#my little fellow isn't exactly a security guy

[vesselofmanythings]

Agent 4 thoughts.......

[motherlvr]

okay so idk if you’ve watched gilmore girls but i would love to see a miles morales (earth 42) w a reader who’s like lorelai gilmore (rambles a lot, is very funny/witty, says a lot of obscure pop culture references a lot and teases people a lot lot) idk i feel like the two would have some very silly interactions 😈 (love ur work btw 😘🙏🏼)

this req was so fun to write, tysm for the req! sprinkled in some stuff so she isn't exactly lorelai, but hopefully i did the prompt justice!

wc: 1.6k

pairing: Earth-42! Miles Morales x (lorelai gilmore!) f! reader

warnings: friends with lots of tension, cursing, this has the iconic "will you just stand still?" scene from gilmore girls, possessiveness

-----------

"Lucy, I'm home!" You loudly announced as you swung the door open and let yourself into Miles' dorm. Apparently, both of you were past knocking.

Looking up at you, who had broken into his dorm, he pointed out "You ain't even room here."

"What do you mean? We're like Troy and Annie at this point." Aside from the fact that their relationship was more one-sided and they never ended up together. You were hoping your story would have a different outcome.

Miles was tranquility laying on his bed with his back against the wall before you let yourself into his room. Making yourself at home on his bed with him, you sat next to him. He pulled your legs on top of his and said, “What're you here for, ma?" You thought he sounded like a fellow convict asking you what crime you committed. You stated, "Conspiracy, apparently."

Usually, when you came by, you always wanted to sneak off campus. He was too familiar with you to not know what your intentions were from the minute you stepped in. You couldn't tell if you hated or loved how he could see through you. He narrowed his eyes at you and you defended yourself, "What? I can’t come see my favorite guy? You always think I'm schemin' some diabolical shit."

Shaking his head at you and giving you a small smirk, he asked, "You tryna go out or sum?" "Yeah, bet you'd like that huh." You cheekily teased, suppressing a snort at your own joke.

He already knew why you barged into his dorm, so he said, "Yea, I would. Let's go, ma." He guided you up and you both walked through the door of his room. You had to stifle a giggle as the both of you ran down the hallway and snuck past the security guard. Exiting out of a side door of the dormitory, you both successfully escaped. After all the times you've snuck out together, the route out just became muscle memory.

Walking down the bustling streets of Brooklyn, you felt alive. Holding Miles' arm, you noticed a new bakery had opened up. "Oh, let's go try it out, Miles!" You exclaimed, pulling him along. As Miles opened the door for you, the sweet aroma of newly baked goods filled your senses.

Stepping up to view the large menu that was hung up, you were distracted by all of the options when someone called out your name. It was a worker of the bakery, a friend of yours. Beckoning you over, he greeted you. "I haven't seen you in a hot minute. You look as good as ever." He winked at you. This made Miles' eye twitch subtly. Miles slowly unwrapped your hand that was resting on his arm and set his arm on your waist instead. To which your little guy friend didn't get the hint Miles was sending him.

You giggled at him, "It's been forever. How've you been?" Miles tuned out your whole conversation with him. He stood protectively next to you, as stoic as ever.

As you finally wrapped up your conversation with the other guy, you ordered take-out rather than dining in. Sitting down next to Miles, you waited for your orders. You swore you saw steam coming out of Miles' ears. "What's with you?" You asked him. "Nothin'." He said. It was bullshit, and you knew it.

Your orders came up and Miles couldn't wait to bolt out of there. Picking up the order, Miles wasted no time in putting his hand around your waist and rushing you out the door. "Damn Miles, stop movin' so fast. Usually, I'd be into that, but-" He shut you up before you could say anything outrageous by stuffing a piece of a Churro into your mouth. You muffled a "What the hell?"

As you both sat on the ledge of the student dormitory's rooftop, you watched the sun slowly set. You both sat shoulder-to-shoulder, eating the churros that you had picked up earlier. Miles seemed to be in a better mood than earlier. Swinging your feet over the edge of the building, you said to Miles,

"I was taking this quiz on the internet, right?" Turning his head to you, he asked, "What quiz?"

You responded, "You know, one of those 'What Movie Are You?' quizzes on the internet." Miles nodded his head in acknowledgment and you continued "And guess what it said," He tilted his head at you and hummed, urging you to continue.

"Marley & Me!" You chuckled, "Which is crazy, 'cause I don't even have a dog. Then I was thinking. And maybe I'm reaching here, but I figured out the meaning!" Taking a bite of your churro, you said, covering your mouth. "You're like, my Marley."

Furrowing his brows at you, he said, "Mami, Marley was a dog."

"Yeah, but just overlook that for a second. Although Marley drove John batshit crazy, he brought out the best in John. I'm like John, and you're Marley!" You exclaimed like you had just discovered a new species.

Miles deadpanned at you, pretending like he didn't find you amusing. "I ain't a dog though, ma?"

Honestly, that was debatable in your mind. You replied, "I've said 'down boy!' more times to you than I have to an actual dog."

"Ion know what you mean." He shrugged. But you knew he remembered. He always looked like he was going to attack whatever other guy you spoke to. What was his deal, anyway?

Dropping the subject you said, "Okay moral of the story, I'm trying to say you bring out the best in me." You mumbled the end of your sentence and he teased you, "What was that? The last part." You only rolled your eyes and enunciated,

"Marley was the missing piece of John's puzzle, y'know? Like, what is John without Marley? John's better than me though, 'cause I don't think I could go on if I lost Marley." You tried to subtly say. This had to be the strangest analogy you've ever made, you thought.

He was silent for the majority of your rambling, so you turned your head to glance at him to see if he picked up on your words. But he was already staring at you. "Are you even listening?" You annoyedly deadpan at him. "Course I am. Continue." He said, encouraging you to go on. You shrug and said, "Alright. As I was saying," But as you glanced at him again,

He was leaning into you and the words died on your tongue. Your heart was pounding in your ears. He gently moved your chin towards him, and you anxiously waited for his next move. He leaned closer to your lips, a sly grin slowly growing on his face. You could reach up and connect them right then and there.

And then he swiped your bottom lip with his thumb, brushing off crumbs. He turned his head away from you and resumed your previous conversation. To which you had forgotten what you were previously speaking about. Your eye twitched slightly.

“So, what movie you think I am, ma?" He casually asked, crunching on his churro without a second thought.

Man, screw that.

You'd fallen for one of the oldest tricks in the book. What was this tomfoolery? "Oh fuck you, Eric Matthews." Angrily mumbling under your breath, you glared at him.

He pretended not to hear you as he swiped his hand over his mouth to conceal a laugh that threatened to come out.

Focusing back on reality, you said, "I think we should head back to the dorms now. You know, in case they catch us up here." He agreed and you both hopped off the ledge and onto the rooftop. Heading down the stairway to the dorms, you walked side-by-side with him.

On the walk back to the dorms, you couldn't explain how the topic of love came up. Then again, you couldn't explain most of your conversations with him. But who would've known love could be so controversial? You told him,

"Love's a bitch. But speaking of love, you ever notice how you can always tell when someone has a crush on someone else?" It was exhausting seeing two people who liked each other just beat around the bush.

You continued before he could even open his mouth, "You know what they say, if someone likes you, you'll know. But if they don't, you'll be confused."

"How would y'know though?" He queried your statement. "The eyes, they never lie." You said.

He found it almost ironic how oblivious you could be. "Yeah? What are mine sayin' then, ma?" He said softly.

You both arrived at your dorm's door. Turning to him, you tried to analyze his gaze. His gaze was intense, like your eyes were the only ones he could see. You swore your heart stopped for a moment. And suddenly, he was getting closer.

"Hey, hey." You nervously blurted out, raising your arms in your defense. "What are you doing?" You questioned, your eyes widening.

His patience was running thin as he sighed, "Mami. Will you just stand still?" He grabbed onto your waist and tugged you into his hold. Your hands lay on his chest, unsure. His head tilted down towards you and you just about liquified in his embrace as you wrapped your arms around his neck. His lips stopped inching towards yours, they merely hovered over each other. His eyes had a playful glint in them. He was teasing you. If he didn't kiss you right now, you were sure you'd go insane. "Miles-" You started to complain until he cut you off with a kiss.

Your senses were overwhelmed, solely by him. His comfortable and familiar smell, the warm feeling of his lips on yours, and his fingertips that held onto your waist. His breath was tickling yours. You were sure that if he wasn't holding onto you, your legs would crumble completely. Your hands slithered onto his braids, playing with them as your lips moved together.

The beat of your heart played a song so loud you felt like he could hear it. As your eyes fluttered open to look up at him, you knew he could read the obvious affections you held in your eyes. Looking into his eyes, you hummed and pretended to ponder it. Grinning at him, you said,

"I think they're saying that we should do that again."

--------

Lucy, I'm home - I Love Lucy

Troy and Annie - roommates from the tv series Community

Eric Matthews - love interest from Miss Congeniality

the eyes, they never lie - scarface

lmk if you wanted to be added to the taglist!

a/n: i said my reqs were open and then i forgot to turn them back on very sorry LMAO

[ravenwriter16]

Hello EVERYONE!!!! This is part one of my new series, 'Creative Minds Think Alike!'

In these small snippets I will highlight some of the coolest (at least in my mind) DCA (or other, who knows) content creators!

SO think of these as a HUGE thanks to these creators for all their cool art, stories, and little worlds that they decided to share with all of us! You guys are awesome and I hope to get to your level of talent one day!

You can tell I'm not that good because this is not beta-read!

If you don't like my writing or story idea, then don't read Just a heads up, I will edit or straight up delete a fic episode if the creator I featured took offensive with how I presented them and their AUs. My intent isn't to mock or belittle them or their works

So here you are my fellow void travelers! The pilot fic episode to the series 'Creative Minds Think Alike!'. Featuring the amazing @missterious-figure! Enjoy!

