#Sorry people you're in MY CENTAUR HELL now.

[beasty-xoxo]

I - The Exchange Program

You weren't expecting it to be so… extravagant…

The driver who pulled you up to the campus got out to open the door for you, and you grabbed your suitcases before stepping out onto the grounds of your new home. Everywhere you looked there were monsters traversing the grounds. More than you had ever seen!! There were Centaurs racing across campus and Werewolves having picnics. Vampires carried parasols to protect their sensitive skin from the sun's rays, and you couldn't help but go slack jawed at how peaceful everything appeared.

"Oh! You must be Y/N L/N!"

You came to your senses hearing your name, finding the source of the voice approaching you. He was tall, very tall and very blonde. His footsteps were heavy, and by the time he reached you, you finally noticed just what he was. Gray blotted his skin, and large horns reached from his head but that could hardly distract from his giant stoney wings. A… gargoyle?

"My name is Ukai. Headmaster Ukai. Welcome to Teraschola Academy!"

You could feel your face heat up in embarrassment. The Headmaster saw you standing there with your mouth open like a fool…

You bowed quickly. "Good morning, sir! It's very nice to meet you!"

He looked taken aback. "Oh-- please stand." He rubbed nervously at the back of his neck, clearly not used to that behavior. "I take it you were able to get plenty of rest on the drive here?"

You nodded happily, a bright smile on your face. "Mhm! I'm really excited to be here, Sir!!"

He laughed heartily at your excitement. "I'm glad! Well, I'm sure you're ready to unpack and settle in before your first class! Let me give you a rundown on some things!"

It still felt so surreal to you-- y'know, being here and everything. It felt like just seconds ago you were back home in your old headmaster's office…

--

"You're sending her where?"

The entire room was tense from the tone of your father's voice, the Dean of your current academy in the small human town of Brooksville pulling at the collar of his shirt.

"Sir-- I assure you that this is a completely necessary measure! Your daughter is our only option! I have to send some-"

"You HAVE to send her? Or you're sending her because it's convenient?" Your father's fists slammed against the heavy mahogany desk, making you and your mother jolt in your seats. Neither of you had ever seen him this angry.

"You're sending my daughter a hundred miles away to a university full of DANGEROUS CREATURES and you didn't think to say ANYTHING?"

Your mother let her brow furrow. "Now honey, we don't talk about monsters like that in this family. That would really hurt Lilith's feelings." She was frowning, her hand wrapping around your father's wrist. However, calming him seemed pointless.

"To hell with Lilith!! She's a monster, but she's domesticated! This is our baby, Mai!! Our sweet Y/N! You really think we can send her so far away?" There was an edge of hurt in your father's voice, his expression desperate as he stared back at your mother, almost hopelessly.

You stood abruptly from your seat, and suddenly all eyes were on you. "Dad. I've already signed the waiver. I'm going-- I WANT to go! This place isn't where I belong! Everyone here is so closed minded…" you sighed, looking down towards your feet. "I'm sorry, but I wanna taste the city! They're offering a human exchange at no cost! Think of everything I'll learn! All the people I'll meet!!"

"People? You'll be the only person there!" Your father sighed, holding his face in his hands before he finally swallowed his pride. He realized that this is what you wanted. Who was he to keep you from your dreams? However, at this moment, he was seriously regretting letting his sister in law tell you all of those stories.

Your father stood, looking you directly in the mind. "You'll call- or at least text once a day. And you'll come back for holidays… and breaks… and any free time… and I'll let you go."

Your face lit up in a smile as you jumped forwards, wrapping your arms around him in a bone crushing hug. "I promise!! Thank you dad, thank you!!" You pulled away, adrenaline rushing through your veins. "Oh my god, I have to pack!!"

The Dean let out a nervous laugh, obviously put off by the quick change in atmosphere. This family sure was strange. He'd never met an interracial family like yours. A vampire for an aunt. Honestly, you belonged in the city. "Well- we've already arranged transportation. The Headmaster of Teraschola Academy is apparently very excited for a human to finally be joining their program. I trust he already figured out proper boarding and meal plans."

You couldn't help but smile at the name Teraschola Academy. Teraschola. The entire name was basically a pun in itself. You picked up your book bag, throwing it over your shoulder. "How will I be transported?"

The Dean sighed. "Well, I have a driver who's going to get you to the University. After that you're no longer my liability."

You gave the Dean a glare, shaking your head. "Fine. I'm guessing your driver is going to show up at my house?"

All it took was the Dean to give you a nod before you were exiting the room. Your parents stood quickly, your mother thanking the Dean before following you out of the office.

