Night furies are actually perfectly evolved for hunting and killing other dragons and the only reason they aren't a dragon-hunting species like the death song or deathgrippers are is because DreamWorks couldn't have their adorable main character dragon be a "cannibal"
(below I'm gonna try to summarize what we've figured out in a convo with friends on discord)
(also tw animal death via predator)
First of all yes I'm aware that pretty much every decision made about their design was with consideration of the effect it would make on human audiences but hear me out
Night furies are most iconically known as dive-bombers. They are built for speed, high maneuverability, night-time camouflage and for striking targets from above. If we remove human settlements out of the equation (which would not have existed long enough to actually influence night fury evolution, come on), what does that leave us with?
They aren't built for catching fish for sure, they aren't very hydrodynamic and their head is round, wide, and their teeth are dull. Honestly, the monstrous nightmare is much better suited for catching fish, with its long neck, almost pelican-like jaw and rhamphorhynchus teeth
Compare to
Yeah the jaws look kinda like a porpoise of some sort but for that the whole body would have to be a lot more aquatic imo. The light fury looks a lot closer to an aquatic diver, it has a sleeker body, rounded fins instead of spikes, and a long neck.
I don't really see them hunting land animals either, they just don't look like they're adapted for that minus the resemblance with large felines and even then, they're too large to effectively hunt in forests.
The one thing I can kinda imagine them hunting is large mainland megafauna, but we're working with a setting that takes place pretty much exclusively on islands. And overall, dragons are the only abundant species there with the exception of fish and human-bred sheep and chickens.
In general, night furies have duller teeth, smaller claws and are smaller than most dragons. Disregarding the movies making Toothless weirdly OP, a night fury would be disadvantaged against most dragons in a 1v1 fight and besides, it has four huge weak spots that would highly discourage it from a direct physical fight - the primary and secondary tail fins. One unlucky rip in the membrane and the night fury is fucked.
The night fury however noticeably resembles falcons, given their dive-bombing ability and high maneuverability.
Falcons too have smaller beaks and weaker claws compared to most birds of prey, and for that they compensate by simply picking up speed, balling up their talons and Punching. Really. Hard.
And they use that ability to kill other birds, even much larger ones, by knocking them right from the sky.
Here, the night fury's plasma blast works the same way as a falcon's punch. Dragons are fire-resistant, so what the plasma blast does is really just a densely packed bolt of energy that has the effect of either stunning or outright killing prey by damaging its spine. And what the plasma bolt doesn't do, rapid contact with the ground would finish. And if even that doesn't do it, the night fury's wide jaws and dull teeth are just fine for simply clamping around the unlucky dragon's neck and strangling it, like a lion or a pitbull.
The night-time camouflage allows the night fury to soar for extended periods of time perfectly unnoticed in the night sky, and by the time it strikes, the dragon wouldn't even know what's coming.
Unless
Say the hunting night fury is aware of other dragons sleeping under the trees, as most dragons probably would at night (village raids aside, most dragons seem to be diurnal), so how does the night fury get them in position where it can use its signature attack? Well, there's That Iconic Screech Of Death. Since in the movies it tends to appear not just during dive-bombings but also when charging up a blast, I imagine it's something the night fury is able to control to some degree. So by simply fake-diving in close proximity to sleeping dragons, it can effectively terrify them into leaving their hideout and fly out into the open where it can easily take them out.
I dunno, the possibility of night furies as predators to other dragons just makes so much sense to me, I really don't know what other reasons there would be for them to evolve these particular adaptations.
