#prompt: explode

[ihni]

Fist-fights and kisses

For @harringrovemicrofic, the February prompt: "Explode" (772 words) (Also side note, but do you realize how difficult it is to write a RHYME that ends up in an exact amount of words???)

Anyway.

~~~

Press down on the pedal; go harder, go faster Away from a slip-up, towards a disaster So what if he ends up all wrapped ‘round a tree? And dies in this shit-hole, so far from the sea?

He flies down the dark road, he’s rocketing, soaring He speeds up until the car’s engine is roaring He takes a turn sharply, he’s almost off-road He grits his teeth harshly; about to explode

Drive on in the darkness, don’t stop and don’t linger Ain’t no one got Billy wrapped tight ‘round their finger He cannot be tied-down, he cannot be tamed (A lie, he admits; he is leashed and ashamed)

He cannot show weakness – he’s always the strongest (At least he’s pretended to be, for the longest) He’s wild (he’s controlled) and he’s fearless (he’s scared) He’s charming and smiling (a mask with teeth bared)

This town is a prison, the move retribution Billy’s the problem to Hawkins’ solution His dad brought him here so he would be set straight So far it’s not working; he’ll die at this rate

If Billy dares speak up, Neil calls him a faggot And tells him he’s useless; worth less than a maggot If late, he gets punished; gets bruises and welts If loud, he gets beaten; with fists and with belts

His father once burned him with a lit cigarette And that wasn’t nearly the worst he would get If Neil finds out what his own son did tonight? It’s over for Billy; goodbye and goodnight

~~~

Steve is confused and his bruised cheek is stinging His eyes; wide and staring, his ears; red and ringing Yet all of that now takes a backseat to this: The memory of Billy’s lips against his

A kiss, Steve is certain, which does not make sense Perhaps it was just some bizarre self-defense? They had been fighting and Steve was not losing (Which was, on its own, a little confusing)

They fought and they pushed and they punched and they battled Both of them eager but none of them rattled Just two boys fighting; a scuffle, a brawl Which ended when Billy was thrown to the wall

It wasn’t the usual way their fights ended And probably not what Steve’s rival intended; His back to the wall, with Steve’s arm against his throat Steve opened his mouth – to taunt, perhaps to gloat?

And that was when Billy reversed their positions He re-wrote the rules and he changed the conditions He held on and grimaced and then, with a hiss He leaned in and Steve’s lips met his in a kiss

Steve froze where he stood, ‘cause he did not expect it There wasn’t a reason for him to suspect it Why was he– What was he trying to prove? Steve did not kiss back, he was too shocked to move

He felt as if he was the cure to starvation As Billy kept kissing with raw desperation Steve let out the first sound since all this began And Billy? He drew back, eyes wide – and then ran

~~~

His life here is over, a moment of weakness Was all that it took, now the future is bleakness He shouldn’t have done it, he was such a fool Come Monday, oh Steve will have told the whole school

They will all believe him, ‘cause no one likes Billy He’s popular, sure, but he’s got no friends really A day, at the most, and then Neil will find out The subsequent ‘talk’ will be painful, no doubt

If Billy survives it, he’s grounded forever He won’t have a life after this whatsoever Bullied and carless and locked in his room Hurting and aching, it’s safe to presume

If Neil does not kill him, the people in town might They hate his kind here, it will be a town highlight He’s all out of options, he’s on his last leg He will have to go back to Steve’s house and beg

Forgiveness and mercy, he hopes he can get it That impulse to lean in – oh how he’ll regret it If he could have just tampered down on his need If he could have not given in to his greed

He drives back to Steve’s place, his heart beating madly No crash on the way there, he makes it safe (sadly) He swallows and walks up to Harrington’s door Prepared to kneel right there on Harrington’s floor

The red door swings open before he can knock He starts to say “Sorry–“, then shuts up in shock Because that’s Steve’s hand on the back of his head And this time it’s Steve kissing Billy instead

~~~

(On AO3)

[emacrow]

Um.. Superman.. what that thing stuck on your cape?

Clark's brain short circuit for a moment as he just got back of flying at great speed in the middle of deep space to thrown one of Lex's giants bombs destroy the city and come back in record time.

He turn a bit to look at his cape to see a tiny humanoid starlight dust covered child with white hair, glowing full green that look like white specks stars were implanted themselves into his big ol eyes, nawing on a handful of stardust with inhumanly sharp itsy bitsy fangs.

