#desk top jellyfish tank

[generalfishcare]

🌙 Moon Jellyfish Care: A Complete Guide for Beginners

Discover how to care for Moon Jellyfish with this easy-to-follow guide! Learn about tank setup, feeding, water conditions, and keeping these mesmerizing creatures healthy. Perfect for beginners and aquarium enthusiasts. Visit my website for more tips!

[meowmeowmeowmeow4x]

Dark Blue Moon and the Suffering Sun Chapter 33

MASTAPOST

god im so sleepy lmao also warning for skulker being a mega creep, but not to the extent of vlad

Damian, for the second time in as many days, awoke in a tank, a fact with which he was extremely displeased. The last thing he recalled was his stomach lurching, the bag he’d been stuffed into serving as an excellent package for Skulker to make off with him. Damian longed for a good blade to sink into the man’s body.

That fact was amplified by the feeling of cold metal on his scales. Damian scratched at the golden bracelets cupping his arms. He was dressed up in luxurious gold and jewels like a lecherous sultan’s slave. A ringed belt-like piece of silver wrapped around his waist and looped over his hip fins. Two more golden rings, each adorned with gleaming rubies, cupped the thinnest portion of his tail just above his tailfin. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to relieve himself of any of the filthy things. They were fitted tight as a glove, almost like they were made for his measurements. Damian shivered, and turned to more productive activities.

His new prison cell was at least more amenable than his last. In fact, it was a little too amenable. Damian found himself in a veritable miniature aquarium. If it weren’t for the reflection of his scaly face in the glass and the lavish (and frankly, tasteless) furniture beyond, he’d have thought himself in the actual ocean. The bottom was padded with beautiful white sand, populated by towering coral structures and schools upon schools of fish, jellyfish, and even a few manta rays. Stalks of kelp rose to the ceiling of the room, as the tank was that tall. Seaweed swayed in an artificial current. Damian picked up the sound of a wave machine gently pushing against the surface of the water.

Tapping the glass proved it was not some common fishbowl’s glass. The barrier between the water and air was at least two inches thick, something even a human Robin would find trouble with, let alone his current state. A golden shine caught his eye. Damian tutted. His fins rattled. It seems Skulker’s poor taste knew no bounds. Solid gold pillars lined the corners of the tank, and ran along the top and bottom.

With a closer look outside the tank, Damian clocked the numerous animal heads lining the walls of the room. Even more baffling was the inclusion of beautiful hand-crafted stone bird fountains scattered around the walls and mounted on posts in the room, populated by, of all the things, red duck candles. An old fashioned writing desk and chair sat facing away from the tank, decorated with what else but more preserved animals, and even more tacky candles, as if they were bought from the novelty shops that Richard would occasionally visit.

Outside of his already-revolting interior décor tastes, Skulker was a hunter. Went after rare and exotic creatures, Danny had told him. Damian’s eyes narrowed. Now he understood fully what the man was after. The abduction, the drowning, the pursuit, the sudden presence of the GiW in Panama, the entire reason for this trip in the first place.

The better question now was whether he was the prize, or the bait? And Damian suspected he was both. After all, Danny had made it very clear how much Skulker wanted his pelt specifically. Why go through the effort of making such a luxurious fish tank for a dead teenager?

There were so many other sirens in the sea, though. It made perfect sense that Damian would be the bait, but why also the prize?

He had caused a media sensation when he’d first arrived in Gotham. Tabloids ran for months, drooling over the gossip and rumours surrounding the mysterious biological son of Bruce Wayne. He’d been swarmed by mobs of rich snobs trying to pair their daughters with him, until his biting tone chased most of them off.

While Skulker wanted to make a coat out of Danny’s scales, he probably also wanted to allure of having such a mysterious and exotic pet. A pet that he’d had a direct hand in creating. Damian’s cheeks heated. He gritted his teeth. Of course. Here he was as much a trophy as the heads on the wall.

The door swung open. Damian bared his teeth. His fins flared wide. If he had his way, he’d be sinking them into the man’s jugular. Instead he was forced to bear Skulker’s smug smirk. He walked in, dressed in black cargo pants and a tank top instead of the customary hulking metal suit. Damian’s scales ran cold as the man looked over his body, bare except for jewelry he himself had placed.

Skulker went to the desk and retrieved a microphone from the drawer. He flipped it on, causing a brief whine in the tank.

“Good afternoon, Damian Wayne. I trust you find your new accommodation satisfactory?”

Damian hissed at him. “If you set me free I might let you live.”

“Hah!” Skulker laughed. The man reached into another drawer and pulled a can of beer. “I’m afraid the world outside is far too dangerous for a little guppy like you. You’ll be safer in here.”

“My absence has already been noted. You will not be able to get away with this!”

“Do you truly believe that, little boy?” Skulker shotgunned the beer in one. “Your little friend Danny wasn’t recognised by his own mother at gunpoint. And even if by some miracle they came here, what would you do? Squeak at them?”

Actually, he would tap out a message in Morse Code, but Skulker didn’t need to know that. And this time he would not hesitate.

Still, that brought up another concern. Skulker did not know he was Robin. As far as he believed, Damian was just some spoilt rich boy. On the one hand, it meant that there would be underestimation, and from there an opportunity. On the other hand, any overt competence he displayed would do badly for the family secret.

What a conundrum.

“So what do you intend to do with me, then? Sell my scales? Bed me?”

Skulker gasped in genuine shock, not the fake politeness that he’d seen Father’s parasites give off. “Did you not know? I am Skulker, the greatest hunter in the seven seas! I am not some kind of sicko. All the pleasure I need comes from the thrill of the hunt! And you have been an admirable quarry, and may now live out the rest of your days in comfort as my greatest trophy.”

Despite his ‘reassurance,’ Damian distinctly thought this made him even more of a sicko. “And what of Phantom’s pelt?”

“Danny will be my greatest coat, or a handbag. I’m open to options. Probably won’t even die the first skinning, what with his regeneration.”

Definitely a sicko. This man would fit right in on Gotham’s rogue’s gallery. Damian had disdain for hunters, especially trophy hunters, but to chase after someone whom you know is human? He recalled the fiery siren girl’s words back at the cave near Amity. To go after your own kind indeed. And Danny had the confidence to casually banter with this man like it was Tuesday?! Not to mention while being shot at by his parents, and the government.

Robin always had Batman, and the family, and the Justice League beyond those people. There were times he craved independence, to strike out on his own and prove himself, only to sorely regret it when it inevitably went pear-shaped. And yet Danny did all that and more, and the only adults in his life wanted to kill him.

“Phantom is thrice the man you will ever be. To covet his skin will only bring you ruin.”

Skulker pressed his face right up against the glass, grinning sadistically. Damian hissed back. “What does a baby sea monster know about manhood? Or ruin, for that matter. Let me spell it out for you. You. Have. No. Rights. Nobody who has those rights is coming for you. I could parade you around animal conservation centres for all the world to see and as far as the law is concerned I’d be as innocent as a newborn babe.”

Rage boiled over. Damian snarled. He lashed out against the glass, clawing uselessly at the barrier. Skulker only laughed harder. Damian slammed at the glass with his tail. His tail rings clanged against it uselessly.

“You’re an adorable trophy. I ought to put a little bell on you, like a kitten.”

The man left soon after, cackling like a TV supervillain (or just a regular real life supervillain, honestly), leaving Damian to stew in his rage.

He was not one to stew for long. With rage, there was never inaction.

Danny stuffed as much seaweed into his mouth as he could fit in his arms. He shoveled shellfish in like a waterslide. His belly bulged with how much food it was taking, and yet kept shrinking rapidly. Danny slashed open a fat fish. He sank his teeth into his flesh, ripped out the guts, then threw the rest out in seconds. It would take too much time to pick the flesh between bones, so he just killed another. Then another, and another.

He’d exhausted himself, and got Damian caught by fucking Skulker. That mistake couldn’t happen again. He couldn’t fail Damian again.

He tried to ignore the way his skin crawled just from how close his mother was. How close Damian’s dad was. If Bruce Wayne learned how badly he’d fucked up, Danny would be a dead fish and he wouldn’t even complain. He deserved it.

Danny ate, and ate, and ate.

He sniffed the water. It was Skulker’s dolphins. The trail was heading away from the shore. Danny swam faster than he had ever swum before.

It seemed Skulker had anticipated many of his first ideas. Damian found the water filter practically welded to its spot. His new ornaments proved useless at breaking or dislodging anything. He’d even found the larger rocks of the aquarium affixed to the bottom and immovable. The pebbles gathered up in bunches at the bottom proved ineffective as well. At the top, Damian found a hatch, probably for maintenance and cleaners to enter, but it was sealed shut. The tank featured no other entrances or exists. What he saw was what he got.

Even if he could break the glass, he didn’t even want to. He was not the only unwilling resident of this tank, but he was the only one with lungs. That left the top hatch as his current best option.

Damian swam into a nook, and began to plan.

This was not ideal. No weapons, no tools, a body for which measures had already been taken. Of course, Danny might come for him. He might. He’d heard an explosion moments after he was snatched right off Danny’s back, then there was the issue of Dr Fenton and his father. To expect Danny to be swift was unreasonable. 

In fact, it might be Damian who needed to save Danny. 

Which was to say he could not afford to lounge around. Simultaneously, it was possible he’s be forced to play the long game in his escape attempt, and the longer he had to endure Skulker’s lecherous gaze, the more chance he might pop a vein or two. 

Time to work on it then. Damian swam up to the top. He knocked against the hatch, testing its durability. To his surprise, there was just the slightest amount of give. Perhaps with a pebble, he could pry it open. A crowbar would’ve been preferable, but beggars could not be choosers. 

Seizing stress overwhelmed his tiny body. His subconscious recognised it first. Then his conscious mind registered the rattling of everything in the room. The boat shook, as if rocked by an attack. Damian dashed back behind a rock. He waited for a moment. 

Skulker did not come. Perhaps Damian had underestimated Danny’s tenacity yet again. This represented a prime opportunity. While Skulker was busy fighting Danny, Damian could escape and then assist. 

So he got to work immediately. He picked up the largest pebble he could get his scaly hands on. Then he went to the bottom of the tank. Steeling his nerves, Damian kicked his fins in sync. He undulated his body in one fluid motion, and surged with blinding speed. The metal clanged loudly and echoed in the water as he slammed as hard as he could against the hatch. 

It budged a quarter of a millimetre. Damian could hardly believe it. Then he did it again. And again. What he lacked in body mass he made up for with supernatural speed, pebbles in hand bashing against the hatch. He could not hear any more fighting or gather information on the situation outside the ship. The drive to get back to his friend fuelled his resolve, let him ignore his bruising knuckles and aching elbows. Damian surged up and attacked the opening once more.

His heart sank. The door was pushed open enough to reveal a padlock and chains covering the outside. Curse that Skulker! Damian yelled Todd-esque obscenities as he clawed uselessly at the chains. The lock was too far in the air for the water bound boy to reach, the opening too narrow to fit his hands through. He was Robin! He had no intention of letting a demented two-bit hunter with an ego the size of Lake Michigan get the better of him. 

So Damian coiled his tail like a spring again. He imagined all sorts of hateful and unpleasant things plastered over the hatch. The Fenton parents. The Joker. Grandfather. 

Nerves fired up, Damian snarled a barely-human battle cry. He launched himself faster than ever before. One second he was at the bottom. The next he was-

The next second, Damian found himself above the surface. Barely registering his surroundings, he let his gills open up immediately. Did he break the hatch? Was this super strength?

He was on some kind of platform over the tank, like the kind at aquariums for trainers or feeders. There was a tight constrictive feeling around his waist. Damian looked back, and his eyes widened.

