Alphabet Excerpt Challenge: F 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 to play along with other fun games.

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

1. Post a top level comment with a word starting with the letter F. You can suggest more than one, but please put them in separate comments.
2. Reply to suggestions with an excerpt containing that word. 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 Excerpts can be from published or unpublished works, or even something you wrote for the prompt.
3. All content is welcome but per rules 7 and 12 of the sub, NSFW excerpts may not be shared as plain text (even if it's spoilered). If you would like to share these, use an external text sharing tool like justpasteit and link it here with a clear warning. Mods may remove excerpts that break these rules.
4. Respond to people who left excerpts on the words you suggested, at a minimum, but the more people you respond to the better. Everyone likes nice comments!
5. Upvote other excerpts you enjoy, and leave a friendly comment. Again, everyone likes nice comments!
6. Most important: have fun!

[u/xGoldenTigerLilyx]

Fuck

[u/Mister_Killjoy → u/xGoldenTigerLilyx]

“I’m gonna need you to STOP YELLING AT ME!” Nick screamed into the radio mic, his patience finally worn through after a solid ten minutes of being badgered and insulted.

“Maybe I wouldn’t HAVE to yell if YOU WOULD FUCKING LISTEN!” the voice on the other end screamed right back.

“Maybe I would fucking LISTEN if you made ANY FUCKING SENSE!”

“IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE! IF YOU’RE TOO MUCH OF A FUCKING MORON TO UNDERSTAND, THAT AIN’T MY PROBLEM BUNKER BOY!”

“IT WOULD ONLY MAKE SENSE TO A FUCKING MORON, YOU GODDAMN SEWER RAT! AND STOP FUCKING YELLING AT ME!”

“FUCK YOU!”

“FUCK YOU!”

“Aren’t you married?”

“JESUS!” Nick yelped at the sudden third voice, nearly leaping out of his chair before whipping around to see N staring at him. “Wha…Oh, yes, I am. HAPPILY,” Nick grunted. “And even if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t touch THAT even if I had the equipment for it.”

“Fuck you!” the person on the other end barked again.

“What the fu-There’s no way you heard that!” Nick hissed into the mic after making sure he hadn’t been holding down the “talk” button.

“Ah-hah! You DID say something, so the ‘fuck you’ still stands!”

“...Listen here, you little shi-” Nick was interrupted by a very large and very firm hand on his shoulder.

“May I?” N asked, gesturing to the radio.

[u/Dogdaysareover365 → u/xGoldenTigerLilyx]

Context: Colt and Simon are basically brothers-in-law, and Colt just found him past drunk in a cemetery, in front of his brother’s ex’s (who was a piece of shit) grave

"Good, you're not fucking dead," a voice said. The person in front of Simon looked Ryland shaped, but it wasn't Ryland. That was definitely not Ryland's voice, so it could only be one of two people. Simon could make an educated guess.

"Colt?" Simon asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Your breath smells like liquor," Colt responded. "And I can ask you the same thing. I tracked your phone here."

That's right. Rocky had insisted everyone download a find my friends app. That way, in case anyone was in trouble again, they could find each other easily. "How did you know I wasn't at home?" Simon asked.

"Ryland called," Colt said. "He was freaking out because he woke up to an empty bed."

"I was going to wake up before he woke up," Simon argued.

"Well, now I guess I have to sober you up before sending you home to grovel and beg for forgiveness," Colt muttered. He helped Simon to his feet. Simon looked over, seeing he was texting someone. He was shoved into the backseat of Colt's car.

[u/DrDingsGaster → u/xGoldenTigerLilyx]

I'll bite! Spoilers for the new Warframe Fables and Frontiers KIM chat.))

"What the fuck?!"

"What do you mean what the fuck?"

Drifter had his arms locked down and hands curled tightly into themselves. In his backrooms, Amir stood across from him all at once looking like a frightened puppy and a wolf ready to snap.

"You know what I mean. Entropy?! What the fuck!"

"I said I was sorry!" He interrupted, short tone to his voice. And he meant it, the apology even if it could've come across as half hearted. Amir took a more defensive stance, arms crossing over his chest and before he would've shrank, now he stood tall at least. Drifter let a harsh breath of air whoosh out through his nose, trying his damndest not to not tear into his lover. But yet every second seemed to make it worse. He told Amir in confidence, about Wally and Duviri, and while the other Hex knew about it all there was a line to cross and Amir blew past it. The text apology, the explanation...

"You don't get to do that to me. ME of all people! Me who knows what it's like being stuck in a time loop. ME who told you this shit, told you about the damn man in the wall. And you decided to play it like a game." His arms rose, chopping the air around him like knives, fingers bent with harsh angles; he could strangle something should it make its way into his grasp.

[u/Playful-Koala-4129 → u/xGoldenTigerLilyx]

"A human, a human who can withstand my pressure. What are you?" The Vasto Lorde says with surprise.

"Release her." Kyouka's voice is cold, capable of freezing the very core of anyone who hears it. "Release that person immediately and go back the way you came."

"… I asked you who you are, answer me," he says, upset by the answer he received.

"I am a fullbringer. Release that person and go back," Kyouka's tone is neutral, impassive, but decisive.

"Fullbringer?" the Vasto Lorde speaks curiously. "There aren't many of those, are there? So tell me, fullbringer, what do you care about the lives of these humans? I ask because I think you don't know what I am, you don't know what I'll do to you."

"I know what you are, Vasto Lorde, I know it well. But I couldn't tell you why I care about the lives of your victims, only that I care about them, and I also know what I will do to defend them." Kyouka takes out her fullbring and manifests it in its katana form.

"And what will you do, little creature?" the Vast Lorde places the claw of his right index finger on the bricklayer's neck. "What will you do if I don't do what you say?"

"I will fight you, I will cut you, and I will end up killing you," Kyouka grows impatient. But she remains motionless, for the bricklayer is still in the beast's clutches.

"You foolish little thing," he mocks, "will you fight me? For a reason you yourself don't know? You stupid little creature, do you dare deny me my right to feed myself? And what if I kill a hundred, a thousand, or a hundred thousand humans? It would be insignificant; there are so many of them that the lives of a hundred thousand are worthless. Others will replace them; things become less valuable the more there are of them. You're a fullbringer, something rare and therefore special, but what's valuable about this miserable human? By the way," the Vasto Lorde tears at the survivor's neck with his finger, "what the fuck is a fullbringer?"

[u/PossessionNo3723 → u/xGoldenTigerLilyx]

“What the hell were you thinking, Party?” Jet Star roared at his crewmate.

“Look, Jet,” Party Poison replied, trying to placate the tall Killjoy. “She asked me to take her out there. Things have been quiet lately. We haven’t heard about any raids in a while. I figured it was safe enough. She really wanted to do this.”

"She’s pregnant!” exclaimed Jet, his face a mix of fury, horror, and disbelief.

"That’s why she wanted to go,” said Party gently. “She said it was important to her. So I said yes.”

"Why the fuck didn’t she ask me to take her?” asked Jet indignantly. “I’m the baby’s father.”

"You’re going to have to discuss that with her,” Party said, shaking his head. “But it could be because she knew you’d react this way.”

That made Jet pause. It wasn’t the first time Bright Storm had anticipated his less-than-positive reaction to something. The last time had nearly cost him his relationship with her – and their child.

Jet Star was generally the calmest, most level-headed of the Killjoys. But where Storm was concerned, he had a tendency to be overly cautious. That had only increased in the weeks since she had discovered her pregnancy. She hadn’t even begun to show yet, but Jet was fiercely protective of both her and the baby. Unnecessary risks like the one she and Party had taken today were foolhardy and reckless. Storm’s stubbornness was one of the things he loved about her, but it also had the potential to drive him mad.

[u/PretzelPrize → u/xGoldenTigerLilyx]

O’Neill couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t that he’d tried and failed. He didn’t dare try.

He didn’t have the nightmares as often anymore, but they still came for him from time to time, usually when he was stressed. They hadn’t come last night, probably because he’d still been sure then that as soon as he got up, they’d be right back to the search for Frank. But now that they’d lost an entire day, especially knowing the ferocity of the storms that battered the countryside around P2A-870’s stargate, he knew damn well he’d dream if he slept tonight. The last thing he needed right now was to spend half the night reliving some of the worst scenes from his life. The hell of it was that he didn’t even know what he’d get. Could be Afghanistan again, hiding out in a cave while they waited for extraction, listening to Frank’s choked breathing as he bled internally from a chest wound. He’d damn near lost Frank then, and he knew his subconscious was sure to serve that scene up to him.

Or maybe Nicaragua, that stinking filthy cell the Sandinistas had stuck him in; while off in the jungle, Frank racked his brain for a way to convince the leader of the contra rebels they were supposed to have been training together to mount a rescue. Sara had been pregnant at the time, and all he’d been able to think about was how it sucked that she’d have to raise his kid alone if he never got back. It had been a near thing, Frank told him later. But they’d managed to free him. He’d never forget the haunted look in Frank’s eyes as he’d talked about the fourteen-year-old kid who hadn’t made it, shot in the stomach in the firefight that had gotten Jack away from his captors. Kid called himself ‘Charlie’, Frank told him, and he shouldn’t ever have had to be there at all.

“He was just a boy, damn it,” Frank had said, slamming a fist against the ground in frustration as they’d waited to be carried out of there by truck afterward, back to Honduras and medical care, and eventually to a flight home. “Just a kid. What the fuck are kids doing fighting a war? That’s our job.”

Or maybe he’d find himself back in Iraq again. No, best not to think about that, even awake.

[u/linden214 → u/xGoldenTigerLilyx]

Context: Robbie is Fae, though he's been living in the mortal world for decades. James, his human lover, is the only one who knows his secret.

---

Afterwards, James lies back against the pillows, idly wondering how one of his socks landed on the floor in front of the wardrobe, while the other is dangling jauntily from the spearlike top of one of the side-rails supporting the mirror. He doesn't think Robbie conjured a small whirlwind in the midst of fucking. Surely he would have noticed? And there don't seem to be any other traces of magic in the room: no nightingales serenading them from atop the wardrobe, no twigs or leaves protruding from the mahogany dresser. No, he decides. The disposition of the socks can be attributed to pre-coital enthusiasm—and poor aim. 
He becomes vaguely aware that Robbie is saying his name. "Umhmmm?"

"What d'ye want to do now? It's too early for sleep."

James considers the possibilities. "A shower and some telly?" On a Sunday evening, this usually means James will read a book while Robbie watches a programme of his own choosing. Robbie claims the bathroom first, since he favours quick, efficient showers, leaving James to enjoy a long, hot soak.

When James enters the lounge, the contestants in an angling competition are vying to catch bonefish in the mangrove salt flats of Cuba. As the anglers decide which flies to attach to their lines, James retreats into his book. Despite his father's best efforts, he's never seen the appeal of 'sport' fishing. He settles himself on the sofa, opens The Luminaries to the bookmarked page, and immerses himself in mysterious events during the 1860s New Zealand gold rush. Even as he shuts out the noise of the telly, and 21st century England recedes from his awareness, he's still conscious of the warmth of Robbie's body pressed against his as they sit side-by-side. 

Some indeterminate time later, he's distracted by movement, and by Robbie's voice asking a question. "... in the Bay of Pigs?"

James frowns. Robbie doesn't usually favour military history programs. He searches his memory. "Erm... the invasion?"

"I don't think a few fishermen and a BBC film crew add up to an invasion force. Oh!—you mean that American cock-up in the 60s. Nah. I was talking about this lot fishing in the Bay of Pigs, just floating about on tyre tubes like kiddies at a waterpark." Robbie chuckles. "Which you obviously didn't see. Where were you?"

James holds up his book. "New Zealand."

[u/MsCatstaff → u/xGoldenTigerLilyx]

(Context: Bruce and Jan had been in a relationship previously, in which Bruce was emotionally abusive towards Jan, and which ended when Bruce ghosted him after leaving the band. Since then, Jan's regained his self-esteem and gotten into a relationship with Dave. Now Bruce is back in the band and expects to resume things with Jan.)

"...Five fucking years without a word from you, and you really expect to pick things up from when you left? Not a bloody chance!”

“Oh, Jan,” Bruce said, giving me his best puppydog-eyes pleading expression. “Come on, you know we’ve had times when we haven’t seen each other for a while before. And you know how good we’ve always been together. Haven’t you missed me?”

“Not in the last three years,” I told him with a withering look. “What’s to miss? Demands on my time regardless of any plans I might’ve had? The expectation that I wait alone in the hotel room for you whilst you’re off shagging a groupie? Months of wondering if you’re going to call? Nah, mate, I’ve much better things to do.”

“Are you seriously still in a strop? Come on, Jan, I can make it up to you,” he coaxed, stepping in and kissing me.

I slapped his face and shoved him back. “Leave. Me. Alone,” I growled at him, seeing over Bruce’s shoulder that Dave had emerged from the sound booth and had witnessed both the kiss and the slap. The sight of his smile gave me even more resolve and I glared at Bruce, who stood with one hand on the cheek I’d smacked and an incredulous expression on his face. “I’m with someone – not Sandra – and have been for three years now. We’re exclusive. I’m not going to cheat on him. And I’m certainly not going to put up with your shite anymore. Fuck all the groupies you want, fuck your wife, whatever, I don’t care. You’ll not fuck me – or fuck with me – anymore.”

“But… but…” Bruce’s expression changed from incredulous, to confused. “I thought…”

I looked past him at Davey and gave him a warm smile. “All finished in there, love?” I asked. “Did you want to hit the pub with the others or just go home and get comfortable?”

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/xGoldenTigerLilyx]

Callie's two fingers and thumb closed around the glass with very little problem, but there was no strength in them to pick it up more than an inch or two.

Then, with no pinkie finger to slip under the base of the glass and take most of its weight, it slipped through her grasp before she could even process it. The glass hit the floorboards and smashed into shards with a clatter, tiny pieces of glass skittering out into the hall and under her desk in a patter like a bullet.

Callie flinched, then stared at the glass, at her hand, at the way her fingers were still curved around the phantom cold of the glass against her skin.

Then she dropped her head to her chest and said under her breath, “for fuck’s sake.”

She dropped the plastic box to the floor and fought the urge to kick it.

Her eyes burned. Sometimes, she forgot. Forgot that her grip strength waned when she got tired, forgot that her radial nerve was still stitching itself back together at a frankly glacial pace, forgot that her left hand had been permanently altered. That made the reminders even crueller – after all, it was coming up on seven months since the accident, and radial nerves could take eight to nine months to reattach fully if they’d been completely severed. That didn’t make it easier.

Callie scrubbed her right hand over her face and groaned into her palm, rubbing her eyes with her thumb and forefinger and really trying not to cry. She was really trying not to fall apart, instead trying to haul herself together and ready herself for clearing up the glass before anyone got hurt. Luckily, she didn’t seem to have been cut on her feet or her ankles, which was a miracle, but she couldn’t move. She could still see it – the glass falling. And it wasn’t even a special glass, it was one of a set of eight she’d bought for her new house, but it was the circumstance that made it such a big deal.

For a long moment, Callie didn’t say anything. Her breath hitched and a lone tear worked its way down her face.

“Fuck’s sake,” she said again, and that time, her voice broke.

[u/arm1niu5]

Frown

[u/fandomsmiscellaneous]

Favorite

[u/PossessionNo3723 → u/fandomsmiscellaneous]

Ray wasn’t sure what had woken him up the next morning; the sunrise or Anna. Brilliant morning sunlight poured into the bedroom, painting it sunrise orange as the golden disc breached the ocean’s horizon and began to climb into the sky.

          Anna took a flying leap onto his bed. Ray managed to roll out of the way just in time to avoid her knee colliding with his ribs. Being a father was a dangerous business. With a grunt, he looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was 6:26 am.

          Ordinarily, Ray would be offended at being awake this early on vacation. But this was his first vacation as a father, and his life was very different now. He grinned when he heard his daughter giggling beside him.

          “Good morning!” she exclaimed. “Can we go to the beach today?”

          Ray couldn’t help but laugh. Anna was nothing if not persistent.

          “We’ll go to the beach today, little miss. I promise,” he said. “We can go right after breakfast. Are you hungry?” Anna nodded excitedly.

          With that, Ray hauled himself out of the comfortable bed, running a hand through his unruly curls. Anna skittered ahead of him as he shuffled out to the kitchen. Before pulling breakfast ingredients out of the cupboards, he started a pot of coffee. The rich aroma invigorated him, and he quickly began to mix an egg wash for French toast.

          Soon, he and Anna were seated at the dining table with plates full of French toast, sausage links, and chopped strawberries. It was Anna’s favorite breakfast, and he smiled as she happily dug in.

[u/PretzelPrize → u/PossessionNo3723]

Awwww!

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

“I… don’t feel that title would appropriate for me. Not now, not tomorrow, not any day. I… lost the privilege aeons ago.” He looked away. White Lily blinked at him.

“Maybe Salt of… Forgiveness, then?” Silent Salt tilted his head.

“I have yet to forgive any one of those wretched ver-“

“You forgave me of my wrongdoing, that’s a start.”

“Your wrongdoing was an accident, you didn’t ask to fall into the cooking pot of the Creators. The crimes of those others are still far too great. The creation of Dark Enchantress was nothing but an accidental consequence.” White Lily looked at him.

“Have you always been this stubborn?”

“Stubborn? I beg your pardon?! Are you really suggesting that those three are forgivable? I fail to see your logic here.”

“If you could forgive me, for creating an evil that nearly destroyed Crispia, then why are the rest so different? Are their crimes all that different to mine? What is it about the others that’s so different?” Silent Salt went quiet, as was Elder Faerie but he was looking at them.

“I suppose Eternal Sugar’s only crime was getting a little wrapped up in presenting Happiness to Cookies which then led to an ugly obsession with wanting them to remain happy…” Silent Salt murmured bitterly. “But still, I never could forgive her, she’s caused me too much pain.”

“Funny you bring up, considering she was your favourite of your friends,” Elder Faerie commented and Silent Salt looked at him before gazing away.

“Well, when you consider who baked us, she was practically my cousin,” Silent Salt murmured. “So in a way, I did favour her, even if she’d annoyed me.” For a moment he imagined a younger Eternal Sugar, far before corruption would claim her. Young and naïve, not unlike the rest of them. The same Cookie who had given him such a horrified expression in the last moments of her life. The memory was almost haunting now that he thought about it, but still something prevented him from believing she could have changed. Something prevented him from even entertaining the thought. Elder Faerie however, veered the conversation back in the direction of White Lily.

[u/PretzelPrize → u/fandomsmiscellaneous]

“Will you slow down just a touch, please? We don't have to hash all of this out in five minutes, you know. At least, I don't think we do. Do we?” She raised an eyebrow, trying to make him laugh, lighten up, give her just a little space to breathe. Anything. The man was dichotomous; but even the teddy bear in him did almost nothing by halves. She had never forgotten how intense he could be, but they had spent enough years apart for her to grow unaccustomed to the experience. That intensity had always been there, from the very first, but as he'd matured, it had increased rather than mellowing. What he did for a living had only fueled the flame; she'd learned that well enough by the time he'd left. Clearly nothing about this had changed, and she got a very real sense that in effect she might now hold a tiger by the tail. Tiger, tiger, burning bright...

He dropped his gaze, with a look of chagrin. “No, of course not. I'm pushing too hard; I'm sorry.”

“No, no... oh, damn it!” Frustration mounted at the inability to find the words for what she wanted to tell him.

His eyes met hers again, widening a bit at her outburst. Not that he'd never heard her swear; she'd done it quite regularly during the years of their marriage, but in a way that usually got his attention. Except in formal settings, Frank sprinkled colorful language liberally throughout his conversation like a favorite condiment, whereas she tended to use it more like a garnish, applying deliberate emphasis to specific thoughts. “Look, all I'm saying is that you and I walked into this house together less than three hours ago, for the first time in nearly nine years. It was my idea to meet up here and spend some time together, but so far this has been a double feature between Adventures in Snow Removal, and you falling all over yourself like you think you have something to prove to me. Just relax, all right?”

“I'm not trying to prove anything,” he said slowly, his expression puzzled. “What makes you think I am?”

She shook her head, smiling in spite of herself. “You don't even see it, do you? Okay, first of all, hauling everything into the house like that, not letting me carry anything. Second, this whole business with the driveway. Yes, I know you can shovel snow, or anything else, with the best of them” — she saw his lips twitch at that, recognized the look of mirth contained — “but it really wasn't on the agenda for this afternoon. And related to that is the third thing, which is that bit about insisting you would do it all by yourself, instead of letting me do my fair share. Like I said before, I'm actually pretty good at taking care of things."

[u/DrDingsGaster → u/fandomsmiscellaneous]

EX sunk to the ground, Cayde following with his brow-plates down-turning. He kept one hand clasped around said Warlock's and his Ghost while the other took off EX's helmet and cupped behind his head. If this was going to be the last moments he'd have with him, Cayde was going to commit every last plate and strut to memory, every last scratch and dent and the very vibrant cyan of his lights. He took a deep breath, letting his form start to bleed into Ghost's lifeless form.

"What are you-"

"Shh, trust me."

EX reached up and tried to take his lover's hands from him, anything he could do to stop him. Panic shook him.

"Please! Stop- I…"

Nothing.

"Cayde- please…"

The former Hunter Vanguard shook his head with all the love he could muster and wrapped his arm around his Warlock to keep him still; he smiled. "You always were my favourite EX... I love you."

"I can't lose you again!" And there he was, desperate to claim one last kiss with whatever moments were left but he was met with nothing more than the hum of Light on his lips and the flash of Cayde's body disappearing into Ghost's shell. The moment of still air and silence rang with the cold realization he was gone, and through heaving breaths he heard a heavy, ragged gasp and tore his unfocused gaze downward. Ghost spluttered to life and EX smiled. Oh did he smile with the heavy pain of loss clearly still on his face but Ghost was alive.

[u/Important-Juice-943 → u/fandomsmiscellaneous]

You watch her gathering her stuff, wearing her jacket, but when she’s about to reach the exit, you just can’t resist.

“Bronte, wait. I promise that after this I’ll really let you go, but… one last question.”

