#they all got gooped with poison

[pangur-and-grim]

my friend's Jade plant got sucked on by little white guys

#I think they're called mealy bugs? #they all got gooped with poison

[shadowy-suitcase-herring-neck]

EXTREMELY interested in The Cube AU- Very fun already! Do you have any other details you could share? Like- The Gang's relationship? Or even how the Stars' felt about being cubed? How did the council even manage to send them there? How do the Gang, Error, and the Stars feel about their... transformation? How did Nightmare get the mask and do any of the others have odd curiosities on them too?

grab your popcorn this got kinda long. i mean i could have made it longer but i kept some things too be included in separate posts.

The gang at first kinda hated each other. to Nightmare they where his henchmen. he says he only gathered them to aid in his spreading of negativity. though deep down he knows this isn't why but is constantly convincing himself of it. Too be honest Nightmare was lonely , but he is constantly self sabotaging his chances of ever actually forming any sort of relationship with... anyone tbh. he's afraid It takes awhile for him to realize he doesn't want too nor have too be the demon he was told he was. he was the only thing keeping himself from feeling happy. Horror only really stayed because of the food promised to horrortale. He didn't like Killer at all and Dust didn't really interact with the gang much outside of missions and fighting with killer. Horror did start to make friends with Cross though. Mainly because cross wasn't stab happy, and also didn't waste food, or skip meals like Dust and Nightmare after Horror had already made food for everyone. Dust like stated before would be constantly avoiding everyone when he could. he spent a lot of time in random places around castle that where hard to reach. and even harder to find. he mainly talked to "Paps" a lot. In this au paps is just a hallucination not an actual ghost. The main reason he is avoiding everyone could be that killer takes any chance to antagonize him. Killer is sort of stuck in the mental loop of always trying to gain more exp. Kind of ironic tbh. most of his emotions are dulled and Fighting gives a sort of rush that too him feel.. something. So he is constantly chasing it. Cross doesn't really know why he's there tbh. he's kind of lost. their relationship slowly shifts too found family but it is certainly a journey. -

The Stars felt betrayed more than anything. They had spent years defending and trying to make the multiverse a better place. Dream already has that small voice in his skull telling him it was because he had failed somehow. That he wasn't good enough. Blue is left wondering just why... WHY. Ink is... confused. he hadn't messed up THAT bad right? he wasn't a terrible person... right? In reality it was partially due too the fact The stars would have tried to shut down the Cube if they had Known more about it. As far as they where concerned it was just a high security prison. They didn't know about how it was designed to essentially be an elaborate form of torture. a world where everything was uncertain, your own body untrustworthy, and everything wants you dead. Dream was starting to get suspicious when he was denied seeing his brother. -

Nightmare's mask has something to do with another character I've made. A scientist who helped make the Cube named Jane. I don't think I'll explain all of that here but i will include it when i post her character. -

As for other oddities and transformations... I think it's time to talk about the mutations caused by the change from magic based to something more physical. The claws on the ends of Nightmare's tentacles are an example, as well as the much less goopy nature. Goop wouldn't stay together without magic after all. Though Nightmare's changes are a little less visually different than some of the other mutations. Mutations are for the most part very very random though.

for Killer: Killer had three fingered hands, and a venomous bite. The hatred that dripped from his sockets is technically just a poison now. His soul kinda got fused with his rib cage so it just looks like a sort of target shaped burn scar in a way. it do glow tho.

here's a doodle of what his hands look like tho.

Dust was one of the more drastically changed individuals. it's possible his blaster attacks had somehow influenced his mutations so now he has a face like this:

when his jaw is closed he can almost pass for completely unchanged. His voice has a strange chittering too it now. the buggyness was completely unconnected too the blaster jaw. but it is there. Dust wears a scarf a lot too hide it.

Cross os the only other one i have Mutations made for atm. He got floof. and ears. honestly this was just kind of for fun

biiiiigg yawn.

he can 100% percent bite someones head off if he wanted too. I wasn't going for any sort of similarity too any animal in particular. but yea... floof... he poofs up if startled. anyways this was certainly a long answer huh :D i hope you enjoyed <3 if you want me too go in even more depth on any of these just ask and i will gladly do so.

#herrings rambles #herrings mailbox #The Cube au #herrings doodles #utmv #undertale au #bad sanses #nightmare sans #killer sans #horror sans #dust sans #cross sans #bad sans gang

[where-dreams-dwell]

It’s almost like the Usher children *knew* they weren’t going to live long and so they intentially left no marks upon the world.

Camille’s speech about how none of the kids actually makes or does anything is so startling: here is a group of people given all the opportunities and access money can buy, all of whom have had this their entire adult life, and they haven’t used it to create or build anything.

You can almost sense Roderiks disappointment in them, in his speech to Perry. He has this hyper focus on what his ‘investment’ money will fund, and says that ‘Ushers change the world’. But outside of himself and Madeline, not one of them has.

Frederick took the money, if he ever got any, and probably funnelled it back into his house or the company. By the looks of it he doesn’t have anything other than his family and his job, so there’s nothing for Roderick to invest in.

Tammy funnelled the money into a lifestyle brand, but one that wouldn’t have her at the front and centre. She scathingly reveals to Bill that she selected him to be her husband based upon his brand and marketability, showing she was ready to create this new empire but with her pulling strings in the shadows. From the outside it probably looks like she hasn’t created anything at all and that it’s all Bill, using his wife’s money. On top of this, the running gag of her storyline is that her brand and ideas aren’t even original, but are ripped off of Goop. So she hasn’t made anything new, and if Goldbug has any impact at all it will be no different to another more successful, more well know product. Hardly ‘changing the world’.

Victorine has some medial training but she looks to be a supporting role to her partner within their clinic, in which Al is the talented surgeon who people come to see and Victorine is a kind of silent partner. So she decided to go into medical devices or smart medical tech, but she relies upon the ideas and skills of others. As Camille said ‘the mesh is the surgeons, that’s why she’s fucking the surgeon’. And her medical knowledge seems to be limited if she thinks just her word and some money will move their experiments into human trials. So she also hasn’t ‘changed the world’ she’s just found someone else who was trying to and co-op-ed their ideas. You could even argue she poisoned those ideas, as Al mentions that the pain medication Victorine has been supplying looks like street drugs and wouldn’t stand up in any medical paper or research study.

Camille is, like she said, spinning furiously and going nowhere. She looks skilled in her field (from the analysis scenes we get, and Madeleine’s signing off on her PR analysis post Perry’s death) but she works from the shadows and hasn’t ‘created’ anything that wasn’t there before. There have been PR spin doctors before and there will be more to come; Camille offers nothing new ans hasn’t ‘changed the world’ in any measurable way. From what little we see of her work she hasn’t recreated a PR agency, hasn’t trained up other spin doctors under her, hasn’t created a brand or company which will outlast her. She leaves nothing behind to show what her skills or talents were.

Leo is shot down quickly when he claims he makes games: he doesn’t, he gives money to people who do. So he too will leave little to nothing behind when he’s gone. His references to past boyfriends show no long lasting relationships in his life and he has no other hobbies or pursuits we know of. Like Camille he hasn’t created a company to help with game design, hasn’t trained up others within this field he claims as his own. Even with the gaming ‘world’ it sounds like he changed very little. Fredrick’s throw away comments about Leo’s flat reveal that Leo hadn’t even had input in the decoration or style of his own home: he just latches onto the styles, ideas, aesthetic of his current boyfriend and goes with their ideas and plans. It’s such a small tiny thing but he truly has no original ideas in any aspect of his life.

And finally Perry, who’s desperate for that start up money but clearly has no plans or ideas on how to use it. He’s had a year and his main idea is an exclusive whisky bar. Even this idea, for all its crude intentions, shows his lack of vision: he doesn’t understand that to get the reputation he claims his bars would have will take time. You don’t just ‘create’ a consequent free bar celebrating decadence and privilege overnight. Reputations take time and as Madeline asks ‘what will be different about this one’ to draw people in to begin with? Studio 54 (which he compares his club to). only operated for 3 years before closing: not the smartest inclusion in an investment pitch.

To be fair to Perry though, looking at what the other siblings did or didn’t do with their loan money it seems a bit unfair that his ‘Blow job whiskey bar’ was shot down so decisively and cruelty. Assuredly Leo’s ‘video game studio for just myself’, Camille’s ‘PR agency just for me with my two assistants’, Victorines ‘medical training and clinic where I help out other surgeons’, Tammys ‘subscription lifestyle brand ripped off from a celebrity’ and Fredrick’s ‘I’d just like to work with you Dad’ were all clearly given the green light. But Perry apparently wasn’t good enough. Maybe this was a reaction to Roderick getting the news he was dying as so he wanted Perrys investment at least to actually change something, but still. He might as well give him the money either way at that point.

And I think it’s probably intended as a commentary on the ultra wealthy. Like of course people with more money than most counties have no plans to leave anything for the next generation. They have achieved their high levels of success by being solely focused upon themselves and so are honestly incapable of considering others. They are solely interested in enjoying the life they are currently living and why strain themselves to fight and build something when they don’t have to?

But it also works so well as a supernatural legacy and ironic conclusion to Roderick’s deal: he agreed that none of his bloodline would outlive him, and so none of them built anything that would.

#the fall of the house of usher #spoilers #mike flanagan #tfothou #legacy #ultra wealthy

[somber-sapphic]

No Rest For The Foolhardy

You manage to hide your sickness for days, but of course it's hard to hide how you feel from a Sokovian Witch. (wanda x reader)

Word Count: 2114

DAY 1- It Begins

“Y/n, we’re going to be late!” Wanda called, poking her head into the bathroom where you were painstakingly trying to apply your makeup without getting eyeliner all over your face. It was hard to do with violently shaking hands in blurred vision. 

You looked over at the brunette, a smile forming on your badly chapped lips. Even when you were feeling like absolute crap, it was impossible to deny just how beautiful she was. You fell more and more in love with her every day. 

“You okay? You look a little rough there babe.” She frowned, taking a slow step into the bathroom. A spike of fear ran through your body and you slammed the eyeliner down, making your smile even bigger.

“I’m fine, I just didn’t sleep very well.” You reassured, walking over to press a little kiss against her forehead. She looked like she’d been expecting a kiss on the lips, but you didn’t dare risk that. You didn’t want her to get whatever nasty virus had crawled into your body and taken up residence in your respiratory system. 

“Are you sure? Your cheeks are flushed, are you getting a bug?” Wanda pressed, her eyes boring into your soul as she tried to tell if you were lying. If she really wanted to she could’ve used her powers, but before the two of you even started dating she’d promised that she would never do that. 

“Don’t worry about me love, we’ve got a meeting to get to.”

