Work Text:
Tuesday, August 13th, 2025.
Somewhere in the Middle of A Forest…
The crunch of sticks underneath your hiking boots and the chitter of woodland creatures make up the soundtrack of your trek off of a marked dirt trail. Hunting rifle in hand, you pushed past overgrown weeds and low-hanging branches, dead set on achieving a personal mission.
See, the thing was, you were doing. . . not so well in culinary school currently. And by not so well, you meant near-failing. Just BARELY scraping by, even. And so, in a stroke of either genius or desperation, you set out to the woods to hunt for something, ANYTHING special to cook.
Wild game, fish, maybe even mushrooms and berries if you were getting real unlucky within this forest.
You were unfaltering in your goal. Determined to prove to your teachers that you COULD cook well, and DESERVED to stay. If only you had better skill, or the touch of a proper chef to help you out. But that wasn’t happening, so you pushed these hopes to the side.
A clearing makes itself known suddenly, somewhere far off-trail, with the faint appearance of a small cabin nestled in it. Curious, you start to creep closer to one of its sides, up to where a window into the ‘living room’ of the place was. The place clearly wasn’t abandoned, looking more like someone was currently living there. In fact, there was!
Emerging into view was a strange, purple, humanoid figure with a grey shirt and white shorts on. Clearly it wasn’t anything human, telling by its bug-like features and long tail ending with a blade of sorts.
It paced around the living room of its home, simply… talking to itself? The window was closed, but you could still hear what it was saying clearly.
“Oh! Here’s where we find out what he did. I bet he kissed another girl, one hundred percent! Straight couples, am I right?”
Alright, what the FUCK was this thing talking about?
It was clearly distracted by this nonsensical rambling. Not like it had eyes in the back of its head or anything. And something in your head told you that this would make for a once in a lifetime meal. Would it taste like seafood or a comically large, person-sized bug? Only one way to find out!
You begin to line up your rifle with the window you were looking through, making sure this thing was within the target. Meanwhile, the thing continued to ramble unaware of your presence.
“Straight couples are messed up.” You could hear it say.
Whatever it said afterwards was drowned out by your persistence to not fail. You pull back the trigger, and take the shot.
*BANG!!* *CRASH!!*
A yelp could be heard inside the cabin, and the sound of the window breaking. You were almost sweating from anticipation, hoping that you might’ve successfully shot the thing. Unfortunately for you, the figure shoots up with their back turned, seemingly uninjured. Two distinct red eyes suddenly open up on the back of its head, both staring right at YOU.
So it DID have eyes in the back of its head.
Fuck.
It dashes out of sight, the entrance door creaking just out of view. They grumble angrily as they stomp closer and closer to you, glaring with all four of its eyes. Then they grab out with both arms, and bring you into their home. You considered yourself lucky, since this human-sized thing, for all intents and purposes, could probably kill you. And likely not even break a sweat while doing it.
Once inside, the thing clasps both hands together and takes in a sharp inhale, looking as if ready to snap.
“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Trying to shoot someone in their own home, what if I was another human? Better yet, what if I came up to YOUR home and shot YOU? HUH?!”
Y’know, in hindsight, maybe this thing was correct in some way. They did look like they were having a good time by themselves in there, no matter what exactly they were doing. And for someone to interrupt them, let alone via trying to shoot them without their knowledge. What IF they came up to your home and shot YOU like that?
It was likely, telling by their apparent rage, that there was no way you were gonna nicely talk your way out of this. There was only one way that you could get out of this situation…
“Well, what do you have to say for yours–”
“I’MSORRYFORTRYINGTOKILLYOU, I GOT TOO INTO ‘COMPLETING MY COOKING ASSIGNMENTS’! I DON’T KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT UP TO YOU, JUST PLEASE DON’TEATME!!”
… Well, that was a lot more than you wanted to say, hope it worked.
After your little apology, the thing just stared at you in awkward silence, a bit confused even.
“Huh, guess you did have something to say for yourself. Also, I don’t eat people; you taste gross, and it’s not my thing. One of my cousins does, though, be thankful that he doesn’t live around here.” They then laugh to themself, lightly slapping their ‘knee’ once.
