#and the amount of telepathic contact they did in it....

[gallifreyanhotfive]

Do you guys remember that time Twelve was going to sacrifice himself to save the universe and Missy just could not accept he was going to die?

Do you remember how she held her arms out for a hug and just bear-hugged him?

Do you remember when she knocked him out mid-hug, fully intending on sacrificing herself in his place?

[efverse]

grandparents part 3 outta 3, baby!!!!

Long text under the cut,

espeon evolved at a young age. when he had begun to develop a mysterious illness in his brain that couldve been fatal if his body didnt evolve into an espeon to combat the potentially terminal disease early on. it didnt really impact him past that point in his life and recovered very well but...

his own unconventional evolution piqued his interest in how far an eevees adaptive abilities could be pushed. But from what he could tell no one else had been able Really look into that.

but espeon had always been fascinated by evolution in general helping his parents with their work. espeon was born around the time they started the research facility in kanto after they had moved there together. he had made impressive advancements in the field of evolution studies himself. wrote books, publicly spoke on the topic and just. generally became a respected authority on it all, over the course of his life.

over the years he had also found the time to start a family. not very present in their lives since he was extremely busy with his work. his oldest and youngest did not have much interest in their family's line of research at all but his middleborn always had a respect for the work his father did.

However, as successful as he was in his field...he still wasn't satisfied with his personal knowledge of his own species's natural abilities...

---

one day espeon had gotten an offer from team rocket to be a lead scientist on some project. something about cloning mew. they said that they would assist him with anything he wanted. give him any amount of money he wanted for him to be on the project. he made a big show of kicking them out of the facility, however...he secretly contacted them telepathically before they got very far away telling them he would work with them.

the project progressed and espeon became fascinated with not only the science and technology involved in what they were doing but the ethics as well. And how they could just...do it. But then again he'd never personally cared about whether an experiment could be considered cruel to its participants. Always being ruled by his own curiosity and his want of knowledge in that regard...

As he felt like the progress was going smoothly on the project...something went wrong and Mewtwo broke out. He was prepared for his offer to be rescinded but...team rocket kept up their part of the deal they agreed on and gave him as much protection and money for whatever he had in mind as they could...

he wanted to see how far an eevees natural adaptation could be pushed. Even though he knew the route he was going possibly wouldn't offer reliable research he didn't particularly care as long as he could sate his own curiosity in the topic...he only had three test subjects after all.

Espeon couldn't let his kids evolve for the sake of his pet project to work. Not only did he do experiments that physically harmed them on occasion but since eevees also evolved w emotional stimuli he messed around a lot with that aspect of it too... his eldest evolved on her own one day the first chance she got. after an argument w him she left home on her own. Soon after his youngest followed her lead. Left with only his middleborn he still did what he could...

Begrudgingly the experiments came to an end. leaving him still unsatisfied but he understood that there was little point in continuing on.

---

as the years went on he actually did try to have a *decent(by his standards at least) relationship with his grandkids despite his son being "overly cautious" and not really wanting them to have to interact with him in any way if they didnt have to...

when one of his grandchildren evolved into an espeon he immediately took them on as an assistant of sorts in hopes that they would be able to take over the family business. However his expectations were not met and he was disappointed more than anything.

When he eventually passed around his late 70s(?) he kind of had no other choice but to put his son in charge of the family labs seeing as everyone else he thought of as a possible option was either no longer in contact with him or dead.

He died about 2 years before EVs egg was laid.

[tinyundercover]

pepper & felix

part two

In this universe, when a person turns 21, they gain the ability to communicate with their soulmate telepathically. For the borrower Pepper, this turns out to be quite a shock.

MASTERPOST word count: 1.5k

Pepper sat on top of the cabinet, legs crossed underneath him. Up here, perched at the very edge, Pepper could see the entire kitchen.

The human had returned from class about an hour ago, and was now moving around the kitchen, making dinner. The sight of the human chopping up vegetables with a massive knife three times Pepper’s size was unsettling, but the borrower was comforted by the safety of the high cabinet.

Quiet music played from the human’s phone, down on the counter, while the human hummed along. He seemed practically harmless from here.

Pepper swallowed, thinking of his soulmate, who hadn’t contacted him since their strange ordeal this morning. The knowledge that he was connected somehow to a human made him shudder… that this human could one day figure out who he was— what he was…

“This sucks,” Pepper mumbled under his breath, quiet so that the human below didn’t hear.

He had spent his entire day pacing around his room, unable to focus on his tasks. All he could think about was humans and their freakishly giant hands. He knew that they were dangerous; that knowledge had been instilled in him since he was two years old. But were borrowers and humans similar enough that they could be soulmates? Was there a human out there that wasn’t too terrifying or selfish to actually love a borrower?

With nothing else to focus on, Pepper chose to climb up to the top of the cabinet so that he could spy on the closest human to him. Pepper had lived here for a little over a year, but he didn’t know much about this human, since he spent so much of his time avoiding him. His entire schedule revolved around the human’s.

Pepper stretched his arms above his head absentmindedly as the human scraped the vegetables into a bowl. His stomach growled softly, and he tensed— but it was far too quiet for the human to hear.

Pepper hadn’t had a real vegetable in ages. Most of them were hard to store for long periods of time, so he never really bothered. He’d never been picky about the food he put in his body, as long as he stayed alive.

The human showed terrifying amounts of strengths as he picked up knives and cutting boards with ease, and Pepper tried to imagine actually interacting with a human. The mere thought of a hand closing around him made him shut the idea down entirely.

Thirty minutes later, as the human was sitting down to eat dinner, Pepper stood up and turned around. His mind continued to wander even as he snuck into the walls.

After a moment's hesitation, he interlocked his fingers and held them against his chest. “Hello?”

It took a few moments, but eventually a voice entered his mind. “Hey!”

Pepper swallowed. It was only a voice, but the fact that he was being acknowledged by a human still made him shudder. 

“How was your day?” Pepper asked carefully, leaning against a wooden beam. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine that he was talking to another borrower.

“Oh, it was alright. Classes were a little boring. But me and some of my theater friends signed up for an audition next week, so that’s pretty exciting. How was yours?”

Pepper furrowed his brow. He vaguely understood what most of those words meant, but a few stumped him, like “theater” and “audition.” “That sounds exciting,” he responded, wondering what humans actually did outside of their apartments. “I…”

Fuck. What was he supposed to say?

“I’ve been making some clothes,” he said honestly, shifting on his feet. “I’ve been sort of stressed, and it helps.”

“Oh no, why are you stressed?” His soulmate sounded genuinely concerned. Pepper wasn’t sure how to explain to this human that it was him.

“Oh, you know… just… the whole ‘soulmates’ thing is new to me.” He swallowed hard.

There was a pause. “Yeah, I understand. I didn’t really date much in high school or anything. It’s definitely strange to have this mind connection with you, since we don’t really know each other, but… you just feel special to me. I wish I could know your name.”

Pepper found himself on the ground, with his back against the wall. He rested his head back and exhaled. “Right. It’s… strange.” He tried to picture how tall his soulmate was, if he would tower over him. Who was he kidding, of course he would. “What do you… look like?”

“Oh, well— I’m 5’10”, I’m blonde, and I have blue eyes. My friend says that I look like a ghost sometimes.” His soulmate had a significantly brighter tone when he responded. “What about you? What do you look like?”

Pepper tried to imagine a 5’10” ghost standing over him, and his stomach twisted, both in anxiety and in amusement. “I have black hair,” he said. He hadn’t seen his face in a mirror in ages, but he was fairly certain what his features looked like. “My eyes are… gray. I don’t know how tall I am exactly, but, um, you’re definitely taller than me.”

It was nice not having to lie. 

“You sound handsome,” his soulmate said jokingly. The corner of Pepper’s lips twitched into a smile. “It was nice hearing from you— I have to eat dinner now, but I can talk to you later?”

To Pepper’s surprise, he was disappointed. He nodded at nobody. “Yeah, of course, no worries. Talk to you later.”

——

The salad bowl clinked as Felix set it beside the sink, and he stepped back to brush his hands off. He normally cleaned his dishes immediately as he hated leaving dirty dishes out, but he had some homework to finish up, and then he needed to figure out what song to use for his audition. The dishes could wait.

