#creature cases au

[thenationalcaptainsorg]

The Officers of The National Captain's Organization:

Harper Collins: Leader/Founder

She is an investor of C.L.A.D.E., Octonauts, SS Lika, and the European Navies.

She is a Siberian Wolf.

Her pronouns are (She/Her).

Sexuality/love life: Straight and single.

Her persona is cold. She can and will tair you to shreds. Loves to play the violin.

Relations: Peggy Scratch - She's like a little sister to Harper. Barnacles Bear - Knew him since they were little. Paimon Louis - Old friend. Professor Inkling - were in the same classes in university together. Amy Harris - She's her student. The whole NCO is her friend. The whole Amvrosy is her enemy.

Currently education: Masters Degree in University.

Peggy Scratch: Leader/Past Agent of C.L.A.D.E.

Main Character of this AU.

An Americana Chicken. (I'll have to double check.)

Her pronouns are (She/Her).

Sexuality/love life: Lesbian and half taken half not. (I'll explain later.)

Her persona is slightly cold/stern and loner. Can and will tair you to shreds.

Relations: Princess Chloé of France - They're girlfriends. Barnacles Bear - "The bear that can hold an iceberg." Harper Collins - She's like an older sister. Paimon Louis - She can rely on them for different gadgets and books. Lord Scratch of Amvrosy - ??????. Lord Lewis of Amvrosy - Not really taking a liking to him. Lady Victoria of Amvrosy - She's like her mother. Lord Martin of Amvrosy - Hates him. Lady Volkova, Leader of Amvrosy - Never met her, but she's intimidated by her. The whole NCO is her friend.

Currently education: Masters Degree in University.

Barnacles Bear: Leader/Captain/Co-founder of Octonauts.

In fact the LARGEST investor in the NCO and C.L.A.D.E.

Commander of the Arctician National Navy.

He's a polar bear.

His pronouns are (He/Him).

Sexuality/love life: His exact words, "No."

His persona is heavily outgoing. He is a barb. Is capable of holding an iceberg. Can tair you to shreds, but he's a baby.

Relations: Peggy Scratch - "The chicken that is stronger than a polar bear." One of his idols. Harper Collins - boss. Amy Harris - acquaintances.

Currently Education: Masters in Polar Scouts.

Amy Harris: Founder/Captain of the SS Lika.

Newbie.

Her pronouns are (She/Her).

Sexuality/Love life - SHE'S ONLY 17!! NO! (Bisexual)

Her persona is like Pinky Pie from My Little Pony.

Relations: Peggy Scratch - She's her "aunt." Harper Collins - Mo-*cough*-boss. Barnacles Bear - Acquaintances. Kwazii Cat - Besties. Sam Snow - Besties. Wally Bunglar - Besties. Tweak Bunny - Besties.

Currently education: Middle School graduate.

Paimon Louis: Owner of Paimon's Treasures.

Is only an assist to the NCO.

Their pronouns are He/They.

Sexuality/Love life - Widowed.

His persona is like a traditional inventor and collector. Silly, but if treated wrongly, will, use a gun.

Relationships: Harper Collins - Bestie. Peggy Scratch - He can rely on her from things. NCO is their friend.

Current Education: High School Deploma

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

The logos of the NCO

[noyzinerd]

Sterek Rival Lawyers AU

It's A (Court) Date

Imagine, high-class, Ivy League, hot-shot, attorney Derek comes back from New York to the family firm to take over as partners with his sister after his parents decide to step down. He may not be on the level of his mother yet, but he's cut his teeth against Wall Street wolves and ruthless white-collar sharks. Derek's more than proved himself, so he just can't fathom these small criminal court cases his family is making him take "before he's truly ready" to be a part of the family business.

Enter in his first case. Right out the gate, the state assigned defense is, not only late to court, but also arrives in a flurry of limbs and papers, tripping all over himself, and profusely apologizing to the room as a whole. "Sorry! Sorry! Car trouble!"

