#this was WAY LONGER THAN I THOUGHT ITD BE

[averageclawcodeenjoyer]

Okay so hear me out on SIREN + SELKIE AU. THIS SAME DYNAMIC, BUT MILES G IS A SIREN (totally not based off a betta fish because I think that would be super pretty). HEAR ME OUT ON GANKE BEING A SILVER HARBOR/SPOTTED SEAL WHO WEARS HIS FUR COAT EVERYWHERE WITH HIM BECAUSE "ITS FASHIONABLE" OR "ITS A FAMILY HEIRLOOM/GIFT."

HEAR ME OUT ON MILES BEING "SCARED" OF WATER BECAUSE IT UNEVILS HIS GLAMOUR MAGIC (Luca reference) AND GANKE WANTING MAKING FUN OF HIM BEING "UNABLE TO SWIM" (LIES!!1!1!!!)

HEAR ME OUT ON MILES HAVING GLOWY SCALE ACCENTS (like his suit) AND PINK EYES AND PURPLE SCALES AND SHARP TEETH AND CLAWS AND GILLS ON HIS RIBS AND FINS THAT ARE SO LONG AND FLOWY AND ABSOLUTELY STUNNING, AND A MUSICAL COMPONENT TO HIS VOICE THATS HYPNOTIZING. HEAR ME OUT ON HIM HAVING SHARP VISION AND THE ABILITY TO SEE PRETTY WELL IN THE DARK, AND COARSE HAIR FROM THE SALTWATER, AND GIVES EVERYBODY THE UNCANNY VALLEY FEELUNG BECAUSE THEY KNOW HES NOT HUMAN INSTINCTUALLY BUT HAVE NO WAY TO PROVE HES NOT. He just sits there and people stare and get nervous and it's hard for him to make friends because of it :(

(And he gets predatory urges to lure and kill and eat and has to suppress them because.. obviously the library is not a good place to get hungry and murder someone.)

HEAR ME OUT ON GANKE BEING SOFT AND ROUND LIKE HE IS BECAUSE IT'S SEAL BLUBBER. HEAR ME OUT ON HIM BEING RESISTANT TO COLD AND ABKE TO WEAR A T-SHIRT AND PANTS IN NYC WINTER WHILE MILES IS BUNDLED UP LIKE AN ANTARTIC EXPLORER. HIS FRECKLES AND MOLES IN THE SAME LOCATIONS AS THEY WOULD BE AS A SEAL, HIS EYES SOFT AND BROWN AND HAVING PERFRCT VISION UNDERWATER BUT NEEDING HIS GLASSES ON LAND (Seals can't sea as well on land). NEVER BEING ABLE TO TAN AND GETTING HORRIBLY SUNBURNT EVERY TIME THEY HANG OUT OUTSIDE IN THE SUMMER. HEAR ME OUT ON GANKE GETTING SUUUUUUPER COMFY AND SLEEPY AND CHIRPING OR MAKING SMALL LITTLE SOUNDS WHEN HES HAPPY.

HEAR ME OUT ON MILES AND GANKE MEETING AND IMMEDIATELY HAVING A CONNECTION SINCE THEY BOTH HAVE LIVES REVOLVING AROUND THE SEA. BUT GANKE GETS A PREY-RESPONSE WHEN HES ALONE WITH MILES (At least for a while) BECAUSE MILES IS A PREDATOR HIGHER ON THE FOOD CHAIN THAN HE.

HEAR ME OUT ON MILES STAYING OVER AT GANKE'S PLACE AND FINDING GANKE'S COAT AND WEARING IT. ON GANKE TRYING TO CONCEAL A FREAK OUT ABOUT IT. ARE. ARE YOU LISTENING YET. AM I LOUD ENOUGH

Uhhhh minific anybody ( ・∀・)

"Damn man, no wonder you wear this all the time. Shit's nice." Miles said, coming down the stairs with Ganke's Selkie pelt wrapped around his body like a robe since it's so big on him, his hands running through the fur that is Ganke's.

Ganke paused, a piece of chocolate held halfway between the counter and his mouth. His eyes went wide as his entire world shifted sideways because holy shit, that's his coat, his only connection to the ocean, his lifeline. "Haha, yeaaahhhhh... it's, uh.. really expensive." He whispered, sounding breathless as he stared at Miles.

Miles looked up at him and smirked, looking at the way Ganke was staring at him with that funny bug-eyed expression he always got when someone asked about his coat. He always thought it was strange yet amusing how protective Ganke was over a scrap of fur. So he decided to tease him about it, stroking the fur and sauntering around to the counter where Ganke was standing.

"Is it? Well, I hope you have enough to buy a new one, because I'm keeping it." He joked, not serious at all as he looked up at the taller boy, noticing the way his face paled and he started to sweat.

Ganke felt his mouth get dry immediately, his heart starting to pound against his chest as he felt his blood pressure rise. He missed the fact that Miles was joking, partially because he was bad at social cues, and partially because if Miles wanted to keep it, he couldn't say no.

"I-- I- um, well-- it's like, a uh, important heirloom for my family, a-actually." Ganke stammered before his throat could close up and he was forced to say yes. He set the chocolate down, pressing his hot hands against the cold counter as a way to ground himself as his heart panicked. "I can get you a different coat to wear if you want." He offered, willing himself to reach out and snatch the coat back... but he couldn't. His body wouldn't move.

"Nahhh.. I like this one," Miles continued, grinning as he rolled his eyes and turned around, stepping over to the couch and sitting down, kicking his legs up. The coat was almost a blanket on him, and it smelled like Ganke, and it was so warm. "Sorry, man. You'll just have to tell your dead ancestors that you were ready to pass it on."

Ganke stood rooted in place, his terrified stare focused on the back of Miles's head. Inside. Ganke was screaming at himself to move, shout, say no, speak up. But he couldn't. That wasn't how this worked. His breath hitched quietly as he fought against the words building in the back of his throat. Words that weren't his. Words that could ruin his whole life. But he couldn't stop them. The longer he tried, the more nauseous and dizzy he was getting.

"Oh. Okay." He said quietly, his voice coming out as a choked squeak as his head reeled.

Being a Selkie was both a blessing and a curse. He could go where no one else could, free from the biological confines of the human body. He got to see the best of both worlds above and below sea. He wasn't confined to one existence or the other.

But his coat was his lifeline. It was what kept his heart beating, and what kept him connected to the sea and magic that allowed him to exist as he was. If he was separated from his coat for a long time, he started getting sick... like that one time his father had taken it away to get it professionally cleaned, not knowing it's importance to Ganke, and they couldn't get it back for three weeks. Any time somebody else had the coat in their possession, he felt like there were nails in his feet and spiders in his lungs. His entire body crawled with fear and discomfort.. but he could never ask for the coat back, nor take it by force.

There was some invisible puppeteer that lived inside him, seeing, breathing, and eating with him. Usually, it lay dormant and distant in the back of his consciousness, but in times like this, it outgrew his control over it and took over, possessing Ganke's body and keeping him from going rouge. It didn't seem to care that it would sever the only thing that kept its host alive. It would find another.

Ganke was just a body.

The beast was indifferent to him.

"Wait- really?" Miles asked, surprised as he looked over his shoulder, surprised by how much of a pushover Ganke was being. This.. wasn't like him. He narrowed his eyes slightly, confused by Ganke's response.

Ganke didn't reply for a moment, his entire body shaking as he tried to swallow back the curse that was bubbling inside him. Don't say yes, don't say yes, don't say yes--

"Y-eah." Ganke said, feeling as though each word was being drug out of his mouth like thorns, ripping and tearing at his soft body. Bile rose in his throat the longer he tried to repress it, causing him to lean forward on the counter with a grimace. "..If you want it.. you can have it. N.. n-no big deal."

Miles sat up in alarm as Ganke slowly sank down to the floor behind the counter, looking extremely green. Holy shit?

He got up and quickly hopped over to the kitchen, crouching down next to Ganke and taking the other boy's face gently into his hands. He was clammy and shaking, and he didn't look like he was doing too hot. "Uh, dude? Gee? What's going on?" He asked, noticing the wild look in Ganke's eyes.

Ganke shook his head, shuddering violently as Miles touched him. He reached out and set his hand on the fur, feeling an intense wave of nausea as his survival instincts went toe to toe with the beast. He dug the nails of his other hand into the floor, gritting his teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hide the face that they were trimming with tears.

Miles’s heart lunched as he saw Ganke's reaction, his own panic spiking. Ganke looked like he wanted to vomit his soul up. "Oh, shit. Fuck, dude, uh-- Are you- having an allergic reaction to something? Did one of those chocolates have nuts in them??" Miles asked, gently setting Ganke down as he grabbed the box of chocolates, scanning over it. Nothing. What the hell? Was it something else?

Ganke couldn't respond, putting his hands over his mouth as he fought the urge to be violently ill, toeing the edge of his very existence. He looked like he was about to start frothing at the mouth.

Miles's eyes darted around, going from his friend, to the snacks, upstairs, and back. He swallowed harshly, trying to keep his composure while also hard-core freaking out. "Crap, uh, um, okay. I think I saw an Epi-Pen in your bedroom, I'm gonna go get that-- don't move." He instructed, hoping he looked like he had it together even though he very much did not. He dropped the coat onto the ground, leaping over the counter as he took off towards the stairs.

The second the pelt was off Miles, and he was moving, Ganke snatched it off the floor and wrapped it around himself, curling into a ball with it at his center. He inhaled sharply, burying his face back into his fur, shaking as he caught his breath again. He felt the magic in his blood start flowing again, soothing his clenched muscles and relaxing his lungs again. He opened his eyes dully as Miles came back, skidding around the corner and nearly eating shit as he did.

"Here- god- how the hell do I work this thing, u-uhm---" He stammered, his hands shaking slightly as he crouched down by Ganke again, trying to figure out how the Epi-Pen worked.

"Miles, wait--" Ganke said, his voice a little hoarse but definitely stronger. He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, fully putting the coat on and leaning back against the cabinets. He put his hands up, still breathing heavily, but the color was coming back to his face and his eyes were normal. "I-I'm okay, Milo, it's over."

