#twilight lore not making sense as usual

[quinn-pop]

do you think that like, culturally, the reason why unicorns are often named after lights and space is because their queen is literally the one who controls the sun? so naturally they associate those things with power; celestia is practically a god to them

[taeyongdoyoung]

summary: a vampire and a werewolf want to put an end to the war between their families. in their dangerous attempt to achieve peace, they find love where they least expected... pairing: werewolf!mingyu x vampire!wonwoo x witch!reader genre: adventure, fantasy, a lil romance warnings: mentions of blood, burns, cutting, death, killing, suicide & other supernatural themes author's note: the title is inspired by taylor swift's bad blood, while the plot is vaguely influenced by romeo & juliet with the lore loosely based on twilight & the vampire diaries; some song references in italics hehe word count: 6.2k

Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Seoul, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where bad blood makes good hands unclean.

The werewolf Kim clan and the vampire Jeon clan had been enemies for as long as Mingyu could remember. He didn't recall a time when the two families didn't fight over something. There was an unwritten rule that the werewolves shouldn't go into the vampires' territory and vice versa. And for the most part, the agreement was followed. But occasionally, there were casualties. Occasionally, Mingyu lost a distant cousin or an uncle to the feud between the Kims and the Jeons. He was so tired of it. He wanted peace so desperately. Little did he know, he was not the only one who felt this strange longing.

Wonwoo was exhausted of this war going on between his family and the Kim one. He no longer wanted to participate in the pointless fights. He no longer wished to see another vampire fallen victim to the vicious werewolves. He had no idea how it had all started so it seemed completely devoid of meaning to him. Wonwoo wished he could find a way to put an end to it. Once and for all. And just then, as if some magic force had heard his plea, a piece of paper fell into his hand. From the sky. Right there on a balcony in summer air. He was stunned but nevertheless, he read the words written on it, which said:

What you seek you shall receive Go to the golden mountain If you wish your heart to grow Be prepared a sacrifice to give Drink from the magical fountain May all bad blood cease to flow

At the same time but in a different place, a twin paper landed in Mingyu's tent. It was cryptic as hell and it might as well have been a trap. It might be something that the Jeons, those smartasses came up with to cause more damage to the Kims. And yet, he was in such need for peace that he wanted to try whatever it took to find a solution that would ensure a tranquil future for him and his family. He put a couple of snacks in a bag, a few bottles of water and went out into the night.

Wonwoo did a similar thing, gathered a bunch of essentials, only he was caught by his younger brother and sister.

"Where are you going, hyung?" Jungkook asked.

"Yeah, you're acting suspicious!" Somi exclaimed.

"I'm going on an adventure," Wonwoo said simply.

"Take us with you, oppa!" Somi pleaded.

"I have to do this alone. It's too dangerous," Wonwoo was firm in his decision.

"Promise you'll come back!" Jungkook insisted.

Wonwoo knew he shouldn't make promises he wasn't sure he could keep. But he owed it to his precious siblings to reassure them that everything will be okay.

"Promise," he said and walked out of the door.

A couple of hours later, Mingyu found himself in the golden mountain. He could immediately sense something was wrong. It smelled like…death and decay. He sniffed aggressively into the air and seconds later he found himself pressed against a tree. By a stinky vampire!

"What are you doing here, Kim?" Wonwoo asked him.

"I could ask you the same thing, Jeon!" Mingyu growled. He tried to transform himself into his werewolf form and yet there must have been some sort of magic inside the golden mountain that prevented him from doing so. His suspicions were proven to be correct when he managed to escape from the vampire's grasp. Aha! He was slower than usual. Which meant he couldn't use his vampire speed around here.

"How…" Wonwoo was shocked by how quickly the werewolf had fled. "Why are you running?"

"Because you wanna drink my blood!" Mingyu screamed as he kept going.

"No, wait…I just wanna talk!"

"Yeah, right, and fish can fly!"

"Some can actually!" Wonwoo pointed out.

"Nerd!" Mingyu cried out and then he saw a big light in the air that said the exact same words in the paper! What even?! Something compelled him to stop running and moments later, Wonwoo hit his nose into the back of Mingyu's neck.

"Ow," he complained, taken aback by the fact that Mingyu was no longer trying to escape. "No way!" he had a similar reaction to Mingyu's upon seeing the mysterious words.

"Wait a second…" Mingyu started connecting the dots. "Don't tell me you received one of those as well."

He was probably taking a huge leap of faith but something was telling him that if the vampire wanted him dead, he would be dead already. Mingyu took out the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to Wonwoo.

Wonwoo's eyes widened in shock and he pulled out an identical-looking paper from his own clothes.

"What are the odds?" Wonwoo laughed bitterly.

"So…if we both want peace between our families, then I suppose we should work together," Mingyu offered sweetly.

"We might not have another choice," Wonwoo nodded reluctantly. "I'm Wonwoo, by the way."

"Mingyu. I would say nice to meet you but I'm not fond of lying," he tried to joke.

Wonwoo shook his head, amused by this encounter.

Seconds later, the sign in the air disappeared. In its stead was a golden door. Seemingly leading nowhere. Right in the middle of the mountain. How strange.

"Shall we?" Wonwoo suggested.

"Vampires first," Mingyu gallantly waved his hand.

Wonwoo didn't want to waste energy in arguing and opened the door. Mingyu followed him and the two were immediately greeted by the most beautiful creature they'd ever seen.

"Welcome!" you said. "If you've come this far, it means you've already taken the first step towards peace."

"Who are you?" Wonwoo asked.

"My name is Y/N. I'm a witch and it is my purpose to guide you through the seven challenges you must face if you wish to bring peace to your families."

"What kinds of challenges?" Mingyu inquired, suspicious of this whole situation.

"Well, it wouldn't be fun if I told you now, would it?" you chuckled mysteriously.

"How do we know we just won't get killed or something?" Wonwoo insisted.

"You don't. Guess you'll just have to believe that the possibility for a better future is strong enough to get you through these challenges," you explained patiently.

"Did you come up with these challenges?" Wonwoo wanted to know.

"So many questions," you laughed once again. "No, my ancestors did, I'm just a carrier of their will. Here's what I'll tell you. If you work together, you have a very good chance at succeeding."

"Not very reassuring," Mingyu complained.

"Still better than no chance," Wonwoo sighed.

"And if you complete the first six challenges successfully," you continued. "I will help you with the seventh one."

"I'm assuming the seventh one is the hardest," Wonwoo muttered.

"Clever boy," you smirked. "Are you ready?"

"Not really," Mingyu shrugged. "But let's do this."

"Well, good luck, guys. I'll give you a hint for the first challenge. If I eat I live yet if I drink I die. What am I?"

"Huh?" Mingyu looked at Wonwoo in a confused manner. "Any idea what this means?"

"No, but I don't like the sound of it."

You disappeared and in front of the two men, a wall of fire appeared. Great, so the hint was fire.

"So we just have to jump above it. It's not very tall," Mingyu observed.

"No, Mingyu, you don't get it," Wonwoo responded. "I will literally turn into ash if the fire touches me. I'm a vampire, remember?"

"Right," Mingyu nodded. "Well, then, hop on my back and I'll jump. I'm tall enough and I'll make sure the fire doesn't touch you."

Wonwoo shook his head hesitantly.

"I don't know…"

"Do you trust me?"

"Not particularly, no."

"Smart answer," Mingyu grinned. "But do you want peace or not?"

"More than anything," Wonwoo replied.

"Then, hop on."

Wonwoo did as Mingyu suggested and closed his eyes. In no time, the werewolf jumped and the fire was behind the two. Wonwoo opened his eyes and got off Mingyu's strong back. You had returned.

"Congratulations, you have completed the first challenge!" you greeted them cheerfully. "Keep up the good work and peace shall be yours soon."

"Well, that was easy enough," Mingyu smiled confidently.

"Easy for you to say," Wonwoo shuddered at the thought of fire.

"Do you guys want a hint for the second challenge?"

"Yes, please," Mingyu asked, guessing that since the first one was something dangerous for Wonwoo, then the second one would, logically, be something lethal for Mingyu.

"This is a type of color But it’s not yellow or blue You’ll need this type of bullet If a werewolf’s after you," you recited dutifully.

The answer was glaringly obvious. Silver.

"No," Mingyu groaned in fear as you vanished once again. The two somehow ended up in a room. There was only one way out and forward - a door at the end of the room. And in front of the door was a machine designed to shoot silver arrows. How fun. "What are we going to do?"

"Let me think," Wonwoo tried to analyze the situation in a way that would ensure Mingyu's safety. "If I run on zig-zag with you glued behind me, we might be fast enough to go behind the machine and open the door."

"But the arrows could shoot you?" Mingyu gasped in horror.

"I think they won't. The first challenge was designed to scare me and the second challenge is designed for you."

"It's very risky."

"Well, we can't let that stop us."

"Let's do this."

The two began running and surprisingly, the machine started shooting arrows their way. However, it was only capable of doing so in a straight direction, so it didn't manage to hit them once. With some great luck, Wonwoo and Mingyu squeezed themselves behind the machine. Yet, Mingyu was too impatient to grab the door handle, which, was, of course, made of silver. It burned his hand pretty badly but it wasn't lethal like arrows or even worse, bullets, would have been. Wonwoo immediately opened the door and pulled Mingyu with him to the other side.

"Are you okay?" Wonwoo asked, overwhelmed by a sudden concern for his werewolf companion.

"It hurts but I'll be fine," Mingyu tried to convince himself as well as Wonwoo.

Wonwoo quickly bit his own finger until a small streak of blood appeared.

"Drink this, it will help you heal faster."

Mingyu looked at Wonwoo doubtfully but went ahead. In no time, the burns disappeared and his hand no longer hurt.

"Wow, thanks a lot!"

"Thank me when we've completed all challenges," Wonwoo puts his hand on Mingyu's shoulder in a friendly manner.

You once again surprised them with your sudden arrival.

"Two in a row! You're really something else," you cheered them on loudly. "I was about to offer some healing herbs but the vampire beat me to it."

Wonwoo bowed dramatically, making Mingyu and you laugh.

"I won't ask whether you need a hint, because I'm feeling generous. I’m often running, yet I have no legs. You need me, but I don’t need you. What am I?"

"Ugh, another riddle," Mingyu was so done with them.

In front of the two men appeared a table. On the table, there were two cups filled with some kind of liquid. Next to the cups was a note:

"One may kill a vampire. Another may kill a werewolf. Drink all to move forward. Drink none to stay behind."

"I'm guessing one has vervain and the other wolfsbane. We drink the wrong cup, we both die. We drink the right one, we go to the next challenge," Mingyu started thinking out loud.

"What if I drink both cups?" Wonwoo suggested boldly. "That way I can ensure that you will move forward."

"Are you crazy?" Mingyu exclaimed. "First of all, there is no guarantee the witch will allow me to do the rest of the challenges by myself. Second of all, there is no guarantee I will succeed without you. Third of all…I don't wanna do this alone."

Mingyu sounded so vulnerable and like a lost puppy in that moment that Wonwoo felt so bad he cursed himself for offering something so dark in the first place.

"You're right, sorry I mentioned it. Do you have any better ideas?"

"Let's think about the riddle instead of rushing to poison ourselves," Mingyu replied. "I'm often running, yet I have no legs. You need me, but I don't need you…"

"But of course!" Wonwoo shouted triumphantly. "Water! It's just a trick, Mingyu. There is nothing but water in both cups!"

Mingyu eyed the two cups suspiciously.

"They don't smell like anything," he pointed out.

"Do you trust me?" Wonwoo repeated Mingyu's question from earlier.

"Not even a little bit," Mingyu teased. Even though a part of him was beginning to…

"Great. Drink up."

"Oh, what the hell." Mingyu and Wonwoo both grabbed a cup at random and downed them in one go. Nothing. No burn. No pain. No death. Just plain old water.