As he retreated to his couch, opening up his laptop and setting it on his knees, he thought briefly of his soulmate. After their strange conversation this morning, he had spent the day worrying, but talking to him briefly before dinner had alleviated his fears. His soulmate seemed fine, just… a bit stressed.

He typed absentmindedly. He pictured a black-haired, gray-eyed man, sitting with him.

Something clattered in the kitchen, and Felix snapped his head up. His living space was essentially one large room, but his kitchen was a small subsection which was partially out of his line of sight from his couch. “Hello?” He asked warily, knowing full well nobody would respond.

He set his laptop on the couch and walked to the kitchen in a few short strides. His salad bowl was right where he left it, besides the sink, but a fork had been knocked out of his bowl and had fallen to the floor somehow. Huh.

Glancing around the kitchen, he scooped the fork up from the floor, dropping it in the sink. After a moment he picked up the salad bowl and set to work scraping the remaining pieces of spinach into the trash. He might as well clean up while he was here.

A soft voice entered his mind as he was rinsing the bowl out in the sink. “Hey, hi. What are you up to?”

Felix’s hands were full, and he unfortunately couldn’t respond, even if he wanted to. Just as he was about to dry his hands off, the voice continued. “You’re probably busy, no worries. I hope you don’t mind if I just ramble a little. I’m kind of panicking right now and I just need to calm down and the best way to do that is focus on you and take my mind off of things, I think.”

Felix’s soulmate seemed to get himself into a lot of stressful situations. The human raised his eyebrows thoughtfully.

“So, um, I’ve been working on this jacket. I want to make it with some extra pockets— big ones— so that I can carry more stuff. I only have the main torso part done, and I need to make the sleeves. It’s actually fun. I love sewing.”

Listening to his soulmate ramble was actually pleasant. Felix’s mouth quirked into a smile, and as he went to set the clean salad bowl into a cabinet, his hand slipped on it.

“I think— FUCK!”

Amazingly, Felix’s soulmate yelled in his mind just as the bowl hit the counter, shattering in half with an echoing crack. Both Felix and the voice in his mind went silent, and the human stepped back in surprise, staring at the broken glass. “Ugh, of course,” he grumbled, searching to find cleaning supplies.

It was only a few seconds later did he realize that his soulmate had gone quiet. He took a moment to press his hands against his chest. “Hey, everything okay?”

A long, long pause. “Yeah, yeah, it’s fine, everything’s fine! Sorry. Anyways, I’m using blue fabric for my jacket…”

Felix couldn’t brush the uneasy feeling away as he cleaned up the broken bowl. He could have sworn his soulmate’s shout had been much clearer than his other words. And it almost seemed to have been in response to the bowl shattering. But… that would be impossible. He was completely alone in his apartment.

Of course, he couldn’t see the small borrower concealed behind a mug barely two feet away, clutching a piece of spinach to his chest.

thank you for reading!! i appreciate the kind words and reposts :))

[defectivehero]

Hi recently found your blog it’s so good! But was wondering if you could one where the hero lost there glasses in a fight maybe or just at home and the villain sees them idk take your pick possibly m x m? Ty even if not have a good day!

your wish is my command! (not really, but this is a great idea and you asked very nicely!) here you go, hope you have a great day <3

The hero has grown accustomed to working late night hours at the agency. He's grown used to being the last person in the office, to shutting the lights off and locking the door behind him once he leaves. The hero always feels guilty leaving right at his scheduled time, especially when his job can determine if a person lives as a bystander to a horrible event or dies as a victim. He begins to stay later and later into the night, and it becomes increasingly hard for him to tear himself away from the agency and his hero mask.

This overtime habit is how the hero finds himself hunched over his desk with rather painful crooked posture as he compulsively checks his computer for messages. His agency is one of the first to adopt a sophisticated messaging system that converts audio from emergency calls to text, which are sent as alerts straight to their inbox. The idea sounded morbid at first—the hero didn't want to equate life-saving to checking his email. But the system grew on him. It's convenient and easy to use, drastically improving the agency’s response time.

He squints at the screen in front of him, rubbing his eyes roughly when his vision begins to blur. He's tired.

Perhaps the hero’s exhaustion is the reason why he fails to notice a figure standing in the corner of the room, watching him. “Your eyesight is terrible.” The hero hears, stiffening in his seat and turning around to find his enemy, the villain, lurking in the shadows. It takes him a few moments to process the statement.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” the hero then huffs, blinking a few times as he realizes his eyes feel incredibly dry. His close-up vision is passable, so he's still able to do his job. His distance vision, on the other hand...

The hero has worn glasses since fourth grade. He experimented with contacts but eventually went back to wearing glasses. He's spent an ungodly amount of time in his life wiping his glasses clean with a cloth or pushing his frames further up his nose.

“I’m serious,” the villain sighs. “How can you even see out of these?” At that, the villain steps forward and holds out his hand, revealing a pair of glasses. The hero immediately recognizes the telltale blue gleam that distinguishes his glasses, and reaches out to his enemy. He almost expects the villain not to hand them over, so when the glasses hit the hero's palm, he raises his eyebrows.

"Thank you," the hero feels the need to say, when the silence stretches on to a painful tension. When he puts on his glasses, the blurriness around his vision clears and he can see the words displayed on his screen in sharp, clean strokes. The hero then stares at the villain, several questions on the tip of his tongue. How did the villain remember the hero had lost his glasses? Did he go back to retrieve them? And if so... why?

"It took me a few days to realize why you hadn't shown your face since our fight," the villain answers, as if reading his mind. The hero has to wonder how he grew so predictable. "After that, it didn't take long for me to remember that blow I dealt you—rather powerful, if I do say so myself—and the ensuing clatter of your glasses falling to the ground. So... I went back to the rooftop and grabbed them."

That answers the hero's first two questions. He is still left with the most important query of all: why?

The villain seems to telepathically understand this question too. He takes a slow breath in and ambles around the office in a carefree manner that makes it seem as if he owns the space.

"A win is more enjoyable if it's a complete victory," the villain drawls, tapping his fingers along a nearby desk. The hero has to wonder if his enemy has his power activated—if charred fingerprints will be left as remnants (as tangible evidence) of their encounter. "That means no cheap advantages or hinderances."

Ah. The villain wanted a fair fight—one unimpeded by the hero's poor vision. He supposes he can understand that. The villain is honorable above all else. The hero knows this about his enemy, has grown to accept it. Perhaps he should've intuited that motivation before bothering to ask.

The villain is still lingering, as if waiting for something. The hero's patience only lasts a few minutes. “Well, was there another reason for your visit, or…?” The hero asks, looking at him with sharpened vision. His glasses now provide him with a glimpse of the nuance written in the villain's form—the minuscule pull to his lips, the faded scars tangled around his hands. The hero is suddenly thankful to have his glasses again—but for entirely different reasons than before.

“That was it,” the villain says, his gaze turning scrutinizing. "Why are you in such a rush? Got a hot date?" The latter statement is spoken with a surprising amount of venom.

The hero raises his eyebrows. "A date?" He hums casually, his heart racing in his chest. He didn't expect the conversation to take such a sharp turn into such a convoluted and confusing subject. "At this hour? Of course not."

Something settles in the villain's expression. "Right," he says, something close to relief coloring his tone. "Then, I'll be seeing you." He remarks, turning on his heel and walking out the door. The hero watches him leave, a multitude of different emotions battling in his chest.

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[sneakertin]

if anyone is still interested in the bounty hunter tentoo au, here's my huge little ramble about it!! it's a bit wild. sorry not sorry.

also, there's some more details in this post, in case anyone missed it.

and here's a couple of sketches, of course^^

ok so. when tentoo finally finds thirteen and yaz it's almost like an episode-style kinda story with him as the villain of the week, simply because i think in this format. after he has his hysterical little explanation of everything that's happened the doctor is visibly traumatized and yaz is profoundly concerned. predictably, he tries to kill the doctor(but not yaz). they manage to get away, and now she has to tell yaz about who tentoo is. she basically sits her down like a grandpa and tells her the entire long ass story. reasonably, yaz has very conflicting emotions about him. yes, his story is heartbreaking and all, but he does want to murder the woman she loves?? anyway. tentoo soon finds them again. he's a very tough enemy, maybe one of the toughest the doctor has ever met. he spent years preparing for their confrontation, he has her memories and her mind, her thought process. not only that, he knows all her weak spots and all her insecurities(he's a bit like the master in that respect). at first it seems like he's always a step ahead of them, but that soon changes. after all, he is extremely mentally unstable. he has been running on spite for the last ~15 years, and the doctor is much older than when they last met. he may have her memories, but she had plenty of time to gain new ones, to become wiser. this goes on for a while, tom and jerry kinda shit, but tentoo looses in the end.

also, there's this little scene where he stumbles upon the tardis while chasing the doctor and yaz. he sees her, stops dead in his tracks. he hasn't even realised how much he missed her. he approaches slowly and feels a faint presence in his mind. his telepathy is very weak, his time sense practically gone. he leans his forehead against the door and tardis welcomes him. he almost cries. that's the first friendly telepathic contact he's had in years. he feels at peace as he reaches for the door handle and.. it doesn't open. he tries again. she doesn't want him there, he realises. anger rises in him. he kicks the door.

