#the start of the tiny face blobs is still there though

[tarudce22]

Carved some pumpkins.

The second one was suppose to be a Chirithy but I messed that up. At lest my first one of Mimikyu turned out basically perfect.

The fourth one is my brothers. Was not what he was going to make but turns out he had to pick the thickest pumpkin ever so a sad face it is. It was thick as the knife's blade he was using to carve it.

I should have taken a better picture of it but it its like 4 inches thick the whole way around that pumpkin, no wonder it was so heavy compared to the two others i picked out that are just slightly smaller then his

[savanir]

The What Corps?

“we have you now spook! there is nowhere you can run and hide with our new spectral tethers active!”

Danny winces at the small metal clips that have hooked themselves in his leg, some new GIW tech that is messing with his powers.

“oh yeah? I was just dying for you guys to give me a challenge” plan. plan. He's gotta think of a plan to get out of here and fast. He takes a steadying breath and starts to look for anything that can help him.

he can’t get caught here. He just can't. He simply won’t allow himself.

suddenly the two GIW goons in front of him click their earpieces to clearly listen to what someone else is telling them, Danny is very glad for his own enhanced senses.

“Operatives K and O, be advised, there have been sightings of a new ectoplasmic entity near your location. Other operatives report that it’s incredibly small and moves fast. watch your backs, this may be an ambush”

small and fast? it better not be some poor little blob ghost, Danny sort of hopes it’s some manner of ectowasp, at least that could be entertaining to see.

“you better not be hoping for back up, ecto scum”

“I have no idea what you are talking about”

It's then that a small bright green light zips on scene and weaves through crowds in the distance with ease and then speeds up towards the two operatives who do not hesitate to shoot, missing completely like the storm troopers they are.

Whatever it is, it is indeed going very fast but Danny manages to figure out what it looks like and it appears to be a… ring?

“hold it you tiny accessory shaped ecto fiend!”

The ring does a speedy circle around Operative O while K is lining up a shot and ends up blasting the poor guy point blank in his face, “O!”

Danny takes a step forward with an arm outstretched and a “oh damn! Are you alright?” on his lips when the ring takes the chance to slip on his finger. “Daniel Fenton of Earth”

Danny already had a freakout about a ghost jewelry getting on him, his experiences with those so far have been incredibly bad after all, what with the rings and crowns and pendants… now this damn thing is just straight up outing him! 

Thank the ancients the two GIW stooges are too busy with each other right now to pay close attention to what this weird ring is saying.

“You have the ability to overcome great fear” ah so this is related to him steeling himself just now? Maybe? or something??

You have been chosen” never good, we are back to freaking out again.

“Welcome to the green lantern corps” 

… the what?

Danny notices that his usual outfit suddenly has more green going on, and his DP symbol has some sort of… he guess it’s supposed to be a lantern, maybe? shape around it.

He’s somehow even more glowy now, and there is something on his face. Feeling its shape makes him think it’s some sort of mask.

The metal clip things are no longer attached to his legs though so that’s great!

“You’re not getting away so easily ecto scum! sentient ghost paraphernalia coming to your rescue or no!” They both aim their weapons to take a shot.

Danny figures he can now easily hold them back with his usual shields,“you guys realize you just called this weird ring sentient and thereby negate the whole nonsentie-ack!”

“Attacking a corps lantern is punishable offense as of the instatement of the galactic diplomatic immunity as declared by the-” Okay so now Danny is just raising his eyebrow at this weird as fuck ring. Just what is it going on about?

“notifying nearby lanterns and requesting assistance with apprehension of hostiles”

what?

“getting your friends to help you out vile spook? such a thing is useless with the Blackout still very much in place”

Well… the two streaks of green light in the distance is making Danny doubt that statement.

Maybe there is more to this Lantern corps thing than he thought… And something tells him his life is about to get even more complicated than it already is.

[happyhauntt]

a grey day — spencer reid.

writing masterlist | askbox

─── summary: spencer meets the newest member of the department.

─── pairing: spencer reid x autistic!medical examiner!reader.

─── warnings: fluff, reader is autistic & a mom, spencer's iq gets slashed to sixty when he talks to pretty girls and it's my favourite thing. no use of y/n. reader is performing an autopsy so mentions of blood but nothing too graphic.

─── word count: 1.3k.

     YOU KNOW IT'S A GREY DAY before you even manage to open your eyes.

     And really, you’re expecting it  ━  this whole week has been filled with pale pink and lime green with solid, unwavering turquoise blobs in the middle, because you started your new job on Monday and the apprehension, the excited, the nausea, they've all been stirring up inside you for days now.

     Waking up to a grey day doesn't hit you as hard as it usually would.

     Still, you feel sluggish when you drag yourself out of bed ten full minutes after your alarm has gone off. The shower is a no-go this morning  ━  if you’re honest with yourself, the shower is a no-go most mornings, when your skin feels soft and sensitive and your brain can't cope with the idea of a barrage of hot water raining down on you  ━  so you slap on some deodorant and spray some dry shampoo in your hair, tugging it up into a rough ponytail.

     You take your time with your makeup, though; strawberry lipgloss and lots of concealer, a heaping of eyeliner and your favourite gold hoop earrings are exactly what you need to feel better. When you step out into the hallway wearing your comfiest black jeans and a jumper that's probably smart enough to pass the dress code, hearing your daughter giggling in the kitchen, the grey day lightens a little.

     It gets even better when your sister-in-law presses a travel mug of iced coffee into your hands.

     "Jackie, I fucking adore you," you say around a mouthful of delicious, soul-quenching caffeinated goodness. You’d half-expected Jackie to have something planned. Four years of living together means that Jackie tends to know about your off days before you do.

     The other woman suppresses a smile, coupled with a sharp look. "There's a three-year-old right there!"

     You snort, waving your hand nonchalantly. As if you don't have this conversation every single day. "Nellie knows not to repeat what I say." You turn to your daughter, your heart swelling three sizes as the little girl at the kitchen table looks up from her drawing. "Nell, baby, what am I always telling you?"

     "Don't go home with strangers."

     "Well, yeah, but I meant the other thing."

     The little girl brightens, revealing a missing front tooth. "If Aunt Jackie won't say it, then I shouldn't say it."

      You giggle, scurrying over to drop a kiss on your daughter's forehead. "Exactly right, my little love."

     When you turn back toward the kitchen counter, your sister-in-law's face is painted with an affronted look, her mouth half-open. "I can say bad words!"

      You wrinkle your nose. "I'll believe that when I see it."

     By the time you leave the house, sliding into your car with a second cup of iced coffee in hand, the day has lightened to a pale blue. You hope it will stay that way.

     "YOU LOOK SO TIRED, DUDE."

     Well, alright, he'll admit it wasn't the first thing he was expecting to hear when he entered the coroner's office. It's been a while since he ventured down to the morgue, sure, but Dr. Peterson has never talked to him like that before, and he's fairly certain not that much has changed in the three-or-so weeks it's been.

     And Spencer's observant. He prides himself on being able to notice things, tiny details other people seem to miss, things that are so obvious to him that he can't comprehend how normal people can't see them.

     So if anyone asks, he'll never admit that it took a full twelve seconds before he realised that the girl in the white lab coat, elbow-deep in an open chest cavity, is definitely not Dr. Peterson.

     "Uh..."

     It's the most intelligent response he can muster in the moment.

     "It's okay," you add, hardly bothering to look up from the corpse. "I'm tired too. And you're not the worst-looking guy in the room." You jerk your head at the dead guy on the table. "Although I'd say that's a pretty low bar, all things considered."

     "Where's Dr. Peterson?"

     "He retired. Or got a promotion, I think? Not totally sure." You shrug, raising an eyebrow at him. "I thought I'd met most of the department already, but I don't recognise you.” You tell him your name, squinting at him through your plastic glasses.”I’m the new... coroner, medical examiner, pathologist, dancing monkey? They didn't totally specify the position when they offered it, which I think says more about me than anything else."

     Spencer blinks. He's not totally sure he's ever met anyone who could talk nearly as fast as him before. "Dr. Spencer Reid, Behavioral Analysis Unit. Nice to meet you."

     "Oh, cool!" The liver in your hands gives a wet squelch as you drop it into a metal dish. "I'm under the BAU! I answer to your Section Chief, um, Agent Strauss? She's a little harsh, huh? I'd, uh, shake your hand, but..." You hold both hands up, mimicking a surrender, showing off the blue medical gloves slick with blood.

     An inkling of a smile creeps onto Spencer's face. "I don't shake hands."

     "That's fair," you say with a shrug. "Can I help you, Dr. Reid, or did you get lost looking for the cafeteria?"

     “No, actually.” He remembers the files he was supposed to show you and reaches into his satchel. The intensity of your gaze is like lasers on his skin and he can’t help but fumble, almost sending a stack of documents scattering across the floor.

     When he looks back up at you, cheeks flushed rosy, your stare hasn’t wavered even slightly. Amusement lingers in your eyes.

     He clears his throat and holds out the files as if they are a peace offering. He doesn’t quite understand whether a battle has been fought, but he definitely feels like he lost one. “Hotch— uh, Agent Hotchner sent the Howard County ME’s report on the Richardson case. He wanted you to look it over and sign off before they file it for the District Attorney.”

     You nod at him. The corner of your mouth quirks a little at his stuttering. You’re not sure you’ve ever been so immediately endeared to somebody before, but there he is, blinking at you like a deer caught in headlights. It’s so adorable.

     “Sure, I can do that,” you say. “Just pop it on the desk over there and I’ll get on with it when I’m done here. Can’t get any bodily fluids on the paperwork, y’know? That’d be a nightmare.”

