#when i showed this to my friend they called me a scaly...

[quess-art]

I need D'Urge to be a companion 😭 Especially since he's canonical even when you create a custom Tav

(Some headcanons, some based on little snippets of dialogue from the game)

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #the dark urge #durge #orin the red #the feel when you were promised to be father's fav but this old lizard comes in and takes your grandpa's place as head of the murder house😔 #i love entitled murder baby orin vs what is with this sassy lost child durge #bhaalists gave durge that porcupine drip #when i showed this to my friend they called me a scaly... #girl i just drew a dragonborn wdym sexy?? #spoiler #spoilers #for durge content

[meowsgirldrawing]

Obey Me Next Generation Idea(aka-My au)

What about poly Au with the bros? I assume with demon culture, MC having kids and the bros all being the dad wouldn't be too surprising as I think monogamous relationships are seen just the same as polyamorous. Like neither really matter honestly in a "oh this is a big deal/drama!" Sense.

Plus its the 7 lords, they can do whatever the fuck they want

I know MC is mostly human but I think having kids is still possible as they got magic plus their pacts with the bros might make them stronger. Plus, historically, woman have been able to have multiple pregnancies, like more than 4 at least, so still- not impossible.

Just let me have my next gen shenanigans

ONTO THE KIDS PLEASE AND THANK YOU

Varya (1st Born) (she/her)-25

Daughter of Mammon

Is more demon than human, possibly the most demon out of the kids.

Holds a very smiley but deadly aura around her.

Seems the opposite of Mammon in behavior but you can tell by her subtle acts towards her family, shes his kid alright.

Is the type of person to shake a person's hand but hold a knife in the other.

"Looks like a cinnamon roll, can kill you"

Lights up at the mentions of crocheting, dogs, and weird but oddly alluring creatures around Devildom.

She does have a small habit of gambling when out with Mammon, but is actually able to keep her wins because no one expects it through her gold-winning smile.

Mess with her family and its on sight.

Lilith the 2nd (3rd born-1st triplet) (she/her)-21

I headcannon Lucifer to at least be the only one to name their daughter after their sister. Not to replace, never, but to honor her.

Is in a strange middle between Half demon-mostly demon

Sweetheart by default

That big sister you can always talk to and she wont judge.

Will make passive agressive remarks when peeved off.

Definitely denies acting like Lucifer yet can do the stance-arms crossed and glare- exactly like him.

Even does the whole hand chest like him too. Shocked look and all.

Calls all the brothers papa but Lucifer father, not as a distance way but thats just how she's always been.

Theatre kid- almost always lead.

Anna from Frozen vibes at times.

Hopeless romantic too.

Basically Lucifer if he actually showed more emotions.

Daddy's girl 100%

May or may not be in a secret relationship with Diavolo's heir👀

Rhomb(2nd Born) (he/him)-23

Son of Leviathan

Named after the Loch ness Monster

A nice balance between human and demon

But has "mutations" that make him have scaly patches on his body, his tail out almost 24/7, and bad eyesight.

Stern attitude most of the time.

Big bro protector

Tallest of all the kids

Softer on the younger kids but will smack a bitch if they act up.

Cant play video games much cause eyes so turns to more physical games that include puzzles.

Likes games with strategy to follow like War tanks, or chess. Is the type to make a DnD game the best cause he makes amazing stories too despite not reading much.

Likes mystery shows too and tries to figure it out before the answer is revealed, could go on rants about why. Gets it right 11/10 times.

If Leviathan wasnt his biological dad, people would believe he was Satan's kid.

Doesnt like cats tho.

Quinn (4th Born- 2nd Triplet) (He/they/doesnt care) (21)

Asmo just thought Quinn was a pretty name so picked it lol.

Also a nice balance between human/demon. Tho his wings stay out constantly.

Very much vibes from that yellow bird in Rio.

Laid back personality but is an outgoing dude.

Also very protective of their siblings, and will not hesitate to cut a bitch.

Isnt as flamboyant as Asmo but does have a just as great fashion sense.

Has a hard time dating as people automatically assume hes just like Asmo so will try to date him for that reason only.

Love his dad but hates the reputation he gets because of being said son.

So he resorts to just sticking to his siblings or the few friends he trusts.

Besides MC, is the second most popular face to pop up on Asmo's Devilgram

Fucking adores axolotls for no particular reason, just loves them to no end which Asmo makes sure to get many axolotl themed plushes, shirts, etc. for him.

Libbey(Liberty) (5th Born- 3rd triplet)(she/her)-21

Another balance between human/demon, maybe a tad more on the demon side.

Tho, also has "mutations" like very enhanced hearing.

Bookworm to the max

Loves reading dramas and fantasies, but seems to enjoy multiseries more than stand alone.

Very quiet and shy kid of the group.

Sometimes cant even talk so signs instead because earaches or headaches.

Likes cats but perfers reptiles more.

Has a small turtle in her room from the human realm, set it up beside her bed and everything. Their name is Casey after one of her favorite human novels she read.

But despite all this, isnt called the daughter of wrath just for nothing beside biology reasons.

Is like Satan 2.0 when pissed, she wont yell or scream but you can just tell from the drop of room temperature and the subtle tilt of her head.

Her eyes glow an electric green when shes pissed.

Had more anger issues when younger, but cause Satan knew how to handle his better now, taught her how to aswell.

Satan is probably the main one to understand her issues with such a problem, despite being more mellowed out now that shes older.

Is definitely a cryer when really angry tho.

Ryder(6th Born) (1st twin)- 19

Ngl, everyone was surprised that they had twins. Including Belphie himself.

But then again, they did have triplets before them so....eh?

Ryder is a tad more human than demon, but still powerful enough to have his own demon form like his older siblings.

His tail is seen smaller than Belphie's, and a bit thinner too.

The sloth genes affact him only so much, making him more likely just want to procrastinate then outright not do anything.

He honestly enjoys the human world more than Devildom, mainly cause everything is less..hectic per say.

Hes the type of brother/older friend that will cover for ya if you have to hide something but will subtly suggest how to fix whatever their doing.

Like one time Quinn came home slightly tipsy and past curfew, and he snuck them into his room. Though he scolded them in the morning, he covered for Quinn at breakfast, saying they ate too much sugar last night, thats why hes queasy and has a headache.

Quinn did fix that habit up quick after Ryder threatened to leave him on his own next time it happened.

Calls everyone bro or dude, no matter their gender.

Gen z vibes too in most areas.

Has a fixation with cow bells for some reason, likes the noise is all he can say.

If he were told what Belphie did to their mom/human parent way before they were born, he says "Cowabummer" while screaming inside.

River(7th born-2nd twin)(they/them)-19

How is this Belphie's kid?

Too hyper, tad crazy

Probably has ADHD, who knows.

While Ryder is the slightly responsible twin, their the reason why Ryder needs to be said twin.

Their just about the same range of human/demon as Ryder, can have a demon form, but only uses it to fuck with people than to actually be scary with it.

They may have alot of power, but their personality alone can kill people.

Is the type of kid to crawl on the ceiling when they were 2.

Is also the type to hop outta window to get to the lower floor faster. Thank Belphie for their demon powers otherwise we'd have another Lillith situation.

Has scared even Lucifer at one point, has made him yelp out of surprise. Will not go on how, no matter how much Papa Satan and Belphie ask them. Just has a toothy grin when they ask.

When calm, is actually a pretty chill dude. They like odd patterns and get fixated on the most random things.

MC gave them one of those sand timers that you flip to restart and when she came down to tell them food was done about 2 hours later, she found them sitting on the table, holding it while watching the sand go down. They use it now to relax and focus on when overstimultated or just having too much of a fuzzy head.

Has spent nearly a how week with Leviathan because they got hooked on one anime with him. Now has frequent solo movie nights with him cause.

"They're tad confused, but got the spirit"

Literally had to have someone (Rhomb) explain to them what the LGBTQ+ letters meant. Legit thought it was just new alphabet pattern, was still happy to find out what it all means.

If you told them what Belphie did to their mom before they were born, they'd think it as a joke. Dont tell them otherwise or they will cry.

Frankie(8th Born)(She/her)-16

Everyone thought that she would be the biggest child when MC was pregnant with her, since y'know, it was confirmed Beel's kid.

Yeah, she came out small. Like scary small for a baby.

It was then everyone knew she would be the most human. Has a little demon in her, but clearly not enough to have a demon form nor mark.

Lucifer's wallet cried in relief.

She does eat a good bit more than the average human but overall, nothing compared to Beel.

She does adore sweets to the max, especially gummies. Give her some and she'll love you forever.

Sweetest little sunshine in the world, everyone adores her. If they dont, then they will soon.

Shes like Mirabel in encanto, kinda wishes she had more demon powers but is still overall happy with who she is.

When her a Beel are with each other- OH MY DIAVOLO, THE CAVITIES PEOPLE GET- TOO DAMN SWEET AND PURE

Like big papa Beel and his sweet little girl all smiley and pure. Best father-daughter relationship out of all the siblings and fathers.

Shes kinda like pinkie pie from MLP but like more hyper as fuck. Can and will speak so fast when excited that it just comes out as squeaks at that point.

Since her more human side, shes more likely to stay in human world when their mom is on Buisness there, so she has alot of human friends.

Shes in gymnastics, which definitely helps keep her figure more smaller despite all the sweets she eats. Does work out with Beel too.

Mess with her and you have a whole army on yer ass.

"Bounce to the beat of my own drum!"

You can just tell how much I love this dear. HA

#art #digital art #oc x canon #oc inserts #obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me imagines #obey me headcanons #Obey me Next gen #MC kids #obey me asmodeus x mc #obey me lucifer x mc #obey me mammon x mc #obey me satan x mc #obey me beel x mc #obey me belphie x mc #obey me levi x mc #next generation #next generation kids #love child

[thesupernaturalhouse]

Ooooookay! Hazbin Hotle redesigns....but not really? Honestly, it's just me drawing them in my style, but they could be considered redesigns, I guess, specifically Charlie

Uhhhh I guess we start form left to right sooo, Emily!

Right, so, Emily is obviously a fallen angle. Thiguht this isn't her fallen look, since we already kneo what she looks liek with wings and a halo I didn't think about making a 2nd version of her without the demon disguise- but maybe I should

Either way, I kinda kept her original dress, with the symbols and what not, I feel liek blue and purple really suit her so, indigo

I tried to add red to her, but it just didn't look good. It gave me an eye strain.though her till and horns have a sort of dark magenta color going on

I wanted to add more 'freckles' cause, thier cute, and I have a bunch of freckles ove rmy arms and legs and face and stuff so, added them to em, I put a few on her ears and tail and horns to

Gave her gold buttons and fishnets on her arms, i forget what their called cause they are cute, and I like Athnek(?) Posts about Emily and uh, goth Emily, I think, is pretty cool and so boom, fishnet glive things- I gitta look up what there called

Lso ehr shoes look liek dolphins, which I didn't mean to do but it happened and I've accepted it

Next is Charlie!!

Um. Obviously, Charlie is the most changed from her canon design, I relaly like her hooves and others redesigns of her looking more liek a goat

Originally, I was just gonna add gaot ears and stuff, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of her having fur soooo tadaaaaa~

I gave her a little red stripe between her eyes and fade on her legs and ears to match Razzle and dazzle, and since lucifer was a high angle a seraphm/archangels hoenstly I dotn see a difference. I gave her some white freckles as well to sorta, show that connection

Also, toe beans! If she has claws, she can have beans, I think that Emily would have a normal human hand while vaggie would have little soft spikes on her like moths do, tho that's not shown

I also drew charlies wings cause it's cnaon she has them, and I wanted to play around with the demon/angle wing/s she could have, my irl friend K helped me decide which one to choose

I also drew her leg so you can see the fade in full. Side note that her belly has the same cherry red fur

I also added some chest fluff because why not?

As for her horns, I kept them the same color but added rings like Lilith has to show a connection between them. She also has her mom's eyes and heart tail point. I wanted her to have some demon stuff out just cause, she is a demon, she should......also realizing just how long I made her tail-

Uhhh, oh, right, side note, which I'll have to make a separate post about, Lucifer/eve/lilith are all dating each other, and Chalrie is all 3s kid. Eve is where she got the goat aspect from, inckuding horn shape, her scaly tail, snake fangs, red cheeks and color scheme over all are from dad, and Lilith is where she got her eyes and horn rings and heart point from, and beans to I guess

Maybe I should make a gene sheet one day; I gave her Jean shorts, like how I usually wear just cause I didn't want to add too much red or black

Okay, vaggie time!

Vaggie is the least changed. The most I really change about her is how her wings look. Her hand snow has soft spikes like moths do, and her hair

I do think when she fell, she got more demon aspects, but since her wings were torn off, she doesn't have to many physically other than fangs and the spikes

I also made her hair shorter because please, nobody has their hair that long!! or if they do, then I've never seen them!

I know it's a show, but it was driving me crazy! I'm not that skilled at draw front view bodies yet, so if vaggie looks off I'm sorry:(

Play that should be it!-

Oh wait, hold on, right. The reason they have gold rings/objects on them is because in term software demon courting their all technically married, okay bye-

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel au #hazbins fallen au #hazbin hotel vaggie #hazbin hotel emily #hazbin hotel charlie #chaggie #chaggiem #chaggily #charlies angels #pleas ask me abotu that last part #im MORE than happy to explain #i finshed this a while ago actually but kept changing it and adding things to make it better #Al in my style/redesign should be next. only cause K asked me to dra whim and wince i did i might as well digitize it first #hazbin hotel redesign #kinda #really its jsut in ym style + headcanons/au

[maysrinn]

Super obsessed with your capitol family au...and I'm wondering how would coryo and lucy gray respond to each of their kids getting in trouble at school?

The most exciting thing is to hear that you guys enjoy the AU so much! qwq 💞✨

______________

Well Sejanus does everything to not cause any trouble, he’s like a teachers favorite. Being always prepared, having good answers, excellent grades and never missing a day (only when sick) Its like he is the perfect student to live up to his father who he is often compared to, which he also takes pride in. Xanthos is…he’s quite, studies for himself, also a smart little fella with not much effort, has his afternoon academy programs later on and the only thing that could give him some trouble is his relative short temper and the need prove himself. Could he get into fights? Yes. Does he tho? No but he is a good candidate to accept stupid bets or dares that could get him into trouble…and then there is Rosalyn Aureolin Snow…oh god rosie…she brings snakes she found in the garden to class…when the report reached her parents you can bet that lucy gray laughed her ass off.

Coriolanus: stop laughing this is a serious matter…she can’t just bring snakes to school thats inexcusable behavior! People will start talking if this becomes public, they would call her all sort of wild names. She definitely got that from you, I remember the snake reaping incident like it was yesterday.

Lucy Gray: Now now, let’s not overreact and bring my little pal Kevin into this, after all we’ve been through together he never forgave me for shoving him down Mayfairs dress… we used to be so close and now… he just slithered away…

Coriolanus: …you find this utterly amusing don’t you Mrs Snow-

Lucy Gray: VERY~

__________

She wont got punished tho after telling her father she just wanted to show everyone her new little friend, Augustus liked the scaly little fella! 🐍

#snowbaird #tbosas

[colourstreakgryffin]

Hey, I am 4 months clean of self harm, and I know it may not seem very big, but it's very huge for me. I recently read your post with Academy Au! Obanai and the reader being his favorite student and I was wondering if I can request the same au with Obanai finding out the reader self harms and helps her to get clean?

If not please ignore, and I am so sorry if I requested something you do not do

Omfg. I’m so sorry! No, it’s so big! I’m so glad that you’re okay now, darling! I will always do this for representation of the ones who have suffered. Please keep it up, darling. I am sending you all my loves!

Iguro Obanai- Sheathed Blade

Obanai always suspected something was off with the way you purposefully hid your wrists and arms from him. Even in the hottest weathers, you refused to take off your uniform jacket and he could actively see you suffering the effects of the heat. Obanai was curious on what was going on but he didn’t want to pry into your personal life

Rather, you be his favourite student or not. One that he helps with his subject Chemistry the most and he grown to truly appreciate your upbeat, sweet personality. Such respect and competence is very rare for his classes and he wants to help you graduate to the greatest of his ability

Obanai, out of pure respect for you, decided to try his best to ignore your arm-covering habits in assumption that you had some uncomfortable scars from your childhood you didn’t want to show. He could relate to that concept and view so he just went under that image without asking you

However… that would change permanently when you approached him during lunch

On the near end of the lunch hour, you knocked gently on the chemistry lab’s closed doors where Obanai examined through the big piles of tests for his three classes. The man flinched in irritation whilst Kaburamaru curled around from laying his cold scaly head on Obanai’s warm fluffy black hair. The snake’s bright red eyes glared at the door, making out your shape as Obanai followed his dear friend’s

Obanai recognises that stiletto, that hairstyle from anywhere as he slowly rises from his chair and approaches the door with a rather bland expression. That expression shifted to extreme concern when he heard your voice… not speaking. No. Crying. He practically tore the door open to meet your eyes. Your hands covering your face as you sobbed through your palm’s skin

Obanai didn’t hesitate to bring you into his classroom as he knew well he was the only teacher who would hear you out at this time with every other being pre-occupied with their own duties or others being far too cruel. Obanai was your favourite after all and you trusted him, all the leaps and bounds he took to make sure you would get a good grade in both chemistry and every other of the Academy’s subjects

He was the only adult you could turn to for help with your problem… your horrible problem

As soon as the door shut, you wrapped your arms around Obanai’s waist and cried heavily into his stomach. It felt strange, like a brick wall but you didn’t really care, you just wanted comfort as you felt immense guilt and anguish for your actions flood in. You can’t take this anymore… you need help and you knew it. You just couldn’t help yourself with your habits

Cutting

Obanai didn’t even hesitate to hug you back as his arms comfortable wrap around you, a hand climbing up your back to stroke through your hair before he spoke in a soft, comforting tone. “Dokusha… what’s wrong?”

Even from behind that surgical-like mask, you could just feel his affectionate smile for you. He felt a strange daughter-like bond to you, he wanted to protect you so anytime the students of his class tried to call you a ‘teachers’ pet’

He lashed out at those pairs of useless blood sacks with not a single thought to make sure you could continue to work in safety. You deserve respect and care, no matter what. “I-I-I-Iguro-sama… I-I need help! P-please! Help! H-help me!” You sobbed and hiccuped through your words, your poor bright eyes faint and the puffy redness cracked his heart apart

“Talk to me… I’m here”

“I-Iguro-sama… I-I need help…”

You whispered back on a helpless voice as you untangled your arms with a pained flinch and hesitantly revealed your wrists once you pulled the double-layers of your skin. Obanai’s heterochromia of turquoise and yellow widened in horror at what he saw… he should have pried into your problem sooner, how could he wait for so long?!

Cuts… so many cuts down your skin. Bleeding cuts at your arteries… the blood stained your uniform sleeves a bit… no bullies would do this. You did this… you’re harming yourself?!

