spoilers for my current WIP Blind Bill AU drabble:
Ford was the same. Sure, maybe a little older, a little grayer than he last saw him but-
Bill shrieked. “WHAT is THAT?”
Fez betrayed him! How could he not mention, not even once, in the months he’d been here, that Ford grew a BEARD!!!
Bill pinched his arm repeatedly. “Wake up, wake UP…”
“Bill! Stop that!” Ford said exasperated. “What are you going to do?”
“Either kill Stanley or shave you, whichever comes first,” Bill said darkly. The arm pinches weren’t working… a horrible thought hit him. What if it wasn’t just Ford? Bill’s eye widened in panic. “Does Stan have a beard? Does Shooting Star? DOES PINE TREE?” He could not deal with a fully furred Dipper. It was too horrific to contemplate.
“No! Just me!” the scientist reassured. “Does it really look that bad?” Ford’s hand went self-consciously to his chin. “I thought it was… you know, rugged? For sea adventures?”
“It’s… so different.” At most, Bill had only ever seen stubble, and that was after days of sleep-deprivation! Even running for his life across dimensions, Ford had always somehow found the time and equipment for a nice, clean-cut shave. “Is THAT why you smell weird?”
“You know what I smell like?”
“Of course I do!” Ford had always smelled faintly of brunt hair (he smelled like home).
Marinette grasped her bandage covered neck as she looked out of the mansion’s window. This would be her home from now on, her new “life”. But.. Would it really turn out well? They all seem to hate her, ignoring her at every point. Except for that Grayson guy, but he seemed to treat her like a doll that needs fixing, like a new project for him to work on. A shiver ran down her neck as she hunched over on herself. A project. A doll. Someone’s plaything. Not human. Was this how her classmates felt when she would try to help them? Like she was just treating them like projects?
The very thought of her classmates feeling this way, the way she was feeling, just made her close in on herself more. Was this why her classmates turned on her for Lila? Because she always tried to help them- to fix them? Marinette started shivering, started shaking. She would never wish this feeling on anyway, not even Lila. The feeling of just being a puppet on a string, someone trying to dictate her movements- how awful .
Marinette felt sick to her stomach. Why did she ever have to come to this mansion- why did her parents have to send her here?
Hello! This is my second post on tumblr! I have another account on here, but have decided to make a whole new one to start all over, for personal reasons. I am currently rewriting "I'm Not An Angel" and this is a short preview of whats to come!
It wasn't long before the liberation of Necromas' territory was underway. The Dawn members acted with great haste, removing workers from the camps and getting them into proper homes, medical treatment, food, whatever they needed and apprehending any of Necromas' remaining forces that were refusing to surrender. It was a slow process but it was something wonderful to see nonetheless.
Especially for The Dawn's leader, Admiral Nari Wong.
Nari smiled as she observed all the activities going on around her, doing her part of making sure everything stayed orderly and provided aid when she could.
I'm just happy we finally got another place liberated. Finally making more dents in the Ecliptic Claw's territory.
"And then, SHINK! The mane came clean off!"
"Whoa…"
Nari turned her attention over to a group of liberated camp workers who were talking over an open fire and meal. More specifically, a young one of the bunch seemed to be telling some kind of story.
"What happened after that?" one of the worker's asked.
"After that, Leonideas declared the territory was no longer Necromas' or the Ecliptic Claw's then just walked off after letting out a huge roar. I don't know how he did that but it was amazing and chilling at the same time."
Nari gave a flat look at the mention of Leonideas' name.
Ah… That explains why the raid worked out so well. Our old lion friend.
Nari sighed, shaking her head.
She didn't hate Leonideas. Far from it. However… he was a little annoying in her eyes... and a pain at times. Mainly in the fact no matter how many times they had tried, he had never sworn allegiance to The Dawn. He was fine with helping them but he didn't want to be affiliated with them. For some reason. He never disclosed why.
Regardless, Leonideas had been a huge help to The Dawn in recent times but Nari couldn't help but be weary about the man. A man who only follows his own motives was something to be cautious about. After all, said motives could possibly one day conflict with theirs.
For now… she was grateful for the time being he was useful to them.
Let's just hope it stays that way.
