#toa snippet

[polyhexianbirb]

I like to call it "who will the gods pick to torture now that Percy is at college? Local nerd man ofc"

This is just page 1, page 2 will be linked here when completed (most likely tomorrow). Yes, I've worked our who pretty much everyone will be lol.

My man's have beef with some teenagers lolz

[freddie-77-ao3]

Snippet

Will Solace, Nico decides, is the sort of person who cries when bugs get squished. Nico is not wrong on this account: when, at one point, a seven year old Will had found Cecil and Lou Ellen pointing a magnifying glass at ants, he had sobbed and demanded they help him treat the insects' burns, carrying five of them to the infirmary in the palms of his hands.

[demigod-shenanigans]

This isn’t anywhere close to done and won’t be posted for a while, but have a little evil snippet from part two of the memory fic I posted for Lost Trio Week:

When Jason came to, it felt like his body was filled up with too many people. Except, unlike the time he’d been possessed, this time he knew it was just him. But there was just far too much of him. Memories of every part of his life were ghosting around his head in a way they had no business to—all of them vivid like they’d just happened, despite the fact that many of them had happened years ago. All these different versions of him that should never have existed simultaneously were fighting for space in his head. 

Jason felt like his skull was going to crack.

He was Thalia’s little brother, small and scared as he clung to his sister’s pant leg. He was Camp Jupiter’s Jason—destined to be a leader, whether he liked it or not. Unable to escape that fate, no matter how hard he tried. He was Reyna’s Jason, collapsed into an exhausted heap after training, laughing as she asked whether he’d let himself be bested so easily. He was Leo and Piper’s Jason, sitting in front of a video game console, marshmallow remnants still stuck in his hair.

He was a terrified child and a fourteen year old praetor and dead at sixteen, all at once. 

[kastalani123]

(if you prefer Ao3)

They learn about it in the slowly bubbling, uncertain high of victory.

She died a hero, Clarisse says, repeats, convinces, closing Drew’s hands around a bracelet far too innocent to make everyone’s hearts sink with just a glance. Its silver colour is barely visible beneath the blood. Drew’s hands were already long slick with crimson. She doesn’t say anything.

(The daughter of Ares tells them the story as they pick up their other fallen siblings. Nobody responds)

Fuchsia with an apple for Anders, seventeen and the loveliest relationship advisor. Lacy only manages a few words through her sobs and tears, her hair still in the intricate but effective braid he had put it in before battle.

Coral with a conch shell for Khalid, twelve with a love for anything one could find at the bottom of the ocean. Valentina grips his stuffed anglerfish so tightly that she almost tears it while making her speech about him.

Salmon with a thorned rose for Ina, fifteen and the best fighter in the cabin. Mitchell can barely stand while talking, choked by having been unable to retrieve more of her than a gnarled arm, recognizable only through the heart-shaped birthmark spanning the back of her hand.

Magenta with a dove for Sawyer, fourteen with the kindest eyes in the world. Drew lays the sword they had never wanted in the fire and watches it melt into perfumed smoke without a word.

Cerise with flowering myrtle for Jasmin, sixteen and the craftiest painter around. Aminah bites her knuckles to the blood in a failed attempt not to cry when the burning paints colour the fire in impossible hues.

… Hot pink with an electric spear for Silena. Clarisse sets the fire with a blank face, dried tear tracks gouging grooves down her cheeks.

(A grief-stained title of cabin counsellor for Drew, fourteen with the weight of her world suddenly on her shoulders. Cabin Ten cannot keep her from turning her head high, eyeliner sharper than it’s been in years.)

----------

It’s not Drew who orders all signs of Silena Beauregard to be scrubbed from the insides of Cabin Ten. 

Instead, Mitchell passes through the cabin while the others haunt around Camp like the ghosts they had avoided becoming. Carefully, carefully, he folds up Silena’s fashionista posters, picks pictures of her off the clothing clips on the strings strung up throughout the cabin, strips her bed of the flower pillows they’d all collaborated to get for her last (final) birthday, collects clothes from her section of shelves and drawers, and packs everything with even a trace of her into the suitcase under his bed. Grief echoes off the bare spaces, sandalwood perfume soaking into the walls, a vestige of one of the many lives struck short these past several days.

His siblings don’t say anything when they finally come and find him curled up on Ina’s bed, clutching her morning star plush like it’s the only thing keeping him tethered to his body, the entire cabin missing key elements. Drew starts to get ready for bed, Aminah throws herself onto Jasmin’s bed and shatters, Lacy tears her hair free of Anders’s braid with a wail, and Valentina screams into Khalid’s pillows until her voice is hoarse. Mitchell swears he hears similar sounds from the other cabins.

(Rory comes the next day, backpack full of clothing designs he hadn’t bothered to unpack in his rush upon hearing about the strange happenings in New York. He takes one look at his siblings’ hollowed faces, at the bare beds, at the empty spaces, and breaks, begging for forgiveness for not being there to fight along their sides, for not protecting them like an older brother should, for working on his college projects while they fought and died for the world. Drew scoffs, lips perfectly painted, and says there’s a reason they didn’t tell him war was brewing over their last Iris Message. The others pile onto him, cursing and crying and trying to keep themselves from falling into pieces.)

----------

Officially, Silena Beauregard is a hero. She had been burned with laurel wreaths, and offerings were tossed into the fire to aid her journey to Elysium. Her photo has been put up in the Big House alongside many others, and even Mr D managed not to butcher “Silena Beauregard” for once, prompted by a centaur kick. Her name is whispered under the topic of the ultimate sacrifice, of the power of love, of the bravery of unexpected leaders.

