#prince in the storm au

[cesabutterflywrites]

Nothing says return of the king more than getting back to Prince in the Storm after nearly a year since the last update....

[sunderwight]

Thinking about a bingqiu Dreamling AU where Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua are both bored deities, just sort of taking a brief sojourn through the mortal world to shoot the shit and see some interesting monster or other that Shen Yuan has heard about, when they come across a tea house and decide to take a break and do some people-watching instead.

Shen Yuan is well into something of a shut-in phase, which Shang Qinghua doesn't like, mostly because when Shen Yuan is in those phases he doesn't do particularly well either. Shen Yuan's a social butterfly, for however little he cares to actually acknowledge it about himself, and his critique of Shang Qinghua's literary masterpieces gets so much harsher when he's not getting enough enrichment.

So when they overhear one of the kitchen boys solemnly insisting that he is going to do everything in his power to never die, and Shen Yuan laments that the boy would probably regret such a wish if it came true, Shang Qinghua decides to bestow a rare bit of godly power onto this mortal and grant his wish.

He doesn't make him a god, of course, that wouldn't even be in his ability. At least, not without using up more time and effort than he's prepared to expend on this one random kid. But immortality on its own is not that difficult. The boy will still finish growing up, and will still be able to be harmed, to know hunger and pain and illness. It just won't ever kill him.

Shen Yuan sighs that it's a cruel thing to do to a mortal, especially one with such low odds of ever cultivating other skills to mitigate the potential torment of it all. But Shang Qinghua just shrugs and they place bets, that this boy will ask for the immortality to be revoked in a hundred years, or two hundred, or so on, or else he won't. Shen Qingqiu approaches the kitchen boy and flusters and bewilders him by telling him to meet him back here again in a hundred years time.

A hundred years later, the tea house is larger. The boy has grown to be a striking young man, who looks at Shen Yuan with wariness and something else, something almost like awe, as he asks what manner of creature he's made this bargain with. Shen Yuan assures him that he has no nefarious intentions, and instead asks Luo Binghe how the past century of his life has gone.

Horribly, at least at first. Binghe's mother had already died by the time they met, but afterwards he managed to earn enough money to travel to a nearby sect. Working in the tea house's kitchen was just a minor stopover along the way. Shen Yuan was wrong, it seems, about his odds of becoming a cultivator -- Luo Binghe earned entry as a disciple.

Yet, he had no success. The master who took him on was unaccountably cruel and mercurial, and Luo Binghe's attempts to cultivate failed. Looking back he sees now that there were many times when he should have died but didn't, but when it was all happening he just thought himself lucky. At least until an enemy sect attacked a cultivation conference, and he suffered mortal wounds that absolutely should have killed him (or anyone) but still didn't die. (No demon race or abyss in this AU, but there are still demonic and fantastical creatures.)

His cruel master, upon witnessing this, accused him of heretical practices and tried to kill him as well by flinging him off the edge of a gorge. The fall was terrible. Binghe lay at the bottom in a horrifying state, injured beyond reason and yet, still, he didn't die. Eventually his body recovered enough for him to drag himself out, and once he did the only thing on his mind was getting revenge. For the next several decades he managed to ingratiate himself to all manner of potential allies, forging alliances, accumulating blackmail, and convincing people that he had to be some powerful cultivator through his supernatural resilience, lack of visible aging, and a lot of bluffing. He got revenge on his old teacher, drove his first sect into ruin, and rose to prominence as a feared and respected leader of the cultivation world.

Shen Yuan listens with clear interest, asking plenty of questions and seemingly quite taken up with the story. At the conclusion, Luo Binghe admits that his actual cultivation is still mostly a matter of smoke and mirrors, and wonders if -- now that the hundred years have passed -- Shen Yuan means to strip his immortality from him.

Shen Yuan asks if Luo Binghe wants that. When Luo Binghe says no, he accepts the answer, and tells him to meet him back here again in another hundred years. Luo Binghe calls after him, but before he can ask anything more, Shen Yuan has disappeared again.

A hundred years later, Binghe arrives back at the tea house with an entourage befitting of an emperor. The tea house has also expanded. Luo Binghe orders a lavish feast from them, which everyone hastens to provide. He's spent the past several decades consolidating his power, forging alliances with key political players via several marriages, producing heirs, and crushing his enemies. As he brags about the state of his massive harem to Shen Yuan, the deity's eyes begin to glaze over. He doesn't seem impressed. He also doesn't seem to care much for the food, and eventually his attention is stolen away by a conversation at another table. The diners are discussing the exploits of a promising new poet and novelist. Try as he might, Luo Binghe fails to regain Shen Yuan's attention before the evening is done. Shen Yuan doesn't think it's a big deal -- after all, if Binghe is still riding on top of the world, he's probably not going to want his immortality gift revoked just yet!

Another hundred years go by. The tea house has returned to a more modest situation, the next time Shen Yuan sets foot in it. He waits an unusually long while for his guest to arrive, and when he does, he's almost stopped at the door by the tea house's servers. It's only when Shen Yuan bids them let him through that Luo Binghe is able to come to the table, almost collapsing against it and desperately falling onto the arrangement of snacks with obvious hunger.

