starlitecryolite

[starlitecryolite]

more college chara and frisk because i had so much fun with the first one lol

[starlitecryolite]

Green and Purple's dynamic is one of my favorites actually, because Purple despised Green and vise versa; Green could not stand Purple. Dare I protest that Purple hated Green the most out of the quintet?

From how I interpret it, It all boils down to their contrasting personalities, goals, and beliefs. The two share as many similarities as they do differences, and this brings an interesting duo and an enjoyable relationship as the outcome when finally acknowledged.

When basing Green off a surface-level characterization, he's practically this goody-two-shoes. Great at every obstacle he is up against; He is amazing at fighting, quite an architect, and amazing with animals. Skillful with his fishing rod, always running on his two legs, and has quite this interest in musicals. He is numerous, confident, and extravagant – just as much as he can be absurd, arrogant, self-centered, competitive, and honestly quite cocky and petty. Once he has his mind set to a specific goal, he will do whatever to achieve it. I can respect that!

But I do enjoy my favor on detailing and characteristics. It's up to you how you prefer to perceive it.

I feel as though it's worth crediting Green's forte in combat and parkour as a direct reflection of his established personality and traits. Of course, the entire friend group has this style of analysis sharply ingrained in them, Green isn’t some special guy that stands out in this media, but it's his analysis after all!

There is this defined parkour roll Green does. Officially called a "tumble.” this swift move is a practical cheat for fall damage. When done correctly, it prevents your knees from experiencing Hindenburg on a miniature scale. When not, yeah, your spine and shoulder blades are absolutely done for. Green is, of course, a master at parkour as much as he is cautious of his surroundings and environment with his key of detailing in mind.

He knows when it's appropriate to quit, but he isn’t at all accustomed towards giving up without a fight, or to give up at all. It's definitely not something in his wordstock. In some contexts it’s his strength and confidence depriving off based positive. In more sillier, unserious contexts, he’s just stubborn like that. He's a strong-willed stick. What else can I say?

He is aware of his traits of perfection, and he has absolutely no problem on outwardly flexing these skills. However, conflict rises when these traits become overwhelming. He gives himself way too much credit on validation and attention, and this later develops into an addiction to inevitable pleasure by satisfying those around him for his own ingain; to feel held high. (Influencer arc, baby!)

Don't think it's really Green avam if you don't bring up this utter bond he has with his friends. He really holds them high, and he greatly appreciates their presence. He has this deep, close relationship with each and every one of them, and it rather grows when keeping his specialty of seeing everyone right through their own bounds.

But of course, it’s due to this naturally observant trait that Green inhabits. This allows him to catch everyone off guard when confronted, and it especially comes in handy when up against.. unfortunate situations. But it always comes with good intent.

He just seems perfect, or at the least likable, no? Come on, he's great at just about everything, and he holds this deep love and care for everyone. He has much to go around. His overbearing demeanor is fun, his conflict on being a people-pleaser perfectly compliments his character, his flamboyance and gestures, it's no doubt on why he's quite the fan favorite within the community. It's no doubt on why he's considered "the best" by the AB team themselves.

…which admittedly, isn’t for everyone. Or more appropriately said, isn't particularly for someone in this context.

Purple as a character keeps strictly towards himself, never allowing anyone to tread past this invisible barrier he had set for himself due to this desensitization he developed from his household. Once he has a word of command set for him, he would do whatever to secure it. He really holds a figure of authority valuable, much over anything and everything else.

It’s just the greater influence on how he was raised, and it’s complicated to overcome that. Purple does not quit, he just strategically avoids disappointment.

And funnily enough, (but not at all surprising) he's incredibly anxious. Socially and physically. He is the definition of an awkward wreck if I can put it, but still holds this degree of confidence when finally opposed to a situation of battle. He won't allow his weaknesses to overshadow his favor of combat scenarios after all. That's just not him.

When overwhelmed with negatives, he has this tendency to run away, or to shrink in on himself - like an attempt to disappear from the scene entirely. And this isn't anything new, it's quite frequent and recurring from my standpoint.

Purple has a precise skill in acrobatics, and his elytra perfectly compliments his score. It's why he has such a catering interest towards it. Not at all that he's morally sucky at physical combat; he's incredibly well at combat, always possessing a boxer stance, but in a sense that he's just more keen towards that nice peck of "fresh air", to have just an ounce of control? Who wouldn't like flying around? It’s fun.

That being said, he was made to be a child of someone after all. Or maybe, just to be someone. To be apart of something, to be included?

And neglect is multifaceted, not cartoonishly obvious.

An inconsistency makes children subconsciously mark their caretaker as unreliable, someone who doesn’t meet those needs. It depends how the child perceives their environment overall. It plays a greater roll on how they handle these issues, and it reflects on their attachment style.

And It's normal to have different aspects of each quadrant. As the mind is beyond complex, it should only be the case that there are those who won't be beholden to only one attachment styles. When studying an individual, there are so many other factors or psychodynamic theories which may be applied.

Within Orchid—Purple's mom, an Inconsistency of being comforting and attuned towards absent in the next, Purple isn't certain on what to expect, and it shows in how he rather leans from clinging for security towards independency and keen on self-soothing. This stays pretty outward and prominent throughout the span of the series, but still quite implicit. It's definitely something worth noting when keeping references of Purple as a character, and Purple as a conflict.

