#shapechangers

I know, I know. I said I’d just step out for a second. Maybe touch some grass. Maybe not scroll for hours through a website that is basically a dopamine slot machine designed specifically for me. But here I am. Again.

So, hi. I’ve been avoiding Tumblr like it’s a cursed artifact because every time I log in, I lose entire days to posts about sad wizards, incredibly niche fandom memes, and, let’s be honest, pictures of adorable cute animals. But I return to you now, at the turning of the tide, because someone at a recent book signing mentioned that I really needed to talk to y'all in some other way than an 'automatic repost from my own site.'

Fair. It was never you. It was always me.

Now, that said, I'm still talking about FULL NEGATIVE, the scifi book that I'm crowding over on Backerkit, because, well, it's still live, and will be until April 11. I am actively trying to convince you all to throw money at it in exchange for an absolutely unhinged space opera full of telepaths, betrayals, sexy spies, and—because I’m me—an aggressively overcomplicated plot full of feelings. If we hit our stretch goals, we get more cool stuff. YOU get a very cool book. (And there is a limited edition, numbered version of the hardcover available that will ONLY be available through this crowdfunding campaign. Once that window is gone, it's gone FOREVER.)

If you like X-Men, Star Wars, Jason Bourne, or just generally enjoy watching characters make terrible decisions in space, this book is for you. And if you don’t like those things… honestly, what are you doing here? Go, live a better life. Read something wholesome. Avoid the pain I am about to unleash.

DJINN

Gifts of friendship and understanding. Lives of Service.

A personal commemoration.

PNG Sources:

Islamic Calligraphy Design

Decorative Frame

Backgrounds were created from originals found on Pinterest

Dear Romantic Roman,

Given our civilization existed long before, during, and after the Roman Empire, I assume you would be referring to the Transformers toy line. And you will be pleased to hear in one universe, an enterprising collegium developed an ingenious line of transforming wooden toys that were inspired by our adventures.

I briefly recorded one of the advertisements recounted by a gladiator, and here is the translation:

"It is a world changed, where things are not what they seem. It is the world of the Shapechangers! Enjoy the great battles of the civilized Autochthonians and the barbaric Histrionics, led by the great Tribunes, Endymion and Phaethon. Now your children can re-enact these battles with the latest artifices, only from the collegium of Hadrianus Bruttius!"

By request - I’m sure there’s more out there, here’s what I’ve read and enjoyed so far (plus 2 shorts that I wrote myself) that are currently completed.

Werewolf Au - aka - Actual Shapechanging of some kind

It's Dark and There are Wolves by @lissadiane Rated E, Wordcount 41k

It’s dark and there are wolves howling and the only thing standing between Clint and death by wild beast is the hand he’s got clutching his stomach where his guts are threatening to make an unwelcome appearance.

He really shoulda asked for more details when Natasha called him up and asked him to help Captain America search the Russian countryside for his long lost best friend who'd just tried to kill him in D.C.

The Good Boy Pizza Appreciation Society by yamyamyam Rated E, Wordcount, 16k

When Natasha quits for mysterious reasons, Clint gives up SHIELD for a cabin in the woods and a part-time archery job. This is the life, right? If only the life weren't so lonely. When a dog shows up at his back porch, it's like a dream come true.

Bucky's investigating rumours of a wolf-hunter preying on his pack. Instead he finds an archer who only seems to hunt pizza. What's really going on? And why can't he stop going back for belly rubs?

and when the cold wind's blowing by skoosiepants / @pantstomatch Rated T, Wordcount 7k

When he sees the wolf he thinks fuck it and thinks it’s probably a decent way for a moron like him to die.

or-

Clint gets snowed in with Bucky and his daughter over Christmas.

crying wolf out to the moon by @shatteredhourglass​ Rated T, Wordcount 3,300 

Clint decides it's a good idea to drag Bucky on a road trip on the day of the full moon. Bucky's too weak for Clint to deny him anything, even if it is in fact, a goddamn terrible idea.

a little hell by shatteredhourglass Rated E, Wordcount 7300

The clunky purple hearing aids are new, as are the sweeping, intricate patterns of black and purple ink escaping from under the rolled sleeves of his flannel, but it’s still him. Bucky could identity that soft mess of blond hair in his dreams - does, sometimes, his subconscious remembering that familiar lanky walk and off-kilter smile.

As Bucky stares he catches the belt loop of the girl’s jeans and tugs gently so she’s not in Tony’s face. She rolls her eyes but obeys with an air that suggests she’s just humouring him. A second later he turns and his eyes meet Bucky’s. His lips tilt up into a ghost of a smile, the smile Bucky’s been thinking about for the last two years.

He turns around so he doesn’t have to look.

