#sometimes it works though! Like when cats scare off bears!

[yutaan]

I can't believe I have to ask this with my own mouth and type this with my own two hands but.... will you ever drop the rita+dio heights 👀?!?!? Honestly I'm jk because they have that mechafiction thing going on so it's nice to leave it up to imagination but I'm just tickled pink the way you refer to him as tiny or 'comparatively' small. Rather than an actual height, is Dio small compared to the average person or just his super cool and adoring, amazing and loving tall gf Rita? From the mash up drawings I've seen, Dio is always the smallest person on the page :3 I love a confident little man in charge so I adore Dio and Rita and their dynamic <3 The caption about him being in distress because his gf was out of shot in distress had me cracking up lolol

Darlingest anon I cackled SO hard when I got this ask; thank you for being interested in my motorcycle kids!! And you are in luck: Even though I usually don’t get too fussed about how tall characters are, this is the one project I have where I did work out out everybody's heights. If you don't want to know exact answers, I'll just say that Dio is, in fact, Tiny specifically when compared to Rita. He's of pretty average height! Even a little taller than average! She's just QUITE tall.

And if you do want the exact measurements, Dio is 5'5 (and a half)! Rita is 6’3 in her bio body and 6’4 in her mechanical proxy body so next to her he simply looks like a bean rather than a beanpole. AND the rest of the main cast actually ALSO skews quite tall so he just… appears short most of the time. He doesn’t mind! It's rad! His girlfriend is tall and amazing and can lift him up with one arm and he is THRILLED about it.

Rita and Dio are in their late teens in the main part of the story, so it’s possible they both could still grow slightly? They’ve pretty much reached their full adult heights, though; it would be a very minor difference.

[mosaickiwi]

“Bad” Gift Giver Angel Headcanons

Just some ~silly and wholesome thoughts~ I put on disc but wanted to share here too! I'm a lil spammer. cw// Slight mention of violence at the end.

14 Days With You is an 18+ Yandere Visual Novel. MINORS DNI

Ren/dacted with an Angel that gives weird ‘just because’ gifts but they don't realize how strange they are since he genuinely cherishes everything they give him. <3

🎁 Giant 5 pound gummy bear! Ren tries like hell to finish it, but his tummy hurts. He ends up preserving it in epoxy to put on a shelf. Half of its head is missing.

🎁 Angel finds one of those train sets that hung from the ceilings in some McDonalds stores way back in the day. (video) Ren sets it up in his room and rigs it to work as a morning wake up alarm. Or just lays down and watches it go when he’s trying to sleep. He might paint over Ronald's face though.

🎁 Customized Furby that looks like an eldritch horror? They thought it matched his vibes and now they regret giving it to him. 

💝 When Angel stays over, it scares them when they wake up in the middle of the night. Ren imprisons it in his shrine room after Angel wakes him up in tears begging him to move it somewhere else. The battery died a long time ago, but sometimes Angel still hears it laughing through the walls.

🎁 The UGLIEST sweaters imaginable. They light up, they make noise, they itch, they burn the eyes of all who see them. Dude is overheating himself in the summer cause he just feels so loved every time he puts one on.

🎁 There’s a phase of food gadgets and utensils, despite neither of them being a decent cook. Angel is disappointed since some of the items simply don’t work the way they wanted, but Ren adores the small everyday use ones. 

💝 A tabletop s'mores maker—it takes too long to burn marshmallows the way Angel likes, but Ren is endlessly patient about it while he hands them a blowtorch. Tiny novelty gumball machine that he puts on his desk and fills with mint chocolate candies. Hello Kitty waffle maker but they both keep burning it. 

💝 A pizza cutter shaped like an axe, Thor’s hammer meat tenderizer that he uses incorrectly, cat paw oven mitts, tongs, and serving spoons. Imagine this tatted, grumpy eboy pulling a frozen pizza out of the oven with his cute little paws??? He totally wears the matching apron if Angel asks.

🎁 It’s almost suspicious how he’s never surprised at a gift, but Angel still tries to catch him off guard. They’ll not so discreetly leave tiny presents around his apartment for him to find. Whether they’re just love notes, weird greeting cards for holidays he wasn’t aware of, or hand sized plushies in brightly colored capsules so he can experience some type of surprise at the very least. Even so, he always spots them immediately, but pretends it's taking him a few hours or so to notice anything different. Once he 'finds' one he'll teasingly thank them for the scavenger hunt.

🎁 Ren absolutely SEETHES on the inside whenever anyone else gets a gift, no matter how ridiculous it is. He wants the exact same thing immediately and drops the most obvious hints possible. 

💝 A hideous, singing, wall mounted fish for Teo’s birthday? Ren’ll talk all about how he’s always found them entertaining, his favorite fish is a bass—what do you mean he used to make a weird face whenever he caught one in Stardew? The moment it gets thrown away he’s digging through the garbage and bashing Teo over the head with it for not appreciating such a thoughtful present.

[bucketspammer4life]

punch out rambles because i can and i will

**insert crowd booing sound effect here**

Disco Kid has the most high-pitched, ear grating scream ever, he also tends to go "EEEK!" over a lot of stuff so he tends to absolutely demolish the ears of anyone near him if theyre in his range.

Aran Ryan sometimes starts singing out of nowhere, he usually does this when alone or with people he's close to.

King Hippo is actually decent friends with Glass Joe, joe was scared from him in the beginning but warmed up to him pretty quickly after learning some Hippo language, Joe can hold a basic conversation in Hippo language and sometimes gossips with him.

Mr Sandman tends to shy away from playfighting with others since he almost always ends up hurting someone in the end.

Piston Hondo liked taking apart electronics as a kid since he liked examining them and finding out how they worked, he still has a interest in machinery & electronics but doesn't have much to bother going stuff related to it, he sometimes still takes apart electronic stuff for fun.

Von Kaiser used to be a barber, he was his own test subject and he has fucked up his hair multiple times over that, if anyone in the WVBA wants to do something related to hair, they usually hit up Kaiser.

Don Flamenco had a emo phase where he constantly dyed his hair blue, grew it out to the point where it covered his eyes & wore nothing but the same pair of jeans and band shirts, anytime his parents pull up pictures of that era he jumps back from fear.

Bald Bull unintentionally does that one "moo" sound a lot, he usually does it when hes angry, tired or just relaxing, he tried to not let it slip out often but it still happens sometimes, don't bring it up in front of strangers though.

Soda Popinski use to work in a scam call center, he quit since it kind of took a toll on his sanity because tricking someones grandma into giving you their credit card info can take you so far.

Super Macho Man is usually a reckless dude since he knows he can pay his way out of practically anything and everything.

Bear Hugger can and will eat raw meat, no one has any idea how he still manages to walk it off without a problem.

Great Tiger likes feeding stray cats, he usually sets out a bowl of cat food outside his door to help feed strays, he sometimes lets some cats in and takes care of them.

[livsoulsecrets]

The Hunger Games Fic: Peeta Mellark & his children - I won't let nobody hurt you, won’t let no one break your heart

Summary:

Just a short reflection on Peeta Mellark breaking cycles and growing into the best father he can be.

“His children grew up faster than he could have prepared for, and, as young as they still were, he could already see the contours of who they would become.”

-

An old lady once stopped by Peeta’s side on the market and played with his daughter for a bit while he tried to juggle holding both her and his bags.

“She gets like this sometimes,” he explained, struggling with his cargo as the woman smiled kindly at him, “needs to be carried everywhere or else.”

The unknown lady laughed and then stepped back to stare at them one more time before leaving. “Enjoy, dear. The days might be long, but the years will go by far quicker.”

He had heard the advice before, received it countless times after becoming a father.

And it was true, to an extent.

His children grew up faster than he could have prepared for, and, as young as they still were, he could already see the contours of who they would become.

It was all there in the stubborn quality of his son’s grin, so similar to Katniss’, or in the glint of his daughter’s gray eyes when she was challenged to run faster or climb higher.

He could see himself too: his girl’s patience as she fed the stray cats of their neighborhood and gained their trust; his boy’s love for painting portraits. It scared him half to death some days — how hard his son tried. How much his daughter was willing to fight.

In the end, some days seemed to last years for Peeta, and that’s what most people didn’t seem to understand. Days when he couldn’t force his body to get out of bed. Nights when he felt too warm and too restless to get any sleep.

Katniss would tell him his fear was real but that the awful thoughts that followed it were not.

“What if I ruin them?” He questioned her once, and his wife laid a hand on his chin, forcing him to face her.

“You won’t.”

“I might–”

“You won’t.” She told him, matter-of-factly, and the touch of her skin against his was Peeta’s only tether to reality.

Katniss would not tell him kind lies. She would always tell him the truth, as ugly and painful as it could be.

That is what made it easier to believe her. He trusted he was good enough for his family because Katniss did. He knew he wouldn’t become who his father used to be because Katniss knew it too.

Then again, Katniss had her days too.

When she woke up in cold sweat and a scream dying down in her throat, reaching out blindly for Peeta. She would repeat the question that kept them both afloat through their darkest times. The question they had taught their children to ask when they were scared or unsure.

“They’re safe. Real or not real?”

She didn’t need to explain. He understood there were only two people in the world they were as scared to lose as each other.

“Real,” he assured, knowing it was the truth.

Their children would never know a world where the type of cruelty their parents endured was possible.

When he had similar nightmares, painted in red and sorrow, he would haunt their house’s hallways and find his children’s bedrooms. The only thing that could ground him was the sight of their peaceful forms sleeping soundly.

Tonight, though, it was no nightmare that kept him up. He had stayed up late to finish off his work at the bakery and decided to check on the kids before going to bed.

His daughter was sound asleep, upside down in the bed with one arm over her eyes and the other enveloped around her teddy bear. He chuckled quietly at the sight and pulled her blanket properly over her chest.

When he checked on his son, though, the boy was awake in bed, his blanket pulled up to his chin as his tiny hands held on to it for dear life.

“Dad?” He called out when Peeta stepped through the door.

“Hey, kid,” he answered, settling by his bedside. His son immediately threw his arms against his middle and placed his head on his lap. “Are you alright?”

He held on even tighter and whispered, “I heard something. It’s under my bed. I think it’s a monster.”

His son’s face had been overwhelmed by a grimace, and Peeta cradled his cheek carefully to say, “Hey, it’s okay. I’m here.”

The lemon tree outside his window creaked loudly, and the boy startled, sitting up straight once more against the headboard. “I heard it again, dad!”

Peeta had half a mind not to laugh, knowing it would be of no help.

“Okay, okay. I’ll check, alright?” He said instead, dropping to the floor and lifting the blankets.

Peeta couldn’t help but be reminded of his own father’s disdainful laugh when he had a similar nightmare many years ago.

“Don’t be stupid,” his dad had blurted out, “Go back to sleep and stop bothering me.”

He had spent the whole night up, terrified that something awful was coming to get him. His father had hit him the next day when a sleep-deprived Peeta burned a batch of bread.

Peeta found no such monsters underneath the bed, as he had expected. He returned to the bed and caressed his boy’s hair softly, “It’s alright. There’s nothing under your bed.”