The guy is out of breath, tie crooked and hair a mess. It makes Derek wrinkle his nose at the unprofessionalism and the blatant disrespect to everyone's valuable time.

The presiding judge, the Honorable Ms. Lydia Martin, only sighs a heavy sigh, as if this sight is nothing new, and says "Mr. Stilinski, I suggest you don't let it happen again."

Derek is honestly getting annoyed by how easy this is going to be. He could've been doing literally anything else right about now rather than being here going against a common rent-a-lawyer with some Podunk community-college degree. The opening statement for the defense is laughably inept. Full of nervous stuttering, backtracking, running tangents, and babbling. He's still apologizing, trying to assure the jury that he's just having an off-day today.

It's embarrassing to watch.

Nonetheless, Derek goes through the motions, practiced and poised. Examines all the evidence, presenting times and dates, prior arrest records, the works.

During this time, Mr. Stilinski is frantically (and VERY LOUDLY) flitting through a cartoonishly large stack of papers and whispering to his client. Derek has to fight to grit his teeth through his presentation.

Finally, it's time for Mr. Stilinski to cross-examine Derek's client and, unbeknownst to him, the beginning of Derek's long, long spiral of madness for the rest of his career.

"Judge Martin, I would like to move to have this case thrown out."

"Oh?" asks Judge Martin. For some reason, there's an amused smirk, almost fond, tugging at her lips "On what grounds?"

A giddy, almost manic, grin takes over the defense attorney's face just then. "On the grounds that the prosecution's client is full of bullshit."

The judge rolls her eyes and an exasperated "Stiles," slips from her lips, seemingly against her will. (Derek's not really surprised by the familiarity between the two of them. With how often state-assigned lawyers are called to the courtroom on small cases, it wouldn't be too big of a leap to suggest they might be chummy.)

"Respectfully, of course." Mr. Stilinski--er Stiles?--winks back at her.

"Objection. Your honor, this is ridiculous."

"Overruled. Make your point, Stilinski."

"Mr. Davis says he saw my client at 12:30 P.M., on August 4th, attempting to take his back-right hubcap outside his apartment. Mr. Davis' apartment complex at that time, on that particular day, would have cast a huge shadow over the back lot as evidenced by the gaudy sundial-art-installation outside the courthouse. Meanwhile, my client's picture, when taken in for questioning, has a sunburn on the entire right side of his face. This would corroborate Mr. Lyle's story of walking home alone, down the upper, unshaded side of Elmore Street, during one of the hottest days of the year, for an hour straight. Also, the fact that Mr. Davis has no realistic idea how long it would actually take a person to steal a hubcap should be evidence enough."

"Uh-huh. And this wouldn't happen to be something you've ever had any expertise in, would it, counsel?"

"I plead the 5th."

And just like that, Derek's case is thrown out so quick, he's still reeling about it all the way home.

For the next two years, this becomes Derek's life. This man, this Stiles Stilinski, keeps showing up like a whirlwind and absolutely puts him in his paces.

Stiles, as he insists Derek call him, is a powerhouse. Relentless and unstoppable. That mouth can filibuster for literal hours (which, for those unfamiliar, is when someone legally cannot be forced to give up their time on the floor as long as they can keep talking), that brain quick as a whip, with a hunger for research, a mastery of the English language svelte enough to trip up even the most well-rehearsed lie, and an attention to detail like nothing Derek has ever witnessed before. It's like he knows every law inside and out. Lives it. Breathes it. It's like he had been raised on the law his whole life. Not only that, it's like Stiles enjoys it. Every case is a new game to get excited about.

All of it makes Derek's blood boil.

However, it's not always about losing to Stiles all the time, because, honestly, that might be less humiliating.

In truth, when faced against Stiles, Derek's bound to win about 60% of the time. Out of that 60%, only 5% of those wins actually feel earned. As for the other 55%?