DAY 2- A Losing Battle

Why couldn't the city be attacked at a normal hour? 3 am was far too early to be getting out of your nice cozy bed to put on an uncomfortable uniform and race out of the tower to fight some sort of goop throwing alien. It didn’t speak any English, or any language that any of them knew so there wasn’t any reasoning. Just fighting. 

Your body was sluggish as you threw your poison coated knives, only about half connecting with their target. Missing so much was embarrassing, especially when you were aiming for something so big. Wanda kept giving you looks but you were too busy focusing on not passing out to respond over the comms. 

“Y/n, what the hell are you doing? You’re trying to hit it, not me!” Natasha’s voice crackled over the comms, sounding equally frustrated and worried. They were all worried about you, it wasn’t just your girlfriend who had noticed your odd behavior. 

You didn’t respond, just unleashed another knife, this time hitting the thing square in the eye. Impressive for a person with a fever and a cough that rattled your lungs every few seconds and made you gag with the force. 

The battle only lasted about three hours, but when you all went back for debriefing your legs felt like jello and you were pretty sure that you could fall asleep standing up. You collapsed into a chair and put your head on your fist, blinking over at Tony as he yelled about something you had done wrong. It was obvious that you didn’t do very well today, but the thing was dead and no one had gotten hurt. 

“Tony, give me a break. It’s over.” You grumbled. Your head was pounding and his frustrated yelling and stomping around the room was only making it worse. Wanda reached over and rubbed your knee, assuming that you just had a migraine. You’d taken enough medicine to deal with the fever and congestion for a few more hours, so really it just looked like a bad headache. 

“You nearly killed Romanoff!” He snapped back, glaring at you with piercing eyes. 

“Almost being the key word. Lay off Y/n Stark, she looks exhausted.” Natasha replied, coming to your defense. You raised your eyebrows, slightly surprised. It wasn’t that you and Natasha didn’t get along, she was Wanda’s best friend after all, but there had been issues between you from the start. You two often butted heads. 

“Really? Whatever, I’m going to the lab. You’re all dismissed. Take a nap Y/n, you clearly need it.” That last backhanded insult nearly made you cry. You were angry with yourself for being so awful during the fight and you just didn’t feel well. 

Natasha leaned across the table and took one of your hands in her calloused one, squeezing it gently. 

“Don’t pay attention to him kiddo. He’s cranky because he didn’t kill the thing.” That nickname had sparked one of your first fights. You were only a year younger than Wanda who had been called ‘little witch’ since her arrival but that didn’t bother her considering that she was only a teenager when she’d joined the Avengers. 

“Thanks Tasha…” You mumbled, a little embarrassed by her attention. Wanda chuckled softly, inwardly pleased by the bond growing between you two. Her best friend and her girlfriend, finally getting along. 

“Come on my dear, I know you’ve been wanting to watch that new horror movie.” Wanda smiled, pulling you up out of your seat. A wave of stars danced in your vision but you brushed it off, blinking rapidly to clear them from your vision. A horror movie might actually make you feel better.

DAY 3- Game Night

Game night with movies. A simple, fun night for team bonding and a chance to relax with friends. They all enjoyed it, happy that they could forget about their dangerous jobs and act like normal people. 

“Y/n! Twos, do you have any twos!?” Clint demanded, leaning forward as if to interrogate you. Right, Go-Fish. You were supposed to be playing Go-Fish. Of course, it wasn’t normal Go-Fish. There was alcohol involved. Whenever someone was sent fishing they had to take a shot. You were pretty sure if you drank any you’d lose all of the weak control you had over your illness. 

You silently handed over the two that you had been cradling against your chest, clutched close to your aching lungs. The bird man let out a whoop and slapped his final four cards onto the floor, all twos.

“It’s Go-Fish dude, you didn’t win the olympics.” Rhody grumbled, pouting slightly. You cracked a little smile while Natasha smirked and Wanda chuckled. They all got so worked up over these stupid games, it was typically wildly entertaining for everyone. 

You leaned back against the couch, nestling your head against Wanda’s shoulder. Cuddled close against her you were having even more trouble staying awake, but everything changed when a harsh coughing fit wracked your admittedly weak body. 

“Are you okay sweetheart?” The brunette asked gently, sitting you up in her lap to ease your coughing. She rubbed your back as the fit subsided, her expression contorted in pure concern. Her beautiful caramel eyes were full of love, the laugh lines evident even through her worry. 

“I’m fine. Inhaled a bug I think.” You grimaced, sticking out your tongue in mock disgust. Her face pulled into one of disbelief and then she laughed, leaning over to kiss you. You cut the kiss short, turning your head to the side so her lips brushed your cheek. 

“That's some shit luck Y/n. Who wants to play Monopoly? I’m going to destroy you.” Natasha challenged, a wicked grin spreading across her face. 

True to her word, the assassin beat them all in a half hour, much to everyone's joy. She was the only one who actually liked the damn game and she only enjoyed it because she always won. She was a brutal opponent. 

“I’m done playing. Watching you guys lose is more fun than playing.” You smiled, cuddling back against your girlfriend. She wrapped her in your arms and kissed your hair, cradling you close while you drifted to sleep. 

DAY 4- And So It Ends

Baking. Why did she want to make cookies? You weren’t sure, but you obliged her. She had woken you up all excited about the new recipe she found, nearly bouncing up and down in utter joy. You didn’t have the heart to tell her that your body was on fire and your bones ached. You didn’t have the heart to admit to the cotton stuffed in your head as your illness took full effect. You were miserable. But she was happy. That's all that mattered.

“Baby, I need the sprinkles. Can you grab them?” She asked, stirring the dough with a quizzical eye. She was an excellent baker, always taking extra time to make sure that everything was done correctly. 

“Sprinkles? In the cookies?” You asked skeptically, frowning at her. It seemed to you that the colors would just bleed into the dough, leaving the two of you wish brownish, gross tasting cookies. The brunette looked back at you, her eyes glittering with amusement. 

“Yes dear, sprinkles. Do you dare question the wisdom of the recipe?” She joked, smiling at you. You shrugged, and stared at the cabinet, far too high above you to reach without climbing on something. 

You sighed and managed to drag a chair over, your whole body ready to give in to utter exhaustion. You knew you’d made a mistake when you took your first step onto the chair. With a shaky breath, you hoisted yourself up, wishing that Wanda had given you a lecture of the danger of climbing on chairs. 

Blood rushed to your head and you grabbed onto the cabinet doors, hoping to stabilize yourself. If you could just regain your balance it would all be fine. You would be fine. 

You repeated that mantra as your vision blurred and you felt yourself falling backwards, stars taking over your vision. As you tumbled to the floor you could hear Wanda yelling your name and felt the warm tingle of her magic envelope you. Sure that you couldn’t crack your head open on the floor, you let yourself succumb to the darkness. 

DAY 4- Part 2

When you came to you were laying in your large, soft bed, something cool and damp resting on your forehead. You whined softly and tried to sit up, a wave of panic racing through you. You were supposed to be baking cookies with Wanda, not sleeping. 

Arms wrapped around you and you found yourself pinned against the woman’s chest, listening to her rapid heartbeat. Wanda kissed your hair and rubbed your back, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. The two of you stayed like that for what felt like forever, you confused, but comfortable in your girlfriend's arms. 

“You scared the shit out of me!” She finally said, cupping your cheeks in incredibly soft hands. Her hair which had been so expertly done was sticking out of its intricate braid in pieces. She was wearing PJ’s now and her face had been wiped clean of makeup. Nevertheless, she was still beautiful.

“Why didn't you tell me you were sick?” She demanded, pulling back to cross her arms over her chest. The look on her face was angry. She was angry with you. You’d done everything you possibly could to make her happy, but you failed her. 

Tears filled your eyes and you felt your lower lip begin to tremble as you began to cry, unable to stop the cascade of your emotions. With the stress of hiding your sickness for the last few days and just how horrible you felt, you couldn’t handle her being mad at you. 

“Oh Y/n, sweetie, it’s alright. I’m sorry, you just scared me, that's all. You passed out and your fever was 105, Bruce had you on IV fluids for an hour. Honey, you can't do that, you need to take care of yourself, I need you to take care of yourself.” She soothed, wiping the tears off of your cheeks. 

You tried to stop crying, but you just couldn’t. The dam had broken and there wouldn’t be any fixing it. 

“My sweetheart, it’s all going to be okay.” Wanda murmured, crawling into bed with you. She wrapped her arms around your waist and you tucked your head against her chest, sobbing quietly into her shirt. 

“It’s all going to be okay. Just close your eyes baby, I’m not mad. It’s okay.” She promised, holding you close as you cried out all of your misery. Your throat hurt from all of the tears and you were sure that you’d gotten snot on her shirt, but she didn’t care. She didn’t pull away, just held you and ran her fingers through your hair while your sobs turned to ragged breaths, which in turn changed to soft, even, sleepy snores. 

“Sleep well my love. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

#fever #marvel #marvel sickfic #sick reader #sickfic #wanda maximoff #wanda x y/n #fanfiction #marvel mcu #sick fanfiction #wanda x you #wanda x reader #fever whump #wanda maximov #wanda maxmoff x y/n #wanda marvel #wanda mcu #wanda fanfic #scarlet witch x reader #scarlet witch x you #scarlet witch #sick you #hurt/comfort

[analexthatexists]

Jotting down my UTMV AU Ideas because of this guy

@idkhowtoread-ink you’ve inspired me now pay the price

No clue if ANY OF THESE can make canon sense but does it look like I care? Lemme have my fun.

AMV!Ink / AMV-VERSE (AMVV?)

The idea is simple. At least, I hoped it was. Rather than the artistic AUs, fanart, and creative writing side of the community, there was an Ink made for the musical side of the community, like the AMVs, themes, vocaloid covers and what not. I’m sure Ink probably looks over ALL of that junk already but let’s be honest when was the last time you saw him doing it? Yeah I didn’t think so. Ink could be an unfinished animation meme or a vocaloid AMV like that Spring Storm one and eventually find a way to leave it and probably protect YouTube or inspire creators or something, gaining access to all the other things and people on the platform. Error could even tag along as some sort of flawed copyrighting system using Error’s body as a means of moving around rather that being confined to STRINGS of text. (Don’t ask me how he does that I don’t know) He would recognize everything as copyrighted or plagiarism or something and try to destroy it without seeing the creativity and originality in the work. Their designs could be based off the AMVs or covers they came from with Ink being from whatever the hell and Error being from…idk, probably ECHO. I wonder if Inks outfit would depend on which videos and content he delves into almost like Hatsune Miku or other Vocaloid.

