#but Do Not Mess with the fae

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 241

Wing au? Wing Au. With perhaps a bit of a twist. Also a hint of eldritchness perhaps. For fun! 

Ghosts have wings. Sure, they aren’t normally seen, not in the visible spectrum, but they do. Scanners pick them up, and sometimes a ghost might even reveal them, which was hypothesized to be some sort of animalistic intimidation attempt. (Something more than one Amity Parker rolled their eyes at)

Everyone had seen them at least once- the motorcycle-driving ghost’s mass of shadowy feathers, the green-haired girls matching shaggy ones, the rocker’s ones that looked like pages of music before bursting into flame. Even the box ghost’s had been spotted- feathers looking more like sheets of cardboard than anything else. 

It wasn’t until the whole kidnapped to the ghost zone that anyone saw Phantom’s, but that was another tale unto itself really. Honestly the arrival of the GIW would have maybe been seen as positive before, but the fact that many of them had looked in the mirror or gone to the doctors only to find feathers beginning to sprout on their back soured it. 

Especially as the GIW continues to prattle on and on about how all ecto-contaminated scum are less than human, less than bacteria. And well, what does that make them? Them, who have been to the realms of the dead and gods and back, touched by the swirling green energy in ways incomprehensible? Changed by that energy? 

So the people silently brush hidden feathers together, quietly rebuff the white-wearing lunatics from the city as best they can, and hope to anything listening that they can stop anyone else from disappearing. That maybe they can find the few no one noticed had been taken before it’s too late, even if they have to tear down the entire government to do it. 

#Prompts #Wing Au #DCxDP #DPxDC #Guys in White #Might write drabble for this later to better describe Danny’s wings #Liminal Amity Park #Imagine a whole city of winged people not exactly in a hive mind #But able to silently communicate via feelings/cores without even looking at each other #JL Dark finally got through the issues they were having to finally be able to investigate Amity Park #No one in Amity ever really called JL since trying to call the normal authorities failed #And well now there’s government people here and it Isn’t Good so… #Vlad might get an early redemption #Danny is not ghost king #Space Core Danny #Ghost Cores’ elements and Obsessions have effects on their wings #Why yes Vlad has a few well-hidden heart patterns on the underside of his #Amity Park can’t hide their wings because they all have living/physical bodies and most don’t have invisibility powers #Why yes it feels like an undeath fae city full of sirens and necromancers to any magic user #Very much something They do Not want people to mess with #Honestly with the whole No Wishing & other things w/ Amity it definitely could pass for some sort of fae-descended city

[linddzz]

Dom Hob or Dom Morpheus is OUT I am putting my two cents in on:

they're both versatile switches. The difference is that Hob KNOWS this and is comfortable with it. Dream, for all that he is aware of every iteration of fantasy, doesn't seem to comprehend that "bottoming isn't the same as submitting" also applies to him.

And boy is he gonna learn that important difference when Hob scruffs him like a hissing kitten and tells him to SHUSH.

#Dreamling #hob just looks him in the eye and asks if hes gonna behave #and Dream goes into a squirming insane little gibbering mess who notably doesnt do anything MORE than squirm and hiss a bit #to be clear i never see discourse about it im just banging my pans together and giving my opinions #and my opinion is that Morpheus thinks hes subbed but really he's just been a bottom who maybe plays up being a pretty fae creature for fun #but that sure aint the same as actually giving up a shred of control and he goes out of his mind when he realizes this #and also likes it

[bloo-the-dragon]

*holds nebula like hamborger* what am i to do with you.

#bloo talks #nebula #i'm speaking specifically of the cryptid one not the mer one here #it's 3am and i'm having thoughts about him #the lore i'd made for him long ago while was a lot of fun to mess around with at the time just gives me a headache now #i made it all so needlessly complicated jgkfg #making him a mer helped fix/retcon that and i'd almost abandoned his original design to just stick to the mer version #but drawing him again recently has re-ignited my love for the old design #and now i'm thinkin 'well frick what am i gonna do with him now' #because while i'm keeping his design his og lore has been mostly retconned now #as for what he is well he's no longer a robot but a full blown actual shapeshifting cryptid like Bloodmoon #which is funny for sun and moon given his look #They'd be like: 'if we had a nickle for everytime some fae/cryptid changed to look like us we'd have two nickles #which isn't a lot but it's weird that it's happened twice' #something something celestial themes and faerie folk being attuned to them kinda deal i guess #either way i'm going to bed

[fleshwizard]

The nuckelavee (...) is a horse-like demon from Orcadian folklore that combines equine and human elements. British folklorist Katharine Briggs called it "the nastiest" of all the demons of Scotland's Northern Isles. The nuckelavee's breath was thought to wilt crops and sicken livestock, and the creature was held responsible for droughts and epidemics on land despite being predominantly a sea-dweller.

A graphic description of the nuckelavee as it appears on land was given by an islander who claimed to have had a confrontation with it, but accounts describing the details of the creature's appearance are inconsistent.

#text from wikipedia #nuckelavee #fae #flailed chimera?? this one was definitely in my range #im so happy with the muscle-hood #to step out of the usual format of chimeras allows me to do this one #the fins mess the compo a bit but i was in a hurry :c #Scotland #folklore #Supernatural in Scotland #monster #chimera #bestiary #creature design #illustration #crayon

[theangel-aziraphale]

Hey Aziraphale! I asked Crowley about something- about potentially getting turned into a non-human, and he told me that this was a horrible idea because the only people who can help me are God and a fae person. I just want to be clear Crowley is in no way guilty here.

But I wrote something out...

If I were to ask- and in this situation I would preface this with "I wish", but I'm not going to do that right now just so no one can do this right now before I'm ready, "to be turned into a non-human, yet still humanoid creature, still easily recognizable as myself without having to communicate who I am to people I know, without causing any more bodily pain that I already have and without any curses and major negative side-effects, leaving my mind unaltered, but possibly with extra magical or physical abilities, AND if anything goes wrong by my definition, I will be able to be turned back to my normal".

Do... You think I could possibly get away with minimal consequences?

I see! Well, I personally wouldn’t like for you to allow a fae to change you, mostly because their magic always come with a twist… however… that sounds like a very solid idea!

I think so! You’ve even included a clause to be able to turn back whenever you disagree with the transformation!… Worst case scenario we could convince the fae creature to help if something happened!

