#I FINALLY FOUND SOME MOTIVATION

[wheredidalltheusersgo]

Chapter 11: Gopher babysitting

Day 8

Ezekiel couldn't wait to get back to the cave, he had collected some berries and raided some sugar from Chef's kitchen, so he was obviously planning something special for Geoff.

He just couldn't stop thinking about him! Geoff was cool, funny, sweet, and REALLY cute. Now that he'd spent a few days with the boy, he just didn't know what he'd do if he lost him. Now that Geoff had mutated, Ezekiel's little crush on him had increased tenfold.

A year ago, Zeke probably would have scoffed at the idea of being attracted to a boy, but he had changed since then. The fact that Geoff trusted him enough to tell him about his identity made his heart pound in his chest. Geoff trusted HIM!!!

Thinking about Geoff made him even more excited to get back to their cave. THEIR cave!!

Ezekiel scurried through the tunnels with nothing but thoughts of that gorgeous gator boy running through his mind.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he reached their cave, though.

Geoff was gone, but all their stuff was there. He put his bag down and rushed over to where Geoff would usually sleep. He had left his lucky hat here. He'd never leave his lucky hat unless he was planning on coming back. Ezekiel scampered all around the cave, looking for clues as to where Geoff had gone, but something caught his attention. Part of the wall had crumbled nearby, and that could only mean one thing.

Cave-in.

He had to find Geoff.

Without any hesitation, Ezekiel bolted through the same exit Geoff had gone through.

Geoff sat on the hard stone floor of the cave, holding the mutated baby gopher in his arms with a firm grip. "It's just you and me in here, little buddy.. Just us.." Geoff murmured. The gopher squeaked in response. "Hopefully not for long."

He felt so stupid, Zeke probably had no clue where he was or if he was even alive. If he had just stayed in the cave, he'd be safe and comfortable, basking in the warmth of a nice fire. What an idiot he was!-

No. He couldn't be thinking like that right now. Right now, he needed to find some way out of this cave and return this baby gopher to it's mama.

Geoff stood up and began to claw and scrape at the walls with his free hand, searching for any evidence of weaker stone in them. It was like he was acting on pure survival instinct.

As he scraped his claws across the surface of the boulder that had trapped them there in the first place, little bits of rock crumbled away.

Perfect.

Geoff took a few steps back, turned, and smacked his tail against the rock with all of his might.

With a loud noise, the boulder broke apart. Geoff repeated his actions with the other rocks in the way.

Now that the rocks were smashed apart, Geoff could escape with his gopher buddy.

It squealed and squirmed in his arms, but he honestly found it adorable. The poor thing was probably terrified, though. All the more reason to get out of here!

As he continued his adventure through the cave, he spotted a ray of light shining through a gap in the rocks ahead of him.

An exit!

Geoff ran towards the gap and clawed through it until he was in the sunlight once more.

Now, he needed to find some food for him and the gopher.

Scott wandered through the lush forest in pursuit of that invincibility idol. Once he got his hands on it, those suckers wouldn't be able to touch him! He snickered to himself as he walked. Chris had probably buried it under a tree or something, so it shouldn't be too hard to find.

He had woken up early and skipped breakfast to look for this idol, but he didn't mind. The idol was way more important. Attending breakfast wouldn't keep him from being eliminated, but the idol would.

He could always eat some dirt if he got too hungry.

While he was digging a hole, he heard a rustle. A jolt of fear shot through him, was it Fang?! A mutant animal?! No time to think about that, he abandoned the hole he was digging and dashed away. He ran through the woods as fast as he could, but he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight up ahead.

It was tall and scaly with a tail and sharp claws. It was more than twice his size, meaning it could easily make a meal out of him. The ginger squeaked in terror and clamped his mouth shut, realizing that any noise he made would alert the beast.

Too late.

It's head whipped in his direction.

Geoff stared down at the short ginger boy standing a few meters away from him.

He looked kind of pathetic, if Geoff was being honest.

He was shaking like a leaf, looked like he was about to piss his pants, and was covered in dirt.

Oh no, this was one of the CONTESTANTS. What if he blabbed to Chris?!

