#And now I am become crab

[shit-posting-into-the-void]

Sometimes suggested ads DO know what I want

[dazais-crab-addiction]

Happy Valentine’s Day! He brought you a bear that will detonate in 5..4..3..2..

Gdlajdkahd, breadsoup you are amazing. Thank you. Being blown up by a Valentines bear has been a 10/10 experience :D

[jackoshadows]

Firstly, why is it that Sansa can only be praised by comparing her to Arya? Secondly, in what world is Arya physically strong and more than Sansa?!

The masculinization of Arya Stark by tradfems in fandom has become so commonplace that I suppose many of them imagine this is how Arya and Sansa are in the books:

In case folks don't know this: ARYA IS TWO YEARS YOUNGER THAN SANSA! She's the younger sibling!

Anyone who has read a Jon POV chapter should know that Arya is a skinny, little girl. Jon specifically makes a small, lightweight, thin sword for Arya to handle.

And Arya … he missed her even more than Robb, skinny little thing that she was, all scraped knees and tangled hair and torn clothes, so fierce and willful. - Jon, AGoT

Arya has been on the run for two years, hunted by Lannister men, a slave put to hard physical work and starved for food.

She spent the rest of that day scrubbing steps inside the Wailing Tower. By evenfall her hands were raw and bleeding and her arms so sore they trembled when she lugged the pail back to the cellar. Too tired even for food, Arya begged Weese's pardons and crawled into her straw to sleep. - Arya, ACoK

Often as not, she went to bed hungry rather than risk the stares. - Arya, AGoT

"Lommy's hungry," Hot Pie whined, "and I am too." "We're all hungry," said Arya. - Arya, ACoK

Arya watched them die and did nothing. What good did it do you to be brave? One of the women picked for questioning had tried to be brave, but she had died screaming like all the rest. There were no brave people on that march, only scared and hungry ones. - Ary, ACoK

I knew we should never have left the woods, she thought. They'd been so hungry, though, and the garden had been too much a temptation. - Arya, ASoS

"An inn?" The thought of hot food made Arya's belly rumble, but she didn't trust this Tom. - Arya, ASoS

Rabbits ran faster than cats, but they couldn't climb trees half so well. She whacked it with her stick and grabbed it by its ears, and Yoren stewed it with some mushrooms and wild onions. Arya was given a whole leg, since it was her rabbit. She shared it with Gendry. - Arya, ASoS

The biggest toms would seldom win, she noticed; oft as not, the prize went to some smaller, quicker animal, thin and mean and hungry. Like me, she told herself. - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

We have the contrast of Arya having to trade some carrots and cabbages they picked from an overgrown garden to get some food and the innkeeper complaining about the lack of lemons to the sumptuous 64 dish feast in the Vale with a 12 feet tall lemon cake made especially for Sansa.

Anguy shuffled his feet. "We were thinking we might eat it, Sharna. With lemons. If you had some." "Lemons. And where would we get lemons? Does this look like Dorne to you, you freckled fool? Why don't you hop out back to the lemon trees and pick us a bushel, and some nice olives and pomegranates too." She shook a finger at him. "Now, I suppose I could cook it with Lem's cloak, if you like, but not till it's hung for a few days. You'll eat rabbit, or you won't eat. Roast rabbit on a spit would be quickest, if you've got a hunger. Or might be you'd like it stewed, with ale and onions." Arya could almost taste the rabbit. "We have no coin, but we brought some carrots and cabbages we could trade you." - Arya, ASoS

Sixty-four dishes were served, in honor of the sixty-four competitors who had come so far to contest for silver wings before their lord. From the rivers and the lakes came pike and trout and salmon, from the seas crabs and cod and herring. Ducks there were, and capons, peacocks in their plumage and swans in almond milk. Suckling pigs were served up crackling with apples in their mouths, and three huge aurochs were roasted whole above firepits in the castle yard, since they were too big to get through the kitchen doors. Loaves of hot bread filled the trestle tables in Lord Nestor’s hall, and massive wheels of cheese were brought up from the vaults. The butter was fresh-churned, and there were leeks and carrots, roasted onions, beets, turnips, parsnips. And best of all, Lord Nestor’s cooks prepared a splendid subtlety, a lemon cake in the shape of the Giant’s Lance, twelve feet tall and adorned with an Eyrie made of sugar. For me, Alayne thought, as they wheeled it out. Sweetrobin loved lemon cakes too, but only after she told him that they were her favorites. The cake had required every lemon in the Vale, but Petyr had promised that he would send to Dorne for more. - Alayne, TWoW

Arya was already a little, skinny girl smaller than Sansa when they left Winterfell. She has been worked to the bone, sleeping rough and gone hungry. Again, by what logic is this Arya supposed to be physically strong and more than Sansa?!

There is this idea that's often pushed where Sansa is some dainty, fragile princess while Arya is this strong executioner henchwoman and it's just so tiresome and toxic.

Arya is also not Brienne! They are two different characters. If you want physically strong warrior types to compare to Sansa, there is already Brienne. Arya is the smaller, younger sister. In canon and logically, it's the taller, bigger, elder sister with access to good, rich food who would be physically stronger.

The Stark looking Starks tend to be slender and quicker compared to the bigger, stronger Tully looking Starks.

He was of an age with Robb, but they did not look alike. Jon was slender where Robb was muscular, dark where Robb was fair, graceful and quick where his half brother was strong and fast. - Bran, AGoT

The biggest toms would seldom win, she noticed; oft as not, the prize went to some smaller, quicker animal, thin and mean and hungry. Like me, she told herself. - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

"Can't you guess?" Jon teased. "Your very favorite thing." Arya seemed puzzled at first. Then it came to her. She was that quick. They said it together: "Needle!" - Jon, AGoT

Arya was always quick and clever, but in the end she's just a little girl, and Roose Bolton is not the sort who would be careless with a prize of such great worth. - Jon, ADwD

This is one of the reasons for why Jon Snow is so protective of Arya Stark - he certainly doesn't see her as some physically strong warrior type, despite gifting her with a sword. He's scared for her because he knows that despite how clever she is, Ramsay can kill, rape and torture her - she's 'just a little girl'.

Arya deserves to be protected, same as Sansa. She is not there to be anyone's henchwoman, she does not have super strength and she is certainly not physically stronger than Sansa.

[bestanimal]

Round 2 - Arthropoda - Arachnida

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Arachnida is a highly diverse class, ranging from the Demodex mites living on you (yes, you) right now, to the Triassic-surviving horseshoe crabs (yes, a 2019 genetics-based analysis places them within Arachnida, though this is still debated), to your friendly pest-controlling house spider. They live worldwide, mainly on land, but some also in freshwater and marine environments. There are over 110,000 named species, with more being discovered every year. They comprise the Ricinulei (“Hooded Tickspiders”), Xiphosura (“Horseshoe Crabs”), Opiliones (“Harvestmen”), Solifugae (“Camel Spiders”), Acariformes (“Acariform Mites”), Parasitiformes (“Parasitiform Mites and Ticks”), Palpigradi (“Microwhip Scorpions”), Pseudoscorpiones (“Book Scorpions”), Scorpiones (“Scorpions”), Amblypygi (“Tailless Whip Scorpions”), Schizomida (“Short-tailed Whip Scorpions”), Uropygi (“Vinegaroons”), and Araneae (“Spiders”).

Adult arachnids have 8 legs attached to a head/thorax segment called the cephalothorax. Their abdomen contains their heart and respiratory organs. Arachnids also have two other pairs of appendages that vary in function between orders. The chelicerae are mainly used in feeding and defense. In spiders, they are used to deliver venom. The second pair, called pedipalps, are used for feeding, locomotion, defense, and/or reproduction. Scorpions, Pseudoscorpions, Ricinuleids, and Horseshoe Crabs have pedipalps that end in a pair of pinchers used for defense and manipulating food. Pseudoscorpions also have a venom gland in their pinchers which they use to immobilize prey. Vinegaroons, Schizomids, Amblypygids, and most Harvestmen have raptorial pedipalps that are used for capturing prey. Solifugids use their palps as another set of legs, and spiders use theirs like hands, while the males also use theirs for mating. Mites and ticks use their palps to sense their surroundings. Mites are more diverse than other arachnids, some only having 6 or even 4 legs. Adult females of Podapolipidae only have a single pair of legs. Some arachnids have a tail-like structure called a telson. Horseshoe Crabs use their telson to flip themselves over if they are turned on their backs. Scorpions use their telson as a stinger to deliver venom, while Palpigrades, Schizomids, and Vinegaroons use theirs as sensory structures. Schizomids and Vinegaroons can also produce acetic acid at the base of their telsons, which they use as a chemical defense sprayed at attackers. Instead of a telson, spiders have spinnerets on their abdomen which they use to create silk. Some have no eyes; some have up to six. Some only have very simple eyes which detect light and shadow, while others have very advanced eyesight.

Arachnids are so diverse that it would be impossible for me to provide a general summary of their behavior here. Some lay eggs, some bear live young. Some have intensive courtship rituals. In most, mothers provide parental care, but in some this falls on the fathers. They can be predators, scavengers, carnivores, omnivores, herbivores, parasites, and everything in between.

Arachnids are one of the oldest living Classes of land animals. Xiphosurans first appeared in the Late Ordovician, with modern horseshoe crabs appearing in the Carboniferous and becoming more common in the Triassic. The spider-like Order Uraraneida first appeared in the Permian, with true spiders appearing in the Carboniferous. There’s a lot of talk about how horseshoe crabs predate the dinosaurs, and that’s true, but so do other arachnids… and most other arthropods as well!

Propaganda under the cut:

While only Spiders, Scorpions, and Pseudoscorpions have venom, they all have different methods of injecting it, meaning they likely independently evolved venom. Which is wild to me.

Spiders tend to get a bad rap (mostly due to western media banking on arachnophobia and spreading misinformation) but they are incredibly beneficial to humans, eating many of the species we consider pests. Some crops, such as cranberries, tomatoes, and potatoes, rely on spiders for pest control. It has been found that wherever farmers release spiders, their crop yields increase, while also cutting down on the use of chemical pesticides by 80%.

There are around 50,000 species of spider and all but one family (Uloboridae) is venomous. However, this venom is mainly used to capture prey, and only 10 genera have venom considered medically significant to humans. Bites are rarer than the media would have you think, and deaths are even more rare, as they are usually a result of secondary infections, allergic reaction, or pre-existing conditions. You are more likely to die from a mosquito bite.

Even if they weren’t super important and helpful to humans, spiders are still just small animals living their lives and are all too often unfairly demonized. I’ll get off my soapbox now but listen… I’m Love Them. They are just little guys.

Anyway, Ricinuleids have a hood, called a cucullus, which can be raised or lowered over their head. This hood is also where females will carry their eggs until they hatch. Baby hoodie.

Horseshoe Crab blood is blue due to a copper-based respiratory pigment called hemocyanin. It is often harvested for its unique reactions to bacterial contamination and is thus used in FDA testing. Horseshoe Crab blood has saved millions of human lives, however, overharvesting for their blood as well as for fishing bait has put their populations into decline, which has in turn affected populations of shorebirds which depend on their eggs as migratory fuel. Many areas have enacted regulations on harvesting and established captive breeding programs.

Harvestmen are sometimes referred to as spiders, but they are actually closer related to scorpions!

Harvestmen are unique among arachnids for their high diversity of feeding behavior. Many species are omnivorous, eating small insects, fungi, and plants. Some species are scavengers. Some species feed on fecal matter! Unlike most other arachnids, they do not have sucking mouthparts, and instead chew their food with tiny pinching jaws.

Many arachnids, especially most scorpions, are biofluorescent, glowing under UV light. There are many hypotheses for why this is, but it may allow them to detect the presence of UV light themselves, letting them know when there is a full moon vs a new moon.

Scorpions can also detect light through sensors in their tail!

Scorpion claws and tails are reinforced with iron and nickel

Mites are incredibly diverse and live everywhere. Many live in the soil and aid in decomposing, some live in water, some live on plants, some live in plants and create galls, some eat fungi, some eat lichen, some eat carrion, some are predators, some are parasites. Almost every species on land (mammals, reptiles, ants, plants, etc) has at least one mite species associated with it.

Vinegaroon courtship rituals involve a dance that can last up to 12 hours of the female testing the male’s endurance. Female vinegaroons invest a lot into their children, often starving themselves in the process, so they must be absolutely certain the male has good fitness.

[yayll]

hai !! i am wondering if i can request something about foxzai w foxreader.. i dont mind any scenario i just want something about them in love hehe.. especially since they r both foxes:3

hiiiiii baby! i'm SO sorry this took quite a while, i was away for a bit on vacation and have just been trying to catch up on requests. for this specific one i didn't kno if you wanted them to be full on foxes or like fox hybrid ish so i went with the kitsune approach who can be both! i hope you like my interpretation and i'm srry if it's not proper but i had a lot of fun working on it for you and seeing these two in love hehe <3 love u

The winter can be harsh on the wild, this you already know. But the warmth that does remain doesn't come from the security in survival, It comes from knowing that if you make it through the season or should you perish during it you will always be under the watchful gaze of the one you love.

It's a brisk morning and in your snow lined fox den it's business as usual. There's no hibernation, only you and your silly little partner as you spend everyday together. He's a bit off, a bit goofy, but so are you for letting him live with you ever since that day he limped into your den! You nursed him back to health as best you could and he hasn't left you ever since, not that you'd ever want him to. Dazai's also lazy, selfish, and unintentionally hilarious during the most inappropriate times so you need to be careful when trying to understand his more 'dramatic' moments and-

Oh, yeah. food! Sooo hungry. You pad your way towards the soft spot you both share where he sleeps soundly, curled up in his kimono, his nine tails tightly wrapped around him. You think his bandages must keep him extra warm too, what a package deal. Oh how pretty he looks like that... You kneel and nudge him awake with a soft whisper.

"Hi... it's time to eat."

His pointy ears perk up and he pops one eye open as he scans you first thing.

"You brought food already? Woooowww... How gracious of you, cutie~"

You snicker quietly to yourself, and shake your head.

"No, we're going together. You need to start earning your meals."

"Pfft. I'd never make you earn your meals, you know."

