#Sundry writes

[sigsfigs]

jane of all trades

@professorfcknmoriarty

[clarisinne]

if i was left to my own devices 50% of my meals would be milk and a ton of chocolate chip cookies/cereal, and the other 50% would be bread and cheese. but alas there's people in my life who care about me

[ginger-canary]

As in Orbit so on Earth, like the Stars are City Lights

Words: 2970

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Dimension 20 (Web Series), A Starstruck Odyssey, The Unsleeping City

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Pete Conlan | Pete the Plug & Sofia Lee, Sofia Lee/Margaret Encino, Sofia Lee & The Dream Team, Margaret Encino & Sundry Sidney, Pete Conlan | Pete the Plug/Maddie Park

Characters: Pete Conlan | Pete the Plug, Sofia Lee, Margaret Encino, Maddie Park, Sundry Sidney, Background & Cameo Characters

Additional Tags: Is it enemies to lovers if they just annoy each other first, crossover time, Vague Innuendos, Canon-typical violence (Sofia throws a punch)

Series: Part 1 of Like the Stars are City Lights

Summary: When the Wurst comes to NYC to get some tech updates with the help of Maddie, worlds come clashing together. It's a bit awkward, a bit weird, and Sofia's not down with this concept of holograms popping into rooms whenever they want to. Which Margaret finds hilarious.

For the @d20zinejam 2023, zine D20 rare-pair compilation zine! Follow the link to AO3 here, or enjoy the story under the cut!

Now while Pete had never even let Sofia meet 53\/3N , it didn’t take much for Sofia to admit technology had managed to evolve past her. That threshold was met when she arrived at Maddie’s place to hang out with her & Pete, and a hologram stared her in the face.

Sofia had just hung up her coat, kicking off her Louboutins and walked into the living room area of Maddie and Pete’s apartment when a full person seemed to appear out of nowhere. So she punched it- or rather- attempted to punch it. When her hand seemed to pass straight through it, she turned to Pete and asked, “why are video game enemies spawning in your livin’ room?!”

Pete, who’d just returned from the kitchen with a fresh pot of tea, began to laugh. “You just tried to punch Maddie’s friend, Margaret.”

She turned back to the figure that had stood up to her fists and watched as the woman crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. “Hello Maddie’s friend Margaret. I feel like I should say sorry but you did spawn into a room without warning and I do feel justified in my actions.” She took a step back to inspect the hologram a little more. Margaret seemed to sit in a large office chair, wearing a business suit and holding what seemed to be a mug labelled “daddy”.

Margaret shrugged and sipped from her mug. “I guess that’s fair. Hey Pete, I like your shirt.”

Pete looked down at his chest, finding one of his usual fishnet shirts. “Thanks.” He put down the large teapot he was still holding and gestured to Sofia. “This is my friend Sofie, by the way.”

Bewildered, Sofia moved to the couch. In thirty seconds she’d tried to fight Maddie’s friend, who was then revealed to be a hologram, who seemed utterly dismissive of her? Which felt at the very least a little insulting since Margaret herself was very pretty.

Pete noticed her silence. “Hey, are you okay?” He bumped his knee into hers.

She scratched her head. “I think technology just jumpscared me. Can I have some tea?”

As Pete poured two cups of tea, Margaret leaned forward and put her mug somewhere out of sight. “As much as I’m enjoying watching two buds just hang out in their living room, can either one of you get Maddie for me? I need a favour.”

Behind Margaret’s chair, a red haired woman with a laser eye and a gun hand appeared. “Miss Margaret, Barry’s been asking if- oh, who are your friends?”

Sofia pressed her hands to her eyes. “Hey, Pete? I think I’ve lost it. Whatever the fuck it was.” She lowered her hands and stood up, to see if it’d normalise the event a little bit. Instead, she watched both women eye her for a second before turning their attention to each other. Feeling the blood rush to her face, she took inventory of her outfit. Tight black jeans with ripped knees and a cropped leopard-print sweater that hugged her biceps. At least she had nothing to worry about in those terms.

“Hey Sid, can this wait? I need to have a quick chat with some friends first,” Margaret said as she wrapped an arm around Sid’s waist.

“Of course. You can just tell Riva when you’re done.” With a quick wave of her gun arm, Sid disappeared from sight.  

