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delldarling · 5 years

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forest rumors | aspen i

forest being x gender/body neutral reader 3000 words sfw | size difference, flirting

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The rumors around Makeout Point have been flying about for at least a month now. They range from whispers and stifled laughter over Bigfoot jokes, to scared teenagers claiming something large and utterly frightening is living out there in the woods. No two people seem to have the same description at hand, but there are two words that stick out frequently when the rumors come up. Large and hairy.

Despite the clear and utter lack of tracks, the general consensus is that a bear must be in the area. Nothing more than an animal, roaming in the wrong places, the papers have claimed. Skeptics repeat the words so often that outright panic is halted, even though the whispers continue. Especially after forest rangers comb the area and find no evidence of bears.

You’re rather of the opinion that it’s more along the lines of an internet hoax though. Halloween is fast approaching, and people love to seize onto stories eerie in nature, just to give themselves a bit of a thrill. Besides, you’ve been coming here frequently for years. Makeout Point is just an old hiking trail that ends in a clearing. It’s perfect for teenage parties, complete with a fire pit made out of stones gathered from the woods or brought out specially by people that want to make a mark. During the day it’s nothing more than a nice place to wander about the trees and get away from the noise of the highway.

It… Isn’t particularly hard to imagine the silly Bigfoot stories though. Most forests have always given off that trees have eyes vibe, but there are a few spots, particularly in the mouth of the clearing, that give you more than the chills, the feeling of something lives here. You’ve always simply chalked it up to the fact that the spot is old. You go out there anyway, despite the strange feeling, despite the rumors, because sometimes dealing with the local populace just sucks. And nature, if not always a forgiving entity, is still more soothing.

You’ve always tended to err on the side of caution though, and generally time your visits for midday. Any earlier and frost peppers the ground, making any branches slick and dangerous, and you don’t feel like bundling up from head to toe. Not unless you absolutely have to. Any later and you risk running into couples of some sort, sometimes teens giggling and kissing, and sometimes people twice your age or more, looking to relive old memories with their spouses. Not to mention the darkness, which is almost absolute if you go wandering about in the evening.

“One day,” you mutter, cresting the hill that darkens from one step to the next. The trees grow thickly here, and the temperature drops sharply due to constant shade. “One day, I’ll bring someone out here with me.” You come to a stop under one of the trees, adjusting your sweatshirt, and then freeze when you hear a strange creaking noise. It sounds a bit like a branch bending, the creak of wood getting ready to break, and you can’t help cautiously lifting your head- but there’s nothing above you. Nothing out of the ordinary, anyway. Leaves shift in the breeze, small slivers of sunshine casting the illusion of water over the forest floor… You’re still alone.

You would have heard someone stumbling about by now if you weren’t, but you can’t shake the feeling of something… something watching. It’s never been quite this eerie before, but the rumors have never been quite so widespread either.

“Letting the stories get to me,” you say, sighing, and purposely turn away from the shadows deeper in the treeline. The back of your brain is almost insisting that you saw one of them move. You ignore it. Thoughts like that lend only to potential embarrassment. Or maybe a ridiculous run back down to the parking lot. “Maybe I should have asked for company,” you mutter wryly, “just to be safe.”

The breeze picks up, chill air seeping through the weave of your clothes like it’s sole purpose is to make you shudder. You stamp your feet a few times, rubbing at your own arms and force yourself to get moving. The only way to get a bit of warmth running through you right now is by movement, and the sooner you get this walk over with today, the better.

You shift branches out of the way with your feet as you walk, needles and leaves crunching underfoot. Despite the strange feeling, it’s calming out here. You can’t hear the cars any longer, and this time of year it’s always fairly quiet. Most of the birds have moved on by now. That, of course, probably lends to the eerie stories most of the locals have been passing around. It’s always easier to frighten someone in absolute silence under the trees.

You’re scrambling over a fallen log when you realize the creaking - just branches in the wind, you tell yourself - is getting louder. Your eyes dart up to the trees overhead, wondering if some kind of storm is going to blow through here soon. You’ll have to speed things along if you don’t want to get caught by fallen limbs.

“Did you truly want company? I would have come to you sooner.”

The surprise has you tripping over your own feet. You slide through the leaves, just barely catching yourself before your face hits the ground and pause where you are, trying to regulate your breathing. And your irritation.

“Have you just been waiting for someone to stumble through here?” You demand, slowly getting back to your feet and whirling about. The path behind you is empty. Just the same, shadowy trail you’ve been walking, peppered with the smallest hints of sunlight and stray branches. You brush your dirt sprinkled hands over your trousers, frowning. You didn’t imagine that voice. It was clearer than a bell, ringing in your ears, though the tone was… Off. “...uh, hello?” You ask softly, heart jack-hammering inside your rib-cage, eyes searching the area in vain. You still can’t spot anyone.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” someone says and their voice- It has every hair on your body standing on end. It echoes strangely, smooth and rough all at once as it fills your senses, and then the creaking noise comes to a rustling stop behind you.

