#cacao is just like beast-animal like

[lilacartsmadsion]

Ancients are gods AU.

Pure Vanilla’s form is inspired by Biblically Accurate Angels and the Avatar of Destiny.

His first form (Since Cacao has a beast-like dragon form for his true form) Is actually the biblical accurate Angel with only the eyes spinning with rings. His second form looks like the Avatar of Destiny except the head is replaced by the the eyes with spinning rings.

This is mostly the reason he closes his eyes in his mortal form because he already sees everything, it’s just that in his mortal form it’s unusual for him, because he’s used to having his main eyes as only one singular eye.

@boneasin @sorbella

[cuppajj]

Neo Beast Head cannons?

WOOWOO

✨Saint Vanilla Cookie

He’s the only one who goes wherever he wants. The other beasts are pretty stationary for the time being, but Saint’s on a mission and he will show up literally anywhere

Still loves animals and thinks they’re incapable of sinning, so they don’t get the purifying touch. It’s why raisin’s crows are still alive

Speaking of raisin, he does miss her but he thinks she’s in a better place. Calls her his martyr and talks about her like she’s still alive

He has tea every morning

It’s unknown where he sleeps when he’s traveling the world

He keeps Crepe’s headset extra clean for the day they meet each other again

❤️‍🔥Dragonberry Cookie

She is still the same old Hollyberry who loves drinking berry juice like there’s no tomorrow. She even brings pints to Neo beast meetings

Even though her pride has given her a massive superiority complex, she still views her family and even Pitaya rather fondly, though it doesn’t prevent the latter from being spared any sort of pain. She sees everything as playful until it’s not

Does frankly miss Tarte Tatin and Royal Margarine even though one or both of them has Snapdragon, who she’s trying to get her hands on

Snores

❄️Frigid Cacao Cookie

Rarely speaks but when he does it’s usually to give orders, and half of that time he asks for food

His incense always remains lit

Alongside the cookies left, sometimes the licorice sea monsters that now roam his halls act as his servants. He can also use the licorice ooze to do wacky things like teleport from one place to another

Sometimes he appears in the fog of the snow like an apparition, something you can barely see but know he’s there. It’s one of the rare sightings of him outside

Another thing he does when outside is stare at a frozen Cacaoian. Sometimes he touches the icy surface, maybe kneels. Who knows what he’s thinking?

☀️Celestial Cheese Cookie

A lot of her mannerisms are akin to white diamond from steven universe, she was actually one of the main references I used for her design

She can summon as many golden arms as she wants and they operate on hydra properties. Cutting one will grow two

Despite this, she doesn’t have the legit Midas touch where everything she touches turns to gold, she can be selective. Which is good when she wants to pet jackals

Her growing kingdom is full of converted desert inhabitants and travelers, maybe a handful of townships, and it’s remarkable how she’s been able to grow a lot from nothing. She does get a bit of an inferiority complex when comparing herself to the likes of Dragonberry, but it motivates her to conquer more

🥀Midnight Lily Cookie

She picked up playing the harp after she became queen, and she plays often. The silver fae like to gather around to listen to their queen perform, and her harp can be heard across the kingdom

She’s grown more accustomed to speaking like the silver fae as well at times, her voice songlike despite how neutral it sounds. She’ll sing as she plays the harp as well

Despite being a beast, she’s the least accepting of that name for lack of a better word. She doesn’t see herself as being corrupt, only staying true to her decisions and her sovereignty, what she believes is right for herself and everyone. It just so happens that it enables the bad to do worse, but it’s not her problem anyway.

Her kingdom is still strict to outsiders, probably on the same level as cacao. You might need an invitation inside or risk the silver fae being free to do whatever they wish with you

As I mentioned previously they operate similar to the fae (unseelie in aesthetic) so you don’t want to bother chaotic neutral creatures

The only one allowed without invitation is Saint Vanilla, who has a habit of showing up in her garden to lay among the flowers. Lily can only imagine what he thinks of when he sees her

[quibbs126]

So I just remembered once seeing a thing where Dark Choco and Black Raisin were swapped, and now I want a very specific au in which like, something happens to the Dark Cacao Kingdom, or at least the Black Citadel (maybe it gets attacked by DE instead of the Vanilla Kingdom and vanishes, I dunno), and while a young Dark Choco survives, he’s now alone in the wilderness, and in current day he’s living in the harsh mountains/snowfields as a beast tamer (though I don’t know what animal it would be). So basically just Dark Choco if he were Black Raisin

Yes it’s highly specific but I want it now

[sadly-in-active]

Not sure if you're taking requests right now so just ignore this if they're closed

Hey can I request a headcannon of the ancient heroes reactions and feelings towards a new hero in the neighborhood with the powers and identity of Spider-Man. (it doesn't have to be full on Spider-Man it can just be a parody of them if you like)

if you want to, can you add some references towards spidey villains.

I’VE SEEN YOUR REQUEST SOMEWHERE ELSE BEFORE OMG 🤭

Ancient Cookie hcs: Is that a…SPIDER?!

Summary: The Ancient Cookies are seemingly minding their business when the noise of a…spider-cookie thing fighting a bad guy happened? What? Overall it’s just how they’re going to react to this newfound info

TW: None???

Pure Vanilla

He was mildly shocked when he saw someone suddenly shoot a web at some kind of…cyborg octopus kind of thing?

Take mildly and put it as EXTREMELY shocked

Dude felt like he was having a heart attack smh

All he wanted to do was feed the birds

After the incident happened and the evildoer was apprehended by your webs, Pure Vanilla approached with both caution and confusion

Because how tf are you supposed to register that normally

After chatting with you for a little bit and realizing what you did, he hesitantly decided to allow you to keep doing this kind of thing

Of course, the public would know not to be afraid of this web-slinging hero after he assured everyone about how you were actually a good guy

He still gets a bit of a jumpscare whenever he sees you swinging around the kingdom

Golden Cheese Cookie

She was also surprised, but not as much

Besides, if there were robots that looked so much like cookies, why wouldn’t there be someone as some sort of spider helper?

Golden Cheese met you one when you were fighting a particularly tough bad guy, helping you out by using her spears

She often calls you the “Desert Spider”

Or a dusty arachnid for fun

Because you certainly leave some public damage and dust

But the marzipan cookies handle that while you handle any evildoers out there in the kingdom

You can probably trust her with your identity tbh it’s not like she’ll tell anyone

Dark Cacao Cookie

Bro was NOT having this

All he was doing was praying at the Altar of the Fallen

And then he almost had a heart attack at the roar of another snow lion

But then it ended as quickly as it began

He didn’t even know how your webs managed to shut their jaw

Dark Cacao is the kind of guy who’s very suspicious of you but then just lets it happen

Because there’s too much work on the citadel walls and not on the predators within the kingdom’s boundaries

He prefers if you work at night, nicknaming you the “Dark Web”

Hahaha see what I did there 😏

White Lily Cookie

(Btw this is during her time in Beast-Yeast and before the Night of the Witches)

She was just going on a walk with Elder Faerie, but was interrupted at the noise of a strange…black ooze creature with large teeth and white eyes

It was about to attack both of them, but then your web slinging managed to beat the enemy before her or Elder Faerie could even raise their weapons

White Lily was hesitant to chat with you, but she did thank you for saving them.

