#and suddenly there was a third lab accident

[sacr1ficialang3l]

my back arched like a cat.ᗢ⋆˚࿔

DEAN WINCHESTER X CATGIRL!READER

SUMMARY: A witch hunt gone wrong leaves reader with some unexpected furry features. dean wonders if the hentai gods have finally answered his prayers. 4.1k

WARNINGS: smut (MDNI). cat-hybrid reader. which means mentions of animal ears, tails, meowing, etc (do not read if you don't likd that kind of stuff). piv. unprotected sex. dean is a nerd and a freak but we knew that. one (1) mention of tentacles.

NOTES: i can't stop thinking about dean watching "cartoon smut" so here it is. the author is a virgin so there might be unrealistic details but reader is a catgirl so actually anything could happen. as always, english is not my first language. enjoy<3

Focused on using your last witch-killing bullet before the old woman in front of you finishes chanting a spell that’s apparently sucking all the air out of Sam’s lungs, you don’t notice the black cat behind you.

The case had been simple enough. Another witch causing mayhem in a small town, leaving hex bags scattered around for you three to find. You spoke with the locals, identified the suspect, and followed her to the small abandoned house she used as a lab. It looked almost like a real lab—petri dishes everywhere, concoctions bubbling. The smell of spices and herbs would’ve been overwhelming if you weren’t so focused on fighting for your life.

The black cat, apparently not too fond of you shooting its mistress, sinks its teeth into your ankle with a strength no normal house-cat should have. You shriek and try to step forward just as the cat tries to dart away. You do your best not to step on it—the animal might be the familiar of an evil witch, but you still refuse to hurt a kitty—which only causes you to trip. You and the little feline end up rolling away in a tangle of claws and limbs. You stumble into one of the lab tables, and because your luck is the worst, a sticky liquid spills all over you. Thankfully, it isn’t one of the bubbling concoctions, so there’s no third-degree burns. Instead, you’re drenched in a purple, syrupy substance that smells like… candy?

You spit out the cat fur that somehow made its way into your mouth, while the source of this whole disaster hisses at you, as if it’s all your fault. The cat walks off, offended, head raised high and tail flicking in the air. Then, suddenly, the sharp crack of a gunshot makes both you and the cat turn. Dean had regained consciousness after being knocked out by a blow to the head and had finally killed the witch. You and the feline both make noises of displeasure, but for very different reasons.

The cat runs off, meowing in sorrow for the loss of its guardian. You groan, because with the witch dead, it’s going to be a hundred times harder to figure out exactly what the hell you’re covered in.

So now you are in the bunker, all three of you reading any book you can find on magic and candy-scented potions. You leave Rowena a voicemail, but you doubt she’ll get back to you anytime soon.

The substance had absorbed into your skin a few minutes after the accident, not even giving you time to try and wash it away. It had basically disappeared, only leaving a faint glow and a sweet smell on your skin as proof of the whole ordeal. 

After hours of finding nothing useful, you drag yourself into the kitchen to make your third batch of coffee. Something feels off, but in a weird, unfamiliar way. Everything smells stronger, sharper, and more complex. You suddenly have the urge to stretch and lie down in the sunlight, even though you’ve always been known for your vitamin D deficiency. And for fuck’s sake, you still can’t get rid of the sensation of cat fur in your mouth.

“Stupid witchy cat.” You grumble as you wait for the coffee maker to finish its job.

A snicker coming from behind you makes you jump, and you quickly turn around to find your boyfriend leaning on the kitchen island. Dean gives you one of his signature grins, but you can see the undercurrent of worry in his eyes. He’s just as desperate as you to figure out exactly what’s happening.

“Are you done pouting at the coffee? I think Sam is about to pass out.”

That only makes your pout deepen, and Dean chuckles lowly before he starts to walk around the island.

But suddenly there’s a pressure on your head, and your vision gets a little blurry. You lean back against the counter, blinking slowly until the dizziness fades. Once you’re able to focus your eyes again, you turn to Dean.

Your boyfriend is frozen, staring at you with wide eyes and his jaw dropped. You start to get a little worried. What if the potion gave you some horrid, irreversible mutation, and now you have to be sent to the middle of a labyrinth like the Minotaur?

“Dean? Dean!” But he doesn’t even blink, he doesn’t move, he just stares at you. But no, he isn’t looking at you, per se, his gaze is laser-focused just a little higher, right into the top of your head.

That’s when you feel the pressure on the sides of your scalp, and then something twitches. Dean lets out a choked sound, and your hands shoot up instinctively, finding two furry triangles nestled in your hair.

“What. The. Fuck?”

You turn around and find your reflection in the glass of the microwave. Indeed, there are two black cat ears sticking out of your head, the same color of your hair and— the same color of the familiar’s fur. 

“That son of a bitch!”

Something behind you stiffens, then shoots upward in response to your anger, and this time Dean curses loudly. In the reflection, you can see it sticking from behind your shoulder, a long black—something—that twitches at the same time your new cat ears do. You hope it’s not what you think it is, but it looks a lot like…

“Are you fucking kidding me? A goddamn tail?” 

You turn your head around to look, and there it is, sticking from under the black skirt you had changed into when you got home from the hunt. Same color as your ears, and swinging slowly, lifting your skirt a bit.

“Holy shit.”

Your head snaps up, locking eyes with Dean. His expression is frozen somewhere between awe and disbelief, but there’s something else too—something heated lurking beneath the surface. You’re too busy panicking to dwell on it.

“Guys! I think I found some– oh.”

You’ve locked yourself in the bathroom for what feels like hours. Turns out, the ears and tail weren’t the only side effects of that unfinished shape-shifting potion. No, you’ve also grown fangs—which, okay, you have to admit, are kind of pretty— and you are feeling a little… kittenish? 

Like, you have to fight the urge to hiss every time Dean yells through the door for you to come out. You keep catching yourself wanting to rub your side against random furniture—scenting, Sam called it. And worst of all, you’re battling an overwhelming impulse to knock every delicate object in the bunker straight onto the floor.

“Come on, sweetheart. You can’t stay in there forever.”

You sigh, ears flattening against the top of your head. Dean’s right, if you want to fix this you have to leave the bathroom. With a defeated huff, you finally unlock the door.

He’s waiting on the other side, smirking, but he immediately tries to hide his amusement when he catches sight of your frown. You swallow down another hiss, striding past him and into the room you two shared, head high, tail flicking in clear offense.

But as soon as you brush past Dean, an overwhelming smell hits you. You admittedly liked the way Dean usually smelled, like whiskey and motor oil, something musky but sweet at the same time that you had grown to associate with home. But now, with your newly developed sharp senses, it is intoxicating.

“Baby, wait–” Dean tries to stop you from walking away, but you’re already moving, pressing yourself against his chest before you even think about it. “Uf. What…?”

You bury your nose in his neck, sniffing. Dean makes a small, strangled sound when the tip of your nose brushes behind his ear, but you ignore it. 

“You smell good.” You mumble, hands pawing at his chest and keeping your face pressed to his skin. 

“Thanks?” Dean huffs out, his hands wrapping around your waist. Your boyfriend smells like heaven, but something is missing. A deep, instinctual frustration wells up inside you, and before you can stop yourself, you start nuzzling against him, rubbing your cheek against his skin with frantic determination. He tries to pull you away, and a loud whine rips itself out of your throat. 

The sound makes you snap out of it, and you’re suddenly jumping back. You press your back against the wall while you try to catch your breath. You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to will away the heat crawling up your spine.

“Sorry.” You whisper after a long moment. “I don’t know what happened.” 

Dean blinks at you, still standing where you left him, hands half-raised like he’s not sure whether to reach for you or give you space. His mouth opens, then closes, then opens again.

“Uh. So it is that bad, huh?”

You don’t answer, still pressed against the wall, mortified.

Dean scrubs a hand down his face, exhaling sharply. “Look, sweetheart, no need to freak out, okay? You’re just, uh—adjusting.” His lips twitch. “Though, gotta say, not used to you being this eager to cuddle me in the middle of a crisis.”

You groan, dragging your hands down your face. “Dean, please.”

“I’m just sayin’" He lifts his hands defensively. "if this is a side effect, I’m not exactly complaining.”

Your glare sharpens, but Dean just grins, eyes flicking to your still-twitching ears. His smirk falters for a second, though, when he remembers that sound—the desperate little whine you let out when he pulled away. His fingers flex at his sides.

“But, uh… you’re okay, right?” His voice is softer now, eyes scanning your face.

You nod, still rattled but slowly coming back to yourself. 

“As okay as you can be after being physically-modified without your consent.”

Dean watches you for a beat longer, then huffs out a breath and shakes his head.

“Alright. Well, if you feel the urge to, y’know, scent-mark me again, maybe give a guy some warning next time.”

The words ‘scent-mark’ make you grimace, and you cover your eyes with your hands again.

“I will murder you, you know I can.”

The threat only makes him laugh, and you sigh in defeat. You will never live this down, that you are sure of.

“Did Sam find anything about how to fix this?”

You hear Dean shift closer, and you drop your hands, meeting his gaze.

“Rowena called back while you were locked in there.” He hesitates, pressing his lips together like he already knows you’re not going to like what’s next. “Since the potion wasn’t finished, the effects are temporary. You’ll just have to wait it out, baby.”

“This is a fucking nightmare.” You scoff, leaning back against the wall in resignation. 

Your cat ears flatten, tail curling low around your thigh. The kitten fangs feel too big in your mouth, and the sheer overload of sounds and scents is driving you insane.

Dean steps closer. It’s only then that you notice his pupils—blown wide, dark with something unreadable. You frown, about to question it, but before you can, he moves.

And then he’s kissing you.

The kiss is hot and sudden, stealing the breath from your lungs before you can even react. It is a little rougher than Dean usually is with you in moments like this, but you’re not complaining. His hands find your waist, pulling you in as he swallows your surprised little gasp.

His palms roam your sides, fingers pressing in like he needs to feel every inch of you. Your hands clutch his shoulders as he leans in closer, deepening the kiss until your head spins. It’s only when your lungs start to burn that you break away.

“Dean, w– ah!” As soon as you pull your lips away, he starts kissing down your neck. “What’s gotten into you?”

He hums against your skin, warm and insistent, sucking softly just below your collarbone. His teeth graze you, and a sound slips past your lips. 

A. Literal. Mewl.

Dean groans like you just wrecked him. Before you can even process your own humiliation, his hands slide under your thighs, lifting you effortlessly.

You yelp, arms flying around his shoulders as he holds you against him. 

Next thing you know, your back hits the mattress.

Dean looks possessed—breathing heavy, eyes dark. You glance at the door, which was already closed. Your eyes return to Dean when his hands slide under your skirt. You’re about to ask what’s going on again, until you notice the way his eyes are locked on your kitten ears.

Your tail sways, slow and deliberate against the sheets. Realization hits you suddenly, and you grab Dean’s shoulders to stop him from leaning in again.

“You’re into this shit.” It is more an affirmation than a question.

And suddenly, everything makes sense.

Dean’s weirdly specific interest in anime. The late-night “cartoon smut” Sam always rolled his eyes at. The alarming amount of Japanese erotic magazines you’d found in the Impala’s trunk that one time. His utterly feral reaction to your new feline features. 

You inhale sharply, scandalized. “Dean. Do you have a catgirl fetish?”

He scoffs, but a blush creeps into his cheeks. For the first time in your life, you’re seeing Dean Winchester flustered.

He tries to straighten up, but you stop him, still gripping his shoulders. Your grin stretches wide, ears perking up with curiosity.

You just stare, eyebrows raised, as Dean struggles to compose himself.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His comeback is so lame you can’t help but laugh. Just like that, the stress of the potion incident vanishes now that you had an opportunity to tease your boyfriend. 

“You little freak!” You slap his shoulder, still a little embarrassed by the whole situation. “Oh my god, I can't believe this.”

“Shut up.” He grunts.

You open your mouth to tease him again, but he shuts you up with another kiss.

Your tongues tangle as Dean tugs your skirt down in one swift motion. You let him, arms lifting when he starts to pull your shirt over your head.

Sure, you’re still freaking out a little. And yeah, Dean being into the catgirl thing is mortifying.

But the heat pooling in your stomach drowns out your embarrassment. Your chest rises and falls, breath hitching as Dean’s hands roam your bare skin—every touch heightened by your new, razor-sharp senses. 

Your panties are soaked through in seconds, and you wonder for a second if it is a cat hybrid thing. Your little fangs brush against Dean’s tongue, and he breaks the kiss with a groan. 

“You’re so fuckin’ hot, baby.” Your underwear is gone in seconds, and you moan when his fingers slide in between the lips of your swollen cunt. “You’re so wet, shit.”

Your back arches off the bed when his thumb finds your clit, rubbing slow circles while his fingers press lightly against your entrance. You spread your legs, giving Dean more room in between them. The sound that comes out of you when his middle finger finally buries itself inside of you is so kitten-like that it makes you flush. 

“Dean, please.” You mewl, not sure what you’re asking for.

