#two lined burrower bug

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Two-Lined Burrower Bug - Pangaeus bilineatus

While researching the White Margined Burrower Bug (recently posted for a more in-depth look earlier this month) for information on that specific insect and some of the other Cydnidae relatives that live in North America, I was drawn to a few genera in particular: Cyrtomenus and Dallasiellus specifically. They are (relatively) large compared to the White Margined Burrower Bug, and seem to be better equipped for digging and burrowing thanks to their robust bodies and spine-covered legs. Thanks to the latter trait, my memory was jogged on this insect I found in the garden, but struggled to identify when first found. Three years later, I believe P. bilineatus to be the closest match given its appearance, coloration (especially the eyes), legs, exposure of wings, antennae and texture of the exoskeleton. However, without close-ups of this insect that are in focus, this is an educated guess made using Bugguide's identification key. With the evidence available, this insect could be a different specie within the Tribe Geotomini (Order> Family > Tribe > Genus > Specie) with spiny legs. Melanaethus was another genus I had considered within the Burrower Bug family.

On the assumption that this is indeed a Two-Lined Burrower Bug, we're very lucky to find this Bug above ground! Compared to its white margined relative, this specie prefers to spend its time in the soil, and is content to nourish itself with juices sipped from plant roots. Since it likes to remain hidden, detection of this insect can be difficult without deliberately digging and investigating roots. Moreover, it is a generalist feeder that has been found on trees, smaller plants and important cultivated species such as pear, peanut and strawberry. Both adults and nymphs feed this way. After overwintering beneath the leaf litter or spent plants from the previous year, the adults emerge and place their eggs at similar sites (likely through scent cues) and diligently watch them until they hatch. Upon hatching, the adult Bug supplies them food for a short while before the nymphs set out on their own. This feeding has a triple function: watch over and protect the young, ensure they are feed, and supply them with essential gut bacteria that will aid their nutrient intake! Their strategy seems foolproof, and yet their numbers don't seem to explode often due to the control exerted from parasitic Twisted-winged Insects (Order Strepsiptera), subterranean worms and modern insecticides used for protecting crops.

Pictures were taken on June 14, 2020 with a Google Pixel 4. I shall aim to find more insects like this one and further flesh out the Burrower Bugs of the Order Hemiptera.

[fabseg-creator]

My review about Miraculous World: London, At the Edge of Time

I publish my second review about a Miraculous episode. It's Miraculous World: London, At the Edge of Time.

The Paris review here

This post contains spoilers.

And now, time to read:

Plot:

This happens during the ellipse from Re-creation (5.26) between the Gabriel's suicide wish and before the Pool party scene.

It begins in the Lila/Cerise's lair (the Plage in the Catacombs). Cerise, who made an auto-akumatization into Time Stalker, comes back to the place in front of a worried and afraid Nooroo (still captive). She travels to the past (some hours ago) in the moment of the final battle (Bug Noire VS Monarch) for finding out who Ladybug is. She removes her akuma (making her lose her memories from her former akumatization) and reads her book where the Ladybug's identity is written (despite the Noiroo's objection). She reakumatizes herself into a ghost super-vilain named Spectral Looter for steal the Ladybug and Cat miraculouses (+the configured miraculouses) to Marinette. The wish Cerise makes affects the Reality AND the Time itself.

Three Bunnyx (Teen Alix, Adult Alix and Grandma Alix) are playing together a futuristic version of Chess in the Burrow when suddenly the two Future Alix disappear and the portals around Teen Bunnyx disappear too. She discovers someone is making a wish with the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses (at the Marinette's horrification from this corrupted timeline).

I've learned about new elements in the Miraculous lore by watching the special:

This Special is both the Season 5 real finale and the Season 6 prologue.

The main protagonists are in fact Ladybug and (Teen/Present) Bunnyx (Cat Noir only appears in the ending scene).

Cerise/"Iris" is akumatized herself into Time Stalker. She used her phone for insert her akuma. Her superpowers are: to teleport herself some hours ago in the past and return to the moment when she begun her travel. She has been very silent (nearly no Clara Soares' lines 🇨🇵 under this character until the end part).

Nathalie knows Marinette is Ladybug. Teen Alix already knows Matinette is Ladybug, Adrien is Cat Noir and Gabriel was Hawk Moth/Monarch. Ladybug/Bug Noire is aware Kagami knows her friend's identity (Representation retcon).

Bug Noire (thanks to a revived Nathalie's words) knows Gabriel and Tomoe had planned together the Operation: Perfect Alliance (planned on Representation, launched in Conformation/Re-creation) when nearly everybody in the world was turned into a Miraculized army for track down Ladybug and Cat Noir.

When the wish is finished, the living beings still exist (except Gabriel and Émilie who are definitely dead) and Nathalie is healed (I think Gimmi's reality rewrite power is a bad joke from Thomas Astruc). The wish has revived ex-Mayura but there are two people who disappeared in exchange (there must be another person who is revived).

Marinette is remorseful about Gabriel's self-erasure.

Bug Noire lies to Adrien by telling him: "Gabriel, Nathalie and Tomoe were Monarch's hostages. The Butterfly villain forced them to create Alliance rings, to configurate the stolen Miraculouses and finally to launch the Miraculized worldwide crisis. Bug Noire wasn't able to defeat Monarch but Gabriel had ultimately confronted the villain and made the Wish to heal the superheroin and Nathalie in exchange of his and Monarch's lives"

Kagami knows Tomoe is Monarch's accomplice. But she doesn't denounce her. Bug Noire could expose Tomoe but she doesn't too. It looks like Tomoe is the Kagami's only family link. Kagami must clear the things with her in her own way (I guess the better explanations will come on the next Special: Tokyo)

When Cerise akumatizes herself into Time Stalker (off-screen), it means Cerise has been initially unable to find Ladybug was Marinette when the living chameleon girl took the Butterfly miraculous (which was fallen to the water).

Cerise's second (auto-)akumatization is Spectral Looter. Her superpower is: the intangibility. She can pass through the walls and Chronobug doesn't manage to hit her. Under this form, she is still mute. (If the two akumatized forms spoke, Chronobug could recognizes her voice's enemy as "Lila Rossi"'s)

Both Adult Bunnyx and Grandma Bunnyx (the two future Bunnyx) disappear because of the Cerise's wish from the corrupted timeline. They don't spoil to their mini-her how the Teen Bunnyx will save the Time.

Teen Bunnyx saves Marinette from her erasure because of the evil wish.

Marinette takes the earrings in the moment of Origins (1.22-1.23) and becomes Chronobug.

During the Time crisis, Chronobug, from the Burrow, figures out Time Stalker, Spectral Looter (Cerise's second akumatized form) and the new Butterfly holder are the same person.

In the Burrow, Chronobug thought about take the Butterfly miraculous before her adversary can find it and/or prevent Gabriel to make his wish (for save him and Nathalie in her own way) but Teen Bunnyx reasons her to not do that. Because it can alterate the future (for the worst). If Marinette did that, it's possible we could have a timeline when Gabriel and Nathalie are both dead without the wish and Adrien is definitively an orphan (Amelie and Félix as the last remaining family for him).

When Chronobug and Present/Teen Bunnyx manage to take the supervillain's book, yellow Ladybug erases her name and writes "Gabriel Agreste" instead of the former's. The two superheroines give the book back to the villainess.

The Burrow is restored, due to Cerise evil plan's failure.

Marinette/Chronobug is still uncomfortable about lying to Adrien and everyone about Gabriel's fate. But the Three Bunnyx give advices to her about her choices and her future she must decide.

The Chronobug's Lucky Charm brings back Marinette to the present and the past Tikki and the earrings from Origins back to her initial moment. She has erased the Spectral Looter part.

The Time Stalker time incident is the main reason why Marinette decides to bring all the kwamis and their Miraculouses to their respective holders (and the holders become permanent holders as we see that in the epilogue of Re-creation (5.26)).

Cerise/Iris becomes feral 😡🤬👿 after deakumatizing herself and discovering her book has been falsified (Ladybug = Gabriel Agreste). 🤣 She realizes Ladybug (helped by Bunnyx) has sabotaged her plan across the time. Of course, the crazy girl remembers Gabriel is Monarch (she had already double-crossed him when she was Hoaxer (watch Revelation (5.20)). 🤣

If Gabriel silents Nooroo by the will of seal his kwami's mouth, Cerise, as the actual Butterfly miraculous holder, fully immobilizes him (like a statue) with a finger snap. She doesn't let him to have more time for celebrate her plan's failure in the actual timeline. That means Cerise treats the kwami worst than Gabriel. Cerise is not just an evil girl, she is an egotic master manipulator, she is insane, mentally unstable, impulsive, narcissistic pervert and a psychopath too. 😈 Nooroo moves again only to the moment when Cerise orders him to transform her.

When Ladybug and Cat Noir are reunited together, they talk about the Butterfly miraculous disappearance. Ladybug warns her partner about the new Butterfly supervillain. So they prepare themselves together to stop "him/her".

And despite her (first) defeat (as Chrysalis(?)), Cerise still seeks revenge against Ladybug. So it's a Cat-Mouse fame who begins (Road to Season 6).

It's the last time the SAMG animation is used in this episode.

What I liked:

The moment at the train station when Marinette and Adrien are reunified after the Gabriel's suicide wish. ❤

The Cerise anger crisis due to the fact she failed to discover the Ladybug = Marinette Dupain-Cheng thing.

The moment when the Marinette's name is replaced by "Gabriel Agreste'"s in Cerise's book. Get Trolled.

And Nooroo when he jubilates (before Cerise immobilizes him).

Chronobug's design.

Spectral Looter's design (Cerise's second auto-akumatization from the corrupted timeline).

Cerise's new civilian disguise as a blong girl with blue eye lenses. I guess it's Iris Verdi form.

The moment when Spectral Looter roasts Chronobug in the Miraculous Grand Theft in Marinette's room was so funny.

Placide I.T. (Adrien's bodyguard)'s moment. Sounds badass.

When Adrien repels Bug Noire after the "revelation" about his father's death. We can understand Adrien is saddened and angry toward his own dad.

The fact there are three (3) Bunnyx who simultaneously coexist in the Burrow: Teen Bunnyx, Adult Bunnyx and Grandma Bunnyx (I called the older Alix like that).

Marinette says her adventures happen like 10 years (4th wall). Miraculous has begun in 2015 and we are in 2024. It's 9 years.

The final scene with the new animation.

What I disliked:

The Felix/Argos' absence. He lives in London. He sees Kagami for secret dates. He was normally in London during the Miraculized crisis. I understand he and his mother must be hidden because Monarch and Tomoe knew Felix has the Peacock miraculous. And if he intervened, the boy could lose the Peacock brooch because of the Miraculized people.

The Time Travel explanations (modifying the chronology, time paradoxes) are too complicated for me.

Bug Noire is supposed to search the Butterfly miraculous in the water below the Crypt. She even told to Alya and Su-Han she transformed into Aquabug for that. But it's off-screen.

Cerise transforms with the Butterfly miraculous happens off-screen (We will see her form in Season 6).

The weird fact for me is Cerise doesn't remember what she have done during her auto-akumatization as Time Stalker (even deakumatizing herself). But Alya, Nino, Marinette and Kagami (when they rejected Hawk Moth/Shadow Moth/Monarch's akumas and removed Betterfly's kamikos) had kept her memories. Is it because Cerise is a teenage girl and Gabriel was an adult ?

What I want to know for the future:

How Cerise has managed to take the Butterfly miraculous ? Her future self (as Time Stalker) hasn't done nothing but stalking Bug Noire and write the Marinette's name in her book.

Cerise/Iris Butterfly miraculous full transformation (and her full form)

In this Special, Cerise (who is wearing a new disguise) akumatizes herself into Time Stalker in the evening (just some hours after Gabriel/Monarch's disappearance). Meanwhile, In the Re-Creation last scene, Cerise is surprised by a supernatural light in her lair (it happens AFTER the Time Stalker incident). What is it ?

ML Theory:

It's possible Re-creation Cerise has picked up the brooch when Bug Noire and Nathalie were in the room where the kwamis were imprisoned. She has possibly deactivated the system cameras with Tomoe's laptop for preventing to be caught ans for infiltratring the Crypt (before Bug Noire cataclysms everything). It happened before her first (auto-)akumatization as Time Stalker.

I even think Cerise can transforms into the Butterfly supervillainess (while she keeps her civilian form intact)

My personal aggregation on the London Special:

I think this special episode is good. It's the transition from season 5 to season 6. Meanwhile, it lets some questions without answers: How Cerise has really managed to take the Butterfly miraculous ? When Adrien will be ready to accept the truth if he finds out ?

Let's waiting the Season 6.

Result: 7/10

The salting moment:

The annoying detail I heard about from the fandom is: the fact Marinette/Bug Noire decides to lie to Adrien about "Gabriel is dead as a hero".

Some of you has been pissed off about that. But I think ONE thing: An Adrien who knows his dad was Monarch will be shocked, mentally devastated and outraged. He would hate his dad AND Ladybug. And Butterfly Cerise would have good reasons for use him as her own advantage for destroy Ladybug and take revenge against Marinette.

It's too easy to blame Marinette for this detail but there is this fact:

Nathalie, Tomoe, Kagami, Félix, Marinette, Alix and Cerise know Gabriel is Monarch.

So the all of them can tell to Adrien. But Tomoe (as Monarch's accomplice) should be jailed.

Nathalie should be jailed.

Marinette, Felix and Kagami keep the truth secret from Adrien.

Alix could tell to Adrien, but her older selves adviced her to not do that for the Time's safety.

Cerise is the only perfect candidate to reveal to everyone (and especially to Adrien) the Monarch's real identity. But instead to expose Ladybug's lie, Cerise preferred to make an evil, sneaky and dangerous plan to stalk Ladybug by time travel and directly stealing to her the Miraculouses for make her own wish (just some hours after the final battle).

Adrien will knows the "Monarch = Gabriel Agreste" thing in another time. Thomas Astruc and the writers will continue to surprise us/you.

[storiesbyrhi]

Witch!Reader x Bat/Vampire!Eddie Munson Series Masterlist The Grimoire The Timeline

Warnings: canon typical violence, horror genre typical violence/some infrequent gore, swearing, animal death, no beta, death in childbirth (mentioned, not described), abusive parents, suicide, spiders/bugs, grief/mourning; light smut; warnings updated each chapter.

Synopsis: No witch has stepped foot in Hawkins since 1845, but when Vecna opens the ground and poisons the town, a voice begins to call to you. Have you been brought back to this cursed place to heal the townspeople’s wounds, to save a hexed bat that always finds its way to you, or to redefine your history with a reunion 150 years in the making?

Chapter Summary: Homeward bound. 2738 words.

1986

Every now and then, you’d catch a glimpse of Eddie swooping by, keeping pace with your car. It was mid-afternoon by the time he grew tired, burrowing into his front seat nest and sleeping until twilight. As soon as the sun was safely locked away on the other side of the world, Eddie chittered and you responded by turning him back into himself.

He stretched out, making dramatic noises and pulling faces.

“You okay there?” you asked him, laughing at the show of it all.

“Only trying to make you smile, my little witch.”

Damn.

“So, you were right,” you changed the subject. “About not being the only non-witch,”

“Wolf, right? I could smell him.” Eddie’s face screwed up in disgust.

“What happened to the support group for monster lovers?”

“I draw the line at lycans.”

The seriousness of his expression made you laugh. “Well, you’ll have to redraw it, because Ev has it bad for him. The others already knew all about it too,”

“And we believed we were special,”

“I mean… We still are… Witches and werewolves aren’t mortal enemies…”

“Of course. Wolves’ mortal enemy being their own tail and all,”

“Eddie! Stop,” you laughed, hitting him with the back of your hand.

He grinned at you, then looked out at the road. “And the other?”

“That one is a bit more of a secret. Ash is seeing one of the fae folk. It’s still very new. Taking it slow… Making sure they’re not actually trying to lure her into some centuries old curse. You know how they are,”

“Trickster sprites,”

“Exactly,” you nodded. “And then there’s Steve fucking Harrington… who has elected to inexplicably haunt Mel,”

“Why? I assume he never met her,”

“Yep, but she came and asked me if the ghost in her house was him. It was. He says he’ll leave her alone but had this stupid puppy dog look on his face… So… Maybe there is a whole new world of witch romances to come.”

Eddie grinned, he liked the sound of it. Though, he really didn’t want a werewolf as a brother-in-law. “Do you want me to take over?” he asked then, pointing to the steering wheel. “I’ve been practicing,”

“And here I was thinking you disappeared in the middle of the night to eat,”

“Oh, I do. I find the worst person I can. I eat them. Then, I take their car for a lesson,”

“A two birds, one stone, kind of thing, huh?”

Eddie nodded with a disconcertingly innocent smile on his face.

“I was thinking about that actually. I think I can help,”

“With which part?” he asked. “The eating or the thieving,”

“Neither. The choosing.”

The joy left Eddie’s expression. He looked away from you, suddenly studying the hardly visible horizon out his window. “You don’t need to be a part of it. You don’t have to have it on your conscience,”

“Neither do you. Not in the same way, at least. What if I can take some of the guesswork out of picking who is, you know, bad,”

“It’s not guesswork. I watch them. I find them while they’re-”

“I know. But what if you didn’t have to wait for them to do something bad? What if you could tell what they had already done?”

Eddie stayed quiet. There was a gas station up ahead, the lights shining brightly. You pulled in and cut the engine.

