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sodalitea · 2 months

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I - Miracles of the White Nights [Il Dottore x Reader/OC]

For Valentine’s Day I’m sharing the first chapter of my longer fanfiction about Il Dottore and my Genshin OC Marie Snezhevna (this story can be perceived as reader insert type of thing; the characters' names play a big role in the plot and I decided to pick them by myself). In this chapter I have not provided the most detailed background of the current circumstances between Zandik and Marie, but I plan to do so in the future. I don’t really know if I’ll update it in any regular schedule, but for sure I’m going to continue this story. Meanwhile, enjoy!

TW: Minimally suggestive! Mentions of Marie's guesses about Dottore's true intentions. Summary: Small gestures make a big difference. Due to the long lasting effects of a serious argument with Il Dottore, Marie Shnezhevna gets degraded on the lower position in Haeresys despite being one of his most reliable workers in the lab. Three months later a ceasefire is established. Zandik finds surprising but efficient way to trick her into getting promoted again. Don't repost my artworks/writings please! I'll appreciate likes, comments and reblogs. I am the author of both text and signature illustarion. ♡ English is my second language, there may occur some grammar issues!

AO3 link

I - Miracles of the White Nights

“The days in Snezhnaya seem identical. Wherever you go, you will find your hair and eyelashes frozen. It's so cold that you have to keep moving your body constantly in order to survive, even in the properly chosen clothing. Everywhere you look, you'll be surrounded by the snowy desert. If you stray too far from human settlements, your eyes will be obscured by one of the sudden snowstorms. Bunch of snowflakes will cut into your face like tiny, marvelously crafted blades. Somewhere on the horizon you may spot the outlines of deep, impenetrable, coniferous forests. You will find it difficult to stand straight due to the violent blows of the whistling wind trying to bury you alive in the frosty grave. It's worth mentioning that the typical Snezhnayan days are rather short in comparison to local nights that can last even for months. This land is harsh, but it still possesses unique, raw beauty. Those cold nights offer truly charming views in the form of multi-colored aurorae you couldn't experience anywhere else in equally rich form. The artistry of almighty Cryo Archon is undeniable, only the canvas she uses to paint her abstract compositions are painfully fake. Of course, these aren't the only charms of the Ice Nation. This country is huge and full of contrasts. What may seem surprising is this special time of the year when the sun takes control over the sky completely, so it doesn't set at all. The local population describes this phenomenon as the "Miracle of the White Nights''. Over the course of four hundred years, one could experience many of them, but they could not compare to the fragrant, inflaming nights in the Nation of Wisdom.”

Zandik, as he wasn't holed up in the deepest dungeons of Haeresys, stopped next to one of the windows in the southern part of his mansion and locked his gaze on the distance. The scarlet irises wandered somewhere along the glittering horizon, seemingly without any specific goal as the Harbinger enjoyed pervasive silence. Since he got rid of the segments, it had been happening more and more often. Sometimes he was just trying to shake off a strange feeling of lightness inside his skull. He was fed up with everything. Exhausted with the amount of delayed work. Instead of dealing with serious matters, he wasted too much time on trivial affairs such as correcting the mistakes of people less competent than himself. For centuries he wasn't relying on his employees that much and now he was just even more disappointed with them. After all, they were only humans with ordinary lifespans, without the satisfying amount of experience that would possibly match the level of Teyvat's most powerful mind. Zandik felt frustrated by the lack of quick alternatives to slow down the pace of his own work. He was alone with all of the projects he started when his other selves were still present. By the time he still handled most of the things on his own in different forms, but for now he couldn't even rely on himself truly. This would be a disgrace to him if he addressed this issue to Pierro or their Archon, since for hundreds of years he had been an exceptional professional, the master of planning and reacting quickly to every breakthrough revelation. He was always a few steps before everyone. At this stage, it was not possible for him to return to such a tedious work alone. It would be much less problematic if only deadlines never existed. Escape in thought was his way to break away from the unfavorable situation at least for a short moment. His thoughts traveled to the place where it never snowed. To the forests that sheltered a much richer variety of living organisms. The days were longer there, and the hot nights often made it impossible to fall asleep. The scents in Sumerian air could effortlessly mess with the restless minds of angry young men living for some greater purposes… For the Second Harbigner of Shneznaya, looking towards Sumeru was an involuntary, bitter flirtation with his own past. Currently he was in a place so incongruous to his homeland, but it was the only nation that guaranteed him complete freedom and support in turning his wildest daydreams into reality. It was the only place in Teyvat that allowed him to prove himself the way he was. He had everything he wanted to continue his journey and test the ideas that many would not even dare to think about… And yet, somewhere in his suppressed consciousness, he understood perfectly well that even here he was just a stranger meant to simply play his part. This time, as the man continued staring out the window, he heard the echo of someone's slow footsteps on the marble floor behind him. He recognized the sequence of these steps extraordinarily well… Those were inimitable. If only their owner walked barefoot, she would reach him in perfect silence. The corners of the Doctor's mouth turned up involuntarily.

