#before we disperse like star stuff

[genspiel]

Ray Walker: is a bisexual Lakota man

me: oh, some bi and Indigenous rep! that's cool

also Ray Walker: has "never been a romantic" and "never expect[s] anything long-term" from relationships, feels like "romantic" is an inaccurate description of his relationship with his ex, and asks another character if they can be friends who have sex sometimes

me: oh wait holy shit, is he aroallo???

[thatfreshi]

Muscle Memory (Uni AU P. 12)

tw - abuse, sexual trauma, drinking, slight mention of homophobia

That evening, after all of your friends have dispersed, after getting absolutely nothing done, you end up in Astarion's dorm. You're both sitting on his bed while he does your makeup, which he insisted upon. He complains every time you accidentally move or your eyelids twitch, but you know he doesn't actually care all that much.

"You know, you're the only person I've ever let in here."

You back away from his makeup brush.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Don't really like sharing my space with people. It's one of the only things I have that's truly mine, but I don't mind sharing it with you."

"Are you sure? Because we could always hang out in my dorm, or somewhere else."

"No, really, you're one of the only people I trust to be in here. You don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong, you don't ask too many questions, you just exist here, like I do."

"I mean I'd never just look through your stuff. I feel like that's the bare minimum."

"You'd think so, but it gets to a point in a career like mine where nothing is really yours anymore."

At this point, Astarion has started on your face again, mindlessly talking.

"You said you started at sixteen right? Must've been hard, losing all that control so young."

"Well, I mean I didn't really have a choice. After all, I did get kicked out, and jobs for normal teenagers don't really cover the expenses of someone trying to be an adult already. Besides, I got in with a lot of disgusting agents, people who shouldn't have been involved with someone my age anyways."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Like I said, I did it to myself."

"You were just a kid though."

"Yeah, I guess I was."

The conversation goes silent for a moment as he grabs something else from his cosmetics bag.

"Why did you get kicked out, if you don't mind me asking?"

He raises an eyebrow slightly.

"Hm, no one ever actually asks me that. Then again, I guess I don't really tell anyone."

"I mean you don't have to tell me."

"No, no I don't mind. I came out, that's pretty much it. Funny when you're the star only child until you talk about liking men. I was miserable about it at the time, but I don't really care anymore. Besides, I have far too many other things to concern myself with."

He makes one more pass with a highlight, and then backs up to admire his work.

"There, you look wonderful my darling Tav. Perhaps you'll look more beautiful than all the exotic flowers you'll get to see tonight."

"You're sweet. Thank you, for all of this, for opening up to me. I know it hasn't been all that long, but you really are the best friend I've been looking for."

Astarion goes to respond, but is interrupted by his ringtone going off, interrupting the nice music he had playing. It's Cazador calling, Szarr's first name as he had told you a couple days ago. Apparently he thought his last name would sound better for the brand, and has everyone call him by it at all times, unless you're in his private inner circle. To your surprise, your pale friend declines the call.

"Did you just-"

"Yep. Not letting him ruin my night, I just can't right now. Besides, I have to make sure you're ready for this date."

"You can't-"

"What, just not pick up his call? I guess you're right. I've done it before though, and he'll simply send me some nasty voicemail. I'll get punished for it later I'm sure, but if he didn't do it to me, it would just be one of the other six. Better that I take the brunt of it."

"But why?"

"I've been working with him longest, I'm the most used to it. If I can deal with it, it's better that way. Being the scapegoat, it gives me some small way to protect the rest of them."

"You shouldn't have to though."

"Of course not, none of us should have to, but I'm just playing the hand I got dealt Tav. That's all any of us can do, especially when the house always wins."

"So what will you do, until you have to see him again I mean?"

"Oh, there's a fitting tomorrow morning. In the meantime? I'll probably go find a cheap place to get drunk, have sex with a stranger and try to forget. At least until tomorrow."

You nervously stare at your hands.

"Is that why you had sex with me that night? To forget?"

He looks off into the distance, trying to find that evening in his mind.

"I can't even remember. Maybe? Or maybe I was just scared. It's hard to say. It becomes easy after a while, to just offer up your body to strangers. Easier than other options at least. It's like muscle memory."

He then stands up, and offers you a hand to do the same.

"But anyways, enough about me. You have a suitor to go see, and I think he'll find you just ravishing."

Your eyes meet his, that reddish-brown not fully present with you.

"Just stay safe tonight, okay?"

"Oh darling, as if I'm ever truly safe. I'll try though, since you asked so nicely. Now, go on and get downstairs, or else you'll be late. Don't want to keep the handsome nature man waiting."

