#Fluffy Wolf's Journal

[dragonomatopoeia]

Air's End-of-Year Youtube Video Rec-List Round-Up

In light of recent events and also because I wanted to, I have put together a rec list of various (mostly longform) videos that I've enjoyed this year. Not all of these videos were released this year, however-- I just happened to see them for the first time in 2023. For readability and quality of life purposes, I have put this list under a readmore and divided the videos up by category, then creator, which means that some youtube channels might appear in multiple categories

I reserve the right to edit this later as I remember more videos, but I feel comfortable publishing it as is, considering it has almost 100 videos on it at this point

Cooking

Get Curried Chili Garlic Rosemary Chicken Recipe | How to Make Chili Garlic Rosemary Chicken at Home | Prateek Anardana Chicken Recipe | Delicious Himachal Style Anardana Chicken Recipe at Home | Chef Prateek Old Delhi Style Tangdi Kebab | How to Make Indian Starter Tangdi Kebab Recipe | Chef Prateek Dhawan

How to Cook That The $10 Million dollar lie (Betty Crocker) Debunking the Pink Sauce Controversy | How To Cook That Ann Reardon Top 7 Best Easy Lemon Recipes 🍋 | How To Cook That Ann Reardon Toxic Foods promoted on TikTok! | How To Cook That Ann Reardon Why is Pyrex exploding? | How To Cook That Ann Reardon

Library of Congress' Youtube Channel El Camino del Mole a New Orleans El Camino del Pan a Baltimore

Immaculate Bites LEMON BUNDT CAKE FIRECRACKER SHRIMP

Simply Mamá Cooks 3 EASY Beef Pot Roast Recipes perfect for the cold weather EASY Chicken Tamales Recipe | How To Make Tamales Easy NO-KNEAD Soft Dinner Rolls + FLUFFY From Scratch Milk Rolls Recipe Zuppa Toscana Recipe EASY | Olive Garden Potato Sausage Soup Recipe

Fraud, Grifts, and Scams

FoldingIdeas Contrepreneurs: The Mikkelsen Twins The Future is a Dead Mall - Decentraland and the Metaverse In Search Of A Flat Earth This is Financial Advice

Maggie Mae Fish Is the "Off-Grid" Lifestyle a Lie??

Münecat I Debunked Every "Body Language Expert" on Youtube The Problem with Tony Robbins (Deep-Dive - Pt.1) The Problem with Tony Robbins (Deep-Dive - Pt. 2)

Super Eyepatch Wolf The Bizarre World of Fake Martial Arts The Bizarre World of Fake Psychics, Faith Healers, and Mediums Influencer Courses are Garbage: The Dark Side of Content Creation Tom Nicholas Griftonomics: Why Scams are Everywhere Now

We're In Hell A History of Spam on the Internet Hustling America: I Can't Believe This Show Is Real The Problem with Voluntourism WE Charity & the Nonprofit Industrial Complex

Gaming

Hbomberguy Halcyon Dreams: The Legacy of Dragon's Lair

Jacob Geller Games that Aren't Games How Can We Bear to Throw Anything Away?

Li Speaks An Exploration of the Avata Star Sue-niverse It's Time For You To Play Flash Games Again The Strange Case of Kissing and Flirting Games Untangling the Lore of Devilish Hairdresser

Mandaloregaming The Mystery of the Druids: A Bizarre Adventure Game

People Make Games The Games Industry Must Not Stay Silent on Palestine Investigation: Who’s Telling the Truth about Disco Elysium? Working at Valve: 'A Fearless Adventure' or 'Lord of the Flies'?

PowerPak Dead Space 3 Is Worse Than I Thought King's Quest - The First Adventure Game King's Quest 2 - A Bridge Too Far... MyHouse.WAD - Inside Doom's Most Terrifying Mod Squirrel Stapler is Absolutely Nuts Tunic is Deceptively Brilliant

Super Bunnyhop Perusing Pentiment's Boisterous Bibliography

History

BobbyBroccoli The image you can't submit to journals anymore

Cambrian Chronicles Wikipedia's King who Doesn't Exist

Defunctland Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History

Elliot Sang How Tea Became European McMindfulness: When Capitalism Goes Buddhist

Intelexual Media Creating The Conservative New Right In The 1970s A Buffet of Black Food History

Kaz Rowe A Deep Dive into the Deadly World of Victorian Patent Medicine Why Have So Many People Seen Ghost Ships? Why the Myth of the Library of Alexandria Is Wrong

Kendra Gaylord 500 years of dollhouses and what it meant to teach girls Alice Austen, the 1880s photographer: her house, her photos, her love life What happened to cheap food? Diners, Automats, and affordable eating

Nerdsync Bonkers origins of superhero memes The Scandalous REAL Origin of Superman's Lois Lane Superman's Uncomfortable History with Nuclear Weapons

Premodernist Advice for time traveling to medieval Europe

Stepback History How The Vietnam War Birthed a Generation of White Terrorists OK Fine I’ll Talk About Ancient Apocalypse

Tantacrul Notation Must Die: The Battle For How We Read Music

Film and Television

Be Kind Rewind How Breakfast at Tiffany's Turned into a Totally Different Movie | Adapting a Classic Casting the Women of Valley of the Dolls | PT 1 The Making of Valley of the Dolls | PT 2 How the "Old Ladies N' Hijinks" Subgenre Became a Thing How a "Sacrilegious" Film Changed Hollywood Forever... So I watched BLONDE... Why Tallulah Bankhead Never Became a Movie Star

Big Joel The Song That Broke West Side Story

Cherrybepsi Can We Kill the Final Girl Trope Already?

Hazel weird & kinda scary tokusatsu girls

Jane Mulcahy The Lunacy of Teen Wolf (Part 1) What is the 'psycho biddy' genre?

Maggie Mae Fish BLACK CHRISTMAS Before & After "Me Too" The War on "Woke" Hollywood: A History of Blacklists and Strikes Why is Clint Eastwood

Princess Weekes Black Trauma vs. Black Horror Why Are There So Many Confederate Vampires? Why Don't Worry Darling Doesn't Work ...

Shanspeare EUPHORIA: Sam Levinson’s Unfulfilled Fantasy The Girlboss-ification of the Horror Genre TikTok Femininity Coaching and Aestheticizing Racism

Science and Technology

BobbyBroccoli The $21,000,000,000 hole in Texas The man who faked human cloning How to catch a criminal cloner

Eastman Museum's Youtube Channel Photographic Processes Series

Technology Connections What's the deal with the popcorn button?

Practical Engineering How Flood Tunnels Work What's the Difference Between Paint and Coatings? Why Is Desalination So Difficult? Why Railroads Don't Need Expansion Joints

#rec list #youtube video rec list

[coolotplblogloadng]

Top 10 Fanfic - Multi-Fandom

No Particular Order

between the click of the light and the start of a dream by thepshycicclam

sterek (m/m) - Teen Wolf - 105,192 words - Rated E

Stiles starts getting haunted by something in his dreams. Derek gets overprotective. Pack feels and angst. I love it. I read it once a year.

who ya gonna call? by igneousbitch

griddlehark (f/f) - The Locked Tomb Series - 24,563 - Rated E

Buzzfeed Unsolved AU. Need I say more? Harrow falls on her ass at least twice I recall. A masterpiece.

lucky jacket by chellethewriter 

catradora (f/f) - She-Ra and the Princesses of Power - 16,301 - Rated M

Explores the lore of Adora’s jacket after Catra may have done something to it. Very funny concept but shit hits the fan. Very cute and fluffy.

My Name of Your Lips by feelslikefire

victuuri (m/m) - Yuri on Ice! - 108,070 words - Rated E

Literally the ONLY a/b/o fic I ever liked and finished. High fantasy, magic, dragons. Yuuri betrothed to Prince Victor and plans on secretly fighting a tourney to get out of it...but then he catches feelings! 👀

horsebow moon by athousandsatellites

edeleth (f/f) - Fire Emblem: Three Houses - 4,765 words - Rated G

Edelgard finds Jeralt’s journal but turns out Byleth has made use of it as well! Really sweet and fluffy (some angst). But touched on stuff I wish the game explored. So *chefs kiss*

Due West by europa_report 

klance (m/m) - Voltron Legendary Defender - 27,284 words - Rated M

Suuuuuucccchh good writing from Krolia’s perspective how she feels about Keith and Lance’s relationship. Her and Lance are stranded on a planet. Feelings of motherhood. Angst. 👌👌

The Hurricane in His Veins by magisterpavus 

shklance (m/m/m) - Voltron Legendary Defender - 265,040 words - Rated E

I had to put this one on. Main fic is only 187,481 words. But the world is just so great I gotta read all the fics in the series. Vampire Keith and Shiro and human(?) Lance. A classic, fabulous.

I Will Not Die For You by ghost_maiden_of_delphi

griddlehark (f/f) - The Locked Tomb Series - 151,369 words - Rated M

Mafia boss Harrow, bodyguard Gideon. Cross country road trip full of pining, angst, hurt/comfort, eventual romance!! Gideon and Naberius fight and it’s the best thing I’ve ever read.

The Ninth Wave by Anonymous 

klance (m/m) - Voltron Legendary Defender - 12,535 words - Rated M

So sweet, so lovely. Snippets of them falling for each other represented by different waves. Shorter but oh so sweeter. 

Homesick by Beelzebumons

sidlink (m/m) - Breath of the Wild - 175,190 words - Rated E

Link dressed in Zora armor 24/7 being Sidon’s bodyguard? That has to take him on a tour of all of Hyrule? Canon divergent with interesting backstories and plot? Yes sign me up pls!

#sterek #griddlehark #catradora #victuuri #edeleth #klance #sidlink #shklance #teen wolf #tlt series #the locked tomb #spop #she ra spop #yoi #yuri on ice #fire emblem three houses #vld #voltron legendary defender #botw #fic rec #fanfic rec #fic recs

[etcrow]

1K followers alphabet event

M - Magic

Let's stay alone together

Genre: fluff, a little of angst

Characters: GN!MC x Solomon

Universe: Obey me

Warnings: none

A/N: Keyword for this post is “Magic”. Thanks for requesting, cutie. @mel0805 I wanted to make this as fluffy as possible.