He knows Stiles is letting him win.

Derek can't prove it, but he knows the asshole is holding back on purpose nearly half the time. Knowing that Stiles could have beaten him if he wanted to, but didn't, is somehow more frustrating than just losing.

He hates Stiles.

He hates that the guy is so chipper and playful all the damn time. He hates that Stiles could probably work at any firm he wanted, could make enough money to get a decent car that doesn't shit out all the time, could buy a proper-fitting suit, but instead CHOOSES to stay here "watching out for the little guy", as he so put it.

He hates that facing Stiles in court is the most challenged, the most motivated he's ever felt in his entire life. He hates that Stiles brings out in him the spark of passion and drive Derek had long thought had died. He hates that Stiles always tries to banter with him during recess or whenever they have to exchange evidence.

He hates finding out that Stiles only loses cases on purpose when his endless amounts of research points to the defendant actually being guilty of horrendous crimes, because Stiles is a good fucking person.

He hates Stiles' constant teasing and he hates that Stiles is somehow able to bring Derek down to his childish level to tease back. He hates how much he looks forward to court-dates with Stiles now. He hates being invited out by Stiles over and over to grab a bite together after a long day, as if Stiles hasn't been wiping the floor with him on this case for the last month. He hates it even more that he always accepts and that now they have their own designated booth at the diner across the street. Derek's so unbelievably frustrated, it makes him want to bite Stiles at the neck just to hear that smartass mouth squeal.

"Hey, I ever tell you I was thinking of quitting before you arrived?" Stiles asks one night as they're walking to their cars.

Derek's head immediately snaps to him at that. "What?"

Stiles smiles distantly at the thought. "Oh, yeah. Things had started feeling like being trapped in a cubicle, y'know? There wasn't any challenge in it anymore."

"What made you stay?"

"Well...you did. You were the first, serious competition I'd faced in a while. It wasn't a matter of winning just to win, anymore. Going against you always reminded me of the reason why it was important for me to win. It gave me stakes, because now there was an actual chance I could lose and an innocent person could go to jail. You, I don't know, kinda reignited my passion for fighting the good fight, I guess."

Derek can feel his heart thumping hard in his chest. He wants to say 'You did the same for me!' He wants to tell Stiles that he didn't think his life could ever be this fun or happy or messy or chaotic or exhilarating or challenging or fulfilling before coming to Beacon Hills.

But just as Derek goes to open his mouth to sing Stiles' praises, he instead finds himself roughly shoving him up against the Camaro and biting hungrily at that mouth and tongue that's been the bane of his existence. There's a surprised little squeak that Derek quickly swallows up, but it isn't long before they're both tearing at each others' clothes and fucking each other dirty in the backseat of Derek's car.

What's crazy is, after they get together, nothing in their careers really changes. The only difference is now they get to fuck each others' brains out after an intense battle in court (and the sound Stiles makes when Derek bites him is exactly what he always imagined it would sound like). They still face against each other on opposite sides in court. They still give it everything they got, no conceding even if they are dating now. Not to mention, Derek wouldn't dream of tempting Stiles over to his firm. Not when he knows Stiles is at his best staying where he's at.

The day Derek's family finally decides it's time for him to take over the firm with Laura is the best day of his and Stiles' lives.

Not only does Derek tell them he's declining, he hires Stiles as his attorney to negotiate terms against his entire family of well-seasoned lawyers.

The entire month-long negotiation results in Derek, not saying a single word, but absolutely beaming as he watches his boyfriend run circles around his mother, his father, his uncle, and both of his sisters on contracts. It's so unbelievably hot, they're banging on whatever flat surface they can get their hands on every time they leave the boardroom. There's even one very memorable blowjob in the empty hall outside the boardroom when Stiles somehow manages to get Peter to agree to a (most likely illegal) clause dictating the firm will pay Stiles a finder's fee for any pro-bono case Stiles takes on outside of Beacon Hills that strikes his fancy.

