#ooc snippet

[altmerhalten-posting]

Out of Context snip of the day

[transvampireboyfriend]

Here's a little snippet from a tattoo shop/bakery au that i got kinda stuck on and i dont know if ill ever finish.

some context: Chrissy and Eddie are best friends that live in different states, Eds is taking two weeks off work for Chris' visit, he won't be at his tattoo shop which means he won't see the cute baker from next door

Chrissy's in the middle of answering and he's stretching his arms above his head when they hear the front door opening and the little bell above it chiming.

Eddie left the sign up front switched to "CLOSED", which can only mean-

"Eds?" Steve calls into the studio

Eddie immediately gets up from his seat and goes to meet him at the lobby, missing Chrissy's surprised look.

"Hiya, Stevie." he greets, bumping his knuckles against the front counter where Steve is standing just to the side of it.

He's secretly been hoping Steve would stop by just so he could see him. Just so he could hear his voice one last time before he has to go on for days without it.

Steve looks good too, in a plain white shirt, his blue apron and the absolute best pair of lightwash jeans in the whole entire world (if you're asking Eddie).

"I thought I saw you come in" Steve says, "You've been here for hours and you didn't come by to get breakfast, so i brought you this" he lifts the tray in his hands.

There's a mug with coffee, several sugar packets and two chocolate croissants.

"Aw, Steve, you didn't have to" Eddie says, genuinely touched. His heart flutters even though this is typical of Steve. He's just the sweetest.

"Oh, stop it," Steve protests, sounding bashful "these are from yesterday, I can't sell them" he says, placing the tray on the counter. A blush colors his cheeks and Eddie smiles, he looks so pretty.

Eddie knows by now how a pastry looks when it's fresh. He can't be fooled anymore.

It's been so long of them doing this dance though, and Eddie knows if he mentions it Steve will just get embarrassed, so he keeps his mouth shut about it.

"Well, they look really good." Eddie says instead "Thank you, sweetheart" he adds softly, his eyes drawn to the pink blooming on Steve's cheeks and focusing on the flour smeared across Steve's nose. He wants to kiss it and get flour all over his lips.

Eddie leans towards the tray and breaks away a piece of croissant, taking a bite.

Yep. Either Steve made these this morning or he's got magic abilities.

" 'M sure gonna miss these" Eddie says around his mouthful, gesturing with the bit of pastry still in his hand.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Steve groans "the shop already feels dull today"

Eddie laughs softly "You flatterer" he accuses

"Just trying to get you to visit" Steve defends, leaning against the counter and into Eddie's personal space to tap the rim of Eddie's reading glasses.

"Like I could stay away from your shop" Eddie says, tries his best not to sound breathless. He thinks he fails, and he must be blushing too, judging by how Steve's eyes are roaming his face.

"Good. Cause we need the business this month" Steve jokes.

That makes Eddie snort and laugh, Steve's shop is filled to the brim with costumers at least twice a day, five days a week.

Steve smiles at him again and then he peers around Eddie.

"Oh, hi!" Steve greets, straightens up and waves a little.

Eddie turns to see Chrissy leaning against the lobby partition, observing with her arms crossed.

Fuck.

"Chriiisssyyyy!" Eddie draws, and she narrows her eyes suspiciously "C'mere!" Eddie soldiers on,

Chrissy eyes him warily but walks to the counter and smiles sweetly at Steve, "Hi!" she greets "I'm Chrissy."

Steve's eyes widen "Of course! Eddie was picking you up today! I'm Steve, it's nice meeting you!"

He's such an angel, Eddie wants to cry.

"Likewise, Steve. I'm so sorry, I don't think Eddie's mentioned you yet" Chris says, but directs it to Eddie, glaring at him.

Eddie's about to answer, offended, but gets stuck on Steve's crestfallen expression for a split second and then Steve beats him to it.

"Oh, it's okay" Steve says, his smile reappearing, "I own the bakery next door" he supplies.

"He brought croissants!" Eddie tries to redirect "The best croissants in the state I'd say" he offers, succeeding in lightening Steve's mood again, judging by the twinkle in his eye.

Satisfied, Eddie asks Chris "D'you want one?"

Chrissy looks at him weird but mutters "sure" and grabs the one still whole.

"Well!" Steve exclaims, softly clapping his hands against his sides,

"I was just dropping these by, I won't take up any more of your time." Steve says "Chrissy it was really nice meeting you, I hope you have a great time in our town."

He turns to Eddie then and reaches out to squeeze his arm "And Eds, I hope you get lots of rest during your break. And visit us." he adds, moving his hand up to softly pull on a stray bit of hair that fell off Eddie's bun "The place won't be the same without you"

Eddie deflects so he doesn't melt under his gaze.

"I'm not dying, Stevie." he says, grabbing him by the shoulders and bodily turning him around as Steve softly laughs.

Judging by how his own cheeks are burning, Eddie's sure that he's the exact shade of a ripe tomato.

"I'll be back before you know it." Eddie adds, and with that, he gets Steve out the door.

Steve turns to say "You better" to Eddie. And once again, he peers around him to wave his fingers at Chrissy "Bye!" he says.

Sweetheart.

Eddie forces himself to not watch him walk the few steps between their shops.

When he turns back to his best friend he's relieved to see she's not glaring at him anymore.

She's got chocolate in the corner of her mouth and she's nodding.

