#stayed up too late writing this

[egophiliac]

I loved your drawing(and I love your style in general) with Leia in your recent post! If/when you have time can we see more of her in your style? I get so happy whenever I actually see people mention/talk about her and she’s not just forgotten because we didn’t get to see much of her. 😭

thank you! 💙💙💙 Leia/Leah/Lea/whatever is fascinating to me. she is the ultimate unknown. what was she like? how involved (or even aware of any details of the invasion) was she? Silver's basically a physical carbon copy of his biodad, so what did he get from her? like, I understand why the two of them kind of have to stay as these super vague and mysterious figures -- the whole point of them is that their story ended 400+ years ago and they're not really relevant anymore (and. well. the more that gets explained about them, the less that can just kinda be handwaved as "oh the politics were Very Messy") (we can sit here and theorize all day but let us acknowledge that, ultimately, canon gave us almost nothing about them post-Meleanor and we'd just be making things up). I do still wonder about her though! RIP Lea, we never knew you and we probably never will.

actually you know what, as long as we're here, I think I WILL go ahead and just make some stuff up about what Silver might've inherited from her instead.

[starry-bi-sky]

im having normal CFAu thoughts. naturally.

I had the very vivid image of Jason asking Danny to turn human while they’re laying in the grass beside Danny’s observatory in GZ, and then Jason sticking his hand through Danny’s chest so he can physically feel his heartbeat

Jason and Danny would have Perfectly Normal and Sane Thoughts about this. of course.

[screamlet]

fic: no returns (8x16-18 spec)

pairing: bucktommy rating: E; wordcount: 4.5k; status: complete tags: implied/referenced main character death; 911 speculation; vegas wedding notes: inspired by the 8x16-18 leaks/spoilers from the weekend.

Summary:

There have been so many "last straws" in the past week that Buck's lost count, but this one really is the last straw. MESSAGE FAILURE: Inactive number

[geraskierfanficprompts]

Prompt 57

Jaskier likes hugs. Like a lot. Like dozens a day, a lot. Which is why it's so odd when Jaskier suddenly stops touching Geralt unless he he absolutely has to. Geralt is admittedly getting quite jealous, however, because Jaskier hasn't stopped touching anyone and everyone else. Has the horror of being a witcher finally set in for the bard? Is he disgusted to so much as lay a finger on him, now? Geralt starts just being concerned about it, however, when Jaskier keeps almost hugging him. So Jaskier clearly wants to hug him, but refuses to do so. Did someone say something? Is he worried about Geralt? He worries for Geralt an awful lot. Oh fuck, is he cursed? Geralt finally breaks and asks (demands) Jaskier why he stopped hugging him, when Jaskier clearly still wants to. "It's because you hate it! Obviously! I- I'm trying to be a good friend!" Geralt knows he can be a bit stoic, but he thought Jaskier would take the fact that Geralt hugs back and doesn't shove him away as more than enough motivation to keep doing what makes him so happy. "I never felt so bad. I really thought you had no problem with me being so- So clingy. If I had known better, I wouldn't! Honest, Geralt!" "Why do you think I have a 'problem' with it?" "You growled at me!" Oh fuck. He purred. Jaskier doesn't know he can purr.

[hardly-an-escape]

part two of this, originally inspired by @newtkelly's amazing art 🌹💕

The call is, blessedly, a very simple kitchen fire situation involving an aspiring but inattentive teenage cook and the charred remains of some former tacos. They clear the house, verify that there's no lasting damage and that all the smoke detectors are still working properly, and double-check the wiring on the stove just to be sure nothing drastically malfunctioned. Bobby gives the teen a friendly but compelling lecture on gas stoves and kitchen safety, and the cavalry rolls out.

The rest of the 118, to their credit, makes it a solid five minutes into the drive studiously not looking at Buck before the tension finally breaks.

"So," Chimney says.

"Flowers," Hen says.

"Lots of flowers," Eddie says.

"And a romantic ass speech," Hen says.

"In front of God and the captain and everybody," Chim adds.

"Shut up," Buck says, feeling his cheeks heat up, probably as pink as one of the carnations in the massive bouquet Tommy had given him.

Bobby says nothing, but his eyes in the rearview mirror are knowing and kind.

Tommy appears on the balcony as soon as the doors open and watches the engine back into the bay. His eyes seek out Buck's as soon as he hops off the rig, and Buck feels his heart leap in his chest. He changes out of his uniform in record time, and Tommy is waiting outside the locker room when he's done. He hands over the bouquet and takes Buck's duffel bag without a word, slinging it over one shoulder and wrapping the other arm tight around Buck's waist, and they walk out of the station like that, in lockstep with one another, out to Buck's car under the orangey-red Los Angeles sunset.

Buck is unusually warm when he wakes up on Friday morning.