Summary: Solomon asks MC to go to Purgatory Hall to show them something.

You've had a bad day, and to make matters worse, Lucifer gave you a three-hour-long lecture about how you shouldn't forget your schoolbooks at home. You wearily watch your DDD as the device lights up, showing a notification; a message from Solomon.

You unlock your DDD and read his message. He wants you to join him in Purgatory Hall to see him. You reply that you are getting ready to join him and head to Purgatory Hall.

Once you arrive you knock on the door and there is Solomon there to greet you. You smile wearily at him and he looks at you, inviting you in.

"Bad day, huh?" You nod and the sorcerer then motions you to follow him, heading for his room.

He invites you to sit down and takes a book from his desk, handing it to you. As soon as you open it, a pair of white ears pop out of the book and you almost drop the book to the floor in surprise. Soon after, a bunny rabbit pops out, jumps out of the book and begins to walk around the room.

You watch him and then cast a glance toward Solomon, who is trying not to laugh at your expression.

"Cute, isn't it? I found this book among some of my old tomes and journals and thought I'd show it to you."

"What's a rabbit doing inside a book? "You might have expected the cliché rabbit-in-a-top-hat, but in a book....

"Oh, it's simple. This book contains representations of different animals, and when you open it, an animal jumps out of the book. I don't recommend opening the pages where vicious animals are depicted, however."

You raise an eyebrow, suddenly closing the book and placing it on your lap. "And you're telling me this now? What if a wolf popped out?"

You hear the sorcerer laugh in delight as he shakes his head and shows you another page of the book. This time a duckling is represented, popping up a few seconds later, joining the bunny on the floor.

"Don't worry, it's just a children's book. There are only bunnies, ducklings and other harmless animals."

You look at him, stymied, and pinch his arm, causing him to whisper an 'Ouch' between laughs. "I deserved it."

You turn the pages of the book, and as soon as you find a drawing of a kitten you stop, waiting for it to come out. Strangely, nothing comes out, and you stay looking at that drawing. "Solomon, the book is broken. It doesn't work-... pfttt."

As soon as you turn to look at it, Solomon has a kitten on his head who is trying to climb up to keep from falling off. "Oh, this is Fluffy. He came out of the book half an hour ago when I found him. Don't get attached, though. The magic lasts an hour and then they have to go back inside the book."

A disapproving cry comes out of your mouth as you reach out your hands toward Solomon, pointing to the kitten. He hands it to you, and you begin to pet it.

The sorcerer sits beside you, taking the bunny and the duckling in his arms, casting you a look. "How come you had that long face before?"

You sigh, staring at the floor. Meanwhile, the kitten meows in your arms. "Nothing much. Today is a bad day, and on top of that Lucifer yelled at me for three hours for forgetting my schoolbooks at the House of Lamentation."

He listens to you in silence, petting the bunny and the duckling, while you watch him. You look away only when he turns away from you so he doesn't know you were looking at him, blushing slightly.

Solomon seems not to have noticed. "I think I might give this book to Luke, what do you think?"

You nod, staying with your gaze fixed on the kitten, then you hear Solomon call your name, and as soon as you turn toward him, you find yourself face to face with the bunny.

You hear Solomon laughing and stay looking at him for a few moments, huffing. "Why do you always have to make fun of me?"

"I don't know, it's funny... you get all red and you're a sight for sore eyes."

You don't know whether he's serious or teasing you, so you turn to him and look at him strangely and he raises an eyebrow, curving his head. You are so used to his jokes and teasing that the fact that he might be sincere leaves you surprised.

"Did I say something wrong?"

You shake your head, lowering your gaze. Meanwhile, the kitten fades away and you watch the scene saddened. "...He's gone."

"We can always go in search of some kittens for Devil Doom, what do you say?"

"Hmm..." unconsciously you cry and Solomon watches you, reaching out to hug you.

"It's okay. It's just a bad day."

You return the hug, remaining silent, then wrinkle your nose. "Solomon, you smell like sulfur..."

You hear him laugh as he musses your hair. "I made a potion a few hours ago. I think that's it."

You remain embraced for a few moments while you cry silently, then pull away from his embrace and wipe away your tears. "Sorry, today is just to forget."

The sorcerer brings one hand under his chin and wipes a tear from your face with the other, watching you. "Fluffy too?"

You shake your head, holding the book in your hands. "No, it was nice to meet Fluffy, even if it was briefly."

"Oh, you know..." he murmurs as he points to the book "You can always open the book and let him out for a walk when you come here to visit."

"Solomon, what is it like to live forever?"

He stares into the void for a moment, growing gloomy, then returns calm and looks at you "Sad and lonely."

You reach out a hand toward him and squeeze his in silence, feeling how he returns the squeeze and intertwines his fingers with yours. You remain in silence for a while, then look toward the void. "Would you like to feel alone together?"

You hear him chuckle as you rest your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes. You feel him move and reach toward you to leave a kiss on your lips. "Yes, I feel like being alone together with you."

You let a half smile escape and open one eye to look at him. This day is not entirely to be forgotten.

#obey me #obey me one master to rule them all #obey me shall we date #obey me post #obey me mc #obey me headcanons #obey me x gender neutral reader #obey me solomon #obey me fiction #obey me fluff #obey me angst #obey me otome #obey me dateables #obey me x you #obey me x reader #obey me x mc

[peelingitwithpeels]

It's spooky season soooo

The wilds headcanons Spooky edition

Dot is a witch, she prepares for the worst and brings small bags of herbs and salts wherever she goes. She is a solitary hedge witch instead of a coven witch because she prefers to work alone and without the distribution of others. They comes into town every two weeks to restock on supplies. She leaves a protection spell on her doors and windows to ensure nothing can come in while she’s gone and nothing can come in when she’s asleep. She feeds stray cats that often follow her home.

(Round applause for @fruitybishop who helped me with this idea they are amazing ) Kirin is a werewolf, but he absolutely doesn’t look like one. He look like some big fluffy golden retriever instead of a traditional wolf. After being bitten by another werewolf, his nose got stronger to the point where he can sniff out when someone is sinister or has ulterior motives. Everytime he transforms his hair gets longer and more fluffier than the last time. He gets warm very easily due to his fur when he's in wolf form so when he's in his human form he's a human body heater. He runs with a pack and one time, they hyped him up to fight a bear. Was NOT the best idea.

Rachel and Nora are Siren sisters; they live further in the sea on three small rocky islands called Sirenum Scopuli. Unlike some of the other characters, they were born sirens, daughters of a river god Winged creatures that lure sailors to their deaths, they only sing at night to ensure that they aren't seen and the possibility of escape is lessened. Nora plays the harp while Rachel sings the alluring song to draw the sailors in. Sometimes they disguise themselves as humans to go out on the mainland to scope out what times the ships go out to the sea and which ship has the most men on there.

Ivan is a vampire. He writes tons of journals since the moment he got turned to account for the journey of his undead life and he exaggerates the hell out of it. During the Harlem Renaissance, he found an old mansion that seemed abandoned and made it his main home for whenever he comes back from his travels. He dated plenty of famous people through the centuries. He uses his super hearing to listen in other’s conversations and he flies around everywhere he hates walking. The first time he drank blood he went overboard and killed a mayor and had to leave town. He doesn't wear mainly black because he thinks that's lame (he wears a cape)

Leah is a mermaid, she explores shipwreck ships and collects items from the ship and she swims to the surface late to show to Rachel and Nora who never have the time to examine human culture. Her tail is a beautiful sapphire blue colour and scales are up her forearms. Unlike the sirens, mermaids tend to be wary of humans and try to live their lives away from human intervention. Humans who do not heed warnings are usually trapped in a violent storm and never seen again. However, Leah whose curiosity knows no limit goes to land and befriends local humans to gather more information. Also, she accidentally drowned someone by thinking they could breathe under water

Josh is a ghost, he died from tuberculosis back in 1897. For the longest time he was lonely, only able to watch his family live on and die and unable to speak a word to them. With only animals being able to see him, he friended a flock of ducks and for year's the same flock goes by the house and he greets them. By 1923, Ivan found the house and Josh was so surprised someone can see him. Whenever Ivan comes home, Josh is overjoyed and accidentally spooks a victim away from the house (Ivan never is mad and just happily greets him). He can turn the lights on and off and whenever someone tries to get the house that isn't Ivan he knocks on the doors at night and turn the lights on and off and scare the living shit out of them making them leave.

Martha is a green witch. Unlike Dot, she lives on a farm closer to the town. She sells oils and herbs to the locals and some people come to her farm to seek medical help. On her farm, she had rabbits, sheep and cows. By developing a close relationship with them, she harnesses the energy of the nature sources around them. When she gardens, she compliments her flora and greenery and gives them cute names to help them flourish. She carries small potions and wears a black tourmaline necklace and gave one to Toni when she visited. Martha and Dot have weekly afternoon tea chats to catch up at Martha’s farm and Dot buys a potion from her before she leaves.

Raf is a Orc. He lives on the outskirts of town, not because he hates people but mainly because crowds make him nervous and he sweats a lot. Also adding to the fact that he is an orc he would prefer to never attract attention to himself. He sleeps on the ground because with every bed he buys he breaks on accident. The only person he felt comfortable enough to be around was Martha and she goes into town a lot for him. He taken to sewing because none of the clothes he found is ever his size because he is so tall. He mainly gardens vegetables and gives to them Martha so she calls to sell them for him (entirely inspired by Gorgug)

Toni is a werewolf. Unlike Kirin though, she looks like a wolf when she transforms. She doesn't believe in the pack mentality so she is a lone wolf and strays away from wolf politics. She stays at Martha’s farm and protects the farm animals from predators and out-of-town werewolves who pass by. She met Kirin by chance when she caught him in the middle of fighting a bear while his pack cheered him on and helped him cause the bear was winning. When a full moon comes out, Toni locks herself inside the barn and chains herself to a bed. As a result of being a werewolf, she has a larger set of teeth and a hint of gold in her eyes.

