#I blame Mimic the octopus

[looniecartooni]

I've noticed a lack of Dimitri fanart lately... Maybe it's just me.

[whisper-and-tangle]

clutch is mimic's sugar daddy

[yeets-ix]

Sonic Bad Guys AU Infodumping

@thefakehedgehogaroundhere pitched the AU and its roles, I went too far and fleshed it out a LOT.

Here's the first round, the basics of the characters:

The Bad Guys go by “Ms. Surge,” Ms. Metal, Mr. Rough, Mr. Tumble, Mr. Duo and Mr. Kitsunami (for fun.)

Backstory: While the AU is mostly just the self-contained plot of the movie, Eggman and Starline did exist in the AU… emphasis on DID. In a very very deliberately loose interpretation of Sonic canon setting up this AU, they created Surge, Kit and Metal, but were ultimately defeated for good, with their former creations and minions being left to form various random organizations including the Bad Guys, none of whom are nearly as much of a threat anymore. Sonic took all the credit for “beating” Eggman, though it probably wasn’t actually him in this AU considering this version of him is also a villain and has just been using his hero image for personal gain (hell, considering his Marmalade-assigned wealth, he probably bought out Eggman Industries after the Doctor was gone.)

Ms. Surge, instead of the “big bad wolf,” boasts about being an “evil twin.” A twisted and evil counterpart to a hero. Of course, she turns out to actually be the good one between herself and Sonic in this AU, but that’s beside the point. She still doesn’t remember her original life and has only experienced being compared to Sonic and seen as a monstrous, evil version of him, never being given any other chance. When Sonic gets exposed as the criminal he is and arrested, Surge, Kit and Metal recognize they’re fully free and able to go good, what with him being put away for good.

Ms. Metal was also originally designed after Sonic (that’s why she and Surge are best friends,) but being “the safe-cracker,” has modified herself with some help from Kit into a heist-focused robot with stealth tech, safe-cracking tools, and the ability to turn into a hyper-boost engine for the getaway car. She’s the “most evil” because she’s still programmed to defeat Sonic, even if she’s currently spending almost all of her time pulling heists with the Bad Guys. She comes around in the end and rejoins Surge and the gang, and stays with her as a good guy after finally taking down Sonic. She’s also kind of addicted to absorbing Wisps.

Mr. Mimic actually goes by Mr. Duo most of the time - he’s made the happy-go-lucky but still evil cat his public identity they think of when they hear the term “Bad Guys.” After genuinely befriending the others, he wants to move on from and forget the even worse crimes he committed as an octopus (even though not necessarily those of his canon self.) That being said, he’s still a shapeshifter and “the distraction.” Instead of Mr. Shark swallowing Mr. Snake when he annoys him, Duo can mess with Metal’s circuits since he’s “good with computers.”

Mr. Rough and Mr. Tumble are the flattest ones, but then again, they always are. They beat the shit out of people, make immature jokes, and Rough uncontrollably sprays when he’s nervous. Mr. Piranha is perfect for both of them (and also for Surge - she’d release catastrophic EMPs - if she wasn’t Mr. Wolf here.)

Mr. Kit is “Drippy” the same way Ms. Tarantula is “Webs.” His laptop has extra monitors and keyboards for his Hydro-Coils the same way as Webs’ does for her eight legs. He’s also still Surge’s younger brother for the feels. Owing to being around 13, he's less anxious and less formal, and with the world aware of his power, more confident in being scary on his own or at his sister's side.

Governor Rose’s backstory as the Crimson Paw Rascal is changed a bit. She, too, gave up just as she was about to steal the Awardy Award (the Golden Dolphin equivalent,) but it was because she realized she’d built her criminal career upon being a “sweet widdle hoggo” who nobody would suspect or believe could be a criminal mastermind, instead blaming more scary or ugly animals. Realizing that not only would some undeserving creature take the fall for the Rascal’s ultimate heist, but she fully knew and wanted to exploit this, just made Amy feel like shit, and she immediately hung up her cowl. Note that this same reason also leads to her despising Sonic for working under the same ideals, and makes her very happy when he’s the one who takes the fall for her crimes in the end.

“A wolf and a fox are not so different” becomes “A tenrec is just a false hedgehog.” Sonic later reuses this line to mock Surge, before Surge and Amy finally wreck him with it in the end.

Sonic as Marmalade? Take every bad take on IDW Sonic in the entire hatedom, make them completely true, and then sprinkle the resulting abomination of a Sonic with Scourge dust. He’s supposedly the same hero as his canon self, but in truth all he cares about is his own entertainment and his own reputation. Lying and manipulating people are what give him “the tingle.” He’s gonna scream “LET’S DO IT TO IT! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!” like in that one satire comic as he’s dragged off to S.U.C.M., utterly determined to the end to convince everyone he’s never done anything wrong in his life. Fuck him. He deserves nothing, he is the scum of the earth, I want to punch him in the face, and maybe call in a few other AU Sonics to punch him in the face too.

Heck, I have an OC named Shine who is basically “Sonic but Marmalade” already, and I’d be willing to donate her for this role if I didn’t want Sonic himself to get to chew some scenery.

We’ve agreed Whisper is Chief Luggins due to her power to be incredibly biased against these people, especially Surge with a good helping of Mimic on the side. Lanolin would work too, but I think Whisper being really angry a lot fits better. You poor wolf, you poor meow meow, you poor thing, how did you end up becoming a cop?... or she's just the face of what's left of the Restoration in this universe. Lanolin can probably be Tiffany the reporter, IDK.

To be continued.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Hi lin just wanted to say that I read your : Yandere merpeople strawhats x gn reader 

And it’s so good !!💗

Honestly I don’t blame the reader being scared of the sea , it’s frightening!! 

We know nothing about it and good luck trying to fight a shark cause ha!  You have a better chance fighting a lion XD (Me when I read Luffy would be bull shark : 👀😰💀 Luffy I love u but omg keep your distance cousins away from me please )🙏😭

‘Oh my God. Merpeople. This is a merman and you’re surrounded by more of them. Every rumor you’ve heard about them comes to find instantly in one big violent pang. That they love nothing more than to drag any poor unsuspecting human they come across out into the ocean to drown them. That they would eat you after you died. That they could curse humans into becoming like them.’

Oooh yep reader is in trouble especially if there do turn them into one ? I wonder what type of fish the reader would be ?? Sea bunny, a seal ,maybe even a jellyfish 🥰

Pfft why can I now imagine the reader just yeeting Luffy of them XD !! Just YEET !!! 

Oooh Luffy got their scent 👀 good luck reader your gonna need it ~ 

Ooh Luffy as a bull shark good choice , pfft I didn’t know bull sharks fight crocodile’s 🤣 

Green moray eel for Zoro is spot on XD Zoro please go take a shower 🙏

Ooh Nami as a flame angelfish very pretty , excellent choice😍 

Usopp as a indo-pacific sailfish , is a really good choice , I didn’t know what a indo-pacific sailfish was till I typed it in and omg yess Usopp would look amazing as a indo-pacific sailfish!!

Sanji as a pelagic thresher shark is pure genius especially since we all know kicks are Sanji fighting style and wow I can see why pelagic thresher shark use there tail as a weapon it’s massive !! 

Chopper as a blue spotted pufferfish I can really see happing in the show , I wonder can he travel on earth since he used to be a reindeer ? Or is this like one piece devil fruit users can’t go in water makes them weaker , but for this Merpeople can’t go on land cause it makes them weaker or would there be alright for awhile🤔👀

Robin as a mimic octopus is pure genius!! Especially since it works well with her devil fruit! Rollin you done amazing job with the fic and amazing choices for type of fish the strawhats would be !😎👌

I really enjoyed reading this , hope your doing ok 💗

Thank you!

I actually loosely based their fear after my own fear of the ocean. Being lost at sea is genuinely my worst fear, I refuse to do more than wading in the ocean because of it.

I'm not really sure what kind of fish to make the reader, I'm still debating if I even want to specify it or leave it vague so readers can choose their own fish. I might go with an aquatic mammal though, something that still requires air and can't exclusively live underwater. I think that would be interesting given their fears.

I'm glad you liked the choices I made for them! It took a while, but I had a lot of fun picking them out. Thresher sharks are my favorite fish, so I'm very happy I was able to use them for Sanji.

Regarding Chopper, he can change forms to go on land, but only very briefly. It's pretty risky, so he usually avoids it when he can. I imagine that since merfolk are already in danger on land, the devil fruit would just kinda speed it up. Like they dry out faster than a regular merperson would.

[mimic-octopus]

Hi. I’m mimic-octopus,

I’ve reblogged at least a handful of things that been critical of Israel because of their genocidal actions in Gaza. I stand by everything that I’ve posted.

I’m worried that i haven’t been conscious of how I communicated my criticisms and that I may have made it seem like I blame the entire Jewish community. I’m sorry that I wasn’t more mindful.

i want to explicitly say that I don’t think that the Jewish community can be broken into good and bad people on the basis of their religion and heritage and how their beliefs align when it comes to the genocide in Gaza. I don’t believe that collectively considering the Jewish community’s perspective makes any sense because no community is a monolith.

I believe that hatred is something that people are taught. I think the community in Israel who support continuing their attack on Gaza and the communities abroad who believe them are evidence of this. It seems undoubtable when it comes to how the Israeli leaders often speak about Palestinians being subhuman or comparing them to animals.

Those in support have been fooled by liars who have used governmental backing to position their lies as the truth, i.e. propaganda. I do want to be clear that I think everyone directly involved will need to be held accountable for their actions, like the Nuremberg trials.

The people who support Israel and happen to be of Jewish descent are not on the wrong side of history because they’re Jewish. They’re on the wrong side of history because, even if there may have been any doubts, they followed through with any and all efforts that dehumanized, endangered, and stripped Palestinians of their humanity.

The people who support Israel and are not of Jewish descent are on the wrong side of history for those exact same reasons.

The politicians who support Israel receiving aid are just as bad as the members of the IDF who are on the ground in Gaza.

I don’t support Israel’s actions or existence given their history. I do strongly support the safety of the global Jewish community.

There is no facet of a person’s humanity that should ever be weaponized against their existence.

I don’t think I owe an explanation about my feelings regarding the war in Gaza because I’m a stranger on the internet.

I did, however, want to communicate that the Jewish community is not at fault regarding this war, especially during Hanukkah. I included the Hanukkah tag because I support the safety of the global Jewish community.

I do understand that there might be other Hanukkah tag contributors who vehemently disagree with my perspective.

My source of contention is the extensive damage that has come from Zionism, which I believe is independent of whether a supporter is a person is of Jewish descent.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free! 💕

[starknife-starmimi]

Issue 50 Based StarKnife Lore

Prompts from : @your-compadre-infinity & @tigermisty6

August 2023 edit : Hey, so this post has become somewhat outdated to my AU, but I don't want to delete it. I may come back and update it in the future or leave it as is.

------⭐️🔪-------

Answer to Prompt B : Mimic going in and saving Starline

Nearing the end of the battle for the Empire, Mimic, Surge & Kit had managed to regroup just in time to witness Starline's Tricore Blast from a distance.

Starline had never told them about the Tricore being able to release that amount of power because it was a last-minute resort and not an element of the original plan.

So, unsure of what they had all witnessed, Mimic told Surge & Kit to retreat and meet back at the Base Sigma.

Surge immediately went against the idea and demanded to stay and help finish the fight. Mimic told Surge otherwise and, with enough quick-worded convincing, was able to convince her to take Kit and retreat.

As the Imposter Siblings retreated home, Mimic went towards the direction of the explosion only to find a pile of rubble and scraps.

It didn't long for the octopus to realize what had happened and begin searching throughout the remains of the large mechs for Starline.