Sofia blinked twice and shook her head. “I’m goin’ to find Maddie before you do somethin’ weirder.”

~~~

The second time Margaret appeared, it was inside Sofia’s apartment during movie night. Esther firebolted the hologram, leaving a scorched hole in the wall through which Ricky’s axe flew. Pete jumped so bad he became a potted plant and Maddie laughed so hard she cried.

“You! What are you fuckin’ doing in my home?!”

Margaret looked bewildered, taking in the chaos she’d created. “Um. Maddie?”

“Yes?”

“I think maybe Sofia’s right and you should put a warning on my hologram.”

“Maybe?!” Sofia repeated. “You caused a hole to appear in my apartment!”

Esther and Ricky exchanged a sheepish look before starting the mending process. It was pure luck that her neighbours hadn’t been home.

Maddie promised Sofia that she’d put a warning on the hologram before retreating to Sof’s bedroom to discuss whatever Margaret had to talk about.

With a quiet poof, Pete returned to human form and groaned. “Why do I feel dry and sandy?”

“‘Cause your girlfriend’s friends with a maniac who loves to jumpscare us.” Sofia pulled Pete up from the couch and into the kitchen to get some water.

Later that night, as Sofia flopped onto her bed, she got a phone call from a weird number. She wasn’t planning on picking up but then the words “PLEASE PICK UP I’M TRYING TO BE NICE” appeared in her room.

Muttering a curse, Sofia picked up her phone. “Haven’t you done enough today? And also can you see me right now? How does this hologram thing work?”

Margaret laughed. “Alright, Sofie. No, I can’t see you right now. Would you like me to?”

Sofia mouthed a curse as she felt the blush rise to her cheeks again.

“As for how it works- long story short; it’s basically like a phone call without having to pick up. I could’ve just holo’d you but I felt that you may attempt to kill me again.”

Sitting up, Sofia replied, “just holo me.”

Within seconds the form of Margaret appeared in her bedroom, this time wearing a tight dark green skirt and a white button up. She sat crooked in her chair with her legs swung over one of the arms as she held a phone between her fingers. “Hi.”

Sofia raised her eyebrows. “To what do I owe this honour?” she deadpanned.

“I wanted to apologise.” She held her hands up in mock surrender. “Maddie and I have been friends for a while so usually I can manage to text her before I holo in. But lately we’ve been talking about some major upgrades to our ship that she could do, so it’s a little time sensitive.”

Sofia decided to leave the whole ship thing for later, she could just ask Maddie about that. “For how long have you been able to just appear in my apartment?”

“Maddie brought the device with her. It’s over there, near your PJs.” Margaret pointed between Sof’s rumpled sheets. “She left it here because I told her I wanted to apologise to you but I guess she forgot to give you a heads up.”

Sofia picked up the small black device, flipping it over in her hands. It had two obvious buttons, a red and a green one. She pressed the red one and Margaret disappeared, laughed, then pressed the green one.

Margaret reappeared looking a little ruffled. “Hey!”

“You deserved that and you fuckin’ know it.” Sofia grinned.

“That’s fair,” she sighed. “Anyway, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for ruining some of your nights. After Sunday I won’t be popping in unannounced anymore, I promise.”

“Sunday?”

“We’re coming in tomorrow for a few days so Maddie can help make those upgrades.”

Sofia leaned forward. “You’re going to be here tomorrow.” A plan was forming in her mind.

“Yes. Do you have any recommendations while we’re in NYC?”

“Just one. If you pop in unannounced in real life you are going to get punched.”

Margaret laughed. “Okay, feisty.” She glanced at something out of Sofia’s view. “I should let you go now, it’s getting late. You can add me to your contacts if you’d like.”

“Uhuh, I’ll call you if I ever need… a ship.” Sofia grabbed the holo remote. “I’m leaving this in my living room since you can pop in unannounced.”

“Why, got a booty call coming over?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Sofia pulled her hair out of a ponytail and ran her hands through it. “No, the only piece of ass calling me this time of night is you.”

“I don’t hear you complaining about the view.” Margaret leaned forward, grinning.

“Alright babe, I’m leaving you in the living room,” Sofia said- though she couldn’t help watching the way Margaret’s shirt left a nice view. “If you need anything, you should probably call Maddie because I’m no tech guru.” She got up and walked the device to her living room.

“What time do you get up?”

“Don’t make me take out the battery.”

“Alright, fine.” Margaret leaned back. “Sweet dreams.”

“Yeah, yeah I’ll ask Pete. Goodnight.” Sofia pressed the red button and sighed as the room went dark. “I don’t even understand what I’m dealin’ with,” she muttered to herself.

~~~

As promised, the giant hot dog shaped ship docked early the next morning. Because it wasn’t a regular ship and actually a fucking spaceship they decided to land it in the yard of Sofia’s monastery. She had been involved in that decision, mainly because the backup idea was trying to cram it into Gramercy or landing it in central park. And Sofia was not going to let Em suffer like that.

The rest of her order looked mildly distressed as the Wurst landed and a collection of mismatched people came out. Sofia shook her head and returned to her office. She’d have to wait until all the hubbub was over to get her revenge.

When part of the ship’s crew had set out to explore NYC, Sofia left her office again. She’d taken the time to cast Pass Without Trace, and smiled to herself as she easily slipped into the ship. It didn’t take her long to find Margaret’s office, where the woman was sitting in her office chair going over some paperwork.

Sofia pulled the chair back. “Hello.”

Margaret jumped three feet into the air, yelling what Sof could only assume to be intergalactic curses as paper went flying everywhere. Breathing heavy, she turned her chair around and looked at Sofia with wide eyes. “Why the fuck would you do that?”

“Revenge, babe.” She grinned. “It’s what you deserved.”

Rubbing her chest, Margaret said, “I guess that was fair. Can you help me pick up these papers now?”

Together, they reorganised Marge’s hellscape of files and stacked it neatly on her desk.

Margaret eyed Sofia’s workout clothes with zero subtlety. The tight leopard print leggings and sleeveless top did exactly what Sof wanted it to. “You look different today.”

“That should be my line. I have to be honest, I didn’t think you owned sweats.” Sofia reached out and tugged on one of the strings of her hoodie. The basketball shorts were an interesting choice.

“I don’t have any calls today, nor do I have to go outside so why would I dress up?”

“For me.”

“For you?” Margaret sat up in her chair.

“Are you honestly going to try to convince me you didn’t think it’d be a little funny to try and surprise me?”

Margaret toyed with the hair tie around her wrist. “Okay, true. But I wasn’t going to do it in the morning, and I would’ve changed first.”

Sofia smiled. “Well, since you’re already dressed like this I think it’s time for you to be ambushed by my work.”

“What do you do exactly?” Marge looked around the room with concern, as if more Sofias could pop out any moment.

“I’m a monk.” Sofia pulled Margaret out of her chair and pushed her down the halls. “You are going to check out one of my classes.”

“Is it meditation?”

