#'and so you're back from outer-space. i just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face'

[etherealspacejelly]

underrated stim: mouthing along to the words of a song as if you are having an argument with someone. works very well with i will survive, for example

you gotta get into character with the facial expressions and hand gestures. my bedroom wall is sick of me. anyway.

[chirpsythismorning]

📝 💐 🛼 💔⏪️💭🧊🌄❤️‍🩹

I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor

previous ⏪︎ now playing ⏩ next back to playlist

[maybanksmusings]

THE WALLS ; JJ MAYBANK

SYNOPSIS ; when an unknown face appears in the outer banks searching for a father she's never met, she's unaware of how her life is about to be completely turned upside down.

WARNINGS ; jjmaybank x routledge!reader, strong language, depictions of violence, afab!reader, sexual content, mentions of abuse, drug and alcohol consumption, strangers to lovers, fast burn to slow burn, canon adjacent, not proofread.

AUTHORS NOTE ; buckle up pookies, as this is merely part one of a multi-part fic that spans as far as the end of season three ( on the fence about season four but we will see ). as noted above, this fic will be canon adjacent, mainly focusing on the storyline as portrayed in the outer banks chapters of the 'netflix stories' mobile app. without any more of my yapping, i hope you all enjoy!

you can't help but squint once you step off the bus, your dollar store sunglasses doing very little to shield your eyes from the burning, outer banks sun. you bring your hand up in an attempt to further protect your eyes, needing to make your way to the seahorse hotel and fast.

a flash of long, blonde hair invades your vision, something you don't think twice about until the body attached to said hair knocks right into you, saturating your white tank top with her oversized cherry-coloured drink.

there's a beat of silence between both of you, behind darkened lenses your eyes bore into the girl before you. if looks could kill.

"shit! i am so sorry!" the blonde apologises, face turning as red as the newfound stain on your shirt. her hand darts out in an attempt to miraculously wipe the stain away "oh god, this is so embarrassing."

a part of you feels empathetic, it was an easy mistake to make in hindsight. another part of you wanted to push past the girl and continue getting on with your day.

"my name is sarah," she continues rambling, her hand still frequently scrubbing at the stain, making it worse "i didn't get your name, well no shit" the last part is barely a mumble, but you still catch it.

an unintentional laugh escapes you, finding amusement in her panicked awkwardness "if i tell you will you stop feeling me up?"

it was a joke, at least mostly, yet sarah froze in horror as the realisation set in. she was feeling up a stranger at the bus stop.

before she can begin rambling again, you speak up "my name is y/n." purposefully, you drop the surname. sure, sarah seemed sweet, but that didn't warrant spilling your life story at her feet.

sarah nodded in acknowledgement, taking a step out of your personal space and taking a proper look at you "touron?"

your face screws up, it feels like she just called you a name you couldn't repeat "excuse me?"

"you're a tourist, right?" sarah clarified, gesturing towards the scruffy backpack hanging from your shoulder.

"not quite," you trail off, unsure of how to broach your new arrival without dropping yourself in hot water "just, in town for a while."

"unlucky you.."

"unlucky how?"

sarah links her arm through yours, all but dragging you down the street alongside her "i'll fill you in on the way."

your protests and kidnapping allegations fell on deaf ears, only being told to stop being dramatic as she dragged you along. eventually, the dragging falls back into you willingly walking with her through pristine neighbourhoods that housed buildings like nothing you had ever seen.

you listened as sarah explained the outlandish rules that accompanied living on the island. the outer banks were essentially split in half, the kooks and the pouges, the haves and the have-nots, the sarahs and the y/ns.

when her pace eventually stalls, you have to tense your jaw to stop your mouth from falling open. you had seen some serious houses on the way here, but compared to sarahs they looked like dives.

"welcome to tanneyhill" sarah beams, but you can feel the uncertainty bubbling inside her as if she was embarrassed "come on, i'll show you my room."

you follow her through the glass doors and into the manor, eyes intently scanning the walls as you climb the staircase "you make a habit of bringing random strangers into your house?"

"do you make a habit of going home with random strangers?"

"depends if they're my type."

your quick rebuttal elicits a laugh from sarah as she pushes the door open, waving you into her room and heading straight for the closet "and what is your type?"

"you sweet on me, stranger?" you tease, your playful tone making it clear you were simply messing with her.

"with my whole heart, newbie" she laughs, the contents of her closet being dropped to the floor as she rifled through it "but our secret love affair must remain hidden as i am a taken lady"

with a dramatic gasp, you slap your hand to your chest and fall back on the bed "you wound me."

"sarah 'the heartbreaker' cameron is what they call me." as you're processing her surname, a white cropped tank is flung at you from the opposite side of the room "now, come on, boy talk"

"what if i wanna girl talk?" you question, holding the piece of fabric up to examine it "sarah 'the homophobe' cameron more like"

as she crosses the room to sit alongside you, sarah rolls her eyes "my sincerest apologies, sex talk then"

"cameron now i really think you want me." you wiggle your eyebrows at her, huffing when she hits you with a pink pillow with a sparkly 's' "hey! watch the rhinestones"

"you know, i was gonna try play matchmaker at the boneyard tonight but if you wanna be like that.."

"you just said a lot of words with very little meaning" you tut, not fully clued in on the outer banks slang.

by now you have risen to your feet, standing between the bed and the window as you changed into the clean shirt, balling up the stained one and stuffing it in your backpack.

"its a pre-storm rager on the beach, the one place kooks and pouges get along. we party as long as we can and when the storm hits, run for cover"

you're only half listening to sarah, instead your attention hones in on the head of curly brown hair down on the dock as it moves along a boat named 'my druthers'.

you barely register the figure by your side, watching just as closely as you were as the brunette is joined by three others, laughing and joking.

"that would be john b," without looking you can hear sarahs grin, mistaking your fascination for attraction.

"routledge?" your mouth opens before your brain can stop it, you knew who it was, but you needed to hear it.

"you know him?"

finally, your brain catches up and you somehow manage to pull a lie out of your ass "not personally, saw him on tv. some appeal for his dad."

sarah bellows out a soft, sad sigh, letting her thoughts be known without saying a word. there's an unspoken air of silence between you, until sarah, literally, shakes it off and stands upright again.

"wanna meet him?" the blonde offers, despite the fact its more of a demand as you're being dragged along once again.

only this time your refusal is much clearer, practically begging the girl to let you go before she managed to get you out into the yard. again sarah is misreading the situation, interpreting your panic as awkward butterflies.

your demands persist, though much quieter as you're dragged further down the dock, closer to john b and his friends.

"hello, ladies" john b's blonde friend greets with a low whistle and a cheeky grin, shamelessly checking both you and sarah out.

for a moment your anxiety vanishes, your entire nervous system sparking still but for different reasons. this might be the most beautiful boy you've ever set eyes on.

this. this was your type.

"you're new" he speaks, gesturing towards you "that's for sure, yet to be a time i've forgotten a face like that." with a wink, he takes your hand to place a kiss on the back of it.

you curse god. why couldn't you have met this guy somewhere else? why wasn't he the blonde stranger that took you home?

"you done macking on the kook?" a girls voice echos from behind him, her words and her expression dripping with disgust as she eyed you.

"i'm not a kook." you bite back, sightly too aggressive for a first impression but you couldn't help it with the look of clear disdain embedded on her face.

sarahs arm links through yours, a mumbled "easy, newbie" falling only on your ears "y/n is new in town, i brought her down here while i found out what you guys are doing on my dads boat." despite her civility there's a challenging edge in her voice.

"lest ye forget, i work here."

john b, suddenly emerging from the ships hull and hurling a snide smile in sarahs direction. you had only ever seen him on fuzzy news broadcasts, he was taller than you had anticipated, confrontational too.

though, genetics could explain that one.

"can we help you?" the girl speaks again, sending your eyes rolling as you face john b.

"can you tell your guard dog to stand down? last i checked one of us was invited here and funnily enough it wasn't her"

you hear another boy mumble an excited "cat fight!" to your new, blonde, hyperfixation as they exchange money on bets.

"seriously? i expect this shit from jj but pope? disappointing" john b tutted, sounding like a disappointed father as he got off the boat "not looking for trouble, just bringing back the diving shit, full."

menial conversation is exchanged between sarah and john b, though your attention mainly resides with the newly named jj. he was leaning back against the boat, rolling a joint without a care in the world.

you try to keep the glances to a minimum, after all you had much bigger problems to wade through right now, but you simply couldn't look away. he was the definition of magnetic.

even when he catches you looking, there isn't a morsel of awkwardness, just a knowing look of curiosity that lingered far longer than it should have.

then, he winks. he fucking winks before returning to rolling with that stupid, insanely hot grin on his face. you were far from shy, and only for the audience around you, you would've jumped on him long ago.

any reckless ideas potentially coming to fruition is spoiled when sarah, still linked with you, retreats back toward tanneyhill. with a final glance back at jj, you hold your thumb and pinky to your ear and mouth 'call me', earning yourself a wink and a crossed heart in return.

maybe this wouldn't pan out to be a total shit show after all.

[mybelovedvi]

nsfw, mdni. tattooist!vi x f!reader. cw: pwp, dom!vi, fingering (r!receiving), petnames (doll, cherry, princess, baby), secondhand embarrassment, masochism, dacryphilia if you squint, squirting, unprofessional conduct, bad hygiene practices. wc: 1.7k

the bell on top of the door jingles with your entrance. the parlour smells like a mix of cedarwood, vanilla and antiseptics- just what you'd expect from an antique-looking tattoo studio. the guy at the front desk looks up and smiles.

"hey there, name's ekko. got an appointment today?"

"hi! no i haven't, just saw a 'walk-ins welcome' sign outside. is that okay?" you give a small grin, a little jittery from your impulsive decision.

"that's absolutely fine. take a seat and fill this out f'me." he nods before ducking up some stairs. heavy rock plays softly over the speakers and you begin going through the few pages of personal and medical info.

after a couple minutes, you hear footsteps heading your way. you stand with the clipboard and see a woman with dark pink hair, about 5"8, in cargos and a tank walking towards you.

"hey doll, i'm vi. i'll be tattooing you today."

hell, is it just you or is it getting hotter in here?

"hey, thanks for squeezing me in. here, i've filled out the forms," you extend the clipboard to vi and she gives it a once-over.

"did you have a design in mind?" she queries.

"no... i kind of came in here impulsively, wanted to try something new, y'know?" you shy away from her gaze and fiddle with your fingers. her eyes are fixated on you, every movement of your body.

"you're alright, cherry. why don't you come on back and we'll figure something out together?"

you nod but question the nickname. "cherry?"

"you've got a cherry charm on your bag, your phone too. i'm assuming you like 'em?" vi says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. you look down and back up at her, giggling a little.

"oh, yeah, they're my favourite."

"good to know. c'mon, follow me,"

you follow vi up the stairs, to a smaller studio than the one below. seems like this is her private workplace, nothing in the room but the bed, a swivel chair, a trolley with some equipment, a couch, and a shelf displaying artworks and vinyls.

"why don't you look through this book and see if there's anything you like? i'm happy to draw somethin' up for you too," vi says, manspreading on the couch and giving the space next to her a pat. you sit and and flip through the book. her works are intricate, displaying a variety of art styles in both colour and black-and-white. your eyes are caught by a beautiful design, a little larger than what you wanted for your first tattoo, but beautiful and unique nonetheless.

"i love this one, i'd like to get this tatted if that's okay?" you turn the large folder towards vi, only to find her eyes already trained on your face.

"mhm, that's one of my favourites, let me print it out for you. where did you want it?" vi stands and heads over to her trolley.

"i'm not sure... this will be my first tattoo, so where does it hurt the least?" you question.

"your first? damn, usually i'd recommend something a bit smaller, but you can handle it, right?" vi smirks at you whilst tapping on her ipad. "as for placement, i'd say your arms would hurt the least. upper back if you're feeling adventurous. or... your outer hips." she trails off a little.

"hm, okay. i think the design might be too big for my arms, and i don't really want it on my back. let's go with my hips?" as you're busy considering the placement of your tattoo and how much pain you might (will) be in, you fail to notice the tips of vi's ears turning pink.

"sure thing, cherry. i'm ready when you are." vi's got the design printed out, a few sheets of paper of different sizes in her hand. you look at her, all thoughts gone for a second as you wait for further instructions. she looks back at you, wondering why you're not taking off your shorts so she can stick the stencil on you.

"um...?"

vi lets out a breathy laugh. "i know i should probably take you out to dinner before i ask this, but mind pulling your shorts down? so i can put the stencil on?"

your face flushes red as you realise that's what you were supposed to do, but also is she flirting with you? or is that how she is with all her clients?

"oh sorry! here, sorry!" you scramble to take your shorts off, not giving vi a second to turn around to give you some privacy. as you stand in the middle of her little studio, only in your baby tee and lace panties, both your faces grow redder- you because of embarrassment, and her because she didn't expect you to take your shorts off.

"sorry! okay, you can put the stencil on now, sorry,"

"stop apologising cherry, nothin' to be sorry for," vi shakes her head and laughs again, before kneeling before you and getting everything in order. she looks up.

"left or right, doll?"

