#dr beaks will see you now

[spockasmr]

al is never getting out of therapy

[n0tamused]

Hello! may i request a dr ratio fic where he randomly turns into an owl and now reader has to find a way to turn him back into a human, while reader finds a way, they take care of dr. owltio! its basically your typical "oh no my s/o turns into something and now i have to deal w it!" fanfic😭🙏 Ive seen silly tiktoks of veritas being an owl bc it resembles him so well🥹💗

A/n: I love those tiktoks sm bro 😭 They're so cute, I went to work on this as soon as I could. I hope I did this prompt justice, enjoy!

Contents: Veritas Ratio x GN! Reader, fluff, Owltio!

Words: 2465

“Quit your back talking” you scold, voice sharp as you whip around to glare at the bird on the table. Poised even in this fragile form, the big owl straightened its back, standing a little taller and letting out an accusatory ‘whooo’ at you. Despite the mild irritation you felt, from almost hearing all he had to say in your mind in human tongue from his irritation of being turned into this, you couldn’t help the way your face crumbled into a grin. Lifting a hand to rub the bridge of your nose, you take a moment to simply breathe and bask in the irony of the situation you find yourself in. Cackling you shook your head, trying to hide your amusement behind your hand, but the sound already reached the bird’s ears and he was already sauntering over to the edge of the desk as if to scold you for ‘not taking this seriously enough’. 

More coos came from him as you offered no response, but this time much less sharp but more defeated as his big wings stood half outstretched - it’s not everyday one gets turned into an animal, and Veritas was certainly not adapting swiftly to the clumsy yet deadly feet of this avian. His walk was awkward as he shuffled across the desk, his feathery back now turned to you as he looked for something.

Audibly letting out a soft ‘awh’, you approach the desk again, muttering an apology to him. Your words are met with his head spinning around to look at you 180 degrees, cartoonishly funny and beyond amusing. “I’m sorry alright.. No need to go  sulking about. Doubt you’d be able to do much like this anyway, and goodness knows I’d burn in hell if I just left you- leaving you like this'' you cackle a little as you reach out to rub the top of his head. He ducks away, so you leave him be. “I will help you out, okay? We��re in this together, but you’ll have to be a little more cooperative with me, Veritas”

He looks at you, clicking his little beak as he swishes his way to another corner of the desk, flapping his wings, and only then do you realize just how hot it was in the room, a warm breath of air making the layers of clothes stick to you like second skin. It must be no better for him with all those feathers. “Lucky you, I’m off work for the rest of the day. How about we get you a bath, hm?”

 Just like before, the owl’s head turned around, but this time its big eyes looked at you in a way they appeared to praise you for such a fantastic idea. Ever the person to not ask for help, had you not asked, the owl would have stayed here to swelter in the heat. “You like that, hm?” you coo at him, unable to hold back the mirth you found in the way he behaved - it is still a mystery for how long he’ll stay in this form, so it’s best to enjoy every moment while you could.

“Sometimes I wonder if you love those baths more than you even love me” you say out loud, holding your arm outstretched so the big bird can hop onto your forearm, you see it’s feathery ears perking, and another angry 'hooooo' went flying out from him, his chest puffing out in defense, scolding you for even posing such a stupid statement while he can’t verbally refute it. Sure, the doctor never directly spoke of his affections for you, but it should be without a doubt he favors you in more ways than one, and he definitely loves you more than his baths.

Nonetheless, you respond to his noise with a small smile as you carry him to the bathroom, a low hum coming forth from your throat as the silence due to the absence of his voice feels odd. You never realized before how much his voice filled your every day, specifically at home, although the silence between the two of you as you relaxed or went about your own thing wasn’t rare either. 

As the water began to fill the tub, Veritas found his purchase on one edge, watching as the water swirled inside, cool and radiating, tempting him to simply hop in right away. Not wanting to risk him drowning, you stopped the water from filling the tub whole, leaving enough water for him to sit comfortably in. “You need help getting in?” you asked as you looked at the big owl who, without a word(well, sound), hopped into the water, big wings spreading across as much as the tub would allow them to go. Water engulfed him from all sides as he splashed and dove his head swiftly underneath the water before coming up to shake the water off his face. Chuckling, you crouched down and rested your arms on the edge, one arm extending lower so the fingers could touch the water and flick some water on your beloved lover-turned-bird.

“WHOO” he says, a light gurgle in his howl as water splashed into his beak, prompting him to give a fast shake of his head. Now soaked and finally cool, he let his wings simply hang in the water with only his head bobbing on the water’s surface. It was like a purr, his next sound, a soft little ‘huuuu’ as he let his big eyes fall shut as the coolness licked up his feathers.

“I suppose this will have to become the new routine, until we can get you to turn back, that is” you comment as you look around for that one thing you never saw Ratio’s bath go without. The little duck floatie wasn’t too far off, standing on one of the shelves beside the bathtub, watching over the precious bathtub like a little guard before you retrieved it to sit beside Veritas. He looked at the duckie, which looked much bigger than he remembered, then up at you, then back at the duckie’s googly eyes. A sigh followed as the bird went back to cleaning himself off, his tail flicking back and forth, spraying water at you. 

Holding up your hand over your face in a frail attempt to shield yourself didn’t deter Veritas from subtly (but not so subtly) trying to splash you with the cool water. From the flap of his wings and down to the swish of his big tail, the water came flying at you. You laugh after the initial splash hits you, in disbelief at his action but no less happy to see it happen. And in retaliation, you cup your hand in the water and splash him back. “Don’t spray your water at me, you reek, you big bird!” you tease, earning a rather alarmed look from the bird before he dove down under the surface, fluffing his feathers as he came onto the surface to ruffle them. He yelled at you, bopping over to where you were and nudged at your hand. 

“You want me to wash you?” you guessed, and you guessed right as the next cry was more urgent as he extended one clawed leg up to grab around your fingers and draw you in. “Oh, yes, we can’t have you stinking up the place, no sir. If we do, then who’s to say we won’t have someone knocking on our doors to ask about the smell” you keep up your playful demeanor, fully knowing you will earn another earful from Veritas once his beak is turned back to human mouth. You giggle nonetheless, reaching your hand to begin and rub into his feathers. “I should go get you some bird-safe soap too, I don’t want to risk it with the soap we have” You tell him, and he seems understanding enough, a soft coo meeting your ears as a reply.

So many thoughts swirled in your head as you thought of the way you carefully had to handle his wings and the ways to help him turn back to his normal self. Ideas fell short from reality, sending you back to square one. Bringing this situation up to some of the higher ups at the Intelligentsia Guild seemed as the most plausible idea, while simultaneously being something that would most likely earn dislike from your lover here. While you took time to think of possible ways to help him, you could only hope that prolonged transformation like this had no dire side effects.

Three days flew by quickly. Books piled up on your desk and around the house, and the Guild has provided quite some solutions to your little problem - they were eager to get the genius back in their midst, but you only wanted to get Veritas out of this form. 

The weird food concoctions you had to feed the poor man(bird) made you feel sick, but he took it like a champion, only sighing, inhaling and then eating the food. Sometimes he’d fly around the rooms to get his exercise in, or to distract himself from the horrid tasting food; sometimes he’d wait for you around the kitchen to give him a sweeter tasting thing to cleanse his pallet, and other times he’d simply nap. You found out he slept a lot during the day, reminding you of cats. Your own sleeping schedule had gone to ruins and that was no fault of his - you simply wanted to help him where you could and spend time with him, entertaining him or feeding him. 

Yet, you couldn’t deny that the poor sleep has quickly caught up to you as you stifle another yawn. Now it was your time to relax in the bath, and the water did wonders to your muscles and mind alike. Suds slid down your neck and dipped back into the water as you sat down the scrubby sponge down aside in favor of resting, submerged up to the chin in the bubbly water.

No wonder he liked baths so much, you think, mind blanking otherwise. A distant flutter barely made your mind perk, until the small clink of claws on the bath’s edge had you flinching. 

“Veritas!- Didn’t I say that you should at least chirp if you fly towards me” With a small sigh you relax again. For all his big wings, he still flew as silently as the breath of the breeze.  You’d never get used to it. “Do you need anything, I'm afraid I can't help you right away, I’m a bit busy now” you mutter, your lower lip touching the water before you tilt your head up at him. His owlish eyes looked at the water, then at you, before he performed a small hop, landing on your knees that barely touched the surface of the water. “Want to join me, huh..? You know, you really shouldn’t, this isn’t that bird shampoo I bought for you” Veritas puffs his feathers in defiance, noting how the water was now deep, but with you a breath away, he let himself fall in. The suds rising and sticking to his feathers.  He cooed and squawked, flapping his wings and splashing the water. 

You quickly dipped your hands underneath, finding his clawed feet and offering him purchase so he doesn’t struggle, even if his big wings did a great job at keeping him afloat. There could never be a lack of caution, 

“Ratioooo” you whined, frowning and preparing to give him an earful before the weight in your hands grew tenfold, a sudden flicker and a flash of light blinding you to what actually happened in that fragment of a moment. Gasping you felt some water splash into your nose and mouth, the chemical taste of soap making your frown and hiss while the water being splashed over the floor alarmed you to no end.

“Ow-!” you winced, pulling your hands back from underneath the weight. Coughing resonated in the room, and this time it didn’t come from you.

“Veritas!?” Without even seeing him you recognized him, the mere sound of his coughs being enough to make your heart spring with mirth and a sense of triumph. You pushed back, the bathtub suddenly becoming too crowded, and looked up at him. Water dripped down his body, and before he could reply, his knee caught onto the slippery side of the tub, gravity pulling him down into the water and over you. Water splashed more, but you could only open your arms to catch him.

One had slipped underneath you, holding your upper back while the other held onto the edge of the tub to keep himself from falling any lower. He cleared his throat, blinking the water from his eyes. As you cheered his name and held him so closely, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, his cheeks struggling to fight the blush from rising up to them. Despite the initial shock and a wave of frustration that the soapy water caused by irritating his eyes, he couldn’t help but bask in the pure mirth you oozed. A childish joy that could stifle even his irritation - especially his. 

“VERITAS!” You cheered, all fatigue leaving your body as you held him again, your fingers not meeting the feathers but smooth and wet skin of his muscled back. His wet hair stuck to his forehead and a few stray hairs poked at his eyelids until he pushed his hair back. His mind reeled at the sudden loss of his much lighter form, and far more complicated one. Although he yearned to be human again for all the time he spent in his owl form, now he found it weird to feel fingers at the ends of his arms again. But what he had missed the most was this hold around his shoulders. 

“IT WORKED! You’re back, finally!” Your voice rang in his ears, reminding him of the ugly taste on his tongue and the shame he felt when you brought him into the HQ of the Guild, him perched on your shoulder and standing taller than the others - as always. 

“I told you- I-” he sputtered, but only groaned as words failed to form on his tongue. Has he gone mute from only cooing and howling?  “Pftt..” he chuckled, low and raspy as he pushed himself back, reeling you back with him to properly sit in the bath. He watched you lean back for only a few moments, your big smile forming the apples of your cheeks while your wet palm cupped his cheek. It made his breath hitch, and he’d be damned to admit, but he was sure his heart skipped a beat as well. Not wasting another moment, he pulled your back into his embrace, his face hidden away over your shoulder.

“You’re enjoying this far too much” Veritas spoke, even as a smile stretched across his features.

Ⓒ n0tamused. Do not repost, translate, edit, and/or copy any of my works. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

[accioscarheadthings]

ULTRAMINE ~ CHAPTER 6

kenji sato x reader

summary: professor sato suggests to get out of the house for a while, only to get ambushed by the kdf

pairings: kenji sato x fem!student!reader

warning: none, combat (?)

masterlist !

you strode down the corridors of the kdf headquarters, feeling an unusual sense of calm after your duty shift had ended.

missed calls from kenji and professor sato flooded your phone. but you didn't attend them. you didn't want to.

you passed by the conference area, pausing when you noticed a commotion inside.

you saw some of your colleagues gathered in the conference room, attacking kenji, professor sato and emi. the three of them seemed to have set up a camp near a lake.

drones had lined up, ready to fire. emi spun around, beak opening as she fired at the drones. the screen blacked out and all of them lost signal.

you grinned to yourself in satisfaction, glad that the training has worked, "that's my girl,"

'do we have more drones in the area?'

'yes, doctor. a short distance away,'

'send them. send them now!'

hearing dr. onda's orders and his stubborn demanding tone, you felt fear and concern surge within you, seeing how more drones were rounding up on them.

"shit, shit, shit!"

you hurried towards the exit, undecided on what you should do.

you wanted to help them, but you couldn't stand to face kenji again. his words triggered you so much that you were up all night, curling into yourself as your body trembled.

but at the same time, you didn't want emi and professor sato to get caught in the crossfire.

you headed towards the terrace of the headquarters, trying to make up your mind.

"fuck this," you stepped on the ledge of the building, plummeting into the air on your back.

your warbird suit closed around you, metal suit engulfing you until the mask closed over your face and your eyes lit up. your turbo thrusters at your feet boosted as you maneuvered through the night sky.

"those drones have direct feed videos to the kdf headquarters. we need to go, now," professor sato pressed.

"come on, sweetie. time to go," kenji urged emi.

but emi only whimpered, clutching at her chest. she slowly turned around, a red glow emitting from her body. she fell to her knees, reaching out with a cry as vivid colours of strings closed around her body, enclosing her in a cocoon.

kenji paniced, "what's happening? what wrong with her?"

professor sato assured, quite startled yourself, "she's entering the pupal stage. I didn’t know it would be this soon. she's changing,"

"changing? changing into what?!"

"not sure, but she's in a vulnerable state right now. we have to get her someplace safe," professor kenji announced, walking ahead.

"firing up the jet," mina declared.

"dad, as soon as the jet arrives-"

a distant whoosh was heard, signaling the approach of drones.

"dad!" kenji hollered.

"kenji!" professor sato reached a hand to him.

fire rained down all around the two as the drones surrounded them. the older man was thrown on his back from the effect, knocked unconcious.

kenji rushed to his side, crouching beside him, and tried to get him to wake up. when his father was unresponsive, kenji felt a bout of anger clouding his mind, pushing every rational thought out of his mind, "no!"

eyes blazing in anger, he sized up to his ultraman form, fist pulling back as he punched all the drones firing his way.

professor sato blinked his eyes open, making the blurry view of his son fighting the drones and missiles.

he smiled when he saw a streak of light directed his way, slumping back on the ground in relief.

you landed on the ground beside the professor in worry, "professor! are you alright?"

but he was barely able to reply and raised a shaky finger to point at emi's cocoon.

you followed, eyes bulging at the sight in front of you, "oh, she got into a pupal stage,"

just then, a drone skidded on the ground, ejecting a tracker on the wall of the cocoon.

you punched your fist into the drone, crushing it with your strength, and hurried to the pupa.

you placed a jammer on the tracker, making sure to disable the device.

a drone had locked target on you and was firing your way. you held up a hand to shield yourself, before shooting into the sky.