“Fuck, no.”

~~~

Margaret lay on the floor of the dojo, ignoring Sofia’s outstretched hand. “No, I've had enough of this. This is not an intermediate self defence class. This is a Sofia offence class for me.” She pulled up her hoodie to wipe the sweat off her face, too tired to enjoy the way Sofia’s focus slipped.

“I have to be honest, I thought you’d be better at this.” She tugged at the end of her ponytail.

“What part of tech girlie do you not understand? Battles are when I do my online banking.” Marge propped herself up on her elbows.

“Oh most of it, probably. I didn’t think your girl with the gun arm was doing all the lifting for you.”

“Sid?”

Sofia nodded.

“We live on a spaceship. My average movement is generally pretty limited.” She reached out and pulled herself up via Sofia’s arm. “While I appreciate you showing me your work-” she squeezed Sof’s bicep. “I can promise you that if you’d let me watch I would’ve been much more appreciative.”

“Alright, babe.” She rolled her eyes but didn’t pull away. “Let’s take a shower and I’ll make it up to you.”

“In the shower?”

Sofia punched Marge in the arm.

After her shower, Sofia reached into the back of her locker. She always kept one more upscale outfit at the monastery, in case they’d have visitors or investors. Margaret seemed like the kind of woman who’d appreciate her dressing up and as much as annoying her was fun, she’d only be there for a few days and Sofia was not about to let time go to waste. She pulled on the neat black trousers and red sleeveless top, adding her Louboutins as a finishing touch. Dressed for success, she set off towards the spaceship again.

Margaret looked a lot happier in her business casual suit, the workout clearly not sinking into her muscles yet. She was, however, not done complaining about it. “I’m going to need about 10 cups of coffee to bring my energy back up again,” she said as they walked through the streets of NYC.

“Ah, you’re one of those. Well I’ll buy you coffee, I can’t promise you 10 cups.” Sofia shot her a look as they rounded a corner. “Mostly because I think you’ll spontaneously explode.”

Marge followed Sofia into a small corner cafe as she replied, “nah. That’d be too embarrassing of a way to die.”

“How do you take your coffee?” Sof gestured to the blackboard up on the wall, where many different coffee and teas were written out in neat handwriting. On the right side it showed several cookies, cakes, as well as their allergy information.

“Matcha latte, please.”

“You allergic to anything?”

Margaret raised her eyebrows but replied no. “Not unless you have material not from Earth here.”

“I mean, we got you now.” Sofia gestured for her to find them a place to sit while she ordered.

After a moment of looking around, Marge decided on a booth against the back wall, where the walls were decorated with famous authors from the Harlem Renaissance. At least, that’s what the little labels said- Margaret didn’t know much about American history. But the picture of Nella Larssen was wonderful.

“Here you go.” Sofia slid Margaret’s matcha latte across the table, along with one of the cafe’s homemade chocolate chip cookies on a colourful plate. She sat down on the opposite side of the booth and smiled.

“Thanks.” Marge picked up her mug. “Hey, is this a date?”

Sofia opened her mouth then paused, something fluttering in her chest. “Why do you ask?”

“So I know how to behave.”

“Is what I’ve seen from you not date-behaviour?” Sofia laughed.

Margaret laughed, her cheeks turning pink. “I’m less of a butt when I know I have a shot.” She tilted her head and looked at Sofia from under her lashes.

Sofia leaned forward. “Yeah, you do.” She sipped her coffee before saying, “yes. Yes, it is a date, if you’re cool with that.”

“Good. Then let me start by saying that you are so beautiful.” She took Sofia’s free hand, intertwining their fingers.

Sofia coughed and sputtered, setting down her coffee before she could choke. Squeezing Margaret’s hand, she pretended that hadn’t thrown her off balance. “Thanks. I’ve never seen someone look both so professional and so mischievous in a suit.”

“There’s gotta be time for both.”

The two women spent the next couple of hours getting to know each other in a way only two people from completely different worlds could. Hopping from topic to topic, telling stories that no one else could possibly understand. After a while, Marge joined Sofia on her side of the booth, pressing her knee to Sof’s and playing with her black curls.

“So…” Sofia bit her lower lip. “Do you think y’all will come back to Earth sometime?” She tapped her fingers on Margaret’s forearm.

“Yes,” she replied without a second thought. “Yes, if I have anything to say about it.”

“Cool.” She took hold of Margaret’s collar, pulling her closer until she could feel her breath on her lips. “I don’t want to wait around.”

Margaret craned her neck trying to close the distance but Sofia pulled back slightly, grinning. “Now who’s making me wait, hm?” She whispered, her eyes on Sofia’s lips, placing her hands on Sofia’s thigh.

“What can I say, you’re cute when you want something.” She moved her hand to the back of Margaret’s neck and kissed her.

She pulled back for a moment, savouring the feeling of Sofia’s lips on hers. Then, grinning, she pushed Sofia against the back of the booth and kissed her again.

Sofia wasn’t sure how she’d ended up here, making out in the back of a booth with a woman from space, but she didn’t think it mattered. The people who understood her best were always those from similarly weird and wild worlds themself. And for her, that was Margaret. There was a form of simplicity in the connection- one where they could ask any questions they needed to and express any feelings they wanted to. So when Margaret asked her if she wanted to get out of there, she grinned and nodded.

Together, they set off for Sofia’s apartment.

[yourbelgianthings]

nuts and bolts, androids and steroids

a sundrysyx fluff fic (2k words) as a surprise gift for @onehandkilling! no tws, i would say it's like pg-13, basically the same stuff the aso season itself has in it

When Norman Takamori first met his prospective crew for the Red Hot, he was not at all impressed. Norm was not a man who was easy to impress. His years with the Amercadian Space Brigade had left him gruff and cold. He stood in front of his ship, which resembled a hot dog far more than he would have liked, surveying the comms officer (an Aguatunesian floating in a large globe of water), the engineer (a human whose body was cyborg from the neck down), the two gunners (a unique all purpose android and a clone), and a businesswoman (a human) who would be working on the ship. At least she would be paying rent, Norm thought.

