#the love i havw for him is so huge

[eijminds]

i LOVE megumi so much ………………………

#😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 #my pookie #the love i havw for him is so huge #i need to cry it out once in a while #megumi my beloved

[carnivalsoration]

Cronus Gets Tortured, and then Learns Some Stuff about Boundaries and Identity

I’m going to start all this off with an ooc description of things, because this gets pretty intense in bits. A tldr with added trigger warning, if you will. 

Ringleader messages Cronus about being an insensitive prick regarding the ‘gutterblood rights’ post, then the conversation moves on to lusus death (a la, what was going on with Meulin at the time, though she’s not mentioned directly at all), how wasteful Alternia is, and then on to torture. During that talk, there’s a lot of mentions of parent/animal death, then referring to people as objects that can be disposed of, in an abstract sense, and then obviously, Harming and Killing people, for Fun and Dubious Amounts of Profit. 

Ringleader convinces Cronus it would be no big deal to torture him for a bit, and doesn’t take no for an answer. (Manipulation, coercing, lack of respect for boundaries.) And then they meet up! Cronus is waterboarded, Ringleader is way lighter about it than he really should be, primarily in the confession he forces Cronus to make, and then they make out! Weird, but these two are who they are.

Cronus presses more, hoping for sex to happen. Ringleader says no. Cronus says ‘but whyyyy’ and Ringleader gets pissed about it. A conversation about consent and rape occurs, that leads into highblood standards, respect, and who Cronus wants to be and what he values. 

This is a Very dense log, y'all, with a lotta intense stuff. Two kinda shitty people meeting, and one of them trying to make the other Less shitty, with some admittedly poor judgement. Overall, a Dubiously happy, or at least thought provoking, ending.

Anyway! If that sounds like you would enjoy reading it, read on! If not, you now know a general plot synopsis and can avoid reading it while still knowing all relevant details! If the chat log appeals to you but the roleplay itself doesn’t, you can read that too! 

carnivalsoration honk

vwarlordvwanderlust hey there, babe!

carnivalsoration :o)

vwarlordvwanderlust vwhat's up?

carnivalsoration i will make out with you if you promise not to reblog that gutterblood pride post again.

vwarlordvwanderlust see, THIS is a bold and innovwativwe method more people should try.

carnivalsoration hahahahaha is that a yes

vwarlordvwanderlust you also could'vwe just asked. but too late, no take backs. hell yeah.

carnivalsoration hahahahahahahaha

vwarlordvwanderlust (also that's a joke. there are take backs. it's all just jokes. )

carnivalsoration good boy, thats a good ad on

vwarlordvwanderlust haha. i do my best.

carnivalsoration :o) i could explain why i don't want you to say it, if ya wanna hear it or you could guess, since i'm kinda curious

vwarlordvwanderlust i just figured it vwas annoying. you specified that particular post, and not the vword, is it the vword.

carnivalsoration it's the word and the implication it's. it's just the whole thing, brother the whole damn thing

vwarlordvwanderlust yeah? vwhat implication?

carnivalsoration for you this is an inconvenience for a bit. for other people, this is their life. you don't earn the right ta use that word by your glorified lowblood tourism

vwarlordvwanderlust huh.

> So he's not *that* Alternian. 🤔

carnivalsoration > Ooo motherfucker.

do ya get what i mean? you can't have pride about somethin that you're not even really a part of.

vwarlordvwanderlust it vwas a joke. but yeah for sure, OBVWIOUSLY.

carnivalsoration and what about it is funny? like, can you just explain it to me?

vwarlordvwanderlust it's okay to not get jokes.

carnivalsoration no, i wanna get it.

vwarlordvwanderlust it's just a dumb lowvblood thing people say, you knowv, that i'm saying, because i'm kinda a lowvblood, for nowv.

carnivalsoration huh. and that's... funny?

vwarlordvwanderlust > This is the worst thing that's ever happened.

i mean. it's just one of those things.

carnivalsoration aight.

vwarlordvwanderlust look they can't all be vwinners!!!!!!!!

carnivalsoration you reblogged it though, you thought it was pretty good

vwarlordvwanderlust vwe all havwe different tastes. anyvways.

carnivalsoration yeah. what would you do if ya lusus died?

vwarlordvwanderlust > Weird foreplay but okay. > Clowns.

be sad.

did you vwant a longer ansvwer, or did you just leavwe.

carnivalsoration oh, oops. i got distracted. but like. how much would it change your life

vwarlordvwanderlust a lot. but i mean. i'll need to leavwe him anyvways.

carnivalsoration fun fact. i killed my lusus

vwarlordvwanderlust oh. vwhy?

carnivalsoration cuz that was the tradition at the time. indigos wouldn't get orphaned before adulthood on the condition that when they became a subjug, they'd kill their lusus themselves. and so that's what happened. i hella slaughtered him. it was a mess hahaha

vwarlordvwanderlust haha. yeah.

carnivalsoration i'm just talkin at this point

vwarlordvwanderlust vwhy? i mean don't get me vwrong. i lovwe our talks.

carnivalsoration i just ponder things sometimes. i'm old, i got a lotta memories to peruse what's your alternia like?

vwarlordvwanderlust big question, chief. dunno howv to ansvwer that.

carnivalsoration how often do people murder their lusus

vwarlordvwanderlust i don't knowv. probably not a ton. seems like a vwaste.

carnivalsoration hahaha remember what i said the other night? alternia likes nothin quite so much as waste

vwarlordvwanderlust alternia is cutthroat and efficient. may not alvways be pretty, but hey. it gets the job done.

carnivalsoration hahahaha. wrong. healthcare that involves replacing limbs instead of mending. killin people for any old thing and raisin all new people, like i said. you coulda imprisoned them and got free labor. killin reproductive failures. because you can still make THEM work. that ain't efficiency.

vwarlordvwanderlust that's efficient! you don't need to deal vwith upkeep if you toss a thing in the garbage vwhen it breaks, same vwith people. mm.

carnivalsoration efficiency is using a tool as long as it's useful. killin other planets rather than enslaving them. using lowbloods as fodder in just the stupidest ways. you could have them maneuver big heavy things or control animals at the front line or whatever. also. mechanical limbs cost a lot in upkeep too, just as a bonus destroying rather than fixing is just a thing. it's all brute force casual sadism, gloating over enemies rather than just offin em. imagine all the hot babes that were offed cuz they broke an ankle. or cuz they were kinda stupid once or they puked killin somethin the first time, which is another way alternia wastes life. beaurocracy is a HUGE waste of time plus it makes ya wanna beat your brains out with the stack of paperwork ya have to do land and sea trolls in competition, which wastes highblood life on dumbass feuds underfeedin slaves and workin them to death way before their natural lifespan. food ain't that expensive

vwarlordvwanderlust evwery system has SOME flawvs.

carnivalsoration yeah, but alternia's is that it just loves waste it fuckin can't get enough of it fuck, i tortured and killed thousands of people when i coulda tortured them and then put them to work .... probably hundreds of thousands.... i wonder if i broke a million

vwarlordvwanderlust vwell. i assumed that vwas, you knowv. pleasure, not business. but vwe all havwe flavws.

carnivalsoration oh, it's both. the fact i did it for fun doesn't change the fact i was definitely expected to do it

vwarlordvwanderlust vwell the system gets stuff done.

carnivalsoration oh, the number of troll screams i heard... the number of crimes confessed.... so many confessed to crimes that we found out they didn't even commit! just to make the agony stop

vwarlordvwanderlust the probability of false confessions is actually ovwerplayed by certain rebellious type groups, it's still mostly good intel.

> You should know, you consume imperial propaganda religiously!

carnivalsoration .... i .......... i tortured them myself all the time three a night, at least for centuries there is a LOT of false confessions a LOT of time wasted researching the falsities

vwarlordvwanderlust is it most of them?

carnivalsoration oh yeah. like 70% of the info you get from any one person is likely to be false. sometimes more, sometimes less, and about 90% of the time, the truths they do tell aren't worth your time to even pursue

vwarlordvwanderlust so vwe need to be more selectivwe in vwho vwe torture and vwhat vwe ask.

> Bold of you to say we, there.

carnivalsoration i'm kinda curious where you got the info about how false confessions are overplayed OH SHIT. I SHOULD HELP YOU GET USED TO TORTURE SOUNDS

vwarlordvwanderlust okay the tone of those tvwo messages is vwildly different.

carnivalsoration i just get excited sometimes

vwarlordvwanderlust it's pretty common knowvledge used to counter rebel propaganda. the real number is like 1%. ...here, i mean. i'm not accusing you of lying. hey, maybe our timelines are different.

carnivalsoration hey, if you're so sure, i bet i could do non-destructive torture on you and get you to confess to something that isn't true.

vwarlordvwanderlust that sounds bad and not fun!

carnivalsoration one hour. it isn't even that long. plus imagine how impressed people would be to know you can withstand torture

vwarlordvwanderlust > You start typing: "okay this is vwhy evweryone assumed you're a serial k" > Hm. That last one is a good message, though.

you don't think i can.

carnivalsoration i don't think you can

vwarlordvwanderlust you're the expert, i guess.

> God it would be so fucking impressive though.

carnivalsoration but i don't know for sure, since timeline differences. i don't wanna spread false information, specially if it helps rebels

vwarlordvwanderlust > GOD THAT'S SUCH A GOOD POINT.

okay but it's gotta vwait six nights.

carnivalsoration how come?

vwarlordvwanderlust not because i'm putting it off or anything, because i'm in a rustie body.

carnivalsoration why does that matter? the people most frequently tortured are lowbloods and i did say i wouldn't damage you. no knives, no electricity, nothin

vwarlordvwanderlust huh. yeah, i guess so. vwhat'll you do?

carnivalsoration waterboard

vwarlordvwanderlust so not to be ovwerly critical but like.

are you going to cause BRAIN DAMAGE. this seems vwild.

carnivalsoration i'm an expert, would i cause brain damage in one of my friends just for kicks? look up how long the average rustblood can hold their breath. gimme that long. not even an hour, just a little bit

vwarlordvwanderlust one to tvwo minutes... vwe'll say tvwo. or three or vwhatevwer idc. you think this is THAT bad???

carnivalsoration yeah

vwarlordvwanderlust > If this guy ends up torturing you to death, even the like one person who'd care, wouldn't care after reading this conversation. This would be a dumb fucking decision. This is so stupid, you'd absolutely regret this, there's only one answer you could plausibly give.

yeah, okay.

carnivalsoration aight. i'll give ya new coordinates

vwarlordvwanderlust not gonna be a cool outdoorsy forest vwibe for this torture sesh? hahaha

carnivalsoration we could move it to inside in my block and then make out

vwarlordvwanderlust nice!

carnivalsoration right?? you get tortured, come out fine, and then get to make out. what a fuckin nice night, right?

vwarlordvwanderlust okay it's not the night you think vwill happen though. you're just humoring me. but you're vwrong, so

carnivalsoration i'll make out with you either way

vwarlordvwanderlust it vwon't come up, haha.

carnivalsoration :o* [coords.txt]

vwarlordvwanderlust > Swoon.

😘❗

vwait.

carnivalsoration :o?

vwarlordvwanderlust okay no this isn't me pussying out i promise it's just. my transportalizer pass is for like. me. so is my id. saness and mituna and people just like. got here, though.

carnivalsoration mmmm. aight, what's ya coords? also tell me where a big bathtub is

vwarlordvwanderlust okay, sorry to be all annoying. oh uh. okay yeah.

carnivalsoration chill out, i ain't fussed

vwarlordvwanderlust > This is rough, on account of, you know. Being kicked out of your hive. But it's probably best not to do it there anyways, so off you go, trespassing on abandoned properties to scope out the bathrooms. Eventually you find something good enough, fairly recently vacated, and send coordinates.

> This is going to be cool.

carnivalsoration > Fucking Arrive! You are trying not to be too excited about being able to torture someone, but you're still pretty hype. You have all the things you'll need. Plenty of water to waste, a cloth to wrap around his face, your recording app open on your phone to record when he isn't looking.

vwarlordvwanderlust > You're only about as nervous as you were before you went hunting (and that turned out so great).

> You grin and wave. This time, you lack any purple in your outfit, and your eyes are red, and you don't have fins, but you look basically the same.

"Hey there, doll. Howv's it going?"

> It's not stalling if it's just a little bit.

carnivalsoration "Pretty damn good so far. You aight gettin your clothes wet, or should we take em off?" You raise eyebrows at him a few times. Waggle.

