to stone, Nightmare has latched onto unfortunate monsters in unfortunate circumstances with a desire (that he thoroughly ignored and denied for a very long time) to help and give them a sort of friend/family. The first of his hoard was Horror, who he found around a year after getting out of his own dead AU. Horror’s hopeless negativity drew him in like a moth to a flame, and, upon seeing the large skeleton’s struggles to keep those around him alive, Nightmare felt the need to help him, and provide him a better life.

It didn’t take long for them to find an AU with a proper home (a castle, of course, as, even if subconsciously, Nightmare knew he’d be collecting more wayward souls), and his desire to have Horror near was disguised as having the mortal work for him. Soon, he’d come to give the same deal to Dust, Killer, and Cross, all while slowly coming to accept that no, these are not just subordinates to him, and finally coming to completely relax around them all.

He also offered this deal to people like Red, Edge, Razz, Error, specific Charas and Floweys, etc, all of whom turned him down, leading Nightmare to experience the pain of not being able to hoard properly. Eventually, he does add Ccino to his hoard as well, and even Dream later on (though neither with the same “deal” as the others).

Extra Info:

• Dream is not his biological brother — they had a brother-like relationship, but neither really considered each other as such.

• Regarding his more skeletal form, this is essentially his equivalent to the others’ unsummoned ectobody look, but for a different reason. As a full dragon, Nightmare doesn’t typically have an ectobody, as his corruption creates that form for him. However, if he were to sort of retract that corruption enough, or if he was low on magic, it would reveal more of his skeletal structure. This also holds the risk of exposing more of his bones, as shown in the reference, so it’s not something he often does.

• In the Dragon Balance AU, I go by the headcanon that Nightmare’s original bones are still present rather than completely turned into the corruption. However, after eating the dark apple, the negativity essentially broke out of his bones, shattering them into very tiny pieces. The corruption is able to “glue” him together, hence why his dragon form can show off that bone in so many places, and also why he’s slightly bigger than Dream now. These many cracks are barely visible, unless you actively are looking for them (this is why I changed the color of his bones to a dark cyanish grey as well— to show that it isn’t just pure white bone). Because they are such small pieces, he’s able to shape himself however he needs, but ultimately there’s only one way all those pieces fit back together.

And yes, this does mean that he’s in constant pain. But, after centuries of dealing with it, he hardly notices anymore.

• Surprisingly enough, in all the years of their fighting, Nightmare and Dream kept their balance almost perfectly. Because of this, neither went on a dragon rampage to fix it, and thus never knew they were actual dragon shifters in the first place until the start of Tipping the Scales.

• Nightmare primarily loafs. It’s the easiest way to sleep, since he can’t lay his head down properly with the spikes on his chin. He does occasionally lay on his side though, especially when sleeping in Dream’s hoard.

[a-slut-for-smut]

ARGHHH smutty headcanons/prompts for gojohime, nanamei and sugushoko because f*ck this meeting in particular THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AN EMAIL

Gojohime

Gojo pet names for Utahime: mainly "Senpai" as he knows this is the name she likes the most

Utahime pet names for Gojo: Idiot Kouhai, whore, pretty boy, bulge king, basically any term that objectifies him sexually lol

Utahime pet names for Gojo's dong: The Behemoth (he loves this one), The Cervix Tenderizer, Sweet Meat

Gojo's favorite pastimes: annoying tf out of Utahime because he loves her reactions to him. also smashing tf out of her for same reasons XD

My Utahime's favorite pastimes: objectifying tf out of Gojo publicly. Also murdering Gojo (sexually) heheh

"Senpai..." Gojo managed to gasp out under her vicious onslaught of his mouth and neck, "...are you trying to make me nut in my f*cking pants???" He hissed under his breath so the cab driver could not hear, desperately trying to cease her grinding movements in his lap.

"No," Utahime whispered hotly in his ear, "...I'm trying to make you nut in my hot, dripping wet c*nt." Gojo groaned pathetically, almost whimpering.

"Senpai….please..." he pleaded, no, begged. Her only reply was a wicked chuckle; relishing in his agony.

Nanamei

*this is how she looks whenever she gets a text from Nanami. source: my brainrot

Nanami pet names for Mei Mei: Mei-Senpai, Mei as he respects tf out of her. In bed is a completely different story tho hehe (hint: think Urban Dictionary)

Mei Mei pet names for Nanami: Nanami-chan, Ken-Ken, Kento (altho this is shortened to Ken especially in bed when she only manage to get out one syllable XD)

Mei Mei pet names for Nanami's dong: Monsieur Baguette (he doesn't have a fondness for this name until Mei Mei starts buying the longest, thickest baguettes with extra hard crusts she can find- saying how they reminded her of him)

Nanami's favorite pastimes: Having breakfast at his favorite French bakery/cafe. Respecting tf out of Mei Mei publicly. Disrespecting tf out of Mei Mei privately (mainly in bed).

My Mei Mei's favorite pastimes: Tie/clothes shopping for Nanami. Also making him model them for her. Using lewd tactics to break Nanami's serious/professional countenance in public. Getting disrespected by Nanami in bed.

Mei Mei pressed the tea cup to her lips, musing whether if Nanami had any idea how much he could turned her on just by casually sipping on coffee and reading the newspaper at their favorite cafe. She decided to make him aware regardless.

"Hey Nanami-chan," she prompted as he took a sip from his cup. "Have you noticed how spacious the private bathrooms here are? Perfect for making a sex tape, don't you think?" Mei hid her devious smile behind her cup as Nanami spat and spattered coffee all over himself and the newspaper, coughing while shooting her a heated glare.

"Oh dear, you've made a mess!" She said mockingly as she reached over to blot the liquid off his tie. "And you're normally so put together...what ever could be the matter?"

He raised an eyebrow, the heat not leaving his eyes before finally clearing his throat. "I'm not so sure about that...considering the way I make you scream." He replied, voice low and gravelly.

Mei Mei grinned at that. "Well, your ties have always made the perfect gags, haven't they?"

Sugushoko

Suguru pet names for Shoko: Puff (for her smoking also the way he makes her roar in bed) Suguru ends up gifting his lighter to her, with personal engraving "For Puff, my magic dragon" (he purposely doesn't fill it with fluid as he actually prefers her to stop smoking)

Shoko pet names for Suguru: Psycho (affectionate), monkey brains, trash monkey

Shoko pet names for Suguru's dong: The Presidente (this is a cigar size reference, look it up hehe)

Suguru's favorite pastimes: Training to improve his sorcery and sexual prowess (in particular with Shoko). Goading Shoko to be less jaded, to show more affection (towards him especially).

My Shoko's favorite pastimes: Smoking fancy cigars on special occasions. Smoking in general (but especially when Suguru goes down on her).

Suguru grabs her wrist, whirling her back to him. "You're such a f*cking tease, you know that? Put that cigarette out now or else I’ll have to kiss your other lips instead." He orders with a smirk.

Shoko regards him calmly before shaking off his grip and seats herself on the park bench; perfectly poised. She takes a long drag, languidly blowing out smoke before she leans back and slowly uncrosses her legs; the material of her skirt riding dangerously high up her thighs.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?"

actually some of these will prob make it into my smutty, slutty fic hehe

[yanderes-galore]

Could you do hybrid headcanons for Norton and Naib (separately), please? Kind of like that dragon scenario you talked about (how they looks is up to you). Maybe their s/o is a magic user who had gotten lost and accidentally ran into them?

Alright!

The dragon concept they are referring to is here

I will start by describing what they look like then move onto behaviors.

Yandere! Dragon Hybrid! Norton and Naib Concepts/HCs

Possible Trigger Warnings: Yandere behavior such as a forced relationship, kidnapping, implied murder, possessive themes.

Dragon Hybrid! Prospector 🧲

- Dragon Hybrid! Norton is a dragon hybrid who loves to gather shiny trinkets from all over the place.

- His eyes are brown and slit like a reptile.

- Norton also dawns golden brown scales across his body from his tail to his wings.

- He also still has his usual hair.

- Since Norton's job is a miner dragon, he isn't high in status. This means his horns aren't too large. They are small and slightly curved like a male mountain goat.

- The hybrid also has sharp claws and teeth for fights, that does not mean he doesn't use normal weapons though.

- Norton tends to avoid conflict, anyways.

- The miner dragon's home is always covered in a large hoard of treasures on the inside, too.

- Crystals, Ore, Artifacts, all sorts of items from mining trips.

- His clothes are the same compared to normal Prospector when he goes to the mine, except there are holes to compensate his long tail and wings in the back.

- When not working he swaps to a comfortable cloak like most of his species, it's a plain brown one.

- Yandere behavior

- For Norton, maybe you did meet him by accident.

- Maybe you got lost in the woods while looking for magic crystals so you could conduct spells.

- The dragon hybrid came across you in his brown cloak, seeing your confused expression.

- It isn't often he sees humans out here so he approaches you.

- As a magic user, you know what he is right away as you have studied these types of hybrids.

