#Experience Snippets

[limboni]

"Children in the woods" 5/5

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[yellowwwcrayon]

There's just something so oddly special about this Deadpool and this Wolverine together. I don't think the Logan in any of the other prior films would have liked Wade this much (well, maybe old man him from that Logan movie) or would have bothered to stay and meet Wade's little dysfunctional family. They're both worn down, exhausted outcasts when they meet here. But the thing I love the most about their dynamic in the movie is that there's no judgment coming from Wade. He just accepts how messed up Logan is and finds this hairy murderous man with anger issues and sexy abs super neat, and I think there's a huge comfort in that. Logan doesn't have to pretend to be some great hero and no one is there to express disappointment when he fails or starts chugging rubbing alcohol because he's a raging alcoholic. He doesn’t need a savior, he just needs a fugly guy in a red suit that can’t die cheering him on from the sidelines and inappropriately groping him at inconvenient times. Some of my mutuals ship Spideypool, but I never got into it (no offense). Peter is too moral to ever make things between them work in my head. The constant judgment from everyone probably doesn't help, either. Don’t get me wrong, Logan has morals, obviously, but he's not above killing and doing bad shit. And I personally prefer older bottoms.

tldr - THEY MATCH EACH OTHER'S FREAK and I find that incredibly sexy ;)

[orpheeeeus]

There was a guy on Arthur’s train. 

Arthur didn’t know him, he couldn’t even see his face. 

He had dark hair, cut short, nothing remarkable. But there was something about him. Arthur didn’t know what. There was just something, something important. 

Arthur wanted to see the man’s face, he wanted to put a hand on his shoulder, to make him turn around. 

The train stopped.

It was Arthur’s stop.

He raised his hand, towards the man. There was so little space between them. If only he would allow Arthur to see his face.

But it was Arthur’s stop.

And he didn’t know the man.

So Arthur lowered his arm and grabbed his bag, his legs leading him out of the train. 

His mind was screaming, but his legs were steady, and the doors closed behind him. He was out. He hadn’t seen the stranger’s face. And he knew, deep down, that he would spend his life remembering this failed meeting, that, lying on his deathbed, the only thing before his eyes would be the train’s yellow light and–

The stranger’s back.

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

This week we got to continue our rainbow trout experiments. See anything different here?

That’s right, the water is a bit darker! This is because this girl was raised in a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) that mechanically and biologically filters wastewater and recycles it back to the fish. Most of the gunk gets cleaned out and harmful nitrogen substances get turned into harmless ones, but some compounds remain dissolved in the water!

I filmed this girl because she had a most peculiar way of swimming. She seems to use her pectoral fins an abnormal amount and lays on the bottom in an upturned pose! And seemingly only during the lowest speeds, too. She appeared quite healthy otherwise, I’m not too certain what caused this behaviour.

[sandflakedraws]

so i'm readin various stuff on the xray cause this silly film is my current source of joy and

wait

hold up.

what...

WAHT ??? WHAT

XRAY CAST DESCRIPTION????

YEARS???

xrAY dESCRIPTION eXPLaIN!!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN FLOYD WAS HELD CAPTIVE FOR YEARS, WHAT SECRET INFO DO U HAVE ACCESS TO???

[all-purpose-dish-soap]

Ohhhh ho ho ho. How I would rizz up a cod man lol I apologize in advance if this is long 😅

So my typical going-out outfit is all black; usually black booty shorts and a black tank top with either converse or thigh-high demonias (the 2.5 inch platforms, I’m not too crazy). My makeup is somewhat darker and my hair is usually up in a ponytail. If I’m feeling cute though I’ll wear a short black dress with long sleeves and lacy tights/fishnets.

I like to try and catch their eye multiple times to see if they’ll come to me first, but in this case I would most likely go for the interesting drink order, either a nicer whiskey on the rocks or a stout (both of which I like so it wouldn’t be like I was struggling to drink lol). Something that’s a conversation starter hopefully.

I’ve actually got background with the military; I come from a heavily military family and I was also a civilian contractor for a few years at a local base so I have enough knowledge to hold my own in a conversation. I love dark humor and puns too, so I would try to work those into the conversation slowly at first to get their feel for it and then keep going based on that, but after that I’ll offer to buy their next drink and will give them subtle compliments while showing genuine interest in what they’re saying, giving them my full attention and being engaging, smiling and flirting more as the night goes on.