After a while of this crime-fighting spider cookie deal

She was really accepting of you

And so were the faeries

But some were hesitant after noticing you glance at the Silver Tree from time to time…

Did you know what was inside?

Hollyberry Cookie

She deadass laughed when she saw you

But not even in a rude way Hollyberry was just amazed at how agile you were when saving a group of Hollyberrians from some jungle animals

You and her quickly became friends

Because c’mon. Look at her and tell me she isn’t friend material. Go and lie to me 😞

You could definitely trust her with your identity

She’d probably give you a place to stay in the palace

Hollyberry also asked a lot of questions

Because honestly??? You were like a superhero! (you were)

She’d probably take you to Dragon City a few times, maybe you two would fight some monsters as a team

Most started to call you a Huntsman Spider

But she just called you Berry

[sour-heart-treats]

[Serving Who I Want - CWs: Minor Mention of Blood]

It was an eventful night that the hotelier had endured. The sounds of squabbling beasts just outside of Earl Grey's manor became much more than the usual outside noise when a voice reached through one of the windows despite it being closed. It was with a furrowed brow that he'd wander outside to find the source. If there was someone in danger, Grey would know better than to leave someone on their own. It was a faint reminder of what he had always done, in a way. Taking in the misfortuned. However, one thing that he did not expect…

…was to find the fallen prince, battered and bloodied by wild animals. Dark Choco's hood and cloak were torn to shreds, with already existing bandages- shoddily applied, though he will not judge- coming apart and exposing wounds still yellowed and scabbed… something certainly had it out for the poor dishonored royal. Nevertheless, that only made him work faster. Grey would call behind him and give a one-two clap to bring his assistants to aid him in carrying the prince. They were already heavy as is, but having them unconscious exacerbated the issue.

The servant would give a quiet huff as he gently pulled up one of the torn sleeves to check for a pulse. A relief, though not one that would lighten the situation by much. It was still slow. Weak. For a warrior from the Dark Cacao kingdom, he was almost surprised that they wouldn't be carrying around any weapon, even a makeshift one knowing how resourceful that kingdom was with its stingy resources. That sword of theirs- where was it? Ah, that wasn't something he could question right now. Grey could hear the crunching of grass and leaves behind him, denoting that his assistants were nearby. Medical work first, questions later.

It has been such a long time since he has seen the prince. Seeing his sleeping body so peaceful despite everything that had happened to them brought a smile to his face. Typically he expected to see nothing but turmoil and distress in their slumber. The sight brought a fondness to the hotelier's heart, believing that it meant that they would recover just fine. Grey felt a nudge on his side, looking down to see one of the teapot maids suggesting to him to take his leave and get some rest. They operated on his own magic, so he considered it his mind telling him he was exhausted. That's not a surprise at all, he was typically exhausted by this time- and this little extra predicament had only brought less time into his already tight resting schedule. "I suppose…" Grey would concede, beginning to step his way towards the door, only to wind up turning right around when he heard stirring from the Dark's bed. Ah, already?

Most of the time spent from then on was fine to Earl, albeit the air was quite heavy. He could sense fear in the prince's heart. The way they gazed at him, the way they kept closing in on themself despite how relaxing it would have been a lot less strained on his already malnourished and mistreated body. Well, to him it seemed malnourished. This was probably perfectly normal for a Cacaoian. Eventually, Grey would have to press on the issue, as much as he didn't wish to. "I know you are frightened by my connection to the Cookies of Darkness- expecting me to report this as we both must." The loss of eye contact Dark Choco had given only proved his point. "I am not going to tell anyone that this has happened to you… You and I both know how Pomegranate treats her subordinates…" Dark would grunt, shaking their head. "I'm not- I'm not a part of this anymore. I left." Grey blinked; now it was his turn to be the one with a startled gaze. "You- pardon you… left? Just like that? Goodness, I must be so behind on what's gone on over there��"

"I do not expect you to show empathy for who is not aligned with you any longer." The recovering royal would sigh in disappointment. "I will be on my way as soon as I am able to stand. I do not wish for either of us to get into trouble with the Enchantress for my sake. I am sick of her- I am sick of them." "You say that as if I am particularly fond of them, either." Grey would immediately regret his choice of words. Not from the confusion that it spurred from Dark Choco, but rather the fact that it was something that snuck past his 'I am fine with everyone regardless of who they are' facade that came with his line of work. "What I mean to say is- ah-… It does not matter who you are, who you follow, or whatever happens to you… Dark Choco, you are always welcome at the Grandmaster Hotel. And I am not saying this to ensnare you and try to bring you back- I would not wish that upon a friend of mine." Friend… Yes, he can call them that. Dark finally brought their gaze back up, prompting a smile from the hotelier. A soft, warm sign that he truly wishes for tranquility.

"I cannot guarantee you peace… I cannot heal every scar across your skin and what you have lost from your time in the dark… but at the very least, I can bring you some respite when I am capable. Does that sound alright to you?" Trust was hard to come by in the CoD. He knew this well. Grey offered a hand, keeping his watch soft and being as patient as required of him. "Even if you wish to leave, you can always return when needed. I may be busy, but there will always be a spare room open for you to take, and no one but the two of us will remember that you stayed here, for both of our sakes." And though a moment of silence would pass between the two… Dark would gently reach a hand out that absolutely swallowed Grey's smaller hand and shake, though not without hissing from their wounds.

"Ah- let me, let me get you some more ice…" "No need." "...It will be needed later, if not now."

[rosejigglypuff76]

👑🍪 Cookie Run Kingdom: The Animation 🍪👑 Story Arc 2: The Expedition to Beast-Yeast 🌹 Episode 22: Smile at Apathy in the Name of Happiness & Resolution 🃏⚔️

🍪 Episode 22 Synopsis 🍪 Making yet another selfless sacrifice for a close friend of his, Pure Vanilla Cookie stays behind to hold off Shadow Milk Cookie. Making that decision in order for Dark Cacao Cookie to get help from the other cookies. Little did the two of them know that the Shadow Milk that Pure Vanilla is fighting off against was just an enhanced cardboard cutout that turned back into its original state once defeated. Dark Cacao ends up getting captured by the real Shadow Milk. The maniacal jester himself won't allow the wintery king to say "goodbye despair" and embrace it just like Mystic Flour Cookie.

🎀 Scene Title: You're Still MY Teddy Bear 🎀 Realizing that Shadow Milk Cookie for tricking Pure Vanilla Cookie to fight off an enhanced cardboard cutoff of himself, Dark Cacao didn't hesitate to confront the deceiving jester about such acts. But it didn't seem like Shadow Milk cares, seeing the snowy king as nothing more than someone who's "easier to tame" compared to his "long-lost partner". Dark Cacao became a little hesitant when he said that, with Shadow Milk continuing to berate him. Saying how Mystic Flour likes him and is willing to do anything to make him happy, unknowingly being used by Shadow Milk himself without even realizing. Even going as far as to say that Mystic Flour and Dark Cacao are basically one in the same. Especially in terms of the warrior king himself having a huge crush on Pure Vanilla. But unfortunately was too scared to ask, and never admitted such fault. Shadow Milk can tell that no matter how Dark Cacao tries to fight he'll always be his personal Teddy Bear. Unbeknownst to both of them, is that someone feels the same. With Pure Vanilla liking both White Lily and Dark Cacao, and seeing him as a Teddy Bear that needs all the love and comfort he can get.