And, no one says it, but they all know Derek definitely, 100%, dragged his own firm through this negotiation just to show off how incredible Stiles is to his family and preen about it.

--

Fast-forward, Derek is going to be in the audience for the first time for one of Stiles' cases.

While waiting in the hall, Derek sees a familiar face from his New York days. The prosecution has hired the eighth best lawyer money can get, Jackson Whittemore. He's sporting a Rolex, sunglasses indoors, and the face of someone who thinks he's above literally every other person in town.

Well, at least until he sees Derek.

For some reason, Jackson seems to think Derek is all the way out in the middle of nowhere to 'watch a master at work' (which...well...is technically true...).

As Derek goes to sit in the audience, Jackson tells him in passing, "This'll be over so fast, probably won't even get a chance to learn the other guy's name."

Derek chuckles and says back, "Ooh, buddy, you have no idea."

Before Jackson can think more on that, a whirlwind of limbs and papers suddenly hurls through the doors.

Derek sits back, gets comfy, and waits eagerly for the show to begin.

My first moodboard. Hope you enjoy. AU based on a discussion with @casually-eat-my-soul (I suggest checking out their version). This was kind of like a divergence from that (the brain juices just started flowing).

[fizzytoo]

"...but baby watching you blush/ some of us, we just gotta ride"

[chromatasia]

on the axolotl creature thing siffrin and loop post i got these tags so now. pikmin siffrin and loop. because i love playing and drawing and having fun

[profoundbondfanfic]

A Beginner's Guide to Communing with the Dead

A Beginner’s Guide to Communing with the Dead by suspiciousflashlight (@huntingthehaggis) Rating: Mature Word Count: 77k

Maybe it's the little girl whose disappearance turned into a murder, and whose murder turned into a cold case, and who has now apparently decided to move in with him. Maybe it's the unacceptable hole left in his life when his dumb best friend and partner in (the prevention of) crime decided to go and get himself killed. Maybe it's his brother, whose high-profile career and fantastic girlfriend and first-child-on-the-way are steadily leaving Dean in the dust. Pick one. Pick all of them. The why doesn't matter so much as the what, and the what is this: Dean is pretty sure he's going completely, certifiably insane. Sure, he hasn't started wearing all his clothes inside out, and he still showers on a regular basis (anyways, that's not crazy, just a little eccentric); but there's no getting around the fact that he just threw away his life, his career, and his reputation by dragging out his mom's old necromancy book and summoning a Class A Forbidden Entity to his attic. A cranky one, too. With horrendous bed-head.

Okay, my friends, if you haven’t read this one yet, drop everything now and click on that link!! Don’t wait around, just do it!

(And even if you already know the fic, I’m pretty sure it’s time for a reread, don’t you think? Since it’s always time for a good reread!)

Because this story, it’s simply something else.

It is told from Dean’s POV who is in a kinda dark place at the beginning. Either everything is going to shit around him or everyone is living their best lives without him and the gruesome murder case that lands on his lap one day surely doesn’t make things any better. Soon enough he finds himself at his wit’s end and in a desperate attempt to get justice for the victim he does something very, very stupid - illegally summoning an entity that should never be summoned, that is.  

Dean isn’t really sure what he expected, but the blue-eyed, grouchy creature certainly takes him by surprise. Castiel seems devoid of emotions and alienates everyone in his vicinity without even trying which, of course, makes it extra hard for Dean to hide his true identity from his colleagues and family. Over time, however, he learns to appreciate Castiel’s uniqueness and Castiel in turn starts to change the closer his relationship with Dean becomes.

The worldbuilding of this fic just sucks you right in, transforming the whole thing into some sort of extraordinary urban fantasy crime novel. Thanks to Dean’s POV the writing style is witty and oftentimes hilarious in that special Dean sort of way and often enough you can’t help but laugh even in the grittiest of situations. 