It takes him half a second to realize why – that the extra heat is coming from the long, firm body wrapped around him from behind; that his bad leg is comfortably resting on a hairy thigh rather than the extra pillow he usually shoves between his knees; that the breath tickling his ear and the thumb stroking idly through his chest hair are both Tommy's.

God, he's missed this. They've barely been out of arm's reach of one another since Tuesday night, aside from when they'd both been scheduled to work, and yet all the time together isn't even a drop in the bucket of how much he's missed Tommy – missed his kisses and his voice and his dry laugh and his eyes and his body. He wriggles back against that body now, so naked and warm, and is rewarded by Tommy's arm tightening around his chest and Tommy's gentle laugh huffing in his ear.

"Oh, you awake now, sleepyhead?" he asks.

"No," Buck lies. "I'm fast asleep. I swear. You can keep watching me like a creep."

"If you insist," Tommy chuckles, dropping soft kisses along Buck's neck. "It's a shame, though. If you were awake I had some ideas for how we could spend the morning."

He grinds against Buck's bare ass, gentle and purposeful, and sucks an earlobe into his mouth, and Buck sighs happily and rolls in Tommy's arms so they're chest to chest and dick to dick, and kisses the laughter out of his mouth.

Some time later, Tommy's head is on Buck's chest and they're catching their breath, sweaty, the sheets kicked down around their ankles.

"Can I ask you something kind of silly?" Buck says.

"Mm. Go for it."

"How'd you know that I would be at work Tuesday evening?"

Tommy snorts. "Sneaked a peek at the citywide duty roster while Melton was in the john. I figured it was my best bet, instead of maybe missing you because you weren't home. And besides…"

"Besides what?"

"I felt like it was important to have an audience."

"An audience?" Buck parrots, confused.

Tommy nods against his chest. "I don't know, maybe that's not the right word. I wanted it to be witnessed. And I wanted you to know that everyone saw me come after you the way you deserved. Is that crazy?"

"I think you watch too many rom coms," Buck says. "But. It was also one of the best things that's ever happened to me, so I'll give you a pass."

"Nailed it." Tommy rubs his five o'clock shadow against Buck's chest and kisses the red patch it leaves behind. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"How come you didn't call, or anything? Afterwards? It felt – I know why I didn't. And maybe I don't have the right to ask. But is there a reason you didn't?"

Buck sighs. "I told myself a long time ago that I wasn't going to chase after people who weren't going to chase after me. And even with what you said that night, it didn't feel like you were chasing me. But I don't know, I kind of regret it now," he says, running a hand reflectively through Tommy's hair. "I missed you so much. I should've told you. Maybe we could've gotten back here quicker."

"I'm so sorry I made you feel that way, Evan," Tommy says quietly.

"It's okay."

"It's really not. But I meant what I said the other day. I'm going to do anything I can to make it better."

"This helps," Buck says, pulling Tommy a fraction of an inch closer.

"Then I'll keep doing this," Tommy says. He slings a leg over Buck's hip and kisses the patch of beard burn again.

Downstairs, three dozen roses overflow from the bowl of Buck's stand mixer – the only thing in his kitchen that had been big enough to hold them all. A couple of them are starting to look a little wilted, but most are still going strong almost three days later. He'll have replace the water today, pull out the spent blooms, rearrange the remaining flowers.

And he has to be at the station in a couple hours, and Tommy's shift starts an hour after that. It's Valentine's Day, but neither of them had bothered to request it off, so they'll have to get up soon; shower and dress and eat something and reenter the world once again.

But that's soon. This is now, in all its naked honesty: warm skin, and warm sheets, and kisses, and kindnesses, and the slightest scent of roses floating up to meet the morning light.

[theinvisiblemuseum]

i bet we'd have really good bed chem…

[nox-in-a-box]

Hey hi hello so um this was gonna be a whole comic with multiple pages but thanks to this thing called exams I gave up after three pages because it was impacting my ability to study...I did continue the scene in prose form after the third page though. So um. Yeah. Under the cut. Based on this post.

"I mean, all that work, and yet they couldn't afford to be even a little bit nicer! Show some proper appreciation!" Greylock continued. "All I am is another way King Magnus can show himself up to the rest."

He grimaced as he took another long sip of his tea. "And no matter how much you enjoy something...when you're forced to perform all the time, only what the king wants? Ha! It takes all the joy out of the job, Kendrick."

"It's Cedric," came his friend's usual reply, which drew a chuckle out of him.

"Of course, Toothpick." He settled back now, wondering only now what had come over him. Honesty of this kind did not come to him easily. But perhaps it was the fact that he was glad to be reunited with an old friend, and perhaps it was also the comforting quietness of the workshop and the hot tea that Cedric had poured them. And so he did not regret spilling his heart out like this, at least not yet.

