tf – deep future

uwu (c)

for AquaticNebulae

It was, finally, May.

Spring had held on a bit too long for her tastes, as far as she was concerned – snow hanging in on the weather forecast until mid-April was, at best, an annoyance. It had its place, sure, but… well. Winter had it’s time in the sun, and Spring had come and gone.

Which, of course, meant Summer.

Basil had always had a soft spot for summer, which, of course, was why she was currently stuffing a few bottles of sunscreen into her beach bag, towel folded over her shoulder. The local pool opened as soon as the weather hit the mid 80s, and today was a good ten degrees hotter than that – a great day to lay out in the sun and splash around!

It wasn’t even really that long of a walk, either, though the summer heat and the pounding sun certainly made it less than ideal; as far as she was concerned, though, that just made the prospect of a nice time in the shade and cool pool water even better.

Surprisingly, as the cat finally made her way up to the gate, the pool seemed… empty? The only things in the water, as far as the cat could tell, were a couple of fairly mundane inflatables, grinning away in the summer sun.

She paused, glancing over at the hours. Plenty of time left in the day, and no closed signs, or… any indicator it wasn’t open? Had she just showed up at a weird time between busy hours? Lifeguard on lunch break?

…Huh.

Shrugging, Basil pushed the gate open, padding across the warm concrete pool deck and dropping her bag on one of the many unoccupied chairs. A large inflatable seal occupied the chair next to it, close enough she could touch it if she really wanted to. Bright, tight, and yellow, it wobbled a little in the slight breeze.

Something felt… off, about this whole experience, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it might’ve been. Had she missed something? Forgotten something at home? Some holiday she’d somehow overlooked?

The cat was so deep in thought, in fact, she didn’t notice she’d brushed up against the seal… and, as a result, her paw had begun to swell.

“Probably not very safe to have no lifeguard on duty,” Basil grumbled to herself, starting to tug her shirt off to reveal the swimsuit – just in time for her paw to loudly SQRRRK from the pressure of being flattened by the sleeve, instantly drawing the cat’s attention and stopping her thoughts in their tracks.

The shirt flew off, discarded without a second thought, and as she stared, wide-eyed, her arm ballooned outwards with the tell-tale hissing of inflating plastic.

“H-Huh?! What the hell?!” Basil protested, her midsection already beginning to hiss and swell as she stumbled away from the grinning seal, now gently rolling away from where her surprised flailing of her new tube of an arm had knocked it.

The changes crawled higher, her shoulder smoothing over and becoming more or less jointless – and before long even her nose had begun to fill with the smell of chlorinated water and soft vinyl plastic, snout beginning to soften and push outwards, simplifying as it went. Her mouth, puckered as the pressure made it feel, flattened – spreading across her new plastic snout into a very simplified and cartoony “W” shape even as her midsection grew more toyish and lighter, the bottom-heavy sensation the stumbling, mumbling cat causing her to wobble around as she tried to begin making her way for the gate.

Higher (and lower!) the changes crept, new tummy valve appearing with a quiet pop! of plastic snapping into shape, her swimsuit already barely hanging on by threads as the body it hugged grew right through it – yet, still, she wobbled towards the gate… until, with a sudden foomp!, everything went… fuzzy.

Her eyes had, as far as she knew, gone the same way her mouth had – but for whatever reason, she couldn’t exactly… see…?

Up her big, inflatable paws lifted, squeaking against a smooth, unnervingly simple face – the “UwU” print it had become almost laughably cheaply printed, even as the cat overstepped her next wobbly, hissy, inflating step – plunging directly into the cool water of the swimming pool with barely any splash at all.

Basil lay there for a moment, swelling into shape – until, suddenly, it all stopped.

Cool water lapped against her inflated body, caressing it like a blanket – and the warm summer sun, earlier almost unbearable, was… perfect.

The inflatable cat would’ve grinned if she could’ve.

Well. There’s today, sorted.

There was a sound, somewhere nearby – the tell-tale sound of the gate being unlatched, and the instantly recognizable sound of someone swearing under their breath.

“Oh, jeez. Again?”

Paws against concrete, and someone leaning over them. A poke. Another poke.

“Uh. Hello? Somebody took the no entry on lunch break sign down. Sorry about the uh… the toys?” She could hear the sheepishness.

“I really hope this wears off by tomorrow or I’m so fired.”

forget-me-not (c)

for AquaticNebulae

“…Hmph.”

With a little contented sigh, Eris slowly sat down – crossing her forelegs to make herself more comfortable in a way she’d never have expected to be so… familiar, even…

…well, however long it’d been. A year? Two, almost?

Shockingly, becoming a pokemon hadn’t even been close to the biggest change in her life in the past few years – but, as far as she was concerned, right now, watching a flock of wingulls twist in the evening wind, it… probably was the best.

Certainly the most memorable.

It was about that time, as the sylveon let out a long, comfy yawn, that she realized she was… really comfortable. The soft, velvety green grass cradled her like a soft pillow, the warm sun and cool wind mixed and swirled together on her fur in just the right way to keep her feeling just right… and above, white fluffy clouds crossed the sky, pushed along by the summer breeze.

A nap couldn’t hurt, could it?

So, as Eris finally curled up, deciding to catch a wink or two of sleep… she drifted off into the land of dreams, the forest around her filled with birdsong and wind.

Until, suddenly, there was a rustling.

From the bushes surrounding the small meadow the Sylveon had picked for their impromptu afternoon nap, an orange-and-black tail peeked out – followed by a head, clad in a little pair of goggles and a mischievous grin. A Nickit – but not just any Nickit – this was a famous thief!

