#fragile limpet

[snototter]

A fragile limpet (Atalacmea fragilis) in Southland, Aotearoa

by Tony Jewell

[idabbleincrazy]

Not Whole Without (1/2)

Fandom: Smallville

Rating: E

Pairing: Clark/Lex, Clark/Bruce (unrequited) , Lex/Bruce (past), Clex+Bruce

Characters: Clark Kent, Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, mentions of JLA

Word Count: 1892

Warnings: voyeurism, exhibitionism, Good Guy Lex, canon divergent, Lex knows the truth, kink discovery, blowjob, dirty talk, deep throating, come swallowing

Summary: Trust Lex to know just what they all need.

A/N: from @leatafandom 's prompt: Kink Discovery +   Lex and Clark let a third party watch them. It could be that they just kiss and do a little over-the-clothes touching. Or they could go all the way with an audience.

Squares Filled: Oral sex or Phone Sex, Location: Balcony, Kink Discovery, Having Feelings for the Other Person in a One-on-One Mentorship ( @julybreakbingo ), Surprise Encounters ( @fandom-free-bingo pride edition)

Clark couldn't hold back a groan of hunger as he found himself with a lap full of a very aroused Lex Luthor. The latest business party had finally wound down, the last guests finally escorted out the door to their own lavish accommodations, either one of the hotel suites in the building next door, or to their personal housing elsewhere in the city. Well, almost the last. Clark heard a clink of ice in glass and his grip tightened around Lex's hips, his eyes flicking towards the sound that had wafted in from the balcony.

"Lex, Lex, wait." Clark tried to nudge Lex away from where his mouth had attached to his throat like a limpet. "Bruce is still here. He's out on the balcony, and watching."

"Let him." Lex wiggled on Clark's lap, his very evident arousal pressing against Clark's stomach, hot through thin layers of fabric. He reattached himself to Clark's throat, teeth and tongue working hungrily over unmarkable skin. "He knows where the door is if he wants to leave. Hell, he could even take a flying leap. I'm sure he's got a gadget or two somewhere in his suit."

Clark let his head fall back against the couch, somehow unable to tear his gaze away from where Bruce Wayne stood, those piercing blue eyes unwavering as he observed the couple, glass of scotch now set on the table by the balcony doors. Instead of his erection flagging at the knowledge of someone witnessing Lex practically dry humping him, his cock hardened faster than he thought possible.

Six months since Clark had finally agreed to join the Justice League, and it wasn't Ollie's endless cajoling that made him relent - no matter what the blonde thought - it was Bruce. He was so like his Lex, and so different. The man had enraptured him, though not enough to tempt him to stray from his lover; he and Lex had been meant for each other since he fished him out of the river and breathed life back into his body. No, before that, maybe, back when his brand-new parents had picked up that scared, broken little boy and his inadequate father, and the little toddler that he was reached across the cab of the truck and brushed chubby little fingers over that too pale face in hopes of lending comfort. 

He loved Lex, more than he could put in words, even if it had taken years of ups and downs for them to finally, finally open up to each other. But, he couldn't ignore this growing thing between him and Bruce, and every patrol, every sparring session he had with the older man, only strengthened this confusing bond. He knew he should probably look more towards the other team members for advice and learning the ropes of superhero-ing, but there was no one he trusted as much as Bruce. Except maybe Diana, but she had her own mentoring thing going with Kara, and she was often unavailable to him in Themyscira. Bruce was the only comfortable option. 

He knew it couldn't be easy for Lex, seeing his current partner spending so much time with his ex. Lex had told him all about their time together in school and about their relationship when he'd come to get his opinion on joining the JLA. He knew a part of Lex's fragile heart still bore a scar from there time together. And yet, Lex had refrained from bad mouthing the Wayne heir - unlike the vitriol that had spewed over Oliver - and supported his decision to let Batman take him under his wing. 

All of this was why he knew he should push Lex away and wait for Bruce to leave the penthouse, and exactly why he couldn't. He wanted to see what Bruce would do, how he would react to seeing his ex-lover pawing at Clark, see how far the brunette would let them go in this show before he broke, one way or the other. And, honestly, if Lex didn't want him there, he wouldn't be. He would have been politely escorted out like the rest of them, and seen safely on his way back to Gotham. It made Clark curious, and slightly more at ease, to sense that Lex had a reason for leaving Bruce right where he was. 

So, Clark didn't even bother to hold back the next groan that Lex dragged out of him as slim, nimble fingers brushed over his chest, nails scraping over a budding nipple through his shirt. Keeping one eye on Bruce, Clark wrapped a hand around the back of Lex's head and pulled him down into a deep kiss. His cock throbbed when he saw Bruce blatantly adjust himself in his slacks, his arousal heightening at the proof that the other wasn't as unruffled as he seemed at first glance. 

Breaking the wet kiss with a breathless pant, Lex trailed his mouth along Clark's jaw up to his ear, teeth nipping harshly at the fleshy lobe. 

"You like it, don't you? Knowing he's watching. Seeing you like this, all ravished and horny. Seeing me making you this way. Is he hard, Clark?"

"Uh-huh", Clark whimpered out his affirmation. He clutched Lex tighter to him, thrusting up against Lex's own bulging crotch. He knew he should be more surprised at how turned on he was by having an audience, knew he was raised to believe sex was a private matter, but he couldn't find it in himself to be embarrassed. Later, maybe, but not now. Not when it was Lex, and Bruce. 

"Good."

And with that, Lex slid off Clark's lap to kneel between his legs, his hands caressing up Clark's thighs as his head dipped down to his groin. Clark moaned at the pressure of Lex's mouth against his cloth-covered erection, that slick tongue dampening the cotton as the bald man teased him. His gaze flicked back over to Bruce, watched the brunette slip almost soundlessly through the sliding glass doors into the room, the door closing behind him with a quiet whoomph of air. 

Bruce broke eye contact only for a moment as he crossed the room to where a large leather chair had been set up directly across from the couch. Lex had set this up, after all, it seemed. That chair was usually in their media room, and now it was ensconced in the shadows of the low-lit living room, barely visible without enhanced eyesight. The tech-billionaire sat back in the plush chair, his gaze locked on the tableau before him, his hand creeping down between his legs to rub at the sizable bulge distorting his expensive slacks.

Lex's hands quickly worked open Clark's belt, fingers deftly undoing the button and zipper of his pants, and Clark whimpered as he lifted his hips up for his lover to pull both slacks and boxers down to his knees, his cock twitching and leaking out a large drop of pre-come as the cool air hit its heated length. He wasn't sure if he was comforted or upset by the knowledge that Bruce couldn't see much more than his face and the back of Lex's head from the position he was in. 

"Lex, please." 

He tore his gaze from Bruce and his slow-moving hand, green locking onto a lighter blue as he met Lex's upturned stare, the heat in those steely eyes confirming that this wasn't just for Clark's sake. Lex wanted Bruce to be reminded of what they'd once had together, just as much as he wanted him to know what he was missing out on with Clark. Lex wanted Bruce to break, too, it seemed. Unsure whether this was still such a good idea, Clark nodded down at Lex, unable to stop tonight's events even if he wanted to. 

Lex flashed his shark smirk and closed his lips around the head of Clark's cock, tongue flicking out to lap up the pre-come that oozed from the slit. Clark groaned and fought the urge to thrust into the mouth that teased him, knowing it would be over too soon if he did. And, much as he wanted to come, a larger part of him wanted this never to end; wanted the three of them locked like this for eternity, Clark caught between the attentions of these two dangerous, beautiful men, their arousal filling his senses. Wanted Bruce to never be able to take his eyes off him and Lex, the erotic image they made together; Lex's head between his legs, slowly bobbing, Clark's chest heaving for breath he didn't really need, his hand curving around that smooth, bare skull, not guiding, just needing to touch, to tether. Wanted Bruce to forever be torturing himself with teasing touches of his own hand, seen in stolen glances when Clark needed the reassurance that the other was still there. 

Inevitably, Lex's mouth sinks down on his aching cock; Clark can feel the tip pressing against the back of Lex's throat, can feel his nose brushing against the skin around the base of his throbbing length. Lex sucks around the mouthful, cheeks hollowing as he quickens his pace.

"Oh, God, Lex." Clark shifts his hips, needing to press just that little bit deeper on Lex's next downstroke. He's never loved and hated Lex's deep-throating ability more than at this moment. His moan of pleasure has prompted Bruce into increasing movement in his shadowed alcove, and Clark feels another thrill of arousal course through him. "Fuck, baby, feel so good. Gonna make me come, Lex."

Lex is becoming noisy, now, low moans of pleasure and the sounds of wet flesh being suckled twine with his own increasingly loud grunts and half-spoken pleas for more. Clark can feel his climax looming, the tell-tale tingling building in his spine as he looks between these two incredible men who fill so much of his waking - and sleeping - thoughts. He can hear the susurration of fabric against flesh, Bruce's and Lex's, and it's the realization that both of these beautiful, intelligent, amazing men - men who could have anyone in the world at the snap of their fingers - are hard for him, that has him thrusting his cock down Lex's throat and gently holding him there as he cries out his orgasm. 

Lex swallows it all, suckling his pulsing shaft until Clark collapses back against the couch, his hand stroking softly over the curve of Lex's bald pate as he licks him clean. It's only the scent of his own release that lingers in the air as Lex pulls off his cock and carefully tucks it away; neither man has come yet. Clark's still hard, his stamina always leaving him ready for at least one more round, despite the intensity of his orgasm. 

Lex clambers back up onto his lap, kissing him soundly and sharing the lingering taste of himself. As he explores the cavern of that wet, perfect mouth, his hearing is tuned to Bruce, expecting the brunette to leave as silently as he always does when he's not hyping up his public persona. His heartbeat never recedes, still occupying the chair across from them. 

Lex stands, tugging Clark fluidly from the couch. Pulls him towards the hallway leading to their room.

"Lex?"

Lex doesn't stop, merely turns his head to smirk back at Clark. 