"Y/N! Y/N honey! Wait for us!" Your mother called after you as your father and herself struggled to catch up to the way you were stomping towards the exit of the academy.

Eventually your father reached you, stopping you with a hand to your shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong with you, kiddo?"

You froze, starting to break down at his words before you fell against your dad, sobbing silently against his chest. He said nothing, only patting your back gently. He was confused when you pulled away, smiling. "I'm so excited…"

The truth was you had wanted to get out of there for a very long time. Many of your peers were strictly hateful towards monsters, and when they had discovered you were related to one, even if only by marriage, they marked you as an outlaw. A weird freak. Even the teachers had mistreated you. Finally you were going somewhere where you might belong!

The ride back home was full of chatter, your mother on the phone telling every single family member she could call about the sudden news. Your father was silent in the driver's seat, and you were on your phone, sending texts to the few friends you did have. It wasn't anything much. You were just updating them on your transfer and move.

When your father pulled into the driveway you were inside the house as quickly as your feet would carry you, running straight for your room and throwing open your closet to grab two plain suitcases. You started throwing your necessities into them, humming to yourself before there was a knock at the door.

You called out a small "Come in!" Before the door opened. You turned around to see a dark haired woman in the doorway, giving you a small smile. "So, you're transferring huh?"

"Aunt Lilith!" You rushed forwards to hug her, and she laughed happily at the contact, patting your back. "I came as soon as I heard! Did you know I used to go there too?" She smiled, walking into the room with you to sit on the bed. "Your mother wanted me to give you advice and help you out anyway I could. I didn't know they were accepting humans now."

You shook your head. "They aren't. It's an exchange plan. Apparently I'm going to help the world take large strides in ending the segregation between humans and monsters."

Lilith laughed at the righteous tone in your voice, smoothing her hand gently down your back. "Well, I don't have it the hardest as a monster. I look considerably human, but I know a lot of friends who still experience a ton of prejudice." She reached into her purse, the same one she's always carried since you were a child. You could never get over how ridiculously large it was. It could probably fit a microwave oven inside, but thanks to her superior strength she had no trouble lifting it. She pulled a thin box from the bag, handing it to you. "I decided I'd get you set up a little early.

You looked at her in a bit of surprise before opening the box and gasping at its contents. The first thing you immediately pulled from the bag was a breton cap decorated with the school's colors. The main cap color was a deep charcoal black, and in the middle of the cap was a circular shaped embroidery in white that contained the Teraschola Academy logo of a black clawed hand hanging over a bold 'TS'. When you pulled the cap from the box and placed it on your head, you noticed another item in the box. It was a thick leather journal, also crested with the college's logo. You pulled it out, noticing the crisp ink writing out Lilith's full and maiden name. "Thank you! But- what's this?"

Lilith gave you a smile. "Well, I was going to save this stuff for your cousins but I think you'll need it more." She ran her sharp nails across the back of the book, humming softly. "When I was younger I wanted to attend this college so much that I compiled everything I could learn about it in here. I continued to fill it out throughout my stay. Anything you could ever need to know is in there."

You opened the journal carefully, flipping through the pages of seemingly endless information and smiling. "It's wonderful…"

Your aunt nodded. "Of course… anything for my favorite niece! Now… let me help you pack!"

--

You smiled fondly at the memory, looking back up at your new headmaster as he explained the school's hours to you.

"Now, we realize that human sleep schedules look very different from our monsters, so we have you on a split day schedule. Today your classes will be in the day, but tomorrow they will be night classes. This is so you can truly experience everything our academy has to offer without having to sleep at atrocious hours of the day."

You nodded, brows furrowing when he handed you an envelope and a large backpack.

"Here's your schedule and almost everything you'll need for class is in that bag. Oh, and congratulations on your enrollment. Was the selection process rigorous?"

You looked up at the headmaster's smiling face, and decided it best to swerve the question. You'd rather not get into how your old academy was full of humanity supremacists. "Oh- well I was a likely candidate… my uhm- grades were good and I have an aunt that graduated from here…"

Headmaster Ukai lifted a brow. "An Aunt? That's interesting. Well, I just want you to know that even though we are a monster academy, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're well accommodated for! If you ever have any problems don't hesitate to come straight to my office!"

He looked off behind your shoulder, raising a hand to someone behind you. "Speaking of accomodations! Y/N! Meet your new roomie!"