Obanai didn’t dare to touch your wrists as you continued to cry helplessly. The amount of courage you had to reveal yourself to him; he was so proud and so happy that you showed him, he must help you under every circumstance as he smiles softly at you, his mask hid that gesture but his gorgeous mismatched eyes sparkled with a needed comforting warmth that crashed over you

Obanai gently took your smaller hands in his, making sure your eyes met his. Your vision was blurry and full of tears as he spoke in such a gentle voice and so carefully, as to not make you feel any more further shame in yourself. Kaburamaru hissed and slithered towards your face through a smoothed wave in the air, the snowy white serpent wanted more than anything to lick your face to comfort you

And needless to say that after this little event. Obanai did and he almost sacrificed his job to make sure you would recover, brought you to the attention of Lady Amane, spent hours talking with your parents, rearranged a therapist for you and had you stay inside his classroom for the whole day. Just so he could watch over you and protect you further

“Don’t worry, Dokusha… I will get you help, I promise you’re not alone. I will protect you but please… give me the blade you used”

#kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #anime and manga #kny imagines #short story #kny hashira #iguro obanai #obanai iguro #obanai fluff #obanai iguro x reader #demon slayer obanai #kny obanai #obanai x reader #kimetsu no yaiba obanai #kimetsu obanai #demon slayer iguro #iguro x reader #kny iguro #kimetsu no yaiba iguro #kimetsu academy au #academy au #teacher Obanai #what a sweetheart #my heart goes out to all recovering self-harm victims #🥺🥺🥺🥺

[forest-hashira]

Noble Blood - Chapter Three

i FINALLY finished this chapter!!! not that the wait was exceptionally long between chapters 2 & 3, i know, but there were at least four separate time i thought i was going to be done with this chapter and then realized i was not at a good stopping place. also what i originally planned for this chapter Did Not Happen, and now won't until at least chapter 4, maybe not even until chapter 5, so. hooray for me i guess. sigh. anyways, i hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

fic masterlist here | read on ao3 here | wc: ~5.3k | cw: gender neutral reader, satoru being a little shit as always, some angst (it's not bad tho)

A few days after your visit to the Gojo estate, Satoru showed up in town again, grinning as he ran up to you, bundled up in a heavy coat and scarf. You couldn’t help but grin back, thrilled to see your friend out and about again.

“Hi, Satoru!” you greeted cheerfully, though you quickly had the breath knocked out of you when the boy practically tackled you with a hug, which you returned eagerly once you’d regained your bearings. “Where’s Kenji?” you added quietly, not sure if anyone else outside of the Gojo clan knew about the dragon, or if he was still meant to be a secret.

Satoru released you after you asked the question, glancing around for a moment to make sure no one was watching, before he loosened his scarf a bit.

Confused, you leaned in a bit closer, and you blinked in surprise when you saw a pair of blue eyes staring up at you from a white, scaly face. The hatchling made a little sound, about halfway between a chirp and a growl, then settled in closer to Satoru’s warmth and closed his eyes again.

“My parents wouldn’t let me leave without him, but they didn’t want anyone to see him yet,” Satoru explained. “Even if they hadn’t made me bring him I would have. He looked sad when I wasn’t holding him, and it made me sad, too.”

You nodded slightly, leaning back from your friend, opting to give him back his personal space, though he’d never been particularly keen on maintaining that distance from anyone – especially not his friends. 

“We should go somewhere,” he said after a moment, shifting on his feet, looking as if he were about to take off running in a random direction just to see if you would follow.

“Like where?”

“I dunno. Maybe to Nanami-san’s bakery?”

“I don’t have any money. Do you?”

He checked his pockets, then frowned. “No.”

The two of you went back and forth like that for a little bit longer, neither of you able to come up with somewhere in town you could go that didn’t pose an issue; you didn’t have money for the bakery, Satoru rejected the idea of going to the library, and neither of you wanted to go to the observation deck in the middle of the day, when your odds of getting caught were much higher and there were no stars to look at.

Suddenly, your friend’s blue eyes lit up. “We should go to the beach!”

“Satoru, it’s freezing.”

He rolled his eyes at your words. “Not to get in the water, dummy. We can skip stones or something. Plus I’m bored just standing here.”

You hesitated for a moment, but you didn’t have a good reason to say no, so instead you gave a small shrug. “Alright,” you conceded. “To the beach.”

Satoru’s grin returned full force, and he grabbed your hand before taking off at a dead sprint towards the ocean.

Even knowing you were about to be dragged off to satisfy Satoru’s whim, you still stumbled over your own feet, and it took you a few seconds to catch yourself before you were able to really keep up with him. Adults called out for the two of you to watch out as you ran past, Satoru practically shoving people out of the way as he went, ignoring the human shouts and dragon chuffs as he pulled you along, and despite yourself, you giggled. It was nice to be doing something normal with Satoru again, even though you weren’t even sure what normal would look like going forward, after the teacher the Gojo clan head had sent for arrived in the settlement to help Satoru train Kenji.

Those thoughts were shoved aside as you stumbled to a halt on the beach, your friend releasing your hand to start searching for stones to try and skip across the unusually calm waters. You quickly followed his lead, walking a few steps away as you looked, eventually returning to your friend’s side with a small handful of smooth, round stones about the size of your palm.

As the two of you took turns skipping rocks, seeing who could get the most skips – Satoru was currently in the lead with six – you turned to watch him for a moment, unable to help but notice the way his fluffy, unruly white hair stuck out against the blue-grey of the ocean and the sky beginning to grow overcast. Thankfully, you looked away before he could catch you, but as you turned out to face the water once again, you noticed something you hadn’t before.

“Is that a ship?” you asked your friend, pointing at the shape quickly approaching from the distance.

Satoru frowned at your words, then followed your finger towards the horizon, looking a bit surprised when he spotted the shape. “I think it is,” he agreed.

“Should we tell someone?” You felt a bit uneasy, not entirely sure why a strange ship would be approaching the settlement with no sort of warning or announcement amongst the town.

The boy beside you seemed hesitant, an uneasy expression settling over his face, though his looked more disappointed than worried. “No,” he sighed after a moment. “I think I know why it’s here.”

“What?” you squawked. “Who is it? Why is it here?”

“I think it’s the teacher my parents sent for.” 

You went completely still at his words, gaping at him in disbelief. “Didn’t your parents just send for him?” How could he be here so quickly?

“They probably told him it was urgent, or offered him a lot of money.” Satoru paused for a moment, then added, “Or both.”

“Does this mean you’ll be training all the time now?” Will I even see you anymore?

He finally turned and met your eyes again, still looking displeased by the whole situation. “We still have some time before the ship gets here,” he said, offering you a small smile. “I don’t have to go home yet, and if we hide before the ship is here we can spend a little more time together.” His gaze was hopeful, and you realized he was trying to cheer you up, while also avoiding your question. After a moment, you decided it wasn’t worth it to argue, and you nodded.

You skipped stones in silence after that, though your heart wasn’t in it anymore; you kept looking towards the boat, dread and sadness growing heavier and heavier in your gut the closer it got. 

Once the boat was close enough that you could hear men’s voices carrying across the water, Satoru took your hand, and the two of you took off again, running back through town, looking for a place to hide. Before you could find one, though, you heard your father call out your name, and both you and Satoru nearly toppled over from how quickly you stopped.

Your father called your name again, and you glanced from him back to your friend, a pained look on your face; he knew as well as you did that you found disobeying your parents nearly impossible. He smiled at you and nodded, giving your hand a squeeze. 

“I’ll see you again soon,” he promised. “I’m gonna tell you all about my new teacher. He’s probably an old man who can barely see and has a dragon that can’t fly.”

A little laugh escaped you before you could stop it, despite the fact that you were hesitant to leave his side. “Bye, Satoru,” you said softly, squeezing his hand in return before letting him go, calling back to your father as you ran to join him.

Despite his assurance that he would see you soon, Satoru started coming around less and less often. You tried to hide how upset it made you to not be able to see him much, your other friends picked up on it easily. 

Utahime started inviting you to take walks around the settlement with her. More often than not the two of you wound up at the library, huddled together in a corner, thankful for each other’s company and the peaceful atmosphere of the building. Most of the time, Utahime would find a book to read, and you would read over her shoulder. She read a lot of history books, which you initially found dry and boring, though occasionally the accounts of battles fought and dragons encountered would pique your interest. Your favorite she read was the diary of the last rider to ever bond with a metallic dragon, more than three hundred years before you were born. He was, unsurprisingly, a member of the Gojo clan, making him one of Satoru’s ancestors. 

Shoko started inviting you out, as well, though her invitations were more practical than peaceful; she would ask if you wanted to help her gather herbs her parents would need to make the medicines they used in their clinic. You didn’t know as much as Shoko did about these things, but following her instructions on what to pick and what to avoid was easy enough. As you went on more and more of these trips with your friend, you began to pick up on a few things: willow bark for pain, valerian for help with sleep, yarrow tea for fever; you weren’t sure why you’d ever need to know any of this, since you weren’t going to become a healer, but Shoko insisted it was always good to know a little about a lot of things. 

Kento even asked once if you wanted to spend time with him, pointing out that you seemed lonely, now that Satoru was spending more and more of his time at the Gojo estate. You had agreed, not knowing what to expect from your young but serious friend, and you were more than a little surprised when he took you back to his family’s bakery. 

“My parents do all the actual baking,” Kento told you, as you hovered outside the kitchen, “but sometimes they need help with other things, like cutting shapes out of the cookie dough, or glazing the pastries once they cool.”

All you did was nod, still in awe of the scale of everything in and around the kitchen; you’d helped your parents in your own kitchen at home, of course, but you’d never seen bags of flour or sugar so big and heavy, though Kento’s father seemed to have no issue picking them up and carrying them around. Even the dragons had their own jobs to do: Kento’s father’s dragon – a small white and beige creature, who you learned was named Ginger – tended to the fires for the ovens, keeping the heat consistent and adjusting the temperature when necessary, which Kento’s mother’s dragon, Cinnamon, carried trays of finished goods from the kitchen to the display racks, every tray perfectly balanced, not so much as a wobble as she walked. 

Your friend’s parents were incredibly kind, asking if you wanted to try and help with anything in the kitchen, but you had turned them down, not wanting to get under their feet or be the reason anything got burnt. 

Kento’s mother had offered you a gentle smile, nodding in understanding at your hesitance. “We need someone to cut out the cookies for us, if you’d like to help the kids with that,” she suggested, tilting her head towards where her son was rolling out cookie dough on a large table, Kokoro next to him with what you assumed were cookie cutters in her hands – one was a circle, the other a star. 

“I can do that,” you agreed, sitting on the opposite side of the table from the Nanami siblings, watching them curiously.

“Can you put the cookies on the baking tray after Koro cuts them out?” Kento asked, and you couldn't help but smile at the way he shortened his sister’s name, since you rarely heard him do such a thing.

“I’m not good at that part,” the girl added, a slight frown on her lips.

“I’ll do my best,” you said, then watched as the pair cut the shapes out of cookie dough: Kokoro’s excitement to be cutting out star shapes was palpable, and you were a little surprised she didn’t overlap any cutouts with how close together she was making them. 

Once you were sure your fingers wouldn’t accidentally fall victim to the little girl’s eager cutting, you carefully began to pick up the dough stars, laying them out on the tray that had been waiting on the table for the three of you. As you worked, you spared a glance over at Kento, and you had to stifle a laugh; some of his circles were fine, but a lot of them looked like they’d been overlapped and cut multiple times, leaving them oddly shaped and looking incomplete.

Before you could say anything, your blonde friend caught you looking. “They’re supposed to look like this,” he told you. “So they look like different phases of the moon. They’re for the New Year’s festival in a couple days.”

His words sobered you instantly, and the laugh you’d been holding back died in your throat. He was right, the annual New Year’s celebration was just a few days away, but the reminder made you realize just how much time had passed since you’d been able to spend any time with Satoru, and it made you sad.

The siblings noticed your change in demeanor right away, and Kokoro, as sweet as ever, rushed to cheer you up. “Everyone will be at the festival!” she said. “Everyone will be there and we’ll all have a lot of fun.”

“I’m sure Satoru will be there,” Kento added, offering you a slight smile before he finished cutting out the cookies. 

You offered a weak smile in return, nodding silent as you returned to the task of putting the cookies on the baking tray. Though you tried not to show it, you were in a much more dejected mood the rest of the day.  

The last two days before the New Year’s festival flew by, and before you knew it, your mother was dressing you in a red kimono with little white fish on it and fussing with your hair like she always did, though this time you didn’t fight her or try to hurry her along at all.

You hovered around your parents for a while at the beginning of the festival, unsure of where Shoko and Utahime were, and knowing that the Nanami siblings would be at their parents’ booth, helping them sell the cookies and other pastries they’d spent the last few days preparing; you’d seen them for a few moments when your parents had stopped by the booth for cookies.

The festival wasn’t unpleasant in and of itself, but your mood had yet to recover from how low it had dropped since your separation from your best friend. After about half an hour of being your mother’s shadow, you heard a familiar voice call your name, and you whipped your head around, searching for the speaker. 

“Satoru?” you called back, hoping you had actually heard him, and it wasn’t just your mind playing a cruel joke on you. Looking for a flash of white didn’t even help you this time, since so many people were wearing white, but thankfully you heard your name called again, and suddenly there he was, blue eyes flashing with relief when he caught sight of you.

“There you are!” he said, grinning as he raced up to you, his face flushed. He paused for a moment, looking up at your parents, giving them a slight bow in greeting. “Would it be alright if we walked around the festival together?” he asked, almost shockingly polite in that moment.

Your parents shared a look, though you could tell from the smiles on both of their faces that they were going to agree.

“Run along,” your father agreed, gesturing for you two to enjoy the festivities on your own.

“Try not to get into too much trouble, alright?” your mother added before you could run off.

Thanking them with a grin, Satoru took your hand and tugged you off in a different direction. “I didn’t want to tell your parents,” he said, leaning in a bit closer to make sure nobody else would hear him as he spoke. “But I’m not really supposed to be out here mingling with people.”

“You’re not?” you asked, glancing around, wondering if someone was already looking for your friend to drag him back to his family. 

Satoru shook his head. “No, I’m not. I think my parents wanted to make a big deal out of announcing my bond with Kenji tonight, but I don’t want to be part of it.”

“You don’t?” you felt a bit stupid for asking such simpleminded questions, but his words baffled you; normally Satoru loved to brag when he was the first to get or accomplish something, so the fact that he wasn’t jumping at the chance to rub it in everyone’s faces that he, at the young age of only eight years old, had bonded with his dragon seemed a little odd.

“No,” he said. “Kenji is my dragon, not anyone else’s. Nobody else will ever train him, or have much of anything to do with raising and taking care of him. Why should it matter if everyone else knows?”

You were silent for a moment, blinking in surprise at his words. “That is… surprisingly grown up of you,” you said eventually, and you couldn’t help but giggle softly at the look he shot you. 

“You don’t need to sound so shocked about it,” he groused, but you could tell he was fighting a smile of his own. He opened his mouth, presumably to insist he was Very Mature, Actually, but before he could say anything, someone started calling out for him.

“Satoru!” The voice was unfamiliar to you, somewhat gruff and clearly frustrated, and you couldn’t yet see who it belonged to.

Satoru’s hand tightened around your own, and he gave you a mischievous grin. “Run,” he said, and the two of you instantly started sprinting away from the voice, ducking and weaving between other townspeople as you went. 

“Who are we running from?” you asked breathlessly, as Satoru tugged you around the corner of a building, both of you crouching low to try and stay out of sight.

“Yaga-sensei,” your friend answered, looking around to make sure you hadn’t been spotted. “He’s the teacher my parents sent for after I bonded with Kenji.” He finally turned to look at you then, a slight scowl on his face. “He’s bossy and he’s boring. I don’t like him.”

Even having never met the man, you also felt a sort of resentment towards him; after he had arrived in the settlement, Satoru had been secluded up in the Gojo estate, unable to leave and spend time with his friends the way he used to. 

You stood there for a few moments longer, still catching your breath, when you realized something. “Do you have Kenji?” you asked, brows furrowed slightly. 

Before Satoru could say anything, you heard a small chirping noise, and just a second later, Kenji’s head popped out of the boy’s sleeve, right by where your hands were still joined. 

“You’re not supposed to be down there!” Satoru exclaimed, releasing your hand and scolding his dragon for causing problems.

Stifling your laughter proved a challenge as you watched your friend try to negotiate his dragon out of his sleeve so that Satoru could get Kenji settled closer to his own body heat. Kenji was as hesitant to follow orders as his rider, and almost seemed to backtalk Satoru every time the boy spoke to him.

“Fine!” Satoru said after a bit, clearly feeling exasperated as he stared at his dragon. “Fine. I’ll make sure to share my desserts with you. Now will you please come down from there before that crazy old man finds us?”

“You should really be more respectful when talking about your teachers.”

You nearly jumped out of your skin when you heard the voice from behind you, and you half-hid behind your friend as you looked up to get a proper look at the speaker.

He was tall, with a fair amount of dark hair on his head, styled to be slightly spiky, and he wore a pair of tinted lenses, which you thought was odd, since it was growing dark outside; all that to say, he looked nothing like the old men who lived in the settlement. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at you and Satoru, a displeased and unimpressed look on his face.

“Satoru,” the man began, though your friend cut him off before he could continue. 

“Yaga-sensei,” Satoru retorted, mimicking his teacher’s facial expression and stance – as well as he could with Kenji climbing out of his sleeve, anyways.

“You were supposed to stay with your parents and I,” Yaga said, exasperation already evident in his voice.

“Was I?” Satoru asked, playing innocent. “I didn’t know that.”

“We told you no less than four times that you were not to go running off.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

As teacher and student continued to bicker back and forth, you watched Kenji as finally crawled completely out of Satoru’s sleeve, and began to make his way up his arm to the neck of his kimono. Instead of tucking himself close to your friend’s body heat again, though, the dragon turned and looked at you, a curious little chirping noise coming from his lips as he altered his course, taking unsteady steps onto the sleeve of your kimono, where you were hiding behind and clinging to Satoru.

You stared, wide-eyed, as the little creature made his way up your arm, across your shoulder, and eventually draped himself across the back of your neck, like a tiny, reptilian scarf. A shiver ran down your spine as he settled his scales against your skin; he was cold, so cold you weren’t sure how he was still able to move around with relative ease.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Yaga’s voice was much closer than it was before, and you were startled when you looked up to see him staring down at you.

“What I’m— huh?” you stammered, unsure what he could possibly be talking about. 

“You’re trying to steal Satoru’s dragon,” he said. “You’re not as sneaky as you might think.”

Your eyes went wide with panic. “N-No! I’m not— I would never take Kenji from Satoru!” you insisted. “He climbed up here by himself, and I didn’t want to scare him or knock him on the ground by moving too suddenly.”

“He climbed on you?” Satoru asked, eyes wide; he looked absolutely fascinated. “Where is he?”

“Y-Yeah, he’s laying on my neck… I don’t understand what the big deal is, I figured he was just trying to get warm.” Your brows furrowed as you looked at your friend, unsure about why he was acting like it was such a big deal.

“White dragons have ice powers when they grow up,” Yaga explained. “They’re built to handle cool temperatures. They rarely need to be kept warm, even as hatchlings.”

