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luminatricky · 23 days ago

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Vampire? In Gotham! (part 1)

Summary: Danny's 19, a prince, a halfa, and tired of being these things. So he jumps on the idea of a vacation as soon he's given the hint of a chance. The only caveat is that he's going to go undercover as a vampire in a big city - Gotham - far from his home dimension. He finds it's easier than he thought it would be. He's already mostly there.

Relationships: Dead on Main (Jason Todd/Danny Fenton), John Constantine & Danny Fenton

Um? Inspired by several prompts and other fanfics. Lost Between Our Needs and Wants AU definitely, with a background Danny's summoned by Ra's as Damian as a sacrifice. Nothing bad happens (to Damian) don't worry. Also, the one in which Danny decided to fight ghosts as a human too.

And John is almost definitely ooc, he's a character I enjoy a lot even though I don't have a firm grasp of his canon.

Danny's afterlife has been way too interesting for way too long. It's gotten to the point that when things suddenly go quiet for months, he hardly hesitates to give his "human" life some over-due attention.

For obvious reasons he's not going to try his "vacation" in his own dimension. Anyone he once might have stayed for know how to get a hold of him, whenever and wherever.

The Amity Park portal is still open. But between the stricter laws on ghosts wanting to use permanent portals he managed to get passed, and the increasingly feral ways the townsfolk have begun defending each other with, Danny feels confident to finally...let go. In his heart, he had always thought of it as still his, despite not being there to maintain it in truth. But now it's not his Haunt anymore, fully and completely.

They don't need him anymore.

And Danny doesn't want to be needed like that again, to be honest. He sacrificed so much to play hero because he got it into his head that he had to do everything alone in the end. As if he was the only one who could kick ghost butt on the daily in town.

Thankfully, a nineteen year old Danny is smarter than a fourteen year old Danny. He's learned the art of delegation. Any tasks that he doesn't need to be present for, he has a whole team of ghostly assistants to handle things for him. The major multidimensional crises have for the most part been solved - his protection Obsession at the very least fed. And quite a few skeleton thralls he freed near the beginning of his reign were suddenly looking for direction. Among them, a decent amount found the talent and fulfillment in positions of bureaucratic power that Danny never will, filling up spots he's unwilling to give out like the candy the various ghosts of nobility treat the roles as. Or ghost nobility. Like the Ancients. Quite a few of the Ancients are assholes.

(At least all the murderous Ancients aren't problems anymore)

With all their help, he's able to occasionally pop in to do paperwork, meet with the High Court for various lawmaking and judicial decisions, and listening to official petitions to the Crown from his people. It's all good. No mountains of unseen paperwork, no audience with the Observants every waking moment, no one across the Realms screaming desperately for help. Even some of the cults have finally caught on that he's not Pariah!

So Danny starts the process of finding a new Haunt for his new, normal, alive alter ego. Staying as long as he has in the Realms couldn't have been sustainable long-term if he didn't want to become a full ghost. As complicated as his relationship with his humanity is these days, he still doesn't want to die again. And Frostbite definitely has been pushing him to finding new territory, in the Infinite Realms or otherwise. Because even for full ghosts going Hauntless for long periods is straining. To say the least.

Although, being just a human again...didn't sit right. Even after all this time. His human form is still one Danny Fenton, in his eyes.

He can never be Danny Fenton again. He accepted that his duties as Crown Prince would keep him away from the identity of the ghost hunter's ghost hunting son, who went to Casper high and had terrible grades in everything but science; the kid who was shoved into lockers and who was addicted to Nasty Burger and played DOOMED with his friends and who wanted to be an astronaut. He accepted that he had to leave that all behind, and be full ghost in all but form. His parents wouldn't want him if they knew everything he lied about, anyways. He didn't actually deserve the name Fenton.

His new Haunt would preferably be in a place where he could reasonably pass himself off as another species, then, and still be safe. Safer than being a ghost at least. Most universes had well-deserved folklore against the Realms. His people are not inherently malevolent...But he knows that they don't play nice and careful with the living.

He would need an ectoplasm rich environment, too. A big city with lots of crime would go a long way for providing the ambient death and fear vibes that would attract Blobs like a bee to nectar. It would also make it feel like the Infinite Realms - hopefully. He's gotten accustomed to that kind of environment. He thinks he may never sleep again in a place quiet and safe.

He'd like a place with a rich history too. Just for fun!

Danny mulls it over carefully, narrowing down universes he could reasonably start his search in. The only universe he can think of with extensive protections for the non-human written into law is one far-flung flavor of an Earth he's semi-familiar with. He's been there twice, both at 16, just starting out and stressed to hell and back with the sheer load of unattended problems Pariah left to rot.

Both times he'd been more than he'd have liked. One Ra's Al Ghul wasn't technically his problem. He was no one's problem now, and that was current Danny's whole issue with it.

John Constantine is an unlamented saint for putting up with a feral teenaged Danny's slap dash attempt at helping the both of them - John with his soul related doom, and Danny with his paperwork related misery.

But. Considering how he handled the contract with Al Ghul, Danny can't blame John for hesitating to renegotiate their terms already. Ra's Al Ghul was an idiot who gave him what he thought was the life of his grandson, in exchange for immortality.

Him. The Prince of the Dead. Immortality.

Thankfully, the wording was imprecise. What he actually traded was the kid's really cool sword - the kid kneeling, terrified eyes meeting his before darting away, offering his own sword to let Danny slit his throat and "collect his due sacrifice", Danny not being able to breathe through his own fear - for pure ectoplasm, with instruction to drink it everyday until he ran out.

This of course killed even him months later from over-exposure.

The man probably felt a mile high in the air, indestructible, right up until he crashed. Al Ghul promptly became a ghost. Which. Closest thing to true immortality the Prince of the Dead could offer him. He kept his end of the deal. It's not his fault that Al Ghul never specified that he didn't want to die to be immortal. It's also not his fault that Al Ghul had so many dead enemies and victims on the other side who were easy to find. It was ridiculously easy - they made a support group around being taken down by the LOA. And who was he to deny the dead their due vengeance?

Right. So John is understandably nervous about Danny owning all the pieces of his soul, no matter how much rapport they've built these past three years. Danny is mature enough to admit that it is his fault for that bit.

On the bright side for Danny, that means one grumpy occult detective in a sad trenchcoat is a guy who lives in his phone. Like an uncle-shaped tamagachi!

He scrolls though his contact list until he thumbs John's number. Surprisingly, instead of going to voicemail, he picks up on the first ring.

"Before you ask, yes I'm cashing in a favor, finally. No, it's nothing evil, I've just got the first actual free time I've had in five years and I'd like to get suggestions on a city to move to."

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

John ended up giving a very detailed list in response. Suspiciously detailed, and hardly prompted. How long had John been thinking on this? And why?

Danny chalked it up to the man's reasonable paranoia when it came to him. John's aware he can pretend to be (fully) human with relative ease, afterall. And the older man knows where he'd need to be able to actually live long term. After-live. Whatever. Point is, John probably made it his business to know where any sneaky invasions would start if Danny ever became a little less morally ambiguous and a little more bloodthirsty.

Entirely fair! Pariah wasn't always a tyrant!

On the very top was Gotham, a city in this world's Jersey, and the crime capitol of the States. Plenty of ambient ectoplasm, and planty of charged emotions wafting from every street corner. He doesn't voice this, but Danny figures that there must be a whole community of ghosts already living there because of that double whammy.

Something about the city's name tickles his memory, but can't quite pin it down. If it was important he'd have remembered. Right?

John is thrown when he asks about his options of other non-humans Danny could reasonably get away with impersonating.

"And why," the occultist half-accuses, "would you of all spooks, want to live in Gotham, as a 'vacation', just to not even pretend to be normal?"

"First of all, ow. John you know just because someone is different doesn't mean they're not normal. I thought you were the cool uncle." He responds half-heartedly. Danny bites his bottom lip, rolling it between his sharp teeth as he tries to think of a part two to that answer that wouldn't get uncomfortably personal.

John doesn't rise to his bait. Danny hears him unscrew something metallic, then the sound of fluid swishing quietly from the other end. Ah.

The silence wears on. Danny should hang up. But winging things have always gotten him into bigger trouble. And John is the guy to call for this. Fuck. And he's bad at lying bold-faced.

Fine.

"I'm half human," Danny responds as if that would explain everything. It doesn't, so he manages to continue in a small voice that he doesn't even remember the last time he'd used. "Sometimes I still pretend to be one when I can't see any other way. But I had my chance at playing the part of both. And I royally screwed it up, literally! I became freaking royalty and I just couldn't anymore. As far as anyone but my doctor is concerned, I'm full ghost. I had a chance - I don't deserve another one. Screw ups don't get nice things."

John takes another swig from his flask, mutters something under his breath that sounds vaguely like 'of course he's a fecking halfa'. His voice is rough around the edges from whatever cheap booze he just drank a concerning amount of.

"Listen. Sounds like you've got trauma dripping from your ears, kid. But what's the point here, huh? Sounds like you want to be human without all the fuss of it." John drawls out.

Danny takes a deep breath in through his nose. He tries to fight down the feeling of being peeled open for the world to see - being afraid isn't helpful right now. He needs to be silly, nonchalant, like he's always been with John in tense situations. Why do they only talk when things are tense, anyways?

"Essentially. It's more like. I want to have all the human experiences I missed out on, but without having to hide being inhuman. That kinda thing."

"And you can't just be a ghost?"

"I really don't think anyone likes being ghosted."

"Don't you start on that. You know what I mean, Princeling."

"Fine. No, I can't be a ghost. That's boring and no one likes being haunted."

John gives a long sigh. After a beat, he acquiesces. "Alright. You could pull off vamps damn well. Got the hair for 'em. The teeth and claws are only slightly off. There's several clans with different looks the same way humans have ethnicities. Although, I don't think that's the same, now that I'm thinking about it. But subspecies doesn't fit either."

Danny hums, tilting his head in thought. "Like the difference between a banshee and a specter?"

"Yeah, like that. All vamps, just different enough, and no kind older than another to say they're the 'main' species." John clarifies. Another pause. "Unless you count Halfas. Which. Some people do but shouldn't. Bloody idiots."

Danny startles, nearly dropping his phone. "Excuse me?"

John snorts. "What? You didn't know?"

"Musta missed that part in the complimentary instruction manual they gave me for having my molecules redecorated." He snarks. "What do you mean I'm already a vampire?"

"I said people who don't know what they're talking about count Halfas as the original vampires. You lot have been around since the bloody dawn of time, it seems." John sounds exasperated.

"That's not what I - never have I ever wanted to take a chomp on anyone's pulse point, what the fuck?"

John gets that smug tone in his voice that Danny has a love-hate relationship with. "And exactly how many undead folks do you hang out with when you're feeling peckish?"

"...you can't be serious." Danny says instead of denying him. What can he even say to that? He's never met a Revenant or Ghoul.

"As the grave, I'm afraid."

When Danny doesn't outwardly respond for too many beats, John takes another chug. "Phantom?"

"John." He begins, pinching the bridge of his nose as more and more dots connect too cleanly for him. "You might be wrong."

"...What awful lore about your eldritch homeland is going to send me into my weekly crisis this time?" The detective groans out.

"Alright. So you know how part of my whole thing as the Prince makes it my job to stay aware of ectoplasmic diseases?"

John hums in acknowledgement, so Danny sucks in a deep breath. "Then you should know two things. One, that I've been to a few dimensions with vampires in them. And like you said, they're all different from each other. I didn't really pay much attention beyond helping the people survive these world-ending scenarios though.

Two, is that in each and every one of those realities, the vampirism was caused by a virus made by an Ancient - don't worry, they're gone. The disease itself is called False Halfa Syndrome. It was their attempt to weaponize Halfas back in Pariah's time."

"Oh shite." John says elegantly. "Bag o' shite!"

"Good luck on that crisis. Me too." Danny is hardly holding in hysterical laughter. "I can't believe Sam and Tucker were right about this. Holy shit."

"How in the world didn't you piece this together until now?!"

"I don't know! I just thought it was coincidence!"

"Bloody fucking hell, Phantom. Nevermind. You can play a vampire totally accurately because you are one. A ghost one." John growls. "Cause that just had to be a thing."

Danny carefully doesn't think about how Vlad might have legitimate claim to that vampiric aesthetic he's got going on. Instead, he's planning on stealing an aesthetic change for his own ruse.

"Nice. Should I know anything else while we're here?" He asks.

John gave a wry laugh, crackling over the phone's shitty old speakers. "About Gotham or your new undead existence?"

"Both." He says instantly. "Both is good."

"Gotham has vigilantes. The birds and bats are efficient, and they spook easy at unknowns. Batman's technically my coworker if we're gonna call the Justice League a job - we don't get paid for this. He and his family deal with the craziest lineup of human rogues I've ever had the displeasure. It's made him a healthy amount of paranoid. If you're doing anything nefarious, he'll find you. And then he'll call me."

Danny isn't exactly afraid of John. But Pariah wasn't afraid of Danny, either, so the halfa takes it seriously. Internally.

"Yeah yeah old man. You've got your eye on me and all that. Uh huh." He genuinely appreciates the warning, too, but messing with John is his bread and butter.

"Watch it, brat," John says with no real venom, unlike a moment ago. "Or I'll bring out the stakes."

"I take mine medium rare, thank you."

"Piss off."

"...About the vampirism?"

"Normal ghost bullshite applies. It's about the ecto, I think. You go absolutely nutters for the stuff in undead folk. Something about how ectoplasm interacts with the reanimated. Liminals are nutritious too, but I've been told it's the difference between cafeteria food and gourmet. One smells absolutely heavenly, the other is barely appetizing."

Oh Ancients is that why all his exes are Liminal? No, hold on, was part of the reason Vlad was so weird about him just ghost-vamp on ghost-vamp mutual hanger?

"What, I'm not the only Halfa in your life? John. I thought we had something special."

"Please don't make this weird. Do not flirt with me." John instantly scolds. "I know you're just being your little weird brand of playful, but I knew you when you were a kid shaped menace. C'mon."

Danny blinks. He didn't think he was flirting, but apparently he was. "Alright. Sorry, John."

There's a sudden crash on the other side of the phone. Followed by John's muffled cursing.

"Listen, I have to go. If you're serious about this I'll get you some good fakes. Text me with what you'd like your name to be." And then John hangs up. Danny smiles into the lingering silence.

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

PhantomMenace: Dante Nightingale, pwetty please 0w0

God's Favorite Whore: That's the most main character name I've ever bloody seen.

God's Favorite Whore: You're from a dead family in Illinois, farm boy, meta. Had an accident at 14, with a near death experience for believability. You've also been missing since shortly after it. Anyone looking into you will think that's when you got "turned."

PhantomMenace: thats why your the cool uncle <3

God's Favorite Whore: This should count as another favor, don't you think?