Shen Yuan wonders if this, now, will be when the boy (no longer a boy) asks for the immortality to be revoked. Surprisingly, he finds himself resistant to the idea, even though it's also clear that the game has run too long. Maybe hundred year check-ins were too short? He doesn't like the implications of what's gone on, even if he's not really surprised about it either.

Between desperate mouthfuls of food, Luo Binghe explains that without mastering inedia, going hungry but never dying is a deeply unpleasant experience. Shen Yuan orders more food. Once Binghe has finally eaten his fill, he begins, haltingly, to explain his situation. His clothes are ragged, he is painfully thin, and his gaze is haunted.

Apparently, several of his wives conspired to assassinate him, despite his reputation as unkillable. Realizing that most poisons and such didn't kill him, but that he could still be incapacitated, they hatched a scheme to dose his food with a powerful sleeping agent, and then walled him up in a famous ancestral tomb. They went to great length to ensure that it was impossible to escape from. It took Binghe decades to do it anyway, digging away at the floors, and when he got out he found that his power base had collapsed. In-fighting and the incursion of his enemies had led to the deaths of all of his children, and what wives had survived had either fled or remarried. Not that he particularly wanted them back at that point, since the ones actually most loyal to him had also been killed early on after his own "death". His face marked him, to the eyes of his enemy, as a surviving descendant of himself. He was hunted down, chased across the continent and back again, until he managed to fall into enough obscurity that his pursuers abandoned the chase. Except that he has nothing, and any time he tries to regain something, he runs the risk of being hounded again. Those who might see some potential in him still remember the collapse of his recent "dynasty" and slam doors in his face, or else try and turn him over to those now in power in pursuit of a reward. Those who don't know that much see only a dirty beggar, and usually run him off on that basis instead.

Shen Yuan, almost hesitant, asks if Luo Binghe would like to have his immortality revoked.

Luo Binghe declines. How will he be able to take revenge on those who wronged him if he is dead? He has a hit list a mile long by now.

Which is definitely not the most noble of reasons to persist, but Shen Yuan finds himself reluctant to ask twice. Instead he orders more food, and then even reserves one of the traveler's rooms above the tea house for several days. By then the sky is turning grey, and Luo Binghe is losing his apparent battle with exhaustion. Shen Yuan presses the key into his hand, thinking it's probably not enough, but there are limits to how much gods are supposed to interfere and Shang Qinghua already stretched them to the breaking point with this entire scenario.

He leaves, not seeing the hand that reaches after him just before he is out of the door and gone.

Another hundred years pass. This time, Shen Yuan arrives to find Luo Binghe already waiting for him. He isn't surprised to see that Binghe's situation has visibly improved -- maybe he was keeping closer tabs on him, just a little bit, for this past while. If only to be sure he wouldn't have to warn the tea house workers to expect an unorthodox visitor again! But no, Binghe has been doing well enough for himself. No more harems or thrones, though. He dresses more like a well-off merchant now, deliberately posing as his own mortal descendant rather than as a great immortal cultivator. The food at the table looks far more delicious than usual too (Binghe commandeered the tea house's kitchen himself this time). As they chat, Shen Yuan is regaled with the exploits of Luo Binghe's travels and adventures, how even though he initially set out to claim revenge on those who overthrew him, by the time he was in a position to actually do so they had already died of the usual causes (time, illness, their own schemes backfiring, etc). Subsequently, only their children and grandchildren were left with the scraps of power they had obtained, and when one of those children employed Luo Binghe as a bodyguard, his initial plan to assassinate them eventually fell by the wayside. After all, the wrongdoings weren't actually theirs. From that point, Binghe was able to restore himself to a more comfortable life, joining his new employer on their travels until he had set aside enough earnings to take his leave before his youthful good-looks earned him suspicion. He then began investing in travel and trade, specifically cargo ships, because never spending too long in the same place or around the same people helped disguise his immortality. He had found that, at least for now, this served him better than playing the part of a cultivator. It also gave him time to try and actually repair his ruined cultivation base somewhat, and fighting pirates proved very diverting.

Binghe is midway through recounting his adventures with a gigantic sea monster, while Shen Yuan hangs on every word, when they're interrupted by the arrival of a brash young mistress, clearly wealthy and trained in cultivation. The young lady declares that there is a rumor that a fallen god and a demon meet in this tea house once a century, that they wield strange powers, etc etc, and she intends to interrogate them both with the assistance of her hired muscle and her own spiritual weapon, and discover the truth of the matter. Then she whips out, well, a whip!

Before Shen Yuan can deal with the matter, Luo Binghe is already on his feet, disarming the goons and breaking a few arms in the process. Shen Yuan is so distracted that he almost misses the whip aimed right for him, but before Binghe can catch the barbed weapon with his bare hand (wtf, Binghe, no) Shen Yuan deflects it with a wave of his fan, and then efficiently knocks the troublesome young lady unconscious. The hired muscle flees, Shen Yuan arranges for their assailant to be placed in a room upstairs until she regains consciousness, and he and Binghe resume their meal and conversation in relative peace.

