#help how to starships work

[ducktoo]

How to take care of Jiwon

IVE's Liz x Reader

Note: Anon, hope this was something you were asking for (I think). Twas' a fun prompt and I enjoyed it frfr. Feel free to DM me ur thoughts!

(This German girl do be looking cute-)

“Again?”

You don’t even look up from your computer screen. You already know who it is.

There’s a quiet giggle, followed by the sound of someone shuffling through your things. You sigh, rubbing your temple before shooting a glare at the intruder currently invading your workspace—none other than Kim Jiwon(or Liz), your childhood friend turned global idol, standing beside your desk like she owns the place.

“Can you not touch my stuff?” you grumble, snatching a framed photo from her hands before she can get any ideas.

She blinks at you innocently. “You keep this here?”

You glance down at the picture, already knowing which one she’s referring to. It’s an old, slightly faded photo from elementary school—Liz, missing her two front teeth, flashing a peace sign, while you stand beside her with the grumpiest expression imaginable. You had never liked taking pictures, but Liz had insisted back then. Looking at it now, you don’t even remember why you agreed to keep it on your desk.

“It’s just decoration,” you mutter, setting it back down.

Liz hums, but there’s a knowing glint in her eyes. “Sure, sure.”

She doesn’t leave. Of course, she doesn’t. You’re already used to this little routine.

Despite her packed schedule, Liz always finds time to drop by your office whenever she’s at the company. She claims it’s because she’s curious about what you do, but you know better. The real reason? She just enjoys annoying you.

She picks up your stationery, taps at your keyboard, sometimes even steals your coffee—because “staff coffee tastes different.” You tolerate it because, well… it’s Liz. You’ve known her since you were kids.

It’s still crazy how you both ended up here…especially after how you reunited.

-

To this day, you still don’t know how the hell that situation happened.

You had only been working at Starship Entertainment for about a month at that point. Just a regular staff member, trying not to get scolded, running around delivering paperwork, managing schedules—nothing out of the ordinary.

Then came that time.

One of your first bigger assignments had been to handle some logistics for IVE’s new comeback. Simple enough. Make sure the equipment was working, ensure the space was ready, help with any requests—it was routine.

What wasn’t routine was somehow ending up in a storage closet with a girl in a hoodie, a bucket of spilled cleaning supplies, and the worst case of déjà vu you’ve ever experienced.

…Let’s back up.

That day, you had been in a rush, carrying a stack of documents for the management team when you took a wrong turn down a hallway you didn’t usually use. It led to one of the storage rooms, where cleaning supplies and extra equipment were kept.

The door was slightly open.

Then, without warning—

CRASH.

Something—or someone—barreled right into you, sending both of you stumbling backwards into the closet.

The door slammed shut behind you.

Silence.

For a moment, you just laid there on the floor, trying to process the fact that you had just been body-slammed into a janitor’s closet. Your head throbbed. You could hear the faint creak of a mop falling somewhere nearby.

And then—

“…Wait. Grumpy?”

You froze.

That voice. That stupidly familiar voice.

Slowly, you looked up.

And there, crouched in the dim light, staring at you like she had just seen a ghost—was the one and only. Your childhood friend. The same girl you hadn’t seen in years.

In a janitor’s closet. With you.

What. The. Hell.

“…What are you doing here?” she asked, blinking rapidly.

You stared at her. “What are you doing around here in the management area?”

“I asked first!”

“I work here!”

That seemed to short-circuit her brain for a second. Her eyes widened, then darted to the staff ID clipped to your shirt. Slowly, realization dawned on her face.

“…You work at Starship?”

“Yes?!”

"Since when?!"

"Since I got hired, duh!"

Liz opened her mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. She blinked.

Then—

She burst out laughing.

“You—You actually work here?” she wheezed, clutching her stomach. “Oh my God, this is unreal. This is so unreal.”

"Tsk." You scowled. “Glad to see my suffering is entertaining you.”

“I can’t believe this! We literally grew up together, lost contact, and now you’re working for my company? This is insane.” She wiped at her eyes, still laughing. “And—wait, you of all people? You always hated dealing with people!”

“Yeah, well, life’s funny like that,” you muttered. You rubbed your temples, exhaling through your nose. “Okay, but why were you sneaking around?”

Liz suddenly looked away, suspiciously avoiding eye contact. “No reason.”

“…You were stealing snacks from the staff area again, weren’t you?”

Silence.

“…Maybe.”

Unbelievable. Some things really never changed.

-

And that was how you reunited.

You had spent a solid fifteen minutes stuck in that closet with Liz before someone finally found you two. The rest of the staff had been utterly confused, and you had to endure Liz wheezing with laughter for the rest of the day.

Ever since then, she had made it her personal mission to annoy you at work.

Which brings you to now.

“Alright, stay put. Don’t touch anything,” you warn as you stand from your desk, stretching your arms before grabbing your phone. “I need to get some files from the storage room.”

Liz, perched on the edge of your desk like she owns the place, swings her legs lazily. “No promises.”

You narrow your eyes. “I mean it. Hands off.”

She hums innocently, lips curling into a playful smile. “Of course, of course.”

You don’t trust her one bit.

Still, you leave, because you have to, but you throw one last suspicious glance over your shoulder before stepping out.

The door clicks shut…and Liz immediately disregards your warning.

“Don’t touch anything,” she mocks under her breath, rolling her eyes. As if she could ever listen to that. "Bleh. What are you, my mom?"

She stretches her arms with a yawn, then lazily lets her fingers drift across your desk, poking at whatever looks mildly interesting. The keyboard? Tap. A stack of documents? Poke. Your half-empty coffee cup? Swirl.

And then she sees it.

A small, slightly worn notebook tucked beside your monitor, the corner peeking out as if daring her to take a look.

Curious, she pulls it free and flips it over in her hands. The second she reads the cover, her breath catches in her throat.

"How to Take Care of Jiwon the Annoying Child"

She blinks. Once. Twice.

Then, a slow, delighted smile spreads across her face.

“Oh?”

Her heart beats a little faster as she carefully flips the first page. The handwriting is neat—your handwriting. She skims over the lines, amusement bubbling in her chest.

Jiwon gets grumpy when she hasn’t eaten. Always have snacks on hand.

She giggles. “So that’s why you always have extra snacks.”

She flips to the next one.

She gets sleepy after eating too much. Don’t let her nap on the practice room floor. Would be annoying to tend to the sick Jiwon.

A small gasp escapes her lips. “Wait, is that why you always wake me up first?”

Another page.

If she’s sad, buy her ice cream. Preferably chocolate.

Her heart flutters. You really do notice everything, huh?

She keeps reading, her amusement growing. But then—

The notes start getting weirder.

If she starts humming randomly, she’s in a good mood. If she’s humming AND staring at me, she’s plotting something. Probably my usual dose of suffering.

Liz snorts. “What do you mean?”

DO NOT let her near a stray cat. She will try to take it home.

She gasps, clutching her chest. “That happened one time, trust me–”

If she says ‘Trust me,’ DO NOT TRUST HER.

Liz bursts into laughter. “Damn it! Okay, fair.”

The notes only get more ridiculous.

She once ate an entire cake by herself just to prove she could. Do NOT challenge her to food-related dares.

If she looks too smug, she probably stole my drink.

If she looks too cute and uses her dumb aegyo, she’s about to ask for a favour.

Her giggles come uncontrollably now. She flips through the pages quickly, eager to see what else you’ve written. But then—

The shift happens. The notes stop being ridiculous. They start being… something else.

When she’s nervous, she fidgets with her necklace. Let her hold onto my sleeve instead.

Her fingers touch her necklace instinctively. "Huh…you do wear long sleeves every time we meet…"

Liz acts tough, but she cries at sad movies. Keep tissues ready.

Her laughter softens. "No I don't…mostly…"

She overworks herself even when she’s exhausted. Sometimes she just needs someone to tell her to rest.

Her heart clenches.

And then, the last note. It might have been scribbled out but…She stares at it. She couldn't unsee it after once.

If she ever gets too tired, remind her she doesn’t have to do everything alone. Remind her that I’m here….

Her grip tightens on the notebook.

She rereads the words, once, twice—three times.

She always knew you cared. In your own way—grumbling, teasing, acting like she was the most annoying person in the world. But this? You had written this down. As if it was important. As if you wanted to remember, just in case.

As if she mattered.

Her chest feels warm.

The door creaks open.

“Alright, I got the—”

Your words cut off when you see her holding the notebook.

You freeze mid-step.

Liz is holding the notebook. Jiwon is reading the notebook.

Your stomach drops.

She looks up at you, notebook still clutched in her hands, her expression unreadable.

You stand there, the file folder limp in your grip.

Then, slowly, a mischievous glint appears in her eyes.

“You mother f—”

Before you can even lunge for it, Liz hugs the notebook to her chest, scrambling to her feet. Her breath comes out in an excited rush.

“Oh my god,” she breathes, eyes sparkling. “You do care about me!”

You feel actual panic set in. “PUT THAT DOWN. KIM JIWON.”

She takes a step back, holding it tighter. “No way! This is adorable! You—You actually wrote down how to take care of me?!”

You can feel your dignity slipping away.

“I— It’s not what it looks like—”

“Ohhh, let’s see what else—” She flips back to the earlier pages, reading aloud dramatically. “‘If she’s nervous, let her hold onto my sleeve instead.’”

Your ears burn as your hand subconsciously rolled up your sleeves in embarrassment.

"Oooohh, you're wearing long sleeve today as well, huh?!" Liz gasps, looking up at you with exaggerated shock. “You let me do that? Willingly?!”

You grit your teeth. “GIVE. IT. BACK.”

She twirls away, flipping through more pages. “Wait, wait—‘If she looks too smug, she probably stole my drink.’” She gasps in fake offense. “So that’s why you glare at me whenever I take a sip.”

You groan, dragging a hand down your face. “Jiwon—”

She keeps going, eyes darting across the pages. But then—

She reaches the last note again.

Her laughter fades.

Silence stretches between you.

She rereads the words, her fingers brushing lightly over the ink. Then, slowly, she lifts her head.

The teasing glint in her eyes is gone. Instead, there’s something softer. Something more sincere.

“…You really meant this?” she asks, voice quieter.

You shift uncomfortably. “U-um…I—”

Her gaze lingers on you for a moment. Then, before you can react, she lunges at you again, but this time, she hugs you.

You stiffen immediately.

“…Ya.”

She squeezes you tighter.

“Shhh,” she mumbles into your shoulder. “Just let me hug you, you tsundere.”

You stand there, unmoving, ears burning. Your hands hover awkwardly before—finally—you sigh and pat her back.

“…You’re so annoying.”

She giggles against your shoulder. “I know.”

After a moment, she pulls back, grinning. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

You roll your eyes, snatching the notebook from her hands before she can react. “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t expect me to serialise this and give it to your members.”

She beams. “That sounds fun actually.”

[dduane]

also i'm sure you've heard this many times, but i would like to compliment you on your bones characterization in doctor's orders

how he dealt with the klingons is going to stick in my brain as a cornerstone of who he is as a character for the rest of forever right next to the scene from city on the edge of forever where he breaks down in front of the hospital

It helps to be writing "for" a fabulous actor—such as the one who succcessfully carried off that scene. It makes it much easier to imagine the places you have to send his character, and the ways that character might react.

The rest of McCoy's characterization, though, was based on the continuous intention to write these characters as if they were the professionals that they would honestly have to be. No one would (or ought to) get to be the CMO of a starship without being a medical professional of great flexibility and skill—both bold and creative when they needed to be. And, in McCoy's case, also funny... even if the humor would definitely skew sometimes in darker directions.

I had the privilege of working with some doctors who were like that. I did what I could to carry over some of that data into the way I wrote McCoy... while also being careful not to veer OOC. I'm glad that, for most people, it seems to have worked. :) Thanks for letting me know that it worked for you.

[possibly-god]

Threshold: Unlocking the Good Ending

Happy Threshold Day, everyone! Here's how that nonsense (and beyond) could have gone differently if Tom Paris had chosen different dialogue options. Inspired by this post by @starship-butterfly

Tom talks his way back into the Warp 10 test another way – he and Harry figured it out together, they should test it together. Plus, two heads are better than one if something goes wrong, and there’s no one he trusts more to have his back.