They both let out a sigh of relief and started laughing.

"We did it! We passed the third challenge!" they grabbed each other's hands happily and started jumping in circles.

You appeared yet again to congratulate them.

"You two are so smart, I'm genuinely impressed!"

Wonwoo and Mingyu let go of one another's hands, as if embarrassed that the witch witnessed a vampire and a werewolf behaving like this.

"How about a little break?" you offered.

"Not another challenge?

"Nope. Just a small something to reward you for getting so far."

Mingyu and Wonwoo exchanged a look.

"How do you plan to reward us?" Wonwoo raised an eyebrow.

"What would you like?" you smiled mischievously.

"Something more useful than those riddles," Mingyu asked.

"Okay, okay, no more riddles. Wonwoo?"

"Help us in the sixth challenge, as well. Not just the seventh one."

"Ambitious. I like that. Alright, then. Make sure you pass the fourth and fifth and I will give you a real advantage in the grand finale. Now, how about a snack to gather your strength?" you said and handed Mingyu a couple of big, juicy hamburgers. The werewolf gulped the first one hungrily.

"I'm a vampire, this is like plastic to me," Wonwoo complained.

"I know, silly," you chuckled and offered your wrist. "Come on, help yourself."

"How do I know it's not a trick?"

"Why would it be a trick?" you blinked at him innocently. "Mingyu already ate his burger and he's still safe."

"It's just a burger. I don't think the blood of a witch has the same value."

"Aw, I'm touched," you cooed. "Fine, suit yourself, then. Starve if you want."

Wonwoo shook his head, determined to reject the temptation.

"I'm not hungry."

Your smile suddenly transformed into a quite sinister one.

"Good. You just passed the fourth challenge."

"W-what?" Mingyu, who'd just swallowed the last bite of the third burger, asked in shock. "But…we didn't do anything, did we?"

"Wonwoo did," you explained. "The virtue of restraint is incredibly rare among vampires nowadays. Him rejecting my blood so easily shows that he is truly determined to achieve peace."

"But…me eating the burgers is okay, right?" Mingyu kept worrying.

"It's okay, Mingyu, don't worry," you laughed. "Still, previous participants never made it this far."

"Wait…we're not the first ones?" Wonwoo was shocked. "Others from our clans have tried these challenges before?"

"Of course. They all failed, though. These challenges are held once every seven years. Since…since the feud between your two families began."

"But…why?" Mingyu asked.

"I'll tell you if you make it to the end."

"Is the fifth challenge a hidden one like the fourth? I mean…you said we were having a short break, I didn't even know it was a test," Wonwoo complained.

"You asked for no more riddles. You didn't say anything about tricks," you pouted, the picture of blamelessness.

"Witches, man," Mingyu murmured, causing Wonwoo to smile. You didn't look offended by these words, considering the circumstances. Still, you were just doing your job, so you refused to feel bad for it. Besides, you genuinely believed that your actions would help them succeed. You wanted peace just as badly. For your own reasons.

Suddenly, the full moon shone brightly in the sky.

"Oh, come on," Mingyu groaned, as he felt overpowered by his transformation into his wolf form. It was more painful than usual and he experienced such intense anger towards everyone and everything. He wanted to ravage the vampire and the witch. Consequences be damned.

"Control it, Mingyu," Wonwoo tried to calm him down as he saw the werewolf approaching him and you like a predator stalking his prey. "It's just another trick. You have to show restraint, like I did. We're so close to success, don't give up now."

"You know what they say. A wolf can change his coat but not his character," you laughed maniacally.

"Stop goading him!" Wonwoo reprimanded you. "Mingyu. Remember why we're here. Remember what we both want. Peace."

It was like that one short magical word unlocked something inside the werewolf. His eyes that were full of rage seconds ago became full of warmth, kindness and hope. And in no time, Mingyu was back in his human form.

"Peace," he repeated, shivering, as the poor guy was naked after returning to his humanity.

You snapped your fingers and by magic, his clothes were back on him.

"Astonishing. I've never witnessed anything like this before," you were truly amazed by their willpower.

"I take it the fifth challenge was a success?" Mingyu wanted to make sure.

"Not only a success. It was your golden ticket to the grand finale," you beamed with excitement.

"So, what is the sixth challenge?" Wonwoo inquired.

"You'll have to fight each other. The winner gets to move forward to the seventh challenge."

"Excuse me?" Mingyu cried out indignantly. "We didn't go this far only to end up hurting one another, we're supposed to go through these challenges together!"

"You promised you'll help us!" Wonwoo was also flabbergasted by the turn of events.

"And I will, relax. I'll give you a hint. The challenge requires you to fight. That's all it says. Nothing about killing," you winked and once again disappeared.

"Damn, she's got to stop doing that," Mingyu complained. "So cryptic."

Wonwoo laughed quietly.

"I don't wanna wolf out on you," Mingyu confessed.

"And I don't wanna suck you dry," Wonwoo responded.

"So what now? How do we fight each other without harm? How do we decide on a winner to go to the final challenge?" Mingyu was panicking as he couldn't seem to find a solution.

"Look, there's the table from the cups of water challenge!" Wonwoo observed, surprised by its return.

"But of course!" Mingyu exclaimed. "We can arm wrestle. A fight without killing."

"You're a genius! Just don't break my arm, alright?" Wonwoo smiled.

"No promises," Mingyu teased and the two knelt on two sides of the table. Mingyu easily defeated Wonwoo and then they were confused that nothing was happening. No seventh challenge.

"Maybe we're both meant to win to move forward?" Wonwoo suggested. "Like you said, these challenges ought to be done together for true peace to be achieved."

"Oh! Right!" Mingyu took hold of Wonwoo's hand once again, not putting any strength into his grasp this time. "Go easy on me, night kitten."

"Right back at you, moon puppy," Wonwoo teased back and as Mingyu allowed himself to be defeated, a large sign lit up the sky, announcing the beginning of the seventh challenge.

"Grand finale, here we come," Mingyu declared in amazement that they'd gotten this far.

You greeted them as enthusiastically as ever:

"It truly is a wonder you made it to the seventh challenge, I can't believe the peace between your families is so close."

"It's too early to celebrate," Wonwoo, ever the realist, observed. "The final one is the hardest, no?"

"Yes, but I intend to keep my promise and give you a strong advantage. As it was hinted at in the piece of paper you received, you have to be prepared for a sacrifice. Only that will put an end to the bad blood between the Kims and the Jeons."

"What kind of sacrifice?" Mingyu asked, already anticipating the worst.

"A blood one," you stated grimly.

"You've got to be kidding me," Wonwoo rolled his eyes.

"We don't want to kill each other, I thought it was clear we came here looking for peace!" Mingyu cried out.

"I know you grew attached to one another throughout the course of these challenges," you nodded morosely. "However, the prophecy doesn't specify who has to be sacrificed. You…you can kill me, instead."

You gently placed two daggers in their hands.

Wonwoo and Mingyu were beyond appalled by your suggestion.

"But…you're just doing your job," Wonwoo murmured. "Why would we kill you when you helped us get this far?"

"Yeah, I'm with Wonwoo," Mingyu was adamant. "You didn't do anything wrong to us. There has to be another way."

"It's the only way," you announced, your eyes tearing up. "If you don't do this, you'll fail the seventh challenge and you'll be automatically turned into ash like all the previous participants were when they couldn't pass one of the challenges. Don't you want peace more than anything? I'm not important, just one life that could potentially save the lives of many vampires and werewolves. Is this not why you came here?"

Mingyu and Wonwoo looked at each other, weighing out the pros and cons. The witch's point was a solid one. But was it really worth it? They would have to endure the rest of their lives haunted by what they'd done…Was it really peace if it was marred with innocent blood?

"I'm not doing it," Wonwoo decided and dropped the dagger.

"Yeah, me neither," Mingyu agreed and let go of the weapon.

"Even if you die instead by the design of these challenges?" you were amazed by their willingness to sacrifice themselves, to abandon their cause just to save her - a witch they'd just met.

"Even so," Wonwoo confirmed his previous decision.

"How much time do we have?" Mingyu wanted to know.

"I don't know. Like I said, no one's ever gotten this far," you admitted.

"Can't we try something else? These challenges were full of loopholes and tricks and whatnot. Maybe another kind of sacrifice?" Wonwoo kept trying to think of a way out.

"I've got some snacks in my bag? And water?" Mingyu suggested.

"I'm pretty sure my ancestors would not be satisfied with snacks," you chuckled bitterly.

"Be prepared a sacrifice to give Drink from the magical fountain May all bad blood cease to flow…" Wonwoo repeated the last lines of the prophecy.

"We did drink from cups of water but there was no magical fountain so far," Mingyu mused out loud.

"That's true," you replied. "And there's the sacrifice and blood part…maybe I'm reading this all wrong."

"What do you mean?" Wonwoo was desperate to hold onto any piece of hope.

You grabbed one of the daggers from the ground.

"Give me your hands," you urged them.

"Erm…" Mingyu eyed you with suspicion.

"Quick, I'm not sure how much time we have left," your eyes were telling them that you genuinely wanted to help.

Wonwoo took a leap of faith and gave you his hand. You pressed the blade into his skin until blood started pouring out and soaked the earth beneath you. Mingyu figured he had nothing left to lose as he might be dead very soon and also offered his hand. You did the same thing with him. And finally, you cut your own skin. As the blood of a vampire, a werewolf and a witch started drenching the soil in the golden mountain, the three creatures witnessed something they hadn't expected. The blood started turning into water and soon enough a small fountain emerged in front of their eyes.

"The magical fountain!" Wonwoo exclaimed.

"Hurry, we have to drink from it!" you rushed them, the prophecy finally being fulfilled.

The three beings took turns taking sips of water and their bloodied hands were healed in no time.

"Does this mean we succeeded? We passed the seventh challenge and peace will reign between our families?" Mingyu was curious to know.

"I guess there's only one way to find out," you shrugged mysteriously. "Go back home and see for yourselves."

"You promised us something," Wonwoo reminded you. "You said you'd tell us why the feud began in the first place if we make it to the end. Here we are."

"Clever boy," you once again said the words from your very first encounter. "It's a long story, though. You sure you don't wanna check up on your families first?"

"Don't try to weasel your way out of this," Mingyu warned. "We want answers. We've spent long enough living in the dark."

"Nicely put," you laughed. "Very well, then. But first, let us sit down."

The three creatures sat in the grass and so, you began telling the story of how the Kims and the Jeons had started resenting each other.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful witch named Yunchae. She was not only as elegant as a flower but was also smart and kind and her whole family adored her. Tales of her beauty reached the vampire and werewolf families. Haneul the vampire and Kwang the werewolf fell madly in love with her. Yunchae, being so sweet, began spending time with both of them separately. She was unaware of dangers such as jealousy and genuinely considered both of them her lifelong companions. One thing led to another and friendship blossomed into love. One dark night, when there was a full moon, Kwang the werewolf wanted to surprise Yunchae so he came into her chambers earlier than the appointed hour. When he saw her embracing Haneul the vampire, Kwang, affected by the curse of the moon, was overwhelmed with wild rage and possessiveness. In his anger, he ended up tearing Haneul apart. The vampire had been caught unprepared and could not defend himself. Yunchae, in her grief, stabbed herself to death. Kwang, upon seeing his beloved lying cold and shaken by the consequences of his actions, could not accept the reality and threw himself off the tower where Yunchae lived. Upon hearing about the tragic turn of events, Haneul's family and Kwang's family began blaming each other. Yunchae's family was so distraught by the loss of their precious flower that they cursed the Jeons and the Kims to be in constant war unless representatives of the two families desired peace so strongly they were ready to risk their own lives. And here we are."

Wonwoo and Mingyu were silent for a while, trying to think of what to say. The story was so tragic but Mingyu wanted to lighten the mood.

