#some sort of creature adapting to become something more

[vibingandsimping]

Ayooo for that ascended astarion and timid reader, would you be able to write how he takes her. Idk why i never thought of that combo but dayum. Fire.

LMAOO. This request made me giggle when I first read it. Took me awhile to get to these requests but I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN!!

Whether or not you were a virgin didn’t matter to Astarion. He’d treat you like you were, anyways. His brain wouldn’t wrap around any experience you had. A little thing like you needed some guidance; a little confidence. He has you sat on his lap. Thighs wrapped around him as your knees pressed into the plush of the bed (nothing short of exquisite). You’re clad in very little, in fact, only your lower garment. Skin and breasts on display for a man who observed you like the finest meal in Faerûn. You were sure this wolf was going to eat you whole, actually. The bated silence was broken by him looping his fingers around your wrist and resting it upon his chest. The bastard was still dressed with the exception of his shoes. He rests your fingers on the lace of his shirt.

“Now, if you ever want to seduce a man, my darling. It’s all a dance between the two. Not that i’d ever let hands on you besides my own.” That last sentence sent shivers with the way it’d been spoken. His voice dropping an octave becoming a near growl. You tremble a tidbit as you began to unlace his shirt and slip it off his pale body. You’d seen him shirtless a couple times from your shared bed. This was entirely different- he intended on showing you this skin with an carnal intimacy. To make you lust after him as the way he’s lusted after you. He watches in anticipation and you swallow shakily, fingers skimming his skin. The muscle’s flex at the touch and he draws in a breath. You have a sense that he’d been imagining this long before he event officially met you. He releases your wrist in favor of holding your hips. The added weight closes any distance between your crotches. The firm outline of his erection in his clad trousers sent shivers up your spine. A whine choking in your throat. You hated the effect he had on you throughout your time with him.

His lips drawl into a wicked smirk as his fangs peek. You’re acutely reminded of his nature. A demigod creature of the night preparing to claim you as his. Eternity or not it was a big step in whatever this relationship was. Which, seems to be his consort or lover? He was fiercely protective of you but gave it no true label. You felt more like property than any sort of a mutual. He takes another deep breath and his pupils dilate. His enhanced senses must be telling him of your state. Surely you seeped onto his pants by now. Nails trail your hip as he moves it between your thighs. Sliding past the thin fabric to slip his fingers in-between your folds. Astarion lets out a soft sound of satisfaction finding you wet. The pads of his fingers pressing against the bud of your clit before he pulls away entirely. He makes a show of cleaning his fingers off while moaning at the taste of your cunt. “Delicious. I’m positive it’s even better straight from the source, though. Don’t worry, pet. We have all night to explore. I’ll teach you everything.” You shivered and nodded sheepishly. This life of luxury was alien to you but it was something you could eventually adapt to. It’s not like you had much of a choice for a commoner.

[eldritch-spouse]

Lacai getting caught stealing the Queen's new panties and her forcing him to eat her pussy as a punishment??

[""Forcing him""- Oh no, the poor pervert. Fem reader.]

Lacai figures he could just be patient.

He really could afford to wait only a few minutes until you and King Vesper depart for this evening's festivities. Left vastly alone in the mansion with only his team of servants and the occasional toy roaming around, there'd be nothing to stop this sleazeball from dunking himself head first into the used laundry basket inside your bedchambers.

But that's not his goal.

Sure, he does want to keep pairs of your panties for himself. For his growing collection, his trophies, though it was never the driving reason for his actions. Lacai wants to get caught, he thrills in becoming sloppy, leaving traces, keeping you wondering who is doing such a disgusting thing.

The King probably already knows, if Lacai had to guess. But not you. It's taking a while for it to click in your head. Lacai supposes he's a bit mean for accusing some of the less subtle servants, taking advantage of the fact that he's the most dressed person in the mansion- Though it's more than a little fun to throw you off. There's playfulness in every imp, after all.

Still, knowing the risk, because of the risk, the fantasy of it all, Lacai is currently in the main bathroom. Digging through your laundry basket as expected. It was placed there specifically for your comfort, everyone knows the Lord of Lust walks everywhere he can bare as the day he was born- Save for the chains, of course.

You don't. Not yet at least. You still cling to the creature comforts and routines of the surface, like a safety blanket. Lacai knows it won't take that long before you give into the demonlord's temptations however, admiring Vesper for his patience as pink claws scrape off clothing items one by one, day by day. Point being, Lacai supposes he ought to make the most out of this adaptation period, before there are no more clothes to steal away at all...

The impcubus makes a cursory glance around the room, to the doorway, before stuffing wriggling gloved fingers into your used items. Naturally having a sharper sense of smell than humans, he's already being hit with all sorts of faint signals, mostly your natural scent and a hint of sweat. A womanly musk. Nothing out of sorts.

Lacai hums quietly as he searches, tail wagging, images rapidly forming in his mind. Once again, he defaults to picturing what you might do if you stumbled in on this, a scenario he has made and remade an obsessive amount of times. You're not a full on raging pervert yet, at least not openly -It's all a matter of inevitability here, the waiting game- So you're definitely going to punish him in some way or another.

Mmm punishment... Your punishment. His tail curls giddily.

Would you send him to the floor, put a heel to his chest, berate him for his depravity while making him kiss and lick wordless apologies up the length of your beautiful legs? Don't you know he can't help it? That he's only a lovelorn, desperate, debased vassal? A thrall to your every movement, dirty enough to sate himself with traces of you- Have you no pity, beneath that sugary smile, for your gross little servant?

Just as he starts getting into the zone of a specific scenario, something already stirring in his pants, Lacai snags something between his index and middle finger that has his eyes widening.

" Oh? "

The fantasy slips away, slinking into the creases between the tiles on the floor when Lacai extracts a remarkable pair of panties from the pile. The previous pairs he had fished are all but swiftly discarded, the apple of his eye now a very expensive-looking piece. Purple, featuring intricate and manually woven patterns on all sides, vaguely transparent as they swirl and dance on the skin of the wearer and featuring short frills on the sides.

Fucking jackpot!

The imp's breath catches.

He's seen this pair before on you. It's very very recent. In fact, the King gifted it to you when you started truly settling into your new life as the consort of Lust. Lacai knows because he saw this very pair on you once. Vesper was determined to spoil you extra hard that day, he wanted you to feel irresistible, and thus, your outfit had to reflect that. The imp will never forget the way you sauntered across the halls in those translucent pink robes, thin fabric melting into a beautiful lavender gradient. The head imp is unashamed to admit that he constantly tilted his head and lingered in certain places just to better see your delicious ass framed by those patterns. The way it rode up your hips and framed your pretty pussy was hypnotizing. Lacai wished he could have just whisked you away for a second, a moment for his eyes -And hopefully hands- Only, but the sovereign had your attention the whole day and his servant understood it wouldn't be wise to get in the way.

Lacai brings the cloth to his face, moaning in glee as traces of you tickle up his nostrils to his brain, fireworks set off, his pants suddenly a hindrance when his length wastes no time poking out its slit and tenting them. You've worn these recently, he can tell, humming at the high the cloth offers his depraved senses while his hand trails a path down his front, unceremoniously crammed down dark pants to fetch his cock, pump himself to the image of you leaving these out for him- The thought of you playing with yourself through the cloth and letting your wetness coat it before discarding it, knowing he's going to weasel his way to it eventually, makes him throb painfully.

The more he palms and squeezes at his own length, the less Lacai seems to care about anything around him, cursing under his breath as he considers simply blowing his load right then and there without so much as a quick escapade to more private settings no one's likely to find him in. A shiver charts its way down his spine, making his tail tense when he hunches with growing pleasure, eyes shut, his peak approaching embarrassingly fast for his type of fiend, and then-

" Bastard! "

The imp gasps hard enough to nearly inhale your panties in the process, choking, skeleton jumping out his skin as he swivels to face you.

It's not even that Lacai is ashamed. It's that he genuinely didn't hear you.

" So it was you this whole time?! "

The demon doesn't offer much of a reaction to your very evident rage, instead taking the time to study your new attire. Apparently, Vesper is ever closer to having you strut around stark naked, because the sparse red fabric crisscrossing your body in a manner much too reminiscent of shibari to be a mere coincidence can barely be considered clothing by any definition of the word.

Lacai gets distracted by the sight of your peeking nipples for long enough that you catch him off-guard yet again and viciously yank the panties off his hand. Ah, there goes his golden find.

While you evaluate the item, checking if he had done something to it, the servant can't stop the heated grin that tugs at his lips when he realizes he's getting exactly what he asked for- Caught red-handed. His tail rises in anticipation and Lacai licks his lips, still finding traces of your musk there. He's the picture of smooth arrogance when you glare back at him, which humorously only seems to make you boil more.

You're probably thinking about all the excuses he gave you, all the clever little misleading comments, adding two and two together right in front of him.

" You little- " You huff. " Are you even going to defend yourself, you sleazeball?! "

He throbs at the comment, visibly so, and you finally seem to register the hand that's still in his pants, and hasn't really stopped teasing him all this time. Fury and flustered shock war on your face, making the other all but tremble with delight.

" Mmn no. "

He had to fight the urge to laugh when you flinched at the nonchalant response. A silent pause passes where your hues crash against violet ones. And while any other concubus would have seen this as an aggressive challenge, brightened their eyes warningly, Lacai knows he can't meet his oblivious ruler's boldness. So, as a different way of defying you, he keeps stroking his cock, as if he didn't feel minimally threatened by your distaste. And he doesn't.

" Unbelievable! " You erupt. " I am- I'm your Queen! "

It's the first time Lacai has ever heard you refer to yourself with the correct title, causing his usual lidded gaze to actually widen in genuine soft happiness. You seem to taste and test the term on your own lips, trying to sound confident even when it's very clear the role still intimidates you.

He could shoot your bravado down with another disarming quip, but it might ruin the fun. The imp knows he has to tread a thin line between teasing and compliance, playing at your pace is the best option.

" Get on your knees. "

Oh. Oh?

The smirk he sported before turns into an outright grin, Lacai's cheeks painted a plum purple. The imp obeys far too fast, eagerly awaiting a new order, beaming at the possible perversions running through your mind. What will you have him do?

Instead, you roll your eyes at him. " Ugh, take your hand off your dick for two seconds. "

Easier said than done, you're such a massive fucking cocktease. It makes him stupid. Nevertheless, two gloved palms rest on his thighs politely, girth back to straining at its coverings.

Wordlessly, your arm lifts and an index finger points to the tiled floor in front of you. Lacai feels a wave of heat course through him while he crawls your way, slinking on the ground like the pathetic pervert he is at heart, head low, a curled tail betraying his enjoyment. His panting breaths condense on the floor.

" I don't want to hear a single smartass comment from you. " He hears more than sees a leg stretching forward. " Make it up to me. "

A quiet purring coo erupts from Lacai's throat, the smaller demon instantly letting greedy hands drift to your heel-clad foot. He grabs you like you're made of porcelain, pressing lingering kisses against bare skin, between the lace of your gorgeous heeled sandals, going as far as to boldly tug on the thin fabric from time to time. He trails a feverish and imploring path to your ankle, then scoots ever nearer to you as his journey up your leg truly begins. Because, as much as Lacai would like to spend all day kissing every part of you, he's clearly got a preference and it's right between your legs.

