Its Goosin Time Baby

If you want my ahit 18+ bluesky send a 🚪but I’ll only send a private link if your blog desc includes your age to show you’re not a minor. sry it’s just this fandom has a lotta kids, better to be safe

If you follow that site feel free to send anonymous art requests. Don’t ask for underage characters on there or get blown up with Minecraft tnt

Elk Tour Suite part 5 - Centaur World ( I ❤️ THIS ONE FOR HER..)

Call the guard - Nicole Reynolds

Once Shattered, Now Whole - Centaur World

In the Morning - Nicole Reynolds

The Nowhere King - Centaur World

Against the kitchen floor - Will Wood(Kind of saturated musician choice but. The lyrics “I still don't know who you are

I only know that I'm still lonely

That morbid sort where even company can't cure me

And the more you reassure, the less I trust”

Back into it - islands “those songs we used to sing, we haven’t sung them in so long”

Toba The Tura - Forgive Durden

The Daughter Of The Fish And The Ram - The Scary Jokes

——————

Beyond a fence that Subcon minions were using to skewer corpses, was an old mansion that was rebuilt by someone especially snobby. Since its owner was usually at work, the interior was just as unkempt as the yard. But today amongst the dust and bugs were two people sharing dinner.

Shapeshifter stabbed a claw into a bacon wrapped date hors d'oeuvre and seemed delighted by the taste. Shapeshifter kept smashing bugs that crawled onto the table before they could get to the food. Sable didn’t acknowledge the bugs and kept her eyes on Shapeshifter.

That’s all to say Sable’s dinner date plan fit Shapeshifter’s crude taste. Sable might act like she’s dignified but Shapeshifter figured that if this is how she lives, maybe she’ll drop the horribly stuffy manners. ‘Time to act like a corn ball and watch how long it takes for her to beat my ass.’ Shapeshifter decided on for its method of attack.

“At least you weren’t just talking these tasty bitches up in that letter. This ‘horse divorce’ stuff is pretty good.”

“The ‘h’ and ‘s’ is silent, but I suppose you must be more aquatinted with the regional pronunciation ‘or dervs’.

In any case, there’s only two local ranches I know of in these cursed lands. I did my best to acquire the pork and herbs even though my boss Snatcher tends to claim the ranchers products and distributes them through his unpredictable whims.”

Shapeshifter listened to Sable’s dinner lore with respectful nodding. When Sable was done enlightening it, she resumed eating politely. Shapeshifter didn’t know where Sable’s real mouth was until today, having two heads and neither having a mouth was kind of interesting. And she was stuck like that forever, unlike how Shapeshifter was supposed to be able to defy. Shapeshifter wasn’t shape shifting for an unfortunate reason they didn’t feel like thinking about.

“Yeah, you mentioned that there’s an oppressive ruler you worked for. It’s still pretty messed up how you threw me under the serial killer bus at our last job now that I’m learning you’ve been working for a murderer.”

“It’s not hypocritical, each job I have has different needs. Besides, you proved that you were beneficial to keep around in Calcite.”

“You really want me to call you a whipped dog, you’re begging me with tears in your eyes.“

Shapeshifter grew a little more brazen, but even this was its own way of distracting itself. It didn’t want to keep being gloomy about.. ‘you-know-what.’ Sable seemed to know what that buried feeling of its was and decided to humor Shapeshifter.

“After looking at your recent personal works, this type of speech reminds me that you can control yourself. I’m flattered you feel comfortable enough to not control your vocabulary near me.”

“Is this some intellectual battle? Kill yourself.”

“Not at all, I’m genuinely proud that you don’t put on a different face for me. As for that suggestion; I’ll put it in my notes.”

Sable leaned towards the side table with a notebook on it next to her chair and wrote down:

- [ ] ‘Kill myself.’

slowly and in cursive.

Sable seemed to be encouraging Shapeshifter’s intentionally obtuse wording. Which kind of pissed it off, if these hors d'oeuvre weren’t so damn good.