And it isn't at all Orchid's fault. That's the most tragic bit for me. She was dealing with her own personal conflict, of course—not in the right headspace. While not wanting to demonize her, being a bystander is morally unjustifiable in these kinds of scenarios.

He never bothers to reach out in search of comfort within someone when distressed, nor is it his initial reaction. He doesn't really expect to be soothed. He self-loathes. Even with an embrace, it takes a bit to acknowledge it upon returning. It’s this independence, and in this context it’s much out of a negative light. Ultimately, he believed his parents' narrative as they're such influential people in his life; sabotaging his own potential from the very fear of failing. And it's quite a common trope if I'm being honest, but I still enjoy it regardless!

He really, really hates accountability, but he knows that it’s a necessity and that it’s the right thing to enact. He wants to do good, but his directions and beliefs overshadow his will to do so. Purple has a strong direction towards approval as it's the only other distraction presence he is familiarized with when up against grief. He avoids it, he huddles that sorrow deep into mind, doing whatever to suppress it.

His notions towards these views are a direct contrast of Green's own and everything he’s familiar with and stands for. He is just plainly not used to it.

Purple never refuses a scenario of combat, but only if it was beneficial for his will to earn validation. He just really seems to hate things that he considers "nonsensical" or an intervention of his chronology. It's just annoying, and it makes complete sense for it to be in his perspective. Once his surge of awkwardness from being confronted goes away, he’s more than ready to attack, and he isn’t afraid to do so. He doesn’t hesitate, and he knows when it’s explicitly okay to get serious.

It shows how he reacts and handles Red and Second. Completely 2v1, and he still managed to rock their shit! Just his dad's influence, like father like son am I right?

If you were to ask me, the set plan by King being interrupted was only to be expected and called for.

And it was Green to be that candidate of said interruption, and for me, that's as perfect as you can get towards setting up a conflicted relationship. And that intervention seems to really, stick to Purple.

With that out of the way, Purple, throughout the entire confrontation did not attempt to fight back, not once. His entire goal was to just break free from his grasp and carry out the plan, and Green was just a complete screw-up to this chain of work. He hates these types of people, who generally come off as burdensome and annoying. I mean, why wouldn't he be?

And Green was just as equally infuriated. Purple was nothing more than a coward who would run away from his consequences and do as he’s told. It’s just so not Green’s style or what he's familiarzed with, and it’s hard to become accustomed to those who are generally unlikable. People who don’t exactly try – epecially those who haven't done anything worthy of becoming exactly “likable.”

With such bothersome difficulty, it would make sense for it to be tough to see through Purple’s lens, especially when Green is someone who is essentially sheltered with no experience or knowledge than what he's conditioned to. But with that being said, it just.. isn't Green. Far from it, actually. Green isn’t keen on giving up. That's his style, after all. He wants to understand.

Hell, even when Purple was a presumably lost case, Green still continued on chasing after him. It’s just so.. Green. He’s stubborn but thoughtful. As upset as he is (and as he rightfully should be), he reaches out towards logical common sense when that rush washes over, and he steadily observes.

And in the perspective of Purple, he despises Green, or may I say it can potentially reek from a place of subconscious envy?

Green's relationship with his friends is pretty well highlighted in Purple's mindscape. He's actively aware of their status and bond towards each other, and possibly really did want to reach out towards that. He had a place to belong, a place to feel included. A community to belong. But with his personal conflict of longing validation from an authority figure surpassing his longing for a friend group, he completely discards them. He has his priorities and desires, and it really isn't anything new when studying trauma responses.

Green overal was a repeating highlight in Purple’s mindscape. He’s well aware of how observant he is, and this prompts a small somber moment between the two. Green acknowledges that there’s more to Purple than everyone takes him for. And as sweet as this trait is, it comes off as nothing but a mess to deal with on Purple’s end as he just wants to be left alone with his journey of affirmation, in which he believes he needed. (In which Green isn’t predisposed towards giving.)

Green directly held Purple back towards this accomplishment of his goal with his fishing rod in hand. As mentioned, I believe this was his final straw. King's betrayal better strengthening that proxy. And Purple has an eye of clarity towards that.

And when Purple is in his episode, he confesses everything. There's really nothing to lose when you have already lost so much. Is there? Or at least he thinks he did

While Green does sympathize with Purple's story and his own conflict of being perceived as a “good” or “bad” person because of his actions, he doesn't exactly affirm any of his values, but acknowledges that he still needs to work on himself, and instills in him hope on doing better.

Forgiveness is a broad topic in itself, stopping who he aided and looked up to can be a strong step on reforming a relationship with the gang from there. Though that wasn't the reasoning for Purple's last stand. He's simply endorsed it because he believes it's the right thing to do.

While Green can't exactly speak for his friends, he still offered that scenario and waved away that pressure of how he would be perceived and how he should perceive himself. To just not force such high expectations and standards on himself. That pressure sucks. It really doesn't have the best toll on him if you can't tell.

Not in a way that he's either of the two personas, not in a way that he's both, but that he just sort of.. exists. And that's okay. And with a caring group, he can begin to heal bit by bit on his own time and reflection.