You shoot the imp a warning look when he tries to get close enough to rest his groin against your leg.

Unfortunately for you, it keeps slipping your mind that concubi aren't creatures whose eyes you can look into for too long without suffering consequences. There's a reason Lacai keeps seeking eye contact while he performs his "apologetic" display, a reason as to why his reverent kisses are becoming wetter. He may be an imp, but his influence is still felt in a human's body.

And you're starting to get decently wet.

When Lacai begins mouthing at the inside of your thigh, hands flirting up and down the length of your skin, eyes wantonly drifting to that scandalously sheer strip of cloth covering your pussy, he can no longer hold the mischief maker in him that begs to pipe up, to rile.

The imp leans up, moving to happily place a peck on your covered cunt when you grab his left horn and yank his head away.

" And who said you could do that, you audacious bastard? "

He gives you this drunken smile, full of adoration and desire, mirth glinting in those pretty eyes. " But my Queen, your need calls to me. I only want to please you. "

" My nee- "

" You're wet enough to taste. "

There. The shock that flashes through your face like you've just been slapped. Such short memory you have. Maybe you're under the impression only King Vesper can scent your arousal... Wrong. So very wrong. Every time you pass by a servant with desire in your heart, all of them get a pulse, an alarm- You're exigent in your lusts.

Another stare down ensues, and what a wonderful view it is to have you looming over him, hopelessly turned on yet disdainful, forever trapped between those two states, a visage of turmoil and begrudging adaptation- Already too tempted and ruined to return to the person you once were, but unable to fully accept it either. The sovereign should demand a painting of you with this exact expression, in Lacai's humble opinion.

" How dare you. "

It wasn't even a question.

The impcubus blinks lazily.

After far too long being restlessly still, your index -Such long and beautiful nails you're sporting today, he hopes you puncture him with them- Hurriedly swipes that velvet cloth aside, baring to the servant your need. Slick, plump, he can almost hear your heartbeat there as blood flow increases in the area.

" Fix your mess, you animal. "

And even if you hiss it at Lacai like it's some sort of dreadful punishment, the two of you know so much better already. You're practically doing him a favor, without outright admitting that perhaps it turns you on that he was the underwear thief all along.

" Of course, my Lady. " Looking at his face or not, you can hear the grin in those words.

Lacai doesn't take off his gloves, you're starting to think it might be his fetish, but it would also be lying to say that the sensation of such expensive spandex spreading your lips isn't somewhat exotic. His fingers are delicate but explorative, tracing the length of your entrance and nudging your clit, slow, deliberately too light to give you any real stimulus.

Even now, he has the nerve to test your patience.

Nearly growling at the head imp, you grab his onyx hair and make sure to glue his mouth to your cunt. He moans, giggling hornily.

" Make this quick. "

Who is he to deny a direct order from his superior?

Lacai moves with a fury, the depths of his yearning for you -Brewing from the first day- Unearthed viciously as he latches onto you without reservation. Oh he will make it fast, fast enough that you won't even have time to beg him for more before you're convulsing atop him.

The imp has to keep you steady with handfuls of your ass, taking the opportunity to encourage you to grind on his face when you're finally able to find your footing after the initial shock. In the back of his mind, he really hopes you can handle cumming in heels without tripping or breaking something.

Between the sucking of your poor clit, rolled by his tongue like a pearl and the shameless lapping of your hole, you can only gasp and twitch when he quickly manages to stuff most of his tongue inside you. Your nails claw against his scalp and Lacai's spine arches when you tip your head back to moan throatily, the type of sound he loves hearing from Vesper's throne while he's working nearby, but for him this time.

No words of praise are spared to him when you grunt and twist your hand on his scalp, forcing the demon's head to twist back uncomfortably just so he can shove even more of his drooling tongue up your pussy, his chin caked in your slick and the noises of him mercilessly drilling into you ringing out grossly.

The shuddering whines you let out have Lacai heating like a furnace, so he waits patiently until you start truly fucking his face with harsh rolls of your lush hips before letting one of his hands fall to the front of his pants, eagerly shoving everything out of the way to offer his neglected length some merciful attention. As soon as he starts moaning and panting, you shake your head.

" No- " You rush between heavy breaths. " No, you're not allowed! Put your hands away. "

He does. And you're smart enough to voice an addendum as soon as another appendage begins to move.

" Cheeky fuck- Hhn, no tail either. "

The imp is proud of you for thinking that far ahead. Leave it to a concubus to get creative with their restrictions. He makes a theatrical show of whimpering against your pulsing cunt, though never slows his movement, even as you start rhythmically clenching on him. The taste of you directly is so much more than he could ever hope to gleam with just used panties. He can understand why Vesper will eat you out ravenously, why he's constantly trying to keep your juicy pussy stuffed. The imp is drooling like a fucking mutt and he cares none even when a mix of his aphrodisiac saliva and your wetness drip down his face, tainting his collar.

" Y- You don't deserve this. "

Oh he really doesn't, but it's sweet of you to offer anyway.

Lacai makes his gratitude known by thrusting his whole face harder against you, mimicking what he'd really like to do in that moment, neglected dick throbbing pitifully as he tries to phantom the sensation of your insides around him. His tail might not be used for his pleasure under your decree, but he can still flirt it around the tight ring of your asshole, feeling the way you jolt in response.

When the servant senses you tightening and coiling in an approaching climax, he makes sure to look right into your eyes, not wanting to miss those gorgeous faces you make for a single second. Your pupils dilate and your mouth parts, this series of rushed cries escaping you as your sweet complexion twists once more to a depraved one befitting of your station as Queen of carnality.

In his awe, Lacai falters only for a fraction of a moment before making sure to do his job properly and milking every drop of your pleasure out, enjoying the good soaking you cover him in and sucking your oversensitive button even as you spasm and tremble with too much stimulus at once. White gloves fix your legs in place when your balance starts to falter and Lacai purrs with delight while you ride those last embers of pleasure on his debased complexion.

He doesn't want to wash his face ever again. Maybe he'll let one of the other imps lick your cum off him, whoever's lucky enough to catch him first...

The impcubus watches adoringly, ever still and obedient, while you rest idly on him, content to stay like this the whole day. Eventually, your tense grip on his hair alleviates, and you pet him quietly before shakily unmounting his face- The bottom of it glossy and viscous with the evidence of your enjoyment. Your "punishment".

Although Lacai looks ever smug and self-satisfied, the way his shoulders hunch and his thighs flex betrays reality, that he's bursting to get himself off already. That much you can see.

" Was my humble apology appropriate enough for you, my Queen? Or should I try harder? "

The soft smile on your face turns into a frown and he titters inwardly.

" Ugh, you're a lot more tolerable when your mouth is put to use. "

Fuck, it's like you're after his heart with those comments. The sudden twinkle in your eyes thrills him even more.

" As a matter of fact- " You suddenly seem to recall the panties bundled into a tight ball between your digits.

Unwrapping the fabric, you smile almost nefariously as you lean to harshly press it against Lacai's face, almost grinding it on him. He hasn't been this turned on in a long while.

" There. Finish yourself off. "

That dismissive tone should have brought an inkling of shame to Lacai, but it flew right over his head and horns.

The demon muffles a heated "Thank you" against the fabric, eyes rolling while he immediately, finally drops both hands to his cock.

Even in his own selfish pursuit of euphoria, the imp makes sure to spread his legs and ride his sweater up, giving you an unobstructed view of the lurid motions he makes. Hoping you realize that it's far from the first time that he's fucked his own fist and hands to the thought of you, the sight, the smell. Oh, if only you were just a little bit more attentive to your surroundings, you would have caught the numberless times Lacai got off just around the corner, in the same room as you, quietly.

You seem to appreciate the little degenerate show, this pleasantly amused expression framing your pretty features, eyes drifting from his glazed eyes to the outline of his filthy tongue cleaning your panties and the hump of his legs into his own grasp. It definitely doesn't take much for the impcubus to reach his peak, having been teasing himself since before you showed up.

Lacai makes sure you're watching him intently when he curls, holding his breath before belting out a pathetic noise that vibrates your palm and staining the floor with the surprising suddenness of his own trembling orgasm. He's too busy trying to prolong the high to notice the fact the one stray shot stains your foot, to which you grimace faintly, observing him idly while righting your outfit.

The cloth is finally removed from Lacai's face. " Thank you. " He speaks properly, sighing, cleaning his own lips and cheeks.

You're about to reply, when hurried heavy footsteps ring outside, giving you only enough time to turn before two polite knocks are heard.

" Vixen? Are you alright? " The King's voice sounds mildly confused.

The doors part and he pokes his head inside, bright wide eyes searching for you, then quickly taking in the picturesque state his Queen and main servant are in. A smile full of genuine adoration graces his dark lips as he realizes what you were both up to, though his expression shifts rapidly to something more serious.

" Come, my Lady. You can play with him more later, we have places to be and we're already getting late. "

Nodding bashfully, you fix your hair quickly while Vesper turns his attention to Lacai with a disappointed expression, the infernal gold on him clinking at every movement of his head tendril.

" Lacai my dear, I'd encourage your fuckery any other day, but I did warn you we would be busy today. Did I not? "

Said imp, covers himself half-heartedly. " I- I understand, forgive me S- "

Right as he's about to finish the sentence, you quickly shove those cute purple panties in his mouth, giggling and petting the gagged servant's already messy hair when he gawks.

" It's fine. " You wink, making the demonlord laugh loudly at your antics. " But if I find another pair of panties missing, I want you to actually punish him. "

Lacai watches you clean your foot on his pants and follow Vesper outside, the King's reply making him gulp dryly.

" Oh, I do promise. "

[scribblestatic]

Because I like to make stuff up just from the most vague of associations, I recently talked about COTL and I'm writing an SVSSS fic on my other AO3 account, so now, we have Sheep Yuan.

Basically, Shen Yuan transmigrates and is gonna get put into Shen Qingqiu at an earlier time, but Shen Qingqiu's soul is a tenacious motherfucker, so it doesn't give up despite his qi deviation. Without a good vessel to put Shen Yuan's soul in, the system finds the nearest body that can accommodate him.

It ends up being in the body of a spirit sheep on Xin Ya (fan-made) Peak with all the rest of the beasties being studied and/or eaten (they do animal husbandry and farming, too).

Sheep Yuan doesn't quite remember his past life at first because yeah, the little lamb brain needs time to process human thought. Like, sheep are smart, but not quite able to compute to the same level as humans, so the sheep body's gonna have to adapt. So, he kinda follows through the usual sheep things after he manages to stand up, not realizing he'd been a stillborn lamb just a few moments ago.