Fortunately, Mimic was able to find Starline. Brused, bloody & barely conscious, but in one piece.

He spent the next several hours safely pulling Stars out from the rubble and sneaking them out of the city & getting back home.

------⭐️🔪-------

Answer to Prompt A : Mimic coping with what happened

Mimic couldn’t help but blame himself for what happened to Starline.

The Battle for the Empire was the first time Mimic wasn’t constantly by Starline’s side during a misson, and his greatest fear became reality because of it.

It took a long time, but Mimic was eventually able to pull himself out of the guilt tripping mindset he fell in and accept the fact that it wasn't his fault.

------⭐️🔪-------

Answer to Prompt : If Starline survived or not

Yes, Starline did indeed survive!

The platypus barely managed to cling to life while being crushed under rubble, but he pulled through.

By the time Mimic had brought Starline back to the base, Surge & Kit had already searched the entire base and gathered all the medical supplies they could find (Kit's idea). So that probably played a factor in Starline’s survival as well.

Some time later, Starline would end up waking up in his bed. Brused, sore, and probably a mental wreck, but alive.

------⭐️🔪-------

[thesillyguyy]

AGGHGHHHH

Okay

Jordan and nile

Lets see here (checks notes)

Okay so pretty much jordan and nile are fishlike creatures born in a place i havent fully decided on a name for yet but for now we’ll just call it the Trench Empire. Thyere like… humanoid fish? Kind of. I have drawings of them somewhere on my account ill find them and link them in a second

Jordan is a tiger shark and nile is a mimic octopus

Pretty much they have a sibling dynamic, they grew up in the empire to become soldiers and nile ended up becoming a general but shes liek. NO THATS NOT ENOUGH she wants to become the head of the entire military and stuff.

Jordan is the exact opposite. he doesnt like fighting, hes horrible at it, he cant hold a harpoon correctly to save his life and he just generally hates the empire.

So. why are they soldiers you ask. WELL

The riverbed empire have been fighting with the enemy Hollow Empire.

Get it. The sea vs the land. Easy enough to understand

So theyve been destined to fight these people for forever, theyve been in a constant battle, for land, resources, hell just for the entertainment of the royal families in the empires

Well jordan when out on a training mission strays from the group he is with and ends up on land, right outside of the hollow empire’s grounds and within the middle lands between both empires. The place nobody owns

He ends up meeting another person from the hollow empire, but he learns that they’re a “stray” who doesnt belong to either empire. Its clear they originated from the hollow empire though cause theyre a land creature

Theyre a cross fox btw

Anyway as i was saying. Jordan goes with the stray and he ends up staying with the stray because. Well. he doesnt feel like home in his empire

HOWEVER

Nile notices that he’s missing and immediately ends up blaming the Hollow Empire for it, and since shes a general shes kind of important

So she goes to the royal family and is like BRO MY BESTIE IS MISSING AND THE HOLLOW EMPIRE FUCKING KIDNAPPED HIM and the royal family is like Who gives a shit lol

And so nile is fucking PISSED and she does the stupidest thing you can do: she arranges a team of a few soldiers and STORMS INTO THE FUCKIGN EMPIRE AND STARTS ANOTHER ENTIRE BATTLE

So while jordan is like making out with this random cross fox the empires are murdering eachother and he comes out of the cove hes living in and is like.

…We might need to be a medium here, Puck (the cross fox’s name is puck)

Damn. I hate my whole family.

I know man. Me too

And so they have to try and sneak into the empires and stop the people who caused the war. Behold, conflict! Behold, Jordan has to kill his childhood-like-a-sister-to-him best friend and Puck has no idea why he’s hesitating in the one moment he was able to mURDER!!!!

And this is just my first infodump. Tell me if you THIRST FOR MO R E

HYBRIDS

BEAUTIFUL

MORE

THIS IS

IWJZLZLKZ

[handfulofmuses]

"Exactly!"

Someone appears to be oddly proud of that fact. Can you blame him? He is a stinker and he knows it! Regardless of the actual intention of Mimic's remark, the skunk would just take it as a compliment. It's as far as he can get with that octopus anyway.

"Oh, veeery funny, veeeery funny. I do like the occasional scratch post. Wanna find out? It's my favorite pass time."

Nah - not that he would actually do anything to Mimic. He is just playing along for now - a little harmless teasing.

Aahh, this was absolutely priceless! Mimic has to wipe away the burgeoning tears from his eyes, he hadn't laughed like that in quite some time. Maybe these skunks were good for something, afterall.

"Of course, of course!" Mimic readily admits, "You and your brother don't exactly value cleanliness. If the smell and matted fur weren't making that apparent."

Probably why he hadn't seen Rough throw one up until now.

"You're still cat enough to throw up hairballs. Apparently." he scoffs, "Do you like sitting in boxes, too? Or playing on climbing posts?"

[princeasimdiya12]

Random Screencaps of Wonder Egg Priority Episode 2 with thoughts for each of those scenes. {{TW Nudity}}

I really feel that there’s a sort of meaning behind the painted murals that are shown in each episode. Like in Episode 1 featured Ai crying next to a mural of happy children. Here we have Neiru walking past a mural of sunflowers. Even Ai has her sunflower hoodie but Neiru ignores her for a good majority of their walk. I feel it represents how Neiru is so driven by her Wonder Egg missions that she isn’t bothering to look what’s around her and appreciate the beauty of the waking world. The trauma of losing her sister has made her narrow sighted with her desires and won’t look for anything that isn’t her Captured Maiden.

I don’t know whether Neiru openly states that she loves herself is truth or a lie made to comfort herself. Even if she blames herself for losing her sister, she claims that she isn’t doing these missions out of self loathing or because she wants to improve herself. Her open statement of self love is probably her coping mechanism of dealing with her loss. To stay mentally strong so that she can endure having to fight Seeno Evils and the bizarre witches of the Dream World.

This was discussed already by several other users so most of my thoughts on her business card may have already been said. I wonder what type of corporation Neiru is involved in and how she is a vice president. But then I’m thinking...if she’s vice president, how can she freely go about her survival missions for so long? While most of them take place in the Dream World, she still manages to go to Acca and Ura-Acca’s lair to buy more eggs. Shouldn’t she have aides or bodyguards following her around? Shouldn’t she be doing business related activities while recuperating or when she isn’t fighting Wonder Killers? And while the fact that she’s vice president despite being in middle school comes off as outlandish, I have to admit that this isn’t the weirdest position a middle schooler can accomplish in an anime. Let alone in Wonder Egg Priority. As for her VP role, I can only assume that she requested a leave of absence while she worked on getting her sister back. Whatever the case, I do hope they elaborate on this more in future episodes. 

This may come off as an unpopular opinion, but I really hope that the teacher isn’t a pedophile or a future antagonist. It feels so wrong and it would be nice if he wasn’t secretly a monster. Especially since that type of twist is very common in alot of anime shows. Also, I noticed that his brooch features a flying bird. Considering the show revolves around eggs and how they relate to trauma, this could be foreshadowing that the teacher underwent some type of trauma in his past. But the bird flying means that he was able to break free of his hardships and move on in his life. Or if he really is a villain, it could represent how he’s a “creator” of trauma since grown birds lay eggs and what not. Meaning that he has a habit of terrorizing girls....

It’s still surprising to me to see Ai with so much light and adorableness. Especially compared to how gloomy she normally is.

So the abusive coach is our first look at a Wonder Killer in their true form and I kinda want to examine their design. There’s always a form of symbolism when it comes to monsters like them so I want to take a crack at what she represents.

For starters, she has an animalistic head which represents how savage and brutal she is to those weaker than her. Her multiple arms can mean how she constantly uses corporal punishment on the students she abuses. I also noticed that the red ones are always together, the orange ones look like they’re pointing and the yellow ones are the ones used for punching. I can only assume that red is used to make her look bigger and more intimidating to her victims, the pointing represents how she singles out students, and the yellow ones are for directly inflicting the abuse. 

Now let’s go for her...jugs. She has two pairs of them and they’re ridiculously large and saggy. They sort of resemble cow utters which tie in to the animal theme. And when placed together just right, they make a sort of face with the top breasts resembling eyes and the bottom breasts having a star. Some animals like the Owlet Moth or the Mimic Octopus, can create faces from their bodies in order to scare potential predators. This design ties not only with her animal theme but also with how she intimidates her students into following her orders. And of course they can...squirt pink goop at her enemies to blind them. Sort of like an octopus using ink on its enemies.

Additionally, saggy jugs are often featured for women that are significantly older. This is sort of a theory but I think the coach’s abuse towards Minami was also done out of jealousy. While the coach is far past her prime in the physical department, she takes out her frustrations on her students demanding that they maintain their perfect figures. Plus next episode’s Wonder Killer is an older woman who openly loathes the Captured Maidens for how young and pathetic they are to her. So there could be an old vs youth theme featured with these WKs. 

(Also, if anything I said here was in any way sexist, please let me know what it was so I can correct what I wrote. This is my first time analyzing a female character’s physical appearance so I don’t want to offend anyone with these thoughts.)

I’d also like to compare her to the axe wielding witch from Episode 1. The first WK never underwent a grotesque transformation unlike the abusive coach here. This could mean that she didn’t get close enough to Kurumi to properly transform, compared to the coach and Minami. Also, the first WK maintained her distance from Kurumi but attacked using her axes and having her Seeno Evils do the dirty work. If my theory about her is correct, then she represented a former friend of Kurumi who tormented her from a distance while making her stooges do the direct bullying. This is all a strong contrast to the coach who was directly involved in abusing Minami while the Seeno Evils watched from a distance. 

This is the second time that Ai used a weapon thanks to borrowing it from a Captured Maiden. And considering that Episode 4 will have her using the glow lights of the twin fans, then this is going to be a recurring thing for Ai. Using the power of her assigned maiden to help them fight their traumas. And I lowkey hope that she kept Minami’s ribbon if she’s been able to use Kurumi’s pen after their mission.

Considering that Neiru actually asks if hanging out at a burger joint is fun, this can imply that she never really had experience in making or having friends. Either that or her outings with “friends” were in different settings. It’s important to consider that she may come from a wealthy or professional background based on the business card.

And those are my thoughts for the second episode. What do you guys think of all this? Just like before, if you agree or disagree with anything I’ve written, please feel free to reblog this with your thoughts.

[grieving-angel-hopeful-demon]

Mimic the Octopus for @darkswap au, he came out a lot more colorful then intended, but he can shape shift so it's fine. I kinda just now realized how overpowered he is: he can shape shift, he has five wisps at his side, and the power of friendship on his side... He baby.

Mimic

A quiet and reserved individual, but is still very kindly twords others even if he does his best to not get attached to people for fear of losing them. he was the infiltrator for the Diamond Cutters and can probably climb up walls using his suckers. He can often be seen singing lullabies to his wisp friends.

Escaped the Rouge-droids by turning into a box, he watched in person his family be torn to shreds. He also blames himself and thinks he could have done more to save them. Whisper sees this and constantly uses this to torment him. He also doesn't like Rouge.

What he is changing into has to be relatively the same size as him (he can puff up and shrink slightly though)

Was dating Smithy before the incident

[cerealmonster15]

octopus man.... he is bat man.....!!! very CUTE

HMMM i do not know the names of songs or groups ever hang on lemme google 🚶‍♂️

this does not look familiar im clicking that first vid and seeing what happens

WAIT WAIT ok yea that one was cool but then i went into the channel to see if anything looked familiar and the vibes felt familiar......