[somnolancee]

People on Twitter been begging for more stuff about Banoffee so here's 106 facts of him~ (Precise lmao)

-He has a snake bite scar on his neck

-He is a good singer

-He prays his ancestors everynight, no exception

-He is both left and right handed

-He has abandonment and attachment issues

-He is actually somewhat, introvert

-He is always covered by his fan when he talks to someone, unless

he's angry or is at his clan

-He isn't fond of animals, excepted birds

-He smokes Opium, has a Chinese Pipe

-He's a maniac and clean obsessed

-He is obsessed by his appearance

-He has disciples and is training them, to become dancers.

His clan is very popular for that

-His parents were good friends of Dark Cacao, also his dancers but Cacao never know they had a child.

-He has his own appartments in the citadel

-He has frequents rendezvous with the Royal Advisor

Each of them trying to poison the tea and coffee of each other

-Banoffee has a secret place in the Kingdom with a big decorated tree where birds like to go. He always go there when he wants to talk with the birds or just have time for himself.

-He has some henchmen on his side in case.

-Banoffee has a whole cult and fanclub devoted to his divine person in the Kingdom

-He's very close to Syrup but completely distant to Sabayon Cream.

-He's been a victim of Pomegranate's mirror

With his fan he can creates gust of winds, razor sharp wind etc...

As dangerous as a weapon.

-He managed to have Dark Cacao under his control, till Affogato joined the Royal Court

-He paints his fans himself

-Really rare but it happens for him to do rituals dances.

-He has a superiority complex

-He's gay and don't mind being Poly

-When he's irritated or angry, he loves making himself extra pretty to feel more relaxed

-Banoffee took an arrow from Caramel Arrow.

Actually she was targetting Affogato, but Banoffee 'protected' him and took it instead.

-Banoffee doesn't wear the colors of the Kingdom because he rathers prefer using his clan color. Also a good reminding to the citizen that an outsider managed to be in Cacao's good graces

-He can combine his power and skill with Affogato's and even Caramel Arrow

Just imagine wind + poison or Wind + arrows lol

-Banoffee's anger is the calm type (worst imo HAHA). He's always incredibly calm with his usual smile, but he is BURNING inside

Only exception is Affogato, he doesn't even bother to keep himself together lol

-He always toy with innocent people to use them for his little schemes or cores.

It always work and the weaker never resist to his aura

-My main inspiration for Banoffee has been Danmeis~

-His Father died because of wild Beast in the Kingdom and the lack of Protection from the Royal Guard

His mother died due to grief and sadness of losing her husband.

Banoffee since had to raise all alone his 6 sisters at the age of 10.

-Banoffee finds the Dark Cacao Kingdom hypocrite. He hates the citizen, hates the Court, the Watchers, has a beef with the King.

He doesn't like the way they treated his family and his clan and how they abandonned them and never cared of their safety despite them being children

-He is ESTJ hehe

-During his emo arc (lol) he is worst than he is : Cold, dry, impatient, painful and mean.

Never speaks.

Consider him as a Boss and a menace for Gingerbrave & Co

-Even so he hates weapon and avoid them like the plague, he hides two daggers in his fan

-He likes to speak A LOT the language of fans. Seeing everyone confused amuses him.

-His skill is similar to Vampire's

-He faked his blindness back to his emo arc

-When he was locked in his Tower, he has a right hand little boy, he loved very much. After being back to his clan, the little boy became au disciple

-He once stabbed Affogato. He's still guilty about that even years after.

-When he and Affogato married, they were alone and celebrated it in an isolated place.

-Banoffee was a very cheerful and nice little boy, but kind of harassed by the other kids

-When he was a kid, he was always watching Dark Choco's training

-He hates Gingerbrave and his friends. They give him a headache

-He once tried to end his existence with the weapon of his father. Ended him with another horizontal scar on his neck

-He loves kids. Even if he's been traumatized by being a parent, he still really nice and sweet with children

-He's very agile and always move with elegance and grace

-He pretends to do what he does for the sake of his family and clan, but in the end it's for selfish purpose and his own situation.

-He's the subject of a lot of rumors in the Kingdom

Good and bad

-He knew the Coffee Tribe when he was a child. He was once forced to spend a night there because he lost his parents and there was too much snow for staying outside.

-Him and Affogato were really close friends, but due to his condition, Affogato couldn't spend time with him.

-Rare, but he does sleep with Dark Cacao when they have their affairs.

-In thoses first time they met Affogato believed that Banoffee's sisters where "his harem"

Banoffee did NOT like this lol

he has a huge collection of incense and talismans

-He is really silent when he's near the King. Just listening to everything

-Toffee mostly do the work but Banoffee tend to eye dropping a lot, especially when it comes to Affogato and his disciples.

-Some of the said disciples have fallen for him and Banoffee manages to catch some delicious informations from them

-Affogato has a voodoo doll of Banoffee

-Banoffee loves elarging his culture. He reads and do some researches a lot. Mostly at night

-He needs 10 hours of sleep, or most of the time he would be in an irritated mood the next day.

-He sometimes sleeps with beauty Masks

He does this since he's a child

-His pride and ego are insane /neg

-Snake phobia

-He's bad with social interactions, he doesn't care at all that what the person in front of him thinks or feels

-He always snap his fan when he hears something that doesn't please him

-He doesn't drink alcohol unless he's sad lol. He mostly drinks Rice alcohol

-Banoffee is pisces

-Eclair cookie sometimes visit him and his clan for history and researches purposes.

-Banoffee always work on a closed office with a few lighting and some incense.

No one dare to disturb him, he needs to be 100% foccused and that's why NO ONE is allowed to enter his office when he's there

-He actually has a huge collection of fans-

-He smells a sweet aroma of caramel and vanilla

-He has a lot of prayer jewels, incenses, flower and offerings.

He always use all of this for his ancestral/family altar.

He takes great care of it

-He might not show it, but Banoffee has a STRONG sense of family.

He cares mostly about it, it's literally a part of his life.

-He well raised his sisters. Polites, well-manered, kind, gorgeous as hell as well (family haha)

-His Father name was Banana Cream Cookie

His Mother named was Caramelized Syrup Cookie

(Subject to change I think)

-One of the dances he always perform with his sisters is actually a Korean dance called the "Buchaechum"

-He always do some hunting by his own around his clan in order to protect it, because he find the Royal guard incompetent

-His Magic Candy would give him the possibility to silent his enemies and also give them debuffs

(W.I.P subject to change)

-Banoffee and his sisters + clan are Chinese coded.

They live NEAR the Dark Cacao Kingdom, but still 'belongs' to

that Kingdom

-If he was in Ovenbreak, his combi pet would be a swallow :>

-Banoffee never really accepted his sexual orientation in a way, mostly when his choose Affogato out of all the people he knew lol

-He's very guilty to admit it but he's kind of happy and glad his parents are dead due to some reasons.

