#So tiny snippet

[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."

[starlightvld]

Up in Smoke

(Also on AO3)

The first time Ghost rips the cigarette from Soap's mouth, drops it on the ground, and stomps on it as he passes by, Soap is too stunned to say anything for a full ten seconds. They've only been working together consistently for a couple of missions, and even as his superior officer, the audacity of the action floors him.

By the time his brain restarts, Ghost is long gone.

--

The second time Ghost steals Soap's cigarette, he bursts out in a string of Scottish curses and tackles Ghost from behind before the wanker can drop it on the ground. An impromptu sparring match ensues, fists and curses flying. 

Afterward, he doesn't feel much like a cigarette anymore — not with the split lip, anyway. Besides, the buzzing under his skin that usually drives him to smoke is just... gone.

Price catches wind of the incident, of course, and calls them into his office a few hours later. By that time Soap has calmed down enough to be... maybe not okay with it, but at least able to see the humor. 

"What's this about you muppets scuffling by the smoking area?"

"Just a little sparring to blow off steam," Soap says.

"Ghost?"

"Nothin' to worry about, Captain."

"No? I've got one soldier who looks like he just got back from a bar fight, and the other..." He squints at Ghost. "He get a hit in on you, too?"

"Yeah," Ghost replies in that deadpan tone of his. "Coupla black eyes."

It's a joke. 

Ghost is telling a joke. And it's objectively not funny. It's not. But Soap bursts into hysterical laughter all the same. 

The corners of Ghost's blacked-out eyes crinkle. 

Price rubs his temples before dropping his hand on his desk. Soap presses his lips together to contain his laughter.

"Sparring happens in the gym. I'm sure you know the place. It's where we have things like mats and gloves. I catch you two bare-knuckle fighting again, and you will regret it."

And it's enough to sober Soap up. He avoids Ghost as he ducks away to catch dinner.

--

The third time... well, no. He supposes that's really the fourth time. 

Because the actual third time, Soap had come back from a shit mission where everything went wrong. Intel was faulty, exfil was delayed, and people under his command died. It didn't happen as often in SAS as it had in the regulars — the soldiers here were well-trained and hard to kill — but that made it all the worse. 

When Ghost tried to pluck the cigarette from his mouth, Soap growled. 

"Back the fuck up, Lt. Or Price is gonna be disappointed in both of us."

Ghost paused, and their eyes met. Slowly, Ghost lowered his hand. 

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Fuck no."

"Thank God."

Soap didn't have it in him to even huff a laugh. He took a long drag and blew the smoke away from Ghost as a peace offering.

To his surprise, Ghost didn't leave. He spun around and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. They stood there together, utterly silent, as Soap let the heat and sting in his lungs soothe the beast inside that wanted to rip the world apart.

When he was done, though, he was surprised to find he didn't want another. Usually after shit missions, he'd stand there and smoke half a pack before his hands would stop shaking.

He finally met Ghost's eyes. The man quirked a barely visible brow.

"S'pose we should take it to the mats this time?"

Ghost pushed off the building and started walking. Soap followed like a lost child looking for a way home. 

--

The fourth time is in Chicago. His hands are shaking not from losing soldiers but from almost losing his own life. The cigarette trembles in his grip as he stands outside the bar, the biting wind turning his fingers and probably his lips blue. He lifts it to his mouth, inhaling deep—

And then it's gone.

The whine that bubbles up from his gut and bursts from his throat is nothing short of humiliating. But God. God. He needs it.

"Not now. Please, Ghost."

"Why?"

Ghost hasn't thrown the cigarette down. Yet. He cocks his head to the side and gives Soap a long look. Soap can only tremble from the cold and a need that goes deeper than a simple hit of nicotine.

"I just... I need it."

The cigarette drops to the ground, but Soap doesn't have time to lament the loss before that same hand is curling around Soap's neck and pulling him into a fucking massive chest. The other arm comes around Soap's shoulders and...