- "Excuse me, sir, do you know where I can find magic crystals?"

- Norton understands what you're looking for and says he's a dragon miner.

- "I can get you some, human. Have anything to trade?"

- This is how you meet the golden brown hybrid, Norton rummaging through his hoard of trinkets to produce a few hunks magic crystal for you to purchase.

- After this you and Norton speak with each other often.

- If you need any supplies, Norton says he'll find what he can for you.

- It starts as a mutual relationship to a blooming friendship between you and the hybrid.

- You often hear flapping outside of your home where you conduct spells, followed by the knocking of claws.

- You open the door and Norton's standing there.

- A sharp grin is on his face as he asks to be let in to help you with spells.

- Soon Norton starts to think of you more than a human companion.

- It's shown through his gestures.

- When you open the door to let him in for a nice chat his large body hugs you, holding you tight as he wraps his tail sways.

- When speaking to you he often puffs out his chest and flexes his wings.

- The hybrid also finds himself curling up on your bed as you talk to him from your desk, listening to your voice and taking in your scent.

- It's soon known that the hybrid has taken a liking to you, the dragon wanting you as a mate.

- Norton knows many of his species resorts to kidnapping when it comes to human mates, like princesses.

- He doesn't wish to as you look so happy here, but if he can't court you before spring or summer he may have to resort to such practices.

- He'll move your supplies, don't worry!

- All dragon hybrids are equipped to kill, yet Norton will only harm outsiders if they encroach on his territory. (Like other hybrids or humans).

- Norton enjoys dressing you in glimmering jewels, gems, and metals. That's his preferred decoration for his mate.

- Norton likes to protect you like you're a precious crystal he's found!

- "Finders Keepers...."

Dragon Hybrid! Mercenary 🛡

- Dragon Hybrid! Naib is a hybrid that likes to focus more on fighting and weapons instead of collecting gold pieces or gems.

- His eyes are colored blue.

- Naib's body is covered in scarred green scales that cover his tail and wings.

- Hair is still the same.

- Naib's job is a Warrior and a Mercenary, hired by all sorts to complete bloody tasks. This makes his horns larger, similar to a ram.

- He likes to keep his claws and teeth razor sharp incase he is disarmed by his opponent.

- Unlike Norton, Naib has a love for conflict.

- Naib's definition of a hoard is trophies from his hunts (Skulls, Teeth, Etc) and weapons. Rarely you find gold pieces but he has those too.

- When the dragon hybrid is hired by a human or another hybrid, he wears armor to protect himself. His scales are also protection but the light armor and gauntlets he wears helps too.

- He also still wears his usual green cloak to blend into forrest terrain.

- When not on a job, he wears just the green cloak without the armor and gauntlets.

- Yandere Behavior

- Accidentally running into this hybrid is terrifying as first.

- He's big, muscular, and very fierce looking.

- His wings are large and tattered but he can still fly fast and efficiently.

- You give me a scared look because he doesn't look like a friendly dragon hybrid.

- He actually finds it funny when you two first meet.

- Then he laughs at your frantic no and asks why you're here.

- Naib assures you he isn't a danger to you, unless you're challenging him?

"You looking for a fight, human?"

- You tell him your reason and he nods, turning away and wishing you luck.

- It takes some time for Naib to get attached to you.

- He's usually busy taking tasks for money yet he likes to return to the spot he met you to see if he can see you again.

- It couldn't hurt for the hybrid to have a human companion right?

- When he does manage to see you again he chats with you.

- The large dragon hybrid takes interest in your magic as you are a magic user.

- You might form a friendship with the dragon hybrid if you help him train between his missions.

- Particularly your combat magic if you have any.

"Give me your best shot!"

- This comes with a drawback later on....

- Naib takes an interest in you while you train with him.

- He can get tired after his missions so he finds meeting up with you is like a sanctuary.

- Sometimes you make him calm, sometimes you make him excited.

- He loves how you make him feel.

- As his obsession grows he's around you more often.

- He stops doing so many missions and spends most of his time around you.

- This is where him taking away his mate is most likely to happen.

- The battle hardened dragon's company is comforting until it gets closer to spring or summer.

- Then he starts showing off his wings and muscular build to you.

- This is also where the draw back takes place.

- He knows exactly how to counter you.

- Your magic does nothing as he's developed a resistance to it, the large dragon hybrid grabbing you and kicking off the ground off into the air.

- Naib's home is disturbing when you're first dragged there.

- Bones of various creatures he's hunted litter the area along with crudely made jewelry and sharp weapons.

- By what Naib does for a living, it's easy to say he does and will kill for his mate.

- He prefers to dawn his mate in bone jewelry unlike Norton's gems and trinkets.

- Naib would be protective and possessive of a mate, as he knows how desperate other dragons are when it comes to competing for mates.

- "You're prey to them, stay here with me."

[hawkepockets]

Hello! I hope you are having a good day. I have a question for Prem! Does he have tattoos? I’d love to learn more about them.

From @commander-coppercogg

@commander-coppercogg your ask brightened my day!! (ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡ yes, prem has tattoos, but they’re changing!

up until now, prem has used illusions to create a shimmering, color changing “tattoo” of wings on his back and arms. they symbolized his dedication to dwayna and were a little bit of a joke with himself about being a “peacock” (aka a big showoff obsessed with his appearance). most of the time they just looked like slightly enchanted ink, but on rare occasions when he wanted to really intimidate an enemy, he would magically peel the wings off his skin and extend them. it made a big impression!

since path of fire, though, prem’s relationship with illusions and with dwayna has completely changed. he’s gradually weaned himself off using glamours to perfect his own appearance, letting his scars, moles, less sparkly eyes and heavier figure show through. the wings were still part of his signature look, but he no longer felt like they were as funny or appealing as they used to be, since he’s had to let go of some of his vanity and dwayna has left the world (and him) behind.

after the icebrood saga, prem finally goes to the festival of the four winds and apologizes to his family for the fight that ended their relationship almost 10 years ago. although it isn’t completely smooth sailing, he’s allowed back into their hearts and onto the zephyr sanctum, where he spends some time reconnecting with his zephyrite culture, training aspect magic, learning to cook, helping with his mothers’ glider crafting trade, and also going through an intense magical physical therapy regime, where most of his old wounds are reopened and healed correctly this time, without scarring. once that’s done, prem gets a new tattoo, this time with real ink and all over his body, of a serpentine dragon with many small wings. it resembles vlast, aurene, mordremoth, and his original dwayna feathers each a little bit. it’s done in black ink, but if he catches someone staring he likes to use a little bit of magic to add color to it, make it slither around his body, ruffle its wings, puff steam, or wink. aurene is particularly fascinated by it, and he likes to turn the dragon blue for her—she might be big and Elder now, but she’s still a baby at heart, and it makes her stomp her feet in delight. :-)

[ID: three full color reference sketches of prem’s upper body from the back. his hands are braced against his lower back as if in pain. in the first drawing, labeled “with illusions,” prem’s figure is smoothed out and slimmed and there are no visible flaws on his skin. he is wearing teal boxer shorts and a matching feather earring, and his hair is cut short and smoothed back. there are wings drawn over his shoulderblades, back, and arms in a bright ombre from teal to purple to reddish pink. some feathers are floating off the surface of his skin. this is labeled “not real tattoos.” a doodle, connected to the drawing by an arrow, shows prem holding out a sword, looking stern, with the illusory wings fully extended. this is labeled “threat display.” his nails are painted teal.

the second sketch, labeled “no illusions, before Sanctum” shows prem with his hair still short but messier. he is wearing pink shorts and a brighter blue version of his earring. his body is slightly wider now, with visible love handles, and it’s covered in scars. most are just small dark lines, but there are three huge, ugly burn scars on his left shoulderblade and lower back. his nails are pink.

in the third sketch, labeled “after Sanctum.” prem’s hair is long and worn in a loose, perky ponytail tied with a gold ribbon. his natural figure is still visible, but the scars are gone. he has a black line tattoo of a serpentine dragon that wraps around his left arm and spews swirly clouds of steam onto his right. it has a wide eye looking right at the camera and a horn on its nose like a Thai dragon, or vlast. it’s labeled “real ink this time” and “many small wings.” attached doodles show a full body view of prem from the back, flexing, and you can see that the dragon wraps around his body all the way down to his achilles tendons; and one of his arms with the dragon’s face on it, colored in pale blue, turquoise, and purple-pink like young aurene. it is smiling and breathing steam out of its mouth, and small stylized wings and sparkles float in the air around it. this is labeled “messing around with illusions.” End ID]

[skyfire85]

-A USAF AC-47D in September 1968, after the 4th Air Commando Squadron became the 4th Special Operations Squadron of the 14th Special Operations Wing. This photo was probably taken at Nha Trang, South Vietnam. | Photo: USAF

FLIGHTLINE: 120 - DOUGLAS AC-47 SPOOKY/PUFF

The USAF modified a number of WWII-era C-47 transports to provide fire support to troops in Vietnam, spawning a line culminating in today's AC-130J.