Miles paused, an unconvinced expression on his face as he looked his best friend up and down. There was no way Ganke was just okay after that. He looked like he'd been about to throw his organs up and has just been convulsing on the floor, for fucks sake!

"..Really."

"Yeah, really."

"....Really-really?"

"Miles-" Ganke sighed, pressing his hand to his head and wiping away the sweat that had gathered there during his little.. episode. "Yes, Miles, I promise. That was it. It's over. I'm okay." He insisted, glancing towards the sliding glass door at the empty night sky. Now that he had his connection to the sea back... his body was itching to go jump in the sea and feel okay.

Miles continued to stare at Ganke, not convinced that was how allergic reactions worked. He'd never seen one himself, so he didn't know, but from what he'd heard, the person didn't just get better like that. What was really going on? "But-"

"I said I'm fine!" Ganke snapped, his words coming out a little more angry than he'd meant them to. The primal need that coursed in his veins burning under his skin. He needed to go, and he needed to go now. "I just- I just need some air."

"Wh- Ganke? Wait!-" Miles protested, but Ganke had already gotten up and whisked himself off towards the sliding glass door with nothing but a curt "Give me a minute!"

What. The actual. Fuck.

Miles stared after Ganke, flinching as the door slammed and Ganke disappeared around the corner. He was left feeling so confused, and a little hurt by Ganke's reaction.

Ganke had never snapped at him like that, not even when Miles was bullying him and making fun of him for being a nerd.

None of this was adding up.

He looked down at the Epi-Pen that was still in his hands, blinking as his head reeled. He didn't understand any of this. He knew Ganke was weird about his coat, but... this was really weird.

After about ten minutes of absolute radio silence from his best friend, Miles started getting worried again. He set the Epi-Pen on the counter as he got up, grabbing his phone off the couch and pulling up his messages.

Bro are you okay? What the hell was that? He texted, staring at the message after it sent. He heard a ding and looked up, noticing Ganke's phone laying abandoned on the counter...

"..Crap."

Ganke's bare feet slammed into the earth as he raced down a trail he knew very well. A trail he traveled often. A trail that led straight down to the ocean and up the back of a big rock, where he would jump into the ocean and transform.

He didn't care about the rocks that poked into the pads of his feet, nor the blackberry vines that tangled around his ankles and ripped into his skin, causing scarlet blood to spring to the surface andrace down his legs.

He was driven by the incessant need to make sure that he was still connected to the ocean. That he hadn't given up his freedom. That he was still Ganke, not Ganke that belonged to Miles. It was wild, and terrifying, and it made him feral. He was running, ripping, clawing his way to the forest until his feet hit the sand.

"Ganke?" Miles called, pushing the door open and stepping out into the night. The late-winter air was bitter and cold on his face and he paused, momentarily rethinking his decision to go after Ganke. He didn't have a coat, and he was in a tank top and Hello-Kitty pajamas bottoms.

"Ganke..?" He asked again, raising his voice and closing the door behind him. Ganke was more important than freezing his ass off for a little bit. He shivered slightly and stepped into the grass, scanning the property for his friend.. that was nowhere to be found.

"Where the fuck did you go..?" He muttered to himself, looking around. The forest was dark, yeah, but he could still see just fine, thanks to his special eyes. He walked the length of the forest until he found a trail that looked pretty well-used. "..I guess that's a start."

Miles started off down the path, moving swiftly, but quietly, like a snake through tall grass... or, like a shark through a kelp forest. As he followed the path, his worry grew, especially upon seeing the little droplets of blood on the ground, and the broken, battered greenery that someone had tore through.

That someone being Ganke.

Miles sped up, listening to the sound of the waves getting closer. "Ganke!" He yelled again, nearly tripping and falling over a tree root that he hadn't seen poking out of the ground. God, where the hell is this kid?

Miles’s breath fogged in the air around him as he panted, no longer taking care to be quiet and stealthy. He finally broke through the brush, and his feet hit cold, grainy sand. He snapped his head up, scanning the horizon before his eyes caught something silvery shining in the moonlight. There.

Ganke.

Miles let out a relieved little chuckle, about to call out to Ganke when he realized... Ganke had made it to the top of this enormous rock.. and he wasn't stopping. Miles shot forward again just as Ganke jumped off the rock and dove into the water headfirst, a terrified scream ripping from his throat.

"GANKE!"

Miles wasn't going to lose someone else. Not again. Not him. Not like his dad.

He didn't care if it gave up his secret.

There was a bright light as Ganke hit the water, but Miles didn't notice it. He clawed his way up to the top of the stone, feeling fuzzy and slow. What the fuck was Ganke doing?! It was high tide, the middle of the night, and freezing! He was going to die for sure if Miles didn't get to him in time.

He felt sick.

Scrambling, Miles searched the waves desperately, but he didn't see Ganke anywhere. Oh god, please, not like this. He picked up a spot that didn't look like it had too many rocks and jumped as well, plunging into the icy water.

He's too important.

I need him.

Miles blinked as his eyes adjusted to the harsh pounding of the waved, grunting as he was slammed into the rock behind as he transformed. He felt his legs fuse together, his long, pink and yellow tail fanning out below him. Shimmery purple scales pricked up on his arms and torso, turning over and replacing the skin that was typically there. He blinked again as the bubbled assaulted his vision, causing him to panic even harder.

As the water pushed him back into the rock again, he dug his claws into it and dove under, diving as far under the waves as he could do he could have a moment to adjust and look around. He rubbed his eyes with the webbing between his fingers, blinking harshly as he shook himself off.

Under the water was just as unforgiving and empty as the surface was. There were sharp, jagged rocks that jutted out of the sea floor, black against the already dark water. Miles kicked his tail, propelling himself forward as he desperately searched for Ganke. But there was no sign of him, no traces, no body, no clothes.. nothing.

Miles shuddered in the cold, feeling it start to leak into his bones. He wasn't made for swimming in the winter, despite his thick scales and large fins. He lost heat quickly as he swam around, wearing in and out of boulders and seaweed. He had to keep searching, he wasn't going to lose Ganke like this. No, not like this. God.

Not again. He wasn't going to lose someone again. Ganke was too important.

But Miles's body had other plans. Long before his vision started getting hazy, and his fingers got numb, he could feel his body shutting down. His fins got heavy, his tail locking up, his scales glowing dimmer and dimmer. But he still pushed on, not going to let Ganke be the one that got away.

I need him.

Please..!

Miles wasn't sure when he had closed his eyes, but he knew he had when he woke up to the waves splashing him on the face. He leaned his head up, wincing as another bright light shone in his eyes, and there were big, warm hands wrapping around him and carrying him up the beach. He leaned his head tiredly against the soft embrace, feeling his body change again as the water dripped off his body.

"Miles! Miles!!" Ganke yelled as he laid Miles down on the dry sand and curled around him, sharing his body heat in an attempt to warm the other boy back up. "Hey! Don't you dare pass out on me right now!" He barked, his voice breaking as he gently grabbed Miles's face and patted it.

Miles opened his eyes again, his vision hazy and his brain foggy. For a moment, he thought he saw Ganke. But when he blinked again, the hazy edges of his vision cleared, and he realized it actually was Ganke.

"Wh- I-- where?-"

"You fucking idiot!" Ganke snapped, interrupting Miles, rubbing Miles's arms aggressively until he felt his body warming up. "I told you to stay in the house! What's wrong with you?!"

Miles blinked at him, his head lolling into the crook of Ganke's neck. He closed his eyes, clinging onto him as he listened to his heartbeat. He could tell just from the way Ganke was holding him that he wasn't really mad, just extremely worried.

That made two of them.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Miles mumbled, slinking his arms around Ganke's torso and squeezing him tightly, suddenly finding himself tearing up. "I just- I was so worried about you-- and then I couldn't find you, and then you were jumping and you didn't come back up and I-" He bit his tongue, sniffling softly as he hid his face in Ganke's body.

Ganke didn't stop rubbing Miles's back, but once he felt how tense he was, and the way he was shaking slightly, his touch got increasingly tender.

"Shhhh..." He whispered, pulling Miles's damp body up off the sand and into his lap, cradling the smaller boy and pressing his cheek to the top of Miles's head. "I know. I'm sorry too. I'm okay, Milo. I'm right here."

Ganke continued to gently rub Miles's back and shoulders, murmuring soothingly as the waves crashed in the background. As the silence lingered, so did the heavy feelings of guilt. Sure, it wasn't directly his fault, but he still habitually blamed himself. He felt like he had done something wrong and was the only one at fault for making Miles cry. It wasn't a good feeling.

He sat there, anxiety building in his chest as he waited for Miles to stop sniffling. He needed to fix this, he needed to make Miles smile and laugh again and forget about what he'd just done. It wasn't okay. He took a quiet deep breath, gnawing at his bottom lip as he rubbed the space in between Miles's shoulder blades. Fix this, damnit, Ganke.

"..So. You're all fangs and scales, huh? That's pretty hot." He said in a sly tone once Miles seemed to be okay again, prodding the other boy in the ribs. He didn't know what else to do or say, didn't know how to make it better. So he aimed towards distracting Miles from what happened.

Miles huffed, rolling his eyes as he sat up a little more, wiping the tears off his face. Embarrassing. "Shut the hell up." He said, nudging Ganke with his head affectionately. He was still incredibly upset after thinking he'd lost him, but the sound of Ganke's constant, strong heartbeat was reassuring enough.

"Nah, I'm serious though. Claws and shit? And you glow in the dark? Plus those fins? Dude, I knew you were pretty, but that takes it to a whole 'nother level--"

"Ganke." Miles groaned, interrupting as he buried his face into Ganke's neck, feeling his cheeks get warm. He was never very good with compliments, and Ganke loved to bombard him with them. It made Miles feel strangely fuzzy and nervous.

Ganke laughed, squeezing Miles gently and pressing his face to the top of Miles's head. It got quiet again, but this time it was much more comfortable and less charged. The unspoken bond between them was stronger, some silent, complicated familiarity that connected them together.