…or, well. Soon to be famous. A working-on-being-famous thief didn’t quite have the same ring to it, now did it?

Still, as the Nickit peered across the meadow, their grin grew a little bit wider. A mark! An easy mark, too… what kinda pokemon falls asleep out here, anyway? What a rookie!

Lightning quick, the little thief darted out of the bushes – tiptoeing across the green grass, trying to stay as quiet as possible… and, with a practiced little YOINK, Eris’s hairband and the cute little chopsticks poked through her hair were safely in the comfortably lightly used ownership of the Nickit, smug as they were. Didn’t even wake the Sylveon up!

Allowing themself the slightest amount of celebration, the Nickit bolted, hoping to be far and away by the time their recent mark even noticed the things were missing… and, as soon as they crossed the border to the meadow, they promptly forgot why they had a weird little piece of cloth and two wooden sticks in their mouth.

Something about them seemed… gone? Oh, well. Garbage, probably…

With a ptoo!, the Nickit dropped them on the forest floor, padding off into the undergrowth.

…Eris, however, was dreaming. A dream she hadn’t had in…

…in a while?

Her own self was staring back, human body as recognizable as ever, but… something felt wrong.

She knew she was supposed to have recognized her – knew that face, the hair, the glasses, the hair tie and the chopsticks – but… the longer she focused, trying to force the information out of the dreamscape, the more it seemed to dance away, dwindling to nothing. Who was that? Why’d she seem familiar…?

Huh?

“W-Wait…!”

The Sylveon held out a paw, and, suddenly, she awoke with a little yelp.

The moon was high overhead, casting the field in sharp relief – and as the sylveon stood, for a moment she felt… weird. Almost like something snapped into place that hadn’t been there before, a piece removed, a piece gained.

Eris looked down at her paws, the same four she’d always had – and up, at her ribbons held about her like arms ready for a hug. It seemed… wrong, somehow, like she was missing something right in front of her nose.

Her hair fell down as she glanced down, then back up, and something about that seemed funny. Wasn’t there usually something holding it back?

…No, how would she have tied it with paws? That didn’t make any sense.

Had someone else done it for her…?

The sylveon shook her head, conflicting memories melding together into something more fitting – she’d obviously been out here to do some relaxing! Right?

…Well, judging by the time, she’d definitely relaxed enough. Sheesh…

Must’ve fallen asleep on accident, the Guild was probably worried sick…

Eris gathered herself up, shaking the dust free as best she could, and wandered off back towards the path, noticing something… odd, laying in the grass as she passed back into the woods. Two little… sticks?

She pawed them around for a moment, wondering why they seemed the faintest bit familiar, before shrugging. Oh, well.

Probably some lost rockruff toy or something.

bubblite (c)

for Okie and Jono

Phew.

It might’ve been mid-April, but as far as the two raccoons were concerned, their outing in the city park was a scorcher.

It was easily 90 degrees – in the shade! It certainly hadn’t been anywhere near this hot when they’d left the house earlier that morning, and the forecast hadn’t even come close… as far as Okie and Jono knew, they’d skipped straight to summer.

“C’monnn…” Jono was complaining, tapping the bottom of the distressingly empty water bottle for those last few drops, before half-heartedly tossing the empty plastic into a nearby trash can as the pair wandered past. “There’s got to be somewhere to get something to drink, don’t you think?”

“Like a cart or something?” Okie asked, glancing over. Their fellow racc seemed a little worse for wear… maybe another water or something might be worth the stop.

It’d beat the heat, at least.

As the two rounded a corner, a sight they’d both not expected – especially as this was a corner they’d just been around, anyway? – met the two of them.

A little ice-chest on a cart, brightly dressed up as a “free samples!” cart, being set up by a cheery looking red and brown-furred dog. “Bubblite” was scribbled across the front of the cart on a cute little banner, white bubbly font on a bright blue background.

“Oh!” The dog barked in surprise, turning to face the newcomers – jumping behind the cart with enough speed to wobble on a paw. “Customers! Um. I wasn’t, uh, set up yet, heh…”

“What’s the sample?” Jono asked, perking up a little. The dog seemed friendly enough, wagging at the attention.

“Marketing test of some new soda or something,” The dog waved a paw, fishing around in the cooler and peeking inside when their paw didn’t find anything. “Getting paid to stand in the park and hand it out, yknow? Pretty day, at least.”

“And the heat?”

“Well, that’s what the umbrella’s for.” The dog said, nonplussed. “Aaaand here-!”

They held out a paw, a little glass bottle of very bubbly soda swirling around inside. “I’d, uh, recommend waiting for the bubbles to go down before drinking it. It’s… something!”

“Does it have… flavor? Or anything?” The two raccoons asked, peering into the glass. “Do we need a form, or…?”

“Nope! Just…”

The dog trailed off as the clearly parched raccoons both cracked the bottle open, downing the contents – it, uh, must’ve been a bit warmer out than they’d thought. Oh dear.

“W-Well, uh, just let me know how it is!”

Jono and Okie, however, had already finished the fizzy, delicious soda that called the glass bottle home – it had, quite frankly, been one of the best drinks they’d ever had.

Light, sparkly, and bright, it had tasted faintly of tropical fruit and an almost smoothie-like creaminess – reminding the two of them of a beach, somewhere nice and warm. Not humid and gross like today was. There was even the slightest hint of a salty breeze, as the finished bottle was handed back to the bemused dog to throw away, but that was almost certainly their imagination. After all, they were nowhere near a beach!