     The volume of your laugh startles him, and he jerks slightly. The sound of it is loud and warm and it should really freak him out, considering you’re wrist-deep in a cadaver and cackling like a maniac, but it doesn’t. It’s actually kind of sweet.

     “If that’s all, Dr, Reid, I’d like to finish rooting through this guy’s insides so I can sew him back up.” Your words are an obvious dismissal, but he doesn’t feel offended, not with the kind smile still adorning your features.

     He nods and backs away. His feet feel a little numb. “Sure thing. I’ll, uh, catch you later. Have fun!”

     “I’m sure I will.”

     You sound like you’re about to laugh again. Have fun, really? He knows he’s fairly inept when it comes to women, but have fun? He scurries out of the morgue and back into the land of the living, and as Spencer boards the elevator all he can think is that he’s so glad Derek wasn’t there to witness that.

     He’s certain he’d never live it down.

     Meanwhile you resume your autopsy with an odd, fuzzy feeling in your chest. You start to hum beneath your breath, a song that must have played on the radio while you were driving to work.

     Your grey day feels a little pink at the edges.

[rainbowpopeworld]

My first ever work in progress post😊

Image key (left to right and top to bottom): 1. final(ish?) face drawing 2. reference photo, zoomed in 3. through 5. different phases with the earlier further down 6. an apple that I first tried this technique on 7. full reference photo

So! I decided to experiment with a new technique for drawing on procreate. Basically, I am just drawing little blobs of color for each tiny color difference and then smudging them together where they meet. Kind of like paint by numbers but no guidelines other than the still photo itself.

That means for all of these, except for the most recent one that looks the most finished, I was still effectively tracing. For the final one, I was looking at the photo and then adjusting the shading myself without a guideline. It’s obviously a lot more time intensive then just tracing the outlines of things 😂���� but now I have proof of concept for myself. I initially started trying this with an apple but then my ADHD got a bit bored so I switched to Aziraphale.

I am learning a lot about color and shading! I do not know if I’m gonna have the patience to try this technique with the wings though 😂 When I’m done, I will post the finished product and the time lapse video of what I did. It’s gonna be really long though because this has a lot of individual strokes. Maybe I’ll be able to figure out how to shorten it or only show part of it. 



[cassatelle]

9 months into their breakup, 118 is called to help an emergency labor. buck is getting so suspicious because why are they driving to tommy's neighborhood. wait, no, why are they stopped in front of tommy's house?! who would be possibly pregnant in tommy's house?!

they're trying to stay professional, quickly jump out of the truck and barging into the house. turns out tommy's neighbor was the one called 911, she was so scared when she heard tommy's groan. and tommy, now belly so big buck barely recognizes, lying down on his couch catching his breath. buck starts to count the months inside his head.

though still super confused, buck insists that he will be present. he tells bobby, his kid or not, he wants to be there with tommy.

buck ends up staying next to tommy, holding his hand and whispering encouragements into tommy's ear throughout the delivery. he kisses tommy's temple once the baby's here, crying with him, crying with them.

"she's a loud crier like her dads, huh?" chim says before he hands her to him. buck doesn't catch the vague reference of him in chim's sentence, everything aside of the baby in his arms is blur right now.

and, oh, buck feels like he's staring in the looking glass—she has a curly blonde hair, round bullet nose, two small blobs of red on top of her left eyes, and when she opens her eyes, they are the clearest and brightest blue he ever seen.

and then she reaches his face with her tiny little hands. and buck cries again.

[bitchinbarzal]

What’s Valentine’s | B Faber

summary: eden has started asking questions about love, about her mom, and brock can’t hide it from her anymore.

-

“Daddy, what’s Valentine’s?”

Brock looks up from where he’s tying Eden’s shoelaces, his fingers pausing over the soft white laces of her sneakers. She stares at him with wide eyes, her little head tilted in curiosity, a heart-shaped sticker stuck to her cheek from school.

“It’s a day about love” he says gently, smoothing his hand over the knot in her shoe before glancing up at her again “People celebrate the people they care about”

Eden frowns “Like you and me?”

He smiles, heart aching in the way it always does when she looks at him like that—like he’s her whole world, even when his own feels like it’s been in pieces for a long time.

“Yeah, like you and me”

She seems to accept that answer, hopping off the bench by the door and grabbing her coat. But before she reaches for the zipper, she stops, small hands curling into the fabric.

“Did you and Mommy do Valentine’s?”

Brock swallows around the tightness in his throat. He should’ve known this question was coming. Eden’s five now, old enough to see how other kids at school have two parents, old enough to notice what’s missing. She never knew a world with Y/N in it, not really. But Brock did. And every February, every red and pink display in store windows, every heart-shaped candy on shelves—it reminds him.

“Yeah” he says, voice quieter this time “We did”

Eden climbs onto the couch, sitting cross-legged and waiting for him to say more. Her patience reminds him so much of Y/N that it physically hurts sometimes. She was always so good at that—waiting him out, giving him the space to get the words right.

“What did you do?” she asks, picking at the hem of her sweater.

Brock exhales slowly, settling beside her “Well” he starts “Mommy loved Valentine’s Day. She thought it was silly, but she loved it anyway. Every year, she’d get me a card, even though she knew I’d probably forget to get one for her” He smiles at the memory, the teasing way Y/N used to shake her head at him before pulling a card from behind her back.

Eden giggles “You forgot?”

He nods “Almost every time. But I always made it up to her”

“How?”

“I’d surprise her with something. One time, I made her breakfast in bed—pancakes shaped like hearts”

She gasps, delighted “Did she like them?”

Brock laughs softly “She loved them. Even the ones that looked more like blobs than hearts”

Eden leans against him, resting her head against his arm “What else?”

Brock closes his eyes for a second, letting the memories settle over him like a warm, aching blanket “One year, i wrote her a letter”

Eden lifts her head “Like a love letter?”

He nods, his throat tight “Yeah, like a love letter. I told her how much she meant to me. How I never really believed in all that Valentine’s stuff before her, but she made me want to. She made me want a lot of things”

Eden is quiet for a long time before she whispers “Do you miss her?”

There it is—the question that breaks him every time.

“Yeah, baby. I miss her every day”

She reaches for his hand, her tiny fingers wrapping around his “I wish I knew her”

Brock squeezes her hand “I wish you did too. But you know what?”

“What?”

“She’s still here”

Eden’s brow furrows “Where?”

“In you” he says, tapping her nose lightly “You have her kindness. Her patience. The way you wrinkle your nose when you’re thinking really hard”

She giggles, rubbing her nose like she can wipe away the evidence.

“You love as big as she did” Brock continues “And that’s the most important thing of all”

Eden is quiet again, and when she finally speaks, it’s so soft he almost misses it “Does love always hurt?”

His heart clenches. He wishes he could tell her no, that love is all soft edges and warm places. But she’s already learned, in her own way, that love can be loss too.

He exhales, running a hand over his face “Love is the best thing in the world, Eden. But when you love someone, really love them, it means you might have to feel hurt too. Because to open your heart to love is to open it to pain”

Eden looks up at him, eyes big and solemn “Is it worth it?”

Brock doesn’t hesitate “Always”

She nods, considering his words like the thoughtful little girl she is. Then she scoots closer, pressing her face into his side.

“I love you, Daddy”

Brock wraps his arms around her, holding her close as he presses a kiss to her hair.

“I love you too, baby. Always”

[biggothbelly]

You know, I've watched you spiral out of control for years at this point. I remember first finding you back in 2016. None of us really knew it then because you were so much smaller in comparison to the mass of lard you are now, but you were already too far gone to go back. Year after year, I watched you shovel endless amounts of calories down your throat, blowing your poor belly up so many times with a disgusting amount of food on such a regular and consistent basis, that there was no question that you were gonna get huge. However, I don't think anyone knew just how far you'd take it. I mean, look at you. Every ounce of your body is covered in fat. That tiny gut was forced to blow up into the massive, turgid, hanging food balloon we see it as today. You've forever ruined your skin and put so many deep, long, eye-catching stretch marks on your fucking gut. You've grown into nothing but a walking garbage disposal, and I'm sure you could easily outeat several grown men and still be begging for more food. The most shocking part is the fact that even though you're so close to 300 lbs, your greedy ass still wants to keep going. What's it gonna take to stop you? 300? 400? 500? What number could possibly scare you at this point? 600? 700? 800? I mean, if you're gonna go that far, you might as well just make a spectacle of yourself and go for an even 1000 lbs of pure blubber and lard. You'd be more relatable to a whale than a human at that point, especially with how much grease and junk it would take just to make you feel not hungry. No, not full, definitely not stuffed to the gills, but just enough so you can go without eating for more than 20 minutes. Let's just face it, you're fucked. You were fucked the moment you willingly decided to stuff your face for the first time because you wanted to see how good it would feel. Now look at you. You're an ever-growing blob that's just can't help themselves. You're never gonna try to lose the weight because you love being a fat slob so fucking much. You love how good it feels to eat and eat and eat until your stomach is begging you to stop and the weight of your poor, overfilled gut is pinning you down, so you couldn't even get up to get more food if you tried. I'd love to see you try to prove me wrong, but we all know you wouldn't last a day trying to lose weight.

This is the most inspiring ask I’ve ever received hehe tbh reading this made me hungryyyyy idk what I’ve done to myself tbh 😅 if went from something fun and every now and then to having to constantly feed my belly bc I’m always hungry and always so lazy I barely want to get up. I’ve given myself quiteeee the food addiction at this point all I ever do is think about eating and growing this belly. The idea of ever having to lost weight scared me bc I know I couldn’t handle it and I don’t think my belly would let me 😳😵‍💫 it’s hard lifting this gut around daily it’s so heavy my back and knees hurt all the time and a new thing I noticed is that my hips are starting to hurt when I walk. Now walking is getting harder and harder 🐖 I always feel like I have to sit my fat ass down. Who knows maybe one day I’ll be on my 600 pound life 🥴🫠 I have a seriousssss problem it seems hehe and you guys keep enabling me hehehe

[covenofwives]

Relaxing with the Gods: Blob Dolls

DreamXD wants to show of his wonderful creation and gifts to GeorgeHD and Sapnap4K. Blob dolls crafted to look like them. He's just forgot to tell them that when the dolls are tickled, so are they.