"These are really good" Chrissy says, lulling Eddie into a false sense of safety.

He walks towards her to pick up and continue eating his own croissant, but as soon as he's within reach, Chris smacks the back of her hand against his bicep.

"OW!" Eddie protests, leaning against the counter and rubbing his arm.

She's been an athlete ever since they were in middle school together and she's never pulled her punches with him, it's a big part of why he loves her so much.

"You never told me you had a boyfriend!" she accuses, her mouth still full.

[saintmalosunsets]

I want more information about this scene that may or may not have been partly filmed. Doc Roe with a GUN?! I need to know the context.

[eggyolkguzzler]

May I ask Alex's opinion on Elliott?

I'm super duper curious because it just popped into my head ⊂((・▽・))⊃

He's... Whatever, I guess.

We barely even talk to each other. Why should I care?

...

Ugh. Sorry. That came out wrong. He's fine. He's just-

Nevermind. Forget it. Don't tell him I said anything.

Gripping my desk so hard the wood splinters. Listen. Listen to me. I've put so much thought into the Alex Elliott dynamic. You have no fucking idea.

I think Alex would have very very complicated feelings about Elliott. He sees this beach boy who's dashingly handsome, muscular, AND intelligent? Alex would lose his mind.

In a bad way.

At first it's just petty jealousy. Alex grew up around a lot of very competitive men fighting to be the best, so of course Alex has the most fragile ego known to mankind. He keeps telling himself "At least I'm cooler" or "I have a nicer tan than he does anyways" or "Who even wears trenchcoats?"

All this pent up emotion bubbles into anger. But Alex doesn't want to be a dick. He doesn't want to be a bully. So he does his best to avoid talking to Elliott in general. At festivals, he'll only glance at Elliott to acknowledge he's there. He dreads the thought of saying hello to him.

Elliott, bless him, doesn't realize this young man is riddled with envy just a few feet away.

Eventually, they finally meet for realsies. They talk at length for the first time. Alex feels his stomach churn, because he finally realizes that Elliott is genuinely nice to talk to. He's kind. He's considerate. He's perfect.

He's so, so perfect.

At the end of their conversation, Elliott politely bids Alex farewell. He expresses how nice it is to finally have a pleasant chat with him, as he's been craving one for a while.

This sends Alex into a spiral immediately.

He doesn't even say goodbye. He just goes home.

Alex gets to his room and throws the BIGGEST tantrum.

"How!? How can he be so FUCKING perfect? It's not FAIR. It's not FAIR. He can't be handsome, nice, and SMARTER THAN I AM. HE JUST CAN'T. IT'S NOT FAIR."

After exerting all his energy, and letting all his anger out, Alex crawls into bed and starts to cry. He cries because he's been such an ass for no good reason. He doesn't hate Elliott. He only hates himself. Just for being imperfect.

"Why can't I be like him? What am I missing? What am I doing wrong? What's wrong with me?"

.

.

.

.

.

I do think, with enough patience, Alex and Elliott could be friends. They could hang out at the beach together, and Elliott could get Alex to beta read his books to see how bearable they are for disabled/dyslexic readers. Their friendship could be really sweet and wholesome.

But it would take some time to get there.

I believe it can happen <3

[vertigo-girlie]

//jumping on the train like a filthy casual

//reblog this if you want party girl to stick her nose in your muse's business

//edit 2: I'm turning off reblogs for a bit because I got a lot of reblogs and I can only handle so many people, I'll probably turn them back on once I'm done but that might be a while because I've been exhausted in every way I could be recently and I really really don't want to burn myself out, thank you for all the interaction and I really hope you all enjoy what I come up with even if it takes a while :]

[frank-zhang-praetor]

Valgrace - Behind the Scenes : Part 1

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

[lgckiyong]

⸻ 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 ,

-ˋˏ ★ Say hello to 수기용, born MAR052001, a not so aspiring model who was scouted to the company in JAN2024. He's a fresh face and hasn't yet allowed the reality set in that this might very well be his new one, uncharted land as it is.

profile , aesthetics , full nav

( Press the ♥ and I will wiggle into your DMs or add me on dc @ serachasauce. )

BACKGROUND ,

Soo Kiyong was born March 5th, 2001 and raised in Seogwipo, a city on the island of Jeju, to two loving parents.

While his childhood wasn't super eventful, it should be noted that he was pretty doted on as the youngest of his siblings. ( And yes, he hates doing chores and will whine!! )

He took up an interest in swimming competitively in middle school and continued on throughout high school and even university. He also dabbled in taekwondo and enjoyed playing soccer for fun with friends.

By the time Kiyong was 18, he decided he would apply for a college in Seoul and help his grandparents with their cafe. He only needed to fulfill the promise that he graduate with good grades and pass the entrance exam.

Miraculously, he gets accepted into SNU and decides to major in marine biology and oceanography.

After a couple years attending uni, he decides to get his enlistment out of the way. Unfortunately, he injures his shoulder during training and as a result, his swimming career would have to be shelved.

( Note: during late January 2024, he even ended up having a surgery for the rotator cuff tear he experienced. This has potential for past headcanons! )

When he returns in the summer of 2023, he gets his dream job at an aquarium as an aquarist. But the dream is short-lived. A year later, he is fired after he was discovered to be conspiring with his coworkers to place the beluga whale into a better habitat.

