#hey look i got an ask

[iamcaledonia]

Hi Cally!! 💛 For the Richard Siken ask game: 18?

fyscka my friend, hello!! Thank you for your ask!! I hope this little ficlet makes you smile! xx Cally

18. please, just for one night, will you lie down next to me?

Please, just for one night, will you lie down next to me? 

Arthur rehearsed the phrase so often inside his mind that it nearly lost all meaning. He would think it a million times a day, watching Merlin go about the various tasks Arthur had assigned simply to keep Merlin close to him. As the night closed in and the opportunity presented itself for Arthur to actually say the words he’d practised all day, he would lose his nerve.

What would happen if Merlin said no? Turned him down? Laughed? Arthur didn’t think he could survive that. Monstrous beasts? Fine. Rampaging armies? Sure. His father’s endless disappointment? Easy. Merlin’s rejection? No, that would be the killing blow.

So Arthur practised the words, but he kept them to himself, day after day after day.

+++

Please, just for one night, will you lie down next to me? 

Merlin thought of that phrase endlessly. He imagined a hundred different scenarios in which Arthur would say what Merlin so longed for him to say. Perhaps one night while out on a hunt, or while searching for bandits, with the others already asleep. Maybe on a dark winter night when it was far too cold for Merlin to be anywhere but beside Arthur in his bed.

Merlin’s feelings for Arthur were all-encompassing and would soon be too strong for him to ignore, but he was too scared. Too scared to lose the friendship for which he had fought for so long.

So Merlin went about the endless tasks that Arthur assigned, and in his head, he heard Arthur asking him to stay a million different ways. 

+++

It was one of those winter days when the sun never rose far above the horizon and absolutely everything seemed endless. Arthur was worn thin by the repetition of something he’d done a hundred times but which never changed. He was exhausted by the familiarity of the people with whom he shared his life but who would never choose him if given a chance. 

So much snow had fallen that the citadel was cut off as effectively as though they were under siege. There was nothing going on, and Arthur was running out of excuses to request Merlin’s attendance. Gaius, too, needed Merlin’s help, with so many people falling ill in the depths of winter. 

It was late when Merlin finally came to settle Arthur into bed. His hands were pale and as cold as ice, his body shaking with chills. His hair was damp, his ears red. He had obviously been out in the snow, completing a task for Gaius. Arthur resisted every impulse. He did not take Merlin’s hands into his. He did not wrap his arms around Merlin’s shivering body. He did not towel Merlin’s hair dry or hold him close until his whole body warmed.

But as Merlin tucked Arthur into his warm bed, the words Arthur had practised for years fell from his lips almost against Arthur’s will.

“Merlin, would you stop being so bloody stubborn and get under these blankets? You’re obviously freezing, and your room will probably be freezing too. I won’t hear any arguments. Get in this bed and warm up before you freeze to death,” Arthur’s voice was much more commanding than he had meant it to be. In fact, he was almost shouting. And he had gotten the words wrong! After all of his practising!

Still, Arthur thought, settling himself down as Merlin climbed slowly and cautiously under the covers, if the end result was the same, did the method matter?

+++

Well, they hadn’t exactly been the words that Merlin had wanted to hear for so long, but if the end result was the same, did it really matter?

When Merlin woke, warm in the lazy winter light, with Arthur’s strong arms wrapped protectively around him, he thought, perhaps, it didn’t really matter after all.