Cedric set his own teacup down on the floating saucer in front of him. "But you're right, yes. These bloody royalty simply do not appreciate us! And really, I think we should do something about it."

He smirked. "I mean, imagine if we took their thrones from them! And they were the ones to follow our orders! And maybe then they'd get a taste of their own potion, when they're forced to have to do everything we said and..." He faltered a bit at Greylock's widening stare as he realised, in a rare moment of foresightedness, that it may bot be the best idea to be revealing such plans as this during casual conversation, even to Greylock.

He cleared his throat. "Of course though, I'm not being serious. You know that, right?"

Greylock shook his head quickly. "No, no, of course you're not, Cedric. No proper sorcerer goes about taking the place of a king...his place is by their side. As miserable as it may be," he muttered.

His face broke out into a grin. "It reminds me of when we were at Hexley, though. You were always muttering about some silly little evil schemes..."

Cedric scoffed. "Well, they were less ridiculous than your tricks! At least my schemes didn't simply have the aim of blowing things up and ending up in the headmaster's office! They were more complex!"

And so their conversation drifted to topics unconcerned with acts of treachery. But Cedric's supposedly nonserious words constantly drifted back into Greylock's mind both during their conversation and afterwards, not leaving him alone for weeks after the jubilee, always showing up whenever he was feeling the same dissatisfaction again that he expressed that night. And eventually he decided to let those words stay and root themselves properly in his head.

Because he was getting rather tired of Magnus.

[silverskye13]

I’d love more Tango and Helsknight interactions, but it’s so hard to pick a line! There’s too many with great potential!! Umm how about “you didn’t have to take that hit for me” or “looks like I’ve got myself a really good nurse” :3

In which there are demons.

[rustyarcade]

✨A Dream?✨

My first fishbride fic!!! So excited to share more of this ship with you guys cuz I love it sooo much!!!!

Summary: Khalis revives Nina! Her and the Bride have a long talk.

Read it on Ao3 or below the cut!

…

…

…

And suddenly there was light.

Nina sat up quickly in the bed she was placed in. Her vision was blurry as the bright fluorescent lights reflected greatly against the white walls. Her body plugged in with several wires.

The lab… she was back in that damn lab… In a panic, she thrashed about the bed. “DADDY!” She called out. To her this was a flashback. Some sick cruel nightmare about the night she became her slimy aquatic self. “DADDY!” She yelled out again violently. She was about to rip the wires off of her body and run before a gentle bandaged hand stopped her. And a voice, “Whoa…! Easy there…”

This bandaged hand was connected to a bandaged man. Underneath the bandages was a corpse, much like the bride, but dried out, with a golden Egyptian crown on his head. He smiled warmly at the girl. “Ha! I’ve still got it!” He laughed quietly to himself.

Nina looked around the room. Several doctors in stark white lab coats stared in awe. But for once, not at her jarring appearance. It was a different kind of awe. Like they had discovered something grand.

“What… What am I doing here? Who are you? Where am I?” Nina began her barrage of questions.

“Ms. Mazursky,” a doctor spoke out and walked towards her. “My name is Doctor Alandy. You were attacked during you and your comrades’ mission in Pokolistan-“

“Don’t sugarcoat it, doc,” the mummy interrupted. “She died.”

Nina’s eyes widened. “What…?”

“Do you remember what happened to you when you ambushed Princess Ilana?” The doctor continued.

Nina did remember slightly. It felt like a blur. She remembered the princess’s swift evasion of her attack. She remembered the blade slashing into her stomach repeatedly. She remembered the world fading to black.

She simply nodded.

“You were killed, Ms. Mazursky. But, with Khalis’s magical powers, we were able to bring you back.”

Nina didn’t know what to say. She… died? And now she’s back? With the power of this mummy’s magic? She touched her face with her hand. But something was missing. She hastily searched for her water suit. She began to hyperventilate which caused her to panic even more.

“No worries, Ms. Mazursky. For whatever reason, Khalis’s powers took away your need to breathe oxygen through water,” Doctor Alandy assured her.

Nina took a deep breath. And breathed out. She couldn’t believe it.

“I’ve… I’ve been cured,” she squeaked out. Tears stung her eyes. If only her father could see her… breathing without the need for a suit.

“Cured as much as possible, my girl. There’s no cure for that fish face of yours!” Khalis chuckled. Alandy gave him a dirty look. She turned to her fellow medical staff. “Please give Ms. Mazursky some clothing and food. Khalis, follow me. She needs to be well rested for her visitors later today,” Alandy said as she marched out of the room. “An honor to finally meet you, Ms. Nina. Our comrades told me a lot about you. They will be overjoyed to see you again,” Khalis bowed to Nina. Nina bowed her head to him, “Thank you.” He slowly walked out of the room as the nurses and doctors began to feel and clothe Nina.