"Oh, I see how it is. You want to protect her. You know that I'm going to hurt the Doctor. I mean, of course you do. I don't know what I was expecting."

he gives her one final, longing look before leaving.

initially, he dies during their battle. killed by his own weapon or something like that. it's all very dramatic and tragic, he forgives the doctor right before dying and asks her to live the life he couldn't. she gives him a gallifreyan funeral. she and yaz hold hands as they watch his body burn. the doctor has a strong sense of deja vu.

BUT then i thought that i don't want this story to end so soon because i need something to think about during the day, and i'm not ready to let go of this au yet. so, i made tentoo travel with thirteen and yaz!! this doesn't make much sense but it's fun so i don't care. the doctor feels insane amounts of guilt over tentoo and she desperately wants to make it better(it's a rather selfish decision, very typical of the doctor). and tentoo probably just realises that the doctor is not nearly as evil as he thought all those years. meeting her in the flesh reminded him of when he was her, of the fact that he never did anything out of any malice and yet people still blamed him for the things that weren't his fault. he's completely burned out, all the fight leaves him. on a subconscious level he just wants some company, wants to travel properly again. and after all the shit he went through, the doctor is probably the only person who can understand him. so, to his own surprise, he agrees. yaz is not too excited about bringing a serial killer aboard, but she sees the potential in him.

their battle was messy. his spaceship is destroyed, and it feels like the end of an era. they walk back to the tardis in silence, there's rubble all around them.

he realises, as he stands in front of the blue box, that he's trading one stolen spaceship for another. that brings a laugh out if him and yaz gives him a weird look. by that point, the doctor is nearly vibranting with excitement.

"Ready to see what she looks like?"

right, the tardis must have redecorated. he nods. the door makes a familiar creak as he takes a step forward. his jaw drops.

"Oh, you gorgeous!!"

he rushes ahead and moves around the console, touching the corals and admiring their colours. yaz is a bit shocked at his surge of enthusiasm. he seems so... doctor-like, she thinks. yes, his smile is manic and his eyes are filled with pain. his face is marked with a scar and there's nothing but an empty space where his right hand used to be. but in that moment, he is human.

slowing down, he runs his fingers along some buttons with a solemn expression. he lifts his gaze up at the moving column.

"I'm sorry for kicking you. You were doing the right thing and I... I was just upset that you didn't let me in. You understand, don't you?"

the tardis makes a low, gentle noise. he smiles.

"I missed you too, old girl."

he startles a bit when the doctor approaches from behind.

"I take it you like her new look." she laughed, awkward. "Erm, listen, I wanted to ask... About your name. Or, the lack of one. We couldn't very well keep calling you the instantaneous two-way biological metacrisis, could we? Now that you're not trying to kill me anymore, you could be the Doctor ag-"

"No!" he blurted, suddenly. "I mean, I... I don't wanna be you. I'm not you." she stared at him, open mouthed. "I think I wanna be my own person now. Fresh start, you know? Not the Doctor, not the Verisian Slayer or whatever it was that they called me." he looked lost, scared by the thought of his own future, but determined.

"That's the spirit!" she grinned and slapped him on his back. he grimaced. "Sorry. Anyway, we still need to come up with a name for you! How about good old John Sm-"

"Absolutely not!"

"Alright. John Handy?"

"Be careful, I might change my mind about not trying to kill you. By the way, you owe me a new hand." he angrily flapped his empty sleeve at yaz. she raised her hands in defence, laughing. she felt a bit guilty now, for nicking and breaking it earlier that day. oh, what a mad day that was.

"I'll make you a one! Back on the topic, how about James? You know, like Jamie Mccrimmon."

his shoulders sagged and she saw his eyes fill with memories of an old friend.

"Yeah, I think I like that."

...

AHEM!! got a bit carried away there. this thing nearly turned into a fic, but i'm not a writer so it's probably very messy. i don't wanna pull the "english is my second language" card so i'll just apologise for the ungodly amount of grammatical nonsense. sorry.

ANYWAY, they start traveling together and it's literally the most dysfunctional friendship ever. you may be thinking: "how is this gonna work? are they just gonna forget about the fact that james spent the last ten years killing people left and right?" well, he can't be any worse than the master, right? but he is a very troubled character and he spends a lot of time trying to recover from everything that's happened. the doctor and yaz are there for him all the while.

as for their relationship... basically, the doctor is very protective of james. as i said earlier, she feels directly responsible for what happened, even tho he doesn't really blame her anymore.

also, damn. that name change is very sudden, isn't it? i still can't tell if it's cringe or not. but i don't want him to go back to being the doctor, so it's not like there's any other options. the way it works is that he doesn't actually reject his past. has the memories of being the doctor and even tho he didn't actually live through them, to him it feels like he did. he was the doctor up to a certain point and then he became an entirely new person, albeit with a mutual past with her. he finally embraces his humanity. during their travels he is surprised at how refreshing it is to be in the role of the companion, to not be the doctor anymore. he no longer feels the weight of all the responsibilities and expectations that come with that bearing that name. people no longer blame him for every little thing gone wrong, for the most part. he's relieved to feel that kind of freedom, but at the same time he feels sorry for the doctor who is still being treated like that, and probably always will be. tho he is faced with his own bad reputation occasionaly. someone recognised the doctor and james once and called them "the doctor and their personal assasin".

relationships, yes. james has no problems getting along with the doctor, for obvious reasons, but he and yaz take some time to get used to each other. in the end, they bond in a way that i can't really explain. he sees right through yaz, and it kinda freaks her out. he immediately recognises the exact kind of relationship she has with the doctor and oh boy, he turned himself into a fucking matchmaker. you'd think he'd be horrified at the prospect of the doctor falling in love with a human again, considering the massive trauma he has regarding this topic, but no. i guess that as a human he takes it much easier this time around. he is mortal, and so is yaz, and that kinda makes her seem less fragile to him.

OH!! i forgot to mention the little running gag i came up with. so, every now and again james gets his prosthetic broken, or stolen, or eaten or absolutely obliterated in the most unpredictable comedic way possible and he gets soooo mad every time. at one point they meet the pting again... you can guess what happens.

oh, i was also thinking about bringing jack into this whole mess because i'm obsessed with tenjack, but i'm still not sure about that. i was just wondering how different their relationship would be if the doctor was human. we already know that jack loves the doctor and will probably never stop. but james doesn't have much of his time lord senses left now and therefore he wouldn't be able to feel jack's "wrongness". moreover, he spent years with barely any human connection and now he's desperate for it. most importantly, the majority of the doctor's relationship hang ups are based on their immortality, and guess what!! james doesn't have that anymore. he's not the doctor, he's changed, but he still has the memories. jack is still his friend. with nothing holding james back, i truly think he would be able to return jack's feelings. or maybe I'm thinking to much about it. maybe i just everyone to be gay, who knows?? i honestly don't know just how weird it would be if they were together but, my god, i just want them both to have some comfort, something that goes farther than friendship.

anyway, jack joins the dysfunctional trio post revolution of the daleks(for him) so he already knows thirteen and yaz. you can imagine his shock when he sees james. james is no less surprised. a wave of insecurity hits him and he immediately tries to explain to jack that he's not who he thinks he is. that's he's not really the doctor, that's he's that weird little guy who grew out of The Hand. jack hears his words, but goes for a hug anyway. james sighs in relief. at least he doesn't have to deal with rejection again. he's also startled to realise that jack doesn't feel wrong anymore. it's supposed to be a bad thing: his mind can no longer sense the timelines. but instead of panicking about it, he just chooses to relax in his friend's embrace. the doctor looks at them, and smiles.