“All right, from here on out, you are the crew of my ship. Well, except for Ms. Encino, she works for some big company and is giving us money, so make sure she’s happy. I’m Norman Takamori, but call me Skipper. Do what I say when I tell you to do it, and there won’t be any problems.”

The five others looked at each other, unsure of what to do since the skipper had simply turned and left. They helped get the Aguatunesian onto the ship and into their larger water enclosure, then the android with pale skin, the long red ponytail, and one cybernetic eye wearing a retro pink waitress dress and roller skates spoke up.

“Hey y’all, I’m Sundry Sidney, the Swiss Army Wife! Or, that’s what they marketed me as. I can throw grenades, make drinks, and I even have pleasure protocols! I’m one of the gunners, and I’m happy to help out with anything!”

Everyone smiled and clapped. Then, Riva introduced themself, explaining that they were on their gallivant and had psychic communication, so not to get startled by that. The short cyborg with the bald head and Black skin was Gunthrie Miggles-Rashbax, but you could call him Gunnie. Margaret’s red hair was in a bob with bangs and she wore a skirt suit, introducing herself very briefly like she had somewhere better to be, and asked Sidney to bring an iced matcha latte to her office as soon as possible. Everyone stared silently as she retreated down the hallway until they couldn’t hear the click of her heels anymore. The last member of the crew, a large muscled man with a tan and shoulder length medium brown hair, wearing dark sunglasses, stepped forward.

“Well, I don’t know what her deal is,” he exclaimed as he took off his shades and tossed his hair, “but I’m Big Barry Syx, the other gunner with Sidney. Just call me Barry, and know that I’m down to be anybody’s bro!” With introductions complete, Riva swam away and Gunnie left to do some tutoring to earn extra credits towards paying off his body, leaving just Barry and Sid standing together. 

“Seems like it’s time for me to go make Miss Margaret’s drink, then,” said Sidney. She smiled at Barry and continued, “Pleasure meeting you, I think we’re gonna work together just fine.”

“Hey, I got nothing else to do tonight, and it sucks that you’re the only one who gets extra work. Would you mind some company?”

Sid stopped dead in her tracks. Nobody had ever offered to spend time with her as a friend before, let alone while she worked. She blushed, and quite uncharacteristically, nearly whispered, “Why, not at all,” before turning and skating down the hallway so fast Barry had to break into a jog to keep up with her.

Once she had gotten everything set up, Sid showed Barry all the steps of making a perfect iced matcha latte. He was disappointed to find out the drink contained no protein powder, which gave Sidney a good laugh, and she whirled around the kitchen faster than Barry could process, ending up right back in front of him with a chocolate protein shake served in a milkshake glass. He gasped in surprise.

“Oh man, Sid, you didn’t have to do all that extra work for me!”

“Don’t be silly,” she replied, “it’s nothing! Now you enjoy that, I have to go take Miss Margaret her drink,” and she squeezed his hand and skated off. Barry was still adjusting to not being around his other Barry bros all the time, but Sidney was different than anyone else he had met in his time on his own. He didn’t know what to do with this thought yet though, as Barrys were generally more inclined to action than reflection. So, he simply decided to wander around the ship until he finished his drink before going to bed. Over in her room, as she was about to power down for the night, Sundry Sidney also processed how their interaction was unlike any she had ever had before, her new fellow gunner seemed to see more in her than what she was programmed to do. It made her feel strange, but also excited to spend more time together. That night, Barry dreamed about the battalion’s trip to Uncle B.O.B’s Fantanimalland, and Sidney did not dream at all.

As the malton units passed and lengthened into nargons, the crew grew closer and developed an excellent working relationship. Well, everyone except the skipper. That was, he was still mean as ever, but nobody could deny his skill as a pilot. When they needed all hands on deck, even Margaret would put down her phone and close her laptop to help out. They made it out of a lot of risky jobs by the skin of their teeth. The life of a proldier was dangerous and unpredictable, but Barry and Sid still found moments to sneak away together. As good of friends as they all were, they enjoyed spending time with the whole crew, but the others could also tell there was something a little more going on between the gunners, so they would come up with reasons to leave the two of them alone. On one such night, when the movie had finished and Gunnie “needed to fix his calculator”, Margaret “had an important email to send”, and Riva had simply floated away with a wink, they found themselves the only ones left on the couch.

Barry cleared his throat. “Uh, great movie, right?”

“No, Barry, you hate that one and specifically said you didn’t want to watch it,” Sid laughed.

“Oh yeah, I did, didn’t I?” He blushed and awkwardly stood up. “Well, I haven’t done my foam rolling, so I should probably head out. Wouldn’t wanna get a cramp or anything, yknow…” trailing off, he turned and left. Sidney thought his shyness was adorable. In fact, maybe tonight would be perfect for that idea she had had in mind. She clicked on her comlink to the gunner channel.

“Hey Riva, are you still up?”

“Sure am,” came the reply.

“Oh great! Do you have any of that stuff you sell here on the ship?” she asked.

“Pleasure putty?” Riva’s voice instantly perked up.

“Excuse me?!” exclaimed Gunnie, and Margaret just chuckled. Suddenly, Norman Takamori’s voice was on the line, and he was furious.

“How many times do I have to tell you idiots that the gunner channel is only for the gunners to use in combat before you get it through your thick skulls? It’s not your goddamn party line, and don’t even bother trying to explain what’s happening right now because I do NOT want to know!”

“Sure thing, Skipper,” replied Sidney in her sweetest voice possible, “have a good night now!” She giggled to herself as she skated down towards Riva. When Barry heard a knock on his door, he jumped. He didn’t startle easily, but he must have zoned out without realizing it. As he opened the door to see Sid, a big smile spread across his face. He had secretly been hoping she would come.

“Hey, Barry! Skipper’s sure in a bad mood tonight, huh?”

“Oh, what?” Barry glanced at her quizzically. “I was in the shower so I didn’t hear anything, but I’m sure he was yelling about something like always.” Sidney mentally did a huge fist pump. Yes! He hadn't heard!

