#sorta g/t

[cloudynyims]

I can’t believe I just found out about that Haikyu RPG game they made called Haikyu Quest (or Final Haikyu quest?) and my g/t thoughts are going brrrr

Like it has humans a demons in it and I’m just thinking what if the demons were inherently giant sized and omg the potential for angst

hold up hold up there's an rpg game????? Ok drop the link anon because I did not know about this

your ask is reminding me of that scene in season 3 where ushijima was like total giant vibes in the last episode or so

but I think i'd nee dto understand the mechanics of the RPG game before I have any thoughts

I am intrigued but confused so plz enlighten me😅

[tinyclownhours]

Drunk Giants

Imagine a tiny waiting up late for their giant to come home from their fun night out, only to have them arrive way later than they told them they would, completely wasted.

They’re stumbling around the apartment, calling out for the tiny while giggling to themselves. The tiny is unsure if they should answer. It’s the first time they’ve ever seen the giant this drunk… And while they know it’s them, and they’d never do anything to hurt them, accidents do happen…

However, they don’t get much time to overthink it as the giant spots them on the the couch. Their face shifts into utter delight and they practically throw themselves to where they’re sitting.

Before the tiny can react, they’re scooped up and peppered with kisses, the giant was happy to see their little buddy and more than willing to shower the frozen tiny with affection.

Despite being drunk, the giant handles the tiny like they’re the most delicate thing in the world, being mindful of how they’re holding them.

The tiny engages in some small talk, asking about how the evening was- only to be met by a slurred “it’s better now that I’m here with you~”, they ask how much the giant has had to drink- and they’re immediately silenced by the giant pair of lips that cover their entire face, they try to get the giant to put them down and go to bed- only to have them stand up and stumble to the bedroom with a giggle - “Yeah- hicc Yeah I think we should go to bed now…”

Not what they meant at all…

The tiny is unable to do anything as their giant carries them off to the bedroom, snuggling them between their cheek and the pillow as they yawned. The smell of alcohol was strong in their mouth. The tiny tries to ignore this as the giant nuzzles them gently into the pillow like a cat.

They can’t really move. And they can tell that their giant has fallen asleep. They sigh as they try to get comfortable. Oh well. At least the giant will feel the karma tomorrow morning when the night of drinking catches up to them.

[weirdozjunkary]

So my brain was like “what if Werehog but bigger dog?” Now here we are

Ft: AIW!Sonic and Kaiju Sonic. Belonging to @kittydoremi and @taffydragonart

[beuhakkaka]

Is there a meaning to your pseudo ? I think it's really funny, I like how it sounds

I just spammed the keyboard and settled with what appeared, so there really wasn't much thought behind it 💀 I'm glad u like it, tho! I do too, hehe

[hubba1892]

You're hand slipped into mine.

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Spy/Team Leader whumpee shrinks themselves for a high-stakes intelligence mission, but something goes wrong and they get caught

- Normally they give their enemies a hell of a fight, but now all it takes to restrain them is the weight of a hand, or even a single finger, and it's frustrating

- Whumper has to build a doll-sized interrogation set. While they feel ridiculous, it's worth it to watch their enemy struggle

- Needles instead of knives, a glass of water instead of a tank, a breadboard and a battery instead of expensive electrocution equipment... maybe whumper should invest in a shrink ray

- Not to mention the dramatic difference in size and strength. Where whumpee would normally be full of insults and banter, they seem a little too scared of being crushed to say anything too dramatic

- Whumpee is freed by a stranger, but still unable to get to their normal size until they reach their base. Despite being rescued, they still don't feel safe

[awkwardgtace]

Good Hunting

hey hey gt july day 6. Stories might slow down after this one. Been a bit busy and couldn't prep plus a week long trip in less than a week. I will still do the entire month of them though!

Ian goes out into the forest to prove he can be hunter like the others in his village. It doesn't go as planned.

Good Hunting

“You’re weak.”

“A waste of our time.”

“Just be quiet and accept what you get.”

“All you are is a burden!”

The words echoed in Ian’s head as he trudged through the forest. He would prove he could be useful to the village. A hunter like everyone else. He’d said as much as he left. On his own he would hunt something for the village. Something the others had to use a group for. He’d bring it back and prove they were wrong. Prove he belonged.