"gotcha," you grabbed the drone, crushing it in your hold.

"y/n!"

you froze mid-air at kenji's voice, your thrusters holding you up.

you looked over your shoulder to see the giant face of ultraman.

"w-what are you doing here?" kenji stammered, not expecting you to show up for help.

more fire rained down your way, interrupting your moment.

"get in the jet, now!" you hollered at him through the chaos, one palm raised as you sent a beam of laser at a drone.

"y/n, but you're-"

"go!" you urged him, glaring as you held up a palm beside his face, firing at a giant missile behind his head and making it explode.

kenji quickly shifted his father and emi's cocoon into the jet when after it arrived, while you covered for him.

you took a hard blow to your chest when a missile blasted at you, causing your thrusters to fail and you descended down the sky.

two giant metallic palms caught you; ultraman safely transferred you to the hatch of the jet, handing the last of the drones.

you propped yourself on your elbows, laying on your back.

just then, kenji's suit beeped, signaling he was about to shrink down, and leaped into the jet's opening after you.

kenji landed on top of you, arms catching himself on the floor at either side of your head, his body pressed against yours while your right knee was propped up, flanking him between your legs.

your warbird suit shifted back, revealing your brown tank top and cargo pants, sweat beading on your skin since you had hurried your way through the kdf headquarters for this man in front of you.

but mainly for the sake of emi and professor sato, you told yourself.

liar, another voice mocked.

"well," kenji peered down at you with a smirk, "this is familiar," a raven strand of hair fell on his forehead. you bit back the urge to brush it away.

you glared at him, reminding him of your last encounter and how it had ended with him ragefully shouting at you, inciting a panic attack and ultimately leading to your escape from his mansion.

his gaze softened, eyes conveying so much emotion. so many unspoken explanations.

"mina," he called the ai, bringing one hand to caress your cheek with the back of his hand, "take us home,"

after returning to kenji's mansion, professor sato was transferred to a life support cradle since he was still unconscious.

according to mina, he had taken several internal injuries and he was in a critical state. meanwhile, emi's status was... incomprehensible. none of you had any idea when she'd make it out of her pupa.

you stared at her cocoon, glancing at the professor in the life support cradle.

"I'm leaving," you declared, her voice tinged with remorse. "It's too dangerous to be around me,"

however, kenji firmly shook his head, his gaze locked on yours, "no," he said adamantly, "you're staying, and that's final,"

you opened your mouth to protest, but he cut you off with a sharp glance.

"i'm not arguing about this," he stated firmly, "you're not leaving. we'll figure out how to keep you safe,"

you huffed, your irritation apparent, but he didn't budge. he told himself it was to keep you safe, but deep down, he knew his feelings went deeper than that.

"this isn't up for debate!" he said, his tone leaving no room for argument, "you're staying here, and you're going to let me protect you."

you retorted angrily, "i don't want to put you in danger," you strode away from him, spinning on your heels.

feeling frustrated, kenji caught your wrist, and suddenly pinned you against the wall, his hands wrapped firmly around your wrists.

you gasped at his action, feeling his body press against you and fix you in place. you blinked up at him, eyes wide and lips parted.

"sweetheart, look, i know you're capable and strong," he continued, eyes holding a hint of worry, "but I can't take the risk of something happening to you. i need to be here to protect you, to keep you safe. i know there's a chance that they could track me with you, but," he paused, "i'm willing to risk it if it means i can keep you safe by my side,"

you flashed your eyes in annoyance, trying not to focus on your close proximity. you could feel his breath on your cheek.

"and if i disagree with you?" you challenged.

kenji stepped back, letting your wrist fall at your sides.

you let out a yelp as your entire world turned upside down and you were thrown over his shoulder, body dangling while his arms held your knees to his broad chest.

"kenji!" you writhed against him, "let me go," you were flustered by him holding you in such a manner and you fought to keep your voice steady.

"no," kenji strutted down the hall, "not until you agree to stay here. and besides, i like carrying you like this," he added smugly.

he entered the room where you were staying when you last visited. he set you down on the edge of the bed, crouching to your level.

"look, i have a lot of things i wanna talk to you about and apologize for. and now, with dad-" his voice cracked. he shook his head, continuing, "you're the only one who can help me with emi. so please," he took both your hands in his, thumbs caressing your knuckles, "stay,"

you mulled over your options; he was right. he did need your help to handle emi, given the uncertainty of her cocoon's status. and so did professor sato.

you sighed in agreement, shoulders slumping in defeat, "alright,"

TAGLIST !

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[yurinaa-world]

Could I request Dr. Ratio with a super affectionate and doting reader?

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈: Dr. Ratio x Gender-neutral Reader

𝒮𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓅𝓈𝒾𝓈: with an affectionate and doting reader

𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈: Fluff and spelling mistakes,

𝒱𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒶𝓈 𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜

Thinking about how he loves the affection too! Like whenever he does something he just waits for you to compliment him and give some affection like the touch-starved man he is.

But then he teases you for being so “desperate” for him, chasing affection from him since you can’t have enough for him. Yet he’ll always give you what you want in the end since he likes to see you happy.

Hearing you call his name whenever you stop by his work to give him something he left, just makes him want to go home with you. Shame he can’t.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

He’ll only tolerate your behavior and even now he’ll tolerate even if you ruin his routine of reading a book while in his bath. He tolerate it now since “it’s good to try different things” 

Forget the book he wanted to finish, he would rather spend time with you.

“This ducky is so cute.” You smile, bopping his nose with the rubber ducky in your hands. The water splashes around you both. He immediately takes the rubber duck from your hands, squeezing it to make a high-pitched squeak.

“Its face is quite similar to yours.”

“Really?”

“It’s silly like you.” He takes the duck and presses its beak against your lips.  He makes another squeaking sound from the duck, this one louder than before.

“It looks so cute like you.” You laugh wrapping your arms around his neck, and kissing his cheek. His arms go around your waist, pressing you against him  as your legs straddle his waist. 

His hand goes up to cup your chin and squeeze your cheeks like you're a rubber duck. 

“Such a silly duck.”

if you liked this, consider tipping me on ko-fi! it'd mean a lot!

[assortedvillainvault]

Hello. Can I ask Lord Shen, NOS-4-A2, Horned King and Dr. Facilier with very smart but shy S/O?

Greetings Tumblr citizen, you most certainly can!! Love the variety here! Lowkey this was one of my favourites to write so I hope you like it!

Villains x SmartbutShy!S/O

Lord Shen

Oh? So you do talk.

You pointed out a discrepancy in the cannon’s design vs the quantity of gunpowder needed to shoot the given ammunition without careening backwards and killing the gunwolves – and all he could do was blink at you.

You spend all day hiding from the court, only to sneak in and tell him - to his face - that his weaponry was unfit for purpose, then propose a solution before he has time to open his beak??

...Are you engaged to anyone? Because if not he’s happy to remedy that-

As soon as your genius becomes apparent you go from barely present in Shen’s mind to a pillar of focus. He’s never met anyone so easily able to cut through the mess of mechanical and logistical issues of such vast quantities of metalwork – besides himself of course.

That you fall apart under any form of social pressure is...worrying however. China’s social hierarchy is a vicious thing, and such shyness is a weakness in even the most prosperous of courts – never mind his own.

He’s getting you a tutor. He cannot allow you to make an enemy within his walls when you are so closely intertwined. His word means much now that he’s killed most who would go against it, but he cannot protect you from everyone.

NOS4A2

Oh scrap and damn it all-!

It’s all he can do not to smash the unresponsive controls, and instead whizzes off into the rafters for a sulk to brood.

This ship was fried. It was charged enough to get somewhere, but if he couldn’t pinpoint a heading then he might as well be stranded on a stray asteroid instead of a merchant class vessel, for all the good it would do him.

He rolls his optics and pouts as a crewmember comes rushing in, unaware as he idly sizes them up from his vantage point. Not a droid. Stuck and he can’t even snack. Heinous.

He recognises you. The little one who didn’t talk much. It was a wonder the bigger crew members hadn’t accidentally sat on you for all you seemed able to disappear in to the background.

He all but jolts as you give the console a WHAM and everything comes online again – and gawps delightedly as your little fingers fly over the display, resetting coordinates and triangulating their position in 3D space, manually.

He wasn’t expecting such a solid grasp of intergalactic maps & positioning to come from someone who can barely string a sentence together! What a lovely surprise!!

You turn with an aborted shriek as he swoops down and clamps a hand over your mouth, grinning. The doors short circuit and slam shut with a bang, leaving him to loom over you as he idly tucks a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

“Hello dear~” he purrs, chuckling as your eyes go wide. “Fancy being helpful?”

Horned King

A kindred spirit?? Finally.

He abhors unnecessary social interaction, so to find someone else who operates on the same principle is a breath of fresh air in his long, stale existence.

He's spent so long with only beasts, thickwitted huntsmen and Creeper for company that to see someone so clearly intelligent was almost a shock. The quiet, assesing draw in your eyes was what made him stop and consider you as someone of interest.

...Y’know, once he actually managed to speak to you. Crippling shyness on your end, a lack of patience for the living on his…

He perceives everybody in his lands as something to be used, and you are, unfortunately, no different no matter how many soft feelings you insist on wringing out of his dessicated black heart. Such a spark as yours cannot be wasted. But you are not suited for the battlefield.

It seems you might have a knack for statecraft, if the frankly boggling rate at which you read is any indication. You have an ability to catch loopholes and find solutions that actually help him run his ramshackle forces, and keep the castle running smoothly.

It turns out you are invaluable - and prone to making little nooks of book towers and blankets in his library. Which is adorable.

But only when reading. Spoken word renders you so anxious you can miss important details and become a doormat. A pity. But not an insurmountable issue.

Until they rot, his ears and mouth work perfectly well. You can be his sweet little shadow, and he the face of things.

He'd have it no other way, honestly.

Dr. Facilier

Now darlin, why so shy?

He’s watched you scurry away from his table more times than he can count. He gets the feeling that you’d cross over three streets and the river if you could, to avoid catching his eye on the way to work.

And yet… you always pass by. Watching as he shuffles his cards.

He’s mid scam on some hapless tourist, fingers deftly spinning though tricks as he pulls them into a tidy little scheme, when he catches you watching intently from the side.

Your eyes twitch down to his left sleeve. If he’d have been less of a showman he’d have frozen.

You sneaky little card counter – he tries a couple different tricks, catching where your eyes narrow as he slips cards under the table, into pockets and swaps coins out with dazzle enough to bamboozle even the slickest citygoer.

Your eyes track every single one.

Damn. He has GOT to get you on side. Can’t have such a cute clever thing like you out where he can’t see you…

He ignores the fact that his shadow has been leering at you for weeks and already knows where you live. Give a man some leeway if he likes to hear a cute little thing squeak when they trip over ‘nothing’ once in a while.

And it’s even cuter when he steps from the shadows and smoothly slips you under his arm.

After all! He couldn’t help but notice you don’t seem to have many friends, cher. And he can absolutely help you with that…

[howlingday]

Jaune's Shampoo

Nevermore

"DAMMIT, NORA!" Jaune opened his shower door. As he exited, he noticed his body had drastically changed. Using a mixture of his shampoo and experimental goo found at the fiendish Dr. Merlot's laboratory, Nora had unwittingly created a mutagen just to prank her team leader.

As Jaune stepped from the shower, he suddenly lost his balance and fell forward. However, instead of faceplanting hard into the tiled floor, it was more like his face kinda... stuck to it. He felt a huge pressure on his face from his nose to his forehead. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was sort of... hovering. Off the ground.

He tried to push himself off the floor, only for his arms to sort of slide out, like he had no hands. Glancing to his side, he saw that he, in fact, did not have any hands. Instead of where his hand, arm, and skin were normally supposed to be, it was replaced by a huge, black wing, as dark and terrible as a night without the moon or the stars.

"HELP!" Jaune cried, only for his voice to uselessly echo back to him. He called again from his position on the bathroom floor, only to once again be met with his own voice, and nothing more.

"Jaune?" Oh, nevermind. Somebody did hear him. "You okay in there?"

"Uh... Not really." Jaune replied with discomfort in his voice.

"Well, are you decent?

"Uh... I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I, uh... I'm kinda stuck after I fell out of the shower."

"Uh oh! Should I get the nurse?"

"Maybe? I don't know, I'm kinda scared. Could you get someone from Team RWBY?"

"I am Ruby!"

"Oh. Well, um, if you could use your leadership powers to unlock the door first, that'd be great."

"My what?"

"Your leadership access. In case of an emergency, you can use your scroll to unlock student dorms."

"...You mean I could have been breaking into the bathroom while Weiss was showering this whole time? Because seriously, she takes all day and-"

"RUBY!"

"On it!" Ruby tapped around on her scroll until she found the leadership feature and tapped the unlock application. "Hey, Jaune, did you know it can also unlock garbage cAAAAAH!"

Jaune sighed. "Hi, Ruby."

"Jaune, what the heck happened to you?!"

"I'm stuck!"

"Yeah, I can see that, but how did you get turned into a bird?! You look like a person-sized Nevermore!"

"Do I?" Jaune asked. "I couldn't really tell because I'M STUCK ON THE GROUND! NOW HELP ME UP!"

"Okay, okay!" Ruby stepped in and looked around.

"Ruby? Ruby, what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for a towel." She answered. "I don't wanna, y'know, in case you're contagious."

"Ruby, I am stuck to the floor with my butt hanging in the air."

"Well, yeah, but what if you have bird germs?"

"RUBY!"

"Okay, fine!" Luckily, in the middle of their bickering, Ruby found a towel to put over Jaune's butt. "Ready? One... Two... Three!"

Ruby pulled as hard as she could, grunting as Jaune slowly lifted from the ground to a more hunched position, an improvement from his more... provocative appearance before. With a scraping sound, Jaune fell backwards onto Ruby, earning a squeak from her, followed by a groan.

"Thanks, Ruby." Jaune said, trying to stand, only to slip forward again. Thankfully, he landed chin-first, instead of beak-first. Rolling over he got a better look at himself. Save for his bare chest, Jaune's entire body did in fact look like a Nevermore. He flexed his talon toes, aweing at the strange sensation of downgrading from ten piggies to eight, with three in the front and one in the back on each foot. Flexing his arms, his wings gave a little flap. Looking between his legs, he saw Ruby rubbing her head. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She groaned, then standing up. "Wanna try standing again?"