The moment you open your mouth, Dean’s eyes lock onto your little fangs. His thumb brushes over your upper lip before tugging it up, eyes going wide.

"Son of a bitch." He mutters, running his finger over the sharp point of one. "Look at that. So fucking cute."

You brush your tongue against the pad of his thumb. The sensation has you drooling, your mouth forced open, and before you can process it, Dean shoves his middle and ring fingers inside.

You suck on his fingers, your head bobbing and tongue curling around them. Dean groans, pushing his digits deeper into your mouth, pressing down on your tongue. He only pulls away when saliva spills down the corner of your mouth, wiping his hand on the sheets before kissing down your neck.

“So damn messy for me, kitten.” He licks and nips at your chest, sucking one of your nipples into his mouth. You push your hips down, trying to get him deeper inside you. “You’re so needy, baby. Like a kitty in heat.”

Dean’s words are hushed, a little rambly—you’ve never heard him like this. Mr. Confident and Nonchalant, completely unraveling. He’s so crazily into this crap, it’s almost funny.

Your laugh comes out breathy as Dean presses his thumb a little harder against you. That makes him pause, eyes flicking up. He looks as disheveled as you expected him to be, but he is now frowning. 

“What are you laughing at?” He grunts, settling between your legs.

“I should’ve known your hentai-ridden brain would be into this shit, but I never imagined you’d get this—hot and bothered over a pair of cat ears.”

You wait for Dean to yank off his shirt before leaning in, voice dropping to a whisper.

“Are you into tentacles too? Or maybe—”

You are silenced by Dean slapping your pussy.

The smack echoes around the room, and it makes you choke on your words. 

“You better shut that pretty mouth before I shut it up for you.”

The “don’t threaten me with a good time” dies on your tongue when two more fingers enter you. You were loose and wet enough for it, throbbing with the need to have Dean inside of you. 

Maybe you are in heat.

You whine when the digits suddenly pull out, but then you’re being turned around into your front. Dean helps you positionate on all four, face low against the mattress and ass raised high, back arched in a perfect, flawless curve. 

You almost get knocked down when Dean suddenly presses against you. The blunt tip of his cock brushes up and down your slit, collecting the obscene amount of slick that is steadily dripping out of you. He slowly presses against your entrance until only the head is inside. Dean waits a few seconds, making you whimper desperately before he buries himself to the hilt in one swift motion.

You let out a high-pitched moan at the sudden feeling of fullness. 

“Hell, look at you.” Dean starts to thrust immediately, hips rocking mercilessly against you. “Look at your pretty tail, fuck.”

That makes you turn your head around, and you catch sight for your tail swinging in contentment at being fucked. Your blush worsens and you hide your face against the covers. 

“You feel so good, kitty. Such a tight, warm cunt, just for me.” 

Dean’s hips shift and suddenly he is slamming against that spot that makes you grip the blankets for dear life. You mewl helplessly, ears twitching and pussy tightening around Dean.

“Yeah, Dean. Ngh- right there.”

Dean keeps thrusting into you at a brutal pace, and the only sounds your enhanced hearing can pick up are your loud whines and Dean’s rough moans. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you hope Sam is reading away in the library, far enough not to hear.

Amidst all the burning sensation, you almost miss the way Dean’s hand curls around the base of your tail. It makes your shoulders tense up, and then he tugs at it.

The sensation that runs up your spine is like nothing you had ever felt before. Your mouth falls open and your eyes roll back. You let out a yowl of pleasure, totally overwhelmed by it.

The way you tighten around Dean makes him still for a second, surprised by your intense reaction. You whimper and rock your hips back.

“Again. Dean– again.”

There’s one more second of stillness before Dean resumes the roll of his hips with new-found vigor. It is almost violent in the best way, and it makes your nails drag down the blankets, your tongue lolling out of your mouth.

“You like that, baby?” Dean whispers, and he sounds wrecked. His voice is strangled and the hand that is not on your tail is gripping your hips so hard you just know it will leave marks.

“You like having your tail pulled? What a needy little thing.”

You nod as best as you can while being rocked back and forth insatiably, and you are rewarded by a harsh tug to your tail. You moan and mewl repeatedly, asking for more.

Dean keeps pulling at your tail, his other hand leaving your hip and sliding around your body until he finds your swollen clit. He starts rubbing it and tugging your tail at the same time, making you throw your head back and scream.

“I’m close.” You cry out. “Fuck, Dean. Gonna come.”

“Cum for me, kitten.” The head of his cock keeps hitting that sensitive spot, and you feel like you’re going to lose your mind. “You’ve been so good for me, get this cute little cunt all messy for me.”

You let out a sound somewhere between a sob and a meow as you cum, wetness dripping out of you and running down your thighs. 

Your boyfriend keeps fucking you through your orgasm, thrusts now sloppy and desperate.

“That’s it. So goddamn tight, fuck. Fuck.”

He grunts loudly as he comes inside of you. Thick ropes of cum cover your inner walls, filling you with warmth. You hum in satisfaction at the feeling. Dean stays deep inside you even after his climax ends, panting and stroking your tail softly. 

You whine, ears going flat against your head when he slowly pulls out. It makes him chuckle, and you pout. It quickly disappears when Dean lays down next to you, pulling you against his chest before draping a blanket over your naked bodies. 

“You like getting your tail pulled.” He breathes out, like he is still marveling at the discovery. 

Still recovering from the most intense orgasm you have ever had, you hide your face against Dean’s neck and groan. 

“Shut up.” You grumble. But after a second, you end up whispering. “It felt good.”

“Yeah, I could tell.”

That earns him a slap on the chest. He just laughs, pulling you closer. Too fucked out to care, you nuzzle your cheek against his skin—scenting him. He already smells like you after everything that just happened, and the thought fills you with a deep, lazy satisfaction.

Then, suddenly, a low, rumbling sound vibrates deep in your chest. It rolls through your whole body, making you melt further into Dean’s arms. His hand, still tracing up and down your back, abruptly stops.

He calls your name, voice tinged with shock.

“Are you… purring?”

That makes you pause.

You are fucking purring, from getting railed.

You’re about to die from embarrassment when Dean curses loudly, his forehead dropping against the top of your head. Your kitten ears twitch and brush against his cheeks, making him groan again. 

“God fucking damn it. There’s no way—this has to be some messed-up fever dream.”

If you’re being honest, your boyfriend being so affected by it makes all the shame wash away. You giggle, still purring. 

“You fucked me so well you made me purr.” You whisper in his ear, and he looks like he’ll combust. 

“You can’t say shit like that.” He grunts, rubbing a hand over his face. 

“Just saying the truth, love.”

You stay like that, wrapped up in each other, chests pressed together. The steady rumble of your purring fills the space, low and soothing. At some point, your tail curls around Dean’s arm, and he just chuckles, tracing lazy shapes along your back with his fingertips.

You scent him one last time for good measure, this time dragging your lips along his neck, leaving little bruises and imprints of your sharp teeth all over.

He lets you, exhaling softly, his other hand finding your kitten ears. The gentle scratch behind them pulls a sweet, contented sigh from your throat.

“Y'know,” Dean murmurs after a long stretch of silence, mischief lacing his voice. “There’s one more thing we should probably check before the potion wears off.”

You hum, too relaxed to question it.

He leans in, lips brushing your ear.

"Do you have a rough tongue?"

You turn to him in disbelief, catching the way his eyes darken.

"We already kissed, dumbass. Your fingers were literally in my mouth. You know I don’t."

You shove at his chest, but he doesn’t budge. Instead, that cocky grin only widens as he leans in further, voice dropping to a whisper.

"Maybe… but we should make sure. Plus, y’know, cats love milk—”

"You absolute perv!" You push him again, harder this time, and he finally falls back against the mattress with a chuckle.

You shake your head, laughing at his audacity. “Shut up before I tell everyone big bad hunter Dean Winchester is a fucking nerd with a catgirl kink.”

By morning, all kitten features are gone. You celebrate while Dean mourns the loss, But you already know—eventually, you’ll be asking Rowena for a similar potion. 

You simply like making your boyfriend feel good, even if it includes some weird hentai shit.

It had nothing to do with how good the tail-pulling felt, of course.

NOTES: yes, i had to watch catgirl hentai while researching for this (no other reason). I can't believe this is so long but I am unable to shut the fuck up. anyway, hope you liked it!

TAGS: @littlesoulshine @mostlymarvelgirl @pink-ghost666 @h8aaz @otteropera @xoswiftieprincess @tinas111 @blossomingorchids @iloveeveryoneyoureamazing @plasticflowersinahistorycemetery <3

If you wanna be tagged in future works, let me know!!

[mokulule]

The Number You Have Called Cannot Be Reached - Part 12

First | Masterlist

Ship: Dead on Main (Danny/Jason)  Fandom: DP x DC Summary:

Danny is just trying to build a portal home, becoming a thief was just an unfortunate side effect of that goal. Now if only this vigilante family would just leave him alone. Especially Red Hood - the semi retired crime lord whose ghost-like presence keeps drawing Danny to him.

Part 12:

Danny asked himself why he even bothered with this game of cat and mouse with the bats. They already knew he could go intangible, so what was the point?

It was another day, another chase; another case of Red Helmet not showing up. This was the third time, not counting when he’d sneaked back invisibly and intangibly in the morning for another roll of heavy duty cable after that first night Red Helmet hadn’t shown.

Was he alright? Was he hurt? Had he just given up?

His core cried out in sorrow lamenting the connection he couldn’t make. It didn’t matter that he never had a connection to begin with, now he felt not only lost, but abandoned. 

It was stupid. 

He didn’t want to do this anymore. Yet here he was, playing chase. He’d already lost two vigilantes tonight, but they kept popping up like wack-a-moles. His current tail was Sunshine, who was a rare participant, he’d only showed up recently but unlike the others he had powers, which made losing him in the traditional sense hard.

He should just leave, but what if Red Helmet showed?

Also it was habit. Habit was a comfort to his hurting core. Ghosts were creatures of habit and mischief. The chase even while it exhausted him was the only bit of play he had. It used to be, early in his stay in Gotham, that he actually had fun. He wasn’t sure at what point it became more habit than fun. It had probably been a gradual sneaking thing.

When Danny first arrived in this world through a training accident and a random portal, he hadn’t been worried. Sooner or later he would find a new natural portal to return to the Ghost Zone and from there he could find home. Natural portals happened all the time, they were like vents, opening and closing to relieve pressure and keep the balance between worlds. Danny had a knack for finding them. He didn’t know whether it was due to dying in a portal or because of his adventures with the Infi-map, but it was a skill he’d developed. So while a couple of years prior he would have been worried about going through a portal, not so much anymore.

He didn’t recognize the city he landed in, it was a regular metropolis with towering skyscrapers, chrome and glass. One building had a giant globe on top with a sign pronouncing it the Daily Planet. Flying about invisibly and people watching, he’d first come to the conclusion he had to be in the future. The technology was just way too advanced when it came to what every day people had in their pockets.

His sightseeing had taken him to a place called Star Labs - how could Danny not check it out with a name like that? And he was not disappointed. They seemed to be doing a little bit of everything; medical research, weapons, strange things he didn’t even know what was (and Danny knew strange things), but best of all spacecraft. 

He’d been looking at a nanotech self-repairing coating for a future spacecraft when it happened; Alarms blared. The lights changed to red. Alert, Danny had remained still and invisible. He wasn’t necessarily the cause of the alarm, and making a sound now would only make him the cause of alarm for the suddenly nervous scientists in the room.

They all waited to see what would happen and eventually the doors opened admitting white armored security guards - the color immediately sent his hackles rising, the lights flickered momentarily but thankfully nobody noticed. All were focused on the security guards scanning the room with their anonymous visors.

Someone pointed towards the corner and guns were raised. The poor scientist standing there raised his hands frantically babbling, begging that he hadn’t done anything, please don’t shoot- The stream of words became just that to Danny, like water rushing in his ears. 

They weren’t pointing at the scientist; they were pointing at Danny. 

He moved, only just in time, flying up through the ceiling. The guns whirred behind him, with a high pitched charging sound and not like normal gunshots at all, no too much like-

Heat erupted in his side and he screamed. It took all his willpower to keep his invisibility, to keep his form. His head snapped around frantically, even in a new room he saw only armored white closing in. Place was crawling with them. A wail was building in his throat. No! He was in a city, he couldn’t! Panic fueled him as he kicked off the floor in a burst of speed, up up up. Floor after floor until the evening sky opened up above him in burning reds and oranges. 

He hadn’t stopped, he’d sped away from the city. 

At present Danny pressed himself against a wall, watching Sunshine reconvene with Purple from his hiding place above them. Seeing the two vigilantes were busy he sneaked carefully around the  corner of the building to put the building between them. He kept in the shadow of a pipe as he started jogging. 

Thinking about Star Labs he couldn’t help but touch a hand to where the energy blast had hit him - he’d scarred. It hadn’t been ectoplasm based, Danny would have known, but if they could hurt him, they could find a way to capture him, to keep him captured. 