Unofficially, the only one who speaks her name with pure reverence is Clarisse La Rue, and no one says it with such vitriol as Drew Tanaka. Her spy bracelet, still drenched in blood, has been hurled against a wall and remains hidden and gathering dust under her bed. Her cabin has been scrubbed clean of any mentions of her, her name unspoken in fear of Drew’s newfound cruelty.

(Drew builds back up the walls her siblings had dismantled with so much care, taller and thicker than ever before.)

(Mitchell retreats back into himself, the skittishness he had worked so hard to shed shrouding him in full force once again.)

(Lacy melts into the crowd like never before, burying her voice beneath a blanket of sorrow.)

(Valentina ditches her soft colours and loose wardrobe, forcing attention onto her new tastefully torn jeans and bold shades and away from her wail-wrecked throat.)

(Aminah tugs her grief tight around herself and leaves with the summer, her goodbye lacking a definitive “see you later”.)

----------

Two boys, adorned in pearls and guided by geese, arrive in a cabin full but hollow, plagued by dead siblings and a traitorous hero. Twins, they are, nine years old and unknowing of the carnage of war, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Drew scoffs and scolds but leaves them to her remaining siblings, for her sharp tongue has never been suited for introductions, and even in the wake of her death-stained rule, she will not dare shut children down so soon after arrival.

Names of all the ghosts haunting the cabin become unspoken, none willing to explain them and blemish the twins’ innocence.

It does not work.

Not when Lev walks in on Lacy sorting and resorting dozens of vials of perfumes with shaking hands and trembling breaths. Not when Ren asks Valentina about the night sky painted on the wall over an empty bed and she shuts down entirely for the rest of the day. Not when Lev holds up a mirror to help Mitchel neaten up the impulsive haircut he had given himself after a game of Capture the Flag. Not when Ren catches Drew in a screaming match with another camper over a girl he had never heard about.

Not when something weighs heavily over the empty spaces in the cabin, over the necks of their newfound siblings.

So they ask someone else.

Clarisse La Rue. Will Solace. Connor Stoll. Nyssa Barrera. Malcolm Pace.

Slowly, slowly, they collect pieces, find ways to fit them together, compare conflicting accounts. They get the story of clashing metal, raging fire, slithering scales. A frightful fairytale, starring their fellow campers as the main characters. The missing limbs, the overabundance of scars, the paranoid glances — it all clicks together, and the uncomfortable hollowness of Camp Half-Blood is suddenly apparent.

(Eventually, they ask about their own Cabin’s side of the story.)

(They receive no answer beyond solemn looks and half-hearted shrugs.)

----------

Piper McLean falls from the sky, crashing straight through the fragile roof of the system Cabin Ten has established for itself the moment she bursts with pink light.

She is… argumentative. Unwilling to cram herself into the tattered tapestry of their Cabin the war had left behind. Determined to be different, to stand out, to raise her hackles at those around her. Filled with an anger towards the paints and ruffles her siblings wrap themselves in, and unconcerned with not letting it spill over and burn them.

She challenges Drew, and they cheer.

(Will the sister-that-never-left finally come back to them?)

Drew scoffs and huffs, sharpens her nails on the sound of Piper’s voice, but does not fight.

(They have fought for so long, and she is tired, and maybe an older kid with none of the wounds that mar the rest of them is needed in Cabin Ten.)

(Within a month, Drew wrenches permission for them to leave Camp for a shopping trip out of Chiron, and they know she is coming back.)

[deeptrashwitch]

Earthquake

One-shot inspired by an episode of the k-drama Descendants of the Sun! Remember that the WTF belong to the marvelous @islandtarochips! Now, let's begin!

Taglist (just to show :3): @alypink @snootlestheangel @islandtarochips @hollywood-is-bleeding

@cynicvice @midnight193 @mutantthedark @justasmolbard @welldonekhushi

@tapioca-milktea1978 @imagoddamnonionmason @stargazing-sapphire2 @milkteaarttime @blacktacmopsi

@maymaylyn @thatonesillyducko @seraphiixiao @me-is-confused @gunnrblze @taciturntraveller

The Specters and the WTF were involved in a mission regarding a branch of a cartel they both were hunting. At first they were sent to France to chase the two leaders they were looking for. As they arrived and raided the main building, they noticed how the objectives had already fled away.

“Wraith, where to now?” Alicia asked while all of them looked around. 

“They split. One is going to Kiribati, but we have their live location over Kyrgyzstan.” Wraith informed through the joint line. “The other one’s going to Cyprus, right now arriving.”

Kanoa intervened from his comms as well. “Then we need to split as well, Origin. If we let them have any kind of advantage, they’ll disappear.”

Alicia nodded and made a sign to call her boys. “I agree. Where will you go, Alpha Six?” 

“Kyrgyzstan, if we can intercept the bastard, we can get the locations.”

“Copy that, we will go to Cyprus then.” 

Wraith intervened with a calm voice. “Alpha Six, you and your team can go with our pilot. I already planned a transport for the Specters.”

“Much appreciated, Wraith.” Kanoa said, then nodded at Alicia before going to get his people.

“Copy and over, guys, good luck.”

Soon Edward and Nicholas were flying the WTF to a base in Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile the Specters were on a carrier going to Cyprus as they were taking a look at some last minute files Wraith sent them to prepare themselves. They were arriving at night to the island and were meant to go to a building in a city near Nicosia. Although, Elliot was looking at the sky with a bad feeling.