“You got that right,” she replied, “but that’s not why I’m here.”

Barry gestured for her to come sit on the bed next to him, which she did. “I really like you, Sid,” he told her. “You’re the best gunner partner a Barry could ask for. Well, besides another Barry.”

“I’m glad to hear I’m second best,” Sid teased, but she was clearly proud to be complimented on her work. “You’ve been working plenty hard too, Barry. While we’ve got a few martrons to ourselves, why don’t we” and pausing to pull the tin Riva gave her out of her pocket, “have a little fun?”

Barry’s jaw dropped and he blushed so much he felt like his head might explode. “Uh, hell yeah!” he exclaimed. Sidney leaned in to kiss him and it was all a wonderful blur of sensations, both physical and mental, from there. 

Some time later, they lay on the bed cuddling, Sid’s head resting on Barry’s very muscular chest, and their arms around each other.

“Hey Barry?” she asked.

“Hm?”

“Where are the other Barrys? You never call them or anything, and you seem sad whenever you mention them. You don't have to answer, I don’t want to ruin the mood or anything, but I’ve just noticed and kinda been worried. Barry’s eyes welled with tears Sid could not see from her position, and he took a deep breath.

“Damn, Sid, you are the most caring person I’ve ever met. Who else in the galaxy would have the best sex ever with me and then ask me how I’m doing like that?” Sidney sat up and replied as she gently wiped away Barry’s tears.

“Nobody, I’m the only one of me.”

“I had no idea. How about I tell you about the battalion and then you can tell me whatever you need to, okay?” He got a nod in response. 

“Just one sec though.” Sidney rummaged around in her bag and pulled out some red nail polish, holding it out towards him. “I don’t do well with just sitting and not doing something. Do you care?” Barry hesitated. Since being separated from the battalion, he had done his best to maintain the identical appearance he had always had to them, but he was here now, and nail polish wasn’t permanent. It was like a little gift from Sid. 

He said, “go for it,” and began to tell her about his time with the bros and all their adventures across the galaxy “unfucking the little guy.”

“I still can’t believe what Barry Nyne did to them.” Here he paused a moment before continuing, “It’s just the two of us left, but he betrayed the Barrys, so I don’t know if I can call him my bro anymore. It really sucks when I think about it too much, but honestly, I’ve been okay. Getting to know and work with people that aren’t just another you is different, but it’s not a bad change. This crew is the best!”

Sidney nodded. “Oh Barry, that’s terrible. I’m glad you’ve mostly been happy here, though. All your other clones would want you to still have fun and kick ass, I think.”

“You’re so right, Sid! You’ve got the true bro mindset!” Barry congratulated her.

“Hey now,” she laughed. “Don’t move yet, your nails aren’t dry!”

“Okay, okay!” and Barry settled in to listen to her story.

Sid recounted her daring exploits at the Handy Andi board meeting to escape a fate of destruction, and what she knew about her creator. “It’s just strange being the only one of my kind,” she mused. “I wasn’t built to need friends, but they’ve really been great.”

They both smiled and Sid reached out to take Barry’s hands (both of which were now dry). Without saying anything else, they knew that they were both less alone than before, and had a bro (or maybe something more) at their back all the time, not just when they were in the gunner stations.

[roses-and-sundries]

perseverance can be an ugly thing

I think there comes a time in your life

(or two, or three)

when you are very very old

and in so much pain

(age isn't a number. age is the experiences you have lived, the emotions you have felt, the thoughts you have had.)

(pain isn't always physical. it is the heartbreak you have endured, the grief you have faced.)

where you sit down on the couch

and stare at the wall

(it doesn't have to be a couch. it doesn't have to be a wall. you don't even have to be sitting. it can be standing numb riding the subway, it can be looking into the depths of the ocean, it can be staring unflinching at your reflection in the mirror.)

and say to yourself

(always to yourself. always said in the privacy of an empty room, or your mind.)

"i think I'm done."

(done with life. done with death. done with blood spilled and the endless passage of time. it is a very heavy feeling.)

and in that moment

the world ends.

(but you pick yourself back up, and carry on anyways.)

[tottymatsuno]

I went to love Todomatsu island and nobody was there

[obstinaterixatrix]

what're, like, your sentai recs? i've mostly gotten recommended carranger, kiramager (or was it magiranger?), and eiher changeman or flashman, and the only series i've SEEN is Donbrothers. which. uh. help

I'm actually not as versed in sentai, which I am gradually changing but 50 ep series are very long. my absolutely top pick much watch shows are:

Ressha Sentai ToQger: REALLY LOVE THIS SERIES!!! SUPER FUN DYNAMIC OF CHILDHOOD FRIENDS!!!! THE 6TH RANGER IS MY FAVE OF ALL TIME!!!!!! GENUINELY COMPELLING OVERARCHING PLOT WITH VERY WELL-PACED DEVELOPMENTS!!!!! THE VILLAIN POLITICS ARE REALLY INTERESTING AND THERE ARE A LOT OF VIBES!!!!!!! THE AESTHETIC IS REALLY GOOD!!!!!!!! MADAME NOIR IS THERE!!!!!!!!! MISS KOBAYASHI WROTE IT!!!!!!!!!! genuinely while watching the show there's a lot of moments where I go. wow. I'm glad kids watched this, there's a very positive message that's delivered in a gentle, kind, and entertaining way.

Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger: super fun. SUPER fun. all of the characters are lovable dumbasses in varying and overlapping flavors. everyone has super strong Just Some Guy energy and it's really interesting to have the majority of the sentai team be suit actors. I think one of the staff said something to the effect of the zenkaiger team being basically a team of losers and they are and it's very endearing. I also really like the writing here, not only is it REALLY funny, there's a lot of good drama with family stuff and one of the antagonists accidentally adopting himself to the main character's grandma, and the space pirates are also there being a nuisance. in general there's a really good variety of dynamics. Miss Komura is the lead writer if I remember right.

I'm in the middle of watching kaizoku sentai gokaiger right now, which is really entertaining. miss komura described the pirates in zenkai as 'pirates playing at being heroes' and the gokais as 'heroes playing at being pirates' and she's so right. the gokais are all like heh!!! we're pirates!!! we don't care about anyone but ourselves!!! and then they go and do stuff like pawn their jewelry so they can pay for meals at a restaurant