"You wanna head back and get warmed up? And.. talk? I think we have a lot to talk about." He suggested, looking up at the moon. He could feel Miles shivering against him still, trying to snuggle closer for warmth. Things had changed.. but not in a bad way.

No, this was good..

"Mh. Yeah." Miles agreed, nodding as he let out a breath. He shifted his weight as Ganke hooked his arm under his legs, standing up with him held bridal-style. "Just promise me something..?

"Of course."

"..Never do that again."

Ganke smiled, kissing the top of Miles's head gently as he started carrying him back up the beach, stepping carefully on his injured feet.

"..I promise."

Fin.

OKAY SO LIKE THAT TOOK SO FUXKING LONG AND THEN IT GLITCHED OUT ON ME AND I HAD TO RE WRITE LIKE 15 PARAGRAPHS BUT ITS DONE ITS FINISHED SO YOU SEE MY VISION.

HERE'S SOME ART TOO BECAUSE IM INSANE ACTUALLY.

Ganke if he was more mermaid-like than seal. Just for funsies.

The vision for Miles ^

ok so u know the wolf/bunny dynamic?? right so i came up with shark/seal… ITS LITERALLY CLAWCODE. ITS THEM. MILES SHARK GANKE SEAL. ready to get what they want, excellent hunters, lures prey, cunning and coy and violent x silly cute and lazy, just wants to chill and doesnt wanna be involved. PLEASE SEE MY VISION CLAWCODE NATIONNNNN

[arkos404]

fanart for the personality swap au, the lawful joke au, by @chaosaliien

love makes you blind fr, prism bailed immediatedly afterwards, here some of the other fits he tried before tho (yes scrabby reacted the same way to all of them)

,,,,,also tagging @flaint and @rateater2000 bc they said they were looking forward to it 👉👈 sorry it took this long lol, some of the refs below

[deoidesign]

I've been... Busy 👀

Trying to get all 4 arcs from season 1 into books!

(not available for sale, these are print proofs. I'm planning a Kickstarter early next year!)

[recallback-art]

You know that joke, about how dogs can't recognize themselves in the mirror, and see a different dog entirely when it's really been them the whole time?

[arsenicflame]

hi so, checking in (sorry, its personal bullshit again, ill get back to the fandom stuff you actually wanted,,,, eventually)

things. are going bad. like, really bad, like last january bad. like im about to lose all my personhood again bad. im hoping its still just going to be a small blip and things will start upticking soon, but. im bracing for that not to be the case. it feels different to me

i vaguely mentioned earlier in the week taking a bit of a step back, and ive decided to extend that into a full break. my queues probably going to run out before im back, though i have slowed it down some. thatll be the only noticable difference for 99% of people. i wont guarantee any dm responses on here, but ill do my best for the couple of people who have me on discord

i didnt really want to do this again but it gets messy in my head, and ive found the best way to control the clawing beast of attention and need and the things that make me want to be a person i dont want to be is to cut it off at the source. its not nice, and it hurts, and it definitely kills the chances of making friends but. i promise you its better than the alternative.

ill see you when i see you, i guess. i hope its soon. i hope this isnt how it feels to be. i hope the feelings that have existed this week go dormant again. but itll be what itll be. i can't change that

[kasaneteto]

thoughts about honesty & lying and my relationship with these concepts before intake a power nap because i only got 4 hours of sleep thanks to daylight savings

i didn’t really realize until this year just how deeply ingrained in me the urge to lie is. i will just say fucking whatever if its what i think the conversation needs. (or i should say i used to. ive been really making an effort to not say ANYTHING that i dont mean and its fucking hard but its getting easier fs) this is a bit of a double edged sword because like, i AM very good at talking to people and being friendly & this skill definitely stems from the years and years of people pleasing, but at the same time i have to really hold myself accountable if i want to be impeccable with my word, because the natural instinct to tell a lie is SO strong.

my parents would punish me for honesty so i very quickly learned it was better to lie and not get yelled at (which didnt even always work lol) and as a result have had to learn how to be honest with even myself. it was SO deeply ingrained that when a truth was difficult or painful i would just lie to myself instead of facing the music. ive gotten a lot better about being honest with myself about my feelings, my recent breakup helped me realize that i still had a lot of work to do in that respect and ive been doing a lot of introspection about it. but what im really struggling with is the impulse to say things that i think will help the conversation flow even if they arent true, and in my effort to NOT do this i seem to have become… too honest? i dunno. ive always hated fakeness and niceties of that kind so sometimes I’ll say something in response thats super honest but like….i did not need to say that.

despite my honesty making people uncomfortable at times i feel way better about myself this way. i feel like a toddler sometimes with how much i wear my heart on my sleeve these days but it feels good to know that hey at least im being genuine yknow? like what you see is what you get with me. im not exactly an open book but im not gonna pretend to be someone im not just for your sake. like ive been doing that my whole life and STILL got rejected by people left and right so like. who cares. i’ll just be myself and be honest and forthcoming and not worry about what other people think of me. because the people who like me and want to spend time with me will stick around. and if im being myself and people dont like that, WHO CARES!!!!! get well soon bitch because im fucking awesome. it feels good to say that and truly believe it.

anyways. tl;dr if we’re friends theres a good chance that one day i will say something to you and then immediately say ���that wasnt true im sorry idk why i said that” because it has been happening often LOLLLL

[wovenstarlight]

weaning myself off mtl and into direct translating... slow going but it is SO satisfying

[lunar-fey]

WIP meme: dragon's son. I would like to hear about it 👉👈

@lidrens okay combining these into one bc you guys managed to both ask for the One project that i don't have any writing for and don't have enough to say abt to stretch it over two asks i'm just gonna summarize xD so one/both of you feel free to send another one <3

i never actually figured out like. where i wanted to go with the story because the dream ended. but i thought the world building was really fun! tldr it took place primarily in a like ~medieval fantasy world~ where i stepped through a portal into that world and regained memories of a past life.

in that world, if someone wanted to have a child but couldn't for whatever reason, they could go to a dragon (not like. a specific one. this was just A Thing Dragons Were Known To Do) and ask for one. if the dragon felt like you would be a good parent, they would give you an egg. it would hatch into a child that Looked Like You (not like. so much as to be weird but enough that they pass as your biological child) and would be for all intents and purposes human, except they would retain their memories through the cycle of reincarnation.

as such, "dragon's children" were often sought after for like. advisory and leadership roles for their wisdom. in the dream i realized i had been a dragons child (but lost my memories presumably due to like. getting reborn in modern earth world instead?) and was a king from like hundreds of years ago. and when i came back into that world i realized it was descended from the kingdom i had ruled, as there were much of murals on a wall of myself and other people i knew, specifically i had recognized my advisor (who was also my lover...).

after that its a little shaky bc of dream logic lmao. for some reason i was put on trial, and i had to Sing For My Life. like. essentially there was magic woven into the murals, and they would glow as you sing, and based on how they glowed The Spirits Of Our Ancestors would decide you guilty or innocent. bc they can see into your soul, or something like that. also i had to sing Against the person accusing me, who was the current ruling princess iirc.

i don't know exactly what the crime i was accused of was, but when the court when on recess for a bit i went to go look at the mural of my old lover and essentially go "oh dear we're really in it now..." when some guy walked up to me. and i Could Tell it was him but he didn't have any memories of our past life (or at least he shouldn't have.) so i didn't say anything to him, but i think in the dream he figured it out and cast spells on everyone so they'd remember who i was, and they were all like "oh shit dude hey what's up! we could never accuse you of crimes!!"

i THINK it was like. the "crime" was coming to this world? but since i was from here originally it wasn't exactly a crime anymore. i also vaugely remember something about having recognized the princess from my previous life also, and she had been a queen who wanted to fight my father for my egg because she was deemed not worthy by the dragon or something? that didnt get resolved in the dream tho and i have no idea how it would have resolved in story!

[furballfaggot]

do u need an ibuprofen for that

[so0ppa]

so... what are your favorite suomirock songs :3

this ask is akin to someone non-chalantly inviting all the circles of hell and satan himself into their living space. anyways, ask and you shall receive anon. i will be incredibly annoying and rambly for a whole long-as-fuck post because this topic is something i know way too much yet simultaneously very little about (im bad at keeping up w most bands' lore and member names and also only listen to a select few bands anyway v_v)

Right so i was planning on structuring this in some actually comprehensible way but I dont feel like it soo... lets fuck around idk. also feel free to raise your brow at some of these because theyre too "pop" or "iskelmä" i dont really give a shit genres are fake anyways 💥

TIISU MY BELOVED. There's a full recording of one of their live performances in Heinola from 2023. Which I happened to be at. So this, the banter and all the performances have a special place in my heart lmao. I could go into a lot of detail about this video and the songs in it but i wont since itd take up like. A majority of the post IM SO FUCKED UP ABOUT THIS BAND... If you have access to Yle Areena I'd recommend watching um all of their performances for the game show Hengaillaan lol... the show itself imo is mid but the music fucks soo... the fact they mostly played english songs is a travesty 😭 but the cover of Call Me Maybe makes it all worth it /silly. Anyway I also saw them live a little later in 2023 at one of their 10th anniversary gigs!! I got autographs that time from my fav Mikko Aaltio (every instrument lmfao), who left the band that yr :(, and the lead Henrik (Tiisu) Illikainen himself lmao :) only them since I wasnt about to stay for the rest of the band I was already anxious af about it 😭 uhh fun fact the drummers name is also Riku..... 🤨 and i have tiisu t shirt yayy which. im actually wearing under my hoodie rn wtf