Hold On To This Feeling by @flawedamythyst​ Rating: M, Wordcount 42k 

Hydra send their Asset to capture a promising young SHIELD agent so they can make him one of their tools, but the mission goes wrong as soon as the Asset recognises Hawkeye's scent.

Change of Pace by Pherryt Rated: T, Wordcount 13k

With Steve's help, Bucky had found himself a cabin in the middle of nowhere, continuing his efforts to relearn who he is and get back in touch with the wolf portion of himself that HYDRA had suppressed for so long. He doesn't expect to find his well deserved peace and quiet invaded by Hawkeye, but if he's honest with himself, Bucky doesn't mind the intrusion all that much.

He just needs to figure out what's wrong, and why Clint's really there.

Winter Puppy by Pherryt Rated: T, Wordcount 3500

Clint wants a dog, but Katie-Kate took Lucky with her to California and Tony and Steve said no.

What's a guy to do?

Lost & Found  by mariana_oconnor / @mariana-oconnor Rated: M, Wordcount 90k  

Clint Barton’s got a bag full of stolen money and a burning desire to stay under the radar. His old friends in the Carnival will be looking for him and they sure as hell won’t be happy. In a desperate attempt to stay off their radar, he ends up in Timely, a small town so far off the beaten track he’s surprised he even found it, and waits for Barney to comes and get him. Because Barney will be coming. Clint knows he will.

But there's something about the town. Maybe it's the strange wolf that watches him from the trees, and the way people finish conversations when he enters a room. Or it could be the bartender, Bucky, who decided to hate him on sight. Something’s going on in this small town, and Clint’s not sure if he’s jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Plus A/B/O

Wolf in the House by barton_lover Rated: M, Wordcount 82k  (note, check tags first)

Given everything that he has seen lately; gods, aliens, fucking Terminator like robots and more, Clint honestly shouldn't be surprised to stare at the large, three legged, white wolf with a silver metal human arm that had a red star on the shoulder dangling from its mouth. He really shouldn’t be surprised. In fact, Steve had called him about a month or two back saying that he and Sam had found Bucky, the supposedly dead best friend then turned ghost assassin Winter Soldier. Course that led to that huge fucking war. Now under house arrest, Clint tried to go to a normal life. Apparently normal was not going to stay with him.

And All My Instincts, They Return - by Politzania / polizwrites Rated E, Wordcount: 11k

As if being an omega lycan SHIELD agent wasn’t tough enough, the anonymous alpha Clint hooked up with for his heat also works for SHIELD and was just assigned as his partner for a challenging mission. Clint doesn’t know whether to blame or thank Coulson.

Bonus: Stucky

Through the Woods by  alby_mangroves / artgroves (artist), VenusMonstrosa (writer) Rated: E, Wordcount 64k (Also, some really freaking gorgeous artwork in here)

There’s a legend in Mansewood, nearly as old as the town itself, about a pack of werewolves that once lived in the forest. They say only one survives; a monstrous and snarling beast with fur like a blizzard and fangs the size of daggers. They say it guards the lands and all creatures in it, and no hunter has faced it and lived to tell the tale.

“The Drone” by  Abraham Merritt

Finally, finally, FINALLY I get to talk about the magic of Creation: Cathurgy.

Cathurgy is the practice of utilizing a specific set of emotions to affect the world around the user. The power of the magical effect is proportional to how strongly the user feels the relevant emotion at the time of casting, and while greatly reduced effects can be caused unintentionally by strong emotions, the full effect requires the conscious act of tapping into the emotion in a process called “tapping”.

Once an emotion has been tapped, the associated magical effect continues until either stopped by the user, or the emotion is “drained” completely. In either case, the user feels the effect of being drained, leaving the user incapable of feeling that particular emotion, as well as deadening similar emotions, for some time. The effect of draining is lessened if the user willingly stopped tapping the emotion, but is still strong enough to prevent the user from tapping that emotion again for several minutes.

The first Cathurgical emotion, and the easiest to recall, is Anger. The effect of tapping Anger happens immediately: causing touched objects to break down as if by entropy. Wood rots, stone weakens, and metal rust. Tapping Anger on living creatures causes intense burns where touched, starting at the skin and eventually working down to the bone. Once drained of Anger, the user experiences a paradoxical sense of peace and calm, to the point of indifference.

Contempt is the second Cathurgical emotion, and can be maintained for a few seconds. When tapped, Contempt pulls on one or more objects the user focuses on. If the object is lighter than the user then it is pulled directly towards them, while heavier objects pull the user towards it instead. Tapping Contempt only works on things the user can see, including living creatures. After Contempt is drained, the user is overwhelmed by a feeling of melancholy or ennui, as if the user has lost their place in life.