"Admiral Wong."
Nari looked to the side to see two soldiers approaching her. They gave a salute before speaking again.
"We've received word from King Solleo of Aurorias that Princess Elara is on her way to the planet to provide resources and aid to our cause."
"Ah, perfect. Please keep an eye for her ship then and ensure she arrives here safely. Last thing we need is the Ecliptic Claw getting their hands on her. When she has arrived, please bring her to me right away."
The soliders saluted again.
"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!"
Nari smiled, nodding.
"You two are dismissed."
Both left without another word, leaving Nari to her work.
A liberated dome and a new source of relief on the way.
Nari chuckled
Today is a good day.
oooooo
The outside world of the domes was a mystery to many. Some wondered if it was just as bad as the insides of the domes or if it was better. No one was really sure… except for those who did roam the outside areas. Be it members of The Dawn… or those hiding in the shadows, going about their services in their own ways. Having goals of their own to tend to.
Unlike popular rumors of those in the domes, the Earth outside was beautiful. Lush vegetation, clean air and skies that at the moment of time were a beautiful gradient of orange and red. As much damage as the Ecliptic Claw had done to the spirits of those who inhabited the Earth, they had in an odd way helped the planet heal from some man made causes.
The young alien hummed to herself as she led a group of Pantherians, young and old in a straight line. Where they were going, they weren't sure but as far they knew, the bug like alien had promised they would be safe. As did her human companion.
Her six legs had a rhythm to them as she continued on, twirling her staff a bit.
"Gotta say, Leonideas really put on a show today, don't ya think Jim?" the alien asked her human companion.
Jim nodded, folding his arms behind his head.
"Oh yeah, never fails to show who's boss. Though…" There was a glint in his eye. "He's gonna be hearing about those claw marks on his back from his medic."
The alien girl brought a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh too loud before leaning in close to Jim, whispering to him so the Pantherians behind them couldn't hear.
"Are you gonna need a big needle?"
Jim chuckled.
"Maybe, Laika, maybe."
Jim stumbled a bit as a young Pantherian tugged at his arm.
"Mr. Human?" They asked, their tail swishing. "Where are we going?"
Jim gave a gentle look, patting their head, giving a small scratch behind the ears.
"Somewhere where you will all be safe from the Ecliptic Claw and from… not so accepting members of The Dawn."
Laika frowned at this.
"Hate the fact we have to do this with that second factor in mind but… given what's going on right now…"
Jim sighed.
"Yeah, just better to be safe than sorry."
They soon came upon an opening in the ground that had a set of stairs in it. At the bottom of those stairs, was a warp panel.
Jim and Laika turned to the Pantherians.
"This will take you to a hidden base on the moon." Jim explained. "After you pass through this portal, there is no returning to Earth for a while. It is your choice if you wish to stay here or to go."
Jim and Laika stepped aside, waiting to see how the group would respond. It was a moment before Pantherians started to walk up to the warp panel. One by one they disappeared from site. Laika and Jim made note that only a few had decided to not go. They didn't chase them though. Their choice was theirs and they wanted to respect that.
Soon, it was just the two of them… well, so to speak.
Laika looked around before making a chirping noise.
"Here, Kiwi!"
A kiwi bird emerged from a hiding spot, scurrying over to her, making its way onto her shoulder. Laika smiled, nuzzling the bird.
"There you are. Keep the portal nice and safe for us?"
"Chirp!"
"That's my girl."
Jim chuckled, before looking around, making clicking noises with his tongue.
"Abyss! Here kitty!"
It was a minute or so before a black cat with long fluffy fur emerged from its hiding spot, its yellow green eyes glimmering a bit in the dark setting. The cat ran straight up to Jim, nuzzling his legs.
"There's my boy." Jim stroked the cat's fur. "Kept Kiwi out of trouble?"
"Mew!"
"Oh haha." Laika smirked. "More like my Kiwi kept Abyss out of trouble."
"... Point taken." Jim lifted Abyss into his arms. "Regardless, they got each other's backs."
"Just like we have each other's backs."
"Yup… Now, just need to find Xross."
"You rang?"
Laika and Jim looked to the staircase, seeing a young man dressed in clothes with purple glowing designs and a cloak on over it. His purple eyes glinted with mischief as he approached them.