"You didn't think we were done yet, did you?"

~~~~~~

@leatafandom

[drowning-in-cacophony]

Upwards

For @flashfictionfridayofficial Prompt 196: against the flow

Summary: someone is being pulled the wrong way up the Time Flow.

She struggles, pulling determinedly against his grip, but it’s all in vain. His fingers are like vices gripping into her arms, unbreakable as steel, and his purpose is strong in his eyes. A few pulls won’t spare her the plan he has intended.

The jetpack yanks them both upwards, against the natural flow of things. It is wrong, doing it this way, a thing of untold consequence, but if she wanted to yell that at him, it’d be too late. Her words would only be pulled out of her mouth, spiralling backwards down the metaphorical river, lost to them and time itself.

Still, she doesn’t stop her attempts to get herself free. If she springs loose now, she might just about have enough energy not to be swept too far downstream; she could find an outpost and cling on with her fingertips until the wave has subsided, and then maybe someone will help her fix whatever chaos he’s got intended. In fact, it’s a matter of life and death, her getting free. Without this, there will be no warning. No chance. Her foot lashes out, clashes with a hip, but maybe his suit’s reinforced or maybe pain means nothing to his determination because he doesn’t even give her a glance. Her hair whips backwards as the winds pick up, lashes against her cheekbones as it goes. The winds want to pull her backwards, back in the natural current, and they’ve got to be pulling at him too. Urging them away; don’t cross against something that fights, that’s always been their first lesson before they were allowed to navigate these streams.

But his jetpack is strong, and his will stronger, because she starts feeling the electric charges building up behind her eyes.

He’s locked on to their destination, and it will be moments before he connects. Ripping through the Flow. Tearing through their rules, and landing them in the Past. Where he can do whatever he’d got planned, irrevocably reversing the natural timeline. Knowing him, and the way he’d dragged her in to witness it all, it’s going to be big and devastating.

There’s only one action she can think to do, as the electric impulses begin to burn, her eyes watering from the pressure. The last arrow in her quiver, as to say.

She stops trying to get free, and instead balls up all her energy to kick him off stream.

It’s easier than she thought, with the winds and the way they’re narrowing in. He’s not expecting a sideways push, but for her to keep yanking backwards; when it comes, it’s enough of a surprise that he falters, and that’s enough for the Flow to take over. It pulls them, like fragile leaves from a branch, and she clings onto him like a limpet, sealing their fate together.

As they hurtle uncontrollably towards the wind-screaming walls, towards who knows where, at least she can have the comfort that she’s made his plan that bit harder.

[secret-diary-of-an-fa]

Have Yourself a Budget Little Xmas

TRIGGER WARNING: Eggnog, the KKK, Lycanthropy, Etc. You know, normal Xmas stuff.

Ho ho ho and happy fucking Cringletide to all you festive wretches out there in the blogosphere (a term that was last relevant in the early 2000s but which I’m going to cling to like a limpet just for the sake of being irritatingly pretentious). It probably hasn’t escaped your notice that the UK is in the middle of a cost of living crisis- meaning that quite a lot of us are having to choose between heating our homes and, er, eating. It’s a bit of a pisser, to say the least, and doubly so around the holiday season. How are you supposed to celebrate Xmas when you have to re-mortgage your own teeth just to get in the weekly shop?  Well, fear not! I have some suggestions for how you can celebrate the holidays affordably… which I’m giving to you now, at half five in the afternoon on Xmas day when they won’t do you any good. Because I’m a prick. Here we go!

1. Make Your Own Eggnog… … By fermenting old shoe leather and drain-cleaner in a tin bathtub. Yes, it’ll probably kill you, but you’ll feel like a proper Yuletide hillbilly and, at the end of the day, isn’t that what the season is really about?

2. Give the Gift of Influenza It’s flu season and, as we all know from the trenches and that last Star Wars film, nothing brings people together like shared suffering. So go forth, contract a virus, and take it home to your loved ones! You can celebrate Yulemas by huddling together, sneezing and complaining about your lurgies. Also, it’ll save money on the obligatory roast dinner, because you’ll all be too sick to eat it!

3. Play a Game This would actually be a dangerously sensible suggestion if I was advocating a rousing round of Cards Against Humanity or some other laugh-out-loud party game. But you know what’s even better than games everyone enjoys and that bring people together? Games that help forge unbreakable bonds by putting you in life or death situations! My personal favourite is the Wink Murder game, played with a silenced Walther .32 calibre pistol.

4. Get Bit, Dawg You know what’s really underrated? Being a fucking werewolf! What does that have to do with Xmas? Well, Xmas is all about familial togetherness- and there’s no family closer or more committed to each other than a werewolf pack. Why spend the holiday season as a weak, fragile human being when you and your loved ones could be out and about as irrepressible lupine monsters, frolicking in the snow and biting the heads off terrified peasants? Now that’s a Cringle’s Day activity the kids will remember and cherish for the rest of their lives. Just remember: lycanthropy is for life, not just for Xmas, so make sure you always know when it’s a full moon afterwards.

5. Steal Some Snow Are you dreaming of a White Christmas? Well, so are the KKK, but in a much more racist way. But that’s besides the point. You can’t make it snow… but you can go and get some snow from someone who has too much and won’t notice it’s missing. I hear Johnny Depp always has some going spare and often forgets to lock his door. To be clear, when I saw ‘snow’, I actually mean cocaine- the most festive drug there is!

6. Start a Santa Night at Your Local Fight Club Because even the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world needs a little holiday spirit at this time of year. Instead of bunking off your fight club meeting to celebrate Xmas this year, why not bring Xmas to Fight Club. Give everyone Santa hats and decides who fights who by pulling crackers! Having a suitably Xmas-y prize for the winner- nothing stupidly expensive, just a nice pair of Xmas socks or something. Go on, it’ll be fun.

7. Punch Chris Chibnall in the Face It’s never a bad time to punch Chris Chibnall in the face… or to set him on fire… or to stand on an overpass with your cock out, wait for him to pass under and then widdle on him from a great height. However, it’s hard to find the time to do these things. With Xmas providing time off for much of the population and a good excuse to treat yourself, why not take advantage of all that to take your revenge. It’s the best present you could possibly give yourself and it’s free!

8. Hide Under Brian Cox’s Xmas Tree and Confess Your Undying Love When he Comes Down on Xmas Morning It’s the perfect gift for both of you! And yes, I know you all thought I’d forgotten about that running joke, but that’s silly. I’m oop North now, and, as the Starks are so fond of reminding us all: the North remembers.

9. Paint Your Own Xmas Baubles And by ‘baubles’, I do of course mean ‘testicles’. You’ll feel reet Xmas-y afterwards. And quite sticky, probably.

10. Liberate Some Turkeys It sucks to be a turkey at Xmas, though the stupid bastards do keep voting for it. Wait, sorry… I’m thinking of the British public, who every five years exercise their right to elect the party most committed to killing them all and issuing in the end of the fucking world (usually the fucking Tories). Hey! That gives me an idea- turkeys deserve to live and the British Public deserve to be deprived of things they love, so why not go and release a bunch of turkeys so they get to live and the endless prat-hoard don’t get to eat them. Just a heads up, though, I wouldn’t leave this one ‘til Xmas day, or you’ll jut be throwing dead, pre-roasted birds over garden fences yelling “be free, my beautifuls!” like a mad cunt.

And that’s it. I could go on… but I won’t. I’ve got my very sexy fiance dozing on the bed next to me, a Xmas dinner being prepped by family members much better at cooking than I am and an episode of Doctor Who from when it was still good to watch. Enjoy the holidays, fuckos: I’m off.

[moonlitcomet]

The trunked guys don't have a name yet, I've just been calling them trunk guys. The holes on their chests, underneath their inflatable "Neckboobs", are the breathing holes like our nostrils. Mouth and trunk are not used for breathing and instead they force air through them to talk, and their voices are usually quite deep for a being of their size.

With the trunk guys, they have soft silk-like integument on their bodies that constantly grows and needs to be trimmed frequently. They like to style it by braiding it in rows or in ponytail clusters, though other styles are common too. Doing each other's hair is like cuddling to them

The frilled noodles with legs are one of the photovores, and despite their immense size they're mostly air-filled[like a loofah] and are quite fragile. Crashing too hard out of a tree could break their internal skeleton, they're pretty slow moving and usually just lumber along on tree branches, often bumping into other stationary animals and spooking them on accident. They drink water through the tube on their face! It has no teeth and its only purpose is to sip. The huge frills are mostly used for photosynthesis, but they can also be used to glide to a safer place if threatened by a predator. Most of the time these fellows just meander along and don't move very fast. They're also not very smart. A trunk guy could hop on their back and they wouldn't really notice.

The orbs shown jumping away from the frilled noodle are another photovore, and a much more stationary one. Mostly hollow on the inside too, with a basin that collects rainwater and three fuzzy tongues that gather moisture from the air. The flower-like frill is their photosynthesis vector, and it can be shuffled or even flapped to give them a better edge when falling through the air. They stick to branches like limpets and can detach instantly if threatened. They're also not very smart, but you can teach one to dance if you're really determined. They have a bunch of eyes around the ring of their water basin

The dudes with the huge mouths are like whales! They're technically carnivores but they're filter-feeders, feeding on relatively tiny foot-sized floaters that are related to the sticky orbs. Most of the time they float through the air flattened and collect the residual moisture that way, but if they come across a swarm of floaters they'll open their enormous mouths and start flying through them. Of the non-sapient creatures here these fellows are the smartest, and the most threatening compared to our trunk guys. However, trunk guys do not fly, so they don't have to worry about them.

As for plants, starting off with the biggest plant on their home planet, those fellas are enormous palm-like trees with layered and shelved trunks that are fantastic for building homes on. Being 2000 feet tall at maximum, an entire small city of trunk guys could fit on just one of them. That combined with the monoculture forests they've grown over hundreds of years, they've made their own metropolises out of treeees. The leaves at the top, while looking like singular large leaves, are actually collections of smaller, thinner leaves fused together as the tree grows. The "Stem" of the giant leaves is thick, strong wood, and can support the weight of the leaves and even creatures on them easily. These extremely tall trees grow for height and maximum sunlight exposure, meaning a forest of them looks near fresh-cut-lawn flat. At the very top is a mess of twigs and cones that form seeds, which will turn into feathery fluff balls and be brought miles away to grow new trees. Trunk guys call these "Town trees" or "Home trees" in their own language, since that's all they've ever lived on.

The smaller twisty one next to it is a knotting fruit tree. Its trunk is much weaker than the town trees', so as it grows it twists into itself and reinforces its own trunk structure. It has several large leaves for photosynthesis, but also smaller ones branching off the bigger leaves and off the twisting trunk. The trunk has many "Eyes" on it that grow into enormous fruits, with one fruit being able to feed a village of hundreds for days. Usually each town tree has at least one knotting fruit tree next to it, grown by the trunk guys that live on it. Since they aren't able to reach the floor of the forest safely, they usually drop the seeds of the fruit down to the forest floor and just hope it grows something.

And my personal favorite, the silk trees! Since they aren't able to get access to iron or bronze, trunk guys use silk trees to build and insulate homes, and the silk is also near-fireproof. The silk is made up of thousands of extremely thin, dried up leaves that wrap around the trunk of the tree, which protects it from forest fires. They can weave this silk into wicker-like baskets, which if combined with rubber resin from another tree, can function as a cooking pot even over open flame.

Because of this unique cooking method, much of the food they cook is steamed instead of boiled or baked. Steamed fruits and veggies with knotting fruit sugars are their absolute favorites, and they love to share.

Also, the silk from the silk trees is very strong, and if it's woven over itself several times it can be made into ropes for pulley systems! Pulleys are how they usually travel from tree to tree, that or hot air travel systems. Like blimps or hot air balloons with sails.

Concept for an unnamed alien species + planet, with some plants and fauna that live with them. They have no arms, instead manipulating the world around them with their prehensile trunks and tails.

They have four eyes and live in very high light conditions, with days on their home planet sometimes lasting up to three earth months at a time. Photosynthesizing plants, ergo, get REALLY FUCKING BIG. an average tree there is as tall as the tallest redwoods. the biggest trees can get up to 2000 feet tall. Plants also have massive leaves, sometimes leaves bigger than a house.

Most animals [about 70%] on their home planet are photovores and feed off the near-constant sunlight, with big frills, sheets, and wings like leaves on a plant. "Animal" is a term used loosely, they're usually more akin to corals; typically stationary but can move in the presence of predators.

These guys are herbivores.

Despite most life on their planet being gigantic, these sophonts are pretty small at only two feet tall! They managed to get by by not being worth eating to most predators. It was an evolutionary extreme that came to their advantage.

They usually make their settlements and cities out of the tallest trees, with a monoculture forest near the equator being a simultaneous farm and metropolis.

Their home planet is extremely oxygen rich, being 40% oxygen rather than our 20.95% oxygen. The atmosphere is very thick and gravity quite low, allowing flying and gliding animals to get even larger than they ever could on our planet. Their sky is a deep, rich blue.

They live under a class A star, which gives off strong blue light that causes most of their flora to be rusty autumn colors rather than green. Being essentially microfauna, these sophonts adapted the orange and purple colors of the plants around them, and usually don't come in many extremes outside of that.

[kalorphic]

CHAPTER THREE SNIPPET

Reese vs an MC who easy to tease and a little too perceptive for their own good. Also yes, I have a fascination with my ROs smiles, they’re pretty okay?

Warnings: very brief non-con touch (of hand) which is apologised for, pet names (it’s Reese), hints of using humour/flirting as a coping method.

You’re holding Reese’s hand.

Why are you holding Reese’s hand?

You squeak and yank your hand away, “I’m so sorry.”

Reese blinks at you as though coming out of a daze. It doesn’t take long for the flirtatious smile to return, however.

“If you want to hold hands, sweet thing, then you only need to ask.”

“No. I– I don’t,” you stutter. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

${rthey} laugh, bright and joyful. It seems genuine, but if you’ve learnt anything about Reese in the short time that you’ve known them, it’s that there’s a lot more going on in ${rtheir} head than ${rthey} let on.

“You didn’t mean to,” Reese’s laughter has died down into a cheeky grin. “Besides, I didn’t mind it. At all.”

“Still.” You ignore ${rtheir} attempt to deflect. “Even if it wasn’t intentional, I touched you without your permission or without at least knowing that you’re comfortable with unannounced touch.” You rub your arm as you give ${rthem} a small smile. “So, yeah, I’m sorry.”

If you hadn’t been watching Reese closely for ${rtheir} reaction, you probably wouldn’t have noticed how ${rtheir} face freezes briefly at your words.

Oh crap. You start to panic, and prepare to spew apologies at ${rthem} for whatever you said that upset ${rthem}, when Reese’s smile completely takes the wind out of your sails.

It’s a fragile-looking thing, but it’s gentle and it’s real.

${rthey} have a dimple…it suits ${rthem}.