And Green offers that very well-need comfort. Purple didn't reach out for it of course, but he accepted it and broke down nonetheless, and It's really sweet how the mini Green and Purple notes remain hugging compared to the rest of the gang until they are replaced by the actual embrace between the two.

And it can also be very possible that Green had to be held back by everyone while Purple went on to sacrifice himself considering their rearranged order. Animation error or not, however you chose to perceive it.

[starlitecryolite]

AvAM x KPDH AU but it's

Green: Rumi

Blue: Mira

Red: Zoey

Yellow and Orange: Bobby

Purple: Jinu

King or Navy: Gwi-Ma

Idk who can be Rumi's Aunt but wouldn't it be funny if I said DJ or smth/JJJ

Oh and ofc we have Reuben The Pig as Derpy

And SPOILERS FOR KPDH

Same picture

[starlitecryolite]

If you ever need to feel better, just watch Mr. Rogers.

Tenna knows that and does this for Kris whenever they feel down about themselves.

[starlitecryolite]

Casually remembers that this exists

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream/lyr

Other versions under the cut

[starlitecryolite]

Like seriously who made Hero having peanut allergies? I see many posted it 🤣😭

[starlitecryolite]

THEY'RE SO CUTE... 😭😭😭

I need papa Tenna so much (please)

[starlitecryolite]

Tenna taking care of little Kris is something I need more of please and thank you.

Also. Anyone else went crazy over that dialogue in the boss fight where Tenna's like "I'm the one who taught you how to laugh and cry" to Kris ? Something along these lines? Yeah. So uh. Think he noticed Kris isn't themself ?

[starlitecryolite]

i apologize for i have to use the tadc tag

If the Voices are in the Digital Circus Pt. 1

Hero as a.. Cardboard DIY Knight Armor

Contrarian as a Jack-In-The-Box

There's no story yet, but me and the moots at discord are already coming up with ideas. Hero is the new guy, and Contrarian is that one guy that everyone that thought was dead or abstracted but actually, he stayed out of bounds to not deal with the Narrator (or whatever entity) until he comes back on his own terms.

Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4

[starlitecryolite]

If the Voices are in the Digital Circus Pt. 2

Broken as a Porcelain Angel Figure

Cold as a Plastic Toy Sword (that may be still lethal and and makes swinging noises-)

Cold is not the fourth character i designed, but i wanna showcase that Broken, Cold, and Contrarian are the oldest in terms of being trapped there (based on the demo and another moot's idea). So they've seen a lot-

Part 1 , Part 3 , Part 4

[starlitecryolite]

If the Voices are in the Digital Circus Pt. 3

Opportunist as a Tabletop Figurine (his feet is stuck on the base-)

Stubborn as an Animated Stick Figure

Paranoid as a Beanie Baby/Teddy Bear

Hunted as a Cat Teaser Toy

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 4

[starlitecryolite]

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

If the Voices are in the Digital Circus Pt. 4

Skeptic as a Noir Comic Book Protagonist

Cheated as a Deck of Cards

And finally

Smitten as a Prince Doll

[starlitecryolite]

"Cause all my Friends are Robots They got real jobs They can't turn off"

[starlitecryolite]

And trust me I know tv,,,

[starlitecryolite]

Lovely writing you have here! Can you write something with Contrarian and Cold? They seem like polar opposites but have a common interest in finding interesting things to do (and screwing with the Narrator but he's not around in your ficlets) so seeing them interact with each other would be fun :D

(Yeah! I love them! They're such a funny and chaotic duo and I love seeing anything with them. Anyway, enjoy!)

Although Contrarian welcomed mischief and surprises, he found that it wasn't actually that fun when he wasn't aware of what was happening around him.

Restless wasn't a word that Contrarian ever thought that he'd be associated with, but in the weeks that they've gained their own bodies, he found that he couldn't sit still at all, with no way to satisfy him.

They were all figuring this new situation out, but it felt like everyone was figuring it out much faster than Contrarian. Sure, getting your own freedom was fun and all, but that also meant that they were responsible for themselves now, and Contrarian wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Hero said that he was just overwhelmed with all the new changes, but that couldn't be right. Contrarian didn't get overwhelmed, he got excited at things! It was just a nervous sort of excitement, one where he wasn't sure how to deal with it.

Contrarian would walk around their house, trying to find something fun to do, but all he would see were these birds that were actually figuring themselves out, becoming entirely new people that Contrarian was both happy and nervous for.

Yesterday, he walked into a room with Paranoid focused solely on preening Hero's wings, with the other too content and sleepy to notice him. Contrarian's not sure if he's ever seen either of them that happy before.

Then today, he looked out his window to see Smitten and Hunted coming back from a walk, laughing and looking more peaceful and happy than they ever were before.

Everytime he saw it, Contrarian had the urge to walk away, to get away from these weird, domestic scenes that were now taking place.

It wasn't that he wasn't happy for them, it was just-weird to see. It was weird to see voices that he's known forever, suddenly start to change, and not in a bad way.