“Marie Snezhevna,” he said without even turning towards the woman. Instead, he laced his fingers together behind his back. “Is this an emergency? At this hour I would rather expect to witness your presence in the laboratory or in your chamber.”

His voice echoed crystal clear between the walls of the corridor occupied by him and his underling. As usual, the scientist chose his words in a stiff, somewhat archaic way. Although it added seriousness and supposed politeness to his overall image, he himself seemed distant. Despite Zandik's cold demeanor, his interlocutor did not feel rejected. She was used to talking to him. Marie's interactions with Il Dottore resembled rituals based on some unwritten rules which the main participants managed to learn over the last few years. If there was an ordinary side witness there, the said unrefined observer could experience the eagerness to say that both Marie and Dottore enjoyed engaging in these subtle games.

“I will leave immediately if I interrupted something important,” the woman replied calmly, keeping her demeanor professional. Zandik remained silent for a moment, giving her no answer. This made the woman sigh heavily before she turned her back towards him to fulfill her promise. The quiet rustle of her clothes alerted the Harbinger, who slowly turned towards her and squinted his eyes hidden under the raven mask.

“Stop.”

It was an order. Naturally, the woman immediately stopped and turned her face towards him, allowing him to continue his speech. After all, she had to respect his will. He cleared his throat, seemingly offended by the whole situation.

“You wouldn't come here without a reason. Besides, I don't think it's respectful to be in a hurry when you're talking to your boss.” Indeed, he had known her for a long time and he knew what he could expect from her. He had to play it cool, precisely because — since he had fully understood his own position over the last few months – he didn't want to miss the opportunity to finally talk to Marie alone.

Since he delivered the two gnosis to Tsaritsa, he cut off almost all forms of communication with his former main assistant except her reports on the progress of her research under his command. Although the heretical scientist usually didn't care about time, now it felt like the whole eternity had passed. A really strange thing. Deep down in his heart he was a simple coward, or maybe his unwavering patience was reasonable and had finally paid off as the woman herself announced her readiness for a face-to-face confrontation? Marie shrugged her arms and shifted her body weight to one of her hips before shaking her head, sighing again with a faint smile on her lips. It was an extremely familiar gesture, as if everything before had never had the opportunity to set them apart.

“Of course, naturally…” she looked up at him, and then her facial features softened noticeably. “I just want to thank you for everything you did for me. I really didn't expect this. Certainly not after I caused additional problems in a very crucial situation. I made it all about myself. I think you deserve an apology for what I said, when I stated that you're…”

“Your apology is unnecessary.”

The Harbinger made a gentle gesture with his hand to silence her. He didn't want Marie to take old skeletons out of the closet. He also did not want to elaborate more about the choice of his that had a negative impact on his daily functioning. He wasn't even bothered by the earlier behavior of his former assistant anymore. Even though he still couldn't fully accept what she truly meant back then, he understood her perspective on an intellectual level. During that mission, he was caught off guard by Kusanali and he just did what was necessary to succeed. However, he could have done it all more skillfully to minimize the unpleasant side effects of the special operation. However, he did not take this into account at the time, so he was delaying an adequate response to Marie's complaints. No honest apology passed his lips in ages and he wasn't very likely to utter that magical word anytime soon.