#Just in case it needs to be said: Do not mess with fae creatures unless you know what you are doing or are a professional! #good omens rp #good omens #go aziraphale #aziraphale #good omens aziraphale #good omens 2 #good omens asks #good omens askblog #aziraphale posts

[boom33713]

there should be more instances of the cps being mistaken for cryptid shit. yk? like the golden snub nosed monkey ep where martin spent the whole thing being mistaken for a yeti but more insane. one of them goes human-size in a bug suit and some random sees and thinks mothman????? one of them wanders around in the moose suit standing up straight and some poor hiker is like OH FUCK A WENDIGO.

#alternatively: fae like #theyre messing around and playing like. tag or something and rapidly changing suits #and someone comes across these strangely colored creatures that seem to have no true form because they keep changing it #they laugh with human voices #if they turned human would you believe it or think it just another transformation #but yeah basically #one shot collection of stories where the first part is written completely straight as horror #and the second part you cut to the wk pov and its some buckwild insane bs only they could get into #do you see the vision #or do i sound insane #wild kratts

[alighted-willow]

Whilst I avoid both going to bed and my academics, I thought it a good time to say that when an American says they're “restoring a language” or “of X ethnicity”, they don’t mean they're from X. They know their nationality, they know where they were born, that's not the point.

When someone says they're Irish and are from America, it's just shorthand for “Irish American”. We put everything in a shortened form here because we all know what we mean and collectively remove redundancy.

When we say we're learning Z language because we're X, we don't mean it in terms of exoticism. The only people who do that are ignorant kids and folks who are going through a cultural/identity crisis. The rest of us are trying to learn these languages because our predecessors lost them or had them trained out. It is a dead language to us because these parts of us have been killed off, that's why it's a revival.

While I do research, I often hear people say something around the lines that “You are where you're from, not where your predecessors are from” which is true, to a certain extent. I am an American, a U.S. citizen. If U.S. culture was a bit more similar to how most other places in the world did it, I would say that I was from X state, an Xian. Here, though, we are more defined by our subcultures; little pockets of pooling culture brought in from where we originally hale.

This probably wouldn’t be the case if most of us had come here out of a desire to be here rather than having been forced out of our homelands. My family came here around 1930 and our records say it was because of food insecurity caused by a failed crop (and a surprise frost). The folks who settled the U.S.? Genocidal assholes, fuck 'em.

But back to the point. When someone says they're trying to get in touch with their culture— we're not trying to be you. We're trying to get back what was forced out of the people before us in order to survive over here. Our families came here with what they had and our culture has changed throughout the years. St. Patrick's day is odd (especially since Patrick was colonizing Ireland) and is over the top; that is the point. Not a single one of us thinks that to be Irish is to be bathed in clovers, downing alcohol, and belting about rainbows. It's a noxious, loud, proud declaration that we're still here. It is, at least by its origins, a public protest.

#Ethnicity #culture #American #Irish heritage #Scottish heritage #(less mentioned but I was also thinking anout it while writing.) #It's really comdescending and rude how some people talk about those of us trying to learn. #You guys know that the folks you're complaining about- #The ones who think about Ireland and Scotland as magical fae-mess- #Those are literal children? You're making beef with kids. A bit weird my dude. #Though I do think a part of the issue is a langiahe and cultural barrier #Given that most places refer to nationalism the same way us Americans do our heritage #—That one miiight be down to the fact that this is a literal settler state. The people who colonized this place had the culture of bleach. #In order to live here- you kinda have to bleach away who you are and where you're from. #And if you cannot because where you're from comes with visually obvious characteristics #Then you're screwed. #America

[wildflowercryptid]

florian's such a nice kid who has such a kind heart and tries his best to not hurt ppl he cares about— *shoves what happened between him and ortega behind my back* ignore that.

#explainer : in mjverse florian and ortega dated briefly during the year between teal mask and indigo disk #but ortega broke up with him because he was still very hung up on kieran #to be kinda fair to florian he genuinely liked ortega and was a kind boyfriend to fae #but him agreeing to date ortega when he still had unresolved feelings for kieran wasn't the smartest thing to do #and yeah he's a kid and this was his first relationship so he'd probably mess some things up due to lack of experience #but that doesn't change the fact that he still hurt ortega with his actions ya know? #ortega definitely chewed florian out when they broke up tho like fae let him know exactly how he hurt faer #he'd be genuinely apologetic and really regret how he hurt ortega so they eventually reconcile and become friends again #i should've just put all these tags into the post's text itself but w/e it's easier for me to ramble in tags #i have to worry about formatting less #the only problem is that reordering tags on mobile is still dogshit all it does is fuck things up #hc : (pkmn) mjverse #chara : florian russel cavallari #chara : ortega regino #mj.txt

[not-poignant]

Fae Tales - 35/? - Underline the Black - Efnisien/Gary

Title: Underline the Black Rating: Explicit Pairing: Efnisien ap Wledig/Dr Gary Konowalous Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Darkfic, Disturbing themes, Omegaverse, Alpha/Omega, Medical experimentation, Medical trauma, Dominance/Submission, Dystopian universe, Forced bonding, Forced relationship, Imprisonment, Nonconsensual medical procedures, PTSD, Flashbacks, Nightmares, Chronic illness, Mating cycles/Heats, Knotting, Miscommunication, Trauma recovery, Mind control, Child Abuse, Hope, Hopeful ending.

Summary: Efnisien ap Wledig is an omega born into an all-alpha family. Abandoned by his birth mother and raised by his aunt, he is subjected to a lifetime of medical experimentation and brainwashing and believes himself to be an alpha. But the experiments begin to fail, and he is abandoned yet again to an Omega Rehabilitation Facility, where the family expects he will be retrained into the ‘perfect omega’ and placed in an arranged marriage, or be eliminated if this is no longer possible.

The Facility don’t know about the experiments, and Efnisien doesn’t even know why he’s in there in the first place, since he’s an alpha…isn’t he? One thing’s for certain, he definitely doesn’t need an alpha companion, no matter what the staff at the facility seem to think.

Underline the Black - Chapter 35 - Off the Cliff @ AO3

In which Efnisien experiences a moment of calm with Gary, where it's almost peaceful, before the unusual heat ramps up into an entirely new level of misery, requiring urgent intervention from Temsen. 