"They were so stupid. Why couldn't they just have a threesome and call it a day?"

"Mingyu!" Wonwoo scolded the werewolf for his slightly inappropriate joke.

You cleared your throat, suddenly feeling awkward.

"Anyhow, this is all in the past. The curse should be lifted by now. I wish you all a peaceful life."

And with that, you vanished into thin air.

"Seriously, when will she stop doing that?" Mingyu groaned.

"She just did. Do you think we'll see her again?" Wonwoo was doubtful but had to voice his concerns.

"Who knows? Maybe we were all meant to find each other."

Mingyu and Wonwoo returned to their homes and they were relieved to find how things have changed. As if by magic. The werewolf Taehyung was freely chatting with the vampire Jungkook. The vampire Somi was holding hands with the werewolf Dahyun. Peace truly reigned between the Kims and the Jeons. Whenever Wonwoo or Mingyu brought up the issue of the past, everyone reacted with surprise. As if there was never any feud. It turned out only the two winners of the seven challenges and the witch who'd helped them get this far remembered the truth about the history of the three families.

Time passed and Mingyu found himself wanting to see you and Wonwoo again. Though dangerous, that one night he spent in the golden mountain was the most magical memory he had and he couldn't stop replaying it in his head. He wondered if Wonwoo felt the same way. Now that peace was established between the Kims and the Jeons, Mingyu could easily go to the castle where Wonwoo lived and ask him to hang out and maybe accompany him to the golden mountain in the hopes that they would find you somehow. Since the challenges were over, he had no idea whether you would still be there or whether you lived somewhere else, but it couldn't hurt to try.

"Hey! Psst!" Mingyu started throwing little rocks at Wonwoo's window in the middle of the night. He could smell him from a mile away.

"What the heck, Mingyu?" Wonwoo exclaimed in surprise as he came out on the balcony. "It's 1am!"

"I thought vampires didn't sleep!" Mingyu pointed out.

"We don't but I lost a very important game because of you," Wonwoo complained.

"Oh, boo-hoo. What I came here for is much more important," Mingyu insisted.

"What is it? Don't tell me there are problems between our families again…" Wonwoo whispered, worried that something bad had happened.

"What? No, everything is fine. I just wanted to see you…" Mingyu confessed nervously. "And ask if you wanted to find Y/N again. Go on another adventure in the golden mountain."

"Huh? But why? We passed all the challenges. Why would we go back there?"

"Because…I can't stop thinking about that one night. If it's just me, I'll leave you alone and go by myself. But if a part of you, even a small one, feels the same…then, please, come with me, night kitten," Mingyu begged, his eyes wide and moist with unshed tears.

Wonwoo didn't want to admit it but he knew exactly what Mingyu was talking about. His no longer beating heart was warm all of a sudden and he couldn't bear the thought of rejecting Mingyu's tempting offer. Still, he tried to play it cool.

"Whatever, moon puppy. Wait for me down there," Wonwoo said and hurried out.

When he faced the werewolf outside, Mingyu attacked him with a tight hug.

"I knew it, I knew it!" Mingyu squealed happily. "I knew you'd come! We're gonna have so much fun!"

"Gee, alright, relax," Wonwoo muttered but deep down, he was overjoyed to receive so much affection from his…what were they? Once enemies but during the challenges, they had become allies, something like companions. But now that there was peace, what label could he put on their strange…was it friendship? Before he could come up with an answer, Mingyu grabbed his hand and led the way towards the golden mountain. Wonwoo couldn't bring himself to push him away. He wondered why…

As they arrived at their destination, they started calling your name but to no avail. With the challenges over, it was logical to assume that you went somewhere else. They should have asked you where witches lived before you'd vanished in that typical but super frustrating way of yours.

"What do we do?" Mingyu asked. "Should we summon her somehow?"

"She's not a demon," Wonwoo chuckled. "Do you know any other witches?"

"Nope. You?"

"No. How can we possibly find her?" Wonwoo sat down and touched the ground with his hand. Mingyu mirrored his movements. And as if the earth beneath them recognized them, flowers started growing and glowing in the dark!

"Wow!" Mingyu was in a state of disbelief.

"Incredible," Wonwoo stated and as the picture before them transformed into an image out of their wildest dreams, they finally heard a familiar voice.

"Looking for me, fellas?" you asked.

"Y/N!" Mingyu grinned happily and rushed into your arms. Wonwoo was more reserved…for now.

"Hello there, big puppy," you laughed affectionately. "What brings you here? Don't tell me there's trouble in paradise."

"No, actually, we just wanted to see you," Mingyu admitted.

"Why didn't you show up rightaway when we called your name?" Wonwoo inquired bitterly.

"Hello to you, too, Wonwoo," you shook your head, scolding his manners. "How have you been? Very well, thank you. And you?"

"Hi," Wonwoo corrected himself curtly. "Now tell me."

"I couldn't hear you, so to speak. However, most witches are linked to the earth and your touch sent a signal to me. Does that answer your question?"

Wonwoo nodded but didn't press the matter further.

"Where do you live? How can we find you more easily next time? What do you do now that the challenges are over?" Mingyu started bombarding you with more questions.

"Whoa, there, relax, Gyu. Let's just say I know a place that can give you answers."

"Lead the way!" Mingyu replied enthusiastically as you took hold of his hand.

Wonwoo stood there for a couple of moments, thinking.

"You coming?" you wanted to find out.

Wonwoo followed you wordlessly. Something was off about him and you intended to find out what pretty soon.

You showed them where you lived - in a small cottage near a beautiful lake. You told them that they could come visit whenever they felt like it and Mingyu offered that you also come to the werewolves' camp sometime. Now that the challenges were completed, you spent your days creating spells and gathering herbs. It was peaceful and you couldn't ask for more. Or so you thought. As the three of you explored the golden mountain, you felt closer to the werewolf and the vampire than during the challenges and enjoyed the time spent together more than anything. You could tell that Mingyu felt the same way as he was very cuddly and clingy. Wonwoo, however, was more difficult to read. As morning was nearing and you were all exhausted from your late-night adventures, the three of you ended up sitting in the grass. You and Mingyu ate some sandwiches, while poor Wonwoo starved. You offered him your blood (no tricks this time), but he refused. In your defense, he said he wasn't hungry. Mingyu fell asleep with his head in your lap, so you took this opportunity to ask Wonwoo what was up with him.

"Why are you so cold?" you confronted him directly.

"I'm a vampire?" Wonwoo reminded you needlessly.

"Not literally, you dumbass. During the challenges, you were different. What changed?"

"I know the whole truth now."

"What are you referring to?"

"I'm scared, okay?" Wonwoo admitted. "What if…history repeats itself? What if both Mingyu and I fall in love with you and we all end up hurting each other? What if this peace we fought so hard for is fragile and gets destroyed quickly?"

"It won't, I promised you," you reached out and held Wonwoo's hand gently.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because…we're here now and we're happier than ever. And besides, if we fall in love, we can do like Mingyu suggested our ancestors should have done," you joked.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Wonwoo rolles his eyes.

"I'm serious, though. Would you kill Mingyu if he fell for me?" you asked, already knowing the answer.

"No, he's my...friend," Wonwoo confessed, surprising himself.

"Do you think Mingyu would kill you if you…if you felt the same?" you kept up with the hypothetical questions, even though it all seemed very real.

"He managed to control himself pretty well during the full moon challenge, so, no, I don't think he would."

"Would I kill you? If you two fell in love with each other?" you teased.

"I don't know. Would you?"

"Of course not, my sweet vampire friend," you chuckled.

"Good. Then, I guess my fears were unjustified," Wonwoo felt more at ease.

"Yay! So, threesome?" Mingyu suddenly joined the conversation.

"Mingyu!" you exclaimed.

"Hey! I thought you were sleeping!" Wonwoo was taken aback.

"I was, but I kept having dreams about you two. Must have been because you were talking about me, weren't you?"

"Are we so transparent?" you groaned.

"Nah, it's just that I'm irresistible. Witches and vampires alike can't stop thinking about my puppy charms," Mingyu kept talking.

You leaned down to kiss him to shut him up. Then, you reached out to Wonwoo and gave him a kiss, as well. The werewolf, no longer in the mood to sleep, also embraced the vampire and touched his lips with his own.

"The sun will rise soon," Wonwoo observed sadly. "I have to go unless I want to turn into ash."

"The rules don't apply in the golden mountain. You're safe here," you explained. "You can stay as long you wish and leave when it's dark."

"How about the moon?" Mingyu was curious. "Why did it affect me if the rules don't apply?"

"It was just an illusion designed by my ancestors as part of the challenges. If you were here in the golden mountain during a full moon, you wouldn't have to transform anymore."

"Pretty convenient way to get us to stay, don't you think?" Wonwoo eyed you suspiciously.

"Mm, but don't take advantage of my hospitality. I'm totally coming over to check out your castle next time!"

"How did you know I live in a castle?!" Wonwoo was shocked.

"A witch never kisses and tells," you winked and disappeared.

"Man, not again!" Mingyu complained loudly.

"Just kidding," you came back and rushed into their arms.

The End

[wazzappp]

Alrighty my dudes buckle up

GHOST RIDER D&D AU

also WOE. ART STYLE CHANGE BE UPON YE.

First things first thank you to my beloved mutual @moosemonstrous, who was basically the brains behind the operation I basically just wanted an excuse to draw tiefling Robbie and then got smacked in the face with an awesome story way beyond what I had ever thought of with KILLER fucking lore to match <3.

While I usually like to start with Robbie when introducing an AU, we're going to unfortunately have to start with Eli. A man who fucked up so monumentally that the kinda sorta god he's supposed to be serving went 'Bitch??? How about NO.' and humbled him faster than my DM can say 'roll perception'.

Ok I'm getting ahead of myself. Eli is pretty much the same personality wise as he is in canon. Insecure and desperate for power/control. He grew up surviving with Beto by doing jobs for the Myriad crime syndicate. Somewhere along the way he started serving his patron, Desirat, the twilight phoenix, in exchange for her power.

Im just going to directly quote what moose said about Desirat cause its phrased WONDERFULLY:

"Desirat, The Twilight Phoenix - companion and mount of Asmodeus during an ancient war, was torn from her master and captured by uppity mages. They were eventually killed, but she remained chained under a mountain, creating weird thermal phenomena in the area. Her sanity fractured in isolation so she thinks herself divine, and she lends through dreams and visions to those who 'carry a seed of fiery vengeance'. She now speaks to the minds of those who lie spurned and angry at night, calling them to unlock their inner flame and let Desirat aid them in their vengeance."

Desirat chose Eli as her champion to free her. She believed his faults would make him easy to manipulate for her purposes.

But eventually Beto wanted to settle down, and Eli refused to (to quote moose) 'Stop that warlock bullshit that EVERYONE SAID will get him in trouble'. And the brothers separate. During that time, Eli gets it in his head that he can steal more power from her by becoming a Litch. Great! In order to become a Litch he needs to have the most important person to him engage in a willing life sacrifice. Not great.

So he finds Beto and tries to get him to oblige to his sacrifice, and while there might have been a time where Beto might have laid down his life for his brother, he wont anymore. He has a family now. People who rely on him who AREN'T Eli. Unfortunatly, Eli is PISSED by this and kills Beto even though he isn't a willing sacrifice. Eli figures 'Whose really gonna care? A life is a life right?'

DESIRAT cares. She basically obliterates Eli on the spot and stores his lifeforce for later purposes.

(all stat sheets curtosy of the great Moose. Also I feel obligated to mention there was a scary moment during the art process where Eli looked like a beautiful butch lesbian. Horrifying.)