Reese’s eyes have gone soft and, however cliché it sounds, it really seems as though ${rthey} are finally seeing you for you rather than just as ${kname}’s handler.

“You’re too kind for the world of espionage, ${mcname},” you nearly jump at the sound of your name from ${rtheir} lips as so far you’d only been called by nicknames or pet names. “And far, far too kind to be spending time with someone like me.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s for me to decide.”

“What?”

“If I want to spend time with you, Agent Eleven, then I damn well will.”

You aren’t sure where the sudden spike of confidence has come from, but it dies a pitiful death pretty quickly when you realise that you’ve just yelled at your boss about spending time with ${rthem}.

“Well then.” You wince at ${rtheir} tone. “You had best prepare yourself, Handler ${mccodename}, because I’m taking that as permission to stick to your side like a limpet from now on.”

“W–wait what?”

You stare at ${rthem} in shock, feeling yourself grow warm {although it wouldn’t show on your darker skin tone, it was still embarrassing | and it probably showed which only made you blush harder}.

“I’m just kidding.”

Reese grins as you shoot ${rthem} a half-hearted glare.

“Hopefully, we’ll get to partner up on some missions though.” ${rthey} throw over ${rtheir} shoulder as ${rthey} bounce off towards the door, any signs of ${rtheir} earlier vulnerability gone.

You huff and decide to put this strange conversation behind you for the sake of your sanity, however, Reese apparently has other plans, as before ${rthey} leave, ${rthey} hesitate.

“Thank you.”

And then Reese is gone.

[mochiwrites]

I'm here and it's midnight and I am 👀👀👀

So dear readers this comment is definitely gonna contain spoilers (so read hello my old heart first <3) but I simply MUST scream <3

So first of all AAAAA MY HEART, Mumbo thinks he's only good for killing :( It comes so easy to him and just kjfgdkjg he's good at his job even if he doesn't like it and he KNOWS Scar and Grian would tell him he's wrong but he thinks it and that's enough to be absolutely heartbreaking </3

HJjkfgsdlk it takes Scar a month to send him back out, I wonder if it's because of the lack of targets or because he wanted to keep Mumbo close by......... my vote's on the latter lol- but Mumbo wanting to retain his financial independence even when he's basically living with Scar and Grian is just. I understand that feeling hjgfkjd-

SERVANT OF THE GRIM REAPER that is such a badass way to describe an assassin 👀👀 Also how dare that one line alone give me a whole new idea for an AU??? Mochi how could you do this to me- ANYWAY Mumbo being numbed to the pleas, just clean taking out his target and getting the info he needs. Such a badass I love him, he's scary <3 But 👀 That hesitation over the file labeled "Family"........ why do I get the feeling that is gonna come back and it's gonna hit him AND me way too fucking hard I am. Expecting death from that little drop, Mochi what are you planning-

LOOK I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE CUPBOARD. I was like "👀👀 Is it? But no, it can't be... can it? Brown hair spilling out of a hood... could it.... is it? 👀👀👀" THANK THE GODS ABOVE AND BELOW THAT MUMBO DOESN'T SHOOT FIRST ASK NEVER hjgfdjkgf-!

I had completely forgot for a moment that Scar and Ren are (tentative) allies at this point and got a little worried when she said she worked for Ren hjfksjgfsjk SHE JUST IMMEDIATELY ASKS TO MEET SCAR when Mumbo reveals he works for him, and the fact that he gives in because she pleads with him because she's LOOKING for someone and is being VULNERABLE in that moment and it's just. Mumbo is gonna destroy me, isn't he? Mochi, you're going to kill me, I can feel it already and I am already crying. Mochi. pls-

THE PAPERWORK SCENE. Grian being a little shit. I love them. I love their joking and their flirting and Scar's dramatics and JELLIE <3 Jellie is the highlight of the chapter, the queen of the crew /j/j Awwwwwwwww they already miss Mumbo <3 And Grian is worrying about him I love them so much and I am going to say that half a million times btw just so you know, but they're so worried and want him to come home and and and- AND THERE HE ISSSSSS <3 the boy is home and the Grian is DELIGHTED I love-

"Hello love" look I am going to go feral I love when characters call their SO's "love" I am. It is. It is such a. A wonderful endearment I am hjfgsdjkfdsjk <3 Grian is so stubborn and it's fucking adorable, him just like "I did not miss you one bit" while clinging to him like a limpet kjgfdjkgfdjk I love them okay- "...mustache still fully intact" yes this is CLEARLY a VERY important thing, yes <3 Also the fact that Grian doesn't know about the thumb drive is. Hm 👀 I guess he doesn't NEED to know, so far as, ah, business is concerned, but. Hm. Still-

THERE SHE IS SHE'S HERE SHE'S ALIVE THE CONFIRMATION I AM 👀👀👀👀👀 WITH SO MUCH JOY OUR GIRL IS ALIVE WONDERFUL <3 This reunion is so. SO. The uncertainty that this is real, the confusion and the hopeful joy, the knowing she's real when they embrace, because it's warm and solid and familiar and just- them <3 And the fact that Mumbo and Scar realize that this is a moment they should probably let them have alone, let them have this reunion and this talk to themselves- it's like an extension of trust, realizing that this is. This is important and fragile and so so so meaningful, and knowing that she won't hurt Grian- and it is just. I am. I love. Am just SOBBING over this <3

He has fully embraced his new(ish) identity and honestly I love that so much for him <3

PEARL SURVIVED off of a game plan, sheer stubborness and a determination to see Grian again- I love her so much, she means everything to me. The hubris of the Watchers being their downfall, assuming she was dead without checking- I LOVE IT you know I love a good "be my own downfall" plot point. Wonderful. And the fact that she almost died and was saved by mere CHANCE. AND IMPULSE. FATHER FIGURE IMPULSE. 2/3 Soup Group Fam let's gooooo! But oh my god the fact that Pearl was THAT CLOSE this whole time......... MOCHI I AM BITING WHAT THE F- Laughing because there is nothing else you can do is one of the most painful things in the world <3 Laughing because you're crying and there is a cruel irony in the world and it's so funny :) Because they were so close this whole time and were hurting and missing each other and it's irony in one of the worst ways and just </3 They laugh. They laugh. (I'm sorry the laughter got to me bc I do not read it as genuine "wow this is so funny" laughter but as "wow that is so fucked up" laughter, laughing because the only other option is sobbing haha <3 I am fun at parties-)

GUILT. GUILT. GUILT. She didn't come back but he never expected her to because he thought she was dead so the fact she's here now is so much more than he ever expected and just kfdskjfd how can he be mad when this is LOADS better than anything he ever expected?? They're here now, together, and as a bonus they're not on opposite sides of a war hjgfrkj even if Grian's immediately reaction is "ew, Ren?" lMAO-

The fact Grian just assumes she means his relationship with Scar rather than how he came to work for Scar is just. Such sibling energy, it's beautiful haha <3

My god such a weight has been lifted from Grian's shoulders, his fear about his love killing people- now he knows it was all a lie and she's here and they're here and it wasn't his fault, that is just. I love this for him. I love it for them. I love them both <3

"... if he doesn't strangle her with a pillow first." Yep, yep. Siblings. Wonderful! I love it

MOCHI THIS CHAPTER WAS SO GOOD I AM ACTUALLY DYING OVER HERE this was everything, the Mumscarian, the Siblings, the Revelation, I am SO happy she turned out to be alive, I was so afraid this whole time and I am. I am SO. I love this AU <3

.... I love them :) <3 WONDERFUL JOB AS USUAL and I am so glad to see you so enthusiastic about writing it again <3

Welcome back, GoodCrimesWithMumscarian <3

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HI ACI I'M FINALLY GETTING TO THIS FJGHFJGFH

OKAY SO. lots to unpack here huh :3

I know I don't talk about it much since grian is my main guy but god mumbo.... mumbo in this au is heartbreaking to me, and I sincerely hope to explore that further in the second half of the series. we've gotten just about all of scar's story, but grian and mumbo are left a little more... unclear. though if anything we know more about grian than we do mumbo.

and if all goes according to plan, that Will change. there's a lot to be explored with mumbo; his past, his mental state, etc etc. poor guy is traumatized as hell and I've only just started to scratch the surface of it all.

(scar definitely keeps mumbo close because he wants to protect him. I tried to state that in the fic without explicitly going "yeah mumbo's been doing nothing bc scar is worried about cub getting to him.")

I had a feeling as soon as I mentioned a woman with brown hair in a cabinet that people would think it was pearl GHFHGJFH hence why I didn't give anything away until she met with grian <33 but yeah, thank GOD mumbo asked first, shot later jhgfjf

and yes, mumbo WILL kill you :3 I've got Plans(tm)

CAN I JUST SAY THE PAPERWORK SCENE FELT SO CATHARTIC TO WRITE???? like finally!!!!! the boys can flirt and be gay on main!!!!! they can be in love and be happy about it!!!!!! also grian being worried about mumbo was one of my favorite parts <3

AND LOOK. LOOK. I CALL MY PARTNERS LOVE. ITS MY CRIME FIC AND I GET TO PROJECT /lh GHFHGFJG but GOD I'm so weak for "love" as a term of endearment, it makes me waIL

finally, at the bread and butter of this entire thing. PEARL <3333 god I had to revise that scene of her and grian a few times because I wanted it to be perfect. I had certain points laid out for myself that I knew I wanted to hit (grian's guilt, how pearl escaped, impulse mention) and it took a few tries to get that right.

it was planned basically from the beginning for impulse to be the one to find pearl and take her in <3

but yeah, hehe, pearl and grian were THAT close to one another the whole time. pearl doesn't necessarily work for ren, so there was never all that high of a chance of her running into grian while doing smth for ren. but they were def closer than they originally thought.

they laugh because if they don't, they'll look at each other and sob. you nailed the laughter bit, yeah.

I think the thing I love about grian and pearl is that a lot of their life was led by guilt. for pearl it was guilt that she left grian behind, even though she promised to come back for him. for her it was her living a normal life with impulse, going to school, experiencing the life of a teenager, while grian was still suffering. she definitely had moments of "is this okay? am I allowed this while he's suffering?" and grian's guilt came from believing he was the reason she was killed. for years he thought her blood was on his hands. and despite feeling guilty for a different reason, he still asked those same questions, "is this okay? should I be allowed this when her death was my fault?"

...I am slowly coming to realize that the power of guilt is basically like an integral theme to this au huh.

ANYWAYS!!!!

eeeee I'm glad you liked it !!!!! :D I'm so happy to finally be able to share that pearl is in fact Not Dead, and now there's more to the au that I can discuss!!!! <3

[fantasiesland]

❥ let me show you what he can't my love. ❞ ˊ˗

⁽ 🍓 ⁾˟ Summary: Every time you approach the girl, his unfortunate friend shows up to fuck you up.

⁽ 🍓 ⁾˟ Warning: Smut, lesbian love, girlxgirl, sex explicit.

─────☆─────

Looking at her was a fantasy, she was truly beautiful with short hair and pink lips, so luscious and appetizing. Fuck she was so pretty that your thighs clench just looking at her. You won't lie about your urge to make her scream as you sink into her legs, they must be so fucking soft and moldable to your face.

The only problem was his friend who seemed to cling to her like a limpet. It wouldn't be more than a few minutes or words before Arisu makes an appearance ruining your shameless flirting. You were sick of not being able to have her all to yourself, and you weren't the only one who knows of your anger.

"Someone didn't have a good time" Chishiya speaks as she leans against the wall next to you, you had your eyes on the two friends. The lights illuminate the pool and reflect on Usagi's face.

"The idiot always shows up when I'm about to have it" you grumble. You ignore the gaze of the girls and guys on you.

"Why do you keep trying with her? Half the population likes you and you focus on the one you're least likely to get."

"Chishiya, she's the one I want. Getting him out of the way won't be difficult When has anyone ever been an impediment to me?" Your question is concise. Your friend knows that you are capable of anything to get what you want, you are so capable that's why he is your friend.

It's no mystery that Arisu likes Usagi. However, you know that you are better than him, in many ways, you can have whoever you want moaning your name and seeing you as a goddess to worship. Arisu wasn't going to ruin your plans to conquer her and have her begging for more. She had fucked up six attempts, not this one. When your gaze met hers you signaled for her to come with you.

"I'm going to show you that a guy isn't going to ruin my plans" you watched her approach nervously, lucky feeling you give for being tall and imposing. It's not for nothing that you made it up the ranks on the beach. Chishiya moved a few meters away to see you in action. When she planted herself in front of you you smiled at her and gently took her hand.

"What's wrong (T/N)?" she asks looking at her fingers intertwined with yours.

"Come with me" you dragged Usagi into your room locking it. She was standing behind you watching every move you make.

"What do you need me for (T/N)?" she asks again. Your name on her lips sends currents to your core. You sigh.

"You know precious, I haven't been able to be around you lately because a certain someone has been getting in my way. And there's nothing I hate more than someone butting into my business" with the words you crawl over to her cornering her with the wall, your height causes you to look down, you take her chin and force her to look you in the eye. You smile at how small she is, so fragile in your arms.

"Business?"

"You are the most important matter I have, Usagi" you purr, you bring your lips close to hers and feel her tremble "And I must solve it, without your friend interrupting." You kiss her lips taking her by the nape of her neck and pressing against you. Her hands cup your cheeks, she was so needy. You lower your hands to her waist, you lift her up until you lay her on top of the desk in the room. Slowly you unzip the vest and expose the blue swimsuit.

"So beautiful, so soft" you praise and she blushes. You kiss her neck leaving bites and hickey bruises.

You pull the swimsuit up to remove it and admire her breasts, they look as soft as cotton. You kiss the valley of her breasts until you take a nipple into your mouth. Usagi's breath catches, opening her mouth as she feels your warm breath on her sensitive areolas. Sucking, kissing, pampering until you drive her crazy, she's been dreaming about this by reaching under her swimsuit and imagining you kissing every part of her body, taking her over, and you were going to do just that. You were going to take her to the dark side where the lights there are the stars of pleasure. Your nimble fingers pull down her bottom and you leave her at your mercy, naked and sensitive, hot to death and wanting you to make her yours in every possible way. She wiggles her hips at you seeking friction.

"Look at you, you look pathetic undoing yourself on me, though something tells me you wanted this Didn't you gorgeous?" she doesn't respond, you take back strands of hair and pull her until she's exposed, flushed and tousled "Answer when I ask you something."

"Yes, God (T/N), I need you please" she gasps, you release your grip. You admire what you have, woe betide anyone who underestimates you for not being able to reach for something. If only Arisu could see that you have Usagi panting, moaning your name and begging for more. If only he could see that you're better than him.

"Open your mouth" she obeys like a good little girl, you stick two fingers in and let her suck it like sweet lollipop, you remove them and move down to her slit, a shiver runs through her. You slide them from bottom to top. "I've been so angry that idiot Arisu pushes you away from me, I've tried to be patient, but even the longest candle eventually burns out. It angers me how he sees you, as if he even had the privilege of touching you and making you his own What would he think seeing you fall to me? But that doesn't matter now, let me show you what he can't my love."

You spread her legs and lower down to meet the dripping intimacy and her sensitive button. Ready for you, ready for you to taste her.

"I don't want you to move or grab my hair do you hear?" she nods. You sink into her thighs and taste the glory on your tongue. Her sweetness in your mouth and her moans lift you. She moans your name and her mind clouds with pleasure, her eyes water with pleasure and she tries to grit her teeth as a last resort. She gasps and beads of sweat trickle down her breasts.

The ecstasy is almost palpable in you and you think an eternity has passed. You stick two fingers in her starting to ram her while sucking on her clit. She's a mess and asks for more like a greedy, wanting everything from you. You squirt your swimsuit from watching her, almost sending visual orgasms.