-He was close to Dark Choco back to their childhood

-Banoffee comforts people in a very good way.

-Banoffee's Bananas on his outfit aren't edible-

-His favorite flowers are hydrangea and Spring flowers

-Favorite season is Spring

-His clan has always a day off once a year, for celebrating their ancestors

it's basically the equivalent of Qingming Jie (hope I called it well)

-Banoffee never cut his hair.

In Chinese traditions (from what I saw throught my researches)

it has family meanings.

-Banoffee always carry a talisman with him

He hides it in his robes

-He doesn't feel cold as much as 'normal' people do. That's why despite the Snowy Kingdom, he doesn't wear warm clothes

-He loves traditional music. He finds it relaxing for everything and nothing

-He hates modern technology.

Yeah he's a boomer

-He's a very strict teacher and parent. Always slapping people with his fan when something isn't correct or perfectly executed

-The "lace-like" wires he has on his face are his hair, not jewels or accessories

-His Fanclaim theme is *unsurprisingly* Lord Shen's theme

-He never wanted to be a King because he considers himself more than that.

-Speaking of that, he didn't like Affogato's plan of becoming a King because Banoffee knows he would be damned and that Affogato would be a bad King.

-Pomegranate once asked Banoffee to join the Cookies of darkness, because he has potential.

He refused and disrespected her at the time.

[tuliharja]

BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Separation episode 4 review

Gotta love how at the beginning of the episode Bambiette's girlfriends were trash-talking about her...such a 'lovely' friendship they've, wouldn't you agree?

Anyway, seeing Bambiette's maniac pleasure in destroying things and trying to destroy Shinji, Momo, and Sajin somehow made me smile. I don't know, but the fact she seemed to be so thrilled when her 'bombs' landed and how pretty those were? There was almost something poetically beautiful in that whole thing. Then again, Bambiette's reckless (stupid) nature is something I really dig as there is almost this murder-like child glee in her...

And yes! Finally! We got to see our handsome wolfman as a man! Though, just like Bambiette I felt a bit disappointed. After all, doggies (yes, I know Komamura is a wolf, but calling him 'doggy' isn't that far off, considering thanks to the evolution once upon a time dogs too were wolves...so, in a way, Komamura went backward with his new technique?) are much cuter~.

I kind of wish we would have learned more about the whole ordeal behind Komamura's clan. What exactly were his people (in the past?) do, that made it so, they had to live in shadows? Not to mention, the way Komamura's grandfather speaks, implies once upon a time they were all humans? So, what kind of 'sin' they committed, that made it so, they were turned into beasts? And it seems that cycle hasn't been able to break, because Komamura too was in his beast form... not to mention, I'm now wondering if given enough time, would Komamura one day turn out to be as big as his grandfather? Or, because he used Jinka Technique (basically used up all his powers), it's impossible. After all, before that he was a werewolf, but now he is just a small wolf...so yeah. A lot of questions, which I kind of hoped would have gotten answered or at least touched one more.

They really went with Komamura's Bankai 'this is GCI, take it or leave it'. Kinda impressive that they didn't even try to tone down that fact, but at the same time...I don't know. His Bankai looked okay in the manga, but now...it's an artistic style choice and easier to animate like that, I get it, but even so...it personally wasn't my cup of cacao. But at least the fight between Komamura and Bambiette was a very good one. I bet if they had animated his Bankai differently, doing Bambiette's flying attacks around it would have been trickier to pull. But at least now it went smoother till the end.

Bambiette's biggest mistake against Komamura was her fear that he managed to install in her. Then again...most living beings are scared of death, so it was somewhat natural Bambiette would freak out when she found out Komamura was like a dead-dead. I mean, aren't all shinigami technically dead? But because we see them walking, talking, etc. it gives this illusion of them being 'alive', but...they really aren't. They're like echoes of living that can bleed. Hmm. Then again, Komamura could be different, because he is a werewolf. Or not. Like, where goes the line between being shinigami and not being one goes? Does having an education that allows you to use Zanpakuto make you shinigami? Because Komamura's grandfather seemed to view Komamura as not being one of them, but in the end he was? Because of his "wolf spirit". So yes. Where does the line between being shinigami and non-shinigami (not soul in this case) go? After all, I feel like Komamura blurred that line and in the end owned both 'worlds' if we can talk about 'worlds'...

Even so, it doesn't make it any less sad Komamura turned into a tiny wolf in the end. He gambled it all and managed to take down only one Quincy. Now imagine his transformation had lasted much longer? Yeah, he would have belonged to those big threats Yhwach warned his Sternritters about.

Komamura's whole little arc was very emotional and I feel like despite the fact his grandfather 'helped' him, in the end, his grandfather also used Komamura. (This could explain why Komamura's grandfather is so big and old because by eating other werewolf's heart/revenge/soul, he manages to keep going on and grows bigger.) But like Komamura realized, the path of revenge will only lead to one's destruction. His lieutenant's words sounded almost hollow when he tried to reassure Komamura. But, maybe this truly is Komamura's clan's curse? The need for revenge, but against whom or what? Because Komamura's revenge was to avenge Yamamoto's death...and shinigami aren't above such things as revenge, so what made Komamura's clan so special they were consumed by the werewolf curse? Because they were willing to burn so brightly for their revenge?

Somehow, this whole episode was about Komamura, even though there were little parts about others here and there. Next time...hmm, I wonder if we'll see Rose and Kensei against that Superstar and those two 'mysterious' lights. Manga readers will know what those are~.

Oh my gosh, that ending! I just loved, loved that ending clip of Senjumaru waiting for Ichigo! She looked absolutely stunning, in the middle of her clothes, with a wicked smile on her lips.

My my. What does she indeed want about little Ichigo? ;D

Also, did Ichigo just become Soul King's spare vessel in case of emergency? ^^'

[pure-vanilla-lilies]

https://www.tumblr.com/pure-vanilla-lilies/756736078187200512/so-im-my-kind-of-au-there-a-hidden-kingdom-of?source=share

Sorry, ran out of time back there, anyways

Milky-Catamel Choco Cookie is the daughter of an unknown Cookie father, and a cream spirit animal

Milk Cream Snow Leopard, who was a prosperity spirit, these spirits bring prosperity to the land and its inhabitants as long as they are treated with respect, their appearance is a combination of a snow leopard and an actual kenomata (guardian cat spirit from japanesse folcklore)

*ahem* Anyways

The Dark Cacao Kingdom was just recently formed by the time she was a young adult and she had a best friend, who gifted her her current Kiseru pipe after hers broke during a fight woth wild beasts (the pipes are a big part of the sipirt felines's japanesse folklore, so I made it a catalyst for her powers)

As years of adapting to the life of the kingdom went by, best friend and Dark Cacao met eachother, fell in love and got married, and Catamel was chosen as the newly queen's lady in waiting, as they had a strong bond that made them almost like sisters

The day of the birth of Dark Choco sent things to shit so fast, because that's the day the queen died

After that she fell into grieve, almost as bad as Dark Cacao, she still fulfilled her duties, helped the people, but Dark Cacao's grief prevented him from properly working, and even being a father was a pain, and in turn it hurted her, because he wasn't letting the kingdom prosper and it was damaging for her as a prosperity spirit so much she had to leave

She and the other spirits tried to take Dark Cacao's place and manage the kingdom, but they weren't cookies, as more went by, the kingdom got stuck in a bad spot, and without being able to handle it, the spirit creatures left, she was the last one, and her breaking point came with trying, and failing to protect the licorice tribe as the tried to flee the decaying kingdom

All died prey to the beasts, she was too weakened to handle them all, and was the sole survivor (or so she thought)

Leaving the kingdom ripped a part of her, literally, her spirit, part of who she was, broke down and it was so painful she traveled aimlessly across earthbread, a broken spirit with nothing left, not even her powers as the lost them with the rupture

OOOH DAMN!