Ian ran all the lessons through his head again and again. All the ways to stay undetected. Keep his movement slow and quiet. Avoid anything that could potentially make a noise under his weight. He wasn’t the perfect choice for a hunter, but he could do it. He’d prove it to the village and himself.

The sound of a snort made him freeze. Luck could be on his side just for once. He held his breath, pulled a sword from his side, and waited. The snort sounded alongside a rustle in the brush. It just had to walk away. The easiest kills were from behind. That’s what he’d been taught.

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side. A gigantic boar’s face broke through the brush in front of him. He fell back in shock. The warm breath against his skin made him shudder. Ian forced himself to his feet. The boar snorted at him. It was bigger than anything the others brought back. That didn’t matter. If he was smart he could win.

Ian inched back from the boar. Its beady black eyes stayed trained on him, but it didn’t charge. His sword felt heavy in his hand. The boar scraped one hooved foot against the ground. He tensed. It moved.

As he dodged to the side, Ian swiped his sword at the boar. The metal snapped on contact. Ian’s blood turned to ice as he watched half his sword hit the ground. The boar reared on him again. Ian turned and ran.

The boar’s steps matched the loud thumps of his heart in his ears. There were two options. Take the path towards the village or go deeper into the forest. It should be an easy decision, but the sword made it hard. He was given one supposedly used by the other hunters, but it snapped. Ian closed his eyes and veered off the path into an unknown danger ahead.

He tore through the brush as he neared it. Stumbled over roots and fallen branches. Begged for some the boar to lose interest. The heavy grunts of the animal were right on his heels. He tried to duck under a low branch, but his foot got caught in an exposed root. He fell forward, the boar’s shadow eclipsed him immediately. He flipped onto his back, forced to face the monster about to kill him.

The boar knew it had won. It sauntered over lazily. Confident its prey couldn’t escape. The awful stench of its breath was the last thing Ian would ever smell. The thing's mouth came close to him. The snout pressed against his head. He could feel as it smelled him. The way the air was pulled in.

The idiocy of his choice settled on him then. This boar was big enough to bite him in half. He never could have escaped. Ian tried to use the broken sword to at least injure it, but the metal wasn’t strong enough. The boar knocked it out of Ian’s hand with a huff. He watched, tears in his eyes, as the broken weapon landed just out of reach. Even if it wouldn’t help, it gave him hope while he held it.

The boar’s mouth settled right above his head. He stared at what was about to kill him. Tried to be brave, but couldn’t keep himself from squeezing his eyes shut. That only made the moment worse. The boar’s weight grew as it settled in for its meal. It knocked the breath out of him. He swore it was enough to crush the life out of him. That would be a better way to die than the boar eating him. 

The boar squealed. Loud enough it made his ears ring. If that wasn’t bad enough he heard a loud, familiar crack. A bone had broken. He waited for the pain, but it never came. Instead the squeal grew louder.

Ian tried to move his arms. The boar’s legs started to scrape the ground around him, the squeal morphed into more of a screech. He never would have imagined this was how boars handled their prey. Another crack. Louder. Sickening. The boar’s weight increased. Ian couldn’t breathe. It lasted for only a moment before the weight was gone.

He took deep breaths as he tried to sit up. His body was sore. Only sore. That unfortunately made sense once he looked up. The boar, its body rather, was in the air. Held by a hand that went up and up and up to a person’s pale face. Ian hadn’t heard of giants before. For a second he thought he might be saved.

Then the stranger opened his mouth. Ian watched as a forked tongue poked out between fangs. Dread filled him. There was only one creature that big with those features. He couldn’t pull his eyes away as the being shoved the boar into his mouth. It was gone after a few swallows. Ian was so much smaller than the boar; he wasn’t even enough for a mouthful.

“Lucky I showed up, kid,” the giant creature said. Ian scrambled back as a scaled green tail slithered into view. The man rested his arm on it, as if it was natural.

“A-a n-naga?!” Ian croaked. The naga’s slit blue eyes rolled. The green tail slithered out of view. Ian scrambled away from it. He couldn’t let this happen.

“Yeah, yeah,” the naga waved a hand, “I’m a big scary naga. Clearly here to eat you after I saved you.”

