#the giant toad was funny though :)

[ratstuckinamarble]

@a-dauntless-daffodil thanks for tagging me :)

tagging: it is apparently Tumblr tradition, so give it a shot! @sketch-the-spectre, @lulughoul, @cherry-purple, @just-someone-online, @crystal-clear-crystalline, @bluebelleisabelle, @sparklyaxolotlstudent, @m0nsterartgarage. Dauntless reminded us to stay hydrated so I'm telling you to eat smt. Don't be like me and wonder why things suddenly seem awful only to feel fine after fulfilling your basic needs.

Last song -> 'Raus aus meiner Haut' by OOMPH! It's either about a bi trans woman or a drag queen, the lyrics work with both interpretations and I couldn't figure out which one was intended. I have some notes but it's surprisingly progressive for 2012 Germany. Or 'another life' by mazie. I can't quite remember.

Currently reading -> Entangled life (a wonderful book about mushrooms) and Queer Little Nightmares, an anthology of monstrous fiction & poetry. Yes I bought it because I crave queer monsters in fiction. It's good so far, the first short story was about lesbian werewolves. There was a scene where the love interest left a sapphic book on her bed for the protagonist to find and while reading it she went "is this what's wrong with me?" and I was transported right back to being 14.

Currently watching -> Barbie life in the Dreamhouse, The Midnight Gospel and all the old mh movies (almost done with those now). I also watched Pan's Labyrinth today from a TOTALLY reputable website, yup. I thought it was a horror movie but not really? Still good though. I would have liked to see more of the actual fantasy aspects, especially the faun, but I'm glad I saw it.

Current obsession -> Queer monsters of any type. Gimme. Also Monster High, mushrooms, tiny things, stopmotion, horror.

I can never pick just one thing, can I.

[rs-hawk]

So Ohio has an Urban Legend called the Loveland frog and it's a giant frog that hangs around the swamps...say a reader got too curious and wanted to learn about it...for science

Ohh yes. I am very familiar with the Loveland Frog. I've never written about anything amphibian like this before so I hope you enjoy this! I did have to do some research though so that’s why this has taken awhile 🙏

You have always been an avid amateur cryptozoologist. It's not like you ever have thought that you would actually find anything, but you have fun, and for the most part it's a harmless hobby. You decide to head to Loveland, Ohio, in search of the supposedly pleasant Loveland Frogman, more affectionately called the “Loveland Frog”.

It’s dark when you creep to the little river he’s said to reside in. To you’re surprise, there’s no one else around. You read conflicting things on the frog, but it seems like the most common is that it’s a man sized frog with human intelligence, or a frog with a man’s body. Either way, it’s weirdly creepy, and almost a bit funny to you. You wander near the river, admiring the sounds of the night and the way the stars reflect off the water.

There’s the sound of splashing behind you, and at first, you pay it no mind. Jumping frogs, little fish, maybe even turtles. It isn’t until you feel something wet and… slimy? grab your arm that you turn around. Towering over you is the Loveland Frog. A hulking creature that you never expected to be real, much less be such an impressive specimen. All kinds of thoughts raced through your mind as you looked over it, it’s hand still curled around your forearm. Most prominent is “How does this thing mate?”

The creature slowly lets go of your arm, looking you over with matched curiosity. It brushes your hair out of your face, softly touching your skin and making croaking sounds at you that you’re unfamiliar with. They’re deep and powerful, vibrating in your chest with how close it is. Then, quite suddenly, it forces one of its slimy fingers inside of your mouth.

You wrinkle your nose at the taste and spit it out, but you’re already feeling the affects. While you can clearly see this thing is a frog, not a toad, the toxins that it must exude from its skin when it so pleases are flooding your brain. There’s a warmth and wetness between your legs that makes you let out an involuntary whimper when you adjust and your pants grind against your core. The creature seems pleased at the sound of your pleasure, causing it to reach out for you again.

You’re so unbalanced on your feet, with your body feeling both too light and too heavy at the same time, that you don’t even care as it leads you to an even more secluded part of the river. You’re back to wondering how something like this could mate. Is there only one? You’re swallowed by darkness as it takes you to a thicket.

The feeling of your clothes being stripped off of you and the cool wind that blows across the river hitting your bare skin makes you hum. The creature lays you down, spreading your legs to gaze at your dripping cunt. That makes you squirm, still present enough of mind to realize that this thing is trying to mate with you, however it does that. Instead of being disgusted though, you can’t help but being curious.

It’s long tongue slides across your clit, making you cry out in pleasure, your button pulsing and throbbing already. It pushes its tongue inside of you, your back arching and whimpering moans escaping your lips as it tongue fucks you to the brink. You’re so close to cumming that when it stops, you start cursing and whining.

That’s when the creature turns you on your back, shoving your face into the dirt. You do little, your body still feeling not like your own. It-he- pushes something thick and long inside of you. You grunt as you’re stretched out, trying to adjust to his size. Then, it starts slowly humping into you, and with each thrust, small objects are deposited into your womb. That’s when you start to squirm and cry out, begging for it to stop. Instead, he curls his hand over your face, forcing his fingers inside of your mouth again.

You’re so high that you slump completely against the ground, now enjoying the feeling of your womb being filled with heavy but squishy eggs. As the creature keeps fucking you into the dirt, you can’t help but clench and cum around his cock multiple times. So many times that you lose count. Finally, he pulls out. You think that it’s over so you let yourself relax, the high making your brain foggy.

However, after a moment, something even larger is stuffed into your used cunt. You moan loudly, grabbing at the grass underneath you. The first frogman walks in front of you, shoving his cock down your throat to feed you the toxin directly as the second creature fucks his cum deeply into you, coating your womb and fertilizing the heavy eggs inside of you.

Your eyes roll back into your head as the toxin makes you even more sensitive, causing you to cum each time the creature inside of you does. You can feel his slick dripping out of you, coating your thighs and the ground under you. Or maybe it’s your own. At this point, you’re not sure.

By sunrise, they both slink off back to the water, leaving you still high and foggy, covered in cum, with a stomach that already looks nine months pregnant.

[archangeldyke-all]

RAHHHH ITS MAH BIRTHDAYYY

Sev waking reader up with head for her birthday?? Goodness😩

-🥨

happy birthday baby!!!!! i hope you're loving your day <3

men and minors dni

"babyyy." a voice singsongs.

you're having a lovely dream in which you and sevika are soaring through the clouds, hand in hand. you have no intention of waking up, no matter how inciting the voice singing happy birthday to you sounds. so, you just huff, reach out to push your wife away from you, and return to your dream.

sevika laughs as your steady snores fill the room again.

it's your birthday, and sevika wants to start celebrating with you. clearly, though, you want to spend your birthday morning sleeping in. that's fine. sevika can work with that.

she lets you sleep, preparing your favorite breakfast in the kitchen and arranging all the little gifts she's collected for you over the past few months on the dining room table.

sevika's not big on birthdays, never has been, but when it comes to you sevika's always looking for an excuse to celebrate.

so, is it a little over the top for her to be blowing up dozens of balloons? sure. but is it worth it for the way you'll get all flustered and try to hide your face in her chest? absolutely.

now though, it's been an hour and a half, and sevika's getting antsy.

she wants to wake you up and celebrate with you, shower you in affection and gifts and love, hand feed you bites of your birthday breakfast, kiss you a million times.

you're still snoring.

sevika pinches your foot under the covers. you don't move. she huffs.

"babe."

no response.

"baby, wake up. it's your birthday, i made your favorite for breakfast."

you just snore.

sevika rolls her eyes, flings her shirt off, and crawls under the covers. it takes a little bit of maneuvering, but in a few moments she's got her face between your legs.

she sighs happily as she inhales the scent of you. you're always so impatient when she's between your thighs, she takes advantage of your current sleeping state to just... soak you up. the sight of your cunt, the smell of you, the warmth of your inner thigh where she rests her head. she could probably die happily like this.

you shift in your sleep, your legs clenching a bit around her head before relaxing again. it shakes her out of her stupor, and she launches forward with the single minded intention of making you cum so hard you're too aroused to go back to bed.

she succeeds.

incredibly quickly.

you're having a strange but pleasant dream where you and sevika are attending a wedding-- the bride being jinx, the groom being a giant toad she's trained to speak english.

and right when the toad starts to say his vows, you gasp awake to the feeling of your wife's tongue buried inside of you.

"se-vika!" you gasp, throwing the blankets back and gawking down at her. she hums happily, winking at you as she sloppily makes out with your cunt. "wha- oh fuck!" you whine, collapsing against the bed again as she sucks your clit into her mouth.

"mmm... happy birthday." sevika mumbles against you.

you groan, your brain fuzzy from sleep and pleasure, your eyes heavy but snapping open with her movements. "sev." you moan. she chuckles.

"made you breakfast 'n everything." she whispers.

you thread your fingers through her hair and pull her mouth back against you. she chuckles, kisses your cunt sweetly, and then gets back to eating you like a ripe peach.

"'m gonna cum." you groan. your voice is still gravely from sleep, and sevika shudders at the sound of it. "fuck, sev, shit!" you whine as you fall apart on her tongue.

her fingers claw against your hips, keeping you pinned to her lips as you shake and shiver through your orgasm. when you push her away, she groans in disappointment.

you burst into laughter. sevika kisses a path up your body until she's hovering over you, smiling down at you.

"what's so funny?" she asks. you smirk up at her and shrug.

"happy fuckin' birthday to me i guess." you laugh.

she snorts, then swoops down to kiss you.

taglist!

@fyeahnix @lavendersgirl @half-of-a-gay @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner

@shimtarofstupidity @chuucanchuucan @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther

@ellsss @sevikaspillowprincess @emiliabby @sevikasbeloved @hellorai

@glass-apothecary @macaroni676 @artinvain @realgreeniebeanie @k3n-dyll

@sevsdollette @ellieslob @xayn-xd

[dragonwitch77]

Tiny

Chapter 12: Slow Days

Days were slowly passing by.

At this point, things had become a normal routine for Bittergiggle.

Work on new jokes, plan on how to get to the queen, try to teach Scylla how to talk, leave the hideout when the two clones started their usual daily arguments, swing by the Employee Exercise Sector to say hi to Kitty, relax there for a few hours with the kid, showing her various objects in the sector and what their names are and what they did, check the boxes to see if there was anything useful for him to use, head back to the hideout and slap the two if they were still arguing, write down whatever joke he thought up and help Scylla try to speak more.

He was honestly surprised at this point that he hadn’t made much progress on getting to the queen. Bittergiggle knew he was fairly smart. Smart enough to avoid the sheriff’s traps and how to get out of them, plus he knew roundabout ways to avoid detection by the humans.

Still, he should have at least thought of something by now to get to the queen. Yet, he hadn’t.

“How peculiar.” Bittergiggle said, tapping the end of a pencil against his face. “I’m usually not this bad at coming up with ideas.”

“A baba.”

“I mean, usually I lean more towards making jokes, but planning is something I’m a bit more capable at.”

“Aaaaaawwwwoooooooo.”

“Not that I’m saying that I’m bad at jokes or anything, I just like to plan things more than thinking of jokes! It takes waaaaay less effort to think of something funny than planning to get to a giant kangaroo.”

“Na a. Aaaaa ab ab ab.”

“Though, I maaaaaaay have underestimated the simplicity of this plan.”

“Awa?”

