#flat-faced electromagnets

[mpcomagnetics]

Electromagnets in Robotics and Automation

Electromagnets in Robotics and Automation In the rapidly evolving world of robotics and automation, electromagnets have emerged as a cornerstone technology, enabling significant advancements and innovations. These devices, which can be switched on and off to control magnetic force, play a critical role in various aspects of robotic systems, from actuation and manipulation to sensing and safety.…

[mokulule]

The Number You Have Called Cannot Be Reached - Part 13

First | Masterlist

Ship: Dead on Main (Danny/Jason)  Fandom: DP x DC Summary:

Danny is just trying to build a portal home, becoming a thief was just an unfortunate side effect of that goal. Now if only this vigilante family would just leave him alone. Especially Red Hood - the semi retired crime lord whose ghost-like presence keeps drawing Danny to him.

Warning! This chapter is pretty rough (I think), please check the tags for triggers before reading if you have worries. Part 13:

The plan had gone off without a hitch. The Ghost had been noticeably distracted ever since Tim had asked Jason to sit their attempts to capture him out. He’d been very grateful though that it hadn’t taken long for the Ghost to appear again in Gotham’s industrial area. Jason only had so much patience. 

Thanks to Babs’ newly upgraded cameras they’d had warning and time for everyone to get together. 

Herding the Ghost to their trap had been a cinch with him only getting away from them a few times. 

The trap was set in a dead-end alley near the power plant which had power lines running through the ground underneath. They were insulated so he wouldn’t sense them. They would only be a problem if he tried to phase through them.

The Ghost froze in place as the trap came to life with electricity every wall covered with the net. It wasn’t just electrified wire it was meant to create arcs of electricity. It needed to be visible, it needed to stop their quarry in place. Tim didn’t actually want to electrocute the guy if he could help it. 

Dick jumped down to land beside Tim and Damian, his escrima sticks ready. 

The Ghost swung around, taking everything in. Then he started to sink through the ground. It was the moment Tim had been waiting for. Everything hinged on this one theory being true; that he wasn’t just afraid of electricity, but that it would stop him from phasing through. He jumped back up with a startled yelp. 

As he turned to face them mouth a thin pressed line, Tim couldn’t help the grin of a well-executed plan.

“Gotcha.”

Finally they could get to the bottom of this! But no! Tim’s instinct warned him before his brain even registered what was happening. Something about the Ghost’s posture had changed; he was looking up, tensing his body for something. 

No!

Tim fumbled for the button, his last ditch attempt even as Dick and Damian sprung forward recognizing the look of someone about to fly. He’d tossed the EMP device earlier in the night and it had attached to the Ghost’s back. He pushed the button now. 

But the Ghost was already flying having taken off like a rocket. There was a half second delay and Tim realized with horror that even if the electromagnetic pulse did anything the Ghost was in the air. 

If it did anything he would fall. 

Oo o oO

There was a pulse like a wave of static and then Danny was dropping. 

Desperately confused he reached for his powers. Flight was as easy as breathing. Gravity was a mere suggestion. Or it should be! Nothing was happening and the roof below was coming rapidly up to meet him!

In reality it only lasted two seconds, but it felt like a terrifying eternity. His arms and legs moved uselessly; without his powers he had no control.

At the last moment he pushed his arms out. His right hand landed first, there was a sharp pain in his wrist before he curled up and rolled over his shoulder, landing on his back. Air punched out of his chest in a wheeze.

His eyes were wide staring sightlessly up at the clouds as he tried to suck air into his stunned body. He needed to get away before they found him. His core was an agitated scream in his chest. But no matter what he did, he couldn’t sink through the roof. 

He rolled up onto his knees with a pained groan, holding his right wrist protectively against his chest. Terror gripped his throat in a vice grip as he pressed his left hand flat on the concrete. He had to focus. Breathe, if he could just take a moment without panicking, he was certain he’d make his powers work. His core felt normal in his chest, they hadn’t suppressed him, not like Vlad did that one time. Frustrated tears pricked his eyes, he clenched his eyes shut, forced himself to take a deep slow breath. If he just found his calm, if he just focused…

There was not even the suggestion of any give. The roof was solid. 

Danny was solid.

There was a clatter and the high pitched whine of several grappling hooks reeling in. Danny’s head snapped up at the sound, eyes wide. He scrambled clumsily to his feet - his body felt so heavy, and his aching legs protested having to lift him.  

They gathered in a half circle around him on their near silent feet - the bats, towering shadows to his blurred eyes. Blood rushed in his ears.

Danny took a step back, barred his teeth in a snarl. 

“Don’t come closer,” he warned, the implied threat was a lie. He couldn’t do anything. He was powerless, weak as a kitten. It would be no trouble for them to capture him. But worse if they could neutralize his powers, they could hold him. Danny took another step back. 

His breath came in short, punched out huffs. Cold sweat made his hair and clothes sticky. Shadows lined in harsh white light leaned over him. Agony- No! Danny shook his head, he was not there. He stepped back, the back of his knees hit a low railing.

He would never go back. 

He turned and jumped.

Oo o oO

Tim didn’t hear any sounds but the blood rushing in his ears. He hadn’t expected the sheer panic the Ghost would have. None of them had. Not even the goggles had been able to obscure how terrified he was. His voice, the first time they’d ever heard him speak, had been thin and shaky, a hollow warning to not come closer. What was he so afraid of? They hadn’t come closer and yet-

Tim felt ill. What did he think they’d do to him, that he’d rather jump off the roof?! 

Jason had been right. He needed help. And now-

The others stood at the edge of the roof. Nobody was moving. Did that mean it was too late? There was nothing to be done?

Numbly, Tim walked up to the edge and looked down. For a moment he saw nothing, but then he caught movement further away, a flash of red- relief hit Tim in a whooshed out breath that left him weak-kneed. Jason had caught him. Tim turned around and sunk down to sit back against the railing.

He hadn’t even known Jason was out here. He must have turned off his tracker. Fuck, he was so relieved Jason had been there. 

He buried his head in his shaking hands. This was on him, his plan. 

His earlier exhilarated satisfaction of a well-executed plan was crumbled and soured, heavy in the pit of his stomach like lead. His gut turned ominously. If he threw up, it would be deserved, he thought despondently.

Oo o oO

Jason went on the Bats’ comm channel only to bark at them not to follow him. With Ghost in his arms shaking and breathing too fast and too superficial, covered in the cold sweat of terror, Jason didn’t want to know what he would do if they did follow him. 

He ran across the rooftops and used the grapple when necessary. The safehouse wasn’t too far away. 

There was utter silence from that sense where Jason usually heard Ghost’s call to him. It should be a relief not to hear his yearning and be unable to do anything about it, but it just felt wrong. Like something was missing.

Jason held him closer.

“It’s gonna be okay, I’ve got you.” The words were useless, he knew that. Ghost had to be running from him for a reason even as he called for him - and Jason could understand why he’d been running from him, Jason was wrong inside, but Ghost was his only hope, and he couldn’t not chase. Right now the words were all he had, and he couldn’t let the others take him. They didn’t understand that he needed help. 

Jason’s anger over what had happened tonight was only eclipsed by his worry. Ghost might be afraid of Jason too, but not like this, not silenced by terror.

Jason repeated his useless assurances as he ran. Ghost was much too light in his arms, too thin beneath the worn clothing. Irrational fear that he would turn to dust in his arms, seized him. 

“You’re gonna be okay.” He said as much to reassure himself as Ghost.

“Please,” Ghost rasped voice unused.

Jason froze, stopping in place, hoping he’d say more. He didn’t. He pushed uselessly at Jason’s chest, still trying to escape. Jason’s heart broke. Frustrated tears pricked at his eyes.

“Please let me help you,” he pleaded. 

Jason didn’t know if his words had gotten through to him or it was just exhaustion, but he stopped struggling. Cynically, Jason leaned towards exhaustion. At this point panic and fear had to be the only thing keeping him conscious at all.

They arrived at the safehouse finally. 

It was one the others didn’t know about. Jason had a few of those as insurance. It was seemingly just a lived-in apartment, open floor plan living room and kitchen in one with artfully placed clutter, a couple of bedrooms and a bathroom. There were weapons and supplies hidden in the spaces between the real walls and the fake walls that appeared to be the apartment’s boundaries, but you’d only realize that if you checked another of the similar units in the building and noticed this one was smaller. 

Jason landed them on the sill, and worked the window open. He didn’t bother with traps, because he didn’t use it often. Using it would have been a sure way to tip off the bats of its existence. No, this and other’s like it was for emergencies, and sometimes when he needed to stash a victim or witness somewhere safe temporarily. And even if someone should try to burgle the place, Jason had some decoy money there, a large flatscreen TV and some other easily taken electronics. It was unlikely they’d find the real supplies when there were easier money. 

He maneuvered them both inside, set Ghost on the couch and closed the window and the drapes. He pulled off his helmet and set it carelessly on the coffee table - it rolled off to land on the floor. Ghost had already seen his face and hopefully, he’d respond better to a human than a mask. 

Moving slowly, trying to make himself less threatening he kneeled down on the floor in front of where Ghost had curled up in the corner of the couch.

“Hey,” Jason said trying to sound calm, when inside he was everything but. He held out his hands in peace. “I’m not doing anything, I just want to talk.”

The emotionless goggles turned towards him. Jason got nothing from him, he only had the defensive body language to read him by.

“Please say something.”

Finally something happened, Ghost’s breath hitched and he reached up to push the goggles away. His eyes were red rimmed and blurry, and they closed as he rubbed at them. Still hiding his eyes he whispered so low Jason almost didn’t hear him, “-just want to go home.”

Jason lowered his hands and slumped forward. Letting him go would be the right thing to do, Jason could argue all the way till Sunday that it wasn’t safe for him right now, with his powers out of order, but that wasn’t why Jason couldn’t promise to let him go. He desperately needed answers. How did he make the pit silent? Was it just him or was there hope for Jason?

“I have questions,” he admitted.

Ghost slowly removed his hands. His eyes were blue and wary as he looked down at Jason. Jason held his eyes and he didn’t know what he saw in Jason as the moment stretched between them, like an elastic pulled to the point just before snapping.

Ghost looked away with a pained expression, and then, unfurling slowly, Jason felt that familiar yearning. Jason shook his head helplessly. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to help but didn’t know what to do.

“What do you need?” Jason asked.

Ghost looked back up momentarily and then away with a grimace. Shrinking in on himself. “Hey,” Jason said, frustration made him snappy, “I’m just trying to understand! It’s like you’re calling me, but I don’t know how to answer.”

That got Ghost’s attention, and his head snapped up holding his gaze intently.

“You can feel it?” He asked, and there’s this underlying desperate hope, shoved down by a voice desperately trying to hold steady.

“I can, and I just-“ He didn’t know what else to say, instead he reached out a hand to cup Ghost’s cheek. His eyes were wide and liquid and so blue before he clenched them shut and leaned into Jason’s touch with a small whimper. Jason didn’t dare breathe, as that small hum started, the one that was like a purr. Jason’s head was silent now, the underlying anger and frustration gone. In this moment he was just Jason. 

He didn’t even realize he was crying until tears spilled over his cheeks. He ducked his head. It had been some very long weeks. 

“How are you doing this?” He whispered, desperate to know. 

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Ghost answered hesitantly. 

Jason looked up to meet his tired eyes, the dark bags underneath his eyes were so dark and stark in his thin face he looked bruised. Jason looked away. Shame curled in his gut for pushing him this far. For being helpless not to give chase. He would have pulled his hand back if Ghost hadn’t still been leaning into his touch.

Quietly, he admitted, “I have this rage inside of me, you quiet it.”

“Hmm,” Ghost hummed thoughtfully with his actual voice, as he mulled over Jason’s words. “I’m pretty useless right now without my powers, so I don’t know if it’s anything I can help with permanently.”

“Okay,” Jason said quietly. Trapped in this strange bubble of quiet, desperate to break it he asked, “Do you wanna talk about what happened on the rooftop?”

The purring came to a stuttering halt. 

“That’s a no then,” Jason stated. Of course he didn’t want to talk about that, that should have gone without saying. Stupid. He sighed and stood up, drawing his hand back along with it.

“I’m just getting on the couch,” he assured when Ghost protested wordlessly. He sat down leaning heavily into the plush couch. After a moment he lifted his arm in invite. It took five long seconds before Ghost tucked himself underneath the arm. Jason squeezed him momentarily in a pitiful attempt at comfort, but it was all he could do. 

It took a moment but the purr started up again. The feeling of contentment washed over him.

Jason didn’t know how long he sat there, letting Ghost’s purr soothe his frayed mind, but he sat there so long he started to feel the temptation to just close his eyes and sleep. That wasn’t helpful. Ghost himself had fallen asleep at some point, he discovered, as he shifted and found him blinking awake startled. 

The purring stopped. Wary eyes watched him as he moved away.

“Easy,” Jason said lowly as if he actually was trying to soothe a feral cat, “I’m just gonna check to see what food options we have.” 

He watched until Ghost leaned back into the couch. His eyes were mere slits watching Jason when he turned towards the kitchen. 

Ghost needed to eat and making food was definitely more useful than falling asleep. He walked over to the cupboards, and couldn’t help but yawn as he did so. He opened the cupboards one by one, searching for something easy. A lot of the things here had technically expired and were mostly there for appearance sake. The dried herbs and spices, had probably lost most of their flavor, so actually cooking was out of the question, not to mention he didn’t have fresh ingredients here, but one of the canned soups would probably do fine. 

He turned, tomato soup can in hand to ask if that was fine only to find the couch empty. Carefully he set the can down, so he wasn’t tempted to throw it. His hand clenched into a fist reflexively with no can to hold. He walked over to the living room side of the room, just to make sure he hadn’t just moved. 

He wasn’t there.

He was gone.

Jason sighed and sat down heavily on the couch. Of course he was.

Nothing had been disturbed, not the drapes nor the windows. Everything was exactly as Jason had left it. His powers must have returned. Whatever Tim had done hadn’t been that long lasting, a couple of hours at most. He would have simply gone right through the wall.

Of course he had left as soon a he had a chance. Jason hadn’t given him reason to stay. He’d had his chance to talk and he’d wasted it just sitting and basking in his presence.

He leaned his forehead on his hands and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. 

He only had himself to blame.

-

So this happened... this is better/worse? At least they got to hug?

Anyways, I think I may go back to shorter tumblr parts now that these two chapters are done (if you're curious this is chapter 7 and 8 in my doc and that's what they'll be on Ao3). The last chapter really couldn't be split and this chapter only had terrible places to split it. Better to end on sad Jason.

You can subscribe over on the masterlist

Update: next

[adaginy]

The Big Guide to Humans: Skin

First: Yes, it is true that humans have whole-body stripes that not all species can see. Yes, it is also true that they themselves cannot usually see them. They are an artifact of pre-natal development and are present from birth. They usually have no significance, though some skin abnormalities may follow their usually-invisible path (or may make them visible).

See body art for questions about deliberate skin markings.

--- Human skin is a soft yet durable covering made of stretchy proteins. It provides protection from water loss, pathogens and UV radiation, insulates their body against external temperatures, synthesizes a chemical they use to make their skeleton, and is home to humans' abilities to feel touch and to cool themselves.

The skin is made up of layers, further divided into more layers, and the different functions are distributed within them. The details of these layers are not necessary to know for working alongside humans; suffice it to say that the topmost layer may noticeably flake off in very dry environs and this is mostly harmless but irritating to the human, oozing a clear but yellow-tinted liquid (see immune system) represents a minor but disproportionately painful injury of having scraped off the uppermost layers, and bleeding (oozing or gushing a red opaque liquid, see circulatory system) means the injury is deeper still.

Skin that has been damaged can usually repair itself over time, although it may take assistance (externally binding the wound shut, for example). Deeper wounds are likely to scar, that is, to be repaired with a tougher skin of different appearance. This is not the same thing as a callus, seen on the base of human feet and sometimes on the fingers, in which the skin grows thicker and tougher to resist pressure injuries.

It is normal for tiny hairs to be present in the skin over most of the human's body, regardless of sex or gender. Both sexes may have prominent hair on their faces or torso after puberty (see lifespan and development), but it is much more common with men.

If the human is warm (likely if ambient temperature is above melting point of gallium) or has been exerting themselves, they may "sweat." Salt water will leak in small amounts from all over their skin, concentrated on the forehead/under their hair, in the soft socket under where their arms meet the body, and around the external genitalia, to make use of evaporative cooling. They may begin to smell strongly; they usually find this smell unpleasant. If the human is cold, or in some scary situations, the tiny hairs may stand up instead of laying flat. This is an evolutionary artifact from ancestors with thicker fur and no longer helps to keep them warm or frightens predators.

Humans' sense of touch is very sensitive, especially on their hands, but outside of their hands it is sometimes not precise. You could lay one of their hairs on a surface and ask them to find it by feel, and they would be able to do so with their hands even if the surface was not smooth. If you dropped a single hair on the bare arm of a human, they would feel it, but they would not be able to pinpoint its exact location without seeing it.

!! Due to tiny dangerous creatures on their home planet, humans will usually immediately attempt to remove the source of an unexpected small light touch, often by swiping at it with a hand or by jerking their body. If you are fragile or tiny, and this would damage or dislodge you, get their attention before physical contact. !!

While humans can only see a narrow portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, they can sense somewhat beyond that band with their skin. Infrared can be sensed as heat, especially at short distances. Ultraviolet can be sensed over time, as specialized molecules in the skin cause cells to sacrifice themselves to prevent it from penetrating farther into the skin. However, by the time the human has noticed the feeling of this cell-sacrifice, the skin is likely to be damaged enough that it will darken and/or become red and sensitive soon (within the timespan of a human sleep cycle). Humans with naturally darker skin can generally withstand ultraviolet radiation for longer periods of time before becoming damaged. When the darkening or reddening has passed, small brown marks called "freckles" will often remain, usually for the rest of the human's life. If the skin has reached the red stage, as the color returns to normal the damaged skin may come off in thin sheets as though the human is molting. Do not offer assistance with removal unless they ask.

Human skin is covered in bacteria, viruses, and fungi that are mostly harmless to them. This is covered in more detail under microbiome with some pertinent points under mating.

[tinydefector]

Hello! I'm the one that requested the ovulation request (cyclonus) and I'm so so sorry for making the s/o a female, I didn't notice it in your rules.

But I love how it turned out!!! If you can, can you please make a part two about the ovulation, maybe s/o will get pregnant or not?? 👀👀

MINE 2

Cyclonus x human

Word count 1k

Warnings: mention of pregnancy.