A small yet floating crown that look similar to one of Nasa pictures of far out space.

Did he just accidentally abducted an royal alien child/teen?

[feketeribizli]

me and the bad bitch i pulled by being um. ummm. erm. uh oh

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

Hey writer friends! There's a fun, all-fandom, writing/art event taking place for fall. Cozytober! This is their second year and since they don't have a tumblr page, I thought I'd share the prompts!

For anyone participating in any of the other big fall events (@sicktember @whumptober @flufftober ) these prompts actually meld really well with those.

For more information about Cozytober rules, as well as a text version of the prompts, check out their AO3 Collection page [Here]

Happy writing!!

[benevolenterrancy]

(Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett) I think Shang Qinghua and Ponder Stibbons should have tea and compare notes about somehow accumulating so much behind-the-scenes power by doing menial jobs no one else wants that they could basically run the show if they wanted...

meanwhile we have Shen "meh good enough" Qingqiu

[vwoop-prince]

YJ S3 Dick, still in the midst of his fever dream, hides underneath the 'souvenir' instead of behind some boxes, and accidentally opens the airlock trying to take care of the Parademons. The others get it to close... but not before Nightwing is thrown into space.

There, he stares at the ship holding his friends and mentors. There, he wishes more than anything that he can, somehow, survive. There, he tries to live, if only so his family don't have to bury him like Jason.

There, Nightwing dies, wanting to save everyone, even with the cold seeping into his bones far too quickly for a regular section of space.

Then, Dick opens his eyes to... Earth? There's a little house, and grass, and trees, but there's a bubble of green over it all. Outside of that green was an entire castle, one that looked like it should have far more support beams than it does for even a hope that it stays standing.

And the sky was swirling shades of that same green. It makes him think of Lazarus.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day." He whips his head behind him, a bit too fast for Earth's atmosphere, but it doesn't hurt him. Past the bubble of green was a blue-skinned adult in purple robes, the insides of a grandfather-clock fitted inside their torso, and a black staff with a stopwatch on its top. Beside them was a man with snow white hair, glowing green eyes, a crown of frozen fire dancing above his head, and the most galaxy-like cloak Dick's ever seen clasped to his shoulders. He's wearing... a hazmat suit? Maybe? The twinkling stars and odd lighting of wherever he is were giving him a bit of a headache.

But in front of those two, within this bubble, was...

"DICK!" Wally shouted with unrestrained glee, a blur overtaking his spot for barely a heartbeat before Dick's stuck in a crushing hug that he reciprocates once his brain stops feeling like its melting.

He doesn't know how long it took for them to calm down, but the man with the crown spoke up after a time, as Wally was still wiping their faces free of tears. "Welcome to the Infinite Realms, Nightwing." Dick barely even registered that he was still wearing his suit, but now it felt suffocating. "I suppose you're the one Clockwork was holding out for; There shouldn't've been enough Ectoplasm around you to form a Ghost, and your physical body's still in space. I can see why you like this one, though, Clockie," he states flippantly, turning to his companion. Almost like he didn't expect Dick to pay too close attention to what he was saying.

"Either way, there's two options for you." The man didn't let Dick swallow his tears and question anything. Dick's not sure if he's grateful or not. "First: Stay in the Realms permanently. You'll see Kid Flash whenever you want and learn to be a Ghost with the denizens of the Realms. Maybe find your parents."

"But..." Dick pulls away from Wally, keeping him at arms length, eyes flitting between them. The two outside the bubble were distinctly... ghost-like, so the mentions of 'Ghosts' make sense. But Wally looked... alive. A bit pale, a bit thin... but alive. Dick can't see any of his own skin to see if it was blue or tinted that way, but the Nightwing symbol on his chest kept flickering between its own blue and this 'Realms' green. "But--What about the others? What about you? Why can't you come home?" The last two, he focuses on Wally, because now he can feel a heartbeat beneath his gloves. Wally's alive. He's alive.

His friend just shrugs. "Something about their portals not fit for the living? I'm meant to wait for someone to figure out a permanent portal, but they won't tell me how long that'll take." Wally glares at the... 'Ghosts'? There was a heat to it, but it also seemed like this was a well-worn argument.

"The permanent portal was always an 'if', Wallace West. And that is entirely dependent on if Richard Grayson takes the second option," the clock Ghost--Clockwork?--speaks up. But instead of the adult Dick was expecting, there was an elderly Ghost in their place. Still with the time motif. Was that... more literal than Dick took it?