The doors had budged, but only by a few inches. The lock and chain remained, albeit stretched out. And Damian? His waist compressed through the tiny gap like an octopus. He made out the gleam of the silver belt and necklace on the other side, wrapped around his tail, which should have been too big for them to fit, and yet Damian barely felt inconvenienced. 

Well. This changed things. 

Damian gripped the metal platform and pulled. He distinctly felt his organs squelch. His stomach had been pushed into his chest cavity, finally returning to its normal spot as his waist came through. His hip fins folded in on themselves. Then each of his bones in his tail bent like rubber bands, his scales sliding through with the help of his copious mucus secretions. At last Damian’s tailfin went through the gap, thin enough to not require any nauseating body modification. Unfortunately, the rings above it were also small enough. If he had the time, he’d have forced them off. 

He didn’t have time, though. Danny was out there and he needed his help. With the help of his mucus, Damian slithered snake-like over the metal platform, then down the stairs at the side. 

Skulker’s trophy room looked even more garish when there wasn’t glass covering his view. Damian spat on the carpet in disgust. Indeed, he was already intending on slathering a generous trail of mucus over the expensive decor, but it was not just about the raw damage. It was about sending a message. 

Damian began to roll across the room. However, just as he went underneath one of the fiendishly ugly bird fountains, another explosion shook the room. Out of water, it was able to ring at his ear fins. Damian was startled out of his wheel position, splaying himself on the floor. 

The shockwaves rattled everything in the room. The water rippled. Mounted animal heads jerked up an inch before returning to their hooks. The post holding up the bird fountain just above Damian jerked to one side. Before Damian knew it, a small waxy weight fell on his side. 

Everything in his body burned.

The jet ski’s radar pinged bright. Their drone in the air confirmed it. Turns out Brucie Wayne had some nifty contacts. Managed to figure out this ‘Skulker’ fellow was the proud owner of a yacht, and had connections in the human trafficking business. Jack felt sick to his stomach.

Brucie should’ve come with them, should’ve been there to rescue their sons by his and Maddie’s side, but he was still injured from Jazz’s mind-controlled swing, which meant it was just the classic Fenton pair once again. He felt another tinge of pride for his daughter’s arm. But mostly, he felt ready to tear this Skulker apart molecule by molecule.

He just couldn’t believe it. Maddie’d seen him. She’d seen Danny. He was right there and she was just that close and then-

He relaxed his body and took in a deep breath, just like Jazzy said. Whatever was going to happen, he and Maddie were going to give it their all, and get the boys back. Then this would all be over.

Five kilometres north. He glanced to his side, where Maddie, the love of his life, revved her craft. Now or never.

Their presence did not go unnoticed. Jack’s goggles picked up dozens of rockets in the air. His scanners detected torpedoes in the water. Without a word, Maddie was firing at will, and Jack manned the jet skis’ systems. Counter-torpedoes launched from tubes underneath their seats. Mini-guns sprang from their concealments and opened fire.

“Jack, there’s one flanking you!”

“Go high!” He yelled back. Jack spotted the lone torpedo moments away from hitting his ski. On cue, Maddie’s jet ski shot ten feet into the air off the back of its thrusters. Jack waited until it was within striking distance. He pushed the handle bars to full throttle as his ski’s backup thrusters went into overdrive. He shot off away from the torpedo at a sharp right angle. Once he had enough distance, Jack directed the blasters to intercept.

The yacht emerged from the horizon. From hatches and panels along its hole, a veritable arsenal primed itself to fire. Looked like Brucie’s intel was solid. Now it was his and Maddie’s time to shine. Jack charged his weapons, he nodded affirmation to Maddie, and together they went into the fray.

[stardstschlar]

🧠 + Go ahead, stick your hand in the jellyfish tank. You know, for science. To find out if Star's timestop is faster than a cnidocyte's activation.

Send 🧠 + an intrusive thought for my muse to have, and they'll react to having it!

"Good fucking grief...."

The things he thought of when his mind wouldn't shut up and sleep was lacking, severely. An aggravated sigh leaves the Joestsr as he slowly bends and then bangs his head upon the top of his desk.

[crispy-buddies-bakery]

I want to see a part 2 to my Adoption Scenario where I give my buddies they names (Strawberry Crepe's name is techie and Frilled Jellyfish's name is ponyo) and how they react to they new names, and I show them my desk but as (poorly) drawn picture,

and then techie steps in and pick ponyo's tank for me (cuz 'cos i'm sometimes indecisive.) and I finally take techie, ponyo, and the wafflebot to my home, which is also they new home!

"Tch, Not even measurements? At least some comparison to a different object would have been sufficient"

*As you were signing the adoption papers, you had set your phone aside and showed your new cookies (The frilled Jellyfish still in her temporary tank that you placed down on the counter) the hastily drawn rendition of your desk, hoping to get some insights and opinion on what tank to choose*

*To say your Strawberry Crepe was unamused by it is was no surprise as they look at the image on your phone, even before they started commenting on how you should have given it some measurements or comparisons*

*Your Frilled Jellyfish, looking at the phone on the other side of the tank tries to offer some assistance*

"Perhaps... the computer on top may help as a comparison..?"

*The little technician huffs, though they do turn their full attention to the drawn computer, using their hands as if trying to measure it compared to the rest of the desk, before they stare again at the Jellyfish Cookie in the tank*

*Before they turn their attention to Elizabeth as they snap their robotic hand at her to get her attention*

"A five liter tank should be small enough to fit comfortably on a desk and still be good enough for them, preferably one that is square on shape"

*Elizabeth silently nodded as she turns and walk pass a door behind the counter, as you look up from the adoption paper as you turn to your Strawberry Crepe, silently thanking them for saving you time for picking a aquarium as they scoff*

"Mere child's play, that's all"

*They walk over to you and look down at the paper, their eyes landing on the name you have written for them*

"Techie? Not too creative but fitting name I suppose"

*Techie comments, silently repeating their name under their breathe as if to get used to their new name. the Frilled Jellyfish's eyes light up at the mention of names as they swim around their tank*

"Oh are we getting names now? May I see mine?"

*With a nod, you grab their adoption paper and slide it near the tank, their eyes landing on their new name, Ponyo. Their eyes light up in recognition*

"Oh how wonderful! I am happy to receive such a wonderful name, it is like in a movie we once watch..!"

*Ponyo speaks, swimming around her tank happily as you were about to ask how she could have known about the movie when Elizabeth walks in with the new tank, thankfully small enough for you to carry on your own and big enough for Ponyo as she speaks, as if knowing your question*

"We let the cookies here watch a movie once and a while"

*She answers not bothering to explain why, as she carefully hands you the tank, as she turns to the papers as she signs it herself to officiate it, as you were about to wonder how to carry the tank Ponyo is in currently, the wafflebot jumped from the floor and to the counter*

"Go and carry the tank Ponyo is in"

*Techie orders as it let out a mechanical bark in salute as it uses its jaws? You aren't sure of the anatomy of it to grab the top handle as Techie and Ponyo turns to you*

"Are we done yet? I want to see what my new living space would be"

"I would also like to see what our new home is"

*Thankfully for them, Elizabeth have finished with the papers and bid you a silent farewell and to be careful as you step out of the bakery with your new cookies and tank, Techie is on your head looking out at the world around them whilst Ponyo, with their tank being carried by the wafflebot from behind also look around, awing at the sights*

*You can't wait to finally bring them all to your home, their home as well! You just hope you don't accidentally pour water on your keyboard when you set up Ponyo's new tank*

[mossy-demon]

If you were a wizard, what would your wizard tower look like?

Oh that's an interesting question. I almost wanted to take the time and try to draw out some of my ideas - perhaps at a later date.

Even though you asked about what the tower would look like, my first thought was about the location. I'd love for it to be built at the edge of a maritime forest right between the sea and the forest, preferably next to a river, so I could have a waterwheel attached to the tower.

I'd want it to be made primarily out of stone (preferably in a darker grey) coated in a layer of moss. On the side, a large glass conservatory with stained glass panels running along the top, depicting various plants, flowers, and fungi would sit. In the conservatory, I'd place a large outdoor bath for rituals or maybe sensual baths with a lover or two, surrounded by plants with a clear view of the moon and stars.

There would be a library with tall shelves and a large, gothic window that juts out to create a nook to sit or lie down in and read. If I could have a tree growing in the library with a hanging swing, that would be wonderful (especially if the tree changed with the seasons). I'd love for one of the shelves to lead to a secret room where I could keep copies of my favorite books, more erotic books, a bar for mixing potions, and a desk for writing, art, secret studies, etc. (but it wouldn't be my only desk throughout the tower).

I'd have a large kitchen with herbs and edible flowers hanging up. Is that one cupboard with all the interesting jars filled with magical potions, or is it just food and drink? Is it both? And I would love to have a shelf of different infused honeys near a window so that the sunlight could filter through them and cast parts of the room in beautiful golden hues.

Assuming there's a spiral staircase, I'd have it wrapped around a massive jellyfish tank. I'd want a collection of knives and other sharp weapons to be displayed among other curiosities, such as bones, sculptures, and art. The tower would be littered with gargoyles and grotesques. Hopefully I'd have a resident cat or two.

I think I've gone on long enough, so yeah, thanks for the ask.

[corolune]

Breathing Underwater Chapter Three: Lightning

AO3 / Tumblr Alex had always known he wasn’t like other children. They didn't hear the song of the ocean in their ears, or feel the thrumming rhythm of the waves in their hearts like he did. Then he finds a silvery coat made of seal fur, glistening and calling him to slip it on — and everything he thought he knew about himself washes away like foam on the sea. Alex Rider is a selkie, and this is the story of how a seal becomes a spy. Prologue 〰 Chapter 1: Zephyr 〰 Chapter 2: Nimbus 〰 Chapter 3: Lightning

light·ning — ➀ the flashing of light produced by a discharge of atmospheric electricity; ➁ a sudden stroke of fortune

Only weeks after his fourteenth birthday, Alex woke to a dark sky pierced by a red and blue glow. Everything was still and silent, in that part of the night when everything was asleep. As he blinked his eyes open, he peeked through the soft curtains near his bed, and saw that the flashing lights came from a police car sat in their driveway. As he heard the doorbell ring downstairs, he could feel a sense of unease, the same way he felt when clouds started gathering and he was stuck outside. A sure sign of a storm to come.

Now fully awake, he could hear the soft sound of Jack’s slippers padding down the stairs to the door. Letting the curtain fall back over the window panes, his eyes fell on his fur coat, still on his desk chair from where he’d left it to dry after school. He wasn’t sure what was going on yet, but he didn’t want to leave it lying there if anyone happened to come inside. Shoving aside his sweatshirts and trousers, he pushed it into a hanger in the very back of his closet and slid the door shut.

He heard Jack open the front door with a rattle of the chain, and tiptoed down the stairs to peek into the foyer.

There was a policeman at the door, and Jack’s quiet words floated down the corridor.

“A car accident? But Ian was always so careful…”

Sitting down heavily on the bottom step, the words washed over him, and he felt the first thunders of the storm to come. Just like his parents, his uncle had died in an accident while traveling. Distantly, he found himself wondering if that was what would happen to him, too, dying on his way to somewhere else, a victim of someone else’s carelessness.

As sunlight bled into the sky, he couldn’t help but wonder what exactly happened to his uncle. Where had Ian been going so late at night? And how would he, the same man that drove like an eighty year old, forget to put on his seatbelt? The more he thought about it, the more he found things that didn’t add up.

Tom and Jack put it down to shock, but he knew there was something wrong. And like always, he was too curious to let it go.

A few days later, seated in a drab, grey office opposite an equally grey Alan Blunt, Alex was regretting that he’d indulged his curiosity.

“There’s something we’d like you to do for us,” Blunt said.

“My uncle died because of you. What makes you think I’m going to help you?” Alex crossed his arms and glared at him and Mrs. Jones.