"Uh, yeah, but, uh..." Jaune looked to the door leading to the shared dorm. "Could you help me walk to my bed?"

"Sure thing, Jaune."

Pulling him to his feet, Ruby slipped an arm under his wing and supported him in his slow, little bird footsteps to the dry and soft carpet floor. As she helped him, she became familiar with the smell of his shampoo. It was difficult to describe. At best, she could probably describe it as water and wood, which was dumb, but it was the best she could do, considering she was caring a guy to his bed, and he was somehow twice his normal size.

"Here we go." Ruby sat next to him, slowly easing him into his bed. Or, well, she hoped it was his bed, or this was going to be very awkward to explain. I mean, the whole thing was awkward, but-

"Huh?" Ruby felt something moving around behind her head. Looking to Jaune, she saw him leaning back and twirling his 'beak' into the back of her hair. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"Sorry." Jaune pulled away. "Your hair looked like it needed a brush or something, so..."

"Oh, uh, well... Go ahead." Ruby leaned forward a bit. "I don't mind it."

"Thanks."

Nora looked through the crack in the door. Above her, Yang was recording everything on her scroll. It was weird that this was the result of Nora's earlier prank, but hey, at least they got this cute video to share with everybody. And to be honest, Yang couldn't remember the last time Ruby looked this happy.

[writebackatya]

Scrooge: Everyone, I have terrible news, as it turns out my trusted colleague, Bradford Buzzard, has been secretly working for FOWL this entire time

Della: {raises hands in the air} CALLED IT!

Donald: You did not…

Della: Yes I did! Ever since we were kids, Donnie, I did not trust him! I always said he was evil!

Donald: No, all you ever said was that he was a stick in the mud with a stick up his butt

Della: Well I’m wasn’t wrong there! Freaking bald bastard

Scrooge: Della! Please…

Della: What?! He’s officially a bad guy now! I’m just insulting him with straight up facts about him

Scrooge: Well some of us here are still processing the fact that a close colleague of ours would do something like this

Louie: {sudden realization} …He tried to kill me.

Della, Donald, & Scrooge: WHAT!?!

Louie: When I was the richest duck, he suggested that I turned off the magical defense system that was holding the Bombie as a way to save money! There’s no way he didn’t know about the Bombie, right? So yeah, I’m waaaay past the whole “processing” part. I’m ready to start making fun of the bald bastard

Donald: Louie!

Della: Wait. Bambi tried to kill you?

Scrooge: Getting back on track, all of us need to stay alert! We cannae trust anyone anymore, so be aware of anyone suspicious

Louie: Like Uncle Donald’s new girlfriend?

Della & Huey: WHAT!?!

Dewey: Yeah, you guys didn’t hear?! When Louie and I executed our brilliant plan to help get The Three Caballeros on Ms. Glamour’s It List, Uncle Donald fell in looooooooooovvvvve!

Della & Huey: OooOOooooo!

Louie: {shows the two a pic of Daisy} She’s like a 9 while he’s a 5 at best

Della: {looks at the phone} Hmmm…Oh yeah that is suspicious…

Donald: Oh gee, thanks everybody

Louie: Okay, sorry. High 5

Dewey: {slaps his hand against Louie’s}

Huey: Uncle Donald, we’re all just surprised AND happy that you found someone!

Della: Yeah. Wish you told us sooner, that’s like major news there! That’s like if you never told the boys about me when you and Uncle Scrooge were raising them Webby: Well actually- Scrooge: {jumps in before Webby can say anything while Donald silently mouths the words "Not now!" as he shakes his head at Webby} We all need to be extra careful these days. Gyro, how is security at the Bin? Gyro: Better than ever, Mr. McDuck! Nobody will be able to break into the bin without my knowledge Huey: What about Mark Beaks? Gyro: No! That was a fluke... Dewey: Glomgold? Gyro: He had the stopwatch! That doesn't count! Louie: Gee, I wonder how he got his hands on that... Gyro: Oh I don't wanna hear it, Green Nephew Della & Donald: Louie... Webby: ...Oooh! What about Agent Dee? We haven't heard from her in awhile and she might break in! Fenton: Ha-ha, whaaaaaat? Gyro: Like I said, security is better than ever and it is impossible for anyone to break in. Right, Dr. Intern?! Fenton: Yeah, right...{phone buzzes} So is this meeting over, I gotta go... Della: OooOoo. Got a hot date? Fenton: YES! I MEAN NO! I MEAN...I gotta go! {walks out of the room} Della: {whispers to Donald & Gyro} Oh he's seeing someone. And they're totally doing it Donald & Gyro: {exasperated sigh}

[amor-godess-of-love]

Ok, but how funny would be, if Jonathan's crows decided that they had enough of they father being single and took matters into they own wings, becoming best wingmates to they master of fear?

Like you, just random person walking along the streets of Gotham only to suddenlly be harassed by flock of crows. They caw at you, pretend to swoop and steal something of you, until you finally decide to fallow them. Little rascals bring you to current hideout that Jonathan uses.

The man himself wil be so embarrassed as he is force to apologise to this random person, while his crows look at him with expectation and "We found you a mate , father!" look on they little beaks. They look so proud of themselves... They brought they master biggest and best gift they could, now they want to cuddle with him and they new "mum/father/parent" as a reward.

Dr. Crane starts awkward at first conversation with that person. But it's slowly get's more natural and Jonathan realises that he can connect with that person, under threat of crow strike he invited the person to meet again. Because ofcourse his feather kids know what they dad need and they already consider you part of the flock....

Congratulations, you got kidnapped by flock of crows and befriend Jonathan Crane. You officially another parent to them. Good luck, you will need it👍

Warning: Oc related staff:

This scenario got inspired after I found some old chapters and drafts I wrote to my fanfiction involving my oc.

So after first meeting with Scarecrow, the same day Jagna moves back to Gotham. Also after brief second meeting, after Jonathan find out that Jagna was one of proffesors caught by Riddler and used into his new game. He threatenes Edward to to stop the game and let her go. Well he does, but he brings her to hideout to find out her relationship with Jonathan and why "big bad Scarecrow" cares for "nobody" like her. This is how she meet and acquaintances herself with both Jervis and Edward.

This is the third meeting. Dr. Dobór in recent news sees recording of Scarecrow getting beat pretty badly by Batman but managing to escapes, she get's worried, but has no ability to contact him. In meanwhile Jonathan licks his wounds in hideout, but his crows get worried for they "master". Not like they can fly and get Edward or Jervis help (Edward was out of Gotham and Jervis by then was recaptured). This is when they decided to lead Jagna to hideout to help Jonathan. (Unlike scenario I described above, here crows already know her). Rest of chapter is awkward catching up and talking about what happened between them, while little rascals try to get they "parents" back together...

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 46: This Machine

''We all danced in fire, trapped in this machine! Don't know how long we've waited, as the Eggman's watching! We all danced in fire, looking thru the screen! Don't know how long we've waited, as the Eggman watches!''

– This Machine by Sonic Heroes (Team Dark Theme)

xXxXxXx

''Sir! Are you certain that this is a good idea?''

Dr. Eggman has grown quite irritated having Dr. Starline follow him around, constantly questioning his decisions and suggesting alternative solutions. He already knew what he was doing and he wasn't going to let the platypus dictate how he was doing his business.

''Oh, I'm absolutely sure…'' Eggman replied, trying not to show just how annoyed he was by Starline's constant questioning. ''As a matter of fact, I was sure the last hundred times you had asked me that.''

''Well, I am just trying to make sure that your plan is completely solid, Sir. You do have a contingency plan, right?'' Starline asked eagerly, with Eggman taking a deep breath and suddenly turning around, giving Starline a sinister smile.

''Yes, Starline, I have a contigency plan. Shoot until everything has turned to dust,'' Eggman told him, with Starline rising an eyebrow instead of being intimidated.

''But…''

''No more of that!'' Eggman turned on his heel, walking away. ''Ferra, Metal Sonic!''

''Yes, Doctor?'' Ferra and Metal Sonic walked up to Eggman. Admittedly, since their alliance with Team Neos, the two decided to see this situation as a vacation. Even if ARMS was primarly focused on Team Neos, both Ferra and Metal Sonic understood that they would also become targets, especially if ARMS learned about their connection to the Eggman Empire. So, the smarter option here was to lay low.

''You two will keep an eye on this place until I'm back,'' Eggman told them, with Starline giving him a baffled look. ''I know ARMS would never be able to piece together where the headquarters of the Eggman Empire is, but this more of a precaution.''

''S-Sir, wait a second, why them? You could just put me in charge!'' Starline protested.

''I could've put you in charge, but I didn't because you've been constantly questioning my decisions,'' Eggman replied.

''But… I was only trying to help!'' Starline replied, still stunned.

''Then you can use the spare time to figure out how to help me properly!'' Eggman told him in a sharp tone, walking away while being followed by Orbot and Cubot. Starline was still baffled, his beak slightly open as he stared at the Doctor walking away in stunned silence. He then huffed, shooting a glare at Ferra and Metal Sonic.

''I assume you two are happy now,'' he said, tapping with his foot and his arms crossed on his chest. Ferra and Metal Sonic gave him the most deadpan look they could manage.

''We're never happy,'' Ferra replied. Starline scoffed, walking away.

''Well, I can certainly do better. This alliance the Doctor has with Team Neos will soon be over, so we need to prepare our next move. I will make sure that the action we take will be their downfall,'' Starline told her, vanishing into the next room. Ferra sighed.

''You know, I think the reason Eggman told us to keep an eye on this place is less because of ARMS and more because he wanted someone to babysit Starline,'' she told Metal Sonic.

Metal Sonic nodded in response.

xXx

''Do you think that Eggman will actually keep his end of the deal?'' Minami asked Lucas, who could only sigh in frustration and shrug.

''Well, he was the one who told us to come here and that he'll pick us up. While I know that he will backstab us eventually, I assume that's going to happen after we storm ARMS HQ,'' Lucas responded, only to pause for a moment, narrowing his eyes. ''Although, I suppose he might as well just abandon us there, but I'm sure we'll be able to find our way back.''

The rest of Team Neos didn't look too convinced. Last night, they had one more group call with both Team Dark and Dr. Eggman, talking about their next step. Team Dark had provided them with a map of ARMS HQ and other information in regards to the facility, the agents and what the easiest way of breaking inside would be. Eggman had told them that he would take care of their means of transportation and agreed to be their back-up, as he wasn't going inside the HQ. Team Neos was fine with that, with Tails and Warren presenting the blackmail material to everyone and revealing that they would be able to send it to anyone they wanted, meaning that depending on what ARMS answer is, their secrets will be leaked to the public.

They all agreed to meet up at the Codex Research Facility, and were now waiting for Eggman to arrive with their means of transportation. What they didn't expect was that a huge aircraft would suddenly materialize above their heads.

''Huh, what's that?'' Silver asked, his jaw dropping. Team Neos was completely stunned to see the aircraft as it got lowered down. Thanks to the fight between Team Dark and Mephiles and Toshiro, the crystal walls did tear through the tree line, allowing for more space for the aircraft.

''Is that the Egg Carrier?! No, it can't be…'' Minami said, shaking his head.

''As you can see, it can! Now, get inside before I change my mind!'' Eggman's voice suddenly boomed through the loudspeakers. Minami exchanged looks with her teammates, following them into the aircraft while muttering under her breath, ''How the hell did he hear what I said?''

Once inside the Egg Carrier, Team Neos was greeted by Orbot and Cubot. ''If you could please follow us to the cockpit. The Boss awaits you.''

Team Neos did as they were told, finding Eggman in the pilot seat and turning towards them. ''As per our agreement, I will bring you to ARMS HQ. However, I will leave all the liberation and fighting to you. If you fail, I'm leaving you behind.''

''Have some faith, Egghead,'' Sonic said, with Eggman shooting him a glare because of the insulting nickname. ''I've been waiting to storm the ARMS HQ for days, and knowing what we know, we'll be out in no time.''

''Only if Commander Williams decides to co-operate,'' Eggman said, pausing for a moment and humming in thought. ''Maybe I should just raze ARMS HQ to the ground.''

Lucas sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. ''Even if we agreed to that, I doubt that we would be even achieve exactly what we want. I'm not arguing against that ARMS needs to go now, but not this way.''

''Suit yourself, but I wouldn't mind dropping some of my specialized Badniks as punishment for even daring to go after one of my Egg Bases,'' Eggman replied, turning back to the controls.

''How come we hadn't noticed the Egg Carrier? Does it have some kind of cloaking device installed?'' Tails asked, walking up to the Doctor. Eggman grinned.

''Ah, so you noticed! Indeed, I added some nifty surprises to the Egg Carrier to make conquest much easier,'' he said proudly, only to see literally all of Team Neos just giving him an unimpressed glare. He narrowed his eyes, well aware that their collective gaze meant that they weren't going to let him get away with this.

xXx

''So, ready to break out?'' Touka asked, with Shadow, Rouge and Omega giving her a determined, if not eager look. They were currently at Touka and Shadow's room, preparing for the eventual mayhem that would soon occur. They knew that Dr. Eggman would be transporting Team Neos somewhere close to ARMS HQ and for their part, there were three important things they needed to to. First, get Team Neos inside ARMS HQ without too much fuss. Second, fight their way through to the Commander and the main control room. Third, they needed to negotiate their own freedom with the Commander.

''We will show no mercy,'' Omega said, quite excited about the upcoming fight.

''Omega and I will join you as soon as possible once we get the keycard for my collar,'' Rouge said. Once the plan was set, she realized that the ensuing chaos would be exactly what she needed to finally steal the keycard she needed, and with Omega as backup, she was certain that no one would pay too much attention to her.

''Now, all that's left is to wait for the right moment and hope the Commander won't suddenly call for us,'' Shadow said, holding his own AR Visor in his hand, only to place on top of his head. He was done hiding it from the other ARMS agents.

Fortunately for them, they didn't have to wait too long, as Shadow got a sudden message from Sonic, simply saying ''We're here.'', along with the tracker turned on, showing their location. Shadow smirked, turning to the rest of Team Dark.

''It's time,'' he said, linking hands with Touka, and performing Chaos Surge. Then, he warped away, leaving the three alone. Touka then turned to Rouge and Omega.

''We should also go, since they'll be in the main building,'' she said, her dark brown eyes now glowing a crimson red and orange. The three then exited the room, and while several agents did take note of their fast pace as they went to the main building, no one questioned anything.

xXx

Eggman had landed the Egg Carrier at a more wooded area close to ARMS HQ, but fortunately far enough to keep it hidden from it. Team Neos has already walked out of the aircraft, all of them powered up via Chaos Surge and waiting in anticipation. There was a sudden flash of light, revealing Shadow as he had Chaos Controlled to their location, giving them a firm look. Sonic walked up to him with a wide smile, only to get confused by Shadow's response.