You thank him again for helping you get ready, giving him a tender hug, the kind that secretly makes him melt. And soon enough, you're out the door and downstairs, met with Halsin and a box of chocolates.

~~~

Astarion doesn't even have the energy at that point to clean up the scattered cosmetics across his sheets. He almost plays Cazador's voicemail, but instead turns his phone off and leaves it on the nightstand. Just like he said, he finds some bar that won't hurt his wallet too much, and drinks the night away, thinking about the possible strangers he could lose himself in. He tries to justify it, knowing that rolling around in the sheets with someone would make the thoughts go away, give him a break from the constant nagging in his head, but for some reason he just can't do it. In fact, he hasn't been able to force himself to sleep with anyone since that night in the diner parking lot. He'd never admit it, but he's been thinking about what you said that evening, how he was just someone trying to survive. And he secretly hopes you're right, that he hasn't truly tainted his soul, that somewhere deep down there's a good piece of him left. After all, he's pining after someone like you, someone who gave him the benefit of the doubt when he didn't deserve it, someone who is far better than him. At least that's what he believes, that even if he did tell you like Gale suggested, it wouldn't be enough. He wouldn't be enough for you, but maybe this Halsin character could be, and there's no way he'd deprive you of that chance.

[vladdyissues]

Being in the Danny Phantom fandom has enriched my life in many ways. Artistically, through learning new drawing styles and writing tones and genres—but also scientifically. Specifically, it introduced me to the works of Carl Sagan.

How? Well, I needed something for Vlad and Danny to be watching in chapter 12 of Familiar. I randomly chose Cosmos, the series written and hosted by Carl Sagan. Like any obsessive good author, I ended up watching the episode that featured in the story. This is neat stuff, I thought. I'll have to come back and watch the whole series later.

Well, I did. And I found a copy of Sagan's Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium at my local library. It's been a long time since I read nonfiction for the sake of learning, but I fell back into the groove easily (which reopened the door to—and rekindled an interest in—science and continuing my informal education). In short, I ended up loving Carl.

I'm close to the end of Billions of Billions, which has occupied a semi-permanent spot on my bedside table for several weeks. Last night, as I went to turn off my lamp, I reached over the back cover of the book, upon which Carl's kind, smiling photograph looked wistfully to the upper corner.

I wish I had known him, I thought.

Carl died of complications of MDS in December 1996.

That night, as usual, I had dreams. As one segued into another, I found myself wandering around a classroom laboratory with several other students, where apparently we were gathering for an after-school club of sorts. (I think it was some kind of week-long extracurricular event.) As I was trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing, I heard a voice say, "There you are."

I turned and saw Carl Sagan—my professor. He was smiling.

"We've missed you. It's been a week."

I can't imagine, even in dreams, skipping a class taught by the Carl Sagan. Before I could stammer out an excuse, he waved his hand.

"Don't worry about it. At least you made it to the last meeting. Come on, it's just starting."

I don't know what happened after that. Everything was put on fast forward and 1x speed only returned as the meeting adjourned and students began to disperse. I felt as if I'd missed out on everything—a recurring theme in most of my dreams, especially academic-based ones.

And then Carl, still smiling, approached me. The next thing I knew, he was hugging me tightly. Stunned (and elated, I can't lie), I hugged him back. He had mass and warmth. I felt the bones of his back and scapulae beneath the thick velveteen layers of his brown corduroy jacket. His chin pressed my shoulder.

"I love you," he said, and I could hear his patient smile.

I think I responded. I don't know. I was overwhelmed. We parted, he turned, and disappeared. No goodbye or farewell, no instruction on what to do next. Just the words I love you glowing inside me like a new star.

Would he have said something like that in reality? I don't know. All I know is that this was my dream and he did.

Then this particular dream episode ended and I reluctantly moved on to the next one.

I don't put stock in the supernatural these days, but it was nice to have my wish of "meeting" Carl Sagan granted in this small, abstract way.

[s0nia246]

Prologue: Rite of Resurgence

(Lore on my 06 Au. Thank you for reading)

https://www.tumblr.com/s0nia246/738812471410933760/sonic-06-rambling?source=share

"Are you ready, Elise?" He asked his daughter as he came through her bedroom door. She was already dressed in her ceremonial clothes and ready to be escorted by the high priestess to the sacred grounds where the ritual would take place.

The young girl who had been named after her mother nodded yes but remained quiet as she adjusted her veil.

The old man could tell that he worried his daughter's mind with the questions about what he was going to say.

"What's wrong, my little flame? Are you still not excited about being one of us?" His smile didn't reach his eyes.

It didn't reach his cheeks either.

A deep frown etched across his face even though there wasn't really a reason to worry her with this sort of stuff.

It was just the way he was.

He couldn' t help it.

She shocked her head , and she replied softly, "I'm excited. Just…worried." Her voice sounded so much older than she was.

Like an adult.

The Duke of Soleanna patted her on the back before taking her hands in his own and gently leading her down the stairs to join the rest of the clan members standing near the entrance. They were all waiting for him to arrive.

Elise could hear them whispering among themselves and giggling. She wanted to join in the fun but knew she wasn't supposed to.

"You'll do wonderful today, sweetie. Just like your mother," the Duke assured her as they made their way out towards the clearing.

The crowd began dispersing as soon as they arrived outside the main temple gates. Everyone went to their different places and watched as the ceremony took place.

Elise felt nervous and looked around at the other clan members. All of them were staring at her intently.

Even if she couldn't see their faces , she knew they must have been looking at her with some sort of judgmental expression on their face. Elise turned away to face forward again and continued walking beside her father.

They reached the sacred altar, and he helped his daughter up the three large steps to stand next to grandmother, the previous Empress now High Priestess, who stood on the highest step.

The woman smiled warmly and whispered something in her ear. Then she turned to the crowd and gave them a few words before the official start of the ritual. Elise thought that they were probably about her father.

She wondered how many times she'd heard those words before.

"It is our honor that you are here today to witness our dedication to our God Solaris and our new life as followers of His teachings. We have come here today because we seek to learn from your wise council, our ancestors, and your wisdom." Grandmother spoke and paused a moment to look over to the far left side of the room before continuing, "Let the Sun God bless and guide you all. May His blessing fill the hearts of all who follow his light…"

As the priestess finished the prayer, Elise watched as a large ball of fire slowly emerged from the center of the altar. It grew in size as she watched it. When it became so huge that Elise thought she could reach up into it. Her hand involuntarily moved up toward it.

She was transfixed on it. It was mesmerizing. But then it happened. Just like the sun, eventually, the fuel of the sun will run out. Creating a supernova.

An explosion.

A star burning brighter than any human could ever hope to burn.

Chaos ensued.

People yelled or shouted, running around madly trying to flee, or o get as far away as possible. The sound of metal breaking rang in the air around the small temple.

A wall cracked from where a rock fell onto it. The floor rumbled beneath their feet. People tripped and hit their heads on the stone floor. Monster made of lava and shadows rose to the surface from below. Some people screamed and ran. Others held tight to each other and tried to avoid the shadows at all costs.

A few brave people stood their ground and fought back until they were overpowered. Elise saw some of them fall on top of one another, clutching at their throats while others cried in terror and pain. Their lives would flash before her eyes.

One moment, the, would be alive…and the next second the, would be nothing more than ashes in an endless fiery inferno. Her heart dropped, and her throat constricted at the sight and sound of their death. Her knees buckled, and she started sobbing uncontrollably. She hadn't seen anything like this before.

1The flames engulfed everything. There was no escape. There is nothing left to live for.She screamed for her father to save her. He always saved her.

Every day, she prayed to Solaris that he would appear and rescue her from these terrible circumstances.

But nothing changed.

No one ever showed up.

Why didn't anyone help her?

Elise looked around for some type of protection against these horrible creatures. Something that would prevent her from dying when the monsters destroyed everything.

As one of the monsters triedmonstersack, she put her arms up and shielded herself from its attacks. She closed her eyes and prayed again.

Please, please show yourself, please save me.

She gasped as someone grabbed her arm and yanked her away from the beast.

“Get away from it!” Her rescuer yelled.

“There isn’t a chance in hell it’s going to leave here alive!"

Elise opened her eyes again. Tears streamed down her face as she looked into the eyes of her savior. This person seemed familiar. She couldn't quite place where she'd seen him, but she knew that he was important. She had to believe that he was important. Because she wanted him to protect her.

But why? What did he have to gain by rescuing her? Why would he risk his own life for hers? Her savior was amorphous ma an s of darkness, which emitted an aura and behaved similarly to liquid.

It was hard to make him out except for his eyes. Green eyes with slit pupils stared right into hers.

‘They were beautiful’ she thought to herself. The stranger’s face was twisted into a strange mask of fear and desperation. It reminded her of…a wolf in sheep's clothing?