LONLEY GUARDIAN

This one is just sad. A Dreamtale AU where, during a fight between Dream and Nightmare, Dream reaches out and gets a hold of Nightmare’s SOUL trying to uncorrupt it, sacrificing himself to be able to restore a part of the original Nightmare. Dream dies and the world is cast into absolute darkness, leaving Nightmare stranded in the cold world with nobody to seek comfort from, nobody to help him. Not anymore.

INK <——> NIGHTMARE SWAP AU

Random idea that I came up with after jokingly writing Nightmare getting drunk off of Ink’s vials. Would that actually work?What if the two got into such a dangerous fight that eventually Ink tried to teleport away but Nightmare lunges at him and two get their “goop” mixed together because Ink teleports via INK. And nightmare is made of a INK like substance. If Ink doesn’t instantly die from lead poisoning or something this mixing could mess up his brain while Nightmare just kind of shrugs it off and steals Ink’s vials. Ink would no longer need the vials and rely off Nightmare’s “blood” to feel real negative emotions, slowly craving the stuff more and more than his vials while Nightmare probably gets drunk off the vials or something and takes on Ink’s role. Error and Dream may have to team up to get them back to normal or at least try to.

SHATTERED DREAM BUT SCARIER

So looking at this post made me consider something. What if Dream tried to eat the apples and yknow do what he did in the original AU, but due to the overwhelming and clashing natures of his apple and the dark ones he just…MELTED AND DIED IN FRONT OF NIGHTMARE. He doesn’t even corrupt or anything (well sort of) he just DISSOLVES ALIVE RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. Imagine trying to prove a point and failing THIS BADLY. Anyways, rather than Nightmare being haunted by his now corrupted brother, he’s just ACTUALLY HAUNTED. I was thinking this could be like Phantom Papyrus and Dust Sans and that this new “Dream” (going by Shattered) is just a horrible manifestation of this traumatic event. It’s design and personality wouldn’t be the EXACT same especially not the design (would look so much scarier) but it constantly make Nighty feel like garbage and all that. People like Swap and Ink would have to find and help Nightmare get past this trauma, where only then can he and his “brother” finally move on.

EVIL INK AU BECAUSE YES

I know, we literally JUST went over an Evil Ink AU but hear me out. Wouldn’t he WANT a soul again? Idk if it’s possible for him to reabsorb and claim a soul, he probably can’t, but what if he COULD? He’d probably go nuts over Error’s or something. Just ANYTHING to fill that void other than his vials.

wow most of these ideas involve characters getting traumatized or turning evil. I ain’t sorry though!

#sans au #dreamtale #utmv #undertale au #nightmare sans #dream sans #ink sans #error sans #undertale au ideas #UTMV ideas #AU idea #shattered dream

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #99

I continued the work on the two epoxy spheres I started the other day.

So part of the reason I gotta re-epoxy the whole sphere after the first cast is because my silicone molds look like these:

As you can see, once it's cured, it leaves a flat surface where the opening is. And if I'm going for a perfectly spherical ball of awesomesauce, that doesn't work for me. So! The solution is to turn the sphere inside out, put some epoxy in the little dent on the bottom, put more epoxy on the flat surface of the orb, and then turn the sphere mold right-side-in by pressing the flat end of the sphere against the epoxy-filled dent. Here's the result:

I'm not gonna show you the other one yet; in the process of trying to turn the mold right-side-in, the orb ended up rotating inside the sphere mold unexpectedly, and I made a mess. Uncured epoxy goop got all over my hands and all over my work area, but fortunately, it didn't get all over me, which is wonderful because epoxy DOES NOT COME OUT OF CLOTHING, holy crap!

The stuff is poisonous when it's uncured because it's made of some really weird stuff. But I had rubbing alcohol at the ready, and so I got it off my skin fairly quickly; I'm not too terribly concerned.

So now it's just a matter of waiting a day or two for it to cure, and then it'll be time for me to sand it and then coat it in UV spray. They'll look good when they're done!

Between this and the other adulting I got done today, I feel like I get to goof off with Salt and Sanctuary for a while. I called some folks about my CPAP supplies, only to find out that although the place that prescribed it sent the data to the place I'm supposed to get supplies from, somehow the supply place didn't receive it. So the place that prescribed it sent it again to the supply place, so hopefully I'll be getting a call from the supply place soon. I'll call tomorrow to make sure.

I also called to get set up with the Patient Portal at my general doctor place. But I ended up getting just an answering machine. I left a message, hopefully someone will call me soon.

Finally, I called a braces place today. I have an appointment for 4pm tomorrow. I'm excited, but also nervous! I hope it goes well; wish me luck!

Today I also wrote some stuff for a thing that I can't tell you about yet. I thought about taking a break and Salting some more Sanctuaries, but… I think I have to work on some more of the other thing.

No matter how all this ends, I will make sure you're safe. It might take me a while, but you will be safe. I promise.

I'm gonna keep going. I'll write again tomorrow. Please stay safe out there.

Your friend, Lumine

#sephiroth #ThankYouFFVIIDevs #ThankYouFF7Devs #ThankYouSephiroth #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 #ff7 #ffvii #final fantasy vii crisis core #final fantasy 7 crisis core #final fantasy crisis core #ffvii crisis core #ff7 crisis core #crisis core #ff7r #final fantasy vii remake #final fantasy 7 remake #ffvii remake #ff7 remake #final fantasy vii rebirth #final fantasy 7 rebirth #ffvii rebirth #ff7 rebirth #final fantasy 7 ever crisis #ffvii ever crisis #ff7 ever crisis #ffvii first soldier #arts and crafts #determination #wholesome

[mad4turtles]

big bro michelangelo

part 2/2

(part 1 here)

---

Mikey understands why Splinter gets pissed whenever they wake him up from a nap.

Sleep is amazing. 

After rolling out of bed and treating himself to the longest shower he's ever had, he returns to the t.v room to find the toddlers and Splinter all asleep in the fort. They'd left it up overnight at the behest of the kids, and Splinter hadn't complained once about the room being overtaken or missing his shows as he'd sat with them, picking up from where Mikey had left off in the Wizard of Oz. Mikey had been herded to bed early by April after wolfing down a whole pizza courtesy of Cass—a not completely rare bout of kindness—and Splinter had still been in the fort when he left, the little ones taking up his lap and shoulders as they listened to him read with wonder in their eyes.

He's just in time to watch as Draxum carefully removes the book from where it'd fallen over Splinter's eyes and lifts the blanket to cover all four of them. Leo shifts in his sleep, brows furrowing until Draxum hushes him, gently stroking his head until the little slider settles down again, cuddling against Donnie. Automatically, Donnie shifts to cling to Leo. Draxum leans back on his heels with a smile.

Mikey has never whipped out his phone so fast in his life.

Draxum still notices, though, and the poisonous glare he sends the box turtle is dampened only by the pink blooming across his cheeks. He points a warning finger. “Not. One. Word.”

Mikey waggles the phone in his hand. “Get Dad to double my allowance, or this baby goes viral.”

Draxum splutters. “Wh—why in the—why in Spirits' name should I bend to the whims of—?”

“I took care of three screaming mutant ninja toddlers by myself four hours before your woolly ass got here,” Mikey says with dead eyes. Draxum goes very still. Good, 'cause Mikey ain't playing. “I deserve a little somethin'. Even if I gotta blackmail my way to get it.”

Draxum stares. “I'll talk with your father.”

“Thanks, Papa!” Mikey chimes, skipping over to give his step-father a hug and a kiss on the cheek he can't dodge fast enough. The sheep yokai rolls his eyes and pats Mikey's hand.

“I'd say I'm proud, but quite frankly, Michelangelo, you frighten me.”

“Dr Delicate Touch can be a petty bitch.”

“Language.”

“You don't really care.”

“I really don't.”

They leave the sleeping tots and Splinter in the fort and head for the kitchen where April and both Jones' are waiting. April smiles when Mikey steps through and pulls him in for a cuddle. “Sleep well, big bro?” she asks.

“Like a baby, sis,” Mikey says, squeezing her waist and lifting her off her feet to make her laugh before setting her down to take the plate of fresh pancakes Casey offers him, He knew he'd smelled something good. “Thanks, Jr. Damn, these look fine!”

Casey smiles in that shy, thoroughly pleased way that melts Mikey's insides like goop. “Learned from the best,” he says. “Figured you'd be happier going over a game plan with a full stomach.”

Hopping up to sit cross-legged on the table, Mikey takes a big bite out of the pancake stack and sighs, blissed. “A man after my own heart,” he says around the mouthful. “Bless you, Casey Jones Jr.”

Draxum huffs a laugh poorly disguised as a scoff. “Let us continue with the plan. As Michelangelo told April over the phone, Hypno-potomus supposedly picked up a book of spells and cast a random one during battle. He had no idea that it would result in... well, that,” he jabs a thumb at the doorway where their napping charges lie, “which means tracking him down and forcing him to reverse the spell would be pointless.”

“What if we persuade him?” Cassandra asks, playing with a kunai with a terrifying grin splitting her face. Mikey has learned to stop asking where she keeps them.

April glares. “Cass, put the knives away. We're not torturing him.” Cass obeys, not without muttering and pouting. “Drax just said there's no point. What would beating the answer outta him do if he don't even got the answer? The spell was random, and besides that, he's kinda hard to find.”

“He's roommates with the worm guy, is he not?” Draxum asks. “Or am I mistaken?”

“Pretty sure they're married now,” Mikey says after swallowing.

“Oh. Congratulations to them, then.”

“Back on topic,” Casey cuts in, hands splayed on the table the way Mikey has seen Leo do a dozen times, and it makes him smile. “Hypno might not know what he did, but we can find out how to undo it without him. All we need is the book of spells or another book on how to break this one spell.”

April perks up. “Oh, right! Then Draxum can do his Mystic thing and bring our boys back!”

“And bring an end to this adorable torture!” Cass declares, waving her kunai (again) until Casey puts her arm down with practised patience. Draxum rolls his eyes again, and Mikey—

Mikey feels torn.

He misses his big brothers. He misses Raph's big booming laugh and hugs, Donnie's dry humour and the tangents he goes on about whatever special interest he has that week, and Leo's stupid jokes and reassuring smiles. He wants all that back, so bad it hurts. But...

Mikey sets his empty plate on the table. He needs his team and his big brothers back. He wants them back. But not at the cost of their happiness, this new (old) innocence...

“Mikey?”

Mikey realizes with a start that everyone's looking at him expectantly. Except for April, her brows furrowed in concern.

Right. Game-plan. Get his brothers back, and get the team back.

He shakes himself and smiles. “Sorry, zoned out. What did you say?”

April regards him a moment before smiling. Of course she knows. Big sisters just know everything. “I asked if you knew where we might find a spell book like what Hypno used? Or something that'll tell us how to break it?”