The biting sarcasm told him enough. At least that he wasn’t a meal, but Ian couldn’t get rid of his fear. He looked towards the sword. He knew it wouldn’t help, but he’d feel safer. The naga’s eyes didn’t leave him. It wasn’t smart to dive for the sword… He did it anyway. 

As soon as his body left the ground, hands surrounded him. It was more terrifying when he saw the skin was a rich brown rather than rosy pale. He tried to fight against the hands holding him. This one had to be a lot smaller. It needed both hands to hold him. The sword could maybe pierce this skin.

“Calm down,” the new naga said. Ian ignored the way it sounded. Focused only on escape. If he got out, maybe he could hunt something smaller. With a sword barely stronger than the wooden training weapons…

Slowly, the fight left him. The swords of his village were known for their strength and durability. A hunter’s sword never would have broken against the boar’s hide. He was given that one on purpose. The village didn’t want him. There was no one there for him since his brother died. Going back would only bring him more pain.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” the one holding him said. This time Ian couldn’t ignore how familiar it sounded. That made the idea of giving up all the sweeter. “I’m going to take you home.”

“I can’t go home,” Ian whispered as he went limp. Apparently that made the naga want to see him. One of the hands moved. It took a while for him to choose to look at this naga’s face. A naga was a better death than a boar. They might at least make it painless. 

“Ian?!” the naga shouted. It made him flinch. He stared up at the eyes of the naga. A bit of his fear came back. He didn’t know any nagas. “You shouldn’t be out here… what happened? Why can’t you go home?”

A finger rubbed his arm. It was familiar. Just like the voice. Ian forced himself to really look at the naga that held him. He recognized the green eyes, even if they had slit pupils now. The face was one he’d seen a million times. The sharp features that almost hid how kind the person really was…

“Mik?” Ian asked, his eyes wide. “Is that really you? Y-you’re alive?!”

“Wait, this is the one you always talk about? The little brother?” the other naga’s voice made Ian flinch. The fingers around him curled in. Shielded him. It reminded him of the way his brother would protect him from the others in the village.

“Alec, not now,” Mik’s voice was stern. The glare was familiar too. The second the eyes were back on him they were soft and concerned. Just like his brother… “It’s me Ian. You’re safe, I promise.”

“How-I-” Ian swallowed to try and force the words. “You died… You never came back after a trip to gather herbs. That’s what everyone said.”

The fingers curled in around him more. He was brought up to meet Mik’s eyes. Now he could see the fangs the brother he knew didn’t have. A finger curled over him and Ian finally noticed the sharp, black claws. He wanted to trust this version of his brother, even if it ended in his death.

“Well, that’s a bit of a long story,” Mik said. The way he turned his head away was the same. How he looked up to avoid answering. A lot bigger, but the same.

“Come on Mikhail,” Alec said. Ian jumped as a massive arm landed on Mik’s shoulders. He could see just how small his brother was in comparison. “You’re gonna avoid it still. I’ll tell him if you won’t.”

“Alec let me-” Ian was grabbed by the bigger naga. Dropped in a palm with fingers he couldn’t hope to match.

“The kid here was always a naga. Sometimes a kid hatches that looks human. Sometimes they are human. Either way they’re given to a village that knows about the situation. Didn’t happen for Mikhail here.”

“Why not?” Ian asked. Mik’s fingers were on Alec’s hand. Clearly trying to take him back.

“Hunters from your village saw two nagas with a little human. Killed them and took the kid. Brought him home and gave him to some others.”

“Alec!” Alec’s hand moved down enough that Mik's fingers found him. Ian was wrapped in them. It almost made him feel like a doll. He was set back in Mik’s cupped palms. “None of that matters anymore. Ian, why can’t you go home?”

Ian looked back up at Alec. The larger naga shook his head and looked disappointed. Mik was probably right. The past didn’t matter anymore. At least not all of it. Ian had questions he needed answered. Ones that he had to know before he could explain why he couldn’t go home.

“Why did you leave?” Ian asked. His voice cracked as he did. Revealing his pain.