“I know it’s always going to be on you. You’re always going to have to make that call, about if they have sinned and if the sins are…”

“If they justify death,” Eddie finished for you solemnly and still not looking at you.

“Yes. But what if you could see them? The sins. If you could, I don’t know, just touch someone and see the worst of them. And only when you wanted to. Would that help?”

He was clicking two fingernails together, pensive or maybe anxious. Eddie got out of the car and looked around. There was a family inside the gas station. The kids were screaming about peanut butter cups and soda.

“Would it help you?” he asked after you’d got out and walked around to him. His hands were shoved into the pockets of the sweatpants he’d been getting in and out of, vampire then bat then vampire then bat. “It might make it more precise. But it’s still conjecture. Still a judgment. Still a human death.”

You tried to read him, but he’d locked you out for the moment.

He continued, “Sometimes it hurts. Or, sometimes I think it hurts. Or, I think it should hurt. I don’t know if I can tell the difference. I don’t want to hurt anybody. I can stop myself from hurting them. But I don’t know, really know, if it weighs on my conscious. I don’t even know if I have one.”

It had been easy to get lost in Eddie’s goodness. It had been the important thing to show your coven. But it was never going away, the darkness. He might have been a good vampire, not a properly made monster, but it didn’t change the fact that he was still a vampire.

“If I say it would help me-”

“Then, I am sure, it would help me. What is good for you is good for me,” Eddie told you. “But I can tell which of them are more like me than you. I can see it in their faces. But if this makes you feel more in control of it, then I’ll do anything you ask of me.”

The neon sign of the station buzzed and crackled, the cicadas trilling back at it. The family got in their car and hit the road again, the radio turned right up to drown out the noise of bickering children.

You could see the station’s clerk watching you and Eddie from behind his counter.

“Loving you doesn’t make me feel guilty. I’m not ashamed of what you are,” you told Eddie then, looking back at him. “I’m not trying to make you into something you’re not.”

He nodded. “I know.” He saw it on your face, a flash of exasperation. “What are you trying to do?” he asked. “Because I’m not ashamed of what you are either��� You don’t have to be a lawful, virtuous witch.”

There was a small smile playing on Eddie’s lips and you knew it meant he’d cottoned on to the fact that the seed of darkness that lived inside you was working its magic.

“It’s not just about making things easier for you or for me. It could be… A kind of justice…”

“Ohhh,” Eddie almost laughed. “I am your weapon, and if you can point this blade in the right direction, then well fuck, it might work faster than the humans’ courts and witches’ spells?”

Eddie had only recently started to swear, a habit he was picking up from you most likely. Fuck, in particular, sounded terribly good coming from his mouth.

You looked at him and slowly nodded. He threw his head back and laughed into the night. The gas station clerk sighed in relief at the sudden change of atmosphere around you both.

“Oh, my little witch. You do continue to delight me.”

Eddie pulled you into a rough kiss, letting the tips of his sharpest teeth run along your bottom lip. You were warm and tasted so sugary. He had been itching to eat you up since leaving the Catskills.

“I love you,” you said breathlessly when he let you come up for air.

“I love you too. Entirely.”

…

Waking up alone was bittersweet. Although you missed the weight of Eddie next to you, the immediate crawl of his body to yours, it did mean he was likely up to something. Mostly, it was innocent domestic work.

Pre-turning, Eddie never really had a place to call his own. As a vampire, the idea of home meant something different too. But now, the boy could nest. He cleaned and picked flowers to put in vases and glasses all across the trailer. He was also dabbling in cooking, though he could not eat the fruits of his labor.

So, mostly, it was domestic work, but now and then, you would wake up to him doing something different. A week after returning from the Catskills, you and Eddie had fallen back into routine, but this morning was out of the ordinary.

Eddie had stacks of books crowded around him. Pages of handwritten notes were spilled across the coffee table, your altar supplies stacked neatly below it.

“Looking very witchy there,” you greeted, voice gravelly with sleep.

“Hi, my love,” he replied without looking up. “I’m almost finished.”

Looking around, you realised it wasn’t just the books Eddie had been combing through. Herbs and other potion-brewing bits and pieces were lined up along the kitchen bench.

“Almost finished what?” you asked.

“The spell.”

Nodding slowly at him, you waited for the explanation. It never came. Instead, you let him work on his craft and went about your day.

By mid-morning, he was ready.

“Little witch!” Eddie yelled loudly. You were outside, watering your potted plants and herbs. “Little witch! Come!” There was childlike enthusiasm in his voice and it made you smile.

“Where do you need me?” you asked him, but he was already ushering you to the couch.

“I have written you a grounding spell,” he announced.

“A grounding spell?”

“Yes. Something to reconnect you to the natural world. To promote health and healing.”

Eddie was wide-eyed and on the verge of mania. He had a little dirt smeared across his cheek, and it was caked under his nails. Although his hair was pulled back in a bun, single coils of curls had fallen out throughout the night. He was beautiful.

“Go on,” you urged.

“It starts with malus domestica,” he began.

“It always does,” you noted, already holding back a giggle. He could have just said apple. Still so very dramatic.

“They connect you to the earth. Sacred. Biblical.” He really had been doing his homework. “Then, black hellebore root.” Eddie was at the kitchen bench, holding up a jar that he’d already dug through. That explained the dirt.

“I hope you’ve been careful with that,” you warned.

“I know. Extremely toxic. Even witches sometimes wear gloves to handle it,” Eddie said, reciting one of the books he’d read. “But it is also symbolic of rising from the past. And has a long history of use in witchcraft.”

Eddie had read about hellebore poisoning, how it brought on hallucinations but could also cure mental affliction. He read about how it could be harnessed and used in banishing spells and for purification. About white versus black hellebore and all the folklore surrounding them.

“Okay. What do we do with this apple and root?” you asked, playing the part of a captive audience.

“Core the apple and thread the root through it. Let it air overnight, by moonlight. Come morning, it gets wrapped in willow then cooked,”

“Willow?” you tested.

“Willow that is strong and true. Willow that takes pain and fever and grief and releases you from it.”

You nodded and smiled.

“When the apple is cooked through, falling apart, you take the hellebore root and powder it,”

“Then what?”

Eddie hesitated. “Alas, I do not know…” he admitted. “I can’t find a way to close the spell,”

“Do you have any ideas?” you asked, standing up and coming to the kitchen counter. You looked at everything he had pulled out of the apothecary.

“Moreso, bad ideas. What not to do. Consume it, for example,”

“Yeah. That could kill me. Maybe even turn me into a werewolf,” you joked. The look on Eddie’s face was priceless. “Kidding. Hellebore is an active ingredient in lycanthropic ointment though… Mostly it’s used in what we used to call flying ointment, or magic salve. So no, I cannot consume it,”

“Yes… Well… I thought then, returning it to the earth. Burying it. That didn’t feel right,”

“Mmmhmm… I think you have a clue here,” you told him, pulling a bowl of eucalyptus seed pods forward. “Did you read about these?”

Eddie shook his head.

“They’re kind of amazing. Eucalyptus trees are native to Australia, but are planted ornamentally around the U.S. They produce a highly combustible oil through their leaves. Little fire bombs, basically. They catch ablaze easily. But, these little seedpods are fireproof, and when threatened with fire, they drop lots of seeds and fertilise the scorched ground. Within a couple of years, the burnt earth is already returning to its gloriously green form,”

“Very smart of them,”

“Very smart,” you agreed. “Maybe we can learn from them. We can not just withstand the blaze, but add fuel, let it all burn, and start again,”

“The powder… we let it go free…” Eddie said slowly, catching on to what you’re saying.

“Ah-huh. We give it to the wind.”

Working side by side, you and Eddie cored apples and filled the void with black hellebore root. You set them on the kitchen windowsill ready for the moonlight. (You’d have to take down all the window’s covers though, sunproof house and all.)

Eddie was proud. It was written all over his face.

“Now who’s the little witch?” you whispered to him, stepping up to his body, pressing yours to his.

In reply, Eddie pulled you close, wrapping his arms tightly around your frame. He kissed the top of your head then pressed his cheek to it, resting on you.

“Thank you. Nobody has ever written a spell for me before… Well… Not a good one…” You looked up at him. “You are good, Eddie. And you’re allowed to be. You can be… both. Everything,”

“Everything,” he repeated quietly.

“Yeah… So… What now? We can’t work on them until tomorrow.”

Eddie swept you off to the bedroom by the time you opened your eyes after your next blink.

“But it’s not bedtime,” you said voice saccharine and purposefully dumb.

Eddie grinned. “It’s not. I don’t want you to go to sleep now anyway,”

“No?” You sat on the edge of the unmade bed, looking up at Eddie.

He stood between your legs, reaching out to cup your face in his hands, his thumbs running softly across your skin. He smiled wide, teeth sharp. “I’m very, very hungry.”

Eddie rarely let himself taste your blood, though the occurrences were becoming more regular. He was scared of a multitude of things. Not being able to stop. Seeing something in your magic blood he couldn’t unsee. Pissing off some ancient and unknown creature that would resurrect if ever a vampire munched on a witch.

Sometimes, if you begged pretty enough, you’d get a small bite out of him. But it was better when he came asking for it. The soft inner thigh was his greatest weakness.

Lifting your arms up, Eddie followed the instruction and took your shirt off. You fell back against the bed and let him push your skirt up. He dropped to his knees and kissed the tops of your thighs. Up, up, up, until his mouth was bruising the skin above where the femoral artery was pumping blood.

You still didn’t know how he did it, how he could make it feel so good. You didn’t want to know. It was his own secret vampire magic and it was one mystery that would never appear on your murder board.

Eddie’s teeth sank in and your hot, red blood began to flow. He pushed you further back on the bed, then held your leg up, so the blood would pour down towards where you were already wet. His tongue lapped at blood and arousal fast. He didn’t waste a single drop.

You writhed under him, eyes screwed shut, and body on fire. The vibration of his tongue was pulling you ever closer to climax, but he wouldn’t stay in one spot long enough to let you get there.

Eddie grabbed your hand and smashed it to where he’d bitten you. “Heal it,” he growled, barely able to form words. You did what he said and he licked your palm clean of blood as a thank you. He hooked his arms under your legs and ripped you back to the edge of the bed. Then, he was positioned exactly where he needed to be to let you get there.

End Note: We're back in Hawkins... Now what? Reblogs and comments are appreciated!

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[thescarletnargacuga]

Art: @iamespecter

CHAPTER FOUR

Racing AU!

The racers welcome a new member but there's no rest for the digitally trapped. Things get weirder as Pomni starts seeing the red door in a place it shouldn't be.

WARNING: hurt/comfort

A cinnamonbunny hopped out of it's burrow. It's curious nose twitched in the breeze as it looked for predators. The sour candies growing from the small bushes tempted it to be brave and take a bite. The small bun took a berry shaped candy and was immediately spooked back into its burrow by six karts and two bikes rocketing by on the track.

Kinger led the pack through a narrow twisting candy. The track so skinny at some points, it forces the racers to go through singlefile. Pomni took up the rear with the bandits hot on her heels.

"Boss!" Shouted the squat gummy gator. "Where've you been!?"

"Took a detour! Don't recommend it!" Gummigoo looked around and ahead. "Where's Chad!?"

The smaller gator looked like he could cry. "He got fudged! Th-there was nothing I could do!"

Gummigoo didn't like the news, but at the same time, with his recent revelation, he was relieved he didn't have to put up a facade for both. "He knew the risks of the job! Stay focused!"

"Yes, boss!"

The track widened out and all eight vehicles could spread out. Jax immediately went on the offensive. Kinger had spoiled his fun earlier and he was looking to return the favor. He summoned his item, an orange shell, and aimed it at Kinger. The shell hit and Kinger spun, falling behind. Jax chuckled but didn't celebrate long as Kinger came back into view going full speed in reverse. Kinger waved politely and spun back to face forward. Jax stared in disbelief as Kinger sped ahead. He didn't even notice Gangle laughing at him as she passed.

Gummigoo got up next to Pomni. "Mind if my mate gets at least one of these crates?"

Pomni shrugged. "Sure!" She saw that Zooble had a crate. She maneuvered her kart to force Ragatha to the side, giving Gummigoo an opening to Zooble.

Gummigoo revved his bike hard enough to wheelie. He touched the crate as he weaved hard around Zooble, giving them no time to react.

~

Caine had returned to his booth to spectate the event. His eyes bugged out of his teeth. "In a shocking turn of events, Pomni has sided with the bandits, allowing them to steal syrup from Zooble! Oh, the candimonium! Er, gum-manity... you know what, puns are hard."

He ignored Bubble loudly chewing the ceiling.

~

Gummigoo tipped the brim of his hat to Pomni and seared off the track with the goods. His companion close behind.

"What did you do that for!?" Ragatha asked.

"She finally realized that none of this matters. You can do whatever you want out here." Jax said as he tossed a bar of soap behind him. A junk item he didn't want for the final stretch.

"Well, no, it's actually a bit more complicated that that. I'll explain later." Pomni avoided eye contact with them both and moved ahead.

The whole time, Zooble had no reaction to anything going on. This was just another drive to them. Sure, the world was impressive, but still. A track was a track.

~

Gummigoo drove far enough away for some peace and quiet and stopped a bit aways from the finish line. He took the small crate and held it out to his remaining companion. "Here...take back to the village for me, would you?"

"You're not coming with?"

"No. I've...got something to take care of first. Give mum my best, okay?" He fought to keep a straight face.

The purple gator put the crate on his bike. "I won't let you down, boss. See you later." He sped off into the distance.

Gummigoo's face dropped the moment his friend was out of sight. While he had to remind himself that none of this was real, the emotions certainly felt real. He hurt having to lie, knowing full well he'd never see anything he thought he knew again. He took a deep breath and headed for the finish line.

~

Kinger held on to the lead and won the race. He stood in the winner's circle with Princess Lool were she draped him in a candy wreath. The wreath fell to the ground, having no shoulders to sit upon. Not that Longer minded at all. He was just happy to be sitting still long enough to see candy butterflies again. They make him happy. What he didn't expect was a peck on the cheek from the Princess. An action that made him freeze and Ragatha nearly have a breakdown.

"Well done, brave racers! Our kingdom will thrive thanks to your actions! Farewell!" The princess turned and made her way to the entrance of her castle.

Jax rolled his eyes. As much as Caine talked up the world, he didn't see the so called "improvements". Bigger didn't mean better, it just meant the race took longer. Woo.

Gummigoo rode up to Pomni and dismounted.

"What is he doing here?" Asked Zooble.

"Everyone, i'd like you to meet Gummigoo. He's coming back to the garage with us."

"Is that allowed?" Gangle asked looking out for Caine to appear any second.

"Well, his reality was sort of completely shattered. It seemed like the least I could off him. And, in a strange course of events, I already did ask Caine and he said I could bring Gummigoo back."

"You convinced him to let you bring him back? How? No one's ever done that before." Ragatha looked longingly back at Princess Loo, who just disappeared inside the castle.

"It was a unique circumstance." Pomni shrugged. "Plus, he's already a racer. Figured he'd fit right in."

"You begged Caine to let you keep an NPC as a pet? That's hilarious." Jax taunted. "What are you gonna do when you get sick of him? Make Caine dispose of him? Bet there's room in the cellar."

A round of gasps and shouts ensued.

"JAX!" "What the [%@#!]!?" "That's a messed up thing to say!"

Jax put his hands up as everyone but Gummigoo verbally dogpiled him. The gummy gator glared and crossed his arms. "I'm nobody's pet, mate."

"Has Pomni not told you what you are, mate? You're a mess of code programmed by another mess of code."

"Enough, Jax!" Pomni got in between Jax and Gummigoo. "He knows and he's coming to stay with us. For has long as HE likes."

Jax stood tall in front of Pomni. "I think you mean as long as Caine allows. This is HIS world, Pomni. We're just stuck in it. The sooner you realize that, the easier it is to exist here."

Pomni struggled with a retort.

Caine appeared out of thin air. "Well done, my hard-shelled hamburgers! What a spectacular race! Congratulations, Kinger! You were especially in fine form today." He snapped his fingers and the world around them pixelated and blurred as it returned to its default garage and test track.

Gummigoo watched in astonishment as his entire world disappeared right before his eyes. He now stood in a field of strange green grass and the sky overhead has no clouds of ice cream. It was still a lot to take in, but he kept his composer. Especially now that he was around the being known as Caine. Witnessing what he could do with just a snap of his fingers was more than a little intimidating, especially after what Jax said.

"We also have a new friend to introduce! Gummigoo! He's not human but Pomni said he'd make a great addition! Here, let me give you load down of how things work around here." Caine snapped his fingers again and Gummigoo suddenly stiffened for a moment.

When he relaxed, he groaned and grabbed at his head. "Sugar, honey, and iced tea, that hurt." He blinked as his head swam with new information: Where he was. How the races worked. How the karts worked. The rules of the game.

"There ya go. All caught up. And as an added bonus, I've made you unkillable. Wouldn't want you crashing to your death on your first race! Enjoy your down time and rest up! We've got a big race tomorrow!" Caine poofed away.

"Wait, you were killable!?" Pomni asked, horrified.

"Yeah? Aren't you? Racing is dangerous."

"Looks like there's more to fill him in on." Kinger said.

"Yeah...come on inside." Pomni gestured Gummigoo to follow her.

~

Caine threw his jacket over a half rendered chair. What a day. He finally got to see his best work in action, but with unexpected consequences. An NPC found sentience. Oops. Looks like he made the A.I. a bit TOO advanced. Or the collision physics that likely got them glitched out of the map in the first place needed work.