I had alot of fun making this piece too so I hope you enjoy it. I didn't make this one Nsfw but I enjoyed the fluffy sweetness between them.

1

Cyclonus masterlist

___________

Cyclonus realises something was off, the scent of his loves skin had changed, the slight static lingers on their skin, but Cyclonus had to make sure it wasn't just his processor glitching. The Field felt like that of a sparkling. They lay curled against Cyclonus form on the berth. Blankets wrapped around them.

He inhales deeply the thick scent of lover's flesh now bore subtle hints of charged particulate, mingling heady musk in a way stirring coding of sparklings' new-made frames. But within flesh? Impossible - yet undeniable potential realisation shocked him to his core.

Rumbling low in awe, Cyclonus peeled away layers to peer down their form, digits running across their stomach mapping the subtly shifted electromagnetic signature pulsing within. His field flickered out in calling hoping that it wasn't a glitched system.

A small giggle comes from them as he presses his face closer to their stomach inhaling again. “Cy what are you doing?” They ask out with chipper laughter as he presses his face into their soft warm skin. There, the faintest flicker beneath flesh responds, the call of the tiniest spark echoes back to him. Awed ventilations burst from tanks as Cyclonus gathered them close in cradling arms, fields mingling in exultation beyond all dreams. "You carry a sparkling," he states in awe against flesh, voice raw with ancient worship.

They slowly meet Cyclonus' optics. "Pardon?" They ask softly. "You are with a tiny spark, it is calling out to me" he rumbled, servos tracing protective paths over still-flat flesh harbouring divine mystery. His fields pulsed adoration and protection.

Cyclonus leaned down to kiss their lips, His sensory net detected the imperceptible spark's strongest flicker directly beneath palm, drawing a reverent rumble. They had somehow forged what none thought possible. "You are carrying a sparkling. Beloved"

His grasp tightened, They lean into Cyclonus' touch. "How is that possible?" They ask again, moving to rest on their elbow. Eyes flicking down to his servo pressed against their stomach. Cyclonus rumbled deep in intakes at their awe, optics overflowing adoration for miracles blessed to them. " Its a divine mystery and blessing" he replied, digits tracing the subtle field fluctuations beneath flesh.

fingers running along Cyclonus' plating as they lay there. "Christ, so you gonna explain to me how you know I'm pregnant?" They ask with a teasing smile. Cyclonus' engine rumbled low in pure contentment. “ I can smell it on your skin, the change in your hormones and taste the static in the air” he begins to explain while pressing his face into their shoulder peppering kisses across their skin.

They let out a groan. "Is everyone else going to be able to smell that I'm pregnant? " they asked in embarrassment. Cyclonus rumbled proudly at the thought of all beholding proof of miracles. " Would I save you embarrassment if I say no?," he intoned, nuzzling them as if he were a cat. The humour in his voice isn't lost on them as they flick his helm.

They cuddle up against Cyclonus' warm form. "Cy, how am I even pregnant, I'm a human, i didn't think we were compatible like that" they state softly as his servo continues tracing patterns against their stomach. “I don't know Sweetspark, perhaps we shall visit the medic's later, but for now you should rest”

They gasp as Cyclonus rolls them to lay across his chassis. They slowly sit up as the blankets pile around their waist. He slowly presses his servo to their stomach tracing his digits along the soft skin where the sparkling would slowly swell their stomach over time. They shutter at the cool touch but relax into it.

Cyclonus vented a throaty croon as their frame settled atop his chassiplate, Slowly, gently he traced delicate spirals along their spine up their shoulders as he captured their lips in a soft kiss.

Optics aglow, "My blessed carrier," he uttered against their flushed temple, he pressed his helm to their forehead holding them close, he had forged his family in the most unlikely of places. “My perfect Light and Spark” he rumbles lowly.

They gasp his servo, leaning into the one cupping their face. "What do you think they will look like?" They ask softly to Cyclonus, not knowing how a human Cybertronian pregnancy would go. They don't even know if they would be able to carry it to full term but they were happy enough just existing with the idea that nothing would go wrong.

"Do you think they will be a seeker like you?" they continue while His thumb rubs against their cheek.

Cyclonus rumbled pensive contemplation, digits tracing gentle patterns promising protection upon stretched plate sheltering gifts beyond comprehension. ''Impossible to predict specifics on time, Cybertronians normally carry up to a century.''

"Have faith,” he chuckles softly pressing another kiss to their lips, “Tomorrow we will see the medics, I'm sure they will have a lot for questions but also answers” he sounded rather cryptic mainly because he himself didn't know what to expect, he had next thought of settling down with a family, nor ever with a human. They hum again taking in his words before finally asking. "What would you name them?”

Cyclonus vented deeply at the question, holding their body against his own. Massive servos cradled them, he lets out a deep rumble as if thinking. "Fulmina or genesis" he states before he continues “Fulmina the Sparkling of lightning to honour the sky's. Or Genesis for they are the origin of a new generation” he explains gently. A small flicker of their spark makes Cyclonus perk up at the names. “It seems they are rather content with that idea”. They look at him with pure affection. “What do they sound like?” They whisper to him.

He lets out a deep chuckle as he presses his audial against his lover's chest. “I can hear both your heart and their spark dancing together, it sounds Euphoric, their spark feels powerful and mighty, I'm sure they will grow strong” he rumbled against their. Holding them close.

_____________

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[tlouxx]

Electromagnetism - p.4

~ ellie williams x reader

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part three | part five <3

synopsis: you and ellie williams have been long time rivals. you're a physics majors at wellesley college, and you’re competing for the same spot in the prestigious dr. ramsey’s lab as ellie. suddenly neither of you can escape the other as you’re both trying to navigate your final year of college

content: college!ellie, mean!ellie, modern au, academic rivals to lovers, forced proximity, the next chapter will pick up right where this ends ;), lots of tension, ellie being flirtatious, reader and ellie finally kiss hehe

taglist: @gold-dustwomxn @skylerwhitwyo @blueberryhalfblood @elliebobellysosmelly @444na0m1 @bellswlw @mikasasbabygirl

——————————————————————————

Day 58

PHYS 208: Intermediate Electromagnetism

I haven’t spoken to Ellie since that night. Although, I can’t entirely avoid her since we have class and work together. I know Ellie and I don’t see eye to eye, but I would never ask this of her. I’ve been keeping my head down, doing my work, dodging Ellie’s attempts to talk to me. Dina thinks it might’ve been a joke since Ellie and I were already fighting, but she wasn’t there. Ellie was serious. The way she looked at me when she said it. She was desperate. The application for Dr. Ramsey’s lab is due in two weeks. I’ve actually contemplated not applying, but I’ve worked too hard to not do this. 

…

I’m dreading walking into another class and having to endure more time spent with her. I sit at the back of my room and rest my head on the desk. I’ve been neglecting sleep lately in order to keep up with school work. I only raise my head when I hear my professor speak. 

“Since midterms are quickly approaching, I have made study groups for you all.” I internally groan. 

“You will make a study guide for the midterm and submit it to me. The group assignments will be on my desk after class.” 

My foot anxiously taps against the floor. I was hoping the professor might let us out early. My eyes can’t stop catching the time, but it doesn’t seem to go any faster. When her powerpoint comes to an end, she reminds us to check our study group assignment. 

Ellie cuts in front of me in line. I know she wants a reaction out of me, but I’m not giving her what she wants. She reads the paper on the desk in front of her. I try to make out what it says, before I can she faces me.  “Well, would you look at that? We’re partners.”

… 

“I don’t want to work with Ellie.”

“And why is that?” My professor closes her laptop. I struggle to gather the words to describe years of my relationship with Ellie leading up to this. 

“We.. We uh just don't get along.” I rub the back of my neck feeling awkward having to ask this. I don’t feel ready to confront Ellie just yet.

“It’s just one assignment. I’m sure you’ll both find a way to make it work.”

I try to protest one more time. She scoots me out of her office with that as her final answer. Maybe she’s right. It’s just one assignment. I’ve avoided her for a month.

I don't think I can avoid her anymore.

2:57 P.M

Well, when do you want to work on this?

E: My place after class?

Sure. 

E: It’s a date ;)

…

“So.. How do you think it’ll go tonight?” Dina sits on my bed writing a paper for her class. I haven’t been able to gather the courage to walk to Ellie’s apartment quite yet. 

“Hopefully quick. It’s not like both of us aren't capable.” 

“Why don’t you ask her about it.” 

I honestly don’t know why I haven’t just asked why she doesn’t want me to apply. On some level, it feels like a betrayal. Yes, we compete with each other. Yes, we fight. But this could be life-changing for me or for Ellie. I have to at least try to do this.

“I don’t know. I’m scared of what she’ll say. We both know how important this could be for a career in physics, research, academia. I find it hard to believe she’d want me to flat out not apply.” 

“Even if you don’t want to hear her answer, I think you deserve to know. Maybe she has a good reason.” 

…

I knock on Ellie’s door. The anticipation is killing me as I wait for her to answer. She opens the door. “Hi.” 

“Hi.” I stand there for a few seconds longer twiddling with the ring on my thumb. 

“Come in. I won't bite.” She smirks and pulls the door open wider. I haven’t spoken to her since the last time I was here. Butterflies are swirling around my stomach. I tell myself I’m just nervous to be around her again. I walk in after Ellie and shut the door behind me. She leads me back to her room. 

Her desk is full of textbooks, art supplies, and little trinkets. My hand traces the edge of her books. Her walls are lined with art and her bed is unmade. I had her pinned as more of a type A with a super organized room. I guess we're all full of surprises. 

The silence is permeating the air, and I desperately need to fill it. “Where do you want to start on the outline?” Ellie sits on her bed getting comfortable. 

“You can take chapters 1-3, and I’ll do 4-7.” 

… 

We fall into a more comfortable silence this time. We’ve been working on the assignment with no end in sight. After two and a half hours, I’ve barely scratched the surface of what we need to cover. Ellie flops back on her bed sighing. 

“How far have you gotten? My brain feels fried.” 

“My brain is also fried. I’ve barely gotten through chapter one.” My eyes feel strained from looking at the computer screen for so long. 

“Want to take a break?” She smiles at me, and I nod back at her. 

… 

Ellie leads me out onto the balcony. She planted a couple of snacks in front of us. The familiar scenery brings back the tension of before. Ellie and I sit on the couch together looking up at the dusky sky. Being out here again with Ellie so near to me, I remember the way she shifted her body to lean in closer, I could almost feel the heat of her touch. I remember how her perfume stuck to me for hours afterward and all I could think about was Ellie Williams. God I was pissed at her. I am pissed at her. 

“It’s uh-a nice night out here.” I smile at Ellie not knowing what else to say. The fluttering in my stomach is coming back with a vengeance. 

“I’m glad you’re finally talking to me again.” She sets down her drink and her arm stretches out behind me. I feel the urge to sink into her. 

“I guess I didn’t need to give you the cold shoulder. Sorry about that.” Her fingers lightly stroke up and down my arm. I like her touch more than I thought I would. 

“I understand why you did it. I do have a good reason for asking..” She trails off her sentence and faces me. 

“Okay.” I inch closer to her until only a small gap remains. “I’m listening.”

“I told my interviewer for grad school that I already had the position.” 

“Oh my god, Ellie… Why would you do that?” I raise my voice unintentionally. How could she be so stupid. Now I know why she looked so desperate. If they find out she lied about this they could rescind her offer.

“Because I’m an arrogant piece of shit who underestimated you. It was before the semester started. and then you got a 100 in quantum mechanics…” Her demeanor softens.

“I freaked out. I thought I would get it no problem. Then suddenly you’re around me all the time and- I’m.. uh struggling to get my shit together.” 

Now that I know, I can’t say I wouldn’t have done what Ellie did. I don't know if I forgive her just yet, but I wish I would have listened to her sooner.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t know what you want me to do Ellie. You know I have to apply.” Ellie reaches out and puts her hand on my knee and her eyes meet mine. 

“I know. I’m sorry for asking. I gotta clean up my mess by myself.” 

… 

Ellie and I head back inside to continue working on the assignment. I go to return to my spot on her rug. 

“You know you’re allowed to sit at my desk or you can sit on the bed with me. We might be working for a while longer.” 

“Oh, are you sure? I don’t want to intrude on your space.” 

She scoots over and pats the spot next to her. I gather my laptop off the floor and sit at the edge of her bed. I feel embarrassed about the way I was feeling outside. Leaning into her touch. Yearning for more. It’s just a lapse in judgment. I was just feeling flustered because we haven't really spoken since we fought. At least that's why I think I’m flustered. 

…

We continued working on the assignment in silence for a while. It’s starting to get late, and my eyes are feeling heavier than before. It's 12:03 A.M. when I look over at Ellie. I think she’s starting to feel tired too. Her hair falls in front of her face and she tucks it behind her ear. I blush knowing she just caught me staring at her.  

“Um. I think I might call it a night and go home.” Ellie shuts her laptop and rubs her eyes. 

“You can stay if you want.” She moves over and starts to close the gap between us. The beat in my chest is rapidly intensifying as the space between us lessens. 

“Oh, uh I don’t know if I should.” I could move away from Ellie right now, but I can’t or maybe I don't want to. The force between us feels magnetic like I can’t make myself stay away from her. Her face is lit up softly by the string lights in her room.

“It’s a long walk for you back.” Her hand makes its way onto my thigh. Her calloused fingers make goosebumps prickle up spine. “I was just thinking we could work on it again in the morning. It’d be safer if you stayed here.” 

“Okay, I’ll stay.” 

…

Ellie brings me a pair of pants to change into. I can’t believe I just agreed to spend the night here. “Thanks. Where’s your bathroom?” 

Ellie laughs. “I won’t look. You can change here.” 

“Ellie, c’mon.” She covers her eyes with her hands. Not wanting to protest more, I changed into the pants she gave me.

She hops onto her bed. I’m suddenly unsure if I’m supposed to get into bed with her or not. Maybe I should just sit on the floor. I’d never live it down if I climbed into bed with Ellie Williams when that's not what she was insinuating. This whole situation is confusing me. We haven’t spoken in a month, and now I’m spending the night and wearing her clothes. I hate that I don’t hate this. God, what is wrong with me? 

I can feel Ellie staring at me as I stand still unsure of my next move. “Um, you can sleep in my bed if you want to. I won’t make you sleep on the floor.”  She fumbles her words. This is uncharted territory for both of us. “Obviously, unless that's what you’d prefer I don’t want to overstep any boundaries.” 

I shouldn’t. 

“Seems like you want me to sleep in your bed Ellie. I think you missed me.” 

Ellie pulls me onto her bed with her. She’s stronger than I thought she’d be. Her thinly lined shirt gives way to her muscles underneath. I find myself on top of her staring at her beneath me. Her hands find my hips, but immediately toss me to the side of the bed. 

“Maybe I did miss you. Is that so bad?” 

Ellie wraps her arms around me pulling me in closer. I can’t help but savor her touch. 

“No, It’s not so bad.” 

The desire burns through me clouding my judgment. I shakily grasp Ellie’s hair and pull her in to kiss me. At first soft, terrified she may not want to kiss me back.

Ellie’s hands wander to my hips pulling me against hers leaving no question of her aching for me. Years of pent up desire bursting out all at once. Her touch feels like nothing I’ve ever felt before. Our bodies pressed together furiously.

She kisses me like she’s needed me all her life with fervor and lust. Her hands wander up my shirt and I don’t stop her. Her lips are soft but rough against my own. She kisses down my neck making me feel weak to her touch. A suppressed moan escapes my lips. God, I need her so badly. Her lips return to mine hungry for more.

My phone rings in the background making us pull apart suddenly. “Um, I should get that.”

… 

“It was Dina. She was worried I hadn’t made it home.”

“Oh, I see.” Ellie sits up in bed. I would’ve thought I'd feel regret for kissing Ellie but I don’t. I feel like it’s unlocked a part of me that’s been missing. 

“Is it okay if I still-“ She lifts up the covers. 

“Oh my god, just get back in.” I laugh and get back into bed with Ellie. This is not how I saw this ending.

[linksthoughtbrambles]

You want a prompt? I'll give you a prompt!

"She stared at the sea, as blue as his eyes." Zelink, of course.

Thank you so much for this ask jdetan! This concept kept growing the more I worked on it, so this is chapter 1 of a longfic of... an as yet unknown total length. But I have thoughts 😄. A lot of them lol.

The Horizon Cannot Come To Me

Zelink, BotW, Pre-Calamity, Deserted Island AU, rated T for now (likely to be E at some point), 1st chapter ~4700 words. Also on ao3 here.

Chapter 1: A Nestled Wreckage or Two

She stared at the sea, as blue as his eyes.

His incredibly infuriating eyes.

“What?!” Zelda gasped, scrambling up from the sand, bleary and searching for their boat with wild snaps of her head. She saw him slip from one knee to his rear, his eyes on her instead of the beach. What did he think he was doing?!

“The boat!” she cried. “Where is it?”

His entirely inadequate “uh” arrived as she recognized the color of a shattered wooden plank nestled in wet sand, now-gentle waves frothing against its grain.

Her head turned from it as though dragged by the slow tide toward Link.

He appeared most undignified, bootless with his drenched clothing covered in sand and that look on his face, wide-eyed and grimacing, his hands splayed behind him with fingers buried to his third knuckles.

“I,” he said.

She waited.

He swallowed.

She glowered at him.

“Ohhhh,” he said with a strange little laugh, running a hand through his wet hair, depositing extra sand there with a wince.

“Do I take it we no longer have a boat?”

Link nodded and kept nodding, his hand having returned to his hair, and with a start, Zelda realized something else was missing.

“Where is the Sword that Seals the Darkness?” she asked, with a strange, dim sense of surprise at how small her voice sounded.

He peeked at her between the arm he’d rested on one knee and the hand still tangled in his hair as though steadying himself with it. “I dropped it.”

“How could you drop it?! It was sheathed!”

“I took it out. It was weighing us down.” He held a palm out as though to ward off whatever he saw in her gaze. “I had to.”

The Sword that Seals the Darkness.

Lost.

Like them.

“Merciful Goddess,” she whispered.

--

To his credit, Link had a lean-to built for her within the hour.

Zelda used the time to change into the spare shirt and trousers he apparently kept in his korok pouch. There was a small but very convenient freshwater pool with a gentle waterfall, and while she had reservations about drinking it without boiling it, she gladly rinsed the grain of salt from her skin.

She then began to check the flora and fauna around them against the slate’s compendium. They wouldn’t starve, at least—palm fruit and bananas appeared abundant, and as one paraglider cloth fluttered in the breeze behind her, Link deposited two large, round fruit unfamiliar to her on the other paraglider cloth she sat on. She frowned as he walked away, compelled, for some reason, to snap a picture of him with sand still stuck to his back. He’d discarded only his socks.