...

aaaand that's all i have for now!! when i tell you i nearly died trying to convert all my loose thoughts into a semi-comprehensible text. you a real soldier if u read all that. hope you enjoyed<3

[celestialtiger]

Chao Guardians!

Had this idea about chao gardens floating around in my head and finally decided to write it down! It is part of a bigger AU that I have in mind that I'll eventually get to.

Chao gardens are a rare sight with only a handful of locations being known. Any Chao garden found is under the protection of the law as well as the community they are found in. Many take interest in caring for the Chao by ensuring their water supply is kept clean and providing fresh fruit for them if needed. Chao in gardens cared for by local volunteers thrive and enjoy all forms of enrichment through toys and treats.

However, many chao gardens hidden within forested areas aren't so lucky. With construction and deforestation on the rise, hidden Chao gardens are unknowingly destroyed. Chao and their animal companions who lose their homes wander aimlessly until they find another place to stay. Chao who lose their gardens also struggle to find a reliable source of fresh water and don't have the best chance of survival if the local water source is tainted in any way. Chao are very smart however and will often follow people like campers to rivers and lakes.

Displaced Chaos can sometimes end up in places they don't belong though. This can include pools which can make them sick if they drink the water due to the chlorine and other chemicals used in the pool's water treatment. Volunteers do what they can to find and rescue these Chao when a destroyed hidden garden is discovered. These Chao will sometimes decide to stay with their care takers and help them patch up any new friends that suffer the same fate.

Recently, many hidden Chao Gardens have been discovered after chaos energy levels spiked within them. High levels of chaos energy are not uncommon in areas with Chao. However, chaos energy doesn’t usually increase above a certain threshold unless a chaos emerald is present in or around the garden. Gardens that absorb extra chaos energy see dense vegetation and thick trees that serve as an extra layer of protection for the chao and the animals in the garden. Fruit is abundant and flowers are always in bloom no matter the weather. The water in these gardens is always clear and clean. Additionally, the gardens are also much larger and can support almost double the amount of Chao a typical garden can. With plenty of space, Chao can live comfortably without worrying about feeling overcrowded.

Gardens with increased chaos energy did not seem to have any other notable changes until recently. As of late, a mysterious phenomenon has began to occur in certain Chao gardens with high amounts of chaos energy. The Chao are generally found to have no abnormal changes and only experience an increase in skills and enhanced abilities like flying or swimming. However, certain animals within a garden began to experience physical changes as well as a change in their abilities.

With the increase in chaos energy, animals are found to be to mutating. Mutation first occurs when an animal comes in contact with an area bursting with chaos energy. The animal slowly begins to absorb the energy surrounding them. Eating food and drinking water in the area helps them absorb more of it, and if they can withstand the constant power flow, they begin the mutation process.

The animal grows larger and their abilities surpass their non-mutated counterparts. Mutation is complete once the animal absorbs all of the excess energy in the area and chaos energy levels return to normal. The newly mutated animal gains a new level of intelligence and are granted the ability to speak telepathically. They are also able to share their power with others to heal wounds or provide a boost to the immune system when sick.

It was believed that only mythical type animals such as dragons and unicorns could handle the mutation process. These animals already posses a high amount of chaos energy and are able to withstand the additional power. However, there have been rumors that other animals are mutating to protect their own gardens.

It is encouraged to keep these Chao Guardians and gardens a secret from outsiders. This is because curious people may go searching for a glimpse of these powerful creatures which may result in them getting hurt. Chao Guardians are very territorial and some may not always give warnings to passers by. Keeping them a secret also protects them from people like Eggman who may try to capture and use them for their power.

The Guardians:

Spiral the Unicorn

Spiral is a mutated unicorn and one of the first Chao Guardians to be found.

The Chao Garden he guards is located in ancient ruins within a lush forest. The ruins provide hiding spots for the chao and shelter from the rain. A large, old fountain holds the clean water the Chao need to survive.

He is extremely protective of his garden and will stop at nothing to defend it.

Most of the time he's a big grump, but when it comes to the Chao he's very affectionate. He treats them as if they were his own children. The Chao adore Spiral and constantly want hugs and to play games. He can almost never say no to them.

The first to come across Spiral was a researcher who had heard about the ruins. He had just made it when he heard an angry whinny and the sound of hooves getting closer. Spiral made himself known with a loud snort and his horn pointed at the researcher. Spiral spoke no words, but he didn't have to. The researcher got the message and cleared out as quickly as he could.

Spiral has been spotted outside of the Chao Garden several times. Each time he is spotted he ventured further away from the garden. It is assumed that he is searching for something. When spotted, he quickly retreats.

Twister the Dragon

Twister is a mutated dragon and was found some time after Spiral.

The Chao Garden she guards is located in a cave surrounded by tall trees. The cave has a large pool of fresh water and colorful crystals decorating the inside.

Twister leads the Chao outside the cave to pick fruits from the trees outside. She shakes the trees for the chao and helps them pick out the most tasty looking of the bunch.

Amy is the one who discovered Twister and her Chao garden while on a walk to clear her head. After accidently wandering too close to the garden, Twister blocked the way and urged Amy to return to the trail. Shocked that a giant dragon had suddenly appeared in the forest, she knew this had to be a new guardian. She has now made it her mission to make friends with the dragon guardian.

Despite her appearance, Twister is a huge goofball and extremely mischievous. She encourages her Chao to play tricks on anyone who wanders too close. Stealing hats and sunglasses has become a habit among the Chao now.

She loves to laze about in the sun and take long naps after a patrol.

While she doesn't allow anyone into the garden, people are permitted to walk the trail nearby. The only one who has been close enough to entering is Amy. Twister doesn't trust her yet, but she's certainly winning her over with the fresh baked goods she makes! A good donut is hard to resist, after all.

Phoenix

The first Phoenix Chao Guardian and the most mysterious. Phoenixes are extremely rare and seeing one is considered a good omen.

The Chao Garden she guards has not been seen, mostly because she protects it so fiercely.

Almost nothing is known about Phoenix. Her name is also unknown which is why she is only called 'Phoenix.'

She made her first appearance when Tails was heading home from a short trip in the Tornado. Startled by a shrill screech, he began to look around frantically. Believing it was an Eggman attack, he prepared for a fight. What he didn't expect was an enormous flaming bird to try and dig its claws into the Tornado's side. Tails swiftly maneuvered the plane away from the bird and sped up to put some distance between them. It took almost ten minutes of flying through a valley to shake her off. Terrified and confused, he made a mental note not to fly over that stretch of land again.

It has been noted that there has not been any recorded Chaos Energy surge in the area making her appearance suspicious. When Tails first spotted her, he saw that there was a strange band on her right leg with a 'G' on it. He believes that she is an escaped artificial guardian created by G.U.N.

Thank you for taking the time to read my silly AU I love these guys and I'm happy I to get to share them :)

A lot of the mutation stuff was inspired by Chaos being a mutated Chao. So why not have mutated animals that also protect the Chao? These guys aren't as powerful as Chaos, but they get the job done!

Feel free to ask any questions about the AU or the Guardians!

[master-kohga-dating-sim]

hey guys i got bored so i came up with more body horror au stuff. i was thinking about doing something where like, i write Marguerit's specific story myself but i let the rest of the community have the other parts of the au to write stuff for :3 like a public domain au or the scp universe or something, there's no canon and people can just have fun with it. anyways right yeah the reports

Salvaged Reports

The following reports were found in a destroyed Alterra base within Sector Zero. The cause of the base's destruction remains unknown; the leading theory is an ice worm leviathan. The reports themselves seem to be data automatically collected by the PDA's artificial intelligence systems based on their own observations. Nothing was found within the wreckage to indicate validity of these reports; further study necessary.

MAIDA, MARGUERIT: Remains mostly unknown; contact minimal. Observed to have skin peeling off in some places, revealing scales underneath; presumably due to a secondary epidermis forming within the topmost layer of fat. Secondary and tertiary pectoral muscles have formed above and beneath the primary pectorals in order to move the mandibles present on her back. Maida reports to have lost an eye in her skirmish with the reaper she mutated with, which seems to have grown back, though the poor eyesight has rendered her half-blind. She regularly sheds her teeth, mirroring reaper biology. More information needed.