Just as before, right as everyone’s praising them as heroes, Tom goes down. At first everyone assumes it’s the Doctor’s “2% chance” coming to pass… and then Harry goes out too.

They babble and reminisce together in the surgical bay. They clasp hands as they die and embrace as they reawaken. They butt heads and bond as they mutate – Harry rips Tom’s tongue from his mouth, Tom helps Harry not to choke as his detaches.

Between the two of them, busting out is no problem – for them, at least. Before the Doctor can get them anywhere near the warp core, Tom and Harry are out of Sick Bay, in the shuttle, and off God knows where.

When the crew finally tracks the duo down, they’ve gone full amphibian – including froggy sex-swapping adaptations, because the lizard babies must exist in every timeline (let’s be real, “turn into frogs and have frog babies with your bestie” is such a Harry Kim thing to happen).

As does Chakotay going “fuck them kids” – against Tuvok’s advisement, Janeway agrees to keep the incident classified.

And then, of course, the Doctor spills the beans (“Any other symptoms?” “I don’t know, my abdomen is cramping something awful…” “That’s hardly surprising, you did just give birth.” “…what.”).

The second they’re unsupervised, Harry is dragging Tom to the shuttle bay (Tom's on board, he just doesn't want them getting caught) because they can work through that mountain of weird feelings later but right now Babies.

Meanwhile everyone on Voyager is freaking the hell out because they just stole the fuCKING SHUTTLE AGAIN-

The second they touch back down on Voyager, Tom is out of the shuttle and straight-up decking Chakotay before he can say “what the hell” and having strong words with Janeway when she tries to object (Tuvok coolly decides not to get involved).

Harry meanwhile is sprinting to the med bay (he’s not risking the transporter with neonates of an unrecorded species) with an armful of deeply bewildered salamanders.

A temporary habitat is set up in Sick Bay while their care needs are established – including enrichment and education, because as a brain scan and mind meld determine, these kiddos are indeed fully sapient (and very confused and scared by the events of the past few days).

The crew asks about reverting them back to baseline human, but the Doctor informs them there’s nothing to revert – his method works off the subject having been human at some point, and these kids have never not been squishy.

They can’t stay in Sick Bay forever, of course, and will require regular care wherever they end up – ultimately, it’s decided the whole family will move into a vacant officers’ quarters, with Engineering converting the common area into a tank/terrarium.

Of course, this new cohabitation situation means confronting that mountain of weird feelings – after a rather fraught period of counseling, parenting establishment, and romantic experimentation, Tom and Harry eventually settle into a mostly-platonic partnership.

Amid said period, the kids finally get names – meet Philo Jonah, Micah Drew, and Jamie Kris Paris-Kim (after esteemed Starfleet captains, tweaked for gender neutrality – even if they can guess the kids’ sexes now, there’s no guarantee they’ll stay that way).

Harry with the babies:

Tom with the babies:

Whenever both Harry and Tom have to be on duty (or just need a break), other crewmates are often roped into babysitting (Chakotay volunteers whenever he can, mostly out of guilt – when he can’t himself, he can usually talk B’elanna into it).

As “evolved beings”, the triplets’ intellectual development is accelerated – when they’re about 2 years old, they start going to lessons and holodeck playdates with Naomi Wildman, and later the Borg kids.

While the Paris-Kims prefer a warm, damp environment, amid the regular chaos on Voyager it’s discovered that they can withstand just about anything due to the nature of the Threshold mutation (essentially, having briefly existed at every point in the universe at Warp 10, the human body attempted to adapt to all of them, settling on Extremophilic Amphibian as Most Likely To Survive Everywhere) – a trait which comes in handy in some particular disasters.

Language is an interesting challenge with the triplets – they can understand Federation Standard, but can’t vocalize it, so they have to come up with and teach their own chirp-based analogues (coding “Pakimese” into the ship’s translator becomes Micah’s pet project).

Their physical growth is also unusual, quite different from their parents (it seems being born fishy is more stable than having fishiness thrust upon one), as they slowly develop more humanoid arms and thoraces while never showing hind leg stumps – by adulthood they’ve nearly gone full mermaid.

To help the kids get around the ship without having to crawl everywhere, Harry and B’elanna develop mobility devices for them, creating a sort of hybrid wheelchair-segway that allows the kids to lie forward in their natural posture rather than sit backwards in a chair.

Harry gets a promotion. This has nothing to do with Threshold, it just needs to happen.

Tom’s initially reluctant to pursue a relationship with B’elanna with his family obligations, but Harry eventually encourages him. When the two get married, Harry and the kids are Tom’s groomsmen, and when B’elanna gets pregnant, family swim time is one of the first planned activities.

Once contact is reestablished with the Alpha Quadrant, it takes Harry a few tries before he works up the courage to tell his family about their new additions. It takes John and Mary a while to fully grasp their origins (“Who’s the lucky girl?” “Um… Tom?”), but they adore their grandkids from day one.

Tom, meanwhile, staunchly refuses to inform his father about his grandchildren, not wanting him to mess them up too – when Voyager finally reaches Earth, Owen Paris damn near has a heart attack when he finds Tom with 2 partners and 4 kids.

In adulthood, Philo becomes a geoengineer and joins one of the first permanent survey outposts in the Delta Quadrant, reconnecting with and later marrying her childhood friend Mezoti. Micah settles on Earth as a xenolinguistics professor, programming fantasy holonovels in their spare time. Jamie is the only one to join Starfleet as an officer, studying astrogation and becoming the first “human” in Cetacean Ops.

[jpitha]

Simple Solutions

There were many reasons Zil hated working on a human ship. They hated how everyone went into one big room to eat. Consuming calories for life was a private thing for the Xerilan; an unfortunate side effect of life that was better done out of sight of everyone. The humans did it all together, all sound and smells and noise. Going into the canteen at lunchtime was an assault on their senses.

They hated how the deck plates felt. Xerilan ships used a polymer covering for the floors, nice, soft, quiet. The humans used whatever alloy of iron they acquired from the lowest bidder. It was cold, and loud, and hurt their heels when they walked.

But, what they hated the most were the alarms.

Human alarms were loud, brash, violent affairs. Lights would flash, horns would honk, and some even added elements of vibration. When asked, the humans told them they wanted to make sure that everyone reacted to the alarm. Zil practically went catatonic at the noise. They received special training before taking their post on the human ship and still they had to fight the urge to roll into a ball every time the alarm sounded, and it sounded a lot.

There were alarms for battle - which was fortunately infrequent - alarms when the reactors ramped up, alarms for when they would need to secure for maneuvering, for when gravity was going to change. Zil was almost sure they heard an alarm for the start of a new day.

Zil was leaving his quarters, heading down to the greenhouse to begin his shift when the alarm sounded. This time, the alarm was different. Even they had to admit this one worried them. It sounded dangerous. It was high and trilling with a mid range warbling and even a brassy low range which made their own sounding plates vibrate unpleasantly. As soon as it started, literally everyone dropped what they were doing - some literally - and began to run.

It was the fire alarm.

As much as Zil hated all the human alarms, they at least understood why the fire alarm was so annoying. Fire aboard a starship was a potentially lethal affair, and everyone had to work together to find and extinguish the fire as quickly as possible. They ran to their assigned station and came upon the deck chief, Tanner.

"Zil! You're one of the first. Nice to see someone was paying attention at drills." He said, smiling quickly as he flung open lockers built into the walls. "Put on your gear."

Zil methodically put on his firefighting gear. Everyone aboard had some, and they were surpsied when they learned that the humans took the time and effort to consult the Swarm for plans and measurements for gear that would fit their bodyplan. It was almost like a spacesuit, but not airtight, made of a very thick cloth. There were tanks of breathing gas that the humans wore on their backs, but Zil's were strapped to their legs, like other Xerilan suits. They slid the helmet over their head and their feelers were blown around by a blast fresh air. It was annoying, but they knew that it wasn't something that could be adjusted. The humans needed their air to be fresh and in large volumes when they were under stress.

As soon as they were dressed, Tanner - also in his turnout gear - handed him a broom.

Even in the midst of an emergency, Zil regarded the broom curiously. "Uh Tanner, why did you give me a broom?"

"It's a hydrogen fire Zil, we don't know where it is."

Zil's hind-legs started twitching, preparing to launch themselves meters in the air and escape, just like their ancient ancestors. They suppressed the feeling. "What do you mean you don't know where it is?"

"Hydrogen fires are invisible and odorless. We can't see them." Tanner explained as he got his own broom. "We're going to walk the halls with the broom sticking out in front of us."

"How... will that help?"

"As soon as the broom bursts into flame, we know where the fire is!"

"We're going to walk until the broom bursts into flame? Don't you... don't you have sensors for this!?" Zil exclaimed as they began to follow Tanner. He would walk with his broom sticking out, angled towards the wall, and he moved Zil's broom so that it was pointed opposite his. Behind them two others from the deck team had their brooms out to the side.

"We do," Tanner said, not looking at them, "But they're never that accurate. Nothing like a physical indicator of an issue to find the leak fast. It's a simple solution, but that means it's robust and works even if there's a power outage or in some other kind of danger."

They methodically walked the halls of their deck, brooms out, with the alarm thankfully silent, but the lights still flashing annoyingly. They rounded a corner and came upon the other deck team, going the other way. As they approached, Zil saw one of their brooms flare to life, the fire orange and oily as the brushes caught.

"Found it!" One of the others shouted, and everyone dropped their brooms. Tanner signaled command to isolate the deck, and the pressure doors slammed down around them. Someone from the other fire team opened a cabinet and took out a fire extinguisher, and Zil ran over towards the pipe that was leaking and activated his comm. They did have a moment of thanks that the humans labeled everything. All they had to do was read off the location to command so they knew where to shut the line down.

"H2 line WES56.7, port side," he called over his comm. "Just aft of valve-" They glanced to the right, "-6769."

"Aft of valve 6769 copy." The voice on the other end crackled. Almost as soon as he called in the location, he could hear the whirring of machinery and the presumed jet of flame shrank until the only sign left was the smouldering broom and the smell of smoke and suppressant in the isolated hall.

"Nice work Zil!" Tanner said, and went to pat his back, but stopped, remembering that Zil hated being touched. "See? When you follow the training, you remain safe, and protected everyone and the ship."

"Yeah, but..." Zil opened his helmet and the hurricane if air thankfully stopped. "Brooms?"

"Simple solutions are the best ones, Zil." Tanner said, laughing. "Come on, it's up to maintenance now, we need to get back to our posts.

[girlbossagenda]

HOW TO ROMANTICIZE YOUR SUMMER!!

Ahh, Summer time, my favorite time of the year, it's nearly summer and you still can't figure out what you want to do right? But do not be afraid I'm here to guide you into the best summer of your life! So get comfy, read and let's get started!

୨୧Make a summer bucket list୨୧

This is such a cute trend that I saw on TikTok! Try to create a list of activities or experiences that you want to do this summer(like having a new summer fling, go to the carnival, go on a car road with your friend etc...)

୨୧Scrapbook your summer୨୧

There are so many inspo on pinterest, and it's a great way to spurge your creativity and to immortalize your memories, works great if you aren't the type of person to write daily entries in a diary, if you can't print pictures, draw them!

୨୧Make room diy୨୧

This can help you enter more in the summer feelings, and it's a great way to boost your creativity, if you can go to the beach get some seashells and make a candle and so much more! A good exaple of a great summer diy it's a bikini box!

୨୧Go on a random adventurer୨୧

If you're like me and you always stay indoor try to explore part of your town that you have yet to discover, especially places in nature! Since they tend to be free, if your city it's big enough go to the periphery as they are usually full of forests and abandonated places!

Hi bonitas! It's been a while since I posted, since summer ir's near I wanted to make a guide on how to romanticize your summer! I hope this was entertaining and maybe useful lol xoxo gorgeous

-𝓐

[thesimstree]

The Sims Prom to Remember: Poses, Lots, Decor & Must-Have Mods

Graduation season is in full swing – ready to throw an unforgettable prom for your sims? If you've got high schoolers in your game, now's the perfect time to plan their big school celebration. This article has everything you might need: you'll find solutions whether you want to fix game quirks, add beautiful details, or just throw an awesome party without the hassle.

Let's start with some super useful mods.

Graduation Gown Recolor by buggy starship

Finally someone fixed that weird color choice by Sims 4 developers – now graduation gowns perfectly match the caps, without that awkward blue tint. If this mismatch bothered you too, this mod solves it, with separate versions available for male and female sims.