You turn, promising yourself that you won’t scream- and you have to lift your head to meet their eyes. They’re unbelievably tall, branches curving off of their head and away from their shadowed face like horn, and that creaking starts up again as they kneel slowly, balancing themselves with a splayed hand on the ground. They’re humanoid, you notice vaguely, in that they have a torso, arms and legs. But their eyes- all you can truly see of them is the faint reflection of daylight off of their dark irises. You haven’t screamed, but you’re finding it a little difficult to breathe, air catching in your throat.

Perhaps it’s an age old instinct: sitting on the ground and curling your arms over your head. Don’t see me, the pose screams, even though you know you don’t have a hope in hell of that happening. They’ve already seen you, they’ve been speaking to you, they claimed they were waiting for you. You want to kick the ass of the person that claimed Bigfoot was out here at Makeout Point because fucking Bigfoot doesn’t even begin to cover the ent-like being in front of you. You’re fairly sure that hand of theirs could wrap around your torso - you’re willing to bet that they’ve got Bigfoot beaten in foot size. Or would it be trunk size? Your eyes flash open, darting to where their feet should be, but- You can’t focus on that now and you close your eyes again.

“For… For me?” You finally ask in a choked tone, knowing the silence has gone on for too long. Don’t make the giant tree being angry, right? That’s a good piece of advice if you’ve ever heard one. Manners help every situation.

“Yes,” they answer, and they’re closer. You can feel them looming over you, and there’s a faint, warmer breeze that makes you think it might be their breath.

“Ah.” You swallow, preparing yourself - it’s animatronic, your brain quickly lies, and then you’re hesitantly lowering your arms and lifting your face, just a little. You blink open your eyes, focusing on what you think is their shoulder, covered with moss and dotted with the tiniest mushrooms you think you’ve ever seen in your life. You don’t even attempt to glance at their face. Cute mushrooms feel… Safe. “And… And you are?” You ask, because manners.

“Hmm,” they sit back, slow and careful. Your eyes are drawn to their chest. It’s smoother there, void of moss, and the whorls and grain remind you of polished, petrified wood. “Aspen,” they say decisively, and you can’t help but wonder if they chose the name, just now. They don’t look like an aspen tree, not that you’re an expert in tree identification, but aspen trees are pale, nearly white with markings that remind many people of eyes. Aspen is… More of a gray. Silvery.

“Lovely,” you offer, and mean it. The name rolls off of the tongue and for all that they’re frightening because of their size? Their head tilts, a pleased noise rumbling out of them, and you can’t help it, you look back at their face - and then quickly away. It’s not that Aspen’s face is horrifying. You close your eyes, and you think that looking at them from an artistic viewpoint, they’re a wondrous creation. But Aspen is- is- The problem is that you don’t know what Aspen is, and you’ve never seen their like outside of movie screens. The real wonder here is that you’re still not screaming, and you haven’t passed out.

“Lovely,” they repeat and then they’re reaching towards you, and your heart nearly gives out. One long branch of a fingertip strokes over your shoulder, and the touch is softer by far than you thought it would be, not even catching on the material of your sweatshirt. They repeat the motion as soon as they’ve finished, adjusting the pressure when they tip you over a little bit.

“So,” you start, focusing back on their mushroomed shoulder, letting them stroke down your arm like you’re some kind of cat. They nearly upend you with every pass, but they’re being gentle. You can let it go. You don’t dare tell them to cease because they’re tall and likely strong and- “You, uh, are you from around here?” It’s strangely charming, having such a large creature fawning over you.

Aspen makes another humming noise, pausing in their stroke to glance back towards Makeout Point proper. “I came into being here, yes,” they tell you. “I’ve watched for many years.”

You’re not sure you have a response for that. Is Aspen saying that- that they’ve watched Makeout Point for years? In which case, part of you wants to cringe. Some kind of forest.. Forest being and they’ve been an eternal witness to human lust and the fumbling about of teenagers? There’s love there too, you suppose, but having been raised in society- The thought of being trapped there, watching humans of varying ages copulate, isn’t exactly a good one.

“I’ve seen you here too, Lovely,” and it’s then that you realize: Aspen thinks your name is Lovely. You honestly don’t know how to go about correcting them, so you let it lie.

“Yeah,” you say, nodding as Aspen resumes their careful stroking of your arm. “I- I come out here because I think it’s nice, the trees are gorgeous-” you halt, lips pressing together to stem the flow of words. Does that count as a compliment? What if they don’t call them trees, what if you’ve overstepped?

“Yes. You drew my interest,” they tell you and they turn their face to you again, their breath soft as it breezes over your cheeks. They smell like greenery. Crushed leaves and sweet grass, and the tang of pine.

You came out here for nothing more than your usual stroll through the woods. You’ve never been particularly verbose, walking through here, and you’re not sure exactly what made you stand out to them, but- “If you don’t mind my, my asking, Aspen, what exactly did I do that, uh, drew your interest?”

They shift even closer, leaving off their stroking of your shoulder to reach both their hands towards your face. The movement has you closing your eyes again, heart ceasing it’s rhythm, as if any moment now you’re going to be crushed, so-

“You’re not the same,” Aspen murmurs, branch-like fingers both cradling and caging your face. Their fingers prick at your skin, leaves twisting into your hair as they move, and every wince or change of expression has them leaning close to examine you. They’re being as gentle as they know how, as gentle as they’ve observed other humans acting. The problem is that they’ve only ever seen humans being intimate, if their words are anything to go by, and they’re close enough to kiss. You can’t take a breath without tasting growing things on the air. “You’re not like them. Attached. Out of reach.”

