The Yuri Toad

Okay but please PLEASE consider

An #AcheswanFantasyAU where Black Swan is a witch belonging to the Garden of Recollection Coven and Acheron is a demon who is also her familiar AND A SHAPESHIFTER but she can only turn into one thing - a tiny snake with vibrant purple scales and red dots behind her head (she's a cutie).

Several fun fact about this AU because it's been haunting my mind for YEARS now:

All witches are humans who are able to perform magic. The type of magic they specialize in depends partially on their coven (same as fraction in the canon universe) and the aeon they serve. Example: Swan serves Fuli and she specializes in magic that deals with people's minds, including their dreams, memories and even their overall health. Aventurine serves Qlipoth and thus specializes in shielding spells.

Acheron is an oni, which is an entirely different species than humans. They cannot perform magic, but the enormous amount of magic energy circulating in their bodies allows for some extraordinary abilities, such as being able to shapeshift. An oni can only shapeshift into a specific animal. For Acheron it is a snake, specifically a grass snake. This is a talent each oni is born with, it awakens in early childhood and is considered absoulutely normal in their culture.

I headcanon both their appearances to be very different from canon. Black Swan most often wears a brimmed hat, a long elegant lavender dress or a long skirt with black corset. She has A LOT of moles and freckles all over her face and shoulders. She is also kinda short, especially next to Acheron.

Acheron has traits typical for an oni in this AU, which are really f*cking scary to a regular human or even a witch: eyes that shine in the dark, long fangs (and also molars much bigger than those of humans, similar to those of predatory mammals) - which allow for a SIGNIFICANT bite force (translation: she can and will crush bones), pale skin (also gets sunburnt easily) and - most importantly - long red-colored horns on her head with one being slightly shorter than the other (consequence of a childhood trauma). As an oni she posesses a powerful roar (reference for that being a tiger roar), but she is also able to purr much like a house cat. She tends to wear dark baggy clothes consisting of 3+ layers and she patches them up regularly. She has several old scars. Most prominent ones are on her thigh and her shoulder, both of which she covers with bandages.

Black Swan is a mysterious forest witch. Most of the time she is occupied with studying magic, helping out the people of villages surrounding her forest and doing the work deligated to her by the coven's higher-ups. She also regularly fights off the attacks of witch hunters with the help of her magic. Though the hunters have been gaining numbers and recently it's been harder and harder to keep herself safe.

Acheron has been wandering the human world ever since her home (Izumo) has been destroyed in a terrifying Apocalypse-level catastrophe caused by an unknown aeon. She never really managed to find her place in this world, where she is seen as a monster. Though she knows she is likely to be treated unfriendly, she still tries to be well-meaning towards humans, which even secured her a place as a guardian of a small farming town for a short while in her past.

As per the time of Acheron and Black Swan meeting each other, all oni are considered to be extinct with little to no knowledge about their civilization. Witches studying demonology describe them as 'demons', though 'demons' are a paraphyletic group of many unrealted magical species. Acheron has been living among humans for long enough to be at peace with this term even though it is considered derogatory by many ordinary humans (non-witches).

Black Swan saved Acheron (in her snake form) from a snake-trap, not knowing that she actually brought home a 'dangerous and unpredictable wild beast' (as demons are described in some witch literature). Not only that, she also treated her wounds and learned to handle her, with snake!Acheron even reacting well to being picked up (my poor baby might be touch starved after all). Acheron later reveals her true nature and is genuinely surprized to be met with interest and care rather than disgust that she experinced from most humans. Thus, the nickname 'the kind witch' stuck.

CHAPTER 5. DEAL

Black Swan came home after her meeting with other witches of the Garden of Recollection. But what she saw was a battlefield in front of her house and her familiar nowhere to be seen. A message was pinned to the front door marked with the royal seal - an emblem of Xipe the Harmony on it. The letter was short - it was on official invitation to the KIng's palace. Although she was well aware of the King's unwelcomming attitude towards witches, Black Swan didn't hesitate for a second to ride her broom there.

The royal palace was a fortress as well as a fancy castle. She knew they were waiting - otherwise someone would have stopped her long before she'd reached the castle walls. Black Swan stormed into the King's throne room. She walked confidently, icy chill following her every step. The glass in the windows vibrated and every one of the guards who dared to look her in the eye felt a sudden yet powerful panic. Within seconds, all the people in this vast hall were shievering from cold and fear. All except the King himself.