> Don't be too eager, Makara.

vwarlordvwanderlust > You pull on your shirt, thinking about no just kidding it's always good to take off your shirt. You're vulnerable enough without taking off your pants, though.

"This alright vwith you, doll?"

> You can eyebrow waggle with the best of them. Hitting on people is good.

carnivalsoration > Touch a tit. "Nice." Hitting on people Is good.

> You pull out a scrap of fabric and smile. "Lemme blindfold ya, brother." You're thinking about things that are ridiculous enough that it'll make it funny to confess to but that he won't be offended about later.

vwarlordvwanderlust > Nice.

> See, the thing is that this is such a good and valid sexy scenario if you forget about the torture that's definitely going to happen.

"Sure, yeah."

> You cooperate with a nervous laugh.

carnivalsoration > Blindfold: On. You make sure to adjust it just right, so he can't see you. "I'm going to lead you to the tub now," you say, softly.

> And you do, gently, and telling him to mind the ledge. All you really need is a drain. And water, of course. But you've got that.

vwarlordvwanderlust "Gotcha."

> It's surprisingly disorienting, being led around a fairly unfamiliar environment blindfolded, even for such a short distance. You're already feeling a little nervous about this.

> Maybe the professional torture guy who got people to say stuff that went against their own interests knows what he's talking about with regards to torture?

> But maybe you're just an unstoppable badass. Probably that second one.

carnivalsoration > You lead him in and direct him to lay down. You're very calm and reassuring.

> And then you try to place your camera on a ledge so it peers down at Cronus, get in the tub on top of him to pin him down. You'll try to grab his wrists, place them above his head, grab them with one hand. And one of his horns too. You'll narrate your actions the whole time.

> Damn, indigos are strong when you're a rustblood, him actually resisting you is a bit like him resisting really fleshy iron.

vwarlordvwanderlust > You cooperate, maybe metaphorically dragging your heels a bit, but, oh, no you aren't, fuck this dude is strong.

> FUCK this would be hot if it wasn't for this.

> You're a little wiggly, but not like you're necessarily trying to get away (not that you could), more like you keep wanting to look around.

> It's a lot harder to keep your face casual without the reminder of eye contact, for some reason.

> It's just a couple of minutes, though! It's fine! You Have Never Been Calmer.

> (It'd be really funny if your light hyperventilating made you pass out before he did anything. Funny for some people, at least.)

carnivalsoration > Oh how fucking precious that is. He's so cute, and he doesn't even verbally object. Plausible deniability!

> You grin a little bit where he can't see. "Your three minutes starts now."

> You pull out a gallon jug of water from your dex and start pouring it over his nose and mouth. It looks so ridiculous for being as effective as it is, considering it quickly starts to feel like he's barely keeping his head above water.

"Cronus, did you make me a cookie?" You ask down sternly at him. Not loud, not aggressive per se, but definitely authoritarian.

vwarlordvwanderlust > Blblbr?!?

> Okay this is bad actually.

> You thrash a little, reflexively, but don't get far. You try to shake your head but, uh, can't.

"No--?"

> Boy the water sure just keeps happening. It's a good thing your body inherited reflexes to not breathe water, or this would have been over very fast, since you'd already be coughing it up onto the floor.

> This is a really bad thing but it's not for very long. It's fine!

> The nice thing about being tortured is you're too distracted to worry about keeping a straight face.

> The bad thing about being tortured is all the other stuff. :(

carnivalsoration > Oh, hey, he didn't immediately submit. That's fine. Patience is all you need. The water keeps up in a steady stream. "You did, didn't you. Don't lie to me, you did make me a cookie. Didn't you?!"

> A forceful tone of voice and persistence is all you need. Soon he'll be too disoriented to do much more than choke and agree with you.

vwarlordvwanderlust ==> Cronus: choke and agree with him.

> This was a terrible idea!

> (Wow, Cronus, if only there was any way of knowing that.)

> Your panicked failing gets a little more forceful, but not any more effective.

"Stop, yes--"

> You're dying, he's killing you, you're going to drown here and nobody will ever know what happened.

carnivalsoration "And just what happened to that cookie, Cronus?" You accuse. "Did you fucking eated it??" Oh messiahs bless, saying that with a straight face is so funny. So hard.

"Don't you dare fucking lie, did you Eated my Cookie?"

vwarlordvwanderlust > You already said yes! You really will definitely die at his hands. AaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA

"Yes, I did, stop,"

> Your lungs don't feel right, but you don't know if there's actually water in there or if you're just freaking the fuck out without haviing gills, so it feels different.

> Glub glub,

> When you get back in your right mind, you'll be mad. This is the dumbest thing imaginable

carnivalsoration > Okay, now to get to the aftercare portion so no one thinks you're evil or whatever.

> You stop pouring water, captchalogue the jug, and get out of the tub. Then you help him sit up, lean forward. "Alright, now. Cough. Get it all outta ya."

> ..... Grab your phone. Fuck you hope that recorded the right angle.

vwarlordvwanderlust > Water, water everywhere, the last thing you're ever going to feel is water-- no water.

> You're shivering, and coughing weird-- you don't know enough about this to know if it's normal for torture weird, though.

> When he gets you into a better position, you cough up a little more water than might be expected for someone else who this happened to. Probably you just tried to breathe a little more than most people.

> When you're a little less full of water, you   go for the blindfold, if he hasn't taken care of it already. Seeing is good.

carnivalsoration > Oh shit blindfold, better hide the phone! Captchaloguing is so convenient for slight of hand stuff.

> you help him with the blindfold, very helpfully, with no ulterior motives whatsoever, and then give him a little pat on the back.

"You did pretty well! Didn't beg, don't think you cried. Still definitely confessed though."

vwarlordvwanderlust > You're tearing up a little bit now, but it's probably just the coughing, because you don't feel anything about this. It's basically no big deal.

> You glare at him, looking about as threatening as a half drowned kitten.

"You tried to kill me!"

> You sound vaguely hysterical.

carnivalsoration "Nope, you weren't even close to death. If i had tried to kill you, i got a billion other different ways to do it and there'd be no try about it."

> Pat him a little more. Its okay dear Cronus, it's all okay.

vwarlordvwanderlust > Rub at your eyes with one hand and try to take deep breaths, the way you were taught to instruct a charge to do if they flipped out.

> If you actually thought it was an attempt on your life, you'd be running, for all the good it'd do you. You still think it got closer than he's saying, but.

"I'vwe gotta stop givwing myself chances to look like an idiot in front of you."

> You sound calmer, but not, you know. Calm.

carnivalsoration > You laugh a bit, waggle your brows. "I like idiots, if that helps." It probably won't. "Anyway, my respect for people ain't based on the sorta thing that you seem so down on yourself about, so you're basically in the clear on that front."

> Not on several other things, but what can ya do. If you're ringleader, try to be nice anyway.

vwarlordvwanderlust > 'You didn't look like an idiot, Cronus', would have been the correct response, but he tried.

> Hhhhhhh.

> You haul yourself shakily out of the tub.

"Thanks, babe. Good looking out. Excellent. Appreciate it."

> You look at your hands, remembering the ineffectual struggling, and shiver. But in like, a cool and nonchalant way, totally.

"Man. Rusties are, uh. Vweak, huh?"

> Not that you could necessarily beat twelve feet of clown in an arm wrestling match normally, but still.

carnivalsoration > Oh good, he actually got that little bit of empathy you tried to make happen. Yes, he is weak as a rusty, and that's how they feel all the time!

"Yeah. Bones are more fragile too. Pretty nuts, ain't it? I barely even felt you struggling."

> How much can you hammer things home before you make it obvious? .... Let's give it a try.

"Browns and yellows ain't much better, ya know. They kinda have to do whatever we want em to, one on one, unless they got real good psionic control." Which means Mituna can't easily say no to what you do, Fuckwit. .... If only you could say those words out loud. Can't seem too sympathetic, though, you're supposed to be a mean Alternian who is being nice to him for some reason.

> Plus or minus some waterboarding.

vwarlordvwanderlust "Haha, better to be on the other side of that one, I'vwe gotta say."

> Lowbloods are weak and it's funny. Not that you sound all that amused right this particular instant, but you'll be back to normal soon enough.

"Not an especially controvwersial opinion,  I knowv. Anyvways! That's good, I guess. Makes things easier to handle."

> Now you're into the fucking with your hair stage of emotional recovery, because it definitely got all messed up.

carnivalsoration > Hahaha yeah, better to be a coolblood, outnumbered a hundred to one. That's a good side to be on. Ha. Ha. Ha.

> You watch him fix his hair for several moments before you proceed to just. Fuck it up again. Ruffle ruffle ruffle.

"I won the bet. What do i get as a prize?"

vwarlordvwanderlust > Pout at him.

"C'mon, boss, vwhy you gotta be like that?"

> It's pretty fucking wild how this guy actually literally tortured you, admittedly at your request, but you're so willing to be his friend.

> You smile tentatively at the question, a far cry from your typical cocky smirk.

"I dunno, big guy. Vwhat do you vwant?"

> It COULD not be a come on, except that you kinda. Lick your lips and waggle your eyebrows. Just a little. A smidge. It's probably really casual.

carnivalsoration > You like teasing him, and you laugh when he pouts. "Ain't my fault you look cute with mussed hair."

> And then he licks his lips and waggles his brows in a way that reminds you of yourself, except that you like to go overboard with it like it's a joke so that people can brush it off without the whole thing being hella awkward.

> You chuckle a little more, tap his nose. "I'll save my spoils for another time, hmm? In the meantime, though."

> Bend over, pick him up by the ass, and just give him a big ol kiss on his lips.

vwarlordvwanderlust "Yeah, you really think it looks alright?"

> Preen. You're incredibly fucking vain, which is pretty obvious considering your everything about you, and you appreciate being called cute. Even if tough would be preferable.

> OH THIS IS A VERY GOOD THING!

> Kiss back with just a little more enthusiasm than technique, though it isn't like you're terrible. This is a good night. You should probably put your shirt back on eventually, but it's not a particularly high priority at the moment.

carnivalsoration > Oh, boi, you're always the teacher and the experienced one. Otherwise you might be annoyed to be in such a position yet again.

> .... Grope his ass, tho, check if its doin alright, and see how quick he is to learn how to make out good.

vwarlordvwanderlust > You relax into it before too long, less tongue aggression can only improve things.

> You're basically only alright.

> You nip at his lips with lowblood-dull teeth, and grin when he gropes you. You don't want to take your arms away from their position over his shoulders, or you'd return the favor.

> Nothing bad has ever happened to you and everything is great.

carnivalsoration > Oh, teeth always get a good reaction out of you, inexperienced or no. Son of a bitch, you didn't want him to actually have Power over you.

> .... Whatever.

> How long can you keep him entertained with just. A lot of making out.

vwarlordvwanderlust > :D

> Cronus Will Remember That.

> Who doesn't like teeth, though, really.

> Oh, so fucking long. For all that you claimed to be all about the orgasms earlier, you sure are happy to keep doing this!

carnivalsoration > You'll keep going for at least like five minutes. He's getting so into it, you half expect to feel something wiggling against your chest.

vwarlordvwanderlust > YOU'RE getting a little squirmy, but at least you're not an adolescent anymore, so nothing's happening downstairs. That he can feel, at least.

> ... This is really good but like. Maybe. You don't need both hands to hold yourself up.

> You try and reach for his crotch, but don't stop making out.

carnivalsoration > Your eyebrows actually raise at his bold move, and you pull away a couple so you can look at him. And look down at the reaching hand.

> Your bulge is Definitely not out.

"Lookin ta escalate, brother?"

vwarlordvwanderlust > You didn't think it would be, neither is yours, but this is how you get stuff to happen! You do it!

> You stare blankly at him.

"No, vwhy do you ask?"

> You may make some questionable "jokes" about lowbloods, but your deadpan delivery is pretty good.

carnivalsoration "Cuz I'm not!" You say, with a smile and a single fingergun.

> For quite a few reasons. One of which is that you're not really In The Mood. Another, you have to ask Saness for permission.

> But, most importantly, you want to hold that particular bit of encouragement for later.

vwarlordvwanderlust > ?????????????????????????

> You look a little crestfallen, but mostly baffled.

> Maybe being tortured and then crying about it and coughing up water at someone isn't overwhelmingly sexy.