Honestly my tactics would differ depending on who I was trying to pick up but this would be a general thing 😂

booty shorts gang!!!  (👉゜ω゜)👉

i see you holding good conversation with Price and Ghost, given that drink order and the military family.

ultimately you could have your pick of the two, y'know? Ghost would love a lady who's willing to talk and show genuine interest. one of those conversations where he can let his guard down a little. not much (ever; dude is sitting with his back to the wall at all times, exits mapped) but you do at least seem agreeable. enough.

probably thinks you're just trying to get into his pants. like... listening a little too well. a little too kind. a little too interested in the dumb shit he's saying about the weather or whatever.

it's actually when Price cuts in and laughs at one of your jokes that you earn Ghost's interest back. Price tees him up for a particular dark joke (what else has two legs and bleeds) and Ghost utters the punchline (half a dog), and to his muted surprise, you laugh. Price sees the mild shift of expression on Ghost's face and chuckles.

says something about gruff old military men harassing a pretty bird likes you, and of course, you take the compliment with such grace.

you could even take them both home if you wanted ;)

[o3o-lapd-o3o]

okay! here's the first poseidon 'snippet' . this takes place before and during this scene!

second snippet

there's a masterlist now!

hope you guys enjoy! ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

*a few months after poseidon had left apollo’s infirmary finally all free of holes all healed up*

*up on olympus*

zeus: *bored outta his godly mind after 20 years of entertainment (especially those last 10 years)*

zeus: *suddenly struck with an idea*

zeus: *to no one in particular* i think i’m going to go pay my brother a visit… just to check on how he is…

zeus: *disappears in a flash of lightning*

hera: *entering the room*

hera: *stares at the scorch marks on the ground where zeus just was*

hera: *to herself* as long as its nothing to do with a woman or illegitimate child… then i don’t care.

*below the sea in poseidon’s palace*

*poseidon enjoying some peace and quiet; when in a flash, zeus on one of his very rare visits, appears in front of him*

zeus: *looking around the room* so… how are things?

poseidon:

poseidon: *sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose*

poseidon: what do you want zeus?

zeus: *ignoring poseidon’s question* where’s your queen?

poseidon: amphitrite is out visiting her sisters…wait never mind that-

poseidon: what do you want?

zeus: *now looking at poseidon* can’t i come see my big brother?

poseidon: you never bother, unless you want something.

poseidon: *anger now in his voice* so out with it.

zeus: *putting his hands up in front of him* whoa! no need to get angry…

zeus: *putting his hands down and a smirk appears* ...remember how that ended for you last time?

zeus: *smirk gets bigger* how you let odysseus beat you like that, i have no idea…

poseidon: *glaring at zeus* do not speak that name in my home

zeus: why my dear brother? are you perhaps… scared?

poseidon: *falling right into zeus provocations*

poseidon: i am NOT scared of that mons- mortal!

poseidon: he merely took advantage of my state after using a lot of my power!

zeus: *under his breath to himself* that power still didn’t kill him though, did it?

zeus: *to poseidon this time* but you’re not in that state now, are you? nor have you been since you left olympus… so what’s holding you back now?

poseidon: *raising an eyebrow at zeus* holding me back from what?

zeus: *knows he has poseidon hook, line and sinker*

zeus: i understand you can no longer hurt him or his family; unless you want to incur the wrath of my daughter… and i suppose even my wife

zeus: but you can make trouble for him still, can’t you?

poseidon:

zeus: *notices the slight hesitation*

zeus: or maybe you are truly fearful of him now? the mighty god of the seas, terrified of a mortal king.

poseidon: *blinks and then goes back to glaring at zeus*

poseidon: i told you i am not sca-

zeus: -then what’s stopping you?

poseidon: NOTH- *coughs* nothing.

poseidon: *crosses his arms and looks away from zeus*

zeus: *laughs knowing he’s done what he came here to do*

zeus: well, i shouldn’t stay too long away from olympus... enjoy the rest of your day brother.

zeus: *disappears in another flash of lightning*

poseidon: *looks at the scorch marks on his floor*

poseidon: he always leaves a mess…

poseidon: *thinking over the conversation again*

poseidon: i’ll show him who’s scared.

