Pulchritudo in Pravitate

yeah.. it is. bit early, but of a surprise, but she’s here and she’s perfect

Arias breaths, sitting down criss cross applesauce on the massive desk

i figured i should let you check her out just in case while Aku slept

"An excellent idea," Victor said, picking the child up carefully from Arias's arms. He carried her over to the couch and I'm un-swaddled her to carefully roll her hips for signs of dysplasia, gently probe her soft skull, inspect her umbilical cord for proper healing (assuming that she had one,) and check her vitals.

"I take it this was a home birth," he said. "Was there anyone to attend Akumu as he was in labor? And... Not to be too direct, but how was she extracted from his body?" He perked up, as if remembering something. "She'll need her vitamin k shot as soon as possible to prevent an untimely death by bleeding, by the way. It's a standard procedure for every infant. What's her name?"

uh yeah, he kinda gave birth outa shock when he found me dead in the living room after Saddler killed me

Arias says sheepishly, messing with the fur on the back of his neck

um, no, just me. and uh, same way she got in there.

the boy shoots up, terrified from the man’s words

you- you can do that, right? she- she’s not gonna die, is she? you’re gonna make sure she doesn’t die? and uh, Arietta, her name is Arietta

#para rp #Renny is just The Teenage Girl he doesn't even know her name lol

Victor smiled and shook his head, picking up the infant and walking downstairs with Arias to a proper exam room with equipment for weighing and measuring a baby.

"A beautiful name," he said, "and you have nothing to fear. Arietta will only thrive under my care. You will have to hold her arm down though, so that I may inject her. Now... About Saddler." He licked his lips. "The reason that I was not available during the birthing process is because the teenage girl informed me that Saddler had brought harm to you. Naturally, I had to teach him a valuable lesson."

He grabbed a laptop with his free hand from the nurse's station and brought it into the exam room with him, where he carefully eased Arietta onto the scale.

"I regret to say that the little coward escaped, though not before I took a chainsaw to his arm. So you say that he killed you? I shouldn't have suffered him to live..."

zeno-official

In all this madness at the moment we deserve something nice, so here is one of my cats being stupid.

coldcruelcarlos-lessworld

everyone say hello to Jellybean, the little fucker who inspired Arias’s design.

gotta continue the kitty chain

I'd like to also help spread joy with animals :D

only pic i have with a cat that doesnt have my face in it

terato-canis

peewee loves you

zeno-official

Ooc;

Sobbing i love peewee too hello buddy.

miss-ashcroft

Don't let Juju being snuggled up in a blaneky fool you, she's quite probably the actual antichrist. (Love her anyway tho)

(He's not here physically at the moment, but Birkin is always fucking with the computer monitor in my heart...)

#ooc

(Ah hell, I'm gonna lay down. This stupid coffee is making my head feel light...)

(SIKE, I took my second dose of Adderall so I'll just have to take the shaking and lightheadedness like a man. Would anyone like to carry me in their bag like a shell-shocked little Yorkie?)

#ooc #delete later

(Ah hell, I'm gonna lay down. This stupid coffee is making my head feel light...)

#ooc #delete later

@twinklefairy-dust

She nodded her head to the response, though she wasn’t entirely sure how to properly respond. Surely he had his reason. Perhaps it was to continue his mission without setbacks, or simply the culmination of years spent perfecting whatever prototype he had planted within himself. But was it worth giving up the experience of being human? Not that he wasn’t… in a sense. Still, she found herself wondering if there were things he no longer got to enjoy. [She watched him carefully as he began unclasping his vest again, her expression immediately showing concern.] For a brief moment, she worried he was about to pry himself open with his bare hands to make his point. “Yeah, there’s no need, hey—!” [The protest had just left her lips when his hand suddenly enveloped hers, pressing it against his chest. Her eyes widened slightly, her fingers instinctively tensing.] Through the steady beat of his heart, she felt it. Something alive and moving within his surprisingly lukewarm body. She remained silent as she continued to stare, even while feeling the intensity of his gaze waiting for her reaction. At the very least, she hadn’t recoiled or pulled away, but simply stood there feeling it. [And despite herself, she smiled softly, almost amused, as she lifted her gaze back up to him.] “So…” [Her thumb shifted ever so slightly against his chest before lightly tapping it.] “This…” Her expression softened as her eyes lingered on him. “This is your masterpiece?”

