#karlnapity dimensions

[thecatchat]

thinking about Quarry

Yah? What about it?

[thebadchoicemachine]

Petting Party Pt.2

@thecatchat happy valentines day 

Edit: TW for alcohol

———

Sapnap was no stranger to wearing strange clothing; ever since he was a child he’d found himself dressed up in a million different layers of formal. In travels as a knight, he’d needed to try on a million more. Each kingdom had its own flavor of cloth and button and thread; he’d tried every single one of them. He’d always preferred the simple loose garments he wore for the road though. Because of this, he was ecstatic when he realized his boyfriends’ definition of the dress was absolutely lax?  

To be fair, Karl had so many definitions for different levels of formal he barely had any. Quackity had much stricter stets of rules from his world but it was still so different! Styles of clothes Sapnap found both gaudy and simple—both incredibly comfortable and unnecessarily intricate.  

 Sapnap tugged at the collar of his shirt as they made their way to an unremarkable doorway, the comfortable fabric offering no comfort now. In fact, he half-wished there was some horrid uniform he was required to dress in. That would at least offer him some reassurance or shield instead of just… how did his loves put it? Fishing? Floundering. Struggling. Everything was so lax here he was worried he would slip through the social graces like sand. XD knows he usually had thick skin but he didn’t want to embarrass Quackity in his own… “turf.” 

 He gulped, tensing as Quackity knocked in an odd rhythm against the door. He was so nervous. Oh, he wanted to do this. By the Ender, he wanted to do this but he was so nervous. He held his breath, waiting for the door to open, wanting to cling to Karl’s side like a slime and remain there until the party was over and they were alone again. Suddenly, he felt Karl wordlessly slip a hand into his own. He calmed immediately, his stiff posture melting like butter over his father’s flame-baked muffins. He relaxed, mind filled with warm thoughts of home and here. He looked over at Karl who flashed him a friendly, exciting mc smile. He gave a content one in return. 

 He wished he could be more like Karl, just able to go with the flow of anything. He was plenty self-assured at home, sure, but that’s because he had power and experience there. He’d still get a little flustered entering a situation he didn’t fully understand but he had the strength and distance of his ranking to fall back on. (Plus, Dream and George usually made him look better in comparison. He loved them but Dream clearly did not care about protocol and George was extremely… homey, no matter the situation. It was easy to feel professional next to them.) 

 Karl though? He never had any of that. He was always a stranger and yet he always managed to be the one to dive in. He didn’t always fit—in fact, he stood out more often than not—but at the same time that was his normal. 

 A clicking from behind the door caught his attention. As he turned to look, the door opened slightly. Through the crack, he could see brownish greenish scales. Its black eye fell on the three standing at the doorway and the door opened all the way revealing a grinning, sharply dressed, serpentine man.  

 Sapnap subconsciously ran a hand over his hair. Karl had picked out their outfits today. Quackity had seemed smitten… or maybe he was just shocked because they looked strange. Sapnap shook his head. He was sure it was fine. He trusted them. 

 “Sprier,” Quackity casually smiled, fixing his dress sleeve. 

 Sapnap caught the glimpse of an old key being pulled out from his shoulder strap. Prowa was a mystical world, so many codes and puzzles just to get through daily life as if everyone was in a labyrinth they all knew was there, but danced through the maze willingly regardless. He assumed this was much the same. He added the key-badge to a mental list of Prowian customs he was keeping, this riddle-ridden culture honestly enamored him and he hoped one day to be able to navigate it without external guidance. 

 The serpent man—Sprier, apparently—flashed a bright smile, showing off his thin fangs, and opened the door. 

 “There’s hardly a need for that, Q, you’re always welcome at my swings.” He peered over Quackity’s shoulder and nodded at the other two, eyes narrowing with marauding curiosity, “Although... guests? They seem nervous, are they nervous?” He crooned. 

 Sapnap couldn’t tell if he was teasing or testing. 

 “It’s their first time.” Quackity nudged him. 

 “Ah, better make it a good one then,” Sprier winked and backed off.

 Sapnap followed cautiously as Muffled music slowly crept its way into their eardrums until a door was thrown open and the party hit them full force. Sapnap felt himself and Karl tense (although not necessarily in a negative way) as they stepped into a huge room filled with lights, color, and young couples sprawled about on various couches and chairs. A smooth swinging tune played from a… a phonograph Sapnap remembered it was called. 

 Sprier gave Quackity a nudge. “Go on, enjoy yourselves!” 

 Karl, taking that as permission, grabbed Quackity and Sapnap by the arms, dragging them headfirst into the fray. Karl leaned away from the two, agog and cheerily enthralled by the bright house, while Sapnap found himself edging closer to Quackity as he looked around. The soft-bright lights, mix of murmurs and melodies, and delicious smells were appealing but he still found himself most comfortable close to his loves. 

 “So, what do you guys wanna do first?” Karl asked, practically bouncing. 

 “Whatever youse gentlemen would like!” Quackity gestured to the festivities going on around them. “This is your date, after all.”

 “This is a cuddle-patting-snuggle-thing party, right?” 

 “A petting party, Swirls. Although, sometimes we do calls it a cuddle party.” Quackity corrected him. 

 “Yes! That. You want to try that? Also, how would we… do that?”

 “Sweetheart, we just do it.”

 The three turned their heads to the array of couches and rugs covering the main room. While Quackity and Karl’s conversation of where and how to sit faded from his ears, Sapnap looked around, hoping to be able to better mimic the activity with some examples. 

 There were multiple couples strewn about the lavish room. For the most part, there were only pairs but Sapnap managed to spot a group of three girls kneeling on a rug, tucked away in the back corner. One of them looked up and caught his eye, glancing at his two companions before back at him and giving a knowing, comforting smile. Sapnap immediately felt his face burn up, humiliated at how this stranger knew he was nervous and new. He quickly cooled himself down and, watching her turn back to her own partners, recalled that having multiple partners was uncommon in this dimension. She had probably just found some kinship in that.

 It made him feel a little better and a little worse to think people thought he was tense, not because of a perfectly reasonable thing like being concerned about messing up some cultural norm, but because of a very stupid thing like loving both Karl and Quackity. He was certainly more confident in defending himself of that,, at least. 

 Speaking of his loves, the two had managed to jump about a thousand steps in their conversation (What else could you expect from those two?) and were now deep in discussion about the moral and financial ethics of painting wild bird’s talons. Sapnap lovingly rolled his eyes. He was courting some of the most powerful men in their dimensions and he was certain if he could listen to their thoughts it would sound like a pool set-up scattering. 

 Hey! Pool! He’d remembered that like it was nothing; he’d thrown it in as a metaphor without even trying! 

 Pool was a fun game. Quackity had showed him how to play on his last visit. He wondered if they had a table here, he was at least familiar with that. He loftily leaned back against a table that was set up with drinks and drinks, proud of himself for remembering, and continued studying what the residents were doing. Unsurprisingly (though not to him for some reason) the majority of those attending this cuddle party were cuddling. Some were kissing, some were simply laying with their arm or head around the other, some (those of the more mammalian distinction) were actually petting each other, running loving fingers behind ears and through hair. 

 Sapnap reached up to run his hands through his own hair.  It was a nervous habit he was forming tonight—without his bandana to tie his hair up, he felt as if it was falling, and with no hilt to naturally rest his hands they became restless. 

 He imagined Quackity or Karl would run their hand through his hair like the couples. On these soft settees… where everyone could see him… his loves wouldn’t care the slightest bit, though. Quackity would give a soft smirk and push his head into Sapnap’s shoulder, snuggling up close. Karl would beam and throw his arms wide around them, falling to the back of the couch and comfily dragging them with him, probably saying something like, “Of course I’m not nervous! I’ll tell the whole universe I love you.” 

 The tablecloth Sapnap was leaning against caught on fire. 

 Alarmed shouts rang out—one definitely belonging to Sapnap himself as he jumped away from the flame (and flammable table). Everyone in the room was frozen, quite alarmed but unsure what to do about it, until Quackity finally grabbed an orange drink off the counter and threw it over the fire. 

 Instantly, the air in the room melted. The spell was broken and the crowd began to move again although the silence and staring continued. Well, attempted silence continued. Sapnap could feel the embarrassment burn through him, although he furiously kept the heat metaphorical this time, as curious whispers echoed around the room. The serpent man who had greeted them rushed over in confusion and concern but Quackity dismissively waved him away. 

 “Don’t worry, Sprier. ‘S nothing.” 

 At this, Sprier seemed perplexed, obviously not understanding nor believing the statement, but he quickly melted back into his previous casualness. 

 “You heard the man!” He called light-heartedly to the crowd, which turned back into the soft roar of chattering. 

 Sapnap didn’t discount the probability the conversation was still pointedly about him, or at least his little incident. He wasn’t that careful nor did he much care about his powers or even his identity being known here (although, the obtuseness was enjoyable) but this was a rather humiliating note to add to his legend. 