The words startle a nearly-hysterical laugh out of you, which has Aspen straightening, great eyes blinking slowly in confusion. You notice with a start that their eyelashes remind you of minuscule ferns and you find yourself wondering what they’d feel like against your cheek. “Is that why you’re interested in me? Because I’m always here alone?”

There’s a shifting, leaves rustling and branches creaking as they let go of your face, and your heart starts up again, though you hope you haven’t offended them. Instead of moving away like you expect, Aspen’s hands pluck you up as they get to their feet. Air rushes past you. They’re ridiculously careful, hand underneath your thighs to support your weight, and one across your chest and curled around your arm, to keep you from falling. You’re still not entirely sure you can breathe correctly. You feel like your brain must be short circuiting - you’re still not screaming or shouting your head off, and part of your brain says this is fine - you’re only like six feet off of the ground. Maybe you hit your head crawling over that log earlier, and all of this is your imagination.

You have no idea where Aspen is taking you, but they’re heading straight for Makeout Point now, their footsteps so slow and measured that you can barely hear them walking. They don’t fill the silence with speech either, though you notice that one of their fingers is still shifting softly across your neck and the top of your shoulder. They must like the feeling of your skin- or maybe they like the warmth?

They come to a halt in the clearing, gently uncurling their hold on your chest to point at the spot… At the spot you usually sit. You realize with a start that the tree you usually sit at the base of is gone, and you have to glance back at Aspen in surprise.

“You care for this place, Lovely. It calls to me,” Aspen whispers and they tilt their head towards you, eyes falling closed as they press the smooth bark of their face to the side of yours. “I had to answer.” Their hand curls back around your torso and a blazing heat spirals through you. From embarrassment, and because- because you’re touched. It sounds and feels fairy tale, that kindness or care within you called to a being made of the forest and they- what? Want to show you care in return?

You’re not sure if or how they would ever intend to do that, but their experience of humans- well. It lends a bit to the carnal. A thrill runs through you at the thought.

You whisper your name, which interrupts the strange moment of cuddling, and they open their eyes. “That’s my name. I- I was telling you earlier that I think your choice of name was lovely.”

“You’re still Lovely, to me,” they decide, but you think- you think Aspen might be smiling.

“I… I have another question,” you say, breath coming a little fast as you glance away from them, towards the fire pit in the middle of the clearing. “I’ve been coming here for- for years. Why are you showing yourself to me now?”

Their jaw can’t shift, can’t curl into an actual smile or frown, but for a moment you think they might be annoyed. “I have no desire to speak with others,” they tell you, and there it is. The annoyance. It passes quickly, especially when they focus their attention back upon you. “There are many of them, often, and- I am not human,” they confess, like you haven’t truly noticed. They sound almost… Apologetic about it. “There was a chance you would flee, like those that have only caught glimpses of me.”

That gets your attention and you glance up at Aspen’s face again. “The people running from the woods lately- they came across you?”

They nod their head in agreement.

That explains the rumors. It still makes you snort though, because large hairy animal or Bigfoot still doesn’t even come close to describing Aspen. Never mind the fact that they don’t have a hint of fur on their body. Moss, mushrooms and a drapery of lichen - you wonder if these people even got a good view of Aspen before they ran. Not that you truly blame them. Aspen is so large.

"But this time," they say, continuing, "you asked for company. I would never have intruded," Aspen explains, nodding at the place they're typically rooted. "But if I can give you something-"

That warmth fills your chest near to bursting. Softness and embarrassment, all at once.

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...turn the page?

#exophilia #monster lover #gender neutral reader #sfw #d.darling writes

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tlbodine · 4 years

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1980s Science Horror, Body Horror

One might be forgiven for thinking the 1980s was a time of wall-to-wall terrible horror movies. I’ve certainly inflicted plenty of them on @comicreliefmorlock since we started this decade in our film series! The fact is that the 80s were a really unique time, when demand outpaced supply thanks to the eruption of new publishing platforms (direct-to-consumer video sales, multi-screen cineplexes). Much as self-publishing today has created a deluge of questionable ebooks, the film industry of the 1980s was at times a no-mans land of low-budget amateur attempts with, uh, mixed results.

Of course, perhaps the greatest of these was Evil Dead, which I review here. Sam Raimi’s low-budget, high-gore, balls-to-the-wall ridiculous film laid a template for many films to follow, with...mixed success.

Because that’s another thing you see happening with great vigor in the 1980s: When one movie is very successful, you start to see dozens more cropping up to capitalize on the formula, often lacking the heart or soul of what made the original good to begin with. For every Gremlins, there were a dozen inferior Critters, Ghoulies, Beasties, Trolls, Munchies, and so forth.

Of course, this isn’t the only time in history we’ve seen this -- we saw it in the 1930s (when studios were cranking out films by handing titles at random to filmmakers, a-la-Cat People) and in the 1960s (when Hammer was exploiting every well-known property it could think of, and some random unknowns besides). But, perhaps due to their relative modernity, the really terrible shlock of the 1980s seems especially egregious.