Change used to be such a bad thing for them back in the cabins-the fear of being faced with something more monstrous than the last. Of course, Contrarian always voiced the opinion of simply walking away from it all, getting as far away from the danger as possible, no matter how fruitless that choice tended to be in the end.

But now they were free, and choices were good again, because there wasn't a horror to run from anymore. That was supposed to be a good thing, but it for some reason filled Contrarian with worry.

So he just kept wandering around, trying to either pass the time or find someone to annoy. But every second that Contrarian was alone, he was accompanied with nothing but silence.

He hated that. He hated silence and boredom and having to actually think about himself for once. So he did what he does best-he ran away from the problem.

He avoided everyone in the house, attempting to find the most secluded and forgotten room to hole up in, until he eventually found the kitchen, finding it empty by some miracle.

He had wanted to try and ignore his problems by eating, but he stopped at the sight of a figure already standing there, large wings wrapped around them.

All Contrarian had to do was shiver at the temperature, and he knew who it was.

"Cold! Sorry! Didn't see you there. What are you-uh-doing?"

Contrarian chuckled nervously to try and fill the awkward silence, and then Cold shifted his wings just enough so that his eyes were shining through the dark feathers, and he did not look pleased.

"I'm trying to avoid people, but that seems like an impossible task," Cold said, and Contrarian couldn't help but giggle at the other in amusement. "Why not just stay in your room, then? Nobody would bother you in there."

Cold rolled his eyes as if the answer was obvious. "Why should I stay in my room? There's nothing interesting in there, and I spend more than enough time sleeping in that room."

Contrarian felt like there was something deeper in Cold's tone, but it was hard to tell with the other.

Contrarian hadn't spent a lot of time with Cold, but he always saw him just popping up here and there, and Contrarian just assumed that he was always coming back from doing some weird shit in the woods.

Cold lowered his wings down past his shoulders once he realised Contrarian wasn't leaving. "I wanted to do something, but I don't know what," Cold said with a sigh, glancing around the kitchen.

Contrarian chuckled, but there was no amusement in the sound. He walked closer to the other and leaned against a counter. "That makes two of us," he mumbled, and Cold arched a brow curiously.

"Oh? Is the clown actually bored? When there's a million ways he could be annoying people?" Contrarian groaned in embarrassment as Cold teased him, tilting his head up to the ceiling as he thought.

He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to vent to Cold of all people. He had a pretty good guess as to what Cold would consider 'advice', so instead he threw the question back at him.

"Well why are you bored? Or, at least, being weird in a not-Cold way?" he asked, and watched in surprise as Cold averted his eyes.

"I'm not bored," Cold replied quietly, "everything's just-a lot more than I was expecting, and I don't know where to begin to try and feel something."

"Like the choices are overwhelming you?" Cold shrugged. "It's more like I'm not sure what will truly satisfy me, not like how all the others are figuring it out, seemingly far easier than me." Contrarian could just about sense a hint of bitterness in Cold's voice, and although he said didn't want to vent to the other, it still felt wrong to leave a flockmate feeling lonely and confused.

"I'm kinda confused as well," he said, bouncing up and down on his feet for something to do. He could feel Cold's eyes on him like frost sticking to his skin and turning it blue, but he kept a smile on his face as he said, "This whole freedom and agency thing is hard to wrap my head around."

"Why?" Cold asked, no trace of anything teasing or mocking to be heard, which calmed Contrarian down slightly.

"Because everything's changing, and it's not bad for once, and there's no annoying guy in our head telling us what to do. Sure, those are all good things, but what if-" Contrarian paused, taking a moment to look around the kitchen, until his eyes eventually fell onto a fork on the counter, and he grabbed it, holding it up for Cold to see.

"What if I wanted to try and juggle forks in the air because it could be fun? If we were in the cabin, everyone would tell me 'No Contrarian, that's so dangerous and anyways, we have this big, scary princess to focus on,' so then I have to do it."

"But there's no danger to ignore and no Narrator to defy," Cold said, piecing the dilemma together much quicker than Contrarian would have liked. Cold even sounded intrigued by it.

Contrarian stopped bouncing, and nodded with a bittersweet smile on his face. "The change is good, don't get me wrong. But-" Contrarian stopped, taking a moment to look out the window, hearing some of the others laugh, and just feel how happy they must be now.

"-But it's hard to feel like a contrarian nowadays."

Cold hummed lowly, and then neither of them spoke for the next few minutes, simply sitting in their confusion.

Cold wasn't sure what to try and feel anymore, and Contrarian wasn't sure how to feel like him anymore.

He heard Cold sigh, and when Contrarian looked up, he found the other staring at the fork in his hand curiously.

"Do you think you'd be better at juggling forks with or without your eyesight?" Cold asked, and Contrarian's entire body stopped in that moment, all brainpower focused on processing that question.

"What?" he blurted out with a laugh, noticing how Cold's wings had now completely unwrapped from his body, and he seemed to straighten up to his full height as his attention was solely on the fork.

"I don't think you'd be that good of a juggler to begin with," Cold said, and Contrarian's jaw dropped at the audacity. "You don't strike me as someone with good hand coordination."