“Follow me. It will be much more beneficial,” he gestured and clasped his hands behind his back again. Then, he started moving further into the southern nave of the mansion. He walked leisurely, visibly waiting for Marie to go after him. True to his expectations, she caught up with him very quickly. When Marie glanced at his face from closer distance, she spotted his poor state immediately. He looked extremely tired and couldn't hide it even under the mask. His skin was paler than usual and it had a sickly greenish undertone. Exhaustion would explain his growing isolation in a convincing way. His own pride was his downfall. As they walked through the corridors in silence, listening to the wind blowing outside, Marie noticed that they were approaching the sector of private chambers. His intentions could be... everything and anything.

Dottore's supposed intentions caused Marie's consternation, but in order to avoid hasty guesses, she decided to keep all comments to herself. The time on his side teached her that the worst things were usually caused by the incorrect assumptions about his agenda. Yet, when Zandik started unlocking the door to his dorm, the woman cleared her throat quietly and took a step back.

“I'll wait outside.”

Slightly awkward smile appeared on her face. She received a reply in the form of a nod. It seemed that he didn't care about the goal that could stereotypically motivate any man to take a woman to his apartment. Overally, Zandik loved privacy, so Marie was going to respect that as well, leaving aside the obvious moral issues. The Doctor disappeared inside his apartment for around five minutes. When he came back, he handed her a small box wrapped in a papyrus. He had a gentle yet wry smile on his lips that only fools could trust. He warned the woman before she started asking him any questions.

“In Sumeru I managed to obtain some new chemical samples which I expect you to analyze, describe, and maybe even extract something completely new from them. I just require you to be extremely careful when handling them. I didn’t choose any intermediary, considering the high value of those resources… I'm strongly against unpacking them outside of the laboratory environment.”

“I see. I will do my best to keep them safe,” Marie took over the package with extreme caution. She seemed to turn pale when she heard a silent clink of glass under the packaging. She looked fearfully at the Harbringer, who rubbed the tip of his nose with his knuckles, covering the lower part of his face at the same time. It took a lot of effort for him not to burst into manic laughter. Fortunately, Dottore was an excellent actor.

“This is another urgent project that has been delayed unexpectedly, so get on with it immediately… If you can make it this evening, I might even consider promoting you again.”

The man sounded as categorical as promising. Yes, exactly, it was a great idea for Marie to return to her previous position. Of course, if only that's what she wanted. Zandik just intended to convince her to do so, being fully determined to achieve the desired effect. Among all of his employees, he memorized cooperation with Marie as the most pleasant. Moreover, he could keep an eye on her constantly to avoid particularly embarrassing accidents involving her... This woman's reliability required appropriate supervision to shine fully.

“Promoting me, you say… For how long?” Although the woman turned it into a joke, she slowly moved towards the opposite side of the corridor, remaining very careful around the package received from her boss. Since Marie was cut from the same cloth as Zandik, she also didn't want to admit that she simply missed the infamous heretic's company. “Apart from formalities, I just wonder what it is. Naturally, I will prepare the report as soon as possible!”

The Harbinger watched as the woman took up her task. It was amusing to witness her curiosity and willingness to gain knowledge. In this particular case, he had a feeling that it would herald a real breakthrough in their united research.

“I'm counting on your expertise, Professor,” he added in Fontanian as she left, before the storm of woman's black curls disappeared from his sight. He expected very quick results from this long-awaited experiment.

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When Marie entered her study room in the lab, she put the package on the table and rubbed her hands together with excitement. Sumeru was the region with the best samples of poisons. What could be inside the parcel? Small colorful frogs for the production of poison darts, medicines and antidotes, rhizomes, roots, leaves, mushrooms, insects… The tropical jungle hid countless treasures and the fact that Il Dottore himself managed the trouble of obtaining raw materials was exceptionally valuable. Marie didn't know anyone who was more familiar with the local flora and fauna. She herself might not have even paid attention to some things during her on field delegations, but now she had the opportunity to learn something new directly from the mastermind himself. On top of that, he offered her another promotion. Wonderful. Low importance tasks weren't as fulfilling as experiencing the true science. After conversation with Zandik she felt extraordinary happiness that she had not expected to return these days. The way he referred to her as Professor scratched the right part of her brain a bit too pleasantly. She was more willing to try to forgive him for scaring her to death when he destroyed his segments out of nowhere. At the same time, was this really necessary to wait so long before handing her the new project?