 “Hey, you alright?” Karl was suddenly at his side, hands full of grapes and nuts and other small snacks set out. 

 That was another thing Sapnap had noticed about these parties; back at home, even throughout all nations, if food was served it always took precedence but here, it seemed only like dressing. Drinks were clearly the main event. This made sense, going off the confusing secret culture he knew of this world. 

 “Hey?” Quackity snapped in his face.  

 Sapnap blinked, shaking himself off. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” he smiled sheepishly. “Just… maybe we can build up to the… the that.” He gestured to the folks snuggling on the couches. 

 “Aw, of course we can, my little wallflower smoldering in a fireplace,” Quackity joked, softly pinching at Sapnap’s face like he was a toddler. “Really though,” he said seriously “Why don’t you try just talking to people first? We can wait until you’re comfortable. Even if it’s until we get home.” 

 “Yeah!” Karl agreed enthusiastically, even for him. “I mean, we just got here! I’m going to go introduce myself to someone! Or everyone! Hey, do you think we’ll get arrested again if I do my, y’know,” he wiggled his fingers, mimicking what Sapnap could only assume was the effect of his magic. “I just think it’s a great ice breaker!” 

 “Uh…” Quackity glanced and shrugged and Sapnap. “I mean, youse probably ain’t gonna get any cops called here but—“ 

 “OH! I THINK THAT GUY TRIED TO STAB US ONCE!” Karl turned and shot toward a random crowd of tables, leaving Sapnap and Quackity blinking in a wispy trail of colored smoke. 

 “WH—“

 “Did he just portal to the other side of the room?” Sapnap gawked. 

 Quackity stood blinking a moment longer before shaking out of it into a grin, placing a light hand over his face. “Hah! Oh, I think I need to keep a closer eye on how much you two sip and snack here.” 

 “HI!” Before Sapnap could respond, Karl was in front of them again. 

 Both jumped about a foot in the air but Karl didn’t give them a second to collect themselves before speaking to Quackity again.  He shot out words like a waterfall and, as he rambled, Sapnap noticed he was now gripping a very familiar-looking spiraled book. A shot of warm nostalgia washed over him. 

 “It’s not—like—rude to ask someone’s life story here, right? How many stories is too many? I mean, none, obviously, right? But just in case, maybe tell me? I DOOON’T wanna be rude at all! It’s just everyone is so interesting and I want to know everything!” Karl beamed. 

 “Alright, alright, alright.” Quackity held up his hands. “How’s this: I’ll come introduce you to some writing-worthy folks but you gotta go with the story I make up for you, ‘kay?

 “YES! THANK YOU!” Karl already had his arms thrown around Quackity, half-hugging, half-dragging him. 

 Quackity turned and gave Sapnap a shrug. 

 Sapnap raised a hand in a gesture between “I’ll be fine”, “Have fun”, and “You’ll need more luck than I will.” He chuckled despite himself. With a partner like that, he really shouldn’t worry so much about impressions. Watching Karl wisp around—even more colorful than usual—he doubted anyone would even remember the small little flame from earlier. 

 It was such an odd kind of calm chaos brought him. Back home, everyone knew him. Everyone knew everything they needed to know about him. He was constantly under watch and scrutiny, being combed by ally and enemy alike for breaks in formality... not that of those explications really mattered. George and Dream barely cared at all about how anyone viewed them, firmly (or nonchalantly, In George’s case) stating how it was stupid one person’s option of them should shape that person’s opinion of an entire kingdom. That was true, yet Sapnap still always held a certain pride in his pride. He wanted to be the best he could. He liked his role and job and responsibility. 

 Even so, not being known, having the weight of caring off everyone—anyone’s—shoulders was such a breath of fresh air. He hadn’t expected it, but meeting Karl as Sapnap instead of as “The Nether Knight” was a wonderful feeling. 

 He shook his head; he was being so ridiculous this entire night, putting pressure on himself to keep up the facade of nobody as if that’s what he liked about going out with Karl and Quackity. He didn’t want to remain a face in the crowd, a stranger, he just wanted to enjoy the blank-slate fresh starts he was so commonly denied in his homeland. Dragons, he didn’t even have that here! Quackity had him known, at least by proxy, throughout the world by now! So what was he fretting about? The seal was broken! He wasn’t here for appearances, he was here for experiencing and fun! 

 Sapnap looked around. He hadn’t been to too many Prowian parties before. It (much like everything else in this world) seemed far less structured than anything he was used to. Rather, as he’d come to realize, there was an invisible structure that was far more relaxed than his home would have. For one, there didn’t seem to be any servers. All who were there appeared to be guests. Sprier, the apparent host, had come to help fix and calm his little mess, plus seemed to occasionally be the one to ask if anything was needed, but for the most part, he enjoyed the party as any other attendee would. Sapnap guessed that meant he could just talk to anyone. 

 He scanned the venue, searching for something that stood out enough to catch his interest. His eyes landed on a dark fellow sitting in the back. They had a grey, almost black, coat but small speckles of white and brown patched around their fur. They had a black brimmed hat pulled over their sharp canine ears and gleaming antlers. What really caught Sapnap’s eyes though, was how their eyes kept flickering onto him, studying. There was something mildly familiar about this wolf-deer and Sapnap would like to place it. 

 He walked over and the figure stopped trying to hide their watching and tuned to look at him. Sapnap set a hand on the other empty chair and the table and pulled out questioningly. 

 The wolf-deer set down their drink and narrowed their eyes at him. “You a fuzz?” 

 “Um?” 

 “Nah,” they chuckled at themself, dismissing something. “Just got an air about you. You ain’t a cop.” 

 “N-no? Well…” from what Sapnap could tell, cops here this world’s equivalent to knights but this person obviously did not care about his Quarrian status. “I’m—not here anyway.” 

 At this, the stranger burst out laughing, grinning approvingly at Sapnap. “I’ll drink to that!”

 Sapnap stood next to them for a moment before taking the hint and sitting down next to them. They slid him a glass of a silvery-amber liquid. He stared at it for a moment, trying to remember if refusing a drink was considered an insult in this world. It would make sense considering how valued they were but also a rather inconvenient social rule considering the effects. 

 “It’s not strong, sorry,” the wolf-deer shrugged. “I’ve got work tomorrow.” 

 Not strong to a Prowain, Sapnap thought, recalling the constitution on these people. They’d discovered the alarming way that some literal Quarrian poisons did nothing more than get Quackity a bit “buzzed,” as he said. 

 Of course, Sapnap could probably burn off the effects in half the time but he’d already set one thing on fire today.

 “I’ll pass,” he finally ended up saying, trying to imitate the controlling casual tone Quackity took when turning something down. 

 The wolf-deer only nodded and pulled the drink back over to their side, swirling it while continuing to stare at Sapnap. 

 “You gonna tell me your name, stranger?” 

 “Oh! Uh, Sapnap.”

 “Hmm…” they seemed to file that away somewhere but didn’t respond with their own. “Yikes.” 

 “Can I ask you an… an odd question?” Sapnap continued, ignoring the response. 

 “Oooh, that sounds like a lead-in to something personal.” The wolf-deer chuckled. They seemed to know something Sapnap didn’t. They slammed down the rest of the drink and laid back. “You know what? You wanna try to do a box job, be my guest.”

 Sapnap stared blankly. 

 “Yes, you can try, but I don’t guarantee I’ll answer,” they clarified. 

 “That’s fair. I just… you know that fire wasn’t nothing. I know you saw me closer than that, I saw you eyeing me over, so why do you act like it is?”

 They seemed thrown off. “Huh… that’s not what I thought you were going to ask.”

 “What did you think I was going to ask?” 

 “About our… y’know.” They ran a finger up their antlers. “Most people who start conversations the way you do are curious ‘bout it. Especially other hybrids. Sparks a kinship, a guess.” 

 “Other hybrids?” 

 “Well, I s’pose it ain’t my business—not wanting to make myself a hypocrite here—but I assumed your daddy wasn’t what your mommy was.” 

 “Oh!“ They were referring to his horns and tail. “I have two fathers but you’re right, they’re not. I am a hybrid. Like you. A mix of two things. Yes. I’m… that.” He said stuntedly. 

,

It wasn’t technically a lie; he was mixed, half-golem half-demon, coal and wasteland. Even so, the wolf did not look convinced. 

 “Riiiight,” they said slowly, looking at Sapnap funnily before moving on. “Like I said, none of my business. So, uh,” they tapped a finger on the table, “What were we talking about?” 

 “Ah, you never answered my question. Why do you act as if nothing happened? You seem a lot more… critical than you’d like to be.” 

 “Well,” they leaned back, scratching their chin, “Big Q said it was nothing. That means it’s nothing.” 