The term "gunship" originated in the 19th century, and referred to warships designed to shell targets on-shore. The term was later applied to the YB-40 and XB-41, modified B-17s and B-24s armed with numerous Browning machine guns designed to act as escorts for bomber formations. "Gunship" was also applied to variants of the B-25 armed with a 75mm cannon or 18 fifty cal machine guns, 14 of which were forward-firing.

CHASING THE DRAGON'S TAIL.

The gunship idea languished for a few decades, but in the early '60s the USAF opened Project TAILCHASER, under which a C-131B be modified to determine the feasibility of mounting weapons laterally in a transport-type airplane, which would then circle a target point, providing more firepower than could be achieved with a strafing run. The first phase of the program would see the C-131 fitted with cameras and other test equipment on the left side of the fuselage, followed by time to develop and practice piloting techniques. Phase two first involved replacing the cameras with General Electric SUU-11/A gunpods, firing 7.62mm blanks, to determine if the mounts and aircraft could withstand the recoil. After this, the blanks would be replaced by live ammo, and the aircraft would then fly a series of pylon turns at various altitudes, airspeeds and distances, firing at targets both on land and on water. On Eglin AFB's water range a one-second firing burst scored twenty-five hits on a minimum ten-foot-square raft and seventy-five hits on a maximum fifty-foot-square one. A similar test on the land range saw twenty-five manikins scattered in different positions over three-quarters of an acre. A three-second firing run on this area target hit nineteen manikins, ten of them considered "killed." The tests exceeded Air Force expectations, and a follow-up program to install miniguns in a C-47 soon followed, with similar results.

-A photo of the test mount fabricated for the TAILCHASER C-131 in 1963. | Photo: USAF

♫PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON...♫

By 11 December 1964, a WW-II veteran C-47B mail courier (s/n: 43-48579) was modified at Bien Hua Air Base with the addition of three miniguns fixed to locally fabricated mounts. Four days later a second C-47 was similarly equipped and readied for combat testing. The two craft, redesignated FC-47, organized under the 4th Air Commando Squadron. and operating under the radio call sign "Puff" were protecting local villages and US personnel from VC attack. The type's first notable action occurred on 23 December, when one of the Puffs responded to a Special Forces request for air support, firing 4,500 rounds and breaking a Viet-Cong attack. A second attack some 20 miles away was also spoiled by the same FC-47. During the second half of December 1964, the FC-47s flew 16 combat sorties, all successful. The following February, a Puff responding to a VC attack orbited their hilltop position for four hours, raining down some twenty thousand five hundred rounds and killing an estimated 300 VC.

-Typical mounting of the M134 Miniguns on an FC-47. | Photo: USAF

SPOOPY BIG SHOTS

Recognizing the outstanding success of the gunship concept, the USAF ordered the second FC-47 returned to the US to train more crews, as well as establishing a squadron of similarly modified aircraft. By December 1965 a total of 26 C-47 had been converted and Training Detachment 8 of the 1st Air Commando Wing was established at Forbes AFB in Kansas. In Vietnam, the 4th ACS was expanded under Operation BIG SHOT to twenty aircraft, 16 operational and 4 spares. The aircraft, now designated AC-47 and operating under the call sign "Spooky", were redeployed to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, were now equipped with upgraded guns which could be selected to fire either 50rpm or 100rpm. The Spookies could carry up to 24,000 rounds of ammunition, along with forty-five flares for illumination of targets at night. Experienced pilots could put those rounds into every square yard of an area of approximately one and a third acres in under ten seconds.

-Time-lapse photo of an AC-47 attack on targets outside Saigon. Photo: USAF

In 1966, the 4th ACS moved north to to join the newly activated 14th Air Commando Wing at Nha Trang Air Base. By 1968, the 4th had been joined by the newly activated 3rd ACS, with both redesignated Special Operations Squadrons on 1 August. Elements of both squadrons were stationed around South Vietnam to provide quick reaction, and a flight from the 4th SOS was stationed at Udom RTAFB with the 432nd Tactical Recon Wing.

-Interior view of an AC-47, showing the somewhat ad-hoc mounting of the early SUU-11/A pods. | Photo: Fotios Rouch

-The later MXU-470A Minigun mounts were more substantial. | Photo: USAF

Of 53 aircraft converted to AC-47 standard, 41 saw service in the SEA theatre, with 19 being lost in total, 12 to combat. In June 1968, the 14th ACW received the Presidential Unit Citation. The AC-47's crews fought valiantly at the Battle of Khe Sanh, providing nightly fire support and launching uncountable numbers of flares to provide illumination.

-An AC-47 inside a revetment at an unknown air base. | Photo: USAF

-An AC-47 at Udon RTAFB in June 1970. After its USAF service ended, this aircraft had been passed through the Royal Loatian Air Force, the Cambodian Royal Khmer Air Force and the RTAF before being placed on display in Thailand.

OLD WARBIRDS NEVER DIE, THEY JUST FLY SOUTH...

Despite their many accomplishments, the USAF recognized that the AC-47s were slow and vulnerable, and so began developing a replacement. A number of C-130s were modified under Project GUNSHIP II, but the type was in short supply as Lockheed was concentrating on the transport version, so GUNSHIP III was opened to modify the more plentiful Fairchild C-119. With the arrival of the newer planes, the Spookies were transferred to the South Vietnamese Air Force, and the North Vietnamese captured a number of them in 1975.

In the mid-80s, the USAF supplied a pair of AC-47s to the El Salvador Air Force, and in 2006 Columbia acquired five Basler BT-67s (DC-3s lengthened, strengthened and re-engined with P&W Canada turboprops) armed with updated Miniguns slaved to a FLIR ball. Several other nations, including South Africa, Taiwan and Indonesia, have built their own version of the AC-47, using retired DC-3s or C-47s and various guns.

-An AC-47T Fantasma ("Ghost Plane") of the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana in 2015. | Photo: Johan S. Gomez

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Do you normally have “casualties” when you announce a blog event? Anyway, for the Valentine’s event, can you write some familial headcanons for the Diasomnia boys making chocolates with their daughter please?

[Referring to this post!]

I believe the only other big blog event I held (barring Birthday Blog Takeovers) was Make your Vows back in July 2020... So I have not run enough themed blog events to know for sure if having causalities is normal audnaoudaudoaaafadasdagarwrh

Curiouser and Curiouser...

Malleus vows to set aside his practical magic for the day. It would be a lot faster to make chocolates if he just snapped his fingers, but he knows just how much it would mean to his child if they made them together by hand.

He does everything the old fashioned way! That means pulling up a recipe from a book instead of from the internet, and using a whisk instead of a hand mixer. It might take a longer time to get the chocolates done, but it doesn’t matter much to Malleus--he cherishes this special time he gets to spend with his child.

Malleus would rather melt the chocolate discs with his dragonic fire than rely on a microwave (sometimes there are so many possible settings that he gets confused). He’ll prompt his child to attempt and summon their own fire, too--it’s good practice, and he can use this chance to demonstrate the proper fire breathing and temperature controlling techniques to them!

Malleus isn’t aware of any fancy chocolate-making techniques, so he opts to lay them out on parchment paper and create custom chocolate bars. They make simple but cute designs, ranging from writing out each others’ names to Gao-Gao Dragon-kun and the various flowers kept in the family garden.

When the chocolate bards have hardened, Malleus breaks off small pieces and pops them into his child’s mouth. He tenderly wipes up after them if he sees smears left behind around their lips--and when his child offers to do the same for him, he’s more than happy to accept.

It’s a blessing that Lilia’s child shares his... unique tastes. They’re the only one that can seem to stomach whatever strange concoctions he mixes up! Since they’re both used to odd combinations, they decide to make a batch of chocolates in unusual textures and flavors.

Lilia’s all for letting his kid have their independence in the kitchen. They want to try adding some sliced celery into the mix? Sure, why not? They want to add a few dashes of prune juice? Go ahead! He doesn’t believe that he should limit his child’s creativity.

The kitchen is pretty energetic with Lilia and his kid in it! They’re always rustling through cupboards to try and find something, or whipping chocolate in unison while doing cute little dances and singing together which sometimes sounds like death metal screeching. While they wait for their chocolate to chill, Lilia just sits on the kitchen counter and tells his child stories of their infanthood.

To test if the chocolate they’ve prepared is stiff enough to be molded, Lilia and his kid do “the bat test”--they hang upside down from the ceiling like bats and see if the chocolate drips. If it doesn’t, that means it’s ready to be shaped!

They spend all day stuffing their chocolates with all kinds of weird things: kimchi, dried squid, durian, bits of black licorice, preserved anchovies and pineapple... then they exchange them with one another and compete to see who made the most delicious chocolates!

Silver encourages his child to do as much as they can, as experience is the best teacher, but stresses the importance of staying vigilant in the kitchen! He tells his child that they never know when an accident might happen, so they should always know an escape route in case of a fire, and where the nearest first-aid kit is located in case of a personal injury.