Sable really hadn’t been keeping too many tabs on Shapeshifter’s life through the years. She met it long after it ran away from home, it had to have been in its late forties way back when it first ventured into Subcon. But back to the point, that journalism it majored in in the juvenile detention center hadn’t made it into Sable’s attention until Sam had mentioned how Shapeshifter had.. hobbies. Innocent hobbies. Shapeshifter had ran a school newspaper and even took it seriously since the other caged kids needed something entertaining and informing.

Sable knew Shapeshifter was reaching its first century. It wasn’t impossible for all of their first readers to be dead. It could be true, but Shapeshifter certainly didn’t seem close enough with Sable to go that deeply into their past with her. Yet. She’s patient though. She’ll have Shapeshifter wrapped around her paw soon enough. Just had to take it slow, like Sam did.

Sam left it behind, and Sable was kind hearted enough to adopt Sam’s sad, lost little puppy.

If Shapeshifter longed for another person to balance itself with, Sable will learn to be that when she’s with them. If Shapeshifter was tired of that and wanted someone who would double down on an offer of unrestrained violence, she’d be that too. It’s been awhile since she’s had an interest in anyone else. She had to show she was dedicated. Maybe put work on hold to focus on them. It really wasn’t every day that Sable felt this sort of measure was necessary.

For now, Sable stood back up and dusted off her gown.

“Are you still hungry? I can bring in the next course.”

“You said soup was next. What kind of soup? You live in kill people woods. Is it people?”

“You mentioned you’ve eaten humans before. I don’t understand how that instance would be an issue for you.”

“On accident. I do a lot of things when I’m drunk. Let me ask again; is it cannibal soup?”

“It’s mushroom soup. Local recipe. I’ve touched it up but haven’t put anything that used to speak into it.”

————

Vanessa wanted a private birthday party this year. Just her and Arch, especially after losing her dear nanny, Vanessa needed something simple.

Those marriage candidates came back though, only the girlish one, the son of the leader of mountain goats-who-isn’t-technically-a-prince, and.. Prince.

The goat, sir Menefir, had brought a lot of family with him. An entire separate faction of the goats took a liking to the taste of the willow trees in subcons swamp lands.

Khonsu knew about Vanessa’s curse, and acted like she had a special connection to Vanessa through that. Just blackmail her like a normal royal rival, Vanessa thought.

And.. Prince. After a few years, he’s been saying some noise about soulmates. He’s gotten much better at conducting himself, but Vanessa strongly feels that he’s after something of hers. When Vanessa suspected something, it eventually became a fact to her. Paranoia is not easily conquered.

Arch circled around the oven impatiently. His tail lowered uncomfortably. Vanessa couldn’t help but snicker at the sight.

“We have to take the cake out as soon as it’s done. How cruel that they want us- or, you, rather, to party while we’re still in mourning.”

Arch wasn’t usually this fussy over Vanessa’s well-being. But not too long after their nannys death, Vanessa’s father fled the kingdom.

Utterly distraught that he left, Vanessa was somewhere in the woods for days. She made some kind of pact with a woods monster, and was no longer inconsolable with her father leaving her behind.

“The Grass Stomper is understanding, I think you’ll get along with it too.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the skeptic?”

Arch was still confused with Vanessa’s sudden attachment to a mysterious monster. Honestly, he’s suspecting that Vanessa had a spell on her. He knows better than most that she does not see the bright side in difficult times. Something isn’t right.

He rubbed a paw over his weary eyes. Their nanny was a mother to him, but the king meant nothing to Arch.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to understand Vanessa’s mind if he didn’t know how Vanessa saw her father.

Meanwhile, Vanessa kicked her legs idly as the smell of their cake was filling the room. Arch didn’t know his own birthday, so Vanessa shared hers with him.

“We’ll be punished for hiding here to bake for ourselves while the visitors feast. Do you want me to find something to keep your wrists comfortable in the basement? It’s easier to hide wristbands on fur than human skin.”

“I.. I mean, if it comes to that. I’d appreciate something like that. But let’s not dwell on it. Look, Nes, I’m sorry I’m at a loss. I want to be happy with you today, truly.”

Arch stopped pacing, gathering himself, and sat beside Vanessa before he spoke again. “Whether it’s by a spell or not, in the end it’s nice that this Grass Stomper helped you. Could you sell me on its.. merit?”