“See, it’s not the problem of getting to the queen. It’s the problem of getting around the only thing standing between me and the queen.”

“Aaa waa! Aa wawa!”

“Exactly! It’s not me who’s the problem. It’s the sheriff! That big old meanie pants. Hmph! Though, he… never really wears any pants… not that he would look good in pants… probably… maybe? Huh… what would he look like wearing pants?”

“Ba ba ba ba ba.”

“Wait, why am I thinking about that?”

“Aaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaaa.”

“Well it’s not my fault he would probably look good in pants or not! Wait, what?”

“… aaannnaaa.”

“Ignore that.”

“Aaaaaaaa.”

“Anyway, we need to focus here kid! Getting to the queen isn’t going to be a cakewalk you know!”

“Haaaaaaammmnana.”

“I mean, it would be a cakewalk if a certain sheriff wasn’t in the way. But that should be easy to get around… ish.”

“Woboobooboo!”

“The sheriff is a cunning man… toad. He’s built more elaborate and cunning traps than you ever had in your life. And you’ve only been alive for almost two months now.”

“Oooooobooo.”

“He’s fast. And strong. Super strong. Getting in a one-on-one fight with him would be out of the question. Not that I would ever dream of getting in a physical fight with someone like the sheriff. That’s a certain death sentence right there! A kick to the gut from that guy would be fatal! Hehe, it’d almost be a gut-punching irony if that would ever happen. Hehehehehehehehehehe. Haaaaa. But it won’t. The sheriff’s too nice of a guy to kill anyone. Even on accident.”

“Lababa ba ba.”

“So, we need to figure out a way to get the sheriff away from the queen or find a way to distract him. Because, let’s face it, Toadster is a very duty-driven kind of guy. He doesn’t know the definition of relax and can’t take a break without being ordered to by the queen.”

“Aaaoooooooo!”

“I mean, the first day we brought him back to the Kingdom, he went around setting up traps and patrolling the place for hours. Got lost so many times too. I had to show him the way back more than once before he memorized the layout!”

“Na! Na! Na!”

“Maybe that’s why I can’t use the secret pathways to get to the queen. I’m not gonna lie, that was a big oversight on my part. Never thought that would come back to bite me.”

“Baoo!”

“But that doesn’t matter! Oversight or not, getting to the queen will still be a piece of–are you eating my hand?”

Scylla let out a small gurgle around Bittergiggle’s fingers, nibbling the small area between a pair.

“Heeeeey. I’m not food, kid.” Bittergiggle huffed, lifting his hand. To his surprise, Scylla came along with it, her tiny limbs wrapped around the larger appendage in a shockingly tight grip.

He gave his hand a little shake, tilting his head this way and that. Lately, Scylla had been testing out her limbs once she realized that she had them, ogling at them or trying to stuff whatever part that she could into her mouth. He didn’t understand why she did it. She obviously couldn’t be doing this if she was hungry, which was impossible since she wouldn’t ever feel hungry or the need for food.

Maybe she just liked to nibble on things? Though Bittergiggle was quite sure he didn’t like to be the one nibbled on.

“Kid, my hand is for playing with. Not for attempt cannibalism.” The jester huffed, shaking the kid off his hand and plopping her back on the pillow that he may or may not have stolen a long time ago.

“Aba!” Scylla eyed the hand above her, reaching out to it with her little hands. “Aba! Aba!”

“No, you cannot eat my hand. I need it, if you want to eat someone’s hand, eat his.” The jester pointed to Hoidni, who upon hearing the statement, whipped his head around at the pair.

“What?!”

“Aba!” Scylla waved her hands about, looking at Bittergiggle with those big eyes of hers. “Aba!”

Bittergiggle stared at the tiny babbling jester for a long moment before letting out a sigh. “You make a fair point, kid. That’s very hard to argue right there.”

“Awawa!”

“Hey! I don’t even have a nose!”

<Previous/Next>

[sorinethemastermind]

Sorpeli Week 2025 | Prompt: Silence/Voice

 Opeli blew out the candle, plunging the infirmary into darkness once more. She took the moment of silence to close her eyes and take a deep breath. It had been a long day. The pearl was in Katolis. It felt like a horrible idea. But King Ezran had approved of it, and who was she to argue? She would simply have to be more vigilant. More attentive than she already was.

 She’d never thought she’d agree with High Mage Callum. It was best if it was destroyed. But all of that could wait until the morning. Or so she hoped.

 Opeli turned to go, but paused at the faint sound of fabric swishing, of boots on the hard stone floor. She rolled her eyes, leaning in the doorway as she waited for Soren to extricate himself from the tapestry, arms folded across her chest.

 “Still?” she asked as he emerged from the secret passage, making him jump. 

 He gave her a sheepish smile, “Oh, hey, Opeli. Funny running into you here.”

 She pushed off from the wall, going to reignite the candle. No rest for the weary, she supposed. “Two years and you still do this. Why not just walk through the front door?”

 “Because it’s our little tradition.” 

 She turned, candle held before her, just in time to catch his wink. Her cheeks colored, but she caught herself quickly and shook the feeling off. He was like that with everyone. 

 “And what is it this time?” she asked, going to rifle through the cupboards. It was always something with him. Usually left untreated far too long, no matter how many times she scolded him for it. She’d noticed the bruises and scarcely closed cuts when he returned with the others, but wouldn’t have been surprised if there was something else, too. Hidden just below the surface.

 “I, uh, got a little bit beat up on our last mission,” Soren admitted, taking his usual seat on the cot. Opeli shook her head. That was an understatement.

 “Angered a dragon? Fought an army by yourself? Got in a quarrel with a giant glow toad?” she guessed, placing the salves and bandages she’d need beside him on the bed.

 He chuckled, “Pirates, actually.”

 “Pirates?”

 “But you weren’t too far off with that last one! Except we liberated the glow toads and that, uhm, angered the pirates.”

 Opeli sighed, “Of course it did.”

 “But!” Soren held up a finger, “We made a new friend, and that’s what really matters.”

 “I suppose.” Opeli dabbed a bit of antiseptic onto a cut on the side of his face and he winced.

 “Ow.”

 “Do you want me to help or not?”

 He sighed, holding still as she cleaned the cuts. She narrowed her eyes. There appeared to be bits of wood and bark in some of them. “Pirates, you say?” she asked, carefully dislodging the detritus. “Are you sure you didn’t run into a tree?”

 “Oh, so the pirates had this big-” Soren held his arms out for emphasis, nearly knocking over a nearby bottle of salve “-tree dude. His name’s Elmer. We’re friends now. But at first he was kind of choking Callum-”

 “What!?” Opeli stared at him, eyes widening.

 “-so I tried to be like ‘you don’t have to do that’” Soren continued, voice dropping as he delivered his own line, as though he thought he sounded tougher than he did, “but then the pirate captain guy, he was a jerk, he had Elmer beat me up and-” “Soren, were you all captured?”

 “Oh, um, yeah. Wasn’t that obvious?”

 Opeli took in a sharp breath, looking over the injuries again. It was far more obvious now why she’d never seen him look quite like this. He had been defenseless. He could have-

 “Soren, you could have died,” she practically whispered it. 

 “I mean, I could die any day,” Soren pointed out. “But I didn’t.”

 “You were captured and- and tortured.”

 Soren winced, “Tortured is a strong word.”

 “But it’s accurate.” Opeli stared at him, “Soren, are you all right?”

 “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” he gave her a weary smile. “Sorry if I stressed you out.”

 “No, that’s-” she pinched the bridge of her nose, brow furrowing. “That’s not the concern here. The point is that you were hurt, that you were in danger-”

 “Opeli.” Soren’s voice was gentle, and he placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him. He gave her a half smile, “I’ve had worse, and I’m fine. Really. I’m Captain of the Crownguard. It’s sort of in the job description.”

 Opeli opened her mouth to object, but closed it again, realizing he was right. She didn’t know what had come over her. 

 “Yes. Sorry.”

 “But, uh, could you maybe get on to the part that makes the cuts feel better and not worse?”

 “Yes. Yes, of course.” Opeli shook her head, beginning to dab on the salve and placing bandages over the worst spots. “I’m sorry.”

 “You don’t have to be sorry,” he leaned back on his hands, watching her. She tried not to meet his eyes. The ones that always seemed to see right through her. “Can I say something kind of weird?”

 “When has that stopped you?”

 He chuckled, “It was sort of nice that you were worried.”

 She did meet his eyes, then. A little surprised. He gave her an awkward smile, glancing away. 

 “That was probably too weird to say, sorry.”

 “It’s not weird to want people to care about you,” she told him, placing a bandage over a large cut on his nose. He was lucky it wasn’t broken. Again. “Everyone deserves to have people in their life who care.”

 “Well, thanks for being one of those people, I guess.” Soren scratched the back of his head, gaze still averted. “I think. If you’re not then that’s also fi-”

 “I am.” 

 “...Thanks.”

 “Mhm.” Opeli finished and pushed herself back to her feet, going to put away the salves and what things she hadn’t used. She turned back to him, brushing the residual herbs off her hands. “I’m going to go and get something from the apothecary. I’ll be right back.”

 “From the apothecary?”

 “For the swelling,” she explained. “I’ll just be a moment.”

 He nodded and she swept from the room, leaving the candle with him. The halls were dark and quiet, inhabited only by the soft sound of her footsteps and her own thoughts. Opeli didn’t understand how Soren could be so nonchalant about what had happened. What he and the others had clearly been through. Getting captured by pirates and attacked by a living tree was not in the job description of a knight. Not even a knight captain.

 She paused, hovering in the doorway of the apothecary. Opeli realized that she would, perhaps, like if he were not a knight. If their meetings could be in the library, discussing poetry, rather than in the infirmary, tending wounds. If when he told her a story it could be funny instead of sad. If he did not view capture and torture and injury as a normal part of life. If he and death were not so familiar. 

 She knew, also, that if she were to mention to him that he should try taking a step back, he would consider it. That a word from her to King Ezran would be enough to get him stationed at the castle while his wounds healed, rather than running off on more adventures. Rather than getting hurt again while his last injuries still had yet to close over.

 Opeli shook her head, letting the apothecary door swing shut behind her. It was not her place to intercede. And it didn’t make sense, anyway. Not when he was the best Captain of the Crownguard that King Ezran could ask for. Not when their king was far safer with Soren at his side than anyone else. She could have excused stepping in if it was rooted in some sort of incompetence or shortcoming, but not when it was merely based in worry. And why should she worry, anyway? 

 That question she did have an answer to, at least. She had just told Soren that she was one of the people who cared for him. And that was true. She pondered, also, the fact she had had to tell him that. That he hadn’t thought it a given there would be people who cared for him. 

 Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she gathered what she had come for, bundling all the little herbs together before making her way quietly back to the infirmary. She would say nothing, she decided, other than perhaps urging Soren to be more careful. That was all she could do.

 Voices slowly became audible as she approached the open door of the infirmary and her steps slowed.

 “-be more careful, okay?” 

 “I know, Corvus. I will be.”

 Corvus. Opeli had known she recognized the other voice. She came to a halt just shy of the doorway, watching as the other guard brushed the hair out of Soren’s face, inspecting her handiwork.

 “It doesn’t look too bad.”

 “I’m fine, honest.”

 “You’re not fine, Soren.” Corvus scolded, “You could have died.”