*outside the shores of ithaca*

poseidon: *looking the nice clear weather and seeing the merchant ships coming to and from ithaca*

poseidon: it would be a shame if something disrupted this...

poseidon: *smirks* *summons his trident & lifts it to the sky*

*the wind picks up and storm clouds quickly start forming*

poseidon: *can hear distant shouts of mortals reacting to the sudden storm*

poseidon: *laughs to himself* perfect.

poseidon: well, i guess i’ll leave this to brew. i’ll check back later to see what damage has happe-

poseidon: *a full body shiver comes over him out of nowhere*

poseidon: *turns to look at the ithacan docks where he can see..a mortal?*

poseidon: why i am i bothered by that mo-

poseidon: *sees deep red eyes and realises who the mortal is*

poseidon: -oh no.

*the king of ithaca odysseus stands there, glaring into the storm*

odysseus: *in a cold voice* I am going sailing with my son. There will be no issues, is that understood?

poseidon: *even though he knows odysseus can’t hear him* aye aye captain!

poseidon: *with a whimper calls off the storm immediately and quickly dives back under the water*

poseidon: *before he can completely leave, he can hear the voice of odysseus saying “good.”*

poseidon: *about to head straight back home but pauses*

poseidon: *remembers odysseus said he was going sailing with his son*

poseidon: *knows he may be god of the sea, but he can’t always be there to control what the residents of said sea get up too*

poseidon: maybe i should just make sure there’s nothing to make him angrier at me

poseidon: *secretly follows & stays near odysseus’ and telemachus’ ship*

[ailithnight]

Howdy y'all. Have a snippet that is completely unconnected to anything else I am writing or will write. Feel free to do with it whatever you please.

But first, important warning! TW: Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault of a Minor

Seriously, this actually might be a brand new kind of fucked up even for the Danny Phantom fandom.

"Oh. I don't think you need to worry about, uh… that stuff."

"Oh? Why not?"

"It's just. Um. Y'know. The, the scientist were always fascinated by, um, by my 'mimicry of bodily functions,' right? They wanted to test how far the, 'the mimicry' extended. If I'd 'mimic' things like, digestion and immune response and, and um, excitement."

"Excitement." Flat. Not really a question, but a question all the same.

"Yeah. You know…" Danny makes a couple hand gestures. Wiggles his pointer a couple times; then holding his hand in a loose fist and giving a couple jerky, twisting pulling motions. Kind of like… Oh. Oh god. He's just 15. It's such a painfully 15 thing to do, dancing around the topic like this. All awkward and nervous.

But also, god, he's so painfully 15. Jason is suddenly wishing he'd made a lot more bullet holes when they took those fuckers down. He would have if he'd known just how far their depravity sank. If he'd known they had-

"They sexually assaulted you?" Dick's voice is high and strained. Jason winces. Everyone knows, Dick hasn't told them, but they've all seen the signs, they know he has some personal traumas there.

Danny full body flinches, recoiling as if Dick had just slapped him.

"What? No! It wasn't. They didn't. It's not like they were, like, getting off to it or anything. They were just. Testing reactions. To, like, stimuli and stuff. Same as when they'd test how my body responded to different temperatures or lack of oxygen or various drugs. It wasn't. It was just an experiment." Danny looks down, fidgeting his hands in his lap and refusing to look up. It's practically textbook denial. Dick is probably fighting flashbacks right now. Jason would try to help him if he wasn't trapped somewhere between horror and rage.

After a long moment of silence and fidgeting, Danny sighs. Still refusing to look at anyone, he leans back and studies the cieling instead. "Anyway. It was just another expiriment, but it still kind of killed any interest in… that stuff." Young. Young. So painfully young. "So I don't think I really need the whole… y'know… talk."

[mayxo-hxh]

hxh taught me a lot about what it truly means to have experience in your area of expertise.

this is what having experience in the field means. They figured out so much in only so little and immediately took measures against it. this fight is so good... shows u how insane the zoldycks are

even chrollo was like damn chill!!

[dahlia-tourism-board]

You look just like your father: Sam Collins

"You look exactly like your father, boy. don't let anyone tell you different."

[CW: implied child abuse and neglect]

Sam is twelve years old, hiding in his room. His parents are fighting, and judging by the breaking glass and pained groans, it's sounding like he'll have to hide for the rest of the day.

His stomach rumbles. He can't remember the last time he's eaten a proper meal. He thinks about climbing out the window to run off to his grandma's again, but his parents are in the living room. There's a chance they might see him, and he can't risk those consequences.