You make another sound of sheer entertainment at his cute whining, and nudge him again, this time carding your fingers through his messy brown hair, and caressing those soft ears that twitch with every word you say. He could stay like this forever, he thinks. With your approval, hopefully he will.

"Is that so? I dunno... I'd say every time I head out into town to find your specialty canned crab it's quite a quest for me. Or when I trick those humans into giving me more tofu than usual for our stews I really do wonder if you ever stop to think if that's a harder than usual task for me-"

Your words are cut off by a swift and fluffy tail that clamps over your mouth. You stay quiet, a wide smile playing on your lips as you watch Dazai become animated in a second.

"...Okay, okay! Fine. I'll go... And of course, you'll do the cooking."

"I always do the cooking, Osamu."

"Yes, and thank god for that, because I love doing the eating~"

You quirk an eyebrow as you fold your arms across your chest and hum. He's so cute when he's being high maintenance. Despite you both being kitsune, he had you wondering if you were slowly becoming his human caretaker... Not that you would ever mind, that is.

"Mm, that you do..."

Dazai then stretches himself, his body becoming long as he holds the pose with his back arched, his ears flipping back as his tails fluff up, signaling he's fully awake now. He turns to you, those cunning narrowed eyes now slightly half lidded and tender. His voice is low and hoarse.

"But you know what? I also love other things..."

You tilt your head a bit as he stands to his full height, walking towards you and scanning you head to toe with that never ending gaze that oozes with affection. He knows what's going on in that little head of yours, and you almost feel bashful from the way he grants you every bit of his senses. When he reaches you, he places a hand on the top of your head inbetween your soft ears, petting you with feather light taps. He towers over you, his figure now more imposing except without the threatening aura. There could never be threat when it's just you and Dazai, because behind his goofy and easygoing exterior, there is an undying commitment to you that goes beyond life and death. And thankfully, you both will live for a long, long time despite his pesky jokes about the opposite.

He leans forward and then down enough to whisper against the shell of your ear as if he were telling you a secret.

"I love... Curry... Rice... Crab... and-"

You interrupt by looking up at him, eyes twinkling with anticipation. You weren't desperate for his tender words, for he never withheld them from you. He couldn't hide how enamored he was with you even if he tried! There was just something about hearing him say it that made you feel like it was the first time every single time. He curls one of his tails around yours, gently braiding them together as they form a furry stem, locked in place like two hands intertwined. He grins, holding your chin as you two communicate in your own little language with your eyes.

Dazai thinks about how lucky he is to be yours, through thick and thin and the coldest of winter. From the way your lashes flutter every time you blink to how your nose crinkles in the cutest ways when you laugh, he doesn't know why you entertain his mischief. Maybe he's cursed you... Maybe it's a good curse if it means you'll continue to look at him the way you aways do. Either way, you'll both see the Spring come, together.

He brings his hand down to the tip of your nose, so elegant and beautiful, and taps it while whispering.

"You. I love you. So let's go to town, yes? I'm ready to work for my meal or whatever."

You bite your lip at his call back to your previous words, trying to stop the smile from literally getting any wider as you drop the bossy act and melt for him instead. And here you thought his charm was only reserved to fool humans! You nod and when you speak, it's barely above a whisper.

"I love you too."

He leans in so close that his nose touches yours, teasing your every sense.

"I know that, cutie. Duh."

He speaks with a low purr as if stating the obvious, causing you to roll your eyes at his adorable audacity. Only Dazai could get away with this, and only you could make him feel complete this way, no matter what form he takes.

[dogs2shouldvote]

during my latest relisten of taz balance, i recorded every line i found even the slightest bit funny with zero context, not even who said it (though some are pretty obvious). here’s all my favorites!!

“i’m probably studying.. my cantrips”

“just say mastrubating, dad”

“don’t come in mom i’m studying my canteips!!”

.

“yeah you’ll do any dumb shit”

.

“it’s like a bag of holding! but for.. ass.”

.

“do we know how much damage we did to him?”

“six damage, you said it out loud with your mouth.”

.

“it should be in the player’s handbook! get your salty snack to enjoy while you play dnd”

.

“my grandpa says it’s rude to whisper. especially on a train!”

.

“i’m not going to go toe to toe with a crab while youre armed with a terrible scottish accent and travis doesn’t even have his sheild. i’m out! … did i say travis? i mean leman kessler.”

“nope! that was wrong all the way around.”

.

“i’m cosplaying taako right now, as a stupid man.”

.

“who’s just rolling dice? who is doing secret checks that i don’t know about?”

.

“i always waste my 20’s on perception checks. like i give a shit.”

.

“it’s completely conceivable he would have a name tag.”

“IN A GANG?”

.

“like a pelt??? like a bramble*pelt*?????”

.

“is there a math check? what are you talking about?”

“yeah it’s your fucking brain. you use your brain to add numbers together”

“16”

“what are you fucking doing??”

.

“griffin i love you youre my brother. but if my skill called history doesn’t literally help me with history trivia questions in a category called history what are we FUCKING doing here??”

.

“can i ask you a question? are you guys mean to everyone?”

.

“fus-ro-over dere”

.

“that one was actually a badass bernie sanders”

.

“hey thug! what’s your name? i’m about to tentacle your dick.”

.

“a d6 is like some dice ass dice. that’s some monopoly shit.”

.

“i thought you were saying merle, it’s his bread and his body, take 2d6 healing points”

.

“you two remind me of something… you remind me of the babe! and then i throw the glass sphere at them.”

.

“make a constitution saving throw to see if you can eat this fucking rock with your mouth.”

.

“dungeons and dragons is a. great game.”

.

“my name is magnus burnsides”

“marchins burchens”

.

“magnus would not say that. however, travis would.”

.

“can we please not talk about chekhov’s bush?”

.

“we’ve got a ball, a sack, and a tool!”

“everything is gross here in dnd.”

.

“only losers smoke, isaac.”

“i give isaac an hour long lecture about the dangers of smoking.”

.

“i’m just gonna put my mouth down there and go buck wild”

.

“there’s a lot of go cart tracks called the adventure zone and i’ve been working with my lawyer to shut them all down forever”

.

“does taako fish?”

“yeah taako fishes.”

.

“a rock hard-“

*justin, clint, and travis laugh*

“come ON, *really*?”

.

“taako rushes in!”

“what! magnus follows him.”

“merle’s good out here!”

“WHAT is going on?”

.

“how do you not have a d6 it comes with every board game”

“my daughter-“

“eats them for power???”

.

“uhhh how much health do you have.”

“im not gonna tell you.”

.

“let’s see… i am going to hurt jenkins. with a magical spell.”

.

“this is about to become the taako show starring taako.”

.

“BLUFF FUCKING BLUFF O’CLOCK?? WHAT IS THIS, HALF PAST PERSUASION TIME??”

.

“i’m not laughing in game” *justin fucking loses it*

.

“she’s the best at burning shit ever.”

.

“traaav griffin got to do his show for so long and now he’s gonna destroy yours.”

.

“fucking lup finds like. a gun.”

.

“for sure, keep it sleazy. we’re out, bye!”

.

“i have to believe…. i’m gonna get those fifteen dollars back from greg fucking grimaldis”

.

“based on the rules of the game, dad… you die.”

.

“dad’s making a jerk off motion at me”

.

“don’t play the pennywise card like you ALWAYS try to”

.

“should i talk slower so that everybody who has been complaining about us not playing dnd has time to nut?”

.

“i am a wizard. my name is taako. and i am pretty well fucked.”

.

“yeah i’ve got cumin who do you think i am?”

.

“hear that, babe? we’re *legends*”

.

“i’m clint mcelroy and i played merle hightower-“

“nope”

[formerlycookierunauprompts]

OOO I have another one that came to me in a dream! Basically the kingdom yn lives in hosts a ball which anyone can attend and yn let's say they're a maid/Butler attends and shadow milk (I'm obsessed with him right now) asks them for a dance and as they're chatting while dancing the yn notices that shadow milk knows a bit more about them than he should and as the dancing goes on he becomes more dominant practically not letting yn step in their own two cookie feet! And as the music stops a dread suddenly dread enters the dance floor and the only thing yn remembers happening after that is shadow milk leaning down to their shoulder and whispering something before they passed out.

bestie you are literally tickling my silly brain right now, also i may have diverged from the prompt a bit and just made the thing a whole little fic instead of a prompt like I'm supposed to be doing.

Request Prompt #8 - 💓

Reader is fem btw, popping this one under a cut because it is LONG

.

" Princess- No, Reader Cookie. Do you even realize how foolish you're being right now?" Your best friend and private advisor warned as they followed you around your room. " You father explicitly forbade you from going to the ball tonight! if he recognizes you there then I fear you may never leave your room again!" " He can't just expect me to miss out on every important social event until he deems me 'worthy enough to be queen'!" You argue back, already grabbing your masquerade mask and dress. " Besides, my mask is enchanted! There's no way he'll know it's me." You said, holding up your supposedly enchanted mask. " I wasn't aware of how far you planned this... to even sneaking out to purchase a dress for the ball beforehand." Your advisor mumbled in an exasperated manner, you simply just nodded along with their words. Truthfully, you'd gotten the dress and mask as a secret gift upon your windowsill one day. you'd originally planned to sneak out as a waiter... but actually partaking in the festivities sounded a lot more fun. " Oh calm down Crab Claw Cookie," You giggled. " It'll all be fine, I'm still a queen-to-be no matter what my father says. I am his only child after all, and it's not like anyone will be marrying him anytime soon." You spoke with a dismissive wave of your hand, you could still feel Crab Claw Cookie's worried eyes upon you, but you'd be fine, right? Plus, there was that odd dream you had a few days ago. A strange, shadowy cookie had appeared in the darkness, offering to give you your freedom in exchange for what you valued most. You had accepted, not thinking much of it at the time, but now that you thought about it... the dress had appeared once you woke up. And then there was the fact he'd said that he'd come to collect the other part of the deal at a later date. You shook your head, you should just continue to get ready. You have a night of freedom to attend to!

-✢-

The ball was in full swing, and yet here you were sitting off to the side. Why weren't you on the dance floor dancing away with the other cookies? Simple, you were completely unprepared for this kind of event! Because of your father and his overbearing nature, he never allowed you to attend any social events when you were younger. You must have gotten so used to your isolation that you had no idea how to actually interact with real people...! Crab Claw Cookie's social interaction simulations paled in comparison to the real thing... And maybe you were scared of your father noticing and recognizing you in the crowd. In short, you were completely lost. " Oh?" You here a voice speak, and looking next to you you can see a Cookie in quite the fancy blue and black suit, his white and blue haired mostly combed back into a sophisticated style while some covered his left eye. The eye that was uncovered was a rather nice shade of blue, like the ocean illuminated by the light of the full moon, or perhaps a blue moon? The mysterious cookie smiled at you, and you took note that it was rather cat-like. " What's a lovely girl like you doing over here on your own? Shouldn't you be having fun and dancing like the rest of the cookies here?" He asked with a tilt of his head, the playful grin never leaving his face for a moment. You hesitated before you let out a sigh, deciding to air your grievances to the stranger. Because isn't everyone a stranger at a masquerade ball? And yet, there was something familiar about him... " It's just that... I've never had the chance to go to a proper ball before. And now that I'm here, I have no idea what to do..." " Is that so?" The cookie mused with a hum, soon extending his hand after a moment. " Well, why not come dance with me? I can show you the ropes if you don't know how~" He offered, his expectant gaze imploring you to take his hand. So, and almost without question, you place your hand in his. Letting him lead you to the dance floor. The waltz was pretty simple, the music changing to signify that the current song was meant to be waltzed to. You knew how to waltz, but you still let him take the lead despite the fact that you( if only slightly) were the taller of your pair. It wouldn't hurt to strike some quiet conversation, right?

" It's so... odd." You mutter, your soft words having caught the ear of the cookie you were dancing with. " Hm? What is?" He asked, staring up into your masked eyes. Something about his gaze felt as if he were searching your very soul... But that was just a weird feeling, it was nothing. " It's just that..." You look down at your feet, yet a subtle movement from your partner caused you to make eye contact with him once again. " Who are you? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before..." You mumbled to the amusement of the other. " My dear Little Star, are we not at a masquerade ball? We aren't supposed to know who the other attendees are." He said with a chuckle, leading you further into the dance. You felt like you've heard someone call you that before, but where? You aren't sure. Are you even dancing anymore? It feels more like you're being puppeteered. You took a quick glance around, you weren't sure if the people watching you were anything more than shadows. " Princess," your partner begins, and your attention snapped back to him almost instantly like a dog hearing their favorite toy squeak. " You do know that you should keep your eyes on your partner while you're dancing, right~?" He hummed with a light giggle, taking your hands in his own. The music has stopped, in fact, you weren't even sure when it had. The entire ballroom was blanketed in shadows, the people you saw no more than silhouettes painted with glowing blue eyes. You felt like you were dreaming, hell, even your eyelids felt heavy as you continued to sway to the command of your partner. Soon enough, you lost your footing, collapsing into the other cookie's arms as you struggled to stay conscious. You could hear the cookie let out a slow, almost villainous chuckle. " Oh princess~ I've come for your half of the bargain~" He purred into your ear, leaving that as the last thing you heard before passing out.