All of which is to lay down the framework for this week’s films: One, a terrible direct-to-video B-movie. The other, a genuinely magnificent and effective piece of horror history.

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Nightbeast (1982) is a low-budget indie film created by pulp director Don Dohler and released by Troma Entertainment, a film company that gained notoriety in the 70s and 80s for releasing gory, over-the-top, ridiculously cheesy B-movies. Troma was like the sleazy American cousin of Hammer, fulfilling the same niche.

Nightbeast is extremely simple: An alien spacecraft crash-lands on Earth, the alien goes on a killing spree, and a small-town sheriff has to try to stop it as the body count rises.

It’s a remarkably silly film. The effects are, at best, similar to what you might find in a haunted house built from Spirit Halloween props. At worst, there’s clumsily animated laser beams disintegrating people into pixelated sparkle-dust. Heavy-handed dialogue, awkwardly blocked fight scenes, and acting on the level of soft-core porn come together to create....uh...something.

Of note: This was the first film that J.J. Abrams worked on. At 16, he provided the film’s score, after writing to Dohler about an article in a magazine. The creative world was smaller in those days, I think.

Anyway. Nightbeast is absurd, and good MST3K fodder, as we’ve said of many of our recent films. If you like bad movies, this one’s pretty silly. (personally, I liked the decapitation with the obvious mannequin head the best)

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The Fly (1986) is one of David Cronenberg’s masterpieces. You’ll remember him, surely, from when we watched The Brood. The grand-daddy of body horror, he truly outdid himself with The Fly, which is one of his most expensive and commercial films.

The thing with Cronenberg is that he has a very specific style and thematic hang-ups, so you’ll see a lot of the same issues resonate from one film to the next -- science gone awry, unhealthy interpersonal relationships, transformation, horrifyingly gooey body fluids. (We’re not quite done with Cronenberg, so watch this space for more of his films in the future).

Anyway: The Fly is about a scientist who invents a teleportation machine that disintegrates an object and rebuilds it on the other side. A drunken, emotionally distraught decision sees him testing it on himself, only to experience disastrous consequences when a fly is caught in the teleporter with him.

The story is a very loose adaptation of a short story of the same name written by George Langelaan in 1957. That short story was later adapted into a film starring Vincent Price in 1958. But where that first adaptation was quite close to the source material, Cronenberg’s vision leads in some....more horrible directions.

There are basically two things that make The Fly an excellent film that stands up today:

- Jeff Goldblum’s performance. We’ve established that Goldblum plays essentially the same character in all of his movies, and it’s fine because he’s very good at it (and the character type is quite compelling, if you’re into that sort of thing). The kooky, self-effacing-yet-arrogant charismatic scientist trope is catnip for a certain type of nerdling (hi, that’s me, I’m that nerdling), and his acting in this film is just so, so good, especially the work he puts into expressions and physical acting once the transformation prosthesis start building.

- The effects. Practical effects really did peak in the late 80s/early 90s, and movie magic has never looked better. The CGI that took over by the 2000s has more polish, but animatronics and makeup look real because they are real in a way that computer animation can never hope to emulate. That lack of polish is exactly what makes them so effective. The slow, horrifying transformation into a fly-inspired monster is gooey and spectacular. I suspect Cronenberg may have been somewhat inspired by Lynch’s adaptation of The Elephant Man a few years earlier -- there are some similarities in design -- but the devil is in the details. Teeth and nails coming loose, collections of discarded body parts in a medicine cabinet, ragged bristles of hair emerging from pus-laden wounds -- this is true, exquisite body horror and it’s fucking gross as hell.

But for all its focus on body horror -- and honestly, the horror of transformation is the main drive of the film -- the movie doesn’t lose the humanity at its heart. It strives to keep its central characters complex, flawed, and deeply human, and that grounding elevates it past the B-movie schlock.

I can earnestly and enthusiastically recommend this movie, if you have a strong enough stomach to take it.

(Curiously enough, The Fly not only spawned a sequel -- quite good in its own right -- but a 2008 stage musical produced by Howard Shore. We live in strange creative times, friends.)

#horror movies #horror by the decade #horror through the decades #the fly #night beast #david cronenberg

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thepositivescientist · 7 years

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Waterlogged Love

New Years Carnival: [1] [2] [3] [4]

( Charm/Sans @aglitchandagrump )

( In which an idiot wearing blue takes his best friend to the Tunnel of Love to tease him and both of them end up miserable. )

( A few things, The Island was super cold at the time because of event stuff, and The Island loves to cause trouble. That is all. )

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 5:49 AM

Swap waltzes in carrying @Charm - [aglitchandagrump]

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 5:50 AM

He looked up at the ride sign, sinking some more. "Knew it." he sighed, his skull already bright blue.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 5:54 AM

"it's just a silly ride! what are you so flustered about?" He nuzzled the blushing skeleton. "don't tell me that the prince is afraid now is he?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 5:55 AM

"I'm not afraid, I just know relentless teasing is ahead." He said with a small smile at the nuzzle.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 6:03 AM