———

Nina sat nervously in her bed. She ran her hands across her arms, amazed at the sensation of dry skin touching her own dry skin. She was given some bread and water. Bread tasted so much better dry. And drinking water felt strange to her. It’d have to take some getting used to.

The door clicked open and she whipped her head. Alandy peeked her head in. “Ms. Mazursky, you have visitors,” she announced as she opened the door. Weasel was the first to scurry in. He quickly ran up to her and began sniffing her. Nina giggled at the sight of her old friend. Weasel licked her face in greeting which caused her to laugh harder. “Hi Weasel!!! How’ve you been, buddy?” She smiled as she held his face in her hands. He panted and wagged in his tail in response.

“Down, boy,” a familiar voice chimed in. Weasel obliged, still ever so happy. A limping Rick Flag with a cane and Phosphorus walked in. Phosphorus got close to her bedside and looked deeply into her eyes in awe. “You’re… you’re here… you’re really here… you’re back…” he whispered softly. “Are you smiling because you’re happy to see me again or because you always just look like you’re smiling?” Nina responded playfully. Phosphorus chuckled. “You don’t know how happy I am to see you again, kid,” he muttered as his voice cracked. He quickly turned away and coughed to try to cover up his emotion.

“Nina,” Rick caught her attention. “The team told me about your excursion. Great job, soldier.” He saluted. She saluted back.

A large clanking came from the door. A, now huge, GI robot marched into the room. Nina gasped. “GI!!!” She cheered. “Friend Nina!!!” GI Robot called back. Nina reached her hand to him. GI stared her hand and grabbed it awkwardly. “Hello!” He replied. “He was easy to rebuild, it just took a while for his upgrades. Unlike you, young lady,” Flag chimed in. “Now instead of being able to kill 120 nazis in one battle, the scientists say I may be able to kill up to 598 nazis in one battle! Perhaps even 599,” GI informed. “Oh, friend Nina, will you accompany me again to kill Nazis once again? As we did in Pokolistan?” Nina nodded. “I’d love to, GI.”

The slow clacking of heels emerged. Everyone turned to see who had arrived. The Bride stood with her eyes widened in shock at Nina in the bed. Her legs, visibly trembling. “Bride!” Nina called out. Tears instantly streamed down Nina’s face. The Bride remained still. “It’s so glad to see you again!” The Bride slowly walked to her. Nina felt a wave of guilt creep into her. “I’m… really sorry I messed up the mission… I tried to kill the princess. I really did try… I just-“ The Bride finally arrived at the side of her bed. She reached a hand out to cup Nina’s face. Her touch was… soft. She rubbed her thumb against her cheek. Nina leaned into her hand. “You’re… here…” was all the Bride was able to mutter out. Nina nodded with a soft smile. “I missed you most of all, scarecrow,” Nina whispered playfully. Suddenly, the Bride pulled her into a tight hug. Loud messy sobs slowly erupted from the Bride. Nina could feel her shaking.

“Oh, my Nina… I’m so sorry…” The bride whined out in between cries. Tears sprinkled into Nina’s neck. “I should have never made you try to kill her. You weren’t prepared…” Nina didn’t know what to say, but she hugged her back. “Bride… it’s ok… I forgive you-“

“NO!” The bride yelled which startled everyone around her. “I sent you out to die… I killed you.” Nina replied sternly, “No, you didn’t, Bride. Ilana did. You were just doing what was best for the mission.”

“You didn’t deserve to die. You’re the kindest one out of all of us. The kindest being in the universe,” the Bride mumbled. “Guess it’s good I’m back then, huh softie?” Nina replied. The Bride chuckled ever so softly. “My friend…” Bride breathed out. “My best friend…” Nina answered as she held her even tighter.

———

The commandos stayed in that hospital room chatting for hours, that to them passed like minutes.

Soon enough, Dr. Alandy asked the Commandos to leave. Nina pleaded that they’d stay longer, but they all assured her that they needed to rest.

“Wait!” Nina grabbed the Bride’s arm. “Can the Bride at least stay?” She asked Alandy. “I'd rather not be alone here.”

“As long as the Bride agrees and promises not to become violent, then she may stay,” Alandy affirmed. The Bride nodded in agreement which made Nina giddy.

The Bride sat in a chair next to Nina as they continued their talk.

“Wait, so you killed the princess?”

“Yeah, it's a bit complicated though. We thought she was evil. Then they called off the attack too late. Then it turns out she was evil. It’s really weird,” the Bride explained.

“I’ll say… But why did you kill her? I mean you saw the tapes and caught her with Clayface, but… if Waller didn’t have a directive to eliminate her anymore, why did you do it? Surely, you didn’t have some kind of moral shift.”

