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gladerscake · 3 years

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Close Call

(Gally x Reader)

Requested by the wonderful @ultraintrovertedgryffindor ♥️ We all know that Grievers only roam around at night, but for the sake of the plot let’s pretend they can during the day as well. Okay? Okay. Enjoy!

Maybe someone had made a terrible mistake. Maybe someone had a very twisted sense of humor. Maybe someone thought the gladers were getting too comfortable and wanted to do a little something to rattle them.

All of those sounded like plausible reasons as to why you, a girl, had been sent into a maze full of only boys. You had no idea how or why it had happened, all you knew was that it was just as much of a shock to them as it was to you.

You probably would’ve been more frightened, given the unique circumstances. However, to your immense relief, the boys had very quickly established that they meant you no harm, and so far, not one of them had given you a reason to doubt it.

Despite the strain caused by your arrival, they did what they could to assure you that you were safe and tried to make you feel as comfortable as possible. They were kind, encouraging, and you appreciated it, greatly. You firmly believed you’d lucked out, at least in that aspect. They very easily could’ve been horrible, and then your new life would’ve been a true nightmare.

Of course, there were a few people who weren’t as welcoming to the idea of having a girl in the glade.

The Keeper of the Builders was at the top of that list.

Only having been there a couple of days, you hadn’t quite memorised all of the boys’ names yet, but you definitely knew his.

Gally… He was hard to miss, even harder to ignore. Over six feet tall, with a profoundly muscular physique, a deep voice that carried, and a powerful presence that demanded attention.

He definitely wasn’t someone you wanted to be on the wrong side of, but so far, you weren’t sure what to do about it. You figured your only option was to somehow prove to him that you weren’t a liability, that you weren’t a problem he would need to worry about, day after day.

Alby had told you that you were going to begin trying out for jobs the next day and it was up to you where you wanted to start.

Perhaps, that was your chance. You just needed to be brave enough to take it.

~~~~~

Though you had tried to prepare yourself, given yourself multiple pep talks about staying calm and confident, you couldn’t chase away the growing uneasiness that pervaded your muscles with every step you took towards the builders. Towards Gally. Your heart was thumping in your ears and you knew this was going to be a struggle. You only hoped it wasn’t going to turn out to be a complete disaster.

“Hey…!” You attempted a smile, trying not to look or sound as nervous as you felt when Gally abruptly looked up from a blueprint he had been working on, his rough hands resting on either side of it on the table.

His inquisitive eyes regarded you with a glance-over as he evidently had no idea what you were doing there.

“Can I help you with something?” He asked, rather dryly, which didn’t help to ease your nerves one bit.

Miraculously you managed to keep your smile intact as you hurried to explain.

“Actually, yeah! I’m trying out for jobs, and I thought I might as well start here.”

Gally’s brows propped up in surprise, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, his expression turning blank and unreadable.

“Yeah, we can go ahead and skip this part. We both know you’re not gonna be a builder, so let’s not waste anyone’s time.”

Your smile instantly dropped at that, everything within you resenting the thought of being dismissed like that.

“Why not?? What if I’m good at it?”

Gally huffed at that and shook his head, as if the very idea was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard, averting his gaze back to the blueprint.

That shot a spark of anger through your system. You knew better than to get snappy with him, of course, still set on your cause to make him see you in at least a somewhat positive light. But you did need to make your case clear and candid.

“Hey!” Your voice rang just a bit louder, bringing his attention back to you “Every new greenie is supposed to get a fair chance at everything, isn’t that right?”

Gally delivered you a strange look, like he couldn’t believe you were actually intending to go through with it.

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am!” You retorted, doing your best to keep your voice steady “And I’m not asking you to make me a builder today, I’m just asking that you at least let me try, like the rest.”

“Greenie, there’s no way-“

“If I fail here, then I won’t come back, and I’ll try something else.” You quickly intercepted. You weren’t going to give up, and Gally needed to know that. “But you have to give me a chance. Isn’t that what everyone deserves?”

Gally released a heavy sigh, crossing his buff arms over his chest as his eyes narrowed in thought. It was obvious you weren’t backing down, and something about your firm stance almost intrigued him. He truly hadn’t expected you to be so persistent.

Even though he wasn’t thrilled about it, deep down he knew you were right. It wouldn’t be fair to refuse to let you even try, solely because you were a girl, no matter how much it irked him.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Gally straightened out, which somehow made him look even more intimidating.

You suddenly felt ten times smaller as you stood in front of him, trying not to quiver under his penetrating stare. Finally, after what felt like hours, he responded.

“Alright. I’ll give you a fair chance.”

You exhaled, softly, relief falling over your face.

“But if you expect me to go easier on you, then-“

“I don’t!” You quickly disclosed, a slight but genuine smile crossing your lips “Not at all. And I’ll do my best, I promise.”

Gally hummed, curtly, already reaching behind him to grab a few tools he could give you.

“Good. Let’s get you started, then.”

~~~~~

Much to Gally’s frustration and simultaneous amazement, you weren’t nearly as bad as he had assumed you would be. Whatever he told you, you gave it your full attention. You followed each and every one of his instructions precisely, meticulously made sure not to mess up a single step. Your hands were surprisingly quick and nimble, your focus was unwavering, and you absolutely didn’t entertain the thought of slacking off.