“Are you sure?” His blue eyes sparkled with tears as he worried his lip between his teeth.

“Yes. I promise.” Peeta reassured him. “Come on, I’ll stay with you tonight.” He settled under the covers, and his son was quick to place his head against his chest, enveloping his waist with his tiny arm.

“You’ll fight the monsters for me.” His son whispered, already tipping over the edge of sleep. “Real or not real?”

Peeta kissed the top of his head and vowed, “Real.”

[cod-dump]

Surprise cat shifter Phoenix time

Phoenix is a smaller sized black cat with big, green eyes. He likes belly rubs, but only from certain people

He likes to find Moose randomly when he’s in his cat form and curl up on his lap. No shame for what he’s doing, just chillin with the big man because he wants cuddles

Also knocks shit off Graves’ desk

Before he joined 141, Phoenix used to his at Ghost and Price and all them

He doesn’t now, but very rarely lets them pet him after they accidentally found out he was a cat shifter

Tee hee The Brain rot is real

-🔥

Now imagining Moose in his bear form and there’s this massive bear following around this tiny cat. Phoenix sleeping on Moose and it’s not uncommon to find them just chilling together on base. Graves has this super soft cat bed under his spacious desk for Phoenix (to avoid getting claws in the high because that shit hurts) and a special rug for Moose. Sometimes they just want to hang out in their other forms.

Moose gets cuddles and pets from almost every Shadow he passes and several Shadows are trying to pet Phoenix but he just runs and hides under Moose. When Moose isn’t shifted, he welcomes Phoenix to hang out with him. He’ll be working at his desk and just absentmindedly running his fingers through his fur. Soap got thrown out of his office for scaring Phoenix (causing Moose to get scratched) because he entered the room with such force he almost broke the door.

Moose doesn’t mind Phoenix hangout with him in cat form at all… though he subconsciously gets nervous when Phoenix gets near the fish.

[roseinthewindow]

Epilogue- Chapter 1

Imani’s POV- Elliot’s bedroom.

“What happened to being sober?” I asked, looking over at Elliot. A blunt is perched on the corner of his lips as he looks at me, and it takes me a moment to not yell at him. “Sobriety is a mindset, mani.” He replied, as I rolled my eyes.

I didn’t say anything for a few minutes, allowing my thoughts to compose themselves. “If you don’t like that I’m smoking, the doors that way.” He said, and I stayed quiet. If I was to leave, he’d probably call his friends, the same ones that kept him from sobriety. “Nah, it’s fine.” I muttered, mindlessly scrolling on my phone.

When you love someone, it’s hard to see their faults sometimes. The rose colored glasses are always on, making them look more beautiful. Loving Elliot used to be like that, but him constantly falling back into his patterns cracked them. It’s like I’m hyper aware that my boyfriend is an addict, just like Rue is. A terrifying thought that I might lose both the same way, except I’m not in love with rue: I’m in love with Elliot.

The room stayed quiet for a while, neither of us having anything to say, something that’s common in our almost 10 year long friendship, and our 1 year relationship. Sometimes we simply have nothing to say, just enjoying each other's company. But my mind refuses to be quiet, racing with thoughts of Elliot, from his lackadaisical attitudeto the fact that I really wanna hold him. I resisted the urge to reach over though, and a couple hours later I walked out.

Elliot’s POV- days later

I woke up on my floor, smelling weed and alcohol around me. There’s a line of cocaine on a book next to me, and I snorted it as my eyes fully opened. Making myself stand is a task, but I finally succeeded, seeing Rue sprawled out on my bed. My head was pounding as the cocaine worked into my system, but I knew it’d subside.

Being high is one of my favorite things in the world, because there’s no other feeling like it. Nothing in the world will ever give me the feeling of total nothingness or serenity like weed or cocaine will, hell even alcohol doesn’t come close. I love the feeling more than anything.

“Yo Elliot! That shit was crazy.” She said, getting off the bed. “Yeah, it was.” I agreed, having no idea what she’s talking about. After an hour she left, and I was now sprawled out on my bed, staring at the ceiling. My high has fully set in, along with the alcohol, and I feel fucking amazing.

So amazing, that I don’t hear Imani walk into the room.

“Elliot…what the fuck?” She asked, sounding exhausted. I looked up at her, a grin on my face. “Hi mani bear.” I slurred, as she sighed. “Honey, how high are you right now?” She questioned, as I heard the concern in her voice. I shrugged, truly being unable to answer the question.

She walked over, sitting on the bed next to my head. As if I’m a cat, I instinctively curled up on her lap, sighing deeply. “It feels good.” I muttered, feeling her ruffle my hair. “Yeah, I know.” She exhaled, looking at my eyes. I know she’s trying to see if I’m overdosing, but I feel her love. Makes me feel serene and calm, something I usually don’t feel. I’m almost scared of it, but my body’s too heavy to lift up.

“Mani.” I called, my voice low. “Hm?” She answered, as I inhaled. “Talk to me.” I said, feeling her fingers return to my curls. “Anything you wanna hear about?” She asked, her voice soft and sweet. “Just talk.” I mumbled, and she nodded. “Well, college is tiring. Especially statistics, but I passed my test. Then I caught up with Maddy.” She stated, as I listened intently. I love being in this position, just hearing her talk to me about everything.

After a few minutes, she moved me off her lap and got off the bed. I immediately sat up, feeling my brain go fuzzy. “Imani.” I said, as she looked at me. “What?” She replied, and I felt tears in my eyes. I have no idea if I’m getting upset because I have no control over my emotions or just because she moved me. “Are you leaving?” I asked, and she shook her head. “I was taking my shoes off…everything’s okay.” She sighed, coming back on the bed.

Except now she’s farther away, and I had to crawl over to lay on her. The same thing I’ve done since 9th grade every time I’ve gotten high, just laid on her and listened to her voice. She sighed once I was on her chest, but quickly put her fingers back in my curls. “What’s on your mind, hm?” She whispered, as I hummed. “Absolutely nothing, you?” I asked, and she shrugged. “Just thinking about how clingy you are today.” She answered, running her fingers through my curls.

“Just wanna be around you.” I mumbled, feeling myself doze off.

Imani’s POV

Elliot dozed off on me, and I sighed. I kissed his head, seeing a small smile on his lips. “You stress me the hell out, but you’re lucky you’re cute.” I whispered, tracing his apple tattoo. “I need you to be better. This shit doesn’t feel good to me.” I mumbled, allowing myself to put my head back and close my eyes.

End Of 1

[connectionterminated13]

Sometimes I feel like I'm being too negative about my favorite bear jump scare franchise so here's some things I really like feel free to add-on with your own favorite Things

-The idea of how remnant and possession works/the idea of science being used to enhance the supernatural

- Charlie Emily and Michael Afton. I love everything about their characters like so so much

- The fact that fazbear entertainment is in the evil corporation built on the suffering of hundreds of people they keep on trucking along monetizing the people they've murdered and ruin the lives of

- Sister location everything about that game I love it!!!

- All of the designs from FNAF 2 And most of them from FNAF6, The Withered animatronics and Toys look awesome Mangle and the Marionette are incredibly freaky and I love them!!! As for FNAF 6 I love the designs of scrap baby and molten Freddy along with the ugly sort of wonky designs of all of the show stage animatronics!

- The silver eyes! I think it's probably the best FNAF book! I think the silverize is probably my favorite Canon portrayal of William and Charlie is a wonderful protagonist I just love her

- Elizabeth Afton

- Spring lock suits just like an awesome concept and I love it

- Glitch trap(Specifically in helper wanted before the mimic reckon). I love the idea of this being what William is like when there's no like act left that he has to put up that he's a normal sane person. He gets to be goofy and do his little murder dance in splendor in what he's done in what he's going to create again.

- Henry Emily's whole speech

- Spring trap I just really like how ugly it is :)

- The fact that the monsters that you are defending yourself against throughout every game are just scared kids who are lashing out because there's nothing else that they can do. They're just as trapped as you are

- Zombie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Cassie as a protagonist like girl is Going through it

- Vanny (Even if the main line games handled her terribly the Fandom fixes that!)

- The fact that Bonnie ate a cat 1 time

- Nightmarionette and nightmares designs!! They're my favorite characters from FNAF4 (excluding the crying child)

- Even though I feel like the atmosphere could have been worked on I really like the design of the pizza plex and some of the ideas in there of a shiny nice Veneer hiding the horrors underneath

- The cupcake I think it's funny....

That's all I can think of off the top of my head if you have anything you like that you want to add please do!

[olivia200312]

Christmas Romance~ (Freddy x Human! Reader)

The video is created by Zero2zero2 and believe me, it's so funny as heck that you'll love it! I discovered the video when I was a young teen or even before a teen at the time! My favorite part would be where Golden Freddy got pranked by Toy Freddy.

Have fun with this short romance one-shot!

----------------------------------------------------------------

Y/N shivered while walking through the streets that were covered by snow. The sky was grey with clouds and it was even snowing slightly! She wore an oversized warm fluffy hoodie that was also her winter jacket and also wore a scarf around her neck to keep that part warm. While walking, she was rubbing her gloved hands together to keep them warm. When the hands are cold and you have gloves on, it doesn't help sometimes until you rub them, probably. She also carried a backpack around and inside it, there were gifts for everyone. I mean, everyone. But who was 'everyone'? The animatronics. Technically, they were real-life alive furries! You have no idea how furries are popular today and very loved by millions. The most popular animal furries would be bears, bunnies, chickens, foxes, and even wolves. You should search online and see fan arts of hot furries. I, for example, love a lot seeing furries and humans together. Fnaf is like one of the examples that there are furries. Even though they're animatronics. There were a couple of times where Scott created the beloved characters as real furries like a game where Freddy and his friends were in space.

You need to think of Looney Tunes, Chicken Little, Zootopia, Sing, Sonic the Hedgehog, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pokemon, and Thunder Cats are also examples where they have furries. As you can see, furries are everywhere, wherever you are. It's actually thanks to furries that many popular fandoms were created and many people don't even realize it.

But let's go back to the main point.

Y/N was friends with animatronics ever since she started working as a nightguard and she's basically the first female to do so. That caught the attention of the animatronics. All of their lives, they only got male guards and this time it was a female! The animatronics took great interest in her that they waited until 12 a.m. started and they began to move. Y/N was aware at that time of the animatronics moving around and even causing the disappearances of previous nightguards, males. It was either scaring them away to death or killing them. The animatronics wanted to roam free around the place.

Y/N giggled as she has a clear memory of her first encounter with the animatronics. She expected to be gone on her first night because all of the animatronics moved at the same time together. She expected her first night to be easy but she was so wrong as the animatronics were damn curious. She accidentally cut Freddy's paw (or hand) off before he got inside. She fixed it up and that's how the band started with the animatronics. Everyone was so nice to her! But she's especially close to Freddy Fazbear himself, the boss of everyone. He was the leader of Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, after all. He's the lead singer, the main star. His voice was deep and handsome as well. From the early times, she noticed Bonnie and Chica acting lovebirds to each other so Y/N hatched a plant to get them together. She succeeded and now they're a cute couple! But little did she know that Freddy would be... stubborn on them about PDA while it's Christmas.