[bellatheinkdemon]

List of Aus I made from different fandoms:

Note: I'm not adding the ones I made just for my ocs of that fandom

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

Yo-Kai Watch Aus:

- Amnesiac Rage Au: Basically an Au that takes place in the Anime universe, where instead of killing Shinmagunshin, Shutendoji and Voidera (Douketsu's localized name) decided to spare it and move him to an area where he can cause as much chaos as it wants. It also makes friend with a human. (The reason why it's called Amnesiac Rage is based on how I see Shinmagunshin, mindless and full of rage with no memories of even himself.)

- The Fukuro House Au: A crossover au of The Owl House and Yo-Kai Watch.

- (I actually don't have a name for this one yet lol): Basically Umbral Enma, an Enma in which the Yo-Kai World was fucked via a war in his universe, becomes friends with a traumatized Zazel, who in his universe the Yo-Kai World ALSO gets fucked thanks to a war and whose Enma dies trying to protect it. (It should be noted that Zazel doesn't exist in Umbral Enma's world.)

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

Cookie Run Aus:

- Headcanon Au: It's basically the canon au but with my headcanons. It's also my main Au.

- The Feral Chicken Au: Moonlight accidentally turned her brother (Stardust) into a feral beast whose memories are scrambled thanks to a potion. And Stardust also flees from his sister.

- Cacao's Brother Au: An Au where Cacao has a big brother and also had a son before Dark Choco but... Well let's just say something bad happened to him.

- Jellywalker Millie Au: Millennial Tree got turned into a bloody zombie and Wind Archer is his protector.

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

Pokemon Aus:

- Soumm Region Au: Not sure if this counts as an Au but basically it's my own Pokemon Region with it's own story, characters, ect. (Just not Pokemon lol)

- False Belief Au: An Au where Arceus is a dick, and after they refused to take Akari home, Akari tries to use the Arceus Phone against them, but Arceus is like; "Oh you ignorant child. If it's my own power, what makes you, a mere mortal child, can use it?" And decides to punish her. (No, not THAT kind of punishment you perverts)

- Gijinka Au: Basically Legendary/Mythical Pokemon can turn into a human form. (And Arceus is genuinely nice in this AU and they and Giratina have a Pure Vanilla and Dark Enchantress relationship.)

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Sonic Aus (Most of these are Sonic suffering):

- (Haha I don't actually have a name for this Au either-) It's a Swap Au where Mimic swaps with Whisper, and Jewel swaps with Tangle... With a twist ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

- Shooting Star from the Abyss: One day when Sonic was out for a run at night, he comes across a weird rock. (Not being aware that it was a meteor that fell from Space!) And the next day, when Tails get worried about him, he finds Sonic. But he's... Different. In fact, is that even Sonic?

- S Au: It's an Au inspired by Sink Sonic. Sonic and Tails were fighting Eggman and Metal one day, when an earthquake happened an it sends Sonic into the water, drowning him since he can't swim. Tails is mourning the lost of his best friend, thinking that he could've saved him and thinks this'll all his fault, even though it wasn't. Timeskip to 6 months later, Amy tells Tails that she made a new friend who she introduces him to Tails. In which it's a hedgehog with their name being S.

[lilacartsmadsion]

Chocobrave AU: Prologue

He was stupid…pretty stupid actually…

How long had he been running? It felt like hours…

He sought refuge in a nearby cave before realizing it belonged to a lion…or something…

Nevertheless he had to keep running, he promised he’d catch up with the others.

Gingerbrave ran like the winds, never stopping, his feet and body were shivering in the cold, the snow burned through him…

Why was he designed without clothes?

He thought he lost it a few times, but it sniffed him out like a hungry animal…

Just keep running…

He did…till he wound up in a dead end…

“Awh, dead end?! Seriously?!” He exclaimed, facing the snow lion head on, it began to close in on him…

He panicked, throwing his cane at the beast…

Said beast chomped it up in one bite, now he was weaponless…

‘This is it! I’m doomed!’ Gingerbrave thought, he felt his life flash before his eyes…

Such a miserable life…

Born to be eaten, bound to die…that’s the cruel life for those who escape the oven…

Though in fear…Gingerbrave accepted death��

…

…

…

He should’ve died there…

But then he opened his eyes and saw a cookie dawned in a purple cape. The cookie was fighting the lion with his bare hands…

He couldn’t see clearly with all the snow…but after a while he heard a whimper from the lion, and it fled…

The cookie looked back at him…Gingerbrave hadn’t realized how exhausted he was, only noticing it when the cookie tried to speak with him…

But he couldn’t hear a thing…

He passed out right there…

———————————————

“He’s stable your majesty, he’s lucky he didn’t get a scratch from the Snow Lion.” The medics spoke to Dark Cacao, he looked at the cookie in the bed.

“Though…he has suffered frostbite, dehydration and possible starvation.” She spoke, adding to Gingerbrave’s state.

“There is no record of this cookie in our kingdom?” Dark Cacao asked, the medic shook her head. “The Cookie bares no milk, coffee Or bittersweet dough that applies to the cookies in our kingdom…he seems ordinary.”

“He can’t be ordinary…he crossed our borders without the Cream Wolves being alerted, and somehow survived these harsh conditions?” Dark Cacao questioned. “Either there is a civilization hidden in the Dark Cacao Kingdom…or something happened to this child.”

“Child?”

“I know young dough when I see one…this cookie seems to look no younger than 12…” Dark Cacao paused, his chest tightened. “Ensure he gets warm clothes and enough food to sustain himself.”

“Yes your majesty…”

Dark Cacao couldn’t see how this day could get any worse…he’s been drained day by day to protect his kingdom…now a child was just attacked by a Snow Lion right across the Wall…

The child was lucky, Dark Cacao could only see from that distance due to the direction of the wall he was standing on…

He tried to stand straight but, even when jumping off the smallest part of the wall, his legs felt like they broke somehow…

He needed to get back to work…he stared at the child worriedly as he slept, unaware of the situation he had faced…

Dark Cacao sighed and left to get back to work.

[cuppajj]

Hwello! Black Pearl anon back again with another inquiry about the good ol' Duskgloom Sovereign in BAAU—

So BP would understandably be enraged after Dragonberry whoops her tail, but do you think she would do anything besides sulk and await the day DB returns to get revenge? 