Even though it's clear that Luo Binghe has not yet reached the end of his tolerance for life, Shen Yuan nevertheless finds himself strangely reluctant to part ways at the end of the night. Still, he does, because that's what is expected of him, gently denying Luo Binghe's suggestions that they find some other establishment to continue their conversation at. He also has to investigate these "rumors" that the young lady mentioned. It's probably nothing (Shang Qinghua has a loose tongue when he's drunk, and a lot of imaginative storytellers have frequented this tea house over the years) but he doesn't like being caught unawares like that. Heavenly politics are... complicated, it's best not to court unwanted attention in any capacity.

Another hundred years go by. This time, when they meet at the tea house, Luo Binghe asks Shen Yuan why he keeps it up. Why did he pick Binghe? What is he really after? When Shen Yuan fails to give any kind of clear answer, Luo Binghe shoots his shot and makes a (very obvious) move on him.

Shen Yuan, flustered, gets up and flees. Ignoring Luo Binghe's calls after him. It just doesn't make any sense! Why would Binghe do that?! He's a man who once had a harem of wives in the triple digits! Clearly he's not gay, so what was that all about? Was he just messing with him?! How dare he! Etc, etc.

Another century passes. Luo Binghe waits at the tea house, which has fallen onto hard times again. With the construction of some new roadways, travelers no longer pass through as often. Binghe listens, worried, to the proprietor's laments that this old place will probably not be around in another hundred years. He listens because he has no one else to speak to, because Shen Yuan has not shown up. Not that morning, not during the day, not come evening, and not now that it is closing time. Binghe nevertheless charms and bribes the proprietor to let him stay even after the place has shuttered.

It seems damning, of course. He pressed too hard and now his mysterious benefactor wants nothing more to do with him. Except, no, he refuses to accept that. He's still immortal. And he has gleaned enough of Shen Yuan's character by now that he thinks that even if he was rejected, he would be let down more clearly and gently than this. The more he thinks about it, the less willing Luo Binghe is to believe that he has been deliberately stood up (also, since the tenor of his confession was different from Hob Gadling's, he never delivered an ultimatum about what it might imply when they met up again).

Over the centuries, Luo Binghe has built up a few contacts with similarly strange and supernatural stories. Cultivators, sure, but also others, fortune tellers and people of strange ancestry, questionable abilities, those who have interacted with powerful beings of mysterious provenance. He makes his way to a certain gambling den, frequented often by such people, and while he flashes around enough money to draw curiosity, he collects information. Shen Yuan wasn't the only person who started paying more attention to the kinds of rumors surrounding the two of them after their confrontation with the young cultivator a couple centuries ago. And in fact, Luo Binghe has been spending many, many years trying to find out more about his mystery man. Though, too many potential deities and immortals fit his description for him to have ever conclusively figured much out.

This is how Binghe gets wind of a rumor that an eccentric occultist has somehow captured a god in his basement...

[131-vr]

[irregularcollapse]

sigh I haven’t written in over a week because I’ve been slowly slowly (as quickly as my fibro will allow) moving house, and I’m feeling really disconnected from you all because I haven’t been reaching out, but!

Here’s the first paragraph of Chapter I of my current WIP, the Laurent x Damen Gothic Horror AU that I’ve titled A Storm That Took Everything.

I wonder what that goat is a sign of :) something nice for Damen, I hope :) maybe a sign that he will make a cool friend or have yummy goat for dinner :)

[fishandships]

@singingdeepinme victimized me with an imagine that i HAD to drop everything and draw (based off a scene from Aladdin)

[elite-7]

Thinking of writing Finnagrin as a space pirate.

Aaravos wants an ingredient from a certain planet to trade to a client, and Finny goes where the money is, to Katolis where he kidnaps Ezran instead of Callum (no he doesn’t hurt ezran, unlike canon, he has a soft spot for kids) and completes the mission as well.

Aaravos gets pissed cause Finny doesn’t realize that he captured the heir to Katolis throne.

Chaos chaos chaos

Callum seeks out a bounty hunter who may help him find Ezran.

Rayla is the bounty hunter.

I have lost track of whatever I needed to say. So take this as an incomplete wip. Anyone is welcome to use this idea!

[lilabelle777]

@spideytorchweek final day: free day

royalty au

“[he] touched me and it felt as if the stars were dancing across my skin.”

~ porcelain skin by josh wilbanks

[toffiendfee]

New AU idea, consider: Takumi is a (normally very sleepy) dragon, but one day he encounters the kingdom's crown prince while the latter is on a hunting trip, finds him very pretty, and takes him to his lair.

Crown prince Ryousuke actually thinks being kidnapped by a dragon is a fun change of pace, especially because the dragon is so cute.

Then prince Keisuke arrives to save his brother and slay the dragon... only to fail horribly, because he also thinks the dragon is very cute.