''You're late again, Hedgehog,'' Shadow told him. Sonic was puzzled, only to realize what Shadow was referring to and snort in amusement.

''Well, I wanted to be here several days ago, but you know how things are…'' Sonic said, with Lucas approaching the two.

''We're ready to go. I guess Touka, Rouge and Omega are also ready,'' he told Shadow.

''They should be at the main building at this point,'' Shadow said, getting surrounded by the rest of the team. His eyes then flared up as he extended his hand. ''Chaos Control!''

xXx

It only took a moment, but the intruder alarm started blaring, with the ARMS agents being directed towards the main building. Touka had already separated from Rouge and Omega, who left to get the keycard, while she was running towards where Team Neos would be. Fortunately for her, none of the agents suspected her of having anything to do with this, at least until she snapped her fingers, summoning a Chaos Spear and using it as a melee weapon to fight off the agents that were going after her friends.

One of the agents managed to dodge a swipe of the Chaos Spear, reaching for the baton she was carrying that suddenly crackled with electricity. ''We have a traitor among our ranks!''

The agent swung down the baton, but Touka was faster, dodging it and hitting the female agent in the gut, then fired the Chaos Spear into the Irregular who attempted to assist her. Touka then kept running, summoning another Chaos Spear and trying to clear the way, only to stop when a man with a bigger frame stopped her. He attempted to grab her, but was suddenly knocked down by a blue ball of spikes and fur.

''Thanks, Sonic!'' she said, with the ball unfurling himself.

''You're welcome, but are we going in the right direction? I may have taken a wrong turn,'' Sonic said, looking back at the hallway he came from. Suddenly, Knuckles and Lily emerged, both upercutting an Irregular and his human partner, their fists crackling with red energy.

''Hey, aren't we supposed to go that way?'' Lily asked, pointing down at the corridor ahead.

''Yeah!'' Touka replied, her and Sonic joining them. At the back of the corridor, they saw Silver and Makoto forming a cyan barrier to stop the ARMS agents from advancing, while Shadow and Lucas were at the front, Shadow leading Team Neos to the main control room. Tails, Warren, Amy and Minami were in the middle, fighting off any agents coming from the side corridors. Touka and Sonic went ahead, with Sonic joining Shadow in spin-dashing another Irregular that was blocking their path.

''This way!'' Touka called out, with the group following her lead. While Team Dark did describe the layout of the building, even providing them with a crude map drawing, Team Neos was still relying on Touka and Shadow to lead them there directly. Unfortunately for them, ARMS HQ had additional defenses aside from the agents and Irregulars, with a heavy metallic door slamming down as they got closer to the core of the building.

''Oh, no, you won't!'' Amy shouted, her and Minami slamming their hammers into the metallic door and breaking through it, allowing for Team Neos to pass.

It took them a bit, but they had eventually managed to get to the main control room, with Sonic rushing inside and quickly knocking out the agents who guarded it. Tails went after him, connecting the Miles Electric to the main computer, with him and Warren doing the final bit that would hopefully secure their friends' freedom and ARMS' downfall, while the rest of the team was keeping an eye out on the hallway outside. There were those they had knocked out, but there were no new enemies to fight against.

''Where are Rouge and Omega?'' Makoto asked since, according to their plan, they were supposed to meet up here. The moment he asked that question, they heard an explosion, followed by some cursing.

''I believe that that was Omega,'' Silver said. He and Makoto had used their psychokinesis to move away the unconscious bodies of the ARMS agents and placed barriers on both ends of the hallway, but removed one when they saw Rouge and Omega walking towards them, with Omega pointing his cannon arm at Commander Williams who had his hands lifted up in surrender.

''Look at who we had managed to find,'' Rouge said, waving at Team Neos. She was twirling the collar that was on her neck around her finger, holding a keycard in her other hand, before throwing both of them away.

''You will pay for this betrayal!'' Commander Williams growled, glaring at Rouge, who just gave him an unimpressed look.

''You have no power here, Commander. Omega, do you want to remind him of that?'' she said.

''Commander Williams, do you wish to die by a bullet to the head or a missile to the back?'' Omega said gleefully, having had exploded several parts of the building in his attempt to act as Rouge's back-up. Commander Williams gritted his teeth, refusing to respond, but the trail of sweat made it clear that he understood that he had no say in how things would go.

He was then led into the main control room, with Lucas closing the door behind him and pointing at the microphone at the computer. ''Tell the ARMS Agents to stand down. We are here to negotiate and we'd like to do it without having to fight them constantly.''

Commander Williams shot him a glare, but given how the room was filled with people who had no issue of beating him up to a bloody pulp and he was completely defenseless, he knew that he would have to do as he was told. He walked up to the computer, activating the loudspeaker.

''This is Commander Roy Williams. All ARMS agents, stand down. I repeat, all ARMS agents, stand down. Do not engage into any further fighting,'' he said, stepping back and turning towards Team Neos and Team Dark, his stern expression mirroring theirs. ''What do you want from me? What is the meaning of this breach?''

''I assume you already know who we are, but I'd still like to properly introduce myself,'' Lucas said, stepping towards the Commander. ''My name is Lucas Kinomoto, and I am the leader of Team Neos. You have made the mistake of kidnapping two of my teammates, which is why we have attacked ARMS HQ. We are here to bring them back home.''

''Forget it. I won't let any of my agents go, and as for you, I will have all of you arrested and imprisoned,'' Commander Williams threatened, feeling furious about this situation. This group of teenagers and their Irregular ARNavs just stormed a military base, beat up his agents with the help of Team Dark and were now making such a ridiculous demand. He was not going to let them get away with this.

Upon hearing this, Sonic turned to Tails, holding out his hand. ''Tails, give me the the Miles Electric.''

''Uh, sure,'' Tails said, a bit confused, only for Sonic to walk up and sit down on the control panel, now being at a height where he was eye-to-eye with the Commander.

''I will give you one last chance,'' Sonic suddenly rose his voice, with everyone inside the room turning towards him. He was uncharacteristically serious, his tone low and calm, to the point that even Shadow was giving him a stunned look, as he never saw Sonic act like this. ''Release my friends, or you will suffer the consequences.''

''No, I won't-'' Commander Williams cut himself off when Sonic shot him a cold glare, pressing a button on the Miles Electric. Suddenly, a new window popped up on the screen, showing a red uploading line, already getting to 5%. ''Wait- What is that?''

''This is all of the information we have gathered about ARMS, and it is being uploaded online for all the public to see,'' Sonic replied. Commander Williams' eyes widened.

''You're kidding me!''

''You hurt my friends. I'm dead serious,'' Sonic told him in a cold tone, then smirked. ''It also pays off to have a genius as your little bro.''

He then turned to Tails, who was now hovering next to him, and both gave each other a high-five. Commander Williams remained shocked.

''Y-You're bluffing! There is no way you could've had any access to ARMS-related information…'' he trailed off when another screen suddenly popped up, obscuring the line below, which was now at 13%.

''They aren't bluffing, Commander. In fact, they had made an alliance with me. My own genius allowed them to access any information ARMS was hiding,'' Dr. Eggman said. Commander Williams turned back to Team Neos and Team Dark furiously.

''So, all this time, you worked for Dr. Eggman?!'' he growled, only to get startled when Eggman scoffed.

''Bah, as if! Team Neos is not affiliated with the Eggman Empire, and the only reason we're allied at all was because of your foolish actions,'' Eggman told him, clasping his hands and placing them on the panel in front of him as he leaned closer. ''As you have already learned, the terms of the negotiation for Team Neos are the release of Team Dark. I'm here to add my own terms…''

''Do you really believe that I would do anything like that?!'' Commander Williams shouted furiously. Eggman just rolled his eyes.

''So stubborn…'' he muttered. ''I believe Kinomoto and the Blue Rodent have told you that you have no say in this and that it would be smarter for you to just go along with our demands.''

''Y-You can't just blackmail me!'' Commander Williams protested, but seeing the line at 50%, he realized that he was running out of time.

''You blackmailed Shadow and Touka, so we decided to do the same,'' Sonic responded, then glanced around at the room, locking eyes with Shadow, who nodded in acknowledgement. Commander Williams gritted his teeth, gazing at the line on the screen again and seeing that it got to 53%.

''You-'' He was clearly struggling with his decision. On one hand, he knew that he would lose Project Shadow if he agreed to this, a project that had been in development for more than a decade. On the other hand, he also knew that he was screwed if any of the military secrets get out to the public. Not only would he lose his position, but he would be the one sitting in prison for this. He hissed through his teeth, ''Fine! Agents Sakamoto,…'' Commander Williams almost flinched when Touka shot him a venomous glare. ''Agh, Agents Kageura, Shadow, Rouge and Omega are free to leave.''

''You will also swear to never pursue them again and to let them have their freedom to live their life as they wish,'' Sonic said, earning a hateful glare from the Commander.

''Not only that, but ARMS will also not meddle in the business of Team Neos, as well as delete any information you have on us. We are not your enemy, Commander Williams. We just want to protect Neos City from anyone who wants to hurt the people that live there, be that an Irregular or a human,'' Lucas added, earning the same hateful glare as Sonic did.

''Lastly, ARMS will also not meddle in the affairs of the Eggman Empire, or any battles between Team Neos and myself,'' Eggman said, with Commander Williams giving him a somewhat confused look.

''What?''

''It seems that you either don't understand or don't know, but I don't like having outsiders interrupting this game. The only players allowed so far are Team Neos and their allies. ARMS doesn't have that privilege,'' Eggman told him.

''I won't just stand on the side and watch-''

''That's why we're here,'' Sonic interrupted him, giving the Commander a determined look. ''This is what we do. This is what I do! We are all willing to fight for what is right.''

''You're just a bunch of teenagers…'' Commander Williams trailed off when Touka and Shadow suddenly stepped up.

''Yeah, we are teenagers, but you still forced us to work as ARMS agents,'' Touka pointed out angrily. ''All we wanted was to live a normal life outside the Codex Research Facility and you took that away from us! We didn't ask to be created or live this kind of life!''

''Don't make this harder for yourself, Commander. Your hypocrisy will be your downfall,'' Shadow added, arms folded across his chest. Commander Williams looked back at the line, which was now at 79%. Time was of the essence.

''Fine! You have my word that ARMS won't meddle anymore in any of your affairs, and you can live your life however you want. Now stop that upload!'' Commander Williams growled. Sonic got off the control panel, still holding the Miles Electric and strolling over to Shadow.

''I guess I'm not the only one who kind of ran out of patience. Should we go home?'' he asked, giving Shadow an innocent smile. Shadow smirked at him.

''We have no business here anymore. I agree that we should leave now,'' he said. Before the Commander could even react, both Team Neos and Team Dark gathered around Shadow, whose body was crackling with energy due to Chaos Surge.

''Chaos Control!''

''W-Wait!'' Commander Williams shouted, but the group had already vanished. His attention turned back to the screen, with Dr. Eggman being gone as well, but the line remained, showing that it was at 85% and continuing the upload. His eyes widened in shock and despair as he realized that Team Neos had no intent on cancelling the leakage of information.

xXx

''Finally! It's over!'' Lily exclaimed, stretching her arms as Team Neos and Team Dark found themselves back at the wooded area where the Egg Carrier was. ''Now we can go home!''

''I'd say that we should celebrate this! This is a big victory for us!'' Minami said, with everyone giving her a look of interest.

''Yeah, this calls for a big party!'' Sonic said excitedly.

''I suppose we could celebrate this at my home. Knuckles and I will arrange everything,'' Lily said, with he rest of the group cheering in approval and getting into the Egg Carrier, and Rouge and Touka trying to convince Omega not to blow up Eggman yet as they still needed to return home. The last ones to climb inside were Sonic and Shadow, with Sonic having given the Miles Electric back to Tails, the upload having been complete.

''That was a quite decisive behavior you had displayed earlier,'' Shadow commented, drawning Sonic's attention.

''You think it was decisive?'' Sonic asked in a sheepish tone, rubbing the back of his head. ''I don't know… I did come off as a bit… rough and cold, I guess.'' He then stopped walking, only to snort in amusement. ''Actually, when I think about it, I kinda sounded like you.''

Shadow rose an eyebrow. ''So, I sound rough and cold?''

''Well, now that I think about it… You actually sound way warmer than before,'' Sonic said, scratching his cheek and grinning. ''It's actually really nice and calming to listen to you talk.''

Shadow remained speechless, being genuinely surprised by the compliment. He then tried to play it cool. ''I suppose I will also have to listen to you talk as well.''

''Heh, I missed you too, Shadow,'' Sonic replied, taking note of how tense Shadow looked and just figuring that the latter wasn't going to admit that he missed his rival as well.

xXx

Kisaki sighed, feeling quite sick. Physically, she was actually fine, but mentally, she felt ill. The past few days had put her under a lot of stress and she felt like she was at her wits' end. The fact that she couldn't do anything to protect Touka and Shadow from ARMS and had to forget about their existence left her with pure nightmares. She was worried sick about them and felt incredibly helpless. She had some idea that Sonic and his friends might try to get them back, but so far, she heard nothing from Team Neos.

''Huh?''

Kisaki suddenly stood up from the couch she was sitting on, fear gripping her. She didn't expect any visitors and she was afraid that those were ARMS agents opening the door. For a moment, she held her breath, only to see two figures entering the house.

''Kisaki?''

Kisaki's eyes widened in pure shock, her heart racing. ''Touka? Shadow? Are you-?''

''We're home,'' Touka said, her and Shadow standing in the hallway. Suddenly, Kisaki rushed towards the two, pulling both of them into a tight embrace and falling on her knees, crying her heart out.

''I thought I'd never see you two again!'' she said through her tears, her grip around them tightening, as if she feared that they would vanish if she didn't. Touka and Shadow remained silent, well aware that nothing needed to be said. They weren't going anywhere. They were safe.

They were at home.

xXx

''…the military and security branch, the Advance Reconnaissance & Mission Support, also shortened as ARMS, has been under heavy scrutinity by the Starpoint Area Self-Defense Forces (SASDF). ARMS is a specialized branch focusing on the threat of Irregulars, but now it us under investigation due to allegations of corruption, inhumane experiments on Irregulars and humans, espionage, arms trafficking and information trade,'' Midorikawa reported, turning to the holographic screen behind her. ''As you can see on the comment board behind me, the wider public has already been made aware of the situation via an anonymous online leak that had spread at the speed of light. The SASDF has made the statement that they had nothing to do nor do they approve of ARMS actions and that they will be taking the appropriate steps to shut down and reform ARMS.''