“Something wrong?” Marcus asked curiously when he noticed Elliot’s frown.

“I just…have a bad feeling, y’know? But it’s odd, I can’t get a name to it.” He murmured a bit worried.

“You should tell the Captain.”

Elliot nodded, then his frown deepened a bit when he noticed the birds flying weirdly. “Yeah, I’ll go get her.”

As Elliot spoke with Alicia, Jackson was looking at the comms, noticing they were getting oddly cracked. When they contacted Nicholas about it, the man was confused but figured it out relatively quickly as they docked in Cyprus.They were driven to the city where they had the intel about their objective in silence. 

Either way, they kept comms open. 

“Alpha Six, here Origin, you copy?” Alicia asked calmly.

Kanoa answered with a chuckle. “Here Alpha Six, how’s the paradise island?”

“How funny.” She murmured with a smile. “We’re arriving at the building, fucking old by the way, you?”

“All done here, we managed to intercept it and we sent the intel to General Kalani and Wraith..”

“Good to hear that, have a good trip back home.”

“Thanks. Change and out.”

“Hehe, we’ll keep comms open just in case. Change and out.”

Soon the Specters went inside the building, noticing it was oddly empty. So they prepared for any kind of traps that might await them inside the building. With the rifles raised, they started to walk back against back as Elijah and Alexander climbed up to the ceiling beams. That was the way they moved for a while, with their recon and sniper cleaning part of the path and informing them about any kind of enemies or problems ahead, of which Noah and Elliot took care of. 

At some point, Elijah and Alexander stumbled over the beams and it called everyone's attention.

They climbed down quickly, surprisingly uneasy as they walked towards the team.

“Delta, Hawk, what is it?” Alicia asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Something’s wrong, ma’am. Up in the beams, it shook.” Elijah murmured, shivering. “Not like us losing balance, but…literally shaking. It wasn’t strong but-”

“It’s not normal. That never happens.” Alexander interrupted, oddly serious.

Luke frowned and soon everyone was on high alert at what they said. The Lieutenant especially looked around and paled when he noticed some signs he knew well.

“What the-?” He murmured as he looked at some stagnant water now waving. “Oh fuck.”

“Harlem?” Jackson asked, now worried.

“Earthquake.” Luke murmured, and everyone tensed.

And in a second, the ground started to shake with enough strength that the huge machinery started to clink and fall. 

“Origin, Origin! What’s going on?!” Kanoa asked over comms when they heard the rumble from the other side of the line.

“There’s an earthquake! We’re evacuating!” Alicia answered as they started to ran towards the exit to avoid being locked with the machinery. 

“Wha-?!”

“CAPTAIN, THE PLACE IS COLLAPSING!” Luke shouted as the walls started to crack and explosions could be heard outside. 

“Get out! GET OUT! EVERYONE RETREAT NOW!” 

“WATCH OUT!” Jackson yelled with an edge of worry and fear.

Then a scream cut on the line, then it cracked and got cut off completely, just leaving static behind.

Meanwhile in Kyrgyzstan, the WTF seemed in shock as the static filled every channel they had available to try and communicate with the Specters. Tiala shared a look with Kanoa, then both of them looked at Agnes and nodded in silence. 

Blast nodded back and sped away, running towards the plane where Edward, Nicholas and Francis were anxiously looking at the control console of the comms.

“What’s going on?” She asked Edward, panting from the run.

Edward shook his head and looked at Nicholas. 

The comms expert seemed even more anxious than the other two. “I can’t get a hold of them. None at all. Lines are down completely.”

“What?” Agnes whispered worriedly. 

Francis simply went to look for some documents in the meantime, all while Tiala, Kanoa, Aelan and Nigel arrived running. The Specters cartograph was frantic as he logged in to get some news in real time.

“Viper, what do you have?” Edward asked worriedly.

Francis was pale as he read the breaking news, then looked at his Sergeant, whispering nervously. “Cyprus was hit by an earthquake that's a 6 on the Richter scale. They were near the epicenter.”

Kanoa felt a cold shiver run down his back and the fear started to clench his chest. For a second the world stopped as his mind kept running at the speed of light thinking about all the possible scenarios. 

“There’s seriously no way we can know how they are? None at all?” He asked, trying to keep his composure.

“Well, we all have trackers for our vital signs.” Edward explained, scratching the back of his neck out of pure nervousness and worry. “If Wraith can find the signal, at least we can know if they’re alright.”

“Good, good, is Wraith available?”

“Yes, sir.” Nicholas said, connecting with Black Tomb and Wraith’s office inside it. “We have her right now on channel three, connection stable.”

Kanoa nodded and took his own radio. “Wraith, here Alpha Six. You copy?”

“I’m here, Alpha Six, send traffic.” Wraith said as a keyboard clicked on the background. 

“We’re aware of the situation in Cyprus right now. Sergeant Edward Jackson informed us about vital signs trackers, can you get access to it?”

“I’m on it, give me a second.”

For a second everyone stayed in silence as they waited. It was a heavy silence filled with tension, and Tiala was speaking with Edward to prepare everything to take flight as soon as possible.

“I…I don’t know.” Wraith murmured, scared to everyone’s shock. “I can’t find it.”

“Repeat that, Wraith.” Kanoa ordered, his voice trembling for a moment.

“I can’t find the signal of the infantry team or recon pair trackers. To this moment, we aren’t sure if they’re dead or alive…they’re MIA from this moment forward.”

Kanoa closed his eyes almost like he received a punch while Francis sat next to the control console with a trembling sigh. Nicholas simply frowned and kept trying to connect with their radios. Even Nigel and Agnes seemed worried and confused, not sure of what to say at that moment or even at all.