[cal-cium-the-nerd]

the more i see MoL on my dash the more i remember how much i love it and all the little things that make it amazing and special to me and now i'm opening fictionpress for the first time in ages because i miss it so much

(thank you but also, like, you're definitely responsible for me doing an all nighter to read it from start to finish. no regrets though^^)

I am so sorry about your sleep schedule (if it's any consolation, mine is ruined too lmao)

Not sorry about reviving your love for MoL, though. If I'm going to suffer from MoL brainrot again, I'm dragging all of you down with me /hj

[popsunner]

i saw you’ve been inactive for awhile, but i wanted to let you know i read all your DC fics and love them, they brought a warmth & lightness i didn’t realise i needed as a pick-me-up—your understanding of their relationships & dynamics was so thoughtful and loving, you may not be interested in it anymore, or even up for writing for them again, but i just wanted to say thank you for giving me that moment into your writing and perspective, i’m sure many others also appreciated it x :)

Thank you so much!! I appreciate this a lot oml, I’m actually actively working on some DC stuff that’ll hopefully be finished in the next few days :)

[greg-katana]

trick or treat

Ay Tumblr you wanna notify me when I have a message? That would be greatttttttt.

Apologies for the late response. Since no one else came to the door, you can have the entire bowl! Happy belated Halloween!

[heartorbit]

find another role, carry on the show

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

world's longest staring contest GO-

[starry-bi-sky]

more clone^2 memes because i think they're funny

[m0e-ru]

manager manager can you draw naoto about to cross a road

happy 1 year to naoto about to cross a road 👍

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Have you watched Dungeon Meshi yet? I feel like you would LOVE dungeon meshi (see also: I think it would give you obsessive brain rot)

I uh... um... yeah I like Dungeon Meshi a normal amount.

[ratatatastic]

"other guys joke that theyre not allowed to bring you around their wives..." "you gotta have to ask ekky about that one thats on him"

WSFL Inside South Florida | 4.11.24 (x)

he was so serious and focused on answering questions and then immediately gets thrown a curveball at the end that is "hey so some are saying...im not saying who... but some not naming any names... HOWEVER that you are so hot possibly sans shirt... you are not allowed near the wags... how do you respond is this true..."

throwing his head back to laugh because he got his bonded dpair's quote thrown back in his face while trying to talk about contract extensions and fishing...

"thats on him" the way he cheekily shrugs a shoulder and flicks his head...man whos well aware who started that rumour and will not stand idly by while revisionists rewrite history NO ONE ELSE HAS SAID SUCH A THING. NO ONE ELSE HAS JOKED ABOUT SUCH A THING. AND IF THEY "HAVE" ITS ONLY BECAUSE OF ONE (1) MAN AND ONE MAN ALONE.

and it was in fact "on him" because that quote comes from a miami herald article about forsy FROM FEBRUARY. A 2 WHOLE MONTHS BEFORE THIS INTERVIEW.

Miami Herald | 2.10.24 (x)

and like all things it always leads back to ekky when it comes to anything forsy-related, the personal menace of the team. and also his bonded soulmate or whatever. may god bless this beautiful little freakish relationship.

[is-this-even-relatable]

A Rising Phantom

———

Summary: danny died, and no one knows. He is a full ghost, and only thanks to his dual obsessions can he “live” a normal life and pretend that nothing happened.

I aim to make this a multichaptered fic! Hopefully, the first fic I post on AO3!

HEADCANONS/TROPES/TAGS:

no one knows! AU

full ghost! danny

eventual everlasting trio

dual obsessions inspired by this post, which are protection (Phantom) and space (Fenton)

my own headcanon: danny's death is inevitable, a single point in time that cannot be avoided or changed.

———

Danny died on a Saturday.

He was too young to have been left alone; any other house would’ve be fine, but everyone in that town knew, even then, that the Fentons' house was to be avoided by a wide berth.

His parents had rushed out in a frustrated fit, leaving him and Jazz by themselves for the weekend, just like so many before. They were always an afterthought to their parents, long before he was 14.

Danny didn’t intend to go down to the lab that night. But Jazz was out with her friend Kyle, and he was bored. And something down there called to him, though he didn’t know it.

He didn’t know that forces beyond his comprehension were leading to this point, this singularity.

If Danny had known the fate in store for him, he would have begged his parents for them to stay that night, or take him with them. But he didn't know, he couldn't have known... because that's how it was always going to be.