“And Kenji doesn’t let anyone touch him but me,” Satoru added, grinning widely at you now, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

Still confused by everything that was happening, you angled your head to try and see Kenji, where he had draped himself around your neck. He met your eyes steadily, his little head tilted slightly to the side, as if he were waiting for you to say something to him. You stared dumbly for a moment, then asked, “Are you comfy?”

Not being as familiar with Kenji as Satoru was, you weren’t entirely sure what his mannerisms meant, but the dragon seemed almost…amused? The sound he made sort of resembled a laugh, and he settled back down afterwards.

“Satoru,” you asked, turning back to your friend, completely bewildered. “What is happening right now?”

“No idea!” he replied cheerfully. “But Kenji likes you, which is good. He doesn’t like anyone else but me.”

You nodded slightly, glancing briefly over at Yaga, before a thought occurred to you. “Do you think your parents would let me meet the other hatchling?” you asked, feeling hope flicker to life inside your chest. “If they knew that Kenji was friendly with me, maybe that means that I need to meet—”

“It never hatched,” Yaga cut in, and you felt almost as if you’d been struck.

“What?”

“The second egg never hatched,” Satoru elaborated, much more gently than his surly teacher. “Nobody’s sure why, but Kenji was the only hatchling from that clutch.”

All of the hope and excitement left your body at the words, and you felt yourself deflating; the odds were slim that the Gojo clan ever would have let you meet Kenji’s nestmate in the first place, and you had no delusions of being as special or important as Satoru, so even if you had been able to meet the hatchling, it was unlikely you would have bonded with it anyways. But, still, it hurt to have those hopes smothered so quickly.

“I’m sorry,” Satoru said quietly, noticing the disappointment written clear across your face. He stepped in a bit closer, taking your hand again and giving it a gentle squeeze; a squeeze you half-heartedly returned.

“Not your fault,” you sighed, only giving yourself a moment to feel crestfallen, before shaking yourself of the gloom; there was still a festival to enjoy, after all.

“Satoru,” Yaga said, “you’ll be coming with me, and returning to sit with your parents before the announcement is made.”

“I will be doing no such thing, Yaga-sensei.” Satoru’s grip on your hand tightened slightly as he spoke, and he stared his teacher dead in the eyes as he defied them.

“Satoru—” 

“I have told you, and my parents, and everyone on the estate who could hear me, that I have no desire to be involved in some silly announcement that doesn’t even benefit anyone. It just makes my parents feel more important, and it makes everyone else in the settlement jealous. It’s stupid. Whether I have my dragon yet and how I choose to train that dragon isn’t anyone else’s business.”

Yaga continued to stare your friend down for several long moments; you knew Satoru well enough to know he wouldn’t back down, and if Yaga were to force him to go back to his parents, Satoru would scream and thrash and bite and cause such a scene that it would embarrass his parents so deeply that no announcement of their son bonding with his dragon at such a young age would be able to make up for it.

Apparently coming to the same conclusion, Yaga sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment. “Fine, I won’t force you to come back. Just promise me you won’t cause any problems?”

Satoru exchanged a mischievous look with you before turning back to his teacher. “I will try my best.”

Yaga, looking thoroughly unconvinced by Satoru’s answer, let out a long, slow breath through his nose, as if holding back some sort of remark. Then, with one last glance at you with Kenji around your neck, he turned and walked away, presumably back to where Satoru’s parents were waiting for their son to be returned to them. 

“I don’t think he likes me,” you told Satoru, after you were sure the older man was out of earshot.

“I don’t think he likes me either,” he replied; you found his comment oddly reassuring, and you laughed.

“Not exactly what I thought you’d say to make me feel better.”

Satoru turned to face you then, a slightly quizzical look on his face. “Who cares if that old man likes you or not? He’s not your teacher. Besides,” he added, his eyes darting to his dragon. “Kenji likes you, and that’s a much bigger deal.” He did genuinely seem thrilled that his dragon was fond of you, though you still weren’t certain as to why. You didn’t want to crush his excitement, though, so you decided not to push it.

“Yeah,” you agreed, unable to help but return your friend’s contagious smile. “I guess that is pretty cool.”

“Come on,” Satoru said after a moment, tugging you along behind him as he made his way back to the festival. “I want to find Utahime and beat her at that ring toss game again.”

Another laugh escaped you then, and you hurried after him as you remembered the last new year’s festival; there had been a ring toss game set up, and the prize for winning was a large paper lantern, expertly crafted and painted to resemble a goldfish. Utahime and Shoko had spent all their money trying and failing to win the lantern, but Satoru had won first try, and then several more rounds after that. He’d selected the lantern as his prize, grinning at Utahime in a way that she had taken as smug, and she had stormed off with tears in her eyes. He’d looked so confused when Shoko had hurried after your friend to comfort her, shooting Satoru a glare.

“Why is she upset?” he’d asked you.

“Because you won the prize she wanted.”

“...Oh,” he’d said after a moment, though he’d still looked a little confused. “I was going to give it to her,” he’d explained. “I just thought the game was fun, I didn’t actually want any of the prizes.”

It had taken a bit of hunting, but eventually the two of you had been able to find Shoko consoling Utahime behind one of the stalls selling sparklers, and Satoru had explained everything to the other girl.

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Hime.”

She’d just stared at him for a moment, slack-jawed, holding the goldfish lantern in her hands. “It’s okay,” she’d eventually managed to say, the tips of her ears going red. “Thank you for winning the lantern for me.”

You’d seen that same goldfish lantern in her bedroom, proudly displayed on her bedside table, the last time you’d gone to visit her.

The sound of your friends’ voices drew you out of your reminiscing, and you grinned when you spotted Shoko and Utahime already standing in front of the ring toss stall. There were no lanterns as prizes this year, but there was a small, hand-painted wall hanging of exotic flowers that Shoko seemed to have her eye on. The girls were hesitant to play at first, but were easily convinced when Satoru promised to pay for everybody.

As your other two friends stepped forward to get their rings for the first round, you held Satoru back just long enough to put Kenji back around his neck, rather than your own; you didn’t want to cause any issues with his family if you got caught with a dragon that wasn’t yours.

Satoru’s eyes sparkled fondly as he smiled at you, adjusting the neck of his kimono and allowing Kenji to settle close to his body heat again. “Thanks,” he said quietly, then took your hand and tugged you to stand alongside Shoko and Utahime, getting your own rings and tossing them at the bottles stacked at various heights, trying to land enough of them to win a prize. 

By the end of the night, all four of you were bickering and laughing just like always, and it was easy to forget that so much had already changed in such a short period of time. After tonight, Satoru would go back to his constant lessons with Yaga, and he would still be unable to come and spend time with your friend group like he used to, but tonight, none of that mattered. Tonight, you were going to work together to win that poster for Shoko.

reblogs & likes always appreciated!!! especially reblogs, guys, seriously. keeps my writer heart happy & full and my writer brain motivated!!! 💜

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#fallon's fics #noble blood #dragon rider au #jjk #jjk fanfic #jjk au #jjk fluff #jjk x reader #jjk fanfiction #jjk reader insert #gojo satoru x reader #gojo jjk #gojo x reader #gojo satoru #satoru gojo #gojo fluff #dividers credit to cafekitsune & saradika

[love-and-monsters]

Feathered Dragon Partner

Nonbinary feathered dragon X gn reader, 11382 words

So I finished this and I did not proofread it and now I’m posting it so. I hope it scans. Let me know what you guys think. Might be kind of quiet on here for a while bc I’m trying to actually write my own novel, so. We’ll see how that goes. Anyway, enjoy. 

A chance encounter at the market, a free sample, and an unfortunate injury. What do they all have in common? Why, a certain feathery, scaly friend who is quite interested in you!

Content warning for minor injury and mention of medical malpractice causing physical harm. 

The Avieras Festival was in full swing, and you were ducking, dodging, and weaving your way through the patrons that packed the street so thickly it was near-impossible to find space. Most of them were in elaborate costumes, which only made navigating tricker. Some wouldn’t care if you trod on a hem or feather as you hurried by, but others would care. And they usually cared enough to spend ten minutes lecturing you on exactly how expensive the fabric you’d just ruined with your bootprint was. And sometimes they even cared enough to stick you with a dry cleaning bill, which was really the last thing you needed. So, you avoided stepping on people in general.

Festival days were good business days, generally, but you needed to find the right location to set up. Too much in the thick of it and you’d risk your wares getting knocked over by overeager or drunk patrons. Too far out and no one would be interested.

You located, after a few minutes of searching, an alcove that offered enough shade to be comfortable, and enough light to draw in patrons. As soon as you reached the spot, you snapped open your charmed bag and pulled out a sturdy roll of carpet, which you set on the ground in front of you, and your wares.

A table would have been better to show them off, since putting them so close to the ground risked them getting dirty, but even a collapsed folding table would have been hard to fit through the opening of your bag, so you let it be. The carpet sufficed, and you had two thin racks to display your best work upon. They would be sufficient to draw customer attention.

This part was the worst part. You enjoyed the crafting and the creating and not so much the selling. But, well. It was part of the job. So, you slapped the best smile you could on your face and started waving enthusiastically to the crowd. Every now and then, you’d see someone pause as their eyes snag on one of your creations and you called out to them. “Hello, ma’am! Yes, this mask will go wonderfully with your costume, see the lovely yellow, and the purple accents will bring out the richness of the color! Oh, and I have a hairpiece that goes perfectly if you’d like to bundle them together-”

You’re not bad at selling, but it does feel a lot like you’re putting up an act. It’s not like you’re not proud of your work- you wouldn’t sell your festival masks and accessories if you weren’t pleased with how they came out. But the energy required to act cheery and polite and overly-enthusiastic was ridiculously draining. By a couple of hours in, your stock was over half-gone, and you were utterly grateful. Perhaps you would sell out early and you could grab some delicious fried food and scuttle away to your home before the night got too wild.

“Well, aren’t these just delightful,” someone mused from entirely too close to you, and it took all your customer service skills to smile cheerfully instead of screaming and leaping out of your skin.

The prospective customer was leaning over your stand, gazing at your wares with clear interest. You recognized them, if only dimly. They worked as a butcher, and you’d seen them several times when you picked up food from the store. However, they’d always had their hair up and their feathers tucked away when they worked. Now, they were letting their hair hang free down their back, almost to their waist. Their skin was oddly colored, almost milky, with scales along the backs of their limbs. Plumes of feathers decorated their ears and their scaled tail. AS they shifted their weight, one of their hands resting on their generous hips, their skin caught the light and glowed in opalescence. The scales on their forehead had been picked out with some silvery makeup, making them stand out even more.

You picked your jaw off the floor and slapped your customer service hat back on. “Ah, thank you very much! You already seem fairly well-feathered, but perhaps I could offer you a small hairpin? I have some that aren’t quite so ornate if you’re looking for something lower key.”

As they leaned forward to examine your wares, you swept a critical eye over them. It was sort of a fun guessing game you tried to play with yourself, to figure out exactly what species each customer was. Most of the time, you didn’t get an answer, since it was pretty rude to ask someone casually what they were, but it was still fun. The oddest one had been a combination between a merfolk and a dragon, which had resulted in something like a human upper half, albeit completely covered in scales, and a sea-serpent tail. They’d also been a remarkably good customer, though they’d tried haggling for a better price.

This person… well, the scales suggested a dragon, but feathered dragons were rare, and even more rarely did they assume a humanoid form. Not to mention they had wings. Perhaps some sort of hybrid, then? Or maybe a harpy and dragon hybrid? You’d never seen one, though it did seem like this one should be more feathered if it really was a combination.

They cleared their throat and you hurried to focus your mind on their purchase. You could speculate after they were done. “See anything you like?”

“I believe so,” they said, their eyes flicking up to meet yours. “But I…” They hesitate, their tail curling. The feathered tufts of their ears twitch. “I…”

“Can’t decide?” you asked. It was always sort of flattering when customers felt that way- nice to know you’d been able to catch their eye with multiple pieces. Perhaps a better salesperson would have convinced them to buy both, but you figured if they wanted both, they would have bought them in the first place. You were happy to sell even one piece. “I can help you decide. Which ones do you like?”

The customer hesitated, then selected two ornamented hair clips- a pale pink and a deep sea-green. Both of them matched shades that appeared in their feathers and along their glimmering scales. Either would have been a good choice. You picked them up and held them out consideringly.

“Here, let’s see…” You held both clips up, one on either side of their face, and directed them to look into the mirror. “The pink one is a bit simpler than the green one- less feathers and jewels, see? You’ve got feathers on you already, so I don’t think you need the excess feathers, unless you’re going for an over-the-top look.” You glance over them with a critical eye. “However, the pink also blends in with your outfit a little more, so if you want it to stand out, the green might work better. Are you thinking of wearing this for daily use or just when you’re getting dressed up for a festival or party?”

“I suppose daily,” they said, tilting their head from side to side. Their eyes, bright yellow as topaz, glitter in the sunlight.

“Then the pink might be a little more lowkey,” you declared. “But it’s all up to you, of course.”

They hesitated for a moment longer, considering. “The pink, then,” they said.

“Wonderful,” you said, placing the green clip down on the table. “Would you like me to wrap this or would you like to wear it right away?”

“Right away,” they said.

“Sure! Makes sense that you’d want to wear it for the festival,” you said. “Now, your total is fifteen shen.”

They reached into their pocket to pull out their wallet and passed you a few coins. You tucked them smoothly away. “I can put it in your hair for you, if you’d like,” you added. They stared at you, yellow eyes going wide. “Only if you’d like! Some people just have a difficult time getting the clip into their hair on their own- but you can also just borrow a mirror if you would like.”

“No, I would appreciate the help,” they said. You gestured for them to turn and they did so, crouching down to allow you to reach. They were tall, so that was another suggestion they were related to a dragon. Then again, you had some gnomish blood, so most everyone was taller than you.

You gathered the silky strands of their hair into your hand and settled the clip in place. They twitched a little under your touch and their tail shuddered when you took an extra moment to stroke a few strands of hair back into place.

“There. Does it look all right to you?” you asked, offering them a mirror that was angled so they could see the back of their head. They nodded and brushed off their front as they stood.

“Thank you for the help,” they said. “And your work is quite lovely. I hope you’re finding success here.”

“That’s very kind of you,” you said. “Ah, here, take this as well!” You reached down and grabbed a small, though still pretty, tail cuff. It was designed to clip into place, with an adjustable band to keep it from slipping down the tail. You pressed it into their hands.

The feathers on their tail and ears fluffed up in surprise. “Oh- but I didn’t pay for-”

“The Avieras Festival is for celebrating feathered creatures,” you said, pressing the tail cuff on them more insistently. “Think of it as a party favor. And you’ve been quite sweet, I think you deserve it.”

Their eyes went wide and they took the tail cuff like it was a holy artifact. “Thank you,” they said. They smiled, showing off their pearly white canines. “You really are a sweet thing, aren’t you?”

With that, they reached out, affectionately patted my cheek, then headed off into the crowd. You blinked after them. You had been pretty sure you were flustering them for a moment there, so it was a bit strange to have the entire thing turned around on you. Fortunately, another customer arrived in a moment and you could launch straight back into your customer service mode.

The pace of sales picked up throughout the night. You sold out quicker than you’d anticipated, with plenty of time to enjoy the festival. You packed away your belongings in your bag and headed out to explore.

It was late evening as you headed out into the main section of the festival. The town center was full of people dressed in feathered outfits. The Avieras Festival was a celebration of avians- typically, that meant people with some kind of bird relation, like harpies, but it technically included all kinds of feathered creatures. That meant that everyone was dressed in feathers. Some people had more elaborate outfits than others, with multicolored feathers and even bird masks, but most people were just wearing feather accessories. Harpies and other flying creatures soared through the sky in an impressive array of aerial dancing. Music floated through the air with them, bright and lively.

Exploring the festival involved you getting as much unique food as you could and shoving it all in your mouth while you examined the items for sale. There were several games set up along the streets. One of them was a modified version of flight chicken, where two contestants were suspended by magic and then dropped toward the (magically cushioned) ground. The goal was to pin your opponent underneath you before you hit the ground. While most people participating seemed pretty poor at it, the matches that involved experienced partners were fascinating. There were a couple other games that were usually played in the air that had been modified so everyone could enjoy them, plus some other games that could by played just as easily by people on the ground. You tried a couple of rounds of a game like ring toss, which involved getting a wooden circle to land around a peg from several feet up, and won a tiny, simple wooden bird. You probably could have bought it for less than you’d paid to play the game, but willing it made the experience better.

After playing a few more games, you wandered over to the art installation that covered the far side of the festival. It was meant to cover the multiple traditional forms of art from different harpy flocks, from fashion to paintings, and there were even a few sphinx artifacts. A large platform toward the middle of the installation held a rotating cast of musicians and dancers. You paused to watch a group of harpies weave in and around each other, smoothly moving from dancing on the ground to in the air. A sphinx passed by, flexing her wings in time to the music. You even caught sight of what was probably an aasimar, gold-skinned and faintly glowing, examining a flight cape.

By the time you finished the art exhibit, it was getting late. Several of the games and activities made for children had packed up, and the party had shifted to more of a late-night-club vibe. Pulsing lights lined the buildings, casting a multicolored glow across the scene. It was pretty, and you did consider staying for a bit longer, but you were already exhausted from selling and walking around. As a large portion of the townspeople headed out to continue the party, you headed back to your home.

The streets got clearer the further you headed away from the festivities, though there were still pockets of people. Some of them were rather drunk. Just as you turned a corner, a group of stumbling drunks bowled into you, practically trampling you as you fell to the ground.

“Hey!” you protested, but your voice wasn’t that loud thanks to your surprise. Two of them, the taller two of the bunch, barely seemed to notice you. The third one turned and gave you an apologetic wave before being dragged off.

You cursed to yourself as you got up. Parties always brought out the asshole drunks- admittedly, you were on the small side (curse that gnomish blood) and the lighting wasn’t good here, so it was possible that they hadn’t seen you. But they still could have at least paused when they hit you!

“Oh dear,” someone murmured, and you heard rapidly approaching footsteps. Someone crouched and a slender, pale hand entered your field of vision. “Are you all right? Can you get up?”

“I’m fine,” you groused, taking their hand so they could tug you up. “Not hurt or anything- ow.” You put weight on your left leg and it throbbed. Probably not broken or even sprained, but there was going to be a very nasty bruise in the morning.

“I beg to differ,” your helper said, and you finally looked at them properly. To your surprise, you knew who they were. Their hair clip and tail clip were still secured neatly in place, right where they’d been place when they’d bought them. “You’re bleeding.”

“What?” You lifted one of your hands to brush the dirt off your shirt and paused when you saw the oozing scratches along your palms. There were little bits of grit in the cuts. You winced. “Ow. Damn.”

“You should get those cleaned out,” they said. “Here, there’s a water pump nearby.” They took you gently by your wrist and led you a few feet away to a public water pump. They withdrew a pack of tissues from their side pouch and wet them before turning back to you. “Let me see your hands.”

You extended your hands out, palms up. They gave you a grateful smile and started swiping the wet tissues over the cuts.

It stung, of course, and you sucked in a sharp breath. They crooned in their throat, a gentle shushing noise. “I know it hurts, I just need to get all that gunk out.” Their thumb traced your wrist, stroking over the pulse point. You swallowed.