Meanwhile Tiala looked at his brother and noticed the fear in his eyes as he leaned against the wall of the plane. She walked to him and put a hand over his shoulder.

“We can’t- we need to go get them. I don’t wanna think they might be dead.” He whispered, unable to look up from the floor.

“Noa, breathe in.” She said, worried. “We’ll find them. I already spoke with the Sergeant, and we’ll be ready to fly to Greece and move from there to Cyprus.”

Kanoa nodded in silence, feeling a lump on his throat. The forty minutes that took to refill and prepare the plane felt like an eternity for everyone. And as soon as the plane was ready to go, they charged everything and took flight while Wraith coordinated everything with a base in Greece.

In the middle of the flight, Wraith told them more about the situation as Francis showed them a map of the island.

“I’m following the news live, and it seems like the epicenter was in Nicosia. The capital is almost destroyed, and the cities nearby are somehow in the same state.” Wraith murmured, sighing heavily while Francis showed them images of the disaster in Cyprus. “We can’t wait for the rescue aid services, the priority is on Nicosia right now. From what I can tell…it’ll be days until they get to the place where they are.”

“What about the UE aid?” Tiala asked with a raised eyebrow.

“They aren't ready yet, but the Greek government can assign a rescue dog and its handler for now to help us if we’re ready to help in the rescue.”

Kanoa sighed and looked at Aelan, who seemed thoughtful. “Aelan, if we encounter an emergency-?”

“I'll lead with it until we can take them to a hospital or medical tent, Captain.” She said with a nod, seriously.

“Good to hear.”

“We’ll go too.” Edward said from the pilot seat. “We might not be infantry, but this is our team too.” 

“All hands are helping hands in these cases.” Kanoa said with a nod. 

As they flew over Georgia, Kanoa just closed his eyes and pressed the back of his head against the wall. He sighed and tried to ignore the thoughts about the possibilities of what happened. 

His hand clenched on a fist as he tensed. Not again. He won't lose anyone again if he has a say in it. 

A couple of hours later, they arrived in Greece and Kanoa went to speak with the high ranked soldiers while the rescue dog and the handler arrived. It was Aelan who spoke with him, coordinating everything to start the search as soon as they took land. Soon they hopped into a helicopter to fly towards Cyprus to start the rescue. 

The sight of the cities was discouraging, with the buildings collapsed, fires in some points of the cities and blocked roads. In a few minutes they arrived at the city where they had the last location from the team. And the first thing they saw was dozens of buildings destroyed on the floor while some people tried to help to find some victims of the earthquake. 

“Alright, let’s move everyone! We have people to find!” Kanoa ordered in a roar. 

“Yes sir!” Everyone shouted back and they started to move around the debris and the broken streets. 

The dog and its handler took the lead and Aelan followed them while the rest started the search and to help wherever they could as well. Sometimes, the dog barked towards some piles of debris where they started to search. To everyone's relief, they found many civilians still alive, so Aelan helped as much as she was able while some medical staff arrived after the nearby hospital sent their ambulances.

As they kept searching, bodies started to appear as well, which only worried the WTF and the remaining Specters even more.

For a while they didn’t find much as Wraith also told them that the rescue aid from the UE was on their way, which made everything a bit quicker for them. While they kept searching, at some point, when the rescue dog was a bit far, it started to bark loudly. And that called Aelan’s as well as the handler’s attention, so they called some of the paramedic and aid personnel. 

“Wait a minute-” She murmured at the same time she saw some smoke coming from under the debris near the dog, flare smoke. “They wouldn’t do something that stupid. Wait, it’s them, they would.”

Aelan ran towards the dog, who was scratching the debris and barking. 

“Who’s there?!” Jackson’s voice asked, half worried and half relieved.

“Jackson!? It’s Aelan!” She screamed, avoiding the flare smoke . “Are you okay?!”

“We’re still alive and using gas masks! But we need medical treatment for some of us!”

“On it! Have you-?!”

“Done triage?! Yes! We have one that needs immediate transport, two that need evaluation, another two with apparent light wounds and the rest of us are safe!”

“Copy that!” Aelan shouted, then turned on her radio. “To everyone, I found the Specters infantry and recon team. I repeat, I found them.”

“Copy that! Where are you? Six and I are on our way.” Tiala asked through comms.

“Approximately eight kilometers from the medical tent, follow the smoke, it’s a flare.”

Nigel’s voice came through as well. “Blast and I are going with some rescue personnel. Everyone can hear you right now.”

“Alright, we have eight people, all survivors, most of them are wounded and buried. I have no report of any external agent that can complicate the rescue.” She explained looking around and seeing how pieces of the building were still up. “Seems to be a partial collapse, so there is a possibility of foundations still supporting the area.”

Soon the comms were in stand by as well, and Aelan simply stayed beside the opening from where the smoke came from. She narrowed her eyes to try and glance inside, sighing relieved when she noticed the light of a flashlight emerging as well, followed by the well known medic.

“Good to see you, Jackson.” She said with a chuckle.

He huffed and sighed. “Me too, Aelan, me too. How’s everyone out there?”

“We’re helping with the rescue labors while searching for you, and you?”

“...We’re still alive and that’s enough for us right now.”

Aelan nodded and as soon as the flare started to burn off, she lit a new one and helped as much as she could to move some of the debris that didn’t seem to be of structural support. Not long after, the rest of the WTF arrived with Edward, Nicholas, Francis and a group of rescue workers. 