Oh, so there’s more of this things kind out there. Great, just great.
“But, you know what?” They continued, before their expression brightened and they snapped their fingers. “There IS a way for you to make it up to me!”
. . .Shit, really? You thought they were just gonna kill you, but they were giving you a way to make up for the attempted murder? Score!! Perhaps you could hear them out, despite being a little off-put by their appearance.
“See, I made something that I need to test on someone. YOU…” They take their pointer finger and poke it right in the middle of your chest, “... can help me with this test. And maybe, just maybe, I can help you with your problem as well. What do you say?”
That sounds enticing, but also really suspicious? But then again, you needed help with your cooking skills badly. If some creature you tried to shoot is willing to help you with that, then that must mean they’re offer is legit, right?
You were getting desperate at this point, any help would be appreciated. So you nodded a quick ‘yes’ while giving them a thumbs up.
“Great! Follow me and we’ll get started.”
They led you further into their cabin, down into a well-furbished basement, opening up a door to the left at the hall’s end and gesturing to enter the room inside. It was a sterile hospital white room, a few speakers held up by mysterious glowing rods found in its corners, and a single bluish-green chair right in the middle of it, closest to the wall to your right. To your left, there was a large window into the room with one spot in the bottom middle completely glassless.
All the while, the creature silently locked the door from the inside, making sure you couldn’t hear its distinct click sound.
“Just sit down there and get comfortable while I get everything prepared, okay?” The thing piped up from a different room.
You settle yourself down on the chair, and it is… surprisingly comfortable. The thing looked like it would feel like sitting on hard wood, though it feels like you're on a fresh mattress.
Meanwhile, the creature eagerly prepped themselves and their equipment for testing. They slipped their just below knee-length, buttoned and single belted doctor's coat over their current outfit, and a pair of light bluish surgeon’s gloves over their hands. Then covering their face with both a basic medical mask and plastic face shield. Just to be safe, they’d cautiously justify it with.
Now, to set up the equipment. First, they put on one of those generic ‘relaxing music’ videos that are a few hours long and have some basic-ass shots of nature in the background, allowing it to play through the other room’s speakers.
Then, they grabbed two small vials; one a distinct shade of maroon, the other a bright white, and carefully placed them into their fleshy transforming gun. Once inside, they closed the vial compartment shut with a click. Alas, they were ready to begin the experiment.
“Alrighty human, I’m ready!” They chirp. “You’re gonna feel a bit of a shock, but I promise, this will go smoothly as long as you relax afterwards and stay in that chair. Just. . . close your eyes first.”
Although confused by the command at first, you willingly obliged, eagerly awaiting what sort of cooking help you’d get from this. Some seconds pass by, and suddenly…
*BUZZ-ZAP!!*
For only a moment that felt like an hour, a feeling of numbness washes over your body. The feeling of being shocked by static buildup, except all over you. It fades just as fast as it came into your body, leaving you with a strange gut feeling inside.
The thing mumbles something about messing up the ‘delay time’, poking their head up to check up on you. “Uhhh… ignore that, I miscalculated something. Just keep relaxing, it’ll kick in in a minute.” They then pull a notepad and a pen from a nearby drawer, staring intently at your body and waiting for something to happen.
And something would happen, alright.
Upon the very tips of your fingers, a warm and pleasant feeling bubbles up as a darkened shade of brown dyed itself into your skin. It quickly marched its way down, smoothing out and erasing both fingernails and natural crease lines alike in its path. Though just before it could change the rest of your hands, one more thing had to be done to your fingers.
Your fully changed ring and pinky fingers inched closer together until they could no longer be spread apart. They’d meld from the inside and out into one single finger. Leaving you with only four of them remaining on each hand, though they looked to be slightly thicker, and also… somewhat boxier.
Now the further darkening could spread to the rest of your hands. As well as even them out in the process.
The palms of your hands started to match the color of your changed fingers. Both of them even grew a bit wider to better accommodate for their newfound size. A singular darkened shade of brown skin had spread all the way down your hands, stopping at the wrists as if waiting for something else to happen first. Bordering around your changed hands, a noticeable, thick black outline grew in, subtly squishing them into a cartoony and sort of geometric shape.
