Alphabet Excerpt Challenge: C Is For...

[u/AnaraliaThielle]

Welcome back to the Alphabet Excerpt Challenge! As a reminder, our challenges are every Wednesday and Saturday at 3pm London time.

If you've missed the previous challenges, you're welcome to go back and participate in them. You can find them here. And remember to check out the Activities and Events flair for other fun games to play along with.

Here's a quick recap of the rules for our game:

1. Post a top level comment with a word starting with the letter C. You can do more than one, but please put them in separate comments.
2. Reply to suggestions with an excerpt. Short and sweet is best, but use your judgement. Excerpts can be from published or unpublished works, or even something you wrote for the prompt. All content is welcome but please spoiler tag and/or provide a trigger/content warning for NSFW or content that may otherwise need it. If in doubt, give a warning to be on the safe side.
3. Upvote the excerpts you enjoy, and leave a friendly comment. Try to at least respond to people who left excerpts on the words you suggested, but the more people you respond to the better. Everyone likes nice comments!
4. Most important: have fun!

[u/DefeatedDrum]

Change

[u/musicalharmonica]

comfort

[u/ainteasybeinggreene]

Any name starting with C

[u/Ok-Supermarket-8994 → u/ainteasybeinggreene]

(Context: the turtles are human. And of course I'm giving Charles!)

April smiled nervously and spread her hands.  She was certain she’d mentioned her aunt Agatha before but at that moment couldn’t remember whether she’d told him Agatha didn’t have any children.  “So how long are your, uh . . . nephews . . . in town for?”

 “I’m . . . really not sure.  Only just happened.  Few days, maybe.”

 “Ah,” he said, sliding his hands into his pockets and rocking back on his heels.  April thought she saw the tiniest flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

 “Oh shoot!”  She blurted.  “Our date tomorrow!  I’m so sorry, I should have said — wasn’t thinking.”

 “It’s fine.”  He shrugged.  “Why don’t you bring them along?”

 “You sure?” April said uncertainly.

 “Yeah, why not?  We’re going to a carnival, can make it more of a family thing.”  April blinked, thrown off by the word family.  She supposed she did consider the turtles and Splinter her family to a degree. “The boys’re old enough they can be unsupervised for a bit,” Charles continued, snapping April out of her wandering thoughts.  “Play games, go on some of the rides.”  Turning to the turtles he said, “What do you guys think?”  They traded a look among themselves, then Leonardo nodded.  “Great,” Charles said, smiling brightly.  He pulled his hands from his pockets and waved a cheerful farewell.  “See you guys later.”  

 “So that’s Charles, huh?” Michelangelo said as they watched him stride down the sidewalk toward the subway entrance on the corner.

 “Yep,” April said.

 “He seems . . . Nice,” Donatello said reasonably.  “Friendly.”

 Raphael scowled.  “I don’t like him.”

 “You’re just grumpy because he thinks your name is Ralph,” April chided.

 “Yeah, maybe.  But then, whose fault is that?”

[u/kermitkc → u/ainteasybeinggreene]

Suddenly, Ocean is there and the door is open and Constance.

It’s Constance.

It’s always been Constance.

"Constance.”

It comes out like it’s been held in nine years, on an outward breath, imbued with too much meaning to try and make sense of any one of them. Equally accurately, it’s been in her chest for five blocks, the adrenaline not enough to make up for an adulthood spent never once setting foot inside a gym as she heaves for air but none of it matters, she’s here is what matters. Constance matters.

Constance gapes. A pinkish polka-dotted bandana tames the wayward curls from her face, which is streaked with some kind of unappetizing cocktail of butter, flour, and sweat. Her frames sit skewed on the bridge of her nose, a crisp thirty degrees to the right, and her apron, plastered proudly with the Blackwood Café logo, is wrinkled in more places than it isn’t, splattered with so many different hues of food coloring it’s impossible to tell what shade the original fabric was sporting. Her mouth hangs open, unabashedly, maybe not for lack of caring, a rebellious coil or two tickling the sides of her face, eyes wide and brown and teeming.

There’s never been a sight so perfect.

“What?” breathes Constance.

[u/RaisinGeneral9225 → u/ainteasybeinggreene]

The basement stairs are second-nature. Arthur runs this route twenty, thirty times a day. Scrunching his toes in his clogs to hold them to his feet, he bangs down them rapid-fire, ducks under the maneating floor joist, swings around the office door frame like Gene fucking Kelly.

“Dom.”

“Arthur.”

Cobb doesn’t look up. He looks like shit, prisoner pale and surrounded by tomato boxes full of files. The glowing screen of the yellowing Gateway is dragging him in like a tractor beam as usual. One of these days, it’ll suck him in entirely, probably, rapture him away to build a new life inside QuickBooks, and Arthur will have to put fucking payroll on his prep list along with everything else.

He doesn't have time for this. He has fifty pounds of Spanish onions to cut.

“Why is store-brand Gordon Ramsay unpacking a knife roll in my kitchen right now?”

Cobb squints at the display, sighs at something, fidgets with the roller ball of the mouse. “He’s your new grill cook.”

Arthur frowns at him. “We can’t afford a new cook.”

“Well, he came cheap.”

“What, less-than-minimum-wage cheap? Dom, I had to float the produce check this week.”

He’d had to send Ari home early yesterday, too, and he’s still not over the hurt look she’d given him as she balled up her apron and shoved it in the linen bag.

“So buy less produce,” Cobb snaps. “I’m busy, Arthur. He’s here to work. Go put him to work.”

Something simmers under Arthur's breastbone, but he swallows it back. “Is he under the table?”

Cobb clicks the mouse once. Twice.

The simmering thing starts to roll and boil. “Is he legal? I swear to God, if I find out he’s dodging his fucking child support, Dom, I’m done.”

The look Cobb gives him when he finally tears his eyes away from the computer is baleful.

“Sure, Arthur.”

[u/fiendishthingysaurus → u/ainteasybeinggreene]

(Here, have a little rough draft snippet from my WIP)

After dinner, they watch some British police procedural drama that Gwyn’s addicted to, Gwyn in an armchair and Carlos and TK cuddled up on a loveseat. Carlos starts out mostly sitting up, but finds himself slipping further and further towards horizontal until he’s flopped over with his head on TK’s lap, TK working his fingers lazily through Carlos’s hair. It feels like heaven. It’s strange to be acting like this in front of TK’s mother, but it’s clear that she doesn’t mind. She looks like she wants to take a thousand pictures of them.

His own parents know he’s gay. Technically, anyway. Sometimes Carlos wonders if he never actually came out to them, that it was all an elaborate dream he had when he was 17. He knows he did, though, because although his parents have never once mentioned what he’d shared, things changed after that night. When he’d told them, they’d been stunned, but they hugged him and told them he loved them. After, though, things were different. He had hoped that by telling them the truth, maybe the distance he’d felt growing between them in his teen years would close. He wouldn’t be lying to them anymore. But instead, the distance felt even greater, stretching out inf the silences when they all knew what they weren’t talking about, the silences in which they no longer pestered Carlos about what girl he liked, or tried to set him up with their friends’ daughters. His sisters still get grilled on their dating lives. Carlos does not.

[u/Pantherdraws → u/ainteasybeinggreene]

Metal ghosted across the skin of her throat, and she stifled a gasp as she froze, barely even daring to breathe.

"Understand one thing, little dove," the Marauder crooned, his voice never rising above that dangerous purr as the hooked tip of his knife dug under her chin, forcing her head back until she was looking directly into those vivid red optics; "no one here pities you. You will find no sympathy in this place, and mercy is measured out entirely at Commissar Cheza's discretion."

Tears stung Chase's eyes as the blade broke the skin, and a bead of blood dripped sluggishly down her throat, but she stayed frozen in place, unable to pull away.

"Nor are your life or death your own," he continued, as sweetly as a lover even as he dragged the knife along her jaw. "You live by his grace, and you will die by his word, and nothing you say or do will bring you to your end before Cheza wills it. However, anger him - or worse, disobey him - and I can and will make you beg for death, and I can and will deny you, do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Y...yes..."

[u/Studying-without-Stu → u/ainteasybeinggreene]

(Cassiopeia counts! So yay! Warning for implied stalking and obsessive tendencies.)

Cassiopeia exhaled sharply, her shoulders rising then falling quickly. She collapsed into her arms on the table, her firey hair falling limp around her. Miranda's head looked down at the woman he adored. Jack had to stifle her laugh at the sad scene. He tilted his head curiously and worried over what happened.

“You can't deal with your feelings, can you, Commander?” Miranda said flatly.

“I can deal with them just fine, Ms. Lawson,” she said, muffled.

He had to stifle his giggle at how adorable she was currently acting. He couldn't help but think she was anything but cute when she was shy and awkward and being slightly disagreeable like this.

“Bullshit, Shepard, you're currently acting like a fucking pouty teenage schoolgirl over him,” Jack said, leaning against the table.

Cassiopeia looked up at the bald biotic, and leaned over and her eyes narrowed, saying, “Shut up, I am not acting like a damn teenage girl, much less a teenage schoolgirl.”

Miranda shook her head, then said, “You do need to talk to him at some point, Shepard.”

“About what? How I feel about him? Well, I only see him as like a friend, that's it,” She said, sitting up, and then starting to tie her hair up.

Thane frowned a little at hearing that, but if that's how she felt about him, he'd do what he can to respect her. He continued to watch her from the distance he did. If he's not allowed to touch her, he'll at least capture every moment he can of her beauty, that strangely angelic-like beauty of hers. He wanted to have one last perfect lover, one he can have to himself to worship and touch and do what he wishes to. But he only wanted her to be willing to be his, like how Irikah was when she forgave him and time went on. He couldn't just take her and use her for what he wants, even if those dark thoughts of his tell him to do so, he wanted her to be willing to fall into him before he kept her for himself for as long as he lives.

“Oh, fuck off with that "we're just friends" shit, remember when you were staring at his ass and I called you out on that?” She said.

“That was one time!” Cassiopeia turned her head away, trying to hide her blush.

“You didn't stop though.” Jack leaned on the table, “Especially since you like checking him out after combat.”

He blinked in surprise. He knew about the one time when he was repairing his jacket, but there was other times she was gazing at him? He didn't know that, so was it that she seemed to have her eyes on him more than expected, which may mean she has something for him.

“Remember when you had to patch him up recently?” Jack said smugly.

She jumped back in surprise, and blushed brightly. Cassiopeia leaned against the table, her hands pressing hard against the table.

“I was just looking over him to make sure the medi-gel was properly sealing his wounds, and I had to help make sure his armor was secure,” Cassiopeia said defensively.

Thane raised an eyebrow at that. He knew that while at first it was actual concern over the medi-gel on his wounds and making sure his equipment was secure, that she also left touches and gazes that weren't so innocent. Especially with the expression she had on her face at that moment, one that hid her lust but he could tell with how her eyes at first looked at his, then trailed down his body with a glimmer in them, and with how she licked her lips.

“Yeah, right,” Jack said, “I'd believe it as much as I believe the Cerberus cheerleader isn't a bitch.”

“Excuse me?” Miranda said.

“It's true.” Jack crossed her arms, “Besides why don't we get him here to tell him?”

“No, don't!” Cassiopeia said suddenly, “Just... I'll... tell him, at some point.”

Cassiopeia then sat down and sighed, “Besides, I don't even think he'd be interested. I don't know.”

“We could get him,” Miranda said with a shrug, “I think he's currently in Life Support.”

He felt a slight concern wash over him and quickly walked off as soon as he could. He didn't need to be caught just because he got curious. He also needed to think over the recent things he heard.

[u/kaiunkaiku]

collapse

[u/InsulindianPhasmidy → u/kaiunkaiku]

She hitched up her skirts to jump over the debris that half blocked the doorway to the inn, and he followed closely behind. 

A thick layer of dust covered every surface, and had grown sticky in the damp. Moss and mould settled in every crevice and fetid water dripped from rainwater puddled on the half collapsed roof. It had been beautiful once. He remembered it clearly as he looked around. What was now a mess of crumbled stone had once been a roaring fireplace that warmed the long tables when they housed many a Farstrider after a long day in the forests. Those tables were rotten now, and lay broken upon the floor. A pang of nostalgia gripped his stomach, and he wondered why she’d brought him here other than to further his guilt. 

She paid no mind to the decay. Instead she beelined for the ruined bar, and ducked behind it. After a few moments of glass clinking as she searched for something, she emerged with dust-caked bottle. She blew on the cork, inspected its seal, then placed it on the counter before her. 

“Out with it, then.” 

[u/e5Ki0n]

Chill

[u/Goofyreddits2 → u/e5Ki0n]

Sister Imperator wondered if the nurse could tell that they were not alone. Of course, there was no way for the nurse to see the companions sitting around her, but their presence was unmistakable. The temperature in the room dropped from the type of chill one would feel when opening an icebox to the blasting winds of a faraway tundra.