 “But… why do you still…” 

 “I gots to do just a bit of my job now, don’t I? I know Quackity, I don’t know you. Or, I didn’t until about five minutes ago. It’s hard to get a read on someone when most of what you know of them involves stopping to put out their fires and speeding away in cars.” 

 Something clicked in Sapnap’s memory. He’d seen this person before once or twice, for a flash, in uniform. They were a cop. Here. At this place where they weren’t supposed to be if he knew anything about Prowa. 

 “WH—what are you doing here?” 

 “Having a drink.” 

 “Yes, but, why? Aren’t you on the opposite side?” Sapnap knew he was pressing into issues he probably shouldn’t be but this pulled at something in his core. 

 “Hey, hey, why are you making such a fuss?” 

 “I’m… sorry.” He sat back down. “I’m just so confused. Are you… corrupt?” 

 “Eh, I don’t like to think so.”

 “Why do you listen so much to Quackity if you’re out there trying to arrest him half the time?” 

 The wolf-deer shot him a light-hearted wounded look. “You think that’s me trying? I’m not that pathetic, y’know. Although, him getting a pair of incredibly unknown and dangerous bodyguards has raised my actually-trying bar a wee bit.” 

 “Right. I’m still lost,” Sapnap apologetically said. 

 The wolf-deer sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know where you’re from but you come off as insanely naive.” 

 “My world’s (somehow) definitely a lot simpler,” he admitted. 

 “Listen, you want to know what quackity does? He sells drinks. You wanna know what happens if I take out one ‘o the most powerful figures? One hell of a vacuum opens up and—forgive my bluntness—I don’t exactly gots faith that whatever comes to fill it up is gonna be half as good as what we’ve got now.” 

 “So…” 

 The cop shrugged tapping Sapnap’s shoulder. “He’s a good guy and I’d rather have him filling that cog than many other folks. You’ve got yourself a catch.” They downed the rest of their drink and winked “Not to mention he runs a swinging game of poker.” 

 Sapnap grinned, running a hand up to his face thinking equally lovingly about Quackity and the ridiculousness of his entire dimension. “Your world is needlessly complex.” 

 “Heh! Nuance works, pal. People function much better when it’s unintentional.” 

 Despite the labyrinth of language and customs and up-front and bottom laws that twisted together this man, something about that rang simple and true to Sapnap. Then, something else clicked into place and he started snickering. 

 “Wait, wait, wait! You thought I might be a bad influence on Quackity?” 

 “Mmm.” Despite being part wolf, they managed to become incredibly sheepish. “I… well, that idea went out the window the moment I actually met you. You’re quite a bit too, hmm, stiff and proper and wide-eyed to match up to the pyromaniac hit-man I had in my head.” 

 Only because I’m a guest here, Sapnap thought with a small rush of glee. You might not think so when I’m not on my top behavior… or running for mine and my loves life in one of your crazy death wheel machines. 

 “And that other guy is a ball of bright-colored sunshine. I swear, I can’t look directly at him or I get dizzy.”

 “That might be the alcohol.” 

 The wolf-deer chuckled, probably not understanding how it was Karl’s drinking that made him appear physically like that and not an impairment on their part. 

 “Honestly,” they said, “maybe at a party with a few too many drinks ain’t the best way to judge a character, but I think you two’s alright.” 

 Sapnap smiled, feeling like he’d been filled up with glow stone. “Thank you, really. I’ve never been to a party like this before. As you’ve probably clocked, I’m a little outside my comfort zone.” 

 “Oh. You don’t say.” 

 “Haha,” Sapnap brushed a hand over his face to hide his blushing. “I mean, I haven’t even spent any time on the couches with them yet.” 

 “Well, what’s stopping you?”

 Something lurked inside Sapnap. He shot his head up and scanned the place for his loves. The cool air and soft music of the party danced around him as he stood slowly. He flashed a thank you smile at the wolf-deer. 

“Yeah… you know what? What is stopping me?”

[karlnapitydimensions]

Hear me out

So, Karl can drink and eat almost everything at this point, right?

So what if somebody tries to poison him, he finds out but drinks it anyway? Because, if he dies, he can just come back.

Like this scene:

Karl: *at a party with Sapnap and Quackity, and somebody hands him a drink* thanks! *goes for drink it, but stops* ... smells like citrus and *looks up* cinnamon.

Person: cinnamon?

Karl: cinnamon *drinks anyway, while the person is restrained*

That's his normal response to learning that his drink is poisoned. He's consumed so many different ones and there are so many different names, that he has no idea if any given poison at any given amount will kill him. Half the reason he consumes poisoned stuff is because he wants to know if it'll kill him or not.

He's the unofficial taste tester because of this, letting the other two know if it's safe to eat or keeling over immediately.

Can he eat and drink everything? Technically no. Will he eat and drink everything? Yes, absolutely. I think he'd even try and eat inedible things too now and then too, it's possible that he's been to candyland type dimensions or an object would randomly be made out of cake like those videos of the chocolate guys creations. Everything is fair game in Karl's book.

-ck

@inkytrinket-irii anything to add?

[thecatchat]

The Zeal of Hep

------

Sapnap felt the stress of the situation rolling off his shoulders as he closed the door behind him. Hep, the accidental fusion of Quackity and Karl, was still rambling on and on and on. As far as he could tell they hadn't paused for a breath and he was starting to wonder if they even needed to breath at all.

Within minutes of landing in the new dimension, they'd been found and picked up by some scientific organization. Apparently, one of their own members had become a Traveler and had been terrified by their first experience in another dimension. Of course, Karl had run off to help while he and Quackity got a tour of some of the inventions they had. They were in the middle of watching... something with a name that he couldn't pronounce, when Karl had burst in the doors and into Quackity. Both tumbled into the machine and by the time it was turned off, Hep was standing in their place.

Now, Hep was emptying their pockets onto the table. Two sets of keys, a handful of pencils, an assortment of candy, three bike locks, a clock, a bird-

Sapnap did a double take at the white bird cooing and hopping around the table. It looked at him with confused eyes. As confused as a bird can look anyhow. Stretching out its wings, it flew up and perched on Hep's shoulder.

"My loves," his voice strained slightly at the sight, "why do you have a bird?"

"It was in reach." They explained while continuing to add to the pile that had already doubled in size. He didn't even know what most of it was called, just that all of it was stolen. They had been pick pocketing, breaking and entering, and trespassing all day despite Sapnap's best efforts.

The scientists had offered to get them a place to stay while they took a day to go over the data and set up the machine to fix this mess. The only condition was that they lay low and not get into any trouble. Everything Hep did was trouble. At first it was amusing to see them open a vending machine like it was a personal ice box or pour all the hard candies out of the front desks bowl and into their handbag while making pleasant conversation. Now, it was just needless risk after needless risk.

"You want any?" Hep offered a banana while suddenly holding a cat in his arms.

"No!" Sapnap snapped, "I don't want a banana. I don't want a cat or a bird or whatever any of this. I don't need any of this. You don't need any of this! Just-" the smell of smoke stopped him short. The carpet had begun to smolder under his feet. The heat still simmered in the air as he swallowed back the burst of anger and told them, "Forget it. I'm taking a nap."

He stalked into the only other room and closed the door behind him sharply.

Hep could feel the vibrations of the sound like a punch to the gut. They went through the events of the day in their mind. "Oh." They turned to the two animals who stared at them from the table. "Oh, I've been a real moron. I- We can fix it. We can apologize. We've been so stupid."

This was easy. This was gonna be a breeze. They did it all the time separated: do something that frustrated Sapnap, apologize about it, get forgiven, then fluster him until he relaxed. The door was right there. There was absolutely nothing stopping them from going inside... They should probably empty their pockets first though, it would be really awkward if something fell out while he was apologizing.

---------

Sapnap laid stiffly on his back, staring at the ceiling. He'd snapped harder than he ever had before at either of them and he was starting to feel the regret seeping in. It was all things that needed to be said but saying them in a surge of emotions and nearly setting fire to the carpet was certainly not the best way of doing it.

"Knock knock," Hep called from the other side of the door, "Can I come in?" Oh, so now he asks to go places! Considering how many places he'd broken into today, Sapnap was almost surprised that Hep knew how to ask.

"I don't know," Sapnap replied back, "can't you just pick the lock?" XD, he didn't know where this level of snarkiness was coming from. He supposed he must have picked it up from the other two at some point, but he'd never snarked at either of them before. Is this what being petty was like? It was leaving quite a bitter feeling behind.

It was quiet for several minutes and Sapnap was beginning to wonder if Hep had gone off on another law breaking spree. Neither Karl nor Quackity stayed in one spot for long unless they felt like they had to, he figured Hep would be the same. But he hadn't heard footsteps walk away or any doors opening or closing. Were they hurt?

He quickly got up and strode over to the door, nearly stepping onto Hep on his way out.

"We-" Hep scrambled onto their feet, nearly falling over in their rush, "I didn't mean it."