With only his job at his grandparents cafe to sustain him, he's had to resign himself to the fact that maybe he should finally seriously consider this modeling thing. Ever since being scouted on the street earlier this year, he's been apprehensive. Especially knowing that his parents will be ... rather confused by his sudden path change.

PERSONALITY ,

Pisces sun, Gemini moon, Capricorn rising / ENFJ

Very happy-go-lucky! Energetic and silly! Another tall golden retriever boy to add to the pile! Friendly boy swag

Sensitive, but in tune enough with his emotions. He is a little bit of a crier, but he keeps it together well enough.

He's actually quite clumsy and prone to accidentally breaking things… but at least he's innovative trying to fix them with a shoelace and some gum!

This one's for you! (misses shot)

Knows how to sew and thinks crafts are pretty fun.

Actually has quite a good head on his shoulders. He doesn't get angry easily and he is great at mediating and trying to solve problems in a calm way.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that he has an obsession with all things marine life. Especially sharks

Total romantic with so much love to give to everyone who can hold it. He loves those he cares for so much ( maybe too much ).

Friends, family, partners. Everyone!

That being said, he is an affectionate guy. He enjoys giving and receiving hugs. It's how he recharges.

He's working on his Jeju accent but since he's lived there practically his whole life, sometimes he has a hard time.

His grandmother used to be a model for decades when she was young. Basically, the only hope for him that he will make it out of this.

An advocate against the mistreatment of animals, particularly marine life.

PLOT STUFF , I'm open to brainstorming but here's a link to his plot page. I'll list some general stuff I want for him!

customers that frequent his grandparent’s cafe or the lotte mall aquarium before he was fired

anyone who lived in Jeju anywhere from 2001 to 2019

those currently attending SNU from 2020 to current year

friends - he has many of them! even if not close

people with unique interests to drag him around and try new things

any introverts for him to adopt

he’s a great listener and good shoulder to cry on

would highly prefer any plots that we could go pretty deep into, especially with crafting headcanons and other unique interactions in their past.

any senior models or any others who have been in the industry for a while. advice would be much appreciated, as the industry is poised to chew this guy up and spit him out if he’s not careful

negative relationships of any kind are are open too

[mercy-love-joy]

Small Snippet of BAAU mini-fic idea

BAAU belongs to @cuppajj

premise: Frigid Cacao Cookie sees a tiny baby

He stands over the crib, his face shadowed by his lock locks while his hands stay by his side. He dares not move nor touch the crib, even though he has control over his frost powers- he would rather not turn the infant into ice and the boy merely wiggles and flaps his arms at the king. His small chocolate eyes stare at the silent king while small horns poking out from behind his curly whip of chocolate icing. He is almost a picture-perfect image of his father while he holds his mother’s dough. The king blinks slowly, trying to keep himself from falling into a pit of rage or frost that could kill everyone in the room, including the weakened mother. Choco Bow hasn’t moved since she finished feeding the small minotaur. 

Her body was weak from the long hours of labor and even when she was feeding the infant, she was drowsy and nearly falling faint from holding the infant. The king received word from the oozes who peeked into the room to see the advisors and Second Watcher helping the new father adjust his newborn in his arms while also attending to the mother as she finally fell asleep to recover from her motherly duties. 

None of the cookies were expecting to see the king at the door to the mother’s room until the First Watcher opened the door and shouted in surprise. The infant was just placed to sleep, although awoken by the shout, and the cookies quickly bowed or stood off to the side to give the king his space. The quiet king didn’t do much beyond bowing back to his advisors and then moving towards the crib, where Chocolate Yule had to be warned to not approach the king. 

The miniature minotaur snorts a puff of warm breath as he wiggles his arms, reaching for the king who stares so blankly at the boy. It makes the boy whine then start to cry, unhappy about the lack of attention he was receiving from the king. The frozen cookie didn’t react upon the small wail but the mother did. Choco Bow woke from her slumber and turned her head to see the king hovering over her newborn, watching him cry and wiggle for some warmth or love from someone. Choco Bow strung herself up and it caused a few to whisper shouts at her to lay down but even when her beloved stepped forward to grab her, the frost started to crackle along the floor. The king warned the cookies to not come near him. Choco Bow ignored the others and appeared by the king’s side, she scooped up her newborn and tucked him to her chest, her loose clothing on her top becoming undone by the infant’s wiggling but he quickly stopped when he recognized his mother. 

The infant giggled. It was loud and clear, like bells ringing in a courtyard. The king raises his head to the new mother and the baby who snorts and giggles, the room filled with sounds of joy and happiness shining like the sun. Choco Bow bows her head to the king as she looks at her son, who blinks at her with such wide eyes, then her eyes glanced to the king who stared solely on the infant. 

Maybe she was singing a death wish to herself and her child.

Maybe she was delirious from the medicine and the long labor hours. 

Or perhaps she was someone who recognizes a cookie who wants to hold an infant. 

The new mother stepped to the king, her feet touching the ice but it did not swallow her being, she steps closer to the king who adjusts his body to face her, neither speaking as the mother is mere inches of turning to ice or dying by the king’s silence. The mother stands before the king, her arms shakily offering the infant who immediately is fascinated by the king, the cold king doesn’t respond- as he stands there- unmoving. The advisors would have said that Choco Bow was asking for an early grave but yet, they were surprised to find the infant boy being scooped up by the king and held in the perfect position. His part acting perfect to support the baby’s head, he holds him with such ease and it reminds the cookies in the room that the king had to do this once before with the prince. 