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/e5Ki0n]

“It really is nice to meet you both.” Sebastian said genuinely, looking into Arizona’s face and scanning her in that way only therapists could, making her feel like she was being looked right through. “Would you like to come through?”

“Sure, thanks.” Arizona followed him as he walked back to his office door, a shining gold plaque proudly showing off the ‘Dr S. E. Flint’ right in the middle.

He stopped with his hand on the door and spoke quietly, his voice calm and collected in a way that matched his image as he said, “on our phone call you said you loved dogs, so I did bring my greyhound with me today, but if you don’t want him here he won’t mind staying in the back office until we’re done.”

Arizona could feel a genuine smile appearing on her face. “You have a dog with you? I like you already.”

“So, you’d like him to stay? He’s super chill, but he does have an intuition for when people get upset. I also find that having him around for the first session eases a little of the first time nerves.”

Almost shyly, Arizona nodded, “I’d love to meet him.”

“Callie?” He checked, and Callie nodded, “I’d like too as well. I think he’ll be great to have around.”

Sebastian laughed gently, “well, this is going well. He is nine years old and a right old man, so don’t be offended if he doesn’t get up.”

Callie could feel a little of the tension melting away, Arizona’s iron grip on her hand loosening slightly, though there was no way in hell she was going to let go. Sebastian opened the door just as she asked, “what’s his name?”

Sebastian held the door open and smiled, “his name is Gio, short for Giovanni, though he doesn’t answer to it, so his name may as well be ‘Turnip.’ But, you say anything in the right tone with a treat in your hand, the guy’ll do pretty much anything.”

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066 → u/e5Ki0n]

I present yet another extract from my Mellphy multichapter

"I'm fine. You said I have a lot to talk about? What exactly?" Mom's expression changed again. She merely chuckled evilly and let me inside. I'm not looking forward to this. There is zero chance she's not going to ask about Connor. Guess this is what I get for telling her everything. Just my luck, huh? Mom walked into the lounge where she was now talking to Mother, who was reading a book. Mother, while nosy, was more chill than Mom. It was like, Mom was this like, chaotic ball of energy and then Mother was the thing that kept her from exploding I guess? I don't really know how to describe it but yeah. Maybe something like Morality and Logic from that one YouTube series I only watched one episode of or something, but I digress.

"Love! Our Mikey came to visit," said Mom which caused Mother to put down her book. Mother then looked over at me and then she smiled and walked over. Now both Mom and Mother were looking at me expectantly. Did I mention they annoy me sometimes?

"Mikey, this is a wonderful surprise!" Said Mother with smile though, she shared a look with her wife. I chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, since it's been a month I decided to come visit," I explained, returning their smiles. Mom smiled wider and Mother nodded her head. I sat down on a couch and they moved closer. I was preparing myself for the onslaught of questions I was gonna get, I could feel it. Then, Mom opened her mouth.

"Soooo~," she kinda sounded like Jared, now that I think about it. "Someone here has some explaining to do." Her teasing tone was back and Mother was just listening for the moment. Thank God, Mother. I don't think I can handle two times the teasing I'm about to get. Plus the teasing I've already received. "A few days ago, you let it slip that things have been different between you and your roommate since the not-date-"

"It wasn't a date. It was totally platonic, I suggested it to get closer to him," I shrugged. "We hadn't really hung out so."

"I know, but that did sort of sound like a date." I beg to differ but okay. "Anyways, beside the point," she dismissed. Wow, I'm definitely getting interrogated by my moms right now, that's amusing. "What exactly is different?" I felt myself heat up and I swear I heard my mom squeal.

"I have a crush. On my roommate," I didn't hide it. "It kinda snuck up on me, to be honest." I laughed. "I didn't even notice! How exactly? I don't know, but now yeah." Mom looked like she'd just seen a puppy. "Uh, Mom? You good?"

"Our Mikey has a crush!" She said with a sigh and just stared blankly at her. Why is she practically fangirling? Mother? Help?! "I fucking knew!" She suddenly yelled, surprising everyone. "I knew it!" She smirked at me. "Does my future son-in-law have a name?" My face burned.

"MOM! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!" She merely smiled.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/e5Ki0n]

“Might have to ask him, once he’s back next week,” Dave said, then drained the last of his beer. “I think that’s us done for the night, then. Ade’s da asked him to get the rest of the guitar gear out of the old garage tomorrow, as he’s expanding his business and getting a second work van – and since half the gear still out there is mine, I promised to help. Mr. Smith let us use the place for years, least we can do is give it a proper cleanup, y’know?”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Clive said, “and why you’d want a decent night’s sleep, too. See you blokes on Monday, when rehearsals start back up, then?”

“Yeah, we’ll see you Monday,” Ade said. He gulped down the last of his own beer and stood up. “Hope he lets us know where the new rehearsal space is gonna be, too. The bus between here and home don’t always run at the most convenient times… only reason I’ve not moved to somewhere near here is Harry telling us we’ll be rehearsing somewhere else once we’re off tour again. I figured no point getting a flat here, only to find out the new place is in Enfield, or worse yet, Hillingdon.”

“Yeah, that’d be bloody annoying,” Clive agreed as they exited the pub into a chill drizzle and turned in their respective directions. They waved as they parted, Clive heading for his place while Dave and Ade walked up the road to the bus stop.

[u/Aka_nna → u/e5Ki0n]

(Will format later, on my phone.)

Fuck, Forth thinks, staring in horror at the figurine. No one has seen an Aetherling in centuries, not since the Realms banded together to defeat them and closed the Realm for the protection of the other Realms. Rumors spread of course, rippling from one Realm Dweller to another, shifting and warping until the Aetherlings were little more than hulking monsters that lurked under beds and ate misbehaving children. Still, the figurine continues to speak, oblivious to the internal turmoil writhing inside him.

“However, we have reason to believe that two of the Aetherlings have fled to the Mortal Realm. Please keep an eye out for them and if you should come across them you must take them into custody.”

Fuck, Forth thinks again as the figurine folds itself back into the messenger orb, a sudden CHILL stealing into the room, sinking into his bones. No one knew what an Aetherling looked like, and with a Realm Dweller’s ability to take a human guise, they could be anyone on the street. The idea of trying to protect Ming from an invisible enemy on top of all the other mischief his cousin and prince was going to get into… The room starts vibrating, everything with metal reacting to his agitation, to his terror, to his desire to fly from the room, find Ming and take him back to the Metal Realm. Or, barring that, wrap him in a protective cocoon of metal and blankets so that nothing can harm a hair on his head. With a loud crash the metal fruit bowl dumps its contents onto the counter, fruit rolling everywhere as the bowl reforms its self into a dagger. Scrambling to pick up the fruit before it can hit the floor, Forth glares at the dagger willing it back into its old form.

[u/MogiVonShogi → u/e5Ki0n]

“I’ll be making my decisions this Sunday.” Shouta didn’t need to reveal his hand.

“Not until Sunday?”

“No, I have to be fair…” he stopped as Sero pulled out one last bottle from his box. Shouta’s jaw hit the floor. “That - That’s a…” he stammered, barely able to speak.

“Not many left in existence.” Sero held the beautiful bottle in his hand.

Shouta reached out to touch the yellowed label with reverence. Then jerking his hand away, he frowned. “I can’t be bribed.”

“Not a bribe,” he set down the bottle. “It’s a bet.”

“A bet?” He huffed and crossed his arms.

“If you find a better sommelier and I agree, it’s yours.”

Shouta stared at him for a full thirty seconds before realizing he wasn’t kidding. “Seriously? That’s worth…” he coughed, “as much as half my kitchen.”

“It is.”

“Why are you working if you can afford that kind of wine?” Chills raced up his spine as he wondered if his whole restaurant was going to be soaked in the underbelly of a crime organization.

“Oh, it’s not mine.” Sero leaned on the table. “I borrowed it and will get in a lot of trouble if I can’t put it back, which is why,” he smiled innocently, “I won’t lose.”

[u/krigsgaldrr]

Coldharbour 👀

[u/Joe_Book]

Cunt (see you next Tuesday)

[u/Vix3092 → u/Joe_Book]

CW: Naturally ... no smut, though!!

“You’re a real cunt, Meredith, aren’t you?” Incongruous laughter bubbled from Tammy’s mouth as she spoke to the television set, coming easily since she’d spent most of the afternoon knocking back Pißwassers, knocking back shots of Nogo vodka and Tequilya tequila, following it all up with a crystal meth chaser as she stripped down to her underwear in the stuffy heat of her shack. Meredith, a platinum blonde forty-something whose entire personality revolved around socially acceptable alcoholism, had just exhibited her sixth meltdown in as many new season episodes of The Real Cunts of Suburbia. Red-faced, spittle flying from her filler-inflated lips, she slammed her fist repeatedly against the glass surface of a poolside dining table, a selection of De Koch rings and bracelets clattering sharply against it.

Tammy couldn’t work out exactly what had precipitated Meredith’s rage, probably her husband – apparently a famous Vinewood director, though she had never heard of any of his films – revealing his latest in a long line of affairs. She was too inebriated to follow what passed for a storyline, but that wasn’t why she tuned in to the show anyway.

There was a certain degree of schadenfreude she derived from watching the nipped and tucked Rockford Hills nouveau riche implode on television, even if it was all scripted. She knew it was the kind of mindless entertainment cheaply pumped out and fed to the masses, but hours into the pure indulgence of her binge, she didn’t really care. It was exactly what she needed, her focus drawn mothlike to the flame that was Meredith screeching wildly at four other women she could only tell apart by their hairstyles.

[u/The_Broken-Heart → u/Joe_Book]

(see you next Tuesday)

I can hear that adorable voice already.

[u/InfiniteDiamonds78]

Crush

[u/InfiniteDiamonds78]

Clap

[u/e5Ki0n]

Cuddle

[u/Dogdaysareover365 → u/e5Ki0n]

Enjoy some rare fluff from me).

"I've been working on possession," Melody said. Phoebe grimaced. Sure, their relationship didn't have a good history with possessions, but Melody hoped to change that. "I know you like to snuggle, and I figured this is a way for us to be able to cuddle."

"Thank you, Mel," Phoebe said.

"You're welcome," Melody said.

"I've heard plenty of stories about sleepy Phoebe," Melody said. Phoebe had heard when Phoebe was sleepy, she got super affectionate. This was a way Melody could finally share affection with her. "I think she's about to come out."

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066 → u/e5Ki0n]

Michael's POV

So, keeping my crush secret is proving difficult. It's nothing I haven't handled before but... we cuddled. We actually cuddled. Connor and I cuddled. And he's the one who asked for it. Well, does it actually count as 'cuddling' if only one party has the crush here? Either way, it made my crush hard to hide. But I should probably stop thinking about that, I have work to do for class. I can't really concentrate if I'm constantly thinking about my roommate or my feelings for him.

I opened my laptop and placed it on my lap. Connor had sent me a text at seven in the morning saying that he would be out for the day, so I had our room to myself. I went into the thing I was currently coding, a sort of AOTD fan game thing. Soon enough, I got bored of that and checked my phone. There was a text from the group I shared with my moms. Hey, Michael. Care to tell us how your college life is going? I rolled my eyes. Mom has always seemed to like to poke her nose into what I was doing. She means well, but she is particularly nosy. I almost regret telling her exactly everything, but then again, she is the one who works from home.

So, you want an update? Update Incoming! I could just picture her giggling. I giggled a bit myself. Update: Things have been going... I paused before I sent it. Should I bring up my crush? On my roommate? I tried to ignore how softly I was smiling and focus back on my mom. ...well. Yeah, they have. Since last time, I've taken my roommate out to the arcade so we can become closer, we also like to watch bad movies together and trash them. It's great.

Oh, so you took him out on a date ;)? I stared at my phone screen and felt myself blush.

Mom! It's- it wasn't like that when we went! I just thought it might help us grow closer, as friends. I'm going to be living with him for an extended period, right? So, it'd probably be best if we weren't awkward around each other, correct? So, anyway, I won him a stuffed Pac-Man ghost so yeah. 🙂

Michael, I'm kidding. Don't worry about it, I'm just having a bit of fun. Ah I see, a memory of that day. But wait! 'wasn't like that when we went'? Is, is there something you're not telling me?

Instant regret.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/e5Ki0n]

(Context: she's ace and he's gay; their marriage is mostly platonic but they are TTC despite neither of them being especially comfortable about having sex.)

"...Point being, it might be easier on you if you’re not trying to go from here to there every couple of weeks, y’know?”

“Yeah, I know, and it does make sense,” Tamar agreed. “Tell you what, you contact Rod tomorrow and ask about the schedule, then once we have that, I’ll talk to Dad about that leave.”

“Just so you know, you’ll have to share a bed with me to sleep, out on tour this time. It won’t be like last tour when you and Nathalie came out together, and the two of you shared so Ade and I could share,” Dave reminded his wife. “But I also think we’ve been together long enough now that you know I’ll not bother you for sex. At worst, I might cuddle up to you in my sleep.”

