Unmoored
Jul. 8th, 2025 06:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redwolfSarah would be most appreciative of a night out Above without another drink spiking incident. The perpetrators had been easily spotted, subdued and zip tied. Rook and Bishop had passed them off to the local constabulary without the need to enlist Jareth’s talents, which was a good thing as he’d downed several adulterated beverages and was not at his best.
If Sarah was being cynical, she strongly suspected this was deliberate, not just to ensure the safety of those in the venue, but to test the drugs on someone not human. While she appreciated that Jareth didn’t want to put anyone else at risk, she’d prefer it if he didn’t use himself as a guinea pig. Whether he was cataloguing the effects to weaponise the compounds Underground or just to recognise reactions, she was yet to determine.
Fortunately, Rook was experienced in Jareth wrangling and redirected his urges to tangle with the traffic.
Sarah, however, found herself having to hang back slightly due to Jareth experiencing time slippage. While it was certainly entertaining to hear Jareth wax lyrical about her younger self, every time his focus was drawn to her he kept trying to escort her back to her old university accommodations until Rook distracted him again.
When he started skipping along the bollards it was decided that it would be best to return Underground until Jareth finished metabolising whatever he’d consumed. Drunks interacting with street furniture may have been a common enough sight, but when the bollards were round topped, it was wet and the footwear was inappropriate, it started to draw curious glances.
Jareth’s gentlemanly urge to escort Sarah back to school did not end once they were home. Sarah didn’t want to find out if his magic was as disjointed as his time perception and she wasn’t sure how he’d handle seeing two Sarahs in his current state. Fortunately, they found that if she was screened from his view, they could hold a conversation, provided it was kept light and didn’t allude to the present day.
When they’d returned to the castle library, Jareth had found a seat on the floor by the fire and was engrossed in an impossibly complicated game of Cat's Cradle with Rook.
Sarah chuckled quietly as she watched Bishop writing notes. “How long do you think before it wears off?”
Bishop tapped his pen against his teeth. “One of the officer’s ran a test kit, so we know what the pharmaceutical was. The initial euphoria is typical, but humans tend to pass out, especially at the levels he imbibed and, as we can see, Jareth is alert and active. We've curtailed his attempts at magic, for obvious reasons, but I am curious about any impacts. If he’s still exhibiting any signs of impairment in an hour, Rook will flush it from his system.”
“I don’t like him harming himself like this, but it is sweet to hear him talk about when I was at university. He was always fun to study with.”
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labyfic — drabble #217: voice
Part of the Balance!verse
If Sarah was being cynical, she strongly suspected this was deliberate, not just to ensure the safety of those in the venue, but to test the drugs on someone not human. While she appreciated that Jareth didn’t want to put anyone else at risk, she’d prefer it if he didn’t use himself as a guinea pig. Whether he was cataloguing the effects to weaponise the compounds Underground or just to recognise reactions, she was yet to determine.
Fortunately, Rook was experienced in Jareth wrangling and redirected his urges to tangle with the traffic.
Sarah, however, found herself having to hang back slightly due to Jareth experiencing time slippage. While it was certainly entertaining to hear Jareth wax lyrical about her younger self, every time his focus was drawn to her he kept trying to escort her back to her old university accommodations until Rook distracted him again.
When he started skipping along the bollards it was decided that it would be best to return Underground until Jareth finished metabolising whatever he’d consumed. Drunks interacting with street furniture may have been a common enough sight, but when the bollards were round topped, it was wet and the footwear was inappropriate, it started to draw curious glances.
Jareth’s gentlemanly urge to escort Sarah back to school did not end once they were home. Sarah didn’t want to find out if his magic was as disjointed as his time perception and she wasn’t sure how he’d handle seeing two Sarahs in his current state. Fortunately, they found that if she was screened from his view, they could hold a conversation, provided it was kept light and didn’t allude to the present day.
When they’d returned to the castle library, Jareth had found a seat on the floor by the fire and was engrossed in an impossibly complicated game of Cat's Cradle with Rook.
Sarah chuckled quietly as she watched Bishop writing notes. “How long do you think before it wears off?”
Bishop tapped his pen against his teeth. “One of the officer’s ran a test kit, so we know what the pharmaceutical was. The initial euphoria is typical, but humans tend to pass out, especially at the levels he imbibed and, as we can see, Jareth is alert and active. We've curtailed his attempts at magic, for obvious reasons, but I am curious about any impacts. If he’s still exhibiting any signs of impairment in an hour, Rook will flush it from his system.”
“I don’t like him harming himself like this, but it is sweet to hear him talk about when I was at university. He was always fun to study with.”
labyfic — drabble #217: voicePart of the Balance!verse
Rebuilding journal search again
Jun. 30th, 2025 03:18 pmalierak posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_maintenanceWe're having to rebuild the search server again (previously, previously). It will take a few days to reindex all the content.
Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.
Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.
"I Already Decided" for Bases
Jun. 30th, 2025 03:45 pmceu posting in dreamwidthlayoutsTitle: (I'm supposed to win!) I already decided!