He’s skilled with knives thanks to his expertise in swordplay, but he has also been injured many times during his training. Silver hovers over his kid, his hands over theirs, and carefully guides them into slicing a chocolate bar while avoiding cuts. Every so often, he’ll remind them to keep their fingers curled like some of their animal friends do!

Another virtue Silver stresses during the chocolate-making process is patience! Chocolate is very temperature sensitive, so he amuses his kid with cutting basic shapes into fruits while the chocolate slowly heats up and cools back down. Kiwi slices, pineapple stars, melon balls, watermelon hearts, strawberry bunnies and flowers...

They take turns dipping the fruits into chocolate, twirling and tapping the excess off before dipping them in sprinkles, sugar, or other toppings. Silver’s not very good at making cute designs, so it’s up to his kid to help him brush up!

While the chocolate-covered strawberries cool, Silver takes the excess fruit, and his child by the hand, and leads them out into the wilderness. Like father, like son--the animals flock to them, and they allow the little critters to feast on fruit straight out of their hands.

Sebek is overprotective!! Before he even lets his child get near a butter knife, he gives a long speech about important safety hazards and what to avoid doing (no running, no leaving an active appliance unattended to!). Sebek doesn’t want to see them hurt!

He’s always by their side with a recipe in hand! Sebek is a very “cook by the book” type of person, so he often reminds his child of the next step, or tells them what ingredient and amount is needed so they can grab it.

Sebek takes additional safety precautions while he makes chocolate with his kid. Sharp corners in the kitchen are padded out, and he does what he can to minimize flyaway pieces of food and spillage. You need to crush graham crackers? Put them inside a sealed baggies first, then use a rolling pin. Afraid of the chocolate boiling over or splattering? Time for safety goggles and heat protectant gloves!

Beating air into chocolate and cream can be hard at times! If his child gets worn out, Sebek has no problems taking over and finishing the job for them. It’s easy when you have massive arms like he does. His child marvels at their father’s strength, and it makes him puff up with pride.

Sebek is a big advocate for food needing to look as good as it tastes! He shows his child how to temper the chocolate to make it all nice and shiny, and they spend hours dusting truffles with cocoa and sticking little nuts and crushed candies into them. Once they’re complete, Sebek praises his kid for all their hard work and, together, they share a plate of truffles.

[delimeful]

the shapes in the silence (11)

new chapter at the behest of one of my patrons! hope you enjoy! >:)

warnings: terrible coping mechanisms, antagonistic but not "evil" deceit, semi-vivid panic attack, suicidal implications/thoughts, arguing, an antagonistic and also genuinely evil cliffhanger, take care for realsies

-

After a few days of solitude, Logan emerged from his room with a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

He dropped a comically large stack of paper onto the lounge table, interrupting their bi-monthly binge of Parks and Rec. Patton obligingly paused the television, smiling at the sight of the other Side.

Roman probably would have complained, except Virgil-- as Puff-- had been dozing on top of his head for the past twenty minutes, and one of his wings was draped over Roman’s face like a makeshift blindfold. So, he hadn’t really been watching anyways.  

“I’ve figured it out,” Logan said, gesturing to the meticulous lines of not-so-meticulous handwriting. “The shrinking.”

Everyone seemed to perk up in interest, and Virgil dropped onto Roman’s shoulder, kneading his claws lightly into the sash.

“You know why?” Patton prompted after another moment of Logan preening.

“Yeah, Specs, don’t leave us in suspense!” Roman demanded, valiantly restraining his gesturing for the sake of not accidentally unbalancing Virgil. The two of them had only had to learn that lesson once.

Logan nodded, adjusting his glasses briefly. “My current hypothesis is that our reduced states are the result of a sort of… mental lock. We shrink when the locking mechanism is triggered, and it takes a figurative key to restore our previous, normal stature.”

“A key?” Patton asked. “You figured out how to undo it?”

“Not for everyone. Think of it as customized locks. There’s a different key for each of us, and I’ve only discovered my own.”

Virgil tilted his head curiously at Logan’s words. The first bit was about what he’d figured, but a ‘key’ to change back? He used to think he only changed back in his room, but there had been a couple of occasions where he’d shifted forms unexpectedly. None of the others had had to be in their rooms to change back, either.

Roman was frowning in thought. “Wait, how in the name of Disney did you figure out your key?”

Logan looked delighted at the question. He moved to sit in his usual armchair, and then closed his eyes for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly and his mouth dropping into a frown.

In the next moment, he was doll-sized. “Extensive and rigorous experimentation,” he said, carefully getting to his feet on the plush chair fabric.

Roman and Patton immediately burst into excited chattering, each theorizing or commenting on Logan’s tiny stature, and Virgil quickly abandoned ship before Roman really did gesture him right into the air. He trotted along the back of the couch and kicked off of it, landing on the arm of Logan’s chair.

Logan looked up at him for a moment, before referring to a pile of tinier-than-normal flashcards pulled from his pocket. “Puff. I hope there’s no ‘hard feelings’ about my former hypothesis. It was nothing personal, I can assure you.”

It wasn’t like the theory had been too far fetched. Virgil hopped down to the seat of the chair and brushed against Logan’s side like a large, scaly cat. It seemed to do the job of convincing Logan that they were cool.

Logan looked back over at the other two. “Time to continue the lecture, I believe.”

With that, he clapped his hands together in a familiar pattern, one that had been used in countless classrooms in Thomas’s life. Two normal claps, and then three rapid ones.

Almost immediately, Patton and Roman clapped the returning pattern, paused as though registering what they’d done, and then turned to face Logan.

“Was… Did you just teacher-clap at us?” Roman asked, astounded.

Logan looked incredibly smug at his gambit working so perfectly, and Virgil barely had time to claw his way back up onto the armrest before the logical Side was back to normal.

“My key,” he said, “is being listened to.”

Then, as though he couldn’t resist, he added, “Who’s falling behind now, Roman?”  

Roman spluttered with exaggerated indignance, and Virgil was absolutely certain that Princey was going to spend the next several days rising to the challenge. He shook his wings out, the dragon equivalent of rolling his eyes.

Patton, on the other hand, clapped enthusiastically as though Logan had performed a magic trick. “Wow, way to grow!”

Logan sighed deeply. Patton grinned, and then paused.

“See, the only thing I’m wondering now is, why is this happening to us all of the sudden? It’s certainly not something we’ve had to deal with before.”

There was a terse silence. ��

“I’m still working on theories in that regard,” Logan finally responded, mouth pinched slightly. “There have been many periods in the past where certain upheavals in Thomas’s life have led to our surroundings or our very selves changing. It’s entirely possible that this… ‘shrinking’ effect is a similar case. That brings me to my next point: we need to speak with Thomas.”

Virgil noticed Roman grimace for a moment. “Does he really need to know about all… this?”

“We certainly can’t keep it from him!” Patton replied as he walked closer to the rest of them and held out his arm. Virgil scaled it with ease, clambering up to perch on Pat’s shoulder like a parrot. For once, he agreed with Roman. He wasn’t sure this would end well, but... it wasn’t his job to bring up doubts right now. “He’s going to have to learn about it eventually, whether now or whenever he calls us up to talk about whatever is bothering him.”

“Precisely,” Logan agreed. “The more information we gather on this matter, the better.”

“I guess…,” Roman crossed his arms, but conceded. Patton gave him an encouraging hug.

“Plus,” he added as he pulled away, “if we go now, we can have Thomathy meet Puff!”

A beat late, Virgil realized just what that meant, and a flood of panic washed out the peaceful haze in his mind. They couldn’t take him to see Thomas! What if his host recognized him?

… What if he didn’t?

“It’s fine with me,” Logan added. “He does seem to be a rather permanent fixture in the Mindscape, though I’m not sure what that says about Thomas.”

“It says that he’s simply the coolest,” Roman shot back, his spirits seemingly lifted by the idea. He reached over and lifted Virgil off Patton’s shoulders, holding him in the air and spinning in a dizzying circle. “You’ll love Thomas, Puff, just you wait.”  

“Why wait?” Patton chimed in with an excited smile. “I’ll go let the kiddo know we’re coming!”

He sank out, and Logan spent a short moment making sure his tie was properly aligned before following. Roman tilted his head slightly as though listening to an invisible sound before smiling widely. “There’s our cue!”

Before Virgil could do more than feel a sense of impending doom, the world was blurring and shifting around them, and he was dragged up along with Roman.

The dizziness as he entered the real world was so heady that he nearly blacked out, his head spinning. When his vision cleared, he realized he was being held up like an infant Simba.

Right in front of his host’s face. He froze like a deer in the headlights, mind screaming wordlessly.

“Ta-da!” Roman announced. “The newest, cutest denizen of your mind! Aside from me, of course.”  

Thomas leaned in slightly, no trace of disgust or fear on his face. It made him look younger. “Woah. Hey there, little guy. Puff, right?”