YOU 🫵🫵🫵

AND YOU!!!!!!! i think these are covers? according to the google translates lol.

real talk. i first heard these songs bc i was i think on a rabbit hole of twst mmd vids lol i find a lot of fun songs that way, and i found these through.... ill be honest idk if they were actual people covers or ai voice things? bc they were in japanese lol. but like i HAVE found some vids that a channel does of twst "voice mimic" or something, like they sing songs like these and they sound really similar to the cast and the art's really good, it's some japanese fan project so like at first i thought it was official til i started google translating the titles lol

anyway i got off topic. i think i heard someone do a crewel imitation cover of usewa and there are A Lot of twst ones of king lol. but i dont think ive been to this person's channel specifically before. but they sound good.......

I HOPE THIS IS EVEN WHO YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT LOL

ok back to the drawings 🚶‍♂️

HAAHAHHFD yea right after that i was looking at it again like "man i think i really do just have blorbo disease" LISTEN i blame. my many convos with felix about diasomnia LOLJSKLDF and all the fanart i have seen of specifically gator/croc sebek and songbird silver....... and my blog is very twst heavy, it was only a matter of time. WELL IT'S STILL VERY CUTE!!!!

omg wait hang on um um um

lilia a bat. i dont know bat types thats also felix's domain

silver a bird... ummmm made me think of rookidee from pokemon,,, but less pointy!! just a lil guy. some sort of songbird.

sebek im voting crocodile over aligator but i mean. when it comes to doodles its hard to make a distinction anyway LOL. for all i know this is a caiman. caimans are so cute.

ruggie bucchi hyena....... just a lil guy,,,, i think. wait hang on i was googling hyena to check

what manner of beast is this. why doesnt he look like the other hyena images that came up. whys he shaped like that. jkljsdjfkl a gougar!!!

ok 🧍‍♂️ i have re installed windows on my computer. this should be the last time i have to remake the link for a while l o l

[ohwiseswami]

hmm...

Look, I love Donghyuck as much as the next person but the whole “reggae hair” that looks like an “octopus” is a no from me. That shit ain’t it. He’s a 19 year old man and a celebrity, just like Lil Pump. He needs to take responsibility for the stuff that comes out of his mouth

I understand he’s from a different culture but most 19 year olds with internet access understand that it’s wrong to make fun of the physical traits and traditions of an entire group of people. I’m sure if Lil Pump roasted Koreans for any of their traits/traditions no kpop stans would defend him. This is the same principle here. Just because he’s Korean doesn’t mean he’s an idiot to the fact that cornrows are very specific to black culture and Type 4 hair is pretty much a uniquely black trait. Chenle’s hair was styled to mimic that (which is a whole other problem), which is why Koreans call it “reggae hair” ....which--.....................

That said, Hyuck is one of the ones I could see benefiting from doing the education. I don’t think he’s some sort of supremacist who can’t be bothered to learn I just think he needs to take that initiative to learn. But it’s not helpful for fans to shift the blame solely to SM/Korean culture/stylists, etc. when these things happen. He’s a grown ass man, please don’t forget that. I still think he’s incredibly talented (that won’t ever change) but things like this really don’t compel me to spend any money or time on your art

Personally, this isn’t a ‘deal breaker’ per se, as I always like idols from a distance. This type of thing happens too often in kpop for me to not distance myself from it a bit. But this situation does put a cloud of doubt over Haechan for me. Like I said, I don’t think he’s some sort of extremist and this doesn’t mean I’ll start hating him or something, but he definitely needs to apologize and I’ll probably be cool off of Dream/127 for a minute

[art-of-astral]

I had a wild dream

Ok so I kinda wanted to submit this to @one-time-i-dreamt, but it might be too long for that blog.

I was in my old highschool. There were three or four boys, usually three (when I said four, I'd note that one was absent during this particular crazy day), who always caused trouble. Fighting, vandalism, etc, and the teachers never stopped it, because the administration in my school was weak as heck (I trick my way out of a formal refferal later, more info to come).

One day, I catch wind they're going to go on a "music break," which basically meant they'd skip class and so something dumb. I was on fairly good terms with them ('cause I was plotting), and asked to join. They said sure. In today's music break, they were all in the band hallway, wrapped up like a mummy in different tapes: masking tape, painter's tape, and the leader: Duck Tape. Once they were all securely taped up and having fun flailing around, I grabbed the leader by the edge of his tape and took off running, unraveling him, making him very dizzy, and netting me a huge ball of slightly used duct tape. He then chases me, and I run into the drama class, where he finally catches up and tackles me.

We fight and fight, on the ground at this point, and the class is riotous. Finally I somehow convince him to claim we're evenly matched, and the winner will be decided by coinflip. We stop fighting, walk towards a shocked teacher, and ask "1 or 2?" I don't remember her answer, I didn't care. She rambles, flabbergasted, about the situation, and says we'll both be going to the principal's office. I say I'm already on my way. She's confused, but trusts me enough that my "cross my heart" motion as I walk out the door is enough to take her attention off me and onto him.

I go to the principal's office, because I am neither a liar not a rule-breaker. I also now have no formal refferal, so this isn't on record anyway. I tell the desk people (who are all chatting and playing videogames!!! How rude!!!) I need to speak to the principal, and they give me a small generic pass and let me through. I enter his large office, and he greets me happily. I let him know about the situation, and he seems concerned, immediately asking me -why- I did this. I blame it on my pet snake, but that's not a lie. My pet snake slithers in, and has retroactively had a role in every part of this story. I'm scared of him. The principal is concerned, and watches as I struggle to avoid the snake relentlessly trying to bite me. He pulls up the curtian of his tub, letting the snake get in the lukewarm water. The snake comes out a few times, and can shapeshift like a mimic octopus, but is never really important again.

After my conversation with the principal, I go to some sort of diciplinary room/psych eval? I've been in this building before, in a different dreams, and know there are lots of rooms and halls, but can't remember what the halls look like.

I'm sitting on a ledge, a huge fake Minotaur skull in my lap, overlooking a lush jungle setting. After a moment of observation, I put down the skull and go exploring, having a fun time I don't really remember. Eventually I go back up to the ledge, and as I leave I accidentally break a horn off the skull. "It's ok," the diciplinary woman laughs, "I hated that thing anyway."

[concussed-to-pieces]

Survival

Fandom: Jurassic World

Pairing: Owen Grady/Unnamed OFC

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Here it is! My first Thirst Party Saturday foray into another fandom! Tagging @toxiicpop naturally and I'd like to give an enormous thank you to @im-an-octopus, their Chris Pratt character headcanons (the Pratt Pack, if you will) are incredibly thought out and articulate. Enjoy!

[This takes place essentially in the middle of the Indominus incident, and goes from there.]

He’d seen the large body from quite a distance away, but the smaller form crumpled beside it hadn’t been apparent until he went almost full circle. Owen jerked up the brake, fumbling to get his seat belt off and quickly slinging his rifle over his shoulder.

There were strategically placed feeding stations close to the Gyrosphere path in the Valley to encourage more animal visibility, she was one of the volunteers who stocked the dry feed and ferns for the Apatosaurus herd. Sometimes he saw her assisting with the one juvenile Apatosaurus and the squirmier Gallimimus in the petting zoo area. That was all he knew. He couldn’t even remember her name, he honestly wasn’t sure if he had ever known it to begin with.

The first thing that got his attention when he opened the car door was the sound of quiet crying. So she wasn’t dead, then. Probably just in shock. “Hey!” He hissed, trying to keep his voice down as he was unsure of whether the Indominus was still close by. “Hey, are you alright?”

She didn’t give any indication that she had heard him and when Owen rounded the long neck of the animal he saw her clinging to it, sobbing pitifully like a child. The sight made his throat ache and he squared his shoulders, irritated with himself.

He crept closer, doing his best to rustle and make his presence known through exaggerated footfalls and coughing once or twice. She paid him no attention, her focus wholly on the huge animal that was currently dying. Owen bore no ill will at being ignored in this instance though, remembering all too clearly the sting of sadness and even worse, the feeling that he’d failed when a raptor out of his pack clutch didn’t survive. Poor Foxtrot.

“-didn’t deserve that, y-you were always the sw-sweetest thing.” She hiccupped between sobs. Owen noticed her comparatively tiny fingers pressed over a gaping slash wound in the Apatosaur’s neck. The herbivore gave a pained grunt of breath, blood bubbling from the gash.  “It’s okay, sweetheart. No one w-will be angry with you if you sleep now, okay?” Her shoulders shook with the effort of holding back tears so she could reassure the giant animal. “You can sleep. You were so brave, k-kept me safe from whatever that was. Sleep, sweetheart.” She whispered, pulling herself closer so she could rest her forehead on the scaly skin. “It’s over now.”

After several seconds of its breathing becoming slower and more labored, the Apatosaurus shuddered and went totally still. She couldn’t hold back her tears any longer at that, tightening her hold on the creature’s neck and burying her face. Owen felt like he was witnessing something he shouldn’t be, shifting back and forth awkwardly for a minute before finally tapping her on the shoulder.

She shook her head. “She died for me.” She mumbled. “She kept me safe from that…whatever that was. The huge one.”

“They named it the Indominus Rex. I guess callin’ it the ‘Shitshow Waiting To Happen’ Rex was a little too on the nose.” Owen didn’t know why the hell he even said anything about it. She was clearly emotionally compromised and not in a listening mood.

“That’s what they’ve been making, isn’t it?” Her question startled him. He hadn’t known they were cooking that giant lizard up, how the hell would she know? Owen wasn’t exactly the most social guy but he liked to think he had a decent finger on the pulse of the island. “In the lab, that’s what they were all so happy about.” Her voice was shaky. “A couple of the inside nerds came into our break room the other day, told a bunch of us that we were going to be rendered useless in a matter of weeks.”

Owen’s brow furrowed. “Why the hell…?”

“They said a crane had been proved to do our job just as well, and if a crane gets broken it’s not counted as a casualty.” She pulled away from the Apatosaurus, scrubbing her dirty hands on her shorts. “They said it would help prevent accidents, take down operating costs if they didn’t have so many of us little khaki-clad park rangers running around.” She sounded bitter and Owen didn’t blame her for one second. “I’m sorry, I’m just...could I possibly hitch a ride with you back to the fence? I should be able to get to the resort on my own from there.” Her body was still shuddering a little from her lengthy crying jag but she was obviously trying to put on a brave face. Whether for him or in honor of her deceased charge, Owen wasn’t quite sure.

He got the feeling that he would regret this, but he couldn’t in good conscience drop her off essentially in the middle of nowhere to make her own way. Definitely not with that big beasty roaming free. “Listen. I know you’re mournin’ your charges right now, so it would make me feel a lot better if you just stuck with me and I could get you to the resort in one piece.” He tried to gentle his voice without seeming patronizing.  “I don’t know where the I. Rex is and if somethin’ happens to you, somethin’ that my ass could have prevented…” He trailed off.

“It killed most of the herd, then it took off. I heard it coming and it was just…I thought it was Rexy at first but the color was all wrong, and then I saw how long its arms were. It was practically on top of me by the time I realized I should run and it was too late. I…are you going to kill it?” She asked hesitantly.

Owen grimaced. “Masrani an’ the powers that be are a little leery of dumping that kind of money down the drain. Me, on the other hand? If I can kill it, if it can be killed, I’m definitely killing it.” He doubted a creature that unstable could be subdued without emptying a clip or twenty into its skull. He held out his hand. “Hop into the truck, ma’am. I’ll bring you home safe.”

...

That promise was lofty as hell and honestly, I should have known better than to make it, he thought ruefully as he stood in front of her, arms spread. Blue was staring him down with Delta and Echo flanking them. As if the clusterfuck with the helicopter through the Aviary and the subsequent panicking vacationers hadn’t been enough bullshit for one day. As if the I. Rex itself wasn’t a living, breathing clusterfuck all on its own.

