#i think rest of the critters are well known enough

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

Alright know what here's a little Guild Wars 2 reblog game for everybody; what mounts (if any) do your characters have in their canon, do they have names? Personalities? How'd they meet??

Spill it all below, tell me about all your creatures!!

[scribbledghost]

Inhuman!III Headcanons

Note: i figured I'd start this series off with our favorite Noodle Man (affectionate), because I don't see a lot of x reader stuff for him and that's a shame :(

General:

His primary inhuman ability is metamorphosis. He can change his physical appearance at will.

III tends to keep the same general features (two eyes, normal amount of limbs, etc), but his hair is constantly changing. He's also prone to adjusting the amount of teeth he has, as well as the sharpness of them.

Ever the prankster, he likes to startle the other vessels from time to time with this. More than once he's scared them by elongating his limbs or adding more appendages. The biggest mistake the vessels ever made was telling him about Slenderman.

He purrs! All of the vessels can, but III is the only one who really takes advantage of it. The others do too, but rarely.

Very fond of his outfits. Thankfully, he's constantly finding new clothing in his wardrobe, courtesy of Sleep.

Very chatty compared to the other vessels! While the rest sort of prefer the telepathic route for communication, III prefers to speak aloud.

Voted "most likely to get into trouble". The Shenanigans are endless tbh, and it's not unusual for him to end up in a situation where he has to call upon the manor itself or one of the others for help. (There's a reason most of the chandeliers in the manor have been removed).

Also the most likely to do stuff just to see if it hurts him. Think "I'm functionally immortal. Surely it won't hurt if this critter I found bites me". It does hurt. He does it again a week later.

Fluff:

That being said, he loves to make you laugh. Any time you're down and need cheering up, III is your man. There's not much he won't do to get at least a giggle out of you.

Turns into a bit of a boa constrictor when you cuddle. The man is all limbs even without altering their length, so it's normal for the two of you to take the phrase "getting tangled up" very literally.

So. Much. Energy. Seriously, he's always pulling you here and there to join him on adventures, babbling away the whole time as he tells you stories or just talks to you.

In the same vein, he's very prone to just. Blurting out his feelings about you. The rest of the vessels are more reserved, some only saying such things through your mental connection, but III has no trouble telling you out loud how much he cares about you.

III really, really likes to make you things as gifts. Granted, sometimes they can be a bit... eccentric (necklace pendant made out of one of his own teeth, for example), but they really do come from a place of love.

Very fond of just... running his hands over you. Whether it be lightly tracing your shoulder, keeping a hand at your back, or just slinging an arm around your shoulders, III is a very affectionate vessel.

Loves wearing matching things!! Get checkered socks to match his and he's over the moon. Even if it's something as simple as wearing matching colors, he just likes being able to see he's tied to you in some way, shape, or form.

Breaks out the purring often, especially when you let him rest his head on your chest. He'll just plop down atop you and start rumbling. He'll gladly lay there for hours if you'll let him - even going so far as to get into some slight trouble for missing practice/rehearsals.

Smut (under the cut):

Remember how I said he can change his body at will? I'm sure you know where I'm going with this. He'll adjust the size of his cock to be exactly what you want. Too big? He'll tone it down. Need more? Say less. (He's also been known to uh. "Create" more of them, should you ask. But you didn't hear that from me).

Likes to nip and bite at you. It's his most common form of foreplay; just nibbling at your pulse point or gently grabbing your shoulder with his mouth. It's never hard enough to break the skin or make you bleed, it's just a habit he's developed.

Every once in a while, when he's feeling particularly needy, he'll conjure up multiple arms. Just to be able to feel you under as many of his hands as possible. Also comes in handy (no pun intended) considering he can grope you everywhere at the same time. He doesn't have to choose.

Likes to tease, in any way imaginable. With his words, his touch, anything. If he doesn't have you begging for more at some point, then he hasn't done his job.

Whether he is soft or rough is really a coin toss. Some times he can be so gentle it almost hurts, murmuring quiet words of praise and littering your skin with kisses. Other times he can't contain himself and needs to simply have you in any way you'll let him. What causes the flip is really anyone's guess.

Has a wide submissive streak. More than once you've been able to pin him beneath you as you straddle his hips, only for him to look up at you with eyes as wide as his grin. He'll gladly let you take control whenever you want.

I'm sure this comes as no surprise, but the man is an expert at dirty talk. Any kind of talk you want, he's got it at the ready for you. Most of the time it's a mix between praise and playful condescension.

I've mentioned it briefly elsewhere, but III loves to come on you. Anywhere you'll let him, he doesn't care, as long as he can see it trailing down your skin. Your stomach or back are his usual go-to locations, however.

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Insectiride

Debut: Mario Party 6

Mario and friends get up to all sorts of shenanigans! Many of these are dangerous shenanigans, and I would prefer not to get involved with them. If I were to fall in lava or be hit by a barrage of hammers thrown by a turtle, I would Die! I lament this fact, but I am no scrimblo. However, some of the antics are good safe fun, and that includes the act of racing in funny bug-shaped vehicles! I wish I could do that in real life!

Though there is a snail among these insects, for the sake of simplicity, I will call all these creatures Bugs. I usually reserve that term for arthropods, but I don't feel like saying "creepy-crawlies" a bunch of times in this post like some kind of Talking Flower. So Bugs. There are some people who'd call a snail a bug without even a disclaimer! Can you imagine that?

Players begin Insectiride by choosing their vehicle out of the four unique options! I think I played this minigame once and I THINK I used the grasshopper. I think it still might be my favorite! I'm sorry to this snail, but I don't like it much. It looks like pizza, and I like pizza a lot- I regularly observe #pizzafriday- but it's just not the sort of thing I'd like a snail's skin to remind me of.

Each of these bugs has its own control scheme! The player on the ladybug must press the indicated button ten times quickly to make it crawl forward a bit. The player on the grasshopper must press a sequence of various buttons to make it hop forward a few times. The player on the stag beetle must press each indicated button that appears one at a time, each press making it push along a bit. And finally, the player on the snail must press A when its body extends fully to make it pull the shell along behind.

When playing this with humans, there is probably no one Best Bug to reliably choose, since human reaction time must be taken into account. If playing against ambitious robots, however, there is absolutely an imbalance! In tool-assisted speedruns, Grasshopper is the winner, followed by Ladybug, Stag Beetle, and poor Snail in last...

Mario Party 6 is a Koopa Kid Game! And there is official art of him riding the funny ladybug mechanism! I'm glad he got to have fun here. We all know he isn't having fun where he is now... in the Purgatory Zone... poor kid. Oh well! That's life!

Those were the only four bug vehicles present in Insectiride, but in Mario Party 3's Ridiculous Relay, there was another! Way before all the rest! Here we have a Skeeter-inspired contraption, allowing the operator to maneuver across the surface of the water! I think this would be the main mode of transportation in Wet-Dry World, for those who are not already Skeeters. Between being a mecharthropod and having a strange control scheme that must be displayed to the player, I would not at all be surprised if this was an inspiration for Insectiride!

Now don't think you're getting out of this post without some real Bug Facts! Humans, of course, are much too large to ride on a bug. To be small enough to ride a bug, you would have to be a bug yourself. And some bugs do indeed do this! This is phoresy, the interaction in which one animal will latch onto another animal for the purpose of travel. Usually, the hitchhiker will be a tiny arachnid such as a mite (including ticks), or my favorite arachnid, a pseudoscorpion!

Phoresy is EXTREMELY funny to me. A teensy little critter will just grab onto the leg of a fly or something, and away they will go! Hang on tight! This is a type of symbiosis known as commensalism, where one organism (in this case, the one hanging on) benefits, while the other (the host) is largely unaffected. Humans riding horses is another example of phoresy! A human can be like a mite sometimes. Ok, see you later! *grabs onto a hoverfly's leg and flies away*

[was-that-a-fanfic]

Love Him Till The Day That You Die!

What now?

Chapter 7: Those Who Could Speak

Last< --- >Next

It was like safe haven itself had heaved a sigh of relief as the lights stabilized above and the toys went back to their normal activities.

And Susan... stood there.

Her pack still lay open and exposed at her feet, the lack of weight alien across her shoulders. Her hands wouldn’t seem to stop shaking, each clinging to the forearm of the other.

Slowly, as if lost in a daze, she looked down at its comforting weight. And, hooking one strap with her hand, sealed herself it up and pulled herself it back together on.

Safe Haven put on a valiant struggle to live up to it’s name.

Blue fabric painted with fluffy clouds were draped all about the ceiling, string lights spread everywhere to add their brightness and cheer, and for the first time Susan took notice of the murals that covered the wall. Running her fingers across the shapes painted on brick behind her as she took them in.

“Get some rest Okay? I- I need to talk to Doey.”

Poppy was backing out of the tent where Kissy was being settled in, the Employee seemed to be staying with the pink toy for the moment and Susan was stepping forward to meet the doll before she’d really known she was going to.

“Poppy,” The doll jumped, genuinely surprised by her second sudden appearance “I think we’ve both dropped a lot on top of everything else he’s already dealing with here. Maybe give him a bit more time?”

A number of emotions crossed the porcelain face before finally settling on frustration.

“Time is something we don’t have.”

“I know, but will pushing things help?”

