Jack, Malleus: Beasts, us Both
Alright, TWST... you friggin' troll đ You got me good with those Jack frames... No wolf inspo reveal, I see how it is-- đ
Because of the angle we're staring at the image from... that macaron Jack is holding looks like a massive GMO green grape⌠AM I JUST SEEING GRAPES EVERYWHERE BECAUSE OF R*LLO... This would mark the first Disney100 art with some notable changes (how heâs holding the macaron and the angle heâs bending at), most likely to make it look better for a card layout.
A Tale as Old as Time.
A young lion prince and his hornbill attendant were captured in a photo frame. With finger-like feathers, the bird had plucked a strand of fur from the large cat. He lacked amusement, beak poised in a manner that suggested a light telling-off. The cub, for his part, looked upset at the lecture.
Thatâs right, lions donât grow their manes out until theyâre older.
Jack sometimes forgot thatâwith his dorm leader prowling around, the most prominent image he had of a lion was that of Leona. Strong, cunning, and self-assured. Nothing like the prince in the painting.
âHow cute,â a low voice drawled. âTo think that Kingscholar too was once this small and helpless⌠Fufufu.â
Jackâs eyes cut to the tall, dark man next to him. With long limbs and regal horns protruding from his head, Malleus Draconia resembled a gazelle.
âItâs hard to imagine Leona-senpai like that,â Jack awkwardly confessed. âI met his nephew once, but that only took me more out of it. He was⌠energetic and bright.â
âImplying that Kingscholar is lacking in energy and a cheerful disposition?â Malleus smirked. âAh, yes. Much change occurs between childhood and adulthood, some of it attributed to social influences. That child had best be cautious. Perhaps Kingscholarâs attitude will rub off on him, smothering that sunshine.â
âLeona-senpai has his good points too!â Jack blurted out. He didnât catch himself in timeâthe words just came, a reverberating bark in the museum.
âOh? Youâre rather quick to defend him.â
The wolf beastman gasped and reeled himself back in. âY-You donât see it because youâre not in Savanaclaw, but I can tell⌠Leona-senpai cares about his students a lot. Heâs looking out for us in his own way.â
âSuch as when he attempted to have me trampled?â Malleus suggested, his tone quiet yet challenging. âI do so fondly remember that.â
âUrk!!â Jackâs ears flattened. âHe does take it too far sometimes. I donât agree with everything he does. The idea of doing everything you can to protect others, though⌠thatâs something I can understand.â
"It is?â
The first year nodded firmly. âThere are stories about wolves working together to chase off invaders who wandered into their snowy territory. Once, a wolf family even took in an orphaned kid. I have my own younger siblings to look after, too.â
âIt appears as though you and your ancestors feel a strong sense of duty to your packs,â Malleus noted. Something akin to amusement danced in his eyes. It quickly flickered out, giving way to a deep melancholy. âFamily⌠Hmm. I cannot say I can relate. I have no siblings to speak of. There is my grandmother, but she is my only living relative."
There was a shiftâa small, imperceptible change in Jack's stoic face.
"... Sorry to hear that."
"Think nothing of it." Malleus waved a dismissive hand. "The circumstances are as they are. We cannot rewind the threads of fate, only weave new ones.
"Still, it is strange. I have not had the chance to meet my mother nor my father. They were already gone long before my hatching. I should feel no attachment to such strangers. Even so, I feel as though something is missing without them."
He gave a dark chuckle, curling fingers over his heart. "Perhaps there is a part of me that longs for that kind of a family, too."
Jack frowned. His chest throbbed with a dull pain.
âThat's..."
Sad.
No brothers, no sisters. No parents, not even aunts or uncles or cousins. Just one big, empty castle, and the creature caged inside of it.
Pacing past ruined wings, furniture strewn about as if a mad beast had run through it in a frenzy. The space filled with loneliness, a hollow feeling that couldn't be fended off.
He shuffled his feet. Resolve slowly solidified. Jack reached for his voice.
"... I don't think you need to worry, Malleus-senpai. You still have people who care about you. Family isnât all in the blood." Jack bashfully rubbed at the back of his neck, his eyes averted. "It's in the bonds too."
He gestured to the painting before them. "The lion prince lost his dad, the previous king. In grief, he ran away from home--but he still had friends that guided him when he was lost and scared. A warthog, a meerkat, a baboon, a hornbill, the lionesses in his pride. They all came together to show the prince he was loved and needed. Because of that, he was able to come home with his head held high."
Jack clenched a hand into a fist, offering a stiff smile. "Family's something that everyone has, one way or another. They're the ones who always have your back, blood or not.â
Malleusâs face momentarily lit up with surprise.
âMy, I didnât expect to hear such a motivational speech from you. I hear from Sebek that youâre quite standoffish.â
âD-Donât get me wrong!!â he sputtered, face heating. âOn any given day, Iâd tackle things on my own. But doing that all the time is pointless.â
âWhich is why you choose to follow Kingscholarâs leadership?â Malleus asked teasingly. âYou seem to admire him a great deal and acknowledge him as the leader of your pack here at Night Raven College.â
âN-No!!â Jack snapped. âTh-There are just some things Iâm not strong enough to do by myself, times when I have to team up with others for a common goal!! Until the day I have the strength to act completely on my ownâŚ!â
Malleus laughed softly, his lips lifting into a mysterious curve. "Be at ease, Howl. You neednât be so defensive. I see your point with crystal clarity.â
âYou⌠You do?â
âThat is correct.â The dragon princeâs eyes creased. âYou, who seeks strength, shall surely find itâand with that strength, you will not be daunted from protecting what is most precious to you, family and friends alike. Youâve helped me to realize the same. We are both the same kind of beast, fufu.â
Jack took one look at Malleusâs ominous smile and shuddered. It could have decimated the stars, wiping out all the light in the night sky in one fell swoop.