SPEAKING OF MY FAV MIKKO AALTIO... he left Tiisu to do some other shit INCLUDING to focus on his own band, Paha Kurki!!!! Its hard to choose favourites from them which is FINE because their discography is prettyyy slim (1 single & 3 really short EPs) so its real easy to just listen to everything theyve released up to this point loll. Which I recommend btw because damn is it all good. Mikko's voice is soo... ^_^ i liek it tiihiii

so in Paha Kurki's self-titled song from their 2nd EP, Kolmin, they compare themselves to Ursus Factory, a way more popular finnish indie(??????) rock duo, since Paha Kurki started as a duo but "failed" due to gaining a 3rd member lol. Anyways, I think its an apt comparison vibes wise!! And also gives me an excuse to transition into talking about Ursus Factory!! LISTEN TO THEIR 2023 ALBUM IO, CHRIIISSTTT IT IS SOOO FUCKING GOOODDDD ?????? Pinkki pilvi (my 2nd fave album from them tbh) and Älä lopeta uskomista rakkauteen baby are also banger albums, but IO fucking takes the cake with how well it works as a whole in my opinion. The themes and just. Everything also hit hard for me honestly.. ummm they've actually got english versions for 3 of their songs (A Great Heart, Pomo The Master & Season For Everything) I definitely dont prefer them but if you dont understand finnish (likely /SILLY) and like understanding lyrics to songs. maybe give them a listen idk. The Virhe EP is also p good :)

hey soo remember when i mentioned the game show, Hengaillaan? well another band I wanna talk abt also performed on it, in the very first episode, actually... Luukas Oja :3c I'm not like their biggest fan or whatever, but damn if Sims, Parasiitti, Supersankari, Haaveminä and Väritetty todellisuus dont hit hard!!! Also their performances on Hengaillaan are also just great hehe :D

speaking of female led suomirock bands. Huora :) maybe the best finnish punk/metal band currently??? IN MY OPINION.... ^_^ Their most recent albums, Neljä Huolenaikaa and Älä Luovuta are some of my favourite albums just like in general :) I also saw them live actually, at Ruisrock in Turku... some year, idr. I thinkk the only time ive gone to a music event alone? :P if i had to pick favourite songs from them it'd prolly be Kohde vai esine, Sanni, Kuoleman odotusta eri tavoilla, Helvetin koirat, Loppu, (Älä) Luovuta, Njet, Vlad!; Sama olo, eri syksy; Koditon, Puukottaja, P.a.-Ska and Hautajaiset :)

another rlly good current finnish punk/metal band right now has to be Rasvamaksa!! I saw them live this year with my younger brother, and man were they WAYYY more energetic than the other bands at that same venue 😭 it was alot of fun hiihii and i also have a band tshirt of theirss. Rasvamaksa only has one album and an EP atm sooo get on it chop chop listen to them!! /nf j... anyway my fav tracks from them are VIIVA and LOLITA from their EP and HERKKÄÄ SETTIÄ from their album ^_^ id put them like a bit above Luukas Oja with how big a fan of them i am.. theyre good but in most songs the lyrics r a little boring and one note for me personally. if i just want something brain off angsty yelling tho i love to put them on lol

speaking of angsty punk. Negatiiviset Nuoret (literally translates to negative youth). ive listened to this band the least and idk shit about them other than the music so yk they might not even be youths... LMAO. I really like Mä Oon Niin Ruma, Soitin Pomolle, Niinku Sut Omistaisin and Kellokosken Prinsessa. um you can tell i basically havent listened to their 2nd album at all considering those are all from the 1st one .... orz anyway would it be weird to say this is a very bpd band to me. maybe. im saying it anyway hehe.

ok apparently i have alot more punk in my pockets than i initially thought. i haven't listened to Lapsuus in a while but from what i remember theyre really good. only got 2 EPs and 2 albums also. I reaaallly like the EP Haamuna Maailmassa and the song Viime kesän onnelliset päivät. anything else i cant rlly speak on >_<

christ, ive talked too much about bands i know jack fuck about. its YUP time baby. started as a more hc punk band, went on to do some progrock, and one of their more known songs is a love ballad (Rakkaus on pesti hulluuteen). im mentioning this for a reason i promise just. remember that for later (/silly). I'm preeeettyyyy sure they ever officially disbanded but theyve been on hiatus since like 2008 so thats basically just being disbanded tbh. anyway all that to say i missed my chance at seeing them live because i was too busy not being born yet 😔 /j. All their albums are fucking masterpieces you can read that as hyperbolic but to me. its true :) if you forced me to pick only a few albums though :( itd be Homo Sapiens, Toppatakkeja ja Toledon Terästä (a concept album about a fucked up town theres a tvtropes page for it if you want to get the gist of it), Normaalien Maihinnousu, Vapauden Kaupungit and Hajota ja hallitse 1993-2001 (actually not sure this counts its marked as a compilation but also. idrc so ^_^) and uh just songs wise i would pick. WAY TOO MUCH so lets go thru them hehe. Beelsebub ei nuku koskaan, Tänään kotona, Väärinkäsityksiä merellä, Mitä elämän jälkeen, Kuonamagneetti, Taivaiden maisterit, Alla jalavapuun, Murhaaja soittaa pasuunaa, Jos helvetti on täynnä, Yövieraat, Meidän on annettu pudota, Mitä luoja teki ennen kuin loi maailman, Tuuliajolla, Hauskat hautajaiset, Tavaroiden taikamaailma, Kuolematon, Normaalien maihinnousu, Meitä odotellaan mullan alla, Pohjaton säkki, Syyllisyys (this one hits hardd tbhh), Ihana elämä, Minä elän vaarallista elämää, Mikään ei voi mennä vikaan (actually i have a weird relationship with this song because i used to play it on loop when i was panicking in hopes of maybe not panicking. cant remember if it worked or not so shrug), Rankat ankat, Korppi kaiken yllä, Nyrkkeilijä, Korkeasta ruohikosta (finnish cover of Kõrge rohi by estonian punk band J.M.K.E. okay kind of a tangent but as a native finn estonian sounds soo fucking weird its like i feel like i understand and am supposed to understand but i dont. its so fucked up i need to learn it tbh), Herrasmiehet, Lihavia luurankoja, Tohtori Tulp esittelee alkuihmisen, Kuka pelkää raakaa lihaa, Suuri peto (also a cover but imo its way better lmfao), Kaikki hyvä ei ole terveellistä, Joutilas, Kaiken maailman pakanat, Eurooppa, Jos saisin kolme elämää, Nero, Minä en tiedä mitään, Maailmassa on virhe, Pullopää, Auringon pieksämät, Kunhan kuluu tuhat vuotta and Sanomisen pakosta (also hits hardd as an artist). ok that was way longer than i expected jfc.

im technically not done talking about YUP, because the lead, Jarkko Martikainen, has an album im soo fuckin obsessed with. Listen to Itse tehty elämä please 🥺 i got to see him perform it live last year :) idk if it really counts as suomirock but who gaf its really good :) maybe saying that Jäätiellä is an Ego/Critic song (TO ME, IN MY OPINION.. or whatever) will convince someone.... /lh

this is so long im kinda losing track of everything. have i mentioned Hassisen Kone yet. probably not. 3 banger albums, pretty short lived band, i had the chance to go see them at their 40th anniversary concert and missed it because i wasnt aware of them at the time so thats cool im totally not insanely salty about that. I dont really like Täältä Tullaan Venäjä as much as the other 2 albums but ymmv. um my fav songs : Oikeus On Voittanut Taas, Führerin Puolesta, Jurot Nuorisojulkkikset, Odotat?!, Tällä Tiellä, Hyvä Olla, Kupla Kimaltaa, Levottomat Jalat, Totuus, Eksyneet Lampaat, Julkinen Eläin and Pelko.. I need to listen to more Ismo Alanko (the lead iirc) projects but I havent yet v_v um at some point i will listen to everything from Sielun Veljet. Hold me to that or something lmao

apparently Zen Cafe is one of the classics so hey kind of a normal transition we're still on classic suomirock bands i guess ? I think I like Samuli Putro's solo stuff more tbh but Zen Cafe has good songs, such as; Herra heroiini, Idiootti, Tulis nainen, Monta kertaa(this one gets stuck in my head alooott), Tahdon halvan naisen, Särkylääkkeet, Taivas on kirkas ja napakka, Rakastunut taas(delphia aeon legion song tbh), Elämä moukaroi, Moi; Laiska, tyhmä, saamaton(me fr/j); Hontelot pojat, Puuenkeli and Rakastele mua.

Since i mentioned Samuli Putro might as well rec his 2023 album, Ikävä mummoa. again, not sure it counts as suomirock but like whatever. I also like the album Tavalliset hautajaiset :3c

Tehosekoitin!!! I used to listen to them alot more and they're like the first band I ever saw live... just listen to the Golden Greats album/compilation and the songs Kusipää & Taivaallinen Babylon and youre set thats basically um probably my favourite stuff from them /silly

does Apulanta count for this they're nu metal thats close enough to rock right. yea whatever they started as punk anyways. i saw them live at Ruisrock as well but like. not on purpose they just happened to be there lol. and it was before i got insane about some of their songs and started relating it all to my ocs ^_^ heehoo whoopsieess :3c ive linked to that spotify playlist that's just apulanta songs i relate to az/kai&"purjo" (aka "ac/kc&ig") enough already just find it in my suomirocking tag idk. uhhh the albums Heinola 10, Aivan Kuin Kaikki Muutkin, Kiila, Eikä Vielä Ole Edes Ilta & Kunnes siitä tuli totta are good iunno :p. the song Paha ihminen is also a fuckingg bangerrr. And um theyve got 2 albums, Apulanta (Import) & Viper Spank, that are just english versions of some of their songs idk

Aivolävistys is good!! I should've mentioned them earlier they're hc punk... Harvojen vallasta harhojen valtaan is a really good song.

okay i think thisll be the last band ! and i saved. the one im most insane about for last lmao. CMX is my favourite band forever and ever always um ever...... they started as a more hc punk, went on to do some progrock and one of their more known songs is a love ballad (Ainomieli). YUP IS SOOO SIMILAR TO THEM ITS SOO FUCKED UP AND SILLY DJKAJFJS.... tho unlike YUP, CMX has a way larger discography and only went on hiatus (again, not sure if they ever officially disbanded) in like 2018. i wouldn't say i have select favourite albums but there's certainly some i can say i dislike (save for a few songs). like idk i know its maybe their most prog work but Dinosaurus Stereophonicus just isnt for me 😔😔 i want to like it ... but alas... honestly otherwise most their albums are amazing. Talvikuningas SOLOS, i mean of COURSEE... its like a hard-scifi concept album (similar aesthetic to wh40k, im told) that is. so fucking hard to understand for me 😭 but also tbf i have not had my hands on the physical cd/lp and i suspect they would answer alot of my questions, like TjTT :P otherwise album wise I love Rautakantele, Vainajala, Seitsentahokas and Mesmeria. All 3 of the Cloaca Maxima compilations/albums are so worth as well :3c they have way more songs also so im nott fcukinng listing my favourites that sounds like hell ^_^

um the lead & lyricist for CMX (and the only original member of the band lmao), A.W. Yrjänä, like relatively recently released his first solo album, Heliografi :) i do not like it as much, tho his lyricism is really good so its fine just that carries it lol. he also wrote a book i still need to finish reading, and you can reaally tell hes a poet by the way he writes (in like a really good way imo...)