> No, that's probably not it.

> You roll your eyes, but withdraw your hand, and prepare to go back to making out.

carnivalsoration > That's fine. You are gonna just make out a while and think ya thoughts.

> How long can he even go at this before he gets bored...

vwarlordvwanderlust > Not THAT long, as it turns out. A couple minutes later, you pull back.

"Okay but are you sure?"

carnivalsoration > Bitch.

"Would I say it if I wasn't sure?"

vwarlordvwanderlust "Maybe?"

> Your wide eyed innocent look isn't nearly as cute as you'd like to think, especially when it's about wanting to get in someone's pants.

"I'm just making sure, you knowv, people can change their minds, and that's okay if you ask me."

carnivalsoration "If I want to fuck you, you'll know. Because I will tell you, and then I will do it."

> Your voice isn't so friendly now.

vwarlordvwanderlust > Jeez, some people are so touchy. You'd raise your hands in surrender, but you're still a little worried that he'll drop you.

"Yeah, got it, good to knowv! It's good to be clear on stuff."

> ...Hm. Are makeouts even really the mood anymore? Why do actions have consequences???

carnivalsoration > You sigh, roll your eyes. "If you say no, what the fuck do you expect people to do? Ask you again, just to make sure?"

> Time to put the boi down. Things aren't that fun and he ruined it by being a shitheel.

vwarlordvwanderlust > :(

> This sucks.

> You pout, and the whine in your voice is definitely really cool and adult.

"I mean, I vwouldn't expect it, necessarily, but I vwouldn't make it a big deal..."

carnivalsoration > How fiercely do you have to glare to give him the full picture of the disdain you have for that whine and those words? You give it a shot for fucking sure. That is a hell of a nasty look.

"You think I'm makin a big deal out of it? I could be so much more overt with my anger and annoyance, motherfucker, I could make a real big deal outta it. My body is mine, my consent is mine, and I can do with it as little or as much as I mother fuckin please, do you understand me?"

> You step up on him with that last little bit, to loom over him. You are not pleased.

vwarlordvwanderlust > HhhhhhhHHHHHHH MAN IT'S NOT AS SEXY THAT HE'S BIG ANYMORE ACTUALLY.

> Wilt under the weight of that glare+loom combo, abruptly stepping back, hands up appeasingly.

"Hey hey, yeah, I get it."

> What's that last part you always forget? Oh, right.

"Sorry!"

> God this bastard is scary. You just want him to like you, this shouldn't be so hard!

carnivalsoration "What do you get? Tell me the lesson you learned. Don't just repeat after me, tell me why what you just said was fucked up."

> you are still looming.

vwarlordvwanderlust "You'd vwin,"

> Not probably a particularly promising start, but goddamn, this sure is the guy who tortured you VERY RECENTLY, huh.

"I get it, you can do vwhatevwer you vwant, I got it, that one vwas my bad."

> You may be the seadweller, but he's still more experienced than you, and four fucking feet taller. You stumble back another step, grinning nervously.

carnivalsoration > Ooh this motherfucker

"That ain't the POINT," you growl. "Try again. I got faith you can get this lesson. It ain't about me, it's about you."

vwarlordvwanderlust > It's not like he's pursuing you, and you feel like if you keep backing up you'll hit wall, which would really not help with the feeling safe thing, so you stop. Even though he growls, and it's fucking terrifying.

"I vwas annoying and pushy? And shouldn't be?"

> Your rising inflection makes it clear that you're definitely guessing, but at least it's an educated guess.

carnivalsoration "There's more to it than annoying." But you seem a little satisfied by that answer. "There's a lot fuckin more to it. You were pushy. People don't like bein round pushy people who don't respect their decisions. And that's the fuckin problem. You didn't respect my decision."

> How do you really drill this into him, you wonder...

vwarlordvwanderlust > Now you're a little defensive.

"I respected your decision! Look, I'm not doing anything nowv, am I?"

> Everyone always assumes the worst of you just because of all the things you do and say, and the person who you are.

carnivalsoration > Your expression gets tight and angry before you sit on the edge of the tub and put your head in your hands for half a second.

"Cronus Ampora," you say, softly. "Have you ever met someone who's been raped?"

vwarlordvwanderlust > What's. Your head snaps up to look at him, and you flush maroon, suddenly angry and upset, but still nervous. Off balance.

"I didn't-- I don't-- that doesn't havwe ANYTHING to do vwith this!"

carnivalsoration "Why not? Haven't you heard about all the people who said no, and then said yes reluctantly because they felt there would be consequences after. Or because they were pressured? And then they got fucked. When they didn't want to be. Someone's hands defiled their body and someone's bulge made them hate themselves. Have you never heard of that?"

> You look at him with deadly seriousness.

"So. Tell me. Have you ever met someone. Who has been sexually violated?"

vwarlordvwanderlust "... No. I mean, not. I don't think that's. That doesn't *happen* here."

> That kind of... crime? It's probably a crime sometimes. But it's not a Beforan thing.

> That's one of those big scary Alternian things.

> You've never heard of anything with a yes involved being called rape, though.

> You fuck with your hair more, no longer meeting his gaze.

carnivalsoration > You reach over, grab him, tug him towards you to make sure he looks you in the eyes.

"It happens everywhere. Everywhere anyone wants to have power over anyone else, or everywhere anyone feels they don't have to pay attention to the wants of anyone else."

> You look at him for two long moments of silence.

"If you ever want to meet a rape victim, keep doing what you did there. You'll make one. Violence doesn't have to be bloody or involve kicking and screaming to happen. Don't let it happen while you're not paying attention."

vwarlordvwanderlust "That's not..."

> You trail off kind of weakly.

"I vwouldn't make people do any-- I vwouldn't make people do that."

> You are, in fact, processing what he's saying, but it doesn't really sound like it, maybe.

"I'm not-- I'm a good guy!"

> The looming sensation of realizing the consequences of your past actions threatens to encroach on your feelings, but you beat that shit back with a stick. This was a rough enough night already, he doesnt need to basically call you a terrible person.

> Your voice is small and tentative when you speak next.

"Isn't it like. Important. For highbloods to, uh. Take things. If they vwant them, and they're tough and can havwe them?"

> You sound like you're trying to remember something from class, not like you're actually making an argument.

carnivalsoration > You watch him, watch expressions flit over his face as you let your words sink in. His question is an important one to figure out how to answer, you can't just say whatever comes to mind.

> It's a few moments before you respond.

"Taking things from others because you have the ability to doesn't change that it's stealing. Fucking someone because you can doesn't automatically make it consentual on their part. Conquest for someone is still torture for someone else. You can't be a good person and a victorious person at the same time, if you hurt someone to get there. People don't like someone and fear someone at the same time."

> You look at him seriously. You can't treat him like a kid, you can't treat him like a dick who doesn't matter. He's an adult who can make his own choices, and they are choices that will define him.

"You choose who you want to be. What you want to do with your power. Every choice you make opens some doors and closes others. You have more doors you can go through than lowbloods do, but but inevitably, you will define yourself by your actions. And you will define the opinions others have of you by them, and by what you do with the choices you have and the results that come of them."

> You hope he's getting the full power of your words. You definitely phrase them like they're important.

"You can take whatever you get your hands on. But shit like 'respect', like 'fondness', like bein liked, cannot be taken by force. It cannot just happen. You put effort into it, into the thoughts of feelings of others. Fear is easy to win. Disgust is easy to win. Easy to keep. Trust is what's hard to win, hard to keep. And, to me, hard things are generally worth earning."

vwarlordvwanderlust > He had you going for a second there. A while, even. You were listening with rapt attention, wide eyed, but.

> As persuasive as he is, as smart as he seems, there's an obvious hole in his argument, and he can't have missed it.

"People lovwe and fear the empress. Evweryone does. She vwants it all and she takes it, and she has it! I'm not trying to put myself on her levwel, but she's the trollish ideal."

> God, but you want to be liked.

"Do you... really believwe all this stuff?"

> You don't know what his motivations would be if he didn't, but.

carnivalsoration > You nod gravely at his question. "I speak the truth I've discovered through pain and trials, and I mean every word of it. Now, I want you to tell me something, and I want you to be thinkin real hard about yourself and about all those people you hang with."

> You raise a wry eyebrow. "Do you, personally, love the empress? Like you do, say, yourself. Or your lusus. Do you think all of your friends do? Go through em one by one, in your mind, see if you can find one that you think might not. You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to. But I want you to be true to yourself, at the very fuckin least."

> You'll let that sink in for a moment, while you watch him.

vwarlordvwanderlust > You think about Mituna, broken and shoved into a padded cage by her policies, and grimace. . Other examples filter up through your mind more gradually, but his is the most salient.

"Vwell... evweryone respects--"

> You think about the fact that he was even broken in the first place because he was protesting her policies, biting the jeweled hand that fed him. He got what was coming to him, though...

> Your mouth settles into a stubborn line

"...Evweryone SHOULD respect the empress, if they're decent. Right?"

> Making such a tentative, heavily conditional statement at all in an argument, let alone then asking for confirmation, should probably be a sign that you're not really feeling it.

carnivalsoration "What is the difference, I wonder, between respect of somethin dangerous, like not playin with fire, and respect of someone's opinions because you value their input and believe they would value yours."

> He's so stubborn and so panwashed by all that propaganda, but he's slowly coming to important realizations that will shape him. And you're proud of him for it, it's sure not an easy thing to do.

"Decency is subjective. You gotta ask yourself what you think is decent. Gotta come to the conclusion, yourself, what you value in a person. Convictions are personal. I want to know what yours are, when you think about what you value most in a person."

vwarlordvwanderlust "You don't need to believwe someone vwould vwalue your input to respect their opinions. Eridan doesn't givwe a shit about anything I say, but he's a good kid and he knowvs lots of stuff."

> Mmm. You feel weird about all this. It's another elaborate test, and you've failed every single one he's given you before it.

"Vwhy do you vwant to knowv?"

carnivalsoration "Oh, but tell me if that makes you less likely to have meaningful conversations with him. Like the one we're having right now."

> Feeling weird is a normal part of this process. It sucks though. You don't like it either.

> You give him a wry smile at his next little question.

"Because I want to respect you, for your own sake."

vwarlordvwanderlust "Sure, I guess."

> Not that that proves anything.

> Hm. You look at him, really look at him, trying to gauge his sincerity.

> You continue to suck at that. Fortunately, you just assume he's sincere.

"I guess... Loyalty. Passion. Honor. Ambition, and uh, success too. It doesn't matter if you don't succeed, haha. Bravwery. The usual?"

> You don't sound especially certain, but then, it's not a question you've had cause to think about much. Not explicitly, at least.

carnivalsoration "I don't wanna hear about the usual. The expected answers. Those are buzzwords, words everyone likes and likes to think about themself. I want to hear somethin that could be individual to you. You ain't everyone. You're you. You got your own shit to bring to the table and I wanna hear what Cronus Ampora, specifically, values."

vwarlordvwanderlust "I don't..."

> This is a Big Question. Him first.

"Vwhat vwould you say, someone asked you that?"

> You have literally no clue. Maybe his answer will be inspiring.

carnivalsoration "I value people who have conviction but are open to change. I value people who respect thoughts different than their own, and can learn from things they don't experience. I like people who will hear me talk about my gods and not dismiss everythin I say. I like people who are thoughtful about their enemies as well as their friends. I like people who get angry. And I like people who can control their anger. I respect people who have knowledge but don't assume they know everything. I respect people who have been through shit but still know not to apply what they know universally, without context. I like people who are different from me."

vwarlordvwanderlust > Well, at the very least, you sure get angry.

"Vwowv, that's. A lot."

> You jam your hands in your pockets and look to the side.

"I dunno. I just. Like people vwho like me."

> That's the dumbest and truest thing you've ever said.

carnivalsoration > Welp, that didn't Quite work.

"What makes you dislike people?"

vwarlordvwanderlust "I guess I don't like it vwhen people..."

> 'Are mean to me'. Shit. You need a different one.

> Kick at the ground. This is so complicated.

"It's obnoxious vwhen people don't care about anything at all. There's so much *stuff*, and some people can't be bothered to pay attention to any of it. This is vworse than the torture, because it's making me face howv boring I am. "

> (Just kidding, you won't actually face that for a good while yet.)

carnivalsoration > You hum, consider him. "You're not boring. Not really. You're just... Not finished. You're like an artist and your canvas. And you've got all your outlines set up, but there ain't any color yet."