He had to admit, though it wasn’t easy, that he was impressed. You were the first newbie to take it so seriously and try so hard to convince him of your potential.

Maybe you weren’t going to be the pain of his existence after all. It was still too soon to tell, but after witnessing your valiant efforts to do a good job, Gally couldn’t help but feel an inkling of hope. Maybe, just maybe, you becoming a fully functional part of the glade wasn’t totally out of the question.

~~~~~

A few weeks had passed, and after having tried out pretty much all of the jobs, you had decided that you wanted to stick with the builders.

No one had predicted that you would fit so well in there, least of all Gally, but even he couldn’t argue that you had earned your shot at becoming one of them.

That wasn’t to say he hadn’t been reluctant at first. Your presence still bothered him in a way nothing else ever had. Yet, you continuously refused to give him a good reason to dislike you or to say that you weren’t doing enough. It was all terribly conflicting.

Gally may not have exuded friendliness, but he was fair. He wasn’t going to give you a hard time if you didn’t deserve it. You weren’t doing anything wrong. On the contrary, you were doing your earnest to embrace the life you had been put in and make the most out of it. Gally couldn’t deny, that called for a little recognition.

You knew it would take a lot more time, effort, and patience to completely win him over, but you could tell there was progress already. It was possible.

As time went on, you found that the tough Keeper of the Builders was growing on you. And although he tried not to let it show, you could swear he was gradually warming up to you as well. No longer did he look at you like you were a fly in his soup. No longer did he make you feel like your mere existence aggravated him. No longer did it seem like he was just waiting for you to mess up.

Talking to him became easier, you didn’t feel the need to sweat over your every word anymore.

You were surprised to learn that Gally actually had a decent sense of humor. Though it was mostly directed at his builders, his occasional offhand comments admittedly made you snicker.

He was never mean or rude for no reason. He had a bit of a temper, sure, but recently you had noticed him trying to keep his cool more around you. That was definitely a good sign. At times it felt like the two of you were actually getting along.

You got to talk to the other guys more as well. Newt, Frypan, Jeff, Winston, and even Minho.

Talking to Minho proved to be rather fascinating. Asking the sassy Runner about what his job entailed and listening to him going on and on about it got you thinking.

The maze really was a dangerous, unpredictable, sometimes horrifying place to be. But all the risks of being out there every day got everyone a little closer to what they wanted the most. Getting out of this place.

It wasn’t that you hated the glade. It was relatively peaceful, in order, filled with some pretty great guys you knew you could count on. However, despite all the positive aspects, you couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of being trapped in there. You were sure you were far from the only one who felt that way.

You wanted to help.

Something courageous and determined awakened inside you, and soon enough, after a few long talks with Minho, it was decided. You were going to try.

As glad as you were that the Runner had agreed to let you, that left you with one problem.

You didn’t know how you were going to tell Gally, and something kept telling you he wasn’t very likely to take it well.

Whatever it was, it was right.

~~~~~

“You what??”

You winced at the sharp sound of Gally’s deep voice, his brows furrowed and his lips paved into a scowl in a picture of disbelief and burbling anger.

You swallowed, trying to keep your voice from trembling “I’m going to run with Minho tomorrow…”

Gally blinked a few times, shaking his head as if he still wasn’t sure he had heard you right.

“And why the hell would you do that? Do you know how dangerous it is out there? Did Minho tell you about the Grievers?” His voice had risen, the dark glint in his eyes nearly making you take a step back.

“He did…”

“And you still want to do it?”

“Yes! If I can help, in any way, with getting everyone out of here, then yes, I want to do it. Or at least try!”

Gally scoffed to himself, frustratedly running a hand through his short sandy hair “So what, you’re saying you just don’t want to be a builder anymore?”

Your eyes bulged as you quickly shook your head “No! That’s not what I’m saying at all! I do! I love being a builder! I just thought maybe I could do that one day, and then run with Minho the next, and then-“

“No.”

His stern, firm, and immediate answer made your heart sink, your nerves beginning to prickle even more “W-What do you mean?”

“You can’t do both, Y/N.” Gally frowned, gravely, folding his arms over his chest as his piercing gaze fixated on you, his muscles tense “Sorry to say, but you’re gonna have to pick one. I thought you already had, but I guess I was wrong.”

Your breath hitched, your fingertips beginning to turn cold with dread “Gally, I don’t want to quit!” You tried to assure him “I just need to-“

“I said you can’t do both.” He all but snarled, a glint of contempt etching his green eyes “It’s your choice. Just know that if you go out there with Minho tomorrow, you can’t come back.”

Your face paled at that. You loved building, you had worked so hard to earn your spot on his team. You didn’t want to lose it, just like that. Especially not just when you thought you and Gally were actually starting to somewhat enjoy being around one another. Was he really going to make you choose? And if you were to choose the path you wanted to try out… was he really going to write you off?

“Gally, please…!” But it was too late.