"Excuse you, sir!" Contrarian exclaimed in playful outrage, a giddy smile already taking over his face. "I'll have you know that I have excellent hand coordination! You wouldn't be able to throw a blade out of a window as well as I could. In fact-" Contrarian slammed the fork back onto the counter, making sure the pointy ends were dug deep enough into the surface, and then marched off, gesturing for Cold to follow.

"C'mon!" he exclaimed with a newfound determination. "I'll show you how good I am at juggling-with knives, just to prove it to you. Hero tried to hide them all from me, but he can't stop my chaos forever. Let's go!"

Cold followed him without another word, but Contrarian did catch the hint of a smile on his face as they walked off together.

Maybe they don't have to get used to these changes right away or as quickly as the others, but maybe they just need someone else to make the process less daunting, and that was enough for them.

[starlitecryolite]

Tongues and Teeth PT.4 (STP)

(Fair warning-Cold is one of the two voices that I'm probably going to have trouble writing,so I apologize if I butcher his character)

*

Paranoid jumped off the rock,spinning around to try and spot the newcomer,useless wings wrapped around him for protection.He did a full rotation without seeing anyone,and he stopped,brows furrowed in confusion as he stared at the trees around him,until the stranger spoke up,"On your right."

He twisted his head to the right,the dimming of the sun making it hard to see anything,but when he squinted his eyes,he managed to catch a flash of movement.A blink.

That was when he realised that there was one of them here,leaning against a tree with his arms crossed,dark feathers blending perfectly into the growing darkness.

The bird tilted his head to the side as he said,"Hello there,"with frost exhaling from his mouth.There was only one voice that could be.

"Cold."

"Paranoid."

"How long have you been there?"Cold shrugged, and Paranoid asked,"Have you seen any of the others?"Cold took a second to think,then said,"I don't remember how long ago it was,but I did see Hero at some point."

Paranoid stepped forward in shock and longing, wringing his hands together,the ache in his heart growing bigger.Cold noticed,and only raised a brow at his reaction,but he couldn't help it.

He would only feel truly safe and okay once he found Hero.He couldn't explain it,but Hero just felt like safety,like nothing was beyond repair if he was there.It might have to do with the fact that Hero seemed closer to the Decider than the rest of them.

"Was he alright?Did you see where he went?"Cold shrugged,looking away."Not sure.He seemed to be in a hurry,but I decided that seeing what this new form could do was more interesting."Paranoid swallowed his scream of frustration,because this was just how Cold behaved.

He took a deep breath in."How are you enjoying your new form?"

"How are you enjoying yours?"

"It's awful,"he tucked his wings behind his back, hoping Cold didn't care enough to pay attention to it,"Now I have to actually worry about me,and the rest of you reckless idiots."

"I noticed Opportunist drop you here.You've been busy,haven't you?"He could've sworn that Cold's eyes darkened."Has he already tried one of his schemes on you?"

Paranoid clenched his fists,feeling Cold's eyes freezing him to the spot."We're just trying to gather everyone.There's me,Opportunist and Contrarian-and now you,technically."

"Oh?"Cold said,and finally pushed himself off the tree,strolling up to him in a relaxed manner,walking into the light so that Paranoid could see him better.He noticed that Cold's feathers were slightly on the thinner side,but not as bad as Paranoid's, and in the light,he noticed that the hue of his feathers actually looked a little lighter compared to everyone else so far.

He kept his arms behind his back,making Paranoid feel smaller than an ant as he said,"What makes you think I want to come with you?"Paranoid gulped, because he knew that convincing Cold to do something he had no interest in was an impossible task,especially now that they weren't simply voices fighting for control anymore.Cold could quite literally wander off to do whatever he wanted.

Paranoid chuckled,trying to come off as self-assured,but it only sounded anxious.He gestured around them."What?Is some dirt and trees enough to keep you in one place for this long?"

"Maybe."What?

Now he was really confused,because that didn't sound like Cold at all.There was no way that he was fascinated with the forest that much. Experimenting with his new body?Yes.Standing in a forest that they've seen plenty of times?No way.

Paranoid lowered his wings,trying to come up with a way to talk to Cold and get him to join them.But Cold had always been an enigma to Paranoid-their whole argument about pain was clear evidence of that.But Paranoid refused to give up-the thought of dying at the hands of her, was enough to send him snapping at anyone trying to make dumb and impulsive decisions.

But...none of that mattered anymore,did it?He could never successfully get the Decider to avoid all the horror that He went through,all the pain and trauma.Paranoid couldn't even escape from a monster without help now!

He wasn't as useful as he once was.Or had he ever been useful,considering all the agony they suffered?

"Oh,"Cold said,bringing Paranoid back to reality, "there's that look again.How odd.I don't think I've ever seen you look like that before."

Paranoid sighed,ignoring the comment."So you don't want to join us,I take it?"Cold hummed,then said,"Not right now."

"Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why?Tell me what's more interesting than watching us fumble around and try to get used to this new situation.I'd have thought that would've been perfect entertainment for you."

Cold blinked,silent for a moment,then let a heavy sigh out,cold air disappearing into the dying light. "Preferably,I would keep going until I found something that made me feel-something more,but it appears that solid bodies have...limits."

"Oh?So you're just tired?"

"I guess you could call it that."Cold backed away, until he was leaning against the tree again."For now, I'm happy to wait,until I get too bored again.Then I'll see what this place has to offer."