Y/N finally arrived at the building and she got her keys out. She unlocked it and entered. She made sure that it's locked so that no one would break-in. Once she finally entered the main room, she got smiles from the animatronics.

She was greeted by a hug from Toy Chica. "Hey, Y/N! Glad you could join us!"

Y/N smiled happily. "Of course! You all are like a family to me!"

Just then, Toy Bonnie walked over. He was happy to see his human friend and he had also a secret crush on Toy Chica. "Hey, Y/N."

Y/N nodded back at him as a greeting with a friendly smile. Just then, she noticed a Christmas tree on stage. "Oh! You're about to decorate the tree!"

"Would you like to help us?"

Y/N smirked. "The expert of decorating will be glad to help!"

That caused both toys to laugh and Y/N joined later as well. She was a big teaser if she felt like it but she wanted to make others laugh so she's trying. By then, Freddy came out from the boys' bathroom and he spotted Y/N. He felt his heartbeat skip and felt butterflies in his stomach. There she was. The girl of his dreams. Yes, she may be a human but he didn't care. He wanted Y/N to be his. There were indeed other males around but Bonnie and Foxy had their mates and Toy Bonnie is very close to being with Toy Chica. Other males that are single are Golden Freddy, Toy Freddie, Marionette (or Puppet), and Freddy himself. Although, Marionette didn't look interested to have somebody special.

Toy Freddy belonged to one of the toys gang and he's the lead singer as well just like Freddy Fazbear himself. But instead of calling him Freddy Fazbear, he's called Toy Freddy since he's basically the toy version of the original bear. Toy Freddy only looked scary when his eyes were black. Have you ever seen his eyes while watching him through the cameras? He's a big prankster in this family. He's currently planning to prank poor Golden Freddy or Goldie for short as Y/N liked to call him. They were in fact best friends. Goldie was quite mysterious and calm as well. Many fans out there described him through writing as a villain, a prankster, a flirt, etc. But Y/N didn't like any of that. Watch videos like made by Zajchu37 or Zero2zero2. Goldie is serious and calm. He's not a flirt nor a prankster and that's what Y/N liked a lot about him. He was once a singer as well named Fredbear. He had a best friend named Springbonnie, who's now known as Springtrap. Sadly, no one knew where he was now... Goldie misses him every day. Wherever he was, let's hope that his best friend can be found.

Freddy took a deep breath and walked up to her. "Hey, Y/N. Merry Christmas!" He then helps her with the winter jacket and hung it over a chair.

"Merry Christmas, Freddy!" She then kisses his muzzle cheek, causing him to blush. "I'm gonna help Toy Bonnie and Toy Chica with the tree, alright?"

Freddy nodded, still blushing from the kiss, and walked close by The Pirates Cove and leans against the wall, and crossed his arms. Since he was the boss, he wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly. Most of his attention was on Y/N, who was on the stage, helping to decorate while Toy Chica was on the ladder and Toy Bonnie passed the decorations to her.

Freddy Fazbear, you goddamn pervert.

His eyes moved on towards Toy Freddy, who was busy with a small red present that had a yellow ribbon around it. By the look on his face, it was smug and evil like a prankster would put it on their face. Toy Freddy was one of them. Just then, Goldie was walking around and got stopped by the toy prankster. By their short conversation, Goldie was in awe and smiled at the present Toy Freddy made that he made it fly in the air. Oh, how Toy Freddy couldn't wait to get Goldie but I wouldn't do that... Goldie is so cute for showing a confused expression with his head tilted to the side! In the background, Marionette came from the left hallway that led to the office of Mike Smidt, the current nightguard since Y/N decided to stop but she promised to visit like she always did! Marionette wore a Santa hat and carried a present.

Freddy decided to walk around, his eyes secretly connecting with Y/N's, who smiled and waved at him. This caused the bear to blush and wave back. In the background, Foxy and Mangle came out from the right hallway, with Christmas presents in their hands. They had sad expressions since Mike closed the door on them, probably mistaken them as they tried to get him... But they only wanted to give you presents, idiot! The bear stopped in his tracks when he noticed the official couple, Bonnie and Chica. God, you can see clearly that they were flirting and showing PDA!

Marionette flew up to Y/N, who was helping the toys to decorate and the tree is getting good! "Hello, Y/N. Merry Christmas."

Y/N smiled. "Merry Christmas, Marionette."

Just then, both of them heard screams coming from the bathroom. Both Puppet and Y/N snapped their heads towards the sounds. What was happening? Did something happen? They kinda got their answer when Chica and Bonnie came out from the bathroom, angry expressions on their faces. Freddy came out as last. Y/N took a good look and saw a clipboard that Freddy held. Had he just shown new rules about love? Oh no...

Her mind went out that she didn't notice the toys making a short conversation until Toy Chica screamed in panic as she lost control of her balance on the ladder that she held into the tree for dear life. Y/N held her laugh in as Toy Chica landed on top of Toy Bonnie. She walked towards the tree and pushed it up.

"So-Sorry," Toy Bonnie remarked in embarrassment as his crush was on top of him. Aaaaaw...

"Sorry too... I didn't mean to..."

By then Freddy walked over and he rolled his eyes when he saw their position. "Ooh, so new lovebirds, huh?"

"What!? We didn't mean to!'

But Freddy wasn't amused nor impressed. He laid his paw on his forehead. "Take your privacy, lovebirds." He then walked off.

Bonnie and Chica were very mad now. Why did Freddy give them privacy and they didn't? They wanted alone time and to be lovely towards each other! Yet, Freddy made dumb rules towards the couples such as Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, and Mangle. That needs to be changed!

Y/N giggled as she helped the toys up. "You alright, lovebirds?"

Both toys nodded as they felt still embarrassed for what happened. Y/N looked at Bonnie Chica, who were whispering about discussing a plan to get revenge on Freddy for making dumb rules and for taking their privacy away. She walked up to them, causing the couple to immediately stop and look up at her. "I can help you. I'll make sure to make him speechless." She had a grin on her face. She bent closer to them and explained the whole plan. The couple liked it a lot.

So, the plan was simple. Y/N disappeared to get dressed in a Christmas dress she brought with her. Not a sexy one, but still that it made her look very beautiful to catch Freddy's attention. She can't come out yet... Meanwhile, Chica brought a pizza box towards the parts/service room or simply backstage. That's where the parts of the animatronics were kept if one of them broke like Mangle for example. She became a victim of the kids who broke her. The animatronics managed to fix her up completely. Freddy can get easily hungry from working as a boss so if he smelled the pizza, then he'll go for it and Bonnie and Chica can finally knock him out and make him dress up like a Christmas tree. Amazing, right?

It really did happen! Freddy got hungry when he smelled the pizza! The plan was working! Y/N peaked from the hallway as Freddy entered backstage and the doors closed.

Sorry, Freddy... Y/N thought as she heard the screams and then beating.

Later~

Once Freddy was tight up, Bonnie and Chica felt satisfied when they got their revenge. The bear was waking up slowly. Once he opened his blue eyes, he noticed that he's tied up. He had a Santa hat on and he's decorated with Christmas lights. He's cute when he uses his ears moved. He let out a growl since he knew that Bonnie and Chica were behind this. He stopped growling when he heard: "Merry Christmas, Freddy." Some of the animatronics hugged him. This shocked the bear but he hugged them back. How? By closing his eyes, enjoying the moment, and snuggled one of them with his cheek. Aaaw...

"Merry Christmas, Fazbear."

Everyone broke out and turned towards the voice. They had their eyes wide open and Freddy had a shocked expression that he's blushing like crazy. It was Y/N in her the most beautiful Christmas dress that Freddy has ever seen. It may not look sexy but *whistles* she's looking hot! She smiled as she walked up on the stage. Everyone made space for her towards Freddy with smiles on their faces. Bonnie had his arm wrapped around Chica while watching them. Freddy's heart beats faster as she stood right in front of him. He wants to kiss her and he'll get his wish. But little did they know that Bonnie and Chica kept a bonus plan all along...

Y/N giggled as she couldn't help how cute and funny the bear looked like a new Christmas tree since Toy Bonnie accidentally scared poor Toy Chica out by sneezing. It was kinda funny how you would scare somebody by sneezing. How about a burp (A/N: funny fact is that I scared my mother once by letting out a loud burp while her back was turned XD)? Freddy looked embarrassed and shy by her giggles.

"You look adorable and funny right now, Freddy."

Freddy wanted badly to say a compliment to her, how beautiful she looked. But he couldn't since his mouth was also shut since he's tied up. Y/N reached her hands out to pull the rope down from his mouth. Once that was out of the way, Freddy didn't hesitate. "You look hot in that Christmas dress, beautiful."

Some animatronics looked surprised by his remark. Did Freddy Fazbear just call Y/N hot? Yes, he did. He wasn't lying at all. Y/N blushed by his comment and she smiled lovingly. Just then, something appeared above their heads between them. Both of them looked up to see a mistletoe! The plant was connected with a fishing rod and once you follow it, Bonnie and Chica were holding it with smug looks on their faces. Freddy was too shy and embarrassed to say something. Mistletoes were used to make people kiss. It was a popular tool to make new couples who secretly loved each other like Toy Bonnie and Toy Chica. But now it was time to make Freddy and Y/N a couple! Y/n rolled her eyes with a smile and grabbed Freddy by the ropes, pulling him closer as he looked speechless into her eyes. Wait, is she going to-

"Break the rules about love, Freddy. Because there will be more." She then finally kissed the bear. He may not be human, but you can still kiss him! Freddy closed his eyes and kisses her back, enjoying her soft pumpy lips on his mouth. Or muzzle? When the kiss ended, Y/N snuggled into him and Freddy could only nuzzle her back and even purr! It made Y/N giggle as it tickled her. "Merry Christmas, Fred-Cat."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Y/N. Thank you for the wonderful kiss as a present."

Bonus~

Goldie got pretty excited as he started to unwrap the present he got from Toy Freddy. Poor Goldie didn't know what was coming... He had an excited look on his face but that all changed when the present blew up into his face! He let his (famous) scream of shock and he was black... Completely black. His white pupils were glowing. Once Goldie quickly recovered, he realized something. He got pranked by Toy Freddy, who was laughing his ass off. He walked towards who knows where. Did I also forget to mention that Balloon Boy or BB was also covered in black by the explosion?

Y/N looked shocked while being in Freddy's arms. She felt sorry for Goldie but also for Toy Freddy because...

Goldie was so mad that he stood up and flew right towards him with an angry scream! Toy Freddy was so scared and shocked that he screamed as well. You heard crashes first, then voices.

"Come on, Goldie! It was just a joke!"

"It's not funny like this! Look how I look now! I'm now dirty!"

"I'm sorry, ok?!"

"Do not do it again, ok? If you do it again, it's not gonna be a good day for you... okay?!"