“Hm.. it is an old spirit, but it can’t remember itself. It has a feeling of innocence about it. I found it worthy of trust. It said I should visit again, even if it forgets me by then.”

“I see.. some cursed spirit then. So that’s what’s been decaying in the swamp. No wonder it can’t die.”

Vanessa nodded happily. Vanessa’s lack of empathy wasn’t new to Arch, nor creepy to him. Neither of them were put on earth fully complete.

The both of them decorated their freshly baked cake, and ate it with playful talk of their previous birthdays. Joking about their punishments, making a bet out of who they’ll trap in the basement first once it’s theirs. Vanessa had her reservations about it. Could she really be capable of using the thing that’s given them both so much suffering..? Wasn’t it meant for bad daughters and cats? Arch was less reserved. He very openly wanted to torture someone who hurt them in there. Arch was built to be a royal more than Vanessa was, she thought.

Eventually, the both of them made it outside the castle unnoticed. They carefully avoided the queens garden this time. Vanessa slipped inside first, looking down, apologetic and steadfast. Arch put his sleeves together, crossing his arms calmly and walked behind Vanessa as if he were a servant. Which he technically was. These roles suited neither of them, but they tried to look suited to it.

The dinner hall was empty. There was still food on everybody’s plates, half eaten. One side of the table was very green, clearly where the goats were eating.. but, one of the plates on that side had only meat on it. Was there someone with the goats that was a carnivore? It felt like a bad omen, one Vanessa couldn’t explain.

A tall, lithe almost wire framed goat woman opened the door from behind them. Her hide was white, adorned in a simple long pink dress. She grinned, the flat goat teeth of hers reminding both Arch and Vanessa of the sight of a wolf with human teeth. She was very malnourished compared to the other goats. What was she eating?

“My darling little son Menefir thinks highly of you, princess. Today I’ve seen so much about how real royals live.”

“Is that so? Sir Menefir must get his kindness from you.” Arch simply watched Vanessa reply to the goat woman. She seemed to be the leader of the goat faction that became a part of subcon.

The queen of subcon recognized this goat faction as honorary royals for their strength. It was always about adding strong supporters to their side. But in truth, the goats come from a pacifist group. This faction seems to have broken an oath to join subcon kingdom. But both Arch and Vanessa were beginning to suspect that they were rejected from their group for something else as the goat woman put a sword scabbard between the doors handles, effectively blocking the exit as she approached them with her drawn sword.

Before she could reach them, Vanessa reflexively froze one of her hooves to the ground, stopping her from getting any closer. “I’ve already accepted that I’ll be executed for what I came here for.”

After saying such, the goat woman didn’t hesitate to amputate her leg in a swift swing of her sword. Vanessa and Arch hadn’t seen something so gruesome this closely yet, and were blindsided when the woman decapitated Vanessa, her short blonde curls rolling with her bloody head towards the dining table. Arch was broken at the sight, brandishing his claws at the goat woman’s throat, and being cut down after only giving her face a flesh wound. Arch’s stomach bled open, his blurring vision watching.. Vanessa’s corpse.. suddenly stand up?

Vanessa wanted to do so much worse than kill this woman. Which is why she sat outside the cell she was put in. Servants were brushed away when offering to clean the blood that poured across Vanessa’s dress from the earlier decapitation. The queen was very impressed that Vanessa couldn’t die from such a wound.

Beyond her mother beginning to sign Vanessa into being trained for combat against her will, Vanessa refused to lose Arch. Refused to let him leave her behind too.

She didn’t understand where the knowledge came from, it was more like an instinct, but she shared her curse with his remains. She brought him to his favorite place. The castle archives.

She bound him there. His ghost was sleeping, but Vanessa knew he would wake up someday. And when he does, he’ll be chained to this archive. She felt bad for trapping him, but it was to keep him from leaving. He’d have to understand by then.. won’t he?

———-

From her chair, Vanessa’s mother gently patted her head. “They’re waiting to meet you. Are you not even a little curious about the boys we brought you?” The silver haired Queen spoke in a soft, raspy, long time smokers voice.

