#also your own shed skin is an item

[shazzbaa]

IDK MAN IM A SUCKER FOR SPLIT IMAGES....

anyway so for Light Fingers we needed to either appease a giant snake who lives in the dream realm's sky (long story), or ally with the cats to overcome said snake amalgam. Peter and Sam chose differently here, meaning Peter was granted the honour of being legally a cat, and Samuel got to, uH.... sHED HIS SKIN AS PENITENCE?????

(Peter is @little-red-notebook's guy, Sam is mine!)

bonus drawing/thoughts under the cut:

HE HAD TO USE A KNIFE AND TOOK SEVERAL WOUNDS, WHICH TRADITIONALLY IS NOT HOW SHEDDING WORKS, but by some snakey machinations there was new skin underneath, with the slightest sheen..........

supposedly it's so subtle that nobody would notice it, so obviously that means I immediately have to add faintly visible scales to every drawing I make of Samuel forever. I like to imagine it doesn't really show in the general gloom of the neath, but under more direct light or in the Parabolan sun, Sam's allegiances are a little more obvious....

The timing on this choice was fun, because just a few days before, Peter had shared with Samuel that he and his ACTUAL boyfriend had become engaged, they were just keeping it a secret so as not to make Peter's real fiancé a target for Poor Edward. So, while Sam did not know exactly what he was getting into when he chose to apologise to the giant sky snake, he still knows the reputation of the fingerkings, he knows bargains with them are risky, and he knows Poor Edward just announced his own skin-shedding bargain and following in his footsteps seems tremendously unwise........ but he was very much operating on the idea that PETER had a future that he needed to be okay for, so Sam needed to be the one to take the choices that would likely have Consequences.

[bunnys-kisses]

Hi love can I get a tiramisu with a side hot coffee (w baby trapping) made freash by Max Verstappen ty 💛

bakery menu (complete)

want to submit your own order? then hit up the menu! i have tons of items to choose from and i'd love for you to check them out! any driver is available (must be 18+, duh) so please feel free to throw your orders my way <3 i love the way your mind thinks, lovely anon. that's one way to get competition off the track! i hope you love the fic!

tiramisu (“my little slut to ruin.”) + coffee (rivals au) served by max verstappen (formula one)!!

cw: smut/pwp, driver!reader, rivals au, baby trapping, (technically) unprotected sex, jos verstappen jumpscare, missionary & mating press,

max knew the hunger of racing. it was almost a blood lust. it was a fire in the belly of a driver that pushed them to such limits that it would kill some. formula one drivers were all striving to be the best. max knew this quite well, spending years in a shadow he could never escape. he yearned for approval but it always came to him like a bitter pill. but, not you. you were the track's princess, praise came to you on a silver platter.

and it annoyed the hell out of max. many prayed for his downfall both on a driving level, but also on a personal level. people wanted him to fail, but those same people wanted you to fly high to a second world championship.

so when he saw his own father smiling at you and give you a firm hand shake followed by a pat on the back after a spectacular win. max knew there was one thing to do.

make sure you never stepped foot on the track again.

"c'mon, schat." max said as he leaned against the doorway of the motor home on the track. he saw you walk by back to your teams. he crossed his arms and watched you on shaky legs.

you made a face, "treasure?" you laughed, your voice bounced a little down the row of motor homes for the weekend, "max verstappen, do you forget who i am?"

he snickered, "currently you look like a shaky deer. why are you in heels, you never wear heels?" the two of you butt heads often. you seemed to get under each other's skin often enough.

"it's called going on a date, max. have you heard of those? plus, shouldn't you be fucking some grid bunny tonight? we are on your home turf, might as well trap some poor girl with your bastard."

he laughed louder, "funny. were you having a night on the town? i bet you opened your legs to whatever manager you could find. whoever would give you the biggest contract." his words were biting and so were yours. while it was always better to catch flies with honey than vinegar.

it was easier to catch a rival with vitriol than kindness.

you got your heels off and threw them one after the other towards him before you stopped over bare foot to get in his face. you got onto the small porch and he was all smiles.

"do you have-"

"of course. after all, you're not the first grid bunny of the weekend." then pulled you into the motor home with a slam of the front door. before you could chew him out for that term being used towards you. he had you pressed against the door of the motor home with your leg wrapped around his hip and his large hand pushing up the already short skirt of your dress.

he had no interest in any of the fans with his face plastered across their fat tits. while the women of his home country were beautiful, his eyes were set on the snapping jaws of another driver.

his lips down your neck, teeth grazed across your pulse point and it made you shudder. nipples grew hard under his touch. he started to grope your breasts and you moaned out loud in the near empty motor home.

clothes were shed, leaving you vulnerable. it was a surprise that you made it to the bed. for a brief moment as you dragged him to the bedroom, max thought he was going to breed his future wife on the linoleum wooden floor. and max may have wanted you bred asap but, he wasn't going to hurt your poor elbows and knees. his wife deserved the best, you were going to be doing a big thing. giving birth to the next legend of the track.

"schat." he said softly his mouth to your ear. his strong arms wrapped around you and pulled to his chest. his hands then went to your breasts where he groped the flesh, near bruising them. they were only going to get prettier once you got pregnant. he felt lucky tonight.

"max. fuck." you groaned before you managed to pull yourself away from him and get onto the bed. you propped yourself up on your elbows as you gazed at him. he eyed your beauty as he got closer to you and the bed. his cock at full attention.

oh yeah, you'd never step foot in a car again after tonight. well give it a few weeks and then you'll be off the track for good. he got between your legs on the bed. he got those lovely thighs around him as he continued to gaze at your figure.

"pretty thing." he said, "should i be worried that another man touched you tonight? or were you a good girl?"

you looked at him, "you're not my husband. max. you don't own me."

max smiled before he leaned over you, his bare cock almost slipped into your slick hole as he grabbed a condom from the box in the nightstand. you were trying to get out from under him before he slipped in without protection. a condom was what you thought was your savior. but, max had pricked little holes in it earlier, when he found out you'd be back to the track late.

you watched him get the condom on, the low light made it almost impossible to notice that there were small tears int he tip of the condom. with enough force of his hips, max could probably tear through it. you held onto his forearms as he rubbed his cock up against you for a few moments before he sank inside your sweet cunt. it made him groan and feel a heat in him.

"perfect little thing. i bet you thought about me while you were out. thought about all the thing i'd do you that's why you came in here, right? because you knew you'd get that cunt fucked out."

you felt your ears burn as he continued to rut against you. you dug your short nails into his arms as he thrusted against you. his cock was like a bully, just like the rest of him. but it made your toes curl as you laid under him.

max verstappen was your rival and now he was too busy gorging on your cunt like he owned it. like you were a couple. but, little did you know. the plan was going well in max's mind. it wasn't a difficult one anyway. he just needed his achy, thick cock inside of your gooey cunt and finish inside of you. the rest was biology's doing so he could take his hands off the wheel for that.

and if you weren't pregnant there was a whole other leg of the season plus the off season to really make sure it took. but, you strived for perfection, it was written in your dna. so you'd be good and take him the first time. let his baby sprout in your sweet womb. no need to think about racing when you're caring for his child.

"jij bent de mijne." he said like a promise as he picked up the pace. his cock shoved into the softest parts of you. for such a bitch on the track, your pussy was gummy soft and just pulled him in.

you whined and arched your back. max enjoyed the heavy rise and fall of your pretty breasts. oh, you were beautiful. maybe he was lucky, giving you a baby now. not allow anyone else on the grid to get a taste of you. because you were the kind of woman that men got addicted to.

he picked your hips up further and started to really work at it. your legs were over his shoulders while he fucked you with such vigor that you couldn't find it in you to grip onto the covers under your back. your toes curled while he pounded into you. heat flashed across your body and you felt like you were on fire.

you panted and moaned while max was determined to breed you. you'd be such a pretty mother to his children. did you think he was stopping at one? no. because with you he was going to breed champions and that fact made pleasure lick up in his stomach. he watched you squirm a little as you neared climax and it made max hot all over.

yeah, it was only right that he bred you. keep you off the track and at home with the kids. no need to step on anymore toes in formula one. retire with grace and raise his kids. put that hot feminine body of yours to good use, grow them well in your soft womb. be good for your husband.

he leaned further, pushing you further into yourself to kiss you hotly on the lips once more. he felt your cunt tighten around him as you panted heavily. he had you in a full mating press as his cock bruised your sweet insides. poor thing, marked forever by your rival. the kissed between you two were hot and left heat dripping through your body. his cock felt heavy between your legs. pushing you to your limit. that was a good future mrs. verstappen. you climaxed, he watched bliss crossed your face as you tensed up then relaxed. your heart hammered in your ears as you laid under him, knees to your chest and over his shoulders while his leaky blunt cock head hit against you.

he came soon after, but even when he stilled to a stop. he kept the position to make sure every last drop knew where to go. now wasn't the time for mishaps. he knew that the condom was fully torn at the tip. there was nothing protecting that pretty cunt of yours.

sorry, schat, that was the game. and as max looked into your dazed eyes, he thought that you didn't mind. when he put your legs down and got you on your stomach.

you whimpered a little and he shushed you with heated kiss. he didn't even try to pretend he changed the condom before he was back to being inside of you. you two had a long night together.

max hungered for a lot of things, but as he listened to your sweet whimper and moans, he hungered for one thing. your cunt happily drooling down his cock.

-

"think he's going to do it?" max asked, his arms crossed over your rounded middle. his head on your shoulder as you both watched your eldest son do a second lap on the track.

you looked at him and replied, "of course he will. he's our son." your son, remko was eight now and had taken to the track like nothing else. maybe max's plan didn't work when he made you retire years earlier due to being pregnant with your son. you would eventually step on the track again, first watching your husband win three more championships and now your son taking an interest in it.

you turned back to your son as he hugged the curves of the track. you worried your bottom lip a little. it was a little too much hugging for your liking. you rubbed your lower back. maybe it was the pregnancy emotions getting to you. making you worry.

your career ended after two championships. something you held with pride. you were married to max now, had a son and expecting another in a few short months. as max rubbed your middle and kissed your cheek. you did get one thing out of it though, a promise from your young son that while he would race under the verstappen last name, he'd happily race under your country's flag.

so while you couldn't bring your nation joy, you'd be nothing but smiles when your son held the flag high in due time. some would've considered that max trapped you with a baby (or rather two). but those same blue eyes and charming smile still lured you in. even though you had your doubts about that night being an 'accident', there was nothing you could really do now. both your boys needed their father.

"i love you." max said, hand wide across your swollen middle.

you looked at him, your rival turned husband. as your son crossed the finish line for his practice, you kissed your husband on the lips. the time of the laps were called and you said to max, "i love you too." then watched your husband pull away to congratulate remko on a good practice.

knowing your luck both of your kids will be in racing. and you knew if max had his way, the entire future grid would have the verstappen last name. <3

[cherubfae]

𝔠𝔲𝔡𝔡𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔠𝔞𝔫𝔬𝔫𝔰 || {𝔳𝔞𝔯𝔦𝔬𝔲𝔰 𝔰𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔰}

With Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Brahms Heelshire, Billy and Stu, Art the Clown, Vincent, Bo, Lester, Sal Fisher, & Patrick Bateman, Thomas Sawyer

tags: AFAB reader (not specified), cuddling, affection, rz!Mikey, art is his own warning lmao, terrifier 2 spoilers, little spoon!slashers, nightmares (Sal), comfort, poly!Ghostface, I low-key rant about art in Vin's lmao

Michael

Exhaustion isn't something he's used to feeling so heavily in his bones. He feels the heavy weight rippling across his broad shoulders and spiraling down his spine in white hot pain. He's not a tame being, but he is a bit more docile in the months before and after Halloween. His knife doesn't thirst for blood quite as much as on the 31st.

