#like they're fuzzy creatures and i love it

[zivazivc]

“Floyd, could you sing to me?”

The big brother looked up from where he was tucking the blanket under Branch’s feet. “Sure thing,” he said with a light smile.  “What would you like to hear? A lullaby?”

“I don’t know,” Branch mumbled as he nestled his head into the pillow. “You choose.”

Floyd could still see a crease of worry between his baby brother’s brows. He softly brushed a thumb over it in a silent reassurance that everything was going to be okay before he turned around to reach for their dad’s old guitar.

I think Floyd would often sing to Branch to get him to fall asleep, usually the songs and lullabies their parents sang when the older four were still little.

I know in the movie it seemed like they all left right after their fight, but I like to imagine that they just stormed off to cool off and that they actually left in the following days. And that this was the last song Floyd sang for Branch that night. :')

Both Sides Now (specifically this cover by Voncken) Rows and flows of angel hair And ice cream castles in the air And feather canyons everywhere I've looked at clouds that way But now they only block the sun They snow and rain on everyone So many things I would've done But clouds got in the way I've looked at clouds from both sides now From up and down, and still somehow It's clouds’ illusions, I recall I really don't know clouds at all Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels The dizzy dancin' way you feel When every fairy tale comes real I've looked at love that way But now it's just another show You leave 'em laughin' as you go And if you care, don't let them know Don't give yourself away I've looked at love from both sides now From give and take, and still somehow It's love's illusions, I recall I really don't know love at all Tears and fears and feeling proud To say "I love you" right out loud Dreams and schemes and circus crowds I've looked at life that way But now my friends, they’re acting strange They shake their heads, and say I've changed Well, something's lost, but something's gained In living life each day I've looked at life from both sides now From up and down And give and take And win and lose, and still somehow It's life's illusions, I recall I really don't know life... I really don't know life at all

#trolls #dreamworks trolls #i think their mom used to sing this one to them #john dory standing behind the door listening in like 🙄. . .🧍‍♂️(😢😭) . . . pff whatever... 😒🚶‍♂️ #trolls floyd #trolls branch #baby branch #trolls band together #trolls fanart #dw trolls #my art #illustration #i love drawing trolls because i can play so much with textures #like they're fuzzy creatures and i love it #that light bug thing is there bc i needed a light source and i didn't want to draw a lamp #both sides now #i am very soft and emotional about this song don't ask why #joni mitchell #floyd feels like such an old soul #you know he sings john lennon songs #trolls spoilers #i have so many more thoughts about that fight/post fight but i will shut up for now

[pollyanna-nana]

Louie isn’t evil.

Or: what Pikmin 4 tells us about his character.

BIG WARNING FOR PIKMIN 4 SPOILERS! (and the rest of the series)

———

I want to preface this by saying that I am in no way trying to be the end-all, be-all of character interpretations, but Pikmin 4 to me, at least, confirms the suspicions I’ve had since playing Pikmin 2 and 3 all those years ago that Louie ISN’T secretly evil, or possessed, or whatever else. He’s just… Louie. And I think that’s interesting in and of itself.

1. Olimar himself vouches for him, and clearly doesn’t think he’s a bad person.

Say what you will, but I’m inclined to think Olimar is a decent judge of character. Clearly he’s worked with Louie for enough time to see that while he’s not very good at his job, he’s not intentionally so— at least not in a malevolent way (will get more into this later). He also wants you to forgive him for Olimar’s sake, which can be read as self-sacrificing (as Olimar is known to be) but I also think hints at the soft spot he has for Louie.

It's also worth noting that he states during a end-of-day conversation that he told Louie that, since he's a new employee, he should do everything Olimar does... including throw castaways into the onion. Interesting that Louie took this so literally, but it does provide an explanation for why he kidnapped the Koppaites beyond "he's evil and crazy".

2. He really, REALLY loves his grandma.

Like, wow. He talks about her SO MUCH both in his Piklopedia entries and also elsewhere in the game. It's interesting. Worth noting is that he never mentions any other family members- unlike Olimar, who talks about his wife and each of his children independently. I've said this before, but the content of a lot of these entries implies to me that Louie was mainly raised by his grandma, likely since birth. And given some of her emails in Pikmin 2, assuming they're also canon to Pikmin 4's timeline... Well, Louie certainly had an interesting upbringing. But he clearly loves her all the same.

3. He has a mischievous streak and tends to do things on impulse.

This was already fairly obvious from the previous games, but I think it's worth noting that this game confirms that he's... would immature be the right word? In any regard, he doesn't seem to see himself as a "grown-up"- when in all likelihood he is. Personally, as a 22-year-old, I find that pretty relatable as I often think of myself as younger when in reality I am by all definitions an adult. This, along with his grandma still being around, makes it pretty much certain that Louie is a lot younger than Olimar and the president, likely in his early to mid twenties. Being a bit of a goofball isn't really out of the ordinary, all things considered.

THAT BEING SAID, he's clearly capable of practicing self-restraint when he wants to. What he says here about the red Pikmin is pretty significant, since we know he's willing to eat just about anything- but clearly he has some reservations about creatures that are friendly and helpful. Which leads to...

4. He loves dogs and fluffy things.

Same. But he doesn't even consider eating Moss, Oatchi or the Ancient Sirehound, showing that his creature-eating habits stop at things he recognizes as useful. He clearly also holds affection for things that are soft and fuzzy, and says as much.

5. He is so autism.

He plays with fidget toys. He loves certain textures and sounds. This guy is stimming all over PNF-404!!! I think this also lends some explanation for why his behavior is what it is- things like taking Olimar's suggestion to do as he does super literally even after crashing on an alien planet, his hyperfixation on cooking and tendency not to communicate and incorrectly interpret situations (thinking the Koppaites are kidnappers in 3, running away from you in 4). He could even be low or no empathy as well, explaining why it takes a hot minute to get him to understand why people are upset with him about something.

Interestingly this game also makes it clear that Louie wants to live on the planet, or at least thought he did while you were chasing him down, which makes a lot of sense when you consider that he doesn't really seem to fit in back on Hocotate. I, too, wish to run away to an alien world with all of the things that I like and no other people, so I get you, Louie.

6. He hates his boss and his job, and the golden pikpik carrot incident was likely premeditated.

This probably looks bad, but honestly? As a fellow work-hating anti-capitalist schmuck I get it. The president is for all intents and purposes a huge asshole, from sending Olimar straight back to the planet after selling his ship to not caring that Louie got left behind, just wanting to find the rest of the treasures. I doubt he is very kind to his employees, and doesn't seem very good at running the business. Definitely a funny character, but if he were my boss I would absolutely want to punt him into the sun.

From some other entries he clearly wants to sell certain things to accrue money, but it's for things like getting better kitchen tools and following his dream to have his own cooking show. Clearly being a freight driver isn't what Louie actually wants to do with his life, and he could not give less of a shit about what happens to the company. Very short-sighted on his part, but also again, yeah I get you Louie.

7. He... doesn't like the color red for some reason.

Honestly, I'm not even really sure what to make of this. Is it because it reminds him of the Hocotate ship? Or does he just not like the color? Would be very interesting considering that it's Olimar's signature color. Perhaps that's at least part of why he attacks you in Pikmin 2- though that's speculation for another day.

Also funny to me is his comments on the black-colored treasures. We know blue is his favorite color, but I guess he's also a bit of a goth at heart. Lol.

In conclusion.

I think Louie isn't written or intended to be evil, and Pikmin 4's portrayal of him was intentionally written to confirm this. He's just, as some have said, an agent of chaos, but that doesn't make him a bad person. Just an autistic 20-something working a shitty job he doesn't care about, who loves his grandma and has a mischievous streak and a hyperfixation on food. At least from what I can interpret, ymmv!

#polly speaks #pikmin #pikmin 4 spoilers #pikmin spoilers #pikmin 4 #pikmin 2 #pikmin 3 #louie pikmin #olimar pikmin #character analysis #I guess #I dunno I mostly just wanted to put all this shit together in my brain but I guess other people can see it too haha #This is a non exhaustive list btw I just had a limit to how many images I wanted to wrangle but maybe I'll add on to this in the future #for now uh. Enjoy my weird rambling about the pikmin gremlin

[hellsitegenetics]

Well since you mention valentine's professions of love, I think it wouldn't be right if I didn't take this chance to extoll the virtues of moths. Firstly, they're adorable. Some of them are really fuzzy and have cute antennae. The rosy maple moth and the common silk moth are both very very cute. Secondly, (as this blog proves again and again) there are SO MANY of them in such a huge variety that you're bound to come across one that tickles your fancy! Take the Atlas Moth for example! It's got a wing span of nearly 25cm! That's like the size of a small bird! (You have no idea how much I want to pet a large moth species. Not the caterpillars though. Never touch random caterpillars. In fact, some moth caterpillars have hairs and stuff that you definitely do not want to touch due to them being poisonous.) Thirdly, moths are culturally and historically important! Silk has been a major industry for centuries upon centuries. The techniques of silk production and the actual moths themselves are the subject of myths in various cultures. They were once so jealously and secretively guarded that there are legends of how they came to be spread to different parts of Asia. I cannot stress how big of a deal silk was throughout the history of the world and how the trade of silk influenced international relations for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Oh and the thing is, common silk moths aren't the only silk-producing moth! There are several moths in the Saturniidae family that make cocoons of silk which are also used in modern, commercial silk production -- some of which don't result in the death of the chrysalid.

Look, I know whatever string of nucleotides this ramble produces will not end up matching the genetic sequence of a moth, because that's just how these things work but... I hope that people will look upon all the moths that do show up going forth with a fond and grateful eye because moths are truly magnificent creatures. Happy Valentine's Day!

String identified:

c t at' , t t 't gt 't ta t cac t t t t t. t, t' aa. t a a a a ct ata. T a t a t c t a t ct. c, (a t g aga a aga) t a A t c a g at tat ' t c ac tat tc ac! Ta t Ata t a! t' gt a g a a 25c! Tat' t a a ! ( a a c at t t a ag t c. t t cata tg. tc a cata. act, t cata a a a t tat t t at t tc t t g .) T, t a cta a tca tat! a a a t ct ct. T tc ct a t acta t t a t ct t a ct. T c a a ct ga tat t a g t ca t a t t at Aa. cat t g a a a tgt t t t a t ta c tata at , t ta a. a t tg , c t a't t -cg t! T a a t t ata a tat a cc c a a , cca ct -- c 't t t at t ca.

, at tg ct t a c t atcg t gtc c a t, ca tat' t t tg t… tat a t t tat gg t t a a gat ca t a t agct cat. a at' a!

Closest match: Parapoynx stratiotata genome assembly, chromosome: 8 Common name: Ringed China-mark

#tumblr genetics #genetics #asks #requests #sent to me #moths #bugs #insects #valentines day #YOU GOT IT!!!

[heartfullofleeches]

Hey did you ever end up posting that yandere plants one with the bee reader and I missied it?? Was looking forward to that one

(I have not. A drable for you, chief)

The queen has requested another harvest.

What impeccable timing.

Climbing from rubble and frayed vines, vegetation and ash falls from your hair and shoulders. Extra care is put into your wings as you brush them off for the flight ahead. Held by a loose spine, you blow the decades of dust off your new find - kicking spray particles into the air. Through water eyes you read the books cover - fuzzy tension building at the base of your nose.

It's another picture book.

They're going to love this one-

"Ahh... Achoo!... 'Cuse me."

Apologizing to the thin air around you, you unhook the fine straps of your satchel and toss the book inside. You turn your gaze to the hole in the ceiling as your wings flutter, feet kick-starting your ascent as you rise. The mellowed glow of the fog casted sun greets you first as you exit; a jungle of greenery and constructs waiting the earth below and as far as the eye could see. You climb up onto the ledge of the building and leap off into a nose dive for the ground - wings swooping into mobility before your body hits the trees. Flying lose did have its risks, but nothing beats the floral air in your hair when heading home - reminding you of those counting on your return.

Scouting the known galaxy for resources, your crew landed on this planet in a time you no longer recall accurately. Overtaken by plants of all variety, it seemed like the perfect harvest - until it wasn't. As unaccounted cargo, you were sparred the horrors they faced at the hands of the planet's few remaining natives. Asleep during the bloodbath you woke crowd by the new inhabitants of this land - sentient creatures grown from rich soil and crimes against anatomy.

Their creators feared what they had created and went to war destroying what they had birthed with their own hands - wiped out in the end by their superior strengths and numbers. Despite this carnage, they were a peaceful race and tried to rescue your crew, but failed. Finding your journals tucked into your sleeping arms they enlisted your aid as a florist in the upkeep of what remains of their home in exchange for their pollen and a roof over your head.

Base in sight, you speed through the thick fog in your descent to its open doors. A planetarium with an open ceiling has come your home in this time. You missed your comfy bed, but a hammock under the stars surrounded by those you now held dear was just as nice. You enter the building, breath fleeing as your snatched from behind. Not a step through the door and you're suspended in the air at the waist by hanging vines.

"And just where have you been, my sneaky little pest?"

Thorn-like claws grace your cheek, curving up to the crown of your head where they cautiously prod at your sensitive antennae. Amused, they chitter in delight as you struggle in your blinds - most likely held by another member of the collective. Beyond the palms of their woven hands, this one was covered near entirely in stained prickles. Violet petals spiked from the upper half of their hair and draped over their mocking grin

"You know you aren't allowed to leave without a guide. What ever would we do if our heart was taken by those savages, hm? I think a punishment is in order, don't you?"

"Seems so if they can't obey simple rules. With that lovely picture on knot tying they brought us the other day, I'm sure we can get up to lots of fun before the others figure out where we are."

Lowered closer to the floor, strong arms embrace you from behind and lead your head against their chest. Small, hanging buds sprouted up the lengths of their arms mark their class - their reddish yellow hue staking their typing. Cooing ever so cloyingly sweet in your ear, it rubs the humanoid half of its face against your cheek.

"You were scheduled to start the day with us. Don't you love us anymore? We may not be as approachable at the others, but we adore you all the same."

You swallow hard, trapped between a wall and thorns. "Thistle.... Honeysuckle.. but I can never find you two."

"But we're always watching. Can't let you get into trouble. Or pick a favorite. If you accept us as your guards for the rest of the week maybe we'll let you go. If not...."

The vines tighten around your hips - released almost instantly as they're snipped by an unseen party. You stumble forward, caught and picked up by another pair of arms.

"What have I told you two about picking on them? One more time and I'm sending you both to the greenhouse.... Are you alright, darling?"

Bright as the golden sun, their petals almost blind you as you look up. The leader, and the first floral creature you met - Marigold was your sworn protector even from those with you in their care. A strict, yet understanding calm to the storm life in the compound was. As they set you down, Thistle scoffs.

"Always the spotlight stealer. Would you keep it down before the others realized they've returned?"

It's a bit too late for that.

"Y/n? Y/n back?!"

"Oh, I was so worried I fear I may start wilting!"

"Y/n, Y/n! We have a ripe patch of peaches for you!"

From the shadows of the trees and handmade structures comes the entire horde. They push through each other getting to you and overwork your brain with their chatter. Over a dozen bodies crowded around your lone figure. Through the sea, the shortest of them swims through the crowd and manages their way up to you - head centered at your navel. Head cocked, they seem to be staring to your lips.

"Cuckoo? Is everything alright?"

They smile. Grabbing your shirt, you're bent forward into an open mouth kiss. All the commotion ceases immediately as a wave of surprises washes over them all. Patting the walls of your cheeks their segmented tongue, Cuckoo only pulls away when they're torn from you. Lifting the smaller flower by its shoulders, Thistle clenches their teeth tight.

"What on earth was that?"

The question was genuine. None of them were fully traversed in the act of kissing beyond brief tellings in the books you brought to learn more about the planet left behind for them. Agriculture and construction were common reads, but if they got lucky you'd find old story books, comics and novels. Cuckoo holds up a page from one of those very stories - the couple displayed entangled in a heat of passion with lips locked. Heads staring over their shoulder snap in your direction. You'd used the direction to scramble away and travel further into their lair.

"I wanna try..."

Even Marigold couldn't save you now. Taking advantage of your gift of flight, you dart into the air aiming for the second floor where your bedroom stood.

"I would love to help you all, but I need to get started on my letter for my queen. She has requested more pollen, and I wasn't able to get one out in the last run. As soon as it's out of the way, I can come back and we can - Ah!"

Fashioning a lasso from their vines, you're dragged down into the frenzy with no escape in the near future. As is your life with the horde.

-

A queen sits alone on her throne. Letter opener gripped in her palm, she stabs it though her throne as the words describing your escapade slash through her heart. Stomping the battered floor, her veil of submission cracks.

"This has gone on for too long. My garden is in shambles and so will this kingdom until their return."

The servant at her feet keeps their voice low. "My queen... Their service there is doing quite the opposite. Our reserves are at maximum capacity and with the treaty there's no need for war and needless casualties. I know of your bond and I am sorry for your lost."

Like an arrow, the queen's dagger rips through the air and anchors in the wall behind the servant. Golden blood beads in a line across their cheek. Unbridled rage and disgust seeps from her icy glare like poison. She refuses to look directly in their eye, staring off at the shoulders behind them.

"Get. This. Traitor- OUT. RIP THEIR WINGS AND LEAVE THEM FOR DEAD. if they aren't on my wall by dawn, I will take yours as payment."