Gopher Wood looked at her with his unchanging smile and his eyes squinted as if he was experiencing utmost joy. He sat at his throne covered in gold and purple. After all, Kings do not stand up to greet their guests.

"Oh, Xipe's most loyal servant," Black Swan looked at him from across the room slowly walking towards him, her eyes filled with quietly burning anger. "Say, why don't you give me back what you've stolen from me? And then I may consider not shattering the memories of your dear little subjects."

The KIng showed no emotions.

"Is this..." Gopher Wood stood up from his throne. "...how witches of the Garden talk to their friends? How pitiful."

"You are neither friend to me, nor my monarch. You are a thief, who took my-"

"Your what? Demon? If I am not mistaken, even the Garden opposes having such a creature as a familiar. Let alone the one who viciously attacks my subjects for no reason and murders them in cold blood."

Of course, Black Swan had no reason to believe this man. She knew Acheron, knew her nature and her character, knew her as a kind, gentle creature... That she was to Black Swan. To enemies she never hesitated to shed their blood - all to serve the purpose of keeping her witch safe.

Black Swan's confrontation with the King carried on. In her heart she knew she wouldn't be able to take down a castle full of guards with the King somehow unaffected by her magic.

Eventually Gopher revealed his point of view: all he did was capture a beast who hurt his people. And according to the laws of his own making, for this crime Acheron would be executed. But Black Swan had a chance to not only save her, but to join the King in his glorious worship of the true god.

"Renounce the demon as your familiar and help me witness our aeon's presense... And afterwards I shall let her go."

Such was Gopher Wood's offer.

"Fine. You can play with my toy for a while, Your Majesty," the witch said rolling her eyes with fake indifference. Black Swan already knew she had no other choice, not really. With no help from anyone, she would never be able to free Acheron on her own. Thus, she cooperated and they shook hands on the deal: Acheron's freedom in exchange of Black Swan betraying her closest, dearest person. Each tiny part of the witch's existence yelled to refuse it. Renouncing a familiar is a radical act reserved only for extreme measures. It is usually applied only to those who betrayed their masters in the first place and so it is designed to make the culprit suffer - both physically and emotionally.

"As a gift for your aid in our cause..." the King took a small box covered in velvet from his inner pocket. "... I would like you to have this. I understand very well how much you must treasure this demon. After all, the magic resourses it provides are - as you have said yourself - astonishingly valuable for any witch," with these words he passed the box and urged Black Swan to open it. She did. And when she saw what was inside, she froze.

A broken piece from the top of a pointy red horn stained with blood. She knew what it was, she knew who it belonged to. And she was now even more certain of how much pain her familiar was enduring at this very moment.

CHAPTER 4. THE RENOUNCEMENT

Acheron woke up still muzzled and tightly chained. Her head hurt more than usual and her vision was extremely blurry. But this time something else was different. The place she was brought to was a round hall with high ceiling and thick cold stone walls. She was chained to the very center of the room and the royal guards - all heavily armed- did not take their eyes off of her even for a moment, as if the demon could disappear any second. But Acheron was still weak from her unending imprisonment.

The high walls trembled when the massive doors suddenly opened letting in the light from the castle coridors. Acheron raised her head and saw two figures approach her - a tall one with wings on their head and a shorter and more elegant one with a wide hat on their head. As they came even closer, Acheron recognized the wicked king with his usual meaningless smile. But the second one... No, this must have been some kind of hallucination or a twisted dream. For right beside the king she saw her - the one she was losing hope to see ever again.

Black Swan

The witch stood just several steps away, looking down on the demon. Acheron pulled forth, tugging on her chains, which held back her sudden movement and caused her a new flash of pain. She coughed and felt blood dripping from her mouth - her throat was completely raw, so much so she could only exhale and whisper the witch's name. Yet for some strange reason, Black Swan never reacted neither to her familiar being held captive, nor to the words of the king reminding the witch of how many innocent people have perished when "the beast attacked them unprovoked".

And when Gopher Wood proposed that Black Swan start the ritual, the witch made a step forward, her hands flickering with magic. Acheron looked up. The eyes coloured in soft summer twilight were now as cold as ever, the look of love and care completely vanished from the witch's face. Right then Black Swan reminded Acheron more of a statue rather then a lively curious witch she knew.