"Okay, okay! I promise!"

Let's just say that ever since that day, Toy Freddy never pranked Goldie ever again... He didn't want his ass to be kicked by another bear who would be freaking mad!

Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal!

[sunnybunny2468]

answering a entire ask game for one oc because i can (but its probably only gonna be miley)

(use the link for a key!!)

🌈 orange and grey, mainly neon orange and darker shades of grey (not black, more of a #48494a than a #acadb0 if that makes sense)

👁️ from how i see it? a moody teen who's only like that to counter his best friend. and while that's semi-true, he is meant to be a bit more than that.

💝 eeeeh....he just puts on a grey hoodie and calls it a day 99% of the time. he's always cold.

⚠️ 'incredibly paranoid and easily provoked, interact with caution.'

🌨️ outside with his camera, taking photos of anything that catches his eye, and probably napping in a few places while he's at it.

💙 somewhat messy, a few posters and a desk + spinny chair, closet, and a messy as hell bed

👖 i mean. hes in hs.

☕ he likes soda, cherry to be specific, but also can do with energy drinks sometimes. not often. he would refuse to ever sleep if he had them more.

🧁 8/31/2007, with his friend group. his parents try to leave something for him (one works day shift leaves a gift, one who works night shift gets a cake) but he spends the day with the rest of the quartet. Bri especially makes sure she wears something miku related (since him and miku share a birthday)

🧠 fight. easily fight. though he moreso.....either makes the other person try to hit him so he can dodge and blame it on them, or lets them tire themselves out.

💭 ooooh boy. inferiority complex, anger issues, paranoia, yeah hes doing great. a lot of shame, since he doesnt really feel like he's a good or worthy person.

💔 absolutely hard. he can come around to it after a WHILE, but forgiving himself is off the table.

❗ keeping his friends from other people bullying them, taking photos of important things, and just staying alive.

⚔️ he tries to stay out of it, unless it's someone he cares about or a unfair fight. then he steps in and ends it by either surprising the other person or scaring them off.

🌍 eeeh. he doesnt give a shit. he's not dying, is he? and he's a bad person, right? why worry about a way to redemption when you know you're already damned?

🌊 ...he really wants to take care of animals. cats, specifically. sadly, animals don't like him much, so he doesn't think it's possible.

✨ taking photos of his friends and keeping them physically. it's something to remind there are people who spend time on him and want him around. helps his self-loathing.

🧶 photography. he loves photography.

🍪 rain, somewhat flowers, and fire/smoke.

☔ he loves it. in his words, 'it keeps everyone else inside, so it's just me and my umbrella.'

🌲 his friends houses, but also a abandoned gazebo he found in the woods while taking photos. he goes there when he feels like being 100% sure he's alone.

⚡ no, not really.

🗡️ his camera, maybe?

💛 awkward as FUCK. he'll push lavender instead, he knows he's bad at it.

🧡 eeeeh. if you're trusted, absolutely.

👁️‍🗨️ don't. just dont. he HATES it.

🐺 he's alright with it. not for too long, but for a bit, sure.

🔅 cursing. LOTS of swearing.

🌱 (doing it from from ic dialogue) "Eh?- Early memory?- ...I guess meeting Bri is early enough. She approached me, pulled me up from my seat, and dragged me out to go play with her! ....I was looking for an excuse to talk to her, don't worry. Sometimes I wonder what would've happened to me if we never met...."

🐰 eeeeeh. depends on the person.

🍁 autumn. he likes it being cool but not too warm.

🌕 he'd be a standard orange fox. he loves them.

🦷 ......probably not. i hope.

🐉 dragon.

🐸 a lot of sarcasm, snide remarks and teasing.

🚷 he's blonde and has blue eyes (i have brown hair and hazel eyes)

📓 'I’ll take all your pain, so you’ll escape and leave someday' 'I’ll bear the weight for your sake', 'Your compromise is my invitation to fight', 'But don’t forget with whom you are associated, Which sounds unfair, but fair play is overrated', 'It’s not about the strength, it’s about where you strike', 'I’ve weaponized my helpless spite, Now how about that pride of yours?', 'A matter of morals, of course, Poor little boy can’t solve all his problems with force', 'It’s karma, dude!', 'I’m an undead hero', 'Pressure, pressure! A slick rhymed hooligan', 'Me, the result of blame-shifting, no, can’t find that funny, With just one mistake and I’m out of chances', 'Flames closing in, are both sides losers?', 'Let’s raise umbrellas as we shade the world from rain'

[indecisive-dizzy]

I got a new phone!! I’m so happy cause my old one was a piece of crap :,)

I lost all my fics/au ideas/digital drawings though so I’m in pain :,3

Anyways, have some DearDollops ideas

Birthday episode! Daisey’s birthday edition! Daisey wanting to spend some time alone with Eddie, Eddie brushing them off while trying to plan a surprise party, like that one episode of Phineas And Ferb that had Isabella’s birthday

Cuddles! Tons and tons of cuddles

Eddie being clumsy and falling over so Daisey bandages his scratches and bruises

Job swap! Eddie trying to run Daisey’s little flower shop while Daisey tries to deliver the mail

Sharing pets! Daisey has a pet cat called Hibi and Eddie loves her, shes a little baby :>

Deep talks about sensitive things. They just need to talk and cry about things together sometimes, that’s all

Sleepovers! They love sleepovers, they sleep a lot so they get to cuddle and talk late a lot

Movie nights my beloved <3

They watch scary movies together and Eddie clutches onto Daisey anytime anything remotely scary happens

Eddie and Daisey doing arts and crafts together! Eddie makes a ton of crafts perfectly while Daisey struggles ;v;

Idk what it’s called but when a character is struggling to do something and the other character gently puts their hands over their struggling hands and guides them to the right/proper way- that with Eddie and Daisey. Just with anything honestly, it’s cute

Daisey gardening outside while Eddie delivers the mail and once Eddie delivers something to Daisey, they kiss before he goes back on his route :,)))))))

Matching teddy bears! They dress them up like each other- Daisey gets a mini Eddie and Eddie gets a mini Daisey!

I’m very obsessed with them I love they they’re my pookies <3

Oh sick new phone!! that's great but yeah I get the pain of losing art. I sent pretty much everything to myself before I got this one so I'd still have them hhh

Eddie's working really hard on that surprise party! He's good at planning me thinks, if his memory doesn't actively work against him

flower and heart themed bandages,, that is all

Florist Eddie <3 I just got a serious florist/tattoo artist au flashback. remember that? mann

Emotional! Sleepovers! They do each others nails and cry!

Eddie likes scary things but is still scared lol it's a great excuse to hold onto and cuddle Daisey. not that he needs one

When it comes to crafts it really is Expectation (Eddie's craft) vs Reality (Daisey's craft) He tries to help if they let him. I don't know what the hand thing is called either but Yes.

Daisey's got 2 deliveries! Mail and a kiss <3

Matching teddy bears sobbs that so cutee

[soulsxng]

I don't think I've ever posted much info about Misne, now that I think about it. Other than the fact that he's JJ's son. So! Here's an info dump about the lil' dude.

JJ found him while he was helping Kadios, Koza, and Sirci out with some things in the Aifaen Plains of Brinnela. He got back to his little camp site, and found Misne digging through and eating his food. Once he realized he was caught, he posted up like he was going to try to attack, and then...got too scared, and ran off. This continued off an on for a few days, until the point when Mimi was comfortable enough with JJ to sit around and eat with JJ there. Eventually, JJ was able to bring him to Kadios, who took Misne to what is essentially a foster. Mimi didn't like that, and he'd run off to find JJ whenever JJ was in the Plains. Evidently he's a really good tracker. JJ, when found, would hang out with Mimi for a little while, before bringing him back to the foster. ...JJ got attached, Mimi got attached, within a month, JJ had adopted him as his own. That was about a year ago now!

Misne is about 5 years old, but because he never really spoke any non-beast languages, his speech makes him sound a little younger.

He's also pretty small for his age, from having to essentially fend for himself for who knows how long. It's taken some work, but he's finally starting to catch up a little.

Nobody knows for sure what happened to his biological parents, though JJ has since met people that knew them. Apparently, the three disappeared out of nowhere one day-- most people thought that Misne had disappeared with them, though he was just kicking it around the forest by himself.

He's an Aifaen! One of the 'original' 4 species along with the Ahniri, Setana, and Vasyrus. Aifaen are essentially a species made up of animalistic shifters of various types. Lots of mythical beasts, or chimera-like beasts that are more or less a big mix of different animals and such that are around today. Misne in particular has traits of bears, otters, some various big cats (though in very trace amounts), aaaand...

^^^^ This buddy ^^^^ Particularly a paralyzing bite, spiny tail, and two extra sets of arms (though the latter is usually only present in his beast form)

He's a very snuggly little buddy. JJ picks him up, and Mimi immediately plunks his head on his dad's shoulder and is out like a light within minutes. Commonly sleeps on and off over half the day, and then has big, but short-lived bursts of energy when he's up.

Likes to climb things, swim, roll around in the grass, "stalk" little frogs and things that he finds when rolling around in said grass (he doesn't really have much of a hunting instinct beyond that yet, though), and laying around in the sun.

Greets people he doesn't know by doing a lap around them while sniffing them. If they move during this process, he'll get nervous and go hide behind JJ, or whoever else is with him.

Has a very good sense for people. If they have bad vibes, you can bet he's bristling up immediately and growling at them as he backs himself behind whoever he's with.

Refers to himself in the third person (as "Mimi"). Has a hard time with saying names (JJ is "Dayday" or "Dada Dayday" most of the time, for example), but he remembers them really well!

Lots of things given to him still go right in his mouth ^^;;

Gets hurt a lot, but he's pretty durable tbh, so it hardly fazes him.

Doesn't fully understand how to shift yet, which is something that JJ has been getting help from some of his Aifaen friends for. Because of this, sometimes Misne has a hard time shifting on command, and it's more of a random chance thing. Sometimes he gets stuck partway through, and that's painful, which is why JJ jumped on getting help for him really quickly.

Knows around when JJ usually comes home when he's been working. Will grab Jas, or Rouri, or whoever is watching him, and just start pulling them outside, because Mimi knows he's not allowed to go out alone, but he's gotta go find his dad!