Paranoid made sure to not mention the creature he just encountered.

So Cold was just tired?He was just waiting for the energy to go out and try and feel something again?That was more understandable to him,but something in the back of his head was whispering doubts.Was Cold really someone to care about limits?He didn't even care about being killed by the Princess that much!

Paranoid took a step forward,and Cold didn't react. But he took another step forward,almost closing the distance between them,and then Cold asked, "What are you doing?"in that sharp yet soft voice of his,turning his head to look away from him.

But why ask?Why not see what Paranoid would do?Why was Cold-holding back,in a way?

Paranoid sighed in frustration,and that was when he noticed Cold's breath,thanks to the frost.He would've thought that Cold would be taking long, relaxed breaths,just waiting for the time to move again.But his breaths were coming out in quick, short bursts,as if he was trying to get to heart under control.But why would-oh.

That was when he realised-Cold wasn't bored and just waiting for something interesting to happen.He was overwhelmed,a feeling Paranoid was quite familiar with.

He once thought that Cold would love all these new things he got to explore-but perhaps he was wrong, and he wasn't as numb as he'd like to be anymore.

But the realisation must have shown on Paranoid's face,because Cold furrowed his brows,and without taking his gaze away from him,slammed his elbow into the tree behind him,causing an owl to cry out and fly away,and for Paranoid to yell out.

"Fucking hell!"he exclaimed,hands coming up to clutch at the feathers near his head,jumping back a good ten feet from Cold,who's smugness Paranoid could feel.

His body shook,and he placed his hands over his pounding heart,softly muttering to himself,"Heart, lungs,liver,nerves,"over and over again until he got his body under control and he no longer felt in danger.

At least his chant,despite everything else,seemed to be normal.

When he came to,Cold was giving him a curious look,and ignored Paranoid's glare as he said,"Tell me how you do that."

Paranoid sighed,but opened his mouth to explain it, a habit from teaching Hero,until an idea popped into his head.

Opportunist got Contrarian on board by poking at his ego,to make him want to be with them.Maybe Paranoid can do the same here.

So he looked Cold in his dark,unreadable eyes and said,"No."

For a brief moment,a look of genuine surprise came over Cold's features,before falling back into his usual blank mask.

"No?"Cold repeated,intrigue in his tone now."No," Paranoid said,crossing his arms and looking away, in the hopes that Cold didn't see the anxiety in his eyes."I don't think I feel like it."Then he shrugged, feigning indifference."You probably wouldn't get it anyways."

He held that position for a few seconds,until he felt footsteps approach him,and he took a deep breath, willing his worries to go away,and he turned just as Cold walked up to him.

He unfortunately towered over Paranoid.It was eerily quiet as they stared each other down, Paranoid having to crane his neck back to even properly look at him-so close that their chest feathers were touching

They held each other's gazes,and Cold didn't seem to blink,an intensity in his stare that had Paranoid's knees wobbling,but he held firm.

This should've been the moment that Paranoid turned around and left him wanting more,like with Contrarian.The longer he stayed there though,the quicker Cold would call his bluff,or give up entirely.

But at this proximity,Paranoid could clearly see the slight tremor in the other's body,the clouded, almost unfocused look in his eyes.Cold hid it well, but Paranoid knew when someone was overstimulated,from his own experiences and with helping Hero through his own struggles.

He couldn't look away,pretend to not care.He did care,even if Cold acted like he didn't,and he wouldn't feel right leaving him all alone in these woods.The thought made his stomach turn.

Cold may act numb,but a body doesn't lie.

"You're not as untouchable as you think you are," Paranoid said,clenching his fists tight to keep him on the spot.Cold merely leaned closer,and asked in a teasing manner,"What are you going to do about it?"

Neither of them said anything for a few seconds-until Paranoid sighed.

"Sit down,"he instructed,lowering himself to the ground.Cold looked at him for a second or two,then shrugged and sat down across from him.

"Give me your hand,"he softly ordered,holding his own hand out expectedly,palm facing up.Cold didn't tear his eyes away from Paranoid,yet still gently placed his hand in his.

"Are you teaching me your chant?"

"No."Paranoid closed his fingers around Cold's hands,immediately noticing how thin and bony they were,and he felt how they shook slightly in his grip.He was also freezing,but he figured that that was normal for the other bird.

"Close your eyes,"he said,and he waited until Cold obliged,before doing the same himself.For once, Paranoid actually felt sure of what he was doing as he said,"Take a deep breath in,hold it for four seconds,then breathe out for five seconds."He did it as well,and was pleasantly surprised to hear Cold copy him.

He rubbed a thumb over Cold's knuckles and whispered,"Now do it again."They breathed in sync, letting nothing but the sounds of the forest consume them,and Paranoid,even though this was for Cold,felt his own muscles relax and his wings lower to the ground.A part of him wanted to stay in this little bubble of peace forever.

But still,at some point,Cold's hand stopped shaking,and Paranoid whispered,"Open your eyes."

What he saw,was still Cold's blank face,but there was now a lightness in his eyes that hadn't been there before.He gave the other a small smile and said,"One day,I'll show you the chant,but right now you needed something else."