You spun around on your heel, coming face to face with a short girl. She had golden blond hair styled in a young looking, half up side ponytail and big, round eyes that resembled the color of tree bark. Her pupils were large and made her eyes appear bug-like, and her skin almost sparked in the sunlight. However, the thing you found most enticing about her appearance was the silky, see through baby blue material draping down her back. It took you a moment to realize they were wings.

She gave you a small nod, reaching out to shake your hand in a surprisingly human manner. "Y/N it's so nice to meet you! My name is Hitoka Yachi! I'm your roommate!"

You could see her cheeks tint a little brighter when you took her hand, giving it a firm shake. "Likewise!"

Headmaster Ukai laughed. "Well, I hope you two can get along. I specifically chose Yachi because of her experience with humans!"

Yachi nodded. "I was actually raised by humans! I've never even met my monster kin…" she rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I look the part but I don't know much about my own kind, so I was relieved to find out I'd be roommates with a human girl! It'll be just like home!" She took one of your suitcases for you. "Thanks for your help, Headmaster Ukai! I'll take it from here!" She gave him a smile, and he nodded before turning to walk back into the academy.

"Well, let's get you over to the dormitories. I'm sure you really wanna unpack before you have to get to class. I can help you too! Don't worry, us pixies are notorious for our cleaning skills!"

You smiled as you walked after her, taking in the scenery. "That's great because I got a little over excited and packed a lot…"

Yachi laughed. "Oh, I did too! But don't worry! The dorm rooms are very nice!" You followed behind her, and while taking in the scenery you couldn't help but notice all of the strange looks you were getting from the monsters on campus. Some of them were glaring, and some of them looked as if they were trying to discern whether or not you were actually human. While you were paying attention to the strange looks, Yachi was explaining the dorm systems.

"Now there are four dorm buildings. They are split by gender, and then they are split by whether you are diurnal or nocturnal!" She approached one of the large dorm buildings, swiping a card and having the doors unlock so she could walk you in. "We're in the female nocturnal dorms. Not only am I typically nocturnal, except for well-- today-- the Headmaster set this up so while you had day classes you could sleep at night unbothered, and the same for the other way around."

She led you to an elevator at the end of a hallway, pressing the up button. "We're on floor 3, room 213! Also, our neighbors can be pretty cranky so I'd just avoid them." She stepped inside once the doors were open, and once you were inside she pressed the button labeled with the Roman numeral for three and you watched the doors slide closed. Everything here was so much fancier than your old school.

"The campus has maps everywhere so if you get lost, look for one of those! Uhm--- what else?... Oh! All of the professors are pretty nice!" She looked at you and how you stayed quiet, placing a hand over her mouth. "Sorry, am I talking too much?"

You looked back at her, quickly shaking your head. "No, not at all! I'm just distracted by how nice everything is…"

She smiled, laughing once the elevator doors opened and she started leading you down the hallway. "Yeah, that's exactly what I thought when I first enrolled!" Eventually the both of you stopped outside of a half decorated wooden door. "Here we are! I left half the door clean in case you wanted to personally customize it!"

You giggled at how cute Yachi's detail work was before she used her key to unlock the door. When you stepped inside you saw just how exquisite her side of the room was. Her bed had a silk canopy, and she had many plants decorating the room. However, your side of the room was completely blank. All you had was a bed, a dresser, a desk, and of course a computer. You sat your stuff down, looking around in awe.

"Everything is so pretty in here… I would definitely like your help with decorating!!" You unzipped your suitcases and immediately started packing your clothes away into your dresser, noticing half of it was already packed with crisp, clean uniforms. You hummed, and Yachi came over to help you by hanging the few pictures you brought with you of your family.

It didn't take very long for the both of you to finish unpacking, and while the room still looked very plain, it definitely made you feel more at home. Besides, you could always add more later on! You slid your suitcases under your bed for safekeeping before opening the backpack you were handed. Inside was a school laptop and a plethora of different interesting textbooks. You pulled them out before Yachi stepped over to pick up the envelope the Headmaster handed you, flipping it open and pouring out it's contents.

A key, some slips of paper, and a key card on a Teraschola Academy lanyard. Yachi hummed, attaching the key to the lanyard. "That's your student ID and your dorm room key! And this-!" She picked up the papers. "Is your schedule and all of your account info. She handed you your account info before looking through your schedule and humming to herself.

"He really did give you a balanced schedule. I'm not sure how you're going to do in Intro to the Arcane Arts, but I'm sure you'll figure it out!" She gave you a smile before handing you your schedule. "You might wanna get your uniform on! I need to escort you to your first class."