Geoff reached to grab the ginger boy but before he could close his fingers around his slim body, the boy darted off.

That wasn't good.

--------

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

ORV is about enduring the horrors in real time.

(for @everyonesfavoritebastard)

[liones-s]

end of semester and start of something new

[hedgehog-moss]

I lost one of my chickens :( she was caught and carried away by a fox... I’ve been growing complacent about my chickens’ safety I think because we’ve only had one other attack before, a goshawk that swooped in abruptly (unsuccessfully), but no fox sightings nearby so I’ve been assuming Pandolf was a great deterrent. Which he is, just not foolproof. I’ve talked to some people in town about this and they were pretty philosophical about foxes stealing chickens, like “it’s the tribute we pay to woodland animals, it’s just a few hens here and there.” I don’t begrudge the fox for being a fox, if anything I have a renewed respect for foxes because everyone I talked to proceeded to give me their best / worst fox stories, and most of them involved foxes outsmarting humans (learning people’s habits / timetables, opening latches, faking a limp...) Still I feel terrible for my hen, she was only three. RIP Cordy :( You’ll be remembered fondly... (except by the cats.) I feel bad for the other hen too, who just lost her pal!

When I said that last thing, one of my neighbours jumped on the opportunity to try and convince me again to accept a rooster from him. He had a rooster baby boom last summer and I’ve been telling him for months that I don’t need a rooster, I don’t want to raise chickens I just want eggs, and his new argument was that a rooster would protect my hen (or if it comes to that, would heroically sacrifice himself rather than let the hen be eaten—I’m sceptical...) I asked around for a young hen but there aren’t any to be had in this season, so my remaining one is going to be alone until the spring, and my neighbour said she’d get stressed and male company is better than no company. (I wish I could ask my hen what she wants! Maybe she’s penning A Coop Of One’s Own as we speak.) I said the rooster was more likely to stress her out and harass her and he said nah they’re free ranging all day, it’ll be fine, and he’s young so your adult hen will boss him around. I was like, but then will he be any good at protecting her? etc. etc. and after a while I caved in.

When I told her about this on the phone my mum sighed “you’re terrible at saying no”—excuse me, I said no so many times and the guy just kept ploughing on until he could foist a rooster upon me. I’m good at saying no, other people are terrible at hearing it! I reassured her that I had only agreed to take the rooster for a short probationary period, and if he bothers my hen too much I’ll drive him back to his native farm. My mum was like “Drive him back? look I’m sorry I raised you as a city kid but there’s no need to waste gas on driving a rooster around, I’ll have no qualms about wringing his neck for dinner if he’s more trouble than he’s worth.” The rooster’s fate is not sealed though, if he is anywhere from vaguely useful to not actively problematic I’ll keep him, so we’ll see...!

[le-velo-pour-dru]

I have a slideshow to share with you all. Ahem.

Thank you for your consideration. ❤️

[ID 1: A title slide that reads, "Why Dallon Weekes is Really A VAMPIRE, By Dru". The word "vampire" is written in red in a harsher font and in all caps. To the left of the title is a photo of Dallon Weekes under purplish lighting during an iDKHOW concert. To the right of the title is clip art of a stereotypical vampire sitting up inside of a coffin, a glass of wine in his hand.

ID 2: A slide titled, "Introduction". The body of the slide states, "Dallon James Weekes. You know him. You love him. ...Or at least, you think you do. But what if he was hiding a more sinister secret below his floral print shirts and immense musical talent? In this presentation, I will prove that the Dallon Weekes you think you know is actually a bloodsucking creature of the night." An image is below this of Dallon with red eyes, smiling and giving a thumbs up. The caption says, "Ignore the h8rs and keep being a demon, guys. That's what really matters."

ID 3: A slide titled, "Reason #1: His Lyrics". The body of the slide states, "To start, let's take a look at his lyrics, specifically the lyrics of his song Kiss Goodnight." Below this is a screenshot of some lyrics from Kiss Goodnight, which read, "Should you invite me in / To spend the night on the floor / Oh please believe I'll believe I'll be a gentlemen / Or you can show me the door". There's more text below this, which states, "Pay special attention to that first line. He says, 'Should you invite me in', suggesting to his wife-to-be to invite him to her place. Now, why am I pointing this out? Because who is it that needs to be specifically invited to places before entering? That's right. VAMPIRES." The word "vampires" is bolded, red, and in all caps.