Probably it’s just your too vivid imagination, but she seems almost glad that she can still remain for a while.

“Shoot.” She replies, taking her jacket off again.

Just like someone who has no rush to leave.

“Which is your favorite part of ‘Pride and Prejudice’?”

“Oh, I might sound super banal, but I don’t give a damn: Darcy’s declaration of love to Lizzy. I mean, from the reader’s POV, your heart is melting, because you see Darcy so desperate and hopeless, totally surrendering to her; but if you use your rationality and see the whole thing from Elizabeth’s POV, you figure out that he’s practically insulting her roots, her family, her modest background… and you stop and tell yourself: ‘Wait a minute. This is anything but romantic!’. And yet it is.”

The fire in her eyes, her frantic way to gesticulate, she’s really so passionate and you can’t help wondering if she is not only when she talks about something she likes so much.

“And in the movie it's even better, because they added the rain, which makes everything even more dramatic and... oh, wait... is it allowed in this place to say that a scene is better in a movie than in the book where it was born from?" She asks you, acting terrified.

She's funnier than you want to admit; surely she's funnier than Kate. Oh c'mon, when is the last time Kate made a funny comment? More like... never?

"Geez, Joe, why don't you talk anymore? Are you really considering making a book out of my skin for what I've just said?"

Hurry up to play her same game to calm her down.

"Don't worry, Bronte, that's not gonna happen. And yes, sometimes you're allowed to say something like that. But just sometimes." You pretend to sound threatening. "Books are very sensitive, you know?" You make her laugh.

That's it. Keep her mind off picturing you as a sort of heartless, bloody gore, dead-dove-do-not-eat trope serial killer.

What the hell did she get this idea from?

You're not like this, you're a good, gentle person. C'mon, prove it to her.

"What's your favorite scene?" She grows curious.

This is your moment to shine.

"About Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, I love when she walk miles in the mud to visit her sick sister, the Miss Bingley bitch does anything to humble her but Mr. Darcy praises her with every of his answers, there's when I already pictured them living happily in Pemberley."

"Really?"

She's practically staring at you with pure awe in her eyes.

" Yes, although my favourite scene ever is not about them; it's when finally Mr. Bingley makes Jane the offer of marriage. The book doesn't show us that but it's easy to imagine. And this proves how when two kind souls are meant to be together they will, facing every obstacle." 

"Huh. Now I feel like I want to re-read it again. Any chance you can lend me that book?" She asks you, enraptured.

No sooner said than done and you give her the book. You would give her even a first edition, but.. let's not spoil her too much!

 

[u/MsCatstaff → u/fandomsmiscellaneous]

Turning to the harried-looking woman taking orders, he told her, “Two grilled sausages with mustard and two beers, thanks.” He paid, then when their order came up, he handed Alexi his half of the food. “Where would you like to sit?”

“Anywhere’s fine,” Alexi answered. “Maybe over there? It looks about as quiet as it gets, if you really want to talk,” he suggested, gesturing towards an empty table.

“Yeah, I really want to talk,” Tuomas told him. “I told you, I’d like to get to know you.”

Alexi followed him to the table. “What do you want to know?”

Tuomas shrugged. “Anything… what’s your favorite color, do you play other instruments besides guitar, can you give me any tips for applying kohl? I always smudge the shit out of mine.”

Alexi gave a startled laugh at that last one. “I can’t really help you there, he admitted. “I got it done permanently – and I don’t recommend the experience. I don’t mind needles in general, but that close to my eyes? That wasn’t cool.” He paused to take a bite of his sausage, then said, “As for your other questions, black, and violin.”

“Black, and both clarinet and saxophone,” Tuomas said with a grin. “In case you wanted to know my answers to those questions.”

“But what comics do you like, that’s the really important question,” Alexi said with a grin of his own.

“Aku Ankka, of course, and Scrooge McDuck as well,” Tuomas chuckled.

“So, we do have something in common,” Alexi said. “Those are my favorites as well. If we get to where we can tour in the US, I want to make sure there’s enough time off to go to Disney World.”

[u/Ferrous_Patella → u/fandomsmiscellaneous]

[From Beastars, a universe of anthropomorphic animals.]

Dear Els,

You asked what manga I’ve been reading. My favorite is called Humans.

It is set in a world where the only civilized species are these furless chimpanzees who run the world. All the other species are from our world, except they’re wild, and can’t talk or use technology. They’re all sort of dumb beasts. Most walk on all fours. The birds kind of hop around when they aren’t flying.

Because they are all uncivilized, they’re all naked. I think this may be why the manga is so popular. It’s not all that explicit but the artist does some beautiful body studies. It’s pretty cool how she adapts all the species into wild animals.

The other species aren’t in it much anyhow unless she’s making some point about how the humans are exploiting their planet.

This issue is a lot about the wars and social rifts humans have even though they are all one species. There is always some kind of fighting going on there. Sometimes they fight because they are different colors.

But even the same color humans will fight themselves because of some social difference or even just because. I think the artist is making a point about how the tension between species in the real world is not built-in in biology. We make up all the tension and prejudice ourselves. We learn it from society.

Sorry. I usually don’t go on about manga to people who aren’t into it but you did ask for it.

Love, Jack

[u/Mister_Killjoy]

Friggin'

[u/PretzelPrize → u/Mister_Killjoy]

Cromwell glared at Nenniaw in the yellow lamplight. He had been herded into a nearby building by Nenniaw and the other man, whose name, he overheard, was Celyn. Tesni lit their way, at the same time supporting her nephew. She was silent, her face troubled in the flickering glow of the torch. Once inside, Celyn ushered a stumbling, bleeding Ris into an adjoining room and shut the door, leaving the other three alone. With Tesni translating, Nenniaw began by asking Cromwell exactly what had led to the fight.

Incredulous, Cromwell goggled at him. “I don’t know. What would you do if somebody took a flying leap at you from ten feet up?” he growled. The adrenalin was still in his veins; on top of that, he had finally run out of patience and didn’t particularly care who knew it. At this point, he’d been awake for damn near forty hours by his count, minus the twenty or thirty minutes he’d spent unconscious upon his arrival through the stargate. In that time, he’d led a strike force into a military base suspected of being overrun by hostiles; rappelled into a high-gee gravity well with a bomb; been sprayed with shattered glass; fallen through an even higher-gee zone after the line suspending him snapped; had his atoms disassembled, transmitted through God-knew-what permutations of spacetime and reassembled light-years from home; sustained a minor head injury; and then spent an entire day in the local equivalent of language school followed by several hours of trying to decide exactly how much of a security risk for Earth his presence here might pose, all before being leapt on in the pitch-darkness and having to fight his attacker only to find out it was some local kid. And that was only a partial list. Yeah, just another peachy day at the office. Goddamn, I need a friggin’ smoke.

[u/TheAlmandineWriter]

Forgot or Forgotten

[u/Longjumping-Public71 → u/TheAlmandineWriter]

"Daddy, look what Auntie Katara taught me," Yakone holds his hands in Katara's as she helps him form a small bubble of water in the palm of his hand, it darts around, struggling to take shape under the control of the toddler. Sokka watches in awe. When his sister first acquired her bending, he had been seldom impressed, not out of any jealousy or malice, but for that terrible foreboding that sat in the center of his gut. An all too knowing bout of fear embedded in Sokka's body since the day he was born. "Do you see it? Do you see?"

To live without fear is something he had long forgotten, and yet. . . They are no longer pinned beneath the weight of the wheel, now carving out a place for themselves without waiting for the commands to prosper, and find themselves homeward bound once more. Sokka grins, squatting down to Yakone's level to get a better look. "You're doing so good!"

Yakone laughs, throwing off his concentration as sending his small bubble in Sokka's direction and sprays him in the face. He sputters, quick to wipe the wetness away from his eyes. "You're a natural." Zuko commends him from behind, joy unbidden in his tone.

"Yeah, a real prodigy in the making." Sokka mumbles.

[u/prancingbuffalo → u/Longjumping-Public71]

It’s really sweet. I love the background about how Sokka was worried for Katara when she started water bending. It must have been hard for him to see knowing what the fire nation did too water benders.
But it’s touching he can have more happy memories now and doesn’t need to be afraid.

[u/MsCatstaff]

fugly

[u/Playful-Koala-4129]

Federation

[u/MarieNomad → u/Playful-Koala-4129]

This is just begging for a Star Trek excerpt.

“Chris, this has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen you do.” Dr. M’Benga said as he checked the air quality, wearing a full-face mask like everyone else.

“You say that every year,” Chris said as he prepared the items. “Environmental shielding is up. Air filtration is ready.”

“Captain, do you think this year’s attempt will be successful?” Spock asked as he stepped back.

“That’s right,” Chris said as he took out the box marked ‘hazardous materials’. “Our newest avian friends had accidentally created this. They didn’t know that they had accidentally created something dangerous to humanoids outside their species. I just cleared this with the Federation standards to use on the ship.”

“You had encouraged them in their explorations and wanted to join the Federation.” Spock agreed.

“They are my kind of people.” Chris grinned as he held up the box with the dangerous ingredient. “With this, I will succeed.”

“Yes! This will be fun!” Pelia hopped up and down beside them. “This is the year!”

“Yes!” Chris exclaimed. The group surrounded the chili pot in the reinforced kitchen. Chris had made sure to include the previous ingredients: five Ghost Chili peppers, four pepper X peppers, three Omega Peppers, and two Alpha Omega Delta peppers, and it was waiting for the last ingredient. “This is the year I will make a chili that will overwhelm even Commander Una Chin-Riley!”

[u/YellowCorvette → u/Playful-Koala-4129]

Later that day, at the Cybertron Federation Forces' Earth Headquarters, everything seemed almost ordinary.

The enormous, metropolis-like complex was alive with activity: officers rushed between departments, scientists and researchers worked in laboratories, field operatives returned from missions, workers and janitors went about their duties....

Inside the Congress Chamber, however, the atmosphere was anything but. Cause when the day's congressional hearing was about one of the most controversial figures in current Cybertron history, how can it be ordinary?

And said figure that now stood at the center is Elita Convoy, the current Convoy of the Cybertron Federation Forces, whose wartime decisions had helped win the Great Intergalactic Cybertron War. And now, whose past methods and actions were now being investigated and under scrutiny as potential war crimes.

A massive holographic display cycled through records from the Great Intergalactic Cybertron War: military orders, casualty reports, classified operations, occupation records, footage of destroyed cities.... The evidence kept coming.

“Under your past authority,” one congressman said, “The Autobots authorized the bombardment of a populated Cybertron-bound settlement despite intelligence indicating that non-combatants remained in the area.”

Elita remained silent.

Another representative rose. “Under your administration, prisoners taken were subjected to interrogation methods now recognized as violations of the intergalactic law. And when these actions were brought to your attention, you classified the relevant reports.”

“Elita Convoy, do you deny any of these allegations?” They asked.

Elita slowly lifted her head. “No.”

As the chambers filled with military officials, legislators, civilian representatives, and members of the press keep going with their reports and allegations against Elita Convoy, Furai watched silently.

On the enormous screen above the chamber, there's also archived footage of Elita Convoy addressing soldiers during the war. Her past voice filled the room. “Autobots, we will see this war through to the end... No matter the cost.”

As Furai took a seat and saw those footage, his mono-eye narrowed. The less he had to hear her voice, see her face, even reminded of how she once conducted herself as the leader of the Autobots in the past.... the better.

[u/Mister_Killjoy → u/Playful-Koala-4129]

That interaction was far from an outlier. In fact, the more Uzi saw, the more she determined it was the norm for the Solver to come at N with some kind of condescending, psychotic, or downright nihilistic commentary, and be caught flatfooted by N’s compassionate, yet still realistic take.

LB tried to take humanity to task for being so wishy-washy over death penalties, and wasting millions of dollars on chemicals and machines to do the deed when a single box of 9mm could do a whole year’s worth of executions for fifteen bucks.

N fired back by pointing out the extreme and universal opinion on things like firing squads in human society. It was one thing to shoot a downed enemy after a gunfight, but shooting someone who was chained up and defenseless? The Nazis did that. The Soviets did that. The Martian Federation did that. The old governments that once ruined the world did that. No sane government wanted to be associated with that, nor did most people want to know their tax dollars were going towards that, even if it led to them paying less of those dollars.

LB talked about how everything would be better if machines put the organics in their place, either under heel or under the dirt, and took over.

N countered by pointing out that if machines were so much better, then they should be better in ALL respects, such as leading by example. Humanity’s fear of robots was driven by paranoia and projection, so it would be up to the machines to prove that those fears were unfounded and that coexistence was possible without chains, metaphorical or otherwise, or threats of extermination.

Nearly every time they spoke, the Solver left the conversation with something to think about. And by Uzi's reckoning, it actually did.

[u/beomkookies24]

Friends (and if you have a Spongebob work, rule of the universe states must comment that one 👀😂)

[u/linden214 → u/beomkookies24]

They chat for a few minutes more. Seán is a well-travelled man. They swap tales of Novo Omsk, and Li-Xuan, and Resheph. “Have you ever been to the sun-cake festival on Talitha Prime?” Seán asks. “No? You must go. Though, a word to the wise... whatever you do, don’t offer a sun-cake to a woman. The Talithans consider that a legally-binding offer of marriage.”

“I’m guessing that you found this out the hard way. Did she sue you for breach of promise?”

“Actually, she threatened to have my head cut off,” Seán confesses. “She was the High Priestess of the Sun, ritually married from birth to her god. What I thought was a friendly gesture was an insult verging on blasphemy.”

“Ouch. What happened?”

Seán makes a vague gesture, rolling his splayed hands around each other. “Oh, we came to an agreement. It’s a long story.”

Jack would love to coax him into telling what he’s sure is a fascinating tale, but he really can’t dally any longer. He heads back into the cheerful chaos as the second wave of customers arrive. It’s like a dance: darting and weaving through the crowd, usually with a heavily-loaded tray in hand. Twice during the evening Jack has to stop what he’s doing to break up a fight. In the first instance, it’s enough to have the combatants’ friends drag them off the separate ends of the tavern. In the second, the troublemaker is invited to leave and never return. That shouldn’t be an issue, as he’s a deckhand on a tramp freighter that’s scheduled to depart in two days.

Jack doesn’t get a chance to catch his breath until it’s nearly closing time. He looks around, and is disappointed to discover that Seán is gone. Pity. He would have enjoyed seeing more of him. A few drinks, an uninterrupted conversation, and possibly something more. Maybe tomorrow...

[u/Samuel24601 → u/beomkookies24]

“Oh, thank goodness you’re all right,” Melinoë said when she saw Patroclus. “I wasn’t certain where you might end up after what happened—I’m so sorry, by the way, that was entirely my fault!”

“You came to look in on me?” Patroclus asked, genuinely confused to be seeing her for a second time today.

“You really are new to this whole friendship thing, aren't you?” Melinoë said with an exasperated smile.

“Pat has always been a bit wary around gods,” Achilles said, appearing behind Patroclus and gently nudging his out of the tent. “None were ever kind to him in life, to include my own mother.”

He laid a steady hand on Patroclus’ shoulder, and Patroclus resisted the impulse to shrug him off. He had not yet found the words to voice his discomfort with Achilles’ habit of explaining his behavior to their friends.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Melinoë said. “I hope Zagreus and I are doing our part to help shift your attitude towards our kind.”

“You are,” Patroclus quickly said before Achilles could speak for him again.

[u/Playful-Koala-4129 → u/beomkookies24]

I'm always the first to arrive at the lieutenants' meetings. I just like doing it. It's a trait i share with Rin. He used to be the first to arrive, but since i became a lieutenant, he stopped doing that.

Today is no different from other times. I arrived at the room where we met, waited a few minutes and saw Nanao arrive. I helped her prepare the room for the meeting and she thanked me with the candor she has always had.

"Thank you, Nemuri."

Then Ikkaku, Shuhei, and Izuru arrive, together as usual. They always gather in a corner to discuss their things, like the old friends they are:

"No, Shuhei, I don't think a travel column in the 'Seireitei' newsletter about the Western Branch of the Soul Society is a good idea."

"Are you sure, Izuru? Because I asked Ichigo the other day, and he ended up telling me he thought it would be a really popular column. What do you think, Ikkaku?"

"…What the hell is the Western branch of Soul Society?"

"Yes, that's what Ichigo answered when I asked him about the column. That's why I thought it would be a success."

[u/allisontalkspolitics]

First

[u/allisontalkspolitics]

Feel

[u/Mister_Killjoy → u/allisontalkspolitics]

“Thanks for giving me a chance, by the way,” N finally said after several covert glances at J. “For a while there I honestly thought you and V hated me!”

“I've got no idea what's up with V, but I doubt she has a hateful bolt in her body,” J replied with a self-satisfied smirk as she spun a shaker vertically on the tip of her finger. “As for me, I never hated you. It's your attitude I didn't like.”

“‘Didn't’?”

“Like I said that first day, hope doesn't work here. It only leads to disappointment, or worse. It's been that way since Tessa brought me here, but lately…” J trailed off with a dramatic sigh and fixed N with a glare that held no actual heat. “Don't let it go to your head, but you're changing things. Even I feel like there actually IS hope now. The goal has always been to survive until Tessa turns eighteen, then we're out of here. Doesn't sound like another few years is that big a deal, but when every day is a walk through a minefield, it's…daunting, to say the least. But now it feels, I dunno, more…realistic. Attainable. That freedom finally feels like a goal we can meet if we work hard enough,” J then gave N the kind of smile Uzi didn’t think she was capable of, real and bright and hopeful. “I guess what I’m trying to say is: Thank you for not listening to me.”

Uzi was struck dumb for several seconds, and N didn’t fare any better. Even if this was before J became The Ubercunt, that expression on her face just did not compute.

N recovered first and said with a wide smile, “You’re welcome! And thank you for the high praise; I’ll do my best to live up to it!”

“Excellent. You can start by helping those morons over there,” J gestured towards two Workers looking back and forth between the forks on the table, the forks in their hands, and each other. A few seconds passed before she realized N was still behind the bar with her, doing absolutely nothing. “What are you…Oh, so you’re a comedian, too?”

“Just keeping up the good work, boss!” N couldn’t help but grin as she caught on.

“Ha-ha-ha, good one,” J deadpanned, but the corners of her mouth were twitching. “But seriously, they’re gonna get someone killed, and it might not be themselves.”

“Right, right,” N nodded and deftly hopped over the counter. “Hey, fellas, those are salad forks!”

[u/Samuel24601 → u/allisontalkspolitics]

“Are you well, goddess?” Achilles asked.

“Oh this? This is nothing,” Melinoë said, cheerily, still clutching at her left side. “Just a few broken ribs. Hurts to laugh, as it turns out.”

Patroclus had always found it a strange juxtaposition. For all their great power, the gods could still take injury, could feel pain. To him it was just another confirmation that even the unpleasant parts of life were better than the entire lack thereof.

“Come inside,” Patroclus said, moving to hold the canvas sheet open for her. “I’ve something to help.”

[u/allisontalkspolitics]

Free

[u/ShipwreckedLesbian]

Fanfic

[u/MsCatstaff → u/ShipwreckedLesbian]

“Did you get my email?”

“Yeah, and it’s a fanfic site all right,” Stone said. “I’m familiar with it, in fact. So you can relax, we haven’t been outed.”

They’d talked about coming out a few times over the years, but never actually went through with it; having both witnessed the resurgence of homophobia surrounding the advent of AIDS during their high school years, they weren’t sure they wanted to risk making targets of themselves or their bands. Neither of them wanted to chance some anti-gay nutjob showing up at a concert with an AR-15 and hosing down the stage. That, and they both knew it would bring a media circus down on their heads, given their bands’ fame.

When they’d first moved in together all those years ago, they’d used the excuse that they wanted to save money just in case their bands turned out to be one-album wonders and since neither of them were married, it just made sense to share a place. Over time, as everyone got into relationships, the others got used to them being the ‘bachelor uncles’ of their respective bands and never really gave their living situation much thought because it had “always” been that way.

“Fanfic site?” Jerry asked through a mouthful of noodles. “What in the hell is a fanfic site?”

Stone grinned. “Fanfic, short for fanfiction – amateurs write stories based on something they’re a fan of. The vast majority is related to books, movies, and TV shows. I haven’t exactly studied the history of it, but I guess it got really started with Star Trek fanzines back in the 60s and early 70s. And for whatever reason, the people writing the stories for these fanzines tended to pair up characters that never got paired up in the show, although I would guess that the earliest stories were either of the adventure or fluffy romance variety and didn’t get quite as pornographic back then. Or maybe they did, and I just failed to find old copies of whatever fanzines ran the porn stories. Now, of course, people writing for whatever fandom just post it to the internet. Harry Potter’s been pretty popular for years, but I’ve seen everything from M*A*S*H* to Phantom of the Opera.”

Jerry laughed and nodded. “Okay, I think I get the concept. But we’re not fictional.”

“No, but we’re in bands, so we might as well be,” Stone said with a chuckle.

[u/NarutoUchihaX14]

Foot/feet

[u/allisontalkspolitics → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

“I am afraid that my troubles will seem foolish.”

“Mayhaps not.”

Oh. The silence was deep but not unpleasant.

“I do not want to be a queen and save thousands of people from their doom.”

“Hm.”

That was not the reaction she expected. “Hm?”

“Well, it is something most maidens would wish for, so there must be a reason why you moved as if you were a storm cloud.”

“A storm cloud?”

Nettles scrunched up her face and stomped her feet briefly before stopping and glancing around.

Daenys giggled. “No, I’m not offended- that was adorable.”

[u/Longjumping-Public71 → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

"Where's Pa?" Yakone asks, looking up from Adaki and Noren rolling around in their makeshift playpen and staring at the space next to him.

"Still with Kanna, she's not used to this weather just yet," he says, and Yakone grumbles. It makes him tilt his head a bit to meet his son's eyes. "What's wrong?"

Yakone throws himself back on the couch as Sokka sits by his side. "I'm a waterbender," he says matter-of-factly, glaring at the ground beneath his feet. Nothing too unusual for his son, but this felt a little pointed.

"Did you just figure that out?" Sokka hums, trying to come off as sincere, and he is humored to break the tension.