The missing presence of Charlie was like a quiet chorus of wrongwrongwrong in the back of his mind. He wasn’t used to seeing less of his pack and he whickered quietly in his throat, hearing Delta mimic the noise. Blue continued to focus on Owen and he realized that she was the only one who still had a camera strapped around her head.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Owen inched his hand out. Murmuring reassurances the whole time and making sure the beta Velociraptor could clearly see his hand, his fingers finally touched the buckle on the side of her jaw. Blue chuffed at him and Owen found himself smiling a little. “Shh, easy. Just me.” He said quietly. “Good girl, good girl.” The woman at his side moved just a fraction closer to Echo. Owen barely caught the motion out of the corner of his eye. “Stay still please. I like my hand the way it is.” He said in the same calm, quiet tone.

“Sorry, used to the herbivores.” She apologized, her own voice deliberately gentle. To Owen’s surprise Echo made a noise that was usually associated with playful behavior, a warbling little chirp. The volunteer didn’t seem particularly afraid of the raptors despite having clearly witnessed the fact that Owen wasn’t the one in charge of them anymore. He couldn’t decide if that was stupid or not.

“Easy girl. Let’s get this off, okay?” Owen pressed down carefully on the buckle and unclipped the straps, letting the camera drop to the ground. Blue clicked warily at him, watching as he eased his hand back just as slow. “There, that’s better, right?” He continued, doing his best to keep the beta calm. “Good girl. I’m sorry about Charlie, Blue. Thanks for not rippin’ a chunk out of Barry. Delta, you’re gettin’ extra scratch time with Barry for tearin’ Hoskins apart.” He was sort of rambling at this point, wondering how long this truce would last before his girls lit him up.

Blue hadn’t stopped staring at him. Echo chittered loudly, seeming to try and pull Owen’s attention. He knew better than to glance her way, very familiar with how his pack hunted.

“I know you’re there, Echo. I’m busy at the moment. Gotta’ keep my eyes on the boss.” Owen felt the ground shudder and he was not ashamed to admit that he lost his breath for a second or twelve when the I. Rex rounded the corner of Main Street. The sheer mass of the creature was terrifying by itself, never mind that it had been specifically engineered to be scary (ala the Carnotaurus motif; Owen was honestly surprised that they hadn’t given the thing blatant horns on its skull instead of the smaller protrusions). The jaw structure designed to crush, the spines that were obviously cosmetic. What the hell did a fake dinosaur in solitary confinement need defensive spikes for anyhow?

“Imagine that one, fraction of the size. Deadly, intelligent, able to hide from the most advanced military technology.”

Owen could still barely wrap his head around the fact that Hoskins had thought this was a good idea. Not only that, but good enough to pour inGen’s resources into indiscriminately. Sure, he’d had a bit of a clue that he wasn’t being hired to train Velociraptors to balance balls on their noses or clap like goddamn seals, but if he had known that the end game was a fake T. Rex with goddamn cloaking, social anxiety and an incurable affection for cranes he doubted he would have taken the job.

The Indominus Rex rumbled at the Velociraptors. Owen could practically hear it pitching a tantrum, why haven’t you eaten them yet?! Blue turned to hiss back, snapping her jaws and surprising the hell out of Owen with her defiance. For the first time since Delta chased them back out of the Innovations Center he felt a faint glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe.

“Pointers for working with large carnivores?” She muttered out of the side of her mouth. It was a relief to realize that she wasn’t scared brainless. Shitless maybe, but she hadn’t fainted and her gears were still turning. The hope burned a little brighter.

“Avoid doing so. Barring that, be really fast and good at hiding. Mask your scent.” Owen replied. “This thing…it isn’t exactly well-adjusted. Little to no training, not like my raptors. Hell, Rexy is more trained than this thing.”

“Well you could have just said that we were fucked.”

“I don’t know if we are yet.” Owen said evenly, watching Blue interact in a more and more hostile manner with the genetic mishmash towering over them. “We’ve got a prayer here. I think Blue took me back as alpha, s’long as my girls can keep it together we have a shot.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Owen caught the wave of hysterical laughter that wanted to break free, the barest snicker escaping him. “I meant the raptors.”

“Rude.” The fact that she could be glib at a time like this was unexpectedly comforting. Owen eased his hand down and wrapped his fingers around her own, squeezing lightly. She squeezed back after a moment. “Thank you. Sorry.”

Blue screeched abruptly and the I. Rex roared furiously in reply, swiping the beta into the wall of the nearby Starbucks. The Velociraptor slumped to the ground and Owen barely kept from screaming, biting down on his fist. Blue!

Echo and Delta both turned to face the Indominus, angrily chirruping and snapping at the large creature. Owen, doing his damnedest to wrestle himself back under control, felt the volunteer's grip tighten on his hand again. He didn’t have the luxury of going to pieces right now, dammit. He still had his rifle. He still had two of his girls. His eyes narrowed and he sucked in a breath, then emitted a piercing whistle.

The raptors immediately went on the offensive, clawing and tearing their way up the sides of the Indominus. Owen gave the woman a quick push towards a small merchandise kiosk and she bolted for the building, leaving him with the remainder of his pack and the giant creature in the middle of Main Street.

Hell of a showdown. Owen smiled grimly, slinging his rifle around and setting the stock firmly before taking his first shot. Circling the massive beast, firing whenever he had a clear line of sight, Owen did everything that he could to put dents in the thing’s armor so his girls would have a better (albeit slim) chance of tearing it apart.

Hell of a way to die. His brow furrowed and he pulled the trigger again.

When Delta was flung through the Winston’s Steakhouse window and promptly roasted alive in a burst of flame from the still-active grill, when the Indominus crushed Echo in her jaws and tossed her aside, Owen felt his guts seize. His fingers grew clumsy as he reloaded and he almost dropped his rifle, blinking back the tears. He’d raised these animals, God damn it, imprinted on them, grown with them. He thought of the woman who cared for the Apatosaurus herd, putting her own sorrow on the back burner to assure the long-necked herbivore that it was alright to leave.

“No one will be mad at you.”

There would be time to mourn, assuming he got out of this alive. Time to grieve the loss of his pack. But at this moment there was no room for sorrow.

Owen made a mad dash for the relative shelter of the kiosk, but to his horror when he vaulted over the counter he found the tiny store deserted. Oh no. He heard a loud, rattling inhale behind him and he froze, listening to the I. Rex tramp around outside. The huge jaw of the creature banged into the side of the kiosk, tossing stuffed dinosaurs and T-shirts onto the young man. He was well and truly screwed, he realized as the Indominus’ talons broke through the side of the kiosk and gouged the floor in an attempt to tear him apart.

He pressed himself against the opposite wall, wishing that he could close his eyes and open them again to find that this was all a bad dream. His girls were gone, and he was about to be torn limb from limb by some bastardized horror show of a dinosaur. His only solace in that moment was knowing that he’d fulfilled his promise to that volunteer. Because obviously she was safe, she was probably boarding the ferry right now.

The Indominus isn’t moving its feet but the ground is shaking, why is the ground shaking if the Indominus isn’t moving?

Owen could feel the thunder of colossal footsteps and he saw a flare go sailing by to bounce off the side of the creature attempting to eat him alive. His eyes widened. Oh Jesus, she didn’t-

The trumpeting roar that Rexy let out was teeth-rattling, he had heard her before of course but always from a safe distance. Being up close and personal with the park’s goat-fed matriarch was an experience he could have lived without. He caught the barest glimpse of the volunteer, standing practically beneath the T. Rex. Holy shit, she did. His flicker of admiration was short-lived as Rexy and the Indominus met each other head-on almost directly in front of his hideout.

Owen would have nightmares later on, about being crushed to death or torn apart when the T. Rex ended up crashing through the side of his hideout. In the moment though he wildly debated just jamming his rifle into the animal’s gaping maw and firing until she decided to latch onto him. At least he’d go down fighting like his girls.

But the Indominus dragged Rexy back out without giving him the chance to act on his crazy idea, and Owen bolted from the stand seconds before it collapsed on top of him.

Adrenaline give me fucking strength!

He careened to a halt beside the woman who had taken up shelter by a large volcanic boulder on display, unsure of whether he ought to kiss her or scream at her because what the fuck, the T. Rex?! She caught his hand and clung to it tightly, which sort of made the decision a little simpler.

To Owen’s horror he suddenly realized that the Indominus appeared to be gaining the advantage, flooring Rexy and pinning her head and neck with its claws. The I. Rex opened those fearsome jaws, leisurely moving in to rip Rexy’s throat out and Owen turned his head away, refusing to watch another animal die at the proverbial hands of this beast. She buried her face in his chest, tears soaking his shirt as she seemed to grasp that Rexy had been their last-ditch effort, and the odds were not exactly in their favor.

A faint sound caught Owen’s attention, making him jerk his eyes back up. He hardly dared to hope, but-

“Blue.” He breathed, recognizing her distinctive, ‘coughing’ call.  The raptor, coming from the far end of Main Street, quickly picked up speed and vaulted off of Rexy’s prone form to fling herself at the face of the Indominus. The I. Rex brayed in confusion, swinging wildly in an attempt to shake off the Velociraptor and not appearing to notice when the T. Rex rolled back onto her feet. But it sure as hell noticed a second later when Rexy caught it around the throat and slammed it up against the wall nearby. Sparks popped and hissed as elaborate lighting fixtures were destroyed, showering the two humans hiding behind the rock with glass and other small debris.

Owen gripped the volunteer’s arm and fled across the plaza into the larger gift shop, knowing that the building would at least provide them some cover. When Blue crashed through the glass in front of them and immediately got back to her feet he wanted to holler, to tell her she was doing a ‘great damn job!’ But he stifled the urge so as not to distract the only surviving member of his pack. The beta had more than enough problems to worry about without being made victim to his emotional, human responses.

Owen felt a faint twinge of remorse when Rexy forced the Indominus into the side of Margaritaville, a little amused with himself for thinking about drinks at a time like this. But if they survived this endeavor, he knew exactly where he would go. The volunteer gripped his arm tightly, her breath coming in panicky gasps. She didn’t seem able to look away from the clash of the titans going on mere feet in front of them.

Rexy tossed the I. Rex into the metal fencing surrounding the lagoon, sending a portion of it crashing into the water. The Indominus floundered back to its feet, that terrifying, discordant roar echoing on Main Street as it stood. Blue screeched loudly in reply and Rexy opened her own jaws wide to bellow.

In all the chaos Owen had forgotten about the denizen of the lagoon. Mosasaurs hunt close to the surface of the water...fish, turtles, smaller Mosasaurs. The aquatic predator leaped headlong at the I. Rex through the freshly-made gap in the fence, sinking her teeth into the creature’s neck. The Indominus flailed for a split second before being dragged bodily into the lagoon.

There was a long moment of silence, and then the haunting, low frequency call of the feeding Mosasaurus faintly reached Owen’s ears. He exhaled the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding in a long, slow whoosh.

The volunteer let go of his arm, fumbling at her waist for something as Rexy stared at Blue. The raptor chittered uneasily at the larger animal and Owen took in the long-scarred wounds on Rexy’s neck beneath all the fresh ones. Velociraptor claw marks, he was sure of it. But how could that have happened?

She was from the first attempt Grady, it ain’t like that shit went well.

A snapping noise pulled his attention to the woman beside him and he was horrified to see a now-burning flare held tightly in her hand. The noise and light had also gotten Rexy’s attention, distracting her from the Velociraptor. Owen felt a wave of gratitude almost overcome the panic he felt, she had (intentionally or otherwise) saved his last raptor. But before he could so much as open his mouth the woman took off at a dead sprint back across Main Street. Paddock Nine, Owen thought numbly, watching her raise the clunky walkie-talkie to her mouth. She’s going to try and get her back in her cage. Jesus fucking Christ.