''I suppose that anyone who was a firm believer in anti-military conspiracy theories is now celebrating,'' Kero said, trying to joke, with Midorikawa shrugging.

''I don't know, but I'm just here to deliver the news, not analyze them,'' Midorikawa replied, turning back to the camera. ''But what I do know is that public opinion is very low, especially because the existence of ARMS had been kept a secret. People are calling for ARMS to be shut down and instead have the funding go into the Irregular Hunters organization, especially due to the recent losses they had suffered.''

''We also have a video circling on online forums and social sites that confirms the existence of Irregulars that show no signs of aggressivness, but were still treated with nothing but complete cruelty. We will show this video, but viewer discretion advised due to the disturbing content,'' Kero added. What followed next was a quite disturbing video of an Irregular cat, pleading for her life, getting electrocuted by one of the ARMS agents, while another agent off-screen could be heard wondering why they were doing this, since they had even mistaken the Irregular for a regular ARNav due to her having shown no aggressive behavior or even try to drain the BioEnergy.

''That's horrifying…'' Lily commented, with her and her friends watching the news broadcast on a huge holographic screen in the yard at the Crystle Mansion. It was late evening, with the flood lights being turned on inside the yard.

''There is a lot more to it, but Tails and I had deleted anything in regards to us or to Project Shadow,'' Warren said. ''The last thing we need is more attention from the public.''

''Honestly, thank you two for your work! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be able to get Touka, Shadow, Rouge and Omega out of ARMS, not reveal to the wider public what ARMS really is doing,'' Lucas said, with the rest of the team cheering for them.

''Thanks guys, but that's what we would do for everyone,'' Tails said. Sonic grinned, placing his hand on Tails' shoulder.

''You've done great work, little bro, and I'm really proud of you!'' Sonic told him, only for his tone to get serious. ''Now, get some sleep or I'll drag you personally to your bed and make sure you're asleep. No more late night projects. Same goes for you, Warren.''

Both Tails and Warren chuckled, having to admit that, yeah, Sonic was right and they really needed some rest… even if they wanted to work on other projects. Nevertheless, they were happy that all of their hard work has payed off.

''Speaking of Project Shadow, those two still haven't arrived,'' Rouge said, having swapped the purple and black bodysuit for her usual black, white and pink outfit.

''Touka did send me a message that they would be a bit late because they wanted to explain to Kisaki what had happened,'' Lucas replied. ''I'm sure they'll be here soon.''

''Speak of the Devil,'' Rouge said, suddenly spotting the two missing teammates at the front gate. Touka and Shadow had soon joined them, with Touka carrying a plastic bag with her, looking around at the yard in front of the Crystle Mansion, clearly impressed by how fast Lily and Knuckles had arranged for the place to be decorated and food to be delivered for the party. As for Shadow, he was suddenly approached by Sonic.

''You're late, Faker,'' he said, giving Shadow a smug grin. Shadow snorted, just shaking his head, well aware what Sonic was referring to. Meanwhile, Touka approached Omega, holding up the plastic bag.

''Hey, Omega, could you please dispose of this for me?'' she asked.

''What kind of disposal do you desire?'' Omega asked, holding the plastic bag.

''Something that involves a lot of explosives and fire,'' Touka said casually.

''I approve of your approach,'' Omega responded.

''Uh, what's in the bag?'' Silver asked.

''It's the ARMS uniform I was given. Honestly, I want to see it burn,'' Touka replied, with her and Omega exchanging a knowing look that made everyone else uneasy.

''If you're going to burn the uniform, please don't use my yard for that,'' Lily said. Omega gave her a look of clear disapproval.

''Huh, I knew there was something different about your outfit!'' Minami suddenly exclaimed, snapping her fingers as she stared at Touka, who gave her a confused look, only to realize what Minami meant.

After removing the uniform, Touka was back to having her hair down, placing her AR Visor (after Warren and Tails returned it back to its usual settings) on top of her head, and was still wearing her dark red jeans shorts and the short black leggings underneath them, as well as her black, red and white high top tennis shoes. However, she was wearing a different T-shirt, this one being black with red sleeves and a red stripe on each side of the T-shirt that went up vertically to the sleeves, and the print on the front was the dark red logo of the Shadow the Hedgehog video game, also known as the Black Arms logo.

''Oh, that… I had actually ordered a new custom T-shirt a while ago, but never got around to wear it,'' Touka said.

''It definitely suits you better,'' Rouge said.

''Thanks. I was also planning to get new sneakers, since these are kinda worn out,'' Touka replied, tapping with her foot on the ground.

''If you want, we could all go out shopping together,'' Rouge suggested, a sly grin on her expression. Next to them, Makoto had a conversation with Lucas.

''I really hope that things won't get worse for us after we leaked that information to the public,'' Makoto said.

''I don't think it should. Point is, SASDF will be focused on trying to keep people calm and deal with ARMS. Whether they knew what ARMS was doing or not is another topic…'' Lucas trailed off, narrowing his eyes. He knew that their own future was still uncertain, but he did hope for the best.

''Hey, Shads, did you and Touka also watch the news?'' Sonic, who overheard this, asked Shadow.

''We did watch it on our way here, and we both agreed that this will cause an uproar among the public,'' Shadow replied.

''Honestly, it might even change the way how people look at Irregulars. The fact that there are Irregulars who mean no harm to humans wasn't public knowledge until now,'' Amy pointed out, joining the conversation.

''If we're lucky, you guys will be safe from being targeted by the Irregular Hunters,'' Makoto pointed out.

''I guess we'll have to wait and see how things turn out,'' Tails said.

''Don't take my word for granted, but I have a feeling that Loki has an idea who we really are,'' Sonic said. He then placed his ams behind his head, smiling. ''In any case, we're here to have some fun and celebrate, so let's just put this behind us and start the party!''

''YEAH!''

The whole group then moved on to actually having fun, either listening to the music, eating from the buffet that had been placed outside, talking or playing darts, as Lily activated the game within the AR Field that was covering the yard. Her parents were away that evening and Lily completely ignored Bennet protests about hosting a party, pointing out how this was her home and so long as nothing got broken, she was free to do whatever she wanted. Therefore, the butler decided to remain inside the mansion, as none of the guests needed his aid. Things did get a little heated when Omega offered to set off some fireworks, with Touka quickly assuring him that wasn't necessary and Lily pointing out how she told him already to not use explosives in her own yard.

Meanwhile, Rouge had stepped away from the group, having been talking to Amy about their shopping plans for tomorrow and cast a curious look towards the mansion.

''Don't you dare to go inside.'' Rouge suddenly turned around, with Knuckles standing right behind her, giving her a stern look, his arms crossed on his chest.

''Don't worry, Knuckles, I'm just here to have a good time,'' Rouge assured him.

''Since our alliance has come to an end, I am well aware that we will go back to our usual routine. Therefore, I'm warning you this once – don't you dare to even think of stealing any of the games inside the mansion,'' Knuckles warned her. Rouge just smiled, having to admit that Knuckles wasn't wrong about her antagonizing him, but she decided to give him a break today, at least in regards to trying to steal the gems. That didn't mean that she wasn't going to mess with him in a different manner.

''Oh, my, don't tell me that you actually missed me,'' she said, with Knuckles giving her a flustered look.

''Wh-What? I didn't say-'' he stuttered, but Rouge gave him a coy smile, stepping closer.

''You even called it 'our usual routine'. Not to mention, you were willing to search for me when I went missing,'' she said, placing her finger on Knuckles' chest and tracing it up to his chin. ''As a matter of fact, I think that you genuinely care about me.''

Knuckles shivered at her touch, being completely frozen in shock as he didn't expect her to pull a move like that. While he wouldn't admit it openly, he was actually a little worried about Rouge, especially after learning what kind of organization ARMS was. He did have complete faith in her ability to take care of herself, but there was a lingering sense of concern in his mind.

''I-I suppose I do…'' he started, only for Rouge to press a kiss on her gloved fingertips and place them on Knuckles' cheek. Knuckles' jaw dropped in complete shock and his mind went blank for a moment as it had trouble processing that Rouge the Bat, his sworn rival, had just kissed him indirectly. Rouge smiled, having to admit that it was quite amusing to see Knuckles' muzzle turn as red as the rest of his fur, while his mind was probably playing an ''Error'' message on loop.

''I care about you too,'' she said. ''Do you mind if I go ahead and quickly make sure that all of the gems are where they belong?''

''Wh-What?'' Knuckles was still processing what just happened.

''Aww, thank you so much, Knuckie. I'll be back soon,'' Rouge replied, spreading her wings and quickly flying towards the mansion. It took a moment for Knuckles to break out of his stunned state, with the familiar sense of rage and irritation taking over.

''Rouge! Come back! Rouge!''

Knuckles shouted after Rouge, rushing towards the mansion and almost knocking Sonic over, who decided to take a break from the darts game after losing to Silver. Apparently, only because he was good at throwing the darts fast, it meant nothing if he was precise. Nevertheless, he had a good time, and so did his friends. However, he did notice that someone was missing and decided to search for this person, but it didn't appear that he was in the yard.

Sonic then looked up, spotting a dark figure on the roof of the mansion and smirked. He managed to find his way up to the top of the roof, with Shadow giving him a slightly questioning look, well aware that Sonic was about to interrupt his moment of peace.

''Do you mind some company?'' Sonic asked, with Shadow pausing for a moment, then shaking his head. Sonic sat next to him, with Shadow taking note of just how close he was, but he didn't mind his presence. Sonic gave him a curious look. ''Why don't you join the others at the party? After all, you're one of the guests of honor.''

''While I am happy to be here, this doesn't mean that I'm going to socialize,'' Shadow responded, glancing at Sonic. His rival just grinned, understanding well that Shadow still wouldn't socialize with other people unless necessary – even if they were his own teammates. Nevertheless, that didn't mean that he didn't appreciate them.

''It seems like things are gonna go back to normal,'' Sonic said, both him and Shadow watching over their friends as they had fun.

''I don't think that you can call this kind of life normal in comparison to those of other people,'' Shadow remarked.

''Yeah, but you can now live a life without having to worry that anyone from Codex or ARMS will go after you and Touka. I'd call that a 'normal' life,'' Sonic pointed out.

''I suppose you're correct in regards to that,'' Shadow responded, feeling a sense of relief. It was as if someone removed a huge boulder from his chest and he could breathe a bit easier now. He knew that Sonic was right and that with Prof. Sakamoto being dead and ARMS not bothering them anymore, he and Touka could live a life without having to worry that they would be used as weapons again. ''It is a relief…''

Shadow was startled when he was suddenly pulled into a hug by Sonic, his own heart racing and his tan muzzle turning a faint shade of red. His crimson eyes were wide and his body tense, with his first instinct being to push Sonic away. However, he knew he couldn't do that. He couldn't explain it, but there was just something about being hugged by Sonic like this, something comforting, and he wasn't really sure how to respond. But, before he could even say or do anything, Sonic had released him, giving him an awkward smile.

''Oh, right… you don't like physical contact that much,'' Sonic said, rubbing the back of his head. Shadow stared at him for a moment, only to sigh, realizing that Sonic was just happy that he was here and wanted to show it in a different way.

''Since it's you, I suppose I can give you a free pass this time…huh?'' Shadow was startled when Sonic suddenly pulled him into another hug, burying his nose into his shoulder and holding him tightly. Shadow, trying to ignore a familiar sensation of warmth, narrowed his eyes, adding in a deadpan tone, ''What I meant is that I'll give you a free pass for the hug earlier. That wasn't an invitation for more.''

''Too late, Faker. You won't get rid off me so easily,'' Sonic lifted his head, gazing into Shadow's eyes and grinning at him mischievously. Shadow remained unamused and, for a moment, he thought about his response. To Sonic's surprise, he suddenly felt Shadow's arms wrapping around his torso, with Shadow burying his head into his shoulder, pulling him as close as possible. Sonic felt a wave of heat spreading through his body, his fawn muzzle turning a slight shade of red and his heart beating like crazy. Rest assured, he never expected that Shadow would hug him back, but it wasn't an unwelcome gesture. In fact, he really enjoyed it.

''Heh, so you are a hugger,'' Sonic said, his voice carrying a comforting warmth, only for the smile to fade a moment later when Shadow spoke again.

''I don't mind getting a hug so long as it is from a person I trust. It was a source of comfort for me, especially whenever I couldn't deal with the pressure I was put under or when I suffered from nightmares,'' Shadow said in a calm, somber tone. Sonic felt his own heart breaking for Shadow.

''Shads…'' He wanted to offer words of comfort, but nothing came to his mind. His ears then perked up when he heard Shadow speak again in a sharp tone.

''If you tell this to anyone, I will personally throw you into Cosmo River,'' Shadow threatened, moving his head back and glaring at Sonic, but still keeping his hands around Sonic's waist. Sonic snorted, trying to sound as serious as he could.

''Understood,'' he said, offering a sincere smile. While Shadow still kept a stern expression, Sonic did take note that his gaze did soften a little. ''Thanks for telling me that. I'm really glad that you trust me so much.''

''It cannot be helped… After all, you are a thorn in my side,'' Shadow responded, with Sonic suddenly burying his head right into Shadow's white chest fluff.

''D'aaaww, I heart you too, Shads,'' he said.

Shadow sighed, knowing that, if Sonic had done this several weeks ago, he would've kicked his rival off the roof and yelled at him for getting so close. But now, he realized that he had warmed up enough to Sonic to let him do whatever he wanted. Shadow then buried his muzzle on top of Sonic's head, feeling the soft blue fur, and took a deep breath. It was certainly a confusing feeling, and he had to admit, it was a bit daunting to deal with it, but at this point, whatever wall he put between himself and Sonic had been broken down. He knew that he could trust Sonic with his own life, but he still wouldn't trust him with his own insecurities and show his vulnerable side… at least until now. As a matter of fact, he was looking forward to going back to their usual rivalry.

''So, do you want to race?'' Sonic's question snapped Shadow out of his thoughts, the latter having no clue how long they had remained in that embrace. Sonic, clearly clueless about that, grinned as he gave Shadow a confident smile. ''I had been itching to finally challenge you again.''

Shadow just gave him a haughty look. ''I see… I suppose I should've figured that you'd be eager to lose to me.''

''Lose?'' Sonic suddenly got up, scoffing. ''Only in your dreams, Shads. You won't catch me so easily.''

Shadow stood up, folding his arms across his chest. ''Hmph, don't get too cocky, Hedgehog. One distraction, and you'll be suffering a humiliating defeat.''