-

The following early access extras are currently available on the $5+ tiers at Patreon:

Underline the Red - 02 - Caleb/Faber Underline the Blue - 01 - Nate/Janusz Underline the Blue - 02 - Nate/Janusz Underline the Gold - 02 - Anton/Flitmouse

Want another way to support my writing? // I have a Patreon account! // Buy a Ko-Fi!

#chapter update #original writing #original work #omegaverse #alpha alpha #alpha omega #fae tales au #fae tales #efnisien ap wledig #dr gary konowalous #ohlo ohlo temsen #idk what it is about writing messed up heats #but it's honestly one of my favourite tropes #and it's made me realise that i do not like writing heats that are smooth sailing AT ALL lmao

[caemthe]

Fae Feasts.º

Unlike humans and all creatures of this world, they don't need to eat to stay alive. Everything they need to survive is in the mana from the air, the greenery, the bodies of water, the Otherworld, they don't need anything else. But the fae still eat, for pleasure, out of boredom, curiosity, to get closer to humans, who knows. Because they eat, they also hold feasts. And what feasts they are. The most delicious food you'll ever eat, the most you ever danced, the most fun you ever had, you'll experience it in a fae feast.

It's unlikely but not impossible to come across a feast held by the good folk. The fae abide to the rules of hospitality, so any human who wanders to one of their festivals or feasts is more than welcome to participate in them and enjoy themselves to the fullest. All should be fine as long as you're careful with what you say and do, right? Unfortunately, it's not as simple as that.

It’s so easy to lose track of time when you’re having fun, and time in the Otherworld doesn't work the same as in this world. Some who are taken in the world of the good folk never return, while others return far too late. A month in the Otherworld can be a day in this world, just like three years in the Otherworld can be three hundred years in this world. The human body will naturally apart the moment you return to this world if too much time has passed.

But just because you returned from the Otherworld in time doesn't mean you're safe. The food served at these feasts is the most delicious you'll ever eat, but no one is sure why that is. Maybe it’s because they had an eternity to perfect their recipes and ingredients for them. Or maybe it's just something simpler than that, and they simply don’t follow the rules of this world. Some say that it's actually because they have a little bit of fae blood in them, granting the dishes the same addictive qualities as the fae. You get to taste all you ever wanted, all your needs are met with a single bite, you get your fill of 'true' happiness and every bite is as delicious as the first one.

What matters is that eating their food will cause you to go crazy or starve to death because you will lose taste for all regular food. Nothing will ever compare to the food you enjoyed there, the music you listened there, the dancing and fun you had there. You've become a husk of your former self, wasting away or going deep into the forest, hoping to come across another fae feast. But it'll never happen, it's a once in-a-lifetime experience only.

Of course, that doesn't mean all food given by the good folk will doom you. If a gift is given in reciprocity, if it is paid (though they'll never ask for something in exchange), all should be fine. If there's an equal exchange, it should be fine, right?

The rules of hospitality: When a friend, enemy or stranger enters your home, you are expected to be gracious and accommodating to them until they prove, by their words or actions, to be undeserving of such hospitality.

Fae as a vice: There are levels to how alluring and addictive they can be, from a banshee that makes people run away in terror, to an each-uisge who appears as a docile and beautiful horse that makes children want to pet it, to a leanan sídhe who makes her lovers live a short but inspired life, to the gancanagh (the love-talker) who appears as the ideal man for his victim and only needs one touch to render them instantly, insatiably, and irreversibly addicted to him.

#hc. ° ( shooting star. ) #/ i've been wanting to write about fae feasts; their and their alluring and addictive nature for a while so im glad that i got to- #/ write all this and hopefully it makes sense kjhgfghjk #/ also the tale of the gancanagh is one of my favorite ones bc of how incredibly cruel it is (and as an embodiment of unrequited love) #/ imagine if just one ( 1 ) touch can make someone fatally addicted; what would a drop of their blood do #/ anyway i think fae are very cool (this is why lugh went 'no fun allowed' @ them and prohibited them from messing with humans too much)

[cool-as-steel]

so this book keeps whiplashing back and forth between 'oh this is great actually' and 'hmm this is the worst time I have ever had at a book'

#ramblings #the captain's library #the second one is BY FAR an exaggeration because the honor of The Worst Time I Have Ever Had At A Book definitively goes to #devil in the white city which messed me up for Months #back on topic there are some things in here that Delight and Fascinate me but unfortunately they remain contained in a book that is #well it is what it is and that is all I shall say on That matter #and Yeah I'd also be easily be seduced under the mountain by a fairy-lady who gave me stonecutting tools. this I know. #other things that are of interest. I like that the biggest villainy here (unlike her other books) are of Things Which Are Fundamentally #Inhuman and the main ones of those are the Fae (or fae-adjacent) and the Company Store #THAT THERE is good symbolisming. #transcribed accents still getting me down but Also I do like when I can spot the scots and welsh loanwords now #nothing feeds the autism beast quite like Recognizing Cool Thing I Sorta Know About

[cavernsofdarkness]

#Honing in on some of the Fae of the various courts #of course I'm messing around in CAS instead of editing pictures I need to do #cod extras

[loosesodamarble]

For That Special Day Part 2

Summary: While Josele seeks help from Solara, Nacht gets assistance on his wedding gift from someone a little closer to home. Collaboration writing piece with Taja (@faewraithsworld).

Genre: general, humor

Word count: ~5300

..........

Night. A time of peace, quiet, and thoughtfulness. The final sentiment was one that sat at the forefront of Nacht's mind, had been for a few days.

Because Nacht had to be thoughtful about this. About the gift he would present Josele when they...

Nacht felt her face warm and his heart race with the thought.

He and Josele had decided to get married. Soon. They didn't want to prolong the engagement for fear that tragedy might strike again if they put it off.

They had already arranged a date and invited their witnesses. All that was left was to prepare wedding gifts. Something in place of a ceremony and guests and rings. A simple exchange of gifts between husband and wife-to-be.

Nacht knew what he wanted for Josele. She still deserved jewels to wear. To symbolize what a treasure she was to him. To signify that she was his and he was hers.

Earrings he had determined. At first he thought it might be ill-suited as the relic that Almatra was connected to was an earring. But then he considered he would be giving Josele a pair, something balanced. And the pair of earrings could make what was once painful into something beautiful. That was something Nacht and Josele were trying to do with their lives all around.