"There's our man of the hour." Jim chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder once he was close enough. "Holding up alright, Xross?"
"Yeah. Necromas wasn't too bad. Only thing that currently hates me is my back." Xross gave a sheepish look. "Speaking of, think you could…?"
"Let's set up a camp then I'll work on treating ya."
"I'll get the campfire ready!" Laika grinned, hurrying out. "We're gonna feast tonight!"
Jim chuckled.
"She's been going on and on about us having Martian fish soup. Should've seen how excited she got when she was able to buy some Martian fish at the market."
"Ah, I see." Xross grinned. "Well, I look forward to trying it."
"Me too, but first, let's treat that back of yours."
Xross gave a nod, following Jim out of the opening in the ground.
Laika was already busy at work setting up a small fire and a cook pot. She hummed to herself as she got her ingredients together, Kiwi setting up her tools for her.
"Med bed is ready for use." Laika pointed to a bed roll that wasn't too far from her set up. "Do as you please."
"Thank you." Jim nodded, shedding off his back pack. "Alright, Xross, let's see the damage."
Xross nodded, removing his cloak, shirt and chest plate before lying down on the bed roll on his stomach.
"Do your worst, Bro."
Jim smirked, examining Xross' back.
Xross had done a quick patch job with some gauze and tape over the claw marks, both soaked in quite a bit of blood. Jim carefully removed them, getting a better look at the injuries. They weren't deep, thankfully, but there were some minor burns and slight skin irritation.
"Okay, not too bad. A quick disinfectant should do the trick on the burns and irritation. No stitches this time… save maybe for your battle clothes."
"Already fixed them up." Xross closed his eyes, grinning. "Nano sewing bots make clothing repair so easy."
"That they do." Jim smirked, digging into his backpack and pulling out his tools, getting to work. "Though I hope you're not saying that just to make me feel good about my little inventions."
"I'm serious." Xross had a glint in his eyes. "I wouldn't swipe them for no good reason."
"I'd like them back once I'm done with treating you here. My little bots should not be anywhere near battlefields."
"Hey! I kept them safe-"
Jim gave Xross a small poke on one of the claw marks.
"Ow!"
"Says the guy who was near fire and could've gotten mauled by a Pantherian if he wasn't careful."
"I won, didn't I?"
Jim rolled his eyes, finishing up his treatment on Xross' back.
"Next time, just leave the bots with me and I'll patch everything when you get back, okay?"
Xross sighed, shaking his head.
"Alright, alright, fair enough. I know how much you value your babies."
"Yup and done." Jim put his tools away, dusting off his hands.
Xross sat up, quickly slipping his shirt, chest armor and cloak back on.
"Thank you."
"Anytime. Now, you better rest for the day and give those claw marks time to heal."
"Mew!"
Abyss climbed up into Xross' lap, purring loudly.
"And Abyss here is gonna make sure of that."
Xross chuckled, scratching the cat behind his ears.
"Oh, yeah. No on dares defy the cat on lap rule. Besides, a rest sounds great right now. I love helping people as Leonideas but right now, I just wanna be Xross and relax for a bit."
"Sounds good to me." Jim sat down next to him. "We can kick more Ecliptic Claw butts another day."
"Exactly."
They looked over to Laika, seeing she was busy at work, her and Kiwi dancing a bit as they worked around the cookpot.
"Hey, Lai Lai, how long till we feast?" Xross asked.
"Gonna need another hour." She kept her eyes on the pot. "Gotta cook the fish just right to get all the juices and such. It's gonna be good." Her mouth watered. "I haven't had this in years and I hope I can make it just as good as Mama does."
"I'm sure you will." Jim smiled. "If you need any help don't be afraid to ask."
"Thanks but I got this." Laika giggled. "You two relax."
"Very well."
"If you insist."
The three sat in silence. Well, mostly silence, save Laika's humming of Martian songs and Kiwi chirping along with her and Abyss' purring. Xross and Jim got lost in looking up at the sky, counting stars as they started to appear.
"I'm at 299, you?" Xross asked.
"500." Jim smirked. "501… 502…"
"Oh shut it."