Seasonable School Events by @sonozakisisterssims4

This mod makes school events like prom and exams more rare and meaningful in The Sims 4. Instead of annoying you every week, they now happen once per season, and you can adjust the interval to match your gameplay pace (from 2 to 12 weeks). It also fixes the bug with weekly repeats – prom will actually be that long-awaited event, not just another calendar item.

Alternatively, you can install another mod from this creator that lets you schedule school events yourself.

No Prom Invites from Random Acquaintances by @sonozakisisterssims4

Only truly close sims will invite your graduates to prom: romantic partners need at least 30 relationship points, while friendly invites only come from best friends. Perfect for those wanting realistic relationships in-game!

No Prom Invite hurts only couples, besties and significant romance level sims by @sonozakisisterssims4

Finally realistic emotions! Now only those who truly matter to your sim will get offended: best friends, romantic partners. No more absurd hurt feelings from random acquaintances who can't even remember your graduate's name. Just install the mod and enjoy stress-free graduation!

No Random Formal At Graduation by @lysssimpatico

At last no more principal and teachers showing up to graduation in ridiculous random outfits! This mod forces all ceremony guests to appear in proper formal wear you've selected for them. Now graduation will look truly ceremonial, without clown costumes and absurd outfit combinations.

Prom Lasts Longer

A couple of mods that extend the duration of prom in The Sims 4, making the event more grand and memorable. Now there’ll be enough time for dancing, socializing, and traditional rituals like crowning the prom king and queen. Prom will become the full-fledged celebration it’s meant to be.

— Better and Longer Prom by Lorea (Plus Event Goals Bug Fix) — Longer Prom Timer by @bosseladytv

Two Prom Royalty Mod by @simsmodelsimmer

Now, prom won’t just crown one king/queen and a jester, it’ll crown two real kings and queens! This mod makes the game fairer – sims with high charisma, cheerleaders, or football players have a better shot at winning the crown. There are three versions to choose from: a base version with boosted odds for active sims, an EA-default version with original odds, and a special one for those using the Dynamic Teen Life mod (which factors in popularity and social status). No more humiliating jester hats, only deserving winners!

Side FX – Visual Effect Player by @ravasheencc

This set will add magic to your prom: twinkling lights, romantic glows, and other effects. It’s simple: 4 light sources + a control panel where you can toggle the lighting with a single button. See how it works in the video below.

Attended Prom New Milestone by Lorea

This mod adds a special milestone "Attended Prom" for teen sims who went to the school dance.

Now, let’s move on to a selection of pre-made lots that will help you organize the perfect prom for your sims.

First, take a look at the rebuilt Britechester University – its facade makes a stunning backdrop for traditional graduation photos in gowns with diplomas. For the official ceremony, a dedicated grand hall works perfectly. And once the formalities are over, the real fun can begin in one of several party venues featuring music, a dance floor, a buffet, and unique decor styles.

Nearly all of these lots were created without custom content (CC).

Britechester University by @limasims4 (NO CC)

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Copperdale Auditorium by EbiRimSim (NO CC)

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[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Military Science Fiction

Military science fiction - a subgenre that combines science fiction with military elements.

Also known as sci-fi, science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that contains imagined elements that don’t exist in the real world.

Science fiction spans a wide range of themes that often explore time travel, space travel, are set in the future, and deal with the consequences of technological and scientific advances.

Military sci-fi novels deal with subjects like space warfare and futuristic weaponry. These books may also explore how war and technology affect human or alien characters.

Characteristics of Military Science Fiction

Novels in this subgenre will often include one or more of these common military sci-fi tropes.

Advanced weaponry and warfare: Military sci-fi often includes detailed descriptions of futuristic weapons. World-building may include discussions of new types of spaceships and ammo for futuristic machine guns. Aside from technology, there may be unique military organizations or world-specific fighting strategies.

Epic battles: In many military sci-fi stories, the climax is a large and exciting battle. These fights can occur on land or in space and pit humans against aliens.

Philosophical discussions of war: Military science fiction can bring up philosophical and ethical issues, like war’s impact on civilians and warriors. Authors may even use sci-fi to critique real-life military operations.

Tips on Writing Military Science Fiction

Writing a great military science-fiction novel can be a long, challenging process. As with any novel, you’ll want to construct a satisfying plot, develop interesting characters, and write polished, vivid prose. That said, writing military science fiction requires many unique considerations. Here are some tips for creating a memorable military science-fiction novel:

Broach complex ideas. A good military science-fiction story depends on a great conceit. Before writing your first book, have some sense of the question your novel is asking. This question can be implicit or explicit in military sci-fi, and many novels make these questions obvious. For example, Ender’s Game asks the question: What if humanity’s survival during an alien invasion depended on highly intelligent children?

Tell a good story. While military science-fiction novels are often thought experiments, they should contain an interesting narrative story. Come up with an intriguing story that brings your questions to life. Ask yourself: What is the change that will occur over the course of your story, either in the world or in the life of the main character?

Create an interesting world. World-building is one of the most important parts of creating a compelling military sci-fi story. The intricately imagined details that make up your world should flow in some way from the idea at the heart of your story. In that way, the world you create in your military sci-fi novel also reveals something about your point of view on the real world. Even the most fantastically imagined story is still a reflection of real-world questions and problems.

Consistently obey the rules of your world. One of the qualities that set sci-fi novels apart from fantasy is that it still obeys consistent logic, no matter the strangeness of the world. For military sci-fi, this might involve rules about how advanced weapons and spaceships work. You may find yourself mapping out intergalactic government agencies and writing laws.

Focus on character development. You may get caught up building your world or focusing on your plot, but remember that well-developed characters are important, too. Your plot may hinge on a major battle, but make sure to create interesting conflicts for your characters.

Examples of Military Science Fiction

It can be helpful to read military science fiction to better understand what the genre has to offer. Consider some of these works by well-known science-fiction writers:

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (1959): Heinlin wrote this novel in response to real-life nuclear arms policy. Set in the future, it touches on moral and philosophical questions an interstellar government faces.

Childe Cycle by Gordon R. Dickson (1960): This series chronicles the fracture of humanity into space. Dorsai “supersoldiers” attempt to reunite the human civilizations.

Star Wars by George Lucas (1976): Star Wars’s novelization actually predates the iconic film’s release by a few months. Ghostwriter Alan Dean Foster wrote the book based on Lucas’s space opera screenplay.

Battlestar Galactica by Glen A. Larson (1978): This franchise follows the last of humanity as they fight a war against a robot race.

Armor by John Steakley (1984): Armor’s soldiers use exoskeletons in a war against insect-like enemies in this bestseller.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (1985): This novel follows young children with high intellect who help lead a war against an alien race.

Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold (1986): This series of novels and short stories is set in a fictional universe of star systems called the wormhole Nexus.

On Basilisk Station by David Weber (1993): This novel follows a military school graduate named Honor Harrington, whose insubordination gets her exiled to Basilisk Station, a far-off station of smugglers and thieves.

A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo (2000): This novel is about Earth’s preparation for an alien invasion.

Old Man's War by John Scalzi (2005): The Colonial Defense Force is a military organization with two goals. The first is to defend Earth from alien invasion; the second, to find new planets to colonize. This novel follows John Perry’s journey through the ranks.

The Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell (2006): This series is set one hundred years into an interstellar war between two warring factions of humans.

A Confederation of Valor by Tanya Huff (2006): These novels follow Sergeant Torin Kerr as she leads her team of space marines through missions across the galaxy.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[veinsfullofstars]

Meet the Families: Gear Dee, Eva, & Treble Dee

You guys might’ve heard me talk about Bow’s extremely cool moms before (and maybe mention her sullen older brother once or twice), and now I finally get to introduce you to them! Check below the cut for more deets and fun facts!

(OC info updated as of 05/28/25.)

Started 04/22/25, finished 05/06/25. | Childhood Friends AU Masterpost

---

Some fun facts about Gear Dee:

-Raised in a certain city off-world, Gear grew up deep in the heart of Air Ride culture, surrounded by roughnecks and gearheads who absolutely adored her and always treated her like one for the family. Her father, a trophy-winning racer, taught her all the tools of the trade - mechanics, vehicle operation, pyrotechnics, etc. - and fostered in her a love of fast starships and thrilling races. (He maaaay have also let her test out the machines before she was old enough to drive one, but the authorities never found out, so who’s to say how true that is?)

-Once she was old enough to enter, Gear quickly made a name for herself in local Air Ride competitions, living mostly for the thrill and the speed rather than victory. Her vehicles of choice tend to be either the Turbo Star and the Formula Star.

-Her first relationship was… a messy one. During her early days running in the city trials, she fell head-over-heels for an awkward but charming Waddle Dee who always showed up for her races, taken in by gifts, pretty words, and - though she didn’t know at the time - empty promises. Her father and friends never approved of him, but Gear has never been one to follow any path but her own, moving in to his grungy apartment partly out of stubbornness and partly upon learning they had a kid on the way. She’d tried her damnedest to make it work, even as their love started to sour, as her career prospects flagged, as his debts and gambling problems became known, as the shouting matches grew more and more frequent. It wasn’t until the birth of their second child that she’d had enough, packing her bags and ignoring his protests and pleas as she left with the kids, moving in with a certain seamstress friend of hers across town.

-Things improved a bit during her stay with Eva. She didn’t have much time for races anymore thanks to the kids but found enough fulfillment in ancillary mechanics work to make up for it. Her friendship with Eva quickly blossomed into something more, the transition near-seamless given how close they’d grown in the years prior. She saw Eva’s meek demeanor open into something bright and personable, the pressure of city life easing off as she found her footing. It warmed Gear’s heart to hear her talk about patterns and textiles and fabric quality with a fervor that only came when she was at her happiest.

-When the phone calls came, Gear blocked his number. When the letters arrived, she tore them up. When he appeared on Eva’s doorstep - teary-eyed with his pockets turned out, offering the same empty apologies and poor excuses as before - she slammed the door in his face. Almost one year since she left, she once again decided she’d had enough and packed up her things for a second time, now with Eva at her side. They said their goodbyes to their families and friends with promises to keep in touch (and to not tell him where they were going) and boarded the next starship out of the city, making their home in a little middle-of-nowhere village on Gear’s birth planet, Popstar.

-It’d taken some time to get used to more rural living, but Gear settled in well enough. Popstar - for all its peace and quiet - is not without its own avenues of entertainment and thrill. And there’s always need for a handywoman around, whether it’s to fix a busted toaster or build a new fence or see what’s wrong with the family warp star (spoiler - it's probably the result of Para's overcurious tinkering). It’s fulfilling, in its own way (plus, with some help from the Poppy Bros. family, she also gets to be in charge of fireworks on holidays, so there’s that). She does miss the city sometimes, though, especially the races. She hopes she can visit again someday… though, not right now.

-Gear isn’t entirely sure what happened between her and Treble. He used to be such a sweet boy before… well, all that. She’s tried to talk with him about it, but he never wants to hear it, either brushing her off or starting another shouting match. It reminds her a lot of herself at that age. Maybe that's why it strains her patience with him to its limit so often. (That, or seeing his father in those blue eyes...)

-Raising Bow was a journey that Gear wasn’t entirely prepared for - nothing in those stupid parenting books about atypical Copy Abilities. If it hadn’t been for Eva’s help, she has no idea how she would’ve managed. Even now, Bow’s still a handful, but she’s also Gear’s little firecracker, a tiny spark of excitement and energy who loves fun and danger just as much as she does. She can’t wait to take her to the city someday - Bow would love the races, she just knows it.

-Gear will never stop talking about how cool her wife is.

Some fun facts about Eva:

-Eva doesn’t talk about her life before the city. Full stop. For all she cares, her life didn’t begin until she hitched a ride on a passing starship and stepped out into the blinding lights of that sprawling metropolis. The city was hardly kind to her in those early years, forcing her to run with some tough crowds and make some tougher choices in order to survive, but she did survive, finding home and friends and purpose in those grimy, noisy streets. Compared to the nest she’d clawed her way out of, it might as well have been paradise.