Now he does it again with an infant of another cookie. 

The smaller cookie giggles, laughing as they reach up to the king, wishing nothing more than to touch his face. But his Majesty does not allow him to do such, so the baby grabs onto one of the long strands of the king’s hair and he grips it like an iron grip, refusing to let go as he kicks. The king blinks slowly at the boy, watching the life in his eyes gleam like the sun while his face illuminated the room with a tender glow. He pats the baby’s back who squirms at the ticklish delight, and then, the boy is returned to the mother. Choco Bow takes her son and holds him as the baby takes the warmth of his mother to feed. 

The quiet cookie steps back and bows to the mother, silent as he arrived, he leaves. Choco Bow relaxes instantly as her beloved comes to her side and scoops her in a hug. The two look at the feeding infant who nuzzles his face into the warmth of his mother’s dough. Both smiling as they looked at one another, a hope bloomed in their chests as they hoped this newborn will bring light to the darkness within the cold palace. 

…

…

…

Atticus Fruit Cookie paws the ground with his cloven hooves, clutching to his mother as he hesitates to touch the snowy ground. Choco Bow holds her son’s hand while Chocolate Yule stands in the snow, patting it to show that it wasn’t dangerous. Atticus Fruit whines as he looks around the courtyard, unhappy being outside the room of warmth but also curious about his surroundings. The minotaur boy looks at the incense wafts into a gentle smell of lavender and salt, and he sees the trail of ooze on the snow from the licorice oozes that came in early that day. The boy whines as his mother steps into the snow and tugs at him to follow along. The bull cookie whines again but when he looks across the courtyard, he sees a hulking figure in the shadow of the halls. 

Atticus Fruit perks up at the sight of the king and starts to clop to the king, stepping onto the snow which then makes them shout and jump into their mother’s arms in alarm. Choco Bow laughs at the boy’s plight and holds him as he whines about the cold. But he only goes quiet when he sees the hulking figure again, he sees the outline of the crown in the dim light of the wafting incense and he waves, hoping for the king to notice but the king only turns away and disappears to his chambers. But a small smile lingers on the king as he thinks of the boy's little wave.

Atticus Fruit Cookie frowns, wishing the king would play but he quiets himself as his father takes him up and tosses him in the air. The Citadel was filled with childish laughter. 

[mistystarshine]

Have a quick preview of the fic I'm working on! I finished the first chapter in one day and will probably post it tomorrow. Admittedly, the first chapter is short - 2.9k - but the actual beginning of the fic is split between two chapters due to how I'm formatting it. Expect lengths to vary wildly.

I still need to figure out a name for this thing. RIP.

Edit: It exists now

“Adam,” Charlie tries again. When she does not get an immediate response, she snaps her fingers a few times. Finally, finally, his attention shifts back to her, and she can get a move on. “Do you want to redeem yourself?” Adam’s ears twitch. He glances at Alastor. Alastor smiles down at him, and he looks back down at the floor. “…Sure,” he grits out. “Sure?” Alastor sighs heavily. “After all you did to hurt my friends, I expected far better than sure, Adam.” He looks like he’s trying to hide it, but Charlie catches the shudder that runs through Adam’s body before he looks up and, through fanged, gritted teeth, says, “I want to be redeemed. Let me into your hotel.” Alastor hums. “Let me into your hotel…?” Adam takes in a painful-sounding breath and closes his eyes. “Please,” he whispers, so soft that Charlie can barely believe it. So impossible that it takes her a moment to realize that she did hear it. Charlie looks between Adam and Alastor with eyes wide with disbelief, or maybe something else entirely. “What did you do?” she asks. “I figured you could use a helping hand, so I got a misguided soul onto the path of redemption,” Alastor cheerfully says. “He’s already made an incredible amount of progress, wouldn’t you say?” “Fuck,” Vaggie whispers. Charlie swallows. “Thank you, Alastor,” she says, because Adam has made progress. He certainly never would have spoken to her politely before, let alone say please, and what is that if not progress? Alastor is helping her, helping the hotel, and Charlie should be grateful for that. She feels like she’s going to vomit.

[wikiangela]

tease tidbit tuesday

tagged by @diazsdimples @tizniz @daffi-990 💖

I wish I could post more of the new secret relationship wip I posted on sunday bc y'all hyped me up to continue with it lol, but I wrote too little for it so far (still can't focus on one thing at a time smh, how do i quiet my brain😅) but I got randomly inspired for the cheating fic so here's a lil snippet of drunk buck and drunk eddie talking

prev snippet

___

"(...), and you can’t tell me this one was a mistake, too.” he says with a bit of pleading in his voice, as if wanting Buck to admit he wanted this, that it’s not just the alcohol this time.

“It was.” Buck says stubbornly, but it sounds weak, like an attempt to convince himself and Eddie, and maybe even the universe. He’s such a shit person right now, and he’s had bad luck when he was his best self, so he’s kind of scared of what karma will bring him now. “This is wrong, we’re just- we’re ruining our friendship, and it’s not worth it.”

