[val.]

PTP Name: birlikte.
means 'together' in turkish.
also called birdie.

PTP Gender: female.

PTP Rarity: very rare.

Backstory: back in the day
when birlikte was a little one,
her father use to tell her of a great
being, known as gadreel who lived
on the highest mountain on earth.
birlikte, being curious, asked if she
could one day meet this being, and what
this being would give her. "if you can climb
to the tallest mountain, through blizzards and rain,
dust storms and tornadoes, the being will grant
you the gift of wings and flying." at this
time, birlikte had no wings, but she still had
the will to get them!

that next morning, birlikte set off to
find gadreel and on tallest mountain.
she brought with her a set of rattles,
a horn and a large set of sticks.
on the road, birlikte met a cricket.
"good morning," birlikte said, "why are you
out here alone?" she asked. "i have no music
to play." the cricket responded, beginning to weep.
"no matter cricket, take my rattles and you can
make a cricket song." and so, this turned out to be
how the cricket learned to chirp and rattle.

as the day went on, birlikte crossed a large meadow.
in the grass, she saw a large buck stand proudly, but he
looked quite sad. "good afternoon,
buck," birlikte called, "why are you so sad?"
"i'm sad because i have no antlers to show off!"
the buck huffed, pawing the ground. "no matter
buck, take my sticks to make your antlers." and so,
the buck put on the sticks as his new rack of antlers,
and that is how the deer got his antlers.

after the sun went down, and the moon glistened,
birlikte entered a dark forest. all of a sudden, and
raspy bark caught her attention.
a large grey wolf strutted out of the shadows, his chest
puffed and golden eyes narrowed on birlikte. "and where are you going
snake?" the wolf growled, baring his teeth.
"i am going to the tallest mountain to be granted my wings."
birlikte replied, hissing slightly. the wolf huffed, and tilted
his head back, but what came out was not a long, beautiful howl,
but a raspy, deep bark. "why can't you howl wolf?" birlikte asked.
"because i have to knowledge of how to howl!" the wolf whined.
"no matter, take my horn and blow into it to make your howl."
so that night, the great grey wolf took the horn and blew into it,
and from this learned to howl, and this is how the wolf learned to howl.

the next day, birlikte had reached the bottom of the mountain, but
there were steps she could not climb. suddenly, buck came to her side.
"thank you birlikte, i will carry you in my antlers up the stairs." the buck
scooped birlikte into his antlers and bounded up the stairs to top. but there was a
cave, too small for buck to fit in, and too dark for birlikte. just as buck had appeared,
cricket came to her side. "thank you birlikte, i will lead you through the dark with
my song." and so, cricket and birlikte made it through the dark of the cave to the other side.
but there was a door that had chimes connect to open it, and cricket couldn't chirp loud enough.
to her surprise, birlikte found wolf by her side. "thank you birlikte, now i will howl loud and clear
for the chimes to move and open the door." the wolf took in a huge breath and with all his might,
howled as loud as he could. and with that, the door opened.
and behind the door sat a large white lion. "birlikte, i am gadreel and i am pleased
that you helped those in need. here, take these wings and let the wind carry
you home."

[blueh]

mARKING SO HARd

[Kruxly]

mark

[hypnowave]

mark
transboy, name still debating, icarus mayb

[KenaiAlaric]

PTP Name: Angel skys
PTP Gender: Male
PTP Rarity: Very Rare

[Calix]

boost

[Calix]

This PTP has ended and will be judged shortly~

[Calix]

PTP Name: Grá [Irish; "Love"]
PTP Gender: Genderfluid
[Biologically male; for story, I'm using male pronouns for easy reading]
PTP Rarity: Very Rare

Love is always the most important thing in every story; true love's first kiss is more powerful than any elixir that one can brew, bringing back the comatose, the sick, the dying, the cursed and the broken. It is the oft-underestimated power of the protagonists, their weapon and shield hidden under their sleeve when they battle against the villain, who has been blind to the strength love can offer until then, for they focus on selfish desires and greed, rather than searching for strength within themselves. In real life, we know that power isn't strong enough to defeat dragons or overpower our enemies, but it does help make us brave for our loved ones, gives us the courage to go on and continue fighting, even when the battle has turned against us. Be it for love of another, or something as open as love for a country, it has left marks in human history, and continues to be a strong driving force today.