His masterpiece? No. It was merely a means to an end, a way for him to optimize himself while he strived to complete his master's endeavors.

More than that, it was a symbol of his absolute devotion, not only to Spencer's work, but to his remaining progeny, if only he could make her understand as much.

Why let her know the depths of his commitment, though? And of course, why ruin the moment? He simply nodded, smiling at her.

twinklefairy-dust

Nyx took his simple nod and smile as confirmation to what she thought was his way of showing himself.

Especially after the two of them had spent the better part of the interaction revealing things they considered vulnerable.

At least, on her part.

[Her smile tugged upwards slightly as she stared back at his chest, still feeling whatever was alive beneath it.]

“Mm.”

[She didn’t say anything after that. Her thumb gave one last gentle tap against his chest before she finally withdrew her hand, though not hurriedly, taking a few steps back from him.]

After what seemed like forever, she finally spoke. Her smile had faded, but her expression had noticeably softened.

“Well…”

[She folded her arms loosely over herself. It was clear she didn’t really know what to say, or if there was anything left to say anyways.]

“Thanks…”

[She paused awkwardly, giving a slight smirk.]

“For, uh… sharing that with me.”

"Of course," he said, still smiling as he does up his vest once more. "It isn't every day that I meet someone who can appreciate my more revolutionary procedures..."

He wondered if this was a byproduct of the weed that he'd just smoked. Was this the result of lowered inhibitions? Was he being... vulnerable? Victor quickly dismissed the possibility. He was too massive to be affected by a single blunt—at least, he was fairly sure of that.

Wait, what if he was experiencing paranoia now? Oh, he needed to lie down...

twinklefairy-dust

“Yeah… no problem.”

[She responded quietly, her arms still crossed loosely over herself as she watched the smile still plastered across his lips with a strange sort of interest while he buckled his vest back up.]

Truthfully, Nyx herself wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened, or why.

She could’ve blamed the weed. But even drunk, she tended to remain reserved, always aware of herself rather than completely losing her senses.

Still, the question dwelled in her mind.

Why had she shared so much?

And why had he?

She could only think that perhaps some part of her had wanted to.

To finally have somebody see.

To understand.

And it wasn’t exactly a thought she felt comfortable acknowledging to herself, let alone anyone else.

“I’m probably gonna take my leave now,” she murmured, finally pulling her keys into her hand.

Unless there was something else he wanted to ask, she didn’t see much reason to linger around any longer. Besides… She had a lot to think about now.

Victor nodded, clearing his throat. Whatever had happened, the moment was now gone, and thank goodness for that. Thank goodness she wasn't a mind reader, more to the point... She gave him enough cryptic words and behaviors for him to dissect, not to mention why she wanted to have any part in what was undoubtedly his master's parting shot to a world that had turned its back on him.

It still eluded Victor. He honestly needed to gather intelligence on Nyx, to find out a little more about who she was.

This would require tact and much secrecy, of course. He couldn't send his own men into the field to gather information. They would need to outsource, and not just to any idiot posing as a private investigator. Perhaps he could convince Zeno to pull a few strings within the FBI, to cast their admittedly jaundiced eyes upon her goings on and her past...

Ah, but he was getting ahead of himself, wasn't he? These were thoughts for tomorrow morning, not for when he was off the clock and trying desperately to relax.

After a moment's hesitation he added, "I enjoyed myself. Thank you."