Acheron saw Black Swan conjur a spell - a very poweful one. And then there were words. Though the demon could not remember them exactly, it was the last part that took her by surprise:

"Oh, the noble beast who once answered my call", the witch's monotone voice echoed from the stone walls. "Heed my word once more and let the heaven and earth be our witnesses. As I, Black Swan of the Garden of Recollection,..."

Acheron recognized how similar these words sounded to those she heard in her head when Black Swan called for a familiar to come find her many months ago. Back then, Acheron willingly stepped into the magic circle and felt as their souls got bound together by the sacred silver strings - the ones she was told were unbreakable. She felt them now, too, as her very being got pulled towards the incomplete spell.

Acheron looked up again but Black Swan's face was now covered in the shadows of the brimmed hat.

"... bid you farewell and renounce you as my familiar. So be free once more and let us part."

Acheron tried to scream out her witch's name but suddenly dropped her head. A flash of excrutiating pain made her twist. The heavy chains clanked and her pulse became erratic. It felt as if she was shot and stabbed through each tiny part of her body time and again. Before passing out, the sense of being pulled had finally stopped. And with it something inside her broke as well.

The silver strings she adored so dearly got severed by the only person she trusted, the only one who never saw her as a soulless monster, the human she swore to protect with her life.

When Acheron managed to open her eyes again, Black Swan had already turned her back on the demon and was now walking towards the open doors with the King praising her magic talent. Acheron saw her walk out as the last beams of light left the hall. She wanted to yell and roar and run after her as fast as she could. Her neck started bleeding as she pulled and pulled the steel collar even harder. She wanted to know why. Why did her witch leave her? What was it that the king had told her to make her turn to his side? Were the kind words she received... all just lies?

CHAPTER 2. DUNGEON

Acheron passed out. She woke up with an excrutiating headache in a dark and cold place. Her whole body was hurting and she could barely hold her head up. As she tried to stand up, she realized her arms and legs were chained down and her face - muzzled. She tried to make a deep breath, but the metal collar on her throat was so tight she could feel it bruising her neck.

The chains clanked loudly alerting the guards that their captive beast was finally awake. They opened the heavy iron door to the small cell they kept her in. Several armed humans appeared to be accompanying someone. A tall silhouette stepped inside bringing bright light into the room. Acheron looked up and squinted. The man in front of her had a peaceful smile on his face. Acheron had never seen him in person before yet recognized the black wings behind his ears, the crown on his head and the royal attire.

The King was here.

Of course, who else could it be? Known for partaking in the revolution against the IPC in his early years only to then turn back on his friends and seize the power in the name of the Harmony. Though not gifted with magic, he was famous for his curiosity towards it. Who knew this promising young man - a friend of the Nameless and the protector of the poor - could turn into the cold fanatic leading secret campaigns against witches and pursuing all non-human creatures on his lands?

Acheron met him with silence. She was already on her knees unable to stand straight. She was wondering if the guards chained her in this position on purpose to show off in front of their monarch. Gopher Wood used his cane to turn Acheron's chin up. The demon bared teeth at him and roared. Pathetic, yes, but what else could she do? Gopher smiled and turned to one of the guards praising him for "capturing the monster threatening the people of Penacony".

After the king and the guards had vanished behind the closed iron door, Acheron was left alone in the cell. Helpless, pathetic, and feeling her body succumbing to pain - a long time ago she prayed she would never feel this weak again. She stopped shedding tears many years ago and this time was no exception. After all, there was still hope, for she wasn't alone anymore, not really. She knew that life of a familiar is worthless compared to life of a witch, yet she had to believe that her witch would come for her.

---

CHAPTER 3. TERRORS

Acheron never knew how many days have passed since her capture but it felt like weeks... or months maybe... It was really hard to tell. Sometimes guards and other people would come - usually to draw large portions of her blood. Her arms were burning from inflamed veins, her head and stomach constantly ached and her whole body was sore from bruises and untreated wounds. Acheron was almost sure she had broken several ribs while being tortured and later developed a fever. In any case, she never really spoke to humans who visited her.

NOTE: Surprislingly or not, the witch/demon Acheswan AU does actually have a plot I've been working on for a while now. But it would take too much mental effort to make it into a complete fanfiction, so I'll be posting it here :)

CHAPTER 1. HOW TO TAKE DOWN A DEMON.