ID 4: A slide titled, "Reason #2: His Youthfulness". The body of the slide states, "Look at Dallon in the 2000s." Below this is a photo of Dallon from when he was in The Brobecks. He's looking to the camera with a smile. The slide then says, "Now look at him today." Below this is a photo of Dallon during an iDKHOW concert. He's speaking into a microphone and holding up a water bottle. At the bottom of the slide, it says, "Not much difference, right? Twenty years have passed, and he still looks as young as ever. Now, who else are known to stay looking the same age across long stretches of time? That's right. VAMPIRES." Once again, the word "vampires" is bolded, red, and in all caps.

ID 5: A slide titled, "Reason #3: His Hint Hiding In Plain Sight". The body of the slide states, "Now, the final reason. I've saved the best for last. For our final piece of evidence hinting towards Dallon's vile vampirism, let's look at Le Velo Pour Deux, shall we?" Below this is a screenshot of some lyrics from Le Velo Pour Deux, which say, "Vampires never have to complain, / Of living a dull circumstance / So let's all pretend that we are undead, / In turn of the century France." Below this, it says, "Again, pay special attention to the first line. Or even just the first word! Because what is it that he refers to? VAMPIRES. This begs the question: how would Dallon know anything about the way vampires live? Well, if you take all the previously discussed evidence into account, it becomes clear that the only possible reason for this is that he himself IS a VAMPIRE." Both instances of the word "vampire" are bolded, red, and in all caps.

ID 6: A slide titled, "In Conclusion...". The body of the slide states, "After viewing this slideshow, it must become clear to you that Dallon Weekes is, in fact, a vampire. This just goes to show you that you can't always trust your first impressions. Where you may see a kind, funny, charismatic father of two with outrageous musical talent, there may actually be a bloodthirsty, fanged monster lingering just beneath the surface..." Below this is clipart of Dracula edited to have Dallon's head over the normal head. /end ID]

[miniiinebulaee]

Uh Oh!

[risingsunresistance]

techno went with us to the con yesterday

[wndaswife]

i used to struggle with not being interested in enough but now im interested in so much and i don’t have enough time to pursue them all…. the struggles of someone who really enjoys living 🌟🌟 i love living 🌟🌟 every day holds so much opportunity 🌟🌟 and i am always filled by so much passion and hope for what i might do next 🌟🌟 and yes there will be hard times to come but nothing is more real than the present and that means this moment really is infinite right now and that is so important to live in fully and cherish as much as possible 🌟🌟

[not-5-rats]

What if Bug didn't change their mind? What if even after Bodie had helped them with their leg, even after they met Timmy, they were still set on capturing these beasts and taking them back to their boss

(Warning for another...even longer...angst rant)

Now idc what you think Bug looks like, there is no way one Hunter is capturing Bodie on their own. So instead Bug comes up with a plan, they capture Timmy, sure it was difficult but they surprised him and had an advantage. They trapped him and took him back to the city.

When they arrived they handed Timmy over to the higher ups then described Bodie and told them they would lead a team of highly trained Hunters into the swamps where the monster lived but it would have to be the best Hunters in the business cause this guys strong and could easily kill them if he saw it necessary.

So they rounded up the best group of Hunters known to both man and beast, Bug led them into the swamps, deep DEEP into them, until they came across the cabin. Bug told then to wait and they approached the door, knocking gently before pushing it open...nobody home...just as they wanted.

They ushered the team inside, instructed them all to hide around the room and not to come out until they gave the signal! They then sat on a large armchair in the far corner of the room and waited.

When Bodie finally returned from searching for his friends he was stunned to see Bug in his house, sat as though nothing had happened. He tried to question them on where they bad been but they only gave him vague answers that didn't really answer any of the questions he had! He approached them, he was now in the middle of the room, right where Bug wanted him...yet Bug hesitated, they couldn't bring themself to do it, to order for the capture of this dear creature who had done...so much for them. They stood for a moment just staring up at him...before giving in and giving the signal.