"Please (T/N) I want to come."

"Wrong name."

"Mommy, please let me cum, I'm about to" you quicken the pace curling your fingers and hitting her G-spot repeatedly. She bites her lip to keep from screaming as she comes in your mouth. She's about to almost fall when a voice from the other side of the door calls out.

"(T/N) Are you with Usagi?" you roll your eyes and think about ignoring him when he knocks on the door again "Is Usagi there?" Usagi is pale and sweaty, panting, sensitive and unpresentable. You turn away from her center whispering.

"Answer precious, don't be rude" you say in her ear, still pumping inside her and her mind is barely searching for apt answers. Your command is direct and she cannot disobey.

"Here I am!" she screams as she feels you move faster. She tries to grab your arm and pull you up, but to no avail.

"Are you all right? I need to talk to you" you were getting fed up with that boy. You grab your girl and throw her on the bed.

"I'm a little...indisposed" he watches you take off your clothes and climb on top of her. Your eyes are black with lust, you weren't going to let yourself leave him like that. You climb up her leg bringing the two centers together. Her eyes widen and go blank, sinking her head into the mattress. He's so sensitive he's lost in the currents walking through his body.

"You sound agitated" you begin to move panting from the friction, you hasten the movement wrapping her leg around your waist. She covers her mouth as she feels you speed up the noise of her fluids were grotesque with the movements, she wants to scream in pleasure.

"We are fine Arisu" you look into her eyes "Alright". You were so dominant, so hot that from the sight of you she already felt the second orgasm looming. Shit, I was going to make her see heaven and hell at the same time. She was sure of it.

"Whatever my girl asks" you sped up rubbing and clashing both sexes. You grunted and moaned grabbing her arms and putting them over her head, motionless. She squeals as you kiss her nipples and take her to paradise. She feels it burning under your skin.

"I want to come mommy" she announces. Your hands go down to her buttocks squeezing hard and giving light strokes.

"Come for me baby" Usagi moans your name so loudly. You're not there yet and you won't stop, even tired you sit her on your lap cross-legged and from the waist you move her, she gasps from the sweet friction. She kisses your lips and you bite them "Fuck you feel so good, all mine, say you're mine."

"I'm yours Ah! All yours mommy, destroy me and do what you want to me..."

She practically jumps up and rubs against you, you're bringing her to a third orgasm. She pulls on your strands sinking into your neck. With your thumb you make circles on her bundle of nerves giving her tremors and spasms of another orgasm. You feel the knot in your abdomen snap and your clit throbs, the sight only making it stronger and more powerful. You hold her in your arms as she renews her breathing. She is exhausted. You stroke her short hair kissing her shoulders. You manage to pull the covers over her and leave her on your bare chest.

"If this is going to happen every time Arisu comes around, I should prepare myself not to walk" she joke, you laugh softly.

"I'm not going to be able to keep him from walking away from you, but now he will know who you belong to"

[yezielmoore]

18. Free day (Instincts pt.3)

When i say that the Eureka AU has consumed my brain I'm not joking. As always this went the way it wanted to go with zero regards to my plans (not that i have anything but a vague outline, but still!).

Follows Attrition, Row and Deiform.

.-,-.

After The Dragon Incident (which shouldn’t have happened, yes, yes, she gets it, please stop mentioning it) Athene hanged around camp for a while. Not only was she still feeling slightly off, her presence helped reassure all of them that she wasn’t going to hare off and get herself killed in some act of derring-do. It grated on her pride a bit, but fine, she could admit when she was at fault. 

Outside her sick room everything was functioning as normal. An unlooked for blessing. Honestly, she should’ve expected it. Athene wasn’t the first to develop obvious mutations, quite the opposite in fact. It was an unspoken rule between them to not draw attention to the changes until the person was comfortable with it, unless they needed help with it, from an emotional or practical standpoint. 

All of them would prefer to avoid another Joyous Dove incident or that time Eilis poisoned half of them entirely by accident. It was an imperfect system but it was the best they could do. It would have to be enough until they found a way out. 

(If they ever found a way out).

The converted lab space was an eclectic mix of lab, common room, library and kitchen. Vyncent, Funana and Tataramu were in the sectioned off lab part, tinkering with an aether converter of some kind and having what seemed to be a spirited debate.

Meara was nowhere to be seen. She bit her lips, wondering if her condition had gotten worse. 

Aisibhir was drawing on his sketchpad and waved at her when he saw her. “The kids are outside,” he told her. 

That accounted for Robyn, Eilis and M’nett, who would volunteer to keep an eye on their youngest members. 

“Meara?” She asked.

“Hiding,” he said gruffly. 

Athene nodded. The news didn’t surprise her, but she kept hope that the other woman would find some peace with herself, for her own sake. Athene perched herself on a chair next to the roegadyn and peeked over his shoulder. 

The drawing was an extremely realistic portrait of her as she used to look. Looking at it, something uncomfortable twisted in her gut, even as she was grateful and touched that he’d do this for her. Had already done it for all those friends that had already departed.

“I’m glad we didn’t have to use it,” Aisibhir confessed as he added the last touches to her horns. 

“So am I,” she replied sincerely and raped her knuckles against his broad shoulder as he passed him on the way to the door.  

Outside she was greeted by the barren landscape and the shimmer of their barrier, through which she could only see the haze of thick aether that obscured any long ranged visibility. 

“Athene!” “Miss Athene!” 

Two young voices greeted her from her left and not a moment later she had two limpets somehow hanging from her, even though they were almost as tall as she was. Athene tensed, she couldn’t help it. It took nearly all her will to keep her deadly talons from closing on fragile necks. Displaying incredible instincts, Robyn and Eilis froze, fear and guilt wafting from them, because they knew better than startling any of them by now. That she hadn’t reacted badly before was mere luck and circumstance.

“Wait,” she whispered. “Just… don’t squeeze and give me a moment.”

They did. They stood still until her breathing evened out and the instinct to lash out disappeared under the weight of recognition. These two were theirs, were hers, to protect and nurture, not harm. She breathed out and squeezed their shoulders gently. 

Athene looked up and saw M’nett lowering his bow, the arrow still notched but his fingers were relaxed now. He locked eyes with her, the same protective feelings she had reflected in his gaze. She nodded slightly to him, because she understood and the last thing Athene wanted was for her mentor to doubt his actions. None of them wanted another Alagh incident, after all, if they had to take steps to prevent it… then they would and that was that. 

She looked down at the worried faces of the teens. 

“I’m sorry,” they had no idea how sorry she was. What she had almost done shook her to the core. The instincts she had dealt until now didn’t hold a candle to the almost overpowering force that almost swept her under. “It seems that this bird doesn’t like to be surprised or caged,” she joked weakly.

“They should know better!” M’nett barked, his face a thundercloud that hid his previous worry. The teens jumped and tried to use her as a barrier against the irate miqo’te, a futile endeavor. 

“We’re sorry!” They squeaked and swiftly retreated from the advancing miqo’te when it was made obvious she’d be of no help. 

“Oh, you will be sorry, alright,” M’nett promised menacingly. He winked at her as he passed next to her, his arm barely blushing her shoulder. Even though Athene saw it coming she still tensed slightly and the breath caught in her throat. 

It was only when she was alone again that she managed to relax fully. This… was going to take some time.

[wafflebloggies]

a troubling guest [2]

noname belongs to @lacking-hydration! i’m having way too much fun with this whole thing send help

bits and pieces for context:

[a step too far]

[a little light mischief]

[part 1 of this!]

[part 3 of this!]

*

Alan had always been a realist. For this reason, he wasn’t disappointed by the sight of the Captain’s folded arms and pointedly offended scowl as he opened the door. It wasn’t an encouraging sight, but it certainly wasn’t a surprising one, either.

It was the first time they had seen each other face to face in months. Alan’s stomach had been twisting sickishly ever since he made the call, and his unhelpful imagination had framed a million ways it could go- good, bad, really bad, terrible- but now that the moment had actually arrived, he felt… not much of anything, really. Nothing he could put his finger on. Just tired, and a little sad.

Before he could say a word, the Captain unfolded his arms and pushed past him into the hall. His voice carried back to the porch as he stomped into the kitchen, and Alan heard the chunk of the fridge being opened.

“This had better be good, Alan."

"Come in,” Alan said to nobody, as he shut the door. He followed the Captain into his own kitchen, and found him staring into the depths of the fridge with a deeply annoyed glare, as if something inside had just handed him a steep library fine.

“Captain-”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve.” The Captain shut the fridge with unnecessary emphasis and turned. “You ghost me for months, you leave me on read, and then you just expect me to drop everything and come running? You think I’ve got nothing better to do?”

Well, you’re here, aren’t you? Alan captured the words before they actually escaped, a little frightened by how easily they almost did, and managed a sort of strained chuckle instead. “Well- maybe the jury’s out on that right now-”

The Captain bridled. He had a way of making it clear that he was getting on his high horse that was nowhere near as subtle as he probably imagined it was, like a volcano that wanted the maximum amount of anxious attention focused on it before it exploded in earnest. “What, you think I just get to slack off and stop creating content because you’re not around? Have you even been watching the channel?”

“Of course I-” Alan stopped. With an effort, he shook off the rising, horribly familiar sense of helplessness, and lowered his voice. “Listen, Captain, we are not having this conversation right now, okay? There’s something I have to-”

But the Captain was already shaking his head. He held up a hand with pompous authority, as if he was getting ready to stop a marriage service, or maybe to direct traffic.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no, we are. We are having this conversation, because I’d like an explanation, Alan. I’d like you to explain why you thought it was reasonable to just walk out on me, and never call, never even write-”

“Never even- what are you talking about? You’re the one who-” Alan pulled himself up short for a second time. Knuckling a frustrated hand into his own temples, he dragged it down his face, tried to breathe. He was starting to get a headache, a very specific kind of dull overstressed ache behind his eyes that he hadn’t felt in quite a while. In several months, in fact.

“Look, I’m not getting into this. You are not going to drag me into this, because this isn’t-”

“I want-”

“This isn’t about you!”

In the ringing silence, the two of them stared at each other. They both felt it- they both saw it, in the other’s eyes. In that flickering, painful moment of synchronicity, the moment and that moment, months ago in the rotunda, were one. The space of time, the distance between them; just how much had changed, and how much hadn’t. What had been experienced, healed, endured, in their months apart- the depth of their rift, the waste of it... and how terribly vital it had been.

Alan moved first. He heaved a deep sigh, forcing his shoulders to unknit, forcing the tension and anger from his face.

“It’s about him.”

Alan’s uncanny guest had crept into the living room doorway, moving little by little, clinging to the frame with fingers splayed and white-knuckled, like a limpet waiting for high tide. It looked up as Alan spoke, and the fraught, unfocused gaze of its human eye trailed over him and onto the Captain.

It went absolutely still.

The Captain had a similar reaction. He looked at the thing for what felt to Alan like a very long time, while a whole variety of complicated expressions dovetailed into each other on his face. He raised his pointer finger, slowly.

“Who… is he?”

“I was trying to tell-”

“Why does he look like you?”

“It’s a little hard to ex-”

“Why does he look like that?”

“I… I don’t know,” admitted Alan. “But it’s okay, he seems pretty harmless.”

The words were barely out of his mouth before the thing snapped abruptly out of its stupor. Before either of them could move, it let out a ghastly, rattling shriek that sounded more like a rabbit that had just stuck its foot in a plug socket than anything else, and flung itself at the Captain, tackling him headlong to the floor.

The Captain rolled, trying to shake it off, but it hung on with hands that seemed longer than they’d been a moment ago- amorphous, strong, and sharp. It tore at whatever it could reach, howling non-stop, a blur of teeth and pointy elbows and wild eyes. Alan was too stunned to react for a second or two, but once his shock broke he scrambled forwards and made a grab for the thing’s shoulder. His reward was a vicious blow to the face that knocked him off his feet.

Lunging, the Captain caught hold of the thing by the scruff of its neck, but it twisted and bit at his arm. He recoiled but managed to hang on, and it bucked and fought like a mad cat, grabbing at anything that came too close. As the Captain tried to keep his grip, the too-long, blackened fingers sought and scrabbled for purchase, latching onto the first thing they could find, which unfortunately happened to be-

“Ow ow OW not the face not the FACE-”

The Captain’s mask stretched out in the thing’s grasp, the fake skin distorting like a rubber band. Something had to give, and with a high elastic noise like a guitar string snapping under stress the mask twanged off, catapulting out of the thing’s hands. It whipped across the room like a Frisbee, nailing Alan square in the ear just as he managed to sit up.

Thrown off-balance, the thing hit the floor shoulders-first and bounced back to its feet, snarling. Its eyes were frantic, far past reason, the weird right-side one a livid, burning purple. Black goop slipped from under its sodden hair and coursed freely down its face and neck, spiralling down its arms. Its hands, fast losing their resemblance to anything even approaching human, clutched and jerked shakily at its sides.

The Captain stepped in front of Alan, holding up his hands in warning.

“Don’t-” he started, but the thing was beyond listening. At the sound of his voice, it bared its teeth, and sprang.

The Captain flinched, splaying his fingers. With a bright flicker, a screen flared between his hands, a jumbled blur of images as he fought to concentrate. A UFO, a kitten, a few frames of an old Soviet cartoon, and then at the very last second the image stabilized into a nice, clear picture of a brick wall; weathered, slightly mossy, and very, very solid-looking.

Even if the thing had wanted to hit the brakes, it was far too late to stop. It slammed into the picture face-first with a nasty, semi-liquid thud, and slid to the floor, out cold.

Dropping his hands, the Captain let out a relieved breath, letting the screen sputter out into nothing. “Whoof. I knew that Shutterstock license would come in handy.”

Behind him, Alan sat up, holding the mask between finger and thumb as if it was something Leica had caught and left on the floor. It took the Captain a moment or two- and a mild double-take- to notice it, but as soon as he did he swiped it quickly out of his hand, with a rather testy “Thank you.”

In the fragile silence that followed, Alan got to his feet, rubbing his ear. The Captain quickly turned his face away and bent his head, hooking the mask back into place with practised speed. This done, he straightened, shook his jacket back into line with an officious little jerk, then hesitated.

“Are you...” He cleared his throat, grimacing and waving a hand as if he hoped he could somehow communicate what he meant by sheer vague arm-flapping alone, thus getting away without actually having to say it. He fought it out, extracting the word like a stubborn tooth.

“...okay?”

To tell the truth, Alan didn’t feel particularly okay. He felt very shaken and as if he was probably going to have a swollen lip, but right now he had nothing to show for it but a metallic taste in his mouth and a general feeling like someone had fed a fistful of loose change into his skull and rattled it hard. On top of it all, the really pathetic thing- the thing that made him feel somehow worse and better all at once- was how much it mattered just that the Captain had asked.

He nodded, gingerly. “Yeah, I’m- I’m fine. Are you?”