He also doesn't immediately realize that his "mother" in this world died during childbirth until later because he was supposed to be a twin. But he and his twin got impacted and the spirit sheep couldn't handle it. All three had died, but somehow, he survived. So, now, he gets hand-fed. Despite the peak lord of Xin Ya telling the disciples not to name the animals or get too attached since they provide food for many of the peaks, one disciple does start calling him Shēng Huán (生还 = To Survive).

He's being raised and monitored on Xin Ya like other farmed spirit animals, and he's alright as long as he gets his food and has a nice place to sleep. Despite spirit sheep being herding creatures, he's not the most popular amongst his peers, so he tends to dwell around the humans more. But as he becomes more aware, he realizes that some of the lambs and sheep have gone missing, and because he's not only a sheep, he puts two-and-two together and realizes he's on the menu.

So, he starts trying to escape, despite the fact he's not even fully weaned off his milk yet. When he can't manage to escape, he tries acting cute so no one thinks about eating him just yet.

Also, as a spirit sheep with more intelligence, he figures out how to cultivate, which is something most spirit and demonic creatures figure out naturally. Since he was born a spirit sheep, he got a head start rather than a mortal cat or dog or something. So, he starts cultivating to try and acquire a human body to avoid getting eaten.

One day, he's finally put on the roster for slaughter because of a larger meat order (Dammit Bai Zhan!! Stop eating so much meat!!!). In his panic as he's led to the slaughter room, he uses qi and manages to escape, fleeing the mountain as quickly as possible.

The problem now, though, is that he's terribly lost and he's not sure he got away from Cang Qiong. In fact, he's almost certain he's still on the mountain somewhere because the qi is still quite dense! He has to escape before he's put on someone's plate!

What he doesn't realize is that he fled to Qing Jing Peak.

The grass there is tasty, so he gets a bit distracted while eating it. But then he hears a scuffle and, despite being a prey animal, goes to see what's going on. There, he sees a fluffy-haired boy getting beaten up by a bunch of older kids while a younger girl cries out beside him.

I'm sorry, human girl, but I'm sure this "A'Luo" whose name you're calling out would very much appreciate it if you did something other than that! Maybe throw a punch or a kick or something!

Anyway, he sees the boy get pretty beat up and watches as the group leaves, satisfied. The boy and girl talk, and he only kind of understands human language--he's still learning, okay? He's looking for some sort of jade guanyin? There's so much greenery around, how is this A'Luo supposed to find that?

But, well, 'Yuan,' as he calls himself (not sure why he insists on that...hmm) decides to help. With his superior animal senses + cultivation combo, he sees the guanyin hanging off a branch. He's not sure how to get it down, though...

Well, he has horns, so maybe he could knock it down!

Once the children head off, he starts knocking his head against the tree. And, yikes, it kinda hurts a bit, but good thing he's got a thick skull and nice curved horns growing in! So he smacks the tree until he manages to use qi through his horns and crack the trunk. The branches shake, and finally, the jade guanyin falls!

...Now, how is he supposed to get it to that A'Luo? And why does he even care that much? Sure, the kid looked so cute and sad, like a little bun, but he's a prey animal and those children are predators that could eat him!!

Still...just the thought of leaving the fluffy black sheep without the guanyin made his little heart hurt. Maybe he felt kinship toward that fluffy little boy.

Following the boy's scent as he trailed through the bamboo and forest, he found it strongest at a woodshed of all places. How strange...he must go there often. It's almost night time, so he likely wouldn't return. Anyway, he'd just leave the guanyin on the ground in front of the door and--

Luo Binghe returned to the woodshed with his unhealed bruises and ruddy eyes, having spent some more time searching for his guanyin. But he stopped, seeing a sheep on the mountain. Different animals went around the peaks as they pleased, but there definitely weren't any spirit sheep on the peak. So why was--

But his thoughts stopped when he saw the guanyin in the sheep's mouth.

Caught in the act, Yuan gives up and slowly approaches the boy, keeping his head low and legs ready in case he needed to run away. The boy felt...strong somehow, and it made him feel cautious.

Feeling too afraid to get too much closer, Yuan put the guanyin on the ground and backed up. Of course, the boy practically pounced on the jade, making Yuan stumble back and almost bolt. But he managed to wait, watching as the boy sobs profusely over the guanyin and thanking him.

Yuan stared at him for a bit, then his nerves get to be too much, and he fled. He needed to find his way off the mountain, after all.

[ailendolin]

Since the announcement that two or three new versions of Ghosts are in the works, I've been thinking about what sort of ghosts we might get to see / I'd like to see in a German adaptation and put together a list of my ideas. You will see some similarities with our beloved original ghosts as well as completely new characters, and I did my best to find a balance between male and female characters and include a variety of historical eras.

This is obviously just a very basic list with some notes but I do have thoughts about these characters (how they died, what powers they might have, their inner conflict etc.) so if you'd like to know more, please ask (also German producers, I hereby officially volunteer as tribute writer)!

German Ghosts

Female Neanderthal (40,000 BC)

Neanderthals were named after the German Neander valley so I think it's only fair to include a Neanderthal in the show. Since no one needs a Robin 2.0, I'd make the character female and give her a dog because ghost animals are fun and we need more of them.

Roman & German (9 AD)

Two guys - let's call them Marcus and Alber - who fought on opposite sides died in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, became ghosts and eventually best friends. They'd rather die again than admit that to anyone, though.

Bog Girl (600 AD)

A little girl who haunts the marshlands around the house but not the property itself. Most of the ghosts avoid her until the Naturalist gets curious and starts to befriend her.

Plague Ghosts (Mid-1600s)

A group of victims of the 30 Years' War whose deaths were caused by famine and disease and not the war directly (though they insist they died 'in the war').

Naturalist (Late 1700s)

A scientist like Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Darwin who embraces becoming a ghost from the get go and does various experiments (on himself and the others) to figure out how ghost rules work and what is and isn't possible.

Composer (Early 1800s)

A young composer who has a (perceived) rivalry with Beethoven because he's lost part of his hearing. Think German equivalent of Thomas Thorne.

Female Soldier (Early 1800s)

Based on stories like that of Friederike Krüger, this woman posed as a man and joined the army during the Napoleonic Wars.

Woman in White (Late 1800s)

The lady of the house at the time. After she died in childbirth, she was forced to watch her husband's mistress raise her daughter. She died wearing her white nightgown (something she is quite embarrassed about) and can be seen in pictures.

WW1 Surgeon (1930s)

Another former owner of the house, this man was a surgeon in WW1 and still carries the trauma of that time with him (think Siegfried from All Creatures Great and Small).

Luftwaffe Pilot (1940s)

Remember the two German pilots from BBC Ghosts? This guy was their friend and has always wondered what happened to them. He crash-landed on the grounds during a training exercise.

Estate Agent (early 2020s)

A woman who took over the house after the last owner passed away. While assessing the property, she had a heart attack and died there, leading to rumours about the house being cursed and haunted increasing.

The House

While the house will probably be a manor house like in the original series, I think it would be fun if this version of the show shook things up a little and had the German Coopers inherit an old mill, or perhaps even an actual (small) castle.

[nukaberries]

Heyo! If it's not too much trouble, could I get the FO4 companions reacting to a Sole who's super good with wild animals? Like the animal friend and wasteland whisperer perks but they're out here cuddling wild molerats and are able to pet Deathclaws. If that's not too much to ask, thank you muchly. Love your stuff!

I don't play around with Animal Friend and Wasteland Whisperer as much as I'd like to. I did once befriend a Deathclaw in Fallout 3, who died about five seconds later. He was great while he lasted though. Anyways, I'm glad you're enjoying the requests, thank you so much! I hope this one lives up to your expectations!

//

Companions React to an Animal Loving Sole (Includes: Cait, Codsworth, Curie, Danse, Deacon, Hancock, MacCready, Nick, Piper, Preston and X6-88)

Cait She'll immediately assume that Sole has some kind of death wish the first time she sees them carelessly approaching a wild Molerat with their hand held out. It's only when Sole doesn't lose a limb to the creature that Cait finds herself somewhat impressed, although, she makes a comment about how they'll probably catch all sorts of diseases from 'that rodent'. She doesn't think too much of it afterwards, that is until she finds Sole coming back into Sanctuary with a Deathclaw in tow, it's at that point that Cait will start to question Sole's sanity. Eventually, she gets used to finding Sole hanging out with Radscorpions, as though they aren't known for killing people without hesitation. She still finds it weird and she still isn't happy about that one time she woke up to a Radroach casually jumping around her head, but it becomes one of those things about Sole that she just accepts.

Codsworth Having known Sole for as long as he has, Codsworth is no stranger to his old friend's affinity for all different kinds of animals. He can still recall the amount of stray dogs and cats that Sole had brought into their home before the war, despite their spouse worrying that one might jump up at Shaun one day. If anything, Codsworth actually likes that this is something that hasn't changed about Sole - there's a lot of bad in the Wasteland and Codsworth knows better than any of the other companions how much this new world has changed Sole, so he finds it comforting to see some aspects of him are still the same. Of course, Codsworth is still sure to keep his distance from the creatures that Sole befriends; sure, they may like Sole, but who's to say they'll feel the same way about his robot companion?

Curie She loves having the opportunity to see the creatures of the Commonwealth up close and if Sole's happy to befriend every Mirelurk in sight, then Curie is more than happy to join him. Once Sole gets an animal to settle down, they usually tend to warm up to Curie immediately after - there was an incident with a Radstag kicking her over once, Curie doesn't like to talk about it. She also finds it interesting to see how the different animals in the wasteland have adapted and mutated to their environment and is more than happy to discuss it with Sole, if they're willing to listen.

Paladin Danse Initially, he thinks that stopping to pet every abomination that they come across is a waste of both their time and he makes this very clear to Sole. He tries to shut down Sole's attempts to befriend these animals as often as he can, although sometimes he can't help but find it quite mesmerising to watch a Deathclaw peacefully wander about right before his eyes. Still, it's only when Sole manages to tame a whole pack of rabid molerats that Danse wonders if their odd love for animals isn't so bad after all, not that he'd ever swallow his pride for long enough to admit that to Sole.

Deacon He does try to get used to the idea that Sole is going to pet every dangerous, man-eating creature that they come across, but it just freaks him out way too much. The stray mongrels following them around and wanting to play fetch are cute, even he can't deny that, although he'd prefer Dogmeat over them any day, but there's no way he'll ever get used to turning around and seeing a Deathclaw following after them like a big puppy. All Deacon asks is that Sole doesn't take it personal if he leaves them to fend for themselves when it comes to dealing with animals, he'd just prefer not to give a Molerat head scratches if he can help it.

Hancock Considering Sole chose to take him on their travels, he doesn't find it all that surprising that they'd want to pick up every other ugly stray they come across too. Admittedly, it's probably one of his favourite things about travelling with Sole, he'll never warm up to any of the bugs - Mirelurks are a firm no for him - that somehow become docile in Sole's presence, but he's got a soft spot for the Molerats. He'd love to bring one back home with him, for the sake of having some company and a mascot for Goodneighbor, but he gets the feeling nobody else in town would approve of that, so for now, it stays a simple daydream for him.