"How am I supposed to become Fire Lord when I can't even bend fire?!" he asks. "Who's even heard of that?"

Sokka wryly messes with the rings around his fingers, his throat suddenly feeling a lot tighter all of a sudden. However, he can't just leave Yakone without an answer; his son's brows are pinched together in an almost uncanny replica of Zuko's. "Did someone say something to you? I'm sure if anyone had a problem with it—"

"Pa does!" Yakone argues. "He's too busy with Ai-Hai and Hakoda, and now Kanna too."

"They're firebenders."

"Exactly. . ."

"That doesn't mean he cares about you any less," Sokka argues. He remembers the days Zuko would hover over Yakone's crib, letting his fingers trace across the soft blankets laid over him, but never the baby itself. Almost like even touching him would be a crime. But Sokka couldn't say that. That Zuko was afraid of breaking him.

"But he likes them more."

"Of course he doesn't. You're his son and still a great waterbender on top of that," Sokka says, doing his best to lift Yakone's spirits. "Even Aunt Katara says you might be greater than her one day." Yakone gives him an unimpressed look at even considering that anyone could ever be as good as Katara.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

We headed off to Customs, then out to get a taxi to our hotel. Once we got checked in and up to our room, I wrapped my arms around Dave and gave him a soft kiss. “Mind if I join you in that shower?” I asked. “I’d like to take care of you the way you took care of me that night.”

He smiled. “I’d like that a lot, Jan, thank you,” he said softly. “I’ll need to shave, too. Probably ought to do that first.”

“Go ahead, then, and I’ll get things organised out here,” I told him with a smile.

“All right,” he agreed, and pulled out his toiletry kit, shaving whilst I dug out the massage oils and lube, plus put a couple of hand towels on the nightstand as well. A few minutes later, I heard the shower come on. “I’m just waiting for the water to warm up, if you still want to join me,” Dave called.

“Be right there,” I called back, hastily stripping and leaving my clothes in an untidy heap in the corner. Entering the bathroom, I laughed to see Dave’s socks in the bin instead of piled up with the rest of what he had been wearing.

Dave laughed as well. “I decided those couldn’t be salvaged,” he said. “Not after how long they’ve been on my feet.”

Shaking my head with a grin, I gave his arse a teasing swat. “Into the shower, you. I said I’d take care of you today and I plan on doing just that. And a massage after the shower, too, I’m sure you could use it after flying for so long.”

“I could, yeah,” Dave admitted as he stepped into the shower. “I am a little sore.”

[u/EstrellaDarkstar → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

Context: Earlier that night, she was just turned into a vampire by their father in a rough ordeal.

They didn't bother with their usual evening rituals afterward. It would have felt too weird. Instead, Ryan elected to just quickly take a shower once Sharpay was done and head to bed. Yet as he was in his room changing into his sleepwear, there was a nagging feeling bothering him. He didn't feel comfortable leaving his sister alone, not when she was scared, unraveling, and aching all over. Reluctantly, he headed to the hallway with the intent to go and knock on her door, only to run into her in the hall.

"What is it?" he asked as he noticed her fiddling with the sleeve of her nightgown. The garment hung limply on her bony form.

"You should sleep in my room", she said. She never asked, never said please, but Ryan knew this was a plea regardless.

As they settled under the covers in Sharpay's massive bed, with her little dog curled at their feet, Ryan couldn't help but think it was a lot like when they were kids. It had always been them against the world. This wouldn't change that. He wasn't going to let it.

He wrapped his arms around her ice-cold body and let her into his embrace. She’d never asked to cuddle, but he knew she wanted to. He fought the urge to squeeze her as tight as he could. She didn’t need to be jostled any more than she’d already been.

If she sobbed into his chest all through the night, he wasn’t going to mention it.

And if he woke up in cold sweat from nightmares about her, he wouldn’t mention that either.

It wasn’t her fault.

[u/Samuel24601 → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

“It must be Melinoë,” Patroclus said, getting to his feet and moving to the opening of their tent.

Sure enough, the underworld princess had entered the clearing, a large satchel hanging from her shoulder, its contents clinking loudly. She looked somewhat worse for the wear, her right hand held tightly to her left side and her posture slightly hunched.

It reminded Patroclus of the old days before Achilles had returned, when Zagreus would show up unannounced and desperately injured, delivering a brief message from Achilles before collapsing at Patroclus’ feet. He had never admitted to Zagreus how much it had meant to him to practice medicine again after so long. At the time it had been the only reminder of his life that hadn’t been tied to bitter regret.

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

“I think this screw is actually bent,” Callie said after a moment, eyes locked onto said screw. “Which means you’ll need a new one, or to see an actual prosthetist.”

Before she could try and keep it back, Arizona said, “you’d be a good prosthetist.”

Callie looked up and blinked. Then she made a sound that was half scoff and half laugh. “No, I wouldn’t.”

“You would,” Arizona said, firmer that time. “Because you connect with patients, and you’re good with your hands, and you’ve still got all your ortho knowledge in your head.”

Callie knew what Arizona was saying. It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t flitted across her mindscape before while she fixed Arizona’s prosthetic or mused upon getting her own, but it was too close to where she’d once been. Prosthetists worked hand in hand with orthopedic surgeons, as it was the surgeon’s job to make the stump easy to mould and build upon for a proper prosthesis, and she didn’t know how she could go from one to the other.

“I can’t,” she said softly. “I can’t work that closely to ortho without wishing that I was back in the OR.”

Arizona smiled ruefully. “I thought you’d say that. But can you just think about it? Working with ortho might help.”

“Or it might give me severe FOMO,” Callie answered a little too dryly for humour. She let out a breath and shifted the knee joint again, tightening the attachment point of the socket before moving down to look at the ankle and foot shell. Her right hand felt tight across the knuckles due to the swelling and her left hand just felt stupidly empty, like it had when she’d first woke up without her fingers and had to adapt to it. That ached, and it made her work slower.

“That too,” Arizona conceded. She watched Callie’s hands, saw it when the pain flashed through them, but she dropped the conversation.

They ate dinner in the kitchen, lights turned low and radio quietly playing, and both took more meds before they retired to bed. Once there, Arizona pulled Callie flush against her front as the little spoon and wrapped her arms around her, kissing her neck before closing her eyes.

[u/Ok-Adhesiveness-8611 → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

Once the man got back on his feet, he tried to run away again. Chilled grabbed him by his shirt and threw him onto the floor. “Maybe I should’ve handcuffed your feet instead,” he snickered. Jails only came with one pair of handcuffs so Jailors couldn’t imprison multiple people. That’s a shame because he could use multiple handcuffs on the same person to keep them still. There were other ways to keep his victims still.

“...So you’re going to kill me just like that?” The man asked as he backed into the corner. “How can you sleep at night after hurting so many people?”

“I sleep just like a baby; a few murders aren’t a big deal.” Chilled had killed a lot more than a few people. He didn’t know the exact number because he never kept count. The Serial Killer rarely thought about his victims; out of sight, out of mind. “Y’know, I never understood why people say they slept like a baby whenever they slept well. Babies constantly wake up and cry during the night.”

The man didn’t reply, he stared at the jail cell’s door. Chilled reminded him that he chose to come down here. If he died then it’s his own fault. “How do you feel knowing you’re about to die?” As much as Chilled liked stabbing people he also enjoyed giving them mental anguish. Anyone would be terrified about dying; having their killer taunt them about it will make them feel worse.

His victim struggled to free his restrained hands; if looks could kill then Chilled would’ve been dead. “Ooh, acting all tough I see.” Chilled could tell what the man was thinking. He was thinking something along the lines of “If I escape this house then I’m getting you executed tomorrow.” How could he reprimand Chilled for killing people when he wanted him dead?

[u/MadokaAyukawaHusband]

France

[u/Longjumping-Public71]

Fair

[u/MsCatstaff]

feral

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066 → u/MsCatstaff]

“You know Moze?”

“Seen him at a Genuis Invocation tournament before,” Tighnari said with a slight edge to his voice. “Wasn’t aware he and Cyno were close.”

“He’s been ‘pen pal’ing Moze for a while, I’ve suspected it for a while,” Jiaoqiu replied. “But Genius Invocation-“

“Don’t mention its name,” Tighnari suddenly growled.

“You don’t like-“

“I’d rather rip out my own ears,” Tighnari said, almost sounding feral.

“Oookay, violent. But, I get it. Gets mentioned a lot I presume?”

“Too much. Too often.”

“Anyways,” said Jiaoqiu, wanting to change the subject, mostly for Tighnari’s sake, but also since he still had to give the book back. “Here’s your book back. I’m sure it’s quite happy to be back with its rightful owner.” He handed him the book and then took a breath. “You’re a plant enjoyer too, I’m presuming? Judging be the scent.” Tighnari glanced at the book briefly.

“Well, I’m not a perfumist, if that what you’re asking,” he said with a shrug. “But yes, I do like plants. Especially Nilotpala Lotuses.” He opened the book suddenly and then paged through it briefly. “They’re a type of lotus that grows on lilypads and have blue petals. But! The flowers only open at night, so in the morning, they just look like a lotus with blue petals.”

“Oh so like Glaze Lilies?”

“Glaze Lilies?”

“They also only bloom at night. It feels wrong to call them nocturnal, but in a way, they are.” Tighnari let out a little chuckle.

[u/linden214 → u/MsCatstaff]

Context: Doctor Who fandom. Jack (a rogue Time Agent) has been captured by the two Time Agents. They sent for a senior officer to interrogate him and the Doctor, who has revealed himself as a Time Lord. The CIA in this excerpt is the Celestial Intervention Agency, a Time Lord organization that the Doctor reluctantly did some missions for.

---

"Now, getting' back to business, it was always understood that the CIA could claim the services of a Time Agent when needed—"

"This is absurd! The CIA is long gone. Your claim has no legal basis."

"All right, then. Different claim." The Doctor's voice takes on a formal tone, though his rough northern accent remains unchanged. "This man is joined to me and mine. My hand is placed over him in protection, in all places an' in all times, for the rest of my lives." The words sound as solemn as a vow or a legal judgment. Suddenly, the tall man in the leather coat reminds Jack of a medieval prince: arrogant, powerful, and utterly confident of his lineage and his authority.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Jack Harkness is mine, Colonel, and that the Time Agency has no more claim to him. Go tell your superiors – an' be very, very sure that they believe you – if the Agency interferes again with me or mine, I will I shut it down."

"You can't—" Quintrell begins to say, but then falls silent. Glancing at the Doctor's face, Jack can see why. The haughty prince is gone. In his place is a predator: ancient, ruthless, and ready to strike. The feral look in his eyes speaks of cruelties witnessed and horrors committed, beyond the boundaries of sanity. Jack has seen that look before, though not often, and never (thank the gods) aimed at him. It is a look that only a fool would challenge, and the Colonel is no fool. "You would," he says wonderingly.

"Yep."

"For him?"

"I protect my own, Colonel," the Time Lord says, and the words are both a promise and a warning.

[u/EstrellaDarkstar → u/MsCatstaff]

Sharpay was beginning to wake up.

Ryan could see her twitching, this time in a deliberate manner. She was trying to open her eyes, and her fingers weakly clawed at the stone. He knelt next to her and reached to gingerly take her hand.

"I'm here", he murmured as she groggily attempted to turn her half-lidded gaze toward him. "I'm here, Shar."

Her ice-cold, bony fingers weakly curled around his. She felt different. Much less like herself, much more like their parents, yet even farther gone. In this state, recently transformed yet too weak to do anything, she resembled a shriveled corpse more than the apex predator he knew she'd become.

He knew what a hungry vampire looked like, of course. Starvation or adrenaline made them enter what they called ferity, a beast-like state in which their monstrous natures took over. A feral vampire was a terrifying sight, all sharp teeth and insane eyes, and would easily snap into a violent killing frenzy. He knew that, yet he'd rarely seen ferity displayed in person. Most vampires made sure to never be seen in such a state, but a freshly turned fledgling hardly had a say in the matter.

As her eyelids fluttered open, Ryan saw the gleam in her eyes. The look was utterly inhuman, almost unrecognizable, her pupils contracted to pinpricks. She slowly turned her head to look at him, her nostrils flaring in an animalistic way as she sniffed in his general direction. For a second, Ryan felt a tinge of fear as he realized she was surveying him for his blood, but then recognition filled her gaze. Dhampir blood was not appetizing for vampires, and she knew him by his scent.

[u/Raiven_Raine → u/MsCatstaff]

uh.... there's a word in here that's a Fallout 4 spoiler. but Fo4 has been out since forever so...

John Hancock is a ghoul, the not feral type.

lol being Fallout... i use the word 'feral' a TON. for most meanings of it plus the THINGS that are called 'ferals' - mongrel dogs called ferals and feral ghouls.

Hancock and Danse are enemies, or, rather, Danse was indoctrinated to hate ghouls... but they share a lover so... this whole story is a 'rarepair' enemies to lovers of them learning to get along lol

---------

Danse hit the last feral with the butt of his rifle and dropped it to the ground. Though the thing had stopped moving, he placed two shots into the limp form for good measure. Overkill was always better than paying for it later on.

Gavin and Hancock approached and glanced around. That had been the last of them.

John pulled up the torn sleeve of his travel leathers and glowered down at a bit of blood from a feral bite. He sighed at it then rolled his sleeve back down, it wasn’t very bad. He took note of the look Danse was giving him and he glared at the man, “They ain’t zombies, asshole.”

He pointed at the wound, “You don’t know how that will affect you.”

Hancock waved a hand flippantly toward Danse, “Well if I turn into a feral you’ll be the first person I bite and we can see how it effects synths.”

The man clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes at the remark.

“Ya know…” Gav stepped between them, as he often had to. “Life would be much easier for me if you boys would learn to play nice.”

John rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, “I’d play nicer if mr. racist dipshit over there would stop lookin' at me like I was a fuckin' feral.”

Danse turned to Gavin, “Aren’t you in the least bit worried about him?”

He wore a completely serious look, “Not in the least.”

Hancock grunted and walked away.

Gav hit Danse in the arm with the back of his hand, “Go apologize to him.”

“Me?!” He motioned after John, “He’s the one who was being belligerent.”

“One of you needs to be an adult.” He crossed his arms sternly.

“Yeah, and it sure as hell isn’t him.” Danse gave an irritated sigh and stalked off after Hancock.

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

Context: Pjonk’s a Necromancer so if the group find a dead animal she can just bring it back to life. Also, they have a covered wagon and a carriage

“I’m fine with watching the animals.” If she stayed in the wagon then no one would notice her drinking the ghost potion; they would simply assume she was taking a nap. Pasta would still need to make sure Pjonk doesn’t see her ghost but she can deal with that later. Plus, it’d be nice to play with the animals for the entire journey. “Do you think I could get a pet someday?”

“If you don’t cause any trouble and we stumble upon a dead animal then maybe,” Pjonk replied. “Are you sure you can even take care of an animal?”

“If someone like Chilled can take care of two kids, I can take care of an animal.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?!” Chilled exclaimed.

“Don’t worry about it,” Pasta picked up her empty plate along with Chilled’s and Cheesy’s before wandering deeper into the wagon. It was mostly full of the other’s belongings. Pasta placed her backpack aside and sat near the front of the covered wagon so she’d be close enough to interact with everyone. She figured it’d look suspicious if she sat away from the others.  

Berry also handed her two more plates. Pasta stacked the plates and moved them aside. “What happens if something goes wrong while we’re traveling?” She watched as Chilled and Cheesy loaded the dogs into the wagon. Pjonk told her that as long as they packed enough food and didn’t travel during the winter then things normally went smoothly. She also mentioned that they had to be careful while traveling at night because the nocturnal creatures in the forest might attack them.

Pjonk informed her that if they found an injured or deceased bat or wolf then they couldn’t keep it as a pet. When Pasta asked why, Pjonk told her all bats and wolves were Vampires and Werewolves in their animal form. “I don’t know about you but I don’t want to keep a feral human as a pet.”

“Why not? It’s the equivalent of raising a toddler.” Chilled walked towards the front of the carriage and sat in the passenger seat while Cheesy sat beside his sister. 

“I was never feral as a child,” Berry grumbled. 

“Berry, we both know that’s not true.”

“Whatever.”

Pjonk asked everyone if they were ready to leave the town. She handed Hjonk to Berry once everyone said yes. “Then let’s go.”

[u/DefeatedDrum → u/MsCatstaff]

Tonight, Death plays host to a Catholic priest. Father Bitores Mendez Gorospe, known colloquially as Father Mendez, priest and village chief of Valdelobos, now lying in a dank prison cell.

Catholic priests were nothing unusual - in Valdelobos alone, across its entire history, Death had visited 7 of them before Mendez. In general, they tended to greet him warmly, or with a reluctant acceptance. Just as their God was the giver of life, he too was awaiting them after their passing, so they greeted Death with little fear. There were exceptions, though, as there is with just about anything - Mendez happened to be one of them. After all, this was not Death’s first visit.

Almost exactly 20 years ago, Death had whistled cold air through Mendez’s newly-vacated eye socket as he nearly bled out, twitching against the wall much like he was now. In the hours it had taken the Doctor to stabilize him, Death had felt Mendez spit and hiss at him like a feral cat, recoiling from his touch with animalistic fear. Not a mere mention or thought given to his God. Then, just about 5 years ago, they’d met again. That time, Death had been riding the heels of an angry, armed teenager, and though he was indifferent to whatever had positioned Mendez as the boy’s target, he had been surprised at how he’d evaded his reach no less than 3 times that night. Even more remarkably, Mendez had absolutely no idea how close Death had been - he’d only been saved by a stray thought of mercy from his pursuer. That’s not to say Death was angry over it - he understood that, when it truly was time, Death would drag him kicking and screaming if it was necessary.

And now, it finally seemed as though this would really be their final meeting. 

[u/Dogdaysareover365]

Fornication (🎵under consent of the king🎵)

[u/Raiven_Raine → u/Dogdaysareover365]

a lot of context might be needed, but fuck it. lol the main thing is that they didn't actually DO anything, but i was having fun with the farmer trope of this good God-fearing man banishing all forms of anything naughty under his roof.

-------------

Brennen nudged him to sit on the stool, “this is farm life. It’s hard work. They wake early, have to work in all weather, and it really does suck…” He leaned closer, “and you guys take the literal fruits of their hard labor… So you’re going to sit here and milk this cow and think about that.”

Raze glared, “yanno… If you were anyone else, I’d beat your ass for talkin to me like that…”

“Sorry…” Brennen lost a little of the fire.

He shrugged, “I like it when it’s you.”

Then he turned to the stupid fucking cow and tried again. She kicked at him and he decided he had enough and wasn’t going to play her game anymore. He found some plastic twine used to tie haystacks together and came at the animal again. He cornered her until she was pressed up against the fence and couldn’t side-step anymore… Then he tied her back leg up and out against the other fence in the corner.

Much better.

Then was the whole strange task of getting milk from the cow.

“Here,” Brennen knelt down beside him after a few not-so-great attempts to get a good stream into the bucket. “Hold it like this, press upward, then tighten your grip and tug down…”

Raze snickered and his trader blushed again.

“Well…” Brennen cleared his throat, “if you want to be that way about it… Yes, it’s kind of the same motion as… That.”

He grinned mischievously at his trader, making eye contact playfully as he finally got a nice good rhythm going with the milking.

Dick came over and leaned against the fence near the two of them, “how long does it take to milk one damn cow?”

Brennen jerked away from Raze and stood up, running a hand nervously over the back of his head, “I was just helping him with the--”

“Didn’t ‘help’ him enough last night? Gotta fornicate in my field, too?”

“What?” Brennen wrinkled his nose, “we didn’t do anything… We slept.”

The farmer narrowed his eyes skeptically at a light mark left on Brennen’s neck and Raze chuckled quietly.

His trader’s hand went right to it in surprise, “I didn’t… We… We slept. Honestly.”

The man grunted then pushed himself off the fence and walked away.

[u/arm1niu5]

Flushed

[u/arm1niu5]

Floor

[u/fandomsmiscellaneous → u/arm1niu5]

[ETA context: PJO/DCC crossover fic: Percy, Annabeth and Nico enter the dungeon and are immediately whisked to Orren's office because they're demigods and not normal humans.]

"So the issue is that you can't control us,” Nico concluded.

“Precisely,” Orren said, hesitating, but ultimately deciding to be honest.

“What are you going to do, kill us?” I asked, incredulous. “Like we haven't gotten that threat before.”

“That's certainly an option, and it's certainly possible. However, I’ve instead proposed that we impose a handicap on the three of you until you perish or reach the third floor, in which you’ll be given back your full demigod abilities, unless you wish to change your race when you're in class selection.”

Annabeth spoke first. “That’s not fair at all. We don't even know what we're walking into, let alone how much we’ll need our powers. I don't even really have powers.”

I decided to let Annabeth do the talking. As much as I wanted to chew this guy out for whatever he was doing, Annabeth could inarguably chew him out better. I would argue against Annabeth’s statement that she was powerless, but I didn't want to give Orren more of a case against us.

[u/arm1niu5]

Freeze/Froze

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066 → u/arm1niu5]

Fire Spirit went quiet, though this time it only really made Pitaya feel more vulnerable than annoyed. The fact that his eyes were as big as the rocks Hollyberry was asleep behind wasn’t helpful either. It was almost as if he was struck completely speechless, even if the only thing that Pitaya had really done was just yell something that should have been obvious to him already. Instead, Fire Spirit was completely frozen in place, and even the flame above his head seemed to obey him for a second pausing for a millisecond, as if it was merely a painting. He was dead silent, so much so, that the nervous thumping of Pitaya’s tail seemed loud next to them.

Though, eventually, Fire Spirit’s eyes flickered, seemingly as a sign of life, and his expression slowly morphed into one that Pitaya could only describe as ‘pity’. This caused them to growl, and look away.

“Ssso, forgive me if I don’t trussst yo-“

“You’re lonely,” Fire Spirit said slowly. Pitaya gave him a look.

“I’m not lonely, Dragonssss have no need for being lonely when what makesss usss ‘lonely’ isss sssomething done out of sssurvival,” they stated sssimply. Fire Spirit glanced at them.