 “Why does everyone keep saying that? I didn’t, did I?”

 Corvus sighed, “No. I guess you didn’t. I’m really glad you didn’t.”

 Soren smiled at him, scooting over on the cot so that his and Corvus’ shoulders touched. Opeli set her bundle of herbs on the small table beside the door and crept away, not wanting to disturb them. She was happy Soren had more people that cared for him. Someone who could make him happy.

 She swallowed any concerns she might have had. Corvus would see to it that he was safe. That he was taken care of. She cleared her mind of any half formed feelings that might have been forming there, at the corners of her thoughts. They were as nonsensical as her idea of asking Soren to retire from the guard.

 Silly thoughts had in the dead of night. She just needed to sleep.

[felixcloud6288]

Dungeon Meshi Miscellaneous Monster Tales 4

This volume's MMTs is catching up on what happened last volume.

Giant Frogs

I'm so glad this one exists because it proves I was right about the frog skins. It's not the skin that's immune to tentacle stings, it's the mucous layer over the skin.

There could be a potential market for Chilchuck if he wants to go from toad oil salesman to frog slime salesman though. He'd need to harvest some of that slime to have it studied. Then he could sell a mass-produced oil similar to sunscreen. Maybe he could try selling full-body suits that adventurers can wear and coat the slime onto so they don't ruin their clothes and Chilchuck could offer a service where he coats the suits themselves.

Those frog gloves are probably unconfortable since they only have four digits while every human has five.

That 1,000 gold price Chilchuck was considering is actually really cheap based on the exchange rate I suggested in MMT1. It would end up being roughly $50 USD. It's less than the walking mushroom guidebook.

Tentacles

Additional information in this segment reinforces that these are meant to be monstrous anemones. They're filter feeders that eat airborne spirits. So then why did that one tentacle grab Kiki and Laios? Maybe they're opportunistic generalists.

It's not the tentacle's fault that architecture designed to be easily gripped by human fingers is also ideal for tentacles to grip.

I love when the joke is that no one finds the dirty joke funny.

Mermaids

Most of the comments I want to make about mermaids is tied to the fishmen section so I'll save that there.

The entire joke is a callback to the mandrake harvesting method back in chapter 4, including replacing the dog ghost with a Chilchuck ghost.

I don't imagine most dwarfs would be likely to encounter mermaids. Senshi's probably talking about the whole "Canary in a cola mine" thing.

Fishmen

Love how the fishman introduction is a parody of the mermaid introduction all the way to how the last line is "drag them into the ocean".

It feels like the author wants to make it clear that Laios was right and there's no moral dilemma with eating fishmen (aside from personal beliefs and feelings). It does point out fishmen and mermaids have some physical similarities, but they're entirely coincidental. Fishmen develop and mature the same way most fish would.

Mermaids and other demihumans probably share a mammalian ancestor with humans and they all coincidentally developed common body frames, but the biological relation would probably be roughly on the same level as a human compared to a kangaroo.

Mermaids would probably feel insulted if you told them they and fishmen are the same taxonomic species.

Also, hard confirm: Mermaids have fingernails.

Undines

Mostly just talk about mana and spirits. Chapter 20 already mentioned that Undines are water spirits. I'm curious what other elemental spirits look like.

Is this panel saying there is mana in the panel and word bubble borders?

More confusion about the "human" definition. So is human a catch-all term for all the standard D&D races? And did the orc chieftain say "elves and humans" because he wanted to single out elves especially?

And it turns out Namari was suffering the equivalent of water intoxication after going through that teleporter.

Wargs

We've never interacted with a warg. This is the first time we've actually been shown a proper warg. The burned corpses from chapter 23 had all their fur burned off.

There were three corpses in chapter 23 and two skeletons in the dragon's fuel sac, so there were at least five wargs in the pack in the orc village.

Laios said one of the only differences between him and orcs is the number of fingers and toes.

I had to look through so many panels to confirm this statement. Orcs and humans have the same number of fingers per hand, but orcs have four toes per foot.

It really shows what Laios pays attention to if he doesn't notice all the obvious differences between himself and an orc like body hair, teeth, jawline, etc. but he is aware that orcs have fewer toes.

Red Dragons

Have I mentioned that I like how the story will delve into the real-world logistics that would have to go into being an adventurer? This story isn't using video game logic. You don't kill a monster and then have dragon fangs and dragon claws in your infinite inventory.

Since dragons are so large, it would actually take a large team to transport the body after slaying it. So the gross profit of dragon slaying is high, but the net gain is actually not much compared to the overall work needed.

Maybe that skin Senshi was using as a cooking sheet might net the party a nice profit... if Senshi lets them have it.

When Laios compared the amount of information on dragons to the amount on walking mushrooms, I think he was implying that studying walking mushrooms is the actual pinnacle of monster research. Recall that Laios owns a book dedicated specifically to walking mushrooms.

Marcille and Chilchuck are always shocked at Laios's obsession with monsters, but Laios implies his antics are nothing compared to what dragon fans are like.

back

[thealmightyemprex]

Voyage Through the Disney Canon :1937-1949 ranking

These are the first 11 Disney animated films ,ranked from my least favorite to most favorite

11.Fun and Fancy Free -Ah Fun and Fancy Free,the favorite Disney film of nobody ,at least from what I have seen .I have never seen any one talk about this one positively and yeah I'm not gonna praise it either,this film is rather messy .I really dont like the first segment about Bongo the Bear,I actually think it is dreadful (THough Dinah Shore does some good narration ),Jiminey Cricket is a bit grating here ,and I like Edgar Bergen in general but wow is the wraparound segment with him unsettling especially if you dont know who he is .The Mickey and the Beanstalk segment is good but not to noteworthy aside from Bill Gilbert delivering a enjoyable performance as the giant and there is a scene where Donald becomes murderously insane ,thats fun

10.Saludos Amigos -This movie isnt bad,its just....Barely a film .Its only a bit over 40 minutes ,it feels more like EDutainment talking about South America .It fine for what it is and hey it gave us Jose Carioca

9.Melody Time -Its fine .I like the Blame it on the Samba segment and the Johnny Appleseed segment is sweet and definately the best part of the film,gets me misty eyed ,but every other segment is just.....OK to me

8.Three Caballeros -The much better companion film to Saludos Amigos,this film is weird and energetic ansd just fun,with the titular song being a highlight .

7.Dumbo:So of the 5 Capital C Classics(The first 5 films Disney made which are Snow White,Pinocchio,Fantasia ,Dumbo and Bambi ),I didnt know which ones would rank where.....But knew of the 5 Dumbo would be the lowest,which I feel bad about cuase...I really like Dumbo ,its a very nostalgic childhood favorite :Pink Elephants is a great sequence,the Baby Mine song brings a tear to my eye .heck the songs in general are good,Dumbo is a lovable protagonist and I love the performance of Edward Brophy as Timothy the mouse ,I think he is an underrated sidekick.It has a MAJOR problem with it and yes it is the racism ,like wow,not just the crow scene but the song "Happy Hearted Roustabouts" which is just...Yikes .However theres another reason it is not higher becuase it does its job too well.It was made to be a short simple movie,and it suceeds in being that ,but as such the other films I find more interesting .However let it be known I have a soft spot for Dumbo

6.Make Mine Music -This ia an underrated gem.I personally dont dig the more abstract segments but theres a lot of fun music and animation and I think the final segment the Whale That Wanted To Sing at the Met is a masterpiece with for me,the saddest moment in the Walt era

5.Fantasia -FAntasia is a movie I admire more then I like .Most of what I love is in the second half,I adore the Dance of the Hours and the Pastorial Sympathy and of course Night on Bald Mountain is MAGNIFICENT ,butwith the exception of the delightful Sorcerers Apprentice,the first half drags for me .I do like the movie ,finding it very artistically pleasing but I cant say its one of my personal favorite Disney films but can totally see why it is a favorite for many

4.Bambi -This is a contender for the best looking film of the Walt era,gorgeous backgrounds ,great character animation and its more of a vibe then a story .Its not for everyone....But Bambi is awesome to me,its kind of neat just watching this deer live his life .ITs really cute (Especially the stuff with Thumper the rabbit ),its gorgeous and has some solid emotional moments .I dont like the soundtrack but the rest of the film I really enjoy .

3.The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad -This is my favorite of the wartime/post war animated films cause its one I watched a bunch as a kid .No9w truthfully the first segment covering Wind In the Willows is just good.I like the performances of Eric Blore as Mr Toad and J PAt O Malley as Cyril ,theres some funny moments,Basil Rathbone is a good narrator ,but I prefer other takes on Wind in the Willows and I dont like how minimized Ratty and Mole are .....The second segment is a masterpiece,with great character animation,comedy,wonderful narration by Bing Crosby who also sings the banger that is the Headless Horseman song and yeah the Headless Horseman himself is a wonderfully scary villain with the chase scene between him and Ichabod Crane being one hell of a climax.

2.Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs -This film the more I see it the more I love it .Its funny cause I used to not like this movie but now I have fallen for its simplistic charm.It feels like no other Disney film ,like it is so unpolished cause they are trying to figure out how to make a feature and I finsd it endearing .Snow White is a character I do care about,the Queen is a simple yet imposing villain and By god when she becomes the Witch she is reallly creepy and rightfully has been nightmare fuel for many a child over the generations (Props to the voice work of Lucille LaVerne ).The scene stealers really are the Dwarfs ,especially Grumpy and Dopey who are played an animated well.Bit of a comfort movie for me ,so had to place it a bit high

1.Pinocchio-This is one of my favorite animated films of all time .It is sweet ,it is dramtic , and it can be really intense .The songs are all great (No Strings On Me might be my favorite ) .The character animation is great (I particularly love Bill Tytlas animation of Stromboli ) ,the climax is just a marvel of animation (Monstro the Whale is one hell of a feat of animation ),Pinocchio is a likeable protagonist,Honest John is a hilarious comedic villain who stands in contrast to the more terrifying villainay of Stromboli and the Coachman ,and Jiminy Cricket ,Geppetto,and Figaro are just lovable.I love lovve love love love love love this movie .