Apparently he didn’t want to hear it, nor did he have anything else to add, as the Keeper was already stalking off, leaving you gaping and on your own with your thoughts and the hefty decision that you were now facing.

~~~~~

Gally was fuming. His calloused fingers squeezed the handle of his hacksaw with way more force than necessary as he attempted to focus on his work, only to let his thoughts be consumed by you and your staggering words.

He had not seen that one coming. With you having sweated your ass off to prove to him how skilled you could be, how much you wanted to be a builder and work alongside him, he had been so confident that you had found your place with them and weren’t planning on going anywhere.

Unbelievable. Had he really wasted all that time teaching you, helping you, being more patient with you than he had been with anyone else before, for what? For you to just decide, out of the blue, that you wanted to try being a Runner?

Gally glowered, his hacksaw dragging through the wood with a ferocity it didn’t deserve. He didn’t care, did he? No, of course he didn’t, why would he? If you wanted to head out there and get yourself hurt or killed, who was he to stand in your way? He didn’t care. He didn’t care…

But then, if he didn’t care, then why did he feel so… betrayed? And more importantly, why was he so goddamn worried?

~~~~~

He didn’t come to the Doors the next day.

When you hadn’t shown up to work in the morning, he knew what your decision had been. His shoulders felt heavy, his pulse had been accelerating at random times all throughout the day. An empty feeling lodged somewhere deep inside him as he still struggled to believe that you would just leave like that.

Gally’s previous anger had simmered down, only to be replaced by dejection and an ache he couldn’t quite place. He wanted to be mad at you, wanted to blame you for wasting his time, for abandoning your place, for abandoning him… But, much to his dismay, none of that could overshadow the one feeling that swirled throughout his entire being, making his nerves stand on end and looming over him in a dark haze.

Fear. Fear for you.

The rational part of him knew that it wasn’t a death sentence. After all, Minho and the other runners were out there every day, and they were all still alive. Yet, the part that seemingly cared for you more than he had been willing to admit, didn’t want to cooperate. He couldn’t help it. He had a feeling something terrible was going to happen, he just knew it.

Gally thought he was ready for it. But he wasn’t.

As the booming sound of the doors closing for the night reached his eardrums, another distinct sound accompanied it. Commotion, yelling, Clint and Jeff’s names being called in the distance.

The builder’s heart dropped to his stomach, dread encompassing his strong body. That sound could only mean one thing.