“Ian…” Mik pulled him close. Pressed him against his chest. The closest thing to a hug Ian had since the day his brother never came home. “I didn’t have a choice… The others saw scales on my legs and made me leave. I was going to leave on my own, but they noticed my height change… I’m actually still growing.”

“That’s right,” Alec said. “Kid’s gonna be as big as me eventually.”

“Is that why you didn’t come get me?” Ian wiped at the tears he couldn’t stop. “I’m just a human. Is it because I’m too small or because they killed your parents? Do you hate me? ”

“Of course I don’t hate you!” The pressure around him grew. Only for pale fingers to force their way into the small spot of safety. Ian was forced to stare up at Alec. Face a lot softer, kinder.

“He did try. It’s how I found him. Those hunters nearly killed him when he got close… Which reminds me, why didn’t that sword of yours hurt the boar? The metal is strong enough to cut my skin.”

Both nagas stared at him. He couldn’t avoid the question. Alec had a knowing look. As if he had the answer Ian didn’t want to give. Why he couldn’t go home. Why the sword broke. He bit his lip, but Alec moved away. Came back with the sword pinched between claws. Ian wanted to come up with a lie, but the larger naga smelled it.

“This isn’t the right metal,” he growled. Ian hugged himself. Mik’s fingers curled in around him.

“Ian, did you sneak out? Is that why you can’t go back?” Mik asked. Ian didn’t want to answer. They said Mik tried to get him, but that didn’t mean he was wanted. Two gigantic nagas and he was a human. Eventually he’d barely be the size of Mik’s fingers. He would be a burden around the naga too.

“No…” he whispered. The fingers surrounded him completely. He couldn’t see anything but skin anymore.

“They sent you out here, didn’t they?” Mik’s voice was harsh. Angry. Ian shook, he couldn’t remember the last time he heard Mik angry. The fingers moved and revealed him again, he didn’t want to see him. “With a bad weapon… You can’t go back because they don’t expect you back.”

Ian nodded. The words wouldn’t leave him. He expected to be dropped. Left behind how the village expected. Killed by something big enough to crush him. Maybe Mik or Alec would take pity on him and kill him fast. So he didn’t starve or get crushed later.

“Guess you should go get the kid set up,” Alec’s voice snapped Ian out of his thoughts. He looked up, shocked to see tears on Mik’s face. That one he’d never seen. “I’ll catch something for you kids to eat. I’m the adult and all that.”

“You still haven’t told me your age,” Mik mumbled. 

Fingers curled over Ian again. He was brought close to his brother’s heart. It sounded the same. Just how it did when they were the same size. After nightmares or bad days of training. There was just enough space he could see the trees pass by. He had no idea what it meant to get set up.

“...I tried to get you a lot Ian,” Mik whispered. “Even after Alec found me. I couldn’t get close enough to our house to get your attention without alerting the whole village.”

“What would you have done if you got my attention?” Ian asked.

“Asked if you wanted to come with me.” Mik paused and opened his hands enough Ian met his eyes. “Neither of us ever fit in there.”

“So… you aren’t going to send me to some other village?”

“Not unless you want to go. Alec actually knows a few of the villages that talk to nagas. He’s gotten stuff in case I managed to reach you and you wanted to stay. I told him you were good at making weapons so he got some of those tools. Mentioned using his claws to make them so you could go in the forest and keep the danger away.”

“So… you really want me to be around?”

Mik brought Ian up to his face. It was intimidating and comforting. A face Ian knew well. One that had been his rock. The only one who tried to understand him. Now they were literally different species. They weren’t the same or even close to being similar. Ian was going to be smaller than his fingers. That didn’t stop Mik from pressing his forehead to his hand. Just like all the times when Mik would talk Ian out of his spirals. Foreheads pressed together so he couldn’t look away.

“I missed you Ian. Of course I want my little brother around,” Mik whispered.

“I missed you too,” Ian sobbed. An action seeded in idiotic bravery turned out better than he could have imagined. His brother was back and he’d figure out Alec eventually.

[hellodolleyes]

I drew these a while back, thought I'd post them cause they fit here. I love Wilson vs Hanson lol

Maybe I should draw more

[wendy130]

Ghost Chasers

This was originally for a Fake Fic Titles thing (which you can find here), but I really fucking liked it so uhhhhhh, it gets its own post >:3

------

Ranboo has been getting stalked by giant shadow ghosts ever since he started going to his college.