“Oh, you know. Much better now nobody’s trying to claw my face off.” The Captain sniffed, feeling behind his ears to make sure the mask was secure, and took a long, steadying breath. “Okay. Okay, how… how about we walk it back a little? Fill me in from the beginning.”

“You mean about him?”

The Captain rolled his eyes. “Oh, no, actually, I meant about why you took down your Magica De Spell picture- of course about him!”

Cautiously, ready to jump back at the first sign of movement, Alan knelt down by the thing where it lay crumpled on the floor. He was a qualified first-aider, but he was a little at a loss to check for fractures where he wasn’t sure there were bones, or to seek a steady pulse when he didn’t even know if there was a heart. He could only guess the thing was still in one piece from the slight rise and fall of the chest, and the hectic flicker under its closed eyelids.

“I didn’t think he’d flip out like that,” he said. “He’s been quiet this whole time, I- I mean, more or less, anyway, he’s had a couple of… moments.” He swallowed. “Captain, this is gonna sound crazy, but I think… I think he was made.”

It didn’t take him long to relate the little he knew. The Captain listened, fiddling with his mask, which didn’t seem to be sitting comfortably after its rapid trip across the room. At one point, he poked the thing on the floor gently with his foot.

“Pretty shoddy craftmanship,” he remarked. “Look at him, he’s barely corporeal. Can’t even keep a consistent physical form. Huh, like I’d expect anything better from that toxic, pseudoscience-pushing hack...” He broke off, running a finger around his eyesocket, which still looked a little out-of-kilter. 

“For the love of- have you got any glue?”

“Um, your usual stuff dried up, I had to throw it out. I… probably have a gluestick, is that any good?”

“Alan,” said the Captain, still feeling his mask irritably, “I hardly need to remind you that this is an incredibly advanced and delicate myco-cellular biosynthetic prosthesis.” He paused. 

“What kind of gluestick?”

“Uhh. Elmer’s.”

“Yeah, that’ll do it. Thanks.”

[shy-magpie]

RQG Roman Rogues Sidequest 2

these things get kinda long so liveblog under the cut

So glad they decided to put this on the main feed and not behind the paywall. Not sharing this with my fellow fans would have been hard. Plus if there was ever a time when we needed this its now.

Although between this and 4thought, I can't shake the image of Rusty Towers having a "break glass in case of emergency" vault of wholesome. Yes my mental image of Rusty Towers got more elaborate not less, since confirming they don't work out of their own radio station like a IRL Nightvale, what of it?

I wonder how differently Alex would play in a long campaign. Part of this seems to be having fun with the permission to be chaotic, that only having to live with the consequences another 2 episodes brings. Plus a tiny bit of revenge on his players or as I've said before "he plays like this because you played like that".

We know this Helen and we love you.

Bryn does seem to be assistant cat herder, which works for Riz. Kid is going to be such a good cleric. Also male cleric of fertility and flowers? A nice part of Bryn's spearheading RQ's campaign to say "fuck toxic masculinity".

I love that the first time they use the minis it's for this.

Lydia is right and should say it. Sasha has a better place here with her kids than she ever would watching for Barret's people over her shoulder the rest of her life in a world that let Other London happen. Seriously I've said it before: end the series with the party (taking as many of the NPCs as necessary for it not to be a crime) going into the past with them to work under Sasha (after she wrote the letter but in time to help resurrect Grizzop before the Meritocracy bans it).

Thank you for always introducing the characters.

Lydia just called them Sasha's old family and I'm all choked up.

Azus(Alex) is far more endearing than they should be. Still haven't managed to catch their pronouns, but IIRCdiscord asked & settled on he/they with a gender of "if a thorn in the side was a gender"; which is so valid. Not sure how he thought kid whose first big character trait is "steals to avenge petty grievances" was going to be cheery, but good on him for being adaptable.

Wilde(Helen) is the best and first to say so.

Amidus(James) is that guy from my econ 101 class who just discovered Marx.

Riz(Bryn) is older, awkward, and trying to look out for the others.

Lydia is so valid, how can you not have a soft spot for Riz.

Bryn shifting us back on topic. Either that or he can't take a compliment.

And on with the show:

Wilde is trying to give Sasha & me grey hair. Lydia may have a theme going with the traps. Grapple rules are legendary.

James BAP

Alex is good at coaching Lydia.

Burn from Alex, much more effective than a "bap".

Wilde!?! I am not rewinding for that number, I trust this table to tell me if she is dead or severely injured and refuse to follow fights well enough to stress blow by blow.

GM screen jokes lead to women's pocket jokes. Neither Lydia or I can tell if Alex is joking but either way it is kinda nice to have a guy sound personally offended by fake pockets.

Of course Sasha sent the kids in with a variety of weapons.

Oh Riz! Sasha taught them the importance of flanking and Riz is reminding his sibs to work together. Yes Alex but if he phrased it that way it wouldn't go right to the heart of all of us who remember how Sasha always wanted to flank.

James asks directly for advice, good for him. Then twists it from stabbing to pining its corners.

Oh mechanics with Alex *pulls up chair*

Bryn and Alex are good at being helpful while still making it clear they are defering to Lydia. It's nice not having my rank issues activated even when they get very hands on.

So did Lydia take that idea from when Zolf was engulfed or did Alex take it off Lydia or is this just a TTRPG thing? Because half of the damage going into the person you're trying to save isn't something I was warned about.

Oh good, Wilde is going to die in a fancy rug, maybe that is of some comfort/s

Priorities Lydia! Been hanging around Alex too long ISTG...

Where are you going with this Alex? Oh Alex you really do live to give the fans everything they want. First wanting to get around using historically accurate vents, then wanting to drop the chandelier on the baddie? Just aiming to indulge every movie cliche everyone secretly dreams of.

Valid Lydia, it is absolutely your right to rule that there is no difference.

Wilde has 6hp, that's like a whole Skraak right? Leave me my denial.

Alex sounds so happy.

Sasha is NOT a bad mother! Poor Lydia did not mean for this to be such a dangerous encounter. Things like this help me understand why Alex kept having encounters where they either wiped the floor with his beautiful monsters or he nearly killed them.

Smash cut, poor Lydia. Potions for each of them.

A 1? Helen you had one instruction/jk

Riz please save your sister

Lydia, is Wilde going to die cozy?

Ok Wilde is out! Thank you Bryn/Riz

Thanks Helen & Alex for a Murphy bed that is actually an open mouth waiting to you to lay down

Azus is also going third person. The poor little guy really does care about Wilde and like most tough kids is a lot more fragile than they seem. Azus feeds Wilde a potion.

Do as the Romans do.

Wilde is now back to 8 points. Alex goes for funny crying because this could break a listener if done at all seriously. Grumpy kid who steals from their siblings in self defense, crying at the first sight of them in real danger for the first time? Alex is being merciful.

Amidus is not dead of being the only one not helping Wilde.

Wilde takes her(?) own potion, because Helen doesn't want us to worry

Oh do not remind me how vulnerable Sasha was.

Riz has to extract himself from the pile to throw a dagger at the rug and gets sneak attack damage on the rug.

So Hamid's player just used Hamid's namesake to flank like Sasha always wanted. Riz obliterated the rug for hurting his sister.

Riz is good with his siblings.

Wilde gives Azus a hug.

Lydia distracts them by offering Wilde a scar.

Wilde rolls to comfort Azus.

Azus is going to be attached to Wilde like a limpet. Riz and Wilde are going to poke things with a stick.

"I'll never let go" Alex must you? Bryn don't help him break our hearts (well do, you know what I mean).

Ionic pillar pun, Alex is so pleased with James for that.

Thank you Riz for not pulling strange ropes that disappear into the ceiling.

Amidus however...

Nothing seems to happen is the scariest thing a GM can say. Ok it actually does just summon a servant.

Science Kobold mini!

Azus attacks the poor servant, who calls for a guard.

Amidus uses knock out gas on the servant and therefore at least one sibling. Now is not the time to roll well James. At least it was only a sleep spell.

Wilde keels over on the bed, Azus does not take it well.

Riz wants to gently tie up and interrogate the servant. They are a little to eager to stab this servant.

They are standing on the vault?

So its a random chance?

Poor Bryn keeps falling into Hamid's voice.

Lydia is not letting them assist each other on telling if the servant is lying. They now have to believe the servant who was lying.

Riz feints a stab at the servant before following his siblings down.

Lydia knows Alex gave us a damn complex about fall damage and clarifies its a fun slide.  

[writingpuddle]

anything with baby neil is my life blood right now, like de aged to four or five and just so precious and doe eyed and everyone can love on him like he deserved to have!

*shows up two months late with starbucks*

I have no idea if this is what you were looking for anon, butI sure did have fun writing it. also on AO3

—

“So,” Nicky said, huddling at the doorway withthe others. “This is fun!”

“Nicky,” Dan hissed. “Not the time!”

A pair of wide blue eyes poppedup behind the couch. Dan tried for a friendly smile, but the eyes dropped backdown the second they spotted her.

“What? It’s been awhile sincewe’ve all hung out with the ickle newbies around—”

“How the hell did this happen?” Allison demanded.

“I don’t know!” Kevin said. “Oneminute I was in the bedroom watching videos and the next moment they were—like that.”

His voice rose shrilly towardsthe end. “Shhh,” Dan said, hearing a scuffle behind the couch. “They definitelydidn’t recognize you?”

“No,” Kevin whispered, staringat the room more fearfully than Dan thought a pair of six-year-olds warranted.To be fair, she was currently repressing her own panic pretty hard. “They sawme and scattered. Andrew’s barricaded himself in the bathroom.”

“Okay,” Dan said, lookingaround. Even Renee looked incredibly off-balance. She was going to have to keepthis together or it wouldn’t be long before the whole team was in hysterics.“Okay, who here has experience with kids?”

The only thing that could’vemade the following silence more resounding was if crickets had chirped.

“None of you?” Dan said. “Fuck.”She covered her mouth, holding out a hand towards the child behind the couch.“No, don’t listen to me, don’t—”

“Dan, I’m pretty sure Neil hassaid a hell of a lot worse than that—”

“He doesn’t remember thatthough!” Dan rubbed her hand over her short hair, taking a fortifying breath.“Alright, Kevin, call Coach, tell him to get his ass here as fast as possible.”Then maybe she could have a proper meltdown. “Allison, try and look up someonewho might have expertise in this kind of—whatever.Renee, try to lure Andrew out. Matt, you’re with me.”

“Oh, let me help!” Nicky said.“I’m sure I’m great with kids!”

“I think they’re going to need abit more subtlety, Nicky.”

“Come on! Don’t forget Ipractically raised Andrew and Aaron, and they turned out alright!”

The others just stared at him.Nicky deflated a little. “Alright, you may have a point.”

“Just…order food or something.Keep it simple, kids don’t like fancy stuff.”

Nicky nodded, eager to help. Dantook another deep breath, and stepped into the living room.

She tucked herself in beside thecouch, crouching down to seem less frightening. “Hey, there,” she said, andwinced internally at the horrible, cutesy voice coming out of her mouth. Mostof her experience with kids had been her aunt’s squalling baby.

The tiny child huddled behindthe couch stared at her, wide-eyed. Dan didn’t have a good sense of thesethings, but he couldn’t have been much more than four, still round-cheeked andchubby. “It’s okay,” she said. “You’re safe. Do you know how you got here?”

Toddler-Neil shrank a little bitfurther. “Where’s my mommy?”

Dan inhaled sharply, her chestsqueezing. “She’s not here right now, but we’re taking care of you right now.My name is Dan, this is Matt.”

“Hi!” Matt said, with a big grinand a wave.

The little boy’s eyes jumped toMatt and he flinched, shrinking behind the back of the couch. “Oh no, Neil,it’s okay,” Matt said hurriedly. “Shh. Shh.”

“I want my mommy,” Neilwhimpered, squeezing into a tight ball.

“I know, sweetie, I know,” Dansaid, gesturing Matt to get back. He backed away, drooping. “Do you wantsomething to drink? Some juice?”

“I want my mommy!”

“She’s going to be here soon,”Dan lied. “Why don’t you come watch TV with us?”

A soft tap came at her shoulder.She looked up, and Nicky held out a glass of milk with a shrug. She acceptedit, turning back to little Neil. “Hey, Nicky got you some milk. Isn’t thatnice?”

Neil’s face screwed up, hischubby cheeks growing redder.

“Oh, no, Neil, shh. It’s okay.”

“My name’s not Neil!”

“Oh,” she said dumbly, glancingaround for help.

“Nathaniel,” Aaron supplied fromwhere he stood behind the kitchen counter. Dan supposed this was all probably prettyshocking to him too, considering his twin was also shrunk, but right now sheneeded to focus on the immediate problem.

“Right. Nathaniel.” Shegrimaced. The memory of Neil’s flinch whenever the name was spoken made hermouth taste foul. “Can I call you Nate?”

Neil’s big bottom lip trembledas he watched her. “Lola calls me Natty.”

“Who’s—” She stopped, spottingMatt’s desperate gesture from the corner of his eye.

He tapped his finger to hischeek. “She’s the one that—”

“Right. Okay. Nate sounds good,right? How old are you, Nate?”

“Four.”

“Wow. You must know a lot ofcool stuff by now. Um.” Fuck. Oh, fuckit had been a long time since she talked to kids. “Do you play Exy?”

Aaron made an exasperated noise,but it was the exact right thing to say. Neil’s whole face lit up, starry eyed.“Exy is the best!”

“It’s totally the best!” sheenthused. “Can I tell you something cool?”

Neil nodded hard, his curlsbobbing and falling into his face.

“We all play on an Exy teamtogether. I’m the team captain!”

“Are you good?” Neil demanded.

“We’re the best.”

“Wow,” Neil said, scootingforward a few inches. “I wanna play, but mommy says I’m too little.”

“You are very little,” Dan saidin a serious tone.

“Am not!” Neil said indignantly.“I’m four.”

“Sorry. I’m sure you’re very bigfor a four-year-old.

Neil scrunched up his face, alittle pouty. “Not little.”

Dan actually smiled at his tinysulk. “Are you hungry?”

Neil picked at the carpet.“Yeah.”

Dan shot an inquiring glanceover at Nicky. “Pizza’s coming in half an hour,” he said.

She turned back to Neil. “Do youlike pizza?”

“I guess.”

“Okay. Is there something you dolike?”

Neil’s shoulders hunchednervously. “Mommy says I should eat whatever she says.”

Dan had to physically restrainthe anger that surged through her. How dare that woman treat Neil—

She was dead, Dan remindedherself. Neil’s mother was dead, and nobody was going to hurt him ever again.

“Well, mommy isn’t here rightnow, so you can eat anything you want.”

Neil’s eyes peeked up at herfrom under his hair. “Anything?”

“Yup.”

He picked at the carpet foranother couple seconds. Finally, he whispered, “Hotdogs.”

“Okay. Hotdogs it is. Nicky, dowe need to do a grocery run?”

Nicky ran to the freezer andflung it open. “Uhhh, so we’ve got burgers—”

“Neil—sorry, Nate wantshotdogs.”

“Okay, I’ll just—” He paused.“So would it be wrong of me to take Andrew’s car, considering the only twodrivers should definitely not have their licenses right now?”

“Nicky,” Dan growled.

“Right! I’m off!”

“And get some toys or somethingwhile you’re out.”

“Got it. Aaron, come with?”

Aaron looked deeplyuncomfortable, but he nodded.

When the door closed behindthem, Dan settled back against the side of the couch, holding her arms out toNeil. “Okay, so we’ll make hotdogs soon. Want to watch TV?”

Neil stared at her for a longmoment, then abruptly threw himself into her arms, latching onto her side likea limpet. Dan scooped him up, cradling his tiny, soft body in her arms andtrying to hold him clear of the milk glass.

“You’re so nice,” Neil murmuredagainst her sweater, squeezing his chubby arms around her neck. He smelledclean, like soap and baby powder, and Dan’s heart melted as she hefted him up.She crooned softly against his head, smoothing his silky curls with one hand asshe got to her feet.

“Oh my god,” Matt breathed, eyeswide. “Oh my god, he’s so cute.”

Dan kept bouncing Neil gently,an involuntary smile on her lips. “Can you check how Renee’s doing?”

Matt stared at her for anotherlong second, looking hypnotized.

“Matt?” she prompted.

“Right,” he said, skirting theroom to give her and Neil lots of space. Dan settled on the couch, rubbingNeil’s back. He nestled into her side, warm and solid.

She could just see the hallwayout of the corner of her eye, so she noticed immediately when Renee and Mattemerged from the bathroom a minute later. Renee had her head ducked down, apainted-on smile on her face, and beside her—

Holy shit.

Andrew was nearly as small asNeil, his hair glowing platinum blond. His hand was firmly wrapped around two ofRenee’s fingers, eyes suspicious as he cast about the room. “You said there wasice cream?” he demanded.