…which meant, as the two began to make their way back down the path, the quiet sqrks of their haunches as they walked definitely drew their attention.

“Did you hear something?” Okie asked off-handedly, glancing up at the cloudless sky.

“Mrprhprh.” Jono replied, confusedly.

Instantly, the raccoons looked at each other – Jono’s snout beginning to squeak over as their grin flattened out into a cute plastic decal, paws flying to their face – and Okie’s paws going to their tummy, already beginning to swell against their shirt!

“W-What?!” Okie managed, just in time for a cute little chunky pooltoy valve to pop free of the inflatable tummy currently riding their shirt up, their haunches and legs beginning to swell and grow more toyishly proportioned as fur gave way to soft, pliable vinyl – and poor Jono, airheaded as they were, wobbled in place, handpaws hisssssing as they began to swell and simplify into cute little raccoon toy paws, hair solidifying into a cute single piece! Their cheeks blew up first, eyes and nose flattening into cutesy happy decals – and, with a loud SQRK, they squished their cheeks together.

Okie, on the other hand, was trying their best to stop the encroaching plastic at their chest – even as their tail swelled and stretched, gaining a valve of its own on the bottom – after all, it held enough air to warrant one!

Both raccs were quite a bit larger, swelling and squeaking and stretching into their new toyish shapes as they were – so it came as no surprise when, with a loud rrrRIP of fabric tearing, their outfits gave up the proverbial ghost, leaving both toys slightly embarrassed as the loud hissing seemed to grow ever-louder and more noticeable, a confused jogger deciding to take a different path altogether when they noticed what was going on. Okie’s huge toyish paws came in next, just in time for one last big press of their tummy to force enough air into their head for their snout to balloon outwards, new decaled face appearing shocked just long enough to stick.

Jono wobbled, their tummy beginning to swell to match the toyish proportions their upper body had gained – and, with a loud squeak, they fell over.

This, naturally, only forced air into their bottom half – their tail swelling outwards with a squeak so loud the dog back at the cart heard it over the wind and birdsong.

Still, though, the changes weren’t quite finished – Okie and Jono both tried to wobble, plastic joints and round tummies finally reaching their properly inflated pressures, and… maybe even a little extra, if the almost teasing one last hiss was anything to go by.

Both waited for a moment, half expecting it to start back up as the hissing dwindled away into nothing… but it never came.

There was the sound of footsteps, and, after a moment, the curly-tailed cart-puppy peeked into their fields of view.

“I, uh, see you didn’t follow my instructions,” The dog sheepishly offered, brushing their hair out of their eyes.

“It’ll wear off in a day or two, but in the meantime…” The dog’s voice got quieter, conspiratorially.

“Wanna hit the lake?”

universal, huh (c)

for Ringo

Callister’s Curios.

It’d been a store as long as Ringo could remember – some wooden, shadowed, tightly-shuttered maze of cluttered shelves and dusty windows, a domain of retirees and bored teenagers to pick through forgotten TV sets and VHS tapes from the late 80s even Blockbuster hadn’t stocked.

Still, as Ringo stopped on the sidewalk, peering inside, they couldn’t help but be enticed. Secondhand stores always had something interesting to look at, and… well. Why not, right?

Not like there was much else going on, today.

His first instinct, upon ducking through the small, dusty door, was to sneeze. This place was buried in antiquity, a few sporadic cobwebs strung between old hanging lights – but had a homey charm all to itself, reminding the coyote of a wood cabin, almost. The shelves were stacked, various knickknacks and household decorations spilled this way and that, and as he began to wind his way deeper, the collections seemed to grow more… eclectic.

Mirrors shaped like novelty cartoon characters. An entire section that was, as far as he could tell, just made up of beach towels. A carved table made to look like a mermaid holding up a big clam shell.

That was when he saw it.

Perched atop one of the shelves, oddly pristine despite laying in a pile of old doilies and mothballs, was… a remote. A very early 90s looking “universal” style remote, with more buttons than he’d ever seen on one like it – and, as far as he could tell, it was only a dollar?

The remote at the apartment did need replacing… what the hell. Sure.

Up to the front he trudged, dodging a few stray cobwebs as he did so – only to find this place didn’t seem to have a cashier? Or… a register, merely a cash box with “pay inside” written on the side in marker.

O…kay.

Fishing a dollar out, he stuffed it inside – and was off, heading home to show his roommate the weird new remote he’d found.

“…So it’s… a remote?” Charlie repeated, scratching his temple with a finger. “Didn’t we have a remote already?”

“Not one like this! And for a dollar? C’mon, dude. A steal.”

The skunk shrugged, picking it up – but, suddenly, squinted at something.

One of the buttons, in very faded text, read “Change.”

Change… what? The station? Resolution? Some function of the remote?

Charlie pointed the remote vaguely in the direction of the TV, and pressed the button – and instantly, Ringo was struck by the strangest sensation he’d ever felt.

…It was almost as if he’d come… apart…?

The skunk dropped the remote in surprise, just as Ringo clattered to the floor – the bodysuit his midsection had become laying flat, paws and head rolling away. Ringo was still trying to say something, but the words had been completely cut off, their vision staring roughly at the ceiling. Um. What happened?

“F-Fuck! What the hell did this thing do?!”

Grabbing the remote from the floor, Charlie scanned the buttons in a panic trying to find an undo, or a rewind, or a– a-ha!

The two arrows together had to be go back, right? What else could it do?

Pointing at the fursuit that was his roommate just a few moments earlier, the skunk clicked the rewind button in – and watched in bewilderment as the suit began to, before his very eyes, rewind – stitching un-stitching, stuffing vanishing, detailing disappearing! Ringo was quickly turning into just piles of Ringo-colored felt, thread, and sewing needles, and before long, that’s… that’s all there was!