[motorboo]

and curating my greatest brainrot, bear steve and bunny bucky, into one post:

supersoldier serum makes stevebucky animal hybrids. bear steve and bunny bucky

bunny hybrid bucky getting annoyed because he’s supposed to be the winter soldier!!! a deadly assassin!!! but sudden noises often scare him, his nose is always twitching and he stomps his feet when he’s angry. everybody just thinks he’s cute

thinking about bunny hybrid bucky adopting alpine but still getting scared by her on a regular basis because he is a bunny and she is a cat

alpine keeps trying to play with him but bucky keeps squeaking and running away making alpine act even more playfully

the idea of bunny bucky came about due to the comedic potential of the winter soldier jumping like he’s in super mario bros

bear steve and bunny bucky go out for dinner. steve devours multiple steaks while bucky nibbles on a salad. they share dessert (honeycomb cheesecake as per steve’s request)

bunny bucky had to wear a mask as the winter soldier because his nose was constantly twitching in battle and it made him look extremely non-threatening

new bunny bucky lore: bunny bucky is an unwilling nymphomaniac due to rabbits fucking… like rabbits. the shield medical team work overtime to find a way to suppress it bc theres only so many times you can walk in on steve and bucky doing the dirty before it gets frustrating

back on my bear steve bunny bucky hybrid supersoldiers au thinking about how if they had kids, steve would probably hear thumping upstairs and go to tell the kids off for jumping on their beds, only to find bucky joining in with them 😭😭

bunny bucky is obsessed with chamomile tea and gets upset when restaurants/coffee shops don’t serve it. bear steve, predictably, is happy with any tea as long as it is served with honey

bear steve bunny bucky au but bucky still gets alpine even though he is slightly scared by her because… he’s a rabbit and she’s a cat. steve often finds alpine chasing bucky around the house

bear steve’s honey addition is becoming a problem on missions in the countryside. multiple times, the team has lost comms with steve, only to track him down, hours later, eating honey by the handful straight from a beehive

the avengers sometimes give bear steve asgardian mead mixed with honey and set him loose in the kitchen. they get to witness an extremely entertaining captain bearmerica mukbang

i love bunny bucky because imagine some tiny dude with huge bunny ears shooting a sniper rifle and swearing like a sailor

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

Asdfghjklmgf Ingo being literal uncanny valley for Laventon is so funny?? Meanwhile it doesn't even ping on Ingo's radar because somewhere in his subconscious he's used to seeing rabbits. Laventon falls back on ingrained politeness, but internally he's just going 'what the fuck what the fuck what the fUCK' every time they meet. The rest of the Galaxy Team eye his strained smile and carefully back away; they don't want to risk Laventon somehow getting the creepy murder eyes too. Again, Ingo does not really notice any of this as he stares blankly into space. There's something Wrong With That Rabbit...

Sneasler's just like, "Fuckin'. Bye, I guess." And then does her best to jog after him. Good thing she probably has a good sense of smell, otherwise she'd just straight up lose him until he finds his way back or she wanders across him just chilling as if nothing had happened. She frets over him for a bit or chides him for running off, but he doesn't like. Get It. He's fine now, so it's nothing to worry about. She stuffs him in the basket just so he can't run off again before she can really make sure he's alright and help get him sort of settled (as much as he's ever settled, that is. She probably has the best luck of soothing some of the panic though, once she's hidden him away in his tent where he feels safest). Which he thinks is overkill, but whatever. She'll let him out if he asks her to, so it's fine. (Everything's always fine, until it very suddenly it's not.)

I bet that's actually like, really worrying to Irida. She's probably the one who sees him most often aside from Melli, so to see him go from mostly normal for a jackrabbit to even more thin and scruffy with wild eyes  and heavy breathing is, uh, very concerning. Sneasler tries to supply her warden with food, but stressed and scared rabbits will sometimes lose their appetites and I assume hares are the same. So even more stressors for his body, and just another reason for any brain fog he might experience. He never stops being functional enough to do his job, but he sometimes toes the line. Being a perpetually stressed out prey animal is hard! Emmet is gonna riot the next time he sees him. 

Part of being too thin is often that you have a hard time thermoregulating, so that super would not help any issues he had with it because of his ears, especially when it's a very sudden change. The humidity of both those places would be killer on him too, because going from dry to humid, even if you're from a Hot dry place, is the absolute worst. It feels sticky and like you're living and breathing in soup, it's terrible. Cabala probably has issues with the change now at her age too, but in the opposite direction because she lives predominantly in the Mirelands, and her joints probably haaate the cold.  

Peacocks actually use their tails to intimidate too, that's why the spots look like big eyes, so Melli probably doesn't get confused, but other people sure would. It's a joke in the Diamond Clan that people will see them together and be like, "um? Is this really the time?" all awkwardly and then proceed to think they're dating, which Melli finds hilarious and Adaman does not. He's trying to look like a very serious leader here!

How would a seal anthro work? Like a mermaid?? Though, Iscan is so skittish that I'm kind of leaning towards a small prey animal, like a water shrew or water opossum. Oof though at Palina taking it even harder that her noble was lost at sea, because here she's a very strong swimmer.

Wait okay, who do we have for wardens so far?

Ingo, jackrabbit

Melli, peacock

Lian, marmot

Mai, domestic cat

Cabala, goat

Arezu, ???

Palina, otter

Iscan, ???

Gaeric, polar bear

Sabi, penguin?

And we have Adaman, but not Irida. 

Other prominent characters are:

Protagonist and counterpart, domestic cats

Laventon, domestic rabbit

Cyllene, mountain lion

Kamado, grey wolf

Volo, dove

Am I missing anyone?

arezu i think we said poodle? not sure if that was ever like 100% nailed down though. but i like that, or some other dog breed with a lot of hair for haircut reasons. irida we haven't said, but maybe she could be an arctic fox? but now i'm not sure about mai being a housecat either, since the protagonists are housecats and it feels a little weird to have them both be. what if she's another lizard like adaman? maybe she's a blue-spotted tree monitor. also: cogita as a mourning dove, maybe.

ooh i like water shrew for iscan. and then yeah, palina could have easily swam herself and growlithe to safety, but she wasn't strong enough to pull lord arcanine too, and in refusing to leave him she almost drowned all three of them, before iscan pulled her out.

irida's having such a hard time rip. she cares so much about ingo, he's been such a blessing to the clan, but she just doesn't know how to help him. she doesn't know what he needs, and anything she does just seems to create new problems, and just asking doesn't work because he won't even acknowledge anything's wrong. every time she sees him he looks worse and he doesn't even notice. sneasler sure does, though, and is Not Happy about it.

...would melli notice? and do something about it? i mean he might not care that much about ingo himself (and if he does he probably wouldn't admit it lol) but sneasler's a noble and if ingo's not doing his job well it would probably fall on melli to take over. which he would hate and be furious about, so ingo you BETTER get your act together. shame on you, giving him MORE WORK. at the very least sneasler probably knows that in worst-case scenario she can drag him over to moonview for actual Help. (since it's not like she can bring him to calaba without him getting fucking heatstroke)

emmet's probably got some stress problems too, back in unova (+ his hare instincts are also dealing with the sudden failure of the Buddy System), but it's definitely waaay better than what ingo's dealing with. he's gonna be SO mad, not like, at anyone specifically, but just generally at the universe for letting this happen.

[codyzhong]

7/12/2024

this month july marks the passing my favourite boy bosco, i can't really get myself before to accept the fact that he is gone. i always said to myself he's just in vacation somewhere else. these days have been harder and harder to think like that. the longer it's been the more sad i get, he's never coming back. yeah sure the right thing to do is accept his death and move on, maybe get a new pet, get a cat perhaps, switch it up. no one will ever be bosco, he will always be bosco, my bosco. my honey 蜜糖 bao bao. bunzo man, the goodest sweetest boy. so many things at home remind me of you everyday. we still come home and greet you even though you're not here anymore. i wish i could snuggle with you for one more nap, one more roll over and play dead for some nice boiled chicken breast. one more time to play with you, bug you one more fucking time until you get pissed off at me, but still let me love you. i miss you so so so so much, uncle will always love you.

with what's going on with my health right now, getting depressed is so fucking easy, breaking down just thinking of you, looking at old photos. i wish we took my photos. everything kind of sucks right now, yeah there's good in my life too. i'm happy i have my family supporting me right now, i want to show me appreciation when i get better. i hope everyone that i'm dodging now will understand, i do know they understand but i can't do anything right now. everyday i think about when i will get better, when i can go back to work. i have too much stress, how can i not think about anything? i can't just let everything go. i care about things maybe i shouldn't care about, but i still do. i worry too much.

she sees it too, she asks me why i look scared or frightened sometimes. maybe i am scared, i feel like i don't wanna fuck anything up. everything is going well, except for me.

i know that will change, time will change everything

time will heal

it will always heal with time, but how long?

that's up to me, i need a stronger mind set, it's not the end of the world, but these times have probably been the roughest time of my life.

these past five months have been fucking dreadful, i wish this upon no one. never.

there is good in my life too right now,

family, friends, my bear.

thank you guys for making life bearable

i'll do my best in return the favour in the future

i need to somehow find interest in things again, video games don't do justice, youtube is fucking boring, can't even pay attention to a fucking 25 min anime. fucking brain rotting. i need to start listening to music again, everything feels much better after. i need to get myself to get up in the morning. do something, anything but to destroy my skin farther from healing.

the only good side is i lost thirty five fucking pounds, unfucking believable. keep it going cody

it's been a long ass time since i've had alcohol and some nice fried chicken. i can live without it though, it's going fine.

no cheating, no cheat meals, no good food that makes you feel bad afterwards. keep it going, you can be stronger

tell yourself, remind yourself be happy, be the person you dream to be.

love yourself, love everyone.

ok bye

[bouwrites]

Those Warm and Halcyon Days: Chapter 80

A Necessary Discussion

Ao3.

First, Previous, Next.

Story under read-more.

It happens, as these things are wont to do, just as Veery settles down to nap. Seteth comes around the corner into the courtyard and calls to him, pulling him from where he lays splayed out on the grass.

Veery opens an eye to look at the one interrupting him, but Seteth is obstinately unapologetic. “Veery,” he says. “I thought I might find you here. Are you busy?”

“I was going to take a nap,” Veery says. “I guess I’m about to be doing something else, aren’t I?”

Seteth doesn’t even smile. Boring. “I’m afraid so,” he says instead. “While I understand that you may not personally care about her fate, now that the other outstanding issues have been resolved, I must ask you to lend your expertise to help Rhea recover.”

Oh. Right, Rhea is still down from being tortured by the Agarthans for five years and then taking a couple javelins of light to the ribs. In all the business of getting the refugees to Beyul and coming all the way back to Garreg Mach before their final invasion of Adrestia, Veery honestly forgets about Rhea.

“Please,” Seteth says with a similar desperation as when he asks for help with finding Flayn five years ago. “I know you do not care for her, but Rhea is… she is family, and I cannot bear to lose her.”

Veery sighs. “You don’t need to beg. I’ll go. Not sure there’s much I can do that Flayn can’t, though.”

“You underestimate yourself,” Seteth says. “Do not forget that you have ascended to godhood. The same level as the goddess herself. You are capable of more than you think.”

That’s probably true. It’s not like Veery thinks he’s capable of most of his “miraculous” feats before he does them, after all. He may know the theory, even know that he should be able to do it, but believing it? That’s another matter entirely.

It’s hard to reconcile the power he has with the scared little cat hermit he still thinks of himself as.

Veery doesn’t respond to Seteth, only dusts himself off and sets out towards Rhea’s room.

The way is clear. He doesn’t stop at the door. With only a small knock to announce his presence, he slips inside quietly without waiting to be called on. (He’s a little surprised that Catherine, standing guard at the door, allows it, but she actually sags a little when she sees him, as if him being there is a relief somehow.)