Seeing you in your bed is a welcomed sight. Michael doesn't say much more than the soft grunt of acknowledgement as he sheds his coveralls from his dirt-caked skin. He has a lovely warm bath that loosens all the tight muscles of his lower back. You'll have his head later for leaving a ring of grime in the tub; Mikey doesn't care about that right now.

The fresh sheets are so comfortable, accepting them fully as Michael tucks his face into your side. His recently cut hair is still long enough to form a fringe curtain over his grey eyes.

Jason

Softly leans his chin to your shoulder. Depending on how far along you two are into your relationship, Jason might feel comfortable enough to have his mask removed. He's aware the material probably doesn't feel too pleasant being pressed to the side of your face or lightly digging into your skin.

His arms wind around your waist, happily sighing as he leans himself against you. Jason also doesn't mind if you switch things up and hold him in return, stroking the top of his head softly.

Brahms

If there's a way where he can wind his body around yours, Brahms will find it. He definitely likes keeping you away from all of the noise of the world, and while he's not mega happy about it, he knows you need trips into town sometimes. He likes seeing what kind of food items you bring back because the meals you make are simply delicious!

After dinner and bathing, Brahms snuggles beside you, clinging to you like you've been gone for ages. The chill of his porcelain biting into your skin as he happily huffs behind it. He's so glad to have you. <3

Billy and Stu

The pair are constantly together, if not with you, then they're almost always flanking each other's sides. The other is often not far from the first. Adding you into their duo to form a trio didn't change much of their dynamic. Instead of the two boys slinking around, they've got you as their third and final confidant.

Billy isn't the most touchy-feely person-- that's what he likes to claim. He doesn't really know how to ask for the things that he wants. He's different to Stu in the way that he's silent when you press your hand to the brunette's cheek, smiling as his eyelids flutter closed. Subconsciously leaning into your touch, chasing the feeling when you pull away.

Stu likes to be what he calls the mega spoon. It's him behind you, snuggled at your back, and with Billy pressed close to your chest still too proud to say that he enjoys being taken care of as the little spoon. You three make a nice, lovely three-person sandwich. Even when lying down, you're in the center with the boys wrapped around you like snakes. There is no them without you; you are their missing piece.

Art

This man is mostly, if not always, within your personal space. 'It's not yours, it's ours'. Art is rarely a being ever to break character or change out of his damned costume, and his hygiene is quite questionable sometimes; though he does in fact bathe and wash his suit. Just not often.

He's a man of very few words, especially when he's deep into his clown character and doing what he does best. Being immortal has its advantages, but his fight with Sienna really put him through the ringer. Art was decapitated! What a riot.

With his strength slowly returning to him, Art is always almost underfoot. In your bubble, seeing what you're doing. Snuggling up to you in a rare moment where his costume is off, leaning his head into your chest with an exhausted expression. It seemed that Pale Girl was allowing him some respite with you for a bit.

Vincent

He is a busy man, constantly sculpting and creating. His sketchbooks are filled to the absolute brim of beautiful works of art in all sorts of mediums: charcoal, graphite, watercolor, and ink. You're his muse, his favorite subject of which his art circulates. There's something so breathtaking about you, minute details that only an artist can see within people. An eternal, everlasting beauty.

Vincent is quick to jot down the rough outline of your sleeping form resting against Jonesy. He's smiling behind the wax mask, skilled fingers shading the crease of your eyelids then moving to sketch the curve of your Cupid's bow. When he felt it was finished enough for now, Vincent sets his book aside in favor of crawling into bed beside you.

His broad frame dwarfs yours as he curls his body around yours, his large hands slide beneath your sweater pressing across your tummy. Vincent really adores you, you know?

Bo

Not much of a cuddler, but if you get especially pouty about it Bo will roll his eyes and tug you to him. He can be a major asshole but he doesn't like seeing his baby upset.

He tucks you beneath his strong arm, his mechanic's hat resting on top of the back of the sofa. Waiting for you to settle down doesn't take long as you're soon drifting off with your head on his chest, focusing on his hand placed on your knee; gently stroking the skin there. His eyes begin to droop, feeling heavy. Cradling the back of your neck, Bo allows himself to drift off, too.

Lester

Long days certainly do get to him sometimes. Tiring him out something awful. He's prepared enough roadkill and deer for his brothers and you, enough to satiate any hunger for the time being until he finds time to run into the nearby town again.

Lester finds you lounging in his bed with Jonesy, Vincent must be working hard and the pup sought out attention where she could. He had no idea where Bo was or whatever the hell he was up to.

Collapsing onto the bed, Lester sighs deeply when you immediately comb your fingers through his messy short hair. He's out like a light soon after.

Sal Fisher

Poor guy has so much going on that sometimes he just wants to crash and sleep for one-thousand years. He doesn't sleep well on the best of days, plagued by frequent nightmares that not even the warmth and comfort of your sleeping form beside him can quell.

Another nightmare yanks Sal out of a fitful sleep. One that has him patting the sheets, searching for you. The heat of your skin against his hands sends a calming peace over him. He's scooping your sleeping form in his arms, his face hidden in your neck. Sal gives a weak smile as you snuggle into him. He focuses on your even breathing, allowing himself to fall asleep soon after.

Thomas

It's incredibly hot on the best of days in Duller County, the Sawyer family set up several oscillating fans that constantly work overtime without a proper functioning air conditioning unit.

Even the lackluster cool breeze and the sweltering Texan heat aren't enough to have Tommy pulling you into his lap and nuzzling his masked face into your hair.

You're much smaller than him. It gives Tommy a sense of pride knowing that he's your big, strong protector. :)

Patrick

He is such an enigma, a contradiction. Patrick isn't much of a cuddler or snuggler but he wants to play the role of being a dutiful partner. He is quick to become a jealous lover if you were to find someone else to give you attention while he's fretting over what sort of shade of cream or white Paul Allen's next business card will have.

A prideful, vain being such as himself would never admit how much he truly does enjoy having your curl up next to him. The warmth your body exudes is a comfort, one he finds him seeking out more and more even though your relationship is still within its earlier stages. Patrick hates that he finds himself being so undone by you, but he can't find it within himself to stop either. There's something inside of you that his fervent bloodlust can't be satisfied by.

|| ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʀᴇᴘᴏꜱᴛ, ʀᴇᴜꜱᴇ, ᴏʀ ᴇᴅɪᴛ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋꜱ ɪɴ ᴀɴʏ ᴡᴀʏ! ɪ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪꜱꜱɪᴏɴ. ᴛᴜᴍʙʟʀ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ꜱɪᴛᴇ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ɪ ᴘᴏꜱᴛ. ᴀʟʟ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʀɪɢʜᴛꜰᴜʟ ᴏᴡɴᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ © ᴄʜᴇʀᴜʙꜰᴀᴇ 2024 ||

[punksocks]

Signs Your on the Right or Wrong Path:

(Check your Moon sign, Mars sign, Ascendant, and/or North Node)

(Also wrong path behaviors tend to fit underdeveloped energy, so you may recognize these behaviors in low vibrational people with these placements)

Right path:

-Aries: You feel energetic, you may start working out more/doing more physical activities, you’re going on new adventures, pure enthusiasm, you’ve got a lot of new prospects, you still charge into situations and sometimes arguments but you avoid constant fighting and long term grudges

-Taurus: You’re making money/feeling abundant, you’re feeling creative, feeling satisfied with physical comforts (perfect meals, great self care, etc), feeling stubborn still but in a reasonable grounded way with a bit of flexibility

-Gemini: You’re quick on your feet, constantly coming up with new ideas, you’re winning a lot of verbal sparring matches/debates, suddenly absorbing a lot of new information, feeling like you’re in an intellectually stimulating environment

-Cancer: Emotionally at ease, feeling protective without being defensive, feeling at home with whatever loved ones you’re around, peaceful nostalgia, comfort in your environment/home life, being nurturing without forcing it, feeling more fertile (as straightforward as pregnancy but as all encompassing as getting a lot of new ideas or being great at cooking or growing a garden that blossoms, etc)

-Leo: Gaining attention effortlessly, increased self confidence/charisma, more creativity, getting more compliments than usual, feeling empowered and like your gettting the right amount of attention and feedback on a regular basis

-Virgo: Great productivity, being seen as reliable and supportive and being appreciated for it, getting to cross items off your todo lists, -less- anxiety and overthinking/finding ways to soothe this, improved mental health, your hygnine and routine improve and flow better, being supported and given space to rest and relax when you need to

-Libra: increased charm/beauty (a glow up essentially), peace in your social life, increased romance, getting more compliments than usual, ease in making choices, generally feeling more balanced, feeling more creative

-Scorpio: Being around people/a person you can actually really trust, being allowed to open up in your own time, great intimacy with passion and payoff and all that, transformations come easy-like shedding a second skin, feeling rewarded with safety in exchange for the vulnerability you do show, depth and understanding even if it’s only with one or two people

-Sagittarius: constant stimulation and exciting adventures (big or small), growing understanding and philosophies, more opportunities to travel and good things coming from travel, more opportunities to learn about cultures outside of your own, increased optimism and luck

-Capricorn: making money/long term investments & projects starting to pay off, clear and healthy skin, getting money from random places, your new ideas work out better than expected, gaining recognition for your hard work, elevating to new heights/gaining promotions at work, being able to carve out your own path of progress

-Aquarius: embracing your uniqueness and being celebrated for it, one of a kind ideas, feeling innovative, feeling good will and participating in humanitarian efforts, getting involved with the local community, embracing chaos and being rewarded for it, losing the desire to fit in.