Ever since he had woken to that bleak policeman’s doorbell, he had been adrift in the choppy waves of a stormy sea. At first, it had seemed like the storm would soon be over, but now he saw it was only the beginning of many, like the rains of the monsoons.

“You’ve already proven yourself to be quick, resourceful, and most importantly, curious.”

Curiosity killed the cat, Alex thought to himself as they went on to explain about some billionaire called Herod Sayle, and his plan to give away thousands of Stormbreaker computers.

“All you’d need to do is look around and report back to us,” Mrs. Jones said.

“I’m not doing it.”

All of a sudden, Blunt shifted, and when he spoke next, there was none of the forced friendliness from before. For the first time since Alex had walked into the office, he saw the cunning shark that lay beneath the man’s skin.

“Your uncle left the Royal and General Bank in charge of your care. Certainly, Ms. Starbright is no longer needed, especially with her expired visa. I’m sure Mrs. Jones could find a suitable institution that would handle your living and schooling.”

“Are you blackmailing me?” Alex scoffed in disbelief, yet somehow he’d known this was coming. The storm in his life had finally broken, and now he had these people on one hand, ready to pull him out from drowning in the icy waves. If he didn’t do as they said they would push him back into the water.

Mrs. Jones spoke around yet another peppermint. “Alex, if you only helped us with this, we’d be able to let you stay in your home with your housekeeper. Otherwise, there’s just nothing we can do.”

“You haven’t really left me a choice,” muttered Alex, with a resigned sigh. “It’s just to look around, you said?”

〰〰

He’d done much more than just looking around. When Alex crept back into the room he’d been given at the sprawling Sayle mansion, he snatched up the gadgets Smithers had given him. After some thought, he pulled his sealskin out of the bag and slipped it on, too. If things went badly, he didn’t want to leave it behind, and surely it was safer on him. After his night time adventure in the submerged tunnel, he was coming to realize it could be useful in more ways than he had initially thought. He shuddered, thinking of how the cold and dark water would have been much more comfortable and easier to navigate with his warm seal fur and sharper eyes.

Pulling the silver fur closer to himself, he quietly opened the door, only to come face to face with Mr. Grin — and then, with a sudden jerk backwards, his eyes slid shut and he saw only blackness.

When he woke, he was cuffed tightly to a hard metal chair that rested against the vast, glass wall of the aquarium. Left alone in the room, after Sayle and his assistant had left, he had the distinct feeling of being just as trapped as the restless jellyfish that was held captive in the deep tank behind him. The glow of coloured lamps cast the undulating form of the sea creature in flickering shadows onto the tile in front of him.

As he wrestled with the metal cuffs, he heard the click-clack, click-clack of heeled shoes. With a feeling of dread, he looked up to see Sayle’s other assistant, Nadia Vole.

Moments later, that dread turned into panic, as he was thrown into the winding passage and splashed into the cold tank, only metres away from the Portugeuse Man of War.

The salt water burned at his scraped and bruised wrists. The jellyfish drifted languidly while Alex spluttered and slapped at the water, keeping his head afloat in the small pocket of air.

“I hope you can hear me, Alex,” he heard from a speaker somewhere above him. Through the thick glass, he could see Vole’s cruel smile. “I am sure you will have seen by now that there is no way out of the tank.”

As he looked around, he saw there was indeed no path for escape — the metal structure holding everything together was screwed tightly, and the glass seemed too thick to shatter with his weight. All the while, he kept an eye on the dark, mauve tendrils ever reaching through the drifting current. When he turned his attention back towards Vole, she was still droning on. “Soon, you will get tired, Alex. You will drown. Or perhaps it will be fast and you will drift into the embrace of our friend. You see him...no? It is not an embrace to be desired. It will kill you.”

Kicking in the water to keep afloat, he remembered Sayle’s words describing the stinging cells dotted along the long mass of tentacles. In the neon coloured lights, the circular nodes glowed ominously.

An unforgettable death, Sayle had said.

There was an echoing beat, like a drum, and he realized it was his own heart hammering away in his chest. Flowing water rolled towards him as the current changed, drawing the creature closer, and with a quick push against the wall, he managed to evade it. The glass stretched behind him, some twenty or thirty feet of it, but the man-of-war itself was close to ten feet long.

Its tentacles had danced through the current, just inches away from his arms. He broke through the water, spluttering in his shock. As he gasped for breath, trying to keep still, something clattered against the artificial rocks that were set into the massive aquarium. Through the rippling water, he could see something shiny and metallic winking back at him in the flickering lights.

Vole’s blurry figure seemed to be laughing at him from beyond the thick glass. Suddenly the water shifted, a strong current making small waves and bringing the jellyfish back towards him. More water splashed into his face, and he felt himself being dragged with the flow, his fur coat heavy on his back. With a sharp breath, he ducked underwater, swimming towards the metal object.

Distantly, Alex heard the song of the ocean thrum through his blood. As the water closed over his hair, the hood of his sealskin floated over his head, and he felt himself fall to the rhythm that was pulsing in his heart.

There, he saw what had fallen out of his pockets — Smithers’ zit cream — and breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow, the pressure of the water had lessened, and his lungs had stopped fighting for air. When he reached for the tube, he realized why — instead of rounded fingers, he saw five stout claws, attached to a furry, grey flipper.

Alarmed, he looked through the rippled glass at the bottom of the tank and met Vole’s shocked, round eyes. Breathing out slowly, he shook his head — Vole knowing his secret would only be an issue if he found a way out of the aquarium, and it was easier to focus on the problem at hand. A quick look up, and he could see the tentacled creature still drifted near the top of the water. Hopefully the current would keep it there, long enough for him to spread the cream onto the metal frame keeping the glass in place.

He snatched up the tube from where it lay amongst the rough hewn rocks, and scrabbled at the cap, struggling to get a strong grip on it with his claws. A few failed attempts, and he resorted to holding it in his flippers, and twisting it open with his teeth.

The white cream burst out, and he smeared it onto the metal that was closest to him. He followed the seams, squeezing the tube firmly and rubbing the paste into the joints with his claws. Dodging the enormous jellyfish, he swam quickly to the other side, his back flippers beating the water powerfully, and spreading the cream onto the other side of the frame.

Now, he would only have to wait, and hope that Smithers’ cream would work just as well underwater as it had in his office. He floated into the far bottom of the tank, away from the tangled tentacles and the front wall that would soon shatter.

〰〰

A lean, fair haired man stood silently in front of a helicopter. Though he was irritated at Sayle’s habit of delaying, he looked just as bored and indifferent as the rest of Sayle’s staff. The breeze rustled the leafy trees nearby as the helicopter’s engine rumbled in wait. An inconvenient, and supposedly urgent, phone call had had Sayle scurrying off of the aircraft, and he could see the short man waving his left arm wildly. A thin, shrill sound screeched out of the phone, and he recognized it as Vole’s voice.

Yassen Gregorovich was starting to regret taking this job, and he found himself wondering how many more madmen he would have to look after before his employers realized he was better suited elsewhere.

Sayle was still on the phone as he hurried off the helipad. Sighing, Yassen climbed into the aircraft and switched the engine off, watching the older man’s silhouette disappear into the hedges. It looked like they wouldn’t be departing anytime soon. He might as well stretch his legs.

As he passed through the open archway of the house, he heard an enormous, deafening crash from Sayle’s office. Was this what had caused Sayle to hurry back inside? What was that man up to now?

In a few quick strides, he had a sinking feeling he knew what had happened.

A steadily growing stream of water puddled on the persian rug in front of the office door. It seemed that Sayle’s grotesque jellyfish had finally met its match.

He opened the door slowly, letting the water flow out to equalize the pressure before stepping inside to a scene of complete wreckage, like a seaside town after a storm.

Water gushed through shattered windows, escaping the house. Lavish furniture floated by in broken pieces, and ornate frames with priceless, soaked artwork hung crookedly on the walls. Everything was covered in a fine sheen of liquid, and droplets trickled down from where the spray had hit the ceiling. He spotted the Vole woman prone on the floor, the man of war clinging to her head like a monstrous wig, and couldn’t suppress a grimace.

He delicately picked his way through the debris, careful to keep away from the venomous tentacles, which floated lifelessly in the shallow water that still flooded the room. The front wall of the aquarium was in pieces, as if something had blasted its way through.

A shape in the corner of his eye moved, and he whipped around to face it.

Something dark and furry disappeared under a floating bronze sculpture. Grateful for his combat boots, Yassen made his way towards the corner. He hadn’t been in Sayle’s office in some time, and wouldn’t be surprised if the man had added a new creature to his collection. Kicking aside a toppled candelabra, he sloshed around the heavy wooden desk only to come to an abrupt stop.

He blinked. There, hiding under the remains of Herod Sayle’s desk, was a large, fat, grey seal. As he stared at it, the seal spread its mouth into a smile. Impossibly, the creature lifted its paw as if to wave hello, before shuffling forward with a small splash.

Yassen watched it come towards him with apprehension. Perhaps it wasn’t a fully grown seal, but the thing would easily weigh over a couple hundred pounds, enough to cause serious harm. Clearly, enough to break the supposedly high-strength glass that now covered the floor in broken shards. Had Sayle decided to house a seal in the same tank as the jellyfish? The man was truly an idiot.

The man of war was highly venomous and any animal in close contact with it would succumb to a painful death. Almost every rich person Yassen had had the misfortune of coming across in his life had the most peculiar tastes, and more often than not, their whims bordered on idiotic cruelty.

Round eyes stared up into his, and he found himself feeling a bit sorry for the animal. It was lost, stuck in an unfamiliar world, but it was a strong and brave creature. Instead of succumbing to its fate, the seal had somehow managed to smash its way out of the tank, and now, instead of cowering in fear, it bravely looked up at him, asking for help.

Somewhere deep down, the seal reminded Yassen of himself, but he brushed that thought away before it had a chance to fully form. He bent down, stretching his hand towards the furry animal, and was pleasantly surprised when it bumped its head against his skin. Its fur was soft and warm.

As he looked closer, he saw a shard of glass had pierced into its flank, a bright red line of blood marking it out from the rest of the silvery fur. Now he understood what the clever creature had been asking of him.

“Are you hurt, little one?” He murmured softly, looking into the seal’s eyes as he slowly moved closer. For a fleeting moment, he thought he recognized something familiar — something he couldn’t quite place — in those dark eyes.

The seal huffed quietly, a low grunting sound, in answer to his voice. Compared to Mr. Grin and Vole, he supposed anyone would seem friendly to the poor sea creature.

The glass wasn’t embedded too deeply, and would be easy enough to pull out. Glancing around the room, he saw the sheer curtains that lined the heavy brocade drapes — they were still relatively dry. Tearing them from the windows, he ripped off a wide ribbon of the white cloth, and snatched up a heavy throw from the remains of an armchair.

With a few careful folds of the knitted blanket, his fingers were protected from the sharp edges of the large shard. With his other, free hand, he gently stroked the seal’s side, carefully assessing the best angle to extract the fragment. A quick, sharp tug, and the glass was free — but drops of blood fell into the water at his ankles, blooming like ink.

The seal was breathing quicker now, and as Yassen reached over to grab the strip of linen curtain, he saw the seal watching the blood trickling out of the wound. Swiftly, he folded the cloth around the cut, pressing hard until the blood flow slowed.

That was when he realized that binding the bandage would be a problem. He could wrap it around the top of the seal but he wasn’t about to endanger himself by trying to roll the animal.

Well. He’d done his best, and that would have to be enough. He supposed he could call someone who actually knew what they were doing. Who did one ask for, to help a randomly appearing seal, anyway? This job was ticking a lot of firsts on his list.