"What?" Sapnap asked. He'd been so shocked that they were still there that they hadn't actually heard what they said.

Hep's face was pulled tight with regret yet their voice sounded like they were giving a sales pitch as they explained, "I didn't mean to make you so upset. I was just so excited to test out my skills that I kinda forgot about everything else. Including laws and stuff. I- We're sorry."

Strange body language aside, Sapnap couldn't stay mad when faced with a genuine apology. He knew he couldn't let the matter go entirely either. But he'd been a bit hot headed about it and the guilt was starting to eat at his mind.

He pulled them into a gentle hug. "Even if an apology doesn't make everything magically better, it's a good start." He could feel the way they melted into the hug with relief. If he wasn't still trying to put his foot down, he'd be scooping them into his arms and peppering kisses all over their face.

"So," Hep asked with a sly voice and shy smile, "can we cuddle now?"

Sapnap raised an eyebrow. He internationally debated the chances of Hep being able to read his mind, again. Still, they really needed to figure out what they were going to do about the pile of stolen goods. And the animals too.

"Come on. From what I can vaguely remember, Judge and Firecracker got cuddles. Don't you want cuddles?" Hep purred out while combing their fingers through his hair.

Cuddles sounded lovely. He could feel his resolve crumbling with second he stared into their mismatched eyes. It was hypnotic. One eye stayed a dark brown that nearly looked black while the other changed with every blink from yellow to pink to blue to -

He tore his eyes away as he tried to regain some semblance of order. Their eyes were beautiful but he needed to get them back on track. Then again, who said you couldn't have a serious discussion while cuddling?

"Fine," Sapnap tried to sound begrudging but the word was dripping with affection.

"Yes!" They cheered out, giggling as they pulled Sapnap back towards the bed. With a quick spin and a nudge, Sapnap was back to sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Scooch over bacon," they said as they waited for him to make room, "sizzlin' is moving in."

Sapnap laughed at the absurd saying. It was such a Karl thing to do, saying the strangest things that never failed to shock a laugh out of him. "Oh XD. You sound ridiculous!"

Hep joined him on the bed as the laughter faded out, nearly smacking Sapnap in the face with the wide floppy brim of their hat.

Normally, he'd be tempted to make some kind of joke or comment on it. Perhaps even come up with a ridiculous name for it too. Normally.

"You're still angry."

"I'm not angry."

"Yes, you are. I can tell," Hep turned to face him, pushing the brim of their hat out of the way so they could see. "I'm really good at reading body language. Like, freakishly good at it... when I'm focused on it." They add on at the end after seeing skepticism flood Sapnap's face.

Honestly, he was more than a little shocked at that but the more he thought about it the more obvious it became. Prowa's entire social structure seemingly revoled around subtle words and body language in a much more complex way than in Quarry. Needing to constantly keep in mind which tone someone used or look out for the slightest break in face, it resembled political debates more than any type of business meeting or casual social gathering.

And Karl... didn't really have a body language. He borrowed and mimicked other people's body language. From so many different dimensions. Every now and then he'd get confused and mix up some of the signals and scare someone half to death but he bounces back quick as a-

*thwap*

Sapnap definitely does not yelp when Hep turned their head and hit him with the brim of their hat. He merely let out a slightly high pitched sound of alarm.

"Careful. How about you take your hat off?" Wait, wasn't there some social rules about wearing hats in certain situations in Prowa? He couldn't remember what they were so he quickly added, "At least, while we're this close."

"Right, yah." Hep rolls their eyes fondly and he says it in a way that Sapnap knows he's going to get teased for something later. Then Hep slides off their hat with a dramatic flourish.

"Woh-" Hep recoils heavily once their hat is off. Sapnap almost bashes his head against the wall as he snaps to sit up. "This is weird." It's easy to see why when they blink over at him.

"Is-is that a third eye?" He asks more out of shock than anything else.

The entire eye is white with flakes of every color imaginable reflecting from the light. Opalescent. Iridescent. Prismatic. It's mesmerizing. It fits them in a way he never would have thought of himself.

"I wouldn't know. I can't see it but that would explain it. It's not too much of an eye sore for you, is it?"

Hep puts on a good poker face of confidence but it's dulled by the way they squint all three of their eyes. Their voice lacking its normal bravado and banter. If they want to talk about it later, they will. Maybe they'll talk about Sapnap's outburst too. But that was to be saved for a different time.

"I believe the correct term to describe your third eye would be 'absolute eye candy'." Sapnap tells them as he tugs at the knot in his headband. "Truly stunning to behold. But it seems to be causing you a bit of an eye sore. Allow me to help you with that, my Crown."

He presents the ribbon with a slight bow. He'd put on a silk one for a meeting that morning and had been tackled into a hug and a new dimension before he could swap it out. He was grateful for that now. This one didn't even have any dirt on it. He carefully wrapped it around their head and tied a frim yet gentle knot.

"How do I look?" Hep asked.

"Enchanting," Sapnap answered, "an absolute cat's meow."

Hep laughed warmly at the use of the Prowan slang term. It was something that Sapnap only really attempted to do when he was in a good mood. Which ment, "You're not angry anymore."

"I can't be truly angry," he mumbled before taking their hand and pressing a chaste kiss to the knuckles, "not after seeing my kingdom looking like a kicked wolf cub. That's not to say I'm happy with all this. But I'm not angry about it anymore."

"I'll put some of it back. Later. I- we promise."

Sapnap felt the tension from the day finally fall from his shoulders. He held up their hand and pressed a gentle kiss to their palm.

"Thank you. I'll hold you to that."

"For now, mind if I make it up to you?"

Something in that tone of voice set off a bell in the back of his head. Not necessarily a bad bell. But something was up.

"Really? How so?" Sapnap questioned.

The smile Hep gave him was downright cheeky. They lightly ran their hand that wasn't being held up his arm and finished with a brush of their thumb over his collar bone. Their voice was a throaty purr as they explained, "Now that we're hitting on all eight I was thinking we could neck a little, or a lot if you'd like baby. A real looker like you deserves something nice after the flat tire of a day you've had."

Oh. Oh. That's what happens when you combine Karl's affinity for physical affection and Quackity's flirtatious behavior. You get ... well, Sapnap really can't understand exactly what is being offered but the energy alone is going to cause him to combust if it stays like this much longer.

"Ah," Hep pauses at Sapnap's gay panic, "too much?"

All he can do is nod and focus on keeping the burning of his face to a metaphorical sense. Thankfully, Hep leans back a little to give him space to recollect his thoughts.

"How about we just cuddle and see where it goes?" He offers as an olive branch.

"That's what we just offered you!"

... Sapnap doubts that but he doesn't have enough knowledge to dispute it.

So instead he carefully tugs Hep back over and holds them against his chest. They settle in, basking in each other presence, while the sun sets outside the hotel window. Everything wasn't perfect, but they were getting there and that's what mattered the most.

--------

IT'S FINISHED!!! I'VE WORKED FOR SO LONG!!! OH GOD IT'S DONE!!!!

Really though, there were times I doubted that I would get this done and to finish this final part is truly amazing. I hope you all enjoy every word of it!

[thebadchoicemachine]

Hey, came up with some concepts for the sorta "heads of state" for all the different [non-nether] places in Quarry.

Tundra- main exports are ice and fish, leader ideas: polar bear, arctic fox, arctic hare,

Polar bear: very friendly, gives Bear hugs, older and wiser but with a youthful air to them

Arctic Fox: professional, young adult, new but mature, more elegant air to them, has a temper they're still learning to control/not rise to bait,

Arctic Hare: more rough and scrappy, impatient, not much here

Woodland- main exports are wood and honey, leader ideas: bee, cat, wolf

Bee: Queen bee, a bit bossy but knows when to back off, past mid-life crisis but not elderly, 40-50 ish, somewhere between a grandma and a CEO.

Cat: cozy but rough, a little over cautious, Motherly, maybe an actual mom?, has either 1 "mini me" child that mimics her all the time, or has like 35 kids and knows them all by heart,

Wolf: friendly for the most part, does not take insults well, but is very caring, always thinking about how different things will effect their country (AKA their pack), a bit "brooding" around New people, but very friendly once you know them

Mountains- main exports are rock and ore, leader ideas: ram/goat, mountain lion, mole

Goat: you know that one goat species that can walk on surfaces on 92 degree angles, that's them, is in their 90s with the agility of a god, lots of knitted stuff, grandmotherly but in a tough cookie kind of way,

Mountain Lion: quieter and reserved, you will forget they exist until they speak, when they do talk its with wisdom, slight mystic vibes, a bit of a recluse, either in their 20s or their 50s and no one knows which,

Mole: I know they technically don't fall under the expanded mob list, but hear me out, I imagine the mountains economy is majorly supported by their ore industry which requires mining, Moles are known for their extensive tunneling, I'm imagining a hearty old guy, used to mine in their younger years and absolutely does it when they can find time, is blind but no one actually realizes this until several years into them being leader because they have perfected walking around in mines with uneven ground and compare that to walking blind in a castle is a breeze, idea: Mole is married to Ram/Goat and they are a power couple, I'm loving this, maybe Mountain Lion is adopted child?