CHRIST okay im done AAGGHH sorry :) i barely get to talk about this shit bcz my irls do not listen to like. any finnish music :) :) and i feel stupid if i try to talk about it with my professional composer, choir lead and music teacher + incredibly-niche-progrock fan dad. because i dont know fuck all about music theory and im not about to learnn lmaaoo

[dead-believers]

i lied actually im perfectly fine. im completely normal

[yaikat]

i love joining servers and communities and shit thinking im gonna make new friends there only to realize that im gonna be the outcast and ill eventually stop talking out of awkwardness and depression. its almost like im meant to be alone

[playingonedchess]

no even simpler than that. if its a shipping fanfiction, love is a theme. please at least try to say something about it. it doesnt have to be remotely original or revolutionary or deep or anything it can be the most basic self indulgent simple sort of stuff but if you write a romance with absolutely no engagement with the theme or thought about what your writing as a story its not really a romance at all its a fictional incident report and really extremely boring to read

[mondaymelon]

— pocky for the malipo ⭑.ᐟ

⟶ ( kinich x gn!reader )

— in which... hey, does this even count as a kiss...?

— speedran this filler post for pocky day + kinch's birthday.. its single day too LMAO the coincidences are simply uncanny ..

— starts out w mualani + kinich for context , fluff !! reader likes sweets,, ...tw... use of the word orbs..

“awwww, c’mon!! it’ll be fun, i promise…”

mualani jumps up and down vigorously, her expression slowly growing more and more dejected. “the traveler told me all about it- this otherworldly tradition, y’know, with those little sweet stick thingies, they even gave me a box! it’d be a reallll big shame to waste ‘em, and wouldn’t it be super cool to do?”

recently, mualani had grown very invested in the idea of some date called “pocky day.” these sorts of random hyperfixtations happened just about every other day, but this time the obsession lasted a linger longer than most, all because of some eavesdropping on the traveler, who offhandedly mentioned it in some conversation… anyway, now that the day itself had arrived, 11/11, she was more excited than ever.

“just onnncee..! pretty please, kinich… xilonen? sharky??” seeing that no one here was willing, except for sharky, who wagged his tail in approval, mualani let out a wail.

kinich stared at her with a tired gaze, sighing slowly. “well, i don’t see how-”

“oHHH my aRCHONS, kinich, how are you so BORING?? when i contracted with this stupid guy, YOU, i thought itd be a little more fun than rotting in a cave ALLL day long but APPARENTLY not!!? live a little uGHHGH, you emo little ‘oooohh look at me im so distant and mysterious’ shut UPPP…” ajaw popped out of nowhere, face red and pixelated hands waving back and forth angrily. “c’mooon, surely you aren’t stupid and blind enough to see that this is the literally PERFECt opportunity to smoochy smoochy kiss kiss that one person you've been OGLING with those  big ORBS of yours huh????”

kinich opened his mouth to say something, but then paused. mualani watched with bated breath, squeezing sharky in her hands in anticipation, eyes sparkling, gaze screaming “oh????”. 

“...well… i guess… hmph, even someone like ajaw makes a point sometimes, huh…?” kinich coughed into his fist sheepishly, a barely noticeable blush dusting his cheeks. “though, i’m not ‘ogling’ them at all, ajaw- it’s- well, i’m just observing them. for a commission.”

“suuuUUUReeee palllll, whatever you say- YOU REALLY DIDN’T THINK I’D SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT, DID YOU??? BLABLABLA LALALA I’m RIGHT AHAHAHH THATS RIGHT IM RIGHT IM-”

kinich swatted ajaw out of the air, in the way one would with a buzzing fly. he flew through the air, disappearing into the horizon with a sparkle.

“...ahem. mualani, i’ll be heading out now.” kinich turned around calmly, as if he hadn’t just committed battery. "if i may, could i get one of those ‘pocky’ you were talking about? i’ll repay you.”

"hehe... no need for repayment, just tell me how it goes later!" mualani, smug and beaming, handed over one of the boxes.

..and so the time had come.

"kinich?" glancing up from your work, you flashed him a smile. "what's the matter?"

well, it wasn't as if the saurian hunter didn't see you out often- he did. this little nook you had in the scions of canopy was, as kinich put it, "on the convenient way back" for all of his missions, and so the male found most evenings swinging by (pun intended).

no, him coming wasn't the issue here. but kinich had been uncharacteristically.. avoidant of your gaze. for the past five minutes he had been there, arms crossed and leaning against the door frame like they do in those inazuman light novels, he'd been staring at a crack in the floorboards. and to make matters more concerning, he had something strange in his hands too: some sort of box that he kept flipping around with his fingers.

"hey. kini'. we're both not great at words, so just tell me and get.. well, whatever it is. you wanna say over with." at the mention of his nickname, kinich perked up, clearing his throat.

"ah, that..."

ohh, so there was the problem. the eerily quiet atmosphere was because ajaw wasn't present... pause, now you were even more worried. kinich had somehow gotten ajaw off his ass?? unthinkable????

"is it an emergency? fuck, are we all going to die? tell me this type of thing earlier, kini', i need to pack all my-"

"what? no- i, mualani.. she, no, there's this holiday, today. the traveler mentioned it, and i thought it'd be fun to try out.. you like sweets too, so. here." kinich unearthed some sort of... stick? was he really trying to feed you sticks? c'mon now, you weren't that stupid-

"i can read your gaze. it's not like that. here, it's chocolate, just- hah..." kinich sighed, eyebrows pinched together, wearing the expression of someone watching everything go wrong. "give it a taste?"

you eyed him skeptically, before taking the stick out of his hands and taking a bite.

"...sweet."

"yeah?"

"not a stick."

"...yes."

"...give me another."

"not so fast, we need to play the game first." kinich took one of the sticks and put it into his mouth, all of a sudden looking a lot more... guilty? you couldn't quite pinpoint the expression on his face, something you'd been doing with a 30% success rate (the highest any natlanian had ever achieved). "whoever gets the last bite wins."

"...i'm just supposed to. eat the other end?"

"what, you can't?" the slight teasing edge in his voice reminded you of ajaw (just the slightest) and you immediately became exponentially irritated.

"hah, who said that? bet."

"..."

oh, so now he chose not to break eye contact.

"...a-hey, we're getting a little close, aren't we.."

"...if you wanna break it off, lose."

"...fuck, you-"

you grabbed him by the cheek, pushing yourself forward and, admittedly, forcefully touching your lips against his. whether by the suddenness or whether by the fact that you two had, well, "kissed," the esteemed malipo kinich let out what sounded like a sputter and fell backward, hands barely catching him from falling to the ground. sitting himself down, he looked up at you with flushed cheeks, mouth slightly open, and the edge of his lips smudged with chocolate.

"bleh. i win." sticking out your tongue, you motioned with your hands. "the whole box, it's mine now. winner takes all, or whatever they say in mondstadt."

kinich's gaze was observant, and under it you felt your face slowly begin to warm, realizing what you had just done.

"not so fast." kinich stood back up, recomposing himself in a matter of seconds.

"one more round. you caught me off guard."

(a/n) and then reader and kinich smoochy smooch smooch kiss kissed and single day was no longer single and happy birthday kinich really did become happy for kinich fuck when am i going to find me a partner <- has unrealistic expectations

context notes!! :

ajaw purposefully left kinich alone so that he could do his.. idk if you can call it flirting. pocky game w you. best wingman ajaw we all cheer (in reality he was tired of seeing kinich act all lovey dovey whenever you were around and found the tension suffocating so he decided to take matters into his own hands)

taglist (comment to be added / send in an ask on my sb): @manager-of-the-pudding-bank, @iamdedinside, @ilyuu-archive, @falors, @swivy123, @scara-is-my-wife, @lupicalbestwolf, @justyoureader, @fiannee, @aether-darling, @aioniela, @avensuersa, @dainsleif-when-playable, @umiloa, @intpessimistic, @keiiqq, @intpessimistic, @eutopiastar, @matcha-mintea

[im-so-normal-iswear]

Dude. I have an idea.

Imagine a gn blind!Reader with yandere!Sonic or Silver, like— blind reader is so very dependent on them and always ask for help when needed, and the yandere is taking advantage of that..😈

This can be romantic or platonic, it's fine.

A/n: these are kind of crappy.

Yandere!Sonic/Silver x Blind!Reader

Sonic:

At first, he genuinely wanted to help. He offered to guide you across uneven terrain, described the world around you in vibrant detail, and chased away anyone who dared to make fun of your condition.

Over time however, that innocent desire shifted.

Sonic loved being someone you trusted. He slowly gound out jw lived being the *only* one you trusted, the only one you could rely on. He thrived on the way you clung to him when you were nervous, the way your voice softened when you asked for his help.

"Hey, Sonic," you called one afternoon, sitting on a bench in the park. "Could you describe the sunset for me again?"

Sonic’s ears perked up. He was there in an instant, sliding onto the bench beside you.

"Of course," he said, his voice gentle. "Right now, the sun is dipping down, and the light is more tinted a different shade. And its a but more dark right now. Half of the sun is jnder the horizon, so only the top half is peeking out."