That was why Danny had tried to limit the usage of his powers in Gotham. If he could pass for just a regular thief, maybe someone with cloaking tech,  If they guessed what he was they would be one step closer to- No! He couldn’t think about that, he needed to keep his head in the game. 

The midget sprung down in front of him, and Danny changed directions. How many of them were out here today? And with how many what were the odds Helmet wasn’t out here somewhere? Danny was tiring. But maybe there was hope? 

His thoughts drifted again as he ran.

When Danny had taken a moment to catch his breath after his escape from Star Labs, he’d started to look for a portal. He’d had enough of this future, but he hadn’t found a single one. He’d flown around trying to sense one until he’d been forced to set down in a forested area, transforming from the exhaustion. 

He hadn’t understood then why he was so tired.

Strangely breathless he’d pulled out his phone and called Tucker. If he could trust one person to always be near his technology it was Tucker - The number couldn’t be reached. Next he’d tried Sam, then Jazz, then Mom and Dad, none of the numbers could be reached. 

Terrified of what could have happened to them, Danny had started walking. He needed somewhere he could access technology. He’d discovered the burn on his side had carried over to his human form, because his shirt stuck to the blistering mess. He’d been in too much shock to notice the pain. But as he walked it became more and more apparent. He didn’t have anything in his backpack to dress the wound. 

As evening encroached, Danny had come upon a road. He picked right for his direction, walking in the leafy underbrush on the side of the road. The road was long and straight and relatively well travelled even as evening moved on into twilight, which was already pretty dark due to the shadows of trees. The now fewer cars had blinding headlights and Danny was careful to look away from them - not just for his poor eyes’ sake, but he really didn’t need to cause an accident, he never knew when his eyes would decide to reflect light like some sort of cryptid roadside ghoul. 

Danny was exhausted - too exhausted, but he tried to ignore the tumble of worried thoughts that wanted to be released from where he’d chained them up. He was considering just finding a soft spot to lie down for a nap, but some niggle of fear he couldn’t explain told him he might just be more exhausted if he stopped. No, walking on was safer. He needed to get to a place where there were people, and he didn’t risk getting mauled by wildlife because he was tired.

A truck stopped just ahead of him after a crescent moon had risen in the sky. Danny felt more full dead than half dead as he walked up to the truck. The window was rolled down.

“My wife’ll kill me for picking up hitchhikers so near Gotham if you’re a serial killler,” a rough female voice spoke from the cabin. 

Danny blinked. What? He managed to say, “uh?”

The driver leaned over far enough that she could open the door and actually see him. She had short cropped curly hair, a nose that looked like it had been broken before and judging dark eyes that swept up and down Danny’s arguably pitiful state of being. 

“Well, are you?” She enunciated.

“What?” “A serial killer?” Danny held his arms out helplessly. “I’m not, but if I was, that would also be my response, ma’am.”

She huffed a short bark of laughter. “So you got a bit o’ sass. Jump in then. Heading to Gotham?”

“Sure.” Danny replied, and climbed up. He’d never heard about a town by that name, but it was the second time the lady had mentioned it and who really knew where he was except somewhere in the US. He buckled in under watchful eyes, and in moments they were off.

“So you from somewhere in the Midwest?”

“Illinois, ma’am.” It was a safe enough topic, and Danny was so relieved to sink into soft seats and relax. His backpack was safely between his knees, even if it didn’t hold much of value and the cabin warm but not too warm.

“What brings you all the way out to Jersey?”

“Would you believe me-“ Danny covered his mouth as he was a assaulted by a yawn. “Sorry. If I said I don’t know?”

She glanced away from the road towards Danny momentarily. “Wouldn’t be the strangest thing.”

She reached into a cooler box and pulled out a sweating can that she handed to him. “Here, you’re pale as a ghost.” He accepted the can with shaking hands. Only his heart had jumped at the comparison, not his whole body, he reassured himself. He frowned thoughtfully as he examined the can. Zesti Cola the cursive lettering declared.

“Is this a local brand?” Danny asked thoughtlessly as he opened it up.

He realized his mistake as soon as it was out of his mouth at the incredulous look he got. “It’s only the biggest brand worldwide.”

Danny coughed. “Guess I must have grown up more sheltered than I thought.” 

He’d take the pitying look over any suspicion. He took a sip and it tasted a bit sweeter than the cola he was used to. His body welcomed the sugar and the liquids. He was usually more resilient than this. 

After finishing the pop, and putting the can in the trash bag as directed it wasn’t long until he fell asleep. 

He woke a bit disoriented when they stopped at a gas station an unknown amount of time later. And as memories flooded in he immediately knew what had been wrong with him. There had been absolutely no ambient ectoplasm in the air. He’d burned up his own rapidly using his powers for hours and healing a wound to boot. The difference was blatantly obvious now that he was in an area with ectoplasm in the air. He didn’t feel near as tired, his muscles and the wound ached less.

He stepped out of the truck along with the driver, and pulled his backpack back on. He looked up to the dark cityscape towering above them - so Gotham was definitely not a town. 

“Hey, kid.”

Danny resisted the instinctual urge to protest that he was nineteen, so not a kid, but that was personal information he didn’t want to give. 

“Yeah?” She walked around the truck to face him. “Gotham is a very good city to disappear in, but it’s also a good city to disappear in, you feel me? So take care?”

Danny swallowed at the ominous warning, but he was confident he could protect himself. He nodded. “Thanks for the ride, ma’am.”

Danny snapped out of the memory as a staff came down for his head. Jumping back he saw the midget had been joined by criss-cross bandolier guy.

He changed direction again and mused, that at this rate he’d go through all the vigilantes of Gotham tonight; but there was only one he wanted to see. He wasn’t showing and that was good, he reminded himself.

Zesti Cola and Gotham had been the clues Danny needed to know he was not in the future but in an entirely different reality. The following days he’d explored the limits of Gotham’s ambient ectoplasm. He’d quickly realized that to leave Gotham would be extremely dangerous to him. He might survive on human food, but any use of his powers would leave him weak and vulnerable, and as someone who didn’t even have an identity in this world - nobody would notice if he did disappear. 

Clockwork didn’t answer him. He couldn’t rely on anyone finding him here, they could become just as stuck as him. The only real solution was to build a portal. 

Danny was too late to divert from his path when he realized he was running towards a dead end, brick walls on two sides and concrete on the last, going up several stories. It was just as good a sign as any that it was time to end the chase. His stupid core could mourn Red Helmet’s absence just as easily from his hide-out as it could from here. 

He was prepared to turn intangible and go through the wall straight ahead. 

It was a relief the chase would be over. Weariness dragged at him more so now that he knew it would soon be over. Just three more long strides and the next would take him through the wall.

One. Two-

Electricity flared bright blue and flickering, dancing dangerously across the wall. Danny froze in place, in a way only possible due to his powers, as he instantly cancelled his momentum. Momentum that would have otherwise- No, he couldn’t think about that now. He had to focus, no panic, he could panic later, when he was free. He spun around. Electricity sparked all around him turning into a blur of dancing lightning. He dug his nails in to the palms of his hands. The path he’d come from was blocked by the bats. Blue Bird with his terrifying sticks, had joined the other two. 

The world wavered around him. He couldn’t breathe. His heart was so loud in his ears. He bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood in his mouth. It was not over yet. 

He sunk into the ground, but pain, terrible and familiar lanced up through his legs and he jumped up with a yelp. He stared down at the asphalt beneath his feet in terrified realization; there were live power lines running through the ground.

Danny gritted his teeth and faced his pursuers grimly.

Bandoliers gave Danny a triumphant smile. “Gotcha.”

-

There you have it, Tim's plan to capture Danny, helped along by Danny being distracted. Next time we will see if it works ;)

I don't know that I'm entirely happy with this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it anyways. Now that it's written and out at least I can hope to get something I'm more satisfied with for the ao3 version.

You can subscribe to the story by subscribing to the masterlist

Update: next

[inkie-does-whump]

(writing prompt if you want it to be)

how did Cleo and Etho react when they realized they were both in the lab?

Here's a lil oneshot about Cleo's first few days in the lab :D

(the one shot is for my Lab AU. If you're new here, I recommend checking out the Masterpost on my pinned post first)

Etho is four days late to the launch of the Third Life Scientific Mastery Project. This is because he wasn't supposed to be there in the first place.

Cleo, on the other hand, is exactly on time.

She comes to slowly, blinking drug-induced sleep from her eyes. Her mouth tastes metallic and stale, like she has bit herself on accident. She struggles to look at her surroundings. The florescent lights are too bright.

And beyond that, there is someone panicking nearby.

"oh, there's so many. There's so many. Martyn, they brought in so many more." The person sounds like they might be on the verge of crying. "They're all going to get hurt."

"Where's Netty? Where is everyone else? JIMMY, WHERE IS MY WIFE."

A third voice, smaller and directly in Cleo's ear, groans, "you'd think they would be a little gentler with the transition between the labs. My last transportation wasn't anywhere near this rough."

Cleo sits up, holding her head in her hands as a sharp pain shoots through her skull. She feels nauseous and dizzy. She manages to squint around at the bleach-white walls they're boxed into.

There are about a dozen people, most of them unconscious, laying on the tile floor like they've been dumped there unceremoniously. Cleo is laying near the edge of the pile. Nearby, there is one more person slumped into a wheelchair.

The voice closest to her belongs to a little dark-skinned goat hybrid. He's dressed in a white tank top and white shorts, with a metal choker around his neck. When Cleo looks around, she notices everyone is wearing it, including herself.

One of the other people awake runs to one of the open doors connected to the room, "Where is Netty? She's not here, no, she's- NETTY? NETTY, PLEASE!"

He's visibly shaking. His breathing is coming out in short, panicking gasps. The only other person awake, a yellow-feathered Avian, watches him for a moment, before something catches his attention.

"Martyn, it's Grian! Grian's back!" The Avian hurries over the other sleeping bodies to someone specific. "Grian, where have you been?"

The person, Grian, is clearly still unconscious.

Cleo clears her throat, and two heads turn to look at her. The other person, Cleo assumes his name is Martyn, is calling Netty's name down another one of the connected hallways.

"where am I?" Cleo demands.

The Avian sniffles, "Uh, good morning." He says weakly, letting go of Grian's body for a moment. "We're in a new lab. Or, uh, it's new for us. I guess this is your first."

Cleo stares at him like he is insane. She thinks he might be.

The goat-hybrid shuffles near her, "Jimmy is nervous, sorry." He clears his throat, "I'm Bigb. You're in a laboratory."

"what sort of laboratory?" Cleo wrinkles her nose. It pulls the skin on her face in a way that makes stitches strain. "I didn't sign anything, no one can legally kidnap me like this."

She stands up in a hurry, only for her stomach to drop. Her knees feel weak. She slowly moves to sit back down, "Ugh... I feel like walking garbage."

"It's the drug, it'll wear off." Bigb mumbles.

Martyn eventually trudges back to the group, looking pale and teary, "you, uh." He swallows, composing himself, "you said you saw Grian?"

The Avian, Jimmy, nods, "yeah, but something is wrong with him." He says quietly, "he's got these weird scars on his hands."

Martyn kneels beside him to look at Grian. They talk in low whispers. Cleo turns to Bigb.

"So how do I get out?"

Bigb sighs, "you don't. We've tried."

"Why not? Who's stopping you?" She asks.

"You just can't. You can't go back home." Bigb says, "And it'll do you well to keep your head down. You don't want their attention."

"Who-"

"I'M GONNA KILL THEM." Martyn explodes suddenly. A few sleeping people stir, eyes blinking open, and Martyn frowns deeply at them. He ducks back to Jimmy and mumbles something under his breath.

"Who are we killing?" Cleo chimes in, "whoever is keeping us here?"

Both Martyn and Jimmy look up at her.

"oh, someone's awake." Martyn says, "welcome to hell!" He calls, "we hope you enjoy your stay, but you will most likely suffer." He sneers.

Clearly, he was not having a good day.

Suddenly, Grian sits up. He has these bright, unnervingly purple eyes. He stands up too quickly for how long he must have been lying down, and looks around blankly at the group of slowly waking people.

Jimmy looks horrified.

A few moments pass, where people rub their eyes and wonder aloud where they are, before Grian speaks.

"Welcome to Third Life." He declares, voice as monotonous as his expression, "Enjoy your stay."

There are people who have masks and speak in rhymes. They seem to be in charge.

One of them takes Cleo to a bedroom with her name on it, and the number 20. It's one small bed and a nightstand with a lamp.

And it's quiet, which is nice compared to the previous chaos.

"it's so quiet." Cleo complements, thinking maybe if she couldn't sneak her way out of this, perhaps she could sweet-talk it.

The lab employee tilts their head at Cleo like they're processing this information. There is no feedback from the blank mask.

"it's just... Loud out there." Cleo says when they don't respond. She laughs awkwardly, "They make such a racket, like my ex-husband. Gosh, he was an absolute nightmare to deal with."