Renee’s smile eased a littleinto something more genuine. “I promised,” she said, tugging him over to thekitchen. Matt hovered in the hallway behind them, staring over at Dan andmouthing, “Oh my god.”

Dan could only nod, mute. Andrewwas so small, so fragile—her arms tightened around Neil protectively. They werechildren for God’s sake. It had neverreally struck her before that either of them had ever been this small—it feltlike they’d manifested directly into hard-eyed young men. How stupid of her—

Neil squeaked in protest,squirming out of her grip. “Sorry,” she said, loosening her arms, but he hadalready forgotten, clambering up the back of the couch to stare over at Reneeand Andrew with wide eyes. He attempted to climb right over the top of thecouch and Dan grabbed him, airlifting him to the floor.

He toddled off quickly, grabbingone of the barstools for support and staring at Andrew. “Your hair looks dumb,”he announced.

Tiny Andrew scowled. “Your facelooks dumb!”

Matt looked like Christmas hadcome early. He fumbled his phone out of his pocket, and grinned over at Dan.She buried her head in her hands, uncontrollable-borderline-hysterical laughterbubbling up in her chest.  

The door swung open, lettingAllison in with a fog of rose-scented perfume. “Alright, I got a hold of somequack PhD at the university who claims to deal with this shit, but he—”

Whatever he said was lost.Allison froze in the middle of the living room, gaping at the scene in thekitchen. “Holy fuck?”

“Allison,” Renee, Dan and Matt said.

“Fuck,” Neil said.

“Neil!” Matt said.

“Fuck!” Andrew said.

“This is a disaster,” Dan said.

Allison sat down in an armchair,looking absolutely floored. Renee pulled a pile of bowls out of the cupboard,portioning out half a dozen scoops of ice cream. Allison blinked, pointing afinger at the two children, then closing her eyes for a long moment. “So, thisPhD assho—”

“Allison,” Dan warned.

Allison glared at her. “This guy says it’s a quantum flux, orsomething, and there’s no telling how long it’ll last. He says it usually wearsoff within a few days, but if it doesn’t, we should take them in for testing athis lab.”

“We’re not taking them into a lab,” Matt said, affronted.

“Well, we can’t just leave themlike this,” Dan said.

“Like what?” Neil asked,sneaking up behind Renee’s leg and poking Andrew in the stomach.

Andrew grabbed Neil’s hair, pullingit hard.

“Owwww,” Neil whined, boltingback to the living room and wrapping his arms around Dan’s knee.

Renee frowned down at Andrew.“That was mean, Andrew,” she said.

“He started it!”

“That doesn’t mean you get to bemean to him. He’s younger than you.”

“He started it,” Andrew sulked.

Renee cast her gaze over thegroup with a pleading expression.

No aid was to be found. Healthychildhoods were in short supply among the Foxes; Dan wasn’t sure if any of them knew a good way to teach akid a moral lesson.

Renee sighed, offering Andrewhis bowl of ice cream. He jumped up, eyes brightening. “You have to promise notto pull Neil’s hair again,” she said severely.

“What if he pulls mine first?”

“Then you’ll tell me, and I’ll dealwith it,” she said.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Okay,” Andrew said solemnly.

Neil rubbed his face againstDan’s knee and she bent down, scooping him up. “Do you want some ice creamtoo?” she asked. She was pretty sure they had this all backwards. They weresupposed to give kids dinner before dessert. This had to count as extenuatingcircumstances, though.

“Yeah,” Neil mumbled, peekingover her shoulder towards where Renee was setting the table. Andrew clamberedup into a chair, grasping a spoon in his fist and digging into his ice creamlike he thought someone was going to take it away.

Actually, that was probablyexactly what he thought. Dan rubbed a hand up Neil’s back, as much for her ownsake as his, and carried him over to the table, sitting at the far end. Neiltwisted around but made no move to leave her lap, so she kept her arms in aloose circle around him as Renee put a small bowl of vanilla ice cream in frontof them.

Allison still looked leery ofthe two children, but she took a seat at Renee’s insistent gesture. Matt satnext to her and Renee took the head of the table in what had to be the weirdestteam dinner they’d ever had.

“So, Andrew,” Dan asked, “haveyou ever played Exy?”

“No,” he said, shooting her asullen look.

Well, that was never going towork twice.

“Have you started school yet?”she tried.

“I go to Mrs. C,” he said.

“That’s cool,” she said, as sheknew what that meant. “Do you like her?”

“She smells funny,” he said.“Her books are good. Sometimes she reads to us and it’s really nice.”

“What’s your favourite book?”

“The Giving Tree.”

A round of blinks went betweenthe adults at the table. Renee rallied first, smiling at Andrew. “I really likethat book,” she said. “Why is it your favourite?”

“It’s kind of sad but alsohappy. And Mrs. C always does weird voices.”

“I like The Paper Bag Princess,”Neil announced.

Andrew made a face at him.“That’s a girl’s book.”

“No, it’s not!”

“Books can be for boys andgirls,” Matt said.

“What’s the Paper Bag Princessabout?” Renee asked, distracting Andrew by scooping a little extra ice creaminto his bowl.

Neil launched into a longexplanation of the story which left the Foxes more confused than when they’dstarted. His ice cream melted into a puddle of sugary soup and he didn’t arguewhen Andrew stole it and noisily slurped it down.

A hammering at the door madethem all jump. “It’s unlocked,” Matt called, and Wymack breezed in with Kevinon his heels.

He stopped in the doorway,surveying the scene. “Oh,” he said dumbly. “So Kevin wasn’t drunk.”

Kevin looked affronted. “Youthink I would joke—”

“I think if you’d coached theFoxes as long as I have, you’d have some trust issues, too,” Wymack said.

Neil squirmed on Dan’s lap,wriggling up so he could flatten himself against her body. His eyes were gluedto Wymack, wide and fearful.

“Uh, Coach,” Dan said, wincing.“Volume.”

“What?” Wymack said, then hiseyes dropped to Neil and understanding dawned. “Right,” he said, more softly.“I’m just going to call Abby. She’ll know what to do.” Which was very plainlydeflecting, and Dan wondered why she’d thought Wymack would be any help in thisat all. He was well-meaning, but he could be terribly conventional in his totalinability to deal with children.

She watched him flee into thehallway with something like resignation. Kevin approached the table tentatively,looking nearly as uncomfortable as Allison. “Hello,” he said, awkward andformal. “My name is Kevin.”

Dan steeled herself, knowingexactly what she needed to say next and hating herself for it. “He’s thegreatest Exy player of all time,” she told Neil.

His eyes lit up, but it wasAndrew who spoke up first.

“Mrs. C says tattoos are for badpeople which means you’re probably a really, really bad person because you havea tattoo on your face.”

There was a beat of silence,then Allison snorted. “Yeah, tell him, Andrew.”

Andrew shot her a suspiciouslook, but turned back to Kevin. “If you’re a bad person then Renee will hurtyou,” he said. “She’s really good at fighting. She said so.”

“Wow, Renee,” Allison said. “Whoeverknew you’d be so good with kids?”

Renee shot her a glare. “I don’tsee you doing any better,” she hissed.

Allison snickered, her pleasureat Kevin’s discomfort overriding her own awkwardness around the kids.

Nicky and Aaron chose thatmoment to arrive, a pair of grocery bags over Aaron’s wrist and a giant boxdwarfing Nicky. “I bought Lego!” Nicky sang, his face smushed and hidden behindthe giant box.

“Christ, Nicky,” Dan said. “Howmuch Lego did you buy?”

“It was on sale!”

“It’s not like—” Dan checkedherself, glancing at Andrew, who was still scowling at Kevin ratherimpressively. She sort of hoped thiswouldn’t last long, but she wasn’t going to say that out loud, not when Andrewand Neil had no memory of what had happened and abandonment issues ten mileshigh.

“Don’t look at me,” Aarongrumbled. “You think I have any control over him?” He dumped the bags of foodon the counter and regarded his twin brother. As if sensing his gaze, Andrewturned his head and stared at him.

“I got you something,” Aaronsaid, gruff, and dug a small stuffed cat out of the grocery bag.

He shoved it towards Andrew,dangling it by the neck. It swayed there, splotched in brown and white, itswhiskers drooping and bent from being shoved in the grocery bag. Andrewcontinued to stare at Aaron, eyes wary.

Aaron sighed and dropped the catinto Andrew’s lap, retreating into the kitchen. “We got hotdogs and we pickedup some more ice cream,” he said to the room at large.

“Thanks, Aaron,” Renee said, pushingher chair back and joining him. Pots and pans clattered as they set to cooking.

Nicky wobbled and finallytoppled, landing on his ass with a crash. The colourful box in his arms tippedover, rattling like a ball pit in an earthquake. “Ow,” he said woefully,rubbing his elbow and extricating himself from under the box.

“Do you want to play Legos?” Danasked, looking down at Neil. He’d already forgotten all about Kevin.

“What’s Legos?” Neil asked

“Oh man,” Matt said. “Legos arethe greatest. You can build anything!”

“Yeah?” Neil said, twisting hishand in Dan’s sweater and turning his big blue eyes on Matt. Dan couldpractically see Matt turning to goo at the sight.

“Totally! Do you want to try?”

Neil’s hand pinched Dan’s stomachas he twisted, nervous. She bit back a grimace, hefting Neil in her arms to tryand loosen his grip. “Matt’s very good at Legos,” she said, having never seenhim play with Legos before in her life. “And you can have a hotdog after.”

“Okay,” Neil said, voice small.

It wasn’t enthusiasm, but shecould work with that. “How about you, Andrew?”

Andrew looked up from his lap,jumping. “What?”

She caught a peek of the stuffedcat in his lap disappearing under his shirt and wisely said nothing. “Do youwant to play Legos with Nei—Nate?”

“No,” Andrew said.

“Okay,” Dan said. “Come on,Nate, let’s get the Lego set up.”

She lifted him off her lap andplaced him on the ground. He latched onto her leg immediately, giggling whenshe tried to take a step. “Hey,” she said, looking down at him.

He giggled again and wrapped hislegs around her ankle like a koala. She huffed and swung her foot through, hisweight like a tiny boulder on the end of her leg. “I’m going to need achiropractor after this,” she muttered as she heaved Neil into the living room.Matt snorted.

“Alright,” she said when they reached the Legobox. “You have to let go now.”

Neil’s hands just tightened,pinching her muscles uncomfortably. “Hey, buddy, we can’t play Legos with youattached to my leg.”

“You’re going to play too?” heasked, peeking up at her.

Oh. There were the abandonmentissues again. “Yeah, definitely,” she said.

Neil slowly let go, creepingforward towards the box. Nicky had already wrested the top open with a pair ofscissors, and was pulling the plastic packaging off of a giant bin of looseLego pieces. Dan gestured to Matt to sit, and he squashed down immediately, bigand gangly on the floor.

Dan grabbed the paperinstruction manual and folded her legs to sit next to Neil. “Hey, look, we canmake a race car. Isn’t that cool?”

Neil stared at the pictures andpointed at one of the others. “Rocket ship!”

“What do you think, Matt? Can wemake a rocket ship?”

“I dunno,” Matt said, toneserious but eyes dancing. “It looks pretty complicated. But if Nate’s helpingus, I bet we could do it.”

Dan smiled at him over Neil’shead and his lips quirked up at her, lopsided and sweet.

“We need orange bits for thefire,” Neil said, studying the picture intently.

“Okay,” Matt said. “Can you helpme find some?”

Dan leaned back on her hands,watching as Matt and Neil dug through the bin of Lego together. Nicky hoveredfor another second, hands wringing and eyes wide and adoring, then he met hereye and fled to the kitchen to help with the hot dogs.

Dan’s breath left her in a slowexhale. This was probably going to interfere with their season, she thoughtidly. They had a game tomorrow night, and the freshmen were definitely notready to cover for Andrew and Neil. They’d manage, though. They always did. Shewatched as Neil unfurled, his fearfulness evaporating in the face of Matt’sunwavering warmth, and felt settled, like a cat curling up in a sunbeam.

Pizza arrived almost exactly thesame moment as the hotdogs were ready, and chaos broke loose as the Foxesscrambled to make sure Andrew and Neil both got whatever they wanted. Neil gotketchup all over his shirt—she was about 90% sure that was actually one of hisreal shirts, shrunk down with him—and Andrew made lofty comments about howmessy and dumb he was until Nicky smudged pizza sauce on his nose, making himshriek.

Neil grabbed Dan’s hand andtugged her back towards the Lego. She bit back a groan of exhaustion. “Howabout you play with Matt for a bit? I’ll be right here.”

“But we’re not done the rocketship!”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m notyoung like you. I’m very old and slow.”

She made a show of hunching herback and creaking her way towards the couch and Neil giggled in delight, hunchinghis shoulders and tottering after her.

“Come on, squirt,” Matt said,holding out his hand. “Let’s finish that rocket ship.”

“You’re making a rocket ship?”Andrew asked.

“Yep,” Matt said. “Wanna join?”

“I don’t want him to play withus,” Neil said, stomping his foot. “He’s a meanie!”

Andrew’s face screwed up. “WellI don’t want to make a dumb rocket ship anyway!”

“Guys, guys, shhh,” Matt saidfrantically. “Neil, you shouldn’t say things like that.”

“I’m not Neil!”

“Sorry, Nate, buddy—”

“He’s mean!”

“And now you’re being mean.”

Neil stopped, staring up atMatt. “No I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. Now, how aboutyou say sorry for being mean to Andrew, and then he’ll say sorry to you. Andthen we can all build the rocket ship.”

“I’m not saying sorry,” Andrewsulked.

“Andrew,” Nicky said. “That’sbad manners.”

Andrew kicked his foot againstthe ground, and he hugged the stuffed cat against his stomach almost angrily.“Sorry,” he muttered, unconvincingly.

Nicky looked stunned that his reprimandhad worked. Dan couldn’t help but feel the same way. Andrew didn’t apologizefor anything.

Neil scowled at the carpet.

“Nate,” Matt said. “It’s yourturn.”

“He was mean first,” Neilmuttered.

“He said sorry.”

“Fine.” Neil scrunched up hisface, glaring at Andrew. “I’m sorry,” he said, in what had to be the leastapologetic voice Dan had ever heard.

Matt covered his eyes, his lipscurling with repressed laughter. Dan retreated to where Renee and Allison saton the couch, watching as Nicky and Matt tried to wrangle the two boys towardsthe Lego pile.

Aaron hovered beside the couch,watching with a frown creasing his forehead. Dan tapped her finger against herthigh, looking up at him. “It’s probably not permanent,” she reminded him.“They’ll be back to normal soon enough.”

“You don’t know that for sure,”Aaron said. “What if—”

He cut off, his nostrilsflaring, the whites of his eyes flickering in the light.

“We’ll deal with that if itcomes to it,” she said. Aaron shoved his hands in his pockets, his expressionpinched. He didn’t look reassured.

Dan glanced back at the kidsplaying in the Lego, unsure how to comfort him. Neil had just knocked overMatt’s rocket ship; it looked like he was trying to build his own now.

“Daaaan,” Matt whined. “Nate isbullying me.”

“Am not!” Neil said. “Matt isjust dumb!”

Andrew pulled the top off of thetower Nicky was building and pulled out all the red pieces, piling them to theside. Nicky pouted, trying to steal one of Andrew’s red pieces and nearlygetting his hand bitten for his trouble. Andrew added the red pieces to a smallsquare wall and carefully placed his stuffed cat inside.

“He really seems to like thatstuffie,” she said.

“Yeah,” Aaron said.

They watched the kids’ anticsfor another couple seconds before Aaron sank into the beanbag chair next to thecouch, chewing on his thumbnail. “I had one like that when I was little,” hesaid. “I brought it everywhere.”

“Huh,” Dan said. “Wow.”

Neil only lasted another twentyminutes before he started drooping, covering yawns with his hands. He crawledout of the pile of Legos he’d accumulated and toddled over to Dan, burying hisface in her knee.

“Hey, buddy,” she said,smoothing her hand through his hair. “Ready for bed?”

“No,” he said petulantly, butlet her lift him up and cuddle him against her chest.

“I don’t suppose anyone has apyjama shirt that would fit him?” Dan asked, not hopeful.

“I picked some up at Walmart,”Aaron said. “They’re on the counter.”

“Oh,” Dan said. “Thanks. How’sthat sound, Nate? Want to check out your new pyjamas?”

He nodded, his face smushed intoher collarbone. “Okay,” she said, hauling herself off the couch with a grunt.She transferred Neil to her right arm, propping him on her hip so she could up-endthe bag onto the counter. “Dinosaurs or cats?”

“Dinosaws,” Neil mumbled.

“Awesome,” she said, grabbingthe matching t-shirt and pants

“Want mommy.”

“I know,” Dan said, hefting himup a little higher. “Let’s get you ready for bed.”

“Not tired.”

“Sure,” she said. “Whatever yousay.”

She carried him into thebathroom, grimacing at the state of it. Boys.Two of the three towels hanging up looked like they hadn’t been washed inmonths; they smelled it, too. The sink was crusted in grime and powderytoothpaste residue, and the counter was littered in nail clippings and stubblyhairs.

Dan lowered Neil to the bathmat, holding out the pyjama shirt. He raised his arms expectantly.

“I’m not dressing you,” shesaid. “You gotta help me here.”

“Mommy always does,” Neilsulked.