You smiled, leaning closer to him. "Thanks."

He resisted the urge to wrap an arm around you, though it was getting harder to control himself these days.

He wanted you to rely on him for everything, to need him so completely that you couldn’t imagine life without him. It was messed up.. He could admit that.. But really, it would be better no? I mean, who else could take care of you better than him?

The opportunity came one stormy evening when you lost your eye dog, you do t know what happened to hin, one meoment he was there, and the next, gone. Panicked and vulnerable, you called Sonic for help, your voice trembling over the phone.

"Don’t worry," he said. "I’ll take care of you."

When Sonic came, he promised to look for your dog, that he would return him if he saw it roaming around. He's glad you couldn't see the guily look on his face.

From that night on, Sonic began to subtly sabotage your independence. He "accidentally" misplaced your cane, always made sure you were too distracted to practice using your other senses, and convinced you that the world outside was dangerous without him. He wanted you to think of him as your hero, your savior, your everything.

"You don’t need anyone else," he whispered one night as you sat together on your couch, his arm finally draped around your shoulders. "I’ll always be here for you."

And you believed him, why wouldn't you? He was your best friend, only wanted the best for you... Right?

Silver:

It started with small things, helping you navigate unfamiliar spaces, holding your hand a little longer than necessary, and offering to read aloud to you when you couldn’t access certain books.

He cherished the way you trusted him, the way you leaned into his touch and smiled so sweetly when he guided you.

"Silver," you said one day, your voice uncertain. "Do you think I’m a burden? I feel like I ask you for help too often."

Silver immediately shook his head, forgetting for a moment that you couldn’t see him. "No! Never. You could never be a burden," he said, his voice almost desperate. "I *want* to help you."

You gave a smile "thanks, i just get worried sometimes." Goodness... He loved that smile so much...

He began to manipulate your environment, quietly isolating you from others. He’d "accidentally" forget to pass along messages from friends or make excuses when they wanted to visit.

When you asked for help with tasks, he’d exaggerate how difficult or dangerous they were.

"Let me handle it," he’d say, his tone soft. "I don’t want you to get hurt."

One day, you mentioned wanting to get an eye dog, you thought itd be best as tou were mainly relying on your caine amd silver to get around. Silver froze, his mind racing. The thought of you not needing him anymore was unbearable.

"You don’t have to do that," he said quickly. "I mean, why put yourself through all that trouble when I’m here? I’ll always take care of you."

And you believed him, i mean, he was always helping you, he was probably right.

However you were unaware of how tightly he was wrapping himself around your life. Silver was always there, watching, "protecting", and ensuring that no one ̶could steal you from him hurt you.

To him, your blindness wasn’t a limitation, it was an opportunity to become the center of your world. And he wasn’t about to let anyone, or anything, take that away.

[cloudysfluffs]

--And Once with Tickles!!

A/N: BLARHG i havent posted a fic of any kind in like four years. and i havent written a TICKLE fic in like SIX years!!!! so i might be a little rusty. but this fic has been in the works for OVER A YEAR NOW and itd be a shame if only my bf gets to see it :P so im posting it to da world!!!!!

Summary: basically just if the tickle scene from Sock Opera was longer ^^'' its literally my favorite tk scene of all time so now you can have an entire fic where i stretch it out for 5k words!!!!!!!!!!!! <3

Lee: Bill? Dipper? Bipper <3

Ler: Mabel + Stan

WARNING: THIS IS AN SFW TICKLE FIC!!!!! KINK/FETISH BLOGS DO NOT TOUCH!!!!! MOST OF THE CHARACTERS IN HERE ARE MINORS AND ALL OF THEM ARE RELATED!!!!! DON'T BE WEIRD!!!!!

“Whoah, whoah, hey-- hey, HEY!”

SMASH!

The cake prop crashed against the ground with a horrible crackling sound, breaking apart beneath both of their weights. There was a collective jump and gasp from the startled crowd. Even the puppets themselves-- or, at least, the soul piloting them-- seemed taken off guard.

Despite the panic and destruction, neither Bipper nor Mabel took too long to shake it off. Bipper landed on the ground, on his stomach, just a few feet away from Mabel, who’d landed on her side. Instantly, he pushed himself up, eyes wide, feeling around the floor for the journal. A stagelight swiveled, reflecting off the shiny gold cover, and both of them leapt for it with the determination of a starving animal on a hunt. They touched down at the very same time. They wore matching, angry glares, each gripping the journal so tightly that their knuckles were turning white. Mabel knew, as she squinted to avoid the spotlight, that there was no hope in saving the show. But there was hope for saving her brother! And if that meant sabotaging everything she worked for, then…Well, it was about time she sacrificed something for Dipper. 

They rolled across the stage, tumbling over one another, until Bipper’s head reached the edge. If he craned his neck backwards enough, he could see the confused and terrified face of the audience. Something he would’ve found amusing, if the stakes weren’t so high. Mabel was on top of him, her knee on his stomach, and both hands on the journal, tugging and yanking with all her might. He just held on, harder, gritting his teeth. The very same thought was in both of their minds. I’ve almost got it!

“Get out of my brother’s body, you evil triangle!!” Mabel yelled, pressing her leg down even harder. Enough to be uncomfortable, but not enough to cause any lasting damage. She really had to engrain that thought into her head. Once Bill got out of here-- and she would get him out of here-- it would be Dipper’s body suffering the consequences. He’d already been through too much. It turned out to be just enough to get the book to slip out of his hands. Both of their eyes widened in shock, but before Bill could give too much chase, she made sure to whack him with the journal. Just for good measure. She’d wanted to do that this whole time!!

Mabel stumbled to her feet, running back to center stage, just as Bipper was starting to sit up and rub his forehead. He growled, in a way she hadn’t heard since she was in Stan’s mind, in a way she knew her brother couldn’t replicate if he tried. Fascinatingly, she watched as his face seemed to heat up, reddening his skin even more than it had been already, as he pushed himself off the ground. If he were human, she may have assumed his failure had embarrassed him. But this was Bill, they were talking about…so, if she had to guess, this was his human-body equivalent of his yellow turning red. Kinda cute! In a weird, gross way. 

“Grrr…You can’t stop me!” He scowled, his eyes narrowing on the book. Mabel looked behind her. The set pieces blocked access backstage from this side, and while she could move to the stage stairs, or even jump down, that’d take a good amount of coordination. Before she could decide…she was leapt on. She gasped, feeling the air leave her lungs as she was tackled to the wooden floor. The journal slipped from her grasp, and landed on the floor beside her. Both she and Bipper placed their hands on it at the same time, hers on the edge, and his on the palm of the cover. Bipper was sitting on top of her, straddling her waist, his chest heaving as he panted. She felt breathless, too. But, as she stared up at him, still pink in the face, and with a tired, yet satisfied grin on his face…It was as if something clicked in her mind.

“I’m a being of pure energy, with no weakness!”

Mabel stared at him, almost in disbelief. It seemed so obvious. In any other circumstance, it would’ve been the very first thing she thought of, when searching for a method to gain the upper hand in combat, without actually hurting the other person. She did it to Dipper all the time! So often, in fact, that she figured the townsfolk wouldn’t bat an eye, if they saw her do this at her own show. For the first time, it was her turn to get to wear that smug, knowing smirk. She brought her other hand around to rest over the journal like a seat belt, just so he couldn’t snatch it while she talked. 

“True…But you’re in Dipper’s body!” She reminded, to which he huffed, as if offended. What, did she think he forgot? For once, it was like she could read his mind, because she picked up for him. She lifted the hand that wasn’t protecting the journal, and wiggled her fingers.

“And I know all his weaknesses!~”

Bipper quirked a brow. In the split second between her final comment, and what she was going to do next, she could see the cogs visibly turning behind his eyes. He wasn’t used to not knowing what was about to happen. Typically, at a glance, he could look at a person and see right through to their mind, where he could pluck their thoughts and plans right out. Sometimes, he knew what someone was about to do before they did. Having to rationalize like a human made it so he had to manually run through his own mental database, for what she could possibly mean…It was such a broad assessment. He was human, for christs’ sake. What wasn’t a weakness to them, really? They couldn’t handle being stretched too far, or bleeding too much, and their limbs could only bend to a certain point. Humanity was so fragile! It was honestly a mystery how they survived so long. But he’d pinned her like this for a reason; how could she possibly hurt him? 

“What do you mean his--?”

Before he could finish, Mabel lifted her wiggling fingers…and slipped her hand into his jacket, pressing them just underneath his arm. 

Bipper felt as if his entire body seized. In the half-second that the sensation touched down, he was overcome with a surge of physical reactions he’d never experienced before. First, he shivered, goosebumps freckling over his skin. It was as if every nerve in his body ignited, with an odd, fluttery tingling. Worse, perhaps…was the way he vocally reacted.He gasped, and squeaked, an embarrassingly high-pitched noise leaping from his throat. The glare, which he’d taken pride in withstanding, was forcibly wiped from his expression, replaced by a shaky smile. It felt like his insides were bubbling. But when he opened his mouth to express that concern…he realized what it was.

“GaHhh--! AAAaahhahahahahaha!” It was the urge to laugh. Uncontrollable giggles poured out of him like bubbles to a heated cauldron. The heat he felt rush to his face only made that metaphor seem all the more accurate. Mabel and the audience might’ve heard Dipper’s voice, but he heard his own. The helplessness in his tone disgusted him. Out of his own control, his reflexes went haywire, demanding that he get anywhere as long as it was away. Robbed of the motor skills required for any complex movements, he found himself toppling backwards, pinning his arms to his sides. He’d hoped falling would be enough to put distance between him and his tormentor, but it seemed like the opposite had occurred. The moment he was down, she took advantage, by climbing on top of his waist, instead. She wriggled the fingers of both of her hands under each of his arms, ruthlessly scribbling for long enough for him to feel as if any attempts at fighting back would be futile. And then, she slid both hands down, grazing his ribs, before settling on his sides. The motion elicited another yelp, and another full-body shiver, before he settled back into the helpless giggling that had possessed him before. 