Bit by bit, the debris was taken off as the rescue personnel started to send a stretcher down. The first one that came out was Elijah, who was in the worst state of them.

The recon expert had an iron bar going through his leg, with his uniform already stained with blood. He was already in silence, simply exhausted despite the pain.

“The bar didn't seem to have punctured the femoral artery, either way, I haven't removed it in case I misdiagnosed.” Jackson explained to Aelan. “I stopped the bleeding, but still, he lost a lot of blood.”

Aelan nodded and helped to move Elijah to the place where the aid personnel were waiting before they rushed down to transport him to the medical tent. The next one was Alexander, who seemed to be hurting as Jackson explained that he was hit by some debris over his back. 

“He hasn’t moved since the end of the earthquake, I haven’t allowed him in case he has a crack or something.” Jackson explained while Alexander was taken by the rescue workers.

“Understood.”

One by one, he helped everyone to get the wounded ones out. Kanoa sighed relieved when he saw that everyone was alive, even chuckling a bit when Nigel and Agnes running to speak with Marcus and Noah, both of them with light wounds. 

However, he felt a shiver when he noticed how Alicia was unconscious. But before he could start to overthink, Tiala dragged him to talk for a second.

“Easy Noa, she’s okay.” She said to calm him down. “Jackson told Aelan what happened, she got hit by debris on the back of her head, but she’s unconscious because she was starting to panic bad.You know how Licia gets with dark places.”

“You sure?” He asked, worried.

“Wanna ask Luke? He’s already out.”

“Yes please.”

Tiala nodded and made a sign for Luke to get near, so the Lieutenant came near still covered in concrete powder and ashes. 

“What is it?” He asked curiously.

“First of all, are you good?” Tiala asked.

“Just a cut in my arm, nothing serious.”

“Good, do you mind explaining to Kanoa what happened? He's getting pretty worried for Alicia.”

“Ah, about her? She got hit by debris in the head, but when we ended down there it was pitch black and…well, we all know Alicia doesn’t like being in dark places like that. Long story short, Jackson helped her to calm down and she basically went out cold. She’ll be fine, Captain Toa, I promise.”

Kanoa nodded and sighed again, relieved, then decided to keep helping with the rescue activities while everyone was sent to the hospital. It was hours, until late night, before they could finish their help. mostly when the UE rescue aids came finally. They were covered in dust and tired, but they decided to go see if they could see everyone.

However, Wraith told them, more calmly than before, that they were in a hospital on the Turkish coast while they got treated. Mostly referring to Elijah’s injury, since most of Cyprus hospitals were either destroyed or collapsed. 

It wasn’t until three days later when they were able to go see them.

“Oh, c’mon! I didn’t die! No need to go mama hen with me here!” Elijah exclaimed, and it was heard from outside of the room.

“You shut up!” Noah exclaimed, half amused, half worried. “What if you fall down or something?”

“I’m not that clumsy, Noah!”

“Lie!” Nicholas intervened, laughing.

“Shut up!”

Tiala and Kanoa shared a look and chuckled. 

“Seems like they’re alright already, eh?” Kanoa murmured.

Once inside, they found the eight of them in their stretchers, some of them talking and some of them doing other things, while Edward, Francis and Nicholas were sitting with them and speaking. Jackson was in a corner, just watching everything with a smirk, but also with a huge bruise on his face and arms.

When he noticed them, the medic nodded as a greeting. Aelan went to get an update from him while the rest went to say hi to the wounded.

“You look horrible.” Kanoa commented to Alicia, chuckling despite the spark of worry in his eyes.

“I know, the worst part is that my neck itches and now I have a bald patch.” She commented with a calm laugh, leaving her book aside. 

“You do?”

“...Yeah.”

“Hehe, baldy.”

Alicia rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Shut up. But it’s good to see you, Noa.”

“Yeah, me too.” He murmured sitting beside her stretcher. “I was scared, y’know? For a second I thought you might be dead, and even just remembering you and your team were MIA…”

“I understand, don’t worry.” She said with a soft smile, punching gently his arm. “Also, since when am I easy to kill? You know I’d crawl back from hell if I had to.”

“Haha, how funny.” He said sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

Alicia laughed softly, and then looked at how Tiala was waiting for them to finish. So she smiled and waved at her, to which Tiala waved back and went to hug her gently. 

“Good to see you, Licia.” Tiala said with a hum, sitting beside her and leaving a flower bouquet next on the nightstand.

“Likewise, Tia, it’s good to see you too. How did everything go?”

“Our objective is captured and being interrogated, and yours is dead.”

“For real?”

“We found the body after a while under the debris.”

“Huh, seems like the world took it in its hands.” Alicia joked with a smirk.

“Yeah, it seems like it.”

“Well, it ended well after all. But I can already guess Wraith will give us an update for the trackers.” She murmured, looking away. “And a scolding now that I think about it.”

“Oh yeah, even Wraith was scared.”

“Ah shit, what if I feign I ended deaf?”

“Alicia no!” Tiala and Kanoa shouted, frowning.

“Okay, okay, sheesh. Just let me rest while I get better, then I’ll lead with Wraith.” Alicia said with an ashamed smile, raising her hands as a peace gesture and chuckling.

[frank-zhang-praetor]

Valgrace - Behind the Scenes : Part 1

I have more somewhere so maybe it will be a series.