@ariel-seagull-wings @makingboneboy @amalthea9 @the-blue-fairie @theancientvaleofsoulmaking @themousefromfantasyland @filmcityworld1 @princesssarisa

[klayfruit]

ouh.... i had never heard of goblet grotto but i googled it, & the artstyle looks so charming. would love to hear u talk abt it sometime, when u get the chance or feel like it ^_^

THANK U OH MY GOD nows my chance …. idk if u wanted me to explain it in ur dms or anything so im just gonna infodump here!!!

goblet grotto is a game made by thecatamites (who still actively posts games, just mostly under the name garmentdistrict) in 2012. the main Thing abt the game is that you play as a little swamp toad knight (probably) named swampy, who ventures into the grotto for their search for goblets. the game itself though is absolutely giant, branching paths at nearly every corner and the “story” becoming more bizarre as time goes on. goblets become less of a collectable, and more of an item of worship

the moment youre thrown into the game and it begins, there are already several noises screaming into your ears. first thing you notice is the glyphs popping up at the top of the screen, each one appearing accompanied with a Horribly Loud “BWAH”. you take in the side menu, looking at swampy’s little avatar and noticing how one of the options is just “pray”, and seeing how theres a Whole Ass Paragraph describing your surroundings right now. halfway through reading the paragraph, you are killed by wolves. you have eaten 0 meats and collected 0 goblets. the game is absolutely ruthless to the player, sometimes it will just throw an unkillable enemy at you, force you to crawl around slowly without an explanation, completely destroy your save file, etc. theres also just moments where the games like Oop You Fucked Up! like if you pray too many times it completely destroys the side-text into becoming incomprehensible screaming nonsense, along with just randomly spawning pyramids that make a horrible buzzing noise that you cant turn off. also theres an npc where if you interact with them it makes all your side-text start saying weird shit.

how ruthless the game is is what makes it so enjoyable to me, its so just unabashedly itself. youre thrown into this world screaming and bleeding, and you have to figure out how everything works to even manage to survive. the glyphs mentioned earlier are a whole ass language, the translation of each and every single glyph being in the guide book that comes with the game. you need to manage to memorize a good amount of them to realize that they have An Actual Meaning and Mechanic in the game. whenever swampy collapses and starts crawling, its not for no reason, its because theyre hungry/havent collected goblets recently and theyre screaming this at you through the glyphs. also would like to mention that praying too much also leads the glyphs to become more panicked and almost trivial, eventually them turning into symbols that Arent even seen in the guide book and i had to ask thecatamites directly what the glyphs meant.

theres so So much damn story in this game, and at the same time theres little to none. the moment you see something that seems like it could be a reoccurring theme, its instantly thrown out the window. its extremely rare for something to be consistent through a small section of the game, nevertheless the whole ass game. the only example i can think of is the game’s depiction of god, who speaks in funny little typing quirks and says shit like “UP AND ATEMCOWBOY!!!!!! WORLD IS HYOU OYSTER ;^)”. its heavily implied that, once you pray too much and the side text becomes all fucked up, its god speaking to you in their fucked up little way of speaking, screaming at you to keep on moving and collect goblets and have horrible dreams and Replace all files in your computer with a list of Swears (direct quote from god). there are also altars in several areas through the game, purple hooded people surrounding each altar. if you pray at it, god just straight up appears and gives you goblets. what’s special though about the inconsistency is that, at the very “end” of the game, seemingly all the vaguely important characters that you only see once in the whole game appear once again. it just like makes it special and really sends it home. god, along with the purple hooded people appear in this area, i just thought that was fun.

also want to mention the sound design and music is so unique and honestly fantastic. i am specifically talking about the glyph’s “BWAH”s, and also how everytime you collect meat, swing your axe, and collect goblets, you hear a man say in your ear “MEAT.” “KILL.” “GOBLETS.” aside from the sfx though the music is genuinely so fucking good im not even joking. its got such an amazing vibe to it, my personal favorite is world end because of how melancholic it feels compared to every other song in the ost

theres honestly so much i could say about this game, but i have autism and cant properly put my thoughts into words, so all i can say is just Pleaaaaase check out goblet grotto, even just for a moment. the gameplay sucks complete ass if youre not familiar with it, but the newest vers of the game DOES have an immortal mode (press L at the start screen and it brings you to Secrets Menu). if you dont wanna play it i recommend vinny’s small vid of him playing it, it gets the main thing abt it across pretty well! ALSO i made a whole ass website of me just talking about everything i know about goblet grotto, its like a sort of guide for the game as theres no other good guides of it online due to how obscure the game is.

anyway thank you so much for listening to me. autism be damned i can write essays about mediocre game

[knightcallie]

Baldur's Bounties: Nicknames

At any point in life, one was given a nickname. It may be a shortening of a name, or perhaps it described something. That something could be of anything: circumstances, personalities, a moment in time, the body, favorites... Weichei contemplated the ones he has accrued over his lifetime and ones for his companions.

Weichei has been compared to a star before. He was not like the sun, something gentler. But he was not like the moon, something not so melancholic. The bright freckles on his cheeks had earned him the nickname of Starcheeks by Einar Cadmus, the paladin who gave it all up for music. His penchant for cannons and explosions earned him the name Starburst by Relentless Makatza, the gunslinger grandpa. 

His partners don’t really use the star nicknames from their own language (stellino, sternchen), using his love of cherries and his family nickname. ‘Cheri’ was typically called sweetly, fondly; but he could remember the calls of exasperation and shrill shrieks. ‘Mauschen’, the little mouse of his family. He was so small compared to his absolute giants of his family, and his ever moving inquisitive ears.

But for some reason, ‘Starlight’ slips out of his lips terribly easy for the vampire spawn of the camp. Astarion, little star in elven. Star was an obvious nickname, but for some reason, Starlight, was the one that left his lips. Wyll can take calling Astarion ‘Star’ or ‘my star’.

He can remember when he first called Astarion that, it earned quite an inquisitive look. It was like seeing the stages of grief on that pale face, but not those exact emotions. Then, a bit of a forceful bark of a laugh. “That’s cute darling.”

Then he kept calling him that throughout the adventure, earning some teasing queries from the other companions. He honest to gods don’t know why it came to him so easily, but nicknames were just also a 2nd nature to him. Damon was Dage (his big brother), Dalmond, Macadamon. Lor was just lengthening it and making the names just as ridiculous. Asperitas was Peri, Pear. Volna was Voli, Vol, Spines. Beaulieu was Beau, Bear. Damiano was Dame (either sayings), ex-husband/exie/my mistake (an extremely funny explanation), dancer. Vierna was Vie, Vienna. Yasdia was Ya-ya, Yazzy. Temerity was Mer, always Mer.

His new companions also had nicknames, though some may be kept to himself. 

Lae’zel was Lae, Zel, Lae’bel. Though, he’s not sure she’d be too keen with the nickname Toad being said familiarly. Suddenly, his heart ached at the memory of sharing custody of a frog and toad with Voli. They named them Missile and Toad respectively, especially fitting when Vetleviola came along.

Shadowheart was Orchid, Doe, Heart. He does shorten it to Shart from time to time in his journal. He’s sure she’d be appalled and punch his arm for it.

Wyll… bill… Duck, he landed with duck, and it stuck. The warlock hearing his reasoning admitted it was silly, but then when he explained that it also meant “dear” or “darling”, he softened. 

Karlach was harder to pin, having drawled out Karl. Lackey could be seen crossed out heavily in his journals. Fireball could be used, or perhaps comet. He’s working on it, maybe Chath (drow elvish for fire) would work.

Gale took some doing. They have been calling each other bookie, for their love learning and infodumping when allowed. He could see the wizard be an Eres-blessed, majorly at that. He could’ve been Eres’ Passion, and perhaps that’s why he called him Iris.

Halsin was Hal or Bear. He did remind him of Beau, he has seen large elves before. He married Beau, and his Vaddy was built like a tank. Though in his sleepy state, he has called the wood elf Sisi.

Jaheira reminded him of a grandmother, Oma slipping easily from him. She could complain and argue she was not that old, but she holds Joma close. She was probably around his parent’s age, maybe a little older. He’s also called her Heira, she doesn’t make as much fuss.

He’s told the group the whole splattering of names he’s been given. Weichei had become Weich, Cher, Cheri, Cherry, Cherries, T’puuli, Cher bear, Little Whistle, Silver Silence, maus, mauschen, little maus, triel, little triel, starcheeks, starburst, son, Batty, pup, puppy, little bat. And more he couldn’t quite recall. He’s lived 250 years, made so many friends across the trade, taught so many. 

He wondered, if the others were jealous of the type of life he’s lead. Out of everyone, he didn’t have a terribly tragic past, an abuser in his life. He’s grown up poor and constantly moved in a trade considered dangerous, but those were circumstances. His deity was quite different from the others, well the pantheon overall from his home was vastly different. They actually listened, but some do have iffy times with responses. As Eres’ passion, he was granted the blessing to be able to talk with his goddex often. Though, because the pantheon was different here, he needed a magic source to even be strong enough to get a signal.

He’s been called “my passion, passion” before, but that’s because he was chosen to be that. But hearing it fall from Gale’s lips did leave a warmth in his chest, a twinkle in his eye. Wyll took the various forms of Cheri, the familiarity just felt comforting as he leaned into the man. Astarion kept using “darling”, but that was kinda for everyone. But, he has taken to calling him mouse, finding it quite amusing especially after learning why.

[heloflor]

Have a doc filled with Mario headcanons and wanted to share the sexualities part because fuck it, it’s still pride month.

Disclaimer since it’s relevant to this post : I headcanon that Peach, Daisy, Wario and Waluigi are all creatures from the world of the Mushroom Kingdom who look the way they do due to magic gems (those blue and green gems that Peach and Daisy have respectively). Peach is a Toad, Daisy is a Dino-Rhino (unless those flower people from Mario Bros acid trip Wonder are from her Kingdom, then again I like Daisy being a giant cool Dino, plus the trailer for Wonder showed several other big animals), not sure for Wario and Waluigi but they’re not humans. The Super Crown works the way it does because there’s one of those gems in it.

Also, since it’s briefly mentioned, what I call the “main” continent is made out of the Mushroom, Koopa, Bomb-omb, Thwomp, and Goomba kingdoms. Sarasaland (retconned into Flower Kingdom now ?) and other kingdoms are on other continents (yes I know in Superstar Saga the Beanbean kingdom is neighbors with the Mushroom. But since they never appear in other games, I’ve chosen to ignore that detail).

Anyways, onto the headcanons :

- Mario : Transmasc Aromantic Heterosexual ; he realized he’s aro after finding out Peach is a Toad and losing sexual interest in her (felt bad about it at first because he thought he fell out of love upon discovering Peach at her most vulnerable, Bowser made it worse for him by accusing him of liking her only due to her human form) ; him being transmasc is why he’s named Mario Mario (he thought it would be funny)

- Luigi : Cis Bisexual ; had a fling with Peasley + loves Daisy ; he’s gender non-conforming and sometimes shares clothes with Peach, he also trains his voice to be higher-pitched for the heck of it (+ it can help in case he has to take Peach’s place for a kidnapping)

- Peach : Demiromantic Pansexual ; is cis-passing in human form but is technically transfem due to being a Toad

- Bowser : Omnisexual ; Cis tho I like the idea of him being transmasc and birthing Junior’s egg

- Yoshi and Birdetta are T4T + poly (hence Birdetta flirting with others) ; Birdetta’s eggs aren’t actually eggs (insert joke about her “eggs” being white) ; not sure if “all Yoshis that lay eggs are female” but at least all those that lay eggs that can be fertilized are female (and on that note YOSHI MIGHT BE CANONICALLY TRANSMASC ???!!!) ; Yoshi is straight while Birdetta is plurisexual (bi/pan/omni etc)

- Daisy : Straight + intersex + transfem (imagine if Prince Haru from the 1986 movie was her appearance pre-transition, but remove the whole “Peach’s fiancé” part of the plot, or the plot as a whole since the events of this movie didn’t happen here, just keep Haru’s design as “Daisy before transitioning”)

- Big fan of the headcanon that Kamek is gay ; he doesn’t date because 1. He’s busy 2. He’s getting too old for this 3. He’s devoted to his son and grandchildren which takes all his free time

- Depending on which creature he is Wario would be cishet though I could also see him be plurisexual (bi/pan/omni/other label that has to do with dating more than one gender ; I like putting diversity in queer headcanons but I’m not the most knowledgeable on labels past the most common ones)

- Not sure for Rosalina, either aroace or she’s allo but just stays single due to her life situation ; probably non-binary (she/it, could also be a play on the fact that some see her as some kind of goddess)

- Pauline is Cis Lesbian and her and Mario parted on good terms after he came out as trans on top of other reasons (basically they still care a lot about each other but realized they were better off as friends, the whole “unknown aro + transmasc with lesbian” simply gave them an easier excuse to break up)

- Really not sure for Bowser's kids, the only ideas that are "set in stone" are that Ludwig is gay, Wendy is attracted to boys (doesn't meant she can't like girls), Lemmy is demi-boy (they/him) and Morton is attracted to girls (like Wendy it doesn't close the door for liking men).