Jungle- main exports are wood and coco beans, leader ideas: parrot, panda bear,

Parrot: young and full of energy, is an inventor/engineer in spare time, a little all over the place, wears the Quarry version of old aviator goggles,

Panda bear: not a lot of ideas, Other than super polite and a little dorky, maybe a dad?

Mesa- main exports are clay and cactuses, leader ideas: vulture, goat, rattle snake

Vulture: think the current Queen if they lived in Colorado, beloved by the residents, a lot of people joke that they are basically a walking corpse, no one tells them that to their face, very good at their job,

Ram: rough as the terrain, headstrong with a good heart, doing their best, was probably on a ranch or farm before becoming the leader, just wants to shear some animal sheep, knows how to hold her ground but not always when to let some ground go,

Rattle Snake: very heavy focus on justice, think a hardened sheriff from the wild west became a knight and then was promoted to head of the country, takes no shit, rules are rules type person, I think the Mesa in general is a lot like the wild west but with swords and bows and arrows instead of guns, I like the idea of them being a copper head specially, those are poisonous, oh wait they are a reptile.... they don't have to be cold blooded, or maybe they have End ancestors and it showed up as scales

Plains- main exports are flowers and farm products, leader ideas: sheep, cow, bee

Sheep: young and kind, flowers woven into their hair, knows how to argue their point calmly but firmly, kinda came into the role with little training so they're still getting their feet under themselves, the first to offer aid, brings cookies to all the meetings, very good cook

Cow: hard work is the dream work, definitely works out, raised on a farm and it shows, very blunt to the point of possible rudeness, has a more relaxed vibe but knows how to buckle down and work hard,

Rabbit: relaxed vibes, if they need to they are not above karate kicking someone, they seem nice but is honestly waiting for the chance to go apeshit, I feel like they wear a hanker cheif around their neck, has like 20 siblings, they are either the middle child exactly or the eldest.

What do you think? I don't have any names yet, just concepts.

OO I love all of these! Tomorrow we should talk about how the government of each works. We’ve established The Nether Kingdoms, Mycelium Isles, and End (and have kind of settled on the tundra being a monorchy as well) but the way they all function is different and so fun! 

Name ideas (first or last):

Tundra - Albedo, Boreas, Buster, Canis, Delft, Eci, Fleck, Glide, Gale, Lepus (good for hare), Looc, Bliz, Skate, Squall, Tuft, Zephyr

Woodland - Aspin, Ash, Aril, Axe, Balsa, Brook, Dia, Ekoms, Gala, Golden, Jepmit, Kauri, Nectar, Redde, Rup, Sap

Mountains - Cascade, Cliff, Crys, Cuiw, Emin, Halides, Horizon, Ingot, Ken (maybe for the lion?), Linn, Pix, Palisade, Ridge, Slate, Tiwwns, Uozijoh 

Jungle - Aloe, Bean, Bromeliad, Cacao, Cain, Dart, Erythro, Flit, Howl, Kalei, Kunjt, Leuko, Melano, Mosy (I’m partial to this one), Passiflora, Sajow, 

Mesa - Arid, Barrel, Bolt, Chollas, Clay, Crocker, Dustin, Eolian, Inlet, Kcits, Kiln, Par, Pane, Switch, Sirocco, Spike

Plains - Crest, Ivory, Moc, Neb, Oscine, Oxeye, Poppy, Rye, Scutch, Senooy Silk, Steppe. Spur, Sky, Kera, Zoysia

[karlnapitydimensions]

Lenses list

A rundown of the Kaleidoscope (as of July 5th 2022)

Mauve Lens [Purple]  

Aliases: The Mauve 

Incarnations: An ornate purple shawl, scarf, or cloak. 

Patron: Influence, gain, indulgence, prestige. 

Nature: It is passive, blank, and supportive. It varies depending on whoever uses it and will forward their will. It is the most like a tool out of all the lenses; although most can be used in a similar way, the mauve does not posses or influence who it comes in contact with beyond the natural lure that comes with all forms of power. 

Powers/Abilities: Granting influence. Subtly granting benefits to its chosen in ways that could appear as luck. It also can work more directly if commanded and constantly will work toward the desire. Even just as a cloak making them feel cool in a dessert or acting like armor when in danger.  

Notable Users: Maeve Lolanthe Ambrosia (AKA Mary) used it to control and influence a large amount of people,

Found: First appears in Aristrone, an urban-fantasy set dimension. 

----

Indigo Lens [Indigo]

Aliases: The Indigo, Forlorn 

Incarnations: Deep translucent fabrics of phasing waves, evocative melodies of vocals or strings.

Patron: Memory, repression, grief, sorrow. 

Nature: A neutral but powerful lens, passively and growing and drawing in. It washes over dimensions and slowly begins to drown them as it takes in the sorrow. The deeper into it you go the more lost you are. 

Powers/Abilities: It drags in miseries and stories from all across the Over, other dimensions and worlds, and drags them in on its tide. 

Notable Users: It can’t really be used but Karl listens to its stories and helps it not overflow. 

Found: No set dimension of residence. 

----

Azure Lens [Blue]

Aliases: The Azure, Eve, Creation, Epiphany

Incarnations: Inspiration, an unknown muse, especially to technical minds. Blue energy/technology.

Patron: Creation, creativity, ambition, advancement.

Nature: Aggressive but supportive. It’s a creative rather than outright destructive force but is single-minded and perseverance, as it’s a force. Much in the same way heat’s main goal is to be hot—it’s not going to stop and worry that it’s melting the wax that sustains it.

Powers/abilities: Pushes breakthroughs in the minds of innovators. Essentially speed runs the development of societies and can be channeled into a usable energy if worked with long enough.

Notable Users: Alex, Ywscore citizens, Orch inventor

Found: Resides predominantly in Ywuscore but eventually moves to Orch.

----

Teal Lens [Teal/Turquoise]

Aliases: The Teal, The Beguiling Mist, Siren’s Mask

Incarnations: A gas mask but with more colors and patterns as well as feathers attached to it, heavy blue-green mist, a cool feeling.

Patron: Emotion, sentiment, fortitude, reaction.

Nature: It’s a very active but undirected lens. It’s neutral although it’s rarely dormant. Unless left completely isolated with no one to reach, it will constantly be churning to the tune of the other’s emotions, including even animals. 

Powers/Abilities: When used properly the lens allows mass manipulation of emotions through the creation of colorful mist. The mist is an extension of the user's own emotions- if the user feels angry, anyone who breathes in that mist will feel that same anger- and that emotion can stack on top of any amount of existing emotion already felt by those affected by the mist. This makes sealing the mask properly around a user's head important as they could get stuck in a feedback loop of emotion. 

Notable Users: unnamed ancient leaders, a unnamed child.

Found: Currently unnamed dimension of residence - a world with villages on the surface and long tunnels of caves and underground water pools. 

----

Celadon Lens [Green]

Aliases: The Celadon, Creeping Stone

Incarnations: A green spreading crystalline infection 

Patron: Torpor, decadence, indolence, apathy.

Nature: Acts like a virus opposed to Crimson’s infection. It is a slow but strong moving lens.

Powers/Abilities: Takes over the body, infesting muscles and joints with its stone until people are crystalized to almost statues. It doesn’t have direct control over the mind but the brain will numb on its own with the body over time. 

Notable Users: it can't be used traditionally but the theme park workers might count. Those who spread it would be the closest to a ‘user.’

Found: An unnamed dimension once filled with theme parks and bustling transports, now left a shell. Neglected metal oxidized into a green wasteland full of crystallized zombies.   

----

Sun Lens [Yellow]

Aliases: The Violin, Euphoria, Symphony, The Fiddle

Incarnations: A violin with intricate carvings of spider webs all over, yellow strings and thread, gold and yellow flecks of light.

Patron: Music, joy, obsession, control.

Nature: Active and benevolent. It harnesses itself in pleasantness and hones in on whatever brings it about. It does not exist or notice in necessarily healthy or safety, however, so its influence is just as detrimental when left unchecked and free as the rest of the Kaleidoscope. Despite what you might think at first glance. The forced positivity becomes almost cult-like and even hostile towards well being of people. If you’re perfectly happy even with a broken leg, why would anyone bother getting medical attention?

Powers/Abilities: It can channel good feeling and guide. It’s a bit like Azure in how it interacts/influences the societies it reigns in, and a bit like Crimson in the way it spreads through and consumes people.

Notable Users: A musician named Penelope

Found: Currently unnamed dimension where it has overtaken the whole society in a euphoric brainwashed state of service and submission to its light.  