Surprise fic, sorry. I spent two days saying to myself 'I wish I could write this' before realising I could. Also another into the Relaxing with the Gods series.

It's a short one but I hope you enjoy~

---

“There’s no way you made these! These are amazing!”

“I didn’t know you liked to craft things. They’re adorable, XD.”

DreamXD sat in GeorgeHD’s space in the Godly Realm, his chest puffed out and a proud smile over his lips as the two older Gods, GeorgeHD and Sapnap4K were looking over his creations and praising him.

It had taken a while for XD to make a blob doll of the two Gods. It was the first time he’d taken so long to craft a doll. He wanted it perfect to show off for his friends and it seemed he had made it so.

4K held the doll in his hand, keeping it carefully between his fingers. XD had made the God’s dolls slightly bigger than the ones he made for Dream or George, but they still looked tiny in 4K’s hands. 4K’s blob had two horns on the top of his head and a tail behind it. The Nether God was admiring the tail of the doll and grinning wildly.

HD’s doll was harder to design but XD thought he made it work, and from HD’s smile and coos it seemed he had. The two dot eyes on the doll were different colours, a yellow and a slightly off-white to match HD’s own. While the body was still all white, a few catches of the light would make the doll shimmer, similar to HD’s skin and his starry hair.

“I can’t believe you never told us you made dolls as a hobby.” HD commented. He was turning the doll in his hand, watching it shimmer and smiling as it did.

“Well… I don’t know about a hobby.” XD shrugged. “I do it on and off really.”

“You should make more! Look at these little guys.” 4K cooed. His finger was lifting the tail of the doll. “You even got my little fluffy tail end.”

“They’re very soft too.” HD added. While he held the doll in one hand, his other felt over the material of the doll. “What did you make them-”

HD’s words ended suddenly, like they caught in his throat with a gasp, and one of XD’s eyes focused over on him.

The doll was still held in HD’s hand, their other hand poised by the doll’s side. The God made slight twitch, as though something unexpected brushed along his side. XD had to bite his lip to hold back his smile. “What happened, HD?” He controlled his voice enough to ask.

“N-Nothing…” HD replied slowly. Their voice held just a little bit of a tell. A small breathy laugh under their words.

XD couldn’t hold back their smile. It worked.

“What’s wrong with you?” 4K raised his eyebrow, but while his focus was on HD, his finger was absent-mindedly making curls with the tail of his doll. He’d gotten to the end of the tail, attached to the doll, and his claw just caught onto the doll and swiped down the tail.

4K definitely felt it. XD could see the shiver travel up his spine, and his black tail whipped out behind him like it was trying to flick something away. He seemed to pause, unsure what had just happened but then his eyes widened.

“Did you get tickled?!” He asked HD excitedly.

“NO!” The older God snapped back. “It wasn’t…” He stopped mid-sentence and turned to XD, who just couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “XD. How did you-?”

HD’s words were cut off as he was tackled to the ground. For a big guy, 4K moved surprisingly fast. He was on top of HD in seconds and wrestling the doll out of the older God’s hands.

“NO!” HD screeched. “Get off me! STOP!”

In all of HD’s fairness he was doing well to keep it from 4K’s grasp, but all it took was one well placed jab right in HD’s outstretched ribs and the arm that held the doll fell easily into 4K’s hands.

As quick as 4K jumped him, he just as quickly jumped back, holding the doll in triumph for just a moment before he started tickling into the dolls side.

If XD had any doubt the dolls were working, now it was confirmed. HD switched from near lunging to 4K to crumbling on the ground, curling up and pleading through his sudden laughter.

“OHOHOHOHO GOHOHOHODS! F-F-FuhuhuHUHUHUCK! F-Fohohour KAAAAAHAHAY! S-S...STOHOHOHOP!”

“No way! It tickles you! XD actually made a doll that tickles people! No chance!” 4K almost bounced with his words. His tail wagged furiously as his claws skittered around the doll’s body, and he squealed with delight seeing HD react. The starry haired God twisted and turned as though the claws were on his own skin. His hands grasped at his sides, his ribs and his stomach but it could not stop the ghost tickles all over him.

HD had no rest from the onslaught of tickles from his poor doll. Finally 4K gave him a break, but only for a second as he stopped tickling the doll’s side and ran his claw over the bottom of it. The laughter became a high screech that fizzled out into little giggles. He curled his legs into himself, his hands trying to desperately cover over his feet for what little help it would do.

“Yohohou...stohohOHOP! Leave-Leave my fehehehehet alohohohone! EEP! G-Gehehet yohohour tahahail AWAY!”

Along with the claws skittering over the bottom of the doll, 4K brought his tail up and it’s fluffy end flicked over the doll’s side. “Do you feel my tail on your ribs? Or your sides?” 4K cooed. “While my nails tick-tick-tickle your feet.”

“S-SohoHOHOhop! Y-YoHoHOhOHOU!”

The tickling along his feet and the soft tickles were not enough keep HD helpless. While still kicking his feet and rubbing along his sides, an ephemeral hand popped up beside 4K. He was far too focused in tickling the doll and couldn’t stop the hand before it jabbed into his side and made a tickly beeline right for his ribs.

“NO!” 4K arched his back and turned and wriggled but the hand kept on it’s journey. It worked the Nether God down onto his side as it make it’s way for the ribs. 4K abandoned the doll to grab at the hand, or at least bat it away. Right as XD hoped.

When 4K jumped for HD’s doll he’d abandoned his own in his excitement, and XD quickly snatched it up and hid it away. Now HD’s doll was in his grasp as well.

The older Gods took a moment of calm, and to take in their situation. With the tickling stopped, HD called off the hand attacking 4K and both looked at each other with the same thought of ‘Who has the dolls?’ before looking over to XD. He now had both dolls in his hand. 4K in his right and HD in his left.

“X...XD…” HD’s voice came out carefully, like he was dealing with a dangerous wild animal.

“Don’t get any ideas…” 4K added.

Out the corner of XD’s vision he could see 4K tense, ready to pounce and he quickly struck first. His hands holding the dolls kneaded into their sides and his other hand tickled over the front of the dolls.

Both Gods were immediately floored.

“EHEX DEHEHEHE!” HD wheezed. He curled up and held onto his sides. “Whihihiy mehehehe agahahain!”

“Yohohohour dehehead, B-Blohohondie!” 4K tittered out between his giggles. He had fought the tickles more than HD had and XD worried he would reach him, but he crawled forward just a bit before falling and succumbing to the laughter. “Whehehen yohou stohohohop...yohohohour dehehead.”

Maybe he was. In fact, he definitely was. XD never doubted 4K’s taste for revenge, but he could fully say this was worth it, seeing the two Gods helplessly laughing and wiggling around to try and stop the ghostly tickles they were powerless to. Yes, this revenge just might kill him, but he’d revel in this moment for as long as he could.

[senseearly]

Pairing: Lithuania/(Nyo) Prussia

Rating: T

Decided to repost it here because I wanted to build more into it and post the more complete version on AO3. Sorry for those who've read it on AO3!! Ill have it back up soon!

Summary:

“Prussia,” Tolys begins. It’s a name that Julchen hasn’t heard in a while, spoken with a tone that she also hasn’t heard for some time. Low, dangerous, at his wit’s end. “If this is some kind of joke, it’s very pathetic, even for you.”

Or Julchen tells Tolys that she is pregnant. The problem is that she, as a(an ex) nation, is not supposed to do that.

Tolys doesn’t say anything. Julchen in response doesn’t say anything back. The rest of the café mills around them, weary customers hunched over their cups of coffee and copies of the Lietuvos Rytas. Some German defense deal is written on the cover in big, bold headlines. The lead photo shows wrinkly old men in different shades of dark blue, then, Ludwig, then Tolys. They’re both all smiles, teeth showing; hands joined together for a handshake, a perfect picture of European solidarity.

Well, not anymore. Julchen thinks when there is red, flaming bruise the size of West’s fist on Tolys’ cheek.

“Prussia,” Tolys begins. It’s a name that Julchen hasn’t heard in a while, spoken in a tone that she hasn’t heard for some time. Low, dangerous, at his wits’ end. “If this is some kind of joke, it’s very pathetic, even for you.”

Julchen is unfazed. “Do you think I’d take the time to go to a World Conference just to joke about this?” Or for West to punch you in the face, though she chooses not to say that bit out loud, “You heard me. I’m pregnant, you’re the father. And this – ” she slips a photo on the table, facing Tolys. It’s dark, blurry, and not much there to look at, but a white blob is stark bright at the center. “ – is the baby.”

Tolys’ aggressive tone turns bleak as he holds the photo with shaking hands. “Y-you’re serious?”

Julchen sighs at him, unimpressed. “Do you need a biology lesson, Laurinaitis? How much should I make this clear?”

“All of it!” Tolys shrieks, drawing curious ears to his voice. His face is as red as his nasty bruise. “How is that possible?! It is not even possible! You’re a nation!”

“An ex-nation.”

“You’re still immortal!”

“Not immortal enough to not get pregnant,”

“You’re not even showing!”

“It’s only been two months, Laurinaitis. Of course it’s not gonna show, he’s tiny,” Julchen says, pointing at the photo. “See? It even says right there, two months.”

