Hmm Today I Will Make A Homunculus

''Hmm Today I Will Make A Homunculus'' Made in Twine for the bogleech.com 2020 Creepypasta Potluck Inspired by "Choice of Robots" by Kevin Gold, and the art of samsketchbook Written by Blattella Chua [[BEGIN]]

you awaken with your head on a desktop keyboard on the screen are secrets that should have remained secret. words that your brain rejects and formulae that your mind hungers for you must have passed out reading [[get up]]

you force yourself off your desk with a strained grunt you've rested more than enough. it's time to work your overactive mind is already racing with ideas [[but one dominates your thoughts]]

[["hmm today i will make a homunculus"]]

you look around your lab bedroom and survey your equipment you have the means and the knowledge if not necessarily the resources but what mad scientist hasnt had to [[improvise]] especially in this economy

you roll your chair over to your workspace dramatically shove abandoned sketches and equations out of the way and consider what material to use as your homunculus' base you have several tubs of [[play doh]] lying around. those could symbolize youthfulness and possibility you have some raw [[meat]] in the fridge. that could mean vigor and life, and maybe a visceral edge and you have some [[felt and stuffing]]. something hand-sewn might be gentle and warm

the play doh is a little dry, and there's not much left in any of the cartons you wet your hands and mash the clay together into a multicolored glob soon this will be a body. now it's time to figure out your creature's limbs there's been a [[dead beetle]] on your windowsill for over a month one of those [[wooden pose figures]] for artists sits sideways and unused on your desk you know you have a [[ball of yarn]] somewhere among your supplies (set: $material to "play doh")

you retrieve the meat. assorted cuts from various animals, ethically sourced you ready your suture and needle too soon this will be a body. now it's time to figure out your creature's limbs there's been a [[dead beetle]] on your windowsill for over a month one of those [[wooden pose figures]] for artists sits sideways and unused on your desk you know you have a [[ball of yarn]] somewhere among your supplies (set: $material to "meat")

you get the multicolored felt and lay out the stuffing feeling like some kind of soft frankenstein soon this will be a body. now it's time to figure out your creature's limbs there's been a [[dead beetle]] on your windowsill for over a month one of those [[wooden pose figures]] for artists sits sideways and unused on your desk you know you have a [[ball of yarn]] somewhere among your supplies (set: $material to "felt")

you gently pluck the corpse off the windowsill and place it on your desk now you need to figure out what to use for its head you bought some [[dollar store dolls]] a while back you could extract some of the [[feathers]] from a pillow and there's a neglected [[money plant]] sitting by the window (set: $legs to "beetle")

now you need to figure out what to use for its head you bought some [[dollar store dolls]] a while back you could extract some of the [[feathers]] from a pillow and there's a neglected [[money plant]] sitting by the window (set: $legs to "wooden legs")

you decapitate one of the dolls with a penknife you just need one more component. something to place at the heart of this creature. to power it and inform it a [[plastic charm shaped like a heart]] is buried somewhere in your materials you bought a [[shark's tooth]] necklace on a trip once. you knew it was 100% fake a [[pen]] that you've used to death sits uselessly in a cup (set: $head to "doll head")

you'll repair the tear you made later you just need one more component. something to place at the heart of this creature. to power it and inform it a [[plastic charm shaped like a heart]] is buried somewhere in your materials you bought a [[shark's tooth]] necklace on a trip once. you knew it was 100% fake a [[pen]] that you've used to death sits uselessly in a cup (set: $head to "feathers")

you gently pluck off one of the browning leaves you just need one more component. something to place at the heart of this creature. to power it and inform it a [[plastic charm shaped like a heart]] is buried somewhere in your materials you bought a [[shark's tooth]] necklace on a trip once. you knew it was 100% fake a [[pen]] that you've used to death sits uselessly in a cup (set: $head to "leaf")

you get an excuse to dramatically shove things off your desk again in your search for it you have everything you need. it's time to [[make your homunculus]] (set: $core to "heart charm")

you remove that fake shark's tooth from its cord you have everything you need. it's time to [[make your homunculus]] (set: $core to "tooth")

you dissect the pen and remove the central nib, long-dried of all ink you have everything you need. it's time to [[make your homunculus]] (set: $core to "pen")