“Hm. Okay.” Eddie nods slowly, in thought. “So you think this is bad for us, too? That you don’t enjoy this? Don’t want more of this?” he gets closer, their bodies just inches away. Buck’s body longs for Eddie’s touch, all of his cells on fire just from the proximity. “Because I thought I was pretty clear about how I feel. But you…” Eddie huffs, his breath, smelling like alcohol, hits Buck in the face. “You keep sending me mixed signals, and I don’t know what to think, Buck.”

“I- I don’t- I’m sorry.” Buck stammers, not sure what else to say. Eddie makes it hard to think. It’s hard to think about anything but dropping back to his knees and going for round two. Buck always did better at sex than talking, anyway. 

“I’m not the one you should be saying sorry to.” Eddie shakes his head, then his eyes scan Buck’s face, lingering on his eyes and lips. “I wish I could stop myself from- fuck.” he shakes his head again, takes a step back.

___

no pressure tags: @elvensorceress @gaydiaz @thebravebitch @silentxxsoul @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @arthursdent @911onabc @housewifebuck @watchyourbuck @underwater-ninja-13 @eowon @loserdiaz @evanbegins @ladydorian05 @wildlife4life @diazpatcher @lover-of-mine @monsterrae1 @thewolvesof1998 @puppyboybuckley @weewootruck @buckaroosheart @spagheddiediaz @rainbow-nerdss @sunshinediaz @giddyupbuck @jeeyuns @epicbuddieficrecs @pirrusstuff @spotsandsocks @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @hoodie-buck @nmcggg @jesuisici33 @exhuastedpigeon @rogerzsteven @hippolotamus @disasterbuckdiaz @honestlydarkprincess @theotherbuckley @steadfastsaturnsrings @fortheloveofbuddie @911-on-abc

[sneezingfetishftw-fics]

Insufferable (1/7)

My sick!Vox fic is finally up, or at least part 1 is! Decided to break into what I think will be 2 chapters. Featuring an insufferable bastard, plus caretaking from the Vees.

Next chapters: 2 3 4 5 6 7

Wavs: 1 3

———————————

“Why are the lights so fucking bright in here? Are you trying to give me a headache?” Vox was often a bit of an insufferable prick, but today he was far worse than usual. His interview for Voxtech Angelic Security was just an hour away and he’d already managed to insult pretty much everyone in the room. The lights dimmed, he returned to a previous complaint. “And why haven’t you turned the AC colder already? It’s like a sauna in here!”

“The AC is already as cold as it goes, sir.”

“Then fix it! God, what am I even paying you for?” He paused, then pulled out his cell phone. “Hey Val, are you free right now? I got an employee I’d like you to knock some sense into—or rip the limbs off of, whichever you prefer. I could do it myself, but I know how much you enjoy that thing.”The employee shuddered. “Great, thanks! See you soon.”

Vox looked around. “Where is my water bottle? There should be one on the interviewing desk. Is anyone around here doing their goddamn job?” Another employee rushed over with a water bottle. “Finally.” He took a sip and immediately grimaced. “Where did you get this? Normal water doesn’t scrape my throat like that! Disgusting.” He threw the water bottle aside, pausing only to make sure the lid was on first.

He took a deep breath, which immediately triggered a coughing fit, his voice crackling like a broken speaker. His screen went grey and fuzzy, static flaring with each cough. “Who did the last maintenance on the filtration system?” A sheepish woman stepped forward. “Fix it! Actually, no. Get out. You’re fired. The air is so thick in here I can hardly breathe.” She hung her head and wandered off. It wasn’t like she was the first to be fired on a whim, and at least Vox didn’t literally tear people apart. “I’ll take a look at it along with the AC, then, sir,” the employee from earlier offered.

“You’d better. But don’t think that’s enough to save you,” Vox said, standing so close the employee could hardly hear anything over the fan. “Val’s still on his way.” The employee gulped.

Valentino began shivering the moment he stepped in the door, but he ignored that and made a beeline for Vox. “Where’s the victim?” he asked with a grin.

Vox pointed to the man cowering in the corner. “He won’t fix the AC.” Val nodded, still shivering. “He says it’s already as cold as it can go, but I’m boiling here!” Val raised an eyebrow at that. A loud whirring started as Vox’s fans kicked in.

Val put a hand on Vox’s forehead, and jerked it away almost immediately. “Amorcito, you’re incredibly hot!”

“Save it for later, Val,” Vox chuckled.

“No, I mean it’s hard to believe how much you’re overheating. And in a freezing room, no less. I thought my hand was going to burn!” Vox crossed his arms and shook his head. “I mean it, Vox, you’re obviously running a fever!”

“Shut up. I’m fi… hi…” his screen flickered with each hitch. “Hi’tzzzcht! Fine.”

“Sir?” The employee raised a finger tentatively, regaining some boldness now that neither of them was ripping him apart. “One of the lights just broke.”

“Why the fuck are you telling me? Just fix it! Ugh, it’s a wonder anything gets done around here.” He gave a long sniff, trying to stave off the buzzing tickle. “And send a cleaning crew in. It’s way too du… huh… huh… hut’TZZZZSHT! Dusty in here.”

“We just cleaned yesterday…” the employee said weakly, trying not to look at the speaker that had just popped.

“I didn’t ask you when the last cleaning was, I asked you to clean the damn studio! Now get on with it before I change my mind and let Val rip your arms off.”

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.” The employee practically ran off to begin his tasks as Val gave a toothy grin, looking menacing despite the intense shivering.

“There you go. I’ll be back here for the sound check. And this place better be fucking spotless.”