She wanders to sit on the bed. The other person just stands in her doorway, clearly thinking. After a long moment, they leave without another word. Weird.

The next few days I'm at the lab are not terrible. Cleo is fed, and she sleeps well, and there is one guy named Bdubs who has become inexplicably attached to her, but she doesn't mind that either. Mostly, Cleo's new life is good.

Martyn warns her about experiments and rentings, but she hasn't seen that happen yet, so there is nothing to worry about at the moment.

She watches a dog-hybrid named Ren fight with the lab workers, and he never wins. So as much as Cleo wants to, she decides to keep her head down for now.

Etho knows something is wrong when Cleo doesn't barge out of her house to yell at him like she does every Tuesday.

He is fully aware that he could receive a lawsuit for poking around the house post-divorce, so instead Etho just sits and watches for a few days until he's very sure that Cleo is not there. The car sits unused in the driveway. Which is weird. How would Cleo have left?

He goes back home for the evening, content to wait until the next morning to ponder the question more. When he wakes up again, he can hear the hum of bright lights, and he's in a room he doesn't recognize.

"How weird, another person? So soon?" Cleo overhears Jimmy say to Martyn while eating in the dinning room. "There's already so many people here"

Martyn rolls his eyes, "They're just feeding, it's what they do." He sighs, "They must have induced new members to warrant a whole new lab. They could be struggling to get enough to eat."

Jimmy nods, "it's the only thing that makes sense."

"how's the new place treating you, by the way?" Martyn asks, poking halfheartedly at his food.

"Good." Jimmy says, "haven't been rented yet, so that's good. But I, uh-"

"what?"

Jimmy swallows, "some of the new subjects? I know them. Joel is my brother-in-law."

Martyn arches his eyebrows, "from before you were in the lab? Wow, what's that, four years ago? Does he recognize you?"

Cleo stops listening there, because someone new stumbles into the dining room, clearly confused with his new surroundings.

He looks vastly different from the last time Cleo saw him. Firstly, and maybe most importantly, his stupid anime-themed outfit is gone, replaced by the same white uniform everyone is wearing. Cleo can see his whole face too, including the lower half of his scar where it runs along his lip. But maybe the most striking difference is in the way he is holding himself.

Unsure.

His eyes scan the room and find her, "Cleo!"

She groans, "please, no."

"Thank goodness, someone I know." He hurries up to her, "what is happening?"

Cleo, determined to look anywhere except her ex-husband, resorts to glaring at the nearest lab employee.

He slumps, "Cleo, really? We're still fighting like this?"

"we are not "fighting," you were stalking me!" Cleo snaps, "my goodness! There was ONE good thing about being kidnapped and it was getting away from YOU."

He is silent for a moment.

Cleo huffs, "now I don't even have that." She picks up her tray, containing mostly uneaten food, "I'm going to my room. DON'T follow me."

And Etho is alone again.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Cleo wonders how Etho will handle the lab. Especially when the rentings and experiments start.

She wouldn't call it pity, and she definitely wouldn't say she was worried about him, but.

But her stomach hurts sometimes, when she thinks about it.

[vestadragon]

I get so emotional when I remember how kind Jojo and Maria were to their hedgehogs.

Because these two little girls

really encountered a lonely and beaten up alien hedgehog and choose to be kind. Jojo's mom was screaming her lungs out about calling the government and yet Jojo looked at Sonic's beaten up shoes filled with holes and listened to her aunt lament how beat up his feet were, went up to her room, grabbed those shoes (ignoring her mother all the way) and gifted them to Sonic. So his feet wouldn't hurt anymore T.T

And Maria? You cannot tell me that when she found Shadow, immediately someone probs came around and warned her not to get close bc he was "dangerous" or "unstable" or some bullshit like that, and she still choose to break all the rules and disobey her grandfather to hang out with Shadow and be his friend until the end.

Anyway, I am so emotional and this is the reason I am writing a whole series to have them meet :3 Gonna really go in for the bonding between Jojo and Sonic (and later on Tails and Knuckles) and the time Maria and Shadow spent together before the accident. AND THEN the epic adventure of Jojo and Maria is gonna happen. I am so excited!

Fun fact, I went looking for Jojo's age casually for my timeline (i choose to ignore how the 3 movies are supposed to only be in like a 2 year period bleh) and found out she is 10 in the first movie, and by the third, which I am setting in its release year 2024, she is 14. Can anyone guess how old Maria is when we see her flashbacks with Shadow? Yep! She is also 14! I was sure she was at least 13 but couldn't be older, and I was right! It was like a lightbulb went off in my head when I realized. And 6 fics planned later, here we are! As a little tease, I'm putting the summary here for that big fic, but it's number 4 so if you are interested, you are gonna have to wait!

At the location of the (former) ARK Lab in Idaho, Jojo finds Maria Robotnik, who is suddenly 50 years in the future with unstable chaos energy powers. Together, they become runaways of GUN as they embark on a journey to Green Hills in search of the Wachowski's. In London, Maddie has been arrested for her "involvement" at the attack to GUN HQ and is confined to Tom's hospital room. By accident, Stone finds them and for his own personal objectives, helps her send Tom back home while she remains to try to contact her missing children using Eggman's tech. Somewhere in China, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles have no way to get back home, having used the last ring in the atmosphere escaping the Eclipse Canon. Not only that, but the Chaos Emeralds are lost and GUN is after them. Due to their usage of the emeralds while trying to stop the canon, Sonic has a bond to Shadow. This guides Team Sonic to the dark hedgehog, hoping they find him before GUN. Alliances are formed, friendships new and old are tested, and all roads lead to Green Hills as two girls hold the key to Rockwell's plans to secure GUN the strongest object in the Universe: the Master Emerald.

[homestuckreplay]

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Jack Noir

(page 1923-1933; ‘[S] John: Reunite with your loving wife and daughter.’)

Picking up in AR?’s meteor lab (separate from John’s), he hides as the Draconian Dignitary appears with Rose’s journals and Dave’s discs in tow. AR knows that DD is dangerous, but still suspects him of frog crimes. AR is kind of like the characters in cop shows who are trying to root out corruption at the very top of the police force – there is absolutely no way he can personally solve this problem, but the good intent is better than excusing it? Maybe the reason he gets exiled is because he tries to speak out against Jack Noir when he realizes Jack has broken plenty of laws himself.

Dave’s beta discs end up in the capsule by accident, and Complacency of the Learned lands on the floor. When Jade arrives in the ruins 413 million years in the future that journal is gone, so, I guess a pretty big window of time for something to happen to it. But the only people I know of who might go into those ruins are Bec and Grandpa Harley, and neither of them strike me as big readers. Bec could teleport it somewhere if he knew it was important, so that’s my guess. Possibly it ends up in Rose’s dream bedroom to inspire her creative work while awake, similar to how Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff works for Dave.

The MEOW journals, filled with genetic code, are what DD is really looking for as he moves to slimeclone Halley from the monitor. So as well as paradox clones and mutant clones, DD is creating a third type – genetically modified clones, where the DNA is purposefully edited to give a clone space warping and lightning powers (I presume). Halley and Bec are dogs, but a dog’s powers can only be leveled up with cat themed DNA, because Homestuck isn’t afraid to admit that cats are better forever.

I think it’s really interesting how the final arc of Act 4 is taking place in these two labs, and is so focused on technology. It’s similar to the final arc of Act 2, which took place in WV’s Sburb bunker, and saw him explore the command terminal and appearifier – but that differed from the rest of Act 2 because it focused on WV, where before we’d only focused on the kids. Act 4 has mostly been about broadening the story into loose fantasy concepts, exploring entire planets and setting up long term quests. Then suddenly, at the end, we drill back down into a very precise science with strict rules, more similar to the captchalogue systems of early acts. And, like every end of act so far, there’s a countdown timer. It’s only been mentioned by CG and hasn’t actually been shown on screen, but I have a good idea of how many minutes and seconds there might be until the Reckoning.

So in a way, it feels like Act 4 has been giving readers a false sense of security – making it feel like there’s a lot of time to play in the space and figure out the middlegame of Sburb, when in fact the ending has been sneaking up fast. So I’m experiencing the same thing that John is, where we both feel completely unprepared for the game to end so soon, still without much idea of what we’re trying to achieve here.

EB: ok, well you keep saying how doomed we are and how all this bad stuff happens sooner, but you never say why! EB: what happens in our game that's different from yours that makes things go so badly? CG: JACK NOIR. (p.1929)

This is clearly an important reveal from CG because it comes right before a page break, and most troll chatlogs don’t get page breaks! The thing is that Jack’s ascension definitely explains why everything gets fucked up in the kids’ session, but doesn’t even come close to explaining how the trolls are affected. In fact, CG explains at length how their versions of Jack Noir are completely different and don’t affect each other.

CG: YOUR RECKONING STARTS MUCH SOONER CG: BECAUSE OF SOME DUMB THINGS YOU'VE DONE [...] CG: IT'S WHAT YOU DO LATER THAT CAUSES SO MUCH MORE TROUBLE THAN THAT CG: AND NOW WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT TOO. (p.1667)

So, the ‘dumb things’ the beta kids have done are letting the green package fall into Jack’s hands, giving him the power to kill the queen, ascend, and begin the Reckoning sooner. And their response to the Reckoning happening too early, throwing them into the lategame before they’re prepared for it and causing them to take some wild swings, are what affects the trolls too.

CG: [JACK] SETTLED A GRUDGE AGAINST THE QUEEN BY HELPING US DETHRONE AND EXILE HER. CG: AND THEN HE WOUND UP EXILED HIMSELF, AND SORT OF KEPT HELPING US THROUGH A COMMAND TERMINAL ON OUR OLD PLANET. CG: HE'S KIND OF A HUGE ASSHOLE THOUGH. (p.1930)

For CG to call someone a huge asshole, they must be pretty bad, right? Anyway, to win a game of chess, it’s 100% necessary to checkmate the king (in Sburb’s case, kill the king). Capturing (killing) the opponent’s queen is highly desirable as she’s the most powerful piece, but it’s not necessary. In Sburb’s case, she just needs to be neutralized as a threat. This is great backstory for Spades Slick and Snowman, so I wonder if the Intermission will become relevant again soon. If somehow, Jack in the kids’ session is going to do something that affects all versions of himself in all previous sessions, affecting Slick sometime after the point the Intermission left off, and causing him to stop being an ally and instead take revenge on the trolls? The idea of multiple unrelated instances of a game session somehow collapsing into one is cool to think about in terms of games I’ve played. It would explain why CG is taking so much time to stress how the sessions are usually distinct, and would explain how come the trolls can contact the kids in the first place.

John’s example of an Earth video game is Crash Bandicoot, which is not one of the games on his CD rack (p.31). I’m half surprised John didn’t explicitly call out Problem Sleuth in this moment, and I guess the Ghostbusters II MMORPG wouldn’t make much sense for the point CG is trying to make. I’ve never played Crash Bandicoot myself, but looking it up, I learned that Crash is a ‘genetically enhanced bandicoot’ which is an actual type of marsupial (I had no idea that was a real animal?!?!) created by a mad scientist who he’s trying to fight back against. So that’s an interesting example to choose two pages after a Derse antagonist shows up in a lab and starts doing genetic modification.

CG: YOUR JACK GOT THE BEST OF BOTH OF THEM, AND IS NOW SOMETHING HIGHER THAN A QUEEN OR A KING... EB: like an ace? (p.1930)

Okay no joke, these two lines are one of my favorite moments in the story so far. CG has been discussing Sburb as chess game, and John smoothly slides this to playing cards, which makes sense for him as a magician who likes card tricks, even though he has no idea Slick associates himself with cards in the trolls’ session. This move from chess to playing cards indicates that by ascending, Jack has literally changed the game – not just modifying the rules, but altering its very nature. Jack being an ace also reminds me of Harry Anderson’s ‘old HOLE IN THE ACE trick’ (p.630), the trick that inspired John to experiment with punch card alchemy. The trick is all about altering cards by punching holes in them, which could be seen as equivalent to prototyping, and then using sleight of hand to cause the hole to ‘disappear, or move to another part of the card’ (p.630). So again, some sort of magic trick that could cause Jack’s prototyping to move to a different version of himself, powering up Spades Slick too?

Jack speculation is all well and good, but there’s more important things happening here – specifically, bunnies. CG is resigned to John’s bunny antics before they happen, while John is confused as to what he’s talking about, until he has a sudden realization that doesn’t appear to stem from CG’s complaints at all.