Eyes wide, the servant lunges for her robes as the guards take their arms. "My lady, please! You cannot do this! I was trying to make things better! Y/n will never forgive you!"

She spits.

"And cut out their tongue."

Screams echoing down the halls, the queen curls up in her throne - clutching the pillow you kept every night and the flower you sent in your distress. Her sweet idiot of a bumblebee. Why did you have to run off? Sure she was stressed, but with her prized florist and sweet little bumblebee she could've conquered the universe. Someday you'll be in her arms and garden again - laughing the night and dawn away.

Someday

#Added queeny because I remembered you asking for one #yandere x you #yandere headcanons #yandere oc #yandere imagines #yandere insert #yandere scenarios #yandere x reader #yandere blurb #yandere harem #yandere teratophilia #tw yandere #yandere writing #female yandere #yandere

[poppy-metal]

fake dating au jordan when you reveal your feelings to them for the first time….!!!!!!! you’re starting to have a harder time keeping your feelings for them a secret because everything is starting to feel so so real. after one too many drinks at a party you end up leaving them a lengthy voicemail where the “i love you” just slips out, but jordan’s so nervous to let somebody in and get too close. they wanna love you the way you deserve but they’re so scared to lose you :(

stop the potential angst,,,,, because they dont acknowledge it. and your memory is fuzzy and you dont know if its a dream or if it actually happened, and you're going a little insane not knowing if you spilled your guts or not and jordan is as cool as ever. then that starts to hurt, because you're becoming more sure it was real, you did drunkenly confess your love, and they just dont care. or they're letting you down easy. so you start to stew and get quiet. by the time you're alone with jordan you're a ball of nerves and you just - throw yourself on their bed dramatically.

"god, just do it!!" you moan into their pillows. they have the softest fucking pillows. "reject me so i can kill myself and move on."

jordan just slowly toes off their shoes, takes their time putting their keys up, shouldering their jacket off. the bed dips as they sit above you against the headboard.

"I'm not rejecting you, you fucking weirdo." they knock their knee against your head. "come up here and talk to me. you've been pouting all day and its fucking with me."

you crawl over to them, but stop short to burry your head in their stomach, wrap around them like a koala - or a sloth. some cute creature that seeks and needs warmth.

"m'not pouting." you pout.

you feel their hand drop down on top of your head, ringed fingers carding through your hair softly. "so," they start. "someone got a little drunk last night."

you groan. "god. do we need to talk about it? i already said everything.... and you didn't. didn't call me back. or mention it all day. so its fine. lets just forget it."

they tug on your hair, you wince, they have it fisted enough to pull your head up so they can look at you.

"you fucking dropped an 'i love you' on me, dude. i needed time to process that shit." their pearl chain necklace shifts as they play with it, "I'm not fucking rejecting you though, so calm the fuck down."

they press their thumb to your bottom lip, till it drops open for them, "stop pouting."

you pout more. "so. you're not leaving me?"

rolled eyes. "no." but then they look down at you, serious. "i dont - i dont know how I feel about you. but you're not someone i can just toss aside like nothing. you're important to me. okay?"

it does sting a little, to not hear the words back but you know jordan is scared. love is a big deal for them - its not something they can just hand out. you know you're already more important to them than any other situationship they've had before.

"okay." you tell them.

#ask #jordan li x reader #little do u know they ARE in love with you they are just emotionally stunted

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

Foul legacy going to the aquarium pls pls pls

pspspspspssss i need to know where you found that art. totally for science yep mhm

Foul Legacy would absolutely LOVE the aquarium- his species is adapted to be able to dive several hundred feet and hunt in the ocean, so he's definitely got some sea beast in him. he looooooves getting to see all the fish and animals up close, ones that would usually swim away from him if he approached them in the open sea- he's particularly fond of jellyfish, the way that they bloop and float around makes him chitter and purr (and obviously he likes whales but whales are a little too big for most aquariums). OH and if the aquarium you go to has the otters you can find in Fontaine, Legacy will lose his mind, he adores those fuzzy creatures since they're cute and friendly and like to follow him around when he goes for a swim. despite his intimidating demeanor, he's almost completely silent as he watches the fish swim around in their enclosures, his crystalline eye glowing faintly. the only sound he makes is a faint rumble, his whole body vibrating ever so slightly with happiness

you know that area that every aquarium inevitably has that's really quiet and peaceful and a little dark? that's your favorite spot in the entire building, it's perfect to just sit and relax for a while, the water and dim light casting odd, shifting shadows onto the floor. you sit on a bench and Legacy's quick to pull you onto his lap, wrapping his arms around your waist and settling his head on your shoulder, watching the fish drift by in the tank before you. after a moment you feel him gently nip at your cheek and hair- will you go swimming with him afterwards? all this water is making him energetic, and he wants nothing more than to explore the depths! don't worry, he'll keep you safe, he is an Abyssal beast, after all <3

#genshin impact #childe #tartaglia #foul legacy #foul legacy childe #genshin tartagalia #genshin childe #genshin tartaglia #his species is like penguins see #they don't live in the water but they spend a lot of time in it #that's part of the reason childe took his vacation in fontaine #because foul legacy was so excited about the water and going swimming #short scenario #good evening #ahhhh i have something important tomorrow im nervousssss

[lingthusiasm]

Lingthusiasm Episode 87: If I were an irrealis episode

Language lets us talk about things that aren't, strictly speaking, entirely real. Sometimes that's an imaginative object (is a toy sword a real sword? how about Excalibur?). Other times, it's a hypothetical situation (such as "if it rains, we'll cancel the picnic" - but neither the picnic nor the rain have happened yet. And they might never happen. But also they might!). Languages have lots of different ways of talking about different kinds of speculative events, and together they're called the irrealis.

In this episode, your hosts Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne get enthusiastic about some of our favourite examples under the irrealis umbrella. We talk about various things that we can mean by "reality", such as how existing fictional concepts, like goblins playing Macbeth, differ from newly-constructed fictions, like our new creature the Frenumblinger. We also talk about hypothetical statements using "if" (including the delightfully-named "biscuit conditionals), and using the "if I were a rich man" (Fiddler on the Roof) to "if I was a rich girl" (Gwen Stefani) continuum to track the evolution of the English subjunctive. Finally, a few of our favourite additional types of irrealis categories: the hortative, used to urge or exhort (let's go!), the optative, to express wishes and hopes (if only...), the dubitative, for when you doubt something, and the desiderative (I wish...).

Read the transcript here.

Announcements:

Thank you to everyone who shared Lingthusiasm with a friend or on social media for our seventh anniversary! It was great to see what you love about Lingthusiasm and which episodes you chose to share. We hope you enjoyed the warm fuzzies!

In this month’s bonus episode, Gretchen gets enthusiastic about swearing (including rude gestures) in fiction with science fiction and fantasy authors Jo Walton and Ada Palmer, authors of the Thessaly books and Terra Ignota series, both super interesting series we've ling-nerded out about before on the show. We talk about invented swear words like "frak" and "frell", sweary lexical gaps (why don't we swear with "toe jam!"), and interpreting the nuances of regional swear words like "bloody" in fiction.

Join us on Patreon now to get access to this and 80+ other bonus episodes! You’ll also get access to the Lingthusiasm Discord server where you can chat with other language nerds.

Here are the links mentioned in the episode:

'Irrealis' entry on Wikipedia

'How do you get someone to care about Shakespeare? Two words: Goblin Macbeth' on CBC

xkcd comic 'Conditionals'

'Pedantic about biscuit conditionals' post on Language Log

'The pragmatics of biscuit conditionals' by Michael Franke

Lingthusiasm episode 'This time it gets tense - The grammar of time'

'Realis and Irrealis: Forms and concepts of the grammaticalisation of reality' by Jennifer R. Elliott

'If all the raindrops' on YouTube

'If I Were a Rich Man (song)' entry on Wikipedia

'Rich Girl (Gwen Stefani song)' entry on Wikipedia

'Louchie Lou & Michie One' entry on Wikipedia

'Louchie Lou & Michie One - Rich Girl' on YouTube

'Semi-Toned - Rich Girl (acapella)' on YouTube

'Subjunctive mood' entry on Wikipedia

'Céline Dion - Pour que tu m'aimes encore' on YouTube

WALS entry for 'Feature 73A: The Optative'

Lingthusiasm bonus episode 'How we make Lingthusiasm transcripts - Interview with Sarah Dopierala'

Lingthusiasm episode 'Listen to the imperatives episode'

'Dubitative' entry on Wikipedia

'A grammatical overview of Yolmo (Tibeto-Burman)' entry on WikiJournal of Humanities

You can listen to this episode via Lingthusiasm.com, Soundcloud, RSS, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also download an mp3 via the Soundcloud page for offline listening.

To receive an email whenever a new episode drops, sign up for the Lingthusiasm mailing list.

You can help keep Lingthusiasm ad-free, get access to bonus content, and more perks by supporting us on Patreon.

Lingthusiasm is on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Mastodon, and Tumblr. Email us at contact [at] lingthusiasm [dot] com

Gretchen is on Bluesky as @GretchenMcC and blogs at All Things Linguistic.

Lauren is on Bluesky as @superlinguo and blogs at Superlinguo.

Lingthusiasm is created by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. Our senior producer is Claire Gawne, our production editor is Sarah Dopierala, our production assistant is Martha Tsutsui Billins, and our editorial assistant is Jon Kruk. Our music is ‘Ancient City’ by The Triangles.

This episode of Lingthusiasm is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license (CC 4.0 BY-NC-SA).

#language #linguistics #lingthusiasm #episode 87 #podcasts #episodes #irrealis #morphology #syntax #semantics #mood #if I was a rich girl #if I were a rich man #SoundCloud

[ctitan98official]

Alcina is a motherly vampire bat (Batcina AU) part 1

Alcina as a cute (But huge) vampire bat with fuzzy fur... So warm T^T This is an age-regression/lactation fic with platonic love between Alcina and Y/N. If that's not your jam, no worries. But otherwise? Read on! Alcina is so motherly in this one and I can't get this idea out of my head. I also did some research on vampire bats and they're really cute, in my opinion (I love bats). I imagine that Alcina can also turn into her human form, she just chose to be a bat to keep the girls safe. Let's get into it!

You were tired. It had been a long trek up the mountain and it was freezing cold. The tattered clothes that clung to your frail body did little to help keep you warm. But you had to do this. If you conquered the beast that lived in this cave, you would receive a big reward from the village's council. Then, you would be able to regularly buy food and other essentials. It was hard growing up with no family in an unforgiving environment like the village. You just wanted to have some security for once. This was your chance.

As you get closer to the cave, you feel... Warmth emanating from it. You would be lying if you said it wasn't sort of comforting.

You finally peek your head inside the cavern. What you do not expect to see, however, is the most gorgeous creature you had ever laid your eyes on.

A beautiful (But intimidating) bat-like figure was sitting elegantly near the back of the cave. Soft and luxurious-looking black fur emphasized the being's feminine curves. You get lost in your thoughts as you watch the bat for a moment, but suddenly, golden eyes flash in your direction and alert you that the creature had seen you.

You quickly back away before you hear a husky chuckle. "Well, who is this adorable little human?" The bat asks. Her voice... It is so smooth. Like a siren's song, you are drawn to the lovely sound of it. "Come to keep me company, little mouse?" She teases.

Your face burns at the bat's words. You weren't expecting a creature, that had terrorized the village for decades, to be so charming. You anxiously grip your battered sword tightly and hold it in a defensive position. It's your only weapon, and yet, as you look at the predatory being in front of you... It feels pretty useless.

The bat laughs at your rigid stance and small show of bravado. It's very cute. What you don't realize, is that the bat has no intentions of hurting you. She... Feels rather protective of you, actually. She had seen you making your way up her mountain a few hours ago. You are such a helpless little human. If she was so inclined, you could have easily been her next meal. However, it makes her maternal instincts flare up to see how tiny, but determined you are.

Her own baby bats had already grown up. They had recently made their way out into the world to start their own families, and while they do visit often… The bat continues to feel this desperate need to nurture. You are, unknowingly, going to be the recipient of her love and attention. She has already decided. "Now, it's not very polite to stare, little one. Come inside and get out of the cold." She tuts.

You blanch at the admonishing tone the bat's voice holds. For some reason, you're beginning to feel... Safe around her. You also have an irrational desire to gain her favor so you quickly do as she asks. The immediate warmth that surrounds you is blissful. Your body lets out a strong shiver as you acclimate to the temperature of the cave.

"Mm, that's better, little mouse." The bat says as you come closer. "Isn't it much cozier in here with me?" She asks.

You are too shy to look her in the eyes, so you keep your head down and nod silently.

"Bat got your tongue, little one?" The creature giggles at your adorable shyness. "Will you tell me your name?" She asks.

You clear your throat as you put your sword down and fidget with your hands. "Y-Y/N." You say quietly.

The bat coos at the sound of your voice. So soft and unsure. "Well, hello, Y/N." She grins. She feels satisfied at seeing you trust her enough to have put down your weapon. She flies over to you, slowly so as not to scare you.

As the bat moves closer, you realize that the heat in the cave is radiating directly from her. It's so welcoming in your exhausted state.

The bat is now right in front of you and she opens her wings, encircling you in them, before holding you up against her fuzzy front.

You have never felt safer. She's so soft and her heartbeat is a steady and fitting soundtrack to the gentle ambience of her cave. You can't help but sniffle as tears run down your cheeks. It feels so good to snuggle with her. You'd never had a mother to hold you when you were scared, but you imagine it can't be much different than this feeling right here. Screw the village council... You just want her...

The bat hums sadly at your tears. She leans down and nuzzles her face into your hair, breathing in your scent. You're her baby now, and she will protect you no matter what. The bat whispers reassurances in your ear and you calm down at her voice. "That's my good baby." She praises. She carefully reaches down to grab your collar in her mouth before she flaps her wings and carries you to the back of the cave. She settles down with you wrapped tightly in her wings and breathes out a completely contented sigh. She needed this. And you needed her.

You had a mama finally.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few weeks go by and your mama has been taking excellent care of you. She only leaves you to hunt. She'll nestle you in soft blankets she's found during her previous travels before kissing you and flying off. She returns frequently to check on you, only hunting for a few minutes at a time to make sure you are safe.

One of the most shocking developments you have learned is that she can nurse you! In fact, it's your only source of food now (Unless your mama can find some fruits or vegetables for you, too). Not long after she claimed you as her baby, her body got the message and began to produce lots of milk for you. It's warm, sweet and it helps you fall asleep.

Your mama feels euphoric as you feed from her. She purrs gently as she holds you and calmly watches you eat. It means a lot to her because she thought she would never get a chance to do this again.

One thing that you're still getting used to is the way she cleans you. She gives you tongue baths... Constantly.

For your mama, it's a way for her to bond with you and to make sure that you smell like her. She loves it.

You don't really understand why she insists on it. The warm and wet trails her tongue leaves on your skin feel kind of weird and ticklish. You don't hate it, but if you're feeling cranky or overly exhausted, you just want to cuddle in her fluffy fur. No bath.

However, no matter what you prefer, your mama’s instincts take over and she can't help herself. She needs to bathe you for her own sake just as much as yours.

You've started to fuss occasionally if she wakes you up to do it, though. In fact, this morning you threw a bit of a tantrum when she began grooming you as you slept.

You feel the familiar softness of her tongue beginning to lap at your hair and face. Your eyes blearily open to find her happily licking you. Seeing your mama first thing in the morning makes you so excited, but…You aren't in the mood for a bath right now and squirm in discomfort as you begin to whimper grumpily.

Your mama hums sadly at your frustrated sounds. She chitters softly as she grooms you to try to calm you down, but you are not having it.

Your eyes well up with tears and you begin to bawl. You just want to go back to sleep and snuggle.

Your mama is shocked. "What's wrong, baby?" She asks and rubs her face against your hair.

"No bath now!" You wail.

Her eyes go wide in confusion. Her babies always loved when she groomed them... "You don't want mama to clean you?" She asks.

You shake your head, burying your face in her chest.

Your mama has never been in a situation like this, but then again, she's never had a human baby before. You have different needs than a little bat and clearly waking you up to groom you is not what you want. She will definitely bathe you later, but for right now, she holds you close and hums a little melody to get you to fall asleep once more.

You calm at the softness of her voice and begin to doze off.

Your mama smiles as she holds you. She's still learning your preferences, but she loves getting to know these different sides of you. It's exciting to have a new baby to take care of. She is so grateful to have you now. You make her feel loved.

But, it will be interesting to see how her other babies will react to you when they come for a visit...

Masterlist

#re8 #re8 village #alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu x reader #alcina dimitrescu x y/n #lady dimitrescu x reader #lady dimitrescu x y/n #age regression #nonsexual age regression #re8 shitpost #breastfeeding #lactation #batcina au

[thelampisaflashlight]

I think it would be funny, if people entered the abbey's library expecting it to be all ominous and filled with horrors, and then they walk in and are immediately met by the children's section, which, like, it matches the décor of the room, but it's so much brighter and friendlier than they were expecting out the gate.

Like, yeah, the rest of the place is pretty fuckin' haunted looking, but then there's just this little area that's covered in foam tiles and vibrant colors, and all the children's books are, like... they're normal kids' books?