Scotty is half Faun and half Satyr, unlike Satyrs, Fauns are not women-obsessed as them and have a strong sense of direction. He once led a werewolf pack in the wrong direction because he wanted to protect the animals that would've gotten eaten if they had gone the right way. He lives in the middle of the forest but goes into town disguised to play his flute and earn cash. He met Kirin also by chance because he thought he was a regular wolf and tried to kill him for his wolfskin. He uses his flute to cast spells on travellers who have ill intentions of venturing out into the woods.

Shelby is a demon, to be specific she is a crossroad demon. There is a specific spot that locals know called the devil crossroads and people only go to strike up a demon in exchange for their souls. People wait till midnight and she shows up underneath the dim light of a lamppost. She gives them at least five years to enjoy their wish and she sends her hounds to give them a heads up that time is almost up and if they run, well, she loves the chase. She comes to Earth sometimes to scope out the bars and sees who would be her next customer and who she could tempt. She started to visit town more often to see a certain werewolf.

Bo is a centaur and he lives with Scotty in the middle of the forest. Normally Centaurs would live in Thessaly but Scotty convinced him to travel with him to a bigger and newer town that doesn't have that many centaurs. As much as Scotty enjoys wine, Bo is unable to handle wine as well so he usually drinks a glass of water when Scotty drinks. He uses a bow and arrow to hunt deer and rabbits and brings them home cooking them stew that would last them days. He bakes bread from scratch and goes to the abandoned mansion to chat with Josh while Ivan is gone.

Fatin is a Fae. Faeries are known for luring children into the forest and swapping them with a faerie changeling. She isn't interested in none of that, though she doesn't mind the fact that people don't talk badly about faeries because of how afraid people are of them. She often visits Dot and helps her with her chores in exchange Dot hands her children teeth (it's better if you don't ask how Dot has it). Dot usually plants roses in her garden if she misses Fatin and want to talk. Once, someone littered in the forest, and when midnight struck, she performed poltergeist in their house.

Henry is a witch, but unlike Dot and Martha, he is a Cosmic witch. Cosmic witches focus on celestial energies and perform rituals based on the elements. He waits till Midnight and travels to the woods to get a clear view of the stars and draw energy from the sky and stars. He keeps up with the natal carts and focuses most of his energy to astronomy and astrology. He carries crystals bought from Martha and learns basic steps to protection spells to keep his house marked and protected. When Ivan met Henry, he mistaken him for another vampire and exposed himself on accident.

#dot campbell #kirin o’connor #fatin jadmani #ivan taylor #shelby goodkind #rafael garcia #leah rilke #henry tanaka #toni shalifoe #josh herbert #martha blackburn #scotty simms #bo leonard #rachel reid #nora reid #JUST SOMETHING FUN FOR THE HALLOWEEN SPIRIT TIME #SPOOKY HEADCANONS

[foxboyirl]

also while im thinking of it heres some things i do that make me more in tune w my theriotypes .. mayhaps someone else will find it useful :P

- journaling as mentioned in my last post

- loose or baggy clothing to make me less aware of my body being human

- socks that match the color of my theriotypes' paws (such as black for fox)

- documentaries, wikipedia pages, books, etc + the wikipedia pages for therianthropy in general

- surrounding myself with items of my 'type or things similar

- being on the ground or making nests there

- going for walks, esp listening to music that makes me shifty

- okay time for the more absurd ones . Bushcraft videos... like those videos on youtube that r like "building a house in the forest survival snowstorm bushcraft" LOL i like the channel "luxon bushcraft" because he has a dog + the property he owns is his and gets used even after the filming is finished

- dog 101 videos .. theyre short clips that detail the basic facts of dog breeds and most can be found on youtube! i like the one about australian shepherds obviously. its also just nostalgic because i remember watching them on tv when i was younger

- brushing my hair and it being soft / fluffy reminds me of my fur , specifically wolf . theres just something wolfish about grooming your fur like that [shrug]

- okay and finally listening intently to noises and being able to analyze them makes me shifty Idk its just a good feeling to know my senses are still keen

#♡ thoughts #♡ me #♡ red fox #♡ australian shepherd #♡ wolf #therian #therianthropy #caninekin #canine therian #otherkin

[dead-boys-club]

「 inui seishu 」 

sunny days. swimming pools. slip n slides. ice cream running down the side of a cone. tall sunflowers. baking. deep conversations. soaking in the bathtub. rose petals. silk sheets. flower crowns. soft giggles. big sweaters. button ups. beaded bracelets. dancing around barefoot. sleeping in the garage. passionate kisses. hands on your neck. lip biting. deep, unfiltered love. wrecked journals. shitty jokes. post-it notes. long phone calls. the sound of water in a creek. heart shaped balloons. wolf tattoos. concert crowds. the color grey. vintage cars. tangled headphones. fluffy clouds. paper airplanes. snapchat filters. half empty bottles of water. filled planners. succulents. motivational speeches. eros and psyche. candy wrappers. strawberry shortcake. laced fingers. rings. lace. torn fishnets. purity. raw emotions. bike rides. making pancakes at 2 am. random bouquets. spoiling him.

“I am,” he said. He was staring at me, and I could see the corners of his eyes crinkling. “I’m in love with you, and I’m not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I’m in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love with you.”   

#tokyo revengers #tokrev #tokyo revengers x reader #tokrev x reader #inupi #inupi x reader #inui x reader #seishu inui #seishu x reader

[thatonebirdwrites]

Chapter 11 of my Book 2 (Excerpt of the Book)

Notes: This is an excerpt of my TLOK: Shared Moments Book 2. I thought this would be a fun one to share because Asami fretting about having a crush on Korra is cute, and Korra being adorable and not realizing she's flustering Asami is hilarious to me. This scene also exemplifies some of the changes I did to Book 2: Korra breaks up with Mako earlier, they investigate the Southerners that went into hiding, and it's the start of their Spirit Investigations. You can read the whole series here: Shared Moments.

Day after Winter Solstice, Northern edge of Wolf Cove

Asami had to admit that sleeping at Korra’s parent’s home made it easier to prepare for the journey with Katara, mostly because they had the sorts of supplies needed for polar expeditions. Items she would have never considered packing. After Korra had left, Senna had chatted with her about if she felt well enough for this - Asami would never admit she wasn't, far too stubborn for that -- and then they went through supplies. The woman was thorough and highly efficient. Each item Senna put in the packs she explained why, and Asami wished she'd taken notes.

The biggest downside to staying at Korra’s parents’ home was the awkwardness, especially when Korra returned grumpy, only to crash by the fire. Which meant Asami woke up next to Korra. As in, Korra had rolled in her sleep to cuddle by Asami’s side, one arm lazily thrown over her, while Naga curled around them both. The arrangement didn’t bother Asami. She found she rather liked it. It was how much she liked it that had her troubled. It brought back painful memories that she’d tried to put out of her mind for the past few years.

The second issue was her being between Korra and Naga. It didn’t exactly leave room for her to slide out easily, so although she woke quite early, far before the appointed hour, she found herself stuck between a very warm and fluffy polar bear dog and a very warm and cuddly Avatar. At least Korra had remembered to pick up her red bag and drop it within reach. 

Her clothes on the other hand were not within reach, so she hid under the pile of blankets, feeling increasingly self-conscious about Korra’s proximity to her and how she couldn’t even have the dignity of proper clothes for this arrangement. 

So she was left with little choice. 

She pulled her idea journal out of her bag and sketched the ludicrous situation. 

Her brain refused to focus on anything else, so it wasn’t as if she could work on her airship designs or anything productive. Asami was quite certain she’d laugh over this later, but for the moment, she was a trifle mortified that Korra’s parents had witnessed this arrangement and left it as is. Like nothing out of the ordinary. Totally fine for two women to cuddle each other and a polar bear dog. Which then left Asami wondering if there was something wrong with her for simultaneously enjoying this immensely and feeling mortified at the witnesses. 

Sighing, she stretched her legs a bit, glad to feel the pain mostly gone, and attempted to see if she could wiggle free. 

Korra grumbled and only rolled closer. 

So that wouldn’t work. Back to the sketch she supposed. Except now, with Korra nudged up so close that her breath was on Asami’s neck, her focus on drawing had scattered entirely. She set her pen in the journal and turned her head to look at the Avatar. Korra must have pulled out her wolf tails, as her brown hair lay in a halo around her head, and mingled with Asami’s own black hair. The firelight played across Korra’s brown skin, giving it a warm glow, and her thick muscles twitched a bit in her sleep, her arm still splayed across Asami. 

Did Korra realize how breathtakingly beautiful she was? Likely not as her hair needed a proper brushing, Asami counted at least half a dozen snarls. She was tempted to run her fingers through them to try to gently untangle, but would that wake Korra? They still had some time before they had to be up to prepare for the journey, and the past few days had been pretty intense for the Avatar. Asami didn’t want to wake the girl before it was absolutely necessary. 

Gently, she brushed some of Korra’s hair from her face. The touch seemed too intimate. She pulled her hand away and looked up at the ceiling. Painful memories she’d tried so hard to suppress trickled back into her mind. She recalled the one of the big fights she’d had with her father a year prior, when her father had found her lesbian romance book.

Her father entered the library, where she’d been reading by the windows. “Asami, we need to talk.” He held out a book.

Confused, she put down her current book, then paled at the sight of the other one. She snatched it out of his hand. “Why were you in my room?” The book was a romance between two women, a gift from Sana at the dojo where she practiced. Two weeks ago, she’d confessed to Sana how she often felt stronger attractions to women than to men, and it had resulted in the most wholesome conversation she’d ever had with a girl her age. Sana had gifted her the book a few days later. Asami had hoped it was a sign she had finally made a friend.

He pulled up a chair and sighed. “I wished to discuss an upcoming event with you. Why are you reading such books? It’s unbecoming of someone of your status.” 

“Because…” Asami realized she had no defense. She’d never considered her father finding the book. Her fingers trailed over the cover. “It was a gift,” she said finally.

“From who?” His voice was angry.

“Why do you need to know?” Asami shot back, defensive. He’d never cared before what she read. This reaction made no logical sense to her.

“Such a person will sully our reputation. I cannot allow you-” he started to say, but she interrupted him. 

“Father, this is ridiculous.” Asami stood, her tone switching to the socialite that the school had drilled into her. “The book was a gift, and the person who gifted it is inconsequential to your company. I am capable of reading whatever book I wish.” 