“U-Uh!” Charlie stammered, trying to hit fast forward to fix the suit and accidentally hitting the button a few times in rapid succession – which, to his immense relief, it seemed to work, more or less. Soon enough, the suit had stitched itself back together, re-stuffing and cutely staring back at him in a way that only barely implied the coyote inside was paying attention… but the fast-forward continued. It almost seemed to be speeding up, the cumulative effect from so many accidental presses ending up almost quadrupling the time spent fast forwarding!

The suit began to age – fur growing clumped, design seeming a little less modern, more retro. It was almost as if the fast forward was adding years to the suit sitting here, aging it backwards in time instead of forward! Before his very eyes, Ringo was going back through the different design eras of fursuits, one at a time!

“S-Stop!” The skunk half shouted, reaching out to try and grab the aging fursuit – but, finally, it seemed to slow.

Ringo sat there, a pile of late 90s-style cartoon coyote felt and fabric, as Charlie stared on in mute disbelief.

The purple skunk didn’t quite know what to make of the entire thing – but, as they looked down at the remote, the dozens of buttons seemed to almost… entice them, even further.

…Well. It couldn’t get worse than it already was, could it…?

Picking one at random and closing their eyes, Charlie held the remote up and clicked it…

…forgetting about the mirror on the other side of the room. The signal reflected almost directly back at Charlie, who, for the briefest of moments, felt the summer sun, and the cool caress of pool water. With a loud SQRK, he vanished, and the remote clattered to the ground, well within sight of Ringo but definitely not reachable.

S-Surely it wears off?

The fursuit sat there, staring.

Right?

no barking! (c)

for Toya

As far as Toya was concerned, today couldn’t be going worse.

It had started, as every bad day does, with traffic – eight lanes and barely a single space between for what felt like an hour, running him well into an hour late – which, in its own special way, led to more problems. His entire routine had been thrown off, his coworkers had been a little frustrated with his lateness and a client had arrived for a meeting he hadn’t been there for…

…in other words, it’d been one Monday of a Monday. Still, as he put his car in park and peered out through the pouring rain at the bright lights of the grocery store, he was at least relieved the day was almost over. Just a few things to pick up to throw together a quiet dinner, and a better start tomorrow.

Throwing his jacket’s hood up, Toya hurried through the rain, getting soaked in the process – and, slowly, began to gather the list he’d thought up on the way over. A few eggs, assorted greens, broth for soup…

…until, as he arrived at the most important ingredient, a nice beef roast for the oven, currently being lifted from the cooler by a little old gray tabby cat, black raincoat and wide-brimmed hat strikingly forgettable.

Toya, instantly, sighed – loud enough that the old woman looked up, eyes narrowing.

“Somethin’ I can help you with, laddie?”

Toya frowned. “I don’t suppose I could ask to have that.”

The woman blinked. “You’re asking an old woman for her groceries?”

“W-Well, no, I’m… look, it’s been a long day, and I really need that to complete my list.”

“That’s an awfully rude way to go about it.” She countered, clearly annoyed. Toya normally would’ve backed down, but the frustration and exhaustion clearly was boiling over – he snapped.

“I’m surprised someone your age needs that much,” He grumbled under his breath – and, in an instant, the old woman’s demeanour changed.

“I believe it’s high time you learn your manners!” She spat, placing the roast in her cart – and as both paws came up, they crackled like sparks in open air, causing the dog to step back in surprise. “Why don’t we start at the beginning?”

Instantly, Toya felt himself being wrapped like a blanket in some sort of fuzzy magical sensation – and began to dwindle into his clothes, the witch’s magic peeling years away like the rind of an orange! For an instant, his outfit was too big – then snapped back as if catching up, business suit and tie first turning into his usual jeans and shirt from college, then his high school outfit… then younger still, back through his school age wardrobe and younger – until, after a few moments (and a lot of smoke!), the witch was left with a teary eyed toddler holding a big basket of heavy groceries!

“W-Waddaya mean th’ beginnin’!” Toya protested, words unfamiliar and a bit harder than he’d ever remembered them being – but the witch merely laughed, not cackling, but certainly not holding back what she thought, either.

“Oh, you’ll find out, my dear puppy! Learn not to be so barky, next time!”

With that, there was an enormous poof of smoke, and Toya expected her to be gone… but there she was, slowly walking away grumbling to herself about the uppity youth these days and how in her day they’d have been turned into a newt or something.

Toya, for his part, couldn’t believe what happened – and as he tried to take a few steps after her, he realized two things at once.

The first, naturally, being the poofy, cushiony sensation between his legs – one he knew well enough, but certainly h-hadn’t needed in quite a while?

The second, and much more pressing now that his knees had crossed, was that he definitely wasn’t potty trained, and by the look other customers (and an employee or two) were giving him, he was definitely looking the part of little pee-pants toddler.

Toya waddled forward, basket forgotten – he had to find a bathroom, or… or something! He couldn’t wet himself in public like this, that witch had definitely cursed him, or… or something?!

“Oh! Oh, honey, are you lost? Where’s your mommy?”

An employee had come up behind the waddling puppy, grabbing one of his paws and starting to lead him away, up an aisle towards the front – and definitely not towards the hallway labeled “bathroom” – and just at the worst possible time, too!

“B-Bafroom!” Toya half shouted, eyes welling up – but the employee didn’t understand.

The lynx smiled, nodding understandingly. “Oh, she’s in the bathroom? Come on, I’ll take you to the front, we can wait for her there.”