Although Nacht had decided on what to give Josele, he still had yet to find a pair.

Because Nacht couldn't give Josele—his star, his darling, and the love of his life—just any pair of earrings. They didn't have to be perfect. But they had to be suitable, worthy, meaningful.

Josele deserved as such. After all that had been said and done, after all they had been through. Nacht wanted to give Josele something that was more than just jewelry.

But how to do that? Nacht wondered to himself as he paced his room.

If he continued to pace, the floor might’ve been permanently scuffed by the repetitive movement. But he wasn't going to stop soon.

"Perhaps you should get her earrings that match her eyes?" Gimodelo asked as he and the other devils formed at the edge of Nacht's vision.

"But consider that Mastar Nacht's brother did the same with the ring," Plumede remarked with a sigh. "Master needs to do something unique from his brother."

"But then the ring and earrings would match too," Walgner pointed out. "Wouldn't that look nice?"

"Who cares if it matches? Would it convey what Master wants to say to Lady Josele?" Slotos argued back.

"What is it that you want to say with the gift, Master?" Gimodelo asked.

All the devils looked at Nacht and he paused to look at them.

What was it that Nacht wanted to say? There weren't any words but... Emotions to share.

The love Nacht felt for Josele. The fact that they were together at last. A hope for their future together to be bright.

Nacht looked past his devils and out the window. The night sky was made bright by the light of the stars and moon.

Stars. Symbols of hope. And like Josele.

And the moon with it's silver glow. Light in darkness. Like Nacht.

"Silver and stars..." Nacht muttered to himself. The four devils stared at Nacht with wide, eager eyes. "Yes, that would be very suitable."

"And you thought about jewels too," Plumede said. "Maybe white diamonds to match the silver?"

"Or brown to match Lady Josele?"

"You could do blue to match your eyes!"

Nacht closed his eyes in thought. "Blue. But not like my eyes..."

As for where to get the gemstones for the earrings...

There was only one person Nacht could turn to for that.

After avoiding the traps leading to the ladies' rooms at the base, Nacht finally found the room belonging to Acylla.

Acylla Rhine. One of the Black Bulls earliest members, just behind Henry and Josele. As such, Acylla had become a dear friend to Josele. It only made sense for Nacht to go to her at that time.

Nacht knocked on the door to Acylla's room. Then, he waited.

It was only a moment until Acylla pulled the door to her room open and greeted Nacht with a mild, "Evening Nacht. What brings you here?"

"I would like to ask for your assistance on a matter," Nacht answered.

"If it's an impromptu mission, no," Acylla stated, her neutral expression barely changing as she spoke.

"Not to worry. It's not a mission, more like an errand if you want an idea for what it is."

Acylla raised an inquiring brow. "What kind of errand? This late at night at that."

"Doll, just say no and come back to bed!" Zora's voice called from within the bedroom.

Nacht glanced past Acylla, into the room to find Zora lounging on her bed, then met her gaze again. He wasn't going to pry. He didn't need to and, more importantly, he didn't want to know. "I'll be quick so as not to keep you from Zora."

"Oh how generous of you." Acylla's tone was sardonic and she smirked up at Nacht. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway, a casualness that Nacht had yet to fully get used to since properly integrating into the squad. "So an errand. It's not too late so depending on what it is, I might be able to manage."

Nacht was torn; he and Josele wanted to keep their marriage under wraps, but he needed to tell Acylla what it was that he wanted... needed... done. He supposed he could just play it off as something completely normal and inconspicuous.

Right?

He hummed. "I need a crystal."

Acylla blinked at his words, cocking her head to the side.

"You need… a crystal?" she questioned slowly, getting a nod. "You needed one bad enough that you decided to come to my room at… whatever time it is, and ask?" Nacht sighed; this may prove to be a more involved process than he thought.

"Come back in the morning. We're busy." Zora called from the room, making Nacht a bit uncomfortable as Acylla flushed ever so slightly; she looked backwards with a huff.

"Shut up you big baby." She turned back, closing the door more to block Zora out of their conversation. "Look, Nacht. If you need me to make you a crystal then you're going to have to be specific. I can't help you if you don't explain what this is about. Do you know what kind you want? What color? Is there a meaning behind it? Are you giving it to Jojo?" 

"There's... that much to it?" Nacht asked almost in shock at how much Acylla was already asking him; he furrowed his brows when she smiled, nodding.

"Josele it is. Alright. Let me get a robe; this may take a while."

Nacht waited outside Acylla's room until she emerged wrapped in a fluffy robe and carrying a small notepad in her hands. As the door to the woman's room closed, Zora could be heard indignantly shouting "You're still the worst, vice captain!"

Click.

"Hnnn... He doesn't need to exaggerate so much," Acylla groaned rolling her eyes. She then glanced up at Nacht in the corner of her eye. "So, common area?"

"Would you prefer walking or is going by shadow alright with you?" Nacht offered, raising his grimoire.

There was an extended silence as Acylla looked between Nacht's face and their shadows. Nacht took no offense. He understood her hesitation, that she might not yet fully trust him. Then, Nacht and Acylla's eyes met.

Was it cliche to consider her eyes crystal clear? But there was no denying that there was a brightness and sharpness to them, like a polished, cut gemstone. She quietly examined him.

Finally, Acylla answered. "Since you offered, shadows. Just don't lose me on the way."

"And incur the squad's wrath? Certainly not."

One moment they were submerged in darkness and the next, Nacht and Acylla stood in the comfortable space of the hideout's common area. Acylla didn't hesitate to take a seat on a couch.

"So about that crystal you wanted..." She flipped open the notepad and smiled.

Now that they were actually getting ready to figure out what gem it was that Nacht wanted, he was frozen; he didn't know how to proceed with this. He'd spent so long thinking about him and his star, waiting for the moment that they could truly call themselves each others, and...

He didn't know what to do.

"Nacht!" Acylla's voice cut through his thoughts, and he looked at her; her eyes were full of concern despite her outward cool attitude towards him. "Are you okay? You don't have to stress about this that much you know; no matter what, Jojo's going to love this because it's coming from you."

That comment seemed to ground Nacht as he nodded slowly; she was right. So long as this came from him, Josele would love it.