He didn’t know that a man with a clock in his chest, who changed between ages in the blink of an eye, was watching as he walked down those lonely steps.

He didn’t know, as he pulled on a white hazmat suit hand-sewn just for him, far too flimsy for what it was meant to protect him against, that a sentient dimension was pushing against the veil, straining for him.

He didn’t know, as he stepped through the gaping metal maw, that it had already called his name, and death had claimed it.

And afterwards, while he curled up on the cold basement floor, clutching his chest for a pulse, he still did not know that even if he had known... he would have had no choice but to do the same.

Danny died when he turned the portal on, alone in his parents’ lab.

Standing inside, fifty million Watts of electricity coursed from his palm to his heart, searing its path into his skin. It had no exit route. It cooked him from the inside, lighting all of his nerves on fire, and doused him in an infinite realm’s worth of dimensional energy. After what seemed like hours of screaming, panicking, burning- he somehow managed to crawl out of the portal.

He died then, lying flat in front of the machine that ended him, as the intense pain faded into a dull throb that replaced the beating that used to be in his chest.

And as he sat up, feeling both sore and feather-light, he looked down upon his body, and realized that he had died that day, and he was not coming back.

Danny panicked. And he did the only thing he could do. He decided to run away, afraid of what he was, confused and scared and feeling very not himself.

But the main anxiety that drove him to hide his accident was a rather juvenile one.

…He was afraid that his parents would be upset that he had gone into the lab without their permission.

He had messed with their stuff, and turned something on… something he definitely shouldn’t have.

He had just opened a portal to a realm full of the very things that kept him from sleeping at night, of “unfeeling monsters” that his parents had drilled into him about for years.

A portal to ghosts… that were now free to come through.

That thought made something inside him solidify, and a low hum began to emanate from him as he worried about his family. About the ghosts and the portal and how they were going to manage without him…

He couldn’t just leave like this. Not when he was responsible. He couldn’t let a whole realm of monsters hurt his family. At that thought, dread filled him, and that same something inside his chest ached.

But it occurred to him that he still had to leave. Not just at the thought of his parents stumbling in on his body.

No, it was about him. For he was one of them now, wasn’t he? A ghost. And he was a monster now, too. Despite not feeling like one. Despite knowing that there was clearly something wrong with what he had been told and what he knew was intimately true of himself in this new form.

But something inside him whispered at him that he couldn’t take the chance, if he did turn into a monster. He couldn’t let himself hurt his family.

So with fears on his back and a tingle fading from his fingertips, Danny pulled himself up onto unsteady feet. He took his body outside, to the woods where no one would know. And he buried it, alone, surrounded by trees and the sky.

He sat there, at his fresh grave, and cried.

Holding his arms around himself tight, he mourned the loss of warmth, of blood pumping and his heartbeat, so loud in its absence.

Surrounded by nothing but silence, he mourned that he’d never made close friends, nor really had the chance.

Looking up at the stars, he mourned that he could never fulfill his dream of being an astronaut.

He mourned for himself because no one else could.

And as his last cry petered off into the night, the sun broke the horizon.

A different something tugged at his chest, and he let it pull without resistance, worn ragged as he was.

And he was grateful he did. For a soothing light washed over him and transformed him into something similar, but not quite as he was Before.

But he felt warmth, and he felt a pseudo-beat in his chest, sluggish as it was. And suddenly he realized that although he was dead, he was alive in a different way.

He was still there.

He didn’t have to give up on life.

He was not going to be a monster.

Danny walked back home. He washed the dirt away from under his fingernails. He swept the lab until it looked like no one had been there. Minus the massive swirling vortex.

And when Jazz got home from her sleepover, Danny hugged her with a smile.

He was going to be fine.

They would all be fine, he would make sure of it.