He has no idea how to make it stop.

They come out at night, when he’s walking back from his classes. He supposes it’s his fault for taking mostly night classes. Gods, he wished he could change his schedule now. He feels like he’s gone insane. Maybe he should check himself into a hospital….. Or. Maybe not. He’s already swimming in debt.

He’s been able to escape their ‘grasp’ (they’re shadows, can they even touch him? He doesn’t want to find out but he had a feeling that they can) for now, but it’s getting harder.

There’s more showing up. He’s counted six different shadow monsters.

They all have defining features, of which he’s named them after.

Smiley for the emoji smile plastered on their face, Piggy for the piglike ears and outline of tusks on their face, Birdie for their somehow even darker shadowed wings, the Spider for the eight limbs jutting out of their back, and Bee for the translucent wings on their back.

After half a year of dealing with them, he had come up with a basic outline of how they worked. Smiley and Piggy were the most aggressive when it came to trying to find and catch him but they never chased him too far and they were uncommon. Birdie never showed up too often, but they were persistent once they did, often following him the entire way back to his dorm. The Spider and the Bee were the daily ones. They too would sometimes chase him all the way back to his dorm, but mostly stayed back like Smiley and Piggy. And their attempts to catch him were always teasing in a way. As if they were playing with him. A cat letting the mouse run until it tired.

And he was tiring quickly after half a year of dealing with them.

Jokes on him tho bc they literally all just want to cuddle him lmao

Techno - Piggy; Smiley - Dream; Bee - Tubbo; Spider - Tommy; Birdie - Phil

And here are some extra hcs!!

Phil can be seen hanging off of powerlines.

Tubbo and Tommy always hanging out at the nearby garden that Ranboo has to pass everyday.

Techno hangs out around tall buildings. Maybe one of Ranboo's classes (bc college is cool & has classes on certain days) is where he sometimes appears. Or, sometimes colleges have a building just for teacher’s offices, & he can hang around there. Ranboo sometimes goes to his teacher's office for help and Techno is like "ooh, frien has come for a visit"

Dream also likes to hang out around tall buildings and can float in the air which is v/ scary. Tubbo can do it too but he doesn't do it often, unlike Dream

Noms.

There are noms

I will die before I give up noms

[taters169]

The Tin drabbles

Lost

Masterlist

TW: minor character death

----

"How the hell have you lost it?" Asked John

"I think it escaped, I'm like 95% positive I locked the cage door" replied Ian.

"You're a fucking moron you know that" said John shaking his head. "Come on I'll help you look"

Ian had been his friend for a long time but the guy was an idiot, far too soft on his little toy. John's own toy was almost perfect after years of training, it almost never defied him anymore. He was starting to get bored if he was honest with himself he much preferred the breaking than the broken result.

The two men hunted high and low around Ian's house with no sign of where the little pest could have gotten to. Eventually they moved their search outside.

"Here look!" Said John "you've got a broken airbrick. If it managed to get into the walls it probably got out here. It might not have gotten far you check that side of the garden I'll check this side"

Carefully checking under bushes and behind pots the men made their way towards the bottom of the garden.

"There look!" Yelled Ian pointing under a bush near the gate

"Ha! Told you it wouldn't have gotten far" said John. "Can you reach?"

"Not quite" Answered Ian trying to get his hand through the mass of branches.

The escaped toy looked panicked trying to find a way out

"No no no please no I can't go back" said the tiny creature. Suddenly it managed to slip past Ian's reaching hand and made it to the gate

"Ah shit! Quick grab it" yelled Ian

John dived towards it just as it rolled and slipped under the gate. The two men scrambled to their feet fumbling with the gate latch. They ran out onto the street just in time to see the little toy run out onto the road straight into the path of an oncoming car. It didn't even have time to scream before it was nothing but a mess on the tarmac. Indistinguishable from any other creature who ended up as road kill.