Tolys looks like he is about to protest, but then he looks down at the photo, stares, then up towards Julchen. His panic softens considerably. “…'He'?”

Julchen nods, smiling. “Yep. I can feel it’s going to be a boy. A strong son, like Ludwig. I’m thinking of naming him Friedrich.”

“You’re insane,” Tolys says, fear still evident in his eyes. Julchen bursts out in a fit of laughter.

Ludwig has that same reaction when Julchen told him about her condition. That shell-shocked, mouth agape, breath-stopping horror shown by the doctors and nurses and all other medical staff in Berlin who’ve probed and prodded her about her condition. Baby names?! Julchen, we don’t even know what that thing is doing to you!

(Julchen can't help but react in the same, shocked horrified manner when they started giving her 'options': Her legs hunched to her chest, arms wrapped all over her belly, snarling. She knows what it’s doing and knows what it means, so she's not unaware or ill-advised or goddamn suicidal about it all. And yet, and yet – )

Tolys wheezes. He breathes in, breathes out; attempts to console himself. It's working at least. “Fine, okay. You’re pregnant. Shit, you’re pregnant. With my child. In your belly.” When he looks at Julchen, something in his eyes melts. She tries to ignore the way it makes her feel, both vulnerable and comforted at the same time. “...I’m assuming you want me to do something about him?”

Him, not it. “Not really. West told me that I should let you know.”

Tolys looks sad about that. “Oh.”

“And maybe you shouldn’t see him for a while, ‘cause he’s not happy with you.”

“I could’ve known that,” he says, touching the bruise that’s already disappearing from his face. How lucky. “Is that all?”

Julchen nods. “That’s all."

“…Are you sure that you don’t need anything from me at all, anything?”

“Nope.”

Tolys frowns. “What about – ”

“Tolys, I’m not gonna burden you with raising a child.”

Tolys blinks at her. “What.”

“Childrearing is a grueling, tiresome, and frankly, a painful experience all around. It’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s not for those who can’t commit at all. You are that child’s parent forever – or at least, how much forever lasts these days for us. If even this child will be something like us. Anyway, at least I have experience. I’ve raised Ludwig, I’ve done it all on my own,” Except that back then, she was under the watchful eyes of the Kaiser, an army of maids, milk nurses, and palace staff at her beck and call. Now, she has none of that. That’s fine, she’ll manage. She always does. “It’s not fair to force this on someone who doesn’t want anything to do with it.” Or has far more important things to do.

She is proud of what her brother has accomplished for Europe. What Tolys is building his own country. It’s a shame to spoil it all over some dumb, fucking accident that shouldn't have never meant anything. And yet -

Tolys grabs her by the wrist. A familiar fire in his eyes returns. “Do not assume things about me,” he hisses out.

Now, it’s Julchen’s turn to blink. “What – ”

“Why can’t you just ask me? Or do I have to come to you and beg? Is that what you want? While you go around and have a pity party, woe is me?”

“I’m not having a pity party?” Julchen says. “I’m trying to be considerate!”

“Considerate? Ha!” The way Tolys glares at her reminds her of a time centuries ago, Julchen – known as Maria – an outstanding knight of the order. Tolys – then, Tolvydas – a dirty pagan schrat of the Baltic woodlands. When they fight, it’s all about guts and glory, who raises triumphant in the bloodbath of immortals, who limps away like a cowering dog to lick their dirty wounds. Most of the time, Maria wins, two fights out of three. But in the one fight that she doesn’t, when Tolys pins her with her back raised to the sky and his face pressed onto the dirt, there is a thrill that burns inside of her. A kind considered in the day as heretic, blasphemous, sinful, only because he is a pagan, and she a Christian. The likes of him should not love and be loved. And yet –

“You are the most selfish and inconsiderate woman I’ve ever met, who does what she wants an never stops to think about how it might affect others around her, and frankly, I’m done with that,” Then he huffs, reaching for Julchen’s hands in that gentle, but exasperated manner of his reserved only to her. Quick to grab but careful in the positioning of their palms, clasped together almost like in a prayer, a penance.

“Moving forward, I am going to your check-ups,” Tolys starts. “I’d appreciate it if you can do it here in Vilnius, but if you’re going to do it in Berlin, it’s fine, just, let me know ahead of time. I know your brother hates me now, but I’d appreciate it if we can talk it over, not just throw punches, though I understand if he does. Just…not that hard…”

Julchen swallows a lump in her throat. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am,” Tolys says. “Serious enough that you and the child can live with me once he’s born – in Vilnius or Klaipėda, whichever you prefer. I can apply for a Lithuanian citizenship for you, and lend our child my last name.”

“Fat chance. I’m giving birth to this baby, so he’ll use my name.”

An argument attempts to break out from Tolys’ mouth. But then he stops, then frowns. His hold turns gentle. “…What’s wrong?”

Julchen chuckles. Nothing is wrong, she wants to say. Everything is perfectly okay, except that Tolys isn’t supposed to be involved, Ludwig should focus on his own affairs, and the doctors and nurses should just shut up and let her live her choice and every bit of life that she has left.

We don’t know what it’s doing to you, they say. We’re not even sure what it is, if you can carry it to term, or what happens after, if you do. So much is at stake here. Please, think this carefully.

Julchen realizes that her chuckles are coming out as sobs. She wipes her eyes with her sleeves, disguising her voice with a cough, until Tolys cups her cheeks and dabs her face with his handkerchief.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Tolys says even before she can utter something smart about the whole situation. “Just know that I’m here, we’ll get through this, we’ll be alright. I am not leaving you,” He pinches her nose and tells her to blow. “How can I make this very clear?”

Julchen sniffs. “Smartass. Don’t use my words against me.”

Tolys smirks. “It’s because you’re stubborn,” he pulls her hands to kiss her palms. "And I am not letting you name our son Friedrich. It’s a horrible name.”

“I can assure you that it’s an awesome name – ”

“He’ll get bullied. I won’t stand for that.”

“As if I would, either.” Once the baby is born, it’s all downhill from here. She can feel it in the aches of her bones, the thrum of her blood, the slowdown of her heart, beating alongside her son’s soft, porous flesh.

But Julchen won’t let Tolys know that, though. Not right now, not they’re both gazing soft, smiling wide; hands clasped together, a new addition on the horizon. They’re a perfect picture of a happy family, a pair of new parents to unsuspecting observers of this busy café.

Maybe some other time, Julchen thinks, holding Tolys’ face and heart in her hands.

[annakwashere]

Character design - Eve 🛸

Second batch of character design analysis from yours truly, this time featuring brawlers requested by various users. 

I’m not a professional whatsoever but I thought it’d be fun to express my thoughts about the visual design (but not only) of these characters, so take my opinions with a pinch of salt!

Starting off with Eve, as requested by @wheatleylabs010 !

Eve is a tiny alien creature, so small in fact that Bea mistook her for an insect! Can’t really blame her though, Eve does look like one by having a green body with huge bright eyes and small mouth that appears similar to a biting-chewing mouth type bugs often have (like a beetle).  

It doesn’t help that her kiddos are really small and round, much like, again, insect babies. The only things that can be distinguished in those blobs are their peepers and huge arrow-shaped eyebrows

Her modest size is compensated by her ship resembling her face, being big like her disproportionate head, also sharing its thick eyebrows and mouth-thingy. 

The dark warm and cold purples on the ship really bring attention to its fun-sized driver, hidden behind a semi-transparent green glass that brings the values of her already green body closer, as not to take away from the bigger shapes. The warm purple is also the same as seen on her triomates, so it's more clear she's part of the starr force squad.

The contrast in the colours is less evident on Eve alone but not lacking, in fact while both her face and eyes are Green one is much colder and darker; the purple overall resting atop the white suit properly makes for a visually interesting brawler in and out of her vehicle.

Speaking of her ship: while I like all the details in it, such as the photos of her kids, my favourite has to be the air freshener. Even aliens want a nice smell during their trips!

I really like her name choice, since she’s a(n alien) mother in search of a place for her little ones, Eve is a fitting callback to Christian mythology, being the name of the first human woman. The name’s also short and simple so it might also sound like an acronym, External Volatile Entity maybe? 

Man so much for being a "short" analysis. Had a couple words to spend here.

Overall: great colour choice, fitting in the trio and still makes sense withing the context of the park despite being an otherworldly creature, so pretty good! The only thing I'm not too fond of is the back of the ship which is kinda empty. So not the best thing to look at in-game when played, she shines more when seen used by an enemy, but good design nonetheless.

[moosemink]

Workin alone looks different

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ CH1 - The Sneeze ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Pairing: No actual Romance just some mentioned, JayRoy | TimKon | BirdFlash Characters: Batfam | Justice League Word count: 1.527 A/N: 5 + 1 I wrote a while ago that later spiraled into another long fic that I'm still working on rn lol AO3 Masterlist for W.A.L.D.

‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧

Even Superman had to admit that the debrief was more tiring than normal. They had all been excited when they entered the room as they had completed their mission earlier than planned. Everyone had hoped to get home early but no luck. The debrief by some miracle, dragged itself to be seemingly unending.

Hal had long stopped paying attention, instead conjuring up tiny planes with his ring. Barry next to him was watching him, his leg jumping up and down so fast it was just a blur. Green Arrow tried his best to stay awake, his head propped up on his hands, the only thing stopping it from crashing onto the table. The other leaguers were in similar states.

Except for Batman. The man was still listening intently. At least it looked like he was, in actuality they all knew that the Bat was as close to collapsing as they were. He just knew how to not show it.

“If you’ll turn your attention to-“

Superman’s tired rambling was interrupted by a sneeze.

“Bless you-“, the man of steel answered absentmindedly.

