#because i guess it would be easy to get a creature that can shapeshift | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rsmrymnt-tea · 2 years

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I'm pretty alright!! Somehow I've developed the ability to have a normal sleep schedule for once in my life?? Who knew being awake during the day was so good for mental health?? Not me lol!!

Anw to be fair we really have no indication of how familiars would work in the om universe?? I don't really recall any mention of them beyond that one conversation with Satan, so I say they get to be whatever the hell we want them to be!!

A rat??? Eeeeeeeeee!!! That's so cute!! And it helping her with her art??? Love it love it love it!! Somehow a rat fits so well for her too?? Also just, I love smaller animals with these kinds of things because you can just skfjdk carry them in your pockets y'know skdkdk

A cat really fits with her aesthetic but yeah, Satan calling them kitten just isn't it lol. And a raven!! Gah, it's such an aesthetic, but Mammon would be so annoying about it. Like to have corvids in common with Dola?? He's not gonna shut up about it oml!!

I don't actually know anything about daemons or His Dark Materials so I think I will have to be looking into that later. But I guess with familiars I was thinking more along the lines of a companion and guide/mentor?? Maybe with the added bonus of increasing your magic (like how MC can do for the bros?) ((Not that MC needs a boost)). Or maybe familiars could act as intermediaries between spirits and the like??

And,, okok maybe this is a bit cringe but I do love the idea of familiars as like your animal soulmate?? Or maybe less,, predetermined?? than soulmates but along those sort of lines.. uhh,,,,,,

Anyway!! If not Dola, maybe you could give your Sorcerer's Society OCs familiars?? It feels sort of weird that they're canon but none of the characters have one y'know???

And speaking of weird canon things,, the way they just did not develop the ring of light at all?? It's Lucifer's ring and we're only using it to make sure MC doesn't passively destroy the 3 worlds?? It must be able to do much more than that, right?? So I do love that you hc that it can allow the wearer to communicate with animals!!

Anyway I hope you do get some sleep and that you have fun with your friends!!

- 🐝

dhfkjdfhg I'm so jealous!! But also so happy for you!! Being able to just Be during the day is so surprisingly and unexpectedly good for your health. It's probably the sun? and also everything and everyone else is up during the day so it doesn't feel as alone... Might also be just the vitamin D lmao

And true! I feel like they're fair game since apparently the Little Ds are Diavolo's familiars? So I guess we can do whatever we want since MC can do anything and those two mentions of familiars leave a lot free to talk about

And yes honestly!! I love the idea of either little portable pocket sized creatures as familiars or ridiculously huge ones >.< Thinking about her carrying the rat around as well as Barbatos repellent since there's no way she'll be allowed in the castle with her rat familiar around. Which works well for her and her longstanding grudge against Diavolo and Barbatos >w<

sdfhjdhf being called kitten is an easy way for Dola to like, not talk to Satan for a day lmaooo I just think it would've been a common thing for assholes and harassers to call her because of her eyes and general vibe >.< Not a pleasant association with being called it. The raven idea and Mammon being so smug about it is so cute though ngl

I dunno if you've looked into how daemons work for that series by now but basically they're like... Animal manifestations of your inner self? They shapeshift into whatever animal when you're a kid then eventually settle into a final form when you're older. You can also feel whatever happens to them + it's genuinely physically painful to be away from them and stuff... My knowledge is a little vague since it's actually been a good decade since I read any of those books >.> But yeah! Those are pretty good ideas, though I'm not sure about them being a power-up thing for the familiar-haver... As someone who doesn't like that MC is ridiculously powerful (at least, right off the bat) >.> I like to think that instead, a bit of your magic goes into the animal to give them their special skills? Like they gotta gain something from being your familiar, right?

I feel like I get what you mean! Then perhaps the compatibility and deep trust is what helps bind them to be your familiar? I don't think it'd be good if you can just force any interesting animal you want to be bound to you like that...

And oooh yeah actually! It'd be interesting if Aiden had a familiar considering her job... And the young sorcerer who wants an apprenticeship under Dola would be cute with one too... Perhaps a little puppy... Or Husky lmao

And yeah!! Honestly like... I kinda get it since MC can already do a lot but it'd be nice to it elaborated upon what happens if MC's without it for long, what abilities it grants to its wearer, what happens if its near the Ring of Wisdom and what the differences are (with the former being partly me indulging my DolaSol ideas but shh) and like... Idk when MC showed up in that fake illusionary Celestial Realm, I was really hoping for the illusionary angel!Brothers and Lucifer to notice it??? Say something? "How and why do you have Lucifer's ring???" Same with when Solomon's food sent them back in time >.> No mention at all...

Anyway!! I did have fun with my friends (+ we ate so much food and drank way too much coffee) and lately I've been sleeping way too much actually >.> Hopefully you've managed to keep up your new better sleep sched!

#chat & colloquy #🐝 nonnie!!#been trying to fix my sleep sched but its been a real struggle lately...#hoping that after tomorrow it straightens out since im not sleeping #slept for like 24 hours in the last 48 dfgjkfjg insane... who am i...

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therealvinelle · 3 years

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What other non-extinct magical species do you think exist besides vampires, shapeshifters, and like 3 children of the moon?

Not a lot.

More, I have absolutely no way of guessing here. We’re never given any hints or indications that creatures other than vampires, shapeshifters, and Children of the Moon exist, which means I’m as at a loss as you are.

I do think that, on the whole, since the world of Twilight appears identical to ours, that there can’t be any creatures left that would attract too much attention as they would have been discovered by modern technology. Sirens, for instance, would be found out by fog lights, cameras, recordings, you name it. Mermaids, on the other hand, could get away since much of the ocean remains unexplored.

This all being said, I can speculate.

Two things come to mind.

Gifted humans

I haven’t written the meta on what gifts are yet, but I’ll just state that I think gifts are magic. We see them adapt to a human’s needs, personality, or trauma, all according to what suits them best, and I don’t think the gift a vampire has is random. What a gift is appears to be malleable, as people with extreme needs (Renata, Bella, and Renesmée) will have gifts protecting them while others will have their gifts turned into something different if the incentive is strong enough (Jane and Alec). This points to gifts at the core being magic, capable of adapting a new state should the human bearer need it to. For vampires this malleability is lost, what you have is much more powerful than what you had as a human but you’re also stuck with it.

With the possible exception of Jane and Alec (good things happened to people who were kind to them, bad things to people who were cruel, and when they died it was their intent that turned these gifts into something else), humans are not able to control their gifts.

What I’m saying is, within the Twilight world some humans are magical. This is extremely rare, but it’s the best explanation I have for gifts.

Now onto thing the second.

Legends: where do they come from?

So, within the world of Twilight, most myths about vampires are fabricated. Coffins, bats, Christian iconography, a lot of it was made up by Aro. Unfortunately they couldn’t get wash these myths clean of the blood-drinking, the immortality, the something happening in the sun, or the incubi.

More, we see again and again in canon hat there are humans who know, legends are told. The fact that the blood-drinking couldn’t be erased entirely from myth is telling enough on its own.

No, vampires have left their footprint on human mythology, much to Aro’s chagrin.

Which is our door to speculation about which creatures still exist out there. Because if vampires left a footprint on mythologies within the Twilight world (which I remind you appears identical to ours, at least up until 2006), it is fair to assume other creatures have as well. It’s canon that the Children of the Moon did.

So, then, what can we assume?

First of, we must assume that a lot of mythic creatures identified as non-vampires, might actually have been vampires. It’s canon that the Egyptian pantheon was actually just Amun and his buddies, and I think that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Off the top of my head, the following creatures or afflictions could be vampires, at least the ones with a penchant for creative hunting:

Siren Otherworldly beautiful voices that lure in sailors to their deaths. Now, the legends say sirens are as hideous as their voices are beautiful, but that could be a warning among sailors, and even if it’s not it works since vampires are so inhuman-looking.

Nøkken The most beautiful man, sometimes horse, you ever did see, and he will lure you to a watery death.

Troll Far-fetched, but trolls are terribly strong and turn to stone in the sunlight. Within the world of Twilight, trolls could be the result of a game of telephone.

Ghost People long dead are seen again, walking around in their old houses. they disappear.

Possession Someone once a member of community screams in unimaginable agony for days, becomes a terrfiying demon, kills everything in sight, speaks so quickly it’s unintelligible, appears and disappears out of thin air, and is decidedly animalistic with snarls, growls, and crouching.

My point with all this being that in a world where vampires have walked among us for thousands of years, they’re going to have left a lot of footprints in our mythos.

But, as it’s unlikely they’re the only ones, there are myths one may assume arose from elsewhere.

Now, I can’t speculate as to what creatures might have inspired these myths. As I demonstrated above, and canon shows with vampire myths being as far removed from real vampires as they are, these myths are only going to contain one grain of truth, possibly a very distorted one at that.

But there are some creatures that come to mind that seem directly contrary to vampires, Children of the Moon, and shapeshifters, and as such might be pointing towards another creature entirely.

I’m getting tired, so I can only think of two examples:

Changeling A child is stolen by fairies, who replace it with a fairy-child. This child is wicked and unnatural (doesn’t grow, might have a beard or too long teeth). Easy to think immortal child, except the whole point, the core, of changelings is that they trick parents into caring for them, and they’re hard to distinguish. Immortal children will eat their parents if they get within 500 yards of them.

Nisse Moody, mischievous, yet fairly harmless, the nisse is at his most abstract a patron saint for your farm. Give him his oatmeal and he’ll milk your cows, fail to do so and he’ll poke holes in your milk bucket.

I’m not saying the changeling or the nisse were or are necessarily real in the Twilight world, but it’s not impossible either. Mostly, though, these two above are only examples, my point is that as vampires, Children of the Moon, and shapeshifters all made it into legend in the Twilight world, it is a fair assumption that legends not concerning these three might hold a grain of truth as well.

#long post #twilight #twilight meta #twilight renaissance #twilight worldbuilding #myths #folklore #twilight gifts #twilight vampires

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panlight · 3 years

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If you could change the biology of the vampires in any way, what would you choose or alter or add? (Like their teeth, their eyes, the properties of their skin or venom, etc.)

One thing I like about Twilight vampires is that they look the way they look all the time. I'm not into the concept that you get in vampire TV shows a lot where they "vamp out" or whatever and they look like normal people most of the time but when they're in vampire mode suddenly they grow fangs and have strange eyecolors or demon faces or whatever. That's just too easy for me? That they get to blend in so easily most of the time? Although I get with a TV show/Movie it's also practical because it's easier for the actors not to have fangs and contacts in all the time. Like, I do understand that.

I mean obviously we'd get rid of the "all vampires are white or only have a slight olive tone" thing right away because it makes no sense and reinforces really gross and racist ideas about whiteness = beauty. Vampires are 'pale' because they don't have circulating blood, not because they literally turn white, and that kind of pallor will look different on different skintones. So in my head they look sickly or dead, not 'white.'

I do miss the fangs but again I wouldn't want to them to grow when convenient or hide otherwise, that doesn't make sense in my head, so maybe it's just subtle fangs. Some people just have pronounced/pointy canine teeth in real life, so something like that. Maybe just a little longer/pointier than normal but not something super obvious unless they give big toothy grins and/or you are specifically looking at their teeth.

I kind of like the weird eyecolor thing even though it doesn't make total sense that animal blood would make their eyes a different color, we can keep it. There's something angsty there about losing your human eye color, it's such a part of our identity, the eyes being the window to the soul, etc, that to look in the mirror and see that color changed has a neat edge of horror to it that I'm here for.

I wouldn't miss the sparkling. I don't hate it but it's not my favorite part of the lore. I do miss sunlight being bad (I don't think it should kill them but maybe it's uncomfortable, like a rash or a sunburn so they avoid it), and sleeping in coffins. I can just picture like the tasteful crypt under the house with all their personalized coffins. But I don't think those details fit the Twilight aesthetic so I'd probably still leave it out and keep the no sleep (which again can be interpreted as rather horrific and I like that) and sparkling in sunlight.

I'm indifferent to the diamond-hard skin stuff. It's kind of weird that they're like living statues but it's whatever to me. But it is a big part of what makes them so impossible to kill, what makes it impossible for humans to defend themselves against them, so maybe I'd get rid of it. Then things like stakes might actually be able to kill them? And beheadings. But honestly something stabbed through a heart or a beheading will kill pretty much anything. Likewise fire. You aren't special. But any other injuries don't affect them and/or heal instantly I guess. Just something. I miss vampire hunters, but they just can't exist in canon given how overpowered vampires are. Only other supernatural creatures (shapeshifters, Children of the Moon) can do it.

I mean, ask once-human!Carlisle how vampire hunting worked out for him.

#asks

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dcforts · 3 years

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[something more]

ao3.

Dean never wants to go to hunter gatherings.

First, because they don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to meeting other hunters, and second, because whenever they go there's always people looking at them like they’re freaks. He knows they tell all sorts of stories about them and some are hard, ugly truths that Dean would rather stop thinking about for the rest of his life.

But he's got a text from Carol while he was about to get in the car after wrapping up a case, and Sam asked who it was, so it had become a Thing to discuss.

And Dean’s main argument was “Why would we go?”, but Sam’s was “Why not?”, which was objectively stronger. And it got worse because from the backseat Jack kept interjecting with, “Go where?” and, “Who are these people?” until Sam paid attention to him and explained that hunters meet up sometimes to “get a drink, exchange stories”, and that had made him light up like a Christmas tree because Jack loved stories and the idea of expanding his pool of knowledge on hunting and creatures appealed to him greatly.

So the fact that Dean had tried to point out that, “This is stupid. We are hunters, not a book club,” had sorted no effect whatsoever. No, instead, Jack had said, “That sounds nice. We should go,” and when Dean had met Cas’ eyes in the rear view mirror, all he had offered was a shrug.

Typical.

It’s not that Dean wants to be a hermit or something, but he always feels like he needs to be wary of who’s gonna be at these sorts of things because some may treat them like Hollywood stars, but some may want to shoot them on sight. Anyone could come up to them and call them out for starting the end of the world, letting monsters out of Hell and Purgatory, cosmic beings out of their cages, getting their family killed, destroying their lives.

And there’s also this: are they really ready for Jack’s debut in society? Sam thinks they are. He thinks it’s a great opportunity to show that the community doesn’t have anything to worry about. He’s with them now and he’s not going anywhere so they should get used to that. Cas says he’ll be there to intervene in case things go south and Dean’s mind flashes with Carol’s house burning to the ground after Cas’ has gone all mama swan on the hunters. He meets Sam’s eyes briefly and it looks like he had the exact same images playing in front of his eyes, “I’m sure it won’t be necessary," he adds quickly.

So Sam wanted to go and Jack wanted to go and Cas didn’t seem to be able to say no to the kid even if he tried, so Dean had to bite his cheek and wake up early the next morning to drive across the state.

At least it’s a nice day, at least it stopped raining and the sun is breaking in from the clouds; the chilly air that comes in from the window that Cas is in the habit of keeping rolled all the way down brings in the pleasant smell of wet leaves.

Dean feels his knees bumping on the back of his seat from time to time and looks at him in the rear view mirror and Cas sometimes catches his eyes and sometimes he doesn’t.

At least they are spending time together. It’s rare for Cas to stay around after a hunt these days. He doesn’t need the down time they require, or so he says. He gets bored in the bunker, starts climbing the walls the second the door closes behind them. He gets restless, and then there’s Heaven and always bigger things to deal with, and Dean imagines that that beats staying behind to play foosball with him and Jack.

Going on hunts with Cas is always fun, but it’s also a run against time and there’s death and guns and fear involved, even when it’s an easy-peasy salt-and-burn. And it’s the four of them crammed in a motel room, so they don’t get much time to be alone. And Dean likes when they are all together, but likes it more when Sam and Jack disappear in the maze of the bunker and he gets to have his best friend all for himself.

That is why Dean had been pleased when Cas had expressed his intention of staying with them for a couple more days. In that moment Dean had been busy keeping his lunch in his stomach - he’d just found the shredded skin of a shapeshifter in a freaking kitchen drawer - but he’d heard him loud and clear all the same.

They were moving about in the victim’s house looking for clues and talking about other stuff, when Cas had said something along the lines of, “I could work on it once we go back to the bunker,” and Dean had asked, half distracted, “So you’re going back with us?” and Cas had his back turned and Dean had opened the drawer in that moment, but he'd heard him when he’d said:

“I guess.”

It was barely a whisper but it meant yes, that’s all that mattered. And it also meant, from Dean’s perspective, a really nice weekend, that included, not in order of importance: his hot dog pants, driving around with the music up, Dean’s cave and Cas.

So, yeah, if Dean was completely honest with himself – something that he generally tried to avoid – it’s not like he wanted to waste a whole day of that to go spend it with a bunch of strangers.

But it doesn’t matter now, because they’ve piled up in the Impala and driven to Carol’s.

Dean likes her. She spent half her life working at a bank, but after crossing path with a djinn she hanged her suit, moved out of the city and created a safe place for hunters, soon becoming a beacon in the community in Kansas. Her door is always open, as she said that one time they met her on a case. Dean likes her for no-nonsense ways, her honest looks and, not less importantly, her amazing sandwiches.

Carol fusses over him and Sam in the hall, scolds them for taking so long to visit when they live in the same state, then Sam makes the introductions, and it’s only his shifting a little from side to side that betrays his nervousness.

Her eyes focus on Cas and her expression speaks of wonder and surprise.

“The angel Castiel,” she calls him and he nods, “a long way from Heaven.”

“The weather here is nicer,” he says, and Dean snorts softly next to him.

Jack wins her over immediately with his wide smile and polite hand shake, “I look forward to exchanging stories,” he says and she huffs a laugh and says:

“Sure, Jack. We heard a lot about you. I bet everyone will be eager to talk to you.”

On the other side of Cas, Sam gets more fidgety; he says, “If you think uh – we don’t want any trouble.”

But she shakes her head and gestures dismissively. “Nonsense. No one will start trouble if they don't wanna see the end of my rifle. A friend of yours is a friend of mine,” she reassures him. “Plus, Eileen vouched for him.”

“Sh-she is here already?” Sam almost chokes up and all of the sudden he seems to have grown a few inches taller.

Dean understands now. He pieces together his insistence in coming to this thing, his bouncing knee throughout their journey, the way he checked his phone more or less forty-five times. He feels slightly less bad about having caved in. There are a lot of things that Dean would give up for Sam, and things that he would conjure out of thin air just for him to have, if he could. But there’s so much he can’t give him and he wants Sam to just get out and take, have and enjoy. So if he wanted to come here just to meet Eileen again, Dean’s happy to be complicit.

Sam is the first to disappear in the packed living room, with Jack following right behind, but Dean grabs Castiel’s elbow before he can take another step. He circles him to block him from the entrance and says, “Hey, stick with me, alright? Last time I was at one of these things this guy Norman talked about his knife collection for three hours.”

“But, Jack…”

“He’s with Sam, he’s gonna be fine,” says Dean, dismissing. He grins, “Come on, I’ll introduce you to some people; don’t you wanna make friends?”

Cas makes a face but doesn't say anything else. Apparently Jack is not the only one who he seems unable to refuse something to and that makes Dean feel good. He trails after him around the room as Dean stops to say hello from familiar face to familiar face.

There’s Max and Alicia, sprawled on a couch, nursing the worst hangover Dean’s seen in a long time. They say they're happy to see him, but then they eye Cas up and down and Max says something along the lines of, “Oh, I see now why you keep him hidden from us," and that prompts Dean to quickly move along.

Then they bump into this old man who claims to have been one of the patrons of the Roadhouse. Dean has no idea who he is, but he swears he remembers him from when he was a boy - of course he remembers, and hey, if he needs anything, did he know that he was retired but still kept an eye out for monster sightings, and did he hear of that one time he and Bill Harvelle -

Dean tries to nod and smile appropriately for the whole time and when they finally manage to escape him, Cas leads him to an empty corner where they can take refuge.

"I didn't think there would be this many people," Cas says, surveying the room clearly looking for Jack.

Dean elbows him and points at where the kid is talking animatedly to two young hunters he's never seen, "What is he even talking about?"

"Our last case."

"Wh-? Oh, right, I always forget you have the superhearing," then he has a thought and adds, "Hey, you gonna tell me if you hear someone talking shit about me, right?"

Cas' eyebrows raise in thinly veiled amusement and that's all the answer Dean needs, "What? Who?" he asks, outraged.