Mikey freezes. “... I may have an idea,” he says slowly. “There's... um... there's always the Mystic Library—”

“Of course!” Draxum exclaims. “The fountain of all mystical knowledge! How could I forget? I know exactly which section to look... but I cannot accompany you there as I am still not entirely welcome in the Hidden City, let alone the library.”

Mikey feels sweat gather along his brow. “Yeaaahh, about that—”

Draxum's smile falls like bricks. “Spirits above, Michelangelo, so help me—”

“We maybe kinda sorta might be banned?”

Draxum sighs, slapping a hand over his eyes. “Of course you are. I'm surprised you've not been barred from the entire Hidden City at this point.”

“You're one to talk, goat man,” Cass snips. Draxum ignores her.

“I'm sure they'll let you back in for an emergency, right?” April ventures. “I mean, who bans someone from a mystic library?”

“Library?”

Every head spins to face the doorway. Donnie, rubbing his eye with the heel of one hand, the other holding a droopy-eyed Leo, stares up at Mikey on the table. He hadn't heard them get up!

Baby ninjas. No wonder Dad went grey so fast.

“Mike's goin' to library?” Donnie asks, more awake now as hope and excitement sparkle in his eyes. He hops from foot to foot, jostling Leo. “Can I come? Can I, can I, please, please? Can I see library, Mike?!”

Oh hell no.

Desperate, Mikey turns to the other adults and teens in the room. None of them look at him, suddenly very interested in their phones, claws or, in Cass' case, the damn kunai, whistling loud and tuneless.

Mikey feels rage.

He turns to Donnie with a beaming smile—“Sure thing, Donnie D!” he says through his teeth.

“Can I come, too?” Leo asks, which throws Mikey for a loop until Leo continues with a yawn, “don' wanna let Don go 'lone. Gotta... gotta stay together. Rahpie comes, too.”

That breaks Mikey's heart and warms its shattered pieces all at once. Now he really can't say no.

“Of course, Little Blue! Go wake up Daddy if he isn't up already and let him help y'all get dressed! We're goin' on a feildtrip, baby!”

Leo and Donnie cheer with their whole bodies, throwing their arms up and stomping their feet before running off to find Raph and Dad. Mikey watches them go, love and warmth in his chest.

He turns to the others and the warmth turns to ice. “Expect a visit from Dr Delicate Touch in the next twenty-four hours.”

The sound of four people gulping has never sounded so sweet.

~0o0~

The bat yokai librarian doesn't look overly happy to see him as she peers over her desk.

One look at the three wide-eyed, slack-jawed toddlers holding his hands and clinging to his back softens something in her gaze, but her soft tone is strict when she says, “I don't even want to know, do I?”

Mikey smiles and shrugs helplessly, shaking his head.

“If I allow you to browse, I trust you will be quiet?”

“Yes, ma'am,” Mikey whispers.

“And your young charges?”

Mikey looks down at the little ones. “Remember our talk, lil' bros?”

Three heads bob in rapid nods, putting their fingers to their lips. “Library voices, shh,” they whisper.

Mikey beams. “Rad.”

The librarian almost cracks a smile. No one is immune to turtle tot cuteness. “Very good. You may proceed. But one word and all of you will be in the Kiddie Room.”

Mikey's pretty sure he's the undisputed ruler of the Kiddie Room, but he's not going to chance it today. He salutes and turns to scour the shelves Draxum told him about, but Donnie hops off his shell and races toward the desk. Mikey bites his lip against a shout, but he hisses Donnie's name frantically. He goes ignored.

Donnie carefully taps the pedestal. “S'cuse me, miss library lady,” he whispers.

She raises a brow. “Yes?”

Donnie beams, hands flapping by his sides. With his glasses on, sizes too big for his face, he looks younger than he is and far cuter than he has any right to be. “Thank you very much for letting us come to your beau—bootiful—boot—pretty library,” he chimes quietly. “I love books so much!”

The librarian stares, eyes slightly wide. And then her smile is small but real. “You're quite welcome, young man. Take as long as you need to.”

Donnie flaps his hands again, excited. “Thank you, I love you, buh-bye!” he chirps and trots back to Mikey, hopping onto his back and clinging, muffling giggles against Mikey's hoodie.

It's all Mikey can do to keep from squealing, eyes welling up. The librarian doesn't seem to be faring any better.

It takes forever, especially with three excited babies all wanting to do their own thing and trying to run off, barely evading the Hush Bats' wrath, but he finds the section he's looking for and has the boys sit in a reading nook with colouring books he'd brought with him. Donnie forgoes them and settles in a massive armchair with Sherlock Holmes's complete collection on his lap.

Mikey finds the book he's looking for after half an hour, and by then, he's exhausted, eyes burning, limbs aching as he plops onto the floor with Leo and Raph. They're quietly discussing who would win in the ultimate fight between Lou Jitsu and Jupiter Jim, with Leo on the side of their father. He smiles as he skims the index and flips through the pages.

Ah-ha! There! De-Ageing Spells, hell yes!

Grinning, Mikey reads. And reads. And...

His smile falls.

Oh.

He lifts his head from the book, turning to face the toddlers smiling and softly giggling in their own little bubble, safe and sound from reality's sharp, unforgiving needle.

His heart sinks.

Oh, man.

~0o0~

The good news is the spell is easily reversible; no blood oaths or sacrificial virgins required. All they have to do is want to be big again, remember who they're supposed to be and let go of who and what they were.

The bad news is it's been three days since they went to the library, four since they were changed.

Mikey knew from the moment he'd read the article. They don't want to change back.

He doesn't blame them.

It's easy to forget sometimes that they're teenagers. Mikey is fifteen, for crying out loud. Raph is—should be—seventeen, a kid in a law that will never touch them, not really, as they are. They've saved the world from evils beyond comprehension, have nearly died on many occasions, and they're not even legally allowed to drink! Much as they hate to hear it due to whatever dumb hormones tell them otherwise, they're children. They shouldn't have to do any of this. That's why most superheroes in media are adults—severely messed up adults, but still!

Why should Mikey take this away from them? Why should anyone take it away or force them to want to let it go? The world will always be in danger, so why can't someone else 'rise to the challenge' and defend it? Why does the world have to fall on the shoulders of kids who barely get the chance to be kids? Why can't they be selfish for once?

Tensions were high in the two years following Splinter's decision to make Leo the leader—a position Leo had never wanted and Raph was doing so well in despite the challenges—and then things change after the Krang. Leo cracks fewer jokes and trains more often, Donnie triple-checks and quadruples his time in the lab pouring over defences, upgrades and fail-safes, and Raph is twice as jittery at night, can't sleep without a light on or checking on his family several times each night. Not that Splinter is much better—Mikey hears him every night, feigns sleep when his father tucks him in and kisses his cheek, lingering a moment before moving on to the next room.

This is the happiest he's seen his family in what feels like forever.

But as much as Mikey wants his brothers' happiness, his true wish is just as selfish. And he feels horrible for it, he does. But—

“I want my big brothers back,” he says, muffled in the folds of Draxum's robe on the night of day five. Sitting on his bed, he clings to his stepfather with all his strength and lets the tears fall. Draxum holds him with one hand on the back of his head, the other rubbing circles along his shell. It's a show of affection he's still getting used to two years down the line, and as much as it's appreciated it only makes Mikey cry harder.

Raph used to do this. Used to pick me right off the floor and crush me with all the love he had in him.

“I don't want them to hurt anymore,” he says through his tears, “I don't want them to fight or, or carry everything all the time 'cos they feel like they have to. I want them to be happy. But... I miss them! I miss my big brothers and I want them back! I don't wanna be the big brother anymore!”

“Hush,” Draxum soothes, holding Mikey tighter as he cries himself out. “I don't know your brothers as well as I'd like to, but I do know how much they care about you. A part of them knows and remembers who they really are. A part that knows this can't last, no matter how much they want it to. The past is in the past, and all that's left is the present and what we have to look forward to. They won't stay like this forever, Michelangelo.”

Mikey sniffles messily, not that Draxum seems to care about the mess he's made of his robe. “That's... that's prolly the wisest thing you've ever said, Papa,” he says. Draxum huffs fondly, but Mikey's smile dims quickly. “What if they do? What if they... what if they love being kids again more than—?”

“Don't you dare,” April hisses from where she's suddenly materialized in the doorway, “finish that sentence, Hamato Michelangelo.”

Mikey stares at her. Draxum loosens his grip and stands in time for April to take his place on the bed, taking Mikey's face between her hands and giving him a firm shake.

“Mikey,” she says, eyes burning like coals into his. Her worry is buried deep beneath, but Mikey sees it through the cracks. “Your brothers adore you. If you asked for the moon in a basket or the sun for a night light, you bet your little ass they'd find a way to make that happen. Ain't nothing in this world more important to them than you. No amount of Jupiter Jim marathons, bedtime stories or piggyback rides could ever hold a candle to having you as their little brother. They'll break this spell no matter what it takes or how long. You know this, I know this—hell, Draxum knows it!”

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

“So hang in there, okay?” She smiles, pressing a kiss between his eyes and wiping his tears away with her thumbs. “Give 'em time. They'll be back before you know it.”

Mikey breathes in deeply and tries to believe. He nods. “Okay,” he croaks, throwing his arms around his sister's neck when she pulls him in.

(Outside the door, a pair of tiny feet quickly scurry away.)

~0o0~

He takes his eyes off them for a second.

They're playing in the park, hanging off the monkey bars and the swing set, and Mikey, sitting on the bench, reaches for the buzzing phone in his pocket.

Then Leo shrieks his name, and terror freezes Mikey's blood.

Hypno has Leo and Raph by their hoodies. Donnie screams at him to put his brothers down, kicking the mutant hippo's shin to little effect.

“Aw, aren't you lot adorable?” the magician coos. “Can't believe you're still so tiny, but, I'll take what I can get. Which is you lot, to get Orange over there to come running right into my trap! You won't be much of a nuisance if you're all pint-sized tots!”

Mikey doesn't hear what the fat creature says over the ringing in his ears. His body moves on its own, faster than he's ever moved in his life, and even then, he's too late. Hypno vanishes in a puff of purple smoke.

Leo, Donnie and Raph are gone, too.

Mikey stares at where they'd stood. Donnie's glasses lie forgotten on the wood chippings, the lenses cracked. Carefully, Mikey scoops them up. He shuts his eyes and grits his teeth.

When he opens his eyes, the world is red.

~0o0~

He uses Donnie's tracker to find them—thank god for Donnie's paranoia and mildly invasive meddling tendencies. They're holed up in some run-down warehouse, empty save for boxes no doubt filled with Hypno's assortment of traps, support pillars that creak ominously to the time of dripping pipes.