Ghost just stands there, holding him. And Soap can't help melting into the warmth and solidity of the man who saved his life just hours ago. He dares to curl in deeper. To raise his hands and clutch at Ghost's jacket. To let a few, silent tears escape his tight control.

Finally, his muscles relax. Ghost must feel it, because he turns and leads Soap back toward the bar.

"Why do ye even care?" Soap mumbles from his spot tucked into Ghost's side.

"Because those things'll kill ya."

Soap supposes the "I like you alive" is implied at this point.

--

Soap loses count after Chicago. He gets stretches of days when Ghost is on a solo op or out with one of the other operators when he can smoke in peace. So he does.

At first.

He's been hooked since he was a rebellious teen trying to make his mark on the world. He's tried to quit multiple times, but it never seems to stick. The first bad mission or adrenaline-filled near miss and he's back at whatever smoking spot he can find, puffing away.

He finds himself trying to cut back, though, even when Ghost is away.

Any time Ghost is on base, all bets are off. In addition to darting by and making a grab for it or sneaking up behind him and flicking it out of his hands, Ghost has gotten more creative. Sometimes Soap will pull out a cigarette only to find he's "lost" his lighter. Sometimes the cigarettes themselves go missing — he clutches his chest and mourns all that wasted money whenever a whole pack disappears. 

He supposes it's all just going up in smoke anyway, though.

He should be angry. But in truth, it's almost a relief to hand over the reins to Ghost. To let the man help him by annoying the shit out of him until he wants to give up on it entirely.

Which is definitely the point. Ghost has made that perfectly clear.

So, whenever he gets the urge to calm his racing thoughts or overactive mind with a cigarette, he finds Ghost and annoys him instead. They talk, or spar, or simply sit in silence together, doing their own thing. Ghost doesn't often touch him — their moment in Chicago is still the closest Soap's ever gotten to the elusive Ghost — but he also doesn't push Soap away when he slumps into Ghost's side after a hard day or leans over his back when he's sitting at the table in the 141's common area on base.

The urge doesn't go away, of course. And sometimes, when things get really bad, Ghost will just sit or stand with him like he did the third time. Still, he finds himself smoking less and hanging out with Ghost more.

--

The last time Ghost steals a cigarette from Soap, he simply stands beside Soap and holds out his hand. Soap immediately knows something has gone terribly wrong. Still, he's too invested in the game now to not hand the cigarette over.

He nearly keels over when Ghost pulls up his mask and takes a long, hard drag. Soap watches in fascination as his cheeks hollow, his neck muscles strain, his lips curve around the paper. It's erotic in a way he really shouldn't be thinking about in regards to his emotionally unavailable superior officer, but the knowledge hasn't stopped him yet. Since that day in Chicago — probably before if he's honest — he's only ever wanted to be closer.

Ghost coughs a little and hands the cigarette back.

"Fuck. Just as disgusting as I remember."

"Ye used to smoke, then?"

"Before I joined up, yeah. Hated it, though."

"The smell? Or—"

"Everything. The taste, the smell, the heat..." Ghost trails off, his hand rubbing over his bicep in a strangely specific way. He shakes his head and looks back at Soap. "Not your problem, Johnny. Forget about it."

Soap's hand is darting out, fingers curling into Ghost's jacket, before he's properly thought through the action. Ghost pauses before turning back. They stare in silence for a moment until—

Soap stubs out the half-burned cigarette and drops the butt in the trash. He licks his lips. Glances up at Ghost. The mask is still sitting on his nose, and Soap stares at his lips for longer than he should before pulling the pack out of his pocket and throwing it in the trash, too.

"Cannae have ye thinking I stink, can I?"

"Too late."

But Ghost's throat bobs with a hard swallow. Soap wets his lips, takes a step closer, and uncurls his fingers to slide his hand up Ghost's chest until his fingertips are resting on Ghost's shirt collar.

"I dinnae think it is."