Hunters appeared from every corner of the room, encircling Bodie, leaving him with nowhere to run. He felt betrayed, more betrayed than he had ever felt. He tripped slightly as he looked around the room at the many Hunters already brandishing weapons at him, then he looked back at Bug who had now turned away...too ashamed to witness the actions they had ordered.

Bodie was strong, so fucking strong, and he fought back. He fought with every bone in his body as he yelled out to Bug, the hurt and anger making his voice boom through the room. He threw Hunters away from him, trying his best to keep them at bay...but everyone has their limits and Bodie had found him.

Many Hunters were injured, Bug was pretty sure there was had been a death too...but they had done it, they captured the great beast. When they got home Bug was seen as a great Hunter, somebody who had proven themself to be devoted to the safety of their home...but Bug could never shake away the memories. The confusion in Timmys eyes when they trapped him, the hatred he threw at them when they handed him away, the pain in Bodies face when the Hunters attacked...the things he said...they would never be free of the memories of what they had done, they were doomed to spend the rest of their miserable life contemplating if what they had done...was it worth it...to be loved shallowly by many but having betrayed those who really cared for them...was it worth it...no. no it wasn't

[shrine-of-kynareth]

Sunset at Culotte

[bardicious]

Honestly if anyone deserved to survive into the new timeline it was Lila and Five. 😭😭😭

[wheredidalltheusersgo]

The Stranded and The Scaly

Chapter 14: A day to recover

Day 8

Chapter warnings: Vomit, blood

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Geoff's heart pounded in his chest loud enough for Ezekiel to hear it from a few feet away. At least it was beating a little slower than before.

Geoff was currently laying on his back with the baby gopher clutched to his chest. The weight on his chest provided by the gopher was strangely comforting, and it was helping to keep him grounded. He briefly recalled a breathing exercise Bridgette had taught him last year, maybe it could help him calm down.

He took a deep breath and held it in, counting in his head.

1...2....3...4.

On the fourth second, he exhaled slowly.

Huh, that made him feel a bit better. After four seconds of holding his breath, he repeated the exercise.

Over at the small stream in the cave, Ezekiel was wringing water out of a small piece of cloth. Geoff focused his eyes on him as he walked over. Zeke gently brushed a lock of hair out of Geoff's face and began to wipe away the blood smeared around his mouth with the damp cloth. The gesture was strangely soothing, Geoff thought as he sighed quietly. While he cleaned Geoff's face off, Ezekiel began to stroke his thick, blonde hair. Geoff couldn't help but let out a weak purr as his eyelids grew heavier. In the next minute, he was fast asleep.

When he noticed Geoff was out like a light, Ezekiel took this as his cue to continue with the cleanup job he was doing. After washing the cloth out, he began to scrub the blood off Geoff's claws. It was a tricky task because of how much blood was caked under them, but there was nothing a little elbow grease couldn't fix. Geoff had really gotten roughed up, hadn't he? Ezekiel took a moment to rest his head on Geoff's chest and feel the slow rise and fall of it as he breathed. For a cold-blooded mutant, he was surprisingly warm...

Ezekiel just couldn't help himself from falling asleep as well.

When Geoff woke up, he was aware of three things. The grime that had been scrubbed from his claws, Ezekiel using his chest as a pillow, and the overwhelming nausea he felt.

Moving Zeke and the gopher off his chest, Geoff bolted to the stream in the cave and hunched over in front of it. He retched. Bloody chunks and bile erupted from his throat and spewed into the water. Oh, how it all burned. This was worse than the time his friends had triple-dog-dared him to eat that muffin out of the cafeteria trash. He regretted going berserk on those wolves, because they were messing him up from beyond the grave. As he laid on his side and clutched his stomach, he was distantly aware of a small, calloused hand rubbing his back.

"Zeke?... is that you?.."

He recieved a grunt of affirmation in response.