-Pisces: good dreams, fluidity in daydreams and reality, new sparks for your creativity coming from your subconscious/good spiritual efforts, heightened clarity, peace of mind and tranquility coming more naturally, understanding what you process subconsciously and trusting your intuition more

Wrong path:

-Aries: Feeling lethargic/losing energy after short bursts, headaches, restlessness, constantly being stalled when you try new things, constant fighting with everyone and anyone that never seems to end

-Taurus: You’re losing money/abundance, you’re feeling rushed, you’re overindulging/binging on comforts- none of your luxuries fill the void, every hill is a hill you’re willing to die on (feeling especially stubborn)

-Gemini: You’re bored, feeling stuck, you’re having issues communicating (suddenly stuttering or drawing blanks, for example, you could even lose your voice), trouble learning and thinking, feeling like no one around you can match your intelligence

-Cancer: constantly manipulating emotions around you/your emotions being constantly manipulated, toxic codependency on family/loved ones, chest pains, yearning for the past and dissatisfaction with the present, lack of care, lack of fertility

-Leo: attention starved and you have to beg for others to pay attention to you, back pains, feeling like you only get attention at the wrong times/for the wrong things, a lot of envy/jealousy, acting out in bratty/diva ways, partying too much

-Virgo: overthinking (like you’re always going to overthink, but when it’s bad you cannot stop overthinking), uncontrollable anxiety, stomach aches, a lot of busy work with very little progress, endless to-do lists, sudden forced changes to your consistency/routine, being used for support and this being thankless, insane levels of restlessness

-Libra: Loss of appeal (not being ugly but finding your charm and general appeal towards others works less than it usually does), being depressed/uninspired about your looks, feeling like all your connections are shallow/loss of romance, being surrounded by conflict, finding it impossible to make decisions, loss of creativity

-Scorpio: feeling like -something- is off and not being able to shake that feeling (something probably is off, trust your gut), feeling like you need to guard your secrets/yourself with your life, gossip and rumors about you coming from your inner circle, intimacy that doesn’t feel worth it, you or others trying to bar you from changing & transforming, shallow connections, repeating cycles of toxic behavior

-Sagittarius: Boredom/stagnancy, shutting down discussions/learning by being too blunt, close mindedness in general, feeling stuck or cagey, environments that lack cultural stimulation, sudden bouts of bad luck/things falling apart

-Capricorn: losing money/going over budget, business ventures failing, skin problems/breakouts, drowning in work but not being able to finish any of it, being stuck in toxic systems/patterns of behavior, being controlled/dominated, having your ambition capped/hitting a glass ceiling of some sort in your goals

-Aquarius: conformity/changing your identity or ideals to conform to others, feeling cold/too disconnected towards others (like seeing people as a problem to solve instead of individuals to help), calculating behavior in general, lack of ingenuity/out of the box ideas, being too rooted in the past/how things once were

-Pisces: nightmares, not being able to tell the difference between reality and daydreams, increased problems with mental illness, being triggered uncontrollably by your subconscious, dealing with more illusions and lies, creativity stalling, romanticizing your connections and the people around you (seeing depth where there is none or vice versa)

[blazingstar29]

What's your thoughts on mav wearing ice's clothes and being swamped, like sweater paws and everything 🥹🥹

first of all, YES. second of all:

They both choose to spend their money on different things, that's how it starts. For Maverick it's an obvious choice, his bike. Everything goes into the Kawasaki and what's left goes into less exciting things like rent and groceries. Ice on the other hand pools his money into clothing. Only a few pieces at a time, nothing crazy, but he's a firm believer in comfort and longevity. Which also means he's never out of fashion, though he does play into trends he think will last. (slider calls ice a sloane ranger and he didn't talk to him for a week)

He buys the softest wool jumpers and light, breathable cotton t shirts. It's a luxury he can justify. It's also a luxury Maverick's never bought into (white shirts and blue jeans all year round baby). When they move in together, it doesn't take him long to discover these items of clothing.

It's love at first sight.

Maverick starts to come home and shed his uniform before donning Ice's soft clothes. Some of them are already oversize on Ice which means most of them hang past Maverick's hips. He can't help it though. As much as he loves the uniform, when he's tired and a little bit over stimulated, all he wants is familiar, gentle fabrics.

The first time Ice sees him wearing on of his shirts, Maverick is standing in the kitchen. The collar slips down on one shoulder, exposing the freckled skin. Ice fucks him in it before the week is out.

When the winter months draw in, Maverick continues to steal the clothes. The jumpers are harder, because if he wants to get stuff done the sleeves are just too long and piss him off. But when he's not doing anything? He secretly enjoys the way it the jumpers loose and baggy. It makes him feel safe. Once or twice he uses his sweater paws to slap Ice on the ass.

But some quick notes

Maverick thinks that Ice's woolen sailing jumpers are way to scratchy and thinks its the reason rich people are so grumpy

"imagine wearing that all the time. you've got your awesome boat and you're wearing an itchy jumper. i'd be grumpy too"

ice wears mav's shirts for funsies but they're tight enough to give him a public indecency charge

Mav loves steaing ice's shirts and jumpers and any tops really, but he hates the feeling of trousers being too big, so ice gets to keep those

eventually ice offers to show mav where he buys his clothes so he can have some of his own but mav said he'd still love them just as much if they were college handouts

after this, ice goes to the thrift store and buy some random shirts and wears them for a while. that way mav can have some of ice's shirts to do odd job and work on his bike

[justshapesandshitposting]

New Tweaked Designs for the Bosses, as well as some up-to-date headcanons for them! it's a bit long so it's going to be under a readmore-

Fresh

His voice is actually high pitched (like the vocals in the actual song) he doesn’t see any issue with it, but if someone starts giving him shit about it he will get annoyed and start getting hostile

Borderline blind, has to actively focus in order to see things clearly, so he mostly relies on his energysense to get around for the most part. 

He actually likes kids, despite his grumpy demeanor, and he’s pretty good with them too, one of the best folks to leave your kids with if you don’t mind the trek to get to his den in the caves

Actually leans more on the feminine side for other centipede shapes, since he's larger than most (this tends to be a trend with arthropod shapes, larger individuals leaning more towards the female side of the shape gender spectrum) 

Semi-transparent midsection with less plating than normal for centipedes, allowing you to see some of his bones (you can’t see his spine, or any of his organs, since they’re deeper in, though sometimes if his stomach or crop is really full, or if there’s something glowing brightly enough in there you might be able to somewhat see it through his skin, it’s more reliably seen with his crop though-)

Territorial towards places and people that he likes, you can tell if he likes you even if he doesn't tell you since he'd start getting lowkey territorial in regards to you

as close to cold-blooded as a shape can get, but it's offset by his general chunkiness and the fact that he dresses warmly

Collar is a comfort item that he almost always wears (also the spikes on them are made with carved treeangle wood, normally they absorb the excess beat-energy he produces, the corruption however overwhelmed them)

if he gets too cold he can go into torpor, sometimes quite suddenly (longest time he's been in torpor has been a month)

has a instinctual behavior pattern of eating more and starting to bulk up during colder months/seasons, even if he doesn't go into torpor during the season. (sometimes he can get pretty mindless with it. Try to avoid being around him if you happen to be small and roughly food-shaped.)

Surprisingly soft, good to cuddle with (as long as you ignore the scattered small plates along his back) don’t expect him to start cuddling unless he likes you though, he’s more likely to straight up eat or maul you, especially if it’s sudden and you startle him.  

Likes to dig and burrow, if you can’t find him, just start looking for the big holes in the damp dirt.

He eats rocks and dirt sometimes, no real reason for it, he just wants to-

Rarely washes his clothes, washes his modified boots even less. 

He normally keeps his mandibles tucked into his mouth, but if he wants to paralyze someone with his venom or just eating they tend to pop out. (if you get on his nerves enough he can and will bite with intent to paralyze and leave you there) 

If he’s feeling strongly about something he starts growing spikes and more plates along his body. 

Those ‘spikes’ along his tail are actually tiny centipede legs, they don’t really get used except as a pouchlet or in his shape form, but they’re there.

He actually knows how to make clothes, kinda had to in order to modify his own to fit his needs better. (most of his clothes are made of denim to last longer)

Lycan

Thrives off of chaos and like the goose from untitled goose game, they will cause problems*… on purpose (*minor problems, more mischievous rather than actual problems)

Grows ‘petals’ (they feel closer to feathers) during spring and winter, after that they tend to shed, leaving them with only their short fur

They are a carrier of the shape version of the vitiligo gene, which while meaning that they aren’t actively vitiligo, if certain conditions are met, the gene can get triggered and cause their colors to start to change, a condition/coloration that’s often referred to as ‘False Vitiligo’ (true vitiligo turns the shape white, gray, or black) in their case, their corruption triggered the gene, and after getting purified their fur and petals gradually started turning magenta. 

They’re one of the few shapes that Bitis actually tolerates/likes, since they know when to shut up and calm down when needed. Plus they’re warm, and willing to act as a living heater for them.

Very loyal to their ‘pack’ which is mainly Fresh, Bitis and themself, though they have a few others that they consider as ‘pack’

Has a tendency of burying things, and also likes to dig, just to make holes

High energy, social, and a ball of furry chaos in general, prone to affectionate biting and scratching as well, not enough to break the skin, but still-

They do like being pet, and will invade people’s personal space, but tends to be leery and wary of people they don’t know petting them

Their sense of smell and hearing is really good, and can often be driven crazy by things like dog whistles and can hear and smell things that some others can’t

They can in fact howl, and sometimes they have the instinct to howl back when they hear it, it’s a impulse thing and they can resist it sometimes, but if they get caught off guard they will howl if they hear another howl

Will affectionately bully the folks that they like, but will cut it out if they upset them or if they’re not in the mood.

Bitis

Their corruption essentially swapped their purple/magenta colors when it came to their markings

An ‘ew people’ type of introvert who only tolerates a few shapes, everyone else can fuck off in their opinion

They’re a sea snake, so they do spend a good deal of time swimming and hunting fish to eat. 

VERY venomous, and fatally so if too much gets put in, which is why they tend to keep their mouth sealed unless they’re actively using it. 

Their venom is paralytic, and they mostly use it to hunt

However the instinct to bite something that startles them is still there, which tend to mean that if you startle them you are going to get headbutted, which is going to hurt both of you-

As close to cold-blooded as a shape can get, however, they can’t go into torpor to hibernate through the colder moths like fresh can, so they just stick to the volcano and bundle up in their ‘sweater’ for the most part. They don’t tend to leave the volcano at all during the colder months. 

Shorter lengthwise than most serpent/snake shapes, but they’re built more powerfully and thicker as a compromise. Makes them actually pretty fast in the water, if somewhat less agile and harder to fit into crevices. 

While it is possible to create a anti-venom for their venom, that involves having to interact with other shapes, and Bitis would rather not have to subject themself to being forced to interact with other shapes if they can avoid it. 

Scales are smooth, to the point that it’s hard to find where one ends and another begins. 

Keeps their hair braided, keeps it out of the way and in one place, since it constantly looks wet/greasy and is slightly heavier than the average. (the braid is what’s causing it to puff up into that hood shape around their head, nobody knows why and Bitis doesn’t care to figure it out) 

Aro/Ace and gets annoyed/disgusted if people start talking about things like relationships or sex in front of them. You will get forced out one way or another. 

Their serpent attacks are structures, and they do in fact have a few pet snakes as well, that are well taken care of. 

Prone to stress-shedding random scales, which can be good when pressed underwater by something dangerous, distract the thing with sudden swarm of shiny scales, but it leaves that area without scales until they shed. 

They can and WILL pop out their fangs and start threatening if someone starts getting on their nerves enough, and if they don‘t get the message they’ll do a ‘dry bite’ that normally gets other shapes to fuck off- 

There’s no proof but there was slight increase in drownings when they first arrived, though honestly, Bitis straight up told people that they’re venomous, that it’s paralytic and that they want to get left the fuck alone unless they like you when they first arrived, so if you go swimming/flee into the water after getting bitten by them it’s kinda on you? (def still manslaughter/shapeslaughter though)

Widow

Prefers to live off of the land in the caves, there’s plenty enough big bugs and other animals that they can feed off of, so she really only tends to go into town for supplies she can’t find or make in the wilderness

Makes her own silk cloth with her own thread/silk and makes clothing and other cloth things like bags. 