Cold said nothing,and Paranoid was about to let go, but before he could,Cold suddenly yanked him forward,and Paranoid yelped as their faces were now inches away from each other,and he couldn't bring himself to look away from Cold's intense stare.

Paranoid didn't dare speak-and then he felt a gentle squeeze from Cold.

A thank you.

Paranoid was too stunned to speak,as Cold let go of his hand and leaned back,content to sit there in silence.

However,Paranoid had too many strong emotions to speak right now.He thought that he was worthless in this new form now,no longer able to perform the way he used to,no longer able to protect the way he used to.But he was wrong.

He may be in an entirely new and unpredictable situation,and dealing with things that he never had to before,but he was still him.Just because he couldn't do certain things,doesn't mean that he can't do other things that are extremely valuable to his flock.The skills he has still matter,now more than ever.

A warmth spread through him at the realisation,and a soft smile was beginning to grow on his face when-

"Look out!"

Suddenly,a dark figure burst through the foliage, and Paranoid yelled out in fright,but still scrambled to his feet,with Cold in tow-although not as frantically.

The figure ran on all fours,running in circles around the area,until it stopped and pressed its back against a tree,and then Paranoid realised that it was Hunted.

His whole body was shaking violently,claws digging into the bark of the tree as his eyes darted around, never lingering on one place for too long,with his feathers sticking out in all directions.

Paranoid looked back to where he had emerged from,to find Contrarian had pushed Oppy to the ground,presumably to avoid Hunted,and a Stubborn looming above them just brimming with energy and aggression.

Stubborn looked to be as tall as Cold was,but where Cold was skinny,Stubborn was bulky,with sharp claws just itching to fight something.He was twisting his head around madly,a feral grin on his face as he said,"Where is he?!Where is that little pipsqueak?!"

"What is going on here?"Paranoid demanded,and Stubborn's attention immediately shifted to him, but his face twisted in disappointment."I'm looking for that little rat!Have you seen him?"

Paranoid knew he was talking about Hunted,but he didn't dare look over and give away his place in the shadows,the moon high in the air at this point.

"Why?Has something happened?"

"Yeah,and it's the fact that we haven't fought yet!"

"You want to fight Hunted?"Oppy asked in confusion,being pulled to his feet by an equally confused Contrarian.

Stubborn just gave them all a hungry grin full of teeth."Yeah!Now that I've got this body all to myself,I can really challenge it,and since the Princesses are gone and I haven't seen Hero boy around,that pipsqueak is the only worthy opponent left!"

"Did he want to fight you?"Oppy asked,and Stubborn sighed sharply."No!All he cared about was finding you lot!He wouldn't fight me at all!"

Contrarian snorted."So you decided to just chase him around?Him?Hunted?"

"Well what other choice did I have?"

"Leave him alone,maybe!"Paranoid snapped,and Stubborn just glared at him."Why?What else is there to do other than to fight to see what we can take?"

"So you just want to punch things again?How unoriginal,"Cold commented with a roll of his eyes, and Stubborn let out a snarl at him."Well I'm sure as hell not gonna sit around and do nothing with this freedom,am I?"Before Paranoid could speak,he waved them all away."Whatever.I'm off to find the little runt.Don't bother me until I've fought and beaten him."With that,Stubborn stomped away.

Everyone was too shocked to speak,but then Paranoid heard a small sound coming from Hunted, and when he brought his attention back to him, dread filled his chest and made him rush over to him,as he realized Hunted was having a panic attack.

"Hunted,"he softly called,kneeling in front of him, but Hunted wouldn't respond,his eyes staring into nothing as his breathing came out in short,painful looking bursts.

There was no way he could calm him down like he had with Cold.But there was one thing he could do.

Paranoid took a deep breath in,placing one of his hands over Hunted's rapidly beating heart,and directing Hunted's hand over Paranoid's own,and with that,everything else fell to black.

"Heart.Lungs.Liver.Nerves."

His head tipped back,and there was only the feeling of blood rushing and a heart full of fear,but not of his own.Hunted's fear was like the whipping of wind,crashing and flinging about everywhere, twisting and turning,but with nowhere to go.

"Heart.Lungs.Liver.Nerves."His voice was firm yet calm as he spoke,willing the fear to leave Hunted,to see that he was safe,his flock was here and they were going to protect each other now.

It felt like hours had passed,but with one last whisper of his chant,and a promise that the danger had passed,Paranoid felt Hunted calm down.

He sighed in relief,letting their hands fall to their laps.It felt good-in a weird way-to do his chant again,despite the tense predicaments that it's needed for.

He slowly lowered his head to face Hunted,to find him staring at Paranoid with an animalistic intensity,but he knew he wasn't in danger.

Especially when Hunted gently cupped his face,and pressed their foreheads together.

[starlitecryolite]

I got an interesting pairing!

Contrarian x Broken!

Let's put these two train wrecks together and see how they handle each other's depression!!!

(I've actually been thinking about them and they'd be so sweet and adorable together! Contrarian trying to get Broken to smile and laugh, and Broken helping Contra to open up and let himself be sad. I love it, so enjoy!)

"Hey, cutie!"

Broken groaned, twisting around in his bed and trying to pull his blanket over his head.