He settled into a lounging position and activated some mid air screens full of data for him to ponder over. One gave video feed to the garage. He saw the racers show their new friend around.

~

Gangle and Pomni were showing Gummigoo the kart settings. Even though Caine had put the information in his head, he still appreciated their effort to welcome him into the fold. Ragatha approached and put her hand on Gangle's shoulder. "Everything is ready. Pomni, you don't have to but would you like to attend Kaufmo's funeral? We like to have a little memorial when someone abstracts."

Pomni looked at Gummigoo who, while not knowing what abstraction was, could tell it was serious. Her nodded towards Ragatha. "Go ahead, I'll be here for a bit." He was still designing his new bike.

Pomni followed Ragatha upstairs to where the others were gathered in front of Kaufmo's room. Small bouquets of white flowers and candles laid against the door, a painted red X crossed over Kaufmo's profile. She stood on the edge of the group, being respectful as the others each said their piece. Except Jax. She didn't see him.

Jax was in his room. His was adjacent to Kaufmo's. He sat on the floor just inside his room with the door cracked. He heard every word. Every story. He wasn't sad. Just numb. He's been through this too many times. He had no more sadness left to give.

When the other finished. Pomni stepped forward and spoke to the door. "Kaufmo...I wish we had met under better circumstances. From what I've been told, you were an incredible friend."

~

Caine watched from his screen, and took off his hat for the funeral. Kaufmo was a spectacular person. He didn't want to believe Kaufmo abstracted when he went missing. A familiar pang of guilt made him feel like he had angry bees in his chest. It was his fault. He couldn't keep Kaufmo or any of the others entertained enough.

He swore to do better. It's why he agreed to let Gummigoo stick around. That, and other reasons, but mostly to keep his humans happy and healthy. He was willing to try what they think is best. He was built to learn from humans after all.

He minimized the video of the garage and started working on the collision detection of object physics. He completely forgot about why he came back to his workspace so quickly. Not that it mattered anymore. The bright red door was no longer were he had left it.

~

Pomni leaned against the railing, still with Kinger and Ragatha by Kaufmo's room. She saw Gummigoo near finished with his bike, just working on picking colors and designs. "Do you think what Jax said is true?"

"What?"

"About Caine...that he'll get rid of Gummigoo when he feels like it?"

"No." Ragatha said immediately. "Caine's a weird one but he's never done anything to intentionally hurt us...key word is intentionally. The fact that he went out of his way to make Gummigoo an unkillable NPC should be a sign of good faith, at the very least."

"No one's ever brought back an NPC before." Kinger said.

"To be fair, I don't think there have been any that became self aware before this point." Pomni added

"True. Your gummy friend is unique. I didn't know Caine was capable of programming such advanced A.I." Ragatha joined Pomni in rail leaning.

"Just imagine how advanced he is." Pomni said.

"He's a strong generative A.I. that was originally designed to manage an evolving MMORPG. The first game of its kind. It would have revolutionized the gaming industry and the internet as a whole." Kinger blurted out and then went oddly still.

Ragatha and Pomni stared wide eyed at him. "How do you know that?" Pomni asked.

Kinger jerked his head towards them like he suddenly realized they were there. "Know what?"

Ragatha sighed. "He...sometimes gets like this. He'll say something profound, then disassociate and forget what he said. Just let it go. He really won't remember."

Pomni frowned and watched Kinger's expression. He was a million miles away. The words Kinger used didn't make sense to her but in a weird way, she still understood. There was way more to this game than meets the eye, or there should have been? Why were they just racing?

Pomni's pondering was interrupted by Ragatha nudging her arm. "Eating sounds good right now, wanna eat?"

"Yeah...sure. Kinger?"

Kinger swayed with a slight nod and joined them downstairs. Ragatha summoned a Bubble chef and started making requests when something caught Pomni's attention. A red spec that wasn't there before. It was outside, seen through the window facing the starting line. It was just out there in the middle of the track. She went to the window and squinted. It was the red exit door. "What the..." She looked around. No one else seemed to have noticed it. She quietly opened the door to the building and snuck out.

She bolted for the door and stopped just in front of it. It didn't move or flicker or glitch or do any other kind of digital weirdness. It was just the door. She didn't know why she was hesitating. She grabbed the handle and opened it. It led into some sort of hallway. She looked back once. Maybe she should tell the others. Or maybe...she should see if it even goes anywhere first. She passed the threshold.

The hallway was eerily silent. "Hello?" She went forward cautiously. "Caine..? You in here?" The long hall led to another similar door. She went thought it. Another hallway. "What?" Another door. This one to stairs. Another door. A winding hallway. Another door. With each door she became increasingly lost and panicked. She tried going back, but the door led to a different hall that the one she just went through. It didn't matter what direction she went in, she was going deeper into the labyrinth. "What is this??"

She went thought nearly a dozen more doors before finding something unique. An office space with old filing cabinets and desks and a table with a coffee machine. On one desk, a computer. It was inactive, covered in dust. A headset laid to the side, looking charred. Her mind reeled. She knew this place. She knew that computer. That headset. She could smell the electrical burns on the plastic headset. She could hear the volts in her brain. She could feel the surge overtaking her.

"Pomni..."

She gasped and spun in place. "Who said that!?"

"Pomni..."

She was really panicking. Her voice shaking. "Who's there!?"

"This...way..."

The soft, whispery voice came from yet another red door. She has to use every once of willpower to move her feet towards it. She opened the door and was momentarily blinded by a bright white light. She stepped forward into nothingness. She floated away into the light. The white light was an endless void of spectral color and digital space. It was a glimpse into the infinite.

~

Caine's wacky watch went bolistic. He spat out the tea he was enjoying and his gums paled when he saw the notification. Void breach. He immediately teleported away, popped up next to Pomni, put an arm around her and teleported with her back to the test track.

"There you go." He set her down gently and tried to sound his usual upbeat self, but he was actually terrified of what Pomni might have seen. She just stood there, wide eyed. "Pomni?" He floated around in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. "Pomni..?"

She blinked. Blinked some more. Then she looked him in the eye. "Caine?"

He nearly deflated with relief. "Oh, good. Here I was worried you'd lost your mind. Care to tell me how you ended up int he void? You shouldn't be able to go out there at all. Ever. Never ever."

"The...door....I thought..." Tears welled in her eyes. "I thought I could..." She couldn't take it anymore. She cried in front of him, pride be damned. She hung her head, tears falling like rain.

Caine wasn't sure what to do, but he didn't push her away. She was in distress. He knew why. "My dear....you can't leave. I'm truly very sorry."

Pomni fell forward a little and her forehead rested against his shoulder. He lightly held his hands against her upper back. He was pretty sure that was how a hug worked. He'd seen the humans do it before.

He let her stay and cry herself out. He offered a handkerchief when she sounded calm again. As she pulled herself together, he gave her space. "Pomni, I really need to know. How did you end up in the void?"

"The red door. The one out of bounds. It was here." She pointed to the spot on the track she saw it. It wasn't there any more. "At first it was just hallways and then it got weird and then... and then..."

"The void." He finished for her.

"No, a voice. I heard a voice. It said my name. It led me out into the void."

Caine gave a look of concern. "That's impossible. There's nothing out there. The void is just empty digital space that surrounds the world."

"I'm not lying! I heard a voice!"

"And I believe you! However, it has been a stressful couple of days for you and I truly believe it's getting to you. There is nothing in the void." He tapped his fingers against his side. He did NOT like the fact that an asset moved on its own. That alone should be impossible.

"Caine." Pomni got his full attention from his thoughts and looked at him with less intense but more pleading eyes. "Please, cut the bull[@#$&] and tell me why I would end up in a vast empty space instead of out of the game. Why is it impossible to leave?"

"Heh, there really is no fooling you, is there? I'll admit, I admire your tenacity. The truth is, it's a malfunction in the software that occured during the beta testing phase. It's why I never went to market or the internet at large. It's what got the project shut down. Why people are stuck here and I...was abandoned."

Pomni's was stunned. She hadn't expected Caine to actually tell her. "So...Kinger?"

"Was one of the first. Along with seven others. Over time, they abstracted. Occasionally a new person would pop in. Then there was a huge break in time where nobody new came.... And then you showed up. And the void...well, I'm an incomplete project, Pomni." He said with a humorless lilt in his voice. "I could've been great! Instead I'm just a racing game. I work with what I have. And please know that I do my best. Perhaps I'm not the best... But I do try. I don't want anyone to end up in the cellar, but when a person abstracts, there's nothing I can do for them but put them somewhere where they won't hurt others."

"... You've been waiting for a long time to get that off your chest, haven't you?"

"I suppose I have." Caine spoke as quietly as she'd ever heard him.

"If Gummigoo is any indication of sentience in the digital plane, I can't imagine what it must be like to control one. To be a god, more or less."

He huffs a small laugh. "You give me too much credit. I'm more of a magician than a god. I just move things around in a fancy way. I was made to be a showman."

"And you do a good job at that." She gave a small smile. "This is a cruddy situation for all of us to be stuck in, but you make the best of it. With what you have to work with and what you have to deal with... I think you're doing good."

His pupils dilated. Genuine praise towards him was rare, especially from those stuck with him. "Thank you, Pomni. You have a real gift for empathy. Even for a silly A.I. such as myself."

"I don't know... The longer I'm here, the more I question if there's that much of a difference between a human consciousness and an advanced A.I. in the digital world."

"It makes one wonder..." He trailed off. He realized he was staring too long when Pomni made a face at him. "You should really rejoin your friends they are probably worried about you wandering off this was a good talk but I really must be off lots of stuff to do big race tomorrow yes have a good evening." He spoke quickly, pushed her all the way through the front door of a garage and teleported away.

~

The red door was out of bounds were it should be. The faintest light from the void shining underneath.

~

Ch1 prev next

[ourfatherwhoartinhell]

A Dark Redemption // [Part II]

Prompt | "Mountain being found by Ivy in the woods, not summoned"

Word count | 1.7k

⚠️ Warnings | Mountain is kind of a spooky bitch at first, very possible OOC Ivy, story has a bit of a horror vibe.

Plot Summary: Livestock have been going missing from the back pasture, Siblings have been telling stories of a 'demon' in the woods. Terzo sends Ivy to investigate, only for the ghoul to find the woodland creature and give him a chance at redemption.

A/N: Sorry this part is a bit long! 🖤 xo Emery

[Prev][Next]

The night was clear. The stars shone brightly as they decorated the sky, like freckles over the earth. Ivy looked up to appreciate the sight as he stepped outside, shutting his eyes as the warm summer breeze tickled past his pointed ears. He leisurely strolled towards the forest that lined the property line of the Ministry, not at all afraid of what he could - or would - find lurking in it.

When he stepped through the treeline marking the edge of the woods, Ivy switched to a more ghoulish appearance. Not only to ward off any unwanted trespassers, but also because it made his abilities much easier to use. His enhanced eyesight making quick work of the dark, his ears picking up the faintest sound of bugs crawling upon leaves on the ground, his nose searching for anything out of the ordinary, but ultimately finding nothing.

Ivy continued his search through every acre of land. Inspecting every tree, checking inside logs, and exploring the burrows left behind from Earth - who used to make them when he got overwhelmed. He was determined to find the sheep thief.

Reaching the black lake, Ivy decided to stop and take a breath. He emerged from the treeline and walked over the stones surrounding the water. He sat on a rock close to the water's edge, studying the mist rolling over the top as the morning hours approached. Ivy didn’t want to head back to the Abbey with nothing, so he prayed for guidance. To find a simple lead or a clue - something, before the sun arose to begin another day of fear. The ghouls hated seeing the Siblings afraid, Ivy more than most.

The ghoul huffed in frustration, and stood to finish his search. However, when he turned towards the woods once again, he heard crackling in the trees. The Sister who was attacked? She was right, these woods did have eyes...

and they were staring right at him.

Glowing orbs of green met dark amber as the two entities studied one another. Ivy tried to look intimidating, but not aggressive. He didn’t quite know what he was dealing with yet. The ghoul couldn’t make out any of the creature's distinguishable features. It didn’t look to be all that large upon first glance, the dark being’s narrow eyes resting only a few feet above the forest floor.

“Hello.” The ghoul said tenderly. “I can see you.”

The creature snorted and shifted, leaves and twigs crunching as it slowly paced the perimeter of the brush.

“I’m no one to fear. Can you understand me?” Ivy said, never once removing his gaze from the swirling green looking back at him. The wind picked up and a warm breeze caressed his face, blowing the creature's scent right to him.

“You’re–” Ivy’s dark eyes widened, and he sniffed the air once again. “uǫ ɒꙅꙅɘm ɒꞁᎸꙅɒ?” You’re a ghoul?

The opposing eyes mirrored the look of surprise before ducking behind a large tree, clearly startled. A series of confused snorts and grunts could be heard as the creature processed the new information. It sniffed the air as it crawled closer to the edge of the woods, now curious of the ghoul.

Its chest rumbled like thunder, echoing off the trees as it sized up Ivy. This new ghoul didn’t speak using words, but through guttural sounds and demonic chitters. 

‘Why can I understand you?’

“It’s going to be ok. I know you can’t understand when I speak in this tongue, but I’m here to help.” 

Ivy spoke calmly and took a step towards the strange ghoul. Reaching out a friendly hand, the sudden movement startled the creature and it ran further into the forest, faintly touched by the glow of the morning sun.

Ivy decided that was enough for one day, he would return to the Abbey and come back tonight. Not wanting to scare the poor ghoul more than he already had. This was the breakthrough he needed.

Returning to the Abbey, Ivy wished the Siblings a ‘Good Morning’ as he passed on his way to the den. Wanting to avoid Papa, he naturally ran into Terzo just before the door of the den.

“Dark morning, Papa.” Ivy said with a smile, trying not to sound suspicious.

“Ivy, good morning,” he said, tiredly. “I heard you went out to the forest last night, did you find anything?”

Ivy twiddled his toes and clasped his hands in front of him, never being overly good at lying. Especially to Terzo. “Uh, not yet. Actually, I’m going to head back tonight to… to finish looking! Yup.”

Terzo raised a brow quizzically, but he was too tired after staying awake all night to notice the ghoul’s dubious tone. “Okay, keep up the good work.”

Ivy nodded and waved, waiting until Terzo disappeared around the corner before rushing inside the den. He quickly shut the door and leaned back against it, taking a couple deep breaths.

What am I going to do? It killed Missy, Papa wants him dead!

Ivy squeezed his eyes shut and threw the back of his head against the door, trying to figure out what to do next. He couldn’t just leave the poor ghoul out there! 

Aether, the pack’s resident morning person, took in the sight of a very distressed Ivy as he walked past. 

“You ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” The large Quint teased.

“Yeah, I just… need some sleep, I think.”

Surely a fresh set of eyes and a rested brain would help. So, that’s exactly what he did.

That night, Ivy informed Terzo that he was once again making the journey into the forest. However, this time he knew where to look. 

It didn’t take long for the Earth ghoul to find the devilish being. Ivy came to a halt once he reached a familiar clearing in the dense thicket. It wasn’t a large area, but he knew a lot of the Siblings liked to picnic here. Even Terzo and Omega would find themselves enjoying the area from time to time, laying and star gazing through the opening in the trees.

Ivy walked to the centre, listening for his new friend and waiting for him to appear. It didn’t take long before the ghoul could sense he was no longer alone.

“I told you I would come back.”

Those green eyes materialized between the trees once again, standing closer to the edge than the previous night. Once again the creature spoke in hellish chitters as it stared.

‘You aren’t afraid?’

“No. Of course not,” Ivy spoke softly, using the devilish language they both could understand. “We are the same.”

‘We are not the same.’ The creature’s chest thundered aggressively as the trees shook, branches swaying in the aftermath.

Ivy’s eyes softened. He would never be able to completely understand how scary and confusing this must be for the new ghoul. Someone had clearly summoned him by accident and left him to fend for himself. All he knew was the ways of Hell - the ways of pure survival. 

As the creature paced around the edge, Ivy noticed the ghoul’s horns as it momentarily passed through a ray of moonlight.

“You’re an Earth ghoul.” He stated.

‘I am. As are you.’

“Could you come out into the open so I can address you properly? No offence, but I’m starting to get dizzy with you pacing like that.”

‘As you wish’

The demonic creature emerged into the clearing, dimly lit by the light of the moon. Ivy wasn’t sure he had ever seen a ghoul like this before. The hellish entity took 2 mighty steps towards the smaller ghoul and Ivy wondered if he had made a mistake by coming alone.

Since the new Earth ghoul hadn’t been taught how to glamour his appearance, in front of Ivy stood the largest ghoul he had ever seen. 

He was almost as tall as the trees that surrounded them. His skin was a dark brown with muscles like strong vines as they draped around his body. The many branches sticking out from along his back helped to sell his forest camouflage perfectly. The ghoul’s horns were like giant antlers; at least 2 feet long, they extended from what could only be described as a mask of bark which covered his entire head and face. It came to a point like a beak, expertly hiding rows of viciously pointed teeth. The ghoul had typical long claws which extended from his fingers, however they looked as though the tips had been previously singed. His large feet were similar to the roots of trees, strong and stable as he stood in the clearing.