-✢-

" Sire! Terrible news!" A pair of castle knights hollered, interrupting the king's morning. Reader Cookie hadn't even bothered to come down for dinner the prior night, even though he ended the ball early just to make time for her. If she kept up this pettiness then she would never be fit for the role of queen. " Yes?" He gruffly spoke, " Get on with it. Has another rebel group formed to usurp my throne? Is it an escaped Prisoner? It doesn't matter, we can handle all of those things." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand. " You don't understand sire!" The other knight cut in, stepping in front of the first knight. " It's Reader Cookie, she's gone missing!" It was as if a fuse had gone off inside the king's head. " WHAT!?" He yelled, almost spitting out his coffee. " What are you standing around for? Find her immediately! Her misbehavior will not be tolerated in this kingdom!" He barked out the order, with the knights saluting him and immediately running off to get to work. He slumped back into his throne, Reader Cookie was well above the age to know that her behavior was vastly unfit to be queen. Then, he heard it, that witches forsaken giggle that slowly turned into a cackle. " My my! It seems like your little princess has run off, your majesty!" The voice the laughter belonged to said in a mocking tone, with a certain jester stepping out from the shadows. " What a shame, truly!" " Shadow Milk Cookie." The king hissed, glaring at the jester with searing hatred. " You should know that you, nor any of the other beasts, are not welcome in this or any other kingdom!" He hollered, pointing directly at the beast. " Oh, your coldness wounds my heart..." He sighed dramatically, putting a hand over wherever his heart was supposed to be. " But, if you're going to be so rude, then I might as well just... not tell you what's happened to Reader Cookie." He smiled smugly, knowing that the King was falling right into his trap. " You! What have you done to my daughter?!" The king roared with frustration, which only caused Shadow Milk to laugh even more. " I swear, if you've hurt her then-!" " Then what?" Shadow Milk said with a sickening grin. " What will you do, your majesty? You and I both know that you've cared more about your kingdom than you do her, you just want her back because she's the only blood heir to the throne." He cackled at the revelation, and the horror dawning upon the king's face. " But if you want to prove me wrong... Then give up your kingdom, and I'll make sure she's safely returned." He proposed, eyes glinting with delight as he saw the hesitation in the king's stance. Oh how he loved to watch as cookies tried to decipher whether he was telling them the truth or not, not a single one had managed to catch him in a lie before it was already far too late. Such are the perks of practically embodying deceit, he supposed. He turned on his heel, waving goodbye to the king. " I'll give you a day to think it over. Either give up your kingdom and have your daughter returned to you... Or fail her for the last time, and live with the guilt." He left without another word, fading back into the shadows.

[jungshookz]

y/n needs help with sunscreen and, uh, yoongi can definitely help out with that

➺ pairing; demon!yoongi x y/n 

➺ genre; ...:-) 

➺ wordcount; 1.5k 

»»————- ☀️ ————-««

“remind me again why we couldn’t just stay home today?” yoongi grunts, leaning back against the flimsy foldout chair and tilting his head back, squinting slightly as bright rays of white-hot sun seem to shoot directly into his eyes despite him wearing a pair of pretty solid sunglasses, “fucking hell, that’s bright. you need to do something about the sun. can’t you, like, fly up there and shove some clouds in front of it or something?” 

god, he hates the outdoors 

and he hates the heat

years of living on earth have really softened him because he would like nothing more than to go back home and blast the air-conditioner until the apartment becomes an icebox 

“aw, don’t be like that. i, personally, love summer,” jimin sighs, crossing one ankle over the other as he basks in the warmth of the beautiful, golden ball of butter hanging in the sky, “and humans love going to the beach during the summer season! we need to do things that they like now that we live with them. you need to humanize yourself-“ 

“first of all, you love everything, and second of all, we aren’t humans,” yoongi grunts, reaching over to adjust the umbrella so that he’s covered by more shade, “you could literally sprout wings out of your back if you wanted to, and i could set someone on fire right now if i wanted to. and right now, this heat is making me want to set everyone on fire- oh my god, this shitty umbrella isn’t budging- how far did jungkook stick it into the sand?!“ 

“NOOOOOO!” both jimin and yoongi look over when they hear jungkook whining, yoongi letting out a laugh of genuine joy when he realises that jungkook’s sandcastle just got completely washed away by a rogue wave

HAH

“oh, no!” jimin gasps, sitting up straight in his seat as if the destruction of jungkook’s sandcastle is the worst possible thing to happen in the entire course of humanity, “oh, gosh… we should help him rebuild his castle, it’s the only right thing to do… i feel awful-“ 

“awful? that wave did him a favour.” yoongi snorts, “his sandcastle was an ugly little clump of sand, anyway- and if he was smart, he shouldn’t have built it so close to the water-“

“aw, did jungkook’s castle get wrecked?!” yoongi turns his head slightly upon hearing your voice and he isn’t surprised to see a popsicle (or what’s left of a popsicle) in your hand, “i told him not to build it so close to the water but he refused to listen to me. he said he wanted it to be close to the water so the crabs would be able to live in it if they wanted to.” 

“yeah, i’m sure the crab real estate market is booming right now-“ yoongi rolls his eyes, “see, jimin? i’m not the only one around here who thinks that jungkook’s sandcastle location was stupid-”

“hey, i never said stupid-“ you drop to your knees on top of your beach towel next to yoongi as you slide the rest of the popsicle off the wooden stick and pop it into your mouth in one go, chomping down on the deliciously citrusy icy crystals, “i jusht said it wahs in a bad locashun-“ 

“yeah. a bad, stupid location-“ 

“well, i don’t know about you guys, but i’m gonna go help him!” jimin gets up from his seat, pulling his sunglasses down from the top of his head before shaking his head, “i feel bad, i can practically see the waves of disappointment radiating off of him and i just can’t help but-“

“yeah, yeah, we get it, you’re an angel-“ yoongi dismisses jimin with a flick of his wrist, his eyebrows raising slightly when he sees you peeling your top off to reveal the very cute bikini you have on underneath, “and i am the complete opposite, hello-“ he lowers his sunglasses onto the tip of his nose, shamelessly letting his eyes wander along the slope of your back and the curve of your perky bum as you get settled on your beach towel, “where’ve you been hiding this little number??” 

“i haven’t been hiding it anywhere, i just brought it out for the beach!” the corner of your mouth twitches in a smirk as you get comfortable on the soft, warm ground, folding your arms over each other and resting your cheek on top of them — the truth is you have been hiding this little number (it’s a slinky little two piece that matches the fiery orange of yoongi’s newly dyed hair) because you’ve been saving it for a nice beach day like this, “do you think you could help get my sunscreen from-“ 

“yes.” yoongi rips his sunglasses off his face and gets up from his seat immediately, leaning down to grab the bottle of sunscreen out of your bag,  “god, yes, i can help-“ his mouth goes dry when you reach behind yourself to undo the string of your top and he turns to bite his fist because all he wants to do right now is thank satan for linking him up with you 

he remembers he was gonna call in sick on that day, too, but thankfully he decided to get out of bed and actually go to work like the good, hardworking demon he is 

it’s only a second later that you feel yoongi straddling you gently, crotch pressed against your bum and- “oh- god, yoongi, a little warning would’ve  been nice-“ you laugh lightly when you feel a squirt of sunscreen shoot across your back, shutting your eyes as your muscles relax under yoongi’s familiar touch 

“your ass looks so fucking good, baby-“ yoongi seems to be mesmerised and in his own little world as he rubs the sunscreen into your skin, letting his hands glide up and down your back in slow sweeps as he takes his bottom lip in between his teeth, “i, like- god, i wanna fuck the shit outta you-“ 

“yoongi-“ your eyes pop open and you feel your face burn up immediately when yoongi suddenly grips your hips with both hands and forces you up a little 

you turn your head to look back at him (which, in hindsight, perhaps only encouraged yoongi even more because he loves when you look back at him when he’s got you on your elbows and knees for him), flustered to see that yoongi’s eyes have gone dark and there’s a certain look of heat swirling around in them, “we are in public-“

“so? there’s an umbrella and we’re off to the side-“ yoongi’s hand slides up your greased-up back before it slinks into your hair, fingers wrapping around your hair before he gives you a gentle yank, “and you love when i fuck you in this position, you were certainly a big fan of it last night-“ he growls playfully, leaning down so he can press a kiss to the back of your ear 

“you are shameless!” you can’t help but let out a laugh of disbelief as the logical voice in your head tells you that this is a highly inappropriate way to act on a public beach while the sprinkling of demon in you tells you that you should 100% just let yoongi yank your panties down on a public beach- 

“i’m a demon, the fuck did you expect?” yoongi’s other hand grabs a fistful of your ass as he starts rocking against you, “you knew who i was when we got together, you literally summoned me-“ 

“y/n, jungkook needs your help with his castle!” 

“shit- one second!“ you practically shove yoongi off and roll out from under him when you hear jimin’s sweet voice ring out, getting up onto your knees and reaching behind your back to fumble with the strings of your top, “you’re horrible, you know that?” 

the last thing you’d want is for jimin to pop his head under the umbrella to see yoongi slutting you out because that would probably traumatise him 

“you love it, don’t lie.” yoongi can’t help but chuckle to himself at how flustered you are (even after all this time together, your cheeks still get so pink as if you’re not used to him being so brazen with you all the time) as he plops himself back down on his chair, running a hand through his hair before he leans down to pick his sunglasses up off the floor 

“you’re gonna have to help him dig the moat because apparently i didn’t do it as well as you-“ 

“coming!” you get up onto your feet, dusting the flecks of sand off your hands and looking around for your own sunglasses, “i’m coming, i’m coming-“

“well, not yet, but you will be once we get home.” yoongi coughs, flicking his finger towards you before your sunglasses suddenly float out of your bag and over to you 

“you are horrible.” you snatch it midair before anyone notices before scrunching your nose at yoongi in a frown of disapproval

absolutely horrible! 

🎙️ scold yoongi and y/n for public indecency (talk to my characters!) 

📚 why not explore the rest of the library while you're here? (full fics!) 

💫 or perhaps you want something shorter to read? (drabbles and mini series!)

🌟 or something even shorter? (teeny tidbits like this!) 

[shiftingconfessions]

A lot of these new shifters who came from TikTok and Amino are lying. Not because their stories are unrealistic—they are realistic—but it's because Amino was coded the same way. In 2021, everyone got exposed for lying, and now on TikTok, they're admitting they're lying for attention. Now, shifting is real; I have been doing it since 2019, but be careful who you're following and who you're listening to. A lot of these new shifters who ran away from TikTok because it's crumbling are just Wattpad writers or having a false attempt at living "in the end" in hopes that helps them shift. And then, others are just having lucid dreams or false awakenings and calling it a day. Please do your own research; shifting is very real. Stick to the old shifters on here—I can think of 3—not anyone who came during 2024. The quality of shift Tumblr is becoming juvenile, which is sad because it's been one of the best communities thus far. Take from the OG and please dip so you don't slow down your own journey. This has happened on every platform, unfortunately, but the people engrossed in drama are lying and attention-seeking.

The stories that literally sound like they're Wattpad-coded or just make no sense to the foundation of shifting are lying; the questionable memories are lucid dreams or a hypnagogic state. Again, shifting is REAL, the law is REAL, manifesting is real, but a lot of people are uneducated and literally want to spread misinformation and lies for shits and giggles, and it's embarrassing. Keep it on Amino and TikTok—you know who I am talking about. m unfortunately but the people engrossed in drama are lying and attention seeker, the stories that literally sound like they’re wattpadd coded or just make no sense to the foundation of shifting or lying, the questionable memories are lucid dreams or hypnagogic state. Again shift is REAL the law is REAL manifesting is real but a lot of people are uneducated and literally want to spread the misinformation and lies for shits and giggles and it’s embarrassing keep it on amino and tik tok you know who I am talking about

As someone who shifts often and meets with other wise shifters across realities , here are some tips:

1. **Stick to the Law**: The law of assumption will not fail you and is always in operation. Learn about it.

2. **Avoid Useless Debates**: Stop engaging in meaningless debates; this isn't drama club. Those involved in such debates likely aren't shifting—they're like crabs in a bucket.

3. **Embrace Lucid Dreams**: Lucid dreams can be your best friend. You sleep for a third of your life, so use it to your benefit!

4. **Believe It's Possible**: Yes, you can shift without trying, but most won't achieve this because you can't do something you don't believe to be true. Don't lie to yourself; honesty is key to progress. It’s okay to want techniques and use them, it’s okay to be lazy sometimes but some of you guys are being lazy without the assumption that will aid you so it will not work!! Shifting is worth it but some work in it’s okay…

5. **Don't Let Doubts Hold You Back**: Understand that your doubts can't stop you. Don't attach yourself to them.

6.Use Methods That Fulfill You: Stop copying others. There are no rules to shifting, which is why it works differently for everyone. Just because a method worked for someone else doesn't mean it will work for you in the same way.

7. **Feeling Is the Secret**: Your emotions and feelings play a crucial role in shifting.

8. **Have Faith in Yourself**: If you doubt everything else, at least have faith in yourself. Shifting is a part of you and is within you.

Good luck, and research wisely! Shifting is very real it’s so amazing guys. Please don’t scroll too much on this app anymore the quality has gone to shit in the last week or two and it will get worse.. don’t make the same mistakes everyone did in 2020!!!! You all can do it even the people currently lying (and it’s very obvious pls log off lol) they can do it too :)! To infinity and beyond my friends ☯️

.

[ms-scarletwings]

The Speculative Analysis About Irkens No One Asked For: Part II

Hiya! Back at it again with not shutting up about the lil green dudes. In case you found this first, here’s the Part One of this spiel, touching on some of the environmental theories about Irk and its cyberpunk-leaning cultural direction. While this post is dedicated to a more biological look of what’s going on with the Irkens, there was some leading context and other tidbits back in that one you may also enjoy, too.

So, carrying through what we previously set up, I want to… admit off the bat that, I found it a little difficult at first, you know?-To pick an angle I wanted to sink my teeth into. With how old the show’s become and how creative & enthusiastic a fanbase it attracted, it’s getting hard to really note (or theorize) something about Irken anatomy that hasn’t been said before somewhere. And don’t get me wrong, that’s awesome and I love almost every word of it I’ve read. A lot of it from various sources is almost certainly going to bleed together into the first half of this. So, keep it in mind, yet I will try to chew a little deeper into the questions we can’t actually answer with just a rewatch of the show, all good? Because there’s a few more base things we know from the canon I’m going to include to start listing: - Irkens lack any visible form of nose or ears, but are equipped with a pair of sensory antennae. Presumably, these organs fulfill the same roles, as they do in real-world insects. - Irken organs are obviously very alien, not well explained, artificially enhanced, and hard to compare to that of a human’s- outside of their general body shape, the presence of a primary brain separate from the PAK, and the fact that they do possess something of an internal skeleton. - A petite race on average (relative to humans), Irkens universally follow an unquestioned social hierarchy based on individual height. - Irkens are endowed with a remarkable ability to regenerate and heal superficial injuries, even up to repairing the damage of being nearly skinned alive (chest-down) or severely burning their corneas within a matter of hours. - Their preferred diet is one that is rich in (if not primarily made of) refined carbohydrates, and while they seem to tolerate fatty sources, such as processed dairy, their anatomy is poorly suited for dealing with high-protein foods like beans and meat. - In fact, all forms of contact with exposed animal meat itself will cause it to dissolve and meld into their own flesh, via an incredibly painful process. - On contact with water from Earth, their skin will receive harsh chemical burns (This has been explained by Vasquez to be a consequence of impurities and man-made pollutants, which Irkens seem sensitive to). - While I’m already on a roll about their skin, it also contains/produces a substance capable of killing lice.