[spnexploration]

Love this comic from @life-and-sundry (I couldn't find it shared on their Tumblr page, only their Facebook page where I got it)

[susanhannifordcrowley]

Life Tools: Making Life Cozy, Part 2 By Susan Hanniford Crowley

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Chapters: 37/44 Fandom: Discworld - Terry Pratchett Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Lord Downey/Havelock Vetinari, Downey/Others Additional Tags: let your dad die energy drink is a direct inspiration for my restarting this story, everything is a poison, it's the dose that matters, Family Issues, Period-Typical Homophobia, Classism, AM is an early modern city, and so the values/social norms reflect that, Not Beta Read, We Die Like Men, Downey POV, Significant Age Difference, between downey and one of his past Decisions, like. Significant., it's very very May-December, typical sex acts you'd expect in this sort of thing:, Anal, Fingering, Blow Jobs, etc. - Freeform, some slurs show up in a sibling fight, there's potential dub-con - depending on where one's personal line is drawn Series: Part 3 of coveting desperate things Summary:

After No More a Desolate Thing Downey and Vetinari are muddling through this thing called a ReLaTiOnShIp. Unfortunate segues into the past which runs parallel to the present occur namely because families are a sticky business, always, and things that happened thirty years ago have a strange ability to cycle back through your life. Oh, and there's been a death.

 -----

Obligatory Excerpt: 

‘Sir?’ one of the students Downey is expected to mind comes up to him wearing a comically serious expression for someone who is ten and no more than four and a half feet tall. ‘Sir, I’ve a problem with my room.’

‘What’s that, then?’

The boy has a head of tightly cropped curls, dark eyes, and skin a deep charcoal, how it is in places in Klatch and Howdaland, also up in Genoa. His accent is one Downey cannot place, but it is a pleasant lilting thing. With continued gravity that does not sit naturally on his childish face, he motions for Downey to follow him to his room.

The boy has been granted a single room, which is rare for first years who often share with a roommate. Clearly someone of wealth or rank or both. Or, rather, the boy’s father is. In the room, Downey casts about but he finds nothing out of place.

‘Well? What seems to be the matter?’

‘I need a proper table, sir. For Frank.’

‘Frank?’

The boy gestures to a small glass bowl on his desk. Inside it is wilted lettuce and a stick. Up the stick crawls a small, garden variety brown snail.

Frank the snail makes an appearance. (I realize that Frank the Snail is a Niche Content Reference for literally one (1) person. Whatever.) 

Also we see Downey doing his first (disastrous) day teaching some snotty first years! Then we get some Downey & Vetinari content wherein they both say “I suppose it would kinda suck if you died” to one another, which is tantamount to “maybe we’re in love” for these two. 

[okami-zero]

Okay, listen, I need you to drop whatever you are doing right now (unless it involves something unstable, explosive or otherwise dangerous to do so) and check out this fic!

If ever asked what got me into FFXIV, there are several fics/writers I will happily name and boost. This is one of those, from the wonderful @traveleorzea​.

Seriously, this is an absolutely wonderful fic, with amazing introspection on a few well-known NPCs (and some stellar OCs) and just... wow. This was an amazing rollercoaster and while it is long (80 chapters, babyyy!) that is not a detriment, but a feature (and Halone’s tits, the “Slow Burn” tag is not kidding, but the payoff....wooo!) But yes, go! Read! Win! xD

On a light tangent, as I said this is one of several fics that got me to actually play FFXIV, and I would like to thank every single one of those writers who got me sucked in with your amazing writing and OCs, and for the amazing writers and fellow WoL-gushers that I have found since. You all inspire me and sometimes rattle the stuff in my head loose so I can catch it on a page to share.

[ginger-canary]

The Waters of NYC

Words: 2499

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Dimension 20 (Web Series), The Unsleeping City, A Starstruck Odyssey

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Riva & Sundry Sidney & Big Barry Syx, Riva/Em | Angel of the Waters, Sofia Lee/Margaret Encino (background)

Characters: Riva (Dimension 20), Sundry Sidney, Em | Angel of the Waters, Big Barry Syx, Sofia Lee, Margaret Encino

Additional Tags: When I say crossover I mean it, it's what they deserve, I took some liberties with Riva's powers let it go, Neurotypicals? In this economy?, Zine: D20 Zine Jam (Dimension 20)

Series: Part 2 of Like the Stars are City Lights

Summary: Part two to my crossover, sometimes love is between a sentient statue and a water-breathing alien. Riva, Sidney, and Barry go sightseeing while their ship is docked in NYC. They go to central park. We all know who lives in central park.

For the @d20zinejam 2023: D20 rarepair compilation zine. Follow the link to AO3 here or read under the cut!

Out of all the places to explore, Riva had to admit they were a little nervous about NYC. They’d looked up some facts and interesting places to visit while Maddie would be working on the tech upgrades. Sid and Barry had agreed to join them on their explorations, mainly because neither of them really felt like doing research.

Since this was an Earthly city, Riva had been concerned that they wouldn’t be able to explore at all but then Maddie told them about this Umbral Arcana that kept the not-so-standard creatures safe. With that information, and miss Margaret’s distracted blessing, the three of them had set off on their way. There were many places listed on the internet as “Must Sees” but Riva had picked some out that showed up on every list. Central Park was their first stop, and with some effort they took the subway there.

“Alright,” Riva said as they took their first steps onto the grass, moving to a less crowded area of the park. “Over there we have the Arsenal, which was a munitions supply depot for the NY state national guard. It’s supposed to look like a fortress.”

The three of them looked up at the building.

“They sure do fortresses differently here.” Barry squinted and lowered his sunglasses.

“It’s got the battlements?” Sid offered.

They moved along, skipping the central park zoo for obvious reasons and pausing to look at the sheep meadow. Sheep grazed lazily or lay down, napping in the grass- utterly ignorant of the people watching them.

“They look so cozy. Like grass is the best place to lay.”