“Thank you.”, A voice behind him said.

“…”,

He whipped around quickly to see, well he saw a shadow in the corner behind him. The rest of the league had startled awake around the table. All eyes were now on the a bit too dark shadow blob in the corner.

“Who is there ?”, Wonder Woman questioned. She stood up, her hand on her blade. Ready for action.

“M- meow..?”, The shadow offered nervously.

Batman let a tired sigh escape before he informed the shadow, “There are no cats on the Watchtower.”

“Uhhh. Boo?”, The shadow tried again.

“No ghosts either.”, the Bat said while sighing again. The man ran his hands down his face. He looked done with everything. His usual facade dropped with his hands.

“Identify yourself !” Wonder Woman barked, she seemed irritated by how nonchalant Batman was acting. The master of paranoia. She threw a few confused but mostly angry glances in the dark knight’s direction.

Suddenly the shadow started to chirp. It sang a few notes then it went quiet. The leaguers were thoroughly confused. They traded glances between each other.

A few moments of tense silence passed, then Batman spoke, “Permission granted.”

Hal opened his mouth to say something but he snapped it shut as a small child- well more like a small teen stepped out of the shadow.

He was pale and wore a red t-Shirt that read „Sleep ? Don’t know her.“ and some very comfortable looking black sweatpants. His hair was flat, black and on the longer side, reaching almost to his shoulders. His eyes were covered by a black domino mask, the eyes whited out, reminding the leaguers of a certain someone’s cowl.

“Hi.”, He offered a hesitant wave and sheepishly rubbed his neck. The floor seemed very interesting to the masked teen. “Name is Red Robin. I did not intend to infiltrate your debrief. I thought you’d be away longer ?” The teen turned his gaze onto Batman, clearly pointing the question towards the man.

Batman pressed the balls of his palms onto his eyes for a moment before dropping his hands again. He looked away from Red Robin, whose questioning gaze had turned into a glare that could rival the Batglare™.

“You forgot.”, The teen stated.

“Hng.”, Batman answered and had the decency to look a little flustered. Though the people in the room might be part of the select few who were able to tell through the cowl.

The small vigilante shook his head in mock disappointment. “Life of the middle child I tell you.” He mumbled.

Barry, while filing the middle child comment away for later, decided to break his confusion induced silence, “What are you doing in the Watchtower ? Do you know Batman ? How do you know Batman ?”

The teen gave Barry a mischievous smile.

“Man you tell nobody anything old man.”, He shook his head again and crossed his arms. He turned towards the Speedster and puffed out his chest a little.

“I’m basically the one that created this places whole security. So I’m also the one that updates it. That’s what I was doing before you people came into the room. Hence why I’m here.”

The group turned to look at Batman for confirmation, the one they thought was in charge of the towers security.

Wonder Woman cleared her throat and looked Batman deep into his covered eyes.

“Who is this child Batman ?”

The dark knight looked about ready to run away. He sighed and only let a quiet “hnn.” escape his lips. His shoulders slumped a little with it.

The league, at least the original few, had gotten quite good over the years at reading the Bats body language. It was natural with the many battles they had fought together. Yet they could not figure out the man’s grunts that he used like they were full sentences.

Yet the small teen in front of them could.

“B that is really not enough to answer that question.”

“Hng.”

“No, that is your job. You should’ve already told them.”

“Hhn.”

“That is not an excuse old man and you know it. Do I have to call N ?”

“No…”, the dark knight pouted. He honest to god pouted. Many of the JL’s jaws hit the floor. They didn’t think the broody vigilante was able to pout. Then again he had been a lot more expressive than normal since the teen appeared. The JL looked very confused and at this point it seemed like Green Arrow’s brain had decided to blue screen.

Wonder Woman opened her mouth to yet again prompt her question about who the teen was, when said teen send another very pointed look towards Batman. The man hung his head in defeat. Barry had to admit that he was impressed.

Batman righted himself and cleared his throat. He put on his usual gruff and serious tone,

“Justice League meet Red Robin. He is indeed the one that created the Watchtowers security and the one that regularly updates it.” The teen puffed out his chest in clear pride and then walked over to stand next to Batman. He then promptly elbowed the man while giving the rest of the people in the room a very friendly, press worthy smile.

“He is also my son.”, quiet. Nobody said anything, shock evident on their faces. Sans Martian Manhunter of course.

“Middle child…”, The Flash mumbled, “That implies-“, His eyes went wide.

“Children. Plural.”, Green Lantern finished his thought. All eyes jumped between Batman and Red Robin. Searching for an affirmation. All they got was a “Hnn.” from the Bat.

That grunt they could all understand. It was a confirmation. The lone dark knight of Gotham, Mr. “I work alone”, had at least three children.

The room exploded with questions, the air filled with shock, excitement and a little hint of betrayal. They wished he had told them earlier but they also knew why he didn’t. They had long stopped taking his paranoia to heart, it was just the way he is.

The tirade of questions was interrupted after a few seconds by the teen. “Come on people, one at a time please.”

The JL followed the request unconsciously. He truly was Batman’s son.

“But seriously, I at least expected you to know superman.”, the teen addressed the man of steel. Clark tilted his head like the confused puppy he was. “Man, I’m literally dating your son.”

The poor guy's eyes blew open wide and he looked about ready to pass out at the revelations that suddenly assaulted him.

His son was indeed dating a black haired teen that was about that height and stature. The boy that he had met multiple times since the kid’s childhood due to Clark’s job. A certain Timothy Drake-Wayne.

Son of a certain Bruce Wayne.

Clark’s eyes met Batman’s. The dark knight knew what he had just realized. He gave Clark a curt nod to confirm his thoughts. With that, Superman’s head exploded. At least figuratively. In reality it simply collided with the table.

The rest of the room watched Superman curiously as the poor guy seemed to go through the five stages of grief.

Then they turned to address the Bat again.

But the seat was empty. Well not quite as the teen had taken it. “He got embarrassed.” He simply stated while grinning.

The leaguers all seemed to deflate and sit down. It was quiet as everyone digested the new information or at least tried to do so.

“How- how many siblings do you have Red Robin ?”, Aquaman finally asked after a while.

“Emotionally, biologically or legal ?” The teen asked casually while he pulled out a laptop from under the table and started typing on it, fast enough to make a speedster jealous.

The room went silent. Red Robin seemed to notice. He looked up and gave the room a mischievous grin before giving the leaguers finger guns, throwing a smoke bomb and promptly disappearing.

“Like father, like son.”, Hal muttered and the rest of the room agreed.

Next -> CH1 | CH2 | CH3 | CH4 | CH5 | CH6

[foxymoxynoona]

things I’ve learned about (newborn) babies since I’ve become an aunt that I never knew before:

1). Turns out that aside from keeping their tiny liddol hands warm, their tiny liddol mittens also protect their tiny liddol face from being scratched by their own tiny liddol nails. Because their nails are still too tiny to cut.

2.) apparently newborns can’t even see anything yet??? I mean they can but all they see are blobs of shadows???

3.) and apparently all they see is black and white?? That’s why whenever I wave my hand right in front of him, his eyes don’t move at all. But when I wave this thing that has black and white animals on it, his eyes follow those animals

4.) and babies don’t blink that often??? Once I timed it out of curiosity and he didn’t blink for a solid thirty seconds???? Should I sign my baby nephew up for a no-blinking contest

5.) I thought you’d just nurse your baby and that’s it. Turns out nursing a baby is a very complicated process. Positioning the baby, the baby having a hard time sucking milk out and breathing at the same time when the flow of milk is fast (like I really never knew this)

6.) turns out the taste of breast milk depends on what the mom eats and drinks??? My sister has to refrain from eating spicy food because my nephew can taste the spiciness from her breast milk??? Omg I could NEVER 💀

7.) also babies just… eat whenever they want??? Even when they aren’t HUNGRY 💀 the pediatrician said “yeah so babies sometimes do that… belly already full but they’ll still ask to nurse anyway” and I was like excuse me 💀

8.) turns out they poop often at the beginning because of the colostrum in the breast milk?? but as the colostrum peters out, they’ll poop less and less?? I never knew that

9.) babies have to be nursed every 3 hours apparently?? The other day my nephew slept through the night for 7 hours straight and both my sister and her husband immediately texted the pediatrician once they woke up 💀 they were like “is our baby okay??” 💀💀

10.) just something funny I wanna share: my nephew didn’t wear mittens the other day so he experimented with his own fingers. Found his own hair with them, pulled at it, then burst into tears because it hurt 😭😭😭 babies are unintentionally funny 😭

That’s it for now. He’s like six weeks old!

Congrats on your baby girl!!! You HAVE to tell us how it went!!!!!!

It's so fun to learn all these things alongside your little nephew, isn't it?? Congrats, it sounds like you're having a lot of fun with him!

Babies go right for their own little faces with those nails!! You can cut them or bite them off but there's inevitably some little corner you miss anyway and suddenly they have a gash on their nose 😭

Image from Lozier Institute, I think this is so cool too! Right now baby girl is just starting to look at things --mainly the window and a dark frame I have around a light painting.

//// skipping down to 6. Not only does what you eat influence the taste and flavor, but the fact that breastmilk changes to account for any illnesses nearby/in baby/in mom is SO cool to me. Mine were never bothered by spicy but when we were trying to figure out what was wrong with my first (GERD and laryngomalacia), I had to completely cut out dairy for a few weeks to see if he had an intolerence. Thankfully it was not but gave me total sympathy for the nursing moms who have to drastically change their diet!

7. I love the comfort nursing, or when they just fall asleep right there all comfy and happy. Comfort nursing doesn't tend to be much actual drinking though. I see a lot of debate about whether babies will actually "overeat" when nursing, I dunno!