#para rp #true true

you hear a knock on your office window late into the night; far too late for anyone to reasonably be awake. you don’t have to turn to realize that it’s Arias - who else would be at the outside, three stories up, in the dead of night. in his arms is something clearly fragile wrapped tightly in a pink blanket

Victor went to the window immediately and opened it. When he saw the little pink bundle in Arias's arms, his smile widened as he moved aside for Arias to step into the office.

"Is that who I think it is?"

yeah.. it is. bit early, but of a surprise, but she’s here and she’s perfect

Arias breaths, sitting down criss cross applesauce on the massive desk

i figured i should let you check her out just in case while Aku slept

"An excellent idea," Victor said, picking the child up carefully from Arias's arms. He carried her over to the couch and I'm un-swaddled her to carefully roll her hips for signs of dysplasia, gently probe her soft skull, inspect her umbilical cord for proper healing (assuming that she had one,) and check her vitals.

"I take it this was a home birth," he said. "Was there anyone to attend Akumu as he was in labor? And... Not to be too direct, but how was she extracted from his body?" He perked up, as if remembering something. "She'll need her vitamin k shot as soon as possible to prevent an untimely death by bleeding, by the way. It's a standard procedure for every infant. What's her name?"

#para rp

you hear a knock on your office window late into the night; far too late for anyone to reasonably be awake. you don’t have to turn to realize that it’s Arias - who else would be at the outside, three stories up, in the dead of night. in his arms is something clearly fragile wrapped tightly in a pink blanket

Victor went to the window immediately and opened it. When he saw the little pink bundle in Arias's arms, his smile widened as he moved aside for Arias to step into the office.

"Is that who I think it is?"

#asks

Victor cradled Jude in his arms, smiling down at him as he slept. He took his formula very well, and though it was much too early for him to track objects with his eyes, Victor decided to give him a head start in learning how by slowly moving a finger back and forth in front of his face. Then, he gently tapped his nose and grinned.

There were new books on Victor's desk now, along with the curriculum planner for @lab-bourne-cat-boy and @lab-born-monster and the arithmetic and grammar books. There were now also books about pediatrics, and about the developmental milestones of infants and young children.

He carried the little bundle of joy down to his bedroom. The alligator had already been moved into its underground habitat, and where its enclosure once stood were a bassinet and a changing table. He swaddled Jude with practiced hands before placing him into the bassinet, and he leaned down to stroke his fine, dark hair.

"Sleep well, my son."

#not an rp

juche-karl-heisenberg

So, uh, anybody want to buy some traditional inked artwork or a sketch? I have nowhere to plug in my computer yet (thanks to a basement flood) but I still have a sketchbook and some pencils and gel pens.

DM me with your sketch request and we'll work out a price!

#about #ooc #you wouldn't believe how many sequels that movie has

(I ain't happy to do this but I have little recourse but to scrounge for commissions)

#ooc #bleh

(This is kind of weird to say, but the thing with my Victor is that he's in a quantum state of having already found Elpis/still searching for it, depending on who he's around. He's also a bit of a karmic whoopsie because if he dies he reincarnates into the same life.

He's lucky in one sense that he doesn't reincarnate to hell for all his misdeeds, but in another sense this sucks for him because it further solidifies the illusion of permanence in reality when really he should be letting go of that shit for his own good.

But hey, it makes for some interesting storytelling from the Buddhist perspective and if Christians get to produce God's Not Dead Part Five: How Do We Keep Having This Stupid Conversation, then I get to have my karmic funtimes, damnit!)

(God help me, I'm about to answer posts without trimming them and I do not like it, Sam I Am...)

(UPDATE: I am twenty dollars plus negative fifty-six dollars worth of overdraft short of buying a power strip with a surge protector, which is necessary for basement living in flood-prone areas. I'm considering doing traditional art in exchange for money, but it's been a minute, I'm without a scanner, and I know you're all either poor or children or both. It's a conundrum, folks!)

#ooc #delete later

Victor wasn't convinced at all that he was looking at a true human being. Whatever it was, when he switched to his thermal lens, it did seem to be running a little warm. His forked tongue flicked out from between his dark, cracked lips, and yuck! The smell only confirmed it for him. Still, the thing had piqued his interest, so he payed for the large stuffed rabbit he'd been buying for Chloe and he began to follow it.