After Eli's spiritual, physical, and magical bitch slap, Desirat starts looking down his bloodline for a NEW champion. Lucky her, Robbie is RIGHT THERE. Protective of his brother, a strong sense of justice even from a young age, a hatred of when things aren't fair; he's PERFECT. She has plans for this one. Eli was a good test run. But she has IMPROVEMENTS planned for Robbie.

So Desirat waits until Robbie is old enough and strong enough to serve her purposes. In that time, Julianna goes out adventuring to get more coin so she can pay for Gabe's treatments of Greater Restoration and just. General food and water and general supplies. But she doesn't come back. She was responsible though and hired someone who was willing to take what she could offer to take care of the boys. Gabe still believes that she's still out there and trying to come back to them. Robbie thinks she's either bailed on them for a life of adventure or dead.

Around when Robbie turns 18, Desirat puts her plans into effect. Seeing as tieflings carry innate magical abilities (most commonly thaumaturgy, hellish rebuke, and darkness) it would be far more advantageous for her champion to be a tiefling than human. In the span of about 4 months, Robbie goes through a rather drastic transformation.

His fingernails harden, then blacken, then sharpen. Awful pressure builds in his skull that is only relived when the beginnings of horns break through his skin. A similar process begins with a lump forming at his tail bone and eventually bursting out into a long pointed tail. His canine teeth fall out and grow back in sharper and longer. His eyes cloud over to black and yellow, all the while his skin reddens and forms hard ridges on his arms, ribs and spine.

To say this is disorienting and painful is an understatement. Not to mention how it changes how the other people around the village look at him (not to mention how it changes how he looks at himself). Even though the stigma around tieflings isn't as strong as it once was, it eventually causes Robbie to be out of a job. So he decides to sell the house, pack up his things, prepare schooling money for his brother and move to the city where more opportunities will hopefully await.

GABE!!! THE LITTLE ADHGH. Idk why but I got extreme cute aggression when drawing this version of him fdjkslaf.

Gabe still has CP like he does in canon, but with the magical advantages of ✨Greater Restoration✨ he can generally function pretty well. He still gets tired sometimes though, so he carries around a walking staff as an aid just in case he needs one (also he can go whack whack. at least thats what Robbie tells him when he gets a little self conscious carrying it around).

Robbie has saved up enough money for Gabe to get a months worth of schooling at the Dawn Father Chantry in the city so he can learn to cast Greater Restoration on himself. Gabe's recent growth spurt has been causing him to need more and more frequent healings, and the Chantry in their home village of Hill Rock has been less and less obliging as of late (partially due to Robbies recent uh... condition. not that anyone would dare say it to his face of course).

Some extra fun doodles with expressions and thinking about how Desirat might look and interact with Robbie. I love when gods have a kind of twisted love for their special chosen people (plus some fun transformation horror cause its ✨me✨ were talking about what did you expect).

Also I really REALLY liked that top left sketch and got the rendering itch so I had some fun and painted it in.

Theres a whole fuckin. Second post to this au all lined up cause Moose when HAM on this. But its gonna take some more character designs so I'll need just a little time. but this will not be the last you see of this lol I promise <3

[utilitycaster]

If you have time, I'd be really interested to hear any thoughts you have about the Bad Kids in terms of party/combat mechanics! I know they have a number of homebrew abilities/items that make them a little different from RAW character builds, but what do you think about them in terms of party balance or combat effectiveness? The thing that usually leaps out to me is how many of the Bad Kids are able to buff each other in and out of combat, and they seem to work fairly cohesively in battle. What's your read on them?

I don't have a ton of thoughts - in general, assume my CR thoughts will always be much more involved in part just because I'm more involved and also the ease of looking up information for CR works - but what does interest me actually is that the Bad Kids started off a pretty standard split of three casters (all competent support casters but capable of damage) and three martial classes, and that everyone but Adaine has undergone a subclass change, a multiclass, or more, and nearly all those changes were in the direction of higher utility and support. Adaine meanwhile was always a divination wizard which is simply a fantastic class and subclass with high utility and cool abilities so there's no need to change:

Fabian was originally a champion fighter, which is a great subclass but not really focused on party support other than being extremely good at killing foes and a decent tank. During season 2 he switched to battlemaster and multiclassed into bard (college of swords). His focus is still primarily on damage, but he can now maneuver and aid allies with his fighter abilities rather than just being super good at hitting, and he has the spells and inspiration of a bard, arguably the class most defined as a support/utility class.

Gorgug was originally a pure barbarian, and branched off into artificer late in season 2. It's a weird multiclass and one that Brennan has worked with Zac to homebrew but it did make a lot of narrative sense for him, and he then put the work in this past season. Artificers are also a good support class, whereas barbarians (especially Beserker, which he originally was) are also all about tanking and damage. By multiclassing into battlesmith he adds familiars onto the field, and maintains taking abilities.

Fig was originally college of whispers, which kind of sucks as a bard subclass, and so switching to lore, which gives you more access to spells and ways to help your allies helped. She also addressed the lack of bard ability to do damage by taking first a level in hexblade, and then multiclassing into paladin. She can still serve as support, and frequently does via inspiration and healing, but she now has pretty much all options available to her.

Kristen was originally a life cleric and is now twilight, and honestly both are super strong but twilight has a wider array of powers whereas life is very strongly healing-focused. Clerics also just get exponentially stronger as they level up and get higher level spells.

And finally, Riz switched from inquisitive, which is a solid rogue class in terms of solving mysteries, to arcane trickster, which gives him access to spells, dramatically expanding his repertoire. Also, to be honest, rogue abilities at high levels are really good, it's just, you spend a lot of time in levels where all you get is sneak attack.

So: all the martials ended up with some amount of spellcasting, the most pure support caster took some wise martial dips, and clerics and wizards are just really good classes that get better as you get more powers. You end up with a party that, as you say, can all buff each other.

[lennsart]

Ok ok ok so

I've bought the Zelda Encyclopedia because I am in a hyperfixated rampage about LoZ. And on one hand it's the best thing ever, because special interest is going brrrr.

But ! But.

I've bought in french. Because I... Am french.

And I don't know if the english version has troubles, alright ? But THE FRENCH VERSION IS A BADLY TRANSLATED HELL and I need to rant.

Keep in mind that I didn't study the book. I've skimmed through. And I'm already holding my head in my hands in a dramatic 'losing my mind' posture.

But anyway ! Here's the defendant :

This is the book I'm talking about, and all the pictures that follow come from this book.

Follow me into translation hell !

Note : I actually usually prefer the french translation in Zelda ! They do a good job at translating things that make sense, leaving things as they are when it isn't needed, and I often find the translated characters' names prettier. (Example : Makar, the korok from Wind Waker, is called Dumoria. I have NO IDEA why it changes so much but it sound so much better in my opinion !) So this is not VF hate. This is genuine uncomprehension as to WHY IS THE BOOK LIKE THIS.

Now, you don't need to go far into the book to have a problem with it.

First few pages. Like literally before the actual content of the book. Presentation of the games. Easy enough, right ? Not hard to beta read, RIGHT ?

WHAT DO YOU MEAN "THE MINISHIP CAP". WHAT DO YOU MEAN. IT'S NOT LIKE THE TITLE IS WRITTEN ON THE PICTURE ABOVE. How did it happen ?? The name doesn't even change in french, help

"Miniship cap" I already want to quit and it's my INTRODUCTION to this book.

We can divide the mistakes of this book in three categories :

- Lore mistake

- Translation mistake

- Wtf mistakes

I would place "Miniship cap" in the WTF category, for obvious reasons. (HOW???)

The first two categories are easily justified : they asked someone to reread the book and the person wasn't very interested/didn't know Zelda well. But it makes the book LIE

Example of lore mistake :

The title here is " The Ancient Temple, marked by the loftwings".

THE L O F T W I N G S.

This is the ancient temple in Twilight Princess. This is supposed to read OCCAS ! SKYWARD SWORD WASN'T EVEN RELEASED YET !! LOFTWINGS DIDN'T EXIST !

Why did this happen ? Well, in french, Loftwings are called "Célestriers" (mix of the words "céleste", celestial, and "destrier", which is apparently the same in english but I've never seen it before, it's a horse usually or an animal you ride). And Occas ? Are called "Célestiens". People that lives in the sky, basically.

So yeah, Célestriers, Célestiens, I SEE the mistake, ok ?

But still. Uncool. Boo.

Now, example of translation mistake :

The first sentence here is a description of a picture, it reads "Aryll is abducted by Helmaroc King on Ganondorf's orders".

Why isn't this shocking to you, english reader ? Because Helmaroc King is the ENGLISH name of the big bird. In french, there are no "roi Helmaroc" ("roi" means king). It has been translated.

But maybe the book doesn't know, right ? IT'S NOT LIKE THE NAME IS WRITTEN ON THE NEXT PAGE, RIGHT ?

THERE. LE ROI CUIRASSE. THIS IS THE BITCH I KNOW ABOUT. I'M LOSING MY MIND

But again, alright, I guess someone didn't think to translate the name. Some characters's names aren't translated (example : french Skull kid is called... Skull kid. I am thankful for that), so maybe they just didn't THINK to check if there was a translation.

Even though. It was on the next page.

AND I WAS GOING TO LET ROI HELMAROC SLIDE. I WAS.

AND THEN I LOOKED AT THE SAME FUCKING PICTURE I TOOK OF THE BOOK.

First thing I underlined, "Mélodie", is a typo of Medli's name in french, which is "Médolie". I get it, it's an anagram, I've read it Mélodie my whole childhood, OK French Zelda Encyclopedia. OK.

BUT "ÉPÉE MAÎTRESSE" ?? NO.

THE MASTER SWORD IS NOT FUCKING CALLED "ÉPÉE MAÎTRESSE". MAÎTRESSE IS WHAT YOU CALL YOUR TEACHER WHEN SHE'S A WOMAN AND YOU'RE TEN, OK ?

(Actually, "maître" and its feminization "maîtresse" do mean master. But it's. It feels wrong. It's not the in-game name, and it feels wrong.)

THE MASTER SWORD IS "ÉPÉE DE LÉGENDE", OK ? LEGENDARY SWORD. THERE IS NO ÉPÉE MAÎTRESSE.

AT LEAST I HOPE.

Breathing in, breathing out... Ok. A not so important one :

"Les oiseaux" means "the birds", and yes, in english, those cuties are called "little birds" which would be literally "petits oiseaux" in french. (I know, too much vowels, I'm not here to defend my birth language BEAR WITH ME)

But in the VF ? They aren't 'birds'. They are PIOUPS. (Pronounced pyoop, it doesn't mean anything, just mimic the bird's noise)

THEY ARE 'PETITS PIOUPS' ALRIGHT ? AND I LOVE THEM. I'm just. Sad that their name isn't in the book. This is petits pioups erasure.

(After checking, the item they drop is called "plume d'oiseau", so "bird feather". The word "pioup" is just in the description of the item, so... Maybe it's just me. BUT STILL. LET ME CALL THEM PIOUPS IT'S ADORABLE)

And we're not even in my favorite category ! May I introduce :

The what the fuck mistakes

Aka : I can't understand how they let it slide.

Here I want you to read the description of the picture 6.

"Playing the Song of Healing, Link gets his normal appearance back".

Ok, this is probably a description of when Link goes from Deku Scrub back to Hylian, so I am expecting a picture of Link !

Image 6 : WHY IS IT THE CREEPY LINK STATUE.

DID THEY KNOW ABOUT BEN DROWNED ?? WHY IS THE WORST POSSIBLE REPRESENTATION OF LINK IS DESCRIBED WITH "LINK GOES BACK TO NORMAL". NO. NO I AM CALLING MY LAWYER, BOOK, YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO ME.

You know, in a book, there can be translating errors... And, apparently, there also can be "we forgot to fucking translate" errors.

Plural.

IN THE GODDAMN TITLES.

And I studied graphic design, alright. I know, TRUST ME, I know your eyes can get used to the titles and make you miss 'obvious' mistakes.