Blue chirped uncertainly at him, turning to watch Rexy tromp off after the woman. Owen’s voice shook as he called to Blue, snagging her attention so she wouldn’t give chase. “Good girl. Jesus Christ Blue, I think you’re the only one who’s ever teamed up with a T. Rex and lived to talk about it.” He extended his hand, clicking his tongue in an imitation of his training clicker when she didn’t immediately go into an aggressive stance. “Good girl, shit I wish I had somethin’ to give you. You done damn good, Blue.” He praised, chuckling incredulously.

She croaked at him and he mimicked the noise, wishing now more than ever that they had dedicated less time to getting the raptors under their thumb and more time to understanding them. He would have happily handed over every one of his paychecks from inGen if it meant he could have communicated better with his girls. Blue gave one last fond-sounding whiffle of breath and headed off in the direction of the Innovations building. Owen had to blink back the tears again as he heard her call for her deceased pack mates, the familiar grunts and snaps going unanswered in the night.

He finally shook himself bodily and urged his exhausted legs to carry him across the square, giving the area of destroyed fencing a wide berth. That would be just his luck. Paddock Nine. He picked up speed despite his weariness, the fear finally seeming to hit him. She’s alone with a fucking T. Rex and she’s unarmed, oh my God. Owen’s eyes narrowed and he began reloading his rifle as he ran. She had saved Blue. He would be damned if she died without him tearing at least a few holes in that T. Rex.

His frantic run was cut short as he came whipping down the long passageway between the paddocks and foggily noticed that Paddock Nine was in fact, closed up nice and tight. What really got his attention was the body curled against the wall on the opposite side, a walkie-talkie resting on the ground nearby.

“Hey!” He yelled, almost slipping on the smooth cement in his haste to reach her. “Shit, shit shit shit, no no, fuck c’mon, don’t do this shit to me.” He swore under his breath as he dropped to his knees.

She raised her face to look at him dazedly, her cheeks wet with tears. “I…”

“Fucking hell.” Owen wrapped her in a fierce hug, cutting off whatever else she might have said. “You gave me such a fucking scare, what the hell were you thinkin’?” He scolded, both irritated and relieved beyond measure.

“I didn’t…your raptors--I-I j-just…” Her voice petered out and she slid her arms beneath his own, digging her fingers into his vest. “I couldn’t w-w-watch that, n-not again.” She managed to sob. “M’ so sorry, I j-just--”

Owen hushed her, rubbing her back in slow, careful circles and letting her cry. “I didn’t mean t’ yell at you. I’m glad you’re safe.” He said quietly. “I owe you at least one debt of gratitude for savin’ my girl. Two, if you count savin’ my ass as worthwhile.”

“God Mr. Grady, I’m fucking exhausted.” She said bluntly, making him chuckle. “I am…I am clearly out of shape, Jesus Christ. Rexy running buddy is a hell of a motivator.”

“So I saw. We’re lucky she’s well-fed and curious.” Owen got to his feet and held out his hand. “I’m lucky that you’re so smart.” He said a little quieter, almost to himself. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t had brushes with death before, but never with quite so many teeth.

“No, you’re lucky I’m too dumb to think about things before I do them. Otherwise I would have been scared stiff.” She corrected, grabbing his hand and letting him haul her upright. “Holy shit, I can’t even believe we did it. Wow.” Her fingers clenched in the fabric of his shirt and she swayed on her feet, stumbling a step.

“Whoa, easy now.” Owen steadied her, sliding an arm beneath her shoulders. “Easy. We’ll get back to the plaza, okay? See if we can grab some grub. I don’t know about you, but I’m fucking starvin’.”

“That sounds incredible.” She murmured, putting one foot in front of the other at his gentle urging. “Sleep after that, yeah?”

“Hell yeah. We are gonna’ sleep like the dead.” Owen wasn’t sure if he would ever sleep again after everything that had happened. “We’re sticking together though, I don’t know if the volunteer bunkhouse has been compromised. Plus, I ain’t exactly gonna’ leave you alone out here.”

“Thank you.” She suddenly let out a hysterical little giggle. “I outran a T. Rex.”

“Twice!” Owen added, the insanity of that statement hitting him. “You were phenomenal, I’ve never seen shit like that. I thought I was dead. I hoped you got to the ferry and that I’d bought you enough time and instead you came back, whippin’ that flare at the Indominus like a crisp Washington at a stripper. Jesus.”

She snorted with laughter, knocking the side of her head into his chest. “We’re just lucky there was still someone in Central Control.”

“And that you were smart enough to think of setting up a real-life Godzilla fight. Maybe a little further away from me next time though, okay?” Owen joked.

“I’ll do my best.”

He found himself gripping her a little tighter than he needed to as he made a beeline for the shattered remains of Margaritaville, carefully stepping through the destroyed front of the bar. “What’s your opinion on strawberries?”

…

The MVU drove like a boat and Owen was a nervous wreck about his motorcycle tumbling out of the back, doing his damnedest to avoid every bump on the road. The Scrambler was kind of his prized possession. A grin snuck across his face at the memory of riding through the forest with his girls. Hunting together like a real, honest-to-goodness raptor pack.

The grin faded as he remembered Charlie getting blown to pieces minutes later. At least I still have Blue. He wasn’t sure if raptors were intelligent to the point of understanding death, or whether Blue would keep looking for them forever. His heart sank a little at the idea of poor Blue calling for her pack.

We’re all that’s left. Dogs of war, like Hoskins said. He glanced over at the woman in the passenger seat. Her back was ramrod-straight, arms firmly wrapped around the bottles of tequila and miscellaneous provisions he’d rustled up. Well, dogs of war and one…volunteer of war. She stared straight ahead, jumping a little when he quietly said her name. “You alright? Almost home.”

“I’m okay. Just…kind of rattled.” She tried to smile at him.

“Almost there.” He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, noticing the sky pinking up overhead. “We’ll catch some Zs and then…shit, we gotta’ feed the whole damn island. I don’t know whether inGen is gonna’ send more troopers so I guess we’ve got a pretty big mission on our hands.”

“It’s the carnivores that will be the problem. Ninety-five percent of the herbivores are foragers anyway.” She dug her wallet out of her back pocket, searching for something in it. “Sharks for the Mosasaur, along with a giant bottle of Pepto because I bet that I. Rex gave it indigestion…goat for Rexy. Two goats for Rexy. Six goats for Rexy. Ferns for my girls and for the Anks and Gallies. Shit, what will we do about the Pterodactyls? Yes, I still have my access card. Okay. As long as the security protocols haven’t been messed with we should be fine.”

“And if they have?” Owen asked.

“I guess we’ll pray that there’s one nerd left in Central Control.”

He nodded, sighing in relief as the bungalow appeared in his headlights. “Jesus, home sweet home never looked so damn good. Food before bed?” She shook her head, her exhaustion putting itself on full display when she nearly tumbled out the door of the MVU. “Whoa, easy there!” Owen grabbed her arm to catch her, not letting go until she got both feet on the ground. “You got precious cargo, right? Have to be careful.” The excuse was flimsy and he knew it even as he nodded towards the tequila.

She nodded back, her eyes already half-closed. She was fading fast. Owen hurried through the motions of unlocking his door and he ushered her inside, probably nearly breaking the bottles of alcohol when he took them from her slack grip and essentially tossed them off to the side. She made a noise of protest and he hushed her again, leading her to the futon.

“I’ll grab you a sheet, get the fan going. Just take your boots off.” She obediently sat to undo her laces and he headed to the bathroom to find his barely-used second set of sheets.

This isn’t normally what happens when I bring a chick back to my place, Owen thought with a touch of amusement as he unfolded the sheet and snapped it over the edges of the futon. She was on the soft surface almost before he was done and Owen couldn’t keep from chuckling, pulling the flat sheet up over her shoulders. On an impulse he stroked her hair and he just barely heard her murmur, “good night, Mr. Grady.”

Guess I can make an exception.

…

He wasn’t sure what time he had gone to sleep, but when he was shaken awake the clock displayed nine sixteen. He groaned loudly, swatting at the hand on his shoulder. “Not yet, c’mon.” He snuggled back down into his pillow with a sigh, closing his eyes again. Wait, since when do I live with anyone?! His eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright, flinging the pillow off to the side. It was that woman, the volunteer, looking disheveled. Owen’s eyes narrowed for a minute as he stared silently at her. The events of the previous day came flooding back in suddenly and he dropped his face into his hands, groaning again. “Fuck, fuck fuck.”

“You have a…guest.” She said, raising an eyebrow.

“S’it Barry?” She shook her head. Owen peeled the sheet back and got to his feet, yawning and then pulling on his boots as an afterthought. Extra clothes could wait until he had shooed whatever bigwig on his doorstep off into the jungle where they belonged.

He opened the door, fully prepared to lean against the frame in the most insolent fashion he could muster up. So he almost fell off his porch when he realized who it was.

“Blue!” The Velociraptor stood at the bottom of the steps, cocking her head to the side and chirruping at him. “You…good girl, good girl!” Owen felt like he was going to burst with happiness. She came back. Something touched his hand and he quickly closed his fingers around it, wary of breaking eye contact with his beta.

The volunteer had gotten one of the rats from his fridge. “I assumed they were for her and not for breakfast,” The woman said in a wry whisper, “but if you'd like I could try to whip her up an omelet instead.”

“I think this will do just fine.” Then, “Blue! Eyes on me!” Owen said firmly, absolutely flush with pride when the raptor immediately straightened up, her attention on the rat in his hand. “You're the only one left now, girl. I guess that means I'm gonna' have to spoil you.” He tossed the rat to the deadly predator at the edge of his porch, smiling through his tears as he watched her quickly devour it. “Alright Blue, breakfast is over. Go!” He ordered, gesturing off towards the thick foliage. She hesitated for a moment, looking up at him and seeming confused. “Go on, Blue. It's alright.” He said, a little less firm. “I'll...I'll see you later, okay girl?” Owen was pretty sure she didn't understand the sentiment, but he could hope.

The Velociraptor purred at him and then bolted into the undergrowth on the outskirts of the little plot his residence rested on. Owen rubbed at his eyes, doing his best to keep himself together. The volunteer put a hand on his shoulder and he felt his self-control slide a fraction. “You're a good alpha. She'll be back.”

“I can't...God, I hope so.” Owen mumbled, “She's all I've got now.”

“She will.” She squeezed his shoulder and then stepped back. “Alright, we have a hell of a day ahead of us. Should we get started, Mr. Grady?”

“Call me Owen.” He didn't know why it mattered all of a sudden. She'd been calling him Mr. Grady since they'd met. “Please.”

“Okay...Owen.”

…

From Ankylosaurs to Suchomimus, Baronyx to Triceratops and everything in between, they worked their way through the paddocks and enclosures. Not for the first time Owen was immensely grateful for the automated systems that were in place, and the scientific advances that made cloning so stupid simple they wouldn't run out of meat and vegetation for months (resources permitting, naturally).

She kept him talking as they finally rattled along through the Apatosaurus field, which was a comfort in and of itself. He could tell she needed it too, her words fading a little once they came across the first huge carcass covered in noisily-squawking vultures and crows. He reached over the gear shift in the Jeep to rest his hand on her thigh for a second, pulling her attention back to him. “It's alright.” He said quietly.

She smiled at him, tears threatening to fall regardless. “We waste so much, you know? As humans. I wish...I'd love to have them back.” She murmured, gesturing over her shoulder.