But Cas doesn't have time to answer before they get interrupted and soon surrounded by hunters Dean's seen on the road, worked with, heard about. Some share their epic tales of escapes from impossible dangers, some are curious and some are brave and blunt and they ask Cas questions and address him without fear and Cas is polite and just a tiny bit awkward.

It gets a little chilly when this guy with too many beers in starts bragging about how he knows all about angels' weaks spots. Cas' face stays as stony as it gets for the whole time but then he says “I suggest you check your sources,” with a deep voice that runs a shiver down Dean’s spine, and he’s not even the one who’s directing his intense gaze at.

There are so many different people that Cas doesn't stick out like a sore thumb, and Dean finds himself thinking that if they were just two regular hunters in a crowd and nothing more, perhaps some things would be easier.

He almost sighs of relief when he eyes Eileen on the other side of the room and steers Cas towards her.

"I can't believe I still haven't had a single beer," he mutters as they elbow their way through the crowd. Sam hovers around her with a timid smile plastered on his face that doesn’t seem to take any breaks.

Dean hugs her and tries not to follow Cas’ movement with the corner of his eyes when he senses him stepping away from his side.

Eileen calls his attention back. She makes fun of him saying, “Sam told me you didn’t want to come. Getting too old to leave the house?”

“Very funny,” Dean says.

“Next time we can organize something at the bunker. There’s so much space," she says, smirking.

Dean thinks 'Yeah, no way' and says, “Yeah, no way,” and she laughs.

“But you,” Dean adds, “you can come stay with us. Anytime. For as long as you want. We would love to have you. Me, Sam,” he says wiggling his eyebrows in a way that has his brother close his eyes in embarrassment, “you’re always welcome.”

“Thank you,” she signs, blushing a little, “I’ll try to come by.”

Dean is glad to know that. She has opened a door in Sam’s life that he probably thought closed forever and Dean will always be grateful to her for that. Also, she is a badass and totally out of his brother’s dorky league.

Cas comes standing by his side again and Dean feels a gentle touch on the small of his back. It's intimate and unexpected so he steps away immediatly almost on instict and Cas' drops his hand. He meets his gaze and they frown at each other for a second. Cas seems about to say something, but then goes back to sporting his usual face, “I think I saw Claire. I’m going to find her.”

So Dean, with that spot on his lower back still tingling, follows him out of the room and into another where there’s only a few scattered hunters and Jack, happily squeezed on a couch with his new friends, his mouth hanging open as he hears a story from this guy named Ronnie that Dean knows for a fact only talks shit. The kid seems to be having fun though, he waves at them as move along.

They find Claire in the empty white kitchen, and catch her right when she’s about to open herself a beer. Her eyes widen in panic but she doesn’t manage to hide the bottle behind her back fast enough.

“Hey guys,” she says with a nervous laugh, “didn’t know you were going to be here.”

Dean stretches out a hand without a word and she drops the act, sighs and hands it over. Before she can say anything else, Cas steps between them, "Claire, it's nice to see you," he says and she lets him squeeze her into a hug.

Pressed against his shoulder, Dean sees her face change expression, her body slightly relax in his arms. She pats him on the back and says: “Good to see you too, Cas.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Just passing through,” she replies, putting on airs, “Finished up a job a few miles north. I thought I’d drop by Carol’s before moving on.”

She flips a strand of blonde hair over her shoulder and Dean scoffs.

“So you are in Kansas, and you don’t call, and you drop by Carol’s? Were you even planning on stopping by the bunker?”

She rolls her eyes at him, “I go where the job takes me, Dean. I don’t make plans.”

Dean rolls his eyes in the exact same way, “Right. Well, you know it wouldn’t kill you to stay with us for a while. We could get you a bit of training.”

She groans as if she's heard that same speech about a thousand times, but Cas cuts off whatever she was going to retort with and says, “We weren’t planning on coming either. Sam and Jack are here too.”

“Jack’s here?” she lights up. She says she's heard all sorts of things about him and she can’t wait to meet the kid and of course she’s gonna go easy on him, it’s not like she’s gonna eat him, Jesus, Dean, protective much?

Dean frowns at her but she’s already halfway out of the room. “I can be his big sister. I mean, he should have someone he can talk to. Living with you three must be – a lot.”

“Hey,” protests Dean, but she just laughs and disappears down the hallway.

Dean shakes his head and leans against one of the kitchen counters. Cas does the same against the opposite island. At the end of the narrow passage between the furniture there’s a glass door that gives into the patio and a small garden beyond it.

The door is ajar and fresh air comes in; Cas gets engrossed in watching the pattern the raindrops formed on the glass and Dean gets engrossed in watching Cas. He seems lost in thought and Dean would like to say something but doesn’t want to be annoying. Not today, not when tomorrow he could be gone.

He’ll take this quiet moment instead.

“She’ll be a bad influence on Jack,” he breaks the silence, and that gets him an amused quirk of lips, “But it really would be nice to have her around more often.”

Curiously that has Cas' take his eyes away from the glass and lay his gaze on him. He has his lips pressed in a small smile.

“What?”

“You want people you love around you.”

Dean frowns, “What about it?” he asks, and it comes out sharp and defensive.

Cas shakes his head a little, but there’s a shadow on his face that confuses him: “Nothing, I only meant -" but he doesn’t get to finish his sentence, because a group of hunters enters the kitchen talking loudly and soon Dean has his vision blocked by half a dozen bodies and he has to press himself against the cabinets to let them through, towards the garden door.

One guy in a baseball cap stops in his track as he sees Dean.

He asks with his eyes wide and stunned expression if he is Dean Winchester, the Dean Winchester and Dean is glad that the rest of the group is already out of earshot because he wasn’t in the mood for a meet and greet session. But the guy starts talking about some hunter named Troy, who he has supposedly hunted with a couple of years back. And Dean’s not in a habit of calling people liars but he's pretty sure he'd remember if he had wiped out a nest of fangs with this guy and allegedly taken down five all on his own and went and get steaks and beer afterwards.

He tries to shoot him down gently and say, “Maybe your friend had me confused with someone else,” but the guy’s face falls and tells him Troy has recently passed on the job and this was his favourite story to tell, and he would always tell it, all proud and all.

Dean pats him on a shoulder then.

“You know what, we shouldn’t ruin it for him now, should we? Troy, you say? Of course I remember him,” he says and throws in a wink. The guy beams at him and thanks him and gets a little chocked up because Troy might have been a liar but he swears he was one of the good ones.

The guy invites him to join his friends for a drink but Dean raises his half-empty bottle and says “I’m fine, thanks.”

When the guy walks away, Cas moves to lean on the counter by his side. Dean feels the familiar weight of his arm against his and he wonders if they could pick up the conversation where they left it. But Cas says:

“That was nice of you.”

Dean shrugs looking down at their shoes lined up and for some reason he thinks it’s a funny sight. If they were just two shoe wearing creatures standing side by side and nothing more, perhaps some things would be easier.

“Doesn't really change my life. And it's a good story,” he huffs a laugh, it comes out bitter, “Better than some of the true ones anyway.”

“I understand what you mean,” says Cas with a sigh and Dean extends his arm to offer him his beer, and even though Cas usually refuses, this time he takes it.

Dean does his best not to follow his hand bringing the bottle to his lips. And he does his best, later, not to wonder if the wetness touching his lips when he drinks is just beer or something else.

If they were just two drinking creatures, sharing a bottle of beer and nothing more, perhaps everything would be easier.

Soon the bottle is empty and Cas says, “I’ll get you another one,” but Dean refuses.

It’s nice there - someone's turned the music on in the other room, but here it's muffled by the walls, and the light is just right to make Cas’ eyes look like sapphires. They don’t need to move.

But then the group of hunters out in the patio erupts in laughter and Cas’ gaze shifts on them and then lingers on the glass door.

Dean feels him slipping from him once again. He sighs, “You wanna go out, check the garden?”

Cas nods and heads out and Dean can’t do anything but follow, past the hunters and the patio. They walk the perimeter of the small square of grass, wet and glistening with old rain. The sun and the clouds draw patches of light on the ground and they move from dark to light to dark again in an irregular rhythm, chasing the warmth of the sunlight and the relief of the shade. Dean feels uncomfortable in both, but there’s no middle line he can walk on.

“Sorry we dragged you here,” he finds himself saying, “You never stick around, and for once that you do, that’s what you get.”

Cas frowns slightly at him, “I stick around,” he protests.

Dean laughs, “You don’t,” he says and although he tries to reign it in with the bitterness, it stills seeps out. Cas’ gaze prompts him to explain himself, “Come on, the minute we’re done with a case you are out of here. I don’t blame you,” he quickly adds cutting off whatever Cas was opening his mouth to say. “I know you don’t like sitting around. Believe me, no one understands that more than I do.”

A long beat passes and then Cas says, “I’m sorry, I never meant to make you feel like I don’t want to spend time with you.”

Dean stops in his tracks and Cas stops with him to face him.

Dean shakes his head, “Cas, you don’t have to apologize to me. This is not about me. And I said, I get it,” he shrugs.

Cas doesn’t look at all convinced and Dean doesn’t feel at all convinced either. He knows this is not about his feelings. It’s more like a general way of how things are. It’s a truth, a fact. Sam would say the same.

Sam would. Standing here in the garden with him, Sam would tell him the very same things and wish for the very same things. He’s sure he would. He's not accusing Cas of anything. On the contrary, he’s showing him understanding.

“It’s all the same for me, I swear. I don't care,” he adds, but saying that hurts a little, for some reason he can’t quite determine, and he finds his own frown mirrored on Cas’ face.

“Alright,” he says, sounding profoundly sad and again the same shadow passes on his face.

This is all wrong. What did he do?

“Look, I don’t get what you want me to say. If you wanted to - ” he exhales, angrily, “Just - forget it, let’s go back inside,” he says but as he tries to walk away Cas stops him by his elbow.

“You could ask me.”

He looks unsure, troubled, as if he is not quite certain this is a good idea. Dean breathes out a confused, “What?” that he himself can barely hear.

Cas squares his shoulders, “To stay. You could ask me,” he sounds accusing, and he takes a step forward. His eyes are firm in Dean’s and with his elbow still in his grip, he feels like a hummingbird flapping his wings in the paw of a dragon, “You ask everybody else.”

Dean’s heart starts pounding. He tries to swallow but his mouth is too dry.

“I don’t wanna ask you, Cas,” he says, cutting, yanking his arm free of his hold, and it sounds bad, bad, bad to his ears and he can read hurt all over Cas’ face. He needs to explain himself. He takes a breath, says a lame, “I mean, if you don't -”

And then, Dean suddenly understands.

Cas thinks he doesn’t -

He thinks he doesn’t care if he’s around and doesn’t ask because he doesn’t need him.

Dean feels like his heart is about to leap out of his chest. He’s not ready for this. He’s not ready for this. He fights the need to look down. He doesn’t know why this is so hard for him. It’s just Cas. But that’s the point, isn’t it? It’s Cas. It would hurt ten times more if he were to say no. It’s nothing like with Claire, he asked her for her; it’s nothing like with Eileen, he asked her for Sam. But if he asked Cas, he would be asking for himself, wouldn’t he?

Seeing him walk away anyway would be too much then.

But maybe he wouldn’t.

Cas senses his struggle, “If you want, you can ask me,” he says, coming closer, in his eyes his timeless patience, that gaze that tells him that he is seen, he is known. Cas says: “I will say yes,” and it’s barely more than a whisper but Dean’s brain is a step away from short-circuiting anyway.

He looks away and he doesn’t recognize his own voice when he blurts out a hurried, muttered, nervous, almost angry: “Well, stay, then.”

But then a sunbeam decides to cut through the clouds in that exact moment and has Dean looking up again. The lazy sunlight of an early afternoon shines on Cas’ face. He’s not bothered by the sudden change of light, unlike Dean, who has to squint and bring a hand to his forehead.

Cas’ eyes sparkle like shimmering water when he says, “Okay.”

Dean barely remembers what happens after that. That image gets imprinted behind his eyelids and he can’t stop thinking about it.

He floats through a darts game and a dozen of Carol’s sandwiches. Then there's Jack telling an embarrassing story about him that has people folding in two with laughter, and Claire agreeing on following them back to the bunker only with the promise of destroying him at foosball.

There's Sam introducing him to this lady to work a job together on alledged arachnes activity in Winsconsin and a girl who wants him to debunk some stuff she's heard about them but she doesn't believe (he disappoints her cause they are mostly true) but most importantly, there's Cas' thigh pressed against his when he's sitting and Cas’ shoulder just an inch away when he's standing, and somehow it's different than it was before.

Most of all, he feels lighter than he's felt in ages.

Later, as he gets to his car with Sam, he says, “Hey, you know, you were right. It was a little fun,” and his brother looks at him in disbelief.

“Are you kidding me? We came here to meet new people and you spent all your time with Cas.”

Dean shrugs, embarrassed to be called out. “So what? You spent all your time with Eileen,” he says and he regrets it immediately, especially as Sam purses his lips like he’s holding back a laugh.

He nods, “I see your point,” he says diplomatically, stressing the t, before he slips into the passenger seat.

Dean doesn’t look forward in continuing the conversation, crammed in a small space with his ears burning and Sam’s gigantic enquiring eyes on him, thank you very much, so he stays out of the car, his arms crossed on the roof, frowning at himself.

He watches as Cas comes down the little pathway with Jack and Claire. In the orange light of the sunset, Jack turns to ask him something and Cas nods. Typical. At the end of the path they split and only Cas makes his way across the street.

"Jack is riding with Claire," he says as soon as he's within earshot. He sounds like he doesn't think it's a good idea and it's a little funny.

"Relax, we're gonna be right behind them."

Cas seems reassured by that, but it only lasts the time it takes for him to make his way around the car, because even before he can grab the car handle, Claire speeds past them shouting, "See you, dorks." Now he looks truly alarmed.

Dean says, "You up for a ride after we drop Sam off?” and all his worry melts away from his face. He says a soft, “Alright,” and disappears into the backseat.

So when they get to the bunker, Dean doesn't follow Claire’s car to the garage and stops up front, the engine running. Sam looks at him confused, “We’ll be here in an hour,” Dean just says, grateful for the shadows around his face.

Sam is stunned for just a second, then snorts, “Fine guys, I’ll babysit tonight, but next time you gotta ask.”

He gets out and the next moment Cas has taken his seat. He doesn't waste time to pop one of Dean's tapes in the deck as he takes the road again.

Dean rolls his window down and in the night air that ruffles his hair he can smell another storm coming. He turns the music up and meets Cas’ eyes. There’s a smile in there somewhere that mirrors his own.

And - they may not be just two individuals in a car going nowhere and nothing more, and things may not be easy, probably never will, but maybe, Dean thinks, it doesn’t really matter in the end.

#deancas #deancas ficlet #destiel fanfic #deancas fanfic #destiel #4.9k #this is about how dumb they are #'why doesn't he stay VS why doesn't he ask me to stay' kind of dumb #their usual basically #jack claire and eileen are in this #i wish we got to see more of the hunter community cooperating #in the beginning there were waaay less people - then i guess i just miss crowds #how do you do titles #spncreatorsdaily #my writing #ive been working on this for ages and im still not sure i did it right

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neonthewrite · 3 years

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Washed Up Winchesters 8 (Final)

The mystery is solved and the case closed! It seems the Winchesters didn't quite expect things to go this way, but when there's a giant involved, all kinds of things go differently!

Cowritten with @nightmares06, the writer behind the @brothersapart multiverse!

( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 4 ) ( 5 ) ( 6 ) ( 7 ) -8-

Story Tag

Read Time ~10 minutes

~~~~~

Chase pushed himself up and shook his head. He was more used to being swept up in a giant hand, but toppling over a few times had winded him. He frowned over the edge of the hand, then over at Sam. “What?”

Jacob’s other hand lifted to be level with them. Minnie was clinging to his thumb and scanning the flock of sheep warily. They were all still milling around, keeping a tight group, several of them aiming disdainful baaas up in the air. Dean’s defiant stand over their heads certainly had not gone unnoticed. Minnie had never seen sheep act like that, certainly not in the shadow of a giant. “Sam?”

"Th-the sheep!" Sam gestured in the direction of the hostile flock. "We're chasing skinwalkers, not werewolves! They can be any type of animal, so long as it's what the pack started out as!"

The confusion on Dean's face cleared. "So you're saying this flock is the people we've been chasing the whole time?"

Sam nodded at the silver knife in Dean's hand. "One way to find out for sure."

Jacob frowned pensively. Even after hearing about how dangerous the skinwalkers were, he could hardly imagine the flock of fluffy sheep before him causing much trouble. Mostly they milled around among each other, all keeping tabs on Dean with his glimmering knife. It was weird that they didn't even want to run from Jacob, but he hadn't made any moves against them.

Even Chase and Minnie had been mostly spared. Chase had only fallen over because he kept trying to pull Dean up.

Jacob decided to throw in his two cents. "I mean, they're… they're not really doing anything," he pointed out.

"Except yelling at us," Chase agreed, waving a hand at a ram that bleated insistently up at him.

"Wait," Minnie chimed in, her brow pinching with confusion. "Do they understand what we're saying when they're in their whatever-form?"

Sam circled a hand through the air aimlessly, trying to gather his thoughts and what he knew of their current enemies. "Skinwalkers aren't like werewolves, who give in to their more... animalistic side when they transform. They maintain their regular consciousness and memory. The main danger is that they can transfer their ability with a bite, increasing the size of their pack... or flock." Sam gave the flock of sheep a strange look. He'd never encountered supernatural creatures in the guise of herbivores like the sheep. This case was shaping up to be unique in more ways than one.

"That means," Sam continued, "they know just who we are, and anything we said while we were here. Which is why they were so quick to lunge at me and Dean. They already found us once on the ship, when they were in their human forms. We couldn't stay under cover, and ended up tossed overboard."

Minnie frowned critically over the side of Jacob’s hand, even as the giant lifted everyone slightly higher. If those sheep really were skinwalkers, and at this point they certainly weren’t acting like normal sheep, they’d just let the group wander among them. She’d patted their heads and tried to click at them like she did with her lambs back home and everything. The feeling that wormed into her gut was something like betrayal.

“So these guys might be the reason I found you floundering out in the waves,” Jacob echoed, a disapproving frown on his face.

“Well what do they--” Chase began, asking Sam first before looking over the side of the hand at the nearest sheep bleating up at them. “What do you want in Lilliput then?!”

For a long moment, it appeared as though Chase's demand would go unanswered. The sheep milled restlessly around, giving Jacob's feet a wide berth as they bleated.

Then, the ram that had given Dean a runaround when he was on the ground stepped out into an opening that formed in the flock. It cocked its head, fixing one eye on the hand that held Chase, Minnie, Sam and Dean. Its expression was impossible to read as it looked them over, one by one.

There was a shift, and then the ram's horns appeared to melt away. Several cracks could be heard as its back shifted to an upright position, and the hooves split into four fingers and a thumb.

After less than ten seconds from when the shift started, the ram stood there as a regal and distinguished looking man, dressed in a simple white shirt and dark pants. He frowned at the people in Jacob's hand, then up at the giant himself.

"As I recall," the man said, "you were the ones to smuggle onto our ship when we had done nothing to you in turn, stinking of silver and gunpowder."

Seeing the transformation had been more than enough to leave Jacob, Minnie, and even Chase speechless for a hesitant moment. Jacob’s mouth opened slightly, as amazed as he’d been the first time he met Chase. He had never really thought about tiny people existing anywhere before. He definitely hadn’t imagined them having the ability to turn into tiny sheep. “Uh. Wh… what,” he muttered.

“I mean. I guess that’s technically true,” Chase finally admitted, sending an uncomfortable sideways glance at Sam and Dean. He frowned down at the apparent leader of a flock of sheep skinwalkers. “So … are skinwalkers usually dangerous, or not? ‘Cause I feel like that would clear up a lot, knowing what you actually plan to do in Lilliput, right?”

The man’s lip curled in disgust. “Oh, please,” he said disparagingly. “Unlike our more… wolf-ish cousins, we have no interest in anyone’s hearts.”

Next to him, a second sheep transformed back. This one was shorter, and he had very mousy features in comparison to the ram’s dignified look. “But we like Romaine hearts,” he stuttered out insistently. “Right? Right?!”

“Please, Jerimiah,” the ram said. “This situation is delicate enough without your help.” He turned to look up at the Lilliputians and Blefuscians held in the giant’s hand. “Haven’t you ever heard ‘The grass is greener on the other side?’ We are here in search of better pastures. Nothing more.”

Chase’s mouth opened in a delighted grin over the bad pun. Before he could try to chime in with his own, Minnie slapped his arm with the back of her hand. In her opinion, she had enough to deal with without her brother adding to the pile. She’d thought this was a poor lost flock of sheep. Not an intentional group of … magic shapeshifting squatters. “So are Sam and Dean the only ones you hurt, or …?”

Jacob heaved a slow sigh. Minnie had a point. If they had left behind more than just Sam and Dean, it would be dangerous having the shapeshifters around Lilliput too. “Yeah, I mean. I’m pretty sure I can outrun you guys, but what’s to stop you from sneaking along later and trying something again? Are Chase and Minnie here in danger because they know your secret?”

The ram’s mouth twisted in annoyance. “All we want is green fields and calm waters,” he explained. “Any Blefuscans that we ran into, we ran off, nothing more. These… hunters that followed us were the most persistent, and I couldn’t risk the safety of my flock. Throwing them off the ship was only done as a last resort.”

Looking over the rest of the flock, and a brief glance at the twitchy Jerimiah, the ram shook his head in doubt. “Perhaps it was merely a pipe dream to find a place free of warmongering, but we had to try.”

“So…” Sam tentatively leaned forward. “Your main plan is to get as far from civilization, and stay there?”

“Sammy…” Dean started, but was ignored.

The ram nodded. “It seemed like a more likely situation to find in Lilliput compared to Blefuscu. Such an idyllic land…” He turned to Chase and Minnie. “No one here is at risk from my flock, I give you my word. Even if we get sent back to Blefuscu.” The last statement was said with a sideways glance at Dean.

The guy seemed genuine enough. Having lived in Lilliput for a bit, Jacob knew the locals to be fussy but harmless. They would likely be too caught up in their own drama to notice an extra flock of sheep up past the hills, especially since no one really wandered this far anyway. He decided that he believed the stern little guy.

It wasn't really up to him, though. He lowered his hands a bit, not enough to put his passengers at risk but at least to bring them more level with the ram. "Whatcha think, Chase? Minnie?"

"It's weird," Chase said, practically bursting for an opening to speak up. "Sheep-people .... sheepshifters!"

Minnie smacked his arm. "How is that helping?" she scolded, before addressing the ram again. "I don't think anyone uses these pastures so you won't get anyone upset. But will you even be safe out here? From wolves and things, I mean?"

The ram looked down his nose at her. “Wolves have been our problem since the start,” he said with a sharp look sent in Dean’s direction. “We haven’t been able to shake them yet.”

Sam stepped between Dean and the ram with an arm to separate them, before thoughtless words could be thrown. “If we leave you be, does this mean you’ll leave the Lilliputians alone?” he asked, trying to keep the focus. “We’re only here to deal with threats.”

The ram sighed. “We won’t bother a soul, you have my word. So long as we have our pastures.”

Sam put his arm down. “I think our job’s done then,” he said. “They’ll just need a safe place to call home now.”

“This works,” Chase agreed, gesturing at the current pasture. Aside from Jacob looming over the field with several people standing on his hands, it was a simple, idyllic view. The area was lush, if a bit wild, and unbothered by Lilliput or Blefuscu. “We even have Jacob here to come check on you sometimes if you need anything.”

Jacob rolled his eyes at being volunteered so easily. It was his lot in life anymore, to have Chase suggest him for any task that needed doing. “I have a pretty easy time getting over here,” he agreed anyway. “If you need supplies.”

Minnie glanced over at Sam and Dean. Sam seemed mollified, though Dean looked as ready for a fight as ever. Looking back at the sheep, she gave them an exaggerated shrug. “Looks like everyone’s okay, so … it all worked out? This time?”

The ram gave Minnie a stiff half-bow, looking uncomfortable with the unfamiliar gesture. “We will hold up our end of the bargain,” he promised.

With a quick shift, the man again turned into a ram. Large, curving horns came out of his forehead first before he fell forward onto a new set of hooves. By the time he hit the ground, he could have blended in with any herd of sheep and proceeded to walk amongst the others. Jerimiah followed suit next. Then, a slowly stirring wave expanded throughout the herd until they were all heading in the same ambling direction.

Sam sighed, blowing out his bangs. “Case closed.”

“Weirdest case ever,” Dean complained. “Almost as weird as running into the actual giant in the lands.” He sent Jacob a side-eye. “Maybe next time we’re in Lilliput, we can enlist some extra help again?” Despite his usual gruff tone of voice, the interest in having a giant helper shone right through.

Chase drew himself up proudly, though he still stood notably shorter than either brother. “We’re totally ready to kick some ass, anytime we’re needed.”

Minnie rolled her eyes. “Preeeetty sure they were asking for Jacob,” she pointed out, nudging Chase with an elbow.

“Hey! I helped!”

Jacob smirked. He’d gotten somewhat used to the surly attitude from Dean. It seemed the little folk over in Blefuscu could be just as excitable as the Lilliputians he’d come to know. Chase and Minnie’s antics were practically a given. “I’m basically a glorified taxi,” he warned. “But I’ll be here.”

#mywriting #collab #washed up winchesters #chase in lilliput au #chase lisong #minnie lisong #sam winchester #dean winchester #jacob andris #supernatural fanfiction #gullivers travels fanfiction #g/t #g/t handheld #it's over .... just like that

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chalabrun · 3 years

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tsunade's feats (and why she's equal to her fellow sannin)

(For @sannin-central‘s Sannin Week Day 7 prompt: Free Day)

One of the most tired arguments you’ll ever hear about Tsunade is that she isn’t as strong as her fellow Sannin, or their equal; that all she does is heal and punch and have a bad temper. As if that’s the only thing that makes her special, right? Nah, wrong!

In this meta, what I want to expand on is a full, manga-canon (with some anime and extraneous material inclusion) litany of feats that Tsunade has accomplished. And what makes her such an integral part of the Sannin, and background surrounding it. Hopefully, this will be a meta that can end the doubt of the equality between the Sannin and the feats that make Tsunade such a force to be reckoned with.

The Sannin: Why there was a 3-way Deadlock

(Below scan originally from Narutoversity.)

As stated in the Second Databook, to be a Sannin means that each individual Sannin are of equal ability and might to each other.

The Legend of the Sannin

What is the truth behind the Sannin? With three key words, we will discover how the three became legends.

Even ghosts would cower before Konoha’s Sannin!

Past

Under the professor, their talents were nutured!

The three who spent their childhood with the one who would become the Third Hokage. With the benefit of great leadership, each was able to set flame to their great talents. Perfecting their strength and jutsus, and at times clashing with each other, the three find the source of their power from these days of childhood.

[Bell Test] At that place, the usual presence of the teacher and student relationship…

Strength

Explosive spirit and unique power!

Jiraya’s manly fighting valor, Orochimaru’s individual talents, Tsunade’s monster power and supreme knowledge of medical jutsu. During fights, their skills would increase thrice fold and create stories of great battlefield deeds. Especially, places of battle where the three fought together were their own stage. Stories of their battlefield deeds have evolved into legends. As there will no longer be days when the three will fight alongside each other, the flower of their legend is the more dazzling.

[Jiraiya] Serious but deadly eyes! Are the only ones who can fight against the Sannin the Sannin themselves?

[Tsunade] Her power is like that of a god of war.

[Orochimaru] Like a reflection of his way of life, his fighting skills are cruel to the extreme.

Weakness

The weakness of the Sannin?

The Sannin are also human. If they do have weaknesses, is it not because of their human attributes and personalities? In it, there is a certain lure of humanistic charm.

Jiraya – Women and sexiness

If someone uses the one that he loves as a shield, even the most strongest of ninjas will become defenseless. And there are many women that Jiraya loves.

Tsunade – Gambling

In the world of gambling she is known as Legendary Sucker. When she uses her luck, which is rather low, is she then at her most vulnerable?

Orochimaru – ???

In completely encompassed mind of ice, there is no possibility of it becoming marred by another human. Only, his own endless ambitions keeps him anxious.

- Second Databook, translation from Narutoversity.

As stated here, to be a Sannin means to be equal in power, that no individual Sannin is more powerful than each other. More than that, only a Sannin can hope to take down a Sannin.

As stated by Ebisu shortly after Jiraiya’s return in the aftermath of the Konoha Crush.

As said by Jiraiya during the Three-Way Deadlock in part 1.

First Fanbook, Sannin entry (Source)

Ch. 170, highlighting the Sansukumi motif behind the Sannin.

Ch. 154, where Orochimaru muses about Tsunade's calling in life.

During this arc, Orochimaru themself states that facing two of their fellow Sannin wouldn’t be easy, even if they are one.

Ch. 369, where Hanzo himself gives the Sannin their name--objectively acknowledging their prowess instead of favoring one over the other.

Ch. 380, where Pein himself admits to the Sannin’s equal and devastating ability.

Even their stats as listed in the databooks see them as near-equal to one another statistically.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru's statboxes (Source)

Sannin & their Summons

Second Databook, Leaf #18: The Sannin & their summons (Source)

Another important factor of the 3-way Deadlock is the deadly summons that each Sannin possessed. What made them so special?

Manda

Village: Otogakure

Rank: —

“You bastard…I’ll eat you up!”

A python that lives with an aggressive nature and evil wildness

A summon that is hard to control because of its aggressive nature. With its hideous eyes and great power of destruction, there is no emotion of ‘terror’ for this violent entity that wants to take over everything. It is an evil that is partners with Orochimaru who also symbolizes evil.

There is no such thing as trust between the summoned and the summoner.

The jutsus that utilize 100% of all the characteristics of a snake are also formidable!!

- Second Databook, Manda's entry (Scan & Translation)

Gamabunta

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: —

“I’ll make sure you pay me back for this…”

Majestic and magnificent!! An honorable toad, defender of justice, protector of the weak!!

The big toad summoned by Jiraiya and Naruto. The sight of him wielding his giant knife is the very picture of the boss of chivalry. His violent fights against Shukaku and Manda show why he is known as the strongest toad.

His life is also that of a boss. Having yet to pledge his loyalty to Naruto, Gamabunta had no obligation to help him. However, upon learning that Naruto had saved Gamakichi, he joined Naruto in the fight against Shukaku. He is a true warrior among warriors who understands the lifelong shame of an unchivalrous action!

Unable to ignore the desperation of the one who saved his son. A true champion.

His voice rings like a knife no matter who his opponent his. His power is no bluff.

- Second Databook, Gamabunta's entry (Scan & Translation)

Katsuyu

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: —

“Tsunade-sama so desires.”

Risking her life for Tsunade! A wise and docile giant slug!!

The massive slug summoned by Tsunade. Her polite speech and obedient attitude give a strong impression of maturity. However, her true strength is anticipated to be considerable. Katsuyu’s true strength… It can be guessed her fighting on an equal footing with Gamabunta and Manda, the summoned creatures of the other “Sannin”.

She executes Tsunade’s orders swiftly and efficiently, sending the injured Naruto away from the battlefront on a Bunshin and saving him from a dangerous situation.

Katsuyu’s kind and compassionate heart can be sense in her worry for Naruto’s safety. Seems like a rather different personality to that of the dynamic and fearless Tsunade…

- Second Databook, Katsuyu's entry (Scan & Translation)

Something definitively established is that each Sannin’s boss summon was as strong as the others, especially when one considers that they’re the only ones summoned from sage regions, the only three known in the world.

Ch. 579

Ch. 634, where Minato notes the exceptionalism of the Sannin’s summons.

The Sannin: A historical & folkloric influence

Something that might not be commonly known is the fact that the Sannin take their inspiration from two primary sources: the rock-paper-scissors hand game precursor, Mushi-ken, and the Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya.

Woodblock prints depicting scenes from the Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya, featuring Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru that inspired the Sannin.

"In the legend, Jiraiya is a ninja who uses shapeshifting magic to morph into a gigantic toad. As the heir of the mighty Ogata clan in Kyūshū, Jiraiya fell in love with Tsunade (綱手), a beautiful young maiden who has mastered slug magic. His arch-enemy was his one-time follower Yashagorō (夜叉五郎), later known as Orochimaru (大蛇丸), a master of serpent magic (the kanji 大蛇 literally means "giant snake" or "serpent"). It was first recorded in 1806."

The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya. (Source)

Now, while articles such as these better establish the Sannin’s folkloric influence, what is undeniable is that the Sannin come from very historical beginnings.

But, what about the game of Mushi-ken that further describe the 3-Way Deadlock?

Mushi-ken, the earliest Japanese sansukumi-ken game (1809). From left to right: slug (Namekuji), frog (Kawazu), and snake (Hebi). (Source)

In mushi-ken, the "frog" represented by the thumb wins against the "slug" represented by the pinkie finger, which, in turn defeats the "snake" (蛇) represented by the index finger, which wins against the "frog" (蛙). (Source)

As we see with this explanation, the Sannin are further meant to be equal from the game that would come to define their dynamic, as illustrated with the above points.

Tsunade: What the databooks say

Tsunade

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: Hokage

Ninja Registration Number: 002302

Birthday: August 2 (51 years old, Leo)

Height: 163.1 cm Weight: 48.9 kg Blood Type: B

Personality: Brash, gambling addict

Favourite food: Chicken breast, alcohol

Least favourite food: Raw liver

Would like to fight: Uzumaki Naruto

Favourite word: Get rich quick!

Interests: Gambling

Graduated from the Ninja Academy at age 6

Promoted to chuunin at age ?

Mission Experience

D-rank: 40

C-rank: 236

B-rank: 467

A-rank: 418

S-rank: 95

Statistics

Ninjutsu: 5

Taijutsu: 5

Genjutsu: 3.5

Intelligence: 5

Strength: 5

Speed: 3.5

Stamina: 4

Hand Seals: 4

“This can’t be happening…”

Brash, free spirited, monstrous strength, no one can stop Princess Tsunade. She is the legendary ninja who has touched upon the very limits of medicine.

As one of the Legendary Sannin, tales of her heroism echo on the battlefield and her efforts in expanding the medical field have made numerous accomplishments. The name Tsunade that is imbued with legendary magnificence is a ninja of Konoha. She is the idol of many kunoichis. But she, the object of this admiration, is one of those rare individuals who is not limited by being a woman ninja nor by any other constraints of a ninja. Her personality is precipitous and free, more stubborn than a man’s as well as showy, not to mention a gambling addict. If her admirers should hear about her life as a gambler, perhaps their idolatry will fade away in an instant.

But behind that flashy personality, an almost diffident friendliness is hidden. There is none who can match her love for her village and for those who are special to her. This gap between her outer and inner self is the secret to her charm that can never wilt!

Even though she is always impetuous, her truly terrifying moment is when she has anger deep inside her. Her expression and glow of her eyes right before her eruption have the intensity to make anyone afraid.

As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, her name is the frequent subject of news.

Her exceptional bad luck! But her once in awhile winnings, could they be indicators of an ominous future?

[Servant]

For the naturally brash and free style Tsunade, she cannot do without the rational and organized Shizune. On days Tsunade is drowning in gambling, wine and sadness, [Shizune’s] understanding and devotion have supported her throughout.

[Shizune’s] special existence to Tsunade is beyond that of a servant.

[Orochimaru]

She never thought of him as a companion even during the period of the Sannin. His evil eyes which never change through time are not what Tsunade likes. But the offer that he proffers weakens her. Without putting down a decision she is lead into an evil plan.

He lures her with the mentioning of ‘her most precious ones.” Towards the raging Tsunade, he continues to talk. “I can bring back your beloved brother and love.”

[Jiraiya]

Unlike Orochimaru, she knows Jiraiya well. So when he requests with sincerity in his eyes her acceptance to be inaugurated as the Fifth Hokage, she recognizes the danger her village is in but….

[Uzumaki Naruto]

Rudeness, simplicity, ‘dreams’ – all that Naruto has used to be by Tsunade’s side. And everything she lost in the war. And once again, she sees them. The image of her loved ones show up clearly in her mind.

[The past hidden within]

In the violence of the war, many ninjas lost their lives and many sorrows mounted in this world of fighting.

Passing on the Hokage’s necklace is an act of her strong love.

[The scars from the war]

The one she loved the most in this period of war…. Her brother Nawaki and Dan were both lost to her. A pain that seems to crush her half of her body, a phobia of warm blood and an emptiness that cannot be filled take root in her mind.

It was because she loved them more than anyone else that the pain of loss is so great. And the will that is left behind….

The soft kiss on the forehead, as if she were blessing the future

[The heart that does not weaken]

What Tsunade wanted back in her heart… the dreams of the ones she loved most. These do not fade in her heart but continue to shine. Always she looked upon these dreams in her heart hoping they would come true as well as her love that never grows less.

[The final bet]

A will lives on through the one who inherits it. Nawaki’s and Dan’s dreams are alive burns brightly in the dreams of one boy whose eyes resembles theirs . Tsunade leaves her necklace to Naruto believing one day, he will make those dreams come true.

[The Fifth Hokage]

Her fate (mission) burns more brightly in her chest after the fight. Her role is to protect Naruto who has inherited the dreams of her loved ones. That is why she must protect the largest tree known as Konoha. That is why the new ninja path as the 5th Hokage is engraved in her heart.

The will that was glowing in the darkness of her sorrow is given fuel by one Naruto Uzumaki and inflamed once more her life’s purpose. Her life’s mission is to protect Naruto and Konohagakure as long as she is titled, Hokage. Tsunade’s vows to devote all of herself including her own life in order to fulfill her mission, are channeled into strength which uphold her. She who was adulated as the Sannin, the strongest ninja who put fear into the hearts of enemies far away, is once more revived!

Second Databook, Tsunade’s entry (Translation) & (Scans)

Third Databook, Tsunade’s entry (Source)

Tsunade (Fifth Hokage)

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: Hokage

Ninja Registration Number: 002302

Birthday: August 2 (55 years old, Leo)

Height: 163.1 cm Weight: 48.9 kg Blood Type: B

Personality: Quick-tempered, enjoys gambling

Favourite: She was treasured as a favourite by Hashirama, and learned to gamble during her childhood days. Her rarely-scored jackpots are ill omens.

Chakra Nature(s): Fire, Water, Lightning, Earth, Yang

Special Characteristics: Summoning

About 31 years ago: Tsunade’s will contains the dream of her loved ones. She took as her ambition the wish of Dan, who lost his life.

“I’ll protect this village no matter what… I swear on the name of Hokage!”

The blooming will of fire — long era eternity Konoha managing largehearted orchid tree!!

Born as a grandchild to the First Hokage Senju Hashirama called the God of Shinobi, before long she came to display unparalleled medical ninjutsu skills. Formerly she amassed a great deal of legendary valour together with Jiraiya and Orochimaru (referred to as Sannin), and eventually Tsunade rose to take the seat of Hokage of Konohagakure. She, having inherited Grandfather Hashirama’s Will of Fire along with his lineage, is now in the role of Chief of Staff in the Allied Shinobi Forces, and crosses the borders of the land to bear the responsibility of commanding ninjas. It can certainly be said that she has brought Hashirama’s longstanding desire into fruition.

Although she has zero gambling skill, she never loses when she bets it all.

Never losing her trusting heart, Tsunade juices up her advisors.

You won’t have to settle for your rank. Let us rejoice upon your development and stand on the front lines side by side…!!

4th Databook, Tsunade’s entry (Translation) & (Scans)

Tsunade: An extraordinary inheritance

As the granddaughter of Mito Uzumaki and Hashirama Senju, both considered extraordinary for their extraordinarily powerful clans, Tsunade inherited natural gifts that few people can equal.

4th Databook, Mito’s entry (Source)

3rd Databook, Hashirama’s entry (Source)

As evident by these, not only is Tsunade the granddaughter of an Uzumaki and a Senju, but of two members considered extraordinarily powerful by their own standards that passed down to Tsunade herself. While it might not seem obvious beyond some jutsu and the name itself, there is an instance where her heritage truly shines.

Ch. 601, after the 5 Kage lose against an immensely powerful, freed Edo Tensei Madara. Tsunade was bisected in two, but remained completely conscious.

Ch. 635, where Orochimaru discovers a still-conscious and bisected Tsunade capable of healing the other Kage despite being incapacitated herself.

Tsunade: Feats of healing

Currently, medical ninjutsu is widely used as a shield to protect ninja. The history of its development and various characteristics are unraveled here!

The medical way that needs a talent different from Ninjutsu. It’s a different type of skill from combat. The greatest control of the smallest amount of chakra, great professional knowledge, and the brains and dedication to use them. The biggest problem with medical jutsu are their particularities. Meticulous chakra control is needed and thus a natural aptitude is needed for users. These are why it takes a long time to develop and there aren’t many medical ninjas.