“Oh! Veery, you are here! Please, come in. I was hoping we could get your opinion soon,” Flayn says, quickly dragging him to Rhea’s bed side.

Rhea looks terrible. She’s ghostly pale, nearly translucent, so that the veins under her paper-thin skin are unmistakable. Sporting dark bags under her eyes, her long hair is neatly brushed, but still left wild against the stark clean bed underneath her. And, strangely, she’s in only a thin, flowy dressing gown, which is only weird because Veery has this image of her in his head that’s all proper and fancy.

He’s only really met her three or four times, and only really talked to her twice or so, so he freely admits he doesn’t know her personally at all. Still, seeing someone he’s accustomed to having so much power be so dressed down is odd.

Though, it probably shouldn’t be considering he regularly bathes and naps together with Claude. Even Byleth, sometimes. He’s in casual situations with people of great power all the time, it’s just… those are his friends. Rhea isn’t.

But she doesn’t have much power anymore, either, does she?

Both Flayn and Rhea remain quiet, allowing Veery to get straight to work examining Rhea. Though Veery still doesn’t like her, he’s happy to realize that Rhea is a remarkably good patient. Whether it’s because she’s a dragon or because she’s a healer herself, Veery can’t say, but it’s nice to have a patient to listens unquestionably and doesn’t get embarrassed about getting clothes out of the way.

Her injuries, though… these five years haven’t been kind to her. Between the malnutrition and wasting of her musculature, Veery is surprised she manages to shift at all back at Shambhala, and that’s not even starting on the still-inflamed, irritated and raw skin on her arms where ugly pricks betray what Veery imagines were needles to draw blood.

And then, of course, the wound on her side. Even Veery winces at the sight of it, and he’s no queasy novice at this.

“If you weren’t a dragon,” he says, “you’d be dead right now.”

It’s unsettling, seeing her like this. Veery has seen many great threats lain low by now, but even seeing Emile like this, the closest analogue Veery currently has to his feelings towards Rhea, doesn’t fill his stomach with foreboding like she does.

It’s just a feeling, one Veery can’t even identify the source of. It’s completely unquantifiable, but… something about this leaves Veery with something nagging at him. He wants to look deeper, examine more closely, but he’s just not sure what he’s looking for, or what baseline he should use to determine if something is wrong at all.

Still, he is confident about this. Were she not a dragon, Rhea would be dead. Dragons are sturdy creatures, so Rhea might recover, but dragons also have a natural biological process they go through to recover from great ordeals and injuries like this.

“Several times over, I imagine,” Rhea agrees drily.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” Dragons should go into a healing sleep with injuries like this. The best way for a body to heal is through its own natural processes. Veery doesn’t know enough about dragons or their healing sleep to predict the consequences of not doing so, but he assumes it is involuntary, so he doesn’t think he needs to consider those kinds of consequences.

“That is what I said!” Flayn groans. “But the dragon’s healing sleep is not a quick process. There is no way to guess just how long she might sleep, and she refuses to do so while things in Fódlan are still unstable.”

“If I sleep, it could be a thousand years before I wake. You know this well,” Rhea says evenly. “I cannot disappear like that. I am still needed here.”

Is she serious? “No,” Veery says in the same voice he uses to order unruly patients around, “you’re not.”

“Excuse me?”

“You haven’t been needed in the last five years of war, and you won’t be needed when we end this,” Veery says. “If you just tell the people that you’re going into seclusion for your convalescence, no one will be bothered if you don’t come back.”

Rhea flinches back as if stricken. Flayn shouts out in indignation, “Veery!”

“What?” he asks. “No one but the church loyalists ever bother thinking about her, anymore. Between Shambhala and now, I literally forgot she was even here. She doesn’t matter. And that’s a good thing. Because it means you can let your body heal the way it’s supposed to.”

Flayn slouches into a deep sigh. “You must remember that most do not think the way you do,” she says gently. “I understand that you would prefer to do so, must most people take great offense at being told they do not matter.”

Oh. Right. Veery would rather mean nothing, but he does forget that saying someone else doesn’t so bluntly is kind of rude. Still, it’s Rhea. He’s not going to worry about the bruised feelings of someone who murders commonfolk unnecessarily. Veery rolls his eyes. “That might matter if I cared. I was asked to help make sure Rhea doesn’t die, not lie to her because the truth offends her. She’s irrelevant. She’s not necessary here. If she goes to sleep, Fódlan will be fine. Or at least no worse than if she stays awake. But if she insists on refusing to rest, we don’t know that she’ll recover.”

Flayn bites her lip, eyes darting to the floor as she looks for all the world like she wants to argue with him, but ultimately, she doesn’t. Because he’s right, and there’s nothing to argue with save perhaps his tone.

“Flayn,” Rhea says kindly, “would you please go fetch us some tea? I think it’s about time that Veery and I… talk.”

Veery can’t imagine what they might possibly have to talk about except for Rhea’s convalescence, but as he’s the one with power here he doesn’t see any reason to refuse. Aside from just not liking her, but he’s going to use the time to examine her more thoroughly anyway, so he’ll have to put up with her regardless.

Flayn looks between them uncertainly for a moment, then scurries out the door.

Rhea turns her gentle frown on him. “Veery… I must admit, when I gave you a place here at Garreg Mach all those years ago, I never imagined that fate would bring us here.”

“I don’t believe in fate,” Veery says, almost reflexively. He means it but doesn’t quite mean to say it. Still, when his own words catch up to him, he doubles down. “We brought ourselves here. One way or another.”

Rhea stares, her eyes cold, all the threat Veery knows her to be. Someone who does not care who she must trample, who must die, who must suffer, so long as she reaches her goal.

(Veery is getting closer and closer to being no better, and that thought makes him tremble fiercely.)

“Perhaps,” Rhea says, acquiescing. “Though, one of us rather more… actively.”

Veery’s eyes narrow to slits at her tone. The implication it carries. “I have little patience for passive-aggression. Say what you mean.”

Rhea huffs humorlessly and hisses through gritted teeth. “You’ve stolen everything from me. Everything I have dedicated my life to building… this land, the church… even mother.”

The pure, unadulterated hatred in her eyes is almost funny to Veery. It reminds him of five years ago, when he comes to Garreg Mach to the glares of the knights and Rhea’s kindly façade. (Or, perhaps, back then, she really does want to welcome one who is, on the surface, so similar to her, considering all he knows now.) Now he has the worship of the people and her loathing.

But he is not afraid of her anymore. Her loathing has no power over him. It’s actually almost nice to be reviled over revered again. It’s nostalgic.

“Your mother,” Veery says coldly, “is dead. The patchwork memories within her Crest Stone have denounced you. And you blame me for that?”

“It all started with you.”

“It all started with you,” Veery says. “With your obsessions and your mistakes. Even after what Sothis said to you and all this time to think on it, you still refuse to take any responsibility?” Veery shakes his head in disbelief. “You are even more like Edelgard than I thought.”

Rhea hisses. “You dare-”

“I told Edelgard to her face that she’s just like you. And she’s a lot more frightening than you are. Of course, I dare. Don’t forget, Seiros,” Veery growls, “who’s stronger here.”

Veery is glad that he needn’t threaten more than that yet finds himself deeply satisfied by the flash of fear in Rhea’s eyes, looking up at him over her like a trapped hare.

“I have not forgotten,” Rhea growls darkly.

Veery sighs, shaking his head, letting go suddenly of the tension and aggression despite his outraged heart. He wants to retaliate for what she thinks of him. He wants to punish her. And it is those thoughts that make him realize he needs to step back, and that he might be letting her anger push him a little far. “You truly believe that I planned all this from the start?” he mutters in disbelief.

He supposes he should be flattered, that she thinks him so capable as to be able to conjure and enact such a plan, despite the truth being so much less impressive.

“You said it yourself, didn’t you?” Rhea says. “We brought ourselves here.”

“We walk our paths,” Veery answers. “We do not control what we find upon those paths. For the longest time, I have been certain of only one thing, and that is that I will not ever truly understand humans. I can’t. The thought that I could manipulate people to such an extent…” He actually laughs, thinking about it. “You’re crazier than Dimitri.”

“Not from the start, perhaps,” Rhea admits. “I do believe that, in the beginning, you were simply looking for understanding. But do not think I do not know what your mentors get up to. Claude and his schemes, Hilda manipulating everyone to do her work for her, Sylvain lies with every breath, and Lorenz taught you how important people think. And that girl… Even Mother’s natural magnetism… you have the means to learn, and quickly, and I am ashamed I did not suspect such action on your part, since you have always been honest, at least, about your motivations.”

It takes Veery a moment to wrap his head around all that. To be fair, what she says about the others isn’t wrong. Claude schemes, Hilda manipulates, and Byleth does have… something about her that draws people in, but Veery is pretty sure that’s just that she’s nice. Generally, anyway. Or maybe it’s her sincerity. Veery’s friends seem to appreciate that about him, even when he’s not being particularly nice.

But Sylvain? Veery doesn’t know Sylvain to lie. Does she mean how he’s always fawning over girls but really hates them? Because Veery never thought he was actually hiding that. Veery may not be the best at picking up on the nuances, especially at the beginning, but he always just assumes, given how exaggerated he is about it, that he’s not actually serious.

At least, after the others tell him not to take Sylvain as a standard, anyway. Before that, for all he knew, all humans might approach romance that way.

If that’s what Rhea’s talking about, Veery doesn’t think he’d consider that lying. Not when he’s so obvious about his insincerity. And even if he were more subtle, Veery can’t believe it’s insidious. After all, it’s not like Sylvain ever gets money or sex out of the girls. He pays for dates almost exclusively, being noble and all, and to Veery’s knowledge he’s never actually bedded anyone, though Mercedes does insist that number is somewhere around two.

Sylvain has certainly never asked Veery for anything explicit. Only for his company. Then again, Veery is male, and Sylvain does treat men differently. Even the ones he flirts with.

Veery shakes his head. Rhea’s opinion of Sylvain probably isn’t worth the energy thinking about. So, he elects to ignore it and address the bigger issue. “My motivations?” Veery asks. “What motivations would a cat hermit have to… what? Pretend to accidentally stumble into divinity? That’s a bit complex of a plan, even for someone with any reason at all to want divinity in the first place.”

Rhea scoffs. “Don’t play the fool. We both know you’re wiser than that. It’s not about isolation. It’s about safety. You claimed so much power that people won’t touch you anymore.”

“And walked into a war, where the enemy explicitly believes there’s no place in the world for gods. Good plan.”

“…You mock me.”

“Well, you’re being an idiot, so, yes, I’m mocking you.”

The door opens suddenly, welcoming Flayn and her tray with cups and a teapot. She glances between Veery and Rhea for a moment, somehow managing to look both nervous and unimpressed as she takes in the scene. She sighs, and looks distinctly uncomfortable saying it, but says nonetheless, “Can I not turn my back on you two for five minutes? Must we be at each other’s throats? I should remind you that you are not each other’s enemies.”