Not sure for the rest, though I could see Iggy using he/neopronouns (likely xe/xem) and at least one of them being interesex. Btw the older kids say they don’t date because they’re busy with royal duties but the truth is they are just incredibly awkward + they can’t ask their dad for advice since he’s a romantic disaster

- I could see Toadsworth be aroace, since even in his younger years he cared more about raising his surrogate daughter than dating + he never pressures Peach into marrying ? In general he doesn’t seem to care about romance ? ; he’s also transmasc because Toad

- After seeing Bowser’s Inside Story and the beginning of Dream Team, Starlow is a lesbian crushing on Peach (is very buddy-buddy with Peach despite barely knowing her, makes a big deal out of Peach being kept safe, calls her “Peach” instead of “Princess” from the get go, at times seems to see Peach as the best person in the room)

- Toads and Goombas are naturally agender because mushrooms ; some choose to express a specific gender (ex Toadsworth, Toadette, Peach, the Toads and Goombas from the first two Paper Mario) ; some may use gendered pronouns even if their presentation doesn’t display any specific gender (ex Captain Toad using he/him despite looking like any other Toad) ; basically every Toad/Goomba that use gendered pronouns (or neopronouns) is technically trans and/or non-binary ; cisgender Toads/Goombas go by they/it ; the Super Crown gem gives the shape the Toad see themselves as but it doesn’t have to be cis-passing or even gender conforming, can be androgyne (Daisy took a while to figure herself out, hence her gem giving her Haru’s look at first ; she's not from an agender species but the way the gems work still applies to hers, hence mentioning how her being trans worked on that front)

- That previous point implies either all Toads have the same metabolism and thus all grow facial hair (Peach having to shave tho) or they have mushrooms that serves as HRT for those who want more “masculine” or “feminine” traits (hair/facial hair and tone of voice) ; the color of their hats has nothing to do with gender for Toads (ignore Nintendo’s weird obsession with making every female character in the Mario franchise pink)

- Sexual dimorphism in general is very rare/limited in this world (only the Beanbean kingdom has it ?), in “main” continent, Koopas are the ones where it’s the most present and even then it’s very minimal (genitals, who can lay eggs, possibly size but even then not really since Pom Pom is the only one smaller than her male counterpart, Wendy and other female Koopas aren’t particularly small)

- Toads (and other species) experimenting with gender could be due to seeing Koopas make the distinction between “male” and “female” and finding the idea of changing your appearance based on how you feel to be fun (even though you have the concept of male and female Koopas, there’s no transphobia in Bowser’s kingdom) ; by that point it’s common for Toads to change however they feel and go by any pronouns they want, just because they’re aware of the concepts of masculinity and femininity doesn’t mean they have to follow it to the letter with their pronouns unless they want to

- On that note, I could see Toadette as genderfluid, though she most often goes by she/her ; I could also see one or several of the other main Toads (Ala Gold, Bucken Berry, Captain Toad, "The" Red ToadTM) be bi-gender

- Not sure what’s going on with Waluigi but he’s definitely queer

[crunchy-pavement]

okay so I’m gonna go on a lil rant about my thoughts on the mario movie, in no order to their scenes :)

FIRST OF ALL.

Toad and Mario’s first encounter was absolutely hilarious to me. The shift from “DO NOT TOUCH THAT MUSHROOM YOU’LL DIE!” to “Oh! Sorry, that one’s perfectly fine!” was amazing. Also, Toad’s smile is so cute! Especially that last one when he put tiny Bowser in the jar at the end of the fight XD

Also who the fuck is responsible for making Peach’s design for the movie? BECAUSE SHE IS SO FUCKING COOL! Her entire personality and look were both just incredible :D I understand why Bowser would be I love with her.

ALSO RAINBOW ROAD. One of my favourite mariokart maps, and they put it in so fucking wellllllLLLLLLL. Also the karts implemented in the game was so great, especially with it being the main transport in the jungle kingdom.

Cat Mario was cute and funny as hell. And they putting him subconsciously doing cat things during that entire scene with Donkey Kong brought me so much joy for some reason, having a cat myself XD idfk the detail is cool to me

Lumalee needs some therapy. Desperately.

I feel bad for Bowser. The heartbreak on his face when Peach punched Kamek (I absolutely snickered at that bit) and told him she’d never marry him made me feel so bad for him! Like, I know he’s evil and stuff, but he’s also a goofy giant turtle who isn’t happy :(

Luigi and Mario’s reunion though. Sooooo fucking cute. The hug and the reassurance and the smiles, man. I almost cried.

Just for the record, I asked a friend what she thought of the movie, and the only thing she’d say to me was ‘Daddy Bowser’. >:(

TINY BOWSERRRRRRRRRRR. That was funny. And the way he turned away from the group and started pouting when he got put in the jar. And that scene later in the credits where he was in the cage on a MINI PIANO??? Man, they’re too generous to him, especially since it looks like he’s just using it to sing his love song about Peach.

Speaking of that song, that was incredible. Jack Black was incredible. Also, that one scene where he was practicing asking Peach to marry him with Kamek, and when they get interrupted, they both just go “WHAT?!” XD

Also, no one ever actually apologised to Mario or Donkey Kong. Yeah ik the dads were proud of them n shit, but DUDE THEY DESERVE AN APOLOGY >:C GOD DAMMIT

yoshi egg post credits scene :O

I think Toad would make a good best friend, in my opinion. He kinda reminds me of half of my irl friend group. :)

Donkey Kong and Mario’s fight scene against the koopas was pretty cool. Their arguments just slowly melted to friendly banter and I will always love that.

anyways.

thanks for reading this rant :)

[aiweirdness]

Botober 2021: pls draw the AI a sluggalope

Because I so dearly love it when humans play along when computers ask for silly things, I have generated drawing prompts for #botober2021!

(full plaintext versions on the AI Weirdness blog post, and also at the end of this post, since Tumblr severely limits alt text length)

I've managed to get GPT-3 to follow themes. Here's "animals".

It turns out the model size makes a difference as to how well a neural net can stick with my #botober2021 drawing prompts theme.

The largest GPT-3 model, DaVinci, really got into the Halloween spirit, though as usual it's weird and wordy.

I got the Ada, the smallest GPT-3 model, to generate a list of Halloween #botober2021 prompts but sometimes its link to the theme is a bit tenuous.

Maybe it's a spooky half a cup of milk?

For my last list of #botober2021 drawing prompts I had the DaVinci GPT-3 model follow "Landscapes" as a theme.

If you draw any of these, please tag them with #botober2021 because I'm dying to see how they come out.

For full plaintext, keep reading!

Animals:

- Opossumsaurus

- Rainbow space walrus

- The roars of roosters

- Sluggalope

- Adventurous stone chickens

- Fricken WHALE

- 4D Stegosaurus

- 8-legged cat

- Bearllionaire

- Impossibly cute pudgy birds

- Muppet sharks

- Fluffy space lemur

- Tiny shelled horses

- Angry jelly doughnut

- Roaring Ball of Feathers

- Butter gliders

- Dangerous swans

- Gleaming toads

- Worm That Ate Chicago

- Teeter-totter-rattlesnake

- Loud frilly cows

- Way Too Much Cat

- Steampunk platypus

- Heavenly caterpillar

- Elderly robot pug

- 6 legged wombatquail

- Angry eohippuses

- Firefly squid

- Porcelain squirrel

- Fabled unicycle beavers

- Godcockroach

Halloween (GPT-3 DaVinci model)

Howling canine ghosts scale the cathedral town pillars

leaves shaped like pumpkin smiles litter the sidewalks

spiderwebs grow luscious on wet pumpkin grins

'thank you' trees lean out of residences

black insects settle leaves

mouth mouth mouth mouth mouth mouth

snaking cobwebs mass on stalks

red eyeballs hit backlit branches

the wet forest steps on soft squirrel skins

murmurous forest insects smell caramel apples

haunting trees grow cuter on lighter dirt

planet-sized moon speaks 'hello'

Thanks for the original drawings, which are utterly delightful.

the night sky kisses blood oranges lined with white

headless animals shiver in their sleep

moustaches creep creepily

slouching gargoyles lay spooky stones

something is sitting in the center of the spectre tapestries

the unseen graveyard stretches for miles

deep-skulled jack-o'-lanterns smell the warmth of my nose

this town is filled with orange dust

mist-sheep chew on tombstones

a scarecrow cuts a pumpkin with a sharp scythe from a wooden block

the graveworm snatches out the eyes of strangers who come by

mist lamps glow with circling green and orange and green and orange and green and orange and green and orange and green and orange and green and orange and green and orange...

monsters crawl through alien fur

spooky house skulls peeking out of the dreamlike brambles

gangly moonlit grave rabbits lurk outside the windows

murder rats roam the streets below the buried Earth

a shrub plays the banjo from the shadows

pumpkins melt quietly, quietly

the white skull leans out of the tower of the Palace of the End

Halloween (GPT-3 Ada model)

1. The masked skeleton

2. The question mark from a box

3. Excuse me a minute a giant sphere

4. Five water bubbles in a crate

5. The goliath

6. Half a cup of milk

7. The super hero skull

8. A flappy spider

9. A flappy tea

10. Parts of a cow

11. Parts of a giraffe

12. Robots are weird

13. The watermelon fountain

14. The ghost in the closet

15. One spark walking to the other side of the room

16. Dangerous drops

17. A bat bat bat bat bat bat bat bat bat bat bat

18. Cows face the moon

19. Five eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs

20. Ghost traitors

21. The animals belong to space aliens

22. A zombl

23. The bubbleberry

24. No hands

25. The back of a zombie

26. The funny, psychedelic slime

27. Run like a bunny

28. Creepy cats

29. Old flames

30. A mushroom person

31. Holes

Landscapes (GPT-3 DaVinci model)

Glowing, purple starfish forest

Library of lava

Chalk canyon

Forbidden kale forest

Hillside terrain of hundreds of gray hats

Labyrinth of rocks and steam

Mirror forest filled with reflective crystals

Botanical mazes of white lace and trees

Sea of razors

Greenhouse glade filled with a bubble machine

Noctilucent glaciers

Forest of not-trees

Small rocky islands floating in a sky of lemons

Caverns of glass

Village constructed like the game Mousetrap

Needles of obsidian and frozen squalls

Hospitality space, enviropod

Forest of feather trees and shimmer lights

Ant fort of jeweled pastry, there is a tiny ant fort

Dark carnival caves

Skull forest

Plains of stardust and purple flowers

The fungal kingdom

Fallen horizon

Farm field covered with tiny triangular cups of tea

An outpost of accordion trees

Fortuneteller's grove, toad boulders

Botanical plate tectonics

Geode catacombs

Field of gravity-shifted stones

Perpetual storm field barricaded by a curtain made of clouds

[sepublic]

           I love how by the end of The Third Temple, Sasha no doubt thinks she’s being super-clever and conniving, because Marcy mentions going to Newtopia first, so of COURSE Sasha agrees with this, takes advantage of it, she’s such an opportunist and the girls have no idea they’re playing right into her hands…

           Except! She’s actually being outwitted by MARCY, who’s the actual smart kid… And it’s MARCY who’s thinking that Sasha’s playing into her own hands, and it’s probably Marcy’s gambit that will win out in the end with Andrias and his master; But it’s so damn hilarious because like… They’re both manipulating and playing into each other’s hands, but neither knows the other is up to something! Sasha underestimates Marcy and doesn’t know enough about Andrias, and then Marcy’s just blindly trusting of Sasha, like she probably is of friends who also serve as authority figures in her life in general (case in point Maddie Flour).