The greater the wound, the greater the ability needed. Also, its effects are not unlimited and reviving the dead is impossible.

Scratches and stab wounds: Difficulty 1

Broken bones, muscle and severed tendons: Difficulty 2

Great damage to the body: Difficulty 3

Regrowing damaged organ and death: impossibility

Even if Tsunade uses medical jutsu it is impossible to grow a whole organ (e.g. Dan’s destroyed kidneys). Incision healing using chakra scalpel can also be used for attacks!

Healing of external wounds using chakra: Procedure of putting chakra on the body and healing wounds.

Healing using cursed seals: Using cursed seals to control chakra levels and flow.

Tsunade’s Creation Rebirth: An ability that is not about healing but about regeneration. It can remake all organs and parts.

- Second Databook, Medical ninjutsu entry (Scan & Translation)

Ch. 155, where Kabuto expresses that only Tsunade is capable of healing the necrosis-like effects of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal that robbed Orochimaru of use of their arms.

Ch. 172, when Tsunade easily heals the effects of Itachi's Tsukiyomi on Sasuke that made him fall into a coma.

Ch. 235, where the Nara Clan Medical Encyclopedia is being consulted by Tsunade to help her heal Chouji after the debilitating effects of the Three-Color Pills.

Ch. 173, when Tsunade explains how she would perform surgery on Rock Lee (spoiler: it's a resounding success).

Ch. 253, wherein Tsunade’s rival, Chiyo, recalls how Tsunade was the only person capable of foiling her poisons.

As we know, one of the greatest threats to shinobi is that of poisons. And, there is the fact that Tsunade established ways of producing and foiling them.

Ch. 562, where Tsunade and Ai are among two of the only individuals capable of surviving the Heavenly Transfer Technique. Tsunade does so by invoking her Creation Rebirth technique.

Her ability as a med-nin were so extraordinary that she had a palpable mark on medical ninjutsu in the shinobi world.

Ch. 154, where Kabuto muses about Tsunade being the originator of the idea to have a med-nin on every 4-man cell.

Ch. 160 where the standard to place a medical ninja in every unit of ninja is first introduced by her.

Ch. 577, where Tsunade lists the 4 rules governing medical ninja that she likely conceived.

"Tsunade’s grief over losing her lover gave birth to the development of present-day medical ninjutsu."

- Second Fanbook (Scan & Translation)

Ch. 424, when Tsunade uses Katsuyu: Immense Network Healing to heal the entire village during Pein's assault.

While healing an entire village during an invasion by the second coming of the Sage of Six Paths is impressive itself, something I often see overlooked is why Tsunade fell into such a deep coma in the first place.

Ch. 430, we learn that Tsunade’s Byakugou disappeared because she rerouted her Creation Rebirth--which demands the Byakugou’s stores--into healing the villagers during Pein’s Assault.

It's because she used Creation Rebirth not on herself, but the entire village.

Tsunade: A Goddess of war

#24: Taken to the bitter extreme! Princess Tsunade’s “legendary” absurd strength!!

It would seem Tsunade’s “outrageous strength” completely ignores the laws of nature!! The challenge to common sense that is her power is due in no small part to her artful chakra control and fine-tuning. To give things a name, by instantly collecting chakra into her fist and fingers, she obtains a power of destruction bodily strength alone cannot achieve.

- Databook 2: Konoha 100 Leaves Collection (Scan & Translation)

Ch. 163, Tsunade unleashing the Heavenly Foot of Pain, one of her most iconic applications of her deadly Chakra-Enhanced Strength she created from the principles of medical ninjutsu.

Ch. 169, Tsunade properly explaining the mechanics of Creation Rebirth and how it makes her practically immortal and deadlier than she already is.

Ch. 170, with Tsunade's single-handedly wielding Gamabunta's tantou to sunder Manda. Whether CES or her own natural raw strength, it's an incredibly fearsome sight to behold.

While the Deadlock between the Sannin demonstrates some of her earliest feats of strength, and solidifies her position as Konoha's Fifth Hokage by it alone, it's still not her most impressive battle to date.

Ch. 577, where the first thing Tsunade does when she arrives on the 4th War's battlefield is confront Madara, and dent his Susano'o, the Mangekyou Sharingan's perfect defense ninjutsu.

Ch. 577, working together with Ai & Oonoki to completely pulverize his Susano'o.

Ch. 578, where Tsunade survives not only impalement by Madara's Susano'o, but a direct blast from its Yasaka Magatama as well, both deadly offenses Madara's Susano'o possesses.

Ch. 588, where Tsunade is pitted against five of Madara's wood clones and not only fights them, but does it while impaled with two of the Susano'o's blades.

Regardless, it would seem the second databook's comparison of Tsunade's fighting style to that of a god of war truly is fitting.

Tsunade: Jutsu she created (or perfected)

Heavenly Foot of Pain (Tsuuten Kyaku)

Taijutsu, C-rank, Offensive, Close range

User(s): Tsunade

The heel swung down in anger makes the ground rumble in kind with an ultra-hard smackdown!!

All of her body’s outrageous strength is concentrated into her heel. Her stance crystallizes the body’s dynamics in a magnificent demonstration of the art of hand to hand combat. And when her heel swings downward, it’s as if a comet had fallen!! Nothing and no one could receive a direct hit and avoid pulverization.

The remainder of the impact smashed not only the ground, but the nearby rampart into tiny bits…!!

- Second Databook, Heavenly Foot of Pain entry (Scan & Translation)

Body Pathway Derangement

(Ranshinshou)

Ninjutsu, A-rank, Supplementary, Close range

User(s): Tsunade

Disturbing body control by severing the pathways of [brain←→body] information flow!!

By transforming the chakra within one’s body and giving it the properties of electricity, one creates an electric field. By pouring this into the nervous system of one’s opponent, one deranges their body control! An extremely high-level technique, used as a Medical Ninjutsu. The human body is controlled with electrical signals from the brain, but a person who had those electrical signals cut off with this technique will become unable to make their body move as they want. Because she’s an expert in medical treatments, Tsunade was able to master this technique.

An attack that severs the control threads with a flash of lightning!

One’s own body moves in any way, except how one wants it to move…!? For the common shinobi, battle, not to mention even just walking, will become impossible.

As soon as strike of the hand lands, electricity is poured into the enemy’s nervous system, severing the signals!!

- Second Databook, Body Pathway Derangement entry. (Scan) & (Translation)

Creation Rebirth (Souzou Saisei)

Ninjutsu, S-rank, Supplementary

User(s): Tsunade

The absolute pinnacle of Medical Ninjutsu~~ a forbidden regeneration technique!

Created by the greatest of medical ninja, Tsunade, this is the ultimate regeneration technique!! By releasing a large amount of chakra at once, the body’s cell division is forcibly stimulated, reconstruction all organs and all tissues making up the human body!

If this technique is used, a body whose vital organs are so gravely injured that it cannot bear it any longer will be instantly restored to its uninjured state. It’s impossible to die by any means… for the sake of continuing to protect the lives of one’s comrades. That’s the resolution hidden in this technique.

By releasing the great volume of chakra stored in her forehead, Tsunade can make her body do the work of an untold number of years in an instant.

This wound may have brought her on the verge of death, but she won’t die~~

The acceleration of cell division that allows for the complete recovery from wounds is paid for with the shortening of one’s life span.

- Second Databook, Creation Rebirth entry. (Scan) & (Translation)

Yin Seal: Release

(Infuuin: Kai)

Fuuinjutsu, S-rank, Supplementary

User: Tsunade

Unravelling the key to using the Creation Rebirth!!

Creation Rebirth, the ultimate medical technique. However, using this technique requires such an enormous amount of chakra, that it is beyond any shinobi to mould it in an instant. Tsunade, using the chakra stock kept in the seal on her forehead, has cleared this prerequisite. With Yin Seal: Release, the seal is released, becoming the source for the body regeneration technique.

The moment it is unsealed, a pattern appears on the forehead.

Releasing the seal is the greatest danger signal.

- Second Databook, Yin Seal:Release entry (Source).

Now, while Tsunade didn't invent the Byakugou Seal, she certainly perfected it enough to eventually be passed on to one of her disciples, Sakura Haruno.

Ch. 36, Boruto, that explains the Byakugou's origins.

However, what she absolutely did create was Creation Rebirth and Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth - Strength of a Hundred Technique.

Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth--Strength of a Hundred Technique entry, 4th Databook (Source)

Ch. 578, where Madara himself likens Creation Rebirth to Hashirama's mass-coveted Regeneration Ability.

Fourth Databook, Katsuyu: Immense Network Healing entry (Source)

Closing thoughts

For as celebrated as the Sannin are in canon, sometimes, it takes more convincing than others that they are, in fact, of near equal ability with their unique specialties being what sets them apart.

#sannin week 2021 #tsunade #tsunade senju #pro tsunade #my meta #TAKE IT JUST FUCKING TAKE IT I'M SICK OF LOOKING AT IT #if there's spelling mistakes no there isn't--#bummed i couldn't write drabbles but HAVE THIS MONSTER

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kat-katsuki · 3 years

Text

Sunflower and White Rose | Bakugou Katsuki x Reader Part 3

Fantasy AU

Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

Warnings: Swearing (cuz bakugou)

tags: @jazzylove @whalerus @angie-1306

WC: 3.1k

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Kirishima had to hold his hands over his sensitive ears when Bakugou started screaming over the cliff. Bakugou wasn't a dragon shapeshifter, but his roar was almost as loud as one. "FUCK!!!!" He growled at the valley. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"

"Calm down Katsuki!" Kirishima shouted.

"How the fuck do you expect me to fucking calm down!? How?! She's fucking partnered! And of all people, she's partnered with that shitty Deku!" Bakugou whirled around, flailing his arms in the air as if he were going to slap someone. "NnggggGGGRAHHH!" He threw his fist into the ground, denting it as well as injuring his knuckles. How he wished he could go to you, so you could heal his hand, but you were now someone else's partner. "Why...?"

"Well you didn't exactly give her a choice," said Kirishima. "Izuku was the only one who asked her."

"She asked him!" Bakugou reminded.

"Well of course she would. He gave her his flower! It'd be rude not to, considering he's the only one willing to give her flowers."

"I'm willing! What the fuck did you think I was saving that flower for?" Bakugou howled.

"BUT YOU DIDN'T! YOU RAN AWAY!"

Kirishima's words were like knives that stabbed right into Bakugou's already wounded heart. That's right. He ran away. He didn't even try. Why? Why didn't he try? Was he afraid? Afraid of what? Getting rejected? That's hilarious. Who in the right mind would reject him? You would. You definitely would. After all the harsh things he's said to you, after all the names he's called you. Why would you even accept his affection? You were afraid of him. He could tell by the way you cower in his presence.

"Fuuck..." Bakugou grabbed a fistful of his bangs. He sank down to the ground, squatting as he tried to hold back the tears in his eyes. He messed up. He really messed up. He's such a horrible person. He doesn't deserve you. He doesn't deserve to be king.

Kirishima pretended not to notice the little streams gliding down the prince's cheeks. In their culture, crying was looked down upon. As royalty, he must never cry, not even when in pain. However, as his friend, Kirishima understood that Bakugou had it harder than anyone. He had to be dauntless, had to be strong. He had to be free, and he had to be perfect. Maybe that was why he was so attracted to you. You were the opposite of perfect. You were a scaredy-cat, and you were clumsy. You were bounded to the ground, and was hella weak.

But perhaps you were the one who was truly free. You were free from expectations, free from traditions. You were always out there learning new things, and being yourself without worrying that others might change their impression of you, since their impression weren't so great to begin with. In a way, he envied you. But what he envied you the most, was that kindness.

He gets mad easily, and always ends up saying hurtful things. He holds grudges, and he makes sure to return them tenfold. You, on the other hand, accepted all the negativity of others, and only returned with respect. You show empathy to all creatures. You possess qualities he secretly wished he had but never will have.

He tried his best to change for you. Ashido, Sero, Kaminari, and Kirishima can all prove that. For the past few weeks he's been doing his best to control his swearing and refrain from calling them by the mean nicknames. It was all practice so he could talk to you normally. He can't believe all that practice went to nothing.

"Hey man, it's not over yet. You still have a chance," Kirishima placed a hand on Bakugou's shoulder.

"How? She already accepted his fucking flower," Bakugou grumbled.

"Come on man! The flower exchange isn't the main event! It's just an excuse for people to confess to their loved ones! The main event is the fire dance! Remember? Only true lovers who dance together at the fire dance will be blessed by the fire god, and their love will last for lifetimes to come!"

"What are you getting at?"

"What I mean is there's still time! The dance isn't until tomorrow night! You just have to confess your feelings and get her to dance with you by tomorrow night!"

That sounds easy, but how was he going to do that? Beat Deku up and take you by force? That would just make you hate him even more. Plus, what if you reject him?

"Stop thinking about the what-ifs!" Kirishima exclaimed, as if reading his mind. "You don't know how it's gonna turn out unless you try Katsuki! If you don't pursue her you're really going to lose her! Do you want that?"

The idea of getting rejected by you was humiliating, but the idea of losing you because he never bothered to try was even worse. "Alright....." A ghost of a smile appeared on Bakugou's lips. "But I'll need some preparations."

Kirishima's face lit up with excitement. "You got it man! Mina, Denki, and Hanta and I are ready to help any time!"

It was almost sundown. You were grinding the herbs you had collected earlier today. When you saw the sun start to set, you quickly picked up the Alstroemeria that you had picked for Midoriya. You didn't have a flower for him yesterday, so you planned to return one today. You hoped he'd like it.

Midoriya showed up right on time. The sky was a beautiful orange red, a sign that the fire god had descended from heaven.

Legend says that thousands of years ago, the fire god, Hino, descended from heaven, and fell in love with a mortal, Nue. They married and had a child. That child was the first fire breather, the dragon. When Hino's mortal wife passed away, he was very sad. In order to see her again, he bound their souls together, and descended from heaven. It is said that when two souls are bound, they will always be able to find each other, in all of their lifetimes. And they will fall in love, over, and over again, for eternity. To celebrate their love, their descendants would hold a festival every year on the day the fire god was said to have descended to earth. And it is said, true lovers who dance the fire dance together will get their blessings from the fire god, so they too can bind their souls for eternity.

"Ready?" Midoriya asked.

"Before we go, I want to give you this," you said as you handed him the Alstroemeria. "I'm sorry I didn't have a flower for you yesterday."

"That's okay, and thank you. I love it," Midoriya smiled as he accepted the orange and yellow flower from your hand.

The two of you headed into the depth of the village, where the festival was being held. Torches were set up all over the sides of the streets, and there were games and competitions, food and dances!

You and Midoriya went to the carpenter's yurt, where he had set up a floor full of dragon masks. He gave you and Midoriya each a dragon mask, which you two wore on the side of your faces, and the two of you headed to the next yurt.

When the two of you finally made it to the banquet, you were starving. The fire festival is the biggest event of the year, and the food of the banquet is hunted by the best hunters of the tribe, prepared by the best cooks too. Each year they'd prepare three days worth of food for the entire village. You swore you'd eat a whole year's worth of meat, because after this day you'll have to wait for the next year.

"(Y/N)! Izuku! Heyyy! Finally found you guys!" While you and Midoriya were grabbing food, you heard a familiar voice call out your names.

"Eijirou-kun? Mina-chan? Hanta-kun and Denki-kun too?" Midoriya raised a brow. "Why were you looking for the two of us?"

You noticed how Bakugou wasn't with them, and there was a hint of disappointment in your heart. However, on the bright side, he may have found a partner, and was currently with them right now. Wait, why does that hurt even more?

"Well we were going around the festival as a group, and we wanted to ask if you guys wanna join us!" Ashido said. You're brows lifted in surprise. It's not uncommon for friends to travel in groups, but the fire festival is really a couples thing, so you were surprised to see Kirishima and Ashido traveling with Sero and Kaminari.

"I guess I'm okay with it! What about you (Y/N)-chan?" Midoriya asked you.

"Yeah! The more the merrier!" You replied. In truth you weren't close with any of them, but since they were Midoriya's friends, you didn't want to be rude.

"Great! Wait... (Y/N)-chan why aren't you wearing your fire dress?" Ashido asked, looking up and down at your plain, grey thin strapped dress which ended at your knees. You had a tight belt on your waist with some accessories dangling, but it was nothing different from you normally wore.

The dragon women don't normally wear dresses, but the fire dress was different. It is a traditional outfit especially for the fire dance. It's usually made by the mother for the daughter. Everyone's fire dress is different, but it is generally always in brilliant shades of reds, orange, and yellows. Ashido's fire dress was very similar to her normal wear. It was a red and black zebra print breast cover, and she wore one metallic breast plate over her left breast, as she normally would when she was out riding dragons. She had two long sashes flowing down in front and behind her legs. The sashes were a beautiful red, mixing into orange and yellow at the end.

"I...don't have anyone to make one for me," you told her. Your mother passed away when you were very little. Ashido quickly placed a hand over her mouth, regretting asking the question. "Plus, Izuku and I don't plan on doing the fire dance."

"Why is that?" Kirishima asked.

"Well, the fire dance is a lovers thing. We're just friends, so we think we'll just stand by and watch," Midoriya chuckled.

A soft smirk made its way to Kirishima and his friends' lips. Suddenly, Ashido clapped her hands together. "Ahh! I suddenly have the urge to relieve myself! But it's gotten so dark, it's not safe out here! (Y/N)-chan do you wanna come with me?" she asked.

"Eh? Uh...sure...." You couldn't say no. Ashido winked at Kirishima and grabbed you by the wrist. Without warning she dashed off, dragging you with her. "AAHH!" You were not a good runner. Especially not against the strongest female warrior of your tribe.

You noticed how she dragged you straight out of the village, which was weird because there were multiple places in the village where people did their business. The dragon mask on your head fell to the ground, but she didn't give you a chance to pick it up. But she didn't give you a chance to ask because you were busy trying to breathe while running through the meadows.

When she finally came to a stop, you immediately fell to the ground. You let go of her hand as you fell to your knees and gasped for air. Your sweat dripped onto the hard soil in pitter patters. Your chest expanded and shrunk exaggeratedly as you tried to intake as much air as possible. "A-....Ashido...-san....why did you....bring me here?" you panted.

She didn't answer you, instead she called out to the darkness. "Hey! I brought her! Make sure you don't fuck up this time!" she shouted. You felt your blood go cold. What did she want with you all the way outside the village? Was she gonna kill you?

You were about to scream, but you heard a familiar voice shout back, "SHUT THE FUCK UP RACOON EYES!"

Ashido chuckled before turning to you. "Sorry I tricked ya! Please forgive me. If all goes well, that guy will bring you back," she pointed her thumb towards the dark outskirts of the meadow.

"What?" You asked. You couldn't see a thing in the darkness.

Ashido's chest expanded. She blew out puffs of fire all around them, each puff of fire landing on a torch, lighting it, until ten torches were lit all around them. Your eyes widened at the sight before you. White roses. White roses everywhere. You thought you were taken to a meadow, but this was a sea of white roses. But for some reason there were no thorns poking at you. Why is that?

"Alright, I'm out!" Ashido suddenly disappeared.

"What?" You stood up, turning around, but she was gone.

"I'm sorry... I got those shitty bastards to help me, but removing the thorns took some time." A familiar voice said in an unfamiliar tone. You turned around again, this time to face the torches. At the very center, stood a familiar spiky ash blonde man with breathtaking crimson eyes. He wore earrings made of the red hawk's talons, necklaces made of the great howlers' blue claws. Each bead on his neck was a proof of the number of battles he's won. A furry red cape slung over his shoulders, covering the back of his bare torso. It was none other than your prince.

"Prince Katsuki? What are you doing here? What about the fire festival?" you asked in disbelief, still trying to make sense of the situation.

Bakugou slowly made his way towards you through the roses. "Yesterday, I messed up and lost my partner to someone else. Right now, I'm getting her back," he said.

"Partner? To who? Ashido just left though!" You pointed to the direction behind you. Your eyes expanded at the same pace as him getting closer to you. Finally, he was standing right before you, his figure towering over you like a tall and almighty dragon. It was rude to look royalty in the eye, but for some reason you couldn't take yours away from his.

"I know I said a lot of mean things to you... I never thanked you for saving me, and keeping my secret... I'm not the nicest person, and I'm not worthy of your kindness...but still... I want to tell you that I love you... I love you (Y/N). I want to be your partner. I want to get the fire god's blessing with you." Under the torch light, you could vaguely see a hint of red over Bakugou's cheeks. His beautiful rubies gazed right into your (e/c) gems.

"What...." You were utterly lost for words. Did your ears play tricks on you? Because just now you felt like you heard your prince ask you to be his partner. "M-...Me?!" You pointed at yourself, gawking at him for confirmation.

Bakugou clicked his tongue impatiently. "Well who else in the village has a shitty name like (Y/N)?!" Crap! "I-I mean- You're the only one named (Y/N).... Your name isn't shitty...." He looked down in guilt, and then lifted his eyes back up expectantly. "So.... What's your answer?" His face was turning as red as his eyes.

Little streams started pouring out of your confused eyes. Your prince, the one who you've been in love with, just told you he loved you. This has to be a dream. But if it's a dream please don't let you wake up. "B-But..... That's impossible... I'm just.... These white roses, you must have prepared them for someone special! Because that flower means- I'm-"

"These are your favorite flowers right? I prepared them for you!" Bakugou gently took your hand in his. He searched in your teary eyes trying to look for the answer he needed. "Is it not?"

"F-...For me?"

That's when you realized, there's no way Bakugou would have known the meaning of these flowers. The dragon tribe don't give meanings to flowers like the people of the south do. They just picked whatever was the most colorful and vibrant. A light chuckle escaped your lips, for you felt so silly for forgetting such a thing.

Now it all made sense. The white rose he brought to the flower exchange, and why he suddenly ran off. But you still couldn't believe it. "It is...." You nodded softly to answer his previous question.

"Why do you...like the white rose?" Bakugou asked.

You covered your tearful eyes with your free hand. Your breaths became staggered as you started to sob, "Because....I'm in love with a man." Bakugou felt his heart stop at your words. "He's the bravest, strongest, most handsome man in the tribe. He's of royal descent..... He's someone I shouldn't even dream of being with...." Huh? Brave... Strong... Royal descent... Why does Bakugou feel like you're talking about him? You're talking about him, right? "These flowers...have a special meaning in the south. They symbolize the words I want to tell him but would never be able to...."

Bakugou removed your hand from your beautiful (e/c) orbs. Even with tears in them, they were still so breathtakingly beautiful. His heart pounded in his chest as he leaned his face closer to yours, eyes wide and anticipating. "What do they mean?" he asked, so softly that even right next to him you could barely hear his voice.

Your eyes trailed down, almost in shame.

"I'm worthy of you."

Your voice was so soft you could barely hear yourself. The moment you uttered those words you wish you hadn't. How could you say such a thing to Bakugou? Just what exactly do you have that makes you even think you might be worthy of him? You started to chuckle nervously, not noticing the wide eyed look on the ash blonde prince's face. "S-Silly right? How could a failure like me ever be worthy of your highness... I'll just go-"

Before you could finish, Bakugou grabbed your face with both hands and smashed his lips on yours. He couldn't put words together to tell you how wrong you are, so he had to show you through action.

You are not a failure.

You stood wide eyed, too shocked to move a muscle. You and Prince Katsuki were kissing.

For the longest time the only thing you could hear was the heart of your own heartbeat. After what seemed like a hundred beats, Bakugou finally released his lips from yours. "Don't say that...." he whispered. "Don't call yourself a failure. You're more than worthy (Y/N)."

"D-Do you mean it?"

"Be my queen (Y/N)." Bakugou brushed his thumbs under your eyes, wiping away the tears. "Like my old hag is to me old man. Like Nue is to Hino. Let our souls be bonded for eternity."

Tears flooded down your face, for you could no longer contain the happiness you felt. You nodded. "I love you my prince. I also want to be with you for lifetimes to come!"

You closed your eyes as his lips captured yours once again. For that moment everything seemed to have disappeared, leaving you and Bakugou, the only two souls in this world. It was just the moon, the fire, the roses, and the two of you.

You were filled with disappointment when his lips parted from yours. However, a soft smile spread over your lips as he pressed his forehead against yours. "Let's go get our fucking blessings."

Flower Language:

Sunflower- Adoration

Hydrangea- Gratitude for being understood

Alstroemeria- friendship

White Rose- "I'm worthy of you"

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

Also on AO3! A kudos would be greatly appreciated!

#bnha fanfic #bnha #mha #mha fanfic #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bakugou #bakugou katsuki #bakugou x reader #bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugou fanfic #love #white rose #sunflower #xreader #boku no hero fanfic

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earth-ambassador-jim · 3 years

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Lost Souls: Story 11

Something New

Lost Souls Summary: Merlin awakens early from his sleep. He decides that he doesn’t want to leaving anything to chance and kidnaps the young James Lake Jr. to began training his Trollhunter as early as possible.

Barbara is determined to hunt down the man who kidnapped her son. In her efforts to get her son back she finds a strange old radio that speaks to her in a woman’s voice. The radio leads her to an underground society of shapeshifters.

Mother and son meet again years later as strangers on opposing sides.

AO3 - Fanfiction