The woman tied her hair back and put on protective clothing, quietly humming the first random melody that popped into her head. Then, she walked over the table and began unrolling the package. As soon as she saw its contents, she felt the wave of heat on her cheeks. This wasn't what she expected… She slipped the protective mask off her face in bewilderment, and then, with wide eyes, she began to look at the containers. The bottles indeed contained chemicals, but at first glance none of the substances had something to do with the poisonous flora of Sumeru. Those weren't even standard vials from Zandik's laboratory, but some colorful glass flasks decorated according to the Sumerian manner of design and sealed with appropriate labels. Marie sank heavily onto her stool and began carefully turning the bottles over in her fingers. Maybe… Dottore made a mistake or someone miraculously robbed him, replaced the original cargo and even managed to escape with his life? Sounds a bit too silly, but it was all just women's cosmetics. Nothing really valuable to the scientist.

Rose water, kohl, aker fassi and several niche perfume oils. What's more, at the bottom of the package there was an original Sumerian halva decorated with dried fruits.

Marie tried to maintain her denial, but instead of relief, she felt a pang in her heart. At this point her face felt as if she was on fire. If Zandik planned to give it to her right after he returned and her sulks prevented him from doing so… She felt so bad about herself. Willingly or not, she blinked her eyes a few times, as for a moment her vision became blurry. He had no reason to be so generous. Maybe it was a suggestion that he noticed her getting old slowly, or maybe she should just look for some specific, new purposes for simple household chemicals? Maybe the halva was poisoned or packed with elixirs he hadn't tested before? After all, Dottore always devoured it himself and he was reluctant to share it with anyone. Or maybe Marie was just overthinking at the moment and what Dottore really expected from her was terrifyingly simple. Was it that he wanted her to try those substances on herself, like she always used to do in her job? Zandik wished to see the effects of her work in the evening, which meant there was no time for typical scientific inspection… Marie had just enough time to do her makeup. It was exciting, moving and scary in its own way. It wasn't usual to get any prosaic, non-scientific gift from Zandik.

However, if this was the only requirement to restore the old order in the laboratory, Marie was willing to do it for both of them and touch the precious part of Sumeru that he brought to Snezhnaya for her. Soon the woman's green eyes got embraced by a beautiful dark frame. Her cheeks and lips got touched with the color of a pomegranate with a golden glow. She placed the sweet scent of honey, sandalwood and rose behind her ear. She cut the halva into pieces. For now she was almost ready to face him again. It was one of those white nights, when endless days asserted their domination over the lenghty times of darkness again.

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sodalitea · 3 months

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Dottocrow Keychain

Here's a little update on my Dottore fan merch. The time has come and for now the fluffy crows are available in the amount of 5 pieces. [Posting once again, a in bit more readable form.]

🧪How to order? If you're interested, contact me on Instagram: sodaworkshop. You can ask for the specific piece, I'll inform you about it's availability.

🧪Price? 50 PLN / 12,50 USD for one piece.

🧪Details:

This is fan merch product, made by fans for fans!

Current avalability: 5 premade keychains

One piece contains: 1 Dottocrow + detachable keychain pendant (also I'm adding a little Dottore themed bonus to every package in this drop).

Size: around 10,5 cm (with pendant), around 6,5cm (without pendant)

Preservation: avoid prolonged exposition to humidity, chemicals and fire. After shipping the fluffy part may be a bit deformed - you can restore the desired shape by putting a little bit of water only on the black fur and then using a cold blow of the hairdryer. Due to small parts and overall fragility it's not meant for little kids and animals.

Payments: bank transfer outside Poland, bank transfer/OLX/ in some instances also cash in Poland.

Shipping: I'm shipping from Poland. I'm discussing shipping details individually with buyers. You're paying all of the shipping costs.

I'm not responsible for anything that may happen with the package in the transport so there are no refunds in that case. I'm putting my best effort to provide the most secure packaging possible. You're getting the refund if the package is not picked up by you and it returns to me.