Xross focused on trying to count faster, tuning everything else out. His concentration broke however as he saw a light streak across the sky. His eyes widened as he saw it increase in size, the streak making its way down the sky.
"You seeing this?" Xross asked.
"I am." Jim got up.
Abyss hopped out of Xross' lap as he stood up as well. Laika looked to the sky, her eyes wide with wonder.
"A shooting star?" she asked.
"Maybe?" Jim narrowed his eyes. "It's still going too."
The streak soon came to the horizon line, its size indicating it was close to their location. There was a loud boom and shaking as it hit the ground, a flash of light in the distance.
"I… don't think that was a comet." Xross looked upward, noting two other streaks of light in the sky. Spaceship streaks. "... I gotta check it out."
Xross dug into his backpack, pulling out what looked like a headset with lion ears on it. He slipped it on, tapping a button as his lion helmet appeared over his head and face. Without another word, he bolted towards the crash sight.
"H-Hey! Xross!" Jim yelled, chasing after him. "Wait for me!"
Laika stayed where she was, Kiwi and Abyss standing by her sides. She shook her head, focusing on the cookpot again.
It was relatively quiet in the Garden Sector the two White Berets chose to patrol. Although it wasn't the greatest park on the city planet of Grand Acornia, the Green Hill Zone was still pretty amazing. It was practically its own little world.
As the brown groundhog wearing a white beret watched and looked around, he sighed. "Why are we even here today? Its not like the Green Hill Zone is even the most popular garden sector. Also, its likely most of us are keeping watch on the more urban centers. No telling how soon Robotnik's going to get here...I mean, he's likely already conquered the Hedgian sector, considering how General D'Coolette disappeared."
The purple bird with the same outfit on near him, shook her head, looking into the sky. "There's no telling, really. ...But, it is worrying that we haven't heard from him. I hope he's just pinned down in Hedgia somewhere, but, we've got word of him moving through our sector. ...Its strange, though. We haven't heard anything from the central sensors, even though he should already be here by now."
The groundhog muttered something that sounded pretty dark. But, perhaps he was justified in doing so. Few liked the resident Acornian 'Warlord', afterall... "Kodos is insane. Its as if he expects Robotnik to roll over and surrender as soon as he gets here. It doesn't feel like he's taking this threat seriously...Maybe we shou-"
"Shhhhh!" She held her hand up to her beak, causing him to look over toward her. "Look." She pointed up, and, there, making a steady descent toward the planet, was something fairly round, and decent-sized in the atmosphere, probably no bigger than an escape pod.
Eyes widening, he stood up. "How did something like that get past our sensors without anyone knowing?!"
She shook her head. "I don't know...But, from what I can tell from the angle of its descent, it looks like it's going to land right here." As she continued watching the object in question, her eyes looked filled with worry. It was definitely looking more like an escape pod, as it got closer...But, there was no telling who or what it would have in it exactly. "We need to send an evacuation order."
Almost as if he had had the exact same idea, he was already reaching for his communicator, nodding in response to her, getting into the area wide transmission for all the hidden speakers strewn throughout the Green Hill Zone Garden. "Attention all Acornian residents in the Green Hill Zone! We have an unidentified object looking to make impact somewhere here! Please proceed toward the exits in an orderly fashion!"
...He practically rolled his eyes, as he heard exclamations over the area. It didn't sound like everyone was panicking, but, a few were definitely acting more scared than necessary, at least by his logic.
His fellow guard shook her head, as if she was already guessing what he was thinking. "Everyone's worried about Robotnik. At least most of them have the common sense not to panic over it, right?"
He sighed a bit. "Right...Common sense. Because thats what it's called when big ol' Kodos acts shifty, reassuring all of us thats it gonna be 'fine'..."
Standing up, the bird placed on her comrade's shoulder, looking concerned for him. "Hey. We will make it through all of this...Right?"
He looked back at her for a few moments, doubt clear in his eyes, but then he shook his head, and sighed again. "Right, you're right. Even if we can't rely on Kodos, maybe General D'Coolette's boy will come through for us."
She smiled a bit, nodding to try and help reassure him, before she looked back up at the sky. Seeing how the pod was much closer now, she didn't look any less worried about it.