As said outline made itself present, the dying of your skins marched onwards to the rest of your arms. Though deep beneath your skin, it was affecting your muscular system as well.
More specifically, additional comfortable heat welled up in them as the muscles in your forearms started to expand a little. Not by too much, in the grand scheme of things. But just enough to give off the impression of the physique of someone who worked out at least semi-regularly.
But noticeably, it also erased any bit of hair on your arms, big or small. All smoothed out into a simple, cartoonish look.
However… not only was your skin being altered, but the clothes on your back as well. Punctuated by the sleeves on your shirt starting to cover your still changing arms up to the wrist. It also began to turn black (or a dark grey, it was hard to tell) with a distinct red edge to it. The sharp black outline that used to reside only on your hands then came up and grew right over these altered sleeves.
Admittingly, it was… quite comfortable. Something inside you wanted to just let yourself relax and let these changes roll over you without a fight. After all, it wasn’t too uncomfortable to be experiencing, for whatever reason. Maybe it was the music, however basic it may be.
Meanwhile the changes spread up both arms, mildly bulking up your (lack of) muscle to a reasonable degree, darkening your sleeves and wrapping the same pitch black outline around them. It began to encroach in on your torso on either side of you as it was finishing them up. Yet they didn’t touch it at the same time, almost like they were saving it to change later.
Once finished, these alterations spared your chest, instead opting to jump all the way down straight to the bottom of your legs. An enjoyable tingle entered your feet through your footwear as their changes were beginning to be set in motion.
Your soon-to-be-formerly brown shoes started to dye themselves a deep red color, while the soles turned a shade closest to white. The bottom lifted up to be slightly heeled, and the whole thing grew ever so subtly in a size or two. Presumably to better fit the feet of the cartoony-looking human you’d soon become.
Speaking of feet, they’d be altered swiftly after your shoes finished up with their changes. Growing a little themselves to sit comfortably inside said shoes, while also gaining the same brown skin on your arms. The pitch black outline began to reveal itself on the bottom of your legs as well, wrapping delicately around the ‘outside’ of your shoes. As well as squishing them into a simpler, but still familiar footwear-esque shape.
Much like what happened with your arms, the modifications to your legs would begin to sweep upwards as well.
The main difference was… your legs wouldn’t gain much muscle, if at all.
Instead, they stayed relatively thin, gaining a toonish build to them while the darkening skin rose up along them, erasing any and all hair on them as well.
In reality, the most obvious change out of this would actually come from your pants. They’d be dyed a distinct maroon coloration, becoming more fitting for a proper chef as the black outline grew right over them. Rising up both legs as they made their way through them slowly and surely, all until they reached your waist.
Once at the waist, the changes fully swept up them, finishing off your new pants and shifting your thoughts upon your gender to one side of the spectrum. Mainly… to now think of yourself as a male.
And with your pants completely altered, fitting snugly and cozily over your newfound toonish figure, now could your torso be changed.
The continued march of darkened skin finally spread along the back and front of your torso, surrounding it from all possible sides. Well, excluding the head. That part would presumably be coming last on this strangely soothing and changing trip.
Similarly to what happened with your arms, the (overall) lackluster muscles in your chest area began to slowly expand. Not by much, but just enough to be very noticeable to an outsider's perspective. If there was one outside of the purple, alien-like creature taking note of your every change. Carefully writing down that had happened thus far to review over once this was all finished.
They continued to watch your changes with hidden glee in their four eyes. As underneath your still to be altered shirt, were the faintest etchings of simplistic, toonish-looking abs. By no means actual abs at all, but they certainly looked like them from afar.
And just before your head could be changed, your shirt was adjusted foremost. Turning (almost) completely black with a red outline on its edge, while the pitch black outline outline heads down it and connects with the outline already present on the waist.
Upon both sides on the front appeared various extra parts to this shirt. On your left, a singular breast pocket, and on the right eight white buttons arranged in a 4x2 rectangle.
With the rest of you finished, the final part of you could come at last. All that had to be altered was your head.
A slow, painless pressure begins to crawl its way up onto your head as the very obvious black outline wraps itself all the way around it. Preparing itself to make the last few physical changes to your formerly non-cartoon-looking body.