BUT THIS IS WHY YOU GET SOMEONE TO RE-READ. This is a fucking official book ! That has been published by probably very official publishers, I don't know, I haven't checked !

POURQUOI LE LIVRE EST NUL ? POURQUOI EST-CE QU'IL Y A AUTANT D'ERREURS ? COMMENT EST-CE QUE "MINISHIP CAP" EST ARRIVÉ ? OÙ SONT LES PETITS PIOUPS ? ENGAGEZ-MOI POUR RELIRE LE LIVRE LA PROCHAINE FOIS C'EST PAS POSSIBLE !!

I at least hope some of you laughed watching me losing my mind in french ; I hit the ten images limit, but I'm sure I'll find enough for a part two. I've lost all faith in this book. I'll read it thoroughly just to scream about it on Tumblr.

[*holding a knife towards the book* I won't let anything slide, you hear me ?]

[emonerdboy]

There's been an apocalypse AU for MLP going around on tiktok so I'm putting my spin on it using creature lore from the show!

{{scroll down to 💀 for AU story}}

I am so sorry to all the Fluttershy fans out there for making her the patient 0 😭 it just made the most sense for my version of the "virus". I say that with quotation because in my version it's not a virus rather a parasite!

More specifically Parasprites! Much like the zombie fungus which is technically parasitic and uses other creatures bodies as a host body, in my au Parasprites do essentially the same thing lol. I'll go into more detail another time but here's the first part of the story!!

💀💀💀

{{Day one of the Parasprites Outbreak}}

• Twilight has been tasked with finding Fluttershy. 2 weeks ago she went out to the forest and hasn't been seen since. Dispite not being worried at first, twilight soon began to sense something was off when she arrived to fluttershy's hut on the outskirts of Ponyville.

Empty sheddings of what appear to be insect shells scattered across fluttershy's home, the lights were off making it hard to see inside the small building but a croaky voice whispered through the stale air.

"Kill me..." Twilight froze for a moment unsure what to expect, did she really just hear that right?.

"Fluttershy? Is...is that you?" She called out but no reply, just the sounds of weak shuffling in the back corner of the house.

"No..no..hungry...stop..twi...li...get" the voice gargles out, was Fluttershy okay? Twilight thought to herself. 'She...she needs help' she pondered taking a few steps closer to the figure in the corner.

"Fluttershy...I'm here to help" twilight said nervously as she stepped towards Fluttershy, her eyes adjusting to the dim shadows before falling upon the rotting corpse like creature that sat there in fluttershy's skin...Parasprites flying out of clusters of holes that adorned fluttershy's skin.

"Flu..tter..shy?" Twilights eyes widened before she began slowly backing up toward the exist. If she's fast enough maybe she can contain this...whatever this is to fluttershy's home, quarantine the cottage.

Fluttershy suddenly stood up, her legs longer then usual making the disfigured filly tower over twilight.

"Please...so..hungry...ki..kill me... twi...light" the voice fought with itself on what it was trying to say as if Fluttershy was still in there trying to warn twilight.

[daz4i]

ohh if you do a character design analysis, i'd love to read one on atsushi and the removal of his beloved (to me) black stripe. could just be laziness but it's always been very strange to me

oooooo yeah i think the removal is out of "it would be a pain to add this to every frame he's in" D: same as the chain on chuuya's hat 😔

but as a general design analysis! atsushi actually has a lot going on!

lore wise, we know from some manga omake that 1 his hair looks like this bc he got a haircut from the kids in the orphanage 2 his clothes are a collection of stuff from the ada, each member got him a different piece

first off that's adorable. he's so cute. second i think it goes to show how affected he is by those around him - everything you can see on him besides his actual face was someone else's choice. i don't think it's entirely out of wanting to please others, more like being grateful to those who help him and are there for him, as well as not having enough of an established identity to make these choices on his own

atsushi's whole driving force for a good chunk of the story is to help others, so he can earn the right to live. and i think this is a good reflection of it! he is very dependent on the people in his life to confirm even the most basic of things (that he's allowed to live), and so it makes sense it'll be reflected in his design c: even if it ends up being mismatched or a mess of a haircut, he'll keep it this way, because that's physical proof that someone else gave him this permission, on him all the time

in addition to that, his design is mainly white with some splashes of black. that is ofc to oppose akutagawa's design, with the whole ying yang thing they've got going on

and ofc! to mirror the tiger! that's also why he has the black stripe in his hair, i think. black stripes on white fur hehe. as well as mirroring the smidge of white in akutagawa's hair imo! really hammer in the ying yang thing :P

it's interesting how his eyes are yellow and purple, usually a mix but sometimes with one overtaking the other. i think i read once that they're yellow when atsushi's more... protective and ig "good"? and purple when he's being vindictive or petty, but i could be misremembering/the thing i read might've been inaccurate, so pls take this with a grain of salt 🙏

still, whether or not that's true, i think this mix of colors is very interesting. to get into interpretation (which, tbf, this whole post is just that lol) it might be related to the time of twilight, governed by the agency? a connection between night and day, darkness and light. in a way, atsushi himself embodies that, by being the key to finding the book that every group in the story is looking for, that is the connecting force between everyone in the world due to its reality altering powers, but i like the idea that it's a subtle way of saying atsushi definitely belongs in the agency, and always has.

that's all i have now! i encourage others to offer their own takes, or cover anything i might've missed in the reblogs 🫡

[fountainpenguin]

📂

Send “📂“ for a random yet completely useless headcanon I have

Warning for minor body horror (Mentions of players removing skins, which are like onesies in this 'fic universe + injury / dragon bites)

In my Pixels Imperfect universe, frustration that you're still holding onto manifests as a glowing scar. Specifically, a scar all the way down to your soul level, meaning it glows through any new skin you put on. This is called a soul wound.

Martyn's the poster child for soul wounds being visible, since this is his in-universe parallel of IRL Martyn's Eyes and Ears lore.

In this image I drew for Dog's Life Chapter 26, "Ignite," you can see Martyn's cheek and collarbone scars (paralleling 3rd Life and Double Life respectively).

In a lore video, Martyn and his audience agreed that Martyn has his Last Life mark on the back of his right shoulder to represent being backstabbed (iirc), and we know from his Limited Life finale that he was cured of his right hand mark. His Secret Life mark hasn't happened at this point in the timeline, and also I don't think I know where it is.

In Eyes and Ears canon, I believe his scars glow purple to reflect the Watchers. In Pixels Imperfect, they glow white.

Cleo also has a wound, which is a massive dragon bite in her side. My pencil drawings don't make it obvious, but it's why her shirt hooks up like this and/or why she often takes off her shirt- the bite wound chafes sometimes and it just feels better to take it off.

Cleo's wound isn't as exciting as it sounds: They were helping to build New Star Station in its starter base days, but strayed too close to the Slime Dragon's guppies and got bit. They're fine, but lost a chunk of vessel data. You can put your hand in it and there will be resistance, but if you push through it, it's empty.

Their body is kind of like a milk gallon in the sense that it's shaped different than a glass of milk. It still holds everything it needs to (i.e. their vessel holds their soul without leaking), but their soul now follows the shape of the "gallon," which has a gap in it (like a milk gallon does for a handle).

What this also means is that Cleo can pull their shirt down over the wound and the shirt will still respond to their body's shape, because the shirt still registers it as body even though it's white energy.

Scar's chronic glitch works the same way- He can still use his arm, leg, or any other body part that glows blue, but it strains him and causes soreness or pain until the glitch moves to a different part of his body. The limb is there and can function... but it hurts, is weaker than usual, and sometimes it's so hard to get it to function that the limb is effectively non-functional.

Cleo's wound doesn't shift like his glitch, but it's the same principle: it's a phantom zone that her body treats as if it's sort of there, but she's also not going to lie on that side long-term because it would get sore. It's like an open wound, so lying on the dirt risks dirt particles pushing through their wound and ending up inside their body. Most people would prefer that doesn't happen, but Cleo's okay because they're a zombie and have a thing for being buried alive.

BigB also got bitten by a dragon. However, he took damage in a sensitive area that makes it difficult to breathe. This is the reason why he modded from an illusioner into a moth hybrid, which breathes through spiracles down his sides instead of down the throat.

Impulse's scar was a brief point of tension in my one-shot "Like Newlyweds Do," when being soulmates gave Bdubs Impulse's soul wound:

And even in the twilight, with lanterns dim, he can see the little mark he's searching for in the proper place on his husband's arm, too. Bdubs stands before the mirror, craning his neck to see his reflected back. His fingers trace along his skin. Impulse watches from the bed, face half-buried in his folded arms. If his tail were out, it would be ticking back and forth, counting out the seconds before Bdubs asks him why he never fixed that scar behind his right shoulder. "I like it," Bdubs says, prodding the old gash with one finger. It's white, glowing faintly. "I've got a clock from you and you've got this from me." In that moment, Impulse wishes he could kill on green.

Pixels Bdubs is a very interesting character to me. He's loud, proud, and not easily shut down. He also denies his own issues all the time.

During Dog's Life, Bdubs gains a lip scar after he and Impulse have a huge fight about the Day 1 Crew alliance betrayal. Impulse cuts his lip with his sword; it's later revealed that Bdubs is confused as to why this scar is sticking, when he "doesn't think that fight was a big deal."

Here's Chapter 12 Bdubs (no lip scar) + Chapter 30 Bdubs:

It's subtle, but it's there.

Etho's eye scar is part of his skin design- It's not a soul wound. Etho has no backstory for his scar because it's just always been there on the skins he wears. It's blue and doesn't glow (Injuries lead to energy leakage, and the energy is white or blue in this universe depending on depth).

Here's the image that goes with "Canadian Idiot"-

And Joel's mark there was just "recent damage" because this was a Double Life 'fic about Etho's fox instincts and aggro kicking in through the soulbond when Joel takes damage, so Etho was lashing out at Joel and/or himself every time he got hurt.

I can't believe I wrote a huge 'fic centered around Etho repeatedly biting Joel's neck 2 months before we got the "neck kisses" gag. I'm so sorry, Joel... I was just writing about fox aggro and a fox's instinct involving teeth instead of a weapon, I swear... it wasn't supposed to have a double meaning...

In a one-shot titled "The Man He Sets His Spawn With," most of the cast stripped off their skins in the server hub's locker room / shower house and had Grian blast them with a power washer to rinse the Secret Life mod off. Bdubs was our POV character and we learned some interesting things:

He pushes forward. Souls blur together, blue and overlapping, and the glowing doesn't help with the identity stuff like at all. He can pick out Tango (facing away from him) by the enormous white gash scarred down his right shoulder. Not pointing fingers, but that one's a Bdubs original. You're welcome for helping you look so cool, you're turning heads. Martyn's got smaller scars - little diamonds - that glow in fragments here and there across his soul. There's an arrow wound in his belly, though that one's hard to see when he's wearing skins… or, y'know. Clothes. Can't take credit for that one, though, because that's all Scar from a particularly brutal perma-death back in 3rd Life that still leaves Martyn jumpy today (so Bdubs has self-observed). And Impulse has an arrow mark just like that behind his shoulder… but then, Impulse has scars and patched-up bits of code everywhere. That's nothing new. What's one more?

- Tango's got a soul wound from Bdubs betraying him in Last Life. He's totally buddy-buddy with Bdubs and they're friends, it's fine, but Tango hasn't quite let it go.

- Martyn has an arrow wound in his belly. This is a nod to Double Life. Shortly before Cleo drowned, taking their yellow life, Martyn saw Scar coming towards him, screamed, and took off as fast as he could, yelling "No, no, no!" and that he's "Not dying to you [Scar] again."

Interestingly enough, the only time Scar ever killed Martyn up to that point was when he perma-killed him in 3rd Life; Martyn's reaction seems to imply Character Martyn has trauma around that.