Argument parted Poppy’s lips but she paused, considering this stranger who’s sudden appearance had an even bigger impact on Doey than her own had and the auxiliary power doors she’d been headed to. The internal struggle ended with a huff and a curt nod of acceptance as Poppy reversed course back to her friends side.

---

After a while she’d taken in the whole main room, taking in the rest of the toys murals from the nightmarish depiction of catnap, the illustrated argument over what the best food is, to safe haven itself held protected in Doey’s arms.

They loved him and trusted him to keep them safe, he was their protector. The pride mostly overshadowed the worry at what an intense burden he’d been settled with.

She’d offered up more of her supplies to Medic, the aptly named Boogie Bot who served as the havens, well, medic. Who then forced her to properly disinfect and bandage the Pianosaurus caused cut on her thigh, berating her over her blood soaked hackjob.

Then she’d settled in to help Scout (the Boogie Bot who’d been at the door when they arrived) and Izzy (a Bobby Bearhug Smiling Critter who’d asked what was going on earlier) to distribute the food she’d brought. No one was about to claim they were stuffed (pun not intended except by the author) but there was enough to take the edge off everyone's hunger and still ration some for later. The excitement as she’d helped hand goodies like Bunzobars, Playtime Lemonade, and Huggy Bricks to everyone was palpable.

“Last are Poppy and Kissy and her Employee friend. Can you take them those and I’ll -”

Izzy had given Scout a not-so-subtle tap and whispered something they nodded along to as Susan collected the assigned rations, surprised to have them snatched away by the bear.

“I’ve got those don’t you worry about it!” She chirped, hurrying away before Susan could even question it.

“You take Doey his share.” Scout corrected.

Susan sputtered at the sudden turn, nervous and maybe just a little panicked at the idea. “What? That – surely you should be the one to take it to him, or -”

“I need to store the rest of the supplies you brought, and he will try to avoid taking any rations so that there is more for others.” Servos whirred softly as Scout made a shooing motion at her. “Go on then.”

She plucked a Honeycomb crunch from the remaining pile and held it like some sugary security blanket, uncertainly turning toward the Auxiliary Power room only to be met with Izzy hanging out of Kissy’s tent shooting her the Smiling Critters equivalent of two thumbs up encouragingly.

Well that was one toy who’d definitely put together a few things.

---

The generator hummed and sputtered as Doey checked over its every inch and gear and bolt, muttering to themselves as they tried to track down what was wrong with it this time.

It was days like this he really felt like little more than three kids in a dough trench coat playing grownup.

It didn’t help that his mind was reeling from today’s endless surprises, each of which had been ever so kind to arrive with its own emotional baggage that had the pieces of his personality more fragmented than they’d been in ages.

Within Doey, the part of him that was only Jack had pulled away from the rest of their mind.

Panicking and inconsolable at the back of their thoughts, neither Matthew or Kevin could blame the youngest part of their personality but the generator took too much focus for either of them to properly console him.

Matthew had (he claimed) come to terms with the loss of his parents long before Playtime had their way with him, Kevin’s had been so horrible he was glad they were gone, Jack though had never really gotten over the loss of his and their part in it.

Guilt radiated off Kevin in waves as Jack’s confusion and grief flowed through them but he stayed resolutely focused on the problem at hand. With one final hiccup and sputter the sound shifted and the generator began to purr the way it was supposed to.

Doey heaved a sigh of relief, crossing to the opposite wall to lean against the work table. Finally something was going right.

---

The door scraped opened behind him.

Because of course it did, of course he couldn’t just have this one moments victory in peace, and Doey braced for whatever was about to happen next.

“I- Scout told me to bring this to you…”

She looked different now, older, but still absolutely the same person; and she just seemed so... small.

It was one of the harder things for Jack in their memories of that day. Nothing like the rest of his recollections of her, of reaching up and being engulfed in her love and protection. How small she’d been, how delicate, how gentle and they’d-

“I- I think they thought they were helping but – but I’m just here to drop this off and I’ll go…I plan on doing everything I can to stay out of the way so don’t worry I don’t expect you to even want to see me I -”

“Stop!” She flinched, mouth snapping shut and a hand coming to cover it. She didn’t look afraid though more.. disappointed? In… in herself? It was all just too much.

“Just- just give me a minute.”

Doey ran both hands down his face, stretching it and smearing his features. It was just too loud, everything inside him was too loud.

She stood stock still as he gathered himself, trying and only partially failing to avoid staring. watching his every move, taking in every detail right down to his posture.

Every word, every mistake flooded back to her, as if she hadn’t spent the entirety of the last twelve years turning them over in her mind. She’d told herself she wouldn’t do this, wouldn't push and overwhelm him and already she was failing.

He twitched and spasmed as his body struggled to comply with three separate signals of how it was supposed to move, finally covering his face for a moment and letting out a long sigh..

“Thank you.” He said carefully, indicating the food in her hand “But it would be better if that went to one of the other toys.”

“...Scout told me you would say that, and... to give it to you anyway-”

Because of course she had, her and Izzy had taken it upon themselves to make sure he took care of himself at least a fraction as much as he did the rest of safe haven.

She held the candy out at arms length, but didn’t move any closer “And...it IS your favorite...or was…”

He didn’t step closer either, an arm stretching to pluck the bar from her hand. A Honeycomb Crunch. It was still his favorite. All of theirs, funnily enough, and he hadn’t gotten a hold of one for a very very long time.

“It is. Thank you Ma’a-”

Wait. no.

“Su- Mo-? Mmmnnn.” the dough mouth disappeared into a thin line as he struggled over just what the heck to call her.

“Honey, you are twenty years old and haven’t seen me in more than a decade. You can call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Twenty-seven.” Doey corrected without really thinking.

There was barely a flash of confusion that instantly shifted to consideration, then understanding, and Susan nodded.

“Matthew-” there was a warmth in her tone that made the boy buried in the dough creatures heart ache even past the surprise.

“And Kevin?”

The question was a sharp shock, the third part of their personality too busy furiously warning them of all the ways this could be a trick, a trap! That he hadn’t expected to be...considered? acknowledged? anything but harmed really...shit how old was he?

“...Tw-twenty-four.”

Another nod, there was no judgment in those eyes at all, just acceptance and warmth. It was the quietest Kevin had become in years.

“Exactly, whatever you choose is just fine.”

She stood there, a small exhausted smile on her lined face as she looked at them with so much love and pride and Doey couldn’t handle it, he looked down at the candy bar in his hands and it was all just too much.

His shoulders quaked as a sob bubbled up from deep inside him, eyes blurring.

“M-Mommy-”

His voice hitched wetly and she’d moved before really registering her own actions, stopping herself just shy of actually touching him.

“I’m here baby, I’m right here...if you want me here.”

She hovered, caught between the urge to comfort him and the fear of overwhelming

“But why? Why now? Where have you BEEN?!”

He lashed out, fist striking the metal table hard enough for the wall to shudder but didn’t actually leave a dent. Susan didn’t flinch at the action, didn’t cower, but she did shift so that he had more space, creating an open path to the door. She’d gotten fairly good over the years at knowing what was an actual blow that needed dodging and this wasn’t one. This was frustration trying desperately to find an outlet.

All this time Kevin had thought he’d killed her, all those years of Jack mourning, Matthew trying to comfort them both through their own traumas, and she’d been alive the whole time?!

“You’re right to be upset, its taken me far too long to find you. But I never stopped looking, never stopped trying. I knew you were still here. Somewhere.”

“I m-missed you so m-mmucchh.”

He reached for her and there was no hesitation, finally receiving the consent she’d been hoping for.

She wrapped her arms around him and tucked his head under her chin as they both wept, holding him tight as he clung to her arm and she rocked gently on her heels. After a time the sobs slowed then settled into little hiccups and with a sniffle he muttered into her shirt.

“I’m sorry I h*hic*hurt you.”

She tensed, just a little, and pulled away just enough to look down at him and tilt his face to look up at hers.

“No, nuh-uh, absolutely not. That was not your fault. Playtime set that up completely. They manipulated an injured and confused child… Three! Those bastards did it to three of you at once!” she sighed “And we fell for it. I didn’t listen to you, I pushed you too hard when you were already hurting. Even the lab coats they gave us ‘to keep things sterile’ were only to make things more confusing for you. You NEVER should have had to deal with that. I – I should have seen what they were doing. It never even should have gotten that far I should have – I should have saved you before you ever fell.”

There was something startling about hearing a parent/parental figure curse for the first time. Kevin on the other hand was here for it, sneaking out a snarky.

“Yeah...you should have.” Now Doey was the one who pulled away sitting a bit straighter and suddenly looking affronted “- n-no, No! It wasn’t your fault I shoulda stayed closer I shoulda listened I – Guh, it was no ones fault! No one but Playtimes. Safety rail’s aren’t supposed to DO that! That’s the whole point of them! Safety!”

She couldn’t help the tiniest laugh, the sheer conviction of what was yes objectively true. That definitely was the point of them, he wasn’t wrong there. And suddenly they were both giggling in that way you do when you’re just so so exhausted.

The laughter died down and they each caught there breath. He looked at her for a long moment, the different parts of him settling on at least one solution.

“I think... I wanna call you Mom. Okay?”

Susan’s heart leapt into her throat in possibly the most positive way it had in well over a decade and she nodded, trying not to smile too widely at their decision.