Now, I think we’ve all heard a lot about sqeedily spooches, but does anyone else want to keep marinating a second longer on the topic of s k i n ? Because I have some damn thoughts to release about Zim’s outer casing.

Let’s Get Chemical

First hot take, and the hill I am willing to be slain on: That ain’t actually skin! At least, it is nothing chemically alike to Earth-native vertebrate skin. I’ve given all of the above and the general running theme about Irkens resembling arthropods a lot of thought, and I’ve come to about the only conclusion I could that makes their dermis equivalent… make sense.

See, one of the biggest traits that sets apart invertebrates from other animals in real life is the “innie or outie” skeleton question, but you gotta understand that the “skeletons” that bugs and crabs have would still be considered something completely different from our endoskeletons even if they were on the inside. The hard tissues that make up OUR skeletal systems are mostly made up of a *collagen (remember that word!) frame that is reinforced by calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals. The hard parts of an ant’s skeleton, on the other foot, are mainly composited of chitin.

Chitin, now, is a very neat substance. It’s a polysaccharide, meaning that it’s made up of a bunch of sugar molecules chained together. This makes it distinct from proteins, which are made of amino acid chains instead of carbs. Chitin is also one of the single most important structural polymers in the universe to a ton of existing life. It makes up the literal backbone of arthropods and the cell walls of all fungi. We’ve even found it in fish scales and some amphibians. So, must also be important to humans, right? NAH. Not a chance. Higher animals actually long ditched the ability to synthesize the stuff, and are not any the worse for it, since there’s more than one way to stick a bunch of creature pieces together. For two examples, keratin and *collagen are proteins we naturally synthesize that functionally do the same thing. Keratin is the hard substance that makes up hair & fingernails, and collagen is practically the wonderglue of flesh: It’s a fundamental binder that holds together your bones, your skin, your precious muscle meats, the ligaments, the tendies, the nerves…

pretty much the whole person blueprint if you get the picture.

And thus concludes your (VERY overly simplified) highshcool bio class recap, but what the hell did that have to do with the cartoon spacemen again? I’m gonna round back to them through a funny secret about exoskeletons, actually: They have a softer part, too! Chitin’s hella diverse in its forms and utility. What’s in an exoskeleton is actually a version of it modified with other materials (like what’s done to collagen in bone) to make it so rigid and shell-like. A purer chitin, on the other hand, is more leathery and flexible, less like the shell of a beetle and more like the squishy wall around a caterpillar or maggot. Even the hard bodied insects still have an endocuticle layer like this hiding just under the “shell”, still considered part of the whole exoskeleton, but suddenly looking and acting more like we’d call a skin.

Eh, see where I’m going with this? My conviction is this- Irkens may have used to be even more arthropodal in an earlier stage of their evolution, including BOTH an internal skeleton, and some form of protective exoskeleton in their body plan. And hey, maybe the two were extensions of the same system once, too. You recognize something like that in modern tortoises when you remember that their “shells” are actually just the bone structure of their own ribcage. Then, let’s say that Irkens later saw the loss of their heavier exocuticle, leaving behind the endoskeleton and the flexible inner (now just an outer) cuticle of what used to be an entire body shell. This could have been a gradual change, via natural selection, or it could have been another artificial mutation brought on by technology- wherein the elder brains decided the feature was less efficient and simply phased it out of the cloning process- the same as the loss of their species’ sexual organs.

But, you’re thinking, why on Irk would the loss of an entire badass armor layer be beneficial to their fitness? Few reasons- For one, they are cumbersome and limiting. The downgrade on freedom of movement and flexibility they would be for a bipedal humanoid is self-explanatory enough. When it came to structural integrity, the inner skeleton would have already done a well job with little modification. For all the protection they provide, they don’t leave much room for expansion, and need to be shed in order for the animal to grow any further or to recover from certain injuries. The process of molting itself would be an excruciating process for any intelligent species to have to endure; one that also temporarily leaves the critter in a very vulnerable and stressed state for every molt. To advance from more primitive origins into a dominant race, manual dexterity and mobility would have to take a front seat over a small amount of modest defenses, and mind you, Irk long ago woulda managed to compensate for that loss in the form of advanced weaponry (obviously).

I’m also of the mind that the shift away from an exoskeleton could have even been the key to allowing the Irkens to even grow to the size they are now. Recall back to Part One for a second, where I shared the likely case for Irk having a massive bulk behind its gravity field. Gravity is a hard thing on any skeletal structure, representing a constant strain to be fought against when moving, growing, and bearing weight .There’s a lot of factors behind why we don’t have horse sized spiders or elephant sized lobsters IRL, and weight is actually one of them. Notice how terrestrial isopods only get about to the size of a bean, but the aquatic ones can top out at over a foot long? And that’s only having Earth’s level of gravity to struggle against, let alone however harsh the conditions would be on a larger planet. So, there’s my framework for explaining what I think the aliens’ cuticle is not; however, what does that mean for what it is, besides “feels and looks like a grub’s”?

Well, look again at some of the extraordinary things it can do.

Cooties Immunity

“Germs” was a memorable episode that posed a very legitimate question to the viewer. Why IS IT that foreign pathogens aren’t a bigger concern for the invaders? They’re literally sent off to other worlds to blend in: Socializing with the native inhabitants, eating their foods, and living in an alien habitat. In the case of an undiscovered rock like Earth, our infectious diseases would have no reference available to the Armada whatsoever. Sure, species incompatibility would provide some protection, but the risk of something carrying over and adapting is always still there. Zoonoptic jumps happen all the time with bacteria and viruses, and Zim’s body temperature IS in the normal human range. And what about fungal pathogens, or parasites-

Oh, wait, the lice episode gave it away right there.

I love this sequence so much, because it’s coincidentally like, an exact “art imitates life” parallel to something a real species of primate does. Black lemurs live in the same area of Madagascar as these vibrant, red millipedes.

The millipedes are special because when threatened, they secrete a poisonous substance from their skin. The lemurs are special because they like to grab the bugs and nibble them for no other reason than to make them release those toxins. Those chemicals are then rubbed into their fur, because somehow the lemurs figured out it makes a really handy mosquito repellant. The lemurs also like to get completely zonked out on the chemicals too but eyy- Point was it stands to reason that Irkens may also secrete small amounts of their own potent toxin from the cuticle, perhaps for more hygienic than defensive purposes. This secretion would be responsible for protecting them from parasites and topical infections. Could it also make people blazed out of their minds? …Maybe? I think I’d like to promote the “Just Say No” policy on the matter of licking aliens, though. Ffs at least ask them out to dinner first.

When it comes to other kinds of sick, looks like it might be the trusty old PAK to the rescue here again. I imagine that, being an intergalactic, partially mechanical civilization, the Irken race has come down this road enough to put in a workaround. A standard PAK contains the entirety of the population’s collective knowledge/history- which would include a catalog of all known infectious agents they have encountered across the universe. Some kind of nanobot-bolstered immune system that could detect and respond appropriately to new threats isn’t out of the question, nor should a feature that can automatically administer the appropriate medicine directly into the wearer’s bloodstream. For all this awesomeness, nonetheless, there remains a downside or two that they haven’t quite conquered..

The Meaty, Sweety, Mending of DOOM

Anyone ever actually think about how as far as resilience is concerned, Zim is practically an X-man compared to any Earthling? He has regenerative capabilities that surpass anything else on earth, save idk, bamboo shoots, if even. Injuries that would leave a human permanently disabled only seem to incapacitate an Irken for a few hours to a day at most. They’re all the more tough to put out of commission when considering that a PAK doubles as a form of backup life support, ready to “soft reboot” the host with a quick jolt if it detects a sudden drop in vital signs. It is tempting to credit the same device as the source of this healing boost as well, teasing the nanobot suggestion again; however, I see a chance instead to bring this back a step.

Although not as quick-acting as Zim, or Skoodge’s healing, there are some remarkable examples of regeneration in real arthropods, from repairing tissues/organs to replacing entire lost limbs. What the aliens are packing doesn’t seem all that different, only refined (through years of bioengineering) to work at a truly frightening efficiency. It shows through in their diet as well. Almost always, if we see a member of this species eating on screen, and believe me there was no shortage of examples, what are we watching them shovel their face with?

Space doughnuts, space popcorn, space Fun-Dip, sodas, and curly fries. Sure, there’s plenty of calories here, no doubt with the amount of carbs and grease that could even turn the stomach of a college freshman, but is this… nutrition?

Yes. Just not for us.

Like their civilization, we have also turned the mass production of sweet-packed, fat loaded foods into one of our favored art forms, and there are scattered pockets of our planet that can enjoy these items in cheap abundance. The catch 22? Obesity and heart disease. Meanwhile, Irkens are so metabolically blessed that they can follow the same lifestyle and actually be thriving by it. We know that the majority of human food is utterly toxic to Zim, but then there were waffles, a literal stack of dessert and butter that pretends to be a breakfast…. Our guy was experiencing the “finally some good fucking food” meme from the first bite off that plate, but this can’t seriously be healthy,or if it is, then how?

Well, if I did sell you on the idea that much of their tissues and skeleton swaps out a chitin base where we would be using protein, there you go. Sugars for the building blocks to synthesize the connective/structural tissues for maintaining the body, and the bulk of the energy required to keep it running. And I won’t make the leap and suggest that’s all they have.

After all, the Irken equivalent of sandwiches do actually seem to contain “lettuce” and something that people will say looks like meat slices while not convincing me. I can get behind the thought of the natural or maybe original Irken diet to be a mix of plant matter and supplemental fungi, but everything I’ve put together implies that they are completely unfit for processing the goodies in animal flesh.

Overwhelmingly, I believe that the only time they possibly even seek out more sources of amino acids is going to be when they are smeets. That’s how it works in many wasp species. I.e. The growing larvae are the only ones that actually get to reap from the hard work of a colony hunting down enough protein to feed them with, yet the adults live out the rest of their lives more than content to gorge themselves on nectars and fruits exclusively!

And you even could put that aside, but you’ll have to grapple with the ungodly thing that happens every single time you see Zim touching a piece of meat. Would be awfully convenient to blame it on his personal brand of weirdness, or earth contaminants, but we remember this was a weakness that Tak approached fully aware of and expecting.

We know that polluted water can burn them. We know that beans and other foods can give them grotesque allergic reactions. Well what in the horrifying name of Resident Evil is this, though? Buddy pals, I think we got some unintended consequences of that bio-hacking on hand. Collagen and chitin aren’t just functionally similar to each other, they are practically analogous building blocks.

For a WILD science fact, consider that there’s a ton of ongoing research into the application of chitin and chitin-derivatives into having a role in tissue engineering, as a hypothetical scaffold in lab cultured meat, and as an effective wound dressing ingredient.

What we’re seeing with incidents like Dib throwing that Bologna at Zim could be an extreme form of the vise versa, because I know a certain protein that processed meat happens to be pretty high in :)))

Imagine the coupling of this with the bioengineered genome of Zim’s kind being so… reactive to a foreign intrusion, yet also flexible to modification. Maybe it is the acids, or some contaminant/seasoning on the meat that first damages the cuticle. That healing ability kicks in, but doesn’t stop where chitin does, readily binding to and with the collagens in these strange tissues that are sorta like an Irken’s but also just enough not like an Irken’s that it also kicks the immune system into overdrive. Think of all the pain and inflammation of a poison ivy rash but if the damn plant itself could also fuse itself with whatever you brushed against it. I think Zim actually had an understandable reason to be homicidally pissed off for that Bologna assault. Also how the Bologna virus was accelerated in Zim’s body. Once it had incorporated itself into his own DNA, it was game set and match with the speed and help those cells had to replicate themselves.

And uh, yeah, I think this post has gotten about as long as it reasonably should be here. I did have a couple more points I really wanted to get out of my brain about the Almighty Tallest, and I think that would be a good launching point actually for a possible (and hopefully final jfc) part three to this. Till then I got some off-topic scoliids to taxidermy 👀

[cho-aaacho]

Turmoil and Tenderness

Masterlist

Imagine pt.5

This morning, chaos reigned in the school. Nanami mentioned that you had fainted, yet the most frantic individual here was Gojo. Of course, who else? He has always been a drama queen. 

After a long conversation with Yaga and fooling Gakuganji at the entrance, he hurried to the hospital with Shoko, leaving Geto behind without a word. Poor that man; now he had a consequence if Yaga asked about Shoko and Gojo's absence. 

Gojo even left his phone in class and forgot to put on his shoes—what a scatterbrain!

Everything that unfolded was a consequence of your decision to run through the rain with Gojo to buy snacks and ice cream, ignoring Geto's warnings. Geto has probably had enough with you two.

But how could you tell? You can't change everything; you can't walk back to the past and fix anything. Because it was too late.

After locating your room, Gojo's booming voice rattled the door, drawing annoyed glances from the nurse and doctor due to its volume.

As he checked your condition, his hands roamed over every inch of your body, causing a little embarrassment as he grazed sensitive areas. His obliviousness to this fact highlighted his occasional stupidity, leaving you pondering whether he was truly innocent or simply dense.

"You're warm," he murmured, pressing his cheek against yours and then caressing them.

You can observe the worry etched on his face, despite his efforts to conceal it with a smile and loud chatter. Yet a hint of concern still lingers in his eyes.

"Naturally, I am, Gojo-kun."

"If Nanami hadn't found you in time, you might have drowned."

Indeed, you would nearly fall into the fish pond if Nanami hadn't found you. Fortunately, you were light enough to be carried, not as hefty as a sack of wheat.

"Gojo-kun," a chilly whisper cut through the silence.

"Yes?"

"You're... heavy. You're so heavy."

"Ah, my apologies."

Clearly, isn't it obvious? He leaned against your chest casually, like a newborn baby in a mother's embrace, seeking comfort from your sweet body while checking your heartbeat.

Could he feel the warmth emanating from your chest? Maybe. Did he find it comforting? No need to ask.