The castle halls at night were truly a gorgeously horrific sight to behold. A person first trekking into this old and magnificent place would surely run away at the first shadow that seemed to move. At least the large windows allowed the moon to grace the hall with its ghostly glow.

Directly across from the windows are rows of doors, each one different from the last and never exactly the same as its neighbors. Each of these doors has a small plaque located either right next to the door, above the door, or on the door itself.

Currently walking down this strange hall is me. Good dawn, morning, afternoon, evening or night (or all of the above). I'm Ravenwriter Archivist number 16. But you can call me Raven if you want!

My boss calls me Ravenwriter16 because he doesn't want to waste breath on my title (His words not mine). I'm one of the many protecters of this castle. A Castle Archivist if you so will. I was given this title and job by none other than the Aligned Society of Creative Minds.

Not by my choice. They were short on time and randomly selected me, basically uprooting my life. For a time I was angry (and can you blame me?) but then I looked into the specifics of my duties and now I'm ready to work.

I'm no expert mind you. I'd just graduated from the academy and starting to get some control over my powers when I was shoved into this. But I love a good challenge!

But enough of this, I'm stalling.

I eye the plaques, scanning them intently. In my hands are two envelopes with containing letters I wrote earlier this week. They were for two of the millions of warriors living in the castle.

Two that I hand selected after spending hours scouring the resident scrolls (there are so MANY). I hope these two were as friendly as their scrolls stated.

After a few minutes of walking this ever-expanding hall, I finally find the door to the first warrior from my two chosen.

The door itself was made from a black natural material, not really wood, not really rock, not really metal. It seemed to morph between those three. It did have gold trimming woven into the strange surface. Above the door was a golden plaque with silver and bronze writing.

I take in a shaky inhale, rolling my shoulders and in turn shaking my wings. My black feathers bristling before settling back down as my wings fold into my back.

I tug at my black hood, making sure it was secured over my head. My eyes dart to my boots and I lift my feet up one by one to inspect them for mud and dirt.

phew...not even a speck.

Steeling my resolve (and accepting my possible death wish) I place my gloved hand on the door. I push the surprisingly heavy door open.

It creaks o it's hinges as it swings inward. the sounds of birds flying and water crashing startles me. I look into the room in awe. It was like someone took every biome known to man and mixed it all together to harmonize in this relm.

There was a desert in the distance to my left and a...a FROZEN WASTE LAND to my right?! Forest and grassy plains, hills and mountains?! This place seems to have it all.

I step inside and gently close the door behind me. To protect my letters I place them in my side pouch as I journey deeper into this world.

While trekking further and further into the room, my surroundings start to shift. Jungle recedes into moss covered, vine strangled stone. I could see stone arches and tapestries that have aged and withered over time.

I reach a clearing. The temple's main room. There was no ceiling exclude for the tree leaves. To my left was more ancient stone that opened up to the jungle more and to my right was a magnificent waterfall.

in front of me was a giant tree. It's roots weaved into a seat, a throne if you will. Carvings grace the wood, but they don't look man made.

My wings spread out in alarm when something brushes against them. Something smooth and cold. Whipping my head to my wings, I freeze and gasp.

A floating glowing orb floats in the air. Bobbing up and down in small movements. It moves closer to my face and boops my nose. My eyes widen and I laugh.

"Well hello there little one." I greet, cupping my hands underneath it. It flies down and rests in my palms. it glows a tad brighter and its color changes to a neon green.

It vibrates in my hand, a sign of its content. I laugh, "Wow. I've read about Relm Holders, but seeing one in real life is-,"

"Spectacular?"

I spin on my heels and face the throne. My checks grow warm and my wings puff up in embarrassment.

Sitting on the throne was an all-black, and I mean pitch BLACK, person with a...a uhm...

"I'm so SO sorry if this comes across as rude but uhm..." I tilt my head pointing at theirs, "Do you have a...square as a head?"

A single white eye with a white line over said eye (acting as the eyebrow) appears on the left side of their face. the eye widens.

"Oh, yeah..." the voice was feminine and held power.

I let go of the Relm holder and it zooms over to the stranger. No not a stranger...this was-

"Missterious-figure?"

"How do you know my name?" she asks, standing up. She holds the Relm Holder in her hand and I watch as scenes of hooves, horns, antlers, fairy wings (?) swamps, metalic colors shimmering with different color eyes, pass through the orb.

She blows on the Relm Holder and the orb evaporates into millions of fireflies. I follow some of them as they fly in spirals up towards the sky.

"Ahem?"

I snap my gaze up to her's and nervously laugh. "S-sorry. Allow me to introduce myself..."

I get down on my knee and put a hand on my chest as i bow y head, "I am Ravenwriter Archivist 16. I'm the-,"

"New watcher of the castle?" she asks with a tilt of her head. "What happened to Mr. Honer?"

"He was uhm...dismissed by the council." I risk a glance up at the. i yelp and fall on my bottom when I find how close they are. They look down at me with a raised brow.

"You are jumpy." she states calmly while i try to steady my heart. She offers her hand to help me up and I take it with a small smile.

"Thank you-AAAAAA!"

Hands grab me from behind and lift me up by my armpits. My wings flap in agitation as I'm turned around to face a golden feathered face. small blue feathers and long beautiful red feathers. White eyes shine in delight and mischief as they take in my face.

I stare in shock, mouth open. the being holding me laughs, "A new harpy from our beloved ruler~? Miss you shouldn't have!"

I yelp as I'm shoved into a very fluffy and warm chest. I try to pull away but the being, male I think, was too strong, keeping me in place with ease.

"Sun! Put her down!"

"But you made her for us, my queen! Why would I let go of such a lovely gift~?"

"She's not mine! She's the new Watcher-,"

I'm dropped immediately. I yelp and my wings spread out in pain. I stand up and rub my hip, "Oww..."

"I wish you told me that before I touched the dirty thing." Sun tsks, crossing his arms and swiveling his head to the side with his nose up.

"I'm not that dirty--YOUR TAIL!" My mumbling morphs into awe.

'What?" Sun glances at me with a raised brow. His eyes drift to his GORGEOUS golden tail feathers. "Did you get them dirty?"

I let his insult breeze over, too star-struck by his beauty. He smirks smugly and I hear Missterious-Figuren groan and roll her eye.

When she clears her throat, I shake my head, snapping out of my stupor. I face her, eyes averted and rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment.

"Please don't feed his ego. It's already too big..." she sighs.

"I'm your creation, darling~." Sun croons, sauntering over to Missterious-figure and draping himself over her. He nuzzles into her neck, his feathers around his neck bristling.

"Uhm," I hold up my two index fingers, "Should I come back later-,"

"No. No this is probably a good time to talk. Peacock Eclipse is out checking in on my smaller boys, and Peacock Moon is trying to get the jump on Centaur Moon...Again..."

I snort but I cover my mouth when Missterious-figure tilts her head. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. That's just hilarious to me...I mean after reading about your inclusive world and all." I nervously chuckle.,

"Cool." She pets Sun's head and he leans into her touch even kissing her palm. "Sooooo, did you come here to introduce yourself or-,"

"OH! Right..." I turn my attention to my side pouch. Some of items clinking together while I search for her envelope.

Sun perks up with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He leans forward to get closer but Missterious-figure slaps him. He gasps and holds his throbbing cheek as he gives her puppy-dog eyes.

She returns his look with a pointed look.

"Here we are!" I pull out the envelope and hold it out to her "This is an introduction letter from me with more of my contact information in case you have any questions, complaints, or concerns about the castle. And there's also some papers that need your signature."

She takes it from my hand and turns to her left. She looks at me and smiles, "I take it you need these back by a certain date?"

My wings puff up as I nod my head, "Yes, but I can convince the council for more time if you're busy-,"

"You don't have to do that...If you'll follow me to my lounge, I can sign these papers and send you on your way..."

"That would be great, thank you." I return her smile with a small one of my own. I go to follow her when she starts walking but a towel flies at me, smacking me in the face.

I pull it off and glare at Sun. He harrumphs and points to the towel, his silver glove shining in the sunlight as well as his feathers. "Clean yourself. I don't want any of your filth getting on the carpet."

With that he turns his back to me and walks after Missterious-figure. I can't help but stare as he swishes his hips, his tail feathers glittering as he walks.

I smack myself in the face with my wings. I shake my head and bite the inside of my cheek. FOCUS!

I wipe my face with the towel to appease the giant...handsome bird man, then follow after the two.

I try not to look around that much. I didn't want to impose more than I already have.

I was happy that Missterious-figure was so opened minded towards this whole...'New Castle Archivist' stuff. But I know I shouldn't take her kindness for passiveness. Her form I saw her in was her...calmer form so to speak. At least that's what I assume.

If she saw me as a threat though...I would be dead in seconds. She was one of the Head Defenders for a reason...

I was too deep in my head that the walk to the lounge blurred by. It was still a ruin temple theme, but now there are couches, plush chairs, red carpet, and even some hammocks.

A small desk was pushed to the side and that's were Missterious-figure was looking over the papers. Sun was draped over a couch, pulling at her pants, trying to coax her into paying attention to her.

I stand awkwardly in the doorway, crossing and uncrossing my arms. My eyes lock onto the window that gave a spectacular view of the grassy planes. I see a herd grazing and is that a yellow unicorn-,

"Sun stop...Alright! This looks fine to me."

I turn my head to her. My eyes widen when she uses a bronze peacock tail feather as a quill. She dips the tip into a golden inkwell then leaves her signature on all the dotted lines the papers required.

She places the quill back into the inkwell and pats the papers so that they were evenly stacked. She turns around and walks towards me, Sun whining that she was out of range of hold.

She holds out the papers for me to take. "I'm impressed with how these all fit in that tiny envelope."

I take the papers with a small thank you, "Yeah, nothing a little compact spell could fix. Thank you again for signing these. I know paperwork isn't the greatest of things to do...."

Missterious-figure shrugs then groans when Sun whines for her again. She looks over her shoulder at the dramatic harpy. "Behave or I'll cut your time short and hand out with Reptile you."