She indulged her compulsion. She then sniffed and pointed the Slate at the melons, which apparently were “cantaloupes.”

--

“Hylia’s sake,” Zelda fumed as she attempted yet again to force the Slate to emit an intermittent, high-amplitude electromagnetic pulse. “It’s not as though they won’t be looking for us,” she muttered (despite her uncertainty as to Link’s whereabouts, or whether he truly listened when she thought out loud), “but they shall most certainly begin on Eventide, and we are most definitely not there.” Her gaze rose to the horizon, utterly flat and entirely blue, which it shouldn’t have been in any direction on any island she’d ever seen from the shores of Hyrule. She shook her head, confounded. It was as though the gods themselves had sent that storm to hurtle them as far from home as possible.

Purah knew Zelda, and therefore would know to search for some sort of signal from the Slate.

How long it would take her to find the right one was the second question.

The first, of course, was whether Zelda could produce one before the Calamity came.

A clack and a spark drew her eyes to the firepit Link had dug. Zelda grimaced, as did he, at the humid wood and bark which had thus far refused to light. She imagined if Link had fire arrows in that magical pouch of his, he would use them only as a last resort.

--

Link’s footsteps approached her.

“You should sleep, Princess,” he said.

She squinted up toward where he must have been, her eyes adjusted to the screen, with only its meager light to illuminate him.

“I have yet to resolve the communication problem,” she said.

“It’ll keep til tomorrow,” he said. “You’ll think better on a night’s rest.”

She blinked as though it would speed her night vision’s arrival. “The longer I take, the longer til we are found.”

“You need to take care of yourself,” he said with a strange laugh. “If you get sick, I—”

There was a pause, and Zelda’s face pinched. She hugged the slate to her chest, attempting to see beyond it.

“—I don’t know what I’m doing,” Link said, “with that. I won’t be able to take over for you.”

It was more than he’d ever spoken to her in a day.

He crouched before her, his fingers steadying him just in front of the paraglider-mat, his face now strangely hollowed by the graze of Slate-light on his cheekbones.  “Please, Princess,” he said, holding a hand out to take the Slate from her.

She stared at it, rankling, somehow, at how reasonable a request it was.

She placed it in his hand and turned off the screen.

She curled up on the mat to the sound of him rummaging around, her forearm beneath her head.  Sleep arrived swiftly.

--

She awakened with a cloth rolled beneath her head and several more tucked around her body. She craned her neck to see korok and Rito designs alongside a rather childish-looking egg with pink spots adorning her, criss-crossing a bit in her bleary vision.

“Why do you have a myriad of paraglider cloths?” she asked.

A squelching arrived as though in answer, and she turned to see Link with his mouth expanded unreasonably wide around a kabob of roasted orange melon.

He stared wide-eyed at her, his face too occupied for speech.

Then he reached for another stick suspended over the meager fire, waved it in the air a few times, and held it out to her.

She sat up, stretched her neck, and accepted his offering with a plaintive squeal from her stomach.

The fruit was extremely wet. She did her best to conceal its sticky tracks on her chin.

Link was terrible at it.

--

While she pursued her critical task with dedication beneath the palms and the small shelter, and Link kept her dutifully fed and watered, she found herself increasingly distracted by his other pursuits.

He circled the immediate area at a brisk jog. She assumed him to be scouting (again), quietly approved, and paid it little mind.

He pulled a small shovel from his korok pouch and attempted to sidle away from her while shielding it from her with his body, disappearing into the treeline. Zelda sighed and tried not to think about what he was doing with it.

She later caught sight of him emerging from behind a huge rock far to her right and nearer to the ocean, side-walking on his toes, half-crouched, with his hands in the air.

She shook her head and returned her eyes to the screen.

When his feet invaded the upper right corner of her vision despite her attempt to concentrate, she looked up to find his head waggling as well. The slate lowered to rest in her lap as he made a sudden leap forward, then sprinted toward the sea. He stopped a few moments later, searching the area around his feet.

Zelda returned to her S.O.S. efforts when he began scratching the back of his head, and this time became quite absorbed. She lost track of Link entirely for at least a few hours.

When he reappeared, it was in the other corner of her eye, hauling a wide, dark, flat rock from somewhere in the trees far to her left down the beach. He dragged it further and further from the trees’ shadow, eventually letting it rest near to where they’d come ashore, almost directly between Zelda and the ocean. Link rose with his fists on his hips and a nod, and when he turned to walk back toward the treeline, he appeared quite pleased with himself. He also appeared to be sweating arrowheads. He’d draped his champion’s tunic on a nearby branch, but he was still heavily clothed.

“Sir Link!” Zelda shouted.

He squinted at her, the Sun beating on his face.

Zelda winced. He’d be quite burnt, wouldn’t he? “Your attire is inappropriate!”

His expression didn’t seem to change, but he broke into a jog. This seemed counterproductive if the objective were to cool himself down. Zelda opened her mouth to say so, then shut it. Surely, he knew this and was simply in a hurry to escape the sunlight. She returned to her work.

When he arrived, a flash of blue caught her eye once more: he’d taken his tunic from the branch. As it made its way over his head and onto his torso over his sweat-soaked shirt, Zelda’s eye twitched.

“Link?” she asked.

“Princess?” he said, panting a bit.

“What are you doing?”

His hands spread open at hip-height. Zelda had rather the impression of a shrug, though he hadn’t actually shrugged. “You cannot possibly be cooler like that,” she said.

His face mimed an “oh.”

“What did you believe I meant?” Zelda asked.

Link gestured at his front. “Well- I wasn’t in uniform.”

Her mouth went a little slack. It took her a moment to shake her disbelief free. “Did you- truly believe I value your formality over your health?”

His eyes shifted side to side and his face paled a bit, as though he thought himself in trouble.

“Sir Link,” she said. “You are overdressed and losing a significant percentage of your body’s water to sweat. I appreciate your extraordinary ability to rip palm nuts open with your bare hands—” (she truly did, he’d frightened her with the first one yesterday, it had cracked so mightily)— “and therefore keep yourself supplied with fresh water, but there is no need to exacerbate the problem. Those trousers are thick and heavy, aren’t they?” She blinked as he continued to stare at her, and a sudden suspicion struck. “They’re still the same ones? From the ocean?”

His throat bobbed.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You gave me your spare clothes,” she said—not that she hadn’t realized that—it’s not as though he’d handed her women’s clothing—"and kept yours on. Didn’t you? You didn’t change last night? Or bathe?”

The spooked look on his face was enough confirmation. She could only imagine the chafing.

“Sir Link, I order you to cease- whatever it is you were doing and take care of your clothing situation at once.”

“But-“

“The last thing either of us needs is for you to develop some-“ she waved a hand at him- “manner of- skin infection.”

He winced.

She sighed. Something about his expression almost made her want to smile, but that was certainly, absolutely not allowed. This was Sir-Knight-Who-Seals-The-Darkness, the bane of her every waking step, the shadow haunting each glance over her shoulder, the statue standing mute at her door in the night.

His usual stony silence seemed a far cry from the paralysis currently affecting him.

She sighed again, her face and voice softening. “Bathe, please. You’ll be glad you did.”

--

She shook her head when he emerged sometime later, his wet, presumably rinsed shirts and pants over one arm, and opened her mouth to say something about his extremely sunburned face—and failed to do so.

It hadn’t occurred to her how he’d look in nothing but trunks.

She should’ve known what kind they’d be, considering the spare undergarment he’d handed her. It was tighter on her, with her curvy shape, but it still clung to him—and he was all chiseled lines in muscle, everywhere (at least, everywhere she could currently see).

She turned her attention back to the Slate and flatly refused to look up when he returned to inspect the state of the (now nonexistent) fire.

--

She managed to keep her head down for a long time once Link walked off.

Then her sedentary status began to get the better of her.  She shifted her position to relieve the discomfort. She did so again—and again. She sat with one knee bent up and her elbow on that—then sat up on her knees, but that didn’t last long—then with both legs bent like all those prim court ladies riding sidesaddle. Eventually, she tried laying on her stomach with the slate before her face, and that was alright except for her bladder, which was becoming more and more difficult to ignore—and even more so in that position.

She rolled onto her back.

She managed to hold the Slate above her head for a while before that, too, became uncomfortable and she lowered it to her chest with a sigh.

There was nothing for it.

She rose, brushing the sand that had blown its way onto her mat from her (Link’s) clothing.

She quite liked the shirt. It was tight around her chest, but comfortable and soft owing to the close knit. She supposed she’d be too warm in it were she hauling rocks like Link in the sun, though.

She scanned the beach, then the trees behind her, for a sign of him, and saw none.

Zelda strode to the branch she’d hung her own things on and strapped her belts around her waist, then secured the slate at her hip. She’d not leave the Slate unattended, no matter how deserted the place seemed.

--

She emerged from the thick growth of low ferns she’d found feeling relieved but restless. Her muscles did not at all wish to return to her seat beneath the lean-to so quickly, so as she’d seen no sign of danger on the beach as of yet, she made her way what must have been northward, thinking to walk with her feet in the cool, wet sand at the ocean’s edge.

She jumped a solid foot into the air at the sound of “PRINCESS?!?!” being screamed at the top of Link’s lungs.

“Here, I’m HERE!” she shouted, her heart pattering like a rabbit’s hind legs and her right ankle in sudden pain from rolling on a rock. She hissed, her arms flying out for support, and caught herself on a thick, branch-like palm-stem. She already heard Link crashing toward her through the foliage, and she tested her foot, breaking into a sudden sweat of desperation not to appear as though she couldn’t take care of herself for twenty minutes without him.

She refused to be injured. Absolutely not—not in front of him.

Link burst from the ferns to her left, a rather spiny stick in one hand with the floppy remains of a ferny growth on one side and a wild look in his eye.

Zelda schooled her face practical despite his near-naked state and her ankle’s throbbing. “Sir Link—there is no need for panic. I am fine.”

He scanned the area, nodding and lowering his mostly non-threatening vegetation. He relaxed his arm and…stared at her.

She stared back.

He looked left, then right. Then back at her.

She raised her chin. “Something amiss, Sir Link?”

He waved his stick a few inches, still pointed toward the ground. Zelda once again had the impression of a shrug.

“You needn’t remain,” she said, still gripping the stem and assuring her foot flat on the ground despite its complaining.

His eyes drifted first to her hand, then to her feet. His head pulled slowly back, and though his expression didn’t change much, she suspected he suspected. “I should accompany you, Princess,” he said. “The area seems safe, but it’s better not to take the chance.”

She blinked rapidly, her chin rising even further. “It truly isn’t necessary. Have I ever been harmed on those occasions when I’ve- ah…”

“Slipped away?” he offered, one eyebrow twitching the barest fraction.

“…Indeed,” she said, his words considerably less inflammatory than the ‘escaped’ which had crossed her mind.

“…Not yet,” he said, voice flat as usual on the rare occasions he’d used it in Hyrule, but something grim lay buried in its lowered pitch.

Zelda gritted her teeth and doubled down. “And why should you expect this to be the first time?”

“I expect every time to be the first time, Princess.”

She paused at that, taken aback. “I- see. Then why have you allowed me to remain at the shelter unattended?”

“I’ve been keeping an eye out. But I can’t do that if I don’t know where you are.”

Her eyes narrowed at him. “I do not wish to be-“ she threw her free hand high in the air- “surveiled without cessation.”

His look became a cross between understanding and regret. “I- know, Princess. But I’m your appointed knight. I have-“

“A duty, yes, I am aware.” She glanced over his shoulder out of habit, expecting that glint of blue. It was missing.

He shook his head. “To you,” he said. “Not the sword.”

Her lips parted.

She hadn’t thought him so observant of her. Watchful, yes. Insightful, no. He had, after all, believed she wanted him fully dressed despite the risk of heat stroke.

She made the mistake of shuffling her feet.  Pain shot up her right leg and she jolted with a wince she attempted to pass off as a grimace at his words.

His shoulders slumped a little as he eyed her foot.

Zelda tripled down—she released the stem, both feet flat on the ground. It hurt—a good deal—but she’d had far worse sprains and a sense that this, while painful, would be fine.

She turned toward the ocean to walk it out.

She went step by step, far slower than her usual gait—he would know that, but her leg was usable, it wasn’t broken, and she wasn’t a child. She attempted to appear calm and as though she were simply inspecting their surroundings.

He stepped to her side—the injured one—his glorified twig in his outer hand and the other, she was certain, ready to grab her should she stumble—which, of course, she would not.

--

She walked down to the waves as planned and followed the edge of the wet sand, to and then past their little camp, all the way to where she’d seen Link drag the rock out of the trees, pain in every slow step, sorely tempted to seat herself and allow the water to soothe her foot. She didn’t.

Link accompanied her the entire way in silence.

The difficult part arrived when she turned to walk up the sloping sand toward the lean-to. It put extra pressure on that ankle, either to bend further back, to support the ball of her foot alone, or to turn sideways. She found herself stopping between each short step.

“Princess-“

“I am fine,” she said, flushing, as though those words hadn’t given the already-foolish game entirely away. She stood still a little longer, though she suspected the longer she did, the worse the following step would feel.

She heard Link shuffling beside her, and then a strange sliding sound. A furtive glance showed something bizarrely long emerging from the pouch belted to his hip. A moment later, he was holding a shining, silver spear exactly like those carried by the Zora guarding Dorephan’s throne room. He held it out to her.

“You seem like you’re getting a little tired, Princess,” he said. “I don’t have a walking stick, but this might help.”

Her hand curled around the shaft tentatively. It was cool and surprisingly light, with the tip well above her head. She leaned on it and took a step—it was more manageable.

“Thank you,” she said, and made her slow way to the lean-to.

She managed to collapse onto the paraglider-mat with some dignity and no sounds of surprised pain. She laid her bad leg straight out, then the other, and leaned back on her hands, rolling her eyes at herself behind her lids.

Link was rummaging again.

He pulled a knife from his pouch and began scraping the meat from half of a palm nut he’d cracked earlier. She watched him dully as he deposited the edible portion into the unscraped half, thinking she ought to get back to her work.  He then produced a blob of white chuchu jelly and placed it, the cleaned palm-nut shell, and his not-so-threatening stick on the mat beside her.

“If you’re hot,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and his hair blowing in the perfectly pleasant cool evening breeze, “you can try the chuchu jelly. It stays cool a long time.” He then rose and disappeared into the treeline.

Zelda stared at the items beside her, sheepish. It took her several minutes to get over her embarrassment enough to burst the jelly into the makeshift bowl.

It felt blissfully cold on her ankle. She set the rest aside in reserve and propped her legs up on the rolled-cloth pillow from the previous night.

She returned to her work on the slate, picking for a while at the palm meat Link had mildly cooked, once again, over a meager fire.

About an hour later, he suddenly held a hand-sized meat pie between her face and the Slate. She goggled at him.

“You need a good source of protein, Princess,” he said.

The pie was very warm.

She stared at the fire, then all around her for a sign he had somehow constructed an oven.

And a rolling station.

And butchered a wild animal.

“Where did this come from?” she finally asked.

He pointed to his pouch.

“What?! How-“ she knew how, but- “how long has it been in there?”

He cocked his head, considering it. “About two months?”

“Two months?!” She thrust it at him. “Sir Link- that is- well beyond spoilage-“

He took it from her and took a hearty bite.

She fought a visceral revulsion sending bile up her throat.

He smiled a little and swallowed—then held it out to her.

The pie was not only warm—it was steaming inside. The filling appeared perfectly fresh—perhaps a wild boar or even beef filling with peas, carrots, and some manner of starchy root. It smelled not only edible, but wonderful.

“…How?” she asked.

“Magic,” he answered. “No idea how it works, but everything that goes in comes out exactly the same. No aging—no spoiling.” He huffed a small laugh. “No getting cold before you’re ready to eat it.”

He reached a hand in—and produced a second pie, nearly identical, which he held out to her.

She took it in a strange state of grateful shock and nibbled a corner. The pastry was excellent—flaky and deliciously browned. A larger bite very nearly produced a hum of delicious enjoyment, though she tamped it, feeling it would be somehow rude.

“Thank you, Sir Link. It’s- delicious. And fortunate, considering our situation. May I ask- ah…”

“How much I have?”

“Yes.”

He appeared to be fighting a smirk. “Way more than I should.”

He must have noticed her eyeing the spent sticks from roasting the melon. “It’s not infinite,” he said. “Better to go easy on it—once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

She ate her (quite satisfying) meal slowly as she worked, making it stretch. She endeavored only to listen to Link’s activity. He was busy with something at that flat, dark rock of his, but as long as he wasn’t turning it into a sacrificial altar, she wasn’t going to worry about it.

--

Zelda jolted awake, her arm flung haphazardly past her head, the Slate just beyond the reach of her fingertips, and paraglider cloth once again tucked around her. She could recall neither laying on her side to work nor intending to fall asleep.

The reason for her wakefulness protested with a throb.

She suppressed a groan as she sat up, gripping her injured leg’s calf to assist it. Her foot had been hanging uncomfortably, stretching the tendons in her ankle as it dangled past her other shin. Once righted, she reached first for the Slate—it read 2:37 am.

She used the screen’s light to search for the chuchu jelly. A dip of her index finger told her it was, indeed, still cool. She attended to her ankle (now visibly swollen) with a generous amount of the natural salve.

The moon must have risen recently, for the sea was lit in dim streaks rising and falling with the sound of waves. With a start, she realized Link was still sitting cross-legged before the firepit. She couldn’t tell if his eyes were open.

“Sir Link?” she whispered.

“Mm?” he hummed.

“Have you yet slept?”

He shook his head, his hair visible as a messy outline against the backdrop of the calm sea. “I can go a long time without sleep, Princess.”

She knew the truth of that. She’d been confused the first few times he’d taken a night shift at her door despite his daytime dogging of her footsteps. She half-supposed he slept standing up with his eyes open.

Seeing him sit there with his forearms balanced, wrists hanging over his knees, she rather thought that supposition to be at least partially supported.

“I… suspect I shall be unable to sleep for a while,” she said. “If your concern is to keep an eye out, as you’ve said, I have two eyes myself and am happy to use them. Two ears, even. Please, rest.”

“I am resting.”

“Sleep,” she clarified.

He took a swift breath—then another. “…Princess-“

“You have a duty,” she said. “I, too, have a duty as your sovereign. You are one of my people. Your welfare is therefore my concern. Please…take sleep while I am awake.”

“You’ve only gotten a few hours.”

“And you have had none. I insist,” she said.