"Fucks sake" said Ian

"Bad luck that mate" said John clapping his hand on his friends shoulder. "I tell you what though, I've been thinking about a new one anyway. I'm sure we can come to a deal if you want my old one. At least mines properly broken I doubt it would run even if I left the cage open"

"I'm sure I closed it" said Ian defeatedly

"Yeah I'm sure you did." John suddenly had an idea of one last way to torture his little pet before he ordered a replacement. "You at work tomorrow?" He asked

"Yeah I'm on the close"

"Perfect, how about I drop it in at your shop all wrapped up and terrified for you. I'll let you have it for half the price of a new one, mates rates yeah?"

"That would be great thanks John you're a real pal."

[fereldanwench]

so im holding off on adding PMU for a bit as a part of my stability troubleshooting (i know there's a new version for 2.2 obvs but I've noticed all iterations have definitely affected performance), and I'm going through my pose packs and i see SO many list it as a requirement when i could have sworn like 90% of these just needed AXL 🤔

[starlit-gt]

When you want people to join you and do some sort of fearplay stuff to you, but you're shy

[miniaturemallow]

Big bad wolf and little red riding hood, emphasis on big and little

[evieismol]

gonna make moodboards for my big bend gt ocs stay tuned

[beuhakkaka]

ANNOUNCEMENTT

HELLO EVERYONE OK SO

There are some pretty big medical expenses that are coming up for me, and some other things qwpdheougeiudgwuqd so I have opened a patreon! In basic you get updates as soon as a panel of REborn is finished (I already have one panel uploaded hehe) you also get entered into a bust up sketch raffle every month, and also get first dibs on the art I make! Also as a thank you to everyone for even looking at my patreon I have a free to everyone patreon piece already up!

Of course I will resume my weekly(ish) schedule of posting REborn here, and all the art will be posted on Tumblr eventually too, but if you want to support me and also get first dibs on things, I would be very grateful if you checked it out!!

Ok that's all love you all to bits! Bye bye <3

[re-whump]

Glass Eden - Enclosure

prev congrats on not being eaten, but you're still trapped with the snake contains: non-human whumpee (borrower and lamia/naga, both tiny), captivity, pet trope, neglect, dehumanization, communication barrier, conditioned whumpee, concussion, (mild) emeto

Poe

It had to be a game of some sort, yes?

She had few ways to truly lose and I even fewer to win, but it must be a game.

The master of the house had thrown me in here for entertainment, after all. I had assumed it would be his entertainment, but apparently I wasn’t even worth that.  

I couldn’t know if I’d been spared out of mercy or boredom or merely saved for later. I wasn’t even sure she was intelligent enough to have had a reason, that my survival wasn’t mere whim. The master of the house kept her like a pet, so it was possible her relatable visage was mere coincidence. Then again, it had seemed like she had been trying to speak with me, and the master of the house was hardly a compassionate figure. He threw me in here for sport, he may as well be keeping a person in a cage.

I think he knew that she wouldn’t finish me off. He left before she had released me. But I also recognized the silver box on the other side of the glass and its ominous black eye. He was still watching, or at least recording to watch later. He would be able to entertain himself with my inevitable death, over and over again. He would watch her feed on me and be able to share it with however many of his awful kin as he liked, just as soon as she changed her mind and attacked me again. Nightmare after never ending nightmare. 

For now she seemed content to remain in the stone-looking cave on the far side of the terrarium. One bend of her pale, looping tail squeezed out the entrance, so I could even look over and be sure she stayed put. But my tail continued to quiver at her perfect silence. She could come for me at any moment and if I wasn’t looking at her, I wouldn’t know.

I needed to hide. I could feel the instinct pushing up beneath the rest of my thoughts to demand attention. Anger, self-pity, despair…none of them quite held up to the desperate urging to escape back into the shadows. I had been raised to believe—to know—that being seen by the monsters that owned the house was one of the worst things that could happen to me, and I couldn’t just push the feeling aside now that I’d been caught. The glass walls and open air were torturous.I would worry about survival later. I would worry about water and food and self-defense and how to get out of here later. First, I was going to carve a hiding space into the bark lining the cage, tucking in between the glass and some large stone. My crushed ribs burned as I pushed myself beneath the surface. 

When that was done, I curled up to cry.

When that was done, I was still trapped. 

~

Hecate

I had pleasant dreams about a patch of sun and another body lying curled up alongside my own. 