And, of course, Hypno and his little-big brothers, tied up and crying out for him from the little cage behind the magician.

The world is still red around the edges, and Mikey ignores whatever villainous spiel the hippo spouts, nunchaku ablaze and spinning.

“Give. Me. My. Brothers.”

Mikey's voice sounds foreign to his ears, and whatever look Mikey has on his face makes Hypno stammer into silence and take a step back. “Whoa, nelly, that's quite the look you've got on your face! I-I'm actually starting to regret my decisions leading up to this moment.”

“Mikey's gonna kick your big fat butt!” Leo cries, struggling against the ropes binding him shell-to-shell with Raph and a sniffling Donnie.

“Yeah! He's gonna beat ya up, good, ya—ya big butt head!”

“B-Bitch!” Donnie says through his tears.

Hypno looks at them flatly. “Right, I'm over the regretting thing. Let's dance, shall we, Orange?”

Mikey scowls. “Gladly,” he hisses, and charges.

(He understands Raph's rage, now, barely hidden under layers and layers of love. He wonders if it's this scary to him, too, knowing how much of it he has and what it does to you when the people you protect are in danger.

Perhaps that's what ultimately freed Raph from the Krang that day. It's what led Mikey to Leo, after all.)

The fight is as messy and chaotic as usual. But Mikey's not having fun, and Hypno won't let him get close to the tots until he's one of them. He must've finally studied the book, which is just great, really, and adds fuel to Mikey's growing fire. Figuratively and literally.

An explosion gets too close to the kids, and Donnie wails at the loud noise.

Then Mikey gets angry.

He traps Hypno in the extended chains and swings him straight through a pillar. It's the straw to break the camels' back as the whole building crumbles around them.

Mikey remembers himself and nearly chokes on his horror. What did I just do?

He hears his brothers scream his name. He shakes himself and sprints to the cage, tearing it open with sheer adrenaline and slicing the ropes away with the jagged piece of metal that bites into his skin. He ignores the sting and pulls the crying tots into his arms.

“It's okay, guys,” he says, dizzy with relief—he's got them, they're safe, he'll get them out, and they'll be safe, they'll be okay—“It's okay. Big bro Mikey's here.”

Something gives above their heads. Mikey looks up in time to see the giant slabs of concrete hurtling towards them.

He doesn't think twice. He shoves the boys as hard as he can, and—

And he blinks awake to a ringing in his ears and copper in his mouth. He feels numb from the waist down.

He's buried under the rubble.

His vision is spotty with hints of actual red—blood, most likely—but he can see the boys. They're not hurt. Covered in dust and soot from the collapsing debris and crying their hearts out, but they're fine.

They're okay. Good.

“Go on, guys,” he coughs. Raph stops tugging his arm to stare at him with open horror. It's not something he ever wants to see on a toddler's face, but there's not much he can do about it now. “T-There's... not much time. Y'gotta get outta here, the buildings' comin' down...”

“NO!” Donnie shrieks, stomping his feet, big fat tears dripping down his chin. “No no no! Not leaving Mikey, no! Not leaving you!”

“Stay together!” Leo sobs. Mikey wants to reach out and hold him, but his left arm's buried under the rubble, the other clutched in Raph's trembling hands. “Gotta help, Mike, gotta—gotta get back to normal 'n be big together again!”

Ah. It was Leo who overheard. Heh. Baby ninjas.

Mikey huffs. “S'okay, Little Blue,” he says, words slurring together as it gets harder to stay awake. “You guys... It doesn't matter how big or small you are. I love you anyway. I'll always love you because you're still my brothers.”

He smiles big and wide, fighting tears. “Big Bro Michelangelo loves you. Always.”

They stare at him, masks soaked with tears. It's not the best thing to see right before you die, but Mikey thinks it could be worse.

He can't keep his eyes open anymore. He feels Raph drop his arm. Good. They're leaving. He hopes Donnie can still work a phone to call Dad. Hopes they don't blame themselves.

He hears another pillar give above him, and he knows it's over.

They'll be okay. Mikey did what every good big brother is supposed to do. He did good.

There's a familiar whirr of machinery, a crackle of energy that Mikey knows as intimately as his own, a flash of purple—

“FIBONACCI!”

Mikey's eyes snap open. He looks up.

Donatello stands over him—sixteen years old, a pillar of armour, defined muscles and gangly limbs—a mystic shield keeping the worst of the debris from crushing them. He meets Mikey's gaze and grins through the strain.

Mikey's jaw hangs. “... Donnie?”

“In the half-shell!” Donnie declares, and Mikey could cry.

Lightning crackles against the stones pinning Mikey. A circle of brilliant blue sparks to life beneath them and pulls them under. The world spins until it rights itself in the form of Leonardo catching him before the portal can spit him onto the asphalt. Mikey blinks the white spots away until the striped face of his grinning older brother remains, his smirk set at an angle that's equal parts arrogance and affection. Behind them, the warehouse collapses.

“Leo?”

“Were you expecting DiCaprio?” Leo quips. It's not even remotely funny, but Mikey throws his head back and laughs.

Then he freezes. “Wait, wait!” He squirms in Leo's arms, but Leo settles for dropping to his knees and setting him on the ground. Mikey paws at his shoulders desperately. “W-where's—?”

“SAVING LIKE A BOSS!”

A red goliath bursts from the rubble in a shower of brick and twisted metal and leaps out of the wreckage, leaving small craters in the ground as he lands superhero-style. He drops Hypno off to the side before re-calling his ninpo.

And then there's only Raphael, smiling right at him as he lumbers over to kneel before them.

Mikey shakes. Leo's arms wrap around his shoulders and hold him close. “Raph...”

“You did great, little brother,” he says, reaching out with one massive hand to gently cup Mikey's cheek in his calloused palm. His eyes shine with unshed tears and pride. “You really did. You saved us, buddy. I'm proud of you.”

“Same here,” Leo says, nuzzling his cheek against Mikey's. His mask is still damp. “Sorry it took us so long to come back, little bro.”

“Indeed,” Donnie adds, typing something onto his holographic before joining them on the floor. “Though my memories of being toddler-fied are hazy at best, I do recall enjoying elements of it. However, no amount of piggyback rides or weaponising cuteness for a mystic library pass could satisfy my need to reach the freaking kitchen countertop by myself and slice my own goddamn fruit, thank you very much!”

Raph rolls his eyes with a smile that's equal parts fond and exasperated. A smile that Mikey gets now. “I think what Don's tryin' to say, is that, yeah, being kids again was fun while it lasted. And spending time with Dad like that again was really great...”

“But Draxum was right,” Leo adds, drawing back enough to wipe the soot and blood off Mikey's face with his mask tails. He smiles. “We gotta let go of the past. That's done. What matters now is what we do in the present—”

“And the things we have to look forward to in the future,” Donnie finishes, reaching out to rub the top of Mikey's head. “For instance, I am most looking forward to wiping every single freaking picture and or video you've taken these last six days. Tech gods as my witness, I will leave no SD card unturned, no RAM un—oh. Oh, Mikey...”

Mikey doesn't realize he's crying until Leo pulls him back for a hug, holding tight. Then the floodgates burst as he gives way to heaving sobs, curling into Leo's chest. Donnie drops all pretences and joins the embrace, his snout nuzzling Mikey's head. Raph gathers them all up and squeezes.

Through the haze of bone-deep, exhaustion, aches, pains and relief, Mikey smiles.

They're back. My big brothers are back. April and Draxum were right.

Just when Mikey thinks he could stay like this with them forever, there's a groan near the mound of rubble. A ripple goes through the (now) older trio as they lift their heads and turn as one. Mike follows a beat after.

Hypno rubs his head and looks around him, rumpled and rough-looking as Mikey feels, but mostly intact save for a nasty black eye. Both eyes widen when he sees the turtles staring back at him.

He blinks. “Um. I can explain.”

Raph, Leo and Donnie narrow their eyes to slits at the cowering hippo mutant. Mikey stifles a giggle.

Oh, he 'bout to get it.

Raph looks back down at Mikey and smiles. “You sit tight for a sec, Little Man,” he says, kissing Mikey's forehead before letting them all go and standing, cracking his neck.

“Yeah, we'll be right back,” Leo pats his cheek and joins Raph. His claws peek out, hands fluttering at his sides.

“I've sent April a message. She and The Parents are en route, E.T.A three minutes, so keep an eye out, m'kay? Cool.” Donnie nudges his shoulder against his and extends his battle shell, hovering over Hypno.

Mikey, for once, is content to sit on the side and watch. He's already given Hypno a piece of his mind. Now it's his big brothers' turn.

“So,” Raph bumps his fists together, red armour encasing his arms. “You shrank us.”

“You kidnapped us,” Leo's swords flash into his palms.

“And you nearly crushed our baby brother,” Donnie's bo extends into a mini-missile launcher.

Hypno goes white. “A-Ah, hey now, let's not be hasty! It was all in good fun, we had a few laughs—!”

“Not only that, but you owe Mikey so much child support!” Leo cries, raising his swords. “You goddamned—”

“Big-mouthed—” Raph pulls his fists back.

“Blue gumball, simpleton—” Donnie spins his bo and lifts it high.

“Wait, wait, wait—!”

“SON OF A BITCH!” they holler and bring their weapons down in a burst of soot, brick and screaming hippo.

Grinning hard enough to hurt, Mikey throws his head back and cackles.

“That's my boys!”

#rottmnt #rottmnt fic #turtle tots #big bro michelangelo #weirdly enough i was listening to a slow reverb version of titanic while writing the last part #and i teared up XD #YOU'RE HEEEERE: just as Donnie turns back into a teen! POETIC CINEMA!!! #i really enjoyed writing this #Donnie in the library was kinda me projecting but actually little Donnie at the same time #my writing

[carnivoreofthesea]

in your swap AU; how does pike wizard/amber, slime wizard/goobert and most importantly (the precious and need to be protected) lonely wizard would look like ?

are they now grimora's pupils now or still with mags but they are now undead ?

HI OK IM SO EXCITED TO ANWSER THIS BECAUSE I AM SOOO SO NORMAL ABOUT IT HEHAHDJAKDJADJ!!!

THERES A LOTOF STUFF UNDER THE CUT

So with magmento (mags), I did originally plan to have his pupils be in the crypt but it was getting too long. They're grimmoras pupils traits, But they have His students names and a few key features.

Pike wizard -> Decapitated Scholar

"Do not pity me, It was all worth my while."