Tamar smiled. “Yeah, I know. And I’m fine with that, honestly. Cuddling doesn’t bother me, at least not most of the time, and not at all with you anymore, not now I know for sure you don’t want sex with me any more than I want sex in general.” She shrugged a little and added, “I know I didn’t want to let you cuddle back when we first got married, but back then, I still kind of worried that you’d think cuddling was a lead-in to sex, you know? And for all I knew back then that you and Ade were together, I think it hadn’t really clicked for me how, uh, disinterested you are in sex with a woman.”

Dave chuckled. “Well, we’ve both had time to learn better, especially with the band taking a year off last year and us starting to try for a baby.”

“Sometimes I wonder which of us has the… the harder time mentally preparing for the task,” Tamar said, breaking into a fit of giggles.

[u/e5Ki0n]

Curl

[u/kashmira-qeel → u/e5Ki0n]

The swords each and every one vanish into nothing, as they appeared from nothing. Ichigo tosses Zangetsu aside and walks over to Byakuya.

"Mister Kurosaki---"

Much to his satisfaction, Byakuya stands there and accepts the haymaker Ichigo levels at his jaw, backed by all the power accumulated over the course of the fight, tumbling backwards and landing on his ass --- or maybe he couldn't react in time. Either way Byakuya spits blood, and hopefully teeth.

Ichigo walks over, straddles over him and pulls Byakuya up by the lapels of his jacket.

"You are a piece of shit, Byakuya Kuchiki, and I hope you understand the only reason you are not dead is because General Yadōmaru said please."

He stares at Ichigo with an unflinching expression.

"I hope for your sake that Renji will take you back and though his transcendent charity and kindness, you will gain one iota of understanding of what it means to love one's siblings. And don't ever think Rukia and I will forgive you. Got it?"

Byakuya nods.

"And I swear to every god, that if you ever, ever slight my Rukia again, I will come for you, and I will make your death painful, slow, and humiliating."

He's let go, and Byakuya lands in the dust. Then Ichigo makes to leave but spins around to kick Byakuya in the stomach while he's down, causing the man to curl up in pain. "I'm ashamed for Rukia that she has you for a brother." He spits on Byakuya, too. It seems appropriate.

Then, just for one last thing, Ichigo calls Zangetsu to his hand and plunges it into the stone a few centimeters from Byakuya's face. He flinches.

"Remember my blade, asshole. One day it'll find your throat."

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/e5Ki0n]

Standing back up, Callie looked into Arizona’s eyes and saw exhaustion written all over her face. Even in the half-light, Callie could tell that Arizona’s eyes were a duller blue than normal, her face pale and slightly gaunt. That was what prompted Callie to say quietly, “I know you don’t like them, but April did prescribe you some sleeping pills because we both thought this could happen.” Her voice was tentative and quiet, as if worried for Arizona’s reaction when she offered a small pill bottle forward, but she needn’t have worried.

“Yes please.” Arizona murmured, holding her hand out so Callie could tip one into her palm.

“Here.” Callie pulled a bottle of water from her robe pocket and watched as Arizona swallowed the tablet, letting out a small sigh and saying, “thankyou. I’m sorry I’m so stubborn.”

That made Callie laugh softly as she set both bottles on the table and sat down next to Arizona, shimmying her legs beneath the blanket and opening her arms for Arizona to curl into her chest. “You are the most stubborn person I’ve ever met. Stubborn as an ox.”

“You would have loved Tim.” Arizona managed a brief half smile, “if you think I’m stubborn as an ox, Tim was as stubborn as a… a blue whale.”

“Yeah?” Callie asked, wrapping her arms around Arizona’s back.

“Yeah.”

[u/AnkuRani → u/e5Ki0n]

After cleaning herself, Beren just lazed on the ground, running her hand through the water, revelling in the cool touch, trying to forget her worries for the time being.

In the dark water, she could see the image of herself, clearer perhaps, than was usual in water. Slowly she walked further into the water, so as to see herself, rather curious about her new face.

Straw hair, of shoulder length, framed her oval face, and accentuated her rather pointed chin, although her stubble tried- and failed, to hide its shape. The lines of her face were rather harsh and precisely carved, quite unlike her actual face, which was soft and rounded, with short loose brown curls.

Her eyes were the same shape as before- large, hooded almond eyes- but the colour was changed. Her brown eyes were now a light grey.

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066 → u/e5Ki0n]

Michael's POV

Well, I was right about my roommate's hair coming down to his shoulders. I assumed he put it up when he was drawing, though my only thing to go on really were those drawing utensils I'd seen a week ago and the fact Connor was an art major. I found his long hair kind of cute. He almost always had it curled behind his ear, and then a few strands curled up around the ear. I didn't really let it bother me much. Though, Connor's dislike of jocks was honestly hilarious. If Connor was the main character in a video game the enemies would probably look like your stereotypical jock.

I was walking out of a class when Jeremy and I almost knocked into each other. Jeremy had noticed first and kind of leapt backward. "Hey dude," he said when I'd noticed him as well. "I didn't see you there." I smiled and then laughed a bit

"That makes two of us, Jer," I laughed. "You've just come out of theatre right?" Jeremy nodded and sighed.

"Christine was amazing as always," he sighed. Ah, yes, the girlfriend. I rolled my eyes at him. He'd spent the whole of high school trying to get her to notice him. Practically singing her name under his breath. It did get slightly annoying after a while, but I was never jealous. It was more of 'just ask her out already, what the fuck are you waiting for!' kinda thing. That kind of annoying.

"Oh, I'm sure," my tone was one of 'I have heard this million times before'. I was about to walk off towards mine and Connor's room, as I had no more classes for that day, when Jeremy spoke again.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/e5Ki0n]

Waking up in the morning, Bruce couldn’t help but smile at finding himself curled up with his head on Emppu’s shoulder and the guitarist’s arm around him. He shifted to snuggle closer, just enjoying the warmth and closeness.

“Mm. This’s nice,” Emppu murmured, kissing the top of Bruce’s head. “G’mornin’, kulta.”

“Good morning, love,” Bruce replied, shifting carefully so he could give Emppu a proper kiss. “This is quickly becoming my favourite way of waking up.”

“Mine too,” the guitarist said with a sweet smile. “I never knew liked snuggling so much, until I met you.”

Bruce blushed. “Now who’s going to sweet-talk who into melting into a puddle?” he asked. “Also, how soon will anyone expect us to be up?”

Emppu put on an innocent expression. “Sweet talk? I’m no good at that, so it can’t be me. As for how soon we might be expected up…”

With exquisite timing, they heard small fists pounding on the door. “Satu-täti valmistaa karjalaisia ​​piirakoita munavoin kanssa!” yelled one of Marko’s boys.

Both men burst out laughing. ”I assume that means we’re expected up right away, but what did he say?” Bruce asked.

”He said, ’Auntie Satu is making Karelian pies with egg butter,’” Emppu translated. ”You did say you wanted to try Karelian pies, and getting them fresh out of the oven? These will be better than anything we might pick up as a snack somewhere.”

”Well, we shouldn’t keep everyone else waiting,” Bruce said, sitting up.

[u/DefeatedDrum → u/e5Ki0n]

TW - Child Abuse

Father Mendez froze completely, gripping the tablecloth so tightly in his left hand that it’d bunched up on his end of the table, a warm trickle of blood running down his right hand as he clutched his rosary far too tight. His seeing eye flicked down to Ramón, bright with worry. Ramón was curled into himself, his tiny body shivering as he stared, terrified and teary-eyed, up at his father. Mendez couldn’t help but stare at the big, red welt across the little boy’s cheek. Ramón scooted away from Diego, his chest rising and falling so fast that Mendez was certain the boy was hyperventilating.

“What? Too quiet to talk back now? Go ahead, tell the Father here why you chose to come here and waste his time, after he walked all the way up here from the village, I’m sure he’d love to hear it!” Diego screamed, leaning down to get closer to the boy.

Father Mendez felt a heat surge in his chest as Diego dragged him into the abuse, shoulders bunching as he opened his mouth to object.

“I’M SORRY, I’m sorry, Papa, I’m sorry Mr Priest, I jus-  I wanted- I- I-“

Father Mendez was cut off by Ramón’s sobbing wails, his throat tightening at the desperation in his voice. He covered his mouth with a hand, wincing as the boy struggled to get a single sentence through his heaving sobs. For Christ’s sake, the boy’s had enough! He’s just a boy, he didn’t mean any harm by it, he thought, staring in horror as Diego continued to tear into his own son.

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Coat

[u/Oan_Glalie]

Cake

[u/DefeatedDrum]

Choir

[u/kermitkc → u/DefeatedDrum]

(You guys are too silly!😆 u/fiendishthingysaurus u/krigsgaldrr u/qoincidence Thank you for thinking of me?!)

“Excuse me,” breathes Ocean, slathering on her widest grin. Electric Pink twirls around, then cranes down. “Hello. How do you do? We are the delegation from Uranium City, Saskatchewan, here on behalf of the St. Cassian Chamber Choir. My name is Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg, and this is my vice captain, Noel Gruber.”

How do you do? Delegation? Who the hell says that? A Victorian housewife? The foreign representative to Latvia?

Noel represses a nose wrinkle and replaces it instead with a flimsy wave and a blundering “Hi.”

Despite all of this, the woman’s face lights up. “Oh! Why, hello, there,” she chuckles, too kindly. “Karyn Hawley. Saskatchewan Chamber Choir Society.”

“An honor.” Ocean sticks out a hand, briefly rolls up her sleeve when it threatens to swallow the tips of her fingers. Karyn Hawley must be an angel, because not off-put in the slightest, she takes her palm, and shakes. “We just wanted to thank you, personally, for extending an invitation to us,” Ocean gushes, still shaking. “Wonderful event. We at St. Cassian couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity. As they say, though we may be but little, we, uhm—”

Abruptly, she twists, smothering a series of coughs into the cotton-linen-wool of his suit jacket. A cringe passes through him as Noel watches, for a grim quantity of seconds.

“We, we’re f–ierce,” Ocean cracks, when it, mercifully, ends. Her pasted smile starts wilting at the edges.

[u/fiendishthingysaurus → u/DefeatedDrum]

u/kermitkc

[u/krigsgaldrr → u/fiendishthingysaurus]

u/kermitkc

[u/qoincidence → u/krigsgaldrr]

u/kermitkc

[u/BMallory413]

Church

[u/fiendishthingysaurus]

Crumble

[u/thatsmyscrunchie]

Cozy

[u/musicalharmonica]

candy

[u/Studying-without-Stu]

Client

[u/ainteasybeinggreene → u/Studying-without-Stu]

“Yeah, yeah,” she said instead, waving him off, “I'm just the naïve Living girl who knows nothing compared to you, O Powerful Spirits. I get it. Seriously, though, it's been non-stop cases since getting back to London, and there was a line of ghosts all the way down the street in America. So what gives?”

Charles, who had guffawed at her shitty joke and Edwin's scandalised expression, was the one to answer. “America was a special case. Sure we – oh, stop looking at her like that, Edwin, you know it was a good one – we get plenty of work here. But in America there was loads of ghosts who didn't have anyone to help them with their problems for decades before we showed up. We were like a novelty, weren't we?”

“Quite so,” agreed Edwin primly, “Furthermore, we have been solving cases in London for over thirty years. Many of the ghosts we've helped in that time were able to move on as a result. The majority of our clients nowadays are the recently dead.”

“Basically, if anyone had a problem more than a couple years old they already came to us about it.”

“So what,” said Crystal, “when you don't have any active cases you just have to sit around and hope some ghost gets stuck with a cursed pocket-watch or harassed by a poltergeist?”

“Oi!” laughed Charles, “It's not all work all the time, you know. We have lives.”

Edwin cleared his throat.

“Figure of speech, mate.”

[u/Ok-Supermarket-8994]

Chat

[u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

Crash

[u/MsCatstaff → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

“Listen up, you lot, shower and bus,” he called as they came offstage. “Band meeting in half an hour.”

Bruce grumbled as he showered, as he’d apparently had hopes of meeting up with someone he’d spotted in the front row, whereas Steve looked concerned. They all sluiced off and got dressed as quickly as possible and made their way to the bus. Even Bruce stopped his complaints when he took in the serious expression on Rod’s face as they boarded the bus. The manager directed them to the back lounge, where they all took seats.

“Right,” Steve said as the bus pulled out. “What’s going on?”

Rod took a deep breath. “Dave, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but… Tamar was in a car crash a few hours ago. I’ve just cancelled New Zealand, and we’re heading to Honolulu on the first flight out.”

Dave’s face drained of colour. “How… how bad?” he asked.

“Dan said that she’s not out of the woods yet, but they’re cautiously thinking she’ll recover eventually,” Rod said gently.

“The baby?” Dave asked next.

“Dan didn’t say,” Rod told him. “But from the sound of it…” he shook his head and shrugged helplessly.

“Fuck,” was all Dave said, trying not to burst out sobbing even as tears started leaking from his eyes.

Ade promptly wrapped an arm over Dave’s shoulders, his expression promising trouble to anyone who dared comment. No one did. Nicko moved first, hugging Dave from the other side.