Yes.

That was it.

She'd seen that same face before. But that meant he wouldn't hurt her.

Right?

The monster lunged at them once again.

Again, another jumped in front of her with both hands raised, palms facing upward. Flames burst forth from its hands, stheirng both the darkness and Elise to the ground. The darkness turned to her.

“Come, let’s go. You need to get to safety first.” His tone told Elise to do exactly as he suggested.

And she obeyed.

She followed behind him in silence as they made their way out of the temple. He stopped and waited for Elise to catch up to him, but she slowed down to match his pace instead. She knew he wanted her to stay close to him. She didn’t want to lose track of him in all of the chaos surrounding them. He walked beside her, saying nothing.

After a while, he stopped and knelt down on the ground with his back straightened and his head bowed. After he got comfortable, he motioned to the princess with his finger, telling her to kneel too.

She complied and knelt down, facing him while holding her hands clasped together tightly in front of her.

The creature in the black cloak spoke, “Can you hear me, Iblis ?”

She hesitated, “yes.”

“Good. Listen carefully. Tell me what you see,” the voice commanded.

“A lot of things…darkness…burning red…screaming.”

“Is that all?”

“No..”

“Go on. Please.”

“Fire...lot's of fire....it's quiet now. Quiet everywhere….the screams gone…"

“What do you feel when you think about them, Elise?”

“My , family …they died....They're dead…..dead….” she whimpered.

“Tell me about them.”

Elise took deep breaths to steady herself and tried to focus. She tried to remember their names. Similar to the darkness, a flame next to her and appeared to be giving off heat.

“You don’t understand…I'm so alone. Everyone will get mad at me about-“

She broke off.

She couldn't finish her sentence.

She wasn't sure if she should say what she was thinking or not, especially since it might get him mad at her, too. Instead, she said nothing and hoped he understood her meaning.

“Everyone? You have us now."

"You?" she asked with a surprised expression.

He nodded. Putting his hand on his chest. "I am Mephiles the dark. Your protector."

She continued listening while looking intently ahead.

"And this is my other half, Iblis, the Flames of Disaster," he added, pointing to a flame figure standing next to her. Both Mephiles and Iblis reached down toward her with their hands outstretched. She reached forward to grab one of the glowing hands and they helped her to stand up. Mephiles said, “You must be tired being on your own. It will be good to take care of you and protect you…like you have done for me and Iblis.”

She began shaking her head, “I…I can’t. You guys mean too much to me. I just found you.”

“It’s okay Elise. You don't need to worry about it anymore…you are found the rest of us now. We'll protect you."

Elise nodded, agreeing to his terms.

“Yes.” Mephiles placed his hand on her shoulder and led her away.

She was safe.

She could finally begin to feel safe again.

Everything seemed better now.

For once it was just , he three of them.

Again, thank you for reading!

[jovesstudyroom]

In That Room (Chapter 1)

Ghost COD x Reader

Slow burn love not for sauce (though it still might take a little)

TW: Gore, violence, sexual stuff (later), and abuse/torture

Y/N is a former army recruit turned investigator trapped by a mysterious and weirdly fatherly war criminal, Morinda. You are locked in a room for three years, in a state of weakness. Task Force 141, with the help of others, breaks in to find Morinda and rescue their men. Ghost breaks down the door to your cell, finding you in chains...

The dark mud-cemented walls around were your home. Time passes so liberally without including you in its ticks. Your captors fail to give you enough food and water, a sick game of keeping you weak yet conscious enough to be used for whatever information they crave. Your hair sticks together in dirty bits, though Morinda would come in sometimes to brush it as you fought against your chains, well when you used to fight. His perfect captive-made daughter, Mira, seems to be your destiny now. Drops of water fall into a plastic bucket in a corner.

“One, two, three, four…”

Before, however long ago that was, you would pull your chains and let the metal bite into your wrists and ankles just to kick over that stupid red bucket. It’s a devil roommate you can’t ignore or stop. Now you count them in groups of four like a song. Your head aches with the beat. All a game from some unknown group. You lay on the floor facing up at an incandescent light that never falters overhead. No point in huddling in a corner. You just want to be free, to murder everybody in here. You imagine the sky, the stars and the moon; the sun on your skin. All you can do is close your eyes and dream… until he comes with more questions that won’t be answered. Why did they think you had all the answers? Electrocution is just a day in the sun now. Something that reminds you you’re alive, though one time your heart stopped. You came to with Morinda over your body, a devilish look of worry spread over his face, you were still his. Morinda never offers death. He “likes your face too much.” The face of his Mira. Your thumb and pointer fingers are bandaged, the nails growing only to be harvested again. Soon they’ll have to kill you.

"No one is coming, so please let them kill me."

The static of silence disperses into heavy footsteps. Maybe this visit… A dream of eternal peace washes over you in preparation. Gunshots. You quit counting. You quit coping. Fear ricochets through your brain like electricity, but you stay down. Eyes closed. Whatever is going down, you can at least be an easy target if lucky.

The sound of doors being busted down sounds around you in tandem with incoherent yelling from two men never heard before. Let them be killers, just killers.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

They reach your door. It falls inwards. Someone enters. Their grave footsteps crunch while more banging takes place down the hall.

“Come in Price,” a deep voice grumbles, softened by a British accent you can’t place.

“Found a prisoner, only female so far, looks about early to mid-twenties. (Y/H/C). Maybe, (Y/H).” The footsteps draw nearer. “Do we have any records?”

He speaks but you can’t comprehend. Everything in your mind is in a frantic fire while your body is useless. Nothing makes sense, you just repeat prayers for release.

Opening your eyes slightly, you are sure Death truly has come. A hulking skull-masked figure towers over you. His head and body are covered in thick fabric, armour, and a large tactical vest. Light shines in behind him. Sunlight.

“Finally,” you murmur. “One, two, three, four…” You keep on in whispers.

“Oh, so you’re alive then?” He looks over his shoulder before crouching down over you.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” you rasp and smile.

“That’s quite the compliment, darlin’. Do you have a name?”

“You should know. It took you enough time to find me on your list.”

“List?”

“If Death is a proper physical being, then what other stories are true?”

“Hell,” he sighs. “Call me Ghost. Just a guy here to get you out.” Ghost quickly brings out a knife from his waist and then grabs your hand, unscrewing the bolts that keep the metal clasped around your wrist. “You’re not dying yet.”

He moves on to the next hand as you speak. “You’re taking me outside? One, two, three, four…” The drips continue, and so do you.

“I’m taking you somewhere safe.”

“I want to be outside.” You want to live in the woods in a burrow under a tree, far away from any person.

“You will be. Now what’s your name?”

“Did you kill them all?” The man moves to your ankles.

“That I don’t know. I've answered your lot of questions, now your turn.”

“Mira…no…no.” What was it again? “Y-Y/N” Saying your name feels awkward, your mouth has lost the feel for it. “One, two, three, four…”

“Come in Price,” Ghost speaks into his earpiece.

“I’ve got a name, (Y/N). She’s in pretty rough shape.”

“Let’s get you up.” A firm arm, thick with tactical clothing, lifts so you sit up. He offers an arm, which you take slowly. Dense muscle gives good support. You can’t help but gaze at his face. Death trying to keep you alive after being so near all this time. Stark white eyes, surrounded by black paint dig into your own as he wraps his arm around your back. You both begin to hobble out… till you see that stupid red bucket. Something snaps in you, maybe reality. It feels animalistic and real. Maybe it’s what you’ve been keeping down so you didn’t fully lose your mind. However, you’re getting out now. You can act. The real world stood out there, and you- you were in here for an eternity being branded, ripped at, and groomed by a man and his overzealous posey. You push yourself away from the man, Death, and shriek.

Your knees crash down onto the cement, and the thin pants give you little help from scrapes. You grab the bucket and start thrashing it at the ground, water exploding.

“Fuck!” You scream and hit the bucket over and over into the ground. You wail like your mother must have when she heard of what happened to you. You wail like the first time you felt chains around your limbs. Crying and heaving till the bucket is nothing but shards of red plastic. Your hand seeks out the sharpest one, it comforts like nothing has in a long time. Quiet resumes in your countenance. You both just need to get out of here.

“Go Price.” Ghost pauses, listening to a short version of your folder they must have at base. “Two years? Fuckin' hell." He looks me up and down. "We are going to extract. I’ll leave the rest to the team. We’re pretty much done over here anyway. Over.”

A giggle escapes you as you go to leave the room. This has to all be some absurd dream. Two years? Ghost makes his way to you, grabbing your arm with his firm hand, but you shrug him off and lean against the wall.

“Listen to me, alright? I know you were trained in the army before going investigator, remember that training. Stay silent, you already caused enough racket to get us killed… and take my fucking arm.”

You grab it and hang on this time. You both go on quickly. Ghost holds his large M4 Carbine, checking corners. Gunshots ring out, but you keep going. The building has broken-class windows and is dusty with sand and wartime fallout. Footsteps your way. Ghost grunts as he pushes you into a side room, shutting off his radio. You two press behind an open door. Ghost towers over, arms on either side of you. You clutch your weapon. He smells like metal and sweat. People pass by, shouting in a language often heard, but never understood.

“Deep breaths,” Ghost whispers. You can see his eyes behind the mask, they are unnerving but calm. A deep breath is forced, in and out.