Ghost turns and walks away. Soap closes his eyes and drops his hand, internally cursing his impulsive behavior. The scuffing of boots walking away from him is like nails on a chalk board.

Until they stop, and a gruff voice calls out, "You comin'?"

A slow smile slides across Soap's mouth. "No' yet."

A huff — exasperation? laughter? a bit of both? — before, "Better get movin' then."

And Soap has never been more glad to follow an order.

[bumblingbabooshka]

I have an idea for making Seska and the Kazon more interesting (less Klingon-lite) and it's by making it kinda Seska v Chakotay (based on the episode where Chakotay helps that Kazon kid) Basically, the Kazon are this severely fractured group of historically disenfranchised and preyed upon people (they were literally enslaved by the Trabe who took their homeworld, kept them living in squalor while the Trabe lived in luxury, and are still trying to kill them. This is canon and it's insane that the Kazon are still the bad guys overall. Like, they're painted as this incorrigibly innately violent mass of idiots it's SO bad.) Basically my idea is that Seska, as a Cardassian and a spy, is someone who's used to infiltrating and subjugating groups. So I was picturing Voyager being attacked by the Kazon and accused of helping the Trabe again. Voyager says they absolutely would never help the Trabe or anyone else kill people and learn that swaths of Kazon have been being killed and captured and that all the evidence leads to Voyager. The Kazon Voyager interacts with from here on are acting notably different. Far more paranoid, cagey, and gruesome in their violence. B'Elanna remarks that it feels almost Cardassian. This (Voyager's involvement) is eventually revealed to be a Trabe plot (they're pissed Voyager backed out of helping them assassinate the Kazon's leaders) but what the audience knows and Voyager doesn't yet is that Seska is working WITH the Trabe. Playing both sides. As a spy within the Kazon she can make them more vulnerable to the Trabe and the Trabe have WAY more power and resources so of course Seska's gonna be on their side. Chakotay is the first one to figure this all out and he can't believe that Seska would do something like that. Not Seska specifically, anyone. Here we get more into the Maquis and Chakotay's thoughts and feelings on why he initially joined and how he feels about the movement now (still very passionately positive I refuse to believe otherwise). I hate the idea media LOOOVES to push that people who use violence in pursuit of noble goals 'pollute' that 'pure' goal or are 'just like their oppressors'. Shut uuup kill Cardassians kill the Trabe.

So Janeway's like this is incredibly unfortunate but now that we've cleared Voyager's name we really can't interfere with whatever's going on. Chakotay thinks Seska's doing something but we don't know for SURE and I don't wanna involve us unnecessarily let's just go. Chakotay argues against this and there's a tense moment during the meeting where it seems like there's gonna be a fight but Chakotay momentarily lets it be and instead speaks to Janeway one-on-one where we get much the same result. Ends on a sour note where Chakotay says he respects Janeway but their 'blended' crew is looking a lot like a Starfleet one. (He means this sort of behavior is exactly what he left Starfleet over: Inability to do enough good in his eyes due to a desire to remain more Neutrally Benevolent.) Later we get a scene of Chakotay talking in private to Neelix. They're using vague, mysterious language bc it's tv. After this we get hints that Chakotay's been talking to people in secret but we aren't told who or why. Eventually, several episodes later, Voyager is in a pinch and at the climax of the conflict someone helps them out of an impossible situation. The Kazon! Two different sects in fact which is highly unusual. It's revealed that Chakotay has been communicating with the Kazon behind everyone's back. He obviously hasn't told them anything about Voyager or given them anything which Neelix (who's been helping him) found hard to believe. He, along with all others in the delta quadrant, didn't think much of the Kazon but with one stone we've showcased both that the Kazon are like, people. Who want to live peacefully and are capable of working together which canon and the Trabe say is impossible. AND that Chakotay is excellent at convincing and uniting people. Honestly, Janeway and Tuvok conspired behind Chakotay's back enough that he deserves to do it at LEAST once and it's for an excellent cause. The Kazon show Voyager proof that Seska's been playing both sides using Cardassian tactics the Maquis recognize. She has the ear of the strongest sects as well as the Trabe. If Voyager doesn't help the Kazon, they're all going to be wiped out or enslaved again, the Trabe taking their homeworld. Someone points out that the Kazon just saved their lives. Chakotay points out that since Seska's behind this and he brought Seska here- Janeway interrupts. We brought Seska here, commander. If she started this, we'll be sure to finish it. [to the table] Together. The crew, united, (along with the Kazon!) all agree enthusiastically. Ideally, you know, there wouldn't be these third parties coming in to help the Kazon as if they Kazon are incapable of helping themselves but I'm formatting this as a Voyager plotline so that can't happen entirely - the main characters have to be involved BUT leaving off with them having two sects as allies gives us room to have Kazon characters interacting positively with the crew and each other. Maybe there could be two reoccurring characters from different sects and them slowly getting along in a genuine way acts as like a microcosm of what the Kazon can do (and parallels Starfleet v Maquis). I want it to be made clear through this plotline that the image of the Kazon as violent thugs is largely manufactured by the Trabe and their guarding of and constant quest for more resources is due to their background of having nothing. I hope connecting them to the Maquis in how they're painted and the Bajorans in how the Trabe and Cardassians exploit them also makes it seem less like the Kazon are idiots with no culture besides violence and more like this could happen to any marginalized group. Also Seska seems like such a villain to Chakotay specifically that I think they should get to fully duke it out. Ideologically.