No "Hail Satan" and "Serve the dark lord" stuff either, like it's 100% just educational and fun books for the kiddos.

Like they even have story time.

The diversity of the stories being told is definitely wider, but overall?

The only difference between the abbey's library and a public one is that you sometimes have an eight foot tall hell creature reading and explaining fairytales to kids while doing all the voices.

Like, full on demons discussing the lessons being taught in Hansel and Gretel.

Probably the most cursed thing in that entire library is a Plushia doll that's buried at the bottom of the story time buddy toy box because not even the kits want anything to do with it.

...It winds up being used to replace the monster puppets because the kids, especially the kits, aren't even remotely scared of the weird fuzzy muppet creatures, but they do fear Plushia.

Except Puddles.

Plushia is unironically her favorite doll to bring with her during naptime and honestly Aether is scared his baby might be haunted.

Loves her anyway, but still.

#Lamp rambles #shitghosting #nameless ghouls #ghost band #ghost bc #the band ghost #ghost band headcanons #Quincy Adventures #kits are just weird cats #Puddles is the weird kid and Aeth's just gonna have to accept that

[odditycircus-2002]

Hi, this is the same anon that sent you the Cardi B request a while ago. I saw what you posted yesterday and I absolutely love it and you even took it further by having them actually meet Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion on set when I originally meant that they had stumbled upon the music video on YouTube but this was so much better. Can you do another reaction from the Outworlders this time to "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj because their reactions are just hilarious especially Medusa Reader and Syzoth because I just love those two and I keep imagining them both thinking "Why are these Earthrealmers so interested in women with enormous behinds and what kind of dancing are they doing with their behinds, is this a sort of mating ritual for them? Also why do they mentioning this anaconda when I don't see it anywhere?" and they're just constantly badgering Johnny with more questions about the song's lyrics and the rest of the Outworlders are just both astonished and disgusted by the dancing and outfit choices.

I love thinking about their reactions, too, with all those ridiculous and over-the-top songs😂😂😂 If y'all are wondering what they're talking about, click here and here in that order. All caught up? All caught up.

By now, you weren't too caught off guard by Earthrealm music. Of course, you and Syzoth are confused by it, but know what to expect by now.

Tanya and Li Mei barely pay those type of music or its "magic" videos anymore. They have no real interest in the strange women nor their mating rituals.

Mileena finds them amusing but it's more of a passing entertainment to her. Kitana, well she prefers not to watch the videos as she just keeps blushing whenever she watches them.

However, you and Syzoth have something of a strange fascination with them, as one would with seeing a new zoo animal or new culture. So when you and Syzoth are left waiting between filming scenes for one of Johnny Cage's projects, this one for something called "Reptiloid Ravagers," Cage leaves you and the Zateran an iPad to keep entertained.

At first, you were both content watching small fuzzy creatures getting up to mischief, until something called "Anaconda" came across your feed. You eagerly selected the video, having recognized the word Anaconda as a species of snake that you read briefly about before. However, you didn't really pay attention to the thumbnail, which you are starting to regret.

"Oh my gosh, look at her butt..."

As with "CPR" and "WAP", you and Syzoth are met with a recording of scantily dressed Earthrealm women shaking their behinds to entice their audience. This time you and Syzoth would not be left speechless or with heads full of questions. When Cage walked by you and the Zaterran, you showed him the video without hesitation.

"Cage, is this a common ritual among Earthrealm women?"

"Or is this a ritual unique to the Warm-bloods of your realm?"

"Where is the anaconda? I see no snake, only women."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, one at a time, my scaley friends!"

Cage responded in amusement as he tried to answer both you and Syzoth's questions. All while the video of the singer kept playing.

That's when Baraka, who was also there to help with Cage's project because he owed Syzoth a HUGE favor, spotted you three squabbling like chambermaids. He approached all of you, curious about the strange item in your hands, he's only seen in passing. A device that currently showed a chorus of women shaking their behinds as music played.

"What are you three watching?"

Baraka questions. You're the first to react by snapping the Ipad in half, surprising all three men by your reaction.

"NOTHING!"

Cage is the first to recover by letting out a frustrated grunt.

"You're paying for that iPad and my Iphone!"

You merely respond by pulling your cloak's hood over your head, while shrinking under Baraka's confused gaze.

A/N: Hope this one made you laugh, too.😂

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat x reader #mk x reader #mortal kombat 1 #baraka x reader #mk1 #oddball speaks #mk headcannons #mk headcanons #mk1 2023 #Syzoth #Johnny Cage #Li Mei #Tanya #Mileena #Kitana #Baraka #humor #funny #ask answered #ask anon #oddball writes

[rootsofdread]

Hi! I just found your blog(? is it called a Tumblr? a blog? I still don't know) and I love it! I'm sort of an on-and-off Dead by Daylight player, but seeing this great thing you've got going on here makes me kinda want to go play more.

I dunno if this is an acceptable request, but: how would the denizens of the Fog feel about a friendly and helpful dog!Reader?

For the killers, the faithful companion is leading them to injured survivors and also barking at people who try to sneak by (though likely not always successfully, since the Fog is likely messing with their senses), maybe even knocking things out of survivors' hands because they're a mischief maker.

For the Survivors, the friendly pooch is leading injured survivors away from the killer and to healers, picking up and bringing them dropped items, and barking at stalking killers to warn the people it cares about.

Everyone needs a friendly animal sometimes, I think. There's something really nice about petting a fuzzy friend when you've had a bad day, and I feel like being in the Fog probably means you have a lot of bad days.

most people call them blogs hehe! this was honestly such a fun request to do though, i was delighted seeing it in my inbox!! very unique and fun to write :-D!!

Jake Park:

Jake had long learned to be wary of animals — creatures, more like — found in the fog. So he was understandably skeptical when he saw a dog sniffing around in the distance. He was sure he’d see you transform into some grotesque monster. He was shocked to see you lead the killer into a trap he had set up earlier in the trial, jumping over it while they stepped into it.

He knew you’d be next if they caught up to you. He whistles to get your attention and makes sure you run away with him, ahead of him, even. There’s something strangely freeing about being with an animal again, to him, running with one and feeling like he’s truly in the wild again.

You help him a lot with building make-shift traps and getting items together for himself and his teammates. He never has to worry about being unprepared with you around, he can tell you to go find something he needs, and chances are, you’ll be back with it in no time. You’re often more helpful at times than his teammates are.

Jeff Johansen:

Jeff couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw you walk up to him while he was working on a generator. A stray dog. He was sure you were a figment of his imagination — but attempts to snap himself out of it proved futile. But he still wasn’t too sure, of course, he figured you must be something conjured by the Entity to mess with him and other survivors. 

But he began to trust you more when you lead him into a nearby out-of-sight corner just as the killer skulked by. He was in disbelief that you knew they were coming before he did, and seemed to figure this must mean you’re here to protect him rather than mess with him.

That said, he often spends more time protecting you than you do protecting him. He tells you to run and takes chase from the killer before they find you, and he’s thankful when you decide to listen instead of continue to follow him; he wants you to help everyone else when you can’t help him. You’ve brought him happiness and he’ll protect you at any cost.

Max Thompson Jr. / The Hillbilly:

Max doesn’t have a great track record with animals, and he nearly killed you when he first noticed you during a trial. The incessant barking is almost what did it — but then he noticed you were clearly barking at something. A bush? No, something inside the bush. He could hear something.

He swung his hammer into the greenery and collided with flesh. An injured survivor had been hiding from him, and you led him straight to them. He seems to decide for himself, maybe you can be useful. He lets you follow him around for the rest of the trial, occasionally looking over his shoulder to see you wagging your tail.

He eventually becomes much more attached to you, thinking of you more as a pet than a convenience. He can frequently be seen petting you and throwing you treats after you help him catch survivors, and perhaps, on occasion, he lets you lay your head in his lap while the two of you rest after a long trial.

Anna / The Huntress:

Of course, Anna had seen animals in the fog; the nasty creatures the Entity had spawned. They’re easy pickings, a fun activity for her when she’s not in a trial. She was surprised when she lobbed a hatchet at you and you actually dodged it. She knew you were smarter, a different kind of animal. A real animal, like from before.

Believe it or not, she was actually delighted to have found a real animal in the fog. She loved animals. And a dog, too — she always wanted a dog, particularly for hunting, but she had heard what great companions they make. It was never a secret how much she’d always wanted a friend.

She immediately takes to you and lets you come with her. She loves having an easy way to pinpoint where survivors are with you, letting you run off into the trialgrounds and alert her to the exact locations of them, occasionally even dragging injured survivors straight back to her. You’re rewarded with treats from her hunts.

#inbox #jake park #jeff johansen #max thompson jr #dbd anna #dbd imagines #dbd x reader #dbd x you #gender neutral reader #jake park x reader #jeff johansen x reader #max thompson jr x reader #the hillbilly x reader #dbd anna x reader #the huntress x reader

[sweetpandorabox]

Oopsy Daisey - Neville Longbottom x Female Reader (One Shot)

⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨sweetpandorabox୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆

⋘ 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎…⋙

Synopsis: Cielo is one of the most popular girls in Gryffindor's house, known for her beauty, kindness, and witty personality every boy is falling practically down on her feet juniors or seniors. They're willing to do anything just to be able to have a small conversation with her or go out on a date with her, but every guy has tried, and pretty much failed only being able to adore her from afar except for one. An insecure, shy, and clumsy plant-loving boy who's a year below her has had a crush on her since his 3rd year, not knowing how to get her attention to notice or like him back, he grew disappointed in himself every day for wasting time. One day a group of slightly older Gryffindor guys decided to help Neville caught your attention, but was it genuine help or are they trying to set him up to fail his chances with you?

Pairing: Neville Longbottom x Cielo (Female Reader)

Story Settings: This fanfiction is set in your 6th of Hogwarts, during the Order of the Phoenix time (You're a Gryffindor student for this one and you're also a year above Neville). Anything that's bolded and in italic is a flashback scene.

Terms 📖:

Y/L/N: Your last name

Y/E/C : Your eye color

Y/H/C : Your hair color

Warnings⚠️: Bullying but other than that it's pure fluff.

A/N: Why hello there sexy people, so first off this fanfic is actually a personalized gift for a fellow friend @milivanili99 a.k.a the lovely Cielo, she's incredibly amazing at making scrapbook collages and she happened to make me one for Valentine's day this year, which you can check out by clicking here. I love her so much she's amazing and just such an angelic human being so give her a follow if you can because trust me you won't regret it. Anyways I'm trying to make this readable for everyone as well but I will be using Cielo's name here as the Y/N female character and will be using the She/Her pronouns okay enjoy bye bye, I love you all. P.s. I'm so sorry if the ending isn't all that good, I was struggling to write the ending but I hope this is okay 😓

Word Count: 4,714

✯¸.•´¨*•✿ Oopsy Daisey✿•*¨`•.¸✯

"Hmm, do you reckon Honeydukes will be busy this Saturday? I've been wanting to try one of that new grape flavor sugar quills" Ginny wondered towards Luna and the seemingly distracted Neville staring off into the other side of the library no longer interested in his potions homework. "I'm not sure, but would I be able to come along with you? father happens to love sugar quills, and it wouldn't hurt to mail him some while he's writing the next issue of the Quibbler. I can't wait to hand more copies around" Luna smiled sweetly wearing her multicolored Spectrespecs giving her a look of a demented yet adorable owl. Ginny giggled at the sight of Luna moving her head around swiftly, trying to find those invisible Wrackspurt creatures that float through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy, "Well of course Luna, you can totally come along. I wanted to go with both of you actually so how about we meet at around noon tomorrow? by the fountain in the clocktower courtyard? Ginny proposed.

Luna gave her an enthusiastic double thumbs up but Neville seems to be in his little world, leading Ginny to call out after him. "How about you Nev? are you down to come this Saturday?" Nothing, he can't even master a small nod, Ginny is pretty dang on sure that Neville didn't hear anything she said nor ask him, so she tried again. "Hello, Neville… would you like to go to Honeydukes with me and Luna this Saturday?" she asks raising her voice slightly but no, nothing once more, Ginny grew concerned, and turned to look at Luna who was all caught up with what's happening so she tried tapping him on the shoulder gently. "Huh? I'm sorry what was that?" Neville migrates back to reality shaking his head in an attempt to focus, confused about what he's been missing, without answering his questions Ginny and Luna move their heads away from Neville to spot a certain person he's been staring at across the room for the past 10 minutes.

And there sat Cielo studying alone, she's a popular and extremely pretty girl in her 6th year, she was sorted into Gryffindor in her first year and instantly became best friends with one of the Gryffindor chasers Katie Bell. She's known to be a kind and immensely brave witch, she was one of the biggest supporters of Hermione's S.P.E.W cause as she believed the same thing Hermione did, that all Elves should be freed and instead receive wages, pensions, sick leave, and other benefits that a normal worker earns. She helped Hermione in any way she can like handing out badges and standing up to those who even dares to try and criticize Hermione for her beliefs, earning herself respect not just from Hermione but from Harry and Ron as well, who both made it quite obvious that they fancied her. She was also selected as a perfect in her 5th year which double the number of boys getting themselves into trouble just to talk to her, Fred and George seem to have it bad for her compared to the others, pulling stupid pranks and stunts knowing that she'd lecture them about it so they can spend about 45 minutes just staring at her pretty face, Y/H/C and soft looking hair matching her glimmering Y/E/C eyes get all worked up about how childish their actions were.

But boys aside she truly was a great young witch, she was pretty, brave, and kind, a triple threat of some sort to all the other Gryffindor girls and even those outside the red and gold house. Ginny and Luna smiled simultaneously at Cielo's sight and return their attention to the now beetroot-faced Neville looking down at his advanced potion-making book shyly. Ginny and Luna shared a quiet giggle knowing how bad Neville's crush on her has gotten over the years as it all started in his 3rd year. "Well then…" Ginny cleared her throat trying her best not to sound amused, "Nev would you like to go Honeydukes with me and Luna this Saturday?" The red-headed girl repeats for the last time, with Luna giving the shy Gryffindor some gentle rubs on his left shoulder, he masters up a small nod this time unable to face his two best friends, embarrassed that after all these years he can't seem to just talk to her like all the boys had, he needs to at least try but his shyness and insecurities seem to be holding him, hostage, preventing him to do what he wants to do. Luna being the smart and wise Ravenclaw she is lets out a small gasp over an idea, "W-what is it Luna?" Neville asks finally being able to lift his head to look at her concernedly.

Luna turned her head towards a confused-looking Ginny and Neville before filling them in on the idea. "Neville you've liked Cielo for almost 3 years now, I think you need to step it up and stop beating around the bush before some other guy actually got a chance and goes out with her" Luna states determination coating her tone, Ginny and Neville looked each other for a second before returning their attention to the blonde girl, "An idea popped into my head about 2 minutes ago, why don't you just send her a letter confessing your feelings for her since you're so awfully shy, and maybe send her some flowers, surely you know everything about her at this point right?" Luna asks bluntly which left Neville red once more. Ginny smiled at Luna's bright idea "That's a great idea, Luna, I mean it'll be nice to let her breathe while also getting Neville's feelings across, just look at her over there, I heard her study period are the only times she can be alone without boys up her arse or girls giving her dirty looks and spreading ugly gossips about her because they're jealous" Ginny mentioned giving a sympathetic look towards the busy looking Cielo.

Neville couldn't speak at this point, a perk of having two girls as his best friends is that he understood a lot about girls but a disadvantage of this is that he can't seem to disagree with them, they always win in the end so he opts to stay quiet and maybe this plan would work in his favor. "Great that settles it then we can plan something more tomorrow during our Hogsmeade trip" Luna added giving both Ginny and Neville a supportive smile before raising her hand out to do their three-way handshake, Ginny joined her hands in, soon both girls waited for the emerald-eyed boy to join them, "You in Neville?" Ginny asked in a reassuring tone before he reluctantly joined in, ending the adorable and long handshake between the two girls with a group hug. Days passed after the plan-filled Hogsmeade trip between the silver trio, Neville had a great time then, he never actually chipped in on anything as it was mostly the girls coming up with ideas on how Neville could catch Cielo's attention and what to possibly get for the plan.

Neville sat himself down on an empty section of the Gryffindor table inside the great hall during breakfast this morning, with a well-written love letter for Cielo ready, placed inside the pocket of his robe, and a small bouquet of roses in hand, he quietly waited for Cielo to turn up this morning so he can finally get it over and done with. Nervousness starts to swallow him whole, his palm was sweaty and his heart is beating out of his chest but he tries to soothe all these things away, by remembering what Luna and Ginny had instructed him to do during that helpful and fun Hogsmeade trip. "Okay so I think the best move for you Nev, is to write her a letter like we planned, just a short and sweet letter confessing your feelings for her, why you liked her, and if she's willing to go to Hogsmeade with you that following weekend when you give her that letter" Ginny suggested enjoying her grape flavor sugar quills while walking back to the castle, linking her right arm into Neville's left arm while Luna links her left arm to Neville's right arm.