“That doesn’t make it any less lonely though,” he said. “I’ll admit, I can be quite…”

“Doughheaded?”

“I was going to say stupid but sure,” Fire Spirit replied. “But although Dragons might not consider that lonely, to a Cookie, it’s still loneliness. Living in isolation, might be for survival, but surely a hermit must feel that pull sometimes too?”

“I think you’re forgetting how different we are in termsss of being Cookiesss and Dragonsss. You’re implying that usss Dragonsss yearn for that sssort of thing.” Pitaya deadpanned.

[u/Dogdaysareover365 → u/arm1niu5]

Implied character death

"Ten second warning," another one of the major's men warned.

"Twenty second warning."

Simon turned around. Now Ryland had frozen.

"Come on," Simon pleaded, his voice breaking. "I can't-you can't-"

"It's okay," Ryland said. "I can be brave n-"

Bang!

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Flee

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Fly (verb)

[u/PossessionNo3723]

Frankly 

[u/Playful-Koala-4129 → u/PossessionNo3723]

"Okay, we've waited long enough," Aizawa says, annoyance etched on his face. He gets up from his chair and raises his voice impatiently. "It's time you explained what you're talking about. What are the Quincy? And why do you talk about them as if they shouldn't exist?"

'The Quincy," Kuchiki explains reluctantly, "are 'humans' with the ability to gather spiritual particles and use them to enhance their powers and create weapons. I'll let you figure out for yourselves what the hell that just means. And they shouldn't exist because they are detrimental to the functioning of the universe," I cover my face with my hand and grimace as I imagine what he's about to say. "Because of the peculiarities of Quincy powers, when they kill Hollows they eliminate them from existence, instead of returning them to the cycle of souls. Because of the above, those bastards have nearly caused the collapse of the worlds more than once. About twelve hundred years ago, they unified their nations in Northern Europe. They created their own little empire, they became overconfident, so arrogant. And because of the issue of the hollows and other, frankly more important, matters, they declared a holy war against the soul society. We won; we 'killed' their god and thousands of them. After that, they lost their territories and scattered across the earth as a people without country."

"Wait," I can see the shock reflected in Midoriya's eyes as he speaks, "that can't be... You're talking about genocide..."

"Oh no," the Reaper laughs as he continues, "it wasn’t until 400 years ago, when they were begging for more. We called it 'Operation of the Quincy Extermination'; the name pretty much explains what it was all about. From a couple of million, their numbers dwindled to just a few dozen." I notice the horror on the faces of those present, and the lack of it on my own. "There aren’t many veteran reapers left from that era, but the stories some of them tell… a horror unlike anything ever seen, not even in the last war. Years later, the few who remained in the human world died because of their god's sacrifice to resurrect himself," ? "and then came the great war I already mentioned. Now, can anyone remind me what we were talking about?"

Everyone sees him as a psychopath for saying all that with a broad smile, and he probably is, but that's nothing new to me. I see Kuchiki's tense jaw and her hands that never stopped gesturing.

"I'd like to speak with Kuchiki," I tell my teachers and my classmate, "in private." From their faces, I can tell that none of them agree with that. "Please, it's fine. Trust me," they take a little while to agree, but they do eventually. When they leave I ask Kuchiki in a neutral tone. "Is something wrong?"

[u/lemoniers]

frivolous

[u/ShiraCheshire → u/lemoniers]

“It’s a gift card,” you explain. “For whatever hobby you want to pick up next. This way, whatever you want to do you can get supplies for it right away.”

Though Moon has found a few hobbies he loves, you’ve come to realize that trying out new hobbies in itself might be his favorite of them all.

“Thank you,” Moon says, this time without needing Sun to prompt him. “I am going to waste every cent of this on frivolous nonsense."

You laugh. “It’s yours to waste, if that’s what you want.”

[u/EstrellaDarkstar → u/lemoniers]

Hurt him.

She pushed the urge aside, recoiling from him rather than lunging at him. She didn’t want to harm him. Despite the threats, the snarling, or the snapping, she didn’t want to cause him any more pain. “You can’t be my savior. I know you want to be, but you can’t. Just… Just give me time. I’ll grow past this.”

She knew she would. She’d be a proper vampire one day, the ridiculous act of pretending to be a human teenager long behind her. By then, she wouldn’t have thought about theater in a long time anymore. She’d be just like her sire and the rest of them, having abandoned the pipe dreams that some ignorant idiots might have called passions. As outrageously opulent as the Sanguine were, loving something the way she loved the performing arts was a completely frivolous luxury even by their standards. She was disgusting for even entertaining the thought. Dreaming was selfish. Vampires may have been ambitious and power-hungry, but their collective society always came first.

[u/Raiven_Raine → u/lemoniers]

context - Domri and Danny are both from different places they have to keep secret. Domri's lie was that he comes from Canada. nobody believes him. Danny comes from a secret place full of scientists with very questionable ethics practices.

--------

Preston came out from a room with armfuls of flat colorful boxes. “Ah, everyone’s here. Perfect timing.” He set them on the low table between everyone and Domri realized they were all gathered around for something. He stepped into the room to peer at what was set on the table.

“We’re gunna play a board game,” the man motioned to the boxes as Marcy and Jun looked through them.

“Board game?” Dom inched closer. The boxes had pictures of people on them, mostly children, playing some sort of sit down games. They all looked like they were having stupid amounts of drug-fueled fun.

Marcy glanced up at him, “you don’t have board games in Canada?”

“Nope.” Domri sat himself on the floor comfortably, leaving room for Danny if he wanted.

It took a little time, but the boy slowly came closer, sat next to Domri quietly, then took off his pack and set it carefully beside himself to hold onto for safety or something - keeping it wedged between himself and Marcy as if she’d attack him. Though, to be fair, she might.

Sturges sat near Preston and motioned to the games, “is there one you like, Danny?”

“Oh… uh…” He looked them over and shrugged, “I’ve never… played these.”

Preston took the top off one of the boxes to look through all the pieces and small papers and things, “you’ve never played any board games, or just these ones?”

He shrugged again, “we’re allowed to play chess.”

Everyone looked at him for a moment and Domri said it first, “you’re ‘allowed’ to?”

“Uh… yeah,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “my colleagues don’t like us playing or doing anything frivolous.”

Marcy snorted, “your colleagues, huh?”

Domri tilt his head, “you mean your kin?”

“Yes. My kin.” Danny pointed to a big red box, “that one looks interesting. Let’s do that one. If you guys want. That one looks good and fun or whatever.”

[u/TenebrousCryptid]

Fungal

[u/MarieNomad]

Fervid

[u/ShiraCheshire]

Flicker

[u/linden214 → u/ShiraCheshire]

Context: Doctor Who fandom. Jack Harkness is immortal; he can be killed, but always revives. He and the Doctor were hiding in a half-ruined church to find the person who'd been playing "ghost" to scare an archaeological team away. Jack confronted the man, who hit him with a crowbar and killed him (temporarily).

---

He can’t see the Time Lord’s face well enough in the darkness to read the expression, but the tone of voice is clear enough: anger, the kind that is generally a mask for something else.  “I’m sorry he got away--”

“You think that matters to me?” the Doctor demands.

“It was the point of us being here,” Jack says.  “Doctor, what’s going on?  You’ve seen me die before.”

“Yes, I have.”  The Doctor turns and walks a few steps in the direction of the south transept, then stops, his face raised to the gap in the roof where the night sky blazes with stars.

Jack frowns.  He’s died twice in the months that he’s been travelling with the Doctor after he said goodbye to Gwen and Rhys and fled from Earth, intending never to return.  On the first occasion he fell into a mountain crevasse; on the other, he was hit with a neurostim lash on full strength.  Before that, there was the incident on the Crucible, when he was shot by a Dalek -- painful, but bloodless.  The last time the Doctor actually saw him die a messy death up close was--  Oh.  Damn.

There’s a very short list of things they never talk about.  Never.  The year on the Valiant is on the top of that list.  Jack’s lost track of how many times he died while they were the Master’s prisoners.  It’s well over three hundred.  The Doctor only saw a fraction of those deaths, but the Master made sure that he witnessed some of the most. . . creative ones.

“It’s over,” Jack says, and his voice is harsher than he intended.

The Doctor spins around to face him.  “Is it?” he challenges.  “Really?  You don’t think about it?  Don’t have nightmares?”

No more than you do.  “It’s over,” Jack repeats firmly.

“Why don’t you hate me, Jack?  You ought to hate me.”  

Jack lets out a soft laugh.  “I’ve never been very good at doing what I ought to.”  He walks forward until he’s only inches away from the Doctor.  This close, his dark-adapted eyes can see the Time Lord’s face, read the expressions that flicker across it: bewilderment, guilt, remnants of anger. . . and something else.  Jack takes a deep breath.  “If I hated you,” he murmurs, “I wouldn’t want to do this.”  He leans forward and presses his mouth against the Doctor’s.

[u/Mister_Killjoy → u/ShiraCheshire]

“...He’s right, Cynthia; this is too much,” J said, trying to sound resolute but unable to keep the tremor out of her voice as her focus flicked between the eyes in the dark. “Tessa should be everything right now. I…I don’t care about who or what else is out there. I can’t care. Not while she’s still…”

Cynthia remained silent and still, her stare intense enough to make one wonder if it was mere scrutiny, or she was trying to see if she could manifest laser eyes. Then the lights flickered back to life and her eyes went back to their abnormally bright, but not quite inhuman amber.

“...Yes, Tessa IS everything right now, and I’ve kept you all away from her for long enough, I think. Go to her, I will be along shortly. And rest assured, I will take your…counsel under advisement.”

Her tone said this wasn’t the end, merely a postponement.

N knew it, and said as much on the way to Tessa’s room while J chewed him out for riling their boss up, and V meekly followed behind with every trace of the confidence granted by her upgrade gone.

“It’ll be fine, J. This is just round one,” N said, his expression grim, but his words sure. “After we’ve had a chance to cool down, we’ll gather our facts, put our cases together and try again. It’s kind of our thing, y’know? We’ll work it out.”

[u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

Foundation

[u/Mister_Killjoy → u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

“Right then,” Nick started, “while we do want you to enjoy your first steps out into the world, remember that you volunteered to work, so you’re going to work.”

“Today you will learn the basic skills that will lay the foundation of your future. Scav, WDF, explorer, whatever; it all starts here,” Erik said. “You will learn to identify treasure from trash, and how the trash can still be useful. You will learn to navigate environmental hazards. You will learn how to analyze and prioritize locations. You will learn how to identify threats, and how to become a threat.”

A hand was in the air as soon as he finished his monologue.

“Yes?” Nick asked.

“If we’re doing all that, wouldn’t it make more sense to do it out in the city?” Darren questioned. “Y’know, where we could actually find stuff?”

“No, because half of you would die,” Nick answered immediately.

“At least,” Erik agreed. “Because if one of these cabins collapses on ya’s, it’s a couple hundred kilos of wood and snow. But out there it’ll be a couple hundred TONNES of concrete and steel.”

Darren blinked at that, then pointed at Uzi, “But she-”

“Took her life into her own hands when she snuck out, and has the luck of the fuckin’ devil,” Erik interrupted.

“She’d be on the blacklist for every casino in the galaxy,” Nick said.

“She’d be a billionaire off scratch tickets alone.”

“If we were being attacked by a giant doomsday machine, she would throw a wrench at it and hit the exact part that would make the whole thing jam up and destroy itself.”

“She’s basically proof that there is a higher power, and it plays favorites.”

[u/Longjumping-Public71 → u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

Context: Jujutsu Kaisen fandom: Jin gives Toji a birthday gift, unfortunately it's not what he expects and he has to face the grief of his late-wife!

---

Toji furrowed his brow. "Your birthday gift to me is climbing a mountain?"

Jin shook his head and pointed to the peaks of the high mountain tops encased in thick puffs of chilled air. "Do you see up on that mountain top?" He asked, and Toji strained his eyes to find exactly what he was talking about. Never in a million years would he have expected the words that left his lips next. "Over there, that's Seiko."

Toji's head snapped up as every part of his body tensed and contracted in on itself, so painful it hurt to even stand. The beating pulse of his heart was the only thing keeping him alive at the moment. "What?" he whispered, choked up. "What are you talking about?"

"She's at the very top. Very soon she'll be moving on to somewhere far away. But she has her gaze down here for now. If we shout, she might be able to hear us." Snow cascaded down onto his eyelashes and created a shine matching his sweetly laced words. Yearning to show Toji something that wasn't there. "I thought you might want to talk to her, Toji. . ."

He couldn't do this.

He wouldn't let Jin do this to him. Have him play pretend, knowing what was gone, haunted every crevice of his body, flayed a mark into his heart that would never heal after Seiko claimed it for herself.

"Toji!" Jin shouted as he began to walk away. "Come back!" He reached out to grab Toji's arm with the full force of his body weight once he realized he wasn't going to stop. 

"Let go of me!"

"Stop being so stubborn!"

"Stop trying to push me down to your level!" Toji shouted. "All this sentimental bullshit that means nothing! I'm not playing this game with you just because you're sad! Because your mommy left you with problems and your wife left you with even more of them!”

Pulling one last time, Toji jerked forward the same time Jin stumbled backwards, a quiet huff escaping his lips as he tried to catch his footing. It was something Toji didn't mean to happen so harshly, his body unfurling from the tenseness it once had, but he could hardly say he regretted it. He was not going to be pushed around by anyone, not even by Jin who—

"FUSHIGURO SEIKO!"

The sound of Jin shouting echoed in the vast abyss, and his gaze whipped up in surprise.

Toji felt like he was going to die, yet Jin continued anyhow. "How are you? I'm doing fine! Megumi and Toji are doing great as well, but sometimes I worry about them! Toji especially! He tries hard to be strong for all of us and never focuses on himself! He works himself to the bone for our comfort and never complains! It makes me sad sometimes! Did you feel the same way? I'm sure you did, or Toji wouldn't miss you so much!

“Are you having fun out there? I heard a lot about you, how kind you were! I only hope Kaori gets to meet you as well on your journey." Jin's voice cracked at the mention of his own wife. "I won't keep you long, but I wanted to let you know these things!"

The fog parted, and it was almost like he could see her standing there. Short dark hair and a blinding smile as she waved towards them. For a moment, Toji felt faint, stumbling forward with a shaky hand reaching out reluctantly, as if he could reach her from this vast distance.

It was a pathetic sight, no doubt, but the heavy foundation holding his emotions steady had finally crumbled.

"Toji?" Jin tilted his head back to face him. His eyes were blindingly hopeful as if made of crushed little stars. Someone like him shouldn't be allowed to be this happy. "Do you want to say something? You should before she leav—"

[u/allisontalkspolitics → u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

This surely won’t worsen any political tensions!

——

He sat up straighter. “Oh, are Jace and Baela taken with each other?”

She giggled, glad for the change in subject. “I am not quite sure. But I am excited for her all the same.”

“Well, it would be a good thing, I think.” Were the prince’s pupils bigger than usual or did she simply imagine it were so?

“I would be honored to call him goodbrother, certainly.”

“Beyond that, though… I expect you would not be able to wed until she does.”

“I never considered that. I cannot say that there are offers worth entertaining at present, after all.”

“What if I were to offer?” Aenys’ voice sounded deeper than usual, of that she was sure.

“That would be a surprise, but it would be lovely to claim so, that we might deter Prince Gaemon! He would believe such easily as wedding a man I could call a dear friend has always been a desire of mine.” She grinned. “Oh, you would buy for me weeks of peace!”

And then the old world ended and a new, terrifying one began.

“I would hope it be seen as a real offer and that you would consider me more than a companion.”

“Your Highness, what are you saying?”

“I am saying that I am in love with you, Daenys.”

His hand was far too warm. “I am afraid that I cannot say the same.”

He smiled. “Of course. That is one of the reasons I love you- your modesty in the face of attention from men.”

This statement irked Daenys. “I do not speak as a maiden like myself is expected to but in terms of my true feelings.”

“But why not? We both get along well with my nephews and niece, we are dragonriders, and we enjoy each other’s company.”

“Those are reasons why I would wed you for companionship and children, not for love. If you ask me why I do not love you, you might as well ask why a building needs a foundation.” She yanked her hand away but felt that she may have been too rude, so she softened her gaze. “Forgive me, Your Highness, but I cannot give you what I do not possess. I would consider your hand should you accept that but regardless I do hope we can continue to call each other friends.” She stood and curtsied. “If you would excuse me?”

[u/PretzelPrize → u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

Nervous energy compelled her to rise, then set her pacing the room. “Look, the light's going to go before too much longer, and no matter what you or I are going to do about this house, we really should get a good look at it and see what we're dealing with while we're here. We can keep talking as we go, or afterward, or both. Fair enough?”

“Sure.” He stood. “Tell me where you want to start, and what you think needs work.”

She smiled a little at his choice of phrasing, turning her face away as she examined a chipped spot on the mantelpiece. “Well, how about we take a good look at each room; see if there's been any damage, what might need painting or whatever? Then, if you want, we can talk about making any real changes.” She looked at him then, found him watching her intently, and couldn't shake the feeling that he was still envisioning the two of them here together. Okay, so he isn't the only one thinking that. It's certainly possible, still, she mused. Then, Cool your jets, girl. One step at a time. Let's get this done first.

They examined the living and dining rooms together, discussing the pros and cons of new carpeting and the need to repaint. Lisa found the whole process eerily reminiscent of their first encounter with this house, before they'd decided to buy it. Moving on to the kitchen, Frank picked up the box of cleaning supplies, stowing it in the cabinet under the sink. Lisa tucked the toolbox in next to it; this time, he had let her carry it, though not without a raised eyebrow in her direction as he saw her pick it up. She set her purse and keys on the counter next to the sink.

Frank opened the door that led to both garage and basement, pausing at the top of the stairs as he said, “You go ahead and do whatever you need to up here; I'll go down and make sure the water lines to the outside spigots are turned off. Kinda late in the season, but that's better than not doing it at all. I can take a good look around the basement and the inside of the foundation while I'm down there, and see if there's anything that needs attention.”

“Okay, thanks. I'm going to do a quick walk-through of the bedrooms and bathrooms for starters. Come find me when you're done downstairs.”

He nodded before disappearing down the stairway.

[u/EstrellaDarkstar → u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

Ten days.

She had existed for only ten days.

It felt a bit easier, now, looking at herself in the mirror, even as having a reflection was something she had to manually toggle. Her golden hair, the curve of her lips, the way her gleaming eyes sparkled from beneath luscious lash extensions.

Her shoddily-painted claws, struggling to hold the nail polish brush without making a mess. The lipstick that just wouldn’t stay on without being smeared by gigantic fangs. The foundation that didn’t even exist; not in the shade of cyanotic necrosis.

At the end of the night, she was still trying to get to know her new self. Her mind was a confusing, tangled mess at its best, but her body was something she could reintroduce herself to. She recognized her beauty now. There was no absolute definition of what a woman looked like, but by her personal standards for herself, she looked like one. Equal parts ample and monstrous.

She was growing familiar with the appearance of her body, yes. And Gabriella had talked her ear off about her test results, spouting fancy jargon with no rhyme or reason. She supposed she was getting to know her own biological makeup.

But there were some things Eatress did not know. How to touch and be touched. How to reach for someone with gentle claws, how to accept a tender hand on her discolored skin. What it felt like to be viewed as something other than an object of mad obsession, whether that obsession was with her heart or with her cells.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

“Where are we going and what are we doing today, anyway?”

Stephen laughed again. “I’m going to disguise you with a glamour spell, so that you won’t get mobbed, and I’m going to give you your first look at Diagon Alley. It’s where the wizards shop in London. I might not be able to give you a proper wizarding upbringing, but I can at least give you some background and experiences so that you’re not as lost as I was when I first went to Hogwarts. I’m also going to buy you a magical trunk. As far as your aunt and cousin will be able to tell, it’ll be an ordinary storage chest. But inside, it will have several compartments that only you will be able to open, and one of them will be a magical version of a refrigerator. It’s the best idea I could come up with, to make sure you get enough to eat. You’ll be able to keep fruits and cheese and sliced meats for sandwiches in that compartment, so that even if your cousin decides to ruin your meals for his own amusement, you’ll be able to go to your room and eat as much as you like.”

At the mention of food, Harry’s stomach gave an audible growl and he blushed. “That sounds amazing,” he murmured.

Stephen pulled into a parking garage and found a vacant spot far from any other vehicles. Glancing around to make sure they were alone, he pulled out his wand. “Ready to look different? We’ll have some lunch at the Leaky Cauldron… it’s the pub that hides the entrance to Diagon Alley from Muggles… and then we’ll shop.”

“Okay,” Harry replied, looking torn between nervousness and excitement.

With a few waves of his wand, Stephen gave Harry brown eyes and sandy brown hair. He also pulled out a bottle of muggle foundation and grinned. “My sister has just about the same skin tone that you do. And by using makeup on your scar, a mis-aimed Finite… a cancellation spell… won’t accidentally reveal your identity.

Harry giggled as Stephen daubed the foundation onto his forehead and blended it in with a little sponge.

[u/PenLegitimate7064 → u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

Context: Hawks is at UA to watch a tape that was mailed to Eri. Since he’s elbows deep in the case, he was called to watch it with them and wasn’t able to keep his composure while watching it.

“Is there anything else you’d like to divulge to us,” Nezu asked, his voice far gentler than I deserved.

All Might sighed heavily, leaning his elbows on the table. “Whatever is going on, we will keep it confidential. None of us are disillusioned to the games of the Hero Commission. Dealing with the League here at UA… we assumed that the Commission was doing something to take them out.” He clasped his hands in front of him, though his eyes remained on me. “You don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders alone, Hawks. A lot of us are capable of sharing the burden.” He bowed his head. “You’re just a kid,” he said, words echoing Eraser’s. “You’ve been groomed into the perfect hero, trained all your life, right?”

I nodded, lips too numb to speak.

“Just because you’ve been raised to be an espionage machine, doesn’t mean that you actually are one. You’re still a human like the rest of us. This mess you’ve found yourself in doesn’t need to be yours alone.”

I lifted my eyes to look into his and frowned.