Dan pursed her lips. “Can youpull your shirt off? I’ve got your new one ready.”

Neil squirmed, wrestling withhis t-shirt like a fish in the grasp of an octopus. He got one arm out of hissleeve but got stuck, and Dan had to pull on his other sleeve to get him out.She held the pyjama shirt out and he wriggled into it. Backwards, but Danwasn’t about to get particular.

She hesitated at his pants. Wasthis weird? Neil was her teammate.She shouldn’t be seeing him naked. This was just—

She shoved the thoughts aside;Neil was four, and she was going to be professional about this, damnit. Shetugged on his waistband and he obliged, pushing his pants down with theunselfconsciousness of childhood. She stripped them off his feet quickly andhelped him step into the pyjama bottoms, turning her head partially away. It was weird, but only because everythingabout today was weird.

He latched onto her hand once hewas dressed and she stood, knees popping from kneeling on the tile floor. “Bedtime?” she asked.

“Okay,” Neil said, leaningagainst her knee for a moment. She tugged and he followed her into the hallway.

“Hey, Kevin,” she said, tiltingher head towards the bedroom. “Which bed can Nate use?”

Kevin hurried up from thekitchen table, squirreling a small bottle of something into his pocket. Dangave him a hard look, which he avoided, ducking past them into the bedroom.

It was slightly less gross thanthe bathroom, though there was still a fugue of musty laundry smell over theroom. “Neil’s bed is the loft,” Kevin said, kicking a pair of dirty boxersunder the bed.

“Gross,” Dan said, side-eyeinghim. Kevin at least had the good grace to look a little ashamed of himself.“Which one’s yours?”

Kevin frowned in confusion, butpointed across the room at the single bunk. “Alright,” Dan said, giving him upas a lost cause and leading Neil over to what she presumed was Andrew’s bed,beneath Neil’s. She wasn’t putting a toddler in a loft.

Neil clambered up clumsily,hanging onto Dan with one hand. She let herself be drawn down, ducking her headto sit on the bottom bunk with him. The sheets, at least, were blessedly clean.

Neil burrowed down into theblankets, the tufts of his curls spilling out over the pillow. His eyes blinkedup at her, sleep-heavy but worried.

“Hey, buddy,” she said softly,smoothing his hair with one hand. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Neil mumbled, but shewasn’t fooled. His grip on her fingers hadn’t loosened yet.

“Um,” she said, casting aroundfor inspiration. Kevin stood in the doorway, hugging himself anxiously. “Do youwant me to sing?”

Neil scooted a little closer toher. “Yeah.”

“Okay.” She paused. Singingwasn’t really her thing. “Okay.”

She took a deep breath andstarted to sing, voice low and quiet. Neil scrunched down into the bunk,staring up at her with half-lidded eyes.

Amazing grace

How sweet the sound…

She kept singing even as Neil’seyes slipped closed, his face pushed into the pillow. His grip slowly went laxuntil finally she was able to gently tuck his hand under the blanket and easeup off the mattress.

Kevin still stood in thedoorway, and Dan jerked her head towards the living room. She closed the doorpartway and padded softly into the main room, where Nicky was arguing Andrewinto a pair of footie pyjamas with little cat ears on the hood. Dan droppedonto the couch with a groan, resting her head against Renee’s shoulder. Reneewrapped an arm around her, rubbing her back.

“Couldn’t we just have one quietyear?” Dan asked. “One year where we can just relax and focus on Exy?”

“At least it’s not the mafiathis time,” Allison said. “Just space-time itself fucking with us. You know,normal shit.”

Andrew perked up from across theroom, like he had some kind of weird swear-word radar. “She said a bad word,”he said.

“Stop eavesdropping,” Allisonsaid. “It’s rude.”

Andrew glared back from underhis cat hood. “You said fuck.”

“Ooookay there, Andrew,” Nickysaid, reaching his hands out and redirecting Andrew’s attention. “Don’t listento Allison, she wasn’t raised right. We were getting ready for bed?”

Andrew frowned petulantly.“Shit,” he muttered, kicking the carpet.

Nicky shot Allison a glare. “Youare a terrible influence,” he said.

“I’m not tired,” Andrew said.

“Um,” Nicky said. “Right. So…”

“We can watch TV for a bit,” Dansuggested. That had always put her to sleep as a kid.

“Good idea,” Nicky said. “HeyAndrew, how about you take one of the bean bag chairs? Which one do you want?”

“Red one,” Andrew said, claimingit immediately and curling up like the cat he was dressed as. Nicky disappearedinto the hallway and came back with an orange and white Palmetto Foxes blanket,draping it over Andrew and the bean bag. He scrunched up, pulling the blanketaround him like a protective cocoon.

Despite his insistence that hewasn’t tired, he was out like a light by the time they had even picked achannel. They settled on Discovery, just in case he woke up again.

Nicky watched Andrew snufflesoftly in his sleep, his tiny body rising and falling with his breaths. “Shouldwe move him?” he asked, uncertain.

“He’s probably fine there,” Dansaid. “I think—” She rubbed her eyes, groaning a little with tiredness. “Ugh.We should’ve put them in our room, Kevin’s useless.”

“Hey,” Kevin said, offended.

“When was the last time youvacuumed?” she snapped. “This place is a dump.”

Kevin’s ears went red. “We’rebusy,” he said.

“You’ve got the same schedule aseveryone else, and we don’t live like this,” Dan said. “I would have expectedthis from Neil—he’s basically a wild animal—but I expected better from you.”

Kevin muttered somethingindistinct, though Dan caught the words “cleaning staff” and “night practices.”Somehow, it wasn’t a surprise that the Nest didn’t expect its athletes to cleanup after themselves.

Dan sighed. “I’ll stay on thecouch. If this goes on any longer, we’ll move them over Abby’s house. Everybodymight as well head to bed, we’ve got a game tomorrow—”

A slight creak of a doorinterrupted her. She looked up in time to spot Neil sneak into the hallway, handstwisted into his pyjama shirt.

“Hey, buddy,” Matt said. “Youokay?”

“It’s dark,” Neil mumbled.

“Oh, sorry, Nate,” Dan said,hauling herself off the couch. “Do you want me to turn on the light?”

Neil fidgeted. “Can I stay outhere?”

Dan softened, looking at hiswide, staring eyes as he hovered in the hall. “Of course, sweetie. Andrew’ssleeping out here too.”

Neil’s eyes swept over the groupof adults before he crept out of the hallway and over to Dan, leaning againsther knee. She rubbed a hand over his hair. “That’s okay,” she murmured. “Shh.Shh.”

“The scary noises always comeout when it’s dark,” Neil said, voice muffled against her jeans.

“It’s okay, Nate. You’re safe.Shh.”

Neil reached his arms up and shepicked him up, cradling him against her chest. His arms wrapped around herneck, squeezing. She kept shushing into his hair, bouncing him gently andlowering herself to a seated position next to the other bean bag chair. Neilshifted, pulling out of her arms and lying down right next to Andrew on the redbean bag.

Andrew’s eyes squinted blearily,mumbling some kind of protest. Neil ignored him, squirming under the blanketand cuddling up against Andrew. Andrew made a soft, grumbly noise, beforesettling back down, Neil’s head pillowed on his hand.

“Oh my god,” Nicky whispered.“Can we keep them?”

“Nicky,” Dan said wearily,tugging him away from the sleepy children. The Foxes followed like a hive mind,congregating in the kitchen.  

“What? Everyone’s thinking it,I’m just saying it.”

“They are nicer this way,”Allison remarked. “And there’s some pretty cute kids fashion out there. I couldteach Neil to dress properly from the ground up.”

“Not you too,” Dan grumbled.

“Our season is doomed withoutthem,” Kevin said. “We have to do something—”

“This isn’t about Exy,” Dan said. “This is about gettingour friends back.”

Everyone paused. “Andrew’s notyour friend,” Aaron added helpfully.

“Thank you,” Dan said. “Come on,Matt, back me up.”

“I dunno…”

“Neil’s your best fuckingfriend. Don’t pretend you don’t want him back.”

“He is pretty cute though.” Hewrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on top of herhead. “Face it, we’d make great parents. You’re a natural.”

“Oh god no,” she said. “I am notgoing there with you today.”

“Aw, babe—”

A resounding pop startled her out of Matt’s arms. Hereyes shot over to check if the noise had woken Neil and Andrew.

Neil stared back at her, scarredcheeks sleep-smudged and sharp. The blanket she’d draped over him was tangledaround his legs, and then Andrew’s fist lashed out, catching a glancing blow tohis ribs.

Neil scrambled away, scanningthe room with wary eyes. The dinosaur pyjamas were weirdly warped and stretchedover his adult frame, mottled purple and blue. Andrew kicked the blanket offhis legs, rolling to his feet and glaring bloody murder. It was only slightlymitigated by the fact he was now wearing a giant cat onesie.

Neil looked down at his clothes.He looked across to the pile of Legos. He looked up at the rest of the Foxes,huddled in the kitchen.

“What the fuck?” he demanded.

Matt’s face melted into a grininstantly. “Oh man,” he said, already pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Youare never going to believe this one.”

[pandoramusicbox]

 the shallow sea. a shallow sea region that divides the two halves of GarGoraqi. during high tied the entire region is completely flooded and during the lowest of low tides it is covered in tide-pools and shallow banks.  tides in music box are rather extreme, because even with the planets ridiculous size the four moons the planet has make the tides so large. the biggest moon  is responsible for the most extreme tides, though the other moons all affect them. sometimes the difference between high and low tide can be nearly 75ft (22.8 meters) with there being more extreme types of tides closer to 125 ft (38.1 meters) in tidel diffrence.  during most tides that fall between the two extremes the sea has water but it is on the shallow end, some areas are only covered by a surface layer of water but most of the shallows range from depths of 1ft to 16 ft ( 30.48cm--5m) some of the deeper parts often reach depths of 40ft (12m) though rarely exceeds that depth. the land on either side of the shallow sea often has vegetation. to the north you have a Mediterranean climate with warm wet winters and calm hot dry summers. though with the proximity to the equator it on average a bit muggier. in the south shore of the shallow sea the weather and climate is subtropical, with hot and humid summers, and stormy winters. because of the two shores proximity to each other there tends to be a variety of violent storms, though the south shore of the shallow sea tends to revive the brunt of it. (due to tides and winds)  some species found  in the shallow sea - common animals found in tide pools are found in the region, things such as corals, anemones, sea urchins, sea stars, snails and sea slugs, sea cucumbers, sand charm (we would call them sand dollars), barnicals, chiton, limpets,  clams and oysters,  a variety of minnow like fish, shrimp, crabs, rarely lobsters, horseshoe crabs, and octopi 

- tidepool ammonites- a diverse amount of subspecies of ammonite that have specialized to surviving in tide pools.

- sharks, the three most common kinds of sharks found in the shallow sea are the tiny fisher’s bane sharks, large rose snouted sharks and on the shelf drop of the shallow sea you can find frilled sharks.

- sea dragons, this is a nicknamed for a relative of ocean dwelling monitor lizard. 

- sea turtles, both of the soft shell and hard shell variety,the y come in all shapes and sizes, from the latest dragon turtle reaching lengths of 10-15 ft (3-4.6 meters), leather back 6-10 ft (1.8-3 meters), and alligator snapping turtles who dominate the shallow estuaries at the mouth of where the shallow sea meets the land. to the smallest turtles such as the sand charm turtles 3-5 in (7.6-12.7 cm), rose-bud turtles 1/2-1ft (15.2-30.5 cm).

-neptonians, the Neptonian empire technically claim all of the shallow sea as their territory, but only have a few colonies in the area due to concerns for the fragile ecosystem, the most kind of common Neptonian found in the region are shallow sea sirens, though mermaids and finfolk are also found 

-sea snake gorgans, there's roughly three hives of snake people that live on or near the shallow sea at any given time. the most common adaptation they have is that they have bodies better adapted for swimming such as sea snakes and sea kraits, like true sea snakes they can hold their breath ranging from 30 min to up to 8 hrs. - sea snakes and sea kraits (sea snakes that live part time on land), there's a multitude of species that live all around the shallow sea and even into the iles of heaven, they are reptiles, snakes with a paddle like tail. -seahorse and crustacean demilions, because demilions adapt to where they are going to live, the demilion of the shallow sea have made adaptations to make them more like crabs (insert joke about everything evolving to into crabs) the deeper water ones have more seahores like bodies

-isopods, both giant and small, all live 

-caqsals- cat snails, fisher cats with snail shells. -river rutssets, weasel like creatures that are roughly the size of housecats, they have striped tails and a bark back with a lighter underbelly. these long creatures scurry up and down the trees long river banks, they also hunt among reeds of estuaries. -tretvi, humanoid they are only found in the western parts of the shallow sea on islands close to the island of cirestiv, they are able to induce hallucinations and confusion, may have originally evolved on O’ller and O’sten. they might have been related to the fairy creatures called rabbits. -norings, are prolific, horrific shapeshifters. they are demon kin that much like duelo and animal demons they can found on many most continents though are much rarer on continents without humans, similarly to vampires, reapers and duelo, the highest concentration of norings anywhere is in Gargoraqi. - jeni and dijeni, some live along the coast line but they mostly inhabit the inner regions of Gargoraqi. one is even kin with a range of abilities including elemental control, wish granting and invisibility/illusions, the other ids demon kin with th ability to take on animal shapes and staff through shadows -jouri are small flying creature, they stand around 3ft-4ft (91.44-121.92 cm) tall, they are not able to talk but communicate by chirping. they are only found in Gargoraqi and the surrounding islands. they are sometimes seen nesting on the shores or islands in the shallow sea. -sea gulls, sea trout, and other shore birds, that can and will smith you and then steal your dinner, drawn in by the large amounts of potential prey. -pelicans, freaky birds, there are two species prominent in the region, brown pelicans and the larger silver beaked pelicans  -flamingos, that feast on shrimp and krill, they hav a range from down in ralunjas up to the bobby forest and cape of death in scalipia. they are there along with other wading shore birds, like sand pipers, egrets, ibises, spoon bills and herons. (all photos are stock photos and are used only to help in visualization, if a photo is not a stock photo it was not known to me)

[winejust]

Tidal pools east coast

TIDAL POOLS EAST COAST FREE

If you pry something from its rock, it will die, so only touch or poke gently without moving it. It mostly eats small fish, crabs and mussels. They can be found as far north as Alaska and as far south as Mexico. Step only where there is bare rock or sand to avoid crushing delicate organisms. Fun Facts about the Giant Green Anemone: Its Latin name is Anthopleura xanthogrammica. Rocks and shells may be homes or protection for other living things, attached or hiding underneath. But in the tide pools, this isn't beachcombing so please don't collect what you see - alive or dead! So much life is growing on every surface. Starfish clinging to a rock by David Putzier.īeachcombers can follow the same tidal guidelines. You may also see rockweed, sea lettuce, sea palm, kelp, gulls, oystercatchers, shorebirds and harbor seals. Look for sea anemones, sea squirts, sea stars, urchins, crabs, barnacles, mussels, snails, limpets, chitons, sponges, octopus and fish. Neptune State Scenic Viewpoint offers three easy to access tide pools at Neptune, Strawberry Hill and Bob Creek. Some of the best places to explore tide pools include the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area (Cape Cove Trail, Captain Cook Trail and Restless Water Trail) and Heceta Head Lighthouse Trail #1370. After tidepooling, have them draw what they observed (just like a marine biologist!) and look up the organisms online. Stay with your children and encourage them to be respectful of the fragile marine life. Observe all posted notices and stay back from cliffs and rough shore break. Sneaker waves can come farther up and further in than expected.

TIDAL POOLS EAST COAST FREE

Orange and White Tipped Nudibranch by Lukas Stritzke Ferrenburgįeel free to poke around the water's edge to observe marine life - just be mindful of treading carefully to protect living organisms and be aware of the ocean at all times. After low tide is reached, the water immediately starts its return journey back. To maximize tide pool exploration, reference local tidal charts and start several hours before low tide is at its peak. Indoor Multi-Use Sports Facility Supports Lane County Strategic Prioritiesīeaches in Oregon are publicly owned from the water to sixteen vertical feet above the low tide mark.Employment Services & Business Development.Three Days in the Eugene, Cascades & Coast.Bike Rentals, Bike Shares & Bike Shuttles.