As Gojo shifted slightly, his gaze fell upon your disheveled visage, flushed like a crab, eyes watery with distress. In his eyes, you appeared vulnerable, so fragile like flowers—beautiful indeed.

"I find you endearing when you're like this, so fragile, like a flower," he remarked, his fingers grazing your cheeks as he chuckled.

"How amusing, Mr. Gojo."

Both of you chuckled, though you struggled to breathe. Yet, witnessing Gojo's concern for you left you engulfed in an odd sense of awkwardness, a feeling you couldn't quite shake off.

Remaining in his position, Gojo whispered, "They say, when we're this close, we might have been soulmates in a past life."

You laughed. "Soulmates in foolishness, perhaps. But what do you mean by 'close'?" You teased him, which left him flustered.

Amidst his laughter, Gojo turned away, hiding his shyness momentarily. "Speaking of faces, aren't we somewhat similar? Both of us are rather attractive; wouldn't you agree?"

"Are you stupid? Shut up. I don't want to hear you boast about your looks."

Gojo snapped his fingers, his laughter echoing. "How cruel. These lips of mine could make you melt with my kiss, you know."

"Oh, really?"

Silence hung in the air, punctuated only by the patter of raindrops and Shoko's laughter in the background.

"Hey..."

"What is it now, Gojo-kun?"

He leaned in closer, his forehead touching yours and his hand caressing your shoulder, before planting a gentle kiss on your cheek. "The medicine hasn't taken effect yet."

A mischievous smirk played on his lips; he loved teasing you, finding joy in making you blush or flustered with his prank. Strangely, you found yourself enjoying his playful demeanor, willingly becoming his target.

"Do you think medicine works like WiFi? Get off my face!"

"But you seem to enjoy my kisses, don't you? How about I try your lips next?"

"I'm not enjoying your kisses; I just—I can do nothing this time."

[lightgirlification]

In Stars and Time: After Story Chapter 5

CW for slight intrusive thoughts. It's time for the next chapter in this story! Enjoy!

Chapter 5:

Siffrin sighed in content as they flopped down to the bed, taking in the soft blankets and the mattress that formed around their body just right. They heard a chuckle from Isabeau,

“You really love that bed huh?”

“It’s one of the best I’ve slept in.” Siffrin pouted, “Do we really have to leave it when we go?”

“Unfortunately, but this won’t be the last time we have such a comfy bed. Who knows? Maybe we’ll find an even better one!” The rogue shook their head,

“Nope. This bed is the ruler of all beds, it reigns supreme.” His boyfriend grinned,

“And we are it’s subjects I presume? It seems to rule over us well considering how we sleep.” Siffrin smirked,

“Would explain the spring in our steps.” Isabeau laughed,

“Yes! Definitely!” The tall man tried to calm himself, “I should watch my voice, I don’t want to disturb the others.”

“Don’t worry…” Siffrin’s smirk grew, and Isabeau tried not to look like he was eager to hear what came next, “I’ll quilt it if it gets too much.” The large man covered his mouth to muffle his cackles, falling to sit on the bed. Siffrin joined him in his laughter, it was so easy with how hearty Isabeau’s laughs were. His laughter dying down, the man looked back at Siffrin,

“Crab, I love you, you know that?” The bright haired adult’s cheeks darkened slightly but they nodded. They would never forget that; they would do everything in their power to remember, especially with how much Isabeau does for them. They looked down at their hands, fiddling with them,

“I do. I don’t want to ever forget that.” It became silent, Siffrin becoming enraptured with how his hands looked. He couldn’t forget his love for Isabeau or the others; if he did what did that make him? Someone who used that very love to make himself feel better. No, he wouldn’t let that happen. He felt the bed recessing more and turned his head to look at Isabeau lying next to him,

“What’s on your mind buddy?”

“What do you mean?” His boyfriend gave a fond, yet knowing look,

“You look like you’re thinking too hard again.” Siffrin blinked and stared for a moment, before looking to the side with a nervous smile,

“I guess I am…” Turning to face the ceiling again, his hands rested on top of his stomach, “It’s just…I’m happy my memory is getting better, and that I was able to recall something for so long. But…What if it was just a fluke, that this is just one big trick being played by someone bigger than all of us? And then tomorrow I forget everyone’s favorite foods, or even the designs in your sketch book.” His eye became pained, “I hate that thought, I don’t want to keep forgetting Isa.” If he forgot he was no better than the villains in the plays he watched; using others for their own gain, tricking them into caring so they could get what they wanted. He didn’t want to be like that…He jumped a little at the feeling of a hand covering both of his, and looked back over to Isabeau,

“You won’t keep forgetting Sif, I promise.” Siffrin looked desperate,

“How do you know? Isa, I may have grasped the memories now somehow but with my mind the way it is…”

You will forget, you ALWAYS forget. You grasp onto them like a leech and will keep doing so because you treat the memories like TRASH.

They shook their head, “We can’t trust it! I know I’ve been doing well, and maybe there’s a possibility I won’t need physical proof or so many reminders in the future but I-!”

“Sif.” The words stopped immediately at Isabeau’s stern tone, but it was replaced with soft comfort, “It’ll be okay. You’ve been doing very well, I’ve seen it. But you seem to think that failing isn’t an option anymore.” The man’s grip on Siffrin’s hands tightened slightly, “There’s no shame in needing help. You know you can rely on us, right?” The rogue looked at their pillow,

“I do. But I don’t want to bother anybody. You all do so much for me already, and if I get better then you all won’t have to worry about me.” To their surprise, Isabeau chuckled,

“I hate to break it to you, but I think we’re going to anyway. We all worry about each other, and we make sure that we’re okay. There are times we make mistakes, but we work together to solve the problem or do our best to make it up to each other. That’s what being family means.” Siffrin blinked. Right, they were family, even after…

“Even after…What happened 4 months ago?” Isabeau nodded,

“I know how hard you treat yourself about it, and while what you did was wrong, I think anyone would be lost when going through what you did. Crab Sif you’re human. You are allowed to feel upset.”

“But I hurt you all…” Siffrin muttered sadly, but Isabeau continued,

“You did, but you obviously regret what happened, and you are making it up to us by letting us in bit by bit. We just want you to get better buddy.” Siffrin’s lips tightened into a thin line,

“What if I never get better? What if I’m…just trapped?” They shivered at the thought, “I can’t…go back.” Isabeau lifted his arm, an invitation to a hug, and who was Siffrin to refuse? They scooted closer to wrap their arms around Isabeau as the man held them close, combing through their hair with his fingers,

“No one is ever truly stagnated. Stuck maybe, but we’re always improving in some way. I know how you feel, wanting to rush through it and see the results, but you can’t do that to yourself. All it’ll lead to is an eventual crash, and the more you push it the more chained down you become.” Siffrin looked up,

“But shouldn’t I push through it so I can work towards those goals?” Isabeau closed his eyes in thought,

“Well…” His dark orbs opened, “Think of it like this. A rope that’s secure and well maintained will do its job just fine, but there’s still going to be ware and tear on it. If that rope is pulled on constantly, that tear will become worse until it eventually snaps. It’s not the rope’s fault, the situations around it just pushed it to its breaking point.” Isabeau looked at Siffrin, “Now imagine you’re the rope. You have gone through a lot of situations that would cause any of the finest thread to break, but you’re still here, fighting and holding on. A ‘rope’ with that strength is extremely special but needs to be cared for as much as anyone would. You deserve to take it easier on yourself, you’re doing so much work as is.” He kissed Siffrin’s head, “And I for one am so proud of you.” Siffrin blinked several times as the tears began to build up. He took in Isabeau’s words, and nodded,

“Thank you.” He whispered, “I’ll do my best to…take it easier.”

“And that’s okay, moderation is important. Just know whatever you decide to do, we’re all here for you, okay?” Siffrin nodded once more, before yawning. Isabeau made them both more comfortable, and after nuzzling into their boyfriend’s chest, Siffrin let themself drift off.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Siffrin fell asleep easier than usual. It was probably because of the big meal they had that night, and the talk they had with Isabeau calming their nerves. The man was right about a lot of things, and Siffrin could admit they felt accomplished for remembering things over a long period of time. It made his heart swirl with pride and truly, maybe soon he wouldn’t need help to remind him of various things; no more lists, books, or even other people’s words, he would grasp memories all on his own. But was that truly possible? With his mind the way it is…No, stop, he shouldn’t give in so easily. He said to Isabeau he would try to take it easier, and he could also talk with Odile to set up a plan to help him continue remembering things. He could do this.

Speaking of which, his talks with Odile did help soothe his subconscious, not having nearly as many nightmares as he did a few months ago. Originally, during and after the loops, sleep was something Siffrin feared. The visions he saw when his body drifted off were intense, and there were plenty of nights where he woke up screaming, sometimes not even knowing he was awake. Now however, his dreams had been easier to manage despite the vivid imagery.

But this was...Different...

Siffrin's eye was met with a bright, almost shimmering field of which he laid in, and a calm sky above; quite different than the usual scenery his mind would conjure up. It was...peaceful, not only that but Siffrin felt awake just as he did when he laid his head down that night. There was no haziness that came with his vivid dreams, he felt fully awake. What was going on?

Well, nothing is going to come to him just laying here. Besides doing so brought on less then savory memories…

They stood up and looked around, seeing a few trees around and a little river. Perhaps they should follow it and see where it led…They began following the water’s edge, looking around for any changes. They walked for what seemed like a few minutes before a tree came into view, and not just any tree, it was...The Favor Tree in Dormont? Oh no, what was this dream trying to do to him? Siffrin gulped and took careful steps closer, unsure if he would be ready for what awaited him. He was at the side of the tree, placing a nervous hand on it. It felt so real, the wood brushing against his glove as it would when he was awake. He took a deep breath in...And out…He needs to face whatever his head was going to throw at him. Siffrin swiftly turned the corner of the tree and turns out he was right about not being ready, but not in the way he would ever have expected. He froze on the spot, his eye growing as wide as it could become as he took in the person before him.

"...Loop?" The said figure jumped only slightly. It was like they were experiencing the same dream as Siffrin was, but he had to remember this was just an illusion made up by his mind due to the traveler missing Loop so much. Siffrin shouldn’t get his hopes up, this was a dream after all, and they looked down sadly, "I guess...I would dream of you eventually. It's been months and yet this is the first time I've seen you in some way. At least it counts for something right Loop?" It is silent between them.

Obviously, what good would talking to a mere imitation do? Stupid, absolutely stupid.

"Come now Stardust, are you still thinking like that? I imagine you've at least tried to talk with them!" Siffrin's head shot up and stared at the other, and Loop stared right back, "Wait...You heard that?" Siffrin nodded slowly, and Loop blinked several times as if trying to see if this was real, real to them as it was to Siffrin. They laughed a little, "Well isn’t this a cruel joke. First, I wake up somewhere I don't know, and now I'm dreaming of you. I mean, what sort of comfort is that when I can't even truly talk to-"

"Loop." The said Star stopped talking as Siffrin spoke, "I...I want to try something." He stepped a little closer, and could tell Loop was tense, almost taking a battle stance. Did they perhaps have nightmares too, if so what of? Put that on the back burner Siffrin...

The shorter between the two slowly raised his hand, and then gently poked Loop's, who blinked at the action, "Did...You feel that?" Loop nodded, and Siffrin gulped. He didn't want to get his hopes up but..."Now, do something similar to me." Loop carefully took Siffrin's hand in theirs...

Before pinching the back of it.

"OW?!" Siffrin jumped and pulled his hand away, "SERIOUSLY?!" Loop all the while was staring, before their laughter burst out,

"Stars, you really let out a yelp! I knew you were still jumpy Stardust but my goodness~!" Siffrin huffed,

"I was just trying to see if...! If..." It hit them both, they were really speaking to each other. Whatever dream this was, whatever was happening to them...

This was real. This was real!

"Loop!" Siffrin smiled widely and jumped to wrap their arms around the said Star, who stumbled back a bit,

"Ack! O-Okay, I wasn't expecting you to be a hugger now!" Siffrin looked up at Loop with tears in his eye, happily giggling,

"I had a good teacher." There was a pause, but soon Loop gave a soft chuckle,

"Bonnie?" Siffrin nodded,

"Bonnie." The rogue felt tears fall down his face, and he buried his face into Loop's chest, "I missed you Loop."

"I...Can see that..." Siffrin felt Loop's hands hover over his back, before settling on his shoulders, "I did say we'd meet again Stardust." Siffrin nodded, looking up again,

"But where are you now? Are you far from us? Are you still under the tree in Dormont-"

"Hold on now, how about you calm down first before asking all the questions? Also, I'd prefer not to be a handkerchief so could you please not wipe your tears on me?" Siffrin jolted backwards,

"I-I'm sorry I just-!"

"I'm kidding Stardust~! You're just so easy to tease!" Siffrin pouted before Loop sighed, "But really, despite everything...It’s good to see you." Siffrin smiled at the words, looking at the tree,

“I wonder why this is the place this dream…vision…or whatever decided on.” Loop crossed their arms,

“I don’t fully understand myself, but maybe it’s because we spent a lot of time underneath this tree. Honestly, the place that was involved in you being caged and where I tried to kill you shouldn’t be a place we meet again.” While there may be truth to that, Siffrin still shook their head,

“Even so, it’s where I first met you. Though I was trapped I still was happy you were there. In a very odd way, I’m fond of this place because it reminds me of you.” He could feel Loop’s eyes on him,

“You really are strange Stardust…” They looked conflicted, and Siffrin understood why. It was as if Loop didn’t want to be looked at so fondly after everything, but the rogue couldn’t help that. Loop was dear to them as his family, in a sense they were family. Siffrin wished he could say that, but he knew Loop’s feelings were very raw on the topic, so he would remain silent about it for now.

“Well, I don’t think we’ll wake up anytime soon.” Siffrin sat down on the tree just like he did back in Dormont, “So why don’t we talk a bit?” Loop raised an eyebrow,

“You? Talk? Now I’ve heard everything.”