The Bride smiled at her comment, but quickly changed her expression to one that was serious.

“No… not exactly a moral shift, I suppose. After my father’s death, I never cared for much. I wanted to be alone. Away from that filthy creature that claimed I was his to own. Away from the entire world around me. I never held onto anything… anyone… I could care less if the princess was going to destroy the world. But… she took you away from me. My only friend. The one thing I’ve cared about in hundreds of years. It enraged me. I had to do something. Not just because of our relationship, but because you truly didn’t deserve to die. I meant it when I said you were the kindest being in the universe. I didn’t care for justice. I just wanted vengeance.”

Nina’s heart tugged at the Bride’s words. “Oh Bride… you…” The Bride wiped tears away from her eyes. “Goodness me, I haven’t cried like this since you… since you left.”

“What… What did I look like? When I died?”

“A body floated up to the surface and with blood leaking all around. I ran to see who it was. I… I have no words to describe the emotion I felt when I saw it was you. Shock, horror, despair… Those words can’t even begin to explain how I felt when I saw your lifeless body. I was the one that carried you out of the water. You were limp in my arms. Blood gushing out of your stomach. I’ve carried much heavier things in my times, but… when I held onto you… it felt like I couldn’t move. There was a weight holding me down inside of you.”

Bride’s voice trembled. Nina grabbed her hand, reminding her she was here again.

“We held a service for you in Pokolistan. The princess’s ‘gift’ as an apology for killing you. I wanted to tear the place apart, kill everyone there, rip you from your coffin, and wake you up.”

Nina leaned onto the Bride’s shoulder. “That’s so sweet of you, Bride.” The Bride leaned into her as well. “I’m just glad you’re back.”

“”I’m glad to be back too. What’s the new team like?”

“They’re all a bunch of brutish, morally gray losers. Like us.” Nina giggled at her response.

“You’ve met Khalis. He’s an old geezer, but a solid magic user. Then there’s Nosferata. That bitch who knocked your food out of your plate with that stupid ape friend we broke the jaw of. I still haven’t fully forgiven her, but she’s fine for the most part. And then there’s Nanawe. I have a feeling you’re gonna like him.”

“They all sound nice,” Nina yawned as she rubbed her tired eyes. “Someone looks sleepy,” The Bride smirked as she stood up from her chair. “I’ll leave you to rest, Nina. Being alive takes a lot of energy.” Nina’s hand grabbed her arm again. “Wait! Stay!” She cried.

The Bride stopped.

“I… I don’t like being in hospitals. Can you stay the night with me? Please?” Her voice littered with desperation.

The Bride shrugged. “Why not? Not like I got anything better to do. I’ll ask the nurses if they got an extra chair around here somewhere so I can prop my feet up.”

“You can stay in my bed… if you’d like. You’ll fit!” Nina chimed.

The Bride hesitated. “Are you sure? I want you to sleep well.”

“Cmon, Bride! It’ll be like a sleepover! I’ve never been to one, but I heard they’re fun.” Nina smiled. The Bride still looked hesitant.

“Please… I don’t want to be alone again,” Nina pleaded. She trembled slightly. She remembered the long lonely nights at hospitals from her childhood.

The Bride signed softly, “Alright. But just because it’s been a while since I didn’t sleep in those shitty cardboard beds at Belle Reve.”

Nina squealed in excitement. She scooted over to allow space for the Bride, who took off her shoes and jacket.

They nestled into the bed, fitting together perfectly like puzzle pieces. They positioned themselves facing away from each other.

“Rest well, Nina,” the Bride whispered as she turned the lights off from the bedside control.

Several minutes had passed. There was still an air of restlessness. Nina kept staring at the clock on the wall. 11:54 pm. They turned off the lights twenty minutes ago. But as tired as her body was, her brain kept racing, unable to let her rest. She squirmed and moved around. She nudged at the Bride who grumbled in response.

“Mmmm… what’s going on? Are you okay?” She mumbled annoyed.

“I don’t want to fall asleep,” she whispered in response:

“Oh for fucks sake-“ she moaned.

“I just… I’m worried this is all a dream. A sick beautiful dream. Or worse, I’m still dead… And I’m in heaven and I’ll never see you or the rest of the commandos again. What if I fall asleep and never wake up?” Nina’s voice shook which caused the Bride to go full alert.

“Nina… shhhhh…” she shushed, wrapping her arm around her and pulling her in close. “I promise you’re not dreaming. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere else.”

“Can we keep talking? Just until I fall asleep?”

“Sure,” The bride shrugged.

“So we’re both zombies now?”

“I beg your damn pardon?”

Nina elaborated, “Well you know… we’re both reanimated corpses. Doomed to walk this Earth for the rest of time and space. An affront to God and humanity.”