[iamcaledonia]

Hello! The Richard Siken line, number 10, just calls to me. Very typical, perhaps space for a new take on well trodden ground? ❤️

Hello Anon! I've written something short and full of angst, and I've tried to take it somewhere new. I hope you like what I've come up with! <3 Cally

10. I want to tell you this story without having to confess anything.

If Arthur hadn't already known, he might have been hurt and angry at the continued lies. Every moment of every day, Merlin served him with love, loyalty, and dishonesty. Magic. Merlin had magic, and Arthur knew, though Merlin did not know that Arthur knew.

If Arthur didn't already love his servant to the point of distraction, he might have been hurt and angry at the continued lies. Merlin used magic on a daily basis, sometimes to help clean Arthur’s chambers, sometimes to save Arthur’s life and his kingdom with little regard to his on safety.

If Arthur didn't believe in his bones that his own father would execute Merlin without a second thought, he might have been hurt and angry at the continued lies. Magic was outlawed in Camelot, and that was not going to change in Uther’s lifetime. It was because of this that Merlin lied to Arthur, and that Arthur lied to Merlin right back.

Merlin hid his magic from Arthur, from everyone. It was a secret that must have made him feel terribly and hopelessly alone. Arthur hid his knowledge from Merlin, and he hid his love, his two secrets making him feel cruel and helplessly alone.

They rode side-by-side, returning from conquering yet another magical beast, and Merlin wove a story between them, diminishing his own contribution and making Arthur out to be the unwitting hero. Arthur obliged, letting Merlin feed him the story they would tell the knights, the King, and the kingdom.

A story that Arthur could confidently tell without having to confess anything.

Their eyes met, Merlin’s wide open and earnest, bright blue betraying none of their magical, golden depths. Arthur looked back, willing all of his love and loyalty into his own gaze, all of his unspoken promises that someday things between them would be different. 

He held tight in his heart to the promise of a day when they would tell each other all of their secrets and their lies, and never again feel the need for any confessions between them.

[cal-cium-the-nerd]

I wanna thank you for adding so much content to mother of learning! It makes me so happy and re-read the book probably 16 time but it's okay because I love it

Ohh and also important questions about what questions should I add in quiz about MoL?

<3 aaaa no need to thank me!! To be honest, just seeing the fandom wake up again makes me super happy, so of course I want to add fuel to this fire, hahaha!

In regards to questions... Maybe scenarios related to the novel could work? something like "if you found yourself repeating a day you'd already lived, what would be your reaction?" or "when learning a new skill, which method do you prefer?" or "how could someone convince you that they are a time traveller?", etc

[nyatbinary-81]

@vulpixisananimal sifstem art jumpscare!! more specifically i got bored and decided to mess around with sif and mal's outfits.

[designernishiki]

it’s kinda funny to me how that dumb scene in kiwami 1 of majima getting shot and left for dead in the harbor was basically just added as a half-assed way to explain majima not being around for a bit of the plot, but they accidentally(?) just made it seem like start of a chain reaction where majima ended up feeling slighted and heartbroken after being abandoned like that and then lashed out about it via smashing a big truck into the building kiryu was in. and yeah that isn’t inherently a romantic thing as-is but then they go and add the part where majima grabs a hostess and performatively hits on her as in-kiryu’s-face as possible, she says she’s already in love with someone, and majima lets her go immediately, no questions asked, making a big fucking point of it just to say see THAT kiryu? I appreciate when people are HONEST about their FEELINGS. people who won’t just BACKSTAB someone who CARES about them to save themselves. is that so crazy kiryu?? huh??? anyway make it up to me get down here and fight me right fucking now

[olasketches]

heyyy!! hoping you're having a awesome day, your artsyle is so pretty!! i would like to see tiger yuji, panther megumi and lion nobara, idk them all feel very feline-like to me XDD

heyyyy!! aw hope you’re having an awesome day too :D also thank you so much for enjoying my art style it makes me really happy that you do :”)) here’s tiger yuji, panther megumi and lion nobara as requested!! this definitely got me out of my comfort zone lol but I had lots of fun with these >.<