“Pun intended?” Siffrin asked and his counterpart rolled their eyes, a smile clear to see even without a visible mouth,

“Make of it what you will.” Loop took their seat, crossing their legs and resting their cupped hands on their knee, “Now then, how can help you on this wonderful-” Loop caught themselves, their eyes holding unease as they looked to the side, “I have to get used to not needing to say that.” Siffrin chuckled nervously,

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” This brought on an awkward silence that caused Siffrin to play with his bangs. What could the two talk about exactly? Maybe Siffrin could start off with how he’s been, but would that be rude of him? Wait a minute, Loop mentioned they were unsure of where they were, perhaps Siffrin could ask about that, “So um…You don't know where you've woken up at all?" Loop blinked at the question,

“Eh? Ah…” They thought for a moment, "I'm not entirely sure what happened after our fight but...It was like I was sleeping for a long while. Perhaps death is very much like that.” A shake of their head, “But I digress. I woke up just recently in a wooded area, and I didn’t make much head way in finding a town or city because, well just waking up from being dead gives you a lot to think about~!" Loop cheerfully put their hands together, and Siffrin knew they were masking how they truly felt, but he wouldn’t push it. It was quiet again as Loop seemed to think for a bit before they seemed to think of something and they narrowed their eyes at the bright haired traveler, "You didn't wish for this did you?" Siffrin swiftly waved his hands in front of him,

"No absolutely not! Even if I wanted to, I refused to even utter the word ‘wish’! Hasn't left my mouth for months..." Loop sighed,

"Right…I was just making sure." Siffrin didn't blame them, still it was all so odd...

"Why do you think you suddenly woke up?" Loop leaned back a little,

"That is the burning question, Stardust. Anything could've happened when you won. Who knows, maybe your 'belief in me' brought me back." Siffrin smiled softly and Loop made a face, "Don't look so happy about that, it's the cheesiest thing I've ever said." Siffrin giggled,

"But I'd like for it to be true." Loop tilted their head,

"You certainly are back to being more positive again. You've been talking to your allies I presume?" Siffrin nodded,

"A lot yeah, and Odile and I have scheduled talks. It...feels good to get things out." Loop closed their eyes in thought,

"...I'm glad." They then winked at Siffrin taking on one of their famous poses, "So! Were you losing sleep over little ol' me? Do you find me that dreamy?" Was...Was Loop making puns? And not only that, but they were also good ones! Siffrin’s title of 'Ruler of Puns' was being challenged, he must stand his ground.

Siffrin put on a smirk, "Perhaps I needed to see your shimmering presence again." A confident air emanated from Loop,

"I am quite stellar."

"Maybe I'll catch some z's thanks to you." Even Siffrin knew that one was bad, and Loop looked triumphant,

"I believe I win this round Stardust." The rogue huffed a little, before beginning to chuckle,

“No worries, I’ll get you next time. Besides, I appreciate a fellow pun enjoyer.” Loop huffed a laugh,

“I honestly don’t remember the last time I made any. Good to know my skills haven’t diminished at all.” Siffrin smiled,

“Really though, it’s good to see you again Loop. I was worried I’d never see you again.” He shifted a little, “I know you probably were tired of talking to me but-”

“Hey, don’t go doubting yourself now.” Loop interrupted, “Look, as much as we had our differences, you honestly brought a sense of normalcy to my life again; despite being another version of me, which is saying a lot. I did say it was good to see you again.” Siffrin could tell the words were sincere, but the other was holding something in,

“But…aren’t you concerned about being back?” Siffrin asked nervously, “You deserved to be at peace in any shape or form.” Loop sighed,

“I don’t know how to answer that, Stardust. I admit I have mixed feelings about it, but how about I decide what ‘peace’ is for me alright?” Siffrin nodded. That was the end of that conversation, maybe for the best, “Now then, what were you saying about having talks with your Researcher?” Back to using his family’s titles? Maybe it was no surprise, they had no connection to these people. Siffrin nodded again,

“Right. Odile brought up the idea shortly after we left Dormont. I can talk about parts of the loops I can’t with the others yet with her. It’s preparation for therapy now and…while I don’t think highly of it, everyone seems to think it’ll help. I mean, Mira has had therapy so it can’t be all bad right?” Loop hummed,

“They really care about you, so they are making sure you get the best help you deserve.”

“Mm-hm. I’m happy they’re still with me, no matter if I can be next to them or not.” Loop closed their eyes,

“It seems you’ve made some significant progress since we last met.” They opened their eyes to reveal they held warmth, “I’m proud of you.” Siffrin jolted a little at the words, but smiled widely as he couldn’t help the tears building up in his eye,

“Thanks. That means a lot coming from you.”

“Well of course. I am great at flattery~.” Loop winked, and Siffrin giggled tearfully,

“Still, thank you.” Siffrin let out a yawn, feeling lightheaded so he leaned against the tree. Loop held their head,

“Well then, I think it’s time we woke up.” The expression on Siffrin’s face must have been dreadful, because Loop laughed a bit, “Don’t worry Stardust, I doubt this is the only time we’ll talk again. Perhaps we’ll will tomorrow night.” Siffrin stared, before nodding,

“Alright, I’ll hold you to it.” A smile sent his way was the last thing Siffrin could remember seeing before his consciousness faded.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

The sun’s rays peaked through the curtains and fell on Siffrin’s face. He slowly opened his eye and surprisingly felt well rested. His mind recalled what he dreamt of, or rather, who he met again, and beamed just as bright as the orb in the sky. He began giggling, bringing his hands to his face to muffle his voice, but he couldn’t help but wave his hands in excitement.

“Someone must’ve had a good dream.” At the voice, Siffrin looked up and saw Isabeau smiling at him, “I have to wonder how you got so adorable.” Siffrin giggled more and hugged the other,

“Morning.” He paused, mulling over how to tell Isabeau without sounding crazy. Would he even believe them? “I can’t explain it but…it wasn’t a dream I had. I…I saw Loop again. I-I know that sounds crazy, but I swear it’s true! I don’t know how or why but-”

“Sif it’s okay, I believe you.” Siffrin stared at his boyfriend,

“…Really?”

“Of course. You wouldn’t lie about something like that.” Siffrin’s grip around Isabeau tightened a little,

“I wouldn’t but…You don’t think I’m just saying it just because I miss them?”

“Again, you wouldn’t do that Sif. You’ve missed them a ton, and I know how much that’s been weighing on you. So if you’re able to see them again in any shape or form, that’s good!” Isabeau said and Siffrin felt bashful, but soon smiled again. It felt good to know he was believed, hopefully the rest of his family would also too. He sat up with Isabeau following him, and he sent the rock craft user a big grin,

“Well then, let’s get some breakfast. I’ll tell you and the others all about it!”

[ikkosu]

idk if I should make this au a series but here you go <3 (au explanation in the tags bc I don't want to spoil)

mouse-verse IMPASSIVITY is at an all time high. Prowl struggles to ignore the nudge against his ribs. A locked jaw, optics for slits are the best he's got under pressure. Even, better — bared dentas to deter trouble.

But there's something about Bumblebee — that punk is trying his patience, unfazed by the enforcer's abrasive demeanor. He's pushing it. Pushing it hard. Without even a glance, he's sure as Primus's aft a chesire grin is leeching from that face.

"And, what's the status?" His audials picked up on Optimus's voice, a blur of red and blue not too far in the laboratory from where he stood. Prowl straightens. Ah, professional. Be professional. He can't be seen behaving inappropriately.

Then, he hears your voice and loosens visibly.

"Neutral, sir. For now, at least. It'll come round eventually. But I'll try to stabilize it."

Prowl shifts, almost imperceptibly, on his pedes. The scout is now focused on a bubbling flask. A digit out, prodding the capped casing. Phosphorus, Prowl recognizes. Vanilla crystals blossomed at the bottom and explosively so. But he bites back a chastise — if the yellow bug is broken out of his curious stance, Prowl might not be able to grasp this chance to, well, have a look.

So, he tilts his helm and lets his optics skim, much the same as he does when he's scheming — a search for your figure amidst all the beams and laboratory apparatus of the room is discreet.

It was organized, clean. You fixed your workspace often. Adored organizing your paperwork in neat little bundles. He discerned some stacks under your desk with those pastel straps you always hoard from the nearest stationary shops.

That is the decorum, the attitude of a proper soldier. It is what he'd like to see in everyone's workstation. Clean and logically organized.

Once his optics caught your eyes, he swivels away. His doorwings piked up, much to his chagrin. A side periphery of a smile curling your mouth didn't help the flare of warmth prickling the back of his neck , running all the way up to his forehead. His frown becomes all the more apparent.

And, of course bumblebee notices.

"Can it." He grits out before he could say anything else.

Bumblebee just shrugs but the slag-eating grin is still there. "Didn't say I warned ya, buddy."

"Don't call me buddy." He says coldly. " I am not your buddy. I am your commanding officer and you will refer to me properly as such."

"Eugh, leave it for Ironhide to decide. I'm not here on a debate for ranks."He elbows his rib plates with a wag of his brows. "What I'm here for, though...." He trails off, and shimmies a crab dance to block his view.

Prowl grimaces and retaliates by looking above the horns of his head. "Enough. You're making a fool out of yourself." He bares out.

"Oooh. Someone's quite the looker, huh."

"And, you're about to gain a look of a lifetime, through physical means."

"Prowl suggested I seek your advice."

Both bots stiffen at the sound of pedes approaching. The Prime has his servos folded behind his back, hunching, and tilting his helm so he could regard your face. You trotted beside him, a hand shoved into the pocket of your labcoat and the other swiveling a pen.

"Oh, did he?" You stop before the enforcer.

The fat of your cheeks pulled into a smile.

"I did." Prowl clips. "You specialise in force fields — an expertise greatly suitable for that area of predicament."

Bumblebee adds "A great suitor for the other— hrrk!"

Prowl shoves an elbow against his ribs. The yellow bugs keels over, wheezing. Optimus raises an eyebrow. What he thinks of it is left unsaid as he turns to you.

"This won't be too demanding of me?"

"No, not at all." You wave placatingly. "I'm busy but this isn't' something of a problem I can't handle. I'll have the blueprints by dawn."

The Prime pats your shoulder, optics gentle as he heads for the sliding doors. "Have a good evening, mouse."

"You too, sir."

"And, you t—"

Prowl shoves the yellow bug outside, locking the laboratory pad with a few quick punch of his digits for good measure. When he's sure the two silhouettes are gone, he vents through clenched teeth and tries to conceal his irritation. Though, proven futile with how his doorwings twitch.

He's had enough, for today.

"Bothersome?" You mused.

"A work in paradise."

He swivels around and despite the smooth mask he's locked in, almost jumps at your close proximity.You're standing there, chin tilted up — he's already faltering, surprise shown through a quick flick of his doorwings.

"And, you say I'm not so discreet." You make a show of teetering on your toes.

He rolls his optics but complies nonetheless, lowering his helm but not his shoulders. He won't make it easy. No, not too low or you'll get a pass — he wants you to beg for it.

"Terrible." He chuffs. "Of all the soldiers I've assessed, you mouse, are the worst at discretion. Impulsivity seems to be a close friend, for you."

"But what does that make you, then?" Your lips, soft and pliable, are inches away from his chin.

He resist lowering his helm any further. But much to his dismay, Prowl slants his helm, counteracting his locked coding of not caving in.

"Reckless." He breathes out. "Worse than when Smokescreen toddled away with illicit high-grade."

A loose giggle bubbles from your lips, a sweet sound he shamelessly saved in his processors. Though, iritation paints his features when he recognizes the signs. You're deliberately stalling. Deliberately ignoring his advances. He bares his teeth, exasperated at the fact he has to spell it out.

"Kiss me."

"Oh?" You tilt away, a coy playful grin. "Why would I do that, officer when discretion is at play here?"

"Because we're behind closed doors. Because if you dont, you're disobeying a direct command from your superior. And because —" Agitation pulls at his face and digits pinched your chin, pulling you close."— i've missed you."

It's not often he's affectionate. You're always the one pulling the trigger first — but when he does it, you find it oddly endearing of how desperately he wants it.

"Kiss me." He says again.

And, that was enough for you to close the distance. Hands on his shoulder plates as you lean up to catch his lips. Instantly, he melts into your touch, servos gripping your waist.

[bangobeep]

Recent discovery/theory me and a bunch of other jazzpunkers have been talking about.

Considering the little crab at the beach congratulates Polyblank on his birthday, and the dates on the guestbook, we thought it'd be silly if he WAS actually on vacation ON his birthday. Which we left somewhere along the lines of the 6th of May. Polyblank birthday yay! :^)

Something else we noticed was how some of the people in the book didn't add a date, but a symbol, such as the encrypted one (that I'll get into later), milktruck, Hunter S. Thompson and The Editor.

First of all, who are the people on the guestbook?

RAYMOND SCOTT -> In our world, Raymond Scott is considered a pioneer for electronica music! He was an American composer, band leader, pianist, record producer, and inventor of electronic instruments.

ENOCH LUSTIG -> Not a person from the 20th century I could find, though the name Enoch does appear in the Bible. Though I don't really think it's a biblical reference, the character of Enoch is known for living 365 years alongside God, and ascending to heaven in life.

GERD ALBERS -> Though somewhat hard to find information about him in English, Gerd Albers was a german architect and urbanist, prominent in the 20th century.

TILO LYMAN -> A possible reference to Theodore Lyman IV! He was an American physicist and spectroscopist known for important discoveries made regarding ultraviolet light, among others.

DAVID COCKERELL -> A direct reference to the real world person of the same name: David Cockerell! He is an electronics engineer and designer. Regarding this first bit, he's known to have designed countless synthesizer engines which were revolutionary for the electronica community!

JOSEF ARNTZ -> Found genuinely nothing about this guy. Mystery!

PROHÍAS -> A very exciting one!! Antonio Prohías was a Cuban-American cartoonist, known and recognized for many artworks! Among those, is Spy vs. Spy!

黒川 紀章 -> Kurokawa Kisho, or Kisho Kurokawa is a Japanese architect! Probably in here because he's the founder of the Metabolist movement! It was a radical Japanese avant-garde movement pursuing the merging and recycling of architecture styles within an Asian context. This is the Nakagin Capsule Tower (which Luis Hernandez loves so much) guy!

XAVIER ESPERANTO -> Probably a reference to Esperanto, the language! It is actually artificial, and it was devised in 1887 as an international medium of communication, based on roots from the chief European languages. Not too sure what the Xavier bit refers to.