Credit to:ceu
Base style: Bases (Tropical)
Type: CSS
Best resolution: 1200x800 | Desktop only
Tested in: Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox
Features: Two column, fixed width, supports only custom text & navigation, custom background
live preview/usage @blackthorncity
(fake cut for instructions and code)
Credit to:
ceuBase style: Bases (Tropical)
Type: CSS
Best resolution: 1200x800 | Desktop only
Tested in: Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox
Features: Two column, fixed width, supports only custom text & navigation, custom background
live preview/usage @
blackthorncity(fake cut for instructions and code)
Skate
Jul. 1st, 2025 05:32 amredwolfJareth had banished roller skates from the castle, which was a concept that Sarah had never expected to face. While this made her home slightly less chaotic, the same couldn’t be said of Goblin City.
Someone Above had wished the skates away and they’d ended up in the junkyard. If they’d been the kind of skates Sarah had as a child, the goblins would have either ignored or eaten them, but these were an older kind. She didn’t know if this was old stock being disposed of, a wish that had fallen through time or an old cache of junk recently uncovered.
The goblins had soon discovered that adjustable roller skates could be fitted to a wide array of feet and there were now hundreds of goblins sporting wheels. They fell into two camps and were either incapable of staying erect or possessed of the skills of a professional hockey player.
Skating on cobblestones was not an experience Sarah wanted to try, but the same couldn’t be said of the goblins. It wasn’t just the issue of the streets being filled with flailing goblins and their rapidly moving, better balanced brethren, it was the sound, as the vintage skates sported metal wheels. Aside from the loud clatter, the upright skaters were quick enough to kick up sparks and several small fires had already been started.
Sarah looked over the chaos from a balcony in the castle. She was impressed at how the skilled skaters easily wove around or jumped over their less balanced counterparts. Although gracing the fallen goblins with a face full of sparks as they whizz past did seem to be a tad rude.
“How soon do you think before they tire of this?”
Jareth leaned on the balustrade, watching as a shopkeeper upended a jug of water over smoldering straw. “Hard to tell.” The shopkeeper brandished the empty jug in a threatening manner at the skaters who were making another pass of her business. “It’s always better to let them either get it out of their system or to break their toys, but I don’t know how much longer the skates will hold up under their punishment.”
Sarah bumped Jareth fondly. “They are a toy that was designed for children to play with on roads and sidewalks,” she reminded him.
Jareth huffed in amusement. “Even the most feral child couldn’t match the damage potential of an enthusiastic goblin.”
“I didn’t think I’d be so grateful for their chaotic natures,” Sarah laughed, before pointing out a bright cascade of sparks that had ended in a goblin bouncing off a wall before cursing his feet. “That may bode well for their fun coming to an end.”
Jareth motioned to a similar mishap in a nearby street. “It looks like you are correct in your assessment of their entertainment winding down. Shall we find somewhere quieter?”
Sarah wrapped her arms around Jareth and smiled. “Most definitely before they wrestle a replacement set from one of the fallen and start again.”
labyfic — drabble #216: thunder
Part of the Balance!verse
Someone Above had wished the skates away and they’d ended up in the junkyard. If they’d been the kind of skates Sarah had as a child, the goblins would have either ignored or eaten them, but these were an older kind. She didn’t know if this was old stock being disposed of, a wish that had fallen through time or an old cache of junk recently uncovered.
The goblins had soon discovered that adjustable roller skates could be fitted to a wide array of feet and there were now hundreds of goblins sporting wheels. They fell into two camps and were either incapable of staying erect or possessed of the skills of a professional hockey player.
Skating on cobblestones was not an experience Sarah wanted to try, but the same couldn’t be said of the goblins. It wasn’t just the issue of the streets being filled with flailing goblins and their rapidly moving, better balanced brethren, it was the sound, as the vintage skates sported metal wheels. Aside from the loud clatter, the upright skaters were quick enough to kick up sparks and several small fires had already been started.
Sarah looked over the chaos from a balcony in the castle. She was impressed at how the skilled skaters easily wove around or jumped over their less balanced counterparts. Although gracing the fallen goblins with a face full of sparks as they whizz past did seem to be a tad rude.
“How soon do you think before they tire of this?”
Jareth leaned on the balustrade, watching as a shopkeeper upended a jug of water over smoldering straw. “Hard to tell.” The shopkeeper brandished the empty jug in a threatening manner at the skaters who were making another pass of her business. “It’s always better to let them either get it out of their system or to break their toys, but I don’t know how much longer the skates will hold up under their punishment.”
Sarah bumped Jareth fondly. “They are a toy that was designed for children to play with on roads and sidewalks,” she reminded him.
Jareth huffed in amusement. “Even the most feral child couldn’t match the damage potential of an enthusiastic goblin.”
“I didn’t think I’d be so grateful for their chaotic natures,” Sarah laughed, before pointing out a bright cascade of sparks that had ended in a goblin bouncing off a wall before cursing his feet. “That may bode well for their fun coming to an end.”
Jareth motioned to a similar mishap in a nearby street. “It looks like you are correct in your assessment of their entertainment winding down. Shall we find somewhere quieter?”
Sarah wrapped her arms around Jareth and smiled. “Most definitely before they wrestle a replacement set from one of the fallen and start again.”
labyfic — drabble #216: thunderPart of the Balance!verse