''We'll see in a bit! Ready?'' Sonic said, taking a running stance.

''Set,'' Shadow said, smirking as he felt the familiar rush of adrenaline.

''GO!''

There was a rush of wind, with the blue and black-orange blurs vanishing into the night, both determined to continue their rivalry and prove who the faster Hedgehog between them was.

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[sixty-silver-wishes]

sharing some "caligari" fanfic here I guess

Blurb: Jane has a conversation with her mother. (2084 words)

Unlike most antiquated mansions, the Olsen manor didn’t seem to be too different a place at night than it was during the day. Heavy damask curtains hung at the windows, so sunlight and moonlight were equally obscured. The walls seemed to stretch and shrink as one walked, thanks to the artificial, faintly tinted glow of electric lamps and chandeliers— the pride of the household, as they were hard to come by in Holstenwall. The oil-painted eyes of long-dead ancestors, forever open and disapproving, watched from trapezoidal frames that extended towards the high ceilings, along with the cold, glassy ones of taxidermied hunting trophies. A stag’s head mounted in Dr. Olsen’s library, its antlers sprawling towards the bookshelves on either side of it, was locked in endless, silent confrontation with the noble portrait of one Leopold Olsen, which hung above the doorway. Eighty years before, the real Leopold Olsen had shot the stag dead during a hunting trip. According to family legend, the beast continued to charge despite the bullet in its side, and struck him in the heart as it fell. Neither of them would ever return to the great, dark woods that surrounded the town.

Now that it sat in her father’s library, Jane Olsen didn’t like looking at the stag. She wasn’t sure if she’d rather see it alive, either. She’d never liked it; something seemed wrong about displaying its head in the library, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. It had always been there, after all. The library wouldn’t look the same without it.

She knew she wasn’t supposed to be up this late. But it was difficult to sleep, and so she’d gone walking through the house, hoping to distract herself. She passed through the library, under the painting that hung over an archway. As always, her ancestor was frozen in his final confrontation with the stag across the room. But he’s just a painting, she mused, and the stag is real. Suppose instead of a painting, it was his real body hanging up there instead…

It was easy to have thoughts like that in her father’s library, both during the day and at night. The Olsen manor seemed to have been built for thoughts like that— dark, terrible thoughts that sprung on you without warning, but you couldn’t say them out loud, even though you knew that everyone had them, because how could you not in a place like this? All you could do was catch them like sparrows before they had a chance to escape your lips, and cage them in your head, and hope they never slipped out even though they constantly pecked with their cold, sharp beaks at the inside of your skull.

The stag had once been part of the deep woods beyond the town walls. Now, it was housed in a wonderful library, stocked floor to ceiling with all the medical knowledge of the known world, antique books and new ones, polished mahogany shelves (the wood, too, had once been of the forest) and busts of famous authors and the portrait of Leopold Olsen. In its dying moments, if the legends were true, it had killed a wealthy man who had hunted it for his own amusement. It was not allowed to rot, as wild things do. It became immortalized as a quaint piece of conversation. Its punishment was most civilized.

Jane passed under it, not wanting to give it another thought. The thing had been in the Olsen manor for longer than she’d been alive. 

She left the library behind, and tried to think of other things— what to do tomorrow, what she’d done the day before, what to do if her non-existent plans for tomorrow went awry. Doubtless her mother would have some way to occupy her time for her, or she could distract herself with some idle activity. Regrettably, chess had been ruled out, but there was still embroidery, or sketching, or reading (at least the books she was allowed to read), or piano (heaven forbid), or any of the other things that respectable young ladies did. If Francis wasn’t busy, she knew he’d be all too happy if she were to visit. Too happy, she thought. Francis was a devoted friend, but his devotion could sometimes cross her boundaries. He’d be eager to play the role of protector, but she didn’t think she wanted a protector.

She wandered past her father’s study, into one of several living rooms— the main one, where they received guests. The whole room was tinted with the uneasy rose-colored light of the enormous spherical lamp above. A cluster of flowers with crooked stems leaned out of a tall-necked vase, seeming strangely misplaced despite their careful arrangement on a small table. An overstuffed armchair faced away from her, its high back washed in the pink glow of the lamp.

Why is the light on at this hour? she wondered, and flicked the switch off.

“Marie!” a brittle voice cried from the armchair. Jane startled. “I told you to keep the light on…”

Jane exhaled, recognizing her mother’s voice. She turned the switch, squinting as the lamp flickered on again.

“You’re such a foolish girl, Marie,” she heard her mother say. Her hand was visible in the lamplight, limply hanging over the arm of the chair.

What is she talking about? Jane wondered. There used to be a servant named Marie who worked there, but she had been fired years ago. Then, realizing what must have been happening, Jane resolved to return to her room. She tiptoed back the way she came, when her mother called out again.

“Marie,” she said, “come here.”

Jane glanced back at the armchair. She figured she could have gone anyway, and there would be no consequences. But that felt like a consequence in itself, so she turned around.

“Sit with me.”

Her heart pounding in her chest, Jane took the other armchair, and reluctantly looked across the table.

Mrs. Olsen was slumped in her chair in a most unladylike fashion. Her hair was undone, and strands of it fell across her half-closed eyes. It may have been the lamplight, but her face looked flushed. One of her arms draped over the chair; the other was shakily balanced on her knee. She held a crystal wineglass in her hand, the kind that was only supposed to be used for special occasions. The bottle lay on its side at her feet. A dark purple stain was beginning to set into the carpet, which she would certainly command the servants to clean up in the morning. She would claim she had no idea how it got there, and it was just as likely she wouldn’t remember.

Jane shifted uncomfortably in the armchair. Her mother pulled herself up slightly, regarding her from under her eyelids.

“I hate it, Marie,” her mother said numbly.

“I’m not…” Jane began, but thought better of it. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Mrs. Olsen gestured weakly at the ceiling. “This whole damned place,” she said. “I hate this house. I hate how big it is. I hate the lights.”

Jane blinked. “But you always seem so proud of-”

“I hate them!” Mrs. Olsen shouted. Jane shrank back in her seat. “They give me headaches, and they’re costly, and they have to be on all the time.”

Jane knew better than to argue. Of course, it seemed illogical; there was no reason to have the lamps turned on at night, when everyone tended to be asleep. 

“Everyone loves the lights,” Mrs. Olsen said in a daze. “Like the moon, right there in our parlor. They tell me they do; that makes me so happy. Such a pretty pink color, and so bright…”

Jane had seen her mother drinking before, but it had never gotten this bad. She barely seemed like herself at all, and as much as they had their difficulties, she didn’t want to see her like this. 

“I think you should go to bed,” she offered. “Maybe that’ll make you feel better.”

“No!” Mrs. Olsen gasped, as if she were suffocating. “Not to bed…” She raised her head and looked around, as if she was stunned to see where she was. “Green curtains for this room,” she said, her words somewhat slurred. “Not pink ones. But the Hoffmanns have green curtains in their living room. Paula Hoffmann would notice if I had green curtains. And if Paula Hoffmann would notice, then everyone would notice, and so my curtains are pink— a ghastly pink, like raw meat— and I wanted English furniture, real English furniture, but these chairs are German, and everyone can tell they’re not really imported, but they don’t say anything to me. Nobody ever says anything to me; nothing important, anyway. And I wanted to wear my velvet dress with the lace today, the one with the ribbon in the back and the silver buttons…” 

“This is what you’re-? I mean, it sounds like you’re very upset about these things,” Jane said. But at the same time, she understood.

“He never liked that dress,” Mrs. Olsen said, staring up at the lamp. “Said it made me look almost as old as he is.” She turned her head towards Jane. “Do you think I’m old?”

She was looking directly at her. Jane wondered if she’d be able to recognize her; after all, she was having a hard enough time recognizing her own mother. 

Mrs. Olsen didn’t wait for a response. “That’s the worst thing a woman can be, is old. Almost as bad as being unmarried.” She laughed coldly, and kicked the wine bottle at her feet. “That’s how it happens. At first, it seems like an escape. No more poverty, no more difficult decisions… you get married, and somebody else makes them for you. You have a big house with pink electric lights, and you have parties and balls for other married people, and you have a child who you hope will be just as happy as you are.”

“What do you mean?”

“See, it’s all because he wanted you,” she continued. “He was never handsome, or very charming, but they don’t get you by being handsome and charming, even though that’s how you think they will. They get you with promises of green curtains and English furniture; that’s how they always do it. And then you lose your name to his, and he makes you into something he can drag out when he wants and wear on his arm. Oh, and you love it at first. You love it when his colleagues look at you and wish you were theirs. You love how he jokes about keeping you from them. The jealousy is delicious, you know. I would choke myself on it if I could. But what you really love is the escape, so much that you’re willing to overlook the pink curtains. And then…” 

Her forehead was starting to show permanent wrinkles. The overhead light made the creases look even deeper.

“It’s not an escape anymore, because you have a child. A pretty, perfect child, who’s prettier and more perfect than you. You have created this pretty, perfect thing, and so you are very proud. But then she feeds off of you, and she feeds and feeds until you are certain there will soon be nothing left of you. You wish she were not so perfect, because she is easily taking what you worked to earn. But you have to make sure she’s even more perfect and prettier than she already is, because Paula Hoffmann has green curtains, and everyone knows if your furniture isn’t from England.”

“I…” Jane began. She felt positively sick. “I think I should go.”

 You want her to know your suffering, but you also want her to never know you suffered. You want to protect her, but some days you wish she never existed at all. But that’s all right, because they don’t really want me to exist, either. Nobody does. My child, my husband, Paula Hoffmann… they all want to take and take until I’m gone.” 

Jane wanted to run to the light switch and turn it off already, but stayed frozen in her seat. “Is that really what you think?” she whispered.

Mrs. Olsen sat up, her eyes brimming with tears and clarity. She looked almost radiant under the rosy halo of light above her head.

 “Gilda,” she said, “you look almost as old as I am in that dress.” 

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Stymphalidies

(art source)

CR 8

Neutral Large Magical Beast

Bestiary 3, pg. 257

These man-eating birds of myth owe 4 points of their CR to their name alone due to them murdering you before you can even voice it fully in warning to your allies, so for the sake of my fingers I'll be shortening their name to "Stym" from now on. One could also call them "bronze ibises" or "bronze cranes" to save on syllables, names which are immediately evocative, if not entirely accurate. The metallic coating across their feathers and beaks only looks like bronze, but it's actually as hard as steel, which is likely cause for fatal surprise for anyone hoping to capture or consume what they thought was just a very large, glossy bird.

See, the steel feathers of the Stym make them practically invincible, not only having 22 AC but DR 10/Magic and Adamantine. Yes, if you want to hunt--or even just drive away--these flesh-eaters, you're going to need a weapon made of skymetal or some pretty severe muscles and a two-handed weapon! Their cloak also makes them completely immune to Fire damage, likely baffling people who try to metagame on what a Steel/Flying type should be weak to. They're not even particularly vulnerable to Electricity, but they DO have a Vulnerability to Sonic damage! Y'know, the second rarest damage type?

So their defenses are formidable. What about their offense?

Have you ever seen what a hawk can do to a squirrel? yeah. Now make the hawk 250 pounds and turn all of its edges into razor blades, and you have a rough idea of what a Stym can do to the wildlife it encounters. They have a 120ft flight speed and keen enough eyesight to spot prey hundreds of feet below them, meaning most battles with one (or several) are initiated from above as they crash down on potential prey to inflict as much bewilderment and damage as possible.

As one may expect, a Stym's primary source of damage is its rapier-like beak and its two kicking talons, which deal 1d8+6 and 1d6+6 damage (respective). What one may not expect is that it also brings its wings into the fray, each feather a miniature dagger as thin as paper, slashing victims for 1d6+3 damage each. Its wings and beak are so sharp, in fact, that they cause grievous lacerations, tacking 1d6 bleed damage onto every attack (their claws do not inflict bleed, ironically). Given that they typically hunt mundane animals and smaller Magical Beasts and Vermin, a single Full-Attack before taking back to the air and waiting for the target to bleed to death to conserve their own health. Even in the air they're no less dangerous, though; these birds can kill without even landing!

Up to five times a day as a standard action, a Stym can flick out a pair of Wing Razors as ranged projectiles with 50ft range increments. These razors deal 2d6+6 damage and cause 1d6 bleed, and likely make for a highly unusual murder scene. Prey that proves too dangerous to engage in melee is usually pelted with these feathers to soften them up before the birds land, and a Stym encountering a creature it's never seen before is more likely to use its feathers from a safe distance until it believes it can close in. They are wild animals, possessing only 2 Int, and as such they operate purely on instinct; if food takes too much effort to take down or proves to be immune to its bleed, they'll likely fly off to find easier prey. The only time one will stand and fight to the death is to guard its young... or if it's in a swarm. These beasts breed quickly and hunt in flocks of up to nine at a time, and the more of them there are, the braver they become about hunting in human-occupied areas and, of course, hunting and eating humans.

A solo-hunter Stym that's encountered something too tough to fight normally has one more trick it can use as a standard action: Glare. Useful only in bright light, the metallic bird can adjust its feathers to reflect the light as a blinding glow in every direction, forcing any creature within 30ft to make a DC 19 Fortitude save or be blinded for 1d6 minutes. There is no cooldown or per-day restriction, nor is there an immunity clause to this effect (though creatures can defend against it by closing their eyes), so a Stym that's bitten off more than it can chew can continuously try and blind its victims and then judge if their crippled eyesight warrants further action, or if it uses the cover to flee into the sky to find something else... or find reinforcements.

You can read more about them here.

[hannahhook7744]

Isle Representative Group Chat! (Part 3);

Usernames: Captain/Theeleganthannahhook/Captain Elegant= Hannah Hook, adoptive daughter of Zarina the pirate fairy and Captain Hook. livelaughfuckyou= Zee Snoops, daughter of Madame Medusa and Mr. Snoops. theisleshottestprince= Lucas ‘Luke’ Tremaine-Westergaard, son of Prince Hans Westergaard and Drizella Tremaine. Gothbitch= Darcy Aoratos, daughter of Hades and Narissa. thegoddessoffear= Skia Aoratos, daughter of Persephone and Hades. Dashadowman= John Facilier, son of Ursula and Dr. Facilier. Clever= Kailani ‘Clever’ Athanasiou, daughter of Ursula and Dr. Facilier. Flamingkaratemaster= Treycor Fae-Aoratos, son of Maleficent and Hades. Princess Peach= Peachy Gothel, daughter of Mother Gothel and Captain Flynn. Yellow devil= Remi de Vil, son of Cruella de Vil. Gothmermaid= River Le Beak, son of Lord Fathom and Beatrice Le Beak. WarriorBri= Shan Bri, daughter of Shan Yu. Thescarletking= Aaron King. Redbitch= Anna King. Thephantomstabber= Alexander ‘Alex’ Procrustes Aoratos-Sinclair ||, son of Helga Sinclair and Hades. Sunshine boy= Noah Aoratos, son of Persephone and Hades (he's 8).