He remained still and silent as the crests of waves grew from nearly-black to soft-blue-grey in the growing moonlight. She rather thought he might disobey her entirely, but at length he lay on his own mat, his elbow bent beneath his head.

She presumed he slept.

She allowed the Slate’s light to go out—she hadn’t the concentration to fiddle with its complex inner language—and found a less painful way to sit with her good ankle beneath her bad one. She listened to the sounds of the night, wondering that she wasn’t afraid of some creature stepping from the trees to menace her here.

They weren’t in Hyrule.

She had little idea what to expect, truly, and they didn’t yet know the size of the island—yet she felt unaccountably safe. She would not allow herself to sleep despite her impression. If she did so without waking Link up, he might never sleep another night, and she wasn’t willing to put him through that, regardless of his proficiency at standing, stone in a hall of stone, night after night.

Her face softened in the dark, as the waves seemed to in the fall of silver on their brief emergence ashore.

Surely, such attention from him personally was unnecessary, but she’d only ever spoken to him of it in the context of her own exasperation. What was his context? Did he believe her to be in extreme danger in her own castle? She’d rather thought-

She…

She scrubbed her face with her hands, trying to piece together a coherent thought from the wreckage of her feelings.

It didn’t work. Perhaps she was too tired.

The night’s gentle sounds made a gradual incursion against the noisy jumble in her head. She knew the Slate far better than she knew her knight, and she had yet to figure it out, either.