The small nine year old Vanessa shook her head in disagreement. Short blond curls swishing as she did. “They don’t know anything about me. Isn’t it enough that I have Arch?” The Queens expression didn’t change. As much as Vanessa didn’t want to become queen, the Queen didn’t want to become a mother. She knew convincing Vanessa to fulfill duties had to be done as effectively as the subcon kingdom council work. If she thought of it like that, she could at least try.

“That boy isn’t fit for the subcon throne. We brought him into the education duty with you so he could help you where you fall short.” The little cat the queen picked up for Vanessa was simply that. An aide, someone her age that could absorb the information in her studies to fill any gaps Vanessa finds herself in. The highest role he could fill in the future is one of a scholar, continuing to aide Vanessa.

The Queen held Vanessa’s hand, unable to bend down to stare at her at eye level from her wooden medieval wheelchair. “What about you? Do you know what sort of princess you must be?” Vanessa’s eyes went wide.

She didn’t know. Every lesson she’s sat through, the things she must be change her perception of what she should be.

A proper queen must be so much, yet abstain from more things than what she must partake in. Vanessa was quiet, trying to reason with herself, as she tended to do.

“Is a princess not supposed to abstain from meeting strangers from other noble families?” The Queen smiled, hearing what she wanted.

“She must not. These are merely first meetings, no one is being set to marry you at this party. A good princess like you must show these boys how intelligent and loyal to your kingdom you are.”

Vanessa ingested the logic, even though it hurt to accept. But it was normal to put yourself through painful things.. wasn’t it?

“Thank you, mother.. I shouldn’t be the wrong kind of princess. I really will go and make them respect me, even if it’s difficult.” Thus, the little girl took a deep breath, and forced herself to walk away from the side of her mother. The hall outside the doors leading to the party was large, and knights wasted no time opening the doors for her.

An announcer rang out, introducing princess Vanessa, as she stood high strung at the top of glittering stairs like a deer in the headlights. Slowly, shakily, she started tiptoeing down, then as she finally breathed in and out; she began to walk the way she was taught. Holding her little head high, the tall crown steady on her head.

She looked around on the ground floor. No one told her how to identify the noble and uncrowned princes that were brought here. There were more children here than she was told about. Arch wasn’t here, which added to her worries. She had to do this alone.

Many adult nobles bowed at Vanessa. She knew that she had to speak first for them to be able to speak to her. She isn’t here to talk to adults, though, so she took off, sizing up the other children.

She saw the back of another little girl; wearing a tiara and a pretty yellow dress. Her hair was done up in dreadlocks with golden beads. Vanessa felt relieved she didn’t need to only meet boys today. “Good day, what is your name and title?” After Vanessa curtsied and turned her head, the little girl turned around and introduced herself. The dress that Vanessa saw was merely her tail coat, it wasn’t a dress at all. “Yes, it is a lovely day, Princess. I’m prince khonsu from the theoret kingdom.” The voice was soothing, yet definitely rehearsed for Vanessa.

“Aw, are you not a princess?” Khonsu flinched, not expecting to hear that. “I.. I’m not. I don’t think I can change that.” Khonsu wasn’t insulted, in fact it was weirdly nice to be seen as a princess. Dejected, Vanessa turned to look for more children to meet. It seems they really only sent her a bunch of boys. She kept her composure, walking properly to a group of boys with crowns talking together. One was a blue capricorn, another was a mountain goat. Huh, plenty of goats. The last of the group was a long haired human, laughing about some joke the capricorn made. Vanessa immediately felt like she didn’t belong in this group. The goat was the first to notice her, and waved a hoof at her. “Ah, she’s here.” Was he supposed to speak just then? Vanessa supposed he wasn’t speaking to her, so she reasoned that it was following the rules.

Then, the long brown haired human prince turned his head following the goats eyes toward Vanessa. His loud voice rang out. “Hey, you gotta hear Merrow’s story, it’s so funny! Seriously. You’ll laugh so hard you’ll puke.” Vanessa looked horrified. Was she supposed to do something when someone else broke the rules? She didn’t know. She stood there as her head raced for an answer she thought she should know.