Toya strained, trying to hold it as they walked up the aisle – but it was too much. The stress, the curse… embarrassment washed across his face as his diaper began to grow heavy, saggy, a few of the little stars and moons printed on it disappearing to indicate to anyone who saw it that it was wet – and the employee, still, tugged him onwards.

Through a giggling, staring crowd of customers – of whom the witch wasn’t a member of – to the front, where the employee asked over the intercom if anyone was missing a child.

Flumping down with a particularly noticeable crinkle, Toya crossed his arms – and, wishing as hard as he can, hoped the witch hadn’t been serious about leaving him to it. He’d just… he’d snapped! It was an accident!

It was just then, that there was a small tap on his shoulder – and he looked up into the grinning face of an old gray cat, wide brimmed hat tilted back.

“Lessons learned the hard way are less easily forgotten!” She laughed, giving him a wink. “Chin up, lad. It’s just for the day. Or three. Can’t quite remember, been a long while since I last cast it.”

Toya gulped.

“I-I’m sowwy!”

“Aye, that you are! Think before you bark next time, will you?”

With that, she turned and left – just as the employee returned with a brand new pack of diapers, and… baby… powder…?

Uh-oh.

cooper’s pool day (c)

for Cooper

It was a warm, sunny Spring day – and as far as Cooper was concerned, that suited him just fine.

Winter had been rough, after all – lasting all the way until April, with the occasional snow flurry or downpour-for-days still happening even now! It was well into the time warm weather would’ve been preferable, and, as he stood a little straighter, adjusting the towel over his right shoulder and listening to the birdsong, he’d made his mind up right then and there.

Today was a pool day.

Luckily, with the advent of the warmer season (and spring break!), the local pools had opened their doors for the first time since last fall, all manner of critters looking to beat the heat splashing about in the cerulean depths of the pool.

Eagerly, the ferret hurried up his steps, unlatching the pool gate and stepping inside. A familiar sound-and-smellscape struck him immediately; laughing, splashing, the scent of sunscreen and chlorinated pool water… the smells of summer, washing over him with such intensity that if he closed his eyes he’d have assumed it was August. Still, a nice day was a nice day – and he certainly wasn’t going to squander it by standing around thinking about the pool. He was getting in!

Letting the gate shut behind him, Cooper wandered along the empty chairs and picked a particularly sunny spot to lay out, umbrella casting just enough shade to cool it off. He laid out his towel, tugged off his shirt, and had just started to lay down when something poked into the small of his back.

A… bottle?

A squeeze tube, of some kind? The ferret blinked, shifting a little and reaching underneath with a paw. Sure enough, a little toothpaste-reminiscent tube of something was laying on top of the chair, freshly retrieved. Some sort of sunscreen for fur?

Barely used…?

Cooper glanced around, wondering if he’d laid down in a chair already claimed. No towel, no bag, no goggles or anything indicating someone was coming back for their errant ointment… huh. Probably fine?

With a mental shrug, he popped the cap free, squirting a little into an open paw. When in Rome, right?

The scent that hit his nose was completely unexpected, as if concentrated pool water had suddenly washed by. An odd mix of chlorinated water, and a strangely plastic smell?

Bleh. Probably why they left this stuff behind. Still, free sunscreen was still sunscreen…

Well. Generally.

Cooper squeezed a little more, rubbing it on his nose and his tummy, trying his best to cover the parts he knew he’d burned on the last time he’d laid out by a pool for a while. It felt nice and cool, almost like aloe, oddly enough. Maybe it had something to do with…

His line of thought, naturally, was interrupted as his paw brushed back over a spot he’d already rubbed the sunscreen into. It was smooth, his pads gliding over it as if he’d run his hand over plastic… and when he looked, he had.

Already, spreading slowly out from the patches he’d applied, his fur had begun to mat down and smooth over, carefully decaling itself into simplified versions of the patterns it was replacing. A chunky seam had begun to work its way up his tummy, the barest first hints of a cute little “do not overinflate” labeled valve beginning to poke out of where his belly button had been just a few minutes earlier.

Cooper, for his part, was beyond bemused. He was looking for a nice day at the pool, and… well, floating in it all day wasn’t a bad way to spend it, he supposed.

Figuring the change might finish a little faster if he rubbed a little more in, Cooper started to squeeze a little more out of the little tube… only for his paws, before his very eyes, to begin to swell, doubling in size as they softened.

Well. He supposed that was just as well.

With a loud sqrk the ferret’s tail began to inflate, swelling from base to tip like an inflating balloon – and as it did so, Cooper realized just how light he was getting. The pressure from the tail literally lifted him slightly from the chair, and, as he wobbled for a moment in place, he tipped forward!

His paws flew up to catch him, tumbling towards the concrete sides of the pool deck… but he merely lightly bumped against the ground, tight trunks around inflated thighs groaning a little in protest.

His cheeks and face began to swell, softening as their shapes began to simplify from those of a real ferret to a toy one. For a moment, his vision went blurry – but, as it finally corrected a few moments later, Cooper realized the changes had… stopped?

The ferret stood there for a moment, looking himself over – the sunscreen… sure had turned him into an inflatable. Something seemed a little cliche about that.

Oh, well. No better way to spend the day at the pool, right?

maid to order (commission)

a commission for Nouv!

It was a very cold, very snowy, very boring end to the week, as far as Nouv was concerned.

They’d been stuck inside for most of the day, it seemed – from work, to the bus ride home, to the hours spent at their computer trying to find a way to fill the day… and the cat was growing tired of it.