Vox and Val walked out the door. “I’ll catch you at the penthouse,” Vox said, activating his teleportation powers. He only made it a few feet. “Hhh’dzzzzcht!” The hallway lights flickered.

“How about we walk together?” Val offered, wrapping his arm around Vox. Vox sighed, but it wasn’t like he had a choice. Repeatedly teleporting a few feet at a time sounded even more annoying than walking. While they walked, Val pulled out his phone with his free hand to text Velvette. “Meet at the penthouse ASAP.”

Velvette almost dropped her phone when she saw the pair of them walk through the door. “Walk” was actually a bit of an overstatement. Vox was practically staggering, leaning heavily on Val for support. His screen was dimmed, except for a bright spot in the center where his nose would be, if he had one. His fans were still whirring loudly. His normally immaculate suit was wrinkled, as if he’d crumpled in on himself repeatedly. The man was, quite obviously, a mess.

Velvette stared in silence for a moment. “Wow. He really does look awful, doesn’t he?”

Vox glared. “I’m fine. I’m just taking a quick break before the studio’s ready for my interview. Those morons still have a lot to set up.” The pair stared at him.

“Um, Vox? You sure now is the best time for an interview?” Velvette asked.

“I’m fine,” he insisted, his hypnotic eye swirling so slowly it might as well be a broken Ferris wheel.

“Right,” Velvette said, rolling her eyes as Vox’s screen flickered again. “Totally fine, and definitely not about to sneeze.”

“I’m not going to… hih’tzzzzch!” He opened his mouth to protest more, but no sound came out. Damn it, were his audio drivers glitching too? Or was it just his vocal cords? He smacked the side of his head with a grimace. “The interview has to be today. If I delay it, it’ll look like we’re hiding something.” Thank god that worked. Vox without his voice was… well, he really didn’t want to think about that.

Velvette raised an eyebrow. “You literally just smacked yourself in the head cause you couldn’t talk. You really think you’re in a good state to be giving an interview?”

Vox’s screen brightened for a moment. “I’m fine! It’s fixed now.” His screen dimmed again, then started flickering. “I’m perfectly heal… heh… hhh… healthy! Just let me go to the godda… ehh… ahh… hah’TZZZZSHT! The goddamn interview.” Valentino’s phone instantly shut off. Velvette, seeing this, clutched her phone tightly to her chest.

Val tried turning his phone back on, but it was unresponsive. “You broke my phone, Vox. You broke my fucking phone! What else are you gonna break if you go back in there?”

Vox frowned. Loath as he was to admit illness, it really was in his best interest to minimize property damage. Especially with a live audience.

“I’ll do the interview,” Velvette offered.

Vox gave a laugh that quickly turned into a coughing fit, his screen a sputtering mess of static again. “No offense, Velvette, but I’m pretty sure you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of the system.”

“And I’m pretty sure you’re not recognizing you don’t have a lot of options. Would you rather send Valentino?”

The other two recoiled at the suggestion. “God, no!” Vox replied. “Ugh, I guess if you really want to, go knock yourself out. My notes are on that tah… hhh… ahh… hah… hah’TDZZZCHT! Tablet.” Said tablet was now stuck in bluescreen. “Shit.” He rubbed his aching head, trying to think.

“Are the notes backed up like the rest of your files?” Vox nodded, not even trying to speak this time. “I can pull it up on my phone, then. I’ve got this. Backbone of the Vees, remember? You just stay here and get some rest,” she said, blowing a kiss as she left.

Velvette strutted out the door, taking with her the responsibility that had been keeping Vox together, and it was like a switch had been flipped. Vox immediately plopped himself down on the couch, limbs dangling limply. “Everything huuuurts, Val.”

“I know, Amorcito, that’s why I’m here.” He gently stroked Vox’s arm. “Now, is it really everything? Or can you be a bit more specific so I can actually help you?”

Vox’s mouth moved, but no words. A frown. A throat clearing sound. More mouth movement, still no words. A deeper frown. A self-inflicted smack on the side of the head. Still no words. The fans kicked into high gear as Vox was about to spit steam out of his head.

“Shh, gentle, Voxy. Let’s try not to blow out the power grid again, hm?” Val patted Vox’s screen. “I’ll get you something for your throat.” He searched through the fridge for some Gatorade. Electrolytes had to do something for an electric being, right? In the absence of any speech from Vox, the fans were even more noticeable. Better grab a cold compress from the freezer too, then. He placed the cold pack on Vox’s screen and handed him the bottle. Vox took a sip and shook his head. His voice still failing him, Vox made images appear on the screen. Val blinked, trying to figure out what he was looking at.

“Something wrong with the drink?” A nod. “Tastes bad?” Head shake. Val tried to think what could possibly be wrong with a drink. “Too liquidy?” Vox rolled his eyes. “Wrong color?” A facepalm. “Uh… too cold?” Vigorous nodding, and then a wince and a dizzy expression. “I got it. Just rest here, Vox. I’ll find you something.”

Val returned a few minutes later with a steaming mug of tea. Vox’s screen was dim and pale, the colors washed out. His weak fingers could barely grasp the handle of the mug. “Oh, Voxy, you poor thing,” Val said, his wings wrapping around Vox for support. The steam from the drink got into Vox’s vents and his screen started flickering. Val noticed immediately and set the mug on a nearby table, holding Vox through the buildup.