Luna nodded along with Ginny's suggestions and manage to add "Oh and if you have time before giving her the ready-made letter, you should pick up a bouquet, even if she didn't reciprocate her feeling back to you, she'll appreciate your sweet gesture and I'm sure she's more then willing to be your friend after" Luna almost comforted Neville to ease him that if she didn't like him back as a worst-case scenario, she's still a kind person and she's sure that Cielo will never put Neville in a spot where she embarrassed him or unnecessarily tell others about her rejecting the poor ole Neville. The herbology-loving boy, couldn't look at either girl as he merely focuses on the ground making sure they were walking safely, but he did master a small nod to each of their brilliant ideas. Once the trio reached the clocktower courtyard, they sat on the antique fountain surrounded by statues of eagles.

Ginny noticed a worried look swarming over Neville's face before she reached her hand onto his right shoulder, "Nev, you've got nothing to lose, trust me if she isn't the one for you there will be other people alright?" Neville placed his hand on top of hers and nodded as she was practically right, Luna joined in and says "You got this, we believed in you" she smile kindly which puts a smile on Neville and Ginny's faces, ending the Hogsmeade trip sweetly. Looking back at the memory has helped soothe his nervousness and fast heartbeats away for now, it soothes him enough in fact that now he's able to have an appetite for breakfast and ate about 2 slices of toast with butter and jam. Although it would probably be so helpful to have the girls here at this moment for a little encouragement, sadly both couldn't make it as Ginny got an early morning quidditch practice while Luna is busy sorting through piles of the next issue of the Quibbler so it's all ready to be hand out by lunchtime today, both girls were upset that they couldn't be there but they wished him all the luck which gave Neville some sort of a confidence boost.

Trying not to think so hard as he anxiously waits for Cielo's arrival, eating his toast, a couple of delinquents and arrogant Gryffindor boys from Cielo's year has sat themselves a couple of spots away, not far off from Neville, laughing loudly and obnoxiously while disgustingly eating their breakfast with no manners to be found. This particular group of year 6 boys has it bad for Cielo too, just like any other Gryffindor boys have, but above all else, they value bullying, embarrassing others, pulling stupid pranks, and picking on others because they think being an arsehole is a personality trait and girls find it attractive. Well spoiler alert they don't and that includes Cielo as she couldn't stand them, but it doesn't look like those boys would stop anytime soon as one of them starts talking, "I'm bored out of my mind, see anyone we can pick for fun before class starts?" one of the taller boys ask his 4 other friends, "Hmm I don't know, I don't suppose any of have you seen Longbottom have you?" the weird one asks around the others. They all look around the Gryffindor table until "Aha got him" the pudgy one mentioned, making all the other 4 boys look in his direction.

"There he is sitting all alone eating some toast…looks like looney Lovegood nor carrot top pretty Weasley won't be saving his arse today" the Athletic one mentioned with sinister lacing his voice, as the other nodded in agreement, "What do you say boys should we come and say hi to our fellow herbolodork of a friend, I see he's got a bouquet there with him… wonder who it's for" the vain one laughs mockingly as all the others did as well, in unison before finally getting up out of their seat and make their way over to the nervous wreck of a boy sitting alone. Neville had finally finished his breakfast, and as he tossed his dirty plates aside still waiting for Cielo, he looked desperately and impatiently over the grand entrance of the great hall, just hoping that everything is going according to plan but of course, things are about to go downhill. "Longbottom haven't seen you in a while mate" The athletic one greets him by putting a gentle hand on his left shoulder which forces Neville to look away from the entrance and face the familiar voice and laughs trailing behind him.

"U-Uhm what can I h-help you guys with?" Neville stammered scared for his well-being, the boys sat around him, some by his sides and some across from him. "Oh relax Longbottom we're not going to do anything to you, just wanted to have a chat" the pudgy one explained with slight wickedness in his voice, Neville was reluctant but he nodded trying to keep the letter hidden, but unfortunately he couldn't keep the bouquet of roses away as it was larger. "Oh, I see you got a bouquet of roses. are they for someone special? perhaps miss Y/L/N?" The vain one smiles at Neville, trying to hide his evil side, Neville shook his head but then "Hmm are you sure mate? you don't need to lie to us, it's fairly obvious, you stare at her for hours it feels like. I mean I don't blame you but still" the tall one added, Neville felt trapped, he couldn't breathe properly as he takes a quick scan of all the guys sitting around him while they show off their best most sincere smile, after a while he nodded, admitting to them that yes these are in fact for Cielo, soon all of them started sharing amused glances.

"Oh well, why don't we help you? I heard she loves pumpkin juice, maybe you can get up out of your chair once you see her come in, take the bouquet along with you and a goblet full of fresh pumpkin juice, then you can ask if she'd like to have breakfast with you this morning. then we can leave you be" the weird looking one suggested, the others nod in agreement and hyped the weird looking one with his brilliant idea. Neville paused and think to himself about this, he is right after all she loves pumpkin juice and what could honestly go wrong? so he did just that and filled up an empty goblet filled with pumpkin juice as the boys sit chattering quietly amongst themselves waiting for Cielo's arrival, and about 5 minutes later there she was, she couldn't have looked more beautiful as her hair was styled in a single braid with a red ribbon tied into a bow holding her hair together eyes glue down on a 'one thousand magical herbs and fungi' a Herbology textbook, she seems to be distracted, a perfect opportunity to mess up Neville chance don't you think.

One of the boys signals Neville that you've arrived and to be ready to get up out of his seat and walk towards you, "Good luck Longbottom she's going to love those roses, that's her favorite after all" one of the other boys mentioned. Neville nodded and steady himself before walking over to you, once he got close enough, 5 of those awful boys knew where this is about to go, soon one of them whip their wands out and pointed at Neville ready to go, meanwhile, Neville tried his best not to look so nervous and grip on the goblet full of pumpkin goodness tightly making sure he doesn't spill, and hold the bouquet close to him as he watched Cielo's beautiful yet highly focused face still glued down on that book not watching where she was going. As he got closer and closer he tried to greet her saying "H-hi…" before "Impedimenta" as one of the wicked boys who held his wand out, cast the tripping jinx onto Neville's foot, and as time will have it 'Thud' followed by 'Clank!' dropped loudly catching all the students inside the great hall's attention.

After what felt like a pause, laughter started to roar all over the place from every student inside the big room, including those 5 Gryffindor boys. They were having the time of their life watching Neville display a look of sheer horror on his face, looking up from the ground and realizing that he'd not only managed to fall straight on his face, and got the bouquet ruined since he dropped it, but he also managed to spill all the Pumpkin juice inside the Goblet all over Cielo's Gryffindor uniform. Cielo's mouth dropped as she watched her uniform soaked in the orange liquid, and watch as her book lay flat on the ground wet and stained. Cielo's still paused at the messy sight unsure of what to do as everyone else laugh at her and Neville's collision finding it hilarious. After some time Cielo takes a breath before composing herself saying "Whoopsie Daisy, are you alright there Neville?" Cielo asks in the best sympathetic tone she can master at the younger and now highly embarrassed Gryffindor boy.

Neville still displayed that look of sheer horror, only this time he apologized immediately and more times than he actually needs to, "Oh my I'm so sorry Cielo, I-I didn't m-mean t-to do that I-I just wanted to offer you, your favorite drink" he stammered, the stuttering has started to get worse, as slight panic and worried run through his tone as he apologizes to you immensely. Although he expected her to be extremely mad and upset over this incident all she did was smile it away sympathetically, and offer her hand to help him up. "Oh Neville it's alright don't worry about it here let me help you" she offers, a true angel she was, how can somebody be so patient and kind towards somebody who's put them in the most humiliating position ever? she's so kind she could easily pass as Hufflepuff student making Helga Hufflepuff proud.

Neville reluctantly takes your hand, and you pulled him up revealing the height difference between you and Neville, never noticing how short you are next to him. Neville's face was tomato red, he couldn't even look at you, embarrassed of what he has done, as all he can do now is say thank you for the help and apologized countless times repeatedly, in hopes that you don't resent him for this. "Watch where you going next time Longbottom," the tall one shouted as all the other boys laugh along with him. Cielo noticed the yelling and immediately frown before looking over at Neville who was visibly upset and guilty. "Neville let me ask you this, did those guys try and encourage you to walk with a goblet full of pumpkin juice?" Cielo ask in a stern yet questioning tone, it left Neville dumbfounded as he never heard you speak in such a tone, but all he did was looked at you and nodded, shamefaced.

You sigh, not at Neville but at that stupid group of year 6 boys who have finally calmed down and chatted amongst themselves the laughter has begun to die down as people start to get disinterested and class is about to start soon anyways, but after looking down at your messy uniform you finally said it, "Well then… class is pretty much in 5 minutes so I better go down to the lavatory and fix this" Cielo smiled at Neville who's fiddling with his fingers silently, still upset at what happened. She pick her wet book from the ground and kept her thankfully cleaned bag away from the mess by carrying it, and as she was about to say her farewell she noticed minor cuts and scrapes on Neville's forehead area and his left cheek, you'd completely forgotten that he'd managed to fall flat onto his face, and that must have hurt but all he can focus on was apologizing to you and making sure you're okay which you thought was the sweetest most cutest thing Neville has done for you, you knew you always liked Neville, ever since 5th year when you saw him walked around on the shallow parts of the black lake trying to find gillyweed for Harry's 2nd task in the Triwizard tournament or when you saw him all alone happily taking care of the plants inside the greenhouse dancing around to some music on the weekend's, just being himself, he was adorable you thought and he was certainly different from most boys, but you didn't know if he liked you back or not.

You smiled at the tall and herbology-loving boy before reaching to grab his left hand, his eyes shot up, and looked at you in surprise, only to find you smiling. Neville's face was redder than ever but his facial expression manage to soften at your smile, it's almost like you're smiling to ensure him that you're fine and that you forgive him. "Neville, you have some cuts and scrapes on your face do you mind if I fix it for you before class? I promise it won't take too long" you ask in the sweetest tone. Neville nodded face still bright red and a body stiff as a board over how nervous yet excited he was. "Alright then follow me" you instructed him as you lead him out of the great hall hand in hand not seen by anyone. Cielo took Neville into one of the not-so-frequently used girl's lavatories and sat him down on the floor as she takes off her cardigan only to reveal her white collared shirt and Gryffindor tie which also had a bit of orange liquid stained to them, Neville watched you carefully as you try and wipe off a much orange liquid that there is with some toilet paper before pulling out her wand and casting a spell that manage dot get all the orange stain out in minutes, making her uniform look nice and tidy again.

Although Neville can clearly see her uniform is all better now he still has this need to just apologized again one more time. "Cielo I'm so sorry I spilled that juice all over you, I swear I didn't mean to I just tripped out of nowhere" he explained still with guilt lacing around his tone. Cielo put her cardigan back on and tidied herself into a nearby mirror before taking a seat next to the upset-looking boy, "Neville, you've apologized about 10 times now, I think that's enough, isn't it? It's quite alright you know? thank merlin we're witches and wizards it should be an easy fix, and see it didn't stain or anything" Cielo smile sweetly and soon giggled adorably, he was sure his heart was about to beat out of his chest if he dares to move a muscle, he couldn't quite comprehend how kind and attractive she was, everything he had seen or heard of her around the school was true, he was the best a girl can truly get, a goddess in his eyes. she takes a quick look at the minor cuts and scrapes before pulling out her wand and performs a nonverbal healing spell on to Neville's face and watched them disappear, after it did Cielo ran her thumb across his left cheek and forehead making sure that it all healed properly.

Her touched hitch Neville's breathe she was so close to his face that he can see just how soft her lips look, and how much he wanted to experience that softness with his lips, after making sure it was all good Cielo smiled again, and told Neville to look in the mirror nearby, he did just that and his eyes shot up like dear in headlights, it was gone, and there was no visible mark on his face, he smiled happily and turned to look at you. "Thank you, Cielo but how? Healing charms are such difficult spells to perform, you did it so perfectly" Neville compliment you with his cute and genuine smile, the stuttering flying out the window. His words left a visible pink hue on your cheeks as you couldn't make sudden eye contact with him, "Oh well thank you, Neville, my father's a healer you see, he works at St. Mongos hospital so he made sure to teach me some healing spells over the summer, and I've just learned a nonverbal one like this recently so I'm glad I got to show and perform it on someone" you explained smiling.

Neville was happier than ever chuckling after finding out how talented you are, until he looked over the ruined bouquet of roses that was sitting right next to Cielo's wet and sticky herbology textbook, by then he frowns. Cielo noticed the sudden silence that falls between them however and got up to check on Neville. "Are you alright Neville? is something bothering you?" you ask laying a gentle hand on his left shoulder, he nodded in disappointment and has a sudden bluntness to him, that he gave you an honest reason as to why he was upset. "Those roses are meant for you, I knew how much you loved roses. I had a solid plan, I wanted to ask you something and I thought it'd be nice too but of course, something bad has to happen and I had to be gullible enough to listen to those bullies and filled a whole goblet with pumpkin juice and walk over to you when I should've just waited for you to sit down for breakfast and offer you some." Neville hadn't realized but he's been ranting nonstop, he wasn't supposed to reveal all of that but there he goes.

Cielo paused as she studied Neville's defeated face before looking over at the not-so-badly ruined bouquet and picked up her wand and handed it over to herself, she smiled at it and thought about how precious Neville was getting this for her, Cielo might not know the reasons why he went out of his way to get her such beautiful flowers but she loved it, and without a second thought, she got on her tippy toes and placed a soft kiss on to Neville right cheek, leaving him love-struck. "Neville I love them they're beautiful thank you" Cielo appreciated with pink hues still apparent on her cheek, after the kiss Neville looked over with a joyful glow and smile on his face as you did and vice versa, neither of you had seen this and coming, but it sure graved this memory deep into both of your minds forever. "Well we should probably get going we've been here awhile and we don't want to miss any more class time than we already have" you suggested, you didn't want to leave, you wanted to stay with Neville but school was indeed important.

He nodded and as you were about to turn away and leave he calls out after you. "Cielo wait" you paused and looked back at Neville, "Yes?" you answered softly, "I have something for you" he mentioned rummaging through his robes to find an envelope, an envelope containing the letter he's written for her. Neville handed it over confidently and watched as the smile stays on your face, as you accept the envelope from his hand. "Promise me you'' read it when you have the chance and get back to me with your answer?" he asked in hesitation, you smile brightly at Neville, nodded, and kiss him on the cheek one last time, before saying "I will have a good class, Nev, I'll see you at lunch" Cielo farewelled rushing out to get to her class still so excited to read what's inside the letter leaving Neville Longbottom the happiest guy in the world.

Taglist 👇🏻

@igncrantbliss @milivanili99

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[cinnamonest]

more thoughts on feral animal hybrid darlings please Lena 🥺 the wild fox darling with tighnari was so cute… I was imagining a scenario with Childe or Kazuha plucking hybrid darling out of the woods to take on their travels 🫣

I love writing these man, I don't normally do fluffy cutesy things but these are so soft and good for my soul, yet the "naive and unable to fully consent/easily manipulated" part gives it just enough of a dark touch so I don't combust into flames while making it. Writing hybrid posts is like eating warm soup on a cold day, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy, maybe I do have a soul after all

I actually would like to redo the boys in the original hybrid post, the very first one I did was so short I'd like to go back and make longer entries... So I'll start maybe doing that little by little.

I did do a wild girl one for Kazuha a while back in (the last hybrid post) (love our snek girl, our nope rope, our danger noodle) but for now I am redoing Childe and adding Itto, Dainsleif and Dottore (as this was requested by an ask I answered a bit ago), and a lengthy (entirely skippable so feel free to ignore it) rambling on lore at the beginning! >:3

//Basically enslavement of creatures, trafficking mentions, very naive hybrids, also needles for Dottore's

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In terms of worldbuilding, there's varying social perceptions on owning various hybrids. People tend to be inclined to think of hybrids similarly to how they'd think of the actual animal to which they share traits with.

For example, hybrids of wild animals are thought to be best left to their own devices by most people. But due to their human features, there's a lot of debate and discourse as to whether or not they should be left alone, as some say they "belong in the wild," and that it's cruel or inhumane to take them out of their natural environments. Whereas on the other end, some would argue that it's best for them to be brought into captivity and kept as pets, seeing as it significantly increases the hybrid's lifespan due to being better protected from danger and more readily able to receive medical care.

But even for those who think they should be kept as pets, that raises the issue of how, for some of them. Some are notoriously aggressive, just like their fully inhuman counterparts. Some require very specific environments and care that is very expensive to emulate in captivity, and thus end up only being owned by wealthier individuals who like to show off owning exotic pets (unless someone who probably shouldn't have one and can't afford this special care keeps one anyway, in which case it may become a legal issue). Reptiles, for example, should only be kept in warm climates, although some resolve this by keeping their houses artificially warmed. There are large-sized red lamps available for reptilians as well.

Thus, different nations actually have different regulations on the matter. Some have laws prohibiting the ownership of certain types of hybrids that are considered to be "wild animals," deeming it akin to animal cruelty to take them out of their homes in nature. Some outlaw the ownership of hybrids deemed to be too dangerous to be kept in a human community, such as highly venomous snakes and spiders, or aggressive and strong hybrids such as bears or tigers. Several nations also outlaw the ownership of hybrids considered invasive species, who are dangerous to local wildlife, or hybrids who are simply not suited to the local climate and thus becoming deemed cruel to put them in an environment where they're miserable and uncomfortable.