Someone was hurt.

~~~~~

“What the hell happened?” Gally seethed as he stood by the Med Hut, where you were currently being tended to. His mighty fists clenched and unclenched with impatience as his heart pumped, furiously.

Minho, who was only adorned by a few scratches and bruises, looked at him, glumly.

“We ran into one. We almost got away, but then it grabbed her…” The Runner frowned, the visible strain in his muscles giving away his troubled state “I managed to distract it, I thought it would just drop her, but… It threw her pretty far.”

Gally felt his blood run cold, his teeth gritting and his fingernails digging into his rough palms. This was the feeling he had hoped he wouldn’t get to experience for a long, long time. The feeling of nearly losing someone who mattered to him. Someone he had so persistently and relentlessly tried to keep locked out of his thoughts, only to fail almost every time.

He should’ve talked you out of it. Should’ve made you listen, should’ve tried to change your mind, should’ve convinced you that you were nuts for even thinking about it. Was this partially his fault? If he had just tried to talk to you about it instead of getting angry and leaving you to choose on your own, could he have prevented this from happening?

He didn’t know… All Gally knew was that you were hurt. And there was nothing he could do about it now.

Gally drew in a deep breath, staring at the ground beneath his feet. His nerves prickled as Jeff finally emerged from the tent.

“Well? Is she gonna be okay?” He demanded, his hands balling into fists once again.

Jeff sighed but nonetheless nodded his head.

“I think so. Maybe not for a few days, but she should be. She’s concussed and has a pretty nasty scratch on her side, but… you know, could’ve been a lot worse.”

Gally exhaled with relief, his burly shoulders slacking. You were going to heal up. You were going to be fine. Eventually.

Minho and Jeff exchanged a look. They were so unused to the builder showing any real emotion, let alone when it came to you. But evidently he cared a lot more than he let on.

“She’s, uh… She’s awake. You can come in, if you want?” Jeff suggested, carefully, stepping aside to let Gally through.

Gally didn’t waste a second, barging right in.

And there, he was met with a sight that made the weight settled upon his shoulders even heavier. Though he was glad you weren’t too badly hurt, he still never would’ve wanted to see you like this.

You were awake. Bleary-eyed, exhausted, scrapes and bruises peppering your arms, and a bandage around your head, concealing the wound slightly to the right of your temple.

Though your head was ringing with a dull ache and your body felt like it had been drained from every ounce of strength it had, at least you were conscious and able to think and speak. Your brows arched in surprise as your tired gaze fell upon Gally.

“Hey…” You croaked out, your throat feeling dry. You hadn’t expected him to come check on you, especially not right away, but you couldn’t deny how good it felt to see him.

“Hey…” He responded, quietly, slowly approaching your cot and sitting down by your side.

For a minute, silence overtook the room as you gazed up at him, almost awaitingly. Gally never wanted you to go out there. In his own way, he had tried to let you know what a terrible idea it was, but you had decided to do it anyway. Given how badly your last conversation with him had ended, you almost couldn’t believe he was there right now.

Gally huffed, softly, as you looked at him “What?”

You weakly shrugged, a forlorn smile touching the corner of your lips “Aren’t you gonna say you told me so?”

“Do I need to?” Gally sighed, momentarily casting his eyes downward before meeting your own again “Y/N, you know you’re lucky to be alive, right? That thing came this close to killing you. It Minho hadn’t been there-“

“I know…” You frowned, wincing at the pain in your temples “I mean… I knew they were out there. I just didn’t think I’d run into one on my very first try.”

Gally nodded, solemnly, his fingers itching with an unforeseen urge to cover your smaller hand with his own and hold tight.

He refrained, and after another moment of tense silence, he spoke again “So… You still wanna be a Runner?”

Your lips pinched into a thin line, the ache permeating your body paired with the horrific memories of what it was like out there swarming your mind and nudging you towards your answer.

You weren’t cut out for it. As much as you wanted to help, it just wasn’t for you. You weren’t strong enough, trained enough, or quick enough. Your intentions were good, but you now realized that running the maze wasn’t meant for everybody. Gally was right. You were lucky to be alive.

With a barely noticeable tremble to your bottom lip, you shook your head.

Gally nodded, slowly and understandingly, as if that was exactly the answer he’d anticipated.

Nevertheless, remembering his words from yesterday with a regretful sting to your heart, you plastered on a sulking half-smile.

“Doesn’t really matter now, though, does it? I’m gonna have to keep going. As soon as I feel better…”

Gally stayed quiet for a few seconds, his jaw clenching, before his gaze found yours once more.

“You can come back.” He stated with a softness to his voice you couldn’t say you had ever heard from him before.

Your tired eyes instantly widened, glimmering with hope “But you said-“

“I know what I said.” He gently cut you off, inadvertently shifting to sit just a little closer to you. It didn’t seem like he was even aware he had done it. “And now I’m saying I’ll give you your spot back. On one condition.”

A warm sensation of relief settled over you, cloaking your distressed nerves with comfort. You attempted to perk up, though you could only mange a slight lift of your head, signalling for him to keep going.

Gally breathed out a gust of air, staring into your eyes with sheer seriousness “Don’t ever think about doing that again, Y/N. I mean it.”

You hurried to shake your head “I won’t! I promise.”

“Yeah, you’re saying that now.” He huffed, quietly “But in a few months you’re gonna start to forget what this felt like, and then it might even start feeling like a good idea to try again. And that just can’t happen.”

You gave him a small smile, your gaze brimming with sincerity as you nodded.

“It won’t. Never again…” You promised, your voice slightly quivering “Thank you, Gally…”

The builder had to wrestle the need to hold your hand yet again, stopping himself by propping his hands up on his hips as he slowly stood up from your cot.