MacCready Once he gets over the shock of a pack of friendly Yaoi Guais swarming him and Sole, he's immediately jealous of this strange talent his friend has and wants to know how they do it. He refuses to take Sole not knowing for an answer and makes it his life goal to befriend at least one animal out in the Wasteland, of course, this ends with a dog bite on his arm and a bruised ego, especially when Sole manages to calm down the dog that had just attacked him. After that, he figures it's best for his own safety if he leaves the animal befriending to Sole, but he does ask for his own pet Deathclaw more times than he can count - not that it'd be very practical to have around Duncan, but a man can dream.

Nick Valentine There's not a lot left in the Commonwealth that can shock Nick Valentine, he's near enough seen it all and so, although Sole is expecting a much bigger reaction from the synth detective, he just accepts it. Besides, he once came across a girl roaming Boston Commons with a Sentry Bot for a best friend, a Mirelurk Queen isn't exactly that big of a surprise in comparison. That doesn't mean he won't go out of his way to pet any animals that Sole manages to tam on their travels, his favourite was probably the Radroach that Sole taught to roll over.

Piper Wright She genuinely thinks that she's having some kind of fever dream that first time she sees it, there's no way Sole would actually be sat at their campfire with a Mutant Hound sat on their lap peacefully. After pinching herself a few times and accepting the reality in front of her, Piper doesn't hesitate to dub Sole "The Wasteland Whisperer." If anything, she likes the bonus of not having to worry about fighting off any creatures whilst they're out on their travels, she just wishes that at least someone back in Diamond City would believe her when she told them about her Vault Dweller friend who can tame even the most vicious of creatures; even Nat thinks she's full of it.

Preston Garvey The first time that Preston saw Sole tame an animal was the Deathclaw back in Concord and for a moment, he was convinced that he was already dead and he just hadn't realised yet. At first, he wasn't sure how to bring it up to Sole to question it and so he decided not to question their odd talent at all, that was until he started travelling with them and they came across a Radroach nest. Preston still can't quite believe that there's someone out there that can befriend any animal they come across no matter what, but he finds it remarkable and he really doesn't mind when Sole brings animals back to Sanctuary. He's actually rather fond of the Yaoi Guai Sole brought back after going to clear out a settlement, he just hopes that they stay friendly, for everyone's sake.

X6-88 He doesn't see the point in befriending any of the creatures out in the Wasteland, it's far better to simply put them out of their misery after the generations of mutation they've had to endure. He makes this known to Sole immediately, which seems to offend his travelling companion, after that, he decides not to comment on it at all, aside from a few eye rolls and scoffs here and there. Of course, he doesn't complain too much when it comes to having the extra back up of a Deathclaw during a fight with raiders or Super Mutants.

[dovand]

public service (bearvice?) announcement

i think that this website in particular needs to be aware of the existence of sloth bears. look at this dude

(image description: a sloth bear sitting hunched over on the ground. the sloth bear is broad, with thick black fur that obscures its body. the fur becomes thinner towards its face, where its muzzle and the inner corners of its eyes are splashed with very pale brown.)

the book that i'm reading (Eight Bears by Gloria Dickie) laments that conservation efforts for sloth bears are hindered by their lack of charisma—especially when compared to, say, a tiger (a creature that does pose competition re: conservation) but like. look at this guy.

image description: another sloth bear, this time standing on an uneven rocky surface. there's a certain mournful quality to its eyes. it looks almost doglike, mostly because of the fur on the sides of its face that hangs down like huge fluffy ears.

they're the only species in Melursus (one surviving genus out of three in the Ursidae family). females range from 55 to 105 kg (121 to 231 pounds), while males range from 80 to 143 kg (176 to 320 pounds). their diet is mostly ants and termites, and their mouths are suitably adapted—a lack of upper incisors lets them vacuum up more bugs, and they can close their nostrils completely.

it is worth noting at this point, i think, that sloth bears are the deadliest bears in the world by a large margin (though this seems to be largely because of expanding human settlements encroaching upon Bear Land and thus creating conflict. I Think). they have caused seriously horrible injuries and deaths but they are wild animals and we cannot blame them for this. they have inherent value despite the harm they have caused, not just because of how aesthetically appealing they are, but because they ARE. just because they exist. they are living things, so they have value.

image descriptions: the first image shows sloth bear in the middle of a step, its gaze fixed on something off-camera. its fur is hugely fluffy and luxurious, especially around the sides of its face/the back of its head and neck.

in the second image there are three sloth bears—an adult and two cubs. the adult's mouth is open, giving it a sort of vacant smile. also, it is standing against a shadowed background, such that its fur blends in with the dark behind it, rendering it one indistinct mass of bear. beside it are two small cubs. their fur is shorter and spikier, and their proportions markedly different, but their colouring is the same.

i don't have a call to action. there aren't any petitions to sign, at least not that i can see. i just think that the sloth bear deserves some more love :-)

[kelocitta]

What why??

Theres a few reasons! I do want to clarify that I do like Saint and their campaign in a bubble, and still like downpour as a whole, they're just the most 'off' in terms of overall.

This is going to be very messy, and I haven't fully yet made up my mind on a lot of things

For starters Saint themselves... Downpour is for-sure less grounded in naturalistic biology than RW vanilla- and thats fine. The base game slugcats are all relatively mundane for a reason, but that also means their overall variety is limited- so downpour mixes that up with a bit of a fantastical slant and then tries its best to re-ground it various ways (Spearmaster is genetically modified, Gourmand is just very smart and very big, Artificer is implied to have been mutated by a toxic environment, rivulet is just fast and evolved for increased flooding). The issue with Saint here is that they are, by far, the most ungrounded in any sort of reality and a bit more 'magical'- but that aspect isn't really explained past maybe a short nod in the general direction of something. This isn't exactly a flaw in itself, but it does mean we have something immensely powerful in a way that's very... contradicting to the general vibe of the world. Especially as a little animal. Something like that can work, but its hard to make work, especially in a world set up like RW is. And then the campaign itself... for starters, I think its one that naturally going to be very polarizing depending on the way you read various things about RW- the characters in it, the things it touches on, and your own personal outlook on life. I'm a nerd for evolution and 'life finds a way' type stuff, and for me Saint goes a little too far in direction I don't really vibe with. Its really hard to explain here, but I'll try. For probably the most minor thing, the environment. There's a sort of undercurrent that the frozen over tundra of world as is a 'dying' environment. The undergrowth echo does add a counter to this mindset (By pointing out there is still life and beautiful blooming in a increasingly barren world) so its not the biggest thing, but its a outlook a lot of people tend to hold to begin with, so the ways it reinforces this is a little... sour? I suppose. Deserts and tundras and areas of low life are not dead or dying environments- they are their own ecosystems. They exist and are needed. Many things can not survive them. Many things can. Worlds and ecosystems are naturally always shifting and changing, and ecosystems like deserts and arctics stand equal to rainforests and coral reefs. We see some creatures have failed to adapt and died off, but so many others have begun to carve out their niches and are changing with the world- I think a tundra is a great metaphorical 'the world is shifting away from its old self' type thing. Everything being broken down and changed once more and a lot of things aren't surviving, some are, but changed. Metaphorically that is great. But Saint is there as a big, literal kill switch on the world (Small aside that yes, kill is an inaccurate descriptor. Ascension is by nature 'something else' than dying.) Its just a little... wrong, that the implied shift in what the world is- the last stains of the Ancient's being washed away into something new and independent, is being done with the literal removal of those remains rather than the natural clockwork of the world. Even without Saint there things would die and shift, iterators would crumple into nothing, buildings would break and become dust and rust- and from all that things would still claw their way to the next day. Their offspring and offspring's offspring would grow ever more different from them, until they hardly match. Something new would be borne from the dusts of an old one forgotten. Tundras would freeze over into something else, a change in the atmosphere would trigger a shift, and ice would melt into water once more. Thats another great big thing everything is a small part of. (For some reason if this space isn't here this whole post breaks?)

Its sad, but theres a beauty in the way things lead into each other- erased in anyway meaningful way but their ghosts still etched imprinted into the shell of the new. Both insignificant and yet strangely important. I don't think Saint is implied to 'succeed' at all, of course. I think its very much hinted at that they'll be at whatever mission they have forever. But is also feels implied that this mission is supposed to be the intended end of the Ancients' 'era', pieces bit by bit ascended, finally removed from this cycle they can't perceive themselves as even a part of- and that even with this there will still be something new that takes their place. Their whole goal is ascension, so it makes sense ultimately. But it just feels... something is off about it, and maybe thats entirely on me. There's something I just don't like about it. A long time ago I was asked about Saint and the void worms (you can read that here, although note this was pretty early into DP's release) and I do think at least part of that is the idea that Saint pulls control from things. The worms, buried deep in the void sea, the last step to ascension... Crossing yourself out feels like a weighty choice, but one you have to seek. So a sort of mobile ascension that does it for you, these lizards and bugs that couldn't possibly comprehend what ascension is, creatures that mostly just know survival and all its ills... it feels like it skips all that weight behind that choice. The underground Ancient, stuck midway, says it was never something they really wanted anyway, seemly contended to be in the in-between. An outlier for sure, but an outlier none the less- one that makes it clear that things can comprehend the weight of ascension and what it offers and understand the world and its ills and still want to be a part of it. What does that mean of Saint, a system that brings that to you, without say? Sure most of the creatures they ascend are simple things, the others are iterators- Beings designed to seek that solution and even want it for themselves but to barred from being able to achieve it. These are all things that it should feel good to grant the blessings of ascension too, that final peace that is neither living nor dying, but I just think about that echo and the way it makes it clear that many, if given the choice, would not want to be crossed out. I like it in a bubble, removed from those things, but I don't know how I feel about it in the greater scheme of things, as a sort of end to rain world. If there is one thing I do like a lot though, its the finale- with the worm. It gives Saint's place in the world a distinct sense of wrongness, something capped at the void worms. The void worms are just... still at the center. Something ancient and unbreakable. A rule of existence Saint doesn't- can't, bypass.

[yanderes-galore]

Can you do fluffy au ennard concept?

I had this idea written for a few days before my hiatus, so here it is finally!

Yandere! Fluffy AU! Ennard Concept

Pairing: Platonic/Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Clingy behavior, Gore, Graphic descriptions, Unethical experimentation, Parasocial companionship, Disturbing dark themes, Forced companionship, Dubious ending, Primarily just horror if I'm being honest.

Ennard is the pinnacle of ambition in this AU.

He (They?) are the result of Afton being drunk on power.

Why should he stop at anthropomorphic mascots?

What's stopping him from making a human/animal hybrid!?

Ennard is the result of an unknown human's DNA mixed with the DNA of Funtime Foxy and Freddy.

In a twisted way that would make him related to the two (as brothers… hopefully… *shutter*).

Ennard may not have any personality issues… but there's a whole lot of physical issues.

The skin visible on him (just his face) is unnaturally pale.

It also has seams like Foxy and Freddy.

Everything else?

A mess of fleshy tendrils and the occasional extra eye.

Ennard, in this AU, is an abomination.

Something that should have never existed.

A reason to not play God.