Seals, it turned out, were much more intelligent than he had originally thought. The furry animal pressed its flipper against the cloth covering the wound, and rolled in the shallow water, before attempting to tie the bandage itself.

The seal slapped its flippers against the water, and let out a loud, indignant bark. Yassen was shocked to see it grab the ends of the cloth in its claws and wave it at him, and couldn’t hold back a startled laugh. Shaking his head, he bent down again and tied the bandage securely.

For such a clever and brave creature, he would have to find someone to take it to safety, away from Herod Sayle, even if he wasn’t exactly being paid for it. But first, he had a deadline to keep, and a billionaire to prod back onto schedule.

Later, a bewildered animal worker would arrive at the scene after receiving an anonymous tip, but by then the seal would be long gone, as if it had never been there.

← Previous Chapter

[promisedangel]

BronyCon 2018 Highlights

Wednesday

-Pretty rocky day of travel. Ended up getting to Baltimare (yes, I’m going to pun it this whole post) around eleven pm. Mostly because of stops and a storm on the way in. By then, I was pretty cranky. -The Hilton staff didn’t help this. I won’t do into much detail, but let’s just say there were problems with our room situation and the person seemed either untrained or unprepared for this. It ended up taking an hour to get into our rooms because of it >.> I unpacked only a few things before I went straight to bed, still surly.

Thursday

-Day zero. We used this day to go to the aquarium! We got there pretty early so we could enjoy it slowly. The most surprising exhibit was the Golden Tameren Lion Monkey up top in the Amazon Exhibit. He was a lazy little darling. -We got to see the dolphins do a couple of tricks during the nurturing show, where they showed us the dolphins’ curriculum and how they stay in shape. -There was a giant sea turtle! She was so cute! She was in this huge tank with other fish and we finally got a good shot of her sleeping in some coral! -Got to pet a ray in the touch tank and pet some jellyfish! I knew they’re soft, but they live up to the name in spades! -The cafe the aquarium has was REALLY good. Cheap and they give you a lot of food that doesn’t taste cheap. -So, they take a picture on the way in. We decided to get a few copies of the picture. One of our friends wore a green shirt that blended in the green screen. The lovely ladies at the photo desk not only showed us this but also uploaded the picture onto our digital copies for free!! -Swung by the convention center to pick up our badges. Little more crowded than last year but was still an easy pickup. -Most of us swam in the hotel pool. we had a lovely time horsing around. :P -Had some pizza and relaxed the rest of the night. A friend introduced us to the Fallout board game, but we only played for about an hour before most of us were too tired to continue (mostly because of swimmer’s eye for me, I think).

Friday

-Day one. Went to opening ceremonies, but I ducked out early in order to go back to the room and change into my Pinkie Pie cosplay and bring The Cake of Friendship down to the con! -I went straight to autographs and got M.A Larson, the first of many guests we got this time around! His handler REALLY liked the cake. -Met back up with my friends and went with Green Ranger Dashie. A few of us, including him, organized to give Dwillstinator a gift. We showed it to him, the hat, and he flipped out. IT FIT PERFECTLY! -to the cosplay photoshoot. We had some fun talking with Blue Star (I think that was his pony name?) and some Flim Flam Brothers cosplayers had some fun before they were ‘chased’ out of Harmony Plaza by my friends and a few others. -The “Quillin’ It with the MLP Writers” panel was amazing. Nick Confalone was hilarious, Amy Keaton Rogers was a little nervous, but M.A Larson had some awesome deleted scenes from Slice of Life! It was a great panel. -Went to Them’s Writing Words, but I didn’t really absorb much since I was standing, holding the cake, and standing near the back. It was alright. -Went to the community guest panel to FINALLY get Nowacking’s signature. Missed him last year and I’m SO glad I was able to get him this year. -Went down to the vendor hall. Bought a couple of things and took pictures so a co-worker could choose a gift. -Got some food, briefly went back to the vendor hall, and changed out of my Pinkie Pie cosplay. -I placed fourth in the Prance tournament!!! Also, another person from our local meetup group placed first! Way to represent northeastern Ohio! -Briefly went to Bronypalooza. Then I went to relax at karaoke until I finally was able to sing. I was the last one to get a number and I sang “This Day Aria”. -A dance group went after me. They were pretty good. -I was too tired to continue on at this point. I went back to the room and passed out.

Saturday

-Day two. -We decided to try the buffet breakfast at the Hilton. Pretty good! -Jackbox games with the MLP crew was kinda funny and relaxing. -went to “Singing Studio Vs. Broadway”. Lot of interesting information. Not gonna lie; I got a little salty that they cut the question line right before I would ask my question. I was only going to ask Gabe and Michelle what their expeirences in recording western animation vs. anime. I’ve heard form a lot of anime voice actors that there are some differences and I wanted a take from someone who’s more versed in western animation. -A couple friends and I tried to get Tabitha’s autograph, but they capped the line way before we got there. I ended up changing out of my pinkie cosplay early. Came back to get Lena Hall’s signature!! Though we had to miss Tabitha’s panel and Pinkie Tales to get it D: But we got all the singatures we wanted except Tabitha during all that time! :D -Went back to the vendor hall to get a quick present! -caught the end of The Princess Paradox, which gave a new perspective on Twilight’s character development. -Got some dinner then got to the Screaming into the Mic panel. Very informative and fun! -Went back to the room to drop off my purchases and the cake. Then went back down and decided to go to Peter New’s 21+ panel. Lots of laughs and signing strange body parts. I was going to see Gabe and Michelle’s set in Bronypalooza, but this was fun. -Went to the 2D vs. 3D panel. I noticed there was a certain 3D animator there we wanted on the cake. I rushed back up to the room to get the cake and got armademon to sign the cake! -The Advanced writer’s panel was interesting! The five questions deep point was so funny! -Got tired, so I went back to the room and passed out. I somehow didn’t wake when ppl came back at about 2:30 AM.

Sunday

-Final day. -Went to autographs early to get Tabitha St. Germain as soon as we could! I was pretty chill about it, but the two boys accompanying me freaked out either during or after. We had a lot of in line talking with people. -We decided to go down to the vendor hall quickly; I had to show someone in our group where I bought my T-shirts! Decided to explore down there for a while. -At 2, we did an Escape Room based on Edgar Allen Poe. I wasn’t too good with it, but I did help with a couple puzzles and had fun! We succeeded with 9 minutes and twenty seconds to spare! -Ran back down to the vendor hall cuz I forgot to buy a keychain! Got there in time. -We went back to the room because the damn keys no longer worked, even though they said we didn’t have to come back Sunday to re-instate the keys (LIARS!). Ran back down to closing ceremonies just in time to hear the news that BronyCon will be 4 days next year, but will be the end!!! I took it kinda hard at first, mostly cuz of the running around and the ceremony starting with ppl still in line. One of our group took it REALLY hard. -Helped two of our group pack up and leave. They had business monday and didn’t want to be late. -Ended up getting food, but that whole situation wasn’t fun. Not going into details. I’m still surly about it. -I was left to relax alone until bed since I was one of the drivers. Gave me time to catch up on my Tumblr feed the past few days.

Monday

-Time to go home. We checked out before 11 AM. We ended up getting a bellhop to our room. He helped with the remainder of our stuff. Tipped him for his trouble. -One of us ended up getting a hug from Dwillstinator. Now he knows for sure they’re friends. -we said our goodbyes once again to Baltimare. We know that at least a few of us are coming next year. I’m already planning to save up for a big Cadance cosplay, I just need to find a good dressmaker.

[thank-you-for-the-vampire-money]

LOOK AT THE FISHIES

This is for @soldatbarnes writing challenge!!!  Thank you for letting me participate, love! <3

A/N: also, this is kind of an AU where Chase hasn’t died and he’s settled down with his SO.

Chase Collins x reader

Word count: 1733

Summary: you’ve had a really bad week, so Chase decides to make it better.

Warnings: sad reader, work stress, Chase being a jerk (but he fixes it)

(GIF not mine)

This week had been absolutely AWFUL.  You started out hopeful and optimistic about the new work week and were ready to tackle any task your manager could throw at you!  That was until after lunch on Monday.

You thought you were getting a bunch done!  You had already budgeted out the next couple months, made your reports about expected profits, and even got started on your marketing presentation!  Then you got to your desk and realized… “HOLY SHIT, THESE ARE THE WRONG FILES!”.  You had used the budget for June and switched it with July, accidentally wrote the profits from the holiday season on the spring term sheets, and your computer crashed, getting rid of all your presentation research and company statistics!

Tuesday was no better, you had to get your computer fixed, meet up with your supervisor to turn in your reports for the past quarter, and you had an interview to conduct with a potential new intern.

Your entire job depended on your laptop and the internet, but your computer wasn’t going to be fixed until Monday of the next week!  That meant you’d be struggling with good ol’ pencils and calculators for the next three days.  After that, your train was late and you nearly missed your meeting!  You were over twenty minutes late and your supervisor was not happy.

The interview with the intern was a NIGHTMARE.  It was a punk kid, fresh out of college who thought the world owed him everything… and that he could get in your pants with some disturbing hip gyration and vulgar pick-up lines.  Needless to say, he was not getting that job.

Wednesday was a shit storm.  You had to pick up the slack of your co-worker who was on maternity leave.  Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem…. Except you were still working like a KINDERGARTNER WITH A CALCULATOR!  At this point, you had to start skipping lunch to actually get things done.  And you normally don’t have time for breakfast so you’re only eating a cold dinner when you get home.  That was also the day that your heel got stuck in a vent grate and you nearly got run over by a taxi.

Point is, you had a horrible week and were ready for it to be over.  Luckily, it was finally Friday, seven o’clock, now you were officially allowed to go home.  With how much work you had and how slow you were progressing through it, your boss told you, “it would be in the company’s best interest if you work overtime to get your workload done,”.  You know he didn’t intend to be harsh or mean to you, he was just wanting this busy time to pass smoothly, but it still hurt and frustrated you.

You lugged yourself onto the train, plopping down on the seat with a huff.  You were exhausted, frustrated, and about ready to cry by the time you got home.

You walked the six blocks back to your apartment, your feet aching as your shoes rubbed blisters into your feet.  You opened the door, dropping your things on the floor, kicking off your heels, and plopping down on the couch.  You cringed, remembering you promised your boyfriend/ roommate, Chase, that you would wash the dishes when you got home.

“Welcome home baby,” Chase smiled, quietly walking into the room in his comfy looking pajamas.  You smiled as you saw he was wearing the pajamas you got him last Christmas, the duck ones you got as a joke.  “How was work?” he asked, rubbing your back soothingly.

“I never want to go back,” you groaned, sitting up to take your blazer off, “that weird, creepy coworker, Randy, he wouldn’t stop flirting with me!  I had to yell at him to make him go away, and he got petty and decided to drop another stack of paperwork on my desk!”

“That sounds really sucky, I’m sorry babe,” he sighed, sitting you on his lap as he crawled on the couch, “why don’t you get yourself something to eat, then get to bed, I’ll finish up the chores,”

“You’re the best, baby,”

The next day, you didn’t wake up until almost noon.  You had been waking up at four in the morning for the past couple days and you weren’t getting to sleep until eleven each night, so a good sleep on a full stomach was exactly what you needed.

You wandered into the kitchen, following the wonderful smell of cheap macaroni and cheese.  “Mmm… lunch is ready?” you asked, hugging Chase from behind, resting your head in between his shoulder blades.  He was always so cuddly and soft.

“You betcha!” he smiled, moving your hand so he could kiss your palm, “I know how much you like this stuff, and you’ve been so stressed, so I thought you could use a treat today,”

“You’re wonderful, you know that?” you smiled, kissing his cheek.