           It’s legit hilarious, and the writing’s so clever; Because they both have their own agendas but underestimate the other, and they just so happen to align perfectly… And you can see one being dumb, but really they’re BOTH being simultaneously smart and duped, and amidst the tragedy and betrayal, it’s gonna be low-key funny when Sasha and Marcy’s plots collide into one another awkwardly, as they realize- Oh WHOOPS, we sort of had the same plan, but didn’t? I love it, I love seeing how these characters can have their hidden agendas and how they play into each other at the same time, clashing and conflicting, lowkey agreeing upon the one thing they both need to take down the other, and neither of them even realize it!

           It’s such a complex web of events and intent, and it’s even better that they’re utterly oblivious to the whole thing… Unless Marcy is actually more aware than she lets on, and/or Andrias suspected all of this and told her. Then meanwhile you have Anne caught in the crossfire and confusion and betrayal, and no doubt Sasha and Marcy will ask if SHE had any ulterior motives, and she doesn’t, and it’s so confusing and hard to keep track of… Though I can also see Marcy kind of suspecting it, again from Andrias, but because she also knows about what Sasha did at Toad Tower from Anne, whereas Marcy herself has had no betrayal precedent established.

           But yeah, it’s so damn funny that Sasha is probably thinking “GOTTEM” at poor dumb Marcy who she loves, but actually Marcy’s been four parallel universes ahead of her this whole time, freaking MARCY, and while Anne and Sasha duel it out… They’re totally missing out on the ACTUAL girl who’s playing them all for fools, and her con is likely aided by the fact that she legit doesn’t mean malice, nor does Marcy even think what she’s doing is wrong and manipulative! Again, it’s SUCH clever, twist-and-turns writing that overlaps and sews across, little plot threads coming across… Utterly brilliant, I love it!

          Now we’ll have to see who adapts to the chaos and the heat-of-the-moment better… Or at least, who’s able to get Anne on THEIR side, and that answer’s likely a lot more obvious. In addition to Sasha also having to deal with Andrias and HIS machinations, which are guiding Marcy’s… And the Toad Rebellion ain’t looking so good, if that one shot of Yunnan and a bunch of downed Toads is any indication. This is just taking Suspicion Island to a WHOLE new level, and Marcy’s the one that everybody missed and overlooked, they thought SHE was the fool, when in reality she was playing them all… Not maliciously nor super intentionally, but she’s operating on Andrias’ orders, so y’know.

          Even if Sasha could come toe-to-toe with Marcy, it’s a different issue if she doesn’t even anticipate the attack to begin with, doesn’t even realize Marcy’s a combatant and player in the ring herself; And THAT surprise is going to blindside her, before Sasha has the chance to adapt and make use of her own strength to win what should normally be a straight-forward conflict. Grime praised Sasha for playing Flip-Wart while the rest did Bog-Jump, but it seems it was MARCY who was actually doing this the entire time; Fitting, how she’s the only one we see who knows about the game and actually played it!

          Sasha could easily take on Marcy in a battle of strength, but that’s why Marcy has Anne to do this for her… Sasha, alas, for all of her seeming manipulations, is fundamentally more brute force than anything else; Which means she’s no match for Marcy’s wit, at least in conjunction with Andrias’ scheming! Marcy won’t meet Sasha on the battlefield, it’s Anne who’ll do that for her, leaving Sasha vulnerable on the tactical front… Hopefully Grime can help, but when there’s also the hidden ace-up-the-sleeve that is whatever Andrias is serving, and things don’t look too good for the Toad Rebellion!

          Just when we thought it was Marcy who was the mediator who’d turn the tides between Anne and Sasha… It seems it’s actually ANNE who’s the mediator, to turn the tides between Sasha and Marcy! It’s all up to, and all down to, Boonchuy… And alas, I don’t think Sasha can count on Anne for support at such a crucial moment junction, not when Anne can’t the same in return. It’s always the ones who seem silly and harmless that you gotta look out for… Well, them, and the giant Newt King who’s been alive longer than anyone else; Him, AND whatever’s in that basement…!

           I’ll say it again- But the way this all overlaps and fits perfectly into a place like a puzzle, all of it no doubt painstakingly planned out, so it all seems perfect and obvious to each person to do this... It’s SUCH fiendishly clever writing, and I admire it! I can almost see this as being additional karma for Sasha, who possibly low-key looked down on Marcy, or thought of her as dumb, given her apathy to Marcy’s own antics back home, and even mentioning that she’d get herself killed. Well, Sash, look who’s blindly following the path into danger, and will need to be saved by Anne, THIS time...! Guess you shouldn’t have underestimated Marcy and given her as much consideration and time of day, and respect, as Anne did... In general you need to take cues from Anne, actually. For all of Anne’s issues, she’s somehow the most well-rounded of the trio, and that is of course a CONCERNING relativity...

It’s just this total clash and train wreck of differing interests, circumstances and opportunities, accidents and twists that nobody could account for, and blind spots, all coming and crashing together into utter chaos, a mess nobody can predict, debris and shrapnel of characters and new plot points flying all over the place, and you can’t tear your eyes away from it as you watch in fascinated horror, utterly engrossed. I look FORWARD to this, the drama and weaving of threads makes me excited for the final picture and the completed puzzle...!

[wwweasleystan]

The Scary Big Sister

Summary: Harry has managed to keep Draco’s taunts and nasty words away from the ears of his big sister. But what happens when she finds out what Malfoy has been saying about her little brother. 

Pairings: Harry x sister!reader Fred Weasley x potter!reader 

Warnings: If you're a Malfoy Stan then...sorry chief. one punch to the nose, a couple threats, but relatively fine 

This is relatively short, but this idea has been playing in my mind all day, thought I’d share :) Please leave a comment!

                                                       ~~~

Fred, George, and I were on our way to Potions when I heard it. Malfoy spitting insults at someone, a group of Slytherins gathered around. Rolling my eyes, I was about to walk over and teach the blonde brat a lesson, but before I could Freddie grabbed my elbow. 

“Cmon love, we’re late and if we walk in after the bell again McGonagall will have a fit, right George?” he commented, tugging me away before I could get to close sharing a glance with George, who nodded quickly. 

“What are you on about? Since when have you two ever walked away from a chance to shut up Malfoy and cared about getting to class on time. Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?” I joked, even though I was slightly confused. A Gryffindor is always ready to jump head first into a fight for others, regardless of the cause. Plus, Fred and George hate Malfoy. 

“Nothing’s wrong with me, love. I just think that whoever it is squaring off with Malfoy probably wants to deal with it himself” he says, slightly nervous while continuing to tug me down the hall. 

Coming to a complete halt, I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms at my boyfriend and his twin. “Now hold on a minute, how do you even know it’s a ‘he’ that he’s tearing into. What’s going on Fred?” Even though I was staring right at him, he refused to look me into the eyes, and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Okay okay, but you have to promise not to get mad or do anything. Harry made us promise not to say anything to you. I told him that was just plain stupid but he was so adamant about it- y/n? Where are you going?” In the midst of his rambling Fred and George had failed to notice you turn around and begin briskly walking away once you heard Harry’s name. Who the fuck did that rat think he was, going after your brother? How long had this even been going on? You were quickly storming towards the jeering crowd, some parting upon seeing your icy glare, others you pushed right past. 

Once you got to the front, you could see Draco standing toe to toe with Harry, who was flanked by Hermione and Ron. Malfoy, for his part, had Crabbe and Goyle off to the side for back-up, as if those two pinballs could do anything besides stand there and look dumb. Harry looked calm for the most part, but you could see that Malfoy’s words were beginning to get to him, especially when he started talking about Hermione and Ron. 

“What’s the matter, Potter? Scared to fight back? Never took you as a coward, though I guess daddy was never around to show you what courage looked like. I don’t even know how you got into this school, you’re a sorry excuse for a wizard. Associating yourself with mudbloods and blood traitors, it’s pathetic.” Malfoy sneered. You made a move to step in but both Fred and George had stepped behind you, grabbing onto your shoulders. Fred leaned down to whisper into your ear,

“I know it’s bad love, and trust me there’s nothing I’d like more than to go over and punch his face in, but both Harry and Ron made us promise not to do anything and that they could handle it” he whispered. 

“Sweetheart, you know I love you more than anything, but if you and Georgie don’t let go of me right now, I will not hesitate to hex you as well. You two may have promised, but I did no such thing.” You responded, shaking off their hands and strolling up behind your brother’s bully, who was still spouting off to Harry. 

“Where’s that sister of yours, Potter. Ya know if she wasn’t related to you and dating that weasel I may have tried to get in on that. It’s a shame she’s related to you, she’s kinda hot” Draco snickered, causing Harry to clench his jaw. 

“You’ll leave her out of this Malfoy, she’s got nothing to do with this, it’s between me and you. Talk about me all you want, but leave my sister alone. I’ve done a good job of keeping the shit you say away from her, but if it gets back to her, I’m not going to hold y/n back when she gets a hold of you. Let alone what Fred would do to you.” Your brother responded, clenching onto his wand tighter. 

“Ohh I’m so scared. You’re sister isn’t here Potter, I’m allowed to say whatever I want about her, and you won’t do anything. If you do, I’ll report you to Umbridge, and I don’t think your hand’s healed from the last time, has it?” Malfoy fired back, mocking your brother by grabbing at his own hand and pretending to faint. You had heard enough. Finding out that Draco was partially responsible for getting Harry in trouble with Umbridge was the final straw. 

You silently crept up behind Draco, your brother’s eyes widening as he spotted you. You quickly raised your eyebrows and winked at Harry, then tapped Malfoy on the shoulder. As soon as he turned, you gave him a swift left hook straight to his nose, knocking him straight on his ass. Smiling at the satisfying crack that echoed through the corridor, you watched as Hermione and Ron quickly pulled Harry away and over to Fred and George. Gasps were heard, but you blocked them out as you stood over Malfoy. 

“Get up you prat.” you growled, grabbing him by the collar on his robes. You shoved him back, cornering him against the wall and keeping him there by pointing your wand at him. Malfoy, still dazed from the punch was too surprised  to say anything. 

“Gone all quiet now have you, Malfoy? Imagine my surprise as I’m walking to my class, having a lovely day, only to hear the biggest joke of fifth year coming after my brother. Cornering him with his band of cronies like some macho man. Calling him pathetic, as if you don’t have to look at yourself in the mirror everyday” you remarked, keeping your focus solely on the boy in front of you. 