He held his hand out carefully, and almost magnetically, Virgil placed a tiny, clawed hand on it. An encouraging smile was all it took, and then he was abandoning all caution and climbing right into the arms of the one who was supposed to fear him the most.

Thomas just shifted obligingly to create a better platform, and ran a thumb over his spine scales. Virgil craned his head up to look, and saw only quiet astonishment and awe on his host’s face.

There was no question. He didn’t recognize him.

Virgil had no idea what the emotion in the pit of his stomach was-- an amalgam of relief, disappointment, terror, sadness, so dense it was physically painful-- but after a moment, he let himself go lax. He could deal with it later. He could deal with everything later.

For now, his host was holding him close like he was something treasured, something precious. It was more than he’d ever hoped for and all he could ever need.

Whenever Thomas spoke, he could feel the words vibrating in his host’s chest. It was almost like a hug. He stayed there, content to listen only vaguely as the others explained what was going on and tried to work out the reason why.

After a while of circular discussion, Thomas went a little tense, catching Virgil’s attention. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“We’re trying to figure out what’s going wrong to cause this… inner turmoil, right? Why don’t we get Anxiety in on this? If there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s coming up with worst-case scenarios.”

Virgil went still and frozen, and Roman’s gaze darted down to him for a moment before his expression firmed into a frown. “Absolutely not. That villain won’t have anything helpful to contribute.”

“On the contrary, I believe Thomas has a point. Anxiety could have a side to this story that we haven’t heard yet, but if we were just to ask him,” Logan countered, “he may share.”

“Kind of strange that he hasn’t popped up already,” Patton added with a concerned frown. “The kiddo doesn’t generally like it when people talk about him without him there.”

“Let’s at least give it a shot,” Thomas decided, lifting a hand. “Anxiety!”

No, no no no. This wasn’t how he wanted it to go. Virgil braced for the irresistible tug on his core, the breaking apart of his fragile peace--

It didn’t come.

There was no pull. Why wasn’t he feeling the pull? He couldn’t detect even the slightest call, which was impossible, unless--

Perfectly on cue, a dark figure appeared from thin air on the staircase, jumpscaring Thomas and offering a mocking smirk.

“You called?”

It… was him. It was Anxiety, dark hoodie and darker eyeliner, sneer and all. Virgil felt the strangest disconnect from his own identity for a moment before things snapped back into place. No summons, his own desire for secrecy, a perfect doppelganger.

Deceit.

A low, rumbling growl started up in his chest, and his hackles rose instantly at the sight of that liar daring to wear his face.

Thomas’s hands jerked away in surprise, and Patton reached over to soothe him. “Easy, Puff. He won’t do anything to you, promise.”

“That’s right,” Roman agreed in a completely different tone, stepping forwards to put himself between the fake Anxiety and the others, as though Virgil was pathetic enough to be worried about himself and not whatever bullshit Deceit-As-Anxiety was about to feed the others. His growl lowered in volume, but refused to taper off.

“Like I care about your newest pet project,” Fake-Anxiety said, rolling his eyes in disdain. “I’m just here to do what I do best: tell you how you messed up.”

Logan frowned at him. “You believe our current situation is the result of Thomas erring in some way?”

“Not just some way. All the ways. It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Fake-Anxiety said, gesturing widely to Thomas with one hand. “Something’s wrong with you. You’re broken.”

“That’s not true,” Patton said firmly, frowning in disapproval. “Anxiety, I expected better from you.”

Virgil felt his throat close up, even though he wasn’t really the one Patton was speaking to. It wasn’t like Patton knew that. How was he ever going to look anyone in the eye after this?

“Wait, what? How am I broken?” Thomas asked, not as indignantly as Virgil would have preferred. He gently butted his head against Thomas’s arm for morale-boosting purposes.

“I mean, think about it,” Fake-Anxiety said, spreading his palms open in a faux innocent gesture. “How many times have you screwed up in the past couple of weeks? Speaking with family, hanging out with friends, even just basic customer service interactions. Those were all your fault, and you know it.”

Thomas’s hands shook slightly. “I…”

“Falsehood,” Logan cut in sharply, his expression severe. “A person cannot be ‘broken’, particularly not for simple mistakes. In any case, there is no meaningful connection to be drawn between your baseless accusation and our current conundrum.”

Before Fake-Anxiety could respond, Patton’s hands flew to his mouth. “Wait. Kiddo, you don’t really think that about yourself, do you?”

All eyes turned to Thomas, who hesitated just a beat too long. “No… I mean, not entirely. Not all the time.”

“Thomas…” Roman looked stricken. “There’s no reason to feel bad about yourself!”

“Emotions… are often without reason,” Logan said, sharing a look with Patton. “This is important information, though. It’s entirely possible that a negative sense of self could affect us, as aspects of yourself. This could be the cause.”

“Then… How do I fix it?” Thomas asked, voice strained.

“You can’t,” Fake-Anxiety said, inspecting his nail polish as though bored. “You’re going to be stuck like this forever.”

“The first step,” Logan said, with a complicated glance towards the figure on the stairs, “is not letting negative thoughts control you. I was hoping Anxiety would be able to shed a light on our discussion, but it’s become clear that he’s… not in a helping mood.”

Fake-Anxiety clicked his tongue. “I’m helping. Helping you not make an even bigger embarrassment out of yourself.”

“Don’t listen to that villain,” Roman told Thomas, glancing down at ‘Puff’. “You have the power to send him away, Thomas.”

“Don’t bother. I’ve said my piece, and you know I’m right.” Fake-Anxiety gave a mocking salute before sinking out, making brief eye contact with Virgil as he did.

“He’s not right… right?” Thomas asked, his face a little pale. “I mean, it’s Anxiety.”

In his arms, Virgil tucked his limbs in tighter against himself.

“You are not broken,” Logan reiterated calmly. “Take a few deep breaths.”

“You do feel bad, though,” Patton said, a hand pressed over his heart in sympathy. “Kiddo... why don’t you take today for yourself?”

“That’s right!” Roman gripped Thomas’s shoulder comfortingly. “Do something that you’ll enjoy, and you can worry about everything else tomorrow, okay? We’ll sort things out on our end.”  

They spoke for a little longer, making new plans and cancelling old ones, and Virgil felt as though his mind was full of static. Eventually, finally, he was back on Roman’s shoulder, ready to sink out.

“Nice meeting you, Puff,” Thomas waved, and something in Virgil’s chest twisted painfully at it all. He chirp-crooned back, and it felt like a goodbye.

-

Luckily for him, the others were all preoccupied with their own thoughts and plans. It took almost no effort to slip away, and before he knew it he was back in his own room, in the form that everyone hated.

His summon was nonverbal and insistent, and before long, Deceit appeared before him, this time in his own skin. Virgil wanted to yell, to rage and vent the emotions inside of him.

“How could you?” Instead, his voice came out quiet. Cold. Betrayed.

Deceit shifted, a flash of discomfort crossing his face before he composed himself. “They needed a villain. Last I checked, it was you who cast yourself in that role.”

A villain. He felt himself shaking, distantly. “You used me. Like an object.”

“To help Thomas--”

“To frighten him into doing what you wanted!” Virgil said, voice finally rising. “To guide the others like puppets on strings and to make me take the fall for your plan!”

“This is for you, too!” Deceit finally snapped back, before taking a deep breath. “This isn’t a framing, Virgil. It’s an opportunity. They won’t look for you, and that gives me enough time to fix things. Come home.”

Virgil laughed, once, harsh like broken glass. “No.”

Deceit held up a hand, sweeping it downwards and shifting himself into Fake-Anxiety again. It was like looking in a mirror, but the reflection was… different, this time. It wasn’t the one that had sat on the stairs before.

“Look at yourself, Virgil. Look at what you’ve been doing to yourself.”

The bags under his eyes were dark and sallow. He was shaking and sweating, his breath coming in stuttering gasps. His body looked like it’d been having consecutive panic attacks for days on end, and there were plenty more coming.

“You don’t have to do this anymore. We both know that you’d have an easier time if Thomas wasn’t always fighting against you.”

He tore his eyes away from the reflection. If he thought about it for too long, he’d spiral, and then all of it-- every comment, every look, everything he’d been tucking away for the past weeks-- would come rushing up to meet him. Like hitting water from a hundred feet up and finding it felt like concrete. Like drowning.

“Virgil?”

He was tired of this. “Get out.”

Deceit said something else, but it was his room, and it followed his will. The other Side was evicted, shoved out, gone. He took a breath, but it felt too shallow and caught in his lungs.

He wasn’t going to get anything done in this form. He wasn’t of any damn use in this form. Nobody wanted him like this. Why not ease his grip, let go?

He wouldn’t have to be Anxiety and everything that came with it. It would be selfish, but-- but Puff was better for everyone, not just him. It made sense.

He sighed in relief as the transformation washed away the vice grip around his lungs and the dizzying pounding of his head. The feelings were muffled, as though he’d put on thick, good quality headphones. It was nice.