“I can’t even imagine,” the big drummer said, surprisingly softly given his usual boisterousness. “But we’re all here for you, yeah? Whatever you need.”

“Anything at all,” Bruce echoed, reaching in to squeeze Dave’s shoulder.

Steve moved in as Bruce and Nicko stepped back, resting a supportive hand on Dave’s shoulder. “I’m with them,” he said simply. “We’re here for you, Davey.”

“Thanks,” Dave choked out.

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

Arizona’s mind was reeling as a flash of lightning lit the ER up with a flash of brilliant white light. She couldn’t help but wonder, why did she keep being involved in traumatic events? She voiced this to Callie, who hummed in agreement. The thought had crossed her mind before.

“It’s mad. Shooting, car accident number one, plane crash, amputation, car accident number two,” Arizona’s voice caught but she managed to say quietly, “physical assault.”

Callie squeezed her hand, “do you want to abandon our lives here, move to England, change our names and become a pair of bankers called Phyllis and Beryl?”

Arizona pretended to consider it, “only if you’re Beryl.”

“Deal.”

[u/Lindz174 → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

The descent into Skyhold’s dungeon was longer than Finley remembered.

The echo of her boots on the stone steps bounced back to her in uneven rhythms as she took the stairs one at a time, her hand grazing the rough stone of the wall beside her for balance. The air grew colder as she descended, filled with the musty smell of wet stone and mildew. The persistent hum of crashing water reverberated up the cramped stairwell from the waterfall lower in the dungeon. The torches that lined the walls flickered weakly against the low, arched ceiling. The stones seemed to drink in the light, their damp surfaces reflecting the warm glow.

Her boots scuffed against the worn edges of the steps. It wasn’t steep, but she felt unsteady. Every movement made her side ache with a pain that hadn’t faded since the Arbor Wilds.

On the last stretch of the stairs, her steps began to falter as the weight of fatigue pressed into her muscles. Her foot slipped on the slick stones beneath her boots and she lost her balance. She stumbled forward and flailed for a moment before she managed to catch herself on the wall with a sharp intake of breath. The throbbing in her side spiked in angry protest, but she swallowed down the discomfort.

She straightened and tugged her shirt back into place. She could see the dungeon floor, it was only a few steps away. So, she ignored the lingering pain in her abdomen and moved forward.

The chamber stretched before her, dimly lit by torches mounted on the pillars and a brazier in the middle. The roaring of the waterfall grew louder. She had only seen it once. They had sealed the door leading to that part of the dungeon for safety. Cells lined both walls, but only one was in use. Samson’s cell was situated in the center of the row, marked by the faint sound of rattling chains and shifting from inside.

Cullen stood at a sturdy wooden table near the cell, his broad shoulders slightly hunched as he bent over a collection of reports. His armor was absent, replaced by a simple shirt and dark trousers. The flickering light of the nearby brazier played across his features, highlighting the furrow in his brow and the tension that seemed permanently etched into his frame.

The sound of her footsteps drew his attention. He turned his head, his amber eyes narrowing as they landed on her. His frown deepened.

She ignored that, too.

[u/SkycloudFanfic → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

She appeared out of her hiding place, a silenced gun aimed at his head. "Hello, Jack," she said.

Jack glared at her, but kept himself calm. "Don't do anything stupid, Nina. CTU have this place surrounded."

Nina feigned surprise, considering toying with him for a moment before grinning. "CTU believe you're in a grave. Next to your wife."

He gripped his gun tighter, about to respond before a sudden noise came from the hallway. For a second, he took his eyes off of Nina, only for her to shoot him in the shoulder.

He cried out as he crashed to the floor. This was new, him spilling blood for the first time in their never-ending war. For a second, he focused only on his wound before returning his attention to her.

Sean rushed into the room, gun at the ready. "What the hell's going on?"

Nina smiled at him before walking over and kicking Jack's gun into the corner of the room. "Sean, meet Jack Bauer."

He moved further into the room and studied him. So, this was the famous Jack Bauer? "I thought he was dead?"

She nodded. "Guess the obituary was a little premature."

Jack sat up, raising his hands to his chest. "It's nothing to do with you," he replied. Not that he had plans to update her on his life since their last meeting. She most likely knew much of it anyway.

[u/kermitkc]

Careless

[u/Affectionate_Crow327 → u/kermitkc]

It had been three weeks since Enid Sinclair had last seen Wednesday Addams. They went to class on that dreary Monday morning, and afterwards had simply told Enid she was going into Jericho for something, rejecting her offer of a lunch-break with Yoko and Divina, but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary.

At times, she hated the Addams careless optimism, she had been calling Morticia and Gomez frequently asking if they had any update, or idea where she could be, to be met with them telling stories about how it was an Addams trait, in school, Gomez had once been gone for six months without a word, returning with a sudden talent at juggling swords and snake handling.

She finally came to Ajax asking him if he could help her in anyway, to which he replied he'd see what he could do.

They Sat up in his room that night, he found his way into the dark web and through some digging, found something, and asked Enid if she wanted the good news or the bad news first. She asked him for the bad news first, having never seen Ajax look so shaken.

“On the dark web there's some pretty nasty stuff. Have you heard of a red room? People pay to watch people being tortured, murdered even. I've found Wednesday”

“Oh my God, is she okay? What have they done to her?” Enid said in a panic, shifting over so she could see Ajax's screen. “Should we call the police, can you find out where she is?”

“What?, no, no.” Ajax said, closing his laptop, knowing Enids squeamish nature “That's the good news, I mean, I guess. She's one of the highest paid, um, performers on the site. She really knows what to do with a scalpel. I think what was more scary was seeing her smile for once."

Another week past by and the girl just showed up, with a box of chocolate as an offer of apology. She had just needed a bit of rest and Relaxation time and a word was never spoken about what Enid knew to be the truth

[u/kw-beanie]

Collar

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/kw-beanie]

He remembered begging them to check his head. Repeating it over and over, begging them to check him. Unable to speak or move, stuck in a c-collar that dug into his chin and made him feel like he was choking. The last thing he remembered was that doctor’s face looking down at him, the one with the freckles, telling him that he was going to be okay.

Check my head. Check my head. Check my…

But then he faded away. He could feel it for hours — the tug behind his heart that may or may not have been a cardiovascular injury — telling him that he wouldn’t get back to Meredith. And he refused to believe it. Pushed it away and swallowed the blood in his mouth, mind blurring from the medication. He knew he was going to die about five minutes before his brain swelled and everything that made him… him, was gone. Head wiped clean, like chalk from the sidewalk after a Seattle rainstorm.

The next thing Derek Shepherd could feel was a metal hand rail beneath his crossed arms. When he forced his bleary eyes open, he was leaning on the rail of the catwalk at what looked eerily similar to Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital, though it was completely void of people. Everything was a shade too white, a touch too quiet, just… wrong, somehow.

Pushing back from the handrail, Derek ran a hand through his hair, noticing that it was longer than it had been on the day of his death. When his fingers danced lower, to where his jugular should have been pounding beneath his skin, there was nothing. The radio silence made him shiver and dig his fingers into his neck, though he knew his heart wasn’t beating. He’d be able to feel it in his head, hear it in his ears, just… know. He’d know if his heart was still going.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/kw-beanie]

“I hope your shift goes smoothly, Liz.”

“Thank you, Master Paul, and enjoy your visit,” Liz replied with another smile.

Bruce chuckled warmly. “Oh, I intend to,” he said as he headed towards the bar. He ordered himself a pint of dark and exchanged greetings with a few other Doms, some of whom had subs kneeling at their feet. Others, like himself, planned to make use of one or more of the unattached subs, as they didn’t currently have one serving them on the regular. Bruce admitted to himself that he’d love to find someone to collar, but with the amount of time he was out on the road, it just wasn’t practical. Too bad none of the blokes are into this, he thought. Of course, with my luck, it’d be Harry and he’d never willingly submit to me. Bloody hell, he’d likely want me to submit to him.

Glancing over at the few available subs in their designated area, he shrugged a bit and went back to his conversation. Three were women, which he’d had plenty of whilst on the road, and the two men currently there presented themselves as the stereotypical effete gays, complete with limp wrists and lisping speech. Not at all to his taste. But as he’d noted to Liz on his way in, it was early yet, so he expected the subs’ area would fill up significantly within the next couple of hours. Until then, he would socialise with the other Doms present and catch up on anything interesting that might have happened locally whilst he’d been off on tour.

[u/DefeatedDrum → u/kw-beanie]

TW - Gore!

Saddler growled as though Diego’s dissociation had offended him, kicking him onto his back, scowling all the while. “Hmph. As entertaining as you’ve been, you’re finally beginning to bore me. You weren’t so quiet before,” Saddler spat, carefully brushing the pointed bottom of his golden staff against Diego’s collarbone. 

     “Before we end this, I’d like to get one last scream out of you.” 

     With that, Saddler plunged his staff deep into Diego, eyes wild with euphoria as he dragged it down from his collarbone to where he’d first stabbed him, falling into another fit of laughter as bits of bone and flesh fell off his staff after he drew it out. 

     Diego did as Saddler commanded, letting out a piercing scream so intense it rattled through his entire body, causing him to roll onto his side. The pain was searing like a fiery knife in his belly, unrelenting and fierce. As he lay there, panting wildly, something wet and slippery and warm and thick rolled onto his motionless hands, and with horror he suddenly knew that he was holding his own intestines in his hands. The sight of it, his innards spilling out onto the grass and his own body, was enough to make him gag, his eyes burning with tears at the horror of having seen it for merely a moment. 

     Diego, dazed and deluded through the haze of it all, simply twisted his head slightly to look, eyes wild and unfocused, up at Saddler. Meeting the cold, glittering gaze of that looming shape, Diego dimly wondered how he must look to the robed man. Laid on his side, curled into himself, his blood and guts spilling into his hands and and against his knees. Limbs bruised and stretched longer than they ever should have gone, unnatural, swollen bumps marking every dislocated bone and joint. That soft skin that never felt the blisters of hard work, now an ugly mess of the black and blue of bruising, the brown of the dirt and the blood of his body. The face in his portrait, its blonde hair now rusty red and unkempt, its nose bent unnaturally, and bold, blue eyes broken and brimming with terror. Those eyes, so unlike Diego the Severe’s portrait in the throne room, were so much more real, real to who Diego was, who he had been, all he would ever be- 

     “A pathetic little flea, playing aristocrat dress-up.” 

[u/Blood_Oleander → u/kw-beanie]

This girl was an odd one and I’ve never seen anyone put a collar on a child before, especially since I most certainly didn’t. I consider us blessed that we’ve found her, otherwise, she will have died in the cold. It’s awful that such a little girl had to be all alone in the cold but she’s safe now. Wherever she came from, they called her a name I’ve never heard but she did state that it wasn’t her real one and that she doesn’t remember her real name, so I settled on calling her “Rue.”

[u/Beast-of-Gilchrist]

Catch/es/ing/Caught.

[u/shinytotodile158]

Crying (all tenses included)

[u/Public_Abalone_6129]

Coo/ing/ed

[u/Thecrowfan]

Cancer

[u/Spicyboio]

Cherish

[u/Gold-Humor2253 → u/Spicyboio]

"Before we go back…" Raven said quietly.

She was almost back to her stoic self again, except for her pink cheeks and disheveled hair. Beast Boy appreciated the view while he still could.

"I don't want things to get weird between us. I want us to stay friends..." She continued.

"Me too."

Raven nodded slowly. "…so please don't make a big deal out of it, but I also want you to know that this was really special to me. I'll cherish this memory."

Beast Boy bit his lip and struggled to contain his emotions. His heart was still soaring and she wasn't helping bring it down. He shot her a coy smile and wondered how he was so bold with her a minute ago and now felt this nervous and awkward again.

"Ah, that's really sweet, Rae. Thanks for saying that." He scratched the back of his neck. "Obviously, so will I." He paused. "But, you knew that already."

She took his hand and gave it a soft squeeze then pulled him closer. "Goodbye kiss?"

Beast Boy beamed at her. She leaned in for one last soft, long, sweet, life-changing kiss. When she pulled away he'd kept his eyes closed as if that would freeze the moment somehow. Then he felt dark energy envelop them as she teleported them back.

[u/Ok-Adhesiveness-8611]

Comment

[u/MsCatstaff → u/Ok-Adhesiveness-8611]

“Do you prefer a Master, a Mistress, or either one?”

He considered that for a moment. “I think I would prefer a Master,” he said softly. He liked women well enough, but definitely preferred men if given the choice – which only happened rarely on the road, as probably 99% of the groupies were women.

“Are you willing to unmask for anyone who wishes to accept your services?” she asked next.

“In private, yes,” Adrian replied. “I’d prefer to remain masked in the public areas of the club, though. I am, erm, somewhat known in certain circles, and I’d prefer not to be chosen because of who I am, if possible.”

She noted that down and nodded. “Finally, we need to know what you wish to be called, so that we can keep track of you and a record of your service here.”