For one reason or another, Black Swan is off on her coven business. She couldn't take Acheron with her since the oni had recently been injured in a fight against the rising numbers of witch hunters and is still recovering. Though they were unwilling to part, Black Swan reassured Acheron it is only going to take several days.

While Black Swan has been away for some time, a large group of highly trained and heavily armed unknown people surround the witch's house. Unfortunately, Acheron notices them too late and is attacked with a smoke bomb. The smoke comes from a substance known as an antiformation potion and prevents any kind of shapeshifting after being injected or inhaled. Thus, Acheron cannot hide as a snake and has to take the fight.

Despite her recent injuries, she manages to take down more than half of the hunters - or at least she assumes those are hunters, who actually came for Black Swan. Little does she know, this is a secret private army sent to capture Acheron specifically. But who can be after her and how did this person figure out where the witch's house is situated if it is concealed by high-level spells?

Right before Acheron can unsheath her sword - even though she could very well experience immense pain because of it - she stops. She realizes she is unable to move and slowly falls to the ground. That's when she finally notices poison darts all over her body. This amount of poison could easily kill a human, but oni have higher toxin tolerance, so these people have decided to give her several times the needed amount.

monster!Acheron would probably be too anxious around Black Swan to let the witch scratch the basis of her tail but would then wrap it around Swan's leg or arm herself the moment she gets comfy and would finally allow the scratches down the spine only for Black Swan to realize how sensitive this area really is. Ultimatelly, for Acheron it is another sign of trust.

Characters with a tail wrapping it around their favourite people >>>>.

IN ADDITION

In the Witch/Demon Acheswan AU demon!Acheron is cursed to turn into a monster with red skin every time she unsheathes her sword. This is one of my favourite concepts for this AU.

For monster!Acheron I initially drew inspiration from how oni are portayed in classical Japanese art as well as Acheron's appearance when she uses her ult in her gameplay.

In her monster form, Acheron has thick and messy white hair resembling a fluffy main. It continues down the spine as a line of white fur, which also partially covers her shoulders and elbows. The fur is most prominent on the tail.

All this fur makes Acheron really itchy, so she's more than happy to be petted and scratched by Black Swan.

monster!Acheron is extremely cautious not to hurt Black Swan. This means she cannot bite her to show affection anymore. When relaxed, she instead wraps her tail around Black Swan. Though later, as they both come to terms with Acheron's curse, Black Swan is completely okay with being gently bitten.

As Acheron gets physically bigger, her chest cavity also expands, giving more space for sounds to resonate. This means louder roars but also louder purrs. monster!Acheron's purring is, in fact, so loud that it makes Black Swan's body vibrate a little bit as well. One could say that Acheron purrs like a tractor :3

When she comes home in her monster form, it usually means Acheron's gone through a tough fight because she wouldn't have unleashed the curse otherwise. She usually falls asleep right after she comes home not even making her way to her bed. So Black Swan made sure she has a really soft good-quality carpet by the fireplace (Acheron wouldn't fit on the sofa or an armchair).

After she comes home, it usually takes Acheron 10+ hours of sleep to wake up depending on how much energy she's spent. But when she's finally up, Black Swan is almost always right there by her side to treat her wounds or draw her a bath.

Acheron let Black Swan thoroughly examine her monster form for "academic purposes". Turns out, Black Swan has been documenting a lot of information about oni in general and Acheron specifically because, well, that's what all witches do - research magic and magic species.

Acheron has left claw marks on the house's doors several times, though not out of anger. She simply was too tired couple times so she accidentally missed door knobs and scratched the wood.

Black Swan enjoys brushing monster!Acheron's mane.

Sometimes monster!Acheron goes nonverbal and can only roar or make other animalistic sounds to communicate (another side effect of the curse). She was very anxious first time this happened in front of Black Swan. Despite that, the witch didn't mind at all, seeing how Acheron is still completely herself even if she cannot express it with words.

Just a random dialogue Black Swan and Acheron probably had at some point discussing Acheron's experience as a demon among humans.

"I was under the impression you like humans."

"Well, they're okay. They just get scared too easily so I prefer not to cross paths with them. I know they will be scared and I realy don't want any unnecessary bloodshed."

"So am I okay too?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Pure witchly curiosity"

"I guess... No, I mean.... You're different."

"How so?"

"It's just that you're my human."

"Aw, how sweet."

"Is it?"

"Mhm."

"Oh... You know, I wanted to ask you something as well."

"Go ahead."