And one more little headcanon to add to this whole rant - since night furies are significantly smaller and less equipped for dragon vs dragon fights and are primarily speed-based predators, I imagine there is this very likely scenario:
There is one dragon who resembles a hyena, a lil bit
âbut what if my friend gets offended and hates me and refuses to speak to me after i set a boundaryâ easy peasy! that is not your friend. hope this helps
I just remembered that Chris and Martin went to space, and I recently watched PHM, so this random interaction came to mind:
This could never happen in canon, and there's a lot of gaps to this, but just IMAGINE rq and bear with me-
The Bros are on their way back to Earth, and they come across another ship, the Hail Mary. Both the Bros and Dr. Grace just stare through the windows at each other like this:
"Friends dont look at friends that way" COWARD. I look at my friends with awe in my eyes, my chest is filled with love, im glowing because i get to be near my friends. I look at my friends and i would give them my everything. SO SKILL ISSUE, look at your friends with all the love that you have
warnings: strangers to lovers, fluff, really awkward conversation, bonding over literature and mutual love of coffee, just jason being our fave boy <3
ă ¤ŕ¨ŕ§ â j. grace x sunshine! reader
word count ~ 2.4k
summary: you had only meant to grab a cup of coffee and nestle somewhere with your books- but leaving with a giddy smile and an almost-date turns out to be much better.
Not much could distract Jason when he focused on something- a book, a quest, his studies. But you proved to be the first.
When the bells above the coffee shop door chimed, he hadn't paid much heed, eyes glued to the pages of his notebook. What did catch his attention, however, was your beaming face as you walked in. You might as well have screamed to announce your presence; five different bags that looked like they'd pull you under from their weight, a book clutched close to you that probably would've been better off if it had been tucked into one of your many bags- though he guessed that you would rather have chucked everything out the window than let it out of your sight- and your bright, sunny expression.
He averted his gaze when he realized that he'd been tracking your path up to the counter with his eyes. Maybe it was the way your smile- warmer and more sweet than anything they could conjure up with sugar and cream- made his heart tick a little faster, but he felt oddly drawn to you. Not that Jason would act on it. He squashed any thought of trying to talk to you as he picked up his pen once more- it wasn't that he couldn't make an attempt, but with his luck he'd end up embarrassing himself.
Up near the front, a few feet away from where Jason was sitting- though you hadn't quite noticed him yet- you chatted with the barista, the cheerful smile on your face a contrast to her tired expression, though she seemed to be trying her best to keep up with your energy.
You picked your coffee cup, somehow miraculously balancing it among the rest of your things, letting your eyes rove over the seats of the cafĂŠ. Your buoyant demeanor dimmed slightly when you took note of the filled booths, a little bit of the sparkle in your grin dipping before you regained your disposition. Of course, some were free- most customers merely dashed in for a quick takeaway, after all, and even during the city's rush hour it was nearly certain that there'd be a place to sit. But today, your usual seat was quite unfortunately taken by a girl sipping an iced matcha while typing furiously on her laptop, a tense look on her face- most likely cramming for studies.
Your nose scrunched up as you sighed and turned to browsing other places to sit with your copious amounts of who-knows-what. Disappointing, sure, but you'd be damned if you couldn't cozy up somewhere else.
Then your eyes locked with Jason's.
You couldn't have known the way his breath stuttered in his chest when the two of you looked at each other, but you sure as hell felt your own heart skip a beat. His eyes were clear, the colour of the sky when a thunderstorm crackled and ripped it apart, revealing only the raw, cloudless blue underneath. A pair of glasses slipped down his nose, and he pushed them up quickly. His tousled blond hair looked like he'd ran his hands through it countless times, and little furrow had appeared between his brows from staring at his scribbled-covered notebook before he'd caught your eye.
That was the whole problem.
No one had a right to look that good while sitting stressed in the corner of a random coffee shop without even trying. Your frozen thoughts snapped and began screaming inside your brain and you ducked your head, breaking your gaze as you felt a flush of warmth flood through you. You had planned to nip in for a cup of coffee and curl up in some discreet corner with your books- that was what occupied most of your bags, due to the bookstore a couple streets down- not get caught up in the way someone looked at you through a sea of benches and coffee cups and the muffled conversations people spoke under their breath.
Tucking your things a little closer to you, you focused determinedly on the polished wooden floor as you spun and began to walk towards, well, somewhere. You'd bump into a seat along the way.
"...you could sit here if you want."