I played them over in my head for awhile, lazily enjoying the empty schedule ahead of me. Hugh only ever expected me to perform when he had guests, not like the last hands. And he liked me to look like me, not dolled up and polished. 

I scratched an itch along the thin scales on my hips and decided I could do with a wash anyway. That wasn’t polish, that was hygiene. I had a rash or something on my side there that never seemed to heal. I couldn’t do as good a job as the hands, but a long soak in even the tepid water on the cool side of the tank would feel refreshing enough.

I slid towards the sound of gently running water. There was a short waterfall on one end of the shallow pool that provided an endless supply of clean water. I’m not sure where exactly it came from, but there were a lot of things I didn’t understand. I only ever got to take short excursions beyond my glass walls and hardly anyone had ever thought I might like an explanation. It wasn’t like I could ask for clarifications. Mostly, I was thankful that this enclosure was at least full of interesting plants and clean bedding and even some clay I could sculpt with.

The water stole away that wonderful heat reserve I’d built up sleeping over the hot floor, but it was worth it. The sharp pinches that dotted the line between scale and skin fell away too, although the burning lower down on my belly lingered. I twisted around to check on what that might be, then tensed as I remembered how I’d hurt myself. Or, not myself, how I’d gotten…bit? Scratched? Hurt, somehow, by the…thing. The little prey-person-thing. The maybe-child. 

Were they still here? Or had Hugh come back to collect them?

I whistled as I drew myself out of the water. Their scent was faint, but in a space that usually only housed myself, it was more than enough to trace them. They were wedged between a stone hide and the wall, lying still. As I got closer, they made a muffled squeak, not unlike a rat’s.

I slowed, continuing to sing. It was an old song, a gentle one, one I’ve known since I was just a hatchling. I used to know words to it, something about the sun, but it had been so long and become so meaningless that now all I knew was the tune. The words were in the language I had used with my clutchmates anyway, one without all those tricky human noises. I doubt the prey-person-thing would have understood it. 

The substrate lurched as they clawed their way to the surface. I leaned back to keep the spray of bark out of my face. The glass pinged as they backed themself into the wall. 

“Hey, hey, shhh,” I whispered. 

“No, no, stop! Please! I’ve done nothing to deserve this!” they cried.

“Shh,” I repeated.

There wasn’t much else I could say. I couldn’t speak, not like they did. I had the wrong mouth for it. My tongue was meant for sneaking tastes of the air, not dancing between t and k and th and r and all the rest. 

“You-you aren’t attacking me?” 

I shook my head. I hoped they could see, even if I couldn’t. It seemed like it. They took a sharp breath like they were reacting to something. 

“You understand me? You are intelligent, then? Can you talk?”

“I…mm.”

I pushed off the ground, head cocked. I could hardly answer three questions at once. I motioned with my hands for them to go slower, but it must have looked like something else from where they were standing. They were still sweating fear. 

“J-just stay away from me! Please!” they whimpered.

I wanted to hold the poor thing to reassure them, but I wasn't dumb enough to think it would work. I just did my best to show him I meant no harm. 

--

Poe

The python-woman stared for several excruciating seconds.

She sighed and looked as if she might cry, then lowered herself back down against the ground again. I wanted to believe it was some kind of submissive gesture, but I was loathe to get too optimistic with my life on the line.

I wished she would blink. 

I didn’t move. I was too afraid it was some sort of trap about to spring. I watched a cat catch a mouse like that once, on a trip out into the garden. It had hunkered down and just stared for nearly a full minute. And that minute must have felt like an eternity for the mouse as it waited for that inevitable pounce. The cat had let it go again and again and again until the poor girl was too bloody and tired to try and run.

Eternity dragged on. 

I waited and waited and waited until the creature finally grew bored of waiting. She backed away and silently drifted back to the other side of the cage. 

I had to get out of here.

I crept around the perimeter looking for some way out. The only breaks in the glass were along the front, where the human had first thrown me in. The glass fit together so tightly, I couldn’t even wedge my fingers between the two panes, never mind try to pry them further apart. The mechanisms to lock the door in place were too far overhead for me to even examine. I turned to glare at the camera still gawking at me from the other side of the glass. 