“Hhh… hhhh… hhh… hhht’dzchhht! Hhhh’zzzzch! Hhh’ZZZZZSHT! Htchh’RRRRGZZZZZZT! Ugh.” The demon clawed at his throat, then paused in realization. “Fucking hell that hurt!” He winced. “Talking hurts.” Still, better to have a functioning voice, he supposed. He gestured to the mug, and Valentino handed it to him. He took a sip, grimaced, and then finished the rest of the mug in one gulp. Val surveyed the room and realized that a few of the TV screens were out. “Let’s get you into bed, hm?” Vox raised an eyebrow. “Not like that! Unless you want to, of course…” he added, licking his lips. Vox shook his head, exhausted. Val led Vox to the bedroom, the TV clinging hard to the moth as he took a few shaky steps. Val paused, then nodded to himself. He hoisted Vox over his shoulder, ignoring the spluttering protests. “Amorcito, you can barely walk. Let me carry you for a bit.”

Vox huffed, and Val felt the static shock. “You could at least have the decency to carry me like your partner instead of, I don’t know, a corpse?”

Val chuckled. “Have you seen yourself, darling? You practically are a corpse at this point.” Still, he switched to bridal carry.

After what felt like an eternity, dragged out by Vox’s complaining that he was on death’s door, they finally reached the bed. Val laid Vox down and sat next to him. “Now then, does everything still hurt? What can I get you?”Vox’s lips moved silently, then rapidly into what Val assumed to be a string of curse words. Hard to tell without audio. Val sighed. “You really are feeling awful, aren’t you?” Vox nodded. Val stared at Vox for a while until the moth’s singular brain cell finally came up with an idea. He blew a puff of smoke in Vox’s face. Vox flinched, and his screen flickered rapidly. “Hhh… hih… hhhh’dzzzzzzcht! Hih’tzzzzsh! Hah’TZZZZZCHT! TZZZSH! Tzzzsch’TZZZZZST’dzTZZZZZSSHHT! What the fuck, Val?” He rubbed his throat. “Oh. Uh… thanks, I guess? I don’t know. That fucking sucked.”

“If you’d rather not repeat that, then I suggest you get your words out now before you lose your voice again.”

Vox scowled, but he knew it was a valid point. “I just… I’m sore all over. It’s not fair! What did I do to deserve this?” Val raised a finger. “Besides everything that got me into hell.” Val shrugged. “Ugh… my throat hurts, my head hurts, all my muscles ache, there’s this constant buzzing in the back of my head that won’t go away, everythig is blisterigly warmb whatever I try… oh for fugck’s sake, I get congestiod dnow too? Ughhhh…” He groaned and rolled over, faceplanting into the bed.

Val tutted sympathetically. “You never do anything half-assed, do you?” Vox nodded, dragging his screen across the blanket. “Vox, if you’re feeling so warm, why are you still wearing all those clothes?” A pause. Vox wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “There’s no image you need to keep up right now, Vox. Let’s get you comfortable.” Vox sat up and let Val get to work. The crumpled suit was set on a nearby chair. The sweater and shirt were pulled off and tossed to the same chair, Vox dropping his arms instantly the moment he no longer needed to put in the energy to keep them up. The shoes were removed and the pants taken off and folded up with care. As soon as it was done, Vox collapsed face down into the bed again, breathing heavily from the effort.

“You said you’re sore all over, would you like a massage, Amorcito?” A thumbs up. Val got up to find the massage bar. They’d found that using a more solid form helped avoid any accidents… they did NOT need a repeat of the time poor Vox got massage oil stuck in his vents. Val began massaging Vox’s arms, but paused when he felt Vox’s shoulders shudder.

“Hhhh’dzzzzzzchmp!” The sound was muffled into the bed. Vox slowly dragged himself up until he was facing Val. “Hit’chZZZZZZZCHT!” Sparks flew from Vox’s screen and landed on Val’s arm.

“Keep your sparks to yourself, Vox!” he said, wincing at the static shock. “Hmm… that might explain the electronics failures…”

“Sorry, Val.” He said, rubbing his screen. “Wasd’t expectig it to comb that fast.” He gave a long sniff. “Hhhhh’dZZZZZZT!” He pointed at the massage bar. “Can you put that away? I think the scent is too strong right now, my sensors must be acting up.”

Val switched to an unscented massage bar and resumed the massage. A few soft moans from Vox let Val know that his attempts were effective. Eventually the sound dropped off entirely, except for the occasional sneeze, which Val assumed meant the video demon’s voice had given out again. After a while, there was no sound at all except for congested breathing. Val gently turned Vox on his back, revealing closed eyes. Val breathed a sigh of relief. The man was much less exhausting when he was unconscious. Maybe now both of them could get some rest.

[risetherivermoon]

lark oak my beloved...they could never make me hate you

anyway...sneak peak of smth!!

[minophus]

LOVE how this faggot looks

[gravesung]

in case yall want a little peek into how my brain works, this is my “everything” note

[tymptir]

so I just . . . saw a video of that crackhead chihuahua they're trying to sell as a warg in rings of power and . . . I know that HBO is really trying to mess with a great fantasy writer's world atm too, but they at least haven't reached THAT level of entirely fucked three ways to sunday yet and I think we should be grateful for that.

[pupyr0arz]

eidolon deserves a time travel fixit.