"well it's not my fault that you're so adorable when you blush!" He trotted up to one of the boats and set Sans down. He made a sweeping gesture to the garish pink boat with a slight bow. "your ride m'lord. unless you'd rather have something more blue." He winked jokingly.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 6:07 AM

Sans pouted a bit at that, balancing himself when he was put down. His blush got a little worse at Swap's behavior but was a bit confused at his other remark. It took a few seconds for him to realize and as soon as he did his face became noticeably bluer. "No, this is fine!" He said quickly with a glare at Swap as he got in, the blush not subsiding.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 6:19 AM

Swap stepped into the boat with a stupid grin and scooted close to Charm as the ride started.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 6:21 AM

"You're gonna squish me." He told him as he more or less snuggled close to Swap. What? He appreciated the warmth. It was still cold. He honestly had no idea what to expect and he was kind of nervous when it got dark, fearing Swap might freak out again. When pink lights flickered on in a spot light type thing he was taken highly off guard, almost jumping a bit at the sound.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 6:36 AM

"well it's a good thing I'm the one that's claustrophobic then." Swap was unbothered by the change in lighting and was mostly watching for Charm's reaction. He glanced around. "there sure is a lotta pink here."

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 6:38 AM

"Yeah, most people connect it to love." He muttered, the boat going by some famous romantic movie scenes, most of which Sans didn't understand at all. "I don't get how it's supposed to be romantic.."

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 6:43 AM

Swap shrugged. "maybe it's more of a human thing." He nuzzled up next to Charm, the dim lighting was making him a bit tired and Charm made a good pillow.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 6:46 AM

He smiled a bit more when Swap snuggled up to him, gladly being his pillow if he wanted. Charm watched uninterested around at the scenes before it shifted into an artificial tropical rain forest, some waterfalls and animatronic wildlife filling the area. Again, he didn't understand how this was romantic. Suddenly, when he himself was about to fall asleep, the boat lurched to the side a bit but kept going. "Uh... Swap, did you feel that?"

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 7:00 AM

Swap was just falling asleep when the boat lurched. He opened his eyes sleepily. Everything was blurry from the lights and his terrible eye sight. Also the fact that he was basically just squinting. "h-huh? feel wha-? did you move?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 7:02 AM

"No, I think the boat did though- AH!" As he was talking the boat flipped completely over, sending the two of them into the water. As the boat flipped, Sans made sure he held onto Swap. The icy cold water did not feel good as it hit, them being sent down into the surprisingly deep canal of the ride.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 7:14 AM

Swap was jolted completely awake by the water. By the weight on him it seemed Sans was clinging to him. Swap kicked off the bottom of the canal and resurfaced struggling to keep afloat with his armor and Sans weighing him down. Once more he was thankful for not needing to breathe. He managed to get to the edge and pull them out of the water. By then he was panting from the effort and the shock to his system from the rude awakening. "a-are you o-okay?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 7:17 AM

The boat had, at some point, fixed itself and had left without waiting for its passengers to reboard. Sans was still holding onto Swap, shaking from both shock, fear, and just the cold temperature. "M-M-More or l-less." He tried to curl into his jacket but it wasn't doing much, being soaked and all. "A-Are y-y-you?"

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 7:21 AM

Swap snuggled closer to the skeleton, letting his magic run warmer than usual, allowing for a sort of body heat. "s-same here. d-damn island. w-why is it s-so cold?!" It was troubling that Swap could feel it, although he assumed it was because the shock and not that he was deathly cold at the moment.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 7:27 AM

Unlike Swap, Sans could feel every bit of it's coldness at full affect and he gratefully got closer when Swap's magic kicked in. Their breath was actually visible as they spoke. "Wh-who knows. I-Its not that n-n-nice of a change from Sn-Snowdin." he took a moment just to shiver, letting his teeth clatter a bit as his bones shook. "H-how do we get out of here?" It was very dark now, the lighting gone as they were left in almost pitch black. It was.. Kind of scary.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 7:35 AM

Right now was a very bad time for Swap to be tired. So of course he was exhausted. Sans was shivering pretty badly and it actually seemed cold here now. Great. And of course it was dark. Swap just wanted to fall asleep. But Sans needed him. "w-we...I....uh...." he was having trouble thinking. He snuggled closer. "I-I dunno. w-walk?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 7:36 AM

"I- Is there a way out?" he couldn't see the door all the way at the end of the corridor, obstructed by darkness.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 7:48 AM

Swap really didn't want to move. But he made himself. Tiredly he undid a few straps and slid off his armor. He felt a bit better without it weighing him down. "emergency exists p-probably." He reluctantly moved from Sans and pushed himself up stumbling for a moment. He braced himself on an animatronic animal and grabbed Sans' arm to help him up.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 7:51 AM

Sans stumbled as he stood up, staying close to Swap still. "H-Hold on." his eye lights flickered out and he stomped his foot a few times. "Y-Yeah, there is a door close by." he pointed in it's direction, grabbing Swap's hand and leading him through the jungle terrain towards it.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 7:56 AM

Swap freaked out a bit when Sans' eyelights flicked out. He held a bit tighter to him just to reassure himself that he was still there. He still wondered how Sans could 'see' without seeing but he didn't question it stumbling along behind him.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 7:58 AM

It wasn't long before they were there and Sans fumbled with the doorknob, opening it up to reveal the outside. He basically flopped out, just falling onto the grass. Temperature wise it wasn't much better.