CG: YEAH YEAH, YOU MIGHT AS WELL GET IT OVER WITH AND GIVE HER THE LOUSY RABBIT ALREADY. EB: oh!!!!! EB: oh man, i just had THE BEST idea, this is so perfect. EB: a blonde mother and daughter together, this is totally perfect. (p.1930)

So, Hussie is assuming that Rose and Mom are white. Like, through ectobiology all things are possible and I think it’s cool if people ignore this line and interpret them differently, but author intent says they’re white, as is Bro – John calls him a ‘white guy who is a rapper’ (p.386) – and by extension Dave, as both his biological parents are white. It’s hard to say how I feel about this. On the one hand, presenting characters as a blank slate who are open to interpretation (as the kids have mostly been up til now) is the same as a white person claiming they ‘don’t see color’; it’s a way to seem progressive without having to put in the work of learning about other cultures. So acknowledging outright that these kids are white is in some way better than a halfhearted attempt at representation. On the other hand, some fans care a lot about what’s officially canon, so calling these characters white does close the door on fan representations that build on canon, instead of contradicting it. In general, I’ve really enjoyed coming up with headcanons about the kids’ lives before Sburb, which are entirely my interpretation because Homestuck leaves that space very open for fans to explore, so I think I’d prefer it overall if their race was left unstated too, though I can see arguments for both sides.

(For what it’s worth, I think Grandpa Harley is unfortunately the most white coded guy of all time, but I think it’d be cool if Nanna was black. Her being a Black female business owner who gets to break away from a difficult childhood and go on to live through the civilrights movement and have a family of her own is cool to me, and that would make Jade and John mixed race, which stops the uncomfortable idea that all the people responsible for ensuring the future of humanity are white.)

Anyway, the Con Air themed flash, ‘[S] John: Reunite with your loving wife and daughter’ (p.1631) is really, really good. John pulls off the rare and highly dangerous Double Bunny Gambit, giving one bunny to Rose and one to Jade as seen on the ectobiology cloning screen, meaning that John’s desire to re-enact scenes from Con Air is not only important to his character but vital to the timeline. The idea of loving a piece of media SO much that it becomes essential to the fabric of the universe is beautiful to me.

This is a pretty unique flash overall! It’s the first one to feature the trolls – carcinoGeneticist and a surprise gallowsCalibrator coming over to watch – and the first to use extensive live action footage mixed in with the artwork, like a Homestuck/Con Air AMV. John isn’t watching Con Air right now (though he might be actually singing the song), but he knows it well enough to play it in his head, so a lot of this is happening in John’s imagination. The scribbled art style indicates this, as it’s been used for Jade’s imagination in the past. Speaking of Jade, the presence of a second bunny and a second small child is non-canon to Con Air, but it’s so fun that John loved the bunny bestowal moment so much that he couldn’t resist doing it again. Also, baby Rose, Jade and Mom are all adorable here, and all seem pretty enraptured with John’s antics. John is right to cross out the ‘THIS IS STUPID’. It is actually incredibly important to provide enrichment and contact for these babies in their first few minutes of life. Plus John’s about to have a pretty rough twenty-four hours with the Reckoning on the horizon, so any moment where he gets to be a kid is valuable in itself.

John casting Dave and CG as his associates and Jack Noir as the villain makes me want to rewatch the movie and consider how well they fit those roles. If there IS a weaponized bunny in the green package, the Jack moment is extra effective, because he really is holding that bunny hostage and using it as a bargaining chip right now.

The curtains close on Act 4, and then re-open. I’m glad – this flash is excellent, but doesn’t feel like an end of act. We still need to see the Reckoning’s countdown timer, plus the shot of CG looking at his computer screen positions this bunny event as right before Jade enters the Medium. So my guess for the end of act is that Jade enters by means other than John’s server disc, we finally see Dave’s entry and what’s going on with the mysterious missing guardian Bro, DD finishes his genetic modification, and the Reckoning begins. Hussie’s newspost says they’re hoping to have the end of act posted on 5/31, with a couple regular updates before then. I’m scared and excited. ‘[S] Enter’ is going to be hard to beat.

[rascalentertainments]

Good Night (A Psych Family AU snippet)

After many...explosive tests, Professor Von Schlemmer decided to finally stop attempting to figure out Silver's powers before he probably lost an arm in the process. He gently placed Silver in a makeshift bed made of spare blankets to comfort him.

"I zink I haf had enough excitement undt surprises fur ein day. It's time fur you to go sleep, little ein." He sighed as he patted the hedgehog on the head.

The cub titled his head to the side in confusion on why the man was leaving.

"Ve vill haf a bright undt busy day tomorrow, so get some rest now!" He chimed as he turned off the lights. He then hummed as he left the room.

Silver was left in the dark. The room seemed much different without the light or the professor in it. The bedding he was in was comfortable, but he looked around and started to whimper.

Back in the main room, the professor was too tired to get back to his own bed, so he asked the bits to take the equipment and recent notes back to his lab for him. The mini robots happily obliged and worked together to carry everything away.

The professor dragged himself to the couch and stretched his arms out as he yawned. He didn't even bother to change out of his lab coat, (Had a ton of the same kind anyway) he just wanted to rest. He laid down down on the couch and sighed. "Maybe ze kouncil vill know vhat to do mitt him. I'm nicht sure I kan keep up mitt his power! He's a schtrange kreature, but he needs help. Much more zan I kan efer profide him..."

Suddenly there was a strange humming sound coming from across the room. Von Schlemmer thought he may had left one of his devices on by accident. Or maybe the bits were making some noise in the lab.

Then he felt something soft land on his chest. And it was moving? The professor opened one eye and saw Silver glowing a few inches from his face. He was covered in cyan light as his golden eyes started back at him. The hedgehog looked scared.

"ACK! Nein, nein, nein! You're zupposed to be in your own bed!" The man exclaimed, trying not accidentally throw the cub off.

Silver's glow disappeared as he gently rubbed his head against the professor's chest. He seemed to want to be right here more than his own room.

"How vill you learn to adapt if you're here?" "Besides, you vould be much more komfortable hafving a room to your..." his voice trailed off as he watched the hedgehog.

The little creature yawned, showing his very tiny fangs that hadn't quite grown fully. He soon began snoring quietly as he nuzzled his face against the professor's chest.

Professor Von Schlemmer wasn't used to this kind of contact, at least with an organic life form. He gained plenty of affection from his companions the bits, but there was something different about this. The hedgehog felt warm and....alive. The professor was already growing attached to him, despite only having him for one day. He was even having second thoughts about letting the council have him. What if Silver was expiremented on? What if they wanted to use his powers for their own devices? What if Silver was hungry and they had no apples on hand? He quickly removed those thoughts from his mind.

He gently put his hand over the baby's fur, feeling his soft quills as Silver slept, making the critter purr. His eyes wandered to Silver's hands, which were slowly pulsating light through those curious symbols. Von Schlemmer wanted to run more tests and try to decipher the mystery behind them and the psychokinesis with them. But that would have to wait until tomorrow, he was already tired enough.

"Oh vell, I suppose ein night here vouldn't hurt. But tomorrow, you must sleep in your own bed! Perhaps your family vill return soon undt pick you up..." Von Schlemmer closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep himself.

To make sure I didn't burn out on Wish Concept Art, I took a small break to dive more into the Sonic fandom after the third movie. Soon it sent me down a trail of revisiting the games. Eventually I came across the comics and I fell in love with "The Silver Age" lost story arc thanks to @teampsych and @newtzii. And props to @spiritsonic for creating a fantastic new take on Silver's future! I hope we get to see it continue one day, it's so good...

I got so attached that I came up with a mini AU where Professor Von Schlemmer raises Silver and Gold as his children. He finds Silver first as a baby and Gold when she ends up in their dimension years later. I'll elaborate more when I finish the other sketches.

I got inspired by the Sonic films and the theme of family within it, so I wondered if they do plan on having Silver in a future movie, they could do something like this, and give him a family from the start. Maybe they could even add Von Schlemmer (or a character inspired by him) to the movie cast! The professor's parental habits are inspired by Professor Utonium from PPG and Mr. Ping from KFP 2, which is why he's over protective of Silver when he comes back battle damaged from the past or alternate dimension monster fights. That's his 15 year old hedgehog son, mind you.

I'm calling this "Psych Family AU"! Cause I'm a sucker for found family stories. So yeah, more will come later, but I hope anybody who reads the Sonic Comics, The Silver Age story or is a Silver the hedgehog fan like me, will enjoy this.

As for Wish Granted, I'm still writing it! I'm nearly halfway done with Chapter 15, so it'll be out later this month. Just need to get more time to write and finish! 😅 I'm still here, wish rewrite fandom!

@niko-jpeg @thespeedhighway @thesafireartist @theonyxcity (I don't know who else to tag 😅)

[pooks]

Cruelty

Ichiji forced his face to become completely neutral during Mother’s funeral. The skies were overcast by dark clouds and it was raining. They were dressed in their finest, black clothes. Ichiji, as the heir apparent and the Crown Prince, walked by Judge’s right side, signifying his importance to Germa.

Ever since Sora had told her first son that she was dying, he had known that this day would come. But he never expected it to come so soon. She was found dead in her sickbed, with closed eyes and a cold body. Pale as snow, never to be alive anymore.

Ichiji held out so much that he could, determined to not show a single hint of expression. Compared to Sanji, he wept over the loss of their mother and wore his heart on his sleeve as usual.

‘Stop that, you fool! You’re gonna end up being killed!’ Ichiji thought to himself, scolding Sanji in his mind.

However, Ichiji didn’t see Sanji the next day. Or for the next five days.

Concern weighed heavily in his chest, but he pushed it aside to focus on his lessons and trained as he usually did.

That was, until Ichiji found himself in another funeral service where Vinsmoke Judge announced Sanji dead to the world. 

Ichiji was shaken to his core.

‘No. That’s a lie…you’re lying! Sanji isn’t dead!’ His mind screamed.

He waited until after the funeral service (where all of Germa’s clone soldiers wept for the loss of the young prince, which was more than Judge and his other two brothers did). He struggled to keep his emotions in check.

Ichiji knew this was a lie. Sanji wasn’t dead. 

He would know about the “tragic accident”, if that was the case. Something was strange. Their mother has barely been dead for a week when Sanji suddenly “dies” out of the blue.

And it was time to confront Judge (not “father” anymore).

“Tell me where Sanji is.” Ichiji demanded cooly.

Vinsmoke Judge turned around and glared down at his son. “DId you not pay attention to the funeral? He’s dead.”

“Lies.” Ichiji defied him. “Quite odd, isn’t it? Mother died a week ago and now, Sanji is apparently “dead” in a “tragic accident”.” He made quotation gestures with his hands and then crossed his arms. 

“If you must know useless information that is not a concern for a crown prince.” Judge scoffed. “Sanji is in the dungeon prison, where he will live for the rest of his miserable life. He was only allowed out as long as his mother wished. That kind of agreement is now void.”

Ichiji gritted his teeth and his hand itched to grab the dagger that was hanging in a holster by his belt. “Release him.” He demanded.

Judge narrowed his eyes on him. “What did you say?”

“I said release him, Judge.” Ichiji snapped. 

“Are you questioning my authority, Ichiji? You don’t need a dead weight around you. Is that what you want, a stone around your neck? A useless burden.”

Ichiji didn’t think anymore.

He acted.

They say that every action has its own consequence.

The day he tried to stab Judge was also the day Ichiji learnt about actions and consequences the hard way.

—

“I believe he’s reached his limit now, Your Majesty.”

He sat in the examination chair, his arms and legs were strapped down with leather. His arms were littered with bleeding scars from medical equipment and aches from the stings of the syringe needles. His head hung down, chin touching his chest and his red hair covered his eyes.

“And the result?”

“His body is very responsive to the enhancement modifications. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about his emotions.” The Head Scientist told his father, talking about him like he was nothing more than a successful experiment…a lab rat turned into perfect success. “Unlike the case of your third son Sanji, his emotions are in full control. It’s like his emotions can open and shut down, like how you flick on the light switch.”

“Fascinating.” Judge said without enthusiasm. “And his eye?”

“His sight is unchanged. However, the scar will remain for the rest of his life.”

“Hmph. That behavior was unacceptable, but I will let it slide for this one time. He is, after all, my masterpiece. That scar should teach him a lesson.” Judge turned to his team of scientists.  “Continue his modifications as planned. His training will be doubled and his contact with his siblings will be limited. From now on, I will personally train him instead of him joining his brothers. Ichiji must set an example and he will learn to never try to defy me!”

Ichiji knew that he was in hell.

—

Six months of hell.

Six long months of pure torture.

That’s what Ichiji knew.

He trained and trained every day until his legs couldn’t carry him anymore, from sunrise and into nightfall. 

But throughout the entire time…Ichiji often snuck down to the dungeons to see Sanji. Always making sure it was in the dead of night. 

His feet stopped in front of the metal bars and looked through them. There was Sanji, but his face was obscured and hidden behind an iron helmet and only his eyes (although his blonde hair covered one) were visible.

Ichiji reached out with his arms through the bars and cupped the helmet with his hands, feeling cold metal instead of Sanji’s warm skin. “Sanji.” he spoke and his little brother’s eyes filled with unshed tears. “Sanji, big brother is here now.”

“I don’t wanna be here…tell Father to let me out!” Sanji wept.

“I can’t. It’s impossible to sway his will.” Ichiji told him. “You need to be strong, you need to endure this. I promise that I will take you away from here. We could run away, just you and me. Escape.”