"Man, I'm so sorry for causing trouble.. I didn't mean to go crazy out there, I couldn't help it! I-" Geoff's words were silenced by a loud sob coming from his own throat. Big, salty, alligator tears rolled down his scaly cheeks as he looked at Zeke. The smaller boy immediately cupped Geoff's cheeks and tried to wipe his tears away with his thumbs. After all he'd done, Zeke was still trying to comfort him. Geoff really didn't deserve his little buddy. He gently nuzzled into the smaller boy and whimpered quietly.

"Still need rest, come."

Ezekiel wiped Geoff's mouth with the damp cloth from before and guided him back to the spot he was originally resting in. Geoff laid on his back and held both Ezekiel and the gopher close, sighing contentedly. At least he got all those wolf guts out of his system. He felt a bit better now.

Geoff stared down at Ezekiel, who had snuggled into his chest and shut his eyes. He couldn't help but smile a bit, the little fella was like a kitten! He gently stroked Ezekiel's hair with his now-clean claws and recieved a small smile from the little mutant in return.

After a few minutes, Geoff let himself fall asleep once more.

Unbeknownst to the two mutants, however, they were being quietly watched. The cameras hidden all around the island had captured Geoff's massacre in high definition.

"Well, well, well! So Scott WASN'T lying after all!" A small cackle could be heard from within the dark studio.

"Chef, it looks like we've got ourselves a gator to trap!"

-----

[scribbling-dragon]

You say “Lizzie in the Void” and I raise you “Lizzie and Martyn in the Void having tea” /j

martyn: ...soooo, how are you doing?

lizzie: oh, i don't know martyn. how am i doing? you know, it's jsut wonderful in this place. the void over there and the void over here just adds so much to the atmosphere

martyn: you could've just said not well [sips tea]

[unproduciblesmackdown]

also if only the physical copy of how to disappear completely & never be found i first encountered & read a few years ago (sort of [roughly avg age ten] reader book, not any similarly titled How To) hadn't disappeared completely & not been found since, probably b/c i put it somewhere i intended to be For Safekeeping, which is also how my binder vanished....b/c it's one of those like. those book for late elementary/middle school readers when they just weave in this unrealism which makes for a delightful range & unpredicability? and with a cynical protagonist girl like off to the races like wow her mom is depressed asf & smoking? and it's about A Family History Secrets Mystery so blatantly a haunting that the inciting incident is basically introducing a haunted [family history secrets mystery] house. and spoilers don't matter like it's stemming from there being this missing uncle who grew up so in contrast to the Winsome Winning Sibling Who Does It All Right while seeing his own affiliation with rats that he tried to disappear completely & never be found which led to this Tragedy which led to this more unintended disappearance of his & he haunts this house & wants to be left alone & only goes out at night with this [ambiguous Is That A Giant Rat Or Weird Small Dog (protagonist affected by these family situations who expresses her preoccupation with an awareness of how fate can Strike and Get you with this interest with roving packs of killer chihuahuas. people think she's weird though she spontaneously befriends this other girl struck with this bolt from the blue & a bit weird / outcast & then Insightful who i wish was in it more)] & plays into the hauntedness danger like playing into the [something's Wrong with you then] until having to take yet more action where the urge to express the truth comes out more both b/c living that hidden is more threatened but also b/c now the niece children are more threatened as well. ft. a sort of preternatural blurring of time b/c of only being communicated with through this uncle via his comic pages (that he paints?) of dubiously accurate translations of irl events that are created so quickly it seems to verge on foresight, imagine like "hmm what's this painting. it's me standing in this room looking at this painting??? as someone ominous lurks in the shadows right behind me?" in both [now how could you know this & paint it really fast ahead of time] and [horror]

[fionnaskyborn]

THE IPOD IS WORKING

I REPEAT

THE IPOD

IS WORKING

[raksh-writes]

Im a pent-up ball of pure stress and restlessness (like chest-tight and heart pounding type of stress) and I have 0 idea what to do with myself, because anytime I want to try and go distract myself with Something my anxiety spikes and my brain goes "!!! NO!!! DANGER!!! LOOK OUT FOR DANGER!!!" so I guess I'll just spend the day pacing the house and refreshing the same 3 pages on repeat, huh...