"No~!" Sun whines giving her puppy eyes.

She rolls her eye and looks back at me with a tired smile. I smile back and turn to leave, "Thank you so much for your time."

"Don't mention it."

"If you need anything, feel free to stop by my mushroom."

"M-mushroom?" she blinks at me and I give her a confused stare. "What happened to the Archivist office?"

"Oh that!...I destroyed it...It was too cramped for me..."

"Right..."

"Thank you again, I'll see myself out."

"Stay safe. Some creations are known to sneak out." She sighs, "Especially my moon..."

"Got it." I give her a small bow and make my way out of her room. I wave at the fireflies as they flutter around me. I take one last long look at this magnificent room.

'Maybe working here won't be as bad as I thought..."

I sigh, chuckling to myself as I leave. The doors closing behind me in a soft thud.

***

That's the end of part 1!

Episode Two is HERE

Episode Three is HERE

Episode Four is HERE

Episode Five is HERE

Episode Six is HERE

Hope you've all enjoyed! Part two will be coming soon to a Tumblr near you!

Thank you @missterious-figure for letting me use you and your boys for this. Please contact me if you are unsatisfied with how I represented you in this episode!

Hope you all have a fantastic day/night! Stay awesome!

[mikeys-bike-slut]

Untitled Part 16

Before I yeet to bed I thought I upload 16 haha

Previous Part

Warnings: use of alcohol, character(s) being drunk, vomiting, mild violence (Mikey being Mikey)

***

A few bottles of whiskey later:

"You know.. you're still kind of attractive..." I give an intoxicated grin to Waka as I lean closer to him. 

"Kind of?" he cocks a brow as he looks at me, the strong red tint decorating his cheeks signalling that the strong expensive whiskey has taken its effect on him too. He leans closer then grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls me into his face. "Wanna repeat that?" he whispers as he looks at me with a thick veil of lust covering his lilac eyes. 

"You think you can intimidate me?" I smirk as I keep the eye contact with him without realizing that I'm slowly leaning closer which results in me losing my balance and fall onto him. I just laugh as I rest against his chest and he lets out a drunken laugh too. 

"You had enough drinks, don't you think, princess?" he grins as he helps me regain my balance as I sit up but instead of putting me back onto my seat he pulls me into his lap. "I always get what I want.." he gives me a grin then his lilac orbs gets fixated on my lips. 

"And what exactly do you want?" I ask with a more lustful tone then intended and Waka just grabs my face and gives me a sloppy kiss. The strong taste of whiskey lingering on his tongue as it meets mine. My mind is too clouded by alcohol to care about anything so I just wrap my arms around his neck and lean into his drunken kiss.

Meanwhile with the Tomans: 

"Wait... what do you mean Angel isn't back?" the silver haired captain asks his fellow members. 

"Exactly what I mean, the hell did you two do?" the commander almost snaps at his sister and his 2nd Division captain. 

"Nothing!" Emma exclaims almost offended. "You know Angel, she left us and I thought she would come straight back" 

"Well she clearly didn't..." Draken growls. "Do you think it's Valhalla?" he glances down at their commander. 

"It better not be or I kill all of them..." he says in a cold tone then suddenly a short black hair guy bursts in, out of breath.

"It's worse... It's the Black Dragons. Someone from our division saw Angel with Wakasa going into his club" Chifuyu says out of breath and suddenly everyone goes quiet. 

"Grab the guys, this is war" the commander says in a cold tone and storms out but he suddenly stops beside his sister and the silver haired captain. "If anything happens to her, you're both done for..." he says in a cold, spine chilling tone then just leaves. 

"Mikey!" the vice commander calls after him but it was no use. "Mitsuya, Hakkai c'mon. Chifuyu, you take Emma home" he orders. 

"Be careful..." Emma says looking at her friends and her future partner starting to feel guilty and worry starts to fill her head. What if something happened to Angel...? 

The main Toman team got on their bikes and raced through Tokyo lead by their commander who was ready to murder. When they arrived at the club they parked their bike and walked into the club pushing through security already causing a commotion which the oldest Akashi noticed and walked to the entrance to see what was going on.  

"Well if it isn't Manjiro. What can we do for you kid?" he grins as he looks at the stone cold commander. 

"We came for Angel, you have one chance to hand her over or things going to get ugly..." he replies in a cold tone. 

"Hand her...over? You got something mixed up-" but before Takeomi could continue Mikey lands one of his famous kicks shutting him up instantly. "You little shit..." Takeomi growls as he rubs his jaw. "She's in the back drinking with Waka, all you had to do is ask, you fucking idiot and I would've taken you to them" he rolls his eyes wanting to murder the younger Sano brother who gives him a confused look. 

"You, stay out" Mikey commands the 2nd Division team then along with Draken follows the oldest Takashi who's leads them through the luxurious club until they arrive at a secluded booth but nothing could have prepared for them for what they find.

Their beloved pink cyclone's in the lap of the leader of Black Dragons engaging in a heated tongue wrestle with him. Her petite fingers tangled in the black and blonde striped locks, while the leaders hands tightly grabbing her butt cheeks. 

"Told you got something mixed up" Takeomi says annoyed still rubbing his jaw.

"Yeah...um sorry 'bout that" Mikey frowns then just crosses his arms on his chest along with his vice commander and clears his throat waiting for cyclone to stop examining the inside of the Black Dragons leader's mouth. 

"Mikeeeeey!" she suddenly exclaims as she spots her commander and pulls away from Wakasa who ends up kissing the air as his reflexes are way behind. "Draken-chan!" another excited squeal as she very clumsily climbs over the Black Dragons leader, stepping on him in the process earning a yelp from him but her drunken mind is too excited to see the two commanders. Like she hasn't seen them in years she throws herself onto them and hugs them with a sloppy drunken grin. 

"Jesus, you stink" Draken frowns as even from up there he can smell the pink's whiskey stunk breath, he was sure if he'd light a match she'd breath fire. 

"I just had a few...drinks" she slurs then cuddles up to her commander who just stands there still annoyed. "I love you..both... so.. fucking much..." she says then suddenly she starts crying as she clings onto both males. "You're my everythings"

Both male let out a sigh and exchange a look.

"Take her home, and sorry about this" Takeomi sighs. "We know her through your brother Manjiro, just know we would never hurt her" 

"I guess that makes sense, we'll talk about this later-" but he's interrupted as the pink claws at him pushing him away before stumbling over to one of the large plants and the sound of vomiting feels the room. "Oh God..." the commander groans as he walks up to her then holds her long pink locks back. 

"MY FICUS!" a drunk scream comes from the neglected Black Dragons leader who just realized his little princess just fermented the plant with some juicy whiskey filled vomit. 

"C'mon Waka, you need to go home too" Takeomi sighs as he realize it's gonna be his duty to baby sit the shit faced leader. 

The sober men cleaned up their friends and dragged them out separate ways.

"Fuck! Is she okay??!" Mitsuya attacks the commander and the vice commander as he sees their beloved pink cyclone in the arms of their vice commander.

"Heyyyy Mitsu-chan!" she grins as she looks at him through half lidded eyes, stinking from whiskey the captain understood the situation. 

"Oh" 

"Yeah..." Mikey lets out a sigh and just looks at the girl who's desperately trying to reach their captain. 

"Sorry about this Mikey... I-" but before he can continue the alcohol filled cyclone interrupts. 

"Don't blame him Manji, I left them alone because I wanted them to have a good day together..." she mumbles then lets out a yawn. "I ran into Waka and the rest and just had a few..drinks"

"A few bottles you mean..." Draken corrects her and shakes his head. 

"Wait... What do you mean you wanted them to have a good day together?" the blonde cocks a brow then glances at his captain. "Takashi?" 

The silver captain lets out a sigh realizing it's better to come clean now. "I started seeing Emma a few weeks ago... we been kind of dating" 

"You what?" his obsidian eyes widen as he just stares at his friend.

"Mikey... I feel...faint... I really don't feel okay... Mikey..." suddenly the girl in the vice commander's arms starts whimpering almost in a panicking tone that snaps Sano out and turns to her in a rush.

"You're gonna be okay, look at me Ang, you're fine" he says in a lot softer tone as he gently cups her cheeks trying to get her to focus on him but it takes her eyes a few seconds to stop spinning and look at him. "We'll take you home, come on" he says as he gently takes her from his vice commanders and picks her up like a koala.

Once she is clinging onto the commander she looks at the 2nd Division captain and just gives him a wink. Mitsuya couldn't help but shakes his head with a smile, even when she is shit faced she still knows how to manipulate Mikey, and for that he was grateful for. He can die tomorrow once Mikey will remember what he just told him tonight. 