She settled for watching the sea, eyes as wide as she could make them, to catch whatever glimpse of light she could on the horizon. Inspiration would strike, Goddess willing.

~~~~~

[piratemousey]

Gale and You

A modern Gale SFF AU

Gale/Y/N

Back From the Eternity

You rise from bed with one foot sliding into your slipper and the other lands on the flat carpet. The knocking comes again, urgent. The dark room tells you that it's the middle of the night, a crash of thunder reminds you a storm appeared suddenly off the coast and was meant to drown the small town where you live. 

You turn on the lamp by your bed, a quick glance in the mirror slanted against the wall there. Your home is the same cookie cutter home as the rest in the town of Mandrake. A home owned and furnished by Weaving Labs Incorporated, your employer. While a company town wasn't ideal, it let you do your work and it let you meet brilliant, exciting people. 

As you cross to the hall, the lightning illuminates the archway to the kitchen and the sliding doors to the small back yard. 

You hurry on your toes, concerned that there was an accident at the lab or an emergency in the neighborhood. Your pajamas are comfortable but loose, something for the cool fall evenings of northeastern Massachusetts. 

With quick fingers and a rapid heartbeat you turn on the porch light, leaning to look through the pain of glass. 

At first you can't take in the person before you. He's so changed from your last meeting. 

Gale Dekarios

Gale is braced against the doorframe, his chestnut brown hair hanging down around his face. You can see his breathing is agitated as if he'd exerted himself. When he looks at you, rain streams down his haunted face. 

The last time you saw Gale he was hovering in the open hole he'd made in the ceiling of the lab. His skin was glowing blue, his eyes a pure white light.

He'd chosen to leave, to explore the universe with his new powers. It's not like he owed you anything. It had only been some light flirting, a coffee, and a few soft kisses in the break room.

Stolen moments in the long hours of your research into the strange electromagnetic phenomenon of the town of Mandrake Falls. 

You open the door, the shock keeping you from forming words. Gale's clothes hang from him in stress. He's no longer glowing. In fact, Gale looks worn out. 

“Gale,” You finally say.

“Y/N,” Gale replies. The same honeyed voice emerges from his lips which once whispered close to your ear as his hand cupped your cheek. 

If people want to get the steamy stuff, I'll post it.

[bittenbyyou]

Desiderium (1)

MCU!Spider-Man x Cop!Reader | Peter Parker x Cop!Reader

Desiderium: an ardent desire or longing. especially : a feeling of loss or grief for something lost.

genre: angst, light-hearted comedy

description: In which Peter accidentally travels to your Earth, where he’s a wanted criminal and you’re supposed to arrest him.

word count: 2.4k

warnings: bit of angst, attempts at comedy, NWH spoilers, Across the Spiderverse movie references, Power Ranger SPD references lmfao (OC is a power ranger cop), Peter being an absolute dork and geeking out at OC’s powers, I just want him happy :(((

a/n: This is my attempt at a love story that I couldn’t get out of my head. I was heavily inspired by the character Yuri Watanabe in the Spider-Man game, wondering what would happen if Yuri and Spider-Man were a thing. But you don't have to know the game because OC isn’t exactly like Yuri except for the cop part. I made her a Power Ranger instead because I can and it’d be hilarious if Spider-Man met a Power Ranger (plus Japanese Spider-Man ran so other Spider-Men could walk. Okay enough of me geeking out now). 

extra a/n: The Japanese Power Rangers were actually what inspired me because they were the original before America adapted it. OC is basically Jasmine from Dekaranger if anyone’s curious. 

Things were uneventful after everyone forgot who Peter Parker was. Crime was reduced to typical bank robberies and short-lived car chases. Nothing that Spider-Man had to get himself involved in. It was dangerously boring, which wasn’t good. Boring meant free time. And free time meant he was trapped with his thoughts. 

He wanted to forget it all. Forget that he was all alone. Forget that he didn’t get into MIT. Forget he was stuck working a minimum wage paying job that barely got him to pay his rent. Trust that he was spiraling into waves of depression, blaming himself for what happened and that it was all for the best.

But was it really? 

The fact he couldn’t go to Aunt May’s grave without coincidentally running into Happy and lying about his relationship with her. The fact that Mr. Stark wasn’t there to mentor him, scold him, or comfort him anymore. The fact that he had to let go of the love of his life and best friend crushed him to the point where he thought he would go mad. 

He had to find a hobby and so he did what he did best—build things, specifically new gadgets. Why not with all this free time? 

About four months in, Peter had been invested in working on an experimental device in his makeshift lab. The goal was to be able to travel across the multiverse and find a world where he wasn’t suffering. For once, he had hope that he could have a happy ending. Yes, it was dangerous and stupid, but he had to try. This wasn’t magic; it was science. And experimenting was the only thing keeping him sane. 

Once he put on the finishing touches, he suited up and swung himself onto his apartment’s rooftop. 

He overlooked the city he once protected and loved, bidding it farewell. This world didn’t need him anymore. Not as Peter Parker. Not as Spider-Man. He pressed the button on the gadget wrapped around his wrist, resulting in an electric shock from the device. 

“Ow!” 

By some miracle, he caused an electromagnetic surge that opened up a temporary rift in the fabric of reality, causing a brief glimpse into an alternate Earth. He couldn’t believe his eyes, jumping into the portal without hesitation. 

“Ahhh!!!”

To say he dropped out of the sky wouldn’t be an exaggeration. The superhero fell face flat onto the roof of an apartment building, groaning from the impact. Getting up and perching on the ledge, he overlooked the city he was in to quickly realize it was Queens, New York. But… something seemed off. The people looked human, but then there were others that appeared… extraterrestrial. 

“Damn it,” Peter muttered, smacking the device on his wrist. It wasn’t working anymore, completely fried to a crisp. Panic settled into his features because he didn’t know where the hell he was. “What do I do…?”

He peered down on the streets to see some cops walking back to their station and figured maybe someone could help him there. 

It’s almost laughable how easy your job could be sometimes. You were at Delta Base circulating wanted posters around the police station, paying no mind to those who came and went. It wasn’t until you heard a soft, gentle voice ask an officer at the front desk a question.

“Hi, my name is Spider-Man and uh, I think I’m on the wrong Earth… or maybe the wrong planet? I saw so many aliens out there, are y’all being invaded? I’ll help you if you help me?

The police officer saw the poster on his desk with the word “WANTED” in big bold letters, trembling at the resemblance. “O-Oh my god! It’s the same person! Um?!” 

He held up the poster and looked over to you, who was at the other end of the information counter, eyes screaming, “HELP ME, CAPTAIN.”

You looked up and placed your posters down, walking over to the wanted man in question. “Pardon me, on our Earth when you first walk into a police station, it’s custom to pose like this.” 

You placed your wrists in line with each other, palms facing inward towards the body and the man in red and blue copied you.

“Like this?” 

“Thanks,” you immediately placed handcuffs on him, “you made my job so much easier.”

Spider-Man lifted his hands up to his face, the white part on his mask where his eyes were widened in disbelief. “Wait, I’m not a criminal!”

Grabbing the poster from the officer’s hands to exhibit it to the lawbreaker, you explained, “Spider-Man, you’re wanted for illegal use of teleportation across the multiverse.”

Spider-Man squinted at the poster to examine it closer. “I’m only worth a bounty of 2 million dollars? Ouch.”

“You’re under arrest.”

As a group of officers surrounded Spider-Man, tension filled the air. They were on high alert, weapons drawn, ready to make an arrest. Peter shook his head in denial. How could this be happening again? Even on a different Earth people were after him because he was Spider-Man. He had to get out of here.

Just as the officers were about to move in, a loud, piercing alarm began blaring from a nearby building. The sound echoed through the streets, capturing the attention of everyone in the vicinity.

The officers, trained to prioritized public safety, immediately shifted their attention to the source of the alarm. Spider-Man used this to his advantage. In a swift motion, he launched into a flurry of kicks, each one executed with remarkable speed and accuracy.

His first kick was a spinning hook kick, his leg extended in a graceful arc. His foot connected with an officer’s forearm, knocking the weapon out of their grasp. Without missing a beat, Spider-Man transitioned into a rapid succession of roundhouse kicks. His legs became a blur of motion as he unleashed a whirlwind of strikes, sending his opponents stumbling backwards.

"Will," he exclaimed with a forceful kick, "this," he followed up with another powerful kick, "make my bounty higher?!"

All the officers were down now, groaning from the pain inflicted by Spider-Man. He met your eyes and let out a nervous laugh. “I’d say I’m worth 3 million now.”

You charged towards him, but he shot a web that glued you to the information desk. 

“What the hell?” That shouldn’t have been possible. The cuffs were designed to stop Spider-Man’s webs from coming out from his body. 

“Sorry, pretty police lady!”

Peter tried to break the handcuffs using brute force, widening the whites of his mask when he failed. He tried again, cursing to himself as to why it wasn’t working. You took that chance to reach into your pocket, pulling out your SP License. Pressing the button that activated your transformation, your shiny red uniform gave you enough strength to break free of the webs. 

You charged towards him to gain enough speed, launching a flying kick to his face. Peter’s body was flung backwards into the wall and he fell flat on his face, moaning in pain. Before he could fully get up, you pulled out your magnum firearms.

“Stay down.”

Not like you gave him a choice. His entire whole body jolted from the sudden shock of your taser. 

Peter stood in his cell bored out of his mind. How could things go so wrong so fast?

“Excuse me?” he called out, grabbing onto the bars. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m also hungry… I got homework.”

He heard the sound of footsteps approaching and he saw you, clad in your bright red uniform. On the left side of your body was a large number 1 in the color black. He gasped in admiration while you crossed your arms. 

“You’re a Power Ranger? Dude, that is so cool! I thought it was just a TV show!”

You put your hands on your hips. “What’s a Power Ranger?”

“You guys don’t have Power Rangers here?” You de-tranformed back to your normal self and he shrieked in excitement. “Oh my god, your uniform just disappears?! How is that possible? That’s so convenient!”

“[Y/N].” You and Spider-Man shifted your attention to the deep voice, meeting face to face with your boss. First thing Peter noticed was the blue fur and snout that resembled that of a dog. The dog had a distinctive police officer uniform in black and silver with the SPD logo prominently displayed on and was very tall. 

“Is that your boss?! He’s a talking DOG?!”

You facepalmed yourself, feeling like you were dealing with a child. “That’s Chief Kruger. Don’t be rude.”

Spider-Man straightened his posture and saluted Kruger. “Hello. Sir.”

“Good job, [Y/N]. You indeed caught Spider-Man,” Kruger narrowed his eyes on Peter, the piercing gaze sending chills through his spine. It was almost like he could see him through his mask. “Is this really Spider-Man?”

“I’m not Spider-Man,” Peter said quickly, grabbing the bars once again in desperation. You side-eyed him so hard. “I mean, I am. But I think you’ve got the wrong guy. I came here by accident.”

“And how did you do that?” you interrogated.

“I… I made myself a gadget to travel across universes.”

“See Boss? Illegal use of teleportation.”

“But he seems rather… harmless?”

Peter nodded his head rapidly. “That’s me, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, who is absolutely harmless.”

“He knocked out ten officers,” you informed Kruger.

“Purely out of self-defense. I just wanna go home.”

He watched the way you and your boss looked at each other. You took a deep sigh, slowly removing one of the black gloves off your hands. 

“Excuse me,” you said, placing your bare hand onto Peter’s. He tensed up at the sudden contact while you closed your eyes. 

See, you were born with psychic abilities and could pick up sensory impressions of others through touch. Memories of Peter’s life rapidly flashed through your mind, causing you to furrow your eyebrows in distress. You finally opened your eyes.

“He’s not our Spider-Man,” you said, removing your hand off him. “His name is Peter Parker. He’s part of a superhero team called The Avengers. Fought a nasty purple alien named Thanos.”

Peter stepped away from the bars pointing at you and Kruger in a quick back and forth motion. “H-How, how does she—how do you know that?!”

“[Y/N] is psychic,” Kruger explained. 

“She read my mind, you read my mind?” Peter asked, shooting you an incredulous look.

“It’s protocol.”

“That’s an invasion of my privacy. And rights. The constitution says—,” you shot him a death glare, “I’ll be quiet now.”

“Our apologies. The Spider-Man we’ve been trying to catch escaped from prison recently. He somehow got his hands on one of our teleportation devices,” Kruger explained. “It’s a shame how he’s turned against us.”

Peter saw how you instinctively reached for your opposite arm, gently grasping it just above the elbow.

“Was he your friend?” You snapped your head up to look at him.

“No.” You punched the numbers into the keypad of his cell and opened it, grabbing Peter’s handcuffs forcefully to bring him closer. He gulped, worried he had hit a nerve but was relieved when you unlocked the cuffs. “I’ll send you home.”

Kruger stopped Peter from following you into the main headquarters by placing an arm out in front. 

“Spider-Man was [Y/N]’s best partner. The two of them were inseparable, putting away criminals day by day. Until one day Spider-Man simply snapped, saying the world wasn’t fair. He became an unstoppable vigilante, breaking rules to deliver justice or just to release anger. She had to put him away.”

Peter watched as your frame grew smaller and smaller, wondering how much it hurt you to step up and do what needed to be done. He could relate.

“Let’s go send you home, Peter.”

Kruger placed a hand on his shoulder and guided him to the main headquarters. The hexagonal doors opened automatically upon their arrival and you just had finished strapping the gadget on your wrist.

“Okay. This device will scan your DNA and open a portal back to your Earth.”

You pointed your fist at Peter as random thoughts raced through his mind.

What if I just stay here?

There’s nothing for me back in Queens.

I should help her.

There’s a purpose for me here.

“Wait!” he shouted, waving his hands back and forth.

“What?”

“I can help you catch him. Let me stay here.”

You let out a chuckle. “No, there’s a whole team of people who are looking for him across the multiverse. Trust me. I’ll deal with him myself if he comes back here.”

“Then let me stay and help you with the other crimes in the meantime.”

“Why? You have to go back to your Earth. They can’t survive without Spider-Man.”

Peter thought about how low crime was and how he’d rather be anywhere than back home, where no one knew him. Where there was nothing there for him right now. He’d rather be anywhere but there. If he was sent back now, he’d be faced with his failures again.

“A lot has happened and there’s really not much crime that the police can’t handle there. I want to help you.” You lowered your arm, trying to figure out what his deal was. “Please? Come on, you guys have such cool technology! I have to figure out how you transform like that. Do you have a mecha? Oh my god, you fight in giant robots, don’t you? And it’s so badass that you’re the red ranger.”

“Why are you saying that like I’m not supposed to be one?”

“Well… because…” the atmosphere turned awkward real quick, “On TV it’s always a guy. So you’re incredible. Breaking standards. Girl power!” He fist-bumped the air like a total dork. 

“Yeah, I don’t think I can send you home until after we delve into why that’s problematic.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” He took off his mask and you saw his face for the first time. He was young, probably in his twenties like you. His brown curls looked soft and perfect, his smile radiant. He reached his hand out to you. “Partners?”

You shook his hand. “Partners.”

He held your hand for a bit too long and you had to shake him off. “Heh. Sorry. Wait, does your SPD badge stand for Space Police Detective? You’re a space cop?”

“Uh… yes?”

“I could be Spider-Cop.”

“No, that’s a horrible name.”

“Oh, come on!” He deepened his voice to a comical level similar to that of Batman. “I’m Spider-Cop.”

“No, no Spider-Cop.”

“But I got a great theme song. Let me sing it for you.”

“Oh dear lord…”

Thank you for reading!!!

[florrentine]

𝐯. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬.

BIRTH NAME. emilia rose florrent AKA. Cipher

after relocating his family to the states for a position within vought's R&D department, roger florrent is pressured into volunteers his soon-to-be born youngest daughter to be included in the next scheduled trial for compound v upon her birth. shortly after her first birthday, roger and his family move back to london to oversee a satellite lab, which keeps the young girl under the watchful eye of v.ought. emilia's powers first begin to manifest around her 8th birthday, starting of small; being able to turn electronics off and on without touching them, rewiring televisions and computers on a whim, culminating with her accidentally frying the electrical wiring in her family's flat (and the two neighboring ones as well). it wasn't long before v.ought came calling, and she was back in the states and attending godol.kin.

but she had no aspirations for something flashy like joining the seve.n, or becoming one of the many public faces of v.ought ( not that they didn't try; silicon valley was eager to have her as their champion, but the feeling was less than mutual and she didn't stay on the west coast for very long ) -- media training doesn't suit her, and she's not against turning recording equipment into expensive, smoking paper weights either. and she doesn't stop there. that mile-wide mischievous streak also sets it's sights more than once on v.ought itself (who doesn't love a good five-alarm PR fire after something juicy gets 'accidentally' leaked?). but for all of v.ought's dirty little secrets she's come across via 1's and 0's over the years, the c.ompound v bombshell is the last straw (finding out that's how she obtained her abilities leaves a bad taste in her mouth, but she won't say she's surprised), and she decides that enough is enough ------ she's going rogue.

it'd be a shame if someone out from under their thumb knew how to take v.ought down one piece of nanotech at a time.

POWERS.

technopathy -- interacting and communicating with technology without physical touch. 

technokinesis -- creating and manipulating technology physically.

EMP emission -- produces a surge of electromagnetic energy (either from her hands or full body), which can disrupt/disable all technology nearby.

enhanced strength/limited regeneration (peak human regeneration level II)

[abbygrabska]

The Impossible Planet

We step out of the tardis, looking up at her.

“I don’t know what's wrong with her, she’s sort of… queasy. Indigestion, like she didn’t want to land.”

“Oh, if you think there’s gonna be trouble, we could always get back inside and go somewhere else.”

He laughs at the notion, looking around, “I think… we’ve landed inside a cupboard! Here we go!” He pushes the door open and we enter another part of the building we’ve landed in.

“Open Door 15.”

“Some sort of base… moon base, sea base, space base… they build these things out of kits.”

I listen to the sounds coming from outside, “Sounds like a storm out there…”

The Doctor opens another door and the computer speaks again, “Open Door 16.”

I follow him through the door into a corridor.

“Human design, you’ve got a thing about kits. This place was put together like a flat-pack wardrobe, only bigger. And easier.”

We go through another door and into a canteen area.

The Doctor strides into the middle of the room, “Oh, it’s a sanctuary base! Deep space exploration. We’ve gone way out. And listen to that, underneath…” He points downwards, I can hear the hum of a drill, “Someone’s drilling.”

I look up, “Welcome to hell.”

“Oh, it’s not that bad!” He pouts.

I laugh, pointing to the wall, “Over there!”

The words ‘welcome to hell’ are scrawled on the wall, with weird symbols written underneath.

The Doctor stares, “Hold on…” He goes over to it, “What does that say?”

He peers closely at the symbols, but it remains the same, “That’s weird. It won’t translate.” I frown, “I thought the tardis translated everything, writing included. We should see English.” “Exactly. If that’s not working, then it means… this writing is old. Very old. Impossibly old.” he stands and goes over to another door, “We should find out who’s in charge.” He turns the wheel to open the door, “We’ve gone beyond the reach of the tardis knowledge. Not a good move. And if someone’s lucky enough…” The door opens and we both gasp in shock, stumbling back a few steps. There are aliens with tendrils coming from their faces.

“Right! Hello! Sorry! Uh… I was just saying, uh… nice base!”

The aliens speak together, “We must feed.”

“You’re gonna what?” “We must feed.” “Yeah. I think they mean us.”

We back away as they advance.

“We must feed.”

We try to go through the other door, but it opens and more aliens come through it.

“We must feed. We must feed. We must feed.”

Yet another door opens and more walk slowly through it. We are cornered.

“We must feed. We must feed. We must feed.”

The Doctor takes his sonic out of his pocket and I arm myself with a chair.

“We must feed. We must feed.”

We are backed against the wall by the advancing aliens.

“We must feed.” One of the aliens shakes and taps the white orb they hold before them, “You. if you are hungry.”

The Doctor lowers his sonic, “Sorry?”

“We apologize. Electromagnetics have interfered with our speech systems.” I set down the chair.

“Would you like some refreshment?”

“Uhm…”

A door opens and an older man walks through, flanked by two others, holding guns, “What the hell…? How did…?” He approaches us, staring at us before speaking into a communication device, “Captain… you’re not going to believe this. We’ve got people. Out of nowhere. I mean, real people. I mean two… living people. Just standing here, right in front of me.”

I share a glance with the Doctor.

“Don’t be stupid, that’s impossible.”

The man stares at us, “I suggest telling them that.”

“But you’re a space base, surely you must have visitors now and then. It can’t be that impossible.”

He speaks roughly, “You’re telling me you don’t know where you are?”

“No idea. More fun that way.” He grins.

A woman's voice comes through the speaker, “Stand by, everyone. Buckle down. We have incoming. And it’s a big one. Quake Point 5 on its way.”

As the base starts to quake and tremble, the man rushes over to a door and opens it, “Through here! Now. Quickly, come on!”

Sirens sound. We run after him through the door, through a corridor, and into a control room with a few people.

Their mouths drop open, the Doctor beams at them.

“Oh, my god. You meant it.” “People! Look at that! Real people!” “That’s us. Hooray!”

“Yeah, definitely real. I’m Abby and this is the Doctor.” One of the men strides over to us, “Come on… the oxygen must be offline. We’re hallucinating. They can’t be… no. They’re real!”

The man who seems to be the captain speaks impatiently, “Come on, we’re in the middle of an alert. Danny, strap up, the quake’s coming in. Impact in thirty seconds!”

The seconds count down on a computer screen.

“Sorry, you two, whoever you are. Just… hold on. Tight.”

“Hold on to what?”

“Anything. I don’t care. Just hold on. Ood, are we fixed?”

We both find railing to hold on to.

“Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated.”

“What’s this planet called, anyway?” The Doctor asks.

“Now, don’t be stupid. It hasn’t got a name. How could it have a name?”

The Doctor raises his eyebrows.

“You really don’t know, do you?” “And… impact!”

The entire base shakes violently. Everyone clings on tightly, but it’s over pretty quickly.

The Doctor stands, “Oh, well, that wasn’t so bad…!”

He gets thrown backward as the base shakes even more violently than it did before. He clings to the railing for dear life. There is a small explosion from one of the consoles. Sparks fly around the room. Finally, it stops.

“Okay, that’s it.” The older man rushes forward with a fire extinguisher.

The captain checks in with everyone.

“We’re fine, thanks, fine, yeah, don’t worry about us.”

“The surface caved in.”

The graphics on the computer screen indicate the part of the base that has been lost.

“I deflected it onto storage 5 through 8. We’ve lost them completely. Toby, go and check the rocket link.”

The younger man tries to argue before grudgingly leaving the room.

The woman speaks, “Oxygen holding. Internal gravity 56.6. We should be okay.”

I look around, “Never mind the earthquake, that’s one hell of a storm. What is that, a hurricane?”

“You’d need an atmosphere for a hurricane. There’s no air out there. It's a complete vacuum.”

“Then what’s shaking the roof?” I ask.

“You’re not joking. You really don’t know? Well, introductions. FYI, as they said in the olden days. I’m Ida Scott, science officer.” She gestures to the black man, “Zachary Cross Flane, acting Captain, sir… you’ve met Mr. Jefferson, he's head of security. Danny Bartock. Ethics committee.”

“Not as boring as it sounds.” The Doctor and I grin at him.

“And that man who just left, that was Toby Zed, archaeology, and this…” She places her hand on the other woman’s shoulders, “is Scooti Manista. Trainee maintenance.”

Scooti smiles at us. 

Ida goes over to a set of controls, “And this… this is home.” She turns a lever and a whirring sound starts.

“Brace yourselves. The sight of it sends some people mad.” Zach warns us.