[emerxshiu]

Spoilers for The Midnight Soirée on ao3

link to the series: RosenRot Au (i hope the link works, i dunno how they work here on tumblr) by Analytical_Cochineal (ao3) here is their tumblr too

I finally decided to draw fanart for my favourite fanfic and kirby au (its actually my second attempt, fucked up the first one and left it unfinished) so here it is!

there isnt an official yin-yarn gijinka on the art references fic, and i was too lazy to create one for him so uh...yeah.

based on SaturdayLemon's comment on chapter 5.

i thought it'd be funny to have him in the shinji pose, it was a pain drawing this, i dunno what was more difficult, the chair or kirby himself in that pose

i kinda tried to like, merge my style a bit with the reference(? if thats understandable, dunno sorry im shit at explaining but i'll try my best, ok so, i wanted to keep the facial features, because my artstyle tends to be kinda simplified, especially in the face so it usually doesnt have much diversity in head form and stuff (im kinda trying to work on that), i think saying that i tried to adapt it to style would be more accurate? not sure, but if i try drawing this goober again i'll try ti adapt it better, because he kinda looks...off? to me

love'd bad end nights, i tend to ocasionally check ao3 to see if theres anything new in the tags i lurk on, gasped when i saw another entry on the RosenRot AU

the only way that i had to describe it after finishing chap.1 was

"its written by a human yet it is so beyond my human comprehension i literally didnt understand anything at all yet i understood everything at the same time and i love it" i dunno its weird to put what i felt into words. i think kirby has a terrible time is so accurate, so much so i'd say its an understatement and terrible doesnt make it justice to what the silly goes trough

originally this were gonna be two drawings, this the first, and another one of fluff dissapointed, but uh, i fucked up the second one and i couldnt salvage it. so he died i guess, i was thinking about end of chap3 and beggining of chap4, basically "were going to be wed my darling fian- what do you mean by what."

also my first attempt was chap5 fluff, but i fucked up and it was followed by one of the weirdest intereactions i've ever had (it was 2am and i hadent gotten a good sleep in some days and i was watching a video talking about those "kid channels" that are definitly not for kids and weird (censored ofc) stuff appeared and i literally said "do u see this shit fluff" y'know the spider-man meme? yeah that one, and there's more but im going off the rails)

dead attempt of the chair thing

i think imma cut it here, i have so much more to rant about (i rlly love this au) but i'll save it for another post of this

Jambuhbye :3 !

[depressedhatakekakashi]

God Of Storms Au

Rain is cold.

It soaks you to the bone and leaves you shivering.

There’s no good to be had staying out in the rain.

Gai had heard it all growing up. Whenever he wanted to go outside and feel the rain on his face his mother would scold him and usher him towards the fire.

If he dared to take a step outside when he was supposed to be studying his Tutors would yell. They’d fret over him if even the smallest drop of rain touched his skin.

Even as a prince there were things Gai was not allowed to do, and he’d always hated it. There were days he had sat beside the window watching the rain outside. Longing to just go out and feel it soaking into his clothes.

The God of Storms is unforgiving, Gai. If you step out into his showers you are welcoming his wrath.

Everyone spoke of the God of Storms as if he was some sort of cruel diety. A God who’s only goal was to harm them.

Gai couldn’t believe those stories.

He refused to believe them.

How could a being that created such beauty ever be bad?

“Come on,” Kakashi had reached out a hand towards him, offering him a chance to step outside into the rain. An opportunity to live his dream. “It’s just rain.”

“Just rain?” He chuckled. “Kakashi, i don’t think i have ever heard anyone refer to it as ‘just rain’”

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. “Watch,” he took a step back and was immediately showered with rain. His brilliant spiky hair flattened with the weight of the water, but the smile never left his face for even a second. “See? I’m still alive.”

He was. Gai could see him standing there clear as day. Rain water running down his forhead and over his nose, his hand still stretched out towards him.

“It’s cold,” he whispered even as he took a step forward and reached out for Kakashi’s hand. “And wet.”

“But that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.” Kakashi’s eyes sparkled in a way he’d never seen before, and if all Gai had to do to keep seeing that beautiful sparkle was step outside, he was more than happy to do it.

Grabbing hold of Kakashi’s hand, Gai gasped when he was suddenly tugged forward. The rain hit him immediately, but instead of the deep cold he’d been taught to fear, all he felt was joy.

“See?” Kakashi took another step back, dragging Gai further outside with him. “It’s not bad.”

There’s nothing good to come out of going outside in the rain.

His parents words echoed in his mind, but Gai ignored them. How could he listen to such blatant lies when he now knew the truth.

Rain wasn’t cold, and it didn’t leave him shivering or running for the warmth of the fire.

Rain was brilliant. It fell from the sky with grace, and lit up the world in a way that the sun never could.

Most importantly, rain was beautiful.

Almost as beautiful as Kakashi’s smile.

For: @spellcasterlight who asked for some medieval Au (this kinda fits XD) and @crypticsummons who needs more Kakagai in their lives lol

[hannahhook7744]

Meet Prince Lucas Larson Tremaine-Westergaard of the isle;

FC: Cameron Monaghan.

Fic Title: The Marvelous Misadventures of Hannah Hook.