TORGAL, BART: Prefers to remain in water, but is able to locomote on land if desired. Body gives off a faint bioluminescence; organs have mutated to resemble those of a ghost leviathan. The only locations on his body where the epidermis has not turned translucent are the chest, shoulders, and face. Basic observation of his pelvis and tail shows that the bones of the legs have grown into each other to form a second spine, complete with vertebrae, that extends down to the tip of the tail and allows him to right himself (similar to a snake). Frequently complains about discomfort in his cephalofoil.

ROBINSON, RYLEY: Robinson is observed to have suffered the least amount of mutations, but the few that he did suffer are by far the most severe of the group. The alterations to his biological structure have rendered him completely unable to locomote and speak. Unusual brain activity is occasionally seen in others when within his presence; this is claimed to be telepathic communication. Further research is needed to see if his body is able to produce Enzyme 42.

AYOU, SAMANTHA: [data corrupted]

[magicaldragons]

'bade miyan chote miyan' is an insanely messy movie

(what to expect: no spoilers)

this movie has: 1. over the top hype 2. intensely cringe dialogue at points (and i have a high tolerance) 3. a storyline that compromises its character & narrative depth for plot complexity, and ends up falling a bit short on both. 4. a terrible of usage of what could have been strong female characters.

having said that though, this is a movie that gives us [in no particular order]:

✓ a movie that begins with a fight scene (feat. manushi chhillar)

✓ fervent glances? between two men (especially when the other isn't looking)

✓ intense eye contact between homebois

✓ banter? bickering like a married couple? (hello, enemies to lovers)

✓ two explicit declarations of love (this isn't even a joke)

✓ wonderfully choreographed fight sequences (though the camerawork sometimes prevents us from appreciating the details)

✓ a sonakshi sinha cameo

✓ a villain with a solid backstory, but SIMULTANEOUSLY psychopathic for no reason at all (which is a bit refreshing)

✓ excessive handholding (not exaggerating, at least eleven times)

✓ refusing to let go of said hand (even in dangerous situations)

✓ prithviraj with long hair

✓ a villain that does NOT monologue, other than giving us essential backstory (finally!)

✓ a cheek kiss?? (again, not kidding. yes, between the main characters.)

✓ telepathic understanding between our main bois

✓ prithviraj with long hair (if i hadn't mentioned already)

✓ a cohesive, fast-paced, fun story, with plenty of plot points and surprising moments (crazy amount of potential)

(what you are ALSO signing up for):

the overt sexualization of men. men being tiger shroff and akshay kumar. (did i mention tiger shroff?)

a genius character who is also a professional simp 86% of the time

MULTIPLE dialogues that make you want to gag 😃(but entertaining in it's own weird way)

a blatant reference to the RRR dance scene during a dance montage of tiger & akshay (goood times)

prithviraj giving his 124% to a character, as usual (in a movie that is incapable of being taken seriously at times)

witnessing the lost potential of three potential badass female characters

situations that should not be escapable (but surprise, they are)

situations that should not be survivable (again, surprise)

obvious references to multiple other movies and real life memes (choti bachi ho kya?)

[ooooshetriesss]

ASTROLOGY RELATED!

If you LOVE astrology … u MIGHT want this intel:info for science purposes…

Positive sides of Pluto/moon +Pluto/venus in Scorpio in synastry..

I recently found out my Rope Top not only has moon+pluto conjunct in his natal (scorpio)

But it’s ALSO conjunct MY Pluto/venus conjunction …

And well yeah..that explains…. A lot..💀

I think this is even more fascinating cause, we tie platonically..and despite HIM having a lot of experience w/rope & myself havin little prior to us meeting/tying… not only did we move pretty fast into tying/suspension..NOT because we were rushing; but I’ll never forget him saying “idk what it is.. but the min I got u in rope & saw how u reacted… I knew i could trust u to trust ur body.”

We DEFINITELY share a crazy telepathic connection in rope.

We never plan out anything & yet we end up always pulling these INCREDIBLE collaborations.. he’s always telling me how meaningful our tying is to him; so I know it’s a reciprocal feeling.

But the most interesting thing I wanna mention that I’ve noticed in this … is HOW *healing* tying with him is & just being in his presence generally is.

Specially towards the end… I’ll come down from the ropes, he’ll drag me into his chest & lay there on the floor as we both just kinda merge.. it’s the deep INTENSE physical contact I’ve ALWAYS wanted…

But by someone who 1) respects me, 2) respects my boundaries & 3) I’m at a point in my life where I realize u can want to be grabbed hard…. DEEPLY & STILL not want to be emotionally hurt… I’m honoring those things about myself. Ive gone thru A LOT of trauma in my life, but am at a point where im choosing to bloom from those years of torrential downpour, rather then drowning in it…

He’s someone whose done insane amounts of work to integrate his shadow aspects positively (a journey I’m on atm myself)

A HUGE time of transformation for me…

(My Scorpio conjunction in my chart 11H is also aspected by my 8H moon in cancer … which is conjunct my Chiron & Jupiter..)

The more I learn about astrology… the more it absolutely blows my mind.

[ryley-robinson]

Definitely headcanon that Ryley was subject to rigorous psychological tests and screenings, and tons of poking and prodding and quarantine because:

He let it slip that a telepathic entity contacted him because he was forced to tell the truth.

He was forced to give up his PDA and all the information on it in exchange for Alterra forgiving the debt he owed. They held it over his head until he did.

He was quarantined for several weeks. The first human contact he felt after 4546b was a doctor grabbing his arm and poking him with a needle, and he had a nervous breakdown over it.

Alterra wanted to be sure their 'celebrity' wasn't going to give the Kharaa to anyone at press releases or interviews.

He also was forced to tell them he had been in contact with the cure and they started testing his blood to see if they could make a cure themselves.

I headcanon he has trace amounts of Enzyme 42 in his bloodstream for the rest of his life, basically, but nothing strong enough to make a cure.

Seeing the angry, grief stricken faces of the loved ones of the crew members he couldn't save will haunt him for the rest of his life. He has nightmares about it constantly.

[jeannefostergoriot]

Hello guys! I have a new analysis.

The Other POV x Fitz Vacker and Sokeefe.

Yes, Fitz again… Sorry?

“You said you saw her last night, somewhere walking down Main Street”: the moment in the Inquisition when Fitz said Keefe’s name and Sophie’s mind became a boiling sun. Just his name. And she’s troubled.

“and you were surprised that she’s back in town after everything.”: cause yeah, finding Keefe, again and again, after him betraying first then simply escaping, Sophie is surprised. He still comes back.

“Go on, pretend you’re fine, but it’s obvious to me”: all the moments where Sophie felt *something* towards Keefe and denied it, but Fitz always knew his best friend was a confident. It’s obvious to him, even if Sophie pretends there’s nothing.

“I know that she’s the reason why your mind’s changing”: *keuf* emotional cheating of Legacy. The fact that Keefe was there, maybe it’s a part of why Sophitz was so frail. That’s what Fitz thinks at least.

“Guess it was my mistake, got in the way of fate”: Empaths and Telepaths are often matched together. Keefe always made her smile. Sure, Fitz brought her here, but… maybe that’s for the best?

“This is the part I hate”: when Sokeefe kissed and Fitz reaction was hurt. When he realized pieces were falling into place. Without him.

“I’ve seen this movie once or twice, the girl regret losing the guy who thinks he’s moved on but he’s not”: for the amount of times Sokeefe tried to go separate ways. For the fact that, as long as Keefe’s not here, she’s always regretting his presence and thinking of him.

“Everyone sees through his facade”: Tam-Cam, Ro, how it was obvious that Keefe loved Sophie. Except to her.

“And so she’ll call and ask to meet, and you’ll forget all about me”: Fitz’ fear to be erased from the narrative, as so many of their friends were. Cause now, Sokeefe is real, and he’s just… an ex. Sure, Cognates, but it’s not the same when she has a boyfriend.

“She was always who you’d choose, I’m just the other point of view”: That could be to Shannon actually. But it’s to Sophie, too. Cause from the start of the series, Sophitz was clashing. The match in Physical Education.

“I always knew I’d be second-best at best”: that is Fitz’ crippling fear, being not enough and getting replaced.

“I always knew she left a big, gaping hole in your chest”: cause there are full weeks where they do not talk, and she’s trying to contact Keefe, and Fitz knows it is hard for her to see him away.