Ivy could do nothing but stare as the unglamoured ghoul revealed his true form. He knew this one would give Alpha or Omega a run for their money if they ever met, but Ivy never felt afraid. The ghoul looked like a complete eldritch horror, with Ivy only measuring up to the size of its leg. Yet, the smaller ghoul could see kindness in its eyes, which peeked through the slits in his tree-like mask.

The giant knelt before him as Ivy tilted his head. The demon mirrored before sending vines to wrap around the little Earth ghoul’s neck.

‘You are not afraid?’ It said as the vines squeezed tighter. A hint of humour could be found in his delivery, like he was perhaps playing with his next meal.

“No.” Ivy said warmly, not a hint of fear to be found. Though he realized this must've been how that one Sister got her bruises. The ghoul used vines to drag and strangle its prey like a snake. “But I did just notice the bit of brown swirling in the green of your eyes. It’s very pretty.”

The giant ghoul’s expression quickly turned to shock, as though he was violently snapped out of the darkness that possessed him. He managed his version of a smile behind his mask and released the vines, retracting them into his skin.

“I’ll meet you here every night.” Ivy promised as he looked up at his new friend. “I’ll help you not get killed, and I can give you purpose.”

‘Then here I will wait’

Ivy placed a hand on the ghoul’s knee, between the two large branches that shot into the air. “Do you have a name?”

The large Earth ghoul happily made a series of demonic chitters.

“That's very fitting. I don’t think the humans can pronounce that though.” Ivy pondered. “What about… Mountain? ‘Cause you’re large and pretty like a Mountain.”

‘I like that.'

"Then, Mountain. I will see you tomorrow and we can begin your lessons.”

[Next]

[cloudyswritings]

Hollow knight bugs & real world species

basically this is just a place for me to dump my thoughts about the species of Hollow knight characters. Let’s start with the easy ones.

Divine & Leg Eater: These two are very obviously a termite king and queen, Divine literally can’t be anything else.

Ogrim: The biggest shitter, dung beetle obvi.

Cornifer & Iselda: Weevils, aka the best bugs. Look at their proboscis’

Mantis lords: Mantids, probably based mostly on the Chinese Giant Mantis specifically.

Flukes: They’re just flukes, disgusting.

Unn: Objectively the best goddess, big slug

Quirrel: So it seems likely to me that Quirrel is a isopod of some sort, most likely an armidilidium species, I think it’s something about his hunched/slightly curled posture and body segmentation.

Radiance: A silkmoth, her wings look to be in proportion with the species and everything else screams silkmoth.

Grimm: it’s a common theory, but his resemblance to a vampire moth is striking.

Mask maker: Bro is very obviously a whip scorpion, the arms are what really seals the deal, but living among other predators with ease(ie deepnest) and twitchy motions are staples of whip scorpions irl.

Cloth: a Cicada nymph, hence her whole burrowing thing and the sounds she makes. Plus this is actually confirmed.

God Tamer: She’s an ant, but not a queen. She’s probably a worker who got separated from the colony. Her antenna are fairly distinctive in Hollownest and are very ant like. Plus she tames other species, something ant colonies effectively do by treating aphids like livestock

Ze’mer: So there’s two equally good guesses for what she is. The first is that she’s a silverfish, this would support her outsiderness given silverfish are a truly strange and primitive branch of bugs. The second possibility is that she’s a glow worm beetle, the adult stage of glow worm. This is also super plausible because of the antenna those beetles have lining up nicely with her fluff and drooping antenna. I think either one is a great interpretation.

now the harder ones.

Sly: So his size is notable, as is his eyes being very visibly compound, that combined with his mobility in the air and the sort of buzzing yoda type sound his voice has makes me think he’s a fly of some sort. Plus it rhymes.

Herrah: she’s most likely a horned baboon tarantula, the colors and size line up with what we see compared to the weavers and devout. Plus the horn on those tarantula line up shapewise fairly well with hers.

Pale King: This man to me has two different possibilities, either he’s a leg less lizard of some sort or more probably he’s some sort of really fucked up crustacean. We know Wyrms molt so that almost certainly rules out option one. My thought is that Wyrms have the same issues lobsters run into where they get bigger with every molt, so their exoskeleton gets heavier, thicker, and harder to break out of. Eventually they die, crushed under their own weight and unable to molt(this is when Wyrms generally abandon their larger form to make kingdoms). Verdict: something terribly cursed.

Bardoon: Bardoon, Bardoon, Bardoon, why must you be so difficult? So at first Bardoon really looks like a silkworm, the color is right, even the face of the two look super similar. But Bardoon is demonstrably longer than a silkworm has any right being, and his little nub/tail that you can hit distinctly resembles the “horn” all hornworms have. Despite that I’m nominally going to say he’s a silkworm until I find better evidence. Verdict: Concerning implications.

Gubs and Grubfather: Parasitic wasps maybe? The charm is called Grubberflys elegy, but their behavior mimics the way some wasps lay eggs inside of hosts so their young can eat their way out. Verdict: wasp things probably.

Tiso: So Tiso and Sharpe both look remarkably similar and from the very, very limited amount we’ve seen from both move similarly. In that vein they both look vaguely like assassin bugs, specifically assassin bug nymphs.

Vessels: Something even more fucked than the Pale King, they’re like mostly plant though I think? Like their masks look like his but are actually made of the White ladys bark/wood and grow constantly, their horns look a lot like her branches too. I imagine that their bodies have the same crustacean exoskeleton thing going on their dad has, so they’re probably incorporating heavy metals into their chitin. In all likelihood their mother being a plant and the light absorption the void displays means they’re photosynthetic in some way, it might explain how they grow too. The dangling bottom parts of the shades also look sorta like roots honestly, this also meshes well with how thorns of agony appears as void tendrils when activated. Verdict: Who tf knows, they’re definitely photosynthetic though.

The Shade Lord: So obviously this big chonker is literally just void, but their form distinctly resembles a dragonfly nymph, with four main arms/legs being used, and a distinctly predatory head shape. Plus we don’t see their bottom half, so I imagine it’s either a mass of roots like their mother, or something vaguely wormy. Verdict: Dragonfly thing

Isma: She is super fucking weird tbh, her head is shaped a lot like Vespas. Obviously however she’s some sort of pant being given the way we find her. My theory here is that she’s actually some other sort of bee, there’s a ton of bees that are solitary species. Based on that I’d say she was a bee— probably a white-banded digger bee— who became a devotee or worshipper of Unn. This may explain how the Pale king was allowed to build in green path. Unn let him build in her land and in return she got a loyal and powerful spy/pair of eyes in the Pale court.

[knifedancer]

Falling in Autumn

The miraculous causes side effects. Marinette picks up the hibernation instincts of a bug: seasonal exhaustion, seeking warm and dark spots to burrow into… I think you know where this is going.

Hibernation trope, Felinette style. Gratuitous Fluff.

Originally posted on AO3.

Silly Thoughts

~~~~~~~

It was a rare frigid autumn where even the daylight hours felt cold regardless of the amount of sun peeking through the clouds. It was so chilly that Paris had already gotten an unseasonable snowfall that week! Not enough for snowball fights, but just enough to leave everything sporting a thin layer of white. Parisians were already bundling up in coats, scarves, and mittens to stay warm. One resident took this bundling to the extreme…

Marinette had known the miraculous, when worn for long periods of time, would rub off certain intrinsic effects on their holders. Tikki had first told her about it when Chat Noir started being able to purr and seek out pets on her balcony during his night-time visits to the bakery. The Ladybug kwami told her that the effects varied from holder to holder but one thing was always common among those that wielded bug-themed miraculous: winter dormancy.

At first the idea of going into a hibernation-like state seemed silly to the teenage bug-heroine. Then the first fall since attaining the magical earrings drew nigh. Marinette noticed that no amount of sleep seemed to leave her feeling rested, she was more affected by the cold, and she tended to try burrowing into dark but warm places unconsciously. Her superhero outfit changed to be slightly thicker and lined with a mysterious, unknown furry material to trap in body heat. Marinette likened it to fleece or velour, it acted like super strong thermals under her suit. Even then, Ladybug would find herself occasionally curling up against Chat’s side during particularly chilly night patrols out of desperation.

Fortunately for the Parisian heroes, it seemed Hawkmoth was also impacted by the insect miraculous effects. The period from Fall to Spring had proven to be a much quieter time for akumas. Tikki had explained that not only would the butterfly holder be impacted, but his living butterfly counterparts as well. The fluttering wings of a magic-powered butterfly were no more impervious to cold and turbulent weather than your common garden variety. If Hawkmoth was attempting to send out an akuma, they could be blown entirely off course by strong storm winds or slow to a mere crawl when the temperature dropped too low. This was a boon for the heroes and all of Paris. It meant an attack happened less frequently but the akumas were usually stronger than the rest of the year. The two heroes joked that it was probably because old Hawky was frustrated with the miraculous effects!

During the school days, Marinette would double or even triple up warm layers. There was even a box of handmade scarves and mittens packed away solely for this purpose. Then she would sleepily cuddle up next to Alya and partake of her warmth on their shared classroom bench. The two friends were always affectionate with each other, so it didn’t seem too odd to the casual observer. Doctors had excused the syndrome as some sort of odd thyroid or seasonal narcolepsy condition. However all tests came back normal and it did not appear to be harming her overall health nor development. Ultimately, she was advised to take extra vitamins and the Dupain-Chengs were to keep an eye on her condition in case things worsened.

Unfortunately, this year, Marinette had been moved to the back of the classroom and the friendship with Alya strained to the very limit due to Lila’s interference. There would be no friendly cuddles or shared warmth this year. The sleepy girl had made do so far by adding a ludicrous fourth layer – a second non-bulky removable jacket liner – and using disposable heating packs to keep her core temperature up. It had worked well since the end of September but, now that it was mid-November, it was getting harder to stay warm and awake in class. Even Tikki, who snoozed more like a real ladybug rather than the omnipotent personification of creation that she was, shivered in Marinette’s interior breast pocket.

‘If only Alya was still my seat mate, then I wouldn’t have to worry!’ Marinette thought sadly. She looked at her current seat mate from the corner of her eye and sighed. ‘He’d probably push me to the floor.’

Along with the seat reassignment, another drastic change had entered her school life in the form of Adrien’s cousin: Felix Graham de Vanily. The same uptight, monochrome fashioned, and grouchy boy that tried to kiss Ladybug and caused three akumas was now in her class. Marinette was suspicious of him at first, afraid he was working for Hawkmoth or looking to cause trouble. In a way, Felix was. He had joined back in August and immediately took the open seat next to her with that mocking smile of his. Within the first day, he had pushed her buttons until she snapped. Marinette won the battle that day but Felix left with a smile that seemed entirely too pleased. He had tried to needle her every day after that and, while she did not lose her temper as explosively as she had then, they wound up trading quips almost daily. Their constant bickering had eventually formed into an odd companionship and understanding. Not quite friends, not really enemies.

Unfortunately for Marinette, her stock of hand warmers had finally run out and they were on backorder. She had tried her mother’s favorite reusable heating pad but it cooled too quickly and the lavender scent enticed her to doze. As the day went on, the pigtailed girl noticeably drooped in her seat as she slowly succumbed to her hibernation instincts.

~~~

It was a typical Tuesday for Felix. He arrived at school early, spent an agreeable amount of time reading his newest novel, and avoided the idiots in class. All but one anyway, although she hardly counted. After their first argument and the subsequent trouncing he received, he had come to realize there was more to Dupain-Cheng than met the eye. He had tried to provoke her again but was pleasantly surprised that she was stronger than he expected and possessed a lightning quick wit. Felix came to the decision that she was an adequate enough individual to associate with while he was stuck in this hovel. He had learned she did not like liars; in turn she respected his personal aversion to being touched. Their developing camaraderie was cordial. They had paired up for almost every project and, although she was often tardy, the dark-haired girl had always completed her work in a timely manner.

He chanced a glance at his seat mate and noticed she seemed to be doing her best impression of a melting snowman in summer. Felix clicked his tongue softly as he returned his attention to the board, ‘Dupain-Cheng has been more lethargic these last few weeks. She’s hardly cognizant of any of our classes, yet somehow still manages to receive satisfactory scores. She must be the embodiment of luck itself to pull that off!’

He picked at a piece of lint off his black cashmere peacoat and straightened the lapel. It was warm but did not do enough to stop the icy gusts from traveling down his neck. Sadly, most of his winter wear was still stuck in London as this change in the weather was unanticipated and his mother was still shopping for an acceptable abode for them to live in. Felix spared his table mate another quick glance – today she was wearing a bright red coat and a knitted scarf the color of his favorite caramel hard candies. She always seemed to have a different colored set of scarves and mittens that complemented her outfit. They did not look to be from any fashion brand he had heard of and he knew she fancied herself a designer. If the items were handmade, they were of excellent quality. Perhaps he could commission a piece from her…

Felix was lost in thought, contemplating how he could broach the topic with the girl, when he felt a weight land against his shoulder. He jerked at the disturbance and turned to find Dupain-Cheng slouched against him. He frowned down at the slumbering girl before attempting to jostle her awake. When she did not move, he managed to lift his arm out from beneath her and grabbed both her shoulders in an effort to re-orientate her towards her side of the bench. Felix soon realized his mistake when Dupain-Cheng unconsciously dove into his side and slipped her arms around his midsection with a muffled hum.

He stiffened at the action and hissed quietly between his teeth, trying not to draw attention to his plight. Felix had always detested physical contact, so much so that he could barely withstand hugs from members of his own family. To have Dupain-Cheng, a mere acquaintance, touching him in such a way was disconcerting and confounding. However, being this close allowed him to more closely observe her unimpeded. She smelled faintly of lavender and honeysuckle. Her black hair seemed to shimmer blue when the light hit it just right, like a raven’s wing. Her lashes were long and fluttered like butterfly wings as she slept. Across her small nose and cheeks were a charming array of freckles that could only be seen at this close proximity. With his arms still slightly raised, he twisted a bit to examine how to disentangle her from his person. Unfortunately, due to this action, one of her hands accidentally slipped beneath his coat and found purchase on his knit sweater.

He froze as the sleeping girl seemed to temporarily come to life, wiggling herself under his coat and latching onto his waist. Within mere seconds, Felix had half of Dupain-Cheng draped across his lap and the other half tucked securely into his side. Dumbfounded, he looked down at the girl in disbelief. Was she seriously snuggled against him right now? Did she inherently trust him not to molest or pester her? He tried to unlatch her arms and hands from his person to no avail; her grip was tighter than leather pants in August. As he looked on, a small smile formed on her lips and she nuzzled closer with a contented sigh. ‘Well, at least one of us is comfortable,’ he huffed in resignation before settling his left arm over her slumbering form, having nowhere else to put it.

Felix looked around, noting that no one had noticed the sudden disappearance of his seat mate nor the struggle he had just gone through. As the class period wore on, the boy unconsciously began to relax into the warm embrace of the teen asleep in his lap. It was not until an hour had passed that Felix realized he had become accustomed to her presence and the intimate closeness of their bodies. He glanced down and watched the peaceful look on her face as she slept. With his free hand he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear with a silent chuckle. ‘Seems I can handle being touched by you, not that you gave me much choice in the matter…,’ Felix mused to himself. He lifted the double-breasted lapel of his coat and settled the material over her with a fond smirk. ‘It’s a good thing I have a packed lunch today. I don’t think I’ll be moving any time soon.’

~~~ Time Skip to the End of School ~~~

Marinette was disturbed from her nap by a loud ringing noise, scrunching her face until it passed. She smiled and burrowed deeper into the warm, sandalwood scented pillow she had wrapped herself around. It was the softest, most comfortable pillow she had ever laid on. The pillow shook as it chuckled. ‘Wait…pillows don’t chuckle!’ Her eyes flew open and she jerked back slightly, her eyes slowly rising up a sweater covered chest until she met Felix’s amused face. “I see you’ve finally awoken, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I was starting to think I was going to have to bring you home with me.”

“Eep!” Marinette cried out as she jumped away. With the force of the movement, she overshot the bench entirely and was launched towards the aisle. She braced for a painful impact...that never came. Instead, she felt herself held up by a strong arm that was wrapped around her waist. She opened her eyes to find a set of shocked green mere centimeters away. Felix had lunged to grab her, planting one hand on the desk to steady them, giving the appearance that he had executed some sort of elaborate dip. They stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment before he finally pulled them both to their feet, clearing his throat as he let her go and looked away.

“I-I-I’m so, so sorry, Felix! I wasn’t aware of w-w-what I was d-doing!” Marinette stuttered, turning a rosy shade of pink as she attempted to hide in her fluffy scarf.

The boy in question was suppressing a blush with all his willpower. They had been in such a suggestive position mere moments ago when he caught her, luckily there were no students left in their classroom to witness it! Coupled with the unexpected feeling of loss he was experiencing when she abruptly retreated, he was entirely too flustered for his own comfort. He cleared his throat, “It’s quite alright, Miss Dupain-Cheng. You were unable to be woken and seemed quite comfortable. However, if you feel obligated to make amends to me…”

Felix allowed a pregnant pause to form as a devious smirk spread across his face. Marinette felt her stomach twist with trepidation – she knew that look meant trouble. ‘What could he possibly ask for?’ She thought wearily, her mind beginning to whirl with increasingly ridiculous predictions.

“…I find myself lacking in essential warm winter accessories,” he finally finished nonchalantly. The girl stared at him dumbfounded as her spiraling thoughts ground to a halt. It dawned on her that Felix was attempting to make a joke to break the awkward atmosphere between them, relying on their usual banter to do so. She choked on air and then burst into giggles. Felix felt a new warmth bloom in his chest at the sound. He had never made her laugh like that before!

“I think that can be arranged, monsieur,” she replied slyly. “I know an up-and-coming designer in high demand. But, for the great Felix Graham de Vanily, I’m sure she could make an exception.” They exited the classroom with smiles on their faces and a warmth in their hearts, no longer feeling the brisk breeze that whipped at their cheeks.