You froze, casting a slow glance over your shoulder, back to the boy that'd held your gaze. His eyes were downcast, like he was avoiding looking at you again, but you were pretty sure that he was the one who spoken. Biting your lip, you looked around for a moment- like you weren't sure whether he was talking to you. You tried not to think about how his voice sounded- low, amiable, the voice of someone who was used to confidence but still slightly unsure of the moment. Or how cute the rising flush in his cheeks looked when he ducked his head to hide it.
God, you should stop before your mind went any farther.
You coughed, scrambling for an answer as you realized that you hadn't answered. "Um, okay," you breathed, like you were afraid that if you spoke too loud the invitation would snap and blow away. What was wrong with you today?
Carefully, you turned back to slide into the leather loveseat across from him, an awkward smile playing at the corners of your lips. You hoped he didn't notice the way your eyes flicked between the table top and his own blue irises.
To be fair, you tried to concede to yourself, this was a good spot. Maybe the view of the bustling streets and cloud-strewn sky was a bit different from where you usually sat, but it was mostly the same. You hadn't sat here just because you saw a cute blond in glasses, right? Probably.
You sighed internally. There was no way you were fooling yourself.
You looked up at him again, subconsciously hugging your book a little closer to you. That was a habit of yours that usually came out when you were feeling a little nervous.
"Hey," he said softly. "I'm Jason." His breath quickened slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, before he cleared his throat. "Sorry, I, uh- I just noticed you were looking for a seat. The ones by the windows are always the best spots." He shrugged, his tone matter-of-fact, but with an undercurrent of something else that you couldn't quite tell.
You brightened, bouncing back to your regular glowing demeanor for a second. "Aren't they? I always come by here whenever I have a new book- I love sitting by the windows and reading. The afternoon light is so pretty."
Pretty. If only you'd known how quickly Jason's heart leapt when you smiled, your eyes lighting up. Pretty, pretty eyes. He felt like a fool, his thoughts stalling on the way your smile made your eyes look brighter than the sun. Jason couldn't be sure of why he blurted out the invitation, only that he had an inkling that it had something to do with that beaming smile and he sure was glad you'd accepted.
He was broken from his reverie when you let out a small laugh, lacing your fingers together and letting your gaze drift up to the ceiling. "Oh, I forgot..."
You told him your name, your voice soft. Somehow it was gentle and sunny and sweet, like you. He liked it.
And you liked the way he said it when he repeated after you, a slow smile curving on his face in a way that made your stomach drop and heat warm your cheeks.
A silence rose between you, twisting the line of awkward and oddly comfortable, before Jason broke it. His blue eyes sparked when they landed on the book in your arms, his smile gaining the edge of restrained excitement of when you see something you like somewhere other than with you.
"Is that..."
You grinned, straightening and leaning forward. Nothing piqued your interest like when someone mentioned your favourite book. "Yes, it is! I stopped by the bookstore earlier-" You patted your bags, "-and I couldn't help but grab, well, another copy. I love-"
With each word your eyes grew wider, rambling eagerly on about the characters and the setting and the writing and suddenly Jason wasn't entirely interested in the book itself anymore, his lips ticking up on the ends as you continued on your rant. Your avid, enthusiastic commentary and the way your words grew breathless tangled his attention more than the commentary of the book ever could.
As your conversation continued, you started to relax, though half of your focus was directed to the back of your brain where your thoughts were drifting dreamily, "cute and smart..." - which, in your defense, was true.
You could've stayed there forever, with the clatter of espresso machines fading in the background while the sweet scent of cinnamon rolls floated past, wrapped in your warm words as you came dangerously close- closer and closer- to falling all the way for someone you'd just met.
Really, at this point, you weren't sure if you felt entirely uncomfortable with that.
But eventually, the gold-tinted sunlight dripping past the window demanded something from the time that didn't quite work in your favour. The sky had begun to colour quickly, lavender paving over the soggy blue, and soon you were forced to take note of the passing minutes.
Reluctantly, you folded your hands in your lap, twisting your fingers bashfully. "I probably shouldn't keep you," you mumbled quietly, biting the inside of your cheek. "I've been talking for a long time... I'm probably annoying you."