“One, two, three, four.”

“Move on,” his husky voice commands.

You leave the room and can’t help but look outside. Outside. It shines brightly like a mirage. You count your steps in four quietly. Ghost practically drags your broken body through the clay-coloured hallway. A flash of metal glints outside behind a broken-down car. You pull him down.

“What the-” Gunshots ring out from over us as you both kneel on the floor, looking both ways and at each other. “Quick eye.”

“Lucky,” you respond.

The two of you crouch-walk along the floor, a movement hard on your tired body. You pant, already exhausted. “Come on just a little way further,” he says.

Windowed walls end and it's a straight shot to the stairs. You go for it but are stopped by two men. Ghost quickly shoots one. The other man charges him, grabbing the barrel of his gun, and readying his own small pistol. It all happens quickly. You know that man’s face, clear in the background smiling while shocks rippled through your whole being. He doesn’t even pay you any regard now. Your hand tightens around the sharp piece of plastic from the bucket. This violence is quiet. You move swiftly from behind Ghost as he pushes the attacker off. You raise your arm and jump on him, toppling him to the ground. A bullet goes off from his gun. The large shard in your hand comes down and punctures his neck with all vengeful strength. The man's eyes go wide. He grabs at his throat while you remove the piece. Blood spurts out, spraying everywhere. You’re in shock for a short moment, but everything snaps back like an elastic band. Warm liquid runs over you as you wipe your mouth. Metal can’t help but be tasted.

“Jesus Christ.” Ghost stares at you. You wait for ostracization, but Ghost cuts the tension with: "I can’t judge too hard, you saved my skin… though I didn’t need it.”

“I need a fucking cigarette” You rasp while wiping your face. Why would you ever care what he thought? A wave of dizziness succumbs you as you collapse. The moment of adrenaline is starting to pass, and that last pounce took all you had.

“Common,” Ghost tries to pull you up. You try, but find your limbs in a state of cold sleep. You shake before collapsing again. Without a moment to waste, Ghost scoops you up in his arms. Your head rests against his bulky vest, vision slightly blurry. “Stay with me (Y/N).” The smell of him, of the earth you have almost reached is the only sense intact. You feel your body beat against his chest as he moves. Ghost rushes down the stairs to the entrance.

Light fills your vision, you didn’t even realize your eyes were closed until now. You see Ghost's concerned eyes look down at you before scanning the environment. “Keep your eyes open, sweetheart.” He ducks behind a car, breathing heavily now that he also has to carry you. Beyond him is a light blue-grey sky with sparse clouds. Dusk or dawn? you can’t tell yet. The wind picks up, it's fresh and cool. From there it’s a blur until you both meet up with an armoured jeep with a gunman on top. We made it, hopefully.

[the-nimbasa-trio]

"Fucking incredible!" *Echo said, voice lowered now that the crowd began to disperse. She looked over at Emmet and Ingo, a large grin on her face.*

"I've never really seen stuff like this before! Watching other trainers battle is fun, but nothing like THIS!"

*She bounced slightly, running one hand through her hair while the other held onto Ingo's jacket. She turned over to Emmet, a softer smile on her face. There was something nervous and uncertain in her gaze, but hopeful as well.*

"And I would love to be part of your friend group. You guys are awesome! I don't know why you'd want me when I'm nothing special, but I really appreciate it."

(Actually fuck it, I'm not going to let stuff ruin my fun!!)

"I am Emmet. Everyone is special," Emmet stated and flashed a grin. "Not one person is more special than another. We are special in our own right. People may laugh, but we laugh louder! Don't let people get you down." They reached a hand out to Echo and patted her head. "I am Emmet. You're part of this friend group. We are equals. Come on!"

Emmet gestured for Echo to follow and ran off in the direction where Elesa was going to be. Ingo was quick to follow, though he made sure Echo was with him. He kept a protective hand on her shoulder, giving enough room for her to pull away if she decided she didn't want to be touched, and guided her through the dispersing crowd.

Soon enough, the three of them reached a door to the back. It said in big, red letters "STAFF ONLY," but Emmet swung the door open. They held it open for Ingo and Echo before letting go and allowing for it to swing closed.

The room was filled with many makeup tools strewn on different desks, and the room was rather bright. There were workers running here and there, getting things all packed up and organized now that the show was over. Elesa was by one of the desks that had a mirror and he was fixing his makeup, but when the three of them approached him, he noticed them in the mirror.

Quickly, he hopped to his feet and bore a smile so large that his face looked like it should hurt. "Ingo! Emmet! My boys!" He exclaimed and wrapped his arms around the two of them. He squeezed them to death- though not literally- and the Subway Bosses returned the gesture.

"Elesa! Brilliant show! Bravo!" Ingo exclaimed when the hug was over.

Emmet patted Elesa on the back. "Too bad you lost."

"What's the purpose of a gym if I don't lose a few rounds here and there?" Elesa laughed. "Then I'd have a surplus of badges collecting dust!"

The star soon noticed Echo and brightened immediately. "Aww, aren't you adorable? Hello!" He extended a hand in a handshake. "You look very nice. I'm Elesa, Nimbasa City's gym leader! Pleasure to meet you. What's your name?" He then looked towards the twins. "I didn't know you made a new friend!"

[supernovaa-remnant]

tell me why jupiter is so important :0

jade I am so happy you asked this question!!!

we actually owe everything to her, and hopefully I can explain that well in this post <33

so, I'm not sure how many people know this, but Jupiter was almost a star (a brown dwarf, but still notable I think). I am not exaggerating when I talk about how absolutely massive Jupiter is. And, with that mass, comes an incredible gravitational force.

there's an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. the edge of the asteroid belt is ~3AU which is where the snow line is which separates the inner and outer solar system (the snow line essentially just shows how close to the sun solid water aka ice can be before it melts, hence why planets in the outer solar system are largely made of ice).

however, asteroids are not dispersed uniformly across the asteroid belt. there are certain distances from the sun which have very very few asteroids, and this is due to something called resonance. essentially, resonance is when the orbits of two objects are in sync. there's a lot of science-y stuff that I could explain, but I don't really feel like getting into it in this post (feel free to ask me to elaborate though if that's something you're interested in!!), but what you need to know is that these spots in the asteroid belt are in resonance with Jupiter. and asteroids do not like to be in resonance with Jupiter.

here's a graph that shows what I said above in case anyone's interested (yes I took this from the lecture slides from my class)

so, what essentially happens, is that Jupiter's gravitational force affects the asteroids in resonance and completely changes their orbits and increases their velocities, throwing them either into the outer solar system or into the inner solar system.

this is the only reason we have asteroids that cross Earth's orbit.

why is that important? well, a) an asteroid impact is what killed the dinosaurs. without the extinction of the dinosaurs, mammals never would have been able to evolve in the way they did.

but, more importantly than that: the earth did not start of with liquid water!! that (and amino acids which are fundamental for life) was brought in via asteroid impacts, which never would have been possible if not for Jupiter.

so, everyone say "thank you, Jupiter," because otherwise all this wouldn't exist

[kariachi]

Thoughts as I look at Pern stuff...

Somehow in all my bitching it has only just hit me that there are no native terrestrial herbivores really shown in the Pern series. The tunnelsnakes are constantly shown as carnivorous, the wherries are constantly shown as carnivorous though there might have been a time they were mentioned eating plant matter, the firelizards are introduced as omnivores but treated like carnivores... Pern just, doesn't do herbivore's apparently.

And before anybody starts on 'well Thread' as a general rule what people tend to use- to my memory- as the basis for how long Thread has been a thing is the age of the fossils of large herbivores found during the initial survey. Well, I'm looking at the page and those were described as being 50 thousand years old. Of course this doesn't give us a proper description of how long Pern has been dealing with Thread- after all, it's entirely possible that some herbivores (they're described as grazers but that's it) survived the early rounds of Thread, as well as possible that they were dead and gone long before Thread showed up- but it's what we have.

Now, 50k years is generally not long enough to have what's considered 'lasting' evolutionary change- that is change that's not going to, well, change- and also isn't very long after an initial Mass Extinction Event to recover, but while Pern wouldn't be near on level with Earth it has two major things going for it on this front-

1) We know for certain the initial extinction event took place over a short period- the effects of the Red Star's passing last about 50 years, with about 200 years of leeway before the next blow. This was a quick hit, with recovery time following, followed by another hit, in a consistent pattern.

2) The species least capable of adapting to Fall would have died out in that first Pass, and it would have continued like that for each Pass that followed, until all that was left was fuckers that could get through. You hear a lot about Thread destroying everything, the McCaffreys like to throw it out there that Pern would be stripped of all life during a Pass if it weren't for human and dragon intervention, but if that was the case Pern would not have had terrestrial life when the humans got there. And I'm sure there's people out there who use that fact to claim that the Red Star has only been around for like two Passes prior to this or something, but the facts as we're given point to Pern having had strong pressure to produce species on terrestrial plant and animal that could survive and even thrive during a Pass, and having been managing it.