Being a mortician before she died, She had made new ways to cremate the dead and be preserved longer. However she ended up dying from a mixture of chemical poisoning after inhaling some of the ingredients used in said embalming and an unfortunate accident. Her skin had become more frail and she had restered her head on one of the spikes on her fence. Poor baby got impailed without even realising it :[. She hopes that she could use her body to make a less deadly way of preservation, To no avail yet. She looks pretty similar to normal Amber but instead of a helmet she wears a mourning veil! Also her little spike is a singular fence post that looks a lot more fancy. She has the same concept as Amber, Hurting herself to be more appreciated by her scrybe (although its more the concept of death she was trying to pay respects to) and still being in servitude when the player comes.

Goobert (my baby boy <3) -> Goo pile

"Please, Please! Arghhhh... Battle me! I'm promise I am more than just a gnarled mess!"

Died in a horrible accident, Something that contorted and squished him past being recognized. His death was more famous than the life he lived, So now he strives to be remembered for something other than his death! He's trying so hard, please just give him affection :[. a lil kissie on the head for always trying new things and working to be good at them! He looks pretty similar to goobert, if not more. Gross <3. I’M SORRY BUT HE WOULD BE NASTY… He would be a pile of just random sludge and liquids, if you’re lucky you could find bits of melted skin? Purrrhapes his ghostly body would piece itself together but even then he would look like a nasty little pile of grossness. I love you babay… but you are nasty.. I would still hold him though!! Just put the goofy goober in a jar again please.

Lonely wizard (ALSO MY BABAY!!) -> Loney Dominguez

"PLAY A GAME! PLEASE?! I need something to do!"

He was quite young when he died, Being a coma was terrible considering he was such a rambunctious kid! He couldnt see or hear or move, but he could feel his body and think. Even when he died, Magmento trapped him in his coffin out of fear. He's not good with kids... Especially ones that are 6 FEET TALL. That may have been related to his death but I haven't decided yet. Also think of just a huge coffin that's hidden away under the main room, the player finds it and he’s just like. “Oh yeah, that's the crazy kid, He bites. I think.” And then you just see the coffin violently shake and scream. He has normal anatomy and would just be a very VERY rotting body. Like yes, he has formed, just melty and turning into goop. Maybe a few bugs live with him so he isn’t as lonely… Also think it would be funny if he still had a hyper fixation about wizards out of spite. Let my baby like his wizards damnit.

James cobb -> James Hobbes

"Oh neat. A player, Let's do it."

A mellow player who died... How did he die? His tombstone says he drowned but he doesn't have any signs of it like the others do. In fact he might even tell you that it's fake. He won't tell you how he actually died but as long as it solves the puzzle who cares? He's probably the most normal guy you'll meet, Also is very tired. Like. let the guy nap. please. strangely modern. Uses slang and sometimes makes suggestive comments but he's a baby girl for that. He’s actually a fairly healthy corpse, Only slightly pale and occisonally goes stiff. His hands are deathly cold but at least his hair is still a bright red. Good for him! Good for him :].

GRIMETHS ARE SO SILLY PDSUIAUFHIUFHW MANIC LAUGHTER

James Cobb -> Kaycee Cobb

“Don’t you wonder what’ll happen? C’mon, I wanna find out.”

IM TALKING F. R. E. AY KAYYYY. SHE IS MY FAVORITE CAN YOU TELL BATTING MY EYELASHES SO MUCH WHEN I TALK ABOUT HER. ANyways she’s the sillayest wizard ever. She doesn’t take herself seriously and just straight up tells the player that she enjoys being stuck in there. Its literally her dream and she uses magic to fuck herself up. She can finally have gender goals of occasionally turb herself into whatever the fuck she wants! Don't like feeling of skin? SIMPLY BECOME A SKINLESS BEING FOR A LIL! god i love her sm… She definitely indulges in the whole wizard shit and has a whole over the top outfit. other than that still very greasy <3

Lonely wizard -> Royal Wizard (GOD I LOVE HIM)

“YARGGGG! WATCH ME SKILLS, YE LANDLUBBER!!”

Oh my god. Peek tism. Category five tism events. He's a pirate obsessed wizard who has a problem with summoning things. Specifically. a ford f150. vehicular manslaughter never ends. He's very confident in his skills and thinks he should be a head wizard or at the very least a card, However he can only do a few spells… God he’s so silly I love him. He's a low poly pirate that I’m thinking of making black. give mah boy some pirate dreads!!! Why? Because IT LOOKS COOL. Anyways he locked away in a ship in a bottle by Grimeth as a “final test”. He's never getting out.

Goobert -> Stinking mass

“Ohhhh… Yes… Perhaps I’ll cast a spell that will finally make me disappear..”

Oughhh… Gender dysophoria baby… I love you poor baby. Turned himself into a pile of… Something? Honestly he doesn't even know. His final test is to turn back, And he’s trying real hard! The thing is, It would probably be easier if he was going to transform into who originally was but he didn't like how liked he looked… He wants to transform into something better to prove himself to be better than how he looked. god my baby. i need to hold him.

Bone lord -> Eye.

Need I say more? Its a painted eye in a black room that speaks in fucking wing dings.

#inscryption #inscryption au #inscyption #inscryption swap au #swap au #au #alternate universe #oh my god i love them #ALSO ALREADY DRAWING BABAY GURL KAYCEES #I LOVE HWR SM #you dont understand #I LOVE HER #ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK!! #THIS WAS WONDERFUL ANON KISSING YOU!! #anon ask #anonymous #go submit asks!!! #ask #ask me anything

[emeraldcatears]

Whether you're making your own tiles or using an existing set, there is a little bit more to using them than just placing them on the map. Here's where we get into the database.

As a refresher, you can get to the database under Tools, by pressing F9, or by selecting the gear icon at the top of the screen.

You can tell that a lot of the magic happens here because there are a lot of ways to get to it.

There's a lot in the database, but we're still focused on tiles for now so I'll pop down to the tilesets button. It'll bring up your tilesets.

As shown above, all parts of a tileset can be adjusted here, from the separate parts of the A tab through the B-E tabs (though the sample set shown here only goes through C).

Outside here is made of a few different subgroups so a set can mix and match from your available assets for flexibility. For example, the Outside and SF Outside sets that comes with RMMZ both use the same A1 and A2 tiles but have different A3-C tiles.

Once you've got the tiles you want to work with put together, the important stuff is that column of buttons on the right. That's where you tell RPG Maker how to make the tiles behave in the game.

The first one is Passage and it actually has three possible settings.

An X, as shown on the barrel and gravestones, means that the player cannot walk on the tile. Whether it's a solid object like a building or a hole the character cannot just jump down, an X is used to prevent the player from walking where you don't want them. An O means the tile is passable and the player can walk on it, as with the clumps of grass and stepping stones.

Finally the star, as shown on the upper tile of the tree, means that the player can pass the tile and whatever is shown on the tile will appear above the player. This allows the player to walk behind tall trees or under hanging signs.

Passage (4 dir) is that but more nuanced. It's for tiles you want the player to be able to walk on in some directions but be blocked in others. Think like a bench the player can "sit" on or a bridge over a gap of land.

If I kept the passage as it was in the default settings for this set, the player would be able to walk north or south off the bridge directly onto the grass "below". Likewise they could just walk onto a bridge high "above" them from the ground and destroy the illusion of elevation in a 2D environment.

So to fix this all I have to do is go into the B tab...

... and make the bridges 4-direction passability match how I want the tile to work in-game. Now I can build bridges over land as well as over already impassable tiles like water.

Next is Ladder.

Basically, this setting being on indicates that the player will always face up when standing on this tile regardless of the direction they're moving up or down it (so you don't climb down a rope and just look like you're walking).

In XP if you wanted this effect you'd have to make direction fix events. MZ allows you to build it into the tile and call it a day.

Whether it's to indicate sinking into shallow water or trudging through deep snow (or, you know, walking through tall grass where wild Pokemon are ready to jump out), this setting makes it so the lower part of the player becomes semi-transparent when standing on the tile.

Counter is for if you want a tile to be a solid object but still allow you to interact with an event on the other side.

You can "talk" over a counter if there is a one-tile width counter between you and the event you're trying to talk to (like a businessman seated behind a desk or a shopkeeper behind their counter).

A counter will also extend the A2 autotiles a little to extend the legs down a bit to look more natural.

Damage Floor

This one's pretty neat to have built in. Damage floor is for stuff that drains HP from walking on it, such as swamps of poisonous goop.

I honestly don't remember whether this existed in XP or not.

Elsewhere in the database you can also control whether the player can reach 0HP from floor damage or if it instead only drops to 1HP. That's for later, though. We're still here for tiles. When I say I'm doing a learnalong I'm going into painful detail here.

Finally there's Terrain Tag.

Basically you get a default of 0 and up to seven other tags you can assign to tiles. Terrain tags were a big thing in determining encounters back when I played around in Pokemon Essentials (think Tall Grass) but I never played much with them otherwise. They allow custom versions of the aforementioned ways to assign special rules to a tile that automatically works when put on a map.

That last bit about priority basically refers to the layer the tile is placed on.

In other words, a table (counter) placed on layer 2 would be read by the game over whatever the floor or ground below it is. However, if a tile on a higher layer has a default 0 chosen and the ground below it has a numerical tag added, the 0 tile will be ignored in favor of the one with a terrain tag assigned.

Even if you're not building all your own resources these are pretty useful to know for if you want to change something up, like I did with the 4-directional passage on the bridges.

#emeraldcatears's rmmz learnalong blog #rpg maker #rpg maker mz #tiles in the database

[lemonsnouturnabout]

homestuck trolls ranked from least to most malnourished

feferi: shes eating like instagram juices and fancy salads and just slurping krill out of the sea chomping directly down on some fish ripping and tearing shes got all her nutrients

nepeta: yes shes just eating grass and raw meat but like thats all she needs shes thriving #zerocarb shes got a cats digestive system so she would puke if she ate troll broccoli

terezi: eating mushrooms and bugs off the forest floor dragon mom voice order the centipede fries you will need the energy in the coming days again a weird diet but shes got her nutrients! would be easily tricked into consuming broccoli because it looks like little trees the chalk is there to absorb the poisons from the bugs and mushrooms

kanaya: she probably has a garden and eats fairly well but shes iron deficient and not getting enough blood in her diet the struggles of not realizing you are a vampire...

equius: only drinks milk but is not getting enough troll apples or troll oats for a proper horse diet veterinarians would be appalled

karkat: crabdad provides all the microwaved meals a child could need and pretends hes above disgusting gamer fuel but enjoys the odd troll dorito troll mountain dew combination

aradia: sometimes she eats roots and berries on her little roleplay adventures sometimes she eats gamer meal packs so points for roots and berries this is kind of a race to the bottom planet of people who eat poorly

eridan: pretends he likes fancy food like caviar or whatever but actually only wants to eat sea creature shaped chicken nuggets might eat a salad once in a while to impress feferi but cries about it later

tavros: one cannot live on fiduspawn shaped macaroni and cheese and tinkerbull fruit snacks forever but he will try

sollux: lives entirely off brightly colored energy drinks nutritional packets and doritos a true gamer

vriska: has invented the “vriska special” instant ramen and blue monster served in a magic 8 ball do not try this at home she has holes in her bones

gamzee: goop and soda do not make a balanced diet :(

#homestuck

[anemodaycare]

Drop the coven head found family headcanons you mentioned in the adrian tags please im on my knees begging

I AM SO HAPPY I GOT THIS ASK :)) I am always dying to talk about the coven heads, i love them so much

Coven Head Found Family Headcanons!