> Better continue on before he gets offended, delicate little shit. "Still, that's important, that thing you just said. You don't like people who don't care. So it follows that you're drawn to people who do care. Does it matter, to you, what they care about?"

vwarlordvwanderlust > Rude.

> But yeah, it turns out dicking around on a guitar all night and fantasizing about killing aliens doesn't actually lead to much growth as a person.

"Yeah, passion, like I said."

> You think for a second.

"I guess... I mean, it's best if they care about shit that's interesting. I mean, I don't vwanna hear some nerd go on about model trains for hours. But I think caring about something enough to dedicate yourself to it is cool."

> You're kind of opening up again, even though this isn't exactly something you're used to talking about. You don't feel like you're on the edge of a wrong answer, though.

"Art, especially, though. Art is so..."

> Useful? Important? Nah. You fold back into yourself a little.

"It's neat, at least. I guess being interested in something practical is better."

carnivalsoration > You like that, like that he can see the value in giving a shit about things he doesn't care a lick about. Your expression has been steadily softening, and now you smile a little at his words. He's doing great. Keep going, Cronus.

> And then he says something a bit down again, a bit Alternian Standard, and you have to reach back for what he was so close to expressing. Something genuine about Himself.

"No, tell me more about art, brother. I wanna hear your thoughts. What excites you about art, about music?"

vwarlordvwanderlust > You laugh a little.

"You're biased because you're a clowvn, but yeah, sure."

> You fall back into the subject with little encouragement, seemingly forgetting that this is the Big Scary Alternian Mentor Guy.

"Art is... Good art, to clarify, because there's a lot of shit out there. But art is beautiful evwen vwhen it's ugly, because art is honest evwen vwhen it's fake. All art tells a truth about the artist, y'knowv?"

carnivalsoration "I do know. I like that about art, I like knowin about people through what they do and how they do it."

> You don't mind the clown stereotyping. Just this once. It's true enough anyway.

"And what do you think your art says about you?"

vwarlordvwanderlust "Vwell, if you havwe to ask, it must not havwe been saying vwery vwell!"

> You take that in good humor, though.

"I guess my public stuff, the newv music, is mostly about me being cool and tough and a loyal citizen. But subject isn't the same as message... It probably mostly says howv self centered I am."

> Candor!

> You do talk a lot about yourself in your songs.

carnivalsoration > You laugh a bit as well. "Well, the message I get and the message you intend can be two separate things. Art is individual even to the observers of it. But I think that comes across pretty well."

> You think it comes across that he's lonely and desperate.

"What about your private stuff, then? The stuff where you are the artist and the intended audience?"

vwarlordvwanderlust "Vwell, I mean, that stuff's privwate."

> So's your vent blog, but this guy has that too.

> You stare off into the middle distance, because it makes you look cool and deep.

"I guess it mostly just says that I'm sensitivwe. Major character flawv, but sometimes the babes lovwe it, so it's a mixed bag. It's all about heartbreak and abandonment or vwhatevwer."

carnivalsoration > Oh fuck. Oh fuck it's so hard to not laugh at him sometimes.

> You keep back the chuckles and feel glad that he's staring off into the distance like a nerd.

"So you feel abandoned? Misunderstood?"

vwarlordvwanderlust "Sure, yeah. I mean, it's not like people stick around."

> For Some Reason.

"Nobody really gets me, and nobody really cares to try. I guess you do, and San."

carnivalsoration > .... And That's about all the focus you're willing to have with this conversation.

"Well, me and saness are gonna do our best. So. Ya know. Try not to make it too hard on us."

vwarlordvwanderlust "I'll do my best."

> Grin, setting aside your Dramatic Melancholy for later.

"I like you guys, you're great. Vweird, but hey, vwho isn't?"

carnivalsoration "Who knows. No one I wanna chill with."

> A few seconds of looking at him.

"Hey I got shit to do and I can't really do it in this busted up hive."

vwarlordvwanderlust "No, yeah, I vwas just about to ask if you vwere ready to dip."

> It's time for lots of introspection, followed by promptly discarding all the conclusions you come to that feel bad.

> This was. Something. Lots of things.

"Do you havwe your owvn vway back? San did."

carnivalsoration > You're not sure he actually was. You're just a little tired of dealing with a wiggler.

"Yeah," you motion to a bracer very similar to hers. "I'm pretty good on transport. Catch ya later?"

vwarlordvwanderlust "Seeya around, boss."

> Fingerguns and wink. God you're charming. Time to go.

carnivalsoration > You disappear! Bye bitch.

#torture #rape mention #hemism #hemoism #talk about status #animal death #parent death #death #objectification #gas lighting #maybe? #manipulation #coercion #tw: cronus #ableism #maybe #heavy topics #tw: rl's gonna be in trouble #ask to tag #i'm so sorry yall #this is long #long post #vwarlordvwanderlust #ooc eyes only

[jizzlesdreams]

July 28, 2019

Guys. I woke up earlier to jake messaging me (normally when that happens i have a cute dream with him)

And i just woke up from this dream cuz it got too scary lol

Like at first it was chill, i was with fam and we were in la, dricing around from an event and there was a lit ass sunset and so much going on. Had another event to go to but it was more kf a hideout/place to stay and othrr ppl were there. I was taking a shower then there was a countdown and everything stopped being streamed. So i got spooked and i got out of my shower super fast and i went to my fam and they said there was shit happening outsife and to lock all doors. It was finally time and we were witj other ppl but this one dudr wanted to get in ojr place and he even got that shit to open doors so he did and everyone in our building freaked out cuz thst meant we were all contaminated. I was talking to jake on the phone cuz he was in kansas and i saying how everything is going to end here and he was likw wtf r u talking about and im like how tf is that not happening there and he told me to wait for him cuz he will come to me and fly out there and i was telling him he cant do that because when he gets here, the whole city will be gone. Then i was like i wanted to do this is in person but i couldnt but i havw to say it now, then when i was talking this was when that dude broke into the building and contaminated all of us and hella zombies got in our building but jake was still on the line but i was running awat and tried to kill these fuckers but i only had scissors. I was able to chop off half of some ladys neck off tho lol but then the scissors became dull so i ran up some super tall cabinets ans sat up there and i tried to talk to jake but the phone didnt havensignal or he just wasnt answering. But hella shit was going on, ppl saw i was on top of the cabinets ans followed me up there cuz they thought it was safe but too muchbgoing on andnpeople falling and the zombies ended up climbing up and some dude looked at me and was about tonfall ans was like, we're all going to dje because theyre here already

So i thought nah fuck that and i tried to fight back but there was too much and i started sliding down. So i grab something to hold and i tried to get mt phone to tell jake that i love him but the call wasnt going through. It was super weird

But yesterday, i was in the cologne section and one of the sales lady ended up giving me a sample of his cologne and smelling his cologne made me miss him so fucking much and i just automatically had the thought of how much i love him and cant wait to be with him again

and i woke up to msgs with jake where it was super cute cuz i msged hum last night how much i missed him and the smell of his cologne takes me back to when we first hunf out and i was nervous for a solid month but only xuz i really liked him and didnt wanna fuck up. And his messages thjs morning were v cute