[utilitycaster]

Talking as players outside the game is an incredibly important part of having good PC/PC D&D relationships, and obviously the characters involved in the relationship talking to each other in meaningful ways is crucial, but I think the importance of talking in-game in depth to other people is really underrated, in that it not only tells the other player what your character is feeling without having to reveal it in-game to them, but also serves to engage other characters in the story and deepen those platonic bonds to the point where they might even serve as confidants or wingmen. To give a bunch of examples and what they achieved:

Vax telling Gilmore he didn't want to string him along made it clear out of game that his feelings towards Keyleth were his priority, even though it happened where the other characters were not able to hear.

Similarly, Vex giving her blessing eventually after her initial resistance signaled to Liam that this would not be a major break between the twins.

Vax asking Vex what she intended to do about her feelings for Percy served not only as an opportunity for her to voice them to someone; it also serves as a big green light for Taliesin as Percy to kiss Vex later that episode (which he had already from Vex's resurrection ritual, but it underscores it).

Pike talking about Scanlan with Keyleth and Vex allows her to make it clear that she does ultimately like a lot of things about him despite sometimes being annoyed, and her talking to him through her earring while Scanlan is very much not there but Sam is at the table also serves as this kind of green light.

Jester asking Veth about kissing in relationship to Fjord lets Travis know where Jester is at and invests Veth in-game in the relationship.

Caleb asking Jester if she's "sweet on [Fjord]" lets her openly reassess her feelings after an intense arc and also indicates in-game that Caleb has noticed.

Beau waiting to hear the sound of thunder signals to Ashley (who was not at the table but who was presumably staying updated on events) that Beau has feelings for Yasha; it also allows those playing Yasha (often Matt for pure RP and Travis in combat) to return that flirting, since the baseline was already established.

Possibly the most obvious example, but Beau and Fjord's conversation on Rumblecusp not only clarifies to the whole table where everyone is (opening the door, for example, for the scenes in the beer garden a few episodes later of Caleb having Fjord and Jester dance together and Caduceus encouraging Yasha to pursue Beau) but very much serves as a green light to Ashley and Laura respectively. This is then mirrored by them talking after Beau has asked Yasha on a date and Fjord and Jester have kissed, and everyone involved can "debrief" with their partners not present in-game.

As mentioned, this is mostly about PC/PC relationships because PC/NPC is an inherently different dynamic mechanically though still should be a conversation, but Veth describing Yeza and Jester asking Caleb about his feelings about Essek both give Matt clues for playing these NPCs and how things might be received.