[hardpacker]

it's like tragic that the overwhelming response to some guy(?)'s bad, shitty video is for all the hot trans posters and their cis friends to laugh and AGREE with the person's claims. "yes lol you are ugly and you must've been doing this whole thing wrong or you'd look like ME 😌" we keep reinventing the idea-- the bullying tactic-- that appearance equals morals and vice versa no matter how wickedly and, truly, in the correct usage of the word, harmful it is.

i don't care about this person in the video. he seems like a piece of shit and so is any detransitioner who makes Detransitioning their Brand and use themselves as a weapon against trans people.

but that's the thing! there are worse things about the claims in that video and communication with other reactionaries which reveal not only a type of radicalisation, it does also speak to (if we're to take them at their word, idk) a seeming lack of access to proper information or proper outlet for regret-- "any trans person would know this"-- so with that, there's even worse things here about the implications of social isolation and the sort of people whose entire brand is about targeting, further sequestering, and indoctrinating isolated persons. i mean sure, this person could be lying, which seems likely since TERFs are ultimately grifters (and, i'm not exactly following this closely.) but regardless of whether or not they believe what they say, we do know this doesn't happen on its own. transphobia/transandrophobia/transmisogyny are not innate, inborn qualities. and it doesn't reflect in a person's appearance! transitioning-- maleness, masculinity, whatever-- doesn't create it! despite what some may say, you CAN transition without community and not wind up a little asshole! and you can transition among fellow trans people and the security this affords can encourage vicious behaviour as much as it can encourage compassion! there's no monolithic "community," at all. there's only the ones we nurture. not everyone has the wherewithal/spoons to be community leaders, either, and people with different needs/abilities deserve security as well.

i've been trans for about 100 years now and i "don't" "look like" "other" trans guys; i also have 100 medical conditions that started either at birth or puberty and were neglected by doctors until very recently. conditions that modify the physical "results" of testosterone, conditions that impact my physical comfort (so i don't bind anymore,) and conditions that just... enhance my proclivities and i can't or don't really want change them. but doctors didn't know about a lot of this so being without information and experiencing unbalanced or inconsistent results of HRT was really upsetting, and i have a different trajectory than other trans people, and who knows if i'd be the same or very different. as far as balding, yeah there's a protocol for that but i can't do it because it brings back my awful period. but i wasn't told that, either. however, i did find other trans men talking about it, only when i learned which words to search for!

paraphrasing one twitter user's reaction, "i dont think he'd've been a cute girl either. some people are just homely." yeah, i don't really expect acceptance or celebration of my life or what i look like in it.

people are Doing Transness in different ways all the time, so saying this is what always happens when you try to transition alone just isn't true. not everyone is enmeshed in helpful communities. i've been asked for help and advice on transitioning only to be dropped when i no longer served that purpose or when my path or description deviated from what someone wanted to hear. this, also, happens.

to be extremely clear: transness is good. non-linear, interrupted, resumed, disabled and mad transness, transness in sources or mediums unrelated to HRT, hairy, hairless, fat transness, non-white and non-"western" transness... there's room. it's good. it can be hard, sure, but wasn't it hard "before" too? or was it instead just passively, mysteriously shitty?

it's much more difficult to find disgruntled, regretful trans people (especially where there's increased and less policed access to affirming care) unless you have a certain particular cause to seek out and weaponise those complaints against now and future trans people. this doesn't (or shouldn't) mean contemplating regret is forbidden-- the opposite actually; there should be as much room for productive, understanding conversations and resources for any fear, confusion, or shame as there is for positivity. medically, trans people are over-analysed and pressured to toe the perfect line of Not Wanting It Too Much and playing the role per medical expectation. so of course as much as we do want it and might even be very happy with ourselves, unrelenting attacks on transness means combating that with inflated positivity. that's not bad, because ultimately it's all true even if we're not fucking... ON!!!!! all the time. who can be?! the only thing these hyper-positive declarations obscure are the quieter, conflicted feelings that are genuinely difficult to untangle, especially publicly-- because the alternative to excitement and gratitude is weaponisation by transphobes and TERFs. it's very fucked up that dangerous people ingratiate themselves and their brand to isolated and invisibled persons.

but just... feeling sad or conflicted about interruptions in your sense of physical continuity? Um, Yeah. trans people understand this, babes.

it's really embarrassing seeing thin/fit, white, able, "properly" hairy or hairless trans people comment on how this is ALWAYS attainable. it isn't! it literally isn't! allowing yourself to be the spokesperson of concerns and groups you don't have and aren't part of is embarrassing! it's dehumanising to expect some kind of profound, objective, universally-recognisable "glow-up" from trans people no matter who that expectation is coming from. and the response to someone saying "i'm ugly, i can't believe this happened, my body's ruined, no one told me about these effects" really shouldn't be "yeah, you really are and you always would/will be!"

i have 0 affinity for the person in that video! i'm not talking about him. faggy bald transsexuals do deserve to hear they're hot because they are. no, it's not part of some gatekept Trans Agenda when this doesn't magically materialise. the gatekeeping is medical only (and we trans people can do very little to sway doctors even within the restrictive bounds doctors designed!!!!!!! we didn't design it.) maybe you're just kind of mean, and/or there are conditions outside of your control that keeps you from community. but also, we do know that in all of society-- including trans society, as subject to cishet society-- that certain features and bodies ARE prioritised. infinitely more bodies ARE shamed and marginalised in almost every sector with devastating consequences. it IS harder to find people who aren't just attracted to non-conventionally beautiful people, but even people who just like... tolerate them (their experiences, their concerns) in their friendgroups. and, of course, much of this outrage and disgust, from all sides, is around what's seen as proper or improper "masculine/masculinised" traits in ALL genders-- ESPECIALLY outside the bounds of social acceptance.

[neonpaperlanterns]

I should sleep right now... But I wanna ramble one last time before I hit the hay.

So we already know nearly all of the smiling critters are dead. What we don't know yet, or may never know. Is how the crew broke up in the first place.

Did Catnap turn against them off the bat? Did they never actually get along and sought different areas all for themselves? Did PickyPiggy eating or trying to eat their friends put them all in a paranoid mess?

... That last bit actually opens up something else I wanted to ramble about. PickyPiggy... Clearly went after their fellow smiling critters. Though that alone isn't really a lot to say on how successful that was.

If they all are the same size and body structure, if not similar. Then it would be a difficult fight... I imagine she DID eat someone, but only could get a PART of one or two others.

It hit me when I listened to the cutouts again. Piggy (somewhat) states what condition they were in.

"Roast beef" I'm no animal guy, so Im not sure which critter best fits "beef". But they were most likely burned whomever they are. My best guess? A unseen side character from their show given a toy product of their own. Bear isn't exactly beef and nether Dogday nor Catnap fit the bill. A unknown bovine character?

"Grilled Chicken" another one burnt. But not roasted, grilled. Grilling something is a lot faster than roasting something. So Picky had more time with the "beef" fellow than with the Chicken. Maybe could only get a little before having to flee from something? Got to taste grilled "chicken" at least.

"Seared elephant" another critter cooked. Piggy likes to cook if this is the pattern. Once? A fire somewhere, simple accident. Twice? Something fishy but possible, thrice? Pattern if you ask me.

"Flayed Unicorn". *Crafty doesn't have a death scream at the end of her cutout.*. Flayed means to tear the skin off... Crafty is somewhere in the factory, missing her "skin" and Piggy ate the "skin" as that's all she could get. Otherwise she got a part off her "Flayed unicorn" before Crafty escaped, somehow.

... Not a lot of information, but enough to paint a picture we already know. Just... Gives it more color... It gets even worse when you think about the fact most of them were children before becoming these Smiling critters.

-Sunny Anon.

I always saw the roast beef comment as a way to lull the player into a false sense of security before the true horrors.

Though I do enjoy the idea of Picky attempting to cook her prey. It shows an odd amount of patience and maybe even the slightest hint of lucidity.

I have to imagine at one point they were together but I can see infighting, paranoia of both Picky and Catnap, and guilt splintering them apart. But not before at least one Critter goes missing under mysterious circumstances. Either Picky eating them or even Catnap handing them over to the Prototype.

Also I feel like a bit of a downer but even if Crafty got away I don't think she would have survived very long. We don't know how durable the bigger bodies are against infection. I can see her trying to get help maybe even going to the medical ward we saw in chapter two but I can't see her making it out. Either she goes down because of sickness or someone else takes her out before she can get any form of aid. They are also children so I don't know how much knowledge they have to even treat wounds like that. I'm an adult and I don't know much beyond the basics.

[disaster-by-chance]

DinCobb Aquarium AU

I went to Monterey Bay a few days ago and the aquarium there is one of my favorite places in the world and since I have space cowboys on the brain I of course had to make an AU of sorts.

When I got there, they were having the thing where someone talks and someone is in the tank feeding the fish and it made me go "Hmm..."

Then later I saw the divers getting ready to go back into the tank and one of them waved at me so I waved back, only to realize they were waving at the little girl next to me. So that made me go "Hmmm..." again and by then I had an idea.

Short Au explanation?

Cobb is an ex surfer who got into a bad accident (*cough* Cad Bane but in the form of a shark *cough*) and works at the local aquarium as a security guard. Din is an ex marine who does a few odd jobs around town to support his son, one of them being a diver at the aquarium. A few miscommunications through an aquarium tank glass leads them to become friends and the story progressed from there.

Long AU Explanation and details, alongside potential scenes for a potential fic under the cut because it's a lot-

While these ideas aren't exactly final (I'm still trying to figure this whole AU out) these are some of the few details I have so far.

Characters and Their Roles:

Din - ex marine, diver, works at the aquarium

Cobb - ex surfer, security guard, works at the aquarium

Grogu - Din's adopted five year old, student

Cara - security guard, works at the aquarium

Greef - works the aquarium gift shop

Peli - Grogu's babysitter/godmother and frequent visitor to the aquarium

Omera - Marine biologist, works at the aquarium and hosts talks/tours

Boba - Co-Owner of the aquarium, attends to the business side of things

Fennec - Marine biologist, co-owner of the aquarium

Luke - Grogu's teacher, takes the kids on field trips

Ashoka - One of the animal handlers/trainers

Paz & The Armorer - Fellow divers

Plot:

As of right now, there isn't much of a plot in mind. All I have so far is Cobb struggling with his surfing incident which causes frequent nightmares and a fear of water (ironic for the dude who works at the aquarium). Mixed into that is obviously him and Din becoming friends and possibly more and the two having to work around that.

For Din, of course there's going to be the "struggling single dad" bit. That's about all I have on him because I realize this might be a very Cobb centered fic if I ever get around to writing it. (I think I've been reading way too many Cobb centered fics-)

Then of course everyone else outside of these two goofs has to deal with them dancing around each other in some weird courtship all the while dealing with this aquarium.

Potential Scenes:

I have a few scenes already in my head that I want to get around to writing. Two of them are very similar and very much just based off what happened to me at the aquarium.

In one instance Cobb walks past the open sea tank and decides to stick around a bit and spots one of the divers waving at him. He's a little confused but he waves back and then realizes the diver is waving at the kids and now Cobb feels real stupid. He hopes the diver didnt see his little slip up but nope. There's bubbles floating up from the diver, he definitely noticed and he's definitely laughing. Cobb decides that he should go to the next exhibit suddenly.