You stood up quickly and nodded, rushing over to your dresser. "Right! Uhm--- I could use some help though…"

Yachi laughed, nodding. "Yeah I figured. The thing has like-- eight layers…"

As she was helping you pull your uniform from your dresser you finally took everything in. You were really here. Teraschola Academy. Ready to start a new adventure of academic learning! You were going to learn things other humans could never even dream of! And maybe, just maybe, you'd meet some very interesting people along the way...

> NEXT CHAPTER

< BACK TO NAVIGATION

This work, chapters 1 - 18, is pre-written and is now being posted here from my AO3. The entire work can be accessed there as well. - Beasty

#⛧taboo #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #afab reader #reader insert #fanfic #fanfiction #yachi hitoka #keishin ukai #monster au #college au #x reader

[sleights-of-hand]

Some more FNV Centaur AU stuff!

Pictured above: Some differences between tail styling (or lack thereof) between a Legionnaire (random) and an NCR Citizen (the Arms Merchant), plus some notes on leg protection. 

Pictured below: A certain Mojave Express courier taking his job very seriously.

A lot of rambling AU text under the cut. CWs for mentions of non-consensual body modification.

The Legionnaire pictured has had his tail docked, something routinely performed in the Legion under the premise of maintaining hygiene, presenting with civility, and emulating their Caesar. In reality it is a painful practice, designed to limit the person’s ability to control their own appearance. Docking occurs either during childhood for people born into the Legion, or as part of assimilation. Legion nobility and religious figures often use cosmetic extensions to style their tails, differentiating them from the rest of their society. Though all depictions of him depict otherwise, Caesar himself keeps his tail shaved short, but undocked.

The Arms Merchant here wears her tail braided. Braiding helps maintain hygiene, prevents long tails from being grabbed in a fight, and keeps tails from being caught up in equipment. Tails are typically braided rather than shaved in the NCR military (unless lice are going around), because a shaved tail complicates both fly management and temperature control-- both serious issues in the Mojave. Braids can be very elaborate and are often decorated, with the most ornamental examples obviously being found in Vegas. 

Both the Legionnaire and the Arms Merchant are wearing different forms of leg protection, reflective of their different fighting styles. The Legionnaire has thicker leather leg wraps, which would help protect him were he to physically grapple with somebody. These provide greater defense against puncturing injuries, such as those inflicted by arrows, blades, or a predator’s teeth.

The Arms Merchant has her legs wrapped in a fashion similar to an NCR Soldier. This is lightly protective, and mostly serves to prevent some environmental injuries, such as those incurred by rocks thrown up while running, or caused by spiky brush or cacti. They’re better than nothing in a fight, but not by much. NCRmy typically rely on firearms in a fight and typically prefer to keep a distance from combatants, and mostly do not armor up expecting a close-range fight.

#FNV #Centaur AU #Legionnaire #NCR Arms Merchant #Lucky Lewis #my art #Sorry people you're in MY CENTAUR HELL now. #There'll be more soon. #text heavy

[thirstofgames]

kitty and the jailbird

#️⃣2️⃣

-IT'S A MATCH-

A blank chat popped open and Damien stared at it for a second. He had honestly not expected it. The girl actually swiped him right. He looked at the clock impatiently; he did not have much time left in the library. There was a loud shout from the hallway, his muscles tensing, ready to hide the phone and bolt at any second.

He regretted that last question right as he pushed send. It sounded so bitter in his head now. It was a dating app after all and she was a good looking young woman.

you there?

...

hello?

busy flirting with your other matches, huh?

And there it was all about to end, the hot topic of his whereabouts. And the swift and cruel rejection that followed. It had already happened one too many times! Could he go through his again? Was it worth it? His palms were sweaty, but he never felt so cold. If the ground could just open up and swallow him whole before she finished asking... 

No, sorry

Just a little surprised we matched

you can unmatch if you want

Well, what I want is to talk with you 😊

Your profile caught my eye

what part?

Your profile pic at first.

Most guys can't pull off the broken, deep and scowling thing

But... looks good on you.

you don't look so bad yourself-

but then I read your description...

and I have to know something

shoot 🙄

It was a simple Yes/No question, but it took Kate way to long to answer. She bit her lip, thinking hard on the possibilities. It was such an unfair question though. She was not going to leave, but was not going to pursue anything with him until she knew what he was in for and how long he was going to be locked up. She'd wasted enough years waiting up on others... 

I'm just a little confused 🤔

Are you really in jail?

you gonna leave if I say yes?

It really depends...