Gets along pretty well with Fresh, and will ask him to babysit occationally while she does something. 

Def a milf, and can be quite flirty, though understands if people are a bit anxious about her, it’s only natural. (Arthropod shapes do have a tendacy to have… slightly cannibalistic urges, especially ones that are female/more on the female side of the spectrum, and DEFINATELY while gravid, even if the eggs aren’t fertile/fertilized)

Pretty chill and laid back. she knows that she’s one of the largest shapes on paradise and that most things can’t threaten her, so she’s pretty laid back

Do NOT threaten her kids though, she can go from 0 to 100 on a pin drop if her kids are involved. 

Speaking of her kids, she has a decent amount of them, not a large amount (at least for arthropod shapes) but a decent amount, roughly around 8 of them currently, and a good few others which are fully grown now.

Currently single, and yeah she’s open, though generally isn’t fond of marriage, she’s not against the concept, but she likes having multiple partners that she can dote on

She’s very doting and affectionate with her partners and her kids, can and will pick people up and carry them around. 

Her voice is chirpy and relatively high pitched, and sounds like it belongs to something far smaller than her. 

Will affectionately nibble on folks that they like as long as they’re comfortable with it (no mandibles though since that’s where the venom’s kept)

Her venom is a flesh-melter (she does have anti-venom on her so if she accidentally envenoms someone it’s dealt with quickly) which helps her feed her kids (most pouchlets can only eat fluids or soft foods at first, and spider shapes can have some difficulties eating solid food sometimes)

Morbid

Yeah, they’re a bit bonkers because of their isolation in the tree/level void:™: and are desperate for company, food, and touch- (they need a good amount of therapy) 

However their unstable mental state and their starvation often results in… well… bad outcomes for most who come into contact with them in the level void- 

Fossilized is really the best way i can describe what’s happening to their beat-energy- since their beat-energy is still the same but it’s gradually getting well… replaced or petrified by the ambient energy of the tree void- 

if they were to die in the tree void:™: their energy would still stick around it would just… decay or regress into something that’s more similar to the levels (yes that’s my headcanon about the tutorial levels, the tree’s gotta eat too-) until eventually fading away into the background

However, since they’re a spirit and elemental hybrid, they can feed off of things that other shapes can’t, specifically since they’re a fire elemental, they can feed off of anything that’s flammable, things like clothes for example (which is why they don’t have any clothes) and spirit shapes can essentially parasitize off of other sources of energy, and in their case, they’re feeding off of the energy in the level void itself. It’s not the best, and they are still very much starving, but it’s enough to keep them alive. 

Due to their isolation and general insanity, they don’t really remember anything about themselves from before their entrapment there, they can only get glimpses or blurred sensations occasionally, though once they’re freed they do start to remember a bit more

Their mind is actively suppressing their memories to avoid trauma (they were very attached to the rest of their group, which well… aren’t alive anymore- save for antimony’s ‘familiar’ which is prolly the only thing keeping them sane… or as sane as they can be after their release, and tree help you if you are a threat to their only remaining link to their friends their companion)

Pyromaniac (they had this condition before, but being trapped there made it worse and caused them to start trying to set everything on fire just so there’s something else apart from the darkness there) it gets somewhat better after their release but they still have urges to set everything on fire- 

VERY touch starved, but wear something flame-resistant or fire-proof because they WILL become VERY hot temperature-wise VERY quickly

Oh yeah since they’re a fire elemental they can control their body temperature, but it normally runs hot enough to burn people without protection (at least internally) and it tends to be a bit wonky due to their mental state as well, sudden highs and lows along with their mood and current state of mind. If they focus they can control it somewhat, but they have to re-learn how to do it, since it’s so unpredictable now. 

They can phase through objects and walls since they’re a spirit hybrid, but anything that they have on them that isn’t made with their own beat-energy will get stuck on surfaces unless they actively surround it with their own energy and sorta ‘falsify’ it being part of them

This does mean that they can sometimes get stuck in walls after eating or drinking something. 

They are VERY clingy and a bit obsessive towards those who they enjoy the presence of-

[girldragongizzard]

Chapter 10: Catalyst

At first I just try to endure it. I enter Rhoda’s apartment and go to take my customary seat. The one I use when in my protective coloration of looking vaguely like a human. And I try to ignore the itch as it ever so slowly grows and spreads.

“I was going to say no Artists and no immortal talk, no metaphysical supernatural bullshit,” Rhoda is saying as she thumps her way to her kitchen with her cane. “But I realized that wasn’t going to work if I do want you in my life, and it wasn’t what was actually draining me. No. It’s trying to figure out why it’s happening, and what to do about it. Especially the what to do about it. Y’all need to do that work. We all do. But a woman’s gotta pace herself, you know?”

“Yes,” I say, stretching my back and working my muscles, tilting my head back and forth, trying to get the itch to stop. When I touch the back of my neck as I am, I can’t touch the itch. It’s the wrong neck.

“But then I got to thinking about something…”

“Rhoda,” I say with my syrinx. And then pull out my tablet in anticipation of saying something more.

“Yes, Meghan?” she steps back into view in the doorway of the kitchen.

“I itch,” I say. “Molting. Can’t talk. Need shed.”

“Right now?” she asks, screwing up her face. “You came to talk when you need to shed?”

“Sorry. Surprised me,” I reply. “Just now. Itch bad.”

“Oh! Well,” she looks around a bit, looking like she’s at a loss. Then she perks up, grinning. “You came to the right place! Come. I’ve been ready for this. Follow me.”

I end up getting up and following her to her bathroom, which is so small that I can’t fit in there with her, really.

“This isn’t going to work in here, is it?” she says more than asks. “Would you be a dear and go get one of my grocery bags? They’re all in the closet by the door. The stripy pride one will work really well.”

“Okay,” I say, and leave just as I see her opening the sink cabinet and reaching in to get something.

When I get back, she’s got a mop bucket sitting on the toilet seat, and there are a bunch of newly purchased bath items in it, plus a couple things that look like they came from the hardware store. Sponges, loofahs, exfoliation rags, a pair of salad tongs, and a scrub brush are the things I see immediately.

My back yearns for them.

“Here. Thank you,” she says, and takes the bag to put it on the floor and starts transferring items to it. “I read up on this a couple weeks ago, after your first molt. I’m gonna pour some lukewarm water in this bucket, and then I’ll need you to carry it down to the alley with me, and we’ll do the thing there.”

“Oh,” I say, watching her work. I don’t know what else to say, but I also don’t have many words outside my tablet, which is now on the coffee table. I don’t think I ever expected this.

It feels surprisingly intimate, despite how I let the young girl Molly help me last time. Well, Molly only took my purse off for me. But also, I’m eager to have help. Holy shit am I eager to have help with shedding!

“You know, most reptiles shed only once or twice a year,” Rhoda rambles. “If you’re doing it this frequently, you really must be growing.” Then she turns the bath faucet on and we both watch silently as she feels the water, nods, and then puts the empty bucket under it.

When she turns it off, I say, “Thanks.”

She shakes her head and smiles at me, saying, “This way, I get to do most of the talking, because I bet you’ll be too distracted to use that tablet. And it’s not waterproof anyway.”

“Yes,” I say, bobbing my head.

“Also, now I don’t have to break my own rule the night that I made it,” she says more quietly.

—

“I really don’t think this is like any lizard I read about,” Rhoda says as she looks me over. “It really just wants to slough off of you all at once, doesn’t it? Wonder if it’s a vulnerability thing. Get it over with as fast as possible.”

We haven’t even gotten started. She can simply see already just how much of my old skin is ready to be removed. And I know I can get it all off myself just fine. I can burn it off if I have to. But the brush in her hand and the water in the bucket both look so good to me.

I’m standing full form in the middle of my favorite alleyway, between the Apartment lobby and a boutique bakery named Special Ocakesions. 

We’re far enough away from the mouth of the alley to have a decent amount of privacy from the usual nightlife in this area of the city.

“OK,” Rhoda says. “Let’s work on this together. I’ll start brushing and pulling off the obvious bits. You lick where it itches, and I’ll give that some special attention with the water and sponge. And then, while I work, I’m gonna talk.”

“Okay,” I say. And then we get started.

And oh heck do I just want that brush worked all over me. Any time it hits a particularly itchy spot, the relief is so intense everything else is ignorable for a while. So, in the beginning, I just let her do all the work, and only start directing her later, when it gets more complicated.

This is dragon Heaven.

I’m so happy that it’s hard to keep my eyes open.

And she talks.

“I’ve been thinking about what you mean to me, Meghan. A lot,” Rhoda says. “And I couldn’t always figure it out. Kind of like how you are want to react to a challenging dragon by screaming your dragon name, whenever I saw you I just knew I had to step in and be there with you. And I went with it. And I think you not reacting much to me in the beginning made it easier, really. There was no cost.” She pulls of a phenomenally large piece of dead skin and I take it from her and eat it. “Do you have to do that, Meghan?”

“Yes,” I say. I have no means to explain, so I just smile deeply and smugly.

“Well, OK, I guess,” she says. “Anyway, that was before your change, and you know that. There was no investment. No strings. I just showed you a kindness every now and then, and you took it, confused, and we were both happy. Then after your change, and I gave you that app, we started talking.” And she takes a long shaky breath, then says, “And it was just so easy to share with you. I told you about my child, Jacob. And it bewildered me, Meghan. It bewildered me.” She leans over from her work to look me in the eye and asks, “Did you once tell me that you weren’t autistic?”

“Yes,” I say. Like I’ve said, I relate to a lot of autistic people, but I could never make the diagnosis fit my own life. Everything I’ve heard about it is just off a bit. Except maybe the sensory stuff, but ADHD has that, too. And, I’m a dragon, not human. Does autism mean anything to a dragon?

“Well, you’re wrong,” Rhoda says. “Or, at least, you were one hell of an autistic for a human. Classic case. I should know.” She looks at me with a flat lipped wry knowing smile, a challenge for me to contradict her.

“Shit,” I say. It’s the only word I have that comes close to “what do you mean?”

“Meghan Estragon Draconis, you have got to learn that in your tablet’s voice,” Rhoda chides me. “Caleb told you to stop using his.”

“Yes,” I agree.

She shakes her head, “Anyway. You remember when I told you I’m like an old dog on her last legs and you’re like an old lady who needs companionship and someone to take care of, and we could get the best of it?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I meant it. I like that vision, still, but I also didn’t know what I was talking about. And then you go and drop this shit about being just a myth in my lap,” she says, bending over to soak the sponge, to apply it to some stuck skin. “It’s shit, Meghan. And you know how I know that? Good Lord, I am all over the place. I don’t know how to organize my thoughts. Look.”

She walks around to the front of me, to look me in the eye. Which she needn’t do, but the movement gets my attention as sure as anything. It helps me focus on her.

“I don’t have relationships with myths,” She says. “I have a relationship with you, so you’re not just a myth. Got it?”

I bow my head.

