The PPC Posting Board - Latest posts

"I'm fine," she stuttered, shoving her hands in her pockets. "Please don't hurt me, I—I can clean that..." Her eyes darted around as she scanned for the closest exits. If Gall didn't want to listen, she could be out the door in approximately eight seconds. Less, if that crowd of agents between her and the exit happened to part.

"And don't worry, the only authority I have is 'moral', and even there I've got people who'd argue the point... or would have."

Derik was relieved, too, and felt happier taking his new friend's part. "It's all right, mate. The wretch had the lesson coming—and look, all's well."

Meanwhile, Gall took her mace tentatively from Ix, somewhat shocked at getting it back in one piece so suddenly. "Huh. Thanks, Bucktooth. You're all right." She slapped Ix bracingly on the shoulder and made to slide the mace back into its loop on her belt, and her hand encountered a stickiness on the haft. "Oi, what...? Hey, did you cut yourself or something?"

A shadow has passed over Jenni's face, but just as quickly lifted, and she turned around, concerned. "Ix?"

(( And now I dash out the door. Might be able to sneak something in around 2:30-3:00 CST, but otherwise, I'll check in again this evening. ))

"Come on, don't go!" He sighed, turning to Thoth. "Bloody hell, look what you've done now. I get that you like to make a point, but... You know what you have to do." He fixed the Marine with a glare.

Thoth bowed his head. "I am... sorry. I recognize that what I have done is wrong and I am prepared to make amends. Please, do not expel me."

Tom nodded. "Better."

I've never had formal instruction, but I used a lot of the information in the book to help me learn how to shoot. I somehow managed to take third place at the local Renaissance Fair's archery tournament.

If I couldn't curse in Quenya, Tanith, and mixed Arda-Star Wars references, the world would be a much poorer place.

(Well, my world. Dun' wanna make too big a thing of it.)

hS

Well, fiction gave us all Google Earth... But I don't think that's really what you meant.

Fiction also gave me a lot of my odd language and such. Clannerscum, BLAM, feth, frak, and so on - fiction is good for swears, insults, and so on.

Fiction is also responsible for my giving out of zorkmids to people who get my references, and my silent cursing of Toey when I misspell words. I firmly believe in THE HEART OF THE CARDS! (or a least the spleen), the Random Number God is not to be messed with, and god help you if you steal my Nat 20.

And I wear a lilac on the 25th of May. Every 25th of May. And if you don't know why, you weren't There.

Only about half of that was joking. I don't know which half.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, backing away. "I'm just gonna... go."

Her foot hit the broken pieces of Gall's mace; she knelt and gingerly picked them up, repaired it with a quickly muttered spell, and held it out to Gall, still keeping her eyes on the floor.

Wait, crap. Was she getting blood on it? Maybe Gall wouldn't notice?

Her heart began thudding in her chest. First losing her temper and now this.

She looked on in horror at the ruin of her mace. "That wasn't a threat, yak-brain! You're like the one guy I literally couldn't threaten if I tried!"

Derik was taken aback, but unsure how to respond. On the one hand, Gall was attached to her weapon and was likely to mope and carry on about this until she could get Agent Brightbeard to repair it, possibly even after, and he couldn't help feeling a little sympathy for her. On the other hand, she did so richly deserve to be checked, even thus harshly. He settled for a muted "Steady, there," which might have been addressed to anyone. He did find himself awkwardly patting Thoth's pauldron, for all the effect that would have.

It was Jenni who jumped into the middle, putting out her hands and turning 'round to create a space between Gall, Thoth, and Ix. "Easy, everyone!" She then spoke to Gall: "You were asking for trouble, so hush, and keep your pointies to yourself next time." Then Thoth: "And you, you could have just taken it away, and I reckon we'd all have cheered you on. I know your universe doesn't leave much room for temperance, but work on it more, eh? You're not a child to break things in a fit of pique." She gazed steadily into his eyes, one immortal to another.

(( Hehehe. Sorry, Tom, nobody else is gonna just let that slide. Too many Neutral to Lawful Good types about.

(( FYI, I won't be able to respond as much as I have been going forward, at least not Tu, W, and F. My boss was on vacation last week, so I could have my laptop out at work without being accused of slacking off, but alas, that golden time is over. ))

Ix stepped forward, fists balling. "You can't just go around breaking people's stuff and then threatening to do the same to them!"

"Even casually, I would not suggest threatening me." His voice was low, and entirely calm. "That is one of approximately twelve ways I could have dealt with that scenario. The rest of them would have been far less pleasant for you. I hope that we understand one another."

Tom nodded to Gall, acting as if nothing had happened. "Well, it does go wrong occasionally. I did tell her not to touch that wire - had to go before the auditors for that..." He shivered visibly. "However, that means that we're more cautious than someone with an ordinary weapon is."

The (partial) conclusion of Charlotte's Becoming Human arc, that is. Also nice to see Charlotte's learned a little bit about how relationships work outside her canon--you just *know* that proposal would've happened right then in the Twilight canon (well, ignoring the fact that they wouldn't be a likely couple there. Shh.) It's also nice to see Charlotte's character development.

Anyway. I kind of forgot this was coming, and it was nice to see it. And I'd say more, but I read it...uh, yesterday? The day before? Anyway, this is what I remember wanting to say, so...yeah.