----

Clementine Lens [Orange]

Aliases: The Clementine, Not.☆, Clem, The Unhuntable Beast, Pretty Kitty

Incarnations: a large creature that looks like a cross between a tiger, a boar, and a scorpion. It has tusks, orange fur with black stripes, and a scorpion tail, size between a car and a horse. Appears to fade in and out of opaqueness, almost like the texture of a portal.

Patron: Oblivion, unknown, hidden, introversion.

Nature: It’s a reclusive lens, will actively try to avoid things and need to be sought out. It’s like a wild animal trapped in a place it shouldn’t be. It’s the lens most closely tied to the Otherside. As a representation of Oblivion, which is nearly synonymous with inexistent, it’s the most uncomfortable to be out here and mostly needs to be comforted and drawn out in order to return it back to safety.

It's abilities include: traveling to different dimensions, poisonous scorpion tail, and unnatural abilities (ie. Speed, strength, agility, senses). Fazing and an inconsistent size. Ability to take people and things into never existing (only until it’s returned to the Otherside, in which case it simply becomes guardian of all things lost forever.)

Notable Users: None

Found: No set dimension of residence.

----

Crimson Lens [Red]

Aliases: The Crimson, Blood vines

Incarnations: Red flora, especially vines grown from an egg-like seed.

Patron: Power, passion, conquering, striving.

Nature: It is an aggressive lens, actively fiercely moving forward.

Abilities Include: It works by seeking out It works by warping your mind as a sort of infective possession, adding you to its empire. It can rebuild itself from the smallest seed, leaf, or root, growing it into a new egg.

Notable Users: More like it uses people than people use it. Notable people who’ve fallen to its control: Cue, Bill, and Rue.

Found: Appears in small bit all throughout the story. Is main insurgence comes later in the series, in Prowa. 

----

Bonus:

Karl Opal [White]

Aliases: Karl, Prism, Thread, Journalist

Incarnation: Unlike other lenses he’s represented with multiple colors on top of his main one, generally opalescent. Created by the Inbetween to retrieve and return the Lenses to the Other Side, was incidentally made to be a person just from the way the pieces fell together. Think of it like evolution.

Patron: Trial and error, stories, rebirth, discovery, understanding.

Powers/Abilities:

Form shifting

Respawning

A very advanced memory when considering all he takes in compared to other beings.

Quick learning/adapting

Creation of portals through the Over (different from simply traveling through them: he can also bend the rules of moving things and other people between dimension, not just himself.)

Ability to herd and push the lenses as they manifest in the Over. Think of it like he’s a shepherd and Lark is a caretaker.

Access to the Inbetween.

Found: The Inbetween, with one or both his boyfriends (Sapnap & Quackity), or with one of his many friends. Pretty much everywhere or anywhere, but usually the first two.

Lark [Black]-

Aliases: Lark, Prism, Needle, Librarian

Incarnation: accidentally created when Karl was split into multiple versions of himself, is considered to be Karl's reflection/Inverse, depending on how you look at it, he either existed long before Karl as a form of the otherside but not as a person, or he is significantly newer if you count him being created as a sentient being as his true origin. They split the difference and call themselves twins. His purpose is to house, care for, and regulate the Kaleidoscope in the Otherside.

Patron: Order, endings, knowledge, balance, animals.

Powers/Abilities:

Power to freely through anywhere in the Over by going “behind” them rather than “through” them. (Imagine Karl’s portals are like a wormhole, Lark’s tunnels would be like a black hole.)

Metaphysically and telepathically linked to Karl

Essentially impossible to damage in any meaningful way

Para-omnipotence

Ability to watch over and maintain the Kaleidoscope (when they are in the otherside, where they belong.) Caretaker.

Access to the otherside

Kind of… IS the otherside. At least, a manifestation of the part of it that linked it to Karl.

Found: The Otherside or with Karl (as reflection or as person). Sometimes—very rarely—he can be found broken away from Karl to explore a dimension that especially caught his attention, usually one with animals.

[thecatchat]

@inkytrinket-irii Sapnap's first trip to the beach in SaiSai, just reacting to the sea life!

[thecatchat]

What would we rename skeppy and BBH I have an idea I want to write

Probably something after lava (bbh) and coal/diamond (Skeppy).

Actually, Lave is apparently a real name from Italy meaning "burning rock". Agner means "diamonds". Would those work? I do have my symbolism book, I can quickly flip through to see if I find anything if you'd like?

[thebadchoicemachine]

Hey. Hey.

What if non-canon dimensions x ksq wild west crossover.

Mason challenges Sapnap to a wrestling match.

Every card game between Jack and Quackity ends in a draw, with both of them ending up with the same exact hand of cards.

Karl book club. Enough said.

Sheriff Karl may have panicked at first and arrested the three on the spot when they first fell out of the portal into the middle of the Sunday truce meeting.

Thoughts? Ideas?

Yeah!!

Sapnap: why do they look like that??

Karl: *shrugging* doppelgängers? Statistically it’s probable. I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.

—-

Mason and Jack really want to fight their counterparts but not each other’s because how could they hit that face?

[karlnapitydimensions]

Dimensions characters as animated gifs I downloaded:

Karl, introducing himself before learning about subtlety and lying:

Sapnap, in the middle of a quest given to him by XD:

Charlie, overhearing any conversation about Karl's abilities:

Quackity, whenever someone mentions police:

Karl, reminding Sapnap and Quackity that he could absolutely fight a God and win:

Karl, joking about his deaths:

Lark, coming into existence and getting overwhelmed by the sensations of it:

Karl, after being asked how "smart" he is:

Lark, in any situation:

The Crimson:

Ahh, shoot. I forgot about the photo limit. I'll add more in a reblog.

[thecatchat]

@inkytrinket-irii this is how Karl plays any instrument handed to him: the wrong way. He's learned the basics from so many places that he just cycles through them until he gets the greatest look of horror or confusion and then plays.

One time, in Prowa, they talked to some of performers and got offered to try out the instruments. Idk about Sapnap and Quackity but when Karl went the musicians were both horrified on principle and amazed.

[thecatchat]

The Chivalry of Firework

------

Quackity heaved a sigh as he fell back onto the coach. He propped his aching feet up on the table as he said, "Alright, we got a few hours until we can get this set straight. Think you can not start anymore fights till then?"

"Of course," said Firework, the fusion of Sapnap and Karl. When they had first arrived in this dimension, Karl had seen a big glowing stone in the center of the cave they landed in and decided that he was going to touch it while Sapnap was firmly against Karl touching it. They both went to grab it at the same time. Boom, clap, a big flash of light and suddenly there was one person instead of two.

Discarding their sword and satchel on the side table of the room, Firework sat on the floor next to the coach and started to take off their armor peice by peice. There was plenty of space on the couch, Quackity wasn't taking up too much space. Maybe it was easier to take it off on the ground?

"You not going back out?" he asked, surprised.

He'd been convinced that between Sapnap's enthusiasm for seeing new things and Karl's... karl-ness when it comes to exploring other dimensions, that they'd turn around and walk out to find another adventure or bar fight when they realized it wasn't in the hotel room. Or maybe it was called an inn? He'd been more focused on keeping an eye on Firework than paying attention to the name of the place. They were both staying in the surprisingly homey style room they managed to snag after Firework decided fighting the local mob was a great way to spend the afternoon. People were very thankful for that.

"Nope," they replied cheerily while unlaceing their boots, "I would actually like to talk to you for a bit."

Technically the two had been together all day but it hadn't felt like it. Quackity would turn to look for something or talk to someone and when he turned back around, Firework would have wondered off. They'd fought two groups of bandits, four different wild animals, and started a bar fight with the local cult in their first hour in town. He'd completely lost them for the next two hours and had found them after securing a place to stay. They still refused to say what they'd been doing other than they had 'plently of fun and possibly a curse or two'. If this was how Sapnap felt whenever he or Karl got sidetracked then he owed him an apology. A few drinks too.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the wave of a hand.

"Hey, soooo..." Firework glanced around nervously, "You know how I'm a mix of Karl and Sapnap, right?"

"Yah, you are." He had seen it happen with his own two eyes, how could he not?

"Sooo," They took a breath then blurted out, "I'm technically my own person, right? I mean, I'm a different mind and body from both of them. So, I'm not either of them."

Ah, the existential crisis. Quackity had been wondering when it would come up. He'd thought a lot about these types of things since the Judgment incident. As Judgment, he and Sapnap had both been aware and could influence it-them? It was sill confusing to think about. But Firework couldn't hear two different voices in their head, only their own. They weren't Karl and they weren't Sapnap, they were Firework.

"Sounds about right, yah."

Their face turned bright red before mumbling, "Well, I- um, never mind."

They started to turn away, looking like some of the cats that show up to Quackity's casino after flat tires. It was pitiful and it made his heart drop because he didn't know why they were looking like that. Did they do something? Firework being there own person... did they kiss or flirt with someone else? Just because they were made from Sapnap and Karl didn't mean they had the same feelings towards him as Sapnap and Karl. He quickly put on his poker face and grabbed them before they could walk off.