Prince Merrow glared at the human prince. The other goat Prince whispered to the human discreetly. “What? She’s supposed to speak first? Who decided that?” Vanessa felt sick. The other human shrugged, unbothered by his own misbehavior. “In any case, I’m Prince… that’s my name. Prince Prince XVII of kings kingdom. We’re all redundant over there. I heard you’re Vanessa? Charmed! I think. You look interesting enough.”

Vanessa stammered, trying to find her words. Was she breaking the rules by replying? But she didn’t know what else to do. She’s come too far to run away now. “That’s right.. erm. Your name really is Prince?”

“Yeah, so is my uncle. My dads name is King. My sisters name is Queen. I hope she changes our family curse of lazily thought names.”

“It isn’t all bad. In a way, you can always be called a prince, even if your title changes. I find that.. comforting.”

“Never heard that thought before. I guess someone who wants to be a prince forever would like it. So, you still interested in that joke?”

“I’m not really in a laughing mood.. I can’t say I am.”

“Shame! But I think I can understand what you mean. Since you’re the crowned princess, do they let you do more than play instruments and cook for your more important spouse?”

“Huh.. ‘let me’..? I don’t do what I’m not supposed to do. I mostly spend my days learning what a queen has to do.”

“What? Even a crowned princess gets pruned in subcon? Well, at least you aren’t making me jealous.”

Vanessa felt indignant speaking to him. He sounded more experienced, yet less formally educated than the way she was. She envied that he was allowed here with so little social training.

He didn’t know why she went silent, and decided to fill the dead air himself. He was very curious about something.

“… anyway, can you tell me about the swamp outside your kingdom?”

“Oh, those? A beast lurks the waters right now. We’re trying to get it out. But it’s like a salmon, decayed, yet alive.”

The Prince had a sudden sparkle in his eye after hearing that. “Really? I’d love to learn why that thing is decaying in your swamp.”

“I haven’t seen it myself. We have a lot of monsters that do odd things to people, which is why we have more knights than other territories.”

Vanessa didn’t trust any of these princes. If she was being completely true to herself, she’d find a reason to leave even if she were to get scolded and punished. Abruptly, she curtsied again and decided to end this conversation.

“Thank you for spending your time speaking with me. I really must meet the others before it gets late.”

Prince scratched his head, suddenly realizing this was his chance to attempt to live here too. With the monsters, the crowned princess that shared the burden of being sheltered and away from the kings kingdom. But he didn’t feel like he met his soulmate, even if the conditions seemed right. So he let her leave.

Vanessa didn’t learn the other goats name, but she figured that was close enough. From the beginning she didn’t feel like she belonged in this group.

After meeting plenty of noble born boys and various princes, Vanessa started panicking to herself. She didn’t like any of them. They all came to meet her yet it was all in vain. Every time she turned her back, she felt like they were glad she was gone.

The problem wasn’t them, it was her, she thought. She didn’t see anyone new, and rushed to a hallway she’s never been in. After finding a table covered with a white sheet, she hid under it.

“I don’t want to end up like mother and father.. I want to end up like a princess in the story books, happy, loved.. liked, even.”

Vanessa felt a chill, and noticed her curse was starting again. Her hair was turning grey, smoke started puffing as the heat in her body turned ice cold. At least she wouldn’t be seen like this.

She was going to be made into a joke, the young noble boys were going to go home and have songs written as cautionary tales to not expect anything from princess Vanessa. This paranoia felt so real to her, in fact it felt like the obvious outcome. She did all this just to have songsters spread a mockery of her.

Vanessa jumped and clung to the wall behind her when the sheet covering the table moved. The sheet was slightly lifted up, revealing the girl she met earlier. Or was it a boy? Khonsu wasn’t certain who was under the table, it looked like a charcoal covered girl was freezing the hallway from under there. Subcon kingdom was known for its variety of monsters after all. But Khonsu didn’t know how to fear monsters.

“Sorry for alarming you. Are you afraid of this place?”

She held a gloved hand out to the tiny beast. Vanessa gasped, scrambling, and dashed away from the outstretched hand. Khonsu got out from under the sheet and watched the veil of darkness ebb out of the girl running away, noticing that it turned into the other princess as soon as she turned a corner into another hall.