"uhm! right, please..." you trip over your own words a little as you try to look anywhere but her light blue eyes through her lashes.

"alright, let's see..." with a gloved hand, she rubs cream over your hips, the coolness nearly sending a shiver through your legs. she sticks the stencil on smoothly and pats it down. "have a look in the mirror. you happy with that?" you turn towards the floor length mirror leaning against the opposite wall.

"it's perfect, thank you." you smile.

"amazing. let's get you on the bed and get started, yeah?" vi steps away to get a new pair of gloves as you lie down sideways "ready, cherry?" you nod. she's positioned against your lower back, but can you see her in the mirror getting her equipment ready.

"'let me know if it's too much, alright?" she applies more cream to the stenciled area before tattooing the first line through your flesh.

half and hour later, you're beginning to wish you'd gone with a smaller design. vi's not even halfway done and your thighs are already shaking a little with the pain, tears threatening to spill onto the pillow your head rests on.

"how're we doing, doll?" vi asks as she continues, right hand tracing the stenciled lines, her left gripping the flesh around your arched back. what's adding to the pain of the needles is vi changing her grip on you every few minutes, making heat pull around your core. each time her hands move closer to your clothed pussy, it sends a shudder through your whole body.

"yup, good!" you lie a little too enthusiastically. in the mirror, vi raises a brow and lifts the gun off your skin.

"you sure? i can see you're shakin' a little,"

"yup, no i'm good. please keep going," your almost-pleading voice nearly sucks all the air out of vi's lungs. she shakes her head in an attempt to concentrate on her work, and not on the way you're shaking, ass unconsciously pushing back into her chest; not your doe watery eyes and quivering lips in the mirror.

"if you're sure," vi resumes and you shake even harder. tears finally roll down your face, pooling near your ears, staining the pillow. the uncontrollable twitch in your thighs intensify and you attempt to get away from the needle by scootching back or wiggling your hips, making vi graze her forearm too close to your cunt in the process.

"you're gonna have to stop doing that, princess," vi grits, the nickname almost makes you gasp, the pain in your hips and the pressure in your core becoming too much.

"sorr- mmgh!" your slick spills out, soaking through your panties and coating your inner thighs. this doesn't go unnoticed by vi, who audibly sucks in a breath, turns off the gun and sets it aside.

"'m- 'm sorry vi," you whine in your aroused daze, still flush against her chest.

"doll..." vi pauses. "you're fine. let me clean you up, yeah?"

"wh- what?" you shift to look at her with widened teary eyes.

"i said, let me clean you up."

shivering, you feel a gloved hand inch up your inner thighs and stop at your soaked panties.

"tell me princess, what's got you so worked up?" her finger drags up and down your clothed slit, sending jolts of electricity through your flesh. you feel more of your juices seep out, and you know vi can feel it too.

"are you nervous?" she pulls your panties to the side, exposing you to the cold air.

"is it me?" vi pinches your clit. your back arches with a high-pitched whimper.

"or... do you just like writhing in pain?" without warning, two fingers dip inside you causing you to scootch up the bed and thighs clamp down on her hand.

"i wouldn't do that if i were you," vi whispers in your ear. her strong fingers dip in and out of you wildly, coming all the way out before slamming into you again. you wail and mewl as fat drops of tears stream down your face, babbling nonsense into the tear-stained pillow.

"y'look so pretty crying f'me, baby," with her free hand, vi grips your chin with an almost bruising force and lift your head to the direction of the mirror. "look at you, lookin' so fucked out when we just started."

she lets go and your upper body falls limp on the bed as she continues her assault on your pussy, fingers hitting that gummy spot over and over as you chant her name amongst a string of curses.

"fuck, fuck- vi! shit-" you throw your head back with a moan. feeling like your whole body is on fire, your core tightens.

"you can take another, can't you, doll?" vi purrs as she flips you on your back, her hot breath against your collarbone.

"wha-" the addition of a third finger nearly sends you screaming into oblivion. her thumb circles your clit whilst her other hand presses on your lower belly, making your thighs quiver and your lower back arch off the bed. everything is foggy, your eyes clouded with tears, your head filled with nothing but vi, vi, vi-

"too much! it's, mmf- too much vi!" you cry. it feels too good, you know you're going to come at any second, the rope in your stomach threatening to snap as you look up at the gorgeous woman hovering over you, panting and groaning as if she was fucking herself.

"shh, i know you can take it, cherry. you enjoying yourself?" vi asks, and when you respond with nothing but moans and incoherent blabbering, she slaps the side of your hip- the freshly tattooed side.

you come hard. with a scream, your eyes roll and your back comes completely off the bed. you're squirming, writhing, shaking in vi's hold as her fingers continue pumping in and out of you, fucking you through your orgasm. when you come down, she doesn't stop. not when you're full on sobbing, trying to push her hands away, clawing at her forearms, drawing blood and leaving crescent-shaped indents on her fair skin. a foreign feeling builds inside your bladder, and you scramble to free yourself from vi's grasp.

"shit! vi- ah! g'na, 'm g'na pee!"

"shh, just let it go princess," vi hushes and you become undone once again, her watching as your head is thrown back, milky cum leaking and clear liquids gushing out from your pussy, coating your thighs, her forearms and the bed.

"fuck, that's so hot," vi pull her fingers out of you, who's still a quivering and panting mess beneath her. you watch as she slurps up every last drop of your juices before she takes off her nitrile gloves with a snap! and drops it into the trash.

“you reckon you can keep going, princess?”

[sweetiesicheng]

dino - drunk

word count : 645

-

"is that channie?" you ask when you notice a guy, who looks exactly like your boyfriend, walking through the house. you giggle, "he looks exactly like my channie."

"jesus christ, how are you not sober yet? did someone give you more alcohol?" seungkwan questions and grabs one of the many solo cups in front of you. he sniffs the drink and sighs, "who gave y/n more alcohol?! she's cut off! move the jungle juice somewhere else," he scolds and takes away your cup, replacing it with a cup of water.

chan walks into the kitchen and immediately goes over to you. "baby, you feeling okay?" he asks you.

"you can't call me that! you're not my channie!" you say to him and turn away. "seungkwan! help me!” you plead.

seungkwan groans in annoyance. "hey, just take her home already," he says to chan.

"i have to wait for her to sober up and realize that i’m actually myself. she’ll scream if i try to carry her," chan replies.

"hey, you!" you shout at chan, earning some attention from the people around you. "don't think about touching me! i'll throat chop you!"

chan looks around at whoever is listening, but most people already know the two of you are dating or know how you can get when you're drunk. others explain the situation to those who don’t know.

"baby..." chan sighs, "it's me. your channie," he says to you and grabs a new cup from a plastic sleeve. he pours water in from a gallon jug and places it on the table. he doesn't realize that you already have a water cup because there's about twenty cups on the table. "drink some water."

you stare at chan, trying to figure out if he is your boyfriend or not. "you're my channie?" you ask.

he smiles, "yea, it's me baby. now drink." he picks the solo cup up and puts it into your hands.

you manage to drink some water without spilling it everywhere and continue to hold the cup in your hands. chan looks around the kitchen, trying to find snacks or just something for you to nibble on. however, most of the food is already gone, and he doesn't know who lives in the house, so he doesn't want to take their snacks.

"hyung, is there anymore food?" chan asks seungkwan.

seungkwan looks over, "i think some other people ordered more pizzas, but i'm not sure," he answers before returning to a conversation with joshua.

chan goes back to you and sees you finishing the water in your cup.

"here, i got it," chan says and takes your cup from you. he pours more water into the cup for you.

"thanks," you reply. you get the cup back and drink some more. "hehe," you start laughing.

"what's so funny?" chan asks you.

"you look like my channie."

chan raises an eyebrow.

again?

"i do, huh?" chan replies. "drink some more water," he says to you. he grabs a folded up chair that is against a wall and unfolds it. he sits down next to you and turns his body to face you. "so i look like your channie?"

you nod, "yup. you're an exact copy of him." then you gasp. you lean in towards him, "are you an alien?"

chan leans in too, "an alien?" he replies.

"because you're an exact copy of him. did you come from outer space?" you question.

he shakes his head, "i'm not an alien. i'm your channie. i promise you that."

"ah, you're right. my channie would never be an alien. he's too handsome to be an alien," you say.

chan chuckles, "yea, you're right." he rests his elbow on the table and leans his head against his hand. you drink some more water as chan watches over you. he thinks to himself with a grin.

silly girl.

[lovemybluebully]

Salad is a Four Letter Word

Soooooo Venom seems to be popular again, especially with my new pal @ticklishdeadpool so this one is for you, buddy! 🍻

While I don't think I'm going to see the new movie I did decide to dig into my graveyard of abandoned fics. Found this WIP that I had started after the first movie came out and have now filled in all the gaps for your viewing pleasure. It was a little tricky as I haven't seen the movie in awhile, but hope I did okay. For that reason, I probably won't be writing anymore Venom fics for the current time, but at least this one will be out there now.

It's a totally nonsense-type of fic. lol Didn't really have anywhere that I was going with it so it had been abandoned, but still just fun, silly interactions between Eddie and Venom. With tickles of course! Me, write a fic without tickling? 🤣 Good one.

If you have a flesh-loving alien inside of you, you don't threaten to force him to eat salad. 😆

Venom (Movieverse)

Word Count: 2,546

"What are we doing here? We don't like this place."

Eddie let out an exasperated groan as he stood in the lobby of the hospital, waiting for the elevator to come back down.

"I already told you, Anne just wants to be safe and have Dan check me out. You know, just in case my body is having any adverse effects to you practically living inside me."

"We can assure you it is not," Venom gave an offended growl from inside of him just as the elevator doors opened.

"Yeah, well as much as I'd like to believe you we'll let the body scan decide that," Eddie nodded as he stepped into the elevator and pushed the button to the correct floor.

"Eddie doesn't trust us," the symbiote accused, prompting Eddie to roll his eyes as they moved up the floors of the building. For a powerful super alien from outer space he could sure be sensitive sometimes.

"Shut up, it's not that it's just that I need proof. I'm a reporter, and I like to have the facts."

"The fact is you're being a traitorous piece of shit."

The elevator finally stopped as they reached the selected floor and Eddie walked out into the hallway. He sighed heavily once he stopped in front of the door to Dan's office; his eyes looking up towards the ceiling as if trying to find his calm.

"Tell you what, if you behave here then we'll go get some McDonald's after this. Fair?"

"....Ok, deal. But lets make it a quick visit! I'm hungry!"

"You're always hungry," Eddie shook his head as he opened the door where the doctor and Anne were waiting.

"Hi Eddie, really nice to see you again," Dan welcomed him as he stood up from his desk and walked around to shake Eddie's hand.

"You too. Uh sorry we're late. My alarm didn't go off, and when I was trying to get out the door Venom was being his usual primadonna self and-Gaah!" Eddie grunted when a single symbiote tendril reached out and poked him in the ribs, just under the armpit.

"Keep talking, Eddie," Venom hissed threateningly; his head popping out from his host's back and wrapping himself over the wide shoulders.

"Well now I see who wears the pants in this relationship," Dan laughed, but it died out when Eddie gave him an annoyed glare, not finding his joke amusing in the slightest.

"It's a good thing you're a doctor and not a comedian."

"And it's a good thing you're a reporter and not a giant loser....oh wait," Venom snickered to himself while Eddie glared back at him.

"That's it. Deal's off."

"NOOOOO!!!" Venom wailed in sorrow as Eddie gave a smug grin and reconfirmed his earlier comment.

"See? Primadonna."

"Come on, guys, take it easy. This will all be quick and painless," Anne tried to break it up, though always finding their antics to be amusing.

"Yeah, it shouldn't be bad at all. Very standard procedure. So if you're ready we can get this all underway."

Eddie was then handed a hospital gown to change into as Dan led the way down to the lab.

.......................................

"Alright, buddy, we're gonna do an MRI now, and I know you don't like that so take a hike for a minute," Eddie instructed the alien as he gestured a thumb away from himself.

"Do I have to?"

"Just do it, would ya?"

"Ohhh ok," Venom grumbled as he seeped out of Eddie onto the floor, mostly forming into a blob, but with a serpent-like head extending out. Eddie blinked for a moment and then smirked down at the symbiote.

"You know, I never noticed how cute you actually look like that."

"We are not cute!" Venom glared up at him as Anne looked the symbiote over and nodded.

"You kinda are," she agreed with a grin, causing Venom to hiss and slither off out of the room.

"Well lets get this over with before Venom has a heart attack from not eating for thirty minutes," Eddie joked, purposely saying it loud enough for the alien to hear.

"It's been an hour, you prick!"

"Ooooh sorry, one whole hour! Someone better call CPS on me," Eddie rolled his eyes and climbed up onto the table. He then laid down with his arms at his sides as Anne looked back at Dan to give him the go ahead.

"Alright, we're all set. Here goes nothing," Dan said over the speaker as he controlled the conveyor to slide into the tube until only Eddie's legs and feet were sticking out, "Now try not to move and this won't take long."

"Got it," Eddie nodded, but with the position he was in Anne couldn't resist teasing him a little.

"Comfy in there?" Anne grinned playfully, running a finger up the bottom of Eddie's bare foot as the man yelped and jerked his leg.