“I'd give anythin' to have the memory of Charlie getting blown to bits turn out to be nothing but a bad dream,” Owen confessed, “but the truth is that neither of us are getting our girls back. All we can do is work to keep the survivors in good health and just...try to take care of each other, I guess.”

“I'm glad you're here, Mr.--Owen, sorry. I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't showed up.” She twiddled her fingers. “I’m glad that--oh, here we are!” She said hurriedly, patting his hand on the gearshift. “Right here, see?”

The far-off buzz of a small motor caught Owen’s attention while she was up in the tree and he quickly checked his rifle over. God only knew who might be coming. He knew if it was inGen they would be shit out of luck.

Owen breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was Barry. The larger man’s four-wheeler skidded to a halt and he quickly dismounted. “Owen fucking Grady, you are a sight for sore eyes!” Barry exclaimed, hauling the other man in for a lung-collapsing hug.

“Hey man. Glad you’re okay.” Owen wheezed.

“I thought you were dead, Owen!” Barry held him at arm’s length, looking him over critically. “You look half-dead, or around that percentage. Merde.”

“Always know how to make a guy feel better, Barry.” Owen said wryly.

Barry laughed at that, rumpling Owen’s hair. “Not much sleep for either of us, yes? What are you doing out here, anyway?”

“I’ve got uh…guard duty.” Owen flicked a finger upwards at the tree. “We’ve been workin’ ourselves to the bone gettin’ the island fed, man. My whole body hurts. Pretty sure she’s in the same boat, but these herbivores are like her raptors.” Owen shrugged and Barry shielded his eyes, squinting up at the tree.

“Sorry Owen, she’s obviously too smart and adventurous for you. Hello again!” He called, waving at the woman. She waved back, yelling something in reply.

Owen chuckled at his friend’s antics, shoving his shoulder roughly. “Easy. We’ve had a hell of a night. That Mosasaur popped up in the absolute nick of time and--shit, that woman up there outran Rexy. Twice.” He said proudly.

“Careful Owen, I think you have a crush!” Barry teased.

“You’re damn fucking right I do!” Owen grinned. “I tell you what, the next time a good-looking gal outruns an apex predator for you, I’ll ask when the wedding is.”

Barry held up his hands in surrender, still smiling. “Fair enough.”

She dropped to the grass between the two of them, but before Owen could so much as get a word out she had bolted, heading for the rapidly-approaching form of an Apatosaurus. “Shirley!”

Barry snorted. “She even named them old lady names.”

“Hey, we can’t all be elite dolphin-raptor trainers. I’m tired to death of calling animals Sierra Hotel India Tango or whatever the fuck.”

“Our girls are gone, aren’t they?” Barry asked softly as they watched the woman practically cavort around the tree trunk legs of the huge herbivore. “I saw Echo, and I assume Delta. What was left of her, anyway.”

“Blue is…Blue’s what we have now.” Owen swallowed, the words thick in his throat. “After Charlie got…I mean, Delta and Echo fought hard but that giant fucker just…”

Barry jammed his hands into his pockets. “Fucking Hoskins.” He said finally.

“Delta got him.” Owen remembered the weird sensation of simultaneously being proud as hell and terrified when Delta latched down on Hoskins’ hand. He’d done that move a thousand times and to see it backfire on someone else…well, if he wasn’t respectful of the danger that came with the job before, he sure as heck was after that. “It was a sight.”

“My girl.” Barry shook his head. “She hated him from the start. It is fitting, I suppose.” He turned to look at Owen. “This is such a mess.”

“You said it.” Owen agreed. “All that research. All that effort, time and energy. So Vic could flush it at the first chance he got. We worked with those animals for two years.”

“I hear you, Owen. It is…it is difficult to understand men like Vic Hoskins. Especially when I don’t really want to.” Barry said bluntly. “Look at her with her big friend. No one normal who looks at that would think of making her twist that animal to do her bidding. They are better this way.”

Owen decided that changing the subject was in his best interest. Barry could use some good news. “Blue showed up for breakfast this morning.”

“Good! She is free-roaming then?”

“I don’t know if she knows that the others are gone yet, I think she may be looking for them. But yeah,” Owen nodded, “she’s all grown up now, I guess.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Barry murmured. “Let her be free before inGen comes swooping back in and starts ruining everything all over again.” He shook himself bodily after a few moments of brooding. “I have to get back to work. Some of the containment fences were damaged so I have been working with the young man in Central Control to get them back online. I will see you later, Owen.” He extended a hand to Owen, who pulled him into a hug instead.

“Take care of yourself, man.”

…

“So I know the dinosaurs don’t mind, and maybe you don’t mind. But I know for a fact that I probably smell like a landfill at this point.” She said out of the blue as the vehicle trundled along the access road. “If there is a shower situation at your uh…cabin, trailer thing, I would-”

“It’s a bungalow.” Owen corrected, grinning when she stuck her tongue out at him. “Get it right, shit.”

“Oh my apologies, your highness.” She snickered. “I didn’t think you had a shower. You don’t look like the showering type.”

“You got me. I’d rather haul Ma’s old wash tub out into my front yard and share bathwater with the raptors.” Owen teased. “It’s a freein’ experience.”

“…Can I borrow a towel and a toothbrush, or do you share those with your pack too?”

“’Course I share ‘em with my pack. That’s why you’re welcome to ‘em.” Owen listened to her sputter, his grin widening. “Heck, you ask nice and I might even rustle up some clothes for you. Hope you like neutrals though. Bright colors would distract my girls. I’ve got one of those little washers if you wanna’ wash your stuff.”

“What a gentleman.” She pretended to swoon and Owen reached over to tousle her hair.

“I’m sure that’s exactly what every ex I’ve ever had will tell you. Definitely not ‘he loves those dolphins more than me!’ or ‘I wish he’d jump off a cliff!’” Owen mimicked in a falsetto voice. “Obviously I’m irresistible. That’s why the only ladies that will associate with me are intelligent predators…and the animals, too.”

“Oo, low blow. Well I guess coming across me was a stroke of luck on your part, seeing as how I’m neither of those things.”

Owen almost choked while she smiled in a rather self-satisfied manner. “You sure about that? Because that was an ambush if I ever saw one.”

“Seriously though, you trained dolphins? How cool was that? Did you learn all the clicks and whistles and shit?!” She asked excitedly. “Are they as smooth as they look, or are they like sharks?”

“Why does everyone always ask about the--yes, okay? I learned a few basic…clicks.” He huffed, a little embarrassed. “And they’re smooth.”

“Is that why they had you train the raptors? Are pods like the pack mentality?”

“I think they took one look at my file and went ‘yeah, he’s nuts, sign him up!’” Owen joked. “Oh, maybe they thought I was qualified? I definitely needed help though, that’s why I had them give Barry a call. Otherwise you can bet them khaki shorts that I’d have been raptor chow ages ago.”

“You’ve had such a cool run of it. God.” She settled back in her seat. “I wish I could have done something like that. Instead, I make king-size salads.”

“Hey, we all serve a purpose. Without you pulling Rexy, Blue would have died.” Owen cleared his throat. “Me too, of course.”

“Yeah but if you hadn’t stopped yesterday in the first place I would probably be eviscerated in the jungle somewhere.” She pointed out glumly. “We may all serve a purpose but I guess yours is just a bit more lofty than mine.”

“It ain’t your fault you’re not Navy bred. You might wanna’ consider heading through a basic training program, you’re good at thinkin’ on your feet.” Owen regretted it as soon as he said it. The last thing he wanted was one more person chewed up and spat out by a military system that would grind that compassion right out of her. “I mean, tactically speaking. It uh. Looks good on a resume.”

“'Tactically speaking’? What a nerd.” She snorted, making him chuckle. “Nah, I know I’d definitely get eaten alive in a military environment. Thanks for the suggestion, though. And the compliment.”

“Hey, I told you. I’m irresistible.” Owen winked, thoroughly enjoying the way she rolled her eyes at him.

…

“They sound more like-” Owen clicked his tongue and then his teeth, mustering up a few sloppy chirps. She burst into giggles, almost falling off the edge of the futon. He laughed along with her, pleasantly tipsy himself. The tequila was great stuff, Cretaceous Era agave made a hell of a drink. He knew that for most people, the allure of tequila was the complicated bullshit involved in drinking it, combined (of course) with the possible chance of licking someone else’s body. But for him, the enjoyment came from nursing a heavy-handed margarita and swapping tales with the rich old bastards that frequented Margaritaville.

This is nice too, though he decided, watching the way she smiled brightly. She was still hiccupping giggles, fishing a frozen strawberry out of her cup with her fingers.

Owen took a minute to study her. Mostly how she looked in his clothes. “You’re incredible. You understand that, right?” He asked quietly, making her look up at him. “You…hell, no one, and I mean no one, would have blamed you for running your ass down to the docks and gettin’ the hell off this island. But you didn’t. Blue and I are still breathin’ because of you.” He paused to take a sip of his drink. “I dunno’ if I’m getting all sappy because I miss my girls or whatever the hell but…but seriously. You’re incredible.”

She was shaking her head before he was done talking. “No, m’ really not Owen. You don’t have to lie to me to make me feel better. I think it was just like…a series of progressively dumber choices that somehow panned out. A hell of a lot of luck.”

“Well shit. I guess you’re my lucky charm then because damn, the fucking T. Rex is still blowing my mind.” Owen grinned, bumping her shoulder with his own.

She didn’t return his smile, though. If anything, she looked strangely serious. She swirled the liquid in her cup for a second, like she was thinking about something. Owen took the moment to finish off his own glass. “So…on Main Street, when that Dimorphodon was trying to eat your face and I whacked it, tranq'ed it and pulled you back up, I thought you were…that is, I hoped that…” She fell silent and Owen was startled to realize that she was blushing.

He wracked his brain for what had happened. There had been so many close calls just during that assault alone, it was a little jumbled.

“Thanks for the save, sweetheart.” He’d said breathlessly, her body pressed flush against his own. He could feel the way she was shaking, her heart pounding in her chest. She had swallowed, looking up at him wide-eyed, lips slightly parted and-

Oh. Owen felt a wave of heat rush over his body. “You…you were waiting for me to…” He ran a hand through his hair.

“I mean, not exactly? It was just that kind of moment. In the movies you see it all the time.” She explained. “Someone saves someone else and in the heat of the moment it’s totally ludicrous but they somehow manage to avoid getting killed long enough to kiss.”

“I mean I’m not gonna’ say I didn’t think about it.” Owen said honestly. “You saved my face with your quick rifle-butting. I definitely thought about it.”

“Really?”

“'Course! You’re damn pretty and you had literally just kept my skull in one piece. I…if I’d…look, we’ll re-enact it, okay? Here, stand up.” He urged her upright and then rolled off the futon onto the floor, pretending to grapple with a winged fiend snapping wildly at his face. “And then you come in with the butt of the gun like ‘bang!’” Owen laughed as she ‘aimed down the sights’ of her finger gun and stuck her tongue out. “Lights out, little bastard. And then!” He held out his hand and she only stumbled a little bit when hauling him upright.

Owen pulled her up against him just like last time, acting like he was taking a gun from her hands and surprising a laugh out of her. He couldn’t help pushing a stray lock of still slightly-damp hair back behind her ear, watching how she nervously licked her lips.

“You saved my life.” Owen found himself suddenly serious, pressing his forehead to her own. “You saved my damn life, sweetheart. Anythin’ you want, it’s yours.” The sincerity in his voice came naturally.

“Kiss me?” She asked softly, lowering her eyes when Owen cupped her face. “Please?”

“You got it, sweetheart.” He murmured, pressing his mouth to hers. She held onto his shirt as he licked into her mouth, tasting her for the first time. “Damn.” He breathed softly when he finally pulled away. “It is a very good thing that I didn’t do that the first time.”