Black markets still exist, though, for those people who just can't get over the thought of how neat it would be to own an "exotic" pet. Much like a normal universe with normal animals, these people tend to be young males in their teens or 20s who think it's cool or edgy since it's dangerous and illegal, and something they can show off. As you can imagine, this doesn't go over well with law enforcement. However, sometimes they then have to deal with the issue of it being harmful to the hybrid's mental health to take them away from their owner, so exceptions are made as long as they remain subject to regular check-ins... thus, illegal ownership can essentially be excused, and a lot of guys take the chance.

Hybrids, however, are held to a higher standard of care due to their human likeness. Whereas it would be considered acceptable in some climates to have an exclusively outdoor dog or cat (the actual animal, not hybrids), in most places it's illegal to leave hybrids outside for extended periods of time, especially overnight, and especially in particularly hot or cold climates. Hybrid neglect is a crime that carries high penalties, so it's very rare to see this actually occur, and is usually dealt with swiftly when concerned neighbors alert authorities.

Neglected or abused hybrids will be taken into custody of said authorities, and then placed into specifically designated shelters that re-home them, much like animals. It runs the same way it would for regular domestic pets as well -- people can come in, look around, pick one and leave, but only after signing a bunch of papers and performing background checks and the like. Hybrids can be expensive, considerably more so than pet animals. This, however, does help ensure that they go to good people who intend to take good care of them.

Obviously, due to their humanoid nature, hybrids are fetishized, lusted after and frequently taken as partners. It's not necessarily for everyone. Much like any kink or fetish, there will be some guys who are foaming at the mouth at the mere mention of it, and some guys who shrug and say they don't really see the appeal at all.

There's also an attitude held by some that it's kind of pathetic, you'll hear some guys mocking or teasing friends who have one -- couldn't get a normal girl to date you? It's viewed similarly to how a guy who isn't very successful with girls might hire escorts or buy a sex doll or the like.

The legality of hybrid partnership, however, is... messy. The argument against it is a moral issue. Sex slavery, purchasing spouses, and forced marriage are all illegal. How is purchasing a pet to be some kind of fleshlight-spouse any different? Hybrids are loyal by nature, they could also hypothetically be emotionally manipulated this way too.

Likewise, there's moral qualms about their nature as well, regarding the hybrid capacity for consent. Many hybrids are low IQ and highly manipulable and gullible in general, so some people take issue with it. That's not even taking into account the ones that can't speak, and especially the ones that can't understand human speech too.

However, due to overwhelming populace demand, it remains generally legal. In most nations, the final ruling is that partnership and physical relations are legal, but most places do not legally marry the two. Also, this is influenced by the fact that it's simply such a common and widespread thing to have hybrid partners by the era that their rights even come into question, means that outlawing it would be stripping thousands of hybrids from their owners and tearing long-lasting unions apart, which would be emotionally detrimental to the hybrids themselves. Basically, the consensus is simply: is it manipulating the hybrid's good, loyal nature and low IQ? Yes. But is it better than the emotional distress it would cause them to be removed from their owner? Also yes.

Thus, you need money and legal verification, and in many places, you need to register a hybrid for money. In some nations, it's perfectly legal to just bring in a hybrid you find out on the street and take them in, and in some nations it's not, and you need registration through local government establishments. This can also be species-dependent -- there's a pretty stark difference in how it would be seen as wholesome and kind to take in some poor dog or cat abandoned in the street, but frowned upon and potentially seen as a wrongdoing to drag in some wild creature you find on a hike.

Discourse also exists on black market exotic hybrid trappers, people who set traps to catch wild, non-domesticated hybrids that may often hurt the hybrid in the process. Traps like bear traps are gradually outlawed, so wire/rope net traps and cage traps are more common, but this still bothers a lot of people to think of the distress it causes.

Perhaps it feels a little cruel even to trappers themselves -- the poor things are obviously terrified when they come check the traps. Some are angrier, lashing out in an attempt to bite and scratch, others have a more human-like reaction, just huddling at the back of the cage or curling up in the net, sniffling and trembling with tears on their face. Usually they're scraped up or have rope burns from desperate attempts to escape, so that has to be dealt with too.

Wild hybrids don't speak, so unfortunately there's no way to communicate to them that they're not going to be killed and eaten. After a few hours, they stop crying so much, but they're still visibly afraid and make some rather pitiful noises. There's often issues with getting them to eat and drink, as they're wary of anything presented to them. Usually they simply get so hungry they're willing to eat food they're given, despite their caution, and realize it won't harm them. The general public isn't aware of how distressing this whole process is... probably for the better.

Other laws exist regarding what is cruel or humane, and the attitudes regarding this vary a lot depending on the general nation's consensus, and sometimes simply depending on who you're talking to.

Is it cruel to clip bird hybrid wings? To dock certain breeds' tails? Is it fair to require doggirls with a history of biting to be muzzled in public? If a hybrid vet isn't available, is it reasonable to take a hybrid to a human medical facility in the case of an emergency? Should it be required to keep them in portable crates on transportation such as trains? Should they have to be kept on leashes in public areas? Should venomous reptiles be allowed in public at all?

Similarly, some people have different ideas on what is appropriate regarding them depending on whether or not the individual being asked sees them as "animals with human characteristics," or "humans with animal characteristics." Every individual leans towards one view or the other. The former is more likely to see them as lessers, while the latter may question the morality of keeping them so subservient and controlled, even if they do depend on humans a lot.

Some people will also have negative perceptions of others based on what they own, and communities may set rules for specific individuals with their pets. Someone in the neighborhood thought it was a bright idea to own a raccoon girl, who has since terrorized the neighbors by sneaking out at night to rummage through trash -- and due to human weight and size, knocking plenty of bins over and all over the ground in the process. Now, although that one is permitted to stay, the local city board makes a rule against hybrids of non-domesticated animals. Similarly, even in nations where it's generally legal, specific areas with high populations of families and children may make regulations against aggressive or venomous species.

And finally, when dealing with the most intelligent of creatures, there is an issue of hybrid rights to be addressed.

Rarely, a few abnormal hybrids possess full human intellect. It's a case-by-case sort of thing, but most of the time, if they can prove this, they will eventually be granted full, normal rights. They usually prove themselves, and go on to live normal lives (some become war generals and botanists for example!). However, these are abnormalities, and hybrids are assumed to be "normal" (low intelligence) by default.

Hybrid intellect can vary greatly from one species to the next, and this has sparked a lot of discussion as to whether or not some hybrids should be regarded as deserving the same rights as a person.

At the Sumeru Akademiya in particular, there have been studies over the years that have produced a citable average IQ for different species, as well as other matters related to intellect and stability. They test things like short term memory, ability to solve different puzzles of different difficulty levels, ability to follow logical thought processes, and so on. They also test for dependency, trying to determine to what degree the hybrid depends on the owner to go about its daily life.

The speech capacity is obviously dependent on exposure -- wild animals have no speech capacity, dogs and cats can usually speak fluently, and others like cows and goats, as well as street-dwellers like raccoons or rats, etc have moderate speech capacities. Wild animals can be captured and taught to some extent, but it works similar to real-life cases of feral humans: their brains are fully developed and no longer have the elasticity to fully master language, so at most, they will learn some words and phrases, but never speak in full capacity. A lot of such hybrids may learn words like their master's name, words like "hungry" or "water" or "sleepy" to indicate their needs, names of others, times of day, a few common sentences, and other words like "yes/no", "please," "sorry," etc. They also will often pick up on the name assigned to them, but have a pattern of referring to themselves in third person using this name, rather than the use of "I."

Cats, for example, are very high on the list. Foxes and dogs were slightly below them, but still rather high. Dogs in particular showed high levels of dependency -- despite being rather intelligent, they often would interrupt the observing researchers performing the test to ask when they could go home, see their master and so on.

Bovines, sheep and pigs, however, are significantly lower, as were small mammal species. These were found to be incapable of solving complex puzzles, took more time to solve simple ones, struggled with short term memory, and many showed signs of high levels of distress as soon as they were taken to a separate room where they couldn't see their owner (who was watching, they allowed that, through one of those one-way glass panels on the side). The results for those were actually partially inconclusive, because they quickly learned that hybrids of these types would quickly become overwhelmed and confused by the task or puzzle before them and would start to whimper and tear up, shaking their heads and squeezing their eyes shut and stubbornly nn-mm!-ing when prompted to continue, refusing to carry on anymore and, thus proving the dependency aspect, start crying for their masters. They weren't so cruel as to deny them that, so they allowed them to quit early and be returned to the comfort of the familiarity of their owners -- to whom they would usually scamper over to as fast as possible.

On the bright side, the intelligent ones very quickly were able to, and all of them eventually able to, successfully complete the "put the shaped wooden blocks through the correct shape hole" test, which was the most basic one. However, the issues began when they reached numerical problems -- "if you have five and give two away, how many do you have left?" was mostly answered right (they were allowed to use their fingers to figure it out, which helped), but multiplication and division based problems were when some subspecies really began to struggle.

This leaves a bit of an ethical dilemma. The intellect varies so much that it seems unsafe to give the less intelligent ones rights, for the sake of their own well-being, whereas for more intelligent ones it seems cruel to deny them rights. And then the question becomes, where should the line be drawn?

The ultimate decision is that, for the sake of the more vulnerable ones, it's for the best to just make a sweeping judgement for their safety, even if it mean subjecting intelligent hybrids to subservience. So outside of the exceptions of highly intelligent individuals, the average species intelligence doesn't really matter, they'll just be subject to ownership anyway.

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Childe - beargirl

Whenever Ajax makes a trip back home, people often ask him to do all sorts of stuff. Can he fix this or that, fight off these bandits that are harassing a housing cluster, so on and so on. He was always running around doing tasks for locals in his tween years, and it just kind of stuck. Plus, due to being strong, a lot of the elderly in particular ask him out to help them with this or that.

Maybe it makes him feel a little used sometimes, but he likes to help, even if the matter is trivial.

On this most recent venture, according to the neighbors that approach him as soon as he sets foot in his hometown (after at least a brief hello how are you sort of thing, so they have some semblance of politeness), the matter is supposedly a menace of an animal stealing large amounts of fish out of fishery storages. Fishermen come in with their nets, dump a large amount into a vat, leave to get the next batch... only recently, to come back to a near-empty storage unit. Whatever it is, it's eating enough fish to feed an entire family.

But are you to be blamed? They're the ones dumb enough to just leave it all sitting there, unguarded, so you think. If they didn't want their fish eaten, they shouldn't have left it so easy to access. And if the humans really needed it, they would guard it better, so they must not really need it. And you leave some for them, too, you only eat a little over half to make sure they still have enough for themselves.

You still memorize their schedule, though, preferring to avoid direct confrontation, making sure you know around what time they'll be gone so you can come in undetected. Thus, it catches you off-guard when a human nonetheless enters the storage unit as you're chomping down mid-meal.

There's a few moments of quiet that pass as you both look each other up and down. You stare up at him. He looks down at you, where you sit on the ground, half a fish sticking out of your mouth. Round ears, a short little stump of a tail. You make a rough throaty noise.

It's adorable. Granted, this man would probably be able to pet an actual bear without a modicum of fear, but especially seeing as you're human-sized, it's even cuter. After a brief moment of wide-eyed surprise, you see a smirk of amusement form on his face.

It feels mocking. You glare. Your eyebrows furrow and your nose scrunches up, you stomp your way to stand up on your hind legs (or, as humans call them... legs), stretch your arms out for maximum intimidation, and ferociously growl.

He... puts his hand over his mouth, chortling, barely holding back laughter. You don't understand it, but he says something to you, before reaching out, patting the palm of his hand to the top of your head.

Your face suddenly feels very hot. That growl scares off all the small animals! Why is the human not afraid? You will be forced to engage in aggression to get him to go away, lest he try to steal from you. Summoning you maximum strength, growling still, you stomp forward, swinging your hand to thwack him in the side of the head.

But he catches your hand. Hold you firmly, shoves you down. You struggle against the human, but in a few seconds flat, he has you pinned to the ground, growling and snarling at him. A very strong human indeed. It does frighten you, but you're fairly certain humans don't eat creatures like yourself, right? You struggle and you squirm, you writhe and thrash, but soon the human has you all bound up, slinging you up over his shoulder and carrying you off as you growl and huff, a smile on his face. At least that's that taken care of. Who would have thought he'd get so lucky?

The problem is taken care of, sure, but if he just put you out in the woods, you'd just come right back. Normally, this would pose a very difficult-to-solve problem, but as he carries you back to the edge of the forest, he starts to think about this issue, and comes up with an alternate solution. Why not just... keep you? Yeah, that seems like a good idea. Why not? You're so cute, you'll make a great pet!

Of course, he knows people won't really take well to the thought of him keeping a whole bear. Some people will question the morality of the harbinger's actions. It's a wild animal, after all, is it really okay for him to take you away from your natural habitat like this?

However, the vast majority are more concerned with it being... you know, aggressive, strong, incapable of understanding speech, prone to biting and hitting, unfamiliar with human norms and unadjusted to society. But hey, none of that really matters when you have authority to get whatever unreasonable thing you want!

Similarly, some would argue that taking hybrids out of natural environments is unethical when you can't provide them with the food, environment, or temperature they need... but that's not really a problem when you're a high-status, high-power individual who can force a bunch of other people who have no other choice to inconvenience themselves so that you can provide for those needs. He sees no issue there, you can easily have you needs met.

But just look at you, where he has you set on the ground now all tied up, shuffling over to him and viciously gnawing his ankle (unaware you're biting into a boot and not flesh, but making a valiant effort to bite the limb off nonetheless). So cute. How could he just let you go? No, he can work this out. He sets aside the next few hours to go the specifics of his intentions with the first subordinates he comes across, the ones that accompanied him back here. Watching as their eyes go wide, a very uncomfortable look on their faces as they glance over at the growling creature he has in his arms, leaning back to avoid how you chomp your jaws down, craning your neck forward in an attempt to bite them.

One of them is daring enough to voice the obvious concern -- sir, maybe it would be best to let this one go and get something less... wild... and dangerous...?

Huh? Dangerous? Nah, she's just play-biting. She won't hurt anybody, see? He sits you upright, sits behind you, squishes your face in his hands. She's a softie, she's not really mean. You snarl and attempt to bite his hands as he speaks.

Besides, he adds, you'll live a much better life in captivity! You'll be happier and healthier. He's doing a good thing, really, an act of goodwill and compassion for this poor, poor creature. So, while he finishes up all the things he needed to get done on this trip home, he has them go ahead and carry you back to the lodgings to be taken onto the ship when he leaves tomorrow... you do bite directly into a subordinate's ear on the trip. Poor guy ends up with a permanent scar from the whole thing, but at least they got you to un-latch your jaw after several minutes of the guy screaming while they tried to pry your mouth open.

As it turns out, he was right, you're really no trouble at all to have, and keeping you here is a delight! At least, that's what Ajax himself says. The subordinates are less inclined to agree, but they do so verbally, at least.

You have to try to wear the clothes. You don't like them, sure, but it's kind of necessary. Have to start small and gradually make progress, buying a bulk of plain large shirts, gradually training you to not rip them apart via treat rewards for not doing so.

You eat a lot. Like, a lot. He's lucky to be so high in rank, or the Fatui would never agree to cover the costs of your eating needs. It's baffling. If you paid attention to your surroundings (you don't, but just if you did), you would often see the underlings watching you from a distance as you eat with some mix of surprise, bewilderment, and borderline horror as you consume ungodly amounts of food in a matter of seconds.

They have to go to the markets and purchase large amounts of imported fish -- specifically those, as you turn your nose up at local species. It has to be the fish you're familiar with, and yes, you can tell the difference, and yes, you will get angry and violent if you are presented with fish you do not like. You initially turn your nose up to cooked meats too, so they have to go out of their way to procure high quality raw fish and meat. Over time, they manage to get you conditioned and willing to eat cooked fish, so that's at least one small victory for them.

The most desired of treats, however, is raw honeycomb -- made the mistake of giving it to you once, and now you get grouchy when you can't have any, pawing and kneading at your master until you get some (or rather, until subordinates get you some). No, bottled honey is not good and you refuse to eat it, so they quickly discover. Has to have the comb and everything. This is rather expensive to buy, but you know, they have the funds, and if this is what they're commanded to spend it on, so be it... although they do get some odd looks from the poor market vendor when a bunch of guys in recognizable Fatui garb come to purchase everything last piece to be sold. And, of course, someone has to come after you to wipe the floor up after you inevitably spill some on the ground too... calling you a messy eater would be an understatement.

Also, they go to some rather insane extents to keep you cool. They managed to locate a lower rank grunt with a cryo vision, who has now, as per the title given to him by the other grunts who have all sort of group-bully the poor thing about it, become the unfortunate 'bear-sitter' for the harbinger. His job is quite literally to chill down your environment. They've brought in tub-sized containers of water, had them frozen, gotten someone else to crush it up with a hammer and let you -- with a very content expression, seemingly pleased -- rest in it until it melted, and repeated the process. This is not exactly how the poor guy expected the Fatui to make use of his vision, but hey, he's getting paid... at least that what he tells himself.

You're also, ah, kind of aggressive, especially if displeased by being too hot or lack of proper food. They sort of stiffen if they see your presence nearby. Despite being roughly human-sized, you have a lot of strength in those arms, and a good swat to the head will send someone straight into unconsciousness. You are, unfortunately, very aware of your strength, and have no reservations with using it at the slightest of inconveniences or irritation. This has led to a variety of various blunt-force injuries for various underlings. Ajax promises you're getting better with time, and besides, it's just minor stuff that'll heal with time.