The groundhog turned his head. "How long do you think it'll be until it-?"
He grunted, placing his hands on his ears, as the pod seemed to answer that question for him, crashlanding into a spot not too far away from them, shovelling up a whole lot of dirt for up to twenty-five feet, then just stopping. Shaking his head, the groundhog waved at his companion to follow, moving over to the pod. As they got there, he looked over what all they could still see of the pod. "Well, looks like its definitely some sort of variety of escape pod."
Having followed him, she nodded, looking it over and- "Look!" She pointed to a symbol on the side of the pod: A hedge, with an ornate sword in the middle, circled by a golden ring.
His eyes were practically bugging right out of his head. "That's the Royal Hedgian symbol! Who the heck-?"
As if answering his question, the pod hatch began to open, and, they could hear coughing sounds from inside it. That didn't sound too good.
As they both looked inside, they could see a male blue hedgehog, probably not any older than thirteen, wearing what looked to be the scarf.
"We need to help him out of there," the groundhog mumbled, and, the bird girl, with some trepidation nodded. They both reached in, grabbed his hands, and helped to pull out of the pod, onto his feet on the ground.
He seemed a bit dazed...And, now that they could look over him a bit better, he seemed to be wearing odd clothes. On the long black scarf, there where several little white star-like shapes, representing what you might see looking into space from a distance. Some of the little white dots were more filled out, looking to be closer, and, some looked like specks, more distant than the others. But, star-themed clothing itself wasn't necessarily an oddity in any Mobian sector, no. There were a fair amount of people who wore varying types of space-themed clothing.
Rather...The oddity lay in the red symbols adorning his choice of apparel: Mobius Strips. Some would even call them '8's or infinity symbols. There was a large, painted, red metallic '8' shaped ring on the end of his scarf, a red '8' on the center of both of his white gloves, and, on his red and white shoes, there were red, horizontal '8's on each side of his shoes. It was a bit peculiar, to be honest. While the strip was considered an important symbol through the galaxy(Not only did it represent infinity, but, the Mobius Strip lanes were also the method used by space travel for the majority of the galaxy's inhabitants), it was odd to see it used in their apparel, by someone who looked more like an ordinary teenager, than an infinity or chaos priest.
However, rather than focusing upon that for too long, the groundhog looked right at him. "Hey, kid, you okay? That couldn't have been the easiest landing." Seeing that the kid was having a bit of trouble standing, he positioned himself under his arm, helping to lift him more firmly up onto his feet, grunting. "There ya go."
The other white beret, however, didn't look so helpful, just yet. Instead, she looked right at the hedgehog with suspicion. "You're from the Hedgian sector, correct...? Why does your pod bear the Royal Hedgian crest?"
The young man looked up at her, honestly seeming kind of confused. "Wha...?" Seemed like he was just orienting himself. The groundhog didn't know why his partner was interrogating the kid already, especially since he didn't seem dangerous. More dazed, honestly. "I-I dunno what you're talking about...Where- Where are my parents?" Concern started to show heavily on the hedgehog's face. "W-where's Fi? Mighty, Mina, Ray? A-are they okay...?"
The groundhog gave his companion a bit of look. "Hey, Clarice? I know you're worried, but, you were the one who was just telling me a minute ago everything was fine. Why are you interrogating the kid like this...? He's clearly a refugee. And, the only refugee from Hedgia we've seen, at that!"
As Clarice took in what he said, her face softened, and she sighed. "I know, you're right..." She moved under the arm, helping him to stand up better, grunting a bit herself." Still, I think we should bring him before the king. Like you said, he is the first refugee from there we've seen, after all."
The groundhog nodded. It wouldn't be a bad idea, anyway. King Nigel might have been the only king that he knew, but, still, he was the nicest king they knew.
However, before they could get too far-
"Wait!" A young, female chipmunk suddenly burst out from some nearby bushes, not looking any older than the hedgehog. She was wearing a black shirt, adorned with pointy yellow star patterns, and, wearing a blue jacket, the pocket of which stored some sort of boxy electronic device. She was also wearing blue goggles, with golden rims. "I-I want to come with you."