But ya that dream was super wack

^sent that to nicole and ash

~~~Sent this to jake

Basically started off as an insane day like super fun. Was at some fair with my family in la and there was a sunset happening and i turend around and was taking a video of it all cuz the sky was legit so many fucking colors and therw was a rainbow which had a shootjng star going around jt so it looke super fucking cool and there were fireworks going on too. I was taking the vid to send you

So we get back home bjt there was another event happening in our building. I end up taking a shower but all of a sudden, there was a huge warning from the gov that there will be a lockdown/shit was gonna happen in 40 minutes. So i spaz and run out of my shower to be with my fam

We end up being in this huge lobby (massive high ceilings) and we're just in lockdown. I end up calling you saying how its basically end up the world and you're in kansas and you're like wtf r u talking about (it wasnt happening around you cuz i think it started in LA and kansas doesnt have as much people as la so it you werent affected yet. So im telling you all this shit and you were trying to calm me down and tell me everything will be okay and how you're going to get a flight over to me and just wait for you to be here with me. But i was trying to tell you you cant do that cuz by the time you get here, LA will be fucked and nothing will be left

Then some dude tried broke into our building and we all got contaminated then hella zombies flooded in and i only had scissors so i end up chopping off half this ladys head off and i tried ti get the dude who broke in, but his skin was too thick which fucked up my scissors so i ran over to these tall ass cabinets that were stacked on each other and i sat on top. Our call was still going and i tried to speak to you but i guess no signal or you werent speaking

I ended up killing some zombies but then more people aaw me at the top and wanted to join but that cauaed too much attention so hella zombies started climbing too. And then some dude looks at me and goes, theres no use in fighting, we're all going to die. And i was thinking like we all eventually die anyway so meh. But i ended up sliding down the cabinets to get away from the madness and i knew i was still on the phone with u so i tried to talk to u but u still werent answering. I ended up getting to the floor (the cabinets were legit 4 stories tall) and u still wouldnt talk so idk wtf was going on. But i get down and these zombies/people wanted to use the organs of the living to do something it. But it was just these ones, like other zombies just kill the humans but idk these were wack. And they were going to peel off each of my veins and organs when i was alive ans shit got too scary cuz i got outnumbered and had no weapon and idk where my fam went so i just woke up cuz i couldnt figure out a way to beat them and you werent answering😭

[rainbowpixiecat]

Daddy Day

Just a fluffy fic about Cronus spending a fun day with his son.

It was a bright, warm summer’s day in Newflower City and in the neighbourhood suburbs around it. Winter was long gone and  summer had been led in with a delightfully gentle spring that slowly grew warmer  until it gave way to hotter days. Kankri had fully healed in just over six  weeks and even though he loved having time off as maternity leave, he missed  the social environment of work and working. Kankri often worked from home,  doing digital art and writing commissions for people who wanted characters or  fan art. He also wrote and sold e-books under a pen name and he liked to work  part time at the local library too. He sometimes volunteered there, putting  away materials or helping people find information.

Today he was working all day and Cronus was on his  week off, leaving their very young troll grub with his father. Crokri was  about 5 months old and still needed lots of care and one on one time. Cronus  didn’t mind though. He always felt a little out of his depth when it came to  taking care of their son since he thought Kankri was such a wonderful mother.  But Cronus loved Crokri and he always tried to do his best, even if he did  get some things wrong and make mistakes. Cronus affectionately called their  time together Daddy Days. Today he was having a daddy day with their little  grub. Kankri had gotten Crokri up and ready then made everyone breakfast that  morning. Cronus had spoon-fed Crokri his grub porridge cereal while Kankri  busied himself getting ready for work. And then Kankri had given them both a  goodbye kiss and hurried out the door to his car, which was a much smaller  and more fuel efficient one than Cronus’ vintage 1960s cherry Cadillac. After  that, things had gotten exceptionally quiet, besides the gentle susurrus of  their air con keeping the house cool. With it being such a lovely summer’s  day, Cronus decided to set up the new interactive paddling pool outside that  they had recently bought for Crokri, at Kankri’s insistence that such  beautiful days shouldn’t be wasted and that it was good for Crokri to spend  time outside in the fresh air instead of inside all the time. Cronus heartily  agreed, and had fun trying to get the fancy inflatable pool out of its box  and set up. He tried blowing it up manually at first, before realising it  came with an electric pump.  Things  went more smoothly after that. Crokri was curious; watching everything from  the colourful playpen Cronus and Kankri had set up on the lawn under the  awning for him. The candy red grub paused playing with his toys every so  often to stare and make cute noises at what was going on, flapping his little  ear fins and making his gills flutter. He even sat up on his hindquarters and  put his grub legs to the bars, chirping and clicking cutely at his dad along  with gibberish baby babble “Da-da-da-da!”

 Cronus was grinning as he watched it blow up,  slowly taking on the form of a bright coloured play gym. “Yeah little buddy,  it’ll be ready soon. I knowv you vwanna play. Hold on just a vwee bit longer”  he chuckled, turning his attention back to the pool. It had an arch over the  back part of the pool, leaving a shady area for the littles to play out of  the sun, and beside that was a water slide down one side that looked really  big for Crokri and ended in the main part of the pool. This was an open air  area with soft plastic rims on the sides for lightweight plastic balls to  roll down, and a hoop in the middle front area, held by a blow up  dolphin.  There was another thin arch  over a part of the main pool that sprinkled a small spray of water from  above. Another part of the pool was a three walled area with a bouncy floor  and gentle little sprinklers of water coming out the bottom sides.  Needless to say, the contraption was  ridiculously expensive, but it would last Crokri from grubhood to wigglerhood  and into his early kit years plus elementary years so it was worth the cost  for the number of years of fun they’d get out of it.  And of course, for if they had any more  kids.

 Cronus tested the inflated pool play centre,  pressing on the durable rubbery casing, which was made of tougher stuff with  sharp troll claws and teeth in mind. It bounced back firmly under his fingers  so he knew it was ready. “Looks like it’s ready!” he commented brightly to  his son. He disconnected the pump and turned to the two other boxes on the  outdoor picnic table. Kankri had bought a supply of swim diapers and a small  bag of floating pool toys and pool balls. Cronus ripped them open, unpacking  the toys first. He grabbed the hose and turned it on, leaving it in the pool  as it started filling it up with water. The water was coming out hot at first  from the hose being in the sun but it soon started dispensing cool water once  the warmed stuff was flushed out. Crokri, meanwhile, had no understanding of  lengths of time and had no idea what was really happening, so he started  crying impatiently, pulling, pushing and hitting the bars of his playpen as  he cried loudly. He wanted to see what this colourful, exciting new toy was!  Red tinted tears streamed down his chubby light grey cheeks as his cries  filled the air, going up and down in volume.  

 “All right, all right, shh shh shh, it’s comin’,  it’s comin’” Cronus cooed reassuringly, putting down the box of swim diapers  and walking to the side of the playpen. He bent down and picked Crokri up,  bringing him up to his chest to pat and cuddle. “Shhhh. I knowv you’re  excited baby. Howv’s about vwe get you into one a these Findin’ Nemo diapers  your mama bought, huh?”  he spoke to  him and rubbed his back, pacing back and forth while light red tears, spit  and snot soaked into his tee shirt.

 Crokri started to calm down a bit after a couple  of minutes. His cries got softer and his tears stopped, though his voice  still wailed in a feeble attempt to show he was still a bit unhappy.  Cronus laid him down on a folded swimming  towel on the outdoor table and started to take off his slightly damp morning  diaper that Kankri had put him in this morning. He picked up a blue swim  diaper with Nemo on it and slipped it onto Crokri’s bottom half, poking his  tail through the slit in the back. These ones were made specifically for sea  dweller grubs, which meant they accounted for the finny tail all aquatic  grubs had. “There ya go, doll. You’re all fitted out ready to go. Let’s havwe  some fun in the sun. Oh. Better not forget the lotion”. Kankri really had  thought of everything. Not only had he laid out swim towels and water  diapers, but he’d left the bottle of little kids’ sunscreen lotion right  there in easy view. Cronus pumped a little of the white liquid out and rubbed  his hands together, making a thinner layer. He never took his eyes off  Crokri, who lay on his back waving his legs in the air. “Don’t tell your mum  I changed ya on the table. Kankri vwould kill me” he chuckled, knowing that  Kankri would lecture him about changing Crokri on the ground for proper  safety. Cronus reached out and started rubbing the oddly textured lotion into  Crokri’s face and skin, getting whines and squirming from the 5 month old  grub. Crokri’s tiny legs tried to push his dad’s hands and fingers away as he  fussed, especially disliking it when Cronus used his fingertips to gently  massage it into his ear fins. “Hey vwe gotta protect you from the sunburn.  Believwe me, you’ll thank me later. Stay still baby, let me get your ears”.

 Crokri turned his head out of the way to protect  his ear fins and let out a loud wail of protest, without tears but with  plenty of feeling. “Yeah I knowv you hate it!” Cronus laughed a little and  finally picked him up again. “Okay, all done! No need to shout the house  dowvn. Let’s see howv that vwater’s goin” he spoke amicably to the baby and  walked over onto the soft, short lawn where the inflatable waited. It was  half full of water and still filling. Cronus knelt down by the side of it and  tested the water with one hand. Deeming it to be safe temperature, he  carefully lowered Crokri down to just above the water, watching his tiny feet  and tail splash in it. Crokri got a look of delight and wonder on his face as  he cooed and peeped, reaching for the water. He loved water of any kind and  always got happy and excited about swimming and bath time.  Cronus struggled to keep hold of him  properly since the grub was now wriggling and fighting to get out of his grip  and into the water, gills fluttering in anticipation. He laughed quietly and  lowered him into the water before letting go, and watching him swim around. “There  ya go” he drawled happily, easing into a more comfortable sitting position on  the grass beside the play pool. Cronus remembered something and looked over  at the table. He got up and grabbed the bag of toys and brought it back over  to the side of the pool. “Hey Crokri!” he held up a brightly coloured pink  rubber duck “Crokri, look!” he squeezed the duck, which squeaked twice. This  got Crokri’s attention. The grub swam over and popped his head out of the  water, reaching for the ducky with his two front legs “Ahh! Ahh!”

 “You vwant this? Catch!” Cronus chuckled and threw  the toy into the pool a short distance away. Crokri let out a joyful squeak  and turned to swim after it. He knew this game. It was popular fun at bath  time. He grabbed the toy in his mouth and swam back towards Cronus with it  triumphantly.

 “Ooh, vwell done” Cronus reached out and took the  toy, then petted Crokri’s head, careful of his little blobby horns. They  looked like they were trying to form the zigzag shapes of Cronus’ horns, but  they were short and stubby like Kankri’s short nubs, which made them look  endearingly ridiculous.  Cronus threw  the duck again and watched his son swim after it. The pool was so huge  compared to the kitten sized grub. He grabbed another couple of toys and  threw them in too, watching them land and float in the water. Crokri ‘caught’  each one and brought it back to him, getting praise and pets each time. He  had to roll and guide the balls towards him since they were too round and  slippery in the water for him to grasp with his teeth or stubby legs.  Predictably, the entire bag of toys ended up in the water. Crokri loved  swimming amongst the colourful toys. Cronus sat and just watched him, talking  to and interacting with him for a while. He noticed the little ramps on the  sides of the pool and picked up a ball “Crokri, vwatch this! Vwatch. Are you  looking?” he waited till he had his attention, waving the toy in the air.  Crokri chirped and swam closer, wide red eyes tracing the ball. Cronus smiled  and dropped it onto one end of the sloping side rails. The air-filled ball  neatly rolled down the yellow rails and plopped off the end into the pool.  “Nowv you try” Cronus encouraged. Crokri swam to the ball and herded it back  to the top end of the rail. He stopped beside it and whined. He couldn’t  reach.

 “Oh” Cronus realised “Here, daddy help you” he  moved to the rail and took the ball, dropping it onto it. The ball rolled  down it. Crokri squeaked happily and swam after it, watching it plop off the  end into the water “Ba ba ba!”

 Cronus smiled at his attempts at words. “Vwery  good. Yeah. Ball!”  He looked around  and noticed they hadn’t tried out the slide yet “Hey, vwanna try the slide?  C’mon. Daddy help” he reached out his hands to Crokri and picked him up.  Cronus pointed at the slide, and Crokri turned his head to look

 “Look! Slide!” Cronus said loud and cheerful. That  got Crokri’s attention and he pointed at it too and copied the noise Cronus  just made “Saiiiii!”

 “Eh, close enough” Cronus laughed. Crokri was  starting to say words and repeat a few familiar things but he had no proper  grasp on language yet. Cronus took him to the top of the slide, bypassing the  little steps and hand holds and setting him at the top of it carefully.  “Ready? Daddy’s gonna let you go. One…tvwo…three….” He moved Crokri forwards  and back in his hands each time, so the grub knew he was getting ready to let  go “Goooo!” Cronus sang playfully, releasing his grub gently and watching  Crokri slip down the slide on his belly with a squeal of “Eeeeee!”. The grub  plopped off the end into the water with a tiny splash. He swam underwater  like he’d taken a graceful dive, and came back up to the surface laughing.