[generalallxsanjishipper]

Snippet from Lacrimosa ch. 4 (Tales of Arcadia)

“Y… You don't have to say anything,” he heard Claire say quietly, stuttering just a little. Douxie took an instinctive deep breath in. “Unless you want to, you don't have to. I… It's alright. You don't have to obligate yourself to be fine for us. I… We just want you to know that if you need us, we're here. And if you need space… If you need us to leave right now, we will. No issues.” a poignant pause. In between what she had said before—it was unclear to him when—the mechanical motion of his hands had stopped. “So, really, your choice. We won't take it personal, push you to explain yourself or anything else, we just… We want to make you feel comfortable. With or without us. That… That's it.”

He breathed in and out, nodding. He kept his gaze focused on Archie—who still looked back at him with the same expression as before, rubbing against him one more time—for a few more seconds before raising it just a little, fixating it mostly on their hands, which almost seemed to hung on the food they had grabbed and that clearly hadn't been touched yet. 

He did not get to their face yet. Did not get to her eyes yet. 

“I…” he barely started, his saliva way too thick inside his mouth, his tongue still feeling a little too big. “I d-don't want you… To leave. I just…” he frowned. “Just need a moment.”

A beat. Two beats. Three. 

“Okay,” Jim said softly, his hands holding the Oreo package a little less tight than before. “All the time you need.” 

[an-autistic-dweeb]

Healing

WARNINGS⚠️!: Mentioned loss of limbs, mentioned stabbing, depressive thoughts, angst(hurt/comfort), Angor Rot x oc.

Angor was carving a small totem with a frown on his face, a jolt of pain shooting through his abdomen. That wasn’t an uncommon thing. Not after the Trollhunter ran him through with his sword. A necessary action, to get rid of her. Angor groaned from the ache. The necessity of it didn’t make it hurt any less…

Angor huffed as Avery came into the room to check on him. He didn’t want their help. He didn’t deserve their help.

Angor was forced to stay behind in Arcadia. He was too wounded to make the trip to New Jersey and it wasn’t like any trolls were fond of him. It was for the best. It would’ve been, anyway.

“More aches and pains?” Avery asked calmly, holding a box of medicines. Angor simply resumed carving instead of answering. Avery sighed and opened the box, quickly glancing at Angor’s lean body. “You need to change your bandages more often,” they spoke, gently pulling out some gauze, “you’ll get an infection.”

Angor didn’t understand why Avery cared. He was the reason that their right arm and eye were gone. He looked at the mangled scar that should’ve been their eye and growled softly. He’s caused them so many scars. And yet, they willingly stayed with him. Most of him was just waiting for them to leave. But a small part of him truly missed the care of his friend.

Angor remembered the day he and Avery became rivals. It was a bloody one. She had the cruelest sense of humor, and decided to have Angor bring them to her. She made it so that way they’d have the same life expectancy as Angor. A selfish part of him was grateful for it. His rivalry with Avery was bitter, and for centuries they would meet in battle. Now Avery was his caretaker. His companion.

“Why are you still here?” Angor suddenly asked, just as Avery disposed of the old bandages. Avery raised their eyebrow and handed Angor the gauze. “I’m not quite sure what you mean, Angor.”

Angor growled softly and started re-bandaging his wound. He scowled, “Why are you still here? In Arcadia. With me. Why haven’t you left already?” He asked in frustration. He truly didn’t understand why Avery was still helping him. Avery shrugged, “you make it sound as if I plan on it.”

Angor scoffed and glared at Avery as he used up the gauze, clearly unamused by their statement. “And why shouldn’t you? I’m the root of all your problems. You should resent me more than anyone.” He said bluntly. Avery just smiled, “and yet I don’t.” Avery took a moment to think and simply spoke before Angor could protest. “I simply stay because I wish to. Whether you’re satisfied with that answer or not is up to you.”

Angor simply sat still and sighed. “I’m sorry.” He said suddenly. He sighed and continued, “I used to excuse the pain I caused others with the fact that she controlled me. But that doesn’t matter. Even if it did, you still deserve an apology. I’m sorry.” He explained calmly. He’s never apologized for his actions under Morgana. But Avery needed to know. They needed to know that he was remorseful.

Avery paused. They simply paused and thought of it. They were angry at Angor for what he did for centuries. They were still a little angry. It was nice to hear his apology. “I can’t forgive everything you’ve done… but I appreciate your apology. It’s nice… hearing that.” They said, blushing softly.

“Thank you.” Avery said, earning a chuckle from Angor. “I should be the one thanking you.” He said softly. He leaned his head back and sighed calmly, a new lack of tension on his chest. “Thank you for staying.”

Avery calmly placed their hand on Angor’s shoulder. “Don’t mention it.”

[gotstabbedbyapen]

New level of desperation unlocked: I'm resorting to Danmachi fanfics that features Hyakinthos Clio for more Hyacinthus content.

I don't care that he's hated in the fandom, I don't care that he's an antagonist, I don't care that he's a sadistic little shit. I love all versions of Hyacinthus.