~~~~

“Head up! Don’t block the blow: redirect it.”

Eli tries to comply but it’s hard when his arms feel like they’re made out of jelly. Instead of being redirected Jim’s staff pushes Eli’s down causing him to bop himself in the forehead with his own weapon.

Eli topples over like a load of bricks and lays there. A low whine seeps through his lips as his tailbone pulses with pain from hitting the ground too hard. That will be another bruise for his collection.

He’s actually managed to get more bruises training with Jim than he has from Steve. Which is really saying something.

“Are you okay?”

He opens his eyes to see Jim hovering awkwardly over him, staff still in hand. He’s shifting back and forth on his feet in a way that tells Eli he’s debating whether to keep pushing him or end the session here.

Eli doesn’t really want to disappoint him, so he tries to sit up. All his muscles protest. He lays back down. Yeah, he isn’t going anywhere. The training montages in movies really fail to capture just how much pushing oneself to the limits hurts.

“We’ll stop for the day,” Jim decides.

He sets his staff against the house before retrieving Eli’s and setting it there too.

“Can you get up?” Jim asks.

Now that he’s not in training mode he stands a little less straight and his expression softens from his previously sharp focused gaze.

“Yeah… maybe,” Eli says, his voice squeaking a little. “Just a second.”

Eli lays on the ground just breathing and trying to summon the energy to make another attempt at standing up. He knows he’s going to be sore in the morning again.

He honestly wants to give up. Clearly he isn’t cut out for this.

There’s movement to his right and Eli looks over to see Jim laying down beside him. The blue skinned troll blends in almost perfectly with the night; except for his eyes which glow a faint, ethereal blue. He settles on his back, head propped just slightly up by his horns.

“So…” The troll says slowly. “You were telling me that human constellations are different than troll ones?”

Eli nods slightly, unable to look away. His glasses slide down his nose. He quickly pushes them back up.

“Do you want to compare?”

“Really?!” Eli squeaks, surprised.

Next to exploring the strange and unusual, stars and space has always been one of his greatest interests. Something about the vastness and boundlessness draws him. He studies every book he can get his hands on.

This is a chance to learn what a being that isn’t human sees. That’s… that’s something beyond his wildest dreams.

But more importantly, it’s a chance to talk about something that he loves with a friend.

“Eli?”

Jim is looking at him rather nervously. Eli realizes that he’s teared up.

“I’d like that,” He says. He pushes his glasses up to swipe at his eyes before giving Jim a smile.

~~~~

As predicted, Eli is very very sore.

He spends the day limping through his classes. He wonders if this is what old people feels like. He’s so glad when it’s time to go home.

His arm positively aches as he transfers the textbooks he doesn’t need to his locker. As much as he enjoys spending time with Jim he’s glad that the Trollhunter won’t be over tonight. He doesn’t think he can take another round of training.

He plans to take it easy when he gets home. He can get his homework done and then he’ll see if he can snag enough of his friends from the forums to play a round of Among Us.

Eli flinches as a hand lands on his shoulder. Without turning around he already knows who it is. Automatically his shoulders draw up toward his ears as he pulls his arms in close to his chest.

“What do you want Steve?”

“Why, I was just worried about my favorite nerd,” The blond bully says with mock sincerity. “I haven’t heard any of your wild conspiracies and was starting to be concerned about your health.”

Eli hasn’t been sharing his theories and discoveries since meeting Jim because he promised Jim to keep trolls and the other creepers… creatures running around Arcadia secret. He still discusses aliens but he’s been sticking with his friends online and Jim now, since they don’t laugh at him.

He figured since he had been keeping to himself Steve would ignore him, but now he’s seeking him out because of that.

There really is no winning, he realizes.

“Can’t you just leave me alone?” Eli asks quietly.

Steve doesn’t appreciate that.

The blond bully shoves him and he hits the locker hard sending a violent jolt of pain through his back. His books fall out of his arms and scatter on the ground.

“Don’t talk back to me butsnack.”

Eli glances around but there’s nowhere to escape in the crowded hallway and, as usual, no one seems inclined to help.

“I think you need to spend some time in your locker until you remember your manners,” Steve continues with a glint in his eyes.

A whimper escapes Eli at that. He doesn’t want to spend another hour stuck in the locker again. His eyes dart around frantically.

Steve reaches for him and takes a step forward, his foot landing just in front of Eli’s spilled textbooks.

“Use your surroundings as a weapon.” Jim’s voice whispers in the back of his mind.

With no other options presenting themselves, Eli kicks Steve in the shin as hard as he can. The bully lets out a yelp and grabs at his injured leg. Eli doesn’t wait for him to recover. Ignoring the protests of his aching muscles he shoves him hard in the chest. Normally it would have done nothing but Steve, already off balance, stumbles and his foot lands on Lord of the Flies. He topples over backward and slams hard into the ground.

The hallway goes completely silent.

Eli stares, his heart still racing. He can’t believe it. He actually managed to take down Steve.

Steve Palchuck! The boy who’s been tormenting him since kindergarten.

Around him all the other kids start murmuring.

Then someone cheers and then the whole crowd is whooping and hollering.

Steve seems to have recovered from his shock and is getting up. He’s turning a violent red and it’s pretty clear that he’s going to get revenge. Eli has the feeling he won’t get lucky a second time.

“Hey! What’s going on here?”

Eli is about ready to collapse from relief when Coach Lawrance’s voice breaks through the noise. The crowd of students disperses like cockroaches. Steve backs off, shooting him glares.

Eli gathers his books and slinks off to get his bike with the distinct feeling that this incident will come back to haunt him.

~~~~

“Can you believe it?” Mary squeals.

Her fingers are darting rapidly over her phone. No doubt she’s already uploading a video to one of her many social media accounts. Steve is going to be livid.

“Girl, I saw it but I still don’t believe it,” Darci says.

Eli Pepperjack getting one up on Steve was the last thing she had been expecting out of school today.

“What do you think Toby?” She says nudging him in the ribs.

Since they’ve made it to high school and have Claire and Mary to hang out with, she’s determined to get him to come out of his shell.

Toby blinks and looks up from his phone.

“Yeah it was pretty cool,” He says, eying the other two girls hesitantly.

Claire give him a friendly smile and he awkwardly smiles back before quickly returning his attention to his phone.

Darci sighs and shoots Claire an apologetic look. Claire shrugs in response and then she, Mary and Darci continue to discuss the strange happenings of the day sans Toby’s input.

~~~~

“Would it hurt you to try to be a little friendlier?”

Toby winces. Yeah he deserved that one.

“Sorry,” He says, a slight flush crawling up the back of his neck.

Darci lets out a little huff.

“You should be, Mary and Claire are the best. Come on TP you’ve got to give them a chance.”

Toby doesn’t reply. Instead opting to instead focus all his attention on the game. His fingers fly over the controls. He understands what she’s getting at. He really does but well…

“I guess I’m just not ready for new people.”

There’s a ping as they reach the end of the round. Toby hazards a brief glance up and sees Darci looking at him with a puzzled frown.

“But you know Mary and Claire,” She says. “I’ve been friends with them for as long as I’ve known you. You’ve hung out before and never had a problem with them.”

“I know,” He mutters. “It’s just…”

He doesn’t want to admit it. It’s pathetic.

“It’s Jim, isn’t it?”

Toby gives her a weak grin.

“Have you been taking lessons from your Dad? Cause that was some real detective work there.”

Darci snorts.

“It doesn’t take a detective to figure that one out.” She gives him a little poke on the shoulder to emphasize her point.

Toby sighs and drops his controller.

“It’s not just Jim,” He admits in a subdued tone. This is something he’s thought about a lot. “It’s Mom and Dad, too… Heck even Dr. L just up and left. It was fine hanging out with them once in a while as your friends but what’s the point in me becoming friends with them? Once we get done with high school everyone is just going to move on. I just don’t want to deal with that.”

It would be bad enough when Darci moved on.

He can feel her staring at him.

“You know I’m not going to abandon you, right?” She asks.

Toby winces. It sounds bad out loud. She puts her hand on his shoulder and he glances up hesitantly. She’s smiling at him in a very gentle and sad way that makes his chest ache.

“Even if we end up on opposite sides of the world I’ll keep in touch. You won’t lose me okay?”

“You don’t know that.” It slips out before he can stop it.

Darci sighs.

“Look I… I guess there really is no way to know for sure but do you really just want to give up? Just like that? To spend your whole life alone?”

“Not really…” Toby says slowly.

“Then can you give them a try? For me?”

He can’t resist those big brown eyes.

“Okay,” Toby says. “I’ll give them a chance, but no promises on results.”

Darci’s smile and quick hug makes it worth it. Toby just hopes he won’t regret this. He clears his throat roughly and focuses his attention back on the screen. He starts another round hoping he can drown out the uneasy feeling in his gut.

“You know I really could use a larger audience to practice my magic for. You know all of my tricks anyway.”

Darci claps her hands together

“Oh! That reminds me. Mare told me there’s a new bookstore in town. She was going on and on about how cute the guy who was working the counter was, but, more importantly, she mentioned there’s a huge selection of magic type books. Want to go check it out?”

“Sure,” Toby says. “That sounds like fun.”

He doubts there will be anything real there but maybe he can find some cool props to use for the next talent show.

~~~~

Author Notes:

Steve has really come a long way. He was a major bully back in the beginning of the series. Hopefully we'll get to see more character development for him in Rise of the Titans. (Also more CreepslayerZ! I miss the CreepslayerZ.)

Jim grew up with Kanjigar and Merlin's training so his version of "going easy" is still really pushing it for an inexperienced human. It's going to be a while yet before Eli is not sore again.

Jim learned the Trollish constellations from Kanjigar. While he never took him to Trollmarket, Kanjigar did start taking him outside within Merlin's barrier. Stargazing was Jim's absolute favorite thing to do with him.

Next chapter we get to see Jim's visit to his old home before he became a troll!

If you like this be sure to tell me what you think :)

#Trollhunters #Tales of Arcadia #Trollhunters Fanfiction #Lost Souls #Child Champion AU #Jim Lake Jr #james lake jr #eli pepperjack #steve palchuk #darci scott #toby domzalski #tobias domzalski #troll jim #half troll jim #bullying #training #Darci and Toby are BFFs in this

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moonlightreal · 3 years

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This is the “author’s note” I found on the amazon pages for the pretty hardcover Night World books. My memory is that it was just there, the book-blurb at the top by the cover picture, was this.

Like a bonehead I just copied the text without grabbing a screencap or noting the date. The amazon page now has the publication date is December 2016 so this bit of optimism was just before Ms. Smith vanished. Of course we don’t know when it was written or whose idea it was. Was Strange Fate really finished or was someone just feeling hopeful?

NIGHT WORLD Dear Readers, It’s hard to tell you how much the re-release of the Night World books means to me. It has allowed me to come full circle, to complete a cycle that began with Secret Vampire. It has allowed me to finish Strange Fate, which grew into an epic that included roles for almost every Night World character. And Strange Fate allowed me to show the origins of the Night World, the apocalypse that threatens to destroy it, and even a possible future in which the evil side of the Night World prevails. I am often asked how I conceived the idea for the Night World series. It began when I wanted to write stand-alone novels that would combine horror and romance. But I wanted more: I wanted to do a series in which this Night World—a vast, secret world that exists within the everyday world—would slowly reveal itself to readers. That’s why the first book is called Secret Vampire: the inhabitants of the Night World, composed of vampires, shapeshifters, witches, and other supernatural creatures I wanted to invent, are hidden from humans. A vampire is necessarily a secret vampire … because of the laws. I also wanted to write about a new kind of forbidden love. That’s not easy—most good forbidden love topics were old by Shakespeare’s time. But with this series, I could create the possibility of forbidden love simply by saying that the laws of the Night World prohibit a Night Person from falling in love with a human. But I still needed one more ingredient. I needed the rise of the soulmate principle to actively force Night People to fall in love with humans, no matter how hard they fought against it. Voilà! Then it was just a matter of making up interesting characters and setting them loose in my head to see what they would do. I often begin like that: sitting in a quiet room and searching for a sparkle in my mind that could become my new heroine. Sometimes it’s easy and a whole character shimmers before me. Sometimes I only get the faintest firefly glimmer of a new girl, and I have to hold my breath and see if that glimmer will materialize into a three-dimensional person. Heroes and anti-heroes are easier. It’s just a matter of picking one that will be a true soulmate for my heroine. I have a whole collection of these characters in my mind, all trying to crash the party. And they’re usually bad boys. The settings and in-depth plot development are another layer of work. But often the characters just run off and do what they want, and I have trouble keeping up with their antics on my keyboard. One thing I always do is look carefully at my characters and plot from all angles to make sure I’m not plagiarizing a book or series that I may have read before. That’s just normal procedure for ethical authors: we make sure our stories aren’t too much like another story we might have read. Of course, there are many ideas that have been around since the Babylonian myths, and many characters that are archetypal. But, really, it’s almost impossible to take many things from the body of another author’s work—say, someone else’s character(s) or plot or story device—without actually intending to do so. I can’t imagine wanting to do that. I wish I could say every author felt the same. Poppy North is a character I examined very carefully. I wanted to make sure she wasn’t too much like Bonnie McCullough, another petite character of mine from The Vampire Diaries. I didn’t even want to plagiarize myself ! But Poppy convinced me that she was a tough little squirt who by high school had already planned out her future, which is very unlike Bonnie. Poppy was going to marry her mysterious friend James—she just hadn’t informed him yet. Also, unlike Bonnie, she had a fatal flaw in her small body. In Secret Vampire, I knew I was dealing with a serious issue: terminal cancer in a high school girl. So I did a lot of research before deciding on a type of cancer that would be truly inoperable and give Poppy only a month or two to live. I went to several hospitals to talk to nurses in oncology wards. I always brought toys for the hospitalized children, but the whole subject was so heartbreaking I was almost afraid to tackle it. Once I did, though, I found that Poppy was even stronger than I had imagined. In the book, she makes the only choice she can to go on living, and she never looks back. Poppy is one of my favorite girls, and she ushers in Ash Redfern, who quickly became one of my favorite bad boys. Ash has a murky past of womanizing and … well, more womanizing. Ash returns in Daughters of Darkness because he has been ordered by the leader of all vampires, Hunter Redfern, to bring his three runaway sisters back to their cloistered vampire island. But when Ash locates his sisters, he runs straight into the human stargazer Mary-Lynnette, and the sparks begin flying—literally. Mary-Lynnette is a character I made up when I was a kid, and I’m always surprised by how many people like her and Ash together. Mary-Lynnette spends most of the time expressing her feelings for Ash by kicking him in the shins, but their dialogues are some of my favorite passages in the whole series. Ash, in turn, escorts Quinn into the series. And Quinn (who does have a first name, though he rarely uses it) is one really scary guy. A vampire since 1639 A.D., Quinn is sharp, cold, humorless, and heartless. Unlike Ash, who is mainly guilty of an incredibly long series of one-night stands, Quinn enters the series as a human slave trader. That is, he provides vampires with young girls, and he doesn’t ask questions about what happens to the girls afterward. This led to a problem: How on earth was I going to redeem this villain enough to make him someone’s soulmate in The Chosen? I really sweated over that. My first task was to make Quinn more sympathetic. The best way to do it seemed to be by telling a bit of Quinn’s own tragic story: how he falls in love with sweet Dove Redfern, and how her vampire father decides to make Quinn his heir. Dove’s father is Hunter Redfern, one of the most important vampire leaders in Night World history. This is the same Hunter Redfern who, nearly half a millennium later, sends Ash to drag his sisters back home. The same Hunter Redfern who sends his daughter, Lily, after Jez in Huntress. The same Hunter Redfern who tries to turn Delos into a merciless killer in Black Dawn. But, as a boy, Quinn doesn’t know anything about the Night World, and he is deeply in love with gentle Dove. When Hunter makes him a vampire by force and then when Quinn can’t save Dove from being killed, Quinn’s heart freezes over. For four hundred years it accumulates ice—until he meets Rashel. That’s another favorite scene of mine: when Rashel, a dedicated vampire hunter since (guess who?) Hunter Redfern killed her mother, encounters Quinn. A group of Rashel’s fellow vampire slayers have captured Quinn and plan to torture him, and Rashel is left alone to guard him. Quinn, feeling old and tired despite his youthful appearance and great power, gives himself up for dead—and is a little glad to do so. Rashel, however, can’t stomach the idea of torture. When Rashel talks to this most-hated vampire and hears his story, she deliberately sets him free. And that astonishes him. But it’s the soulmate principle working its magic. I loved making two such strong-willed enemies succumb to the silver cord that connects them. I especially loved hearing Quinn warning Rashel not to let him go—and then protecting her when her comrades arrive back in time to see that she’s let him loose. I really loved writing about Quinn and Rashel’s soulmate sequences. As Rashel enters Quinn’s mind, she sees “thorny scary parts” but also “rainbow places that were aching to grow” and “other parts that seemed to quiver with light, desperate to be awakened.” She begins to think that people ask so little of themselves. If the mind of a slave trader can look like this, an ordinary person must have the power to become a saint. It is with this revelation (and much penance on Quinn’s part) that Quinn is redeemed. That’s the thread that binds all the novels together: redemption. The possibility of a second chance. Everyone has choices to make, but even the most evil of vampires can choose to atone and be redeemed. It may not necessarily stave off punishment in this world or the next, but redemption is possible. I’ve been asked who my favorite characters are, and the answer always changes because it depends on the book I’m writing. Right now my favorites are three characters from Strange Fate. As for my favorite couples in the published books? Morgead and Jez—I suppose. Who would find themselves at greater odds than a vampire gang leader and his onetime superior, a vampire who finds out she is half human? I learned some cool martial arts moves as a bonus for writing about them. Then there is Keller, one of my all-time favorite heroines, and Iliana, the beautiful Witch Child, and Galen, ruler of the shapeshifters: the love triangle in Witchlight. Keller starts out seeming brusque and businesslike, but the love of Galen and of the unselfish Iliana help to heal her inner wounds. And I can’t forget Thierry and Hannah, and Circle Daybreak. I created Circle Daybreak because the Night World witches had only two clans: Circle Twilight and Circle Midnight. Those, like Thea in Spellbinder, who belong to Circle Twilight are not-so-wicked witches (that is, they don’t want to exterminate all humans like the darkest witches, those who belong to Circle Midnight), but they are still wicked enough. So what was to be done with all these new soulmates, when Night World law said that they must be put to death? Someone had to make a place for them where they would be safe, and I decided it was Thierry, one of the oldest vampires, and Hannah, his Old Soul soulmate, who has lived hundreds of lifetimes without ever reaching the age of seventeen. They are the ones who revive Circle Daybreak, where humans and Night People can forget about past tragedies and concentrate on a brighter future together. Although Thierry is an old vampire, he isn’t the oldest vampire. There is one older, the one who Changed him. She provides another thread that binds the series: the pitiless Maya. Maya is the first vampire, the witch who finds the secret of eternal life—and chooses to use it for evil. But there will be plenty more about her, including a look at the young Maya, her sister Hellewise, and their mother, Hecate Witch-Queen, in the upcoming Strange Fate. And so now I’ve come full circle, back to Strange Fate. But I can’t finish until I add the other joy that the re-release of Night World has brought me. It’s brought me into contact with you by e-mail. Night World fans write so many intelligent, articulate, courteous, exciting e-mails! I love to get messages from “old” fans, who say my works “got them through high school.” Thank you for them! And messages from new fans, who say they have just read all my reissued books—and are impatient for more. Thank you! And the messages that simply demand: “When is Strange Fate coming out?” Thank you, too! With a full heart, all I can say is thank you, thank you, and thank you again! I never thought I would have a chance to write an open letter to all Night World fans, and I can only wish that you knew how grateful I am … for this second chance. Sincerely, (LJ Smith signature image) P.S. I love to get e-mail, letters, and messages. Visit me at ljanesmith.net!