It was also harder to focus in this form, unfortunately, but the idea-- the solution remained helpfully stuck in his head. He easily found his way into Roman’s room to collect what he needed, but Roman himself was absent.

He padded down to the commons, and found all three of them were there. Their discussion came to a halt as he carefully jumped up on the couch, dropping his prize into Roman’s lap.

“Oh, Puff…” Roman seemed sad, so he kneaded the creative Side’s leg with the dull edge of his claws.

“What is that?” Patton asked curiously.

Roman shifted, as though anticipating a scolding. “It’s a charmed bracelet. I designed it to keep Anxiety away from Puff. And you know what? I was right to make it! You saw how he acted today!”

Patton bit his lip but remained quiet. Something about the silence hurt, but that was okay. It wouldn’t hurt for long. He nudged the bracelet slightly, impatient.

“Why hasn’t he been wearing it, then?” Logan asked, a curious bend to his eyebrows.

“He… Well, he didn’t want it at first. Put it on yours truly instead,” Roman replied, carefully brushing a hand over Virgil’s head. “I suppose he changed his mind.”

“Did Anxiety really scare him that badly?” Patton asked, voice heartbroken.

Roman frowned determinedly and finally started undoing the clasp. “Whatever that scoundrel did, he won’t be able to bother Puff anymore. This will make sure of it.”

He carefully wound the bracelet around Virgil’s neck, gently adjusted it until it fit right, and reconnected the ends. The last thing Virgil saw before the world went hazy was the three of them, the best parts of Thomas, looking back at him without any fear or hatred.

Then, there was only Puff.

[celestias-right-hoof-mas-au]

WARNING: This chapter contains cursing and macabre imagery. This story is based on an adult parody of MLP called The Mentally Advanced Series. I would encourage that if you had not watched it to do so to get a grasp of the world in which this takes place. Many of the jokes, lore, and otherwise are in reference to MAS, not just simply My Little Pony. I have also made a supercut that includes every reference and appearance of Celestia in the series. In case watching the entire MAS series maybe too time consuming. If you find Celestia, or other canon characters, used in crude and unpleasant depictions offensive, this is your warning. However, I would appreciate that you take a look anyway with an open mind.

Celestia Supercut Link

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   “A cursed jewelry box?” Valiance asked as Celestia passed her a map.

   “Yes. And you must never open it.” Celestia warned as she remained buried in her documents.

   “May I ask why, your majesty?” Valiance questioned, opening the map and peering into it.

   “That doesn’t really matter to you if you bring it to me as instructed. Take this,” Brought into existence with a puff of light, a satchel manifested onto Valiance’s haunch, “When you find it you’ll have this to put it in. Now, get out.”

   Valiance folded the map and placed it into her satchel, “As you wish!” The loyal warrior bowed and made her leave.

   Outside the castle, Valiance checked the crudely made map for further instruction. “Foal Mountain? Huh, well I suppose I better hurry up so that I can get back by sundown.” Valiance said, beginning her long journey.

   The walk to the base of the mountain occurred with hardly any trouble at all. However, as she ascended the mountain’s trails, the uphill uneven terrain, combined with her armor, all began to weigh on her. As she began to reach the peaks, the air grew thinner than thread.

   Though she struggled and toiled, she reached the final destination of her map.

   “This must be the cave.” she huffed to herself, eyeing up the gaping, jagged, stone mouth. The unicorn’s red eyes turned back from where she came and saw Canterlot in the far distance through the clouds. She breathed a sigh of relief, “At least the walk back to the castle will be a lot easier.” Inside the cave, water dripped from the stalactites hanging from high above like a salivating dragon. Unfortunately, no heat was found there and a spiteful breeze began gnawing at the knight’s bones. It was at moments like this that Valiance wished she kept her fetlocks and coat untrimmed. With darkness quickly descending upon her, she lit her horn with magic, filling the cave with a warm hue.

   The cave eventually led to a vast cavern that was so boundless, Valiance’s magic couldn’t light the ceiling. With no other choice, she marched forward, occasionally marking an x in the dirt. Pale insects and blind lizards scuttled around every step she took, occasionally kicking them. Upon further inspection, she realized many were carrying pieces of a carcass. One fat beetle even hauled a massive down feather, bigger than any feathered creature she’s ever seen.

   Realizing she may have been in for a fight, Valiance drew her weapon taking steady yet cautious steps forward. She followed the trail of critters heaving the massive feathers to their homes. They led her to a large mound of writhing cave crawlers. Disgusted but intrigued by their fanaticism, the pale horse lightly swept them away from their treasure.

   Underneath the cave dwellers laid an enormous talon with a few ribbons of cartilage still attached. With furrowed brows, Valiance shined her horn around the decomposed claw, finding more of its owner.

   And more.

   And more.

   Until the knight was met face to face with hollowed eyes of a giant skull. Finally, the skeleton of the beast became clear to her.

   “A roc, maybe?... But I don’t think they get this big.” Valiance whispered, gently touching the cold beak. Inspecting the inside of the mouth, a twinkle caught her eye. She turned her gaze towards the ribcage and gasped. Sitting inside where the stomach once was, laid a gold laced box. ‘Bingo.’

   Deep cracks were rooted within the beast’s ribcage. Satisfied with their inherent weakness, Valiance firmly grasped it with her magic. A loud crack echoed throughout the cave as she yanked the box from its long forgotten cage. Valiance admired the intricate artwork adorning it. But before she could look for long, however, a high pitched noise rang in her ears. Just as Valiance turned her head, she was bombarded by a massive swarm of bats, knocking the box to the ground and opening it. As suddenly as they came, the colony of flying vermin disappeared, leaving Valiance stunned and unaware she had accidentally opened the forbidden treasure. With a glance down, the knight’s heart skipped a beat. Out from its ornamented prison, was a gold crown unlike any Valiance had ever seen before. It was bizarrely shaped, with a red velvet cap, adorned with precious stones that faintly glowed in the darkness. Remembering Celestia’s words, Valiance took no time for admiration, and quickly boxed the crown back into its confines.

   Despite the fact that she moved quickly, her head already began to buzz, her vision doubled, and there was a falling sensation within her stomach. With haste, she secured the box into her satchel and galloped for the exit. A shrilling screech assaulted her ears from the entrance. With its black wings scraping the sides of the cave, a pony sized bat creature charged at Valiance with bared rotten fangs and bloodshot protruding eyes. Skidding to a halt, she drew her halberd and swung with all her might.

   The beast's body split in two, a gurgled squeal erupting from its throat. With its body flopped to the floor, what she thought to be a monster was no more than a small cave bat. Quickly shaking her head, she realized the curse had already taken root.

   Stumbling out of the cave she leaned against a boulder and found the world a much different place. The clouds became webs for spiders with snake tails, the stones around her took the shape of bloodied horse heads squirming with maggots, and while she could see Canterlot in the horizon, it was slowly drifting away on a plate of soggy dripping hair.

   Bile threatened to escape her stomach, clamping a hoof over her mouth as she attempted to breath steadily through her nose. She had to get out of that place quickly. Looking over the cliff she could make out the trail that led her to the peak. As she stepped away from the edge, the cliff began to follow her until she found herself pressed up against the wall. With nothing to lose, she shimmied alongside the mountain with a firm grip.

   The climb back down felt like a lifetime had passed. Valiance could swear she had been stumbling down the winding trails for days. When she reached flatland she could kiss the ground, but the grass was replaced by wiggling fingers. Cold needles pricked up her spine as she could feel them squirming against her hooves. Hastily, she began to trot through the field of digits and made her way towards the road leading to the river, cringing all the way.

   Though clear and blue in the distance, the closer the knight came to the water's edge the more black and stringy it became. Dead frogs and scraps of garbage were tangled in thick sopping hair with a vile smell to match. Yet with no bridges in sight, and Canterlot still floating away, Valiance saw no other choice but to swim across the flowing web of filth.

   In a moment of clarity, Valiance pondered on the possibility of drowning and how she could reduce it. Not much later, an idea popped into her head, the most useful thing she could do would be to make herself light enough so that she wouldn’t have to work so hard to swim across. She stripped off her armor and placed it within a bush made of wrinkled monkey paws with cloudy fish eyes as its fruit. The disgusting creature stared at Valiance with contempt, raking its claws against her armor.

   “I hope that I can remember this place when the curse is broken… or that you’re actually a bush.”

   With a few sharp breaths, she leaped into the mass with slime filling every crevice of her body. Paddling with all her might, she felt bony hands covered in mucous grazing her legs and ankles as she kept her head above water. Just as she had reached midway, the hands began to grab at her, chipped nails scratching her hide as she felt herself being pulled under. Panicking, hairy water poured into her mouth as she desperately gasped for air. Thinking fast, she gripped her halberd and hacked away at the grabbing hands. With enough severed she became free, pulling herself to shore.