He needed to let you rest. But aside from that, he needed to get out of there. Because if he didn’t, he would probably end up staying there, right beside you, until morning.

“You’re welcome.” Gally muttered, wistfully looking over your fragile frame “Now get some sleep… You’re hurt.”

Your eyes were already drooping, the utter exhaustion from the terrible day you’d had finally overcoming your desire to stay awake for a little while longer. Your lips curled with a soft, appreciative smile as you looked at Gally one more time, in hopes that it would be enough to let him know how truly thankful you were for him being there for you.

Gally allowed a ghost of a smile to touch the corner of his mouth in return as he watched you drift off to a healing sleep. A few minutes passed by before he reluctantly slipped out of the tent.

You weren’t a Runner. You were a Builder, and that’s where you belonged. With them.

Next to him.

Tags: @seldomabsent @obsessivelycapricious @magnoliabloomfield @ultraintrovertedgryffindor @maraudersimp @abundantxadorations @izzymultifan @willseyebrows @annoyinglythoughtfuldestiny @anniemylennox @gallysonegoodlung @joemomma2121 @lattsgocaps @sherbertscarrothead-2 @lullabaesstuff @crazysheeplyca @thesuitkovian

#the maze runner #tmr gally #gally x reader #gally imagine #tmr #gally x fem!reader #gladers #gally x y/n #tmr imagine #gally x you #tmr gally imagine #gally fanfic #gally tmr #tmr x reader #will poulter #gally oneshot

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spectralscathath · 3 years

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Like-Minded Souls, Indeed?

Because this was exactly what Mercury needed, the voice of someone his boss killed showing up in his head and telling him to save the world. No thank you. Not unless you paid him.

Meanwhile, on Ozpin's side of things, he would like to very much not be found out by Salem. That would be... unfortunate.

Ao3 Link

Chapter 1: In Which Neither Mercury Nor Ozpin Can Ever Catch A Break

Ozpin felt the tugs of Ozma's magic at the corners of his mind, the limbo of their incarnations finally broken as a like-minded soul was bonded with.

He awoke in the back of someone's mind, still bleary as though he was physically waking up from a deep sleep. The mindscape was quiet with a forced calm, tension like pulled strings threading through the soul of this new individual and ready to snap at the slightest touch.

He looked out a set of new eyes, to see if it was a good time to introduce himself, and felt ancient fear flood through him at the sight of Ozma's oldest and most terrible foe. Oh. Oh no. This was very bad. This was quite possibly the worst place he could incarnate.

Salem herself, smiling at the girl who had killed him under Beacon. To die in fire was not an experience the countless souls wanted to repeat, and Ozpin was unfortunate enough to join the ranks of the few predecessors who’d suffered such a painful death.

He chose to say nothing, instead observing the way silver strands of hair fell over the side of his vision, how the body ached with phantom pains that were not Ozpin's, and wisely retreated back into the mind.

Perhaps another time.

Perhaps when Mr Mercury Black was not currently surrounded by danger.

After all, they both had to make the best of things now. He could only hope that Mr Black would be the type who could be persuaded away from Salem.

If not, then this was going to be... difficult.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ozpin had been a father, so many lifetimes before. He had never been perfect, he had made countless mistakes across Ozma's many lifetimes, he accepted them all as his failures, so he could learn from them and do better in the next life.

He had given his second life in a futile attempt to save his daughters, and sometimes wondered if he regretted his choices. Should he have stayed? If he had stayed, would he still be alive? Would his children still be alive?

The look Marcus Black wore in so many of Mercury's memories reminded him too much of Salem to ever again regret his attempt to escape her clutches.

He had been waiting a long time, studying Mercury’s routine so he could find the safest time to breach the gap between them. He had to say, this was an opportunity like no other, to see what Salem’s plans were without detection, but with great reward came terrible risk. All it would take was one slip, and they’d both be dead. Or worse. And if he did nothing, then all the knowledge he could gain would be for naught.

So he waited until they were alone before he could chance speaking to him, until Mercury had retreated to his corners and locked the door, shoving a chair under the handle as was his custom. He was paranoid, which was a very fair response to the situation. The massive wardrobe must have taken some shoving to put it in the path of the window, but it certainly did prevent any unwelcome visitors who might see it as a means of entry.

The bed pushed into the corner was wise as well, to put his back to a wall, although the fact that Mercury piled his pillows under the covers as a decoy and then slept under the bed itself might have been pushing it somewhat.

He waited until Mercury was sitting on the bed, looking over his weapons and performing any upkeep needed, the faint cyan glow from the vents in his prosthetics lining his silver fringe.

Mr Black, don’t be alarmed.

“What the FUCK?!” Mercury bolted upright, knife in hand as he looked around, head swinging to every potential place an intruder could be. “Who’s there?!”

Professor Ozpin. He had to think quickly. Don’t tell Salem or she will kill you. This is part of my curse as her opponent, I must incarnate into a new mind with every death, and I am now currently in yours.

“No the fuck you are not.” Mercury snarled. “Show yourself, come out and face me.”

I can’t, actually. He should try and enter Mercury’s dream. He personally had never done that, but Ozma had, so therefore he had as well… hadn’t he? It seemed the lines were blurring between himself and Ozma already. More than they had been when he was alive. He’d been one of the more compatible hosts, on account of not having anything that really needed Ozpin Headley more than it needed Ozma-in-Ozpin’s-head.

“Nope. Okay. I’ve gone mad. I’ve been up too long.”

That is true. Mercury had a terrible case of insomnia, it seemed. Though with the night terrors he had, it was understandable. He was about to have a whole lot more, once the merge hit the point where Ozpin was able to fade into the memory consciousness, just as Ozana had when she had joined the other incarnations in the depths of their shared subconscious.