Her father’s face darkened. He grabbed her arm. “You are my daughter, Asami. And you must not let these idle fantasies distract you. Eventually, you will need to find a man…”

“No, I don’t.” The words were out of her mouth before she even realized she’d said them. Oh spirits, she hadn't meant to say that, and it wasn't like she didn't have some attraction to men. She just preferred women. Looking at her father, she was about to clarify but then stopped. The look on her father’s face, his shock and confusion, hit her like a block of earth to the chest. She immediately regretted her words.

He sighed heavily, his hand dropping to his side. “Perhaps I’ve been too lenient with you. This cannot continue. What you do reflects on me and my company. If you are to inherit my work, then you must not let this…. this… nonsense taint your mind.” 

“This nonsense taint my mind?” she repeated, flabbergasted. Anger overruled her regret. People like Sana weren't nonsense. “Same sex couples exist. Many get married and are recognized just like any other couple. It’s you who needs to adjust to our changing times.”

His shoulders drooped, and he looked suddenly much older. “I need you to focus, Asami. Future Industries' reputation requires both of us to do our part. We need to work together to continue to hold the spotlight, to continue to build a better world.”

Not that argument again. Last time he’d threatened to fire half the benders at the company claiming it was to build a better world, and that had turned into a yelling match. She was not doing that again. Pivoting, she marched out of the library. Her father called after her, but she ignored him. The walls of the mansion felt suddenly stifling. Tears stung her eyes, and she held the book tightly. Could Sana be wrong? Maybe queer couples weren’t as accepted by society as she had claimed. 

Asami slammed the door to her room, locked it, and dropped down beside her bed. She dug under it for a battered box and pulled it out. This was where the book should have been, but she’d been reading it last night under the covers. She placed it over all her drawings of women at the dojo. Grabbing her toolkit, she worked a floor board under her bed until it pulled up enough for her to shove the box inside. She carefully readjusted the board back to its original position, then climbed into bed and cried.

The memory incited a wave of anger, and now that she’d seen his journals, she knew he had been far along his path of hatred by the time that conversation happened. And to think it held such influence still! She’d dated Yanchen not long after that conversation, hated it, then tried again with Song, that also barely lasted a few weeks. Mako was the only one she actually felt some attraction, but that hadn’t gone well either. Trying to pretend that side of her didn’t exist certainly hadn’t worked as Korra kept distracting her by being so damn beautiful. Thinking about her father just added a layer of fury and grief as well as shame to the situation, and she hated how he haunted her still.

No, whatever she felt toward Korra, she shouldn’t let it distract. First, they needed to be better friends, then she had to figure out this mess with her company. Besides, it was unlikely Korra would ever like her like that anyway. She sighed and opened her idea journal. The rough sketch of the scene needed some polish, but she shut it instead, and laid her arm over her eyes.

This mode of thinking was not productive. She needed to be useful, which meant she needed to get into proper clothes and check their packs again, verify supplies. Asami shimmied closer to Naga, so that her back was to the polar bear dog’s side. Korra’s arm still lay across her, though she no longer was pressed up as close. Gently, she picked up Korra’s arm but paused at the thickness of her muscles. Asami would never get over them. She swallowed hard and carefully laid Korra’s arm between them. Korra grumbled, but she thankfully didn’t wake. 

Part one completed. Asami pushed herself to her knees, blankets slid off. Her body still felt sore, shaky, and now cold. Likely needed more food and water. She reached and grabbed her clothes then looked around. She had no idea where to go for a bathroom, though she vaguely remembered Senna helping her to a room where she could squat and wash with warm water. A lot of yesterday was a blur, most of it in and out of consciousness and sleep. 

Korra was still asleep at least. Asami pulled on her shirt and jacket. Leveraging herself against Naga, surprised the bear dog tolerated it, she pulled on her inner liner and pants, socks, and boots. It tired her, and she leaned against Naga, breathing heavier than she liked. The dog nuzzled her sleepily. She stroked her fur and wished life wasn’t so frustratingly complicated. Too bad she wasn't a polar bear dog, then she'd just hang out with Korra, and wouldn't have a failing company, a group of Southerners angry with her possible deal with Varrick, and that confusing and worrisome claim that her technology could make problems worse with the dark spirits and Northern troops. Problems that Asami had no idea how to tackle, and that irritated her even more.

Footsteps came from the side rooms. Senna entered wearing her furs. “Awake?” She spoke softly. 

Asami nodded. “May I wash up?” She was still sort of between Korra and Naga, her legs at least, and the blankets were a tangled mess at her feet.

Senna walked over and held out her arm. Asami grasped it and leveraged herself to her feet. She still felt a bit dizzy, her legs still weak, so she leaned against the older woman.

“How do you feel?” Senna led her into the side rooms past a room with a thick curtain and into the bath area. It wasn’t technically a bath per se, but more of a wash area and a place to relieve oneself. Senna pulled out some wash clothes and soap. 

“I feel better.” Asami ducked her head to try to hide her blush and burst of shame. “Was extra warm last night.” 

Senna smiled with a shake with her head. “You were shivering, even with almost all our blankets. Korra ordered Naga to keep you warm, then just went to sleep.”

“Is… she like that with others?” Asami asked, hesitantly. 

Senna shook her head. “No, but then, she’s never had such good friends as all of you. Thank you for being here with her.” Senna squeezed Asami’s shoulder. “Go get washed up. I’ll make breakfast.” Senna left the room and the curtain fell into place.

Asami looked down at the soap and water basin. Korra wasn’t like that with others? She had no idea how to process that information, so she put that out of her head. Turning on the spigot to warm up the water, she cleaned herself up the best she could.

When she left the bathroom, she kept her hand along the wall to steady herself. Being this weak was infuriating. To her surprise, Naga met her at the entrance to the side rooms. The dog waged her tail and nuzzled Asami again. Looking past her, she saw Korra sitting up and stoking the firepit. The girl yawned and blinked sleepily at Asami. 

“You sleep okay?” 

Asami nodded and wondered if Korra had purposely cuddled her or if it had been all done in her sleep. Okay, there goes her trying to put it out of her mind. She felt irritated with herself. Leaning against Naga’s shoulder, she pushed away from the wall. Her legs still felt weak and that prickly-numbness still burned faintly off and on. Naga seemed to understand and walked slowly back to Korra, while Asami kept hold of her to stay upright. 

“Huh.” Korra watched, surprised. “Naga, you’re such a good girl.” She reached out and ruffled the dog’s fur behind Naga’s ears. “Caring for Asami.”

Asami leveraged herself back onto the pillows using Naga’s bulk. “Does she do this a lot?”

Korra shook her head. “Only with me. Well, apparently you now. How you managed to charm my Naga is a mystery.” Korra laughed lightly. “Definitely a polar bear dog whisperer.” 

Asami looked off to the side to hide the blush again. “Did… you sleep okay? I… saw you slept out here?” That was the closest she would come to mentioning anything about this morning.

“Yeah.” Korra shrugged. “You were cold, and Naga's warm. I figured I’d sleep nearby. In case you needed stuff.” 

More than near, Asami thought, but she didn’t say it out loud. “Thanks for grabbing my things. Senna already packed our bags.” Asami gestured to the ones by the door. 

“I saw.” Korra poked the fire again then blurted, “I… I think I might have broken up with Mako.”

“You did?” That was not as surprising as Asami would have thought. 

“Yeah. I mean, I didn’t specifically say it’s over? But I guess I strongly implied.” She sighed. “We had a big fight. And he got all weirdly possessive and protective?” Korra flicked a one of the stones on the side of the firepit. “It’s just...” 

Asami pulled her legs up against her chest and balanced her chin on her knees. She wasn’t sure what to say. So she waited and looked at the Avatar. 

Korra looked up at her. “He got really insistent on coming with us. Demanded it. Said he needed to protect me. I don’t need that. And just… I said he couldn’t come. Why couldn’t he accept that? And, like, I didn’t want Dad with us on that South Pole trip, and Mako goes and tells him? He knew how I felt about Dad trying to dictate my training. Ugh.” Korra waved her hand at the fire in frustration. “I still care about him, you know? But I can’t figure out how to make it work.”

“Sometimes relationships don’t work out,” Asami said, softly. She felt like she ought to say something else, something more supportive, but her mind kept going back to this morning, even despite all attempts to shut that out of her mind. It left her feeling ashamed and off-centered.

“I guess. Makes me sad still.” Korra sighed and stood. “I’ll go wash up. Thanks for listening to me.”

“Always.” Asami watched her go to the side rooms. Korra really had no idea of how she’d woken up, did she? Frustrated with herself, Asami leaned her face into Naga’s soft fur. “Naga,” she whispered. “I can’t have a crush on her. It’s not right.” The dog didn't reply, but then she hadn't expected a reaction. She sighed and did what she’d done for years now. Shoved that side of her tighter into her heart and shut the door.

By the time they finished breakfast with Senna, Master Katara had entered leaning against a walking stick. “Good morning.” She smiled. “And I see Asami convinced you to come, Korra?” 

Korra looked up with a smile. “Good morning. And yeah, Asami’s pretty convincing.” 

Senna gestured to a pillow. “Would you like tea and breakfast, Katara? We have some left.” During the meal, Senna had chatted with them mostly about mundane topics like what Asami’s work was like and about life on the tundra. Asami had learned a lot about dog sleds, how to train the dogs, caring for them, and how they made the sleds. Then she'd learned there was eight clans within the Southern Water tribe, all focused on different styles of hunting and gathering depending on their location. Far more complex than her research had indicated.

“No, I ate already. Thank you, Senna.” Katara looked at Asami. “How do you feel, dear?”

“Better.” Asami put her down her tea cup. She stretched out one of her legs and winced a bit at the prickly feeling in the lower calf. “Still a bit shaky in the legs. Sporadic numbness, but it’s been fading.”

Katara studied her, thoughtfully. “I see. Korra, did Asami explain this journey?”

Korra nodded. “That there’s Southerners that can calm spirits, that the place is secret, and you are taking us?”