However, despite your frequent aggresion, you're not at all unhappy. Sure, sometimes it gets uncomfortably warm, but other than that, you're living like a king!

You have no idea what's going on, but you've accepted it by now.

The humans bring you tray after tray of fish, and you get to lay around all day. Why do they serve you this way? You have no clue. But you're not complaining. Why were you brought out of the wild, why do you sleep in a human bed, what is the point of all these various noises the humans are constantly making with their mouths to each other? Who knows. None of it really matters anyway. You were very oppositional at first, attacked everyone who came near and refused to comply, but you've learned very quickly that this is a major improvement from sleeping outside in caves, drinking river water, having to worry about hunting for yourself. And the many masked humans are the ones serving you, so you have decided that for now, you will spare them, although you may reconsider eating them at a later date.

All you have to do is keep the clothes on your body and not wander off too far from the loud ginger human that brought you here, and as long as you do those things, everything remains tranquil and pleasing to you.

Said human, the one that found you and keeps you by his side, he is very strong. Coming across a human stronger than you was quite shocking, and you have some respect for it. It's why he's the one you don't attack, that you don't bite... at least eventually. You tried to bite him often at first, but he always grabs your jaw and forces it shut, holds your arms still so you can't swat him. No, bad. Bad girl, stop that. Over time, you learn these words mean to cease the behavior, and although you do not like being told what to do, you have little choice. For starters, the human is strong enough to restrain you, and secondly, if you continuously misbehave, he puts you into a large crate for an extended period of time with no snacks and no entertainment. This does give strong incentive to refrain from these behaviors, and you are given toys to chew on anyway, so you just bite those and pretend they are the humans.

But over time, you grow to have a sort of reverence for such strength, so you no longer want to attack him anyway.

More importantly, that means surely, this human is fit to protect you and any potential offspring. If you had to procreate with a human, this one would produce strong cubs. Your brain tells you that strength is good and that this human should be mated with. So for now, you decide to stay by his side and not hurt him.

Unless you're attacking him, though, you can do no wrong. He plays off everything you do like it's no big deal, like it's cute. Oh, you just slammed someone in the side of the head and knocked them out? Aw, someone's grumpy. You snatched some poor grunt's meal right out of his hand and ate it? Well, she can't help being hungry! You end up terrorizing, bullying, and attempt to eat that sheep hybrid that lives here too on a daily basis? Well he should keep a better eye on her, mine's just following instincts.

And then there was that time you quite literally bit a man's finger off, and it had to be reattached -- but not after quite the struggle getting you to give it up, but he was nice about that too. Come on, be good, spit it out. You eventually complied with this request, seeing as you had no way to explain that the human in question had been annoying you, so you supposed you'd be the better person here and give him the appendage back even if such graciousness is undeserved.

Said underlings still attempt to occasionally protest the whole thing. Couldn't he have picked, you know, maybe a normal one? Like... a dog? A cat? A rabbit? Something that only needs light maintenance and doesn't regularly gives people concussions?

Nah. He would hold your face from behind as if to display you, squishing your cheeks and saying something about how cute you are. So cute! She won't hurt anyone, see? You make a low rumbling noise in your throat, intensely glaring at the onlooker, who then by that point usually has taken a few steps back and is quickly trying to exit the conversation. Seeing that narrow-eyed look on your face, the way you bare those pointed teeth when you growl... it shuts down anyone trying to object to him having you pretty quickly.

In truth, he's aware of the effect, even if he pretends to be blissfully ignorant to why they suddenly scurry off. He finds people protesting your presence very annoying, so he has no qualms about scaring them away.

He's not lying when he calls it cute, though. Your growling and aggression is cute to him, in his own morbid little way.

-----------------

Dainsleif - Doggirl

Dainsleif has actually considered dog hybrid ownership on more than one occasion. It's more of a passing thought, though, the sort of what-if thought all people have every now and then, briefly imagining the possibility in his head. But he has no intention to ever actually go through with such a thing, no, it would be far too impractical for his circumstances, and unfair to the creature in question. It's just a pleasant concept, but not realistic.

Or maybe he could get an actual dog. Like, an animal, nothing humanoid about it, no having to deal with the awkwardness of the raised-eyebrow look of judgement and suspicion he knows he'd get from the sellers if he got a hybrid one. Single adult man with obvious distaste for interaction, purchasing a hybrid of all things... they'd think it was for nefarious purposes.

But he's certainly heavily considered the idea. He could get one of those big hunting dog types. Granted, an actual animal would work, but it would be kind of nice to have something that could communicate back to him.

It would be useful for his somewhat nomadic, quest-driven lifestyle. He can't always afford the time to stop in cities and the like, but he's not the most skilled hunter out there. Having a dog that could sniff out and even chase down small animals, and hear upcoming enemies from a distance, would be very useful.

But it's just a thought he's entertained a few times. Not something he actually wants enough to act upon. It would be a hassle, you know? So while he's mulled over it a bit, it never goes beyond abstract thoughts, never into anything serious.

Instead, you sort of come to him.

Not that he's doing anything out of the ordinary to invoke your presence, no. Just traveling as usual, exploring a rural area on the outskirts of a more urban one, with the occasional homestead dotted here or there. A voice calls out of nowhere -- wait, wait! When he turns to face the source of the sound, he can see you from a distance, running up to him, clearly intending to approach him for some reason. He pauses, waits for you to come up.

You seem to be one of those little... yappy dogs.

See, much like with animals in general, for various dog hybrids, the personality and breed are correlated. You're one of those tiny fluffy dogs, where the actual dog you share half your DNA with would fit in a handbag or the like. Those breeds that are made solely for the purpose of being luxury pets with poor athletic and endurance abilities. Your tail is shaped like a pom-pom, more fluff than tail itself. Your ears are disproportionately huge to your head, and equally covered in silky fluff. They bounce with each little step you take as you run up to him, eyes tearful and voice strained with panic. He's the first person to have come by in some time, and likely no one else to help will come by any time soon, so you force yourself to be brave and implore for help from this man, even though he is quite scary-looking.

My master is sick.

Your ears flatten to your head. He has to refrain from sighing... he can't afford to be using up valuable time like this, you probably just need to go into town and get a doctor. Still, he can't bring himself to ignore you or refuse to help.

He does try, though. He opens his mouth and is just about to try and say that you need to go into town and get an actual doctor, and that he has places to be, but... then he looks you in the eye, sees your watery eyes and trembling lip and you look so scared and pitiful and... ugh. Curse him for having a soft side. Fine. He takes a deep breath, asks you to take him in and he'll try his best to help you.

Thankfully, the reality of the situation doesn't hit him all at once and thereby catch him off-guard -- no, the moment you open the door into the main room, the smell that hits him is putrid enough that he's prepared for what he knows he's about to see when you pull the bedroom curtain back. Yeah... ugh, the body is at least several days old.  He feels a twinge of pity looking around the room, several cups of water and the like that you, in your confusion and concern, have brought over.

...You don't understand. You're looking up at him like you're waiting for him to do something to help. Your cognitive capacity isn't deep enough to grasp what's happening. Great... this is a very unpleasant situation to be stuck in.

He explains it to you slowly, but it dawns on you what he's leading up to as he's trying to explain. Your eyes water up. No! He's fine, he's just sick... he was sick and coughing until a few days ago...

He stays for a few hours. You keep trying to desperately nudge the body, now distraught and whimpering. He can't bring himself to just up and leave, so he watches as you do so, repetitively insisting the man is fine, until finally, after a few hours, you lower down onto the ground, pull your knees up to your chest and wrap your arms around them, and bury your face into your arms, shivering and sniffling, ears flattened to your head.

He can be cold, but he's not heartless. He feels a lot of pity, watching you as you accept the matter. What is he supposed to do now? He can't just leave you here, not in good conscience... you'll probably die on your own.

He's quiet for a long time, deep in thought. It's well into the evening when he finally speaks again.

You can't stay here. I'll take you somewhere safe.

You refuse, shaking your head. He has to reason with you. Tell you that you'll be all alone, that you'll be in danger of attackers and predators, that you're going to starve or get sick. Eventually, after a lot of trying to get through to you, you reluctantly agree.

Well, that's good. It won't be a big deal, he thinks to himself. He can just... take you to the nearest town, drop you off at a shelter. You'll be much better off than you would be left alone here. You're not made for hunting or anything, you'll certainly starve to death or worse if he were to let you stay by yourself. He's doing a good thing. It won't be much time at all. You'll be taken care of, and in fact, giving you up to a shelter is probably even better than the life you were living out here. He can't help but wonder why some old man had you out here, living alone... ugh.

In the morning, he sets off, letting you trail behind him. Takes you all the way into the nearest big city. Your eyes are full of wonder, mouth hanging open as you take in all the sights and sounds of a bustling urban area. It's rather cute, but he has to get you to hold his hand so you don't go running off. He ends up finding the place, but... well, he doesn't like the look of the local shelter. Big grey slab, looks very uninviting and cold, seems overcrowded, and something about it just makes him feel... off. He can't bring himself to leave you at a place like this. They're probably too overcrowded to take care of you properly. He can't do that, the guilt would eat away at him.

Next town, maybe. You'll have to accompany him a while longer, he tells you, sorry. You don't seem to mind. You barely hear him, too distracted by everything going on around you until you exit and return to the beaten path. And thus begins what he assumes will be a very brief journey together.

It does occur to him that, after so much idle thought about getting one, it's kind of ironic that a dog hybrid fell into his hands by complete chance anyway. Of course, having you is not what he imagined when he used to think about acquiring a dog. He was envisioning a hybrid that could, you know, sort of rough the wilderness with him. Instead, he soon finds that you end up essentially making his life even harder, posing a burden at every conceivable opportunity.

His teleportative capabilities can only do so much, so he does have to travel by foot quite a bit... but you struggle to keep up.

Noooo, you whine, you don't want to cross the stream because your tail will get wet. He ends up having to make two trips across the water, the first to carry you, your legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck (your little pom-pom tail stiff and twitching all the while), then the second to go back and get the things he was carrying. He has to make much more frequent stops, as your feet begin to hurt, and you get hungry rather frequently (and, as it turns out, are a bit picky too).

Granted, you can fulfill the functions he originally considered a dog hybrid for. You can sniff out small animals... except you don't really chase them, just go ballistic at the sight and yap at them as they run up the trees and out of range, scaring away anything nearby. Not to mention, your scent tends to lure predators... and even worse, you attack predators.

See, much like any small dog, you have this odd duality where it seems your brain fails to process that you are, in fact, not a large and deadly animal, and thus you feel the need to attack almost everything, regardless of how many times your size and strength they are. Tigers, sumpter beasts, lawachurls. It's an instinct, too, you'll just be walking or resting until your ears suddenly perk up, your pupils go huge and you bolt off before he can stop you. The creatures often don't see you at first, they just hear a high-pitched yapping sound, turn their heads all around only to finally notice you when you bite their heels. Thankfully, up to now, every single time he's managed to come right behind you, running after you and calling out to you, snatching you up just before you were about to get crushed, impaled, or chomped on. Traveling through Sumeru, you were nearly swallowed up by those tigers what, eight times? It didn't help that, since your brain registered them as cats, your instinct was instead to lunge at them.

In fact, you can't help but yap at enemies even from a distance, thereby drawing enemies that would have otherwise let you pass unnoticed and luring them into combat for him to fight off -- all while ensuring your safety, since, despite your incessant yapping and growling at the sight of them, once they start swinging at you, you curl up into a fetal position and whimper, tail between your legs, crying for him to make them go away. In addition to these safety concerns, you have a tendency to eat whatever you may find, various berries and plants that you swallow up when he has his head turned, often resulting in you getting very sick and him having to care for you as you recover.

You struggle with his name. Mister Day-nz-leeeeev. Too weird of a word for your doggie brain. You settle for Mister, as you call all unfamiliar men, but as time goes on you swap out a vowel, and he sort of just comes to the realization one day when you say it that you've been calling him Master for a while now.

He clenches his jaw. That's not right. That sounds too... permanent. He's still going to drop you off somewhere, you know, he just needs to find a place first.

...He does need to do that, right? He can't just...

No. No, he can't keep you. He chastises himself for even letting the thought cross his mind for a split second. His journey is far too dangerous, and his own future too uncertain to commit to such a thing. It's a non-option.

But the next town also doesn't have a very inviting-looking shelter. He can't leave you here. No, it looks cold and sad and not a place he can feel unworried about leaving you in.

What if the people are neglectful? What if they don't feed you? They'll probably not give you the same amount of focused attention as he does, they're busy taking care of tons of creatures. They won't know you only like this food made this way, that you need these certain conditions to sleep, all the little specific needs you have that he's learned with time. There's no way he can leave you here. He'll have to find someplace else. Surely, soon he'll find somewhere he can leave you.

Each night, now, he runs fingers through your ears and tail, checking to make sure you didn't get any ticks on you with those huge fluffy ears. So soft... but he ends up retracting his hands. He grinds his teeth and moves away from you. Can't afford to get too attached, and he tells himself it would be taking advantage of your naivete to touch you too much in a way that you, too, might get attached.

He ends up not having much of a choice, though. You end up having an… incident. He gets flustered thinking about it at any point afterwards. About a month in, laying there one night trying to go to sleep, you get all… whimper-y. You shuffle over to him and start… wrapping your legs around his leg and… grinding forward… little canine whines, you whimper that you feel hot and weird. Oh. Great. How is he supposed to handle this? It’s the most awkward few minutes of his life.

This man is not exactly the best at dealing with embarrassing subjects, he pretty much just goes red in the face and nearly stammers as he speaks, tells you to just calm down and… and uh… well, he ends up basically just letting you do it. Watching with wide eyes and heavy breath, giving you comforting rubs on your head and neck until you finally shudder and go still, and, thankfully for him so he doesn’t have to deal with unbearable shame, nearly immediately fall asleep – but not before snuggling up to him, wrapping your arms around him. He has trouble falling asleep that night.

He tries not to speak about it from then on out, and thankfully, you seem to not find it strange or shameful at all, not even acknowledging it the next day or ever again. He just resolves to maybe try and forget the matter. He almost, almost finds himself thinking something along the lines of what he can do to help you next time, almost starts thinking through and imagining it in his head, but he stops himself.

No. There is no next time. He'll have found you a better place to stay by then. Maybe those shelters will be able to medicate you or something to prevent this. Yeah, they'll be able to take care of it better than he can.

For now, he'll just have to keep you with him and worry about everything else, such as keeping you safe. He's afraid of failing in that task, though. Always checking up on you.

There's one incident where it comes far too close.

He really, really doesn't mean it. You were being whiny again, complaining you don't want to keep walking, that you don't want to take this route because it's muddy or cold. He's irritated, he speaks without thinking.

Do you realize how much more difficult you make things for me?

As soon as the words leave his mouth, he regrets it. He didn't mean to say something so cruel... he opens his mouth to apologize, but can't find the words.

Oh, no. Your ears tilt back, your little eyes water up and you start to sniffle. Yeah... now he feels really bad.

Agh... hey, he didn't mean that, just... just go to bed for now, okay? He's just frustrated. It'll be better tomorrow. You both need some sleep. You agree to that, sadly curling up into a ball, facing away from him.

As bad as he feels, the situation takes a turn for the worse when he wakes up to find your sleeping bag empty.

He immediately panics. Dammit. You must have run off. Surely nothing took you away, right? He would have heard that.

Yes, sure enough, there's your footprints on the ground. Unfortunately, they cut off only a few feet away.

He scours the area for hours. Calling out to you, doing everything in his power to hunt you down. Checking under every crevice, behind every tree. Eventually, he swallows the dread and checks beside the nearby river, the only place he's hoping to not find you, as he knows it would likely be in the form of your body washed up on the side bank. But still nothing. He makes several rounds around the area. How far could you have gone?

It's not until he finally resolves to go back to where you two had been sleeping and see if maybe you decided to return there, that he hears a whimpering. Coming from... up?

He tilts his head upward. You're up in the branches, curled up. It's an overwhelming feeling of relief.

So much so that even in that moment, he realizes just how much importance he's staked on you. He's fully aware, and isn't the type to push thoughts away or lie to himself. He has to acknowledge the realization in that moment that he's grown so attached to you that the thought of something having happened to you is the greatest panic he's felt in ages, decades even.

You open your eyes when he calls out for you, you're all trembling and sniffling. You say you climbed up to escape a monster that was chasing you. But being a canine, and not a feline, you're not exactly adept at climbing up or down, and now you're stuck, too afraid to attempt to come back down.

But when he tells you to come down, that he'll catch you, you shake your head, ears facing back, puff your cheeks out.

No! You don't even want me! You want me to go away, so I'm gonna go somewhere else!

He sighs. It's petulant, stubborn. You're being childish, and he knows that. But he can't help but feel guilty.

No, I...

He has to pause for a moment. Never been too good with words.

He says he's sorry. That he didn't mean it. That he wants you to stay with him, that he cares about you and wants you by his side.

If I didn't care for you, I wouldn't have bothered looking for you, would I? So... come on, just come down...

Your ears twitch.

Promise?

He gives a long sigh.

Yes, I promise. Come on, I'll catch you.

He holds his arms up and open. You hesitate a moment longer, pausing to wipe your face from all the crying you were doing before.