-While working in a laundromat to pay for her meager apartment, Eva bumped into a very punk-rock Waddle Dee who introduced herself as one of the many Air Ride racers that populate the city. They got to chatting and hit it off right away, becoming fast friends in a handful of weeks. She learned all about Gear and her life in the city, her interests, her goals, the sound of her boisterous laughter. Eva could feel her heart reaching even then and found herself feeling brave enough to share bits of herself, her own experiences - good and bad - carving out a life in the city. She learned of Gear’s kids and the disintegrating state of her relationship, saw the frustration and misery in her warm eyes, and - though trying to remain respectful - did try to act as a voice of reason regarding Gear’s flaky partner, perhaps the one that finally convinced her to leave him.

-Though Gear and her kids moving in came rather suddenly, it proved to be some of the happiest days of Eva’s life (before coming to Popstar, anyway). It was far from easy, but they shared the weight as evenly as they could, supporting each other and talking through what needed talking through. She watched the life return to Gear’s eyes, her drive returning in earnest as she pursued her passions once again (even if they had to be tweaked a bit). It was Gear who took her to get her first piercing. It was Gear who took her to the Garden in the Sky and showed her the stars high above the city. It was Gear who used her connections to help Eva land a job with an esteemed boutique, a dream she’d had since coming to the city. After all that, how could she not fall in love?

-They’d discussed leaving the city long before the calls and letters. Eva might have come there seeking a fresh start, and learned so much in her time living there, but she never quite took to urban life as readily as Gear did, despite her efforts. Gear was understanding… if a bit hesitant, at first. After all, she had a life here already, family and friends and a potential career. Obviously, Eva didn’t want to tear her away from that, only wanted Gear and her kids to be happy, but she couldn’t help but wonder if there might be a better home for them all elsewhere… It was only when Gear’s ex started coming by that the prospect seemed a lot more inviting.

-Within a year of moving in together, they’d found a new home far away from the city, in a quiet little village full of kind folks that took them in readily. Eva quickly found that the countryside suited her much better than the city, enamored with the clean air and vast blue skies unblemished by skyscrapers and smog. She’d been so used to the roar of vehicles and commuters that she’d almost forgotten the sounds of nature, animals and leaves and wind and silence. She’s never felt so… at home than she has here.

-Though she still takes commissions for custom outfits and accessories, Eva has mostly relegated her clothing passions to the comfort of a beloved hobby. She spends most of her time these days working as a community organizer, helping folks like Dedede's mama and Para's dad with holiday setup and event planning for the village (a far cry from the nervous wallflower she'd been during her first year in the city). That said, she’s still the first on call when someone needs fashion advice or a rip repaired, and she’s knitted at least one sweater for almost everyone in the neighborhood. 

-If Gear had been unprepared for a sulky teenager and a hydrokinetic baby, then Eva even less so. She loves Bow and Treble dearly, of course, cares for them as if they were her own children… but, stars, they can be a handful sometimes. It’s so hard to keep up with Bow’s energy, and Treble looks at her like she’s personally responsible for every bad thing in his life… It’s fine, though. If her time in the city has left her with anything, it’s the ability to adapt to whatever life throws at her. She can be patient. She can be strong. She can be a good mother to these kids who deserve the world.

-Eva likes to call Gear her wife despite the fact that they never officially got married.

Some fun facts about Treble Dee:

-Unlike Bow, who was too young to remember her brief time in the city, Treble has no trouble recalling his early childhood. He remembers their tiny apartment, with its faded wallpaper and water damage stains that looked like animals if he squinted. He remembers his dad carrying him on his back out by the wharf, telling him stories and showing him the lighthouse and buying him the best ice cream he’d ever had. He remember his mom coming home smelling like motor oil and letting him play with toy spaceships she brought back from the races. He remembers having friends and going to school and hearing music on the street all the time. He remembers being happy there.

-He remembers his dad being gone a lot, while his mom paced and fumed over the bills on the tiny kitchen table. He remembers hearing them argue a lot through the walls when he was supposed to be asleep. He remembers peering down into the crib with the tiny Waddle Dee inside, feeling crowded despite how small she was.

-Once, his dad bought him a ukulele for his birthday. His mom taught him how to play it, promising to teach him how to play her guitar when he got bigger. He loved that little uke and played it all the time, making up silly little songs that made his dad laugh and tell him he was going to be a star one day. He forgot to pack it up when his mom said they had to leave. He wonders if it’s still there.

-He didn’t like Eva’s apartment. It smelled weird, and the water stains in the ceiling looked like faces laughing at him. He had to share a room with Bow. She cried a lot, so much that she broke one of the pipes in the kitchen. He had a nightmare the first night there, hearing his dad calling out to his mom and begging her to come back. Eva found him crying and tried to hold him until he calmed down. He pulled away. He never got to say goodbye.

-He didn’t cry when they left the city. Just sat with his cheek pressed against the window of the starship, watching the only home he’d ever known fade behind the clouds, and then the stars. He kept his headphones on so he couldn’t hear Bow crying or his mom talking to Eva.

-Treble learned to play bass on his own. Mostly out of spite, if we’re being honest. (Gear’s too proud of him to see it that way, though.) Yes, he’s aware of the irony of being named Treble and playing the bass - stop bringing it up. Also, he's in a band with his friends. Called the Mellow Dees. They're gonna make it big one day, you'll see.

-He wishes his mom didn’t push her interests onto him all the time. Yeah, it’s cool that she taught him how to write music and dye his hair and stuff, but then she wants him to listen to all her weird old-people music or go skateboarding with her and Bow or some other dumb thing he doesn’t care about. Then she gets on his case for staying inside all day and not spending time with people. He is spending time with people, just not her. He has a life, y’know? Friends his own age who actually like the things he likes. He’s not gonna hang out with his parents all the time. That’s so lame.

-He wishes Eva wasn’t so nosy. It doesn’t matter that she’s nice or whatever, she’s such a starsdamn busybody. Always asking what he’s doing and what he’s working on and does he want a snack and ugh, stars, just take a hint already. Does she think he’s still a baby or something? Just leave him alone. He doesn’t want to talk to her. He never wants to talk to her.

-He thinks his baby sister is annoying and wishes she’d stop bothering him when he’d busy doing his own thing. Her friends are just as bad, the little brats. Stars, he hates it here.

-Well… okay, maybe he doesn’t hate it here, living in the village. It’s… fine, he guesses. The weather’s always nice. Food’s good. He even made some new friends who are actually pretty cool. He just… misses the city sometimes, is all. The lights, the music, the tall buildings, the crowds of people, even the smell of the alleyways. He doesn’t miss the races, though. Not even a little bit.

-He does miss his dad sometimes.

[restwellsoon]

glossed over

Pairing: Caleb x GN!Reader

Summary: You help Caleb with his lip balm problem.

/ He would never snap and kiss you the way he’d been dreaming of for years, but when you got like this, it seemed like some divine punishment from God, striking him at his center.

Warnings: yearning, romantic/ sexual tension

Minors and ageless blogs DNI! You will be blocked!

It wasn’t as if the feeling bothered him–it was just that Caleb was used to his lips chapping. The cabin air was always dry whether it was an aircraft or starship, and the lack of humidity in those environments was something he merely accepted. Besides, it wasn’t as if dry lips would interfere with his line of work. It was only an issue if you brought it up.

“You haven’t been taking care of yourself, have you?” You scolded, moving  into Caleb’s space as you pushed yourself over his legs, his back pressed into the couch cushion. With a grip on his chin, you turned his face slowly in every direction. The sunlight reflected in his ametrine eyes, and you didn’t understand the reason behind his pleading expression.

Nervously, he licked his lips, your eyes following the movement. 

“You’re not using the lip balm I got you,” you said, brows furrowing in mock anger at your accusation.

It was a love-hate relationship when you were like this. In the past, it felt natural–you’d get in his face, sloppily pressing your chapstick to his lips until they were thinly coated. It still felt natural–on your end at least–but over the years, Caleb had grown weary; his self-control was wearing thin. He would never snap and kiss you the way he’d been dreaming of for years, but when you got like this, it seemed like some divine punishment from God, striking him at his center.

“Hey now, pip-squeak,” he chuckled in an attempt to appease you, “it’s not like I didn’t want to.” His hands rose up and hovered over your hips, not daring to touch you. You were grown now; you could keep yourself steady. “The mission just took longer than expected and–”

Your index finger pressed into the fleshy center of his lips. “I don’t wanna hear your excuses.”

Digging into your pocket, you used one hand to steady yourself on his chest. Could you feel his heart beating wildly under his touch, or did you simply not care? Your hips swayed with the movement, bumping into either palm. Immediately, he dropped them to his sides, one hand scratching at the couch’s fabric. He needed something to keep him grounded.

Finding what you were looking for, you placed the tube between your teeth and pulled, mouth shaping into a perfect little ‘o.’ And like the many times you’ve done before, you spit the cap out into some unknown direction, leaning into him, lip balm ready.

You were close enough where your hair brushed his jaw, that hand pressing harder into his right shoulder. It was an agonizing feeling of half-warmth and half-numb. But the rest of your body, like your looks, were scorching hot, branded into his skin.

Lashes fluttering downward in full concentration, you traced the shape of his lips with the balm. It was flavorless but Caleb could smell a hint of aloe and Vitamin E.

He could say a quip–how you look like you wanna kiss him or that you’re too close; you’ve taken his breath away. Some self-destructive part of him wanted to ruin this illusion–it’d hurt less that way–but that other part kept on wanting to push you as if you were lost, needing to find the right direction. Either way, Caleb wouldn’t act without your confirmation, and for now, you seemed content with whatever this was. You went over his cupid’s bow one last time until his lips were glossy. 

“So whaddya think of my makeover, pip-squeak?” He asked as you settled into his lap, your thighs spread on either side of him.

Scoffing, you gave him a once over, starting from his crown and following the brunette path of his hair until they met violet. Caleb’s eyes danced between your own and your mouth, trying to guess your answer. Next your eyes traveled down the perfect slope of his nose, past his lips, taking a curve to appreciate the strong line of his jaw before ending at his Adam's apple. Caleb swallowed under your scrutiny.

“Did your mission make you starved for attention?” You pursed your lips into a pout. Unlike him, you weren’t wearing lip balm but some kind of gloss. It sparkled under the sunlight. “Caleb, you already know the answer.”

His hand reached up to gently pinch the crease of flesh where your hip and thigh met, earning him a scowl. “If I knew the answer, I wouldn’t be asking.”

Closing the distance between you, your hair tickled his neck, like sunshine on the skin. That hand he swore he wouldn’t move crossed your hip and settled on the small of your back. It could have been your heart or his–he couldn’t tell–that was thrumming under each other’s touch.

Your lipgloss was fruity and something sweet, the manifestation of all his temptation. If he turned his head slightly, he’d meet it.

“Isn’t there some saying that goes ‘you’ll always be beautiful to the one that loves you’?” Your words stumbled awkwardly, and you laid your forehead into the crook of his neck, embarrassed by your lack of finesse. You were warm but so was Caleb.

He didn’t press you for elaboration, his arms pulling you in.

All the things that you both couldn’t wouldn’t and didn’t say were stuck between you, and somewhere on the floor, the lip balm laid forgotten.

A/N: I've never been a fan of childhood friends-to-lovers but oof the way Infold has developed Caleb's storyline has me hooked. It's not just his yearning, but the way his relationship with MC is defined by what they are and aren't, the things they say and don't. I'm gonna go insane.

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[eueball]

finally did a reference sheet for my version of star-lord! lore information below line break! ✨🌠

a lot of this is cobbled various star-lord backstories + some original ideas mixed in

chinese-american, half celestial. trans guy

autistic, has some learning, mental & physical disabilities (his boots help with some of the chronic pain)

lived with his dad until aliens dropped by and kiIIed him ; instilled a deep desire to travel to space to get revenge

he was sent away to live with relatives who were very strict and emotionally distant. not the most familial of families to live with. really disapproved of his dream of becoming an astronaut and pushed him to more Serious Career Choices

ended up studying space sciences and whatnot. struggled a lot with his grades but did his best trying to earn his guardians's approval (never happened)

since he was focused so much on academics, missed out on a lot of childhood stuff and Life stuff since he didn't really, have friends

did manage to land an internship at a space program

at one point the pressure from his family was way too much, and not being accepted into the astronaut training program pretty much was the final straw for him. decided to steal a starship and just book it into outer space (I imagine it was like a prototype or something of a really advanced ship that was hard to follow into space or keep track of-)

turns out he does Not know how the fuck to survive in space. and barely knows how to pilot the ship past getting it out of the atmosphere. sheer luck, really

(insert some accidental meeting with the Master of the Sun who decides to grant him powers Out Of Curiosity and sends him on his way back barreling through space haphazardly)

at some point his ship gets taken over by the Ravagers. they're completely gobsmacked why some random kid is out in space on his own in a ship he cant even fly. Adopted By Space Pirates Immediately.

he's got some nifty powers but a lot of its kinda locked behind Potential and Growth besides Flight (<- he usually relies on his boots because they have more control bc he doesn't practice. also kinda keeps his capabilities on the Down Low since it does come in handy if people underestimate him in situations.) also he's probably like. definitely a bit nervous about even testing that stuff out w/o some kinda guide but who knows. i'll chew on that at some point. (i guess i can envision his guns and maybe also boots channel his powers in a way? hmm. keeping the DNA coded weapons thing because that's just cool and fun, even if it's not quite in line with his full lore,)

there's more finer details I gotta still flesh out for him but that's generally a lot of major parts of his lore I've been working on so far!