But the annoying creature known as Contrarian just gleefully ripped it away from him, leaving Broken to whine sadly, using his arms as a poor substitute.

He felt the bed dip as Contrarian climbed up. "C'mon, don't you wanna see me?"

"I don't want to see anybody."

"Why not?" Contrarian asked, poking at his arms, then softly started to run his fingers along his thin feathers, which admittedly did feel good, but Broken would never say that.

"I just don't. They're all too much right now."

"Am I too much right now?"

Broken bit his lip, then twisted to shove his face into a pillow, his silence speaking for itself.

"Ha! I knew it! You don't want me to leave!"

Broken groaned, feeling his body relax under Contrarian's soft work. "Connie," Broken groaned, trying to stop the smile forming on his face.

He doesn't deserve to feel happy. It feels wrong to be happy right now.

But every time he would have those thoughts, there would be a louder, more cheerful voice laughing and cracking jokes in his ear, pushing away all the rainclouds in his mind.

"You want me to stay here and cuddle, I know you do," Contrarian confidently said, and Broken could feel his playful gaze on him like a pleasant warmth, and Broken found that his head was already clearing and becoming more light the more that Contrarian was here and talking to him.

It was just too hard to admit that.

"No, I don't," Broken weakly refused, twisting to lay on his back, cracking his eyes open just enough to see Contrarian's beaming smile, a smile that caused a fluttering in Broken's chest and chased the dark, thorny emotions away.

"Yes, you do," Contrarian insisted, poking his side for emphasis- and Broken's eyes flew open as he wriggled on the spot.

When Broken heard Contrarian's chuckle get that little bit deeper, he knew he was in trouble.

He should just tell Contrarian to knock it off, that he wanted to be alone with his misery.

But another part of him really didn't want that, and he was almost embarrassed to admit it.

Judging from the slight pleading look in Contrarian's eyes, there was something he wanted from this as well.

So instead, Broken looked Contrarian right in the eye and said, "I'm telling the truth."

A familiar gleam in Contrarian's eye was seen, and Broken felt his fingers lightly grazing his sides, and already, Broken was fighting down a grin.

"I don't think you are," Contrarian said, hovering above Broken, wings spread wide in excitement. "I think you're a little liar, and liars need to be punished."

Broken blinked, and then Contrarian descended upon him.

His fingers dug and scratched into his sides, burying between his ribs- and Broken exploded with laughter.

His back arched and his body squirmed uncontrollably as Contrarian tickled him relentlessly.

"Aww!" Contrarian cooed. "You are happy to see me! Look at you!"

Broken grabbed one of Contrarian's wrists, weakly tugging at it, while the other one uselessly batted against Contrarian's chest.

"Nonononono!" Broken begged, shaking his head, feathers flying everywhere.

"What?" Contrarian said, feigning shock. "You're not happy to see me?" Broken couldn't respond, nothing in his mind other than Contrarian's fingers tickling his skin, his face hurting from how hard he was laughing.

"Well then why are you laughing so much?" Contrarian teased, and then he leaned down to pepper Broken's face in kisses, kissing away the tears that were escaping the corner of his eyes. Broken felt like he was floating, like his soul had been uplifted so much that it was leaving his body.

Contrarian leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Say you want me here."

Broken's face has never felt hotter, and all he did was lean his face away, turning away from Contrarian, and also giving him a silent message as to what he wanted.

"Oh well, you leave me no choice, then," Contrarian said, and the next thing Broken knew, Contrarian had pressed his lips against Broken's extremely sensitive neck and blew a raspberry against him.

Broken's whole body thrashed violently at the sensation, tears streaming down his face and the biggest smile on his face.

There was nothing dark in his mind anymore, no lingering shadows to whisper lies in his ear.

He was at peace again.

"I want you here!" Broken exclaimed, clutching Contrarian's shoulders desperately. "You make me happy! You make me happy! You-You-"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop," Contrarian said with a chuckle, instantly removing his hands and sitting up, giving him room and time to breathe.

Broken sucked in as much air as he could, hugging himself and softly rubbing his hands up and down his sides, soothing himself.

When he felt like he wasn't about to fall apart, he whined and held his arms out for Contrarian, who rolled his eyes but got the message.

Contrarian leaned down with a sigh, resting his head on Broken's chest and tangling their legs together, lifting one hand up to wipe the dampness from Broken's cheeks.

They laid there in silence for who knows how long, snuggling and exchanging kisses here and there.

Then Broken felt Contrarian squeeze him tightly for a second, and he looked down as he asked, "Were you lonely? Was that why you wanted my attention so bad?"

He felt Contrarian freeze in his own, before relaxing with a sigh and nodding. "Yeah," he said. "I was missing you, but I felt dumb actually saying that. Were you feeling a little down as well?"

"Yes," Broken shyly mumbled into the top of Contrarian's head, making him giggle and sit up enough to look Broken in the eye.

Broken loved the playfulness in Contrarian's eyes, that Broken can tell exactly what he's thinking without any deceit or complaint.

"We should really just tell each other when we want to be together," Broken pointed out, and Contrarian chuckled, leaning down and eyes lowering to his lips.

"Where's the fun in that, cutie?" he playfully said, before softly connecting their lips together.