Appearing to have momentarily regained his confidence, Draco opened his mouth to respond, but you quickly cut him off with a “Silencio!” rendering the boy unable to speak, mouth opening and closing like a fish. 

“Uh-uh. I've heard enough of your chatter to last me a lifetime, and the next. You’re lucky all you've received is a broken nose. I should dangle you over the lake for the Giant Squid, you absolute douchebag. Newsflash, the world doesn’t revolve around you, Malfoy. Thought Mum and Dad would have taught you that already.” you spat, walking towards the clearly frightened boy, who’s eyes had gone wide in shock. Stopping only inches away, you pointed your wand directly at his face. 

“I’m not usually one for violence, but make no mistake, Malfoy. If I hear you sniffing around Harry and his friends again, or anyone else for that matter, I won’t hesitate to reunite you with your ferret form from last year, are we clear?” you spoke, the warning clear in your voice. 

Malfoy, seeming to finally come to his senses, nodded quickly. Swiftly, you patted his head. “Good boy, now take your “friends” and run along to class. And remember what I said, Draco. I never break my promises.”

You watched as Draco took off down the hallway, Crabbe and Goyle clumsily taking off after him. Turning to the crowd, you shouted “nothing to see here folks, go off to class” and quickly the crowd dispersed, obviously a little afraid of what the elder Potter was capable of when it came to her family and people she cared about. 

You casually strolled over to your group, immediately pulling Harry into a hug. “I’m sorry if I upset you by stepping in, but I won’t apologize for doing it. That little ferret had it coming. He had no business talking to any of you like that” you spoke, glancing at Hermione and Ron who gave you grateful smiles in return. 

“Honestly sis, it was pretty funny. I’ve never seen Malfoy so scared in all his life. I truly thought he’d wet himself. I just don’t want you to get in trouble with Umbridge. I’m supposed to protect you too and I don’t want you to have a run in with her because of me” he spoke, returning your hug. 

“Don’t worry about me, little brother. I’m more than capable of handling that Pink Toad should she find out, but I doubt Draco wants to expose himself, merlin forbid his father finds out he got told off by a girl, a Gryffindor no less.” you chuckled, giving Harry a squeeze before stepping back. “Now, you lot run off to class, and if anyone gives you any problems, just let me know, okay?”

The golden trio eagerly smiled at you and nodded their heads, running off down the corridor, probably to tell the rest of the fifth years what a fool Malfoy had been made out to be. You smiled after them, turning back to your boyfriend and his twin, who you immediately smacked in their heads.

“Bloody hell, woman. What was that for??” George, grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. “That was for not telling me my brother was being picked on, you numpties!” You then quickly pulled them in for a hug. “I did notice however, that a few more pranks have been played on Slytherin house in the past week than normal, and I appreciate you looking out for him in the way you could. Just next time, don’t keep something like this from me. please.”

“You got it, love. Harry is just very convincing when he’s got puppy eyes. ya know? Bloody fool can convince you of just about anything.” Fred spoke, wrapping his arm around you and beginning to once again guide you down the hall. “Now, let’s actually get to McGonagall’s, and you’re explaining why we’re late, miss.” George spoke from the other side of you, ruffling your hair. 

“Oh and, love? Remind me to never get on your bad side.” Fred spoke, as you all laughed, walking off down the corridor. 

[heart-wit-strength]

Lean on Me -Amphibia Oneshot

'Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow, but if we're wise we know that there's always tomorrow.'

*Following the ending of 'Marcy At The Gates'*

Because I just wanted to write Anne and Marcy being cute without, y'know, dying for once. My first Amphibia fic so no, it's not that good, but well, I tried. Here ya' go @milkshakekitty ❤️

––

Anne smiled warmly as she clutched onto Marcy’s hand as they swiped through the pictures, she had to catch her up with all the adventures they had in Amphibia without wasting any time. “Here’s me and Sprig by the lake. There was a snake that tried to eat us.” Anne commented. “Oh, oh, and here’s us running from a centipede that-”

“Let me guess, tried to eat you?”

Anne gasped, mouth agape in astonishment. “How did you know?”

Marcy giggled to herself. “Duh. This is Amphibia. What do you expect?” they swipe through some more pictures. “Wow, Anne. You and Sprig really seem really close, huh.” Anne blushed, twirling a strand of her hair in her finger.

“You could say. He’s…kinda the reason I've really been able to keep going, especially ever since separating with you guys, life’s been hard.” Anne admitted. “Feels like yesterday when I was absolutely freaked out was when I found myself stranded in the woods of Wartwood all alone. I’m gonna be honest with you, Mar-Mar, eating bugs ain't my favorite thing ever, or fighting tax toads…and stuff but I’ve come to think I’ve somewhat grown on this place and it’s because of Sprig and the Plantars.”

Marcy joyful smirk couldn’t help but fade slightly at the sound of all the things Anne had been through. “Yeah, I…can't disagree with that.” She muttered, looking away and pulling a strand of her hair behind her ear. “The Plantars really are sweet. And the little frog dude? He seems quite protective of you, no wonder you mean a lot to him.”

“Uh, yeah. I’m sorry for all the…suspicion Sprig had on you earlier. I told him it was kinda uncalled-for, but a lot of stuff has happened and…”

“Oh please. I don’t mind at all. Believe me, I’ve seen a lot worse phases of skepticism in several rural civilizations I visited. Your friend seems a lot more open.”

Anne frowned, could she really blame Sprig though? Her other friend had almost killed him, and initially Hop Pop too. It just felt a bit uneasy having to tell Marcy that he had thought she was gonna be the same, what would she think? She didn't want Marcy to also hate her best friend like the other one did. Anne vaguely swiped through another picture on her phone, and what came up was her other friend. Anne’s didn't acknowledge herself holding her breath and frown at the sight of the blond girl on her phone screen.

“No way! Is that when you and Sasha reunited?” Marcy exclaimed with excitement, pushing her face between Anne and the phone screen, the picture of Anne and Sasha smiling and posing at the camera. “Heh, the armor suits her. Is that a Toad army uniform? She looks so different.” Anne rolled her eyes.

“She does.” Anne shoved the phone back into her pocket and stood up, looking into the distance, clutching the tip of her sleeve. “Literally. She’s changed.” Marcy, with a look of uncertainty, approached her.

“You said you had you had a fight, didn't you? But see, Anne…you know Sasha, we’ve known each other since we were kids, that’s the way she’s always been. Sure, she’s got a bit of temper, but I’m sure she’s still our friend. No matter what.”

‘She’s our friend. No matter what she does.’ The words echoed in her mind. ‘Nothing can change that.’That’s the one thing that had kept Anne bounded all these years. She was so busy making sure Sasha got away with all the trouble she was too blind to figured it out whatever she was doing with them was anything but friendship. All for they just couldn’t risk her somehow not wanting to be their friend anymore, for that would be the end of it all.

Wouldn’t it?

“She tried to kill my family, Marbles.” Anne’s tone cracked. Marcy’s eyes wide opened, stunned.

“She what? No way,”

Anne sniffed. “She tried to hurt Sprig, and Hop Pop. She’s far from justified. It’s too late, it’s time she takes responsibility of her actions. She’s way past treating us like we need her to make our decisions for us. Acting like…she can do whatever she wants because we just can't risk losing her because she convinced us that we’re NOTHING without her.” She panted, her face going red in exhaustion. Marcy stared silently at her friend with wide eyes. Anne breathed out and smiled warmly, looking into her eyes. “Well, we’re not. You and I are here, without her, doing just fine. The Plantars helped me make my way here to find you, we don’t need her to lead us. Dang, look how far you’ve come, Mar-Mar, you’re the literal hero of Newtopia and all, you bet Sasha would’ve never guessed that to come from the School’s science nerd, am I right?”

“Aw, quit it, Anna-Banana.” Marcy punched her playfully with a blush. Anne rubbed her arm and elbowed her with a smile. “How about we go for a walk? Bet that’d help. I know the perfect spot, c’mon, Anne!” Anne had barely processed anything Marcy had said yet before she was grasped by the arm and yanked along by her. After a moment of blindly letting herself be hauled along, when Marcy finally stopped Anne was marveled at the scene before her. What they stood upon was a hill, from where all of Newtopia could be seen. “Whoa.” Was all Anne could say, “That…sure is something, dude.”

“I know, RIGHT?! This is the most fun spot of the city next to the library, check this out!” Without a warning, Marcy hopped off her feet and let herself roll down the shimmering cool grass. “Anne, look I’m a Springroll!” Anne couldn’t help but chuckle at this until she noticed that Marcy was going to rolled herself right into a giant rock.

“Rock! Marcy, rock!” She shouted.

“I know! I rock at this!”

“NO! Marcy, look out!” Anne didn't acknowledge herself diving down and grabbing the girl before she’d crash herself. Anne panted heavily, holding her close. Marcy grinned.

“Heh, I get carried away sometimes. Thanks, Anna-Banana.” Anne sighed deeply and got to her feet, dusting herself.

“Sometimes. Pfft, sure. You can do me a great favor by being careful for five minutes for frog’s sake.” She retorted. Marcy blinked, wondering if she wasn’t being a help. Nah, there was no way for that to be, she knew how to cheer up her friend. Just as Anne began walking away, Marcy grabbed her hand and pulled her down. “Marbles, what are you…? AAAA-” she screamed as the two rolled further down the hill. “MARCY!”

“Isn't this cool?!” Marcy laughed as she gripped on her tight. When they stopped, Anne held her spinning head.

“Dude, what the frog?!” She complained, rubbing her head as Marcy continued to grin. “That was insane.”

“Insane and fun!”

“Pfft, yeah.” Anne couldn’t help but chuckle, slightly punching her shoulder. “Don’t do that again.” She looked up at the sky full of stars, sighing to herself. Funny how it was only her and Marcy now, without Sasha telling them what to do, just like back in…kindergarten? Well, that was quite long ago.

And surprisingly for all, she was actually feeling…good? It was true she always felt a lot liberated around her. As Anne had described to Sprig earlier, Marcy was indeed harmless. It was almost astonishing how she was totally living the moment and barely seemed concerned about everything that had been going on. How long they had been away from their parents, and haven’t seen each other in months until now, how Sasha tried to kill her family…

She couldn’t keep herself from remembering the tearful look in the girl’s eyes during their last encounter. ‘Hey, Anne?’ The last words from Sasha echoed in her mind again. ‘Maybe you’re better off without me.’ And in a blink of an eye, feeling her hold on Sasha’s hand loosening and having to see her former friend nearly fell to her doom.

Anne shook her head. No, that wasn’t her fault. There was no way it being her fault that Sasha rejected the help, rejected her, something she had always been afraid of. But somethings were inevitable, and in the end they were alright, she was okay and Sasha had…other people to stand by her, to follow her lead rather gladly.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Marcy spoke up, who was relaxing down on the grass.

“I often like coming out here to read. It actually feels pretty great out here, heh. Andrias prefer to join me sometimes, we had SO much fun together. Gosh, I LOVE this place!” She lied on her back, whirling her arms and legs, and enjoying the feel of the soft grass beneath them. She suddenly gasped and sat back up, eyes shining and a dreamy look on her face. “Y’know what I just came up with? What if…we made a hideout here? Brilliant idea. If we use the correct type of wood according to the air moisture, but wait we also need to bug-proof this place, we could try-” She stopped when we noticed Anne zoned out. “You okay there?”