After a deliciously cheap meal and a few colas later (burping contest included) Chase wanted to take you out for a “special surprise”.  He insisted you wear comfy clothes and walking shoes because “you’re not wearing that wretched monkey suit to our magical destination!”.  His words, not yours.

You decided to wear some shorts and your favorite Batman shirt, and of course, your high-top converse.  Once you were all ready, you tried walking out the door, but Chase wouldn’t have it!  “You’ve been on your feet enough, I’m carrying you,” he said.  Before you could even protest, he had you on his back and was giving you a piggyback ride to the train.

He took you down to the city and hailed a taxi to take you to your “magical destination”, and that’s when curiosity started to take over…

“So, where are we going?” you asked casually.

“You’ll see,” he smiled, turning to tell the driver where he wanted to go.  And he did so quietly, just so you wouldn’t hear him!  Sneaky little bastard.

“Please tell me?  I just have to know!” you begged like an impatient child.

“You’ll see when we get there,”

You looked out the window, hoping you could guess where Chase was taking you by what you saw.  “Are we going to… the zoo?”

“Kind of,”

“How do you ‘kind of’ go to the zoo?  Do you stand outside the gate?”

No matter how much you guessed, he wouldn’t tell you, and that was really frustrating.  But, you didn’t bug him about it too much, because he was trying to do something nice for you.

“We’re here,” he smiled, paying the cab fare and helping you out of the taxi.  You excitedly looked at the huge building in front of you.  There was a huge gate, decorated with shells and sea creatures, and the facility itself looked like Poseidon's palace!

“The Aquarium!?” you gasped, jumping up and down

“Yeah, I thought this would be fun!” he answered, holding your hand and kissing your cheek.

And it was fun!  Chase showed you the jellyfish exhibit; it was his favorite part.  And then he wanted you to see the turtles!  There was even a tide-pool exhibit where you could pet horseshoe crabs!  You pointed out that they looked like Darth Vader’s face with legs coming out of it.

You were waiting in the bleachers for the dolphin show to start when you noticed Chase wasn’t sitting next to you anymore.  As a little twinge of panic set in, you saw that he was coming back, this time with a big, plastic bag in his hands.  “What’s that?” you asked

“Nothing,” he shrugged.  He was hiding something…

After the dolphin show, you asked if you could pet the stingrays, of course, he agreed.

“It feels like a wet hotdog,” you giggled, brushing your fingers against the back of the sea creature’s body for the third time.

“Or a slick kiwi slice,” Chase giggled back, placing a kiss on your temple, “hey, they have an underground fish observation room if you want to see that,”

“Ooh!  Yeah I wanna see that!” you cheered, grabbing his hand and rushing towards the door.

“Uh, babe, you might want to disinfect your hands first,” he reminded, pointing to the hand sanitizer by the wall.

You two were some of the only people down there; guess people didn’t find this interesting.  But you thought it was amazing!  You could look in the tank from an underwater view and watch the fish swim around!  How was this not entertaining?!

Chase saw how mesmerized you were and smiled; you were finally relaxing and having fun!  You deserved that after the week you had.

“Chase, look at the fishies!” you whispered, pointing to the multicolored school of fish passing by.

“Did you just say ‘fishies’?”

After a long day of learning about the ocean and its magnificent creatures (and street-vendor hot dogs), you and Chase were finally home.  You plopped down on the couch, kicking off your shoes with a content sigh of happiness.

“Thank you Chase, this was wonderful,” you smiled, leaning up to peck his lips

“You’re welcome baby, I’m glad you had a good time,” he smiled, letting you lean on his shoulder to rest, “by the way, I got you something,”

“Chase, you shouldn’t have!  You’ve done enough already!” you playfully scolded, sitting back up straight

“Nonsense, I wanted to do this for you,” he smiled, getting off the couch to grab the big plastic bag you saw earlier.  He handed it to you, a wide smile on his face as he waited for you to look inside.

You took the large, soft object out of the bag to reveal it as a giant stuffed octopus!  “Aww, Chase!  This is so cute!” you whimpered, hugging the pink plushie to your chest, “I love it!”.

Chase kissed your forehead and sat back down with you.  “You really like it?” he chuckled, wrapping his arms around you.

“It’s perfect!” you exclaimed, laying your head on his lap, “though... “

“Though… what?”

“How can you get me a pink, stuffed octopus and still think it’s fair to poke fun at me for saying ‘fishies’?”

TAGLIST:

@buckyshattergirl  @bitchy-tacos  @paranoid-borderline-insane 

[transtrendhumanity]

a full three and a half weeks since last roll call huh...

today it’s mostly callon. we got our top surgery recently, and made a bunch of ocs, so we havent been inwardly focused.

ceren has converted the back half of the main house attic into a dance studio, one wall covered in dozens of single-square-foot mirrors. there’s a curtain hanging between faer dance studio and riley’s journaling area. the beanbag chairs are piled in a corner now, instead of arrayed against the back wall.

when i walk in, i catch ceren doing ballet stretches. fae’s much more flexible than the body. fae glares at me as fae lowers faer leg. riley laughs. the curtain had been open on the condition that si wouldn’t look, and it seems like si has honoured that. i’m less sure about nessie though. she’s been feeling slightly left behind lately, i think.

downstairs (not main level), remm seems to be asleep. haze’s door is closed.

on the actual main level, gabbi is dozing, too, leaned against the fridge. i think this is the first time i’ve seen nem sleep, but it’s no wonder, this late at night.

echo opens an eye at me, and then tucks her nose under her tail. cilla is on the floor by echo’s chair, sound asleep. amelia and floret are asleep, too, leaned against each other on the couch. perien is sitting beside them, reading. kye doesn’t look up at me as i pass through. i can’t tell if kye’s drinking tea or coffee.

surprisingly, vex is asleep too, face down on eir desk. i’m starting to wonder if there’s any merit in doing a roll call when no one is awake. jace objects that they’re awake, but they’re working quietly in order to not disturb vex, so tbh they might as well not be.

venic is typing on a laptop i didn’t know kye had, the lights behind the jellyfish tank the only light in the room.

in azdien’s basement, vaccine is curled around a sword, sitting against a wall, sleeping with a somewhat tense expression. vyrn and kisoquine are presumably in kisoquine’s room, but i can’t get much of a read on them.

upstairs.. in the dining room, azdien greets me from vaer reading chair, but vae seems to be dozing off. drohen smiles (?) and apologizes, and greets me on vaer behalf. no one else is in the dining room. drohen brings a fresh pot of coffee out to the library, and i follow it to find kestrel and tobias chatting in the greenhouse nook. they look surprisingly happy.

i walk back through the hallway. darion’s door is closed, but i can hear him snoring. micah snickers at me about it.

jody is up in trysten’s bed. they’re not sleeping, but trysten is doing them the favour of acting like they are, and reading quietly at sier table. i wonder why jody doesn’t have their own room, but i think it might be because they dont like admitting that they need rest at all. theyd sooner be up socializing or writing at all hours of the day and night.

aren is working hard, as usual. he shoots me a look, and i know he wants to tell me off for leaving our cards in disarray.

i take the skywalk back to the main house, and then head over to the tree house. the ladder is rolled up when i arrive. kitt comes to the hatch to let it down, and then walks slowly back to is couch. e has the bearing of an older dog these days, but perhaps that’s just a reflection of how tired we all are.

kei is hugging a pillow as they sleep in their corner. casey has apparently taken over kitt’s bedroom for the time being, but not changed the decor at all. she’s wearing her canon robe as she sleeps in a pile of fur, which i imagine would be aesthetic if there was more than starlight to see her by.

nero, though he has his own room, is sleeping leaned against the tree trunk running up the centre of the room.

vite and kayden are tangled together in vite’s bed, snoring lightly. yacinthe seems to be the only one willingly awake. ce’s sorting cer deck, and invites me to stay for a while. i decline, but tell cer i might come back after.

when i leave the treehouse, tyto is there to greet me, a large owl, shadowy but yet not dark.

ey picks me up by my shoulders and brings me to corian’s cabin. corian greets us at the door, looking rather gem-like.

elster and nine greet us in unison, a bit creepily. nine laughs at my slight discomfort, and elster takes a sip of hir tea. skye is down here too, surprisingly. fae seems a bit excited about our ocs.

aloe is upstairs, being looked after by nika while skye socializes. ae is Quite Stressed, but has been managing it admirably. corian has set out a glass of water on the coffee table for aer to sit in. nika pets aer gently.

i ask after ailecent, and discover that ae’s set up a bedroom. it takes me a while to find it, but it turns out to be the one beside aren’s. ae’s asleep as well, in aer full angel form, a nest of wings around aer serene form. it seems like xykiel’s warm glow is surrounding aer, as well.

ethan is definitely sleeping, definitely in a bed. when i try to hone in on it, i get the impression that they’re in kayden’s room, but kayden’s room should have been converted into nessie and riley’s room. it might have snuck in again between haze’s room and the washroom.

rayn is drifting sleepily at the bottom of its tank. the tank has low lights around the bottom edge, which are the only light in the room.

nitexx’s door is mostly closed. when i peek in, ze’s charging, sitting on the couch. i think ze would be embarrassed to be caught sleeping, so i leave zir be.

raliel is outside, watching the waves crash against the cliffside. wav seems a bit ragged.

gail is sound asleep near skye’s cabin, huffing quietly in its sleep, feathers fluffed up and the rest of its form indecypherable.

ooze ocean is not actively connected to us.

if i squint, i can make out cyrren’s ship on the horizon.

[writerspink]

Basic Topics

Food

cook bread cake pie noodles pasta eggs meat milk cheese oil chocolate chips cookies crackers treats snacks muffin rolls biscuit cupcake brownies bagel biscotti French fries sandwich hamburger salad meatloaf breakfast lunch super dinner snack fruit juice soda pop tea coffee wine beer

Outdoors

snow rain wind sunny cloudy tornado hurricane hail ice freeze thaw hot cold earthquake sand mud dirt dust mountain river lake sea ocean valley plain field park sidewalk fresh air camping campfire barbecue picnick

Animals

cow donkey horse rabbit dragonfly deer squid kangaroo bear wolf chipmunk squirrel dog fox cat pheasant brontosaurus mouse eagle clam parrot crow duck cricket swan housefly pterodactyl goose chicken oyster turkey sheep goat hummingbird raptor owl eel hornet zebra bird mosquito whale cougar shrimp elephant lion bee pigeon gazelle cheetah hippopotamus fish tiger gecko grasshopper rhinoceros walrus octopus otter spider jellyfish penguin falcon snake rat crab leopard T-Rex dolphin orca lizard shark hawk giraffe dinosaur starfish snail

Clothes

hat gloves scarf coat trench coat rain coat umbrella shirt pants shorts underwear vest sweater sweat shirt sweat pants sweat suit jogging suit boots shoes sandles slippers swimming suit suit dress skirt blouse hood hoodie fedora flat cap fedora polo shirt dress shirt T-shirt tank top muscle shirt blazer tuxedo cufflinks necklace bracelet earring

Home

house garage workshop window door screen wall floor ceiling kitchen bathroom living room bedroom window door garbage trash can clean wash rinse mob broom washcloth sink shower bath soap toilet toothbrush towel curtain bed blanket pillow bed sheets table chair bench knife fork spoon plate cup bowl water glass bottle cutting board rolling pin toaster blender stove oven fry pan wok pot kettle baking sheet crock pot coffee maker dish washer refrigerator freezer cellar pantry cupboard counter top cabinet closet toybox chest wardrobe vanity coat rack stand sofa couch love seat coffee table footstool ottoman recliner

Office & School

desk computer phone tablet printer clock watch memo note pencil pen ink eraser glue paper clip stapler rubber band sharpen dull shavings shred ruler protractor compass classroom pencil holder calendar pin board thumb tack desk lamp board room whiteboard blackboard conference table manager supervisor teacher principal team & teammates classmates employee student project assignment study work learn correct edit fix repair update upgrade install enroll graduate finish late on time communicate network energy electricity announcement speakers PA system (public announcement) public private corporation company school district industrial park factory building commerce money market