PhantomMenace: Yup. I'll be nice

PhantomMenace: 💚 ~2/20 Favors until Soul Return~ 💚

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seafoamreadings · 1 month ago

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week of november 17th, 2024

these are written predominantly for the *rising* signs but they are also intuitively "channeled" enough that they should work for any dominant energy you have! (try your sun if you don't know rising, or more advanced readers can try moon, anywhere you have a stellium, etc and see what works best for you!)

aries: fiery hot sagittarius season is inbound. this is great news for your overall vibe and aura, but especially if you want to pursue any lofty academic, philosophical, or spiritual goals. heated debates and exercise both tend to do well in this atmosphere but, due to upcoming retrogrades, be cautious of injuries (physical or egoic!)

taurus: you are renowned for appreciation of true quality, so don't settle in material matters or in relationships. as the season shifts again the temptation or opportunity to merge households or resources may arise. carefully evaluate before jumping in.

gemini: with mercury and jupiter opposing each other in mutual reception you have access to ideas and resources that normally would not occur to you. make good use of them! meanwhile, the dawn of sagittarius season heralds relationship developments or the formation of new strong alliances.

cancerians: you've now seen pluto come and go from your 7th house a few times. this week, it does so for the last time in your lifetime. it's like a breath of fresh air for 7th house themes. but don't forget that pluto is always somewhere... now it is in your 8th, but it's pretty well suited here if you don't panic too much. indeed, this can bring you lots of financial fortune.

leo: this is the week wherein pluto moves into aquarius for the last time. it will remain there for a couple more decades. for a whole sign system, this is the 7th house. you're entering a long era of major change, which will sometimes make the word "uncomfortable" look pitifully inadequate, to your relationships with other people. first date small talk, for one example, may begin to seem painfully unbearable. of course, it goes way deeper than that. try not to despair, this is ultimately for good and many more pleasant things will exist alongside it over the years.

virgo: these are certainly mutable times and while you are definitely one of the mutable signs, you do get "indigestion" (probably literally...) from too much chaos. ceres this week is encouraging you to embrace change, but not without a good measure of self care. and that's not just bubble baths but also any doctor visits you've procrastinated, a good healthy diet (not deprivation but nutrition!), and plenty of exercise. stay home all you want, as long as it nourishes you.

libra: pluto in aquarius can actually be really good for you. yes, people make pluto out to be a big bad villain, and yes it does often come with some unpleasantness. but aquarius is your 5th house so this is, over the next many years, going to make harmonious aspects to your libra points. if you need to throw out a hobby or situationship and start fresh, that will be your cue.

scorpio: your ruling planet heads for aquarius this week for good. by good, i mean a couple solid decades. this is your fourth house, and dramatic changes at home may occur, especially early on in the process. alternatively or perhaps in tandem, you might also see that family skeletons in closets are unearthed so to speak, or you may discover interesting (?) new information regarding some ancestors.

sagittarius: your solar season arrives this week as pluto heads out of capricorn for a long, LONG time. you don't have to let pluto steal your thunder, but be patient with others as they may be having a harder time navigating this than you will. meanwhile a mercury-jupiter opposition also grants you eloquent speech, quick thought, and probably a healthy amount of money and good fortune.

capricorn: pluto out of your sign for the *rest of your life* probably feels like a great relief and if it doesn't just yet, it will before very long. of course, pluto never disappears from the sky, it just moves on. so he now affects your values and possessions. keep your self worth bolstered all up, and note that pluto has certain associations with vast wealth. to bring up a stereotype, that's very much your style. enjoy.

aquarius: you've had a couple of brief tastes of pluto in the early degrees of your sign, those were dress rehearsals and the real deal starts here in just a couple of days. while it's not *THE* age of aquarius, it's certainly putting you in a type of focus. the dissolution of the ego/identity can be harrowing and also beautiful. think in terms of butterfly metaphors for the next twenty or so years. sometimes you're goo in a chrysalis and that's okay.

pisces: while you've been hosting old saturn in your sign, you've had a little more contact with the so-called "real" world as other people experience it in its mundanity, or the illusion thereof. this week has a very surreal quality which is very much your speed. in a strange turn of events, your friends (even strangers...) may, for now, see you as the grounded one.

watch the transit posts in real time to have the best guide through your week. want a little more? have a look at my patreon or ko-fi.

check out my etsy for a private reading or dm me to set up a reading through venmo, cashapp, or paypal.

#astrology #horoscopes #horoscope #weekly horoscopes #weekly horoscope #signs #zodiac #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #sagittarius #capricorn #aquarius #pisces

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bethanythebogwitch · 6 months ago

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Wet Beast Wednesday: hagfish

After taking last week off for mental exhaustion I have returned! And what better way to mark my return than with a shitload (or perhaps a highway load) of slime? Today I'm returning to the agnathan trenches to dredge up one of two living groups of jawless fish. I covered lampreys before, so now it's hagfish time. These ooey gooey critters are both fascinating and kinda gross. Now get ready, because it's time for slime.

(Image: a hagfish in profile. It is a long, brown, eel-like animal with a fin encircling the tail and a small head with no visible eyes or mouth. End ID)

Hagfish, also known as slime eels, are approximately 76 members of the class Myxini. In addition to the living species, hagfish have been preserved in the fossil record, letting us track their evolution through history. Hagfish are one of two living groups of agnathans, commonly known as jawless fish, with the other being the lampreys. As the name suggests, jawless fish are vertebrates without hinged jaws. Way back when bones were the cool new thing in town, agnathans represented the entirety of the vertebrates and were extremely diverse, but the evolution of jawed fish resulted in them getting largely outcompeted, leading to all lineages but the hagfish and lampreys going extinct. Genetic studies indicate that hagfish and lampreys are more closely related to each other than either group is to any other vertebrate. Because they are the only jawless fish left, hagfish and lampreys are of interest to scientists studying the evolution of vertebrates.

(Image: a hagfish coiled up, under orange light. The head is visible, featuring small sensory barbels and a large hole that resembles a mouth but is actually the nostril. End ID)

Hagfish are eel-shaped animals that range in length from a few centimeters to over a meter in the largest species, Eptatretus goliath. They have no scales, flattened tails that bear the only fin, and simple, eyeless heads. The heads bear sensory barbels, a single nostril, and the mouth. The mouth has two pairs of rasping plates that normally sit within the mouth, but can be everted to face outwards. The plates can grab food and pull it into the mouth to be swallowed. Hagfish do not have true eyes, but they do have eyespots that can sense light and dark. Interestingly, their fossil ancestors did appear to have fully-developed eyes that reduced in complexity until the present state. Likewise, ancestral hagfish had a true vertebral column made of cartilage, but modern hagfish only have remnants of their ancestor's vertebrae. Hagfish skin is very loosely connected to the internal body, only attached along the spine and slime glands. This makes the skin very flexible and harder for predators to grab. A third of the blood is contained between the skin and body and is pumped around with the heart as well as a few additional pumps that act as auxiliary hearts. Hagfish have some of the lowest blood pressure of any vertebrate and the highest blood volume to body mass ration of any chordate. Hagfish are also the only vertebrates that do not osmoregulate, meaning they cannot regulate the amount of salt in their bodies. Changes in salinity, especially moving to a lower salinity environment, are very dangerous to hagfish. Hagfish skeletons barely qualify, consisting of only a skull, notochord, and fin rays, all made of cartilage. The gills are internal. Water enters through the mouth and is forced over 5-16 internal gill pouches, then ejected through pores in the side of the body.

(Image: a closeup of a hagfish head with the rasping plates everted. The plates are mounted on pink tissue around the pharynx. there are two plates on either side of the pharyx which look like rows of small, sharp teeth. End ID)

That's all well and good, but you're here because of the slime. The hagfish's main defense is to create lots and lots of slippery slime. The slime helps them slip away from predators. If a fish tries to eat a hagfish, the slime can clog up its gills, forcing the fish to either release the hagfish or suffocate. A common factoid is that a single hagfish can turn a 5-gallon bucket of water into slime in seconds. To produce the slime, the hagfish releases threads made of special proteins into the water from glands on its skin. These proteins react with seawater to create a matrix of trapped water held together by filaments similar to keratin. The slime matrix can expand 10,000 times its original size in 0.4 seconds of exposure to seawater. The slime is quite durable and resistant to breaking and dissolving in water. After sliming, hagfish have been seen wrapping their bodies into an overhand knot and running themselves through the loop to scrape the slime off of themselves. Its possible that the slime also impairs the hagfish's ability to use it's gills and it needs to do the know to get the slime off and breathe again.

(Image: a person reaching into a holding tank full of hagfish and pulling out an armload of thick, viscous, white slime. End ID)

youtube

(Video: a hagfish in the wild demonstrating its knotting behavior. This one is going in the opposite direction usually seen: tail-to-head instead of head-to-tail. End ID)

Hagfish are found in most of the oceans, with range varying based on species. They are benthic animals that rarely swim far above the seafloor. Some species dig burrows to shelter in while others will shelter under rocks and other structures to avoid predators. While lying on the sediment, some hagfish species will coil up while others will lie straight. Hagfish are carnivorous and feed with a combination of hunting and scavenging. A large portion of the hagfish diet consists of polychaete worms and other known prey species include small crustaceans and echinoderms. Some species have been known to hunt burrowing fish, possibly by clogging up the burrows with slime to suffocate the prey. If you've seen a documentary about deep-sea fish you probably know about hagfish scavenging. Using their large nostril and sensitive sense of smell, hagfish can sense carcasses from long distances and are often some of the first scavengers to arrive at a new body. They use their rasping plates to pull bits of meat off of the carcass. A similar behavior to the slime-cleaning knots is seen when scavenging, but in reverse, going from tail to head instead of the other way around. This grants the hagfish additional mechanical advantage, allowing it to rip off larger chunks of food. Hagfish will burrow into larger corpses, possibly to get access to a food source with less competition than the outside of the body. Hagfish act as part of the deep ocean's cleaning crew, consuming corpses before they can decay and release potentially harmful chemicals into the water or act as sources of disease. Unlike any other living chordate, the food a hagfish swallows is encased in a permeable membrane during digestion. Hagfish can also absorbed dissolved nutrients through their skin. Hagfish have a very slow metabolism and ones in captivity have been observed going for up to 7 months between meals.

(Image: several hagfish feeing on the body of a fish. The hagfish have their heads on the fish's body and one hagfish is entering the fish's mouth. End ID)

Hagfish reproduction is still something of an enigma as so many of them live in the deep sea, making it difficult to observe them reproducing. It has been observed that females seem to outnumber males, with the exact ration varying depending on species. In some species, the sex ratio is almost even, while in others, there are 7 females to each male. however, it should be noted that females mature sexually faster than males and it has been suggested that this is responsible for the apparent skewed ratio. Hagfish eggs have tufts at the end that cause them to get stuck to each other like velcro. It has been suggested that eggs are laid in clusters possibly in burrows, beneath rocks, or protected with slime. Some species seem to have a mating season and seasonally migrate. Hagfish have only a single ovary or testicle (the latter of which has been described as unusually small by scientists and bullies in the deep-sea locker room) and they have no specialized reproductive tract. Instead, gametes are released into the main body cavity and must find their way to the anus to leave the body. Hagfish embryology is poorly understood, though it has been reported from studies of Eptatretus stoutii (Pacific hagfish) that the eggs can take up to 11 months to hatch. Hagfish have no larval stage, unlike lampreys and bony fish.

(Image: a group of 9 hagfish eggs in a plastic tub. The eggs are ovoid and dark yellow, with tufts of fibers at each end. End ID)

The conservation status and needs of most hagfish species is hard to discern because of the depths they inhabit. Threats to them include bycatch, as hagfish are often caught during deep-sea dredges. It is alos possible the chemical pollutants may be passed to hagfish through scavenging. There is a commercial fishery for hagfish, which is largest off of the west coast of the Americas. Hagfish are eaten as a delicacy in Korea and less commonly eaten in Japan. Most of the hagfish fishery goes to Korean food markets. Hagfish skin is also values as a durable leather and often marketed as "eel leather" or "yuppie skin". Study of the slime and the highly durable threads that produce it indicates they could be used to create very strong materials, similarly to spider silk. Research is currently being undertaken to find uses for hagfish slime and threads.

Once again, these cards show up in my posts (Image the Weird n' Wild Creatures card for hagfish, featuring an exaggerated drawing on a hagfish. End ID)

#wet beast wednesday #hagfish #agnathan #jawless fish #slime #deep sea fish #fishblr #fish #marine biology #biology #zoology #ecology #informative #educational #image described #cw animal death #Youtube

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klara-v-klyare · 1 month ago

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I've just re-watched Logan 2017 and I got a little upset. (Well, not a little, but I'm not talking about the movie).

In most of the fanfics I've read, and I've read something like 1500 completed ones on Deadpool & Wolverine because I have an obsessive hyperfixation like a disease...

Nevermind.

So. In these fanfics, Laura always remembers her Logan as a hero, a respectable father figure, etc. Although, in reality (in the movie), Logan initially behaved like a god damn fucking asshole, he didn't give a shit about Laura.

He was very tired, he saw that his body was tired too, it was not regenerating normally, he was bleeding, his claws did not come out all the way and made the wounds from them fester. He knew that he was getting poisoned by his own adamantium bones. And he just wanted to run away to nowhere in the middle of the ocean with Charles Xavier, the only person he respected who was still alive and for whom he was ready to take responsibility. But the professor had other beliefs his whole life, which Logan himself may have helped shape, if you go by the lore of the other movies. And that is to help and protect the younger mutants.

Logan is very tired, he's an alcoholic and suicidal, and he's just waiting for the end to come. But it was Charles who was his moral compass until the very end. Logan had hardened over the years of shit that happened to him, he was used to letting people go, getting over their deaths and moving on without an alternative. Yes, he freaked out after Xavier's death, because, probably, besides his brother, it was the longest (not exactly human, but you get it) contact in his life with another person who knew and understood and accepted him. And he didn't even want to get involved with Laura after that. Most of his heroism was that he finally died for what the person he respected so much believed in. He died for the idea of a future for new young mutants. For the fact that they are not God's mistake.

And I'm glad that after this gut-wrenching drama, there's a relatively fun Deadpool movie where Logan's skeleton is used as a weapon in the opening credits fight. Where "the worst Wolverine" gives Laura a high five with the Dogpool paw. Where there's a happy ending for all of them in some other dimension. And I'm so grateful for that.

And honestly, I want someone to write a fanfic where Laura finally comes clean to the new Logan in her life about her dad, how he wasn't such a perfect hero and how he and other Wolverine are so much alike, how Laura only knew him for a short amount of time, a few days, and how "the worst Wolverine" shouldn't worry about the rivalry because the fact that he tries, and tries constantly, for a long time, and tries consistently, makes him the best in the world for her.