“Good. Senna, prepare Asami? I believe she needs better snowpants.” Katara looked pointedly at Asami’s black work pants. Even with its fur lining, the pants hadn't kept her all that warm, so she wasn't too surprised the older woman viewed them inadequate.

Senna nodded. “You’re a little tall.” She tapped her chin. “I have an idea.” She headed into the side rooms. 

Korra grinned and nudged Asami. “Your clothes got vetoed again.” Asami smiled back, sheepishly. She wished she’d gone out and bought better clothes the day before Solstice, but she’d been too frustrated and feeling anti-social to do much more than muck around her lodgings and work on plane and airship designs.

“Korra, load up your bear.” Katara nudged her with her walking stick. “And stop playing around.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Korra jumped to her feet. She nearly tripped over herself to grab the bags Senna had packed and to tie them onto Naga’s saddle. Her dog shook herself but then sat on her haunches to allow Korra to attach the packs and saddle. The scene was almost comical to Asami.

Senna returned with thick blue snow pants. “Here.” She helped Asami to her feet, though Asami found herself leaning against Senna again to stay upright. Katara walked over to help hold her steady as she slipped into the snowpants. The length fit, but the waist did not, and Asami realized this was likely Tonraq’s. Senna quickly got to work adjusting the fit with her sewing kit, until the waist was snug against Asami’s own. “There.” Senna stood back, hands on her hips, to survey her work. “Not my best, but it’ll do.” 

“Wonderfully warm,” Asami admitted. Much better than her own. 

“Good. No more hypothermia for you.” Katara handed her the coats, and Asami donned them with Senna’s help. By the time she was ready, bundled up like an otter-penguin complete with a face mask, Korra had finished packing up Naga. “Thank you again, Senna," Katara said. "If all goes well, we’ll be back tomorrow at the latest.”

Which meant Asami would miss her appointment with Varrick. Part of her suspected that’d be so. She needed information, and Korra needed to learn more about her people. “Can you let Bolin know that I won’t make my appointment?” She asked Senna. 

The woman nodded. “Safe travels, all of you.” She took Asami’s arm and helped her outside. A dog sled waited, the sled part small with a seat and packs tied to the back of the chair. The artic dogs barked and yipped in excitement. Naga barked back and sniffed a few, who turned skittish. Korra pulled Naga away. Twelve arctic dogs in total, all roped together to the front of the sled. Asami had never seen one up close. 

Both Korra and Senna helped her onto the back of Naga, and Korra took the front. Asami realized she was going to have to hold on tightly to Korra’s waist to stay on. Great, that was not going to help her resolve to keep that part of herself shut off. Behind them, Senna stepped back into the doorway and held up her hand in farewell.

Katara settled into her sled, lashed down down her stick, and signaled her dogs with a few clicks. The sled hurtled forward, surprisingly fast. 

“See you soon, Mom! And please stay safe!” Korra waved at her mother. Asami did the same, then grabbed hold of the girl when Korra urged Naga into a jog to stay abreast Katara’s sled. So they were off into the unknown. Asami hoped desperately that this would help. Yesterday things had seemed so clear, but today she felt scattered, unfocused, and troubled.

Read the full story here!

#korrasami #legend of korra #tlok #asami sato #avatar korra #asami #the legend of korra #korra #korra x asami #writing #read it on ao3 #ao3 writer #ao3 fanfic #fanfic #archive of our own #ao3 stuff #fan fiction #Mutual pinning by these loveable dorks #Book 2 rewrite/AU #yes I did a rewrite of TLOK starting at the six months between Books 1 and 2 and I will keep on going through book 4 and beyond

[capricornsicle]

The "Wolves" of Teen Wolf

Let's talk about wolves. No, not werewolves, much as I love to talk about them, but wolves. More under the cut, because this is going to be a long post.

Teen Wolf is no stranger to using real wolves for filming. In this 2013 article by Hypable (unfortunately the super-helpful videos within about this subject are no longer available), the author describes a video of how animal handler and trainer Chris Edrington (his IMDb page), previously working with Paws for Effect and now Working Wildlife, brought two wolves, Shadow and Frankie, to the set of Teen Wolf for shots of Shadow baring his teeth in the "This Might Hurt" Season 3a promo. The video within the article, which would be really cool to watch if it was still available, allegedly features Edrington describing how Shadow was trained to bare his teeth for TV.

(Image: The trained wolf Shadow bares his teeth. Image courtesy of MTV's season 3a "This Might Hurt" promo, linked in the above paragraph.)

Why use real wolves for TV instead of CGI? Well, back in ye olden times, or 2013, it cost a lot less to hire a real wolf for a day than to CGI one. Nowadays, CGI animals are a dime a dozen (mostly because CGI artists aren't unionized the way set artists and animal handlers in Hollywood are, as touched upon by this Guardian article). This Wall Street Journal article about filming with real wolves for HBO's True Blood asserts that, "The cost of live wolves varies, but they typically rent for under $500 a day, plus the cost of trainers." But also: "Since the animals prefer to travel in packs, six or seven additional wolves may accompany a wolf actor, but producers don't have to pay for the rest of the entourage."

(Image: Trainers working with stunt wolves on the set of HBO's True Blood. Image courtesy of Wall Street Journal article linked in paragraph above.)

Of course, having real wolves on set poses a problem: wolves are not dogs. And wolves do not act like dogs. They're very cute and fluffy, but try to pet one, and they may just take your arm off. The WSJ article linked above also describes some of Steve Martin's (owner of Working Wildlife) usual suspects for TV wolves, and how they differ greatly in personality and are better suited to different filming locations and different types of scenes. It also describes times on set where actors were stopped from eating food before the wolves were due for filming, because of the safety hazard to both actor and handler.

So what do real wolves act like? Well, citing my experience working at an animal shelter (2 years handling dogs/cats, coordinating/working events, facilitating adoptions) and my experience volunteering at a wolfdog sanctuary (1 year working with mostly mid-content and few high-content wolfdogs, after extensive training about safe handling), wolves are like large Spitz breeds (Huskies, Malamutes, Akitas, etc., the Pomeranian and some other small, fluffy dogs also fall within that category), but on steroids.

I am choosing not to mention the locations or names of places I have worked, in the interest of internet privacy. If you would like to know more about my experience working with wolfdogs, feel free to send an ask! Or, visit the page for one of the following wolfdog sanctuaries/rescues: Yamnuska, Wild Spirit, Texas Wolfdog Project, Shy Wolf

You may know people describing their Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes as many things -- beautiful, majestic, energetic, intelligent, mischievous, and often, destructive. The AKC page for Siberian Huskies actually specifies that owners should never let their Husky off-lead, because of their strong desire to run at any given opportunity, but they are animals that can be friendly and good with children if well-socialized.

Wolves do not do that. They are not friendly with people, and they are certainly not safe around children. Many people keep wolf/dog hybrids (and many keep them poorly, but that's a different subject), most of them rescues from irresponsible breeders or people who thought they were getting a regular domestic dog. While some wolfdogs are incredibly well-trained, able to go on pleasant off-leash walks, and attend educational events about wolfdogs, most require an outdoor habitat with extremely specific fencing, a lot of space, and diligent attention to their mental and physical exercise needs, and may never be affectionate with their handlers.

As the WSJ article describes, Working Wildlife also keeps wolfdogs on retainer, usually high content (a high percentage of wolf DNA compared to dogs, in the 75%+ range), for scenes where wolves may not be able to tolerate actors and their movements. However, even hybrids can be unpredictable and snappy. The article also describes a time when Brit Morgan (who plays werewolf Debbie Pelt on True Blood), shot a scene with two wolfdogs, and one got too excited and snapped at her (the actress was fine, and says it's one of her favorite scenes).

From my own personal experience, wolves and wolfdogs are very skittish, generally afraid of humans, and like to communicate with your teeth. If you've ever tried to take something out of a large dog's mouth (which is incorrect, instead offer something else to pick up and redirect the dog's attention so you keep all of your fingers), well, imagine doing that but the dog is 150lbs (about 68kg) and the something is your arm. If you don't keep your mouth closed, it will quickly be investigated by a wolfdog's tongue, and the only time you should have food near anything even part wolf is when you are carefully feeding it large chunks of raw meat, which, to a wolfdog waiting impatiently for dinner, is not terribly different from the hand that's holding it.

Wolves are fascinating creatures, and generally poorly understood by both TV and by the general population. Dr. David Mech, author of the study that started the theory of "alpha wolves" and eventually was adapted into the "alpha male", has renounced that research (and begged the publisher to stop printing his outdated 1968 book), rejecting the idea of "alpha" wolves in favor of the "adult male" and "adult female", because wolves in the wild actually group into packs by family, not by some constantly fighting hierarchy of pure male dominance. You can read more about his research on his website.

(Image: Dr. Mech studying arctic wolves on Ellesmere Island, where wolves have little interaction with humans and can be more safely studied up close. Image is public domain, found on the USGS website.)

So Teen Wolf doesn't have a very accurate impression of the social hierarchy of wolves. Ok, it was an MTV show that started airing in 2011, what do you expect, but! Let's bring together Hollywood wolves and Dr. Mech's research to further discuss the "wolves" of Teen Wolf.

Why do I keep putting "wolves" in quotations? Well, because the black "wolf" we start seeing in season 4, Derek's "evolved wolf form" (and is the same canine actor in season 5 when we see Theo's wolf form, and also Talia Hale in 3x08 "Visionary"), is most certainly not a wolf. It looks to me like an all-black German Shepherd or similar breed (GSDs have a good profile for playing a wolf, but the coloring tends to give them away, which is why a lot of "wolves" on TV are solid black or white -- similarly, many horses on the screen are black or white, because it's easier to paint over markings and match colors than with chestnuts or bays, which are astronomically more common colors). However, I was unable to find any information about the doggy actor, and no handler or organization was listed in Teen Wolf's credits for the appropriate episodes, so the actual stats of the dog in question are unknown. If you do have any information, please feel free to share!