Bdubs doesn't seem to care that he's responsible for giving several of his friends soul wounds, which makes it funnier that he gets super annoyed in Dog's Life when he gets the lip scar.

Bdubs is the kind of person who'd see the scar and then spin around or walk backwards while slapping at his lip over and over, trying to wipe it off. He refuses to admit he has issues with it.

Bdubs actually has another scar, but it's somewhere on his back (and under his clothes) where he can't easily see it. The Phantom Dragon's whole thing is that she spreads her babies to all the server hubs by dropping them off and leaving, but little Bdubs refused to go, so he just clung to her the whole time until she finally did ditch him in Underdark Crossing, where he met Cleo.

If you ask him about it, he'll spin a story about how it was all his idea to go solo and that's what makes him a good captain. He has huge issues with it, though, because his mom totally dumped him and he's not over it.

Martyn's also a phantom, but he never went through that because he was adopted by hybrids as an egg. Bdubs gets very jealous when his friends talk about having a good relationship with their moms. Secretly, he likes how Etho's mom also picked him up by the scruff and dumped him in New Star. It's something they have in common, though Bdubs will never admit it.

Bdubs probably has a lot of deep-seeded resentment towards Martyn being adopted, because supposedly he's "told Martyn horror stories about the phantom nesting hub" and may or may not have played a role in poisoning Martyn's relationship with the Phantom Dragon.

Also, at the end of Dog's Life Chapter 32 ("Starve"), we learned that SnifferMyFeet has a huge X-shaped scar on his back from each shoulder to hip, crossing both his Grian and Joel halves. Still working through the good ol' body possession trauma.

Tango specializes in aesthetic mods and one of the things he does is help people make their scars more subtle. You can't scrap them forever - you have to let go of your frustration to do that - but you can lower their intensity.

As an allay hybrid / fey, Scott can gather your memories of what happened to cause a soul wound, but you'll never be able to work through the issues, so you'll be left with a scar and won't remember why it's there or how to get rid of it.

Hmm... Who do I know who has a backstory they want to forget and got confused when Scott referenced something from their past that they didn't have an answer for...?

Send “📂“ for a random yet completely useless headcanon I have

[muse-rising]

How to Name Your Dragon

AKA: How I spent the last hour and a half of my life on something that should be simple and straight-forward. Specifically, this dragon (who is not finished yet):

My new(ish), Solstice-hatched gen 1 with all gem genes and eyes (cries in that's all my current funds).

1. Stare at your dragon in their final state. Try to figure out the vibes they give you. Tip: Use their hatchdate for inspiration. 2. Websearch for names that mean things the dragon makes you think of: names that mean something relevant to the dragon's appearance, theme, or hatchdate. Check out a few of the resulting (usually baby naming) sites that pop up. 3. Write down possibilities as you come across them. I do this in the dragon's bio. 4. Play with some of the names and sounds to try a few of your own creation too. Or combinations of meaningful names. 5. Stare at the dragon's picture some more while trying each name out loud. Pit them against each other to the death. Last name standing wins. 5a. This sometimes involves cross-referencing the meaning of each name because some of these sites are literally just making it up rather than giving you the actual meaning from the actual origin. 6. Do a little spot research on the name source (ie language, fictional work, mythology, and or country of origin. 6a. This sometimes provides inspiration to plop down for creating some lore later. Either way it just makes sense to at least learn a little about the source before you use it. 7. Remember that there was a thematically appropriate pendant or something Galadriel gave Frodo on the whole "Light in the darkness" theme your Solstice dragon has going on.

8. Research Galadriel looking for the name of the thing. 9. Find pretty names and words in that research you might use, research those to see if they're appropriate. 10. Increase your in-depth knowledge of Galadriel and Tolkien's possible folk and myth inspirations on elves as angels. 11. Find what you're looking for and realize that name's not right. 12. End up researching Luthien/Tinuviel (forgot how I got here lol) to learn a little more about her than just the basics. 13. Realize while you like the meaning of "nightingale" for your dragon, Tinuviel doesn't seem to really suit them. 14. Check Silmarils just in case they might yield a gem or two and because you're only aware of the basics. 15. Go back to nightingale. Look up more names that mean nightingale. 16. Cross reference those in case the source is making things up. 17. Highlight the Latin "Luscinia" from nightingale wikipedia. It's a good one. 18. Research the symbolism of nightingale for both lore inspiration and verification it suits the dragon meaning-wise. 19. Read a pretty line by a poet named Percy Shelley. 20. Look him up before officially quoting it in the bio to make sure he's not a horrible creep. 21. Discover he was into political justice and free love way before the US went wild for it in the 60s and 70s and was an atheist in a time that got him shunned for it. 22. Read about his love affair and eventual marriage to Mary Godwin - wait...wouldn't that make her Mary Shelley. 23. Realize this poet is the same poet you knew Mary Shelley had married. 24. Read more about Mary Shelley while you're at it because while you know some of it, it's from an episode of Dr. Who primarily and you're curious about some of the things brought up in Percy Shelley's wikipedia. 25. Write a post about how it took you WAY too much of your life to pick a name. In my defense, I learned a whole lot tonight about a lot of random things. Even more if you count the hour and a half before that where I spent naming a different dragon and learning a bunch of stuff about Azerbaijani, Iran, Persia. + their modern and historical views of queer people. and the Ghost Busters universe/timeline.

Final name for the pictured dragon: Luscinia (Latin name for nightingale - which etymologically could mean "Little seen (as in the twilight) singer" or even "famous singer." Might also be "Little understood singer" referring to the mystery of their nightsong. Oh! 26. Remember that somewhere in there included research into the Greek language for many other names and in what order they tend to use adjectives+nouns. Also Circe, Callisto, and Kalliope research. My brain is full of learning. Azerbaijani/Ghost Busters research-prompting dragon was named Zulejxa. A day later: 27. Remember you also did a bunch of reading up on Amaryllis flowers both in general and according to flower language.

[inquestorm]

Been getting a few comments on the latest chapter expressing their complicated feelings on the subject of Lanira, the token naga in the Twilight Gods cast.

I've only read a scattered few stories on AO3, none of them containing naga, so I'm not sure as to how they usually get shown. I suppose I'm just finding myself reminded of the classic "Always Chaotic Evil" tag from old DnD editions.

Edgy goth bitch that I am, I've always been fascinated by stereotypically evil factions. I still have a deep soft spot for Drow and I've several times tried to figure out how to batter the trashfire lore into a society that makes sense, but... they're not a monolith, even with all their matriarchal spider cult totalitarianism. The concept of an entire species being evil bothers me. It's just fucking lazy, apart from anything else.

I'm not even necessarily talking about Eilistraee or other renegade drow factions. Just the simple fact that the ordinary folk in one of these 'evil' realms aren't necessarily going to be baby eating stereotypes. Sometimes they're just going to be...

...well, to bring it back to where this started, sometimes they're going to be fundamentally nice and well meaning people whose society has imprinted values on them that will lead to trouble.

Even though the naga are a primary antagonist throughout Twilight Gods, I very much wanted to paint them as just another race of people. One whose ruler has been a narcissistic cult leader for ten thousand years. They can be good or bad.

And as I remarked to one comment... if you're left with mixed feelings about Lanira's current plight, then I consider my job well done.

[songofthesibyl]

“Even for an immortal, there was not enough time in life to waste it on hatred. On feeling it and putting it into the world.”

—Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

So, no one cares what I think, my blog has no reach, but I just wanted to talk about social media, and fandoms, and the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

I read the series last year, because I wanted to read a contemporary fantasy novel that dealt with faerie lore, and this series had 4 1/2 stars on amazon and was continually in print for a number of years, so I was intrigued and decided to give it a try. I don’t have tiktok and don’t follow book accounts on social media.

I loved the faerie lore in the first book, but made the mistake of looking up fan art, and the direction of the series was spoiled for me. While I enjoyed the series, and read the original trilogy fairly quickly, there were parts that bothered me, or that didn’t make sense—largely because of the majority fan interpretation that didn’t match how I experienced the series. I definitely got Twilight, Buffy, and Vampire Diaries vibes. For me, it was clearly in the dark fantasy genre, and the insertion of real world values didn’t quite make sense to me the way it was done. 

So, it was nice to find comments in reviews that felt the same. On here, and elsewhere. I was very isolated at the time, and this was a way to find a community. I was part of a fandom for the first time, writing fanfic for the first time. 

But this other side—I don’t mean pro- or anti-, I mean that really nasty, bullying, bizarre side of the fandom—became more and more prominent. I just never usually inserted myself in it.

This is social media. This is internet comments. This is human nature to bully and pick on others while sitting on the toilet at work. It’s nothing new.

But it bothers me. It’s always bothered me that people take time out of their days to be like this. And I get why the majority of it is done—boredom, fun, a distraction. But it still bothers me.

And because this series tackles such serious subjects as sexual assault, trauma, mental health, abuse—those throwaway, bullying, trolling comments take on a very disturbing tone.

If you disagree there are the usual epithets; using the need to seek therapy as an insult, attacking someone’s looks, family—even if no pictures or info are known. Telling people to kill themselves.

But because of the insertion of an abuse/DV “very special episode” aspect to the story, the comments become specifically about abuse—so if you feel a certain way about a fictional character, you are an “abuse apologist,” or want to be abused.

The other day, someone I know was arguing in a post on Instagram by a couple’s book account, with thousands of followers. The post was about Tamlin, the linchpin of the bizarre nature of this fandom. She disagreed with the post, liked the character more than they did. She argued using points from the book, but they fundamentally disagreed—fine. This person can handle themselves. But the other person said something in their discussion that I’ve seen before, that bothers me:

“I hope you find your Tamlin in the world.”

The person who said this dislikes the character. It was meant as a passive-aggressive, dismissive comment. You think he’s so great, I hope you find a person that is horrible and abusive in real life.

And it bothered me, and I knew it wasn’t worth it, but I just didn’t want to let it go this time. This person was an adult, not an adolescent. So I said it bothered me, that I had seen that comment before and I didn’t like its implications. I waited for a response—and saw that I was blocked. I made no accusations, said nothing personal about them—just that, just because one disagrees about a fictional character in a fantasy world doesn’t mean they want an unstable, abusive partner in real life. That comments like that bothered me. (Probably more than the person I was defending.) But it bothered me. And I got blocked, for the first time.

And that bothered me even more. Did they think they were being attacked? I don’t know. But the comment is probably still there, and unchallenged, and they’ll say it again, as so many others have. And that’s the way fandoms are. But it bothers me. It bothers me that, after dipping my toes into a fandom for the first time, into being social, this is what it all leads to. And it’s not even exceptional. This is how it always is.

And, despite some frustrations, I enjoyed the books, or I wouldn’t have kept reading them. And it made me want to reach out, and be social, when I hadn’t for a long time. But this part will always make me extremely anxious, and it’s exhausting, and it’s disheartening when this is what it all leads to. That books that speak about not spreading hate can lead to such nasty, disturbing, bullying behavior. It’s not fun. And I don’t really want to be a part of it anymore.

[cutebutalsostabby]

Is there a difference between Hylians and humans? It seems like they're used interchangeably sometimes, but in TP they're not the same, right?

The lore is not 100% consistent here, but yes, there's a difference! Sort of! Short version: Hylians are human but humans are not necessarily Hylian. Similarly, Gerudo are human but humans aren't necessarily Gerudo. Long version below.

A Link to the Past was the first game to introduce Hylians, but back then they were called (or translated as, at least) "the people of Hylia". They were a tribe of people with unusual magical powers and their own special writing language which you can translate using the Book of Mudora. It's mentioned that their bloodline became thin over time, and that there aren't any people left who possess those old powers.