(Doesn't mean that she gotta forget her own father. Just that her Logan doesn't have a holy halo of heroic immunity. Both Woverines are the same as men who try and make mistakes, but they're still different.)

And no, I don't want someone to replace any other one. I just want them all to know that despite all the shit in the past they all have a chance to start over with each other, to let go of the past trauma and not compare what that they are and what they do and what they mean to each other to anything that happend before.

Let Laura have things. Let Laura have family. Let Laura have unkillable multiverse dads, who are not eaten alive by inner demons that they're not good enough. Why fucking not?

That's it.

(And fuck X-men movies timeline, it won't ever make sense, but I'm all in for the emotional side of this bullshit).

#deadpool and wolverine #logan howlett #laura kinney #logan 2017 #deadclaws #poolverine

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wazzappp · 3 months ago

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WERE DOING SPECBIO STUFF AGAIN BABY. Feels fucking good to get back to my roots (i get to close 50 tabs worth of research now. Delightful)

Terminators are made of a Titanium Alloy (Im going with ferrotitanium which is a mix of iron and titanium. They never specify in the movie what the titanium is mixed with so fuck it we ball baby)) skeleton contains limited amounts of Mimetic Polyalloy (fake material used for the terminator in terminator two). Mimetic polyalloy can be hard or flexible and will be used to create new structures that the iron collected from food will later fully establish. This will allow his metal endoskeleton to mimic standard growth that a regular skeleton would have growing up.

When first introduced to the foster system (medical checkups are required once entering the foster system. The police probably do some checkups on Robbie also just to make sure hes okay when they find him), medical tests show that he has anemia, so it’s recommended he be put on iron supplements. My reasoning is any iron in his blood is almost instantly sent to work on growing his endoskeleton. That means the actual amount of iron left in his blood is pretty low (the opposite of this is hemochromatosis which is when there's too much iron in your blood). I could see him probably trying to stop iron supplements but I think there would be some side effects to convince him to start taking them again. His joints might ache or I could see child terminator Robbie saying some mildly concerning shit like ‘my bones feel hungry’. I also think he might crave foods that are high in iron. Like beef/chicken liver, canned tuna, and seafood. Idk how frequently he could AFFORD these things but yk. The endoskeleton hungers eternal ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Nanobots are used to repair wiring for his nervous system, synthetic muscular system, acts as his immune system and sometimes accelerates healing for his organic systems (organic parts of his muscular system, skin, and nerves). For the most part his organic systems heal on their own at about the same pace as a normal human person. Nanomachines/nanoparticles are fueled by glucose (if Robbie needs work done by the nanobots he might need to eat or crave sugar both before and afterwards).

He probably has a fairly (?) normal digestive system and circulatory system. The spread of his circulatory system is just more limited because some parts of him don't really need blood. . The primary job of the nanomachines when they aren't busy healing or growing his body is to harvest as much heme iron from the food/supplements he consumes as possible so that it can be repurposed later. His immune system is taken care of by the nanobots so all he has to worry about is red blood cell and plasma production. Similar to adults, most of this takes place in his spine, ribs, skull and breastbone. The red bone marrow is stored inside these metal parts and the red blood cells are then released into his bloodstream. Plasma is created in the liver and also in bone marrow so most of that stays the same

Another fun bit about the endoskeleton:

Bones close to his skin that are in danger of being exposed (knuckles, kneecaps, cheekbones) have a very thin enamel coating to preserve the illusion that they are bones. But underneath it’s all just the same Ferrotitanium.

onto the muscular system

Muscles are laced with a Shape Memory Alloy called Nitinol. A flexible (SURPRISINGLY durable godamn) metal material made of nickel and titanium that reacts to electrical and thermal impulses. It’s already used in the medical field (I can not fucking BELIVE that this is real thats so so so SO fucking cool). Superficial muscles are more organic (80% muscle 20% nitinol) but as the muscles go deeper they become more and more synthetic (20% muscle 40% nitinol 40% titanium wiring for durability). Superficial muscles are more muscle for stealth purposes. If injuries go deeper than anticipated he will still be able to fly mostly under the radar, assuming no wires have been significantly dislodged. If he’s been injured into the deeper layers then there’s no use in trying to lay low anymore. He’s clearly in a combat situation and stealth protocols no longer matter.

ALSO I did some math to try and figure out how heavy Robbie would be with all this metal in his system. Heres the logic for my equation:

CONTENT WARNING. MATH.

About 12 - 15% of your body mass is bone. A person weighing 155 lbs will have about 22lbs of bones. One Cubic centimeter of bones will weigh about 1.85 grams.

Ferrotitanium alloy is 4.5 grams per cubic centimeter.

The equation 1.85/4.5 = 22/x in which x is his new bodyweight. Multiply 1.85 by 2.43 to get 4.5. Because the equation must be symmetrical you then multiply 22 by 2.43 to get 53.5 lbs.

With all of the extra metal in his system, I think it would be reasonable to assume that he LOOKS like he should be about 155 lbs but his actual weight is around 250 lbs. I have. NO idea how doctors are going to deal with this.

Had some VERY FUN hypotheticals from @moosemonstrous (thank you for proofreading my insanity once again <3) about his body shedding as much water as possible and like. shriveling his organs to drop as much weight as possible before doctors appointments. But given that he is a cyborg and not an android I do think that might kill him so Im thinking??? Maybe people just assume the scale is broken.... every single time he's in.

IDK man if they have access to his wack ass file then his breaking the conservation of mass is the least weird thing in there.

OKAY YAYYYYY NOW THAT I HAVE HIS INTERWORKINGS LAID OUT I CAN DO FUN CYBORG GORE!!!!! <33

#YAYYYYYY FINALLY DONE #ghost rider terminator au #my art #robbie reyes #specbio

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canmom · 2 years ago

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when robots got muscles

You can blame @centrally-unplanned for this post. She(?) wrote...

The ‘chrome’ designs pioneered by illustrators like Hajime Sorayama (Sexy Robot from 1984, for example) tended to be more in vogue at this time (or just…a hot girl, who is apparently a robot, trust me bro), you don’t see designs like this too commonly until later (ask resident robo-fetishist/animator expert @canmom for details on that timeline).

After a challenge like that how can I refuse? Although the question is ‘when did robots get muscles’, this turned into something of a historical survey of robot designs from the 80s on with a throughline of biomimesis.

(Originally this was just going to be an excuse to talk about Ghost in the Shell... but I gotta be thorough.)

This was all brought on from this picture from a 1989 fanart magazine...

by an artist going by ‘Facepunch Tatebi-kun’ (顔面強打たてびー君, Ganmenkyouda Tatebii-kun). I remarked that it was interesting to see these kinds of ‘robot muscles’ in a picture from 1989, since I thought that kind of design became popular in the 2000s.

On some reflection, I think I gotta revise that opinion! I think ‘robot muscles’ became a thing around the mid 90s in anime; in the West I think it took a bit longer. But you can also see precursors already before that.

So. One thing artists are super into is biomimetic robots. That is, robots whose form (and perhaps function) is similar to animals, especially humans. The word ‘android’ referring to a human-like automaton dates all the way back to the late 19th century, but the modern ‘android, robot, cyborg’ taxonomy apparently became established around the 40s.

There’s two types of humanoid robot that get a lot of play, especially in anime. One is the convincingly humanlike cyborg, which is the same size and shape as a normal human; the other is a what we call in English a ‘mech’, i.e. a big robot you can sit inside.

Of course, if your androids just act like humans all the time, then there’s not much point having them be robots. To really create the frisson of contrast between human and mechanical forms you have to show the mechanism somehow. This could be because the machine isn’t perfectly human-like, and has visibly mechanical joints - take a look at the works of @sukabu89 for very inventive depiction of this theme - or, the android could be damaged or undergo maintenance.

When you attempt to translate biological forms into a more mechanical design language, the traditional way has been to use hard, rigid shapes, since these make the contrast especially clear. In more recent designs, particularly as we started to see real robots with ‘artificial muscles’ such as the ones created by Boston Dynamics, we get another sort of design language to express ‘mechanical parts’, and robots start having more biological forms with exposed plasticy muscles.

So let’s tell the story. We begin at the end of the 70s.

the dawn of mechaguro

For an early example of ‘mechaguro’ (a term I’m applying very anachronistically!), when a robot gets smashed up, we have Alien (1979). This film did a ridiculous amount to define sci-fi design language, and of course the alien itself blends mechanical and biological forms, with its glossy black surface allowing it to seem to melt into the exposed pipes of the spaceship. But let’s focus on the character Ash, a secret android who is broken apart in the second half of the film.

When Ash is torn apart by the alien, his insides consist of weird white plastic beads and a milky fluid that seems analogous to blood. It’s not clear what the function of any of this tech is - it’s intended to be vague and mysterious. The outside is biomimetic but the inside is anything but. He has a kind of artificial skin which resembles a latex mask.

The Terminator films are another major touchpoint for 80s science fiction. Late in the film, Arnie starts taking damage which reveals the Terminator skeleton underneath his fake skin.

The stop-motion Terminator model is basically designed according to the principle of ‘replace human bones and muscles with hard metal bits’. So you have a metal skull, metal clavicles (which are pistons for some reason), metal shoulder blades, hydraulic pistons generally in the places where muscles are. e.g. in the above picture you can see pistons that stand in place of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, and in this picture...

...you can see metal scapulae and piston biceps and triceps and a piston. The shoulder joint by contrast built in a very non-human-like way. Also there’s random tubes everywhere lol.

That’s generally how androids are portrayed in the 80s. The ‘droids’ in Star Wars are similar; C-3PO is an arrangement of metal plates with gaps suggestive of underlying mechanical details and rudimentary joints and pistons.

In Blade Runner, we have the Replicants, humanoid robots - but by the premise of the film, they are essentially indistinguishable from humans. So when the Replicants die, we never really get to see their robo-innards.

and now, anime

OK, that’s the big four Western 80s sci-fi movie series; what of anime? Of course, androids in anime go all the way back to Astro Boy. But most of these early designs don’t really focus on mechanical details all that much. Super robot designs are more like tokusatsu suits than anything. There were certainly instances of impressive mechanical animation in the 70s, with early experts including Kazuhide Tomonaga on Space Battleship Yamato. Then there’s Hayao Miyazaki’s episodes of Lupin III Part 2 which featured proto-Nausicaa flying a prototype of the robots from Castle in the Sky. It would be some years before anyone could come close to matching these!

The original Gundam in ‘79 famously started the ‘real robot’ movement [Animation Night, so let’s take a brief look at how a Gundam fits together.

Generally speaking, the way Gundams are drawn in Gundam ‘79 is kind of rough. The methods to animate these rigid mechanical systems in super accurate perspective were just not yet established at the end of the 70s, certainly not on a TV budget. The actual joints on the Gundam are left very vague, but it broadly speaking seems to move like a human in armour.

But the OVA boom was about to begin, and while it would be a while before we saw the heights of Headgear/Production I.G./Gainax, things were going to change a lot. Mechanical design and animation was about to get much more sophisticated very very quickly.

In 1982, we have Super Dimension Fortress Macross, with robots that transformed into fighter jets. Its robots are designed by Kazutaka Miyatake, who cut his teeth doing mechanical design for Space Battleship Yamato and Daicon. The Macross TV series introduced the world to the animation of Ichirō ‘Missile Circus’ Itano. [AN64] A plane with legs... honestly looks kind of goofy, but Itano’s ambition to have a highly mobile 3D camera that could move in ways that would simply be impossible in live action marked a huge step up in how robots are animated. And this would get refined even further in the film Do You Remember Love.

In terms of design, we’re really moving our inspiration from ‘tokusatsu suit’ to ‘military hardware’ here. A Macross suit has to look like something that could transform into a plane, so its silly little arms and legs have to look kind of plane-like. In any case, we are definitely still in a world of hard and rigid robotics.

Dallos (1983-4) dir. Mamoru Oshii is known as the first OVA, if not the first successful OVA [AN115]. It features a variety of mining robots on the surface of the Moon, which are generally less humanoid, taking their design cues from JCBs...

...as well as humanoid robots with fairly clear joint patterns...

...and more humanoid robots too.

The eponymous Dallos, however, is a huge humanoid robot that looks like this...

Here we have a pile of mechanical shapes that vaguely calls to mind a human face. It’s suggestive of motifs we’d see later in works like Akira.

A year later in 1985, Megazone 23 really kicks off the OVA boom in earnest [AN 103]. It also has a robot, in the form of a transforming bike that can become a humanoid piloted mech...

You can see mechanical designs and shading have become considerably more detailed; its motion is a lot more complex as well with a ton of indulgent background animation shots. The actual details of the bike -> robot transformation are rather brushed over. But to sort of sum up the design language: we have organic but hard-edged shapes contrasted by inorganic but round shapes. (These terms ‘organic’ and ‘inorganic’ refer mostly to symmetry and a sense of ‘flow’ in the shape.) There are few right angles as such, but a lot of broadly boxy topology. The shapes are broken up by elaborate specular highlights in complex shapes, a motif of the later Kanada school.

OK, but that’s all variants on ‘rigid robot’ so far - what about the androids? What about the more directly biological designs?

Following the enormous success of Megazone 23 Part I, Toshiki Hirano got the chance to adapt his favourite lesbian cosmic horror hentai manga Fight! Iczer One into a rather more tame OVA which released from 1985-87. In terms of mechanical design, this starts to do some interesting moves towards blending biological and mechanical forms...

Of course it has a robot in addition to the requisite bishōjo and lightsabers. In contrast to the boxy shapes we’ve seen so far, the robots in Iczer-One have a much more curvy organic sort of design language. Still, there is not a lot of emphasis on the precise details of mechanical articulation outside of select shots. (It is however notable for the first ever Obari punch!)

Despite the change in shape language, these are still very clearly animated as metal plates and not yet muscles.

In 1984 we have a very important film (for this narrative, and in general), Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, the film that created Studio Ghibli. Here we have the ‘God Warriors’, giant humanoid weapons with the ability to shoot a massive laser out of their mouth. Rather than robots, these are very much biological in nature, having to be grown in a kind of cocoon. In the film version of Nausicaa, an incomplete God Warrior is released, leading to an iconic scene animated by Hideaki Anno in which the God Warrior attempts to blow up the oncoming wave of Ohmu.

The God Warrior’s melting flesh is gorgeously animated, bubbling and sloughing off in great big lumps as the skeleton pokes out from underneath. Throughout, Nausicaa is full of beautiful and impressive animation of both machines (mainly planes) and biological (the giant insects), but the God Warriors, as human-made lifeforms, bring the two together. However, this strand wouldn’t be especially followed up on for a long long time.