It was still daunting, though.

"Blue." He said with certainty, meeting Acylla's eyes with confidence; the look that the crystal mage gave him was one of waiting.

"Um... Nacht, there are hundreds of shades of blue, and countless blue crystals. Then there's the fact that different blues mean different things." she urged, and he balked.

"You are joking, Acylla; aren't you?" 

"Not at all, actually." Acylla said with a nervous chuckle that had Nacht sighing. He thought about it, and thought about it, but couldn't see the differences in his head.

"Here. I have an idea." Acylla said after a few moments of silence. She placed her notepad down on her thigh, and held her hand towards the table that, for once, was not in splinters nor covered in Vanessa's wine bottles.

Nacht watched as small gems started falling onto the table from Acylla's hand, each one different in size, shape, and even in color; or rather shade. After a few minutes the magic stopped, leaving three rows of blue gems.

"You strike me as a visual learner for this particular subject." She sounded tired, but before he could say anything to her she shook her head. "Look. You and I may not be the best of friends, but you mean the world to Jojo. If this takes us all night, so be it; you wanted my help, and I'm giving it. Take your time, Nacht, and look those over. Find one you like, and we'll narrow things down from there."

It was true. They were not the best of friends; they were barely even friends at all. His reappearance to the squad was one that Acylla did not take towards well, though he couldn't really blame her; he was surprised for a while that she would even talk to him at all. And yet Nacht knew there was no better person to ask for help on this; she knew Josele best aside from himself and Yami, and had one of the biggest hearts on the squad.

She was also one of the only emotionally intelligent Bulls. Everyone else was... well... they're Bulls for a reason.

He looked over the crystals on the table; while it was hard, he could see the faintest of shade changes, and some blues were richer than others. Some were rocky, others smooth, and some downright strange. He picked them up one at a time to better inspect them, until finally he saw one that he liked.

"That one."

Acylla looked at what Nacht was holding, and smiled; "A sapphire. Now we're getting somewhere. You know that to most people they symbolize wisdom and virtue, but… when given to someone you love, particularly as something like an engagement ring, it symbolizes faithfulness and sincerity."

"An engagement ring? Who said anything about an engagement; it's just a gift." Nacht thought he handled that reaction relatively well, but by the look on Acylla's face...

He would never be good at poker. At least with her.

Acylla glanced up at Nacht and tilted her head as she smiled.

"C'mon Nacht, everyone knows you and Jojo are gonna marry eventually."

Nacht pursed his lips and felt his face heat up. Hoping that Acylla wouldn't notice was useless and just trusted she wouldn't comment on it.

"Let's keep the discussion on the crystals," he said as his eyes fell to the sapphire in his hand.

"Right right." Acylla nodded and there was a sigh in her voice. Looks like I'll have to wait on getting an answer to that. She leaned back on the couch and noted the stone and its color range for reference on her notepad. "So what drew you to the stone?"

Nacht was quiet for a moment as he turned the small sapphire between his fingers. "This shade reminds me of Josie. Her grimoire and... when she uses Beacon of Hope, the stars are this same shade of blue."

"Hmm." Acylla tapped the notepad. "Her Star Magic and... You call her 'star' too." Nacht nodded. "Do you perhaps want to lean into that idea of stars? I think I have just the right gem for that."

Nacht smiled. A warm grin that reminded Acylla of Zora whenever he offered to tie a ribbon into her hair. Not that she would tell either men. But it amused her that they were more alike than they would want.

"Yes. If it's possible."

"Well, what you have there is a regular sapphire," Acylla started. She sat up more straight. "But there's a gem called a star sapphire, very similar in color and appearance though not exact. And the symbolism of the stone is that of destiny, faith, and hope."

Nacht's eyes went wide.

"I take it you like the idea?"

"Very much."

Acylla concentrated and created a star sapphire. She then handed it to Nacht to examine more closely.

"Just for an example. And with the gemstone picked out, we can move onto the actual cut of the gem." Acylla went to a new page in the notepad and sketched a few shapes. A teardrop cut. A round cut. And others she had learned over the years. Then she showed the sketches to Nacht. "Which one do you like?"

Nacht took the notepad and pencil from Acylla's hand and flipped to a new page.

"I had something more irregular in mind," he stated, letting out a sound between an exhale and a laugh. He started to jot something down.

Acylla raised a brow. "You had a shape in mind but not the gem?" Then she shook her head. "Better than nothing. So what shape?"

Nacht remained silent for a few more seconds, focusing on the paper. Then, he returned the stationary to Acylla. She looked at what Nacht sketched out. It was the shape of a four-pointed star, with the point facing downward being longer than all the others.

It made Acylla raise her eyebrow. Not a typical shape for an engagement ring. Was this really just a random present for Josele? But then why come to Acylla?

"Huh," was all Acylla could manage.

"Is that a good or a bad—?"

Acylla's gaze shot up to Nacht. "Neutral," she interjected, almost without thinking. "I wasn't expecting this shape." She tapped the shape with her pencil. "It really isn't a ring?"

Nacht groaned, "It really isn't."

Acylla tapped the pencil against her lips as she furrowed her brow. What in the Clover Kingdom was this supposed to be? She understood the star shape was a reference to Josele, but that was it! How was she supposed to work with a man who wouldn't even tell her the whole situation? She couldn't help as much as she wanted in these conditions.

But, she would try.

"Okay… can you at least tell me what size you want this shape to be?" She asked, looking at Nacht in hopes of getting a straight answer.

"Um… average size?"

"Aver— Average size?! For the love of god, Nacht, what the hell do you think ‘average size’ is?" Acylla groaned as she flipped to an empty page and started sketching the odd shape over and over again, each time getting larger and larger in size until there had to be about ten options. "Pick a size. If it's not there, pick the two sizes that you think it falls between."

Nacht sighed a little.

He knew that by not telling her off the bat what it was, it was making this more difficult, but… He just didn't want to make a big deal on something that was for him and Josele. She would see it when they finished.

He glanced over the sketches, and tapped on "Size 4" as the woman had labeled them.

"This one should be perfect; may I see it?"

Acylla nodded and produced a star sapphire of the requested size and shape; it took her a little longer, likely due to the odd shape, but when it was finished she handed it to him.

"Here you are. What do you think?"