"Yes, the second option..." The crowned man glares daggers at Clockwork. The temperature dips below comfortable. Dick tries to blink the spaceship and stars out of his sight, withdrawing his arms from Wally to try and warm himself. Tries to remember he's not in space. "The second option is that you return to your body... changed. You'll be able to protect Earth better, stay with your alive family, save the Lost Ones... for a price."

Dick doesn't know if he should ignore the plural in 'Lost Ones'. He doesn't know if he's reading too much into how, in this Realm, apparently only his parents were able to be found. Where's Jason? He doesn't dare hope, but...

"What's the price?"

The man smiles and a ring of blue forms around his waist. It splits in two and travels up and down his body, replacing the cloak and whatever clothes he was actually wearing with a NASA shirt, worn jeans, and red sneakers actually duct taped together. The blue tint to his otherwise tan skin fades completely. His hair turns black. His eyes turn blue.

He was like a taller, slightly slimmer, way hotter version of Bruce.

The man walks through the bubble, but doesn't disturb the grass beneath his feet. "You become the Ghost King's vassal." Dick flinches away and almost hides behind Wally. "Not my idea! But, well... it is either this, or your permanent death."

"What does becoming a vassal do to him?" Wally asks, gently trying to stop Dick from breaking his ribs with how tightly he was hugging himself. Does he even have ribs?

"He gains my powers. Ice, electricity, invisibility, intangibility, flight... He becomes a Halfa. He becomes what I was, in life. Just... needing to make offerings to me, now and then. Something like that, at least. I give him powers, he gives me a chunk of, I don't know, chocolate once a week. Like a warlock."

Wally keeps talking to the man, keeps getting information that he knows he should pay attention to, but something in his chest screams to accept this deal, and he can't focus on anything else.

Nightwing can protect. He can return to life and go back to Blüdhaven, be the Vigilante they need. He can visit Gotham every now and then, help with cases and stop criminals from harming others. He can see his brother. He can see his friends. He can eat Alfred's cookies, and have little get-togethers with Babs and the Team--hell, he can argue with Bruce.

And all he has to do is... give an offering to this guy? The Ghost King? Every once in a while?

"There's no other price?" The King turns his attention to Dick. His eyes had shifted to a blue-green that almost hypnotize him. The green swirls, the blue forms and melts like snowflakes, and he can't look away.

He takes another step forward and Wally steps to the side. There was familiarity between them. Wally deferred to him. Dick can't quite tell why. Though, with how Wally hasn't once looked at Clockwork, maybe it's because he's... grounded? Are all speedsters in trouble with, what, the Ghost of Time? That... actually makes perfect sense.

"I'll be honest, Nightwing: You've impressed me." The weight behind the King's words lifts the ones that've been on his shoulders since he was nine. "You remind me of myself. Maybe, if I wasn't a Halfa... If I had a mentor... I could've been like you.

"Despite Clockwork's insistence over the years that I get back in touch with the living, I've held off. When he eventually suggested that I help create another Halfa, I locked him in his tower for twenty years. I didn't want anyone to go through what I had. But, now... I see that you won't. You can't. Even if you hide this deal--our shared powers... You'll still have people by your side. Strong people. Smart people. You can already handle yourself. And I'd love to see what you can do--who you can save--with my help."

There was maybe two inches between their faces when the King finishes speaking. Dick roves his eyes across the other's face, trying to find the common and familiar ticks that show lies and deceit and manipulation. All he finds is sincerity and genuine care.

Wally plays with his fingers from the corner of his eye, gaze hopeful as he looks between the two of them. Wally, who was alive and breathing and able to leave if he accepts. Eventually. Somehow.

Dick Grayson sends a quiet apology to his parents and hopes they will forgive him for being a little bit selfish.

"I accept."

He flings his eyes open. Above him, domino mask too wobbly to be properly secured anymore, was Robin crying and begging him to wake up. His hands were sloppily placed over his heart. Batman was trying to drag him away, the firm set of his jaw screaming grief.

Nightwing gasps once he registers his lungs burning.

There's a large cacophony of noise, multiple bright suits and people hounding over him, and the distinct artificial taste of slightly-too-much oxygen that the ship with the Parademons had. That he flew out of and died. He was still too cold.