[tanadrin]

how I think different Star Trek: Voyager characters would fare in the Farscape universe

I've been watching a little of both Farscape and Voyager recently, two shows that while superficially conceptually similar (90s science fiction about lost travelers trying to get back to Earth), could not be more tonally different, and both of which I happen to enjoy quite a lot. Let's say that, instead of the spacetime anomaly that deposits protagonist John Crichton on the far side of the universe, it snatches up a random crew member from the good starship Voyager, throwing them back in time four hundred years, and dropping them in the kinky, moist, weirdly biological, slightly disreputable, and extremely Australian corner of the Milky Way where Farscape takes place. Who fares the best?

Neelix: no stranger to a hardscrabble existence and using his wits to survive, Neelix manages both to get along well with Moya's crew, and also to be of considerable use in various negotiations. His cooking remains immensely unpopular. Sadly his lack genre-savviness and his poor combat skills get him killed in season 1 episode 5, when the undercover Scorvian spy breaks his neck

Harry Kim: while a competent and well-trained Starfleet officer, Kim's lack of experience leads the crew to greatly underrate him at first. His competence in chaotic situations and his technical knowledge eventually come to impress the crew; sadly, his trusting nature and inability to bluff convincingly get him into trouble, and he's probably dead by season 1 episode 11, killed by the Vorcarian blood trackers.

Captain Janeway: her scientific and tactical knowledge is supremely useful to Moya's crew, but she clashes personally with many of its members. She is too bossy with Aeryn, deals badly with D'Argo's impulsiveness, and can't control Rygel; about the only crew members she does get along with are Zhaan, whose spirituality she respects, and Pilot, who shares her explorer's spirit. She sacrifices herself to destroy the Gammak base in season 1 episode 22, which is a pity, because she might've had the good sense to shoot Crais as soon as he came aboard (or at least keep him locked up).

Tuvok: Tuvok impresses D'Argo and Aeryn with his combat skills, is able to deal with Rygel (even if he privately despises him), and gets along very well with Zhaan, whose Delvian spirituality meshes well with his own Vulcan philosophy. His cautious look-before-you-leap nature is helpful to the crew, though D'Argo and Rygel fail to appreciate it properly. Brokers a deal with the breakaway Sebacean civilization encountered in season 2 episode 11, allowing the rest of Moya's crew to settle there; eventually manages to use their resources to reverse-engineer the anomaly that brought him there and returns home.

Kes: although she fares badly at first, her willingness to understand the other members of Moya's crew on their own terms helps her to get along with them. Cultivates her psychic abilities with Zhaan's help, but lacking Tuvok's more disciplined influence, her abilities are harder to control. She perishes along with everyone else when they cause her to accidentally blow a hole in the side of Moya.

B'Elanna: clashes outrageously with every single member of Moya's crew except Pilot. Nonetheless, her engineering skills prove extremely useful (though she complains bitterly about feeling more like a doctor than an engineer when it comes to working on Moya). Manages not only to retrofit the Zelbinian's defense screen to Moya, but to get it fully working, and to mount a working photon torpedo launcher to Aeryn's prowler. Tragically killed while fighting the Peacekeeper retrieval squad in season 3 episode 10.

Seven of Nine: Lacking Janeway's positive influence, she and Aeryn reinforce each other's worst instincts. Her arrogance wins her no friends, either; eventually, when Scorpius offers her a job with the Peacekeepers, she accepts, and with her Borg technology enhancing the Peacekeepers' ships and weapons, she becomes one of the most fearsome tyrants the Uncharted Territories has ever seen.

Tom Paris: Gets along surprisingly well with everyone. Has enough of the rogue in him to understand Rygel, befriends D'Argo, impresses Aeryn with his piloting skills, and respects Pilot as, well, a fellow pilot. Lacking the positive influence of Starfleet discipline, however, he indulges his rogue side a little too much, and eventually he and Chiana get killed trying to run a scam on a commerce planet, probably sometime in late season 2.

Chakotay: his flexible leadership style and down-to-earth nature are assets, but he doesn't get along with D'Argo (a pure hothead, without B'Elanna's technical skill) or Rygel. He fails to convincingly impersonate a Peacekeeper officer in season 1 episode 18 and is killed in the ensuing firefight.

The Doctor (with mobile emitter): Accidentally deactivated shortly after arrival; Rygel steals his mobile emitter and sells it for food shortly after; emitter is stripped for parts by a junk dealer who doesn't know what he has.

Seska: Betrays Moya to the Peacekeepers before the end of the pilot, manipulates her way into joining them, rises quickly through the ranks until she is killed in the inevitable Peacekeeper-Scarran confrontation some years later.

bonus round 1: other Star Trek characters

Captain Kirk: has a surprisingly Crichton-like career in the Farscape setting, being also a clever man of action, and very good at bluffing. Eventually leaves Moya, finding gainful employment in the space navy of the breakaway Sebacean civilization in the Uncharted Territories

Lieutenant Commander Data: reverse-engineers the anomaly that deposited him on Moya in about six weeks, files an extremely interesting report with Captain Picard.

Benjamin Sisko: develops an epic grudge against Bialar Crais; eventually takes command of Talyn and leads him in a one-man war against the Peacekeeper forces in the Uncharted Territories

Gul Dukat: gets into an intense, terrifyingly fucked-up relationship with Scorpius. Like, it's not even clear that they're fucking--it's just this rat's nest of codependent, narcissistic toxicity that seems to involve committing gratuitous war crimes as a kind of foreplay

bonus round 2: John Crichton

dropped by his wormhole into space next to the Caretaker's array not long after Voyager itself, John Crichton is quickly rescued by the Starfleet ship. though a man out of time, he does well among its crew: his scientific and technical disposition is very well-suited to assisting B'Elanna Torres in engineering, his fun-loving nature meshes well with the crew, and he is delighted that Tom Paris gets his pop culture references. With the help of advanced 24th century physics, he is eventually able to recreate the wormhole that deposited him in the future, and returns home in a matter of months.

[sugar--brown]

The mechanisms were Jon's college band AU

You see this AU crossover between The Mechanisms and The Magnus archives? Yeah, I like that one.

But I prefer the two groups being only linked by Jon. So, Nicholas is not Toy Soldier, Basira/Georgie is not Ashes, etc... I just like to think Jon has the coolest friend group/family to hang out outside of work and no one except Rosie knows about the mechs.

I want to try writting a chatfic too, so here it is. It's just the first chapter but I'm so anxious that I can't continue for now...

- Monday, 06:02 - The crew of the starship Aurora

Jonny d’Ville: sent a photo

[The Magnus Institute stands tall over the photographer; they had to bend backward a bit to capture the top of the building. The grey sky of this early September morning makes a great background for the golden dome, which overlooks the institute]

Jonny d’Ville: I am here.

Ashes O’Reilly: didn’t you work here for 4 years now?

Gunpowder Tim: yeah you sound like a little kid telling his family that he arrived safe

Raphaella la Cognizi: are we ur family jon? its so sweet

Toy Soldier: Awww (づ￣ ³￣)づ

Jonny d’Ville: Shut up! You are the ones who insisted that I send you news more often.

Nastya Rasputina: Just say you are nervous about your new job and that you try to buy time by talking to us.

Nastya Rasputina: Iris whishes you good luck.

Jonny d’Ville: Are you together right now?

Nastya Rasputina: Yes Jon, at 6am we are not at work yet. Only you do that.

Ashes O’Reilly: wait hang on why are you awake Tim?

Ashes O’Reilly: I thought you were doing the night shift

Gunpowder Tim: Don’t worry big sib Alex, I go right to bed after giving some support to our first mate ;)

Jonny d’Ville: It is captain for you.

Gunpowder Tim: FIRST MATE

Nastya Rasputina: FIRST MATE

Ashes O’Reilly: FIRST MATE

Toy Soldier: FIRST MATE

Raphaella la Cognizi: FIRST MATE

Marius von Raum: FIRST MATE

Drumbot Brian: FIRST MATE

Ivy Alexandria: FIRST MATE

Jonny d’Ville: Oh! Now you are all here!

Toy Soldier: Take it as us wishing you good luck (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

Jonny d’Ville: Fine. I do not have time for that anyway, I am already late.

Nastya Rasputina: You are certainly NOT.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- - 09:32 -

Jonny d’Ville: Does anyone know how to find and catch a dog without any property damages?

Gunpowder Tim: … what?

Raphaella la Cognizi: do u have some dog food with u?

Jonny d’Ville: Of course not!

Nastya Rasputina: Context.

Jonny d’Ville: Yes, right.

Jonny d’Ville: Elias (my boss) decided to assigned a third assistant to the archives. He’s sloppy, slow, clumsy and had let a dog in. It had been thirty minutes that we all try to catch it.

Gunpowder Tim: Aren’t you supposed to work in some kind of archives, J?

Jonny d’Ville: I do.

Raphaella la Cognizi: i want to meet ur new assistant

Raphaella la Cognizi: i like dog send a picture!

Jonny d’Ville: Yes, thank you Raphaella, I will. But, I really need to find the beast before it makes serious damages or my boss learns about it.

Gunpowder Tim: You didn’t see where it went?

Jonny d’Ville: Sadly, no. It went straight into the depth of the archives.

Nastya Rasputina: I can feel your anxiety through my phone. Deep breath, it’s not the end of the world.

Jonny d’Ville: It could be the end of my career.

Nastya Rasputina: No.

Gunpowder Tim: Send us a picture Jonny-boy, maybe we could help!

Jonny d’Ville: sent a photo

[The photo is a bit blurry and dark, but it’s possible to see shelves full of files and papers, boxes on the ground and a few old office furniture scattered around. On the floor, a muddy trail is barely noticeable.]

Raphaella la Cognizi: paw prints!!!!

Gunpowder Tim: Follow the mud Jonny!

Nastya Rasputina: Just treat the dog like a very active cat and bring it back outside, its owner should search it.

Jonny d’Ville: Thank you, everyone, I think I hear it now.

Raphaella la Cognizi: No prob!

Gunpowder Tim: You got this!

Nastya Rasputina: Don’t freak out and don’t overthink it. It’s just a job like any other.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- - 10:23 - The crew of the starship Aurora

Toy Soldier: Did I just miss Jon chasing a dog in his workplace?! ｡��ﾟﾟ*(>д<)*ﾟﾟ･｡

Raphaella la Cognizi: he promised to send a picture

Toy Soldier: (❤ω❤)

Jonny d’Ville: sent a photo

[It’s a closeup of the spaniel sniffing at the camera. The pavement of the sideroad is visible just like the wagging tail of the dog]

Raphaella la Cognizi: doggie! thanks jonny u made my day! pet it for me!

Toy Soldier: ฅ V•ᴥ•Vฅ!!! <3

Jonny d’Ville: My nerves are officially fried.

Toy Soldier: More than the time you asked Georgie out?

Jonny d’Ville: shut up!

Raphaella la Cognizi: come on j! it can happen to anyone no need to stress

Jonny d’Ville: I don’t need a surprise new coworker who mess things up first thing in the morning.

Raphaella la Cognizi: sounds like good story!

Toy Soldier: Yes! Tell us!

Jonny d’Ville: It’s nothing. Just Elias not warning me that I will have a third assistant. And the said assistant let a dog in the archives when he arrived. He looks clumsy, dumb, and useless.