“You don’t tell me who my enemies are,” Veery says petulantly. Flayn’s discomfort vanishes with her crossed arms and tapping foot. Unbidden, Veery’s ears flatten back against his head. “She’s still dangerous, besides.”

“Then perhaps you should not antagonize her.”

A fair point, objectively. But it’s still easier said than done.

Rhea sighs heavily. “You are right, as usual, dear Flayn. I… want so badly for a scapegoat, and I cannot convince myself you have no part in this all, Veery, but you are not my enemy, nor would I want to make one of you.”

This is the only thing thus far that truly throws Veery off. Rhea admitting she’s wrong? Rhea wanting peace?

…Maybe it’s not so surprising. Everyone wants peace when they’re the ones who stand to hurt the most from conflict. When Rhea had power, when she was untouchable, she could kill and torture without recourse. Now that she’s in a position where she can be the victim, suddenly, she aches for peace.

Veery wishes he can blame human nature for that, but the truth is that that selfishness and willingness to abuse to get ahead is a trait of the living, not just of humans. And Rhea is no human besides.

The worst part is that Veery doesn’t even have a problem with it in principle. Of course, those who are in danger wish to not be so. Of course, those with power use it. Even he, who never wishes for power, uses all that he knows he has and pushes that boundary further yet.

All of that is perfectly normal, and Veery will do no different. He will not murder people for disagreeing with him, or execute subdued prisoners, or even slaughter militia if he can help it, but he does exercise his power and that power does lead him to some influence over people. It even leads to a lot of death.

The problem, really, what rakes in his gut and throws his tail lashing, is the dishonesty. It’s the veneer of a kindly holy woman used to commit atrocity. It’s the duplicity, the lie of the untouchable archbishop in stark contrast to the scared little girl Seiros really is when everything else is stripped away from her. It’s not exactly that she acts different with power and without, because that makes sense, too; it’s that she can’t just be honest about her own nature.

Veery is a prideful creature. Most agell he knows are. All he hears of the dragons imply them to be as well. (Naga is distinctly special and remembered as such in part because she was humble.) While he may be willing and able to put his pride to the wayside if necessary, so long as he comes out the other end alive, that doesn’t change the fact that he is prideful.

He cannot fathom having the kind of power Rhea did and lying so thoroughly about his intentions with it. He has that power and possibly more now, and he has never once lied about his purpose with it. Help Claude win the war, figure out how to fix the Crest Stones, then disappear back into the Albinean mountains and, hopefully, irrelevancy to the wider world.

The thing about power is that those with power have the power necessary to show their true selves. That’s why, Veery thinks, sayings like “power corrupts” come about. Those with power want more, because they recognize that having power means being free.

Those in Abyss have little power and cannot even leave their underground home. The commonfolk in this very war have no power and must suffer through armies and bandits razing their land. Veery had no power and could not dare approach the humans openly.

But with power? That’s a different story. Dorothea is a good example of a commoner with power – first she improves her station with her talents in the opera, and she’s now a general making decisions in the war which will shape Fódlan’s future. Even Veery, with his power… what are the Albineans going to do to him if he just waltzes into the next village he sees? Nothing. Because they cannot do anything.

Well, they might die trying, but that’s not the point.

Power, is expression. That’s why it’s so coveted. That’s why, even though people do terrible things with and for it, it is not a bad thing in itself.

But Rhea… she used her power to hide. Even to a hermit, who desires so greatly to hide away, that is just ridiculous.

…Funny. Veery doesn’t fully realize until just now, but his feelings towards Rhea shift at some point. He never likes her, not even for a moment, considering he is introduced to her orders for the indiscriminate murder of militia before ever even hearing about her personally. If he ever has any fondness for her, the whole deal with trying to kill Byleth and replace her with the patchwork fragments of a dead goddess would have destroyed that quickly, anyway. What he did feel towards her was fear. And, in a way, a sort of respect – the kind borne from fear and the acknowledgement of something so powerful.

He doesn’t respect her anymore. He doesn’t fear her, either, though he’s not sure which one, fear or respect, vanishes first. Now, she disgusts him. It’s hard not to show on his face, as he takes tea, how much sitting down with someone like her offends him. The only reason he tries is because Flayn stays to keep an uncharacteristically severe eye on them, and her he does care about offending.

He doesn’t think about Rhea when he’s not forced to, and now that he’s in her presence, all he can offer her is disdain. She’s just… pathetic. No one who understands pride should be able to stand her. Once, she could have called herself a god and Fódlan might even have listened. But now…

She still hasn’t taken a single step. Her stagnation is her death. It’s just embarrassing.

“Every one of us has lost someone we care for,” Felix says to him once. “This is war.” Veery lashes out at him at the time, but Felix was and is right. Veery clutches idly at the amulet hanging from his neck. He remembers the ones he cares about. He remembers Ferdinand, Bernadetta, Caspar. He remembers Ingrid, Dedue, Dimitri… Caub. He does not accept death, only acknowledges it, but he accepts their choices. He accepts that they walk themselves down their own paths. And he moves on. He’s still fighting, still living.

Rhea, no matter the tragedy she’s witnessed, has fallen to a standstill for a thousand years.

She is everything he denounces. She is everything he strives to rid himself of.

How can he not hate her?

“Veery,” Rhea says gently, expression so much softer now that they are not alone. “In many ways, we are kin.”

It’s like she reads his thoughts and chooses exactly what to say to piss him off. “You are no family of mine,” Veery growls. “Family is more than blood, and our blood is so far removed I’d hardly call us that, anyway.”

“Veery…” Flayn sighs.

“What?” he asks. “Are Claude and Petra blood because they are both human? And we are even more removed than they. Just because there are fewer of us does not mean we are kin.”

He growls under his breath, stewing in the implication that he has anything to do with Rhea, until Flayn knocks him out of his brooding with a sharp gasp.

Veery blinks, looking to Flayn clutching her hand to her chest, and only then notes the shaky wisps of breath visible from all three of them.

When does it get so cold? And indoors, too?

“Veery!” Flayn shouts. She drops her hand, allowing Veery a glimpse of frost-encrusted, off-color fingers. She notices his gaze and, with a quick burst of magic, repairs most of it right then. “Control yourself! You are freezing the room!”

“I’m…?” There’s nothing else it can be, so it must be true. But he’s not…

“Your power is far greater than any mortal,” Rhea says, strangely calm considering even Veery’s dull panic of the moment. “Did you truly think it no different than ordinary magic, controlled the same way?”

Okay, yes, in hindsight it is pretty stupid to assume something like this won’t come up with his increasing power, but that doesn’t make this any better. He’s not using magic. So, why is the room still getting colder? Veery thinks it’s still getting colder.

“A certain level of this is to be expected,” Rhea says softly, sadly, turning her eyes down to the bed. “If… you truly are a god, your power will affect the world according to your will regardless of active casting. I… admit I did not…” She shakes her head, choking quietly on her words. “Even new to it, with your emotions uncontrolled… you shouldn’t… it’s started, hasn’t it? Already?”

Her eyes meet his, strangely pleading, and Veery does not need to ask what she means. “I’m not a dragon,” Veery says simply. “It makes sense that it’d start sooner.”

“I do not remember you to be prone to anger. I assumed it was the war that changed you, not…”

“The Degradation,” Veery says dully. “Yeah. It’s been in its early stages for months now. I’m… angry all the time, now. I never used to be angry. It’s getting worse.”

“I-”

“We can worry about this,” Flayn snaps, “after we are no longer in danger of frostbite!”

Ah. Right. It is still getting colder. Veery only hazily notices it at all, but Flayn is shivering violently now, and Rhea is also curling in on herself, hugging herself for warmth, clutching at her too-thin sheets.

It’s his power. The onus is on him, he guesses. But he doesn’t know how he’s doing this in the first place, so how is he supposed to shut it off?

Well, if it’s his magic, that’s the first place to examine. Veery takes a deep, frigid breath and closes his eyes, slipping easily into that half-meditation he learns so long ago when trying, initially, to first summon magic.

All mages’ first hurdle in their magical journey is that, learning to push out the magic within their bodies. Overcoming that challenge is perhaps the single greatest wall to becoming a skilled mage. Has Veery really grown so powerful that he must now learn to keep his magic in?

Stupidly, and obviously, the answer is yes.

He looks into himself, at the magic flowing through him, and it’s true that he’s not pushing out any magic. No, instead, magic is just… releasing from him. Rolling off of him at a steady stream. It’s more subtle than the usual flexing, but unmistakable in the air now that he’s looking for it.

Thankfully, he doesn’t think it’s dangerous to him. His own magical reserves are appearing relatively unchanged. Overfilled, if anything, like when Sothis’ magic burns through him, far more powerful than his body is able to handle, except this is his power and does not hurt him, which is probably contributing to the spillover. So, at least he isn’t just leaking power and in danger of uncontrollably running dry.

That doesn’t help the people around him who’ve been newly introduced to winter, though. Is it starting to snow? Inside? That can’t be good.

He hasn’t a clue why this is happening or how, though Rhea’s words make him suspect it’s tied to his emotions somehow. Responding to his will, even if not his conscious will. But why make it cold? Is it just the nature of his power?

He whimpers softly, realizing with too much certainty, as if it’s whispered into his ear unbidden, that his magic manifests itself so well and so often as cold without him meaning for it to (the storm in Brigid, more recently the thundersnow over Shambhala, most of his larger displays of magic are unintentionally wintry) because to him, the cold is home.

It’s not the nature of his magic to lean cold, it’s responding to his desires for safety by simulating his home.

Why does he know that? Why now? It’s a theory which makes sense, yes, but not one Veery thinks he’d just come up with without longer and deeper thought, and not one he should feel so certain about. Veery doesn’t do certainty. He maintains his path through doubt and his own painful brand of faith. This knowledge, so sudden and clear, feels… foreign.

“Veery!”

He’s just made it even colder, hasn’t he? Strange that he can’t feel it. It’s still just a pleasant chill to him. Like summer. When he goes back to Albinea, will he be able to weather the winter like this? That would be… interesting. Food will still be short, and the snow will make navigation difficult regardless, but if he doesn’t need to fear freezing to death, he does have many more options than normal.

Flayn and Rhea, though, do not have that cold immunity and Veery would really prefer they don’t die.

Well, Flayn, but she doesn’t make any move to leave despite the cold and Rhea’s death would… complicate things with Flayn and Seteth if no one else. Especially if he actively causes it. Or passively causes it.

He has a feeling that this room isn’t the only part of the monastery beginning to freeze over, anyway.

Okay, deep breaths. It’s cold because the magic coming from him is responding to his will, one way or another. So, all he needs to do is exert his will over it in a different way. Cutting off the magic is… beyond what he knows how to do right now, but he can alter the nature of the magic easily enough. It’s tied to his will after all.

Veery hesitates a moment, thinking of something adjacent enough to feasibly pull of quickly, since he doubts thinking of warmth will work very well, and yelps in shock when the door bursts open.

“Veery?” Sylvain’s voice cuts through. “It’s snowing! Are you okay?”