In all honesty, Ennard should have been put down.

He can barely replicate human speech.

He has little to no protection from the elements.

Yet what happens instead?

He evolves.

Like some creature from Resident Evil, instead of dying Ennard adapts.

The stench of blood announces his presence and he grows.

Soon he grows a protective layer over the exposed muscle he was born with.

Then he grows a set of vocal cords to mimic voices and tones.

The mess of human and animal flesh becomes something new.

A monster that Afton decides to keep alive due to the progress.

Ennard appears to get along with Freddy and Foxy and looks at them fondly.

But there's one person he gets along with the most.

You, an unfortunate scientist, meant to watch the underground layer of the facility.

Your line of work deals with the failures.

Things like Mangle or Funtime Freddy are under your care.

This also includes Ennard, who is kept locked away from all the rest.

He is different, he's highly adaptable and a potential danger.

He probably has a similar ability to Mangle that allows him to form with flesh.

(Which opens up the possibility of Molten Freddy and The Blob later on.)

He is dangerous and unstable.

So the job is to watch and appease him.

There's cameras in the cell, he's fed food, then there's time to socialize with him through a glass window and speaker.

Ennard acts similarly to a child as he develops.

The brain and mind adapt and grow like the rest of his body.

He repeats sign language you teach and when he has vocal cords he repeats words.

It's all very unnerving to you.

Ennard acts very human despite the appearance he takes.

Even then you catch him growling like an animal in frustration at times.

You have to remind yourself he isn't a human, he's a mess of DNA born into flesh.

Ennard listens to your words when you speak to him.

It's as though he has imprinted on you… seeing you as some sort of role model.

He often presses his pale and twitching face to the glass to get a good look at you.

You try to hold back your nausea when it happens.

You wonder how he lives like this.

You are quite thankful you're not allowed in his cell.

This is due to the growth and unknown abilities of Ennard.

Luckily you just have to sit and interact.

Much to Ennard's dismay… the creature really wishes he could be closer to you.

The glass is dumb to him… sadly, you have no idea how much of a bad idea teaching him is.

Your little lessons and interactions make him smarter.

Smart enough to the point he plots escape….

He can't get very far until Golden Freddy breaks out, but when that does happen?

Ennard is free… free to adapt, survive, and find freedom.

Their appearance by this point is vaguely human.

More skin has grown on… yet thick tendrils of muscle still twitch like tentacles around his body.

It's as though if he continues to grow… you may not be able to tell the difference between him and a human.

Except for the height and patches of what looks like white fur, at least.

Ennard's new goal is obviously to look for you.

He knows about the nice scientist in the glass box.

He wants to find you! He wants to finally be close to you!

While you try to evacuate the facility you hear warnings of all sorts of beasts in the underground level breaking out.

You do your best to gather research and prepare to escape.

Only to hear oddly heavy footsteps near you.

You turn… only to be met with the abomination you had tended to.

He's different, he's certainly grown more.

The many eyes he has stares into you with a look of adoration.

In a garbled tone he tries to express his feelings towards you.

You simply shake your head and cry… you scream… you want to leave.

Unfortunately, such a thing is not your fate…

You begin to realize that as the abomination closes in on you.

He can finally be closer to you… as close as he can be.

[osleeplessflowero]

Gotta make SOMETHING for Mermay. So here's some Nightmare content!

Oneshot Masterpost Check Out My In-Progress Fics Right Here On Tumblr! 1,322 Words

Content Warning: Almost Drowning

You hear the light thumps of your footsteps as you make your way across the docks, sitting right on the edge and greeting the sea. Taking a breath, you memorize the ocean air. How it smells, how it feels on your body.. A pleasant feeling, for sure.

The stars shine brightly in the sky, twinkling over you as you stare into the sea water and smile down at yourself. Turning your head back, you glance at the hotel you'd recently checked into, relieved they allow their guests to swim late at night. It's such a perfect time to..right under the stars, stretching across the open sky, and reflecting onto the water below, which has a sort of glow to it.

Sliding off the suit cover you'd been wearing, you lean back a bit to make sure nobody else is coming outside, before jumping down into the cool water and putting on a mask. You shiver at the feeling before slowly adapting to it, shaking your head once you rise and breathing in before swimming further out without a care in the world. You lie on your back, staring up at the moon as you float..before closing your eyes and sinking into the depths. You open them again and swim without a clear goal in mind, coming up for air when you feel you've gone too far and need to breathe.

You collect shells along the way, small enough to fit in a small bag on your side. These'll be lovely for starting a collection! You smile, swimming back up once you need to breathe again, before going a bit deeper. A few different kinds of fish swim by you, staring in curiosity before turning their direction to other things. A part of you wonders what it would be like, to be a fish. Living in the sea all day long, swimming around.. not having to worry about anything other than..well, survival.

Being caught up in your own thoughts, you don't seem to notice a bright greenish light that's become rather fixated on you..a spotlight from the depths. Waiting for you to go deeper..to travel too far..

You gingerly pick up shells you find, waving to some fish and even flipping over a turtle that had fallen over. Such a curious soul.. perhaps too much so. You go up for air once more, before swimming down again, going even deeper. Finding yourself beginning to reach darker territory, you debate swimming back up..everyone knows darker waters are very bad places to go to.

The light comes into your view..you flinch at the sudden appearance of it, narrowing your eyes to try and see what it is. Reaching your hand towards it, it flinches itself and swims away. You start to call out to it, but remember you're literally underwater, and decide against it. Not a good idea to swim after strange lights anyway..you begin swimming back up.

As you kick your legs back and forth in your attempt to reach the surface, you find yourself getting stuck on a group of coral. Panicking, you reach down to try and free yourself, pulling as hard as you can before bringing your hands up to your neck. If you stay down here for much longer, you'll drown!

Nobody knows you're out here, nobody will find you, nobody will know you've died, you'll be quite literally SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES-

You struggle. A light is cast onto you again that you don't notice in your panic. A massive form swims over to you, practically surrounding you due to its huge size. You turn your head as you struggle to hold your breath, coming face to face with the creature.

A black skeleton faces you, an inky like substance on his face that makes it seem to melt. His body glows, if you weren't struggling you could count the several tentacles below his torso that are currently keeping him afloat and moving around. They each glow and illuminate you as he leers over you.

You move one of your arms to point down where you're stuck, his..eyelight? Following. He seems to come to an understanding when he moves down to assist without a word. You do your best to help, but eventually lose your control and open your mouth, only to inhale water and fall unconscious. The skele..octopus? Pulls you free, looking up at you with curiosity in his eye before taking your form in his arms and swimming up to the surface, moving quickly towards the beach somewhere he wouldn't be seen.

A few minutes pass before you cough up water, spitting it out onto the sand he'd laid you on and staring at said sand in disbelief. You..thought you'd died. You'd fully seen it coming, so how are you?..You lean up, pushing any hair you may have away from your face, spotting the figure leaning onto the sand while still half submerged, resting his face between his skeletal hands. He simply watches you with a bored expression until he realizes you're awake, eyelight widening when he freezes.

You..he saved you. Your life was just saved by a skeleton octopus. ..Not every day something like that happens.

You scoot a little closer, he scoots a little back, until he realizes you have no harmful intent. As he leans forwards again, you smile a bit.

"Thank you." You say, he tilts his head in reply. Maybe there's a language barrier here?.. What languages to mer speak? Surely there's some way to communicate. You try signing, and he perks up.

"So, you know how to sign? That'll work."

He holds up his hands.

'Almost died'.

You sign.

'But didn't. Thanks to you.'

He simply nods, looking over you with curiosity. You find yourself staring, before apologizing and looking away. He puts his hand over yours, so you quickly look back at him.

'Okay.' Is he saying it's okay to stare? Oh. Well, that's not as awkward.

You take in the sight of the monster, the lights along his tentacles making him glow under the moonlight. His eye moves over you as you observe the various scratch marks and dents in his bones, likely from battle, as well as the several tentacles attached. The ink-like substance over his eye has you curious, so you hesitantly hold out your hand to touch him. He seems to understand what you're trying to do, leaning his head forward a bit.

You gently press your hand against his cheek, cringing a second at the goopy sensation before..being pretty okay with it. It's kinda like slime..but a slime that you'd be chill with touching. He leans into your hand, which makes you pause. You assume he must be pretty touch starved..

He moves his other hand, reaching up to touch the side of your face, curious to feel you. You decide to let him. It's the least you could do for his gesture.

He gingerly moves his hand against your cheek, being careful not to scratch it with his sharp nails, likely used for hunting prey. He's cold, which makes you shiver. You hear a chuckle come out of him when you make a sound, turning to look at him. ..He..has a really nice smile..

You turn back to the hotel, gently moving your hand away from his face. He puts his hand around your wrist almost immediately, pulling you slightly towards him with a frown.

'Gotta go. Late.' You sign, once he releases your hand.

'Don't.'

'I'll come back. Promise.'

He looks at you sternly. 'Promised.'

You nod in understanding, rising and taking one last second to look at him..before turning to head back to the hotel. You lost your mask in the water..you'll just go get another one.

His eyelight never leaves you until you're out of sight, and he descends back into the sea begrudgingly. He can already hear his brother's ridiculous lecturing on how he was gone for too long..

Oh well. He's going to do it again tomorrow anyway.

[outofangband]



Working on some longer xenobiology/speculative biology posts so in the meantime here are some more random thoughts

Updated edition a year later! I hope these are ok!!

These are more jotting down ideas, please please feel free to give me any to elaborate on!

Also not all of these I necessarily consider my Headcanons, they’re just fun to play around with

Location edition

1. Tapetum lucidum or, eyes that can glow in the dark. (similar to the eyes of cats and raccoons) This is not limited to the Caliquendi and so is not directly related to Treelight.

Related to this is the potential ability to see infrared or other light spectrums like certain animals. I do like the idea that elven vision in the dark is more complicated than simply being able to see through the dark.

They navigate in unique ways, using the earth, trees, and even rocks to orient themselves. (I’m basing this in part of Legolas’s words about the elves of Hollin where he appears to draw sense memories from flora and stones) This also fits into my ideas for some ways elves are disoriented and controlled within Angband.

When elves are kept away from the natural world, in monotonous environments, without access to plant life or even a variety of geological information, they can enter a sort of stupor. Even in Angband which of course does contain rocks and life in the form of fungi, algae and even some plants, Cyanobacteria and certain creatures, much of the mines and dungeons are deliberately kept barren, lifeless and separated enough from the caverns and tunnels. What information they receive is never comforting. On that note, Ecological empathy taken to an extreme. Elves becoming depressed from ecological destruction, feeling the changes to landscapes on an innate level. Hence again why Angband is so damaging

Ears that express a wide range of emotions like how eyebrows do with humans. Elven ears will flatten, perk up, twitch, and even fold at times.

. I talked about phosphorescence here which actually has roots in canon!

Being able to navigate on all fours with ease, particularly while climbing and on a similar note, advanced balance.

For some of them, partially webbed feet and possibly even gill like structures on their chests for the sea elves.

On that note I think evolution works obviously differently for elves. Traits adapt and spread at different rates.