A bittersweet smile spread on his lips. What was he expecting from a girl like her? She probably had a nice job, a supporting family and tons of friends and... an actual future. Why would she even consider wasting her time with him? The little time he had left... Better to just pull off the band aid!

She felt to bad! She hadn't meant to disregard his feelings, but wasn't it fair to let her know what she was getting into? She didn't even know what he was expecting from the conversation they were having... She was curious, but she didn’t want to lead him on.

okay, let's just say...

the orange pants and barbed wire are real

OMG

I have so mane questions 😱

here we go...

What did you do?

Wait, where do you even hide your phone?

STOP!

enough with the interrogation, alright?

I'm just curious...

sure, but i'm more than just a prisoner

a little respect goes a long way

Kate’s heart sank. He was hot, but the prison was a serious issue... She supposed people were not lining up to get to know him. He seemed pretty well rounded and mannered, but he was very defensive about his crime. Did that mean it was something really bad? But he was on a dating app... so maybe he was getting out soon? 

You're right!

I'm so sorry 😓

Let's change the subject

Why don't you tell me what you're looking for

hmmm

What?

i'm thinking...

nobody's really asked me that before

Seriously?

most people stop talking to me when they find out i'm locked up

i don't really blame them. i'm rough around the edges.

She didn't say anything for a while and Damien started wondering if he should just close the damn phone and leave. He should also probably take a break from Lovelink after this... it clearly wasn't doing him any good. Dark thoughts swarmed his mind and he had to close his eyes and head his head back against the bookshelf to get rid of the harrowing feeling. Like he was falling in an endless pit...  

The screen showed him typing and deleting several responses. Kate pursed her lips, impatient. Had she said anything wrong? She’d never spoken to someone who’d been locked up, she was still unsure what could trigger painful memories, or just remind him that he was... not free. But he said he just wanted to chat and his profile mentioned 'deep conversations'... 

Okay, I'm not running away, for now

but...

But I can't really make up my mind

If I don't know anything about you

So...

alright

honestly I'm just looking to talk to someone from the outside

it can get pretty boring in here, just waiting around the clock

Let's be friends then 😊

I'll be your window to the outside world

If that's alright with you...?

Damien sighed on the other end. Beggars can’t be choosers. It was a step in the right direction though. Maybe he was not going to find the love of his life at the very fucking end of said life. He was not living in some fairytale! He was still going to die, alone and forgotten.

But maybe... just a little less alone at the very end of his road. One friend meant more than none and maybe, just maybe... he could tell her his side of the story. Eventually. She seemed patient and understanding enough. Let at least one person out there know he did not murder his own father. 

sure

that's more than most

Of course a pretty thing like her got a lot on attention... She was only chatting up with him because the others were offline- 

but it must have been pretty bad to be such a long sentence

you still can't tell me what the crime was?

look, i've been making my own rules my whole life

you better ask what crimes I DIDN'T do

wow...

i'm no bragging or anything, just letting you know where I'm at

anyways, I'm more interested in what you're all about

what are you doing on an app like this?

Honestly...

I was about to uninstall it right before we matched 😅

Oh

you already found the one?

or no luck at all?

Well, I went on a few nice dates...

i see

Suddenly his experience on the app seemed less awful. Maybe it was not the right place. Or perhaps it was just the place for a misfit like him, here with all the weirdoes and con artists. 

And then they ditched me for their exes

Just my luck 😂

Oh and I swear to god if I see one more vampire 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄

vampires?

Yeees

You wouldn't believe some of the things I saw...

OMG, one dude was actually dresses up as a centaur

I...

don't even want to ask

There's also the 'prince' scam going around

Dudes claiming to be the heirs of some  

Made up countries and asking you for money

It wasn't quite a rejection, but it still hurt a little. She already mentioned twice she was only interested in him as friends. She didn't need to spell it out every few minutes! But she was the only one... 

Met some nice people too ☺️

Actually became good friends with some

Which is nice since I just moved here

were did you come from?

Pallay 💜

you're a long way from home

I know 😢

I suppose it was getting kinda lonely

My friends and family come visit when they can

But that's not a lot...

what brought you here?

Got a really good job opportunity

But I didn't quite realize how far away I'd be

So yeah, to answer your question from before...

I'm kinda just chatting with new people

Made more friends than anything else lol

Hope that's aright with you 🤗

A smile crept on his lips. An actual, genuine smile. How long had it been since he had any reason to? God, it felt good to talk to someone! Someone who didn't know him, who didn't shout 'walking corpse' after him, didn't judge him. He almost felt like his old self. Almost. 

i'm cool with that

Great!