Said outline lightly shifts and squeezes your head into a slightly more boxier shape as the dark skin overlays itself all across it. It subtly shifts your voice to sound more masculine and at the same time gentler.
Your hair, meanwhile, becomes noticeably shorter, enough to barely be able to get in the way of your face. It also dyed itself black, a shade not even close to blending in seamlessly with the outline around your body.
However, the hair you did lose didn’t disappear off of your head entirely; instead, it would migrate somewhere else. To be more specific, it went to cover your chin and above your mouth, which had simplified into a black line.
Basically, to put in layman’s terms, it became a fucking beard.
Your eyes burn for only a few seconds as your sclera and pupil all shift to a light brown color. With that, the physical changes had been completed. Now for a little bit of mental changes.
Bits of memories that clearly weren’t yours made their home in your head. Not pushing out any of your existing memories, just merely… existing alongside them, which would probably get confusing and/or a bit existential if you thought about it too hard.
Most of these memories were cooking-related, unknowingly increasing your skill in the field exponentially as well.
Alas, with these memories making their new home in your brain, all the changes were complete, and just as you were about to get used to the whole environment…
*CLICK…*
The constant drone of generic relaxing music shuts off suddenly, snapping you back to reality. In the same white room, separated from a purple alien creature via a semi-open glass window. Well, as real as being in that situation could be.
“Ah, you’re finished!!” The creature chirps, finishing its constant peeking and writing. “Thanks for your help, human. I wouldn’t have been able to test my work without you.”
Something about their wording alerted you to a fact that really should’ve been more obvious; you’ve clearly been transformed. Though thankfully (or unthankfully) you remained… human-esque. But just before you could lift your hand to your vision to inspect what these changes were exactly, the thing spoke up again.
“Oh yeah, one more thing, uhhhh… Idon’tknowifI’llseeyouagain, butI’llsendyoualetterintheotherworld okay BYEEEE!!” They quickly spill out as they proceed to point their flesh gun at you again and pull the trigger. An even brighter white consumes your vision, then falls into darkness.
*BUZZ-ZAP!!*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suddenly, you find yourself awake in a… purple sleeping bag?
In the middle of a shittily put together shelter that appears to be made out of bits and bobs of abandoned carnival pieces. Everything here looks relatively cartoony, matching the strange style that you’d been changed into. Even the people around here looked like they matched your toony looks. Though before your new memories could remind you who these people were, your attention is averted to something more important in the moment.
Upon the top of your sleeping bag, there was a single white letter, reading ‘Please Open Immediately’ in shoddy red pen writing. Hesitantly, you open it up and begin skimming it over:
~~~~~
Dear (Your Name Here),
…Or should I say, mister Zaid Hakim? I think that name fits your new form better.
Anyways, if you got this letter, then that means my experiment worked, and you’ve found yourself in an entirely new world, a ‘cartoon’ world to be exact. Don’t worry, you're not stuck there forever. Only until your character, the person you are currently, appears on screen for the last time. Which is… the season finale, yes, until then. At least ONE in-universe month from your present.
To be fair to you (Because the rest of my family calls me the ‘nice one’ for some reason) and give you a fighting chance to get in-character, I dropped you at a date in-between episodes. Episodes Five and Six, to be precise. I’ve yet to see how this season concludes, since the most recent episode back at our home is the nineteenth one.
But as long as you let the character speak through you and match your actions with canon, things should turn out a-okay!!
Look on the bright side, once the season is finished, you’ll appear back in your bed as if no time was spent away from home. AND you’ll get to keep some of that cooking experience from this character afterwards. That’s what you wanted, right?? Please let me be right on this for once!!
Anyways, gotta finish up this letter and re-review my results!! Remember, don’t stray too far out of character when around others, but ALSO don’t let yourself indulge in the character too much. Enjoy, I guess??
— From, Lyric Corner
~~~~~
Shit. Well, this is certainly… a situation to get into. And all because you tried to shoot a creature in its own home. If they're considered the nice one in their family, then maybe encountering that human-eating cousin they mentioned once would’ve been worse than you thought.
Whatever else lied in wait, one thing was clear; it’s gonna be a long month or so ahead of you.