The development of Dean and Castiel’s relationship is simply captivating, both a nod to canon as well as its own special kind of insanity. It’s just addicting to watch those two slowly but gradually get their shit together.

And on top of that the actual case is truly riveting, keeping you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

So yeah, what are you waiting for? Happy reading 😁

[mutiny-huyutiny]

snakeniil….i thought he’s closer to the earth so he’s closer to the kin as well. soo i researched ongolian alphabet…. and I wrote two words (both probably grammatically incorrect). One means mogoy(=snake) and second one is syyl (=tail)

[llamagoddessofficial]

I’m bringing back the oldies baby. Portal au but y/n is a kid?? Maybe young intern Sans took under his wing before shit went down? Would things be more or less the same, or would everyone act differently with this hyperactive curious kid running around?

oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god. big robot trying his hardest to love and look after a child when he's already broken. i love it

Well, for one, it would be a smart move on Hit's part. Remember, Hit is the Portal AU's Rattmann. He's the one responsible for getting Mc to the top of the queue for testing. It makes even more sense in an AU where Mc is a child that Sans cared about- Hit's hope is that Sans' parental feelings will awaken in the cold machine.

And boy, do they.

Sans: Mc will not be tested. Obviously. As soon as he realises that it's a child, his 'this is my baby' instincts light up. He creates a robot body for himself, that can function like a physically present parent. Soft synthetics replace hard metal, warmth artificially flows through his bones, smiles can be played on his face. He obsesses over the creation of play rooms, entertaining non-serious puzzles, a kitchen where he can cook for her, a pretty bedroom with glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. He essentially builds a house, right in the middle of the lab.

He knows her memory will be foggy, from the stasis. He intends to tell her he is Sans, rather than Sans' organic shadow uploaded into a digital mind where it festered and turned sociopathic. As far as she knows, he decided to turn into a robot because it was cool, and this is simply their new home together. Nobody died. Nobody was hurt. She is fine, he is fine. They are all fine.

... She wakes up in his arms. He never wants to let go.

Red: His directive, assigned directly from Sans, is to be the fun one. 'Uncle Red' must always be a joy to be around, a break from Sans, a distraction to keep her entertained. Sans makes him pretend he also used to be human, to keep her from asking too many questions. It sounds like it would be terrible... but honestly, Red delights in being the fun one. He has direct permission from Sans to play around with a child he's inherited Sans' fatherly attachment to, you can bet he'll be sneaking her off to cool secret parts of the lab.

... However... the more he spends time with her, the harder he finds it to see her living a lie. She doesn't know what happened, she doesn't even realise she's trapped, growing up in a perfect lie that Sans built for her. Red starts to wonder if he was really borne from Sans' consciousness... the two have completely different ideas of what her future should entail.

Skull: Skull is surprised when Sans requests his return, and promises not to kill him. Sans never makes promises. Sans, rather begrudgingly, understands that he needs Skull for Mc to be happy... after all, Skull is literally the conglomeration of all of Sans' most emotional parts, that he tried to throw away to stop feeling pain. Sans doesn't want to admit it, but he needs Skull- he knows he has lost the ability to easily display the love human children require. Mc will unconsciously seek out that missing part of Sans... but she'll find it in Skull.

Skull gets to enjoy a sleek new body, and he gets to care for his baby. Since Skull is raw emotion that turned into a living thing, for better and for worse there is probably no entity capable of loving her as much as Skull does. This is probably the best version of the Portal AU in which to be Skull.

Skull and Sans are happy to keep her forever. Red... Red is the only one who grows to have objections.

[ofowlsdinosaursanddragons]

After reading about @skyedancer2006's spec bio post, I wanted to make a little spec bio post explaining Kieran’s Tongues or “jaw claws”. Since Kieran can’t chew, he has to swallow things whole. For smaller things, this is quite easy due to a stretchier esophagus and an unhinging lower jaw. However, when Kieran swallows something a bit bigger, his specialized jaw claws help grab hold of anything struggling or large and to help him swallow it better.