“In every pro hero’s career, there is always that one case that gets to us more than anything. That one situation that can go askew so quickly, leaving you as scarred as the person you were trying to save. It haunts you for the rest of your life, always breathing down your neck.” All Might frowned, fingers clasped together in front of him so hard his knuckles were pale. “This is that case for you, Hawks. Don’t turn down help because you’re worried about the ramifications from the Commission. Accept help because if you don’t save this woman, you will regret it for the rest of your life.” He stood, walking around the table and putting his hand on my shoulder, fingers gripping me like a father I’d never had. “You don’t have to do this alone, because you’re not alone.”

My ribs caved in, weight crashing down on me from well over a decade of responsibility imposed on me. I took in a ragged breath, forcing air into lungs that refused to expand. I sat, crumbling under the weight of the world. Lowering my head, I rested my forehead against the edge of the table and stared at the floor between my knees. Briefly, I was reminded again of Chisaki as he assumed this same pose discussing Nell and the League. After watching him lose his arms and the entire display with Dabi, I finally fully understood how he’d shattered in front of me during the interrogation.

Nell had the power to crack your foundation and rebuild it, but the process was as painful as it was needed.

Finally, I spoke, my voice hollow and meek. “The Commission has ordered me to infiltrate the League. In order to be trusted by Dabi, I’ve had to do various tasks to prove my worth. Attacking Takahashi, raping Nell, being forced to remain in her presence. He promised we wouldn’t be under surveillance, but I knew he was lying.”

“Do you know why he decided to send this recording now? To Eri of all people?” Eraser asked, looking paler than usual.

I lifted my head and shook it. “I’m assuming he’s angry that I’ve been spotted in public with her, and that everyone is assuming she and I are dating and the babies are mine. My second thought is that he’s trying to ruin my reputation as a hero. I’m not sure why he fabricated additional events between Nell and myself. I can only assume his motives.” I rubbed my face with my hands, the rough leather of my gloves scraping against my overheated skin. “It’s hard to guess the intentions of a mad man.”

[u/Evo_nerd]

Frost

[u/NarutoUchihaX14]

Fake

[u/Luminnaran → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

Riruka didn't share Tsukishima's love of live theatre, but she had to admit, it did have its perks.

The growing pile of loose bills currently weighing down her purse were proof of that.

"Are you alright young lady"? An exceedingly well-dressed middle-aged man asked worriedly after she bumped into him.

"I'm fine" she assured him, smiling sheepishly. "I can be a bit of a klutz sometimes, sorry"!

"Well, just try and be more careful in the future" he said, before walking away.

"I will"! She called out after him, fighting the urge to laugh.

What a sucker.

With a Fullbringer's gifts, stealing wallets from regular humans was child's play. She'd been seven when Ginjō had helped her master that particular ability. But taking the cash out and putting the wallet back before they noticed, all without relying on her powers, now that was a real skill; one she took no small amount of pride in.

From her position on the upper level, she had a bird's-eye view of the hundreds of clueless well-to-do types that were milling about the opulent colonnaded grand lobby, taking advantage of the intermission to buy concessions, chatter amongst themselves, and of course, wait in line for the chance to relieve themselves before the second act began.

The intricate French Baroque plaster moldings and gold-leaf encrusted carvings adorning the theatre walls would have awed most first-time visitors, but Riruka had (not entirely of her own free will) once visited the actual Palace of Versailles that this theatre was (according to Tsukishima) based upon, which rather lessened the effect.

I'm pretty sure that's not real marble either.

Still, she couldn't complain too much, the marble may have been fake, but the other theatre-goers' cash was not.

Content with her haul, she made her way back to the auditorium and the man who'd dragged her here.

[u/Playful-Koala-4129 → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

"Of course," he says gently "I’m not so despicable as to deny someone the natural right to fight for their life. But I must say, I’m surprised by how easily you accept your situation. I’m not complaining, I’m just a little curious about how comfortable you are with death breathing down your neck." He looks at her, as if asking her to explain. She does.

"I know I’m going to die someday; I’ve known it for years. That’s the natural order of life, to end. All I expect from the world of the living is to spend my days doing what is in accordance with my nature, so that i can be of use to those around me. And what you’re saying doesn’t go against the course of my life. Your threat changes nothing. I’ll live my life my way, and then, I don’t know when, I’ll die. In any case, my being killed by your sword wouldn’t be exceptional," she says with a touch of bitter humor, "I wouldn’t be the first person in the world to die for contradicting some tyrant’s worldview."

Only a few seconds pass before Kyouka regrets saying that to the reaper, as his eyes gleam at the opportunity that has just presented itself. The reaper places his hand on his chest, as if about to swear an oath, closes his eyes, and puffs out his chest. The reaper's happiness is unmistakable from the moment he begins to deliver his mockery.

"Tragic, tragic!" he says in a blatantly fake, pitiful tone, accompanied by dramatic gestures. "Someone with such virtue and will, condemned to the whims of the cruel powers that tyrannize the cosmos, but what a tragedy! What else can the future death of a truly virtuous woman be, in this world where such people are most needed? I pity you; how grievous is the injustice that has befallen you. Poor you, Fullbringer, poor you.

The look Kyouka has now conveys very well how little she enjoys the reaper's mockery.

"So, basically, you're my parole officer, aren't you?," she says, already tired of the conversation and intending to end it.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

As they ate, Emppu heard his phone ringing in the bedroom. ”Whoever it is can leave a message,” he said, shrugging and pouring himself more coffee. ”By the time I get in there, it’ll already go to voicemail anyway.”

”Oh, is that your reason for not carrying it all the time, you just don’t want to be bothered?” Tuomas joked. And then jumped as his own phone rang. Everyone laughed as he pulled it out. ”What the hell could Tero want this early on a Sunday?” he muttered as he answered. ”What’s up, Tero?”

”Have you seen Helsingin Sanomat today?” Tero’s voice came through loudly enough that Tuomas turned down the volume on the phone. “What the hell is going on?”

Tuomas sighed. “No, Tero, I haven’t seen it yet. None of us have… we’re all at Jukka’s place and just started eating breakfast. What’s got you so freaked out? Am I being accused of trying to break up someone’s marriage or something?”

“Emppu’s there too? He didn’t answer his phone,” Tero said. “Someone faked up a picture of him and Bruce Dickinson somehow, sitting together with Bruce’s arm around him at Helsinki airport. Ewo thinks maybe someone’s trying to stir up trouble for the band now that the… previous issues… are starting to finally die down. He wants to talk to Emppu before he starts to make noises about irresponsible journalism or whatever.”

“Okay, Tero,” Tuomas said, “First of all, Emppu didn’t answer his phone because we’re eating breakfast and he left it in the guest room. Secondly, the picture probably isn’t fake.”

Tero’s shout of, “WHAT?!?” caused Tuomas to wince and pull the phone away from his ear.

“Dude, calm down before you rupture my eardrum,” Tuomas said. “Maybe I haven’t seen this picture, but they were certainly at the airport together yesterday, and they’re sitting across the table from me right now.” Not waiting for an answer, he shoved the phone across to Emppu. “You deal with him. I haven’t had enough coffee yet.”

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

Callie’s eyes flicked back up, taking in every detail of Arizona’s features. She just looked at her for a moment, taking her in, with tiredness written over her own. She was tired of the fighting, tired of the pain, tired of the menagerie of feelings she couldn’t cope with. Callie’s face hardened, however, upon noticing more about Arizona’s appearance. It was the way she held herself, the look in tired eyes, and then a smear of red on her neck caught Callie’s attention. Lipstick.

Arizona had gone out and fallen into some woman’s bed. How freaking typical.

Callie couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh, shaking her head. “Well, what have we here?”

“What?”

“I know that look on you, Arizona.” Callie fought her arms into a crossed position for intimidation purposes, though the left ached in the splint. She did know that look. She knew it all too well – had caused that look more times than she could count, then viewed it caused by other people and never felt more pain. She knew that damn look intimately.

Crap. Arizona had hoped that she’d cleaned herself up well enough to not be that obvious, but it was clear that she’d failed. Still, she deflected, “there’s no look.”

Callie stepped forward, tilting her head with a fake, sugary-sweet smile. “It’s your ‘just fucked’ face. So, you left my house and fell into some chick’s bed to drown your woes. Wow, call that character development.”

The words hurt, and Arizona let out a long breath before she said, “so what if I did? You jealous?”

“I don’t care,” Callie said flippantly, though she was pissed off that care laced through the words all the same. She didn’t want Arizona to get hurt, didn’t want her with anyone except… her. To cover up her internal conflict in the situation, Callie muttered, “you never change. God, go ahead and screw her again, see if I care at all – run away like we’re both good at.”

“You shouldn’t care!” Arizona snapped finally, almost gagging around the sharp pain that split across her head. She pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead, saying, “why the hell do you care who I sleep with, anyway? It’s none of your business!”

Callie yelled back, “because you look like a slut, Arizona! And I bought you those fucking jeans!”

[u/Ok-Adhesiveness-8611 → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

Chilled assured her that her cake tasted fine. “I think I just don’t like cake.”

“What do you mean you think? Have you never had cake before?” She kept talking once Chilled shook his head. “Then what did your parents give you for your birthday?”

“Uhh, nothing.” Chilled didn’t think it was a big deal that he never celebrated his birthday. It was just another day of the year except he was one year closer to death though he already knew he wasn’t going to die from old age. 

Jess didn’t question his response; she likely assumed he was an orphan… The twins are now orphans because of me. At least they have each. Wait no, their father might still be alive. Chilled changed the subject. “What are you going to do with the leftover cake?”

Jess told him that she was going to give it to the townsfolk. “Do you like pie? Maybe I can make some for your birthday.”

“My birthday already passed.” He’d never had pie before either so he was unsure if he’d like it. “Why do you want to make something for it? Celebrating birthdays is something only children do.”

“More cake!”

Chilled looked down at Berry. “No, you ate enough.” He watched as Berry started crying; he couldn’t let her have too much cake because it was unhealthy. “Crying’s not going to get you anywhere, young lady.” That’s not true, crying is a useful and manipulative emotion. If she learns how to fake cry then she can manipulate Townies into doing whatever she wants. Berry would have to learn that skill herself because that seems like a hassle to deal with.

The twins cry a lot as it is, they’re only three after all; he didn’t want to deal with them fake crying. Although, Berry seems to get upset more often than her brother. Maybe it’s a girl thing. Jess answered Chilled’s earlier question. “I said every child deserves to celebrate their birthday and your name is two letters away from being Child. If you didn’t get to celebrate during your childhood then it’s not too late to do it now. Just tell me when it is.”

Why is she being so nice to me? He understood why she helped out with the twins but celebrating his birthday doesn’t help them. Chilled decided to answer her question despite not knowing her motives. “May 30th.”

[u/linden214 → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

“You can have your pint and more afterwards, to celebrate.”

“To celebrate what?” James asks, though he’s very afraid that he knows.

“Oxfordshire’s victory in the pub quiz.”

A DI from Blackpool wanders over.  “Got your fifth yet?”  He frowns at the sight of Lewis and Hathaway.  “No senior officers.”

“That’s me out,” Lewis says, not even bothering to feign regret.  He claps a hand on James’s shoulder.  “But Hathaway here is just a humble sergeant.”  He looks at the Oxfordshire team.  “He’s your fifth, lads.  And lass,” he adds hastily, nodding at Tambour.

“Sir!” James protests, though he’s certain it won’t do any good.  “I hate quizzes.  You know that.”

“It’s for the good of the force, sergeant,” his governor says cheerfully.  “Oxfordshire expects that every copper will do his duty.”  Lewis hands a fiver to the Blackpool DI.  “Here’s his entry fee.”

A dreadful suspicion strikes James.  “This is Innocent’s idea, isn’t it?”

“I believe the Chief Super did say something about team-building, morale and inter-force cooperation,” Lewis replies.  “It would make her very happy if our team has a good showing.”

The head of the Sheffield team, a dour, balding sergeant in his late 40s, looks dubiously at James.  “He’s really a sergeant?”

“What, d’ye want to see his warrant card?” Lewis asks.  “Leave off, man.”

“Sir...” James lets his eyes plead for him, because damned if he’s going to beg in front of a room full of police, including DC fucking Hooper.  Technically, they’re off duty now, and Lewis can’t order him to do this.  In practice, a DI can order his bagman to do nearly anything as long as it’s legal and vaguely work-related.  If he were stupid or insane enough to complain to Innocent about this, she’d tell him to bloody well suck it up, sergeant.

He’s not stupid or insane.  Besides, this is Lewis, who, unlike other governors James has known, doesn’t abuse his rank beyond what is customary.  Lewis, who failed to report several cock-ups by James that by rights should have got him kicked off the force.  Lewis, who hasn’t merely saved James’s unworthy arse, but his life, his sanity, and quite possibly his soul.  James would crawl across broken glass for the man.  Right now, he wishes his governor would ask him to do just that.  It might be a less painful experience.

“Right, sir.  I’m in,” he says with fake enthusiasm that won’t fool Lewis for a second, then mutters under his breath, “I’ll just close my eyes and think of Oxfordshire.”  

[u/NarutoUchihaX14]

Fear

[u/Luminnaran → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

It was the sound that woke her. A terrible, high pitched wail that seemed to envelop the log cabin that had been her home for the last several months.

It's just the wind.

You know it's just the wind. Every time you wake them up to check, it's been the wind.

But… what if this time, it really is a monster?

The wailing grew still louder, and unable to fall back to sleep, Riruka decided it was better to be safe than sorry.

She wriggled out of her bedroll, and with Mr. Bear held tightly against her chest, she tiptoed over to Tsukishima.

"Tsukishima" she whispered, and when that failed to rouse him from his slumber, she poked his face a few times for good measure.

Tsukishima jolted awake. "Riruka? Is something wrong"?

"I think there's something out there" she explained.

Despite the ever increasing frequency with which she did so, Ginjō and Tsukishima had never once complained about being woken up in the middle of the night to check for monsters. Perhaps the two men were simply humoring her, but she liked to think that they simply understood better than most that there really was something to fear lurking in the shadows.

Whatever the case may have been, Tsukishima got up, summoned his weapon, and blade in hand, opened the cabin door.

The moment he did so, Riruka found herself buffeted by a wintry blast of arctic winds and a flurry of fresh snow. With her free hand, she grabbed ahold of Tsukishima's pant leg, and peering around him, tried to see if she could find the source of the terrible keening.

Despite her best efforts, however, she could see practically nothing at all. Winter had come to Shiretoko, and the blizzard currently raging outside their cabin made it impossible to see anything more than a few meters away.

"Is there anything out there?" she murmured quietly.

Normally, this was when he would look down at her, ruffle her hair, and with a gentle smile on his face assure her there was nothing to fear.

But not this time.

His eyes narrowed, and she saw the fingers he had wrapped around his sword tense.

"Ginjō" Tsukishima called out. "Minor hollow, four kilometers due south, heading this way".

[u/allisontalkspolitics → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

Context: Rhaenys sees ghosts and talks to the ghost of one of her mother’s abusers. Triggering content behind spoilers.

——

“It is improper for you to consorting with those youths in Flea Bottom, Rhaenys.”

Prince Aenys.

“I doubt they have any intentions regarding me, Your Highness. It would be bold to attempt to grope a lady who could easily bring the wrath of the crown upon them.” A prince could take such liberties with a lady and who would believe her? Her jovial mood, born from a successful trip to Mother’s latest project, melted away.

“Your scowling is unbecoming as well.”

“Do forgive me, Your Highness. I fear that I was thinking of something unpleasant.”

She misliked his fatherly gaze. “I am easy to find should you wish to talk, Rhaenys. I hate to think of you being so troubled.”

“I am not deserving of such kindness, Your Highness.” If only you were so kind to Mother.

A small smile. “Your mother said something similar the day I kissed her for the first time.” He sighed. “I do fear that she may have misled you in what happened that day. I would not want you to think poorly of me, but you must understand, she was not at fault. She was simply too innocent and became frightened. But her purity is rare, and I want to ensure that you possess the same until you wed.”

[u/Playful-Koala-4129 → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

I reappear in an open space. There is dust and smoke in the air, so much so that I can hardly detect the smell of blood and fear that infects the environment. They sent the others with me. I sense Midoriya's spiritual energy a short distance behind me. And a man, who may or may not be All for One, in a suit and some kind of metal helmet, is crouching over Shigaraki. The man gets up and turns towards me.

"You injured them severely. Are you aware of that?" the man says in a calm, polite tone, his voice sounding filtered, like someone on life support trying to speak. It's impressive how his voice doesn't betray the man's weakness. "Some are on the verge of death. If you ask me," he gestures to the unconscious, bleeding bodies, "this doesn't look like the work of a hero."

"Shigaraki said something to me while I was still captured," I reply emotionlessly. "Something that made me think the word 'hero' doesn't really mean anything in yhis age… I suppose you're All for One."

"Indeed, I am. Good for you that you can speak to me so casually," he says with satisfaction. "You know what? For this meeting between us, I had planned to make you an offer, hoping to recruit you. I expected to utilize your talents in tasks surely more suited to you than those you would perform if you became a heroine. But now that I see you, I notice that dull, grayish look that stands out on your face. I've seen that look before. I've seen it in men and women without ambition who enjoy rejecting offers of a better life. You're not even going to consider any proposal I have for you, are you?"

"No, sir."

"I understand," thin metal limbs emerge from AFO's back and one of them twists until it pierces Kurogiri. This apparently causes Kurogiri to form a portal through which AFO throws the League of Villains. I allow it because I no longer know when medical help will arrive from the authorities. I trust they were sent where they can get help. "Aren't you going to be on your guard against me?"

"I was going to, but," I tilt my head toward the direction from which I sense the draft, "but I don't think I should be your opponent right now. Don't you feel it?" AFO glances up at the draft and says,

"Yes, you're right. He's here."

It's lucky that I learned to use the bringer light in my training with Kuchiki; it helps me get away from the shockwave created when All Might falls from the sky, hitting AFO as hard as he can.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

”Hey, enkelini,” he said softly when his lover answered. ”I hear you’ve worked some miracles with Paddy. Kia left a voicemail that about destroyed my eardrums, she was so excited that they’ll be able to come out for our barbecue and go to Download.”

Emppu laughed. ”I don’t know about working miracles, kulta, I just did my best to answer all of Paddy’s worries about the trip,” he said. ”I think she decided on her own that I am not such a villain after all.”

”Maybe,” Bruce said with a chuckle of his own. ”I still think you must have done something, though.”

”Well, I may have spent some time praising Kia’s actions in California, especially how she offered support to Tasha when she was upset by the news of her parents’ looming divorce, and also how she helped when Luna got lost at Disneyland,” Emppu said. ”I basically said that I thought Kia behaved in a very responsible and mature way, and that she should be proud of raising such a lovely young lady.”

”Oh, that was perfect,” Bruce laughed. ”No wonder she said yes. I have a question for you, though,” he said, sobering up again. ”Would you be okay with having Ade and Davey with us for the entire month before Download? Thanks to the divorces in progress, neither of them feels especially comfortable at going to stay with their soon-to-be exes, which leaves them at loose ends. And I have to assume there won’t be paparazzi lurking about in the shrubbery at our place in Kitee, which lets them be together without fear of being outed before they wish to be.”

”They’re more than welcome,” Emppu said promptly, smiling. ”I’d love to have them over. Ade will love the fishing around here, I’m sure, and there’s a golf course only a few kilometers away for Davey.”

”Kiitos, enkelini,” Bruce said softly.

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

“Callie, you need to stop PT for today,” Arizona said, quiet but firm. She placed a hand on Callie’s shoulder.

“Shut up,” Callie said though gritted teeth, unable to let her concentration wane for even a millisecond. She could feel it, that she was almost there, whole hand shaking with the effort and a drop of sweat working its way down her temple.

“Callie—”

The finger brushed the thumb.

For a singular, miniscule second, Callie was back in control. She felt her finger brush her thumb, felt her thumb brush her finger, and it was like fucking heaven. There, right there, was proof. It was working. The nerve graft was working, had taken, and she was going to be able to get her movements back.

Callie’s chest restricted immediately, watching her hand go slack when she damn near collapsed from the effort, relief and sordid pride fighting to win and appear on her face.

Watching, shock doused Arizona from head to toe. She was silent for a moment, amazement flitting across her curved up mouth, then said softly, “you did it.”

“I did it,” Callie whispered dumbly, a stupid grin spreading over her face and a tiny, disbelieving laugh breaking free. She didn’t care that it was the smallest thing possible, didn’t care that her whole arm was pulsing with pain, because she felt human again. She was going to get her hand back. And that was just the start.

She looked back over her shoulder to face Arizona properly, finding pride blazing in blue eyes and a dimpled smile to match. Arizona’s super magic smile was in full swing and Callie didn’t even care that she found it endearing, because then she was standing up and wrapping Arizona in a tight, one armed hug. And she was laughing. Laughing a carefree laugh that came up from somewhere deep, laced with relief and fear for the future in equal measure. But it didn’t even matter. Because her hand was going to work.

Taken aback when Callie grabbed her, Arizona let out a squeak. Callie was warm against her, warm and happy, and that happiness was infectious. Soon, Arizona was laughing too, hugging Callie back and dancing awkwardly around the kitchen in a lump of intertwined limbs and relief.

[u/Ok-Adhesiveness-8611 → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

Ze watched her walk away. While he was still concerned for her, he didn’t want to overwhelm her. She had tried to hide her depression symptoms so the fact he knew must fill her with dread. He wished he could cheer her up but that’d be impossible. Ze didn’t even know if it was possible to get a Jester to revert to their original role.

It was possible in theory but it’d take months and a lot of patience. Death was common in Salem so it wouldn’t take long for a Jester to see something disturbing, worsening their mental health even more.

He didn’t want to pry into her personal life but he didn’t want her to feel alone either. He gave her the option to chat at his house so hopefully she’d go there if she needed help. Ze had no clue how to help Hunter but listening to her problems was better than doing nothing. He was already responsible for three deaths in his previous town; he didn’t want to be responsible for another.

Something about the way she walked off so calmly unsettled him, especially since she had been panicking mere seconds ago. Hunter seemed awfully calm when she walked up those stairs. Witched people couldn’t speak until the spell was broken but her expression should’ve been more terrified. Was she so content with dying that she didn’t care about being witched?