The Bride scoffed sarcastically. “Ok drama queen, if anything is an ‘affront’ to God, it’s Weasel’s existence. This life is not as existential as you might think it is. You’re just sort of… there. Your heart beats but almost too rhythmically.

“Like someone else is pumping it, not you,” Nina finished.

“Exactly.”

A pregnant pause filled the air.

“Can we be zombies together?” Nina suggested.

“Is that not what we’re doing currently?”

“You know what I mean…” Nina gently elbowed the Bride’s side. “forever. I want to be your best friend forever. I want to be with you forever. Kicking bad guy butts and taking Weasel out for walks and making fun of Flag…” Nina yawned yet again. She rested her head on the Bride.

“I hope you know I have a stalker that has been following me around for hundreds of years now and he’s shown no signs of stopping,” she reminded her.

“And I’ll fight him. I’ll kick his ass every time. He’ll scurry away like a dog with a tail between his legs. And I’ll be just as ready for him the next time he rears his ugly head.”

The Bride laughed at Nina’s offer. “No, no… remember the last time we tried making you fight?”

“I’d do it again,” she sleepily assured her. “If it meant saving my friends, I’d die a million times to make sure you’re ok.”

“You’re too good for this world, Nina,” she sighed.

“You’re good too. You just don’t realize it yet,” Nina replied, barely making any coherent words as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Nina picked herself up for a brief second and placed a quick kiss on the Bride’s cheek. She then settled back into her sleeping position up against her. “Goodnight, softie,” she murmured.

The Bride felt taken aback by her friend’s action for a second. For once, her heartbeat felt like her own, as it picked up its speed exponentially. She stared at Nina, who was fast asleep. The last time she saw her close her eyes, she believed she’d never see them open ever again. But here she was. Back with her. The Bride placed a soft and tender kiss on Nina’s head. She pulled her even closer.

“Goodnight, fish,” she whispered.

———

Nina woke up. She quickly looked around.

The sunrise shone beautifully into the hospital room. It cast beams illuminating her freed, dry skin. She turned to find the Bride slowly waking up as well. The light shone magnificently onto the Bride’s face, casting shadows from the hard edges of her chiseled face. Her black hair, messy from sleep with strands of her white stripes peeking around. She gave a big stretch and yawned as she sat up. She too looked at the sunrise and gave a faint smile as she noticed Nina sitting up in front of her.

“So it wasn’t a dream…” they said at the same time. They laughed at themselves for it.

Nina leaned into the Bride as they watched the sunrise. Together. Again. For good.

[penumbra-mayhem]

Big Brother - Tank & David fic

"When he died...I lost myself. Lost myself to my new role as alpha. Lost myself to my grief...lost myself to trying to bury that grief...."

(I hc that Tank has a stutter; there's more on that here if you'd like. This fic takes place sometime after the Inversion and before Quinn gets caught. I hope you enjoy <3)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mind if I join you?"

Tank turned to peer up at David before nodding and looking back out into the moonwashed night. The porch steps creaked as David made his way down and sat next to Tank. They silently offered him their lit cigarette.

For a while the two smoked in silence, listening to the crickets' song and the pack's muffled chatter inside the house. Eventually, David used the brief nicotine hit to spur him into bravery:

"I uh...I want to talk..."

Tank's eyes flitted over to David, then down at the dying cigarette between their fingers. They took one final, steadying drag before putting it out. David swallowed. His voice was gentle—an uncommon tone for him to take with Tank,

"...I want to talk about Gabe."

Tank tensed. They could feel their walls already coming up. They could feel the urge to run. To do anything to avoid this conversation. They hadn't talked about Gabe with anyone, let alone David, since that night.

David could feel the shift in their aura. A moment passed—one long moment, enough so that Tank could leave if they really wanted. When they didn't move, David continued,

"When he died...I lost myself. Lost myself to my new role as alpha. Lost myself to my grief...lost myself to trying to bury that grief. I didn't want to acknowledge what had happened. How...how hurt I was...how lost. I became hard. Cold. Sometimes...sometimes even cruel—"

"—D-D-David—"

"—Please," David pleaded, his voice devoid of any edge or force.

Tank held David's gaze for as long as they could before looking away, blinking rapidly in frustration. They could never win against him, not even in this.

David took a few breaths before speaking again, "That night...that night I was cruel. That night, I was selfish. I was scared. I didn't want to acknowledge how much you were hurting...because that would've meant I had to accept how much I was hurting too...You came to me because you felt like I was the only other person in the world who knew what you were going through. And you weren't wrong. But I was."

David's words from years ago growled in Tank's mind: Why the fuck are you crying? He wasn't your dad, he was mine! Fucking hell, not everything is about you!