#dottocrows #are back #dottore #il dottore #handmade #genshin impact #sodaworkshop #zandik #dottore fanart #il dottore fanart #fan merch #keychains

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sodalitea · 3 months

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Hanfu Zhongli [fanart WIP]

WIP that I hope to finish before celebrations of the year of the dragon.

#genshin impact #zhongli #morax #genshin zhongli #zhongli fanart #art wip #sketch #traditional drawing #geo archon #year of the dragon #chinese new year #lunar new year

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sodalitea · 4 months

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It's an honor to see my version on Dottomon featured in Lestaire's (@surveyycorps) fic! I had so much fun reading it, I ended up rolling and jiggling like a happy teenager afterwards. Moreover, I hope there will be another part of this, where we can witness a sample of regular day with cute yet naughty Dottomon as a pet!

Can We Keep It? - A Solar Flare Side Story

The Ninth has tasked Dottore and his loyal Assistant to clear out unused research facilities in order to lessen maintenance costs. One of the abandoned labs is very much Not Empty, and shenanigans ensue. Or: In which Zandik and Assistant adopt a pet - But it’s The Creature™

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Contents: Dottore x fem!Reader Domestic Fluff, Comedy, Slight Crack, Slice Of Life.

on Ao3 here

Chapter 1/?

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A/N: Side story for Solar Flare. Not strictly within the fic canon, but it might as well be. Takes place some time after chapter 17.

Can be read as a standalone fic, in that case please assume an established relationship between Dottore and his female Assistant.

Takes place after the events of the Sumeru Archon Quest, so the Segments are No More.

Also please note that while this fic here is T rated and SFW, the main fic is Explicit/NSFW and I Do Not Want To See Minors Touching It.

A/N 2: Dottomon looks slightly different here, as in, he is not wearing the blue fur like a kigurumi lol. For reference, think of a mixture of his canon design and this amazing artwork by @sodalitea (that art would probably be what he'd look like as an adult Creature)

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

An irritated sigh left Zandik’s lips.

As if it wasn't enough already that Pantalone had randomly summoned him to his office when he had so many more important things to do, no, now the banker did not even show up at the appointed time. His colleague’s secretary (a new one, again, as Zandik had noted) had shown him into Pantalone’s lavish study, leaving him with nothing more than the words “Lord Regrator will be with you shortly, my Lord.”

That was ten minutes ago, and Zandik briefly debated simply leaving again as he fiddled around with a heavy, gold-embossed pen on the Ninth’s desk. Unfortunately, that wouldn't even serve him any good, not when he knew Pantalone would simply come nagging again. Best to get this over with now, even if it meant sitting around like an idiot as he waited.

Zandik cursed under his breath when he noticed the ink leak out of the undoubtedly criminally expensive fountain pen, staining the files left on the desk. The files weren’t his problem to deal with, but that pen… he made a mental note to construct a more durable one for the banker if he had the time. Only to be handed over for the correct price, of course.

But for now, he could at least…

Holding the leaky pen up at eye level to examine the problem, Zandik’s fingers worked efficiently, and when the ink cartridge clicked back into place not even two minutes later, he let out a satisfied hum.

Unfortunately, his small moment of joy was short-lived when he set the pen back down on the desk and found the leather of his gloves covered in unsightly ink stains. The Harbinger clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“That’s what you get for fixing things for free out of the sheer goodness of your heart…” he growled.

Pantalone’s muffled voice sounded from behind the other door in the room.

“Dottore? Please do come in, I do not have all day, you know…”

Zandik rolled his eyes behind the mask, but followed his colleague's voice through the door.

The scene he found the Ninth in was absurd, to say the least.

Reclined on his luxurious couch, Pantalone currently had not one, not two, but three attendants milling around him.

A gooey pastel-colored cream was smeared all across his face, while his spectacles sat folded neatly on the coffee table to make room for the slices of fresh fruit placed on top of his eyelids.

One of the maids combed through the other Harbinger’s long raven locks before she turned towards a small bowl on the table, stirring another gooey paste with a long-handled paint brush of sorts, the mixture black this time.