(Images: (top left) Wolf!Derek jumps down from a rocky ledge, showing his size in comparison to Araya Calavera. (top right) Wolf!Derek, with glowing blue eyes, runs towards Kate Argent. The dog is considerably less than waist height. (bottom left) Wolf!Theo chases Mason and Liam through the high school. We can see that the dog is of medium-large size, maybe 50lbs (22.5kg). (bottom right) A closer view of Wolf!Theo shows the same white markings that Wolf!Derek also has. Images are all screencaps from Teen Wolf: 4x12 "Smoke and Mirrors" and 5x02 "Parasomnia".)

Why not use a real wolf for these scenes, when Teen Wolf hired real wolves for the season 3a promo? Well, for the behavioral reasons listed above, it wouldn't be possible for a real wolf or a wolfdog to safely tackle Jill Wagner in 4x12 when the cue is that Derek, in wolf form, leaps up and attacks her, which is why a doggy actor is used, and Jill Wagner does a convincing job of pretending she's not playing with a well-trained dog. Again, CGI was still expensive, so sizing it up or CGI-ing the entire "wolf" would have been a lot of work, when most audiences wouldn't be able to immediately tell a large dog from a wolf.

But most audiences are not me. And I can tell the difference between a wolf and a wolfdog and a dog pretty well, mostly from my experience working with wolfdogs, and coordinating with shelters who believed they had been handed a wolfdog and couldn't adopt it out to the public. For reference, here's a wolf (Romeo, beloved local wolf of Juneau, Alaska, known 2003-2009, est. at least 8yo at time of death) next to a large dog (left), medium dog (center), and several dogs (right). You can learn more about him in this NatGeo article.

(Images: (left) Romeo, a black wolf, touches noses with a large black dog, who is much smaller than him. (center) Romeo stands next to a sitting medium herding-type dog, which is dwarfed in comparison. (right) Romeo stands with the large black dog, the medium dog, and another medium herding-type dog, all of whom are much smaller than him. Center photograph by Jos Bakker, left and right source unknown.)

So how big would real wolves have been? Well, setting aside anything about Theo, because he's a chimera and who knows whether he's supposed to have a wolf form or a coyote form or a coywolf form, here's my rendition of a size chart containing a real wolf, the "wolf" on Teen Wolf, and Jill Wagner.

(Image: A size comparison of the Teen Wolf "wolf", a grey wolf, and Jill Wagner. Jill Wagner is 5'8", the wolf is 2'8" at the shoulder, and the Teen Wolf "wolf" is scaled to be 2" at the shoulder. In cm, Jill Wagner is 172cm, the wolf is 81cm, and the Teen Wolf "wolf" is 61cm. The Teen Wolf "wolf" is quite a bit shorter than waist-height, while the real wolf's ears are at belt height. The wolf is from Smithsonian Magazine. The picture of Jill Wagner is one I pulled from Google. The Teen Wolf "wolf" is Talia Hale from 3x08. The poses were difficult to match because Jill Wagner tends to be bipedal and canines tend to walk on four legs.)

In summary:

There's no such thing as "alpha wolves".

Wolves are big. Very big. Much, much bigger than you think they are.

The "wolves" on Teen Wolf are only a little more than half the size of real wolves. They are very small.

Some other trivia for Teen Wolf viewers: The correct amount of whiskey to pour is 2oz (59mL) or about 1/5 to 1/4 of an average scotch glass.

#teen wolf #teen wolf meta #can I even call it that? sure I guess #there's no tag for 'teen wolf analysis' so I'll take what I can get #jill wagner comes up a lot in this. don't read into that she's just the only one who you ever see getting body-slammed by a wolf #what do true blood and dr. david mech have in common? make teen wolf look silly #have some production and tv trivia! #anyone who's still here for the whiskey joke I hope you liked it #I can't get over in s1 where stiles pours what must be 8oz of whiskey neat and the sheriff drinks it #I bet he had a great night's sleep #for the next 28 hours or so

[the-orangeauthor]

🖊️

I’m in a fluffy mood and since I traumatised you with that one scene from TAP a few weeks ago with the firefly’s you get all the fluff!!

So Kyda often likes to lay her head in Ibhan’s lap whilst he’s reading or journaling and usually she bugs him for attention. but one day, on a natural hair day,she just lays down and falls asleep in his lap. And Ibhan, love struck fool that he is, kind of idly just decorates her Afro with flowers, making a little flower crown for her! I like this scene a lot so I’m actually gonna write it for you:

——-

Ibhans POV

It was barely half an hour before she came looking for me, and she sat besides me under the cover of the large oak tree.

“Hi,” she said, followed by a yawn and a stretch.

“Early day?”

“With too much work,” she sighed, rolling back her shoulders. I lifted my journal out of my, stretching out my legs. She took the invitation and twisted around, resting her head in my lap. She pulled on the belt tied around my waist, my robe falling open. She twisted the dark fabric between her fingers, knitting and unknotting it as she relaxed.

I settled back against the tree trunk, continuing the drawing I was working on before she interrupted me. A collection of different wild flowers that grew on the edge of the field rested on one page whilst I sketched them on another, adding little descriptions of colour and scent. One in particular, a small yellow flower that looked like a miniature bluebell, had a tantalising yet unplaceable smell. At times like this, Kydas keen nose was excellent help, but when I shut my journal to present her with the flower, I saw her eyes had fluttered shut. Her mouth was slightly ajar as her chest rose and fell with steady deep breaths, the belt still loosely twisted between her fingers.

I trailed a finger along the curve of her jaw and back up around the shell of her ear, letting the little flower take place there. The sight of the yellow bud between her dark skin and darker hair was fitting, and I took up the rest of the flowers I had collected. Gently, so as not to disturb her, I placed the flowers throughout her hair. More little blossoms, Sundrops they were called, and these little vines with strings of round pink blossoms like pearls. Then a few larger blue flowers that opened flat like daisys but with a white speckled centre. Finally, a few small poppys, their deep red striking against the other brighter colours.

Satisfied with my work I picked up my journal again and flipped to a fresh page. Moving the journal side to side, I slowly sketched the familiar planes of her face onto the page, shading in the contours of her cheekbones and broad bridge of her nose, and the fullness of her two toned lips. It was at her lips that I stopped and gently rested my hand on her face again, thumb tracing along her lower lip. She shifted slightly and I froze, slowly retracting my hand. I went back to the drawing and added in the flowers in her hair. Satisfied I closed the notebook with a satisfied snap and hissed as Kyda immediately sat up, bumping the journal up into my own nose.

“Shit,” I groaned, putting the book aside.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, let me see,” she said taking my face in her hand, her fingers splayed across the back of my neck, thumbs against my jaw as she turned my face. “You’re okay,” she said after a moment, “just a little red,” she grinned.

“Wolf,” I said through gritted teeth and she laughed. She touched a hand to her head as a vine slipped into view, shooting me a questioning look.

“Did you put these there?” She asked and the red on my face deepened. I would be one with my robe in a few moments more.

“I just thought it would look nice,” I said lamely and her smile returned.

“Thank you for the flowers, Ibhan,” she said softly, as she leaned up and pressed her lips gently to mine.

——

#Rie ❤️ #anmol answers #oc rambles #the wand and the wolf bits #kyda and ibhan #fluff

[multifandom-onigiri]

Honestly, I feel like DarkMilk very much works the best as a very slowburn pairing (and arguably only works well as such). There’s stuff that both Dark Choco and Milk would need to work out on their own ends before they could even get into a relationship.

(Dark Choco with figuring out the life he wants to live, working on his own self-esteem, working on being able to forgive himself, etc.

Milk would need to work on actually confronting and acknowledging how Dark Choco has changed before he’s able to fully give him actual genuine support, not as a hero he’s admired for years but as a person with flaws that he still believes in.)

And if I was a good writer or a good comic artist (or just confident. I’m just not confident.), I’d genuinely invest in exploring this in some sort of long fic or comic in a post-main plot setting where almost everyone settled down in one place (like the kingdom part of CRK LOL). I feel like that would be one of the best settings to explore that in especially since in CRK, Milk was not involved in Dark Choco’s decision to voluntarily leave the Cookies of Darkness. Although I’m not sure if CROB will play out differently.

And honestly? Maybe I’m just writing as an excuse to write a long build up from a mostly awkward meeting with heavily differing and conflicting feelings from each person to an equal partnership where both people are supportive yet honest to each other.

And honestly? I just want to see shenanigans as Dark Choco gets more accustomed to where he’s at in his life and the people he meets.

He’s assigned to looking after the sheep with Werewolf once. They’re so soft and fluffy and comforting, and it’s something that Dark Choco is very much not used to that he falls asleep, even though he kept a mental note to keep an eye on Werewolf after looking at the “No Wolf” sign in front of the pen.

Dark Choco and Milk decide to grow matching smiley flowers. Dark Choco’s flower grows just fine. Milk, in his enthusiasm in growing a flower for the first time ever, overwatered the flower, and it ends up wilting.

Dark Choco takes up journaling, and usually he does so early morning, sitting down at the beach and watching the ocean. It’s calm and peaceful, helping him to think a bit more clearly.

To his dad’s chagrin, Dark Choco definitely is a regular at Sparkling’s bar, although he makes sure to drink in moderation. His favorite thing to do there is listen to Mint Choco play the violin when Mint Choco decides to hang out at the bar. Sometimes he goes there with Milk.

Also while this (and more) is all happening, I’d like to explore with Milk trying to figure out if his feelings are strictly platonic or strictly romantic or if the lines between those two are more blurred than he thought. Is how he just feels about Dark Choco just admiration? Or is it more than that? Did this feeling grow from admiration and transform into something else, or is this admiration always a part of the love that Milk feels now? (Ive been thinking about this for a while. I don’t think I’m capable of writing this well at all, but I’d love to explore it.)

All in all, this would take at least some years of them figuring out themselves and each other and taking their steps to grow and mature before they would establish an official romantic relationship. And entering a romantic relationship would then be something new that both of them would figure out together.

Note: (I was rambling in my head about this but I’m posting [not word for word though] a part of it that outside of its context, it probably doesn’t make too much sense on how it fits with that post 😅)

#cookie run #dark choco cookie #milk cookie #darkmilk #cinder rambles #I miss rambling about them #so here I am rambling about them

[softredribbon-kins]

inbox check?