“Okay, yeah that’s… But what about you? What do you want me to call you?”

He wasn’t just her Jackie anymore after all.

He took a moment to consider, toying with his fingers.

“I, uh, I’ve been Doey for a pretty long time now, It’s what I’m used to. So I think we’ll stick with that.”

She nodded, and he seemed to realize something, glancing at the door and with a sigh getting back to his feet. Tone shifting to something a bit more mature and steady.

“It’s been a very busy day for everyone and it’s past lights out, I need to make sure everyone gets some rest. We can talk more tomorrow, okay?”

Tomorrow, tomorrow would be good, there was a tomorrow worth looking forward to now.

[zeethequeer]

ABOUT MY POPPY PLAYTIME DR v2 (Everyone survives DR)

✨BASICS✨

Name: Amy Lovitz (Previously Amy Simmons)

Age: 17

Height: 5'0"

Hair Color: Red

Eye Color: Blue

Skin Color: Light

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Straight

Pronouns: She/Her

✨FAMILY✨

Mom: ???

Dad: Rich Lovitz

Siblings: None

Aunt: ???

Uncle: ???

Cousins: ???

Closest Friends: All Bigger Body toys (eventually), majority of living small toys (eventually)

S/O(s): None

✨EXTRAS✨

Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite Food: Watermelon

Favorite Show: Smiling Critters TV show

Favorite Drink: Grape juice

Hobbies: singing, urban exploration, gardening, hiking, outdoor sports

Time Of First Shift: Beginning of the game

Song That Reminds Me Of DR: Everything Stays from Adventure Time

✨MY LIFE STORY✨

I was one of the Playcare orphans, adopted at around 5 years old by an employee, Rich, who anyone who's watched videos or played the game will recognize as one of the employees we hear/"see" time and time again in the video tapes. I practically lived my whole early childhood in Playcare and the Game Station, including the following year and a half after my adoption and before The Hour of Joy.

I was incredibly lucky to have been sick and kept at home by my dad, and not at Playtime Co on the day that The Hour of Joy happened.

10 years later, a letter comes in about the disappearance of the employees with a claim that there's still people there. Having managed to get ahold of it before my dad, I go to the old Playtime Co factory. Not wanting him to follow and get himself into danger as well, I leave really early without even leaving a note about where I'm going. My dad was used to me leaving early in the morning to hang out with friends on weekends, and after Playtime Co he became a tow-truck driver with long shifts. He wouldn't notice something was wrong until I wouldn't have returned home that evening like usual and had confirmed I wasn't staying over at a friend's house.

Things play out in a similar order to the game, but the toys are all able to identify that I'm still technically a kid. By the events of chapter 4 I have everyone from the previous areas following me around... With the exception of Miss Delight. I don't think there's any way around her losing her mind so I haven't scripted otherwise.

By the end of the events of Chapter 4 our group consists of every Bigger Body toy, including the ones that in the game had died already. I've scripted that every Bigger Body toy that was created survived long enough to still be around by the time I get to the factory with the letter. Any that had "issues" found those issues to correct themselves later if they were anything that was a detriment to them physically (such as the spasms that Bobby BearHug was noted to have had).

So our interesting, ragtag group ultimately consists of Boxy Boo, Pianosaurus, Yarnaby, Huggy, Kissy, Bobby BearHug, CatNap, Bron, Mommy Long-Legs, Doey, Bunzo, PJ, Poppy, about a dozen Mini Huggies, DogDay, Hoppy, the rest of the Bigger Body Smiling Critters, about a dozen Mini Critters, Scout, Medic, Odd Ed, and this reality's versions of my other Poppy Playtime DR self and fellow Big Dreams Dolls (both the Bigger Body versions and minis). Eventually this includes every single kid still alive that was trapped in the factory as well.

After finally escaping the factory with Doctor Sawyer and The Prototype both dead, I tell everyone to wait in the lobby as I run outside to a payphone to call my dad. The news of where I was and what I did ends up being... A lot, to put it lightly.

With the recovery of the kids that were trapped, I accidentally make it on national news. We all work together to keep the existence of the toys quiet (the ones that hadn't been publicly known about prior at least), but a lot of funding rolls in to help get everyone (many of the kids now not really being kids but being between 18 and 27 depending on how old they were during the HoJ) settled. We end up sticking together, using the pooled funds to purchase several undeveloped properties outside of the city where we can all live and build housing large enough to allow for the toys to come and go in and outside as they please.

Many of the now adult orphans were able to find jobs, a lot of them starting work at daycares and schools as assistants. A lot of them went back to school and got their GEDs before going to college and becoming lawyers, doctors, etc. Some of them even became scientists to try to find ways to help improve the quality of life the toys experienced. Essentially acting as their doctors.

Having access to the outdoors and all needs met, the scarier looking of the toys begin to look less scary over time. Such as CatNap, he eventually doesn't look so skeletal anymore and more like the oversized cat he is. DogDay gets new legs, Kissy is fixed up from all the damage the Prototype caused, etc.

Everyone gets their happy ending.

✨SCRIPTED MOMENTS✨

I have to tell Huggy "We don't eat people!" when introducing my dad to the toys. 😅

Seeing the sunshine again after everything is over.

Similar to my other DR, who the "player character" is, in this case my dad/Rich, is likely not who they actually are in the game. I'll probably need a day to process if they actually turn out to be Rich in the game. Like I wouldn't expect my DR scripting to turn out to be CR game canon.

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

Heya, how good of pets do you believe a Nuzleaf could be? I really like them. They're just lil masked guys.

Nuzleaf is a tricky one. While I certainly recognize the appeal of these silly little guys, and they don’t seem to be particularly violent or anything, but it seems like they just plain don’t like people. That, as a starting point, is unfortunately not a great one.

At three feet tall, I must admit that nuzleafs are a bit bigger than I thought. This certainly doesn’t make them too big to live in a home, but it would bring with it some complications. For one, wild nuzleafs are prolific climbers (Emerald). Giving a three-foot-tall pet enough spaced to climb around might not be the easiest if you don’t have access to trees (their natural jungle gym of choice) for them to explore and play in. These pokémon are also known to live in holes bored in the sides of trees (FireRed/LeafGreen). The pokédex isn’t clear about if nuzleafs carve out these burrows themselves or if they find holes already created by other species. Either way, you will need to provide your nuzleaf with an enclosed burrow-like space to rest in, which may be beyond the means of some owners.

But really, here’s the thing: this species does not like humans. Nuzleafs live deep in “densely overgrown forests” (Ruby, HeartGold/SoulSilver), and they seem to be solitary, territorial critters (Scarlet). Whenever anyone, especially humans, enter a nuzleaf’s territory, they will try to scare them off by making unnerving sounds with a flute made from the leaf on their head (Sapphire). This sound is known to make listeners feel full of dread, afraid, uncertain, and uneasy (Sapphire, FireRed/LeafGreen, Diamond/Pearl/Platinum). The only time that nuzleafs leave their forest of their own accord is specifically to frighten humans (Ruby). According to all the available data, I can’t really assume that a nuzleaf would enjoy being a pet. It seems like they much prefer living alone in the forest.

But are they dangerous? Well, kind of? Nuzleafs boast a pretty versatile move set, utilizing Normal, Grass, Dark, Ghost, Rock, Fire, and even Flying-Type moves. Nuzleafs are mostly physical fighters, making use of their mobility and weapons like razor-sharp leaves to take down enemies. They can use a few moves that should really raise eyebrows, like Explosion, which could easily prove lethal in the wrong situation. You probably don’t want to get on a nuzleaf’s bad side. But hey, there’s some good news on that front. For one, as previously alluded to, it seems like thos species prefers to scare off intruders rather than fight them. If you do find yourself on the receiving end of a nuzleaf’s attack, try to grab their nose. Nuzleafs’ noses are the center of all their sensory functions (Violet): grabbing a nuzleaf’s nose renders them powerless (Emerald).

Overall, I don’t think this pokémon is the best choice for a pet. They’re a naturally solitary and territorial bunch that prefer to stay away from humans and even delight in terrifying them. If you think you could melt their cold heart, go for it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!

[starsfic]

DogDay is initially anxious and withdrawn after waking up in his new body and life, but the genuine care and support he gets from the Ranglers and mascots gradually helps him find his old optimistic spark again. Seeing his old friends slowly make a comeback one by one definitely helps. He gradually learns as time goes on that he doesn't have to always be the emotionally supportive one, and (most of) the other Critters are more than happy to return the emotional support he's given them in the past back to him. When CatNap revealed to the other Critters what was happening on August 8, 1995 as it was going down, all the other Critters had their reserves about the whole thing, but DogDay was the one to stand his ground and refuse to go along with it, which inspired the rest to follow suit.

Trying out a number of different hobbies he didn't have as much time for when PlayCo was just using him mainly for manual labor, DogDay has taken a particular interest in video games. In fact, he seems to find an odd comfort in playing horror games, including mascot horror games, either in spite of or because of his past, though he still gets enjoyment out of feel-good games on the side. After the Smiling Critters' inclusion at Indigo Park becomes public knowledge, DogDay starts his own gamer streaming channel and is known for always having positive things to say to his viewers no matter what genre of game he's playing.