The second maid knelt on the floor at his side, running a file over the tips of immaculate pink fingernails; the third woman was stationed near the end of the couch and massaged Pantalone’s pale feet.

Zandik scoffed.

“I didn’t think you would let a few gray streaks affect your dignity so much that you’d feel the need to dye them,” he remarked as he plopped down on the other couch opposite of his colleague.

“Given how you’re the one responsible for most of them, please do shut up, Doctor,” Pantalone shot back, earning a chuckle from the scientist.

“I’m sure you’re aware I have more pressing matters to attend to than witnessing your beauty routine,” Zandik drawled, “so let’s speed this up a little by you telling me what you want from me this time.”

Pantalone sighed and raised his hand, signaling his maids to pause their ministrations.

“We’ll do the hair tomorrow morning. I’m afraid it’s no use continuing this right now, not when my esteemed colleague will surely worsen the state I’m in with his presence alone…”

He sat up and removed the fruit slices from his eyes before taking the already laid out towel to clean his face. Placing his glasses back where they belonged, he turned to face the maids who were dutifully packing away their things.

“Thank you, Ladies. You may take the rest of the afternoon off when you’re done. Except for you, Tasha…”

The maid closest to the door froze and turned around, bowing at the waist.

“Yes, Lord Regrator?”

“Come to my office later. I have some other tasks that require your... Special attention, my dear.”

“Of course, my Lord,” she replied quickly, again bowing deeply before scurrying out of the door, the other maids following close behind.

Turning back to finally face Zandik, Pantalone sighed again.

“Now, where were we…”

“At that part about wasting my time, four-eyes,” Zandik snapped.

The Ninth tutted. “Always so impatient, my dearest Doctor…. Very well, if you insist on not even having a nice little chat with your cherished friend, it cannot be helped, I suppose.”

Crossing his leg over, he quickly adjusted his glasses with one hand before leaning back to face Zandik head on.

“I need you to clear out and ultimately dismantle your Segments’ unused laboratories. Keeping them running is putting quite the strain on my coffers, to say the least.”

A deep frown settled on Zandik’s face. Even before he could open his mouth to voice his disagreement, Pantalone chuckled as he waved his hand dismissively.

“I know, I know. ‘Why?’ and ‘What’s in it for me?’... Don’t even start acting stubborn, Dottore. It makes you look stupid. It’s simple. Less maintenance costs mean more funds for other, more important things. I think I recall you mentioning plans to overhaul some of your lab equipment…?”

The vein on Zandik’s forehead threatened to pop, hand twitching at his side as he imagined how he would like to wipe that smug expression off Pantalone’s face.

༻✧༺

Zandik and I had spent the past few weeks busy with trips all over Snezhnaja after Pantalone demanded him to clear out the various labs and research hide-outs across the nation. While he had decided to let Zandik keep the facilities in other regions for now (I recalled an offhanded mention of how “travel expenses would gravely outweigh the benefits of shutting them down”), I was flabbergasted at the sheer number of random cabins, townhouses and secret underground workshops we had to take down.

Eventually, there was only a single one left, save for our main lab at the palace.

The ride to the research base out in the wilderness was familiar up to a certain point, but despite having heard quite a few things about the facility that used to be run by Iota and Zandik’s three youngest Segments, I had never seen the inside of it.

As we walked through the maze of tiled hallways and laboratories to assess the situation, Zandik explained to me that the Segments that used to work here mostly studied ecosystems and ran experiments on how to enhance organisms to endure extreme conditions, climatic and otherwise. While Iota and Pi, the oldest of the three boys, were more interested in wildlife, the two younger boys, Xi and Mu, focused their research on local plant life.

With the help of the squad we had brought along, everything was dismantled and packed up in a quick and efficient manner, and soon we were able to send the agents on their way to transport everything back to the palace.

We took one last round through the maze-like halls of the facility, to make sure everything was accounted for. Zandik was already out in the hallway that led to the exit, while I gave the main lab one last cursory glance.

I was about to leave, my hand already on the doorknob, when a flash of blue caught my eye. The movement at the edge of my vision was so quick that I might as well have imagined it, but something about it made me hesitate.

As I scanned the room for the source of the movement, a subtle scratching sound reached my ears.