#nightworld #ljsmith strangefate #strange fate #LJ Smith

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thetravelerwrites · 4 years

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Dr. Maël Halvorg (Fae)

Rating: Teen Relationship: Male Part-Fae/Female Part Fae Additional Tags: Exophilia, Monster Boyfriend, Fae, Naga, Reader Insert, Anthropology, Genetics Content Warnings: Children, Pregnancy, Incubation, Infertility Words: 4723

A commission by @ivymemnoch! With Amai and Yenuno's children getting older, they need a teacher, and Amai calls a friend to help out. Please reblog and leave feedback!

The Traveler's Masterlist

“Amai, it’s great to hear from you!” You said, sitting back and sipping a coffee. You were typing up reports at your desk when she called. “God, it’s been forever since we last spoke. How are Yenuno and the children?”

You were surprised to get a call from your old friend while you were working overseas. You and Amai had gone to college together, and while she was getting a law degree in civil rights, you were studying anthropology. You were both in fields specializing in non-humans, which is why you were studying together.

There was a college that offered specific studies in exology, or the study of non-human sentient life, Exanian University. It provided classes in medicine, law, sociology, politics, cultural exo-anthropology, and many other subjects that focused solely on non-humans.

It was established in the early 1890’s and originally only taught humans about the nine Established races. The Established were allowed to attend school in the 50’s, and during the Neogon rights movement in the 80’s, the campus and curriculum was expanded to included education on the newer races that had begun to emerge as well as open its doors to non-humans. In addition, they began to petition and encourage other colleges to offer exological studies. Many alumni of E.U. were now teaching exological studies at other colleges.

You were now a research professor for E.U., studying newly emerged races and reaching out to those shy about integrating. When you first started your career, Amai and the firm where she worked would often help draw up protection papers for the new races until they were formally recognized as a Neogon race and therefore protected under the Neogon act, which granted them the same rights as humans and the Established. Though, as time went on, new races were much rarer, and you hadn’t needed their services. The surprise call was the first time you’d spoken in months, and you hadn’t seen her face-to-face in eight years.

“They’re well, thank you!” She said. “Whereabouts are you these days?”

“Portugal,” You replied. “We’ve had reports that the Encante people may actually exist, and we’ve been attempting to locate and make contact with them. Unfortunately, because they’re underwater creatures, they’re ability to shapeshift, and their reputation as seducers in the mythology of the region, it hasn’t been an easy task. Although, several people in the local villages claim to have Encantado ancestry, so we’re running blood tests to determine the legitimacy of that claim. If they’re blood comes back with unidentified DNA, we can start the protected race process. I assume that’s why you’re calling? You must have heard the news from Song. I sent him an email about drawing up papers a few days ago.”

“He did tell me, yes, and that’s wonderful news,” She replied. “But that’s actually not why I’m calling.”

“Oh?” You’re head rocked back, surprised. “To what do I owe the pleasure, then?”

“Well,” She sighed heavily. “The older children are at the developmental stage enough now where they should begin school, and the younger ones could use some help with supplemental skills. But both Yenuno and Dr. Halvorg don’t think putting them in a normal school a good idea, so I’ve been outvoted. At the very least, they need a tutor. I’ve done what I can on my own, but I’m not a very good teacher. At least, not for fifteen children. Soon to be eighteen, actually.”

“You’re carrying a new clutch?” You said, excited. “That’s wonderful! Yenuno must be very happy.”

“He is, and so am I,” She said, sounding please but tired. “Although we think this might be the last one. My body isn’t recovering as quickly as it used to and Yenuno worries about my health.”

“Understandable. So why did you call me?”

“Well, Yenuno doesn’t know anything about the educational system, having grown up in the wild, and Dr. Halvorg wants to hire some stuffy colleague of his who will bore the kids into a drooling stupor. Halvorg won’t accept anything less than the best, which I mean… I guess it’s nice that he wants the kids to have nothing but the utmost quality, I just wish he wasn’t so damn rigid. He needs to get laid, honestly,” She huffed, and you stifled a laugh. “Do you have someone you could recommend?”

“To get him laid?”

She snorted. “No! You know what I mean. Do you think any of your colleagues at the university would be interested in educating the children of a rare, endangered race? That’s got to have appeal to you academic types, right?”

“Hmm,” You hummed, sitting back in your chair and contemplating. “I’m not sure. You know, it occurs to me that I’ve never even met your children. Or your husband, for that matter.” You sat up and looked at your calendar. “You know what? I’m due for a vacation. Why don’t I come back state-side and meet all of your little ones? I can get a better idea of who would be a good fit for them. I know several people in early education who could be great for tutoring a large group of children at different development levels.”

“Ah, you’re a lifesaver, thank you so much,” Amai said. “I’ll owe you one big time.”

“Just find me a man and we’ll call it even,” You said, laughing. “I’ll text you when my schedule frees up and we’ll make some plans.”

Two weeks later, you stepped off the plane of the airport in Coleville and rented a car. Willowridge was an out of the way town that had the E.U. campus where you and Amai had gone to school. It was a little bit of a drive from the city to get there, but Coleville had the closest airport.

You arrived at the research facility sometime around mid-afternoon, greeted out front by Amai and her youngest child, Yenu. Yenu was a 50/50 hybrid between naga and human, which was unheard of; all other hybrids were a 95/5 percent split since the males both created and fertilized the eggs. Females were simply incubators in the breeding process. Yenu was a curious mix between Amai and her father, from her stubby little legs to her long snake tail and the blue scales running down her neck and back. From an academic perspective, it’s no wonder this Dr. Halvorg was so keen on keeping her and her siblings in the facility for study.

On the other hand, she was adorable, and the entire world needed to know about it. You wondered how many specialists actually knew about her existence and why there wasn’t more published about her in scientific literature. You’re fairly sure there was only one article based on her, and it was authored by Dr. Halvorg. They were likely keeping her under strict protections until she was older, to spare her the media circus.

“It’s so good to see you!” You said as you scooped her into a hug. Her belly wasn’t big yet, but you could feel it’s hardness against your own belly. Yenu squealed happily in her arms as you squished the two of them.

“You, too!” She said, kissing your cheek. “How was the drive?”

“Scenic, as always,” You said, following her as she went inside. “I got the email from Dr. Halvorg last night about accommodations. You’re right: he’s a little abrupt, but in all honestly I’ve yet to meet a geneticist that isn’t.”

“Believe it or not, he’s way less uptight than he used to be. The children really help lighten him up.”

“He likes kids?” You said, your opinion of him rising slightly.

“Oh, very much,” She said, then her voice lowered to a sad whisper. “He can’t have any children, apparently. His kind are bad breeders, he says.”

“His kind?”

“He’s part fae,” She replied.

“Oh,” You said, frowning. “That’s odd.”

“What is?”

“Well, I’m part fae, too, and I have three brothers. And I know of several subraces of fae that are prolific breeders, several of which I helped integrate myself. Exogenetics is still an evolving science. Perhaps he has been so focused on his current work that he hasn’t checked recent literature in the field. He’s been working in conservation for several decades, didn’t you say? I’ll make some calls and see what I can find.”

“I forgot you were part fae,” She said thoughtfully. “What subrace are you, again?”

“Russian Bereginya,” You replied. “What is he?”

“I’ve never asked,” She said. “He very rarely talks about himself at all. Honestly, it seems like a sore subject with him, so I’ve never brought it up. Even Yenuno seems hesitant to ask, and he gets along better with Dr. Halvorg than I do. The only reason I know his first name is because I’ve seen it on official reports. Only the children are allowed to say it, even if it’s to call him ‘Uncle Maël’.”

“A hard nut to crack, huh?” You asked as she led you into the public lobby and fished out a personnel I.D. badge.

“You could say that,” She said. “He and I don’t always see eye to eye, at least.” She swiped her card in a card slot and pressed her thumb on the printpad. “I’ve got a temporary I.D. waiting for you in the back. It’ll be good for the next two weeks. Let me know if you decide to stay longer, and I’ll have the expiration extended.”

“Sure, thanks,” You said.

“You’re about to meet the man himself,” She said as she walked though an automatic sliding door. “Plus my man, and my children. You remember their names?”

You nodded. “It’ll take me a while to match names to faces, though. You always were an overachiever.”

She laughed.

The two of you walked into what looked like the receiving room of a warehouse, except it was empty. There was a large, rolling aluminum wall that was raised and led to a forested area outside. There was an enclosed greenhouse type thing that had several nests built, as well as a cottage at the far end.

Each little nest had a small body with blue scales and warm almond skin lying in it, curled up into a coil, eyes closed and breathing softly. The cottage at the far end also had a movable wall, which was up, and a large, blue naga with long, straight, black hair and pale skin was sitting there, typing on a laptop that was perched on a standing desk.

“Yenuno is a bit socially shy, so he connects with others through the internet,” Amai whispered. “It’s about as much social interaction with the outside world as he can tolerate sometimes.”

“It must be naptime,” You whispered back, nodding toward the kids.

She laughed softly. “The older ones only need to eat once a day now, depending on the size of their prey, and they get tired after hunting and feeding, so we schedule it for noon. They should be up soon, though.”

She waved her hand to get Yenuno’s attention. He looked up and smiled, closing the laptop. He slithered down the ramp, over to Amai to plant a kiss on her lips, and then took Yenu in his arms, tossing her up once to make her giggle before squishing her in a big hug and blowing a raspberry into her cheek. Amai shushed him.

“Let’s go to the lounge to talk,” Amai said quietly. “Yenuno, this is my friend I told you about, the professor from E.U.”

“It’s nice to meet you finally,” Yenuno said as the three--no, four--of you went to a sitting area nearby. Half of the room had chairs and a couch, while the other side had cushions with a table in between. “Amai has told me many stories about you.”

“Most of them are true,” You said, sitting. “But I won’t say which.”

He laughed and set Yenu on the floor in front of him, watching her carefully as she scooted her way across the carpet. “Dr. Halvorg will be around soon. He usually talks to the children after their naps about their hunting experiences.”

“Jeez, I thought I was a workaholic,” You said. “Does he ever relax?”

“Not that I’ve ever seen,” Amai said, handing you a cup of coffee from the bar behind the couch. “If he’s awake, he’s in research mode. He even works through meals.”

“Well, I’ll hope he’ll make some time so I can discuss the children’s developments with him.”

“Oh, if it’s for the kids, he’ll make time,” Yenuno replied. “He’s practically adopted them.”

“I swear, if he thought he could get away with it, he’d forge our signatures on adoption papers,” Amai said sardonically.

“Speak of the devil,” Yenuno said, jerking his head at the open loading space near the greenhouse. A man stood there, surveying the sleeping children for a moment before heading over to the lounge area. He was thin and tall with long, white-blonde hair in a sleek braid down his back. He was pale complected and had a sharp, angular face with bushy eyebrows and vivid, amber colored eyes. His ears had a definitive point to them.

Yep, definitely Celtic fae heritage; you could spot it a mile away. It’s true that the Celtic fae populace had dwindled over the years, though you hadn’t really considered why. You chalked it up to interbreeding with other races or being edged out of their territory. Historically, since fae were immortal, or at least very long lived, they often didn’t feel the biological incentive that mortal creatures felt to procreate. Could their long-held disinterest in breeding have eventually rendered them infertile? That was a startling thought.

“Is this the professor I’ve heard so much about?” Dr. Halvorg asked as he approached. Yenu toddled her way over to him on her short little legs and he picked her up, popping her onto his hip like a pro.

“Yes,” Amai said and introduced you. Dr. Halvorg used his free hand to shake yours.

“Lovely to meet you,” He said. “I look forward to working with you. You have an impressive reputation. I’ve actually been following your progress for quite a while.”

“Really?” You asked, surprised.

“Oh, yes,” He replied, shifting a squealing Yenu to the opposite hip. “You’re the foremost anthropologist in the field currently. You and your team are responsible for integrating over thirty percent of known Neogon races in the last ten years. As a geneticist, as a scientist, seeing the steady expansion and confirmation of known non-human races happen in my lifetime is pretty incredible to watch.”

“Wow,” You said, stunned. “I didn’t realize I had such a reputation.”

“Well, you’ve been in the field for a long time,” He said with a smile. “It’s not surprising that you might not be aware of the impact your work has had on the world.”

You may have blushed, but you’d never have admitted it. Thankfully you were spared from finding a way to follow up that statement by a range of sleepy groans issuing from the enclosure. One by one, the children began to stretch and yawn and make their way over to their parents, the first of which was one of the youngest.

“Mommy!” He said, his curly hair bouncing as he slithered over the lip of the carpeted lounge area. “Who’s that?” He pointed directly at me.

“Osan, it’s not polite to point!” She said sharply. “This is my friend who I told you was coming to meet all of you. Wait for your brothers and sisters to get over here before we start introductions, okay?”

Osan shot across the enclosure to rudely awaken the rest of his siblings. His excited hollering echoed throughout the empty enclosure.

“Ah, youth. I’d love to siphon some of that energy and drink it like an espresso,” Amai said.

“Girl, I hear that,” You replied, chuckling.

A small army of nearly identical naga children came following Osan, curious about you, chattering and craning their necks to get a better look at you.

“Kids, line up, line up,” Yenuno said, wading out into the sea of small clones of himself. “These are the five year olds: Keenai, Tani, Fuma, and Amaia. The four year olds: Nenish, Tahara, and Sadji. The three year olds: Jinsa, Ishni, Chidil, Itheti, and Dashu. The two year olds: Osan and Khuzho. And little Yenu is eight months old.”

“I don’t know how you tell them all apart,” You laughed.

“I have a mole!” Sadji said, pointing at it. “See!”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” You said, bending down to pat his head. He shook off your hand but laughed. You tickled his chubby cheek and he giggled, trying to fend you off.

“So what would you like to do?” Amai said. “I assume you already have a plan.”

“Yes,” You said. “I’d like to interview each child with a behavioral therapist and get a sense of their development levels myself, and then Dr. Halvorg and I will compare notes. I can make my determination then.”

“Sounds good,” Amai replied. “But it doesn’t have to be today, does it? You just got into town. I’d love to take you out for an early dinner, if you haven’t eaten. Yenuno hunted with the kids, so he likely won’t eat again until morning.”

“Sure, I’d love to,” You said. “Dr. Halvorg, do you have dinner plans?”

“Oh, no, I have a lot of work to do,” He said. “Besides, I’m sure the two of you will want to catch up. Please, enjoy yourselves. If you all would excuse me, I have a report to write.” He kissed Yenu on the cheek before handing her back to Amai and tousled a few of the kids’ hair as he passed. “Come along, children. Let’s do our interviews and I’ll take you all out to the playground.”

The kids cheered and followed him down the hall to the offices.

“You weren’t lying, Amai, he is really good with kids,” You said.

“Between him and the volunteers, we never have to hire a babysitter, which is nice,” Yenuno replied.

“Some days, it’s his only redeeming feature,” Amai said with a sour smile. “I still haven’t quite forgiven him for what happened when I was pregnant with Yenu. If I sit too long, thinking about it, I get mad all over again.”

“Think of the eggs, my love,” Yenuno said patiently, patting her belly. “He’s apologized many times since then. You can’t hold a grudge forever.”

“I absolutely can,” She said churlishly. “I understand his job is conserving and repopulating your species, but our marriage is an entirely separate thing and he can keep his nose out of it.”

“Well, let’s get a cheesecake and forget all about it,” You suggested.

“Sound good to me,” She said. She kissed Yenuno on the lips and waved goodbye to him. “There’s a new Italian place that’s got really good reviews.”

“No seafood! Or wine!” Yenuno called after her.

“This ain’t my first rodeo!” She called back.

The Italian place was as good as Amai said it was, and the two of you went to Tumble’s Cafe for dessert and coffee. Tumble had actually been a client of Amai’s when a hate crime had been committed against him. Now his wife and kids had two shops open in town and were doing very well for themselves.

Lucy, Tumble’s wife, was a few years your junior and a mother of three. Amai and Lucy had become close friends over the years and they were both in an interspecies mommy group. You knew of her, since you’d both grown up in the same small town, but you hadn’t actually met her before. Amai told you that the triplets often played with her children at the park, and you had to stop for a moment and contemplate the strange image of bunnies and snakes playing together.