Bubba Bubbaphant is the first Critter other than DogDay whose remains are found and used to transfer him to a new body, and DogDay was overjoyed to be shown this to be in the works, as it was the first concrete evidence that his friends may not be dead for good. Working for PlayCo, the Bigger Bodies Experiment based on Bubba would have his intellect and photographic memory (traits that got his former human self selected as a subject in the first place) used for problem solving skills, but he was given little to no freedom for real critical thinking and none at all for having opinions. So it takes him by surprise for a while when he's given full freedom of both by the Rangler staff. Bubba is, in turn, happy to occasionally contribute to the technical upkeep of the park and more than happy to jump in and assist in designing the new bodies of later recovered Critters. Bubba does enjoy gaming as well, albeit not to the extent of DogDay, and has a particular talent for puzzle games. DogDay would occasionally bring him on as a guest on his livestreams, to his initial embarrassment. Bubba's trunk on his Bigger Bodies form was fully functional, and the same is true for the trunk on his new form. Both were/are somewhat notably bigger on his face than what's depicted in his official artwork.

Bobby BearHug was the next one recovered (the news was broken to DogDay and Bubba by showing her recovered emblem as a humorous "late Valentine's Day" present). Bubba recalls the troubled production her Bigger Bodies Experiment form went through with multiple surgeries before she was able to properly move, sense the world, and ultimately even talk. Bubba had managed to discover the concept of ASL to communicate with her in the meantime, and all the Critters still remember how to this day, even CatNap (if this sounds like a PP fic prompt you still have in your ask box, there's a reason for that, lol). Similarly to DogDay, Bobby starts to learn that it's OK to put her own emotional needs first from time to time.

CraftyCorn (or just Crafty most of the time in conversation) came next. Like each newly remade Critter when first coming online, Crafty was a wary at first of the freedom the ones remade previously express in living how they want but grows to embrace that freedom. Funny enough, it's the park's designated "antagonist" Salem that draw's Crafty's attention by identifying as something other than girl or boy, something pretty much everyone around them supports and goes along with. This leads Crafty to explore their own gender identify and ultimately identifying exclusively as they/them, which the other Critters wholly support (albeit with Bobby jokingly "complaining" that she's back to being the only girl back at that point).

Crafty continues to express themself in creative endeavors, given even more creative freedom than PlayCo gave them. At times, this includes artwork with some disturbing imagery inspired by their past experiences, including things she witnessed during the Hour of Joy. The hired on-site therapist encourages this on the basis that it helps them process lingering unresolved feelings. Crafty creates puppet animation assets for themself and the other Critters, based stylistically somewhere between their old cartoon depictions and their current android forms, with eyes inspired more by the art style of Indigo Park's mascot designs. As I previously established, Rambley wasn't even aware until DogDay one day casually slid on screen next to him.

Hoppy Hopscotch came next, so Bobby was once more no longer the only girl in the gradually regrowing group. She was perhaps the most actively curious out of all the Critters getting revived and occasionally needed to be reigned in before the public could take notice until Indigo Park's legal team either influenced/proved their brand's shift to public domain or secured it for themselves (whichever of those two I go with). For a while, Hoppy would occasionally slip up and accidentally address Crafty as a girl before correcting herself. Apparently, she was ultimately caught as the Hour of Joy was still ongoing trying to spring-jump low-level employees caught in the massacre to safety.

KickinChicken (or just Kickin) was perhaps the most initially distrusting of the Rangler staff and park cast, not counting CatNap who had his own reasons. He was certain at first that he and the others were being lulled into a false sense of security and expected another proverbial shoe to drop. But gradually, he grew to realize the freedom and support they were getting now came from a genuine place. Kickin found Crafty identifying as neither boy nor girl and everyone allowing them to do so amusing, which ultimately led to him questioning himself. While being called a girl had some appeal, he still liked being called a boy. That's when he was told by Bubba, who spent time researching the subject to be a good ally, that bigender is a thing. Following this, Kickin would come out to the others by jokingly asking Crafty if he can have their old pronouns if they're not using them anymore. She has also taken to music, particularly singing and a little in songwriting. Heavy metal is a genre Kickin has gravitated towards, and he hopes to use it to process and express his feelings of past trauma.

PickyPiggy (alternatively, Picky Piggy, two words, or just Picky) has an initially awkward time adjusting to no longer having a body with a stomach, relying only on water. She always did enjoy baking and cooking food just as much as she did eating, however. According to her files, the human test subject who became her had apparently been given her own Owen the Oven to use, despite the toy having been pulled off the market due to multiple lawsuits over second- and third-degree burns. Even without taste buds nowadays, Picky has an intricate understanding of how to to combine ingredients well for tasty and filling meals; she's interested in pursuing nutritional science studies.

Nobody at Indigo Park knew CatNap was no longer an accepted member of the Smiling Critters group until they were already partway through designing his rebuild, mainly because the Critters were so cagey about addressing the alleged "former friend turned traitor" that it didn't even occur to them that said former friend was, himself, a Critter. Rambley was quite happy to show DogDay that the eight and final Critter was on his way to a comeback only to be surprised when met by a quiet yet forceful "No." They went through with it anyway, reasoning that CatNap was just a frightened kid forcibly turned into a living plaything like the rest of them and probably just needed proper adult guidance, to which DogDay reluctantly agreed on the grounds that CatNap be kept away from the rest for the time being.

CatNap is constantly kept on surveillance during his rehabilitation period and kept away from anything he could potentially use to harm others or possibly even himself. He is given a private room to himself, where he stays when he isn't being escorted around the Rangler areas, and he at one point calls it "a luxury suite compared to his old cage," but he hates that it's nicknamed "The Cathouse". Despite openly not wanting to be around CatNap, DogDay finds himself occasionally peeking in on him via his Crafty-made puppet-animated form and the screen in The Cathouse. For a while, this would typically lead to arguing matches, as both are unapologetic for their opposing actions back in 1995. Eventually, as time goes on and CatNap slowly and reluctantly alters his worldview, things start to cool down between the two during DogDay's virtual visits, though DogDay still isn't letting him forget he lost his legs to him.

The Critters all have artificially-generated voices modeled after voice clips of their characters, though some creative liberties have been taken for CatNap, since the most anyone could find of him was audio of snoring. They initially have no memories of their past human lives, aside from CatNap having second-hand knowledge from the Prototype. But as they undergo therapy sessions and explore themselves over time, bits and pieces come back to them every so often in their dreams. Interestingly, they rediscover that they all sort of knew each other before the experiments to some degree or another. Even Theo, CatNap's former life who was noted for a lack of friends at PlayCare, has some memories of Neil, DogDay's former life, trying to connect with him, though DogDay seemingly regains those memories first. Perhaps that past attempt to make friends subconsciously made CatNap's betrayal sting all the more.

OOH, this is all so great!

Is the "DogDay plays video games" inspired by that one YouTuber who has started playing as DogDay? I know it would be complex, given the whole copyright issue, but maybe it would be fun for Indigo Park to draw attention via its characters streaming and playing video games!

[lady-of-endless]

JJBA part 3 & part 6 match-up for @critter-paw

Author's Note: I love writing and talking about matchups. The whole process is fun so thank you for another trade. I also appreciate all the matchups that I got from all!

(Lovely gif is not mine, I'll thank the owner for it)

From part 3, I ship you with...

Kujo Jotaro

(Again. Yes. I know. But I'll adapt it to his personality from part 3. I just can't get enough of you two.)

- This stoic guy is secretly a sucker for kindhearted people, and he notices you being one from the start, even if you're reserved. He still understood that. Jotaro will see how you always listen to others and secretly wish it was him the one you paid attention to like that. But then he remembers he doesn't like opening up to someone forcefully.

- So it is known, he's not too open nor friendly to people at first. He enjoys that your presence is not pressuring him into weird conversations. In time, everything feels more natural and you two start warming to each other and surprise (not) it feels good.

- And to know that you have brains too? Where are you coming from?

- I already said that he would admire your interest in Psychology and Criminal Justice but now I want to mention your interest in Botany. He finds it peculiar in a good way. I imagine that seeing you talk about plants motivates him to indulge in his own interest in Marine Biology.

- Too nice? Perfect. It will balance with his apparent harshness. Imagine Polnareff asking you to ask Jotaro something because he looked kind of angry and he's scared. All of the Crusaders will do that. Hot-headed? He loves it. He's looking at you proudly when you have a fiery reaction from time to time.

- He sighs deeply when he hears you apologize so often and to people who don't deserve your attention. It will reach a point when even with the rest of the group around, he'll cup your face with both of his hands and tell you to stop apologising. Even if his tone is serious, his hands are gentle.

- Another power couple coming through, not only because of how well you're completing each other but also aesthetically wise. I feel like this is available with each style you mentioned, I can't say which one he likes the most, his reactions differ. For example, when you go for gothic, he'll feel even more confident next to you. When you wear something pastel, his cheeks will have a rosy tint he'll hide with his hat.

Runner-up: Kakyoin Noriaki - He's secretive about his fascination for you. However, you'll still find him looking at you from afar way too often.

From part 6, I ship you with...

Narciso Anasui

(I know it feels like I've pulled the uno reverse card with this one but hear me out.)

- Anasui is utterly fascinated by you once he notices how you're teasing the people you care for, affectionately. He wishes to get with you to that level too. You'll be able to see the fascination in his eyes crystal clear even if at first he doesn't verbalize it.