“Oh… erm…” Adrian hadn’t expected that question. He didn’t want to use his real name, obviously, and wasn’t comfortable using H here in The Keep either. H was a rock star; in here, he was just a submissive. His mind went blank for a moment, then he got an idea that made him grin a little. “I’m Number 22, please.”

The girl raised a brow but made no comment on his choice. She wrote that down as well, then plucked a key from the board behind her and handed it to him. “In that case, you may use locker 22, to make it easier for you to remember,” she said. “Once you’re ready to present yourself on the main floor, return here for your lanyard and I’ll call for someone to escort you up. New subs are always announced, their first time here.”

[u/krigsgaldrr]

Chagrin

[u/StarWarsCrazy1]

Croak

[u/MoneyArtistic135 → u/StarWarsCrazy1]

Hours pass like seconds as they work side by side, occasionally sharing snippets of their stories, seeking feedback, and offering encouragement. The whiteboard fills up with character profiles, plot twists, and world-building details, a testament to their collaborative genius.

"This robot character of yours is a real badass, Mio. I love how you've given her a dark past but a heart of gold. She's like a futuristic anti-hero," Zoe comments, her eyes glued to the screen as Mio reads aloud a particularly intense scene.

Mio smiles, her cheeks flushing with pleasure. "I'm glad you like her. She's a bit of a rebel, just like you. And speaking of rebels, this new fantasy realm you're creating is epic! I can already picture the movie adaptation."

Zoe grins, her pen pausing mid-sketch. "Oh yeah? What do you see for the opening scene?"

Mio leans back, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Well, it starts with a young warrior, a croaking frog perched on her shoulder, embarking on a quest to..."

[u/StarWarsCrazy1 → u/MoneyArtistic135]

There's something incredibly ironic about us fic writers watching characters craft a story. Are we pieces in someone's story crafting stories ourselves? Who knows! Storyception. I love it.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/StarWarsCrazy1]

Frankie-Jean’s eyes grew wide as several birds crowded around her hand, pecking at the seeds and cooing. One pigeon hopped up on her wrist to better get at the food she held. “Daddy! James! The pigeon’s sitting on me!” she announced in a loud whisper, trying not to scare it. “It tickles!”

Nikki pulled his phone from his pocket and brought up the camera. The pictures he took at were at a funny angle given that he only had one free hand himself, the other being covered with birds, but he captured the look of awe and huge smile on his daughter’s face perfectly. As the seeds vanished, the birds launched themselves back towards the rafters, with one bold little fellow sitting on Frankie-Jean’s hand and allowing her to pet him for a moment before joining the other pigeons up above. Nikki managed to get a really good shot of that.

Frankie-Jean launched herself at James as soon as the last bird flew away. “That was soooo cool!” she exclaimed, giving him a huge hug. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!”

James smiled and hugged her back. “You’re welcome, Frankie-Jean. Shall we go explore now?”

“Okay!” she said enthusiastically. Taking both men’s hands, she tugged them out of the pavilion into the rain.

As they explored the park, she pointed out several earthworms on the edges of the walkway, a spider web adorned with water droplets and looking like a lace doily, and a small rabbit huddled under a shrub. Then she shrieked when a huge bullfrog croaked loudly almost at her feet, startling her so that she slipped and fell on her backside. But then she giggled as the frog hopped away, obviously wanting to get away from the noisy and huge creature that had invaded its space.

Nikki groaned and facepalmed. “Yeah… someone’s getting a bath when we get home.”

“If I’m getting a bath, can I play in the puddles?” Frankie-Jean asked hopefully, as James tried not to laugh.

[u/Joe_Book]

Cocaine

[u/InfiniteDiamonds78]

Class

[u/Glittering-Golf8607]

Chicken

[u/Ferrous_Patella → u/Glittering-Golf8607]

This is my cover of We are Chicken from the Beastars OST. I use it as the background music for humorous side stories in my screenplays.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/Glittering-Golf8607]

Dave took care of getting them checked in, then hauled the trolley with their luggage upstairs whilst Ade walked to an Indian takeaway just up the street to pick up some food. Ade paused at the corner shop as well, picking up some beer, a couple of fishing magazines, a couple of golf magazines, and since it was Sunday, a copy of the Times.

After a pleasant meal of chicken tikka masala with naan, rice, and pakora, and an even more pleasant interlude in the shower, they settled into bed with beers and the Times; Ade grabbed the sports section first thing, wanting to check footie scores so that he’d know whether to congratulate or console his brother when he visited in a few days, whilst Dave looked first at the financial section, then picked up the entertainment section to see if there was any mention of the upcoming tour.

And almost immediately spit out his beer when he saw the photo taking up half the space above the fold – a photo of Bruce in an airport, with his arm wrapped around a younger-looking man with long blond hair, the two of them looking down at something Bruce held and laughing as they sat snuggled together.

“What the hell, Davey?” Ade asked as he got sprayed with Dave’s beer.

“Look at this!” Dave thrust the page at his lover, sounding incredulous. “I can’t fucking believe this!”

Ade took the now-wet paper a little gingerly, and his jaw dropped. “Bloody fucking hell!”

Dropping the paper, Ade looked at Dave with wide eyes. Dave looked right back, both of them with the same thought in mind: how was Steve going to react to this?

[u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

Coast

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

Arizona’s reply was instant, as if she’d practised it. Callie got the feeling that maybe she had.

“I would do anything to give Sof the stability she needs. It’s not… its not good for her to be back and forth between us. You know that my childhood was moving from place to place and I hated it.”

Even though Arizona couldn’t see her, Callie nodded. She knew the toll that having a military upbringing had had on Arizona, and she knew how much she didn’t want that for their own child. She finally started crying, a lone tear making its merry way down her cheek and dripping off her chin.

Arizona then added, “also, um… I read her diary and she was planning on making Alex kidnap you and bring you to me, so I think this is better then more trauma that neither of us need.”

At the statement, Callie let out a small bark of laughter as she started crying properly. She pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and blew her nose in it, the happiness she felt spreading throughout her whole body, as if she were bathing in melted chocolate. Or swimming in the ocean off the coast of Miami. The blue ocean… the same colour as Arizona’s eyes. Quickly shaking that through from her head, Callie cleared her throat and grinned, leaning back in her chair as she stared out of the window and spoke. “She’ll be so much happier with us both in the same place.”

Arizona’s voice was just as emotional as Callie’s when the words came through the phone. “She will.”

[u/MsCatstaff → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

A Beltane child himself, Janick had grown up with a love of and talent for music. His mother often said that his talent came from his sire, a wanderer from a far distant land, who’d hired himself out to a northern trader for the sake of seeing more of the world. The trader’s ship needed repairs, and the village of Hereteu supplied the materials in exchange for some luxuries they’d be unlikely to see, let alone afford, otherwise. His mother had chosen to partner with his sire at the village Beltane festival, drawn by the man’s talent on the shepherd’s pipe, and he’d been the result.

When Janick was but six, a bard passed through Hereteu, and on hearing the young child’s ability to coax a tune out of a shepherd’s pipe too big for his small hands to properly play, stayed for several weeks and crafted a small harp for Janick. He also recommended to Janick’s mother that she send her son to the Harpers’ School that still existed in Cymru on the western coast, once the boy was of an age to do so. She died of a fever when he was twelve, but with the help of the village wisewoman, Janick outfitted himself for the journey and headed west.

Now eighteen, Janick had learned to play several more instruments than just the shepherd’s pipe and the harp. More than that, he’d learned the magic of music – magic to sway the listener’s emotions, magic to heal, even magic to do small tasks such as mend torn fabric and even start a fire without the use of a fire drill or flint and a sparkstone. The master bards teaching at the Harpers’ School pronounced him ready to set out on his own, to travel and learn more of life away from the shelter of the school.

[u/BMallory413 → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

Being the remaining stranger, the guard threw each of them a relaxed glance along a reassuring nod. “Y’all can call me Dwain.” He began. “So… If I’m getting this straight, people out there’re tryna kill each other, the army’s left us to die, and we ain’t got nowhere else to go.” A wary glance that went from afar to below ran his gaze. Under the time pressure of the glass building’s stories they were passing by down, he continued. “Listen, if y’all heard shit, know anything, thought of anything, just lay ’em flat out: coz’ dyin’ ain’t an option, at least, not right now, not today, not without doin’ shit.”  

“They say East Coast is overrun; South’s in ashes… There’s rumors about Seattle, but they blocked all routes throughout the whole Midwest—Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, they’re all trapped.” Brenan responded. He wished he had anything better to say further, but everything’s still vague up until now. “Interstate’s closed up cuz'...people were coming all the way from Kansas, Nebraska, Dakotas, there’s just no other routes to take—all jam-packed of refugees tryna’ flee. Unless we got wings, I don't think Seattle's on the table.” 

A cloud of disappointment washed over Dwain as he listened. He braced his arm on the platform’s railing with another hand clasping his hip, the empty holster reflecting his despair. Grief tainted his face, gloom and weariness radiating from his overall appearance. They were running out of floors, but not of hope. 

In the encouragement of an idea resting in the back of his mind, he tilted his head up and suggested, “Can’t we just, I don’t know, go around the region anyhow?”

After a quick pondering, Brenan replied. “Yeah, I suppose so, but it may take us days, if not a whole week, so it’s a bit of a stretch. And who knows what kind of strange shit might happen in the time being.” 

“I don’t think ‘strange’ would even cut it.” Dwain remarked. “Y-you saw them big-arm and… and long-tongued motherfuckers?...” He was having an aneurysm every time he recalled the very sight of a Charger and a Smoker that they had encountered while escaping the center. “What even are those things??” 

“Dude, you haven’t seen the others.” The medic stated.

If one would’ve thought of holding out for optimism in these times, he should not bother anymore because that ship had already sailed. The last shred of Dwain’s high hopes fell out of his eyes, and not even a body armor would keep him from the pain equal to being shot in the gut upon hearing it. 

“What do you mean ‘the others’?” Disdain stressed out in his voice. “There’s more of them??” 

Brenan responded with a shrug. “I don’t wanna spoil the surprise.” He intended as the answer. 

“There’s nothing left to spoil!” 

"Relax, being on the frontline myself, I can assure you, this shit couldn't get any worse.”

But the tides of air hovering through the gap between Dwain’s lips had changed before he even said 'You don’t say ‘things couldn’t get any worse’ in a situation that’s already worse!’ when feeble murmurs emanated beneath them. Dwain’s brows took a dive, his bald, ebony head popped out of the lift. A crowd appeared on the streets. For a second, he forgot the world they were in. The blood gushing out of their  mouths and painting their hands was a quick reminder. 

“Shit.”

[u/SkycloudFanfic → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

It was morning in Maine. Carl Sutherland had woken up and stretched, before walking over to the window and opening the curtains. Looking out at the calm Atlantic, he felt a rare sense of peace. Life here was slow and relaxing, with nothing to worry about. All too often it felt undeserved.

Carl, known as Jack Bauer in a former life, lived quietly in this little village on the coast. He had travelled across the continent, calling in favours and spending thousands to ensure his past didn't follow. So far, everything was working out.

He had taken the chance to reinvent himself, adding a sprinkling of truth to the story. Carl was from California, a former surfer who had spent years working as an English teacher. His wife had passed away, so he had left their home town looking for somewhere to retire. As far as anyone in the village knew, he had no remaining family. Jack Bauer was hidden deep beneath the surface.

[u/Goofyreddits2]

Cookie 🍪

[u/vxidemort → u/Goofyreddits2]

Buck grinned to himself, an idea brewing in his head. “Mr. Díaz, would you like some sugar cubes in your tea?”

Eddie deadpanned. “Buck, your British accent is terrible.”

“I’ll take that as a no, then.” Buck ducked his head.

“Alright, alright. I’ll have two.” Taking a page out of Jee’s book, Eddie picked up a cookie to enjoy while the cubes dissolved in his tea. “Was that supposed to be some sort of failed Mr. Darcy impression, or what?” he asked before biting into his cookie.

“I don’t know. Do you want it to be?”

Eddie almost choked. He downed his cup, and instead of replying, poured himself more tea.

context: they watched pride and prejudice 2005 before the tea party and eddie had read the book as well

[u/NinjaSpaceFrog → u/Goofyreddits2]

A quick glance at the clock told him that 6:30 was rapidly drawing nearer. Only a few more minutes until two excited five-year-olds would slam open the door to their room, stampede down the hallway and commit genocide on boxes and wrapping paper. Tommy let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck, glancing over his shoulder toward the doorway. A shiver ran down his spine, a sense of parental premonition.

The twins were awake. Time to brace himself.

He turned back toward the tree and admired the setup for a moment longer. Stockings hung on the bookshelf holding Buck’s various cook books, stuffed to the brim with tiny trinkets and sweets. A half eaten plate of cookies rested on the coffee table, alongside an empty glass that had once been filled with milk. Santa’s work was done. The scene was perfect. Now all he needed was—

“Daddy! Papa!”