 “Vwas that fun? Did you like that?” Cronus asked,  moving and placing his hands in the water, palms open to receive Crokri  “Vwanna go again? Come on. Vwanna slide?”

 “Da da da!” Crokri gabbled and swam up into his  father’s hands. Cronus chuckled and picked him up again, putting him at the  top of the slide and repeating the whole process.  This game went on for quite a while.  Eventually, Cronus took a break and let Crokri swim and play around freely in  the water while he played around on his phone beside the pool. He removed the  hose and turned it off since the pool had fully filled by now. For a grub the  size of a three month old kitten, it was pretty deep and quite large.

 “Chirp!” Cronus was just checking Bubblr when  there was a cute trill and he got hit with a jet of water that landed in his  face. He spluttered and shook his head, wiping at the water with his hand as  he lowered his phone. “Vwhat?! Vwhat vwas that? Oh…Crokri…” he started  laughing. Crokri was sucking in mouthfuls of water then spitting them at his  father in light little jets. Crokri spat at him again “Chirp!”

 Cronus chuckled “Vwell aren’t you a little  mischief maker? Heh heh. So cute. That’s a newv trick isn’t it?” he sounded  mildly impressed. Crokri swam in circles and then spit a jet at his face  again.

 “All right. You vwanna vwater fight? You vwanna  go? Look out, splash!” Cronus splashed a little bit of water at Crokri. The  grub laughed in delight. He sucked in more water and spat it at Cronus,  getting his shirt this time “Chirp!”

 Their impromptu water fight continued for several  minutes, Crokri squirting jets and Cronus gently splashing or squirting jets  back using his hand and a squeezing motion. Eventually the grub got tired and  slowly swam off to have a rest. Crokri climbed up into a little three walled  area of the play pool that was raised up out of the water. Tiny, weak sprinkles  of water came out of the bottom sides of the walls. Crokri lay down with a  big sigh and rested quietly. Cronus made a noise of endearment “Awwv, baby,  are you all tuckered out?” he smiled “Kay. You rest. Daddy’s gonna stay here  and vwatch you” he said, going back to playing on his phone, liking Bubblr  posts and watching videos. He glanced up at Crokri every so often. After  about five minutes passed, a blur of movement caught his eye. Crokri squeaked  and giggled with joy. He had figured out that the spongy floor of the resting  platform was in fact a mini jumping castle. He couldn’t bounce very high but  he loved it anyway, bouncing off the walls, and all over the floor, kept cool  by the sprinkles of water. Cronus laughed a bit. “I think you’re keepin me  entertained more than me entertainin’ you” he put his phone down and dipped  his hand in the water, swishing it around. “Hmm, it’s nice and cool. Kinda  vwish I could go svwimmin too but vwe can’t afford a pool yet” he sighed.  “Geez it’s hot out here” Cronus’ ear fins flapped as though trying to cool  him down. He splashed a little water on himself, then grabbed the hose and  turned the nozzle back on. Cronus drenched himself with water, sighing  happily. He felt much cooler now, with the light summer breeze blowing on his  wet skin and clothes.

 The sea dweller let Crokri play until lunch time,  a good three hours’ worth of play in his new pool play centre.  This didn’t seem to make any difference  when it came time to get Crokri out and have lunch. Cronus called Crokri over  to him and the grub curiously and obediently swam over to the side. Cronus  reached in and picked up the grub in both hands, lifting him out of the water  “Come on lil guy, let’s get some lunch. You needa replace all that energy you  burned off” he said.

 Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Crokri  reached for the water and whined “Ahhh! Agaaah!” he babbled, making his  thoughts on that proposal clear. Cronus shook his head “No honey, come on,  you’vwe already had ages in the pool. It’s time to go inside”

 Crokri whined and started crying, wriggling in  Cronus’ arms, straining his entire body towards the water “Wawa…wawa!” he  cried, making loud ‘waaaaaaah’ sounds and similar sounds as he cried.

 “No. No means no. Vwe’re havwin’ lunch” Cronus  said firmly but kindly. He was careful not to drop him, having to shift his  arms and hands to make sure the grub didn’t struggle out of his grasp and  fall to the ground. He went over to the table and laid Crokri on the towel  that Kankri had left out. He dried him off, which was hard when the grub was  crying loudly and flailing all his legs, trying to roll or crawl away.

 Cronus checked the swim diaper and deduced there  were no poop surprises, so he took it off and picked up the normal disposable  one that he’d taken off earlier. He had to be quick as Crokri flipped onto  his front and tried to crawl away. “Vwhoop!” Cronus quickly grabbed the grub  before he could fall off the edge of the table “You’re not getting avway this  time” he chuckled. “Come on, vwe gotta get your diaper back on” He laid him  down on his back again and struggled to get the diaper taped back into place.  Crokri cried harder and louder and his face started to turn red. Cronus  finished sticking down the last tape. He picked up Crokri and hugged him  close to his chest before he turned to carry him inside, opening the sliding  glass door and stepping back into the blissfully cool house. Cronus’ clothes  were damp but he wasn’t dripping wet.

 Crokri was having a full blown tantrum. Cronus  thought it reminded him of Kankri sometimes, especially when he’d been  pregnant and having mood swings. He snickered, then winced at the volume of  the grub screaming and sobbing in his ear. There had to be some way to get  him to calm down. Kankri was so good at it. Cronus didn’t know what to do. He  patted Crokri’s back and made soothing noises as he paced back and forth with  him, but the grub persisted in crying. The cries got a bit weaker after a few  minutes and Cronus went to put Crokri into his tiny high chair seat that was  attached to the side of the table. He buckled him in with the safety  restraints. Crokri’s cries escalated again.

 “Vwhat? Are you hungry? Let’s get you some nummy  food. Mummy made it especially for you” he cooed, trying to calm Crokri down.  Cronus got out the jar of home made grub food from the fridge and heated it  in the microwave in Crokri’s cartoon character bowl. He stirred it and tested  the temperature. He then sat down in a kitchen chair and tried to feed his  screaming and wailing infant. It went about as well as a train wreck.  Crokri turned his head away from the tiny  spoon, or tried to push and hit the spoon away with his legs. Food got  smeared everywhere and dropped onto the highchair tray. Cronus did manage to  get a few spoonfuls in, only for the grub to spit it all back out down his  chin and front, and then rub at his face with his legs. Cronus realised he’d  forgotten to put a bib on him, which Kankri always did when feeding him “Shit,  I forgot your bib. Damn it…this isn’t vworking” he set the food aside and  went to get a facecloth, wet it under the kitchen tap and went over to wipe  Crokri up. Crokri hated being wiped clean and of course cried even more about  it.

 Cronus felt like he had failed in some way. Like  he was doing something wrong. But he wasn’t ready to admit defeat. His child  needed food for energy. He wasn’t going to let him go hungry. Crokri was  fussy with his food as it is. Cronus had an idea. He grinned. “Hey baby,  Crokri…howv about ice cream? You vwant ice cream?” he sang out. He opened the  small freezer compartment at the top of the fridge and took out the container  of Neapolitan. He served some into another plastic cartoon bowl and brought  it over. “Look vwhat I got. Mmm…” he spooned up some and tried to get it in  Crokri’s mouth. It went in successfully. The grub abruptly stopped crying and  flinched, his eyes going wide as saucers. He chewed experimentally and then  swallowed, making little sounds. “See? Niiice” Cronus smiled. Yeah, this was  gonna work. “Here, vwant more?” he spooned another tiny bite into Crokri’s  mouth. The grub nommed it down with a little coo. Cronus chuckled “Don’t tell  your mother about this. It’s our little secret, kay?” He continued feeding him  the ice cream with great success.

 Cronus knew he’d be in trouble for taking the easy  way out and feeding their son ice cream for lunch. But Kankri wasn’t here to  see it and Cronus was more concerned about getting something in his tummy. It  didn’t matter what it was, just that it was something. Crokri ended up  polishing off two whole bowls of ice cream, much to his father’s delight. Cronus  ate two bigger bowls for himself. Cronus cleaned him up and took him out of  the high chair. Now it was nap time. Crokri always had a grubnap in the  middle of the day right after lunch. Kankri was good at getting the fussy  little critter down for his nap. And depending on the situation, Cronus was  too. Especially when he sang his child to sleep. Crokri loved being sung to.  He spent some time settling Crokri for his  nap, cuddling him, patting his back gently and singing a song to him softly  as he paced the living room and hallway. Eventually the grub went limp and  heavy in Cronus’ arms and he heard the soft, tiny breaths of the sleeping  baby. He smiled. Works every time. Cronus carefully moved into Crokri’s room  and ever so carefully and slowly lowered him into the crib. Crokri stirred  and made a few squeaks and chirrs. Cronus had a moment of panic and froze,  reaching over to rub Crokri’s belly in a soothing motion. Crokri clicked and settled  back to sleep with a soft sleepy chirp. Cronus released a held breath. He  tiptoed out of the room as quietly as possible and closed the door, which had  a fabric piece on it that muffled the closing latch. He waited outside the  door, listening. All was quiet. Cronus relaxed as he walked away back to the  living room and got on the shared computer to have some fun. He watched  videos on YouTube and some anime on other sites, checked his emails and  played games. Losing track of time, he was startled when his phone rang. He  picked it up and heard Kankri, calling to check on them both.  “Oh, heya Kanny, howv’s it going at vwork?  You on your lunch break?”

 “Yes. I am. Work’s going okay. I am rather  enjoying myself, actually. It’s been busy today. We had some foreign exchange  students just before lunch, and of course, lots of people come in looking for  resources and information so I’ve been busy helping them find what they need.  Oh, and covering and cataloguing the new books we received this morning.  How’s Crokri? Did he eat his lunch? Speaking of lunch, I’m quite pleased with  myself for this lunch box I made up last night. A salad wrap and some fruit  and dark chocolate. Combined with exercise, I’m feeling better about myself  and I notice that I’ve lost more weight”

 “Awv, that’s real svwell babe. I’m happy for ya.  Glad you’re feelin’ good about yourself and taking care of yourself. It’s  real nice you’re enjoying the vwork too. As for Crokri, ha ha let me tell  you…” Cronus explained his morning to him, leaving out the part about the ice  cream.  “He’s been dowvn for about an  hour and a half nowv. He really needed time to let his batteries recharge,  but he vwasn’t happy about it at all. He really lovwes that pool” he  chuckled.

 “Well, that’s to be expected when you have a water  baby” Kankri answered, a smile in his voice. “We already know he loves the  water, thanks to you. I’m glad he’s having a proper sleep though; it throws  his whole routine out of whack when he misses his nap. It’s Porrim’s turn to  have him this weekend so we might be able to get a sleep in on Saturday and  maybe do something together. I was thinking since it’s so hot, we could go to  the local pool, or the beach. Depends which one is less crowded”

 “Ooh, sounds good babe. I’d be dowvn for a beach  trip, for sure. And vwhen vwe get back vwe can vwatch some flicks and cuddle  on the couch or…vwhatevwer”

 Kankri chuckled at the clearly suggestive  implications of that word. “Movies and ‘whatever’, sounds good to me. I’ll  look forward to it.  I could use the  stress relief. Anyway I have to get back to work. Give Crokri a kiss from me  when he wakes up. And here’s one for you as well” he made a kissing noise  through the phone and Cronus chuckled softly and returned it “Lovwe you too,  Cherry. Havwe fun. I’ll see you vwhen you get home”

 Once Kankri hung up, Cronus went back to playing  on the computer until roughly half an hour later, when the expected sounds of  hi s son’s crying alerted him to the fact that Crokri was awake. Taking his  cue, Cronus got up to go get him. He walked down the hallway and opened the  door, swinging it open silently to reveal the baby’s colourful nursery.  Crokri’s crying was normal instead of a tantrum, and Cronus happily leaned  down and picked him up. “Heyyyy little guy. Feeling better after your nap?”  he smiled.

“Squeak!” The grub reached out to him and whined,  little tears at the corners of his eyes. He looked adorable with his tousled bed  hair. His voice still sounded a little sleepy.

 Cronus hugged him close, then sniffed the air and  made a face, holding him away from him and looking at his sagging diaper that  was stained red and brown. The little pictures of crabs printed on it had  faded.

 “Vwhewv, smells like someone has a dirty diaper. Let’s  get that changed” He carried him to the changing table and laid him down on  it, securing him with the straps then un-taping the diaper tabs and opening  the front. Cronus grabbed the wipes and started cleaning him up, “Vwell I  knowv vwhy you didn’t havwe any poop in there earlier, you vwere savwing it  up for nowv, huh? You made a big mess. Gotta say, considering your size, that’s  impressivwe” he chuckled and finished cleaning him up in a matter of minutes,  expertly rolling and taping the diaper into a ball and throwing it away in  the special pail that reduced odours. After changing so many, he and Kankri  were now both adept at it.

 Crokri wiggled his body and legs, enjoying the  fresh air on his tush. He wiggled and squeaked happily, clearly feeling  better.

 Cronus tickled his belly and laughed. “Vwho’s a  cute little guppy? You are! Yeah~…Here ya go, bums up” he slid a new crabby diaper  under the red grub’s butt, slipping his tail through the slit in the back. He  reached for the anti-rash cream, rubbing in a small amount before adding a  sprinkle of zinc based baby powder. He brought the diaper front up and taped  it in place with the sticky tapes on either side, giving the front a little  pat once he was done “There nowv. You’re all clean and ready to go” Cronus  put everything back in its place. He cleaned his hands with some hand  sanitiser then unstrapped the safety belt from Crokri and picked him up  happily, cuddling him close again. Crokri clung on contently and looked  around.  