—

Manton stumbles, eyes widening at the sight of him before he tumbles through the bleeding gash Eidolon tore into reality. The Siberian drops all pretense of attacking him, kicking off the wall and sailing through the hole, arms outstretched in an attempt to save it’s master. He shuts the hole with a wave of his arm, seam melding together tightly with little more than a mental note of what Earth to feel for when he isn’t so tempted to just tear off Manton’s head and be done with it.

Eidolon feels the urge to kill him in his bones, the alarms blaring in his head that he shouldn’t allow such an obvious threat to continue breathing just for a hypothetical. He clamps down on the danger sense and discards it, taking a breath. A stronger version than the one he found himself using, more specific and informative, but the emotional bleed through seemed a higher price than a thinker headache.

Teleportation, flight, transport, offerings are laid down and he pauses, dropping the powers he has at hand to appreciate the spread. It’s been a long time since he’s had movement so free, he cycles through what feels like a hundred types of flight. Eidolon had almost forgotten his capacity, and this still wasn’t at his absolute peak.

He wrenches his attention away, grasping at a teleportation power. Now of all times is not the time to get caught up with his abilities. There are more important problems at hand.

—

He takes two steps, then three, then his arms are around Hero, around Clark and how many years has it been since that name has been attached to the right face? He squeezes him tightly, checking twice, thrice, four times with the extended awareness a thinker powers give him that his heartbeat is in a normal range—that it exists at all— and that none of his slots have a brute power. The idea of accidentally crushing Clark’s spine after so long makes him laugh involuntarily, a breathless sound.

“Hey, big guy?” Clark asks, hands coming up and patting Eidolon’s back awkwardly. He feels hysterical. “What’s the occasion?”

“What the hell was all of that?” Alexandria demands brusquely, Legend standing besides her with a concerned and confused expression on his face. He feels nothing but fondness, back when Alexandria would drop most pretenses around them and sparked with temper.

He lets go of Clark, the contact leaving a tingling feeling. Anxiety still pumps in his veins, he’s had this dream too many times to believe it wholesale. Clark adjusts his visor and pats his arm and Eidolon doesn’t look over at Legend or Alexandria, cycling his powers as he asks what comes next. How does he die today?

—

“Beyond your abilities.” Eidolon says, gesturing to Contessa. She doesn’t respond, doesn’t purse a lip or even wrinkle a brow. Suddenly he misses her older self with a sharp pang of pain. The vulnerabilities she allowed him to see, had built a human there that hadn’t existed prior, even fourteen years into working together.

Not that he could really call what they were doing working together—these years had, with the wisdom of his hindsight, felt aimless. Unaware of Cauldron’s true cause, scrabbling around in the world building fairy tales and reputation to be put to no ends of worth. He had been an idiot.

The Doctor’s hand clenched around her pen. “Do you suppose he has any blind spots?” She asks probingly.

“Not myself.” He says. “Perhaps the Endbringers, but I hold my doubts. He was capable of their destruction either way.”

“You report he was defeated. How?” It feels more like an interview than one of their talks, her on the back step. Eidolon swallows and let’s himself mull on his memories a moment longer, like he could make more sense of them if he were only pressed harder.

“I’m not sure.” He admits, nails biting into his palms. “I…”

“How are you not sure?” The Doctor asks sharply, eyes darting upwards as the neutral facade fades away. “Were you not present?”

“I was under a master effect.” It’s not a total lie. He can’t fully trust her, Eidolon knows this, the consequences of associating himself with this organization. But he has other concerns and he doesn’t need or want to have to police an overzealous Cauldron and the Triumvirate. And Clark. Eidolon lifts his head, schooling his expression as the Doctor considers a master who would control him. He’ll have to take the reins in this relationship, even if he doesn’t want to.

“It altered my perception. My memory of the fight from that point onwards was hazy, but there was a definite end and my controller was still alive.”

—

“Eidolon, we’ve been looking for you. Why’d you just run off?” Legend asks, settling down next to him. Eidolon doesn’t turn from the dummy, keeping his gaze on the steel walls of the training room. He feels bile rise in his throat at the sight of Legend, unmarred, unsoiled by his future sins. Five minutes ago, Eidolon had been advocating for horrors none of them would’ve considered, and now he stands here, supposed to be their fresh faced equal.

Legend looks concerned in his reflection played over the metal walls. It’s different, purer than any way Legend looked at him after he and Alexandria had been outed. There’s no distrust, or even resentment. Just Legend, a comrade and trusted ally of his.

“I discovered the identity of the villain,” Eidolon lies smoothly. “I had promised to report on it immediately to the Doctor.”

Legend frowns, squinting. It’s a trait he cut back on once the Protectorate proper had truly hit its stride, citing it being an unattractive quirk. Eidolon turns his head to face him. “Who was it?”

“Doctor Manton.” Eidolon says shortly. “It seems our Doctor has had some hiring issues.”

“Manton? As in, Doctor Manton? Our Doc—“

“Yes,” Eidolon says, harsher than he should. He doesn’t want to think about Manton while he worked with them, as the kinder and personable scientists who took readings and asked to be brought up on flights to see the horizon line. It’s not a Manton Eidolon has deigned to acknowledge existed for years now, the name dominated by the bloody streak he cut through his life and through the country. “He stole from the Doctor and attempted to kill us. That’s the entire situation.”