Veery looks over to Sylvain, already hovering by his side, and Catherine, who follows Sylvain inside. He spares enough thought to be shocked that Catherine doesn’t come in a lot sooner, before refocusing on fixing this freezing spill-over. “Shush,” he snaps. “Let me think.”

Obediently, neither Sylvain nor Catherine say a word. Catherine joins Flayn and Rhea in shivering, but Sylvain just watches him carefully, tense, ready to… do something if something needs to be done.

If that’s killing him, defending him, or something else entirely, and whether or not even Sylvain knows which it is, Veery has no idea, but he doesn’t have the time to spare it the thought at the moment.

The cold is about home. Familiarity. At its root, then, is safety. Which makes sense, for Veery. He does have an injured patient at the moment, so he thinks about Brigid and the magic there, how it demands life, almost forcing what lives there to thrive. That’s a god’s power, the remnants of it, according to Celica. And magic can heal, if used right, so… why not?

The heart of it is the same. Health and safety. And there’s no reason why magic shouldn’t be able to make a general “be better” area, though it shouldn’t be like active healing. So that’s what he focuses on. Life. Living and growing and encouraging it. And despite not feeling any difference, he soon gets that same feeling of certainty that he doesn’t understand and simply knows that he’s managed something.

So, he opens his eyes and looks up to the others, silently asking.

“Better,” Sylvain confirms. “Are you…?”

“I’m fine,” Veery says. “Like Rhea’s a threat to me like this, anyway. No, she just made me mad.”

Catherine curls her lip, but it’s more of disbelief than fury. “All that just because you got mad?”

“This kind of power is new to him,” Flayn says, “and new to us all. I’m a little surprised we haven’t had a similar incident before this.”

“Right,” Sylvain says, “I get that, but, seriously, Veery, you’re okay, right?” He finally touches Veery, who realizes that the reason for his uncharacteristic hesitance to do so before is likely the risk of touching him actually giving Sylvain frostbite, and looks him deep in the eyes.

“I’m fine, Sylvain. I barely even felt the cold.” But looking into Sylvain’s eyes, he knows with a sinking heart that that isn’t what Sylvain is asking over. Veery sighs. His eyes fall to the floor. “…No. I know what you mean, and no. I’m still… okay, I think. This right now really was just me letting my temper get the better of me. But… it’s getting worse.”

Rhea’s eyes widen. “You told Sylvain about it?”

Veery glares. “Of course, I did. I like Sylvain. I trust him. Two things I can’t say about you.” Sylvain’s grip on his shoulder tightens, drawing his eye to Sylvain’s reddening cheeks.

“How much worse?” Catherine asks.

“Catherine knows?” Rhea groans. “You can’t tell me you like her, too. You two can’t stand each other!”

Catherine shrugs. “We had a drink and talked it out. Or… didn’t, really, but we had a drink and that worked well enough.”

“We said what we needed to,” Veery confirms. It’s something he legitimately appreciates about Catherine. She does apologize, but it’s brief and more of an acknowledgement than anything else, and then she changes her behavior. That’s exactly what Veery means when he says he hates apologies. He’d much prefer if everyone who realizes they do something wrong just fix their behavior and move on, like Catherine does with him. “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t come running in here sooner.”

Catherine snorts. “Look, I’ll never agree with you, but I’m past thinking you’re at all malicious. I know you wouldn’t hurt Lady Rhea on purpose, so I figured I’d be better off guarding the door.” Really? After finding out about the Degradation, she’s that willing to trust him? Catherine glares weakly at Sylvain. “For all that worked out.”

Sylvain glares back, with just as little heat behind it. “There’s no one who could make snow over the monastery at this time of year but Veery. You really thought we wouldn’t come check on him?”

“Him,” Catherine mutters, “and no mention at all of Lady Rhea.” She sighs, shaking her head. Are they really so bad that she’s resigned to this now?

“Speaking of,” Veery says, “you said that like the snow is outside, too? There’s no way Claude missed that. Where are the others?”

“Last I heard, Claude is in Abyss, so he’ll probably rush up here as soon as he comes out of his hole, or someone goes down to tell him what happened. The others…” he shrugs, “weren’t fast enough.”

Veery narrows his eyes.

Sylvain squirms. “And aren’t Faerghan. Look, it was cold, okay? And the closer we got to this room, the colder it was.”

“He means,” Catherine says, “he basically just shoved them aside to get to you, and the others know you’re close and let him go ahead so they wouldn’t have to deal with freezing to death.”

That’s… fair enough, honestly. And kind of cute. It’s flattering that Sylvain cares. Veery chuckles, seeing Sylvain’s still-red cheeks, and rocks up on his toes to kiss one. “Thanks. I’m glad you came.”

Sylvain’s eyes are warm, full of fondness. If he’s surprised at all, he does an admirable job of hiding it. “How could I ever do anything else?” he murmurs. Gently, he passes his trembling fingers through Veery’s hair and presses his lips to Veery’s forehead. “You’re okay,” Sylvain whispers, not loud enough for anyone but Veery to hear it. Veery isn’t even sure he’s supposed to hear. “We’ll figure out the rest.”

Veery… might have scared Sylvian more than he thinks. His chest hurts with the thought, so he grabs Sylvain’s hand hoping that something about the gesture is comforting to him.

Sylvain’s words, unintentionally heard or not, are a comfort to Veery. He’s okay. They’ll figure out the rest. All he needs to be in the moment it okay. They can work on anything more.

“Veery?” Catherine says, “You didn’t answer. How much worse?”

Sylvain’s grip on his hand tightens. Veery sighs. “I don’t know,” he admits. “Not bad enough that you or the soldiers are in any danger, yet, but… I guess it’s like… there are lines being drawn, and they’re getting deeper.”

“And on either side of the line?”

Veery shakes his head. “Allies and enemies.”

Catherine hums. “It’s war. That doesn’t sound so concerning.”

“You don’t understand,” Sylvain says grimly. “For any of us, maybe it isn’t concerning, but Veery doesn’t do that. He’s never thought like that. For him, it was always more… acceptable risks and threats. Allies and enemies is…”

“Too fixed,” Rhea says. “Much too permanent. Remembering all that I know of you, Veery, lines like that always seemed ridiculous to you.”

“They still do,” Veery says. “Consciously, I know how stupid it is to put up borders like that. Especially since our goal is to tear them down. But I can’t control feeling so easily.”

Sylvain shifts to hold Veery closer, draping over him from behind like Hoarvug likes to do. Veery allows it, continuing as if he isn’t there, as he usually does. He thinks Sylvain needs the contact – needs to see that the contact is still allowed. That Veery is still in control and has not gone so far that he’s unwilling to accept a human so close to him. (That he has not rejected Sylvain the way that Dimitri always rebuffed attempts to help him. That Sylvain can still do something, even if he doesn’t know what, because Veery will still accept what he offers.)

(Veery means what he says to Sylvain, before. He does help. He brings levity, something soft and good and happy, through the degrading anger. He makes it feel a little more like those warm and halcyon days at the academy, when things were simpler and there was no reason to think things would come to war.)

“Veery, I…” Rhea stutters to a stop, then says simply, “I am sorry. You should never have had to fear this.”

Veery rolls his eyes. “What, not going to say it’s my own fault? The goddess’ punishment for claiming what shouldn’t belong to me?”

Rhea’s gaze slowly falls. “…No. Mother… The goddess would never inflict that on anyone. She was strict, but she would never be so cruel.”

She doesn’t admit that it’s not Veery’s own fault, he notes. To be fair, it sort of is. If he hadn’t claimed that power as his own and just left that spark dormant, he likely wouldn’t be facing this now. Not that he could have predicted this when he made the decision to chase that power, but not seeing the consequences of his actions doesn’t excuse him from facing them, nor absolve him of his part in bringing them about.

But Rhea at least takes enough pity on him to no longer be hostile. So that’s something. For all their sakes, Veery thinks he should do the same for her. He’ll never like her, but she’s beaten down enough, was just tortured for five years. She’s lost everything. He should at least try not to antagonize her.

He quietly checks to ensure that the slowly dissipating cold hasn’t hurt Rhea at all as the first step to that. Then, once he’s finished here… he’s going to slip away to be alone for a while. This whole thing has given him a lot to think about.

[survey--s]

554.

Are you talking to anyone on an IM service right now? If so who? Nope, not at the moment, though my mum messaged me a while ago.

Can you think of five people who you would take a bullet for? No.

Would you love to go on holiday tomorrow? Ooh, that would be nice. Instead I have 12 dogs to walk including an evening walk with Benji so I’m going to be absolutely exhausted -_-

If so where would you go? My aunt is in Bali at the moment and the photos she’s put on Facebook look AMAZING so I’m going to go with there lol.

Do you drink hot drinks often? Yeah, I have at least one cup of hot coffee a day. More in winter, but in summer I tend to go with iced drinks.

What’s one of your teddies/old teddies names? My teddy is called Bear.

When was the last time you took painkillers? I can’t remember, a week or two ago when I had an awful migraine.

Have you ever been scared of the dark? Not that I can remember.

Would you ever dye your hair an abnormal color? Yeah, I have done loads of times. 

How do you know the last person you sent a text message to? We’re married.

Do you have a fringe? If not would you like one? No. I’ve had a fringe before which I liked but it needed a lot of work as my hair is naturally curly and it just got in the way.

Do you have a lot of money in the bank? We’re comfortable, yeah.

Do you have a favorite mug? What does it have on it? It’s white with multi-coloured polka dots on it.

What shape was your last birthday cake? Round.

Name something that starts with the letter M Magic.

Give me a lyrics containing that word Every little thing she does is magic...

Do you have plans for tomorrow? If so, what? Yeah, work. I have walks from 8.30am-2pm and then a break for a few hours - so I’ll come home to shower and eat and relax a bit, then it’s back out to walk Benji and feed him his dinner.

If you had to have braces what color would you have? Clear ones.

Do you watch a lot of reality TV? I wouldn’t say I watch a lot of it, but I do quite like a few programmes.

Who did you sit next to the last time you went to the cinema? My mum.

What was the last newspaper you read? Uh, some online one. I don’t remember which.

Have you ever owned any pets that could belong on a farm? Sure, you could have both dogs and cats on a farm.

Do you have one or more trees in your garden? Nope.

Do you own any checkered shirts? I have one, yeah.

Could you still keep typing if there wasn’t a light on? Yeah, I can touch-type. Looking at the keyboard or thinking too much seems to confuse my brain and I make loads of mistakes.

How many rooms are there downstairs in the building you are currently in? Three.

What was the last mode of public transport you rode on? Uhh, probably the train? I think.

How many beds have you had? I have no idea, maybe eight?

Would you ever cut all your hair off to raise money for charity? No.

Do you say “bless you” when someone sneezes? Yeah, it’s just an automatic reflex.

Even if you don’t know who it is? I mean, I wouldn’t say it to a stranger.

Do you watch music videos on YouTube? Sometimes.

Do you eat the slice of lemons you get in drinks? Sometimes.