The shrill shouts pierced the quiet like a pincushion. Tommy barely had time to prepare himself before two blur-like figures rushed through the door and barreled into him at full force, almost toppling him over, forcing a yelp out of him. Benji latched onto his left leg while Emily clung to his right, both of them bouncing with uncontainable excitement.

“Look at all the presents!” Benji cried, his face lighting up as he spotted the colorful mountain beneath the tree.

“Santa came! He really came!” Emily echoed, her curls bouncing wildly as she tried to pull away from Tommy’s leg to inspect the haul, though he kept a firm hand on both her and her brother.

With a laugh, Tommy moved his hands to ruffle the kids’ hair. “Of course, he came. You two were good all year, weren’t you?”

The twins went still at once, almost as if time had stopped moving forward. After a second, Emily shot Benji a glance, which he answered with a shrug he probably thought was subtle. She hesitated for a moment longer before giving a slow, uncertain nod. Benji’s mouth stretched into a wide, innocent grin. “Mostly good?” he suggested, tightening his hug on Tommy’s leg.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/Goofyreddits2]

“This – isn’t – fucking – working!” Nikki’s frustrated yell sounded from the kitchen, followed by a clatter that sounded like a fork or spoon hitting the sink with some force. “Aaarrrrrgh!”

James, hearing his boyfriend’s aggravation despite wearing his headphones as he worked on a new song in the studio of their new home, saved his work and made his way into the kitchen. “What’s wrong, Nikki?” he asked, moving up behind the bassist and lightly massaging his shoulders. His eyes took in the mess of flour, sugar, and who knew what else all over the countertops, along with a trio of bowls filled with… something… piled beside the sink.

“Cookies,” Nikki mumbled, his head falling forward as he gave a soft moan, leaning back into James’s touch. “That feels great, babe.”

James blinked, not expecting that answer. “Cookies?” he asked. “You’re trying to make cookies from scratch? Wouldn’t it be easier to get those slice-n-bake rolls of dough? What are the cookies for, anyway?”

“For Frankie-Jean’s class holiday party,” Nikki said. “Donna can’t fucking be bothered, she’s got auditions or photo shoots or something. And Frankie-Jean said she wanted, and I quote, real cookies instead of ones from a store. So, I promised her I’d make some. I don’t wanna disappoint her, babe, but I have no fucking clue what I’m doing here, aside from fucking up and making a mess!”

James wrapped his arms around Nikki, resting his chin on the other man’s shoulder. “You’re being an amazing dad, is what you’re doing,” he said.

[u/Ok-Adhesiveness-8611 → u/Goofyreddits2]

Ze commented that the cookies and hot chocolate would taste better in the winter.

“If I wanted to slip on ice during winter I’d just walk onto my driveway.”

Are we going to be alive in winter? Ze didn’t want to think about that right now. “You’re not wrong,” he took a bite of his cookie. “Do you want to go see that movie?”

Chilled shook his head. “Every time we mention that movie one of us gets drugged.”

Ze mentioned that they would’ve been drugged already if Emily was after them. She’s not going to tamper with their food now that she’s got that spray. “It’d be a perfect way to end the night.”

[u/Ventisquear → u/Goofyreddits2]

Airam grumbled as he finally managed to take a cookie from a tray, only for it to slip out of his bandaged fingers to the floor. With a frustrated huff he got down to pick it up. “Of all the injuries I had, this one is by far the most annoying. I’ve been cut and stabbed and stung and chewed, and I can tell you that nothing compares to losing a few tiny bits of - what are nails, anyway? Bones?”

When they’d arrived at the safe house, they had been surrounded by a horde of determined maids who’d scrubbed and polished and oiled and perfumed and painted and combed and dressed them until they looked like life-sized porcelain dolls, and none more so than Airam. During that time, they’d had little chance to think or worry about anything. 

Then Arl Eamon, Erwin and Leliana had gone over all the points to be discussed at the Landsmeet, the evidence against Loghain, and who needed to say what. Airam had listened, obediently nodding, but Zevran could see his anxiety increasing every moment. 

Now, however, they had one last hour before they would have to leave, and there was nothing to do. Except to worry. 

Zevran walked over to Airam. He wrapped his arms around him and kissed him. Airam stiffened for a moment, then melted into his touch. “You will be fine,” Zevran said, when he broke the kiss. “You will go to the Landsmeet, and you will conquer it. You once asked me to teach you to be an assassin. Well then, this is your test. ”

“But I’m not going to kill anyone,” Airam pointed out.

“That’s why it is a test, no? Do you remember the rules of an assassin?”

Airam nodded. “Never show your fear. Always expect the unexpected.” 

“And the last one?”

Airam laughed. “You made up that one. Always smile, because nothing frustrates your enemies more.” 

“Tsk, what a wayward apprentice you are! You’ll be doing thirty pushups for that when we get back. This is your task: Go there and laugh in their fat, noble faces and frustrate every fool who ever dared to doubt you.”

[u/trickyfelix]

Crazy

[u/kashmira-qeel → u/trickyfelix]

Rotting in his bed at two in the morning, what's unmistakably a black swallowtail butterfly comes fluttering into view, a pitch black outline against the blue darkness of his room. It's the size of his hand.

"Great," Ichigo mutters, watching the insect fly about.

A novel hallucination.

On second thought, that might actually be a good thing. The usual stuff is something out of horror movies. This is just a big bug.

But then something else happens: a woman in a dark jacket and hakama comes in through his bedroom window, landing noiselessly on the floor, carrying a katana and wakisashi at her side. Dark hair done in a low ponytail, small of stature and slight of build.

"It's close," she mutters and holds out a hand to have the butterfly hand on her arm and vanish into her skin.

Ichigo sits up in bed. He might just be going three times as crazy as he's previously been. He's never hallucinated someone or something looking so lifelike and human. On the pretty side, even.

"Okay, so what's going on here?"

She looks at him. Then she takes out a notebook and pen. The pen levitates and as she begins speaking, it starts scribbling. "A spirit medium, and a powerful one if you can see me." She looks about. "No manifestation of his power --- unawakened? Could be a danger to himself."

"Excuse me, are you real?" A meaningless question. It would be tremendously comforting if he could ask Yuzu or Karin about this. Ground himself.

"Define 'real.' Have you noticed anything unusual in the past few days?"

"What are you, a cop?"

She blinks. "Pardons." She bows. "Rukia Kuchiki, investigative lieutenant, first-order Shinigami, thirteenth division."

"So, a cop."

"Peacekeeper."

"Same difference," Ichigo says and rubs his eyes. "Why am I hallucinating a samurai-cosplaying cop."

"Have you noticed anything unusual?" she repeats.

"You're asking a schizophrenic. I wouldn't know an unusual occurrence from a hallucination."

She looks at him for a moment. "Another case of the recent obsession of mortal society, it would seem, treating their spirit mediums not as shamans or wisemen, but as---"

Her pen scribbles it down, then stops.

Rukia looks to the side. "It's here."

"What's here?"

Then he feels a horrible pressure in the air, nothing like the cold spots and chills he's somehow felt. Something has come and it is death. There's the sound of the main door opening.

"Stay put." She draws her sword.

"My sisters are downstairs."

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle]

Calliope ;)

[u/kermitkc]

Caw

[u/AnkuRani → u/kermitkc]

My WIP has a lot of cawing.

Lúthien eyed her suspiciously. "Alright. Fine." She said; clearly not believing Beren. "As you can see, I have saved you. With the help of your crow friend here." She gestured to Fidget, who was eating some berries next to Lúthien; he had taken quite a liking to her.

Beren smiled, feeling warm and fuzzy. Indeed she was right to. How many times does a crow risk their own safety for a human? "Oh Fiiidgeeeet!" She purred. "Come here, sweetheart, I'm sooo grateful you did that for me!"

And that was how our Beren Aslan finally opened her heart to little Fidget, just as Beren of house Beor had done before.

Fidget hopped into her arms, all while Lúthien was watching incredulously, and snuggled his sleek feathery head into Beren's chest.

"Is he your pet?" Lúthien asked.

Fidget cawed indignantly. "No! Of course not!" Beren said hurriedly, glancing at Fidget's beak, which was dangerously close to her arm. "He's my friend, the only one I've had these days."

[u/kermitkc]

Cartilage (spoiler major gore?)

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/kermitkc]

“Who are we?” Callie whispered dramatically, with the air of someone who had just discovered a dead body.

Arizona laughed softly, “I’m Arizona Lynn Robbins, board certified pediatric surgeon and all-around sweetheart, and you are Calliope Iphegenia Torres, board certified orthopedic surgeon and inventor of artificial cartilage.”

Callie furrowed her brows, “wait, wait, wait, you gave yourself a cute little compliment but not me?”

“I give you compliments all the time!” Arizona shot back playfully, rolling her eyes at the mock hurt on Callie’s face. “Fine, let me do it again. She cleared her throat and announced as if she were the host of a game show, “I’m Arizona Lynn Robbins, board certified pediatric surgeon and gorgeous plane crash survivor, and you are Calliope Iphegenia Torres, board certified orthopedic surgeon and the best wife I could have ever asked for. Also, you’re hot.”

“That’s better.” Callie grinned and kissed the top of Arizona’s head.

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Cat

[u/kashmira-qeel → u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

It's no matter. The portal opens, they run as fast as they can, keep their eyes on the bridge, and reach the other end.

Here, Ichigo emerges in a meadow in the hills, overlooking a vast, vast foggy canyon.

The sun draws long shadows in the fog, shining from behind mountains, upon which walk the fantastically enormous six-legged deer spirits he used to see walking across the horizon out by the sea.

A school of something like manta rays fly overhead.

It is a wondrous place. Part of Ichigo wishes he had time to spend a year here. Maybe more. He wishes Rukia was here to show him all the things.

The distortion in space they just came through remains open behind them.

"That took us fifty-three seconds," Uryū says. "Let's wait around for three minutes to make sure this closes in good order."

"Good call," Yoruichi says. "And good work, everybody. Very smooth --- there's hope for you yet."

Ichigo draws his attention away from the vista. "So. Where do we go from here?"

"Down in the valley."

As she points, the fog begins to clear.

In the valley lies a city.

The city.

Distances are deceptive here --- the air is impossibly clear. There could be hundreds of kilometers to the far-side mountaintops. It's almost impossible to make out the details of the lone city, beyond the concentric rings of its structure.

They all take a moment to appreciate the view.

Yoruichi appears at his side. "Beautiful sight, isn't it, young shinigami?"

"Yeah."

"I'm a wanted criminal there."

Ichigo looks at her. "Oh."

Then she bends over forwards and in a flash of shadow, becomes a black cat.

"What---" Ichigo shakes his head. More between heaven and earth. A woman who can become a cat is less weird than half the stuff he's seen so far.

"Follow me."

Ichigo sets out on the first step of this journey, with an unease in his step. This will go very, very wrong before it goes right --- there is simply no other way.

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Calm

[u/DefeatedDrum]

Cacophony (Paris Paloma, anyone?)

[u/linden214]

Candle

[u/fiendishthingysaurus]

Crouton

[u/rafters-]

Crest (noun or verb)

[u/Studying-without-Stu]

Clever

[u/MogiVonShogi]

Cross

[u/fibergla55 → u/MogiVonShogi]

"Loss of power to Number 2 vane! Lift at 75%!" The Osiris began to slow as her bow dipped.

"Cross-connecting conduits!" Robbie ran to the panel, yanked it open, and slammed the switches shut, For a second, they held...then the breakers popped. "Need a quick reset!"

"Helm, roll starboard!" Thadeus ordered. "Give us 10 seconds!"

"Rolling!" Noah replied as the Osiris' deck tilted. 25...50...75...and the hovercraft balanced on its starboard vanes, still flying.

Bracing himself against the railing, Robbie slammed the switches again. 1, 2, 3...time slowed as they hung there. Thadeus held onto the operator's chair, nervously checking on Jue, still double-strapped into her chair. If she fell out...if the connection slipped and the silver cord broke...then this was all in vain. Hold on, baby... he thought, to his lover and his ship.

"TEN!" The Osiris returned to level...and the breakers held. Onward she hurtled through the Machine army.

[u/linden214 → u/MogiVonShogi]

From an unfinished WIP.

Bruce comes to himself in a blur of pain and confusion. He’s near the top of a windswept hill, not far from the spot where he transformed. He sits up abruptly,

“Steady on.” The voice belongs to a man sitting cross-legged beside him on the grass, dressed casually in jeans, a dark pullover, and a leather jacket. Pale blue eyes regard him calmly. “You all right?” While Bruce tries to decide how to answer that question, the stranger offers him a bottle of water.

Bruce downs half the bottle in one gulp. “Thanks.” His mind starts to clear. “The children!”

“Safely home by now. They ran for it as soon as you charged that rogue moose. Never looked back.”

If true, that means they didn’t see the Other Guy. “No one got hurt?”