* Draculaura with sweets/baked goods and lovecore stims in neon pink

* Shiho Hinomori icons

* Winter Tsukasa Tenma icons

* Frankie Stein Self care kit with chewing fidgets, fluffy/soft stuff and journals

* Mr. Wolf stim

* Jinx with soap cutting stims

* Tasque Manager moodboard with programs/technology, perfection/order, and cat themes

* Viluy moodboard with machine themes and logic over emotions quotes in blue/grey

* Shiho x Mizuki moodboard with fairycore themes

* Kasane Teto stim

* Meika Mikoto stim with pastel colors

* Korekiyo Shinguji with monarch butterfly and gem stims in royal red

#🌸 ready to walk home? • chatting

[schwarzwaldcr]

5 and 17 for the character development hard mode questions, and Wulf for the character

Hard Mode Activated: Accepting

5. On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?

The normal dailies of the stalker gear are far too broad and too many to name. Every pocket has at least five things, and all those things are necessary. Every bag, pouch, and sling has multiple items in it as well, things of necessity and things not always so necessary, and even things that may or may not have a selective necessity depending on the situation, as preparedness is the stalker's boon.

The casual-wear, that outside the Zone, is a little more tame. Easier to follow, easier to need:

Keys: A labyrinthine thing she's sure Lovecraft would be proud of, having more twists and turns than one of his infamous temples. Half of them, she's not entirely sure what they do or what they go to anymore. A bike chain lock, several padlock keys, multiple little tidbits that may or may not be used for other nefarious purposes when she forgets her housekeys, the various and sundry keys that belong specifically to those locked diaries and journals children keep at some point in their lives. In fact, there are only nine keys on the thing she can actively say she uses on the regular, separated from the others with a keychain charm in the shape of a wolf's head: -The door keys to the tavern -The freezer key -The key to the liquor cabinet on the main bar floor -The PO Box in Stuttgart -The key to her apartment in Stuttgart and the mailbox key to it in the front lobby -The Truck Keys, featuring the Freighter [the big mid90s Dodge she uses for tavern inventory and smuggling] and the Runner [a smaller darker late90s Dodge outfitted to give the 'Stag and its not-so-secret-police a run for their money] -The key to the tie-down locks for the Freighter's bed, since yeah, it actually does run freight

Phone: A jailbroken Samsung Galaxy model, one of the older ones. She doesn't take it into the Zone for very obvious reasons, but it lives in her basement bedroom when she is, or in her inner jacket pocket when she's out in the greater world. It runs on a Simcard that makes it look like she's accessing things from foreign telecommunications systems, thus keeping her safe from state hands.

Chapstick: Fairly self-explanatory

Smoking Case: A beat-up sterling silver casebook with the etching of Schwarzwald's famous Heraldic Wolves on the front and back in mirrored images, meeting claws at the hinges. It holds her molded silver pipe, a thin delicate piece of work in darkwood with the same Heraldic Wolf imagery in sterling silver; the head with parted roaring jaws is the cup, swirling down to a fluffy tail that is the mouthpiece. A bag of her clove-soaked tobacco leaves is usually present. The match holders are usually empty.

Lighter: A fairly plain Zippo, looking like it's been through hell and frankly, it probably has. She's had it for a very long time, it continues to serve her well. She'll keep it until it stops working or it blows her up with it. Whichever comes first.

Wallet: Plain fake leather, shedding and worn. It holds all the necessaries, from cards to coupons to cash to ID. It sits in the back left pocket, under the hidden hilt of the Eckhorn at her waist belt.

Loose Change: Fairly self-explanatory. Coinage versus cash, bits and pieces here and there from change given in the past.

Pens: Ballpoints, mostly, though there might be a Sharpie in one pocket or another.

Gum and Mints: A pack of wintergreen gum somewhere in one pocket or another, along with a pack of peppermint breathmints.

Flask: Never leaves home without it, a similarly-themed piece of silvery alloy with the etched Heraldic Wolf on the front twisted in a Celtic Trinity and eating its tail. It's usually filled with bourbon, though a cheap paint-peeler whiskey will suffice in its place.

Knives: Tools and weapons, mostly folding or pocket knives, or utilitarian clusters. With the strong exception of the Eckhorn, which doesn't leave her hanging if she really needs it and makes people think twice, if her presence doesn't first.

17. What was your character’s favorite toy as a child?

A worn grey rabbit of indeterminate fabric that was filled with sawdust she named Bunbun. She vaguely remembers it on occasion, and the way the nose was missing, as was an eye, and a few seams had loose stitching. She was never sure if Bunbun had previous owners or if she simply loved him to the point of a slow worn death. Knowing what she knows now of East Germany and not what she knew then, she is fairly certain he was a hand-me-down.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of her leaving her family abode, Bunbun was not the first thought to bring and was left behind. Chances are, it's rotted away in a landfill somewhere or has been found and rescued by a collector. She can hope for the latter, since it means in today's world, he might have been given a second chance, like she was. Realistically, though, it's probably the former.

#Answers #connor233universe #OC Developmentals

[purpleisnotacolor]

Oh no a writing WIP

K so that AI text thing has actually inspired me to write :|

I just started wanting to give the bot a good prompt, but I got carried away lol.

I've got an OC named "Peter" and I've never drawn him (IDK how). so I think I'll post what the AI thinks he is for laughs. there are so many incorrect descriptions I think I'll just list them. tell me you're favorites

journal entry: if I bother counting I'll go mad. season: spring. Moon: 2nd crescent, waxing.

while on our way up the mountains I met a lovely creature who luckily had some grasp of one of my languages.

it- or I should say she, "Ida", was very small. she must have been 4ft tall at most. she had the face of a cat with ears that could best be compared to a rabbit. at the ends of her wings were clawed tree-fingered hands, the claws she stood on had dexterous thumbs as well. she was feathered from her head to her ankles, although she did say she was not nearly the fluffiest example of her kind.

She didn't mind me observing her at all. in fact, Ida took an interest in my appearance as well. just as I have not ever seen a "Dracon" or "Owlba" she had never seen a human, or a lycanthrope for that matter, and I am unfortunately not a good example of either. I-

1: -don't ever recall ever feeling "fluffy" though, at least not as a human. my human features are fairly pronounced and I have a distinct lack of scales and fur. in fact, Ida seemed quite fascinated by my outfit, and my ragged t-shirt covered torso and long brown hair. she seemed like the kind of creature that could see the beauty in a giant, spiked up hybrid.

2: -did my best to appear as "normal" as possible but Ida didn't need to know how I grew my hair or pulled on a pair of "t - shirts". in fact, I was wearing a pair of slightly tight shorts.

3: -am however, covered in dark green tousled fur and not much shorter than her.

4: -am either a cat, or a wolf, depending on who you ask.

#my posts #my OCs #Peter Pyrite

[puppile]

greetings everybeing ~ ! this is our age regression blog , created with the intent to explore and blog about our regression , and to create things for the community others may enjoy .

we are a system that has a ton of age regressors , age dreamers , pet regressors , pet dreamers, & syskids . however, collectively , you may call us wolf , or any cute pet-like petnames ( e.g. ; puppy , pups , cub , kitty , kitten , kit , etc . . . )

we go by they/them or pup/pups on this blog , and we prefer gender neutral terms .

our big age won ' t be revealed , however we are a minor . our little age is whatever the headmate regresses to , so for simplicity , we regress to all previous ages .

and though we don't exactly know what ages we all regress to , we do know that we can regress to these pet spaces ; puppy , kitty , bunny , big cats , wolves , deer , otter , and probably way more depending on the headmate !

we have a special interest in wolves first and foremost . we also like and have an interest in art , sonic , bluey , cats , my little pony , amphibia , the owl house , minecraft , space , dogs , lovecore , sleepycore , plushies , coloring pages , comfycore

we do not really have a big do not interact list , but some obvious ones we do not want to interact are ; ageplayers , anti-agere/petre , anti-therian , anti-furry , kink, or NSFW accounts .

after the cut is the tagging system , but it ' s extremely long

GENERAL TAGS ;

🐺 . . . ; any text posts from us when big . 🍼 . . . ; any text posts from us when in littlespace . 🐾 . . . ; any text posts from us when in petspace . 🎨 . . . ; any art or crafts any of us might make when small . 🖼️ . . . ; art we reblog from other people . 🧸 . . . ; our stuffies or toys . 🧶 . . . ; any asks we might get . 🌈 . . . ; any moodboards we might make . 🗝️ . . . ; anything regarding our journal . 🧵 . . . ; anything we reblog .

EMOJI CODE ;

🤍 ; neutral / no space ✉️ ; caregiver space 🩹 ; slipping 🎧 ; big space 🥛 ; little space 🦴 ; pet space 🎀 ; little headmate

HEADMATE TAGS ; - the emojis will be used for the tags . - only actually active headmates will be listed . so no dormant headmates are going to be listed .

AGE/PET REGRESSORS/DREAMERS ;

🌲 lupus - syshost ⟡ aesity - it/its ⟡ ageless - flip, no lean & pet regressor ; all previous ages .

🍂 anne - syshost ⟡ fictive - she/her ⟡ 13-15 - age regressor ; doesn ' t know her age .