Pressure to areas of their body causes them to fall still, like with puppies and kittens. They have very sensitive areas in the backs of their necks and behind their ears. I've talked about this on my states of consciousness and sleep posts!

They do not have fingerprints though the skin on their hands will sometimes absorb and take in the colors of the things they touch, regardless of skin tone though skin tone does effect how clearly these show. For example, if an elven child spends some time playing in grass or clay, they may come back home with the skin up to their forearms that color.

Elves rarely have freckles but those that do will notice that they change colors and shades. Sometimes russet, sometimes even silvery, gold, or blueish. This is also true with birthmarks and even some scars. As they predate the sun their freckles are more similar to spots for camouflage and most words for them translates something to spots or foilage.

Elves can imitate sounds of animals very easily, especially bird and insect songs. While being able to communicate with animals is a rare gift among them, most can speak basic warnings and declarations, such as being able to warn sparrows that there is a hawk around. They can also pick up song very easily, often feeling the rhythm of even very gentle music in their hands.

I have a lot of thoughts on elves and synesthesia. I think most stimuli and input for elves is experienced through multiple senses for example being able to feel sound (obviously humans can to through vibrations but elves are more attuned to this). Synesthesia of the kind humans experience is somewhat more common in elves and other kinds unique to them also exist. (I have a whole post about this here!)

I talked about snow blindness and elves’ unique experiences with winter here!

I headcanon that elves have a specific sense for growth; they can hear and feel for lack of a better phrasing, shoots of grass growing, flowers blooming, roots expanding out. Not all are equally attuned to it or aware of it and some can become extremely overwhelmed by it if their ability to process is affected.

[hunterssm00n]

Find You

One month after the events of SOTL but before Hannibal (2001): Clarice Starling is an FBI agent on the hunt for one Doctor Hannibal Lecter, and she reflects on their strange connection. | Hannibal Lecter/Clarice Starling |

also on my ao3: here

*cw mild language*

౨ৎ

hunterssm00n © All rights reserved by me. I do not allow this work to be used or adapted in any way without my permission.

I look for you in the center of the sun / I took a pill but it didn't help me numb / I see your face even when my eyes are shut / But I never really know just where to find you...

"You're dancing circles around me You're fucking crazy Oh oh, you're crazy for me Oh oh, you're crazy for me..." ~ 'Cruel World' - Lana Del Rey

X.x

"Starling. Starling. Starling. A bird with strong wings and feet, capable of flying great distances. Often bears a dark complexion with a vague, metallic sheen coating it's feathers... as if it were dipped in oil. Wouldn't you agree, Clarice?"

"Well, of that I'm not sure, sir. I don't think I've ever seen one; none that I would be able to identify, at least."

"An interesting creature - most phylum cordata usually are. Are you at all interested in the study of species?"

"Sure, I guess, but not of the animal variety, Doctor Lecter."

"Ahh, because there are different species of human, right you are. Is that why you chose to become a figure of law enforcement, Clarice? To study the sea of moral defecation around you, and to try to cleanse the world of it?"

"Mm, when you say it like that, it sounds more like you're describing a scientist, to me. Or maybe a doctor."

"But we are all scientists to our own right, aren't we, Clarice? And doctors are really just glorified scientists, schooled to understand the inner workings of something and to try to find medically accurate compensation where there is a lack. Officers of the law do this as well, but not in the biological sense - more so in the social sense. They weed out those cancerous forms that attempt to spread evil unto the world; cut them out with the steel scalpel of To protect and serve. This requires some science, Clarice. You have done your own studying of the world."

"I have. We all have, sir."

"Sir. Doctor Lecter. So polite. Society lacks manners, nowadays. It's only gonna get worse from here."

"Not a very positive outlook for the future."

"I have hopes, but not high ones for society. Can you really blame me, Clarice? What with people like Buffalo Bill wreaking havoc in different parts of this cruel world?"

"With all do respect, Doctor, one could look at your actions and say the same."

"Mmm, clever girl. Too clever. You don't agree to fight violence with violence? Survival of the fittest? You'd likely lay your body down to form a bridge for those less fortunate, Clarice, and they would end up collapsing you to climb their 'lil selves on up that laddah."

"But you can't fight fire with fire, either, sir. There has to be some sort of balance."

"And if they're not willing to compromise, Clarice? If they are not as sympathetic as you, then what?"

"I guess I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it."

"Starling. Birds are quite impressive creatures, aren't they? The starling itself isn't widely known, but it is a clever little creature indeed. Strong little wings, sturdy feet with which to stand. It also has the ability to mimic the sounds of other animals that it hears - sometimes even the vocal sounds of humans."

"This is very interesting, Doctor Lecter, but I'd really like to get back on topic."

"Does it sound like I'm describing you, Clarice? Do you repeat the things you hear from higher-ups in the department? Has Jack Crawford made you his puppet?"

"What do you think, Doctor? You've studied me at every meeting. Do my words sound like they've been scripted? Do they sound like they would ever come out of Jack Crawford's mouth?"

"No, Agent Starling, they do not. You are indeed a creature all your own."

"So if I am a Starling, sir, what are you?"

"That depends on you, Clarice. I am either the cage keeper, or the one who opens the door and sets you free. The choice is yours."

X.x

"Clarice?"

Her face hurt; felt like it was being mushed against a hard surface. The voice broke through the darkness she had fallen into, and now she was slowly coming back to the world of consciousness, very slowly.

"Clarice,"

She groaned with the effort of opening her eyes; her head felt as heavy as a bowling ball on her thin neck as she tried to raise it. When her eyes fluttered and focused, she noticed the light brown of the smooth top of her desk to the right of her vision. Lifting her head more, she realized it had been resting on the black and white mug shot of Hannibal Lecter in an old newspaper. She'd actually fallen asleep while working. All throughout school she hadn't even done that.

"Jesus," Came a female voice from behind her - probably Ardelia wondering where the hell her partner had been.

Clarice lifted her head all the way up off the desk, wisps from her ponytail sticking to the side of her face that had been covering the newspaper. She absently wiped a hand across her cheek, wondering if it would come away with gray smudges from the newspaper that were probably printed onto her face. Being so close to Doctor Lecter's mugshot on the paper, she noticed that the two dimensionality of the black and white photo did nothing to diminish his stare. It was as if he was staring into the soul of whomever was holding the paper - like he was staring into her soul once again.

Clarice turned around in her chair to face the woman whom she roomed with, Ardelia. Ardelia had graduated the academy shortly after Clarice had, and until they could each afford their own stable homes, they decided to share an apartment to help build their individual savings. They knew each other well - they'd survived the academy as roommates and knew they could live with one another (and only wanted to kill each other on rare occasions). They were now best friends, and knew almost everything about each other, so Ardelia was probably not surprised that even on their day off, Clarice was still working.

The other woman would have only been surprised if it was any other case she was working on.

"Girl, you look rough," Ardelia commented, not unkindly. Rather than suggest food or rest (or a therapist), she knew Clarice well enough to know that those questions would not phase her. Instead she asked: "Any leads?" Clarice appreciated her for everything she said - she knew the other woman was only looking out for her.

"Um," Clarice looked down at the small drool stain slowly seeping into the paper right next to Doctor Lecter's mug shot. "Not yet, today." She rose from the chair and stretched, groaning as her neck cracked from being at the odd angle when her face rested against the desk. How long had she been like that? "Any idea what time it is?" Apparently she'd removed her watch at some point too. God, she was never this disoriented.

"A little after twelve," Ardelia had checked her own watch, peering around Clarice at the desktop. She, herself, was all dressed up - dressy casual in nice black pants and a sweeping flowery top. Clarice had known she had a date this morning - brunch at a little diner in town with another agent that had graduated from the academy.

"How'd it go this morning?" She'd been out with this guy a few times, and Clarice could sense a brewing romance.

"Great," Ardelia replied, picking up the newspaper that lay flat on the desktop, "We're gonna catch a movie later tonight too." She moved the paper closer to her eyes, then brought it back down almost as soon. "He's one hell of a creep, huh?"

Clarice nodded, remembering back to the first time she had met him; the way he calmly stood in the middle of the cell, staring through the glass like he'd been expecting someone. The way his eyes lit up when they settled on hers - like he'd been expecting her.

Ardelia gave an exaggerated shudder and set the paper back down on the desk. "How do you not have nightmares?"

Clarice glanced at the photo, shrugging non-committedly, "I guess I'm just used to it now."

The truth was, she did have nightmares - she just didn't believe that he was the source. Most of the time it was the death of her father; the lambs screaming in terror as they were lead to the slaughter. It didn't happen every night, but enough that she had become used to waking up in the middle of the night, the blankets drenched with her sweat and tears rolling down her cheeks.

The only one she'd ever told about that was Hannibal Lecter. He was the only person in her life who'd ever thought to ask such dark questions.

What she also hadn't told Ardelia was that she did dream of him. Every single night. Not all of them were nightmares, though he somehow wound up in those as well. Sometimes it was simply her walking down the long stretch of concrete in the basement of the asylum; past the jeering, howling inmates in their cells. Some of the cells had lambs in them - some of the inmates were holding little lambs, and that was why they were screaming. Clarice knew he was at the end of the hallway; she just had to walk past this chaos to get to him. Finally, as always, he was waiting there, much like he had been the very first time she'd seen him, except he was much closer to the glass this time. He was awaiting her arrival, and she was anticipating the sight of him. He would smile salaciously at her, and raise a hand to the glass, pressing his palm against it. Stepping closer to the glass, she would raise her own hand and mirror his movement, placing it over his as though there was no glass between them. They would stay like that for three seconds, looking each other right in the eye. He would smile, and she would feel her lips begin to do the same. And then she would wake up.

At the moment, that dream was the most recurring in her mind. She couldn't remember what she had just dreamt about when she'd been asleep a few moments ago, but she would bet her life he had been in it.

She had to find him.

She had to find out why he occupied her every waking thought.

"Christ, I'd never sleep again if I had to be the one to talk to him. You've got nerves of steel." Ardelia commented, kicking off her shoes. "I'm gonna jump in the shower real quick. Do you wanna come to the movie later on too? We could grab one of the other guys to come, keep you company." The woman winked at her, and Clarice rolled her eyes with a smile.

"No thanks, I'm actually gonna go out myself; run some errands, exercise a bit."

"Oh great!" Ardelia looked relieved that her friend was actually leaving the apartment for a reason other than work. Clarice felt bad that she worried her so, but she couldn't stop what she was doing. It had become a mania. She had to catch this man.

Clarice padded into her bedroom to get dressed - she wanted to put her most comfortable workout clothes on. She didn't tell Ardelia that she was still hoping to find something to point her in the right direction. She had searched high and low, found a few things along the way but nothing very significant. She couldn't let him disappear anymore than he already had.

She stripped off her clothing - just an FBI t-shirt and a pair of matching sweatpants she used for pajamas. She was pulling a long sleeved shirt over her head when she saw it - something out of the ordinary. It lay on the top of her comforter, a folded up piece of paper. It wasn't white printer paper, but a cream colored thick paper, like something artists used. Clarice swallowed hard, moving across the carpeted floor to her bed. There is no way... Or was there? There was only one person that she knew of that would leave a note for her with that kind of paper. Artists parchment.