Nicknames: Luke, Lukie, Lukie Pie, lulu, Lu, Lukie Pookie, Luka, Red, The red diva, walkie talkie, motor mouth, brainless, pretty boy, the drunken toddler, Reflex, speedy, fast boy, Mr quick, chief, Gordon Ramsey wannabe, Cassanova, quickster, Quickstep, Sir flex-a-lot, Lukester, Sir falls-down-alot, doofus, Mr Moron, happy feet, tall boy, tall witch, Prince Red, Prince Handsome, Handsome devil, reheaded Ken doll, Narcissis reincarnated, freckles, Sir sleeps alot, Prince sleeps alot, Prince carrot top, Prince Speedy, Prince Quick, Hannh's twin, Hannah's annoying shadow, Sir flirts-a-lot, Prince Tremaine, The King of Broken Bones, King Tremaine, L.A.T.W, Turbo, elf boy, elf ears, and Sir Pain-a-lot.

Sexuality: Pansexual.

Pronouns: He/him.

Birthday: December 2nd at 7:55 pm.

Height: 6"0.

Hair Color: Ruby Red.

Eye Color: Bottle green.

Place Of Birth: Isle of the Lost.

Hobbies: Racing, cooking, filming, riding his bike, drawing, listening to music, role playing, gaming, swimming, and reading comic books.

Likes: Playing the saxophone, playing the drums, fashion, drumming, Playing the piano, Playing the harmonica, playing hockey, sword fighting, shooting, cats, food, Gordon Ramsey, vintage stuff, making movies, horror movies, my bike, making comic books, making inappropriate jokes, jazz, and pranks.

Dislikes: Big dogs, needles, the dark, leprechauns, bees, his pointy ears, his three sliver teeth, his nose getting broken, his family taking his stuff, ignorance, people messing with his friends, bullies, being alone, people disrespecting women, and people messing with his cat.

Favorite musicians: Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, the beastie Boys, Taylor Swift, Conan Gray, The Charmers, The Dragonslayer, etc.

Physical Quirks/Scars: Freckles, pointy elf-like ears, Three small needle point scars on each ear (from failed attempts at piercing them himself), Dog bite scars scattering his legs (fron a rabid dog that attacked him on the isle), a crooked nose (from all the times it's been broken), and three false teeth (from being punched several times).

Family: Hans Westergaard (father), Drizella Tremaine (mother), Anastasia Tremaine (maternal Aunt), Jacob Lathyn (Uncle), Lady Tremaine (Maternal grandmother), Cinderella (maternal step-aunt), Kit Charming (maternal Step-uncle), Chad and Chloe Charming (maternal step-cousins), Alana Olympian-Westergaard (paternal aunt), the stabbington cousins (paternal cousins), the stabbington brothers (paternal uncles), Lady Caine (paternal aunt), Madame Medusa (paternal aunt), Lars Westergaard La Bouf (paternal uncle), and Charlotte Westergaard La Bouf of the southern isles (paternal aunt). Ezra, Johannez, and Hannah/Carmine of Arendelle and Evie Queen (Paternal half siblings). Dorothy, Daphne, Debbie, Delanie, Dixie, Dotty, and Dizzy (full blooded siblings). And Anthony, Aaron, Amara, and Anya (Maternal cousins), etc.

Honorary Family: The Hook family, the Gothel siblings, Yong, Ulla, Quirin, Nuru, Hades' family, the Fitzherberts, and Hugo.

Friends: Audrey Rose and his crew mates.

Pets: Lightning (cat).

Love Inserest: Princess Darcy Morrigan Aoratos of the underworld and Andalasia.

Optimistic or Pessimistic: Optimistic.

Introvert or Extrovert: Extrovert.

Occupation: High-school student, Prince, and pirate first mate.

Extracurriculars: Hockey, track, cooking club, and drummer of the Misty eyed Knights.

Favorite Animal: Cats.

Favorite Color: Denim Blue, Red, and Pink.

Favorite Book: 'Freak the Mighty' by Rodman Philbrick.

Favorite Food: Hot Cheeto, Bean, Cheese, and Ground Beef Burrito.

Favorite Drink: Pink Lemonade.

Favorite Movie/TV Show: The Addams Family and The Flash.