On another occasion a similar thing happens again but this time the diver is making hearts at him with his hands and Cobb is VERY confused because he's never really had a conversation with the guy, hell he doesn't even know his name or face. So Cobb's just standing there, unsure what to do when suddenly he overhears one of the kids there who is on a field trip with his friends say that the diver was his dad, and holy shit Cobb is glad he was too dumbstruck to embarrass himself again.

Then of course, once the two do become friends they hang out more at the aquarium and have a lot of those cheesy aquarium dates but neither of them are calling them that (though it basically is a date). Most of it is just Din following Cobb around while the latter is doing his rounds and the two talking about whatever and on other occasions it's spent with Din making fun of Cobb's lack of knowledge about marine life.

Other Details:

The following are just a few bits and pieces of the AU that I may or may not fit into a hypothetical fic.

- There is going to be a running bit of Cobb not knowing Din's name and refusing to let any of his coworkers tell him what his name is because he wants to find out and ask himself. The thing is, Cobb is a bit shy and Din is always by tanks and that makes Cobb anxious so he never bothers to get close to the guy. So instead of calling him "The diver" or something he comes up with "Mando" because Cara compared Din to a mermaid once. Cobb ends up just calling him this and it catches on because no one wants to be the guy who tells Cobb Din's name and because Cobb always slaps his hands over his ears and starts fucking yodeling or something to avoid hearing his name. This whole nickname thing eventually reaches Din and he is very confused.

- Din has a service dog named Deputy. Grogu named him such because he liked cowboys. Cobb has Copikla who is a stray calico that hangs around his house.

- Din enjoys diving because when he was little he wanted to be an astronaut and floating around in the fish tanks in a scuba suit is the closest thing he can get to that. He jokes that the fish are aliens with Grogu who'll go, "Nooo they're fish Papa!"

- I'm not too sure if I want the aquarium to be by a bay since that's where most aquariums are, or in a desert because these characters are more or less in Tatooine, which is a desert. It is amusing to just be in a desert though, like some random aquarium in the middle of the dunes.

- Once Din and Cobb are more so friends and trust each other, Cobb starts picking Grogu up from school on the days that Peli can't or when Din has to do something extra at work or around town. Cobb will take him to the aquarium and the two will walk around with Cobb joking that Grogu is his deputy. He also learns about the different fish from Grogu who has taken a liking to the different marine life.

That's about all I have now in terms of this AU. I think I might write it if I find the time. That being said, if any of y'all have ant suggestions, send them my way! I'd honestly appreciate it because this is all I've got to work with so far.

- Cobb likes taking runs after getting woken up by nightmares and he jokes he's literally running away from his problems. Since his nightmares are about drowning he runs to remind himself he can breathe and since it's usually early in the morning when he runs, he can physically see his breath and that's reassuring to him.

- Before moving to where the AU takes place, Mando used to live with Kuiil and his dog IG when Grogu was very little. Kuiil eventually passed away from a sickness and Din took in IG but then he also died shortly after from old age. Grogu really loved IG and Din needed a service dog and that's how they ended up with Deputy.

[wanderinginksplot]

Warriors in Red Armor

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Chapter Two

Hound II

79's was loud, dim, and crowded. There were so many people packed into the building that the air inside felt thick and hard to breathe. Any conversationalists had to shout if they wanted the other party to hear them. The main illumination in the room came from accent lighting, flashing spotlights, and the occasional glowing cybernetic.

It was chaos, and Hound loved every second of it.

He had always been a fan of crowds, of feeling the press of civilization. He and Grizzer were similar in that sense: they both thrived in situations that offered plenty of information to take in.

When the three Coruscant Guard troopers had arrived at 79's, they fell into their traditional pattern. First, Thire had tried a cheesy pick-up line on a beautiful Mirialan female just inside the doors. She had given him a pity-filled smile and turned him down. Thire had been unaffected. His pick-up lines had a 0% success rate, but he kept trying.

Next, Thorn had stopped by the bar on the way in. He ordered a Corellian whisky, light on the ice, and ignored Hound's protests that they would get the first round together in a few minutes. Thorn sipped at his drink as they walked to the Coruscant Guard's standard booth.

The Corrie Guard booth wasn't reserved - as if 79's would allow something like that - but no one else ever sat there. That was one of the benefits of always being planetside with a regular presence in 79's. No trooper from another battalion would ever try to sit at their booth, not without an express invitation.

Before he did anything else, Hound got Thorn and Thire stowed at the booth. The former was drinking while the latter focused on thinking up a new pick-up line. Hound then left to get drinks for the party. This was his favorite part: getting to meet people.

With the warmth of amusement filling him at the antics of his vode and the civvies on the dance floor, Hound made his slow, weaving way to the bar. There, he chatted with brothers and civilians alike while he waited for the drinks he had ordered. Thorn wanted another Corellian whisky on the rocks, Thire requested a hyperdrive, and Hound decided on a surly sarlacc.

As the bartender placed the second drink in front of him, Hound glanced at the people around him. To his right were a Bith and a Sullustan in some kind of embrace. Deciding he didn't want to learn any more, Hound turned to his left side instead. There, he found a pale woman sipping frantically at a cup of what he was sure was a blue bantha.

"Hey, no rush!" he called over the pounding music. "They aren't going to run out of booze."

She smiled wanly at him. "Are you sure? Everyone here is drinking like the bar is closing and they want to be hospitalized by the time it happens."

"Lighten up, Ark!" a pretty girl on the stranger's other side called. She slung an arm around her friend's neck, and Hound caught a whiff of Corellian whisky from her glass. "One night out isn't gonna kill you!"

"It might," the pale woman sulked, taking another swig of her blue bantha.

"Another whiskey, handsome," the louder one said to the bartender, adding a wink that made the infamously slow-moving man pick up the pace.

The wheels in Hound's mind were spinning. The two women might end up being an excellent match for Thorn and Thire. His vode had expressed interest in finding hookups for the night. Who better for a loud trooper and a quiet one than a loud woman and a quiet one?

"Hey, how about I buy this round and both of you help me carry these drinks back to my friends?" Hound asked.

The louder of the two grinned at him. "Two hands, three drinks, and a crowded dance floor? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. It's our civic duty to make sure no one slips in spilled alcohol." The quiet woman simply shrugged, which Hound took as an agreement.

When the bartender came to drop off Thire's hyperdrive, Hound ordered another round for the women. He directed the quieter one to carry her own drink and the hyperdrive while he carried Thorn's Corellian whisky and the surly sarlacc.

"Don't trust me to carry two drinks?" the other woman asked with a faux pout.

Hound smiled and shook his head. "I might need you to clear a path and you seem like you can command attention."

With that, she laughed and struck a dramatic pose that made at least two troopers in the area stare. "Follow me!"

True to Hound's expectations, she led them across the dance floor with ease. When they reached the other side, she paused while Hound took the lead to the Coruscant Guard's booth. When they arrived, the other troopers immediately caught sight of Hound's guests. Thorn glanced away and took another sip of his drink while Thire's entire face lit up with interest.

"Hey, guys this is…" Hound paused, realizing with a guilty pang that he had never gotten their names. "... blue bantha and Corellian whisky. These are my fellow troopers, Thorn and Thire."

The louder woman slid into the booth with a laugh, offering Thorn her hand to shake. "Corellian whisky, also known as Kai. Blue bantha is my friend Ark."

"Ark?" Thire asked, standing so that the quiet, pale woman could sit on the inside of the booth. Hound noticed with interest that Thire was watching Ark closely. He would have bet every credit he owned that Thire would have gone for the bubbly Kai instead.

"Yeah, it's a nickname?" Kai explained, mouth quirking up at one corner. "Her real one is too long for easy use."

"What is your full name, Ark?" Thire murmured. Hound could only just hear him over the music, but he was silently begging his brother not to use one of his pickup lines on the poor woman.

"Arkularia," Ark answered with a grimace. "I know it's a lot."

"I think it's beautiful," Thire said fervently.

Ark's pale cheeks reddened and she gave a single nod in thanks.

Hound's amused look was echoed by those of Thorn and Kai. Thorn, of course, took the chance to egg his brother on.

"What's wrong, Thire? Run out of your famous pick-up lines?"

"Pick-up lines?" Kai asked, sounding intrigued.

Ark's cheeks reddened further. "Do they work often?"

"Ehh…" Thire hedged.

"Never," Hound chimed in.

Thorn took another gulp of whiskey. "Not on the sane ones."

Kai winked at Thorn as she loudly said, "I think Ark wants to hear one of those pick-up lines, Thire. Do you have one for her?"

Thire looked at Ark for direction, but she only lifted a pale brow. Defeated, Thire took a deep breath and put on his cockiest smile. Hound counted Thire as a friend and that smile still made him want to hit the man in the face. "Hey, Ark, I've got a problem. I lost my comlink frequency. Could I have yours?"

The group dissolved into laughter and the proverbial ice between the two groups seemed thoroughly broken.

"So, Corellian whisky, huh?" Thorn asked Kai, who grinned. "You have good taste."

"Back at you," Kai said, inclining her glass to connect lightly with Thorn's. "I don't know how they get away with selling this vintage so cheap here."

Thorn's eyes sharpened and Hound fought back a smirk. The alcohol prices at 79's had been a source of much discussion from Thorn over the years, and Hound was glad his brother had finally found someone to share that interest with. Especially since Hound wouldn't have to be part of the conversation.

"Well, I have to go," Hound said, tipping back the last of his surly sarlacc.

"Wait, what?" Kai asked. The sentiment was backed up by the expression on Thorn's face. Thire and Ark paid exactly no attention to his announcement, their interest clearly captured by each other.

Hound shrugged. "I have to report for an early morning shift in a few hours. I need to rest up if I'm going to make a good impression on the good people of Coruscant."

Thorn frowned. "What are you talking about? Earlier today, you told the commander that you would be fine to stay out late."

Hound pressed a hand to his chest in mock offense. "Why, Thorn! Would I ever be so irresponsible?"