Follow along. The first ever Pass hits Pern, the first fuckers that are going to go are the largest terrestrial herbivores and the slowest growing plants. These will both be the ones least likely to be able to evade Fall, least likely to be able to find enough food to survive after Fall, and least likely to be able to make up for the initial loss in numbers. You'll get outliers though- Skybroom trees, for instance, who likely originally evolved to fend off native herbivores, fires, potentially rockslides or some such- mostly those whose preexisting adaptations give them an advantage in dealing with Thread. For example if a species of plodding herbivore used various secretions to build itself thin stone armor, that would grant it greater protection against Thread, while if it also reproduced in large numbers due to young not being as well defended by their armors that would allow more opportunities to make up numbers.

Next to go will the species that rely on those species, select predators, plants, smaller critters, who relied on those species for food, shelter, to disperse seeds, etc.

You'll also see a loss in smaller non-aquatic species who don't have evolutionary traits that help against Thread. Precognition, teleportation, burrowing, cave-dwelling, fire-breathing, shells that were Thread resistant, body oils that that Thread slipped right off (like Thread off a duck's back~), these and more are the traits you're liable to see in a majority of Pernese species by the time of colonization, which by the way by these estimates would be the 201st Pass.

Seriously 50,000 years ago our ancestors probably hadn't run into neanderthals yet, we were over 30,000 years from going "hey, what if we kept some of these wolves around", it's been a while

There's a critter mentioned that has a sticky back that things land on and it digests them right there, I promise you that fucker found success by having just enough bastards that could eat Thread faster than Thread ate them and adapting there let them become absolute menaces to anything that landed or stepped on them. The ones described aren't big, only about 2-by-3 inches, but the survey was brief and I wouldn't be surprised if Pern's flatlands had much larger examples of the fuckers, evolved for a role as stealth predators rather than animalistic sundews.

By the end of that first 50 year Pass Pern's landmasses would have been wiped mostly clear of most of it's species. A serious mass extinction event. But, this would be coupled with a serious uptick regarding aquatic and semi-aquatic species. Pern's oceans and waterways must be astounding, and any species who evolved to turn to the water for protection would have found themselves suddenly among the most successful on the planet.

Everything that survived would have been those species most capable of surviving or recovering from Fall, and the representatives of those species that most strongly presented those successful traits. These would have been the species- plant, animal, bug, whatever- that reproduced. Over the next 200 years there would have been some diversifying, some adapting genetically, and then the next Pass would have hit. Anything that moved away from those survival traits would get fucked, those that doubled down would survive, wash, rinse, repeat 200 times.

Would we be looking at new species? Yeah probably. If nothing else we'd have a lot of subspecies taking advantage of niches that opened up. Skybrooms probably had a smaller range before Thread started up, for instance, but once they turned out be The Most Threadproof Tree competition took a steep downturn.

By the time the colonists showed up Pernese plants would probably fall into three categories- 1) Threadproof- due to thick bark, Threadproof secretions, being dense as hell, etc; 2) Eternal- either the seeds are Threadproof and germinate under specific conditions leaving there always a new generation, or they're capable of springing back from sever die-back; 3) "Hold my beer"- make kudzu look like redwoods, probably adopted the mint when it came over

Pernese animals likely lean heavily towards semi-aquatics, amphibians, and cave-dwelling species most definitely, plus burrowing species, shelled species. You'd have more species than expected with secretions (again, if you can make Thread slide off or something, you'd be the hottest thing in town), and so much fucking psychic capability. Any species that had an inkling of psychic powers before? Is going to have spent 50 thousand years being harshly forced to select for it. Most non-aquatic species are also probably going to focus on making a lot of babies. Focusing on one or two at a time is probably going to be the domain of amphibians, cave-dwellers, and aquatics. Species that don't have to worry about "I put three years into that kid and the sky noodles ate them".

And as far as herbivores go? If you've got plantlife you're going to have something dedicated to eating it. They may not be big, they may not be grazers, but they will fucking be there.

[allyear-lff]

Till

The writeup you see below was done in January 2023 shortly after I watched the film which left such an impression on me that I wanted to make sure I made justice to it within my limited means.

I truly believed that Ms Deadwyler was a certainty for an Oscar nod, how wrong I was.

Mark Kermode discussed this iniquity in his film review podcast with Simon Mayo, worth listening to them about this (their podcast can de downloaded from anywhere): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/danielle-deadwyler-women-talking-epic-tails-blue-jean/id1616559297?i=1000598917215

Before talking about the film absorb this bit of information, perhaps read it and then go for a coffee, a walk even, think about it and come back here if you wish: the Emmett Till Antilynching Act is a landmark United States federal law which makes lynching an US federal hate crime.[1], this law was enacted in .... 2022.

Summary: film based on real events, probably quite closely, commemorating the life and work of Mamie Till (later Till-Mobley) and the unspeakable tragedy that forced her into the limelight.

Plot with spoilers:

The film is about the enormity of a civilised country allowing the inhumanity we witness to happen, unashamed for the best part of the 20th century of human beings being violently murdered without any possibility of redress, a country and establishment entirely unconcerned of the murder of a young boy in the most savage manner as a payback for a bit of well intended silliness.

The film is the stuff of nightmares, I would have no hesitation to describe the first half of the film as part of the horror genre.

This is 1955 Chicago, Emmet, known as Bo, is a jovial happy African American boy who lives with her loving mother, Mamie, surrounded by loving relatives and friends, his dad died in the last months of WWII, a hero, his family comes from Mississippi and he goes visiting relatives there at the suggestion of his grandmother, played by none other than Whopi Goldberg.

Mamie has misgivings about the visit since Bo has grown in a more tolerant environment (the low level racism is still there mind you, there is a short scene to remind us of that), he doesn't know how to engage with people prepared to murder him at the drop of a hat (who could have?).

Bo goes away, once there he is prancing around with his cousins, they go to a grocery shop and what he intended as a compliment (he says to the shop attendant, a White woman, that she looks like a Hollywood star) is taken as an insult which is compounded by him whistling at the woman, when she reacts angrily the black youngsters disperse but offence has been taken, the boys keep things to themselves but little did they know that the family of the Woman would react with unimaginable rage.

A few days later, when Bo is getting ready to go back to Chicago, a group of men come to the home of his relatives and get him out of bed and into a truck, mercifully we aren't shown much of what happens to him but we are in no doubt about what is coming, in the meantime Mamie misses Bo terribly and wants him back, she is in this state of mind when news of Bo's disappearance reach her, she is desperate to rush to Mississippi but she is convinced to use the help of activists since this kind of kidnappings are very common and they know how to apply pressure to the system.

Mamie and the people helping are embroiled in all this when the news finally arrive that Bo's body has been found, the authorities in Mississippi want to bury Bo there, but Mamie is having none of it and by the simple strength of her moral position forces the activists to move all their influence to bring Bo back home, which they manage to do.

On arrival of the body to Chicago Marnie receives it in very moving scenes of unimaginable sorrow, later on Mamie is shown the body which is horribly disfigured, I thought this wouldn't be shown, but the camera moves deftly and all of the sudden we can see the left side of Bo's horribly disfigured remains, this by the way is not imagined, in real life Mamie asked a photographer to take pictures of her disfigured son and of her and her then boyfriend standing in front of the body, I don't understand why this picture isn't iconic, it has a visceral power similar to that of the Vietnamese girl escaping a Napalm bombardment.

From this point the film endeavours to document the transformation of Mamie from grieving mother into Civil Rights Activist, starting with attending as a witness the trial of the murderers of her son (they would later confirm the murder in a paid interview years later, protected by the inane US double jeopardy laws ). Predictably these subhumans walked free.

How somebody can manage to find the courage to lead and to become an icon after such sorrow and pain is impossible to fathom, I am shocked that good people, any people, had to endure this, and even more shocked about all the people that to this day haven't done something to redress this shameful balance.

This is a film whose relevance as a document, homage and reminder is far more important than the technical aspects of it, the film is impeccably ambiented in the 1950s, several photographs around the death of Bo have been recreated with great success in the film, the acting is fantastic, Mamie is played with great dignity and empathy by Danielle Deadwyler who is not a newcomer, but who should see her star raising after this great role. Oscar node perhaps? I hope people don't forget about her, she has been nominated for a BAFTA, and deservedly so, but given the vagaries of these things the film may not be eligible for the Oscars until 2024.

Rating: 4.5/5

78 of 168

Date: 11 January 2023

Venue: Barbican Cinemas

The list of films in the LFF 2022