“Why?” She asked, looking a little dazed.

“Because now I can do this.” Owen kissed her again, harder this time. He felt her hold on his shirt tighten and she whimpered, almost a mewl. Oh they would have been absolutely screwed because that noise alone had his body lighting right the hell up. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you might like when I kiss you.”

She nodded, ducking her face into his chest. “I do.”

��You want more?” He asked softly, tipping her face back up. “I’m not inclined to deny a pretty girl a request.”

“I’m not-”

“Trust me sweetheart, you are.” He interrupted, knowing where she was headed. “You don’t get it, I guess.”

“Get what?”

He shrugged, smiling ruefully. “I’m better with animals than people. Always have been. But there’s no deceptive crap with animals and I piss a lot of humans off by being too blunt. When I say something’s true though, you can bet your ass I believe it’s gospel. So don’t…don’t put yourself down. You’re beautiful, okay?”

“I mean…I have good days just like everyone else.” She seemed flustered and it was weirdly gratifying to see.

“Yeah, every day that ends with ‘y’.” Owen teased, smoothing out the hem of the shirt he had loaned her. His lighthearted mood faded relatively quickly, the quiet sadness bubbling back to the surface. “Listen,” He continued a little quieter, “I’m kind of a broken guy right now. Lost most of my family last night. But you keepin’ me busy today got my mind off it. Tequila’s easing the edge on the hurting bullshit at the moment. I should probably put on some James Taylor and get into bed before I make a fool of myself, I just…I wouldn’t mind a little company tonight, is all.” He mumbled, surprised when her hand cupped the back of his neck and tugged him down.

She tucked his face into the crook of her neck and shoulder, stroking his hair in a soothing motion. Owen grimaced, fingers digging into her shoulder blades as he held her tightly. “You’re allowed to be sad.” She whispered.

“I’m not some gargantuan herbivore for you to console.” Owen muttered, a little off-balance.

“You can be angry, too. I know a lot of people find that easier. But you’re allowed to be sad.” She repeated firmly, pulling away and taking his hand. “C’mon, Owen. I guess I can keep you company.”

“Well you’re just a swell one, aren’t you?” He allowed himself to be led to his own bedroom. “Your sacrifice is duly noted.”

“Oh please, shush.” She scolded, “I’m doing this because I want to. Your sarcasm is unnecessary.” Her irritated face was almost too cute. Owen was powerless to resist kissing her nose, chuckling at the expression she made.

“I wasn’t being real serious, you don’t have to-”

“Ah ah, no take-backsies Grady. You’re stuck with me.” She laid down, sprawling across the bed almost diagonal with a very satisfied smirk on her face as she looked up at him. “And now I’ve taken your whole mattress. My master plan this entire time, finally come to fruition.”

“God, you’re weird.” Owen straddled her, mouthing down her neck slowly. “You’re lucky I like my women dangerous.” He murmured against her skin.

“I dunno’ if I would consider myself dangerous.”

“Oh you’re dangerous as hell, sweetheart. Those eyes? These curves?” Owen dropped a hand to her thigh, loving the way she moved up at his touch. “You’re nine hundred miles worth of dangerous and I want to learn every damn inch if you’ll let me.”

“Yeah?” She propped herself up, meeting his mouth in another languid kiss. “I think I’d like that, Owen.” She breathed, nipping at his lower lip.

Owen groaned when she arched her back, pressing her body against his. “I love you wearin’ my shirt, but I think you’d probably look better without it.”

“You take yours off first. Please?” She requested. Owen quickly obliged, leaning back to undo those fiddly buttons. She held her arms up once he was done and he tugged the long-sleeved shirt up and over her head. Owen took a second there to observe her, committing to memory the way the dim light of his lone bedside lamp had turned her into a gentle fantasy, here for him and him alone.

He made a soft noise in his throat that she answered with one of her own, urging him to touch her, taste her, to know that she was real and here. Owen fairly devoured her at her request, love bites blooming on her breasts and neck as he took his time to learn what she liked.

It was only once she was a heated mess, her hair sticking to her forehead and her whole body flushed with arousal that Owen moved lower. He was a firm believer that the wait was what tended to make the act, so to speak, and he continued his methodical exploration with his hands. She cried out when he slowly slid two fingers inside her, her hand coming up to grip his short hair tightly. He lost his breath a little at just how wet she was, feeling almost stupidly proud of himself. “More?” He asked, muffling his satisfied growl by kissing her thigh when she touched her fingers to his own and nodded furiously. “How much?”

“All of it.” She sounded a bit desperate, a bit exasperated. An excellent combination, in Owen’s not-so-humble opinion. “Please, Owen, I need you.”

That caught him funny in the chest and he propped himself up, kissing her hard. “Goddamn sweetheart, you make me feel worthwhile.” He said thickly, rubbing his thumb over her clit in tough little circles. She moved her hips up to meet his motions, eager sounds and his name falling from her lips in a ridiculously attractive fashion. “Absolutely worthwhile. I told you that you were dangerous.”

She huffed out a breath and he relented, his next kiss lazier while he unbuttoned his pants and struggled out of them. Granted, it would have absolutely been simpler if he'd stopped kissing and touching her to take them off, but there was the whole 'stop kissing and touching her' part of that plan that didn't appeal to him in the slightest.

Owen propped himself up on his elbows again, this time searching her eyes. It was an ingrained habit at this point to scan the body language of whoever he decided was worth this kind of effort, he couldn't exactly help it. But what he saw there thrilled him to his core. Pupils dilated, shoulders relaxed, hands coming up to frame his sides. Her thighs trembling a little and she's smiling, fuck she's smiling at me, she's enjoying this, she likes this he realized, not sure why that surprised him so much. He wasn't necessarily one to brag, but he'd had his name screamed once or twice.

This was just...it was easy and gentle, not frantic at all like it usually ended up being when he reached this point. “Are you okay? We can stop, if you need to.” She offered softly, seeming to misunderstand his hesitation.

“Oh I am great. Never better.” He smiled, bumping their foreheads together. “You ready?”

“Please.” Her voice was a whisper, a crooning plea that drew itself into a moan as he carefully, carefully entered her. “God.”

Owen gritted his teeth at the sound of her voice, the blatant heat there that sent an electric jolt down his spine. “Fuck's sake sweetheart you...fuck.” He forced himself to be slow, to take his time and let her adjust. He waited again until she was begging, until she was squirming.

Kisses, hungry, needy kisses kept pressing to his jaw and throat, stuttering his breathing every time because it was never this way. It had been ages since anyone so much as bothered to try to match the attention and affection he invested when it came to sex, so long that he'd almost forgotten what it felt like to enjoy what he was doing instead of worrying about putting on a great performance. She kept saying his name and all these good things about him, about how much she liked it, her fingers digging into his back as his thrusts picked up.

“You can still talk. Means m' not doin' my job right.” Owen panted, coaxing her knees up over his shoulders and planting a few kisses on the skin of her thigh while he fucked down into her deeper. “Touch yourself for me, sweetheart, please, p-please. I don't know if I'm gonna' last, fuck you feel so fuckin' good!” He knew he should probably be embarrassed at his volume but he could hardly muster up the brain power at the moment. She arched up as best as she could, taking his breath away with the sight of her spread out underneath him, her fingers grazing his cock when she started rubbing back and forth over her clit. “Shit, yes.” The snarl came from deep in his chest and he felt her whole body quiver. “That is fucking gorgeous, you're so fucking perfect.”

“God, Owen I just-!” Her voice cracked. “I need you, I need you, please!”

“You want me, sweetheart? You need all of this? I'm yours already. And you are mine.” Owen growled, not exactly sure where the certainty came from. He clung to it all the same in the moment. “We're gonna' keep each other safe and we're going to make you come, Jesus Christ, I need you to come!” Whether he was begging or demanding or a little bit of both, it hardly mattered because she obeyed, everything pausing for a split-second before she was in spasm around his cock, her slick drenching him as she cried out his name.

He had never heard anything so perfect in his whole life and he moaned her name in reply, looking down to where their bodies joined. She was gasping for breath and still kissing his throat, whimpering with every aftershock that rolled through her even as she continued to take his cock.

“Where do you want it?” Owen said through gritted teeth, tearing his eyes away to focus on her face again. She looked like absolute sin, her hair a mess and her own eyes half-closed in pleasure. He felt a rush of pride. She tapped her stomach, teasing her fingers down over his shaft again. With a low groan he withdrew from her, startled into momentary silence when she quickly wrapped those fingers around his aching cock. Very momentary. “Oh, fuck, Jesus, sweetheart-” He gasped, hips shuddering as he fucked her fist rapidly. “Fucking--dammit, dammit you-!” She teased her thumb over the sensitive head of his cock and that was it, his whole body trembling when he came hard on her stomach.

Owen almost collapsed, the abrupt tightness in his shoulders and arms letting him know that maybe he had overdone it. He groaned loudly, sliding his cock back and forth a few more times just to savor the feeling of her fingers on him, coated in his release.

“Wow.” She said softly, staring up at him and Owen had to kiss her for that, he had to, it was required.

“So I think it's bedtime now, yeah?” He murmured awkwardly once they parted, not sure why she was still staring. “What?” He asked finally, sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck.

“I just...I mean, wow.” She repeated, her smile much more sleepy now.

Owen returned the smile uncertainly and got to his feet, stretching. “I'm gonna'...um, get a washcloth. Don't go anywhere.”

The clean up was usually his least-favorite part, but Owen found himself not minding it so much this time. She gave him these wonderful little sounds as he wiped her down, almost like purring. Once he was done, she made herself at home in his arms without a minute of hesitation. Owen could definitely get used to this.

“We gotta' stick together, you and I. For survival and stuff.” He murmured into her hair.

And when he woke up at some point after midnight with a new night terror still fresh in his mind, tears trickling down his face because I lost them, I lost them, she soothed him back to sleep with quiet words and assurances. You're safe, you're allowed to be sad, you're safe, it's alright, you're safe Owen...

…

Loud knocking on his front door roused him from his slumber the next morning and Owen muttered something decidedly unkind, a little startled when he opened his eyes and realized that she was still there, still asleep in his bed. He felt like a doofus, smiling at a sleeping person, but he decided he was alright with that title. He kissed her forehead and slowly untangled himself, yawning and scratching his ribs.

Time to face the next problem. He wasn't all that upset, honestly. He knew he would probably go stir-crazy without some kind of conflict. Hopefully she was up for the challenge as well.

For survival.

[crazybryguy]

Marcel Cousteau, the enigmatic octoling!

A Splatoon OC I thought of ages ago and finally drew today, I blame @gingersn4pp ‘s discord server

He gets his name half from Marcel Marceau, one of the most famous French mimes, and Jacques Cousteau, a very famous French marine biologist/oceanologist/etc. The markings around his eyes are also based on Marcel Marceau. He’s a mimic octopus octoling, contorting himself and changing his skin color & texture, so he specializes in imitation of people and inanimate objects.

He was trained in espionage and assassination from birth, and his cemented himself as the Octarians’ deadliest and most efficient agent. While officially he’s on espionage duty in Inkopolis on the orders of the Octarians, he’s double-crossing them, sending false intel and thwarting all other agents they send. His betrayal was brought about when he was sent to assassinate Marina, but became infatuated with her instead.

He currently lives in the sewers beneath Inkopolis, in a small grotto hidden deep within the maze of pipes. He collects discarded gear, and trades it in exchange for pots, jars, bottles, coconuts, and any other small containers, which he enjoys squeezing into in octopus form. He never speaks when working, either at his manhole shop or on counter-spy duty, and only rarely speaks around strangers in his off time. Only around those he considers friends does he speak freely, and surprisingly eloquently, though he often commits social faux pas without realizing, especially threatening murder in a joking manner.