Nacht held up the crystal star between two fingers and raised it up. He held it in the direction of a window, letting the moonlight stream in and shine through the gem. Each aspect of the gem came together nicely to make something just right for Josele. And with the touch of Acylla making it, it was even better.

"Josele is sure to love it," Nacht said in answer to Acylla's question. "Now all I need is a second one to match."

Acylla's eye twitched.

"S-second?" Acylla muttered, her hands slowly curling up into fists. But she took a deep breath before she replied. "Seriously Nacht. Earlier you said you needed 'a crystal,' as in singular and now you're telling me you want two?" She screwed her eyes shut and groaned. "You keeping secrets really is making it more difficult..."

"Apologies," Nacht muttered. "If you would like to know, the jewels are meant for earrings."

Acylla's eyes shot open. "Earrings?" She sucked in a breath. "I know it's been a while since Almatra but..."

Nacht sighed and nodded. "I've thought of it. And I'd like to replace that dark past with something more... hopeful."

"Uh-huh... Alright then. Time for number two." Acylla raised her hands, closed her eyes in concentration, and started to call upon her mana. Earrings are an interesting choice. She felt her mana condensing into a solid form.  But I guess the sentiment is in the right place. Jojo's been touching her ears too so she might actually want earrings.

"...lla?"

But why come to me? Nacht could've easily gone to a jeweler for this. Is he really so lazy to not go out? Or... Acylla felt herself frown. No, he's not so low of a person as to take advantage of his position as vice captain.

"Acyl...?"

And what is this even for? Nacht can be thoughtful but to want something so precise for a "random" gift? There has to be some occasion for it.

"Acylla!"

She felt a yank on her hands. There was a small clattering. Looking down, Acylla saw a fractured and foggy blue crystal on the table.

"Ah." She had gotten more distracted than she should've.

"I'm uh… I'm sorry about that." Acylla flexed her fingers as she leaned back into the couch,  watching as small flecks of crystal fell from them; that distraction triggered latent problems with her curse that she hadn't touched on yet. Nothing dangerous, of course, but still something that could prove problematic. 

"What was that, exactly?" Nacht questioned, shocking Acylla somewhat; now he wants to act nice?

"A side effect of my curse that came about due to a cluttered mind; nothing dangerous, just annoying." She answered as she rubbed her face with her hands. "Much like this is turning out to be."

Nacht assumed she had meant to be quieter with her muttering, though he couldn't blame her.

"I have made this go on for longer than I intended. Did you want to stop for now? Until your mind is less cluttered?" Nacht pressed, and Acylla sighed.

I suppose he has to have some care for others for Jojo to see something in him.

"What I want is a straight answer, Nacht. If all you wanted was a pair of earrings then why wouldn't you just go to a jeweler? Am I just a means to an end here? Did you think that as the Vice Captain you could request my services whenever for however long?" Well it wasn't what Acylla was going to say, but it was coming out now. "It's a matter of mutual respect and understanding; you being shady, pardon the pun, breeds none of that here."

Nacht sighed after Acylla finished her outburst which was remarkably quiet despite the fury and annoyance behind the words, and shifted under her now steely gaze. Taking that as his answer, Acylla scoffed.

"Fine. Don't tell me why I just spent a chunk of the night with you when I could have at least been with someone that gives a damn." She clenched her fist. "You know, it really isn't that hard to talk to people, Nacht. It's not like you're going to spontaneously combust if you ask someone for help in a truthful manner. You've been here long enough that I would have hoped you'd dropped this holier than thou attitude you have, but clearly I was wrong." With a glare she smacked her closed fist against the table, and when she opened her hand the second gem came out in perfect condition. "I'll admit. A part of me came out because I was hoping we could begin a better friendship, even if it was just for Jojo's sake, but now that feels like a foolish fantasy. Enjoy your earrings." She turned and started to walk away.

Nacht shot up from his seat and called, "Acylla wait!"

The woman stopped and looked at Nacht over her shoulder. She said nothing, only raised her brow.

Nacht opened his mouth then closed it again. He couldn't say. Or maybe he didn't want to. Regardless, the truth wasn't coming out. In the end, Nacht only averted his gaze and muttered,

"I apologize for the trouble."

Acylla sighed. "You should. Thank you for that at least." She continued on her way. As was her right.

"Goodnight, Miss Acylla," Nacht said to her retreating form. What he got back was a lazy wave of the hand.

When Nacht could no longer see Acylla's form or hear her footsteps, he sat back down. His eyes found the jewels.

They were absolutely flawless. Naturally, they were for Josele's sake so Acylla would put in such effort.

Nacht hunched over and buried his face in his hands. He had made the process difficult. He was the one keeping the truth of the gift a secret. It wasn't that the others would oppose which kept Josele and Nacht from coming out with the news outright. Everyone would know, it just wouldn't be right away. But because Nacht felt he couldn't tell anyone...

And that was the crux of it.

Nacht so often felt like he couldn't say what he wanted or needed to say. It was the case with Morgen, Josele, and Yami. Each and every time, the words he left unsaid hurt someone.

And though the situation wasn't as dire, Nacht had done the same with Acylla.

He had been foolish to think he could involve Acylla while still keeping her in the dark. His thoughts wandered to Acylla's words.

"Mutual respect and understanding." "Begin a better friendship."

She really had been more than generous with him. Perhaps... he should do the same, albeit belatedly...

.....

BAM!

With the bedroom door securely closed, Acylla massaged her temples and groaned.

"I swear... That man..."

"I take it the 'errand' didn't go well," Zora said with a know-it-all tone. Acylla looked over to Zora and found him lounging on the bed, book in hand. "Here's an idea, you and him fight to be vice captain, I'm sure everyone would love to see you beat him into the dirt."

"I think I'll pass on that," Acylla mumbled, shuffling over. She crawled on top of the bed and curled into Zora's side. He was warm. She was tired. The perfect combination.

"Tired, Doll?" Zora's voice was soft as he combed a hand though Acylla's hair.

"And confused," Acylla answered as she closed her eyes. "That damn vice captain really doesn't know what he's doing half the time."

"Keh hee hee. Say that again."

Acylla shook her head. "Later. When I'm rested."

"Aight then."

Sleep didn’t come easily the rest of the night. Even with Zora holding her close and the bed being so comfortable, Acylla’s mind continued to question the situation with Nacht.