“Is this the professor?” Lucy asked as you came in with Amai.

“Did you tell the whole town I was coming?” You asked Amai.

“I didn’t need to,” Amai replied with a laugh. “Word gets around.”

“What can I get you guys?” Lucy asked, a big smile on her freckled face.

“Coffee and cheesecake to go, please,” You said.

“Oh, no coffee for me,” Amai interjected. “Can I have a decaf iced cinnamon chai instead?”

“You got it. Whipped cream on top?”

“Yes, please. Where’s Tumble?”

“Putting the kids to bed upstairs,” Lucy said. “Such a good daddy. We’re talking about having more.”

“More than three?” You asked as she handed you a steaming cup of coffee. “I can’t imagine having more than two, at the most.”

“I guess it comes with having a non-human partner who’s used to the idea of having many children,” Lucy said, nodding at Amai, who tilted her head in agreement. “Not all non-humans have litters or clutches, but the ones who do always want more kids. At least the girls are in school now andTumble gave me a good five years before asking for another litter, unlike supermom over here. How’s that going on your end, by the way?”

“That’s why the professor is here,” Amai said, bumping you slightly with her shoulder. “She just got in today. The evaluations start tomorrow.”

“Well, good luck.” She handed you a box that contained two generous slices of cheesecake.

“Thanks, Lucy,” Amai said as the two of you left. “I’m sure I’ll be back in here soon. Tumble’s pastries are the best in town.”

“I’ll tell him you said that!” Lucy said with a laugh, waving.

The next morning, you began setting up for the individual assessments when Dr. Halvorg entered the room.

“Good morning,” You said. “Are you observing with the behavioral specialist?”

“I am the behavioral specialist,” He said. “I have a PhDs in child psychology and clinical psychology.”

“How many degrees do you have?” You asked, impressed.

“A few,” He admitted. “I’ve been alive for quite a long time, so I go back every once in a while to get another, or for a refresher. The education for each degree is much different now than it was fifty years ago.”

“How old are you?” You asked. “I know you’re part fae.”

“Amai told you that, eh?”

“Maybe,” You replied. “I mean, I’m part fae, too, so it’s not like I’m bothered by it.”

“You are?” He asked, looking at you keenly. “That wasn’t in your dossier. European?”

“Russian, and it’s not really a secret. I’m surprised you didn’t already know; I figured Amai would have said something. I was actually thinking you and I should have a conversation about that.”

He looked at you with an indecipherable expression and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, one of the eldest children came in the door.

“Later,” He said. You nodded.

The evaluations were interesting. The children were advanced for their ages, though Dr. Halvorg told you that was normal among nagas, who had to mature quickly in the wild. Watching them problem solve during the assessment was actually fascinating. They grasped new concepts relatively quickly and were wildly curious. They actually seemed happy to learn new and unusual things and kept asking you about your work with new races. You imagined they got a lot of that exuberance from Amai. Yenuno seemed a great deal more anxious and withdrawn.

The assessments took the entire day, and Dr. Halvorg asked you back to his office to compare notes when they were done.

“I think Ishni is slightly behind the others in his age group, or rather his brothers are more advanced. Honestly, it’s hard to tell with nagas. Their development is so unusual.”

“I would agree,” Dr. Halvorg said. “With Ishni being behind, that is. But it’s nothing some focused work won’t fix. The rest of them are advancing well, based on the available statistics for their age groups.”

“Yes, it’s shocking how quickly they pick up new things. I wouldn’t be surprised if they completed a full curriculum in just a few years.”

“Based on today’s evaluations, do you have a candidate in mind who would work for them?” He asked.

You sighed heavily. “I do,” You said. “I actually know of several that would be good fits. Unfortunately, all of those people are currently under contract.”

“Oh,” Dr. Halvorg said. “I thought you said you knew someone who would be perfect for this job.”

“I said early development!” You replied. “But these children don’t need early development. That’s shapes and colors and numbers and things like that. All of these kids can already read. Even the two year olds! They need more advanced tutelage, and I didn’t realize that when Amai first asked.”

“So what would you recommend?”

You sat back in your chair. “Give me a few days to think it over and make some calls and I’ll get back to you. In the meantime, just go about things as normal. I’d like to observe how things run here naturally.”

“Is that in reference to the search for an educator?”

“No, it’s for my own personal observations,” You said, smiling. “I am still an exo-anthropologist, after all, and quite honestly, the last couple of days have been riveting.”

He grinned. “A woman after my own heart.”

Two nights later, you walked into the enclosure after dinner to a strange sight: Dr. Halvorg reading the kids a bedtime story. He was sitting on the ground in the circle of nests and reading from a big book of non-human fairy tales. Race appropriate ones, of course. It was so unusual that all you could do was lean against the doorframe and listen.

When he finished, he helped settle all of the children and wished them a good night, and set the lights to starlight, with little pinpricks of light shining through the ceiling. When he saw you, he walked over.

“So, no good,” You said. “There aren’t any teachers who can come in on short notice.”

He sighed unhappily. “Well, what now?”

“I’ve decided that until they make contact with the Encante people, I’m not needed, so I might as well make the most of my time here and be the kids’ tutor until I need to go back or a teacher is made available.”

“Really?” Dr. Halvorg said, surprised. “Well, the kids like you, and you’re certainly well-educated. Have you ever taught before?”

“Briefly at E.U.,” You replied. “I taught one year of anthropology. It was nice staying in one place for a while, and the students seemed receptive to me. I only left because I was needed for a first contact situation.” You looked around. “Where’s Yenuno and Amai?”

“Date night,” He said. “They’re off… doing whatever people do on dates these days. I haven’t dated in decades, so I’m not certain what that entails anymore.”

“I could fix that, if you like,” You offered.

He smiled, but tilted his head. “How do you mean?”

“You could go on a date with me,” You said. “Since I’m going to be staying a while and working with you, it’ll be nice to get to know you better. And… maybe more than that.”

He looked like you’d hit him with a brick. He was still smiling confusedly, but his mouth was open and he couldn’t seem to speak.

“You okay there?” You asked.

“Ye--yes,” He stammered. “Forgive me. I… I appreciate the offer, but… I... I, uh…”

“It’s okay to say no, Maël,” You replied, laughing a little. “You don’t have to find an excuse. ‘No’ is a valid answer.”

He laughed a little self-consciously. “I’m sorry. I’ve been married to my work for so long that I just haven’t considered the possibility of dating. It’s… not something I’m interested in. I hope you understand.”

“Of course,” You replied. “That’s completely fine. And if you change your mind, that’s fine too. You know how to get in touch with me. No pressure. We’re both adults, after all.”

“Yes,” He said, adjusting his glasses. “I appreciate that. Thank you for the offer.”

“Think nothing of it,” You said. “I should get back to work. See you tomorrow.”

“Yes,” He repeated. You waved and walked away, unaware of his curious, piercing gaze on your retreating back.

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My Masterlist

The Exophilia Creator’s Masterlist

#Exophilia #Fae #Naga #Reader Insert

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jjadegreen · 4 years

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ITS SPOOKY SEASON BABY !!!

And that means making spooky aus for no reason other than fun<3

In summary- jjba part 1-6 but there’s no stands/Hamon and they all exist at the same time AND everyone is a spooky monster!!! I included as many characters as I could but it’s quite easy to run out of creatures, so bear with me on a few of them. Also the joestar bloodline is just gonna all be George Joestars kids because I said so!

Also, this is all really dumb but it’s just for fun so it’s ok💕

*minor TW for mentions of death!!! Nothing graphic but I’d rather be safe

Jonathan: Frankenstein

Not exactly like the traditional Frankenstein’s monster but whatever!!

Used to be a regular kid until he died in his 20s along with Erina :(

His father, who is still alive here, doctors the hell out of his dead son and boom. Franken-son.

Most body parts are his but he lost some in his death... so like, one of his legs is just some random guys.

He is still very Jonathan... a sweet boy... beloved.

He loves flowers and plants and such!

Married to Erina!!!

Joseph: werewolf

Tbh I just feel like werewolves give off himbo energy

Ran into some spooky woods next to the Joestar mansion as a kid and came home with a wolf bite and a cool new form

The exact same as regular Joseph but with more dog attributes

Our boy will chew on a bone if he finds one. He will chase tennis balls like his life depends on it.

Him and Caesar are rivals but the kind of rivals who fight on the weekdays and watch shitty romcoms together on weekends

Jotaro: merman

Ocean man....... take me by the hand...... lead me to the land.......

Ok but in all seriousness. You know why Jotaro is a merman. Silly little ocean man.

Edgy bastard but he will go entirely soft if you bring out a sea creature

I have 0 idea how he became this. He probably pissed off an ocean witch or something and she made him a merman

H20: just add water type transformation. If he touches water, BOOM now he has a tail

He does not let that stop him

Kakyoin is his best buddy!! He also hangs out w/ Polneraff and Avdol

Jolyne: witch

Jolyne is just a lesbian witch. Is that too much to want

Idk anything about witches so I dunno!!! Maybe she just like. Decided to be a witch. I think there are real witches and I don’t want to disrespect anyone

Although she is the Halloween-y, pointy hat, black robe witch. She makes potions and stuff.

She has diverted her potion experience into cooking

She makes THE BEST fucking pastries

Josuke: werewolf (like father like son)

Even tho Joseph is not his dad here they give off similar energies

Joseph bit him while they were arguing and boom boom werewolf

In a band!!! With oku, koichi and yukako!!

Rohan is their manager

Best friends with Okuyasu and Koichi

He will cry if he doesn’t eat for 4 hours

Giorno: vampire

Vampire for obvious reasons

He’s technically everyone’s nephew because he’s DIOs son (who is biologically a joestar here)

He’s not in the mafia! He just hangs out with the bucci gang!

Despite having the ability to make it seem like he knows what’s going on, he never does

Never

Pudding cups are banned from the mansion because he will devour them in just a few seconds

Vegan, but will never pass up drinking the blood from someone he hates

You guys know I’d never stop at just the jojos

Erina: Frankensteins bride!

Died with Jonathan and was brought back the same way as him

Baker!!!

Very close with Speedwagon

Speedwagon: former ghost hunter

Our man was a ghost hunter until actually meeting a ghost (probably Reimi) and deciding that maybe he could just be a normal man instead

He lives with the joestars because he’s really close with Jonathan and Erina

He and Will were a ghost/vampire hunting duo

Will Zeppeli: former vampire hunter (who is now a vampire lol)

Once Speedwagon decided to just be friends with all the monsters he followed

Caesar: vampire

Don’t ask why caesar is a vampire even though that’s DIOs thing. Caesar gives off vampire energy.

He acts like he hates Joseph but believe me they are in love

Him and Suzie Q are the most powerful friendship you could imagine

Suzie Q: fairy!

Just a little fairy girl! That is it!

Badass bitch. Probably uses her tiny size to steal from everyone

Smokey: literally a normal dude

Caesar was going to suck his blood but decided that Smokey was too nice for that date

The joestars of course got attached to him immediately

Kakyoin: Tree Nymph

TREE MAN!!! TREE MAN!!!

His hair noodle is a branch that grows a cherry

Iggy: Cerberus type dog

Jotaros pet dog!!!

Absolute bastard

Avdol: Phoenix

Fire bird. Self explanatory.

Polnareff: centaur

Yes he still has the stupid hair. Would he be polnareff without it?

Avdol simp

Koichi: shapeshifter

He’s a shapeshifter because I said so even tho it makes no sense!!!

He does so many favours for everyone

In a band w/ oku, Josuke + yukako

Okuyasu: zombie

Why a zombie? Because Okuyasu has no brain

He’s a simple man. You put food in front of him and he eats it on sight

In a band w/ koichi, Josuke + yukako

Yukako: siren

I just feel like a long haired pretty woman gives off siren vibes

In a band!!! You have heard it three times you know the drill

Rohan: can transform into a dragon??? I guess???

I’m gonna be honest I’m just running out of ideas

Band manager

Tonio: can transform into a caladrius

@c-c-cherry told me this is some kinda healing bird??? I’m choosing to trust her don’t betray me Cherry

Reimi: ghost, obviously

No notes needed you get it. She’s a ghost

Mista: gargoyle

Stinky man!!! Stinky stone man!!! Never showers because he’s a stone man!!!

Bruno: angel<3

He’s already a perfect angel in the show why would I need to change that!!

Bruabba is canon He is married to Abbacchio

Abbacchio: demon

Goth demon man to contrast Bruno’s infinite light

He is married to Bruno because bruabba is real

Narancia: ghost

I’m literally just imagining narancia pulling so many stupid pranks as a ghost which is the whole reason I chose this for him

Fugo: reaper

Imagine like. Edgy son of the grim reaper who doesn’t want to be a reaper so he runs off and becomes friends with a wacky group of creatures. That’s fugo baby!

Trish: imp

Im almost out of ideas

Probably half human? Diavolo would definitely be an imp as well

——————————————————————————

This was very bad but fun

Thank u Cherry for being my emotional support while I tried to come up with so many different monsters

Also yes!! Some of them aren’t exactly monsters but I am just a little creature who doesn’t want to spent a week looking for the perfect monsters for every character

Love you all mwah mwah

#jjba #jojos #jojo’s bizarre adventure #jojo #long post

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gfpt-comic · 3 years

Text

So. Here goes nothing... (1/?)

(Major spoilers for the comic, but since it won’t update anymore (besides PERHAPS some random comic strips/excerpts without context every now and then, but don’t count on it), I guess it doesn’t matter.)

If you read my answer to the ask posted earlier, you probably know what this post is about. I’ll make a list of every important point I wanted to tackle in the comic, in multiple sections. Be prepared for the long post that awaits you below the cut.

Summary of what was left of Chapter 2

Following their first appearance at the beginning of the chapter, Lolph and Dundgren try to question Blendin, who is staying at a hospital and is still under intense care. They discuss what exactly happened to Blendin in the first place: he was assigned what was supposed to be a routine mission to solve a minor time anomaly in the 21st century, but his time machine exploded when he tried to operate it and he was gravely injured. Dundgren mentions that any normal time device should hardly cause this much damage when malfunctioning, suggesting that Blendin’s level of incompetence is so incredibly high, it somehow managed to make something that shouldn’t be able to explode blow up in his face. On the other hand, Lolph starts to wonder if, exactly because it should be impossible, the accident may have had a reason other than just Blendin’s incompetence. Unfortunately, the accident had consequences so grave on Blendin’s physical health, it seemingly also took a toll on his sanity and questioning him only leaves them with esoteric sentences of dubious credibility.

Blendin: “This is very nice of you… to visit me. There isn’t much time left. I was starting to feel alone, before everything disappears.” Blendin: “Time Baby will succeed… He will free us from this time.”

July 13, 2012 again: back in the gift shop of the Mystery Shack, Wendy and Soos have captured Bill and tied him up to a chair. Wendy starts interrogating him, asking him who or what he is-- throwing in her multiple guesses: the Shapeshifter she defeated with Dipper in the bunker, a paper clone... She doesn’t suspect demon possession or a switch-because-of-the-carpet scenario, however. Bill just keeps trying to break free with little success, without answering; and soon, Stan interrupts them when he enters the gift shop as well, followed by the dozen of tourists he took during his latest tour. Wendy and Soos manage to evade Stan’s obvious questions by pretending they were making a new attraction.

Back in Mabel’s Dreamscape, Mabel encourages Dipper to have some fun with Bill’s powers, but he is scared of messing up because of just how powerful he is; having seen Bill’s powers both in the Mindscape/Dreamscape and in Weirdmageddon when he witnessed the alternate timelines, Dipper knows just how far those powers can go and he isn’t sure he can control them. Still, after some teasing Mabel starts a snowball fight with the surrounding ice cream, and gradually the twins have more and more fun starting with the ice cream, then with the tricks Dipper starts to use. When they take a break, Mabel points out that nothing bad happened, and Dipper grows a bit more confident that he can use Bill’s powers in a way that isn’t dangerous.

Dipper: “I guess it’s easy to do exactly what you want when it literally happens in your mind... Huh.”

Dipper notices it’s almost noon, and Mabel remembers that she was supposed to meet William at Greasy’s Diner for lunch. Mabel is unseasy upon thinking of talking to him again after what happened the day before, and Dipper confirms by showing William’s current whereabouts through a peephole that William seems about as worried as she is. Mabel takes a deep breath, makes sure that she will be able to see Dipper whenever she needs (during the night for sure, perhaps earlier if she asks for it). Still, just before Dipper wakes her up... She has a favor to ask him.

Mabel: “Now that you can do lots of magic stuff and all... Could you do something for me?”

Back in the gift shop, the tourists have left and Bill was untied due to Stan’s confusion over the situation. However, he is forced to stay inside and is stuck sitting by Wendy’s side behind the cashier desk. When Mabel goes through the gift shop to go to the Diner, everyone notices that she made a new sweater -- one with a pine tree symbol on it, no less. Bill is enraged but can’t stop her from leaving.

William has his first face reveal. He is a blonde 13-year-old, and is already waiting worriedly at Greasy’s Diner when Mabel arrives. He immediately apologizes for what happened on the day before.

William: “About yesterday, I... I’m sorry I said your brother was a bad influence. That was uncalled for.”

Mabel: “Yes. Yes it was.”

William is genuinely apologetic, but soon it is revealed that the reason why he thought Dipper and the Mystery Shack were a bad influence was because he doesn’t believe at all in the supernatural. Even if Mabel told him about her adventures, he assumed they were just stories she made up while playing in the Mystery Shack’s museum and never believed them to be true. Mabel tries to convince him by showing him some episodes of Dipper’s “Guide to the Unexplained” -- a series of videos he used to make and post online at the beginning of their summer break upon arriving in Gravity Falls, but stopped making altogether after Summerween. Sadly, the episodes made up until then did not revolve around exceptionally weird anomalies, and aren’t enough to convince William. The only thing William admits to being strange is the fact that every inhabitant of Gravity Falls is “out of their minds.”

Exasperated by William’s absurdly high levels of skepticism, Mabel eventually dares him to go on a forest expedition with her, Candy and Grenda on the next day, just so they can show him pretty much anything in the forest that is out of the ordinary. William strongly refuses and tries to dissuade her to go into the forest at all; he has been personally forbidden by his mother from going anywhere near the forest, and he has also read on the local news that there is currently a predator of unknown origin or species on the loose, which has been notably attacking sheep from the nearby farm. Mabel teases him about the fact that he believes that this creature is real, and suggests that it might be a werewolf for example; but William doesn’t take her seriously, especially because the creature is supposed to fly.

And... This is the part where my script starts getting wonky. I’ve been trying to fill the holes, but sadly it’s proven to be quite difficult, especially now that I know I won’t be drawing it in comic form anyway. Still, the main plot should be precise enough! The holes are mainly just “there should be some filler and/or foreshadowing to what’s coming here”, with little more than just prompts for what could be happening.

Back in the Mystery Shack’s gift shop, Wendy tries to sneakily question Bill, but when Stan asks them where Mabel went and Bill tells him she skipped her restocking duty so she could spend time with William at the Diner, Stan asks him to get her back. Bill happily takes this opportunity to slip out of the Mystery Shack, and have an excuse to bother Mabel at the same time.

Eventually, William is obligated to accept Mabel’s terms and intends on coming so he can at least make sure that the girls won’t put themselves in danger upon visiting the forest on their own.

Bill arrives at the Diner. William, thinking he is meeting Dipper again, tries to make amends for the things he said the previous day and says that he earnestly thinks they can start again on the right foot; Bill sadistically mocks him instead, all the while pretending to be Dipper, just so he can ruin Mabel’s hopes of reconciling William and Dipper. Bill finishes Mabel by forcing her to leave, saying that Stan expects her to work at the gift shop like she was supposed to since the beginning.

Mabel gone, William and Bill start to have a tense conversation; well, tense on William’s part, while Bill is mostly just having a blast driving William mad. The old fanfic that was the first “draft” version of the story has this chapter, which gathers most of the jokes I intended to keep, and at least some of the plot points. I’ll put a warning for awkward English, though. Oh and also, apparently in the old version it was July 3rd and not July 13th, so in the comic the “tomorrow is July 4th so the forest trip can’t happen anyway” excuse wouldn’t work.

About the Quetzalcoatlus thing: here, have some fun dinosaur size comparisons & history following my latest research on what the pterodactyl from S1E18: Land Before Swine.

William: “And how would you even know all that?”

Bill: “Because I ate Leonardo da Vinci.”

William: “. . .”