“Huh? Yeah, and yeah we should totally do that.” Anne said, sitting down beside her, one arm wrapped around herself.

“Are ya’ cold?” Marcy asked with concern.

“Huh, no, it’s not that. I’m just-”

“Aw shucks! I should’ve known it! You always get a cold out in the night. Here, have this before you go all sneezy.” Marcy proceeded to take off her cape.

“No, Mar-Mar, really, I’m-” Anne was interrupted by her own sneeze. “…fine.”

“You’re not, Sneezy.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Heh. You know? It could be a sign someone is thinking about you.” Marcy smirked, tapping her chin.

“Yes, I know that, Marcy.” Anne replied, flushed and rubbing her itchy nose. “But I think I’m just cold.”

Marcy shrugged. “Eh, anyway. Here, you can have this. Don’t worry, it’s not on fire…yet.” she joked as she wrapped the cape around her shoulder. “Remember when we used to go to the café after classes, you always ordered hot chocolate while me and Sasha went for soda. Even then, you get sneezy. You always have it colder than us.” Anne blushed as she curled up.

“Thanks, Marcy.”

“About Sash, Anne, all of that sounds real rough, hard to believe actually, I never thought she’d…go that far.” She sounded much disappointed by the finish.

Anne sneezed again. “I’m not even surprised at this point. She’s always been a jerk, we were just too blind to notice.”

Marcy leaned back, fiddling the tip of her toes. “I…kinda always thought she was like the protector of the group, and that she’d always look out for us.”

“She likes to show me that I’m the weakling,” Anne’s voice cracked. “So that she’d feel better about herself. That’s why she tried to kill Sprig, he has been the first to make me realize that I was friends with a jerk. I guess that’s it, all she cares to have is control.”

Marcy’s eyes moved back and forth for a moment before she gently placed a hand on Anne’s shoulder who just sat there, hugging her knees. She felt a bit guilty about the fact that despite always being there, she had never been the one to realize what Anne had been going through, that Sasha was basically pushing her around. Maybe if she even did, there wasn’t much she could do to change it.

“Hey, you ain't a weakling to me. Pfft- Yeah sure, Sasha always liked to show off her strength, I rolled with it because it seemed like the only thing she was ever into. But hey, you know how much you look out for me.” She lifted Anne’s chin. “Even back in that cave today? You looked out for me. My point is, you’re so much more than you think, Anne. We might need her on our way back home, we aren’t gonna leave her behind. But whether or not she is there, you know you matter so much to everyone. You’ve got me, you’ve got the Plantars, and Sprig; it’s gonna be okay.”

Anne wiped her watery eyes with a smile, Marcy blinked as Anne embraced her into a hug, she smiled and hugged back. There was a moment of silence between them while they hugged until suddenly, Marcy sneezed.

“Huh, wonder who’s thinking about me?” She remarked, wiping her nose.

“Perhaps the librarian back home, for all the books you didn't return.” Anne commented sarcastically. Marcy narrowed her eyes and elbowed her. Anne shook it off with a chuckle and wrapped the other end of the cape around Marcy’s shoulder. “There. Now you won't get all sneezy either.” Marcy rolled her eyes with a smile. Anne leaned her head against hers, staring up at the stary sky, spotting a shooting star passing by.

“I don’t ever want to lose you again, Mar-Mar.”

“Me neither.”

[gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights]

Rating: G

Summary: According to Marinette, all's fair in love and Mario Kart. Chat Noir is determined to test that theory. Multimouse/Chat Noir for @kittylovezine volume 2

Word Count: 1,519

XXX

"HA! You snooze, you lose, Chat!"

“Now you’re just showing off,” Adrien grumbled from Marinette’s desk chair as her—well, Multimouse’s—kart passed him. One of her karts, anyway. The Princess Peach she was controlling bounced across the giant mushrooms as her Rosalina and Daisy tag-teamed his Yoshi with two green shells.

“You’re the one who wanted to test my powers,” the one of her sitting on his left shoulder teased. 

“Haven’t you ever watched Tom and Jerry?” another Multimouse chimed in while crossing the finish line. Her victory noise mingled with the sounds of late night traffic outside. “Mice always outsmart a kitty.”

He pouted while crossing seconds behind her. A new record—this time he’d only been beaten by two of her three avatars. The Multimice driving Rosalina had fumbled their too-large Wii remote while drifting around the last turn. 

“Dang it,” they muttered.

“I guess you can’t be perfect all the time,” he teased. “I’m not sure it counts though. You only lost because the controller is too big.”

Yet that wasn’t stopping the rest of her from kicking his butt, even playing as three separate characters. She’d been right—she didn’t need practice with her powers. Was there anything Marinette wasn’t good at?

“All’s fair in love and Mario Kart.” She shrugged. “Besides, you need all the victories you can get.”

The Multimouse on his other shoulder grinned and poked his cheek. She hadn’t been so willing to roast him while playing Ultimate Mecha Strike with “Adrien” before. He wasn’t sure if it was confidence from her new superpowers, or just that she felt more comfortable with Chat after their few weeks of training together.

“Love and Mario Kart, huh?” He grinned back as the game automatically began counting down to the last race of the Mushroom Cup—Toad’s Factory. “Which one of those are we talking about here?”

To his surprise, two of her three karts stalled at the starting line as his blasted off.

“Dumb cat,” she muttered from his shoulder. 

At risk of getting smashed by the course, he snuck a glance at her. A pink blush dusted her tiny cheeks.

Was his joking actually having an effect on her? No, it couldn’t. She (unfortunately) didn’t have a crush on Chat Noir anymore.

But if his attempts at flirting were distracting… all was fair in love and Mario Kart.

“What? Did you fall for me again?” He teased, and one of the Multimice controlling Daisy lifted the remote too high, sending her careening into the water.

“The only one who’s going to fall here is you,” she threatened, making Rosalina launch a red shell at him. 

Yoshi yelped as he too skidded off the track, but Adrien couldn’t bring himself to mind. He grinned at the duplicate sitting on his shoulder.

“More and more every day, Princess.”

That was less of a joke and more of an accidental confession, but hopefully she would be too focused on beating him to notice.

Or not. Rosalina and Daisy crashed into boxes. Princess Peach mired herself in a mudpit. For the first time since they’d started the grand prix, Adrien blew past all three of her characters.

“I swear, Chat,” one Multimouse from the table began ominously as her duplicates scrambled to right their remotes, “if you just said that to distract me, I’m going to make you regret it.”

“So you’d rather I said it for real?”

He bit his tongue. Stupid, stupid. Maybe he could wear his heart on his sleeve for Ladybug—she was used to it, and he was used to being rejected in turn—but Marinette? Marinette, who didn’t have to spend her precious time with him, let him into her home, joke like they’d been friends forever?

He couldn’t bear to lose her. But his stupid mouth had never learned to stay shut.

Six Multimice stood on the desk, and not one looked at him. Even the two on his shoulders were silent as a… no, no puns now.

Her karts stayed on the road this time. 

“I retract my earlier statement,” she huffed. “All is not fair in love or Mario Kart.”

His heart sunk to his feet. He didn’t care when the NPCs blew past him, when he got smashed by the course, when one of Marinette’s karts completely lapped him. Her miraculous’ warning beep sounded, but it hardly mattered; she’d win before her Multitude wore off.

“Chat.”

...Unless she paused the game.

“I just red shelled you.”

He shrugged before remembering she could lose her balance. She didn’t, but only because the two on his shoulders grabbed his collar. Heat spread across the sliver of skin she brushed.

“You’re… what’s wrong?” She asked from his left, staring up at him in confusion. 

She… didn’t realize he’d meant it? A wave of embarrassment washed over him. If he’d played it cool, like he did with Ladybug, he might’ve been able to recover from his failed flirting attempt.

But this was Marinette. What she thought of him mattered. Even if “him” in this case was his superhero persona and wouldn’t affect their civilian friendship, he couldn’t have her think he’d flirt with her and not mean it.

“Sorry.” He shook his head with a rueful smile. “I wasn’t trying to distract you. Well, I was, but—I wasn’t just trying to distract you.”

“What?” Her breath hitched.

“If I did say it for real… that I was falling for you…” He swallowed before meeting her eyes. “What would you say?”

She clung tighter to his collar. 

“I—I would—why?” 

He blinked. 

(“No, Chat, I’ve already given up on you.”)

(“I’m in love with Luka. You’re just a friend.”)

(“Yes! I’ve already got our kids’ and hamster’s names picked out.”)

Any of those responses he might have expected—okay, not that last one—but asking “why?” 

“Because—why would I not? You’re incredible, Marinette.” 

Her necklace beeped again as her tiny head tilted sideways. “You, hero of Paris with a face that every girl in the city drools over, thinks I’m incredible?”

A choked noise came out of his mouth. Sure, he was used to unreasonable amounts of attention in his civilian life, but hearing Marinette in particular say it so matter-of-factly about Chat set his face burning.

“You can dish it out but can’t take it, huh?” She grinned.

“Y-you’re a hero of Paris too, you know.” He flicked the speck of a pendant at her neck.

“Not really. You know Ladybug’s never going to put me in the field again, and—you’re dodging the question!”

“About how incredible I think you are? I could talk about that for hours, Princess.” He winked. She hadn’t turned him down yet. That had to count for something, right?

“I can’t believe you,” she muttered through her hands. 

“Then let me tell you until you do,” he said, though he knew that wasn’t what she meant. “And you still haven’t answered my question. Do you… I know I turned you down when you confessed to me the first time, but if you’ll forgive how stupid I was… would you…?”

“What about Ladybug?” She interrupted. “Won’t she be jealous?”

Adrien laughed. “She doesn’t like me like that, no matter what your ladyblogger friend thinks. She’s made it clear enough times, and even if I’ll always love her, I know it’s time I let go.”

“I think you’d be surprised,” she mumbled.

“Huh?”

“Nothing! Sorry, I’m just—I didn’t expect you to ever—yes!”

He wasn’t entirely sure what she was saying yes to, considering he hadn’t strung enough coherent words together to technically ask her out. And he didn’t know how dating her as Chat would work, anyway. Wow, he did not think this through, even if he regretted absolutely nothing because she said yes she said YES!

The two Multimice on his shoulders leaned in and simultaneously kissed his cheeks, and he effectively melted into a puddle of goo. He barely heard the beep from her miraculous—

Then a full-sized Marinette was sitting in his lap, blinking up at him with a mortified expression.

He couldn’t help it. He burst out cackling, only quieting when he remembered that her sleeping parents might hear.

“Shut up!” She smacked his chest lightly. “It’s not funny!”

“Admit it, Marinette, it’s hiss-terical.”

She bit her lip, but her cheeks puffed with suppressed laughter. Mullo took one look between them before deciding it was best to leave them alone.

“Don’t make me take it back, kitty.”

“Too late. No returns, no refunds.” He hugged her as giddy energy coursed through him. She liked him!

“Hm. I guess it would be rude to dump a stray out on the street.”

“Definitely.” He nuzzled her shoulder.

Marinette giggled. “So… I guess we’re not finishing that Mario Kart tournament. Unless you want to share some of Plagg’s cheese with Mullo?”

“Nah. Besides, I already won anyway.”

“Excuse you, you were going to lose anyway.”

“Doesn’t look that way from where I’m sitting.” He grinned and hugged her tighter. “After all, all’s fair in love and Mario Kart.”