He was hoping he could spare the young man the nightmares from hundreds of deaths. Ten thousand years was a long time to live and die and live again. Mr Black, I assure you, this is not an ideal situation for me either, but you must understand that you are not crazy and that I am now-

“Taking up residence in my head like a fucking pervert? What, running a school wasn’t enough for you to get your sick kicks?” Mercury snarled at him.

Okay, that was uncalled for. Mr Black, that is very untrue. This is just something that happens . After all, someone had to stop Salem.

“Fuckin- alright, fine, so I’ve gone mad. What else is new?” Mercury grumbled, sitting back down and angrily sharpening a knife.

You’re very sane, I assure you. Ozana had told him something similar, if a bit less polite.

“Right, I’m talking to a voice in my head while living in a castle owned by some sort of humanoid Grimm witch, that’s the definition of sanity.” Mercury snarked at him.

If you can believe Salem’s existence, then surely you can believe mine?

“I don’t believe anything you say. Can you go back to shutting up?” Mercury’s anger was a tangible force in their head, not like a wildfire, but more like a poison, something that slowly corroded whatever it touched. It was a very cold anger.

I’m afraid not. I must insist that you leave this place before Salem finds out of my presence, or she WILL kill you then and there. Or worse. There could be so much worse. Salem had been around far longer than he had, by sheer virtue of her immortality working differently. It had left her with a large pool of creative methodology for causing pain, many of which had been lost to time.

He didn’t want to undergo that as much as Mercury likely wouldn’t want to either, so that meant leaving was their best choice. He’d been listening in on a few of the meetings that Salem had hosted, finding out that Haven was the next target, and Vacuo after that. He’d also found that she hadn’t yet obtained the Crown of Choice, but that she did still have at least one operative in Vale looking. He wished them luck. He personally had decided to move the Beacon Vault and hide it a little better after he took over the school.

There was no way Salem’s people could find it. Not without his knowledge. Or Jinn’s knowledge.

He had to keep Jinn out of Salem’s reach. If summoned, she wouldn’t choose not to answer Salem’s question. She didn’t have that sense of morality. To the Relics, all that mattered was their task, and the rules that bound them to it.

So, Mercury, when do we leave?

“You’re stupid.” Mercury told him bluntly. “We’re on another continent with no way off that isn’t controlled by Salem. There is no leaving. At least not until she sends me out on a job. So here’s the deal, you shut the fuck up, and then maybe when I’m out of this creepy fucking castle, we can talk.” Ozpin could hear the lie in there. Mercury had zero intentions of ever talking to him again.

But it was a good idea, for safety’s sake. He would have to be a silent observer. After all, the walls could have ears.

Besides, once they were out on a job, so to speak, he could simply start talking again. After all, that was the letter of the potential agreement, if not Mercury’s intention.

Agreed. I will see you when we are in the clear.

“Piss off.” Mercury grumped at him, and just this once, Ozpin chose to comply. He could use the time to gather information, and silence was a small price to pay for that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mercury followed Emerald, Watts, and Cinder into the safehouse Lionheart had brought for them, feeling a strange sense of betrayal flood him that was definitely not his. He realised it was probably Ozpin, who had so far remained quiet during the flight out of Evernight, meeting up with Watts, and going over battleplans for confronting Raven Branwen.

He’d been tuned in just to see what his role was (he was Thug #2, the muscle who was meant to stand there and possibly kill someone if that kind of point had to be made), and was allowed to be basically invisible beyond that. He watched as Cinder went to cook herself dinner, and since she knew she controlled Emerald through food and shelter, probably Emerald as well. Mercury could cook for himself, if he had to, and Watts could starve for all they cared.

He wasn’t hungry anyway. Too busy trying to hold off on the wrenching nausea in his gut that was not his. “See ya, Em.” He shrugged at her, holding up his scroll. “I’m gonna play some Amid You. See ya tomorrow.”

“See ya, Merc.” She waved him off. She’d gotten a bit more tolerable since they got trapped together in the deathworld that was Salem’s castle. Not that they were friendly or anything. Just tolerable.

He made his way up the stairs and into one of the rooms, making sure it wasn’t the fanciest one because he’d let Cinder and Watts duke out ownership of that one. He locked the door, looking for something he could shove against it and picking the bedside table. It’d do.

He checked the window lock and pulled the curtains over, sitting on the bed as he played music on his scroll to mask the fact that he could be talking to himself, if only to tell Ozpin to shut the fuck up with the sadness.

“Alright asshole, what’s the problem.”

I can’t believe Leo would fall this far. Ozpin sounded fucking miserable. Sucks for him, he got betrayed. What happened to him? He was a hero for so long…

“People suck, get over it.” Seriously, if he’d been around since the asscrack of time, then he should know that.

Not always. Some people are good. It makes it hurt all the more when some of them turn out to… well. Stick a knife in your back . Ozpin sighed, impressive for a man who didn’t have a body or lungs. So. Now we can discuss you leaving this group and helping protect the Relic of Knowledge.

“Yeah, no, not happening. If there’s a mole on the inside of your old team, then me buggering off from Cinder is only gonna end up with us dead, which is that thing you didn’t want, right? After all, Leo runs Haven, and those kids Watts mentioned? First years and a drunken Huntsman. Haven’s dead meat.”

We have to try. Salem cannot be allowed to obtain any of the Relics.

“Nah. We have to survive. I’m not dying just because you wanna be a hero.” Mercury kicked his boots and greaves off, since he was out of Evernight, twirling his ankle a bit and listening to the metallic clicking the joint made.

Mr Black, I must insist. If the Vault in Haven is opened, it could go very badly. Besides, Qrow is my friend. I’d rather not risk him being hurt.