And as pictured below, These include things such as Drayton (DW he’s fine.)

[minkbearr]

Did the silly trend I’ve been seeing on tiktok with Kid Casey from my TCC Infection AU :3

Gah love kit she deserves pain :3

[thenationalcaptainsorg]

The Lore of the Kuri AU Earth.

900 years ago, there were kings and queens, gods and goddess, mortals and immortals. There was something else, though. It was called a Sesanti. It held powers given from the gods, but ever since World War 1, 300 years ago, they had never given them out again.

It was like they didn't trust them or just was greedy and wanted to keep it to themselves.

900 years later, though, only the gods and anthros that can provide a promise to the gods wield Sesanti.

But hope is not lost, when the Battle for C.L.A.D.E. breaks out, a hen gains the power of fire, breaking the contracts and rules of the gods.

[infini-tree]

and then i remember i could draw anything i want

[clegfly]

Small thing I’m cooking for idksomethingclever99’s fic MITPP!! For some reason I’m having trouble tagging them but here’s the fic!!

This seemed fun to do… probably won’t get more done than this page though…

[nii-chans-rabiddogs]

Learning Experiences

Yall i got bored and decided to do an AU for Ghostie. dont have a name for it yet but ill figure it out :3. @cupcakes-and-pain and @maracujatangerine, if yall are still interested TW: Dehumanization, hinted child abuse

“He’s a kid, not a damn soldier! You can’t be treating him like this!” Jake was angry again. I froze when he started yelling, staring at the door anxiously. He’d never sounded so harsh before, and even being in my room didn’t help the sudden urge to hide. They were arguing in the kitchen, the farthest room from mine, and the concrete walls only made everything louder.

            “I’m training it to be the best. It’s meant to be this way, Jake. You were on your way to becoming this too, before you left. All I had-” Boss was mad and upset, that was clear, but he wasn’t yelling. It was strange, not hearing his voice echoing around the room.

“I don’t care what you think you ‘had’ to do! He’s a child! You can’t- He never agreed to this, he never asked to be treated like this.”

            “You don’t understand! I am training it to be the best soldier out there. When the time comes-”

“Do you even hear yourself? You can’t even be bothered to treat him like a person. Jaxton is not an ‘it’, he is not a weapon, he is not a soldier, he is a CHILD! You need to accept that he isn’t one of your soldiers to order around. You. Are. Not. In. The. Military anymore.”

            “It- He is perfect for this. Both of you asked for this, wanted this! I was just providing it.”

“I asked for an early start for training! He wanted to copy me! I never asked for any of this, he never asked to be treated like a weapon. You just decided that having a soldier is better than having a son.”