Sanji hiccuped and went still. “R-run away, us two?”

“I don’t want to become king. I don’t want to become a soldier.” Ichiji confided in him. “I want to be free. Mother once told me that it was okay to have dreams…even me. Maybe I am a monster, but I want to be a free monster. No chains will keep me down.”

“...I heard the guards whispering about you trying to kill Father.” Sanji whispered.

“Correction, I tried to stab him. Not necessarily kill him. Death is a mercy and Father certainly doesn't deserve that.” Ichiji said curtly. “...not after what happened to Mother. Not after what he did to you.”

“Ichiji…what happened to your eye?”

Sanji’s small, frail hand reached out and parted his red hair from his face. Ichiji’s left eye was still dark blue and functional, but the skin around it was angry red and shaped like a starburst. 

“It doesn’t hurt.” Ichiji answered and touched his scar. It was true, though. It didn’t hurt, but it was still healing. “This is my punishment for defying Father. I learnt it the hard way.”

“Ichiji…” Sanji nearly sobbed.

“Stop being a crybaby now.” Ichiji snapped without a bite. “I’m going to bust you out and then, we’ll run away.”

[androidships007]

Oh no, you're not doing so good! Maybe it was a training accident, or a run in with the foot clan. Maybe you're too sick to care for yourself. All you know is you can't go to a normal hospital. At least your friends in the sewers are always ready to help.

💜 Doctor Donnie💜

• Donnie is the brains of the group so it's no surprise he has a good grasp of most medical conditions, and what he doesn't know, he isn't afraid to look up.

• Donnie has no problems setting broken bones, stitching wounds closed or even making medicine in his lab that would normally cost the same amount as that arm he just fixed up for you.

• Dude is really earning his "life saver title", that said "doctors" don't do bedside manners. Donnie is a busy man. He's happy to help but he can't sit with you *all* day. Once you're stabilized, Doctor Donnie is out.

• Even if you're dating don't expect him to suddenly develop excellent bedside manners. It's not that he doesn't care, rather it's the opposite. He can help you more by making you medicine or checking his monitors and recovery rates while giving you space to rest.

❤️RN Raph❤️

• Raph picks up where Donnie leaves off. Here's your bedside buddy, unfortunately he believes in tough love. If your condition is somehow your own doing then expect an earful while he fluffs your pillows and makes sure you take your medicine. If your condition isn't your fault you might still get an earful but mostly because he feels guilty.

• seriously though, dude is dedicated. He's not leaving your side unless he has to. Donnie makes a plan of care and raph takes over from there. It's the only time you'll ever see his following someone else's orders so willingly, it's almost eerie.

• Raph has had his fair share of injuries and illnesses, but he hates asking for help so he got really good at basic first aid. And while he won't admit it, he's actually pretty soft, so when you aren't feeling well he wants to help however he can which mostly involves sticking to your side and nagging at you.

• pizza supreme in the sky, help this turtle if he has any romantic feelings for you while you're under his care. Expect water works and heartfelt confessions. It's all honesty a bit much while you're trying to recover, but it's still kinda sweet.

🧡Master chef Mikey🧡

• Raph and Donnie have most of your medical care covered honestly but Mikey is a real star. Can't recover without food right? That's where Mikey comes in. He's got all your meals covered and a dazzling personality to brighten any dower moods raph may have left you with.

• Turtle knows his way around the kitchen and while he's normally known for his more experimental palette, he really cracks down when he's taking care of you. He knows all the traditional recipes for "instant" cures. Honestly his meals might rival Donnie's medicine and they taste better.

• In addition to his catering services he also provides some I'm home entertainment for your bed ridden butt. This is normally around the time raph gets to take a small break, so you get to have meals with the charismatic and energetic Mikey. Get ready for jokes and bright smiles while he spoon feeds you, don't even bother arguing he'll just turn it into a game. It can be a real breath of fresh air compared to raph's more serious approach.

• Normally Mikey can't stay for long, seeing you suffering breaks his heart. Plus all the excitement he brings is the opposite of resting but if you two happen to be a thing then raph's "breaks" might take longer and longer the better your condition gets, and what's this? Mikey just happened to make extra snacks for the third time since lunch and he just had to share them with you? You can watch raph roll his eyes and step out so you have some privacy.

💙 Last but not Least Leo💙

• For once Leo really isn't in charge here. All the roles are filled but that doesn't mean everything always runs smoothly. Leo steps up where he's needed. A jack of trades. Leo tends to the medicinal gardens so Donnie and Mikey always have fresh picking to help you. He takes shifts with Raph so he's not over working himself. He makes sure Donnie isn't depriving himself of sleep for your sake and that Mikey has a shoulder to cry on when the situation feels impossible.

• He wishes he could do more, show off his skills or something, but honestly he knows his role is important too. The quiet enforcer, keeping vigil as you recover. His actions may not be as noticeable, but that doesn't mean he isn't giving it his all to ensure you recover quickly. His truest calling card may be the fresh flowers he places near your bed to give you hope, or a hot brew of tea, or the clean blankets he always brings with him. Actually the room is suspiciously clean despite you never seeing nurse raph tidying up. Leo does pride himself on his ninja skills.

• On the rare occasions Leo is the only one who can sit by your bedside and watch over your recovery, you'll note a certain air of calm the others lack. Even Donnie seems more hectic that the master of zen before you. He doesn't say much, he's sure you already know what he's thinking anyway. He's probably wrong, but his presence is comforting regardless. He also seems to be checking out the list raph and Fonnie left for him a lot. It's almost impressive to see him seem so out of his element yet so in control.

• Truthfully though, seeing you like this is hard on him, he's relieved when Raph pushes his way back in and takes over. Especially when it's *you*. He's responsible for so much, but your health and well-being are just too important for him alone to carry. He needs his family's support as much as he needs you. He's a mess inside so he goes above and beyond making sure everything around him is clean, tidy and peaceful. And when you're better expect a handwritten letter from the blue hearted terrapin expressing his deep admiration for you, after all you're an inspiration and your well being means the world to him.

🐀Story time Splinter 🐀

• That's right the whole family is here for you even master Splinter has a role to play. He recognizes that his sons have this under control, but as a single dad who raised four rowdy children alone in a dirty sewer he's seen his share of medical emergencies. Not only that but all his sons have survived thanks to him. He'll be the first to admit he lacks any professional medical training but he knows plenty of old world medical treatments.

• That said, he really does trust his sons on this one, so don't expect him to do more than bring you tea, and share some old stories with you about the guys. Did I mention Splinter has a bit of a tv drama addiction? Well it shows when he starts recounting old tales to you. No matter how awful you feel, you're completely sucked into his stories, on the edge of your seat desperate to hear what happens next.

• The guys hate "story time" with dad so he waits until they're out or distracted to slip in and regale you. That time when Leo couldn't stop crying because he lost to Mikey in the dojo. He was only 7, he swears it wasn't *that" dramatic. Or how raph would hide behind Leo whenever Splinter was scolding them. When Donnie snuck out on his own but got stuck in a drain pipe because he got the measurements wrong. Even when Mikey's April fool's prank backfired spectacularly. Each new story thrilled you and shed light on your sewer dwelling companions.

• unfortunately these stories tended to raise your blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen levels as you nearly laugh yourself to death. Donnie will come bursting in full of dread and demand splinter leaves for your sake and for his son's sake. Splinter will calmly explain that laughter is good medicine as he gives you a playful wink to his sons' horrified embarrassment as he is shooed out of the room.

Big thanks to @happymoonangel and @tinkabelle19 for the encouragement and ideas. Hope everyone who's hurting feels better soon 🫂

[slowd1ving]

[✦III. OH, HOW TRAGIC IS HE] SNIPPET • . DR RATIO

honestly I'm so used to writing comedic scenes this is just bittersweet man :-(

warning: death but also not really, injury

LAMENT OF OUROBOROS MASTERLIST

HONKAI STAR RAIL MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST ・゜・NAVIGATION

In retrospect, it was practically expected that your tired life would beget yet another tired cliché. 

There was something completely unoriginal in the series of misfortunes that befell the proletariat salaryman (read: you). In novels, movies, and the occasional game, the most ordinary of souls stumbled across a situation that chose them. For once, someone in their weary lives had need of them; not as a pushover, nor a lackey, but someone courageous and brave who became a hero. Forums and comments oft scorned these overused plotlines—and you agreed, of course—but it was an interesting premise to think about. 

“There’s a survivor on the third floor—”

Still, no matter how intriguing the promise of escape from the mundane was, it was pointless. It wouldn’t happen. 

“Hey— can you get up? Blink if you can hear me, alright? 

The accident in the lab was almost poetic. Of course, when a protagonist encountered an explosion in their place of work, there was always an accompanying montage that indicated something was wrong. Whether it be the change in key in the background chords, or a close up of cracking machinery, the audience got some sort of closure as to why. Was it fate? Was it the cruel machinations of man? Was it just an unfortunate accident?

“We need oxygen here—he’s going into shock! Help—you—get a gurney immediately!”

But actually, there was none of that fanfare for you. Just a sluggish warmth that crawled from your limbs and back into your heart, from limbs far too cold to move. No, not cold. You simply couldn’t feel them—much like when a body part suddenly fell asleep on you. 

If you scrunched your face a bit, you could smell the acrid wisps of rubble: paint chips and stone all congealing into an antiquated scent. You couldn’t exactly see, but maybe that was for the better. 

“What’s happen—” Your tongue felt leaden in your mouth: heavy and contorted as you awkwardly sounded out your question. An explosion? A gas leak? A mine that somehow went off? There was something wet dribbling from your mouth; tasting like white hot iron, seeping past your aching lips. A hero would know. A hero would have that information playing out panel by panel while they bled out, farewells and anguish for their loved ones already melding into the fabric of existence. 

Ow. 

“Shh, don’t talk, okay? We’ll get you out of here, alright?” There weren’t any reassurances for your state. No ‘you’ll be okay’, no ‘stay with me, alright?’. You weren’t stupid. You weren’t, but it was in that moment when you wished you were—dropping out before doing your degree and doctorate, keeping far from the lab, and holding on to your life with blissful ignorance on your side. 

You opened your mouth. 

“No, you don’t need to say anything, alright?” The voice was kind, you noted drowsily. If not a little clumsy, swaddling you in a foil blanket like some overgrown child. Well. You couldn’t see it, and neither could you feel it, but you could feel your limbs lolling this way and that way at the movements—like some grotesque, decommissioned marionette. 

At least it didn’t hurt.  

“Thank you,” you whispered. There was nothing outrageous about your last words. Like the rest of your life, the syllables were as ordinary as they came. A quiet beginning. A quiet end. There was nobody to say goodbye to, nobody to wait for past the veil. 

It was an accident. 

“I’m sorry. Ah, shit—” Something wet splashed your cheek, followed by a fumbling hand that tried to brush it away but only succeeded in smearing the thin liquid across your face awkwardly. “Don’t— fuck, I’ll stay with you, alright?” 

Fingers wrapped around your own, flesh against bone. Pulsing life alongside a silent end. 

The last thing on your lips was an apology, in the form of a salty tear dripping from above. 

[nef-ar10us]

Cozy Castle Townhouses

So I'm more of an aspiring builder, but as one step in the pursuit of non-perfectionism I've still decided to share my random and mostly semi-finished stuff around here ^^ (Please excuse the bad screens, I'm still figuring out how to do this.) Today: Three fancy-ish townhouses based on (and including) a renovated version of the Cozy Castle bin lot.

I've made two families who I want to live here and furnished one and a half (like I said, semi-finished) apartments specifically for them, while leaving the third one empty. More pictures below :)

The one on the right is the unfurnished one, I decorated only the porch and little balcony. Thinking maybe a wholesome young couple.

The one on the left is the most fleshed-out, but the inhabitants' story isn't exactly a nice one: Nils had only recently moved into town with his fiancée and her son Ezra, when she suddenly died in a tragic accident. Even if he'd accepted the role of Ezra's father figure as part of his marriage to come, had things been different he honestly would never have wanted any children... And now he's here with this kid who isn't even his, whose mother they both mourn, completely at a loss. Watcher knows none of this is the boy's fault and Nils tries to be a dad, he really does, but it's hard. Every little thing about this place they had planned to call home reminds him of his loss.

Their place is pristine, very bright and clean, for the most part.

Little Ezra has never talked (or cried) a lot or made much noise in general, but give him a crayons, a brush and paint, or a simple pen and you can keep him occupied all day - even if he may take to use the actual house as his canvas. He may not have known Nils for long but has nevertheless developed a fierce, if quiet, loyalty to him: His mother had told him he was family now, so family he is. He doesn't call him 'Dad' as he's not sure he'd appreciate it, but is nevertheless determined to carry him through these dark times. Family always sticks together, right?

Nils is - or used to be - a martial artist by profession, winning sizeable tournament prizes on the regular. He can't stand to be around people as of now but exercising is still about the only thing to keep his mind off of ... everything else.