"He-Hey! Well not when you do THAT!"

"Sorry, it's just too easy," she briefly tickled his other foot receiving another squawk of objection as Eddie pulled up his knees to put his feet flat on the table.

"Heehee, stop it!"

"Get him again, Anne," Venom goaded into the microphone from where he sat next to Dan inside the control room as Eddie yelled back at him.

"Shut your mouth, parasite!"

Dan was trying to remain professional, but had to use his hand to cover his mouth so he could hide his amused smile.

"Lay still, please. Anne, leave the patient alone."

Anne smirked, giving him a wink as she walked away to join Dan and Venom. Once he saw that she was at a safe distance Eddie put his legs back down.

A few moments later the machine came to life and began the in-depth scan, while the three observed on the monitors in the control room. After a minute of looking at the pictures on the screens Dan cleared his throat.

"Hmm. Well that's interesting...," the doctor trailed off in his thought, making Eddie assume something was wrong.

"What? What do you see?! He hasn't been snacking on my organs, has he?! Venom!"

"Actually everything looks perfectly normal. Organs are all intact, no restrictions in your blood flow, heart looks healthy, brain functions are top notch. All in all I'd say you check out just fine. It's incredible," Dan put his hands up in astonishment as he sat back in his chair.

"So you're saying that having Venom inside of him hasn't done any damage whatsoever?"

Anne was just as surprised to learn this new information as Dan shook his head in response.

"Not that I can see, no."

"Told you, pussy," Venom sneered haughtily, slithering out of the control room back into view while the conveyor drew Eddie out of the machine.

"Well that's a relief," Eddie sat up and immediately began putting his clothes back on, "Guess I can sleep better tonight knowing that this parasite inside me isn't leeching off of my body so much."

"That can easily change if Eddie keeps calling us names...," the symbiote growled as Eddie just shook his head with an amused smirk. Dan then walked out into the room, scribbling some notes onto a clipboard.

"Alright, well since we're all done with that it's safe for Venom to get back into your body now."

"Yes!" Venom whooped as he quickly hurled himself at Eddie, knocking him back onto the table.

"Hey! Watch it!" Eddie grunted as he then found himself forced off of the table to his feet.

"Come on, lets go Eddie! Now!" Venom shouted as he took control and yanked Eddie's body across the room towards the door much to the surprise of the other two.

"Uhh, goodbye?" Anne gave an awkwardly half-wave.

"I promised him McDonaaaaaaald's!" Eddie's voice faded as Venom violently drug him out of the room.

A SHORT WHILE LATER....

"Happy now?" Eddie asked with a sickened frown as he recanted watching Venom devour over ten quarter pounder cheeseburgers. The alien belched in response from inside of him as they walked down the sidewalk.

"Yes. That will probably hold us over for another hour or so."

"You know, you're a pretty expensive date," Eddie groaned as he looked into his wallet, only having a few dollars remaining now.

"Would you rather we ate a human instead?"

"Uhhh no, heh. No, I'd appreciate if you didn't do that," he laughed nervously as he glanced around at all the people on the busy street that Venom could easily snatch up if he so desired.

"Well then you shouldn't complain. Besides, you love us."

"In a really screwed up kinda way, yeah I guess so," Eddie smirked, "Now shut up, will ya? People are gonna think I'm crazy if they see me walking around and talking to myself."

"People already think we are crazy," Venom pointed out, making Eddie shake his head.

"Not complete strangers. Now not another word until we get back home. Got it?"

"But Eddie we can't stay quiet that long..."

Eddie just kept his mouth closed, pretending he didn't hear anything.

"Eddie...."

Still Eddie continued to ignore him

"EddieEddieEddieEddieEddie!"

Eddie just continued facing forward as he focused on getting back to his apartment down the street.

"Ignore me will you...," Venom then grinned slyly as he crept out underneath Eddie's jacket to stay unseen and then gently squeezed the man's shirt covered ribs, making his body jerk in an unusual fashion.

"Gggnnh! You little...!" Eddie yelled just as he was passing a mother with her child, who looked at him accusingly as she pulled her daughter closer and hurried on.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I didn't mean....Not her, I just....," he tried to explain himself as he stammered after them to no avail, hearing the mother mention something to the little girl about, 'That is why you don't do drugs'.

Venom chuckled at how perfect the timing of that had been as Eddie growled.

"Alright, very funny. Now stay still and stay quiet," he muttered, trying not to move his lips too much as his outburst had attracted some unwanted eyes.

He'd made it another half a block before his sides were being attacked again as he stumbled and clamped his arms down.

"Eeheehee!" He gave a high-pitched giggle, prompting some of the street vendors to give him odd looks as he blushed and tried to walk a little faster.

"Will you stop? You're making me look insane."

"Can we talk again?"

"No!" Eddie hissed, "Just keep your fucking mouth shut, and wait until we-Ehahahah!"

The tentacled goo dug into his armpits for a few moments as Eddie squirmed in place and laughed wildly.

"No, not there!" He yelped just as the tickling stopped, looking up to find people had paused on the street to stare at him with curious eyes.

"I uh...heh.....I'm just uhhh....," when he couldn't think of any kind of believable explanation he quickly just turned and walked away again.

"I hate you so much right now," he whispered loudly through gritted teeth, hearing Venom laugh from within and knowing he was getting a big kick out of making Eddie look like a fool.

"Think that's funny? Well guess who's eating nothing but salads for the next week or two."

Venom's snickers immediately were cut off as he was now silent for a moment.

".....You're bluffing," his voice was full of uncertainty and worry and that made Eddie smirk, knowing he had the upper hand now.

"Tickle me again and find out, fucker," Eddie threatened vaguely, and just let Venom stew in his thoughts for now about whether he was being serious or not.

It seemed to work as he had now made it a few blocks without incident, even stopping to have a nice chat with Mrs. Chen when he came across her sweeping up her store front.

"Evening, Mrs. Chen."

"Hello Eddie. Not going to buy a chocolate bar today like usual?"

"No, no chocolate. I was thinking about going on a diet actually," Eddie smirked slightly as he rubbed at his stomach.

"Ohhh, he's not going to like that," she smiled, referring to Venom and knowing that he was the one who had the sweet tooth.

"Well it's for his own good. Besides he's been misbehaving a lot lately so I had to put my foot down. Say you don't happen to sell any saHAAlads, do yoohou?" His body spasmed out of nowhere as the shop keeper gave him a concerned look.

"What's wrong, Eddie? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm f-INE! I'm juhust....Venom keeps....teehehehehee...I...I gotta go-ho, Mrs. Chen," Eddie stuttered through his giggles as he gave her a wave and continued on his way down the street.

"Don't worry, dear, he'll be back for that chocolate," Mrs. Chen called to Venom with a smile as the alien peeked out from under the back of Eddie's jacket and gave her a wink.

"V! What did I tell you?!" Eddie spat once they were out of earshot, "You really want to eat nothing but salads for a week?!"

All was quiet for a few moments before Venom finally gave a reply that made Eddie's skin crawl.

"Worth it."

A split second later and the tendrils were everywhere on his upper body; this time staying underneath his t-shirt to get directly at the bare skin. They were wriggling all over from his hips and belly all the way up his sides into his armpits, and there was nothing Eddie could do to try to hide his reactions.

The man was in a laughing fit now as he nearly fell over but managed to find his footing and continued to hurry down the sidewalk despite all the people staring at the hysterically laughing man as he went by. The tickling was unrelenting this time as he desperately looked for some kind of escape.

He finally was able to duck down an alleyway, stumbling and tripping over a garbage can as he went further down. After giving a brief look to make sure no one was around he collapsed with his back against a wall and shouted through his laughter.

"Okaaahaay! Okaahaahaaay! Hahahaha! You caahaan tahahalk agahahain! Now pleeeheease st....stop tihihickling meeheee!" His arms uselessly pressed to his sides as he kicked out and squirmed.

"And the salads.....?" Venom pressed with goo squirming up to tickle the reporter's sensitive neck as well, making him squeal out giggles.

"A johohoke! Juhuhust a johohohoke! Ahaahahaheeheehee! Plehehease buhuhuddy! I'm sohohorry!" Eddie shouted for mercy and was grateful when it was granted to him as he tried to calm down and get his breath back. Venom then popped out of his jacket to give him a shit-eating smile.

"Nice of you to come around, Eddie."

"....You're an asshole," Eddie glared playfully at him, giving him a small shove.

"Takes one to know one."

"Yeah? I thought I was a pussy?"

"Yes, but you're our pussy," the symbiote replied as Eddie's face gradually twisted in revulsion.

"Uhhh, thanks? I mean, that hardly sounds like a compliment, but thanks?"

"The best pussy we've ever had," Venom grinned proudly, in his mind thinking that had sounded better as Eddie only sighed and put his face in his palms.

"Please stop."

"Definitely the biggest."

"You can still eat me, right?"

[lowkeyrobin]

GALLY ; meet me in outer space

summary ; enemies to lovers w gally

warnings ; language, guns, violence

disclaimers ; I literally can't write enemies to lovers lmao

word count ; 916

track ; stellar, incubus

requested by ; @isabellar

masterlist

Reuniting with Gally was awful. First, you had to discover that he was in fact still alive, then have to share a fucking sleeping space with him overnight. You both slept in hammocks, sadly next to each other, on the third floor of the little revolution group building that Lawrence had built.

You didn't know nor care about any of this, you just wanted Minho back and to get the hell out.

You'd hated him ever since the maze, before Thomas. He'd always find some way to nit pick you at your job, make snarky remarks, be all conservative to the rules even when it was just harmless fun, how he killed Chuck.

"Look, I'm sorry. I was infected, I wasn't acting in myself, like a parasite was using me as a host and driving my body while I was trapped behind my eyes." Gally speaks, "Can we meet in the middle here and make up so we can go help Minho?"

"Meet me in outer space, Gally." You roll your eyes, clearly not interested in making amends. He killed a kid, and you clearly weren't keen on letting that go, plus all the weird leader bullshit he tried pulling before you escaped the Glade and the maze itself.

He lightly sighs, watching you walk away, awaiting Thomas to arrive with Teresa in his hands so you could interrogate her. Thankfully, he did return with her, she's then tied to a chair while she's knocked out, the rest of you just waiting for her to wake up.

She thankfully does awaken, instantly confused at the presence of Gally, whom she thought was dead.

"We're gonna make this nice and simple" Gally begins as he stands up, having been leaning on the table you all sat beside. "Where's Minho?"

"I- You guys don't seriously think?-" She looks to Thomas, quickly annoying Gally.

He grabs a chair, sets it in front of her backward, and sits down in it. "Don't look at him. Look at me. Why are you looking at him? He isn't gonna help you"

You can't help but hide a grin, appreciating his sternness that he shows Teresa. She wasn't any better than him in your eyes, so you appreciated what you could when you saw the traitor be scolded or reprimanded. She didn't deserve to be able to torture kids for a living under the excuse to find a cure.

He stood up, setting the chair back at the table as they'd worked on an agreement to get the tracking chips removed from your necks to be able to actually infiltrate WCKD without immediately being caught. You wanted to thank Gally, but you really just couldn't. Even though that weird, overblown hatred for Gally had calmed, you couldn't show it.

You give him a light pat on the shoulder as you pass, a silent thanks in the interaction. He nods, slightly confused and surprised, but definitely doesn't take it for granted.

Over the course of the next few hours, you come to terms with the fact that you were really just being dramatic about most parts of why you disliked Gally, and how you through things out of proportion. You realized those emotions had become weird, confused, and tied together, confusing your brain and your heart.

You wanted to go and just ask how he made you feel the way you did, but you couldn't just upright ask that.

But you did ask the next night anyways while you infiltrated WCKD to save Minho and all the rest of the kids they were testing on.

You'd just watched him put a gun to a guards neck, demanding information. You couldn't help but stare a little, having to drag your attracted gaze away.

"How do you do it?" You mutter, reloading your gun as you watch him get his clear safety glasses on, planning to burn through the lock to reach the temporary cure to the Flare Virus.

You're left alone as Thomas, Newt, and Teresa go to find Minho, leaving you with the large group of tweens. After breaking through, he hands you the bag he filled of the small vials of blue liquid, trusting you to protect it.

Jesus, Thomas. Why put you with the guy you hated on this rescue mission?

As you run down to the parking garage to meet up with Brenda, you hand the bag of temporary cure to a kid in the front, charging him with the duty to protect it at all costs. You reach said bus, loading them up before running around the compound to find the missing trio.

"How do you do it?" You ask Gally, pulling down your WCKD gaurd mask.

"What?" He asks confused. "Don't break out into song, this isn't the Glade"

You snort back a laugh. "You make me feel weird, Gally. In a good way. I don't know how you do it, but I don't like it"

He quickly takes the hint, smirking behind his mask. "Sounds like a you problem. You wanna meet in outer space to meet in the middle now?"

"Sure. I'll hold you tight if you're scared of heights," you tease, nudging his shoulder. "You are stellar"

He rolls his eyes, knowing you couldn't see his reaction. "I'm wondering if that started behind the gas mask you re-met me in, or in this"

"The enemy's gear"

"What a punch to the face, damn"

"Oh, like what Thomas did to you!"