Jonny d’Ville: I swear! He tried to buy me with a cup of tea! How disgustingly sweet is that? And he wears the most hideous and soft looking jumpers I have ever seen!

Jonny d’Ville: Disgusting.

Jonny d’Ville: Why is no one saying anything anymore?

Raphaella la Cognizi: nothing nothing

Toy Soldier: Just go back to work! ρ(- ω -、)ヾ(￣ω￣; )

Jonny d’Ville: Right. Yes. Better to get back. Have a nice day.

Raphaella la Cognizi: luv u!

Toy Soldier: (⌒ω⌒)ﾉ

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- - 12:11 - Tim to Jules

Tim: Marius

Tim: Marius my good man

Tim: Marius our real psychologist

Tim: Marius our ship doctor

Tim: Jules! It’s important come on!

Jules: Can’t I have one lunch break in peace?

Tim: Not when Jonny is dropping bombs like that in the group chat!

Jules: Let me check

Jules: Oh my

Tim: Soooooo?

Jules: yeah, the new assistant caught his attention.

Tim: just like with Jun!

Jules: like with Jun?

Tim: we never told you this story?

Jules: I know they were best friends over their mutual love of gothic, tragic, and angsty storytelling and that Jun taught him queerness but I’m not sure how it applies here

Tim: we didn’t tell you! Oh this is great! Let me tell you what happened before Jun and Jonny became Dr Carmilla and Jonny d’Ville.

Tim: well technically Jun had had already her persona but you see my point

Tim: alright so Jonny was this weird, emo, kid in first year of college. He was a mess really, worst than when you met him.

Tim: Jun was a Japanese student here in London to study for a year before going back to Japan and welcome London’s students. Exchange program yada yada yada…

Jules: I know that, you know?

Tim: shhhhhh… let me tell the story

Tim: so! When Jun started to be better than him in their literature class, Jonny was mad! I wasn’t even his friend but I could see it, the two of them spent all their breaks bickering. Jonny in his soft, shy, but angry voice and Jun in her broken English mixed with Japanese.

Jules: Wait hang on

Jules: They weren’t friends because they were good at the same things?

Jules: I thought that Jonny always treated Carmilla like some kind of idol, having a little crush on her and all.

Tim: they did after exchanging notebooks by accident! Jonny loved Carmilla’s songs so much and Carmilla loved his stories so much that they finally talked normally and became friends

Tim: and yes Jonny had very strong feelings for Carmilla from the start, but he’s just terrible at expressing it

Tim: like a kid bothering another one because they don’t know how to keep their attention on them

Tim: but I doubt it was romantic

Jules: Wait wait wait

Jules: are you implying that this new assistant Jonny just met is his new crush?

Tim: that’s what I’m asking you!

Jules: well… it’s true that Jonny has troubles to express himself…

Tim: mh mh!

Jules: but it could also be because he’s very stressed from having being promoted to head archivist and having to deal with someone new when he requested his colleagues.

Tim: yeah, “colleagues”

Jules: We both know what he means ;)

Jules: My diagnostic: we can keep an eye on it

Tim: Yesssssss

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- - 17:01 - Archives team baby!

Timothy had created the group Archives team baby!

Timothy had added Sasha

Timothy had added Martin

Timothy changed Sasha’s name for Hacker

Timothy changed Thimothy’s name for Inspector Tim

Inspector Tim changed Martin’s name for New Guy

Inspector Tim: Here we go! All done!

Hacker: Well that was quick, one minute after the workday is done. Impressive.

Inspector Tim: What can I say? I am a man of many talents! ;p

Hacker: Can’t deny that.

Hacker: But if allow me…

Hacker changed Hacker’s name for Sasha

Inspector Tim: Hey! I didn’t allow you!

Sasha: It would be easier for Martin to remember our name if we keep them written on this chat.

Inspector Tim: But he needs to know the dynamic too :(

New Guy: I don’t mind either way… whatever you prefer

Inspector Tim: Don’t be shy! We are all friends here!

Sasha changed New Guy’s name for Martin

Inspector Tim: :( :( :(

Sasha: Let’s keep it simple for now.

Inspector Tim: Alright alright but I keep Inspector Tim because I’m wonderful

Inspector Tim: So! Let’s play 20 questions!

Sasha: I thought you wanted to do it at a pub

Inspector Tim: This is the sober version, so we can compare ;)

Inspector Tim: Here’s the rules! Sasha and I know each other so we will team up. We will ask a question, you answer, and you ask a question, and we answer. 10 questions by team! Got it?

Martin: I think…

Sasha: Play without me, I’m entering the no signal part of the tube.

Inspector Tim: aw :(

Inspector Tim: Well I start then! What do you think of Jon?

Inspector Tim: Martin?

Inspector Tim: I see you typing for three minutes straight now, I’m getting worried

Inspector Tim: No pressure! You can refuse to answer.

Martin: Sorry!

Martin: It’s hard to find the right words…

Inspector Tim: Relax!

Inspector Tim: I won’t tell him ;p

Martin: I guess he’s alright… he seems professional and hardworking, I’m glad to work with him

Inspector Tim: That sounds like more a job interview but fair enough! Don’t hesitate to come see us if you have troubles, he can be a bit…

Sasha: special.

Inspector Tim: Yeah! That! But he’s nice

Inspector Tim: Deep deep deep down

Inspector Tim: (glad to have you back sash’)

Sasha: Your turn, Martin

Martin: What is your favourite band/song/music?

Inspector Tim: A safe choice but a very interesting one, very smart…

Sasha: Since I know Tim is busy googling the exact song he wants you to judge him on, I will answer first.

Inspector Tim: *thumb up*

Sasha: I like songs which tell stories, no matter the gender, I’m not a fan of generic lyrics.

Sasha: @ Inspector Tim your turn

Inspector Tim: Already?!

Inspector Tim: You lost your flamboyant speech

Inspector Tim: The archives fed on it

Sasha: Stop being dramatic and answer the question

Inspector Tim: Kay kay

Inspector Tim: It’s I kissed a girl of Katy Perry

Inspector Tim: The perfect mix of queerness for me

Sasha: Tim is pan, for context. So a song celebrating lesbian loved by a queer man is a good definition of him.

Martin: That’s great!

Martin: I mean no

Martin: Yes!

Martin: I just want to say that it’s great that you are comfortable with it

Martin: Not like you couldn’t be!

Inspector Tim: Relax Martin, I get it

Inspector Tim: And thank you!

Sasha: Really, Martin, we just want to integrate you in the group, so no stress.

Martin: Thank you

Martin: It really means a lot

[solarmorrigan]

space au neighbor au steddie

So I wasn't actually sure what a space AU is meant to entail, so I hope a little vaguely Star Trek-inspired AU is okay?? This was a challenging combination, but it was fun!

Fanfiction Trope Mashup: 22. Space AU + 11. Neighbor AU

cw: vague mentions of injury, mentions of background character death

-

Lieutenant Steven Harrington transfers from the U.S.S. Nora and onto the U.S.S. Forrest about six months into the Forrest’s mission. He works in security. He can usually be found stationed somewhere on the ship, but sometimes he’s called up to go planetside.

(He’s also too pretty for Eddie to believe he’s one hundred percent human, but that’s neither here nor there.)

Eddie knows all of this because Harrington gets the previously vacant room right next door to his.

It isn’t bad, really; sometimes the sound of someone shuffling around on the other side of a wall that had previously been silent is comforting. Much as Eddie loves the hum of the ship around him—you can’t really work in engineering and not be a little enamored of the sound of the engines purring—sometimes human noise is what he craves.

(Particularly out here in the void of space. Eddie loves his job, loves working in the guts of a starship, but he wishes sometimes it didn’t come against the backdrop of an endless dark nothingness.)

Eddie doesn’t have reason to see Harrington very often during the day, but they work the same shift rotation, and they catch each other coming back to their rooms now and then at the end of a shift. They mostly exchange nods or waves, brief pleasantries if one of them is in the mood, but that’s really it.

At least, that’s really it until a few weeks in, when Eddie gets back to his room and sees Harrington still standing outside his own, mashing the buttons on the keypad and swearing quietly.

“Everything alright?” Eddie asks as he draws up at his own door.

Harrington lets out a long sigh. “Uh, yeah, just–” He shakes his head. “Apparently if you get your code wrong too many times in a row, the keypad locks you out. And you can’t get into your quarters. Which is… great.”

“You forget your code?” Eddie can’t help but ask.

“No,” Harrington snaps, then softens a little, looking sheepish, even a little embarrassed. “No, I just– sometimes the numbers get a little jumbled.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I’m gonna have to go find someone from maintenance to reset this and let me in, so…”

“Nah, don’t bother. You’ve got in-built tech support right here.” Eddie gestures for Harrington to move aside and crouches down in front of the keypad to reset it; doors and security locks aren’t technically his remit, but it’s not like they’re hard. It’s the work of moments to get the keypad to unlock, and Eddie shuffles back out of the way. “Go ahead and try it now.”

Harrington steps up to the keypad and slowly punches in the six-digit code that should get him into his quarters, and this time, instead of beeping angrily and flashing red, it chirps and gives him the green light. His door slides open and Harrington sighs.

“Thank you,” Harrington says, turning a smile so bright on Eddie that he momentarily forgets how to function. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“Nah, t’weren’t nothin’,” Eddie says for some insane reason, slipping into a ridiculous accent like he does when he’s running tabletop games in the rec room with a couple of other guys from engineering.

If Harrington thinks he’s being weird, he mercifully doesn’t mention it. Instead, he sticks a hand out towards Eddie, still smiling. “I’m Steve, by the way. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.”

“Eddie,” Eddie says, taking the hand to shake (Steve’s hands are big, and strong, and warm, and Eddie tries not to think about it).

“It’s nice to meet you, Eddie. And not even for the obvious reasons,” Steve says, nodding towards his door.

“Yeah, you too,” Eddie says.

He then realizes that he’s still shaking Steve’s hand. He lets go, but Steve is slow to draw back. They’re quiet for a moment, both unsure how to end the encounter, before Steve lets out a little huff of a laugh.

“Well… have a good night,” he says, backing away towards his door.

“Yeah, you too,” Eddie says again, wondering where the hell all his eloquence has gone to.

With one last dorky little wave at Eddie, Steve disappears inside his room, and Eddie does the same.

They talk more, after that. Whenever their schedules coincide, they spend an extra few minutes outside their doors, learning more about each other, bit by bit. Eddie talks about why he’d joined up with a starship even though he really hates space (he’d had to get out of his small-minded hometown), and Steve talks about how he’d ended up really enjoying his work even though he’d only joined to appease his dad (captain of another ship, one Steve prays he’ll never, ever be assigned to).

Their conversations edge past five minutes, past ten, past fifteen. Eddie talks about his uncle, who taught him at least half of everything he knows about fixing things, who had encouraged him to reach for the stars. Steve talks about his best friend in the galaxy, who works up in communications and speaks “about a million languages.” He mentions that they’d met as ensigns, both stationed on the U.S.S. Butterscotch, but he doesn’t say much more than that (and Eddie won’t make him; he knows the story already. The ship might have had a ridiculous name, but the fate that had befallen it had been anything but: it had been taken over by hostiles and eventually gone down in flames. The number of survivors had been abysmal, and fact that Steve is here at all is a small miracle).

Steve learns that Eddie loves music and roleplaying games. Eddie learns that Steve has a knack for avoiding medical staff after altercations planetside and for brushing off minor-to-moderate injuries.

He’s not as good at avoiding Eddie, however, who makes a point of dragging him down to medical one evening after spotting a still-bleeding gash on Steve’s arm.

“One of these days, you’re gonna come back with something you can’t walk off,” Eddie warns him, “and I’ll be there to say I told you so.”

“Well, as long as you’re going to be there, I guess it won’t be so bad,” Steve replies, and Eddie tries not to be swayed by the flirting.

When Eddie turns out to be right, though, he doesn’t even have the heart to say I-told-you-so, which he feels a bit cheated about later.

The evening starts out so promisingly: Steve and Eddie are loitering outside their doors, Steve gravitating further and further into Eddie’s space as they talk, and Eddie is just about to pluck up the nerve to invite Steve inside when Steve’s communicator goes off.

He frowns, pulling it from his pocket to check the message, and his demeanor immediately turns serious. “I have to go,” he says, and apprehension prickles at the base of Eddie’s skull.