- Your emotional intelligence comes in handy when trying to understand his complex personality.

- Psychology and Criminal Justice? He finds it both worthy of admiration and scary. He might feel a bit anxious that you'll judge him and his sins. He'll try to act differently when you're around, trying to be excessively nice but you see right through him. Once you pull him aside and let him know that he doesn't have to act differently and just be himself, he's almost already on his knees to propose to you.

- However, he might still feel just a little exposed when you're around, vulnerable even. It's bittersweet. To know that someone can see right through him but that someone is you? It thrills him in a good way.

- Might also think you're too nice but he's not at all worried about you. He's seen you stand up for yourself before (and he was your biggest supporter, shouting to kick that idiot who tried to disrespect you). He's your fan and a smooth talker too when he wants so expect a good amount of compliments from him. Hell, he'll even go for poetic sweet words just to impress him. He'll put in a lot of work, you're worth it after all.

- About betrayal...He knows how it feels, very well, and hates it that you had to go through it. Someone so lovely and nice. And because he hates betrayal, expect to get pure loyalty from him with no exception.

- I can see him getting baffled an entire day if he sees you in gothic or pastel outfits. Everyone will tease him all day for being whipped and he won't even be able to have a comeback.

Runner-up: Weather Report (ofc): your presence is just so calming to him. He simply finds himself so drawn to you. You'll be the very few people he will open up to.

[jazlynriddle-legacy]

Welcome to your life - Pt 2:

Acting On Your Best Behaviour Ch 17:

Summary:

They'd seen it in their fellow orphans often enough to recognise the pattern and were now forced to admit, despite their hopes to the contrary, that Isidora had likely suffered similar side effects.

No… they'd always known she had. The Keeper had just wanted the power that Ranrok had, enough to convince themselves that they would be able to handle it better than that naive woman.

With the start of the Keeper’s sixth-year in Hogwarts, comes a whole slew of headache-inducing challenges from the most unexpected of places. Between insignificant pests throwing wrenches into their plans and tedious teenage drama, that the Keeper is entirely unprepared for, they wonder if they'll make it to their NEWTs without losing their sanity.

Or worse, Ominis or Sebastian.

Warnings: Sebastian x MC x Ominis! Drug Addiction! Spoilers! Slow-burn corruption! Dark content! Fucked up 1800s orphanages! MC has no love for Anne or Solomon! Dubious happy ending (it's happy for MC, Seb and Ominis at least).

You can also read on AO3! (chapter specific warnings below)

Notes:

Warnings: Torture, again not exactly torture but kiiiinda torture, there's a lot of pain involved but it's a side-effect, sort of?

We'll get to the proper torture when it's victims our kids are emotionally invested in xD

And that smut with Ominis will be coming up next chapter! ;) I'm gonna need to add a new tag to the fic haha x3

FYI: For those not too familiar with the name, an 'athame' is a ceremonial blade often used in magical rituals, it's usually a black handled and double-edged dagger.

"Thank you for the breakfast, Tibsy, it was delicious." The Keeper nodded as the small elf cleared the dishes from the table.

Tibsy beamed brightly at the compliment, giving the three a little bow before popping away, likely to feed their guest back at Dìon.

"Will both of you be working on the wards today as well?" Ominis asked, taking a relaxed sip of tea, his expression content after their meal. "The two of you seemed rather tired when you got home yesterday evening."

"I think we can continue tomorrow and relax a little together today, maybe get some homework done too." The Keeper smiled wryly, their guest needed time to recover too.

They'd spent a fair amount of time and effort healing the woman after their tests. Neither they nor Sebastian were particularly skilled healers however, so it had taken a while just to perform basic treatment with Tynx's help, and they’d left the rest to her own natural recovery.

"We had some ideas for the underground area's security, but I’ll need to double check our math first, our tests with the Guardian prototypes failed pretty abysmally too." The Keeper grimaced lightly, absently cleaning a spot of sauce on the table with their napkin.

"We weren't very hopeful for those without the Leyline link anyway, it's fine to rework them later." Sebastian gave them a gentle pat on the hand and the Keeper returned his efforts with a fond smile.

"Fair enough." The Keeper nodded. "According to Tynx, the greenhouses are almost complete as well. We can probably start moving the plants in soon."

"I suppose I shall continue my search for Anne tomorrow then, I got a promising lead in Cragcroft yesterday." Ominis hummed thoughtfully.

"That reminds me, yesterday we took a quick dip in the lake since we were in the area, and while there, Sebastian and I found something for you, Ominis." The Keeper smiled softly as they stood to retrieve their satchel.

"So that's why Sebastian was missing a sock." Ominis chuckled.

"I swear some critter must have made off with the blasted thing." Sebastian grumbled. "How'd you tell anyway?"

"Your steps sounded uneven." Ominis drawled dryly.

"Yeah, right." Sebastian snorted sceptically.

The Keeper retook their seat, satchel in hand as they spoke. "Here we go, hopefully you'll like what we found. Though, I will say, Ominis, that you don't have to accept this if you don't want to."

"Oh?" Ominis tilted his head to the side curiously, feeling slightly wary as well, from their words. A moment later, he jumped in surprise when the sound of the jar opening was followed by two soft and shrill voices.

"It's open, it's open! Left, let's go this way-"

"No, right, let's go right-"

"Ow! No, I want to go left!"

"Ouch! Stop it, I want to go right!"

"Left!"

Ominis blinked in confusion for a moment, before abruptly realising that the words had a familiar lisp to them. "...snakes?"

The Keeper chuckled. "Yes, I was considering giving them to you closer to your next birthday, but we've run into a small problem."

"I think you mean two small problems." Sebastian snorted. "The fact that it's not two snakes, it's one."

Ominis frowned in even more confusion, feeling more wary and uncomfortable, had they forgotten that he didn't like being a Parselmouth? Why would his lovers offer him such a thing? For a birthday gift no less.

"Sebastian's right, this little one has two heads." The Keeper shook their head in amusement as the two headed snake wiggled about drunkenly. "I'm not entirely certain why, but they can't seem to move right. I spotted them trying and failing to swim away from a dragonfly nymph in the lake."

"And what's the problem you've run into?" Ominis asked brusquely, impatient to understand why he was being gifted a two-headed snake.

"Feeding." The Keeper replied, plucking another jar from their bag, and withdrawing two worms with a mild grimace, lowering the wiggling creatures into the snakes’ jar.

Immediately, the two heads began to whip back and forth aggressively, hissing at each other angrily.

"Food food! Mine!"

"No, mine! Out of the way, I'm hungry!"

"I saw it first! You move!"

"Ow! Stop pulling! Hey!"

"They're fighting…" Ominis' eyes widened in understanding.

"Yes, even though there's more than enough worms to go around, we can’t feed them if they keep thrashing about." The Keeper rolled their eyes in exasperation. "Likely because only one of the heads can look 'in front' at a time. Perhaps you can do something about that?"

Ominis hesitated for a moment, listening to the little hisses of distress, and feeling his sympathy for them mount with every cry. He too knew what it was like to feel so at odds with oneself, the pain of being torn in two directions. If he could help ease someone's struggle and conflict, shouldn't he?

Finally, he sighed and focused on the small voices, tapping into his birthright with a fluidity that he resented. "Stop fighting little ones, there is enough food for both of you."

The hisses of the snakes immediately stopped, the two heads staring at him in shock for several seconds.

"It speaks, how?"

"How?"

"Yes… I am a speaker of your tongue, you needn't fear, you can share, there is plenty of food here." Ominis couldn't suppress a smile at the curious little voices.

"Lots of food?"

"Really?"

"Yes, so just open your mouths and wait for the food to come to you." Ominis nodded firmly.

"...okay… food? Now?"

"Yes, food food, I'm hungry!"

Ominis chuckled, finding their young, innocent voices and immediate trust rather adorable, quite unlike the sinister snakes his family kept around the manor. Deadly sentries that kept his parents abreast of everything their children did. "You can feed them now."

"Finally." The Keeper sighed and lowered the wiggling worms into the small snakes' open mouths, the twin snake's patterned tail flicked excitedly as they chomped down on the fat and juicy worms.

The twins quickly swallowed the worms and opened their mouths again, hissing insistently. The Keeper shook their head at the demanding creatures, they didn't need to be a Parselmouth to understand that gesture.

As they fed the snakes another two worms, the Keeper added. "I rescued this one because I've never seen a two headed snake before. It's up to you if you want to keep them but I doubt they'll survive on their own."

Ominis nodded in agreement, it sounded like the snakes couldn't even move properly, they would be incredibly vulnerable to predators and unable to hunt when they were fighting over both food and direction. He'd never been proud of his ability to speak parseltongue, but if he could use it to help…

"Ah, full… sleepy."

"I wanna sleep somewhere warm…"

"Yes, warm warm, it's cold."

"Come here then." Ominis sighed, opening his palms. "They'd like somewhere warm to sleep."

The Keeper gave an approving nod, pouring the snakes out of the jar and into his hands. The two heads immediately began to hiss happily and flick their tongues against his skin.

"Warm! Speaker warm!"

"Speaker smells nice… sleepy…"

Ominis blinked in surprise at how small they were, small enough to fit into one hand. The feeling of their cool scales against his skin was surprisingly soft and he cradled them to his chest, running a finger along their body.