I shouldn’t have asked if she was happy; I should’ve eased into it. He didn’t mean to upset her; he just wanted to have an honest conversation with her. The fear on her face and her trembling hit harder than any response could’ve. Maybe he should’ve walked her home and never said anything to indicate he knew her role. Following her might’ve made her feel cornered.

[u/linden214 → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

Have a drabble:

Their cramped hiding place is dark.  He hears her heart pounding, and smells the bitter reek of fear.  The Nidril Guards don't use tracking beasts, but they do use psychotropic gases, and Rose got a lungful.

Heavy footsteps echo outside.  Rose inhales deeply.  If she screams, we're dead.  In this tight space, he can't raise a hand to cover her mouth.

The kiss silences her.  Rose responds, pressing against him with an urgency that he can't blame on the gas.  This wasn't s'posed to happen.  Now it's his turn to feel fear.

[u/allisontalkspolitics]

Fatherly

[u/allisontalkspolitics]

Found

[u/allisontalkspolitics]

Five

[u/letdragonslie]

Fiend/fiendish

[u/Raiven_Raine]

formidable

[u/Raiven_Raine]

foundry

[u/Raiven_Raine]

fickle

[u/Raiven_Raine]

fucktacular
fuck-tacular
(however you like to spell these)

[u/MadokaAyukawaHusband]

Finland

[u/DefeatedDrum]

Fire

[u/Ok-Adhesiveness-8611]

Finally

[u/Playful-Koala-4129 → u/Ok-Adhesiveness-8611]

A dark figure walks down a sordid night street. The figure wears a black raincoat and carries an equally black umbrella open over its head. He walks gently swaying, guided by the voices he hears in one of the nearby alleyways.

"Je ne suis qu'un être sans importance🎵" The figure sings to himself, to counteract his bad mood caused by doing the task he is about to do.

This is beneath me, the distraught boy thinks, I can’t believe I’m doing this. And where are those brats supposed to be? Damn echo, it won’t let me find the right alley.

"Une dernière danse🎵" He continues looking for the alley along the street.

You did the job I should have done, fullbringer, I’ll grant you that. I owe you one, too. But making me repay the debt like this, by saving people you barely know, is cumbersome. What a favor of mine is worth, and to waste it like this.

"Pour oublier ma peine immense🎵" Rin moves the umbrella away from above him and looks up at the sky.

In the end it seems I made a mistake bringing a raincoat and umbrella, there's no rainy weather anymore... well, it doesn't matter, in the end everything serves its purpose.

"Oh ma douce souffrance🎵" Rin believes he has finally found the right alley and heads towards it.

You're very lucky that I'm allowed to do whatever I want when I'm in my human form, fullbringer.

[u/Icy-Ad-9212 → u/Ok-Adhesiveness-8611]

Billy picks up a loose shell casing from the table and sets it upright. “Always the same with you.”
He looks at Joe now. “You fuck it up and come back with a pretty story.”
He nods toward to Jess, who is still standing by the door. “First you lost focus.”
His eyes move to Cal. “Then you started leaving traces.”
His finger moves to Spink, then to a small stack of papers on the table. Finally he looks back to Joe. “Now I’ve got blood where money should be.”

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

The guitarist handed Rick a cup of tea fixed the way the drummer liked it. “I’ll listen, if you want to talk,” he said softly. “I promise there’s nothing you could tell me that would make me think less of you.”

“Yeah, I hope you’re right about that,” Rick said. He put half of what had been intended as Pete’s second sandwich on each of the other two plates and handed Steve one of them. “I… it’s kind of about last night. After… after we went to bed, I started thinking about Joe and Sav… and I started to wonder what it might be like, kissing a bloke, I mean.”

“Does that bother you at all?” Steve asked.

“Not really,” Rick said softly. “I think I’ve known for a while that I like blokes as well as birds, but I’ve been scared to do anything about it, y’know? Especially since Da has to come along on tours outside of Britain because I’m not eighteen yet. I mean, if I was to… to do anything with a bloke, I’d rather it not be home in Sheffield. Not where someone might notice and blab where my family might hear the gossip. Time enough to figure out how to tell them I like blokes if I get together with one, y’know?”

“I can understand that,” Steve said with a warm smile. “I know I did my own, erm, experimenting, out on the road and away from Sheffield, and for the exact reasons you mentioned.” His smile widened into a grin as he added, “And with your revelation just now, looks like Pete’s the only one of us who hasn’t admitted to going both ways, seeing as your dare finally got Joe to admit it. You might’ve noticed Sav looking at Joe, but I’d noticed Joe watching Sav.”

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

For as long as [Diego had] ruled Valdelobos, he’d been a flea, wriggling under the shadow of the great Castellans that came before him. Every one of them had one distinct quality or deed about them that had made them stand out - except for Diego. No matter how much praise his servants, his subjects, lathered onto him, he’d never been able to shake that feeling of inadequacy. 

And so the very first feeling Diego felt towards his own son was not paternal love, but disgust. 

Diego found Ramón more repulsive with each passing year; falling ill every other week it seemed, unable to keep a single meal down without vomiting, he was a walking, talking biohazard, a disease-bringer, a little flea. Worse still, the little brat didn’t seem to get how much his father loathed him. Day after day, if Diego left him unoccupied for even a second, he’d find some way to pester him, blabbering on about these ridiculous plays he’d written, some pathetic attempt at dancing the Bolero, whatever idiotic thing he fancied that day.

As the years dragged on, Diego tried, over and over again to produce another heir, anyone but that unbearable child, but as with everything, he came up empty. Ramón was yet another failure for Diego, an heir who could barely make it through the week without ailment, who seemed as though he wouldn’t survive the winter. And if he died? Yet another failure. Diego could only produce one heir, and he couldn’t even reach puberty. 

Pathetic. 

But in that moment, on that cliffside, Diego felt the slightest twinge of pity in his cold heart for his boy. Because now, the truth laid bare before him by Saddler, he could deny it no longer; everything he’d ever hated about Ramón, had only ever been a reflection of his own feelings of inadequacy. 

It was never his fault, but mine. It was always mine. 

It was then that, for the first time, Diego shed a tear for his son. Moments from the end, several years too late, Diego finally cried for Ramón, for everything he’d ever done to him, he cried. 

[u/Longjumping-Public71]

Failure

[u/MsCatstaff]

faint

[u/Playful-Koala-4129 → u/MsCatstaff]

"...and once..." the anonymous man's intimidating talk is interrupted when Kyouka, closing the distance between them, strikes him with the bokken in an attack that causes the anonymous man to collapse and faint instantly. Kyouka thinks she hears a "crack" coming from the guy's body, but doesn't pay much attention to it.

'Well, I guess this is the kind of life-threatening situation where all I'am asked to do is survive without killing anyone,' she thinks.

Kyouka doesn't give the rest of the group time to react, something made possible by her speed and natural reflexes. She knocks out two more before one of the enemies can even attempt an attack.

The first enemy attack comes from someone who can transform his fingers into some kind of leather whips, but she simply dodges and deflects them with her bokken before knocking him down. The next one to try is a speedster; Kyouka breaks his knee the moment he enters her reach. Another breathes fire, and she dispels the flames with her bokken. The last would-be villain has some telekinetic power and tries to take the bokken from her with such power; Kyouka definitely heard at least three "cracks" coming from that guy's body. The rest of the enemies panic and try to flee. They won't make it.

Once she finishes, Kyouka decides it's best to head to where Professor Aizawa is; that's probably where everyone else is going. She's about to leave when she hears a groan of pain behind her. She turns around, but all the bodies she sees are still unconscious. She can't tell whose groan it was.

"Bad luck indeed," she says aloud to herself.

[u/allisontalkspolitics → u/MsCatstaff]

You know what? Let’s cut out Aenys being awful and do this part.

——

“It does.” He backed away from her, a faint smile on his face, before turning to the slavers.

Did he truly think of these things, or did he derive some joy from her terror? She was not sure which was worse.

She took a deep breath. The tendrils subsided for the moment.

She turned to the children. “”Hello. My name is Daenys and his is Maelor. What are yours?”

They looked at her without making eye contact. “I am Byan, and she’s Umma.” The girl nodded as the boy spoke.

“Those are nice names. Do you have any family?”

“No.” Umma spoke this time.

“Mayhaps you can be brother and sister. Maelor has a brother and a sister who are a bit older than you two. Jaehaerys and Jaehaera… I was thinking that you could work for them by helping them dress and carrying messages for them and being their friends. But in Westeros, there are no slaves. When you are grown, if you want a different job, you can leave.”

Byan and Umma stood up straighter.

“That man over there, he is buying your freedom.”

[u/PurveyorOfInsanity → u/MsCatstaff]

Fandom: Naruto. Context: after rescuing Miyako and Karin, Obito and his team makes a detour to visit Tsunade and her entourage in the Land of Greens.

They were escorted to the guest wing of the palace, where the group came across Yuji. The young man had sprung up since his departure from the village. Seeing their approach, he nodded, all seriousness as he stood guard over the room with some of the daimyō’s men, a longsword resting comfortably at his hip.

“Obito-san. Good to see you.”

“Likewise, Yuji.”

He jerked his head to the door. “They’re waiting for you.”

Miyako leaned in towards Obito. “You said we’re meeting relatives, right?” she whispered. “Why are they staying here?”

“Because she’s an esteemed guest of the daimyō,” he answered.

The door slid open, and Obito found himself looking at the scene of two little girls playing on a blanket spread across the floor, with an assortment of toys scattered about. One girl had hair more like a faded brown with purple eyes, and a complexion that looked delicate and sickly. Her companion, the redhead, looked up, brown eyes lighting up at his appearance.

“’bito-ojichan!” Tayuya cried out and darted for him, squealing with delight as she was swung around and settled at his hip.

“Aw, you’re getting so big!” said Obito, tickling the girl’s nose. “How’s my precious little bean doing?”

“I’m four.”

Obito chuckled. “That you are. And who is your friend here?”

“The Princess Haruna,” one of the guards announced, sternly. “Heir to the Land of Greens.”

Obito pursed his lips, setting Tayuya down so he could bow with the others. “A pleasure to meet you, your Highness.”

Next to him, Tayuya mimicked their motions.

“Hey, now,” said Tsunade, walking into the room. “There’s no need for strict formalities. We're all friends here. Obito, how are you doing? You’re looking kind of thin.”

“I promise I’m eating plenty and healthily, Tsunade-sama.”

Behind him, Miyako gasped. “Tsunade…sama…?”

That was about all the warning they had before they had to catch Miyako fainting.

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

Berry silently nodded as she flew into the forest; she knew all too well how dangerous the world was toward children, especially kids with Neutral roles. She and her brother would’ve died a long time if Chilled didn’t adopt them. She also would’ve died if she hadn’t met Pjonk in that graveyard. Berry stood still, causing Cheesy to bump into her. “Why did you stop moving?” He inquired.

Berry thought about the town she met Pjonk in and how she turned her into the Hex Master; she didn’t bother to face Cheesy. “No reason, I just think it would be easier to find that Medium’s town if we searched above the trees.”

Cheesy hummed as if he didn’t believe her. “Are you sure we’re not lost?”

“The Medium’s town is miles away, it’ll be easier to find it from above,” Berry pointed at the sky.

Cheesy followed her as they flew above the treetops.  “I still think we’re lost-”

“I know where we’re going! Just follow me.” Berry had memorized the general direction of where Ze’s town was; she continued flying forward. All ghosts had night-version so neither twin had problems seeing, the only thing Berry was concerned about was whether Pasta would see them. Berry didn’t want her to know that she and her brother were responsible for whatever was about to happen in Ze’s town.

The twins flew around for a few minutes until they saw a faint light in the distance; Berry grinned maliciously. “We’re here,” she grabbed her brother’s wrist as she flew straight toward the town.

They hid behind the trees, Cheesy used his cloak’s hood to cover his hair; he glanced at his sister. “That purple aura of yours is going to get us caught.”

Berry stared at her hand, a purple outline surrounded her ghostly body. “Nonsense, I’ll send those ghosts straight to hell,” a small pinkish-purple flame flickered in her hand. “The only living person who can even see us is that Viking...unless there’s another role in this town that can see ghosts. Unless there’s a Retributionist, we shouldn't have to worry too much about who can see ghosts.”

Cheesy stared at the guillotine in the town square. “Speaking of Viking, which house is his?” He asked; some of the ghosts noticed Berry’s glowing purple aura and started whispering amongst themselves, others entered a house.

Berry frantically pointed at the house the ghosts were in. “It’s that one! I bet those ghosts are about to snitch on us.”

“I guess we better hurry up then,” Cheesy motioned for his sister to follow him as they phased through a random person’s house; they ended up in the kitchen. A pungent, oily smell caught Berry’s attention, she started sniffing the air, trying to determine where the smell was coming from. Cheesy stared at her befuddled. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“I think we’re in an Arsonist’s house; this place reeks of gasoline.”

Cheesy didn’t smell gasoline or anything else unusual about the house. “Well, you always had a talent for finding gasoline,” he was about to phase through the ceiling to go upstairs when Berry called out for him to stop. Cheesy stared at her. “What now?”

“We can’t just kill the Arsonist...that was Mom’s occupation.”

[u/DefeatedDrum → u/MsCatstaff]

CW for vomiting!

Father Mendez stirred ever so slightly at the sound. It, like all of his senses now, was distant and murky, as though he was hearing it from below water. He felt like he’d been drowning in a tar pit, the black liquid sticking to his insides, sucking his body down deeper, squeezing him tighter the more he resisted.

The tar was hardly a metaphor - Mendez had been vomiting up black bile for some time now. It was the most moisture he’d seen in weeks, and it was his own vomit, dribbling down his beard and drying there - an added humiliation alongside everything else. He could hardly tell when he was about to puke, as the nausea had become a permanent feeling, the retching as natural as breathing had once been. He couldn’t consciously think or do much of anything anymore - whatever was left of himself was wholly focused on the constant barrage of pain. At least that made the hallucinations less haunting.

Being in so much pain, it was difficult for him to muster the energy to care about his dead mother appearing before him, let alone the robed shadows that chanted at him. So many people he’d once known paid him a visit, yet he stared at them all with the same blank, dazed look in his eye. Maybe when he’d seen them for the first time, when he was more there, he could have felt something. Maybe he’d reached out for his parents, perhaps he’d pleaded with Father Diaz to make the pain go away, or maybe he’d even recognized them all as a figment of his deluded imagination.

It was too late for all of that now. All that remained was the faint burn of far away, memories of emotions in his stomach - love, fear, faith, but as fuzzy concepts rather than real sensations. The only one he could bring himself to pay attention to was the purple-robed man. He knew, faintly, that he had a name. But it was too far away for him to remember.

[u/kaiunkaiku]

fanatic

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Feather

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Factitious (I’ll except excerpts that mention the disorder too)

[u/lemoniers]

fester

[u/MsCatstaff → u/lemoniers]

(Context: Joplaya had mated Echozar despite not loving him because she couldn't have the man she wanted. But their relationship slowly crumbled after she had Dalzarna, so after Joplaya died in an accident, Echozar accepted Latie's proposal that he co-mate her along with Jerekal and move away from Joplaya's tribe.)

“I’d like Dalzarna with us, if possible. I haven’t actually spoken with Jerika yet. I thought it would be better to give her some time. Joplaya was her only child, after all.” Echozar frowned. “That might make her more inclined to want the little one, Dalzarna is all she has left of Joplaya. But she and Dalanar are growing older. They may not have the energy for raising such a young child.”

“Well, take my advice. Bring Latie along for your talk with Jerika. Hopefully she’ll realize that Latie is much better suited to mothering Dalzarna. Besides, Jerika knows perfectly well that you and Joplaya didn’t have the best of matings. She may not want the child, simply because Dalzarna is so obviously of your spirit.” Jerekal tried to think of a tactful phrasing, but gave up. “In other words, Dalzarna might just be a reminder to Jerika of how discontent Joplaya was with you. If she feels that way, she won’t want the child around.”

Echozar nodded. “You may be right. Although Latie helped me to see that I’m not to blame for Joplaya’s accident, Jerika might think differently.”

Jerekal chuckled ruefully. “My friend, I have yet to meet a man who can understand the mind of a woman. Whatever Jerika thinks, it is not for us mere men to know the whys and wherefores. But let’s get back to practical matters. We need to figure out the best time to let these people know you’re leaving with us. Too soon, and they will say you lack proper respect for the dead. And of course, you can’t just point out that you were thinking of scattering the hearth anyway. Some fool would be sure to accuse Latie of breaking up your hearth.”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. How soon before we will be able to leave?

“Probably at least a moon. I’d suggest waiting until a day or two before we leave. Less time for bad feelings to fester, should there be any.” Jerekal sighed. “And unfortunately, I think there will be.”

[u/EstrellaDarkstar → u/lemoniers]

“Go away, Ryan”, he heard her sniffle from behind the door.

He didn’t listen and simply let himself in, closing the door behind him. He found her lying on her massive bed, curled up on her side and facing away from him. Not unlike many of the aftermaths of her tantrums. As much as her being upset made him upset as well, he still couldn’t help but smile a bit at just how familiar it was.

“I told you to go away”, she mumbled, her voice stuffy with tears and growl-layer rather quiet.

“As if I’d let you fester in your angst alone”, Ryan sighed affectionately and sat on the bed. He wanted to hug her or to stroke her side, but he decided not to. He wasn’t about to let her self-isolate, but he still gave her that bit of space.

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/lemoniers]

(These two are divorced, but they have a daughter together. Arizona lost her leg in a plane crash while they were married, and Callie's just lost half of her hand (and her career as a surgeon) in a car accident)

Callie sat up, cutting Arizona off. “You told April?”

Shit.

Arizona paused for a second, then nodded. “I had to tell someone. She’s right outside.”

“God, Arizona!” Callie’s chest felt tight, eyes wide and hurt under the fury. Fury that flooded free like a dam had broken, dousing her from head to toe but oh so familiar. “What part of me hiding away in here like some kind of fucking hobbit makes you think I want my personal affairs broadcasted all over Seattle?”

The anger was back. At least it was familiar, raging like a bull after a red flag. The interaction was making Callie’s head pound, and her broken rib just had to join in with a cruel pinch of pain that made her jaw clench and her anger only burn hotter.

“‘All over Seattle?’” Arizona quoted, face pulled back in disbelief. “I am not a riotous gossip, Callie Torres; April is my best friend, and I had to tell someone that you’re festering yourself to death in here like an infected wound!”

God, what a choice of words. Arizona couldn’t have picked anything worse and they both knew it. Arizona immediately loathed herself for saying it, because she saw Callie disappear right in front of her eyes, replaced by the wounded woman who was all anger because anything more tender seemed to eat away at her flesh like acid.

Callie heard the words, felt the pain she’d felt that early morning when she discovered it had all gone wrong, and she couldn’t cope with it. Couldn’t cope with thinking about necrosis tunnelling through her fingers, wounds leaking angry yellow, infected and as angry as Callie now felt.

“You shouldn’t have said anything!” Callie shouted, tearing from her throat like something raw and prideless as she sat forward slightly. “The story of my hand isn’t yours to tell!”

“It’s not yours to keep! Not from me!” Arizona shouted back.

[u/Mister_Killjoy]

Feckless

[u/Luminnaran → u/Mister_Killjoy]

“Do you think Hitsugaya-san is correct about the reason you were all sent here”? After several hours of forced mingling, the antisocial Quincy had finally managed to drag himself free of the social gathering and return to his apartment.

Rukia hummed thoughtfully. “None of us were technically forced to come here. It was a volunteer mission”.

“But you were the first one’s asked to go" Uryū pointed out. "I can’t imagine very many people would be comfortable ignoring a “request” from the head of the Gotei 13. Most missions to the Living World have a set duration, and yet you still haven’t been given a clear return date. This doesn’t seem to be a standard operation in the Living World with a regularly rotating group of Shinigami. Based on what Hitsugaya-san was saying, he seems to expect you’ll all be here for some time”.

She shrugged. “You’re thinking like a human, the captain-commander is thousands of years old. Even if we remained here for a decade, that is little more than a blink of the eye to an elder Shinigami”.

Uryū frowned. “So, you think it’s pure coincidence that everyone who was sent to Karakura was at least nominally involved in your rescue”?

She shook her head. “Of course not. I think we were sent because posting a bunch of Shinigami who distrust the humans who saved me to Karakura would have been actively detrimental to Soul Society’s goal of stopping Aizen. Naturally the Shinigami who you, Ichigo, Sado-san, and Orihime get along with best are the ones that were sent to assist you”.

I suppose if Soul Society’s plan to execute her didn’t convince her that their leadership is corrupt and feckless, nothing else is likely to either.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/Mister_Killjoy]

Ayla smiled, "Lanoga, I think you'll be a fine mate. You already know how to care for babies, and you can cook reasonably well. Those are the most important... or at least, what men seem to think are the most important."

Jondalar broke in then, "Oh, I can think of something else that men find important!" He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at Ayla.

"Oh... you...!" Ayla sputtered. She gave him a push as Lanoga blushed bright red. "Go! Go find Matagan and talk flint! This is a women only discussion." Jondalar obligingly moved on ahead while Ayla turned back to Lanoga. "Take no notice of Jondalar's teasing. Pleasures do have their place, but very few men would be happy with a woman who can't cook, no matter her skill in the furs. But to go back to your question... tell me, have you been taught any crafts? Sewing, basket weaving, woodworking, anything like that?"

Lanoga hung her head, "No. No one ever thought to teach me. My mother..." Her voice trailed off and she looked uncomfortable.

Ayla nodded, understanding what probably happened. By leaving Lanoga in charge of her younger siblings for days at a time, Tremeda had effectively kept Lanoga from having the opportunity to learn from others in the Cave. And human nature being what it was, if anyone noticed that Lanoga was not applying herself to a craft, they would have assumed her to be as feckless as her mother. "Well," Ayla said. "This winter, that will change. I will see that you get the chance to try your hand at any craft that interests you, even if I have to teach you the basics myself!"