FRIDA mentioning their crush on FCG to Deanna means it's not a complete surprise to Sam, since it is a very sudden relationship, and lets him prepare and decide how FCG would feel in the moment, and also establishes how Deanna will feel about it.

Similarly in the C3 Uthodurn arc, Fearne going to Chetney about Deanna is an incredibly good move from Ashley (to the point that talking about this is what led me to write this whole post). It lets Travis play out where Chetney is. It lets Aabria therefore hear not only where Chetney is, but also know that Fearne is potentially interested. It establishes a ton of the dynamics for a relationship that out of game everyone knows will not have a full campaign to play out since one of the characters involved is a guest. And finally, it signals to Christian as FRIDA what the situation is in case Deanna confides in them.

[wikitpowers]

sorry but reading this makes me fucking GIDDY

“dru is pulled into matters of faerie and the life of ash morgenstern”????? “kit and ty must solve a mysterious disappearance”????? jesus hold me

[heyimkana]

for my fellow jinwoo girlie @princeizuku

[candelias]

Maybe you'd like to read the first part

It was cold, that's the first thing they noticed.

They could barely see it for a moment before the creature looked down, towards its sacrifice, and froze solid. The green light in its eyes had surged like a wildfire, spreading and engulfing the entire cave, forcing silence upon them and replacing it with eerie shrill murmurs indignation whispers static. It had been moments of pure agony for all their senses, but eventually, it had subsided enough to lower the arms that covered their eyes and ears. It was cold. They could see their breath in the air around them, the walls claimed by bluish-green ice, tiny snowflakes falling slowly to the ground. The heroes' capes swayed gently in a breeze that was nonexistent before. The chanting had ceased, that was the second thing Robin noticed a split second later, dazed. Looking towards where his grandfather had been moments ago, now occupied by a massive pillar of the same ice that covered the walls. Only this one was darker, murky in a way that spoke of how contaminated what it contained was. A few feet off the ground in the center of the pillar, with eyes wide open and a grimace expressing the deepest terror, his grandfather lay.

It was cold, and Damian couldn't see his baba Richard anywhere.

[rotting-inkblot]

I like writing Jasper’s powers and trying to find the balance of his accent being both southern and proper

[source]

[kindahoping4forever]

I know it’s entirely possible 4/4 are in the studio working on the new album but I wonder why the only teasers we’ve been getting lately are of cashton. Do we think muke are working on something too but moving in silence, or cal and ash just happen to have more free time to be in the studio atm while the other two are doing other stuff? Either way, sooo excited for (hopefully) more cashton bangers on the new project 🤩

I feel like there are likely a number of elements at play here!

At this point, I'm sure they already have a general feel for the vibe and sound of the album, so it may not be imperative for everyone to attend every single session. 5SOS5 primarily has 4/4 writing credits but that has not always been the norm, traditionally their albums tend to have a lot of pair credits or even the occasional solo credit (alongside whatever outside collaborator they're working with, of course).

In the case of what we've been seeing recently, Cal and Ash appear to be in studio with Elijah Noll and Colin Brittain, who they (Cashton, specifically) previously worked with on "You Don't Go To Parties." It's likely that since the band already knows that Cashton works well with that team, it's not a big deal for them to write, demo or possibly even start laying down a track without the entire band present. (Also we don't know if Luke and/or Michael have been involved via Zoom/FaceTime!)

And like you mentioned, scheduling is probably a big factor as well. When we got the first post of Cashton footage, Calum had literally just gotten back from his Australia promo trip, Luke was still in Australia for his recent shows/Fashion Week and Michael was presumably still home in Georgia. With Cal's album release so close (and Michael gearing up for the GMAB! release and album announcement), it's plausible finding a window to get 4/4 in a room is just not currently practical. And! In addition to the craziness going on 5SOS-wise, since they last worked together, Colin Brittain has become a member of Linkin Park and so if they were set on working with him specifically, they'd have to plan around his touring schedule as well.