I could weave something out of the foliage, perhaps, or turn my little dagger into something more useful. Assuming I had the time.

I kept my distance from her as I explored and only partially for that most obvious reason of avoiding her. The far end of the tank where she seemed to prefer to rest was significantly hotter than the other, and the whole place was uncomfortably humid. I assume it all suited her but it was making me sweat on top of everything else.

I thought about taking off the wool I had wrapped around my shoulders, but it was also the closest thing to armor that I had. I was dressed to survive the cold floor of the underused study, not monster attacks. I retreated back towards where I had heard water on the cooler half of the enclosure. My aching ribs demanded a rest anyways.

The water was…not clean, to say the least. A small waterfall churned the pool, likely intended to keep the water from growing too stagnant, but it was clearly not up to the task. I knelt down and grimaced at the pool. It was clear, but a layer of dirt and dead bugs littered the bottom. I drank anyway; it wasn’t as if it was the most questionable thing I’d ever ingested. It was refreshing enough.

After a short break I thought about what to do for shelter while I was trapped in here. I probably couldn’t make anything truly safe, but I could at least gather up a decent bed to rest in. Something more comfortable for my sore ribs. As for food…I would have to hope some of these plants might be edible. I didn’t know them. I chose a spot to set up distance from the water, assuming she’d come back here to drink again before long.

A distant creaking caught my attention, and it was not the snake. The housemaster was back. I ducked as deep into the shadows as I could, as much habit as anything.

He moved slowly, spending a few minutes walking around and admiring various displays around the room. It was too far for me to make out the details, but I assume he was looking at other pets. I didn’t want to know anything more. 

He turned to this prison before too long. The snake emerged from her cave to whistle and wave at him. He greeted her with a smile and oh-so-easily opened up the doors, nearly removing the entire front wall.

And his attention was fixed on the snake, not me. 

I warily crept towards the open doors. I waited until he had his hands full with the snake-woman and I launched towards my freedom. 

It was a hopeless endeavor. The movement caught his eye and he released the snake to take a clumsy swipe at me. Of course, a man twenty times my size didn’t need to be too precise to ruin me and these were hardly ideal conditions for me. His massive forearm slammed into me like a wall, knocking my breath away. I went skidding off the edge of the shelf before I could catch my balance. 

“Shit!” the master hissed. “Didn’t realize you were still in there.”

I landed in a heap at his feet. At some point, either during the fall or the landing, my head cracked against something hard. My eyes watered as I tried to pull myself back together, back into a coherent train of thought, so I could get up and—

“No, no, you’re not getting out of here. I’m not letting some thieving vermin run wild in my home,” the master said. 

A flat weight collapsed on top of me as I tried to crawl away. Shoe, I registered dimly. Very bad place to be. Very messy death. I wondered how much of it I would feel. He pressed down, just hard enough that I might burst if I tried to move, and dragged me towards the rest of him. He leaned down. My head swelled full of pain and panic. 

I heard someone scream. I wondered if it might be me, even if screaming wasn’t a behavior borrowers were naturally inclined to perform. I closed my mouth with a groan and the sound kept coming. I pressed my ears back. It hurt. My head hurt so bad and the noise made it worse. 

“Hey! Hey, my! My!” the scream shrieked. 

Something struck the glass overhead and the weight crushing my chest pulled away. I threw myself forward to escape at the same moment the master bent down over me and all that motion all at once set my head spinning and stomach heaving.

“Mm? You do want it, then, girl? You were just saving it for later?”

I may have taken an entire two steps before collapsing back onto my knees to vomit up the meager contents of my stomach. I was still retching, unable to move, as the housemaster’s hand fell over me and pinched the back of my shirt. Vomit ran down my chin as I was lifted so quickly into the air that the world turned into a blur. 

“No, don’t,” I croaked, several seconds after he tossed me back in the bark. 

The snake woman reached for me. I kicked at her. She sputtered, but only because the housemaster pulled her away. 

“Ah-ah, Hecate. I’ll let you have the little pest, but for now you’re coming out with me. Come along. It won’t go anywhere,” Hugh said.

The glass slid closed. The lock clicked. The towering shadow disappeared down the hallway. I stopped fighting to keep my eyes open.

I might as well finish dying before she came back to finish her game.