BP strikes me as a character who, while not in the best headspace, would dread the idea of being defeated by a land Cookie, and would want to avoid such a fate at all costs. Maybe a fight with DB is a wake up call that some major stuff is happening outside the Duskgloom Sea, stuff that could potentially one day come knocking at her door.

CRK lore is a bit iffy about whether or not BP can leave the Duskgloom Sea, but I doubt she would remain idle after seeing the threat that DB alone poses to her… 

BP begrudgingly might be willing to make a deal, perhaps to ensure the safety of her sea, perhaps to gain even more power, perhaps to simply help others work against DB (and the other [Neo]Beasts)… or work with them.

idk I might just be nerding out about BP too much. love baau regardless, you're doing a beautiful job!

Helllloooooo BP anon :)

That is a good question!! I also like the idea of her actively hunting Dragonberry down, but it just depends on if she can leave the duskgloom sea… which honestly I’m pretty sure she can (afaik the duskgloom sea is just her stomping grounds and not a place she’s tethered to), she just has no reason to.

That is unless she’s petty enough to chase after Dragonberry! It’s fun to think about a minor saga where Dragonberry’s kingdom is threatened directly by the legendary. I’m fairly certain her kingdom is coastal, so I can see a vivid image of the beast of pride stepping out on her balcony to see the mer looming over the horizon with hateful, glowing eyes. If she’s here, Dragonberry figures, then she wants something from her; and she knows what that is.

Dragonberry would be more guarded since BP showed up to her kingdom, so there are liabilities all over the place, but she’s not against sending Black Pearl into the sea again. She might even bring Pitaya out to play!

Cue part two of the epic girlboss anime battle that ends with BP getting her ass kicked again, but she did put more of a number on Dragonberry. The beast would probably respect her enough to offer to leave her sea alone (there’s nothing of interest there like she first thought) if she plays nice and does something for her; I totally see her interested in a (subservient) ally in BP, who could serve as some good intimidation for the beast—especially towards Cacao, whose licorice sea is gradually getting closer to invading her kingdom’s waters. And if BP refuses… Dragonberry won’t be mad, won’t even kill her if she can, but she’d laugh and look forward to knocking on her door a third time.

If they do become allies then Dragonberry would definitely know that Pearl still wants to destroy her; compromise or not, she’d always be eager to fight the mer again.

[perles-infinite-fictional-love]

If you want questions on how milk cookie would react to things, I have 4 cats currently, (2 are old and lazy, 1 is also old but also loves to watch people from high up and hunts mice, and 1 that is a 10 week old kitten that is currently going nuts on the floor) and I’ve always wondered if cookies would be scared of these silly fluffy beasts or not. Probably would be, because there’s a big chance that cats would try to hunt a cookie, haha

But milk specifically, would you think he would try to appeal to a big animal or not? Depending on the cat depends on how much something like that would work, haha

Sorry I’m not good at making sense sometimes, I’m not the best at putting my thoughts into words lmao

Like, as a small cookie encountering a regular cat?

I think Milk Cookie would be curious, but also very wary when encountering a creature he doesn't know. He grew up around the Dark Cacao Kingdom, which is known to have a land full of hostile wildlife. Wildlife that nearly decimated the Milk Tribe by the way.

There's even a boss in Dark Cacao Kingdom that looks like a giant lion, which was roaming right next to the Milk Village, so it could make sense that Milk Cookie would make some kind of connection between this monster and a cat, and think "This creature could easily be extremely dangerous. But also this creature is made out of something I've never seen before, so I'm not sure if it's really the same thing." He doesn't know what fur is, I imagine.

So he'd really keep his distance and avoid it, although he'd probably want to observe the cat, out of pure curiosity, because although it looks a lot like a creature he knows, it also doesn't look like anything he's ever seen before! Milk Cookie is very naïve, but he’s not unwise.  

BUT, if he happened to be friends with a human, and that human told him "Yea the cat's friendly, don't worry." Then Milk Cookie would probably instantly feel 85% safe. He trusts friends with his life! If you say the cat is safe, then it is.

He'd get a little excited, he'd probably try to greet the cat and wave to the cat, at a safe distance. He'd get really startled and worried if the cat then hurried over to him, and then he'd be absolutely delighted if the cat just ended up sniffing him.

But you better keep an eye on them and be ready to intervene if the cat tries something, otherwise you're a terrible friend.

[quibbs126]

Okay so you know how before I was saying what if both the Crispia and Beast Yeast teams were doing their own crazy stuff the other group doesn’t know about?

Well my thoughts escalated, and so what if: the groups ended up rejoining each other in the middle of crazy stuff happening on both ends? Like two giant fights are happening at the same time and they just happen to intersect (like the Beasts found their way to Crispia or something) and nobody has any clue what’s going on or has time to process what’s happening

Like one idea in my brain is that Dark Cacao randomly comes across Dark Choco (on the Beast Yeast team), who’s beating up Mystic Flour and saying he’s gonna kill her, and it is entirely deserved with Beast Yeast context, but as far as Dark Cacao can tell he’s just beating up this old lady

And also White Lily’s here but the other Ancients have no time for context as to how, they just have to roll with it

I don’t think this game would do that though, I think the idea in my head is more suited for TV show animation as opposed to the relatively limited animation, dialogue heavy format we get in Cookie Run

[willowishstudios]

Character Narrative: Taqtu

The gilded halls of Huatzintepec were enchanting in a way that Taqtu found difficult to describe, his tongue still stumbling over the sharp consonants of this foreign language.  

"C-cali... cualtzin?"  

Despite his best efforts, the Empress laughs, her voice throaty and commanding even when mirthful, as she kneels down and hands him a small piece of parchment. 

A map?  

He feels his father's hand on his shoulder, and watches the Empress' smile widen as she gestures around the map, sharp tones falling easily from her painted lips. Her teeth glint white, and the image of a jaguar flashes in his mind.

Back home, people say the Sun God chose her to do his Will. Seeing her now, he has his doubts. The sharp and graceful features of her face, the golden sun inlaid in her forehead, the crimson red lines over her skin that he remembers from tapestries of heroes of old.

"The Empress has decided to allow you to explore the palace at your leisure, my son, but to stay away from the private quarters." The grip on his shoulder tightens, if only slightly, a warning implicit in the action. His breathing quickens. "What do you say?"  

"Cenca tlazohcamati." Taqtu recites, his voice as level as he can keep it. His father's grip loosens as the Empress nods, responding with a short Ahmitla.  

With that the adults disappear, as do the anxious whispers in his head, and what feels like seconds later he finds himself alone, staring into the open air of the center garden.  

Green, green, green. From floor to ceiling, only interrupted by the vibrant blue-green of the fountains that start so high he can't tell where the water comes from, and the climbing, flowered vines that he wishes he could reach out and climb.  

Nothing like the glimpses of long-dead green peeking out of packed snow, the near-uninterrupted white land and sky that he has come to love.  

It's that thought that brings him back to the present, and his current predicament.

On the map, it had seemed like there was more space to explore, but he had underestimated the sheer size of the various private quarters. He could barely walk ten steps without landing in front of one of the forbidden hallways.  

Taqtu sighs heavily, blowing a stray strand of white hair out of his eyes. The parchment mocks him from the railing where he left it.  