Background: Once upon a time, Prince Hans Westergaard of the southern isles fell in love with Drizella Tremaine after a falling out and three kids with Elsa. 6 more kids later, Lucas "Luke" Larson Tremaine-Westergaard of the southern isles was born on the isle of the lost. He was one of the first to known of Hannah Hook's existence and soon befriended her and Hades' kids. Soon becoming Hannah's first mate and 2nd in command. He's had a crush on Darcy for years and was smuggled to Auardon by Hannah during the events of d1.

~~~~Playlist~~~~

"Best Friend" by Conan Gray.

"Lil Red Riding Hood" by Bowling For Soup.

"Womanizer" by Britney Spears.

"Hot Mess" by Cobra Starship.

"22" by Taylor Swift.

"Celebrity" by Brad Paisley.

"Double Vision" by 3OH!3.

Inspired by @thecaptainsgingersnap and @theinnerworkingsofoc .

[vixlenxe]

Me remembering I gave this puppet a royal au & man that was a mistake.

[bespectacled-bookwyrm]

Some Things About the "Heart of the Storm" (AKA Dragon Colress) AU

It actually took Grimsley a really long time to realise he was dating a storm dragon. Despite his skill with people, he somehow never picked up on Colress being a dragon until it was explicitly spelt out to him.

Rosa, on the other hand, knew from the start that Colress was The Storm Incarnate.

Burgh quickly figured out that Colress was a dragon; he just didn't know he was THAT dragon until Colress told him.

Prince Lear's kingdom is one of the places that worships The Storm Incarnate. The prince made sure to construct a temple in his honour, and created a replica of a mountain his kingdom refers to as the "Storm-Struck Pinnacle" when he created Pasio.

Colress really does have poor eyesight! Because Storm dragons are so rarely observed, however, it's impossible to tell if poor sight occurs in all of them or if Colress just so happens to have it.

The Storm Incarnate will sometimes bask in the sun, much like his fire-breathing cousins. He doesn’t need to, but he quite enjoys the feeling of the sun's warmth on his body. He especially enjoys doing so in his human disguise; it's not uncommon for Pokémon to join him, especially Electric-Types.

Murals and statuettes depict the Storm, all with varying degrees of accuracy. Because he spends so much time in the clouds, the artists have never gotten an accurate look at him.

Colress is actually quite ignorant about a lot of human things. For example, he found himself fascinated by Burgh's freckles, marvelling at how humans can have such lovely patterns and describing them as stars on his skin.

On the other hand, he is very well-versed in literature and machinery. As a result, his speech is a curious mixture of scientific and something out of a Jane Austen novel.

Rosa and Grimsley are trying to teach him modern speech, with varying degrees of success.

Storm dragons aren't built for maneuvering on the ground. Their limbs are better suited for grasping onto outcroppings, cliff faces, etc. when at rest. Consequently, storm dragons are incredibly clumsy when on the ground.

A specific herd of Latios and Latias accompany the Storm Incarnate the most; there are numerous theories why, with the most common being that he protected them from something in the past.

The Storm was actually around when Kyurem first appeared in Unova. Naturally, he slept through the whole thing and only woke up when the split happened.

Being such an old dragon, Colress' sense of time is very different from a human's. Grimsley has had to reschedule several dates as a result.

Sleeping for two days is very worrying in humans, but for Colress it's a simple power nap. Likewise, a week feels like a day to him.

Burgh absolutely LOVES using Colress as a painting subject. The dragon can sit completely still for long periods of time, making him the ideal subject.

Colress purrs when he's happy or content. He especially likes curling around Grimsley and purring - they both find it soothing.

When the Storm purrs, it's a very deep sound that seems to make the air vibrate.

Colress can't read sheet music and has no idea how string instruments work. He has, however, learned to play the piano by ear.

He absolutely loves it when Grimsley plays the cello; part of it stems from his fascination with how the instrument works, but it’s mostly from the haunting tones it produces.

Rosa has, on several occasions, woven flowers and leaves into Colress' hair. She also frequents the library with him, and has a lot of fun picking out books for him to read.

Colress is utterly oblivious to his status as divinity amongst some humans. Consequently, it took him a very long time to realise the dragon imagery he sees in certain festivals was depicting him!

I'll probably add more as the occur to me.

This was fun to write! And sorry if it's a mess - the AU isn't very fleshed-out yet.

[cepetriwrites]

Into the Storm

Chapter 5: Aemond

Read on AO3

It was Targaryen tradition to place a dragon egg in the cradle of a prince or princess. There has been none available for Aemond or his sister Helaena. They were both dragonless riders, though the indignity of it all hurt Aemond more. His sister was more focused on bugs than dragons. She was a strange Targaryen, but Aemond enjoyed spending time with his sister. She was nice, and didn’t mock him about not having a dragon, like Aegon.

She liked the same things he did, like history. Aemond loved pouring over the volumes of Targaryen history the septons brought him. Helaena and Aemond recreated iconic battles from their history with her dolls and his figures. It was an effective way to study as well. Today they play pretend the best moments from Aegon’s Conquest. Aemond had lined up multiple figures to represent the bannerman Aegon had fought during Aegon’s First Test. “Who did Aegon face on the field during his first battle?”

"Lord Darklyn of Duskendale and Lord Mooton of ... Maidenpool, they formed an alliance and mustered a force of three thousand men.”