[genspiel]

"I said I was sorry," Damian said. His voice did that soft hurt thing, which annoyed her even more. [...] "So what?" she said. "That doesn't mean you get to circumvent me being pissed off at you. I was just too busy with other shit for the last year and a half."

[shiningdesignersreflections]

Chapter 3: Windy Arrival

Narrated by Aeon.

Marina: Aeon!

Narrator: The familiar voice breaks me out of my reverie and drags me back to reality.

Marina: Why didn't you come meet up with us?

Aeon: Sorry, I got lost.

Narrator: Marina stuffs a bunch of souvenirs into my hands.

Nikki: We got this heavy metal album in a record shop. Marina insisted.

Narrator: Before I can thank her, Marina has already run off to play with the sand on the beach.

Momo: Can't believe you like music this loud. I could barely handle listening to it in the store.

Narrator: Momo complains, rubbing his ears.

Nikki: We went skateboarding in the park and did a bit of painting in a studio. That was why we took so long.

Narrator: Tired from the day, Momo slumps onto the ground. Marina, on the other hand, is still energetic.

Momo: She's really a handful, that kid...

Aeon: Sorry for leaving her to you guys.

Narrator: I study the brightly-patterned album in my hands.

Narrator: In the distance, the crowds sing on, their voices leaving light, pleasant hues in the air. Like watercolor.

Narrator: Heavy metal, my favorite genre, is more of a rich, inky sort of color.

Narrator: Perhaps life on the Ark is too much like a plain piece of paper. I needed the colors to spice up my life.

Nikki: Look, Aeon, Marina painted this. A picture of all the things she saw today.

Narrator: In the drawing, I see a beach, crowds, hostels, and village roads. All sights she saw today indeed.

Narrator: How nice. She no longer has to rely on her imagination to complete paintings.

Narrator: From now on, she has real memories of her own. Just like me.

Narrator: As night falls, the crowds on the beach disperse. The smooth sea, reflecting a galaxy of stars, is all that remains.

Narrator: I sit down by the waters and gaze into the ocean.

Narrator: Marina comes trudging over, rubbing her eyes. Perhaps she's not used to sleeping in the new environment yet.

Marina: Why aren't you sleeping, Aeon?

Aeon: The ocean is calm today. I want to sit here for a while.

Marina: I'll watch the ocean with you, then.

Narrator: When we were on the Ark, we often watched the Ocean of Memories together. Now, in Miraland, we have a real ocean in front of us.

Narrator: It's so serene, almost surreal. Like a dream.

Aeon: Marina?

Narrator: Marina's barely sat down for five minutes before dozing off, leaning against me, breathing even.

Narrator: In her hand is the drawing she did today. She mutters in her sleep, something about wanting to see fireworks.

Narrator: Gazing down at the album Marina bought me, I make a wish to rolling waves...

Aeon: I wish Marina and I can go see fireworks in Miraland together.

Narrator: The Ocean of Memories is where emotions and memories meet. Yet Marina and I don't have any memories of our own.

Narrator: We know nothing of our past.

Narrator: But from today on, our past will no longer be blank.

Narrator: We'll fill our sheets of white paper with colors, alongside our new friends.

Narrator: A petrel comes gliding over and lands next to me, as if it's brought me blessings from the gentle night breeze.

Narrator: Someday in the future, we'll return to the Ark.

Narrator: I hope when that day comes, I'll be able to savor the memories I have while gazing over the Ocean of Memories.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

[the-firebird69]

Star Blazers: The Comet Empire Ep26 (2/2)

YouTube · asdf7893

Jan 1, 2007

It is true that Dan dies a different way and this is a different person and her son knows the person and knows who he is and it's Bob birdies and he is a giant and in the film not the comic strip cartoon he is a giant about 10 ft and everybody's small compared to him no they're about 8 ft but it certainly looks like he's in charge and the reason he takes over is through what my son is going to explain the secret of the comet empire ship and it's somewhat revealing

Thor Freya

Checks and balances exist within an army it could be that but this is one hell of a check when people think my family knew stuff and they may have I want you to fight over them because you're going to find out that the comet empire ships are extremely powerful against Stone chips and vice versa but we're known to have stone chips for a long time as a rumor and there are several that they investigated one of which the Martin Joe finds who stand and he examines it. If you look carefully at the empire ship the comet empire ship and I believe that's a roughly a 2000 I think there's only one in the Gulf and this one in the Hudson Bay I'm not sure where Bob bertie's area is and someone said its Hudson babe and it's a 500 and it does look on that size compared to ships and he says it's true and that's Mac. If you look at the configuration and I've seen it before in an electronics believe it or not but it's not electronics that you guys would use for this purpose and it is about this movie that's on which is Jacob's ladder and they called that in the clan because of the need to stop Stone chips which is what they thought we have and they said they had proof but it's not really something that you guys got information on. And there's a lot of people being murdered around this topic and people want to know and if you find out you get hit and nine times out of 10 it's a crime easily solved and it's one of your own. And we're working single murder on the move on a movie that is and the movie is Jacob's liner and someone poisoned someone to death and the administered something in a gas and he actually dies his brain is eating away quite rapidly and I've seen people chop people's heads off when poisoned with It but usually it's too late. And here it is in a nutshell there are huge huge what looks like buildings and their vertical and around the edges they're shorter as you go towards the center they are larger and larger on a 500 mi wide ship each of these buildings is about 10 miles wide and some are 5 mi wide depending on how they wanted it to be dispersed and they tested when you turn the Arc machine on the arc is powerful enough to destroy those places if you turn it on too high and you don't want to do that it can be projected without a laser it is a bit haphazard but it goes in the direction you're aiming it and you have to throw it out there and this way to use the machine to do that it's very very accurate even with just lightning but it is haphazard in getting there it's like one of those wizzy wag missiles and when you add the missile I mean the laser in the middle sorry of course it's a laser and it's doped or something and is very huge it's around 30 miles you get a gigantic plasma laser Arc weapon and it will sear through Stone in a millisecond it's 100 mi thick and hardened like the one Tommy F has and he didn't know about it and he thought The blasters would not do anything and I said they can be modified and they are on some of them any panicked and he's really going to panic now so you got to wonder if my clan new something or if they're fighting each other and simply went to the tomb because of that and a lot of people think that's why but I don't some people have the information and think we're doomed and they can't get to square one because they're fighting each other this post is going to ruin you and I'm doing it because of what you did to me tonight

Zues Hera

[florainkingdom]

"I can manage a spar if this guy if he wants. I just gotta be careful not to push myself too hard is all." Not to mention even if her heart does act up, taking some of her medicine and relaxing for a moment will prevent her from heart from going out. "Yeah, Eggton is a nice little town. Hard to believe some rich guy used to own this place just for their manor. Kinda weird if you ask me." The opossum couldn't imagine why someone would want all this space just for one house.

"Uh, I think we can do that? I'm not sure as I heard their cracking down on these visitor passes. I can only assume some unwelcomed folk have already began to slip in, ya know?" Poppy wasn't sure given no information had come out, though could assume they were keeping a tight lid on it. The opossum turned to look at the line only to have the bat girl hold up a piece of paper to her. She took a moment to see that everyone starting to disperse. "Dang, you work fast."

"Oh, um, thanks. Easier when the line is neat, and my Lucky Star helps." The bat was soft spoken, not speaking too loudly, though loud enough to be heard. "This is a ticket. I, uh, can't exactly condone destruction of public property, even if it was to help. I'd also rather not arrest you, so, you know," she said, hoping the opossum wouldn't be mad.

"...I'll take the ticket," Poppy said, taking it from the bat. Better that then jail if you ask her, at least given her criminal record. "So, uh, my new friends here need some help. Ended up here by mistake and all that." The opossum had no clue how to go about this.

"Oh, uh, yes. Please, everyone to the table. I'll need Sonic and Amy to fill out a form with some basic information such as name, date of birth, the name of their world, and stuff like that. I'll also need you to give a statement on how you found them and what not," the bat said before walking back over to the table underneath the tent.

"like i said...remarkable." it sounded like poppy had quite the life and even more stories to tell. amy would have been happy to hear them had they not had something a little more important to do that day. still, lifting rocks...a boar's tusk...

and here the hedgehogs thought they had interesting lives. the older opossum had just taken the cake, hands down.

❝ man i would love to see you and knux go head to head...you know, if it wasn't for the whole medication thing. ❞ interesting as it would be even sonic wasn't willing to take such a big risk. especially when it wasn't even his own health on the line. even more so since it seemed it had been a bit of a secret from the younger one.

more reason for him to move the subject along. no need to worry lily. ❝ i second that though, sounds like you guys finally have a place to call home for a while. a place to call your own. ❞

"and there's something very special about that," amy chimed in, giving her teammate a knowing look and getting a smile in return before she motioned back to the station. "i know we're supposed to be finding a way home and all but...i'm starting to think we can wait a little while longer and maybe see some more of the town? you know, just until the line dies down and things settle down a bit?"

[lgbtqreads]