The groundhog groaned a bit. "Look, kid, we need to get him before the king and-"
"Wait," Clarice spoke up. "Ron, don't you recognize her...?"
Ron blinked a bit, looking a bit more closely at her and- ...He had no idea why, but, he was only just realizing now, that this was none other than Princess Sally Acorn. Of course, part of the reason why he hadn't recognized her as first, was likely because she wasn't wearing any sort of royal ensemble. Princess Acorn practically never wore any sort of tiara, or other royal outfit these days, if she could help it. Anyway, he knew what was going to happen, if he declined to let the princess follow them...She was probably going to complain to the king. She did have a fascination with things outside of Grand Acornia, after all.
With a heavy sigh, he looked at her, and just sort of nodded. "Yeah, sure, you can follow us, princess."
With a smile, the princess took a position behind them, and Ron rolled his eyes, moving with Clarice and the kid toward another exit.
...Honestly, though, he couldn't blame her. He was kind of curious about this kid from another sector himself.
The following is an excerpt from my new novel, Mad Scientist Love Story, available on Amazon.
1. Orientation
Dillan’s alarm was going off.
Blearily, he opened his eyes and rolled over in his bed. The phone was sitting on the nightstand, plugged into a power cord and shrieking out a series of shrill chirps that punched through what had once been a sleepy, peaceful silence. With a grunt of…
Free Excerpt from The McClary Chronicles Book 4 - The Last King
Under the cut for those who don’t want to see anything yet - no spoilers, just a short chapter told from Glenda’s POV:
He stared into his cup, squinting a little. The years had dimmed his vision a bit but they were still that bright soft earthen green that made you feel like you were looking into the gaze of one of the old ones that used to walk the hills, and damn if that weren’t always the one thing about King McClary that could give me a chill.
He stuffed a hand down into his coat pocket and drew out the little spectacles he wore when he had no choice. Molly’d done her level best to get him into the habit of wearing them all the time, but if there was one thing our King was, it was stubborn. He were near on fifty now and still so mule headed he’d have tossed them off the crest long ago if it wouldn’t have drawn a disapproving tut from his wife.
He slipped them on and gave his cup another good stare, with less squinting this time.
“What d’ya see?”
‘Twas a game we played every morn. He blustered in with the day’s first wind just as I were openin’ the tavern, without fail, just as the sun were comin’ up. I poured him a cup of coffee, hot and black, while he plonked that big body of his into the back corner booth and tossed his coin onto the table. He always paid even though technically the tavern was his. And I always picked up the coin and bit it before givin’ him his coffee, because King were known for tossing all sort of non-currency if you weren’t watchin’ him. I shot him a glare and shook the coin at him.
“This is a bus token. Glasgow Public Transit, ya rotter. You know I take a cab.”
He ignored me, same as always, starin’ into that cup through the little round lenses of his glasses. Half the cream I’d set out was swirlin’ about in the black coffee, making shapes that he liked to sort into recognizable things. It were always just a bunch of clouds to my eye, but he could without fail pick out an animal or a face, and I always asked him which it were today, and he always told me.
I saw a horse today.
Ah, that’s a good sign I think.
A snake, curled around a rock.
Och, watch yer step then.
The Scream.
What tae fuck is Edvard Munch doin’ in these parts?
“I see the Starry Night, Glennie.”
Ah, King. The soul bound up in that big man’s body never ceased to choke up my tear ducts and send a big whallopin’ lump into me throat. Starry Night was always a good sign. Starry Night meant Edinburgh, and my wee girl who weren’t quite so wee anymore. I had’nae heard from her in a month, but now I took a peek at my phone to make sure it were set to a loud ring so I wouldn’t miss it when she called. Because I knew she would. When King saw the Starry Night, our girl was fine.
I looked up when I heard the door slam shut. King’s table and his empty cup were there without him. Never one for an excess of words, that old boy. I sighed and went to the broom closet for the mop, because often the only proof anyone had that the King of Claighe had graced their establishment was the mud he invariably tracked in on his boots. Today was no exception.
The bus token was still on the table and I slipped it into my pocket. And then I took a peek into the cup, wonderin’ if he’d really seen the Starry Night swirling in his coffee or if he just knew I was missin’ me girl.