“Everything alright?” Eddie asks.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Steve offers Eddie a brief smile. “We can pick up where we left off as soon as this is taken care of.”

Eddie wants to ask just what “this” is, but he finds out soon enough. The promising evening turns into a hellish night with too little sleep and too many hits to the machinery for comfort, under attack from some unknown, hostile force. When things finally calm down and reports start rolling in, things aren’t as bad as they could be. No casualties, minor damage to the ship, and minimal injuries. It sounds reassuring, until Eddie finds himself standing next to Steve’s bed in the infirmary.

“I’m going to be fine. Stop looking at me like that,” Steve says, even though his eyes are closed and he can’t possibly know how Eddie is looking at him.

And the thing is, Eddie knows he’s right – Steve might sound an awful lot like he’s in pain right now, but the medical tech on the ship is top of the line, and the staff is equally good. Steve will be fine, but that doesn’t give Eddie any comfort right then, realizing how lost he would feel without his and Steve’s hallway conversations every day.

How lost he would feel without Steve.

It scares him– for a moment, it scares him enough that he wants to run from it, to put a halt to things before they get too serious, before this really hurts him. But even more than that, there’s a feeling greater than the fear: one of rightness when he’s with Steve, a feeling that’s worth the risk, that’s worth holding onto.

Eddie reaches out and takes Steve’s hand where it rests on the bed.

Steve cracks his eyes open to look at Eddie.

“You know…” he says slowly. “They said I should be fine on my own by tomorrow, good to go back to my own quarters, but– I’d feel a lot better if there was someone nearby. Just in case.”

“Like someone right next door?” Eddie asks, a tease of a smile beginning to grow on his face.

“Maybe a little closer than that,” Steve says, squeezing Eddie’s hand in his own.

“I think I can do that,” Eddie says, finding that he’s prepared to do a lot of things, if it means he can keep Steve close.

[ak-vintage]

Please Note: This is an 18+ blog. Unless otherwise stated, all linked works can be assumed to contain adult content. Specific content and trigger warnings can be found on the individual posts/series masterlists.

Masterlist will be continuously updated as content is posted.

PPCU WORKS

Quarry - COMPLETE

Din Djarin is on what he expects to be his last bounty hunt for Greef Karga. However, after capturing a wanted starship engineer who would rather go anywhere other than “home,” the Mandalorian is forced to reassess his priorities. Your taste of freedom had been brief but glorious. Now you are a prisoner of the most infamous bounty hunter in the Outer Rim – it’s only a matter of time before he turns you in. There isn’t much you would not do to keep from being sent home, but as you find yourself growing closer to your captor and his strange little companion, you start to wonder whether escape is really what you want. Set immediately following Chapter 13: The Jedi.

I'd Like To - COMPLETE

Din has always struggled to prioritize his own happiness, even more so now that he is a single father. When some well-meaning friends create a dating app profile for him without his knowledge, he finds himself on his first date in years with a woman who seems determined to bring some much-needed softness to his life. Written for @hellishjoel's Hot DILF Summer Challenge

From the Ground Up - IN PROGRESS

After getting laid off from your job, you are forced to move back in with your parents until you can get back on your feet. You can't help but feel like you have started your life over again at square one, but when your dad's best friend offers his help in the form of a job at his burgeoning construction business, you learn that maybe there is more than one path to the life of your dreams. DBF!Joel Miller x OFC ("Reader" Format Second-Person POV)

Miller Tours | Secret Springs Resort - COMPLETE

Prompt: Joel Miller & Speedboat Rides Created for the Secret Springs event hosted by @secretelephanttattoo

Stay Right Here - COMPLETE

You never had a problem getting out of bed in the morning until you started sharing one with Joel. A Secret Santa gift for my dear friend, Britt @pedroswife69 <3

Whiskey's Sour | Secret Springs Resort - COMPLETE

Prompt: Jack Daniels (Agent Whiskey) & Cocktail Bar Created for the Secret Springs event hosted by @secretelephanttattoo

Sweet As - COMPLETE

Frankie comes home after a long day at work and learns how you have been keeping cool in the midst of a heat wave. Prompt: Frankie Morales x Grapes Written for the @happypedrohoursCharcuterie Board Challenge

Work of Art - COMPLETE

Your pregnancy brings out a vulnerability in Marcus you never would have expected. When he reluctantly shares his insecurities with you, you are more than happy to reaffirm your affection for each and every part of him.   Written for @joelmillerisapunkPPCU Body Worship Writing Challenge

Sins of the Flesh - COMPLETE

After multiple chance encounters with a mysterious stranger, you begin having the most unsettling dreams. Written for Monster (S)Mash hosted by @quinnnfabrgay-writes and @hauntedhowlett-writes

Wash & Fold - COMPLETE

After discovering some unfamiliar clothes in your laundry (and losing some of your own in return), you begin exchanging messages with another resident in your apartment complex. Written for @jolapeno’s Dear-uary Epistolary Writing Challenge.

I'll Pick You Up - COMPLETE

On your first Valentine’s Day together, Javier shows you how much you mean to him. Written as a Valentine's Day gift for my dear friend Kat @sunshinehaze1!

The AK-Vintage Archives (works published pre-2023) can be found here.

[jpitha]

With Friends Like These...

The alarm startled N’ren. It had a mechanical, animalistic howl which hurt her ears. It was so loud, that she could feel the deck plates vibrate under her feet, tingling with noise. As she looked around, she could tell that it bothered the humans too, but other than a small flinch when it went off, it seemed to energize them. They all got more focused, more serious and moved faster.

The trip had been a whirlwind of sights, sounds, smells, and other sensations. N’ren Kitani, as the ranking officer of the Mel’itim - The Discoverers - was selected by the Captain to go over to the human ship and meet them. The fact that she was part of the secret police, and if she were… killed by human treachery it would not be considered that much of a loss to the crew was not lost on N’ren, but as much as she disliked the taste of that thought, she had to admit it did make sense. She had more training on body language and politics than anyone else aboard. Even if she didn’t know the details of the human’s political situation, she - probably - could see the larger picture easier than anyone.

She needn’t have worried about any human treachery. They had been more than accommodating to her and her needs, and everyone was fascinated by her presence. She knew that they were merely curious, but their close set eyes following her as she was given a tour of the ship was unsettling.

Menium - the K'laxi ship - had been in contact with the human’s own ship AI - called Longview - and between the two of them they had worked out a rough translation of the two sapient’s languages. Their language was an unintelligible garble of sounds and phonemes to N’ren, but Menium was an excellent translator, and she had managed to understand and be understood.

They had invited her to a meal and while she attended to gathering gladly, she didn’t eat anything. Not only was eating unknown food from a new group of sapients she had just met madness, Menium had warned her that some ingredients the humans used was toxic.

After the meal, N’ren had explained the war with the Xenni, how they were trying to expand their territory, and how - without some help - the war would last for decades at best, and be over quickly with the K’laxi being subjugated by the Xenni at worst. Three K’laxi border colonies had already been captured, and a dozen deep space stations had been destroyed outright. Almost exactly as she finished explaining the war, the Xenni came through the system gate and the humans’ long range sensors had detected the missile launches. N’ren had warned that they tend to go after ships with their energy weapons after the missile launches, and sure enough everyone aboard Longview heard the thunderclap report of the energy weapons ablating part of the Starjumper’s thick hull.

N’ren knew that the discovery of the humans, with their gigantic starships and wormhole generators was exactly what the K’laxi needed to turn the tide of the war. She needed to get back and report this new race to Fleet Command.

She was jolted back to reality by a human shouting at her in that staccato language they had, full of fricatives and harsh consonants. Menium spoke to her as the translator and she was able to get a sanitized and generalized version of what they actually said. N’ren didn’t think Menium needed to do the voices for different people though. Still, the point got across. It was time for her to go. Now.

“Leave? But, the checks aren't finished! Does my Captain know? She’ll need to make preparations.” N'ren said, worried.

"No. No time. Go Now. Your ship talked to our ship. They figured it out." The human was hurriedly putting on an armored pressure suit while talking to N'ren.

<Human Francine is right N'ren.> Menium said - in their regular voice - through the comm. <Longview and I have worked out the details and I know - mostly - how to operate their wormhole generator. Can you believe they’re actually giving us their own FTL drive? The Mel’itim command’s fur is going to puff out to twice it’s size when they see it.>

<Mostly operate it?> N’ren said back to Menium, worried. <Is it dangerous?>

<Is it more dangerous than getting captured or destroyed by the Xenni?> They countered. <No. Is it more dangerous than taking the Gates? Most assuredly.>

<Do we have the power to operate it?>

<They have given us enough batteries to run it once, and we should be able to "link" back to K'lax direct! Longview explained how their coordinate system works, I can get us into our system. N’ren, this is amazing. I'm talking to an AI from a sapient group that has never made contact! This is so fascinating!>

<Wait, never made contact?> N’ren hadn’t had time to speak to the humans about the other sapient groups they knew, but she had assumed they had met someone.

<From what Longview told me, we’re the first sapient group they’ve met. You would not believe how surprised they were when the Gate activated and we came in.>

While N'ren put on her pressure suit - unfortunately not armored like the humans' - she wondered why Menium sounded so excited. They had never exhibited this kind of behavior before. It was more like she was talking with a person instead of the flat, matter of fact speech of a ship.

As she tightened the last ring on her gloves, she felt, rather than heard the strikes. Huge booming thumps along the bottom of the human ship and suddenly her suit shrieked that the pressure was dropping rapidly. Her large inner ears along with her prehensile tail gave her a better sense of balance than the humans; she was able to feel Longview start to rotate along it's axis.

"What's going on?" she asked Francine, the human that had been helping her thus far.

"Longview's rolling to keep your ship out of the firing line." Francine said, though Menium’s translation. "Longview's a big, old ship, she can take it" she said, and grinned through her helmet.

“Old? How old is Longview?”

Francine stood up and stared off into nothing for a moment. “She must be at least two thousand years old at this point.” She said and moved her head up and down vertically, once. “Yes, about two thousand years old."

Two thousand- <Menium, is that a translation error?>

<Not as far as I am able to figure out, N’ren, she said two thousand years. Even if our years and theirs are vastly different, Longview is still at least ten times older than any of our ships.>

Another brace of explosions rippled down the hull, knocking everyone off balance. Francine put her hand on N'ren's shoulder and pushed. "Go. Now." There was another explosion, this one larger. "RUN.”

As N'ren ran down the halls of the Longview, Menium reminded her to run on the right side of the hall as humans - all in pressure suits - ran with purpose around her. She noticed that more than a few humans were carrying weapons. <Why the weapons?> N'ren asked her ship.

<They're preparing to be boarded.> Menium said.

<What? The Xenni don't do that!>

<The Humans do, apparently.>

The idea of humans forcibly docking with an enemy ship and pouring in, attacking gave N’ren chills. She made a mental note to report this to the Mel’itim.

N'ren made it to the umbilical that connected the two ships. There was a group of humans bustling around the docking room, checking settings and tossing crates through the umbilical towards Menium. A human engineer noticed her arrival and waver her over. “N’ren, your ship is ready. Our ship taught your ship how to work the wormhole generator and we're ready to set you off and escape.” He gestured towards the umbilical as he spoke. “We're going to push you with the docking arms, so don't hesitate to fire your main drive. Our hull is thick, your drive exhaust will be barely a summer breeze to us, we'll be fine." He grinned and stepped back.

<Do you know what he means?>

<I do, and I told the Captain. She’s skeptical, but is willing to do it.>

“What about you? What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Oh, Longview is very old. She was a Starjumper before we developed wormhole generators. She’s practically more engine that ship. We'll turn our Stardrive on them as they come around. No worries!"

What did that mean? She wondered. Aloud she said “Sorry, I meant your wormhole generator. Aren't we taking it?"

Impossibly, the engineer grinned harder. "Oh, no we bottled a message and used the generator to link a beacon back to human space. Someone will come and bring us a new generator in a week or two. We'll be fine."

More explosions wracked the ship. The engineers grin fell as the ship began to vibrate worryingly. "Go. We'll be fine, but if you hold up much longer there won't be any ship left!” He clapped her suited shoulder and gently directed her towards her ship. “I’m glad we met. Go and tell your people."

****

Back on the command deck of Longview, the ship was relaying information to Captain Erlatan.