“Shit,” she exclaims, then wanders back around to work on the spot she’d started tending. “No. I do have relationships with myths and stories. I’ve thrown a damn book across the room. I’ve yelled at the author. And that’s to say nothing of the damn Bible. I’ve laid in bed crying over words. But there’s a difference, Meg. When I get angry and throw that book across the room, I don’t feel like I’ve lost hold of my whole life. It’s just a book.” She looks sideways at me out of the corner of her eye for a couple of beats, and then asks, “Do you get me?”

Has she thrown the Bible across the room, too? No, Meg, that’s not the point of what she’s saying.

I know I get her. I know she’s saying she’s had strong feelings for me, and that to her that’s proof of my personhood. But I feel like I need to respect it more than that, so I take a moment to make it at least look like I’m thinking about it, then I bow my head and say, “Yes.”

I wish I could just get my brain to accept what she’s saying, and feel the actual impact of it, though.

Why do I dissociate and distance myself from what I want to hear when it’s finally said to me?

“Meghan!” Rhoda calls to me. “I’m invested in you. And whether I like it or not, my heart says that you’re family to me.”

“Oh,” I say. I think I let that sink in, and lower my head and close my eyes in acknowledgement.

She reaches over and strokes and scratches the bridge of my snout, right between my eyes, and then picks off the dead skin that is there.

Then she says the words that make it all come into focus, “When I look at you, as shit as your life is sometimes, as scary and alien as it is, I see you having everything I ever wanted for Jacob. Everything I think could have saved his life, maybe. Friends, a network, support, being seen, almost a whole city of chosen family gunning for you. And I think you have a whole hell of a lot of it because I gave you that damn app for talking.”

Oh.

I lift my head up and open my eyes to look around. I’m not startled or worried or scared. I just find myself alert with thoughts and need to let them fall together.

I’m still not taller than she is when I’m on all fours. I’m growing, but not that much. And she just stands there and watches me as I look around.

“You’ve done so much of the work yourself, Meghan,” she says. “Maybe you would have anyway. Someone else would have suggested the app. And I don’t know if Jacob would have wanted to be a dragon, or a girl. I really don’t. Those things are what you are, not what you’ve got. But I think what’s important is why I –”

“What’s important is that you, Rhoda, are the keyhole,” Ptarmigan says from the dark corner between the nearest dumpster and the wall it’s up against. “Or, rather, it’s the other way around.”

And then there’s a huge, weird, fizzy wump and the whole sky turns white for a split second, and that is followed by the loudest, most thunderous noise any of us have ever heard.

I flatten myself to the ground before I realize what I’m doing, nictitating membranes tight over my freshly shed eyes.

“Holy Jesus fuck, Chapman!” Ptarmigan exclaims, arms over head, ducking while looking up.

And then the whole sliver of sky above the alleyway becomes nothing but swiftly moving Säure as he glides Southwest over my building and out toward the bay.

And he’s gone.

“What was that?” Rhoda gasps for breath, struggling to regain her balance.

“Chapman,” I say.

“Sure looked like Säure!”

“No,” I say. Trying to start a sentence I can’t finish.

“That was Säure,” Ptarmigan says. “But he set off Chapman’s anti-Säure trap.”

That.

And now it’s hard to talk because the night air is being filled with the cries of my neighbors answering in challenge, all at once. Each one is repeating their cry over and over, while Wentin’s spooky saw wave whistle whines and weedles its way through them all like the klaxon of an alien world machine about to go critical.

Säure calls back from the middle of the bay, once, an indescribable noise not matched by anything. And all that does is incite the angry cries of the rest of the city’s dragons, and we all get louder.

I realize I’ve joined in.

Loud and proud.

I want to climb a building and scream it from the highest point, but Rhoda puts a hand on my shoulder and I don’t. The alley is working as a sound box for me anyway.

I notice Ptarmigan relax and lean against the building, nodding. She doesn’t do anything more.

And then, when Säure seems to have moved on and everyone starts to quiet down, I see Rhoda staring across my back at Ptarmigan.

She says, “You are the last person I want to see.”

“Fair,” the Artist of Nightmares says. “But I’m here with an observation that you’ll want, and then I’ll leave.”

“I don’t want it,” Rhoda says. “I heard it, and I don’t want it. That’s not going to be part of my life.”

“OK, then, I’m going,” Ptarmigan says, holding her hands up and walking toward the alley entrance. “But…”

“No ‘but’,” Rhoda says. “Just go.”

“You’re the dreamer.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Rhoda asks, taking a step toward Ptarmigan, clenching the sponge like a weapon. “That better not fucking mean I’m a myth, too. A symbol. No one should ever have to be that!”

“This is all real,” Ptarmigan says, backing away. “It’s all physical. And it’s not going to go back the way it was. The lessons have been learned. But it has been a nightmare, Rhoda. And it has been yours.” And at that point she’s at the sidewalk, where she stops, nods once, and waits for Rhoda’s reaction.

“Oh, hell the fuck no!”

“We’re in the middle of a mass extinction,” Ptarmigan says. “Dracomorphosis was going to happen anyway. It was right on the brink of exploding. But all it needed was a catalyst, that one fragment, that one particulate around which to crystalize. And that’s why Maghen was the center of it, the first to coalesce. Because of what you put into her, and what you needed to see in her, and who she was to you. Her truth, that she’s really a dragon, that needed to be brought out and made physical, for you.”

“Why?” Rhoda screams at her, throwing the sponge down in exasperation and desperation. “What do I even do with this?”

Ptarmigan shrugs and says, “Nothing. If you don’t want to. But, as the dreamer of the nightmare, you’ve been imbued with its power, and you could make it lucid. Make it turn out the way you want it to. For you. For no one but you.” Then she gestures toward the coffee shop with her head, and turns, and walks that way with her hands in her pockets.

Rhoda collapses to her knees and drops her head into hands and starts shaking, big, heavy shakes, as she sobs.

Quietly.

I take a few steps up to her and settle down beside her.

“I just want,” she mumbles. “I just want to live in a world that makes sense to me.” And after a little bit, she adds, “I don’t think I ever have.”

—

The sun starts to come up as Rhoda is scrubbing the last bit of dead skin from the back of my head.

We’ve been working on it all night, even though we really didn’t need to. Quietly, ever since Ptarmigan and Säure interrupted us. I didn’t have much I could say, and Rhoda seemed to need to just do something once she got back on her feet. Even if they weren’t as articulate as she wanted them to be, she seemed to have said all the important words of hers earlier in the night.

“That’s the last of it,” she says.

“Thanks,” I say.

“You’ve got your morning calls to do. I think the others are waiting for you,” she tells me. “I need some sleep. You can come join me when you’re done. Please. I think I’d feel better if you were in my place for a while.”

“Okay.”

“And I think I’m making a new rule.”

“Yes.”

“No one. No human. No dragon. No Artist. No one gets to interrupt me with their bullshit again.”

She says that quietly, with a subdued, calm, confident resolution, like it’s a fact she can rely on.

And then she pours out the water from the bucket and starts putting everything back in the bag, to put the bag into the bucket, and leads the way back down the alley to the front door of the Magnolia apartments, leaning fairly heavily on her cane as she goes.

And when she steps inside and the door closes behind her, I climb the sheer wall of the building in my own determination, strong enough to match hers.

[snoozingredpanda]

are their any notes or lore facts we can get about dragon culture, I need every crumb of rudy I can get

I’ve been wanting to explain this 😭

Please note this is my dragon universe, not based on anything, although parts have been taken from the omegaverse AU

—

• First thing you’ve gotta know about dragon culture is that they live in clans in a hierarchy. Usually it’s a family, the parents, children, possibly the grandparents, and loners, with the healthiest and strongest couple being the leaders.

• Each dragon is born into a category. Alpha, Omega, or Beta. Betas are pretty much your average dragon. They don’t breed often, but they still find partners, and they never make their own clans, staying with their parents, or joining an existing one as a loner, and helping the clan out with other things such as hunting and grooming.

• Alpha’s are aggressive and dominant. Usually there’s only one fully grown alpha in a clan, who’s in charge, and any children who are alphas are made to make their own clan when they reach maturity. Alphas impregnate, whether they’re born male or female, and go into rut, increasing libido and fertility. Female alphas also grow the required genitals during this time.

• Omegas are the lowest in the strength hierarchy, but they’re also the most treasured. An omega will most likely bond with an alpha and they will produce offspring, and any alpha that has an omega is very protective. They are usually smaller than average dragons, and more submissive in nature. Despite their sex, all omegas have a uterus and can be impregnated. They can be mated by both alphas and betas, but since omegas are more rare than alphas, each omega usually has multiple alphas after them, and the beta won’t really have a chance to court them. Omegas go through heats, which is the same as a rut but hurts a bit more if not tended to. Omegas stay with their clan until they mate with an alpha and start their own clan.

• Rudy is an omega, however she doesn’t live with her birth clan. She simply left them one day because she was neglected and ignored by her clan since she was a mutation.

• You see, each clan has one colour scales. Blue, black, yellow, green, etc. Different colour clans don’t often get along, and Rudy’s clan colour was black, which is regarded as one of the most elite colour dragons. However, Rudy was born with black and red scales, and was simply seen as a bother for years until she decided to leave.

• Now she lives alone and she’s much happier. Although when mating season comes around, alphas barge into her cave trying to mate, only to be met with the sight of Rudy curling up around you, a mere human. Dragons don’t fuck with mated couples, so they’ll simply fly away grumbling.

• Or maybe you are one of those dragons. She rejects everyone because all they want is to have offspring, yet you bring her gifts, shiny gifts that she loves. So she chooses you as her mate, just due to your kindness.

• As for other random dragon facts, they shed every year. Their scales simply fall off and the skin underneath will be all dry and itchy until the new ones grow back. Clans usually groom each other, picking out loose scales to make it a better experience for each other, so if Rudy starts to squirm and itch, help her out, won’t you?

• Nesting is a very important thing for dragons, especially omegas. They’ll spends years building their perfect nest, filling it with stolen items and anything soft. That’s where an omega will want to mate and give birth, it’s their safe space. You have to ask permission to get into their nest, or they’ll go crazy, even if you’ve been mated to them for years. It’s just common courtesy.

• Dragons don’t see gender. All they see is whether someone’s an alpha, omega, or beta. Humans are considered betas.

• Dragons take heartbreak very hard. Some dragons will literally die of sadness if their mate passes, or leaves them. So don’t hurt Rudy, she’s as fragile enough as it is.

[scottysketches]

wip wednesday... on a thursday

because tumblr wouldn't let me post this yesterday

excerpt from chapter 3 of don't dream it's over :)

They all stand from their seats, and Obi-Wan follows Satine into the kitchen as Korkie, Anakin and Padmé return to the sofas. He grabs the bottle of Corellian whisky out of the cupboard, plucks two glasses off the shelf and places all three items on the central island. Pouring himself a generous measure, he throws it back in one hit, before turning to the sink that’s already full of hot, soapy water. Shedding his cardigan — leaving it hanging on the handle for the pantry cupboard — and rolling the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, he makes a start on the washing up.

A delicate hand hovers over his shoulder, a slice of dried fruit held between two nimble fingers. He turns his head with a smile to see Satine grinning at him. “Open up,” she murmurs, and he laughs, turning back to her hand and willingly letting her pop the fruit into his mouth, quickly taking her hand in his own and bringing her fingers to his lips so that he can press a kiss to their backs.