He kept his voice calm and casual as he said, "Hey, you got a question, feel free to ask it. I won't judge you. Promise."

They glanced over with eyes filled with worry and some guilt as well. He kept his face carefully open while his mind screeched over why they were guilt. Releasing his grip, he slowly leaned back and gave an encouraging smile. What ever happened, happened. They were both adults, technically. Probably. They could talk this-

"May I hug you?"

Everything came to a screeching halt. His face broke into a surprised and baffled look. There was a feeling of relief overshadowed by overwhelming sense of confusion. Had he even heard them correctly?

Firework started anxiously prattling an explanation with tiny bursts of color flaring into existence with every gesture.

"Well, you're very pretty and handsome looking but since I'm neither Karl nor Sapnap I figured you might not be comfortable with it and I don't want to make you uncomfortable. Oh god, that's the last thing I want to do. I mean this is all a bit silly you're dating them not me. Affection is nice but you're taken but you're also so clever and charming. I kept running off earlier because I really wanted to hug and kiss you but that's most likely overstepping some kind of boundaries. Then I realized how many cults and bandits there were and how dangerous that was so I chased them all out of town so it'd be safer for you. Um, what was my point again? Oh, right. I'm fine without a hug. You don't have to give me one."

... he was such a sap. That explained so much.

"Come on," he said and patted the seat next to him. He had judged them like they were in one of those stupid romance dramas on the radio and not an actual person. He'd been stupid to jump the gun on any of it and he wanted to make up for it. Even if they didn't know he'd doubted them.

They shyly shuffled over and sat on the couches armrest, giving him as much personal space as possible. It was a sweet gesture but an unnecessary one.

"Come on and sit next to me, I don't bite," he restrained himself from saying something that would be too much like 'unless you want me too' or something equally dumb.

It was uncanny how much they resembled a skittish cat as they slowly moved down the arm rest while eyeing his outstretched hand. He kept beckoning them closer and closer until they were less than a foot from each other. He reached out and gently pulled them to lay against his chest with their head on the couch armrest.

Fireworks eye's went comically wide with a small disbelieving smile. They weren't really sure what was happening and they weren't sure they cared as long as they were in his arms. They didn't resist or try to pull away but they didn't sink into the feeling. Not until Quackity started running his fingers through their hair and rubbing little circles into their shoulder. Like chocolate over a warm fire, they melted into the heavenly touch.

"Mmm," they hummed contently, "this is nice." A few seconds later though, they stiffened up and their eyes glanced away in guilt. Quackity had hoped that this would get the point across that they didn't have to feel bad about any of this but he guessed words would be a bit more effective.

"I know you're a different person, technically, but you're still a fusion of Sapnap and Karl. I'm thinking of this as an opportunity to show some affection to both of them at the same time."

"But, you're not." They said sadly and reluctantly pushed him away, "It's almost like- like you- we're-" Ah, that's what's gotten them so wound up.

"It's not cheating. Not in my book any how." It really wasn't, even if they didn't act or look exactly like either of them that didn't make where they came from any less important. They relaxed in his arms just the slightest bit but they were still stiff as a board. "If it really makes you uncomfortable, I'll back off, but I highly doubt that either Sapnap or Karl would disapprove of me and you doing this." He's pretty sure Karl would be more upset if he doesn't than if he does. He always encouraged living life to the fullest and making the most of any situation and this seemed like one of those times.

Firework backpettled and assured him, "I-it's not uncomfortable. This is nicest thing to happen to me all day. Just, it makes my heart pump a bit."

Right, while both Karl and Sapnap weren't totally opposed to committing crimes, a precieved crime of passion was outside both of their moral compasses. Except for when they stole his heart. Oh, that was a good line, he'd have to remember that one for later.

He settled a hand on their shoulder and purred, "Getting a thrill out of this pretty boy?"

"I am n-" He could see the moment their brain processed the end of his question as their eyes went wide and they melted all over again. "Mm, what was that last part?"

"Pretty boy." He repeated with a teasing tone while his hand started to slowly inch up towards their hair again, "You know, cus you're pretty lookin'."

"I am?"

The genuine curiosity in their voice threw him for a loop. "Do you not think you're pretty?" He asked.

"Well, I haven't looked in a mirror yet, so..." They shrugged as if it was no big deal. Quackity nearly burst into hysterics. From his experience, both Karl and Sapnap could be very particular about how they looked sometimes and to see them just shrug it off was really funny.

"Here, I'll describe your face for you so you can know what you look like," he cupped their face in his hands while they laced their fingers behind his neck, "First off, you're real pretty. Beautiful too. Absolutely gorgeous." The air warmed and the back of his neck felt like it was right next to fire, but it didn't stop him from continuing, "Next you're definitely smokin' hot, and I'm not just saying that for the pun. The absolute keenest cat around here. Around anywhere really."

The more and more he talked, the warmer and warmer the air got. It reminded him of a lit fuse, the anticipation building higher and higher as the fuse got closer and closer to the end. He knew the fuse was at its end when they moved to hold his face in their hands and sat up straight.

Their eyes were hopeful as they asked softly, "May I have permission to kiss you?"

Quackity couldn't tell if he felt like he was melting or floating with adoration.

"You may."

Their lips collided together as they both felt the fireworks going off in their hearts. The kiss was messy but neither cared. They'd both been thinking about it all day. Quackity from curiosity of how they would kiss him and how Karl's and Sapnap's kissing styles would blend together. Firework from a burning desire to show their love to dearest flame. An explosion of affection that warmed them from their toes to their iridescent eyes.

They finally parted to breath and Fireworks burst of confidence fizzled out. They breathed, "Was that-did you-um-"

They really were a mix of the two. Karl was always flustered beyond words after anything more then a light peck on the cheek and Sapnap always checked in to see how he was feeling after doing something new. It was endearing to see both happening at once.

"It was the cat's pajamas, darling. You did great."

"Good. That's good." Their eyes drooped as exhaustion flooded their body and they buried their face in his shoulder. A reminder that they did actually fight several dozen people that day. They let themselves sink further into the burnt out feeling as Quackity soothingly rubbed circles into their back.

"Can we stay like this for a while?" Firework mumbled into his shoulder.

"Of course," Quackity said sweetly and pressed a loving kiss to the top of their head, "Whatever you want, doll."

-----------

Two out of three! Here's Firework! They made me realize that I don't actually have a lot of experience describing kisses, I mention them but they're not usually the focus. Until now.

I never got around to describing what Firework looks like. They're around 6 feet tall, average build, they wear a leather armor that has color splattered on it that looks like colorful fire. Their horns are much more curly than Sapnap's, like this but smaller and curled closer to the head.

Their eyes slowly shift color over time and glow when they use their powers. Their power involves rainbow fire, different colored fires can have different effects, one burns, one heals, but I don't know about the rest of the effects or which color does which. Pink fire tends to pop up involuntarily when they're filled with love for something/someone and It's safe to touch, touching the fire probably gives a confidence boost to whoever touches it, including themselves.

@inkytrinket-irii part 2!

[thebadchoicemachine]

So, idea for dimensions AU. Before Quackity and Sapnap learn about the Inbetween and "what" Karl is, he's a very big mystery to both of them, and whenever they have a moment alone together in the beginning, the conversation tends to go towards Karl.

So early on, they decide to kinda recap what they generally know about Karl's past, because why not?

Karl: 1) knows a lot about dimensions, how they work, and what they are, 2) Karl is kinda like a Traveler but can do some things others can't, like choose places to go randomly, 3) Karl has never taken them to his home dimension and seems to dodge questions about it.

It's at this point that one of them comes up with a theory: Karl used to be a normal Traveler, who's home dimension got destroyed or something as he tried to travel back to it, this did something to him to give him his abilities he has today, and also maybe gave him insight into how dimensions work, and that's why he would avoid any mention of his home dimension, because it doesn't exist anymore.

Now, this theory is wrong, but it's a more logical conclusion then what the truth is. I don't know what would happen next, other than both of them letting Karl know that if he needs a place to stay, they've got places he can bunk.

What do you think?

ANSJAKXJ I LOVE THIS!

Karl never catches on because why would he assume they assumed that?

[karlnapitydimensions]

George: Good responses for being stabbed with a knife?

Sapnap: Rude.

Dream: That’s fair.

Karl: Not again.

Quackity: Are you going to want this back?

~ Quotes☆Anon~

Ooo! I think Karl and Quackity would actually be switched.

Quackity has been stabbed enough times that he reacts to them kinda like a paper cut. Like, "damn it, not again. I was being careful!"

Karl has been fatally stabbed so many times that if he doesn't die immediately he's more likely to ask for a suviner. Plus he hoards tons of stuff, why not knives too?