Right, but what about Bubblebum Crisis (1987-91)? That is, after all, the iconic 80s robot girl OVA. It’s inspired heavily by Western robot-related films like Terminator and Blade Runner; here we have ‘Boomers’ (never stops being funny) as androids that can appear convincingly human. Like the Terminator, the underlying metal parts can burst out. Here we have a metal frame designed to resemble muscles, and also metal tentacles.

The shapes of these robots are a lot more organic. The robot neck has tubes that sort of resemble the neck muscles, metal plates that resemble pectorals and abs and deltoids and biceps and so on. You’ve even got a direct riff on the Terminator ‘fleshy face falling away to reveal metal skull with glowing red eye’! Under the plates there are clusters of tubes which also heavily resemble muscles. Also you’ve got the classic ‘three small circles’ motif there.

Contrasted against them are the Knight Sabers, who aren’t cyborgs as such but fight in powered exoskeletons which fit the design motifs of robot girls.

These suits are quite form-fitting, with a rubber under-layer and metal shells on top. There is definitely some attention paid to how they’ll articulate around the joints. One very recognisable 80s motif is the sort of extending spike thingies you can see on her hat there; there’s also the jets that extend out behind the suit. And, you have that multi-layer shiny highlighting of course!

Still, the way the characters move in Bubblegum Crisis is still very squarely Kanada School poses; big movements, lots of held poses accentuated by flashing and line boil, not a lot of concern for conservation of momentum or anything like that.

For a contrasting strand we can look at the rise of the ‘Otomo school’ (if you will) of realism. Around the end of the 80s, a pool of talented animators were gathering around Katsuhiro Otomo. Their most famous work is Akira, but I’m actually going to begin with Robot Carnival (1987), a wonderful anthology of short films from 1987. This features a huge variety of interpretations of the concept of robots.

For example, for Kōji Morimoto, later co-founder of Studio 4°C, the robot is a kind of cobbled-together steampunk Frankenstein’s monster. It’s a very cool design with all sorts of asymmetries and exposed parts suggesting its cobbled-together nature. And although all the robot does in this short is stand up and then fall over, a great deal of attention is paid to the little details of its articulation and its movement through space.

Presence, directed by Yasuomi Umetsu, is notable for its steps in the direction of realism - Umetsu’s characters are hyperdetailed and in some ways over-drawn. The opening shots establish this is a world where lifelike androids are common, when an android gets his head kicked off and stolen by children. Here the robot-as-doll metaphor comes in, something that will be increasingly central in the next decade. The robot girl is essentially a human-sized doll in a room full of other toys. Her creator smashes her to pieces with a wrench; later her ghost visits him as an old man. We see the girl attached to a bunch of wires, but she bleeds like a human.

Cloud by Manabu Ōhashi features another humanoid robot, an Astro Boy-like child recognisable as a robot based on his segmented torso and legs and robotic ear... cones. Here the robot is a standin for human emotions, the boy’s struggles projected onto the constantly changing sky as he walks against the wind.

Strange Tales of Meiji Machine Culture: Westerner’s Invasion by Hiroyuki Kitakubo (later to direct Golden Boy, Roujin Z and Blood: The Last Vampire) is a sendup of mecha shows in which two very goofy looking steampunk robots operated respectively by Japanese and Western crews duke it out, laying waste to the city around them. The Japanese robot is basically a big wooden samurai...

and the Western (more specifically American) robot is, uh

sorta big barrel with little eyes on top? I’m not entirely sure what the deal is with this design!

That’s really not relevant to our story tbh I just think it’s a neat short.

Chicken Man and Red Neck, by Takashi Nakamura, features especially distinctive robot designs. The film is kind of a dream sequence in which a terrified drunk man witnesses the revels of the machines of Tokyo, transformed into robots; the robots are extremely shaped, moving through a world that is pretty much just pistons...

These robots call to mind the dancing demons in Fantasia’s Night On Bald Mountain sequence, or even Bosch.

Otomo’s own segments feature the Robot Carnival itself, a vast mechanical structure built as... well some kind of entertaining spectacle, but which now drives around the post-apocalyptic wasteland dropping robots which explode as bombs. It’s cute.

OK, to wrap up the 80s, we gotta cover Akira (1988) [AN34]! Akira has plenty of impressive mechanical animation of helicopters, hovercraft thingies, satellite lasers and of course the famous bike, but it doesn’t really feature robots as such - but what it does have is a blending of mechanical and biological forms in its climactic sequence where Tetsuo’s psychic powers go out of control. First, wires start to spread like the roots of a plant from his robot arm - less an actual machine and more something he assembled with his psychic powers...

He takes a bullet, and the mechanical wires and muscles start to blend together and spread out like a slime mold...

...which he can extend as essentially a giant tentacle.

When his powers fully go off the rails, he bulges out into big blobs of flesh which have both veins and wires running over them. These burst out of the metallic parts as well.

He turns into essentially a giant biomechanical baby.

Did Akira invent these images of blending biology and machinery? Probably not, but I’m not really familiar enough with manga of the time to say. What can at least be said is that Otomo’s absurdly meticulous style could really sell it. Otomo was truly a god of perspective and detail; Akira the film was an enormous, prestigious production that threw ludicrous effort and resources towards realising his vision (which doesn’t mean it paid its inbetweeners much more...). A lot of the animators who worked on Akira would go on to be prominent in...

the 1990s

So, the 1990s. If the 80s was dominated by the later Kanada School, the new movement of the 90s, at least as far as film animation goes, was ‘realism’.

But before we get onto that, let’s take a brief look at Gunnm (1990). Known as Battle Angel Alita in the West, this manga by Yukito Kishiro depicts a world in which most people are cyborgs; it was adapted to an OVA by Madhouse in 1993 and became wildly popular overseas. Its protagonist Gally, aka Alita, starts out the story as a wrecked cyborg body like this...

Looking at this design, you can see similar patterns as we have so far. We have metal clavicles, metal sternocleidomastoid muscle, metal pectorals, metal spine. There aren’t robot muscles, per se, but there’s a lot of attention to detail on mimicking biological shapes.

Before long she is rebuilt (twice in the manga, once in the anime). Her new body is like this...

...which is to say a skintight bodysuit in the middle, and metal arms. These arms, although designed in a way that indicates hard surface and with a hinge joint at the elbow, are designed in a way that mimics the flow of muscles in a human arm. By contrast, her sorta-love interest Yugo has a body like this:

which gets mashed to pieces in the finale of the OVA. There’s a striking mechaguro scene in which Gally catches Yugo, but leaves him hanging by a fraying arm, which snaps, leaving him to fall to his death. Compared to later iterations of the ‘robot arm torn apart’ device, this one’s relatively light on detail...

Cyborg bodies in Gunnm are used as a visual indication of character type. Gally has curves but also sleek robo muscles: she’s a Beautiful Fighting Girl, sweet but also extremely powerful. A huge ‘muscular’ cyborg with wide shoulders is likely to be a brute. Yugo here has much more plain, simple shapes with visible bolts, not precision pieces like Gally.

I don’t know how much of this originates with Gunnm. I’m sure the idea of cyborg girls was in the air long before, but this became an influential example on the tail end of the time of the 80s bishōjo. One device that is notable here is the idea of a ‘full body cyborg’, which is only human down to the brain (or perhaps not even that). Body swapping is a major theme in Gunnm, something that would be expanded on before long...

And if that was going out, what was coming in? Let’s look at Patlabor, which traces the evolution of the Headgear artistic collective and IG Tatsunoko into Production I.G.. This is about as down to earth as giant robot stories can get, with robots as just everyday machines used for work and by the cops. But where things really go nuts in animation terms is the opening to Patlabor 2 (1993).

youtube

Here you can see some of the most impressive sequences of mechanical animation ever drawn. We see pilot Noa testing out the robot, and especially notable are the scenes of the hand flexing and of walking. Enormous attention is paid to the articulation of joints. The robot’s hand can swivel 360 degrees, unlike a human; however, like a human, the articulation of the fingers seems to be controlled by hydraulics in the forearm (whereas in humans, the muscles and tendons in the forearm control our fingers). When the robot’s foot steps, it flexes like a real human foot, with believable joints, and a sensible arrangement of pistons to absorb force.

It’s not imitating a human’s muscles, but the attention to the details of the robot’s mechanical design serves precisely to draw our attention to the ways it’s like/unlike a human - the robot’s hand impossible motion immediately contrasted with its pilot shot from the same angle. And the perspective drawing is absolutely impeccable. The robot is made of purely rigid structures, and the way rigid structures articulate is not at all how a human’s joints articulate.

The sequence above was animated by Atsushi Takeuchi. But across the board, the bar was getting pushed for mechanical animation. For example, observe this cut from Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (1996-1999), in which the robot tears off its own arm and beats up another robot. The precision of the way the joints are animated and the way the robots move in space is just completely on another level compared to what Gundam had been doing a couple of decades prior.

Anyway, we’re here to talk about robot muscles, and we’re just a few years out from that now!

The year that robots got muscles, at least as far as anime is concerned, is 1995.

You can probably guess the next part. In 1995, we get Eva and GitS. Let’s start with GitS, to continue the Production I.G./Mamoru Oshii thread. The opening sequence of GitS, animated by - who else could it be? - Hiroyuki Okiura - has to be one of the most iconic segments of video ever drawn. Here’s a merely 720p youtube upload but go and find the place you have GitS stored on your hard drive and watch it in proper quality eh.

youtube

OK, yes, a lot of it is a naked lady floating around, sue me or whatever. But the sense of form. We see early on an appearance of ‘robot muscles’, here closely resembling real muscles...

We can see from the way this is drawn that it’s made of a combination of artificial muscles, solid segments, and flexible, fabric-like panels. One of my favourite shots at the beginning shows the solid segments of the skull clicking into place. Here we have a very clear contrast between the angular, hard edges of the mechanical pieces against the organic forms of a human body.

Elsewhere in the film, we see various incredibly cool bits of ‘wouldn’t be fucked up if a body did this‘, like the fingers...

Here, what we expect to be soft biological fingers is contrasted with unexpected rigidity, mechanical joints under a shell.

Also in this scene we encounter a robot body that has been stripped of her arms, legs and hips but is nevertheless still alive...

most extraordinary hacker in the history of cybercrime and you have your titties out and yet you still can’t get them to stop misgendering you, smh

For the Terminator, having its body smashed up and continuing to walk was a demonstration of its strength. Here, as would become perhaps an increasing motif, having a robot body is a source of vulnerability: people can do things to you that would kill an ordinary human but you keep going through it. Not surprisingly, ‘robot body maintenance’ is a recurring porn device. (One that GitS deploys in SAC s2).

But of course this all builds up to the all time classics of mechaguro scene at the ending where the Major attempts to tear off the hatch of a spider tank. Muscles ripple individually under the surface of her skin, her arms bulge in exaggerated contraction, and then her arms fully tear apart under the force.

Here, we’re showing her as mechanical not by contrasting rigid forms with biological ones, but by exaggerating the biological ones to the point of doing something extremely unnatural. Human muscles do not generally flex in such an individual way, nor are they strong enough to tear the arm apart, but robot muscles? Yeah, they could do that. This sets up the next scene where the Major lies unnaturally still, but can still exert control through hacking through her union with the Puppet Master.

Robots holding onto something so hard their arms explode has become... if not a recurring image, then at least one that was called back decades later in Violet Evergarden.

The final scene of GitS brings back the image of robot-as-doll, with the Major’s consciousness now uploaded into a black-market robot body that resembles a child in a dress.

This is further expounded on in Oshii’s second GitS movie Innocence (2004), with its Ballade of the Puppets in the soundtrack as Batou and Togusa (and eventually, the Major) are attacked by essentially an army of ball-jointed doll gynoids. The puppets’ movements are extremely unnatural and erratic acrobatics, constantly flipping all over the place; when hit by bullets, panels pop open to reveal the underlying brass skeleton. It’s a very cool image. (The thing that lets the sequence down is the extremely dated CGI and aggressive digital compositing.)

It also has Donna Harraway as a literal cyborg!

Now, the GitS movies didn’t drop fully formed out of nowhere, but draw on the work of Masamune Shirow. The manga has a somewhat different design sensibility than the movie, distinctive and shiny as all Shirow’s art. It is more rounded and organic, less cold.

So, the basic design of a cyberbody originates with Shirow. You can see it on this page (unfortunately from a flipped version, translation Dark Horse):

You might be able to determine from how the nurses are dressed that, yeah, the GitS manga is in significant part fetish porn. But really nerdy fetish porn, which is the best kind. This chapter is almost entirely dedicated to explaining how cyborg bodies are constructed in great detail, from the ‘sensory film’ (that’s what’s being applied in the opening to the 1995 film) to the hair implantation.

It’s interesting seeing how some of the more out-there designs of the manga, like Chief Aramaki, are transformed into the realist style of Hiroyuki Okiura. It’s Okiura, so it works great of course.

I don’t know if there are manga examples of such detail about cyborg bodies that predate Shirow.

Anyway, that’s just one of the two punches dropped in 1995. The other is Neon Genesis Evangelion. To the pedants: sure, the Evas are not actually robots, but they’re giant cyborgs that play the role of ‘robot’ in the story and they look like robots so I’m counting them.

Anyway, the thing about the Evas is they are incredibly lithe. They run, rip and tear and swing heavy objects around in a way that’s both weighty and distinctly biological. Their bodies are extremely flexible compared to prior mechs (look at how much the spines bend in that Iso cut from EoE!), but not without hard, rigid components such as the shoulder towers. Their jaws are bestial but feature mechanical-like components like interlocking hexagonal teeth and jet-like vents. They are in short a fantastic design that blends biological and mechanical features.

The impact of Eva on just about everything can’t be overstated, but as far as robot design, well. There certainly were works that leaned on the precedent set by Eva, as for example RahXephon, which also treats robots as something spiritual, prone to popping into a blob of weird little bubbles just like in Eva.

There’s a great deal missing from this account. I am very focused on anime because I’ve watched a lot more anime than I’ve read manga or played games from this period. So I’m sure there’s major foundational works I’m missing here!

the 2000s

When did the West start to catch up? eh that’s subjective - David Cronenberg was way ahead of the game! - but specifically in the sense of robots with mechanical muscles, I think the major points in the timeline go a bit like this.

In 1999, there’s the Matrix, which leans heavily on anime. This features a similar ‘robot takeover’ premise to Terminator, but here it’s biomimetic robots modelled after squids, with clouds of constantly moving tentacles that sweep behind them. After making a cool half a billion dollars, the Wachowskis decided to pay all their favourite anime directors to make short films. I’m not going to comment on every part of the Animatrix, since most of it isn’t really relevant, but I will point to this horrifying cut by Takeshi Honda in The Second Renaissance in which a robot woman has her clothes torn and then skin bashed off by a mob. The framing, motion, her expression of abject terror, and the ‘reveal’ of her ‘true’ nature, all viscerally call to mind a trans bashing.