"Hehe tickles!"

"Mmm feels nice, again Speaker again!"

Ominis chuckled, stroking a finger under the chin of the snake that liked it and feeling the twins coil up in his palm to sleep after a few moments. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad being a Parselmouth…

The Keeper's eyes softened at the affectionate expression on Ominis' face. "It's not so bad, isn't it?"

Ominis startled slightly when the Keeper spoke his thoughts, a knowing smile on their face as they continued with. "If you were not the one with this ability, they would have died."

Ominis narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You seem very intent on convincing me of that. It is not I, that these little ones owe their lives to, it was you who rescued them."

"Be that as it may, from how you've described your family, I doubt any of them would have helped a crippled snake who can't even move right." The Keeper shook their head. "Neither would these snakes have let us non-Parselmouths properly help them without a fight and that could have ended poorly."

"They aren't kidding, you should have seen how aggressive those snakes were, crazy considering that they're practically babies." Sebastian shook his head before glaring at the Keeper accusingly. "Can't believe you didn't tell me there was a tiny pair of snakes biting the palm of your hand the whole time."

"Barely felt it with you snogging me that hard." The Keeper waved their hand dismissively, causing Sebastian’s cheeks to flush with a mixture of surprise and pride, as they returned their attention to Ominis. "Point is, with you, they will be both heard and loved."

Ominis remained silent for several minutes, before he finally sighed and nodded reluctantly, giving the sleeping twin snakes a gentle smile. "I suppose you're right… they will be loved."

The Keeper smiled, pleased that he had come around to their perspective. Parseltongue was a rare and unique ability, it was pointless for Ominis to begrudge himself something valuable that he couldn’t change anyway. Eventually he'd come to accept and maybe even appreciate his gift, if they had anything to say about it.

"What type of snake are they?" Ominis asked curiously after a few moments of petting the snakes.

"Common Watersnake, non-venomous and harmless to humans. Apparently, they're killed often because they resemble the venomous cottonmouth." Sebastian grimaced. "Can't believe some idiots can mistake these cute little things for deadly snakes and kill them for it, feels rather unfair to them."

Ominis went silent again, before murmuring a quiet. "People often hurt those mistaken as dangerous just because of who they were born to or how they look."

"That's why those people are idiots and neither of us will stand for it." Sebastian repeated emphatically and a small shy smile teased the corners of Ominis lips, his cheeks flushing slightly.

"Let's spend some time today setting up a proper living space for the snakes too." The Keeper chuckled. "They're small but we shouldn't keep them in a jar."

Ominis flashed a wry smile. "That's true, fortunately, I am familiar with what a snake nest should have."

"Great, because all I've got are books and they're not particularly helpful when it comes to details." Sebastian grinned.

"Helps that we can simply ask the twins what they like or don't." The Keeper nodded, before glancing at the small coil of snake sleeping in Ominis' hand.

"Since you seem quite unable to move." With a wry smile, the Keeper stood from their chair, kneeled by Ominis' feet, and took his free hand in theirs, grazing the back of it with their lips. "Tell us what we should gather, we are at your service."

Ominis shivered at the sensation, his ears turning red this time while Sebastian snickered behind his hand and Ominis cleared his throat pointedly.

"Well, we'll need some branches and wood shavings for bedding, cypress or aspen would be suitable." Ominis hummed. "We'll also need to pick a good spot that's well-ventilated and will let them sunbathe whenever they like."

"They live by the water, so they probably like it humid." Sebastian added. "We can make the bedding a little wet so they can stay hydrated by burrowing in it."

Ominis nodded, looking more enthusiastic about providing the snakes a comfortable home.

The Keeper smiled affectionately as they sat on the floor, taking out a journal to jot down the supplies they'd need, while the two boys discussed their options. They really did like this side of Ominis, he was such a sweetheart despite everything he'd experienced, as well as his own cunning nature.

"Alright then, while we're gathering these materials, you have a more important job." The Keeper nodded, putting away their journal and smiling as Ominis tilted his head in confusion. "You get to pick names for them."

The Keeper hummed as they scratched several notes in their journal, this second round of tests had gone well. They'd successfully stretched the amount of time it took, for the woman to make it from her cell to ground floor, to a solid hour.

It had been rather entertaining watching her slide down the stairs repeatedly, after said stairs transformed into slippery slopes when the cell wards detected the breach. Though, as fun as that had been, it had been more surprising when she'd used a rather creative combination of Bombarda and a door to successfully propel herself up the slides.

Speaking of doors…

A muffled scream came from the woman bound to the cell's cot as Sebastian carefully slid a small and sharp athame under the skin of her right palm, like one might skin an apple. Her eyes were filled with tears and her body struggled to contort with every shift of his blade.

The ropes binding her jerking limbs to the cot's sturdy metal frame, wrung against her wrists, and burned the skin under them with every spasm. Her cries gurgled and choked around the saliva gathering under the cloth they'd gagged her with, preventing her from biting her own tongue. Rolling his eyes at the sound, Sebastian continued to shear until finally the entire strip of her palm peeled right off.

"And, there we go." Sebastian grinned, looking proud of his work as he raised the bloody layer of skin, or more so the doorknob attached to it, with a pair of prongs, discarding it into the blood-filled bowl under her hand without much care for the splash that followed.

The woman continued to cry and whimper despite the announcement that her suffering had reached its end, perhaps she couldn't understand words at this point.

"Quit complaining, nothing a bit of wiggenweld won't cure." The Keeper huffed as they finished jotting down their notes. "Be glad we're even helping you remove the damn thing."

"Could've left you with a knob permanently attached because you tried a door that you had no reason to open." Sebastian agreed, flipping the bloody blade in the air, seemingly unbothered by the flecks of red that splattered across the floor as he caught it again with ease.

The Keeper rolled their eyes at his showing off but couldn't conceal the fondness in their smile. In truth, they were deeply impressed by Sebastian's steady hand and keen wit.

His idea of furnishing the underground floors with sliding doors adorned with charmed fake doorknobs was quite brilliant. Forcing the escapee to either sever their hand or at least injure themselves, costing them the use of a hand even if they choose to simply detach the doorknob from the door and leave the knob stuck to their hand. Thus, costing the escapee precious time.

And they'd thought they couldn't possibly become more enamoured with this boy.

This idea alone had severely impacted the woman's dungeon clear time, as she had been further stymied when trying to escape the castle grounds, now that the gates were locked behind passwords. Of course, they had always intended to make the gates securely locked but getting a proper gauge of the time difference a password system made, versus one that could be unlocked with Alohomora, was important to their statistical evaluation of its effectiveness.

Assumptions, in their experience, were the most foolish yet easy mistake to make in any given scenario, the last thing they needed would be to overestimate or underestimate the effects of any individual decision at a critical moment.

The woman had then tried to scale the walls with one hand and that had cost her another two hours, several conjured ropes, and a debilitating amount of physical energy. The woman didn't even make it to the red zone before she passed out from exhaustion, and her injuries, this time.

"Well, at least that answers the question of how far the permanent sticking charm goes." The Keeper nonchalantly cast a scourgify at their partner's bloody hands with a dry chuckle. "Skin deep."

Sebastian snorted, drawing his wand with his now clean hands, and casting a scourgify on the athame in turn, before tucking it back into its holster around his waist. "Well, with that settled, I'll go see if Tynx has finished making a new door and reapply the charm if he's done."

"Sure, I'll finish up here." The Keeper nodded, tucking away their journal as Sebastian picked up the bowl and made his way towards the cell door, taking a moment to give them a kiss on the cheek on his way out.

As the cell door closed behind him, the Keeper cast a scourgify on the woman's hand, ignoring her renewed screams as the spell scraped the raw and exposed flesh clean. They waited a few moments, before ungagging her, grabbing her by the hair and lifting her head so they could pour a vial of wiggenweld into her mouth.

As soon as she swallowed the potion, they released her and cast a scourgify on their own hand to clean the oils off. The woman coughed a few times, wincing as the skin on her palm began to burn and itch as it healed.

As the Keeper began releasing the woman's hands and feet from the ropes binding them to the cot's frame, her raspy voice wheezed through her throat. "...why…"

The Keeper straightened as they finished unbinding her. "Why what."

"...why me?" The woman sobbed, curling up into a ball the moment she was released. "I never did anything bad, my dad never did anything bad. We never did anything wrong, why us? Why me? It's not fair."

The woman shrieked, her bloodshot eyes stabbing her captor accusatorily. "What did I do to deserve this?"

The Keeper stared at her blandly, their expression flat and disinterested. "You demanded a hundred galleons for mere information that wasn't worth such a valuation."

The woman stared at them uncomprehendingly and the Keeper turned to leave the cell. "I can't say anything about what you suffered before, but if you think you're the only one dealt a bad hand by fate, you're sorely mistaken."

The Keeper chuckled sardonically as they stopped by the door. "The only thing we get to choose is what type of person we become. Don't expect reality to be fair. Whatever you do will have its own consequences regardless of how extenuating your circumstances may be. You will be judged by the actions you take."

"The moment you took advantage of a stranger who did you no wrong, you lost any moral high ground to bemoan your unjust fate." The Keeper pushed the door open and closed it behind them.