And that... that seems to be the root of Grá's origins.

Grá wasn't really bred to be the avatar for the strength of love, but it was instead that very power that bore him into being. His wings, a genetic anomaly not found in his parents, were said to have been gifted to him because of the sheer adoration and soul-deep love between his mother and father - well, fathers - and the bond between the three adults somehow tied into some unreachable magic. Of course, they were all owned by a mystic who didn't always know what she was doing, so the whole story could very well be completely made up, other than the fact that Grá had, at the time of his hatching, a mother and two fathers who all pined miserably if one or all of them were separated. That much, he knew.

Even young, his shimmering scales caught the eyes of rich buyers, and when one gave the mystic a price she couldn't turn down, he was given to the man's son - an aspiring author and artist, who needed the companionship and inspiration. They both had their wounds; the man's wife had passed the month prior, and he assumed that was the reason for his son's sadness. The boy... he had never felt comfortable talking to his father, like he had with his mother.

Grá made an excellent substitute, though.

The boy was as patient as he was artistic, and while Grá listened and helped to inspire him - which may have resulted in a few lost words due to the lovely white paint that acted better than any white out fluid trailing behind him, but no matter, they were harmful words, anyway - he taught his constant companion a few tricks, such as the basic gliding through the air that he could manage on his pale, pristine wings, and how to carefully daub his tail on colored paper and canvases to make tiny hearts.

Together, they covered his room in them.

And when the boy - no, young man, Grá decided - found a partner who loved him, the clever little snake daubed little hearts on both of them, hissing happily as both young men smiled and laughed.

He, too, was their pillar of strength when the Old Man found out, and they had to leave behind that room wallpapered with a rainbow of rectangles, each with their own motley of little white hearts and speckles.

They were on their own, but never were truly alone, of course. The tiny, one-bedroom apartment they'd found was barely big enough for two men and a snake, but they made it work, and they made it their own, with canvases filled with landscapes and portraits, easels splattered with paint, and three whole walls devoted to Grá's signature paintings, on every color of paper imaginable. And though the relationship eventually ran its course, Grá kept his beloved artist going and going, until he found another - to stay, this time.

Their rings - gold, with white onyx inlay - were inspired by him, and when his young artist came out with a novel of a boy losing it all, then finding love with the help of a little winged snake with shimmering rainbow scales, he quickly became a little icon of love and strength for so many who needed something, someone, to hold onto while they struggled just as he once had, who had to leave their homes behind and start anew with nothing but each other and whatever they could carry.

---

Grá is eager to please those who show love toward others; those that spread hate get outright ignored - he doesn't really have it in him to be hateful, and he doesn't think that'll fix anything, either. He just doesn't want to be part of it. Sadness is the only negative emotion that he'll pay attention to, and that's merely to try to ease it with an even stronger outpouring of adoration, and the little displays and tricks he was taught, in order to bring a smile.

Obviously, with his strength being love, his courage and bravery often need to be sparked by his love of another. If he must be brave for himself, he'll likely fail; his self-love could use a little work much of the time, since he gives so much of himself out and doesn't request anything in return. He is, in a way, spread thin enough that he can go quite some time without remembering to care for himself if not reminded by those he cares for, or his own body protesting loud enough to finally catch his attention.

Everyone is equal in his eyes, save for those too petty to see the same way - an equal opportunity perch or someone to please, a canvas or warm snugglebear all alike.

By Jensen

After a long and difficult judging, Bentley is the winner! I absolutely fell in love with your story. Thank you all for your amazing entries!

[she wolf warrior]

Congrats, you may keep my art ^^

[Desmond]

!!!!
Oh my goodness - thank you so, so very much, Calix! <3 ;u; I really, really fell in love with this one while I worked, I so happy I get to call them mine <33

And thank you, She Wolf Warrior! <3