From the seating that leads out onto the landing platform, however, Anakin’s voice sounds concerned, and Obi-Wan turns his upper body just enough to see what’s happening. His brother has his hand on Padmé’s back, gently rubbing a soothing circle into the space between her shoulder blades. “Hey, you alright?”

Padmé clears her throat, bringing a hand up to her face and massaging her brow. “I…” She hums, closing her eyes. “Just a little dizzy.”

Obi-Wan glances at Satine, who’s frowning in concern. “Is something wrong?” she asks. “Are you ill?”

The senator looks up to Satine with a wan smile. “A couple of years ago,” she says, “I was infected with a super-virus being developed on Naboo as a biological weapon by the Separatists.” Obi-Wan frowns as he recalls the incident; Ahsoka and several clones had also been infected. “Anakin and Obi-Wan managed to find a cure and get it to those of us affected quickly enough, but I do experience spells of light-headedness every now and again.” She sighs. “Most of the time I can continue to function just fine, but… well, some days it’s debilitating.” She holds her clutch purse up to Satine’s line of sight. “The doctors I saw on Naboo at the time put me on a regiment of steroids to bolster my immune system, and the doctors here on Coruscant have me take a variety of antivirals when a particularly nasty illness becomes prevalent to help me ward off additional infections. Do you mind if I…?”

Satine shakes her head. “Of course I don’t mind,” she says, “your health comes first. Do whatever you need to do.”

Korkie picks up a book from the coffee table, and points down the hall that leads to his room, the spare bedroom, and the fresher. “First door on the left. Go ahead and shoot up.”

Padmé rolls her eyes. “Ha, ha.” She disappears into the fresher, leaving her glass of wine on the coffee table next to Korkie, who’s kicked his sock-clad feet up onto the sofa as he begins to devour another novel, his eyes fixed firmly on the page. Anakin busies himself with a holo magazine on pod-racing, idly flicking through it as he — poorly — tries to pretend that he and Padmé aren’t anything more than close friends.

“Would you like some uj’alayi?” Satine asks him, and Obi-Wan turns to look at her as she pours herself a glass of whisky at the island. With a smirk, he dries his hands on a tea-towel and moves behind her, sliding his hands over her hips and pulling her body flush against his, his lips hovering just behind her ear and the fingers of his left hand toying with the thigh-high slit in the side of her dress, brushing against her skin.

“Depends what else is on the menu,” he murmurs, his breath ghosting over her skin and leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. “Because I can think of a few things this island can be used for that don’t include cooking…” His smirk grows in intensity as Satine lets out a small involuntary gasp, her cheeks flushing pink in arousal and her teeth tugging at her bottom lip. He lowers his lips to her neck, presses several chaste kisses to the spot where her jaw curves beneath her ear, nibbles her earlobe.

He must have been louder than he thought, however, because from the living area comes Korkie’s voice. “I can hear you,” he says nonchalantly, not looking up from his book, “and you’re disgusting.” Anakin lets out a small groan, his face twisted in mild disgust at the thought of his master wanting to fuck the former Duchess of Mandalore on the marble island.

Satine at least has the decency to look a little embarrassed. Only a little, though. “Oh, hush,” she says, surreptitiously placing one hand between herself and Obi-Wan, pushing him away, even as her fingers gently toy with the gaps between the buttons, grazing against the firm muscles of his lower abdomen. “You’ll be like your father one day, and I pity the girl you’ll charm into your bed.”

Korkie looks up in offence. “What do you mean, pity?!” he snaps indignantly, and Obi-Wan and Anakin snort at the expression on the younger man’s face. He returns his gaze to his book, grumbling to himself, “Pity, ner shebs…”

“Language,” his mother scolds him. Korkie just rolls his eyes, turning a page in his book.

The next couple of hours pass in a blur, drinks and uj’alayi consumed with gusto and interspersed with good conversation. By the time the other secret couple leave to return to Padmé’s own apartment in the Senate district, the senator is giggling and tottering around in a state of mild intoxication. (Anakin rolls his eyes at his partner’s antics, muttering to himself, “This is why I don’t drink…”)

[imaginarydeviance]

You live alone, in your small cozy cottage turned into a small shop. you've seen many a travelers, of different shapes and sizes. Wizards, vampires, even ghosts sometimes visit you.

Being a witch yourself, you go on week long trips to collect resources to sell and use for your own spells and potions. As you come back from one of your trips, you look into your mirror to see a small bit of dirt smudged on your bright, freckled face. The bright purple irises you possess find it easily, and you clean your face.

As you're putting your findings away in their right spots, and writing down all your inventory in your journal, someone walks in.

A tall beautiful woman, with long, dark hair walks in and starts looking at the selection. You have to stop yourself from staring at her. However, from her clothing you can tell she is a noble. The navy blue garments with a golden trim that encompass just about all of her skin but her neckline. Her dress is sleeveless, and shows off her perfect, pale skin. Even a tattoo of a snake on her back, that her hair mostly covers, shows through sometimes when she moves.

"Where did these cat whiskers come from, if you don't mind my asking?"

Her voice is smooth like silk, and it takes a moment before you realize what she said.

"Oh! they actually come from my own cat Freya. I collect them when she sheds them..."

As you say that, Freya, your black cat familiar hops on the sells counter and mews. Hearing the sound the woman looks up finally, to the cat then to you. Once her bright, entrancing, blue eyes fall on you, she is taken aback. A concerned look spreads on your face.

"Have we met before?"

"No ma'am, I don't believe we have"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry love. You just seem so familiar to me..."

You can't help but blush a small bit when she called you "love". However, seeing her eyes, she also seems familiar to you as well.

"How much for these?"

She places some cat whiskers, some obsidian stones, a glass bottle, and a few other small objects on the counter. She never looks away from you.

"All of this would be 10 gold pieces"

The woman opens her small bag, and brings out a pouch. She places it on the counter, then collects her items. As she starts to walk out, right before she steps out the door, she turns to you.

"My name is Lilith, may I ask yours?"

"Wren"

"Thank you, Wren. I hope our paths meet again"

Then just as quickly she appeared, she's gone again. And you too, hope that your paths will meet again.

[cyanocoraxx]

Hello! You have cool snakes and know a lot about them too, could I have some of your advice? I've recently been really into snakes, and seen tiktoks of how happy their owners are with them, it makes me really jealous and wishful for a snake companion of my own.

Except I know NOTHING about them, their care, needs or expenses. My experience with pets is a typical low to average maintenance dog, that's it. Never handled reptiles in my life. BUT SNAKES ARE SO ENTICING, and supremely cute too

I was wondering if you have any advice for a complete beginner on what kind of snake to get that's easy and as I said, for beginners (if it even works that way, I don't know a lot about snakes). If you have any resources and such.

Or even like, a checklist to see if I'm even eligible to own a snake (it could be hard idk). Want to know if it is even within my capabilities, the lifestyle needed and stuff like that.

Could you also give tips on their body language? I remember you mentioning in one of your posts that body language is important, and I wouldn't want to mess up. I want the potential cutie to like me after all.

Thank you anyway for your time! Appreciate it <3

so sorry for the late response i wanted to sit down and give a proper thought out guide and just haven't had time <3

checklist for eligibility:

you will need: a terrarium/vivarium, a heating device (heat mat, ceramic emitter or heat bulb), a thermostat (to control the heating device), a water bowl, a hide, substrate, and enrichment (sticks, leaves, decoration etc). make sure you have all of this on hand before you bring your pet home

you'll need to be comfortable or at least willing to feed your snake frozen prey, which means being able to consistently provide mice or rats (most common). most reptile stores will stock frozen!

depending on the species you want you'll need space for a vivarium. if you want a snake that can grow to be 4ft for example you'll need a space to put a 4ft viv.

you'll need to have time to regularly spot-clean their enclosure, which means binning their waste and removing shed skin. a full clean out once a month if not bioactive.

best "starter" snakes (imo):

rosy boa (2-3ft long, 25 years+)

royal python (3-6ft long, 20-30 years+)

corn snake (4-6ft long, 15-20 years+)

rosy boa - these little noodles don't get enough credit! they stay very small, they're very docile, and easy to care for. due to them being so small they only need small prey items which won't take up a lot of space in your freezer. they're very good eaters. downside is they're less common than royals and corns so depending on where you are you may struggle to find one near you. they can also be more food-motivated than royals and when they have food on their mind they can be a little more bitey - but with their tiny size, i promise you can't even feel it (from experience)

royal/ball python - a very common snake that can be found in most reptile shops. they're well known for being extremely docile and easy to handle as well as being super duper cute. they live longer than corns and rosys. downside to royals is they can be "fussy eaters" which can make new owners nervous - they're known for going off their food for months. they will also need larger prey items as they grow, so if you're not keen on keeping larger mice/rats in your freezer this is a downside. they're also more sensitive to improper temperature and humidity than corns.

corn snake - very common so can be bought easily! they also tend to be some of the cheapest snakes, especially if you want to get a "normal/wild type" morph. due to them having a large range in the wild they can tolerate a wider range of temperatures and humidity levels. corns are much more active than royals and rosys, so if you want a snake you can watch do its thing then a corn is a good shout. with this being said, they can be more "squirmy" when being handled compared to royals and rosys as they kind of struggle to stay still.

however, you're not limited to a choice of just three species. as long as you research your snake thoroughly and make sure you have everything you need, you can keep whichever you prefer. my first snake was a brazilian rainbow boa which is a more "intermediate" species and "not suitable for beginners" but he's been great. with their more extreme humidity requirements, i just made sure to keep a hygrometer on hand (to measure humidity) and provided plenty of moss, a large water bowl, and regular mist spraying. never had an issue <3

basic body language:

it's important to note that when a snake is preparing to shed its skin it will be vulnerable. its eyes will cloud over and its skin will feel irritated. we call this being "in blue" because the snake takes on a milky blue colour. during this time your snake might become defensive and this is normal. you should leave a snake in blue alone.

signs of a calm snake: short tongue flicks, loose and relaxed body, moving slowly, fluidly moving towards stimuli, curiosity, regular breathing. a calm snake may sit in an "S" position but it will not be coiling up or fixating on you.

signs of stress in snakes include: long and slow tongue flicks, tail rattling, tail wagging, hissing, striking, open mouth breathing, regurgitation, body flattening, gliding (moving very quickly away), coiling with the head raised (preparing to strike)

this is a very obvious example of a defensive corn snake: their body is coiled into an "S" shape, the head is raised. it takes this position so that it can 1. have a clear view of you 2. to strike upwards/forwards at you if it feels threatened 3. to look bigger to frighten you off. this is a snake who doesn't want to be touched at ALL

let me know if you need anything else <3

[krys-lil-corner]

ideal life as a witch/some kind of magic user that lives in a humble forest cottage with all the modern necessities on the outskirts of town and uses magic to create enchanted items and trinkets. (Long post under the cut btw)

Spell/Magic word: Tweek/Edit. Change the item at a cost. Store bought figurines of dragons and other fantastical beasts that through equivilent exchange magic have themselves enhanced. got unrecyclable junk? Use that as matter and energy to add detail to the beings of stone, bringing them from simple sculptures to having such an intricate level of detail you could cut them open and they'd have cells, organs, bones, nerves and muscle, indestingishable from a real living thing yet made entirely of stone. They remain as figurines with impossible levels of detail. When like this it uses less magical energy to have them move and change pose, at night they curl up, close their eyes and tuck in their wings. Also useful for transporting them long distance, want to mail a client one of the little beasts? Make them tuck their wings close to their body, coil their tail around themselves and make themselves as small as possible, less likely to break and snap.