Excerpt Reveal: Homesickby Nino Cipri

Excerpt Reveal: Homesickby Nino Cipri

Today on the site I’m excited to welcome Nino Cipri, author of the brand-new Homesick, which just released from Dzanc Books on Tuesday! It’s a short story collection that spans speculative, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, with all sorts of queer/trans rep, including queer, bisexual, lesbian, gay, transfeminine, transmasculine, nonbinary, and bigender. Here’s the official blurb:

Dark, irreverent,…

[paperpeacock]

hihi! i’m so glad there’s someone who writes for the vld fandom that’s still active omg your writing is so lovely, you know that episode where they finally make it back to earth? after keith was stuck in the time loop thing and all of that stuff, could you write something about that where like the reader sees him jump out of the car and like bolts towards him like they’ve just missed him sm 👉👈

Hi! thank you so much! this request made my heart swoon~ it's so sweet! I hope you enjoy this and remember to have an awesome day.

Keith x Reader - There you are

The clouds gently passed upon the dull, ashen sky. Swallowing the land in a veil of fog and sending forth the brisk autumn gale. You watched the forest of apricot trees, leaves dripping from their branches before being swept by the wind. As time carried on, the sight of such tangerine shades grew scarce. The flora dispersing into few far and between. The land became barren, acres of forests, dissipating into a mire. 

“We’re almost there now��� Coughed a hoarse voice. Beside you sat Allan, a head of sparse silver hairs, a full beard and a crabby face. Despite his ill-temper he treated you with nothing but kindness, as if you were his own. 

“Oh my gosh, I'm so excited” You giggled quietly, peering out upon the icy world. “But nervous to...” You hadn't seen your raven-haired prince in quite some time, the last time being when dropped him off at the Garrison. From then only entropy ensued as he was taken half way across the universe, far, far away. You hadn't heard from him, sharing the worries with the rest of the families that missed their paladins dearly as they fought for their lives in the far reaches of space. Your days were filled with thoughts of him, you worried he wouldn't feel the same. 

“we’re here...” Allan croaked, pulling into the parking lot. Security insisted you waited here, at least until everyone got clearance to go outside. “They said he should be out soon” he reassured, whilst also pushing his seat back and getting comfortable. You flipped open the overhead mirror, inspecting your face. You made sure to fixup your hair, but yet you still pried at a few loose strands. Gazing into the mirror you were met back with a pair of troubled eyes, wide in worry and distress. 

“Allan?”  

“Yes?” 

“What if...what if Keith’s changed” You gazed at the elder beside you, seeking assurance. 

“Probably has” he responded, cap covering his crinkled eyes. “Afterall he’s been travelling through the stars, that ought to change anyone” 

“Yes, but what if he doesn't feel the same way about me anymore” You pleaded, anything to prove your worries. “I mean, we haven't seen each other in so long... what if he doesn't think of me anymore” Your head hung low, spirits sinking deep into a pool of doubt. Going so far in as to think, what if Keith met someone else.  

“Y/N” You were pulled from your pond. “Keith wouldn't be fighting for clearance this soon if he didn't want to see you” Your gaze landed upon the old man. “Infact, they weren't supposed to be out for at least a week but the boy couldn't wait that long” This was true, your concerns couldn't deny such a potent fact. 

“I guess so...” 

About twenty minutes ticked by, you watched the outside eagerly, bouncing your leg in excitement. Suddenly, the main entrance opened up, the metallic doors sliding open.  

“Is that him?” You searched around from your window, trying to get a better view of who it was. From out the large building paraded two guards, shouldering between them a familiar face. “Thats him! That’s him!” You gushed, hand gripping the door handle. Security pointed towards your car, an old scarlet pickup, rugged and beaten compared to the fleet of sleek garrison cars. 

Keith recognized it instantly, something so familiar an unchanging, he felt his heart swell. You clambered out the car, quickly stepping towards him. 

“Keith!” You yelled, waving your hand. His distant figure raised his hand back. 

“Y/N!”  

Your legs moved on their own, pushing into a jog to then a full sprint. Wind rushed past your face as you drew near to each other. Every bit of power was placed in each step, before they could take you away from him. You dashed upon the concrete, launching yourself into his crashing arms. He wrapping himself around you, arms snug upon your waist, swinging you in circles. You let out a summery laugh. 

“Keith” You panted, staring down at him as he held you up.  “Hi” he met your gaze, shadowy eyes filled with adoration. 

“It's been a while” you smiled, as he gently set you down. Your arms still hung around his neck, cupping the ends of his midnight locks. 

“I’ve missed you...so much” He breathed, voice trembling. Before you could respond, he pressed his head into your neck, pulling your figure close. His grip was tight, as if he was never going to see you again, but no. This was hug he didn't get to give you, when he was swept away. This was what he wanted you to know every day he spent protecting the stars, defending the universe. This was what he would never lose again. 

“I know” your fingers threaded through his hair, drawing him near. 

From the other side of the parking lot sat Allan, watching the scene unfold before him. A smile played his lips as he shook his head. Keith was finally home. 

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

It’s so Raw, it’s Still Swimming

Part 1 (ft. Riddle and Silver) I Part 2 (ft. Trey and Kalim) I Part 3 (ft. Jade and Lilia)

In which Gordon Ramsay-kun is isekai’d into Twisted Wonderland. Part Food Wars, part Hell’s Kitchen, all Master Chef—Night Raven College isn’t ready to take on this Michelin Star celebrity!!

Revenge is a dish best served cold—that’s why Jamil fully intends to serve up something truly dastardly to Azul. Unfortunately, good boi Deuce and Chef Gordon Ramsay have far more pure intentions in mind, and they plan to drag Jamil along with them on the path of righteousness! I’m sorry, I just wanted to clown on Jamil--

Imagine this...

An octopus cut through the water.

Its eight legs operate in a most peculiar way, each moving of their own accord, but in unison--like an orchestra of different instruments, each playing its own part in the group. Together, they push, threading the octopus between the waves, the notes of a hushed song.

The world is at peace, and the octopus, free.

Just for that moment.

A shadow darted by. Then another, leaving a trail of bubbles in their wake. A flash of scales, some silver, and some serpentine.

The octopus picked up its pace, hoping to propel itself to a safe cubby at the bottom of the sea. Frantic, its slitted eyes flickered in all directions. The danger—where was it coming from?

“Boo.”

The octopus squirted hard. At once, a black cloud filled the area. A smokescreen for its escape. Working its legs as hard as it could, the octopus torpedoed through the curtain of ink—but its trick could only work for so long.

The color quickly dispersed through the water, ink streaks diffusing into sheer ribbons, and then into nothing. It was open, all of its vulnerable bits exposed.

“It’s getting away!” someone called, his voice rippling, reverberating. He sported a tail like that of a mackerel, green-blue with vertical stripes up top, a silver underbelly, and a deeply forked fin—and a spade painted over his right eye.

“Not on my watch,” hissed his partner, a merman with dark, flowing hair and a venomous smirk. He launched himself after the octopus, propelled by a tail which slithered like a snake, plated and striped in in black and white scales. The boy thrusted an arm out for his prey—

—but octopus evaded him, slipping away from his grasp at the last possible second. He cursed under his breath. “Too fast...!!”

“If it’s speed you need, then leave it to me!” The merman in a spade offered. “I’ll block it off, and you grab it when it’s still dazed!”

“Done. Now quickly, before it gets away!!”

The mackerel-tailed merman took off like lightning, practically beating himself as he swam. Faster, faster, like a bullet piercing the water.

The octopus was suddenly met with a hard wall, its squishy head slamming into a muscled chest. It glanced up, and saw only the sympathetic smile of the mackerel merman.

“Sorry,” Deuce apologized, “but we really need you for this. I promise we’ll make you really delicious as thanks for your sacrifice!”

Fingers closed around the octopus’s tentacles, trapping them in a strong grip. The poor creature was yanked from behind, tugged into the arms of a far less kind predator.

“Got you,” Jamil declared, staring down at the octopus with quiet, murderous intent burning in his eyes. “You’ll make for a fine dish.”

“We got a great catch today! Fish, shellfish, octopus, crabs... I can’t wait to see what kinds of stuff Prefect-san will instruct us to cook!”

“Mm.”

“Leech-senpai was right about it being faster to grab the seafood yourself instead of fishing. I’m glad we were able to loan some merman transmutation potions from Crewel-sensei.”

“Yes, that was useful.”

“It was kind of fun to wrangle our own fish. It reminds me of when my mom took me to the pet store to pick out which goldfish I liked best... but what I really wanted was a baby chick!”

“I see.”

“Do you think we’ll get to work with eggs? Or even with chicken?! I don’t know if I could take it if we had to cook a mama hen with her unborn babies...”

“Deuce.”

“Yes, Viper-senpai?”

Jamil came to a full stop, facing his underclassman with a deadly serious expression. “The chicken eggs which are sold in supermarkets are unfertilized. There were never any chicks in them to begin with.”

“Wh-Whaaat?!” Deuce’s jaw dropped, hanging wide open for several seconds. He managed to pull himself together (but not without some stumbling) to hurry after Jamil. “Y-You can’t be serious, right? I... I didn’t live my whole life living a lie, right?!”

“You did.”

“HUUUUUUH?!”

Jamil’s movements and words were efficient and deliberate. He was here to learn, not to make friends--so he spoke with a straight face and an indoor volume, as opposed to Deuce, whose voice was hoarse with each thing he shouted.

“No more time wasting. Let’s get down to business,” Jamil suggested with a quick click of his tongue, “to fillet the fish.”

“B-But the eggs... The eggs...” Deuce protested faintly. His complex was pale, as though he had just had all of the life force sucked out of him.