Roads

car truck motorcycle semi truck pickup truck sport car sedan coup scooter dirt bike bicycle BMX bike skates skateboard helmet seat belt air bag crash collision fender bender ticket parking lot speed limit lane highway onramp expressway freeway toll road bridge overpass underpass train tracks railroad train station bus stop yield distance limousine chauffeur driver taxi tour guide travel

Farm & Garden

barn tractor trailer crops harvest irrigation pesticide herbicide weed-killer fertilizer lawn mower bumper crop hay loft straw alfalfa pasture horse fence gate work gloves planting watering weeding trimming trowel plow hoe rake shovel pruning shears hedge trimmer watering can hose hose butler hose reel hose trolley spigot nozzle sprinkler turret sprinkler spray gun rain barrel rain gauge wood chips seeds blossom pollen silo grainery grain elevator cheesecloth cheese curd dairy butcher cellar canned vegetables frost dew perennial annual tulip bulb rose garden walled garden shrubbery

Sports

baseball basketball football soccer lacrosse golf tennis badminton swimming hockey bat glove mitt hoop basket net goal cleats shin guards pads jersey baseball cap court racket pool referee coach team manager stadium arena referee guard forward pitcher catcher offense defense goalie umpire puck penalty disc frisbee quarterback fowl pitch tee-off green rough course field flag boundary out of bounds clock period inning half quarter round match set play (a football play) line sponsor spectator stands bleachers nose-bleed section admission season playoffs tickets finals halftime

Music

piano clarinet oboe bassoon saxophone French horn trumpet trombone tuba flute percussion drum snare tympani bell chimes harp synthesizer instrument sampling director symphony orchestra band marching band parade color guard cadence harmony melody counter melody solo duet quartet march concerto composer tempo beat dynamics volume drum major field commander captain genre jazz blues pop rock n’ roll big band dixieland waltz tango alternative boogie woogie ragtime classical baroque romance medieval pentatonic scale Major minor harmonic

Cyberspace

computer monitor tablet stylus writing tablet touchscreen smartphone mouse keyboard battery power cord cable display desktop wallpaper firmware software application (app) app store runtime environment operating system kernel motherboard integrated circuit transistor processor processor core central processing unit (CPU) graphics processing unit (GPU) random access memory (RAM) read only memory (ROM) user account website profile page Internet web page homepage dependency software stack markup language scripting language cascading style sheet (CSS) hypertext markup language (HTML) database structured query language (SQL) universal resource identifier (URI) (https://write.pink/vocab) universal resource locator (URL) (https://write.pink) web address texting global positioning system (GPS) geolocation temp file directory structure file system email web application blog (weblog) content management system (CMS) human resource management (HRM) customer relations management (CRM) enterprise resource planning (ERP) personal information management (PIM) words per minute (WPM) social media multimedia terminal command line console client server client side language server side language legacy version version history product road map scope creep bug report feature request install update upgrade beta security malware virus spyware cookie meta data content menu navigation heading header footer article post tag search engine web crawler contacts share embed log error message runlevel priority foreground background radio select checkbox dropdown select text field encrypt certificate session web browser desktop application email client

Hospitality

reservation checkin checkout key deposit hotel motel hostel resort bead & breakfast cruise ship country club waiter waitress server maître d’hôtel concierge host butler bus boy bell hop kitchen crew dish crew chef assistant menu chef’s surprise soup of the day cup of joe appetizer soup & salad main course side dish dessert bread basket pitcher order make ticket make line make table make time delivery time serving tray goblet water glass pilsner glass martini glass shot glass wine glass soda fountain on tap deli deli cut tip / gratuity buffet all you can eat take out doggy bag delivery refill silverware napkin place setting cost per plate guest linens dining room floor bedding double bed queen size bed king size bed twin beds room service wake up call bar bar stool high boy bartender barista clerk open shop close shop “we’re all out” first in first out first in last out last in first out cost of sales five star three star

Travel

navigation driving directions baggage luggage carry-on hand-baggage check in checked baggage baggage claim ticket pass boarding pass departure arrival departure time travel time arrival time estimated time of departure (ETD) estimated time of arrival (ETA) delay on time commute journey embark boarding disembark boarding gate departure gate time table service counter first class business class economy class premium economy frequent flier membership card priority boarding priority seating lounge pass call button flotation device evacuation instructions bulkhead cabin wings air pressure altitude tunnel crash landing splash landing touchdown splashdown turbulence in-flight meal in-flight entertainment airplane mode stow dinner tray reading lamp climate control overhead compartment seat number isle seat window seat dining car sleeper car truck stop weigh station fuel station gas station petrol station passengers crew captain pilot copilot navigator conductor flight attendant helm deck terminal dock ferry plane ship airline cruise ship train bus subway space shuttle transporter beam flying saucer teleportation warp drive hyperdrive hyperspace supersonic lightspeed nautical mile time zone

Dinning Out

Dress

“dressy” festive casual jeans and tie dress pants and tie suit and tie three piece suit dress shirt nice shirt nice T shirt old shirt old T shirt jeans nice jeans rockstar jeans stone washed jeans blazer vest dress short nice shorts jean shorts skirt blouse dress high heels dress shoes slippers loafers sandals sneakers casual shoes [sport] shoes wingtip shoes

Menu

orange soda grape soda red soda cola Dr. Pepper lemon lime root beer ginger ale cream soda bread basket sub sandwich fruit platter cole slaw burrito taco nachos melon lemonade snacks popcorn hot dog chips

Camping

camper trailer mobile home campfire fire pit firewood kindling starter fluid charcoal coals ashes marshmallow s’mores graham crackers hot dog roast hot dog bun condiments relish ketchup mustard paper plate disposable silverware tin foil dinner wrap foil wrapped dinner grill barbecue cookout roasting stick campground toiletries bath house dump station park service park ranger national park state park county park city park recreation off road vehicle recreational vehicle speed boat water skiing wake boarding beach sand dune mountain climbing hiking walking stick mosquito net insect repellent tent tarp AstroTurf picnic table lawn chairs lantern kerosene sing-along

Construction

scaffold nails hammer sledgehammer jackhammer allen wrench screws screwdriver torques head Phillips head straight edge concrete flexcrete cement mortar bricks foundation chimbney threshold partition fire escape story loft lean-to foundation basement construction crew construction site building code building permit detour road construction earth moving equipment shovel rake bulldozer backhoe dumptruck studds drywall log cabin blueprints I-beam welding molding trim work framing carpeting tiling tile floor grout trowel hardhat work gloves safety glasses safety goggles face mask plaster paintbrush pain roller paint can paint can opener paint thinner wallpaper window frame door frame hinge deadbolt lock electric outlet breaker switch breaker box fuse box pluming faucet pipe drain septic tank septic system drain field landscaping survey crew land surveying acre shelf awning tarp fence rebar power grid power lines power transformer electrical pole wiring linoleum formica veneer lumber particle board plywood sandpaper palm sander belt sander saw horse table saw band saw jig saw radial arm saw drill press lathe C-clamp wood glue wood putty wood stain varnish lacquer

Basic Topics was originally published on PinkWrite

[dontshootmespence]

Awestruck

A/N: A request from @peytonnation for a Spencer x Reader where he asks her to hang out with him at an aquarium because he knows she’s fascinated by marine life. During the day, he admits to her what she means to him. @coveofmemories

                                                              ----

“What’re you up to this weekend, kid?” Morgan asked from across the room. He’d invite him out with the rest of the team, but almost every week, Reid decided to go home and Reid. He was the definition of an introvert.

Still in a daze, his head snapped toward Morgan after he called for him the second time. “What’re you doing this weekend?”

“Nothing much. Probably just reading.” 

And there it was. He was so predictable. “Well, if you change your mind, Emily, JJ, Penelope, Hotch, Rossi and I are going to bar tomorrow night. Y/N, you coming?”

“I’m not sure,” you said, walking back to your desk to grab your things for the weekend. “I’ll text you and let you know.”

He gave you a look that said your loss and walked away, leaving you and Spencer alone in the bullpen. “I was actually thinking of going to that new aquarium that opened up a few months ago,” Spencer said without looking up from his desk. He was fiddling with his thumbs. It was like he’d been dying to say that he had other plans but he didn’t want to get talked into doing something else.

“Oh, I’ve been wanting to go there!” you cried. As a kid, you’d always loved marine life and had even thought of becoming a marine biologist. Eventually, you decided on law enforcement, but your love of marine life had never faded.

With a twitch of his head, he looked up, opening his mouth to speak and then hesitating. “You wanna come with me?” he asked.

“Yea,” you said with a smile. “I’d like that. When tomorrow? Noon?”

He nodded and walked with you to the elevator, eventually going your separate ways at the parking garage to grab your cars and head home. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think that Spencer had just asked you out on a date. He was blushing...wasn’t he?

                                                             ----

“We meeting there?” you asked, having called him that morning. You’d agreed on a time, but hadn’t actually said where you were meeting.

Spencer cleared his throat. “If you want, I could come pick you up. I heard the parking over there is horrible, so it doesn’t really make sense to take two cars.” 

“Cool, see you in 15?”

Not even 10 minutes later, Spencer was at your door, ready to go. When he looked at you in your dolphin shirt, which you’d picked out specifically for the occasion, he smiled that little smile he got when people told him he was cute and he didn’t know how to react. “So what are you looking forward to seeing the most?” he asked, driving the 20 minutes to the aquarium.

Hmmm....that was a good question. You’d always loved sharks and dolphins and sting rays, but recently, you’d become really fascinated by jellyfish. “I love dolphins, obviously,” you laughed, pointing at your shirt. “But I also like sharks and rays and jellyfish. I heard they have ones called moon jellys. I just like the sound of that.”

“Moon jelly or aurelia aurita feed on zooplankton mostly and the top part, the bell, can grow to be about 12 inches wide, or the size of a dinner plate. When deprived of food, they can shrink to one-tenth their size to save energy and will regrow when food is available. On top of that, their population used to be kept in check by predators like sea turtles, tuna, and sunfish, but because of the rise in water-based pollution, their predators are starting to die, so jellyfish populations are growing at an alarming rate.” As he rambled on about moon jellys while he drove, you smiled, turning in your seat to watch the expressions play across his face. You’d always thought Spencer was cute - had even thought about kissing him on more than one occasion, but there was something about his face when he spoke about something he knew a lot about (which was most things) that made you exceedingly happy. 

He got off the exit for the aquarium, which was the first time he’d seen your face on the ride there. “I’m rambling, aren’t I?” he asked, quickly stifling himself. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Spence,” you laughed. “I love all this stuff. So by all means, ramble away.”

The corners of his lips turned up as he pulled into the parking lot. “Thanks,” he said softly. “It’s nice to not annoy someone with my ramblings.” 

It was a good thing he’d turned his head away from you to park the car, because your face dropped. He couldn’t help how excited he got about things, and although everyone on the team tended to be polite and hear him out, occasionally they’d make a comment. At the very least, he could tell that they didn’t want to listen but were just being polite. That was all well and good, but it was nice to have someone actually be interested in what you were saying. “Ready?” he asked. The sound of his voice brought you out of feeling bad for him. Today, you were going to let him tell you all about the exhibits you passed. He’d probably know more about them than the employees would anyway.

After you walked inside, you skipped toward the directory. You needed to figure out where to go first. “Blue blubber jellies,” you said. You imagined your wide eyes made you look like a crazy person. But saying blue blubber jellies was really fun. 