Hours pass, and the sun begins to set. He hears more arguing, then a door slamming shut. A moment of blessed silence, then-

"Samuel Collins, you get down here! Now!"

Sam scrambles from his bed and races downstairs, knowing what could happen if he's not fast enough for his mother's liking.

Of course, she's still furious on seeing him. She's got cuts on her arms and a black eye, but her knuckles are just as bruised. She stares him down as she holds a plate shard in her hand.

"You clean this up, you hear?" She gestures to the broken plates with the shard in her hand. "I'm headin' out to replace what your idiot father broke, and this better be spotless when I get back, or else."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." She drops the shard, letting it shatter even more and laughing when he jumps. "Now get to it."

Sam grabs a broom and a dustpan. Once his mother leaves, he can sneak some food from the fridge. For now, he sets on cleaning.

His mother makes herself proper to go out, makeup on her eye and driving gloves over her knuckles. Sam thinks she'll ignore him entirely as she steps toward the front door. But just as she gets to the door, she turns back to him, furious, her jaw set.

"You look exactly like your father, boy," She snaps. "Don't let anyone tell you different."

She slams the door closed. Sam stands still as he listens to the car drive away. He knows he needs to clean before she gets back, and he needs to eat as much as he can get away with.

Instead, he walks into the bathroom. He looks into the mirror and tries to see what his mother was talking about. Both his parents have brown eyes, he thinks. He looks like both of them, and that roils in his guts.

The urge to break the mirror thunders in his mind. But if he did, he'd be no better then his parents. And grandma Adeline would be so disappointed in him. So he does what she taught him, takes deep breaths until the thunder in his mind calms.

He eats, cleans all the glass off the floor, and locks himself in his room, all before his parents get back. He hears them arguing again, but he tunes them out, finally falling asleep.

Years later, and he's looking at a photograph, one of only a handful of items he'd brought with him when he'd run away from home. He's surrounded by boxes, his mate having just moved in with him. They were planning to unpack properly tomorrow, and something about sharing a home with someone like them made him feel reflective.

As he looks at the photo, his mate, his Darlin' comes up and sits next to him. They look at the photograph curiously, but they don't ask anything. They never push when it comes to his past, knowing what it's like to carry a history of hurt. He was so grateful that they understood, that they let him take the lead.

But he wanted them to understand this too.

"Darlin', this was my grandma Adeline. She was good to me, when I was a kid and I didn't have much good to go off of."

"...huh."

His Darlin' sits up, and looks from the photograph to Sam's face and back again.

"Maybe this sounds weird, but you look just like her." His mate, fully focused, points to different parts of the photo. They mean it, Sam realizes. "Look, in the nose, and the cheekbones. She's even smiling the way you do, with the left side more than the right."

Sam didn't even notice he's started crying until he feels their thumbs lightly brushing away his tears. They're worried, asking if he's okay and apologizing until he smiles through his tears.

"Darlin', I think that's about the nicest thing I've ever heard."

[dragonpyre]

More fic snippits I'll never finish

“How you feeling?” The man asked. Jason opened his mouth to respond in the negative, but stopped at the last second. He actually felt… fine? What the fuck? His brain had literally just been getting stabbed by a rail spike not even thirty minutes ago. And how the fuck had he fallen asleep when in that much pain? He’d NEVER managed that before! “What the fuck did you give me?” He asked, bewildered. The concern smoothed away from Dick’s face. “So I take it you’re feeling better?” Jason pushed himself up into a sitting position. “Yeah, what the fuck?” Six months of this bullshit with no cure and one visit from his brother fixes it? Was Dick dabbling in witchcraft now? “What was that stuff?” A faint smile flitted across Dick’s lips. “Excedrin.” “The fuck is Excedrin?” “Acetaminophen and caffeine,” his brother answered easily. “Migraine meds.”

[syluses]

Ngl the new caleb ficlet im workin on might break me (and you guys 🥲)

Prepare thyself :,)

[little-mouse-adventures]

Currently thinking about Artemis's will in the code at the bottom of TLG and how it really kinda shows how strained his relationship with his dad still is. Everyone else gets something they're interested in or that Arty thinks they'd like (sound system for Juliet, frozen chicken for Mulch, ethical investments for his mother, etc) and yet for his father he leaves only bearer bonds, despite Artemis I trying to move away from a money-focused enterprise and lifestyle as of TEC. Not to mention it's Butler who would know how to disengage all the booby traps protecting said bearer bonds, further highlighting the difference in trust & familiarity Artemis has with everyone but his father.