“And then Aegon came in on Balerion and burned them to death!” Aemond said, gleefully smacking into his figures with the stone carving of Balerion their father had made. They had borrowed it, along with his figures of Vhagar and Meraxes. “And then Visenya and Rhaenys crowned his king, and he became the greatest warrior Westeros had ever seen, undefeated in battle!”

“Almost undefeated,” Helaena said, playing with the figure of Vhagar, “He never beat Dorne. Unbowed, unbent, unbroken.”

Aemond gave his sister a sour look, Dorne , one blight on Aegon’s unstoppable campaign. Only ending the war on the condition of being an equal alliance. They could always lord over the Targaryen’s that they had never been defeated. Not only that, they had done something impossible: kill a dragon.

The young Targaryen turned over Balerion in his hands, his father had been his final rider before his death. What had it felt like? Mounting the giant among dragons, and taking to the air. He wanted more than anything to have a dragon of his own. He’d give anything to finally be a dragon rider. To fulfill his destiny and birthright as a Targaryen, then Aegon would stop mocking him about being riderless. “When do you think we’ll get dragons?” Helaena shrugged, playing with Vhagar, making it fly in the air. Clearly the denial of their birthright did not torture the girl like it did her brother.

“A dream comes first, before eternal sleep, it leaves a shadow behind.”

Aemond sighed, Helaena was rambling her nonsense again. Aegon said she was touched in the head. Aemond knew she was smart enough, she was able to recite all the lessons her septa gave her with good accuracy. He wished she could be serious instead of spouting nonsensical rambling. A servant entered dressed in red and white entered Aemond’s room. “Your Graces, it is time for you to train in the dragonpit.”

Helaena dusted herself off and stood up, Aemond remained on the floor, frowning at the stone Balerion. “Aemond?” She said.

“I don’t want to go, it’s embarrassing, everyone has a dragon except for me.”

“And me.”

“No one makes fun of you for it.”

“Aegon mocks me all the time.” Helaena sat down next to her brother, and put an arm around him, “You’ll get one eventually. Not everyone gets a dragon when they’re born. Father didn’t. Or Uncle Daemon. Laenor’s sister didn’t have a dragon at our age. Now she rides Vhagar!” She handed him her figurine of the she-dragon. “You’ll have a dragon one day, Aemond. I know it.”

He was glad to have Helaena as a sister, she was his best friend, she usually defended him from Aegon when wasn’t tricking her into pulling pranks. Aemond found himself thinking of marriage. They were only a few years away from thirteen, they’d need to be betrothed soon. Helaena would marry a Targaryen to uphold tradition and strengthen their family. He hoped their mother would choose him. He’d be a good husband, and they got along well.

***

The dragonpit was a huge system of caverns and tunnels capable of hosting numerous dragons. Young dragonriders and the dragonless trained with the Dragonkeepers. It was torture for Aemond, watching his brother and nephews train with their bonded dragons. The dragonkeepers hadn’t let him attempt to ride the couple riderless dragons in the pit. Every available dragon or hatchling was on Dragonstone, a place his family had not visited yet. Father said when he was old enough he would get to try claiming one. For now he had to suffer the insults from Aegon.

Today Aegon was showboating even worse than usual, he flaunted his mastery with Sunfyre. He was only this good because he had had the most time, Aemond thought bitterly. Helaena was practicing her Valyrian by translating for the Head Dragonkeeper Loras. “Beware… Don’t be so… proud? Dragons are not… objects.”

“Be careful Your Grace to not be so arrogant. Dragons are not toys.” The dragonkeeper’s assistant clarified.

“We don’t want accidents happening.” Helaena continued, Aemond could tell Aegon was only half listening, he didn’t respect their sister. He only listen to the keepers because it suited his needs. Aemond felt his stomach twist with rage, it wasn’t fair that Aegon had a dragon. His brother treated Sunfyre like a plaything, he didn’t show the creatures the proper respect they deserved. He should be the one with a dragon, not his lazy older brother. Sunfyre was wasted on Aegon. Everything was wasted on Aegon. He got the best of everything, he was the rightful heir to the throne, and what did he do with those opportunities? Squander them. Aemond excelled everywhere that Aegon failed, yet he was always passed over for the eldest. He hated the traditions of Westeros, why should everything go to the first son? Why not the best son?

A grinding noise pulled Aemond out of his ruminations, the dragonkeepers were opening the door, a dragon was leaving to stretch it’s wings. Such great beasts only tolerated staying grounded for so long. Out it came from the lower parts of the pit, escorted by four dragonkeepers. Dreamfyre had been unclaimed for nearly fifty years since the death of her last rider, Rhaena Targaryen, a sister of Jaehaeyrs the Wise.

Aemond eyed the dragon hungrily, the she-dragon could be his one day, hopefully. She was easily twice the size of the young Sunfyre, with a slender body. He was told she was one of the fastest and maneuverable in the air. The young prince understood, looking at her streamlined body, she was built for speed. Dreamfyre was pale blue with silver markings. He felt the urge to approach the dragon, to try and claim her. The dragonkeepers would have him by the back of his neck before he could lay a finger on her. They were very careful about keeping a safe distance between dragons and anyone they might consider roasting alive.

Dreamfyre paused and turned her head, Aemond’s heart skipped a beat, thinking she may be looking at him. No, the she-dragon’s eyes were on a different Targaryen. Loras was whispering to Helaena something he couldn’t quite understand in Valyrian. Helaena took a step forward and Dreamfyre lowered her head to be level with his older sister. She slowly outstretched a pale hand to touch her scales. Dreamfyre exhaled, blowing hot hair on Helaena, she hesitated. Loras called out encouragement, something about asserting herself. Aemond felt his blood run cold. What if Dreamfyre rejected Helaena? Claiming a dragon was dangerous, hopeful riders had been burned alive, thrown off their backs during flight, or eaten in the past. He should stop them. Why were they letting Helaena take such a risk. He feet stayed planted as he watched in horror and anticipation.