Jake had told me to stay in my room, but I could still hear their voices reverberate around me. I couldn’t drown out their argument, no matter how hard I stared at the book in my hands. A they were talking about my training, and Jake never lost the anger in his voice.

~~~

Jake had let a woman in the house today.  She had a black cardigan on, and her skirt was a weird pale yellow, like the color of pus. She didn’t have any weapons, nor was she that observant because she didn’t even notice me. I wasn’t hiding like I was trained to either, just standing at the top of the stairs calmly.  Jake did, though, and he waved me down. He’s never not noticed me, no matter how hard I tried. His voice was calm and soft as I stopped by his side. He usually spoke to me like that, and I still wasn’t sure if I loved it or hated it.

“Hey, Jaxie. This is Sophie, she’s a– social worker, and she’s just gonna ask you a few questions, okay? She just wants to help us get everything sorted, so we can take care of you. Do you have any questions?” Jake pet the back of my head, looking at me like I was a kicked puppy. He sounded conflicted, faltering in his words as if I was a bomb about to explode. It was odd.

            “.........Negative, sir. I understand.”

“Don’t call me sir. I’m your older brother, my name is Jake and you will use it. Let’s just… get this over with, okay?” 

I stared at him, surprised by the sudden harshness. He just grit his teeth and rubbed my back, glancing away as if looking at me was hard. I wasn’t used to his rules, so maybe he just couldn’t handle looking at a faulty soldier? It would make sense.

            “Yes, why don’t we? Hullo, Jackson. My name is Sophie Lee, and I’m here to talk about your father and what you’ve… been through. Let’s start off easy, shall we? What’s your full name?” She sat down on the old red sofa that Jake insisted on keeping, a light blue clipboard with papers set on her lap. Her voice was also soft, but it was detached, pitying. I hated hers more than I hated Jake’s. She didn’t even get my name right.

“Jaxton-Alexander Morgan Underfield, ma’am.” Jake slowly pushed me to the newer brown couch, but I refused to sit. I didn’t trust this lady; she just didn’t seem right and I didn’t like it.

“Jackson Alexander… And-”

“JAXton. J-a-x-t-o-n hyphen Alexander. Not Jackson.” She seemed surprised at my tone, and so was I. Normally I wasn’t this reactive, I was better than that. Was it the lack of punishment? Training? I’d never dare be that snappish with Boss, he had trained me much better. That needs to be dealt with before Jake deems me too faulty.

“Ooh-kay, I’m sorry about that, Jaxton.” She gave me this weird sideways look before writing something in her notepad, and I felt vaguely insulted. Surely my name wasn’t that hard to spell? “Moving on, can you tell me how old you are?”

“Fifteen, ma’am.”

“Mmhm. And what’s your date of birth?”

“July 11, 2003.”

            “7/11/03, got it. Now, I have some questions I want to ask, about your father. What’s your relationship with him like?”

I stared at her for several seconds before answering, and she seemed to write down every word I said. Jake interrupted, sometimes, to explain things that were obvious. She kept asking questions about where I grew up, what I did, what training was like, and it was annoying. Jake had made me sit down halfway through, but he did eventually end the... interrogation? interview? when I had pulled out my knife. Sophie scribbled even more when Jake gently took it from me.

~~~

Jake lied to me. This tiny, gray, pathetic building looked nothing like the Wendy’s I saw on the TV. He mumbled something about having to do something before getting food, but it wasn’t very believable. Plus his voice was shaky, and part of it was in German. Honestly, he’s a terrible liar; far too obvious with his tells.

            He dragged me inside, and I instantly disliked the place. The air was dense and it smelt like lemons had been basted upon every piece of furniture, and there was a horrible clash of jasmine near the front desk. I glared at Jake and the lady behind the desk, already irritated. He just smiled and pushed me back, muttering quick words that I couldn’t hear before the lady nodded and told us to go down the hall, to the third door on the right.

Jake pushed me inside the room without another sound, right in front of a woman who was dressed in a navy-blue suit. She was tall, only a couple inches shorter than Jake, and had a gentle yet stern look about her. Her room, filled with colorful toys and pillows and a coloring book, was the same. Organized and calm, but welcoming. It didn’t smell, either, which was preferred.

“Jaxton, this is Ms. Ethel. She’s here to help you with your anxiety and everything else in that brain of yours.” He waved at Ms. Ethel, who simply nodded back. I scowled at them both and crossed my arms, staring at the weird, red bag on the floor. It looked like a human-sized, overstuffed dog bed.

            “What do you mean by ‘everything else’? I’m functional. And I don’t have anxiety.”

“Your brain’s a little fucked up, buddy. Ms. Ethel is here to help unfuck up your brain, and maybe see if we can smooth out that attacking problem of yours. Also, being functional isn’t as good of a defense as you think it is, and you most certainly do have anxiety. A cracked-up squirrel is less jumpy than you right now.”

            “Cracked-? Whatever. I’m perfectly functional, that’s all that matters.” I kicked at the dog beg awkwardly, watching as it just collapsed in on itself. “What is that? It looks stupid. And useless.”