(if: $material is "play doh")[you fold the play doh around the $legs, $head and $core and hide them within] (if: $material is "meat")[you cut slits into chunks of meat and insert the $legs, $head, and $core and stitch them closed] (if: $material is "felt")[you place the $legs, $head and $core amongst the stuffing before sewing the felt around it] and then you [[do things i don't want to describe]]

you slip out of your trance of genius, controlling an urge to cackle. the lump of $material begins to rise and fall like a sleeping animal (if: $material is "play doh" and $legs is "beetle")[as it sculpts itself of its own accord three little nubs stick out on either side and elongate into limbs that make you think of naked bird wings as the central mass shapes itself into something like a cartoony beetle shell] (if: $material is "play doh" and $legs is "wooden legs")[as it sculpts itself of its own accord nubs of clay extend outward and become fingerless arms as they raise the central mass up higher and it takes the shape of a disproportionate, crudely-sculpted humanoid] (if: $material is "play doh" and $legs is "yarn")[four balls of clay roll from its side and become legs as the central mass rises up and a thick, stubby tail extrudes from the blob] (if: $material is "meat" and $legs is "beetle")[as the flesh grows on its own three pork ribs extend on either side like insect legs and little pieces of bone poke themselves out through the meat to form a facsimile exoskeleton] (if: $material is "meat" and $legs is "wooden legs")[as the flesh grows on its own raw muscle forms into legs that it rises up on as it takes the form of a skinless humanoid made of stitched-together animal meat] (if: $material is "meat" and $legs is "yarn")[as the flesh grows on its own raw muscle forms into four skinless cat legs and the flesh changes shape, becoming sleeker] (if: $material is "felt" and $legs is "beetle")[three fabric nubs stick out on either side of your creation and it reshapes itself into what looks like a crudely-made toy beetle] (if: $material is "felt" and $legs is "wooden legs")[the felt flattens itself out as it changes shape becoming like a hand puppet but it rises onto unseen feet and stands without assistance] (if: $material is "felt" and $legs is "yarn")[four fuzzy, felted paws stretch out and lift your creation up somehow it seems warmer and softer] [[it's alive]]

your creation convulses for a moment and grows a head (if: $head is "doll head" and $core is "heart charm")[it's a simple orb with a cute, smiling face drawn onto it framed in yarn pigtails] (if: $head is "doll head" and $core is "tooth")[it's a cracked porcelain doll head with scraggly hair it grins with yellowed teeth] (if: $head is "doll head" and $core is "pen")[it's a porcelain doll head patterned with an intricate design of chinese-style floral prints one of its eyes is disproportionately larger] (if: $head is "feathers" and $core is "heart charm")[it makes you think of a cockatoo, with its head plume if cockatoos were sparsely-feathered and had heart-shaped eyes] (if: $head is "feathers" and $core is "tooth")[it's a gooselike head on a long, winding neck its bill is lined with very sharp teeth] (if: $head is "feathers" and $core is "pen")[it makes you think of a parrot, the way its beak is shaped but its feathers are scraggly and dull and its eyes are very, very human] (if: $head is "leaf" and $core is "heart charm")[it looks like a large, stunningly beautiful peony and it beats like a heart] (if: $head is "leaf" and $core is "tooth")[it looks like a pitcher plant on a thin vine for a neck and also its rim is lined with blunt, gnashing teeth] (if: $head is "leaf" and $core is "pen")[it looks like a shiny, white daffodil with a human eye at its center] [[it's beautiful]]

your creation tilts its head as it stares at you you pet it gently [[it leans into your touch]]

TODAY, YOU HAVE MADE A HOMUNCULUS consider [[replaying|Untitled Passage]] and making a different homunculus and please check out some of the other entries to the creepypasta potluck at bogleech.com thank you for your time <3 - blattella