You said it with a half-smile, like it was meant to be a joke, but the undercurrent of tightness in your voice spoke otherwise.
Jason tilted his head, observing the way you fidgeted like the words came from a place a little too close to home. The faded curve of your lips, your smile more nervous than your usual bright.
"You could never annoy me, sunny." He teased, but his eyes were soft, sincere.
"Sunny?" You arched an eyebrow, parting your clasped hands to cross your arms instead.
His grin was nonchalant, but winsome enough to make you feel his gaze like an electric current down your spine. You fought heat threatening to bloom in your face.
"Yeah, sunny." Jason offered a small shrug. "You walked in looking like you'd harnessed the sun," he admitted. "Beaming like nothing made you happier than to march into a coffee shop with a million shopping bags and a smile on your face. It seemed pretty fitting.
You turned you face away to hide the shy smile unfurling on your face, much more genuine than the one you'd offered before.
"I mean, I'm not that... bright." You muttered, curling your fingers around your now-lukewarm cup of coffee, swishing it around and staring into the creamy brown dregs like they could hold whatever answer you'd been searching for.
Jason considered continuing for the briefest moment before the embarrassment of what he'd just acknowledged caught up to him. He coughed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Uh, what I meant was- nevermind."
Why did his thoughts always manage to scramble at the worst moments?
"No, I..." You looked back at him again, your smile growing warmer, shy. "I like it. Sunny's cute." You let out a quiet laugh when you saw his face scrunch up in self-consciousness, like he was second-guessing himself. But honestly, it was adorable- though whether the nickname or the look on Jason's face, you'd leave ambiguous.
Tucking a lock of hair behind your ear, you mulled over a thought. You sighed slightly when the waves of colour flooding across the sky reminded you that evening had begun to approach faster than it did at the height of summer.
"Well, it's been lovely talking to you, but... I have to go." You confessed, a rueful expression on your face. The idea of stalling had admittedly crossed your mind, but you'd figured that it was best to be honest. "It's going to take me a while to get home."
"I have to leave too," Jason said, running a hand through his blond hair and smiling sheepishly.
You stood, picking up your things before the awkward silence that'd been lingering at your heels had a chance to settle again.
"...thanks for putting up with me," you joked playfully, offering a small grin as you turned to leave.
You had made it about ten steps before the sound of your name being spoken stopped you in your tracks.
"Wait," he murmured, sending your heart fluttering wildly in your chest. "I... Um, you come here on Thursdays, don't you?"
You could only nod, a bit too vigorously but you really couldn't care less about that in the moment.
His lopsided grin looked a bit hesitant as he said tentatively- "Well, it seems like we didn't quite end our conversation, so... we could finish it here next Thursday afternoon, if you want?"
"I'd like that," you breathed, your smile so brilliant it made Jason feel like his head was turning to mush.
Still smiling, you lifted your hand in a small wave before whirling around and stepping outside.
The sun had just started to dip, golden light cascading over your form as your feet stepped onto the sidewalk. Wind whipped at your cheeks, a hairsbreadth from truly cold, threading through your hair and pulling at your coat. Your giddy expression refused to fade as you walked, head bent low as you replayed the last conversation in your head over and over. Your matching idiotic smiles. The way Jason said your name. Sparks when your palm brushed his.
From the elated bounce in your step, you had a feeling that the next week would prove to be very eventful.
a/n: i hope this wasn't too bad lmao- anyways, masterlist and req. info should be up soon! â¨
I just showed my 11-year-old son how many coffee shop AUs there are on AO3.
Why?
He sat down the other day to write a Minecraft story about three kids who go through a portal in their back yard and end up in the world of Minecraft where they have to battle all the big bosses (I didnât even realize there WERE big bosses in Minecraft but thatâs beside the point). He wrote three chapters with a little input from me â his first beta â and y'all?
He was fucking excited. To be writing a story.
Today he came home from school and seemed a little down, so I asked him about it only to find out that some little asshole at his school told him, âThere is already a Minecraft story.â
Me: Okay? So what?