William: “… It must have been some VERY cryptic way for you to say that it was one of those conspiracy things mentioned in the old book supposedly written by a genius that you keep reading passionately every day. Right?”

Bill: “Oh, so your brain CAN work sometimes!”

Bill gets bit by a soothquito. His bite marks spell “FHOASE CORECULLY“

Upon leaving the Diner, they both see someone being kidnapped by a member of the Blindeye Society. William insists they immediately go warn the police, but Blubs and Durland prove to be ineffective as ever. Bill slips in one or two facts about the secret society, but William dismisses them completely as other random insane things Bill just happens to say all the time for trolling purposes.

Mabel is back in the Mystery Shack and starts her restocking duty, but her mind is clearly elsewhere. She starts mumbling to herself, but is interrupted by the decapitated head of Larry King who just happened to be in the vents nearby. Mabel isn’t surprised at all to see he survived, and when Larry King starts "interviewing” her about the issues she was mumbling about, she complies. Some time later, while Soos is cleaning up the floor, he overhears Mabel complaining about Bill being a jerk on purpose and making Dipper seem like a terrible person, and ends up hearing pretty much the whole story that way, without Mabel knowing. Soos proceeds to tell Wendy what he heard, helping them putting two and two together-- all the while understanding why Mabel didn’t warn them, and why they should stay silent as well. They decide not to tell Mabel they know her secret; but when Bill comes back later, just as Wendy’s shift was about to end, she has just one thing to tell him:

Wendy: “Tomorrow 6PM. My place.”

Night time; Bill is annoyed, but not very surprised by the fact that Soos is sleeping with him for the night, in the room on the ground floor where Dipper had relocated. Bill is at least glad he no longer has to pretend to be Dipper around Wendy and him.

Soos proceeds to ask Bill what his intentions were; not just in the present times now that the switch occurred, but also before it.

Soos: “So you really are that triangle guy from two weeks ago?”

Soos: “Now that I'm thinking about it… A lot of things happened two weeks ago. That's when it began to get all wrong. Well, it was already wrong before that, but… That's really when you came that everything started to get all weird and… bad.“

Soos: “It all started because of that Summerween night. What did you want with us?”

Soos: “Why did you tell Dipper that Gideon summoned you?”

Bill: “It was just a job. Jobs are boring. There’s no fun in it if nobody’s trying to stop you.”

Bill: “Oh, and you wanna know the best part? If you’d taken Shooting Star along with you instead of going just the two of you, perhaps you would’ve had an opportunity to beat me.”

Soos: What did you do with Gideon two weeks ago? Dipper and I knew it wasn’t a coincidence that those government guys showed up just the next day.

Bill: “Something that neither Pine Tree nor I want anybody to find out, I bet. Also if I were to tell you, you'd either faint or spend the next fourteen hours trying to explain it all to Red. Funny, but not worth it.”

Soos is disturbed by Bill’s attitude, because of course he tries to both troll and traumatize at once, and given how Soos was already terrified of Bill because of the Summerween night (”I’ve had nightmares for weeks!” from an earlier comic page), it doesn’t help. Soos tries to ask Bill about the deal he made with Gideon -- more specifically, he asks what Bill wanted in return for stealing the code from Stan’s mind. However, Bill doesn’t answer and instead opens the bedroom door to reveal that Mabel was trying to eavesdrop.

Mabel was mostly there to make sure that everything was alright, and deduces that Bill hadn't slept at all during the first night and that he intends to never sleep at all, even after she tells him that humans need sleep to survive. Thankfully she came prepared with a “surprise gift from Candy and Grenda”, and sprays Bill with Fairy Dust.

Mabel: “There’s probably enough in that bag to knock out a gremloblin in an instant, so I think he’s good for the night. :p”

Once Bill is asleep, Dipper takes this chance to come to his Dreamscape and talk to him one-on-one; and, he is not happy at how Bill treated Mabel so far. Still, after a certain point the conversation gets to a more pressing topic.

Bill: “You saw it happen, didn’t you?”

Bill: “Weirdmageddon. You saw it, right?”

Dipper: “. . .”

Bill: “Oh-ho, even better! There’s a timeline in which YOU make it happen, isn’t there?”

Dipper: “That’s not gonna happen.”

Bill: “Look kid, take it from me. The more you try to actively prevent a specific outcome, the more likely you usually make it happen.”

Dipper: “You can’t make something happen if you specifically stop everything that can lead to it from happening first.”

Dipper: “Even if it includes lying to Mabel… I saw it. If she learns there’s a way to get me a physical form, she’ll try anything to make it happen and disregard the consequences. I bet she trusts me to keep things under control, but everything else? There’s just... There’s too many variables. We can’t let her know anything about the portal. Or Weirdmageddon.”

Bill: “Well, that doesn’t change anything from my original plan anyway.”

Bill: “So you’re just gonna stay in the Nightmare Realm forever, is that it?”

Dipper: “That’s not much of a plan so far, but that’s still an effective way to save the world.”

Bill: “Don’t mess with me. You DO know that if you don’t make your way to another dimension eventually, you’re just going to die, right?”

Dipper: “... W-what are you talking about?”

Bill: “Wait. You REALLY didn’t figure that out yet?”

Bill: “The Nightmare Realm is unstable. It’s just gonna collapse one of these days, destroy everything in it. Could be in a billion years. Could be tomorrow.”

After leaving Bill’s Dreamscape, Dipper decides to visit Wendy’s and tell her everything. He confirms her doubts, tells her the whole story with the carpet... And he tells her about Weirdmageddon and what Bill just told him about the Nightmare Realm.

Dipper: “I mean, it’s better this way for everyone, and of course I’m not gonna go with Bill’s original plan to destroy the laws of physics or whatever, but… I-I just don’t wanna die, you know?”

Wendy: “Don’t worry. We’ll find a way.”

> Summary of chapters 3 and 4

#pt comic #pt compilation #pythagorean thoughts

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440mxs-wife · 4 years

Text

Test Results, Part 1

Pairing: Dean x Reader

You stared at the object in your hand, not quite believing what it was saying. You squeezed your eyes shut and waited about ten seconds. Then you opened them to check the results again, willing it to say something else. Positive. You were pregnant. What am I going to do? you asked yourself.

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

You have been hunting with the Winchesters for about the last eleven years. Your parents were also hunters, but they were retired from the life. They were on their way to visit you, when suddenly demons took control of the car. It skidded off the road on a patch of ice, tumbled down a steep hillside and exploded, instantly killing your parents. For some time afterwards, you remained active as a hunter. You didn't want any other family to go through what you did.

The night you met Sam and Dean, you were tracking a werewolf into the forest. You had it lined up to deliver the fatal shots with the silver bullets in your .380. Suddenly, it turned around and saw you, then lumbered towards your position. You took aim for the kill shot, but your weapon jammed. Fortunately, Sam and Dean were tracking the same creature and found its location. They were able to kill it just as it was about to slice into you with its claws.

After that, you moved into the bunker with the boys, helping with the research, patching up the injuries when needed. Sam became your best friend, someone to laugh with, who shared your love of reading, and liked the same nerdy stuff you did. Dean, well....Dean became something more.

You and Dean had been dating for about a year before the run-in with the Leviathans, and him being sent to and returning from Purgatory. You were there for him during his time as a Knight of Hell, then him coming back to fight the Darkness. Through it all, you stood by each other and you became stronger together.

On your 30th birthday, the two of you went on a late-night drive in the Impala. Dean had secretly packed a cooler with drinks and some snacks. Then he drove out to an open field by the side of a secluded road. You both shared stories from your past, and talked about your hopes and dreams for the future.

As you both lay on the hood of the Impala, he had his arm wrapped around you and yours was draped across his middle. Dean was sharing with you what he knew about the constellations, but you only had eyes for him. At some point, he turned and caught you staring at him, and you declared your love for him for the first time. He told you that he loved you too, and you shared a passionate night together. From that night on, you shared with him his room, his bed and your heart.

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

The sound of footsteps coming closer to the door sent you scrambling to hide the test stick. You shoved it in the front pocket of your hoodie, just as Dean was walking in the door. "There you are, sweetheart," he grinned as he drew you into his arms. "Everything okay?" he asked, brushing the hair from your forehead and kissing it.

"Sure, everything's fine," you responded.

"Sam just found us a case, so we'd better start packing," Dean stated.

You reached under your side of the bed for your duffel bag and started grabbing clothes to put in it. Socks, undergarments, flannels, T-shirts and of course, your Fed threads went into your bag. When Dean wasn't looking, you slipped the pregnancy test stick into your bag along with your toiletries.

Thirty or so minutes later, and the three of you were rolling down the highway on the trail of another monster. "So, what do we know?" you asked Sam.

"According to local authorities, it's regular people committing all sorts of crimes. Only these people swear they are innocent. Reason being, they have witnesses putting them nowhere near the crime scene at the time," Sam explained.

"Sounds like it could be a shapeshifter," you offered.

Both Sam and Dean nodded in agreement. As the Impala zoomed on down the highway, Dean looked back to see that you had fallen asleep. He smiled at how relaxed you looked, your lips slightly parted. He wanted nothing more than to pull over and let Sam take over on the driving. That way, he could climb into the backseat and hold you in his arms as you slept. Guess that will have to wait until later, he thought.

"Hey, Sam? Got something to tell you, man," Dean started, keeping his voice low.

"Yeah? What's up, Dean?" Sam asked.

"After this hunt is over....I'm going to ask her to marry me. Already got the ring and everything with me, just waiting for the right time," he replied.

"Are you kidding? That's great, Dean! I'm happy for both of you. Don't wait too long, though. You just gotta pick a time and ask her," Sam advised.

The car lapsed into a comfortable silence as it rolled down the highway to its destination. About two hours later, the Impala pulled into the Moonstar Motel parking lot. Sam went in to get the room situation handled. Dean slipped into the backseat with you and gently nudged your shoulder to wake you. You woke up on the third nudge and smiled at Dean. "Hey, baby. Time to wake up. We're here at the motel. Come on, sweetheart, up and at 'em," he chuckled.

Dean took hold of your outstretched hands and pulled you up into a sitting position. This brought you nearly nose-to-nose with him. He took the opportunity to close the gap and captured your lips with his in a slow, sweet kiss. Sam loudly cleared his throat behind Dean, causing the kiss to be broken.

You retrieved your bag from the trunk and as soon as you crossed the threshold, a wave of nausea came over you. You bolted for the bathroom, with Dean close behind. You proceeded to lose whatever food may have crossed your lips in the past 6 hours. Dean came up behind you to rub your back and keep your hair out of the way.

When it seemed like you were done, Dean helped you clean yourself up and guided you over to sit on the bed. "You okay, honey?" he asked, concern evident on his face.

"Think so, must have been something I ate. I'll be fine," you said. You unzipped your bag and started going through it for your Fed threads.

Dean put his hands over yours, stopping your search. "Hey, baby, why don't you just stay here and rest, hmm? Me and Sam can take care of talking to the witnesses, no problem. Just rest here, okay?" he asked.

"Dean, it's nothing, I'm fine now. Just give me a few minutes to change," you protested.

"I know you're 'fine', sweetheart, but I'd feel better if I knew you were back here, just taking it easy for once," he answered. "Please? For me?" he pleaded, still holding your hands.

"All right. But only because I love you and I could use a break," you relented.

"That's my girl," he grinned. He touched his forehead to yours, then kissed your temple. "We won't be gone long, and I'll bring you back some chicken soup or something," Dean promised. You laid down on the bed and watched while Dean changed into his Fed suit. "Loving the view, there, Winchester," you smirked.

"Quiet, you," Dean gently chided. "And get some rest, please? I promise we'll be back soon, baby. I love you," he said as he kissed your forehead.

"I love you too, Dean. Hey? When you get back, there's something I need to talk to you about. Stay safe, okay?" you said, your voice breaking on the last word.

"Okay, I will. Love you," he replied, caressing your cheek. Just before he closed the door, he winked and blew you a kiss.

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

You had been asleep for a few hours when Dean let himself back into the room. "Dean, is everything okay? Where's Sam?" you asked, suddenly awake.

"Shh, shh, calm down. Everything is fine. Sam's taking care of the cleanup from the shifter," Dean replied.

"Remember when I said I have something very important that I need to talk to you about? Um....Well, the reason I got sick earlier is....oh Chuck....Dean, I'm pregnant," you declared.

"WHAT?!?!?" he thundered. "How could you let this happen?!?" Dean shouted.

"Hey, excuse me, bucko, but it takes two to tango. You're just as much a part of this as I am," you snapped.

"You know what kind of childhood I had, and now you want to bring a child into this world? I can't believe this!" Dean ranted.

"I know what your childhood was like, Dean, and this would be our chance to do things right. I see this as a blessing, not a curse. I wish you would be happy about it too," you responded.

"Well, I can't be. You have to choose: life with me and you get rid of the child, or keep the child and you're on your own," he stated.

"Dean, you can't possibly expect me to make a choice like that! After all we've been through, don't you think we can find a way to make this work? Together?" you asked.

"You don't understand, sweetheart. It's not a matter of whether we 'can' work through this. It's a matter of whether I 'want' to work through it. And I don't," Dean retorted. "I'm going out. When I get back, you'd better have made your choice," he threatened. The door slammed, and Dean was gone.

Staring at the motel door, you couldn't believe what had just happened. How could this have gone so wrong? Sure, you figured Dean might be a little scared at the prospect of becoming a father. But, ultimately, you thought he would come around and be happy about bringing another life into this world. One that was a little of him and a little of you.

You pulled out your duffel bag and repacked anything you'd taken out of it. After you zipped it up, you slung it over your shoulder. Just before you closed the door, you turned and looked around. "Goodbye, Dean," you managed to choke out.

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

Back in the shifter's lair, Sam and Dean were trying to work themselves free. They had to finish the job of killing the monster and get back to you at the motel. Sam had almost managed to get out of his restraints, but then they heard the shifter's footsteps. They decided to pretend that Sam was still fully tied up until they could make their move.

"Well, boys, I gotta tell you. That lovely little lady you've got back at the motel is quite the spitfire. After I take care of you, I'm going right back there to have some fun," the shifter taunted.

"You bastard! You leave her alone!" Dean thundered.

"Oh, now careful, Dean. You wouldn't want me to harm her at all, would you? Not someone in her condition, anyway," the shifter mentioned.

Dean could see Sam creeping up on the shifter, so he tried to keep it talking. "What do you mean, 'her condition'?"

"She didn't tell you? Huh. Oh well, it's probably better that way. Baby's probably not even yours anyway. Sweet thing like that, I'm sure she has 'em lined up around the block to take their shot with her," the shifter continued to taunt.

"Baby?" Dean whispered. That must be why she was sick earlier, what she wanted to talk to me about, he thought. He returned his attention to the shifter, but Sam had already killed it while it was talking to Dean.

"Quick, Sam, get me out of here, we gotta get back to the motel and make sure she's okay," Dean said. "Sam....do you think it was telling the truth? About her being pregnant?" he asked his brother.

"I dunno, Dean, but let's go find out," Sam said as he released Dean from his restraints.

When they got back to the room, Dean was devastated to find out that you had gone. "She could be anywhere, Sam. I have to find her. I need to know that she's okay," Dean remarked.

While Dean was changing out of his Fed suit, Sam went to ask the motel owner if she had seen you. The motel owner explained that you had asked for a ride to the nearest bus station, but that had been a few hours ago. Sam thanked her for the information and ran back to the room to tell Dean. By the time he had gotten back to the room, Dean was all packed up and ready to head out to find you.

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

Your best friend Ruthie met you at the bus station and took you back to her house. You told her what had happened, about Dean's reaction to your pregnancy. Naturally, she was ready to punch Dean for hurting you like that. You decided that in the morning, you would go back to the bunker one last time to pack up your things. After that, Ruthie said you could stay with her until you figured out what you were going to do next.

The drive back to the bunker was a solemn one. You didn't feel like talking, and Ruthie didn't want to upset you or cause any undue stress. She asked if you needed any help with packing, but you said you wanted to do this yourself.

You had just zipped up the first duffel bag when you heard Sam and Dean's voices. You continued to pack, waiting for Dean to check for you in your old room. There were some things you forgot to say to him back at the motel, and you weren't leaving until you had said them.

"I'll just be a minute, Sam, then we can head back out to go look for her. Need to switch out the dirty clothes for clean ones," Dean told his brother. He noticed that the light was on in your room, but the door was closed. He quietly crept up to the door. He pressed himself flat to the wall outside your room, grabbed the doorknob and threw the door open. Good thing he returned to his previous position against the wall. If he hadn't, he would've been hit in the face by a flying shoe from you.

"Get out, Dean!" you snapped. "You and I are through! After what you said at the motel, I never want to see you ever again!" you shouted.

"Wait, that wasn't me! Sam and I got captured by the shifter, so it wasn't me you were talking to, I swear! Look, silver knife," he said as he dragged the blade across his arm, with no ill effects but a cut in his arm. "Can I please come in?"

You collapsed on the bed, exhausted after what you'd been through in the past few days. "Fine," you relented. Dean eased himself into the room to see you with your hands covering your face and your shoulders shaking from crying. Dean put his arm around you and pulled you up onto his lap to try and comfort you. "Tell me what happened, sweetheart," he asked softly, kissing your temple.

You explained everything, from the shifter coming back to the motel room, to you thinking it was him, so you told him about the baby. To his reaction at the news and his ultimatum. "I couldn't believe what you were saying to me, but then again, I had no idea how you would react. I was mostly sure that you would be happy about it. But, there was a small percentage chance that maybe you wouldn't be," you explained in a small voice.

"Oh, my love, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I'll admit, I was a bit scared when that shifter told us, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Will you please stay?" he implored.

You turned to look Dean right in the eye. "Are you sure you're ready for this? To become a father? Either we're in this together, all the way, or I'm on my own," you declared.

Dean paused before responding to your questions. "I'll admit, I'm having mixed feelings about becoming a father. One part of me is terrified that I won't be a good one, that I'll make the same mistakes as my father did with me.

"But," he grinned, "the other part of me is over the moon with joy," he said as he placed a hand on your stomach. "In here is a new life. A fresh start, a chance to do things our way. A little being made up from a part of you and a part of me. Together, I know we can do this. How does this sound to you, sweetheart?" he asked.

Tears streaming down your face, you crashed your lips into his, your hands cradling his face. His hands roamed up and down your back as your mouths moved in sync with each other. Your lips parted just enough to allow his tongue to mix with yours. You were overjoyed to have your boyfriend by your side on this new journey into parenthood. "It sounds perfect. I love you so much, Dean," you told him.

"I love you so much, momma-to-be," he replied. "Hey, how did you get here? I know you took a bus from the motel, but none would've stopped here," he remarked.

"I took the bus from the motel to Ruthie's house. She brought me here so that I could pack up my stuff before you got back. She said I could stay with her until I decided on my next move. Matter of fact, she's outside in her car, waiting for me," you explained.

"I'll send Sam upstairs to let her in. I have a little bit of unfinished business to take care of with you, and it's best if she's here as well," he explained. The panicked look on your face disappeared when Dean winked at you and squeezed your hand.

Ruthie marched down the spiral staircase and into your room under a full head of steam. "What is going on in here?!? I thought you were packing! Winchester, if you've said anything more to hurt her, I'll--" you cut her off.

"Whoa, Sis, hold on there a minute," you said as you held out your hands to stop her. "It's not what I thought it was. Here's what happened." You went on to explain about how it was a shapeshifter that had taken on Dean's appearance. And it was the shifter that had said all those awful things to you in the motel room. You told her that you and Dean have talked it out, and he's completely on board with being a father. You also mentioned that Dean wanted her here so he could tidy up some "unfinished business" with you.

Ruthie got settled into one of the chairs in your room as did Sam. Dean set you down gently from his lap to the bed and got down on his knees in front of you. "Sweetheart, we've known each other for a long time. Every day of my life is a little bit brighter because you came into it. And now you're carrying our baby and I couldn't be happier," Dean said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. "I'd like to ask you to carry something else with you as well. Will you marry me and carry the name Winchester with you?"

Dean opened the box to reveal the most gorgeous engagement ring you had ever seen. You were so overcome with emotion that all you could do at first was nod your head. "Yes, Dean! Yes, I will absolutely marry you!" you exclaimed as soon as you could find your voice. Dean swept you up into his arms and gave you a long, passionate kiss.

"I love you so much, Mr. Winchester," you said softly.

"And I love you, future Mrs. Winchester," Dean replied.

#dean winchester #dean x reader #spn imagines #spn fluff

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