And finally, after a moment, you leap off, landing directly into his arms. The force is a bit much, and he actually goes stumbling backwards, landing flat on his back. At least it provides a cushion to you, though.

You both lay there for a moment. You feel him take a deep breath in and out. He reaches up to stroke the top of your head. You lay your face down against his chest.

In truth, he's rather worried about the future, if he gets into any serious danger while pursuing his quite powerful enemies... and even so, he also thinks about the fact that your lifespan is limited. He doesn't like that thought. Perhaps he was intentionally trying to avoid growing attached to you for that reason. It makes him feel like there's a knot in his stomach.

But when he tilts his head down to look at you, sees the content expression on your face as you nuzzle your face into his chest, sees your fluff tail moving back and forth... he decides that whatever inevitable pain the future may hold, maybe he can allow himself to indulge in this happiness for now, even if but for what is to him the blink of an eye.

--------------------

Itto - Cowgirl

"Cow" almost feels like an inaccurate description; it invokes too much imagery of a soft, gentle giant sort of animal, peacefully gnawing at grass in a field, rather than the more accurate portrayal of the utter horned, mooing demon that the actual you embodies.

Aggressive and high-strung, and very territorial, it's a fairly common problem with your specific breed. Your cow ears and wiry tail are always twitching with irritation.

And it is for that reason that you find yourself alone on a path in the Inazuman wilderness. This one's too feisty. So they said, you understood that even with a very limited vocabulary and understanding of speech. Didn't bother to try selling you off, since it your aggression was obvious enough no one would accept, so they just dumped you out here on the road, far away and unable to attack the rest of the hybrid herd. You find yourself huffing, stomping around as you navigate the wilderness. Nothing better to do, so you might as well try and find somewhere to go from here. You're rather irked about the whole thing, though. You were never that bad. They were overreacting.

How rude, to just abandon you out here. You're mad. You decide that the next human you see is getting a set of horns directly in their stomach.

Which doesn't take long. You were dropped off somewhat close to the nearby city, along the pathway. Not even half an hour has passed before you cross paths with a human, a very loud one, walks very heavily.

He does take notice of you, though, pausing in his steps. Says something to you you don't understand -- what are you doing out here? -- with a big smile. Seems to find you quite amusing, strolls right over and past the top of your head, laughing about something or another.

How bothersome. You huff a heavy breath, pawing your foot into the ground in a warning gesture. The golden ring through your nose moves with your huffing. He doesn't seemed fazed by it, still more amused than anything, and thus, you have no choice but to take a few steps back, tilt your head down, and lunge forward. Hopefully you'll skewer him.

You're met with a harsh resistance, stopped so firmly the sudden force to your head makes a dull ache in your skull.

Woah, woah, slow down there, uh....

It takes you a few seconds to process that he's holding you still by the horns, one hand gripped around each one. Humans are generally quite weak, and easily knocked over. This one, however, is holding you perfectly still, and he's not even tense, nor planting his feet apart in a stance to ground himself, no, just sort of standing there in a relaxed stance, looking down at you with an inquisitive, but very unbothered and unstrained expression, as if restraining you is not causing him to exert any real effort or strength.

Woah, you're really trying to get me huh. Haha.

He's laughing at you. Not maliciously, more amused, but it makes you feel a tight knot of embarrassment in your chest nonetheless.

After a moment of aggressive thrashing from you, though, shoving yourself forward with as much force as you can muster, you feel your feet leave the ground. You go up, and then, you go down. Your back slams into the ground.

The blow leaves you dizzy. Your vision is spinning, you're flat on your back staring up at the sky, blinking, wide-eyed with shock.

Oh, uh... didn't mean to throw you that hard.... you alright?

You sit up, but you're swaying from side to side pretty badly, jaw hanging open.... whoops. He was just trying to get you to calm down, swear, didn't mean to make you hit your head. Well, never fear, you're in good hands! So, you know, no need to go running off to your owner and getting someone mad at him...

Actually... where is your owner? Hm... you don't have anything on you but basically rags, no collar or anything. And there's no houses or fencing nearby. Oh, you don't have an owner, you must be wild. That's good, that means no one can come after him and get him charged with hybrid assault or something -- or, ah, good because he just doesn't have to explain that you're definitely not actually hurt at all and that you just fell over is all. Uh... what's got you so aggressive though? He was just trying to pet you...

Oh! You probably have something wrong you need help with! He's heard plenty of stories like that before, some wild hybrid or animal will approach a human and try to communicate some need, try to get help from a higher species. And animals get aggressive when they're in pain right? Maybe you're really hurt. Well, no worries, you've come to the right person. Good thing too, you could've ended up coming across a really bad person instead. You were smart to come to him for help! You clearly knew a capable person when you saw one.

Thus, he lugs you all the way to the nearby main part of the city, full of humans -- all of whom give you a wide berth, eyes widening as they watch your thrashing and hear your aggressive bellowing.

Thankfully, he has just enough mora to cover a hybrid vet visit, and is willing to spend it on you. It's the right thing to do, y'know? Act of goodwill and all that to help some poor animal, probably gonna give him good karma and all that.

A quick examination, however, concludes you have no problems. Found in the wilderness, hm... Well, no tags means they can't track down an owner... Unless you want to keep this one, we'll take it to a shelter....

The decision only takes a matter of seconds. It's like one of those divine signs of fate! You're clearly meant to come with him. You have the horns, it's basically predestined, a sign from Celestia or something. It wouldn't be right to ignore that. You'll be like a mascot! Yeah, that'll work.

You still thrash quite a bit as you're carried off again, but he doesn't seem to notice. He's too busy talking about how you're going to be right at home and really get along with everyone or something like that. You only know a few human words, so you're pretty much lost on anything he's saying.

Even after arriving at what appears to be your new "home," you are not entirely certain why you'd been dragged away, and you're quite confused and afraid. After a few minutes of observation, though, you come to an important realization that you did not look closely enough until now. The one who has brought you here is another hybrid, not a human. He possesses horns, which means he is clearly one of your own kind, you were acquainted with plenty of bull hybrids in your herd days. You were mistaken to think of him as human.

However, he has human ears, and has no tail. What kind of bull has no tail? Maybe his was ripped off somehow. That doesn't explain the human ears though... maybe he's some genetic mishap and got the wrong ears. And how did a bull manage to master human speech? More importantly, why form one's herd out of humans? The others here have no horns, nor any sign of animal blood. That seems rather nonsensical. None of it make sense to you.

But as a herd animal (even if not a very peaceful one), you have an instinct to be around others of your own kind. This one and Ushi are likely the only ones of your own kind you'll find for quite some time, you have an urge to stay with them, and really, the thought of being out there alone again is a bit frightening. So even if they already get on your nerves quite a bit, you resolve to stay right here. It's not like you have anywhere else to go, and you quickly realize that they intend to give you free food, which is a major plus.

In fact, you get adjusted rather quickly. After your initial thrashing when you were carried here, you pose no more real resistance to the setup itself, which is taken as a sign that you have accepted your belonging here. Well, you do protest the cowbell that gets put around your neck on the second day of your stay, disliking the sound and weight, but it proves impossible to pull off with your mere pawing at it. Perhaps if you were a bit smarter and capable of using your thumbs in complex ways, you might be able to remove it, but unfortunately all you can think to do is tug on it, which proves futile, and thus you grow used to it. This way everyone can keep an eye on you, make sure you don't go wandering off.

The humans this bull lives with, however, are wary of you. It doesn't help that your initial reaction to them is to huff and jerk your head in an attempt to stab them.

But he doesn't get mad. You're just getting adjusted is all! That's actually your way of greeting, it's playful! You're not trying to hurt anybody, so he says. Still, after a couple of incidents leaving point-tip scars on the appendages of other members, you have the horns shaved and sanded down to dull ends (quite the ordeal, as it took essentially the entire gang to hold you down and complete the process). Though bitter about it for some time, you eventually accepted this, and gradually became less prone to attack in general.

You are now considered the gang co-mascot and group representative. Your role as representative is to... represent. Exist. You don't really have any responsibilities except to be present at major functions and sit there.

That being said, it is a vital function and nothing important can be done without your presence. You are consulted for important decisions (What do you think?, he asks, and when you grunt or flick your ears, see, she thinks it's a good idea!), and no important decision can be made without your supposed opinion (Hang on, we have to consult the representative...). It has been argued by some that this is not necessary (and perhaps that you aren't even aware of what's being said or what's going on in the first place), but after getting into said argument on a variety of occasions and losing to sheer stubbornness every single time, the other members have come to acknowledge the significance of your say in things.

You also get a vote in any major decisions. With your inability to form and limited understanding of human words, however, your vote is automatically determined to align with his vote, thus often swaying the vote in his favor (it does not help that,  as leader, he already gets two votes anyway...).

Much like your general "opinions," this has been protested by other members a couple of times, but it is argued that you deserve to have your opinion heard as a vital and irreplaceable gang member, and since you can't voice your opinion, the responsibility falls upon him to correctly interpret your gestures to the vote you're trying to communicate. Who else knows you well enough to interpret you? Exactly. You're uncertain of what it means when the humans talk back and forth a bunch and then turn to you as if expecting something, but as soon as you give any sort of sound or gesture, that seems to be satisfactory to continue, so you don't mind it.

You're given an outfit color-matching to your owner's, once again for the purpose of matching the gang's "vibes," whatever that may mean, and to be better recognizable as the token representative. Likewise, now, every couple of days, he paints your horns red so that you match, says something about it looking cool and another comment about the aforementioned matching of vibes. You have to be matching, since you're going to be going everywhere together and do everything together!

Well, he does have some necessary things to do that you can't come with him for. In those cases, the others can watch over you. But then again... they're all, you know, normal humans, and there's a chance you could slam them with those horns, make them lose their grip and run off...

Oh, Ushi would never run away. Why didn't he think about that until now? You two would probably get along really well too. You two are kind of the same thing, after all. He loops a rope between the two of you, ties your necks together with a few spare feet of leeway between. See? Just like you. You'll get along well.

You turn towards this... creature, huffing air out of your nostrils, making a low, threatening sound in your throat. Likewise, he makes the same gestures of aggression right back to you, slowly starts to dig a hoof into the ground. After a few moments, you both put your heads down, lunging forward, horns clacking against each other.

Aw, see, you're friends already! Glad that worked out. He'll only be gone a few hours, so just play nice.

Your animal brain is just short of the competence required to understand how to untie a knot, so all you can do is struggle against the tie, but the other creature proves very heavy and prevents you from moving any distance by sitting down flat on the ground, very clearly not intending to move any time soon.

You huff, you moo. You tussle with each other, clonking horns again. The humans that remain to supervise watch on with wide-eyed concern, mumbling to themselves as to whether or not they should intervene, but none of them want to take the risk. Even though they're now very dull, your horns will leave quite the bruise if hit with enough force.

You try your best, but he doesn't budge. In fact, seemingly growing a bit irritated with your disruptions, he gives you a solid headbutt to the side, sending you flopping over. You stay down. Defeated and humiliated and exhausted, you only make a sad sound, resolving to rest on the ground.

...But now that you're not fighting anymore, Ushi seems to calm down as well. Sort of waddles over your way, plops down onto the ground beside you. You're very bitter towards him at first, but quickly find that he is warm and squishy and makes a great companion for napping on the ground in the sun. You're still pressed together by the time your owner returns.

Aw. Look at you two, getting along so well you sleep curled up next to each other like that. This was a good idea.

The days get easier from there on. You still get roped to Ushi daily, you don't mind it so much. You two have fun -- still clonking heads and tussling around, but now it's friendly and playful, with much less force, and when you both get tired you eat and rest together. It becomes a regular routine. Your life is carefree and easy, and the only times you're in any distress were the occasions where your owner was in jail for several consecutive days, but even that never lasts too long.

You think you will stay here, indefinitely, now. You have no real reason to try to run off, you're well-fed and cared for, and all of these humans and the other hybrid alike have become familiar to you, admittedly you are starting to think you might care for them, just a little.

And to be honest, bovine long-term memory isn't that great. Soon you find that your memories of any other life you had before are very fuzzy, you're almost uncertain if they were real or a dream. Soon, they'll fade away for good, and this life here will be all you've ever known anyway.

------------------

Dottore - ratgirl

Agencies can't always ensure hybrids go to good people.

They try. They do background checks, similarly to how someone would adopt a kid. They want to be sure the hybrid isn't going to be abused, neglected, or otherwise mistreated, and that for hybrids requiring special care, that the person in question has the means and finances to properly do so. Granted, they're aware that many people use hybrids for... self-gratification purposes, and everyone knows why single adult males are by far the largest consumer demographic for purchasing them, but plenty of hybrid owners who get hybrids to be domestic partners are still good to them.

But some agencies are lower quality, more shady, and some are just desperate to adopt out a specific hybrid. And plenty of individuals have no real record, positive or negative, to speak of, so it's easier to just not make a fuss and assume they're decent and hand the hybrid over. And, most notably, shelters and agencies are often quite eager to get rid of individual species considered... less desirable.

That's not what they tell you, though. You're just... very special! Sure, you watch plenty of dogs and cats and rabbits come and go within days, while you've been here for months... but it just takes a certain kind of person to take care of rats. The really nice caretaker lady says that maybe they're just afraid that the injuries mean you're aggressive, but she's certain that if someone takes time to look more closely, they'll see you're very nice. Besides, they can kindly explain to anyone who asks that it's not your fault. Poor thing, you heard one of the workers say to another, attacked by some wild animal... You don't remember it very well. You woke up here all bandaged up, and they took care of you, so these are good people, you assume.

You miss the other half of your tail, though. You don't know much about medicine, you thought it would grow back... but when they took the bandages off, only a stumpy half remains. You suppose you look a bit lopsided too, being able to see yourself in the glass well enough to see that one of your ears are all shredded up, with a chunk missing on each. Maybe the visitors just get confused and don't know what you are, or something.

Maybe they just don't notice you, since you're a bit quiet. They'll just... move you even closer to the front, make sure people notice you. You try to sit at the front of your pen to make sure people see you.

People have negative associations just because of the word, too. They're okay with mice hybrids, fawn over how cute they are, but even though you look very similar, they sort of make a face at the word rat. The workers just tell you it takes very special people to appreciate very special hybrids, and you'll find that person eventually.

"Eventually" takes a long time, but it does finally come. The workers that come in to get you seem to be in a good mood, so it must be something good.

They say you're in luck. Someone came in here very specifically seeking a rat, of all things. They go through the standard process. Take you out front, get you to the person that requested it... which happens to be more than one person. All wearing weird masks. They look very scary. But if they want you, then they must be good people too.

The worker stammers out something about explaining the obvious missing parts of you, but one of them interrupts her. That's fine. We were just told to get a rat.

No hesitation. Whips out the mora -- a hundred mora, specifically, far less than they charge for other hybrids -- and doesn't even give them the chance to ask if there's anything else needed before reaching over, picking you up, shoving you into a crate, and taking you outside.

You're very confused, but you maintain a good attitude. You're just grateful for them. You ask a lot of questions, but they aren't very keen on answering you. Eventually you come to understand you were bought for someone else, that they're supposed to take you to, so you wait patiently... a several-day trip, all the way to this large building. Full of the same masked people.

The man is one of them, but he looks a bit different. You're a bit nervous at first that he might not be okay with you, but he looks you up and down and gives a quick acknowledgement to the ones that brought you here, so he must be content. He stoops down to get a better look at you in the crate and smiles... but it almost feels a bit... sinister. It sends a shiver down your spine. You tell yourself you'll have to get over that feeling, this person is a good person because why else would he bother to bring you here?

He says you're going to help with something very important. That you get to help him with research. It's very honorable to be doing this. A privilege. So many people would gladly volunteer for it, but you get to do it because you're special and perfect for it. Isn't that nice?

Such a serious honor and responsibility makes you feel nervous, but proud. You're not exactly sure what you did to be selected, you don't question exactly what it was that makes you so ideal for it. But he said you were special. That it has to be you. It makes you feel happy.

It's not a lie. Rats are very similar to people, genetically. And they're weak and at the perfect level of being intelligent enough to study reactions, while being too stupid to understand what's going on. Not to mention, they're cheap, they're too weak to be dangerous if they lash out, and they're not very bright socially either. That's why they make such good test subjects.

Besides, acquiring full humans for these sort of tests would require unwilling subjects, which is much harder to work with as they tend to be uncooperative, and you have to dispose of human subjects to prevent them from causing problems.

But your nature makes you very compliant, eager to please and unable to understand the weight of what's going on. He's almost surprised that a few nice words was all you needed to hear to be on board with it. He already had a whole second speech planned to convince you you had some deadly disease that needed to be cured to scare you into compliance, but it seems that won't be necessary.

At first, that's all you really do, and thus begins your new life. Each day, he comes into the lab where your crate is, opens it and takes you out. Does a routine check-up on various vitals, treats you in a variety of ways, and then leaves, and you're back in the crate again. Usually this process happens twice a day, but if he's particularly busy he may come only once. He doesn't say too much to you, although he is always muttering to himself about something or another, you usually can't hear much. Master seems to be a rather eccentric person, you sense some of the underlings aren't particularly fond of working under him, seem to be a bit intimidated... but he's never outright mean to you, so that means he's a good person, you believe.