"You sonofabitch," she whispered, reaching out and gently grasping the paper as though she feared it would crumble between her fingers. Her hand trembled slightly as she brought it up off the comforter, but not out of fear. She would never admit the emotions that stirred within her - not in a thousand years. Not even to herself. Slowly she opened the two flaps so that the page was expanded to its fullest extent. It was only folded in half once, and when she opened it she could see why. There was a graphite drawing of a woman holding a baby lamb. The amount of shading and detail that was on the page, which wasn't bigger than 8x5 inches, was incredibly impressive. Not that she was surprised. The artist once told her that his memory had been all he had during his imprisonment. She knew he had an incredible eye for memorization and detail.

What did startle her a little was that the woman in the picture was her. The likeness couldn't have been more accurate - it was like she was looking into a mirror. It momentarily stunned her as she stared into her own eyes, her own arms cradling the tiny lamb to her chest. In the drawing she had what looked to be a cloak wrapped around both of them, leaving her shoulders bare but modestly covering every other part of her.

The second clear thought was that the person who had so carefully placed the note on her bed had to have snuck in sometime within the past two hours, because that was about how long she'd been asleep for. The person who had snuck in had to have meticulously calculated when she would be alone in the apartment - was he trying to time it so that she would be asleep? Had he thought he could catch her while she'd been awake? A million different questions ran through her mind, all at once, leaving her breathless.

The third thing she noticed, the most telling feature of all, was the short inscription on the bottom left side of the page, written in thin black ink.

"Liberty for wolves is death to the lambs."

~H.L.

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AN: I do not own the SOTL/Hannibal franchise or any of its characters. I also do not own the song ‘Cruel World’ by Lana Del Rey, or the song ‘Find You’ by Nick Jonas. The above photos are from Pinterest, and attached are the links to the original images.

[journey-to-the-attic]

OMG, I'm so sorry that happened to you that sounds awful !!! I've definitely been there before, so happy you only came out sore 🙏🏽

As for AU stuff-

I think a super cool side spin to the Drangon!AU would be if IK became the world's first dragon rider, like a HTTYD situation !

I think about the transition from "small weakling human" to "precious baby child" all the time, so I feel like the process of them learning about each other (the brothers + IK) in the sense of being in tune while flying is so sweet,,, like, they all obviously have different flying styles, and I'd imagine that Satan, Levi, and Belphie can't even fly at *all*, so getting accustomed to the ways they operate was probably pretty tough but SO cool for IK yknow

And on the flip side it was probably a struggle for the brothers to learn to trust her cues when training or even actively fighting something when they're so used to being independent, but they have to realize that she's not trying to control them, but work as one essentially

Idk, they just make me so happy!!!!! I love dragons!!!!!!

Any thoughts on maybe who enjoys flying/riding with her the most/who has the easiest time adapting to her cues? or any other misc thoughts, up to you!!

oooooooh humans becoming so close to their creature companions that all their movements are in sync is something so dear to me

i reckon mammon (who is nearly always ik's first friend, no matter what universe, and also the best flier) would be super quick to get used to giving her rides around the place, but at first it's more like just carrying a doll around because ik is clutching him stock-still in Terror the whole time

but then!! there's a moment where it just sort of clicks. i'm vaguely remembering a trick in one of the httyd movies where hiccup jumps off toothless's back, and then toothless catches him again? it'd be like that, except it happens completely by accident the first time, but then they keep doing it for fun

on the other hand lucifer would take SO long to properly sync, because he's always like I Will Do As I Think Is Best, Your Commands Are Mere Suggestions. for him i think it'd take a moment of him being in danger and needing to rely on ik, and that's where it clicks for him. he mellows out, but he keeps acting as if he marches only to the beat of his own drum, even though he is absolutely doing everything ik tells him to

in general ik would have a set of subtle but specific gestures (some of which are unique to each brother) that she uses to both communicate and instruct, and i reckon levi likes that bit the most. since he's more geared for swimming, he'd have a range of clicks and whistles designed for underwater communication, and ik learns to understand and reply - so it's like they have their own secret language

[soulsoffairlight]

Can you tell me a little bit about Radlynn in your AU? Like her backstory? I’m very curious(the statement about her not having a childhood makes me wonder: is she an experiment?)

I WAS PREPARED FOR THIS MOMENT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH IT MEANS TO :D

In the name of not spoiling too much for the sake of planned projects, I won't give TOO much information. Just enough to answer your questions. :)

Short answer: Yes and no.

Long answer:

So, in a sense, very technically, she did have some sort of childhood. She was raised in the large Loulean city of Frigidare within my worldbuilding -- a large city known for its population of Tierkno (TYAIR - knah) of an unknown species, a shapeshifting creature in this world with a large diversity of species. However, very early on in her life was when she was unfortunate enough to be blinded - something that would affect her quality of life significantly … very unfortunately.

She would long for her ability to see every day -- she was very young and finding it difficult to adapt to her situation. Nobody would tell her what happened ... all she remembered was her brother pointing at something on the way to school on a dark winter morning. Then everything sort of went black on her ... permanently. Seemingly permanently.

She would need to be homeschooled, for losing sight so early in her life was something incredibly difficult to adapt to. And every moment of spare time Radlynn got she'd spent outside on the front porch, longing for the sight she once had... and desperately holding onto all the slowly fading memories of sight she still had. All she had memory of was her brother's face... and even that had become a mess of unintelligible geometric shapes in her head.

Meanwhile, Radley, the sole survivor of the mass freeze on the Avidran moon of Calyx sent by the a goddess named Oblivion to keep his aggressive family of Radishes known for the life of a god they had claimed at bay, was able to come to Avidra after finding one of Oblivion's dropped feathers, which had a hidden ability to open portals to both Avidra and its moons. He had found the other two sole survivors of freezes on the other two moons of Apica and Cocillion -- Sarge and Luau LePunch, respectively. They came up with a plan: they'd observe human and tierkno civillizations while wearing disguises that made them appear more human-like and find a way to scare them into submission and turn them against the gods.

They began to recreate the organized collaboration that their families would take on against the gods. Because Radley was so intelligent and had access to so much important information, the other two trusted him to be the one in charge... and he was very successful in doing so. He was able to find ways for them to steal important resources from the civilization and benefit their plan's progress as a whole. In doing so, they learned about the main ability of tierkno: shapeshifting. And that made them realize that if they could get some in their possession and train them... perhaps modify them, they would be extremely powerful.And so, they each researched extensively to make sure they had a clear understanding of how to care for tierkno and keep them happy. And they all agreed to choose a tierkno that was younger -- for they were easier to train from a young age. This phase of their plan would take a few years, but they were dedicated.

While Sarge and Luau were rather quick to find young tierkno to take under their wing (who had also been in tricky situations), Sarge Fan and LePete respectively, Radley wasn't afraid to take his time. He supposed that finding the optimal individual for their plans was more important than the time he spent doing so... and for a good few days, he had an eye on Radlynn ... who eventually ventured further from her porch and hung out near some crates Radley intended to take back to Calyx. She was clearly blind and seemingly lonely and depressed... something that, of course, was painful for him to see. But he had an idea... curing blindness was a simple breeze based on the resources available to him in the lab his family left behind on Calyx. He could simply help her get her sight back... and just like that, he'd have the trust of this intelligent girl who had already figured out navigating the world around her without sight.

He approached Radlynn, and he told her that if she could just sit and guard the crates for just a few more hours, he'd cure her blindness. The girl, whose life had seemingly crumbled apart since she went blind, took on the request without question. Soon, Radley took this young tierkno back to Calyx to give her what he promised... and to take her under his wing.

He cured her blindness using some methods he found in his family's resources, and she was crying tears of joy when she could see again. She became extremely loyal to him, and he felt some sort of connection to her... a familiar one. He treated her like a daughter of his own, and together, they agreed that her name would be Radlynn from then on.

The three raised and educated their adopted children with determination to give them the best they could while simultaneously continuing their business in Avidra and claiming territory-- adjusting the three to this kind of life. Sarge Fan learned to communicate and cooperate with Sarge’s army onions effectively, especially in his rottweiler form, which allowed for more efficiency in herding the little things. LePete gained a deep understanding of how to take advantage of both human/tierkno psychological and physiological weaknesses to become a fierce opponent in combat… sometimes without needing to lay a finger on anyone. However, he was already a natural fighter as a spectacled bear tierkno, so he was just as good at dealing physical damage.

And Radley had trained Radlynn in weapon combat… and she became so enthusiastic for it that she learned much of it – and an impressive amount more – on her own. She was a horrifying opponent when it came to fighting with a sickle. But one day, when Radlynn accidentally cut her arm on her sickle, leaving a deep gash without her noticing, Radley realized that there was a side effect to the curing-of-blindness method he didn't consider. Testing his theories, he took her in to stitch up the wounds without any form of numbing or something of the likes. While she was really scared about it, she... wasn't feeling any pain. This was pretty dangerous for her... but at the same time, it would make some ideas in the back of his head significantly easier. He figured that if he watched her very closely to make sure she didn't get hurt, he could keep her safe while still keeping that side effect.

From that point on, Radley began to take a fascination with her. It began with some smaller experiments to slowly funnel into the main one he had planned-- Radlynn was scared but not unwilling. It started with him applying small genetic samples of a certain Tierkno species he had managed to get his hands on, and she grew scenting glands on her neck and arms that she could use to recreate just about any scent-- a unique ability of this species that had piqued his interest. He was fascinated. He trained her to control it. And she, too, loved it.

When they began to train the three to start putting their new learned skills to use so they could commence with their plan, Radley was shocked by how quickly Radlynn was able to catch on. She discovered that she could feel pain if she wore a blindfold, and so she learned to pretty accurately fight without sight. She also learned to use her new scenting abilities to her advantage to distract people as she stole things or something of the likes, and she was extremely creative in completing tasks, something he was impressed by.

She pointed out that if they targeted the people who were dissatisfied with the government and tried to initiate them into their little group, they would be advantaged pretty well. And he was amazed by her reasoning.

As more targets were initiated on a seemingly life-or-death basis, they formed an entire mob of rebellious individuals who hated the government with a burning passion, and were destined to burn it to the ground. The people of the city were terrified of this mob -- to demonstrate their power, they would severely wound, if not kill, anyone who tried to cross paths or stop them. As they claimed more lives and even began to threaten government officials, even the government became scared of them, and many people started to believe that they had some control over it.

The gods were not pleased, and they knew they had to put a stop to this... somehow. Oblivion knew that if Radley, the mastermind behind this all, was to be gone, it would all fall apart. And so she commanded Poltergeist, a lower god who could easily interact with the world, to try and bring him to her. However, when he tried to grab him somewhere on Calyx, Radlynn ended up pushing him out of the way and being grabbed instead. Noticing she was being grabbed by the arm, she was quick to escape in a rather risky manner: she ripped off her blindfold and cut her own arm off with her sickle, freeing herself. Enraged, Radley ended up attacking him and managing to kill him... proving that he was just as dangerous to the gods as his family was.