"Then why are you doing this!?" The woman protested, pushing herself up weakly. "Doesn't that apply to you as well?"

"Of course it does. I simply care not for moral grounds, nor do I expect any sort of fairness for myself. That is the person I chose to be, and I am well aware that if I fail, I will taste a hell far worse than the one I grew up in." The Keeper flashed her a sharp grin as they locked the cell door. "All I have to ensure… is that I play every card in my deck and never lose."

As long as you know yourself, no one can tell you who you are. Strength is being able to smile even when it's hard to.

Smile… her father's last words resonated through her mind, she wondered how long it'd been since she'd smiled. She gazed at her own reflection in the cold metal of her cot's frame, the worn and tired face staring back at her bore nothing but worry lines.

She could barely remember his voice, but she could still remember her father's face clearly. Like hers, it had been worn and tired from the hard life of caring for his daughter alone in the middle of the woods while on the run from the Ministry. Even then, she could also remember his smile, the way the skin around his eyes crinkled in little crow feet.

He'd been a hard worker, tilling their garden without a single complaint, tending their crops with a gentle hand. Every day of his suffering that she bore witness to, made anger burn inside her ever hotter and she’d held on to that anger for her entire life. How could anyone believe that such a kind and strong man would murder his own wife with dark magic?

When he passed away, that anger compelled her to remain in their small hut. He'd once told her that he hoped she would return to the town after he passed, to see what had become of it and if his friends were still well, but she couldn't understand why he would say such a thing.

What did she care for the people who betrayed and abandoned them? Why would she return to the town, beg for their help or acceptance? No, she would stay in the place her father had built. It was theirs and it was all that mattered.

When people had occasionally come by her home seeking help, her anger compelled her to spit in their face and turn them away. What did she owe them? No one had helped her when her father was sick, no one had helped him when he begged his friends to care for his daughter when he was being accused.

Not that she really wanted them to, if someone had been willing to take her in, he would have allowed the Aurors to arrest him, and she didn't believe that he would have been found innocent. Nobody cared about them, so why should she care about anyone else?

Her angry, bitter, and hateful face stared back at her in silver. When had she become like this? When had her face become so heinous? A pang of grief gripped her heart and her eyes welled with tears again. What would her father say if he were to see her now?

As long as you know yourself…

Did she? Did she know who she had become? As she ripped her eyes away from her reflection and wrapped her arms around herself, the answer burned in her heart.

She'd become just like the people who'd turned their backs on her father.

Notes:

https://www.susquehannockwildlife.org/2021/11/19/two-headed-water-snake-finds-a-home-at-the-wildlife-center/

Aren't they cuuuuuuute? I took one look at this two-headed Watersnake and immediately fell in love, so I just had to add them to this story! ♡w♡

And, if you guys don't know how dragonfly nymphs eat, you should look it up, it's honestly quite an unsettling sight, one you might expect to see in an Alien movie rather than real life xP (Still kinda cute too tho)

Also, I wonder if anyone realised that the lake on the map is actually the Hogwarts Legacy logo x3

[blackbutlerfandomnerddomain]

So I'm making a Smiling Critters AU that's more based off the cartoon versions of them and not Poppy Playtime canon

It's called the "Smile Everyday AU" and the whole prompt is what if the Smiling Critters were close growing up but grew apart after their teen years, they all grew up as adults with perfect jobs, live their lives normally, have romances, but obviously senses something is wrong until they reunited. Will drama ensue? Will the past effect the present? Why are the dreams Catnap's been having change so much?

It takes place in a fictional 2015-2016 where the gang are around 26-27 at least (each are born in 1989 since according to lore that's when the Smiling Critters first debut) and I'll share Catnap and Dogday's profiles first and let the others join later/if someone ask enough

First off, the leader Dogday!

He's a pure-bred American Cocker Spaniel

He was the youngest in his litter and doesn't have much a great relationship of his family, especially his siblings who thinks he acts like he's better than them after he got famous, but he pretends everything's okay and can't stand up for himself when they ask for too much or talk bad about him in another room

He's basically Mr. Peanut Butter from BoJack Horseman

In high school he was part of the popular squad due to his personality, his energetic works on the field, and just cause everyone saw he has a bright future ahead of him. But the sad side-effect of this was he couldn't spend time with all the Smiling Critters or notice if something was wrong

Became an actor after collage and won the hearts of many

Despite his good features and being a walking green flag, he struggles with relationships wince he can't find someone who he connects with. They either like him cause he's famous or rich or that he's too sweet and fun and he struggles to show his other sides/interests which leads to break-ups

Lives in a luxury home by the beach

Has a decent work out schedule

Out of the rest, he does wear his old charm symbol everyday for the most part, but does cover it up so it won't get damaged

Has depression but never talks about it to anyone

Fashion Aesthetic;

Theme Songs;

Next is Catnap:

He's a Bombay Cat and Ocicat mixed breed

He practically lived alone by the time he was 11 since he mother was hardly around

Is selectively mute thanks to this being canon-

Only Dogday knew what he was saying when he's not speaking

Was deemed the "weird" kid in school and was harshly bullied by a lot of the students. Dogday and the other Smiling Critters didn't really notice which hurt him even more and began to isolate himself more

He dropped out of collage after his mental health got so much worst and pretty much was the first to drift away from his friend group cause he felt they didn't care for him...

Be became an author of a well known Murder Thriller book series called "The Red Gas" which got him a pretty big famous title from it

He constantly gets asked to join interviews but he refuses which only adds more to the "mysterious author" persona people view him as

As a fun hobby, he secretly has a night time podcast and nobody knows it's him since he really barely talks anyways, he mostly reads poems and stuff to his viewers to help them sleep

He smokes

He suffers with anxiety and depression and takes medications for it

He has his charm symbol but hides it away in his penthouse apartment, wanting to forget but can't bring himself to throw it away

Sometimes when he can't sleep, he hugs his necklace

He began to have some weird dreams during collage of some weird monster, not knowing some of his dreams are prophecies

Fashion Aesthetic:

Theme Songs:

This AU is still in the making with the story being made, debating if I should add magical elements but I'll leave the whole prophesies with Catnap even if I chose not to add the magical elements. But if I were they would basically have a super hero like plot of "you're the chosen one, here's your powers, have crisis" but I ONLY WANT IT SO I CAN HAVE DOGDAY BE RAPUNZEL AND CATNAP HAVING A ANGSTY MOMENT OF HIS POWERS BEING SCARY!

There's isn't much I can say about this AU for right now but I will update yall whenever I can or if things are asked! Also their designs will be fixed/altered once I draw them all out!

[princesscolumbia]

It's time to spin the wheels!

So a few weeks ago a post floated into my awareness for #AU roulette 2024, and here's me working on becoming more well known and widespread as a writer, so I thought, "Why not?"

Well, I just got my assignments, and they are as follows:

Ghost/Cryptid Hunters

Western

Coffee Shop

Because you can't just pick your favorite of all your babies, I decided to randomize it a bit and found a dual-wheel spinner:

As of this moment (now...no, now. Now!) I haven't spun them yet, but I will be doing so in a moment...as soon as I set myself a couple more rules:

No Ranma/Ghost hunter, I'm already doing that for one of my current WIPs (Double Isekai) and that just wouldn't be sporting

No pairing up The Locked Tome with Coffee Shop. There's already a canonical, in-story Coffee Shop AU (and if you don't believe me you haven't read Harrow the Ninth)

No Star Trek/Western. Since the original Trek series did this to the point where Enterprise and Lower Decks followed suit and Next Gen did a holodeck episode of it, it just doesn't seem like a challenge if I did this. (As hawt as Troi-as-Durango is, to much of a gimme)

So, with no further ado, let's spin!

MLP: FiM - Coffee Shop

Divine Beans - Donut Joe is getting on in years and expanded his offerings from his beloved donuts to include coffee, and in the years since he's catered to many, many customers...but none quite so unusual as the two that showed up on the twentieth anniversary of Princess Twilight's coronation.

She-ra (2018) - Western

Big Enough - Adora's retiring. After nearly a decade of hunting down rogues and outlaws, she did one too many jobs that made her feel dirtier than a pair of riding boots at the end of a long ride. She finds a small town that's not likely to have ever heard of her and moves out to live out the rest of her days...but doesn't expect one of the most notorious gang leaders she'd ever faced to be in the same little town.

MLP: EqG - Ghost/Cryptid Hunters

In Plain Sight - Sunset is the producer of the show 'Un/Known,' where the hosts seek to prove or disprove the existence of ghosts and cryptids. The hosts are the ever sensible Applejack, known for her down-to-earth attitude, skepticism of the supernatural, and methodical approach to their investigations and the wildcard Rainbow Dash, ever ready to charge right in and ready to believe in even the wildest supernatural stories. Behind the scenes, Rarity does their make-up and wardrobe. Fluttershy is the animal wrangler, often discovering that a 'haunting' was just a poor critter that wandered where it didn't belong. On both the technical advisory side and the in-field editor angle is Twilight Sparkle, also known to their fans as "SciTwi," who brings a level of lore knowledge and research that boggles even the most die-hard believers in their audience. Pinkie Pie is...there. Nobody's quite sure what she does or how she follows them from shoot to shoot, but she's not on the payroll and apparently is completely oblivious to the fact that she's on a show, she just insists on "hanging out with her friends." To everyone's frustration, she's not a cryptid.