“That is a beanbag chair. I’ve found that it helps younger clients feel more comfortable in my office.” Her voice was more stern than she looked, and it startled me. She just smiled at me.

            Jake made me spend the next hour talking to her, and she kept asking probing questions. It felt like an interrogation, but Jake very willing gave her most of the answers, so it’s hard to be sure. He said she was a therapist, and would help, but I don’t see how asking about nightmares would help me. Unless she’s trying to neutralize them? Then I’d be better rested and prepared for missions and whatever. She must be a workshop handler, then, if she’s trying to make me better optimized.

~~~

The store was loud, the lights buzzing and people chattering and wheels squeaking. Jake made me wear headphones to drown out the noise, which helped quiet everything down and I wasn’t as jumpy anymore, as he said. Everything was new, from the products on the shelves and the food and the drinks, to the amount of everything. I had never seen so much food in one place before, though a wrapper currently caught my eye. It was at the end of the ‘checkout lane’, as Jake had called it, on a shelf with a bunch of other little foods. It was golden, with a picture of what looks to be a chocolate bar on it. The weirdest part was that it had ‘left’ and ‘right’ on it. Why would food need to be placed on either the left or the right? Did it stand for something else, like hot or cold?

“Hey Jake?”

“Yeah, bud?”

            “What’s a ‘twix’? And why is there a left one and a right one?” Jake looked at me, ignoring the cashier who was bagging the groceries. He seemed very confused, or bewildered.

“...You- you don’t know about candy? Candy bars?”

“No? I only ever had MREs, or a steak that one time.” I tilted my head and stared at him, before slowly picking up the candy(weird name, honestly) and examining it. “Am. Am I supposed to know?” “No, love, it’s fine. So, candy is, uh, just a bunch of sugars and artificial flavors. Twix is just a wafer bar with caramel dipped in chocolate, basically.”

[magentakat]

Made these silly lil’ Mammet bois for the Voidsent!AU I’ve got chilling on a back burner—dunno if they’d have these outfits in it but they’re cute so it’s fiiiiine. :P

[childotkw]

Absolutely adore listening ears!!! Care to share how Harry interacts with other sirens and sea life?

Ah now this is an AU I haven't thought about in a while 😅

Harry's interactions with the sirens in the Black Lake were largely contained to the Slytherin common room. It was his favourite place to sit, and by second year, everyone knew that it was Harry's spot.

It was where he studied, where he relaxed, where he spoke to his friends. And by the time Harry was the undisputed leader of Slytherin, it was the centre of their House. No longer was the armchair by fireplace, the hearth, considered the 'seat'; because no one could deny that Harry Potter, bathed in the eerie black-green glow of the water and pinning you in place with his otherworldly eyes, was the image of power.

There was just something enthralling about watching him stare out at the murky water with such quiet longing. Of seeing large, sinuous forms slink out from the darkness and approach the thick glass; pressing their webbed hands against it or dancing playfully.

Of sometimes, late at night when most have gone to bed, hearing the soft, magical, trilling sounds of Harry's Voice communicating with the other sirens.

Sometimes though, they could find Harry out on the shore of the Black Lake, sitting on the wooden pier and talking seemingly to the open air - the only sign that he wasn't alone being the occasional ripple in the water.

Or they could see him wading out into the deeper water, unbothered by the biting chill and the way his wet clothes threatened to drag him down. Under the surface of the water, dark shapes would twist around him teasingly.

No one could say that Harry Potter wasn't drawn to the water, to the sirens; nor that the sirens weren't just as captivated by him.

As for other sea creatures - well, small schools of fish would often drift by the windows when Harry was sitting in the common room.

The Giant Squid would breach the lake's surface more often when Harry walked along the shore.

And the little goldfish that his classmates got him as a joke would do excited little figure-eights in its bowl whenever he stopped beside it to talk at it.