âIâm not so sure thatâs a good thingâŚâ
He glanced back at the painting of the lion prince and the hornbill advisor. The distress on the cubâs face suddenly resonated with him.
Jack groaned.
It looks like I still have a lot to learn.
176 notes
¡
View notes
just read your fic that wxplains how lilia is going to sneak into family day lol. so this interactions takes after that. âHi Silver! Happy Family Day! Did your mom or dad happen to drop by? Iâd love to meet them.â To myself: and now I will finally find out what your last name is heh heh heh!! đ
[Referencing this fic!]
[Someone actually also made fan art of how everyone else will perceive Lilia in the enchanted gag glasses; you can see that here!]
*Casually redacts Liliaâs Silverâs dadâs eyes* Warning everyone now, youâre going to see redacted Lilia in a lot of the upcoming writing pieces since lots of the requests I got are Lilia-related yes, they involve Mama Spade too đŚ
Fun fact, Super Marioâs full name is âMario Marioâ as of 2015 đ
Family means Nobody is Left Behind or Forgotten.
âHello. Itâs good to see you in high spirits for Family Day.â Silver greeted you with a small smile. âIf youâre interested in meeting my father, heâs socializing with some of the other parents."
Silver turned his head, and you followed his line of sight to a small group of adults. You couldnât immediately tell who was the right manâthere was no cap of telling silver hair to tip you off. Thatâs right, Silver said he was adopted. They wouldnât look alike.
âWhich one is yourâŚâ You looked back at the second yearâand startled.
A man had suddenly appeared beside Silver.
He took one look at the surprise in your expression and gave an impish grin. "You called for me, and so I have appeared."
His voice, you noticed, was as deep as the darkest night, or an abyss without an end. But it was far from emptyâthere were unsaid secrets and wisdom threaded in the way he spoke, a sacred and sagely quality to his words.
âYouâreâŚâ
"Father." Silver lowered his head in a polite bow. "This is my friend."
"Is that so? Hello, hello! Such a pleasure to meet one of Silver's bosom buddies. Thank you so much for looking after my boy.â
âOh, itâs no problem at all! Silverâs a great guy, heâs very easy to get along with.â
You took a step back and slowly scanned the smooth-talking stranger up and down.
He was a shocking short fellow, with black hair swept into a high ponytail that cascaded past his back. From his deep voice, youâd had anticipated someone more intimidatingâhadnât Silver mentioned his father being a general?âbut he moved and spoke with all the care of a gust of wind, liberated from the stuffy suit he wore. The jacket casually laid on his shoulders, too, seemed to come to life and dance with him, relishing the beautiful day.
And his face wasâŚ
You rubbed your eyes and looked again, squinting this time.
Something was odd about his face.
You had always known Silver for his strangely iridescent eyes. They shifted color in different lighting, sometimes more pink or blue or purple depending on the time of day. But his fatherâs features were all jumbled.
Whenever you thought you had something pinned downâthe hawkishness of his nose, the shape of his mouth, the color of his eyesâthey seemed to change every so slightly. Suddenly the nose was rounder, or his cupidâs bow had sharpened, or his irises had gone from gold to violet to green. Everything seemed blurred, as though you were gazing at him through a heavy veil of fog.
Whatâs going on hereâŚ? Am I not fully awake?
Silverâs dad chuckled lightly. âMy, is something the matter? Youâre staring at me so intensely.â
"Er, have we met before... sir?" you asked, hesitant. For a moment, you thought you caught Silver's face paling and tensing. "You seem familiar somehow, but I can't put my finger on why."
"No Iâm afraid this is our first encounter," Silver's dad said, his every word coated with mirth, "but perhaps some of my charm has rubbed off on my son here. As they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"
He dug an elbow into Silverâs side. The knight sighedâbut from the twinkle in his crooked half-smile, you could tell it was done in fondness.
âNever mind, must just be me then.â You automatically stuck out your hand. âAnyway, itâs nice to meet you, MisterâŚ?â
This is it!! Hope swelled in your chest. The moment of truthâŚ! Iâll finally know what Silverâs last name is!!
The ponytailed man happily clapped a hand into yours, giving a firm shake. When he smiled, his teeth came into viewâthe shapes of them inconsistent, just like the rest of his face.
"You can call me Mr. Silver,â he crooned.
âOh, sure thingââ Your hand went limp as realization suddenly sunk in. "Wait⌠so that means your sonâs full name isâŚâ
Silver Silver?!
âThatâs⌠right,â Silver said carefully. He cast his father a weary look. âYes. I was named for my hair color, which happens to be the same as my surname.â
âGosh, no wonder why you never use your last name then!â you cried. âItâs a weird conversation starter to introduce yourself with the same thing twice!â
âAdmittedly, Iâve never been too good with naming!â Mr. Silver confessed. He let your hand drop, and straightened his lapels. âBut Iâm a firm believer that itâs the content of oneâs character which determines their worth, rather than the titles they hold.
âKufufu. I do hope that you and Silver can continue your studies together and become adults of wonderful character someday.â
161 notes
¡
View notes