“I always knew about the clothes of hers you kept”: not clothes but Sophie treasures every drawing, and the way Keefe paints Iggy has to stay. So she has memories.

“I always knew that it’d be you two in the end”: maybe not always. But I think that at one point, Fitz did realize that Sokeefe would happen. And before the Inquisition.

“I guess the joke’s on me, stripped of my dignity”: the way he’s blamed for everything, every reaction, and has to hold it together.

“Oh what a sad story…” : yup, Fitz definitely lives in a tragedy. For everything. His world collapsing, his name trashed by his brother’s betrayal, his love story crumbling from the start.

“I’ve seen this movie once or twice, someone gets broken in goodbye”: maybe he saw that happen, not yet fully understanding, when he was in the Forbidden Cities. But mainly. He knows they can’t all escape unscathed, he saw what happened to his sister, he knows the broken heart will be his, cause it always has been as a grew up away.

“Everybody else moves along, don’t even notice that she’s gone”: erm. Fitz Cognate Card stopped working in Stellarlune. Fitz isn’t there. Do we notice? Not much, sadly.

“If that’s my destined role in this, then I already know who wins”: The second they broke up with Sophie, he knew who would win. That, one day or another, Sokeefe would come. Don’t ease the thing, though.

“I was never meant to win your heart”, no just to bring you there, he’s just the passageway.

“I was counted out from the very start”: Exile, first moment where he goes out. Where he screams.

“Really never meant to be such an intruder, if you would’ve been honest I would’ve left sooner”: this is Fitz-like to wonder for hours and hours and hours if she ever truly loved him. He lost sleep over this. He didn’t want to hurt Sophie. Never.

“Living in a story that’s not told for me”: yeah KOTLC ain’t about Fitz. It’s barely anyone, but now… he’s out.

“I’m not the happy ending that they wanna see”: the fact that the fandom mostly shipped Sokeefe for a very, very long time. There were a few Sophitz shippers, but let’s not lie, it was minority. Or way less vocal.

“I’m just the villain built to come between you two”: the portrait of him as bad, rage-filled and fueled, dangerous. He tries not to see this too, but he almost killed his brother. So he thinks, maybe he’s truly a villain, built to antagonize everything, and to be hated…

“I’m just the other point of view”: he’s just the door to another way. Nothing anymore.

[kukkakisu]

Hello! Been quietly admiring your OCs but I’m dying to know:

What is the range and specifics of the Conductor’s abilities? By hypnotizing other nutcrackers, is it a telepathic connection? Mind control? How many nutcrackers? Is there an upper limit?

I’m curious as to what purpose he would serve in the grander scheme of your world. I can imagine he would be useful as a leader of a unit during the war (presuming it happened in your world ofc, if not, please don’t mind this question)

Ethics? (If any) He clearly loves Naava (super cute). How did they meet? (Can I please give her a hug? I love moss and she seems so fluffy despite definitely being able to kill me)

Sorry for the barrage of questions haha

Aaaa!! Thank you for dropping by and no need to apologize! I love questions about my characters! It gives me an excuse to talk about them and boy do I have a lot to say. Also just to clarify, while it's fine to use any pronouns of Conductor, Naava is genderless and goes by they/it! I'm sure that it wouldn't mind hugging employees, as long as you're nice to them and the other monsters in the manor! They give very good hugs and the moss on it is very fluffy and soft! :) Conductor was originally designed with two purposes in mind. One was to make communication and tracking between humans and the creatures used as weapons easier. Secondly, it was meant to directly counter the Coilheads. It was very much meant to be a "leader" unit for the Nutcrackers which leads us to how its abilities work. The hypnosis is visual, works through eye contact, and is both telepathic and controlling in nature. Conductor's eye isn't completely organic due to the way it was built to work. It's a mix of organic and digital matter, that transmits data to its creators. It works both ways though so it can in turn track anything it has added to its "network" and control what those attached to it do. Visual contact with other nutcrackers enables it to add them to its network and give them commands to do. It can also communicate with anything in the network telepathically and can tell if the connection between it and something else is severed. While I can't give exact numbers, it was meant to have a long-range and a large maximum capacity. The more things it tracks though, the easier it is to miss when one doesn't act the way it's supposed to and makes mistakes a lot more likely. Additionally the further away something goes, the fuzzier the connection gets. It is a lot easier to track than command, especially as the numbers go up. Commands have to be simple and clear and if Conductor isn't focused-- the connection can break. Due to its purpose to work against Coilheads, it has excellent vision and was often positioned either high above or in other places with a lot of visibility. Basically, a long-distance unit that was meant to keep Coilheads neutralized while simultaneously providing valuable information to its makers. Additionally, its eye detects radiation. Particularly large amounts of it, which makes it easier to spot Coilheads and stop them from moving. Originally, it had a rifle to aid it with its job as well, although its primary objective wasn't to kill but to neutralize, track, and command. Its maker always told it, it was special. Not like the others. More valuable and more important. Even long after the war, it had internalized and still believed their words. This led to it becoming arrogant and because of it, Conductor ended up getting ambushed by a group of scrappers. As it wasn't originally meant for short-range combat, it got damaged severely by them and lost both its rifle and its other hand as a result. Its head also took a considerable amount of damage, leaving it very loosely attached and crooked. Left to lay on the ground miserably, the Nutcracker was seething. It never imagined something as simple as humans would be the ones to take it down and it made it feel angry and humiliated.

This is where Naava comes in. They are the reason Conductor survived and got accustomed to the changes in its body. Naava took care of it and helped it recover. It feels like it owes its life to them. At first, it didn't show gratitude as it was too stubborn to admit needing help but it was mesmerized by them the very second it saw them. It's not just the looks that caught its attention though. It admires both how strong and kind they are.

With Conductor's recovery, it had to change its approach to combat completely. While it could have taken a shotgun from the other Nutcrackers in the facility, it couldn't use it due to the loss of its arm. It had to learn to defend itself in other ways and with time became excellent at short-range combat, perhaps partially due to its rage towards the humans that had beaten it once. It seeks to gain revenge if they ever come back to the moon.

Ethic wise, it is still a somewhat selfish, angry creature that thinks of itself to be on a higher level than most of the other Nutcrackers and monsters. It won't hesitate to kill anything that pisses it off or that it just sees as something to be removed from the manor. Naava (and by extension, CC) are the only few people it is much more kind with. It does feel a sense of responsibility for other Nutcrackers though (particularly those it tracks and controls), and wants to keep them in top condition. If any harm comes their way, it will protect them fiercely and put itself on the front lines without any hesitation. It does also honor the idea of duels and will agree to one with anyone that suggests it. It values strong fighters and while it is still somewhat harsh, Conductor's heart and view of the world have softened quite a lot thanks to Naava's influence.

There are a few more details of Conductor but they include spoilers for the v50 beta. So, this is your spoiler warning. Read at your own risk!

The Old Birds are chill with Conductor and it used to ride them during the war. Especially when they were up in the air. An excellent place to be in, when you have to keep an eye on a large area. It's not exactly known how Conductor manages to get them to listen without hypnosis, but they seem to like and understand the Nutcracker a lot better than the humans. It is speculated they communicate through binary thanks to the similarities in their systems.

They won't shoot it and quiet down around it. They also like carrying it around, if Conductor ever goes outside and one is nearby.

That's all for now. Thank you for asking and reading! :)

[celestelunisea16]

Angst idea: for some reason they don't see eachother for an extended period of time with no contact whatsoever (say like a month of nothing from the other)

Ok, Angst Time? We got this!

Oh, and warnin' for all of you, this has angst. (Mentions of not eating, Depression, etc...)

I'm going to put a cut here in case cause womp-

So I feel like there would be a huge reason for why Lucifer and Starlo would deal with staying away from each other for a while for that amount of time.

If it was on Lucifer's side, I feel like it would be because something that can be very dangerous to Starlo's well-being is happening. Like for example, say Heaven's extermination hour turns into weeks or hours. Lucifer would probably cut contact for about a month because he doesn't want Starlo to worry about him. See, to Lucifer, it seemed like a good idea, but to Starlo?

He's panicking as if Lucifer got kidnapped or hurt. See the first week, he's moderately ok as hey, maybe they're preparing for Extermination again or maybe he's making upgrade for his daughter's hotel? Maybe...