Quick to do something about her missing arm, he performed another experiment on her. This next experiment was definitely more stressful for Radlynn--, but again, she was determined to push through for him. He replaced her now, missing left forearm with a bionic one - something else left behind by his family. It could easily be disguised as a real one and functioned just like one, even being able to experience touch, except it was bionic and had extremely sharp claws. Radlynn adapted quickly and was even able to teach herself some interesting strategies with it, something he was very impressed by. She enjoyed her new modifications... unlike the typical person would.

As much as she liked her modifications... that experience… it stuck with her. She couldn’t feel the pain, no… but she could definitely see what was happening, and it made her feel incredibly horrified. She would often find herself reliving the experience in her dreams, and every time, it just got worse and worse… but she tried to just ignore it: because she knew she was helping Madish, and she wanted to help him. He saved her.

Seeing how everything seemed to be going well, a few days later, he finally decided to perform the main experiment on her. When he applied his own DnA to give her a radish form, it worked... to extents beyond his intentions. The cambiregen (tierkno hormones giving them ability to shapeshift) had combined with this DnA aggressively, and he accidentally created a reckless, 10-foot-tall beast that tried to attack him. He was quick to corner her, but he still started to panic. But then he got an idea. He was able to gain control over the beast by tricking it into falling into obedience any time he said [her original name] to it. And it worked. He had turned a dangerous mistake around to his favor. He spent weeks training Radlynn and her new form, eventually being able to split into two: an 'antrhopomorphic' form more reminiscent of his own kind and then a 'feral' form closer to a werebeast, and everything was pointing in his favor.

The latter experiment traumatized her even more. She couldn’t see it that time, which only made it even more stressful for her… because she knew he was doing something to her cambiregen gland… and to her, that felt like something was being taken from her. And on top of that, she could tell he felt bad for it… and that look in his eye never left her. She had no idea what to do with herself. She was afraid of this new form she had. When she went into it, she couldn’t remember anything that she had done in it, and she knew that she could easily kill people in it. It felt like she was in the back seat of her own body sometimes.

But she was fine with it…

…for Radley.

If it hadn’t been for him, she’d probably have died somehow.

WHEW, THAT WAS A LOT.... But this is just the background context/base I plan to build a fic on... stay tuned guys. ;)

And also as a bonus treat, have the characters that inspired my representations of her and Radley:

Lynette Guycott from Scott Pilgrim (comics specifically)

C.A Rotwang and (Human) Maria from Metropolis (1927)

And the AU is named after and overall based on this song:

[scarsmood]

Not entirely sure how foxkin function cause everytime I try to look up anything about foxes it's hunting first then if i really look I can find like a documentary. Takes me a good 5 minutes to sift through pelts and what not.

It's surprisingly upsetting, i'm not exactly sure why but this actually bothers me more than wolf and deer hunting. It actually bothers me way more typical. Might be because after doing some research foxes are pretty similar to threatening wolves niche wise (very close actually kinda scary lol)

There's something about how people are obsessed with their pelts instead of the animal itself. I wonder if threatening wolves were on earth would they have become extinct because of their size and high variation in coat types?

It's interesting to me seeing people who are interviewed in great Britain with a vibrant red fox population say they're just vermin and would not necessarily want them dead but gone because they're 'annoying'. They say while throwing them sausages.

Like. This animal has adapted to your way of life completely. It is comfortable in urban landscapes where most animals fail at adapting this one thrives and your reaction is ":/ it's just kinda annoying" what do you WANT bro.

Feeling my misanthropy shoot up like. Jesus. Nothing pleases some people. Foxes are so annoying but also they're a symbol of an in between of feminity and masculinity. They're the symbolism of cunning and not being the strongest but smartest.

Even though kits begin infighting at 3 weeks old to begin to establish a social hierarchy. This fighting doesn't stop until everyone understands their place. Some researchers think the mother fox really controls pack dynamics as well.

There's so many fundamental misunderstandings about foxes because of our cultural interpretations of them. Honestly if I could "re-do" or reeducate my younger self because threatening wolves felt like a sort of "nothing fits and i need something now" sort of approach I probably would have suggested foxes in this light.

I probably would have been fox kin. A lot of their qualms and issues are reminiscent of what threatening wolves try to represent.

They are wild animals but forced into human landscapes more often than not. They are used for human resources and needs. They're considered meek in some regards and horrible monsters the next. Always considered the villain. They're hunted for traditions and bloodsport adorning their pelts as a prideful thing in some traditions or just clothes.

Threatening wolves are a different version of the same struggle. They're larger creatures that get taken advantage of by humans to. While humans can't partake in den killings as easily it still happens.

The odd fetishization of foxes adds another layer I can really connect to. Being seen as a sexual object over a living animal impacts me in a way that feels very sore. Hitting a lot of old wounds realizing foxes do share struggles I lived through to.

I kinda wish I could wind back time and start over again as a foxkin. Watch this kintype develop with years of knowledge and prowess of intimately understanding it. I can always start now but I just wish I didn't miss this opportunity like I did.

[thydungeongal]

This is more a problem with RPG culture, but one problem that often becomes apparent in game discussions is that there isn't a cohesive culture of play and that often leads to a lot of talk about how to address differences in player expectations. D&D is of course the big elephant in the room here because it's such a massive game so it will of course draw in a lot of people, but as I keep harping on D&D's marketing in the recent years has really oversold how adaptable D&D is and while the idea of using D&D for "deeper" stories is as old as AD&D 2e the relatively recent influx of high profile actual play has also informed a lot of people's vision of what a game of D&D is supposed to be.

And this often leads to miscommunications between me and other D&D enjoyers: I enjoy D&D as a challenge game where a bunch of adventurers go into a place (not necessarily a dungeon but the rules and procedures of a dungeon crawl can be adapted to almost any hostile and unwelcoming location) where there's potentially hostile creatures and some environmental puzzles, then they return to civilization to lick their wounds, rinse and repeat. That's basically the gameplay loop D&D (regardless of edition) has the most systems for (D&D 3e is kind of an odd one out, since in spite of being sold as the Return to the Dungeon edition at the time, by sheer rules volume it's the most not-Dungeon edition of D&D). Sure it's nice to have little moments of quiet when the dungeoneers can explore the world outside of the dungeon (or the world outside of dangerous adventuring places to be more exact) and maybe do a bit of emotional exploration in addition to the dungeon exploration, but that sort of play to me should always be the spice, never the whole meal, because those quiet moments are time away from what the game actually has systems and procedures for.

A lot of D&D players are already shaking their dang heads at this idea where the dungeon is the main focus of the dungeon game, and I'm like yeah, but your way of playing where the action takes place mostly outside of the dungeon is valid too. I just personally don't enjoy that type of play within the scope of D&D either as a player or a GM, because it would feel like only half-utilizing the rules of the game. That also leads to the idea of the GM as an unpaid game designer: using D&D for a genre of play outside of its scope will pretty much mean that the GM needs to be thinking of ways to adapt the rules of the dungeon game to activities outside of the dungeon in a meaningful way or coming up with their own rules to make that part of the game more engaging.

Of course a lot of this mismatch between group desires can and should be addressed before the game, because I emphatically don't think that the GM, in addition to all the other roles they traditionally have, should also have the job of trying to cater to each and every one of the players' wildly divergent tastes, because it's not quite as simple as making sure that the Combat Enjoyer gets their combat and the Dungeon Fan gets to go into a dungeon and the Social Butterfly gets to socialize with the NPCs, because a lot of the time those expectations can be contradictory. Like, I know it's not usually this dramatic, but some players prefer the interaction part of the game to the point where they feel unengaged during the combat and exploration parts, while some players feel the interaction part works best either as part of the exploration (i.e. within da dungeon, talking to the creatures who dwell therein instead of automatically assuming they ought to be put to the sword) or as a bit of spice between trips to the dungeon.

So anyway, I think it shouldn't be the GM's job to try to balance the divergent tastes of like ten different types of players (and this is something that some DMGs of the past have even given guidance towards, sometimes with clever little names for player types), because it would be much better that there be a broad agreement before the game begins what type of game it's going to be, so there would preferably be no "boring parts" for anyone. The problem I feel is multifaceted: part of it lies in the very idea itself that role-playing systems are infinitely adaptable, which leads to mismatches between what type of game is expected and what type of game the text itself supports. Sometimes game texts themselves do a poor job communicating where the strengths of the game lie (I feel most "trad" role-playing games fall into this trap because they often try to provide as broad a framework of rules and then struggle to explain where those rules best be applied). And sometimes game texts and the cultures surrounding them sell the idea, against all reason, that the game should support multiple modes of play when it actually supports like one or two at most. (This is that thing about D&D's marketing and the culture surrounding it that I keep harping on about.)

So does this matter? Is real harm being done? Probably not. These problems are ones that can be resolved through communication. But I also feel there would be less need for communication about mismatched desires if one could join a group playing a game and have an approximate idea of what type of game to expect. A lot of this stems from the fact that I like to take game texts at face value: if someone tells me that a game is about more than combat and then shows me a game that is mostly rules for how to apply force violently I'll be like "yeah, but... it's mostly about combat." If a game is mostly rules for being in the dungeon and then the playerbase tells me that dungeons actually suck ass and people who enjoy the game for the dungeons actually don't know what the game is really about then I can't help but feel puzzled.

And I know I'm talking about this in the context of D&D because it is the big elephant in the room, but this is not unique to D&D: I have heard of groups that have played sessions of Rolemaster without barely rolling on the tables (and I have been guilty of running such a game too because of my poor time management skills smdh) who have been proud of the fact and I'm like my brother in I.C.E. why wouldn't you want to roll on those tables that kick so much ass!? But especially these days there are lots of indie games out there that simply through extremely clear rules texts manage to communicate exactly what the game is supposed to be about and those games are really good at setting expectations of what the game should look like purely through their game text.

[feybeasts]

A bit of lore blurbing today:

Obviously I've spoken at length about the Curse of Scales, how Ancient technology and magic is suffused to the present day of my setting with a curse that turns its users into... well, I'm leaning more towards Weird Dragon Serpent Things (a la Faye's latest WIP,)- but I think an important thing to note is, it is essentially a "curse" devoid of intent.

There's no grand punishment behind it, and despite calling it a "curse," it's really only a very inconvenient set of circumstances, both for those it afflicts, and the society of the Ancients as a whole; Scaleborn retain their faculties despite their dramatic changes in biology and stature, and mages who were only so-so originally become magical powerhouses, but they become reliant upon and creatures of the magical currents running through the material world, with all the adaptations that required. And being a critter that literally swims through the magical tide that flows in and out of material reality means a LOT of adaptations!

They also tend to suck the stuff up like sponges, and can be something of lightning rods for the stuff, so ultimately their leaving the material world to become some sort of magical nomads wasn't really a banishment or anything, but accepting that this change was just... something they couldn't ignore.

It's not bad- it's just different.