                                                            ----

She really was like a kid in a candy store in here. Spencer walked slowly behind Y/N as she looked from the floor to the ceiling and taking in everything the aquarium had to offer. “This is definitely the best aquarium in the area now,” she said, coming to stop in front of the jellyfish exhibit.

For a few moments, he just stared at her awe-struck face. The jellyfish in front of her actually went from white to light blue to dark purple in color despite their name. The reflection of color in her eyes did nothing to lessen how amazed she looked. If anything, they made her eyes sparkle even more than they did naturally. On the way in, he’d promised to tell her all about all of the creatures they’d pass during the day, but he found himself unable to speak. With all of the sea life around him, one would think he’d be fascinated, but he was more than content taking in the joy on her face.

                                                           ----

“Spence?” you said. He blinked, coming back to you after being in a far away land or something like that. “Tell me about these jellies.” Again, you turned to stare at the blobs of light. They were purple when you’d turned to grab Spencer’s attention, but now they were light blue. 

Spencer stuttered as he started, but as he got into telling you all about the jellyfish, he fell into a confident rhythm. “Well, just like the moon jellyfish, these guys feed on zooplankton. They do grow a little bigger. About 16 inches. And they’re found in the coastal waters of eastern and northern Australia. Fun fact,” he said, his fingers fidgeting at the speed of light, “In Asia, they are considered a delicacy, which is somewhat dangerous because if they aren’t prepared properly, they can be deadly. They’re very poisonous.”

After staring at the jellyfish for another 10 or 15 minutes, you began walking toward another area of the aquarium. At first you didn’t notice, but by the time you’d reached the bottlenose dolphins, you were leaning against his arm with your arm looped through his. “You want me to tell you about the dolphins, now?” he asked happily. He was really enjoying telling you all about these creatures.

“Can I tell you about the dolphins even though you probably know all about them already? Because I did a project on them when I was in elementary school and I was obsessed with them. I memorized everything I could.” Now you were rambling. 

“Sure. Go ahead.” He smirked. 

You turned toward the tank, your hands spread wide across the glass as you put your nose up to it to get the best look you could. “So, adult dolphins can get anywhere from 6-12 feet in length and weigh between 400 and 800 pounds. Males are slightly larger than females. Meh. They feed on fish, squid and crustaceans which can be found through cooperative hunting with other dolphins, feeding in association with fishing boats and even digging in the sand to uncover food.” Spencer had been so quiet you weren’t sure whether or not he was paying attention - but he was, he was staring right at you with a soft smile, so you kept going. “They are found in tropical and temperate waters all over the world, but unfortunately, because people suck and don’t recycle or anything, a lot of populations are being depleted. Thankfully, they aren’t endangered yet. But they could be soon, and that makes me so sad. I mean-” 

All of a sudden, you felt his lips on yours before he pulled away again. “I’m sorry,” he said, seeing the stunned look on your face. “I couldn’t help it.”

“You...like me?” you asked in amazement. You could feel your lips curling up into a smile. You’d never expected him to like you. He never really expressed an interest in anybody.

At your question, his own eyes mirrored your look of confusion. “Of course I do,” he said softly. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re smart, and pretty. Funny, and nice. And when it comes to certain things like this, you get like me. Plus, you always seem genuinely interested in what I have to say.” He trailed off, blushing at how much he was gushing over you. 

“Come here,” you said, taking him by the collar and pulling him into you. “Kiss me again.” As you closed your eyes, you felt the softness of his lips again. You could get used to this. “We should do more of this later when there aren’t so many kids around.” 

“Definitely.” His forehead rested against yours for a few moments before he suggested walking over to the giant pacific octopus tank.

You shuddered at the thought. “They’re so cool, but also really unsettling. Good thing I have someone here I can cling to.”

As you walked over, you felt him gather you to his side. You were sure the rest of the team was having a great time together, and maybe one day soon, you and Spencer would join them together, but for now, you were ecstatic you’d decided to ditch them.

[melindacoulson4]

It’s all coming back to me now, Ch. 8

Previous: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10032407/chapters/22359605

JEMMA

Fitz and Aida walk hand-in-hand down the street, back in the direction of LifeTech, each with their cups of coffee in hand. Although, the coffee is seemingly already forgotten; Jemma hasn’t seen them take a sip in over five minutes. She can’t help but stare at them in disbelief. They resemble a couple that has been cut out of an ad in a magazine. They never smile and radiate an inflated sense of importance. Strangers on the street spot them and quickly swerve out of their pathway. This ability to strike fear into passersby on the street only seems to work for Fitz and Aida because a handful of people have already bumped into Jemma’s shoulders without even a mutter of an apology. It’s like she’s invisible to everyone.

Today has been nothing but a series of setbacks and rude awakenings. The best thing that’s happened so far was when she smelled the coffee beans in Starbucks and the depressing part is that she doesn’t even enjoy coffee all that much.

She watches intently as Aida leans over and makes a comment to Fitz as the two continue to walk, but Jemma can’t hear anything over the blaring car horns and rush of chitter-chatter all around her. Whatever Aida said hadn’t given Fitz a reason to smile because his lips fall back into a stern line after he responds tersely.

They make it back to the two-steps in front of the building and Fitz takes Aida’s coffee as she barely clears the steps in her massive stiletto heels.

Fitz and Aida had walked into the building five minutes ago, but Jemma couldn’t make herself follow them for fear of being spotted. Now is the time. It’s been long enough. She has no idea what kind of security is in this building, what kind of manpower, nor what she’s walking into. She could really use the team’s skills right now. But they aren’t here; it’s her responsibility along with Daisy to get them back. This was all so much harder to do alone. Hopefully, Daisy is having better luck than she is right now.

Alright, here goes nothing.

She enters the building through a section of revolving doors and pushes forward. The first thing she notices is that there is no security station like she was expecting, but there are armed security guards standing around the perimeter of the room. She quickly counts about five of them, which isn’t that bad. She could most likely escape from five guards if need be, as compared to fifteen or twenty.

The lobby is massive. There’s a long front desk in the middle of the room, something on the lines of a welcome station. There are sets of elevators along the left side of the room that groups of men in suits seem to be waiting for. The one thing she does notice is that everyone walking around the building seems to have a lanyard around their neck with some kind of badge connected to it. So they have IDs. Great.

The right side of the lobby is a whole different story. The entire wall is covered in flat-screen TVs, top to bottom. There is some type of ad about the company playing on the screens along with cheesy action music in the background. Video images of Fitz giving presentations, shaking hands with people, and working in some type of lab all flash during the ad. She notices that Fitz is the only person whose face is featured in the whole video. That confirms her suspicions. Based on what she’s seen so far, especially taking into consideration Fitz’s outburst in the coffee shop, he’s a conceited, entitled jerk in this world. All of the money from this business and the relationship that he now has with his father must’ve corrupted him.

She feels eyes on her in that moment. Maybe she’s been paying too much attention to the screens. She could not afford to raise anyone’s suspicions here. She has to find a way to get to Fitz. She’s come too far to fail now. She spins around slowly, feigning a nonchalant glance around the room. All five of the security guards have eyes on her. Oh no. Her heart pounds in her chest in response. What do they want? She hasn’t made a move that’s even remotely suspicious yet. She lifts a hand to the top of her head and runs her fingers through her hair. She hopes that they are staring at her due to a disheveled appearance and nothing else.

Do something, Jemma!

She decides to walk up to the welcome center desk. Maybe she could get a visitors badge or claim that she was lost. Before she can even think of anything to say, her eyes focus on a pile of pamphlets that are set out at the corner of the desk. She picks the top pamphlet up and in that moment all of the blood in her veins feels like it has rushed to her face. The heat inside of her warms her neck and cheeks immediately. Anger. Disbelief. Betrayal. Those are the only emotions she can feel. She squeezes the paper in a closed fist, needing some type of outlet or she would surely scream or cry. Most likely both.

She breathes deeply, even though it’s difficult to suck anything in with the spasms that her muscles are going through at the moment. All of this in response to that utterly repulsive image on the page.

Fitz is on the front of the pamphlet with….his father, as it says in bold font “Leopold and Dad at it again. LifeTech on top again!” But it’s not truly his father. She’s never seen a picture of his father. Yet, she wouldn’t have to in order to know that the man flashing Fitz a smile in the photo is not his father.

The man on the pamphlet with Fitz is Radcliffe.

It is absolutely sickening. How could he trick Fitz into something like this? She is thoroughly angry now, almost shaking with rage. This was purposeful deceit. Radcliffe had control over the framework, he and Aida. That meant that he had purposefully planned all of this out, this fake life where he could pretend to be Fitz’s father. So that he could live out his sick fantasy.

Radcliffe is a true villain. There is no coming back from this. Jemma will never forgive him for this. She will never let him near Fitz again, no matter what.

“Are you lost?” Jemma hears the receptionist ask.

She pulls her gaze away from the pamphlet, thinking of a suitable reply for the receptionist.

When she finally glances at the woman sitting behind the desk in front of her, the sight almost makes her jump out of her own skin. The receptionist is Bobbi…Bobbi Morse.

She swallows the shout threatening to fly out of her mouth. However, she can do nothing to stop her bulging eyes. It is too much of a shock seeing Bobbi here, especially as a receptionist. How could this be? Had Aida taken people from the team’s memories and created avatars of them in this world? If so, that meant…anyone could be walking around in the framework. Maybe Hunter was around here too.

“Sorry, you startled me,” Jemma stutters.

“That’s alright,” Bobbi replies with a smile that seems quite uncomfortable. Her lips are spread as wide as they can go, her cheeks are raised near her eye-line, and all of her teeth are showing.

Jemma is so unsettled by the smile that she can’t look away. Not to mention how Bobbi’s bright green eyes seem to have laser focus on her.

After staring at Bobbi for a couple more seconds she finally knows why the smile is so disturbing. It’s because it is unnatural. It’s not an avatar of Bobbi that’s sitting in front of her; it’s an LMD version of Bobbi. She’s exhibiting the same type of smile and mannerisms that Aida had back at Radcliffe’s lab when Jemma saw her for the first time. There’s just something in an LMD’s eyes and facial expressions that gave them away. Obviously, the LMD May model had been more advanced, but this model of Bobbi must be a prototype or older version.

“I was….trying to get to…Leopold’s office for-,” Jemma says, trying to come up with an excuse on the fly that would allow her access to Fitz’s office.

“You are lost. That’s okay. We all make mistakes,” Bobbi says. Once again, she begins smiling in the extremely creepy way. It’s almost as if her face is frozen like that. She waves over one of the armed security guards.

Jemma tenses. What was Bobbi going to say to him?

“What?” the guy grumbles.

“She’s lost. She says she’s supposed to be in the boss’ office. Help her,” Bobbi tells him.

The armed guard sneers at Jemma almost like he can’t even stand the sight of her and walks off with a muttered, “come on.”

She quickly follows him towards the elevators while mulling over how strange that whole conversation just was.

The guard pulls a badge from his hip and swipes it at the small square scanner attached to the wall, which causes the elevator doors to ding open. He motions for her to step in, so she shuffles in. He darts his head in quickly and presses the number 17 on the wall panel and then moves back out of the elevator. The doors slide closed and she’s left alone.

Odd. They didn’t make her get a badge or ask her any questions almost like….they knew her? But how? She had assumed that her avatar was buried six feet under, since she woke up on top of her own grave.

She closes her eyes for just a moment trying to bring a sense of calm to her body. Deep breath in….hold….deep breath out. If anything, the deep breathing does more harm than good. Now, she feels even more on edge. Why wasn’t it working? She’s seen May do this a million times.

She stares with nervous anticipation at the screen indicating that the elevator has passed by floor number 15.

You can do this.

The elevator dings and the doors slide open, revealing a large office, very large. It’s almost half as big as the size of the lobby. There are fish tanks all over the place. Not normal fish tanks, though, gigantic ones along the walls. There are some with…sharks in them, stingrays, and jellyfish.  Of course, he’s a billionaire with deep sea creatures in his office. How cliché.