Later games add a connection between Hylians and the gods. Specifically, Ocarina of Time says that Hylians have long ears so that they can hear the voices of the gods, and Twilight Princess goes on to say that although Hylians are seen as being closest to the gods, there is another race that is even CLOSER to the gods, and that they created the Hylians (in game, that race is the uhh Oocca. But you could retrospectively read it as referring to the Zonai).

Skyward Sword, interestingly, only uses the word "human", not "Hylian". But the people living on Skyloft are "Hylia's people" - so you could probably call them Hylians. That, or the Hylians are SS!Zelda's descendants. Latter would maybe explain the "mysterious powers" they inherit?

And across most of the other games, you have humans with pointy ears and humans without them. Usually pointy ears = Hylian and round ears = not Hylian. Except I guess in BotW and TotK, where Gerudo have pointy ears but are not considered Hylian? But it seems like Hylians and other humans are all genetically compatible, so it's more like a trait than a different species.

Hope that makes sense!

[vigilantdesert]

Lies down

I'm tipsy and frustrated over the fact that of everything I've come up with, of all the work I've put into the Gerudo, past and present, how I even managed to work totk's lore into my overall timeline, that I still can't come up with a convincing enough au for Urbosa.

I think the problem is, unlike with Twilight Princess, even though I do headcanon that the Gerudo we see in Ocarina aren't the entire population, it seems. Odd to have a Gerudo who isn't part of that population to make it a proper OoT verse, if that makes sense. But on the other hand, Urbosa is. There are very few iterations of Urbosa that both maintain her major character traits that would get along with either Nabooru or Ganondorf (too many big egos problem as always).

There are of course verses in which Urbosa isn't important at all, but I usually try to do a "one remove/adjacent" rule with alternative universes, so while I could probably make a thief OoT Urbosa work, I've now changed two elements. This is entirely a self-imposed problem and there's no reason for it to trip me up as much as it does.

I think I'll try to fool around with something like that in a couple threads. I might post a starter call once my drafts are manageable, but engh. Thank you for listening to Marie's drunken rambling.

[samsexualdeancurious]

Not Fine At All (NSFW)

Pairing: Benny x Dean

Words: 3,283

Summary: Dean's first Heat in Purgatory sucks but he still turns down Benny's offers of help. He may regret that, though, especially as each Heat gets progressively worse...

Warnings: Omegaverse, Omega!Dean, Alpha!Benny, Beta!Cas, Heat sex, SamDean if you squint (I intended it as platonic but it's up for interpretation), making up my own Purgatory and Omegaverse lore cos I can, kinda dubious consent cos Dean's in Heat but he's enthusiastic about it sooooo

Betaed by @banshee1013

Written for a Patron request

---

It’s been so long since Dean last had a Heat, he’s almost forgotten what they feel like. It’s not until Benny turns a concerned expression on him, nose wrinkling and mouth twisted in a frown, that Dean realizes what the cramping in his gut means as slick begins to dampen his boxers.

“Fuck,” he growls under his breath but he doesn’t stop walking.

“Dean-”

“I know. I’m fine.”

In all the chaos since he landed in Purgatory, suppressants have been the last thing on his mind. There’s nothing he can do about them anyway. Not like he can just walk into a pharmacy and palm his favorites like he usually would. Now, though, the reality of his situation is setting in even as he forces himself to breathe deeply. He needs to stay calm.

“Dean, we should stop-”

Benny’s hand curls around Dean’s wrist and moments later, he’s pressed against a tree with Dean’s knife at his throat. Dean snarls, a low sound that makes Benny shrink back even further. An angry Omega is not to be reckoned with. Even a Vampire knows that.

Even an Alpha knows that.

“Touch me again and you won’t have a knot to worry about. Try anything and you won’t have a head.”

Dean’s tone leaves no room for argument and Benny gives a minute nod. Dean releases him. When he steps back, Benny puts his hands up in a placating gesture.

“I won’t do anything you don’t consent to,” Benny says firmly. “You’re going to draw all sorts of monsters to us, though, so we’ll have to be on our guard even more than normal. If you need to stop-”

“We’re going to keep moving,” Dean breaks in, still snappy even though he’s feeling some wary relief at Benny’s assurances. “I’m fine.”

“All right.” Benny rubs his throat where Dean’s knife had pressed against his skin and steps away from the tree at least. “Let me know if that changes.”

Dean huffs out an angry breath through his nose. “It won’t.”

--

Except it does.

With each month, Dean’s three-day Heats grow progressively more intense. Everything triggers a flood of slick, especially Benny’s smooth Southern drawl. He seems to be throwing off more and more pheromones with each one and while Benny’s self-control hasn’t faltered, Dean definitely can’t say as much about the other monsters they’ve encountered. Some even seem to have actively sought him out, tracking his scent through the eternal twilight only to meet their end at the edge of his blade.

Every month Benny tentatively offers his “services” and Dean turns him down with a growl, but saying “no” is getting harder and harder. Despite being a Vampire, Benny isn’t all that bad and Dean finds himself developing some fondness for him. Not to mention he’s hot and smells fantastic. For a Vampire. It took him a bit to figure out exactly what he was smelling but somehow the homey blend of cayenne, garlic, and woodsmoke makes sense. Though he did have to suppress a snicker when he pinpointed the garlic aspect, the irony doesn’t make the blend any less enticing.

In fact, Benny is starting to smell more and more appealing with every day that passes. Dean refuses to cave, though. He needs to focus on finding Cas and then getting the hell out of here. Fucking his Vampire partner-in-crime is not on the to-do list.

--

“You look unwell,” Cas says with a bluntness that makes Dean chuckle.

It’s been about two weeks since they found Castiel and Dean can feel his Heat coming on hard and fast. He’s getting better at recognizing the symptoms now. As soon as he gets back home, he’s going back on the suppressants and sticking with them for the rest of his life. How do people deal with this bullshit every month?

“I feel unwell,” Dean grumbles back to his friend. He’s got a fever coming on but he’s trying really hard not to show it. Obviously, he’s failing.

The Beta frowns at him and reaches out to press two fingers to Dean’s forehead. Dean half expects the bizarrely cold rush that comes with Cas using his Grace to heal but nothing happens.

“Your body temperature is quite high.”

“Yeah, that happens.”

Cas looks even more worried but Dean shrugs him off.

“Look, I’m fine. I’ll be fine. This is normal.”

“Dean, you’re going into Heat.”

“You think I don’t know that?” The words come out harsher than he really means them and he regrets it when Cas stiffens. “Sorry. I… fuck, Cas. I know, okay? I’ve been dealing with them this whole time. It’s fine.”

“He’s not fine,” Benny grumbles.

The Vampire a little further down the riverbank, washing the blood of a werewolf that attacked them from his hands. Cas was right. He is like a beacon for monsters. Between his Grace and Dean’s oncoming Heat, their encounters with other monsters have definitely picked up.

Straightening up, Benny shakes water from his hands. He fixes Dean with a steely blue stare. “You’re going to burn yourself out at this rate.”

“Look. Get me back home and I’ll be fine. I’ll get my meds and things will go back to normal.”

Dean keeps his voice level, shoving down the part of him that knows Benny is right. Too many Heats without the relief of an Alpha can have a devastating effect on an Omega’s body. He’d never really thought about that in the context of himself until now. The cramping has reached the point where Dean can barely walk some days. His fever has been getting worse, too, and he’s already sweating through his shirt before his Heat has even fully taken hold. His cock is hard against his zipper, slick sticking his boxers to his skin.  It takes every ounce of his willpower not to throw himself at Benny’s feet and beg for the Alpha’s knot.

Neither Benny nor Cas seem convinced by Dean’s words. They’re still barely getting along but this seems to be something they can agree on. Dean refuses to admit that he might agree with them, too.

Dean pretends he doesn’t see the look they just exchanged as he pushes himself to his feet. “C’mon. We’ve been sitting too long. Let’s go.”

He barely makes it two steps, though, before a cramp sends him to his knees with a groan.

“Dean!”

Cas is by his side in a heartbeat, neutral Beta scent surprisingly soothing as Dean curls in on himself and leans on his friend to stay upright. He tries to brush off Cas’s hand as the Angel checks his temperature again but stern blue eyes stop his complaints.

“You’re burning up,” Cas says, not even trying to hide how worried he is. “We’re not going anywhere else today. You need to rest, at the very least.”

What Dean needs is to get out of this Godforsaken hell hole but he doesn’t say that. He’s never had a Heat hit this hard, this fast, and he’s not sure he could even stand in order to find shelter.

“There’s a cave a little further along the river,” Benny is saying when Dean manages to focus beyond the desperate, churning need in his belly. “I was going to suggest we stop there anyways.”

“That will do. Help me get him up.”

Dean finds himself lifted by strong hands, one pair neutral and familiar, the other bringing with them the unmistakable scent of Alpha.

“Nuh-uh,” Benny says and Dean realizes fuzzily that he said the word out loud. “C’mon, brother. Up you go.”

Dean is slung into a fireman’s carry across Benny’s strong shoulders and his hole pulses with slick in response to the proximity. His mind and body are at war within him. Every inch of him craves the Vampire’s, every nerve singing at the current situation.

Dean is not fine. Dean is not fine at all.

The hike to the cave is a blur of being torn between the desperate cramping in his belly and the fragments of sweet relief that come with each flex of Benny’s powerful muscles, each murmured soothing word, each squeeze of his hand where it’s wrapped around the back of Dean’s thigh.

Twilight turns to night as Benny lowers Dean onto the floor of the cave and into Cas’s waiting hands. Dean hears a low, needy whine at the loss of contact. Some part of him processes the sound as coming from him and he curls in on himself as he lands heavily on the dirt and stone floor.

It’s never been this bad. Not even his first time, sixteen and confused and so very scared in a shitty small town motel with his panicked little brother by his side.

His brother.

Sam.

Just the thought of his brother pulls a helpless sob from Dean’s chest and he shudders. Someone’s speaking to him, pressing cold cloths to his forehead, but the bland smell of them just emphasizes the lack of Sam’s warm sandalwood, coffee, brother scent. He can’t have an Alpha, doesn’t deserve one, but Sam is his and he is Sam’s, and the next best thing after a knot will always be curling up in Sam’s arms in a shitty motel bed with just boxers between them.

He has to get back to Sam. Sam can help. Sam will make it all better.

A scent is slipping through the fog in his mind, though, like a lighthouse beam reaching out to a sinking ship. Dean grabs for it and finds himself with a fistful of Benny’s jacket.

“Whoa, easy, cher.”

“Alpha,” Dean gasps, blinking up at the Vampire in the dim light. Cas is already shoving Benny back with a snarl and Benny goes willingly. Too willingly. Does he not want Dean? “Alpha, please-”

But Benny is shaking his head. “You’re not in your right mind. It would be wrong.”

Cas presses a cool cloth to Dean’s forehead. “Go stand guard. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

No.

“No.” The word is barely there but it still stops Benny in his tracks. “No, Cas, I’m-” Dean grits his teeth as a wave of cramps and fresh slick rocks his body. “I’m dying.”

He doesn’t know how he knows, couldn’t explain it if they asked, but he knows. Maybe not this Heat, maybe not the next one, but soon. He won’t make it out of Purgatory if he keeps going like this. That’s what happens to Omegas who go too many Heats without an Alpha. They burn up from the inside out and die and Dean cannot die. He won’t.

“You’re not-” Benny starts but Cas silences him with a shake of his head.

“He is,” Cas sighs. He wipes the cloth in his hand across Dean’s cheekbones. “I can feel it.”

“And you didn’t say anything?”

Cas fixes Benny with an intense glare, Angel nature standing firm against Alpha fury. “It’s Dean’s choice.”

“Clearly he’s not very good at making choices!”