With a sigh, they flopped completely onto their bed, the few scattered belongings and plushies that covered it going flying – but they didn’t care.

Bwuh!

They were just starting to consider a nap a good use of their time when their phone dinged. The familiar face of Kye stared back, little horns and stuck-out tongue framed by the notification’s icon circle.

“Hey! Just letting you know I’m starting on your comm, by the way? I think you said you wanted a rubber mouse, right?”

O-Oh. Right. The… story, right?

“Yeah!” Nouv sent back, paws a blur.

There was no reply – but they did get a thumbs-up in response. Clearly, the savhara was already writing – and…

Nouv flopped back on their tummy, mind awash in thoughts about mice and rubber. Maybe even a cute little dress? A barcode? Dizzy eyes?

…It was, of course, at that instant that they noticed their shirt was fitting weirdly. Normally, it laid flush – but something beneath it was starting to force it up and outwards, as if they’d put on something underneath?

Curious, the cat sat up, lifting their shirt – and turned as red as a tomato. Sprouting from them was the familiar black and white ruffles of… a maid dress? A rubber maid dress?!

“HUH?”

They jumped to their feet in alarm, trying to tug on it – and only turning more red as it sqrrrked and squished beneath their attempts to remove it, spreading up under their more normal clothing as they stared in shock.

Already, their height had begun to dwindle – fur beginning to mat down here and there into splotches of growing rubber as the cat fumbled for the phone. This had to be related – it had to!

“Kye!!!” Nouv sent, panicked – but it stayed unread. Clearly the critter was too busy! The phone fell from their shaking grasp, and Nouv hopped up, hoping to try and stop this before it was too late.

Their tail, fluffy, ringed, began to stretch before their very eyes – fur falling away as the tail underneath grew more mousey, getting a brand new bright pink bow tied around the very tip as they tried to do anything about it!

Their legs, shortening, rubberizing, began to repaint themselves – gaining the patterns and rough chunky shapes of a pair of heels and long, maid stockings, completely seamless and as much a part of them as their fur was.

“H-Help!”

Already, the distance back up to the bed where their phone was laying was growing – even as they tried to climb, they found that their arms were beginning to lose the strength they had before, but whether that was simply from the whole turning to rubber business or simply because Nouv was stressed out about the aforementioned rubber business wasn’t completely clear. Maybe they’d be able to ask someone else in the house for help?

No. No way. I’m not going out like this!!

Nouv turned even more red as their rubber dress-self finally tore right through their shirt, tattered fabric falling to the floor as the only clothes they’d ever wear again practically pwoofed outwards, gaining a fake “puffy” look as they seemed to inflate into permanent prim and proper position.

Their handpaws, thickening up into chunky rubbermouse paws, began to whiten – and, before their very eyes, their forearms reformed and reshaped themselves into cute little mousey maid gloves. Nouv whined, hoping the rest of the changes would at least go quickly enough as they dwindled past three feet tall, long tail swishing back and forth with a cacophony of tiny squeaks. Surely they were dreaming. This couldn’t be real, could it?

Their phone, high on the bed, dinged.

Nouv’s snout began to change – gaining a new rubber mousey bucktooth, and slightly pinker as Nouv shut their eyes as tight as they could, willing it to stop… and then, all at once, the changes stopped.

Nouv, slowly, opened their eyes one at a time.

The shrinking had stopped. Their face hadn’t changed any further.

Even the little rubber mousey maid headdress was still the same, half-formed and incomplete.

Nouv started to breathe a sigh of relief, until they realized this meant they… were functionally a rubbermouse with a cat’s head.

Grabbing for the sheets, Nouv managed to clamber their way back up to the top of the bed, blushing furiously at each squish and squeak their new body made, until, finally, they reached their enormous phone, unlocking it with great difficulty.

Kye’s message sat there, their face staring back.

“Ugh, I’m sorry, I’ll have to finish this another day. Something came up! Hope you like what I’ve written so far, though!”

Nouv clenched their fists, cheeks burning. “ANOTHER DAY?”

kaijufication (commission)

a commission for Zeelo!

It was a chilly fall day – just how Zeelo liked it.

Today was a wonderful day for a walk, it turned out! Beautiful blue sunny skies, the first hints of trees turning their fall colors, temperatures in the mid-50s – really, he’d been waiting all year for this sort of weather. Why not take advantage of his day off, see the sights?

So, here he was, walking downtown – peering into Halloween displays, shops already starting to decorate here and there for the two biggest upcoming holidays of the season. Not quite Christmas music, not yet, but he did spot a few reindeer decorations waiting in the wings for November 1st. Came earlier every year, it seemed.

Maybe that’s why Zeelo wasn’t surprised when, out of the blue, a stack of papers on a nearby sidewalk cart were caught by the wind, scattering them across the street. The snow leopard barely had a moment to react before one of the papers smacked into his face, blinding him for a moment in gaudy orange and black print – but, as he tugged it away, the text became easier to read.

Monster Mash! Halloween Party and Parade, it read in little golden letters. Bring your friends, have a ball!

“…Huh!” Zeelo chuckled, turning the little paper over to see where exactly this party might be. It… didn’t seem to have an address. Or a phone number?

Seemed like a little bit of an oversight on their part.

Shrugging, the snow leopard balled up the flyer and went to toss it into a nearby trash can – when, suddenly, his arm holding the wadded up invitation went numb as if it had fallen asleep.

Glancing over at it, Zeelo started in surprise as his arm exploded outwards, knocking the stall full of papers to the sidewalk as it began to grow, and grow, and grow!