It was unusual. It was unbearable. It…tickled.

“Tickle tickle!~” Mabel cooed, and for some reason, Bipper felt a heat rush to his cheeks. In fact, the burning sensation stretched all the way to the tips of his ears, making him feel compelled to wrench his eyes shut and turn his head away. The words-- or was it that voice?-- made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Somehow, it seemed like her touch only tickled more, the teasing worsening the odd hypersensitivity afflicting his nerves. His hands locked around her wrists, and he arched his back, shoving pitifully while he used his heels to kick at the ground. Whether it was due to the tickle-induced weakness, or the pose was just that effective, he didn’t get anywhere. Mabel smirked, baring her braces like fangs, like she could see just how much the comment worked on him. Dipper couldn’t stand that, either!

“Awww, whatsa matter?~ Does it tiiiickle?~ Are you too tiiicklish to handle it?~ Kitchy-kitchy-koo!~”

“S-StahahaAAahahahahahahap!” He hissed, scowling, cursing the stutter in his voice. Damn Pine Tree’s twitchy little body and his squeaky little voice! How did he live, being so sensitive?? He couldn’t bear to listen to another word of that teasing, bringing his hands up to cover his ears. And, in retaliation, Mabel’s nails skittered upwards again. They passed over his ribs, before again settling into a gentle scratch just under his arms. It got the exact same reaction the downward motion over the same spot had caused; a gasp, a yelp, and a full-body shiver, all before his arms snapped right back down again. Both of them seemed irritated by that last response.

“AAGhh-! Whyhyhyhyhyhyhyhy cahahahahahahahan’t I mohohohohove my ahahahahahahahaharms?!”

“Reflexes!” Mabel chimed in, instantly, as if it were obvious. To a human, it may have been, but for Bill, ‘reflexes’ were an entirely foreign concept. He’d never felt so…effortlessly disarmed. And that was coming from someone who spent a good chunk of his life in the second dimension, and, the rest of the time, was confined to the mindscape. He was already relatively harmless. But somehow, when he had a physical body to interpret reality with, being helpless was so much more torturous. He knew the human body was pathetic, but really, how had they survived this long as a species, if all it took were a few pokes to entirely collapse them?? Perhaps it was a combination of how unfamiliar the sensation was to him, and how sensitive Dipper’s body was, anyway…but he felt he reserved the right to mentally complain, anyway. He felt naturally more whiny. As if Mabel could tell, she grinned, and retracted a hand.

“Here, let me help you!”

Her now-free arm shifted backwards, so her hand could lock around his wrist…and force it upwards, pinning it to the ground beside his head. The other hand, that had been trapped in place, wriggled its way out. She crossed it over his body, and switched which side she was attacking, her claws now slipping into his jacket to scratch beneath the arm she’d pinned. It all happened so quickly, Bipper hardly had the chance to look horrified…before he fully squealed, his laughter ratcheting up another octave. 

“EEEEeeehheheheheek!! ‘Hehehehehehehehehelp’?!” He echoed, offended, the bite of his tone lost in his giggling. He wanted to argue more thoroughly, but good god, that tickled so much more!! He arched his back, jerked at his elbow, and turned to one side, desperate for something-- anything-- to put distance between his skin and her nails. Talk about feeling disarmed! He thought it couldn’t possibly get any worse, and yet, here he was. 

“Yeah! Help! Now you don’t have to flail your arms around; you can just lay back and take it!” Mabel interjected, with an innocence that seemed far too natural for how cruel she was being. Bill saw some of himself in her, sometimes. With that kind smile, and flattery. So, sweetly deceptive. He had to hand it to her, she knew how to get ‘em! This girl was brimming with potential; the unicorns and butterflies and rainbows were just a thin blanket to mask the chaos that she was capable of. The little brat. Maybe he could use that someday. But now, it only aided in annoying him. 

“You’re welcome!~”

He wasn’t an idiot. He saw what she was trying to do. But just in case he didn’t, she told him, anyway. Mabel leaned down, eyes narrowed, so they were practically nose-to-nose. 

“Get outta Dipper’s body, or I’m gonna tickle you until you pass out!!”

He growled, trying to force the corners of his lips down into a frown. She wished it would be that easy! He may be weakened, and disarmed, but please! Who did she think he was? As if he suddenly realized he had control over his not-pinned hand, he reached over to try and grab at her wrist, to pry the hand attacking him away from the spot. It did work, partially, as the tugging would occasionally slide her hand downwards…but that only meant her wiggling fingers would graze his ribs, instead, and he’d be possessed by that yelp and full-body shiver that seemed to trigger every time. The reaction weakened him. As if he wasn’t weak enough! 

“Nehehehehehehehever!” He insisted, with just enough bite in his words for him to feel a swell of pride. He was starting to get used to it! His smile suddenly seemed all the more smug, practically a smirk, despite the fact that it was hardly warranted, in his current state. He was still laughing, and squirming, his entire body leaned to one side to reflexively counteract the nails scratching away at him. Mabel huffed. 

First, her eyes drifted to the stage. She wished she could see Dipper. To everyone else here, she was tormenting her innocent brother in front of an audience for no apparent reason. Worse, none of them, not even their most loved ones, would get an honest explanation. Whoops. She’d apologize to him later. In the meantime, she turned her head in the other direction.

Everyone out there seemed absolutely captivated. Well, for the most part, at least. Some seemed confused, others seemed shocked. A shocking amount seemed pretty flustered, while others sported the exact opposite mood. She could just barely see Candy and Grenda confusedly flipping through the script just off stage. But, generally, most of the crowd was enjoying this thrilling multi-media masterpiece. Even those from the Mystery Shack. In fact, maybe especially those three! Mabel couldn’t help but smile, as she met their eyes through the smearing, colorful stage lights.

Wendy was leaning back in her seat with her boots kicked up on the empty chair in front of her, an amused smirk on her face. Though she couldn’t hear anything coherent from the crowd from up here (and wouldn’t be able to, anyway, over Bipper’s high-pitched squealing), she could tell that Wendy snickered, as she elbowed Soos in the side. Soos was one of the members of the audience who seemed a little flustered over the whole endeavor. Even in the low lighting, Mabel could see just how red his face was. He was grinning nervously, and fanning himself with his cap, and flinched just a little too hard as he was nudged. It was all very sweet. Truthfully, she didn’t care if this ruined the show for most of the audience, because it wasn’t for them anymore. It was for Dipper! …But it did make her feel good, to see them enjoying themselves. And no one seemed to be enjoying himself more than Stan!

Earlier today, he seemed to be a little skeptical about coming. He was swayed incredibly easily though, which was rare for him. He was probably the most stubborn man the twins had ever met, and yet a good puppy-dog-eyed stare and a promise that the end would blow his mind was enough to convince him that maybe this memory was priceless. He’d even brought a camera to film it. Even with one of his eyes obscured by the pop-out window of the old recording device, she could see how widely he was grinning, the expression on his face one of fond amusement. He must have assumed that this was the ‘spectacular closing act’ that she’d been bragging about just a few hours earlier. It wasn’t, but if this went well, he’d never have to find that out! He caught her looking out upon the crowd, and tilted his head so more of his face was visible, his grin seeming all the more proud. He gave her a reassuring thumbs up, and she felt a new wave of confidence wash over her. She could do this.

Her eyes fell back to the demon pinned beneath her, who hadn’t stopped giggling and struggling since she shifted her attention a few moments ago. He’d probably been yelling insults she’d been too distracted to hear. She squinted at him suspiciously. If this were Dipper, she’d be jumping to his spot about now. Heck, that’s probably what she’d do when wrecking anyone! But…this wasn’t Dipper. It wasn’t ‘just anyone’. This was Bill! He already seemed to be getting the hang of this sensation, with how consistently now he was shoving at her hands, and how successful his thrashing was becoming. If she let up for even a second, he might even be able to wriggle away, or worse! She needed to not only tickle him to death, but she needed to make the session intense. What was something Dipper wouldn’t be able to stand…? 

Her gaze flickered to the crowd again. And, suddenly…she stopped.

Her smirk returned. Her wiggling fingers ceased, and instead that hand grabbed Bipper’s opposite wrist, so she was now pinning both to the floor. The demon-possessed vessel gasped the moment he felt a moment of solace, obviously annoyed by the fact that his giggle-fit didn’t immediately die. Every time he inhaled, or exhaled, he found he couldn’t stop laughing, like the feeling was still there, under his skin. But he was too out of breath to do anything about it! He fought with this natural, human response, while Mabel sat up as straight as she could.

“For my next act, I’ll need a volunteer from the audience!” She announced, proudly, as if it made any logical sense. The poor crowd was going to be so confused. But she didn’t need most of their approval. She only needed it from one. She grinned, and shut one eye, so she could point directly at her grunkle.

“How about you, good sir? You look like you’d make a fine actor!”

Stan lifted his head away from the viewfinder, visibly startled. He glanced to either side of him, pointed to himself, and brightened when Mabel nodded in approval. He didn’t hesitate any longer than that, handing the camera over to Soos (who fumbled with it for a moment, before giving a reassuring thumbs up) and climbing out of his seat. 

Bipper was only just starting to regain his composure, when he realized what was going on. He shook his head, and blinked open his eyes, squinting out at the crowd. Jesus, had the kid’s eyes always been this bad? He almost missed Sixer’s glasses. But, the very moment he processed that Mabel’s hands had released his wrists…thick, strong arms wrapped underneath his, scooping him up into a sitting position, pressed against someone’s chest. He felt like a cat being hoisted into the arms of their owner, unable to do anything but twist his shoulders and try to wriggle out of his grasp. Mabel was still sitting on his legs.  He glared over his shoulder. The light reflected off of Stan’s glasses, obscuring his eyes, and for some reason that made him look intimidating. Or maybe it was just the fact that he was in such a small, wimpy body; anyone could look like a threat, when everyone towered over you. His hands balled into fists.

“Wh-What is this?!” He scowled, stammering, trying to roll his shoulder to free it from the old man’s grasp. But it seemed like every inch that he managed to unwind, Stan just pulled him back even tighter. It was so effortless, it was hard to feel anything other than pathetic. No wonder this kid was getting tickled constantly! Everyone in town had a leg up on him!