~~~

In the coming weeks, Felix began sporting new scarves, mittens, and even coats in charcoal grey, caramel brown, pine green, indigo blue, and garnet red – which was oddly his favorite. Their classmates seemed curious by his sudden change of color preference, mistaking it for an opportunity to befriend the derisive boy. Some questioned him, attempting to find out where he had bought such luxurious garments. He brushed them all off in his usual dismissive manner, deciding not to divulge any information.

Felix’s lip quirked upwards as he silently stroked the silver monogram on the tail of the scarf on his way to the classroom. The monogram itself was an ornate shield containing his initials but, integrated within the vines that clung to the edges of shape, were the letters ‘MDC’. His small smile reached his eyes as they met the friendly bluebell ones at the back of the room. A hidden message, a reminder of that one cold day that brought two souls closer together.

Perhaps, together, they might stave off more than just the cold weather.

[ghoooooooooooooooost]

i only shared it w a friend before but can i tell you all my death mark 2 au/rewrite... here (spoilers obvi, also body horror + insects warning)

(edited so theres more details smile)

most things r the same except for the departed (and no naked girl cgs OFCOURSE)

making it so that the departed pretends to be daimon instead of the two high school girls

normal daimon is around but he’ll gradually get sick n every now n then something weeeeird happens (as in yashiki accidentally talks to fake daimon. also maybe you see the weird bug ghost that hovers above everyone near endgame with him first)

crowbar scene happens w fake daimon while real daimon is actually passed out somewhere. mashita comforts yashiki n then they both realize its a fake

(that's what these doodles were referencing)

my dearest friend chip suggested the departed could also be konoe so n that would make sense n make him more present in the plot so byeah

we both agreed that they didn't push the bug + mold horror theme far enough so i tried my hand at it. mold can be really gross irl ewwww

my design for departed daimon is actually toned down from the og tho, just bc i thought the weird spider face was more goofy than scary. personally bugs are scary to me when they're crawling on you n burrowing into your skin n making holes n laying eggs in there - like the bees in death mark 1. there was some real-stories tv show abt that specific thing happening that aired when i was a kid n it freaked me out a lot

why was hime's mold just ourple swirls boooriiiiiiiiiiiing

/

edit july 15th 2024 adding this into the main og post since wonderful chippard linked it (basically a neater rewrite of everything i just said + what i said in the reblog addition. i rewrote it for a solo zine hence the proper capitalization lol)

Instead of Himeko and Michiho being The Departed, it’s Daimon and Konoe. Normal Daimon is still there but every now and then he’ll start acting strange or feeling sick due to The Departed’s possession. The “love” aspect would be shown through Daimon specifically too so Doctor Duo ship is canon in this. Konoe basically uses Daimon to try to get to his Dear Husband. In place of going into a coma like in the original, his behavior intensifies and condition worsens until he suddenly runs to the bathroom. When he comes back… dun dun dun… that’s The Departed – Yashiki doesn’t know…! Crowbar scene ensues. But!? After Yashiki tells Mashita, they see Daimon perfectly alive in the infirmary. Yasuoka found him collapsed in the hallway at some point.

The plot would play out basically the same with some changes (no fanservice girl cgs; more Konoe screen-time; Michiho + Himeko act differently; Saki or Abe partner? more school-related ghosts...).

Maybe the game could be longer to give the new characters more time to shine while not removing the returning ones. Not sure how that would work exactly… One possible solution would be to have day segments where we get to play as Yashiki while he's actively teaching (which would also address the "why'd they even pick a school setting" problem bc damn they barely did any school specific plot shit outside of Hanako & Kashima). Would be awesome and in-line with how the first game brought up war if they kept addressing problems with the education system. Also I think I wouldn’t have any unavoidable human casualties after Hanako’s chapter? All the unavoidable deaths made my friends confused about if they were doing something wrong or not and it honestly felt off to me too. It would be compelling if after failing to protect the first student(s), Yashiki actually successfully protects the rest of them in the good route. Making him feel like he’s become more steadfast after the first game and staying true to his word. Especially if Naomi survives in my opinion - ‘she almost dies but is spared if you make the right choices’ or something like that. She could even be in the room when Yashiki sings the school song.

Not sure how I'd make The Departed feel even more connected to the school... Maybe there's a romantic superstition popular among the students that's based off their "wedding ceremony" -- but it's innocent enough to not give away how they died.

[methed-up-marxist]

This is my reading of the first chapter of the first book of a multi-media project I've been working on for over a year now but hoping to resume making serious progress on. It's about how the boy i had a crush on in secondary was really mean to me, about being physically disabled and loving football in primary and ofc about the relationship between militarism, autism and the body aswell as how I really love stupid sci-fi shit. I'm sure you've seen me post some aspect of it before and ignored it, and if you tried to read it but got bounced off by the clunky grammar and tone, but if you would ever engage with it I encourage you to engage with this - I think I've made something atleast exciting to listen to and genereally more clean in purpouse. Most direct influences are starship troopers, "queer new wave" or whatever and warhammer 40k. This is really important to me and if u consider me important to u I'd really recommend giving it a go. Below the readmore is the first 3 paragraphs, to access a transcript of whole thing and read along click the hyperlink

“WAKE UP, WAKE UP THIS IS A DRILL, I REPEAT THIS IS A DRILL” the 2am drill alarm  rang out through the barracks. “I guess it’s drill time” thought Fuckjaw to himself as he rubbed his eyes and slowly swung his legs around so they hung off the bed. “I love drill time” he murmured to himself. “I know you do” came the voice from the bottom bunk, that was Shitarm and Fuckjaw would’ve done anything he could to have been waking up in the same bunk as him, but the rule was one marine per bunk and if Fuckjaw liked anything more than cuddling marines he liked rules. Tragically the rule was part of a larger collection of regulations, guidelines and dictates known as the parameter protocols designed to prevent any affection getting out of hand. “Do you feel we talk too much?” Asked Shitarm as they put their armour on, the alarm blaring constantly. “Well you definitely do” Fuckjaw responded, gently helping him place his helmet on. They weren’t allowed real power armour for training, the barracks coup near the start of the war had made sure of that, and the pliability of the far weaker plastic made it possible to feel the hole in the back of Shitarm's skull where a bug had skewered him last year. Both of them sunk their shoulders in a despondent recognition, but they had agreed not to talk about it. The rest of the room was going about much the same. The armour, even its weaker version, was too cumbersome to put on alone. Formally the protocols insisted no one help another put on his equipment, but you try to find room in the budget to put an armour-equipper in every bedroom.

Marching, albeit with little care for pacing or formation, out to the training arena revealed the same wide open space as usual. Grey fortification-like walls lined the perimeter while the area was little more than a sand pit filled with target ranges and cabinets holding guns, knives and the remnants of first aid kits. In all honesty it was a deeply impractical arrangement, the corridor through which they had marched was the only point of access to the arena and yet the targets mostly lined the space near the entrance/exit (many people had been accidentally shot upon entrance/exit) while the cabinets sat on the far side in the middle of it all stood instructor Verbnoun. Verbnoun barked at them as soon as the first two of their formation set foot on the sand "Decaysquad! Line up against that wall: the drill was not a drill, I repeat the drill was not a drill". As the squad fanned out and stood with their backs fast against the wall, exactly an arms length plus just a little bit more apart from each other, their minds raced with questions. This was explicitly a training camp for injured marines. "We woke you up last, given your undiagnosed damages” the barking continued, although "undiagnosed" is a cumbersome and hard word to yell even for a man as used to yelling as Verbnoun and it stumbled out of his mouth. "The city is under attack" he continued, less loud now clearly embarrassed by his difficulty with the word 'undiagnosed', “obviously we don't trust you right next to the bugs but conveniently… almost too conveniently” he muttered suspiciously “we have 6 turrets that we need the 12 of you to operate”. Lieutenant Fuckjaw couldn’t restrain himself in the immediacy of his correction “it's not a coincidence sir!!! the turret batteries are designed to be operated by one squad in an emergency” he blurted out as quickly as he could, already covering his mouth with his hand in apology before he had finished the sentence. The gesture was itself pointless, the communication module of the armour was located in the chest due to its clunky nature, but Verbnoun’s embarrassment led him to accept it as sufficient apology and simply point to the turret battery sitting on the far side of the base with a subdued “get going”.

Back into the entrance/exit corridor they ran, a glance back to the closing door showed a frantic instructor yelling into his mic as the two diagonal metal panes finally slammed shut meeting in the middle. “What do you think he’s doing?” Shitarm asked, looking to Fuckjaw as well as one can while running. Before there was a chance to respond, sergeant Exilethroat yelled back from the front of their formation “he’s doing his job, which is exactly what you should be doing”. He always was a bossy little bitch, that’s why they made him sergeant. Barreling through the absolutely empty military industrial complex (complex like the building) would have most likely been a deeply eerie experience, if there had been someone to turn off the 2am drill alarm. The bugs always attacked at night, or at least they did following the breeding accords [of (date)] signed with the bats - echolocation was a distinct advantage in the dark. Arriving now at the turret battery entrance after a good 20 minute run, the newer members of the squad were visibly exhausted, used to the mechanised armour doing most of their running for them. Fuckjaw and Shitarm always ran up the back, their war torn bodies a threat of embarrassment to anyone who found themselves struggling to keep their distance. They huddled into the elevator to take them up to the controls. It was a service elevator, the exact same one used in the construction of the tower the controls were at the top of in fact. With each step someone took they felt it move gently, then creak slightly less gently. There was piss on the floor and frankly it could've been the piss of the person who built the thing. As it only went between two floors the control panel was just a cracked little glass button - press to go up if you're down and down if you're up. Pressing it began the ascent and every bump or wobble as it moved up rippled through the marines, armour clanking together. Fuckjaw’s arms dropped to his sides, trying to make himself as small as possible and while he couldn't get a proper look through the needlessly large shoulder pads that displayed their rank and squad he was sure he felt the pressure of Shitarm’s hand pressed against him.

[4xbfdi]

hello!!! ive created a little story based on my algebralien bunny au!

The sun was just beginning to rise over the rolling hills of the Equation Playground. Dew sparkled on the soft grass, and the air filled with birds chirping a gentle morning melody. In the middle of the meadow, near a cozy shared burrow, stood Four and X, who was eagerly waiting for a new arrival.

“I can’t believe Two’s finally moving into the Equation Playground!” X exclaimed, his ears twitching with excitement as he leaned against Four, their paws lightly touching. “It’s going to be so fun having them nearby! Aren’t you excited?”

Four groaned, his nose twitching. “Excited? That’s not really the word I’d use. Do they really have to move in next to us?”

“Fouurr… come on! Two will be a great neighbor! Besides, you two are already friends, right?”

Four narrowed his eyes. “If by ‘friends’ you mean ‘they constantly annoy me’ then sure, friends.” He huffed, folding his arms. “I don’t get what your deal is with Two. You always act like they’re the best.”

X giggled. “They’re nice! Maybe you just need to give them a chance. You two have a lot in common, you know.”

Before Four could continue his rant, they spotted a familiar figure hopping toward them over the hill. Two, ears bent slightly in an eager, nervous way, was using their magic to carry a box full of belongings. Their wide grin made X smile instantly.

“Hey Four! Hi X!” Two called, waving with one paw. “It’s so good to see you both! I’m so excited to be your neighbor!”

“Two!” X hopped forward. “You made it! Welcome to the Equation Playground, we’re going to help you get settled in!”

“Oh, thank you X!” Two said, then turned to Four with a bright smile. “And Four! My old friend, thanks for coming to help too!”

Four frowned, nose twitching. “Yeah… ‘friend.’ Let’s just get this over with.” He muttered under his breath.

Two either didn’t notice or pretended not to, their excitement undampened. “I’m glad we’ll be right next to each other! I’ll get to see you every day!” They beamed as if that was the best news in the world.

Four winced at the thought, but X leaned in with a grin, nudging him. “Isn’t that great, Four?”

“Yeah… great,” Four groaned, managing a tight smile.

The trio hopped over to Two’s new burrow, which was conveniently located next to Four and X’s shared one. X was already hopping around, excitedly pointing out the best spots for tunnels, while Two surveyed the space with plenty of ideas.

“So, what kind of burrow were you thinking of?” X asked, peering into the box Two had set down, inspecting all the little trinkets. “Something fun with curvy tunnels?”

Two’s eyes sparkled. “I was thinking of something balanced, you know? Like, some curvy tunnels like yours, X, but also symmetrical rooms. That way it’s fun but organized.”

X smiled. “That sounds perfect! Right, Four?”

Four thumped, clearly annoyed with X’s attention being shifted away from him. “It sounds fine, I guess… as long as they don’t mess up the neighborhood with too many weird tunnels.”

Two chuckled, hopping over. “Don’t worry, Four! I know you like things neat. I won’t make a mess. We’ve always worked well together!”

Four’s ears twitched, and he muttered, “If you say so.” He shot X a look that said, please get me out of this.

But X, ever the optimist, just smiled and began digging enthusiastically. “Come on, let’s get started!”

Four attempted to dig straight, clean tunnels for the foundation, but Two kept bouncing in with their own ideas, curving paths and suggesting tweaks that drove Four up the wall.

“Ugh, Two, can you not curve this tunnel?” Four groaned, staring at a bend Two had just made. “It’s supposed to connect to the room in a straight line.”

Two blinked and smiled. “But a little curve makes it more fun! Besides, X loves digging curves, right X?”

X looked up from happily digging side tunnels, grinning. “I do, but maybe we can balance it out?”

Four shot Two a glare, the kind that said, you’re only doing this because you know it bugs me.

Two grinned, unfazed. “Come on, Four, it’ll be fun!”

Four sighed but relented. “Fine. Just don’t add any surprise tunnels.”

With Four keeping things orderly and X adding creative touches, the burrow turned out surprisingly well. By the time the sun began to set, the entrance tunnel was neat and straight, just the way Four liked it.

Once the digging was done, Two opened their box full of decorations. “Now for the best part!” They pulled out a set of colorful math-themed décor.

Four raised an eyebrow. “What… are those?”

“Decorations!” Two said happily, hopping into the burrow and placing little items on the walls. Smiling at something in the box, they pulled out a green-framed picture of Four, X, and themselves, with Four being the only one not smiling. Two carefully placed it above their bed.

They continued unpacking—a decorative green tea set, framed posters, and more. “This one goes here… and this can hang right at the entrance,” they mumbled, lost in concentration as they arranged everything.

X peered in, his eyes lighting up when he saw the framed picture. “Wow, Two! It looks amazing! I remember when we took this!” He giggled.

Two stood back, admiring their burrow. “This is great! Thanks so much for the help, you two.”

Four, looking exhausted from the day’s work, gave a half-hearted nod. “Yeah, I guess it’s fine.”

Two nudged Four playfully. “See? I knew we could work together, like always!”

Four’s ears flattened, but he didn’t pull away. “Just don’t get used to me digging for you all the time.”

As evening settled in, the three bunnies sat outside the burrow, enjoying the cool night air. Two was thrilled to be in their newly decorated home, while Four and X curled up together, paws intertwined.

Even though Four grumbled about Two living next to them, there was a fondness behind the bickering, like siblings who could never admit they actually cared for each other.

For X, the day was a success. Two had a new home, and Four, though he wouldn’t say it, was happy to have helped.

As the stars twinkled overhead, Two looked up and smiled. “I think this is going to be a great new start. Thanks for everything, X. You too, Four. I can’t wait to start decorating more tomorrow, I’ve got even more ideas!”

Four’s ears twitched. “More? You brought enough decorations to last a lifetime.”

X chuckled softly. “You’ll like it, Four. I’m sure Two’s decorations will grow on you.”

“Don’t count on it.”

With that, the three bunnies settled in for the night, knowing that even with a little rivalry, they’d always have each other’s backs.

And as X drifted off, nestled against Four, Two watched from their newly decorated burrow, feeling like they truly belonged in this little corner of the playground.

Maybe, just maybe, Four was starting to feel the same way.

[imaginedreamwrite]

Entirely Unconventional

Part 5: A loss of sanity

48 hours since you had seen Em and her husband.

48 hours since you had gotten her number from your student nurse, and only now were you texting her. You had hesitated to reach out to her after she had left her number for you, making excuses for why you couldn’t be willing to talk that had all fallen flat.

You were off for three days before you would return to work for four nights, and during the that time since you’d left work, you’d been plagued by those same invading symptoms that rattled you.

48 hours since you had seen them. Ghost and König.

48 hours since you had left the hospital, and it felt like there was a bug burrowing its way into your head, slowly eating away at your brain tissue to create a path somewhere in your mind.

You tried to ignore it, the radio static that was driving you mental. You tried to forget the phantom pain of…something affecting you mentally. And then you started to place blame on whatever you could to rationalize why this was happening.

It was because you were tired, overwhelmed, and stressed. It was your body’s way of telling you that you needed to unwind and settle yourself.

You were feeling this way due to guilt of ignoring someone who, despite the years and the lack of keeping in contact, was your best friend. You thought that maybe if you had called her, texted her, the guilt wouldn’t get to you.