They took a few moments to clean it out, then paused, tilting your hand back and forth to make sure the dirt is gone. “There we are,” they murmured. “I don’t have any bandages on me, I’m afraid.”

“It’s really not necessary,” you said. “They’re just small scratches. See, they’re hardly even bleeding anymore.” You held your hand out- the cuts were still red, but no longer bleeding. They looked them over carefully, their tail swaying slightly as they focused.

“And nothing else hurts?” they asked. “You’re feeling okay otherwise?”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m fine. It’s not a problem.”

They nodded, then looked around you to glare in the direction the tramplers had gone. “Hmph. Shame that festivals can bring out the worst in people. They didn’t even bother to stop.”

“No, but I’m fine, really,” you said.

They flicked their tail with a ruffle of feathers. “Yes, but you if you haven’t been…” They shook their head. “Ah, well. I suppose we should just be grateful it wasn’t worse.” They slipped their hand under your chin with a feather-light touch and tilted your head back and forth. “And at least there’s no damage to your cute face, hm?”

A warm flush rolled over your entire body. Their tone was lightly teasing, but still quite sweet, and it wasn’t like you were used to receiving flirtation like that. You stepped back, pulling your chin from their grasp in embarrassment. “I- uh. Th- thank you.”

They hummed pleasantly. “Of course. No problem.” They gave you another look over, their brows furrowing. “Ah… would you mind if I walked you home? I don’t mean to be pushy, but I do want to make sure you’re safe.”

“I think I’ll be fine,” you said, taking a step forward. One of your ankles throbbed, but it held your weight.

They looked unconvinced. “You’re favoring your left ankle. Are you certain you’re all right?”

“Probably,” you said. “It hurts, but my home’s only a couple of blocks from here. I can manage.”

They frowned. Their tail swayed back and forth. “At least let me walk with you? I just don’t want you collapsing as soon as you’re out of sight. It will give me some comfort.”

“If you insist,” you said, offering them a weak smile. They seemed genuinely worried about you, and in all honestly, you weren’t totally sure how well you could walk anyway.

They stayed by your side as you headed toward your house. A couple of times, they needed to reach out and steady you when you forgot your ankle was bad and put your weight on it. The insistent throbbing pain got worse every few steps, and by the time you were within a few feet of your home, you were practically dragging your leg behind you. Your eyes watered with the pain.

Your companion put a hand to your shoulder, encouraging you to lean against them. “Are you certain you shouldn’t see a healer?” they asked. “You look like you’re about to collapse.”

“If it still feels bad tomorrow, I’ll see a healer. Right now, I just need to put it on ice and elevate it,” you said.

“If you’re sure,” they said. They paused, still looking at you with obvious worry, then their expression brightened. “Ah, let me give you this.” They rummaged in their pocket for a moment, then pulled out a small, shimmering disc. They took one of your hands in their own, turning it so your palm was facing upright, then pressed the small disc into your palm. Their hands completely covered yours. You could feel the disc against your palm, thin but surprisingly sturdy.

“What is it?” you asked as they withdraw their hands. You lifted the disc closer to your face to examine it. It was thin, strong, and pale colored. When you turned it in your hands, a pale stream of light illuminated it, turning it opalescent. Exactly like-

“It’s one of my scales,” they say. “If your ankle is worse tomorrow, you can just say my name to it and I’ll come to help you out.”

You blinked. “Really? But- are you sure?” Scales were strange things to give away. For the magically inclined, scales could be made to always be connected to their body, even when physically separated. If you said your name to the scale, they would know you were calling for them, no matter how far away you were.

They winked, golden eyes gleaming. “Say Tazriel, and I’ll come. I like making sure good people are well taken care of.” With no further explanation, they strolled off into the night. Their pale scales made them stand out against the gloom for a while before they finally faded into shadows.

You tucked the scale close to your chest as you hobbled the rest of the way home. It wasn’t far, and after resting for a few moments, you felt better. Though when you had to rummage through your freezer get the ice out, then stack your pillows to elevate your leg, then get comfortably settled in you seat only to realize you had to pee- well, maybe it would have been better to have a little help.

You fell asleep after some time of fitfully turning and shifting in your position. It was hard to find a comfortable sleeping spot with your ankle elevated. And apparently your sleeping body had no consideration for your health, because when you woke up, your ankle was no longer elevated, but twisted haphazardly under you. When you flexed it to get an idea of how fucked you were, pain rolled up your ankle and punched you in the gut. Okay. Pretty fucked.

It took a few tries to actually stand and hobble your way into the bathroom to really assess things. Your ankle was swollen and bruised and it hurt to put weight on it. Bad. You couldn’t assess whether or not it was broken, but it was sprained at a minimum. God dammit. You’d really wanted to avoid seeing a doctor. Maybe you could just give it time? If it healed on its own, everything would be fine, right? And if it didn’t get any better, then you could see a doctor. There was no reason to go to all the trouble when you hadn’t even given it a chance to heal. Right?

Part of you was aware that you were in denial and grasping at straws. A larger part of you was willing to accept anything that meant no doctor’s visit. So you hobbled your way back to bed, with a pit stop in the kitchen to stock up on food, and flopped back down, fully intending to stay in that spot all day.

As you did so, you saw something gleaming on the covers next to you. You scooped it up and- oh, right. The scale.

You rolled the little thing over in your fingers, enjoying how the light played off of its surface. It would be gorgeous to use on one of your projects- though they’d also probably be hard to get. Most people didn’t make a habit of handing out their scales, and even if you managed to find a seller, the quantity would be pretty small. Couldn’t be yanking out every one of your scales to sell, of course.

You rotated it in your hands, recalling their words from the night before. Say Tazriel and I’ll come. Interesting. That was a little unusual. People, as you’d already said, didn’t tend to go handing out their scales. On the other hand, they had seemed genuinely kindhearted and concerned, and you’d never heard a bad word about them. Though, to be fair, most of the words you heard about them tended to focus on how pretty they were. But still, people in this town were gossips, so if anyone had a problem with them, you were sure you’d have heard of it. But you’d also never heard of them handing out their scales like candy to anybody else. Bit of a mystery there.

After a few more moments of looking at the scale and considering, you turned and set it carefully on the table next to your bed. The offer was kind, but you were reluctant to drag anyone else into your mess. Maybe if it wasn’t feeling any better the next day, you would call them and ask for their help to get to the doctor.

You spent another boring day in bed, reading a couple of books and flipping through random videos on the scrynet. It was mind-numbing, and your hands were twitching by the end of it, but you didn’t really want to get out of bed. Eventually, you fell into a fitful, unrestful sleep.

When you woke, the pain in your ankle seemed to have dulled. Cocksure and overconfident, you swung out of bed, placed your feet on the floor, and collapsed when your bad ankle rolled under you and sent waves of pain up your leg.

Well. Crap. Had it somehow gotten worse overnight? How was that even possible? You blinked back the sting of tears from your eyes and twisted to look at it. Bruises still mottled the skin around the ankle, and it was definitely still swollen, though it wasn’t quite as bad as it had been the day before. You probed the skin with the tips of your fingers and hissed. Pain. Bad enough to make your stomach tighten. Once you were actually braced for the pain, you could put some weight on it, though it wasn’t fun.

Son of a bitch. You’d really been hoping it would get better. You considered your options as you limped to the kitchen to get something to eat. It wasn’t so bad to put weight on, you reasoned. It was painful, sure, but a little pain wasn’t so bad. You could handle it.

You sat down and examined your ankle once more. Like, okay. It was probably bad, and you should probably go to a doctor. But it wasn’t like you couldn’t walk at all. That would be the point where it got bad, right? If you couldn’t walk at all. You could still keep off it for a while, for the most part, and then it would heal up. Why go to the doctor if they were just going to tell you to rest your ankle, which is what you were already doing?

(Again, there was that part of you that recognized you were just making excuses and that you really should just go to a doctor. But the bigger part of you still wanted to avoid going, and that bigger part was winning out.)

You ate and dragged yourself back to your room, collapsing onto your bed. Okay. Another day in bed. That wasn’t so bad. And you could probably try to work at least a little. You sat down for most of it. That wouldn’t bother your ankle too much, right?

Just as you were making the firm decision that you were probably fine to work, a gleam of light on your night table caught your eye.

You shuffled a little closer and reached out. As your fingertips met the light, you felt something small and disc-like. The scale. You curled your fingers around it and brought it up to your face.

It was definitely glowing. The entire thing shone like it was reflecting a strong beam of sunlight. You squinted at it, rotating it back and forth. Weird. Did scales do that often? Did it mean something? You’d barely gotten any instructions on how it worked. Maybe you could do some scrying later, see if you could find anything on scales. Though you still weren’t completely sure of their species, which might make it harder. They were probably a feathered dragon, right? Harpies didn’t really have scales like this.

The scale gleamed, sending a beam of light directly into your eyes. You winced. Was it getting brighter? How were you supposed to make it stop? You ran your thumb over it a few times, hoping to maybe trigger something, but nothing happened. You grimaced. Whatever. You could figure it out later.

As you grabbed a couple books to stash the scale under, so that maybe it wouldn’t burn your eyes out while you were trying to sleep, your mind wandered back to what they’d said. Call their name… “Tazriel,” you muttered absently as you placed the books on top of the scale. That was how they’d said it, right? It was a pretty name. You still felt a little awkward about calling them, but maybe you could stop by once your ankle was feeling better and let them know you appreciated the gesture. Yeah, that seemed the best way to handle things.

The decision firm in your mind, you settled back into bed and tried to ignore your ankle so you could fall back asleep.

You were just about to fall back asleep when the sound of someone knocking on your front door made you open your eyes. It was a polite knock, not like someone was banging down your door for an emergency. Maybe it was a delivery driver. They’d leave the package eventually.

You closed your eyes again. Only to open them again when the knock sounded once more. It was a little more urgent this time, though still not what you would consider an emergency knock. You considered getting up, but if it was a visitor, they would eventually figure out you weren’t home or something. It was fine.

The silence lasted a little longer this time, so you were settled back comfortably by the time the knock sounded again. This time, it was distinctly louder and rushed. You gritted your teeth. Okay. This person was not taking a hint, which either meant they were really obtuse or they had something important for you. But getting to the door meant getting out of bed and you were awfully reluctant to do that. The silence stretched on as you debated the finer points of getting out of bed versus staying nice and comfy.

After a couple minutes of silence, you realized the person at your door hadn’t knocked again. They’d wandered off, presumably. That was good. You could just lie back and relax and they would come back later if they needed anything else.

And then you heard the click and creak of the doorknob turning and your door- your FRONT DOOR- opening.

The indignation was enough to get you out of bed. Common sense stopped you from getting further than the hallway. You had a busted ankle- what were you going to do against a (possibly armed) thief? At best, maybe you could look so pathetic, they’d feel bad and leave.

Then your name, called in a semi-frantic voice, floated down the hall. That was surprising. Why would someone who broke into your house be calling for you? You hobbled a few steps out into the main entranceway of your house and stopped in surprise.

You knew both of the people standing in front of your open door, one more familiar than the other. The more familiar figure was your neighbor, a twitchy, if also kindly, water elemental. The less familiar figure was your savior from the other night, Tazriel. Their face lit up at the sight of you. “You’re all right?”

You shifted your weight onto your good leg and positioned your bad ankle so the swelling was not as noticeable. “I’m fine. What are you doing in my house?”

Tazriel blanched. It was hard for scaled creatures to blush, but they seemed to be trying their level best. “You called me.”

You blinked. “I did?” Almost as soon as the words had left your mouth, you remembered sliding the scale away and mumbling ‘Tazriel’ a moment before your fingers actually broke contact. Oops. “Oh. I did.”

Tazriel seemed to be regaining their confidence. “I was worried, of course, so I came by, but you didn’t answer your door. Fortunately, your neighbor did, and she said she had a key, so…” They trailed off, looking toward your neighbor. You stare at her too. She awkwardly rubs one of her arms.

“They seemed really worried, and you did tell me to use your key in emergencies,” she mumbled. She cast a shy glance sideways at Tazriel and you did not roll your eyes, but it was a near thing. Okay, they were pretty good looking, but you weren’t pleased that your neighbor was such a sucker for a pretty face that she would let them into your house.

“They’re quite kind,” Tazriel said, smiling at your neighbor, and she practically turned into steam. “They were worried about you too, once I told them what was going on.”

“Right,” you said. “So what’s going on?”

Tazriel blinked at you like it should be obvious. “You called for me and then didn’t answer the door. I thought you were really hurt.”

Oh. Actually, that wasn’t a strange conclusion to come to. “W-well, that’s very kind of you, but I’m, uh. Actually doing fine. It was sort of an accident that I called you. I’m sorry for disturbing you. But you don’t need to stay.”

They gave you a critical look, gaze roving over your body and fixing on your ankle. You shuffled it further behind your good leg to avoid their look, but this seemed to backfire. Their gaze grew more concerned. “You’re not putting any weight on your ankle.”

“I am,” you said, and gingerly placed your bad ankle on the ground. You leaned on it until your eyes were watering with pain and hoped they weren’t paying too much attention. “I’m fine. You can go back to your life.”

They narrowed their eyes, but didn’t say anything. For a moment, you were certain they were actually going to take your advice and leave, but then your neighbor piped in with, “You’ve been holding yourself all stiff since we got here. You’re in a lot of pain, aren’t you?”

You shot her a glare as Tazriel gave you a new, more appraising look. “You are tense.” Their expression grew alarmed. “You shouldn’t be standing, should you?”

“I really have to assure you that I’m fine,” you said, but Tazriel and your neighbor were already dismissing your protests out of hand.

“Last time you told me you were fine, you had such bad food poisoning you could barely keep anything down,” your neighbor said. Tazriel brushed past the both of you and into the kitchen to fetch a chair. “I didn’t find out until two days later when I ran into you at the store looking like death warmed over.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” you muttered. “And what were you going to do about it? It was food poisoning. You just have to wait it out.”

“You could have asked me to check on you. I would have done it. Or you could have asked me to take you to a doctor.”

You grimaced. Tazriel set a chair down next to you and gestured for you to sit in it. Once you were down, they crouched and peered at your ankle. “Why didn’t you call me sooner?” they asked. “This looks bad.”

“It looks worse than it is,” you said hurriedly. “I really don’t need all this fuss. I’m just going to stay home until it feels better.”

Tazriel looked up. “You’re not going to see a doctor?”

“I don’t need one,” you said, trying to sound more confident than you felt.

“You do,” Tazriel insisted. They probed at your ankle with their fingertips and you nearly jumped out of your skin. “You can’t walk on this. And it must hurt a lot.” They looked up at you and you were surprised by exactly how much concern was evident in their eyes. Their feathered ears twitched. It was ridiculous how cute it was.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” you said, but their gaze was really hard to resist. “I just… I don’t want to go to the doctor.” Before they could comment on that, you braced a hand against the nearby wall and used the leverage to haul yourself to your feet. Well. To one of your feet. The other was still being held by Tazriel. “And they’ll just tell me to ice and rest it, which is what I’m already doing! Thank you all very much for your concern, but I think I’ll be heading back to doing that, so unless there’s anything else I can help you with…” You gave a pointed look to Tazriel. They were still holding your foot. They did not let go.

“You need a doctor,” they said, enunciating every word carefully, like you were a child or hard of hearing. “Your ankle could be broken.”

Your shoulders drooped a bit. “You don’t think it’s that bad, do you?”            “I don’t know,” Tazriel said. “I can’t say. Because I’m not a doctor. Which is why you need one.” They folded their feathered ears back against their head and fixed you with their brilliantly golden eyes. It wasn’t quite a puppy-dog look, though it was pleading. Come now, their expression seemed to say. I want you to be all right. Won’t you let me help you? Their thumb was also tracing circles on your calf, which was making it surprisingly hard to focus.

“It’s… I just…” Your protests died on your tongue. They were just looking at you, but it was making your head feel sort of funny. Were they using their prettiness to hypnotize you? Was that what this was? Weaponized prettiness?

“If you’re nervous about going to the doctor, I could go with you,” Tazriel suggested. Their feathered ears perked up and you cursed internally. Somehow, that made them even cuter. “I know a doctor, actually. I could take you to her, if you’d like.”

They were giving you a look. An eager look, like they were already proud of themselves for having solved the problem. But you also got the impression they were not leaving here taking ‘no’ for an answer. They were going to be leaving here with you on a trip to the doctor’s or you were going to have a new roommate.

“Eh… uh…” You tried to think of a way out of this. They’re pretty, your brain supplied unhelpfully. It’d be nice to spend more time with them. Your own mind was even turning against you. “I guess that’d be… okay.”

They beamed. The fact that they looked even prettier when they did that was like adding insult to injury. “Wonderful! I’ll need to call ahead to let her know we’re coming, but she owes me a favor, I’m sure she’ll set some time aside for you.” They scrambled to their feet and practically skipped outside. You and your neighbor watched them go.

“Lucky,” she said in an undertone.

“Lucky?” you muttered back. “For breaking my ankle?”

She rolled her eyes. “For having someone so worried about you. Do you realize how frantic they were when they were banging on my door? It was kind of sweet.”

You weren’t sure how to respond to that, so you didn’t. Tazriel stepped back into the room at that moment, sparing you the indignity. “She says we can come in whenever we want,” they said. “But we’ll have a better chance of getting in right away if we go as soon as possible.”

“Just give me a couple minutes,” you said. “I just… need to brush my teeth.” Ever since hurting your ankle, your self-care activities, otherwise known as basic hygiene, had kind of gone down the drain. No one had commented on it so far, but the longer you were in the presence of a water elemental and the perfectly polished Tazriel, the worse you felt about it.

You hobbled to the bathroom and did as quick of a spot clean as you could. Once you’d determined that it was as good as it was going to get in the time frame allowed, you pulled on some slightly-nicer clothes and headed back out to Tazriel.

Your neighbor was gone by that point, and Tazriel was waiting for you in the doorway. “Are you ready to go?” they asked, fixing you with a cheerful smile. You nodded.

“Yeah, yeah.” There was a part of your mind insisting that, despite the indignity of it, you could probably get away with slamming the door in their face and burying yourself under the blankets until everyone forgot about this doctor thing. But that would be hideously embarrassing and you weren’t sure it would stop Tazriel anyway. They seemed rather determined. “Let’s get this over with.”

Tazriel nodded cheerily, then took a step forward, holding their arms out awkwardly. You took a fumbling step back, hands up. “Hey, woah, what are you doing?”

They paused. “You can hardly walk,” they said, as though that were completely obvious. “But I can.”

You did not lower your arms from their defensive position. “You’re going to carry me?”

They looked like at you like it was a perfectly normal thing to do. “Yes, of course. I can handle it.”

“Uh,” you said, looking them up and down uncertainly. “You’re sure?”

“Of course,” they said. To their credit, they sounded extremely confident. “You’re rather small, aren’t you? I can carry you.”

You felt weirdly embarrassed about being referred to as ‘small.’ “Uh. Well.” Why wasn’t your brain working? You couldn’t string together any thoughts! “I guess, if you’re okay with it…”

They grinned and scooped you up like you were a couple of grapes. You looped your arms around their neck. It was impressive how effortless the lift seemed to them. “Comfortable?” they asked. You made a nondescript sound that roughly meant, ‘as comfortable as it is possible to be right now.’ Apparently, they could interpret that, because they took off at a slow jog.