This ground floor room used to be a temporary nursery for the boy until he was big enough to have his own room; it became a storage space, for lack of a better term, after that. Old, no longer needed furniture, clutter, and memories are catching dust in here, and some nights Nils locks himself in here, smoking away the hours until it's time to wake Ezra up for school. He'll clean this place up, soon ... for sure. Until then, he keeps the door locked at all times. The boy doesn't need to see this.

The middle one (the actual Cozy Castle) is ... something else. Semi-furnished for a very specific household with a very specific taste. The neighbors tend to be wary of this lot, to say the least.

Downstairs: Kitchen/dining and little office area. Sparsely decorated as of yet, but you get the idea. ^^

Upstairs so far. The first lab/darkroom-ish bedroom belongs to Scarlet, the actual tenant, while the second bedroom is currently used by her two more or less welcome but very eccentric "houseguests" (who seemingly have no intention of leaving anytime soon...). Dorian and his son Oscar bicker like a couple of married romance sims, and most fights seem to be related to their mutual vanity: Oscar can't stomach the fact that his father manages to look younger than him, and Dorian misses no opportunity to rub it in his face. Scarlet just houses them because their sire demanded it via handwritten letter from overseas, but she has come to think that he, too, might have lost his mind a little.

Thanks for reading! <3

Credits: I've used an f-ton of different CC from all over the place and am so grateful to all the creators! Please don't be angry that I'm not listing every single person here. If there's a specific item you like, feel free to hit me with a WCIF and I'll see what I can dig up :)

[dualnaturedscientist]

Testubular Five combined with the Mousebraingirl au. What if Steven ran into Calvin and Athena again? How do they respond to what happened with Mouse and Steven's personality change. Tubing and Doohickey were definitely worried and upset for Steven after the accident. Poor Jenkins getting caught in the drama.

Steven was busy with his work, not noticing he had gotten an audience. It was only when his assistant had coughed in an awkward manner, finally getting Steven's attention. The neutral expression on his face turning into a scowl upon noticing who was standing beside him. Just as he thought he was having a rather nice day for once this jerk had to ruin it with his presence. Calvin didn't seem all too thrilled but he wasn't going anywhere until he got what he wanted.

"What is it that you want Calvin? Make it quick, I've got important things to look after. I don't have time to babysit you."

This earned him a glare from the pompous jerk who was once his colleague. Calvin looked as if he wanted to stomp his foot right there and whine like the old days. Before the unfortunate incident that permanently changed his life for the worse. The other scientist took a deep breath before speaking.

"I've come to ask you for a favor. Please come with me before you turn down what I've got to ask you."

That was strange. Calvin swallowing his pride in order to ask for his help? It must be serious enough or he was scheming something. Despite clearly not liking the guy, Steven didn't peg him for the type to scheme like a villain. So it must have been something truly serious otherwise Calvin would rather jump into a volcano than ask him.

"It's not something dumb like you bringing me along in an attempt at showing me up, is it?"

"I wouldn't have come to ask for your help with this if I wanted credit. I'm not going to grovel, if that's what you're thinking."

He seemed to become more irritated but held his tongue.

"Fine. What is this favor you want?" Steven became impatient. He had no desire to deal with petty rivalry at this point.

"I can't seem to get a particular device to work. You are the only one I can trust to be somewhat competent, if I wasn't serious about this I wouldn't ask for help. Especially from you."

Calvin seemed to notice just how much his colleague had changed since the last time they've spoke. He didn't seem to care for it either.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do. Jenkins will come and assist us, I don't want any protests about it either. Another pair of eyes would increase the chance of getting whatever you're working on to actually work."

Jenkins blinked a few times, he wasn't expecting to be volunteered to be apart of this but he didn't want to let Steven go along with Calvin alone so that worked out. He felt something off about this guy. Something about him unsettled Jenkins greatly.