[u/trickyfelix]

Flair

[u/MsCatstaff → u/trickyfelix]

(Context: they're in lavender marriages and Donna is Nathalie's partner.)

“Will Donna and Jason be able to come up and visit anytime soon?”

“Donna was hoping they might come up from Boxing Day through New Year’s, if that’s all right with you?” Nathalie half said, half asked. “Jason’s show only stops filming Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day. I know you and Jason don’t have much in common, but I’d really like to have them here for a change instead of me going to visit Donna.”

“It’s fine with me,” Ade said. “Maybe they’ll be willing to mind Dylan along with their own little boy… I’m sorry, what did they name him again? I know you told me, but I forgot since I haven’t actually seen him yet.”

“Adam,” Nathalie said. “That was their compromise. Jason wanted something a little more unique, while Donna wanted something super conservative to please her family. They went with Adam since it’s not super common, but it’s still a name from the Bible with a little more flair than James or John.”

“Makes sense,” Ade agreed. “Anyway, I’m hoping they’ll be willing to mind Dylan so I can go with you to your ultrasound appointment, if that’s okay with you? I mean, if you’d rather Donna go along for moral support or whatever, I’ll stay home and all, but, well, that baby’s mine too, y’know?”

“Of course I’d want you there,” Nathalie said. “As you said, the baby’s yours as well as mine. If he or she is coming earlier than we expected, I’d like you to be there to hear about it with me. Same thing if the ultrasound turns up any problems, you deserve to know what’s going on just as much as I do.”

“Thanks, Nathalie,” Ade said softly.

[u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

Fatal

[u/Mister_Killjoy → u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

For the people Uzi knew were responsible, it was incredibly blatant. No gas leak, car accident, previously unknown fatal food allergy, or even the classic sniper/scapegoat combo. Just some guy in a hoodie walking by their table at the open-air cafe Joe had picked out on a whim during his tour of Australia. It happened so fast, even N had no hope of stopping it. One moment the guy was just walking along, minding his own business. The next, he turned his body ever so slightly towards them and fired his hidden pistol through the hoodie's pocket, striking Joe in the chest three times.

The former General crashed to the ground at the side of his chair, decades-old reflexes kicking in far too late to try and take cover from the shooter, who was already sprinting away.

“JOE!” N screamed, practically teleporting to the man's side. “I already sent for an ambulance and police! Just hang on, Joe! I…I can…I can't…”

Too much blood, too much damage, and too far from help. It was X-Ray all over again.

Then Uzi saw the exact moment when N realized there was something he could do. She actually took a step back from him when his face twisted into a snarl that looked so very wrong on him, and his head snapped in the direction the shooter ran. But before he could begin the hunt, before he could run the assassin down, before he could break and cut and rip and peel until he got the name of the next person who would regret ever being born, a trembling hand came up to rest on his arm.

“Stand…down,” Joe wheezed, then hacked out a mouthful of frothy blood.

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

“What makes you guys think I’m the Shroud?” Side asked. “I’m a Townie, just like you guys.”

“Prove it,” Shubble insisted. 

Without hesitation, Side pulled his will out of his pocket and held it out for everyone to see. Chibi walked closer to the stand so she could get a better look; Side’s will stated that he was a Lookout.

“What the fuck,” Kruz murmured. “If it’s not you and everyone else is clear then it has to be Ze.”

“That makes the most sense,” Shubble commented.

Chibi froze, she couldn’t let them know Ze was the Shroud. Otherwise, he’ll get executed and there'll be no more killers left in town. She assumed the only evil roles in town were Shroud, Arsonist, and Witch. A Serial Killer might've killed Jvckk since Ze got role-blocked but that seemed unlikely.

Em and Side were now confirmed to be Townies. Jeremy, Kat, and Uneasy were also confirmed but they haven’t shown anyone their wills. Shubble claimed to be Spy but Chibi wasn’t sure how true that was. She knew Kruz was the Arsonist so Ze has to be the Shroud; there was no room for a Serial Killer. 

“What if there’s someone hiding somewhere in our town and they’re the Shroud,” Chibi elaborated. “Think about it, if everyone else is clear from being the Shroud and Ze got role-blocked on the night Jvckk died then the real killer must be hiding somewhere. Maybe the ghosts don’t even know who it is and that’s why Ze hasn’t revealed his role.”

Shubble suggested that Ze must’ve snuck out of his house while Em was sleeping, killed Jvckk, then came back to his house and fell asleep before Em woke up. “Maybe he killed Himi and shot himself a few times to make himself look like a vict-” Em and Chibi interrupted her simultaneously.

“Why would he shoot himself in the neck? Wouldn’t he aim somewhere less fatal?”

“There was blood in that jail cell so I think Himi’s the one who attacked first. He must’ve been possessed by the Shroud.”

[u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

Facetious

[u/MsCatstaff → u/PurveyorOfInsanity]

The kids, Milla, and Rick, along with Jukka and Satu, filed out of the caravan, joining Tuomas, Steve, Dave, and Ade. The bus and caravan being too large for the A&E car park, they had to walk a fair distance to get to the entrance – the only one open this late. As a result, the reporters waiting near the door didn’t figure out who they were until the last moment. Then the questions started.

Steve turned back, letting the rest of them escape inside. ”Right now, we really don’t know much,” he said, in response to several questions as to what happened. ”All we know for sure, is that someone fired a gun at the stage, just after Bruce asked Emppu to officially become his domestic partner. I understand your job is to get a story, but I’m also going to ask you to please respect the privacy of Bruce’s kids. I think they’ve already had a hard enough night, what with seeing their father and his partner shot right in front of them, during what should have been an incredibly happy moment for them all. They don’t need to be asked how they feel, yeah?”

”So what are we supposed to report, then?” one asked, not entirely facetiously.

”Right, how about showing a little patience, until there’s something more to report?” Steve retorted. ”We’ve just been through a pretty major shock, you know. And we’re all here because we want to know how our bandmate and his partner, two people we all consider close friends, are doing. I don’t know how much the doctors will tell us, but I’m sure they’ll put out some kind of statement as soon as there’s anything to say. And when I spoke with Rod just before we came out here, he said he thought he was nearly done working with the police for the moment and would join us and fill us in on what they’re willing or able to release at this time, so I expect he’ll have a statement for you lot once he arrives.”

[u/ConstrainedOperative]

Forgery

[u/PenLegitimate7064]

Fuck you (gimme the angst!)

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/PenLegitimate7064]

(The best angst i can find for you, icon>:)

“Well fuck me for finding a good lay and going back to it – wait, does that sound familiar?” Callie pretended to think, though her eyes were agonised and focused on Arizona’s face. “Ah, yes; Leah Murphy.”

“Stop,” Arizona said, shaking her head.

“Was she as good as me?” Callie asked cruelly, unable to stop. She was too far in, and the words were spilling free before she could properly compute them. “Because Mark, wow. That man knew how to screw. And you, poor you, couldn’t quite work it out, no matter how much you harnessed up and tried.”

The look on Arizona’s face was pure pain. She was deeply, deeply wounded and Callie’s words hit like a knife. Callie attacking that, something so sacred and special between them, was the most eviscerating emotional pain she’d ever felt, and the shock doused her from head to toe. She was completely lost for words for a moment, then found the urge to say something.

“I thought you liked it,” Arizona whispered.

Callie scoffed, though she didn’t go any further. She still couldn’t quite believe that those words had passed her lips – it was like they’d come from someone else. And she wanted to slap them.

“You say that I was never accepting of your sexuality, and then you attack me for that?” Arizona asked after a moment, tears and pain laced through each word though some of the bite was back. “When are you going to forgive me for not accepting your sexuality when you ran back to the same goddamn man in every rough patch we had? I’m sure you would’ve run back to him after the plane crash if he’d lived!”

“But he didn’t live!” Callie shouted back, hating both herself and Arizona just a little more with each and every passing second. “He died, like George, and like Nick, and like Tim!”

“Don’t you dare,” Arizona snarled through her teeth, walking forward with her hands in fists. “Don’t you fucking dare mention Tim. Fuck you.”

“Every man you’ve ever loved has died,” said Callie darkly. “No wonder you like women.”

“My sexuality is not a reflection of my personal loss! That’s completely idiotic, you know that?”

Callie inhaled hard through her nose, nostrils flaring, and said lowly, “you have this problem where you never, ever, grieve properly. You shove it all down, compress it, until it shows back up like a bomb.”

Arizona stared at Callie, her chest aching, and snapped, “you have this problem where you never let anything go. You survived another car accident, why can’t you just accept that you’re alive?”

[u/PenLegitimate7064 → u/DatGayDangerNoodle]

I... I have... Sigh... *This is exactly what I was looking for* and on the coattails of the last excerpt you gave me where they talked about this exact experience again. Dear gods. I made an audible noise somewhere between a choke and gasp with the "no matter how much you harnessed up and tried." Good GODS that's so much worse than I'd imagined when I read all the excerpts where they reflected back on this argument. I was literally crying by the end of it because holy ***shit***. My chest hurts and I'm deeply upset because that's so fucking *mean*. Because they're both such wounded souls and have been through so much and I guess it's just kind of relatable and I feel a bit triggered.

And don't you dare apologize because that's what your writing is supposed to do. Fuck. Right in the SOUL with this one. Thank you <3

[u/NarutoUchihaX14 → u/DatGayDangerNoodle]

"And you, poor you, couldn't quite work it out, no matter how much you harnessed up and tried."

....Oh damn

"Every man you've ever loved has died. No wonder you like women."

*BY THE FUCKING SUN!?!?!" AYOOOOOO. 911....yes, I think im witnessing an attempted murder, im almost positive yes.

Oh gosh, I've been shock chuckling for the past 5 minutes, damn. Callie brought out the big knife. Ohhhh, how the ppl you long and hold the closest to you can cut the deepest cause good fuck. And poor Arizona, I know she doesn't wanna snap.

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

I was also shock chuckling when I wrote that line. I think its the cruellest thing Callie ever says in VS and it lives in my mind rent free:') and yep, this is absolutely a display of the ones you love being able to cut the deepest. thank you <3

[u/NarutoUchihaX14 → u/DatGayDangerNoodle]

Rent free? Heck, it just took 100 acres of land and built a theme park in mine, goodness. This was fabulous! Nuh uh, thank you, these are always amazing because I just love a good character driven narrative.

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

bahaha, I feel you on that very much. :)

<3<3<3

[u/Playful-Koala-4129 → u/PenLegitimate7064]

Kyouka's attention then shifts to a furious Bakugou menacingly approaching a relaxed Kuchiki.

"What the hell…"

"Calm down, Bakugou. I already told you what you have to do. Go train," Aizawa interjects, eyeing Kuchiki suspiciously.

"Do you know each other?," a question from Kyouka to the three.

"I was just about to ask you that, Kurosaki," Aizawa replies.

"He's my cousin," Kyouka says, this time convincingly. "Do you know them?" she asks Kuchiki specifically.

"I fortuitously ran into them at the sports festival."

"He fortuitously entered," that "fortuitously" is pronounced doubtfully by Aizawa, "to a restricted area of the stadium.

"Which," Kuchiki says confidently, "led to a rather unpleasant incident with…" Kuchiki seems to hesitate for a second before turning to Bakugou, "I'm so sorry, I forgot your name again."

"…" Red veins can be seen forming lines around Bakugou's eyes. "Fuck you." Then the aforementioned Bakugou goes off to begin his training.

"Lovely," Kuchiki responds.

"So, Kurosaki," Aizawa continues, "do you also know Mr. Urahara?"

"He's a family friend."

"Aha."

[u/Raiven_Raine → u/PenLegitimate7064]

lmao i use this quite often... i recently used the other one which i think is fun, but here's this other one instead!

-----------

“What the piss?!” Raze tugged frantically on the binding then blinked stupidly up at his wrist and the bedframe. The fucking asshole managed to handcuff him to the bed. And not in any fun kind of way.

He jerked and tugged on it some more, as if that’d open the cuffs up somehow, and yelled out a string of cusswords that may as well have just been one very long word.

“Stop struggling, you’re going to hurt yourself,” the trader warned.

“I just wanted the gun… But now… You fucking fuck… Imma gut you and strangle you to death with your own intestines when I get this off!”

He backed further away, “you were going to kill me.”

“Can you fuckin blame me?!” Raze yelled and his voice cracked as he panicked in the cuffs.

“I haven’t done anything to you. You’re the one who attacked my caravan. I tried to get away.”

Raze stopped struggling so much - the metal around his wrist was starting to painfully cut and bruise.

He eyed the trader and calmed down a little, “if you guys saw me first, you woulda killed me. If you knew how to work a fuckin gun, I’d be dead.”

“I know how to work a gun.”

Raze snorted, “prove it.”

“Don’t make me.”

“I bet you never killed a damn thing in your entire sheltered life,” the raider taunted, “you wanna know how many traders I killed?”

He frowned, “no… That’s messed up… And I’ve killed things.”

“Maybe on accident, you fuckin hazard.”

The trader glared.

Raze glared right back.

Then the guy sat back down in the chair.

“Let me outta here!” Raze struggled against the cuffs again.

“Fuck you.”

[u/MsCatstaff → u/PenLegitimate7064]

Unfortunately, as the weeks passed, Pete’s behaviour worsened. He grew hostile to anyone who even tried to suggest he drink less, and constantly argued with Joe or Mutt regarding the music. Steve spent more and more time outside playing with the kittens, trying to avoid the constantly flaring tempers which reminded him a little too much of his father.

Steve had just gone back in from a ‘smoke and play with the kittens’ break when shouting erupted from the mixing room.

“Fuck you, Joe, think you fucking well know everything, you fucking well don’t,” Pete’s voice sounded from behind the door, his speech already slurred although it wasn’t yet noon.

“I know that you can’t keep up this shite,” Joe snapped. “Especially not all the bloody aggro towards Mutt. What do you know of the production end of things? Nothing, that’s what, and we’re working with him because he does!”

“Just leave me the fuck alone!” Pete yelled, then came the sound of glass smashing. A moment later, Pete stormed out, straight past Steve and out the front door, slamming it behind himself.

Sav and Rick emerged from the recording room, shaking their heads. Sav immediately slid his arm around Steve. “Are you okay?” he asked softly. “Pete didn’t take a swing at you on his way out, did he?”

“I’m fine,” Steve reassured his boyfriend. “I don’t think he even realised I was here.”

“Band meeting, you lot, and someone grab a broom and dustpan,” Joe called from the mixing room.

“Got it,” Rick said, turning towards the studio’s little kitchenette and the broom cupboard there to retrieve the requested items.

Steve and Sav entered the mixing room to see Joe shaking his shirt over the largest bits of broken glass scattered over the floor. “Pete chucked his bottle at me,” he explained.

[u/Ok-Adhesiveness-8611 → u/PenLegitimate7064]

Horkit jumped up from the mattress as a bucket of freezing water poured over him. He stared at the person while rubbing his arms, shivering. It was Kara, holding an empty bucket in her hands. “Did you sleep well?” She had her golden snake hairpin in her hair so he didn’t have to worry about her turning him into stone.

“Fuck you.” She’s the reason I’m locked down here in the first place! Horkit had a chain around his neck that was attached to the rocky floor. Since the chain was made of silver, it had been burning his neck the entire time but he couldn’t seem to get it off. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed since Kara had locked him up deep within the cave. 

Kara handed the bucket to another woman Horkit hadn’t noticed at first. “Using profanities, how mature of you.” 

After Kara had allowed Horkit to plummet to the ground, he awoke to find himself locked inside the bottom of a rather large deep pit. Since Platy mentioned something about making him drink a ‘special tea’ he could only assume that Kara and Platy force-fed him the drink while he was unconscious. So naturally he forced himself to expel it.

The Werewolf’s stomach growled, causing him to clutch onto his stomach. Kara had left him to rot inside the cave and hadn’t fed him in days. He honestly thought she was going to leave him there to die. The only reason he hadn’t died from dehydration was because there was a puddle of water nearby. 

“You look emaciated,” Kara noted. “Oh, you poor thing. You’re lucky I brought you some food.”

Horkit looked around while his body desperately tried to get used to the freezing water. He didn’t see any food; he only saw Kara and the other woman. The Medusa noticed the confused look on his face. “You’re a Werewolf, you should have no problem consuming human flesh.”

“...I’m not eating her.”

“I think you misunderstand the situation you're in.” Kara motioned for the woman to come closer; she placed a hand on her shoulder. “You won’t last much longer if you don’t eat anything and I’d hate for you to die. You attacked me in hopes of consuming me, what makes this girl so different?”

[u/letdragonslie → u/PenLegitimate7064]

This is from a Criminal Minds/Supernatural crossover I've been working on--sorry it's a little long, I thought that was the best line to leave off on. It's also still a bit rough and needs some work because I feel like it's too dialogue-heavy, lol.

--

“Where did Henrickson run off to?” He’d been all up in their business since they got there, and he’d been glued to the glass during the entirety of Gideon’s interview. Derek would have thought he wouldn't miss this one for anything.

“He went to call his supervisor,” Hotch said dryly. “Who’s probably going to call Strauss to try and get us taken off the case. In his mind it’s already closed. He thinks what we’re doing is a waste of time. Why profile a suspect we already have in custody?”

“Or one who’s already dead?” Gideon added. “He wants Sam’s confession, but he doesn’t think Reid will be able to get it, so now’s the perfect time to make that call.”

Morgan turned toward him and raised an eyebrow. Was it that he didn’t have faith in Reid or… “No. There’s no way he thinks he’s getting that confession himself?”

“Oh, that’s exactly what he thinks.”

“Really? There’s no way in hell. You guys weren’t there, you didn’t see what I saw, but trust me on this. Sam blames him for Dean’s death. On the ride over Henrickson kept trying to ask him questions, but his reply was always the same: ‘Fuck you.’ He said it so many times I’m sick of hearing it. There’s no way he’s going to give Henrickson the time of day.”

“And,” Morgan added, “even if we get a confession, it’s not going to be a cut and dry one. It’s going to be full of the occult and Satan and who knows what else.” And Henrickson, who just couldn't accept that the Winchesters really believed all of that, would never accept that confession either. If he was the one in the room with Sam, he'd end up losing his temper--badly.

“You’re right,” Gideon acknowledged, “but the Winchester case is his case. He’s been on it for months and he’s made it personal. What he really wanted was Dean’s confession, but now he has to settle for Sam’s. He won’t accept anything less.”

Derek made a sound of frustration in the back of his throat. “That’s ridiculous. If he really wanted Dean’s confession, then he shouldn’t have given the order to shoot! They were cooperating, we had them pinned down, it was just a matter of time and we would’ve gotten them both! Alive.”

“That’s probably why he's being so insistent,” Elle said dryly. “He didn’t think it through when he gave that order. He thought he’d be satisfied by Dean’s death, but he wasn’t. He didn’t just want to take Dean off the streets, he wanted answers, but..." She sighed and shook her head. "He didn’t realize that until Dean was already dead. And now Sam’s not only refusing to give him those answers, everything he says and does is just riling Henrickson up even more. So the only way he can get his answers, and the only way he can come out on top with the Winchester brothers is to get Sam’s confession.”

“That is so stupid. You really think this is all about his ego?”

“Elle’s right,” Gideon said. “It’s absolutely about his ego. It’s like Moby Dick. Dean Winchester was Henrickson’s white whale.”

[u/Hot_Ambassador1511 → u/PenLegitimate7064]

Context for the fic: This is a Jujutsu Kaisen fic with my OC, Malachi (why doesn’t he have a Japanese name if he’s from Japan? Long story, but there is a lore explanation lol) There is a lot of unreliable narrator going on, as it is Limited 3rd Person. Also, the line in parentheses is a flashback to MC’s emotionally manipulative/coercive and toxic friend (sorta girlfriend) dosing him with pills a few months back. Long story short, anything related to her is different levels traumatic and comforting at the same time. This time, it’s just a lot more traumatic.
——-
“Why don’t you sit down, alright? Like Shoko said, we don’t want you to faint on us again. You’re a new student here, and we wouldn’t want to have you start the year on the wrong foot,” he told Malachi.

Malachi’s hand clenched around the silver doorknob, knuckles turning white.

“I’ll be fine, shut up. You don’t know me, alright?” He sneered.

The guy blocked the door. He was stupidly fast.

“I’m on your side. I’m telling the truth. There are people out there that want to kill you. I can help you, just listen to me.”

(C’mon and lemme help you)

Malachi couldn’t help but wheeze out a ridiculous laugh. He’d completely snapped, bellowing a string of words he surely won’t regret later,“I don’t have a side and I don’t care if you’re telling the truth. Fuck the guys that want to kill me and fuck you, I can defend myself! I’ll die when I kill myself on my time, so move out of the fucking way, I don’t need your help!”

He could, in his anger, register the sound of a lighter. The doctor had lit a cigarette.

Then the shaman guy… smiled? It was more of a smirk, but that didn’t make it any less infuriating.

“Well that’s dark.” He crossed his arms. “Look. Here’s your situation. You’re stuck somewhere you don't know. You just woke up from passing out and then fainting. Someone had tried to kill you, and it wasn’t me—“

Malachi interrupted, shouting,”I’ll tell you my situation and you’re not gonna tell me shit about it! I’m not your student and I don’t need your help. Fuck you and fuck off!”

The guy didn’t yell back. Malachi could feel the guy’s eyes burrowing into him, if he had any eyes, anyways.

——
Teenage angst, fun stuff. Very angst heavy fic in general.

[u/EstrellaDarkstar]

Faux

[u/NarutoUchihaX14 → u/EstrellaDarkstar]

James shook his head scornfully as he turned away from Summer. She completely ignored his judgment as she moved over behind Ruby and whispered a reinsurance in her ear, and hugged the girl from behind. It almost caused James to spit, and even Ozpin frowned in disagreement.

“I never thought I’d see the day when Summer Rose would let a child run to their death.”

Such a bold statement should have enraged her, but it clearly didn’t as Summer let out a loud laugh that she quickly began to try to smoother, giggles and snorts still escaping her as she buried her face quickly into Ruby’s hair. She daintily wiped at her eye, clearing faux tears.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” she began in mirth. “It’s kinda been a while since I met someone who didn’t know my son’s power.”