“Let go of me!”

“This is called a grand finale!” Mabel declared, straightening her back and cracking her knuckles. The smirk on her face was downright sinister. An evil that Bill couldn’t help but think rivaled his own. She was an expert at this, wasn’t she? She knew this would up the game, considering the strength difference between them. Even with her best efforts, she wasn’t strong enough to keep him fully still. And even if she could, she’d lose leverage by being unable to use both hands. But the addition of another person-- him, especially-- had immobilized him completely, without her ever having to lift a finger. Not to mention how calculated this whole trap with her ‘grunkle’ had been. She hadn’t even had to speak word to him, for him to understand exactly where his place was, in all of this. Maybe they were psychic. Or maybe they really just did this that frequently. Man, he’d almost pity Pine Tree, if he deserved it! But he hardly had time to dwell on something like that, anyway. Not as he watched Mabel lift her wiggling fingers threateningly. 

“Last chance!”

She was bold, too. But so was he. And that would be his first mistake. Daringly-- challengingly-- he smirked.

“Pssh, yeah, right!” He chuckled, rolling his eyes. Mabel glared, as he turned up his nose, quirked a brow, and scoffed. Anyone who thought this was Dipper might almost see it as in-character behavior. He’d been similarly snarky, around this point in sessions. Stan even rolled his eyes right back, and tightened his grip, as if he’d found it predictable. But anyone who knew the truth, knew he wasn’t doing it for any reason other than to call her bluff. This was a pathetic excuse of a torture attempt. He thought smarting off would prove as much. When, actually…it did the exact opposite.

“Like I’d be convinced by a little tihihiiihihiHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHICKLING--!!”

Mabel’s wiggling fingers finally dug into his ribs. And it felt so distinctly different from the other spots, or even from how it felt when she was just grazing them earlier. It was like he’d been electrocuted, from the way his body jolted uncontrollably, and the way the sensation gripped him like a shock. The yelp of terror that jumped from his throat broke in the middle, fully replaced by helpless cackles. 

…Okay. Maybe not his proudest moment.

Maybe he should’ve known better. Maybe being in this body too long was getting to him. Maybe the stupid, human impulses that he’d gotten so good at ignoring also included this vessel’s apparent desire to talk himself into corners just to get himself tickled. Whatever the case, the whole time this had been going on, the more he felt his resolve…slipping. Exhaustion tugged at his eyelids, like his body suddenly remembered that it hadn’t gotten proper sleep in over twenty-four hours. Every part of him was sore, not that pain could even begin to compete with the tickly jolts shooting through his ribs. He considered the pro’s and con’s of dislocating a shoulder just to weasel out of here, but he couldn’t properly think. He swore he could literally feel circuits shorting in his brain, glitching and sparking and stuttering where the neat rows of coherent thought used to be. It had been a beautiful process to watch, from the other side…but was miserably frustrating, when it was your plans getting thrown out of whack! 

He wanted to growl. To kick, and scream, and either kill this vessel or one of the two holding him back. Whichever came first! But, all that came out was…

“SHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUT UHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUP!!”

…A very pathetic attempt at defiance. Enough that each of his attackers dared to snicker at him in amusement. He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, thrashing and twisting in the restraints.

“W-WHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEN I GEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHET OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOUT OF THIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIIS, IHIHIHIHIHIHI’LL--! IHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI’LL--!!”

Mabel couldn’t help but notice just how…not-evil he looked, like this. Bill’s base form had no mouth, and yet he somehow always seemed to be grinning. Earlier, she’d seen that condescending smirk in Bipper. But now it was gone, and she was seeing a face she’d never quite seen before. It wasn’t quite the flustered, giggly look she got from her brother, but it was far from the invisible, malevolent smile that Bill was always wearing. It was something in between. It might’ve fascinated her, if she was any less focused on the task at hand. Her nails, while dull, knew how to press just right, to tickle as much as possible without translating into physical pain. She scratched at the spaces between his ribs, and played the bones like a piano, watching in satisfied amusement as every motion elicited the same, predictable reaction. Cackles, squeaks and voice-cracks echoed through the auditorium, almost sounding musical against the backing-track of her rock-opera, that no one had bothered to turn off. If anything, Bill was even squirmier than her brother was, which was certainly saying something. This was usually the point in the session where Dipper gave up fighting, especially when Stan was helping, since he obviously didn’t have a chance. But Bill still had some fight in him! 

“I don’t know what you did to deserve this, but clearly you’re gettin’ what’s coming to ya!” Stan accused, glancing over Bipper’s shoulder in an attempt to make eye contact. The kid was clearly avoiding it. But he still peeked up, for just a moment, if only to make a point to glare. Stan took advantage of his disorientation, knowing he was disarmed just long enough for him to be able to let go of his arms. Instead, he grabbed both wrists, and pulled them behind his back, like how a cop would while handcuffing you. But he didn’t need handcuffs, because his hands were big enough in comparison to grab both of the kid’s wrists in one of his palms while still having his fingers touch in the middle. And, with one hand free…he was able to pull out one last trick. 

Fingers skittered up Bipper’s spine, spurring out an involuntary shiver that was so intense, Bill was a little surprised it didn’t jolt him out of this body entirely. He didn’t get to dwell on how scarily close that had been to breaking him, though. Because in a second, that single skittering turned into a consistent, unrelenting scribble, and any coherent thought that was left slipped out through his fingers.

“AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! NOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!”

Right. Almost all of the Pines’ were ticklish here. Maybe he should’ve seen that coming. 

It was positively overwhelming. Every curl of his blunt nails against the spot had his nerves lighting up in a frenzy, activating the useless instinct that had him squealing and laughing like this whole ordeal was the most hilarious joke he’d ever been told. But no part of this was funny!! Not when it was him! It was humiliating, at best, and a total disgrace to his reputation at worst. He was glad the folks at home couldn’t see this, because they would never let him live it down. 

“Ooh! Good call, Grunkle Stan!” Mabel praised, finally looking back up to meet his eyes with an approving smile on her face. She wished she could give him a thumbs up, but her hands were kinda busy. Bill couldn’t help but bristle at how unfair it was, that Stan could restrain him like this. He couldn’t lean forward even if he wanted to, and leaning backwards only pressed him further into that hand! And, somehow, despite the trap being objectively more simple, it was more confining! Now, he didn’t even have the privilege of flapping his hands, or making vaguely threatening gestures. And it all just tickled more! It was cruel, and unusual. He wrenched his eyes shut, and felt tears build in the corners. Crying had always been an annoying, uncontrollable thing his puppets did, but it felt especially humiliating in this context. Way to rub salt in the wound.

“MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAKE IT STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!!”

Whether it be a blessing or a curse, neither of the two around him had a chance to respond to that miserable display of emotion. Because, somehow mockingly, his body turned against him. When he tried to catch his breath, he felt a hiccup of air in his chest…that caused a snort. 

The two at either of his sides brightened. And the crowd aww’ed.

He’d forgotten they were there. He was on a stage, and yet, the fact that there were more than four of them here had slipped his mind. Earlier, if he’d remembered, he would’ve shrugged it off. Whatever, who cared if they saw him like this? It wasn’t his reputation that was going to suffer for it. It was Pine Tree’s, who now had to go home and live the rest of his life knowing that most of this town had seen him get tickled on stage. And that was still, objectively, true! He knew that. He knew none of them would think twice about it. So why did the sudden realization have his face blushing hotter? Why did he feel this horrible, anxious fluttering in his stomach, like he was full of spiders? He didn’t know. But he knew it had to end. 

He couldn’t take it. It wasn’t just his self-inflicted injuries that ached, now, it was others-- his sides, and his throat, and the corners of his lips, were all begging him to just stop laughing. Other than the ache, he was pretty sure he could feel this vessel overheating. Being put in this embarrassing position had struck a match inside of him that was slowly cooking him from the inside out. But more than that, he was tired. And that was hardly a feeling he even understood. Alas, the human urge to melt into a puddle and sleep for eight hours was, apparently, real. He was on the verge of uttering a genuine please, if this didn’t end soon, and he didn’t want to pull that card unless it was a life-or-death situation. So, apparently, he only had one choice left…

Damn it. It wasn’t fair! He’d let them have this win, but his fun wasn’t over. This plan was only the first of many tricks he had up his sleeve. He glanced up at Mabel one last time, eyes narrowing, as if he could glare at her very soul. But she only countered it with a smirk. She knew she couldn’t lose. She’d never lost a tickle fight against her brother! 

Suddenly, the sound of his laughter began to taper off. It quieted into a fit of twitchy, broken coughs; it almost sounded like he was glitching. But then he slumped in his spot, quiet…and all four hands retracted. Dipper’s body melted into his Grunkle’s chest, eyes closed, as if he was out cold. Both attackers pulled back for a moment, visibly tense, and met eyes. Mabel, because she was testing to see if this was a good sign…and Stan, because he was genuinely startled. Jesus, he’d never passed out like that before! Usually he called it, when he knew he was getting to the end of his rope! Did they kill him on accident? There was a beat of silence that was just long enough to raise concern...and then, quick enough to be startling, Dipper sat up. He gasped, and clutched his chest, panting like he’d been awoken from a nightmare. And, well…he sort of had! Both of his family members jumped.

“Ahh!! He’s back!!” Mabel accused, lifting her clawed hands in preparation to strike again. She didn’t expect her brother to scream, flinching backwards in horror. 

“AAHHhh, M-Mabel!! It’s mehehe, it’s me, it’s me!!” He pleaded, bringing up his arms to protect himself in a panic. The squeaky, nervous little voice sounded different than it had, just a moment ago. Less confident, less angry, and more…well, like her brother. If it was an act, it must’ve been a pretty convincing one, because she lowered her hands. Slowly, skeptically, Dipper lowered his, too…and she saw his round, brown eyes staring back. Her posture fully relaxed, and her grin returned to her face. It actually worked!! Tickling always worked.