You’d been expecting they would take one of the trains, but they ended up heading in a completely different direction than the local station. It was slightly unnerving, but they seemed to know what they were doing. You did your best to relax back into their arms. While you usually felt rather uncomfortable about having someone carry you, this felt somehow reassuring. Maybe because they were strong enough that there was no wavering of their grip or unsteadiness.

They jogged for a little while, turning down some of the main roads. People looked at the sight with some interest, though few people actively stared, which you appreciated. After turning around a few corners, they slowed down and approached a decently large building painted in white and pink. They shifted you in their arms a bit before pulling open the glass door.

It definitely smelled like a doctor’s clinic when you stepped inside, with that stinging scent of antiseptic. A few other people were milling around the room. You couldn’t get a good look at most of them, but there was someone standing in a pile of feathers in the corner. You resisted the urge to snicker. There was always someone who took a feather-enhancing potion during the Avieras Festival and then had to deal with the consequences a few days later.

Tazriel ignored the front desk and headed toward the exam area. They nudged the door open with their tail and glanced around as they stepped inside. “Doctor Gella?”

There was a moment of silence, then a middle-aged woman wearing thick spectacles poked her head out of a room a few doors down. She had an enormous set of ram’s horns sprouting from her temples and a thin tail tipped with a trident. Oh, and bright yellow skin.

“Tazriel,” she said, nodding at them. “I assume this is the patient.” She gave you a sympathetic smile. “Why don’t you step into an exam room and put them down?”

The exam room was pretty standard doctor fare- a sink and a few cabinets, a machine for checking blood pressure, a couple of uncomfortable-looking chairs up against the far wall, and a bulky exam table covered in paper taking up a majority of the space. Tazriel set you down upon it and took up one of the seats. Dr. Gella gave them a pointed look. “It was kind of them to bring you here, Tazriel, but I’m afraid I can’t let you stay in the exam room while they’re being examined. Unless you would feel more comfortable if Taz stayed?” She directed the last question toward you.

“I think I can handle it on my own,” you said. Ever since you’d started smelling the antiseptic, your heart rate had picked up, and sitting on the crinkly exam table wasn’t doing it any favors. Why did doctor’s offices all have to look the same? But you’d been through this before. You didn’t need anyone to hold your hand. Tazriel nodded amiably and headed for the door.

“I’ll be in the waiting room,” they said. They gave you an amiable wink, then the door closed behind them.

The room felt a lot more confining all of a sudden.

Dr. Gella rolled a wheeled chair up to the edge of the exam table. “They’re quite sweet, but they forget the most obvious things sometimes. One of the reasons they could never work here.”

“Did they want to?”

“They were interested in one point. That’s how we got to know each other- they volunteered here when they were younger. But, as I’ve said, they’re a bit too distracted to be an attentive healer. Their knowledge of anatomy is impeccable, though. Hence why they ended up being a butcher.” Dr. Gella looked at your legs. “Ah. I see that’s the bum ankle they mentioned?”

You shifted, embarrassed. “Yeah. They told me I needed to come here, but…” You trailed off. Dr. Gella gave a half-smile.

“Not a fan of the doctor’s?” she asked. You shook your head. “That’s all right. Plenty of people aren’t. I’ll try to be as gentle as I can.”

She shifted your leg up onto the exam table and slipped off your shoe and sock. The shoe was easy, since your ankle was swollen enough that it didn’t go on all the way. The sock was a little harder, and no matter how gentle she tried to be, it still hurt. You gritted your teeth and struggled as hard as you could not to kick her.

“There we go,” she said, setting your sock next to you. “Hm.” She grimaced. “I can see why they wanted you to come in.”

“I didn’t think it was that bad,” you said, a little sheepish. Dr. Gella hummed disapprovingly.

“It’s definitely a bad sprain, at minimum. How long ago did you injure it?”

“Couple of days?” you said, shrinking back a little more sheepishly when Dr. Gella frowned.

“It might not have been that bad at first, but it’s certainly become worse thanks to not treating it right. I’m going to have to get a brace for it, and you’ll have to stay off it for a few weeks at least.” Her eyes glowed, suggesting she was using some kind of seeing-through spell. “Yes, it doesn’t look like there’s anything broken, but it’s certainly bruised and damaged and walking on it will make it worse.”

“Do I have to wear a cast?” you asked, hesitant.

“It’ll be a soft cast,” Dr. Gella said. You grimaced. “That bothers you?”

“I just… don’t like it.” You shifted in place, wincing when that shifted your ankle. “It bothers me.”

Dr. Gella smiled sympathetically. “If you don’t want to wear the cast, I’m certainly not going to make you do so. But it is my medical recommendation that you do so, as it will make sure that things heal better.”

You didn’t say anything. Yes, you needed to wear the cast. Yes, the idea of doing so made you feel sick to your stomach. You weren’t sure how to reconcile those emotions. Dr. Gella watched your expression, taking in your uncertainty, then forced a small smile.

“Tell you what,” she said. “I have another patient that shouldn’t take too long. You can take some time to think it over. If you’re too uncomfortable for it, then I can just give you some instructions for taking care of it, and if you feel better about the cast, we can put it on after I’m done with that patient. Sound good?”

You let out a relieved breath. At the very least, it got you out of the exam room so you could take a breather. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Certainly. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Dr. Gella helped you out of the room and offered you a set of crutches. Together, you hobbled back to the waiting room.

Tazriel was waiting in a seat close to the door when you stepped out. You nodded to Dr. Gella and went to sit next to them as she called in her next patient. Tazriel tilted their head, taking in your crutches and swollen ankle. “Are you done?”

“I’m not,” you said. “It’s… I’m…” You fumbled over your next words. Tazriel waited patiently. “Ugh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. Dr. Gella was right, I don’t have to know. It’s your health,” Tazriel said. “I can leave now, if you want me too, and as long as you have a way home-”

“You don’t have to leave,” you said. Talking to them was at least a distraction from both the throbbing pain in your ankle and the swirling anxiety in your chest. “I don’t like doctor’s offices.”

Tazriel nodded. “I sort of guessed. From the way you were acting about having to go.” They hesitated. “I know I probably overstepped, bringing you here, but you really did need someone to see to that ankle.”

“Yeah, you were right. I actually do need a cast on this thing.” You shifted your ankle and immediately winced. Bad idea. “But I can’t… bring myself to get one.”

Tazriel was silent for a moment, until it was clear you weren’t going to say more. “What bothers you about it?”

You hesitated. “When I was a kid, I screwed up my arm. It was a pretty bad break, from what I remember. And they put a cast on it. I complained about the cast a lot. It was tight and itchy and I didn’t like wearing it at all.”

Tazriel nodded. “Most people don’t.”

“And then, like a week and a half into wearing the cast, it started to hurt. Really badly. I complained about it, but I’d already been complaining about it so much, everyone thought I was just continuing with that. It kept getting worse, but it took another week before anyone believed me enough to take my back to the doctor. And then the doctor was really dismissive when we did go in, so it was a few more days before my parents finally got anyone to pay attention to what was actually happening.” You took a deep breath. “The cast was too tight. And there was some damage to my hand by the time they figured it out and took it off.”

Tazriel blinked, recoiling a little. You saw them sneak a glance at your hand, subtly trying to see what was wrong without being too obvious about it. “The damage wasn’t permanent, thankfully,” you said, stretching out your arm to show them. “There’s a little scar here, but after physical therapy, I can move my hand pretty much the same as anyone else. There’s a little residual pain, on occasion, but it healed well.”

“That’s why you were so fussy about going to the doctor,” Tazriel said. “You didn’t want another cast.” They curled their tail across their lap. “I… I’m sorry for dragging you here.”

“Ah, it’s not your fault,” you said. “You were right. I did need to go. And I wasn’t going to do it unless someone kicked my ass.” You glanced at the door to the exam rooms. “The doctor said I could go without a cast, if I was really uncomfortable having one on, but I really do need one. I don’t want to screw up my ankle any worse than it already is.”

Tazriel sat for a moment, their tail settled across their lap. They were plucking at their feathers. A little further up their tail was the tail band you’d given to them. It had clearly been taking off and cleaned at one point, maybe even polished because it was even shinier than when you’d had it. “You’re still wearing that,” you said. Tazriel glanced toward the band and gave a faint smile.

“Oh, yes. It’s quite beautiful. I appreciate it.” They ran their finger over it, relishing the little textural differences. “I truly wasn’t expecting a gift.”

You laughed, a little embarrassed by how warm their voice had become. “I’m sure people trip all over themselves to give you free samples. You must be swimming in them by now.”

“Sometimes,” they admitted with a sheepish grin. “I try not to accept them too often. I don’t like to take things without paying for them. It feels unfair.”

You nudged their side playfully. “Except when you’re taking from me, huh? Trying to drive me out of business?”

Their face scrunched up in a strange way. “Eh… well…” They ran their hands up and down their tail. “I had… I had a bit of an idea about that. I was hoping perhaps I could offer to pay you back… by taking you out to dinner.”

You thought for a moment. “You wanted to ask me out to dinner?” They nodded. “Why dinner?”

They blinked, like they hadn’t thought that question would be the next one. “It wouldn’t have to be dinner, I suppose. That’s just traditional. But if you didn’t want dinner, I suppose coffee would work as well? Or if there’s something else you’d like to do?”

Your brain chugged for a moment before everything clicked together. They were asking you on a date. Right? Or maybe you were reading them wrong? You’d never been good with those sort of subtleties- maybe they meant something else? Like a friendly dinner? But if you interpreted it as a friendly dinner and they didn’t, then they would be hurt if you treated it like a friendly date, right? But if you tried to clarify and they weren’t asking you on a date, that would be so embarrassing, and maybe they’d be mad at you for being presumptuous about them asking you out…            You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn’t realize you were staring at them until Tazriel cleared their throat. “Er. I- You don’t have to say yes. I thought it might be charming, I suppose? But I suppose it is a little too pushy, so don’t feel obligated to-”

“No, no! I want to!” you said hurriedly. You couldn’t just sit there and let them feel bad! Although, now you were going to have to find a way to determine if this was a date or not without letting them know that you weren’t sure what you’d signed up for.

It seemed like answering in the affirmative was the correct choice, because their entire face brightened. “Really? Ah, that’s a relief. I’m afraid I’m not all that good with these sort of things- people assume I am, I think, but I’m really not used to it at all.” They gave you a particularly rough pat on the shoulder, which jostled you enough to make your ankle ache. You grimaced and they pulled their hands back, tucking them against their body. “Sorry. We can, uh. Hold off on the dinner until you’re feeling better.”

“Yeah,” you muttered. “I… suppose I should get the cast. To make sure that everything heals all right.”

They looked uncertain. “Are you going to be okay with that?”

“It’ll be scary, but I’m a grown-up. I can handle it.” Despite your words, your stomach churned. It wasn’t even going to be a hard cast, like the one you’d had as a kid, but the idea of something pressing in tight, restricting you like that… how were you going to sit through the procedure and just deal with it?

An impulse darted from your brain to the tip of your tongue before you could think better of it. “Will you sit with me when I get the cast on?”

Tazriel’s ears fluffed up and their eyes went wide. It was hard to tell if they were surprised or pleased to be asked. Or both. “You want me to go in with you?” Their tail gave one large wag before they settled it back into their lap. “I don’t know if I’m allowed.”

“If I say you can be in there, then you can be in there,” you said. “I’d just like someone else in there with me in case I, like. Freak out or something.”

They looked at you for a long moment and you were just about to rescind the offer out of embarrassment when they nodded. “Of course. I don’t mind at all.”

Their agreement couldn’t have come at a better time, because the exam room door swung open again and Dr. Gella stepped out. “There you are,” she said, nodding in your direction. “Have you made up your mind?”

You nodded. “I’d like Tazriel to come back with me. Just as, uh. Moral support. If that’s all right.”

Dr. Gella looked between the two of you with slightly raised eyebrows, but all she said was, “There’s some paperwork you’ll have to sign, but I don’ t think there will be any problem with it.”

Tazriel gave a single squeeze to your shoulder and followed you and Dr. Gella back to the proper exam room. You hopped back up on the table and signed a few forms Dr. Gella provided for you while Tazriel hovered a bit awkwardly nearby. “Now, I’m going to set your leg in place with magic and form the cast around it,” Dr. Gella said as soon as the paperwork was safely stored away. “That will make the most comfortable and best-fitting cast. But you’re going to have to try and not move.”

“I can try,” you said. The phantom sensation of being held in a vice grip, unable to pull your leg away even as it was clamped down on tighter and tighter and tighter hit you and you took an unsteady, gulping breath.

Tazriel moved closer so their shoulder was brushing against yours. Even with the high examination table, they had to bend over a bit. “Where were you thinking of going for dinner?”

“F-for dinner?” you said, distracted. Dr. Gella carefully worked a disinfectant and cleaning spell over your ankle, causing a race of cold tingles over your skin. The magic sparked and seemed to solidify as she shifted the magic to start holding your leg still.

“Hey.” Tazriel’s voice dropped a little, adopting a soothing register. “Don’t focus on that, okay? Look at me.”

You turned your head to catch Tazriel’s golden eyes. They beamed. “There you go! Now, I asked you about dinner, remember?” Their face took on a thoughtful expression. “Oh, but you weren’t sure about dinner, were you? I’m happy to go with whatever you’d like.”

“U-um.” The grip around your ankle was tightening, enough to put pressure on the swelling. It ached awfully. “I- I guess… lunch would be fine?” Dinner was too fancy, right? Getting lunch seemed much more low-key. Though, if they were asking you on a proper date, dinner would be more traditional, right?

“Lunch works,” Tazriel said amiably. “Anywhere in particular you want to go?”

“I’m not sure.” You hazarded a glance at your ankle, but before you could get a proper look at it, Tazriel was calling your attention back.

“There’s a cute little bistro near my workplace. If you have no objections, we could go there. Have you ever been? I don’t remember the name, but it’s a pale green building with ivy crawling up the side.”

“I think I’ve seen that,” you said. The grip around your ankle had stopped tightening, but the pressure was still there. You couldn’t flex it at all. Your head thundered erratically. “It looks nice. I’ve never been there.”

“I’ve only been there once, for breakfast, but they had quite a good egg sandwich.” Your gaze started to wander back toward your leg and Tazriel squeezed your hand, drawing your attention back to them. “But they’ve got a lot of variety, so I’m sure you can find something you’ll like there.”

“Uh huh,” you murmured, still distracted. The magic was solidifying into a soft cast, molding itself to the shape of your leg. There wasn’t much pain, but the feeling was still unsettling.

Tazriel licked their lips, their tail flicking rapidly. “Ah, um… Maybe you could talk about how you made this?” They swung their tail around to show off the clip still set against their scales. “It’s lovely. I was very surprised you were willing to give it to me.”

“Well, it is good business practice to make sure customers come back,” you said. “And you were a nice customer.” And maybe the fact that they were cute hadn’t hurt either. Had you actually been flirting with them without realizing it? Well, you weren’t that good at flirting when you were trying at it. Maybe flirting while you weren’t trying made you better at it. It had gotten you a maybe-date, hadn’t it?

“There we are.” Dr. Gella stepped back to examine her handiwork. “Well done. It’s all set.”

You looked down at your leg. It was booted up in a deep blue material, making one of your legs significantly heavier and more awkward than the other. You could move your leg with a decent amount of effort, but you couldn’t really flex your ankle. Gingerly, you slid off the table. Tazriel caught your arm immediately, letting you lean against their body.

“Careful,” Dr. Gella said. You couldn’t tell whether she was talking to you or Tazriel. “Your ankle’s still going to be fragile, so I’d suggest using crutches and keeping as much weight off of it as possible. I’ll write you a script for some pain medication. Take it easy for at least two weeks, then come back in and we can reassess.

“I will,” you said. “Thank you for all your help.”

She waved it off. “Of course. I’m always ready to help Tazriel’s friends.”

“Let me walk you back to your house,” Tazriel said. “Just to make sure you get back okay and have everything you need.” Their tail swayed back and forth eagerly. “And you still have my scale, right? You can call me if it gets worse or you need anything.”

Dr. Gella made a noise of surprise. “A scale, Tazriel? Really?” They paused, looking at her like they’d forgotten she was in the room. “I thought those were important to feathered dragons.”

That answered one of your questions. “I’ve never met a feathered dragon before,” you said, giving Tazriel a surprised look. They rubbed the back of their neck.

“I’m only three quarters- My grandma married a harpy. I’ve got a few more feathers than most feathered dragons.” They swayed their plumed tail back and forth, displaying the pretty feathers there. “And most modern dragons don’t hold to that old notion of scales being given to- you know. It’s convenient.”

“A seerstone is more convenient,” Dr. Gella said. You looked between them, feeling like you’d missed something important.

“What old notion?” you asked. Tazriel shook their head at Dr. Gella, who continued speaking as if she hadn’t seen them at all.

“It was an old tradition for dragons to give out scales to people they were interested in establishing a courtship with,” she said. Tazriel dropped their face into their hands. Their tail drooped to hit the ground with a dull thump. “Admittedly, courtship has fallen out of fashion, so it’s not quite as common anymore, but plenty of dragons still hold to the-”

“Okay, I think maybe you need to go home and rest,” Tazriel said, popping up from their hands and speaking much louder than was necessary for such a small room. They scooped you up over their shoulder with one arm and grabbed the crutches Dr. Gella had for you with the other.

“Be careful,” Dr. Gella said. “You don’t want to jostle their-”

“I’m always very careful,” Tazriel said in their too-loud voice. “I’ll see you another time, thank you.”

You awkwardly propped your head up from where it was hanging down Tazriel’s back. “Thank you, Dr. Gella.”

“Of course. If you need anything else, please give me a call. Just ask Tazriel for my contact information,” she said. Then Tazriel left the room and the door swung shut behind you.

You let yourself lay limply over their shoulder, ignoring the bewildered stares as you walked through the waiting room. Once you were outside and Tazriel’s embarrassed walk had slowed, you picked your head up again. “Perhaps you could give me an opportunity to walk on my own?”

Tazriel stuttered to a stop. “Oh. Yes.” They moved to the shadow of a building and carefully put you down so you could lean against the wall while they put the crutches down. “I shouldn’t have picked you up like that, I was just…” They trailed off.

“It’s fine,” you said, deciding to be polite and not call attention back to their embarrassment. Then you had a question and decided to do it anyway. “Um. So, the thing with the scale…” Tazriel immediately looked like they were considering making a run for it. “It would have been more convenient to use a seerstone, wouldn’t it? Why did you pick the scale?”

Tazriel really looked like they were hoping the ground would swallow them up, but, to their credit, they stood there and answered. “It.... isn’t used as a way to start courting anymore, but… there are certain connotations to it and there are a lot of old legends and…” They cleared their throat and stared firmly at the ground. “I was planning on asking you out. I just hadn’t quite plucked up the courage yet. The scale was more spur of the moment than anything. I didn’t want to ask you out in that moment, not when you were hurt, so I picked something that was similar, but not something you would recognize. I hoped it would maybe help me feel braver next time I saw you. And I suppose I thought maybe the scale would make it more likely for you to call me than just connecting with a seerstone.”