“Zandik, did Iota or one of the boys have a cat or something by any chance?” I called over my shoulder.

No reply.

He was probably already near the exit by now.

I let go of the door and stepped back into the lab that was now mostly empty save for basic furniture we had no use for elsewhere. Quietly moving towards the center of the room, I watched and listened closely for any signs of whatever was hiding in here. The odd noises returned, and after a few seconds I was able to locate their source near one of the large filing cabinets in the corner.

I slowly stepped closer until I was right in front of it. At this distance, I noticed tufts of what appeared to be bright blue, fluffy fur poking out of the gap between shelf and wall, and grinned.

Crouching down, I tilted my head until I could catch a glimpse of the fur’s mysterious owner.

It was impossible to tell exactly what kind of creature I was looking at, not with it being squeezed tightly into the small space behind the cabinet, and the minimal lighting in the room. All I could make out were lots of soft looking light blue fur, a black face, and a single glowing red eye that was staring right back at me.

“Hey, little guy,” I said softly, “are you stuck?”

The creature let out a pitiful whimper as it struggled to move.

I chuckled, “I’ll get you out of there if you promise to not run away, okay?”

It looked at me for a moment before it blinked and stopped shuffling around.

A calculated shove with my shoulder against the cabinet was enough to set the poor thing free, immediately sending it flying forward. The ball of blue fluff came to a tumbling halt on the floor right before my feet and I could finally get a proper look at my new friend.

Even now that I could see all of its furry body in better light, I wasn’t sure what kind of animal, for lack of a better word, it was even supposed to be.

Too round and chubby to be a fox or cat, even though the fluffy tail and triangular ears pointed towards that. Its short arms and legs with black paws and small claws did not look very useful for hunting, or anything dangerous to be quite honest. The most unique feature however, aside from the shade of its fur, was the creature’s face. In between black feathery fuzz sat a pointed bird’s beak, and one single large red-and-yellow eye right above it. A tuft of longer, wild blue strands of fur at the crown of its head rounded off the picture.

I watched as the little guy got up from where it sat sprawled on the floor. Standing on its hind legs, it reached about as high as my knees, not counting the ears.

Looking up at me with a glassy expression in its eye, the blue critter chirped quietly.

“Oh, is that a Thank You?” I cooed, “What a good boy you are — well, assuming you are a boy?”

It chirped again, louder this time, along with an excited nod of its fuzzy head.

“Wait, you can understand me? Huh… But I guess that is almost to be expected if you do indeed come from this lab…”

I crouched down to pet his ears, which were even softer than I anticipated. I felt him nudge my hand with his head, leaning into my touch as he looked up at me hopefully.

“Hmm… What shall I do with you, little guy…?” I pondered.

༻✧༺

“What the hell is taking her so long?” Zandik mumbled as he paced back and forth at the facility’s front gate. “We didn’t miss anything important in there, so why–”

Letting out an exasperated groan, the Harbinger turned on the spot and ventured back into the hallway with long strides, metal heels clicking on the tiled floor.

Nothing in the world could have possibly prepared him for the scene that awaited Zandik when he pushed open the polished door to the main laboratory.

The vast room was as empty as he had left it a few minutes ago, nothing left other than a few old pieces of office furniture…

And now, his Assistant-Turned-Girlfriend, sitting on the floor, giving belly rubs to this weird, fuzzy, blue… thing?

“What the actual fuck is that?” Zandik asked once he snapped out of his initial shock.

She ignored him as he stepped closer, apparently far too engrossed in making baby noises at the odd creature in her lap, who was in turn chirping happily as she scratched the fur behind its ears.

“Forgive me for interrupting, but–” he paused for a moment as he bent down, angling his head until he was in her direct field of vision, “mind explaining what’s going on here?”

“Zandik!” she beamed, before adding, rather dumbly, “Look!”

He let out an annoyed huff. “Yes, I can see the creature sitting in your lap perfectly well. However, that does not even remotely explain how it got there in the first place.”

Her expression faltered, and he did not miss how her hands seemed to hold tighter onto the creature’s blue fur.