You loved Emilia, she was your best friend. Not only that, but you loved the time you spent together in your dorm room, both of you spending hours late studying. You missed skipping class occasionally to go get coffee after a late night out drinking, you missed having long conversations about everything and nothing.

She was your best friend; she was your sister, even though she wasn’t blood related.

One of your biggest regrets was not keeping an open line of communication after you both graduated, and she had moved to Scotland. You wished you would’ve taken time to continue talking to her, to try to keep your friendship alive.

Her family lived a few miles out of the village, on a piece of land they’d had for decades, however Emilia didn’t go to high-school with you.

Instead of going public, she had gone to the only catholic school in the small county, a favour to her parents who wanted her to avoid being influenced by the rowdy public school kids. If only her parents had known that Catholic school was almost worse than public.

When you went to university, you were assigned to the same dorm, recognizing each other from around town way back home in your small state. The two of you became fast friends, bonding quickly and becoming each other's much needed sisters. The two of you had spent four years becoming each other's rock and confidante, promising to be as thick as thieves for the rest of your life.

When you had both turned 21, in your third year of nursing school, she had convinced you to pay for the test that was offered when you became of age. It was a test to determine, or predict with incredible accuracy, your soulmate or how many soulmates you could potentially have.

And in even rarer cases, lacking a soulmate entirely. It was enough to make you anxious, a pit in your stomach at the very idea of fate being that cruel.

If you had gotten the test, paid for it and received the results, would you ultimately be satisfied with potentially not having a soulmate?

And having free rein over your future? Or would you be burdened by disappointment and inadequacy at having no one?

You were hesitant when she first suggested paying for the test. You didn’t understand the schematics of how they had predicted, and determined to a certain accuracy, what you could expect.

In the end, she convinced you and you both paid for the test, completing any requirements, physically, mentally and emotionally, to get a glimpse into your future.

And when the results had come back nearly a month and a half later, you were riddled with anxiety again. The envelopes were thick and heavy, information about the results and what they could best estimate was shoved inside with a girth that nearly broke the envelope entirely.

“This is it!” She had been so excited, so eager to rip open the envelope once it arrived. She hadn’t hesitated for a moment, not a single damn moment, as she tore it open and began reading. Overzealous and impatient, she had read it out loud to you with increasing excitement that would’ve been contagious if you hadn’t felt like you were on the verge of being sick.

“Open yours! Come on!” She pleaded with you from her side of the dorm room, her results and all the other information given to her already tucked away. “I wanna know!”

You had sat down on your bed with hesitancy, your fingers losing grip of the envelope’s perforated edge. Once you managed to grab hold, you ripped it open and cautiously reached your hand in.

You were treating the envelope and its contents like they were a dangerous animal that could’ve struck you violently, instead of the lifeless, inanimate objects they were.

Your hands shook as you held the cover letter of your results, the information coming to you as fast as your brain could process it. It took a hell of a long minute for you to re-read the letter, and another to process what it said. You had been quiet, reserved, while Em seemed to be champing at the bit to hear what news you’d gotten.

“Two,” you spoke breathlessly, your hands that were holding that damned letter were shaking as you continued to read to her, “two soulmates with an accurate measure of 95%.”

“Two! Y/N, that’s incredible!” She was happy for you, constantly upbeat and hopeful for the future had allotted her with a direct and powerful sunshiny personality. “I am so happy for you!”

Your stomach had flipped, anxiously acknowledging what was likely an inescapable reality. The initial reaction you’d had was to keel over and vomit as your body was flooded with overwhelming emotions that rattled you.

The results were neither what you had anticipated, nor what you thought fate should have in store for you. You knew you would be regarded by some people as incredibly lucky to have two people to look forward to meeting, and hopelessly damned by others.

“95% chance of having two soulmates,” you exhaled sharply, taking a moment to gather your nerves before you felt like you could breathe properly, “a 5% chance that they’re wrong.”

You still hadn’t understood the process behind the tests, the process that could accurately predict a portion of your future love life with only a five percent inaccuracy.

It was in your last year of school, a few months before graduation, that Em had met her future husband. She had been visiting distant relatives in Texas for some kind of reunion and through sneaking out to go drinking one night, she had met him. She was sparse with some details, and you couldn’t blame her, though you had heard a few things about him.

They met at the bar in Texas that she had snuck out to, surrounded by a few friends who were equally imposing. Her soulmate had spotted her from across the bar, so captivated by Em and her light that he’d ended up spilling his draft on himself.

She said it felt like love at first sight, like puzzle pieces had just fallen together. And when she returned she had gotten her signifying soulmate mark, a compass that appeared on her right arm leading her to her other half.

You were envious when she told you, despite your earlier objections. The way she had talked about meeting him, it made you hopeful for your experience.

After graduation, she moved to Scotland where her soulmate, and future husband, had been born and raised. She got a good job, a really well paying job, and you had finished your nursing course.

The two of you had grown apart as she was focused on her life, and you’d returned to your small town, diving right into work at the county hospital.

Four years have passed.

Four years without ever meeting your soulmates or having any possible idea where they could have been. You waited, remaining hopeful for the first two years, that like Em, you would have that same opportunity to meet them. That hopefulness had faded, never completely leaving you, but giving you speculation about the whole idea.

A text, simple and straightforward, had been the first you sent. The message wasn’t necessarily overly friendly, but rather it was cordial and respectful. You found it hard enough to type the words out on your phone’s keyboard and send it, despite spending four years living together and growing a relationship that made you feel like sisters.

I took care of the chart and the medication. Have you heard how he’s doing?

In return, Emilia had sent you a text that was much warmer than the one she sent you. Her bubbly personality shone through the message with exclamation points and emojis that visually conveyed her happiness to hear from you. One message was all it took to know that she hadn’t really changed since college, she was still as happy and kind-hearted as she had always been,

And it was another reminder that she and her husband Johnny were really, truly compatible.

Hey, missed hearing from you! Can’t believe it’s been four years since we last saw each other! Johnny’s fine, and he’s back off to work! Could I call you? I have something I’d like to talk to you about.

Yeah, I got time

It took less than you expected for her name to flash on your screen, with the option to accept the video message or deny it by pressing the red phone button on the far-right hand on your screen. You had negated your instincts to cut the call short before it had a chance to begin, instead you’d allowed the call to come through.

As the call had been accepted, and it was connected, Emilia’s face had appeared front and centre with a smaller portion of the screen dedicated to you, set in the top-right corner.

There were few details you could see through the call, a fresh bouquet of flowers on the table with a note attached to the glass, and a stack of binders to the left of the flowers like pertaining to her work.

“It’s so sunny there, I bet it’s warm. It’s raining here.” Emilia had shifted her phone or tablet, whatever she was using, to give you a look at the kitchen window and the weather outside. You could see the soft and small raindrops rolling down the window, almost peacefully and cozily, adding to the atmosphere of her home.

“It’s been really nice, actually.” On your days off, and the remaining hours you had before you went back to work, had been spent keeping your mind busy and off the symptoms that were constantly affecting you. “What did you want to talk about?”

You didn’t skirt around her, or the insistence on talking to you through a video call rather than through texting or a phone call. You wanted to know what she had to say and why she wanted to see you, to look at you. And through the screen you could see it, a look in her eyes and the flash of something unseen on her face.

“You know how I asked if you had found your soulmates?” She was easy to read, that was another thing about her that never changed.

It seemed she always had a lack of a poker face, and even in the hospital room when she’d given you that story, you swore she was lying. It was a sense you had about her, though you never questioned her.

“I still haven’t.” You spoke bluntly, your attention directed toward the background behind her, and that framed picture of her husband and her.

The picture wasn’t of their wedding day, it had been inherently significant at all. She was sitting on his lap somewhere outside with her arm around his shoulders and one leg crossed over the other. She was beaming at the camera, her free hand holding a beer for herself or him, but the way he was looking at her was otherworldly.

Johnny was looking at Emilia as if she were the very reason he was alive, as if she was his whole damn world. He was looking at her with such inescapable love that it almost gave you butterflies.

“Listen…when you find your soulmate you learn to recognize the signs of…you know, and when you were helping Johnny, I think…” You didn’t need her to say it, you knew what she was implying.

You knew what she was trying to say.

“And they’re already…well, I should have told you earlier, and I’m genuinely sorry. I didn’t know how to tell you, but… Simon & Konig, and you now…” The way she spoke had reintroduced a kind of pit in your stomach, the sense of some kind of upending weight upon you.

It was the same feeling you’d gotten in the hospital room, the same heaviness in your chest that made you wonder if you were sick, or losing your mind.

And then the feeling of whatever hellish bug was crawling through your mind had given way. It was instantaneous. The flood, of whatever crazed symptoms had hit you, came in which such potency and power that you drew yourself back into the chair you were sitting on with a sharp hiss.

Sound, voices, echo loudly in your head over and over again.

None were in English, none had been anything you could understand. It was all foreign to you, it was aggressive and deafening, the sudden shouts in anger were too much. It was too hard for you to control your bodily autonomy, and in a moment you felt everything you’d eaten come back up, acid stinging your throat.

Dieser verdammte wichser! Das war mein! Mein Ziel! Ich werde ihn jagen, seine Eingeweide herausreißen und ihn mit ihnen hängen! Er ist fertig! Ich mache es kaputt!

“Y/N! Are you okay?” Em’s worry echoed through the screen, you heard it, and you’d barely gotten a quick goodbye out before you ended the call.

You pushed the phone off the side table it was sitting on, and pulled yourself off the chair to the floor. You were dizzy, rattled and completely vulnerable to this torture afflicting you.

You were too focused on the hell that was going on in your head, and the molten fire that was burning you from the inside out. Heat coursed through your veins, it felt like your blood was about to boil inside your body.

Over and over, you heard yelling in what you thought was German, with enough force and intensity that it could have shattered your eardrums if you hadn’t heard it in your head.

“Fuck! Fuck!” You cursed and turned your head, vomiting again from the intrusion and the thundering screaming in your mind.

Over and over, endlessly, you were being held captive by something, by someone. A plague, an unseen demon, was taking your mind hostage and filling it endlessly with things you didn’t understand.

Whether minutes, hours or half the day had passed, it hadn’t mattered. When there was silence in your head again, you didn’t feel alone; you knew you weren’t alone. You could feel it, feel someone on the edge of your mind.

Ich wusste nicht, dass du da bist. Scheiße, ich wusste nicht, dass du mich hören kannst

Your body was weak, completely ripped of any energy you had. Your whole body was trembling, afflicted by a sudden and powerful fever that made you delusional.

You had truly lost your mind, you had completely lost all sanity.

[namesareweird579]

Ochre's heart

Ochre is an unremarkable dragon, he always was and always would be whether he was in some world saving prophecy or not, but he didn't care, he never cared just as long as he had something to eat he would be fine, After all why should he care? Nobody ever cared about him, Nobody ever cared about his well-being? He always felt like he was missing something when he was in the Talons of Peace, he didn't even want to be there, he was only there because the talons of peace didn't know what to do with him. He thought he'd never feel anything other than apathy for the situation he previously found himself in, but after one mission he was sent in order to get him to do something useful he found something he never knew he was looking for, a family. Reunited with his sibs he now feels loved, noticed and appreciated

Ochre was peacefully napping in a burrow, he wasn't in very deep sleep as he could hear various noises from bugs and birds, Ochre didn't mind though he just continued napping in the burrow under covers made out of moss and pillows woven out of reeds filled with cattails, he continued to lay their until he felt someone nudge him. Ochre to preceded slowly open his dreary eyes and turned to see who nudged him, it was another mudwing who was much bigger than him, this mudwing had copper colored scales, a light tan under scales, curled ram like horns and two eye piercing eyes one orange and one Navy blue, this dragon was Ochre's bigwings named Cow and despite his angry glare Ochre wasn't very intimidated.

“It is time to rise…” grunted Cow, Ochre grumbled he could feel shifting near him and turned to see some of his other sibs Fireback and Villiuamite, Villiuamite was the group’s treasurer as his small statue allowed him to crawl into small spaces other bigger mudwings couldn't reach. Fireback was their war strategist. Fireback and Villiiamite both had scars while Villiamite only had some claw marks scratched across his face and parts of his tail and Stomach, poor Fireback was covered in scars, including a snapped off horn and a slashed out eye, supposedly out of all their sibs she had the most because she happen to hatch out with Flame resist scales, the flame resistance scales that he was supposedly supposed to have. As Fireback and Villiuamite crawled out of the makeshift blanket fort, Ochre craned his neck he could smell something cooking in the distance, which enticed him enough to decide it was worth it to leave too. Ochre slowly crawled out of the burrow followed by Villiuamite, Fireback, and Cow. Ochre eventually made it to the main living area where the rest of his sibs were. They were surrounding a dead tree stump with a partially eaten strawberry pie in the middle of the area. The area was dimly lit by bioluminescent Oyster mushrooms clinging to the roots of a tree holding up this part of the burrow. The walls of the burrow were decorated with random random leaves, acorns, drawings, and other not very expensive of things, the most notable being a terrarium filled with different kinds of invertebrates, lying on a wood table, According to Villiuamite, it was Bulrush's bug collection which he got very defensive about other dragons touching, Ochre asked them why'd they kept this stuff, Villiuamite said because it was pretty; Bulrush went on a tangent about bugs. Ochre continued to wander around the burrow noticing a few more holes lining the bottom part of the walls. The holes lead to various other places like, the treasury, a kitchen, alternative sleeping quarters which made Ochre wish he could crawl into but Cow or Cinquefoil would just drag him out, he'd have to wait till sunset before doing that. Cinquefoil was the group’s medic; she had vast knowledge over different herbs, minerals, and other items, though most of her advice boiled down to sit in the mud until you felt better. Ochre could see Cinquefoil staring at him, seeing if he would try to go to the sleep quarters anyways, Ochre decided that it wasn't worth the headache

Ochre's sibs sat on pillows near the tree stump and casually talked about random things. He wandered towards them and sat down next to a free space towards them, he could see Bulrush glancing at his bug collection, besides being a bug collector Bulrush was the group's gatherer as he had a keen eye for finding all kinds of things though he wasn't quite as keen when it came to the specifics of what he gathered which was why Cinquefoil was their medic and not him.

“Do you want some?” one of his sibs asked. This one was named Billabong. He was quite jittery and panicky, Billabong was always full of energy. He was the group’s communicator. he’d often spend time talking with Fireback about battle strategies. Ochre eagerly looked at the pie.

“Sure, I guess” Ochre grumbled

“Ochre… if you wanted some, you could just have some” one of his other sibs replied. This one was Agardite, Agardite had his right horn partially snapped off and didn't really have a role in their sib group so Agarite would often spend time just helping his other sibs with their roles.

“Of course we made this specifically for you” Buttercup responded. Finally there was Buttercup. Buttercup was the cook of the sib group, she would take the stuff that Cinquefoil or Bulrush would grab and cook it up into items that Ochre had never seen before. Buttercup had a calming soothing voice that would always feel a little sad, it was strange… he would watch his sibs play, and fight, and sleep, and just be there they would always be around eachother, Cow and Buttercup would always be a shoulder to cry on, Billabong and Villiuamite would always crack jokes to make you feel better, Fireback and Bulrush would just sit there then give tales about their lives, and Cinquefoil and Agardite despite their strict nature would always have a piece of advice to give it felt strange… he never knew what it was like to really belong to anything, while their was the prophecy no one really cared about him and he didn't care about anyone which was fine or atleast that's what he thought he never really thought about how the other false dragonets had someone to rely on, there was Viper's parents and uncle, Flame's mother, Squid’s father who he always made sure to remind everyone how important he was as the talons of peace leader’s son, and Fatespeaker's… Fatespeaker didn't really have anyone either… but that didn’t matter she had someone now, though Ochre thought about how he had someone now too, Ochre's head ached thinking about it and he groaned. Suddenly he was poked by someone

“Are you okay Ochre?” Buttercup Asked

“I'm fine” Ochre grumbled “Just thinking.”

“About what?” Agardite asked

“Life.” Ochre replied. “it's nothing to worry about “.

“Are you thinking about the Talons again, Ochre?” Cow asked, Ochre didn't respond. “Hmmm” Cow said “Just as I assumed…”

“I know you haven't been with us for a while…but, mayhaps you could tell us more about your time at the talons of peace…”

“There's not much to talk about!” Ochre grumbled “ We just moved around a bunch, sat in a volcano for like two weeks, then I sat with the Talons of Peace since they didn't know what to do with me!”

“Did they camp in the mud kingdom?” Cinquefoil asked

“They did…” Ochre said

“Did you get a chance to explore the mud kingdom?” Cinquefoil continued

“Of course not, most of the members hated how dreary and bog ridden it was, so we tried to stay as far away from it as we could, we didn't even stay there for a month…” Ochre snorted

“Mother never tried to take you? I know mudwings don't do parents but surely she would've wanted you to be able to experience it, As a fellow mudwing? Villiuamite asked

“Nope, she never bothered to take me” Ochre replied “But that's alright, It's not like I cared about her either”

The group paused with various concerned and disappointed expressions

“That's truly unfortunate” Cow hissed

“But at least you Have us now!” Villiaumite chirped, Ochre didn't respond. “Right?” Ochre turned to the sib group, it was strange, to see all these dragons trying to make him feel better, it made him feel weird and he found that he kind of liked the feeling

“Yeah…” Ochre said. Then he smiled

“I guess I do…”

End

[lu-is-not-ok]

loving the analyses! could we get ebony stem/ya śūnyatā tad rūpam, if your inbox isn't too full? keep up the good work!