And of course, it's worth noting that in recent months, Calum and Ashton have been the most active on IG so just because there's been a lack of similar Luke and Michael content, that doesn't necessarily mean there hasn't been any, they could have just not shared it, yk? 😂

But whatever the case, I agree with you, I too am looking forward to (hopefully) hearing some new Cashton bangers whenever the project is complete 😌

[foundfamilymylove]

Imagine the chaos if the people in the indignity test suddenly came into the LCF world-

Dodam calling Cale 'the terrible bastard' while everyone is confused

Raon is happy knowing that even in another world, his human will always save him, just like he promised

Maybe even them fighting for Cale's attention

Both CHs look at each other warily but bond over the confusion that is known as Cale Henituse. Also, CH promises to teach indignity test CH how to become stronger to protect his new-found family. Cale is scared at this, as always

Alver laughing with a refreshed smile, while the younger him wonders if he's gone crazy when he sees how much paperwork he has.

Tiny Alver being happy when he sees that the dark elves, and them too, have been accepted by people. It only reaffirms the fact that he didn't make the wrong choice.

Baby KRS who is wary at first and sticks to CH like glue, however soon opens up with the help of the children. I can imagine Alver going 'Aigoo, why can't I have such a cute dongsaeng?'

However it's ruined when they teach baby KRS how to scam with a bright smile to get money (a critical hit to Alver)

(If you want angst then they wonder why KRS is here when he's so young, however they see how skinny he is still, his footsteps too quiet to not have been learned, the way his eyes were always looking for escapes and he hated people getting too close. The way he dissociates sometimes, just staring blankly at the wall. It's... unnerving, to say the least, to watch a child go so blank and unmoving.

It's clear that something terrible had happened, but both CH, KRS and Cale (to Alver) hold their silence, so all they can do is treat him with care.)

Tiny KRS and the children bonding.

Raon being taught by Eruhaben and Rosalyn.

If they still had the cintamani, maybe they could also dote on baby KRS and how cute he was as a kid, asking 20yr KRS why couldn't he smile at them like that and how such a cute kid turned into such a grump- (tsundere-

Them helping each other out for the future, and sharing concepts/ideas from their worlds.

Vicross having to babysit but he doesn't mind

Ron noticing the similarities between KRS and Cale and deciding to pay more attention to the two of them

Anyways, wow. This got way longer than I expected-

[jacklings]

He’s nothing more than a freshly blooded hunter who thought he could play Clan Leader. He is the disgrace of Clan Khos, a disgrace to honourable Yautja everywhere.

You bit off more than you could chew when you declared war, and now most of Yautja Prime want your head — but that’s alright. No matter what happens, you’ll die making him proud. Right?

war arc kai’lo gets an eyepatch yaaay :)

[dent-de-leon]

"Your Highness," Caleb said softly, head bowing as he dropped to one knee.

The throne room fell deadly quiet. Caleb ignored the dozens of Revelry armed to the teeth, the weapons all trained on him. All he could see was the tiefling standing before him, wide eyed and almost terrified. All the words between them left unsaid.

"Caleb," Kingsley choked out, voice wrung raw and desperate.

It made Caleb's own heartbeat stutter, hearing his name fall like that from King's lips, the bare warmth and want of it.

"You're--you're here. You're alive--"

Caleb could not yet bear to look at him. He kept his head hung as Kingsley drew closer, the heel of his boots echoing on the stone floor. Counting each passing second with meticulous precision, heart beating in his chest to the tick of a perfect clock. Eins. Zwei. Drei--

At last the tiefling stood towering over him, still and silent.

A muttered curse, a hiss of breath. A warm hand held flush to Caleb's own skin, fingertips delicately tipping up his chin--a brush of soft lips, pressed to the crown of his forehead in a tender kiss.