The second week passes, and this man starts realizing something is up. He starts trying to get ahold of Lucifer with his telepathic communication that he has with him only to end up with nothing but silence. This makes him more worried about him. He tries to make up some excuse, any excuses just to calm himself down, but the fact Lucifer hasn't even responded to him makes him feel almost like he's done something wrong...

The full 30-31 days pass and Lucifer returns from the issue that made him unable to see Starlo, only to return with Ceroba shouting at him for abandoning her best friend for a month. Lucifer would probably try to explain to Ceroba about what kept him from talking to Starlo, which would make Ceroba calm down in understanding, but she would tell him to go talk to Starlo and explain what happened, as he thinks that Lucifer abandoned him or even thought he had gotten hurt.

Once Lucifer goes to look for Starlo in the Fiestyj Five's hideout, it turns out he's curled up on his bed. He just looks so distant and disheartened because he has been gone for so long, and Lucifer feels horrible for not telling Starlo sooner, but any time he tried, there was an angel trying to kill him.

"Starshine...? I'm back!"

"... Luci? Is that you...?"

As soon as Lucifer makes his presence known, I feel like Starlo would have a huge amount of joy when he sees Lucifer is back, but he would stay silent, thinking that he's probably got bad news in hand. He looks disheveled and hurt, and he's glowing dimly in the darkened room of the base. The other four seemed to have gone out of the base for a few days, so it was only Star in that room. It was clear that Starlo had started to barely eat because he couldn't find the strength to while he was gone... This was all clear sign he wasn't taking care of himself. What shocked Lucifer the most though was the question Starlo asked after he sat down on Star's bed with him...

"... Are you goin' to break up with me?"

"... What?!"

Lucifer immediately engulfs Starlo in a hug, his heart heavy with hurt and sadness. He's almost kicking himself at leaving him alone for so long without letting him know...

"Hon, no, I'd never break up with someone as beautiful as you are..."

"Th-Then why did you leave me for so long? I was so afraid a-and I... I jus'... I thought you h-hated me a-and-"

*Lucifer presses a gentle kiss to his cheek before going back to hugging him tightly...*

"My Starlight... I could never hate you, I... I love you too much to hate you at all. Just let me explain everything, ok?"

After he explains everything to Starlo, Starlo would basically come to understand why Lucifer had to leave him for a month. Though, he would still shed tears because the amount of stress and worry on this man was heavy on his back. Lucifer would promise not to leave him for a long time again without letting him know again, and if he did, he promised he would do everything in his power to make it up to him. But also since Starlo hadn't been caring for himself, I'm pretty sure this would happen.

"... My Radiance, did you eat anything?"

"... I ate a piece of Beef Jerky two days ago."

*He stands up and pulls him up with him*

"Starshine!"

"But I'm fine, Apple Pie, trust me-"

"No, we're getting you some food whether you like it or not because you didn't eat for two whole days straight, and you can't live off of a tiny piece of meat product!"

Expect Starlo to get treated like a prince/princess after this whole ordeal!

Now, it's time for the swapped role.

Starlo wouldn't really have much of a reason to have to stay away from Lucifer. Like, yeah, sometimes, they have little disagreements or something they have to get away from each other for, but he wouldn't have much of a reason...

Unless...

So, taking lifespan into account, Lucifer has lived for years. Starlo has lived for around maybe 30 years, I'm assuming?

I'm thinking something would happen in the Wild East. One day, while people were asking him questions about how life was with a king, there was this one monster who was an absolute fan of the Sheriff. We will call this monster, Grapefruit.

Grapefruit was a big fan of Starlo, and now that he's dating the King of Hell, would probably try to do something to cause their relationship to fall apart out of jealousy.

(Author note: GIRL, HE DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU, GRAPEFRUIT, PUT UP THEM HANDS, WE FIGHTIN'!)

So one day, while everyone was asking him questions, Grapefruit would be the one to ask one specific question.

"Hey, Sheriff! How do you feel about knowing that you're going to die while your boyfriend is immortal and stuck to live with it when you do?!"

"I..."

That would cause Starlo to actually breakdown, I think. He wouldn't break down in front of everyone, but he would excuse himself and speed walk out of the Saloon to cry in private.

After that, he would make a decision to avoid Lucifer for as long as he can. Even keeping himself from getting to Lucifer telepathically by just keeping his name out of his head.

Lucifer for the first week is concerned, but he's assuming that maybe Starlo is having some fun doing missions or maybe needs some time alone...? He's trying to keep himself calm, but something in the back of his head is telling him otherwise.

The second week, he starts getting really concerned... He tries getting ahold of Starlo telepathically, but only he doesn't relent until he realizes Starlo hung up intentionally. To which he's getting horribly afraid that he's either been kidnapped or worse. He even tries to go to the Wild East himself, but when he asks around, everyone stays silent... When he returns to the castle, I'm pretty sure he's crying into a pillow or he's making more rubber ducks to keep himself from thinking on it too much.

When the whole month goes by, he almost gives up on trying to see Starlo or finding him...

At least until Starlo telepathically communicates with him for the first time in a month. As soon as Lucifer hears his broken and ragged cries for him echoing in his thoughts, he immediately opens up a portal to him and asks him what's wrong.

When he gets there, Starlo is having a really bad breakdown, clutching his knees like a lifeline almost to the point he's making wounds in his own legs, magic entity (Monsterkind's basic "blood") dripping from the scratches in them as he's muttering and sobbing like he's been deathly injured and attacked.

Lucifer immediately goes to him and gently puts his hands on his shoulders. He has so many questions, concerns, fears, and worries on his mind, but he's pushing them back to comfort Starlo as much as he can.

"My Starlight, please, calm down, it's me! It's me..."

"Luci...? Luci!!!"

Once Starlo realizes it, he's hugging Lucifer tightly, crying into him as he just sobs uncontrollably...

"Lucifer, I-I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have ignored you! I-I should have never ignored you! I'm sorry!!!"

*Lucifer hugs Starlo tightly*

"My love, it's ok-!"

"No, i-it's not ok! I-I ignored you 'c-cause I listened to that other monster in the Saloon, a-and when they asked the question, I-I didn't know how to respond, and- a-and-!"

"Starlo, it's ok... What did they ask you?"

*Starlo tries to wipe his eyes as he takes a deep breath...*

"Th-They asked me what I thought about the fact that you'd outlive me and how I felt about knowin' that I'd be abandonin' you when I die..."

Immediately when Lucifer hears that, he almost goes into his full demon form, but since he doesn't want to scare Starlo and make his breakdown worse, he silently goes into it before wrapping his wings around Starlo and gently speaking to him.

"Who did it?"

"I-I dunno, they were in a crowd a-and..."

*Lucifer sighs as he just continues holding Starlo, petting his top Ray gently as he presses a kiss to his head.*

"Well, since you don't know them, then don't ever listen to them."

"B-But, Lucifer-!"

"Listen to me, Starlo, that person only wants to bring you down. They're just trying to make you feel broken and want you to feel sad."

"But Luci, they're right, I'm able to die, a-and you're not, unless by some heavenly weapon... Wh-What if I were about to jus' die tomorrow and-!"

"I would spend every second with you. I would stay with you until the Heavens crash aground... I don't care how long you live for, I still love you. You're my one and only Celestial Guidance, and God knows I would never give any of our time spent together away for anything..."

Starlo would cry because of this. Lucifer basically admitted that no matter what, he'd love him, even if he were to die tomorrow or anytime soon.

I'm telling you, after that whole situation? Lucifer and Starlo are even tighter as a couple from that whole fiasco. The amount of cuddles they'd give each other after both situations is a HUGE number.

(I can see the angst now... Give me a moment- *goes to silently cry in the corner*)

[theshehulkproject]

18, 21, 25!

Yessssss!

18: A memorable meal this year?

The first one! On New Year’s morning, my friend pulled out all the stops and had a fully gluten free crepe party/brunch for my friends who had come to town for New Year's. She served one round of savory crepes. Oh wait, I found a picture of the menu she made.

it’s not so much the crepes as it is… just the love that’s stored in that meal. The wonder of setting the table and then sitting in the coziest kitchen with my friend who is 6 watching my best friends bustle about the kitchen. Reading bits of a literary nonfiction book aloud whenever something catches my fancy. Truly the Wendy Cope Orange poem of meals.

21: What’s something new about your place of residence (room, home, or general location) now vs the start of the year?