8. I hadn't thought of it that way! The diapers get bigger/fuller but there are fewer of them because the whole cycle has more volume moving through --baby eats more, so poops more, and doesn't need to eat/poop as frequently. Just wait until he starts solid food, that's when diapers get gnarly🤢

9. Babies can usually go longer than 3 hours without eating no problem as long as they are healthy and gaining weight so I hope that's the case for your nephew and your sister can enjoy it guilt free next time she gets a long window like that! My first one had feeding and sleeping problems for the first year 🥲 I was so sleep deprived I hallucinated, and I definitely remember panicking when he would occasionally sleep like 7 hours. Sadly, it was a RARE occurrence until he was 18 months old 😭😭

Six weeks is when I remember starting to figure things out and it getting more and more fun each week, so good luck and have fun!! I am more than happy to answer questions, labor and newborns are such a singular experience... each of my kids has been SO different!

[elliemarchetti]

Offer and Permission

I really wanted to take part in this year's @elriel-month and what better way to do it than kick starting it with this alternative version of Azriel's Bonus Chapter?

Prompt: Hold Tight and Don't Make a Sound

Warnings: explicit language (the same kind you can find in canon material), no beta/proof reading

Words: 1468

Sleep, his shadows whispered in his ear, and even though he wished he could, he kept surveying the empty family room, presents and ribbons littering the furniture. Too many razor-sharp thoughts sliced him any time he grew still long enough for them to strike, too many wants and need left his skin overheated and pulling taunt across his bones, so he focused on other people’s lives, like those of Cassian and Nesta, who hadn’t reappeared downstairs after they left earlier in the night, though that came to no surprise. He was elated for his brother, he deserved this victory, and yet he couldn’t stop the envy growing and snarling and scratching like a beast in his chest. That’s why he remained by the dying light of the fire even when the silence weighted too heavily, hoping his body gave out for at least a couple hours instead of going to his bedroom; he couldn’t afford to get swallowed whole by the unwelcome feeling just as much as he couldn’t give in to the tempting scent of the girl he unwillingly found himself in love with, and whose soft steps were approaching the foyer. When he saw her, faelights gilding her unbound hair and making her glow like the sun at dawn, his breath got caught in his throat.

“I…” she started, then swallowed soundly, clutching a small gift in her hands. “I was coming to leave this on your pile of presents. I forgot to give it to you earlier.”

Azriel knew it was a lie even without the assistance of his shadows. The truth was in the slight tightening of her face, in the fact she waited for everyone to be asleep before venturing back down, where she knew he waited patiently, and in the quickening of her breath as she closed the distance separating them.

The Shadowsinger tried not to look at his scarred fingers as they took the wrapped box, and fought really hard against a vicious smile that threatened to spread on his lips at the though she hadn’t bought anything for her mate but had gotten something for him two years in a row.

The card merely said, You might find these useful at the House these days, and behind the lid hid two small, bean-shaped fabric blobs he recognized as sound blockers.

“No wonder you didn’t want me to open it in front of everyone,” he chuckled, unable to suppress the impulse.

“Nesta wouldn’t appreciate the joke,” she replied, her mouth twitching into a smile.

“I wasn’t sure either if I should give you your present,” he added, the rest of the sentence left unspoken but so heavy he was sure she could hear his voice full of poorly hidden rage utter it in her mind. Because your mate is here, sleeping a level up, and he had been in the family room where I should have been while I needed to stay by the door the whole time because I couldn’t stand the scent of your bond.

Elain’s large brown eyes flickered, well aware of all that, just as he knew she was well aware of why he so rarely came to family dinners these days. But tonight, in the dark and quiet, with no one to see, he could pull the small velvet box from the shadows around him and open it for her, he could savour how she sucked in a soft breath that whispered over his skin. His shadows skittered back at the sound, always prone to vanish when she was around.

The golden necklace seemed ordinary, its chain unremarkable, the amulet – a small, flat rose fashioned of stained glass, designed so that when held to the light, the true depth of the colours would become visible – tiny enough it could be dismissed as an everyday charm, still a thing of secret, lovely beauty.

“It’s perfect,” she murmured, lifting it from the box. The golden faelight shone through the little glass facets, setting the charm glowing with hues of red and pink and white. Azriel let his shadows whisk away the box as she softly asked if he could put it on her.

His head went quiet as she kneeled between his legs, and he imagined her in the same position, with her plump lips wrapped around his length, her head bobbing up and down, one of his hands in her hair and the other busy gripping a cushion, or the back of the sofa he was still so stupidly sat on, in a vain attempt to delay his release. Then she turned, exposing her back as she swept her hair up in one hand, so he could slide the necklace around her. With the intent of eliciting a shiver, a physical reaction so he could stop feeling guilty for having one, he brushed the side of her throat and let his touch linger at her nape, atop the first knob of her spine. Slowly, Elain pivoted into his touch until his palm lay flatly against her long, creamy neck. It looked like he was choking her, and by the glint in her eyes, it seemed she liked the idea of him tightening his grip.

A sudden wave of panic rushed through Azriel. It had never gone this far. They’d exchanged looks, the occasional brush of fingers, but never blatant, unrestricted touching. It was wrong in every way, but he didn’t care, so he pulled her closer, until she got up from the floor and sat in his lap, the voluminous skirt of her dress draped over them like petals of a bluebell. His cock strained behind his pants, aching so fiercely he could hardly think, as his hand slid down to the delicate puff sleeve connected to her bodice, pulling it down as much as the fabric allowed, unveiling parts of her skin he had only dreamed of. He traced the round shape of the top of her breast with his thumb, and he prayed she was still innocent, unable to recognize what was insistently pressing between her legs.

“We can’t do this here,” he sighed, as he smelled the shift in both their scents. If Lucien found out, he had every right to defend their bond as he saw fit, including invoking the Blood Duel, an Autumn Court tradition, a battle to death so brutal it was only enacted in rare occasions. Despite being an outsider, Azriel had wanted to request it when he’d found Mor all those years ago. He had been ready to challenge both Beron and Eris and kill them both, only Mor’s right to claim their heads in vengeance keeping him from doing so.

“Then take me somewhere else,” she replied, and before Azriel could reason on how doing so will rip apart any fragile peace and alliances the Night Court had not only with Autumn but also with Spring, Jurian and Vassa, he winnowed the both of them away, straight to the bedroom of his private apartment at the town outskirts.

As she took her surroundings in, Elain bit her lower lip, and finally Azriel didn’t had to use every ounce of his restraint to keep from putting his own teeth were hers had just been. He had only allowed himself these thoughts in the dead of night, when his hand fisted his cock and even his shadows had gone to sleep, so finally kissing her had his eyes nearly roll in his head at the sweet taste. She was like honey, melting like a ripe peach as he cupped her face and held her so close her breasts pressed against his muscular chest. She was on her tiptoes, so trusting and hopeful and open that he knew she had no idea that he had done unspeakable things that sullied his hands far beyond their scars, such terrible things it was a sacrilege for them to taint her with their presence. His tongue, however… He could have this, her coming in his mouth, all over his face. He would beg on his knees for a chance to taste her sex in the dead of the longest night of the year, where only the Mother might witness them.

“Yes,” Elain breathed, like she read the decision in his movements. As if she had no weight, Azriel lifted her from the ground to place her on the large bed that dominated the room, her thick brown hair fanned out around her head and her dress lifted just enough to reveal the garter belt holding delicate white silk stockings in place. He felt like Death looming on a lovely fawn, but for once the sounds he wanted to elicit were of joy and to achieve that, to not have her face contort in pain as he entered her, he had to prepare her right.

[song-linked-from-nine-verses]

First Big Gig, pt (unknown)

Wild doesn't realize that his breathing stops being even, as the crowd engulfs any tiny sound that his body is making. Even then, he tries to keep his body together, and twists his face, keeping it neutral. His stomach seems to churn uncontrollably, like one of those kneading machines he uses for making bread. But Wild was so sure he did not eat anything strange today. Maybe he did. He can't remember.

He thinks his heart is pounding way faster than it should, but the pounding of the massive speakers is making him question whether or not his brain made it up.

His brain is partly in protest, but luckily, for some reason Wild keeps walking forward. The room is so crowded and warm that Wild is sweating profusely. His knuckles turn white as he grips the trolley, but the AC makes his hand so cold that he's slowly losing his grip. A part of Wild wants to go back.

"Nervous?" Warriors asks both of them, though it's super hard to parse what he says. 

Wild couldn't even move enough to nod. He can only think, and his thoughts only have "stop, no, go back". His vocal chords, on the other hand, seem to have been stuck, but he didn't have to answer, as Warriors can't even hear what Four said through the massive echoes of the sea of people. 

"Let's show the other idiots what we're made of!" Warriors proudly says, and Wild tries his hardest to crack the widest smile.

Next thing he knows, the blinding lights are shining on him. He can't see anything but blobs, but that's okay, his hands are still playing. He can't ruin their first big gig like this. He just can't. Warriors have been waiting for this day since he met them.

He normally looks over to Four and Warriors, to wink at them to signal an improv, or do a little funny on the side, but if he looks anywhere but his guitar the world seems to just ever so slightly tilt. His hands start to slide off the strings, surely no one heard that he accidentally missed a few notes?

His stomach, on the other hand, is actively betraying him. It hurts so bad, a nagging, throbbing pain. But, that's okay, he just needs to focus on playing. He just needs to focus. He can't see anything but flashing colors. His head feels so light. He needs to focus. Focus. Focus. That is a lie. He can't focus.

— —-

"Missed?" Wind suddenly says.

"Hmm?"

"Their guitarist. He missed a beat." 