The room is flooded with a reddish light as an overhead window opens, revealing a black hole right above us.

“That’s a black hole.” I breathe out. “But that’s impossible.” “I did warn you.” “We’re standing under a black hole.” “We’re in orbit.”

“But we can’t be…”

“You can see for yourself. We’re in orbit.” The Doctor turns to look at Ida, “But we can’t be.” “This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole without falling in. Discuss.”

“That’s bad, right?” I ask.

“That doesn’t cover it… a black hole’s a dead star, it collapses in on itself, in and in and in until the matter’s so dense and tight it starts to pull everything else in too. Nothing in the universe can escape it. Light, gravity… time... Everything just gets pulled inside… and crushed.”

“So, they can’t be in orbit. We should be pulled right in.”

“We should be dead.”

“And yet… here we are. Beyond the laws of physics. Welcome on board.” “But if there’s no atmosphere, what’s that?” I point to the clouds speeding rapidly toward the black hole outside. “Stars breaking up… gas clouds… we have whole solar systems being ripped apart above our heads before falling into that thing.”

“So, definitely worse than a storm.”

The base shakes again. Toby walks in, “The rocket link’s fine.”

Zach taps a button on the controls and a hologram of the black hole appears before us. The Doctor puts his glasses on.

“That’s the black hole officially designated K37 Gen 5.”

“In the scriptures of the Falltino, this planet is called Kroptor. The bitter pill. And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out. Because it was poison.”

The Doctor stares at the hologram, “We are so far out. Lost in the drifts of the universe, how did you even get here?!”

“We flew in. you see…” Zach presses another button and the hologram changes to one of the planet with a gravity field emanating out from it like a tunnel, “This planet’s generating a gravity field. We don't know how, but… it’s kept in a constant balance against the black hole. And the field extends out there.” He gestures, “As a funnel. A distinct… gravity funnel, reaching out into clear space. That was our way in. By rights, the ship should’ve been torn apart. We lost the Captain… which is what put me in charge…”

Ida chimes in consolingly, “You’re doing a good job.”

“Yeah. well, needs must.”

“But if that gravity funnel closes, there’s no way out.”

Scooti grimaces, “We had fun speculating about that.” “Oh, yeah. That’s the word.” He whacks Scooti on the head with a scroll, “‘Fun.’”

The Doctor seems completely stumped, “but that field would take phenomenal power! I mean… not just big, but off the scale! Can I…?”He gestures to the controls.

“Sure. Help yourself.” Ida pushes the calculator over to him and leaves him to it.

One of the aliens approaches me, “Your refreshment.”

I take it from them, “Thank you. What’s your name?”

“We have no titles. We are as one.” The alien leaves.

I look at Danny, “What are they called?”

“Oh, come on. Where’ve you been living? Everyone’s got one!” I narrow my eyes.

He clears his throat, “They’re the Ood. They work in the mine shafts. All the drilling and stuff. Supervision, and maintenance! They’re born for it. Basic slave race.”

I purse my lips, “Were they born for it or were they a peaceful race with brain structures that left them susceptible to corruption that humans took advantage of?”

“But the Ood offer themselves. If you don't give them orders, they just pine away and die.” Danny argues

One of the Ood approaches me, “You like being ordered around?” I ask.

“It is all we crave.”

“Why’s that?”

“We have nothing else in life.”

Before I can respond the Doctor speaks, “There we go. D’you see? To generate that gravity field, and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self-extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds.”

“That’s a lot of sixes.”

“And it’s impossible.”

“It took us two years to work that out!” Zach sulks.

The Doctor speaks modestly, “I’m very good.”

“But… that’s why we’re here. This power source is ten miles below through solid rock. Point Zero. we’re drilling down to try and find it.”

“It’s giving off readings of over ninety stats on the Blazen Scale.”

Ida speaks enthusiastically, “We could revolutionize modern science.” “We could use it to fuel the Empire.”

The Doctor takes his glasses off, “Or start a war.” “It’s buried beneath us. In the darkness, waiting.”

“That’s a bit morbid.”

“Well, whatever it is down there is not a natural phenomenon. And this, er, planet once supported life. Eons ago, before the human race had even learned to walk.” Toby says.

“I saw that lettering written on the wall. Did you do that?”

Toby nods, “I copied it from fragments we found on earth by the drilling, but I can’t translate it.”

“No, neither can I. and that’s saying something.”

“There was some form of civilization. They buried something. Now it’s reaching out. Calling us in.” The Doctor grins at them, “And you came.”

“Well, how could we not?”

Zach switches off the hologram.

“So, when it comes right down to it, why did you come here? Why did you do that? Why? I’ll tell you why. Because it was there. Brilliant. Excuse me, ah, Zach, wasn’t it?”

Zach nods, “That’s me.”

“Just stand there, ‘cause I’m gonna hug you. Is that all right?”

“I suppose so.”

The Doctor moves towards him, “Here we go. Coming in.” He throws his arms around Zach, beaming, “Ahh, human beings, you are amazing.”

Ida looks bemused.

I let out a laugh as the Doctor releases Zach, “Thank you.”

“Not at all.”

“But apart from all that, you’re completely mad. You should pack your bags and get back in that ship and fly for your lives.”

“You can talk! And how the hell did you get here?”

“Oh, I’ve got this um… this… it’s hard to explain, it just sort of… appears.” “We can show you, we parked down the corridor from habitation area three.” I say.

“Do you mean storage six?” Zach asks.

The Doctor speaks cheerfully, “uh, it was a bit of a cupboard, yeah.” I watch Zach glance uncomfortably at Ida and realize.

The Doctor seems to realize the same, and runs from the room.

I follow him and we run to door sixteen.

He looks out the window, there is a gaping chasm right beneath us.

“The ground gave way. My tardis must’ve fallen down right into the heart of the planet. But you’ve got robot drills heading the same way.” The Doctor speaks to Zach with urgency.

“We can’t divert the drilling.” Zach walks off.

The Doctor stares at him, before following, “But I need my ship. It’s all I’ve got. Literally the only thing.”

Zach speaks, obviously irritated, ”Doctor, we’ve only got the resources to drill one central shaft down to the power source, and that’s it. No diversions, no distractions, no exceptions. Your machine is lost. All I can do is offer you a lift if we ever get to leave this place, and that… is the end of it.” He leaves.

Ida approaches the Doctor, “I’ll uh, put you on the duty roster. We need someone in the laundry.” She follows Zach from the room.

The Doctor looks at me, and comes over, settling against the control panel next to me, “I’ve trapped you here.” “Don’t do that.” I say, “Don’t act like it’s your fault. Because I chose to come with you.” I grab his face and look him in the eyes, “I chose you, and I will choose you every time.”

We are sitting in the canteen area, the Doctor is staring at the ancient text.

Zach’s voice echoes over the speaker, telling Danny to check the temperature of the Ood habitation.

I stand and walk over to the hatch where the food is being served from.

Scooti gestures to the trays, “Help yourself. Just don’t have the green. Or the blue.” She laughs.

I pick up a tray and go to the hatch.

I point at the blue, “Blue please.” 

The Ood spoons some sloppy blue goop onto my tray.

“Would you like sauce with that?”

I nod.

The Ood shakes some sauce onto the tray.

“My friend Rose was a kitchen aid once. It was for something we were investigating. Do you get paid though? Do they give you money?”

The Ood speaks politely, “The Beast and his Armies shall rise from the Pit to make war against God.”

I look at the Ood, “What?”

The Ood taps their communication orb, “Apologies, I said, ‘I hope you enjoy your meal.’”

I say nothing, just nod and pick up my tray before walking off.

The lights flicker.

“You might wanna see this. Moment in history.” Ida pulls a lever that opens the overhead ‘shutters’ revealing the black hole overhead and flooding the room with soft red light, “There. On the edge.” 

A stream of red light spirals into the black hole, “That red cloud… that used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Peluchi… a mighty civilization spanning a billion years… disappearing. Forever. Their planets and suns consumed.” She's gazing up at it, fascinated, as are the Doctor and I.

The last of the Scarlet System disappears into the black hole. “Ladies and gentlemen… we have witnessed its passing.” Ida goes to pull the lever to close the shutters again but the Doctor stops her.

“Er, no, could you leave it open?” 

I look at him.

“Just for a bit. I won’t go mad, I promise.” “How would you know?” 

The Doctor smiles at her.

“Scooti, check the lockdown.” Scooti nods and leaves.

“Jefferson, sign off the airlock seals for me.”

Jefferson and Ida exit, leaving the Doctor and me alone.

“I’ve seen films and shows where they say black holes are like gateways to another universe.”

“Not that one. It just eats.”

“Long way from home…”

The Doctor glances at me, pointing up at the sky, “Go that way, turn right, keep going for um… about five hundred years… then you’ll reach the Earth.”

I take my phone out of my pocket and check for a signal, “No signal. That’s the first time we’ve gone out of range. Even if there was one, what would I tell Rose? Can you build another Tardis?”

“They were grown, not built. And with my own planet gone… we’re kind of stuck.”

“Well, it could be worse. They did say they’d give us a lift.”

“And then what?”

“Find a planet, get a job, live a life. Same as the rest of the universe.” “Pfft… I’d have to settle down. In a house or something, a proper house with doors and things. Carpets! Me! Living in a house!”

I laugh.

“Now that… that is terrifying.”

I tease him, “You’d have to get a mortgage.” He stares off horrified, “No.” “Oh yes.”

“I am dying. That’s it. I am dying, it is all over.”

“Don’t say that. Besides you can always share with me.” He looks at me softly, “Even after getting you stuck here, you still would share a house with me?”

“Of course, I would. Nothing better than being stuck with you.”

He smiles.

The moment is broken by my phone ringing.

I answer it.

“He is awake.”

I fling my phone across the room in shock.

We bound down the stairs to see Danny in Ood Habitation.

Danny looks at us as we greet him, “The mysterious couple. How are you, then? Settling in?

“Yeah, sorry, straight to business, the Ood, how do they communicate with each other?”

The Ood are sat in an area below in what looks like an animal pen. A balcony overlooks the area and there are steps from there.

Danny shrugs, “Oh, just empaths. There’s a low-level telepathic field connecting them. Not that that does them much good. They’re a herd race. Like cattle.”

“This telepathic field, can it pick up messages?” “Because I was having dinner, and one of the Ood said something… odd.”

“Oh, an odd Ood.”

“And then I got something else on my communication device.”

“Oh, be fair. We’ve got whole star systems burning up around us. There are all sorts of stray transmissions. Probably nothing.”

We both stare at Danny, far from convinced.

“Look… if there was something wrong, it would show. We monitor the telepathic field. It’s the only way to look after them. They’re so stupid, they don’t even tell us when they’re ill.” The Doctor nods to the computer, “Monitor the field, that’s this thing?”

The reading on the screen says ‘Basic 5’

“Yeah. But as I said, it’s low-level telepathy. They only register Basic 5.”

While he has been speaking the reading has risen to Basic 6.” “Well, that’s not basic 6.”

It rises, again and again.

I watch as the Ood suddenly raise their heads in unison as the reading ascends.

“20…” The Doctor turns to Danny, “They’ve gone up to Basic 30.”

“But they can’t…” “Doctor, the Ood.”

The Ood turn, as one, and look up at the three of us on the balcony. “What does Basic 30 mean?”

Danny seems baffled, “Well, it means that they’re shouting, screaming inside their heads.”

“Or something’s shouting at them…”

Danny taps on the keyboard, “But… where’s it coming from? What’s it saying? I mean…” He looks at me, “What did it say to you?” “Something about the beast in the pit.” “And what about your communicator? What did that say?” “He is awake.” The Ood speak in unison, “And you will worship him.”

“What the hell?” The Doctor addresses the Ood, “He is awake.”

“And you will worship him.”

“Worship who?” There’s no response, “Who’s talking to you? Who is it?”

The entire base shakes. The Doctor and I are down in the pen with the Ood, Danny still on the overhead balcony when we are thrown violently around and they struggle to regain their balance.

“Emergency hull breach. Emergency hull breach.”

Danny speaks into his wrist communicator, “Which section?”

“Everyone… evacuate 11 to 13, we’ve got a breach. The base is open. Repeat: the base is open.”

We burst into the canteen area and run into the corridor.

“Breach sealed. Breach sealed.”

The Doctor dashes over to the group, “Everyone all right?! What happened? What was it?”

“Hull breach! We were open to the elements. A couple of minutes and we’d have been inspecting that black hole at close quarters.”

I crouch to help Toby, who is still sweating and panting on the floor.

“That wasn’t a quake. What caused it?”

“We’ve lost sections 11 through 13. Everyone all right?”

Jefferson speaks into his communication device, “We’ve got everyone here except Scooti. Scooti, report.” There is no response, “Scooti Manista? That’s an order. Report.”

Zach speaks up, “She’s all right.” Jefferson and Ida breathe a sigh of relief.

“I picked up her biochip, she’s in Habitation 3. Better go and check if she’s not responding, she might be unconscious.”

“Habitation 3… come on, I don’t often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink. Come on.” Everyone but Toby, the Doctor and I follow Jefferson down the corridor. The Doctor crouches down to Toby, who looks severely shaken.

“What happened?”

Toby speaks very fast, “I don’t… I don’t know, I… I was working and then I can’t remember. All… all that noise, the room was falling apart, and there was no air…”

I help him to his feet, “Come on. Up you get. Come and have some food.”

We walk into Habitation three.

“Have you seen Scooti?”

“No, no, no, I don’t think so.”

Ida speaks into her communication device, “Scooti, please respond, if you can hear this please respond… Habitation 6.” “Nowhere here.” Jefferson speaks, “Zach? We’ve got a problem. Scooti’s still missing.”

“It says habitation 3.” “Yeah, well that’s where I am, and I’m telling you she’s not there.”

I look up and scream in horror.

Everyone looks up.

Jefferson speaks quietly, “Captain… report Officer Scootori Manista PKD… deceased. 43K2.1.”

Ida goes over to the controls and closes the shutters.

The Doctor walks over to me and holds me as I cry.

There’s a distant crash, “What was that?”

“The drill.”

“We’ve stopped drilling. We’ve made it. Point Zero.”

I walk into the exploration deck.

I catch the Doctor’s eye and walk over to him.

He checks a device on the wrist of the spacesuit, “Oxygen… nitro-balance… gravity. It’s been ages since I wore one of these!” “I want that spacesuit back in one piece, you got that?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He puts on the helmet.

“It’s funny, ‘cause people back home think that space travel’s gonna be all whizzing about and teleports and anti-gravity… but it’s not, is it? It’s tough.”

“I’ll see you later.”

“Not if I see you first.” I laugh, pulling his head down so I can kiss the helmet.

Zach begins counting down as The Doctor and Ida go into the capsule. Jefferson closes the door after them.

The diagram on the computer screen indicates the capsule has reached Point Zero. It causes the whole base to shake. As soon as I steady myself I go over to the comms.

“Doctor?” There’s no reply, “Doctor, are you alright?”

“Ida, report to me…” There’s silence, “Doctor?”

“It’s all right… we’ve made it… coming out of the capsule now.”

I breathe a sigh of relief.

“What’s it like down there?” I ask.

“It’s hard to tell… some sort of… cave… cavern… it’s massive.”

“Abby you can tell Toby… we’ve found his civilization…”

 I turn to Toby, “Sounds like you’ve got plenty of work.” I can hear the Doctor rambling.

From where I’m standing I can hear Zach and Danny’s conversation.

“What’s Basic 100 mean?” I ask.

“Basic 100’s brain death.”

“Keep watching them. And you, Jefferson, keep a guard on the Ood.”

“Officer at arms!” Jefferson readies his gun.

I look at him concerned, “You can’t fire a gun in here. What if they hit a wall?” “It’s stock 15, only packs upon organics.” He turns to the security guard, “Keep watch. Guard them.”

“Is everything all right up there?”

“Yeah.”

“Toby, they need to know, that lettering, does it make any sort of sense?” Toby has his head in his arms, still crouched in the corner, he speaks quietly, “I know what it says.”

“Then tell them.” “When did you work that out?”

“It doesn’t matter, just tell them.”

Toby stands. He turns to us.

“These are the words of the Beast.” I stare at him in fear.

“And he has woken.”

Jefferson points his gun at Toby.

“He is the heart that beats in the darkness, he is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise.” “Officer, stand down. Stand down.”

“What is it? What’s he done? What’s happening? Abby? What’s going on?”

Toby flexes his arms.

“Officer, as commander of security, I order you to stand down and be confined. Immediately!”

“He’s covered in those symbols all over his face. They’re all over him.” Toby considers us. “Mr. Jefferson, tell me, sir… did your wife ever forgive you?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Let me tell you a secret: she never did.”

“Officer… you stand down and be confined.” “Or what?” “Or under the jurisdiction of Condition Red, I am authorized to shoot you.” Jefferson aims his gun at Toby. “But how many can you kill?” His eyes light up and his mouth opens in a low roar as the symbols evaporate off Toby’s skin and leave him as swirls of black smoke.

The smoke enters the Ood, who jerks as the smoke enters him.

Toby coughs and collapses.

Jefferson points his gun at the three Ood on the exploration deck.

“We are the Legion of the Beast.”

“Abby? What is it? Abby?”

“The Legion shall be many. And the Legion shall be few.”

“It’s the Ood. Doctor, I don’t know what it is, it’s… it’s like they’re possessed.” “They won’t listen to us.”

“He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time. Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan… Lucifer… or the Bringer of Despair… The Deathless Prince. The Bringer of Night. These are the words that shall set him free.”

Jefferson, ,I and another crew member are backing away as the Ood advance.

“Back up to the door!”

“I shall become manifest.” “Move quickly!” “I shall walk in might.” “To the door!” We are backed up against the door, “Get it open!”

“My legions shall swarm across the worlds.”

The whole base shakes.

“We’re moving! The whole thing’s moving! The planet’s moving!”

“I am the sin and the temptation. And the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the dead will come.” “Get that door open!”

“The gravity field… it’s going! We’re losing orbit! We’re gonna fall into the black home!”

I and the crew member desperately try to open the door but it won’t budge. Jefferson has his gin aimed at the advancing Ood, but they ignore it completely.

“I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more.” “The Pit is open. And I am free.”

[theomnicode]

Burning fever

Archive of our own

-*-

Heroes all around the cities are falling mysteriously ill to the ever present flu. No one is certain what kind of viral infection would affect just the heroes. Some intelligent monsters have been scouting around and seen that there’s far less heroes to actually handle them than usual, so they’ve begun to attack people en masse. Even the fabled Q-city seems to be overrun by monsters. Genos attempts to pull triple duty by taking down as many monsters as possible, as he is not affected by the mysterious viral infection.

One monster, while not a dragon level threat, manages to incapacitate Genos with electromagnetic pulses. Genos internally berates himself for not thinking about protecting himself from electromagnetism. What a massive oversight on his part. 

However, when the monster attempts to finish him off, Saitama jumps into the fray in pyjamas and punches it sluggishly, exploding it into copper and wire particles on the spot. 

“Man, can you guys make less noise right outside my house…I can’t sleep with all that ruckus,” Saitama complains, nose stuffed and looking feverish. “Especially when my head feels so fuzzy…”

Genos looks at Saitama’s sweating form with concern. “I’m very sorry, Saitama-sensei, I was not prepared for the enemy to have electromagnetism. I will—”

Saitama starts to wave off Genos’ long winded apology, but coughs hard instead, almost bowling Genos over in the process and shivers so much that the pavement cracks apart.

“Man, it’s so hot and cold at the same time,” he holds himself as he shivers, “I don’t remember ever feeling this awful…” 

Saitama wavers, trying to stand upright but failing miserably. “Now I feel even worse after I punched it, I wonder why…” he manages to utter out, then faints on the spot.

“SAITAMA-SENSEI!” 

Genos catches him onto his arms quickly before Saitama can actually fall down flat on his face on the pavement and takes note of his actual temperature, noting with distress that it's dangerously high and that Saitama-sensei must’ve exerted himself too much, despite it not being even miniscule amount of effort he normally needs to dispose such monsters. Genos curses the circumstances once more, for inadvertently putting his sensei in danger and begins to rush him to the nearest hospital.

Genos can't for the life of him believe that feverish man in his arms is his master, the same man he deemed invincible, downed by a mere cold. It shouldn't be happening, logically there is no way Saitama-sensei would be able to get sick like this but here he is, carrying his prone, vulnerable master to the hospital for treatment. Perhaps he miscalculated somewhere, maybe common sickness can still affect even the strongest man on earth, but it still feels surreal...

He looks down at the man in his arms and distractedly notes Saitama-sensei is trying to grasp at his clothes weakly, delirious but coherent enough to realize he's being carried at fast speed and his hearing registers sensei mumbling his name. Genos tries to keep calm when he re-scans for elevated heart rate, sensei’s dangerously high temperature and the shivers–-correction, muscle tremors that rock his body. He's lucky that his stabilizers correct his grip, else Saitama-sensei would tremble right out of his arms.

“Do not worry sensei, I am en route towards the nearest hospital for urgent care. I have notified the staff of an incoming patient,” Genos' voice is serious, but soothing. He would carry Saitama-sensei to a proper treatment facility asap.

“Do I...really need hospital? That bad, huh…” Saitama croaks and violently sneezes, which Genos angles away from his head but an unfortunate lamp post still bends from the air pressure.

“Yes sensei, your body temperature is dangerously high for humans and you're experiencing muscle spasms, dehydration and elevated heart rate,” Genos recites his medical condition at a fast rate. “Hyperpyrexia is considered medical emergency, as it may indicate serious underlying condition or lead to severe morbidity or to—”

A sudden finger on his chin and his lower lip interrupts his rambling.

“20 words or less, Genos…”

“Yes sensei. I am sorry, I will stop rambling now. What I mean is, you need urgent medical attention for your extremely high fever.”

“Ok…” Saitama mumbles quietly. “I’m tired, ‘m gonna sleep…” He mutters weakly, then goes out like a light.

Genos starts running even faster.

[mpcomagnetics]

Electromagnets From Healthcare to Transportation

Electromagnets From Healthcare to Transportation In a world where technology and innovation continually redefine the boundaries of possibility, electromagnets play a pivotal yet often underappreciated role. Far from being confined to the realms of high-tech laboratories or industrial applications, electromagnets are integral to many aspects of our daily lives, from the healthcare we receive to…

[dddragoni-drabbles]

Species Profile: Tolveni

Colloquial Names: Ring-eyes, Radioheads, Jammers

Homeworld: Amateru

Territory: [tolveniMap.scm]

Diplomatic Status: Neutral

Threat Level: Yellow

Notes: The Tolveni are a species of hexapeds with wide, largely flat bodies and three evenly spaced arms. Their heads are located in the center of their body, rising up on a long neck and ringed with sensory organs facing every direction. As such, the Tolveni have no front or back side, able to see, move, and manipulate objects in any direction they choose.

A Tolveni's mouth is on its underside. According to their biologists, they evolved from grazing creatures, able to bend down to reach food on the ground without compromising their vision to do so.

Tolveni communicate with each other via electromagnetic radiation, using wavelengths ranging from the microwave to the visible spectrum. They have unique organs in their bodies allowing them to generate and receive these signals. Meanwhile, much of their technology operates on sound, which they have no receptors for. Signals and commands are transmitted audibly, using airtight tubes to carry and maintain sound waves over great distances.

Together, these things make it difficult for us and the Tolveni to coexist in the same spaces. The simple act of speaking wreaks havoc on their technology, and being around Tolveni tech is deafiningly outlook for us- and the reverse applies for the Tolveni as well. This created significant complications during first contact, as attempts to communicate sent both ships' systems haywire. Ultimately, physical writing was the only feasible means of communication until a solution was discovered.

Any human traveling to Tolveni space must be equipped with an implant to convert speech and other vocalizations into signals the Tolveni can understand, and any Tolveni in human space must be equipped with an implant that converts their signals to sound.

[stillness-in-green]

Spinaraki Week Round 3, Day One: Reunion

This is how I would like to see canon going in the next few chapters, please and thanks.

---------------------------

That was the moment that decided everything that would come next.  I didn’t understand it at first.  When it happened, it took almost too long to figure out what had changed.