No. Terra is not included.

She's like that creepy aunt at a family reunion who nobody wants to talk with

With that out of the way!

The coven heads don't get to return to their own homes often, so they have to get used to each other

It starts off as a very begrudging thing. There's constant competition and betrayal

But slowly, there's a fondness between them

Darius learns to be okay with Eber's messiness, and that's the first sign that there doesn't have to be hostility

Vitimir starts to speak more. He had been nervous before, with the whole poisonous breath thing

A friendship is quick to form between Mason, Osran, and Hettie

Adrian finds a place within the heads where he doesn't have to put on a show to feel good

He repairs his relationship with Hettie and starts getting close to Raine

Raine finds a safe place with Darius and Eber

The meetings become more amicable

Imagining there's a common room somewhere in between all of the coven head's quarters, it becomes much more used and loved

Some of the projects the coven heads are working on becoming public to each other

Darius mentions hating how abomination goop stains, Vitimir makes a hydrophobic potion to apply to his cape

Osran mentions there's a crack in his crystal ball, Mason is quick to fix it

Raine comes clean about the whole mind control thing, Hettie beats the shit out of Terra (/j)

I truly wish that the other coven heads wanted to rebel, but I think a majority of them were much too afraid of what Belos could've done to them

Yk what. That is my new hc at this point

Maybe the other coven heads knew about the rebellion and didn't want to fracture the family that they had formed

Betrayal can be fixed. They could have still achieved paradise and lived together

But of course, that's not what happened at all

Post Day of Unity, things are incredibly rocky

Raine is in an awful condition and Eda won't leave their side

Darius refuses to speak to anyone aside from the other CATTS

The rest of the coven heads have to deal with the fact that they drove away their only feeling of family.

#not agere #this. got sadish #i love them so much but! coven heads you fucked up!! #not putting this in main tags #i do hope that this is good! i have happier ones i swear

[sans-au-war-ii]

What kind of flowers are those on Nightmare (if you have anything in mind)

and why are they there? :<D

Actually I thought about this for a while. And the answer is that they are Azaleas (huge nerding about flower symbolism incoming)

https://www.flowermeaning.com/azalea-flower-meaning/

[Here's the link to where I'm getting all this from btw]

Looking at their symbolism it says that Azaleas represent remembering ones home with fondness - Insomniac (Omniverse Nm) wishes to return back to the days of what I'm calling FlowerDream for now (but unfortunately he knows that is impossible)

They also represent taking care of oneself and family (Insomniac and his gang found family = true)

Then they represent Temperance and emotional evenness because Insomniac is a more balanced character who is trying to keep the Positivity-Negativity balance in check while "Rem...?" (Rem is Ov Dream) tries to eradicate those who they think wil cause negativity (think Swapdream but a manipulative asshole with shapeshifting and mind control and also technically every power ever. Not fun right?)

Then theres Passion, hes just very dedicated to stuff (especially finding his missing friend. His only friend back in FD).

Elegance and wealth are obvious enough but we also have Femininity which is hard to explain in my own words so I'll show you the behavior listed in the Wiki

These are all things Insomniac (or at least Insomnia - which is what I call Passive Insomniac) used to do.

Btw I might also get this out of the way: the relationship between Insomnia and Insomniac. They are the same person (and they behave quite similarly. Insomniac is just more closed-off and violent). And if you get to the part where I explain why they are there you'll see that it's because there is no corruption (... only deadly flower poison)

Getting back on track, Abundance (especially of beauty and intelligence) he's pretty smart (he still reads books here, but not as much because he is busy training or hanging out with his friend most of the time - which reminds me, Insomnia is around 13 when he first meets his friend, who was 14 at the time. He gets "corrupted" when he becomes around 17) and for the beauty part... well, hes beautiful to his friend (who I wont name yet I think)

The last thing on the list is that they are a death threat, but only if sent in a black vase.

I wanted to reflect on this by making it so his skull turns black after the "corruption" (why does this feel wrong to say?)

Oh and they are there because the local village bullies beat the life out of 'Friend' and they basically 'died' (but not really. They just needed a while for their amalgam-goop to get back together. They told Insomnia too and that made him less distraught after losing his best friend. Still traumatized, but he wants to live so that he can go back to them).

So then the bullying got worse and worse until the bullies forced Insomnia to eat the Flowers of Negativity which - you guessed it- are Azaleas, but what you didn't guess is that they are full of toxins and can cause death if ingested in large qualities (they are mostly harmless to humans due to getting broken down in the digestive tract but Insomnia is a Skeleton monster and those do not have a digestive tract to break down azaleas with. The food just kinda gets absorbed like that)

Anyways Insomnia pukes a fuckton, his friend's ghost is fucking traumatized and his skull changes color

So obviosly Insomnia starts puking and then dies but he doesn't. See while he considered just giving up he realized that His Friend was probably going to be looking for him. So he just refused to die (hey man hes the guardian of negativity of course he can do that)

So hes alive, covered on half his skull by thick vines and Azaleas, but alive.

This is where my writing gets messy

And also hes pissed off. First they come for his friend, now they make him suffer a painful death? (Keep in mind that it only took him around 30 mins to think about whether or not to die - all that time he was suffering on the ground - which means that the bullies were still there)

Insomnia was full of rage and without thinking he "activated" his powers and vines sprouted from the ground and impaled the bullies

[Basically Nightmare but Tendrils instead of Tentacles]

And as he gained more and more Lv from slaughtering the villagers of that nowhere town he comes to his senses and realizes that he has gone too far and he decides to make amends by swearing to protect the balance (wow hes really speedrunning character development isn't he? And who woulda thought that it only took 2 hours of looking for and slaughtering the people who either treated you like shit or did nothing about you being treated like shit).

Meanwhile Rem and his close friend (gf???) Mercy (who has a Copy soul- which I'll explain when I get the time because I'd have to get in depth about BTs and DTD and none of you even know what that stands for) escaped to Rem and Insom's pocket dimention (because we all just have one of those) - the Dreamscape.

However Mercy does a Murder (not literally, this is just in reference to These Two being the names that result in the "on the nose" comment when you name the fallen human) and seals Rem in the Dreamscape and shapeshifts into a more "regal and smarter version of him", as she puts it [and before you ask me how - Copy Soul Logic]

Anyways the story then follows as Insomniac and "Friend" dance around in circles while looking for eachother and also "Friend" found Rem and is trying to help him escape and put an end to all of this.

Hope this helps!

#I should also add that FlowerDream is Dreamtale if it was represented by flora in general (especially flowers) #there's two main flowers you need to know about right now: the flower of negativity (azaleas) and the flower of positivity (idk actually) #Insomnia and Rem protect these two flowers and are by them #if that makes sense #basically they follow the symbolism to a T (as you can read here w Insom) #also the way these flowers work is instead of eating them their pollens have special effects (that Insom and Rem can sorta influence) #also sorry for going on a rant but I NEEDED to get all of this garbage out of my system #long boy #not a poll

[musical-failgirl-fight]

Emma Perkins propaganda:

She grew up in Hatchetfield but that when she was eighteen years old, she left, wanting to see the world. Her older sister Jane was the organized one, following her life to the letter of a bullet point list that she'd created, while was Emma constantly was trying to figure out what she wanted out of life. Unfortunately, sometime after Emma left Hatchetfield, her sister died after she got into a car accident and Emma returned home, lamenting that she had always put off coming back whenever her sister would invite her to things like her wedding, baby showers, and she'd always say she'd "catch the next one." The funeral invitation made her realize there wouldn't be a next one. She decided that she would try and get her life together and make her sister proud, so she applied to community college and got into the botany program...so she could open up a pot farm, banking on the idea that it would soon be legal.

She works at a shitty coffeeshop where she has to sing whenever people give her tips and she spits in customer's coffee. Her coworkers (in the TGWDLM timeline) get possessed by the musical alien hivemind and poison the customers into being assimilated, which she figures out after she tries to defect to Starbucks in response to them adding more parts to the dance routine. She takes everyone to hide with her paranoid bio teacher, which ends...poorly because he ties them up and tries to get them all assimilated with a kickass musical number. She falls in love with a very boring guy she barely knows while they're drinking to the end of the world and realizes that the high school performance of Brigadoon she was in was the one that made him hate musicals. She doesn't even get to kiss him because she coughs blood at him. At the end it turns out her theory that blowing up the source of the space goop would stop the infection was wildly wrong, her love interest has been assimilated, and she's going to be infected too. Also the entire audience just watches this happen while she begs them for help.

Things also turn out pretty bad for her in other timelines, such as Black Friday (she suggests hiding from the nuclear apocalypse with her professor, which I'm sure can only end well), Perky's Buds (starts a weed farm, turns out the weed is growing well because the soil is magic and it's making the birds evil, kidnapped by cultists who get eaten by the birds, gets arrested for killing the birds), and Forever and Always (almost killed by her robot duplicate from the future, who stole her life, then killed by robot duplicate's husband because he turns out to be a clone who also killed the original).

so real of her im sorry that happened and also very glad she finally got her evil weed

#emma perkins #character propaganda

[queenofthursday6599-blog]

Being allergic to aloe of all things sucks because companies love to put that shit in everything in the summer time.

They put it in body lotion, face lotion, sun screen, body wipes. If it goes on your skin, chances are it's got cactus slime in it.

Every summer like clock work, gotta check if this random lotion is going to make me feel like my skin is getting corroded off with acid.

And it's not like my dry, flake-y skinned self can just stop using lotion for 3 months because that damn cactus goop is making the rounds.

I'd be like those mistreated pet lizards with stuck shed from low humidity in their enclosures.

All sad and peely, skin refusing to hold onto moisture even though I sweat constantly in the summer.

But I am fortunate that no one sells those aloe sodas where I live because I am the type of stupid to try Poison Soda at least once.

Just a sip. Just a little one.

I want to know if Aloe would taste as spicy as it smells to me.