What none of the rest know is that Sunset is a cryptid. An alien to this universe, to be specific. She's been able to keep this a secret for years now...but there's a report of a new cryptid appearing in the form of a tall, willowy woman (with "Big Mom energy" according to a local witness) in exactly the small, suburban town she first arrived on this world in, and worse, she suspects she knows exactly who the new 'cryptid' is.

Well there you have it, three AUs, all ideas I had not before receiving the email.

Rules of participation say I only need to post one, but my personal stretch goal will be all three.

Oh, and keep an eye out for a surprise in each of these.

...what, you didn't really think I wasn't gonna sneak something into this, did you? 😉

[idolises]

(  taylor zakhar perez,  cis man,  he / him  )  —  🎬  just  announced,  DOMINIC 'MICKEY'  SOSA  is  casted  as  TYLER LOCKWOOD  in  upcoming  THE VAMPIRE DIARIES  reboot.  the  twenty - nine  year  old  is  trending  as  people  are  debating  if  the  redbull spiked espresso shot hastily tossed back before an early shoot , a notification packed phone - thousands of unread emails , ignored voicemails and messages left untouched , a kilowatt smile and easy laugh that lights up the room , never backing down from a challenge  that  they  are  known  for  is  enough  to  make  them  as  good  as  original.  a  quick  google  search  shows  that  their  fans  call  them  easygoing,  but  internet  trolls  think  they’re  more  libertine.  i  guess  their  newest  interview  for  variety  where  they  talk  about  his arsenal of useless party tricks  will  let  people  to  know  them  better.

*　　　　&　　◞　　　　𝐢　　　　.　　　　BASICS

full name : dominic emiliano sosa nickname(s) : mickey ( primary ) , dom , d age + bday : twenty - nine + december 3rd ( sagittarius ) gender + pronouns : cisgendered man + he / him / his orientation : biromantic bisexual language(s) : spanish , english hometown : boston

*　　　　&　　◞　　　　𝐢𝐢　　　　.　　　　BACKGROUND

mickey sosa has always been a dreamer - a fun - loving , carefree spirit who inspired likeminded antics in everyone he was around. as a child he drove his mother crazy , worried her sick , with skinned knees , broken bones and various reptilian / woodland critters he would wander home with. ' you can't do this ' she would admonish , the beginnings of a tirade that would inevitably shift into spanish while his father stood by and simply shook his head with a soft laugh. there was no rhyme or reason why at the age of ten he determined then and there that he was going to be an actor but by then his parents knew well enough that once he'd made up his mind there was no changing it ( ' he's your son , rodrigo ' his mother sighed , ' he gets that from your side of the family ' his father insisted ). despite their reservations , his first apartment in los angeles was a graduation gift from his parents. the years following graduation were a series of shitty jobs that barely managed to make ends meet , shittier apartments , auditions and rejection but mickey endured. no matter how bleak things seemed he never lost his spark and was always able to make light of a bad situation. game of thrones was his first big break , the first time he'd really been in the public eye and his first hollywood relationship ... if you could call it that. they were a star with an established career , mickey was an up and comer who had worked too hard to ride someone else's coattails the rest of the way to fame so to keep their involvement hush hush mickey engaged in various pr relationships. it didn't take long for the press to spin a playboy narrative , painting mickey as a casanova who had slept with half of hollywood and would work his way through the rest. whatever. like everything else mickey rolled with the punches , leaned into the narrative and had fun with it. following the success of game of thrones mickey received more auditions and role opportunities. instead of scrambling to find ways to pay rent he was able to carve out a place for himself in hollywood. his relationship came to a quiet end , the whirlwind of fake relationships steadily stopped and mickey found time to enjoy the perks of fame ; interviews , networking , parties - social by nature the narrative spun by the press may not be wholly inaccurate ...

*　　　　&　　◞　　　　𝐢𝐢𝐢　　　　.　　　　CONNECTION IDEAS

past pr relationship(s) , while he's not one to engage in these anymore mickey had numerous fake relationships when he was an up and coming actor. i imagine some of these would have turned into genuine friendships and maybe one even became something more down the line

flings , self - explanatory tbh when not in a relationship mickey is happy to engage in meaningless sex

ex , while there may be a grain of truth in the articles written about him , mickey isn't a true casanova not really he catches feelings just like anyone else but your muse wasn't expecting that and when things started to get serious they dipped. happy to discuss when / how things ended but i'd like this to be a more recent breakup so ! lots of angst and dealing with lingering feelings at least on mickey's end. he's not the type to hold a grudge but he'll definitely be awkward about it. bonus points if they're Also part of the tvd reboot

ride or die , just like misery , chaos loves company and mickey is chaos personified. gimme two himbos fuelling off each other's energy pls

*　　　　&　　◞　　　　𝐢𝐯　　　　.　　　　EXTRAS

post credits : robb stark on game of thrones , alec lightwood on shadowhunters , joaquin desantos on riverdale , matthias helvar on shadow and bone

more one day ,,,

[48-moved-48]

Hoo boy *cracks knuckles*

1. Fictionkin + Fictionhearted.

2. The lesser ones are Grimmchild (Hollow Knight), CraftyCorn (Smiling Critters) (fictionhearted), glorified stick figures (fictional species), and Blitzen (literally one of Santa's clucking reindeer), but the highest one that's wayyyyy above any other is the Heart (Chonny's Charming Chaos Compendium), kinda blending with the Robber from Chonny Jash's cover of Ain'r No Rest From the Wicked, whom I essentially consider to be "Villain Heart"; my kintype was MOST CERTAINLY not human and closest to my CCCC fan-species, ids, but still was noticeably different.

3. Yes! Fairly common. My most common shift is the excessive need to go on walks as I live in a suburban area that looks just urban enough that it triggers the "(I miss being a villain on the streets)" side/corner of my brain. I also get wing shifts and antler shifts a lot.

4. Oh, where do I begin. You see, I wasn't Heart in a past life, nor am I a psychological kin; I am an iteration of him that desperately wants to be like his true self. I am essentially him in every way except (mostly) physical form, essentially a watered down version of him; I have his personality, his flaws, his strengths, his interests (for the most part! I've kinda gone on my own path), my life even parallels his, in a way. I experience my connection constantly, every day, with irrational anger, irrational jealousy, the desire to cause mischief, inflated empathy, strong emotions, childishness albeit still logical, deeply caring about being a good person and doing good in-spite of my flaws, etc. I quite literally am him, just a version of him that's… kinda not nearly as fun.

5. I think it's fine, I have my criticisms but I find they would lead to much controversy as… the internet isn't exactly known for being rational and not filled to the absolute brim with echo chambers.

6. Dressing like Heart + wearing wings, as well as when people refer to me as Heart + "the Heart Chonny Jash" (dw, I understand I'm not the only one!).

7. Often.

8. Don't listen to what people say about your identity, so long as you're not hurting anyone it is. Valid. There are a lot of gatekeepers in the community and you shouldn't listen to them, whatsoever. Respect the elders of course but understand your own journey is individualised. It's okay to have a lot of theriotypes/kintypes, no one said there was a limit except losers who gatekeep what makes you happy. And don't stress about labels, labels only exist to form cliques.

9. I need a bird tail SO. BADLY.

10. I like to think that I am an iteration of one specific version of Heart, from an… admittedly very embarrassing source. I like to think someone, somewhere, is the creator of the story I come from, they may just not be of this world. I am of the superstition that every story ever conceptualised past a basic structure is real, out there somewhere, that we could never feasibly access. And because of it, sometimes iterations/reincarnations of those from those other worlds end up here. Personally, I believe myself and every iteration of Villain Heart are the same person, and thus when I die I will be in my true form; but my personality will completely remain the same, as that's the same as it always has been, and I will retain my memories, interests, hobbies, relationships, etc., I'll just have the memories and abilities/proficiencies and the such of my other iterations. I will still be me; that won't change. I'll just be who I really wanna be, too, yk?

I do have a scientific theory about alterhumanity that I'm more inclined to believe as it's more rooted in reality and logical but it's boring and stupid and I wanna think that I'm actually the same person as Villain Heart. Any belief is valid tho, again so long as it isn't hurting anyone!!!

@cheddarkit @stupidscav (couldn't find your kin blog ):) @nkgrimmie @the-techdub @walkinthew00ds @cooking--with--nitroglycerin @chromaticlera tagging all the kin friends I have that I can remember at the top of my head

If you are a alterhuman, reblog and answer these questions!

(don't be afraid to write a lot, do what you want ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯)

1/ Which category of alterhumanity do you belong to?

2/ What/who is/are your type(s)? (if you have any)

3/ Do you experience shifts? If so, can you tell us your most common shifts and your strangest cameo shift (if you've ever had a cameo shift)?

4/ How do you experience your alterhumanity in everyday life?

5/ What do you think of the community?

6/ What are the things that make you most comfortable and euphoric in your alterhumanity?

7/ Are you experiencing species dysphoria?

8/ What advice would you like to say to a young alterhuman who has just awakened?

9/ Do you have/want to have gears?

10/ Do you know/have any theories about the origin of your alterhumanity? If so, tell us! (all beliefs are legitimate)

11/ Tag someone/a creature to answer these questions!ㅤᵕ̈