Well. That answered your other question. It was a date. A pleasant prickling sensation rolled through your chest. “I- I thought it was sweet,” you said, partially because it was true and partially so Tazriel didn’t look so painfully shy anymore. They smiled at that.

“Let’s get you home. And connect seerstones so we can actually plan everything out for our lunch.” Tazriel helped you get set up with the crutches and you began your slow journey back to your house.

It took a while to get back to your home, but Tazriel was a pleasant conversationalist. In fact, you were almost disappointed when they stopped at your front door.

“I’ll see you again,” they said. “Get some rest. If you need anything else, I’m available. By scale or seerstone.”

“I’ll call. I promise,” you said. “Thank you for everything.” You carefully balanced yourself on your crutches and reached one of your arms up toward them. They obligingly leaned closer. You took their face in your palm and tugged them in close for just long enough to press a kiss to their cheek.

They didn’t make a sound, but their tail and ear feathers fluffed up. “I’ll call you,” you said. They nodded rapidly. Grinning, you stepped back into your house. You needed to rest up your leg. Once you were healed, you had a date to go on.

#exophilia #monster partner #monster lover #dragon #feathered dragon #dragon lover #monster romance #monster love

[pinkiepiebones]

Prompt: Rain has something he wants to show Copia! Copia is. Less thrilled than Rain is.

Sometimes, the band ghouls forget themselves. They forget that, despite the internet's insistence to the contrary, they are not human. They are strange, inorgangic things, dredged up from and formed in the noxious lakes of Hell itself, spat onto plutonian shores, and birthed into servitude through a summoning circle in a storage basement. They are unnerving mouthless gargoyles with cloven hooves and curved talons and eyes as black and pitiless as a distant mother's heart. They speak inside the mind in a tone which sets aflame a human's deepest, bowel-clenching dread.

So when the bassist ghoul jumped in front of Copia and shouted- actually, it was more like "aimed and projected it's telepathy directly into the sixty-something year old's brain"- as Copia was walking to the Papal kitchen for some coffee, Copia was understandably taken aback.

//PAPA//

Copia reeled and grabbed his head with his gloved hands. "Ghoul!" he shouted- actually, it was more like "very loud and stern speech, no I am not yelling at you, will you please listen to me for once"- and the ghoul immediately bowed it's head.

//MY BAD// it said more gently.

Copia nodded, still a bit dizzy. Not everyone in the clergy could withstand the oppressive weight of a ghoul's speech, and even he got wary of it sometimes. But hhe gestured for the ghoul to continue.

//COME AND SEE//

"Wh-" Before Copia could finish his attempt at a question, a dark grey talon was wrapped around his wrist, and the nameless ghoul called Rain was dragging the church leader outside into the drizzly morning. Copia quietly lamented getting his clerical slippers wet on the damp grass of the grounds. Rain was unaware; it was too busy chanting //COME AND SEE// to notice Copia was not as eager to walk through mud in the early hours.

Finally, Rain stopped and let go of the Papa's wrist. It stood beside him, one scaly arm snaked behind him, talons threatening to dig into the satin shoulder of his clerical pajamas. The other arm was outstretched, a single talon pointing to a completely unimpressive puddle that had formed as a result of the previous night's storms.

Copia's eyes screwed shut and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, very nice, now-"

The ghoul squeezed the Papa tighter and shook him slightly.

//SEE, SEE//

Copia opened his eyes.

A small frog had poked it's head up from the puddle.

Rain's wings fluttered against it's back and it gestured with both hands at the tiny amphibian.

//SEE//

Copia closed his eyes again.

"Yes, a very nice find, indeed. I'm-" he yawned. "I am going back inside now." He made sure to give the ghoul an approving pat on it's feathery head. "Good find, ghoul. Good job. Don't, eh, don't try to catch it, okay? You can be friends with it here, outside."

//KERMIT//

Copia blinked. "Excuse me?"

//I NAMED IT.//

Copia nodded, tired beyond measure. "You sure did, buddy." He navigated back through the mud and grass as the ghoul settled down to commune with it's incredible find.

~end~

ETA: since this is doing such numbers and people seem to enjoy my weird ghouls, please consider checking out FRAGMENTS- it's where I'm collecting all of the minifics I've written over the past five years!

#ghost bc #microfics #the band ghost #nameless ghouls #papa emeritus iv #rain ghoul

[pileofpawns]

Hello, my name is Turtle Johnson. I make posts so good, that I bring back the dead.

Hiya, this is my introduction post! The bit above is just a reference to the Super Ghostbusters album by Vargskelethor - You can actually call me Plum! I’m your local turtle girl who likes to talk about silly stuff on the internet.

About me:

she/her pronouns please, though I don’t mind they/them or any turtle-themed neopronouns

You can default to feminine language when referring to me but I honestly don’t care what gendered language you use! I might not be a guy but you can call me one if it’s funny.

I am a cisgender woman

I am white

I am disabled in the physical (mitral valve prolapse, frequent disabling headaches), neurodevelopmental (ADHD), mental illness (dermatillomania, major depressive disorder), and sensory (myopia, ADHD, misophonia) departments. (wow, all four!) I’m only sharing my specific disabilities here because I feel comfortable doing so and want people to have context when I talk about them.

I’m aroace! (More specifically, sapphic-oriented bold stripe aroace. No romantic or sexual attraction whatsoever but women sure are pretty.)

I am alterhuman and a scalie! My scalesona and main kintype is a three-toed box turtle.

I do not subscribe to online discourse and therefore do not have a “DNI” list. However, I do block freely. I kindly ask that discourse be kept out of this blog. I’m a strict inclusionist and if you think things like queer microlabels, self-diagnoses, and endogenic systems are invalid and/or inherently harmful, I suggest you think about why and do some research on the subject(s).

About the blog:

I primarily post about my many interests and fandoms (see the list below). I also post the occasional art piece I make, talk about queerness, disability, and alterhumanity, and make a lot of nonsensical shitposts.

I try to keep this blog accessible as possible but it is by no means perfect. I typically won’t add include image descriptions to things I’m reblogging (I’m currently trying to get into the habit of tagging these as “undescribed” or “no ID” but the vast majority aren’t), but I do usually add IDs to my original posts. I tag common triggers (usually without a preface of “cw” or “tw”) such as blood, violence, and food. If you ever need me to tag something or make any other accessibility related changes to my blog please let me know!!

I tag pretty much all posts I make, including reblogs, with the type of post (#reblog, #plum rambles, #plum shitposts, #plums art), as well as content warnings, ships, fandoms, and characters when applicable.

There will never be explicit adult content and nothing suggestive beyond like. me laughing at “pe🅱️is” or admiring the general concept of boobs, and even that’s rare. I keep things SFW but be aware that despite my aroace-ness I am still an immature teenager.

Some things I like:

Turtles!!

Art, especially drawing and various crafts

Dungeons & Dragons

Magic the Gathering (casually)

Sonic the Hedgehog

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Usagi Yojimbo

Tales from the Stinky Dragon

SpongeBob SquarePants

Rhythm games

YouTube Poops (YTPs)

My Little Pony (G4 + G3)

Game Changer + Make Some Noise (Dropout shows)

South Park - I’m not very active in the fandom anymore aside from interacting with my fandom mutuals but I was very hyperfixated on it a while back

Other sites:

I post my writing to ao3 under Pile Of Pawns

You can talk to me on discord @ pickledplums (if you send a friend request please tell me who you are if I wouldn’t already know)

Sometimes I put things on YouTube @ pickledplums

The name of my blog as well as the title of this post are references to the Super Ghost Busters album by Vargskelethor. It’s very funny and I highly recommend you check it out. My URL is practically meaningless now but it was meant to be a reference to my main persona (and the other similar characters I had made) at the time, who looks like a chess pawn.

For reference, the character in my icon is my turtlesona, Tir! You can find more art of her under the tag #tir the tortle.

Thank you for reading, and enjoy your stay!

[Image ID: An animated gif of a yellow smiley face with a floating hand happily waving at the viewer. End ID.]

#intro post #(version two: the sequel) #plum rambles #gif #fast gif

[10blue10]

Hiccup and Hel

Hiccup Haddock III was fifty nine years old, and he had just died in his sleep.

Not that he was aware of that, of course. He thought he was having a strange nightmare. Hiccup leaned heavily on a cane. As he’d aged, his stupid leg had acted up more and more, until he was limping about everywhere. His hair and beard had more grey in them than auburn. His hands and face were wrinkled.

He was standing in a dark cavern of some kind, surrounded by bones. Dragon bones. They were illuminated by the sickly green glow of fungi, growing on huge stone stalagmites and on the bones themselves. It was freezing cold. Hiccup shivered. He wished he was wearing his chieftain’s cloak. At least it was warm. “H-hello?” he called out hoarsely. Cleared his throat. “Hello?”

HICCUP HADDOCK, a voice said behind him. He jumped and turned around. Standing there was a tall figure in flowing black robes. Half of their face looked like a beautiful, if extremely pale, woman. The other half was skeletal, literally, with a scarlet dot in the centre of the socket. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU.

A deep terror gripped him and rooted him to the ground. “Y-you have?”

YES. YOU HAVE MUCH TO ANSWER FOR. DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?

Mouth dry with fear, Hiccup could only nod. He could feel himself trembling.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE?

“Um…. Helheim?”

NO. YOU ARE NOT YET IN MY REALM. YOU ARE IN THE HIDDEN WORLD.

“What? N-no, that… that can’t be. The Hidden World is… it’s beautiful, it”-

YOU DARE DOUBT ME?

“No! No, I just… I don’t understand.”

THE DRAGONS OF THE HIDDEN WORLD ALWAYS THROW THEIR DEAD INTO THESE PITS. INTO THE DARKNESS. OUT OF SIGHT. OUT OF MIND.

Hiccup remembered now. Flying with Astrid on Stormfly, over a deep chasm, with bejewelled glowing columns stretching down into the darkness… “But, but then why am I here? Why… are you showing this to me? If you don’t mind.”

ALL OF THESE DRAGONS ARE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU.

That made no sense. He’d never… well, there was the Red Death, but he’d never killed a dragon apart from that. “What… what do you mean?”

SURELY YOU KNOW.

“I…I’m sorry. I don’t.”

THEN YOU ARE A FOOL.

He felt a bit insulted, but didn’t dare respond.

FORTY YEARS AGO, YOU BANISHED YOUR TRIBES DRAGONS HERE.

“I did that to keep them safe.”

SAFE FROM WHAT?

“Well, from - from humans. From dragon hunters. We didn’t deserve them, we… the world wasn’t ready to live in peace with dragons,” he tried to explain.

HOW DO YOU KNOW?

“Because they kept attacking us! Hunters were just gonna keep coming, my dragon - my best friend was nearly killed, I kept putting him in danger.”

I AM AWARE. YOU HAD THE BEST OF INTENTIONS. She sounded sarcastic.

“… Then why did you say I killed all these dragons?”

I DID NOT SAY THAT YOU HAD KILLED THEM. I SAID THEY WERE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU. THEY WERE NOT KILLED BY HUMAN HUNTERS. THEY WERE ALL KILLED BY OTHER DRAGONS, BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID.

Hiccup stared at her. Not because he didn’t understand… he didn’t want to.

Hel waved a skeletal hand; around them, the remains were suddenly covered in flesh and scaly skin. They were all very much still dead. It was just that now he could recognise them. Hiccup found himself staring at a familiar Gronckle. Or rather what was left of it; most of the body had been devoured.

“Is that… Meatlug?!”

SHE DIED TRYING TO DEFEND HER OFFSPRING FROM A STARVING NADDER.   THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH FOOD. FISHLEGS INGERMAN WAITED FOR HER AND FISHMEAT TO COME BACK AND SEE HIM ONE MORE TIME. HE DIED OF A BROKEN HEART, BELIEVING THAT HIS DRAGON HAD FORGOTTEN HIM.

Despite his horror, he couldn’t look away. Instead his gaze was drawn to the next corpse. A Zippleback, with one skull crushed and the other missing.

THEY WERE KILLED WHEN MANY DRAGONS FOUGHT FOR SPACE IN THE HIDDEN WORLD UP THERE. IT WAS TOO OVERCROWDED. RUFFNUT AND TUFFNUT STOPPED TALKING TO EACH OTHER BECAUSE ONE BELIEVES THEIR DRAGON MAY YET VISIT THEM, AND THE OTHER DOES NOT.

Hiccup felt sick. As if compelled - and perhaps he was - he turned and looked at the next corpse. A Monstrous Nightmare, with broken horns and no eyes.

HE DIED CRUSHED UNDER FALLING DEBRIS DURING A CAVE IN CAUSED BY A ROGUE WHISPERING DEATH. HE DIED TRYING TO LEAVE THE HIDDEN WORLD. SNOTLOUT DIED HATING HIS DRAGON FOR ABANDONING HIM. HE DIED HATING YOU EVEN MORE FOR MAKING HOOKFANG ABANDON HIM.  

Bile rose in his throat, and he struggled to hold it down. He looked at the fourth corpse. A blue and yellow Deadly Nadder, encased in Death Song amber.

SHE WAS KILLED BY A DEATH SONG NOT LONG AFTER FLYING FREE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TEN YEARS. THE DRAGONS THAT EAT THEIR OWN KIND ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVE FLOURISHED HERE. ASTRID WILL DIE THINKING HER DRAGON IS SAFE AND HAPPY IN THE HIDDEN WORLD.

Hiccup was facing her again. He knew what she would show him next. He didn’t want to see it. Hel stepped aside. Behind her lay a Night Fury, glassy green eyes staring into nothingness. A rusted and rotten and bloodied tail-fin lay nearby. The corpse had been savaged, wings broken and tail torn off.

It was too much. He retched, stomach clenching painfully. “No… please, no…”

HIS PROSTHETIC FELL APART WHEN HE TRIED TO BREAK UP YET ANOTHER FIGHT. HE BEGGED HIS MATE TO GO AND FIND YOU. SHE WAS SHOT DOWN AND KILLED BY HUNTERS STILL SCOURING THE ARCHIPELAGO. HE WAITED FOR HER TO RETURN WITH YOU. HE WAITED FOR YOU TO COME HELP HIM.

“I’m sorry… Toothless, Stormfly, all of you! I’m so sorry!” Tears ran down his cheeks. “I never… I never meant for any of this to happen! Please, I’m sorry!”

IT DID HAPPEN.

He looked at her desperately. “Please, I’m begging you. Tell me how to fix it. I’ll do anything, I - I can ask Zephyr to help, she can find a way to… to…”

YOU CANNOT ASK HER. YOU WILL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN.

“… Why?”

YOU KNOW WHY.

Hiccup did know, deep down. The cane slipped from his grasp. He fell to his knees, and crawled through the muck to Toothless’ corpse. He reached out a trembling hand, gently brushed his best friends’ eyes closed. “…. What now?”

THE DARKEST DEPTHS OF HELHEIM ARE RESERVED FOR TRAITORS. YOU MADE THE GREATEST BETRAYAL OF ALL. YOU BETRAYED YOURSELF.

“… And my people. And all of our dragons,” he whispered numbly.

YES. YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO TRAITORS IN HELHEIM.

He did know. Just as he knew, without a shadow of doubt, he deserved it.

“Please,” he begged. “Tell me something… good. Please. Just one thing.”

…. GRIMMEL THE GRISLY NEVER KILLED ALL THE NIGHT FURIES.

“He - he didn’t?”

OF COURSE NOT. HE WAS A DELUDED LIAR. IF YOU HAD LET THE DRAGONS STAY, AND SEARCHED BEYOND THE HIDDEN WORLD, YOU WOULD HAVE FOUND A VAST LAND FILLED WITH HUNDREDS OF NIGHT FURIES.

A spike of regret pierced his heart, along with fear, guilt, grief, and self-hate. All this time… Hiccup knelt there, surrounded by corpses, and sobbed. He felt himself be grasped by crushing claws, and whimpered. He looked into the eyes of Nidhogg, who was in the form of a Red Death; he looked at the gaping maw full of jagged fangs that would chew on his body for eternity… and screamed.

#thw salt #idk i was bored #thw hiccup

[peonycats]

Worst of times: 17, 19 and 25 ;P Best of times: 18, 22, 24.

17. Number of fandom-related words you've filtered

Uhhh I've filtered most of the popular ships lmao Rochu USUK GerIta Amepan Romechu?

19. Has anyone ever gotten mad over how you've portrayed a character or over a headcanon or something?

I remember someone called me a bunch of slurs in Arabic over Mr. Saudi Arabia? That was crazy haha

25. Fandom Sins

Girl y'all want me to confess all my fandom sins 😭 I once wrote a self-insert fanfiction where I was hanging out with Mr. Yao Wang and my self-insert was named ZELDA OF ALL THINGS

18. List three artists you want to shoutout

@tianshiisdead @miyuecakes @kimetsunozushi69 hi besties 😳

22. Why did you start watching Hetalia

Bruh in fifth grade my best friend showed me some Hetalia memes (If you remember, it was the black frame and caption in white Times New Roman font) and told me it was about them personified nations- I was really into dragons at the time, and I think if I never got into Hetalia I would've become a scaly or smth 😂

24. Name something someone has done to make the fandom a more positive place

I'll always have fond memories of when I joined a zine that was raising money for AAPI charities after the Atlanta Spa Shooting, among many many other zines that have donated their proceeds to charitable causes 😊

#ask #hetalia #ask game #siwar-fen

[prongsmydeer]

Ayesha Liveblogs She-Ra S1

“Is that a mouse?!” Why is it just an accepted fact of this universe that some people are furries and scalies

“This is what I raised you for,” is a messed up thing to say to anyone but particularly in the context of a military draft

I know “Horde” is an actual word but that it’s called the Horde and their leader “Hordak”... imagine if the Empire in SW was “the Darthettes” 

Based on only these two scenes Catra seems like a difficult friend to have with the sulking and not waiting her turn at the helm

“Dear Mom, I feel like you don't respect me.” A teenage mood 

Bow picking up and folding Glimmer’s clothes, what a sweetheart

“Will you fight for the honour of Grayskull?” Seems like an unfair question without defining Grayskull

“Not much for talking, huh?” “I prefer not to swap pleasantries with my captors.” Adora makes a very reasonable point, Bow

Speaking of captors, I assume that Adora did once have parents:

“Where’s a blinding flash of light when you need one?” We call that foreshadowing

Glimmer’s core personality trait so far is stubbornness to a fault

“I never knew where I came from or who my family was. Shadow Weaver said it didn’t matter who I was before, that I was nothing before Hordak took me in. There’s always been a part of me that I just don’t know anything about.” Which came first Finn from Star Wars or Adora from She-Ra lmao

Adora discovering birthdays and horses and all she missed of the outside world is really very endearing 

“She’s been messing with our heads since we were kids.” “How could you possibly be okay with that?” “Because it doesn’t matter what they do. The two of us look out for each other. And soon, we’ll be the ones calling the shots.” It’s actually really sad that Catra is so resigned to being manipulated and that she views Adora as her entire support system, someone put these girls in therapy

“But I was stupid. And a jerk, and I almost got us killed.” That was a quick turnaround time on the stubbornness, good on Gimmer

“It’s been an honour serving beside you, Horsey.” I delight in every minute of screentime that Bow has

I feel like a lot of these Horde soldier concerns can be partly addressed by making sure Adora has a different outfit when she meets the queen

I love the immediate friendship with the horse and how they just call them “Horsey”

“She attacked our troops with a sword and then fled with the help of a winged beast.” I mean... Adora defended herself with a sword, which is not the same thing as attacking. These guards are lying. She-Ra said, even in pastel space: ACAB

“I know her secret.” “And what’s that?” “Hm. Like I’d tell you.” Everything about Catra just screams I am gay and in 10th grade at all times. I’m sorry I compare everything to Naruto but she is Space Lesbian Furry Sasuke. I will not elaborate

I’m guessing Mara is a previous host(?) of She-Ra 

“I don’t have my glasses, you’ll have to speak up.” I relate to this sentiment, Madame Razz

Very genuine question: Is She-Ra’s pacing/dialogue slower than the average animated series because I keep having to switch it to 1.25 speed in order to move through the show hfkjhfkjhf what is up with it

Although I understand that this is a struggle between a corrupt military empire and a rebellion of united forces/nations a la Star Wars, whenever they bring up that this is a monarchical system, I can’t help but be like, “Dissolve the monarchy!!” I blame Magi the anime. Or the British empire. Probably both

“Catra has been nothing but a disappointment to me.” “If you have failed to condition her properly, you have no one but yourself to blame.” Hordak and Shadow Weaver are like a divorced couple who can’t agree on how to teach their kids responsibility

This is the second time I’m mentioning it, but how much of the outward hostility towards Adora would be solved if they got her a different outfit???? A lot of it, probably

I am assuming that Shadow Weaver is fixated on Adora mostly bc she is a lost princess and not bc she has any emotional attachment to her

“You want She-Ra to fix everything, but you won’t even try to save yourselves?” They are so close to the idea of democracy and yet so far 

Lmao @ these three teens turning a diplomatic supply mission into encouraging a pacifist nation to throw away their ideology and smack people down with plants

How the heck was Adora hiding that GIANT sword in her Horde uniform and somehow no one took note. No one ever managed to look at her back as she walked in?????