Someone moves their arm beneath his knees and shoulder and Dick passes out.

(Dick 'Nightwing' Grayson dies in space. Ghost King Danny Phantom likes this too-human Hero. They split their souls in half, take one piece of the others, and all they know is that Phantom is now Nightwing's Patron Deity. Danny uses ice, for electricity killed him. Dick uses electricity, for ice killed him. They are opposites, and yet so incredibly similar. Clockwork was looking forward to when Danny starts putting off his paperwork to hang out with his new 'friend'.)

[spkyart]

Sharing

[ruporas]

happiness today and tomorrow (ID in alt)

[blackseafoam]

✨all that matters✨

[xxstrangeangelxx]

well maybe it was your song 🥺😳that helped me become a hero😏😜

[lichanicksstuff]

maybe in another universe we get an episode in season 12 in which "under pressure" plays while dean sits at the bar, drinks, and looks at cas who got dragged out onto the dance floor. the song gets louder and louder until we can't hear anything else. dean just watches, soft smile on his face as cas slowly starts to enjoy being around humans. you can see it on the angel's face, when he looks up on the lights, his face soft, relaxed, and then... oh. oh fuck.

[autocrats-in-love]

Prompt (509)

“This isn’t an efficient way of putting out a fire,” the hero said.

They were standing in the doorway of the home they shared with the villain. The hero had been watching the villain run back and forth to the kitchen sink with a single water cup. The villain glared at the hero. “You can make it more efficient by helping me.”

“You made the fire. Just remember this next time you try to make a bomb at home.”

[emacrow]

Commander Johnson, I-I think I found what or who been stealing our extra spare material supplies

Astronaut Jennifer said in the com as she stared, standing stiff as a board if it weren't for the gravity of Mars making it difficult.

What she was staring at couldn't be human but yet so close and eldritchic- alien like as the inner part of her mind was screaming danger danger, That Is Not A Human Being, Run RUN RUN,HIDENOWHIDENOWNOWNOW

It's look like a adult, a very slim and very tall adult if it weren't for the fact that his skin was tanned with a bit of splash of starlights all over, wearing a suit made of galaxies covered in red Mars rocks, his hair was white, whiter then the clouds on earth, ears pointy and curled a bit as if it wa to shield or reflect to what its was hearing(but they has moved back in a aggressive manner thar remind her of snuffles when threaten) and eyes glows so ominously Neon Green with black instead of white surrounding the iris, splatter of star like freckles that looks like he almost has two pupils mixing into a slits like in each of them.

Teeths razor sharp and thick, as the thing looks like it was growling at her with his body arch over, hands with extra digits of long blacken claws like nails dig into the dirt, hiding all the stuff that the alien had stolen along with a lil head of another mar baby, it weren't for the fact there was no sounds in space, she would've been screaming float running back to her headquarters base.

She was only patrolling the part of the base where they were trying to grow plants in one of the green houses they painstaking made on Mar, but then she saw the glow of unnatural green slipping out of the sealed tight glass.

Curiosity took the best of her as she put on her suit and went to check at that spot is where she find what seem to be a native Mar creature and its baby hoarding all the missing stuffs that they had lost in the base, along with the missing robot, opportunity as the top of it's hoard pile in a makeshift hole(it's a Nest and she has enter this creatures domains) near a small pool full of of oddly frozen water that glowed luminous.

It was a stand off between her and the creature not moving an inch until Jennifer's coms responded back as she flinched, her heart dropping snd face paling dramatically when the creature's ear flick a bit as it heard the static electric device.

"J-J-J-Jennifer, do you copy? I repeat, Do you copy?!?" Commander Johnson spoke a bit frantic.

Unawared of the danger he had put Jennifer in when she flinched, the creature lunged, Jennifer scrambling to turn around and hop/run back into the safety of the base as fast as she could.

Like inspiration for @tinycoded360

[harpuiaa]

(person that has never seen saw but has read yugioh voice) yeah? so he traps people in evil puzzle rooms? sounds a lot like a guy i know

[spencergrayart]

How stobotnik would interact with cute animals (cause I think it would be silly and adorable)

[displaykitkats]

MiqoMarch 2025 | 01. Introduction

I know not what it is you desire for yourself, nor what it was that first brought you to Eorzea, but I firmly believe that the power we possess was given to us for a purpose. Pray consider this when you give me your answer, Renoux.

What will you say?

I will go whither the wild rose blooms.