"Captain, Menium has been pushed away, and they're boosting away from us at their full speed. A small group of attacking ships has peeled off and is giving chase."

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash, and Menium was gone.

“It looks like Menium figured out the wormhole generator." Captain Erlatan said. "Excellent. Longview, shall we shake off our attackers?"

"With pleasure, Captain. Permission to engage War Emergency Power and thrust at 6 gees for 3 minutes?"

"Permission granted. I authorize you to use War Emergency Power. In the case I am incapacitated you are free to make your own decisions to continue the mission, save the crew, and save your own life in that order. Acknowledge."

“Acknowledged, Captain. War Emergency Power engaged. Fuses and limiters removed. We can operate at WEP for eighty three minutes before permanent damage occurs.”

If someone was watching the battle from a great distance, they would see Longview begin to rotate along the axes of the massive flywheels deep in the center of the ship. N’ren didn’t even get to see them in the tour. The humans were friendly and accommodating, but they knew that everything they showed her would get reported back. No need to give away all their secrets.

Longview oriented itself until the rear of the ship was facing the swarming Xenni ships. Thinking they were turning to run, the Xenni pressed their attack, and grouped together to concentrate their fire. When they were a few dozen kilometers away, Longview lit its old relativistic Stardrive and a jet of pure white, kilometers long, shot out the back as the ship thrust away at a withering six gees. Everyone on board was secured in acceleration couches or command chairs and while it was very unpleasant, it was over soon enough.

Moving too quickly to dodge the jet of pure physics, the Xenni ships were destroyed the instant the torch of exhaust played over their hulls. None survived to report the incident back to the Xenni Consortium.

I bet you thought I forgot about you! I'm still around, I'm still writing, though you'll probably see my stuff more on Royal Road or Reddit these days. I'll still post here when I can though. This is a major re-work of a very old story of mine, and I'm planning on expanding it out into a full length novel about first contact between the humans and k'laxi.

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Forget Me Not

Omega hears a new name and of course she's intrigued

Did I get inspired by @the-bi-space-ace post about seeing Echo laugh? Yes! Did this turn out how it was originally supposed to go (or anywhere even remotely in that ballpark? Errrrr… no comment.

Enjoy! :D

Omega pushed another box into the hold of the starship and walked back to the pile a few steps behind her. Echo and Rex had needed a hand shifting some cargo and with the others held up with various tasks around Pabu, Omega had offered to lend them a hand. It wasn't the most exciting work, but it was something to do, and she wasn't going to miss an opportunity to hang out with her two older brothers. With them being away so often, it opened up an opportunity for them to talk. How things were going with the Rebellion (usually answered by “that's top secret” and a wink), if Omega was up to anything new and interesting (flying lessons with Tech were going great and they shouldn't listen to anyone who told them otherwise) and if Crosshair was still brooding over the cheeky comment Echo had made about him on his last stop by (did Crosshair ever stop brooding?).

She grabbed the edge of the next crate and went to pull it towards her only to find that it barely moved. She tugged at it again. Still nothing.

“Rex!”

“Yes, Omega?” The captain appeared from behind another stack of boxes.

“Can you help me with this? It's too heavy.” She jabbed it accusingly with her finger.

Rex chuckled. “Sure thing, kid.” He dragged the crate off the pile and took it to the ship. Omega pouted slightly at how easily he'd managed to move it.

Echo came over and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Don't worry about it, Megs.” He said playfully. “Keep helping us out and you'll be stronger than him in no time.” He lent down to whisper in her ear. “Not to mention Rex is getting old.”

“I heard that!”

Omega failed to stifle her giggles.

“I don't know why I continue to put up with you.” The captain said pointedly at Echo, though the comment held little actual anger. “But he's right. Keep working at it and get your strength up. It's better to ask for help than to try and prove something and injure yourself.” He rolled his eyes and grinned. “I had enough of that with Fives.”

Omega felt the hand on her shoulder tense. She looked up and saw that Echo's smile had disappeared. She glanced back at Rex. “Who's Fives?"

She felt the hand slip from her shoulder as Echo walked over to where he has originally been working. His eyes skimmed over a datapad though it didn't appear he was actually reading it.

Rex looked stunned. “You haven't told her?”

Echo's hand was gripping the edge of the table, knuckles likely turning white under his blacks. There was an awkward pause and Omega's gaze flicked back and forth between her brothers. Eventually, Echo turned back around to face her. He observed Omega for a moment, with a look that she knew meant he was hoping for someone to change the conversation, but Omega was still confused. Who was Fives?

Echo could clearly see the question was still hanging, waiting for an answer. Omega's brows were furrowed. He sighed.

“No-one.”

And with that he picked up the datapad and left the room. Omega stared at the door, not entirely sure what to say. She hadn’t expected for Echo to walk out like that. Dance around the question a little and crack a joke to distract her? That was more likely. But to just walk out…

She glanced at Rex. If he had looked surprised before, he looked downright shocked now. His jaw was almost on the floor and he was still staring straight ahead. But what stood out the most to Omega was his eyes. There was a sheen across them, almost as if he was about to cry.

“Rex?”

He blinked a couple of time before shaking his head and looking at her.

She swallowed. “Did I say something wrong?”

“What?” Rex's brain hadn’t quite caught up with him yet. “Err-” He shook his head again. “No. No. You didn't. It's just-” His sentence was left unfinished. He chewed his lower lip nervously before clearing his throat.

“Err, do you mind shifting some more boxes for me? Just do what you can. I'll go and talk with him.”

Omega just nodded weakly. Rex gave her a small smile, hesitating for a second before he left. She stood still for a moment, watching him disappear through the door Echo had vanished through, before she finally reached out and grabbed another box.

------

It turns out Rex didn't have to go far. He found Echo sat just outside of the building, hunched up on the floor with his knees to his chest. He was picking at the end of his scomp, the datapad discarded next to him.

“Echo?”

His brother looked up before hastily wiping away a stray tear he didn't want the captain to see and looked down. Rex sighed and slid down the wall next to him. Neither of them said anything for a little while. The only noise was the slight rustle of leaves in the breeze and the sound of Echo's nail picking at metal.

Rex turned his head to observe his brother. Echo still refused to look up.

“You okay?” Stupid question. Rex already knew the answer, but he was hoping he could nudge something out of his brother. No response.

Rex chewed his lip and tried again. “She doesn't know about him.” Less of a question and more of statement. With Echo, it usually helped to be direct.

“I don't talk about him much.” The response was mumbled and barely intelligible but it was something.

“I gathered.” Echo didn’t continue so he tried again. “Any particular reason?” Rex knew the reason. It was Echo. And Echo had a habit of keeping certain feelings bottled up somewhere and guarding them from anyone he stepped a little too close.

Once again, the question bore no answer. So this is how it was going to be, huh?

“I didn't think you cared so little.”

That got a response. Echo’s head shot up, his eyes narrowed. “What the kriff is that supposed to mean?”

“I'm just saying. I thought Fives meant more to you than that.”

“Of course he did.”

“It didn't seem like that to me.”

“He was my twin.”

“I'm not the one that said he was no-one.”

Echo's face dropped. Whatever anger he had felt dissipated immediately. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. When nothing came out, he hunched up, drawing his arms around himself tighter and resting his chin on his arms.

There we are. Rex thought.

He'd known Echo long enough to understand that coaxing him out never really worked. You needed to rile him up, push at his weak points until eventually the dam burst and all of his emotions came out in one go. Maybe not the healthiest way of dealing with things, but that's how it was with Echo.

The captain didn't say anything else. He would let Echo stew with his thoughts until he eventually grew too uncomfortable with the silence to not do anything about it.

It took several minutes, but eventually Echo uncurled slightly and leant against the walk. He tilted his head back until his headpiece made a small clunk against the concrete.

“I didn't mean it.”

He turned his face until his eyes met Rex's.

“He's not no-one.”

“I know.”

Echo's eyes grew watery. His lip trembled and his voice cracked when he spoke.

“He's not no-one.”

“I know.”

Rex wrapped his arm around Echo's shoulder, drawing him in. His brother collapsed against him, shaking with unrestrained sobs. The captain gently stroked the curls on top of his head and held him tighter. “I know, Echo. I know.” The I miss him too went unsaid.

This wasn't the first time the two of them had ended up like this. It was less frequent now, but it didn’t mean it had gotten any easier either or them. It was a loss that had hurt them both deeply.

Rex squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hold back his own tears. He made an attempt to swallow but there was a lump in his throat. He didn't want to break down too, lest Omega came out to find both of them in a wet heap on the floor. He wrapped both arms around Echo and rested his chin on his head, breath stuttering.

Over time Echo's sobs turned to whimpering, which gave way to sniffles and then deep breathing. He pulled away from Rex and wiped his cheeks furiously.

“Kriff.” He never liked crying in front of the captain and Rex new that. Echo sighed deeply and slumped back against the wall.

He began to pick at the end of his scomp again.

Rex also tried to compose himself, clearly his throat and running a hand over his own head, letting it rest on his neck for a second before dropping it back into his lap.

“I miss him so much, you know?” Echo's voice still wavered. “It's just… I never know how to talk about him.'

Rex raised an eyebrow.

Echo huffed a little in frustration, trying to piece together his thoughts.

“I… I never feel like I can do him justice. It's like… whatever I say just won't be… him.” He waved his scomp aimlessly. “It will just feel like some fanciful version of him.”

“That's not true. You know him better than anyone.”

“But it is!” Echo was frustrated. “Fives was just so… Fives. Whatever I say about him will never capture that. I'd be telling stories about someone, but it wouldn't be him.”

“So you think it's best if the world forgets about him then.”

“What? No!”

Rex looked at Echo pointedly. “But you realise that that's what's going to happen, right?” Echo's eyebrows furrowed. “We never truly die until the stories people tell about us cease to exist. We live on in people's memories for as long as those stories are shared. If we never speak about him, then his life ends with us. Do you want that to happen?”

“No. Of course not.”

Rex put a hand on Echo's shoulder. “Then tell people about him.”

“But-” Echo but the inside of his cheek. “But it won't be him.”

“Yes. It will.” Rex's voice was gentle. “Look at this way. I don't tell Omega about all of the banthashit I have to put up with when dealing with you, otherwise I'm not sure she'd think of you so highly.”

Echo glowered at him.

“But.” Rex squeezed his shoulder. “It doesn't meant that anything I say about you is any less true.

“Don't let the world forget him, Echo. He deserves so much more than that.”

Echo nodded. “Yeah. Yeah he does.” He smiled at Rex. There was still a sadness in his eyes, but the worst part of the emotional storm seemed to have passed.

The two men sat in silence for a bit, listening to the leaves shuffling in the wind.

Echo turned towards Rex. “Do you really tell Omega stories about me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Please don't tell me you've spoken about the early days.”

“Of course I have.” Rex grinned. “That's the best bit.”

Echo groaned.

“Not that that's the only thing. I've told her about your ARC trooper days, too.” He waved a hand. “Of course, I had to glaze over some things, paint you in a better light. If I told her about the real you, she'd fly away and never come back.” He smiled cheekily at his brother to let him know that he wasn't serious. That earned him a shove to the shoulder.

But it also got a small chuckle out of Echo.

“Err, Rex?” Both men looked up to see Omega poking her head around the door.

“Sorry. It's just, I've finished loading the shipment.”

“Thank you, Omega. You've been a great help.”

Omega smiled nervously and kicked the dirt. She glanced at Echo. “I'm sorry about earlier."

The corner of Echo's mouth twitched. “It's okay.”

“It's just… I didn't know and I was curious and I just wanted to ask and-”

“Omega!” He stopped her ramblings. “It's okay.”

“Are you sure?”

Echo held out his arm, inviting her to sit down next to him. When she was huddled up next to them, he pulled her into his side and rubbed her shoulder. “Everything's fine, Kiddo.”

She buried herself even closer to him. “I'm sorry I made you sad.”

Echo stroked her hair. “It's okay, Megs. You didn't know.” She hummed in response. He ran his hand over her hair a few more times before he spoke again.

“Do you mind passing me that datapad?”

Omega reached over and picked it up off the floor, handing it to her brother. Echo didn’t say anything as he flicked through several folders. When he found what he was looking for, he held the device out so that Omega could see the screen.

Two 501st troopers stared back at her.

Rex smiled.