He held his back straighter as he arched to his full height (though still considerably shorter than Caleb), composing himself in the role of Plank King once more.

"Leave us," King commanded. "I wish to speak with the mage alone."

Footsteps fell away as the King's guard all filed out of the throne room, leaving only the distant crash of tides in their wake. And then they were alone--just the Circus Man and Magic Man again, no titles or masks to stand between them. And when Kingsley reaches for him, his touch is just as Caleb remembered--

[veveisveryuncool]

rock kandi nation im cooking

[wikiangela]

fuck it friday

tagged by @diazsdimples @daffi-990 @disasterbuckdiaz @fortheloveofbuddie 💖

a little more from alive shannon! I think I finished chapter 3 and I hate most of the last 500 words but that's for future/editing me to fix, so good luck to her, I'm moving on 🤣

prev snippet

___

He doesn’t know how long it’s been when he hears his phone ring. It sounds too loud in the quiet of the waiting room, everyone’s eyes turn to him. He quickly fishes his phone out of his pocket and sees Shannon’s name on the screen. He picks up, gets up and goes a little further away for some semblance of privacy.

“Hi, listen, now’s not really-” he starts, whispering, but is interrupted.

“Eddie, oh my god, are you okay?”

“I-” he sighs, leaning against the wall. He’s not. He won’t be until he gets his best friend back. That’s not what she’s asking, though. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“How’s Buck? Is he gonna be- I’m so sorry.” she says, pity in her voice. “I just saw the news, god, that was…” she trails off, not knowing how to finish the sentence. Yeah, Eddie gets that. He doesn’t know what that was, either.

“He’s in surgery now.” Eddie says, throat tight. “He should be okay. Though I don’t know about his leg.” 

“If you need anything-” she starts, and he thinks about Chris, currently staying with Carla – Eddie’s supposed to be home already. “You know I’m here.”

“I know. Uh, actually, Shan, could you maybe- could you stay with Chris tonight? I don’t want to have to ask Carla to stay too long, and I wanna stick around here. Wait for news.” he says tiredly. He knows there’s no point in being here. Buck’s in surgery, and after they’ll probably won’t be able to see him anyway, he’ll still be under anesthesia, and maybe they’ll let Maddie in. He could ask her to call him with news. Still, he wants to be here. He can’t leave, he just- he can’t. He knows everyone will leave soon, they’re all tired after the day they’ve had, and there’s no use to sit around at the hospital and wait. But he can’t leave.

___

no pressure tags: @elvensorceress @gaydiaz @diazass @thebravebitch @silentxxsoul @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @arthursdent @911onabc @housewifebuck @rogerzsteven @watchyourbuck @underwater-ninja-13 @eowon @loserdiaz @evanbegins @ladydorian05 @wildlife4life @nmcggg @diazpatcher @lover-of-mine @monsterrae1 @thewolvesof1998 @puppyboybuckley @weewootruck @buckaroosheart @spagheddiediaz @steadfastsaturnsrings @exhuastedpigeon @jesuisici33 @theotherbuckley @rainbow-nerdss @malewifediaz @giddyupbuck @jeeyuns @epicbuddieficrecs @pirrusstuff @honestlydarkprincess @hippolotamus @spotsandsocks @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @hoodie-buck

[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.

[deadgirlwalking91]

Been a little quiet lately. Have a tiny sneak peek at the next chapter of TYFTV as proof I haven't forgotten about it <3

“Nothing. Turns out she’s half-decent at her job, that’s all,” Adam muttered, fiddling with a loose thread that hung from his robes. “And maybe I should have picked up on it earlier, but I didn’t, so—what?”

She was staring at him, her mouth slightly agape and her eyes swimming with the one emotion Adam didn’t want to recognise.

Realisation.

“Adam,” she began softly, her brows drawn into a concerned frown. “Please tell me you didn’t—”

“I’m not telling you shit,” he said defensively, feeling his cheeks grow unusually warm. “None of your fucking business, anyway.”