"Always," Thorn said dryly.

"I can't hear you over the music!" Hound shouted, too loud even in the din that was 79's. "See you tomorrow!"

He left before Thorn had a chance to deliver a retort, but he noted with more than a little glee that neither Thire nor Ark had noticed him leaving.

---

Ark I

Thire was charming, there was no doubt about it. He had spent the past two hours asking questions about Ark and actually listening to her answers, as if her every word was fascinating. Most men saw her as an easy way to get to the talkative and flirtatious Kai - at least, if they didn't know anything about who Ark was - but Thire's attention seemed fixed on quiet Ark.

"So, what do you do here on Coruscant?" he asked.

Ark relaxed a fraction. Bars and clubs weren't exactly her scene, but her work? She could talk about that all day.

"Kai and I work as part of an information securities team."

"That sounds… really cool, actually," Thire said, admiration in his voice.

Ark felt an odd urge to preen under the half-compliment before her better sense kicked in and she quashed the temptation. "It pays the bills," she said instead, giving a casual sort of shrug.

"What kind of information securities are we talking about here?" he asked, encouraging her to go on.

For the first time in their conversation, Ark hesitated. Ransom always emphasized how important it was to keep a low profile, but this was Thire. Goofy, pick-up line-using Thire couldn't be anyone of enough importance to get them in trouble.

"Well, we specialize in data recovery," she told him. "Lately, we've been branching out into a new service. Businesses hire us to test security measures and report our findings."

"That's awesome!" Thire enthused, and Ark was relieved to see no hint of deeper understanding or curiosity in his dark eyes. "Do you have, like, a team name?"

"It- It's not exactly a team," she clarified, hoping he wasn't going to get condescending. "It's a business. A thriving one, actually. We're called Red Squad."

Thire frowned and Ark tensed. Would he recognize the name? Instead, he gave a broad grin after a moment had passed. "What a coincidence! We're a red squad!"

"Oh, is red your unit's chosen color?" Ark asked politely.

"Yep, Coruscant Guard crimson," he bragged. "Planetary landing squads will try to make it sound like they have the only important job in the GAR, but keeping Coruscant safe is a lot of work."

"You're permanently stationed on Coruscant?" Ark double-checked, trying to hide the surprise she was feeling. It didn't matter - he saw through her attempt to be subtle.

"You weren't expecting me to be around for very long," Thire summarized. His face went polite and distant rather than being warm and friendly like it had been through their previous conversation.

"Not exactly," she admitted, feeling guilty that her thought process had been almost exactly what he expected. "I mean... I know a lot of troopers have to rotate on and off of Coruscant. Is it nice to stay in one place?"

Thire's eyes thawed slightly. "It is, but sometimes I wish I had the chance to see more places. Actively do more good, you know?"

"I think you do plenty of good here," Ark encouraged softly. She wanted to show him that she wasn't some heartless snob who looked down on the troopers who defended her home. "The war may seem far away from Coruscant, but it's only because you and your brothers work so hard to keep us all safe. Thank you for that."

"Listen, Ark…" Thire said gently, but she had trouble hearing him. Instead, loud cheering from Kai and laughter from Thorn stole her attention as they watched someone on the dance floor.

"I don't believe it - a perfect 30!" Kai shouted while Thorn pounded the table with his fist and roared with laughter.

The idea of seemingly stoic Thorn laughing so hard with cheerful Kai brought a smile to Ark's face, but the sentiment was not shared by Thire. Instead, the trooper scowled across the booth.

"Vod, do you mind?" he asked sharply.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Thorn apologized, waving a hand in Thire's direction.

"Anyway, is it okay if I comm you sometime?" Thire asked, refocusing on Ark. "I'd like to spend time with you somewhere that I can actually hear you."

"Not much to hear, most days," Ark said with a soft smile.

"Still," Thire pressed. "Would that be okay with you?"

Thire smiled at her, the expression lighting up his handsome face, and Ark paused. The evening had been perfect so far, but how would their next encounter go? She worked hard to cultivate the image of a quiet woman whose most interesting traits were tied to her job. Still, Ark had secrets that couldn't come to light, especially around a trooper of the Coruscant Guard. Plus, Thire was a good-looking, charismatic man with skills and interests far exceeding those he needed for his job. He would figure her out - it would only be a matter of time. She should give a polite refusal and keep the memory of this night a perfect one.

Ark opened her mouth, ready to turn him down, but the open nervousness on Thire's face made her pause. She could not reject him. She wasn't strong enough to choose a quick end to their time together.

Instead, she smiled and nodded, fighting a wave of disappointment in herself. She was willing to wring every drop of happiness from their acquaintanceship before the inevitable end. It was dangerous behavior from a woman whose safety relied on secrecy, but she was hopeful that it would be worth it.

---

A/N - So, this story isn't entirely written from Hound's perspective. He just really likes to talk! I promise, the next chapter will feature other narrators, and will introduce the rest of the characters we're missing.

Per request, the chapters will feature individual warnings about potential triggers. If I miss one, please feel free to let me know!

And yes, some of the drink names in this chapter were taken directly from Oga's Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

[fluffle-writes]

School of Rock x Twisted Wonderland AU

Welcome to the result of my brother watching a movie and pushing my mind into brainrot mode. I hope you like this incoherent mess of an AU that's (somewhat) loosely based on the school of rock musical/movie! It's quite long, so I'll place it under the cut!

Cast list

Main cast:

Dewey finn/the guy who imitates the actual substitute teacher - Lilia Vanrouge

Zack Mooneyham/main guitar kid - Ace Trappola

Lawrence/keyboard kid - Riddle Rosehearts

Freddy Jones/drum kid - Deuce Spade

Tomika/that one girl who's the really good singer - Jack Howl

Katie/the girl on bass - Epel Felhimer

Summer Hathaway/band manager kid - Sebek Zigvolt

Rosalie Mullins/headmistress - Vil Schöenheit

Supporting student cast:

Mason/tech kid - Idia Shroud

Backup singer 1 - Cater Diamond

Backup singer 2 - Silver

Billy/fashion kid - Rook Hunt

James/security guard kid - Ruggie Bucci

Security squad 1 - Jade Leech

Security squad 2 - Floyd Leech

Roadie/backup dancer 1 - Kalim al-Asim

Roadie/backup dancer 2 - Ortho Shrowd

Parents:

Parent 1 - Trey Clover

Parent 2 - Leona Kingscholar

Parent 3 - Malleus Draconia

Parent 4 - Jamil Viper

Parent 5 - Azul Ashengrotto

Misc/supporting cast:

Ned Schneebly/the actual substitute teacher - MC

Ned's GF/little miss killjoy/tattletale - Grim

Plot

Lilia Vanrouge poses as a substitute manager for a musical group working for Vil Schöenheit, who has been encouraging their growth as various pop idols, something that their parents had signed them up for (much to the chagrin of some of the students.) Lilia poses as MC after having lost his place in his former band and needing to find work to pay the rent that his roommates (read: just Grim) keeps badgering him for. To do this, Lilia uses a fun little trick he learned a while back called identity theft and poses as MC to work for Vil, teaching a class for him.

And then, he met the students.

Ace Trappola and Deuce Spade were a troublesome duo. With their original lessons, they were shoved to the back as some of the clumsier dancers in the group, more drawn to playing the music than actually dancing to it. They were joined by their peers Riddle and Cater more often than not, with the former chastising them for their nonchalant approach to their lesson and the latter often bringing out his phone to record whatever shenanigans they may have been partaking in.

The next two students are Ruggie and Jack. Ruggie is a somewhat troublesome student, being quick and nimble on his feet but having a habit of swindling fellow students out of their food and spare change. While he doesn't exactly steal anything, per se, he can tend to play them like the cheap kazoos that they are. In lessons, he can tend to be quite dexterous, although he never really seems too interested in being shoved to the background as he usually is. On the other side of the coin there's Jack, who can be front-and-center at times with his strength being needed for some maneuvers if it isn't easy to fit the twins into the current routine. Something notable, however, is his reluctance to sing.

The next duo of not are the twins. These two troublemakers are together more often than not, often finding fun in terrorising and intimidating fellow students and doing as they wish during free time. These two tend to be the go-to when it comes to main dancers, however they can also be problematic to work with whenever Floyd is in one of his moods. They're not too interested in the whole concept of the lessons they've been learning, the whole mood and feel of the 'pop idol sensation' stuff being quite far out of their comfort zones, however, there's plenty of little fishes for them to poke at and bother around here, so maybe something more interesting may come along and make this place even more fun… They can afford to stick around for a while.

The next student is the sunshine child of the class! Kalim Al-Asim, the star dancer of the group and one of the most enthusiastic members of the class! He tends to be happy to do anything, be it singing or dancing, hailing from a rather prestigious family who pays a pretty penny to have their star child at the front of the stage as much as possible. He tends to be brought in by Jamil, who had been hired as a nanny to keep an eye on the troublesome ball of sunshine. The class is a way for him to keep Kalim occupied while he gets through some of the mountains of work that he's tasked with, courtesy of the Asim family. Kalim seems happy enough with the arrangement though, so there aren't any complaints from him!

Next up is Epel and Rook, the star students of Vil Schöenheit himself! Epel is his newest project, being under his scrutiny quite often when it comes to routines and his singing voice, and especially his attitude even outside of classes. It's safe to say that he's somewhat sick of the constant corrections he's given with his attitude and his posture and his voice and his everything! He just wants a break from all the nitpicking he's subject to… And he might just stick it to the man if he's given the chance. Rook on the other hand, is happy to put his all into every aspect of his lessons. He's one of Vil's biggest fans, putting his all into stunning and impressing his idol to hopefully become even the littlest bit as great as he is… Although he isn't opposed to the idea of trying out a new genre of music if he could. After all, there's beauty in every genre! Perhaps he could even design clothing that's different from his usual comfort zone…

Another pair of brothers is up next with Idia and Ortho Shroud. With Ortho on the mix, Kalim isn't the only ball of sunshine shining on stage! While the younger kid can tend to be somewhat robotic in his behavior, he's a joy to be around and throws his all into every activity and routine, securing his place as one of the lead dancers in the class. However, his bother is quite very different in that regard. Unlike his little brother, Idia tends to keep his distance from everyone else in the group, often sticking at the back to avoid the more crowded spots with more attention. He's just there to keep his little brother happy, but perhaps he could find his calling behind the scenes..? He does appear to be quite knowledgeable in the realm of technology.