“Would I get to hit more people with flowers?” Perfuma said: Actually it turns out, I love violence

Bow and Glimmer giving Adora a firmer bed and sleeping in her room bc they understand she’s used to military barracks... I love the Best Friend Squad 

It’s funny how often Queen Angella makes war decisions based on ‘Glimmer asked very nicely’

“Everyone here looks like a real pirate.” I’m gonna be real with you, Bow, it looks like you’ve entered a lesbian bar rather than a pirate’s tavern, but I guess there is a Venn diagram crossover of interests

“Tragically, they went down in flames.” “How did that happen?” “I set them on fire.” I think I like Captain Sea Hawk

The men on this show are fun. Bow is so easily excited and impressed and Captain Sea Hawk is no thoughts just vibes

Gkhgkgjhg Shadow Weaver not giving Catra the Force Captain orientation while simultaneously using her to hunt Adora is kind of like cutting off her nose to spite her face

There is something about the concept of Mermista and Sea Hawk dating that I find very endearing:

Does some voice innately speak to Adora or does she point the sword and hope

“Try being the daughter of an immortal queen when your powers are ‘sparkles.’” 1) Salt in the wound to be named Glimmer kghkgjhgk imagine if Superman/Clark Kent was called Laser Eyes also 2) Way to casually drop that Queen Angella is immortal??? What???

 Makes a lot of sense that Bow would have the advantage in a battle since he seems to have been an active part of the rebellion for some time vs these Horde cadets who are on their first mission

She-Ra’s height is a little perplexing bc Adora seems to essentially maintain her proportions so rather than being a tall person she just looks like a person x1.15. Adora + HST (Hardy Size Two)

Update from 3 minutes later: Mermista just described her as an ‘eight foot tall lady’ which doesn’t make any sense at all. She is one (1) head taller than Catra, and I don’t think Catra is 7 feet tall. She-Ra’s gotta be like. 6′5″ at best  

Confused by Bow’s gesture with Mermista, is he participating in the magic or just posing???

“The Horde almost destroyed my home. I wanna help fight them.” This feels like a strong description for what happened. They knocked at your door and you kicked their sixteen-year-old asses. But I see your point, Mermista 

The sixth episode intro is giving very much Jumpstart 3rd Grade 

“I designed the castle as a labyrinth. I’m the only one who can navigate it.” What a horrible thing to do to your staff. Even cartoon rich people have no perspective LOL

[Glimmer Tiktok audio voice] 🎶 Adora wake up, I don’t like this, Adora wake up 🎶

I understand that Entrapta’s thing is tech but characters who like to experiment on beings with sentience give me the heebie jeebies like would she normally dissect a person like Adora??

Also I feel like it would’ve been more humanizing if she felt any emotion at all towards fighting the First Ones tech robots. But she seems to be indifferent to both people AND robots???

I appreciate that they’re starting to show the need for and strength of individuals like Bow and the kitchen staff in this world where princesses seem to be the be-all end-all of strength against the Horde

“You each have a skill that only you can do, even if it doesn’t come from some magical jewel.” Bow on theme as always. Love him to pieces:

Also LMAO @ Bow convincing the staff to join in on the robot fight in less than 10 seconds

“I don’t have enough energy to teleport us all right now. Not without leaving someone’s legs behind.” Is the implication here that Glimmer has left someone’s legs behind before jkhgkjhg

Loving how much this ep relies on teamwork <3 Go Bow’s Kitchen Robot Mercenary Squad hahaha

Entrapta immediately putting back together the disc that nearly just killed them. Hoo boy. Always trust your heebie jeebies

“My Aunt Castaspella is head sorceress there.” JKGHKJGHKJGH I guess I understand why Angella named her daughter Glimmer. They do literal names only in this family LMAO

They’re reinforcing that She-Ra is eight feet tall, which again, HOW?

“How nice that Glimmer has finally started making some friends.” We all have an aunt like Aunt Casta jghkjghgj

“Adora, do you know what ‘aunt’ means?” “No, I was just hoping someone would eventually explain.” KJHGKJGHKJGH Adora, what do they teach you in evil military space school

“Some say she never really left. That’s she only biding her time, waiting to exact her revenge.” Wgkjhkgjhg the connect between Light Spinner and Shadow Weaver is as subtle as a ton of bricks

Awww Glimmer and Bow immediately understand that Shadow Weaver is Adora’s Terrible Mum

Wasn’t sure til now if Shadow Weaver knew that Adora was She-Ra 

“You never loved me. You just played twisted mind games.” Everything about Shadow Weaver and Adora is like. Hallmark abuse

It’s cute how the beach has clouds as waves. I love world-building

“If you want to take down Adora, you have to go for the heart.” 1) Don’t like that 2) Why the lingering shot on Bow rather than Bow and Glimmer

“Unfortunately, you’re the only I can trust around here.” “Because we’re best friends.” Scorpia is kind of delightful lmao

“I never really fit in with the other princesses.” It’s tough being a half Scorpion in this economy

Princess Prom is SO cute I love their outfits and the ball concept

“But don’t you see? That’s how it starts. Then suddenly everyone has new friends and nobody needs me anymore.” Glimmer needs to talk to a therapist about her anxious attachment 

Bow is VERY good at communicating his feelings and boundaries with Glimmer re: having other friends. We love an emotionally aware man

“She stole my food and asked me to spy on people with her. Is this what love feels like?” Being gay and in 10th grade: Jealousy Edition

I guess Scorpia and Catra chose Bow first because he was the more accesible target, given Glimmer’s teleporting abilities

Catra continues to ruin Adora’s life and then question why she doesn’t want to hang around with her lol

“We’re the Princess Alliance. And the Horde took one of our own.” YEAHHH MERMISTA, I LOVE A TEAMWORK <3333333

Fjgkhkgjhg I would say that Mermista got the short end of this mission task for the sewer thing, but Perfuma and Adora have to wrangle Sea Hawk and Entrapta lol

GKJHKJGHKJGH a very honest take from Bow:

Bow: Why are you telling me all this?

Kyle: I don’t know... I guess because you’re the first person who’s listened to me. 

Bow: I mean, I’m being held prisoner, so I don’t know that I have a choice... but sure!

“Go to the force captain barracks and pack your things. Now that Adora is back, there’s no need for you there.” I feel like the flaw in Shadow Weaver’s thinking is how she possibly believes Adora could fight for their cause again

Adora sacrificing herself to get the rest of the Princess Alliance out is giving Season 1 VLD Allura, Dreamworks got one mission move 

“You shall stay willingly, because I am going to wipe your mind.” Ah, there it is

GO GLIMMER GIVING SHADOW WEAVER THE PUNCH SHE DESERVES:

“This is not because I like you,” said Catra as she handed over the sword, even though it definitely was, proving that being gay and in tenth grade can in fact lead to the downfall of imperialism

[Princess Alliance as ATLA voice] ‘Did Entrapta just die?’ ‘You know, it was really unclear’

Gjkghkjgh the fact the flames were the same moody green light for the door shut/burst of flames as it was for Jet in the underground. If the people who wrote this ep did not watch ATLA, I would be SHOCKED

As a sidenote, I don’t think Entrapta’s dead lol. It wouldn’t have even crossed my mind to consider she was dead until Bow suggested it LOL, I really just thought it was the door closing 

“If I had known, I never would’ve agreed to your foolish plan.” All this Horde team meeting suggests is that Hordak is not a particularly effective leader LOL 

I think honestly they should’ve kept him obscured for longer to up his villainous aura. Like on a scale of cartoon villainy from like, Dr. Doofenschmirtz to Him in that one really fucked up episode of Powerpuff Girls, this guy seems like a solid Hawk Moth. He’s certainly not as scary as the comparable media of VLD’s Zarkon

“What do you do when you have a cold?” “Remain out of sight.” [Concerned glances] “What? Displays of physical weakness are strongly discouraged in the Horde.” Once an episode Adora reminds everyone of what a horrific childhood she had 

Not sure what Glimmer plans to achieve by hiding her Dark Magic Flu, surely deceiving her mother will only result in more restrictions later on 

In answer to an earlier question, Adora’s strategy for figuring out her She-Ra powers really is just ‘point the sword and hope’

“Hey, you can’t just touch another woman’s tail without asking,” said Scorpia, like they weren’t holding Entrapta captive without asking

In fairness to Glimmer and Adora, they really just had to take the others word for it. They didn’t see what happened to Entrapta!

“Am I the only one who cares about sword safety around here?” Poor, rational Bow has been cursed to be besties with two people whose only two braincells constantly scream, ‘Magic’ and ‘Fight’

Again, I get that Entrapta is representing a specific type of person but it doesn’t sit right with me how ambivalent she is about the Horde. What is ur moral code Entrapta? What matters to u, aside from making technological discoveries? Who matters? 

“I was hard on you. I won’t deny it, and I won’t apologize. I just wanted to prepare you for the world. I wanted you to be strong.” “Well, congratulations, I’m plenty strong now.” Yaddah yaddah generational trauma 

“I shouldn’t have been so weird about you hanging out with someone else. I’m sorry Bow.” Glimmer’s hand on Bow’s chin as she reassures him: <3 Best Friend Squad 

“I don’t know how you feel? I got your father killed!” WHAT IN THE ABBY GRIFFIN

Ah, it was more of a battle decision than a betrayal lol

“Don’t make the same mistake I did. I should have kept fighting, and you should too.” Wow, this episode wasn’t kidding about yaddah yaddah generational trauma 

“You must let go.” Does this mean that She-Ra also has to go on a spiritual journey towards asceticism and not prioritizing her loved ones with a mystical racially-coded guru a la Aang

Update from 18 min later: Yeah.

I like that Catra and Adora are finally getting to hang out again, even if it is while they are being attacked by giant spiders during the Alien Mega-Computer Hang-out Cyber-Security Lockdown 

“I knew you’d be weird about me letting you escape. I told you it’s not because I like you,” Adora said the furry doth protest too much

These Fright Zone simulations are very sweet <3 Childhood!!

I love the subtle contact like Adora smiling when Catra’s tail brushes her hands 

“Adora, you must do a better job of keeping her under control.” Again. This favourite and scapegoat.... sickeningly realistic abuse tactic hoo boy

“I didn’t want you to come back.” We have circled back to Space Lesbian Furry Sasuke. Sever your bonds so u can get stronger Catra (derogatory/affectionate):

“I wonder what I could’ve been if I’d gotten rid of you sooner.” You would’ve unlocked your mangekyo sharingan, Catra

“You ever meet someone and just instantly click?” Awww Scorpia’s adoration of Catra is quite sweet

NJFKKJFHFKJ what I imagine to Catra’s inner monologue

Scorpia: She is the best friend ever.

Catra, biting her fist to keep from crying: Adora used to call me that.

“I watched you grow up from afar.” That’s a weird thing to say

KHGKJHGKJGHK lmao @ Adora pointing it out as well. “Creepy? Yes, I have, I been called this before.” I’ve only known Light Hope for like 10 seconds but already I enjoy her

“Our horse!” “I... am my own horse.” WHAT THE HELL SWIFT WIND CAN TALK?

“As part of Adora’s herd, I need your help.” That’s so cute and weird that Swift Wind measures friendship by herd. I am so thrown by this horse thing, I had no clue this was coming

“I will not consign you to the same regrets.” Angella said the generational trauma ends with me!!!

“Etheria’s not just a planet. Whatever the First Ones did to it, it went deep.” Oh good, I have been perplexed about what the hell Etheria was in the first place. A solar system? A galaxy? A country? So they are all living on the same planet, yeah?

I didn’t know the ‘You’re asking me about my theories’ audio came from She-Ra

“The First Ones were explorers who journeyed from beyond the stars to settle Etheria.” So were they like the actual first ones or is this a North America type of situation

“You are the first She-ra in a thousand years.” Ah, exposition

“Which means, [the runestones are] our best access point to hack the planet.” ENTRAPTA. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU

Is this little guy Hordak’s son or like. The Wicked Witch’s flying monkeys

Oh. He’s like that iDog Robot that plays music from ur mp3 player

“You are distracted by your attachments. There was one before you who could not let go.” Oh no, Adora’ll never reach the Avatar state now

Wait Madame Razz knows Mara the She-Ra from ONE THOUSAND YEARS AGO? How old is she????

“Mara stranded us in the empty dimension of Despandos.” Stranded whomst?? Etheria?? Did she plop u down like a pin on Google Maps??

I assume it will become apparent to us that Mara had a reason for what she did

“You’re really going to let this... this Princess tinker with my runestone?” “Her tinkering has boosted the firepower of every weapon she’s touched. So yes, she gets to tinker with whatever she wants.” This what happens with u mix feminism with imperialism LMAO

On that note, is power passed on matrilineally in this universe? Since it’s all princesses using the runestones, I guess gender must be a relevant factor in magic usage, huh? Unless weirdly for two generations everyone just happened to have exclusively daughters?

“Freedom, equality and hay for all.” Fascinated by the horse politics 

“What good is all of your power if you don’t use it to help the people you love?” This is why I don’t see the point of these spiritual or emotional journeys to let go of the people around u. Ultimately, isn’t their reason for continuing to pursue balance, or the mission, or whatever the hell, the love of their people? I can’t believe I’m taking narrative reflections from a horse

“I didn’t do this fulfill some destiny. I became She-Ra to help others. My attachments, my friends, they’re part of who I am.” THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING, ADORA

“It’s in the name. Net-ossa. I toss nets!” “Yes darling, you have beautiful nets.” Are Spinerella and Netossa girlfriends? <3 <3 <3 Love that for them

“All I did was push [Catra] further to the side of evil.” I don’t think you can take responsibility for that Adora, Catra chose this all on her own 

Kinda worried they might kill or incapacitate Angella. Glimmer only has one living parent! 

Catra is being so mean and for what? Cause Adora’s more athletic and she’s the Avatar-Jinchuriki-Jedi-Chosen Magical Girl? Please 

Wouldn’t covering Etheria in darkness make it unsuable for the Horde? What do you gain from destroying the planet? Isn’t that where you want to take over? Very, ‘I’m one of the idiots who live there’ 

Oh my god. Has Glimmer been glitching because she’s connected to the Black Garnet now. Oh my god. IS GLIMMER GONNA BLOW UP THE HORDE

Adora apologizing for not being able to save the world on her own and Bow immediately comforting her, paying no heed to the weapons aimed at them... I LOVE THEIR FRIENDSHIP A LOT 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Also really enjoy how apparent they’ve made it that Spinerella and Netossa are 1) very nice and 2) very talented and battle-equipped

MERMISTA AND SEAHAWK AND PERFUMA WOOOOOOOOOOO

Even the little ice princess whose name I cannot recall!!! Whole gang’s here

Entrapta could be here too if she gave her friends the benefit of the damn doubt and didn’t terrorize the world for the sake of science!!

Absolutely LOVE that Sea Hawk and Bow are part of the princess magic rainbow blast:

“You will have other chances to prove your worth to me as my second in command.” Hate this for Catra. Like the Non-Space Lesbian Furry Sasuke, I just want her to get some therapy for her childhood trauma and then understand that experiencing love is not a weakness

What a colourful and happy ending to a violent battle. This show is really trying to balance two wildly different aesthetics and tones, huh? It’s grown on me, though! I like it 

#ayesha says things #liveblogging #ayesha liveblogs she-ra #attention span hack: liveblogging shows forces u to concentrate while watching #low focus was def a challenge for this one LOL #it took literal years to finish season 1 #she-ra #television #long post

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

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[theskeletoninthegarden]

You know I have to hit you with that 8., 25., and 30. for the BG3 ask thing.

For bonus points answer for wach of your Tava, or just pick the Tav you feel is best. The world is your oyster.

AHHHH! I've had two Tavs, and a few Durges, but there's only one I plan on taking to end game right now, Tavrose, and one I use for all of my writing, Quinntav. I'll answer for those two, since they're the most established.

Tavrose is a Geralt type that is, in game, classed as an Eldritch Knight with a pact made with Raphael, and who spends their time dealing with monster related problems (slaying is optional). Tav is a pretty stoic fellow, with a pretty dry sense of humor, and very little phases them, as they were cared for by Raffy for some time as a youth. Also, if you need help negotiating your way out of a bad deal, they're the one to call. They have a minor in law, and they read monster facts for fun in their spare time.

Quinntav is a senior member of the Circus of the Last Days, and is a former Blood Hunter with the duel wielding fighting type, and following the Pact of the Profane Soul. But they're also a talented sword juggler, tight rope walker, fire breather, violin player, card dealer, sword swallower, etc etc etc and amateur clown. Quinntav is a smile their way through anything type, wielding sass better then their own blades, and carrying a pretty high capacity for weird bullshit. Unlike Tavrose, when they start to get "stab happy" they tend to be obvious about it. They're the weird friend who will show up in your kitchen at 3am eating your cereal without notice. I've been using Mollymauk Teleaf as inspiration, but haven't commissioned a picture yet for them.