[drowned-cypress]

Robin didn’t remember exactly what she was dreaming about; she just knew that she had been dreaming with a sense of urgency. The alarm pulled her towards consciousness like surfacing from underwater. She slapped at her PDA and it silenced, but it was too late. She was already awake. She was sore all over, hungry, thirsty, and she needed to pee. The ground seemed to be leaching warmth from her back, so she sat up and stretched.

“What happens as you are sleeping?” the alien in her brain asked.

Robin jumped, startled. She’d forgotten about him.

“I was being pulled from illogical world to illogical world with you at the center of them all.”

Robin yawned. She wanted to be frustrated with the alien, but her head was still too fuzzy from sleep to really work up the emotion. “I was dreaming,” she answered neutrally.

“Does it serve a purpose? It was such disorienting and fragmented thought–random images and sensations.”

Had he never heard of dreaming? Was she going to have to explain every aspect of human life? She supposed so. She rubbed her eyes, wishing vaguely for coffee and trying to kick her brain into gear. It sounded like Al-An was from a species that experienced life very differently. “We aren’t completely sure what it does,” she replied, recalling what she knew about the neuroscience of dreaming, “but scientists theorize that it’s the brain’s way of processing memories and emotion. It can also just be incidental brain activity. Pretty much every human dreams though, as do many other mammals.”

“Is it enjoyable?” Al-An asked.

“Sometimes.” Robin pulled her backpack into her lap and retrieved a slightly squashed nutrient bar. “There’s good dreams, and there’s bad dreams, and then there’s dreams that aren’t really either. I’ve had dreams that were entire fleshed out narratives full of adventure, but I’ve also had dreams where I was convinced that something awful was going to happen to me or my sister, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I’ve had dreams where I woke up sobbing for no reason. A lot of my dreams make no sense after I wake up, but honestly, I don’t usually remember my dreams.”

Robin peeled back the nutrient bar’s protective foil and took a bite. These things were always so bland, but she didn’t have anything else at the moment.

“Your biofeedback indicates that narratives are the most enjoyable dreams,” Al-An said. “I therefore hope you have more of those. Mainly for my own safety.” The trepidation that entered Al-Al’s tone on this last statement made Robin blink.

“They aren’t harmful, you know, even when they’re scary,” she tried to reassure him. “The worst they can do is disrupt my sleep.”

“I found it unsettling. I did not know what was happening.”

Now that she thought about it, it was kind of weird that he could see her dreams. He had said he couldn’t read her mind. She frowned as she puzzled it over. When she thought about what actually happened in the brain during dreams, it made more sense. He had access to her sensory input. Brain scans showed that the various parts of the brain responsible for seeing and hearing or whatever all lit up during dreams, the same way they did when receiving actual sensory input. Actually, “Wait,” now that she thought about it, the weirdest part was, “were you aware while I was dreaming?” 

“Should I not have been?”

“Most people aren’t aware they’re dreaming,” Robin explained. “They generally experience everything going on as something that’s happening to them, including the actions they themselves take. It's like a story, and they’re just watching it happen without any agency. There’s a practice, called lucid dreaming, where people learn to become aware that they’re dreaming, and get to control the dream. I’ve always wanted to try it, but it’s never worked for me. Do you remember everything that happened in the dream?”

“I believe so.”

That was kind of disturbing. She chewed her bland nutrient bar as she thought about that. Dreams could also be raw manifestations of unconscious desires. The fact that he remembered them and she didn’t left her feeling exposed. It was going to be awkward as hell if she had a sex dream.

“A lot of people have trouble remembering their dreams,” Robin said after she had finished the nutrient bar. She put the foil back into her backpack and retrieved her last water bottle. “That’s because the part of the brain that encodes short term memory into long term memory is less active while we’re asleep, so we usually only clearly remember the parts of the dreams that happen when we’re partially awake. Some people can remember more of their dreams by thinking about them immediately after waking up, or journaling about them, which helps intentionally encode the short term memory into long term memory.”

“Is it not distressing to have incomplete memories?”

Robin sipped her water and shrugged. “Not really. Dreams can be entertaining, but if I don’t remember what happened, it’s not like I’m missing out on anything actually important. Now that you’re here though, I’m mildly concerned about what you might see that I might not even know about.”