"No shit Sherlock, they play math rock. Of course it's going to 'miss a beat'. But yes, I notice the guy is playing worse and worse." Legend says. 

"I know yall guys don't like this type of music so...If you want to leave we can-"

"No! It's not that" Wind cuts Twilight off. "I mean, even for their music, their guitarist misses a beat. Multiple times!"

"There's a sudden… shakiness, that I can't put a finger on." Legend adds.

Now that he mentions it, Twilight notices that their guitarist isn't standing straight. "What do you make of it? Should we be worried?"

"Could be stress or stage fright? Who knows, it's their first time in front of such a large crowd. I was exactly the same."

Wind throws his hand. "So you DID lie that day!" 

Legend pretends he didn't say anything. "All I'm saying is, unless their guitarist collapses, it's nothing to worry about."

And just as he finished that sentence, a loud, distorted sound played and a massive THUD on the ground followed. 

Their guitarist actually collapses.

— — 

It took a while, but the moment Wild starts stirring on the equipment box, Warriors immediately rushes to him.

"Wild?" Warriors asks, and pulls his hair out to check his temperature again. At least he doesn't have a fever.

The guy tries to turn but Warriors holds him back before he falls off. "uummmmm….wh..where…"

"Don't worry, we're backstage. How are you feeling?" 

One of the staff backstage walks over and hands Warriors a bottle of water.  "Is he doing well?"

Warriors shrugged. "But, thank you for your concern… erm.."

"Impa."

"Oh, I also know an Impa. Thank you, Miss Impa. I will look for you if anything comes up."

As Impa walks away, Wild jolts upright. "The Concert!," he says, but quickly flinches then curls into a ball. "owwwww… no, no, no it's all my fault… Did they make us leave? Where is Four?"

"Hey, I told you not to worry!" Warriors pats Wild's back. The kid is soaked in sweat, and he is shaking. There's a slight hiccup, as if he's holding back a sob. He pulls down his scarf, making sure that Wild is seeing him smile. "No one is at fault, you hear me?"

"...you said you'd be so mad if anything goes wrong…"

Warriors' eyes widen. "Oh no, if I accidentally made you feel bad, I am so sorry."

A long sniff and tears start streaming from Wild's face. Warriors is not good with crying faces, so he just awkwardly opens the water bottle and hands it to Wild. He accepts, and starts inhaling it like a thirsty elephant.

"Eyes, Wars. So many. And I tried to ignore them, but then everything turned into blinding, staring lights, and-"

"Hey, if anything, I'd be more mad if something wrong happens to my friends. Besides, they haven't kicked us out, and Four is still out there.". 

The room echoes and next thing you know it, Four starts jamming the worst infamous grooves known to man. 

Man he is brave.

Wild lets out a chuckle. As the crowd boos, and Four keeps playing, the chuckle turns into a loud cackle.

The cackle quickly turns into a grimace as Wild suddenly pulls himself into a ball, gripping his abdomen. "I don't know what's worse, the pain or whatever Four is doing outside."

Warriors pats Wild's back. "I'll ask the staff if they have anything." Warriors says, but before he can stand, someone throws him a faux-fur bag.

"Oh, he's dead! " The Vet says once he has a good look at Wild, muffled by his face covering. 

"There's advil in there. And ibuprofen." Rancher gestures at the bag.

"And, I never asked you guys to be here." Warriors pulls up his scarf to cover his face, and throws the bag back at the Veteran. "Why are you guys here? If you want to mock us, I hope we can go outside so I can punch you properly."

"Wouldn't want to make a scene, too crowded out there." Their drummer says, as he stuffs the bag back into Warriors' hands. "If I wanted to mock, I would wait until you guys start playing."

"Alright, partner, not too far." Rancher says, as he pats the Vet's back. 

Warriors rolls his eyes, but makes no effort to return the bag. He sits back down next to Wild. 

"If it's a stomachache, and he really has no idea why, then it could just be stress. In which case he'll be fine in a few minutes." The Vet says, shooting a look at Wild. "Or hours. Depends on whether your guitarist wants to get back out on stage."

Sailor also jumps on the equipment box, putting himself right next to Wild. "It's okay to feel frightened, you know. And if you're not ready, it's okay to say so."

Man, these guys are way too wholesome than what I give them credit for, Warriors mumbles.

Wild stares at the Vet, then he turns his gaze back at Warriors. It's a "I don't want to do this, but what about you" kind of look.

"I still want to go back out there…" Warriors says, so Wild straightens himself, and starts to stand up. Warriors holds him back down. "But-"

"I can fill the empty spot if you want? Do you have the sheets?" The Vet asks.

"Why not the little guy over there? Also, I thought you hated our music? Can you even play guitar?" Warriors raises a brow, but the Vet just shrugs in response.

"I can play Never Meant." Legend shrugs. "Or that song by Tricot that you guys play. Just need the sheets. And don't do anything too weird."

"Well, then, Wi- I mean, Champ, can he borrow the sheets? Or, do you still want to play? Either option is fine."

— — 

"I should have used our guitar instead, this one is so greasy." The Vet says, then he seems to be throwing a friendly insult towards Wars and Four, but it was too far that Wild can't really make out what he said.

"Ready?"

"Woo!"

The moment he starts playing, Wild's eyes widen. 

"But for someone who has never listened to these songs…" Wild accidentally said his thoughts out loud.

"Impressive, right?" Rancher says as he walks up to Wild. He never stood so close to any of the band members, and Wild notices that his mask has hand sewn words in the Twili language. "We call him the Vet for a reason."

"To be fair, he actually hate-listens to you guys." Sailor chimes in. "Wait, don't tell anyone about that."

Wild spits a laugh. "Why does he hate-listen to our band?"

"He likes how your cymbals sound."

"Oh, thank you. Our drummer made them himself." Wild proudly says.

"Woah, cool!" Sailor exclaims, then he starts cackling. "OHHH! Smith! Cymbalsmith!"

"Mhm! Well then, if he ever needs any-" Wild was about to pull out his phone, but then remembers that he gave it to the Vet for music sheets. "Okay, I'll read out a number, and tell him if he needs cymbals just give us a call. If he wants, he can have some for free as well."

"I doubt he'd use cymbals made from the enemy band, however." Rancher says. 

"His grandpa runs it, so if we're talking technicality, it's not from 'the enemy band'."

"Thank you." 

"No, thank you. The meds help a lot."

[braveclementine]

The Lab

Warnings: None

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OC Elizabeth Lightwood. I do not condone any copying of this.

Tony was fighting back his disappointment. It wasn't that he wasn't glad about having a soulmate. He was actually rather ecstatic that he had a soulmate. But he hadn't realized how much he had held onto his fathers' idea that his soulmate would be a house cat until this rabbit had come along.

Not to mention. . . what did you do with a rabbit? He remembered when Happy had turned into a dog way before Tony was ever eighteen. He had been a dog for quite a few years before Pepper had come along.

He remembered that Pepper and Happy- who had been under the name 'Colonel' at the time- had done a lot together. They'd played fetch, she'd relax with him in the shade. They were sometimes even rough with each other. It had only take three months or so for Happy to become human again and two more months before he'd proposed and another three months before they were happily married.

But a rabbit?

"Jarvis, run diagnostics." He commanded.

A cat, well you couldn't do as much with a cat that you did with a dog. But there were still toys to play with them, and great cuddles.

Could you cuddle with a rabbit?

Pumpkins' diagnostics popped up on the screen. It was a lot worse than he'd thought. There were a lot of fractures along the ribs and it seemed as though she was covered in bruises.

"Tony, what does all of that mean?" Pepper asked, looking at the diagnostic, seeing all of the tiny black scratches and purple blobs.

"It means we're going to have to take her to a vet." Tony sighed. "Bruising everywhere, tiny fractures as well."

"She's been through the mill." Pepper finished for him, nodding her head. "Look, I can take her to the vet and you get some rest. You're not supposed to be stressing yourself out."

"She's my soulmate." Tony sighed, but also knowing that perhaps some time without the rabbit around would give him enough time to come to terms with everything without having to worry about her seeing him react.

"And she's in very good hands." Pepper promised him. "You look exhausted. Take some of your sleep medicine and get some sleep."

Pepper turned to the rabbit. "Alright Pumpkin, let's get you to the vet now, hmm?"

Why did Pepper have to be so good with animals? Tony Stark wasn't good with anything but play girls. He wasn't good with normal people, he was to abrasive. And he had never been good with animals in general.

He groaned as she left, the door swinging closed softly behind her. He ran a hand over his face, feeling frustrated.

He looked at everything in the lab, his chest throbbing. He was running on borrowed time, he knew that. He couldn't just lay in bed all day, that wasn't him.

He got up out of the wheelchair and said, "Jarvis, let's get to work."

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

You were sitting upon Pepper's lap in the passenger seat of a nice car. Her soulmate, Happy was his name, was driving. They were holding hands across the aisle and they were chatting about normal stuff. Mostly about Tony, your new soulmate, deciding to turn Stark enterprises from a weapons industry into something more peaceful.

You had heard about Tony Stark of course. Who hadn't? Billionaire, notorious playboy, now a philanthropist. You knew from the news that he'd recently just gotten back from being held captive in Afghanistan.

You were surprised he hadn't already met his soulmate. You felt like that would have been something the news would have jumped on. Actually, once you started appearing with him in places- if he took you along with him, he didn't seem all that happy with you- you would become a topic of conversation.

It wouldn't be that big of a surprise if he didn't want you around. You were used to it. Your parents most certainly didn't want you around, you had a total of four true friends but only one of them actually knew about your parents. If Tony Stark, who was more famous and rich than you'd ever wished to be, didn't want you around, you wouldn't be that surprised.