Where he left it.  

This is a huge place, it'd be so difficult to find that slip of paper again if he lost it. And it's with that thought that he flicks the map off the railing, and watches as it flutters towards the lush, green ground.

By the time it lands, he's already standing in front of a tall, tall door. So tall he almost lies down on the floor in an attempt to see the top. Cut gems depict a figure standing before the sun, not eclipsing it, but seemingly becoming it.

Taqtu has studied the prominent religions of the area, but never understood them. He thinks of the long, long day of the summer, and the even longer night of winter, inescapable dark and light.

He thinks of a God in the Sun, bearing down on his people, watching their resolves fail and spirits break under unnatural heat. He thinks of the Empress and wonders why his father wouldn’t warn him of Gods living in the city of Sun, so close to the rest of them, mortal and fragile.

That’s when a rumble of deep, staccato huffing catches him by surprise. Looking over his shoulder, he sees a snout, barely visible as it crests the water, the maw of a predator falling open to make a show of its teeth. His whole body tenses down to his fingertips, and he doesn’t even feel himself shift to mirror it, that same rumbling tone rattling out of his chest.

The animal huffs, seemingly unimpressed with his display, as it emerges from the pond. The beast’s size was cause for concern on its own, and his father’s lessons on approaching your prey intelligently echo frantically in his head. Taqtu runs through options, something small and fast that could escape- a fox, perhaps? Still, he can’t gauge the speed of this ...reptile? He had heard stories of enormous creatures with tough scales and gaping jaws that roamed the swamps of these lands. He should have kept that map. He should not have strayed.

A small, young voice cuts through the echoes of his thoughts.

“Cacao!” Small footsteps grow closer, and the creature moves in response. It heaves its heavy body to block the hall as a boy visibly younger than him stumbles to its side.

Red hair, a sharp, straight nose at odds with his youthful features, a resemblance that turns Taqtu’s blood to ice in his veins and thaws it just as quickly as the boy pats the creature like a beloved pet.

The boy- the prince, his mind supplies- looks up from the creature, and immediately shrinks in on himself as he looks Taqtu over. Hurriedly, Taqtu allows himself to shift back into a human form.

“...Are you the son of my mom’s friend?” The boy asks, timid, even as the flowing syllables of Taqtu’s own language fall from his mouth. He speaks Inuktitut? At that age? Granted his vocabulary is a bit strange, but his accent is nearly unnoticeable. 

The familiar sounds and brief surprise soothe some of the remaining adrenaline from Taqtu’s muscles, and he finds it’s not as hard to work a smile onto his face.

“Tulumaaq is my father, if that’s what you mean.” Their parents had never seemed like friends to him, but maybe that’s what friendship was like for adults? “Is this your friend?” He gestures to the creature where it sits, having curled into a  seemingly defensive half-circle around the prince.

“He’s very big. Your dad, I mean. And you, and Cacao, but I meant your dad.” The boy says, stumbling through the sentence rather impressively. “Even my mom isn’t that tall, or my dad.” He bites his lip. “Cacao is my friend, though, yes.”

Poor kid, must not get out a lot. Taqtu huffs a laugh through his nose, pointedly ignoring the irritably swinging tail of the creature. “What is he?”

Taqtu swears he sees a sparkle in the boy’s eyes as he answers. “A crocodile! They’re aquatic reptiles that live in tropical areas.”

A crocodile, huh? The word brings the prince’s name out of the back of his memory where they overlap. Cipactli.

“Huh. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Cipactli and Cacao.” The creature smacks its tail into the tiled floor restlessly, the thwack a testament to the mass of the animal. “I’m sorry I scared you, I got lost in the halls.” He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, silently resolving to never mention his natural sense of direction.

Cipactli lacks the bravado Taqtu expects of a boy his age, deflating slightly and clambering over the creature’s back to stand before him. “S’okay. You didn’t mean to.” He pauses, that same glint in his eyes. “I’ve never seen a white crocodile. It was really pretty.”

Taqtu’s brows raise, and an easy grin tugs at his lips. For an awkward princeling, this kid sure does say what he thinks. “You think so? Huh.” The smile grows a bit wider, into that grin he knows displeases his father. “Any other animals you haven’t seen? I’d be happy to show you.”

Cipactli’s eyes widen to nearly comical proportions, and he seems to stutter over several words before landing on “P-polar bear?” He takes a beat to put his thoughts in order, seemingly embarrassed by the outburst. “I’ve seen them in books, but the books in our library don’t say much about them…”

A polar bear? The number of times Taqtu’s fallen asleep a boy and woken up a polar bear is impossible to count. The prince might as well have asked him to demonstrate his breathing techniques. A boisterous laugh is out of his throat before he can stop it.

“A bear? I can do that, no sweat.” The prince’s brow creases at the colloquialism, but the gleam that Taqtu has come to pin down as ‘blossoming intellectual fervor’ grows even brighter. What a bookworm.

The ensuing delighted gasp at Taqtu’s transformation and excited pleas to touch his fur having him laughing as much as he’s able through the maw of a bear, rumbling out as a chittering purr. 

From what he's seen in just a few minutes, Cipactli would fit in perfectly with the other kids at home, once he finished breaking out of his shell. 

It’s with that thought that a pang of discomfort worms its way into his mind. If Cipactli keeps growing as he has, with only a crocodile and his parents for company, will he ever break out of that shell?

Unlikely.

But is it worth the danger that comes with exposing a prince to the outside world? Full of bitterness and rot, the churning disquiet that accompanies war and hate. Even the gilded city of Huatzintepec is not immune to it.

Perhaps the Empress is right to seclude her son so. But this visit could be the compromise he needs. A friend, a confidante willing to be his bridge to the outside world.

A laugh like wind chimes solidifies his resolve, and Taqtu steels himself for the inevitable ire of his father. Making a request like this of the Empress will be no easy task.

This is worth it.

[donttouchmyasymptote]

Old Enough To Read Again || Darabella

Happy Holidays, @eccentricextrovert ! I know you love Darabella (as well The Adventure Zone, which doesn’t feature at all in this fic, but I also love TAZ so let’s talk about that too sometime), so I wrote you some for the @eah-exchange <3

It took a good month for Daring to realise that dating- no, courting, Rosabella was a bit more than extravagant gifts.

To be fair, courting any princess at Ever After High was more than extravagance. For some, being born with a silver spoon in their mouths meant that the taste dulled their senses until they could accept no less than platinum. For others, raised by wet nurses and with dead mothers and distant fathers and the lived experience that a jewelled crown came with a political weight, every bit of gold seemed that of a fool’s. For many, they knew that if someone had to put a monetary value on marriage, and that they were priceless and deserving of things better than riches, like loyalty or trustworthiness, or like, really good biceps.

(Rosabella was pretty fond of his really good biceps, if linking arms on the way to classes or dates was any sign, so Daring knew he wasn’t doing too shabbily.)