[mg-bsl381]

Holding in her Arms

Sometimes when I look at a picture I see a story behind the image.  This was definitely true of this story and I’m sure had absolutely nothing to do with the time I spent looking at the picture!  

I hope you like it

And here’s the picture as a little reminder...

Holding in her Arms

 Shelagh Turner had held hundreds, possibly even thousands of babies when she was Sister Bernadette.  She had delivered them, weighed them at the clinic and even on occasion tried to coax life into their tiny bodies.  Midwifery was both her career and her vocation.  She had dedicated her life to the babies of Poplar.  

 It was a vague idea when she fell in love with Patrick that she might one day have a child of her own but it was such an abstract thought that she paid it no heed.  It was only when she was recovering from TB in the sanatorium that she dared think of the possibility of motherhood.  It was not babies she dreamt of caring for, it was a ten year old boy with an independence borne of necessity and a thirst for knowledge that she recognised as a parallel to her own childhood self.  She loved Timothy almost as much as she loved his father.

 As she walked down the road lost in the mist, her thoughts kept turning to the future.  Of Patrick, of Timothy, of marriage, motherhood and maybe one day a baby of her own.  Being able to gaze freely into Patrick’s deep brown eyes she felt the stirrings of a longing to hold their baby in her arms.  The longing intensified when she and Patrick cradled Timothy in their arms.  He had just been removed from the iron lung and was still very fragile.  His once strong legs were as floppy and weak as a newborn.  Shelagh wanted to protect Timothy from anything that might happen to him but she knew that she, like Patrick had missed the signs of polio, the disease that came so close to taking him from them.  She knew she couldn’t protect the boy from loss either, just as her father couldn’t protect her.  She’d once told Patrick that children were resilient but she hoped the remainder of Timothy’s childhood there wouldn’t be a need for resilience.

 Holding baby Carole was a glimpse into their future.  Shelagh adored cuddling the newborn and Patrick’s loving looks just added to the feeling of rightness.  Timothy’s acceptance and wish to keep Carole bode well for his acceptance of a sibling. Handing Carole over at the end of her short stay was so painful.  Shelagh felt her as if a piece of her heart was going with Carole and she was never going to be the same again.  However she was still hopeful that she would be pregnant soon.

 The negative pregnancy test and subsequent trip to Harley Street crushed Shelagh’s hopes and she was lost.  She had been so certain of her dream of holding a baby of her own.  How could she have got it so wrong?  The first ray of hope came with a talk about adoption. Shelagh saw an answer and clung to it with the tenacity of a limpet.  She was blind to Patrick’s misgivings and chivvied him in his stalling. All she could see in her mind was the baby she would soon hold in her arms.  She was confident they would be accepted as adoptive parents.

 The adoption interviewed dashed Shelagh’s hopes once again.  She was upset and angry and in that upset and anger she lashed out at Patrick in a way that would be unthinkable to her under any other circumstances.  With hindsight Shelagh was distraught that she had been so cruel to the man she loved. Their time of estrangement was agony for her but its one consolation was the love Timothy showed her.  His love kept her going when Patrick’s silences filled the flat.  

 The letter of acceptance was what Shelagh had been waiting for but it came with the knowledge that her home was a deeply unhappy place.  The reconciliation with Patrick cemented them together stronger than ever before.  Baby Angela was welcomed with joy into a very happy home.  Shelagh would never forget the moment when Patrick placed Angela in her arms.  It was a dream come true and it felt absolutely right to hold a baby in her arms. Unlike with Carole, this time the adoption agency were there for them to sign the paperwork that transformed Baby Jones into Angela Turner.  

 Shelagh felt complete. She had two children, a boy and a girl. She was their mother even though neither had come to her in the traditional way.  As Angela grew and Shelagh returned to nursing she decided that Angela’s baby things could find a new home.  The only thing she kept was a baby’s nightdress.  She had sewn it in the early months of her marriage for the baby that she would never carry.  She had given it away to Sister Julienne but Sister Julienne was a praying woman and in faith she had kept the nightdress.  Angela had worn the nightdress and Shelagh had been grateful for Sister Julienne’s belief that Shelagh would have a child.  Every stitch was sewn with love and hope and having parted with it once, Shelagh could not part with it a second time.  

 Shelagh held many babies as a nurse and a midwife but none were as special as her own children. Timothy was now a teenager with limbs growing at an alarming rate.  Angela was not a baby anymore as she chatted merrily away to herself.  Shelagh was still astounded by her daughter’s fair hair and dark brown eyes, so like both her and Patrick.  A part of her would always long for her own baby but it was an ache and not a constant sense of what might have been.  All in all Shelagh was content.

 The unexpected realisation that she was pregnant was both exciting and confusing to Shelagh. She had long ago accepted her infertility as without it she wouldn’t have her darling Angela.  She was confused as to her feelings both in what she felt and what she perceived she ought to feel.  She was excited as she had dreamt of this moment ever since Patrick placed the wedding ring on her finger.

 Unfortunately her pregnancy was not as easy as she might have hoped.  She had believed that once she conceived her baby would be alright but her scar tissue threatened to take this precious miracle away from her. Bed rest both in hospital away from Patrick and her children was hard for her but being at home unable to do anything was almost worse.  She worked until just before her due date as she hated to be idle and it had become increasingly hard for her to hold other people’s babies when all she wanted to do was hold her own.

 She had her reasons for not wanting Patrick at the birth.  One of the things she loved about him was his dedication as a doctor. However she found it exasperating to be on the receiving end of his medical expertise especially as her pregnancy wore on.  Shelagh began to feel less like Patrick’s wife and more like a live-in specimen for him to examine at will.  She wanted him to be Patrick and not Dr Turner.  

 Shelagh’s labour was long and exhausting.  She had been with so many mothers in labour but time seemed to pass differently when you were monitoring someone else’s contractions.  Sister Julienne was a tower of strength and definitely the right choice of midwife for Shelagh.  The suggestion of singing made Shelagh wish she’d picked a more practical midwife such as Nurse Crane.  The problem was Shelagh didn’t know what song would suit her best.  A song of praise to God was an option but even though her faith was still her faith that didn’t seem like the right thing to sing. Plainsong from her time as Sister Bernadette didn’t feel right either.  Sister Bernadette would definitely not have been in this situation. Falling in love had been enough of a shock let alone doing anything about it.

 Suddenly she realised what she had to sing.  A song to Patrick, her husband.  No other song would do.  She breathed deeply and began to sing.  She finished the line and then heard a voice singing the next line back to her. Shelagh knew in that moment that she wanted and needed Patrick with her when she delivered their baby. Like her, he had witnessed countless births and who was she to deprive him of witnessing the birth of their long-awaited child.

 Teddy’s birth was wonderful and Shelagh knew that this was one baby she wasn’t going to have to give away.  The feeling of holding his newly born life was amazing.  He was warm, slippery and totally hers.  It didn’t matter that he was covered in blood and other bodily fluid, to her he was the most beautiful baby ever born.  Shelagh held her baby in her arms and felt Patrick’s arms cradling them both.

 Later after Shelagh and Teddy had been cleaned up, after Sister Julienne had left to rest and spread the good news of the baby at Nonnatus,  Shelagh and Patrick sat cuddled on the bed holding little Teddy.

  ‘All of them’. Shelagh whispered as she gazed down at her newborn son.

 ‘All of them? What do you mean my love?’  Asked Patrick gently.

 ‘After my operation in Harley Street you told me, so many dreams came true.’

 ‘And you told me, not all of them.  Oh Shelagh, oh my love.’

 Shelagh felt Patrick kiss her forehead and felt his tear fall down her cheek as he rested his head against hers.

 ‘All of them.’ Shelagh repeated as she placed the softest kiss on her baby’s head.  

 Nothing would ever change the way she felt about Timothy or Angela.  She was their mother and she did not doubt it for a moment. However Teddy was different.  She didn’t treat him any differently but he was truly hers.  Hers and Patrick’s.  Holding Teddy was holding her own flesh and blood.  All her hopes and dreams of a family when she married Patrick were now alive in this little bundle of new life.  

[solangeleon]

Tension and Trust

The moon is hugely pregnant out there, radiant, like pregnant women so often are.

So radiant that I can’t sleep. It s not the chaotic state of disarray and trickling feeling of being entirely disempowered, but the moon, which reassuringly returns, lockdown or not, at fault for my persistent insomnia.

Walking up my little hidden woods at the rear of my even more unseen home I though of the rabbit on the moon. He s trapped out there, unlike us, forever.

I felt sorry for him. But then again, may be it is by choice and love of all things moon that he is there, by choice, not trapped, not lonely, he is the moon's baby in the womb and is floating upside down in eternal embryonic waters waiting to be born every night.

My cat is even more sticky and kissy than usual and April is getting a touch too warm for furry feline limpets. He wants to be ON TOP OF ME, be my scarf, adoringly asphyxiating.

While I write this he s giving me reproachful looks as if he knows i m criticizing him in type.

Cats know everything.

Dog face in the other hands seems truly sad over our apparent lack of social bottom smelling escapades. I m trying to engage with him more and give him more treats and tricks but he's bored.

Me? I have two good days, one bad, closely connected to sleep. Meditation, training, eating, baking, mapping the daily slow movement of snails. Did you know snails have between 15 to twenty thousand teeth in their mouths? I didn’t.The sluggish slowness of days. My Ariadne, as I call my course tutor trying to guide us through the marshes of our minds, told me to try to go ‘slow’ after the whole home threatening eviction plus loss of two jobs in one month and panicking pandemic plus actual world pandemic post Barcelona trip happened.

So- snails are slow.

Bach apparently loved them and wrote a fair section of his music based on snails and other garden creatures- he was a loving and enthusiastic gardener, apparently.

The task of finding a tangential on my collective equilibrium project for fair and just futures- in other words, an apprentice to Calder’s aspirational mobile- made me think of the movement of the piece.

Not only how to document the trajectory and motion- long exposure photograph or Muybrige like motion perhaps?

But also, how to annotate it. Like music or dance, all the parts move simultaneously but following different trajectories, fixed in a larger space.

The only specific requirement beside the objective of collaborative balance for my model is:

Space.

A central empty void is needed to hang a mobile. Tall and wide enough for the fragile structure to move, pivot, swivel and balance, fixed yet flexible, suspended.

Space.

The only requirement to survive the Covid 19 outbreak.  

Space.

The new movement we are having to learn is giving way on narrow lanes. Listening and carefully watching, responding and also - trust.

You trust that they will move, they trust that you will, we all move apart.

I thought of fish schools moving away yet keeping the perfect distance and density.

So we dance and move like sardines all packed up, in new ways to ensure survival of the specie and non death.

I started thinking about traditional dance and mimicking the natural world, in direct analogies such as Black swans flying in V formations at perfectly synchronised ballet- Matthew bourne introduces an interesting and radical gender reverse in his production to perfectly stilted ballerinas walking in long stilt like doll legs. In unison.

But ballet is only for the exclusive few, a performance that one observes and experiences vicariously, like theatre often is too, cinema, television.

All these are clearly divided spaces- at least in traditional productions- where the audience is not participatory.

So what was dance and what is dance and what could this new Covid dance be like?

Before I delve into notation and movement language- another turn of the maze and one I came straight to first and I’ m now ignoring- from exponentials and mathematical notations to the figure of eight.

Dance was originally means of expression from when? Tribal dances? They still have a common beat and were performed perhaps in order to communicate with the gods, beating drums and feet and hearts in one song.

Collective rather than individual?

Must research and learn more.

But then, after looking into the figure of eight problem and waltz, and realising the huge amounts of people that used to meet up and dance TOGETHER, like one body- not only in the rich salons of Vienna for the debutantes parties, but in the streets, at parties, asking the belle for a dance- it dawned on me that dance was even at a popular level an activity which connected strangers but that asked them to move TOGETHER. To listen to one another, to lead, to follow, to feel, to trust. But also, to improvise.

And seeing that we don’t know what tomorrow’s world will look like, we should probably get used to improvising.

(Mathew Bourne’s Swan Lake - I confess it did make me cry)

To dance in partnership or in groups you have to know the steps, and trust.

And try not to step on your partners toes, ideally.

Keep your balance. A mutual balance.

Improvisation work in contemporary dance is a good example.

But all ballroom dances require a dialogue of hands legs and hips- especially if you are Latin. Of all these, the hardest I found to learn was tango.

You have to connect and respond to the movements of the leading partner- generally male as tango could be seen as chauvinistic dance in that it is the men that lead.

In the other hand, I was grateful to respond. Women done always have to have the harder job- unless, you are in Brighton and your lesbian married couples are also dancing Tango, learning the lead.

The steps are difficult. Feeling them, responding in perfect timing and elegantly and with the ferociousness required, a true accomplishment of humane coordination of limbs, hearts and brains. Then hope for creativity, later, much later. 

Just thinking about it exhausts me but it was a lot of fun once you could feel and not think and just swirl around a room full of people that never collided or tired.

My tango career fell short due to a my Achilles heel, an injury that has recently interrelated returned. How timely. May be I should not even think ‘dance’. My dancing days are far from over, but are carefully counted courtesy of having been a wild tree climbing horse riding down mountain rolling monkey that has thoroughly trashed one' s body. The only other tribe I know of that hurt themselves to the extent I have, are skateboarders.Now that s another interesting group of folk- skateboarders and the city. Mitha please don’t forget to return my book.

I am loosing my thread. It must be because it is two twenty two in the morning.

Two twenty three.

One two three for five six seven eight.

Sometimes it s one two three four.

In waltz, or a waltz in tango (also a possibility just to add to the complexity of the matter) one two three one two three dresses swiiiishing round and round the room.

The footage of people waltzing in the streets in London for the coronation of the Queen are mind blowing. It s an ocean in movement, hypnotized I watch it over and over again like a child.

When did we stop meeting in the square on Sundays to dance with our neighbours?

(Robert Capa- Women dancing in the streets of Moscow 1947. Sixty percent of men that left to battle didn’t make it back home)

When we go dancing these days- and even at my age I do and won’t miss an opportunity- we go to a club, a sweaty party where we throw ourselves around but dance in our minds and our bodies- mostly, alone. 

With the exception of Latin vibes and then, it changes.

I m then back dancing with my sister- not in my mother's house dancing with my grandmother and all the family too for New Year’s Eve like we used to- but dancing with my blood, like we have since we were small.

I know she ll always catch me and throw me and that I can do the same without having to think. Practiced, life practice. 

Trust of blood- yet when you know the dance and trust, you can dance the dance with anyone.Trust. They will catch you.