Lucifer: If thereâs already a story, no one will read mine.
Immediately, I dragged him in and pulled up my AO3 account. My boys know I write fanfiction, so I showed him my account and how many subscribers I have. Then I showed him how many Teen Wolf stories there are. And then, because it seemed like the perfect analogy, I said, âWhat if I wrote a story where two characters meet in a coffee shop and fall in love? No werewolves, nothing at all to do with the actual Teen Wolf universe. Just Stiles and Derek meet in a coffeeshop and fall in love.â
He laughed.
I showed him Mornings Arenât For Everyone. Showed him how many hits it had, how many kudos, how many lovely comments.
Then I said, âSo do you think, if anyone else wrote a story about those exact same characters meeting in a coffee shop and falling in love⌠would anyone read it?â
He laughed and said, âNo because you already did.â
So I clicked on the Sterek tag and refined to coffee shop AU. His mind was blown to see that they ALL had thousands of hits and kudos and comments. Then I clicked on JUST the coffee shop AU tag and showed him all the fics across all the fandoms written by countless different people.
Iâm going to tell you all now what I told him because it applies to everyone.
Write your story. It doesnât matter that someone else has written a story about that subject. They didnât write YOUR story. Only you can do that.
Hiii, do you have some Endgame fix up stories, where Tony is alive and the Starks take Peter in their family. Tony is hurt and he is recovering and he wants his 2 kids to be with him. May could be alive or dead, it doesn't matter
Here are some
A Peter Parker Problem by spagbol99
Peter Parker was back from the dead. At least that is what everybody told him. He'd been snapped out of existence until some sort of time travel and an active death wish by his mentor had saved him and the universe. Just your average sort of life for a 16 year old from Queens.Â
Peter comes back to find May has a husband and a kid. A new family he has to fit into. But he has done it before, he can do it again.
The only thing that feels solid is Tony: the Blip and fatherhood have mellowed him and Peter loves the bond they have now. He knows Tony would be there for him through anything. But Tony needs to focus on his own recovery - not small time Peter Parker problems. When things at home take a turn for the worse, Peter decides that he'll handle it himself. He is Spider-man. He's been to space and fought aliens. He can get through anything. After all, if May is happy, he is happy, right? Right?
After the Storm Passed by sahiya
Sometimes, Peter felt like he wasn't quite... real. Like maybe he wasnât really himself but a bad copy of himself. Like maybe heâd come back wrong.
Becoming Belonging by sahiya
Peter barely remembered the week after he came back, five years and two minutes after dying on Titan. But he did remember this: looking at Morgan Stark and feelingââto his immediate shameââwildly, insanely jealous that Morgan had had those five years with Tony and Peter hadnât.
Everything I Wanted by bluesweatshirt
Daddy looks faraway, like heâs daydreaming or remembering something. âPeter and I grew really close. He wasnât my kid, but IâI cared about him like he was.â
Morgan definitely doesnât like that. She doesnât want to share her dad with some random boy! Besides, Peter is practically a grown-up in the picture Daddy had given her. Surely he doesnât need parents anymore! Heâd already had his own dad.
Why should he get to have hers, too?
***
Or, Morgan Stark isn't sure how she feels about this whole Peter-coming-back-from-the-dead thing.
This is true but I'm gonna be controversial for a second and say that I feel bad for jocks who get hit with The Injuryâ˘ď¸too. The Injuryâ˘ď¸ fucking sucks, man. Having something that everyone praised you for when you were young suddenly betray you and having to grapple with both a sudden loss of ability (whether it's something that can be recovered from or not) and figure out what your future looks like now that the one you had imagined for yourself (whether it was actually realistic or not) feels like it's been snatched away is brutal.
You are allowed to find things hot in theory while also never wanting to actually do them in real life btw. You can get off on whatever wild shit in your imagination and still prefer to be very vanilla in real life. Or not want to have sex at all in real life. You don't owe the universe anything in exchange for your dirty mind.