She was trying to be friendly, or at least understanding. But Nacht kept his distance. It started to discourage her.

Is my effort wasted? Acylla asked herself in her last moments of consciousness.

…..

When it was morning, Acylla rose early as breakfast duty was hers that day. With her hair tied up and ingredients spread across the counter, she was ready to cook a hearty wake up call for the squad.

It was while she was beating the eggs that she got interrupted.

“Good morning, Miss Acylla.”

She stopped stirring to turn and stare at Nacht. She tried not to glare but she could feel her eyes narrowing a bit.

“Good morning to you too, Nacht,” Acylla replied coolly before returning her attention to the eggs. “This sure is a surprise. I didn’t know you could manifest in daylight.”

Nacht smiled self-deprecatingly and snickered.

“That’s actually a good one. I can see why Josele likes your humor.”

“Ugh. Don’t try to butter me up. It’s not going to work.”

“I know. I just… thought to…” Nacht paused. Acylla glanced at him. His smile had faded and his brows were pinched together. “To return the sentiment you’ve been trying to show me.”

It was Acylla’s turn to pause. She looked at Nacht curiously.

This kind of turn around feels too good to be true. “What’s the catch?” she asked defensively.

Nacht shook his head.

“No catch. That would be unfair to you.”

“O… kay…” Acylla looked at the eggs and decided they were ready for the pan. What am I even supposed to say about this, anyway? “I wish you’d decided to be friendly earlier on...” She poured the eggs into the pan, making them sizzle.

“I understand that,” Nacht sighed. “I don’t even have a reason to be so—”

“Aggravating? Shady? Isolated?”

Nacht shot Acylla a flat stare and she smirked, knowing he couldn’t argue with the assessment.

“Difficult,” Nacht said.

“Yeah, that too.”

Acylla fell silent as she made sure none of the egg stuck to the sides of the pan so as not to bring about Charmy's wrath, hyper aware of Nacht standing not too far behind her; she was certainly curious about what Nacht wanted to talk about, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he'd piqued her interest.

"First, I owe you an apology; more than one, likely, but this is an apology for making you feel as though I thought I was better than you. I'm not. B—"

"Gee thanks. It's so much—"

"Acylla, if you'd please I would like to finish." Nacht said, interrupting the woman; they both fell silent, the only sound heard was the sizzling in the pan. The moment seemed to last an eternity.

"I'm sorry. Please go on." Acylla said quietly, not looking behind her.

"Thank you. I apologize for ever coming across as someone who believes themselves better than others; with everything that I've done in the past to the people that were trying to be friends to me, I know I am not better than anyone. But in this situation, I just wanted one thing to myself; since joining the squad I've felt out of place, and that everything I once had to myself is now shared. I wanted to be selfish for this moment, but I see that was not the best way to approach such a meaningful topic to the two of us. So here I am to tell you why I wanted those earrings. Josele and I are getting married."

For a second, the sizzling was the only sound that filled the kitchen again; that was until the spatula clattered to the counter as Acylla dropped it, turning around with a mix of joy, suprirse, and relief on her face.

"You're wh—!"

"Please, Miss Acylla, they wish to keep it quiet!" Acylla wasn't entirely sure which of Nacht's devils manifested to fly into her face in a panic, but the shock of the moment caused her to step back and cover her mouth with one hand.

The other hand found its way to the hot stove.

"Shit!" She turned and put her hand under the faucet as Nacht stepped forward to try and help. "Nacht, please; just go and get the burn ointment for me. Also... congratulations?" The strained smile on her face, though worrisome to the both of them, broke through the tension in the kitchen enough to cause them both to chuckle as Nacht nodded.

"Very well. I'll be back in a moment."

While keeping her burned hand under the water, Acylla managed to reach the stove and shut off the heat and slide the pan off the burner to save the eggs.

Married! Josele and Nacht are getting married! Acylla hopped on her toes. The pain in her hand seemed to fade with the joyful news echoing in her mind. It's happening! And here I was, worrying that they'd dance around the topic forever! Although it does feel like it's happening quite suddenly. Have they been sneaking around doing preparations without anyone noticing? Or is it a recent decision? Either way... Suddenly, an impish smile crossed Acylla's face. "Heh heh."

"What are you smiling about?"

Acylla jolted at the sound of Nacht's voice but quickly calmed herself. She turned to him and grinned more warmly.

"Um, the announcement you just made, obviously," Acylla giggled. "It's—!"

"A secret." Nacht put a finger in front of his lips, the corners of which were turned up. He stepped up to Acylla and helped her tend to her wound. As he did, he met Acylla's gaze. "Thank you, by the way."

"You're welcome. Those crystals weren't all that—"

"Not just the crystals," Nacht interjected. "But for being Josie's friend and for... giving me a chance."

Acylla smiled back. "I try."

Nacht finished wrapping Acylla's hand. Acylla tested the movement of it then looked to Nacht.

"Think you could help me with breakfast? I'll forgive you for last night's troubles if you do."

The man chuckled. "I certainly can help."

..........

~BONUS SCENE~

The making of breakfast passed by quickly with Nacht's help, and Acylla found it rather enjoyable to have the company and learn more about the once-negligent vice captain—

"Wait, so you've been working with the devils for more than ten years now? That's incredible!"

"Yes. And since meeting them, they've become dear companions of mine." There was an echo of "Aww....we love you too, Master Nacht!" from the shadows.

She learned about the fiance to one of her dearest friends—

"I assure you that we will tell the others with time. But for now I ask for a bit of discretion, please?"

"Of course, Nacht; I understand now."

And she learned of the sort of best friend to one Yami Sukehiro—

"How many embarrassing things do you actually know about Yami?"

"Enough to make him want to kill me if I dared speak them."

"Pfft! Oh no!"

She hadn't stopped smiling since Nacht gave her the news, the pain in her hand not a damper to her joy. However, there was one thing that still needed to be discussed....

When breakfast finished and the youngest Bulls went to take care of all the dishes, Acylla found her way to Zora and sat beside him; she had a mischievous look on her face.

"What's up with you, Doll?" Zora asked with a raised eyebrow. Acylla laughed.

"You remember that bet we had, Z?"