On the manga side, a big one to mention is Gantz, a gory nihilistic seinen manga which ran from 2000-2013. The characters in Gantz fight in special latex-like suits which take on the appearance of muscles while engaging superstrength, but can also sustain damage that causes them to drip fluids from ports located at the neck and become fatal to their wearer. Gantz was adapted to anime by Ichirō Itano in 2004, but I haven’t seen it so I can’t comment on any notable animation.

Cyborgs are a favourite subject of games, but in the 2000s, games are really pushing art direction and biopunk stuff is in. Half Life 2 (2004) has its spider-crab like Striders and dropships and so on. Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee (1997) bases its whole concept around the sheer variety of weird creatures that would inhabit its dystopian factory. And I gotta give a shoutout to Septerra Core (1999) - in case one other person has played that lmao

At some point after 2005, Boston Dynamics became a viral sensation thanks to their robot BigDog. BigDog is just welded steel and hydraulics, but its lifelike hopping movement style definitely brought to mind the idea that the future of robots is going to be in biomimesis.

So, 2007, here comes Crysis to melt your PC! This is an FPS with the not-uncommon premise of being a supersoldier fighting (country America hates) and also aliens, but its gimmick was that you have a special exosuit that wraps around your body with artificial muscles, making you much stronger and manlier or whatever.

youtube

This is indicated by a visualisation that could be right out of a toothpaste ad, where tiny little balls drop into the character’s pores and somehow go straight into the bloodstream which is of course a void full of flying red blood cells. And so on. It sold the game, though! The ad there focuses almost entirely on the suit and not the character wearing it, who is basically an irrelevant soldier man. What it entailed in gameplay terms is that you have a mode switcher so you can have strength or armour or invisibility or whatever. But it’s cool military superscience, you see!

Anyway. Not like my preferred flavour of cyborg is any less stupid I guess x3

In the same year, Bayformers started. These films’ robots are honestly just visual noise, there’s so many moving metal shards going every which way that it’s next to impossible to discern any sort of underlying mechanical principle. A similar ‘overwhelming business’ visual effect would be applied the next year in Iron Man, kicking off the MCU. So mechanical muscles definitely weren’t the only expression of ‘hyper-advanced robot’ in Western visual media in the late 2000s.

I’m going to end my story with two more games: Horizon Zero Dawn and NieR Automata.

Horizon features a world inhabited by a large variety of robot animals, using the peak of AAA rendering techniques. The robots are designed to be biomimetic after both modern animals and prehistoric ones, and feature a combination of hard surfaces and softer biological muscles. For example, a robot horse:

The discipline of making designs like these now has a name: it’s called ‘hard surface modelling’ and it involves boolean operations and bevels and other techniques designed to create a balance of hard edges on a surface against the smoother parts. The design language of Horizon says that the hard plates are white, the soft parts are very dark and may be patterned like a cloth texture, and there can be small colour accents here and there.

I think you can definitely see the influence of Boston Dynamics’s robots (and recent military tech in general) in these designs, iterated on through a decade and a half of increasingly intra-referential concept art. They are visually very busy designs, but there are a couple of recognisable features that draw attention by being inorganic, such as the cylindrical fuel tank at the back. Vitally, the silhouette is very readable.

This robot T. rex for comparison serves as a world boss monster, and you can see it’s got a bunch of military looking attachments that look like radars and missile launchers and so on. As real tech evolved, so too did our idea of what a scary robot ought to look like.

So, that’s where this kind of design pattern has gone in mainstream games.

Now to finish, a brief comment on NieR Automata. Its designs draw hard on those of Ghost in the Shell. Visually it draws a strong contrast between the Machine Lifeforms, who have inorganic shapes (spheres and cylinders) and very visible and plausible mechanical joints, and the doll-like androids, who might as well be human (although A2 provides some contrast in an android who is damaged enough for the underlying materials to show through). The mechanical nature of the androids is communicated by the acrobatic way they move and the interface elements, and dead androids you find in the field - and later when they start losing arms and stuff, it’s a whole thing. But just like humans in Yoko Taro Games, they’re capable of dying in a puddle of blood.

(I guess if you take one thing from this post it’s that if you’re a robot, don’t expect to keep your arms.)

Robot muscles gives you a chance to give both the ‘anatomy porn’ of drawing something very precisely right, with the added bonus of giving you a reason to draw the muscles écorché, and the chance to make it weird and defamiliarised by splitting it with mechanical elements. In short... they look cool!

In this whole post I’ve basically not touched at all on illustration. I can point to a variety of illustrations of robot girls, but in terms of periodising them, I just don’t think I know enough. Though it’s safe to say that cyborg bodies in various states of construction or disrepair are now a mainstream of concept art - and that Ghost in the Shell is usually cited as an influence. I don’t know if robot muscles ever truly became the mainstream way to depict a robot, but it does feel like they’re increasingly common.

One artist I will briefly mention (besides sukabu), mostly bc I think they’re neat, is Haruyo Megurimu, who draws these very intricate designs of ‘necrotech’ which is sort of very biological robots extending out of human bodies - limbs extended on long spindly insectoid strands, jaws splitting open, that kinda thing. Can’t say who influenced them or anything but it’s a compelling extension of the idea into a particular corner of aesthetic space.

And that’s all I’ve got I think. There’s definitely big gaps like. More recent sci-movies. Western comics. Nevertheless, that’s an arc.

If you’ve read this far: thank you for indulging my autism.

#robots and cyborgs #character design #robots #cyborg #history #anime #manga #ghost in the shell

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midnightjewel · 5 months ago

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Playing Minecraft With The Bakusquad

What it’s like to play Minecraft with the Bakusquad? (With avatars that I made myself included! :) )

A/N: Keep in mind that I’m not by any means a Minecraft expert at all! I just play for fun! (this is written with the idea of y’all playing survival)

Characters Included: Bakugo, Kirishima, Denki, Mina, and Sero

Bakugo

Kingexplosion04

Claims to be annoyed by playing with y’all and he lowkey is, he just wants to play the right way but ofc Denki and the others don’t want to do that

No bs when he first loads in, goes straight for getting wood for a house

Probably the only one who has a house by the first night and everyone is begging to stay there

Is grumbling the whole time that y’all are in his house that night and gets annoyed by Denki’s screaming into the mic

Almost never dies due to mobs unless there is multiple on him at once

One time there was a witch poisoning him at the same time that a skeleton was shooting him, he died and let’s just say y’all learned at least three new combinations of curse words

First one to find diamonds and everyone suddenly has everything and anything to trade with him, he never trades with you guys

Always stocked on food and plenty of weapons and does not really work well with others, prefers to do things on his own

Has a small house but it’s reliable and surrounded by a cobblestone wall for extra protection

Kirishima

Kirishark69

When he spawns in he knows the basic things like getting a crafting table and regular wood weapons

Second person done with their house and absolutely the first one with a pet dog

Builds a house out of cobblestone, and Burch wood and it’s awkwardly big for a survival house but it’s okay because he lets you stay with him until yours is done

Doesn’t like killing animals so he makes Bakugo or Denki do it at first but he gets warmed up to it the more he plays (but he still hates doing it)

Doesn’t get killed by mobs too much but the god forsaken skeletons are what always get him

Quickly builds a boat and fishing poles, his favorite thing to do is go catch fish and cook them to eat

Really good at working together with you to find resources

Is a contributor to Denki’s mic screaming sometimes but only when he’s being attacked

Denki

milfhunterdenki

Is so fun to play with because he’s absolutely hilarious when it comes to commentary

Probably the last one to finish his house and it’s just the right amount of space for a survival house

Just rooms with Sero until his house it built but they don’t mind

Doesn’t mind killing animals for food and often does it for you and Kirishima if you don’t like doing it

Ends up dying by testing an enderman by looking it in the eyes to be funny but it backfires and he can’t find his stuff when he respawns and ofc he screams a lot when this happens

If you two share a house he builds it while you go out to find decorations for it it’s a happy medium

First one to get leather armor bc he just kills the animals without a care in the world

Mina

PinkyAcid22

You two have the most gorgeous garden out of your house and you both have the privilege of calling everyone else’s houses boring and plain

Just ends up spending a lot of time digging to find caves and other materials such as diamonds or gold

Often yelling at Denki to shut up when he’s screaming but is doing it in a loving and joking way while laughing at him for dying to the endermen

Very fun and successful to play with, you two more often than not are the first ones to have diamond weapons

You all often get the message “PinkyAcid22 fell from a high place” which is how she normally dies

But you two have come up with a pact to collect each others stuff if the other one can’t find it so that way Denki and Sero don’t come steal it

Sero

Stonedsero420

Very chill when playing by himself but when Denki joins the party it gets chaotic pretty quick

Often bands with Kirishima to kill spiders and make fishing poles, they like to go out in boats and fish

Mostly looks for caves to find iron and diamonds but mostly just ends up with a bunch of holes around the squads base

Often dies by either falling into the holes or by drowning

Sero likes to find and explore shipwrecks so more often than not that’s how he ends up dying and if it’s not by drowning it’s definitely by a drowned

Normally the first one to be dripped out in diamond or gold armor

Probably the first one to find a village. He loves to loot them

Very nice and gives you or makes you all the supplies you need, you might come back to your house and notice that there’s extra food or weapons in the chest… it was him

#anime #bnha #my hero academia #mha kirishima #bakusqaud #mha bakugou #eijiro kirishima #kirishima x reader #mha sero #mina ashido #denki fluff #denki x y/n #mha #mina

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inuhalfdemon · 8 months ago

Text

No One Can Know...(8/?)

Word Count: 4,299 Words

Rating: Explicit (SMUT)

Chapter 8

"I'm on the very top floor, room 1334

There's a king size bed but we can do it on the floor

Turn your cellphone off, leave a sign on the door

That says 'Do not disturb'."

- Halestorm

Lucifer stepped out from the portal; the swirling golden ring closing behind with a soft pop.

Materializing into Alastor’s room within the Hazbin Hotel, Lucifer found the demon – hands clasped behind his back – nodding to his shadow. The shadow flitted to a nearby wall, silhouetting itself sharply to give Lucifer a large gaping and toothy grin before skidding off underneath the door and out of sight.

“Where is he headed off to?” Lucifer asked, walking to where Alastor stood waiting. He saw that Alastor’s typical delicate rack of little antlers was branched into several largely curved and jutting points – a pristine buck, if there ever was one.

“To keep watch, guarding the hotel.” Alastor told him.

“I assume you’ve taken…protective measures?” Lucifer asked, glancing back at the door.

“Yes, of course. All proper warding has been done. I’ve also taken the initiative of suggesting to Charlie that a trip to the cinema may be beneficial to everyone’s frayed nerves. The hotel is essentially ours, for the evening.”

Alastor turned; going to the small dining table that he had placed and set for them just beyond the room and within his own personal bayou.

Lucifer briefly noted that Alastor was without his suit jacket and staff – wearing just his long-sleeved red shirt adorned with the black cross and dress pants instead. His sleeves were rolled up to the elbows and his tail poked out from behind. Lucifer saw that it was in its normal small and delicate state, but that there also was a very subtle ridge of standing hairs that ran up the fluffy midline – tip to base.

Looking around; Lucifer took in Alastor’s rather….odd, aesthetic. He had anticipated Alastor’s quarters to be very much like any Overlord’s manner of living: something reflecting a visual demonstration to their status and power. Lucifer didn’t make the connection of: soft jazz playing from a radio, the various skeletons and bones of animals, the style of furniture or the general ambiance that he was appreciating, being something directly from what one might have found in early 1900s New Orleans. Not right away, anyway.

“So…what’s the plans for this evening, anyway? We doing doggy-style? Prone boning? 69? What?” Lucifer followed him in.

“Actually, I thought I might treat you to dinner and wine tonight.” Alastor told him, ignoring his lewdness.

“You, uh…what?” Lucifer asked, caught off guard. “Whoa, wait. Is that a pocket dimension?” Fully noticing the bayou now. “These take an incredible amount of power and an incredible amount of skill to manifest…how did you do it?” He poked his head past the seam between realms; assessing the depth of the dimension on both sides – it seemed infinite in both directions, seamless and well placed.

“Why, of course, I did it by: using an incredible amount of power and an incredible amount of skill.” Alastor answered him; taking a seat at the table.

“Oh, fuck you.”

“Must I reveal all of my secrets to you, your grace?” Alastor asked him. “Now, please join me.”

Lucifer came to the table. Alastor had their meal served and ready for them; a bottle of wine chilling in some ice.

“Oh, crumpets.” Lucifer blurted. “I nearly forgot.” Doing an exaggerated whirl of the hand; he produced a large bottle into his hand. “I’ve had a case of this in my possession for quite some time. I have never tried it myself; but knowing you have a taste for Cajun...” Lucifer offered it to Alastor. “I’m told it is rather rare.”

Alastor took the bottle and his eyebrows shot up. “Rare, indeed. I’d have had trouble finding this even while I was alive.”

Snapping his fingers; Alastor sent the wine and ice away, producing two whiskery glasses in its place. “This will pair much better with our meal tonight. A Sazerac rye always goes nicely with a good Jambalaya.”

Lucifer sat down. “The very same Jambalaya that Charlie has gone on and on about?”

“Yes. My mother’s recipe, bless her soul.” Alastor opened the Sazerac, pouring them each three fingers worth into the glasses. “It does…have a bit of a kick to it.”

Lucifer took his glass; offering a small toast to Alastor before taking a sip. “Well, I should hope so.”

Alastor gestured to their plates; nodding his head – a clear indication that they should dig in. Lucifer nearly dropped his fork after the first bite; the explosion of flavor across his tongue was…indescribable.

“Well, if that look doesn’t stroke my ego.” Alastor chuckled into his glass, sipping at his Sazerac.

“It’s…it’s…” Lucifer was having trouble forming thoughts.

Alastor laughed. “I believe I’ve rendered my King speechless. There is no higher compliment to be given to a chef, truly.” He smirked, lifting his own fork to his lips.

“You may call me, ‘Lucifer’, Al. Or even ‘Luci’.” Lucifer told him. “However…I do dislike the name ‘Luc’…”

“A most unpleasant name, to be sure.” Alastor allowed him. “So, tell me…Lucifer…how are things? You seem less rested since I last saw you.” It was days ago that Alastor had departed the King’s residence. Seven weeks before the next extermination, three weeks before Charlie’s arranged and upcoming meeting with Heaven.

Lucifer shrugged, finishing a bite of the food. “I don’t sleep well. I never have but, with Lilith gone…I hardly get any sleep at all.”

“What…methods have you utilized?” Alastor asked him.

“Everything.” Lucifer sighed. “Honestly…the one thing that always helped was Lili’s songs. You know that she sung? What it did?”

“Doesn’t everyone in Hell know that?” Alastor asked him. “Even if they haven’t had the pleasure of hearing it?”

“I’d like to think so.” Lucifer admitted.