   Struggling out of the water, Valiance heaved, forcing all of the hair out of her system. She coughed, gagged, and spat the remaining strands out, wiping her mouth. Canterlot continued to drift away from her. Desperate and more than frustrated, she rose to her hooves and made a mad dash towards the kingdom.

   While in full gallop, the pale horse felt gravity lessen to where a stride would carry her several yards. Soon, she was able to leap an entire field in a single bound and with speed matching the fastest pegasi. Her vision blurred and the castle sprung forward like elastic. What was once miles away, was now before her in a split second. Valiance did a double take, up until that point, time felt as if it were flowing as slow as tar. And yet despite it all, the easiest part was over in the blink of an eye.

   The floating city silently observed Valiance as she inquired a way in. Stepping closer, stones manifested under her hooves, building a floating bridge towards her goal. Exhausted from the whole ordeal she finally managed to reach the city. However the hallucinations did not cease. Buildings held up by mere splinters of wood swayed in the breeze. The citizens of Canterlot did not fare better, with revolting deformities and oozing ruptures mangling their bodies. Desperately, the unicorn averted her eyes towards the castle. ‘I… I have to just ignore everything else around me and focus on getting this back to Celestia!’ Valiance thought queasily.

   The castle stood like an oasis in a burning desert. Somehow, it remained largely untouched by the curse’s effects and served as her beacon within this nightmare. Pushing herself forward she moved her legs into a full sprint for one last time, rushing down the streets of Canterlot, ignoring everything and everyone in sight. No matter how grotesque or distracting, Valiance didn’t offer so much as a glance.

   At the front entrance, the difference between the clarity of within the castle’s wall and the unrecognizable outside twisted inside Valiance’s chest. The gate itself stood tens of feet taller than it had been that morning when she left. Even though its appearance had not been warped beyond recognition, many hallmarks of it were twisted and distorted like peering into a carnival mirror.

   Whispers in unspeakable languages called out to her, the guttural cries of beasts never imagined wailing in the realm beyond her sight. Through it all, Valiance could faintly hear a voice ask, “A r e y o u o k?”

   “Please...,” Valiance begged through a voice she barely recognized, ”I must see Celestia...” When the whispers began again, there was no speech in which Valiance could recognize this time. All she could make out was disapproval. The voices emitted from two creatures just as deformed as the rest of the citizens she had witnessed before. While not hostile, their presence made Valiance’s stomach itch with dread as they stepped towards her. She could feel her body locking up into a defensive position. She sputtered, “W-wait! You don’t understand, I have to deliver this crown and-”

   Voices bellowed sternly as the creatures motioned her away from the castle. Shaking and dripping with cold sweat, Valiance stood her ground against the now forceful shoves from the fleshy blobs. They seemed to be attempting to now herd her elsewhere. Unbeknownst to the knight, more had gathered behind her back, surrounding her. More forbidden words rattled her skull from all directions with the phrase, "L e d U s H i l t E w e!” faintly chanted clearly through the noise.

   The mounds of living puss and flesh began to slowly envelope Valiance with their sopping tendrils. Frozen with fear, she almost accepted her fate as they coiled around her neck and limbs. Glancing her eyes up towards the castle and all its divine perfection, against the impossible madness surrounding it. The more she stared, the more resolute in her mission she became. Rooting her hooves into the cobblestone, she closed her eyes and began to focus. Even still, the faint buzzing and harsh language of insanity wormed its way into her consciousness.

   Clenching her eyes tighter, the acolyte thought of the tall spires, the painted glass, the golden throne itself, and of course…

   Celestia.

   In a sudden flash of amber energy, Valiance’s being evaporated into sparks and ribbons of light. Her hooves gently landed on the familiar felt texture of carpet rather than the stone road she was on previously.

   “What are you doing?” a booming voice echoed.

   Valiance’s eyes shot open and before her sat the Princess on her throne. Untouched by the curse’s corrosive effects, Celestia gleamed with divinity. A sigh of relief escaped the tired knight’s lips as she bowed, removing the cursed box from its restraints and presenting it, “Princess, the deed is done.”

   The Princess scrunched her nose with suspicion, placing the box at her side. “You opened the box, didn’t you?” she asked with a mildly threatening tone.

   “It wasn’t my fault, your Majesty!... The… the bats knocked it over while I was leaving the cave… isn’t there some way to cure me?” Valiance insisted.

   “I was wondering what the commotion outside was. The guards were yelling of a mad mare at the front gate. It seems they were correct.” The Princess narrowed her eyes at her miry and disheveled follower, taking the box back up with her magic. She shook the box next to her ear before popping it open. Celestia pulled out the crown and stared deep into it muttering under her breath. Placing the crown aside, she looked into the box again and found a crumpled piece of paper.

   Fuck you, Celestia; it read.

   Unamused, the God Princess returned the contents back into the container and engulfed it in a blinding turquoise flame. “You are cured.”

   Within seconds of the box being destroyed, Valiance’s vision stabilized and the sickly feeling in her stomach disappeared. “What in Tartarus was that?” Valiance queried, rubbing her head.

   “That crown belonged to the Turul. An ancient bird older than Equestria itself. No one, not even I, know what became of his kingdom or his people. A secret he kept until his apparent demise.

   When I met him, he begged me to assist him. Even I have a soft spot for the desperate, my dear acolyte. I gave him a generous loan in return for his allegiance and to pay back the debt once his goals were realized. Alas, what I didn’t know was that he was a compulsive gambling addict. All of his riches and land, save for the crown, was lost in a single card game. Unable to repay me, he went into hiding. It seems, he perished and rightfully so. Not before leaving that nasty present for me, which you had the pleasure of experiencing.” Celestia coyly grinned.

   “Ah… I see. But how did you know about his whereabouts?”

   “Rumors circulated from the locals of a treasure guarded by a malevolent spirit. I hadn’t thought much of it at first, but then they described a monstrous bird, larger than any roc, guarding it. So tell me, did you kill him?”

   “No. He was mostly bones when I found him.”

   “The coward couldn’t take an honorable death. Serves him right.” Celestia chuckled, descending from her throne. “And what about you? What did you learn today?”

   “I learned that I hate bats.” Valiance grunted as she rose to her hooves.

   “Quite.” Celestia agreed.

   “But,” Valiance interjected, bringing Celestia to a halt, “This entire experience has been a splash of cold water. I… I had thought that this job you gave to me wouldn’t be of any trouble. I let my guard down and as a result I let myself foolishly get spooked by a couple of common cave bats and dropped the box. Had it been anymore dangerous, like if the Turul was still alive, I don’t know what would’ve happened. So, I apologize. I’ll take every instruction you give me with the attention and awareness it deserves from now on. I can promise you that.”

   “Promise you say?” Celestia frigidly grinned.

   With her posture straightened, taking a couple of steps forward, she stared straight back to her Princess. A flaming fire of determination emitted from her hardened red eyes.

   Celestia simply scoffed and brushed past her, “You look awful. Go wash up before you offend me with your presence.”

   Having returned to her quarters, Valiance started a bath and painstakingly groomed her mane that matted against her coat. Once refreshed, she hopped onto her bed, sighing as she nuzzled against the warm, comforting, fabric of her mattress. She closed her eyes against the rhythmic ticking of her alarm clock, ready to finally rest.

   “Oh no!” Valiance shouted as she sprung from her bed, “My armor!"

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Speedpaint Video:

[indigobackfire]

Phoenix Lazar Nobleworth Silverwood

Below is a lengthy history of his parents, their involvement with dragons, and how he lost them.

Ps: I tried adding some Scottish dialect in the dialogue, but I'm not the best at it considering all I have as reference is my love for James McAvoy and Outlander. Forgive me in advance for any atrocities lol. Also, diverging from canon especially in relation to Veela powers and physical descriptions.

Phoenix's father, Emilian, was sorted into Gryffindor and with pride, he was a Gryffindor by the book, adventurous, brave, often reckless, fun, with a strong sense of protection over his friends, someone who valued courage and honor.

Emilian didn't know how he and Palmer Silverwood - Slytherin, pureblood, much more popular than him, and one of the best duelists in their year - became friends, he also didn't know how Palmer found an about to hatch dragon egg in the forbidden forest, or how he even got into the forbidden forest to begin with, but being who he was, Emilian wasn't much surprised.

The biggest surprise was that Palmer even knew who he was.

Emilian takes a peek into Palmer's robes where the egg is hidden. "So? You're the dragon laddie, Nobleworth."

"Yeah, it's a dragon egg. Common Welsh Green this one." He looks up. "And is that what people call me?"

"Are ye really surprised? You talk about them all the time, yer the best in Care of Magical Creatures, and ye have a dragon painted at the back of yer bloody robes."

"Only fair. McGonagall hates it."

Palmer laughs. "Will ye help me?"

"Aye. But what ye want me to do?"

"I dinna ken. I just don't want the wee dragon to die. The poor creature wasn't warm when I found it so it's probably motherless. I mean... they fire up their eggs, don't they?"

Emilian smiles. "You're not as unknowledgeable as you think, Silverwood. Let's go somewhere more private."