They bit their lip to keep it from quivering and stared up at the stars, willing their eyes to not water, unsuccessfully.

"I shouldn't have said what I said," David admitted, his heart sinking at the sight of Tank trying to hold themself together. "Gabe took you in. He was a father to you. Which means I was...am...your brother. You came to me grieving, and I dismissed your grief and shut you out...and I'm s-sorry."

Hearing the break in his voice, Tank finally looked back over at David. They watched a tear slide down his cheek. Then another. And another.

"I've been a shitty big brother. I haven't been there for you. But I want to be here for you, now, if you'll let me."

Tank stared at David silently. He tried to glean something, anything, from their intense gaze to no avail. Dread began to pool in his stomach. It was too late. He couldn't fix this. He didn't deserve to fix this. He squeezed his eyes shut, turning his head away in defeat. He heard Tank sniffle. He heard the wooden step creak as they began to move. They were leaving, he knew it. He was right, he was too late.

Then he felt them lean into his side. Opening his eyes, David found Tank curled up against him, their head resting on his shoulder. He watched a tear slide down their cheek. Then another. And another.

He raised his arms, wrapping them tightly around Tank. He could still feel them holding back, knew that this was only one wall down, with many more to go. But this was more than he expected, and he was grateful.

"I m-m-m-m-miss him," Tank whispered.

David's chest ached at the admission. He pet their head and whispered back, "Me too."

And tears fell. Then another. And another.

[veryintricaterituals]

'Imagine if Nandor and Laszlo fucked. It would undermine their friendship, ruin any depth they have or could have in the future, and does anybody really want to see that? Really? Don't worry, Simms will make sure you never have to clutch your pearls over such depravity.'

'It would be so problematic if Laszlo had sex with Colin Robinson after spending two years raising him from babyhood to adulthood and he still has mixed feelings about it. Even for a joke. It's a good thing that never happened, because WWDITS is heavily focused on non-problematic relationship.'

Oh wait.

I seriously can't believe people are accepting this logic from a show where one of the two characters repeatedly in question casually fucks his friend with literally zero impact on their friendship. Literally every fan deserves better than this gaslighting.

No cause bestie you're right and you should say it!! But you see those were only jokey jokes. Where's the punchline you ask?? The punchline is gay hahahaha you get it?

We don't have to think about the gay sex actually if it is only a joke! So it is, always, only a joke

[iwriteiguessandiloveit]

Toon!Juice x Reader

Guys I did it! I wrote a thing. Part 1/3 of the series with all three beej's)

Toon!Juice x reader - how you two got the ball rolling

Honestly, he doesn't realize the feelings he has for you are anything but platonic for a longgggg time

He just thinks of an extra special friend. You’re really important to him, THAT'S why his cheeks turn faint purple when you compliment him, why he feels compelled to wrap his arm around you when you sit down, why when you hug him he has to shift his hips backwards to keep a certain part of him from poking you (ect)

Okay, he admits the last one is a little hard to explain

But the ghost was never taught about the ‘Birds and the Beetles’ by anyone but the internet and his own brain filling in the gaps, so there's many things he doesn't know in this area of his afterlife

But the thing that tips him off is that when he sees you his long-dead heart starts thumping in his chest very visibly (the way cartoon characters do when they first see the love interest)

After that revelation of his, he becomes a relentless flirt

Things like leaving dead flowers on your dresser

A lot of ‘AWOOGA’ noises with the eyes popping out and his tongue rolling out of his mouth, the whole shebang

Trying to impress you while off on an adventure (usually ending badly one way or another)

Please be patient with him

He's a bit of a scaredy cat, so he never comes out and says it himself

A lot of that has to do with the fact he isn't a well liked ghoul, sure you were sticking around now but if he tried anything… would he be left without ANYONE?

Luckily, his eyes do the talking for him If you reciprocate his affections in any way shape or form, his pupils morph into hearts

It’s adorable

One day he asks you if you’d come to the Neitherworld with him to see the Fireworks for Halloween (it's the Neitherworld, of course they make it a huge deal)

He shows up in your mirror 15 minutes late as usual, with a dead rose in hand; it looks like he actually combed his hair? No way.

All sorts of colors burst in the sky and somehow, without thinking his hand finds yours. It's cold and clammy, nails sharp and unkempt. It's wonderful.

“Is this a date, BJ?” You ask

His brain does the loading screen thing and he stutters “well-I-only if-do you-”

He’s cut off by you pulling him down into a kiss

A little love-drunk, he whispers in your ear ‘I LOVE you, Babes"

“I love you too, Beetlejuice.”