“You know, I always found our Queen’s talents very inspirational. I am sorry that we have had to go so long without such moving music.”

“Me too.” Lucifer said softly, staring at his whiskey glass.

“How is Charlie feeling about the upcoming meeting with Heaven?” Alastor asked him.

“You would know better than I.” Lucifer told him. “I don’t…I don’t really hear from her.”

“Oh?” Alastor knew that to be the case before…but he found it rather odd that Lucifer and Charlie were not currently talking now. “Have you reached out to her?”

“I…can’t. Not properly, anyway.” Lucifer took a large swallow from his glass. “I can’t discuss anything regarding her plans involving the hotel. It makes conversations that we have seem very…one-sided. Understandably, she becomes frustrated and I’m sure she thinks that I’m being distant or that I just become bored with what she really wants to discuss with me. I’ve tried. I really have but I end up floundering for the words and it all becomes awkward and misunderstood.”

“Why is that exactly?” Alastor asked him. “My deal with you shouldn’t have given you that much grief. The stipulation that I required was that you don’t interfere with my work here. Surely you should be able to carry out a conversation with your daughter.”

“It’s not our deal that causes it.” Lucifer told him. “It’s the deal I made with Lilith.”

“Come again?”

“Lilith essentially invoked a…similar…stipulation. I’m sworn to secrecy – the exception, of course, being you – I can’t interfere with any matters that could detriment Lilith’s plans. That’s why I sent Charlie to the meeting with Adam and it’s why I cannot discuss the hotel or any of Charlie’s plans relating to it specifically. She also required that I do not…interfere…in things.”

“Damn….ok.”

“The last thing I said to Charlie…the last conversation that we had in regard to the hotel, this dream she has, the redemption of sinners…all before I agreed to stand by Lilith; it wasn’t good. I said things to her that I didn’t really mean, tried to steer her away from Heaven’s gaze. Lilith assured me that Charlie is ready for this, that this is the time for her to come into her own – become the Princess of Hell that she was always meant to be… I trust Lilith, I really do but I…I just wish that I could tell Charlie that what I said…it wasn’t true.”

“Yes, well…” Alastor swirled his glass; having very nearly cleared his plate. “You’ve shown your support to her cause now, regardless. At least, as much as you are able. I’m sure Charlie recognizes the value in that.”

“But, I should have been there for her since day one.” Lucifer tells him, narrowing his gaze on Alastor.

“Perhaps.” Alastor merely shrugged, ignoring the venom in Lucifer’s look. “But, how much would it have changed anyway? We’re here now. Charlie is fulfilling her dream; she has the hotel, she has sinners – however few – willing to give this whole redemption idea of hers a shot, she has the meeting with heaven, she has you and Lilith both fighting together for her cause – what more could possibly be done?”

Lucifer had no answer to this, not at present.

“Would it…help,” Alastor set his glass down now, looking directly at Lucifer. “If I were to…suggest to Charlie that she reach out to you? Not to discuss the hotel, the meeting with Heaven or anything of that like but…maybe, to discuss how to carry oneself in the face of intimidation, turmoil, and….upheaval? The girl lacks something in her use of confidence, particularly in establishing some level of authority. Her meeting with Adam did not lend her many favors.”

“I appreciate the suggestion but I’m hardly the one she should turn to. She gets that from me.”

“Lucifer…if I may be so bold: You are the King of Hell. You are the very embodiment of Pride. This wallowing, this…self-loathing is unbecoming to one who should invoke nothing but fear to those who dare to so much as utter your name. What’s more, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

“Ok…you really want to talk about Pride?” Lucifer leveled his gaze on Alastor. “Tell me, have you managed to cycle out of your rut yet?”

Alastor tilted his head back, tweaking one ear. “You know very well that I haven’t.” He gestured to his intricate crown of antlers. “What the hell does that have to do w –?“

“You never called on me. After leaving. You’re still in rut; we have an agreement in place for such things.”

“It is easily managed now.” Alastor lifted his glass to his lips.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed how pleasant you’ve been tonight, how…relaxed. You see, I find that very interesting. When it was you who told me yourself that avoidance would not be the solution to your…problem.”

Alastor’s ears pulled back.

“So, your plan now is what….to just wait things out? I mean, I’d love to keep playing this little game of ‘fuck buddies’ with you forever, but -”

“Don’t call it that…” Alastor hissed, bristling.

“You are so set upon holding onto this illusion of control that you have created for yourself that you’ve made yourself become incredibly short-sighted.”

“Please….do enlighten me.” Alastor’s eyes glowed softly red.

“Gladly.” Lucifer stood up; leaning over the table now. “You are denying your body and yourself something that is a biological need; something that you – in fact – require…just for the simple fact that…you’d rather not!?”

“I told you…sex holds no interest to me.”

“When you’re not in rut.” Lucifer emphasized. “That’s been established. I can’t say that I’ll be here in the next seven years when you decide to stop playing at abstinence.”

“I never said-“

“You didn’t have to! I already knew!” Lucifer’s voice was rising. “You knew I’m much more experienced than you and you knew that I was familiar with Cervidae demons – was it really so hard to assume that I might know that a rut happens far more frequently than what you were leading me to believe!?”

“The point, you are trying so hard to convey to me is…?” Alastor asked him, clearly not pleased.

“You think that by denying yourself something this important, putting yourself through this much grief and discomfort; it gives you control.”

Alastor waited; offering no comments.

“But, it makes you weak.”

Alastor tilted his head; eyes glinting. “You want to say that again?” Alastor stood up from the table himself now; glaring down at Lucifer.

“Prove me wrong.” Lucifer challenged him. “Void our deal.”

Alastor’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

“You’ve got fucking big ears, you heard me.” Lucifer told him, standing up and walking around the table now. “Void our deal. If you don’t need me anymore, why waste my time? You have so much control over the situation; I’m sure you’ll have no problems in fulfilling your end of things with Lilith so that she can give you whatever the fuck it is you are wanting from all of this.”

Lucifer stopped and Alastor turned to face him.

“I’ll even agree to your…stipulation.” Lucifer said, holding out his hand. “No interference from me…whatsoever.”

Alastor hesitated; considering the offer that was being made to him.

“You really want to know what control….true power…is, Alastor?” Lucifer asked him; looking up at him with a steady gaze. “It’s knowing your limits.”

Alastor smirked, looking skeptical.

“I’m being deadly serious about that.” Lucifer told him. “If you know your limits…you know to make the accommodations – to do the things that are required to ensure your success. Be clever. Be calculative. Do what’s required to see this rut finished and be done with it, Al, or…let it consume you.”

Lucifer was still holding out his hand; eyes on Alastor.

Alastor’s eyes were on Lucifer’s hand and then his gaze shifted to the King’s.

“Your choice.” Lucifer told him, waiting.

“I….decline.” Alastor told him; eyes shifting sideways. His ears leant back.

There was a moment between them; neither of them saying anything…then:

“You know…” Lucifer was taking a risk here, knowing that Alastor’s pride may have sustained too much damage tonight already. “It was very clever of you…” Lucifer pressed in, bringing himself very close to Alastor now, but not quite touching him. “…to use some lovely bit of forethought in ensuring that you and I would be left all alone tonight.”

Alastor’s head tilted, ears standing straight. Lucifer couldn’t see it, but his tail had started moving; quickly swishing back and forth in a betraying wag.

“It makes one wonder…” Lucifer pressed in even closer now and Alastor felt a light heat flooding into his face. Alastor leant back slightly, feeling the edge of the dining table pressing into his lower back.. “…if it was only dinner you were planning, why bother? Perhaps, you wanted to leave our evening together open to more…possibilities?”

Alastor swallowed.

Gotcha…thought Lucifer.

A tense moment passed. Lucifer was waiting for Alastor to offer up his response.

Then, “I won’t ask you to touch me, if that’s what you are waiting for…and I don’t do begging.” Alastor told him.

“No one ever said that you must – at least – not with me.” Lucifer told him. “There are other ways that for you to tell me exactly what you want, Alastor. For example…”

Lucifer stepped into Alastor now; their bodies making contact with each other’s. Placing a hand on Alastor’s lower abdomen, he slid it low so that just the tips of his fingers were pressed beneath the waistband to Alastor’s dress pants.

Alastor gasped, his body tensing – in a rather lovely way. His face properly reddened at the touch.

“You see, I’m a master of many languages, my friend.” Lucifer was telling him. “One of which being…” Lucifer slid his hand lower and Alastor leant himself further back at the feeling of his arousal. “…the oh-so-honest tongue of body language…”

Lucifer found Alastor’s member; brushing it with just the tips of his fingers. The appendage was twitching…moving….lifting …

“You always have the option of telling me ‘no’...or that this is not what you want…” Lucifer continued; feeling Alastor shudder against him. “Or, you may command me. Imagine that…the actual King of Hell…fully and completely at your disposal – ready to fulfill whatever dark and twisted fantasy you could ever…envisage.”

Lucifer’s fingers wrapped around Alastor’s twitching penis; taking him fully within hand. Alastor bent back further; his pelvis tilting forward.

“You’re looking at me with such a lovely expression, Alastor…” Lucifer leaned into him; head tilting so that he was starring up at the sinner with glinting eyes.

Lucifer gripped Alastor. Using his free hand; he slid the waistband down and pulled Alastor out. His fingers kneading and stroking into the firming muscle.

Alastor’s lower jaw popped open and his breathing hitched; his face growing redder…

“Tell me to stop…” Lucifer breathed; resting his head against Alastor’s chest and looking up at him.

“Ahhhhhh….” Alastor pelvis jerked; he groaned and Lucifer began slowly pumping.

“Tell me that this is not what you want…” Lucifer hissed; smiling now.

Alastor’s ears fell back, his antlers stretched themselves high overhead. He was gripping the edge to the dining table with such force, he thought that he might actually break it.

Thrusting; he threw back his head – gasping…panting.

Lucifer’s grip tightened; feeling Alastor’s climb about to end. One final thrust and Alastor’s seed was in his hand.

Shivers of pleasure jolting through him; Alastor slumped against the table; he had left gouges in the surface of it where his claws had been. He was breathing heavily; watching Lucifer as the angel stepped away – looking at Alastor with a dark gaze - licking the cum from between his fingers.

With a growl, Alastor pushed himself off from the table – going for Lucifer.

Lucifer tilted his head up and Alastor embraced him; his mouth pressing hard against his as cool shadows fully engulfed them.

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

Alastor had moved them to the bedroom. Skillfully; he had landed them into the bed…Lucifer pressed beneath him – facing him - into the mattress. He had also done them the honors of disrobing them both.

Well, Al…who knew you could be such a smooth operator…Lucifer thought, as they kissed with uncharacteristic fervor.

Alastor slid his tongue between parted lips and Lucifer groaned at the suggestive movements it made inside his mouth. When it retreated; Lucifer bit down sharply on Alastor’s lower lip – pulling it.

Alastor pulled his face back. Eyes sharpening into a bright red and glowing predatory gaze, he snarled loudly. His body went rigid; ears perfectly straight with standing hair.

But, just as quickly – the ferality was gone.

The glowing crazed look left Alastor’s eyes and his ears dropped. Alastor shifted; going to pull himself away.

“Alastor, it’s fine.” Lucifer gripped him by the arms; keeping him there.

Alastor made to pull himself away from the King’s hold but found that he couldn’t…

“Really, Al….it’s ok.” Lucifer told him; looking at him. “Do you need to shift form? We could go somewhere else…”

“No, I…” Alastor wasn’t looking at him. “I should be more manageable but, I can’t guarantee that I’ll be….myself.”

Lucifer let go of him then, releasing his arms. He took Alastor’s face between both hands; forcing the demon’s eyes to meet his.

“Whatever you need…I’m here.” His thumb stroked Alastor’s cheek and the sinner melted into his hands – into the touch.

Sighing; Alastor let the tension leave his body – a ripple running up his spine.

Lucifer shifted with him; his long black devil’s tail and horns coming out to play.

Alastor’s change wasn’t dramatic; his antlers were heavier; his teeth were sharper and he was both larger and lankier than what would be considered normal for him…but, he certainly was no eldritch demon this time.

Alastor’s long limbs set him over Lucifer; his frame leaning and wavering over the angel lying beneath him. His face was all teeth as he bore down on Lucifer; a gaping and twisted grin.

Lucifer laughed; sliding to sit himself up so that he might get a better look at this new deer demon form of Alastor’s.

“Well, you’re just full of surprises, aren’t you big boy?” Lucifer told him appreciatively and he saw that Alastor’s tail was quickly flicking back and forth at this. “Just look at those teeth.” Lucifer stuck both thumbs into the corners of Alastor’s mouth; the demon dropped his jaw, exposing his rows of incredibly sharp fangs.

“I suppose you’ll want to use those on me…” Lucifer said softly, his devil’s tail lifting; snaking itself up and across Alastor’s chest.

Alastor’s eyes gleamed, drool seeping from between teeth.

“I might just let you too…after some fun.” Lucifer’s eyes glowed a soft yellow. “Can’t have that cute little lightweight ass of yours ruining our good time, can we?”

Alastor huffed, flicking his head and dislodging Lucifer’s thumbs from his mouth.

Lucifer leant himself back; eyes on Alastor.

“So…what are you going to do to me?”

Placing a large clawed hand across the angel’s chest, Alastor pressed down – pushing him firmly into the mattress. Lucifer smirked at Alastor’s claws – digging into his skin – not quite piercing through the flesh.

Holding him there; Alastor leant in – long tongue lolling from his mouth.

Glowing red eyes on Lucifer; he pressed his smiling face with sharpened teeth close and began to lick him – his tongue taking long and steady strokes all across his chest and abdomen – tasting the angel. In between strokes; Alastor was huffing – moving puffs of warm air across heated and wet skin – causing a very carnal and pleasant sort of sensation. Alastor’s musk drifted off of him; filling the room with his amorous odor.

Lucifer’s face reddened at this; tension building and sending him arching backward.

Fuck…

Alastor’s huffing and licking continued – his face pressing into Lucifer’s neck and nuzzling him. Prickles of pleasure ran through Lucifer; he was fully erect now and he could see that Alastor had plainly recovered himself as well.

Lucifer groaned; lifting a hand to find the base to one of Alastor’s antlers. Alastor was licking, huffing, nuzzling and sucking at the base of his neck now. Lucifer felt an incredibly building heat…his face and chest flushing in a brilliant red.

“What-what are you doing to me?” He arched further backward and Alastor’s low growl was one of approval.

Alastor’s musk was driving him crazy. Lucifer’s heart was slamming in his chest; his eyes were so dilated that his vision was blurring – he felt like his blood was absolutely boiling and rushing all throughout his body.

“Mmphg…” Lucifer squirmed; pleasure overpowering his senses.

This….this is….

He was losing his train of thought.