Despite his appearance, he loves making friends and amusing people. Just don’t pick a fight with him, or you’ll be eating asphalt before you can say “cephalopod”.

I haven’t drawn anything in so long rip me

[starleyquinne-au]

“Great going genius,” Starley thought as he kicked himself. It was a stupid thing to say but what else was there? He thought he was back home and saw his Mimic. How was he supposed to know he got transported into another zone? Usually when someone says that to someone, it’s usually met with “oh that’s fine!” Maybe they think about who the person was looking for a moment and then go about their day. But this Mimic wanted answers, he had him trapped. Why couldn’t he have had just gone about his day like anyone else? But then again his Mimic didn’t act like anyone else, guess it’d make sense that this one wouldn’t as well. As much as Starley hated the predicament he was in he didn’t blame the other man. Assuming there was a Starline in this zone and if similarities aligned then there was a chance this zone’s Mimic and Starline met. During the time served in the Empire or out and about. Regardless, seeing another Starline would raise some brows. 

Now there were three responses the body goes about in a situation like this. One could fight, fend for themselves against the enemy. He’s taken down his Mimic before, how much stronger could this one be? He looked over to the other Mimic and saw his stance. He had death written all over him. Not even his Mimic shone such a violent glimmer in his eyes. Fighting was out of the question; he’d much rather keep his brains intact. Not to mention not being covered in black and blue. He had experienced more than enough of that.

There was flight, running away in the hopes the prey can evade its predator. He could simply cause a distraction and make a quick getaway. After all, no one can catch up to him when he had his port- then he remembered, the whole reason why he was even here. Starley quickly glanced at his glove, the damn gem still sparked. Not nearly as much as when he first arrived, but that option was out the window too. Even so, the octopus had control of the situation. Anything threatening said control would be taken out without hesitation. And by the off chance, he wasn’t killed immediately, if caught he would’ve had a very pissed off octopus to deal with. Running was of no use.

But it seems his body picked a third, less known option, freeze. The shock of the situation stiffening the prey, all they could do was watch until something snapped them out of it. Several thoughts swarmed a thousand miles a second. Run they would say, fight they would shout. Neither of those of options was good another set of thoughts yelled back. Starley felt tense with indecisiveness. Even now he kept his composure neutral, if this Mimic knew he was afraid then he was going to exploit it to hell and back. How much time had passed? It felt like an eternity when in reality it was probably just a couple of seconds. All he wanted was to go home. Go back to him. Then a thought swarmed in, quieting the chaos in his head. 

            “You have to choose your battles wisely Stars. Sometimes it’s best to walk away. But let’s say someone apprehended you, go along with whatever they got in store. Take that time to study your opponent, build your plan.” He hears his Mimic’s voice say. He missed him so much. Ultimately, his goal was to get back home and he’ll do anything to get there. For now, he’ll have to go along with what this Mimic wanted. It was only some questions; how dangerous could that be?

“Don’t worry Mims, I’ll be coming home soon.” Starley thought to himself before being interrupted by a loud humph. He turned his gaze upon the disgruntled octopus. This Mimic was waiting for an answer and his patience was running thin. Starley dusted the skirt of his dress and lowered his guard giving complete control to the other Mimic (wasn’t the first time he submitted to Mimic anyways).

“You’re right, there was a reason why I mistook you for someone else. Now if questions are all that you want, I am more than happy to provide. Although I don’t believe I’m the most surprising thing you’ve encountered.”

He offered his hand out, just to show he had no malicious intentions. He wasn’t a double-crosser, unlike a certain Doctor. Today was going to be interesting.

“I do apologize for my rudeness; I haven’t even introduced myself. The name is Starley, Starley Quinne.”

starleyquinne-au​:

@mercalimari

He didn’t know how long he was out for, A few minutes? Perhaps even a few hours. He groaned as his vision started to clear, shapeless colors becoming more defined. He slowly picked himself up, trying to recall what happened before feeling a sharp pain from his backside, most it occurring at the back of his head. He stumbled back down, rubbing his head and felt a decent-sized bump there. He gave a loud huff, grumbling about how much bruising this was going to leave. Not to mention Mimic scolding him as he tended to the injuries. He brought his left hand up, looking at the sparking swirled gem. He sighed, he shouldn’t be here, he wasn’t supposed to be here.

Mimic had told him to stop messing with the gem and to just relax for the day. But how could he? Before him Starley used the gem sparingly, afraid of what would happen if it were used too often. But now that it was being utilized more often on missions, he had to analyze it and make sure it wasn’t being overworked. The last thing he needed was for another world-shattering to occur. The tests were going smoothly, the gem seemed to be fine. A rest period was needed but it wasn’t anything serious. Until a charge of energy caused blinding sparks and then everything went black.

He scanned around the environment, an old alleyway. How no one decided to rob him blind or worse he’d never know. He picked himself again, groaning at the pain slowly making his way out of the back alley. It seems the Topaz teleported him to Metropolis. It had to be. The futuristic atmosphere, the high skyscrapers. Not to mention the several signs that led to different industrial plants. He gulped as he was in the Doctor’s turf. After their last little encounter, he’d gut and serve the platypus as his next meal if he were seen by the man. He took a deep breath, looking down at the gem. Using it was out of the question, at least as of now. Starley took a deep breath, reassuring himself that it’ll be okay. He’ll just call one of his crew members and he’d be out of there in no time. Until then he’d just keep to himself and avoid drawing attention to himself.

He walked down the city and from the corner of his eye was a familiar octopus. He sighed in relief; it was Mimic. He turned around and followed him, keeping the distance between them. Although he wondered why he was in Metropolis of all places. He was in hot water for letting a certain wolf and lemur duo go, and after retrieving the gem and taking Starley from the Doctor, the waters were surely boiling now. Maybe he was on a mission? Perhaps he was committing some petty revenge on the Doctor. It didn’t matter, he’d waltz up to Mimic and tell him he has the funniest story for him. But his heart dropped when he got a closer look at him.

His Mimic was a rich dark blue-violet octopus, with indigo stripes and baby blue markings complimenting the hue. He sported spiked bracelets and choker, a leather jacket, ripped jeans, and combat boots. Sure, this Mimic was a similar purple color scheme and similar attire. But there were too many differences to simply say it was an outfit change. This mimic was a pinkish purple, the colors were softer and duller compared to the other octopus. He wore a black sweater, sported a utility belt and knee-high combat boots. He stopped and inspected his environment once again. Yes, this was Metropolis, but he now saw differences in it. They were just so subtle that he missed them the first time.

There was only one possible explanation, Starley was transported into another zone. He started freaking out on the inside wondering how he’ll get back home, how long it’ll take. And Mimic his Mimic. Poor thing was going to have a heart attack. Starley questioned going up to this Mimic and asking for help. It was Mimic after all. But another thought rushed in, this was another zone. This Mimic could hate the Starline from this zone and try to attack him. But that also meant they could be friends or something more. It was a gamble, but he had to roll the dice if he wanted to return home. But his decision was already made for him. He turned over and saw the Mimic staring at him, tufts flicked as he inspected the platypus. Now he got an even clearer look and saw more distinctions. This one’s glimmer in the eyes seemed much more deadly compared to the other.

Starley felt goosebumps all over as he stared at the other being. One wrong move and he was done for. And yet, he was nervous for another reason. Even if this one was different, he was still Mimic and was just as handsome as his. But he couldn’t let himself get distracted by feelings, he took a deep breath and collected himself.

“Do forgive me for the glances, I’ve mistaken you for another. I don’t want any trouble, I just need to get out of this place.”

The sun, even at sunrise, was hot, but Mimic’s fresh cup of coffee was even hotter. One thumb hooked on his utility belt as he leisurely strolled down the sidewalk with a hypnotic sway to his hips, dozens of hover-cars zooming by, he sipped, both wincing at the warm fluid sliding down his throat, but also letting out an “ahh” in satisfaction as his tongue tasted all the rich, sugary creamers he’d had added into it – a cinnamon vanilla swirl latte with a hazelnut chocolate straw stuck inside, with powdered sugar and a few chocolate shavings sprinkled on top. Mimic’s instant cure for not feeling like he was always one wrong look from committing a second-degree murder. At least, for a while. After the first sip ( the first sip was the test – if it pleased Mimic, he’d go on about his day, and if not, well, it’d be taken right back and thrown at the poor schmuck who’d dared serve it to him ), Mimic unscrewed the plastic lid on his latte and dipped in the brownie he’d bought to go along with it, nibbling on the damp chocolate as he moseyed on back down the block toward the high-rise condominiums he called home, only a short twenty minute walk from the little corner coffee shop he’d just come from.       On the way, nodding to or gruffly offering a “hey” to any co-workers, or any other of his many acquaintances, of which Mimic, who got around in more ways than one, was wont to have, he passed countless alleyways, and that was when he first felt the tingling in the back of his neck, and his instincts both as a animal of prey in the ocean and as a top assassin that was always on-guard kicked in. Mimic was being followed. The laid-back morning buzz he’d been slowly cultivating all morning dissolved instantly, and his cunning mind quickly worked to recall the blueprints of this block of the city’s alleys, rooftops, fire escapes, and sewer systems, and all in between, already working through plans A through Z, mentally mapping dozens of escape routes, backup plans, working out every possible outcome of a potentially deadly encounter, all in case his go-to to kill first and ask questions later backfired. All before he even knew who it was. If this was a common thug, they were way in over their head. If not, if they’d done the same obsessive kind of research on Mimic as he always did to his own targets, he’d have to cut and run. For now.      Mimic’s body language didn’t even so much as stiffen, though, so as not to let his pursuer let onto him, but his eyes darted to the left, trying to see with his wide peripherals who might be following him. Sadly, his thick tentacles blocked both his four and eight o’clocks, and all in between, so he only clicked his tongue in annoyance, finished off his brownie in a few hasty bites, put the lid on his latte back on, and took an immediate right into the next alleyway. He’d deal with this fucker. As soon as he dipped into the darkness, and knew he was out of sight, he whipped around, a gun immediately drawn, safeties off, and held by his right hand ( his latte safely held by a tentacle ), pointed right at where he assumed – based on the length of the shadow cast by the rising sun that was climbing closer and closer toward the turn – the head would be, and, as their body came into view, put his finger on and rested a sucker confidently on the trigger, and was about to shoot….      ….when he recognized them. 

”What the f— you tryin’ to get your dumbass fuckin’ shot!?” 

Stuffing the gun angrily back into its holster clipped to his utility belt, Mimic snatched his latte out from his own tentacle’s hold and yelled across the alleyway at the platypus, when he then paused to give them a look-over, now that they were fully visible to his quickly-adjusting eyes. It was Starline alright, no mistaking the pretty white fur, bill, and glasses, but it was the attire that threw Mimic off at first – Mimic always knew he dressed….flamboyantly, but even this was new – then, second, that it made little sense that Starline was here. He should’ve been at HQ with the Doctor, clinging to his coattails and blubbering about what a genius the Doctor was or whatever kind of smoke he blew up his fat egg-shaped ass, not here creeping around in Metropolis and following Mimic of all people, just a hired man to do the Doctor’s dirty work. Surely not worth the time of the Doctor’s own personal lap dog. That curiosity quickly turned into suspicion, though, as Mimic was, by nature, both a curious and suspicious man, so even after holstering his gun, he didn’t take his hand off it. 

“You don’t just mistake me for someone else. At least, when I’m not actually someone else. So you’re not goin’ anywhere….until you start answerin’ some questions of mine.”