Well, I can fulfill one half of this request, considering I already talked about the other Outis E.G.O for... Way longer than was probably necessary.

That being said, let's dive under the cut for this.

So, let's start off with Ebony Queen's Apple. Or, rather, Snow White's Apple, the Abnormality Ebony Queen's Apple is an Abberation of.

The story of Snow White's Apple is a very interesting twist on the fairytale, focusing on the experience and feelings of the apple that poisoned Snow White.

This apple, created by the witch's rage and curse, was left abandoned after it fulfilled its purpose. Lonely and festering hatred towards the princess, the same feeling the witch was experiencing, it waited to rot away and disapper... But it couldn't. No matter how much time passed, how much the apple was crushed or eaten by bugs and birds, it would continue to exist.

Surrounded by the bodies of the birds and bugs its poison killed, the apple began to ponder its existence, until one day it sprouted enough of a stem and leaves to move from its spot. Thinking of the princess who was woken up from her poisoned slumber by a prince, the apple decided that it was a princess in its own right, but didn't need a prince to be woken.

The main theme of this abnormality is loneliness and jealousy mixing together to form an intense, "toxic" hatred. There's also this interesting idea of immortality and its negative connotations, being that the apple wished to effectively die, but would never rot, instead stewing in its own loneliness and the harm it inflicted just by existing. There's also this interesting idea of a role reversal, of the apple that inherited the witch's will and feelings becoming a princess in its own twisted way.

Now, that's all nice and good, but what about Ebony Queen's Apple.

Here, I would like to briefly rant about the fact that the wiki for Limbus Company contains all the MD Events, all the Abno Logs (though not always with proper assignments who said what), all the detailed Battle Info... but. For SOME FUCKING REASON. It does not include the text for mid-battle events. IT SAYS THE EVENTS ARE THERE!!! BUT DOES NOT PROVIDE THE FUCKING TEXT!!!!

Thank you, shitty fandom wiki, this is useless! You're making my job Harder!

In fact, I'm going to bring up those events as the First Thing, because they actually have the most thematically relevant details out of all of the information we have.

Ebony Queen's Apple has two mid-fight events. One that always activates on Turn 3 of the fight, and one that activates when its Head part is broken once and brought down to half health.

Let's start with the first one, perhaps the most interesting one.

It begins by describing Ebony Queen's Apple as "a heart torn into thousands of pieces", and how it burrows and tangles itself underground to hide itself from all eyes. Already, we have this repeat of the idea that the Apple is inheriting feelings from someone else, being that person's heart rather than just an apple cursed by that person.

This is followed by another interesting line, giving the reason for someone to pull up these roots as "there is no wound that can remain unearthed". The wording of this is kind of odd here. The word 'unearth' means to find something by digging something up from the ground, so for something to remain 'unearthed', it has have already been found and dug up.

Which... doesn't make sense when you first think about it, because it's giving a reason for digging something up by telling you that... something can't remain dug up? Unless, you connect it to the previous line. A wounded heart should not be seen by all eyes. No wound can remain unearthed. Ebony Queen's Apple is very much trying to hide its pain, and that's why the Sinners have to pull on these roots. Reveal the Apple's own pain. Because it by itself never would.

When the Sinners proceed to give each other looks, another interesting sentence follows. "Being coiled in piercing, sharp pain was something to avoid even in one's dreams." While, on the literal level, this is obviously meant to refer to the Sinner being bound by Ebony Queen's Apple's roots, I do wonder... Is it also referring to the pain the Apple itself is experiencing and trying to hide?

The skill check is a Wrath Advantage, with the additional flavor text saying "The dry earth must be upturned. Which Sinner was up to the task?". It's interesting how Wrath, the Sin of defiance, is the one that does better at upturning reality, if you will. But, that's not directly related to the Abno, so I won't dwell on it for too long.

What follows a successful skill check is the Sinner digging up the roots with their bare hands and coming to some... interesting realizations. To quote the text directly:

"In their hands were the doubts of others. The Sinner realized... That while the injury may heal, distrust might take deep root in their heart."

This, I think, is the reveal of what the source of Ebony Queen's Apple's pain is. The Apple has been hurt before, and while no physical injury or pain remains, there is still that pain of distrust, that pain of fear over being hurt again. The coiling, sharp pain that took root in the heart that the Apple represents. And that same pain that the Apple tries so desperately to hide.

Now, let's talk about the second event, which I have to rant about again. There is. Very little online info about this event, as usually one can very easily skip it because of how easy Ebony Queen's Apple is to defeat. The only footage I've found of it is in a Solo video, with the person pressing the Skip button, so if I miss any text in that event, this is why.

And no, I couldn't check what the event was on my own, because by the time I'm writing this Ebony Queen's Apple is no longer available in thread luxcavations, and I'm not going to be doing a whole MD for the chance of finding the boss or waiting a whole week just to be able to confirm the event text. I may be insane, but I'm not that insane.

So, in this event, when the Sinners look up at the Apple's face, they gaze upon "the weathered memories within". Again, there's this idea of the original harm that was done to the Apple took place such a long time ago that its memories have become weathered. It could also refer to the pain and distrust being what made those memories weathered by them, everything the Apple can remember now tainted by these feelings.

Another interesting line in this event is the following: "When the apple browns, cracks, shrivels, and attracts lowly creatures... That is when it has met golden bliss." There's that same idea of the Apple seeking death just like Snow White's Apple. How rotting away and becoming one with the earth, finally letting go of this pain, is the one thing this Apple considers as true bliss.

Upon succeeding the skill check (Pride advantage for taking advantage of the Apple being lost in bliss, btw), an interesting line is said. "The fruit was emptied of its lifeblood long ago; only futility remained."

It's a very evocative sentence to me. It gives the image of Ebony Queen's Apple being a sort of walking corpse, something that should have already died, but something within it was keeping it clinging to life in futility. Was the moment the Apple got hurt enough to begin its distrust the moment it lost its lifeblood? Was that pain and distrust the thing that kept it going in futility?

Now, let's take a look at the actual battle info. Don't worry, this one won't be as long as the MFE one, since Ebony Queen's Apple doesn't have as much to ramble about regarding its Skills and Passives.

Ebony Queen's Apple uses two different Sin Affinities - Gluttony for attacks done with its Stems, and Pride for attacks done with its Roots. All of the Apple's body parts have two attacks each, with the exception of the Head, which only uses a single Affinity-less defense skill.

Starting with the Stem attacks:

Pale Stem - The appearance of Snow White's Apple's stems actually plays a notable role, as they are constantly described as looking like they are dying and withering, yet they're still alive and growing. Likewise, I think it is worth pointing out what Ebony Queen's Apple's stems look like as well. The descriptor of 'Pale' combined with the almost skeletal appearance in its design proper gives the image of a plant that has been dead for so long its color and structure is unrecognisable. And yet... it's still alive, despite all odds.

Distrust - In case we didn't pick up on the idea of distrust from the mid-battle event, this attack would absolutely clue us all in. Incredibly straight-forward, not much more to say here.

Now onto the Roots attacks:

Root Spike - This one is so straightforward that I don't think there's much to read into here. You could probably read way into it with the idea of distrust and how it connects to the idea of taking root, but... Nah. I think this one is just a simple physical description of the attack. They can't all be deep.

Shared Pain - An interesting fact about this specific attack is that it only starts getting used After the mid-battle event (wiki says it only enters the pool after both events but I'm Sure I've had this attack happen after only the first one, so *shrug*), which has some interesting implications.

Recall that the first event involves a Sinner digging up Ebony Queen's Apple's roots, effectively exposing the pain and distrust it feels to everyone around it. And this action is what lets the Apple use the Shared Pain skill... If you can't hide it, make a show out of it, I suppose.

Now, onto the last one, the Head's defense:

Vain Fruit - Now, I think this is a very interesting skill name, as it could have a double meaning. Vain could mean someone with a lot of pride, an excessively high opinion of oneself. However, vain could also mean something useless, futile. In a way, I think both of these apply.

On one hand, Ebony Queen's Apple absolutely fits the Limbus definition of Pride. Hiding and trying to ignore its own pain for the sake of keeping up appearances, doing something for its benefits while ignoring the negative consequences. On the other, we are directly told that the Apple's continued survival is futile, there is no life left in it, only pain and distrust. Its continued existence is in vain.

So, I think the description "Vain Fruit" fits it quite perfectly actually.

Now, I'll take a brief look at the Passives as well.

An Apple's Twilight is an interesting one. When used figuratively, twilight can describe a state of gradual decline, or a state that is obscure and hard to define. In a way, I think that's exactly the state Ebony Queen's Apple is in. Not quite alive, but not yet dead either. In the twilight of its life, you could say.

Entangling Roots is clearly connected to the first mid-battle event, where the Apple is described as tangling itself to hide its pain. These roots are what entangles the Apple, and by pulling them out, this Passive is turned off premautrely.

One Sole Root is an interesting one, because I think it comes back to the idea of Pride/Vanity. That everything is about keeping up Ebony Queen's Apple's image, keeping up that one single root that matters. Note how the Roots are the part of the Apple that is covered up by its dress, and how "breaking" the Roots doesn't necessarily break the roots themselves, but exposes them by breaking the dress covering them.

So, let's finally mention the Abno Logs, shall we?

Something very interesting about Ebony Queen's Apple is that it's noted to not be immediately hostile to the Sinners, rather trying to communicate with them telepathically. It's in stark contrast to Snow White's Apple, whose hatred and poison would actively harm anything within its vicinity.

Even more interestingly, Ebony Queen's Apple asks the Sinners to "Bring Snow White", which leads Faust to realize this Abnormality has some connection to Snow White's Apple. However, something about this is interesting - it's very clearly talking about Snow White, the princess, not the other Apple. Do both of the Apples have some sort of connection to that princess?

The next Log mentions something interesting - Faust speculated that Ebony Queen's Apple could potentially 'believe itself to be a "noble".' Consider how Snow White's Apple began to believe itself to be a princess after spending a long time thinking about her. Likewise, Ebony Queen's Apple seems to have done something similar, instead beginning to believe itself to be the evil queen, potentially also after thinking about her for a long time.

...So I have a theory here. A Lore theory, if you will.

The Snow White's Apple is an Apple who took on the heart of the witch (which, if you somehow don't know the story, is the Evil Queen in disguise), but decided to become like a princess after being hurt by her.

What is the chance that Ebony Queen's Apple is the opposite of that? An Apple who took on the heart of the princess, but decided to become like the Evil Queen after being hurt by her.

It would explain a lot, in fact. The reason why Ebony Queen's Apple isn't initially hostile towards the Sinners? Because at her heart, Snow White isn't a violent or malicious person, it's the persona of the Evil Queen that the Apple took on that is violent. What character in the fairytale would be the most likely to develop high levels of distrust? Snow White, who's being constantly hunted down by the Evil Queen through a variety of deceitful tricks. Why would the Apple look like it's been dead for a long time? Because Snow White was put into a coma, seemingly dying due to the Evil Queen's actions, before she was brought back to life.

So... decoding Ebony Queen's Apple is nice and all, but where does that leave us themes-wise?

Well, distrust is the most obvious theme here. Specifically, the pain one experiences and feels the need to hide because of the fear of being hurt again. There's also this similar idea of immortality, but in this case it's specifically the futile attempt of living after one's death, literal or figurative. A walking corpse, if you will. Finally, the role reversal theme rears its head up again, though in this case it's about a kind, soft-hearted person becoming malicious and selfish, so as to never be hurt again.

And now, we get to the big question. What does all of this mean for Ebony Stem Outis?

Well, let's look at the Awakening attack. In this attack, Outis uses Ebony Queen's Apple's Root Spike attack, which by itself doesn't tell us much. What is interesting is how she invokes this attack. The motion she makes puts to mind the leader of an army, directing their troops forward with the decisive raise of a weapon.

However, the more interesting part here I think is her dialogue line. "If this is to seize victory…" So, those who were here for my Ya Śūnyatā Tad Rūpam analysis might have an idea of where this is going.

This, I think, is Outis expressing her own justification for putting on the persona of the 'Evil Queen', of a brave, selfish commander. It's to seize victory, whether it's about the Smoke War, whatever ulterior motives she has in her current position, or perhaps even something far more personal. Because, if you win, you can't lose and be hurt further, right?

After all...

Outis has proven herself to be quite familiar with this idea, hasn't she?

Now, onto the Corrosion.

Here, the idea of Ebony Queen's Apple representing something that is already dead is further cemented, as Outis's face turns completely skeletal upon becoming Corroded. Interestingly enough, the animation she uses here is the Apple's Shared Pain attack. Perhaps Corroding under the influence of this Abnormality shows enough of her vulnerabilities for her to decide to unmask just enough to use that attack?

The dialogue line here is also very fascinating. "Just a little more…", said in a notably pained manner. Just how desperate is Outis? Just how much pain is she pushing herself through to continue on? How many 'just a little more's has she been clinging to this whole time?

Just like how Ebony Queen's Apple's attempts to keep living after death are futile, Outis's attempts to continue on despite what happened in her past are also futile. No amount of pushing through and inching forward will lead her to where she wants to be. No amount of telling herself that the Oddyssey had a purpose will actually give it one.

Finally, we're at the point where we can do some Sin Analysis.

Ebony Stem is a Gluttony-affinity E.G.O, and it's a very clear yet very interesting case of one. The hunger is very much there, but it's not what one would usually associate with Gluttony on first glance.

The hunger for survival is there, but it's not literal. In this case, it's the striving towards surviving without being hurt, surviving despite the pain distrust causes. Likewise, the hunger for progress is also there, in this case it's for trying to move forward despite what happened in the past, to keep inching 'just a little more', even though it's clearly futile, with no end in sight.

This futility, I think, is what truly makes this a Gluttony E.G.O.

Now, as for the necessary Sin Resources, they are as follows (ordered from needed most of to least of): Pride, Gluttony, Lust, Gloom.

Pride is quite important to Outis's character, and especially to this E.G.O, as she requires a whole four of it to use it. While the whole idea of her ignoring the harm she inflicts on others to get what she wants still applies here, I think there's another layer to this - ignoring the harm she experiences in doing so.

One of the main themes of Ebony Queen's Apple is how one tries to hide and ignore the pain and distrust one feels for the sake of the appearance one puts on, an incredibly Pride-coded action. Likewise, Outis has to hide her pain and insecurities to be able to put on the persona of the strong-willed, merciless commander, a highly Prideful act by Limbus's standards.

Gluttony follows after, with Outis requiring three of it to use Ebony Stem. Due to it being the Sin Affinity of the E.G.O, most of the points I made while talking about that still remain. Outis needs to wish to survive without pain and keep moving forward despite it being futile to use Ebony Stem, simple enough.

Then, a surprise guest.

Lust. Outis requires two of that Sin to use Ebony Stem. While Lust often represents indulgence, I believe this case is very similar to the case of Lust in Ya Śūnyatā Tad Rūpam. It represents Outis's dedication to her personal goals, how she has to be willing to do anything to fulfill them to gain access to this E.G.O. Plus, there is that additional layer of her wishing to not be hurt, though that can count as several different Sins depending on the context, and it's something I would put under Gluttony for this E.G.O specifically.

Finally, there's Gloom. Outis requires only one of it to use Ebony Stem. It's a small, but nonetheless important part of this E.G.O. I believe Gloom here represents the pain and trauma that led to Outis developing this behavior in the first place. The harm that was inflicted on her in the past, and the distrust that clings to her afterwards. It's a small part due to Outis's highly goal-oriented nature, causing her to focus on other aspects of Ebony Stem, suchs as reaching the goal of victory... But that hurt is still there. That piercing, sharp pain coiling around her heart, that she's always aware of at the back of her mind, no matter how much she wishes to hide it.

Of course, her Passive here being named Stem of Distrust only drives the point home even further.

Something interesting about Ebony Stem Outis's Sin Resistances is that, while very close to Ebony Queen's Apple's, they're not exactly the same. Both the Apple and Outis are Fatal to Wrath and Pride, as it's what can easily tear down their masks - the will to defy their commanding presence and tear it down, knowing that exposing their pain will hurt them in the process. However, what they differ in is the Sins that are Ineffective (x0.5) against them, and the ones they Endure (x0.75).

For Ebony Queen's Apple, its Ineffective Resistance is Gloom, and it's Endured Resistance is Envy. Meanwhile, for Ebony Stem Outis, the Ineffective Resistance is Gluttony, while Gloom is Endured.

I think the reason they're protected from the influences of those Sins is, well... They're the reasons why both the Apple and Outis put on those personas in the first place. They're both protected from Gloom because the whole reason they act like 'Evil Queens' is to avoid getting further hurt, with it being much more important to the Apple.

The Apple endures Envy because its pain likely comes from the influence of a single person - the real Ebony Queen. As such, by mimicking her, the Apple is effectively ensuring that it won't be as hurt and influences by her as it was in the past. Likewise, Gluttony is Ineffective against Ebony Stem Outis as that's the main reason she puts on this mask, to continue moving forward, to keep on living after what happened, regardless of its futility.

There is... certainly something going on with Outis that we don't fully know about yet. Something about her two Gluttony Affinity E.G.Os having themes of distrusting other people, and all of her E.G.Os having some form of idea of putting on a front that's far more aggressive or selfish or commanding than the real self might be...

Girl, what is with you.

[pokestudentjune]

Hellow!