Alastor was moving; his clawed hand lifting from Lucifer’s chest. He was lifting and turning Lucifer’s hips; trying to coax him to turn over.

Lucifer obliged and Alastor’s clawed hands carefully guided him into the desired position. Face down, ass up – Lucifer felt confident in knowing where this was headed. Alastor grasped Lucifer’s long, black tail – pulling it softly outward; the flesh of it sliding through his fingers, and then he lifted it upward so that it was limply raised. Lucifer – thoroughly flushed now – pressed his reddened face into the covers of the bed – winding his tail through the branches of Alastor’s antlers.

Doing something unexpected - to Lucifer - Alastor leaned in. Lucifer’s tail stiffened in surprise as Alastor’s face pressed close to his entrance, warm air puffing against him as Alastor continued his huffing breaths. Before Lucifer could fully register the implication of this; Alastor’s tongue – long and twisting - entered him. Lucifer’s back bent at a sharp angle and he garbled out some incoherent noise of surprise and pleasure at feeling Alastor’s gift of sliding and wet warmth moving through him.

Oh, this isn’t just fun we’re having…Lucifer was thinking. This…this is good.

Alastor gave him another growl of approval; the vibrations of it sending ripples of stimulation through and against Lucifer’s heat. Lucifer choked out a gasp; feeling Alastor’s wriggling tongue touching and pressing against sensitive tissue; his claws dug into the bedcovers, and he began to moan with a neediness he couldn’t have guessed that he was capable of. Alastor’s face was pressed tightly to him; growling and grunting as he continued on, performing his dirty work.

Alastor’s musk had become sharper; more concentrated and Lucifer felt incredibly but wonderfully dizzy from the effects it had on him. Pressed how he was, in this position – he could feel his own member – erect and throbbing; absolutely seeping against his own abdomen and threatening to release.

Pulling his tongue back; Alastor was ready to mount.

He shifted position. Clawed fingers dragging softly across Lucifer’s tail; he gently moved it aside. Lucifer coiled it firmly around Alastor’s thigh; bracing himself to be penetrated. But, when Alastor slid himself in – it was done with such sweet and gentle slowness that Lucifer felt nothing, but a milk-and-honey type of pleasure consume him.

Alastor moved slowly….purposefully; clawed hands steadying Lucifer’s hips as he bent himself forward. Taking his hands away from the angel’s waist; Alastor laid himself fully over Lucifer’s frame; his hands finding the bed so that his arms could give him a better leverage in his thrusts and support his weight to give them room.

Lucifer anticipated Alastor’s movements to become rougher….faster but, they didn’t. Instead, Alastor moved inside Lucifer with slow and even strokes; his long and curved penis entering and pressing into him in just the perfect way.

Lost in pleasure…Lucifer felt Alastor’s growls turn into purring grunts as the deer demon worked at nuzzling and nipping at Lucifer’s back and his shoulders, crooning to him his immense gratification.

He’s not just fucking me…he’s….breeding me. Like I’m his little doe…

There was a sharp jut to Alastor’s movement and Lucifer felt him strike gold. Lucifer cried out at the flood of sensual pleasure and Alastor jutted himself into him again. Lucifer was the first to be pushed over the edge; his cum spraying onto himself and into the sheets. Feeling Lucifer growing limp beneath him; Alastor bent himself further forward; thrusting two more times before releasing his own load fully into the King.

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If anyone catches my little reference that I made here to my previous fanfic : "Dirty Dealings": You deserve the gold-est of stars!!!

Chapter 9

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paintedkinzy-88 · 3 months ago

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Lust's bro coming home after a date with his bf only to find a large golden noodle curled up around Lust both asleep. Blue in the kitchen cooking and Ink in his half form doodling surrounded by half a dozen sketchbooks.

Stfu that’s actually hilarious hold on—

Warning for. Suggestive topics in the background, I suppose. It is Underlust. I tried to keep it PG, but also I’m very tired so eh ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Writing jumpscare boo

“Sans, I will be completely honest with you. I do not know what I am looking at.”

He wasn’t quite sure how to describe it, either. Papyrus’ brother has always been an… interesting character, to put it lightly. And he doesn’t mean that in any negative way! Stars knows the Great Papyrus would never settle with normal, especially in the world they live in. “Normal” here was extravagant, in-your-face, and exceedingly too personal. It had to be, unfortunately, for all of their survival.

Sans, however, found a way to be all of that, but so much better. He knows everything and everyone, flaunts his stuff like there’s no tomorrow, can party with the best of them and put on incredible shows every other night at Grillby’s. He’s memorable, in ways Papyrus just cannot understand, but deeply admires. And above all else, Sans is respectful.

Sure, he is the biggest piece of fruit on the grapevine, collecting gossip like it’s a national treasure, but he knows when to share and what to keep to himself. He’s become a safe space for many monsters, for better or worse, able to pick apart their walls and façades like they’re just a big game of Jenga. Papyrus has seen him do it too many times to count. He’s able to pick out the one monster in the crowd that’s clearly trying to drink away all their feelings for the sake of a party, and coerce them into cutting off their tab, talking it out in the bathroom, and going home for the night with newly smeared makeup. Whether that was with or without Sans coming along depended on the monster and the mood.

In other words, he was a reliable “mom friend” at a party, despite often having a few drinks himself.

But, more importantly, Sans has a personality beyond just sex and drugs. It’s something only people that manage to get past his pelvis have the opportunity to see. His room is filled with space memorabilia rather than the hottest magazines. He had a secret lab instead of a dungeon. He’d rather have a good burger and a soda than any of the tangy drinks and edibles that were so often found in everyone’s homes. Heck, his hobbies revolve around “star” gazing, pranks, and just making people laugh.

He encouraged Papyrus to live by his heart rather than by the lust flowing through his magic, unlike every other monster that wants him to be “down for anything.”

More than all of that, Sans was impossible to predict. He could honestly tell you the secrets of the universe one moment and then hit you with a water balloon the next. He made life in the Underground interesting and infinitely more tolerable.

That is to say, this scenario that Papyrus has currently walked into has certainly taken the cake. Multiple cakes, even.

There were currently three skeleton monsters in his living room, not including himself. One was standing in the doorway of their kitchen, in an outfit so unlike what he is used to seeing around Snowdin. A blue bandana is wrapped around his neck, hiding his neck and collarbone, with sturdy grey shoulder pads underneath it. His shirt covers his entire ribcage, and his pants are baggy and tucked into noticeably-not-high-heeled boots. On top of all of that, he has an apron on that says “Reach for the Stars” with multicolored stars littered across it.

In front of the couch, surrounded by an insane amount of paper, pencils, and other art supplies, is a skeleton of much similar structure to the other one — if you chose to ignore the horns, tail, and bare wing bones. He also has a scarf around his neck, this one brown and covered in writing and black splotches. His tan and white long sleeve shirt also covers much of his torso, but at least it’s a little more form fitting. His pants are flowy, however, but there are some sort of black leggings underneath them. He has no shoes, and Papyrus doesn’t see any near the door that aren’t already supposed to be there. A little strange to be barefoot in Snowdin, given the weather, though he supposes the folk in New Home or Hotland may enjoy the aesthetic?

The final two are by far the strangest part of this scene. Which is quite amazing, considering one is his actual brother.

Sans, in a rainbow hoodie with a purple star on the chest that Papyrus has never seen him wear, is currently in the center of a rather large, yellow, lizard-like… beast? Monster? Was that a monster?? Papyrus has never met a monster like this before, and he’s met a LOT of monsters in his time in the Royal Harem, before meeting Mettaton. Perhaps Undyne would know them? Or, actually, if they were a monster, maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised that Sans knows them, since Sans seems to know everyone in the underground far better than he probably should.

Either way, this was a very… Innocent yet weird moment to have walked into. Not that Papyrus was necessarily complaining. He hated to walk in on anything else.

All of the skeletons present (aside from the large one, who seemed to be asleep. Were they a skeleton monster?? Their pseudo skin seems very similar to his and Sans’ ecto bodies) are now staring at him, sockets wide and bodies frozen, like three children with their hands caught in the cookie jar. Even Sans himself looks surprised and confused, as if seeing his only other house mate within their very house was an unexpected turn of events.

Finally, the one in blue whips his head around to look at his brother, brows pinched downward. “Lust! You said he wouldn’t be home for another hour!”

He’s holding a plate of tacos in his hands. That’s perhaps the most normal thing in this entire scenario.

“Uh, yeah,” Sans replied, surprisingly. Why on earth he’d reply to such a cursed word, Papyrus had no idea. “He shouldn’t be back until, like, six somethin’.”

Papyrus distinctly remembers saying he’d be home at four-thirty sharp, actually. It figures that his brother would remember incorrectly, though he supposes it didn’t matter since he was technically correct. “It’s actually six twenty-four, right now,” he informed them, crossing his arms. “I had to stay later than normal because Mettaton needed help brainstorming new and exciting questions for his game show this week. Obviously, I was the best person to ask.”

Sans nodded, as if he expected this response. “Yeah yeah, hold on.” He shuffled around a little bit, reaching down towards his pants pockets. The large skull that laid on his stomach huffed unhappily, to which he simply patted their forehead with a soft “sorry, Dream.” Finally, he pulled out his phone and clicked it on.

A small purple phone Papyrus has also never seen before.

The horned skeleton on the floor snorted, propping his head on his hand. “Lusty, I think that’s the phone I gave ya.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Oh my stars,” the blue one groaned. He ran his free hand down his face, finally setting the tray of tacos down on the nearest table. “How did you mix that up?!”

“I’m sorry! They look similar!”

“The multiverse one literally has a star keychain, how did that slip your mind?!”

“You try havin’ two phones!”

“I literally do, you absolute doofus—“

“Yo, guys, don’t wake the baby,” the horned one scolded playfully, gesturing to the lizard-skeleton-thing. Which, if that WAS a baby, Papyrus was terrified to know what the parents looked like.

Though, knowing how rare children were, he supposed the skeleton was joking, now that he thought about it.

Great. Another comedian then (he says with all the fond annoyance, of course.)

“Excuse me,” he speaks up once again. They all turn back towards him, almost completely in sync. Terrifying. “I’m sorry to interrupt… whatever this is. But I would like to know who the heck you all are and why you’re in my home? How do you know my brother exactly? And are you all skeletons?? I didn’t realize there were other skeletons like us. And, more importantly, WHAT and/or WHO is THAT?”

He gestured wildly to the yellow being, sockets pinning his older brother down. Sans at least had the decency to look apologetic.

He should be, for keeping such cool and not-ravenous friends to HIMSELF.

“… Any chance I can convince you this is a dream?” Sans tried with a sheepish grin.

“Absolutely not.”

“Damn.”

“I can explain!” The skeleton-dragon-monster popped up from the ground happily, tail wiggling like a boney snake. Now that he was up, Papyrus noted that he was even shorter than his own brother. It was quite cute.

The blue one ran both his hands down his face now, though Paps swears he can see the corner of his teeth perk up a bit.

“Okay, so, I’m Ink!” the little one started, pointing to himself and then to his friends, “That’s Blue, Dream, and you know Lust! Kinda. Not AS Lust, but whatever. We’re all best of buddies, and we’re just hangin’ out today because Dream hadn’t seen Lust in a while and he really likes Lust’s hoodie, and when a piece of your hoard calls to you, ya just have to answer.”

“Mhm,” Papyrus nodded, utterly perplexed and not understanding a good portion of that entire explanation.

“A hoard is a dragon’s, like, very important personal belongings?” Sans tried to explain. “Like… a collection of… actually, never mind, it won’t matter in the long run and it’s hard to explain. Just know that Dream sees my hoodies and blankets and pillows as his own, and they’re very important to him.”

This is going to give him a headache. “So he needs to. Snuggle them. While you are in it.”

Sans snorted, patting Dream’s head again. “I mean, I don’t have to be in it, but it makes the experience better for both of us.”

Fair enough. He would much rather be cuddled up to his boyfriend than dealing with whatever-this-was.

“Anywho!” Ink paused. “Where was I?”

“Introducing us and failing to explain why we’re here,” Blue offered unhelpfully.

“Right! We’re alternate versions of your brother—“

“Oh my Stars, Ink.”

“And we all defend the multiverse together, but we’re also really close! Like family, not friends-with-benefits close, to confirm—“

“Oh my STARS, Ink—“

“— so we like to hang out in each other’s universes when we’re not fighting world-ending bad guys, and today we just so happened to be here for… whatever reason I may have already forgotten. Anyway! I gave Lust a phone to use across the multiverse, and it has the time of the Doodle Sphere on it because that’s consistent across the multiverse, but that also means it’s different from YOUR world’s time, with timelines and resets and all of that, so we confused the two.”

There was a long pause after Ink finished rambling, smiling happily up to the taller skeleton in the room. Before he could really register any of what was said, however, Blue muttered a little, “Technically, Lust confused the two, not us.”

This, of course, earned him an indignant shout from his brother, and—

Okay, yeah, no.

Papyrus nodded multiple times, clapping his hands together and pressing them to his teeth. “I have no clue what’s happening here,” he stated plainly. “I’m going to assume this is just more of Sans’ weird time-space shenanigans and… and I am. Going. To bed. I think.”

They all blinked at him quietly. The dragon-thing shuffled peacefully, sighing and rubbing his head against Sans’ chest. He looked comfortable, and incredibly soft as well. Perhaps when Papyrus had more motivation to understand what was in front of him, he’d ask if he could pet the large creature.

Breaking the silence, Blue gestured to the plate of food beside him. “Do you want a taco before you go?”

“… Sure. Why not.”

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pigeonstab · 3 months ago

Note

Hi I'm here with rat news we just have a few questions about your vampire and werewolf au... (unrolls a piece of paper that goes all the way down the street and across town)

Did Nightmare turn Dust or Killer into vampires or did he just pick them up along the way? Also I'm assuming by their ages does that mean Killer was the latest to join the gang? :o

If Horror is always partly wolfed up can he still go full wolf if he wants to and just keeps the ears and tail when he turns back, or is he stuck with just ears and tail as he is? Also if he can go full wolf, how big is this boy? (Asking because I'm imagining him being enormous, like big enough to sit on the other three all of the vampires at once lol)

Is it weird for Cross being surrounded by vampires? After he eventually finds out I mean lol Like is he worried they might hurt him or somebody he knows or does he suddenly realise how many things can kill them and gets a lil protective? (I can picture him always trying to stand between somebody else and the sun like a shield or slapping garlic foods out of people's hands lol)

Okay last one and then I'm done (for now) I swear!!

Is Cross... a good boy??

Yess!!! Okay so. (These are good cause often times they won't be stuff I've ever thought through at all lol)

1. Dust was picked up along the way (I think Nightmare has had a lot of time to travel so maybe they met in Korea even?) and so was Killer! I think Nm just never really cared to turn anybody? He can feed just fine without and isn't interested in turning anyone against their will.