Sapnap is so used to people trying to stab him with swords that a small knife isn't as threatening. I think it would be considered more of an assassin's weapon but if you don't try and stab him somewhere obviously fatal, he just gets offended. Like "are you actually trying to kill me? You're terrible at it, very rude. At least put some effort in".

-ck

[thecatchat]

Yessssss!!!!!♡♡♡♡♡!!!!!

[thecatchat]

The Thoughts of Judgment

------

"Stand clear of the closing doors please."

As the subway car pulled away from the station, Karl could finally feel Judgment relax their grip on his shoulder. Glancing around the dirty train car, it seemed like they were the only two people in there. It was a bit strange to see it so empty during the busiest time of day. Maybe it was because Judgment was double the height of most people with a wingspan twice as wide. Maybe it was because of the sword and gun they openly flaunted with a marching pace that meant business. Maybe it was because their wings and hair were actively engulfed in flames.

Actually, now that he thought about it, it was probably the fire.

The fire fizzled and died as soon as the station was out of sight, Judgment sinking down to the floor as the exhaustion caught up to them. They leaned against one of the poles, resting their head against it before a slight bump in the tracks informed them why it was a bad idea.

It was the first time Karl had been able to get more than a glance at them since he'd been kidnapped. He'd only seen the spell being cast and an explosion of fire when Sapnap and Quackity got fused together into Judgment. He didn't even realize what had happened until he'd been saved by them. They had burst through a wall and only said a breathless, "Call us Judgment," before they tucked him under their arm and whisked him away from weird wizard cult people.

Quackity's slacks and shirt were peaking out behind Sapnap's chest plate and metal boots. Their sword and gun hung securely on Q's leather belt and Sapnap's beloved bandana held their hair out of-

Their eyes. All four of them. One pair stacked on top of the other, pale white over dark brown. The pairs moved separately from each other, except when they blinked. All four blinked at the same time. He'd never see that before. It was strangely beautiful, being able to see a hint of the thoughts running through their head.

"You're staring," Judgment suddenly said. They easily lifted him into their arms and started checking him over. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, just getting lost in your eyes," he reached up and brushed the side of their face with his knuckles, "All four of them."

"All- what?" They sat down on the floor with their brows scrunched up in thought. The top two were furrowed just a little to the right and the bottom two were scrunched looser, just like they normally would. They were so easy to read yet they looked so different.

Karl let his hand and eyes travel down their face. Sapnap's nose, broken and mended time and time again to the point where it was always a little crooked. Quackity's lips, scarred and chapped from the times he'd gotten injured from knife fights or fist fights throughout the years. A distinct jawline and a rounded chin. A small bit of scruff and a notch in one ear. One or the other. It was beautiful. They were beautiful. They-

They weren't okay.

Their grip had tightened. All eyes were unfocused. Shallow breaths had the slightest tremor to them, only noticeable by how he was pressed against their chest.

"Hey," he softly knocked on their chest plate, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Hm? Oh, no, not at all. Just... I- We-" their wings stretched out and around to encircle both of them, a wall guarding them from the empty train car. "We were so focused on finding you and getting you to safety. We didn't give ourselves time to stop and... process everything."

"Oh."

He hadn't thought about that. Sapnap and Quackity being so consumed with worry for him that they didn't pause long enough to look in a mirror. He'd assumed they would have at least done a quick once over to make sure they weren't injured or missing anything important when they merged. Nope. Their top concern was his safety and now that they had it, everything else was crashing on top of them at once.

Normally, he'd distract them with something when they started to freak out from dimensional shenanigans. Quackity always calmed down after something exciting and physical. Running from the law, getting into a fight, anything that got his heart pumping with adrenaline seemed to help. Sapnap was a bit more reserved, needing a task to focus on. It could be fighting something, grabbing a needed item, or even just counting to a certain number as long as he had something to do. Now how to combine them? He couldn't put himself in more danger, he couldn't even get out of Judgment's arms. Something exciting to focus on.... oh right, duh.

"Can I kiss you right now?"

Judgment's face flickered through many expressions before settling on politely confused. At least, he assumed it was politely confused. It was hard to tell with the two sets of eyes. He put one of his hands on their shoulder and the other reached around to tilt their head down.

"I just thought that maybe you'd like a bit of a distraction from your thoughts. Plus, I get to kiss both of my lovely boyfriends at once! It's a win-win."

Their face softened immediately into a loving smile with the slightest hint of blush. "That sounds like a good idea," they replied, holding him a little higher so they didn't have to strain their necks. They hovered just above his lips.

Karl waited a moment before moving in to connect. Their chapped lips radiated warmth and dug familiarly into his own. It made him feel safe. He felt like nothing and no one would ever be able to hurt him in these soft feathers of fire. He could have sunk into the feeling and stayed in it if it wasn't for one small fact.

Judgment wasn't moving.

They weren't moving to hold him tighter like Sapnap would or to deepen the kiss like Quackity does, or even move their lips. He stayed pressed together for a few more seconds to test if it was just a delayed response. Nope. It was like trying to kiss a mannequin. He would know what that's like... it was a really weird dentist appointment.

Pulling away, he looked up and saw them frozen in thought. They were aware of him moving but caught up in their own head. When two trains of thought coild head on and neither fall off the track, then nothing goes anywhere. At least, that's what he imagined was happening.

"Hey," he held their face in his hands and gently massaged their cheeks until he was sure he had their full attention, "I think I get it. You're both so different, so wonderfully unique in so many ways, that it's hard to find any middle ground or work out a compromise. Yah?"

They didn't say anything back but the tension flooding out of their face and relief pouring in said more than enough.

"How about we do one at a time?" They seemed confused but not unopposed to the idea so he explained, "Like, following one of your guy's lines of thinking for a minute then following the other person's. What's the words- oh! Taking turns. That's it."

He could see the moment they took his advice. Their shoulders rolled back, the wings folded away and the bottom pair of eyes closed. He adjusted his hold on him into more of a bridal carry and everything started to feel a little warmer.

"This... is a stranger situation than normal," Sapnap started hesitantly, adjusting to being in control of a body that wasn't his own, "but I'm glad you're safe. Both of you are safe. This is certainly a perspective changer. Being able to constantly hear each others thoughts is, for lack of a better term, informative."

Sapnap kissed him gently on the forehead. He hovered there, taking in Karl's comforting weight in his arms. It was nice to be able to hold him close like this. Despite all the strange and distressing changes this whole situation caused, he had to admit there were some benefits as well.

He wasn't quite sure how long he stayed like that but he was brought back to reality by a slight tugging on the back of his mind. "Quackity wants his turn now. I'll talk to you again once I'm back in my own body." He gently put Karl down into his lap, running his fingers through his hair with pure adoration, "Stay safe. Well, as safe as you can manage."

Sapnap's eyes closed. The wings folded out but didn't surround them again. Instead it simply rested against their back like a blanket. Their hold loosened and shifted so he sat up a bit more, now lying back against their shoulder instead of held in a bridal carry. The air started to cool as Quackity's eyes opened.

"Heya doll," he said with an exhausted tinge to his voice, " 'dis'll be one hell of a story for ya ta write down. Glad yer in one piece for it. Sapnap said everythin' that i was gonna say. He did say it in a sweeter way though. So, instead of chinning, 'm just gonna snuggle ya."

And that's what he did. Sitting there with Karl loosely in his arms, he tucked him under his chin and gently rubbed his back. His wings fluttered with joy as he felt Karl burrow further into his chest like they were a couple of snuggle pups. He had so many more things to say to him but they could all wait til later. Right now, he was just happy to see the normally hyperactive man staying in one spot: his arms.

Some indecipherable gibberish played over the speakers. All eyes snapped open and Judgment looked for the source of the voice.

"Ah," Karl said as if he'd heard the voice in perfect clarity, "We're almost at our stop."

"Our stop?"

"Yah, our stop!" He giggled and wiggled out of their grip. He stretched out a hand in offering as he declared, "We've got to go kick that cult leaders honking butt then get you both back to your own bodies now don't we?"

Judgment smiled lovingly like Karl had just told them that they were the most beautiful person on earth and wasn't about to go fist fight a cult leader.

"Right, of course." They hoisted themselves up to stand as tall as they could. Unfortunately, the subway was not designed for ten feet tall demon-avian hybrids to comfortably stand in. It was designed for normal people. Very inconvenient.

As they waited for the train to slow and the doors to open, Karl climbed on top of the chairs, pressed a kiss against their cheek and chirped, "Love you two."

They would do anything to hear him say it again. Funny how love can truly make all rational judgment go out the window.

"We love you too."

The train finally started to slow to a crawl as the same helpful voice from before said, "Stand clear of the doors please."

----------

HELL YAH!!! I FINISHED IT!!! I actually went back and read this all the way through for errors which I don't usually do so this is some high quality stuff! @inkytrinket-irii one of three!!!