When the black gate swirls into existence in the middle of the field, a collective gasp tears itself from the throats of everyone on it.  Izuku, nerves and senses both alight with One For All’s power, reacts before he can think, already catching the falling Shigaraki with a length of Black Whip.  The images and facts pile up behind his eyes—Toga almost turned the tables by pulling him through a portal, and he can’t let it happen again by letting someone pull Shigaraki through another one; but Warp Gate severs things when it closes—as his gaze jumps from one horror-stricken expression to the next (even from a distance and through the electromagnetic barrier, he can see Monoma’s mouth moving), then to the triumphant grin slashing a smile onto Shigaraki’s face, a red curve of blood-smeared teeth.

Familiar yellow eyes open on the gate, then close again as someone comes through—a woman, strips of hair like paper streamers, eyes wide over no visible mouth.  As quickly as Izuku can take in her features, someone else follows—then another, and another, then too many to keep looking at as, suspended from Black Whip, Shigaraki wheezes out a hateful laugh (All For One, Izuku knows, but the cadence of it is so much like Shigaraki that he still struggles to believe it).

He didn’t think Danger Sense could get any more strident, and it doesn’t jump, not all at once, but its electric whine in his skull climbs smoothly and slowly higher, like Jirou turning up the volume knob on an amp.  In his ear, a jumble of words he can’t pick apart: Mandalay, Fourth, Second, First, Fifth.

The hospital.  Who did we have at the hospital?  Who did he send to the hospital; who did he even have left?

And then a bulk of green and shock of purple-pink come through the Warp Gate, and the world drops out from under Izuku as Shigaraki’s laughter abruptly stops.

His face contorts, twitching through discordant expressions as he stares at—Spinner, the League’s Spinner, it has to be, but huge, the size of a fully bulked out Muscular or even bigger than that, but if he had a quirk that could do that, why didn’t he use it at the training camp or at Kamino or—

But then Izuku—already hauling Shigaraki out of reach, length by length, Fa Jin coiling its strength back into his arms with every repetition—registers the spittle oozing between Spinner’s teeth, the sick glisten of it painted down the column of his throat, and his question answers itself.  (Multiple choice, two memories: the way Kaminari’s eyes used to glaze over and his face go slack when he overexerted himself, and All Might speaking in a low, grim voice about the consequences of taking gifts from All For One.)

The stream of people still flows through Warp Gate, more and more packing in, a building roar of shouting. In Izuku’s peripheral vision, blurs of brown and white and red move as Mirko leaps in to engage, Lemillion and Suneater just steps behind.

And still, Shigaraki dangles at the end of Black Whip, stare fixed on Spinner as his brows knot lower and lower, the earlier rictus grin now a downturned grimace.

“Everyone shut up!” Sharp and sudden, Hatsume Mei’s voice on the comm line cuts through the white noise garble.  “The engines can’t take any more weight than this!  Someone get that gate closed or the whole school’s gonna crash!”

“Eraser?”  Mandalay’s voice, harried.

“Not until Kurogiri comes through himself.”  Aizawa-sensei’s voice, flat as bare sheetrock but cut through with a strange, wire-taut pain.

Mirko pops up through the sea of people (heteromorphs, Izuku registers of the blur of features and limbs, they’re all heteromorphs) and a body sails back through the portal, propelled by the force of her kick.  But the crowd keeps thickening, even as Spinner’s advance slows and stops.  It’s no one’s work—the others are still fighting the crowd, including Best Jeanist, crouched low over Kacchan (and Izuku’s throat still reflexively tightens, his gaze still wanting to freeze in place, at Kacchan’s stillness) in the center of a cat’s-cradle mesh of threads and a tightening circle of people.

“The portal goes both ways, right?” Lemillion’s voice, barely pausing before he tumbles forward into, “I can get through the crowd; I’ll get him!”  The fluttering red of his cape marks an unerring path toward the swirling gate.

The next flurry of words is drowned out by a horrible groan, long and loud, rising up from the school to suffuse the air like a volcano’s plume of ash.  The view of the horizon shifts, a pillar suddenly jutting across the image of distant trees where before there’d been only the hazy orange grid of the barrier.  Below, the whole crowd lurches to the right.

Hatsume shrieks, “My babies!” before the line cuts to the shrill, piercing distortion of a lost signal.  It hurts his ears, but distantly, barely reaching Izuku through his lightheaded whirl.  What changed?  What happened?  I’m not out of time yet with Gearshift.  I—Shigaraki—

Spinner’s head cranes upward, the motion sluggish.  He sways in place when he sees Shigaraki, his mouth falling farther open.  His right arm twitches upward, once and violently, then flops back down to his side.  Shigaraki’s head is turned away from Izuku, white hair covering his face; all Izuku can see is the slow, trembling movements of his cracked lips.

Then Shigaraki’s head snaps back up and his hair falls back to show his eyes, blazing red and so familiar it takes Izuku’s breath away.

The city, the rain.  His class—his friends.  So much anger in their eyes, but, after weeks of cacophony, a silence from Danger Sense so overpowering that the sheer absence had felt like an unbroken scream.

The school lurches again, the barrier flickering and dying, and Deku’s hands make the decision for him.

-

Shigaraki falls.  He doesn’t have to try and tear through Midoriya Izuku’s power with his bare hands because the hero did the job for him, letting go and vanishing in a zippy blur of green.  Gone to where, Shigaraki doesn’t know and doesn’t care, because Sensei is still trying to stuff him back down, packed inside his own head like someone who ran afoul of yakuza and got their body added to the cement mix of a building foundation.  And Shigaraki doesn’t care about that right now, either, because much more important is—

Even as out of it as he looked before, as jerky and glitching, Spinner’s arms go up and stay up.  They don’t flinch when Shigaraki hits them, so for just a second Shigaraki lets himself be glad of the surgery, since without it the momentum would have folded his spine in half from the impact.

Spinner looks down at him, dumb and drooling, sticky strands already splatting onto Shigaraki’s chest.  The whites show all around his eyes, shrunk down to pinpricks, and his breath shudders in his ribs.  His mouth moves, but the only thing that comes out are slurred syllables that can’t even decide if they’re Shigaraki’s name or just wracked groaning.

“No,” Shigaraki tells him, and reaches down to close his fingers around the back of Spinner’s hand.

Nothing happens.  Somewhere, then, three red eyes are still glaring at him, and the rage closes his throat; I’ll pluck out their damn eyeballs for this.

Sensei doesn’t speak, doesn’t have to.  His hand slides over Shigaraki’s inner gaze; everything goes cloudy white.

“No!”  His voice this time sounds younger; it doesn’t feel like the voice he’s used to, doesn’t match the words his lips were making.  His vision swims back into focus to find tears running down Spinner’s cheeks, his mouth still opening and closing with nothing coming out of it that makes any sense.

Tomura and the kid he used to be can both relate.

The heroes are lost in the crowd.  The second Shigaraki lays eyes on, Kurogiri’s portal wavers and retracts down to nothing.  Probably literal hundreds of people are shouting, so the howl from the guy who just lost a leg to a closed warp gate goes unheard.

Still no sign of Midoriya, and Sensei’s still there, but when Shigaraki looks at Spinner, just looks at him and takes a breath and lets his eyes rest there, a clean anger washes through him, the kind of thing he’s only ever felt once or twice in his life, and it muffles Sensei down to something he can ignore, for now.

“No,” Shigaraki says again, quietly, and boosts himself out of Spinner’s hands.  He lost Air Walk back at Tartarus, forced by the quirk controlling him to hand it off to a sold-out, burned-out hero, but he’s pretty sure he doesn’t need it just for this.

He reaches up and wraps his hands under the edge of Spinner’s belt, thumbs hooking into the belt loops on his pants.  Then he crouches as low as he can without letting go, tightens up his grip and his thighs alike, and jumps.

The barrier’s gone, he’s not afraid of falling, and thanks—again—to the Doc’s double-edged work, Spinner hardly weighs a thing.

He catches just a glimpse of Midoriya, a phosphorescent crackle of lightning hovering in the sky above U.A. at the center of a gale.  He’s got more ropes of black power coming out of him than Shigaraki even bothers trying to count, lashed around the school and the barrier support pillars and the chunk of rock the whole fortress is floating on.  Over the roaring wind and getting-distant-fast screaming, Shigaraki thinks he hears Midoriya yell his name.

But there’s no pursuit as Shigaraki floats across the apex of his jump and then starts to fall.

Regeneration kicks in around the same time gravity does.  Someone blinked.  And somewhere in there, too, Spinner found the presence of mind to wrap those huge arms around his waist and pull him up, the massive curve of his beak pressing down against Shigaraki’s shoulder.

Wind whipping through his hair, U.A. shrinking in the sky above them, Shigaraki manages a crooked smile.

“Come back,” he breathes, ignoring the resistance burning in his limbs, and reaches up to run his hand down the rough pebbling of Spinner’s cheek. "I don't want you like this."

The quirk comes loose like pulling a splinter out of a wound, and if Shigaraki could just let it fly away into nothing, he would.  But that’s not how AFO works, so he just slots it away into the teeming mess that got sold to him as ultimate power and tightens his grip on Spinner as Spinner shrinks back down to the size he’s supposed to be.

He’s a good fit in Shigaraki’s arms, which is weird, but not in a bad way.

And then the only thing left to worry about is the landing.

-------------------------

(Okay, in the canon version maybe they can get out via Kurogiri or Kurogiri can come through and deal with Aizawa or something. The main point is that Shigaraki should be the one to fix Spinner.)

[thecandywrites]

Monster March 2024 Day 25- Harpy / Moura Part 3

As always, Huge thanks to @borealwrites for their amazing Monster March 2024 Prompt List.

Part 3

Come morning you heard a knocking on the metal which woke you up before you got out of bed and put on the coru cloud garment to answer the call and stretched the coru cloud thin enough that you could see through it but hopefully it wouldn’t blind whoever you were looking at only to open the curtain and be met with a welder in full welding gear who waived hi at you before you put your arms through the sleeves you had made of the garment and waived back. 

“Oh thank you so much for coming! May peace and blessings be with you.” You greeted the dragon and her rider who were at the door. 

‘Of course, I told you I would come back for you and help you. This is my rider Nahlo. He’s a welder and an electrician, he’s here to help you and has many ideas and plans for how to help you too. He means you no harm either. He just wants to help. I would never allow anyone near you that would ever hurt you.’ The dragon told you telepathically. 

“Hi, I’m Aurava, tell him thank you so, so much for coming here and trying to help me. What’s your name?” You asked the dragon. 

‘I’m Thyla. My mother is Jenya, a moura dragon from a moura colony called Pheray, and she taught me your marinai so you can still speak to me and I’ll serve as your translater while you’re here. My mother chose to stay mated with my father who is native to Neveah so I also speak the native language here too. Neveahans are dragon keepers and dragon riders just like mouras are. From a different world than what we came from. But they are good people, just like mountain colony moura are. They too have domesticated their dragons to take on a rider. But while they appear human, they are not human, thankfully much far removed from and different than, just like moura. They have telepathic abilities with the dragons. Different than what mouras do. With mouras it’s feelings and intentions, but with Neveahan’ its much more language and imagery based. They have their own magic too. So I’m sure we’ll be able to heal you and help you to get home. It’s a great idea to make yourself a coru cloud garment to protect us. It will make riding me back to the mainland easier too.’ Thyla informed you happily and proudly as she was so happy she didn’t have to shield her eyes from you and the coru cloud was just thin enough she could see your face and actually make eye contact with you as she actually smiled at you as you shyly returned her smile back to her. 

“But I don’t know if I can move from the outer ring. The electromagnetic cores of the outer islands won’t let me, the magnetism is too strong. I turned this island’s core from raw ore to electrum so it’s lost its magnetism, which is how I’m upright and not flat on my face or my back. But it’s still highly conductive so it’s good Nahlo is covered in insulting leather and whatever else is making up his garment.” You told her as you gestured to Nahlo and what he was wearing. 

‘Oh, they call the other stuff- rubber. It’s also insulating from electric current. But hang on one moment as I tell him about the magnetism.’ She offered before she turned to her rider as the two seemed to have their own conversation. 

‘Let’s try. Can you make the coru cloud kind of like a cocoon around you so we can move you?’ Thyla offered. 

“Uh, yeah, let me try. Give me a moment please.” You asked as you closed the curtain went back to your bed and pulled a few pillows into it and flattened and stretched them out into a thinner fabric like consistency and used it to make something of boots for you and more space around you so that your limbs were more defined and you’d have a bit more “breathing room” but also more padding too. 

“Ok. I’m ready.” You told her as you came back to open the curtain see Nahlo already in the saddle and reaching a hand out to you so you could get into the saddle with him.

You tried to grab his hand but because of the thickness of his own gloves and the thickness of the coru clouds, it was hard to do. So Thyla simply laid back down so you could step over her like a horse before she stood and you simply tried to use the coru clouds to wrap around Nahlo who rode you back to the mainland, granted with a bit more difficulty because you were being pulled to the other islands but Thyla was thankfully a stronger flier than the magnetism could pull. And once over the interior, the magnetism stopped and you felt like you could finally fly up into the air from the mainland. But first, you needed to be healed from the lightning’s affliction as she flew you to specifically the electrical generator building that provided power and electricity to the entire island nation. 

“Why are we here?” You asked Thyla. 

‘You have excess electricity in your body. It’s why you’re so bright. If we slowly and gradually drain it, you should be ok.’ She answered. 

“Oh. That’s smart. I hope it works.” You answered before Nahlo opened the door and gestured for you to enter the door where everyone was working but stopped but would only look at you through their thick welding helmets that had very dark glass to protect their eyes from electrical arcs. Which you were sure you probably looked like one big arc to them. 

“Did you find my message I left at the last island?” You asked Thyla as she barely managed to squeeze herself through the door to stay with you. 

‘Yes. The electrum you made, instead of pure yellow gold- was the key to understanding what happened to you, we took it and tested it. You make a very rare kind of electrum. One that hasn’t been either created or discovered yet. But it’s definitely very special. And while I can’t read marinai, my mother did and so I was able to let her see through my eyes to read what you wrote so I could understand what you wrote.’ Thyla answered. 

“So, what did happen to me?” You asked. 

‘My grandmother can explain it to me better than I can, she too is a moura dragon. I barely understand it myself. But after we help drain what we can from you so that you at least don’t blind everyone from being so bright, I’ll take you to her and she’ll help with the rest.’ Thyla answered. 

"So what should I do?" You asked. 

‘Nahlo is going to offer an electrical cord that is hooked up to a second generator, just in case you would overload the main one.’ She answered before Nahlo did just that as he pressed it into the coru clouds, like sticking a pin through a cushion. 

‘Don’t touch it until Nahlo lets it go. The electricity coursing through you could kill him and he’s my rider, please don’t hurt or kill my rider.’ Thyla requested with a nervous laugh. 

“Would never dream of it. We’re cousins, practically family. No harm is to come to family. Family in the wing- fly free.’’ You reassured her before you made sure he let go as you looked down at the cord and hoped this would work as you grabbed it before you did so and the copper cord instantly turned into one of electrum as you watched on as it then flowed into the second generator and fully powered it as the light in the special suit you made began to dim which was a relief.

But it wouldn’t hold enough before Nahlo made the universal signal to stop before you let it go and took a step back and quickly pinched the coru cloud to cover up the hole that was stuck through only a moment before. Nahlo used special tools to pick it up and put it away. But it was obvious. You still had so much more to drain off. And while you did feel some relief. You could tell you were still carrying so much it was as if you were wearing a heavy burden in your very being. 

“Please tell me they have another one. There’s still too much in me.” You pleaded with Thyla. 

‘No. It will take at least a week or two to build another one.’ She gently shook her head no as she made a sorrowful sound. 

“But I’ll get struck by lighting again before then and I’ll be overcharged again and it won’t matter how many generators this place has, this will be a never ending cycle. What do I do?” You began to cry as a clostraphobic panic overcame you as you paced and scratched at your scalp before running your hands down your face.

‘We’ll figure it out. For now, we just need to get you to a place that will protect you from the other lightning strikes. We’ll figure this out. Nahlo is adamant that we will. And if anyone can figure this out, I trust Nahlo to do so and to do so as safely as possible.’ She comforted you as she hugged you as you hugged her in turn before the others started talking to each other in their native language. 

“What are they saying?” You asked Thyla. 

‘They’re brainstorming about how to help and what to do and how to fix you and heal you. Something about using you to power up batteries. Storebanks but for energy they use here. They come in all sizes, but most of them will fit in the palm of your hand and power much of the technology here.’ She revealed. 

“Ok.” You sighed in defeat as you wiped your tears away only for them to be benar as they glowed and shimmered with their own light just like all the other tears you had cried but had not kept. Since a moura’s first benar were seen as sacred before you could feel Thyla use her powers to see what you were seeing.

‘Nahlo politely requests to see your benar, he saw your others scattered all over the first island but he didn’t know if they were dangerous and didn’t dare to pick them up. But he’s wearing special gloves to examine them now- if you’re willing to show them to him. He thinks they will reveal more about the phenomenon that happened to you.’ Thyla said before you tore a tiny hole in the bottom in your sleeve and dropped them into his palm before pulling the coru cloud back to conceal the bright light that emitted when you did so as you could see the little gems glitter and glow in Nahlo’s hand before he went and put them into another machine to analyze them while you sat down on the floor while Thyla curled protectively around you so you didn’t feel so alone and also to comfort you.

Nahlo and the others put their hands to their heads and began to exclaim several things all at once as they pointed to them and gestured and began to talk to each other in a lot of animated language and gestures. 

‘Nahlo discovered that your benar are very special. I don’t know or understand the words he’s using to describe the properties of your benar. But he would like your permission for someone to go back to the first island to collect and study them further to get more answers for this phenomenon.’ Thyla translated. 

“Of course, they’re more than welcome to.” You answered her before Nahlo turned to the person next to him. 

‘That’s Nahlo’s brother Manidore, Nahlo is telling him where to go and to collect every single one and to come back as quickly as he can and to not keep any of them, that they need every single one to inspect and study. Because apparently they are the most valuable, precious thing they had ever encountered before, more than the electrum, which is saying something.’ Thyla said as Manidore passed you and said something to you as he did. 

‘Manidore wants to know how much you want for your benar once they’re done studying them and they’re returned to you because they are your benar after all.’ Thyla told you as Manidore seemed to pause and wait for your answer before Nahlo yelled at Manidore before Manidore ducked his head and left again. 

“All I want is to be healed and for my freedom to go home safe and sound.” You answered. 

‘That’s already a given Aurava. They have many things here that you can trade for them. But for now, you should keep them for later. Especially once we get all this excess power from you and you’ll be able to move freely without this coru cloud suit. Plus the electrum you made back on that island is worth a small fortune here too. You could get just about anything you wanted.’ Thyla giddily informed you. 

“Can it buy me answers?” You asked her. 

‘What did you want to know?’ She asked. 

“How come Neveahans and mouras are enemies?” You asked. 

‘They aren’t?’ Thyla returned in confusion. 

“Before my third and final solstice flight here in the southern lights. The instructors warned us to keep a very far distance from this place. And that Neveahans are enemies and would be very aggressive and violent towards us if we came here. That they would kill us if we did. The Neveahan dragons swore by such things.” You repeated to her. 

‘I don’t know. This is the first time I’m hearing of anything like this. You and your brethren should be welcome here, moura dragons definitely are. The Nevahans are naturally wary of strangers only because of the convergence though. But after so many moura dragons telling them that mouras are practically happy little rays of sunshine, many of the inhabitants, especially the younger generations, are wanting to go out into the world and see for themselves. But they are afraid they would not be welcome into the colonies. But at the same time, the whole nation is practically in a constant state of readiness for the spheres to be unconverged and to go home to their homeworld at any moment. So maybe it’s that they want to go home so badly, that they don’t wish to be distracted. Which is why maybe the elders here may tell any native dragon to say that to the colonies of mouras, because otherwise Neveahans may not reach out and make the first move or initiate contact so to speak.’ She mused. 

“Well if your mother has told you anything about the colonies and why mouras have them in the first place, I think if anyone would understand that dilemma- it’s us. Because every moura dreads the day the spheres un-converge. Because there is no way for those who live in the colonies to live on our natural waterworld of a homeworld. Even if only the heavenly moura were to go back, there would never be enough room for everyone. And not enough sunshine to feed everyone either, much less support any kind of cloud realm. I think if the spheres unconverged tomorrow, many would choose to either stay here, or go back to where their families that they’ve made from interbreeding call home instead.” You ventured. 

‘Then that is most likely the reason for that message getting out and getting relayed to others outside of Neveah. Like someone who is terrified of heights never even taking a step onto a ladder.’ She concluded. 

‘Otherwise, the Neveahans are happy to be in the safety of the ring of fog and storm to keep them safe from any invaders. The storms are to wreck any boats that try to come, the fog simply conceals the island as a whole since the first to come were warring and invading githyanki. Many died. And they tried to enslave the dragons themselves. Thus, why the fog and storms went up and the outer islands obviously have those magnetic cores to throw off any mechanical compass. But I know gold is precious here among these people. Surely the Neveahans should be welcoming of the moura, especially for the solstice flights at least. They would do so happily and willingly if they knew for certain that neither peoples means the other harm. And there could be a very mutually beneficial relationship if anyone were to try. Maybe the gods picked you to be the first to show the nation that others of your kind mean them no harm and will only benefit each other if there are exchanges between your people and mine.’ She said before she picked up her head and looked at Nahlo to have a conversation with him, relaying what you had told her to him. 

‘Nahlo doesn’t know why the other dragons have said that though. And neither does anyone else here. But right now, they think all mouras are like you, very bright and hot angels of high heaven or beings from the sun itself. Even now, you are like a warm blanket that has been hung by an iron oven. Very warm, but not at all painfully hot. What I would give for you to come with me so I could sleep around you while in the polar regions.’ Thyla said as she nuzzled her face next to yours which got you to giggle and hug her in turn, petting down her pretty scales. 

‘I and especially the other native moura dragons will see to it that that is set right because my mother has shown me her memories of her home in the colonies and the mouras in it and when it is my time for my own rite flight, I have every plan of going to my mother’s colony to see it for myself. But our riders do not come with us on those flights. They let us fly free during that time so that we can experience what being a wild dragon is like. But my mother has assured me that when and if Neveahans would be welcome in the colonies, mouras should definitely be welcome to come here. If anything, they should be honored guests to host the southern winter solstice flights every other year.’ She answered before Nahlo handed you the benar back before you took them back from his palm before he said something to Thyla who nodded in agreement. 