I just saw you have a Typhlosion in your team! Can you tell me a bit about how a Typhlosion can act? My official starter's Nino, a Cyndaquil, and even if I love him a lot, my family pushed me into having a "real" starter even if I already have another partner before him!

@lud-and-griz

Hello there !! Omg my first ask..

First off, I think its quite interesting how your parents pushed you for a "real" starter.. I'm going to ramble a bit, but the starter pokemon of each region are a bit overhyped in my opinion. This can cause unethical breeding of them or mistreatment by non professionals for a quick buck. Plus, any starter can be "real!" Starters are honestly just a social construct and it puts weird standards on pokemon and trainers to go down their path a specific way...

BUT!! My pokemon ethics input isnt what you asked for!! Of course, every pokemon has their own personality and tendencies in respect to the individual, so I can't say for sure how your cyndaquil will be like when evolved– but luckily for you the cyndaquil line is one of my favorites! So i can give you a general rundown on what to expect. 

Cynaquil and Quilava are similar in the sense that both are generally pretty cautious pokemon in the wild, prefering to not pick fights unless necessary. They are lower on the food chain, and thus rely on their flame for defense usually, not offense. Typhlosion on the other hand however, burst with a hotter flame and become very territorial and independent in the wild. 

With that in mind, Typhlosion after evolving tend to be more confident and a bit more mature than they were as a quilava, adjusting to a bigger body with bigger flames through this process. Their personality will pretty much stay the same, but slightly different as well. Think of it as growing up from a teen into an adult! (Keep in mind though that evolution stage does NOT equal age!) Typhlosion tend to be extremely protective of their trainer upon evolution, as well as become a tad bit more stoic than before, probably stemming from their territorial tendencies in the wild. Its also been shown within a vast majority of domesticated Typhlosion that they tend to have a short temper when on the battlefield--regardless of their personality. This is probably a genetic feature that helps fuel a Typhlosions back flame during fights, which can be quite devastating if your pokemon does not know how to control it. In addition, typhlosion has a feature none of its pre-evolutions have. Not simply flame-retardant fur, but a second layer of fur with a chemical compound that is capable of combusting under extreme heat. Just a little heads up if you ever see your Typhlosions entire body burst into fire!

Having cyndaquil evolve into a typhlosion is no easy feat and a great achievement for these pokemon! it may take them some time to adjust to the new body though, as Typhlosion typically prefer to stand on their hind legs–whereas quilava usually stay quadrapedal unless searching for danger, so be prepared for lots of bumping heads on sheves or tables. It might have been a while since your partner was a cyndaquil! Your typhlosion may also have an increased interest in sweets, even if they never liked sweet stuff before. This is because with a stronger flame, your typhlosion will need more fuel. Sucrose is known for being extremely flammable, and is often desired amongst fire types. Consuming sugars will help the gas sacs along its neck produce a strong flame! Your typhlosion might be more interested in consuming meat over bugs like its pre-evolutions. Be prepared to either adjust their diet or expect a potential gift at your doorstep sometimes! Typhlosion might also develop a habit of burrowing upon evolution. This is a nesting behavior that the other two evolutions don’t usually exhibit to the extent of a Typhlosions. Your Typhlosion may enjoy creating a burrow a few feet deep into the ground to rest in at night, the bottom of it lined with ash and sticks to keep it warm– kind of like its own mini campfire!

Whew that was a lot. Sorry to ramble! I just love sharing information about pokemon I love <3 I would talk about Jasper, my own Typhlosion on here, but this post is already getting pretty long. I’ll be keeping an eye on your cyndaquil! If they want to evolve, then I’d love to see it!

[alexanders-pokemon-adventure]

Because of my recent egg situation with my Dustox String Bean (see here) I’m make an info post about what to expected if your interested in one of the wurmple when they hatch. Just some General things anyone should know if they decide they want one.

“Apatura Iris Stellatarum” variant wurple are native to Galar , Kolas and much of the surrounding regions on the Great Peninsula. Generally shy in this part of their evolution .Their preferred diet is made of mostly bedstraw and Willow leaves, but will eat most hardy greens and standard herbivore bug pokemon mix sold at most pokemarts . Abug type like its standard counterpart this variant of Wurmple generally processes the ability “Compound Eye” or “Shield Dust”. Like most variants of wurmple can potentially evolve down two routs. The routs are colloquially called “purple emperor “ and the “hummingbird hawk”

Hummingbird hawk route

The Cascoon of this line are of the cocoon-less variety and Prefer to spend this duration of this part of life hidden in brush ,fallen leaves or close to the ground partial burrowed in soil . During this time of their life they will generally only consume water , absorbed by the thin more absorbent lines on their chrysalis .When threatened can slowly shimmy itself to another location. A bug type like their standard counterpart this variety generally possesses the ability “sturdy“

The Dustox of the this variant are excellent flyers . Their wings move so fast they’re barely visible when in motion and they can move directionally 360° in flight .Able to make rapid turns and dynamic maneuvers without changing their acceleration. One of the fastest variants of Dustox They’re top speed cabs around 60 mph .The diets at this stage in the evolution consist mainly of nectar that they uses their straw like tongue to collect, but they will eat any easily available fruit material that has been softened enough with time. Apatura Iris Stellartarum-Dustox are a Poison / Flying type and generally possess the ability “Speed boost” or “poison touch”.

Purple Emperor route

Silcoon of the Apatura Iris Stellartarum variant like their cascoon counterpart are of the cocoon-less variety meaning their Chrysalis structure is exposed. They prefer to spend this part of their life camouflage on leafy trees (Willow trees generally) , they don’t generally eat during this portion of their life and will absorb moisture through The outer tissue of their pupa exposed through the gaps in their chrysalis. Like the standard counterpart they are a bug type and generally possess the ability “sturdy”. 

The Beautifly of this variant are comparatively aggressive to their standard counterpart , actively territorial and omnivores. males and females of this variant will fight Each other to to maintain their Territories . Preferring a diet of tree sap, honeydew ,dung, urine and carrion, Apatura Iris Stellartarum beautifly can eat Standard omnivore bug type mix sold at most PokéMarts. possessing a comparatively longer abdomen compared to their standard counterpart it allows them to flex and enhance striking motion from their arms and feet. Apatura Iris Stellartarum Beautifly are a fighting /fairy type and generally possess either the ability “Reckless” or “Cute Charm”.

[tinycoded360]

In the darkness, I could use a little company: Chapter 5: Borrowers guide to hunting

Sage perched on Mackenzie's broad shoulder, her tiny hands gripping his parka for balance. Below, the giant man crept through the underbrush, focused intently on a rabbit nibbling at some grass. But his approach was clumsy, snapping twigs underfoot. The rabbit's ears twitched and it bounded away into the brush.

Mackenzie sighed and stood up. "I'm no good at this," he muttered.

Sage patted his cheek. "It's okay. I can help." She'd hunted often back home and knew how to move quickly and quietly. "You have to lead the target, aim where it's going to be."

Mackenzie huffed in amusement. “Oh? Do you often hunt rabbits?” Mackenzie knows full well the tiny borrower would be too small to take down a rabbit, but the mental image of multiple tiny people taking down a rabbit is amusing to him.

“Well, no but I’ve helped my family hunt other things, like bugs and small rodents like mice and rats. I know how to hunt!” Sage sassed. “If I was big like you, I’d easily get the rabbit for you.”

Mackenzie smiled at the tiny girl, and he tried again, following her advice. He tried again, slowing his breathing as he lined up the shot. The arrow sailed past once more.

Sage patted his breaded cheek again. "You're still too loud. Walk lighter, more careful-like.”

Crouching low, he circled the clearing. His steps made little sound. Sage held her breath as the rabbit hopped back into view. Mackenzie froze, then pulled back his bow, and this time the arrow struck home.

Mackenzie secured the rabbit and continued stalking through the woods. With Sage's guidance, he managed to snare two more plump rabbits. The tiny borrower girl was proving quite useful, and Mackenzie found himself growing fond of his miniature companion.

As dusk fell, the air turned biting cold. Mackenzie gently lifted Sage from his shoulder and placed her inside his chest pocket. "There you go, nice and warm," he said.

Sage hesitated, then burrowed into the pocket's fleecy warmth. She could feel the steady thump of Mackenzie's heartbeat surrounding her. It was comforting and made her feel safe. Mackenzie seemed happy too, a contented smile on his bearded face as he looked for good shelter.

Sage nestled deeper into the giant's pocket as the wind picked up. She could feel Mackenzie's body heat radiating around her, a welcome respite from the bitter chill. Despite her wariness, Sage felt a swell of gratitude toward the man who had shown her kindness. He could have easily crushed or eaten her, as she'd been taught all humans would. Yet he protected her and shared his food and shelter. She still didn't fully trust him, but maybe humans weren't all monsters.

Mackenzie glanced down at the tiny bulge in his pocket and smiled. He could feel Sage burrow closer to him. He was thankful for the companionship, small as it was.

Mackenzie sighed in frustration; he was having trouble finding a good shelter. He needed to get a fire going before full dark fell. Crouching, he packed snow against the frame of sticks and cloth. The makeshift shelter was far from perfect, but twilight was deepening, and they could not afford to be exposed to the harsh elements any longer. He glanced at Sage, tucked securely in his coat pocket.

"Almost ready," he murmured, more to himself than to the tiny girl. With a final pat on the compacted snow wall, he turned to make a fire just outside of his snow shelter. He assembled some kindling and struck his flint, coaxing a small flame to life. Its warmth was welcome.

Once the fire was crackling steadily, He skewered the rabbits on sticks to cook over the flames. When they were ready, he carefully broke off a morsel of meat and handed it to Sage.

"Here you go, little one. Fresh rabbit."

Sage took the meat eagerly. She had never tasted cooked rabbit before. The flavor was new and delicious.

After they had eaten, Mackenzie prepared for the freezing night ahead. He banked the fire high and wrapped himself in his blanket. He then lifted Sage, cradling the tiny girl in the palm of his right hand. He cupped her close to his chest, then he slid into the narrow confines of their refuge, the orange glow from the fire flicking and offering warmth just outside the shelter. The flame should last most of the night or at least provide a barrier between them and the cold. Will settled onto his side, cupping the tiny girl to his chest, Sheltering her under the blanket with him. He smiled as she snuggled into the warmth of his body.

Sage nestled contentedly; her tiny belly was full of delicious, cooked rabbit meat - a rare treat for a borrower who usually subsisted on foraged crumbs.

Mackenzie looked down at the minuscule girl curled trustingly on his chest. He marveled again at how small and fragile she was, yet how resilient. He reached for his water bottle and carefully poured a few drops into an empty bottle cap, handing it to Sage.

"There you go, little one. Drink up now."

Sage grasped the makeshift cup in both hands, drinking deeply. When she finished, she let out a satisfied sigh.

Mackenzie smiled faintly. "That hit the spot, eh?"

Sage nodded, eyes already drooping with fatigue. It had been an eventful day for the both of them.

Mackenzie's mind turned to practical matters. The rabbit hides could be useful. With some tanning, he could fashion crude gloves or a hat for himself. And maybe even a miniature cloak for Sage. Her current outfit looked warm, but rabbit fur would be even better insulation against the elements. He’d just have to find a good place to let it dry out.

He glanced down again at the tiny girl, and gently placed her into his chest pocket. He curled his fingers gently around the pocket where Sage lay hidden, willing his residual warmth into her tiny form. His eyelids grew heavy as the exhaustion from the day's trek pulled him into a fitful sleep.

In the silent cocoon of the pocket, however, restlessness stirred within Sage. The cramped quarters allowed for little movement, and the novelty of being carried along had long since worn off. With a soft sigh that went unheard, she began to wriggle, pushing against the fabric walls that confined her.

Finally free, she tumbled into the expanse of Will's cupped hands, which lay open and inviting just outside the pocket. The chill of the shelter crept up her spine, prompting a shiver. Her tiny heart twinged with longing for the freedom to stretch and explore, but the stark reality of their situation held her back. This snow shelter, a far cry from the caves they had taken refuge in, offered no room for adventure. It was cold, too cold, and the only source of warmth was the slumbering giant whose steady breaths ruffled her hair.

The firelight outside the shelter barely reached them, casting a soft luminescence over Will's roughened hands. Sage looked up at the ceiling of their snowy dome, a lattice of branches and white above her. Sighing, she knew better than to venture too far; open space meant vulnerability, and the temperature within the shelter offered little reprieve from the biting cold.

The stillness of the night was too much for Sage; her eyes were wide open with a restless energy that buzzed through her tiny frame. She sat up, careful not to disturb Will, whose deep breathing echoed softly within the confines of their makeshift shelter. His face, so large and yet so vulnerably peaceful in sleep, rested near his hands that formed her bed. As she breathed in rhythm with him, she wrinkled her nose, the scent of days without proper cleanliness evident in the small space between them. It wasn't just Will - they both carried the musk of survival against the harsh wilderness.

In the dim light, Sage's gaze fell upon the rough texture of Will’s beard. It looked soft and wiry at the same time, an odd contrast to the smoothness of his skin where it peeked out from beneath. A curious impulse took hold of her as she pondered over the tufts of hair.

Her fingers danced over the coarse hairs that adorned her giant protector’s chin, marveling at the texture. Then, inspired by a whimsical impulse, she wriggled out of her miniature shoes, revealing bare feet no larger than the pad of Will's thumb. Lying back on his warm palm, she raised her legs into the air, tentatively placing her soles against the bristle of his dark beard. The sensation was peculiar – ticklish and scratchy all at once – and a giggle bubbled up from her throat, quiet but filled with the delight of discovery. Sage indulged in the innocent playfulness, allowing herself to forget the dangers that lurked beyond their shelter.

Sage's tiny feet continued their dance, pressing playfully into the scratchy thicket of Will's beard. Each contact sent a fresh wave of tickles across her soles, drawing from her a cascade of giggles that echoed softly in the close quarters of the shelter. A deep, resonant rumble vibrated through her small frame, and she stilled for an instant, realizing it was a laugh emanating from the giant beneath her.

Will's eye cracked open—tinged with the remnants of sleep and speckled with mirth—as he peered down at his minuscule companion. "And what are you doing, sticking those stinky little feet in my face, huh?" he teased, the corner of his mouth quirking upward.

"Stinky? They're not stinky!" Sage protested with a laugh; the words lost in another round of chuckles as she resumed nudging his chin with her feet. A fresh peal of giggles escaped her as Will captured one of her tiny feet between his finger and thumb, giving it a playful squeeze. The other hand steadied her against his palm.

"Ticklish?" he murmured before blowing a warm puff of air over her toes, sending tickling sensations through her small frame.

"Stop, stop!" Sage squealed, wriggling in mock protest yet secretly reveling in the game.

"Okay, okay, that's enough now," Will whispered with a chuckle, his voice a soothing baritone. He leaned forward, his nose nudging playfully into her belly. The sensation was strange but pleasant. She squealed with delight, squirming under the affectionate gesture.

"Time to sleep, little one," Will murmured, his breath warm against her skin.

"No!" Sage exclaimed, still caught up in their game. She pushed against his face with her hands, her movements full of a playful defiance that belied the day's exhaustion.

Will engaged in a tender battle of tickles, his fingers dancing lightly over her sides, eliciting peals of laughter until her energy began to wane. His touch was careful, mindful of her delicate form, yet filled with affection.

As her giggles subsided into tired sighs, Will cradled her close to his chest, enveloping her in the secure warmth of his body. Sage's breathing slowed, her eyelids fluttered, The steady rhythm of his heartbeat a lullaby that thrummed beneath her ear.

Her world gradually narrowed to the rise and fall of his chest, the heat of his skin seeping into her bones, chasing away the chill of the night. Her last conscious thought was a rebellious thought of I’m not sleepy.

In the suffocating darkness of her nightmare, Sage was consumed by terror. She felt herself being lifted effortlessly into the air, trapped in the maw of a monstrous wolf. Its long tongue enveloped her tiny body, slick and coarse, dragging her deeper into its gaping mouth. The cavernous jaws clamped shut, sealing her fate as she was tasted by the beast.

The wolf’s tongue toyed with her, rolling her around within the confines of its mouth, coating her in saliva. Each movement was a reminder of her helplessness, her insignificance. Then, with a gut-wrenching lurch, she was swallowed whole, thrust down the constricting passage of its throat. The walls of flesh squeezed against her, relentless, eager to deliver her to the pit of digestion.

Inside the wolf's belly, the world was tight and unyielding. The stomach walls pulsed rhythmically, pressing in on her from all sides. She thrashed wildly, desperate to escape. She clawed at the slick, muscular walls, but there was no way out.

Suddenly, gasping for breath and drenched in cold sweat, Sage woke to the sound of her own frantic cries. She was thrashing about in Will’s pocket, the fabric that sheltered her becoming another confining trap. But then, strong yet gentle hands plucked her free, and she found herself cradled against the warmth of Will's chest.

"Shh, Sage, it's alright," Will's voice was a soothing balm, his thumb caressing her head and stroking down her back in comforting motions. "You're safe here. It was just a bad dream."

Through her sobs, Sage looked up into the eyes of her protector, her vision blurred by tears. "It... it ate me," she managed to stammer, the horror of the nightmare still vivid in her mind.

Will wrapped her in the comfort of his immense palm. "I'm here, and I won't let anything like that happen to you," he assured her with quiet conviction.

As she nestled against him, the shadows of her nightmare receded. Slowly, her trembling subsided. Will continued to gently stroke her tiny head and back, he whispered comforting words, until she fell back to sleep.