( They both passed out here, because the muns needed sleep xD )

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:17 PM

Charm woke up, still shivering as he looked over at Swap. Welp. Neither of them seemed to be in good shape. He managed to push himself up and prop Swap up against the side of the ride. He noticed how the other was shivering. He took his jacket off, placing it over Swap as a blanket as he cuddled close.

Wrenne (siren-hatane)-Last Saturday at 10:21 PM

*arrives at the tunnel with @Euphemia - [cartoonimal] and @Cranberry [cranberry-skele] *

...huh?

Euphemia - [cartoonimal]-Last Saturday at 10:22 PM

"Sans!?"

Wrenne (siren-hatane)-Last Saturday at 10:22 PM

and Swap?

what on earth...?

they're completely passed out...

Cranberry [cranberry-skele]-Last Saturday at 10:22 PM

"Eh?"

Wrenne (siren-hatane)-Last Saturday at 10:22 PM

hey, you two okay?

shakes them gently

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:22 PM

Well, not completely. Sans stirred a bit, looking up at them. "W-Wrenne?"

Wrenne (siren-hatane)-Last Saturday at 10:22 PM

what happened?

why are you two here?

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:23 PM

"St-Stupid ride, flipped us over a-and into th-the water."

Wrenne (siren-hatane)-Last Saturday at 10:23 PM

huh.

um...

any reason you two were here in the first place?

oh right.

Wrenne (siren-hatane)-Last Saturday at 10:23 PM

i bet that thing still hasn't worn off...

and you two need to get to the room.

Euphemia - [cartoonimal]-Last Saturday at 10:23 PM

"What are you doing out here in the cold when you're soaking wet!?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:24 PM

"Swap was sh-showing me the f-fun of a c-c-carnival."

Wrenne (siren-hatane)-Last Saturday at 10:24 PM

well, i hope you had a good time until now- but more fun can wait until you two have warmed up and changed clothes.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:24 PM

"Well, i-it was mostly fun, a-anyways."

Wrenne (siren-hatane)-Last Saturday at 10:24 PM

go on, up to the room.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:25 PM

"I- uh- I don't think I can carry Swap. I-I'm strong b-but not that strong."

Euphemia - [cartoonimal]-Last Saturday at 10:25 PM

"Do you need me to help?"

Wrenne (siren-hatane)-Last Saturday at 10:25 PM

euphie, can you be an escort?

cran and i can wait here for you.

Euphemia - [cartoonimal]-Last Saturday at 10:26 PM

"Of course."

Wrenne (siren-hatane)-Last Saturday at 10:28 PM

nods, taking a seat nearby

be safe, you two. er- three.

Cranberry [cranberry-skele]-Last Saturday at 10:28 PM

"Bye-bye." Waves to the departing skeletons.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:29 PM

"Th-Thanks-" He gets cut off by a little kitten sneeze, it seeming to frazzle him a bit until he snapped back.

Euphemia - [cartoonimal]-Last Saturday at 10:29 PM

"Aww!" she can't help it. That sneeze was too adorable.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:30 PM

He tries to sink into his jacket, forgetting it's not there as he grows a bit blue. "Y-You heard nothing."

Euphemia - [cartoonimal]-Last Saturday at 10:31 PM

"Hehe, sure thing Sans."

"Ahem. Anyway. I'll be back once I get them situated." she walks over to Swap and scoops him up

"You good, Sans?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:32 PM

"Y-Yeah." He nods a bit, still shivering but eager to be someplace warm.

Euphemia - [cartoonimal]-Last Saturday at 10:32 PM

she walks off toward the hotel room

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:33 PM

He follows behind

( Enter Hotel Room )

Euphemia [cartoonimal]-Last Saturday at 10:33 PM

Enters the room, carrying Swap

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:34 PM

Charm walks in, too, shivering still rather heavily. "Wh-Why does i-i-it have to be s-so cold?"

Euphemia [cartoonimal]-Last Saturday at 10:36 PM

"Because it's winter." and you were soaking wet for the entire night, she thought. But now wasn't the time for lecturing.

She sets Swap down on one of the beds and tucks him in, putting an extra blanket on for good measure. "You need anything else, Sans?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:37 PM

He shakes his head. "Th-Thanks for the help." he gives her a small smile before climbing into bed next to Swap, hoping to warm up some.

Euphemia [cartoonimal]-Last Saturday at 10:38 PM

"Okay. Just, text if you need anything, all right?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:39 PM

He nods again, curling up some before letting out another small sneeze.

Euphemia [cartoonimal]-Last Saturday at 10:40 PM

she smiles at the sneeze "see you later. Try to sleep it off."

she heads back to the carnival

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 10:40 PM

He nods, trying to fall asleep,

He shakes Swap a little bit. "S-Swap? Are you okay?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Saturday at 11:11 PM

He poked him a bit. "Swap?"