The final pair of students, with Silver and Sebek. These two tend to be at odds, although most of the conflict is one-sided with Sebek's loud chastising and Silver's sleepy indifference. Silver is one of the best singers in the group alongside Cater, with his spot being as one of the main singers. Unfortunately, however, he seems to tend to fall asleep at times, even possibly during routines and classes. This, of course, is the source of the chastising from Sebek. Speaking of him, Sebek can tend to be somewhat of a teacher's pet, following all instructions like a robot, except more shouty. Even if his singing voice is… Less than ideal… He can keep everyone in line if he's given the task to do so.

Upon meeting these students, Lilia's curiosity grew… Perhaps a break from pop was what they needed… How about he stepped up and introduced these young minds to the world of rock!

I hope you like this! I'll probably post similar things in the future, but for now I'll work on an intro/rules. Sayonara!

[twistedflufflewriting]

School of Rock / twst AU

Welcome to the result of my brother watching a movie and pushing my mind into brainrot mode. I hope you like this incoherent mess of an AU that's (somewhat) loosely based on the school of rock musical/movie! It's quite long, so I'll place it under the cut!

CAST LIST

Main cast:

Dewey finn/the guy who imitates the actual substitute teacher - Lilia Vanrouge

Zack Mooneyham/main guitar kid - Ace Trappola

Lawrence/keyboard kid - Riddle Rosehearts

Freddy Jones/drum kid - Deuce Spade

Tomika/that one girl who's the really good singer - Jack Howl

Katie/the girl on bass - Epel Felhimer

Summer Hathaway/band manager kid - Sebek Zigvolt

Rosalie Mullins/headmistress - Vil Schöenheit

Supporting student cast:

Mason/tech kid - Idia Shroud

Backup singer 1 - Cater Diamond

Backup singer 2 - Silver

Billy/fashion kid - Rook Hunt

James/security guard kid - Ruggie Bucci

Security squad 1 - Jade Leech

Security squad 2 - Floyd Leech

Roadie/backup dancer 1 - Kalim al-Asim

Roadie/backup dancer 2 - Ortho Shroud

Parents:

Parent 1 - Trey Clover

Parent 2 - Leona Kingscholar

Parent 3 - Malleus Draconia

Parent 4 - Jamil Viper

Parent 5 - Azul Ashengrotto

Misc/supporting cast:

Ned Schneebly/the actual substitute teacher - MC

Ned's GF/little miss killjoy/tattletale - Grim

PLOT

Lilia Vanrouge poses as a substitute manager for a musical group working for Vil Schöenheit, who has been encouraging their growth as various pop idols, something that their parents had signed them up for (much to the chagrin of some of the students.) Lilia poses as MC after having lost his place in his former band and needing to find work to pay the rent that his roommates (read: just Grim) keeps badgering him for. To do this, Lilia uses a fun little trick he learned a while back called identity theft and poses as MC to work for Vil, teaching a class for him.

And then, he met the students.

Ace Trappola and Deuce Spade were a troublesome duo. With their original lessons, they were shoved to the back as some of the clumsier dancers in the group, more drawn to playing the music than actually dancing to it. They were joined by their peers Riddle and Cater more often than not, with the former chastising them for their nonchalant approach to their lesson and the latter often bringing out his phone to record whatever shenanigans they may have been partaking in.

The next two students are Ruggie and Jack. Ruggie is a somewhat troublesome student, being quick and nimble on his feet but having a habit of swindling fellow students out of their food and spare change. While he doesn't exactly steal anything, per se, he can tend to play them like the cheap kazoos that they are. In lessons, he can tend to be quite dexterous, although he never really seems too interested in being shoved to the background as he usually is. On the other side of the coin there's Jack, who can be front-and-center at times with his strength being needed for some maneuvers if it isn't easy to fit the twins into the current routine. Something notable, however, is his reluctance to sing.

The next duo of not are the twins. These two troublemakers are together more often than not, often finding fun in terrorising and intimidating fellow students and doing as they wish during free time. These two tend to be the go-to when it comes to main dancers, however they can also be problematic to work with whenever Floyd is in one of his moods. They're not too interested in the whole concept of the lessons they've been learning, the whole mood and feel of the 'pop idol sensation' stuff being quite far out of their comfort zones, however, there's plenty of little fishes for them to poke at and bother around here, so maybe something more interesting may come along and make this place even more fun… They can afford to stick around for a while.

The next student is the sunshine child of the class! Kalim Al-Asim, the star dancer of the group and one of the most enthusiastic members of the class! He tends to be happy to do anything, be it singing or dancing, hailing from a rather prestigious family who pays a pretty penny to have their star child at the front of the stage as much as possible. He tends to be brought in by Jamil, who had been hired as a nanny to keep an eye on the troublesome ball of sunshine. The class is a way for him to keep Kalim occupied while he gets through some of the mountains of work that he's tasked with, courtesy of the Asim family. Kalim seems happy enough with the arrangement though, so there aren't any complaints from him!

Next up is Epel and Rook, the star students of Vil Schöenheit himself! Epel is his newest project, being under his scrutiny quite often when it comes to routines and his singing voice, and especially his attitude even outside of classes. It's safe to say that he's somewhat sick of the constant corrections he's given with his attitude and his posture and his voice and his everything! He just wants a break from all the nitpicking he's subject to… And he might just stick it to the man if he's given the chance. Rook on the other hand, is happy to put his all into every aspect of his lessons. He's one of Vil's biggest fans, putting his all into stunning and impressing his idol to hopefully become even the littlest bit as great as he is… Although he isn't opposed to the idea of trying out a new genre of music if he could. After all, there's beauty in every genre! Perhaps he could even design clothing that's different from his usual comfort zone…

Another pair of brothers is up next with Idia and Ortho Shroud. With Ortho on the mix, Kalim isn't the only ball of sunshine shining on stage! While the younger kid can tend to be somewhat robotic in his behavior, he's a joy to be around and throws his all into every activity and routine, securing his place as one of the lead dancers in the class. However, his bother is quite very different in that regard. Unlike his little brother, Idia tends to keep his distance from everyone else in the group, often sticking at the back to avoid the more crowded spots with more attention. He's just there to keep his little brother happy, but perhaps he could find his calling behind the scenes..? He does appear to be quite knowledgeable in the realm of technology.

The final pair of students, with Silver and Sebek. These two tend to be at odds, although most of the conflict is one-sided with Sebek's loud chastising and Silver's sleepy indifference. Silver is one of the best singers in the group alongside Cater, with his spot being as one of the main singers. Unfortunately, however, he seems to tend to fall asleep at times, even possibly during routines and classes. This, of course, is the source of the chastising from Sebek. Speaking of him, Sebek can tend to be somewhat of a teacher's pet, following all instructions like a robot, except more shouty. Even if his singing voice is… Less than ideal… He can keep everyone in line if he's given the task to do so.

Upon meeting these students, Lilia's curiosity grew… Perhaps a break from pop was what they needed… How about he stepped up and introduced these young minds to the world of rock!

I hope you like this! I'll probably post similar things in the future, but for now I'll work on an intro/rules. Sayonara!

[sirro85-blog]

Dark Horses 6

So, what are the Xhost? Now, so long after they have left the stars it's a question that can be asked.

The Xhost were an idea that became a cult, if humans are more durable and Rhul are faster and Biviladi are more adaptable to environmental changes what if instead of celebrating the diversity we examined the discrepancies and found a common ground?

A noble thought, corrupted, corrupted into the Xhost where races were genetically modified to be a bit of everything, differences were no longer celebrated as part of a more fantastic whole but instead were vilified as non-conforming.

To the Xhost purity was required, variation was the enemy.

Kovac sat against the wall looking at his friends, Wolf shook his head and turned to Dorman for support.

"No," said Kovac, " you both have opinions and you're both entitled to them, but you're wrong.

It's as simple as this. Iron man is the greatest superhero, all those with superpowers built in can fuck right off, if your solution to a problem is punching harder then you're not a solution. Iron man's super power is thinking better than all of the others, he figures stuff out, after that his inventions win fights. All the other smart guys either have powers or their limited, I mean Batman isn't a one man army. Reed Richards works stuff out then relies on being Mr Fantastic to solve the problem.

Also Tony fights butt naked and the rest don't."

Kovac looked at his friends and smiled at their faces, "look it's this simple, your mind, the human mind is the greatest weapon in the galaxy. Now the second lesson I have to teach you is this simple, no matter what your taste in music one song needs special attention."

"We Will Rick You, by Queen will be remembered as a Pride song but it shouldn't be. What really matters is the solo or fade out; that piece of guitar play by May...everything else is just delivery for that.

Finally, if you're not happy, watching bad television at 0400 with you're partner then you're relationship won't last, if their presence doesn't bring you joy then move on.

Right that's about it, that's my life time knowledge, guess we should see this out then." Kovac stood.

Outside the Xhost forces had swept across the continent.

"Major, you know that the General will mobilise to defend us, even with the bones of a brigade. Major General Michaela Jones will be here," Wolf said.

"I know Wolf, the question has always been how do we drive the Xhost back? They control more sectors than the Rhul and the Flet together, they control more planet's than the Korlax."

"They've never defeated the Galactic Council forces though." Dorman countered.

"Well that's not strictly true, they've never won a war against the GCDF but they've always required mobilising core divisions and I hate to say it but that means human troops, we're the backbone of the GCDF without our presence the Xhost have seen success."

"You really don't think we can save the Towoli? Or the EDC?" Wolf asked morose.