JOHNY THE ROBOT -> The one under Xavier Esperanto's is Johny (with one N, yes) The Robot's! It's written down in the international telegraph alphabet, which you can see here. The complete message says "HELLO MY NAME IS JOHNY THE ROBOT". The telegraph was a huge thing in the 20th century. Meant to be short and meaningful, it started getting used during the war in the place of letters to communicate messages regarding enemy attacks and positions.

B. MARY -> Bloody Mary or, as you may know her, the Lady in Red! She confirms her name is indeed Mary in one of her unused voice lines, which you can find here.

MILKTRUCK -> Explanation not needed. Love you, milktruck.

HUNTER S. THOMPSON -> A direct reference to the real life Hunter S. Thompson! He was an important American journalist and author known for "Gonzo", a journalistic style in which the writer becomes a central figure and participant in the events of the narrative. In Jazzpunk, you can see him as the confused guy hanging around, lost at sea, asking Polyblank for a date at the bar, and being confused about Why Polyblank is in his room (when he breaks in with the master key).

THE EDITOR -> Needs no explanation.

NOW, A FUNNY LITTLE DETAIL:

THESE. As you can see, they all have something different in the 'DATE' section.

As for Xavier Esperanto's, I am not too sure.

Johny The Robot's is unintelligible.

milktruck's is an n/a. Does this mean the milktruck doesn't want to date. Not Applicable. milktruck doesn't date. We love aromantic rep.

Hunter S. Thompson is confused about being asked to date. If you can recall, from the times he's seen in game, he's always generally confused about everything.

Finally, The Editor has a money symbol. The Editor will go on a date for money. LOL! Fitting.

[twinsunstars]

Wherever Your World Is - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Summary: Omega, a young curious mermaid, explores a sunken ship, while intrigued eyes are kept closely on her.

Notes: Hi everyone! Thank you for patiently waiting for another chapter since the first one! Finally finished up Chapter 2, so you'll all get to meet our little mermaid and a few other important characters! Little bit for your information, AZI has they/them pronouns. Hope you enjoy the chapter! Read either below or on AO3! divider by @stars-n-spice !

Wherever Your World Is Masterlist

Fanfic Summary: A young mermaid filled with hope discovers secrets about her past and seeks to reunite with her family at many costs, getting her chance to be with the land dwellers she had grown so fascinated of. The mermaid strikes a deal with dark magic and begins her mission of becoming a human again. (A Bad Batch + Little Mermaid AU)

The sea glimmered under the bright sun laying still in the atmosphere. Sea creatures roamed around the waters, following their own paths wherever fate led them to go. 

Down in the depths of the ocean, many unique living beings traveled among small fields of coral and multicolored seaweed that grew during the annual harvest seasons. Bright sea flowers blossomed in various areas to add beauty to the oceanic scenery. Many land dwellers would admire the ocean’s creations and sometimes take them for themselves so that they could have the sea’s treasures for themselves.

A flowy tail dressed in ribbons of sea blue and honey gold swam past a couple of coral reefs that had aged brilliantly over the years. The young mermaid examined her surroundings, taking in the beautiful palettes part of the ocean’s life. She continued swimming as the sun’s rays that seeped through the waters grew dimmer to make the ocean appear slightly darker. 

The mermaid, about fourteen, reached a sector of the ocean filled with sunken debris and litter scattered all over the ocean floor. She stopped swimming, her blond curls floating up and down in the water. The curls often brushed against the shoulders of her sleeved uniform that was in the colors of white, blue, and red. The centerpiece of her silver headdress dangled as she kept herself steady with her tail. She held onto a dark gray bag strapped around her back. 

The mermaid gasped and smiled in awe as she spotted a large destroyed mass of metal sunken into the ocean floor. A starship. The mermaid had secretly read about many of these large technologies that land dwellers would build to fly up above the water. She had dreamed about what the surface looked like and how millions of tiny circular objects stood still in the sky, shining bright so others could see them from below and around them while flying in a starship. 

“Omega, I am not sure we should be traveling around these areas.” A silver crab swam forward to the mermaid as fast as its small legs could go. The crab examined its surroundings, feeling uneasy about all of the junk and the dangerous creatures potentially roaming around in these parts of the ocean. But the young mermaid had convinced them to go with her and it was their job to make sure she was safe. 

Omega turned to the little crab. “Oh come on A-zee, we’ll be fine. Can’t just give up now that we found something as amazing as this!” 

She had given the nickname to the crab based on the letters and numbers her mistress had assigned the crab when she used to experiment on them. Ever since she was little, AZI had been by her side and was always a good buddy to talk to. 

AZI settled down on Omega’s shoulder. “But, if you remember correctly, we are supposed to be-”

“Come on!” The little mermaid didn’t pay attention to AZI, gently holding them as she swam toward the destroyed starship. AZI held on to Omega’s hands as she excitedly swam as fast as she could, wishing she would listen. 

Omega slowed down her pace and swam up, observing the ruins from above. The starship had been broken in half and many of its parts had been shattered. Omega wondered what could have done so much damage to something so beautiful. The entire roof of the starship had been torn apart from it, allowing the inside to be completely visible from above. Its wings had been ripped away and laid next to the ship on each side. Whatever its colors were when it was a working ship, they were no longer visible as algae and rust covered the ship. 

“A-zee, have you ever seen something so amazing?”

AZI was shocked at the amount of destruction the ship had taken in its mysterious past. They looked up at Omega, whose eyes sparkled with curiosity. She smiled at AZI and held on to them as she swam down and entered the starship. 

Many of the large control screens in the ship were cracked and broken, and there were so many items Omega didn’t know about littered around the floor. Her hands loosened as AZI broke free of her hold.

“Omega, please. We shouldn’t be here,” AZI pleaded. They couldn’t help but feel continuously worried about where they were. This sector of the ocean was known for being an area where many large and predatory creatures strolled, and merfolk who often went into these types of areas never came back. 

“A-zee, you can’t back out now when we’ve found so many interesting things.” Omega turned to him. “Especially when we can start so many research projects on what we find.”

AZI perked up. “Research?” Omega knew it was his favorite thing to do in the labs. It was the key to getting AZI to explore with her. “Yes, we can research anything we find! Maybe we can research this?” AZI got eager to explore and swam everywhere, asking if they could research certain things AZI found interesting. 

Omega swam around curiously and picked up anything her eyes wanted to see closely. Her small hands reached for a small rectangular item that had a cracked screen in the middle and other smaller squares in red and white. 

“What is this?” Omega tapped her fingers on the item, pressing the buttons to see if they would possibly do anything. It didn’t resemble any of the underwater technology she was familiar with. Omega took off her bag and placed the item in it. There was a chance her friend knew what it was. 

AZI slowly wandered around the ship, looking for things to research about. They watched Omega circle the ship and look at the various trinkets she would discover. She had picked up something that had a very unusual shape, something like a bent V. Her fingers trailed down the metal and reached a circular opening. Omega tilted the artifact and noticed something thin that could be pulled back. Eager, she pulled it back, causing something bright red to shoot out and strike one of the screens, shattering the glass. 

AZI yelped and quickly hid behind a control panel. Omega covered her mouth out of shock. “Whoa.” She moved her fingers away from the trigger and held the artifact carefully. Whatever this was, it was powerful. Omega delicately placed it into her bag as another item to collect. 

AZI swam out and sighed in relief to calm themselves down. They hoped no one had heard the loud shot nearby. “Omega, please be careful.” AZI didn’t know what they would tell the mistress if something happened to her. 

“What was that?” AZI could have sworn they heard something make a rustling noise somewhere. They turned and saw nothing behind them. Their anxiety rose as AZI swam over to Omega, who was picking up something silver and possibly sharp, and it seemed to resemble a trident. Omega tilted her head and examined the object. “I wonder what this is.”

“Omega, maybe we should head back now? Mistress Se could get worried, and I think there’s something out there,” AZI suggested, floating next to her hair. Omega let out a sigh. 

“Relax, A-zee. Everything is fine. You’re not getting soft legs, are you?”

AZI crossed their claws. “No, I am not.”

Omega stashed the silver artifact into her bag and strapped it onto her back. She looked up and saw her and AZI’s reflection on the cracked screen in front of them. Her eyes widened as she saw something else coming towards them. 

“A-zee!” Omega screamed, quickly grabbing AZI and flapping her tail fins, swimming away before a giant red-orange aquabeast launched itself in their direction. AZI yelped as Omega held a grasp on them in her hands. The aquabeast raced towards the young mermaid while ransacking through the destroyed starship, its large and thinly sharp teeth attempting to tear Omega’s tail into half. 

Omega swam away from the monstrous creature as fast as she could, swimming out of the ruins of the starship into the seaweed maze. She zigzagged through the maze as the beast followed her tail. AZI held on, trying not to feel sick with every sharp turn Omega took through the maze. She hoped she would lose the creature in the maze, but it was right on her tail with every swift movement. She panted, finding her way out of the maze with the beast following behind. 

The aquabeast growled and followed Omega. Her heart pounded in fear as she tried to find a way to get rid of the creature. She couldn’t see any other route of escape around all the ship debris lying on the floor. 

Omega instantly thought back to the artifact she had picked up earlier that had shot out a red blast. Maybe she could use it against the sea creature to get it away. She tried hard to swim faster with the beast right behind her. 

“AZI, I need you to reach into my bag and grab the artifact I accidentally used earlier that hit the screen. I’ll distract the creature!” she quickly instructed AZI. 

AZI heard Omega and looked up at her. “Omega, I don’t think that is the wisest course of action!”

“Just give me some time! I can use the artifact from earlier to make it go away! Take my bag!” Omega flapped her tail faster and let AZI go from her grasp. AZI swallowed and grabbed Omega’s bag, two small artifacts falling out from it.

“Hey, over here!” Omega exclaimed and waved her arms and tail to get the aquabeast’s attention all on her. The aquabeast roared at her and fiercely swam in her direction. She kept on swimming away in zig-zags around the ocean debris to give AZI some time to take the artifact out. AZI tried to remember what it looked like and quickly scurried through the things Omega had picked up. They found the artifact and pulled it out with both their claws. 

“Omega!” AZI shouted. They tried to swim towards Omega to throw her the artifact. Trying to catch her breath, Omega swam in AZI’s direction as the aquabeast kept on following Omega inches away from her. She was growing tired, but she was growing near the artifact. Omega reached her hand out towards AZI as AZI was swimming towards her. They let go of the artifact and threw it towards Omega. 

Omega dove down and caught the artifact. Swiftly turning as her instinct took over without warning, she held the artifact with two hands and laid her finger on the trigger just like earlier. She focused her aim on the beast charging towards her and instantly pulled the trigger. 

A bright line of red shot in the direction of the aquabeast, striking the beast’s head and grazing its scales. Omega kept on firing as much as she could at the beast. The beast was hit with two more shots, one nearly hitting its eye. The aquabeast let out a growl and began turning around to flee. It let out a small growl and swam away while Omega continued firing blaster shots at it. 

Omega released her finger from the trigger on the artifact, exhaling. Her right hand shook a bit. She didn’t know how she did that. She had never held or used an artifact like this in her life before. It just felt like something natural to her at that moment, as if it was a skill in her blood. Omega shook it off and kept on swimming.

AZI followed behind Omega with her bag as the duo swam out of the sector away from all the debris. The ocean water turned a brighter shade of blue, disregarding the cloudy weather that made the sector full of debris seem all dark and mysterious. 

Omega slowed down and turned to check on her little crab friend. “You okay, AZI?” She swam over to them to take her bag from them so their small claws weren’t lugging heavy weight. 

“I am doing fine, though I think I will need some time to recover.” 

Omega couldn’t help but let out a small giggle. “You were pretty brave out there.” She took AZI back into her small hands. They looked like their small legs were getting tired from all the fast swimming they had just endured. “Come on, let’s head to the refinery.”

Now why did AZI feel like they were forgetting something important? All that fast swimming made them quite tired. AZI felt like catching a quick power nap in Omega’s hold until the two reached their destination. 

***

Omega and AZI reached an area of the ocean brimming with orange waves of sea smoke forming inside the water from the refinery’s structures. The refinery had worked to mine and gather many sea crystals that were utilized to power a lot of homes and structures that were built by merfolk. There were many refineries like this out there, but this was one of the lesser-known refineries living in the farther sectors of this ocean, which made it vulnerable to taking advantage of young child labor. 

The former owner of the refinery had been discovered by the young workers themselves to be exploiting his workers and hiding the profits all for himself. The owner was overthrown by the workers. Today, it would still gather crystals, but it was also more like a factory that collected much clutter and debris land dwellers had dumped and left in the ocean and worked to turn them into items that could be useful for merfolks’ homes. Land dwellers were considered monsters and poisoners to the ocean, but all the scrap they left behind was taken into advantage.

Many of the mer-workers were young teenagers and some adults who had been winded up in the business because they needed access to a job and a place to stay. After removing their former boss from control, the workers stayed at the refinery and continued to mine sea crystals for other merfolk. It was the only home the teenagers ever knew, and the adults who were around helped to take care of the young mermaids. 

Omega knew one of the young workers after meeting him at a small crystal cave she had been secretly exploring in hopes of finding anything for her collection. The young merboy had noticed all the things she had collected and began to ask her where she had gotten them. Omega was suspicious of him at first in fear that he might steal anything she found, but once the merboy began to name some of the artifacts she had found and tell her what land dwellers used them for, Omega was intrigued by everything that he knew about land dwellers. Omega wanted to know more and had long entrusted him to be her informant on all things related to land dwellers. 

AZI had woken up by the time the two arrived at the refinery, swimming alongside their friend. Omega swam inside, looping around machines and swimming past other merfolk who resided and worked here. She waved and gave a few greetings to the workers as she passed them by.

“Hey, Omega!” A merboy with a hairstyle similar to a mohawk and red markings surrounding his neck waved. “Find more good things today?”

“Yep!” Omega beamed. She hadn’t noticed that her headdress was crooked from all the rapid swimming and her hands were a little stained from the artifacts she had picked up (and used).

“Where did you go this time? Your hairpiece is out of place, by the way,” Drake pointed out. Omega moved a hand to the centerpiece of her headdress and found the centerpiece to be on the right side of her forehead. She quickly took it off and put it back on, hoping it wasn’t messy anymore. It would have been trouble if Mistress Se saw her that way. 