“That bothers you.”

It was an observation, not a question. Robin was reminded that he had mentioned biofeedback. She supposed that functioned as a kind of empathy. All emotions had both a physical and a mental component to them. If he could feel every physical sensation that she felt, then he would be able to make a good guess of what emotion she was experiencing. She wasn’t sure how she felt about him being able to read her like that. It wasn’t too different from other people reading her facial expressions, just… more invasive. He was an alien, though. Would he even understand a lot of the physical responses her body had to emotions? He apparently did to some extent, to understand when she was bothered.

“How about this,” Robin started, trying to keep the conversation on track. “The next time I’m dreaming, try telling me I’m dreaming. It would be interesting to see if you could induce lucid dreaming. Perhaps if I’m more in control of my dreams, it will be less disorienting for you.” It could also potentially make it easier for her to remember her dreams, and make it less likely for her dreams to contain something embarrassing.

“Very well,” Al-An agreed. “The experiment is worth the attempt. What would you do in a lucid dream?”

That was a good question that deserved some thought. “I’m not sure,” Robin said slowly. “Probably fly. One of the best dreams I ever had let me float around in the air weightlessly, but still in total control of my body. It was pretty fun. I’d like to do that again.”

“Then I shall remind you to make the attempt.”

Robin smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

[virtues-end]

Your explanation about the Words of Power and if Shea had to use them in the past depending on how we headcanon our MC had me wondering.

Will we get in-game flashbacks about MC's and Shea's first meeting, or is it purely headcanon based with only passing mentions?

Asking because I can't help but imagine my MC just scared of Shea at first, to be honest? Because of how afwul the previous keeper was and all. Like, considering my MC is a barghest, I guess the dog comparisons are all the more accurate, so I'll go with that. It's like the idea that even a dog who bite its previous owner because of mistreatment won't necessarily be bitting any human - it may instead just be scared of other people instead, and once you gain its trust, it will probably be even more loyal and devoted to you than most other dogs. This is sort of what I imagine, but I don't know how much of this is up to our choice!

By the way, if this won't be in the game itself or if you don't consider it too spoilery, what did Shea think back then, if the MC was just genuinely scared of them when they met?

I'd like to include in-game flashbacks eventually. To the MCs time with Shea, or perhaps that first year after they woke up. Or even previous jobs with Shea. I've also considered writing them as separate snippets, but to be perfectly honest I've never much enjoyed writing those (and would much rather focus on writing the game). I also like having everything in one place, available to the reader. :-)

I have written some snippets in the past, however. One from the POV of Shea, and the other from the MC. They're a bit old, but I do still like them. I might even rewrite some of them and add them to the game eventually!

the clearing / imprisoned

Beware that they might contain some spoilers (the clearing specifically).

[narianders-gt-hell]

Untitled Space G/t Whatever

A.N.: I have some old writing on my phone that’s got The Sauce™️ but I know I’m not gonna do anything with it, so!!!! putting this snippet here pls enjoy !

-

March furrowed his brows and looked away. “Have I been that obvious?” he asked quietly.

Well, quietly for a human. The question still rattled Varka’s bones even in the lower gravity of his habsuite. The translator attached to her ear spat his rumbling language out as something she could understand. She nodded, tucking a few bioluminescent frills out of her face. Human faces were expressive, even when they weren’t the size of a billboard. “Painfully so. Now get over here so we can practice.”

He stood up slowly, continually asking if she was okay with each or his movements. She nodded and ignored the survival instincts screaming at her that an absolutely massive predator was coming her way. She ignored them as he set his hands down on either side of her. She ignored them as one of those massive hands slid towards her until it eclipsed her view of the room.

She rooted herself to the spot, repeatedly reminding herself that this was March. He’d been under her command for years now, she’d laughed with him, cried with him, they’d swapped stories of their families, she knew him.

Breathe in. He takes another step towards her.

It’s been fifteen years.

Breathe out. Another step.

He wasn’t a monster.

Breathe in. Another step.

He’s not a monster.

Breathe out. Final step.

He sure as shit didn’t need her to flinch right now. She sucked in a deep breath and looked up, gulping nervously when she realized he wasn’t looking at her. His upper body towered over her, a wide expanse of fabric covering a muscled torso larger than most megastructures back home. It reminded her of the first time she made contact with humans.