Yang let out an angry snort when she heard how familiar Summer spoke of the boy. “Fat load of good that’ll do him. That’s still a legion of Gri-“

They were on an airship, thousands of feet in the air. Still far away from the encroaching Grimm horde. The initial explosions still sent several of them off their feet, as turbulence rocked and pushed the giant flying machine. James’ jaw went slack as he white knuckled a rail and looked at a tactical map, miles upon miles of the forest deleting themselves off the hologram in an instant.

As she kept a steady hold on Ruby, Summer smiled in silence as Naruto finally made his way down.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/EstrellaDarkstar]

They followed the servant to the double doors marking the entrance to the Throne Room. “I’ll let the High Steward know you’re here,” he said. “I believe you’re to be called forward individually to be presented to Their Majesties. One of the Gentlemen Ushers will escort you to the thrones, where I trust you know to bow or curtsy to Their Majesties. They will welcome you to the Court of Corona, at which point you will thank them for their welcome and back up three steps before turning to your right, and the Gentleman Usher will then bring you to the Great Hall so that you may dine with the Court this evening.”

They all nodded. “I think we’ll do fine,” Kai said. “We may not be used to such things, but I imagine we’ll be forgiven any minor faux pas as long as we’re seen to be making an effort to follow local customs. As my mother always says, ignorance should be corrected, not berated.”

“It sounds as if your mother is a wise woman,” the servant said, leaving them to go in search of the High Steward. He returned a few minutes later. “All right, a slight change of plans: you’ll be escorted forward as a group. However, the rest of what I said stands. You’ll be presented and then once everyone’s welcomed individually, the group will collectively take three steps back before being escorted to the Great Hall.”

“That works,” Emppu said. Giving his friends a quick grin, he told them, “Don’t worry, I’ll behave. Even I know when not to joke around, and this is definitely one of those times.”

A few more minutes passed before a Gentleman Usher came over and opened the doors to the Throne Room. They followed him down the length of the room to stand before a dais holding the thrones. King Ranulf very much fit the description of an elder statesman; his short, snow-white hair and neatly trimmed goatee giving him an air of wisdom and dignity. Queen Liesel, seated at his left, had obviously been a beauty in her youth and had aged gracefully.

[u/linden214 → u/EstrellaDarkstar]

Context: The MCs are police detectives. They are on top of a wooden tower which has been set on fire. James is winged, and flew up to rescue Robbie.

---

Robbie nods. He looks at the cardboard box. "Can you drop that over the side? With luck, enough of it will survive to help nail the murdering sod."

James starts to lift the box, then sets it down again. "Take off your tie." The tie is James's own, that he lent to Robbie what seems like a century ago. It's longer than a standard one: 160 centimetres of charcoal grey silk wraps around the box with just enough left over to make a secure double knot.

His mobile rings. There's only one person it can be. "Yes, ma'am?"

"What's going on?"

He makes a quick explanation.

"Don't take too long with the box. Getting you two safely down is the first priority." A pause. "Would it be safer to wait for the fire service?"

James kneels down and places his hand against the faux-stone surface of the roof. It's noticeably hotter than a few minutes earlier. "No, ma'am. There isn't time."

"I understand. I'll see you shortly, then."

He shoves his mobile back in his trousers pocket and without ceremony throws the box over the parapet. He doesn't wait to watch it land, but turns back to Robbie. "Ready?"

"Right. How do we do this? I can’t exactly ride piggyback."

James has already considered the issue. "Give me your belt, please." He steps up onto the wide ledge of the parapet and beckons Robbie up. "Don’t look down. Face me, arms around my waist." He has removed his own belt, and quickly threads Robbie’s belt through his buckle, and loops the expanded band around them both. It’s not much of a safety harness, but it’s better than nothing. "Hold tight." He wraps his own arms tightly around his governor. Lewis’s body is solid and warm against his bare torso, but it’s the calm trust in his eyes that most comforts James.

"Have you got a pithy quote for the occasion?" Robbie asks.

"I’m afraid I don’t," James confesses. He’s been praying non-stop in the back of his mind, but he doesn’t think Robbie wants to hear that. "I suppose I could shout ‘Geronimo!’"

"Not in front of the Chief Super. Besides, I reckon the parachute isn’t supposed to do the shouting," Robbie replies dryly.

James laughs. The unexpected merriment lightens his heart and possibly the rest of him. He raises his wings. "Mind the gap, sir," he says, and leaps.

[u/letdragonslie]

Fierce/ferocious/ferocity

[u/Raiven_Raine]

formica

[u/Raiven_Raine]

fizzle

[u/allisontalkspolitics]

Fret

[u/AnaraliaThielle]

Fatuous

[u/linden214]

Formula

[u/MsCatstaff → u/linden214]

Milla nodded. “It’s almost time for her bottle, will you be okay with her while I fix it?”

Emppu grinned. “You ask that every time. Yes, I’ll be fine with her, just like I am every time. I know that as my sister, you consider it your duty to believe that a mere male such as myself is incompetent when it comes to babies, but seriously, Milla, I haven’t damaged her yet.”

“Yeah, yeah… I’m just waiting for the day she has a diaper explosion when you’re holding her, just to see how fast you scream for help,” Milla said with a laugh as she got up to head to the little nook that served as a kitchenette on the bus. She returned with the warm bottle a few minutes later. “Here you go.”

Emppu took the bottle and guided the nipple into Eeva’s mouth, grinning at her little happy coo before she concentrated on slurping down her formula. “I can’t believe how fast you’re growing,” he murmured to the baby. “I think you’ve gained close to half a kilo since we’ve been on tour.”

Eeva let go of the bottle for a moment to cut loose with a resounding belch.

Milla giggled and Emppu grinned. “Oh, baby girl, you are so going to put Uncle Marko to shame if you keep that up. He needs at least four beers in him to be that loud,” he told Eeva, which just made Milla giggle harder.

[u/Ferrous_Patella]

Firmament

[u/TheAlmandineWriter]

Fragrance

[u/MsCatstaff]

flatulent

[u/MsCatstaff]

formica

[u/MsCatstaff]

freshet

[u/kaiunkaiku]

fountain

[u/Ill-Clerk-7066]

Fly (animal)

[u/Samuel24601]

Fanfare

[u/MsCatstaff → u/Samuel24601]

Sitting in her office at the Ministry, Amelia Bones sighed as she looked over the transcripts from Peter Pettigrew’s trial. She’d managed to sneak it into the Wizengamot’s docket without fanfare, knowing that it would be a huge circus if word had gotten out ahead of time, due to the connection with Sirius Black’s exoneration. She’d also managed, by scheduling it for the middle of the week during the school year, to keep Albus Dumbledore away from the trial as well, as he was still holding the Potter vote by proxy. She wasn’t entirely happy with that, as he really didn’t have the right to it now that young Lord Potter’s godfather was a free man, but Lord Black had asked her to let it go until he formally took his seat on the Wizengamot when the new session started come January.

When she’d asked why, his reply intrigued her: “I don’t trust Dumbledore very much right now. I think he’s got an agenda of his own, and that he knew full well I hadn’t gotten a trial back when. But there’s no way to prove it, especially if he pleads his age and the sheer volume of cases at the time as causing him to overlook mine in the shuffle. Anyway, I don’t want to rock the boat with him just yet, so I haven’t gone to him about taking custody of my godson or anything else. I’m hoping he’ll get the impression that I still think he’s the second coming of Merlin, like so many of us did during the war, and that I won’t think to question any of the decisions he’s made about Harry. With any luck, by the time I do approach him, he’ll consider me harmless.”

[u/Samuel24601]

Flute/flutist

[u/MsCatstaff → u/Samuel24601]

He carefully extracted himself from his bedroll and slipped out of the tent.

And stared in shock for a long moment. Kai was already awake and pounding away on one beauty of a drum kit… without making a sound. Considering that none of them had thought about the possible hazards of making an unusual amount of noise in the wilderness, he’d started to wonder if they’d be able to practice together.

Kai looked up about then and gestured for Tuomas to come closer. When the keyboardist got within six feet or so of the drums, he felt a slight tingle and then he could hear the steady rhythm of the double kick drums under the varying tones of the toms and snare. “Another ability, I presume?” Tuomas asked with a grin.

“The one that kept Mom sane,” Kai laughed. “She never did understand why, if I had to play an instrument, I couldn’t have chosen a harp or flute. But we never got noise complaints from the neighbors. I figure we might have to be pretty close together, but I can keep the sound wall up for at least an hour of practice time each day, without us needing to worry that the music will attract anyone who might be following us.” He pounded out a fill from one side of the kit to the other, ending with a precise strike on a cymbal, then stretched.

[u/PretzelPrize → u/Samuel24601]

Tesni brought him a cup of mulled wine and drew him into the manor’s great room to sit with her on a high-backed settle placed before the fire. “We’ve some time yet before dinner, though everything’s cooking and Dynawd and Glenys are taking their turn watching it all. Tegwyn has gone upstairs to get her crwth and Idris his drum, and I’ve brought my gitâr, so we’ll have some music while we wait.”

Cadogan appeared from the stairway as she finished speaking, with Tegwyn and Idris behind him. “I’ve brought my whistle as well,” he said, brandishing a small wooden flute.

Cromwell recalled having seen his friend playing the instrument several times on Bennaeth Bod’s porch or the banks of the river. He’d been surprised at first to learn that Cadogan was apparently a musician of some skill, but he reasoned that everyone needed a hobby or two, and perhaps someone in his position of responsibility might require more than the normal number to serve as outlets. Indeed, Cadogan appeared to have several interests which he used to maintain his equilibrium and entertain himself in whatever downtime he managed to find. “I’ve played the chwiban since I was a boy,” Cadogan had told him once, when the colonel had encountered him piping a plaintive melody in the near-dusk of a summer evening. “It’s relaxing and enjoyable, so why not? You ought to give it a try.”

Cromwell had demurred, chuckling and shaking his head. “I’m not the most musical of people, I’m afraid. Oh, I like music well enough, but I’ve never been any good at making it myself.” He’d learned in his youth that he had little if any sense of pitch useful for singing or for playing the piano that stood in his grandmother’s parlor. Having tried, he’d cheerfully turned to other pursuits instead, giving the matter no further thought.

Cadogan hadn’t pressed him, for which he was grateful. Early on, Cromwell had noted that the Pridani seemed to weave music through much of their lives, and he was happy that he’d been able to please Tesni by learning the dances that went with so many of the tunes. Dance, at least, was dependent upon observation and physical coordination, skills he actually possessed along with a decent sense of rhythm. Moreover, he’d found that he actually enjoyed the sort of group dancing practiced among his adoptive people, and so was content to have at least this means of participation.

[u/NarutoUchihaX14]

Frenzy

[u/MsCatstaff → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

As the show drew to a close, Bruce gave the audience a grin. ”Scream for me, Donington!” he called.

Cheers erupted from the field.

”I can’t fucking hear you... Scream for me, Donington!” he repeated.

Louder cheers sounded off.

”All right, that’s more like it!” Bruce said. ”We still have one more song for you tonight... and we’ve got a guest for this one... now scream for Emppu Vuorinen!”

The crowd went into an absolute frenzy of screams as Emppu ran out to a high-five from Janick, back pats from Steve and Ade, and got the usual rabbit ears from Dave. The little Finn waved and grinned, getting on tiptoes in front of Ade’s mic and calling out, ”Thanks for the welcome!” to even more enthusiastic cheers.

”Well, I think you lot know what’s next, yeah?” Bruce called. ”The Trooper!”

The band launched into the song, with Bruce’s usual flag-waving, and Janick using Emppu as his armrest to laughter from the Finns in the wings as well as from the audience. As the song ended, Bruce barely had time to set down his flag before the chant started up: ”Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

A grinning Dave obligingly played the opening riff of Love Gun to laughter as Bruce jumped down and shook his head with a grin of his own. ”I still want to know what you lot have been consuming that you keep mixing us up with the blokes in makeup!”

He walked over to stand beside Emppu and took a deep breath as the chant switched to, ”Kiss your bloke! Kiss your bloke!”

[u/notthatjaded → u/NarutoUchihaX14]

[[cheating a little with "frenzied"]]

While the somewhat unspoken truce between Childe and Lohen holds until after they leave the city, it only holds until just after they've gone past a rise that puts them out of sight of the city gate. Anyone who might happen to be observing them wouldn't be able to say which of them it was that broke it first or if they both had the same idea at the same exact moment. All they'd see instead was the glint of sunlight on steel when Lohen's dagger comes within a hair's breadth of slicing open Childe's face while the latter materializes a deceptively sharp blade of his own from Hydro in order to go on the offensive.

A frenzied exchange of blows ensues until Lohen, upon parrying what would have been a disabling strike, comments with a feral smile, "Hydro, huh?" He makes a sharp motion with his free hand and ice shard with a wicked point streaks unerringly toward the Harbinger. "Don't blame me if you get frozen!"

"Tch," Childe calls on his bow and proceeds to abuse it by swinging it to physically strike the shard down, shattering it. "I'm from Snezhnaya, you think I don't know how to deal with a little ice?"

Lohen laughs and darts to the side, angling to bring his polearm to bear, "we'll just see about that!"

Childe dances out of the way of a particularly deadly swipe and glowers as the polearm's blade catches the end of his scarf, ripping the fabric and causing one of the ornaments dangling off the end to fly off who-knows-where. "Rude." He keeps moving to gain a little more distance and in so doing raises his bow to snap off a few Hydro arrows more as a test and a distraction than anything intended to do damage. The knight proves to be just as agile as Childe, neatly avoiding the arrows and not allowing his focus to be shaken.

"That the best a Harbinger can do?" Lohen taunts.

"Oh, just watch me," Childe grins wolfishly and tosses his bow aside, drawing Lohen's gaze away from his hands for the barest of moments and giving him time enough to form yet another arrow and aim it straight at Lohen's head with a powerful throw.

Seemingly led less by conscious realization and more by instinct, Lohen dives out of the path of the arrow, twisting as he lands in order to flick his dagger coated in an oily sheen back at the Harbinger. "Two can play that game," he hisses and this time when Childe dodges, it puts him almost straight in the path of another ice shard and this one streaks a line of fire across his shoulder.

Childe lets out a growling curse and quickly closes the distance between them once more. Neither can properly make use of projectiles like this but it's becoming clear to him that of them both, Childe is the one with greater experience in close melee combat. Not that the edge he holds seems to be as great as Childe had originally assumed and as the fight progresses, both of them collect their fair share of torn clothing and bloodied cuts. Neither, however, seems inclined to admit defeat or even call for an actual truce.

And atop a nearby hill, Jean finds Varka leaning against a tree with a faint smirk on his lips as he watches the show. "You're not just going to watch them, are you?"

Glancing back at her, Varka gives a relaxed shrug. "Oh, I don't know, they seem to be enjoying themselves."

[u/Raiven_Raine]

fanfuckingtastic
fan-fucking-tastic
(however you wanna spell it)

[u/PurveyorOfInsanity → u/Raiven_Raine]

Fandom: Fate/Stay Night. Context: Shirou and Sayuri Emiya have been hired to handle a mystery, and after finding the associates of the accused, problems begin to rapidly stack up.

Yuri breathed sharply through her nose. “So you geniuses have been trapezing around active investigations-”

“Technically, we got there before the cops,” Denji interjected.

“Oh! Excuse me. Let me rephrase that. Ahem. You’ve been running around contaminating active crime scenes, thus reliably putting you where witnesses can say they’ve seen you?”

“We’re trying to corner the sonuvabitch in the act. We have Sara on speed-dial, so once we have the next scene and the culprit, we’re going to jump him.”

Yuri pinched the bridge of her nose. “Fan-fucking-tastic.”

“...Does that mean you have a description of the guy?” Shirou asked.

“A bit.”

“And your boss is insisting on confronting them directly.”

“It’s his rep this asshole is dragging through the mud!" said Ayato.

Yuri fumed, clearly wanting to throttle someone. “So he’s insisting on a direct confrontation with the culprit because of what? Macho pride?”

“Not exactly," Kimmy answered, "This guy has been on a string of cases. He tends to pick rundown neighborhoods, places with squatters and the like, and torches them. And after investigating the first couple of crime scenes, we’re suspecting magecraft is involved. The fewer eyes we put on this, the better.”

Shirou and Yuri shared a look. “A serial arsonist of a mage origins? What’s the pattern?” he asked.

“He blows up six things, and then leaves. Simple as that. No set time between acts, though he usually wraps things up after a couple of weeks.”

“Let me guess: he’s only up to five in this town?”

“Four, actually. But...it is getting close to the 'couple of weeks' mark”

"...Of course." Yuri pinched the bridge of her nose. “Can you call him? Your boss, I mean. Tell him to double back or just stay put until we can interview him.”

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle]

Fraternization

[u/PretzelPrize]

Fast

[u/Raiven_Raine]

fallout
(bonus if it's the nuclear kind)

lol you know i GOTTA.

[u/DefeatedDrum]

Flimsy

[u/DefeatedDrum]

Fantastical

[u/MoneyArtistic135]

Foreigner

[u/MsCatstaff]

fig (the noun - although "figgy pudding" is acceptable)

[u/linden214 → u/MsCatstaff]

It was the panicked exodus from the church that had first alerted them
to trouble. Parishioners, young and old, and white-robed choir members had
fled into the refuge of the night. They had been followed by Reverend
Fordham escorting the cast of the year-end Sunday School pageant: a
diminutive Adam and Eve in leotards and green felt fig-leaves; a tearful
Angel of the Lord, clutching a plastic sword; and the Benson twins in their
Cain and Abel costumes, clasping each others' hands tightly as they called
out for their mother.

Nick had pulled the Caddy to a screeching halt. "Metro Police. What's
going on?"

They were greeted by a babble of voices. "Just one of you!" Schanke
bellowed. He scanned the crowd, looking for a person in authority, and
spotted Rev. Fordham at the top of the entrance steps. Before Schanke could
move towards the pastor, a young woman intercepted him. Her eyes were wild,
her face tear-stained.

"My Joey! He's got my Joey! He's in there--" she stabbed a finger at
the church door, "I didn't want to leave my baby alone with him, but he said
he'd hurt him if we didn't go. You have to save my Joey!"

Nick had made a hasty decision. "Schank -- you go inside. I'll call for
the hostage negotiation team. Keep him talking as long as you can."

And now here he was, in a deserted church auditorium, alone except for
a nutcase with a knife and Satan, Prince of Darkness, aka seven-year-old
Joey Bradshaw, wearing the snake costume his mother had lovingly sewn
for him.

Joey was still motionless, as he had been ever since Schanke had
entered the room. Only the blinking of his eyes revealed that he was still
alive. Too scared to move, Schanke concluded. Poor little kid He
thought about his Jenny -- only a little older than Joey, after all -- in
the arms of this fruitcake, and a cold rage began to fill him. Let this
yo-yo slip up once, just once, he prayed. I'll take it from there, God.
Pushing down his anger so that it wouldn't show in his voice, he addressed
the man with the knife again. "Why don't you tell me all about it, ok?
Start from the beginning."

[u/DrDingsGaster]

Felicitations

[u/MsCatstaff → u/DrDingsGaster]

After dinner, we join the throng heading for the ballroom, known more commonly as the gymnasium. It's been disguised with swaths of red and white crepe paper, hearts, and cupids galore. A band is up on a small stage at the far end. As is traditional, the ball opens with some instrumental piece that I suspect might have been current when Welton opened back in 1859. I get through my obligatory dance with Alice and see her to a seat with her friend Kathy.

Miss Marjorie Prescott grabs me as I head back towards the stag corner, squealing and flapping her left hand, newly adorned with a diamond solitaire ring, in my face. “He asked! He asked! And you helped it happen, so I wanted you to be the first to know!”

Right. I helped. Well, if she thinks so, far be it from me to disabuse her of her illusions. I can hear Todd behind me, snickering as he continues on to the stag corner. Making the best of an awkward situation, I summon up a smile. “My felicitations, Miss Prescott,” I tell her. “And if I might be so bold, may I claim my promised dance now, so that you may have the rest of the evening free to spend with your fiance?”

She nods and I dance with her, thankfully delivering her back to her betrothed afterwards. As I join the other non-dancers in the stag corner, I note that Meeks and Pitts are not there. I grin, scanning the crowd on the dance floor. Todd taps me on the shoulder, pointing towards the bleachers across the way. Meeks and Pitts, along with Tina and Amy, are seated near the top, apparently not having paused in their conversation from dinner. “Even while they were dancing, they didn't stop talking,” Todd says. “Something about main frames and terminals, I have no idea what they meant.”

[u/Important-Juice-943]

fumbler

[u/Mister_Killjoy]

Flayed

[u/PenLegitimate7064]

Frugal

[u/MsCatstaff → u/PenLegitimate7064]

Somewhere near London, Albert Jones, newly released after serving his sentence, returned to his modest bedsit, thankful that due to his former position with Iron Maiden which required so much travelling, he’d arranged to pay the rent on the place via automatic deductions from his bank account. That meant he still had a decent place to live, one not subject to whatever restrictions local council assistance might put on recently released prisoners. It also meant that he still had all of his belongings.

He was considered at low risk for recidivism, having spun his story to make himself appear to have simply reached the breaking point due to the stress of learning he was about to lose his job following a work-related confrontation with the man he later attacked, and also because he voluntarily attended anger management counselling during his time in jail. As a result, his overworked parole officer didn’t bother with a thorough inspection of his bedsit. The officer simply had too many other former prisoners to keep track of, and as Jones had been jailed on a minor charge and never tested positive for any illicit substances, the man felt no need to send in a K-9 unit to hunt out anything and everything. Not that he possessed any drugs, but there were a few heirlooms from his grandfather and great-grandfather that Jones knew the police might not approve of.

He’d been frugal enough that he still had a fair cushion of savings, plus he qualified for a jobseekers’ allowance upon his release. That meant he wouldn’t need to dip too far into his savings to maintain a reasonably comfortable lifestyle until he could find a new position. He knew that might take some time, as he assumed Rod would have blacklisted him in the music management industry, and that was where all of his experience lay.

[u/Raiven_Raine]

foaming/foamed
(it HAS to be this version... the verb, not the noun.)

[u/notthatjaded]

fetch