She hesitantly takes a step into his office. He’s here, right at the desk that’s a mere 50 feet away. He’s studying something on a laptop screen, whispering to himself. Her Fitz always does that when he’s focused on something. Seeing him now, like this, creates such a deep ache in her chest. She wants nothing more than to run to him and collapse in his arms, but it would be disappointing. He’s nothing like her Fitz. He’s not warm, kind, nor personable. This Fitz is detached, just like the rest of this company.

“Did you think I didn’t see you?” he asks without looking up from the laptop.

Yes. But she wasn’t going to tell him that.

“I’m……Sorry?”

“Outside….I saw you following Aida and I. I’ve never had a model do that before.” He finally glances at her and then stands up from his chair. “Who sent you?” he asks with a chuckle.

All she can do is stare at him blankly. What? What was he even talking about? Who sent her? “No one, the secretary told me-“

He begins laughing hysterically now, actually bending over at the waist from laughing so hard. “Who did this? Was it Stevens in designs? Garber in modeling?” He pauses, catching his breath.

“What’s your configuration number?” he questions.

“I-I..I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she confesses, still at a loss. Configuration number? Was that a number that she was supposed to get from Bobbi?

He stares at her more critically now, beginning to squint, yet he somehow still has a smirk on his face. “Who dressed you?”

Now he’s going to insult her clothing choices? “Excuse me?” she asks, mildly offended.

He takes a couple of steps closer now, appraising her. “Who chose your wardrobe this morning?” His eyes run up and down her body, clearly not in approval of her clothing.

She's speechless. Why is he so fixated on her clothes? She doesn't even know how to respond anymore. 

“What model are you?” he asks suspiciously. He’s only a couple feet from her now.

Suddenly, a new voice originating from over her shoulder interrupts them. “Oh , I’m sorry. I wasn’t informed of-,” the female voice trails off.

Jemma turns around only to be met by……herself. The…it was an exact copy of her. Oh, no no no no no no no. Now it all made sense. The odd questions didn’t seem so odd anymore. Configuration number. Model type. Wardrobe. He had made an LMD….of her.

How is this even possible?

Tears prickle in her eyes. What is going on? This is an absolute nightmare.

That’s when she hears him say, “We’re fine here, thank you Jemma.”

The words threaten her gag reflex. He even named it Jemma. How did he know? What happened to the avatar Jemma from this world?

All of the sudden the floor begins vibrating. At first she thinks it’s her body breaking down, but then she sees Fitz just barely regain his balance, preventing a face plant on the hardwood floor. This isn’t just a little vibration. It is an earthquake grade shock. It is a quake. And that meant, Daisy.

Not a second later, Daisy busts through the elevator doors. Jemma is taken aback not only by her sudden presence, but also by the reappearance of her long hair.

“Hey,” Daisy says, breathlessly.

Before she can respond, Fitz yells out. “Who the hell are you?” He turns on his heel, making a beeline for his desk. Jemma knows exactly what he’s going to go for….the phone.

Jemma quickly darts after him, but before she can do anything Daisy uses her powers to push him into the desk, head first. His forehead makes contact with the hard surface, which causes his body to crumple to the floor.

“Sorry, Fitz,” Daisy apologizes.

Jemma continues moving forward until she reaches the computer that Fitz had just been using. She minimizes the excel sheet that Fitz had up on screen and begins trying to find any files on the LMD of herself. She quickly realizes that there are too many files to choose from. All of them are coded with different numbers and letters, none of the names make any sense. J3E7V1, N6B0M8, P7D11B….no! Damn it! She slams her hands against the keyboard.

She feels a warm palm covering her shoulder. “Hey, we’ve gotta go…..Simmons, come on.” Daisy begins pulling at her shoulder.

“I’m the LMD! She made me the LMD in this world. Oh god!” Jemma closes her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her hands won’t stop shaking. Aida is behind this. Aida and Radcliffe. Bastards!

“Hey. It’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this. We’ll help Fitz remember. I’ve got May and Coulson already waiting and trust me they are not going to be happy either. May is the director of freaking HYDRA and Coulson is a high school history teacher!” Daisy says comically waving her hands around her body and smiling.

May…the director of HYDRA? Coulson….a high school history teacher? The thought causes Jemma to laugh at the absurdity. “Okay, that is funny,” she admits. “Thank god you’re here,” she sighs and wraps her arms tightly around Daisy.

Daisy squeezes her back, comfortingly.

As they embrace, alarms begin blaring obnoxiously.

“Okay, time to go,” Daisy comments as she pulls away.

“How are we supposed to get out of here?” She hadn’t really thought that part of the plan through.

“I’ll quake us out the window. No big deal,” Daisy says as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“What if people see you?”  

“It’s not like it matters. Come on. We just need to find Mac and Mace and we’ll be good. This is a fake world, remember?”

“Right. Right. Let's go.” Of course, how could she forget? This world was starting to get to her. 

//tbc//

[batcakesongo-blog]

Beach Wedding Cake Toppers & Beach Wedding Cakes

Cake Delivery in Delhi NCR You might be thinking about seaside wedding cakes if you should be meant to get a seaside wedding. Seaside weddings tend to be a well known option by several partners who're seeking to cover wedding and their vacation into one, location weddings, or even to possess a cheap and personal occasion. As well, marriage close to the shoreline is terribly intimate, and certainly will create thoughts and your wedding expertise, that a lot more unique. If you should be there be -to- a woman, searching for a seaside wedding desserts, what style must you be searching for? What style makes a dessert so "from the shoreline"? Well, that depends upon lots of issues. This will depend about the partners' design, passions and interests. This will depend on the full time of year concept of the function and format of the place...simply to label several. To obtain suggestions which dessert might be correct for the seaside wedding, plenty of suggestions 've rounded-up that we've included below: Sea-Shell Desserts - you simply cannot FAIL with sea-shells on the seaside wedding cake. What exactly covers? Handmade periwinkle, ear moon, and California cone, are a few of the very stunning sea-shells for design. Little bits of barrier, can also be another excellent option. The ocean shells could be actual (clean them nicely!), or could be produced from a number of topping, molding stick or candy. Sea-shells may be used whilst the primary style of the dessert or quietly. A bunch for this cake style of covers, whilst the seashell cake cover is crucial. Maritime Wild-Life Desserts - Include charming sea-creatures, for example sharks, turtles fish, sealions, jellyfish, beach celebrities, sharks, anemones, or sea horses. We did a wedding a couple of years before, and also the party was in the Monterey Plaza Hotel - that will be right nearby towards the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The whole wedding celebration experienced a personal visit visited the tank your day prior to the wedding and had an excellent moment. The tank was an ideal motivation for the cake's concept. The meal custom quietly integrated a few of the sea-creatures in the tank in to the treat. The cover was a sizable beautiful clam with pearls and gems flowing from it, cascading the medial side of the dessert along. (not genuine pearls, but fondant balls coated with gem dirt!) Search Desserts - Crashing waves encompassing the dessert may be the cut to get a dessert having a search concept that is ideal. This design dessert is most suitable for partners who simply enjoy the dunes, or search. The search could be or simply delicate suggestions of wave, puffy waves. Integrating some orange in to the dessert might help it appear a lot more like the sea. Airbrushing orange onto the frosting of dessert, gives practical impact, and a genuine good mixed. Add as your cake cover in a search forums or figures searching, and also youare established. Exotic Flower Desserts - cymbidiums Hibiscus or all of your exotic favorites. They may be utilized like a rose cake cover, they sections or can cascade along the medial side of the dessert, or used infrequently throughout. The dessert can be also totally covered by exotic blossoms, or be properly used simply about the foundation. Wherever positioned, they'll liven up one of the boring and most basic dessert - and allow it to be sensing, and immediately gorgeous-looking. Sandcastle Desserts - Sandcastles on wedding desserts, are often utilized like a covers. But, we've observed atleast the most effective 50% of the dessert shaped just like a fortress, having a several conventional wedding cake sections, or whole desserts designed like mansions . To obtain the exotic impact, the dessert could be spread with sugar or good graham cracker crumbs. Coconut and hands Cakes - To advise you of one's stunning area, what about a delicate style of palm-leaves circling the dessert that is exterior? Several coconuts as garnish? A cake cover retreat? What open half an avocado broke with wedding couple figures relaxing inside it, as though it were a hammock, like a cake cover? Buried Treasure Dessert - that you don't need to be within the Caribbean to draw down this. The cover might be a treasure chest with gems and coins flowing from it, cascading the medial side of the dessert along. If you should be in deep love with Pirates, create have one as Chief Jack Sparrow cake covers of the wedding couple..., along with a good maiden in her wedding gown, obviously. Bamboo Dessert - Layer the cake's exterior levels with confections designed to seem like bamboo. You may also include Tiki masks. We joined the dessert and also a wedding had small tiki torches round the dessert up for grabs, and protruding of the most effective. Once the dessert slice drums were enjoying within the history. Sea Exercise Dessert - kayaking, or Like To get surfing, fishing, diving boarding? What groom and about bride figures fishing for marriage rings from a pier? This could be simplest to include in to a cake cover, but-don't forget figures could be everywhere about the dessert! Find creative! All of your preferred sea actions could be integrated into your dessert. Sea-Bird Cake - seabirds in-flight, using their long-necks developing a center, in-love. Best like a cake cover, but could be integrated through the dessert beautifully if seabirds are your point. Lighthouse Desserts - is the wedding near a lighthouse that is really awesome? We have noticed lots of lighthouse cake toppers, but we had a customer who'd a whole dessert is created by her chef like a lighthouse. Another customer had both bottom levels of the dessert as tiered models, and also the top-half of the dessert was its own surrounding region and a lighthouse, down seriously to the sailing docks below it. Mud Desserts - Not mud that is actual! Several bakers use like graham cookies crumbs, or sugar. The cake's bottom could be coated with "mud", or even the top of every coating that was open...or even the whole dessert! The most popular, is whenever there is of "mud" a heap shaped around it and disseminate up for grabs a few inches in the foot of the dessert. Anything may then be created within the sand " Charlie Permanently", or "resume + BE ". You receive the image. Maritime Desserts - Move Maritime! Anchors buoys, wooden docks, life-preserver bands, quietly spread round the dessert, etc. These could be produced from marzipan, positioned whilst the foundation, or utilized like a cake topper. Beach Leisure Desserts - Your favorite seaside wedding meal that is complete is 2 Adirondack chairs beneath them, with 2 sets of sandals whilst the cake cover. Figures of groom and the bride sitting within the seats is recommended. Bar seat or a normal beach may also be utilized rather than the Adirondacks. Among our favorites was groom and a bride resting beneath them in a sizable hammock with mud and small alcohol containers, whilst the cake cover. Pool Desserts - Not with water that is actual, we guarantee! Image this: the most effective pastry coating designed to seem like an pool. This is often completed by reducing the most effective rectangular side from the dessert (just like a modem might carve-out the fringe of a wooden desk), to imitate an endless swimming. Figures of groom is brains and the bride might be protruding of the most effective of the swimming, with sunhats and tones on drinks obviously! Traditional Desserts - what about leis like a cake cover? Or perhaps a woman that is hula figurine engaging the groom on the cake's top? The dessert might be covered having a sarong, or other things Traditional, Traditional cocktails or beach umbrella might be integrated. Seaside Colored Cakes - would like to utilize beach-themed hues? Stay with brown white, offwhite, teal, and undoubtedly, orange. Blue's use could be delicate whilst the shade of the frosting, or air-brushed onto the exterior of the dessert to get a search that is accented or mixed. 

To Order Cakes on Online Please Click @ Cake Delivery in Delhi NCR