"I hope this won't seem too weird. Do you think it would be better if I were human?"

"But, dear, we would not have ever met then. And I enjoy having you around, so no, I am completely undisturbed with the way you are."

"I see. So even a demon is better than being alone?"

"Oh, don't say it like that. You're not just any demon. You're my demon, right?"

"Of course."

Black Swan in winter: *has extremely pale, barely visible freckles on her face*

Black Swan in spring: *has freckles on her face that are visible but not too prominent*

Black Swan in summer: *back, face and shoulders are all covered with bright ginger freckles*

Black Swan in autumn/fall: *freckles gradually start to disapperar*

In the AU I made, Acheron is described by witches as a 'demon'. Though it is true by human standarts, the species Acheron belongs to is called oni. And yes, I'm taking inspiration here from hi3rd, Acheron's myriad celestia trailer and the aesthetic of feudal Japan. So let's talk about it!

The only known oni settlement was called Izumo - it was close to the sea and separated from the outer continent by an increadibly high snowy mountain chain, which was considered unclimbable by all oni.

Izumo and the whole oni civilization were destroyed by a magic anomaly caused by an unknown aeon. The "Dark Sun" was constantly spawning kami and so the people of Izumo fought them for almost as long as their civilization had existed. In the end, the "Dark Sun" detonated, wiping out everything in its reach.

Oni have been around for so long that they cannot remember where they came from: were they once humans? or were they some kind of magic anomalies like kami? Nobody knew, but legends persisted. In one of them, oni used to be agressive wild beasts, which used to hunt humans as prey. Since they killed and consumed witches along regular humans, with time they have accumulated so much magic energy that they transformed into human-like creatures, gained conciousness and eventually built what was known later as Izumo.

Izumo is a clan-based society with the 12 head clans being the nation's most powerful and respected families. They were in charge of keeping the Sentinels - the legendary swords forged ages ago. Raiden Bosenmori Mei is the heir to her mother's title of the Sentinel bearer. Specifically, the Raiden clan is entrusted with the Howl Sentinel. There are also some original characters in the story - I came up with them to fill the positions of Mei's closest circle - these are some other clan heirs, current Sentinel bearers and also members of the Raiden clan (all of whom are going to die at some point though).

All oni can roar - this sound is made to indicate agression and you're likely to hear a lot of roaring at swordfights. All oni can purr - they do so when they feel content, relaxed and safe. All oni have firm pointy colourful horns and sharp elongated upper and lower fangs, which they can use to grind bones.

Biting is a big thing in their culture. Gentle biting is the sign of the utmost affection and is reserved for people closest to an oni (Notice how Acheron does this to Black Swan). Overall, they use their mouths much more than humans - for example, for carrying their young. (And you will later see Acheron do this to Aventurine because he weighs absolutely nothing to her.)

Young oni are fascinating creatures. They tend to vocalize a lot, though they cannot roar until they've reached puberty, when their voice "breaks" (regardless of sex), allowing them to finally roar as loud as adults. But until then youngling produce sounds similar to screeching or squeking - a good reference for that would be the cubs of big cats like tigers. A game popular among young oni is to screech as loud as possible into a metal bucket to immitate adult roars. Needless to say, small oni are so much louder than human kids.

Young oni also bite much more often then adults, using teeth in playing and other communication. This allows them to learn early on that if they bite too hard, no one will play with them, which is a useful way of learning to control their bite foce. However, oni's baby teeth are almost identical to humans', i. e. no scary long fangs. They develop them as a part of their permanent teeth set after the baby teeth fall out.

Acheron sustained a head injury as a toddler after falling down the stairs, when one of her horns broke off almost completely. That is why she currently has one horn slightly shorter than the other and a tiny scar on her forehead.

Acheron actually used to have a little brother, whom she cannot remember clearly. But for some reason she can't really explain, Aventurine somehow reminds her of him. Overall, Acheron has a major elder sister/eldest daughter vibe to her.

Mei inherited the title of the Howl Sentinel bearer as a teenager after her mother was murdered by kami on the battlefield. Later, as a young adult, she witnessed deaths of all her fellow bearers in the final battle on kami, which ended in an Apocalypse-level catastrophe. It was exactly in that battle when her thigh and shoulder got gruesomely injured - to this day she covers those scars with bandages because she thinks of them as too hideous. (Fortunately, Black Swan is kinds into scars...)