“I’m right here,” Dean groans, arching his back to try and relieve the throbbing at the base of his spine. When that doesn’t work, he pushes himself up onto his elbows to look between his friends. He’s a fucking mess, slick and sweat sticking his filthy clothes to his skin. He’s feeling a little more lucid but it won’t last long. “And I choose living.”

Silence falls in the cave.

“Dean-”

“Benny.” He meets blue eyes through the dim light, trying to keep his gaze steady. “You said to let you know if things changed and I’m telling you - I’m not fine at all.”

Benny curses under his breath and Cas looks between them with a confused frown that would be adorable in another situation. Benny scrubs a hand over his face, drawing a deep breath, and then nods.

“Okay,” he says. “If you’re sure.”

Relief floods Dean’s body at those words at the same time his hole releases another gush of slick. He nods and shoves away the cloth Cas is still using to dab at his face.

“Go, Cas.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“If Benny’s in here, someone needs to stand guard and it sure as hell ain’t gonna be me. Get your feathered ass up there.”

Cas growls but stands. He glares at Benny again.

“If you hurt him-”

“You’ll kill me. I know.”

“He isn’t going to do anything I’m not begging for,” Dean snaps. “And I ain’t doing any of it in front of you.”

Cas’s nose wrinkles. “It’s just-”

“Cas.”

The Angel huffs but climbs up the short slope to the cave entrance and out of sight. As he goes, Dean realizes he’s not wearing his trenchcoat. The item in question is spread across the cave floor beneath Dean like a makeshift blanket.

“You’re sure about this?” Benny asks, pulling Dean’s attention back to him and god he smells so good.

Unsure how to make it more obvious, Dean wriggles around onto his hands and knees. He hears Benny’s breath catch when he drops his shoulders down into a traditional presentation.

“Fuck me, Alpha.”

That’s all the invitation Benny needs. He’s on Dean in a heartbeat, blanketing him from behind and Dean can’t hold back a whine when he feels the Vampire’s bulge. It’s impressive even though multiple layers and Dean needs.

Benny is careful not to rip anything as he peels Dean’s jeans and boxers off him, tossing them aside. He kneels between Dean’s spread legs and when his hands finally land on the bare curve of Dean’s ass, they both groan.

Dean’s never had an Alpha for a Heat before and he has no clue what to expect but the careful press of a thick finger against his hole isn’t it. He won’t say but he was half anticipating Benny to just shove it in. Benny seems intent on taking his time, though.

“I won’t hurt you,” Benny says and Dean realizes fuzzily that he was talking out loud again. Before he can respond, though, Benny slides his finger in all the way and any train of thought Dean might have had goes right off the tracks.

Benny’s fingers are thick and calloused, pressing and twisting and working Dean open until he’s taking three of them knuckle-deep. He whines and grinds back on them, trying to get those fingers against his prostate only for them to be abruptly pulled out.

“Alpha,” he pleads, arching his spine and spreading his legs further. “I need-”

The jingle of Benny’s belt buckle silences him as he processes what that means. Then an impossibly thick, hot cock rests against his hole and all Dean can manage is a strangled whimper.

Benny is saying things, sweet things made even sweeter by the lazy drawl of his accent, as he slides his cock through the mess of slick Dean’s body keeps making. His thighs are coated in the stuff, fat drops of it pooling on the trenchcoat beneath him. One huge hand curls around the point of Dean’s hip. Benny draws back a little and Dean almost protests but the fat cock head against his hole silences any complaint he could muster.

When Benny finally presses inside, Dean’s brain ceases to function entirely. He’s been fucked before but he’s heard how amazing Heat sex is and never believed it. Now, he’s not sure he can go back to regular sex. Not when he knows what it’s like to feel the slow glide of a huge Alpha cock against his insides, all the way in until Benny’s hips are pressed flush to Dean’s ass and Dean can feel the beginnings of the Vampire’s knot just inside his entrance.

“Oh, my God,” Dean manages.

Benny just growls in response. He’s folded forward, bracing himself with palms pressed flat on either side of Dean’s shoulders. When he pulls out, it’s only a few inches to test the waters as he pushes back inside. Just that small movement sends a pulse of relief through Dean’s body and his forgotten cock drips precum to join the mess he’s already made of Cas’s coat. It’s too gentle, though. Not what Dean needs.

He uncurls one arm from its place pillowing his head and flails back to grab at Benny’s wrist. He turns his head to see the Alpha staring down at him with lust-blown eyes.

“Fuck me.”

That’s all the invitation Benny needs. He sets up a punishing rhythm that has Dean’s cries echoing off the cave walls. He’s never heard himself like this, but then again, he’s never felt like this. The unrelenting cock inside him, the powerful hips driving it as deep as it will fit, the strong hands leaving bruises on his hips and shoulders and wrists. It’s simultaneously too much and exactly what Dean needs.

His body rocks with each thrust, his cock bouncing, ignored, against his belly. A small part of Dean wants to reach down and jerk himself in time with Benny’s movements but it’s all he can do to keep himself from going face-first into the floor with every forward shove. Instead, he braces himself the best he can and hangs on.

Who knows how long it goes on before Benny’s knot begins to grow. He continues to press in deep with every thrust, stretching Dean open each time he pops in and out. Dean feels like he’s going cross-eyed, losing his mind, burning up from the inside out with desire. He’d scoffed at it, the Omega “need” for a knot. Sure, a knotting dildo was a good time but that was outside of Heat and this… this is beyond words.

“Gonna knot you,” Benny snarls,  his face pressed into the hair behind Dean’s left ear.

“Do it.”

Just like that, the next time Benny shoves the massive bulge past Dean’s rim, he can’t pull out again. He growls, animalistic in his pleasure as he begins grinding his knot as deep as he can. When Dean whines and squirms, Benny only pins him in place with the weight of his body. When Dean begs at last for a hand on his cock, Benny tightens his grip on Dean’s wrists.

“You’ll cum on my knot, Omega.”

Dean wants to protest but he’s already so close, dancing right on the edge of bliss, and all it takes is the perfectly timed, perfectly angled press of Benny’s knot to send him over it.

--

Dean doesn’t remember blacking out but he must have because as he comes to he’s on his side, Benny’s knot still locked inside him and the Alpha’s body curled against his back. Benny is gently wiping Dean’s face with one of the wet cloths Cas used earlier - torn from the hem of Cas’s own t-shirt, Dean realizes now - and murmuring nonsense words in his ear.

“Benny?” Dean murmurs, snuggling back against the Alpha out of instinct and whining when doing so jostles the knot. He feels it throb, feels the pulse of cum that results, and his cock twitches out of interest.

“Shh.” A broad thumb rubs along the line of his collarbone, palm pressed flat on his chest. “How’re you feelin’, cher?”

“I’m just fine.” The words are all muddled up around a yawn. For the first time since he entered Purgatory, Dean feels tired. Sleep has been almost a foreign concept at this point but now he almost feels human again.

Benny chuckles low against the curve of his shoulder and the proximity of those fangs to vulnerable places should freak Dean out - but it doesn’t. He knows his Alpha would never hurt him.

His Alpha. There’s something he’d rather not think about too hard for right now.

“I think you’re probably feeling a little better than fine. Rest.”

Dean obeys.

—

Like this fic? Support me longterm on Patreon HERE or make a one-time donation on Ko-Fi HERE.

—

Team Forever: @mrswhozeewhatsis @manawhaat @books-and-icecream @laughing-at-the-darkness @tumbler-tidbits @emoryhemsworth @imsuperawkward

[fic-history]

2000's and Beyond: Modern Fic

In this iteration of Fic History, we’re going to be exploring the fic culture in mega-fandoms from the early 2000’s and beyond. That’s a big field to cover, I know, so each section is probably going to be a bit less detailed than usual in order to make things easier to digest. To begin, we’re starting with:

Harry Potter

I think it goes without saying that the HP fandom is probably the fandom of the 21st century. No book series has become so ubiquitous as HP, and there are still more HP fics on FF.net than from any other fandom. Since HP was published when the internet already existed, most of the fandom’s fics were published online, although a few printed fanzines were created. HP fic is also extremely varied, most likely due to the wide cast of characters and length of time covered by canon lore. You could find fic on anything from coffee shop AUs of the Hogwarts founders to explorations of the main trio’s children when they eventually attended Hogwarts. Like most fandoms with a large internet presence, the HP fandom had its own fic sites, some of which were dedicated to specific attributes like certain ships or tropes, but fic was also posted en masse to multifandom archives like FF.net and AO3. In fact, as of 2017, there are still more Harry Potter fanworks on FF.net than any other fandom.

Twilight

If HP is the fandom of the century, Twilight is probably the fandom of the 2000’s decade. At least in the media, Twifans were portrayed as either feral teenage girls or feral middle-age women, but the fandom is actually much more diverse. In terms of fanfiction, it goes without saying that the most famous fic within the fandom is probably Master of the Universe by Snowqueens Icedragon, more commonly known by its profic title of Fifty Shades of Grey. Snowqueens Icedragon, A.K.A. E.L. James, filed the serial numbers off of her fic and sold it as an original piece of fiction to massive critical attention and success. You can read a bit more about Fifty Shades here.

One Direction

This is the odd fandom out of the bunch, as it’s the only one listed that’s completely focused on real person fic, or RPF. According to FanLore, since there isn’t traditional source material to function as a canon to write fic about, canon in the 1D sense consists of “One Direction's members' original appearance on the reality show, plus their concerts, albums, music videos, video diaries, interviews, books, photo shoots, award ceremonies, other television appearances, band members' and families' personal twitter accounts, media gossip, authorized candid photos and selfies, and unauthorized candid photos by paparazzi and fans.” 

RPF already has a bad reputation in fandom spaces, but since 1D is an engineered boy band adored mainly by teenage girls (fandom’s least favorite demographic), the 1D fandom reputation is in the pits (Jamison 2013). Despite this, the fandom is still quite large, and produces a lot of fic, especially on Wattpad, where the fanfic series turned profic After by Anna Todd was published from 2013 to 2014. The most popular ship amongst directioners is Larry Stylinson, or Harry/Louis. 

Finally, we have

SuperWhoLock

Behind HP, this is probably the largest fandom on the list, simply because it’s actually three fandoms smushed together: Supernatural, Doctor Who, and BBC’s Sherlock. Fans in this fandom are called SuperWhoLockians. This fandom was especially active on Tumblr in the early 2010’s, and while the main form of fanwork was gifsets, lots of fanfic was produced in each fandom individually as well in crossovers. The most popular Supernatural ships were Castiel/Dean (Destiel) and Wincest (Sam/Dean, who are brothers, hence the portmanteau between Winchester and incest), while Sherlock’s most popular was Sherlock/Watson or Johnlock. Doctor Who is different, as each individual reincarnation of the Doctor is considered a different character, so each Doctor has different pairings, usually with their respective companions or the Master. SuperWhoLock has a reputation for being cringy due to member’s repeated hijacking of Tumblr posts with fandom related GIFs, but now that the fandom is much less active, the cringe has turned into a feeling of nostalgia.

There are so many more fandoms I could talk about, which just goes to show how fandom spaces have only exploded in size as time has passed. Even though these descriptions aren’t the most detailed, I hope you found them informative and interesting!

Happy reading,

-KP

[princess-of-the-corner]

What Lies Beneath

I think I'd change three things:

First, the issues don't directly stem from their different species. Like, Cozy does make them think about how 'different' they are, but since we made it so that other speices do have friendship even if they show it differently, that won't be an issue.

So Gallus and Smolder's fear scenarios would be more them-specific instead of 'oh we got out barbecue we're Different from our own kind!'.

Secondly, they absolutely should tell twilight. idc about 'not wanting to get Cozy in trouble', that's a big ordeal and Twi should know about it.

Thirdly, we're getting into a little Lore. But the manifestation of the Tree doesn't appear as Twilight. It's actually a pony they mistake for Cadence at first, but not her. Not anyone really 'living' in the usual sense either.