🐕‍🦺 fluffy - companion ⟡ fictive - she/they/pup ⟡ 12-16 - flip, regressor lean & pet regressor ; all previous ages ⟡ pup , kitten

⚡ jay - insecurity holder ⟡ fictive - he/they ⟡ 16 - permaregressed & age regressor ; 12-14 & 2-7

🦦 luz - comforter ⟡ fictive - she/her ⟡ 14 - flip, caregiver lean ; 2-5

⚔️ sasha - protector ⟡ fictive - she/he ⟡ 15 - age regressor ; 5-7

💨 sonic - symptom holder ⟡ fictive - he/ring ⟡ 15-17 - flip, regressor lean ; 4-7

SYSKIDS ;

🕯️ moth - charge ⟡ aesity - he/him ⟡ 2

🌹 amy - roleless ⟡ fictive - she/they ⟡ 12-15

💦 blur - bunnykid charge ⟡ fictive - he/they ⟡ 12

🌪️ classic - roleless ⟡ fictive - they/he/it ⟡ 9-10

🌠 collector - paichmate charge ⟡ fictive - he/they/star ⟡ ageless but childlike

👹 king - charge ⟡ fictive - he/hx ⟡ 8

🎀 mary - roleless ⟡ fictive - she/they ⟡ 12

🐁 mouse - ògregulator ⟡ fictive - they/them ⟡ 3-12

🎪 pomni - batkid? bunnykid ⟡ fuzztive - she/her ⟡ 3-6

🫧 sink - roleless ⟡ fictive - he/it/🫧 ⟡ 10

🧩 sweetie - roleless ⟡ aesity - he/it ⟡ ageless, but is like a tween

🧬 paws - mulekid ⟡ aesity - it/its ⟡ 5

CAREGIVERS ;

🌲 lupus - caretaker ⟡ aesity - it/its ⟡ ageless

🚬 price - caretaker ⟡ fictive - he/him ⟡ 30-37

🍁 auburn - caretaker ⟡ fictive - she/they ⟡ ~20-25

🍒 cherrie - caretaker soother ⟡ fictive - she/bow ⟡ 14-15

🦌 fauna - caretaker naturalist ⟡ fictive - she/they ⟡ 14-15

🐕‍🦺 fluffy - caretaker comforter ⟡ fictive - she/they/pup ⟡ 12-16

🦦 luz - caretaker comforter ⟡ fictive - she/her ⟡ 14

🖤 shadow - caretaker protector ⟡ fictive - he/it ⟡ 17 & ageless

#🐺 . . . #🍼 . . . #🐾 . . . #🎨 . . . #🖼 . . . #🧸 . . . #🧶 . . . #🌈 . . . #🗝 . . . #🧵 . . .

[cast-headspace]

Cast here. 24 Years old, traumagenic internal family system. This is our blog for talking between each other, expressing ourselves, learning and getting info on plural living and therapies. Posts will usually be tagged by the person who made them, 'unk' if unknown who is fronting/talking, or 'cast' if it's by/for all of us. Posts of art or aesthetic stuff will be tagged with the names of individual headmates who like them most.

Meet the Cast System

In order of the pic above:

Claire, Dorian, Adrien

Diane, [Full Cast Physical Appearance], Tura

Delta, Crane, Fluffy

Descriptions:

Claire - Between ages 6-13. Age slider, trauma holder(?) She/Her. Sarcastic, occasionally has trouble speaking, likes ice cream, plushies, and the cold.

Dorian - Previous Primary. Was the main one fronting from ages 14-18. He/Him lesbian. Dramatic and self interested.

Adrien - Current Primary. 24. They/Them nonbinary. Bisexual and ace. Likes plants, bugs, science, and community.

Diane - Introject, She/her. Source is pinkie from mlp. Has developed over time, bit shy now. Enjoys educating and caring for kids.

Tura - Introject, she/her. Source is fluttershy from mlp. Animal caretaker, gentle, scared easily. Dating Diane.

Delta - Introject, He/him. Source is Daniel Jacobi from wolf 359. Protector, began fronting when host was 16. Casual, supportive, long-suffering complainer. Like 30 years old. Gay ass homosexual man.

Crane - It/She. Violent, protective. Knows more about the trauma than rest of us. Animalistic.

Fluffy - It/its. No thoughts, head great. Meant for sex and food fetish fun. Low vocabulary.

(There are more members who come out less, and may be added over time.)

I'm not interested in talking to anyone who claims that any other systems are fake. You don't know another person's head better than they do. I don't care enough to argue with you.

Interested in reaching out and making friends with other systems, and turning this blog into a sort of system journal as well! :3

#Cast #plural #did system #plural community #adrien #dorian #claire #delta #diane #tura #fluffy #crane

[lonely-letters-from-xeria]

A Letter of Danger

Well, THAT was terrifying.

Holy onion chips and cheese sticks. How are any of us alive? Did you see what just happened?

Oh. Duh, of course not. I’m writing in a journal for… our future selves? To publish when we get home? I’m not sure. Whatever— I’m gonna tell you what happened, because oh mother of chaos are we lucky to be okay—

————————————————————

It happens just after they leave the cottage. 

Maybe it’s karma for trespassing, maybe it’s fate they crossed paths, or maybe it’s luck that they haven’t run into something like this sooner.

Fyrus skips ahead, scampering over giant tree roots and moss-coated rocks. A week(?) in this place and his enthusiasm has yet to fail (or at least, that’s what he tells the others), a burning bright optimism that refuses to be extinguished.

Glenn and Avery are right behind him, the former peering into every bush and tree and the latter sticking close behind Fyrus to catch him if his leg catches on something.

“—so there I was,” Avery recounts, “staring down my old teammate across the field. All I can think of is the rampant betrayal I feel mirrored on her face.”

Sophia scoffs, shaking dirt from her jeans. “Betrayal? Someone’s been taking theatre class.”

Avery puffs out her chest with a grin. “I have, glad you noticed.”

Sophia rolls her eyes, but Fyrus spots a faint smile ghost across her face. Ever since deciding they would head to the coast, she’s been looking a bit happier, though she still kept her distance— physically and emotionally— from them.

But the one with the most distance is Adrien, lagging at the back of the group. Fyrus lets Glenn, Avery, and Sophia pass him, and falls into step with Adrien. 

The umbrella-wielding teen startles from where he’d been staring unseeing at the ground and blinks at Fyrus.

Fyrus beams at him. “Hey! Mind if I hang out here for a bit?”

Adrien slowly shakes his head. His steps are soft, quiet as a shadow against the forest trail.

“So, you excited to see the coast?” Fyrus continues. “On one hand, I am, because I bet it looks amazing since the sky here is more of a cyan colour so the water colour must be breathtaking, but on the other hand, I can swim but I don’t like it. What about you? Excited or not really?”

Adrien shakes his head again. Fyrus nods. “Yeah, same. I mean, it’s exciting to get a chance of scenery— the forest is really pretty and all, but the noises are super spooky, especially at night. It always feels like we’re three seconds from some big wild animal storming out of the woods towards—“

There’s a loud crack in the bushes behind them.

Fyrus and Adrien stop and look at each other before slowly turning around.

A small bird flutters out of the bushes, curving sharply on four wings to weave through the branches and out off the canopy into the sky above.

Fyrus sighs in relief. “Oh my gosh, I thought I just jinxed us—“

The wind shifts, the forest quiets, and suddenly two sharp beastly eyes are staring at them from the undergrowth.

It’s vaguely wolf-like without a fluffy tail, fur ashen grey and deep green, with ridges of multicoloured crystals poking out of its back. Its claws are thick black nails shaped like crescent moons. When it snarls, Fyrus can see two rows of sharp teeth in its snout. 

Honestly, Fyrus isn’t paying too much attention to details other than what could murder him. The creature is built like a car, and that’s all his brain really needs to process. 

What is it adults say to do in this situation? Make yourself look big and scary, yell, throw rocks, don’t look them in the eyes or turn your back to run.

He’s pretty sure that doesn’t apply to big fantasy-like wolves, but hey, worth a shot. He takes his spare leg out of his bag with shaky hands, heart hammering, and waves it above his head to look scarier. Adrien does the same with his umbrella.

The “wolf” looks puzzled for a moment, as if it had been expecting them to just run and doesn’t quite know what to do now. That’s good; Fyrus doesn’t quite know what to do now either.

Can weird giant fantasy wolves smell fear? Fyrus can; it smells like sweat and salty tears of terror prickling the corners of his eyes. All his enthusiasm has whooshed out of him in one quick moment as if he’d been doused with an icy bucket of watery reality.

It’s still not moving. Neither is he, except to continue waving his leg and pretending to be a much bigger threat.

Maybe the beast would have actually turned and left them alone if this display had continued, but Sophia turns in this moment to see where Fyrus and Adrien are, sees the monster, and screams.

An understandable reaction, really.

Whatever spell the puzzled “wolf” had been under breaks, and it growls, stepping forward, no longer deterred by the odd human teens waving strange objects in the air. With no other options, the two turn their backs on it and run, joined by the other three.

The forest whips by them as the beast bounds through the shrubbery behind them, snarling with a snout frothing with saliva. Fyrus throws his bodyweight over logs and rocks, thankful he’s wearing the leg that isn’t attached by suction today; it surely would have slid off from the sweat as he races at full speed through the woods.

There’s a loud thud ahead as Sophia’s suddenly sent sprawling by a hidden root. She catches herself with barely a scratch but struggles to get herself free from the roots she’s managed to wedge her foot under. The beast howls, eyes training on her.

It bounds past Fyrus and Adrien and pounces at Sophia.

At once Avery stops and turns on her heel, grabbing her baseball bat as she learns into the swing. Her bat slams hard into the beast’s snout and it stumbles back, rubbing its wounded snout. Avery gestures for the others to keep going as she lifts Sophia free and pulls her back into the lung-heaving sprint for their lives.

“UP THERE!” 

Glenn points to a hollow in a grand wide tree up ahead, the hole just out of range of the wolf. He makes it there first and turns with his back to the bark, linking his hands together as a footstool. Avery shoves Sophia forward and Glenn boosts her up the tree to the hollow. Adrien is boosted up next and turns, lowering his umbrella to help Fyrus up.

Fyrus grabs the smooth wooden handle, planting one foot in Glenn’s hand and using it to scramble up, dragging himself up and into the nook. He turns and helps Adrien lift Avery up, followed finally by Glenn.

The beast slams into the tree. 

The five teens huddle together at the back. Avery’s grip is iron on her bat, waiting, while Sophia sits curled, hyperventilating. Adrien rests a hand gently on her back and draws a circle with his palm. Glenn pulls Fyrus behind him.

The sound of Claws scrambling against wood echoes from below, but the beast doesn’t rear its ugly snout into the hollow.

It can’t reach them.

————————————————————

Can you BELIEVE IT? Oh I was terrified the whole time. I think all of us were, which is like, of course, we’re high schoolers, we could have died, holy mackerel—

We waited in the hollow for a while, and the beast left, and when it was safe to go, we helped each other down. I think everyone’s excited to make it to the coast after that.

Holy swiss cheese and cheddar slices.

 - Fyrus

#Lonely Letters from Xeria #LLfX #ask characters #Writing #Writing Project #Tumblr Project #Fantasy #fantasy project #heroes