What Black Swan says: I do not love her because I want to be loved back, she is simply cute and that is enough.

vs.

!Witch/Demon Fantasy AU!

Jade: Oh, I bought her for the amount of credits you are probably never going to see in your lifetime, she only eats pasture-raised organic best quality quails and poorly perfoming employees of mine, she also has a completely autoregulated enclosure with the size of an average house. No, 9 meters is not her full potential, why are you asking?

As they are sitting by the fireplace late at night drinking tea, Acheron finally breaks the comfortable silence.

"You do seem to be quite... weird, witch," the demon speaks up, her voice deep and a bit hoarse.

"Huh. How so?" Black Swan sips the hot tea and puts the cup down.

"You are not afraid of me," casually said Acheron.

"Should I be?" the witch asked with her curiosity now awaken.

"I have pointy horns and sharp teeth. Humans are usually scared by those. So why aren't you?"

"Well, humans do tend to fear things they see for the first time. For they are taught to kill monsters and slay their enemies. But those terms can be rather broad as I know."

"Does that mean I am a monster to you, too?"

"Not at all. What kind of monster could you ever be?"

"The usual kind."

"Monsters do not usually enjoy sitting calmly next to humans warming themselves up by the fireplace, nor do they bring blankets to share with said humans," Black Swan said pulling her edge of the blanket just enough for Acheron to feel it. A soft purring sound escapes the demon's chest as the witch gets closer.

"So who am I to you then?" she asked hoping to hear the gentle voice somehow dispell her worries once more.

"My familiar, of course," the witch smiled softly.

"That's it?"

"Is that not enough?"

"I suppose it is... Thank you."

"No need. You really don't make a convincing monster, you know."

"Is that a compliment?"

(If you're wondering how there are so many of those, I've been keeping this AU in my head for about 2 years now.)

Concerning the dynamic of Acheswan in this AU: Black Swan really loves Acheron's personal space, and Acheron is seriously touch-starved but doesn't realize. It takes Acheron a lot of time to react normally to a hug from Black Swan.

Acheron is tall and also physically buff (cuz it takes really strong back and shoulder muscles to fight with a sword like hers), but monster!Acheron is BIG. AND VERY FLUFFY. She's taller and bigger in this form than she is normally, and she would absoulutely CRUSH Black Swan if she was to lay on top of her. This makes Acheron feel even more anxious about her curse because she gradually developed a habit of laying on Black Swan's chest (in non-sexual way) since it's warm and soft and she can get head pats from her witch.

Black Swan actually didn't realize first that Acheron is so buff because of how baggy Acheron's clothes are. The first time she saw Acheron undress, she blushed like crazy making Acheron think she suddenly developed a fever.

As are many magical creatures in this universe, oni are, too, are influenced by the full moon, though it is nothing crazy or unsettling like for a werewolf (oh, hi, Gallegher!). Oni simply experience an influx of magical energy similar to what a lot of caffein does to a human, i.e. Acheron doesn't get sleepy. Coincidentally, Black Swan also spends most full moons awake because they are perfect for all kinds of spells. Thus, Acheron and Black Swan tend to roam the forest together at such times (nah, this is DEFINETELY not a date, it's just two girls, who really like each other and also live together, having deep conversations in the woods under the full moon).

Black Swan is actually one of the skilled and poweful witches in the Garden. Probably the only reason she doesn't pursue a career of becoming a high-ranking witch or even a coven head witch is because she simply doesn't want to. She doesn't enjoy managing other witches and would much rather live alone with her buff demonic gf familiar deep in the woods as a mysterious local legend and grow veggies (she's secretely a cottage-core lesbian).

Aventurine visits Black Swan's house from time to time to share a cup of tea or a glass of wine with her. He is also sometimes accompanied by his familiars - the three cat cakes, whom he bought from Ruan Mei for couple credits each and who actually share a collective hivemind. Their names are Spoonie, Forkie and Knifie.

Acheswan have something they call a "sensory bucket" filled with sand, wooden substrate and pebbles for snake!Acheron to dig into to relieve stress. Aventurine's cat cakes once knocked the sensory bucket over while snake!Acheron was inside. That day all three and their master learned that a roaring oni sounds a lot like thunder striking couple meters from you.

Acheswan have a collection of beautiful sticks and stones (for various reasons).

Black Swan smells like lavender, Acheron smells like air after a thunderstorm.