Not to mention, you had no idea what to do. It wasn't like you could communicate with him, although you could type words on his computer if it came to that.

Pepper carried you into the vet, which you distinctly hated the smell of. Though you had never had an aversion to cats or dogs, now, it made your fur stand on end. Meat eaters.

Pepper told them the issue and they told us to wait for some time. Then they brought you back to a small room with an examination table that looked a lot like one you sat on when you went into the child practitioner.

You were placed on the table while Pepper explained that you'd only come to them today with these markings.

"I'm going to go out on a limb, as rabbits are one of the few animal species that when our kids turn into them, can't communicate as effectively as animals, that she was probably abused." The vet said. "She's going to be rather timid, even around the two of you and its going to take bonding, not just from her soulmate, but also from the people around her soulmate."

"Do you know for a fact that she is a girl?" Pepper asked.

"Yes, don't worry about that." The vet said. "In our examination, we can see clearly she is a female rabbit."

"Okay, good to know." Pepper said. "What can we do for her?"

"Well, as long as she isn't jumping around to much, these cracks and bruises are going to heal on their own." The vet said. "Unfortunately, with rabbits being such small and fragile creatures, its hard to do anything for them when it comes to injuries. Just don't let her jump from high spaces, don't let her jump up to anywhere either. Try and keep her on ground level. She most certainly shouldn't be trying the stairs either."

The vet looked at you and smiled kindly. "I know you can understand of course, but animal instincts sometimes kick in on certain things and take over. But for the most part, I think you should be fine. I was wondering though, perhaps to get an indication of her abusive parents, if anyone came with her to drop her off?"

"No." Pepper said. "She was by herself."

You turned in a circle on the table and they both looked down at you. "Someone did come with you?"

You turned in a circle again.

"Interesting." The vet said with a smile. "Is your friend still here?"

You waggled your head a little. It wasn't a no or a yes.

"She doesn't know." Pepper said.

The vet nodded. "Do you know where your friend might've stayed?"

You turned in a circle again.

"I'd say if you want to discover her parents, that's where you ought to start." The vet said. "But for her safety and physical health, she's perfectly fine right now."

"Thank you." Pepper said and the two of you left the vet. "Happy, we have a mission."

Happy grinned at Pepper and you hopped up near the dashboard, trying to press the buttons on the GPS with your nose.

"Here Pumpkin." Pepper said, picking up a pen. She pointed at letters and if she had picked the right one, you spun in a circle. If she picked the wrong one, you shook your head no.

Eventually, you had spelled out doughnut.

"Is she hungry?" Happy asked skeptically.

"I think her friend was staying in the parking lot or something." Pepper said and you twirled in a circle once more. "Let's make it quick Happy, I want to check on Tony soon."

Happy made his way to the doughnut joint that you somewhat recognized on your way into the town. There was a huge doughnut in the sky, and there were about five cars in the parking lot. None of them were Elizabeth's. Your ears drooped in disappointment.

The idea of your parents being arrested was enlightening to you. But you hadn't dare done it when you were actually living with them. There were special camps that abandoned kids had to go to and the stories were unpleasant. The Government tried, but with so many kids in these camps at some points, things got out of hand. You'd rather take your parents then try to fight off some of the kid gangs that formed there.

But now, you had a nice home at least, though you were uncertain about the main occupant of the house. Happy seemed indifferent and Pepper was delighted with you. But Tony Stark?

Of course, it wasn't like you had had much time to be around him. You'd barely spent more than forty minutes before Pepper was whisking you off to the vet and telling Tony to go to sleep.

Well, you were heading back to the house now.

"Alright." Pepper said, "I should probably make sure to order some rabbit things in. A pet bed, some bowls, I'll have to research play areas but we might want to hold back on that for a little bit just until you heal. . ."

She drifted off as we stepped into the house and saw all the packages piled up in the living room. Outside of the boxes were notes labelled 'rabbit wonderland' or 'rabbit food' or 'rabbit pet bed'.

You felt happy when you saw everything. It didn't seem he was going to reject you at least.

"Hey Pep, Happy, Pumpkin." Tony said. He looked better than the last time you had saw him- which was surprising considering it had only been two hours. He was standing for one thing, and though he still looked rather tired, he didn't look dead.

"How in the world did you get everything ordered so fast?" Pepper asked as she put you down on the hardwood floor to look at the packages.

"I just told them Tony Stark wanted them as fast as possible." Tony said with a shrug. "I tried to get things that looked comfortable. I'm not sure about the toys. But the web says that rabbits have to constantly chew on stuff because their teeth never stop growing. I don't know if that'll carry over into a soulmate rabbit, but I thought it better not to risk it. I did get a couple of different like playgrounds I guess, I think we could put them all together to create a super playground or something. I'm not sure if rabbits like that sort of thing, but it's made for rabbits so it should work, hopefully, I'm really hoping that she likes it. . ."

He spoke rapid fast, like if he paused to take a break someone would interrupt him. But Pepper said nothing, a secret smile on her face as she watched Tony.

You wondered if there was a way you should react. You were very nervous, but Tony didn't seem to be the type to hurt you.

You carefully hopped over to him, ignoring the aching in your back legs, nudging his leg with your nose. He jumped a little, before kneeling down to the pet you. Hmm, it seemed he might be just as nervous as you.

"What did the vet say?" He asked, running his hand gently over your head. Your teeth chittered at the good feeling.

Pepper repeated everything that had been told to her and Tony had a hard look on his face afterwards. "Jarvis might be able to help me if I can find the girl who delivered her here. That'll require hacking into the doughnut security system. Should be a breeze. Jarvis?"

"Already on it sir." Some AI voice said from the ceiling. You liked it. He sounded nice. And also British. Accents were very nice.

"Alright." Pepper said, "Let's put these together, shall we?"

You watched as Tony, Pepper, and Happy put the sets together. You found them very interesting and was also starting to see what the Vet had meant about the animal side taking over. All you wanted to do was shoot up through the tunnels, hop on everything, and jump from the highest platform to the floor.

You laid down instead, superman style, trying to keep yourself still.

The orders of the vet had seemed easy, but now, you were realizing they were going to be very hard to follow through on.

[kariachi]

Some birthday fic for @thenixkat! If you gave Laios a digi I missed it so... Just went with generic blob critter.

~~

“Laios. Laios.” He could thank his military training for only taking two calls to wake, though giving them the credit doesn’t sit well in his stomach. What he has to thank it for is the keen realization that the unfamiliar voice comes too close and the immediate response. He rolls to the side and just barely manages not to fall over himself as he settles into a crouch, scanning the trees for the stranger. Only days have passed since he packed his things and slipped away in the dead of night, and a creeping concern moves up his spine that the army has sent someone to find him.

Instead, all he finds is a small, pink… thing, staring back at him with big, black eyes. He can’t say he’s seen anything like it before- a mollusk maybe? It looks like it has the one foot like a snail or a slug, but he’s never heard of one so upright, or with arms. Some sort of monster then, but he’s also never heard of a monster that spoke so clearly without also taking more human forms to deal with people-

“You can relax,” the little thing says, tone almost bubbly as it climbs onto his thin mat, not a single foot but a mass of small feet, absolutely fascinating, “nobody else is here, it’s all safe.” For some reason he wants to believe it, and though the incident with the kelpie runs through his head, Laios warily sits down on the hard ground, hand still within easy reach of his sword. It’s skin is smooth, what he can only describe as an attempt at a tiny muzzle on it’s face, and he finds himself humming in consideration.

“What are you?” It can’t be a demihuman, not only does it look even farther from a human than orcs and kobolds, he’d surely have heard about them before, but it certainly is strange for a monster. He suddenly wants to grab out his journal and start taking notes, making sketches.

“I’m Mochimon! I’m-” It pauses. “You’re-” Again, face scrunching where there should be a nose. “We’re ours!” That doesn’t really answer his question, though it makes something in his gut glow warm and bright, and he’s wondering if it would be the wrong thing to say so when it continues. “I’m a Digimon.”

Laios has never heard the word before, but he figures he can make a reasonable guess that the ‘mon’ is related to ‘monster’ and is somehow even more curious for it.

He abandons the sword and begins blindly digging through his pack for his journal.

“Are all Digimon like you?” The journal is easy, his pencil a little harder, as Mochimon squelches down in what Laios assumes is it’s equivalent to a sit. It’s fascinating, as he wonders how exactly the muscles are moving in there for it’s body to morph like that. There has to be at least muscle of some sort, right-?

“No,” it says, sounding pleased as he starts filling a page with notes and sketches, “I was Poyomon before, and someday I’ll be something else.” Laios blinks, looking up from the journal.

“Really?”

“Uh-huh.” Mochimon tries to nod, he thinks, but it comes across more as a sort of wobbling back and forth. “All Digimon do it.” Oh, that was amazing, and fascinating, and amazing. Was it a life stage thing? How many were there? Mochimon hadn’t specified what it would become, were there different morphs? Or was he thinking too far into it? People always said he thought too far into these things… But just the idea-

“Wish I was one.” The words slip from his mouth before he can think to bite them back and he cringes at the slip. Good job, Laios, way to show your weirdness right off the bat. But Mochimon doesn’t shy away, give him a harsh and disgusted look. It just, he thinks it might be an attempt to tilt it’s head, but it’s head is about forty percent of itself (how does it fit it’s organs into such a small space when it’s got so much head to feed-?) so it’s closer to a lean.

“I don’t know if that’s a thing,” it says in a thoughtful tone, then brightens again and throws an arm up, “but if anyone can make it happen, Laios-” How does it know his name, he hasn’t even asked that yet, though somehow it feels like it should. “-it’ll definitely be us!”

He agrees. He knows next to nothing and he still agrees.

He’ll be more concerned about that later.