#are you a person with mild allergies who would risk it for curiosity #or are you a person with mild allergies who wouldn't risk poking the immune system bear even a little #Also do you have This doesn't exist in my native range allergies #or My bloodline would have ended with Me without modern antihistamine kind of allergies

[imjustfullabeans]

My parents are fighting so here's more head canons

Dust likes frogs. He owns 4 poison dart frogs and several frog bucket hats. Once one of his frogs escaped and almost poisoned Horror be hiding in the cupboard.

Killer is a skilled swimmer. He likes forcing the others into races despite him knowing he'll win. Also the determine dripping from his eyes is lighter then water so if he goes underwater the goop drips up.

Horror is to tall for most doorways in Nightmare's castle. He got so annoyed with hitting his head that he broke some of the wall above the door so he can go through easier.

Cross plays the cello. Nightmare sometimes plays the Violin with him. Cross learned cello with Frisk and Chara before the events for underverse.

Nightmare is technologically inept. Killer got him a phone once and Nightmare got so frustrated trying to make an Instagram that he broke the phone against a wall.

Error can't touch paper. The texture freaks him out. He doesn't like the sound of touching cardboard either. It makes his "skin" crawl.

Ink's face is just all black other than eyes and sometimes a mouth when he don't drink any vials.

Dream is dyslexic.

Blue has anger management issues. Like if he gets pissed off enough he starts breaking shit.

#headcanon #undertale #bad sanses #star sanses

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #55

I have been working on something all day today. Because the thing I ordered yesterday arrived today! Behold!!

So you remember that bowl that my klutzy ass shattered yesterday? Well guess what:

The pictures do NOT do it any justice. This thing is SPARKLY!! 🤩

It's not quite finished yet. Again, I am dyspraxic; this is going to take me a while. My hands are clumsy as hell because the idea of my body moving exactly in the way I intend is a distant fantasy for me; being dyspraxic fucking SUCKS. And I'm REALLY SUPER MEGA GLAD that you don't gotta deal with it. Clinical clumsiness is really not a fun time. For ANYONE involved. But whatever! I make it work!!

So the kit comes with this stuff:

You've got paper dishes with black gloves crunched up inside. You're supposed to use gloves because uncured epoxy is supposedly poisonous, but I didn't use the gloves because I can't afford to lose any more points in DEX, and when my fingertips are covered, my DEX score (which is already very low) gets set to -50.

Underneath are two containers of "gold dust" (it's really just extremely fine sparkly gold glitter, but still!). Then you've got the tube of food-grade epoxy (it's made of cashews, I guess? but it smells vaguely like shrimp).

I wasn't able to get you too terribly many pictures of the process, because this stuff sets FAST, holy cow! But I can give you a rundown of the steps:

First, you squirt an amount of the epoxy into one of the paper dishes. Then you add "an appropriate amount" (verbatim from the instructions) of the gold dust to the epoxy and stir it around with the wooden sticks provided. Then you use the stick to glorp the epoxy onto the edges of one of the pieces you're joining. Then you press the pieces together, and wait for a short time, and be VERY careful not to touch the epoxy until it stops being tacky, because the stuff has the stickiness and consistency of partially-melted caramel, and it WILL prioritize sticking to your skin over sticking to the ceramic (go on, ask me how I know! haha!). Keep doing that until all the pieces are joined together. Then you use the handy-dandy... chisel... knife... thing...??? to scrape off any excess epoxy. It looks like this:

...Or uh. That's what it looked like towards the end of doing this, anyway. I've been at this for... 6 or 7 hours now? But still, it's VERY sharp (again, ask me how I know!), and very good at scraping excess epoxy off of ceramic.

Though I didn't get many pictures of mixing the epoxy, or of the pieces after the epoxy was applied to the edges, I did snag a few images while taking quick breaks:

Anyway. Ideally, for a non-dyspraxic person, this process is simple enough. But that is not my lot in life, so... 6 or 7 hours, several sliced-open fingers, epoxy spills and glitter spills on my hands (and in my fresh cuts, fun fun... knowing my luck, I'm gonna have gold-colored scabs until those mend, good grief...), too many instances of accidentally touching still-tacky epoxy while trying to put another piece on, and needing to thus reapply the previous piece, and various spills all over my pants and all over the table I was working on later, I'm....!!!! ...still not finished. 😖

It's together, but I gotta go over each crack one more time with the epoxy goop; Not all of the cracks are thoroughly covered, so I'm still seeing spots where water can get in between things and cause problems. It's not because the kit is bad; the kit is very good! But rather, it's because this is my first time doing something like this, and my hands are clumsy even for things that I do well.

I'm maybe a little cranky about it at the moment because throughout this I mostly forgot to eat and drink (although we did get pork soup dumplings and some other stuff, which prompted me to eat, and that was good!); hyperfocus is a thing, and the time zooms by and I have no idea what happened (what even IS time, anyway? why do we have it? why does it gotta be linear? who decided that this was a good idea? seriously, what the fuck).

But I still had a lot of fun with it, even though my fingers are now ouchy from many accidents with the sharp implement and I've probably accidentally inhaled enough gold dust that my snots are probably gonna be gold-colored every time I blow my nose for the next week. You can bet your bottom that I'm gonna be back at it tomorrow. And then after that, it'll need 48 hours for the epoxy to fully cure and set. After that, though, the bowl will be better and more beautiful than before! It will be a wonderful vessel for that pumpkin soup! Just you wait!

Hey, Sephiroth!!! You go around acting like you're some kinda weird abomination and thinking that a normal life is out of reach for you because of it. And I don't agree with that!!! Not even a teeny tiny little bit!!! You are a "monster" in the same way that I am "furniture"! Which is to say, NOT AT ALL. And I know that this probably seems unrelated to the bowl right now, but I promise you it's not! Just listen:

Even if you were a monster, you can still do normal human things if you want to!! You can do them just because you decided it!! Sure some people might look down on you because of how you were born, but that's because they're insecure and judgmental, and you don't have to listen to those ones! There aren't gonna be any "monster police" coming to get you just because you're deciding to grow a garden at your house, or just because you decide to cook yourself a meal, or just because you're sitting on a sofa on a rainy day with a warm, fuzzy blanket, enjoying a hot mug of tea! And even if there were "monster police" who would be foolish enough to try to disturb your peace, you can just summon up some of that "I'd like to see them try" type of attitude you showed us before and send them a-runnin' with their tails between their legs! You are allowed to not give any fucks towards any arbitrary social rule that says you're unlovable or that you're not allowed to enjoy your life because of how you were born, the way you were raised, the horrors you've endured, the mistakes you've made, or whatever challenges you live with as a result of it all! You are not a lost cause! You are not broken beyond repair!

Sephiroth, I was a viciously abused autistic/ADHD child that absolutely no one wanted to have around. I know what it is to feel subhuman! I know what it is to feel out of place! I know what it means to be raised with the idea that, "if I'm not perfect or if I don't do what they want, I'm going to be considered unlovable and everyone is going to hurt me." And I have hurt people in the past who did not deserve it, too.

But you know what? Here I sit in my silly little house with my silly little things, awkwardly putting back together a pretty bowl that my clumsiness destroyed. I am putting it back together despite the difficulties that being AuDHD/dyspraxic presents. I am putting it back together even though my traumatized brain absolutely refuses to give me even a moment's peace, as all my instincts scream at me that the end result is gonna suck because I'm the one doing it, that the bowl is a lost cause, that I should be doing something "more productive" with my time, and that I'm a bad person for the fact that I'm making a mess in the process, and a bad person for the fact that I struggle with things like these to begin with.

But, my limitations and old conditioning that I'm trying to overcome aside, one fact remains: this bowl is going to be BEAUTIFUL when it's done, regardless of how loudly my brain tries to tell me that it's gonna be ugly because it was shattered in the first place, or that it's gonna be ugly simply because it's MY hands trying to fix it.

I've been told my whole life that no one's gonna love me because I don't think or act like most other people. But I'm sitting here with people who absolutely adore me, not despite the fact that I'm weird and abnormal as hell, but BECAUSE I'm weird and abnormal as hell! I'm considered "other" and "monstrous" and "socially unacceptable" by many, just for freaking existing. And here the fuck I am, DOING NORMAL HUMAN THINGS ANYWAY.

Because here's the thing, Sephiroth: only I get to decide whether or not I am allowed to have a normal. Other people are gonna try to tell me that the nature of my existence means that I don't deserve a normal, or that I'll never have a normal, no matter how hard I try. But I don't gotta listen to those people! Because a clumsy, awkward normal is STILL a normal! Just like the bowl, it doesn't have to be perfect to be worthwhile! There is strength in imperfection! There is beauty in imperfection!

All of this can be true for you as well! You are a human being! And even if you weren't a human being, SO FREAKING WHAT? You're still a person! And as a person, you don't gotta listen if broader society tells you that you're not allowed to have a normal for whatever stupid fucking reason. So just be you. Be the you who laughs and cries and reaches for your locket when you're troubled. Be the you who says what you're thinking and feeling. Be the you who does not stifle his emotions. Be the you who asks for help when those emotions threaten to consume you. People who benefit from keeping your self-esteem low and from encouraging you to dehumanize yourself will tell you that things such as those are weaknesses, but they're not; rather, they're the source of any human being's natural strength.

So, like any human, be like a glorious stained glass window. Be like a beautiful bowl that was pieced back together with intentionality and love. Be like any shattered thing that was put back together. And then go on to put other shattered things back together, even if you do it clumsily. Because shattered things that were repaired are some of the most beautiful things in this world you'll ever find.

If you only knew just how much courage it takes me every day to write to you. If only you knew how much resolve it takes to do the work of putting the shattered pieces of my own voice back together, after years of being silenced and being told who I'm supposed to be by people who didn't have my best interests at heart. If only you knew how much strength it takes, after decades of abuse and decades of being taught that my "stupid, weak-ass thoughts and feelings don't fucking matter to anyone", and decades of being taught that nothing I say or do makes any difference anywhere, to put my still-awkward voice in spaces where I know I'm gonna get hurt or ignored.

If you knew, then maybe you'd understand why I write about repairing broken things as though it is the most important thing there is. If you knew, then maybe you'd understand why I hold out my hand to you and call you so fervently to get up off your knees and do this work upon yourself; the darkness doesn't suit you, and there are plenty of people around who would help you. I'm such a one.

I don't know if it's hard for you to understand. So instead I'll show you that shattered bowls can still hold soup. Just you watch. Please stay safe until I get to show you. Please remember that you are loved; otherwise I wouldn't be trying so hard every day to reach you.

I'm going to write to you again tomorrow, with the same shaky, awkward voice with which I've been writing to you so far. Because it doesn't have to be perfect to be worthwhile; shattered minds, hearts, and voices can still hold goodwill, compassion, and love.

Your friend,

Lumine

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