Both are Dark Urge characters, both are Mephistopheles Tieflings, and both are children of a follower of Selune. Both have also been aware of their heritage for a decade or so, so they're pretty good at swatting away their urges.

8. Who are they suspicious of?

Tavrose isn't suspicious of anyone. That sounds weird, but unless they're actively having to deal with someone else's problem with something or someone else, they don't really bear anything or anyone any mind. It's not until game events occur where people begin to actively target them and the party that the begin to show some modicum of motivation to deal with anyone.

Quinntav, in the game, is pretty lukewarm towards the Harpers for a while, until they get to know Jahira. They remain borderline ambivalent towards the Flaming Fists throughout the game, and generally aren't receptive to anyone in significant positions of ruling authority. If they could get away with killing Vlaakith, punching Duke Ravenguard, and fighting Zariel in hand to hand combat, they would. To name a few examples. They have a pact with Raffy thanks to their urges but they're far more crotchety about it then Tavrose.

25. What arcana major best represents your Tav?

Tavrose: The Chariot. Tavrose isn't a driven person, they have no real goals, very few attachments, and lack the discipline to deal very much more about their urges beyond simply restraining them. On the other hand, when this is reversed, you'll not find a more loyal, to the ends of the earth, ride or die motherfucker. When Tavrose finally gets their shit into gear their undoubtly remarkable focus towards completing a goal, and doing it well, cannot be ignored.

Quinntav: The Fool, easy. Quinn is one of my typical reckless, damn if this kills me, joker types, who comes off as being generally free spirited and hilarious, but secretly has a great deal about themself that they're not sharing with the class. The Dark Urge/Haunted One background is the driving force behind much of this, including their martyr complex.

30. What is your favorite thing about your Tav?

Tavrose? They're an enormous lover of all things scaly, furry, you name it. They come off as stoic, and their social skills are...chilly, to say the least. But if you want to know, or don't want to know, about the life cycle of an Aboleth, they're your Tiefling. The owlbear cub is in perfect hands.

Quinntav? In short, everything. But Quinn is one of my blorbos right now, existing on rotation in my head, 24/7.

In length: Quinn learned Common Sign to speak to Zara specifically. Quinn cackles like a hyena in battle. Quinn regularly sleeps in everyone else's tent. Quinn flipped off Vlaakith and they were incarnated. Quinn wags their tail like a dog. Quinn is touch deprived. Quinn loves trashy romance novels. Quinn the Blood Hunter is in a relationship with the vampire. Quinn has been naked around everyone at least once. Quinn and Karlach have teamwork feats together. Quinn is a little in love with everyone in the party. Quinn is demisexual. Quinn named the Owlbear Carnage. Quinn has a coffin of holding. Quinn's Guardian looks like their sister, {REDACTED}. Quinn is heavily scarred from the neck down. Quinn is amethyst skinned, plum haired, black horned, and red eyed. Quinn's right horn is tipped with a crescent moon, for themself, and the other a star, for their mother. Quinn has Astarion Marked, in case of a kidnapping. Quinn is secretly a level 17 character. Quinn was born in 1411 DR. Quinn gave everyone in the party a nick name. Quinn is Half-Elven. Quinn has the second highest body count. Quinn commissioned a Ring of Protection for Astarion, and tested it out on themself, with Dame Aylin using Sunlight on them. Quinn has a short fic. QuinnQuinnQuinn.

#i want a tattoo of the fool on my body somewhere #and to commission a picture of Quinn as The Fool #thank you so much johnny #you continue to be a gift #i wish you could have a warlock pact with raffy in game

[jamesthedigidestined]

Digital Love

This is a birthday fic dedicated to @dutchforstrangers, someone who has become irreplaceable to me in every sense of the word. She helped me rediscover my love for Digimon and more than that, helped me discover things about myself. She takes amazing care of me and I couldn’t ask for someone better in my life. She is truly my Digital Love 🧡🧡🧡

The 21st of March. Out of all days, Taichi knew to tread lightly on that one. It was the day of one of his largest fights with Sora, and consequently led to almost losing the entire world. And if it weren’t for the ingenuity of his best friend Koushirou, they would have.

“I guess that’s why old men say ‘a happy wife is a happy life’.” Taichi laughs softly and sighs, drinking from his glass of orange juice. It was years after that fateful day, and it was nothing but a memory. A strong, nerve-wracking one, but one he didn’t share alone.

And, ever since that day, he was much more careful to gift Sora things she would enjoy, and they would talk about them properly. If she felt upset by a gift they would talk it out and learn to understand each other because of it. Even if gifts didn’t always work out, it was a valuable experience to learn about each other.

This birthday was not like normal birthdays though. It was the first birthday of Sora’s since they began dating, and it was so close to their anniversary as well. To Taichi, who had grown familiar and happy with their current system, felt like one wrong move and everything could collapse on-top of him.

So, naturally, there was only one person he could call.

“Hey, Koushirou? Are you awake?”

“Mmmh, you caught me just as I got out of bed. So yes, but barely. Is something wrong?”

“Yes, it’s about Sora…”

After explaining his insecurities, Koushirou was quick to invite him to his apartment for breakfast.

After the phone call, Taichi hears the small clacking of claws against hardwood. Turning his head thallway quickly greets him with a small dinosaur-like monster, currently rubbing his eyes.

“Wow, you’re up early Tai! Normally you don’t get up till noon on saturdays.” Agumon notes, drawing laughter from the crazy-haired man as his partner walks to his side.

“It’s a bit of a special day, Agumon. I have to get Sora some gifts before her birthday next week.” Taichi explains, softly scratching the firm scaly head of Agumon.

“Oooh, then that means you’ll be picking up a cake too, right? And speaking of food, I’m hungry! What’s for breakfast, Tai?” Agumon looks up inquisitively, sniffing the air to see if he can tell what it may be without seeing it.

“Let me get you a quick bite, we don’t need you emptying Koushirou’s pantry! Remember how annoyed Tentomon got when you accidentally ate his favorite honey crackers?” Taichi laughs, shooting Koushirou a text of his sudden change in plans before moving to fix him an omelette.

“Hey, it’s not my fault! He showed them to me and I was hungry! Wait, are we going to Izzy’s after breakfast?” Agumon grins at the idea, taking a seat at the table.

“Yeah! To plan out Sora’s gift. Now eat up Agumon, we can’t keep him waiting!” Taichi quickly serves his favorite dinosaur his plate, steam slowly rolling off the fresh omelette.

“Oh boy! Thanks Tai!”

~~~~~~~~~

After feeding his ravenous reptile, Taichi begins the trek to his favorite (male) redhead. A rather short one, they only lived a few floors apart thanks to their shared work, but it was still far enough that they unfortunately didn’t spend all of their time together. Though it still gave Taichi comfort, as he was reminded of their childhood being in the same apartment building.

Taichi soon nears the familiar door. Giving it a firm knock reveals Koushirou, dressed in a large t-shirt and pajama bottoms.

“It appears I’m underdressed for the occasion, eh Taichi-san?” Koushirou jokes, pointing to Taichi’s novelty “suit” t-shirt as he steps aside to let them in. Taichi laughs as he enters the apartment, thanking Koushirou for his hospitality.

Soon they’ve sat down to eat, and Koushirou begins the conversation rather swiftly.

“So, you’re worried that after so long, being in a relationship with Sora-san will change how she perceives your gift?” Koushirou questions casually, beginning to dig into his food as he smiles warmly.

“Of course I am! Things are different, we’re not kids anymore. What if she doesn’t enjoy my gift? What if she takes it the wrong way and we fight?” Taichi lays his fears out plainly to his best friend before Koushirou turns to his side, softly hugging Taichi.

“You’ll both be fine, she’s our Sora-san after all. She’ll fully understand your buying habits and methodology after so long.” Koushirou soothes Taichi as best he can, gently pushing Taichi to start to eat.

“Hmm… but I’m still unsure of gift ideas…” Taichi slowly states, thinking as he starts to eat his own meal.

After that they were left in a comfortable silence, eating and enjoying themselves as they watched their Digimon goof around, eventually ending in a harmless “stand off” between Agumon and Tentomon over Tentomon’s cat perch-turned-‘tree’.

“You know, Taichi-san, if it would help you, I may have a gift idea…”

“Please Koushirou, I’m drawing nothing but blanks!”

“Alright, well, I know she’s been gossiping a lot about some boy band with the rest of the girls. I believe their name was ‘Stray Kids’. I can’t say I entirely follow, but I know she’s been very enthusiastic about it.”

“So that’s what she’s been dancing to! Koushirou, you’re a genius!” Taichi beams wide, holding him tight.

“Will you come with me to find a gift, Koushirou? Or have you already bought yours?”

“I already have a gift, however, I have been planning to pick up some new CDs.”

“Really? CDs in this day and age? You’re still so old-school Kou~”

“If they still make them then it’s not quite all that ‘old-school’, now is it? Anyway, give me a moment to change and we can head out.”

“Kou, we’re fine like this! Casual, sure, but it’s the weekend!”

“Fine, Taichi-san, I’ll try to be casual today. Tentomon, could you please hold down the apartment while we’re away?”

“And Agumon, don’t touch Tentomon’s tree!”

“Thank you Taichi-han, at least someone tried talking some sense into him! And I will do my best Koushirou-han, please stay safe!”

“Aww but Tai, it looks so comfy!”

“Agumon, I’ll build you your own comfy cave when I get back, okay?” Taichi laughs as he stands to retrieve theit jackets, the air still not fully warmed after the Winter’s harsh chills.

“Alright Tai, stay safe! Byeee!” And with that, both Agumon and Tentomon begin to wave, the young men returning the gesture as they close the door.

~~~~~~~~~

After a long, albeit fun, day with Kou at the local shopping mall, Taichi finally had his gift for Sora in hand. It was pristinely wrapped in tiger stripes, something he felt fit Sora perfectly.

Although, his fears were still prevalent. What if she hated the CD? She has them all on streaming, after all. Regardless though, Koushirou assured him that it was a good gift as it showed his interest in her hobbies and acknowledges them.

Taking that to heart, Taichi intended to listen to the music with her. He began to research into the band, at least well enough to decipher who was who in the group. He even noticed some similarities between himself, his friends, and this group.

So, with all of the prepping he’s done and the gift in hand, he decides to rush in headfirst.

“Soraaa, I’m hereee~” Taichi sings playfully, knocking the syllables out as he waits for Sora to answer. Rather quickly an arm grabs him and pulls him inside, a tight hug formed around him.

“Well there you are Taichi! I’ve been waiting for you~” Sora coos happily, moving to kiss his cheek.

“Sorry! I had to do some last minute preparations! We should be all set now for our night alone~” Taichi returns the sentiment as he holds her close, their lips just about to touch before the present slides itself inbetween their faces.

“But, before that, your present my love~”

“Hehe~ You didn’t have to!” She smiles warmly, kissing his lips softly as she gently takes the package. She leads him to the living room, the two of them taking their favorite places on the couch. She slowly begins to open the present, warmth filling her eyes.

“It’s a… Daft Punk album?” Sora says, confused and grinning.

Taichi, however, is mortified. How did they get swapped??? Did he grab the wrong album from the shelf??? He sits there, deep in self-demeaning thought at his own perceived slights, so deep he doesn’t notice Sora put the album into her stereo system.

Flipping through a few songs, she gives Taichi just the time he needs to snap back to reality.

“Sora, I’m…”

“Taichi, this is great! Wanna dance?~” She questions, a playful spark in her eye as “Digital Love” begins to play.

“Of course, Sora…!” Taichi almost jumps up, eager to spend the rest of the night enjoying the time he spends with Sora, wanting to love her so completely.

#digimon #fanfiction #digific #birthday #dutchforstrangers #Taiora #TaiKoura #daft punk #digital love #i love you so much 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 #honingtijgertje

[weirdalyankee]

The Sanctity of Life

We live on a dirt service road that parallels the highway. Being discreet but easily accessible, it is used as a dumping ground. Trash of all varieties ends up here. Dogs are discarded as easily as plastic bags and old tyres. Usually these dogs are leery of people and vanish into the woods as I pass. Some have tattered collars and wag their scabby tails as they approach with friendly intent, but they are emaciated, riddled with parasites, lacking any house training or manners, and utterly unwanted. Many have BB pellets and other shrapnel lodged in them from prior trespasses.

Often these stray dogs wander into the highway, or are hit by someone speeding through on the dirt lane. Up north, it was common to see white tail deer by the side of the road, their sleek bodies fatted in corn and alfalfa fields, frozen by headlights and shattered by impact. Down South it is more common to see scrawny dogs and cats, or scaly armadillos. Occasionally a human lies crumpled over in a ditch, still or barely breathing. For the sake of these poor souls, I have started carrying Narcan in my handbag.   

 When a friend came to visit he saw a recently deceased dog on the side of our road, and another standing over it. He’s mourning his lost friend, our visitor said . Leaving the house that evening I saw no sign of the mourner, but chunks of flesh were missing from the contorted corpse of the first dog. 

Skinny puppies started to show up weeks later, brown eyes apprehensively staring at my car as I passed. Perhaps they are the orphaned offspring of the mourned one. I stopped once to see if they could be coaxed into proximity, and possibly foisted on the overcrowded county shelter. I desperately wanted them to become someone else’s problem. Feral, as expected, they scattered as soon as I opened the door.

Soon after, I saw one of the little floppy-eared brindle ones dead in the middle of the road. His intestines were strewn about him in a neat oval. The other young ones were not in sight. Returning later that day, the viscera had been scavenged completely. The circle of life is complete. Dog eat dog, eat dog. Perhaps they mourned in their own way, honoring his brief life by feeding their own hungry bellies and vampiric intestinal parasites. It won’t be long before the strongest and luckiest of them in turn birth their own new savage generation. 

I called animal control once, when I first moved here. There were stray dogs killing livestock and threatening children down the road. The officer on the staticy phone spoke to me as if I were simple. “If they’re on your property, you can shoot them.” There was nothing else he could offer me. The solution was obvious.  

Eschewing firearms on principle, I labored in the August sun to erect a heavy metal fence between my farm and the road. I learned a new phrase, “Shoot, shovel, and shut up.” It’s the way problems are solved here. I imagine it embroidered in loopy script on an acrylic pillow, the counterpart of “Live, Laugh, Love.”  In local women’s homesteading groups on Facebook it is common enough to have its own acronym: SSS. “Shoot. Shovel. Shut up.” LOL. “Laugh Out Loud.” PTL . “Praise The Lord.” These are the godly people of the South, salt of the earth, Real Americans, protecting the sanctity of life.

#alabama #down south #sanctity of life #writing #creative writing #america #us #memoir #non fiction

[pinkiepiebones]

Prompt: Rain's little froggie gets a new friend!

Ghouls do not express themselves like humans do. They do not have mouths, so they can't smile or frown. They do not embrace one another. There are no animal behaviours in them, either- no head butts, no tail wags, no purring. They are regarded by most as stoic entities, as hoofed, mouthless gargoyles given profane animation by Him Below.

But those who have been in consistent ghoulish proximity take note of things. Ghouls tend to cluster in groups of a dozen or so, usually all of the same element, but not always. They have their own body language- a rustling of folded feathery wings against their scaly backs is equitable to laughter. A gaggle, or a flock, or a murder, or a cloister of ghouls (no one is sure what to call a grouping of them) that is standing silently on the ceiling and then seems to break out in vigorous wing shaking, well, they're having a grand time. Aggression is expressed by open wings being raised up, as though the ghoul is attempting to appear taller. Sorrow comes in the clutching of horns.

Joy is another matter all together.

A ghoul's joy is a rare site, but not impossible to witness or feel. Copia knows this. He grew up in the church. He's dating a ghoul. He's seen his band ghouls explode in joy on stage, and though the intricate lighting system and costumes are used to purposefully obfuscate their ghoulishness, Copia knows very well what it looks like for each element. A fire ghoul's skin seems to crack and a deep golden red glow seems to emanate from the cracks, as though the creature's body became embers. They also radiate a very comfortable warmth. Air ghouls fluff up like baby birds and spark with lightning. Earth ghouls blossom all over with little pink flowers not of this world. Aether ghouls look like they just rolled in purple glitter.

Copia finds one of the band ghouls, the one the fans call "Rain," out on the church grounds. Rain is on it's belly in the mud at the edge of the haunted lake, staring at a frog.

Copia smiles. Rain had taken a shine to this particular frog a while ago, going so far as to drag Copia out in the rain early one morning just to introduce him to the tiny amphibian. //KERMIT,// Rain had said telepathically, pointing at the frog as enthusiastically as a ghoul could.

"Hey, you two," Copia says gently so as not to startle either of them. He steps gingerly into the mud; he made sure to throw on some shoes and clothes that he wouldn't mind getting dirty before he travelled outside. He is also carrying a strange plastic box. "How is it going out here? Everyone, uh, good?"

Rain nods a little, not taking it's inkwell eyes off the frog, who croaks. //I HAVE BEEN TELLING KERMIT OF THE UPCOMING TOUR. I AM FEELING HAPPY TO TOUR BUT UNHAPPY TO LEAVE MY FRIEND. HE IS UNHAPPY FOR ME TO LEAVE. BUT I WOULD NOT WANT TO BRING KERMIT ON THE TOUR. I DO NOT THINK A FROG WOULD ENJOY THE TOUR BUS.//

Copia nods. "That's very true, Rain. I don't bring my rats for the same reason. Nothing on the bus for leetle animals to enjoy."

Rain sits up and wipes some of the mud off it's chest. //BUT YOUR RATS HAVE FRIENDS HERE, SO WHEN YOU LEAVE, THEY ARE PERHAPS NOT SO LONELY.// Rain looks up at Copia. //KERMIT IS ALONE. HE TOLD ME.//

The Papa makes a mental note to ask the ghoul called Special about animal-to-ghoul communication and squats down beside the ghoul. "Well, I actually brought something out to show you, I think it might help..." He opens the strange box and tips it for Rain to see inside.

A small spotted frog looks up into the ghoul's eyes.

"Someone found this fella in the poisonous plants garden on the other side of the church's land, and I thought, hey, Rain likes frogs, maybe it would like to meet this one."

Rain reaches into the box with an almost timid gentleness and brings the spotted frog out. It holds the frog close to it's unblinking eyes, perhaps assessing. Then, gingerly, it lowers it's talon. The little frog hops off the ghoul's hand and into the mud in front of Kermit. The two frogs stare at each other, then the spotted one hops, landing on Kermit's head.

Rain looks from it's frogs to Copia. The ghoul's skin shimmers with waves of blue and white, like sunlight on the lake's surface, but more serene. It's hair-like feathers raise and waft as though it is underwater. The smell of saltwater winds fills Copia's senses.

Water ghoul joy.

//NOW KERMIT WILL NOT BE LONELY WHEN WE LEAVE FOR THE TOUR, AND MY UNHAPPINESS HAS EBBED.// The ghoul puts a muddy hand on Copia's shoulder. //THANK YOU SO MUCH, PAPA. KERMIT THANKS YOU AS WELL.//

Copia smiles at the ghoul still rippling with joy. "No problem."

#ghost bc #microfic #nameless ghouls #rain ghoul