~Z

...a whole bunch of random knowledge that sometimes comes in handy in my life has come from Tamora Pierce books. Also a number of others...most recently, though, I think, was the moment when I was cleaning part of the apartment and remembering Tris teaching Briar how to lift up the things on the shelf to dust them (and under them) rather than just poking around the spaces between them. Also, the bit about dusting before sweeping, though I didn't do that (there wasn't so much dust, though). So that's a thing. And I'm pretty sure I've tried the horse thing, too, though I think I learned it from a different book of hers.

Essentially: yes, definitely. Also, have you read any other Tamora Pierce books? We could talk about it! :) Shared fandoms are always great.

~Z

But, I wouldn't call it my favourite. I have trouble deciding which is actually my favourite out of everything I have watched.

In one of the Beka Cooper books, she mentioned blowing into a horse's nostrils to introduce herself. I've been doing it ever since. I am assuming that I haven't offended anyone yet since I haven't been hoofed in the face.

Hi there! I don't have a predetermined gift yet. Um. Um. I'm at my friend's barn, take this free-roaming chicken!


What do you get when you fire a hairdresser and a chicken out of a cannon?


Feathered bangs.

"Yeah, that sounds much safer. I'm sure that's never gotten horribly out of control. I, on the other hand, am in complete control of my weapon at all times." She showed this by extending her spiky mace like a sabre and poking it at Thoth's breastplate in what she fully realized was an absurd move, because she could.

Derik facepalmed, wobbling slightly.

Jenni watched warily, one arm around Ix's shoulders.

(( Thoth, you are invited to deal with Gall and her mace in whatever way you please, and I'll run with it. {= )

(( Jenni will be happy to help Ix with her hands if it comes to her attention, but I can't figure a way she'd notice yet with only normal perception. ))

"Must you all wield such dangerous weapons and scare people like that? I usually wield sinister demons from beyond this realm forced into service although they would love to break free and destroy me and anyone nearby. And I'm fine..."

Thoth looked unflinchingly at Gall. "Sheer bloody-mindedness can get you a reasonable distance in a fight. Although I have my own prefered means, of course..."

Her breathing started to drift towards hyperventilating, though, and she dug her nails into her palms until she bled. The pain helped her to think a little more clearly, and she sucked down several deep breaths. It helped, a little.

"Thank you," she murmured to Jenni.

"Less good, more brute strength and bloody-mindedness. When you can swing a twenty-pound sledgehammer like this guy, you don't really have to be good. Now, me, on the other hand..." She got up and hefted her mace, which she'd kept on her belt because it fit her costume and no amount of good sense could talk her into leaving it behind. "If me and Fellrazer had been there, we'd have wasted them!" She gave the mace a half-speed swing to demonstrate.

"Stop that, you barbarian!" Derik snapped at her. "You'll hit someone!"

Jenni edged further away from Gall and toward Ix. "May I suggest a couple of deep breaths? You're all right." She reached out to pat the kid on the shoulder.

(( Giving Ix the chance to flinch or roll with it there. ))

"I'll say. I've seen Thoth fight, and even so... That's impressive."

Thoth nodded. "Indeed. Were you born to another universe, you might have made a good Space Marine."

Title: Rain
Fandom: Mass Effect
No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen, Male Shepard, James Vega, Angst, Pre-Mass Effect 3

A short one shot I wrote for a prompt. Shepard is feeling kind of sad. James is unimpressed.

"Sorry," she stammered. "I wasn't—I was just—I'm sorry—won't mention it again—" She glanced around at the others as if hoping one of them would come to her rescue. "You, uh, you must be a really good fighter, then?" She cringed and ducked her head.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Could you be any more obvious you don't know how to carry on a conversation? Pathetic.

He had rather warmed to his performance as it went on, and this was not the reaction he'd hoped for. "What...? No, you've missed the point. That was the good part."

Jenni had to laugh, a small, contained chuckle. "Oh, Derik. What about the part after that, where you battled your way back to FicPsych, terrified poor Elms, and proceeded to muscle your way through a heavy dose of fellis juice in order to help us fight off the Mary Sue invasion?"

"You shouldn't have dosed me," he muttered mulishly.

"You were falling-down exhausted and shouldn't have been moving, let alone running around fighting Sues! He did, though," she told the others. "I wasn't there—I thought I'd left him safely asleep and had gone to help in Medical—but I'm told it was impressive."

"Right! It was!" Derik held up his cup to her. "So please stop pitying me, for the Egg's sake!"

(( You can pity him if you want. He's still a hot mess. {= ) BTW, all the events he's told of were originally written in this mission and this story, if you wanna get the details. It was fun retelling it all as Derik, though, so thank you for indulging me. ˆ_ˆ ))

"That... that's awful. I'm sorry, Derik. I... That..." He trailed off. What else was there to say?

Thoth merely sat there. He was watching Derik closely, but the expression on his face was difficult to discern.

Ix looked down at the ground, twisting the stem of her rose until it began to split. "About your eye, and, and your friend. My, uh, my mum read the books to me. And... I don't think the words did it justice, describing what that felt like. I can't even imagine..."

She resisted the urge to stare, instead keeping her eyes on the ground. He looked... almost the same as her. A mirror image. It was more than a little unsettling.