[f0xgl0v3]

The Octavian and Michael Quest; Story Snippet

Hahaha I’ve done it. I’m finally going mad, anyways after staring longingly at the Converse wedge high tops vowing to one day add them to my collection (and for some reason way more publicity on the post) I’ve decided that I’m making a like teaser for the Octavian-Michael fanfic I talked about all those weeks ago. Also I’m really bored this mid-winter break and I’m a mediocre narrative writer soo uh

Also if my google docs yell at me one more time because apparently the way I spell something is the British English way I’m going to scream. I’m sorry but it’s travelled. Anyways, I’d like to say again in no way am I an author nor do I think I write stories particularly well. There’s probably a reason why most of my big posts are formatted the way they are,

Also sorry no Michael in the sneak peak/ first bit I wrote, this is just the like. Set up? It’s mean to be short and sweet, enjoy! (also this isn’t proofread I’m so sorry),

I should’ve just chosen to use dice or birds primarily, Octavian thought as he pulled his dagger through another stuffed animal. It stung a bit, partially from the repeated weight of taking the golden blade through fabrics and partially because he had to. The dove between his hands looked pleading with its plastic eyes, the same sound of threads ripping apart while stuffing piled out. It caught in his ears again, the ringing that came before the voices. The same feeling of hair standing on end that Jason described when lightning was about to strike, and that’s when it began,

“Great strife shall befall the legion,” He had heard this voice before, the mixed harmony of several Gods murmuring before one truly broke through. It took awhile to get used to, his ears still rang after most of the Auguries, and Octavian could barely hear his own voice murmur in reply,

“What’s going on?” it felt odd to ask, Octavian’s own voice sounding desperate and panicked, though usually his tone reflected those of the Gods. The world around grew blurry while the harmony thinned out to one single melodious voice, humming in his ears, Venus, something in his mind decided,

“[the super duper cool prophecy that will be there at some point I pinky Promise]”

The world spun some more, and once Octavian’s vision settled the stuffed dove and his dagger had been dropped to the altar, his brows furrowed and breath a bit frantic while he tried to make some sense of what was just delivered to him. A prophecy. An actual prophecy. Octavian tenderly picked up the stuffed dove and dagger again, first giving the poor thing an apology and sewing it back up, gently holding it while he exited the Augurculanum. The blinding rays of the sun beat down on his eyes while Octavian made the run to the Principa from ground zero. His hand tightened around the dove, which was decidedly now named Beatrice. His boots crunched against the gravel roads that wound between most of the buildings. He opted not to walk on the main Via Principa; there would;ve been too many legionnaires walking back from the fields of Mars anyway.

Finally reaching the Principa was always a relief. It was great having most of the buildings Octavian had to go to in the Porta Praetoria; It meant everything was in arms reach. But also subsequently meant that heading to the Principa took longer and always felt more daunting (not to mention the Principa itself always felt impossibly big). Octavian rushed up the few steps and into the door, walking through the big halls and passing several doors and legionnaires before finally slipping into the main office. His eyes travelled to the Praetors; who snapped up once they realized he was there. Marcus spoke up first, already concerned,

“What happend?”

——————————————————————————

That’s it! Uh, I didn’t want to type up a giant thing so there’s the short and sweet version. It’s also a draft partially? It’s my first time writing this little section. I also tried to keep it from being like.. super ahdiajfbsj like how I usually write things. Also the actual one will probably be first person because that means I can do my super fun parenthesis bits in character and that makes me happy.

Anyway goodnight internet.

[skywalking-through-life]

Hi, how are you today?

I was wondering wether you could show a snippet of conduct.

I love your fics, they are all fantastic.

Have a lovely day!!

Hello sweet anonymous friend! I'm tired today, but otherwise quite well - thank you for asking!

And thank you specifically for asking about 'conduct'. 💙 I know. It's been forever since I updated. I never thought I'd be that person who took a year to update a fic, but here I am, 10 months from my last update, still fighting with the next chapter. Tbh, I may end up taking some things out and moving them to another chapter, which will make this one shorter, but might help get me unstuck from the one or two plot points that I've really been fighting with. So there's a chance this little snippet won't be in this chapter, but will be in a later chapter! But I'm always happy to give one, so always feel free to ask. 💙 Enjoy!

"There were very few things that Sarah Lafayette missed about the ramshackle little town that had once been her home, but the coming of spring was one of them. 

Up in the mountains, spring had been a process, predictable and steady. Icy patches of snow in isolated meadows slowly melted into equally pale patches of bluets and bloodroot, and the ever-present smell of woodsmoke became less heavy as the sharp, green scent of moss and mud filled the air. Sudden cloudbursts made water pour down the sides of the mountains, turning back roads into creeks and frozen cow ponds into bubbling, roiling cauldrons of algae and tadpoles. And when the sun re-emerged, hot fingers lazily weaving crowns of leaves to drape over the naked trees, people stood in fields and streets, tipping their faces up to try and catch a caress of their own.

There was nothing nearly so idyllic about March in New York City.

The concrete and steel buildings that the city was known for struck her as cold and stark and impersonal in every season, but even the charming brownstones, colorful murals, and glittering, flashing lights that brightened the streets seemed dull and muted in the gloom of heavy clouds and near-constant, biting rain. Instead of welcoming the moisture they needed to thrive, lone plants seemed to shrivel back into the ground, trying to escape the acrid gray water that drove into the hard soil. It seemed to take so much longer for life to re-emerge here than it had at home, and while it huddled beneath bark and branch, the city remained stuck in the grip of winter. 

Even native New Yorkers, who took so much pride in their city that it bordered on delusion, could admit that March was probably the worst month of the year.

And though that had been true every one of the ten years she had spent here, it seemed especially so this year. 

Meteorologists had been puzzling over the bitter cold, howling rain, and the even-more-noticeable-than-usual lack of light for months. Quips about the sun going missing had become common as the newscasters tried to think of more and more creative ways to say what they all already knew: that it was still raining - still storming, really - with no sign of any let up.

But they also continued to repeat an important dictum to their wet and weary watchers: there are a thousand meteorological explanations for why storms form, why they build, and why they devastate - but they do all dissipate in time." 