Looking forward to getting to know you, Damien 😄

so let's get to it

tell me about yourself

hobbies, favorite food, anything

my hobbies are always changing 🤔

I start something new every month or so

Oh, and I started volunteering at a vet lately

🐱🐶💕

With a friend I made on this app

it suits you

Hmmmmm how would you know?

We've only just met

just a hunch

I could secretly be evil 😈

you couldn't hurt a fly

besides, I've seen evil and believe me

you're not it

I'm guessing you're not going to elaborate on that

Are you?

see, you know me so well already

Smartass 😝

 At lest until she finds out.

And I love food 🤤

Who doesn't? lol

But picking a favorite is like... impossible

I do have one hell of a sweet tooth  🍫🍬🍦

I'm soooo jealous

I miss making my own meals

That's right! You probably just have a cafeteria.

I'm so sorry 😓

it's cool

i'm glad we have something in common

Is there any food you miss?

Wait... was there even steak in that picture? Kate felt her ears burning, the fluffy pajamas studently itching at her skin.

just makin my own in general, being in charge in the kitchen

Damien scrolled quickly through his phone, the memories leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He nearly didn’t send the photo. It felt like so long ago, a different time...a different person. But it felt so good to remember! To be reminded of the more happier moments when he had all his life ahead of him! And showing her a piece of his past may make her curious enough to stick around for a while longer.

He hit Send.

-Tap to download photo-

Oh

Looks... delicious

you like steak? 

Oh yeah, the food 😳

Wish I could have a bite of that hahaha

So not so shy and innocent as she claimed. Good to know. Even if it didn’t lead anywhere, which he had to be realistic about - he was on death row after all - it was still fun. The most fun he’d had in a long while. It felt...nice.

HA!

i wish you could too 😏

The door of the library swung open hitting the opposite wall. The guard in charge could be heard arguing with someone. At least four voices. He had to move fast.

I'm really hungry now 😅

good

Kate stared at the screen, the little green light besides his profile picture going grey. She scrolled through the conversation as if to make sure she hadn’t just imagined it. She tapped the picture he’d sent, a small smile creeping on her lips. He looked so... normal. Well, more like smoking hot, but she expected some kind of dump, or some greasy repair shop, not Greek sculpture level abs. The boy should come with a warning! She was a sucker for bad boys, but had she gotten so bad that she was now considering a fucking convict? What if he was a murderer or something??

shit!

???

someone's coming

gotta hide my phone

talk soon

Be careful! 🙏🏻

Her ice cream, forgotten on the coffee table, had turned to soup.

What had she gotten herself into?

#lovelink #damien jones #kitty and the jailbird #austin russo #counterpart

[literaticat]

The thing you said about stop co-opting piqued my interest. I asked a race-based question here a couple of times (which you never answered). I won't reiterate it now in case you're still planning to answer it, but some of it asked if white authors should feel pressured to include a more diverse cast of characters, such as black, trans, etc. characters. Are you saying we shouldn't? That we should write mainly white or what we are/know? Or am I reading you wrong? Confused. Should we or not?

In my opinion? Books should reflect the beautiful diversity of our world. A book set in London or NYC *has got to* reflect what those places are like. Hell, I live in the woods amongst the deers and bears, and even where I live my community has lots of different kinds of people! Unless a book has an extremely small cast, or is set in some sort of closed community in which, by design, there literally *are no other kinds of people* -- like a cult or something? It would be highly bizarre to have an all white-straight-cis-normcore-one religion having cast of characters. I’m not saying you need to feel compelled to represent every possible identity under the sun -- like “omg I have to plug in every kind of person -- so now the neighbor is a blind lesbian lumberjack and her partner is a Mexican-American one-armed street musician! The teacher is trans and the principal is nonbinary and the gym coach is a centaur with anxiety issues! (actually wait maybe I do want to read that book... hm... sorry... moving on)

So: Should your cast be diverse? In my opinion? YES! (unless it is on purpose, as above). Should you still get sensitivity reads / accuracy reads for your representation of people who are not like you? In my opinion? YES! Just as if your book contains scenes of brain surgery it might be good to ask a surgeon to take a peek and make sure you didn’t get anything wildly wrong -- it’s important that you realize that your own experience might be a limitation and make sure there’s nothing you flub up on.

Should your MAIN character be a BIPoC person grappling with race etc, if you are a white person? In my opinion? NO! There are tons of ways that white writers can successfully incorporate diverse perspectives without co-opting other people’s stories.