[ambient-arena]

what if the narrative wasn't so horrifically fond of gideon. what if instead of the lobotomy harrow just straight up tore herself apart trying to pry gideons soul away from hers. what if she resorted to the same violent, animal desperation john did when trying to consume the earth but instead of trying to destroy she was trying to recover. what if harrow in an unimaginable fit of despair forced her entire soul and necromantic capabilities to their intense limits but it doing so inadvertently rendered the task she was trying to complete impossible. like trying so so hard to use necromancy to give gideon's soul back that she accidentally ended up cementing its place inside her as an eternal furnace even more. and then what if she just lived like that with gideons soul and memory inside her and it was terrible and everlasting. yeah what if also my brain is rotting out of my skull

[geraskierfanficprompts]

Prompt 111

`Jaskier and Geralt are playflirting a lot more than they used to. Geralt allows more touches than normal. They had a heartfelt talk one inebriated night about intimacy and longing for someone to hold. Clearly, they're ready to move forward from friendship into romance, right? Geralt's finally caught wind of Jaskier's hints and is dropping his own? Geralt gave him a custom ring the other day! They're clearly about to embrace each other and make out wildly and it'll be the best day of Jaskier's life! Even if Geralt had just grunted when Jaskier confessed, Jaskier would prefer it to Geralt being disgusted and hating him forever. Jaskier finally plucks up the courage one night to tell Geralt how he feels. Jaskier picks wildflowers and makes a clumsy bouquet, and ties it together along with a handwritten poem about how much Jaskier loves Geralt, and how beautiful he finds him. He finds Geralt sat by the fire, and Jaskier stares at his back for a moment, before clearing his throat, and softly asking Geralt what Geralt thinks about love. Geralt speaks of grief, and loss, and pain. About how it's not worth it in the end. Jaskier is heartbroken but he laughs it off and hides the bouquet deep in his bags. He goes to bed early, and prays that Geralt can't smell his soul-crushing devastation.

Geralt is beginning to panic. Jaskier and him have been flirting, and Jaskier touches him more and for longer, and That One Talk they had that night. But everyone to ever love Geralt has died. Quite horribly. Sometimes by his own hand. He can't love Jaskier, for it'll end with his bard's beautiful lively blue eyes unseeing as he lays dead on the ground. He has nightmares about it for four nights straight. One night, he's poking around at the fire at camp when Jaskier from behind him asks him what he thinks of love. He gives his honest answer. Loving Geralt just isn't worth it. It always ends with pain and heartache.

A few nights later, Jaskier asks Geralt to grab him something from Jaskier's bag. It's nothing. It's simple and unassuming. And yet while Geralt rummages through the bags, he accidentally stumbles across a crumpled little withering bouquet of flowers, complete with a beautiful poem about loving... Him. Jaskier wrote a poem about loving Geralt? Were the flowers for Geralt? Why is it in Jaskier's bag? Did Jaskier lose his nerve? Did Jaskier think better of it? Or was- FUCK. The night at the campfire! Shit, he always does this- This is precisely why he didn't want them to fall in love in the first place! Jaskier would get hurt. But it's too late to stop them falling now, he supposes... He'll think more about the repercussions about it all later. First thing's first, Geralt has to make a bouquet and try his hand at writing.

[judestan]

ghosts you thought you ruled

When they speak me at your table, do you smile or are you unable? When they say I loved too deep, do you lose a little sleep? when they joke about my fall do you ever feel it all? When they call me blind, does your pulse skip? Does your mind rewind? When you toast to brighter days, do you wince beneath their praise? When they claim I’ve been replaced, do you mourn what’s been erased? When they ask if we were real, do you lie or still feel? When they hum a song I played, do you curse the plans we made? When they blame me for the end, do you freeze or rush to defend? And if she sighs my name too low, like a breath you used to know, do you flinch and play it cool, or choke on ghosts you thought you’d ruled? Because love, if you must forget, forget me loud,burn but not with regret. but don’t you dare erase the ache, I was your heart’s most honest break.  

[fictionadventurer]

Blue: A Retelling of "The Blue Castle" by M.J. Rednow

Valancy is not a rebel. Every moment of her day is controlled by the artificial intelligence that monitors her movements, but she doesn't dare to resist strict rules of Stirling Society. Any who object are cast out of their safe city and banished to the toxic, dangerous Wilderness. Yet Valancy dreams of freedom, inspired by the secretly subversive writings of John Foster. His supposedly scientific texts speak of the beauty of nature and spark thoughts of society beyond Stirling control--yet, for Valancy, these can be nothing more than dreams. Then the infallible AI medical doctor informs Valancy that she has less than a year to live. Valancy realizes that she doesn't want to die never having lived, and she begins to push back against the restrictions of her life. She speaks out against the pointless rules, helps an invalid deemed useless to society, and is eventually cast out into the Wilderness, where she marries a mysterious outcast who teaches her to brave the wonders and terrors of nature--and maybe, to bring down the Stirling society once and for all.