 Cronus patted him softly. “Let’s get you a little  snack. You’re probably hungry” He carried him into the living room and placed  him down in his playpen with toys before walking to the kitchen to rummage up  a quick snack. Cronus tried to pick something healthy to make up for the  extra sweet lunch. Crokri needed some proper food, not just sugar. Cronus  chose finger foods, chopping up tiny squares of wholemeal bread, cheese  sticks, apple sticks, some little cheesy crackers and some carrot sticks. He  brought the food in to Crokri and climbed into the playpen with him to sit on  the floor. Cronus put the plate of snacks down and it didn’t take long for  the red grub to crawl over and take a look.

 Crokri sniffed the different foods, then grabbed a  grub cracker and started nibbling on it, spilling crumbs. He didn’t have all  his teeth yet but he had enough to chew things up.

 Cronus watched him contently, a smile playing on  his lips. He reached over and gently tried fingercombing the grub’s hair.  Crokri growled softly and shook him off as he backed away, holding the  cracker in his mouth. His ear fins flared in a threat display.

 Cronus laughed “All right, all right. Fine. I vwas  just trying to help. Keep your bed hair!” He took his phone out of his pocket  and waited for Crokri to come back to the Disney themed plastic plate.

 Sure enough, Crokri got curious as to what the  other foods tasted like and dropped his soggy, half eaten cracker on the  carpet to crawl back up and try some more things. He picked up a cheese bit  and took a little bite, chewing oddly as the texture was new to him.

 Cronus snapped a few pictures of Crokri trying  different foods and sent them to Kankri. Once Crokri had finished his snack  and made a nice little mess on the carpet and plate, Cronus took the plate  into the kitchen and left it on the counter, also leaving the crumbs and  spilled bits on the floor. He came back into the lounge room to find Crokri  happily entertained by various baby toys and grub toys.

 Crokri climbed on the grub play gym, wandering around  through tunnels, across bridges and down slides or playing with the  interactive parts. He then chased balls with colourful liquid and toys, or beads  or spinners inside them. He pressed buttons on the My First Lusus wheel and  chewed on the rubbery plastic teething keys. He rolled around in the soft  toys and pressed buttons on the interactive board book.  He had a lot of toys, probably from being  spoiled by everyone. Grub toys were a bit different from wiggler toys or  toddler toys. They tended to be lower down to the floor, and since grubs didn’t  have opposable thumbs, or even fingers, usually consisted of things easy to  use with grub legs and mouths.

 Cronus made himself a snack, (a sandwich and a  glass of water), and sat on the couch to watch TV while keeping an eye on his  kid. He finished his snack while paying attention to the ‘real ghosts caught  on film!!!’ TV show, which filmed the audience’s reactions to each scary  ghost video.

 Crokri could only stay entertained for so long  though, and soon started making trills, squeaks, and other little noises to  get his dad’s attention. Cronus looked in his direction and saw Crokri  standing at the side of the playpen, holding the bars. He was wearing a  pleading expression that begged ‘let me out!’. His big round candy red eyes  were irresistible.

 “Awww~” Even though he really wanted to watch the  rest of his TV show, hey couldn’t say no to that. Cronus got up with a groan.  “You vwant out? Okay baby. Come here” He walked over and leaned down into the  pen, scooping him up easily. Cronus cradled him in his arms and tickled his  belly. “Vwhat do you vwant, huh? You vwanna play vwith daddy?”

 Crokri squirmed and uttered delightful baby  giggles in response to being tickled. He looked up at his dad and reached out  for his violet earfins “aba aba ba, guuu…!” he babbled the little language he  knew and Cronus grinned down at his son.

 “Is that so?! You sure got a lot to say for a  little shrimp. You vwanna do something fun? I got a great idea” Cronus held  Crokri in one arm and used his free hand to pull the cushions off the couch  and toss them on the floor. He grabbed the blanket that was folded at the  back of the couch and shook it out so it lay flat. He then put Crokri on the  blanket. “Ready to go for a ride? Vwheeeee!” Cronus laughed and jogged away,  pulling the blanket along the ground, around the cushions and furniture which  were used as obstacles.

 “Chirp!” Crokri almost rolled off and had to grip  on with his little legs but he enjoyed being tugged around. He giggled and  squealed in delight and babbled even more. When Cronus got tired of that game  and needed a breather since he got puffed, they instead played a bunch of  other games. Cronus made a fort for them to play in with blankets and  cushions. Then he threw toys everywhere which Crokri could fetch and bring  back upon being prompted. Then they played hide n seek. Then Cronus put on a  baby cartoon and danced to the songs and actions together with the grub.

 Kankri had insisted to keep things educational  when playing with their baby, so Cronus also tried reading books and doing  flash cards with the grub as well. When that finished, he took Crokri into  the kitchen and laid out some paper on the floor. He got out the poster  paints and filled a little tray with them then helped Crokri dip his front  legs into the paint and make marks on the paper. Colourful scribbles  decorated the paper, and Crokri, and the floor and walls. Cronus stuck the  works of art to the walls with blu tack. Wet paint dripped down the walls.  Basically with all the games they played, the house was now a mess. But the  grub still had plenty of energy to burn and needed entertainment!  

 Cronus was trying to think of what else they could  do when Crokri noticed the view of the back garden and scurried over to the  sliding glass doors. He stood on his hindquarters and put his paint wet legs  on the window. “Auuuu! Wawa!” He banged his front legs on the glass enthusiastically,  smearing more paint on it and babbling. “Wa wa! Wa-wa. Wa waaaaa!”

 Cronus walked over “Oh, you vwanna go outside. Yeah,  sure, vwe can do that! Let’s go play in the garden. You vwanna help me vwater  the flowvers? Or should vwe play on the svwings?” He picked up his son and  took him outside, placing him down on the warm, green grass. Crokri ignored  his toy balls and his outdoor play gym. He ignored the swing set and the  slide. He ignored the obstacle course and the mini maze. No, instead he headed  straight for the pool! Crokri hurried to the side and jumped up and down,  trying to find a way to climb in. “Squeak! Chirp! Peep!”

 Cronus laughed and shook his head “Ahhh, I should  havwe knovwn. Vwater! Yep, okay, you can go back in. Come here so I can get  your svwim diaper on~” he sang. He hurriedly picked his son up, causing  Crokri to whine loudly and reach for the water, struggling to get out of his  father’s hold.

 “Hang on, hang on. You can’t vwear a normal diapee  in the pool honey. Hold still for a second vwhile I get this one on” Cronus  said, trying to be patient with the impatient, squirmy baby. He took off the  new ‘old’ diaper and put the swim diaper on, making sure Crokri’s finned tail  was popped neatly through the slit in the back. He then rubbed on some more  sunscreen into Crokri’s body and face. Crokri fussed and cried, making it  difficult, but Cronus worked fast and soon he was done. He carried the grub  to the pool and held him over the water. Crokri stopped crying and looked at  the water in excitement, reaching out for it as red tear tracks glistened on  his face. His gills fluttered, his earfins fluttered, and his legs paddled at  the air cutely in swimming motions. “Squeeeeee!” he wanted in!

 Cronus couldn’t help laughing. He put him in the  pool and let go, watching Crokri take off and swim gleefully around in the  pool. The water was warmer than before since it had been outside in the heat,  but it was half under the patio shade so it was okay. Cronus doused himself  with the hose again to try and keep cool, and played with his son in the pool  play centre. He filmed Crokri playing and uploaded it to Bubblr.

 He heard Kankri come home several hours later,  hearing his keys unlocking the front door. Kankri’s voice could be heard as  he walked down the hallway and into the living room. “Oh my word! What’s  happened here? The whole house is a complete mess” he exclaimed. Footsteps  came through the kitchen and a handbag was deposited on the kitchen bench,  keys hung up on the key hook hanger.

 Kankri’s voice sounded out again. “Oh no, there’s  ants all over the kitchen bench. Who left out this food? And there’s crumbs  everywhere. Ahh why are there so many ants?” Sounds of water running and  things being cleaned up and food thrown in the bin were heard. Then Kankri  noticed the walls and floor “Cronus, this better be water soluble paint or  you can pay for the new paint job!” he yelled out. He noticed Cronus and  Crokri outside and went out the back door.

 “Here you two are. Cronus, why is the house in  such a state? You know we teach Crokri to clean up after playing with his  toys or making a mess. I’m glad you two have been having fun but you better  not expect me to clean all that up. There’s ants everywhere in the kitchen,  the sink is full of dishes, Crokri’s high chair is messy. I noticed there was  food mushed into the carpet in the living room. There’s paint smeared  everywhere in the kitchen. And Crokri’s room smells like dirty diapers. Did  you empty the diaper pail today? It’s full and the bins go out tomorrow”

 “Nice to see you too, Chief. Howv vwas your day?”  Cronus replied somewhat sarcastically, a bit annoyed that Kankri wanted to  complain before even greeting him. “Yeah, listen, I’m sorry about all that  but I vwas just spending time vwith the little guy. I vwasn’t thinking about  havwing a perfect clean house. Making sure he’s havwin fun and spending  quality time vwith him is far more important in my vweiwv. Vwhy vwaste time  vworryin about cleaning up vwhen you could be spendin’ it making memories that  last? The house vwork’s alvways gonna be here, but grubs growv up fast”

 Kankri sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  He closed his eyes a moment and sighed again, evidently trying to keep his  cool. He dropped his hand and looked back at Cronus, before shaking his head “Well…it  looks like you and I have differing opinions. But you do make some very good  points. I’m sorry Cronus, how was your day? ” he asked more genuinely. He walked  over and hugged him “I missed you both at work today. And I’m glad you both  have been and are still, having fun”

 Cronus slipped his arms around Kankri’s waist and  pulled him closer, kissing him fondly “Our day vwas good babe. Really svwell”  he kissed him again and squeezed him lovingly “Vwe missed you too. Crokri  painted you some art vworks. And vwe did the flash cards” he nuzzled him. “I’m  glad you’re back. My pretty cherry”

 Kankri hummed happily, breathing in his mate’s  scent “I saw. And thank you for practicing the flash cards, it all goes  towards his education” he purred, letting out a soft, pleased sound at the  pet name and attention “I’m always happy to come back to you. Today was fun,  but it’s nice to be home with my two favourite people in the world”

 There was a splash and some excited grub noises. Crokri  had noticed Kankri was back. He chirped and trilled, then clicked eagerly,  swimming around trying to find a way to hop out of the pool.  

 Kankri let go of Cronus and moved out of their  embrace. He hurried to the side and scooped Crokri up into a loving hug, not  caring that his clothes were getting wet. “Ohhh my little cutie pie! Mummy’s  so happy to see you! Did you have fun in your new pool? You look like you had  a wonderful day, mwah, mwah!” he kissed him playfully with exaggerated  kissing sounds, while the grub squirmed and giggled, laughing in delight. Crokri  cuddled close and nuzzled Kankri’s chest, sighing contentedly as he purred  and snuggled. His little fins did a happy flutter. Kankri smiled warmly down  at him before looking at Cronus again.

 “You’re still going to clean up the house” Kankri  replied, cheerful and smiling. “We can’t have Crokri exposed to germs,  insects, or tripping hazards. And besides, it is possible to clean up one activity  while Crokri is distracted with another. That’s how I do it. So, we’re going  to play outside and water the flowers, while you make everything nice and  tidy again. By the way, if you ever feed him ice cream for lunch again, I’m  going to tie you up and force feed you ice cream. Got that?” he beamed.  

 Cronus’ mouth dropped open “Vwhat? But I didn’t- !  Howv did you-!?”  How did he know? How?  This made no sense. “Kankriiii” Cronus whined.

 Kankri turned back to Crokri, ignoring Cronus’  protests with a wicked grin. “After all, I’d much rather spend time playing  with our cute baby than doing the housework. Grubs grow up so fast~” he sang.  

 Cronus opened and closed his mouth, trying to argue,  but coming up with nothing. Scowling and grumbling, he shuffled off into the  house in his damp clothes to tidy and clean.  Some things just weren’t worth arguing  about. Maybe on their next Daddy Day he’d take him out to the park to play.  He started to smile as he cleaned up though.

Knowing he was Kankri’s  favourite person in the world, and Crokri’s too, made up for a bit of housework.  He wondered what being tied up and force fed ice cream would be like.

#Loopy Gigglesniffer #Cronus Ampora #Kankri Vantas #fanfic #Crokri #OC #Grubs #baby #fluff

[caepaecaesurae]

> Caefora: Separate

caepaecaesurae > A sudden, weird, wrenching sense of loss -- and a weird hollow sensation, that at least slightly evens out.  Where once there was Mostly Cae, now there is a back-to-normal Lurky instead. > ..and Caesurae's mind is quiet. > He blinks several imes, woken up from a sound sleep, looking up at the canopies of a strange bed. sugary-empress >Condy startles. What's going on? Where's that person she was? She's supposed to be more... >When she wakes up more fully, she figures it out. It's Tuesday, and all good things must end. "Good ewvening, sweetness~" >Fuck! "Gods dammit, yoar not efin in t)(ere and I'm still doing it!~" caepaecaesurae > He burst out laughing, flopping backwards, a hand dropping to cover his forehead. "You're wvelcome!"