“Hey, the plan involves not going near Qrow. It’s a simple sneak in, sneak out, and the White Fang blow up the school a few days later. No one’s getting hurt, except for Lionheart. Clock’s ticking on his usefulness.” The plan was easy compared to Cinder’s weird domino pieces plan for taking down Beacon. He preferred the Haven plan that was clearly Salem and Watts’s idea. It was simple, no muss, no fuss. Easy pickings.

Gonna be great to see how Cinder’s rampaging ego ruined it, something easy like this clearly wouldn’t fuel her proud streak. She was just like Marcus. Always wanted a challenge. That was why he saved cutting off a target’s semblance for a finishing blow in his assassinations.

Haven Academy is important, Mercury, you can’t just let it be blown up! I won’t stand by while Salem steals the Relic and destroys another Academy! I can’t!

“All the Huntsman in Mistral are either dead or useless, gramps.” Mercury rolled his eyes. “Academy’s already useless. You should focus on the relic.” Maybe if he came up with another plan it’d get Ozpin off his back.

I don’t play to win at all costs, Mr Black. I try to protect as many pieces on the board as I can.

“That’s why you’re losing,” Mercury collapsed back on the bed, hooking his hands behind his head as he got comfortable. “How about another deal? We wait for Cinder to get the Relic. Watts has to go back to Evernight after dealing with Branwen, so the trip back will be me, her, and Emerald. Cinder won’t be expecting an attack, so how about we kill her, steal the ship, and then you can take the Relic wherever you want?”

And Emerald? Ozpin queried. Would you be killing her in this sneak attack as well?

That made him pause for a moment. Would he kill Emerald? Probably not, he didn’t need to. Cinder was absolutely a threat who had to be taken out as quickly as possible, but Emerald? Nah. “She’d probably get all butthurt that Cinder’s dead or whatever, but I don’t see why she should die as well. Worse comes to worst we’ll knock her out. We’d be doing her a favour, honestly. You’ve seen how Cinder treats her.” The fact that Ozpin was constantly watching everything was real fucking unnerving and something he tried to not think about at all times.

Hmmmm… Ozpin deliberated for ages, which made Mercury think he was probably scheming away. Whatever. Mercury wasn’t going to fall for any of it. What could a voice in his head do? Get sad at him? You think you can kill Cinder?

“I think that I’ve been watching how she fights for nearly two years now and that she’s got a massive blind spot on her left side.” It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be manageable. Amber got taken out too, after all. “You got anything that would help? Cinder said you put up a fight in that basement where she killed you.” He hoped that was uncomfortable to talk about. If he had to be disquieted by sharing headspace with a weirdo, so should Ozpin.

Yes. I have some magical ability left that can, at the very least, level the playing field a little bit. It’s not as strong as the Maiden’s magic, but if applied correctly, it could work.

Sounded like Ol’ Oz was coming around to ‘fuck everyone else, I got what I want in the end’. Selfish thinking won again. Why waste energy on stopping the destruction of a school when Cinder could be allowed to think she won and Mercury could then use that pride against her to escape this whole messed-up situation.

After all, Salem might be remaking the world and had offered to make him one of the top dogs, but in the pecking order, he was still near the bottom of the ladder. Besides, he did have her worst enemy in his head.

Escape was definitely the best option. “And hey, if she’s planning on attacking Vacuo after, think your buddy in Atlas would let us bunker down there?” If they did it right, then no one would know what happened. Cinder would be too dead to talk, Emerald would be a flight risk but he could probably talk her into not going back to work for Salem, and he sure wouldn’t tell anyone.

Yes. James can be trusted.

Just like Lionheart could, Mercury thought, but this one he kept to himself. “So. Deal?”

I don’t like this. It’s cruel and callous.

“I’m Mercury Black, have we met?” Why would he want to be anything else? The world was cruel. The only way to win was to take what you had and fight for what you wanted. No rules. No lines. Those made people weak.

… Very well. I’ll agree, for now.

“Then we’re done for tonight.”

I suppose we are. Thank you for hearing me out.

Mercury blinked perturbedly. Did he just get thanked? Weird. “Uh- sure. Whatever.”

Ozpin sounded way too amused as he chuckled, Mercury’s hackles rising only slightly. Good night, Mr Black.

Mercury snorted and didn’t bother replying, reaching for his scroll as he switched his music off and went into the games folder. Yeah it was gonna be a good night. He was gonna play video games til his eyes fell out and not sleep.

He supposed this situation with Ozpin could have been worse. At least the guy kept to himself and didn’t make a nuisance. If Mercury had to have a creepy man in his head talking to him, it could have been a lot worse. Could have had a Tyrian in there. Or a Watts.

Or his dad.

Mercury’s nose scrunched. Wouldn’t that be awful. Least Ozpin knew which of them was in control.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was chaos in Haven Academy’s foyer. Mercury dodged a wild swing from Yang, flipping back in a handspring as he errantly observed the room. Ozpin had not been happy about the ‘kill everyone’ plan but whatever, they were here now. Ozpin had been a lot louder since then and was still there, still currently losing his mind in the back of Mercury’s head. Mercury tried to tune most of it out. Wasn’t easy.

Mercury, please! This can’t be what you want! Ozpin begged as Mercury watched that kid in the green get thrown through a wall by Hazel. Ozpin always went real quiet around him. He wondered why. They’re just children!

He didn’t answer back, because fuck it, what did he know? Being a kid didn’t mean shit. Where was ‘just children’ when Marcus beat him up daily? Nowhere, that’s where.

You have to stop this! You’ll never be able to get the Relic now, the plan won’t work! This is our only chance!

He dodged another gunshot from Yang, which was criminally easy, she definitely had not gotten faster since their last fight, and checked in on the only threat. Qrow was- oh fuck he had stopped fighting Raven, disengaging from that little sibling duel to charge Hazel, landing a blow to the guy’s back with enough force that Hazel’s knee hit the ground. Mercury swore it dented from the weight behind that blow.

No no no no no no-