"Okay, calm down"

"Fragile ego warning"

[circlebuttons]

Blacklisted- Rafe Cameron x reader

A/N: I will probably rewrite this but i have so many finished fics that are taking up space

On the coolest day of the heatwave that had struck the outer banks all you wanted was to go smoke in the woods, but when your usual plug and five more after him ghost you, it only takes a little bit of poking around to figure out why.

You leave the last rickety trailer that was your last attempt at buying weed, slamming the door to your little car hard enough to make it shake and floor it all the way Tannyhill, where all of your problems stem from.

You push through the front door and stomp all the way upstairs, running into Barry coming out of the hallway bathroom as you rush towards the patio.

"Country club! Your girlfriends here!" Barry immediately blocks your path and calls for Rafe at the sight of your furrowed brows and clenched fist.

"Not his girlfriend" you mumble, pushing past him and walking towards the patio table you thought Rafe would be around .

Before you can push open the glass doors Barry grabs hold of your wrist, "You know you can't go over there"

You look down at his hand over your wrist let out a heavy sigh, "Oh my god Barry, be for real."

"What's wrong baby?" Rafe's voice comes from behind you two and is sweet and full of concern as if he doesn't know why you're paying him a visit. Your heads to snap towards the corner he comes around. You can see the scowl forming on his face as he slowly lifts Barry's hand off your wrist with a raised eyebrow.

"Not letting your "not girlfriend" bum rush my stash" He responds throwing up his hands in a surrender and throwing himself down in the furthest patio chair.

Rafe brushes him off, putting all of his attention on you as his hands reach down to hold you at your waist. "No kiss?" he asks, cocking his head to the side, finding it strange that you didn't greet him with much affection, regardless of your relationship status.

"Did you tell every goddamn dealer on this island to not sell to me?" You ask him, looking up with a cold pointed stare.

"Who were you tryna buy from?" He fires back almost instantly, ignoring your question completely.

"Hey dumbass! Don't answer a question with a fucking question" You spit out at him, while pushing at his chest to create distance.

Barry stands from his chair and mumbles, "Should I just go?"

"Sit. I'm leaving soon." You tell him pointing back at the chair, then turning back to your ex boyfriend, "Rafe."

"Baby, you know I-" He cuts himself off with a sigh, instantly raising a red flag to you that he was looking for a cop out answer.

"Go ahead and lie, so I can punch you dead in your shit" The threat is empty, you and Rafe had your own issues seeing as he was emotionally abusive and you were just as much verbally, which often included passionate threats.

Your angers fuels his own as he raises his voice back, "Oh my god fucking sue me if I did! You cant trust what anybody sells"

"You Motherfucker! You know I only buy weed" you go to hit at his chest again, but he doges you, lightly grabbing your wrists.

"These days can't trust that either." He says with a hint of a smirk growing on his face when you pull your hands away from him.

"Jesus Christ, I fucking hate you" You walk away from him shaking your head, causing him to follow you closely behind.

"Who put all this in your head anyways, who were you tryna buy from?" He asks again, head hanging over your shoulder.

His question and even the causality of his tone makes you turn around at an instant. "I'm not your girlfriend anymore, why the hell do you care?"

"Yo dumbass, you cant answer a question with a question" He responds with your own words, almost making your eye twitch at the sound of it.

The weight in the room increases, making Barry throw his head in his hands and groan to himself, "fucking headaches."

You both ignore him, as you swallow the hypocritical hurt of having Rafe talk to you in the same manner. "Sharky snitched on your bitch ass instantly" You're no longer yelling at him, but your words are laced with venom.

Rafe pushes his tounge against the inside of his mouth as he silently signals to Barry to get up. You just as quickly make him sit back down, not wanting your favorite alternative dealer to be tracked down and harassed because of your messy relationship.

Rafe watches you closely as you force Barry to sit, "Sharky really? You know I don't want you around him." You can tell you've struck bigger nerve of his by the way he fidgets. You have no inkling of attraction towards this other guy, but man do you like to see Rafe sweat.

"Oh really?" You dramatically throw your head to the side "Well I didn't like you around that slutty kook but she made her way into your lap eventually, so I actually don't give two shits about what you want." you complete the statement with over the top hand gestures.

His eyes close and he breathes through his nose, "You're still stuck on that?"

"Like glue sweetheart." your tone is condescending as you make clear you're firm in your beliefs.

Rafe runs his fingers through his hair frustrated and then calls for his uncomfortable friend with wild hand gestures "Barry was there! He can tell you nothing happened"

Barry lifts his head up from his hands, "I-"

"Barry shut the fuck up!" you immediately dismiss him, and turn back to Rafe "and you can go to hell!"

"Don't yell at Barry! Or me! I didn't fuck her!" he basically screams out of frustration.

"I didn't say you did, unless you have something you need to admit Rafe." You stand firm with your arms crossed.

Screaming is getting him no where, he pinches the bridge of his noise and starts to speak with artificial calmness. "I did not cheat on you, I was high, all I did was sit there."

"This time." you mutter rolling your eyes.

"This time? Should we talk about what you did on the main land or are you just gonna tell me to shut the fuck up" he says putting his fist on his hips as his composure starts to slip again.

"Shut the fuck up Rafe, she left a hickey on your neck for fucks sake! I let one guy do a body shot off me and you're about to bury yourself"

"Hey Bar, did that pouge or did that pouge not basically lick salt off her tits before said body shot, because I know I'm not crazy?"

"She told me to shut the fuck up." he says definitively.

"My god" Rafe exhales annoyed.

"Yeah, my god. I have shit to do, if i can't get a pre roll by tonight it's both of your asses." you say, turning around to leave. In your peripheral you can see barry throw his arms up at being tied in with rafe.

"You can be mad at me for keeping my girl safe." He says shrugging his shoulders, forming his words in a way that twists the narrative, like usual.

"Bullshit! You don't care about my safety, you care about control." you turn back around to accuse him, "You don't want me buying weed from anyone else, why? Because you were just my dealer too until we fucked raw? Or is it just because you're so desperate for me to talk to you."

"I do care about your safety, that's not bullshit." he say's obviously annoyed, blatantly ignoring everything else you said.

"You're a piece of shit Rafe Cameron." As soon as you say it you know you don't mean it but relentless verbal assault never fails to egg him on in arguments, without it he just gives you smug answers and brushes you off, pretending to be nonchalant.

Your insult is exactly what tips him over the edge. "You've stayed on the opposite side of the island for a month! We've broken up a thousand times and you've never gone no contact. What type of shit is that? You just want me to be okay with not seeing you? talking to you?" This time when he yells his eyes widen, no longer flashing the same crazy in his eyes that used to filled you with adrenaline, but instead filled with hurt. You cutting contact had genuinely hurt him and he obviously didn't know how to handle it.

"I don't know what to do anymore rafe. We aren't healthy for each other. We both have a lot of growing to do that can't happen if we don't set boundaries. I need space Rafe, please." You plead with him, desperately missing how fast he usually is to crumble at your pleases.

"I gave you space for a whole month and I know it doesn't depend on my terms but it's torture for me. I won't text you or call you or pop up anywhere, but can you at least come here every so often to get your weed, free of charge." He's speaking to you softly and before you know it you're letting him hold you by your waist, but the little voice in the back of your head is incessant to remind you that you can't just kiss and make up. Boundaries need to be set.

"I don't want handouts from you, I don't want to have to do anything for your sake. I want to be able to go buy drugs or do normal shit without property of rafe cameron on my forehead"

"I get it. You don't want me controlling you wether we're together or not, and I may have had a lapse in judgment" he says anxiously rubbing at the nape of his neck.

"You always have a lapse in judgment, then you apologize and expect everything to be fine" you add, starting to bite at your lips

"Baby, i'm trying" he pleads.

"If you're really trying you'd respect my boundaries even when we're broken up."

He pauses at the last part "Okay, I hear you, i'll genuinely try to"

"Thank you" you huff out, relieved to finally reach a satisfying point in the conversation.

"I'm sorry for being controlling and blacklisting you." Rafe apologizes, his thumb making circles on your lower back as he does.

"Apology accepted, I'm sorry for all the name calling." You meekly apologize as well.

"Apology accepted, I still don't want you going no contact though" he adds kissing your forehead.

"I just told you space is healthy for us" you whine hitting his shoulder

"Space and becoming nonexistent are two different things." He says firmly and you look up at him with knowing eyes.

"I won't cut all contact if you don't invade my privacy" you tell him, bartering for your peace.

"I've learned my lesson, I won't. Promise"

"So I can go buy weed on my part of the island now?" you ask hopefully.

"No. Those guys are paid off for a while sweetheart." he smirks

"Rafe."

"You don't even have to talk to me. I'll silently hand it to you and you can leave immediately after. Just let me see you, please."

"Okay, but let barry get it. I'm still mad and I still don't want shit from you"

"I hear you princess" he responds with his hands surrendered, "I really am sorry" he speaks softly before pulling your chin up and kissing you. It's sad how quickly you open your mouth and let his tongue swipe through.

"I know, 'm still not your girlfriend." you tell him breaking the kiss before he can deepen it any more.

"I know" he says under his breath quickly before reconnecting your lips and letting his hands travel down your back.

"Why'd y'all break up again?" Barry asks, bringing your pre rolls to you per request.

"Can't stop cheating on each other." You both say simultaneously as you take them from his hand and put them in your purse.

[copperbadge]

Hello! I recently moved to Chicago for a job. As a local, do you have any recommendations for which museums and/or attractions to check out, and which to skip or leave for later? I’ve only been to the art institute so far, but I had a really nice time! Also, your resume tips helped me out a lot, so thanks for that!

Sorry for the delay in reply to this! I definitely wanted to respond sooner but some answers take longer than others :D

I did a bit of a writeup here recently so that's some starter reading, but let me just do a quick rundown of the big museums...

Art Institute -- you've already been so you know it's world-class! Make sure that when you're in the modern wing (as you enter) you look left, there's a whole bunch of galleries to the left that often go unexplored. Also in the original wing, at the main staircase, make sure you go downstairs to explore, the Thorne rooms are down there and so is the paperweight collection if they ever open it again.

Museum of Science and Industry -- always a great time, still has lots of weird old exhibits, but it's also easy to get lost in, so don't plan to see everything your first time out. This is especially fun to take visiting guests to. Don't miss the daily chick-hatching!

Field Museum -- even older and weirder than the MSI, but you can get a little trapped in exhibits (sometimes the only way in or out is to walk a long ways) so conserve your energy. The new Sue exhibit is kind of tucked back on an upper floor but DO NOT miss it, the light show is super fun.

Chicago History Museum -- you know I still haven't been? They have a great cafeteria, I've eaten there :) I'm given to understand it's a really fun museum.

Shedd Aquarium -- I like the Shedd but eh, it's an aquarium. The tickets on the website are pricey but if you buy in person there's a "just the fishes" option for like $8, problem is you usually have to stand in line for a while to get it.

Adler Planetarium -- it's fun, but unless you're a nut for outer space, the highlight is the planetarium show; I'd save this one for a rainy weekend when you just want to wander somewhere.

I truly love the dumb little Money Museum at the Fed, but I think it's still closed. If it isn't, it's a great way to spend an afternoon, lots of fun money to look at, but you will need legal ID and you have to go through a metal detector on your way in, so be prepared for that.

The Garfield Park Conservatory is a fantastic botanical garden; go in summer so you can enjoy the large outdoors space. If you go in the morning, they sometimes let you help feed the koi fish in the indoor ponds.

Lincoln Park Zoo is a lovely mainly-outdoor zoo, and has a lot of events, even in the colder months (zoolights, for example, and they have a summer 5K where I personally almost died from running but refused to let the camels witness that).

As you settle into the city you'll become more aware of what there is to see and do; you pick up a kind of rhythm of the place, so I do think just getting out and looking around the city is a good way to find fun activities. Chinatown (red line Chinatown stop) is fun to shop and eat in, and a great way to learn about the parks is to attend some movies in the parks this summer.

Welcome to the city and I hope you love it here!

[daddysfangirls-dc]

UnTamed Ch.19

Damian Wayne x OC!Female

Prev | Next

"It has potential," Jason said as he stepped over some broken floorboards. 

"It needs work," Asta said, lifting her cloak as she tiptoed across the weak floors. I don't smell mold. The roof and outer walls are intact. That's all good." She watched rats scurry across the floors. It was an abandoned apartment building sitting between Crime Alley and the Narrow. They plan to renovate it and put it to use.

They were still debating the use. Of course, they wanted it to house people, but the kind of people was the argument. Jason didn't want to put any stipulations on allowing all people in the building who needed it. Asta didn't want sex workers, drug dealers, or drug users. She had no problems with these people. Their activities and professions, however, were dangerous.

She had first had accounts of sex workers and drug dealers being followed and attacked by clients she didn't want to endanger the other residents. As for the drug users, they use and sometimes overdose; children didn't need to see that. Sometimes, they got desperate and stole. These people were already at rock bottom. They don't need their junkie neighbor stealing what little they have. And she witnessed enough dealers vs users fights to know housing them together wasn't a good idea. 

Asta figured they'd find or make housing for them elsewhere. Honestly, the argument didn't matter at the moment. It was the middle of late winter, and the snow was still piled high. Nothing could be done until the snow started to clear.