———

There were five of them touring the utterly massive server complex where she used to dataweave subspace networks. She knew they were coming, it was all anyone could talk about, but she didn’t ever sort out when. Thinking it wouldn’t affect her work, she kept plugging away at algorithmic data categorizations within one of the crystal storage silos that ran along the walls of the temperature controlled, man-made cavern.

Every once in a while a transport vehicle would thunder past her, tossing her hair around her facd and blasting her with the roar of its engine. She was so used to this phenomenon that she barely noticed anything amiss until the house-sized crystal she’d been making adjustments to began to move. Two massive, fleshy…things were grabbing it on either side, gently wiggling the whole crystal out of its socket. Normally it’d take a team of workers hours to maneuver these crystals onto huge transport buses, but whatever held it now was doing the job in less than a minute.

The crystal was pulled away entirely, and in its stead was the largest eye she’d ever seen. Varka screamed and prayed to the gods that whatever it was would make her death quick and painless. The skin around the eye creased, making an expression caught between bemused and sheepish. Everything around her shook with the weight of the alien’s nervous laughter. A few moments later the eye pulled away, and the crystals that surrounded her silhouetted what she recognized as the face of a human woman with dark brown hair tied in braids and bright, ochre eyes. The huge being smiled apologetically, holding up the datacrystal as if asking for permission to put it back.

She was gorgeous. Why had no one told her that humans were pretty? All anyone talked about was how terrifyingly huge they were, no one prepared her for the prettiest alien monster she’d ever seen in her life. She mentally kicked herself for not looking it up beforehand. Varka slapped her cheeks a few times to snap herself out of it. She a deep breath and looked up at her, pointing to the now-empty port and then the crystal. “Put it back, please!” she shouted, unsure of whether or not the human could even hear her. She seemed to get the message, though, getting closer until the only thing Varka could see was the crystal and the appendages holding it. The crystal locked itself in place with a loud click and it flushed blue to indicate a successful reconnection to the network. Through the small window of space between crystals, she caught the human woman waving to her, followed by her four colleagues. Each one of them turned to look at her, and every time she met their gaze she froze up.

That was possibly the most intense experience of her life. She would be perfectly content if she never had to do that again.

Unfortunately, the gods had a pretty sick sense of humor.

Later that night, her supervisor informed her she was invited to the human ship, and that she should be grateful for the opportunity. “Humans open a lot of doors, Ms. Careti, you should accept their offer.” What was she supposed to do? Refuse the terrifying giants and incur their terrible wrath? So here she was, pacing back and forth outside an airlock built for smaller species. It still managed to dwarf her. She fidgeted with the buttons on the only work jumpsuit she had that wasn’t stained with coolant, messed with her fronds in the reflective dark screen of the unlit terminal, and dithered back and forth on whether or not to push the electric blue call button. She hissed and let out a small “Fuck it.” under her breath, slamming the button before she could think twice about it.

The screen flickered to life in an instant. The human onscreen looked shockingly…normal. His features were still alien, but he looked similar to a number of other bipedal mammalians she’d see walking around the station. The only difference they shared now was their skin tone and his distinct lack of fronds. “Hey!” the human grinned, waving excitedly, “Jada’s really sorry about scaring you, by the way.”

“IS SHE HERE?” someone shouted from offscreen. The woman from before came careening into view, shoving the other human out of the way. Varka was again struck stupid by how stunning she was. Her braids floated around her face, and her excited smile made Varka’s stomach do backflips. If they were the same size when they met the first time, she was sure she’d have flirted a little. She brushed her hair out of her face and smiled at Varka. “Hi! Hi, hello, how are you? I am so sorry about the thing with the data crystal!” she said nervously, “And, uh, sorry for scaring you! I wasn’t thinking when I took that crystal, I just saw that it needed to be replaced and I hadn’t even considered that someone would be there doing maintenance already. If you want to stay out there it’s totally fine, but um, feel free to come inside!”

Another human off camera groaned. “I thought we weren’t—“

“We’re being polite!” she hissed, cutting them off, “A-Anyway, I’m Jada! The human you were talking to before is Alex, and the one currently being rude is Gamma. Reese and Carlin are…somewhere on the ship, probably doing maintenance. They were nervous, y’know?”

Varka couldn’t stop herself from laughing. A human? Nervous about her? Insane.