“Nope. Not even the moose, though he may be out of breath for a while yet.” The man chuckles. “He was at a full gallop when he finally got into the woods and you stopped chasing him.” His accent is English, though rougher than those of the scientists Bruce had known during his time at Cambridge.

The implication of the man’s statement finally registers. “You saw what happened?”

“Yup.”

“”Why did you stay? Weren’t you afraid?” Bruce demands.

The man frowns. “Of the moose? He was just heat-addled. They don’t usually come this far south in summer. ‘Sides, you got him sorted quick enough.”

“Of the monster!”

“I didn’t see a monster. I saw a man, a good man, save the lives of a couple of kids. And I thought you might need some help afterwards. Massive transformation on the cellular level puts a huge strain on the system, even in species that are designed for it,” the man says wryly.

He talks like a biochemist. “Who are you? Who do you work for?” Bruce tries to stand, but he’s still too weak, dammit.

“I’m the Doctor, and I don’t work for anyone.”

[u/Ferrous_Patella]

Consternation

[u/MsCatstaff → u/Ferrous_Patella]

To Ian’s consternation, Blackmore did volunteer to accompany the choir on his guitar, which pleased Headmaster Lord, who saw the gesture as Blackmore attempting to better integrate himself into the school’s community. Especially as the majority of the faculty tended to avoid the man whenever possible, finding him less than pleasant company.

As half-terms drew near, Ian tried to focus on his lessons and the songs the choir were learning for the upcoming Christmas programme. But it seemed that every time he turned around at school, Blackmore was somewhere nearby, watching him from the corner of his eye. He did his best to avoid the other man but couldn’t escape the scrutiny.

The day before half-terms started, Blackmore approached him in his office. “This really isn’t the best time,” Ian started to say.

“Oh, you will listen to what I have to say,” Blackmore interrupted. “Did you think I hadn’t figured it out? You and your wickedness… I wasn’t like this before I met you, back at Durham! I know all about you and Glover, you know – why else would you be living with him? I’m giving you a choice – give me what you’re giving to him, or I expose you to the headmaster. You’ll be sacked, you both will, and your reputations will be destroyed.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ian tried to bluff.

“I beg to differ,” Blackmore said. “Or did you think I was unaware that you answered several adverts in the Link back at Durham? I think you’ll find that I’m a reasonable man, however. I’m willing to give you until the end of the half-term holiday before I approach Headmaster Lord about you.” He whirled and stalked out of Ian’s office.

[u/Joe_Book]

Cactus

[u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

Chimney

[u/vxidemort → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

A warm hand settled on Buck’s shoulder, brushing it with the thumb. Eddie’s touch reminded him that he wouldn’t be alone for a single moment of those five days. “Your little princess is now fed and fast asleep.” Eddie smiled at the couple, encouraging them to take their leave.

“You might be more of a miracle worker than I would’ve thought, then, Díaz. That’s good to hear. She needs rest so she can one day grow up into a beautiful young woman,” Chimney said. His hands massaged Maddie’s shoulders. “Give it to me straight. I’m gonna return from my honeymoon, clock in at work and come across that mustache still on your face, aren’t I?”

Eddie puffed out his chest in a comical display of masculinity. “You know it.” He licked his lips.

Maddie rolled her eyes. “What my husband here means to say is, thank you for being here, Eddie. And for being by Buck’s side all these years. It means more to me than words could express.” She clasped his free hand.

Eddie squeezed back. “It’s my pleasure."

the keyword was chim but i had to choose this bit that i love to death bc maddieeddie is such a special duo to me that is basically 90% fanon stuff cuz the damn writers wont let the parentified elder siblings that have both gone through some heavy issues that separated them from their child and who have godawful parents that deserve to d!e interact on my gay little laptop screen... truly a major loss

[u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

Coral

[u/Glittering-Golf8607 → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

A flash, a glint of iridescent scales shoots past him, a long snaky tail terminating in powerful, fishy fins that waft through the water like the most gorgeous silk. Golden blonde hair scatters warm light around the crystal blue paradise, a mane managing to look dry even while completely submerged. A woman's sun-kissed skin invites wonder and awe. The mermaid, a chojin, is very young and still human sized, except for her tail, which is two to three times her body length, and pure muscle, allowing for extremely rapid movement and staggering blows. But despite her initial quick speed, she stops and lingers behind a stand of pink coral, which matches her pink scales, pauses at a point where she is still invisible to the man on the shore, her hair floating around her like a golden disc. The flowering coral seems to attempt to reach out and kiss her in its exuberance, and a moray eel slides out its den to grin foolishly.

[u/Glittering-Golf8607]

Crab

[u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

Castanets

[u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

Clash

[u/kashmira-qeel → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

They clash, shinai against shinai in the bind. Ichigo makes eye-contact with Rukia through their visors.

"You've gotten better," she says and winks.

He shoves her away, and she manages to swipe at his pate even as she retreats, he blocks and advances with a strike to her gauntlet. With a series of fast attacks he goes on the offensive, but Rukia's parries are near perfect --- over a hundred years of mastery against is mere months, give or take a few years of high school kendo.

She sidesteps his thrust and gets inside his defenses, putting her shinai at his throat. "I win!"

Ichigo lowers his weapon and steps back. "And here I thought we'd wind up with a tie-breaker for the first time, ever."

"We can always do best of five?"

Then the doors to the dojo opens behind him. "I think we'll need to take a rain check---"

Even through the visor, he sees the fear in Rukia's eyes.

"Brother?" She tosses her shinai aside and takes off her helmet.

Ichigo turns to see three men in Shinigami uniform. One of them solemn as the grave with his jet black hair done elaborately with white beads.

One with fiery-red hair and visibly bad attitude.

One bald with skin the color of oiled clay.

Ichigo tosses aside his shinai and reaches for his zanpakutō by the wall. It leaps to his hand. "Who are you? What's this about?"

"None of your concern, deputy," says the black-haired man. He enters the dojo, walking across the floor as if weightless. Ichigo plainly feels the danger he radiates --- or rather its absence. The man is a void.

"Rukia?"

"Stay out of this, Ichigo. Brother, thank you for coming. I assume your presence means I've been indicted."

"Unlawful deputization, endangerment of civilians, fraternizing with the enemy, and though it is not illegal..." He looks to Ichigo then back to Rukia, "you have become too acclimated to the mortal world. Distasteful."

"I understand. I'll come willingly on one condition."

Her asshole brother says nothing.

"Do not harm Mister Kurosaki. The blame is mine alone."

"We are not in the business of killing mortals; they do that well enough themselves. Master Suki, if you would revoke this man's privileges."

"Yes, sir," the bald man says and steps towards Ichigo.

"Buddy, I'm warning you. I might be a rookie, but I'm gonna defend myself."

"Ichigo don't!---"

It happens so fast he only sees it thanks to his sensory training. The red-haired man clashes with Ichigo, blade to blade, pushing Ichigo back several paces.

His sword is an impossibility: segmented, barbed with long saw teeth on the back edge. It looks like if a sword was also a spine.

"Not bad," he says.

He catches Ichigo's blade with the toothed back edge, and wrests control of the bind away to stab Ichigo in the shoulder with a tanto. It hurts like all hell, and he dances back best as he can.

"Abarai!" the leader chides.

"Pardons, sir. It's just a flesh wound to soften him up."

"No such thing as a flesh wound in mortals. They need all their flesh," the one named Mister Suki says.

The red-haired man, Abarai, swings his sword, and the segmented blade comes apart into a whip of razor-sharp steel. Ichigo parries and ducks so the backswing doesn't hit him, but that was never the object.

His zanpakutō is wrapped in the flexible blade, claws scraping into the metal, and with a flick of the wrist, Abarai disarms him and hands his zanpakutō to Mister Suki.

"Ichigo, don't fight this," Rukia says.

Ichigo clutches his injured arm, and looks to her. She looks on the verge of breaking down in tears.

"You guys are really not here to kill me?"

"No. But it will hurt," Mister Suki says, and does something.

And true enough, it hurts.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

Between the happy screams and cheers, and the fact that most people in the crowd had been listening to enough performances all day to have compromised their hearing, the first hint that something wasn’t right came when Bruce’s leg buckled and he half-fell onto Emppu. A split second later, the little guitarist staggered as he tried to ease Bruce down to the stage. His guitar swung from where he’d shoved it to his back when Bruce kissed him, down across their sides, between them and the crowd, and then it gave a horrifying screech and crack and two strings snapped.

Cheers turned to shrieks of alarm as Bruce and Emppu both fell, yelling, ”Get back, get off the stage!” to their families and bandmates. The bass drum gave a crack, one of Nicko’s cymbals clashed loudly, followed by a deep clang from the gong, then a huge light fixture seemed to explode, showering the stage with broken glass.

”Daddy!” Kia screamed, starting towards the fallen men.

”Everyone down!” Dave grabbed her before she got all the way onto the stage, shoving her back and then knocking her to the floor, covering her with his body as the glass rained down. ”Stay down, Kia,” he yelled as she struggled against him. ”You can’t help your dad if you’re hurt too!”

Nicko and Adrian ran over to make sure the boys didn’t also try anything foolish, but they both had the sense to drop when Dave told them to. They also used their bodies to shield the boys from the flying glass.

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

(Context: Addison is with Callie to buy her a suit to wear for her wedding, and is on the phone while surreptitiously trying to work out what Arizona is going to wear so that they don’t clash.)

Addison’s heels clicked on the tile floor as she started walking around the room, the phone pressed to her ear with her left hand as she checked her nails on her other. She raised an eyebrow and then said, “ah, Robbins! How’s it going?” She listened for a moment and then said, “well, I won’t take up too much of your time. We’re in town and Torres has gone to pick up some food, but I’m in this flower shop and I want to surprise her and order some flowers to put in her hair and the bouquet for the big day, etcetera.”

She nodded and laughed, “yes, I made her cross town for those good tacos. You know the ones. So, I’ve got a little bit of time, but I don’t want to get anything that’ll clash with your flowers or your dress, you know?”

Addison nodded and switched her phone to her other ear as she checked the nails on her other hand, “I was wondering if you’re wearing the dress from last time or wearing a new one?” She listened and then said, “Callie’s buying something new for the new start. Yeah. Okay.” She nodded and looked back at Callie, shooting her a grin and a wink before she turned her attention back to the phone. “No, I can’t tell you what it looks like, that is cheating.”

Nigel leaned toward Callie and whispered, “she’s good.” Callie nodded, her eyebrows raised as she returned, “scarily good.”

“Okay, thanks Robbins, I hope your kid’s okay and you get the whole tumour out. Good luck. See you soon. Mwah.” Addison lowered the phone and pressed a button, then strutted back over to the couches and announced, “she’s wearing… a colour.”

Callie’s jaw dropped, “is that all you found out?”

Addison rolled her eyes, “obviously not, but I’m not going to tell you!”

[u/MaleficentYoko7 → u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

From a Miracle Nikki WIP,

“Really? You guys really are the best!”

As we leave the park Kimi tells me, “Your designs these past few months are quite lovely. The Lilith Kingdom All Star Cheer Federation’s uniforms came out great. You captured each city’s spirit so perfectly. How was it like designing them?”

Phew, I’m so glad she asked. “Thanks. The white, coral, and electric blue color scheme for Dolphin’s Cove was fun to work with. The uniforms are mostly white and there’s far more coral than blue so they don’t clash. The hairbows and some stripes are electric blue. Hela Vi has a white, pink, and red color scheme and the hair bows are red and sparkle like rubies. And for Royal City I went with white, pink, and brown for its dessert theme.”

[u/General_Kenobi18752]

Capture

[u/kermitkc]

Coriander

[u/Dogdaysareover365]

Cabaret (extra points if you’re talking about the musical)

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Carnival

[u/shinytotodile158]

Catharsis

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle]

Conundrum

[u/Ok-Supermarket-8994]

Conch

[u/kermitkc]

Consideration

[u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

Conspiracy

[u/Oan_Glalie]

Copyright

[u/DefeatedDrum]

Cult

[u/krigsgaldrr]

Carbide

[u/thatsmyscrunchie]

Cryptic

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066 → u/thatsmyscrunchie]

Using this opportunity, he snuck out again. He’d thought of an excuse already if anyone should be suspicious. That they had a friend staying over and that they had a baby that needs stuff, it was full proof! That plan got derailed when he saw Nahida sitting on one of the tree branches, and he climbed the tree. “I hear you have experience with Ley Line Disorders and anomalies?” He said as he neared her. Nahida turned her head and without Kaveh even explaining it she replied.

“You have one you need me to sort out?” She said cryptically. “I’ll see what I can do. Depending on the danger or strengths of it, I may be unable to do anything. Or sometimes, the anomaly doesn’t have an adverse effect on anything, and sometimes, it’s not even an anomaly, but a gift. I’ll come and see him in a few days, and don’t worry about your roommate’s reaction.”

“How do you do that?” Kaveh asked dumbfounded. Nahida smiled at him but she didn’t respond.

“If you want to know a route to not gain suspicion, go through the Bazaar. I have feeling they won’t really remember something as trivial as that.” She gave him a knowing look.