He sighs, getting out of the bed and making his way to the bathroom, running some nice warm water into the bathtub and getting in, relaxing and almost falling asleep.

After a little bit, Sans got out grabbing a towel to dry off. After a little bit he peaked out, making sure that Swap was still asleep (for some damn reason) before going to look for clothes. After a while he found one of Swap's and put it on, it draping a few inches lower than his normal shirts.

He went over to his friend, laying a hand on his and was surprised at how cold it was. "Hmm.." He went back and turned the hot water back on before returning to the bed side, trying to figure out how he was going to do this. As carefully as he could he dragged Swap out of bed, letting him semi-roughly land on the pillow cushion he made on the floor. He then proceeded to drag him the rest of the way to the bathroom, and into the tub. He didn't bother even trying to get Swap's clothes off. He hoped this would warm him up.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Saturday at 11:59 PM

Swap visibly relaxed in the warm water, the nightmares of snowstorms fading for nicer memories. He didn't wake up just yet but there was a little spark of magic as his soul started to bring feeling back to his body.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 12:01 AM

He smiled a bit at the sparks, glad that there was some kind of indication. He leaned against the side of the tub, playing with a rubix cube he kept with him in case he got bored. He hummed a little tune as well.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 12:26 AM

Swap slipped further in the water, he didn't have to breathe so it wasn't really a problem. He started to wake up to a lighter sleep as his dreams were filled with someone's humming.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 12:27 AM

Charm didn't notice, too focused on solving the puzzle for the third time by now. The humming slowly progressed into full on singing.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 1:13 AM

Swap drifted mostly awake. He was still in a daze, just feeling the warmth and listening to the singing like it was a dream. A very nice one. After a bit he tried to hum along softly but it was very off tune.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 1:17 AM

He jumped a bit when he heard Swap singing, growing blue a bit as he turned to look over at him in the tub. "Morning, swap!"

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 1:34 AM

Oh...Charm was talking to him. "heya....." he wanted to go back to sleep but he suddenly remembered what had happened the other night and sat up quickly. Oh he was in a tub. And his clothes were soaking wet. At least it was warm water. And better than if Charm had took them off he guessed. He looked over at said skeleton making sure he was ok. "what...how did I get here?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 1:37 AM

"Euphie carried you into the room. I, er, I dragged you into the tub. You were really cold so I thought it might help?" Other than his hands which still held some damage from the other day he looked fine. Actually, probably really cute in Swap's shirt, it serving as a gown more than anything. "It seems like it did at least." Sans smiled, he was really glad Swap was okay.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 1:52 AM

Swap stared at him for a long moment wondering why he looked off. It took him far too long to realize Charm was wearing his shirt. "um thanks." A grin creeped on his face. "is that my shirt?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 1:57 AM

He looked down for a second, a small blush appearing. "U-Uh, yeah? All my clothes were wet and I don't keep any here so I just grabbed the smallest shirt I could find." He hoped Swap didn't mind. He could always run down to the gift shop and get something, although he would really prefer to do that with pants on.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 2:19 AM

Swap leaned on the side of the tub with a wide smile. "you look adorable in it! it makes you seem so tiny!" He kinda wanted to pick him up in a hug but he was soaking wet still. He thought he'd seen Charm wear that before. His smile fell a bit when he remembered. It was after he'd been injured and Swap had cleaned the dust off of him. He didn't have any clothes in Sans' size so he just grabbed some of his own. Still, he looked cute in the oversized clothes. Swap reached over a booped right above where his nose would be. "you should wear my clothes more often!"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 2:30 AM

He got bit bluer, his smile falling into more of a pout. "I am tiny. Compared to everyone else, at least." He was a bit concerned when his friend's smile fell, even if it was only a bit. His concern vanished when he was booped and he leaned back a bit out of instinct, his eye lights going cross eyed for a second. "Most of my clothes are already too big for me so there isn't too much of a difference between mine and yours. And wouldn't it be weird if I wore your clothes a lot?"

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 2:40 AM

"ya know, if ya want better fitting clothes I can make some for ya! I'm pretty good at sewing. and as for you wearing my clothes-" he paused for a moment and put a hand to his chin as if in thought. "it's not really weird if brothers borrow each other's clothing is it? I mean, I don't borrow paps' clothes because he never washes them and they're always sticky from honey, but still."

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 2:44 AM

"I can sew, too. I just don't have time. I made most of Ari's clothes, after all." he paused for a second himself to think a bit about it too. "Well, I'm pretty sure Wrenne would start to question. And if either of us tried to wear our Pap's clothing we would be drowned in it." he chuckled a bit, only for it to be cut off by a little cute kitten sneeze. Surprisingly, it was enough to send him falling back a bit into more of a sitting position.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 3:21 AM

Swap started mentally planning a sewing party. True Wrenne would probably start questioning things if they wore each other's clothing. That could lead to some awkwardness. Although it would totally be worth it. He was about to comment how he'd probably look really funny in Papyrus' hoodie when Charm sneezed. Swap's eye lights sparkled as little stars. "oh my gosh! you sneeze like a kitten!"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 3:24 AM