Helios finished browsing before leaving empty handed. It was in no hurry, unaware that anyone was following it. He walked down the street a ways before taking a hard left. He took a winding path before coming to a stop at the side of a dilapidated building.

It dug its fingers in and hoisted itself up, climbing up the side and through a broken window on the second floor.

"Fascinating..." Victor muttered.

He had no practical way to climb up the side of the building himself, unless he wanted to expend the energy required to painfully sprout a few bladed tentacles (he absolutely did not.) So, Victor quietly picked his way through the decaying innards of the building, trying to follow the thing by using its heat signature.

Helios moved before settling on a balcony on the second floor. He took off his shirt and discard it nearby. A smooth black material covered his back, starting from just below his shoulder blades, wrapping around to the sides of his waist, and tapering out at his hips.

He basked, soaking up the sun to top off his battery.

Victor watched, his hulking figure silently crouched down in a nearby window (save, perhaps, for the creak of his leather clothing.) He took the time to switch to his digital lens, observing any visible joints, listening for the whirr of machine components, flicking his tongue out again to gather a more detailed scent profile of this artificial creature.

He wondered briefly what was stopping him from simply reaching out and grabbing it, and then he scuppered the idea. That didn't end well when he'd subjected Grace to such treatment, and he wasn't quite ready to see its defensive capabilities, if it possessed any. He did have the stuffed rabbit to consider, after all...

Helios flopped onto his stomach, spreading out across the cracked tile like a cat in the sun. There didn't appear to be any visible joints as he spread out. The synthetic skin spread across his body and the firmer shell on his back and around his waist stretched and shifted as skin should.

The only visible hint of its interior were the tips of its fingers, frayed and showing a hard black material beneath.

Victor's digital lens zoomed in on the frayed tips of its fingers, and he tilted his head to one side curiously.

Now what would he do? He stood back up as he thought about the possibilities. He could attempt to introduce himself, but that seemed about as foolish as simply trying to abduct the creature. There was also the matter of the stuffed rabbit. What if this thing thought that it was an offering to it? Victor couldn't have such a misunderstanding on his hands. He almost regretted not going immediately to Chloe's and minding his own business, but then again, curiosity was always one of his weaknesses.

Victor sighed quietly, tucked the stuffie under one arm, and then he cleared his throat.

Helios yelped, sitting up ramrod straight. He hastily gathered up his shirt and throwing it over his head. Its mask clattered to the floor, and it scrambled to grab that too, covering its face with an arm while it struggled to worm the other one through the other sleeve.

"Don't look...!" it snapped, screechy as if through a damaged speaker. It finally managed to pull its shirt on - backwards - and hastily shoved the mask. "I'm n-not- I wasn't e-exactly decent..."

On instinct, Victor's eyes flicked to one side beneath his visor while the digital lens continued to record everything. Once the entity had made itself "decent," Victor looked back at it and smiled, revealing two rows of uneven gold teeth.

"My apologies," he said, his voice oozing with a genteel charm. "I couldn't help but notice you as I was leaving the store, you see, and my curiosity got the better of me. My name is Dr Victor Gideon."

#para rp

Victor had to expand his network of informants in order to find the man—the magical teenage girl had, as usual, turned out to be unreliable and emotionally compromised—but at last, he'd found the man responsible for inflicting pain on his Arias. They were scarcely the same flesh and blood, but Victor's friends were few, and the boy did have a child on the way, after all.

Victor wasn't entirely sure that he'd need it, but on a whim, he'd come armed with a chainsaw. Upon spotting Saddler, he snarled and revved it.

(Hi, tee-hee!)

Saddler was minding his own fucking business, walking down the street with a new stronger staff and two cultists on either side of him.

Victor wasted no time, launching himself at one of the cultists and impaling him on the chainsaw and lifting him off the ground Vlad-style.