"With a squadron of combat engineers? No." The Major was terse in his response.

Captain Becca looked out at the gathering darkness, "three days to capture the Towoli and secure the cities, so on the fourth day they turn around and hit the EDC, they're dug in now, so they last, maybe another four days and then it us. In this position we can last, maybe three days. That gives the Major-general two weeks, to raise at least a brigade and to get to us..." the question hung in the air unasked.

Kovac puffed out his cheeks, and rubbed his right forearm. "Remember in the 88th there became this belief that I'd pull it out of the fire, everytime it looked impossible odds you'd hear the men, "trust in kovac" I have that faith in Michaela Jones. Our only job right now is to keep open this beach head so she can land the troops. Now I've shared my life's wisdom with you, who has any other nuggets to share?"

Sergeant Major Panther had her own meeting with her sergeants, the needs of various troops and sections were discussed and the talk turned to how long they could hold out, "Captain says three at a push, but knowing the Major, if say closer to five."

"It'll take them a week to roll the Towoli and the EDC so by the end of the second week it'll be all over," said Sergeant Webb.

"No, you're forgetting Webb, we've got Kovac, 'keep calm and trust in Kovac' I've been saying that for over ten years now and I'll keep saying as long as he keeps earning my damn faith." Knickers glared at her fellow sergeants, "what was it he always said? It's us, it's us the 88th, well now it's us the Dark Horses but it's still us, we're still the real first in last out and we're still fighting fit and fucking ugly, Kovac will know what to do and when he asks us to do the impossible we'll deliver."

Panther grinned, "Exactly, so get out there and tell that to the men, wipe their little faces, help them blow their noses and smack the heads that need smacking, we are the Dark Horses and we will do what is needed."

"Except the Major is sitting there saying the same about the General," Webb said, "you all know I love the man, he's personally saved my life four times that I can count, if anyone can save us he can...but he isn't trying to. He's not even mentioned trying to save the Towoli and the EDC, he's said we use them as cannon fodder. Our hope is that we get rescued by the woman we walked away from to follow Kovac."

The sergeant-major stared at her sergeants, she seemed at a loss for what to say.

"I'll keep my faith thank you Webb. You're not wrong, yet, but I'll put my trust in Kovac."

Corporal Grey was growing weary of banging heads, the men were despondent and grumbling. The leader they trusted beyond all others was finally cornered and they could all see it. He watched as Captain Dorman walked away from the Major looking down-trodden, after a few steps the officer managed to organise himself and he straightened his shoulders and put his head up...keeping up appearances.

"I hear you're out of ideas and we're all fucked," said a coarse voice behind Kovac.

"Hello RQ," said Kovac without turning round, "and do you believe it?"

"Of course not, you need extra arms for all the tricks up your sleeves," scoffed the Quartemaster, "but they do, the rank, which I'm guessing is the point."

"They're good people, good people don't become monsters without falling down first, I need them to be monsters, they have to lose hope so when I throw them a cobra for a life line they grab it."

"What's the plan troop?"

"The secret to Xhost success is that the Xhost have their own supply of fuel, took us a while to realise what it was, now they use a variety of tricks but the basic component is Phosphene gas, toxic and smells like rotten fish half the time. So the finest galactic scientists looked at how they could inhibit their engines, how they could stop the Xhost fuelling their war machine, they failed. Then a human looked at it, her solution was deemed too heinous, the very suggestion caused humanity some problems, as we were suddenly seen as viscious and evil."

"What was her solution?"

"Chemistry, it's beyond me but...have you ever heard of White Phosphorus?"

The Qm blanched, "really!? That's your solution?"

"Turn their fuel into chemical weapons, I just need men desperate enough to agree to it."

"Kovac..."

Kovac turned to look at the Qm, "first time you've ever called me that, look, we can sit here and let the Xhost slaughter the Towoli and the EDC or we can act, to save innocent lives, maybe we need to be less innocent."

The Qm was quiet a moment and then sighed, "you think we have to?"

"I do."

"Alright then," she touched his arm and left him.

Kovac stared into the gathering gloom, "Clausewitz never finished and Ludendorff was a bastard who lost," he seemed to mutter to himself.

Later Kovac would say it was almost sad how quickly his men agreed to his plan, but they did. So within 6 hours his troops were prepared and moving out.

Before dawn the Dark Horses had returned to their fortifications, none of the normal a activities were on display, showing pride in a job we'll done. Instead the attitude was grim, an unpleasant job but one needing done.

Outside in the skies and on the ground, the Xhost burned, White Phosphorus burns on contact with air and it can burn even human flesh to the bone. Steel melts at half the temperature of burning white phosphorus.

I've seen artists renderings of the human construct of hell, the day the Xhost burned was brighter, hotter and there was more smoke. The issue of demons I'll leave to other scholars.

Ten days later Major General Michaela Jones landed with the 3rd army of the Galactic Defence Force to discover a smoking planet and the Towoli and EDC talking about burning skies and enemies vaporized in a wall of heat.

The Dark Horses, grim of face and closed in demeanour said nothing, they simply boarded and left with the advance ships into Xhost territory.

There is a phrase amongst those who study human kind, it's taken from their own old language, a term itself bastardised from an even older tale, "humans are space-orcs"

To humans it's funny, "the human can withstand the loss of a limb and is capable of feats of strength near impossible to other races, they fix metal into their mouths and inject their skins for aesthetic purposes...ha ha, fuck yeah we're space-orcs"

But to those of us who study, it means something different, orcs are the monsters of human fiction, rewritten and redefined they are brutal, barbarous and backwards. Their savagery and their lack of humanity is common in all their iterations. Orcs are the monsters humans see in themselves.

We space going species forget that humans may be like us in their hunt for answers but they got to this technology not through global cooperation but through war-driven advances and international tensions and competition.

They have only recently become the advanced global society we know, just under the surface lies the monster. Humans are Space Orcs.

○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

So I know the Chemistry is a bit hinky here according to a chemist friend of mine what I've said is possible but not easily but...hey It's sci-fi.

Anyway this one ends in a dark place but it's where it went and I can't really pretend I know what I'm doing.

As always feedback is appreciated.

[do-androids-dream-ao3acc]

💬 💬 💬 back at ya 😁

Oh dear, bold of you to think I can sum up that many things I really like in my own writing. But I'll try, I'll try.

---

"What are you looking for, Eskel?"

Eskel almost chokes on his beer. If that's what the other guy means by flirting, he's a little rusty. 

"I don't know exactly," he admits, "all of this is new to me."

"All of it?"

Eskel shrugs. 

"Well, part of it, it's... a long story. I've been told that in this bar, it doesn't matter what you look like. And I thought, maybe that's a good idea. Maybe that's what I want."

Letho furrows his brows as if he is thinking hard. Then he grins.

"Oh, because of your scar? That's what's new, now I've got it. Sorry. I thought maybe you were a virgin or something."

Now Eskel actually almost spits out his beer, and he laughs. He laughs so loud that he chokes and gurgles and laughs some more. 

"Nah, I'm not," he finally replies. 

"Okay, so you're a funny not-virgin who hasn't been out for a while," Letho says, and Eskel just nods. That pretty much sums it up. 

"All right," says Letho. "So you want to get back in the saddle, huh? This isn't the worst place for it."

"What about you?" asks Eskel, looking at his beer bottle. 

Condensation runs down it, a drop wetting his hand, but it doesn't dispel the warmth that has gripped him. 

"Hmm," Letho says, lifting his massive shoulders as he grins, "I'm not the worst person for it." 

Eskel gives him a look and thinks, yeah, you’re not. In a place where looks are not important, you are not the worst person. In fact, you may be the best. 

(This is from Façade)

---

"Then explain this to me!" snorted Flynn, holding the paper up to Emhyr's nose. The latter looked at it, frowning. The paper was half torn, and obviously, someone had scribbled on it. Were those little hearts drawn next to Geralt's face?

It was confusing, but he calmly replied, "What's there to explain?"

"I beseech you. As if the Emperor of Nilfgaard had ever married a witcher. You, sir, are merely a cocky doppler who somehow managed to seduce the most beautiful witcher of the North. Fie, I say, fie!"

"I beg your pardon?"

Bewilderment was written exceptionally clearly on Emhyr's face, which anyone but Flynn would have acknowledged. He waved his sword in front of Emhyr's face, which cost the latter some of his iron restraint not to flinch. 

"He's a good man," Flynn asserted, who could not have known such things and was, admittedly, relying on hearsay and storytelling. "Too good for a doppler, anyway."

"I assure you, I am not a doppler."

Emhyr should have known that reasoning and talking him into conscience would not work on a feline. However, he was perhaps spoiled by his security advisor, who had much less of the irrationality of many of his fellow witchers, though a touch more of their paranoia. As far as that was concerned, all things considered, Adan was probably an exception, while this witcher was an unfortunate rule. 

"You are," Flynn insisted. "Denial is futile. Change back on the spot, show me your true face, you beast!"

(This is from the probably most funniest thing I ever did, "Die, die my darling")

---

Geralt dropped his shoulders and slid his fingers into the waistband of his pants. That it would be Eskel felt like a breach of trust. Not because they had been friends for so long. But because there was something that Geralt had never told him. He hadn't been a child for a long time, it was hard to be a child in this environment. He had done often enough what they all did secretly under the covers when they thought the others were asleep. But he had often thought of Eskel, of his sweet, austere face, his tall figure, his strong arms. 

It was confusing, it still was, because it wasn't entirely clear to him what feelings were even okay. Those who had already gone through their trials, the survivors, had often come back changed. They were naturally tougher, but that affected everything, including their friendships. Feelings were no longer necessary, it seemed, rather a hindrance. Geralt was afraid of the moment when this would happen to him. Or Eskel, that might be even worse: if Eskel came back, one day, and looked at him without that affection in his gaze. Perhaps that was why he now dropped his pants without another word, as he had been told. If all these feelings changed one day, it probably wouldn't matter anyway.

(And this one is just from some filthy piece but... I like it!)