I moved! Once upon a time I lived in a low-ceilinged basement apartment, but then I found a newt in it (!!!) and found that the floorboards were full on molding. I freaked out and moved out to a second story apartment that’s my favorite place I’ve ever lived alone—just enough space for me and my cat, more sunlight, and a covered patio!!! That my dad and I converted to a catio!!!

25: Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? Describe one

@starlit-mansion you are the only one who knows about them!!! But I’ll tell everyone else as well.

Sometimes before bed I'll look at exchange Original Works writing prompts to full-contact juggle in my brain while I'm drifting off. I found a prompt for The Goddess of Telepathy/The God of Jewelry/The God of Time and I got so excited I couldn't sleep for HOURS. Before too long I had three solid characters and a whole pantheon set up, it was a beautiful thing. I still think of them constantly, but this is the most I've written down about them for a long time:

The Goddess of Telepathy is basically the goddess of deep knowing; the goddess of mountains and whalesong and the feeling that rocks get when rivers run over them for a hundred years... and also like 15 actually telepathic humans but they all try not to make too big a deal out of it. She's big in every dimension: tall and fat with the confidence of an opera singer but the serenity of someone who meditates every day. Her skin is the light brown of willow bark and she wears exclusively drapey, toga-like clothing.

The God of Jewelry is a real gremlin of a man, who was once the Goddess of Jewelry but then he made a golden phallus one time and decided it was his. Where his wife is still and serene, his hands are always in motion, always fiddling with the incredible amount of jewelry he has on at any time. He wears sort of a punk-rock military-style jacket and has dark skin with locs that have all kinds of beads in them. Very important: He always has a small living golden frog that spends most of its time as an ear cuff and might be his familiar? possibly a help in the jewelry forge?

The God of Time is just a mess.

I love these three but I might love them too much to commit them to an OW story? Someone did request them again for Holly Poly, though, so I might try to make it work for that? We'll see.

(I have other OCs that I haven't told anyone about, also based on OW ship tags, and I could share if you want but also it's late and I might have to go to bed.)

[therealrpalmas]

Awakenings

Voices, voices in the distance, not at the edge of hearing but at the edge of thought. Not that there was much thought as of yet, there was just awareness, and dim at that.

M-Shields in place.

Did we contain the breach?

Looks like it. No sign of detectors or sniffer activity. I think we lucked out.

A hand touching her neck, at the hollow of her throat, then moving to the side, just above her collarbone. Rested there.

Pulse! Got a pulse. Weak but regular.

Thank the sheltering stones. Now, what the fuck happened there, doc?

Burned if I know. One moment she was, well, not fine, you know what I mean. But at least stable. The next-

I think I have her.

The whispy feeling of a mind brushing against her. She shivered, pulled, back, the touch hurt almost as much as a physical one. Another brush, harder, almost a push, and this time she struck out in reflex, swiping at the tendril of thought which kept prodding her. Her eyes snapped open-

Marelynah, protective goggles and headgear removed, staring down at her. Smiling with her mouth but not with her mind. She was concerned. Almost scared. "Welcome back."

She could feel the star burn, burn against her skin. Bare skin. Thick bandages.

Another episode? It sure felt like it: the weakness, shortness of breath, residual pain. But why? Why this time? The first one had been triggered by that airsoft projectile (she still didn't understand the purpose of that… had it been a game?). But this?

She tried to talk, coughed weakly instead. Marelynah nodded, and again that mind-tendril reached out, this time just hovering close instead of touching. And now it was her turn to reach out, mind to mind, bridging that minute gap. Contact.

Easier to think than to talk? Marelynah's mental voice, soft, still concerned.

Yes. Talking hurts.

You know what happened. It was a statement, not a question.

Yes. Mercutio explained, in images, not in words. How, years ago, she had been hit by a bullet – not all that different from an 'airsoft projectile', but shot fast enough to tear through energy shields and the combat suit underneath. It had shattered her collar bone and come to rest in the place what for humans would be a muscle, but where in her alien anatomy her heart was located. Aided by the crystal star she wore there was a lot her body could heal – but it couldn't stand foreign objects and did its best to repel them. The bullet's location acted as a stopper, preventing her from bleeding out in seconds. But at the same time it prevented her healing. The 'episodes' were her bodies attempt to expel the bullet, her heart contracting sharply trying to push the foreign object out.

She had learn to live with them, though that had taken time, and as she grew stronger the wound had gradually closed and the amount of episodes had lessened, though they had never been completely gone.

Another nod from Marelynah, a gesture of assent which wasn't usual among her people but which she had picked up from… when? Their earlier mental contact, perhaps, the one which gave Mercutio the knowledge needed to speak their language.

For if nothing else, at least this was clear: these people here, all of them, were experienced telepaths.

Yes. This is what sets us apart from the people outside of the cordoned zone. It's what they don't understand, and what people don't understand-

People fear, Mercutio chimed in. That, regrettably, appeared to be an universal law.

There were more things she wanted to ask – who were these people, how had this come about, what had happened here? But she was too tired to concentrate on asking them and listening to the answer. Tired and hurt and her medpack had been crushed and that meant no painkillers she could use.

How can we help?

Such a simple question. A kindness. How strange that even in dark places there was light, just like there was always darkness in light places. Something about human nature. Humanoid nature, rather- Try to focus on the question, Mercutio. This was a deeper thought, not sent out through the tendril which touched mind to mind, but hidden beneath her shield.

I… wish I knew. Need to contact my ship. My people. Need to report in… How much time had passed since she last had contact? She had lost track of time. They must be worried. Were they still there? Ciadan had told her not to worry about the Nightstar, but that was easier said than done. Her friends were up there.

And where was Ciadan now? 'I'll be watching' the computer had said, but she had no idea how, or why. Either way, Ciadan wouldn't be able to help her here.

We must attend to your bodily needs. We have limited resources here, but we'll see what we can do. Rest now. The mind withdrew.

Here was Hulam again, reaching for her with his butterfly fingers. Mercutio shook her head weakly. It was all she could do, she couldn't pull away, was too weak right now to even do that. No, no, please don't touch me-

Trust me. Hulam's mental touch was as gentle as his physical ones had been, no probing tendril but a soft whisper like a breeze. You won't feel me. And indeed, when his fingers touched her it didn't intensify the mental contact the way she expected. Nothing happened at all. The fingers brushed the bandages, probing for something she couldn't see, couldn't feel. Then withdrew again.

Your body sustained quite a shock. I can place a block which will absorb your pain. It will gradually dissolve, but it will ease you now. And it can be reapplied at any given time. Would you like me to do so?

She nodded. Please yes please end the pain…

Another touch, mind to mind, a brief stab silver injection mental probe and then it melted spread warmth and comfort blanket absorbing pain calm peace calm…

Mercutio sighed and closed her eyes.

(To be continued)

[advnterccs]

SEND ME 🕯️TO HEAR MY CHARACTER'S INNER THOUGHTS ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER. || accepting

@muses-inn sent; 🕯️ (I'm on mobile and too lazy to switch blogs rn, but thoughts of Jerry (muses-inn) from Rick and Morty?) ^^

At the dinner table, Rick couldn't help to look up towards Jerry. His brow furrowed as they made eye contact for the briefest of seconds. Damn, who knew spending so many amount of years here would mean that he tolerated his son-in-law less and less.

Chewing on a forkful of meat, he continued to stare daggers that way. As if he were trying to telepathically send him every thought that came to mind.

'Damn, wh-who allowed him to sit with us, doesn't he know that dogs eat out of a bowl on the floor. Shit, that's a good one, I-I should say that out loud one of these days. Ugh, there he goes chewing with his mouth open. How did Beth ever find that attractive? I-I mean, seriously, I've seen Hugirots that are more sexy than he is. A-And that's fuckin' saying something given how ugly their species is.'

From right next to the scientist, Morty noticed the way that his grandfather stared down his dad. He looked back and forth between them. There was no sign of silent arguing, but that only lead to more questions before left unanswered.

And something told him that Rick was being an asshole. He just couldn't put a finger on how or why.

'Geez, I-I feel really bad for dad, I-I mean, he's... good in his own way. Sometimes. I-I just don't get why Rick still has to be an asshole about it. I-I thought that they hung out sometimes. O-Or maybe I'm wrong a-and it's just all a ploy to make fun of him..... m-maybe I should hang out with dad more.... m-maybe that would be a good thing.'