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Chapter 6: Damn it, Julie.

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Trigger warnings: sibling on sibling violence, stress, anger, swearing, threats of knife violence, etc.

Co-written with @igetthedisneybox as usual.

6/01/2024 at  12:20 PM.

Thephantomstabber: WHO THE FUCK IS SCREAMING, I'M TRYING TO FUCKING SLEEP YOU FUCK HEADS!

livelaughfuckyou: that would be our elegant captain

theisleshottestprince: Why are you trying to sleep, it's noon?

Thephantomstabber: Fuck you. Fuck your mom. Fuck your whole family!

theisleshottestprince: Well, someone's cranky.

theisleshottestprince: No wait that's how you always are.

Thephantomstabber: Do you want to get shot?

Princess Peach: No threats in the GC Alex!

Thephantomstabber: You're not the boss of me. 

6/01/2024 at  12:30 PM.

Sunshine boy: Whys Luke laughing?

Sunshine boy: And whys Alis swearin?

thegoddessoffear: Luke is laughing because Treycor smacked Alex because he was being a dickhead–don’t repeat that word–and Alex is sweating because Treyocr smacked him. 

Princess Peach: Noah’s in the chat, nobody’s allowed to swear starting now!!!!

Redbitch: How long has he even been here????

Gothbitch: His mom gave him a phone, remember?

thegoddessoffear: I forgot mom did that.

theisleshottestprince: I thought that happened weeks ago?

Sunshine boy: It did!

Sunshine boy: I was just tryin’ to think of something to say!

theisleshottestprince: Darcy, babe, I'm adopting your brother.

Gothbitch: The fuck you are! 

Gothbitch: You have more siblings than I do and my dad is literally a god . Go adopt your own siblings!

theisleshottestprince: But your brother is adorable!

theisleshottestprince: My siblings, minus Dizzy and the triplets, are just annoying. Or dead. 

Thephantomstabber: I was being attacked and none of you did anything?! 

Gothbitch: We all agreed to stay out of siblings’ arguing. 

Thephantomstabber: BITCH YOU'RE MY SISTER!

[Seen]. 

6/01/2024 at  12:40 PM.

Princess Peach: Treycor! Stop hitting Alex!

Flamingkaratemaster: Wasn't me this time. 

livelaughfuckyou: so we jus gonna ignore that h is still screaming or

Gothmermaid: oh, Julie Foulfellow just brought one of her contracts again.

Gothmermaid: *broke.

Thescarletking: that and her dads won't stop approaching children and breaking their contacts. 

livelaughfuckyou: i see. continue on w ur argument spawns of hades

[hersaladdeer]

Chapter 2 - Concussion

Part of an ongoing prohero Shoji x OC series.

Chapter navigation link.

“This seems unnecessary.” Chikoe glared up at Tentacole from her seat, holding the emergency blanket around her shoulders. He kept one of his duplieyes on her whilst he turned to address the male next to him. The mans beak looked like a rave in the firetruck lights. 

“You may have a concussion.” The rave beak was speaking. Chikoe was vaguely aware that rave beak was not the man's name, but couldn't find his real name in her foggy head. “Can you tell me your name?” Chikoe considered rave beaks’ question and came up short. 

“Can you tell me YOUR name?” She shot back quickly, crossing her arms. They were covered in small cuts and ash which Chikoe pointedly ignored. She needed to stall so she could figure out her name. She really, really didn't want to be held at the hospital for a concussion. Dr. Hata would not let her hear the end of it. 

…. Was that her name? 

“Tokoyami. Now, could you please tell me your name?” Chikoe was struck by the man's sincerity, and felt a brief pang of guilt. She was wasting their time when there were likely others who actually needed their help. Chikoe knew she hadn't drank, the normal accompanying burning feeling in her throat absent. 

She was likely concussed, she finally conceded to herself. 

She glanced briefly up at Shojis’ duplieye which was still closely monitoring her as he glanced around at the others surrounding them. “Chikoe-” Shoji began.

“THAT!” Chikoe exclaimed, cutting him off. “That's my name!” She was Chikoe. Excellent. One mystery solved. 

Tokoyami nodded, before giving Shoji a pointed look. A beat passed between them before he turned, meeting Chikoes’ eyes once more. “I will be making my departure to continue helping others in need. Tentacole will continue to assess you.” Tokoyami turned abruptly, stalking back into the charred building. Chikoe watched as a shadow emerged from his back. “Whoa.” She whispered softly to herself. Rave beak -Tokoyami- was very cool. 

“Dr. Hori.” Chikoe turned to look up at Shoji and couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. He was very handsome. This angle and lighting really highlighted his build, letting her eyes peek at the outline of the males toned chest beneath his hero outfit. “To be blunt, I know you're not drunk so I have to conclude you're concussed.” Chikoe was vaguely aware of the duplieye looking at the side of her head, which may have witnessed her eyes roaming his body. She reached her hand up to touch the part of her head Shoji was looking at, but he caught her hand in one of his owm, gently stopping her from reaching the area of interest. “It would be best to not touch that until we can get it properly assessed.”

“Counterpoint - I’m a doctor!” Chikoe exclaimed, unaware that she was being abnormally loud. For some reason, she was having a hard time hearing what Tentacole was saying. She suspected the man was smiling beneath his mask, given the light in his eyes. As she reached up to soothe her pounding head, Chikoe became vaguely aware that she should be concerned. With something. With-

Shoji watched the dark haired woman go from oddly relaxed to suddenly, pointedly, panicked. She reached up to her neck and seemed relieved to find her black fabric still in place. He raised an eyebrow, his duplieye moving down to the fabric to see if there was something there causing her pain. For the first time, she looked afraid, and that didn't sit well with him. 

Deciding that distracting her was the best approach to prevent her spiraling into a full panic, Tentacole continued his questioning. “Can you tell me the last thing you remember?”

Chikoe considered the question, her features moving through a look of concentration before shaking her head. “I was getting on the train to come here. There was an old lady sitting next to me. She seemed nice enough, but then I started speaking.” Chikoe trailed off. “That was morning.” She peered up at the sky, as if to determine the time of day. 

Tentacole blinked. That must have been about 12 hours ago. She didn't remember helping ttriage patients an hour ago, or insisting that her brother go to the hospital for an exam. She didn't remember him failing to stop a loosened beam from hitting her head. She didn't remember their conversations over the last few hours. 

Didn't remember giving Shoji her name.

“You're going to need to get that looked at.” The familiar voice had startled Shoji. Looking over his shoulder, he watched the familiar woman in dark clothing as she spoke with a man, their shoulder wrapped to prevent it from moving.  

“Dr. Hori, I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon.” He greeted her, smiling beneath his mask. “Thank you for helping out here.”

The green eyed woman looked up at him, a tired smile on her face. “Call me Chikoe. And it's no problem. I was in the bathroom when this all happened, so I missed the explosion. Might as well try and be of some use.”

“Chikoe!” The pair turned, Chikoe running towards the approaching male and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Hey, hey! I'm fine!” Tokoyami had been escorting the male, which Shoji recognized as Chikoe’s brother, to the impromptu medical area. She began looking him over while he protested.

“You need to go to the hospital for this. You could be concussed.” She began, looking at a bleeding gash from his head before examining his hand which had been hastily wrapped in a towel. “And that's going to need stitches.”

The male - Kami, if he recalled correctly - raised an eyebrow at her. “I can wait. I think there are others being pulled out who will need an ambulance more than I do.”

Chikoe narrowed her eyes at him. “Just get on the fucking gurney and let them take you. Please? For me?” She didn't feel like arguing triage with her brother. 

Tokoyami had turned to return to the wreckage. “Excuse me.” Shoji left the siblings to follow his friend. As he approached the wreck, he started scouting for noises from anyone trapped beneath the debris. 

Chikoe tried to calm the woman before her down. Shoji had carried her over after pulling a beam off her leg, the appendage clearly broken. 

“Please just distract me, please. This is awful. I can't even look at it.” Chikoe grabbed a blanket and covered the contorted limb up for the gurney bound woman. While it wasn't actively bleeding, it was bent at an incorrect angle. The blanket seemed to help the woman calm down enough for Chikoe to continue her assessment. 

“Can you follow my finger with your eyes?” She asked, moving the flashlight slowly from left to right. He noticed her eyes narrow slightly, before perking up and saying “Great, thank you. Just one more test if you don't mind. Keep your eyes on me.”

“This hurts real fucking bad. Worst birthday ever.” The woman groaned, causing Chikoe to laugh while she turned to Shoji. “Can I borrow your flashlight? In the mess of things, I lost my phone.” She explained, a sheepish look on her face. One of his dupliarms handed it over to her awaiting hand. She didn't seem to mind the gesture or use of his additional limbs. Not surprising given her profession. 

“You know what? I understand that. My last birthday sucked.” Chikoe said as she turned back to the woman, cycling through the flashlight settings quickly before settling on a lower light output. 

The woman scoffed, a smile appearing through her tears. “Does it beat breaking your leg and spending the night in the hospital when you should be bar hopping?”

Chikoe considered the question. “I mean, that's pretty bad. I got to walk in on my ex fiance balls deep in another woman after working an overnight shift. Bastard didn't even pick up the cake I'd ordered myself on the way home. So I spent my birthday in the hospital on-call room alone.” Chikoe shone the light in the woman's eyes, closely observing her pupils. Shoji furrowed his brow, unsure if Chikoe was serious, or just trying to make the woman feel better. The woman looked a bit shocked for a moment following Chikoes confession, then laughed. 

“You know what? We'll call them equally shitty. Thank you. And…. sorry.” 

 “Well, I'm sorry too then. Next year will be better, yeah?” She gave the woman a warm smile before turning her attention to the paramedics, giving them her assessment. The woman was loaded into the ambulance, significantly more calm than when he'd pulled her out of the wreckage. 

“What a night.” She turned to face him. “I heard that everyone is accounted for.” He nodded at her, waiting for her to continue. “I should get going - seems like everything is under control, and the emergency medical team is here. I should get out of the way and let them take over.” 

“Was that true?” He blurted, and he noticed a blush creep onto her cheeks. The dark fabric wrapped around her throat provided a high contrast, highlighting the redness. 

“Yeah. Yeah, unfortunately, it is.” She offered simply before shrugging. “At least I found out before we got married. It would have been harder to detangle…everything after that. I'm embarrassed enough as it is.” Shoji looked down at her, confused. “Embarrassed? He probed. 

Chikoe sighed. “Hospitals can be like that. It's a tight knit group, and everyone tends to get into everyone's business. Imagine having one of the worst days of your life on display everyday at your job, which is where you end up spending most of your time. We worked in the same building, which made it all the worse.” 

“You shouldn't be embarrassed that someone you trusted betrayed you. They should be embarrassed, not you.” Chikoe smiled at his words, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. 

“I can assure you, he's not the slightest bit embarrassed. If anything, it seems like he's relieved to not spend his life with… Me.” Realizing that she did not want to elaborate on that point, she quickly continued. “I should go, and I'm sure you have a mountain of paperwork to do. Have a good night, Shoji.” Chikoe moved to leave, reaching down to grab the small pile of blankets on the ground to return to the emergency team. 

“Mezo.” He corrected gently, the correction bringing a smile to her face. A real one this time, Shoji noted, that reached her green eyes. 

“Mezo.” She repeated, and before he could process what had happened she held the side of her head, which exploded into red as a piece of falling wood hit the ground next to her.

“I think you're concussed.” Shoji stated, once again trying to get a better look at the wound with his duplieye. 

Chikoe continued talking, more to herself than to Shoji. “I'm supposed to go to a concert. My brother is in town. He's playing at the underground.” Chikoe looked behind Tentacole, noticing a charred sign, now simply reading “ground” hanging outside the blackened building. Shoji watched her eyes go wide. She may not remember the event, but she had definitely reached the conclusion that something had happened and the venue had been destroyed. 

Panic once again filled her, her brain fog receding in the face of adrenaline. She quickly reached up before Shoji could stop her and poked at the border of her head wound. “Shallow, few inches. Bleeder not a needer. I can wait.” She muttered to herself, moving to stand. 

Shoji quickly grabbed her arns, trying to prevent her from hopping off the raised bed she was seated on. She may not be able to get her footing, and he didn't want to see her hit the pavement and get another head wound. 

Shoji wasn't sure how to process what happened next. From his duplieye, he watched as her eyes went from frantic, to completely glazed over when he grabbed her. She stopped her external panicking and no longer made a move to get off the bed. She simply… stopped. 

“Chikoe?” He questioned. Glazed, teary eyes moved up to meet his. 

“Please don't.” She whispered. A few tears fell from her green eyes, paving a trail down her ashen face. 

Shoji hesitated, then pulled away. “Okay. Okay.” He said both to himself and to her. She quickly covered her arms with the blanket, staring off into the distance. 

Upper year rescue training covered a broad range of topics. One lesson in particular came to mind, outlining that people will react vastly differently to being grabbed. Some will attempt to get away by default and possibly get violent, children are usually more familiar with the feeling and, due to their size, easier to handle. But this wasn't an option he had learned about or witnessed before. 

Rather than dwell on it, Shoji simply concluded that whatever he was doing wasn't making things better for her. “My understanding is that the band is okay. They were taken to the hospital for an exam, but only minor injuries. The main damage was to the attendee area.” Chikoe didn't move. 

“Does she need triage?” One of the paramedics questioned, pulling Shojis attention away from the catatonic woman before him. He kept his duplieye trained on her, turning his head to meet the other man's eyes.

Shoji weighed his options. Chikoe had assessed her wound and deemed it not critical. She was likely concussed, which would need to be monitored. He had a sneaking suspicion that transporting her in her current state would do more harm than good. “No, I've got her. No major injuries.” The paramedic nodded before making their way towards the wreckage.

“How do you know he's okay?” Chikoe questioned, still gazing dreamily into the distance. He realised she didn't remember speaking to her brother, insisting he needed to go to the hospital for an assessment. Instead of trying to remind her, Shoji pulled up his phone, showing her the social media post the band had put out. Her brother was pictured. He was giving a thumbs up with a wrapped hand, his face flat and annoyed. Chikoe couldn't make out the writing underneath the post at the moment. 