His fingers, soft, fluffy, began to swell and extend into enormous golden plastic claws before his very eyes, snow leopard fur giving way to gray and black patterned vinyl – even as people on the sidewalk stopped to stare at the swelling snow leopard, his tummy starting to swell to match! Up, and up, and up it swelled – tearing right through his shirt and badly stretching his shorts, dropping both to the pavement and drawing attention from the confused bystanders currently taking a few steps back.

“H-Hey! Stop that!” Zeelo called in alarm, his remaining unchanged paw pressing down to try and halt the inflation, but all it really managed to do was ineffectually squeak against the plastic that was replacing his midsection, and force air out of his tummy into his–

PFFFSSSHHWOOMP! The sound was so loud he wasn’t even quite sure where it came from, until the feeling of his center of balance changing drew his gaze backwards in worry.

Zeelo’s tail exploded outwards with such force and size that a nearby car was knocked over, his lower half beginning to double, triple, quadruple in size and pressure with each passing moment! Gone was the soft lower half of a snow leopard, in was a pooltoy monster, a valve squeezing out of his tummy the size of a manhole cover!

It seemed to pause for just a moment – before with a deep hiss like a great gust of wind, he began to grow larger all over, all at once. It was as if Zeelo was being scaled up, big tail and increasingly round midsection brushing against the nearby buildings as he passed two stories, three stories, four stories tall…!

Shouts of alarm and surprise came up from below as Zeelo began to tower into the sky, black and white alternating stripes and golden spikes spreading down his spreading, swelling, creaking tail – and, gently, he tried to move out of the way as his footpaws exploded outwards into huge toy kaiju claws, but… carefully, as if hitting it with a pillow, he knocked a bus over.

“S-Sorry!” He called, his voice deep, toyishly monstery. It was hard to even form words – as if his snout didn’t quite feel like moving the same way?

His chest changed next – hollowing out as his proportions began to shift upwards in size and downwards in realism, softening and spreading out as the hiss of inflation filled his ears and arms – fur gave way to soft vinyl, a few tiny warning labels dotted here and there as golden rounded spikes and white striped gray vinyl replaced the soft grays and rosettes of a snow leopard.

His ears, twisting, tugging, inflating outwards, became an enormous pair of horns even as his snout began to tug itself into a big, toony menacing grin – cheek fluff hardening and reshaping into yet more spikes. His height passed six stories as he waddled backwards, pressing against a building with enough weight from his sheer volume of air that he heard the bricks strain – until, finally, the toy finished his changes, peering over the skyline in only the way an inflatable kaiju can.

“RAWR?” Zeelo asked, helpfully.

All that answered was a car alarm.

Carefully, he took a step forward – and something soft flailed against the stretched vinyl of the bottom of his enormous paw. Oops.

the looking glass (commission)

A commission for Ehksidian!

“UGHHH.”

The drakkai was bored. Bored. BORED. Rain poured down outside, shrouding the world beyond her window in a gray pallor – even the birds were silent, sheltering from the driving storm just as she was.

Her phone was still and quiet – evidently everyone else was either still asleep or busy, as even the usual haunts were quiet as she flopped back on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Or, at least, she was – until she noticed her mirror.

Usually just used to inspect outfits or even to throw clothes over if the chair or bed weren’t close enough, the standing mirror had been in the corner of her room for years, at least – reflecting just enough of the room to see the window, and little else.

Today, though, the view had… changed.

Instead of the perfect reflection of her room, a new room existed on the other side of the mirror – garbed in finery and flowing cloth, white curtains and crimson plush carpeting. It drew Xena in like a moth, her gaze unable to pull away even as she stood, crossing the room to stare inwards.

Nevermind the fact there was no reflection of her in this mirror – it was as if it was a window into a world beyond her own, tantalizingly close yet just out of reach.

Slowly, carefully, she reached out a claw to touch the glass.

The instant contact was made, the mirror’s surface rippled as if a rock had been lobbed into a pool of water, her claw sinking in slightly.

This only made the drakkai more curious.

Glancing over her shoulder, Xena considered simply laying back down and forgetting whatever strangeness awaited her – but boredom won out, yet again. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

She pushed her paw through, meeting resistance as if she was trying to push her way through gelatin. It fought, pushing back with surprising strength, but she was simply stronger – slipping through the barrier out of her room and into… wherever this was.

The room was warm, a scent not unlike cloves filling the space – large cushions and comfortable furniture were scattered here and there, a small portrait high above containing a framed face of some sort of rabbit, peering down at her.

Huh. She pinched herself, closing her eyes.

Nope. Still here.

Whoever this room belonged to was clearly of some importance, as she snooped through their belongings. Finery and objects she had no name for, jewelry of metals unimagined and household devices not yet conceived.

Again, though, she turned her attention to the mirror.

Her room was still there, true, but… hazier. A slight reflection of the room she was in had fallen over it, almost as if the image has been double exposed.

Oh, well. She’d head back soon enough, right?

As she continued to look through the room, she… suddenly found herself experiencing a strange deja vu. She’s been here before, hadn’t she? No. Yes?

Xena stopped, rubbing her head with a shockingly soft paw for a moment before she realized what was different about that, tugging it away to take a closer look. Her claws were gone, replaced by soft cream and wheat-colored fur – finely manicured and shampooed to be soft and shiny.

She stared at her paw for a moment, before shrugging. It seemed odd, but if she didn’t have claws why had she assumed that would’ve hurt?

Her ears, gently tugging upwards as she lounged in the grand, soft bed that occupied the large corner of the room, didn’t draw her attention either – nor did the reddish-brown hair, spilling down her back and over her face, sprouting small holite flowers that bloomed and blossomed in the afternoon sun.