1.5. Yep! Killer is baby. He gets coddled a lot even though he fucking hates it.

2. Horror has the same amount of forms as Cross does, so normal 'human' (even though they're skeletons) forms, one with only ears and tail and a full wolf one. He is very rarely in his 'human' form because he lives in a secluded house in the woods where everyone already knows what he is. And why would anyone restrict themselves like that.

2.5. Horror is BIG BOI Cross is already slightly bigger than a normal wolf but Horror is like waist high with a human, I think it'd be very funny for him to flop over the vamps lol. Although I guess the vamps could potentially ride on his back too...

3. I think it'd be quite a shock yeah. I think he'd be kind of scared even if they weren't vampires..? (College au Cross is a very socially anxious person) But knowing they can drain him of his blood probably doesn't help.

3.5. He can certainly try lol (Nightmare thinks it's charming that this 20yo baby wolf is trying to protect him from garlic. Which he puts in most his recipes.)

4. CROSS IS THE BEST BOIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!

#also i decided Cross was originally from Canada #and spent his childhood there #he moved to the US later on #thank you Charlie!!!!#college au #undertale au #utmv #sans au #answered asks #Charlie Somegrumpynerd #Werewolf Cross Sans #Vampire Killer Sans #Vampire Dust Sans #Vampire Nightmare Sans #Werewolf Horror Sans #college au info

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bajistadiamond · 2 months ago

Text

Yuu and the Magical Power of Songs

Yuu Singer, 🎶💎Ramshackle💎🎶 (This is Halloween) Halloween - Part 1

Halloween… one of the biggest holidays in the world; filled with a lot of joy and fun, but also hiding a lot of darkness. Yuu hoped it would be as normal as she could be in a place as extravagant as Twisted Wonderland.

And yes, at first it was… except for the part where Yuu wanted to hit Crowley to a pulp with a frying pan for almost leaving him out of the event organization meetings.

Each dorm had its theme and area specified for the event; and while Malleus initially wanted to use the Ramshackle area, Yuu wanted to prepare something of his own.

The entire Ramshackle dormitory (Yuu already had a new name and even a representative figure, he just wanted to make the presentation and inauguration at the right time) had been transformed to look like a mix of all the sagas of the Uncharted video game.

Fortunately for Yuu, somehow without explanation or logic Uncharted existed on TW under another name.

The bedroom became the ruins of a Victorian mansion with torn pirate flags and skeletons dressed as pirates. With the help of his magic, ghosts and Idia for special effects he was able to achieve an area with a golden sacphage with a sign that said "Do you dare to open it?". Inside was the seal of the bedroom in the hands of a very realistic plastic corpse. When you opened the sarcophagus and took the seal, skull-like zombie-like monsters and hairy beasts would appear and chase you into a room with two doors. A door took you to a winter area that had a grayish tree with blue veins connected to a blue amber sphere. The other sent you to a desert with fountains and marble statues with floating pyramids. Both areas were more for selfies than anything else; Then you walked out of the building to see the scene of a plane crash, an abandoned train, and boxes with the Shoreline logo. And finally, next to the entrance tree, a statue of Sir Francis Drake.

Yuu doesn't know how, but somehow everything came together nicely.

Yuu's outfit was that of Nathan Drake and Grim, transformed into a human beast thanks to a potion, dressed as Sullivan.

Yuu smiled as he looked in the mirror with the costume ready for him.

There was only one day left until the entire event began and the doors of NRC opened to the public.

"Nhya! Henchman, hurry up!" Grim shouted from below. The other delegates had already arrived to review the final details.

Yuu sighed before adjusting his belt a little and leaving the room.

"I hope everything turns out well." The brunette thought as he went down the stairs. … … …

Little did Yuu know that: Halloween + NRC = Chaos

Yuu certainly shouldn't be surprised at what a disaster the open days turned out to be.

What leaves the white-haired man speechless is that it all started with a photo… with a fucking photo!

Yuu knew that he had a decent amount of followers on MagiCam (having the "voice of the gods" already gives you a very high status in Twisted Wonderland society) and thanks to that he has made a couple of very good contracts for his account banking with the help of Vil as his instructor in the world of reflectors.

But hey… who knew that a photo of Yuu and Grim in their Halloween costumes and the three Ramshackle ghosts would cause visitors to become "MagiCam Monsters".

Now all the NRC students are elated with the parade on the last night of the event.

The floats decorated with the theme of each dorm came out of the warehouse where they kept the black carriages near the coliseum.

"It was a long time ago, much longer than you think." Yuu narrated in an enigmatic voice. "In a place that you have perhaps seen in your dreams." People felt a chill run through them. "And the story I will tell for you, the world of endless parties happened." Leaders and sub-leaders began to laugh macabrely. "Maybe you've wondered about the history of the holidays." The magic made the entire NRC look much creepier under the glow of the full moon. "Pay attention, because this is now beginning." Yuu finished saying before the streetlights went out and only the pumpkin lanterns remained lit that made the pupils of all the students shine. Yuu led the parade as the music started to play… it was sinister, mysterious and lively.

Boys and girls of every age~

Wouldn't you like to see something strange?~

The light came to life in flashes that blinded the visitors for a second; All the students danced on the floats, each one to their own chaotic and crazy rhythm. The hair hid Yuu's eyes, so only a big smile was visible as he sang. For the NRC visitors it was fortunate that the event was not canceled by the crazy people at MagiCam; It was lucky to see the youngest person in TW with "the voice of the gods".

Come with us and you will see~

This, our town of Halloween~

The spectators most sensitive to magic felt that a mermaid was singing; luring them into a perverse and dark world. Yuu jumped almost 2 meters; doing cartwheels in the air and walking as if he were the king of the world among his companions.

This is Halloween, this is Halloween~

Pumpkins scream in the dead of night~

The pumpkins seemed to have come to life; the pumpkins seemed to sing and jumped on the dry grass, the will-o'-the-wisp appeared dancing between the trees and the crows flew laughing while dropping feathers.

This is Halloween, everybody make a scene~

Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright~

From their floats Deuce, Jack, Ortho and Sebek threw candy and confetti while Grim, Ace and Epel threw rolls of toilet paper and bags filled with fake blood. Everyone was laughing like crazy horror movie villains and having a great time. The visitors also laughed with amusement at the little scares caused by Yuu's magic.

It's our town, everybody scream~

In this town of Halloween~

Ghosts were also part of the show; appearing from the ground where there were tombstones, passing through and flying over the visitors. In turn, Yuu surfed on an army of spiders made of magic and the horses on the floats, which were painted with chemical-free neon paint, became more skeletal and spooky.

I am the one hiding under your bed~

Yuu climbed onto Scarabia's float and hugged Kalim and Jamil by the shoulders, who smiled and howled at the moon.

Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red~

Jamil smiled, he danced like he had never done before. He felt so free, so wild, and it was all thanks to Yuu. "How handsome he looks." Viper thought, as he saw the prefect of Ramshackle, who smiled at the dark-haired man and dragged him with him. Kalim looked mischievously at the first year and Jamil as they jumped onto the Heartslabyul float; he was very sure that the two of them and Ruggie would make a very romantic threesome.

I am the one hiding under your stairs~

Riddle danced sublimely with his cane as he greeted everyone. Trey mischievously came up behind him and gave him a little scare. Riddle looked at him with a pout. "He spends too much time with Floyd." The redhead thought because the habits of the most annoying of the Leechs were infecting his childhood friend.

Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair~

Trey looked at Riddle with tender eyes before removing his black veil and giving him a quick kiss. Riddle blushes like a strawberry while Trey laughs like crazy; they both started dancing as if they were at a gala. Cater was more than happy to have photos of the moment.

This is Halloween, this is Halloween~

Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!~

Bats and crows circling over the NRC castle. Yuu jumped with Jamil from the float onto the pavement of Main Street. The first year snapped his fingers and the statues of the Big 7 began to dance to the music.

In this town we call home~

Everyone hail to the pumpkin song~

Jade and Floyd smiled like predators, giving candy to the minors and taking photos with those they wanted. The ribbons and scraps of fabric from their suits floated as if they had a mind of their own.

In this town, don't we love it now?~

Everybody's waiting for the next surprise~

Azul, to no one's surprise, was already making plans to extend the Halloween specials at Mostro Lounge for another week. "I need to talk to the mayor about tariffs on exotic products." The one with glasses thought before throwing his hat into the air and Yuu's magic made it explode into jelly beans.

Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can~

Idia couldn't describe in words the feeling he got from being dressed up. He felt like the brave hero of the stories he and Ortho read. "You look so normal Nii-san." Ortho told him, trying not to laugh.

Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll… ~

The eldest of the Shroud brothers crossed his arms, but nothing took him out of his moment as a brave knight… or so he thought.

Scream!

Yuu's scream almost made Idia fall; Ortho laughed and was grateful to have his cameras in recording mode.

This is Halloween~

Red and black~

Lilia sang, appearing head first among the visitors, who were scared and then laughed. Sebek despite initial reluctance, was having fun. It had taken him time and he still had to learn, but being more tolerant was paying off.

Slimy green~

Silver looked at Sebek, and couldn't help but feel proud of how he had managed to make friends. Ace approached the green-haired man to point out a group that seemed to come from Noble Bell College. The two laughed before approaching said group and scaring them.

Aren't you scared?~

"Although… maybe those friendships are corrupting him." Silver thought, watching as Sebek laughed out loud while Ace chased the group that came from NBC as if they were monsters.

Well, that's just fine~

Then the silver knight of Diasomnia remembered that it was his father who suggested that Sebek have friends. "It's not my problem." Silver thought, shrugging his shoulders and continuing the song.

Say it once, say it twice~

Take a chance and roll the dice~

Vil danced with his characteristic poise and grace; many were fainting or having runny noses when they saw the actor's captivating gaze and his tongue running over the fake quotes of his costume. Neige, who was incognito among the visitors, bit his lips, resisting the urge to kidnap Vil.

Ride with the moon in the dead of night~

Epel will never admit to Vil, but he felt very handsome in the suit, although perhaps that was already obvious considering he was dancing with Rook while they pointed at the moon. Yuu also pointed at the moon, causing it to turn crimson.

Everybody scream, everybody scream~

In our town of Halloween!~

Yuu stopped for a moment to take in his surroundings; He concentrated a little and took control of everyone. All the NRC students followed the choreography with enthusiasm.

I am the clown with the tear-away face~ Idia said before removing the pumpkin from his head.

Here in a flash and gone without a trace~ Floyd sang with his sharp smile.

I am the “who” when you call, “Who's there?” ~ Malleus, who had walked with his head bowed, began to sing.

I am the wind blowing through your hair~ Prince Draconia raised his head; His eyes were shining and smoke came from his lips.

I am the shadow on the moon at night~ Grim sang as he transformed into his monstrous version.

Filling your dreams to the brim with fright~ Jack, using Vil's modeling lessons, walked as if on a catwalk while making the gesture of passing his saber across his neck.

This is Halloween, this is Halloween~

Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!~

Halloween! Halloween!~

Yuu and Jamil boarded Savanaclaw's float. The one with white hair was euphoric, it had been a long time since "the voice of the gods" no longer tired him but filled him with energy.

Tender lumplings everywhere~

Leona and Ruggie were putting on a great show; The beastmen threw their steel and gold sabers into the air to retrieve them and start a fight on the galleon-shaped float. Scarabia and Ramshackle smiled at each other before taking a saber.

Life's no fun without a good scare~

It looked like Leona was going to win the duel, but Jamil and Yuu joined the hyena beast boy. The lion couldn't say anything, because nothing in life was fair, so he decided to try to kick their butts.

That's our job, but we're not mean~

In our town of Halloween~

The teachers and director watched the entire parade from a box. They were enjoying delicious sangria provided by Sam while also enjoying the song; None of them could deny that they wanted to be part of the parade.

In this town~

Don't we love it now?~

Everyone's waiting for the next surprise~

Yuu, accompanied by Ruggie and Jamil, escaped from the pirate Leona, and went to the center of the parade. The floats stopped and were ready to give the grand finale.

The big seven could catch you in the back~

The crescendo of the song began to make an appearance. People couldn't stop dancing and laughing at the mischief of the atmosphere... All the students looked at the floor as they stomped their feet.

And scream like a banshee~

In unison, they raise their heads abruptly and shake, making a quick backward movement, bringing their hands to their mouths to simulate a scream. Then, with jerky movements, each dormitory leader opened his arms and carried them in a wide circle upward; the color magic of his dorms swirled in his hands.

Make you jump out of your skin~

Ace, Deuce, Jack, Epel, Ortho, Sebek and Grim danced in a circle, with small jumps, as if they were doing a ritual to call the spirits. Meanwhile, the sub-leaders stepped back sharply, feigning surprise, and each one in a different posture, as if they had seen something terrifying.

This is Halloween, everybody scream~

Won't ya please make way for a very special people?~

Everyone followed Yuu, making exaggerated movements, stomping their feet and opening their mouths as if they were screaming. Then everyone dispersed, each student going to their dorm representative. Since Yuu and Grim's statue had not been added yet, the white-haired one represented their statue.

Our Great Seven, Monarchs of the Pumpkin Patch ~

The light illuminates the statues (and Yuu); Each student, with soft and slow movements with their arms, bowed towards their idols

Everyone, hail the Pumpkin Kings and Queens now! ~

Each student looked reverently at the statues, as if they could see the seven great ones alive. Yuu lifted Grim from his bow and hugged him, then looked at the others mischievously.

This is Halloween, this is Halloween~

Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!~

Everyone left their bow to dance like crazy, waving their hands as if they were scaring something away, shaking their feet or simply moving their cloaks. Halloween really was NRC's time of year.

In this town we call home~

Everyone hail to the pumpkin song~

Ruggie looked at Yuu mischievously while Jamil looked at him longingly. Yuu looked at them and winked at them. "Gods, I really have to talk to them about us." He thought as he sang the last verses of the song.

La, la, la ~ (Halloween! Halloween!)

La-la-la, la, la ~ (Halloween! Halloween!)

La-la-la, la-la-la, hey! ~

The NRC student body fell to their knees from exhaustion, but still laughing. They had their hearts racing. The spectators began to applaud excitedly; Seriously, the best Halloween festival Night Raven College has ever seen. "Happy Halloween." All the first years exclaimed, still laughing like villains…

" When you look in the mirror tonight, make sure you are the only person in the reflection "

Notes: While the song would be perfect for the "Nightmare Before Christmas" Halloween event, I want to use another song for that event (also, it would be very cliché). @selenacrest made me a request before publishing this so I will open part 2 in a few days.

#twisted wonderland #twst #disney twisted wonderland #twst oc #disney twst #alternate universe #yuu singer #au #mc #yuu #disney song #twst wonderland #twst fanfic #twst fandom #halloween #twst halloween #happy halloween #spooky season #night before christmas

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