Barry grinned and patted Riva’s drone’s shoulder. “Not to worry, you’re not missing out that much. Plus you’ll find pieces of grass everywhere afterwards. Now these sheep are really soft.” He reached out, brushing the back of a fluffy brown sheep.

Sid reached out and scratched the sheep behind its ears, who craned its neck, pressing against Sid’s hand.

Riva sighed. “Give it some extra pets from me.”  

After the sheep had (to Barry and Sid’s opinion) had enough pets, they moved along to the strawberry fields, utterly free of strawberries.

“This is false advertising, it’s just a field,” Barry sighed.

Sidney shrugged. “Maybe they were going to do real strawberry fields but people kept eating all of them?”

“It’s in memory of mister John Lennon who sang the song Strawberry Fields forever,” Riva recalled from their research.

Barry crossed his arms. “Still could’ve used strawberries.”

As they walked to the Bethesda fountain, they took a moment to watch kids play on the ancient playground. It was strangely grey and brown for something inspired by ancient Egypt, with the play structures pyramid-shaped and bricks stuck out at several levels so they were easy to climb.

“This seems… grim. I thought it’d seem more fun.” Sid tried readjusting her perception of colour but it had no effect.

Barry shrugged. “Not every playground can be a win. At least there’s slides.” He turned, moving to the Bethesda fountain with the others in tow.

“Woah. Now this is impressive.” He leaned over the edge of the fountain, skimming the water with his fingers.

Sid focused on the angel. “I like her wings, she seems rad.”

“Thank you.” The angel unfroze and sat down on her pedestal. “I’m Em. You guys must be from the Würst.”

Riva moved their drone to between Sid and Barry and slowly pushed both their raised guns down. “How did you know?”

Em focused on Riva. “I can see through the Umbral Arcana. While this is the United States, people don’t usually carry guns that big here.” She gestured to Barry. “Or have a gun for an arm, for that matter.” She smiled at Sid.

The gunners sheepishly lowered their weapons.

Sid smiled politely. “So you know about our ship?”

“Yes, Sofia told me. At least- she told me about a hot dog spaceship so I asked Ricky for more information. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Riva informed the other two that Ricky was the jacked guy they had met when the ship landed via a mind message. “So you’re… um.”

“A statue, technically.” Em gestured down at her body. “I’m a living statue. I was created to guard this fountain and I’ve been living here ever since.” She hopped down, wading through the water towards them. “How about y’all?”

Barry scratched the back of his neck. “Well, I’m a clone. But also a human, I guess?”

“I’m an android.” Sid waved her regular arm. “Built to do anything- except walk on grass with ease.” She raised one of her skates to show the blades of grass stuck between the wheels.

“I’m Aguatunisian,” Riva said. “But what you see is not me- it’s my drone. I can’t go out as easily as the others since I have to stay submerged in water.” They tried to keep the tone of loneliness out of their voice but as they floated in their tank, no one else in sight, it was a struggle.

“Ah, I understand.” The words sounded baffling. Em was a statue in a metropolitan, someone who never left their home and existed in one place for over 200 years. Riva had seen tens of planets, a nearly infinite amount of stars and creatures Em could not fathom. RIva was not made for a purpose, like Em. But Em still understood.

“I like your fountain, though.” Riva took inventory of the large basin.

“Thanks. I’d invite you to hang out here but it would probably take a lot of effort to get you here, huh?”

The group agreed.

“So I think you’re rad as hell, but I expected the strawberry fields to have strawberries and now I’m hungry. Riv, what’s the best place  to get some food?” Barry patted his belly.

“Oh, I don’t recommend grabbing food around here- everything’s a bit of a tourist trap.” Em gave Barry directions to the nearest bagel place that had been Dream Team approved.

Barry and Sid set off but Riva considered their options. “Why don’t you guys go ahead? I’ll stick with Em. I don’t eat in this form anyway.”

Sid opened her mouth to protest but seemed to catch Riva’s gist. “Okay. If you need anything you’ll talk, right?”

“Of course. Don’t get into trouble, okay?”

“No promises!” Barry yelled over his shoulder as they left.

Riva turned back to Em, happy that their drone could not blush. “I, um. I’m just curious.”

Em smiled. “Well, so am I. What’s your tank like?”

On the ship, Riva looked around trying to figure out how to describe their home. “It’s, well. It’s made especially for me. I have tubes running throughout the ship so I can explore which is nice.” They paused. “Sometimes I wish I could hug my friends more often.”

“None of your friends can breathe underwater?” Em tilted her head.

“No. Sid doesn’t need to breathe so I can hug her but she’s kind of a people pleaser and I don’t want to pressure her.”

Em stepped over the ledge of her fountain, towering over Riva’s drone. “I know we just met, but I don’t have to breathe and I have no tech that could break. Would you like a hug?”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Riva’s mouth fell open. “Um. Yes. But can you leave your place? Won’t there be consequences?” Somewhere in the back of their mind they wondered if they had to ask Margaret before having Em over.

“I know I can leave for some periods of time. Like I said- the Umbral Arcana takes care of me.”

“Oh okay. Cool.” Riva piloted their drone to hold out their makeshift hand. “I can walk you to the ship.”

“Actually, I have a faster idea.” Em flexed her shoulders. “I can fly. Let me carry your drone?” She tentatively held out her arms.

Riva laughed. “Okay. First I’ll check in with Miss Margaret just so she knows someone will be coming by.” Their mind reached out to Margaret, just a little further away in the monastery. “Hey Marge, I’m having someone over in the ship!”

In the middle of the dojo, Marge gained a blank stare. Sofia raised her eyebrows then flipped her onto the ground again. “You really should focus on me.”

Marge groaned. “I was sending mind messages.”

Riva received a loud “Yeah, sure. Just don’t make a mess.” They grinned and piloted their drone into Em’s arms. “It’s all good!”

For someone purely made of stone, Em flew swiftly and soon landed in front of the monastery. She decided landing directly in the garden would be a great way to get killed so they’d take the normal route. On their way in, Sofia greeted them.

“Hey, Em- wait a second.” She stopped walking and squinted at Riva’s drone in Em’s arms. “Did you break that?”

“Oh don’t worry, I’m fine miss Sofia,” Riva responded, making Sof jump.

“I just fly faster than they can walk,” Em added.