"This could be a room for the children. A playroom or daycare, perhaps?" 

"Perhaps? You talk like Damian."

"What's wrong with that?" she looked to the corner of the room where the ceiling had caved in. The damage was heavy. 

"Damian sounds fancy and talks as such." he steps over the debris to get a closer look. " You, however, have a street accent. It's just... sounds funny. Not trying to make fun of you or-"

" You think you can hurt me," she says as she looks out a broken window. There's a lot of space out back, and they could make a playground. I don't wear clothes, I walk around bear-footed, I can't... I've heard or thought of worse," she chuckles to herself. She had a lot of experience with Gotham's cruelty. 

"The Basement could be a laundry room," Damian said. He smirked at Jason's flinch.

" What are you doing here?" he was ignored.

" You'll have to order new machines and clean up the needles."

Asta approached him, giving him a peck on the cheek. " It needs more than a clean-up, Damian. Why are you here?"

"To see you and what you're working with. Also, Dick wants some sibling bonding. He and  the others are waiting in the car." 

Jason groaned before and started making his way outside. "

I don't—" he showed her a bag before she could finish. There went her excuse. " I made sure they were soft and comfortable." She dropped her cloak and pulled a dress from the bag. " It's soft cotton." She slipped on the grey sweater dress. It was soft and thick and stopped just above her knees. He pulled out a pair of socks and black boots that stopped just below her knees. 

"Do I look civilized?" 

"You look beautiful."

"Why dresses?" Asta asked. She noted that it was always a dress whenever Damian brought her clothes. No matter the season, weather, or occasion, it was always a dress. And Damian did indeed have reasons.

"You don't like clothes. Dresses are flowing and easy to remove once you tire of them." how thoughtful. She smiled and took his arm as he led her out of the building. 

-

"It's an Arcade," Dick said. "We can see that, stupid," Jason said, walking past him with the others. 

"What's your favorite game?" Duke asked, falling behind to walk with Asta and Damian." Um, cheese Viking," she said, although it was the only thing she played, so there were no other references. " Cheese Viking, really?" she shrugged. " They have one somewhere around here. Maybe you can beat Damian's score." She looked at Damian.

"Challenge accepted," Damian smirked before taking her hand and leading her away. 

Duke smiled as he watched the couple disappear into the crowd, looking for the game.

" Never would I have imagined Demon brat with a girl," Tim said as he stood with his other siblings watching Dick and Cassandra play air hockey.

" I always thought whoever he did end up with would be as crazy or weird as him, " Steph said 

"That's the problem," Jason said. " The moment you stop calling him crazy and Demon brat, you'll remember he's just a kid. It's quite easy to see they're just weird kids." with that said, he and Duke walked off to play an open shooting game together.

"Cute," Cassandra said as she looked at the young couple. She was just as competitive as Damian if her focus said anything. Damian looked very entranced with her. Finish their game, Dick approached the couple, who were now arguing. 

"Luck"

"Well then, call me Lady Luck because I just beat your score." 

"How about a rematch, Lady Luck?"

"how about you give others a chance to play," Dick said. 

"We have Cheese Viking at home." Damian whispered, " Let's find another game." 

They found a motorcycle game Damian vs. Tim. While Dick and Asta watched. 

"How did you meet him?" he asked. She smiled. " he was working... work? He caught me stealing from thieves. Robin Hood situation, he let it slide when I told him why-we met off and on during his work until he finally decided I was a friend. We were near inseparable after that." she looked on at him in adoration.

"How did he get you to be his girlfriend?" she turned to him, confused.

" He asked?"

"No, I mean, how did he do it?"

"why? Need advice? I'd talk to Alfred," she teased. " Lunch. He got me a fancy dress, took me to a fancy lunch, and told me his feelings had changed and grown, and he wanted to proceed into a possibility. A romantic relationship. His exact words. I said okay, and here we are," she said almost breathlessly.

Dick smiled as he thought about it. It definitely sounded like Damian. He could imagine Damian speaking in his posh tone, treating it more like a business meeting. All stiff and proper until she agreed. He couldn't imagine how he relaxed, though. He couldn't imagine Asta relaxed either. The only he'd ever seen her as relaxed was when she was unconscious. Any other time she was tense or anxious. They could always see it. She was never calm or relaxed despite everything they tried. Alfred hinted at seeing her relaxed but never told how.  Even now, Dick could see her anxiously pulling at her dress.

Despite her smile, she wasn't comfortable here. " Have you ever played Pac-Man?" he asked, maybe he could distract her. 

"I've heard of it."

-

Hours later, the group found themselves in a pizza parlor indulging in an amount of grease Alfred would not approve of. But everyone was enjoying themselves, so maybe he'd let it slide. 

"Alright, I see it now," Tim said. " You two are a perfect competitive match."

"Yes, we've come together to kick your butt," Asta said smugly. The others laughed and teased him. It was then that she noticed.

She arrived at the manor. Asta had been having trouble with her empath abilities, being emotionally overwhelming all the time but hiding so as not to be upset or seem rude. She focused on one person's emotions, usually Damian or Alfred. Damian was aware of her abilities and tried to help. And Alfred was simply more put together than others and held his emotions as such. They were easy to cling to.

But here she was now, surrounded by all his siblings, clinging to no one for the first time since entering the manor. She was taking in all their emotions (aside from Bruce and Alfred), and she was doing fine. She felt their joy, amusement, and love, and it felt so good. She felt so good.

Turning to Damian, she grins and takes his hand, engulfing him in the surrounding happiness she felt. He gasps at the sudden feelings. He grins, too, turning to her and pulling her into a kiss. Just a peak, but it was enough to have his siblings cooing and teasing. They did not care because with that one peck she felt all his love. 

[gvfmarge]

Lighthouse of my Soul - Chapter 2

Heeelllooooooo everyone! Here’s chapter two! It’s a bit longer and hopefully intriguing, go read part one first if you haven’t already! Why do you think poor Jake wants to talk to her so bad? 🤭

I have so much planned for this story. If you’d like to be tagged, just let me know! I’ll try to crank these out as fast as I can, but there’s two kiddos sucking the life out of me everyday. Again, go easy on me, I don’t actually know what I’m doing! Read chapter one here.

Warnings: Talks of mentally abusive parents. Cussing. Spooky?

(Ghost)Jake x Reader

You started the day out with stocking your fridge. Due to the lack of cabinet space or a pantry, you found a cute wooden bookshelf that would have to suffice for your dry goods. You wandered along the small local owned thrift stores and the handful of chain stores that the island provided. There isn't much on the Outer Banks. During the summer, it gets pretty busy. It's a hot spot for tourists that just want a slower pace in paradise. 

If you needed anything more than the Food Lion could accommodate, you'd have to travel across the bridge back to the main land. There were several fast food restaurants up north but the further south you get, the less and less likely you're going to find anything quick to eat. 

You had picked up two folding chairs that the Dollar General had that would have to do for seating in your living room and the cardboard boxes would have stick around a while longer as your coffee table. 

Wandering through the thrift stores, you had found several cute mix matched plates and glass cups as well as a few vintage paintings to hang up. 

You had been exploring all day and finally made your way back to the tiny cottage around dusk. Walking up the deck stairs to the front door you looked through the glass pane straight through your living area and through the back doors glass. You noticed a small red flickering flame hovering in the Adirondack chair that sat on the other side of the house. You stopped in your tracks and stared, mouth agape. What is that? Your mind racing and heart pounding harder and harder with each second. Do you walk around the wrap around deck to sneak up on the sight? Do you just stare? Do you turn around and bolt it back to your car and drive away and never return? 

You were still for a few more moments until you snapped yourself out of the terrified gaze. You slowly lowered your grocery bags onto the weathered deck wood and tried to sneakily creep your way around the corners of the house. As you came to the back side of the house, the strong salty night breeze rushed through your hair, making you gasp to catch your breath. The goosebumps returned, just like they had last night. You slowly peaked around the corner of the house, trying to make yourself unseen. But alas, no one and nothing was there. You blinked a few times trying to focus your eyes to where you had seen the red flame but still, there was nothing. You slowly walked to the chair where it had been, taking in your surroundings incase there was an intruder or someone there to do no good. As you inched closer and closer to the chair, the strong aroma of tobacco filled your lungs once more.

Was someone just using my deck to smoke? Your mind wandered to all the possibilities. You wracked your brain hard to try and remember exactly what you saw. You were positive there was not a figure sitting in your chair, you would have noticed the outline or a shadow if there had been. What was the light? Where did it go? You stood there wondering what you had gotten yourself into. Was someone there to play tricks on you? Try to scare you away? The locals on the island aren't particularly fond of the tourists or outsiders moving here, they try their hardest to keep the island as natural as possible. That was your only possible reasoning. There's no way the smell of tobacco would linger if there wasn't someone here smoking. Maybe they had come up from the beach and needed a place to sit? You tried to calm your mind and think only the best case scenario. 

You peaked around the other side of the cottage, to make sure no one was lurking and waiting on you to come back for your groceries. Once you deemed yourself alone, you let yourself inside and began stocking your fridge and cute bookshelf with the items you had picked up. 

After finally getting everything sorted and put away and changing into your comfy flower pajamas, you sat down in one of your new fold up chairs in your barren living room to watch TV. You had finished the dinner you had picked up from a local restaurant and were lazily scrolling through your phone and somewhat paying attention to the show when you heard faint music. You thought maybe it was just something playing in the background of the show you were watching until it changed to a commercial. You realized the soft guitar had never stopped. Your eyes grew wider as you realized the music was coming from upstairs. You hesitated to reach for the remote to mute the TV. Maybe if you just ignored it, it never happened? You did eventually turn the TV off all together and sat silently listening to the acoustic guitar that you know you don't own being played up the stairs. “Could there be anything else this house cannot do.” As fast as it slipped from your mouth, you quickly wish you hadn't said it out loud. The guitar came to an abrupt halt and you felt your chest tighten, you felt like if you even dared to breathe, whoever or whatever would come for you. 

After a pause, you heard the footsteps begin. You followed the sound with your eyes on the ceiling underneath the typewriter room. They started from where the desk is in the room and made their way to the door, you did not hear the door open but you know you have kept it shut since moving in, the footsteps continued to the top of the stairs and they almost bounced down the steps, like a playful child would when coming down for Saturday breakfast. You swallowed the lump that had formed in your throat and knew that this may be it. Whatever has been haunting you since you moved in would finally win. You could hardly keep your eyes open, whatever it was, you did not want to see it appear from the stairs. You did not want to face it. 

You waited. You thought that whoever was coming down the stairs for you should have made it to you by now, but you felt no one. You heard no one. The footsteps seemed to have disappeared after they reached the bottom floor. Your eyes had been screwed so tight that they were starting to hurt, slowly opening your eyes and peaking through your lashes, you were alone. 

The air finally escaping your lungs made you slump over. You had never felt fear in this way. This was supposed to be your home. You wanted to get away from the real monsters and people in your life that had made your worst fears come true, why did you have to endure even more fear in the one place you thought would be safe. 

His POV 

Why isn't she seeing me?! You paced the floor in the typewriter room. This was your safe space, where you created music and wrote love letters. Where you spent most of your time, listening to the ocean waves and reading about pirates and far away lands. 

I've tried everything I know, but she still is so afraid of me! You ran your index finger and thumb across the stubble on your top lip. Slamming your hands down on the desk that sat under the window, you stared out to the sea. I can't believe she's finally here and I have no way to be with her. Your eyes grew misty with the thought that you might scare her away before you even got the chance to tell her. What if she never saw me? What if we just coexisted in this house without ever being able to communicate?

The image of her sitting in the chair as you waltzed down the stairs to greet her is burned into your mind. Her eyes so tightly shut that it looked like it pained her, her white knuckles clenched around the seat and her shoulders visibly shaking with fear. This is not what you meant to do to her. You just wanted to talk with her, show her that you were also here, share your space with her. You replayed the night that you were typing your thoughts away on the typewriter; you heard her make her way down the stairs and had smirked when you realized she was up late into the night. The grin on your face fell when you heard the loud crash of her fall to the bottom of the stairs. You instantly made your way to her side, checking to make sure she was uninjured. You helped her make her way back to bed and watched her fall back into a restful sleep. She looked so beautiful and peaceful. Her long, wavy blonde hair draped over her shoulders and the slight snore coming from her lips made you finally feel that you were no longer alone. Maybe, you could find a way to keep her. But, when she awoke that morning you knew she had no memory of what happened. All she remembered was fear. Fear that you had instilled in her and hammered deeper and deeper with everyday that she had been here. 

How will I fix this? I have to fix this! You stayed in your room, doing your best to make himself invisible. Just give her time, Jake. She'll come around. She has to.

Your POV

The house had been quiet the last couple of days, which you were very thankful for. You started your new position at the newspaper tomorrow and you wanted a clear mind to start off on a positive note. You had searched through your closet for your first day outfit and decided on a pair of dark green flowy pants and a nice beige button down that you decided to tuck in, just in the front. You were going to curl loose waves in your hair and finish off with light makeup, you wanted to make a good first impression. You hoped that this temporary job would turn into a permanent position with the newspaper. 