And to be fair, Rosabella kept all of the gifts. She had a few expensive rocks tucked up on one of her bookshelves, and all the flowers placed in a vase until they expired their time. She shared chocolates with Daring, but not without small tangents on rising sea levels, on how dwarf mines were an unsustainable power resource, on how magical energy was not being harnessed in renewable ways and that the waste was spreading to other magical regions, most notably Wonderland, and because of all that, the fairytale universe was getting hotter and that wasn’t just because natural selection meant that only those regarded as most beautiful in their lands got shots at marriage, and that meant that the cacao plants were going to die out and with that so many sweets-filled destinies and--

Unfortunately, he only fixated on the most minor of parts. “No fear, Rosabella! We shall sort out this waste issue. Dragons fly vast distances, surely they can take any trash off to some far, far, far off land. I’m thinking America.”

To which, she had only lightly scolded and told him not to dump their own issues on other, unsuspecting people. “Think of the Ozians! They’re unstable as it is!”

The next time Daring bought her chocolate, he made a deal about it being Fair Fairy Trade, with practises, through what research he could do, that were environmental friendly and didn’t involve underpaid fae labour. When Rosabella kissed his cheek and called him thoughtful, he felt his heart warm up inside.

~*~

“Am I doing well?” he asked, when Rosabella came up to him after classes, handed him a coffee, and looped her free arm around his.

“What do you mean?”

He blanked. “Uhm.” Daring Charming did not lose grace in social situations. “I’m totally dashing and cool, right?”

“I like you, yes,” she said, and leaned up to gently kiss him on the nose. “You are the next Beast. I’d be a little miffed if I didn’t.”

Daring wasn’t confident with that response. Author Grimm-it, he was quite fond of Rosabella. He was determined to impress her, to stand out among Ever After High’s avalanche of handsome princes, but it seemed naught when all he had to offer was pretty when she was that too, and on top of it, clever and dedicated and knowledgeable…

“The next Beast,” the words ran in his mouth strangely. It had been a while since he realised that he would soon follow Rosabella in her destiny, and abandon what he thought was his future life for the past decade. With Rosabella, things felt right. “Rosabella, I’m sorry if I don’t quite seem as princely as I do normally. My real role is just a completely, fair-y, fair-y different role from the one I thought I had.”

“I think you’re doing royally well,” she squeezed his hand. “There’s a lot to being the next Beast. For starters, you’re no longer just a trophy husband.”

He looked down at his coffee. Trophy husband. Daring knew of princes who resented that term. He never did, but he would always pass by conversations in common rooms -- ‘no matter how the world sells the narrative, we are naught but prizes for princesses’, ‘it doesn’t matter how many witches or woods they endure, we deserve autonomy too’. Ill-complaints, he had thought. The World of Ever After was still tilted in princes’ favours. His roommate, Hopper, had once tried to offer his input to these common room rifes, but was shot back with ‘isn’t your princess meant to kill you in your original? No amount of revisionism will save you, amphibian boy’.

How did Rosabella know this term? She liked activism circles, didn’t she? How much she did absorb from these princes?

Just-- what a fascinating princess. So steadfast, always holding her ground. Daring felt like he couldn’t keep up. Sometimes, he wanted to just sit back and listen to her talk for hours. Whatever topic, whatever rant, that voice, that mind, her ideas.

“For an eldest son, you never had to do much outside of hero stuff, did you?”

Rosabella was right. Daring never really thought much about ruling. Destiny for him used to be so simple - be handsome, and be certain about being handsome. Kiss a princess, wave a weapon around or so.

He thought about Apple and the role of Snow White. He thought about how, once, he had to ‘rescue’ her. How simple it was - a quick kiss.

Did he ever think about Happily Ever After afterwards? Not really. Snow White had been named one of Faebes’ top world leaders for decades now, with pretty much a monopoly on rare Dwarf minerals. Apple was the one that would have been crowned queen; they were not meant to be joint monarchs.

“No…” he confessed. “I mean, I get good grades in Kingdom Management. But I used to think that Apple would handle the political side of things.”

She grinned, and loosened her looped arm to grab his waist and pull him in. “Good. You won’t have to.”

“Rosabella, don’t think so little of me!” he tried to amplify his voice to sound strong, but a slight whinge remained. “I am not completely useless--”

Having finished her coffee by now, Rosabella put her free hand on his chest. “No, no, I didn't mean to insult you. I meant, you won’t have to rule over anyone. We don’t have people.”

“... what?”

“Other than the castle staff, we don’t have subjects,” she said. “Beauty’s the youngest daughter of a rich merchant. My coronation will be an incorporation.”

Daring blinked. “Coronation… incorporation?”

And she explained. How, because each generation, the beast’s castle would be secluded, so when destiny was done and over, him and Beauty had to live and move into it. Twenty to thirty years was too short of a time to cultivate any stable population, so the kingdom was not remodelled into a county, but a company. It was a versatile move on her predecessor’s part, so that no matter the gender of the heir, their lives would be properly set up in a manner to fulfill the story accurately.

He never realised how much he failed to ask about her.

And to think -- the times she thought about him: how she got through all the list of action movies he loved, or how she remembered his ever-complicated drink orders and the moods in which he preferred them, or the efforts she put into being friendly with Dexter and Darling, and reminding Daring about their lives. No detail seemed to slip from her mind.

“A lot of words! A lot of thought!” he said. “No wonder you’re as you are.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re so smart. And well-read! I cannot keep pace with you all the time. It’s highly empress-ive.”

She beamed. “I think highly of you too.”

“I feel like every time we hang out, I learn more. I just… I just hope I’m not boring you. Maybe I should read like you, too.

There - her smile faltered.

Daring felt a very sudden, cold fear that he had upset her.

“I mean, other than for activism purposes, I haven’t really been reading. Legacy Year really thrones you in for a loop,” Rosabella took off her glasses and dusted them with a handkerchief - one that Daring recognised, for he had gifted it. “Too much time spent memorising crowns from birth to coronation, or looking into newly passed legislation. I want to read again.”

“You can read to me.” The response was instantaneous. “I like your voice. I like hearing you talk.”

“If I read to you, those aren’t my thoughts. But I appreciate it, Daring,” she smiled up at him. Even the roses that frequented her family castle’s gardens could not compare to her.

Daring recalled the warm feeling in his stomach, when Rosabella had kissed him for the Fairy Trade Chocolate.

“As a prince that should dash to every lovely princess’ needs, I will make time for you-- so you can make time to read!”

“We’ll start simple. Animal Farm.”

~*~

It had started out simple: hours spent under the trees in the Legacy Orchard, or Rosabella trying to read over the sound of the wind while dragonback riding, her voice starting to sound like a death metal song, or secluded areas of the Castleteria.

But the pages of the books dragged out longer, and Daring grew more eager for fiction, and by the time Rosabella cracked open a copy of Robert Iron Heinrich’s Stranger in a Strange Far, Far Away Land, reading already became an evening past-time on one of their couches in one of their dorm rooms.

At some point in these evenings, he would be comfortable enough to tuck his head between the nape of her chin and clavicle. Comfortable enough to have one arm across her waist, comfortable enough for his breathing to fall in sync with the weight of her words.

And eventually, comfortable enough to kiss for a bit, though never for long. There were books to get to, after all.

(Besides, Rosabella’s voice was perhaps one of the nicest things to fall asleep too.)