"As long as you do this for me I don't care what you do Boxleitner."

~~~~~~

When they arrived in the lab that Calvin had frequently used, the atmosphere seemed off. Steven wasn't bothered by it, simply walking to a machine that seemed to have been worked on recently.

Jenkins stood beside Steven, watching them intently. Calvin has pointed to the part that was apparently stumping him. Making Steven carefully examine the inner workings of the machine.

After a few minutes had passed Jenkins felt his hair stand on its end, they weren't alone anymore. He was suddenly engulfed by darkness. Trapped within a thick viscous substance he couldn't identify. No matter how much Jenkins thrashed and tried to escape he had failed.

Steven had just caught a glimpse of his assistant being swallowed whole by an unidentifiable blob, he felt a stinging pain on his neck. A hand went to where it had hurt, finding a dark stuck there. By the time he processed what had happened he had succumbed to the tranquilizer. Fighting against losing consciousness but he couldn't fight any longer. Falling to the floor with a dull thud. A third figure had came out of hiding, a wicked grin on his face.

[ria-writes-stories]

Focus: Dino robo :p

Genre: Glass cotton document (deal with it)

Description: Ok ok ok ok ok ok ok ok ok la la la la la la la la la la la AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH UGH- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

For @exotic-dinostuff

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

(No one's pov)

'Welcome to the world :)' is the first message that was painted in oil, in the cold lab room. One of the first things a couple of newly made sentinels got to see. Their AI and programming doesn't enable them to be intelligent enough as to read or understand such signs, and yet the sign was there. Why? In previous experiments it was tested if these creatures would develop different in different environments, just like how water crystalizes beautifully while freezing if it's spoken beautiful to, and how it becomes an unclear fog if it's spoke rude words towards. But that room was dirty and torn from previous sentinels. There were some drops of dried oil here and there, and some tiles were slightly bent as the walls were covered in scars.

The sentinels began to walk around the room, exploring it, at first doing nothing but analysing their surroundings, when suddenly one bumped into another via accident. While the one 'injured' displayed a slight sign of aggression by roaring lowly and expressing it's dissatisfaction bodily the other simply roared back and head bumped against the other one's neck. Soon enough the two sentinels engaged into a gentle fight. Rolling on the floor on one another and clawing at one another but not once landing a single hit on the other one, which meant more claw marks for the floor. The sentinels continued to display this 'aggressive' behaviour between each other as the others watched or simply continued to explore. The fight ended with both sentinels peacefully laying one on top of each other like bored cats, before a third came roaring at them, making them get up and move around and about.

Sentinels had a strong connection. It was in their programming to recognise one of their own and to have a protocol against harming another. Just like pack animals, they played out their aggression towards each other in a none harmful manner until the dispute was settled via the lack of energy or the moment simply cooling down.

Nori found them fascinating. Deadly and yet so docile. How wonderful was that? How truly magical and mesmerizing was it? She couldn't wait to interact with them. She saw them from a two faced window, one that allows you to look in, but whatever it is inside can not look outside. And she already felt a great interest from these creatures. She hand drawn the message on the wall, she knew they couldn't understand it. She knew that it was nothing more and nothing less than a pigment of colour for them, but that pigment of colour being there made her feel so joyful.

The dream day came and the sentinels were released within the room of the AS infected drones. One sentinel at first, and then another, and another. Their natural reaction was to try and boot loop the drones but they weren't allowed as a flash of bright purple light flashed strongly, right back at them, as if telling them in a gentle scolding to behave. The light was bright and it caused the sentinel confusion as it's eyes glitched struggling to get a hold of it's system while it looked at the ground, as the camera vision was still heavily corrupted with statics, when a pair of golden hands reached it and gently soothed it's head as little by little the statics went dim and the sentinel could see clearly again. Looking at the drone in front of it, it has easily recognised it via it's purple light, and quickly recognised it as a superior in power. This strange being that looked nothing like the sentinel, that had no appearance into the sentinel's digital map of it's fellow pack members inside of it's head behaved just like they did. They applied their dissatisfaction without causing true harm. The sentinel was drawn to this drone, seeing it as one of their in new skin, so it has stayed around the drone keeping an attentive eye out for danger. This curious and intelligent creature looked in the room and saw two harmed drones, and while it was drawn to their oil it stayed in place near the new weaker member.

The brighter and more threatening the flash, the weaker the sentinel was. It was a rule. If a sentinel couldn't defend it's self via it's physical strength, their eye cameras would have to make up for it, and how weak must be this new admirable member if it nearly blinded them? The sentinel realised that within this room there were only two unharmed figures, the new member, and a black thing, which meant that the black thing could be the reason the other drones were bleeding the black liquid, right? It made sense to the sentinel, so it made sense that this creature will next come for it's weaker family member, and low and behold the sentinel charged, but the moment a red liquid sprouted within it's jaws it went crazed and knocked itself out as it's last flickering light saw the newer member's face and while nothing was clear to them as all was blurry and a high pitched sound, the sentinel knew that it's fellow member will take care of it.

The sentinel was right. It woke up and it could feel new power in it's program. New understanding of this world, and it could feel being drawn to it's fellow pack members. It sensed them, saw them, within their internal GPS map that connected them all, and a new face appeared on the map for them, a purple light. The weaker pack member that had to be protected.

The sentinel got to work and before you knew it, it was leading it's pack to tear into the place filled with unwanted passers-by. Red lights played out like the eyes of this reborn sentinel as an unknown beast screeched from all around them so they screeched right back, chewing at it's red moving glowing eyes from high up the walls and it's lungs in the shape of boxes with holes. All until the softer one showed up and they were placed by hand into separated rooms as the red one was personally escorted by the purple member away into a more hidden place. The sentinel knew that it's pack member was taking care of them, because it was playing with them.

By leading them into these dark hallways they were playing with them, and getting them far away from the weirdly sounding things holding heavy electro-shock guns that once they had attacked in order to protect the purple one.

The sentinel stayed hidden until the red eyes of the strange creature and it's screech were heard again. The sentinel didn't know, not even know, that all of this was jsut the alarm system of the building. For them it was just a huge scary beast, and in this moment the sentinel felt it's fellow pack members escape their own enslavement, so they charged forward.

While they gladly patrolled the hallways to reunite with their pack, they came across their purple member, but something was wrong. Their eyes began to have a static effect, and the purple light turned yellow. The fellow pack members were there, and before you knew it, one's head was crushed, and another was thrown into oblivion.

The sentinels screamed in horror, shock and confusion before fleeding the scene as the red one screeched loudly from fear, flashing it's now far brighter red light at the yellow one but...it did not work. What has happened? Why was the purple light now gone from within it's internal GPS map? Why was the pack member that they found along the way of this existence some time ago now aggressive? Why were they harming them? Did they do something wrong?

No questions were answered as suddenly a huge claw has grabbed them ruthlessly, holding them in the air like a helpless little lizard as another grabbed their head. The sentinel screeched at the top of it's lungs, a last message of warning. To run from the yellow light, and if another yellow light is to ever appear again, to be attacked without hesitation.

CRASH

The head of the sentinel was turned to nothing but scrap and loose bolts that fell on the floor, as it's eyes were broken as well within the process before it's cold hollow body was dropped onto the floor. Nothing more than scrap now.

The end

[nigel-ratburn-fanclub]

the revenge of Nigel Ratburn chapter 1

Nigel Ratburn and his boyfriend Patrick were in NIMH again they had just snuck in to steal some tools from Dr Boxlitner lab

“I’ve been here dozens of times I know this building” said Nigel

“I think I hear someone” said Patrick

They went into the nearest room and hid under a table

“I’m going to need those fish tagged” said the voice of Dr Boxlitner

As soon as he was away from hearing distance Nigel tried to stand up but he bumped his head on the table and spilled a blue liquid on him and Patrick

“We should just call it quits” said Patrick

“And let those agents get all the glory I don’t think so we’ll come back tomorrow” said Nigel

“Nigey your glowing maroon” said Patrick

“I am” said Nigel he looked at his hands a glowing energy of maroon light was coming from them

“That liquid the spilled on you must have given you powers” said Patrick

Nigel waved his hands a ball of Maroon light formed

“I’m more powerful than ever at last i found a way to defeat Patty and achive World domination l” said Nigel

Three scientists entered

“What are yall doing here call security” said the first scientist

“Call this” said Nigel he blasted balls of energy knocking out the scientists all while cackling evilly

When the smoke cleared Nigel and Patrick were gone

Dr Boxlitner entered and saw the Unconscious scientists

“Get me the Agency i have someone Agent Patty can talk to Dr Stanley K Foot the man responsible for the chemical” said Dr Boxlitner

Nigel and Patrick fled all while destroying buildings

 Ratburn heads to NIMH she got a call from Dr Boxlitner and said that someone could help her

Patty entered a room

“I’m so glad you are here” said a man

“Dr Stanley K Foot the son of Rothswellington Foot the third, the founder of Nimh” said Patty

“I heard your brother Nigel has gained powers from my chemical” said Dr Foot

“What kind of chemical” said Patty

“Its my father’s old invention he placed it aside to focus on experiments with mice” said Dr Foot

“So that means Nigel is more powerful now” said Patty

“Yes the chemical alters the genetic material in your body” said Dr Foot

“What can I do” said Patty

“Here take this my last vial it’s your only hope drink it quickly” said Dr Foot handing her a vial of blue liquid

Patty drank it instantly she glowed blue

“I have powers now” said Patty

“Yes you do thanks to my father’s invention” said Dr Foot

“Thank you so much” said Patty but not before giving Dr Foot the I am watching you sign

“Great now my twenty years of scientific research for nothing” said Dr Foot

Patty headed to the school disguesd as a student teacher, where Nigel Ratburn works

Nigel was in his assigned class Art

“I heard you have magic now” said Patty

“Yes it was granted to me by an unlucky accident with a glass vial,now I’m going to ask one thing,either you can join me or waste away with your new agents” said Nigel

“How did you know” said Patty

“Just a lucky guess now by the end of today I’ll marry Patrick,and this world will be mine” said Nigel

Patty felt her anger boiling suddenly she floated and blasted a ball of blue energy knocking Nigel out

“YOU HAVE POWERS TOO” yelled Nigel

“Dr Stanley K Foot gave them to me” said Patty

Nigel waved his hands and his maroon energy struck Patty

“ENOUGH I WILL DESTROY YOU I WILL TAKE OVER THE WORLD I WILL MARRY PATRICK AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT” shouted Nigel

“No you won’t the kids of your class can stop you” said Patty

“Mark my words once me and Patrick have won and wed on the rubble of The Agency you will see” said Nigel

“If you win” said Patty

“WHEN we win you will see The Agency will see You all will see” said Nigel he walked off

Patty just stood there she made a vow

“By my life I will stop Nigel from achieving World domination and lure him back to the side of good”

[sonicasura]

As you wish.

So like I mentioned yesterday, my mom has basically given me new inspiration while I'm still suffering through burnout on my Kaiju Pet Au. So here is what these talks have done when it comes to the transformation stages from a wild kaiju to a pet one.

So the first year, kaijus don't change a lot on the outside as most of the changes begins inside to prepare for the more drastic ones to come over the next four years. Any real physical change you'd see is that the kaiju grows a bit bigger here and there, which can cause some balance issues if the new hight is a bit one-sided in certain parts. Or worse for that matter.

Remember Ava, Kafka's older sister in my au? Her shell out grew her by a good bit, forcing my turtle kaiju to basically roll everywhere to be able to move. Which was not good for Okonogi as she's not the strongest person around, specially when she needed to give her kaiju a bath cause Ava defently could not clean her shell on her own like this. It was also not helped that Okonogi lived on the second floor either. Her nabors where really confused what all those crash like sounds where at first, until they saw the little kaiju struggling to get up the stairs. Her place did not have a elevator.

Kafka and Yomi also struggled here too. Yomi's mushroom tops grew too wide and forced his owner to have a rope connected to each other when they went outside on a windy day. The little mushroom suddenly found he could fly with how wide they where and stuggled to navigate the house as the new tops blocked a good deal of what was happening above him.

And Kafka? For some reason his tail wanted to be a really long snake and cause many tripping hazard for himself, Mina and her parents. And unfortuantly for him, a lot of people accidentally ended up stepping on said tail or put something heavy on it without knowing it. He is understandably not happy when it happens.

The secon year brings a lot more changes then the first. Once again, a kaiju grows to a new hight, mostly that of a medium sized dog at the most, thinks labs and collies. They also start develop their legs and arms, should they not have them to begins with and various other body parts starts to take on a humanish form too. Though of you kaiju is insect or aracnid based, they will spin a coocon during winter and due most of their changes then instead.

The third year is where every kaiju, regardless of type, gets to the middle point and what is commingly know as the awkward stage due to how odd and unbalance they are in this form. They are learing to use their new limbs, they grow again and losses bits and pieces that just would not work at all ect ect. This is where most of the outer changes happens and it leads to a lot of accidents. And if they have powerful abilities as well, haywires can happen for lack of better words.

This was also the year Kafka lost his wings and the tail he has had since the day he hatched. Yomi is the most lucky out of the three since he has a very simple build. Though he does find himself struggling with his own balance as he grows way taller then what is usual for pet kaijus. And take months to learn to duck his head when going through doorways. This is also the stage where they start to wear cloths, albit sparingly until their more humaniod form is more ready.

The fourth and fifth year, the kaijus mostly start growing into adult size, starting out as 7 years olds that looks a little sickly due to the fact that they usually don't have the needed muscle mass for their builds. The finaly few phsycial changes also happens between these two years, with some actually growing an extar set of arms or other much needed parts when needed.

By the time Mina is colleage age, Kafka is his full hight of 200cm. Which can be awkward at times. Yomi has his first canon form at the same hight(at least form what the wiki site tells me) and Ava is a wopping 300cm tall. And yes, she loves to that fact very much, much to both Kafka's and Yomi's annoyence.

I won't lie that I nearly laughed my ass off at the thought of a big cap Yomi just flying away like a runaway kite. Right now it's that time for Sandhill Cranes in my area to have and raise their chicks. You can say it's easy to imagine how awkward pet kaiju look in the middle stage if you see fledging Sandhills.

[tsukarysgrimoire]

Omega had been caught. Now she's alone at the Empire's hands, far away from her brothers. Tortured and used as a rat lab, she drowns into despair. Her only hope of escaping and return to her family is her cold-hearted estranged brother Crosshair, but he hates her. Or does he?

My main story, the one that most of the others flow from.

It all started with a simple idea: what if the Batch had hired a doctor to remove Crosshair's chip after rescuing him? Initially, my OFC, who didn't even have a name yet, was simply recruited for this purpose, and after forming bonds with the Batch and Omega, but especially Crosshair, decided to stay with them and travel the galaxy with them. Even at this embryonic stage, I was sure of one thing: it would be a Crosshair/OFC.

However, I quickly became frustrated with the lack of relationship between Crosshair and Omega in the series (I started my story long before Season 2 aired) and thought I'd like to see them grow closer as they travel together in search of their brothers. That's how I came up with the idea of Omega being captured by the Empire. And since the Empire is not known for its leniency, and Omega remained a mystery, she became the subject of their experiments.

That didn't take anything away from my OFC, she could still be a doctor, especially with Omega and Crosshair nowhere near their usual form. But instead of just being hired by the Batch and meeting Crosshair and Omega when they joined their brothers, I wanted her to spend time with them, to bond with them during the journey.

Crosshair's loneliness throughout the season, his isolation in an Empire where everyone hates him, his regrets throughout the season, his anger, his despair… everything about him touched me to the point of pain. In this story, I wanted someone to be there for him, someone to say "I'm with you and nothing will change my mind, I'm ready to follow you all the way to Hell if need be, nothing will ever hurt you again". I wanted someone to be there to put a metaphorical balm on his physical and mental wounds. I wanted him to heal.

When I started writing this story, I had a four-part plan in mind: the Empire, the Journey, the Batch, and a fourth part that I'm going to keep a secret for a while. XD As I write this, the story is at the beginning of the third part. So it would be easy to say that we are halfway through the story, but it doesn't work like that, I have a plan that I try to follow, but more often than not the story does a bit of what it wants. For example, I hadn't planned for the travel part to be so long. The accident and the independent station (chapters 25 to 35) were not originally planned, although I did have the idea that Omega would be kidnapped by losers who had nothing to do with the Empire. Sixt's confession about her birth was also supposed to come earlier, during their time on Nuthal, the winter planet, but while I was writing that part, the Peacekeepers suddenly appeared out of nowhere to play a role in two chapters (19 and 20), and I didn't have the space or time to talk about Sixt's origins.

There are still a few adventures left for us to live through together.

[steele-soulmate]

Tattooed Wings, CHAPTER 490, Peter Steele & OFC, Soulmate AU

SUMMARY: Mary Claire Bradley meets her soulmate- literally- the famous Peter Steele of metal group Type O Negative. But will obstacles including trauma, stalkers, and toxic family members get in the way of their life?

WARNING: mentions of child rape (nothing graphic) PTSD, milk kink, soft smut, grinding, assault, fingering, hand jobs, blow jobs, 69, P in V sex, blood, noncon rape, violence, death, vandalism, graffiti, attempted kidnapping, break-ins, wild animal attacks, terrorist attack (sabotage) consensual impregnation, bareback, impregnation kink, creampies, terrorist attacks (shootings) hit and run pedestrian accident, precipitous labor, neonatal death

WORDS: 1093

“Hello! I come bearing medication for Mary Claire.”

“Oh, thank you,” I smiled at the nurse, who handed me a cup with my medication in it. I frowned as I looked down into the cup, scrutinizing the contents. “Why did you flip flop one of my meds with another type?”

“Oh, Omprizletines is a doctor’s note only medication, and we have not received an all clear from your doctor. So instead, we’re replacing it with Delipam. It’s basically the same thing.”

“Oh okay,” I hummed, downing the cup and washing it down with water. I then turned to Peter with a smile, watching with fond eyes as he changed our daughter’s diaper.

“Bum bum bum boo budda bum,” he sang out as he fashioned her diaper and expertly tucked her into the crook of his elbow. “Yabba dabba doo!”

I began to cough endlessly, my throat suddenly feeling tight. My hand flew up as I very quickly found myself unable to breathe. Peter swore before yelling for help, tucking himself and Baby Violet Marie out of the way as medical rushed into the room.

PETER

I called out to him, using our telepathic link to let him know how terrified I was as the doctor quickly inserted a cricothyrotomy by making a slit near my Adam’s apple and inserting a straw-like tube.

I was able to breathe a little bit. It wasn’t easy, but I held my hand out, summoning my soulmate to me as a nurse shot a line of epinephrine into the port on my arm.

“What did she have?” barked the doctor, checking my pupils with a penlight.

“I’m looking at the medical chart, and she was given Delipam in place of Omprizletines, as how it is a controlled substance and only to be given out with the doctor’s okay,” a nurse piped in as she checked my chart. “Don’t worry, I’ll put down that you are allergic to Delipam into your chart. Your doctor may want to run more labs on that for you.”

PETER I was still panicking as I begged my husband to come to me.

“Sir, I think you should come here and calm your soulmate down,” chuckled the doctor, shuffling aside as my husband sat down in a plastic hospital chair and gave me his hand to grasp at. “Okay, now follow my finger with your eyes.”

I did as he told me to, the fear still ebbing away at my heart as my throat was bandaged up and I was propped back up and given at least forty pillows to prop myself up with.

“Trust me, you’re a new mama, you’ve just suffered a horrible allergy, trust me, you deserve all the pillows!” another nurse validated me with a sweet smile.

“How do you sleep with all kinds of pillows, if I may ask?” a third nurse asked Peter, craning his neck upwards to look my husband in the face.

“I think what you mean to ask me is if a double wide king bed is big enough for myself, my sweetheart, our twin nieces, our three daughters, our son, their dollies, a dog, two cats and a skunk,” Peter chuckled. “And the answer to that is there’s always room for more love.”

My heart swelled at the sheer amount of love in his voice as he cradled Baby Violet Marie in the crook of his elbow and held onto my fingers with his other hand, always present in a silent, protective manner.

“You good sweetheart?” he asked me, smiling as a nurse continued to fuss over me.

My breasts hurt.

“Do you need to use your milk pump?” he asked me, grabbing the machine before shooing the nurse out of my hospital room and helping me get set up.

Thank you daddy. I love you.

“I love you too, sweetheart,” he chuckled as the quiet humming of the milk pump filled the room. “What can I do to make you feel more secure?”

Hold me?

“As my woman commands of me.” And with that, he gently nudged me out of the way before laying down next to me, the product of our neverending love cradled in his arms. “Do you want to hold Baby Violet Marie?”

Yes please, daddy.

He smiled gently at me as he carefully maneuvered our daughter into my arms, carefully supporting her head as I smiled down at her.

“She looks so much like you sweetheart,” ge told me in a gentle voice as telltale PAT-PAT-PAT-PAT-PAT-PAT-PAT-PAT-PATs stampeded from the end of the hall.

Incoming.

Sure enough, less than three seconds later, the door to my small hospital room flew open with a resonating CRASH and in poured a gaggle of giggles and love.

“Mommy!” Elizabeth greeted me first with a happy smile on her face. “We made drawings for your room!”

“See see?” Baby Tommy toddled up to us, brandishing a sheet of paper scarred with a mess of color.

“Oh wow!” I praised them, laughing when people wandered down from the nurses station, curious as to what all the commotion was about. “These are lovely- why don’t you go down to the nurses station and ask politely about getting some tape to hang these up?”

“Okie dokie!” Katie chirped before leading the stampede back down the hallway again.

“Never a dull moment sweetheart,” Peter chortled as I snuggled into his side. “Never a dull moment with the Ratajczyk family.”

TAGLISTS ARE OPEN/ ASK BOX IS OPEN/ REQUESTS ARE OPEN/ PLOT BUNNIES ARE WELCOMED

If you liked this, then please consider buying me a coffee HERE It only costs $3!!!

PETER STEELE TAGLIST

@rock-a-noodle

@ch3rry-c01a