Spell/Magic word: Restore/Heal. Often used before Tweek/Edit to avoid unessisary strain while changing. Putting energy into the object yourself, letting it draw from it's surroundings to heal any damage done to it, useful for mending boxes, torn fabric or simply restoring a well loved toy to how it was when it was brand new. Wear and tear being undone before your very eyes, fabrics fibers snaking out to reach each other and fusing together once more. Can even be as simple as cleaning a surface, your pc absorbing the dust on its surfaces as sustinance to undo the damage of entropy. Maybe even just removing a stain from your favorite shirt. Once the restoration is complete, the object will return to being a regular, unenchanted object.

Spell/Magic word: Self heal. An alternate version of the above spell, this one doing the same things with the difference of the enchantment is permenent, the object will remain magical in nature and continue to heal itself if any further damage is done to it. Good for clothes and tweeks figurines as it removes pressure from the caster to manually cast the spell each time.

There is always a price to these spells, matter must be exchanged so the caster doesn't exhaust themselves magically, thankfully the prices can be pretty cheap if you know what is favoured. -Living matter will always be at the top of the list, you allow some of your own body fat to be consumed? You'll hardly have to rely on your magic reserves. -Dead matter (matter that was once alive but is no longer) also counts towards this, so you can allow objects to draw from your own shedded skin cells and you're good to go! -Byproducts of living things (shed fur from pets, hair from you, poop if you're really lazy) are also pretty high on the list, this also means things like cows milk are pretty lucritive to use. It's also a nice treat for the enchanted figurines, allows for higher magic reserves. -Matter that was never alive (waste plastic, dirt and dust and many other processed materials) are the last matter teir, but some can still be very lucritive to use.

Spell/Magic word: Create. The most costly of the spells listed, this one allows you to fundamentally change the makeup and state of matter and turn it into a new object. Say you wanted a custom case to store a poster in, you would gather enough matter from other objects into one place, cast, and then you'd be able to change that matter into a case for the poster. It isn't like sculpting or drawing, if you think it, it will be projected onto the matter.

[wind-sage-serin]

If you aren’t interested in the baneful magic thing I’ve been doing to friggin move on with my life and let go, you should probably just keep scrolling. But if you’re interested, below this cut is my experience so far.

This spell work is entirely for the sake of ensuring that someone never ever comes into contact with me again by absolutely tearing the person several new ones.

After I placed red pepper and my nails into the curse box everything went nuts. I got called the next day by his wife as she assumed he was in an affair with me. I was not. I learned of a lot more disgusting actions he supposedly has taken so that’s also why I’m doing this— I’m no longer his only victim. For the sake of her privacy I won’t be discussing the gritty details of her side of things (not my place), but suffice it to say it’s enough that it drew blood.

Before you say “why would you put something that’s a part of your body in there??”— I don’t consider my nails a part of my body, not after I cut them, they end up in the trash otherwise. I have dissociated what was a “part of me” and thrown it away. Additionally, it’s more the hair that is associated with a witch’s magical power, and the nails are more negatively associated.

In Japanese tradition you’re not supposed to leave them in open spaces as spirits and witches will take and use them for evil. In a few Jewish traditions they’re meant to be disposed of ritually and kept short, especially during grieving periods. Nails, unlike hair, have less personal power attached to them as hair does.

Symbolically, I am giving the person the box was meant for the part of himself that he grafted onto me— the part he convinced me was “me” but was little more than an emulation of himself. By putting the nails in the box, I’m permitting the mirror he tried to construct within me the permission it needs to wreck his shit.

My nails are also really sharp when long, so putting them in the box is the grafted personality directly attacking. Animals use their claws, after all, to fight for their right to live. And I’ve earned it.

So no, I don’t think nails and hair work the same for baneful magic at all. Nails are attacking, hair is defensive. You’d be much better suited to use your own hair in a spell for loving yourself.

Another tip for that: if you don’t want to use your nails, get black nail polish that’s good at peeling off easily, get it in black for drawing out the negative energy, and when you feel it’s time, peel it off and use it instead of nails.

Now that it’s all sealed up, it’s time I tell you all the things that went into it:

1. A ceramic disc with a rare element in it (the cursed object that best encapsulates it all and the epicenter of attachment)

2. A thorn from a bush (the bitter side of sweet, it’s also a huge 2" thorn too, represents the knife stuck in my back)

3. Rose thorns from the decaying part of the bush (cursed with a decaying love)

4. A few rusty nails (items the fae wanted me to put in there, guess they’ll be getting in on the action)

5. A perfect “glove” of my pet gecko’s shed skin (to never feel comfortable in one’s skin again)

6. Every hematite ring I’ve ever broken (4-5 rings total, all the energy left over the years of agony will haunt the person)

7. Clipped fingernails (constant scratches and attacks from the fake personality he made up to harm me)

8. Red chili flakes (to make him stop talking about me)

9. A ticket to the 2018 Slender Man movie i saw with him (to invoke paranoia)

10. Crushed selenite/ “stardust” (simulates the Ash Phoenix Isthangr’s Cremated Remains, which are Ganim’s version of Hell)

11. A clipped feather dropped in our front yard from a small wild bird (I clip the upper plumulaceous portion and save it to burn so it can never be reunited with the lower plume and calamus, which are shoved into the box through a narrow crevice, represents “clipping one’s wings” to keep them from taking off)

12. Beeswax (seals the box closed pretty well, couldn’t brute force it if I tried, represents the Six sealing in the evil)

13. Teal candle wax (the least favorite color, used to add insult to injury)

14. Dolomite on Pyrite (standard “gift rock” he often gave when he didn’t have a gift, using that “gift” as an anchor that represents a stone-cold heart)

15. Black jute cord holding rock to box (binding the anchor to the box, ensnaring him in his final fate)

16. Black candle wax dropped all over rock (to blot out any positive associations with the rock and to completely seal the curse in place)

Since I’m going up to Wisconsin for vacation, the next step is (logically) to release it. I intend on ritually dropping it into the water. Though it isn’t anywhere near as many shipwrecks compared to Superior, Lake Michigan still is (in some places) a shipwreck graveyard. The final step, allowing the stone to drag the box into the deep, will have the intended effect of amplifying his greatest fears. He’s terrified of heights and that extends to not being able to touch the bottom when swimming, and he’s terrified of death, which the box will forever be surrounded by.

Am I a monster for going to this length? Perhaps. But after what I have gone through and what his wife is allegedly going through in this moment, I can’t stand for it any longer. Once I get back from vacation, I’ll be following up with a return-to-sender for the remaining malice (found through an egg cleanse) as well as a cord-cutting candle ritual for the sake of ridding myself of this wretch.

[idyllic-affections]

Yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo

Tis' I, 🐉Anon!

I enjoyed those brainrots between you and Kaixserzz about Kaveh and Younger sibling![Name]'s relationship with each other and their... "differing" views of their mother, to say the least- and how it affects their relationship as the siblings grow up. I always enjoy those sort of part-character analysis part-drabble fics(?) That really dive into the perspectives and nuances of the characters, as well as address the issues that come up with issues like your mom deciding to bounce and re-marry… while both her children are still clearly wrestling with the grief of their fathers’ death (and one of them maybe or maybe not blaming himself for their death). Quite the intriguing read all around! The dichotomy was just lovely.

And oh yes. Yes yes YES! Dragon parents for the absolute W I N!!! Dude, dragons are the absolute coolest fantasy creatures, it ain't even up for debate. And dragon babies going through their growing pains ;-;Since dragons are reptilian, do you think they shed their skin like irl reptiles do? I imagine it'd be as painless as the horn shedding (I can't get the image of somebody witnessing that for the first time- maybe while giving the lil' guys™️ headsets and unintentionally brushing up against a horn- and just fucking FAINTING on the spot from sheer shock).

Oh oh, imagine dragon parents waking up (or getting woken up) to their dragon kiddies teething on their horns of tail, they're a tiny bit annoyed by it, but also find it really cute, so they decide to be wilfully ignorant for that moment.

Oh oh oh, you know how often in fantasy settings, how dragons tend to have "hords" of valuable items (most often loads and loads of prescious metals and gems… which would be oddly fitting for Zhongli, in spite of his horrible financial skills lol). Imagine the Dragon kiddos having their own little hords, but rather than gold and jewels and gems, they collect pretty looking rocks, feathers, sea shells (from visits to the beach with papa dragoon)... and maaaaybe some gold/mora/credits that they just so happened to find strewn around the streets.

hi lovely hello!!!! i'm sorry that this response is a little late but i am here to reply now ajskahahf <3

that's why i love having those kinds of discussions! it really creates a good opportunity to exchange thoughts and ideas about how such a specific scenario might affect each child differently. there is a ton of nuance in issues like that. i personally cannot sympathize with faranak. i don't like her. i don't care if she turns out to be genuinely sweet like kaveh. i do not like her whatsoever and i don't think her actions are justifiable. but from a writer's pov, it is... a lot more nuanced than that. and that's why i find such discussions to be really fun and enjoyable!

YESSSS DRAGON PARENTS...... pleasejshssng...... that is such a good question though! i feel like they would shed. or maybe some specific types of dragons would shed. but if they did shed...... imagine them taking little baths with warm water to help make it easier... i feel like that could be very soothing and comforting, especially if the dragon has a friend helping (because sheds have been known to become stuck sometimes, so i imagine it would be helpful to have someone gently hold on to the skin. i am planning on getting a snake soon so i have a handful of random bits of information related to this kind of thing stored in my brain!). i definitely agree that it's painless, though. AND THE HORN SHEDDING THING LMAO I LOVE THAT fucking PASSING OUT because the poor victim--who is presumably not a dragon of any kind--is just in pure shock

PLEASE teething on their horns and tail... i imagine it would be a little uncomfortable, but it's just very cute because this baby has the most innocent look in their lil eyes. and dragon parent also happens to know that it's probably helping relieve some of the pressure caused by their teeth coming in, so... they just deal with the slight discomfort it causes. maybe they also gently chide their kid later, but it's not severe punishment or anything.

YOU KNOW. AS SOMEONE WHO HAS A LITTLE HOARD OF GEMS AND MINERALS... i like this idea. i grew up collecting seashells and pretty rocks and honestly it's such a cute idea that the dragon children would do something similar. also you're so right about zhongli AJSHAKFHSNZG

[kazeofthemagun]

@shiroi---kumo asked the summoner:

He's floating over to him with an odd look on his face. His hand is tightly closed around something, which is not unusual for the Cloud considering all the strange new foods he bring to the Wind but his face says it's something different.

The man of Black Wind's knows next to nothing about his culture so he's going to have to explain... and he's seen the reactions in the past so he knows this item will not cause harm in the same way anything coming from his Other would to him.

"Black Wind." He sounds shyly. "Give me your hand."