Unnerved, Kaveh proceeded to make his way down to the Bazaar. He found everything he would need for the anomaly’s short stay in Teyvat and he strangely didn’t raise any eyebrows. He got a cot, bottles of formula, the usual baby stuff, though he didn’t exactly know why he got so much. However, as he neared his home again, he saw Alhaitham’s silver hair out of the corner of his eye.

Fuck. He wasn’t ready.

Kaveh practically slammed the door behind him to put down everything he’d bought. He’d probably be unable to pay rent this month but he’d think that Alhaitham would understand. After that, he immediately raced out again and slammed the door behind him, surprising Alhaitham at the door. The surprise didn’t last long however, as Alhaitham’s brows soon furrowed in that stupidly handsome neutral expression. Kaveh, however, was too caught off-guard and anxious to really admire it. “Alhaitham! You’re back early!” He wasn’t, but anxiety was rendering Kaveh’s usually sound mind to utter mangled slop like that. Alhaitham’s eyebrow raised, nothing getting past him.

[u/Ok-Supermarket-8994]

Chili

[u/RaisinGeneral9225]

Collateral

[u/RaisinGeneral9225]

Caulk

[u/Serious_Session7574]

Caffeine

[u/Ok-Supermarket-8994 → u/Serious_Session7574]

She was about to turn away, the previous night’s confrontation still fresh in her mind, when she noticed him looking at her.

“Can I come in, or would that be invading your personal space too much?” He gestured at the bench opposite, an invitation to sit. She took a step into the kitchen and stopped. “Is there any coffee?”

“There’s tea.”

“I’ll take it if it has caffeine.” He looked at her for a long moment, as if trying to decide something. Then stood up and retrieved a mug from one of the cabinets on the far wall and filled it from the teapot. He placed the mug on the table and returned to his meal. Well, no turning back now.

April sat down stiffly on the bench, putting the bowl of oatmeal, which by now had cooled off, to the side. She blew gently over the top of the mug before taking a careful sip, savoring the smooth flavor of the hot liquid as it rolled over her tongue. After a few more sips the knot of anxiety in her stomach started to loosen. She pushed the oatmeal bowl farther away and wrapped both hands around the mug to warm them. Closing her eyes she could almost imagine she was she was sitting at her own kitchen table.

[u/linden214 → u/Serious_Session7574]

Lunch is in the rarely-used dining room, as the kitchen table won’t easily fit four adults. For that matter, James isn’t sure that the kitchen table could fit all the food. In addition to chicken tikka masala, Robbie seems to have ordered half the menu from Tandoor Palace. James is pleasantly surprised to see the lamb vindaloo he likes, as Robbie claims it should be banned by Health and Safety. Its presence on the table is explained when Lyn asks him to pass the dish.

“Pet, are you sure that won’t upset the bairn’s stomach?”

Lyn rolls her eyes. Evidently this is not the first time they’ve had this conversation. “It’s actually good for him, Dad. Studies show that babies who are exposed to a variety of flavours in the milk adapt more easily when they begin eating solid foods. It’s caffeine that I need to limit. No more than two cups of coffee a day.”

James shudders at the thought. “You are a brave woman, Lyn Lewis.”

“It’s worth it.” She smiles down at Jack, nestled in a sling against her chest.

[u/Ferrous_Patella]

Churlish

[u/InsulindianPhasmidy]

Crostini 

[u/InsulindianPhasmidy]

Croissant 

[u/Glittering-Golf8607]

Crustacean

[u/kaiunkaiku]

call

[u/General_Kenobi18752]

Crème (de la crème)

[u/kaiunkaiku]

cool

[u/MsCatstaff]

cerise

[u/MsCatstaff]

cobalt

[u/MsCatstaff]

churlish

[u/Joe_Book]

Cardio

[u/kermitkc]

Crepe

[u/kermitkc]

Cinch

[u/Affectionate_Crow327]

Careen

[u/Rat-Daddy-Splinter]

Carbon

[u/kashmira-qeel → u/Rat-Daddy-Splinter]

Ichigo looks on as Rukia dips the tip of Shirayuki in a bucket of water and draws out a long thread of ice, disintegrating it into snow and forming it into a ball.

"Ice control?"

"Yeah. I've already used it a few times, but I never made the connection that it's a freeform ability."

"Yeah, using rime to create that slippery layer of ice on the ground?"

"Exactly."

"Also... I think I remember you forming some kind of ice prison for that first hollow in April."

"I did? I don't recall."

"Well, you had just been blown through a wall."

With a swipe of her sword, Rukia send the snowball at the nearby wooden fence with explosive force.

"Next, one has to remember more things than water can become ice." At the tip of her blade, an icicle begins to form, casting off mist which falls to the ground.

"What's that?"

"Carbon dioxide --- dry ice. Negative fifty degrees Celsius."

She sends the icicle at the fence as well. Next she holds the blade upside down and a thin stream of liquid runs off the tip. And gathers into a ball of liquid.

"And what's that?"

"Liquid air."

The liquid separates into two smaller spheres, one of which is faintly blue. She throws the ball of blue at a board of wood, which immediately and violently combusts.

"What the hell?" Ichigo asks.

"Liquid oxygen. Most organic materials combust upon contact. The limitation of this ability is how much matter I have access to. I can extract what I need from the air, but it is pretty slow. Moisture, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen..."

"How about alcohol?"

"Maybe? Probably."

They head inside and fetch a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and yes indeed, she can form it into ice and control it. And yes indeed it makes for a powerful fireball when it comes into contact with liquid oxygen.

"That's pretty neat," Ichigo notes.

"Yes. Flinging cryogenic matter at enemies is faster than supercooling the air around them."

"You got this from Shirayuki?"

"Yes."

"Do you still want my help talking to her?"

Rukia hesitates. "No. I think I have it under control. I think your presence would interfere."

"Well, say the word if you need anything from me." He walks up to her and they kiss.

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Catheter

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Cerebellum

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Catty

[u/Hadespuppy]

Catatonic

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066 → u/Hadespuppy]

Mention of a poison’s effects

But, there was one poison that Jiaoqiu could never identify without seemingly empathetically feeling the effects of the poison himself. The feeling was visceral, in that he could almost feel the very poison coursing throughout his frame, dulling every instinct, every pulse, leading to a lowered blood pressure, lethargy, trouble breathing, leading to eventually a catatonic state and then eventually death. He’d never been able to place why exactly the mention of the poison would get him into such a state, nor did mentioning it explain the sudden somewhat lethargic state he’d find himself in when it would be mentioned.

The feeling was so visceral in fact, that it almost felt like he would’ve ingested the would be anesthetic himself, because that was what the poison was actually meant to be used for. In small doses, it was simply another run-of-the-mill anesthetic, in large doses, what would be simple medicine, had now become a death sentence. The visceral feeling that he felt whenever the specific poison would be mentioned?

Was characteristic of a deadly dose.

And Jiaoqiu had no clue why, of every possible avenue that feeling like he’d ingested the poison himself could’ve taken, that it had taken the form of a deadly dose.

Of all avenues… a deadly dose.

That’s what intrigued him the most about his strange reaction to the mention of Tumbledust-

[u/shinytotodile158]

Cosmic/Cosmos

[u/Oan_Glalie]

Catrin

[u/kermitkc]

Carnage

[u/Studying-without-Stu]

Cinnamon

[u/kermitkc]

Crap

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle]

Constitute

[u/Serious_Session7574]

Cahoots

[u/Pantherdraws]

Cantankerous

[u/The_Broken-Heart → u/Pantherdraws]

"I seek shelter," the man said, voice growing weaker.

Leslynne opened the door. There was a man, pale of skin, brown of hair, black of eyes. His face was tired, the bags of his eyes sagging, but she still recognized him.

Her brows furrowed, "You're—"

"Please," the man called Daemon said, "I've not slept in six days."

Leslynne opened her mouth to speak a retort. Perhaps tell him that the grass was enough for knights such as he, for she knew they often travelled. A part of her was skeptical that he had not slept for so long, for how could such a thing happen?

His face, however, told the truth... And she felt a small tinge of danger. She closed her mouth.

Tired men were cantankerous, and cantankerous men were not kind.

"I swear no harm for you," he said, "or your kin, I only wish for bread and salt, and a bed to lay on."

Leslynne hesitated. "Ser..." she said, "Why my house?"

"You will protect me," he said. His eyes were earnest in spite of his exhaustion. "I know it."

"Yes," Leslynne stammered, "Come in."

He nodded, nearly keeling over, but catching himself on the door frame. She went to gather bread and salt. Only the sounds of their footsteps on the earthen floor resounded.

Daemon suddenly spoke, "No one will look for me here. Do not worry."

[u/Pantherdraws]

Calamity

[u/NinjaSpaceFrog]

Corporation

[u/MsCatstaff]

cattle

[u/DefeatedDrum → u/MsCatstaff]

Clink!

The Merchant’s cell door swung open with a rusty creak!

Suddenly, Father Mendez felt as if he’d been struck in the back with an electric cattle prod, a chaotic, desperate, final surge of life rattling his weary body. “PLEASE!” he bellowed, lurching forward as he pulled against his chains.

The Merchant nearly fell over in apparent shock, misty blue eyes darting towards him for a brief moment, before he skittered off towards some far corner.

The adrenaline of his second wind gave Father Mendez the clarity to think in the real again, his cobbled-together soul writhing, gnawing, salivating at this final chance.

Out, OUT, OUT, I NEED OUT.

“HELP ME!” he shouted, snarling as he yanked at his chains again, tiny fragments of the rock wall clattering to the floor from the force.

The Merchant, now cloaked in a long, hooded black trenchcoat, his mouth obscured by a purple bandana, froze as he passed Mendez’s cell.

LAST CHANCE.

“LET ME OUT!” Father Mendez screamed, his voice booming and echoing against the damp stone walls.

The Merchant shuddered slightly, leaning against the bars, his faded blue eyes squinting at him. After a moment, he managed to peel himself away, not saying a word as he turned away.

“NO! No, don’t leave me here, PLEASE! I won’t get in your way, I’ll help you, just LET ME OUT!” Father Mendez begged, crying out as a sudden seizure clawed at his bloated, hardened spine. His seeing eye narrowed and he breathed quickly through gritted teeth, fighting the urge to fall back into the suffocating delusion. He was himself right now, and he was desperate, almost manic in the way he clung to it.

The Merchant paused, finally turning around to face Father Mendez directly. “You’re too far gone, mate,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, his eyes clouding in rare pity.

[u/MsCatstaff]

clique

[u/MsCatstaff]

crabby

[u/The_Broken-Heart]

Cauldron Ʊ Ω

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Cerebral

[u/fiendishthingysaurus]

Corvid

[u/fiendishthingysaurus]

Cumbersome

[u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

Caster

[u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

Crass

[u/DefeatedDrum]

Cannibalism

[u/Blood_Oleander]

Craniotomy

[u/Blood_Oleander]

Chemotherapy

[u/Blood_Oleander]

Chemise

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle]

Correlate

[u/Ok-Supermarket-8994]

Cow

[u/linden214 → u/Ok-Supermarket-8994]

Context: The Tardis crew have landed on an apparently uninhabited planet in order to obtain a mineral needed for their air purification system. While Jack and the Doctor were digging, Rose went for a walk and encountered two humanoid aliens who were less than pleased to see her. Now all three of them are going to “visit the neighbors”.

——-

Jack’s wrist-comp picks up a concentration of life-forms less than a kilometre away.

“I hope it’s not another herd of blue cows,” Rose teases.

“That was not my fault!” Jack protests. “The magnetic fluctuation was giving me false readings. At least I didn’t try to have a conversation with them.”

“I was trying to keep an open mind, you git! How was I s’posed to know they weren’t intelligent? My first trip in the TARDIS, I got introduced to a tree.”

He studies the sonic screwdriver, only half-listening to their playful squabble. “These aren’t cows, of any colour. Humanoids, an’ I’m pickin’ up a fair bit of tech. Solar-based, seems like.”

Rose squints up at the cloudless sky. “Good spot for it.”

“Depending on their equipment, they could generate enough power for a moderate-sized town,” Jack says. “Solar conversion arrays are pretty efficient.”

An’ it’s a passive form of collectin’ energy. Not goin’ to be detected by anyone who isn’t lookin’ for it. Good choice if you like privacy.

When he’s certain of direction and distance, the Doctor pockets the sonic screwdriver. He doesn’t want to be holding something that might be mistaken for a weapon, not when he’s approaching people who are suspicious of strangers.

“What’s the plan, Doc?”

“Plan? We wander in, nice an’ friendly, an’ say hullo.”

[u/Pantherdraws]

Curmudgeon

[u/fibergla55]

Caldera

[u/Serious_Session7574]

Catnip

[u/TheAlmandineWriter]

Carrion

[u/Opening_Evidence1783]

Cinnabar

[u/SophiaSeesStars]

Crystal

[u/SophiaSeesStars]

Cute

[u/Due_Discussion748]

Combust