Sofia looked back and forth at their faces for a moment but decided to move onto her shower.

Em shrugged and walked to the backyard where Riva’s drone took the lead, helping Em navigate the hallways of the Würst. They deposited the drone at its usual station and Em walked onto the bridge.

“Hi.” Riva waved from their tank, circling around to avoid the nervous energy growing in their gut. “It’s nice to see you.”

Em stood stock still with their mouth open, watching the ease with which Riva moved through water. “Oh, I’m so sorry. You are so cool.” She moved closer to the tank, gently pressing her fingers against the glass.

Riva pressed their hand to the glass on the other side. “You are literally a stone angel.” Then, as an afterthought, “and so tall.”

“I love your colours.” Em started looking for a ladder, some way into the tank when Riva used their psychic push to press a button on the wall.

A ladder came down from the ceiling as the entire tank lowered slightly, leaving enough room for Em to enter the tank.

She started climbing without hesitation, hopping over the edge and slowly sinking down. “Hey,” she mouthed, reaching out.

Riva placed their hands in hers. They smiled and told Em “hi.”

With her feet now settled on the floor, Em pulled Riva into her arms, curling her wings around them too. To anyone walking in it must’ve seemed like a strange event. A stone angel at the bottom of a large tank with her arms and wings around Riva. But it didn’t matter.

“Thank you for coming all the way here just to see me.” Riva wrapped their arms around Em’s neck and connected their mind to hers.

“Testing… Can you hear my thoughts?”

“Yeah, it’s a part of my magic.”

“Cool. It was absolutely worth coming here.” Em pulled back but kept hold of Riva’s hands. “In hundreds of years you are definitely one of the coolest people I have ever seen.”

Riva laughed. “Will you tell me about the other cool people you’ve seen?”

And thus Em told tale upon tale about the world of The Unsleeping City, weaving wonders for Riva they could not have dreamed of. In turn, Riva told Em about some of the planets masquerading as stars in the night sky above the skyscrapers. The many people that they had met, and the way things went back home.

Sometimes, messages from the crew would come in but they were never urgent and Riva could reply to them without taking their focus off Em. Time passed as the stars in their worlds grew closer, similarities shining in their eyes.

Riva took the time to admire Em’s wings- every detailed carving done with care and effort. “You came into being like this?” They asked, hands pressed against the beginnings of Em’s wings, feeling the movements of her body.

“Yes. As far as I know I have always been this shape and size. No growing or changing.” She flexed her wings, sending small waves round the tank.

Riva twirled around Em. “You could still change mentally, though. Physical growth isn’t the only kind of growth.”

“That’s true. I think everyone I’ve met in my time as a defender of the city has taught me something in some way. That growth is something that happens when you come in contact with new people and experiences.” She pushed off from the floor of the tank, temporarily joining Riva in their spinning suspension.

“What have you learnt from me?”

Em reached out as she sank back down, her fingers brushing the scales on Riva’s back. “That the universe is so much bigger than what I can perceive of it. And that I like you.”

Riva grinned, taking a moment to look at Em. “I like you too.”

Smiling, Em shook her head. “You misunderstand me.” She curled her wings around herself, suddenly looking much smaller. “I would like to kiss you.”

“Oh.” Riva curled around Em, moving between the wings. “What a coincidence. I would like to kiss you too.” They wrapped their arms around Em’s neck and pressed their nose to Em’s. “So can I?”

Em laughed and kissed Riva, wrapping her arms around their waist.

“Well this has got to be the most normal thing we’ve walked into.” Sid and Barry had appeared on the bridge, each sporting a large bag of what Riva could only assume was NYC merchandise.

“Hey!’ Riva and Em smiled at them.

“Oh, don’t let us interrupt.” Sid elbowed Barry. “You owe me some credits- I told you it would happen.”

“And I told you it was just too weird.” Barry slapped a palm to his forehead. “I should’ve known never to bet against weird.”

The two walked off, bickering about whether or not this event could be defined as weird.

Riva shrugged. “Normal is not a concept I grew up on.”

“I don’t think something being weird matters. What matters is whether or not it’s right for you.” She pulled Riva closer. “Besides, both our worlds are super weird according to most people- isn’t it kind of inevitable for them to come crashing together?”

Riva kissed her. “While I do agree you should know these worlds have crashed together at more points than one.” They grinned. “Sofia and Margaret are out on a date.”

Em laughed. “Of course they are.” She brought up a hand to cup Riva’s chin. “If it’s okay, I want to spend the rest of the day just thinking about you. I’ve learnt enough about the world to know how to appreciate the good things.”

Riva felt the blood rush to their cheeks. “Cool.” They pressed their lips to Em’s again.

Hundreds of years ago, Em was named the angel of the waters in and around New York City. Right now, that included Riva’s tank- and Em had never been happier that her domain had grown.

[talentforlying]

constantine: a death god doesn't prey on his people — or trade them like baseball cards. he takes them to wherever the fuck they're going. he carries them over the river. mictlantecuhtli: you dare to lecture me on my duties? constantine: so you admit you've got some? that's a start. when were you planning to start living up to them?

exhibit 1 of a billion for constantine running his mouth off at people and creatures that could and will kill him for it easily.

[flintandpyrite]

So for each rotation exam we need to cover roughly ~150 topics—for pediatrics, which is where I am now, only 143. I divided that out into the length of time I am here and basically I only need to cover 6 topics per night (plus 50 practice questions per week) to get everything done by the weekend before the exam. Which seems totally manageable. Maybe I will have to eat my words but so far I think it will be ok.

[fazcinatingblog]

a doctor could easily dissect everything i eat and be like "well, it's definitely caused by all this chocolate" and i'll still die on the hill that my stomach cramps were due to the entire pack of hot dogs consumed this week (some of those were on BREAD which i also blame)

[potatoesandsunshine]

taryn was at least willing to entertain raphael meanwhile elsie just wants to explode him with lightning