“I– you see, I heard a noise, and then I found him stuck behind a cabinet, and—”

Grimacing, Zandik sighed. “Knowing of his… hobby, I think it’s safe to assume this is one of Iota’s creations. If you recall our meeting with that mechanical wolf out in the forest, you know he liked to create all sorts of odd ‘pets’, just to see if he could. I wonder what the story behind this one is…” he trailed off as he noticed how the creature stared at him.

“What are you looking at, hm?” He asked as it tilted its head, studying him curiously.

“He probably wonders if you're Iota, but notices something is different about you. He seems to have some degree of human communication skills, far beyond anything I've seen in any regular animal.”

Zandik hummed, lost in thought for a moment.

“Zandik, we can't leave him here.”

“What? Of course not, we'll set it free outside–”

“That's not what I meant.”

His gaze snapped back to her immediately.

“What do you–” The words died in his throat when he saw the pleading look in her eyes.

“Can we keep him?” she asked.

Zandik stared at her in disbelief.

“Absolutely fucking not.”

“Please?” She whined.

“No chance– oh, don't look at me like that—”

“Pleaaaaseeee?”

As if he could deny her anything when she looked at him with those big round eyes– were those tears pooling at her lashes? Her furry new friend copied her expression immediately, and even if Zandik would never say such a thing out loud, he couldn't help but admit that it did look somewhat adorable.

With a deep sigh and a dramatic roll of his crimson eyes, Zandik threw his hands up in defeat.

“Fine,” he grumbled, “but it's your responsibility to care for it, and yours alone, are we clear?”

“Perfectly clear, Sir,” she giggled as she got up from the floor.

Whispering right into his ear, she added, “Thank you, Love,” before pressing a small kiss to the corner of his lips.

His ears burning pink, Zandik could only stare at her dumbly as she picked the chubby blue creature up into her arms, not even bothering to hide the victorious grin that spread across her face.

“You hear that, Cutie? You're coming home with us!”

#solar flare #dottore #il dottore #Dottomon #Dottore fanfiction #Dottore monster #Dottore creature #inspo #The whole thing made me so happy #I want to see Dottomon chewing Dottore's slippers like a puppy #I'm serious about it

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sodalitea · 4 months

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Hello, Sodalitea's here! Welcome to my little art lab. In summary, I'm an ancient nocturnal creature who likes exploring their creative abilities.

On my blog I'm posting mostly traditionally made illustrations, but I'm also into writing and making handcrafted accessories. Soda Rambles is my side blog solely for sharing inspiring content from other creators. Outside Tumblr I'm more or less active in quite a few places listed on my LINKTREE.

Status of my art commissions: OPEN (for more details scroll down to the MARKETPLACE section of this post)

Don't repost my artworks without permission. If you like my art, reblog it instead.

Don't claim my works as yours.

Don't trace my art. The same applies to editing it, erasing watermarks or feeding AI with my artworks.

Yes, you can use my art as a wallpaper if you like it a lot.

Act decently in the comment section. That's simple.

It's very much SFW blog, but at times there may appear suggestive content here (especially in writings if you encouner fiction written or reblogged by me) - read tags and don't view/read it if you're concerned for any reason. Read and respect tags/warnings attached to anything I create or reblog, that's all. You are responsible for your own conscious media consumption.

If you want to leave me a message, please keep it creative projects related and use the mailbox. I'll respond to your question on my profile.

🖌️ Commission Guide

If you'd like to get fully personalized illustration from me, you can buy a commission. Linked commission guide explainins my terms and prices.

🎨 Prints

If you'd like to get a physical copy of my artworks in artist friendly, supportive way, check my INPRNT SHOP. You can order professional prints of my artworks here. Besides simple paper prints the website offers you other cool options like framed prints, canva prints, phone cases and more!

☕ Ko-Fi

You can get me a symbolic coffee here! Even the smallest support is a big gesture for me (I won't sugarcoat that much, art tools aren't immortal and they cost a bit, funds are always appreciated)! I'm going to post some bonus content here.

🎁 Soda Workshop

On this Instagram profile you can find complete portfolio of my handcrafted works currently available for sale. I'm updating it also on @sodaworkshop If you want to buy something, DM me on Instagram. I'm shipping from Poland.