“Chikoe, where do you live?” Shoji whispered, trying to gently pull the woman out of her stupor. He watched as she blinked, then sighed. “I don't know. No, that's… Not right. I don't live here. I don't live in this region. I was just supposed to visit for the day.”

Shoji narrowed his eyes, recalling Dr. Hatas words from earlier. If he had just offered her the job she may not have had the chance to get housing arranged. “I need to help you stand. Is that okay?” When she nodded, Shoji offered her a hand. She took it and gently hopped off the bed, landing on her feet in front of him. She looked up at him, her eyes more clear than a moment ago. “It doesn't seem like you want to go to the hospital. I'm going to take you at your word that you're not a high priority patient at the moment. So, I'm going to take you to my agency, and you're going to let me help you.” He stated, understanding that leaving it to debate would, in fact, result in a long debate. 

Chikoe nodded. “I can do that.” She said simply, looking for him to take the lead. 

“Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?” Shoji questioned, noticing the slow walking pace she was taking. 

“There's nothing to be done. I'm definitely concussed. But I don't want to take up an imaging spot - I think there will be a big need tonight. I can go get one taken tomorrow if I have any problematic symptoms. Nothing broken. Just a bleeder, which I can slap some duct tape on.” She concluded gesturing to the clotted wound on her head.

“I'm going to clean that cut out. And no, there will be no duct tape.” Shoji stated, again being careful to not make it sound like a question. Not wanting to battle her anymore than he already had. 

She nodded. “That's a good call. ”

Link to chapter three.

[rockingrobin69]

Winner

Beyond the farmhouse the fields lasted forever, stretching goldeny-crisp in the morning air. The sound of cows in the distance, the gentle gurgle of the stream, but—

“No chicken,” the man in the red cowboy hat said. “Noticed? Not roosters, no clacking, no nothing. Usually at this time there’d be a racket.”

Some clacking: just Malfoy’s boots, with the sharp, pointy edges that Harry couldn’t help but stare at indefinitely. Coming out of the barn, and the gleam of his hair in the morning light made something clench in Harry’s belly, too tight.

“All there,” Malfoy said and came closer. The crease between his eyebrows was familiar: the look of a puzzle. Harry lived for the mystery: Malfoy lived for this. The answers. He was sort of perfect, as a partner, at least.

“See? Just as I said. Chickens all there, roosters all in their place, but nothing. Like someone’s come and zipped their little beaks shut.”

Malfoy jotted something down in his notepad. “You say it began three days ago?”

“At sunrise. Everything suddenly went quiet. Thought, something this weird, I gotta tell my Marge, and then she called you folks.”

“Has anything like this ever happened before?” Harry asked. “We got reports from the neighbouring farms about something they call ‘the alligator’. Ever heard of it?”

Cowboy-hat went still. “Alligator, you say,” with an exaggerated tilt to his frown he definitely didn’t have before, “no, don’t think I have.”

“Hmm,” Malfoy tapped the notepad with his pen. “Well, thank you for your time, Mr. Griffin. If you remember anything else, please let us know.”

He nodded, chewed his bottom lip, opened his mouth, then closed it. Walked away to his truck, to the sound of a tractor in the next field and, still, no chickens.

“He knows something,” Harry said.

“Obviously.” Malfoy was already collecting his things in that little bag he always insisted on carrying. He looked so strange in those boots, in that shirt, so oddly different and blaringly himself and annoyingly, overwhelmingly handsome. It was too early in the morning, and Harry was losing his mind. Malfoy being a condescending arse shouldn’t make him feel like that.

“Obvious? What’s so obvious about this?”

The tip of Malfoy’s mouth tugged upwards. “You mean you didn’t notice the secret hatch in the barn?”

Oh, he forgot how absolutely brilliant Malfoy could be. Fighting his own grin: “Of course I noticed it.”

“And you noticed, I presume, the carving in the chicken coop that is probably the password to unlock it.”

“Naturally.”

“A bit tacky, if you asked me, but then of course I don’t farm chicken, so. ‘Winner winner, chicken dinner’ it is.”

Harry shrugged. “Got a charm to it. So, do we try it right now, or…”

“Potter,” Malfoy laughed, a hand out to stop Harry, already on his way back to the barn, “I was joking. There is no carving. Although I do think there should be a way to crack the hatch open, in the right time. Sunrise or sunset, I reckon. Sorry, I just—you’re too easy.”

The problem was that Harry really was. Too easy for him, too charmed and too out of it in the heat of Texan summer, too early in the morning. “You’re an arse.”

“Astute observation, Special Agent Potter. Now, we have some hours to kill before out next chance at the spells. How about we take a drive to the river, see if we can dig up anything more about that ‘alligator’ from the fishermen?”

“Sure thing, Dr. Malfoy. If you wear the hat again.”

He frowned. “It really doesn’t match the shape of my face.”

“There’s nothing wrong with your face,” Harry growled, somehow not for the first time since joining the Hex-files. “Come on, let’s go. The river’s not a bad idea, but you still owe me breakfast.”

“Anything for you, Potter.” With that tiny almost-smile that drove Harry mad.

*

“I’m just saying,” Harry started, arms waving—

“Say it, then, don’t spray it!” Malfoy dabbed his face with a napkin. The movement so gentle, so prim, it dragged a reluctant smile out of Harry; made for something inside him go warm. Distracting. “Honestly, Potter. Don’t pout. One must insist on at least some table manners.”

Harry flipped him off with a chip. “All I’m saying is, it’s connected. The fish disappearing, the alligator, the chicken going silent—there’s something that connects them all.”

“The chicken curse,” Malfoy said with a delicately-arched eyebrow.

“Something of the sort.”

“You don’t truly believe it, do you?” without the mocking Harry still half-expected. “The chicken conspiracy those farmers were talking about.”

Harry took his time with the plastic cup of soda. Let the last couple of days untangle in his head, collected the bits and pieces of information. “I think I might,” he said carefully. Malfoy nodded, and laid down a couple of napkins on the table.

“All right. Show me.”

He’d do that sometimes: when Harry built theories upon theories in his head, make him stop and lay it out. Then say something that would shake Harry’s world to the core, like you’re a bloody genius, Potter or it’s amazing how you can do that, all delivered in a neutral, level tone.

So Harry pulled out his wand and threw a covert Notice-Me-Not. Drew it all out: from the fish in the river to the wheat in the fields to the ever elusive ‘alligator’ whom, he suspected, wasn’t so much a wild animal at all. Malfoy took it in with his calculating look, and tipped his head slightly in the way that meant he was interested.

“All right,” when Harry was finished, “if alligator is code, what do you think it stands for?”

“I’m not sure yet,” he confessed, heart hammering in his chest. This was the moment when his old partner would laugh at him, or his boss start shouting, or his friends would roll their eyes.

Malfoy said: “Okay. Where do you want to start?”

And Harry thought, I love you. Swallowed it, distilled into something he could use, the way he’s been doing for weeks now, for months.

“I think we should go back to Mr. Griffin. Got this feeling we’ll find what we need there.”

“Your feelings are usually right,” Malfoy shrugged, and got up. “Shall we? Sunset’s in about twenty minutes. Give it another try.”

I love you, Harry thought again, nonsensically.

*

It turned out the hatch opened to a wardrobe, and in it were—

“Alligator costumes,” Malfoy, with his eyebrow, with his eyes only slightly round in surprise. “Part Animagi, I assume?”

Mr. Griffin shrugged. “How did you know it was me?”

“Special Agent Potter figured out your schedule had to do with the fish disappearing.”

“I didn’t mean to scare the chickens,” Mr. Griffin said sadly. “Do you think they’ll ever forgive me?”

“Probably,” Malfoy again, more gently than Harry thought he was capable. “Let’s go inside and think of a way to reverse this. Suppose no one was actually hurt. No harm, no fowl.”

Harry grabbed his wrist to stop him. “Malfoy,” a little choked with it, “want to have food tonight? With me. I mean, a meal. I mean, a date. I mean—”

“Yes,” Malfoy’s lip did that thing, this almost-smile that was the dearest thing in Harry’s heart. “Yes, Potter, I’ll go on a date with you.” After a moment: “But I’m not wearing the hat.”

“I think you look very charming in it.”

The tiniest of blushes. “Wherever you take me, they’d better not serve chicken.”

I love you, Harry thought. Grinned with his whole face, and raced Malfoy back to the ranch, where Mr. Griffin was going to undo the curse.

Another mystery solved. And something bigger, too, he thought: something much brighter.

For my dear @short666bread​ who gave me the coolest prompt from this list. Hey, you could do it too! 

[kingtrey3]

PF2 Homebrew Advice: Persistent Damage

TL; DR: Persistent damage should be calculated as double its damage when building creatures.

Persistent damage is kinda misunderstood when it comes to the monster creation process. I've seen a handful of monsters from Paizo that just seem to slap "plus 1d8 persistent bleed" onto its Strikes with minimal regard for what that actually means, which makes me, as a GM, feel like I have to tone down the creature so that it doesn't utterly overwhelm my players.

For those who don't know the rules, persistent damage is a unique condition that deals damage at the end of a creature's turn, after which they roll a DC 15 flat check to see if the persistent damage ends. You can do things like assisted recovery to lower the flat check DC, but let's put a pin in that for now and just focus on the above.

The biggest misunderstanding with persistent damage is that some creators calculate it as if it only deals its damage once, and uses that into a creature's Strike damage. For example, the quetzacoatlus's beak Strike does 2d10+10 piercing plus 1d8 persistent bleed. By the above calculation, that creature deals an average of (2)*5.5 + 10 + 4.5 = 25 damage, which matches up with the extreme Strike damage of a creature at that level.

BUT THAT'S NOT CORRECT!

Persistent damage isn't a one-and-done, it sticks around until the creature succeeds at that DC 15 flat check. There is only a 30% chance each turn that the persistent damage ends, so it's very likely that that quetzacoatlus's one attack will have a lasting effect beyond just an extra 1d8.

Going into some statistics, the chance that you take damage from the quetzacoatlus's bleed damage at the end of your next turn after getting hit is 100% (assuming nothing is being done to stop the damage; again, we'll put a pin in that). The turn after that it decreases to 70%. The turn AFTER THAT, it's 49% (100% * 0.7^2). Then 34.3%, then 24.01%, and so on.

So, let's treat the damage as if it's decreasing by this same amount. So it deals a full 4.5 on turn 1, then on turn 2 the total damage becomes 4.5 + .7 * 4.5 = 7.65, then on turn 3 the total damage becomes 7.65 + .343 * 4.5 = 9.855, and so on. Then let's put that on a graph.

The above graph shows that the total damage asymptotically approaches 15. So, on average, persistent damage will proc about 15/4.5 = 3.33 times before the flat check is made.

"So persistent damage should be seen as triple-ish damage?" In a vacuum, yes. But it's NOT in a vacuum.

Now is the time we take the pin out of some other complications. Persistent damage can be dealt with by PCs, such as by healing a PC to full HP to end persistent bleed, or doing the "stop, drop, and roll" to reduce persistent fire's flat DC to 10 and immediately grant a flat check to end it without taking the damage. And let's not forget that persistent damage doesn't stack, so if the quetzacoatlus makes a beak Strike against a creature already taking the 1d8 persistent bleed, then all it will do is the 2d10+10. And that's ALSO not accounting for unexpected PC shenanigans that might come up, like a PC having some bonuses against bleed damage, or using a spell in an unconventional way.

So to account for those edge cases, homebrewers should treat persistent damage as a bit less than triple-ish damage. Speaking as someone who's done this a lot, my general rule of thumb is that persistent damage should count as twice the amount of one-time damage. So the 1d8 persistent bleed damage we've been talking about should be seen as equivalent to, say, the quetzacoatlus's beak instead dealing an additional 2d8 cold damage.

With this rule of thumb in mind, let's go back to the quetzacoatlus's beak and see how much damage on average it deals. So on average it'll deal (2)*5.5 + 10 + (2)*4.5 = 30. And THAT is 120% of the extreme damage for that level, so I would call that a bit excessive and needs to be toned down. Maybe drop the beak's piercing damage to 2d8+10 so it feels less overwhelming.

Pathfinder 2e is built with a delicate balance in its math, and knowing how that balance functions is necessary to ensuring a good play experience.

[vesperaink]

FINALLY @onawhimsicot 's awesome Life Series Team Rancher Superhero AU fic, Tangotek Evil Incorporated is posted and I get to share my initial concept art for Dr. Blaze and Canary respectively!

if anyone makes fanart of TTEI, you're welcome to use my designs with credit or make your own!! There's nothing more superhero comic than every artist doing their own take <3

I've loved seeing Cadence's event artists takes on their outfits they're SO GOOD. I love seeing all the different designs!!! PLEASE @ me and Cadence I promise you, we'd love to see it <333 Also my ask box is always open if you want to chat!

I'm definitely going to be making more polished designs and drawing for this universe in the future (superhero aus my beloved I had SO much fun designing them)!

but for now, if you also love character design, have way too many thoughts about Ranchers and hero/villain costumes like me, and 3 pages wasn't enough, buckle up and enjoy my extra ramble under the cut:

EXTRA:

When Cadence asked me to help design their outfits, the request boiled down to "i just need ideas, you don't have to like draw a whole Thing" but I'm so Normal about my blorbos so uh naturally it became A Whole Thing and when I got to Canary I had to frantically hit the brakes on my character design brain from making him too cool

Tango's design came easy, Canary's outfit less so. Surprisingly it's kinda hard to make a somewhat on theme but also basic hero outfit jsakfhajskfh

criteria for Canary at the time was a mix of on bird theme but also NOT on theme since he needed to be a bit basic for context of the fic so he WILL be getting a glow up later

We debated giving Canary a gas mask vs a beak-like mask for a long time, the bandana is my compromise while also hitting that Basic vibe. Its also a nod towards my Sheriff!Jimmy design & Ranchers

We have a long history of working on a OC superhero universe (lovingly dubbed soupverse) together, and while I also just think plague doctor vibes are Neat the concept of the beak being a hero/villain mask is partially pulled from my main villain, Crow who is also bird themed (shocking i know)

Canary having a silly jumpsuit was also loosely inspired by Zedaph's high dive Zedvancement skin from his S9 Ep 1!

Tinted lenses to hide your identity my beloved, what if we both had colored tinted lenses and were red and blue coded and were nemeses...haha jk...unless?

Just the other day, Cadence said to me what if Canary wore Uggs and lowkey he might asjkfhaksjf

Parrot, while not depicted eventually got summed up to Aviator vibes and obviously Canary had to match

A lot of this reference sheet was originally scrawled in my notes app and generally in my head. I cleaned it up for the event so while I'm sorry it's so messy, it was worse originally LOL