It's a warning to prepare the elder for the reach he's making for the Soil Mage's left and softly does the prince retrieve it by the wrist to hold his trembling right hand over the upturned palm of his other and in it he drops an item.

A small drop earring shaped like the sun. It's shimmering white in color and it almost looks like small clouds are caught within it's center.

"I don't know when your birthday is." He starts. "I like to give these for special occasions but the fact, you're still here with me and I'm still alive is special enough. "

His nervousness permeates his words as his cheeks flush out to a brilliant red.

"It is - I - I made it - from my Mist - for - for you. We - we - we - make them - them - forourlovedones- " His voice shakes as it blurs into a single word at the end when his speed increases in his embarrassment.

"Just - we've had too many close calls so just - just wear it okay?"

A head of crimson turned to allow the Hunter's blue eyes to meet a very uncomfortable looking jade. Pale skin was flushed, a traitorous shade of red creeping onto the Cloud's features. Well, now he knew something was off. Not that it would have been that hard to tell otherwise. His Other was a peculiar beast like that; He could pull off a coup twelve years in the making, but could not hide a single thing from the Wind.

It did not take the Dragon's special eyes to see the swordsman was an absolute mess, his right hand clenched as though his very life depended on it. But what was held in his grasp so tightly - so protectively, almost moreso than when he wielded the Maken?

It felt as though a whole minute has passed, just them staring - and the Misterican's face getting ever more red - before a request finally forced itself past misty lips.

Black Wind's brows rose slightly, in question - but he did give his hand, guarded as he was when performing such an act of trust. The urge to recoil was only natural, more subconscious than anything the Wind would perform by choice. Forewarned as he was, the gunman still flinched slightly when his wrist was taken.

And then - an item, dropped into his palm.

Such a small, unassuming thing. What was it? A piece of jewelry. An earring, to be exact. It was a work of art indeed, appearing as though carved of some pale crystal that gave off the faintest glow only the Wind's eyes could see. Like an alabaster sky, every shred of blue drowned out by a veil of milky white clouds.

It was shaped like the sun. In a distinct way - a pattern that stood out from other depictions. It was the three rays of the sun; The same ones used in savo lotahr, the Solar Triad. Which meant -

White Cloud designed it himself -

The realization struck before the explanation even had a chance to follow.

This was just like what he did. With Aura. When he shed his own crimson blood and said, remember that I was once a man.

The heart within the machine picked up its pace, thumping louder against the vial and in the summoner's ears. White Cloud did not merely design it, he made it. Of his own life's breath. This was not a simple gift. This was a memory, given form.

A memory in this form could also be a grave. It was believed in Windarian stories that an object to remember the departed prevented spirits from haunting the mind. After all, if the memory was only present within oneself, one would become a sealed crypt, and one's Soil would fester with bygone voices. That was why it was so important to offer shape to the spirits, to lay stone circles, to wear their syajhiri and share their stories with the fire.

Did.. White Cloud know this? Did he - did he know why he cast his blood in sap and had it slotted in a spiral pattern? Was it the same on Misterica? Only that instead of blood, they used Mist. Why else would jewelry be made of one's own body and soul?

The gunmage's hand closed, holding the earring tightly. It was smooth like polished crystal. The swordsman's words reached him, but the sound seemed strangely distant. Kaze snapped back to reality. "Hm? Ah."

He failed to speak as his sole hand moved to reach for his right ear. For quite some time now, he had been wearing nothing on that side, and so the flesh had completely healed over. In fact, the time he thought he had lost his blood earring, the puncture had sealed itself without a trace as well. That was one of the drawbacks of regenerative immortality, he supposed. Once the item was returned by Lisa, it did not take too much effort to simply push the metal through, forcibly. It only bled and ached for a short while.

And so he did just that. It was not a big issue, really.

A small trail of black trickled down, making its way along the pale sun's edges only to drip and disappear into dark fabric. Before long, the wound itself would disappear, too.

He reached down to pull at the rim of his collar, freeing his features and brushing wild locks behind his ears for the Cloud's better view. The blue that met jade orbs was the shade of the same practiced stoicism, a picture of Malatuur's calm seas - even if the younger of the Unlimited had never seen it, the spirit of the Ladnajredvi was reflected perfectly in his counter's eyes. It was impossible to gauge what went on behind that deep cerulean - precisely because the Wind made sure it would be that way. And that way, it would remain.

Once again did the gunslinger's tall collar cover the lower half of his face, and he stood up to busy himself with setting up camp. Avoidance? A lack of care, or plain confusion?

"Hey..." He started, suddenly - then paused just as abruptly. "White Cloud." The redhead's back certainly appeared mighty expressive, which was absolutely no help in gauging the elder's mood.

Kaze's silence was like the bird's flight, or the forest's rustling whispers. It just was, as an inseparable part of his nature, woven into his being. It just was, and so, hearing it break could either be the most terrifying or most beautiful thing.

"...Thank you."

Hearing that silence part with such words, however - was the rarest gift of all.

[strangechopshopcheesecake]

Ultimate Guide to Pet Supplies: Everything You Need for Your Furry Friend

Introduction

Owning a pet brings joy and companionship, but it also comes with responsibility. One of the key responsibilities as a pet owner is providing your pet with the right supplies. From nutritious food to toys that keep them entertained, the variety of pet supplies available can sometimes be overwhelming. In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about pet supplies, ensuring your furry (or not-so-furry) friend is well taken care of ultimate guide to pet supplies

Why Quality Pet Supplies Matter

Choosing quality supplies for your pet is essential for their well-being. Whether it’s the food they consume, the bed they sleep on, or the toys they play with, every item impacts your pet’s health and happiness. Poor-quality products can lead to health issues like allergies, digestive problems, or even behavioral issues. That’s why investing in high-quality, well-researched pet products is a must for any responsible pet owner.

Types of Pet Supplies ultimate Guide to pet supplies

Let’s explore the essential categories of pet supplies and how to make informed decisions when purchasing them.

Food and Nutrition Supplies One of the most crucial aspects of your pet’s health is their diet. Just like humans, pets require balanced nutrition to stay healthy and active.

Dry Food vs. Wet Food ultimate Guide to pet supplies

Choosing between dry and wet food can be confusing. Dry food, or kibble, is convenient and has a longer shelf life, while wet food is often more palatable and hydrating. The choice depends on your pet’s specific needs. For example, older pets may prefer wet food because it’s easier to chew, whereas dry food is excellent for maintaining dental health.

Organic vs. Commercial Food

With growing awareness about health, many pet owners are shifting towards organic pet food. Organic food is free from artificial preservatives and additives, offering a cleaner diet. However, commercial pet food is typically more affordable and widely available. Whichever you choose, always check the nutritional content to ensure your pet gets the right balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

Grooming Supplies ultimate Guide to pet supplies

Grooming isn't just about appearance; it's a key part of keeping your pet healthy. Regular grooming helps prevent skin problems, reduces shedding, and keeps your pet feeling comfortable.

Brushes, Combs, and Nail Clippers

Every pet needs regular grooming. For cats and dogs, brushing their fur prevents matting and helps control shedding. Nail clippers are also essential to avoid overgrown nails that can lead to discomfort or injuries.

Shampoo and Conditioners

Just like humans, pets need specific shampoos that cater to their skin type. Look for hypoallergenic shampoos if your pet has sensitive skin or try medicated shampoos if they have skin conditions like dermatitis or allergies.

Bedding and Furniture ultimate Guide to pet supplies

cozy and supportive bed ensures that your pet is well-rested and comforPets need a restful night's sleep just as much as people do.table.

Pet B ultimate Guide to pet supplies

There are various types of pet beds, from plush cushions to orthopedic beds. Older pets, especially those with joint problems, benefit from orthopedic beds, which provide extra support for their bones and muscles.

Crates and Carriers

Crates and carriers are not just for travel; they also provide a safe space for your pet to relax. Whether you're crate training a puppy or taking your cat to the vet, a sturdy, comfortable carrier is a must-have.

Toys and Entertainment ultimate Guide to pet supplies Toys are essential for your pet’s mental and physical stimulation. They help prevent boredom, which can lead to destructive behaviors like chewing or scratching.

Chew Toys vs. Interactive Toys

Chew toys are great for puppies or dogs that need to exercise their jaws. Interactive toys, on the other hand, stimulate your pet’s brain and are perfect for cats or dogs that need a little extra challenge.

Health and Wellness Supplies

Maintaining your pet’s health is a top priority. From flea treatments to supplements, there are many products that ensure your pet stays in peak condition.

Flea and Tick Prevention Fleas and ticks can cause discomfort and spread diseases. Preventative treatments such as flea collars, sprays, or topical solutions help keep these pests at bay.

Supplements and Medications

Some pets need extra vitamins or joint supplements, especially as they age. Always consult your vet before adding supplements to your pet’s diet.

How to Choose the Right Pet Supplies Choosing the right pet supplies can be a bit of trial and error, but some basic principles can help guide you.

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Pet Size and Age Considerations

Smaller pets require smaller toys, beds, and even food portions. Similarly, younger pets may need specialized food for growth, while older pets benefit from diets that support joint health and mobility.

Special Dietary Needs

Just like humans, pets can have food allergies or sensitivities. If your pet is showing signs of discomfort, like frequent itching or digestive problems, consider switching to a hypoallergenic or grain-free diet.

Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Pet Supplies

More pet owners are becoming eco-conscious, looking for sustainable, biodegradable, or recyclable pet supplies. From bamboo toys to organic bedding, there are plenty of options for reducing your pet’s carbon pawprint.

Best Pet Supply Brands in 2024 Some of the top brands to consider this year include:

Blue Buffalo (Nutrition)

KONG (Toys) Earth Rated (Eco-friendly supplies) Frontline (Flea and tick prevention) Online Shopping vs. Local Pet Stores Online shopping offers convenience and a wider variety of products, often at discounted prices. However, local pet stores provide personalized advice and the chance to see the products in person. It’s always good to support small businesses whenever possible!

How to Save Money on Pet Supplies

Pet supplies can add up, but there are ways to save. Look out for bulk deals, subscribe to automatic deliveries, and don’t hesitate to use coupons. Consider making some DIY pet supplies as well.

DIY Pet Supplies: What You Can Make at Home You can make simple pet supplies at home, like homemade toys or treats. For example, old t-shirts can be braided into chew toys, and basic ingredients like peanut butter and oats can be used for

Frequently Asked Questions about Pet Supplies

What is the most essential pet supply? Food is the most critical supply, as it directly affects your pet’s health. How often should I replace pet toys? Replace toys when they start to show signs of wear or if they become a choking hazard. Are organic pet supplies worth the extra cost? Organic supplies are beneficial, especially for pets with sensitivities. However, they are not always necessary for all pets.

What is the best way to transport my pet?

A sturdy, comfortable carrier or crate is best for travel, whether for short trips or longer journeys. Can I use human shampoo on my pet? No, human shampoo can irritate your pet’s skin as it is not formulated for their pH levels.

Conclusion

Taking care of your pet means providing them with the best supplies for their needs. From food to bedding and toys, the right products ensure your pet stays healthy and happy. By investing in quality supplies and making smart purchasing decisions, you’ll create a loving environment for your furry friend to thrive