‘Come, Nahlo says that they will need more time to figure out the phenomenon and how to fix it. In the meantime my grandmother is ready and excited to see you.’ Thyla informed you before she uncurled from around you guided you out of there back outside and had you get back on her and flew you to her grandmother’s extra large barn that was more of a warehouse than anything. 

‘Here she is Grandma Isla. This is Aurava Moonchild the moura who got struck by lightning and who now makes electrum instead of gold.’ She introduced the two of you. 

“Hello Grandma Isla.” You greeted her as she seemed to chuckle. 

‘Well congratulations. You’re the luckiest being in the supersphere.’ She greeted you as she was indeed, huge. She was at least twice as big as the dragons in the caves that protected your colony. 

“I wouldn’t say lucky. Unlucky is more accurate.” You muttered. 

‘Only because you are new to this and very unique. You are one of a kind. There hasn’t been an electrum moura before. At least not that I know of or had ever heard about, even in the old homeworld.” She informed you. 

“Well we’ve only been converged for less than 500 years.” You noted. 

‘And chances are, we’ll stay that way for a good long while yet.’ Isla giggled softly. 

“So how do I fix this?” You asked. 

‘Well there’s not really a way to completely undo it. There are ways to drain your excess power. But honestly it’s a miracle you’re alive at all. But from now on, instead of turning gold, you’re going to turn what you wish to- electrum instead.' She told you plainly.

“Which all electrum is really known as- is white gold.” You muttered. 

‘Well, while your electrum is indeed a form of white gold. It’s as illustrious as platinum. It’s as strong as titanium. It’s more precious than pure platinum because while there is quite a bit true white gold and platinum. It is also half something that they just can’t identify. Even Nahlo is calling it lightning metal. Because he doesn’t know what else to call it.’ Thyla informed you but your stomach sank at the news. 

‘My Aurava, once we drain all the excess off, you shouldn’t need to be concealed by the coru clouds. But I’ll put a special spell over you so that lightning, nor the outer ring’s magnetism will no longer pose a danger to you. You will only be able to recharge from the lightning if you want to be. But you should be safe to eat and drink normally now and won’t throw off any more heat than you normally do. But the gifts that you already have with lighting will remain.’ She informed you as you nodded in understanding. 

“When I was injured and I held my own blood, the iron in my blood turned from iron to electrum. Can you please make sure none of it is still in me and poses the threat of killing me internally?” You asked. 

‘Oh absolutely!’ She readily agreed as her eyes widened both in shock and fear for you. 

“But is there anywhere in the world where electrum is even worth anything? Other than here?” You asked. 

‘Yes. Everywhere. But especially anywhere they use electricity, will be happy to have you and happily give you anything and everything you’d ever want. Electrum is usually worth much, much more than pure gold is.’ She answered. 

“Then how does that make me any different than a Doreirran moura? Always sought after for their gold and other abilities? Or our own foremothers when it was discovered they could make gold in the first place. I feel like I’m going to restart The Great Hunt. And countless mouras, will throw themselves into lightning storms and die just to gain my gifts with electrum just to get the increase in status. I could feel such desperation when I was in Dorierra myself.” You asked her in a mournful, dejected tone.  

‘I understand. You’ve wanted a life of anonymity. And I’m sorry you’re going to be deprived of that. But you’re right. You are now going to have be careful and weary of others just like your foremothers were during the Great Hunt and I completely understand and sympathize with your trepidation over such news.’ She gently broke it to you before you dropped your head in defeat even farther.  

She tore a hole into your coru cloud and filled the inside with your suit with her magic breath- which helped cover you as you felt more stabilized and less like a raw and exposed nerve as you took a deep breath of hit in and internally felt much better and much more fortified and healthier. 

‘There, now you don’t need that.’ She said before she pulled it off to reveal you standing there, your benar still falling to the ground and glittering and sparkling like little diamonds filled with light as the previous electrum metal glitter fell from all over like pixie dust. 

‘You should pick those benar up and guard them Sweetheart.’ She said before you made a pocket for yourself in your moura cloak and picked them up and put them with the others. 

‘Now you glow like the full moon but you won’t blind anyone.’ Thyla informed you. 

“Great, as if I need to stand out anymore than I already do. I look like a damn fairy or a pixie covered in pixie dust.” You sighed as you were still unable to pull your wings into yourself, but instead decided to shake yourself, your clothes and your wings out- as a cloud of glitter soon bloomed around you. 

‘Oh you poor thing, all of that was once blood?’ Isla asked as she saw it all glitter as it slowly fell to the ground, glittering like diamonds as it did. 

“Yes, I broke both wings, and hit the islands very hard. I thought I was going to bleed out, if not have an aneurysm just from the electrum in my bloodstream.” You explained. 

‘Oh my goodness, and you still dragged yourself out into shelter?’ Isla asked in astonishment as you nodded as you continued to shake your head to get all the clumps of electrum dust that had crusted there as blood out of your hair.

‘You are stronger than any other I’ve ever known. Dragons included.’ Isla praised. 

“Yeah, great first impression I’m giving too. I’m a freak of nature- is what I am. If any Neveahans go to the colonies, now they’ll be profoundly disappointed that we don’t all sparkle and glitter like fairies. I mean look at me! I look ridiculous. I look like a whole city of pixies took one giant shit of pixie dust all over me. I practically shed it like a damn house cat or a dog or something!.” You said as you continued to shake out your now baggy clothes because you had lost weight over this ordeal. Again. You were never going to get a mate at this rate. It was going to be a very long 500 year life of being hounded for your electrum as Isla and Thyla couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the fairy shit comment. 

‘Yeah, but be careful once you leave here, most will take one look at you and think you really are a normal person sized pixie or something. You’re practically enchanting.’ Isla gently warned you but her grin was, if anything, a little scheming. 

“Yeah, the last thing I need is for any idiot to assume that and think I’ll grant wishes or steal babies or cast horrible spells onto people or hypnotize people. They’ll practically hunt me down then.” You groused. 

‘No they won’t. I will make sure that doesn’t happen. But it wouldn’t surprise me if certain young men try to follow you home like lost puppies.’ Isla teased with a meaningful look at Thyla as Thyla tried to ignore her grandmother’s gaze as Thyla could not confirm or deny such things. Because of what Nahlo had seen from his little welding helmet was that you were practically a beautiful angel, fallen from the heavens as he recalled what Thyla’s mother and obviously her grandmother would say about the mouras. And how downright heavenly they were. And to him all those claims were obviously true. 

“Yeah, no. I’m way too thin, I’m ugly because out of three solstice flights, not a single other moura of anything on the range of any kind of sexual orientation expressed an interest in me. I didn’t think I was that ugly but apparently I am. Not even Dorierran mouras wanted anything to do with me. I had to watch as all the other girls were charmed and courted and lavished with attention and affection. Meanwhile, me and my ugly duckling ass was over in the corner and constantly trying to snag a waiter to even get my drink refilled. I even won a Kamoba championship while I was there. And I competeed in a gold harness that exceeded my weight and still- nothin. I got a pat on the back and ‘way to go’ in the most patronizing way possible. I have like, the worst luck in the world even before I got struck by lightning. Meanwhile almost all the first flighters practically all paired up and mated in midair. But nope, not me, I just hung out, on the end of a V from the leaders who were already married and mated by the others in the rear. So now, I get to spend the next 500 years hiding in caves to keep electrum hunting people off my tail feathers. I am never going to be able to get this off of me. I could take a hundred baths and never get it all off. Can you at least tell the others that all other mouras don’t fucking glitter like this? Like I know the heavenly moura grind up our benar to make their wings glitter but this is just plain ridiculous.” You griped as it felt like no matter what you did, you would never be free of it.  

‘But at least you don’t have to wear the really heavy coru garment.’ Thyla tried to encourage you before Nahlo finally seemed to catch up to her and came in only to see you flip back upright as you hoped the last of the electrum glitter dust came off of you as he slowly just walked towards you as he flipped his helmet up to talk to Thyra in words you didn’t understand but you understood the tone he used. 

Awe. 

Shit. 

“Thank you for doing everything you can Grandma Isla, I appreciate it. Maybe I should just try to go home now.” You offered to her. 

‘I wish I could offer you a safe flight but I know that you’d blow the power grids at the colonies the moment you tried to power down at any of them. I doubt even Dorierra would have the proper machines to drain the rest of you. Not unless they’ve been beefed up recently. You should probably stay until the excess is at least drained away so you’re no longer a danger to anything or anyone.’ Isla offered which made you frown even harder. Because that meant that only Neveah would have what you needed to power down safely but that could take who knows how long and you were practically stranded and felt like you were penniless because the moment you would turn anything else into electrum, the jig was up and everyone would be onto you. 

‘Great first impression’. You sarcastically thought to yourself. 

‘I know you want to go home. And I’m sorry you’re stranded at a place where you’ve been told you’re unwelcome. And I’m sorry that you’re about to have that reversed, especially for you and your sake. But you’re free to stay with me until it all gets straightened out and I’ll make sure all of your needs and wants are provided for. And I’ll only have my moura dragon grandkids walk you around who know marinai who will still be your translators between you and the locals. Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me and every other dragon here and I will personally ensure you are safe and free wherever you go within a thousand mile radius of here. Don’t worry about anything. You will be taken care of, by me and everyone and anyone else you can grow to trust to do so. These are good people. They know how to still be hospitable. Let them show you the same hospitality I’m sure they would enjoy if they were to ever set foot in a colony. But Thylo is here with another solution. But after you try this new solution, he should be feeding you. Because you’re right, you’re too skinny, especially for a healthy moura. We can’t have the Neveahans thinking mouras are skeletons with skin and wings.’ She offered. 

“Thank you.” You thanked her all the same as she pushed her massive snout into your head to nuzzle you gently before you hugged her head the best you could. 

“Here, just, keep this, for…I don’t know what.” You offered her your coru garment. 

‘Thanks, it’ll be the perfect pillow for my head, ooh and it's still warm too, perfect for my afternoon nap.’ She grinned as she picked it up and put it with everything else meant to serve as a pillow for her head in her den. 

‘Aurava, they have a system of batteries all hooked up that can help drain your excess power.’ Thyla said before you nodded in understanding and simply walked beside her as she walked out of her grandmother’s barn before Isla's caretakers practically froze in place once they caught sight of you and dropped what they were holding as their mouths hung open as they stared slack jawed at you before Isla seemed to yell at them as they tried to quickly pick up what they had dropped but at least offered you a welcoming greeting which you appreciated and tried to reciprocate as Isla gave them a simple explanantion. That you were very sick, and that she had invited for you to come here to recieve help and treatment and that you were her special guest. And that if anyone had any problems with that, to take it up with her personally which, for Nahlo was a relief to hear in his own head.

Thyla had you get back onto her back and simply did her best to hide you with her wings while Nahlo took her reins and led her along as he was continuing to talk to her as he kept stealing glances at you from over his shoulder as it didn’t matter how dark you tried to make your clothes and how much you tried to hide in extra long things. Even your black clothes glowed. And Nahlo tried to ask others not to look, that you were a guest of Isla's who was sick and came here for treatment. But even he couldn’t help but look at you every now and then since he didn’t have to look at you through his own welder’s helmet.

You could faintly hear Nahlo and Thyla telepathically talking to each other, like overhearing whispers that you couldn’t quite make out as you tried to cover yourself with your own wings that instinctively tried to become armored to protect you as you swore everyone’s gazes were heavier and stronger than any magnetism by the outer ring of islands. 

Nahlo led you back to the plant to a lower level where there were nearly a whole palace’s worth of batters all hooked up to a network of wires on multiple shelves through the whole room. As you felt like it was a proverbial bee hive of and energy was the honey. But all the wires led to one spot where Nahlo gestured for you to sit down since there was a really large ‘rubber’ mat for you to sit on to insulate you further. On Thyla’s instruction you picked the bundle of wires up and once again, the copper turned to electrum, whether you wanted it to be or not.

But by the time every single battery was full, you still had excess, but still glowed just slightly less than the full moon usually did in the night sky.  

You just dropped the electrum wire and sulked while the others were quick to coil it up and keep the batteries fully charged before the coils were put next to you as you looked rather reproachfully at them. Because all of it may have been your shackles and harnesses now. 

Nahlo looked to Thyla to explain why you would look so angry and heartbroken at seeing something that was making every welder and electrician practically salivate. But once she told him, he understood and simply took a large duffle bag and put them all inside and put it next to you before he handed you a small bag that had your little stick you had made out of electrum, that was clear had a small sample taken of it for testing, along with all of your other benar from the island you crashed on as you took it and dumped them into the little pouch you had before you gave the now empty bag back to him with a polite smile.

You also appreciated that the electrum was at least out of sight but could still keep what was yours before Thyla had you put the bag on her saddle so that you wouldn’t have to carry it.

Then Nahlo finally said something but you didn’t know if he was talking to you or to Thyla. Especially as everyone else went home, leaving just Nahlo there with Thyla still laying behind you as she kept a watchful eye on everyone else since you wouldn’t raise your gaze up to look at anyone as you just brought your knees up to your chest and folded your arms over them to duck your head so you didn’t have to look at anyone.

There was a sense of relief but also a sense of frustration that while it helped, it still didn’t fix it completely as you felt like you could have done that a hundred times over and still have had extra energy. You weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. And you couldn’t be mad at anyone because it was no one’s fault. And Nahlo was obviously trying his absolute best to help.

Then crouched down next to you and repeated what he had said before, but you didn’t know if he was talking to you or Thyla as you looked up at him then looked from him to Thyla. 

‘He wants to know if you’re hungry and would like to eat something now. since it's about lunch time. If not, just a bit late for it.’ Thyla asked. 

“How am I supposed to pay for anything and not get swarmed the moment they see the electrum?” You asked her. 

‘You’re not going to be paying for anything. Nahlo says it’s his treat, especially since you just helped him and his nation out so much. You just gave enough energy to power the country for many years to come. The least he can do is feed you properly to help you bring you back to full health. The electrum will be safe and sound with me on my saddle. No one has to know who or what you are or what you’re really capable of. Only the other electricians and welders know and they’re keeping word about you pretty under wraps. So the only thing anyone will know is that you’re a visitor, my grandmother's special guest of honor- here for medical treatment. You don’t need to say from where or really why if you don’t want to.’ Thyla reassured you. 

“So the wings aren’t gonna stand out too much if we go out to eat?” You muttered. 

‘What wings?’ She pointed out with a grin before you looked behind you to see your wings had receded to a degree to be like glowing tattoos over your body as you smiled happily that you didn’t have to carry the big heavy wings with you anymore. You blew out a breath of relief and laid back and smiled and couldn’t help but laugh in relief to feel the cool rubber pad behind you.

"Can you scratch my back please?" You asked Thyla.

'Absolutely.' She beamed as you got up and had Thyla “scratch” your back with her face like the way most horses did and you braced yourself against one of the stands for the batteries while she obliged as you tried not moan and keen too loudly in pleasured relief as she did before your itchy back was finally relieved of it’s itchiness only to turn around and couldn’t help but laugh when her face was absolutely covered with the electrum glitter because your back had gotten the most banged up. 

“I’m so sorry.” You apologized in between a giggle as you tried to use your sleeve to wipe it all off. 

‘It’s ok. Trust me, if anyone knows the feeling of having a spot on your body that needs to be scratched that you can’t reach- it’s me.’ Thyla smiled as she let you do what you could but you felt like you just smeared it all over her even more. 

“I think I’m making it worse.” You said before Nahlo came over with a wet washcloth and helped wipe it clean. 

“Thank you. And yes, I would like to eat now.” You thanked him bashfully as you avoided his gaze as he said something that the tone was similar to ‘no problem, it’s ok’ before you finally worked up the courage to look up to him and give him an appreciative smile. Because even if he didn’t speak your language, you could tell he was genuinely a really good guy. And he was just trying to help. So you would let him help. 

[gqresearch24]

Exploring The World Above: A Deep Dive Into Satellite Antennas

In the vast expanse of space, communication is key to our understanding of the universe. Satellite antennas serve as the vital link between Earth and the cosmos, enabling us to transmit and receive data across vast distances. From weather forecasting to global telecommunications, these antennas play a crucial role in various industries and scientific endeavors. In this article, we delve into the fascinating world of satellite antennas, exploring their functionality, types, applications, and the future of satellite communication.

Understanding Satellite Antennas

At its core, a satellite antenna is a device designed to send and receive electromagnetic signals to and from satellites orbiting the Earth. These antennas come in various shapes and sizes, each optimized for specific purposes and frequencies. The primary function of a satellite antenna is to capture signals from satellites in orbit and to transmit signals back to them, facilitating two-way communication.

Types of Satellite Antennas

Satellite antennas can be classified based on their design, frequency range, and application. Some common types include:

Parabolic Dish Antennas: Perhaps the most recognizable type, parabolic dish antennas consist of a concave dish-shaped reflector and a feedhorn at the focal point. These antennas are highly directional and are commonly used for satellite television broadcasting and satellite internet services.

Yagi Antennas: Yagi antennas, also known as beam antennas, are composed of multiple parallel elements, including a driven element, reflector, and one or more directors. These antennas are widely used for terrestrial and satellite communication in both urban and rural areas.

Horn Antennas: Horn antennas are characterized by their flared, horn-shaped structure. They are often used for radar systems, satellite tracking, and microwave communication due to their wide bandwidth and high gain.

Patch Antennas: Patch antennas, also known as microstrip antennas, are flat, compact antennas commonly used in satellite communication, GPS systems, and wireless networks. They offer advantages such as low profile and ease of integration into electronic devices.

Applications of Satellite Antennas

Satellite antennas have a wide range of applications across various industries and scientific fields:

Telecommunications: Satellite antennas enable long-distance communication, facilitating global telephony, internet access, and broadcasting services. They play a crucial role in connecting remote and underserved regions to the global network.

Weather Forecasting: Weather satellites equipped with specialized antennas provide invaluable data for meteorological forecasting. These antennas capture images and atmospheric data, helping meteorologists track weather patterns and predict severe weather events.

Navigation: Satellite navigation systems, such as GPS (Global Positioning System), rely on antennas to receive signals from orbiting satellites and determine precise location information. These systems are used in navigation devices, smartphones, and vehicle tracking systems.

Earth Observation: Satellites equipped with high-resolution cameras and sensors use antennas to transmit images and data back to Earth. This data is used for environmental monitoring, agriculture, urban planning, and disaster management.

Scientific Research: Satellite antennas support a wide range of scientific research endeavors, including space exploration, astronomy, and climate studies. They enable scientists to gather data from remote locations in space and monitor phenomena such as solar activity and climate change.

Challenges and Future Trends

While many antennas have revolutionized communication and observation capabilities, they also face several challenges:

Signal Interference: Interference from terrestrial sources, such as radio frequency interference (RFI) and electromagnetic interference (EMI), can degrade signal quality and disrupt communication links. Advanced signal processing techniques and frequency management strategies are being developed to mitigate these issues.

Orbital Debris: The growing population of space debris poses a threat to satellites and their antennas. Collision avoidance measures and debris mitigation strategies are essential to safeguarding space infrastructure.

Bandwidth Limitations: With the increasing demand for high-speed internet and data transmission, there is a need for higher bandwidth satellite communication systems. Advances in antenna technology, such as phased array antennas and frequency reuse techniques, are being explored to address this challenge.

Looking ahead, the future of satellite antennas is poised for exciting developments. Emerging technologies such as 5G satellite networks, small satellites (CubeSats), and constellations of interconnected satellites promise to revolutionize communication, navigation, and Earth observation capabilities. Additionally, advancements in materials science and manufacturing techniques may lead to the development of lighter, more durable antennas with enhanced performance.

Advancements in Phased Array Antennas: Phased array antennas represent a significant advancement in satellite communication technology. Unlike traditional dish antennas, phased array antennas use multiple small antenna elements controlled by phase shifters to steer the antenna beam electronically. This enables rapid beam scanning, improved signal tracking, and the ability to establish communication with multiple satellites simultaneously. Phased array antennas offer greater flexibility, reliability, and efficiency, making them ideal for applications such as mobile satellite communication, military surveillance, and satellite-based internet services.

The emergence of LEO Satellite Constellations: Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations have emerged as a disruptive force in the satellite communication industry. These constellations consist of hundreds or even thousands of small satellites orbiting the Earth at altitudes ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand kilometers. LEO constellations, such as SpaceX’s Starlink and OneWeb, leverage antennas to provide high-speed internet access to underserved and remote areas around the globe. By deploying dense networks of satellites with interconnected antennas, LEO constellations offer low-latency, high-bandwidth communication capabilities, revolutionizing the way we connect to the internet.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, satellite antennas are the unsung heroes of modern communication and observation systems. From enabling global connectivity to enhancing scientific exploration, these antennas play a vital role in our interconnected world. As technology continues to evolve, satellite antennas will remain at the forefront of innovation, paving the way for new discoveries and advancements in the realms of space exploration and telecommunications.