“A sunken starship,” Omega answered him. Drake’s curiosity perked up, which Omega gave a smile to as another reply. “It’s in the outer sectors. I can show you guys another time.”

“You sure you should be wandering around in places like that? Wouldn’t your caretaker get upset?” asked Drake. 

“Hey, as long as I don’t get caught doing it,” Omega shrugged. “Curiosity does make the crab stronger.” Omega had learned that underwater phrase from the boys who lived here. 

Drake chuckled. “Looking forward to it. Benni’s in the back handing out some food,” he told her.

“Thanks.” Omega swam forward past Drake, heading to the eating area of the refinery. This time of the day was the break hour. All workers were getting themselves something to eat before their next shifts, hence Omega often came to the refinery during this time. 

AZI followed Omega and entered the refinery’s break area, where many merfolk were enjoying some food and snacks during their breaks. Their former owner was no longer around to restrict their access to food and necessary supplies for their wellbeing, keeping it all to himself. The merfolk were able to work without going hungry or thirsty for long periods of time. 

“Remember, you developed an allergy to these. You shouldn’t be eating them anymore.” A merboy with a maroon tail advised an older mermaid while giving her some food on a tray. The mermaid thanked the boy and went off to eat with others. 

“Omega!” Benni Baro swam over to Omega and AZI. “How ya doing?” Before Omega could respond, he spotted her bag and continued, “You’ve got quite the finds this time.” He tilted his head, signaling her to follow him to the main control room in the refinery. 

The control room had been the place where their former owner had hidden all of their food away from them. Now it was just a place to keep a record of things and to hang out sometimes. Benni pressed a switch to open the door, leading Omega and AZI inside. 

“I lost some things because of a mishap, but I got what I found.” Omega took out the artifacts she collected one by one onto the desk. 

“Let me guess, a giant beast tried to eat you and A-zee,” Benni guessed. Omega looked at him, surprised his guess was right this time. 

Benni smiled, getting the notion that he was right. “It’s getting quite common in some areas. Think it’s migration season. Oh, I also have something to show you.” He swam over to a shelf and picked up a golden flower. 

“I found it this morning floating on the ocean surface. There was a really large sea ship passing by when I found them. There were a few floating around, but I don’t know why.”

“A sea ship?” Omega got curious. “What did it look like?”

“I couldn’t get a good look at it, but it was red and black. And huge. Might have belonged to the royal family on land.”

Omega had heard about the royal land dwellers that lived on the surface from Benni. He had never seen what they look like, but he would always hear land dwellers talking about them. 

Benni placed the flower in Omega’s hands. “What is this?”

“Not sure,” Benni answered. “Some kind of land flower. I think they’re native to the island near us.”

It was so small and beautiful. Omega had always explored flowers that grow underwater, but this one was special since it grew on land. Its petals were so soft and delicate. Deep inside, she felt connected to this flower. As if it was meant for her. “I wish I could have seen the ship.”

“Still won’t let ya go anywhere near the surface, huh?”

“No,” she sighed, crossing her arms. “Mistress Se says it's forbidden and dangerous to go anywhere near the surface.”

“Mistress Se is right,” AZI jumped in. “Land dwellers are said to act very vicious towards sea creatures like us. Someone could spot you, and they could do the unthinkable.” AZI didn’t want to think about what land dwellers did with crabs. 

“Yeah, they can be true, but I don’t think all of them are like that. Alrighty, let’s see here.” Benni changed the conversation and scattered the artifacts Omega had brought, picking them up and feeling their textures. AZI crawled onto the desk around the artifacts. Benni gave them a gentle pat on the head. 

“Interesting.” Benni picked up the small silver artifact that resembled a trident, holding it between two fingers. 

Omega swam an inch closer, her curiosity focusing on the object. “What is it?” she asked with an intrigued tone.

Benni twirled the trident-like artifact. “Pretty sure it’s called a dinglehopper.”

“A dinglehopper.” Omega took the artifact from his hand, examining it more closely now that she knew its name. “What is it used for?”

“Sometimes in the marketplace, I’d see them using this to eat their food.” Benni was a mer-shifter, meaning that he had the ability to transform from a sea creature into a land dweller. Not many mer-people were born with that ability and some wished they had that capability. It was said that mer-shifters were a high-ranking species in the world of merfolk underwater in ancient times, though as the number of mer-shifters were declining, that all became a thing of the past. Benni was the only mer-shifter Omega had met. She dreamed of having his ability so she could turn into a land dweller and visit the surface like he could to collect items. But like many others, she was born a normal mermaid.

“What about this?” Omega carefully picked up the artifact she had used to fight off the aquabeast. She made sure to distance her fingers away from the trigger. 

Benni eyed the artifact, tilting his head. Omega continued, “I had found this, and I used it when the aquabeast was chasing me and AZI.”

“What do you mean you ‘used’ it?” Benni asked her. 

“A loud shot would come out from the artifact whenever Omega tried to get the beast to leave, and it did work,” AZI elaborated. 

Benni raised an eyebrow. Omega pointed to the trigger. “You pull that back with a finger and it makes something bright red come out of it-”

He pulled the trigger, a red shot striking the door. Omega and AZI jumped in surprise from the blaster shot. Benni didn’t quite expect that to happen. 

“Hmm, I’m not sure. Never seen it before,” he said. “But it could be called a blaster. You know, because it blasted the door.”

“Very funny,” Omega rolled her eyes. “What about this though? It has buttons like the ones in the labs, but it doesn't really look like anything the Kaminoans use.” She picked up the rectangular item from earlier with the buttons on it. 

Benni took it from her hands and looked at it closer, pressing the buttons. “Well, it’s not going to do anything underwater, so nothing like we have. But I think it’s something used for collecting and presenting data.”

Presenting data. Those words made Omega think. “The data….” She slapped a hand to the top of her head. “The presentation! A-zee, Mistress Se’s going to kill me!”

AZI just remembered what they were trying to tell the girl themselves. “I tried to remind you, Omega, but you wouldn’t listen.”

“I wonder if there’s anything stored in here,” said Benni, toying with the artifact. He hadn’t paid attention to what Omega had said as she began to pack up the artifacts back into her bag. 

“Sorry, I have to go. I’ll come by another time!” Omega strapped her bag on and scooped up AZI into one hand, the other holding her golden flower. “Thank you!” 

“Anytime!” Omega waved to Benni as she quickly swam her way out of the refinery. She hoped she wouldn’t get into too much trouble once she reached home. 

***

“Swim home fast, little one.”

Omega swam as fast as she could to get back home. AZI kept themselves in her hand and talked to her as they swam home. She was visible on a circular floating screen that had dark green magic swirling around its borders. A merman watched Omega with curious thoughts running through his mind. 

In an unknown sector of the ocean, multi-colored sea life glowed brightly around a large mass of black coral. Three mer-people lived inside surrounded by all of the unique creatures and plants far away from other merfolk and sea creatures who lived in the ocean. 

A mermaid with an orange top and tail with golden specks sprinkled around her tail like glitter watched Omega. Her dark brown ponytail floated in the water as she leaned forward to look closer at Omega. She yearned to meet her one day. 

With a swift hand movement, the magic screen disappeared into the water. The mermaid watched the merman swim away towards a shelf formed by coral that was filled with different vials of any shape and color. His sharp dark green tail moved back and forth, scales patterned across his collarbone and shoulders that were embroidered on his skin visible under the light. He tilted his head while inspecting a few vials, his black hair swaying to the side in the water. 

“Does Mistress Se really take good care of Omega?” the mermaid asked him. She lightly swung her tail back and forth, almost like a young land dweller who dangles and kicks their feet over water while sitting on a dock near the sea. 

“She is Nala Se’s prized creation,” the merman replied, keeping his eyes on the vials. “The Kaminoan would do anything to make sure that she is kept safe and far away from the truth.”

The mermaid couldn’t help but feel dispirited. She had known Nala Se for half of her childhood, and she only remembered continuous tests and days locked up in a room with some things to keep her mind busy. Never any close care or bother regarding what happened to her. All she was to the Kaminoan was another experiment to be used and thrown away.

The merman slightly itched his left arm, which was covered in multiple scars and a few very pale bruises. He averted his eyes to the mermaid, noticing the way she was getting lost in her thoughts.

“No one can ever be trusted. They threw you away, just like everyone did to me,” he said. 

He was the one who had picked her up after being ousted by the Kaminoan. The mermaid wasn’t needed anymore for any experiments, slated for termination. The merman had saved her life, and she had remained by his side since, treated more like a living being than an experiment. 

“Do you trust me?” the mermaid asked him. The merman raised an eyebrow, not responding to the question. 

“I want to keep a watch on Omega. If you think she could be helpful to what you seek, it’s good to know where she often goes and what else could be useful to take advantage of.”

The real truth was that she just wanted to see more of her little sister. 

“Emerie-”

“Please let me do this,” Emerie pleaded. 

“What exactly is a little girl going to do to help you?”

The voice of another mermaid sitting above them while working with some large vials entered the conversation, grabbing their attention. She turned to face the two who were below her, her silky purple tail swaying in the water. Her dark brown hair was kept in a tight bun to try and avoid messy hair, her front bangs and strands of hair often lifting up in the water. She continued, “Allow me to go with her if she’s going to go outside of this place. She can’t go alone. And I don’t quite like being kept on the sidelines when it comes to your plans.”

“Don’t be too ambitious, Dr. Scalder,” the merman told her. The mermaid simply kept a frown and tried not to roll her eyes, turning back to her work. 

The merman thought for a moment before turning back to Emerie. He was hesitant about it, but it could prove to be beneficial. “You may keep an eye on Omega, and Dr. Scalder will go with you.”

Emerie wasn't thrilled about someone tagging along with her, but she lit up a smile. “Thank you, Dr. Hemlock.”

Scalder swam down to join Emerie, swimming out of their hideout (though it was considered more of a base). Cries for help echoed nearby in the mix of screams and whines. Many mermen, identical in physical appearance, were kept behind prisons built of dark coral. While the mermaids swam past those prisons, the mermen watched them, freely swimming while they were kept confined to their cells. Many of the mermen scowled at the mermaids. 

Emerie looked at the helpless mermen and quickly moved her gaze away in seconds. She was one like them, despite being very different. She couldn’t do anything about them. 

The mermaids made it outside, the mermen’s voices growing lower as they swam away. The mermen began to grow silent in their cells. A small smirk tugged at Hemlock’s lips, having enjoyed the desperation of the mermen in his captivity. He snapped his fingers, the floating screen formed by his magic reappearing. 

Omega was almost home to her mistress. Now that’s a show he wanted to see. 

End Notes: Here's a guessing question, what is the rectangular item with buttons Omega collected? all right answers get a flower 🌼

taglist: @kurlyfrii @orion-tyche @magicandmundane @biancadiangelosghost @sntofbirbs @half-truths-and-hyperbole-louk @fritoley @omegafett99 @bossboudicca @amalthiaph @ahsokashawarma1138 @dragonrider9905 @luzfeather @ladywren7 (let me know if you want to be tagged for future chapters!)

[bettyfrommars]

hi loves

a wee announcement/bit of reflection below the cut

nothing heavy, just some thoughts & updates

First of all, I want to say I love this fandom so much. Truly I do. It has carried me though possibly the hardest, loneliest year of my life (and this ol' girl has been though some dark times). I've made friendships here that I hope to cherish for the rest of my life.

I came into fanfiction in October of last year, after not writing anything substantial for almost a decade. My dear friend at the time said she was looking for a specific Eddie Munson story, so I wrote it for her. I wrote it in first person because I didn't even understand how "reader perspective" was a thing, that's how wet behind the ears I was to this world. My friend, on the other hand, is a well-versed fic reader, and I distinctly remember messaging her like, "okay, what the hell is a Y/N??"

I spent that entire dark, cold winter writing and passing it to her in parts like notes in a classroom. The rush of getting back to something I loved so deeply after so much time away turned me into a monster. I lived and breathed that story. We sent endless messages back and forth every day about what each character would do next, imagining ourselves in that world, with Eddie. We made playlists, we cried. We screamed and giggled and kicked our feet when they finally kissed. We mourned the loss when it ended and moped around a bit before going back to read it all over again. Some 40k words and four months later I realized, holy shit, I think I write fanfiction now?

In a way, fanfiction saved my life. It brought me back to a part of myself I had buried, a part of me that worried it might never see the light of day again. It came crawling out of the ground, gasping for air like, "you better stretch your fingers bitch because I have a lot to say."

In April, I started posting here when the fandom was notably beginning to wane, but I was happy to see there were so many still going hard for our man. I kinda creeped in, like a little scuttling crab, and was grateful to find that a handful of you embraced me.

Long story short, I am NOT leaving, not at all. I know the tone is there, but that is not what this is, lmao. I will hopefully keep this blog for as long as you will have me. I plan to finish writing I'm on Fire and Death Becomes Us, as well as maybe another bit for gargoyle!Eddie, and nightmare!Eddie, but the other series I've started (or planned to start) will stay on hiatus for a while, possibly forever. I will continue to post blurbs and hc's and whatnot, but I won't be committing to any new series or long fics.

My masterlists will remain intact for the time being for those who want to enjoy what is there. That being said, The Nightmare Factory and Stop the World and Melt with You, might be taken down in the future only because I plan to re-work them into original stories. I have a second non-fandom blog in the works that is dedicated to monsters, nightmares, and magic realism, and I will let those who are interested know about it when the time comes.

Mostly, I wanted to let you know that, even if you notice some changes, I will continue to persist with "My 2 Joe's" delulu era, possibly until the earth swallows me up. I am no longer taking requests, but my asks will always be open for thots, blurbs, obsessions, etc. You know how much I love hearing from you.

That's all really. Perhaps this is simply one of those "end of year" thought dumps, but I also wanted to say a heartfelt Thank You to those who continue to support me, enjoy my work, and share it. My Ride or Die monsterfuckers and biker Eddie enthusiasts. My nightmare Eddie dreamers, my Twilight Zone Eddie pineapple heads. My gargoyle Eddie romantics who cheer on our Stone Boy, and my Hybrid Steve lovers who leave their windows open at night. My True Blood friends who appreciate a vampire Eddie who is nothing like Bill Compton. My darlings, my fellow rebel rousers and misfits, my friends.

This is a very symbiotic relationship, and I could not/would not do this without you ❤️