I can already hear the next question: “But what if they aren’t grappling with race?! My story has NOTHING to do with race!” -- you honestly think that BIPoC people can just solve crimes or kiss or solve crimes while kissing for 300 pages and in all that time there is *no difference* in how they navigate the world vs their white counterparts -- that there is *no reason* why race would come up or be a factor in how they react to the circumstances around them? Really? 

In other words: If “it really doesn’t matter if they are Black, that has nothing to do with the story” -- then maybe your character is not 3 dimensional. Because different people’s experiences of the world are not actually interchangeable.

#inclusivity

[thelem0npie]

Hello, My Deer

You'd think that a magic school full of extremely powerful witches and wizards would have some kind of barriers or enchantments in place to keep students out of forbidden places, right?  

Well apparently not, as Y/N had discovered in her first year at Hogwarts, one could simply stroll into the forbidden forest with ease.  

Which she did, many times over the years.  

She found it was a good place to go when one wanted to be alone and undiscovered.  

She wasn't stupid, she knew what kinds of dangerous creatures dwelled within the mass of trees and the rolling mists.  

But she also knew that if she remained quiet and near the edges, she would be safe.  

The girl had seen wonderful things in that forest, from centaurs to fairies and even a unicorn on one eventful trip.  

Yet, as all children, she was tempted by that very same curiosity that had led her into the forest on that very first day. The curiosity to explore, to know more and to see everything.  

It was this curiosity that took her deep into the forest one bright summer day, further than she'd ever dared to go.  

The sunlight quickly disappeared as she delved into the mist that seemed to be a constant in the forest.  

It wasn't until her stomach started growling and she'd turned around to go to lunch when Y/N realized her own foolish mistake.  

She was completely and utterly lost.  

Three boys exited the castle, one of them walking faster and with an angry air about him while the other two tailed along, trying to calm their friend.  

"James! Mate, you're taking it too seriously!"  

"PURPLE PADS! MY HAIR IS PURPLE!" The boy gestured wildly at his own hair which was a disastrous mess of black and pastel purple locks.  

"It's really more of a lilac if you think about it."  

"SHUT UP WORMTAIL!" The two other boys yelled in sync.  

"I'm sorry! I didn't realize it would be so.... purple! Come back inside and we'll go ask McGonagall for the countercharm."  

"Absolutely not! No one else is seeing this until I'm back to normal!" With that, he disrobed and turned into a magnificent, purple stag.  

Peter let out a ridiculous shout of laughter at the sight, Sirius himself disguised his own laugh with a gravelly cough because before them, instead of James' usual brown and black deer, stood a bright purple stag, from its antlers to its hooves, everything was purple. The stag took one look at itself and wailed aloud. 

"EVEN THE STAG IS PURPLE! THE STAG!" James/The stag yelled before cantering off into the forbidden forest.

"It really is more of a lilac, you're right Wormtail."

Y/N was wandering the dark foreboding forest, hopelessly searching for a way out when she tripped over a tree root and hit the ground hard.  

"Freakin shit! This is such assatry!" She grumbled, glaring at the new rips on her favourite jeans, right over the knees.  

A twig snapped nearby and the girl, forgetting her jeans, jumped to her feet and raised her wand.  

"Who's there?" She called, already imagining scenes where acromantula burst from the trees and devour her, or centaurs would come in, arrows flying and slay her where she stood.  

None of this quite prepared her for what did come from the woods, a creature that took her breath away. A graceful brown, black and purple stag that regarded her with boredom tinged with curiosity.  

"Hello there," She whispered in awe, "you're beautiful."  

The stag snorted and tossed its head as if to say 'of course I am, peasant.'  

"Are you hungry, pretty?" She rummaged around in her bag and brought out a baggie of sugar cubes she saved for any run-ins with a unicorn or fairy.  

The stag clopped over happily, stopping a few feet away and watching as Y/N scooped out a few and held them in the palm of her hand.  

The girl watched in awe as this beautiful creature sniffed at her hand before gobbling up the sugar. "I'm gonna call you Pinkie." She smiled, giving the stag more sugar cubes. The creature huffed but ate the sugar cubes anyway.

"What are you? You look like an ordinary deer but you're….purple."

The deer huffed again and started snuffling at the remaining sugar cubes. "Hey!" She shoved the cubes into her bag and scolded the deer. "That's very rude you know, those aren't all for you."  

The deer huffed again and started trotting away. "You can understand me! Wait up!" Y/N hurried after the strange creature. "Can you show me the way out? I'm lost."  

It sighed and gave her an almost humanlike glare of annoyance before nudging her in a certain direction and walking that way.  