You had everything hanging up on the frame to your closet and had made overnight oats for a quick grab and go breakfast. The cold brew was ready in the fridge and you had tidied up the house as much as you could in its current state. 

You felt ready, you felt excited. You were hoping you weren't the youngest employee there, but being that this is a small town, you weren't sure who you would meet. You spent the afternoon lounging on your deck, diving into your newly started romance novel. The hot June sun beating down on your skin and the ocean breeze was just enough to keep you cool. This was peace. You felt like you were living a dream and you felt in the back of your mind that you may wake up and you would be back home, living in your nightmare. 

You hadn't heard from any of your family since you moved. Which does not bother you, when you told them you had been offered the job here, they scoffed at even the thought and basically told you, you would fail. You were here to prove them wrong. You knew what you were capable of. You just had to dig deep and find the woman that you knew you were. You had to heal your inner child and tell her that you would make it out, you would make something of yourself, you would not be who they said you were. The years and years of mental abuse had wore you down to the point that you didn't even know if you were capable of living a happy life. You had internalized every hateful and spiteful comment that your parents had ever said to you, packaging it all up into a box inside your mind and it felt like you would never be able to throw it away. 

Your stomach rumbled as you continuously flipped page after page. Finally giving in to the feeling, you walked back inside to put together something for lunch. 

Jake's POV

You sat quietly in the Adirondack chair beside her. Taking in her beauty as she intently focused on her book. Something a little risqué you gathered from the way her lips would curl up every now and then as her right eyebrow tweaked up, she would shift in her seat and continue reading. You silently sat with her and watched the waves crash against the sand, following the few passerby as they walked down the beach. Wondering their life story. Were they happy? Did they have a family? Pets? What did they do for work? Did they live here or were they on vacation? A few times you created their own little stories in your head. The couple holding hands and walking through the newly wet sand had just been married. They decided to visit the island as a small honeymoon, not wanting anything too extravagant. They liked the history behind the island and loved to visit the multiple lighthouses and learn about the locals. 

The old man that was seen carrying his fishing pole came here to fish. From sunrise to sunset he was on the beach surf fishing. The rest of his family back at their vacation rental or shopping around. He wasn't sure, all he wanted to do was sit on the tranquil beach and throw his fishing line. He didn't mind if all he caught were skates or puffer fish, he just enjoyed the peace that the ocean brought him. He may sort through a few shells every now and then and pick out the prettiest ones to take back to his daughters that  night when he finally decided to call it a day and have dinner with them. 

You returned your gaze to her, still sitting cross legged in the large wooden chair. She suddenly closed her book and stood up to walk inside, she stopped at the deck railing and looked out over the sea. Taking in a deep breath of the salty air, her lips upturned in pure bliss. You hoped to see more of this side of her. There was something so magnetic about her, you couldn't help but want to be with her. Even if she was terrified of you, even if she had no idea you were there. 

You followed her in the glass door and took a seat on one of the fold up chairs in the living room. What a strange choice of furniture you thought as you tried to get comfy. She casually strolled around the kitchen, collecting random things from the fridge and shelves to put something together for her lunch. 

She finally made her way into the living area with you and sat down in the matching black chair beside you. She reached down and turned on the TV, satisfied with whatever came on first. Should I say something? You thought to yourself. I don't want to scare her. God you're being such a creep Jake, why are you just following her around like a stalker, you're trying to get to know her not murder her.

You sat beside her until she eventually got up to put her bowl in the sink. You felt awkward, you knew this was ridiculous. She really can't tell that I'm here too?

Her POV

The day was finally here. You woke up to your alarm ringing at 7am, the soft sunlight shining in on your face and lighting up your bedroom. You waisted no time getting up and dressed. Brushing your teeth and fixing your hair and makeup just the way you had imagined. You were so thankful that you had premade your oats and coffee the day before, you were running a bit later than you anticipated. 

Quickly sliding into your car you backed out of the short driveway and made your 15 minute commute to the new job that you were hoping would be the big break you were needing in life. The drive to the office was beautiful. The Pamlico sound on one side of the two lane highway and the ocean crashing on the other. You were amazed that this tiny sliver of an island had made it this long and had gained the attention that it had. You thought back to a childhood vacation you had years ago, when a hurricane had come through and flooded the area. The ocean had come across the sliver of island and washed out the highway between Hatteras and Nags Head. The highway was completely underwater and broken up. The residents to the south of the island had to be ferried in tiny boats back and forth for groceries and supplies for months. It was wild that anyone would choose to reside here, but then again, here you were. 

You pulled your car into the parking lot of the small building, adorned with plain black letters Hatteras Island Newspaper. A smile crept across your face, this all still not feeling real. You took a few deep breaths and made your way into the building.

You immediately noticed the musky smell of the main room that was wall to wall in 70s wood paneling. The carpet probably hadn't been changed since it was built and was a dark burgundy color. The sudden sound of the glass door shutting behind you caught the attention of the young woman sitting behind the large wooden desk to the right of the room. Across from her desk, the wall was lined with chairs you would think would be more suited for a doctors office. Above the chairs, the wall was lined with framed front pages that had large pictures of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse being moved from its original spot and aerial pictures of Highway 12 when it had washed out due to the hurricane. 

"Hello! Can I help you?" The red head spoke up. Your eyes darted towards her and you tried to smile, hiding the grimace you knew you hadn't hidden well. Clearing your throat, you made your way to her and leaned against the tall desk that up came just to your waist. "Hi! I'm Y/N, I was hired as a temp and I start today."

You felt your legs begin to tremble when the nerves finally sat in. You hadn't let yourself feel the nerves, you tried to talk yourself full of confidence but your facade was slowly fading away as you stood in the entrance to the building that you were hoping would change the course of your life. 

"It's so nice to meet you! I'm glad you're here, I'll take you back so you can meet everyone and find your spot." She cheered as she walked from around the desk and to the hallway towards the back. "I'm Nora by the way." She spoke over her shoulder as you followed her through the building. The hallways felt like a labyrinth with the way they all turned and met together. Walking further and further into the depths, you peaked in open doors as you walked by. Some had large desks and there were a few with multiple artists like desks lining the walls. You walked past what you assumed to be the meeting room, where a large glossy table sat in the center with at least a dozen rolling chairs pushed in under it. You almost bulldozed Nora when she came to an abrupt stop in the hallway at an open door. She held her hand out, ushering you inside. You peaked around the corner and found an older man sitting at his desk. His graying hair and long beard made him look like he should be the captain of a ship instead of working for the newspaper. 

"This is Y/N Mr. Mauney, she's our new temp here for her first day." She chirped at him. You forged a smile, willing your thoughts to catch up with you. Following Nora and making your way to the front of his desk, you held your hand out to greet him. Mr. Mauney glanced at you over the top of his nose and continued reading the manuscripts he had laid out over his desk. "Hi Y/N, welcome. I hope you'll find your time with us worth while." You slowly retracted your hand when you realized he was making no effort to formally meet you. "Oh, thank you. I'm very excited to be here!" You tried to sound cheery, but the picture you had painted in your mind of a rosy and welcoming environment was slowly fading. 

Nora could sense your sudden nervousness and cleared her throat, "Alright Y/N, I'll show you to your desk." She made her way back to the hallway and led you down a couple more doors. She walked into a small office space, still lined with old wood paneling and the same burgundy carpet. You noticed the large window in the center of the back wall and tried to find that a positive, at least there would be a connection to the outside world. "This will be your office, we have a few desks in storage that you can pick from and we'll have it moved in for you. You can bring in anything to decorate if you'd like and we'll get you a computer set up today. It will be your personal so feel free to take it home with you every night, you might need it." She spun around on her heels and made her way back to the hallway. Turning back to you, she sighed and folded her hands in front of her. "Please don't take Mr. Mauney as too rude, he has his moments. He really is a kind soul but" she paused, her face showed that she was thinking hard about her next few words, "he has been here since he was 18, his father also ran the newspaper. He didn't exactly have an easy life, so he's a bit rough around the edges." She tried to reassure you. "I'll go find maintenance so they can get you a desk." With a tight close lipped smile, she disappeared down the hallway, leaving you alone in the empty room that you swore had to have been a closet in past years. 

You met with maintenance and picked out your desk, it was the best one out of the few they had available but was still not something you'd prefer, it would have to do. They set up your computer for you and the connected the phone in your office. 

You sat down at your desk and ran your hands over the weathered wood. You could tell it had been used, maybe overly used and was needing retirement. You clicked around your computer and made tiny boxes on the home screen, disassociating from the overwhelm of all the new information you had learned. You hadn't seen the building before walking in, you hadn't even googled it before coming in. The newspaper had sent a job ad to your department at school and as soon as you realized it was for Hatteras, you immediately replied. You spoke with a lady from the newspaper on the phone two months ago who didn't ask many questions about your experience or even details about yourself. She wasn't very thorough in explaining the position with you and had offered you the job after the 10 minute phone call. You found it a bit strange, even the interviews for the waitressing jobs you had in college had been more intense. You accepted without a second thought, this was finally your way out of your small home town. You wouldn't have to return to live with your parents and maybe you could find your footing as a real adult after college. After all, it lead you to your favorite place. 

At the end of your shift, you thanked Nora for all her help and wished her a great night. She returned the pleasantries with a large smile and a small wave. You hoped she was someone you could trust. She was your age and seemed nice enough.

Walking up the stairs to your deck, all you wanted to do was eat and go to bed. You looked up to the little cottage you called home and sighed. Was anything going to go your way for just once? Entering the front door, you sluggishly sat down on the stairs to your right. Your head fell over your crossed arms on your lap and you hoped the tears wouldn't fall. The warm tear trickled down your cheek and you wiped it away with your cardigan sleeve. You let out a loud sigh and just stared at the wall in front of you that you had hung the cute mushroom and flower painting on. You focused on each color that the artist had chosen. The tiny dots that lined the top of the dark red mushrooms and the small frog that you hadn't noticed before, just sitting underneath the foliage. 

You were about to stand up to find something to throw together for dinner when your shoulder blade turned ice cold. There was a light pressure with the sensation and the goosebumps once again returned down your spine. You sucked in a sharp breath as you realized it was a hand on your back. "Please don't touch me, just leave me alone." It's all you could think to say. You didn't want to put up a fight tonight, you didn't have the energy for the nonsense after today. You really couldn't even find a care for what just happened, you just knew you didn't want it to happen again. You swiftly stood up from the step and walked towards the kitchen, you didn't want to look behind you to possibly see the entity that was behind you. You had come to the realization that you were stuck here, at least for the next three months, so you decided to stay out of its way if they stayed out of yours. It didn’t seem malicious, maybe just a residual soul stuck here; you had landed on coexisting if it could too.

Jake's POV

You've done it again, you idiot. Why do you keep doing this?! You didn't meant to scare her. You'd actually made her mad. Why did you touch her? 

You had heard her come in the door and when you had made the corner at the top of the stairs, you saw her sitting on the bottom step breathing heavy. You knew she was crying and it hurt your heart to see her upset. You knew you shouldn’t have, you just wanted to comfort her. You should have just returned back to your room to mind your own business. As soon as your hand touched her back, she jolted forward. You fucked up. You could hear the rage in her voice when she told you to stop, to leave her alone. 

Can I come back from this? Will I actually be able to get through to her? How? You were angry. Angry at yourself, angry that you were even in this position. Why couldn't things have just worked out. Why does It have to be this way?  

You sat quietly on your wooden chair in your room and found comfort in the only thing that has remained the same the last million years. The sea had a calming effect on your mind. It was almost hypnotizing to watch each wave crash over and over again, each swell being slightly different than the next. 

Then the thought hit you. You peered down at the typewriter sitting in front of you and hoped that this last resort effort could finally close the brick wall that had been built between the two of you.

Tags: @lipstickitty,@writingcold, @peaceloveunitygvf

[askacultleader]

🎶First, I was afraid, I was petrified Kept thinking, I could never live, without you by my side But then I spent so many nights thinking, how you did me wrong And I grew strong and I learned how to get along-

And so you're back, from outer space I just walked in to find you here With that sad look upon your face I should have changed that stupid lock I should have made you leave your key If I'd a known for just one second You'd be back to bother me

Woah now go, walk out the door, just turn around now 'Cause you're not welcome anymore Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die?🎶

(The Lamb claps once you are done singing.)

"Whooo! That's a good one!"

"The lyrics are very... Inspiring?"

[hypnotiscd]

❝ —— I  WANT  TO  BE  A  KID  AGAIN  .   BUT  PROPERLY  THIS  TIME  . "

WCS | MUSINGS | CLICK BELOW FOR INTRO

. ･ﾟ    ┇ ⸢  SOPHIA ALI  ,  CIS FEMALE  ,  SHE / HER  , ⸥  ❛  ⸻ nadia singh  ,  twenty-five years old  ,  has  survived  another  day  in  red  creek  where  they  have  lived  for fifteen years . the  satirical is  known  for  being  witty  and restless and  is  often  associated  with shirts haphazardly hanging down shoulder blades, bed hair matched with sunglasses, the ability to sober up remarkably quickly  .  in  a  small  town  where  they  work  as  receptionist at sisters of the moon  word  travels  fast 

helloooo again it is i again , g , 27 . she / her pronouns ! aedt tz ( shudder ) . im typing whilst working, so  pls excuse me if this is incoherent !!!

main inspirations for nadia : veronica mars ( veronica mars ), rebeka ( elite ), fleabag ( fleabag ), & kiara carrera ( outer banks )

nadia is quite scrappy ! she’s definitely outspoken and quippy and filled with sarcasm to the BRIM

the queen of banter .

everything slides off her quite easily . she’s not a hugely emotional or deep person and prefers living life that way

shes grown up in redcreek basically! this is her home and she likes it here , despite all the . . yanno . . murdering . .