[reinedeslys-central]

my writing directory

I know, I know, it's very audacious of me to create a writing directory when I'm not one of those stellar writers with a gazillion fics. But! I figured this is a much better way to keep track of any writing posts I make here. That way (since my tumblr fics aren't in linear scene-by-scene progression atm) anyone can just see the other parts of the fic in one spot, and I get to have one spot to know exactly what I've posted!!

scroll past the ** for writing directory.

WRITING STATS:

Fandoms I will prob write for at some point or another:

PJO / Riordanverse

Doom At Your Service

Stranger Things

Naruto

KOTLC (maybe idk)

MDZS/CQL

Love O2O/A Smile Is Beautiful

no i don't do rpf but I could be persuaded to do a cinematic universe fic

Fics currently on the go:

could die without you knowing, though - stranger things, platonic stobin dealing with tommy hagan dying (friendship weirdness), future fic (I'm talking like, they're full-on senior citizens), chrissy and eddie are alive. Tumblr & AO3

small mercies (your hands in my hair) - cisswap wangxian and gang are graduating highschool and it's their last summer in the same city. fireworks and love confessions and family feels. AO3

the currently unnamed obligatory three-days-in-the-infirmary fic - nico-centric, kinda character study, solangelo figuring things out post-BOO, kinda canon non-compliant bc idk the timeline between BOO and the other books, angst, grief, found family, softness. Tumblr only atm (the scenes are NOT in order of chronology lol)

like snakes in the grass - projected to be a JYL-centric time travel fix-it so massive I still haven't finished plotting it out lol. My OG huge fic I wanted to write. Will try posting little scenes. 'wind, peace, power;' on AO3 is supposed to be my practice run at the prologue. I will be rewriting that tho it's not my best work.

oh, haven't you heard? - a MDZS ficlet series starring gossip and rumours that are describing different canon divergences. ex. 1: oh, haven't you heard? NHS ran away to be with his lover in the burial mounds? no, you're crazy. Clearly the YLLZ abducted him. Not posted yet.

Snake In The Garden - meng yao character study.

burning like a glowing star - valgrace senior year, first meeting to kinda-lovers, right person wrong time. Tumblr

Fics that are FINISHED:

as the clouds roll in - pjo/riordanverse minor characters-centric college AU. part one of a three-part story about bianca di angelo taking care of her brother, figuring her life out, and making friends (+ Drew the unintentional major character). Anyone who can pick up on the clues (pretty easy ig) and figure out the setting, etc gets a cookie /j ! based on the vibes of 'On The Ride Home' by KC Katalbas bc I just love that song so much. AO3

********************************************************************

WRITING DIRECTORY

my ao3 which has some stuff on it if anyone wants to see that - it has all the fics that have the AO3 note on them. Should have said that lol

Every scene for the same fic will be listed in the order it's written/posted. If I end up finishing a story I'll reformat and dump the whole thing in plot-order on ao3. Cheers!

PJO / Riordanverse:

the as-of-yet unnamed obligatory three-days-in-the-infirmary fic: scene 0 - prologue-ish scene 1 - the library of social awkwardness or here (or in my heart, 'kidney function is a privilege, not a right') scene 2 - sleeping easy (also a current contender for epilogue or halfway mark in the story)

assorted scenes: good days and bad days (solangelo) too much (grover and percy and insecurities)

on the ride home-verse:

burning like a glowing star: scene 1 - I See Stars scene 2 - I can show you the world

Stranger Things:

could die without you knowing though part 0 - summary first chapter (robin gets the dreaded phone call)

MDZS/CQL:

Anyway, have a nice day y'all. <3

[freddie-77-ao3]

In Sickness (More Than Health)

“You just sneezed, get back to bed.” 

“I didn’t sneeze, I was… making train sounds?….”

“…Train noises?” Connor says, with the tone of someone far too suspicious for a simple conversation.

“Yeah,” Malcolm says, looking very unsteady. “Train noises. You know, cho-cho?”

“Right…” Connor trails off. “Sure.”

“Oh, Connor.” Malcolm says, sounding really quite sickeningly sympathetic. “Have you never heard a train before?”

“I’ve heard trains, Malcolm. I’ve also heard bullshit, and I can tell you which one you sound like right now, and it isn’t a train.”

[moodyseal]

15×18 hmmmmm? As a spn girlie, I recognize that number and I'm intrigued 👀 (this is T from the TOA discord on my main tumblr account in case you didn't recognize me lol)

HMMM 15x18 is a very heavy number isn't it

It's a WIP that I doubt will ever see the light of day because I wrote its 1500 words in a daze two (almost three?) years ago, when the episode aired, but it was supposed to be a fix-it fic for Cas' death!! Good thing they sort of fixed that themselves but I still don't forgive them

I am not immune to the charm of Destiel

[the-tortured-fangirl-department]

I always get a bit sad when I see people talk about ToA and how it’s “about Apollo learning to be human and to care for others” without ever acknowledging that ToA is also about trauma and breaking the circle and dealing with abuse. It’s such an integral part of the books* I actually give a bit of a trigger warning when it come to Meg and Nero(and later on the snippets we get of Zeus).

* Percy Jackson series as a whole to

[redstarforge]

In this month's Patreon post, Regitnui previews some new lore snippets that will add extra flavor to our Species Index entries in a future Doronai Nui update: https://www.patreon.com/posts/species-snippets-127787969 We also have an art preview for our Heralds of the Toa-tier patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/127788193/ Last month's Patreon post, in which CurseStation takes a look at those who work beyond Mata Nui's light, can now be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/hive-approaches-125417761 Not a patron? You can support us for as low as $1 per month. https://www.patreon.com/redstargames