You're very timid, given how new and unfamiliar it all is, so you don't want to annoy him... thus, you mostly keep quiet, speak when spoken to, which isn't very often. You comply with all the instructions, you swallow everything you're supposed to. You don't fight the injections either, even if your instinct is to pull away, instead only giving a tiny squeak. You do the best you can. You occasionally ask questions about his work, but the answers you get are short and dismissive, so you quickly stop asking.

...But in truth, you find yourself growing increasingly sad. Other than these treatments, you spend most of the time locked in the tiny crate, in an empty, quiet room. He doesn't really talk to you besides commands and questions on how you feel from various experimental treatments. There's a certain coldness you're treated with. Not an intentional, forceful coldness, but rather more like being ignored, like he simply forgets your existence outside of the moments he's directly engaging with you, doesn't think to do anything more with you. He treats you with dismissal as soon as you're done with treatment, and even with your limited perception, you sense he doesn't really view you as anything beyond an object to be worked with. You're still very happy to see him, and you desperately hope that each day will be one of the days you get to see him twice, but... it wears you down.

It makes you question why he has you at all. It's not done with cruel intent, rather just lack of even crossing his mind, so you aren't too hurt, but... it does make you feel bad. Are you doing something wrong? You've seen plenty of hybrids that have masters that really love them, so why not you?

But, you suppose, they were different sorts of creatures. Maybe that's it. Maybe your kind just isn't supposed to receive that same kind of affection. The thought makes you feel sad.

Within a few months, you find that you stop feeling hungry. You stop feeling jittery when you're in the crate, and instead you often feel very tired. All you really want to do is sleep.

And you do. Your life becomes even emptier. You lay there and blink as you stare at the wall. You respond to questions with head motions rather than words. The medicines have less effect than ever, you feel perpetually numb.

This does not go unnoticed. At first, he thinks maybe something he gave you did it, writes it down as a potential effect of this or that, and carries on as usual. Must cause drowsiness or something.

Until, on one occasion, he's coming to bring you food as usual (you tell yourself you should be very grateful, he never forgets and always comes at the same time!), but notices that there's no need. Your food from last night is untouched. And while you used to perk up when he'd enter the room, he's noticed the past few days you just lay there, not even raising your head. Nothing you've been given recently should cause this behavior.

He tilts his head, looks at you with narrowed eyes. Casts a glance to your uneaten food in your bowl, your lethargic slouch. Didn't take this sort of depression into account. Sometimes it's hard to remember subjects are living beings and all that.

Which isn't a problem. It won't affect the research quality. You'll live, you'll eat eventually and as long as you're living and breathing, you continue to have some use. He doesn't say anything, just turns and heads back to the door.

And then pauses. Casts another glance back at you, laying all curled up on your side. You hear the pause in footsteps, feel the gaze on you, and you tilt your eyes up out of curiosity just enough to see, but your eyes dart away as you make eye contact. He's kind of scary to look in the eye like that. You go back to staring blankly at the floor, unmoving.

...It really doesn't matter, and he should have no qualms with just walking out the door, but...

...

You hear the footsteps come back in your direction. The sound of the crate unlocking and swinging open again. But this time, hands wrap under your armpits and pull you out.

You're a bit confused. It's not time for your daily treatment. You make a startled little sound as you're pulled out of the crate and up onto your feet.

He tells you you need to get some more sunlight and movement, so... for the time being, come with him and just don't cause a distraction. There's very important matters to be dealt with, so, stay very close and don't wander off either. And don't speak to anyone else.

You are overjoyed at the opportunity, letting out a particularly ear-piercing little squeak of excitement (he tenses up at the ringing in his ear, but does't bother to say anything). You've never been outside the lab since the day you came here. You do your best to stay still and quiet, trailing behind him as he goes about various tasks, talks to various people. He's a lot more animated and theatrical when talking to people, whereas he's usually more quiet and dismissive of conversation when focused on a task such as when he's dealing with you. It's sort of a new side to him... and is admittedly a bit scary.

He even asks you for some things, asks you to hand him this or that, and you happily oblige, the act making you feel very useful. Well, except you can't get things out of labeled containers, as you are quite illiterate, but otherwise you give it your all. Eventually, he has someone go through the various materials and tape colored strips of paper to the jars, so that you can now help fetch them when needed. In truth, getting you to get things often takes more time than if he were to just get them himself, but it gives you something to do, and it makes you happy.

You still have daily treatment, though. The medicines make you feel woozy and tired. You don't like the needles, you squeak when they go into your skin. You dread the one day every two weeks when you have to have blood taken out. It always makes you feel so tired, you shiver so much, some times you pass out for a while. But if it's necessary, you have no choice but to endure. Much to your appreciation, rather than just the tasteless processed feed, he starts to spend money on some seeds and other food to give you handfuls of as reward for your efforts.

Since he has to know if it's working, he has to ask questions. How does it feel?

Your answers are usually not positive. Tired. Dizzy. My stomach hurts. My head hurts. It burns.

But you can do it. As long as you are certain and reassured of one thing.

Did I do good?

As long as he says yes, you're content.

...At night, you go back in the crate. You can't move around much, can't stand and can only barely turn around, but there's plenty to ensure you're all set -- a rodent drip water bottle latched to the side for you to latch your mouth onto and drink from if needed. A thick layer of blankets. A few durable wooden blocks for you to chew on. You're grateful for the kind consideration. At the shelter, you would be left in the cold concrete pen with none of those things all night, and it made you sad oftentimes.  You feel more awake at night, so it's frustrating to be kept in such a tiny space during your most active hours, but you understand. You pass the time by chewing on your blocks.

You endure it, for his sake. You want to help. You want to be good and get the rewards and pats, you don't want to disappoint.

But a day does come that you get pushed over the edge. Lots of needles. The first one makes your stomach feel queasy. The second one makes your head hurt. You feel awful. It gets worse and worse as you swallow this or that, to test how they work together. Something gets attached to your head that feels heavy and just hurts worse. You're about to get another jab, but you can't handle anymore. You squeak.

No more...

You shiver and sniffle. You always try very hard to be good and strong and brave and endure it all, but it's become too much. Tears trail down your face, you shoulders wrack with tiny sobs.

There's a long pause. But you hear the materials clack as they're set back down.

Alright. It can wait.

He comes over to where you are, sits down for a moment, presses a hand to your forehead. Well, you're not sweating, which would be an indicator of a potential reaction that would require emergency intervention, so you'll just have to ride this one out and--

You take the opportunity of him sitting down on the table to shuffle over. You rest your head down on his thigh. You feel all your muscles go lax. You're very tired. He goes quiet when you set your head down.

All his stuff is over there, but even after finishing whatever he was writing down, he doesn't move. After some time passes, you feel fingers run through your scalp, over and over in a soft, gentle motion. You feel yourself drift off to sleep.

And when you wake up... he's still perfectly still. Seems rather bored, he's drumming his fingers against his thigh, but hasn't budged. When you stir, he flickers his gaze down to you. You've been asleep an hour now, he says. It should be over now, yes?

You squeak. You hate to think he sat still just to not wake you up, you feel guilty... but for some reason, something about that fact also feels good. You bolt upright, apologizing, saying he could have woken you up...

He pauses for a moment. It's almost as if your words catch him off-guard, as if that possibility is, for whatever reason, something that didn't even cross his mind. A few seconds pass. But then he just shrugs, muttering something.

It doesn't end, but you do feel that sometimes you're given less tests per day. A lot of it is being given a singular treatment of some kind before being tested in some way. When you asked, he says that yes, it's very helpful, that you've contributed a lot. You feel proud for that much. You carry your head a bit higher whenever you walk around with him during the day.

Granted, you have some inconveniences. You sort of... Detract from his image. He tends to have a bit of a dramatic flair to whatever he does, and enjoys getting reactions out of people, but it's a bit difficult for subordinates to take the theatrical monologuing very seriously when you're sitting there behind him with a blank expression, gnawing on whatever raw vegetable you've been most recently given to placate you for a few hours, occasional squeak and all.

Some of them do question why he allows for what seems so unnecessary, but people generally know better than to question him, and have generally accepted that he's just like that, with "just like that" meaning "weird," and it's accepted that that's not changing anytime soon and that it's not supposed to make any sense to them.

Also, the underlings are allowed to pet you, for a few seconds each, otherwise they're shooed away and told they're overstimulating you, and gods forbid anyone interfere with research quality. Most of them do take the opportunity though, you're just too cute to resist giving you headpats.

Oh, but you do have a tendency to be absent-minded with a particular short rodent attention span, so soon a hybrid harness and leash is acquired for you (think of how they make those child harnesses and leashes? Same idea). It's almost comical, to the various onlookers, to see you two come strolling through the building. While he has that sort of ominous, heavy presence about him, it's quite amusingly contrasted by you pattering away walking on the tile floors next to him, attached by a leash in his hand he pulls you around with. The lower ranks all admittedly find it hilarious though, snicker a bit when you two walk by.

You forget exactly when you stopped sleeping in the crate. He says it's not good for your joints, and you're fairly certain he said he'd get you a larger crate eventually, and you could sleep in his bed in the meantime, but so far the larger crate hasn't come yet. The first night you chew a hole through his sleeve in your sleep, though, so you do have to be given blocks to chew on as you sleep. You're more well-rested this way, and it makes you happier, healthier.

That's what he thinks to himself. It's producing more clear-cut results, having a healthy specimen and all... so it's okay if he cares a bit for you in general. It's rather inconvenient, but might as well roll with it now. Prolonged contact and interaction will cause some variants of attachment in anyone. He just has to ensure to watch over you well, and there will be no concerns as to whether or not any underlying attachment will cause problems.

Oh, and on that note, aside from now-rare occasions where you're locked in your crate while he takes care of things you can't be there for, he ensures you never leave his sight. Can't have you roaming the facility halls... don't want to risk that bastard's bear getting ahold of you... would not be good.

#congrats to dain for getting the Pomeraniussy #also im officially making it canon in this AU that beargirl is an absolute MENACE to ratgirl and lambgirl #the predator instincts kick in 😔

[rebornologist]

Greetings!

I was wondering if u could write some headcanons of gokudera (khr) with a chronically ill s/o (struggling with exhaustion, migraines and joint/bone pains)?

Absolutely understandable though if you don't feel comfortable writing this though.

Regardless I wish you a day as wonderful as your writing! :)

Hii anon! Thank you for this idea, I love talking about Gokudera.. I honestly don't know too much about these chronic illness symptoms, aside from my experience with some friends.. so these are not super specific, but here are my thoughts!

♡ Hayato Gokudera & a chronically ill s/o ✧

no warnings this time, yippee!

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Gokudera is our post-trauma stress-induced stomachache girlie, so he understands just a bit how hard it is to be hugely impacted by something that you cannot really control, but he’s fairly supportive of your management efforts and coping mechanisms.

He took a minute to be more mindful of his volume when his partner has a migraine, because he can be pretty loud, especially when he’s too excited about seeing them to check his volume. After he gets the hang of being quieter around his partner when they’re having migraines, he begins to expand that to anyone or anything else in the area. It’s a bit much.

He’s the type of person to enjoy lounging around with his s/o’s head in his lap, and him just silently reading a good book (his favourite creature feature of the time) until his partner feels a bit better. As he grew older, he learned to value quality time more as he got busier with more serious work stuff.

Physical touch is a big enough love language for him that he would be willing to help them massage whatever they need him to for comfort or easing the pain, though joint pain can be difficult to handle. His hands are calloused and rough, but he has a dedicated pocket where he quickly and quietly slips all his rings into, before stretching out his fingers and offering to apply pressure where it's needed.

He always offers help verbally or asks for his s/o’s confirmation before doing anything, even if it’s a routine thing that they do together, and even checking in to make sure that what he’s doing is helping at all. Some people would say that he should know what to do without asking, but he wants to be sure that it’s what they need in the moment, and he also.. just enjoys the exchange.

There are times when he may see his partner as too ailed by their chronic pain and might even be a little overbearing. How much is too much? It’s your call, but he’s probably gone there. Communication is key with Hayato, he’s prone to overthinking and shutting down if he feels that he’s done something wrong. It’s because he’s so full of love and care for the people that he’s dedicated himself to. It might weigh on him more than they'd like, because he just wants so badly for them to live comfortably.

He would feed his s/o better than he fed himself, probably. He’s only a little into the Eastern medicine thing but believes that there has to be some remedies to manage the symptoms and is fairly keen to try out more hollistic approaches. He feels all warm and fuzzy whenever his partner shares that they’re feeling generally better lately and will vehemently stick with whatever had the greatest positive effect, which can be a bit of overkill.

He'll go on walks with his s/o if it helps with their joint pain, and will make sure that they have the most peaceful and unbothered stroll, even if it means he has to mean mug everyone else that walks by. Enjoy the scary dog privilege :) If his partner does the thing where they lie on their back and elevate their legs, sometimes he'll walk in when they're doing it and use it as an opportunity to plant a few little kisses on their face. He will absolutely join if they requested, also. He's also not completely pain free as he ages and yknow.. puts his body through the wringer more, especially in his back, so it helps him too!

I love him, I think he would be the bitch wrapping his fingers in salonpas after he develops bomb-constructing induced RSI. He's too young to smell like an old man with his cigarettes and ointments... anyway, I'll stop projecting. many many love, ghostiee ♡♡

#khr #hitman reborn #khr headcanons #katekyo hitman reborn #khr x reader #khr imagines #gokudera x reader #gokudera khr #gokudera hayato #gokudera headcanons

[czarojay]

Some qsmp designs for my WIP animatic!

Mini tangent regarding the cucurucho design below cause I started mindlessly chattering and I suddenly needed to put a readmore here

So like. Cucurucho, in its skin, is an incredibly ambiguous character when it comes to the design. It can be whatever you want it to be. A chinky plush bear, a kawaii bear popstar, fnaf wannabe robot or some weird horror spindly creature.

And those all are GREAT and I love seeing different renditions of cucurucho. But also like. Why have I not seen anyone do the obvious yet.

Why have I not seen anyone do a polar bear cucurucho yet?! Like it's called a bear, it's been called ice cream and cone and snowman and how has all that not combined into ice bear/polar bear.

Like! Polar bears are adorable yes look at them from the front and they're the cutest fluffiest white babies of an animal. Like all bears actually but yeah-

But then I remember all the trivia I know about polar bears. True it comes from different sources so I can't promise them to all be 100% true information but!

Their bite strength is stronger than that of a great white, they are the largest carnivore on Earth, they can run as fast as a horse, they're the only animal on earth which actively hunts humans. Actual apex predator. Do they hunt humans because they lack other food? Yeah, but doesn't change the fact they do!

Here's the scarier stuff some might want to skip.

Polar bears will not kill a human before they eat it, some sources say they will only attack humans when they're on their territory, but there's just cases of a polar bear following a scent of a human like an endurance predator and then waiting for the moment when the human is least aware to strike. POLAR BEARS ARE TERRIFYING.

So like we have a cute but deadly bear out there who just so happens to live in polar conditions (snow) and is white. And is actually terrifying.

And then we have Cucurucho who blows bubbles and is absolutely adorable (cannot deny that) and then you look at cucurucho from ANY stream from Cellbits pov and yep that sure is an apex predator yep. Haha what a fuzzy cute white bear sure hope he doesn't brutally murder anyone with a chainsaw later tee hee. I JUST THINK THAT A POLAR BEAR FITS REALLY WELL HERE <3

As I said, love all the different designs but I'm gonna stay a polar bear cucurucho truther I think 🙏

#qsmp #qsmp bobby #qsmp roier #qsmp jaiden #cucurucho #101 talks #teal doodley doos #ok so this post accidentlaly turned from “hey look at these fun sketches!” into a polar bear info dump #so i just hope hou appreciate it either way thumbs up

[pregtboy]

cozy cuddly pregnant boys are like the most adorable creatures on this earth i think

small sweet boys at the stage of their pregnancies where they're pretty much stuck at home and always sleepy 🥺 they wake up and waddle out of bed and straight to the couch to cuddle up to their baby daddies, always making soft soothed moans and little tired sighs and the cutest little yawns you've ever seen as they get all comfy and snuggly

pregnant boys wearing the coziest clothes they can around the house and looking absolutely adorable 🥰 throwing on their partner's big hoodies or oversized sweaters over tiny lounge shorts or panties and cute fuzzy socks, their lil arms swimming in the sweater sleeves and making cute little sweater paws

they're so comfortable in their ripe fertile bodies and love being pregnant - especially at this stage - so it's super easy for them to get cozy with those big heavy bellies making them all warm and sleepy and that soft plush layer of plumpness cushioning their widening hips, soft thighs, and round asses and making them the absolute perfect specimens for snuggles

the nesting instincts are so strong too and you can always find them curled up in bed or on the couch with a massive heap of blankets, clothes, and other soft objects nestled all around them, only their round bellies poking out from the cozy safe haven, their kids huddled up on either side of the belly to listen for kicks and heartbeats and eventually falling asleep against that big belly in a cute family cuddle pile that the baby daddies coo at and take pictures of for the scrapbook bc how could they not, it's the cutest thing they've ever seen!

just 🥺 soft snuggly cozy pregnant boys being all cute and sleepy and cuddly and happy with their families! 💗

#txt #mine #pregnancy kink #tmpreg #boy #domestic #in a big cozy domestic fluff mood