“Forget the eggs. We’re here today for reve... er, I mean...” Jamil cleared his throat. “For the fish. Let’s use the catches we have while they’re still at their peak freshness.”

“Use them at their peak freshness...” Deuce perked up. “I get it, Viper-senpai! If we do that... then it would showing proper respect to the ingredients! It would make the baby chicks happy!”

I already told you, you fool... There ARE no baby chicks!

“Yes, that.”

“Got it! I’ll do my best!”

They both reached for their respective knife blocks.

“Hold it!!”

The boys whirled in the direction of the booming voice--and there, standing in the doorway to the kitchen, was Gordon Ramsay in his chef uniform, broad arms folded across his chest. He stormed toward them, his expression difficult to read.

“Good morning, chef!” Deuce called, snapping into a bow. “We just got back from grabbing some ingredients! Please teach us well today, too!”

He was greeted with a hard smack on the back and a bark. “Excellent. Look sharp! I’m expecting great things of you, darling.”

“YESSIR!!”

Gordon nodded in approval, letting Deuce proceed with descaling his mackerel--then his gaze trailed to Jamil, and he frowned. “And what in God’s name are you doing, wearing your hair like that?”

“My hair?” Jamil matched Gordon’s frown with one of his own. “I have always worn my hair this way, chef. Do you take issue with it?”

“You’re bloody right I do. You’re as skilled of a chef as any of them.” He made a vague gesture at the ghosts toiling away at their stoves. “So what are you fucking doing, waltzing in with your hair loose? You’re about to have your head snare or catch fire!!”

“I assure you, I have enough experience to know how to avoid getting into danger. You need not concern yourself with...”

“YOU TIE ALL OF THAT FUCKING HAIR BACK NOW, OR YOU’RE OUT OF THIS KITCHEN.”

Jamil took a step back, reeling from Gordon’s explosive reaction. But as demure has he may have looked from the outside, Jamil was seething on the inside.

Tsk. I signed up for this fish-themed Master Chef for one reason, and one reason only... Not to expand my repertoire of recipes, not to gain advanced knowledge... BUT TO EXACT MY REVENGE ON OCTAVINELLE!! ... But of course, I can’t just say that out loud.

Everything was going so well for me until THEY showed up... I’ll show that stuck-up Azul and that annoying Floyd what for by cramming their insolent mouths full of their brethren. I hope those two like the taste of octopus and eel. If only Jade were also a judge, so I could get back at him for luring Kalim away and interrogating him for information...

How dare this no-name transfer student from another world not only meddle in my winter break plans, but continue to get in my way to this very day... Curse you, Gordon Ramsay!! CURSE YOU!!

“................................ I understand, chef,” Jamil announced, sighing as he undid his hair tie. “I will do as you say. After all, I wouldn’t want to miss out on gaining our valuable wisdom.”

“Good.”

Jamil kept his head down as he scraped up every last strand of hair--including his bangs--into a tight bun. He secured it with his hair tie and chef’s hat, well aware that his every move was being monitored by Gordon. “... There. Is this sufficient?”

“It’ll do,” he replied gruffly.

“Then please excuse me. I will need to get started on a dish for you. I hope that octopus carpaccio is to your liking.” With a curt bow, Jamil vanished to his workstation.

“... Octopus? That’s not meant to be on the menu.”

“Oh, consider it a little surprise for you, as well as for the judges,” Jamil said mysteriously. 

Gordon stared at him, giving the stink eye. “Make me horse mackerel fritters first.”

“... As you wish.” Jamil drew his knife--and, bringing it back, expertly slashed at a fish, flaying it open with a single cut. “Please be patient. I will serve you a meal that is to die for.”

Gordon tensed. “... Jamil. What is cooking to you?”

“Cooking?” The Scarabia student scoffed. “Cooking is cooking. It is a means with which we take ingredients and make them more palatable to ourselves. We combine foods and prepare them in various ways. That is cooking.”

“That’s it, then? That’s all cooking is to you? A job? A task?!” Gordon’s voice revved up like an angry engine. “You are bloody dense for someone who thinks he’s so great and grand at it!!”

“... Are you suggesting, then, that Deuce is more skilled of a chef than I?” Jamil cocked his head in the direction of his junior, who was breaking off premade cubes of curry into a large stew pot. “Someone who can’t season something to save his life?”

There was a bite to his words, a venom lacing them.

As expected of a viper.

“Now don’t you put words in my mouth,” Gordon hissed through his teeth. “You’re a talented cook, I’ll give you that. But you aren’t a chef.”

Jamil’s knife froze. He looked up from his mackerel, a cold look set to his eyes. “... What do you mean?”

“Being a chef means looking at cooking as something more than just meal prep. When we cook, we use all of our senses. With these--” Gordon extended his fingers. “--we touch.

“With this--” He pointed to his tongue. “--we taste.

“And with this--” Gordon slammed a fist over his heart. “--we feel. Cooking infuses a piece of ourselves into each and every dish. It’s a way of sharing our souls with the people who eat our food. That is what separates a cook from a chef.”

He glanced over to Deuce (who was now staring into his curry with a serious expression). “The lad’s putting forth an honest effort. Can you say the same for yourself and your goals in this course?”

Gordon’s passion was raw and real, cleaving away at Jamil’s defenses. A knife slicing away at his scales, leaving him a defenseless mackerel.

“............................... Hmph. I want to increase my own knowledge of seafood preparation. That is all.”

Uncanny. His powers of perception are absolutely uncanny. I had better watch out for him--not just now, but in the future as well.

“You will taste the proof in the pudding when the fritters are done,” Jamil said at last. Steady, even. Unassuming.

“... Right, then. Show me your best.”

“How’re we doing over here, love?” Gordon asked, standing at attention before Deuce’s station.

The Heartslabuyul student beamed, cheeks ruddy from basking in the rich, warm steam wafting up from his boiling pot. He had just tossed in large chunks of chopped mackerel, which were slowly drowning in a swamp of curry like sinking ships.

“I think I’m really starting to get the hang of this!” Deuce smiled, looking proud of himself. “Oh, how’s Viper-senpai doing? I’ll bet he’s already done and earned 10 from every judge, huh?”

“Don’t you worry about him, worry about yourself.” He sniffed at the curry, his nose wrinkling. “You didn’t add anything extra to this?”

“Huh? Was I supposed to?” Deuce offered an empty cardboard container. “But the directions on this said to just toss the blocks into some stock and let it simmer for a few minutes.”

“That’s just the base. How are you going to make this your own take if you do it all by the book? If you’re not going to make your own sauce, at least throw in some vegetables or spices! You’ve got a whole pantry and spice cabinet waiting for you!”

“That’s... That’s allowed? But my dorm leader said...”

“Do you see your dorm leader around here? No? Then you can do whatever you like.”

“Oh, I see!!” Deuce jolted, his back straightening. “I’ll... I’ll figure something out!”

Gordom smiled warmly. “You always do.”

The first year produced a rack of bottles from a cabinet. He reached for one, hesitated, then seized it with all his might. Deuce gave a battle cry as he indiscriminately started popping off caps and chucking whatever felt right into his concoction.

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

“That’s the spirit!!”

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

“THAT’S IT!!!”

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

(“... So noisy,” Jamil muttered from his side of the kitchen.)

“Mmm!” Gordon took another whiff of the curry, a new wave of spices punching him in the face. “That’s smelling fantastic.”

“R-Really?! Thank goodness...” Deuce sighed in relief as he placed a lid over his pot. Steam immediately condensed, clouding the lid. “Cooking’s always something I wanted to pick up. I didn’t know it could be so free-form.”

“I take it you haven’t done much cooking before?”

“Kind of, sort of? My mom does most of it, since I’d always be busy with... uh... school. Yeah, school!” His laugh was a bit forced. “But since I’m the man of the house, I’ve gotta step up and do some of the cooking! I can’t always have my mom doing it for me.

“I read somewhere that seafood is healthy. Specifically, that mackerel helps lower blood pressure... and my mom’s under a lot of stress, being a single parent and all. I want to do what I can to help her.”

A fire burned within Deuce’s eyes, bringing a smile to Gordon’s worn face. He could see pieces of himself in the youth. The love for his mother, the passion, the drive, the willingness to learn and to improve.

“... Right. As the man of the house, you’ve got to look after your mum,” he muttered, gently parting his friend on the shoulder. “You’ve found your center. Now you’ve got to stick to your guns, because it’s only going to get harder from here on out.”

“Bring it on!!” Deuce challenged with a wicked grin. He formed a fist with one hand and smashed it against an open palm. “I’m willing to go the distance!”

“You are, are you?”

“YESSIR!! Even when onions make me cry, or tomato juice squirts onto my face, or I break unfertilized eggs in my fists... I’ll do whatever you ask of me!!”

“... No fucking clue where you pulled that unfertilized egg comment from, mate, but I’ll take it as a sign of good faith. If you’re really that jazzed up for it, I can show you some more advanced cutting techniques.”

“Advanced cutting techniques?!” Deuce jumped like an eager puppy. “You think I’m ready for it?!”

“You said you were willing to go the distance, didn’t you? Here’s me showing you the distance.”

Smirking, Gordon retrieved his own knife from its block. He wielded it with grace and precision—not unlike a trained warrior, seasoned with years of experience, forged in the fires of the kitchen and carved in battle scars.

Raw power and determination coursing through every fiber of his being.

Deuce looked on in awe, his jaw hanging agape.

“As swift as a coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon... with all the strength of a raging fire, and mysterious as the dark side of the moon.” Gordon exhaled sharply through his nostrils. “If you are prepared, then come!! I’ll make a Master Chef out of you...!!”

“YESSIR!! PLEASE TAKE CARE OF ME, CHEF!!”

(“... There truly is no peace to be found around here,” Jamil grumbled.)