She grew more at-home, house clothes becoming the nightwear of nobility – fine pseudosilks and linens, cradling the increasingly leporine drakkai in dream-like comfort. Her eyes gained flecks of gold, spreading through the iris like wildfire, until with a few blinks, their eyes had stopped itching. Perhaps they’d been more tired than they thought?

Kye sat up, horns dwindling away, as something caught their attention. Their mirror had cracked?

“Hm.”

The Prince swung their paws out of their bed, gently padding over to take a closer look. Sure enough, a crack ran from the bottom frame to the middle, perfectly down the center line of the mirror – and, for a moment, Kye swore they saw something else in the reflection, but a blink later it was just… themself, and their room.

For good measure, they turned the mirror away.

“A nap might be in order,” The bunny said aloud to no one in particular, drawing the curtains.

“It certainly beats being bored.”

Instant Decorations (commission)

a commission for ehksidian!

The box was… pretty plain, if she was honest.

Not that Xena was complaining, of course – a gift was a gift, even if generic brown paper and a twine bow didn’t exactly scream “effort”, to her. No return label, either.

Oh, well. Maybe it was like… jelly of the month, or something? A gift that keeps on giving.

Looks more like a bag lunch.

Still, as she carries the little brown box in from the rainy day outside, she was curious – after all, any package timed to arrive on her birthday had to be something special, at the very least, right? Surely?

Tearing the paper and removing the twine was easy, but that didn’t… quite explain the box underneath. Party Time?

There was a note there, but she was so focused on figuring out the box she simply sat aside, completely ignoring the large “PLEASE READ FIRST” scribbled on the back in urgent red ink.

The box was…

…empty. Completely empty, aside from a weird sparkly glitter coating everything inside, some of which was thrown into the air by the force of her opening, tickling her nose.

Phew. Who sends an empty box as a birthday gift?!

Xena, fuming, picked up the card – and frowned.

“Party in a box? What the hell does that mean?”

Her question, funnily enough, was answered – loudly, and immediately.

Instantly, a loud hissing reached her ears – the sound of a balloon slipped over a helium tank, a cold, filling sensation sweeping across her tummy. The drakkai only had time to utter a bewildered “WHAT” before her tummy began to swell and stretch, scales giving way to an expanse of soft, pliable rubber. It was soft to the touch, squeaking beneath her claws – and for a moment there was silence, almost comically quiet.

Just a moment, though. The hissing returned, twice as loud.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, she wasn’t growing, exactly. While the changes were more or less proportional, she felt her clothes start to bunch and bag, but there was no way…

As she tried to press on her tummy, hoping to squish it elsewhere, her tail began to shrink down – softening, losing definition as she began to round out. A brand new balloon knot tipped the end, and as she hurriedly tried to read the note (which, she now noticed, said very plainly not to open facing yourself), a long orange ribbon snaked to the floor from it. As she watched, her claws began to feel oddly flat – and, to her bewilderment and confusion, fell apart into a little pile of Xena-print napkins.

That, unfortunately, was the least of her worries – ribbons and decorations began to pop up here and there, conveniently drakkai themed and colored. Clearly magic was at work here, and it was decorating a party with her.

Xena was beginning to feel a bit full as her clothes grew baggier, tummy swelling into her clothes even as her arms and legs receded into her shirt and shorts – a bad sign, if she’d ever seen one. Her hair, usually long and fluffy, felt oddly scratchy – and as the swelling continued, slowly slid away as so much confetti – scattering the table, and floor, and… everywhere, really.

“S-Stop, damnit!” The drakkai protested, flailing for the table – and slipping completely out of her shorts, which fell to the ground with a thud of dropped fabric. Worryingly, she wasn’t touching the floor anymore with her claws.

…more worryingly, she couldn’t feel her claws – and a glance downwards only showed an increasingly generic ovoid shape, like… a party balloon. One of a few, now scattering the ceiling. She couldn’t see them, really, but had a sinking feeling she knew exactly what was on them.

Party in a box. Duh.

Cursing her bad luck, the drakkai began to shrink further as her midsection began to round out, slipping through the neck of her shirt and dragging the ribbon along with her! It was a slow, gradual rise – clearly she only just now held enough helium to be buoyant, not that it really made her feel any better. She was a dragon, not… a toy! Usually. Mostly? Verdict was out, on that one.

The pressure continued to build inside as the hissing grew louder, her face feeling as if it was being flattened with a rolling pin – until, gradually, everything went dark.

…the next thing she knew, she could see. It was an oddly fixed view, roughly in her “middle” – but it gave her a fine view of the front door for… however long she floated there. It was a bit hard to tell, but if she had to guess it was at least a few hours – as, a little before six, the first guest arrived. First knocking, and a confused grunt as the door swung open, clearly not shut completely before she’d opened the box.

“Um. Xena?” A familiar voice rang out. “Hey?”

No reply. Not for lack of trying, of course.

The rabbit glanced over, clearly recognizing the box open on the table – then down at the clothes, and with a weary realization, up, at the drakkai-print balloons bobbing on the ceiling. The expression was almost comical, a mix of “should’ve known” and “this again.” Clearly in the habit of sending these boxes.

“…You realize I wrote instructions for a reason, right? The big red “please read” didn’t strike you as important? Honestly, why does nobody ever read the card…”

Muttering something about “it’s like they all WANT to get changed,” the rabbit plopped down at the table.

“Should change back at the end of the night, but uh. Open it away from yourself next time, okay?”