Parentified Daughter . .. iykyk

her parents kinda dipped outta redcreek when she turned 18 so nadia is very much here by herself . she has an older sibling but a VERY large age difference between them so she doesn't really have family or is close to them

nadia always kinda had to parent her parents . they are funny larger-than-life people but also extremely reckless , hence why she's quite reckless herself and never Finishes anything . she was never taught how to ! like fr , her parents are the ones who nadia would pick up from a party bc theyre too drunk or wake up to 3000 missed calls from them bc they've woken up in a park and need nadias help . v immature and young .. parents who shouldnt have been parents .

nadia is kinda ?? doesn't really know what to do in redcreek atm . she's just Here but has always dreamed of leaving . she won't tho , bc she's Waiting Expectantly for her parents to RETURN HOME lmao ( they probs wont )

shes a very nosy person . whilst she doesn’t like drama for herself , she loves it for other people . she's very reactive and has an expressive face so if u wanna talk shit , she's ur girl !

an adult with childlike behaviours , queen of just doing whatever the hell she wants when she wants it . starting a jewellery business ? done . deciding to take up saxophone lessons ? done . learning a new language ? done . but also . . .

. . . . she never really finishes anything and is borderline unreliable . she has all these half done projects and half begun ideas .

pretty extroverted . not shy and definitely doesn’t hold back on the honesty , too, even when you maybe don’t want it .

always looks like she needs help carrying things . she walks around with her arms and hands full constantly and refuses to bring a bag with her anywhere . the anxiety u probably get just from being around here , waiting for her to drop or lose something . . incredible

the kinda person who is literally always down for whatever at any given time and who always has slightly wild stories ( think of alexis from schitts creek, in that vein )

doesnt like sitting still at ALL

she's quite perceptive . i think she puts on this jokey personality for people but she's also probably the first one to ask if you're ok , or if you need anything . she'll eye you from across a bar and just Know if something is wrong .

you can usually find her in very random spaces jknfnjfk she just kinda Appears and gets along with people as best as she can

her personality is very chameleon - like , she can and will Match ur Energy

i'm not a HUGE discord girly , so pls mssg me here maybe ?? if u wanna plot ?? i usually like to go with the flow and kinda just vibe with chemistry and see whats poppin . i don’t have plots for her written yet , but i will get to that ! consider her a blank board for now tho !

in the meantime if u see her fitting any plot or connection   - take her and use her !

[reinathevocaloid]

A Sladick Playlist

(Bc these two have been living in my head rent-free these days lol)

Animals by Maroon 5 (Cover by Living in Fiction)

Baby, I'm preying on you tonight Hunt you down, eat you alive Just like animals

I Don't Know Why by Imagine Dragons

Dangerous Your love is always dangerous And now I'm lost in us We're livin' in a lying trust

damn. by Rei Ami

So tell me why you're back again Say what you mean, mean what you say 'Cause what you give is what you get And I don't forget

Killing Time by Infected Mushroom

In my dreams (I can kill you) Close to me You open the cage and he sets you free

Amsterdam by Daughter

Heavy eyed crawling on the roadside Swinging from the street lights I hope by the morning I will have grown back

heart of steel by sanjay.

What would I do with a heart of steel Protect what I love when I don't even feel Taken the chance to fix what I need Nothings right I need a chance to breathe

Maybe by Flower Face

You're the one who's in my body, ripping at the seams And you're the one who's crashing on the highways in my dreams Maybe I won't, maybe I will I haven't slept so easy since you left me in the wild I wish I could've loved you right, but I was just a child Maybe I won't, maybe I will run back to you

Psychobabble by Frou Frou

Do just what I tell you And no one will get hurt Don't come in any closer 'Cause I don't know how long I can hold my heart in two Make no sudden movements And no one need get hurt You're making me nervous If you know what's good for me why would I be loving you?

Knee Socks by Arctic Monkeys

When the zeros line up on the 24 hour clock When you know who's callin' even though the number is blocked When you walked around your house wearin' my sky blue Lacoste And your knee socks

Turn Off The Lights by Panic! At The Disco

I got so sick of being on my own Now the devil won't leave me alone It's almost like I've found a friend Who's in it for the bitter end

Just Pretend by Bad Omens

I can wait for you at the bottom I can stay away if you want me to I can wait for years if I gotta Heaven knows I ain't getting over you

Invisible by Plumb

I cannot see you But I can feel you I just wanna be with you I've nowhere else to go I've nowhere else to go

Red by BEAUZ

I know all your little secrets Did you think that I'd forget? The first cut always goes the deepest You ain't seen nothing yet

Waiting Game by BANKS

Baby I'm thinking it over What if the way we started made it something cursed from the start? What if it only gets colder Would you still wrap me up and tell me that you think this was smart 'Cause lately I've been scared of even thinking 'bout where we are

The Walk by Imogen Heap

No, it's not meant to be like this Not what I planned at all I don't want to feel like this So that makes it all your fault

The Heart Wants What It Wants by Selena Gomez

The bed's getting cold and you're not here The future that we hold is so unclear But I'm not alive until you call And I'll bet the odds against it all

Hold Me Like A Grudge by Fall Out Boy

Hold me, hold me like a grudge The world is always spinning, and I can't keep up, whoa Faster and faster, can't do it on my own Part-time soulmate, full-time problem, yeah So hold me like a grudge

Strange Birds by Birdy

You've always loved the strange birds Now I want to fly into your world I want to be heard My wounded wing's still beating, You've always loved the stranger inside Me, ugly pretty

Coming Down by Halsey

Now we're lost somewhere in outer space In a hotel room where demons play They run around beneath our feet We roll around beneath these sheets

Death Valley by Fall Out Boy

But we are alive Here in death valley But don't take love off the table yet 'Cause tonight It's just fire alarms and losing you We love a lot So, we only lose a little But we are alive

The Definition of Not Leaving by Hands Like Houses

I want you to follow and find me Howl like its us and no-one else We could keep out the sadness and stand so tall We could run like wild things, and lie right where we fall

Undisclosed Desires by Muse

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask I want to exorcise the demons from your past I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

Disciple by IAMX

Disciple, I absolve you So forgive yourself enough to obey the naked truth That you need to be owned And you beg to be controlled

On The Run by Kayou.

I guess you're back Are you gonna tell me where you went? All the messages I sent, with no reply It's like that You're just gonna walk into my room I hate how you assume That there will always be a place for you By my side Day or night You know that it's killing me

Raw Raw by K.Flay

I came up from the depths of hell with a golf club in my hand You disarmed me, no defense My armor turned to sand It's hard to escape the wounds of the past Every time I feel something real, I wanna take it back

Red Lights by Stray Kids

I'm going crazy now, out of control, I I'm staying up all night again The moment when I close my eyes All I see is red lights

All About Us by t.A.T.u.

They say They don't trust You, me, we, us So we'll fall if we must 'Cause it's you, me And it's all about, it's all about It's all about us

Heaven, Iowa by Fall Out Boy

Scar-crossed lovers forever I'm checking myself out forever I'm saving this all for later Scar-crossed lovers forever Here we are, untouched forever I'm saving this all for later, oh

Spiracle by Flower Face

And I want your parties, the shark in your water The scrapes on your knees and the blood that spills over And I want your zeroes, your polluted marrow The sweat on your palms and your surveillance shadow

[moonstonelibrary]

At the Coffee Shop

☪Side Note☪

Please note that the following story that your about to read here, is NOT real, this is a story i write for one of my AUs, and a story that i wrote for fun, thank you, and have a good day.

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

⚠TW: Mentions of drowning, and battery to death

💤Characters: Aurora Candy Cookie, and Dr. Evilglaze

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

April 9th 1999

Aurora Candy Cookie was just done with their job, taking off their jacket in the process, they took a breath, and they did admit, Milky Way Cookie did do fine on the job with them, even though she was a bit lackadaisical at times, the time she was lackadaisical was that she was just helping a group of friends get to the library at the City of Wizard, and when they met Stardust Cookie, they befriended the poor lonely galactic cookie, and hell, even his doughnut friend, they started to worry though, where was Dr. Evilglaze? probably out in the galaxy somewhere.

"That poor dastardly space criminal.." They thought to themselves.

They went to check on Stardust Cookie, and Space Doughnut, to see if they were okay, turns out they've been playing video games to the point of sleeping, they chuckled to themselves, thank god they were okay.

They were about to make some to eat, before they could, they heard knocking on the door, they sighed, kind of annoyed that their grubbing was ruined by some random doohickey on the streets, probably one of the passengers who gave a rightful complaint, or someone else, maybe a trespasser wanting to sell something off of the deep web, but who knows.

They walked out of the door, and it was revealed to be Dr. Evilglaze, who was in his cookie form, referring to himself as E-Glaze Cookie.

"Oh, it's you, what's up?" Aurora Candy Cookie said casually, they weren't angry, or annoyed at the doughnut ball, but they weren't really expecting for him to show up, especially during the evening.

"Nothing much really, i've been doing fine myself, after i reconciled with Stardust Cookie and his two friends.." E-Glaze Cookie said with a shrug.

They talked for a bit, while still thinking of things they could do out of their boredom, then E-Glaze Cookie thought of the best idea, maybe going to that Parfaedian Coffee Shop his friend won't shut their yapper about, his friend being Espresso Cookie, the guy he met in the library, along with another cookie who was crushing on him, Aurora Candy Cookie liked that idea, not bad, so they went to the Parfaedian Café.

The Parfaedian Café

As E-Glaze Cookie, and Aurora Candy Cookie ordered their coffee, and some other things, E-Glaze Cookie was feeling a bit more of that guilt, after that ordeal at the Dream Express, Aurora Candy Cookie looked at him, with a bit of concern.

"You're silent, do you feel alright?"

E-Glaze snapped out of their silence, looking the conductor.

"Well, kind of.." He'd say back, his red eye under his monocle dimming down to a darkish burgundy, and his monocle glass was flickering a bit, already knowing what will happen if he said all of what has happened to him to Aurora Candy Cookie's face, would they think it's fake? would they be mad? would they accuse him of lying? he took a breather.

"What if i were to tell you there was something else that happened, even before, and after that ordeal at the Dream Express..?"

"Huh?"

Aurora Candy Cookie tilted their head, curious to know.

E-Glaze Cookie started with the first thing that's happened to him, he mention Super Cosmo Cookie, that dastardly, fake, wannabe "superhero" from outer space, how he would ruin his plans, even if he was on a day off not doing his usual schemes, after the ordeal at the Dream Express, he launched into the Duskgloom Sea, only for Captain Caviar Cookie to find him as he was still under the water, his cracked demon horned helmet already filled with the saltwater, causing his dough to go soggy, and causing him to gag, feeling sudden guilt for months after that vacation disturbance he caused, after he transformed into a cookie, and reconciled with Space Doughnut, Milky Way Cookie, and Stardust Cookie, then he was found again by Super Cosmo Cookie, who almost pummeled him until he was nothing but dough leaking doughnut jelly, this happened after Dr. Evilglaze met Cotton Candy Cookie, and started building a relationship with him.

he couldn't even remember if it was out of Super Cosmo Cookie's jealousy, or that he wanted more people in Crispia to feed his ego more.

"All that i could say is, even after i redeemed myself, and quit my horrible deeds, he still attacks me, and sabotages me to this very day.."

He looked away from Aurora Candy Cookie, who in return, Aurora Candy Cookie started to feel bad for E-Glaze Cookie, or in his Doughnut Ball form, Dr. Evilglaze.

they knew they shouldn't have called him a "dastardly space criminal", they sighed, hearing the word "redeemed", they gave a soft smile, even though it wasn't shown at all.

"You know, since you've actually changed for the better, and reconciled with my one of my workers, and the two wonderful passengers on my train," They started.

"I used to think you were no good, but, since you have a lover now, and you retired from your villainous schemes, you're quite the gentleman in our book."

E-Glaze Cookie looked up at the conductor, as he heard what they said.

"Quite the gentleman? really?" He said, feeling a bit validated.

Aurora Candy Cookie chuckled.

"Of course, even though you went through a lot, you've completely turn yourself around, and if Super Cosmo Cookie says some deceitful B.S, then he's definitely in the wrong for not giving you a chance to redeem yourself."

Aurora Candy Cookie then puts their hand on his shoulder.

"Honestly, i'm happy that you changed your ways, same with the passengers, and Milky Way Cookie."

Then they finished their sentence with one more thing, regarding his relationship with Cotton Candy Cookie.

"I guess Cotton Candy Cookie was right about you, you really do have a good side in you, and i'm happy for both of you.."