He was beyond furious. His parasite was beyond furious. Enough had been taken from him, and he would tolerate no more losses. He ignored the screams of the onlookers, his reptilian eyes filled with searing bloodlust behind his visor.

Saddler stopped walking long enough to glare at the man holding the chainsaw, his eyes flicking down to the remains of the first cultist on the ground.

"Can I help you?"

Saddler asked, an unbothered expression on his face.

The other cultist walked mindlessly towards Victor like a zombie, its arms stretched out as it mumbled Spanish phrases in a raspy voice.

Victor lopped off the head of the second cultist, too enraged even to savor the slight snag of the spinal cord meeting the whirring teeth of the chainsaw.

He crushed the cultist's ribcage with his boot as he crossed over it to get to Saddler, and he grabbed the man by the front of his robes to lift him off of the ground.

"What have you done to Arias?" He growled.

Saddler immediately kicked Victor in the chest, jumping off of him and out of his grip. He adjusted his robes and held his staff in a defensive position.

"Arias? Ohh.. the little cat boy. He destroyed something valuable of mine, so I taught him a lesson. Call it... payback."

Saddler spoke in a sadistic and condescending voice, staying calm despite two of his men getting ripped to shreds a few moments ago.

Victor seized the staff, attempting to wrench it from Saddler's grasp.

"You're going to tell me how to reverse whatever you've done, or you're going to die!"

"Whatever do you mean? I've done nothing."

He said, smirking with his words and punching Victor in the jaw while fighting for the staff

"I could've left him to die, but I didn't."

Saddler hit Victor in the center of his chest with the palm of his hand, attempting to knock some wind out of him or disorient him

Saddler might as well have been punching and hitting an ancient oak tree for all the good that it seemed to do him. Victor's assault had only been half-planned, but he was, after all, a nemesis-y, and a very aggrieved one at that.

"How very magnanimous of you," he said with a sneer, "but the fact remains that you've touched something of mine." He yanked the staff away and broke it over his knee.

Saddlers expression dropped in disappointment when Victor broke the staff, stepping back and examining his own bloody knuckles.

"You're speaking as if you own him-"

He suddenly spat acid at Victor with a snarl, aiming for the larger mans face.

"He is under my protection," Victor corrected him, cracking his neck bones with a sneer. "For that reason, you will undo whatever you've done to him or you will die!"

The acidic saliva managed to strike Victor's throat, and the pain only served to enrage him further. He lunged at Saddler and took a swing at his lower jaw.

Saddler got punched once- twice- his jaw bones crunching against each other.

his left arm began mutating into a grotesque mass covered in stretched veins and skin that looked it was seconds away from snapping open.

He swung the newly mutated limb at Victor, using his other hand to snap his own jaw back in place.

"Anything I've done to him has been repaired! You really think I'd hurt someone that valuable and leave him to die? You think so little of me."

Victor seized the mutated limb, testing its strength before attempting to snap it off of Saddler's body.

"You will not involve the boy in your plans!" He roared, gnashing his jagged golden teeth.

"He got himself involved."

Saddler growled, leaning down and sinking his teeth into Victor's arm, biting out a chunk of flesh. sharp and sturdy claws began growing out from where his hand would be on his mutant arm, the claws piercing Victor's skin.

"He is alive and well, isn't he? He needed the pain. He deserved it for killing Inútil."(Foofie)

"If he killed one of your deadbeats, then they probably deserved it—" he snarled in pain as Saddler took a bite out of him, stepping back to retrieve his chainsaw.

Through the hole torn into his leather coat, thick black veins could be seen beneath Victor's ashen skin. His parasite kicked into high gear, and several ropy tendrils emerged from the wound, thickening quickly into bladed tentacles as Victor brought the chainsaw roaring back to life.

"I'll send you to hell, you chitinous bastard!"

Saddler spat out the flesh in his mouth, surprised Victor was almost as vile as him. He saw the chainsaw and readied himself to dodge it if Victor were to swing it at him.