#black clover #black clover fanfic #nacht faust #black clover oc #acylla rhine #taja's oc #taja of the fae courts #nacsele #zora ideale #zoracy #why do these things always turn out so long ajldhfaru! #GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! THIS WAS A LABOR OF LOVE! #it was so much fun working with you taja! #I'm so very happy with how this worked out #Acylla being helpful but sassy when Nacht gets on her nerves #Nacht being a fool and messing up along the way #but his heart is in the right place #not me freaking gushing about a Acylla and Nacht friendship #also dropping the ball here that Acy and Josele are besties~!

[faerociousbeast]

i hate fandom poll tournaments!! like actually

#these are nothing like the chuunin or hunter exams #or well they are but in the bad ways #theyre trying to kill each other for the chance to win a title that will change their entire lives #youre trying to kill each other bc. your blorbo lost mostlikelytoeatburgers contest???? #like..... alright i guess but i AM going to judge #and even the people who try to be civil get attacked so fucking much like is this worth it. is this genuinely worth the stress #the only poll i care about anymore is that one nobody poll w the traits and stuff #and my guy literally lost first round fhjdjfjdkg rip fellow detective fae #but yeah this is all the worst parts of fandom right out in the open and nobodys immune 😭 #like i get it i really do!! it sucks seeing your thing lose to something you view as undeserved #but have you seen the worldwide naruto polls. #people wont vote for the actual Reason the poll is running #they arent that moralistic in these things they arent all reading your propaganda and thinking Hmmm clearly this makes more sense #so i should vote #most of em are seeing 'omg it would be funnie to make anee may boys lose' and going haha yeah #so again i get seein your faves lose and trying to campaign for them can be emotional #but the people who get so..... its just all such a mess #the stakes really do not need to be this high

[sarcasticdolphin]

Some fay/fae au headcanons about Tod and Rudolf’s relationship. Under the cut because well ... 

Ok, actual note here. This is going to be a bit of a *vulgar* post on my part. Many of the things that are done are some of the traditional euphemisms for sex. I will fully spell it out when they do actually have sex. This also deals with the *very* messy relationship transition of Tod being Rudolf’s surrogate parental figure to being his lover. Tod also isn’t a character that really cares about human morals, so the transition is even messier than it might otherwise be. You have been warned.

Kidnapping: Sisi made a deal with Tod a few years back - But she was under the impression that she was trading her firstborn child (Sophie), who was already dead at the time for freedom. Tod decides he likes Rudolf and to ... alter the deal. 

So what age is Rudolf when Tod takes him? I would say about 7-8.

Before I go any further a note on time. Time is completely messed up. It follows faster, generally, in the fae realm, but not evenly. Tod’s palace has the greatest time warp whereas the outer edges have the least. For obvious reasons Rudolf spends most of his time in Tod’s palace.

The rough conversion is that the 13 hours it takes Sisi to find Rudolf was 1300 years for him.

But back to the main stuff.

Rudolf doesn’t want to leave his new friend’s arms. He’s scared that Tod might leave him, just like his mother. So he asks to sleep in Tod’s bed, with him, the first night he is with Tod.

Tod sings him Schatten as a lullaby and rocks him to sleep before holding him all night. This becomes their routine, even as Rudolf grows from a little boy into a slightly gangly teen, and Rudolf becomes utterly dependent on Tod - to the point that he can’t sleep anywhere but Tod’s arms. Tod for his part is slowly turning Rudolf into a fae, and the closer he keeps him the faster it goes.

So he keeps him beyond close. They share a bed. They share meals. Tod is Rudolf’s only tutor. The farthest away they ever get from each other is when one of them goes to the ensuite. They go riding together. Rudolf sits on Tod’s lap or at his feet (depending on the day) while Tod holds court.

And then Rudolf becomes a teenager. Tod still keeps him just as close, but Rudolf slowly begins to become sexually aware. He doesn’t act on it for a while, but eventually, Tod clues in and starts arranging increasingly lewd entertainment for them, up to and including an orgy (or several) that he holds Rudolf against his chest during and makes him watch/listen to without being about to act on any of his urges. To be clear - Tod isn’t letting Rudolf masturbate at all, and the servants are under an order along the lines of ‘I will flay any of you who so much as think about my prince sexually.’

This culminates in Rudolf (still probably underage (physically), but ~17, so not by much) throwing himself at Tod. This is part of the messiness with the timeline, as practically the lead-up to Rudolf throwing himself at Tod on its own takes a century or two.

Tod refuses Rudolf and Rudolf’s other suggestions (which are along the lines of ‘then let someone else fuck me under your supervision.’) And makes him wait until Tod’s presence and the magical bleed have made Rudolf completely fae.

This process, which starts as soon as Rudolf arrives in Tod’s realm, takes 500 years or so. 

When it is finally done (and Tod checks by making little cuts on Rudolf’s skin and tasting his blood in a very suggestive way), Tod does have sex with Rudolf and takes him as his lover.

Tod is still Rudolf’s teacher, and if anything he keeps him even closer, teaching him the magic of the mind, which if anything is even more intimate than sex, as he matures into a proper fae prince. 

Rudolf does know a bit about his origins, but eventually, he asks Tod more and Tod tells him a twisted enough version that Rudolf rejects his human name along the logic of ‘It came to me from my weak mother, who thinks I am worthless, just a ball and chain to weigh her down.’ And demands that Tod gives him a new name as Tod is what is important in his life.

And so Tod happily consecrates a new name for Rudolf and consummates the auspicious occasion with him.

And Sisi shows up a couple centuries later and Rudolf is curious enough to spend an hour outside of Tod’s presence to meet her (very unusual), but still takes Tod’s side, utterly and completely.

I wouldn’t say Rudolf has Stockholm Syndrome, but he’s certainly brainwashed to fuck. And the transformation into becoming a fae didn’t just change his body - it warped his mind as well. 

#todolf fae au #messed up #Tod cares not for human morals #That being said he waits until Rudolf is of age (as much as one can be in this context) before actually doing the deed #as it were

[formidable-fermenter]

If you’re ever in the woods or forest and you get an eerie feeling that there’s something making the fae angry, that’s just me goofin’.

#we have an agreement #they like to mess with me #but I’ll beat them at their own game #and there’s nothing they can do about it #I’m so kind with nature that any #nature spirit will have my back #I pay my fae debts like everyone else so #I’m allowed my mischief!!! #fairies #fae #trolls #gnomes #I’ll #mischief #them all