In the humid and dusty air of the artifact room, they hide. "Hand me the egg."

Palmer hands him the egg delicately as if the creature inside it wasn't one that could eat them both in a bite when grown. And for a moment Palmer wonders what he'll do, but Emilian just stands there holding the egg. And as he's about to question him, he sees Emilian's fingers get bright red.

"Mate? What's wrong with yer hands?"

Emilian snickers. "I have a secret, can you keep it?" Palmer nods eyes fixated on the egg whose cracks were very slowly growing. "I'm half Veela and whilst I can't throw balls of fire from my hands... I can heat it up to... oven temperature."

"Oven temperature?"

Emilian smirks. "Ah dinnae have exact numbers, but if ye want to give a touch."

Palmer looks at his hands again. "Nae. They're as bright as molten glass, lad."

Emilian raises his eyebrows. "Oh, I felt it move."

"Ooohh, it's gonna set this tiny room on fire."

"Let me hide it this time. I ken a place we can go. The person ye should've gone to in the first place."

Palmer widens his eyes. "Kettleburn, nae."

"Silverwood, ye cannae keep the dragon. It'll set you on fire before completing one year."

Palmer puffs as they walk out of the artifact room. "If the dragon enthusiast dinnae want to keep a real dragon, why would I?"

"A dragon lover is the same as a bee lover. You can appreciate the honey, the lovely stripes, but if ye hold it in yer hand, it'll sting you. Dragons were made to live outside, flying, spitting fire. A wee dragon is cute, but once is grown..."

"Yer a curious lad, Nobleworth." Emilian gives an awkward half smile. "I like you."

Their friendship was as unexpected to them as it was for the bystanders, but one that sustained for their last two years in Hogwarts - including Palmer's girlfriend, Clarin, an uptight but curious Ravenclaw, who despite her best instincts followed behind on the boys' adventures.

When Emilian announced he would be leaving England for the Dragon Sanctuary in Romania a couple of years later, as much as Palmer and Clarin expected that to happen, it still came with the bittersweetness of watching one of their best friends go.

Years go by, but still, their bond sustains time and distance. Every opportunity they had, the SIlverwoods would travel to Romania to visit their friend who in a lighting in a bottle chance found himself a wife of "his kind".

Full Veela, Antonia Lazar, practically raised herself as her father left her mother, a temperamental full Veela woman, to deal with Tonia herself, a task she delegated to her equally careless family members, closely involved with the Dragon Sanctuary in times the place was still informally managed.

When Emilian meets her, barely wearing rags over her body, barefoot on the grass, pearl blonde hair unruly, looking as if she was raised by wild house elves, he couldn't help his heart hammering in his chest. Female Veela beauty wasn't something he was unused to, considering his mother and aunts were ones as well, but when Antonia was before him he thought of himself before a goddess.

Emilian tries not to spill the water in the heavy buckets while Antonia doesn't seem to be struggling at all. He wouldn't have a need to even carry them if he hadn't forgotten his wand, but at least he got to be alone with her.

"Why is it that ye dinnae like us?"

"You English think you run the place just because you read about dragons in a book, think you know more than us who grew with hundreds of them." She shoots him firey eyes. "Know when I first rode a dragon? I was five years old!"

"I never say I doubted yer capacities. And I'm not English, I'm Scottish." She glares at him again. "I'm kidding."

"Don't get me angry, you won't like it me angry. Trust me."

"I would actually. I wonder what color yer feathers would be."

"I'm sorry?"

"I ken a Veela when I see one. Especially cause I'm half one."

Her expression soothes a little. She puts the bucket down and grips his hand. "Go, do your magic."

While his hand goes as hot as they can, his eyes slowly change hues to match her, never breaking eye contact. "It's nice touching a girl who doesn't mind a more... ardent touch."

She gives a small smile. "You're pathetic."

"I'd love to fly on a dragon's back with someone who understands about them. I promise I'm not here to mock or doubt you. I love those creatures more than anyone I know."

She lets go of his hand and with a smirk picks up the bucket. "Well, now you know me."

Their relationship quickly becomes stronger as they spend day after day together. The work at the Sanctuary is as rewarding as it is tiring, so at the end of long days, they would sit together and exchange stories, her of her buckwild childhood and him of his years in Hogwarts. In each other's company that they find an air of normality and peace.

After recognizing and accepting her strong feelings for Emilian - something hard considering how men had treated her before, seeking what she had to offer them more than considering her needs - and finding out he felt the same for the longest time, they decided to marry, her seeing in him a sense of stability for the first time in her life.

It doesn't take long until Antonia is pregnant with their first child, and in the pool of genes and possibilities, their first-born boy is a full Veela like his mother, something uncommon for boys. Not considering what would be 'formal' or well accepted, Antonia decides to name him Phoenix for encompassing what being a Veela means to her, a bird of elegance and fire and perseverance.

And as if it was pre-destined, just a couple months prior, Clarin and Palmer had given birth to a girl of name just as uncommon, little Indigo Silverwood, who is but three months old when they come to Romania to meet little Phoenix.

To this day, the Silverwoods wonder if their timing was the best or worst it could've been.

As in the same week they came to visit, an attack happens with the intent of capturing as many dragons as they could from the reserve, something that had happened times before but this time much better planned and heavily armed with the best wizards they could get.

They start picking up their wands in haste while seeking the fire protection potion they had brewed specially for this trip back at home. "What do they need dragons for? Can't they breed their own." Clarin asks.

"Is not like is legal or easy to do so." Antonia has her eyes soaked with tears. "They don't care about the creatures, they want money. Oh, they use their blood to make spot removers. Oven cleaners! How can you take a marvelous creature and turn it into such a pathetic thing? Then they use their hearts in you wizards stupid wands and their skin into gloves!"

"Somebody must have heard about the new Chinese Fireball," Emilian says, "People seek the gold in their horns and eggs, but if you pull them out, they die."

"Not to mention the baby Romanians. Put your goddamn boots on already, Emilian!"

"What 'bout the bairns?" Palmer asks anxiously.

"There's no time. They probably ain't getting all the way up here, but in all cases." Emilian grabs the potion from Clarin's hands turning over Jacob's and baby Indigo's mouth, knowing the fire wouldn't do harm to Phoenix. He places something in Jacob's little hand. "Jacob, if any mean person comes trying to hurt ye, throw this at their feet and run. Alright?" Jacob nods, eyes wide with fear and excitement of a five-year-old.

"What is it?" Palmer asks.

"A vial of Peruvian's Vipertooth venom, extremely deadly and volatile. Don't ask me why I have it."

Palmer looks at Jacob. "Stay quiet and protect the babies, right, love?"

Antonia kisses Phoenix on the forehead one last time then turns to the others. "Let's go, please!"

And if they knew, she would've held him a little longer, Emilian would've stopped time for a couple of seconds to look at their boy for a lingering moment more. But they didn't and time never reversed.

They weren't the only lives lost, but side by side they fought and won and lost and lost and lost. They managed to protect all but two of the dragons at the end, blood of dark wizards - and innocent ones - soaked the grounds. Dragons loose on the sky overhead, blood spilt from both sides, burnt buildings, scars that would never heal, the body of a friend devoided of life, a mother of dragons and children never to wake up again, children crying in a cabin kilometers away.

When Antonia's mother refused to watch over her own grandson, Clarin felt as if it was her own son the woman refused and it was that soon the decision to keep him came. She was still breastfeeding and no ordinary family would know how to raise him right, at least that's what both her and Palmer told themselves. Emilian's parents, both devastated by the news of their son's death were quick to agree with the Silverwoods' proposal.

And it's like this that Phoenix and Indigo are practically raised as twins, still young when he notices he doesn't look like the rest of them - a pale and blonde boy in a family of tanned brunettes - not only for his looks but by the fact that sinking his hand into a pot of boiling water doesn't hurt or the fact his anger makes his body react differently from the others or that people got mesmerized by his looks enough to do whatever he asked them to.

But the Silverwoods learn the painful way that raising a Veela child is not easy work. Not only easily irritable but also dangerous when transformed, not much to others while still young, but to himself due to painful and harmful transformation, taking hours until he could retain his human form. Meditating and thought exercises became pivotal from an early age. As not make their treatment towards him different from Indigo, they become tougher with both, demanding an altruistic, patient, and empathetic behavior from both.

This leads Phoenix to grown into a level-headed, sweet and compassionate boy who eventually got sorted into Hufflepuff without the sorting hat having to consider long.

As much as he wishes he had grown with his biological parents, he's grateful to have grown in the family he did and doesn't consider himself any less part of it, he loves his siblings dearly and considers and reslects his parents as if it was from their blood and cells he was made of.

---

This is my attempt at a concise history of Phoenix, mostly his parents who I dream of drawing someday. I'll make something in the future for his romantic life as it is its own ride. I ship him with Ismelda and boy oh boy I have some to say about that.

If you wanna more info on Phoenix, I made him an OC profile :)