Saddler didn't have his staff, so he couldn't call anything for help. He couldn't move fast enough, and his attacks didn't work Victor as well as he hoped.

His mutated arm started to shrink back to normal size.

"You seem to have something of your own!" He said, gesturing to the black veins in his exposed skin.

"What I possess is far superior to your oversized mountain tick!" Victor growled.

Using the chainsaw while the tentacles writhed and thrashed at Saddler was unwieldy, to say the least. It wasn't typical for Victor to grow them. Few challenges had the temerity to rend his flesh from his body, after all.

Still, Victor persisted, chasing Saddler and driving him back with the chainsaw while the barbed tentacles lashed at him.

Saddler dodged the chainsaw, ducking down and backing up from the roaring machine Victor had in his hands. he was just about to say something before he had an idea and lost focus for just a second.

Victor closed in on Saddler with a roar, going for one of his limbs. He would have aimed for the neck, but this robed charlatan needed to suffer first.

"Let's see if your arms can move by themselves, you worm!"

He tried to step aside, but it was too late.

Saddler roared in pain, the chainsaws teeth catching on his skin and shredding through his muscles and bones. His arm fell to the ground with a wet thud, blood spilling from where his arm used to be. He staggered backward, losing his balance from now only having one arm.

"You're going to regret that." He spoke in a raspy voice.

Saddler used his remaining hand to grab the necklace he was wearing. He brought the small metal object around it up to his lips and blew it like a whistle. A loud, very high-pitched and ear bleeding tone filled the air, the sound echoed across the ground and surrounding buildings, stopping after a few seconds.

Complete.

silence.

#para rp #if it's that giant I'm gonna piss lol

Victor killed the motor on the chainsaw momentarily, wondering just how badly he'd need it. His ears were ringing, thanks to that terrible whistle.

He observed the silence warily as he kept his eyes on Saddler. Victor was no fool. He knew a threat when he saw (or rather, didn't see) one. His temper wasn't quite cooled yet, so he approached Saddler once again, looming over him and ready to dislocate his other arm, if not detach it completely.

@terato-canis

The girl nuzzled against him, trying to share some of her body heat. "It's okay. I'm not mad at you." She replied, and to her surprise, she meant it, "I still think you're good." She looked down at the doll in the curve of her arm, evidence of how thoughtful he had been. She held the doll up for him to see, though it hadn't been long since he had last seen it. "Thank you for giving her to me. She's very special, but she doesn't have a name yet. I thought, you named me... Maybe you can help?" She settled the doll between them and took Victor's free hand back into both of hers, he engulfed her entirely once more, it felt oddly comforting.

Victor stroked the back of one of her hands affectionately, glad for the warmth and for the forgiveness. That he'd ever been good in the first place was news to him, of course, but he would accept all charges if they came from Chloe.

Even up close, the doll was a little blurry to him. Everything was with this damnable alcohol poisoning. He took another deep breath as he thought. "What about Ivy? I think that's a very pretty name, don't you? Though it might be too prim for such a playful thing."

Drew, one of the nurses, entered the room and changed the IV bag, explaining to Victor, "this one has a %10 concentration of glucose. Your levels are..." he was about to say on par with a dead man's, but the doctor's current guest gave him pause. He vaguely remembered her by appearance from the redacted memo about Victor's adopted daughter, and knew her name. "They're dangerous," he corrected quickly, hooking up the tube to the drip bag. "We'll get everything stabilized soon enough, though." He turned to Chloe with a smile, and extended his hand to shake. "My name is Drew. I'll be taking care of Dr. Gideon today, okay?"

terato-canis

"Ivy is a really pretty name, I like it." She agreed, "You're very good with naming things."

The conversation was broken up by the arrival of the nurse, who arrived with grim news.

Chloe shook Drew's hand for a moment, and quickly curled back up against Victor, as if trying to protect him. She had no idea what glucose meant, but she knew the word 'dangerous' very well.

"Is he gonna be okay? He'll get better, won't he?"