Helaena’s hand made contact, and Dreamfyre stared at his sister, she didn’t look hungry. She withdrew her head, to unleash fire? And let out a low rumble. Aemond wondered if he could reach her in time to knock her out of the way if things went south. Helaena was walking around the dragon, trailing her hand along her scales, utterly mesmerized. No one was moving, they hardly dared breath. Dreamfyre moved her head again, and let out a low trill. In a blink Helaena, sweet, quiet, timid, shy, overly cautious, unambitious Helaena, was shooting up the back of a dragon, with speed Aemond didn’t know she was capable of. “Helaena!” He shouted, his heart beating wildly.

The dragonkeepers made a move forward, concerned, Dreamfyre moved her wing, creating a barrier from Helaena and any would be rescuers. Loras called out in Valyrian, his assistant translated, “Princess, she does not have a saddle.”

Helaena was settling into seat, on Dreamfyre, bareback, “We’ll be careful,” she said with too much confidence. Aemond’s knees were weak, he was going to be sick. Why were the keepers allowing this recklessness to happen?

Dreamfyre stretched her wings in anticipation, Helaena looked at Loras, who nodded at her, NO! “SOVES!” Fly. Her command rang out clearly in the pit. The she-dragon took several more steps until she was free of the pit, out the door, then flapped her wings, gaining air. Everyone ran to the entrance to watch Helaena’s first flight with Dreamfyre. She was not out of the woods yet, the dragon could still decide to throw her off. Why had his stupid stupid sister decided to attempt her first flight without a dragon? This was impulsive and reckless! Behavior he expected from Aegon, but Helaena?

“Helaena claimed a dragon!” Little Luke called out excitedly. The little fool, a dragon could take to the air before ditching a rejected rider.

“How long before we know Dreamfyre won’t reject Helaena?” Aemond asked a keeper breathlessly, eyes fixed on the shrinking dragon.

“A dragon will not keep a rejected rider on their back for long.” The keeper said.

Dreamfyre was gliding through the sky, he saw no figure falling from its body. Helaena must still be on. Soon the dragon disappeared from their sight. “Where’d she take her?” He asked anxiously.

“Probably flying around the city, it’s what I did with Sunfyre,” Aegon said, how could he manage to brag at a time like this? Aemond wanted to punch Aegon in his mouth. He decided against it, keeping his eyes fixed on the sky, hoping Dreamfyre would return Helaena soon unharmed.

Dreamfyre took Helaena around King’s Landing three times before landing in front of the dragonpit entrance. She clumsily slid off the dragon, down her wing and ran to her waiting welcoming committee. “That was the best moment of my life!” She shouted, she was breathless, her braid had hair sticking out, and her eyes wild. “She wanted to go faster but I told her no, I didn’t have my saddle and she listened!” She said to the approving dragonkeepers.

“Very good Princess, but remember, full bonding takes time and work. Dreamfyre will not fully listen to your commands yet.”

“I understand,” she was bouncing on her heels, Aemond couldn’t recall the last time she was this animated. “Can you put a saddle on her? Please? She’ll allow it.” The keepers obliged and fetched a saddle to fit on Dreamfyre. She sat patiently as it was put in place, Helaena was rubbing her dragon’s head.

“It is secured Princess, remember to secure the chains in place before every take off.” A keeper said.

Dreamfyre let out a trill, and Helaena was scrambling up her dragon again, ignoring any calls for her to come down. She quickly secured herself in place, Dreamfyre slowly raised her wings in anticipation, there was a glint in the she-dragon’s eyes. “Helaena they said come down!” Aemond said.

“Soves!” Helaena cried out, Dreamfyre shot up in the air, shooting off with a speed it had not attempted when Helaena rode bareback.

“What is wrong with her? She never disobeys like that.” Aemond wondered aloud.

“Well Aemond, riding dragons is fun, and riders like to stay up in the air, you’ll understand one day, maybe.” Aemond lunged at his brother and had to be held back by dragonkeepers who immediately started scolding him.

Jace let out a whistle, “Dreamfyre is showing off.”

She was, it was easy to understand Dreamfyre’s intentions now. The dragon had invited his sister to fly on her back. Only landing for a brief moment for a saddle to be secured so she could take her new rider on a true flight. Dreamfyre soared with the air with grace and agility. Climbing high, diving down, turning left and right, you could faintly hear shrieks of delight from Helaena. Watching the pair soar through the air, all the fear left Aemond. Only to be replaced by a heavier emotion. Jealousy. His stomach twisted in a painful knot, now he was the only one of his siblings, of any of the Targaryen heirs to be dragonless. Aegon and Daeron had been given an egg at birth, a tradition the gods had denied him. His bastard nephews had bonded with eggs laid by their mother’s dragon Syrax. Now Helaena had claimed one, no it was worst than that. Dreamfyre had picked her, practically begged her to climb on and take flight.

“Back to the pit Princes, you’re not done with your lesson.” A keeper called out. Aemond didn’t move, instead crying hot tears as he watched his sister enjoying what he could not.

[wildflowercryptid]

i'm a fool, how did i not think of gordie being an earth genasi in a dnd au sooner....

[luxiedrawsshit42]

Once upon a time, the CN color palette trend was a thing, and I did it with a fantasy (”Royals”) AU version of Aletri because I think he’s cool. Look at my original tags for some Lore(tm)