Tapping Disgust is difficult to do over long periods, but the effects are both subtle and dramatic. Once tapped, the user can dull the emotions of a touched living creature, making it more difficult for them to use Cathurgy themselves. While under this effect, the user can also influence the emotions of the target, making them more susceptible to manipulation. When drained, the user becomes unable to determine positive or negative aspects of objects and people.

Fear is probably the most useful Cathurgical emotion to use in the moments one would be feeling it. Tapping Fear creates a protective barrier around the user, protecting them from physical objects and living creatures that they can see, and continuing this protection for as long as they are aware of its position. For example, someone tapping Fear could hold a red-hot iron without any harm because they can feel the metal in their hand. If the user is not aware of something, it can pass through the barrier unimpeded. As a trade-off, being drained of Fear causes the user to become apathetic towards all things, to the point of losing any self-preservation instincts.

One of the rare positive Cathurgical emotions, Joy has an immediate effect when tapped. When touching a single living creature, including themselves, tapping Joy heals their physical wounds. This effect starts with the most recent wounds, and works backwards through time. Tapping Joy is a particularly draining experience, and leaves the user physically and mentally exhausted once drained; an experience often likened to experiencing heartbreak.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Sorrow is also one of the easiest emotions to tap, and can be maintained easily. While tapped, Sorrow makes the user immune to Cathurgy, while also preventing them from using it themselves. Objects, but not living creatures, touched by the user are also immune to the effects of Cathurgy during this time. When finally drained, the user suffers face blindness, as well as inability to read/understand emotion in others.

The last of the known Cathurgical emotions, Surprise is by far the hardest to tap. When it is tapped, the user can immediately identify all sources and targets of Cathurgy around them, with each emotion having its own unique “feel”. The user can innately tell which source of Cathurgy matches with which target as well, and this awareness is not limited by sight. Being drained of Surprise makes the user unable to orient themselves in space, or recognize where they are.

Although it is not an emotion, Pain is also a source of Cathurgical power. While for other emotions the memory can be used as a source, only current pain can be used for Cathurgy. Tapping Pain sends the user into a state similar to hysterical strength, granting them increased physical strength, stamina, and reaction speed. While the user is not immune to harm, they are incapable of feeling any pain except the one currently being tapped. Once their Pain is drained, the user experiences physical numbness and weakness, like they’ve just jumped into freezing water, as well as a mental fogginess similar to being drunk.

The actual mechanics of tapping an emotion are still relatively unknown, but there is one undeniable rule: in order to become a Cathurgist—that is, someone with the capability to use Cathurgy—you must have experienced a substantial emotional trauma, usually linked with one of the 7 emotions associated with Cathurgy.

Aesthetics » Shapechangers

Made for the

@horrorwatxh

event, the aesthetic board for the shapechangers.

Not much to talk about here. The cuisine of Ues is as varied as that in Europe, with Aquiland’s modern food tastes being closer to that of most Americans.

So instead of talking about what Humans eat, let’s talk about what does the eating: Shapechangers.

Shapechangers are almost exclusively carnivores. They can ingest plants, fruits, and the like, but this is only to disguise themselves among herbivore and omnivore prey. In order to get any sort of nutrients, they have to eat meat. It also helps that eating meat, specifically raw, fresh meat, can also give Shapechangers extra forms to work with.

The way this works is that the original meat-jelly that makes up a Shapechanger is very similar to a Human’s stem cells, and able to take on the genetic markers of other creatures. When a Shapechanger consumes enough flesh of a creature, its body becomes accustomed to those genetics and can replicate it. This means eating all relevant parts of the animal  muscles, skin, bones, and organs. Once that’s done, the Shapechanger can transform their body into a replica of that creature.

Things get more interesting as the Shapechanger becomes familiar with their forms. Once adequately accustomed a form, they can choose to instead partially transform, adding aspects of one form onto another. For example, a Shapechanger may combine aspects of an octopus with their Human form to remove their bones, or add the talons of a hawk to the end of each finger. Maintaining multiple forms like this requires concentration, but it is common for Shapechangers to practice certain combinations for the purpose of hunting, hiding, or transportation.

This goes for Shapechangers creating their Human for as well. Taking on the exact appearance of a dead Human is sure to raise suspicion, so Shapechangers who have consumed multiple Humans often combine the traits of those base forms to create an original Human appearance. This, of course, means that the most common phrase a Shapechanger hears is “you look familiar”.

To be fair, the most common phase a Shapechanger says is “I get that a lot.”, so it all evens out.

Now, you may be wondering exactly how a Shapechanger can shift between a form the size of a mouse and one the size of a bear. Well, there is a perfectly logical explanation for that.