He got a lot more flustered when Swap pointed out his sneeze. He shrunk into the shirt a bit, that seemed to be his signature escape method, as he pouted at Swap. "No I don't! You heard nothing!" he was apparently very guarded of his sneezes.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 3:32 AM

"oh I heard something alright! And it was adorable!" Yep. Charm was lucky that Swap was soaking wet or he'd be snuggled by now. Swap started to get uncomfortable with the fabric clinging to him. Not to mention that his shoes were still on and filled with water. He untied his bandanna and set it to the side, pulling off his gloves to join it. He didn't really care about Sans seeing the hole in his hand. "you didn't get a cold did you?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 3:37 AM

He pouted more, just pulling his knees to his chest. "I can get you a towel if you want." He noticed him taking off his accessory clothing and he didn't know what to make of it -- whether it was a sign of discomfort or what. "Nah, I didn't get a co-" As soon as he began saying it he let off on a small fit of coughs. He shook his head a bit. "I didn't get one."

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 3:44 AM

Swap started to get worried. Cute sneezes were one thing but coughs were another. "um....yeah, a towel would be nice...ya sure you aren't sick?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 3:45 AM

"Yeah, I'm fine." he reassured getting up to grab a towel before returning to hand it to him. He let out a few more coughs that got muffled by his arm.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 3:51 AM

Swap pulled the plug on the drain to empty the tub. "hmmmm...if ya say so." He wasn't buying it. "uhhh could ya maybe...get me some dry clothes to change into?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 3:53 AM

"Sure." he left the towel on the rack and left the room again, finding what he assumed (correctly) was Swap's clothes. He put them on the bathroom counter, picking up his rubix cube and leaving again so he could change. He sat on the edge of the bed, doing the puzzle once again but this time it was also filled with pauses to cough.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 4:04 AM

Swap quickly got dried and changed into dry clothes. He didn't feel cold anymore which was a huge relief. He peeked out of the bathroom before trotting over to sit next to Sans. "that cough doesn't sound good. are you cold? do you want a blanket or something?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 4:10 AM

He didn't look up from the cube as Swap sat down. "You don't need to worry, Swap. I'm fine- cough I promise. And even if I wasn't you don't need to worry. You've done enough of that for me lately, anyways. I don't want to give you a soul attack or something." he have him a small tired smile before he lurched into another fit.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 4:15 AM

Swap only got more worried and pulled the other into a hug. "hey hey! I'm here to help remember? I'll worry either way and I'd feel a lot better if I could help you feel better." He felt Sans' forehead for signs of fever. "anyway, we can't have a sick prince!"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 4:24 AM

He leaned a bit on Swap, his smile becoming a bit more genuine at his words. It was kind of relieving to have someone like that around. His skull was slightly warm, it didn't seem too bad... Yet. He was about to answer when he let out another, more powerful kitten sneeze, some cyan magic fluid dripping a bit from his nasal cavity.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 4:29 AM

Swap made a slightly grossed out face at the fluid. He didn't know skeletons could do that. Although Charm could also 'bleed' so it wasn't too weird. "yeah you're sick. you need uh...tissues or something?"

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 4:34 AM

He nodded a bit, not bothering to deny his sickness at this point. He rubbed at the fluid with his arm, it rubbing off but quickly came back. "Dammit," he even sounded nasally, "can't use magic but it sure can come out of me, can't it? Ugh." He was clearly upset with it.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 4:40 AM

Swap grabbed a blanket and draped it on Charm's shoulders. "it's kinda gross actually. doesn't take away from your charm though!" He kissed the top of Charm's head.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 4:48 AM

"Yeah, no kidding." he pouted a bit more at the kiss and small pun. "This is all of my so-called 'charm,' leaking magic and determination all over the place while constantly getting sick and being useless." he shrunk a bit, turning the cube in his hands.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 4:59 AM

Swap gently nuzzled him. "you're not useless! you've just had a rough spot recently. which...is my fault. but that aside I think you're charming even when you're all gross. just...perhaps slightly less so. but it's not like you can help that." He wasn't helping was he? "um...are you tired? we can take a nap if you want."

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 5:04 AM

He wiped at his eyes a bit, whether if it was to fighting back emotions or tiredness was impossible to tell. "Y-Yeah, I-I know.. I just want things to go back to normal." he muttered, looking up at Swap a bit before at the bed. "Y-Yeah. A nap sounds nice."

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 5:13 AM

Swap sighed. He wanted things to go back to normal too. He wanted Sans to be back to his normal proud grumpy self. But he was also thankful for the friendship they had. He hoped that would stay. "alright then. I'm getting a little tired myself." He snuggled under the covers and patted the place next to him as a for signal Sans to join.

Charm - [aglitchandagrump]-Last Sunday at 5:18 AM

With a small smile he crawled over, more or less forming a little sickly ball that wiggled under the covers. He partially hugged a pillow as his head lay on it. He let out a small yawn, and another cough or two before he was out in a matter of minutes.

SciSwap [SecondQuill]-Last Sunday at 5:23 AM

Swap snuggled close to the smaller skeleton and fell asleep with fond memories dancing through his mind.

#Scientific Positivity: Chrono #| The Doc Is In |: RP #islandevent #island event #~A Different Kind of Science~ aglitchandagrump 💙#long post #ic

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