As they walked Y/N couldn't help but reach out to touch the beautiful stag. Its fur was smooth and she could feel all the muscle hidden underneath.  

It certainly was a powerful beast. As she watched its fur it occurred to her that the deer had been much more purple when she'd first seen it. "Hey pretty, have you been charmed?"  

The deer huffed again and she took that as a yes. "I'll bet it was those rude Marauders, it seems just like something they'd do."  

The stag made a rumbling sound that might've been… laughter?  

"A-are you laughing?"  

It stopped immediately, continuing its stroll while Y/N gazed at it in wonder, stroking her hand along its side.  

"You know, I could change you back to the right colour. I'm sure I know the spell."  

The stag stopped walking and turned to look at her hopefully. What a strange animal… She thought as she pulled her wand out and pointed it at the stag, who was looking at her with nothing but trust as the girl muttered the spell.  

Soon enough the stag was free of all purple and his true colours of black and browns was revealed.  

"You look like a normal stag, but you certainly don't act like one." The stag looked sheepish and continued to lead her.  

"Ah, you've probably got your own magic just like everything in this forest."  

It seemed to puff up with pride when she said this, something she'd seen someone do many times before.  

"You remind me of a boy I know." She chuckled slightly, aimlessly tracing patterns over the stag's side. "James Potter, the 'most awesome guy in Hogwarts' as he's known. But he's really not all that, he's an arrogant swine if you ask me." She laughed. "Although, I can't deny that he can be sweet when he wants. I've never actually told anyone this but, on our first day here James found me sitting alone on the train, freaking out about Hogwarts because I came from a muggle family, no idea what's in store for me, ya know? He talked to me and made me feel better, I doubt he even remembers it but on that day I saw a different James Potter that no one else seems to see. Sometimes I see him without his friends, that horrid Sirius Black and little Peter Pettigrew, he's such a brown-noser, and he almost seems like that James that I met all those years ago..." Y/N stopped talking, a small smile on her face. When she realised that the deer was staring at her with an unreadable expression she chuckled. "You're right, I'm being weird, I guess I just hope he's still in there because I have a huge crush on that guy and it makes me sad that he doesn't let people see that part of him and I'm literally pouring my heart out to a random animal I found in the woods okay…."  

The stag nuzzled her cheek and licked it. "EW THAT'S NASTY WHAT THE HELL, PINKIE!"  

She wiped her cheek on her robe, ridding it of deer saliva and glaring at the animal that was somehow managing to look smug.  

She was about to start complaining again when she noticed that they'd come to the edge of the forest. "You actually took me out of the forest! You really are magical." She patted the stag on its side. "Thank you, Pinkie, I'll come visit you again and bring more sugar cubes."  

She started making her way to the castle but stopped upon hearing the sound of heavy footsteps behind her. She turned and saw the strange deer following her. When she stopped it tilted its head as if asking what was wrong.  

"Pinkie, you can't come with me, go back to the forest."  

"Well that's a bit rude, I really thought we were bonding back there." She blinked, certain that she'd just seen the stag say those words…  

"…..did you just….. Talk?....." She stammered, eyes wide in shock.  

"What, you never seen a talking stag before?"  

That voice…. She could recognise it anywhere. It sounded exactly like the voice she dreamed about nearly every night.  

"What are you…?"  

The stag winked, of all things, and started… changing!??  

Its legs turned into human arms and legs, its body shifting and shrinking into a bare chest and the head morphed into a human's head until before her stood a completely naked James Potter.  

"MERLIN'S BEARD HIDE YOUR SHAME!" Y/N shrieked, spinning away from the boy.  

"Your crush is standing in front of you completely nude and you don't want to hop on?"  

Y/N felt her face heat up with the telltale blush creeping into her cheeks and was thankful for the fact that James couldn't see her face. "Fuck off, Potter."  

"Accio clothes." The sound of fabric whacking him could be heard followed by a rustling. "Okay, I'm decent."  

She turned around warily, muscles relaxing when she saw that he was, indeed, clothed now.  

"So….." She started, bringing him to cock an eyebrow expectantly.  

"So you're into me." He smirked.  

"Yeah… pretty much." She shuffled nervously.  

"Sweet." She looked up, surprised. "Well, I'm hot, you're hotter, it was bound to happen." He shrugged casually and started heading for the castle. "Hogsmeade tomorrow at 10, bring more sugar cubes."

Masterlist

#james #potter #harry #sirius #black #remus #lupin #peter #pettigrew #marauders #era #fic #fanfic #fan #fiction #fanfiction #imagine #moony #wormtail #padfoot #prongs