E-Glaze Cookie smiled a bit more, he felt warmth, and forgiveness, he sipped his Galactic Cappuccino, and exhaled.

"Conductor Aurora.."

"What's up?"

E-Glaze Cookie then gave a genuinely grateful smile.

"Thank you.."

Aurora Candy Cookie smiled back, giving him a pat on the back, sure, they were rivals from the start, but after those times that happened to E-Glaze Cookie, or Dr. Evilglaze, they became friends.

🌀⭐🌟🌜

[jpitha]

Just a Little Further 9

Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Standing in front of the line of us waiting for the airlock to cycle, I don't think I've ever been this nervous! Even during my graduation, waiting to find out if I was selected for FarReach's mission, nothing was as nerve wracking as this. But, I had to be strong. I was going to represent humanity and K'laxikind here. I took a deep breath, held it for two, and let it out through my nose. Here we go.

The outer lock door cycled and the first thing that I noticed was the smell of the umbilical. It wasn't bad so much as it was unfamiliar. My nose was inundated with smells I've never smelled before. Starbases have a smell about them. They're self contained units where sometimes thousands of sapients will live work and play together, of course they're going to smell. Doesn't matter how fastidious you are about cleaning, something just permeates the walls. This was list that but...different. The smells of thousands of sapients I've never seen before.

The second thing I noticed was how warm it was! It was warm and moist like a hot summer day. We don't normally keep our Starbases this warm or moist. Moisture promotes corrosion and heat is cheap to make, but expensive to dissipate. It was odd.

I walked down the short umbilical until I reached the door to the Starbase. Like ours, it was an iris type door. Maybe that's universal. "FarReach, you're sure the gases on the other side are breathable?" I asked, one last time.

"Sensors indicate that they're pretty close to Earth and K'lax, Melody." FarReach said kindly. "The specific gas mixture is a little different. A touch more xenon than what we use, maybe just a bit less carbon dioxide. Oxy levels are fine though, you can breath it no worries."

"Okay then, here goes..." and I touched the pad by the iris.

With a whoosh, it snapped open. That's way faster than home, I was startled. I looked out, surprised and I saw them.

It was a group of 6 sapients in front, with a small crowd behind them. Three of them had iridescent feathers! They looked almost like gigantic birds! They had wings even! I wonder if they could fly. The other three were more like they were a sea creature long in their past. They had tentacles they stood on, and looked like they had no bones. If you squinted, maybe they looked like Octopuses, but they didn't really look like octopuses. Just the tentacles and the lack of bones and the large, wet eyes, though they weren't dripping or anything. They were standing apart though. With a large space between them. That's odd. I would have figured that they would be all together.

One of the bird looking ones took a step forward and said "Welcome! This is Reach to the Might of Vzzx. I am Starlight on a Moonless Evening, this is The Smell Of The Ocean and there is Rapid River Roaring."

They took a step back and then, one of the octopus people took a step forward. "Welcome from us as well! I am Vivvix, this is Zemmlin and over here is Ottarn."

Then, Vivvix took a step back and waited. This must be some kind of ritual. Mentally, I shrugged and took a step forward. I took a breath and said "Thank you for your warm welcome! My name is Melody Mullen, with me is my Captain Selem Q'ari, our linguist Fer’resi Perinem and one of our engineers, Omar Adel." At each mention of their names, everyone nodded or did something to indicate which person I was talking about. Fer'resi did a little wave even!

After I finished and the ritual seemed complete, I took a step back. Only then, did I notice how they reacted.

Maybe the nano bots programed me with some extra ability to tell facial expressions, but everyone seemed shocked.

Like, if they were humans, they'd be jaws on the floor shocked.

Uh oh. This keeps happening.

One of the bird people, The Smell of the Ocean I think, spoke. "S-So, you can understand us?" They asked haltingly.

I nodded, then realizing they might not know that gesture said "Yes, I can understand you..." Was I not supposed to be able to? "Can you understand me?"

The Smell of The Ocean's feathers ruffled. Maybe they were embarrassed? They were uncomfortable about something. "A bit, yes. But you are..." They stopped. Their head rotated slightly. Their eyes are more forward on their face than Earth birds so they must have binocular vision but for the life of me it looked like they were trying to get a look at me out of both eyes. Maybe an ancient instinct that has turned into body language. They took a deep breath and started again. "I am speaking my people's standard spacefaring tongue. You can understand me?"

"Yes" I said, puzzled.

They did their version of a nod. I wonder how I knew that? They spoke again "Now, I am speaking the language of the Northern Continent of my people's home planet. It hasn't been spoken outside of legal briefings for five thousand cycles. Today, it is more a ceremonial language than anything. Only people like me can understand it, and even then only haltingly. I was a student of it, and so can speak it fluently. There are fewer than one thousand of us." They stopped and stared at me. "Do you understand me?"

My eyes went wide. "Y-Yes, I understand you." I answered quietly.

With an expression that I could only describe as their version of raised eyebrows, Zemmlin looked at them, then at me, and spoke. "I see what they are doing, let me try. I am speaking my people's home planetary language. My... colleague The Smell of the Ocean here does not understand it. Do you?"

Horror dawned. "Y-Yes, I understand it." I whispered.

It was my turn to reply. "When you speak to me, and I reply, am I replying in your language, or the same language every time?"

Starlight on a Moonless Evening replied this time. "Every time you speak, you are replying in the Holy Tongue."

I blinked. The what?

"I'm sorry, the what?"

Starlight made a gesture that I knew was a shrug. I couldn't tell you how I knew though. "The Holy Tongue. The language of the Gods. The words of the Builders."

That last one struck a chord. "Do you mean the builders of the Warp Gates?"

Rapid River Roaring laughed. "Who else would we mean, Holy One?"

Ugh, and I thought being called Lieutenant was bad.

Vivvex came forward now and said "It seems we all have something to learn from each other. We would like to learn how you came to us though the Warp Gates which we thought were long deactivated and are speaking The Holy Words and you... probably have things to ask us too. Do you take food? Come. It's meal time for us. We can eat and speak afterwards."

"L-let me talk to my companions for a moment please."

Vivvex nodded and took a step back. I turned around can faced everyone. "Okay, how much of that did you get?" I asked.

Fer'resi was the first to reply. "Um Melody, how many languages do you know? I noticed they kept taking turns talking to you in clearly different languages and you replied every time."

"I think I know... all of them" I said awkwardly. "I know, it sounds crazy, but they said I'm speaking "The Holy Tongue."

"The what?" Omar asked, incredulous.

"I know, right? I think they mean the language of the builders of the Warp Gate. Oh! They also said they thought the Gate was disabled until we came through it."

"Disabled?" Captain Q'ari said, thinking. "Given what we saw at the previous address, I hope we didn't unlock the door for something to come through here."

I didn't even think of that. "Oh shoot. I hope you're right." I clicked my radio "Hey FarReach, Gene, please keep an extra sharp eye out for anything following us through the Warp Gate. The locals say they thought it was disabled until we came through it."

"You got it Melody." Gene replied. "How's the meet and greet going?"

"I don't know Gene. I think they think I'm a living God."

"In a good way, or a bad way?" Gene asked in that joking but not really tone that humans use sometimes.

"Too soon to tell." I said honestly. "We're about to go to lunch I think,"

"Ooh, tell me if you eat anything good, tell me and I'll try it when I get to go ashore."

"Will do Gene. You take care. FarReach, I admit this is a long shot but how's the language model coming?"

FarReach chuckled. "I was just chatting with Fer'resi. It's tough to build a language model when you can understand everyone but keep replying in one language. We're getting something though. Fer'resi thinks it might be enough to be understood. We're going to be replying in your language though. If they really think it's a Holy Tongue, they might be uncomfortable at that. They must have translators though, let's see if we can buy or borrow one. That'll help."

"Good Idea. They invited us to lunch or something, so I'll ask then."

I turned to Captain Q'ari. "They want to invite us to lunch. Do you want me to say yes?"

Selem's ears twitched in a way that signaled resignation and frustration. Hah. I think I can tell K'laxi expressions better with these nano machines helping too! "We should probably accept, yes." She turns and looks at us. "Did everyone bring their portable mass spectrometers?"

We all have a small mass-spec on our wrists. It can scan food and drink and make sure there aren't any obviously poisonous things or K'laxi allergens in it. It won't tell us if things taste good, but it'll tell us if we can eat them without going into anaphylactic shock or ruining our livers.

Nods of yes all around. "Go ahead and accept the invitation Melody." Huh. She didn't call me Lieutenant Mullen. Interesting.

I turn back around. "After a little deliberation with my team, we would be grateful to accept your invitation to dine together. Please lead the way."

Again, they are taken aback at my speech. I have a hunch that they're just not used to someone speaking to them in the language I'm speaking to them in. It's like a language they have only read or studied in school and here I was talking to them in it like it was normal.

At least they mostly understood me, and I can apparently understand them in any language they speak.

Starlight bowed low and spread their wings and said "Wonderful. Please follow me."

They lead us away from the dock and as we walked I looked around.

The Starbase was different than the Joint K'laxi/Human Starbase I lived on before embarking. It was more...organic? Maybe it was a function of the fact that I think it was built out of an asteroid, but it definitely felt more grown than built in places. There were curves and smooth walls and dark grey and browns. The lighting was more organic feeling than back home too. It was warm and bright and led an airiness to the Starbase that it would be lacking otherwise. We were pretty far from this system's star and we were not in orbit around a planet, so the cheeriness was appreciated.

And the people! All kinds of people. I saw more of the bird people, more of the octopus people and so many others. There were these large bipedal beings in very complicated looking pressure suits. Maybe they're from a world that uses a different breathing mixture than here. There were ones with long legs with knees that were almost parallel with their heads! They had large segmented eyes like an insect and it always felt like they were watching us as we walked by.

Come to think of it, everyone was watching us as we walked by.

They weren't too happy about it.

My newfound ability to know everyone's body language was ringing alarm bells. Everyone hated to see us. Especially the Bird and Octopus people.

We turned a corner and came upon what I figured was the main promenade.

I nearly lost my footing I was so startled. It was gigantic! Far larger and more dense than any city I ever visited on Meíhuā. I've never been to Earth, but I bet this was more crowded than some Earth cities! It was so tall too. More than 200 meters straight up if I had to guess. There were windows and lights and signs all the way up.

While we were walking Fer'resi was trying his best to speak with The Smell of The Ocean. I could understand both of them, so it was a little odd to hear.

"Um, what about this. Hello?"

"Oh, I got that one! Hello!"

"Amazing! Try this: My name is Fer'resi, what's yours?"

Ocean shook his feathers sadly "I didn't get that, friend."

Fer'resi made notes in his pad. This time, his translator spoke "Do you understand this?

Ocean rippled surprise. "I do understand it. But your accent is very thick. How did you do that?"

Fer'resi smiled. "Our Ship, FarReach helped. We're working together to build a language model. If you have a translator we can purchase or borrow, we can refine it further."

Ocean made an expression that I knew was a nod. "We do have them. I'll make sure you get one, yes. You can even keep it to help refine your language model, provided you provide us with an update so we can update our translators as well."

Fer'resi frowned and made more notes. "I got the majority of that, but I missed part of it. Oh well. We'll get more accurate with time."

I had a thought. "Hey Fer'resi. Speak to me in English."

"Um okay." He thought a moment. "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party."

"Coming to the aid of what party?" I asked, confused.

He chuckled. "It's apparently old filler text that people used to use on mechanical type writing machines. It's nonsense. But, you did understand it?"

"I did. It was easy."

"I have a feeling Melody, that you now can understand every language. I have no idea what those nano machines did, but they clearly edited the language processing part of your brain. I wonder what the limitations of it are. We should experiment later."

"Sure Fer'resi, we can do that."

Vivvix turned back to me "Holy One, why are you armed?" We notice the weapons on your back."

ughhh, I hate that. "Please don't call me Holy One, my name is Melody. I'm armed because we weren't sure what to expect and we wanted to come prepared. I'm the only one armed because I'm the best shot here, and we didn't want to come across as warlike with us all being armed. It was a compromise."

Vivvix's skin subtly changed color, a nod. Neat! "I see, thank you... Melody. Will you be armed in future visits?"

I shrugged. "I don't know yet." I said carefully. If everyone is... not a threat then... I don't see a reason to come armed next time."

Vivvix gave their version of a smile, but I was able to tell it was fake. "That's very nice to hear. Thank you"

Now that sounded menacing. I think I'm going to continue coming to this Starbase armed.

Rapid River Roaring led us towards a large stone looking building near the center of the promenade. It was either very old or meant to look very old. In front were a fountain and a statue of a being in a pressure suit looking out onto the promenade making a grand gesture. The fountain and the statue were carved in the same stone of the Starbase. "Here we are. It's the administration offices for Reach of the Might of Vzzx. There is a cantina here that offers many different kinds of food. I'm sure we can find something pleasing for you to consume here."

As they approached the building Captain Q'ari stopped dead. She was staring at the statue and was clearly frightened, almost shaking. Fer'resi, noticing her, followed her gaze and also immediately was frightened. "M-Melody." Fer'resi said, his voice catching. "Look at the statue."

I turned at looked at it and gasped. Omar noticed us, followed our gaze and softly said "holy shit."

It was a human woman.

Part 10