sugary-empress >She sighs and shakes her head. "I can't believe you're t)(e worst, and also contagious~" caepaecaesurae "It's my one flawv." sugary-empress "As far as singular flaws go, being t)(e worst is a pretty bad one~" >Condy has the correct number of boobs and her hair is right again, but still. She'll miss Cae. Having a reasonable person in one's pan is helpful. "You need to be getting back... Some)(ow~ Water we gonna do aboat t)(at?~" >She doubts she's allowed to know how to get there. caepaecaesurae > He blew out a breath, hand unconsciously dropping to lay across hic chest, which was Flat.  ...  He sat there a moment, then looked puzzled, then headrattled and adjusted his bracers.  Then he suddenly had a nice modest set himself.  It was boob time.  Fuck the uniboob.  The fake gold boob was probably laying somewhere around. "...I imagine I'll go to a neutral spot, maybe those backup coordinates wve wvere givwen, and then ask a quadrant mate to pick me up." "Givwen your leavwe, of course." sugary-empress >Condy will have that gold boob framed and hung somewhere as a memory of their time together. >Hm. "Given my leave, dear?~ W)(at do you mean?~" >It's unclear from her tone if the question is sincere or not. caepaecaesurae > That kind of thinking is exactly why Cae still has a ratty old shower curtain Nadaya gave him. caepaecaesurae > He seemed relaxed still.  "WVell, I'm your guest here, it seems polite to ask." caepaecaesurae > He tried to remember what her favorite food was and the memory just wasn't...There.  Hm.  They'd definitely split apart again.  ...He produced a small tray of chocolate-coated berries from nothing, set it down between them, and snacked on one. sugary-empress >She waves a hand dismissively. "Na)(, bro~ I mean, I~ didn't kidnap you, but you were still basically kidnapped, you didn't detide to come over or anyfin~" >She grins a little sharply. "Plus, if people only left w)(en t)(ey )(ad perfis)(ion, I'd still be evil~" >She snags a strawberry. Mmm, food. Things taste different as a full trickster, no concepts of things being too sweet or differing tastes to get in the way. "Yoar free to go w)(enebber~ caepaecaesurae > He decides to actively gloss over any potentially-threatening parts of that and focus on the parts he likes.  "Sounds like a plan.  ....Hn, wve made a lot of parting gifts, I'll havwe to be creativwe wvhen gifting you things nowv." caepaecaesurae "..I think I'll head out either before breakfast or after -- Any preference?  I'm here anywvays." sugary-empress ")(ave breakfast )(ere, sugarplum~ I'll call in a sl-- servant, w)(at do you want?~" >They aren't slaves anymore, they really aren't, but hey, old habits. "Y'know I kinda figured t)(is was gonna end badly, like ebberyone else's did, and I'm glad it didn't!~" caepaecaesurae "Thanks for not kicking me out immediately,"  He glanced over with a wry grin, scratching his chin.  "..A sandwvich maybe?  BLT?"  He hazarded. "I guess it's just our luck that wve aren't that incompatible -- My sympathies on havwing to deal wvith an Ampora for a wveek." sugary-empress "We can manage t)(at, cupcake~ Oh, I would never!~" >Well... She can think of a couple situations where she would do that. "I would usually not~ Yea)(, it's good luck t)(at we're moderately bros, and also uncomfortably similar~ And of course, I'm sorry you needed to deal wit)( my w)(ole nonsense, I'm normally better at not feeling negative emotions!~" caepaecaesurae > He rolled his eyes and rubbed at his cheek.  "I don't think you're the one that wvas bringing us dowvn, there.  You knowv my stance on that sort of thing." sugary-empress "It was dolp)(initely a little of bot)(, t)(e Sal fin really t)(rew me off~" >A servant appears at Condy's summons, seemingly unfazed by the sight of the two of them in bed together. Condy orders french toast and hot chocolate, lets Cae order, then dismisses the servant. "You're an interesting guy to be, you know~" caepaecaesurae "WVell, at least you havwe some time to think about the Sal thing before dealing wvith it nowv.  ...Best of luck," he sounded honestly sympathetic.  He was also good at casually ignoring servants as if they weren't there.  It was polite, eye contact from highbloods was scary. "I imagine it must havwe been quite the change." sugary-empress "O)(, I'm not gonna deal wit)( it in any way, I'm )(oping it's done now~" >The eye contact thing was definitely true. Condy may be less... playful... now, but being singled out for personal attention from her or one of her friends is historically not good. "It was!~ You're very reasonable, and full of anxiety, and gods awful at s)(aring t)(at kinda fin~" caepaecaesurae "That is one wvay of dealing wvith it," he mused.  "...I'm glad I wvas reasonable at least.  The anxiety is ah --  I'm wvorking on it still." "... I havwe no excuse not to talk to Dee left."  Nosewrinkle. sugary-empress "No, you've got no excuse, and if you don't I'm going to need to bully you into it! T)(at's a sweet troll wit)( no reason to use it against you, so any paranoia is unfounded, and it'll make your conversoceans more pleasant!" >Condy is Frowning Sternly, which she never does, but it doesn't last. "Talking is important, you mysterious secretive nerd~" "No, you've got no excuse, and if you don't I'm going to need to bully you into it! T)(at's a sweet troll wit)( no reason to use it against you, so any paranoia is unfounded, and it'll make your conversoceans more pleasant!" >Condy is Frowning Sternly, which she never does, but it doesn't last. "Talking is important, you mysterious secretive nerd~" caepaecaesurae > His eyebrows lifted as she went on, and he leaned slightly away -- not in fear, but as if blown literally away by the force of her opinion. "--It's not paranoia, I just.. don't WVant to, I don't like talking about things." "I don't like being wveak, and if I don't Admit it .." sugary-empress "-Ebberyfin you do is at least a LITTL-E bit aboat paranoia~" >She shared that brain for a week, so she's definitely more qualified than him to say that, clearly. She sighs. "I know, dear, I really really know, but it's dumb!~ Your pan is working against you improving your life, and I know it's not some massive fin, but also, it kind of is!~" caepaecaesurae "WVell, I mean,"  He couldn't Entirely contest that, so he swapped to another subject.  Any subject that no one managed to get him to lose counted as a win after they'd forgotten about it, right? ...Finding another subject was taking a moment. caepaecaesurae "It's so stupid that they'd havwe to tiptoe," he floundered. sugary-empress "No, it's not, but even if it was, life is full of stuff bulls)(it t)(at you do becod you love someone, and or want to be considered a decent person~" caepaecaesurae "I don't wvant to need them to do that," sugary-empress "And asking t)(at someone not randomly mention t)(eir ass)(ole in conversation isn't asking t)(em to tiptoe~" caepaecaesurae Dramatic Eyeroll. "That depends on the person, unfortunately." sugary-empress >Condy dramatically eyerolls right back! "Yoar only unreasonable aboat your own fins, w)(ic)( makes sense, ebberyone is, but still, it's like, dude~" caepaecaesurae > He sighed deeply and flopped backwards, resting the back of his arm on his forehead again. "I'll--Look, /today/ I havwe other things to wvorry about, wvith getting back into my univwerse and dealing wvith wvhatevwer safety measures they wvant and all that." "But i'll get around to it," caepaecaesurae "And they'll be nagging me too," sugary-empress "W)(at will you )(ave tomorrow, )(m?~" >Well, they will nag, at least that's true. Siiigh. "It's a good fin I adore you, becod you're annoying~" >It isn't said with any malice, just affection. caepaecaesurae > He blushed despite himself, which set off a bit of the bioluminescense. "WVell, at least I havwe that then." sugary-empress >Oh no, that's cute... >The food arrives just in time, and Condy digs into some huge pieces of French toast dusted with powdered sugar. It prevents her from needing to say anything about that, but she does speak after a couple bites. "I'm gonna bug you if you don't do t)(e fin, you know~" caepaecaesurae > He accepted the food with an absent thankful nod for the servant -- positive aknowledgement, without any personal identification.  ..and pressed a hand to his cheek for a moment, shaking his head. "..I appreciate that, thank you.  I'll be doing it." sugary-empress "I know you will, eventually!~ I believe in you~" >No more gross friendship emotions, only food now. caepaecaesurae "Should I bother changing my vwent blog passwvord?  I imagine our social circles wvould be distressed if I didn't."  It was currently pumpernickel.  He'd been vaguely hungry when he made it. sugary-empress "Mm, feel free if you'd like, I wouldn't c)(ange mine except t)(at Nadaya )(as it now~ I know )(e was one of t)(e people w)(o read my vent and passed it around t)(at one time~" >Her password was redbloodvelvet, for similar reasons. "O)(, and tell basically ebberyone you know to c)(ange t)(eirs, I'm sure t)(ey know, but still~" caepaecaesurae He grimaced his sympathy, nodding, and starting in on his sandwich.  "I wvill.  It's almost tempting to make a second vwent blog for those that don't get along wvith my current friends, but that's probably a bit much." sugary-empress "T)(at is definitely a bit muc)(, it's also t)(e most you t)(ing I've ebber )(eard~" caepaecaesurae He sighed.  "They can't all be wvinners.  It's atrocious that I can't talk openly anywvhere though." sugary-empress "Always feel free to glub at me, babe, I know it's not t)(e same as doing it to an audience, but still~ I'm sorry, t)(oug)(, s)(it sucks~" caepaecaesurae > Sigh, nom.  "I wvill, thank you." "I'll pull through just fine, I knowv it's not like it's a hemoflip and I'm not fearing for my life outside of edge case scenarios like this wveek, it's just frustrating sometimes." sugary-empress ")(ow often are your edge case scenarios, my dear?~" >She isn't THAT concerned, really, she isn't, it's just that she likes him and he deserves only great things! caepaecaesurae > He shrugged, chuffing softly, and focusing on a bite of sandwich for a bit.  "...swveeply, biswveeply, in that range.  It might cool dowvn as wve all get used to one another."  Or heat up as tensions rose, or stay exactly as it was, who knew.  But probably that first one. caepaecaesurae "...And it's nevwer something that wvould... compromise my contingency plans to stick around, thusfar.  Mostly."  He shook his head.  "Price of doing business I think." sugary-empress "Good, good. People I like can't die, I don't like it. Besides, those are pretty solid stats, dear. You're incredibly c)(arming, clearly, but we knew t)(at." caepaecaesurae Another of those little grins.  "I don't like it wvhen people I like die either.  Take care of yourself best you can, alright?" caepaecaesurae > He let out a breath, and ran his hand through his hair.  "..I do my best.  I'll...see howv wvell I can do." sugary-empress ")(m... Well, I'm awful at making good decisions, but I'm )(istorically amazing at being alive, so I guess it's a tossup~" >She pats him on the shoulder. "You'll do just fine~" caepaecaesurae "Improvwisation counts for a fair bit, as wvell evwidenced by Nadaya," he mused.  The pat earned her a smaller smile. sugary-empress "I sink Nadaya is proof t)(at even an unrealized )(ope aspect is fucking amazing, actually, but I get your point~" >You finally finish your french toast, and busy yourself with wiping the powdered sugar up with your finger and licking it off. "T)(anks for being so cool aboat ebberyfin~" caepaecaesurae His mouth opened and he paused that way, before hesitantly nodding.  "...True, there is that." "..Thanks back at you.  Sorry for all the second-hand ah.  /Fuss/.  From my clade.  I'll see wvhat I can do to put them at ease tonight." sugary-empress "No need to apologize, I understand~ I even understand it from t)(eir points of view, I'm just a delicate w)(iney flower~ T)(ey'll be )(appy to )(ave you back!~" caepaecaesurae "WVell, I think wve're all a bit delicate wvhen it comes to being personally threatened.  And they wvill." He shook his head.  "..I'm glad this doesn't havwe to be some big production." Today at 7:44 PM sugary-empress "I'm glad as well, sugar~" >She beams at him. What a good dude. "Are you ready to go?~ Is it time?~" caepaecaesurae He grinned back at her and rubbed his head.  "Guess so.  Can someone showv me to the pad?  I think wve alwvays teleported..." sugary-empress "I will, sweetfins~" >She got out of bed and led the way to the nearest transportalizer, not far from her room. It should probably be farther, for security reasons, but it's so convenient... "Let me know if you need anyfin atoll!~" caepaecaesurae > Especially considering she could teleport.. "I wvill.  Thank you."  Best not to spoil the moment.  He followed. When they finally reached the pad, he started typing in numbers and gave her one last smile and a wink. sugary-empress >Wink and fingerguns! caepaecaesurae > Wry grin, fingergun, and port out. (( that's /so fucking corny/ XD )) sugary-empress >They're both fucking nerds. caepaecaesurae > Yeup.

#M!A: Caefora #ooc eyes only #sugary-empress #The day started off so well #long post/

[xharzo]

Just to share a little something, this may I went as my college mascot to our biggest Comic Con!

It was super fun, it was 3 days and I had the costume all the day (from 10am to 8pm) except for the 30mins break I took for eating and going to the bathroom.

I loved it so much! And people were sooo awesome and gently tbh, I wish I could always be in it!

(It has always been a dream of mine to works as a mascot? Or just using the costume.. [furry trash al fin])

This, except for the first to pictures, 1st one was for the college, the 2nd one was one they took while I was playing one of the games they made for the PRCC, (it was awesome!) While in costume, were took the last day, when i had time to go for a walk for myself! And i have always been shy about taking pictures, so it was AWESOME THAT I COULD TAKE THIS WITH THE COSTUME BECAUSE i didn’t fear!

For example, the third one is one I always wanted because I am in love with this dj, I have always gaze (?) Him from the distance simce 2013, because I am embarrassed of everything…

The 4 one was with to awesome ladies! They were super nice and they even hugged me at the end when I saw them without the costume! (I will upload other ones I havw of them!)

I am in love with that Rocket suit! I was so ashamed that when I was going to ask for the pic the girl that was in it took the mask of, and had to put it back again because of me! TOT

You wouldn’t see it in the picture but that Starlord was HUGE, AS SOOO TALL!!! My helmet is as long as my arm on the inside! Meaning that I could strech my arm while wearing the costume and I could do it easily! And the fin is makes it even taller, so THAT STARLORD WAS TOOOLLLL!!!!

Everyone wanted a picture with that Yondu, it took me 3 times to try and get that picture, and she was very nice too! Shw even laughed at my joking whwn i tols her the picture was going to take some time because my friend was a photographer and liked to make it perfect (and it was, it took like 2mins to take it!)

The Roadhog were so nice and kind, I at first didn’t saw them but I hear them when they yelled “So cuteeee” at me, and waved back when I waved to them, so RH is one of my favorite chs in OW, so I wanted a picture!

The Symmetra was really cute and the glasses looked so cool!

I saw Porcco Rosso from the distance. And I wanted a picture!

#prcc #prcc2017 #puerto rico comic con