He whistled as he caught Yang’s kick in one of his own, forcing her leg down and scoring a punch directly to the floating ribs. Her eyes went red for a moment as she swung a hook at him, one that he dodged again, knocking her around with a few more kicks to the head. Had she gotten sloppier? He would be ashamed to fight this badly.

Mercury. Please. Don’t make me do this.

He glanced over at where Qrow was nimbly dodging Hazel’s blows before a cheap shot from Lionheart hit him in the shoulder, knocking his footwork off-balance long enough that Hazel got his hands on Qrow.

Mercury I’m so sorry-

“What-” Mercury asked before his vision flashed gold, and he was shunted into the back of his own head. Suddenly he was the voice, and Ozpin was in control- he had no control over his own body, no way to stop as Ozpin took a running leap, leaving a confused Yang behind, and landed a kick into the side of Hazel’s head, the shotgun blasting right in his ear.

Ozpin had took over. Ozpin… could take over. And he’d never mentioned it. He’d never-

Qrow looked at them, utterly dumbfounded. The entire room had gone dead quiet as Ozpin-in-Mercury’s-body artfully landed between Qrow and Hazel, not taking his eyes off the latter. Then he spoke with Mercury’s voice but it wasn’t Mercury’s words and it wasn’t right-

“I’d like my cane back, if you wouldn’t mind, Qrow.”

Cinder was staring. Emerald was staring. Everyone was staring as Mercury was turned into a fucking puppet, all his control stolen away. He hadn’t even known Ozpin could- He’d thought-

His view of their- their, not his- vision tunnelled, greying out at the edges. Haven wasn’t there anymore. It was just that house. His room. The smell of whiskey and blood and cigarette burns-

And Mercury clocked out, brain going black with panic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He felt hands on his shoulders even though there were no hands on his shoulders, pulling him out of the darkness and shoving him back in the driver’s seat. He blinked, collapsed against a wall with a cane handle in his hand and Qrow leaning over him, the smell of alcohol on the other man’s breath hitting some button in his head too close too close-

“Get AWAY from me!” He shrieked, kicking him full in the chest and loosing a shotgun blast to make sure the point got across, the Relic clattering on the ground as Qrow lost his grip on it. His hand clenched on the cane handle so hard it was shaking, and he threw that away as hard as he could.

Mercury, I am so sorry, I swear, I didn’t want to ever have to do that to you, but you left me no choice-

“ Shut up!” He snapped, voice ragged and a little too raw as he pulled his knees defensively to his chest and dug his fists into silver hair, tugging until the burn on his scalp felt like he was pulling Ozpin’s voice out of his head.

He heard footsteps come closer and looked up from his defensive curl, a knife appearing in his hand as he met Lil Red’s silver eyes, wide with concern and simmering with underlying resentment. “Professor Ozpin?”

Mercury, you have to understand, we can’t let Salem get the Relic-

He remembered a similar look on her face when she saw him walking again in the maintenance hall of Amity Colosseum. He snarled back this time, instead of a cocky smirk. “No. Come near me and I’ll rip your fucking face off.”

“Don’t talk to my sister like that!” Yang snapped, her eyes bright red as she glared at him, the Schnee keeping a hand on her shoulder to keep her in line. Fucking try it, Blondie, he’d take her other arm off, they could match.

Ruby wisely took a step back, still easily too close for him to handle. “Mercury?” her hand twitched towards the gun on her back

Mercury? Will you let me explain?

“All of you shut up.” He glared at the Relic, kicking it away as he jumped to his feet. He couldn’t handle this. It was too much, too much control lost- and Emerald wasn’t there, FUCK. So much for doing her a favour. He looked at everyone, feeling cornered, skin alive with fire ants that weren’t really there and legs burning with phantom aches, and did the only thing he could do when fighting wasn’t the option.

He bolted, clearing the stairs behind him and disappearing into Haven Academy, picking a random room that wasn’t Lionhearts (he was not going NEAR a fucking Seer, no thank you) and locking the door.

Mercury, I truly am sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Ozpin told him gently, and the worst thing was that he sounded like he meant it.

“Don’t ever talk to me again.” Mercury snarled, and started breaking everything in the room that he could get his hands on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Man, Ozpin's sections got deeper then I expected but then again the guy has identity issues for sure. Where does Ozma end and Ozpin begin? Things we will literally never know!

#rwby #mercury black #ozpin #Oz!Merc AU #rwby fanfiction #my writings

42 notes · View notes

another-dr-another · 3 years

Note

insert those coins babey! no point in holding onto them if they aren't used !

You Now Own:

001 - Mineral Water (x2)

Drawn from the ocean depths and rigorously purified. Ideal for a modern on-the-go public unsatisfied with tap water.

002 - Sea Salt

A basic seasoning produced from the evaporation of seawater. It also sees use as a preservative.

003 - Ration

A set of canned and vacuum-sealed foodstuffs. The taste isn't bad, and a certain snake that wants to play hide-and-go-seek is just crazy abou- wait, what?

005 - Ramune

A sweet, lemon-flavored carbonated drink. A marble plugs the opening of the uniquely designed bottle. The bottle can also be reused if you bring it to the ramune store.

010 - Ship In a Bottle

A intricate creation, a model ship within a bottle. Made with time, love and care.

012 - Envy-Enducing Envy CD

A CD of songs by Japanese band Envy. Full of unreleased tracks/first recordings.

014 - Children's Book

A children's book about family and forgiveness! The plot is about a sister who can't get along with her younger brother, but they find common ground and bond over causing trouble for their parents.

016 - Sour Soda (x2)

No flavor is listed on the bottle other than sour, which may just be a flavor in and of itself. It's a near black shade of blue... I think.

017 - Gentleman's Guide

A book that's meant to help shape you into the perfect gentleman. However, it's rather demeaning towards the reader, which doesn't feel very gentleman-ly.

018 - Masculine Cologne

Very masculine, can only be used by masculine people. No weaklings allowed, or people with the common sense to smell it before purchasing, and realize it smells really bad.

019 - Fancy Sword

True to it’s name, it looks very fancy, and very intimidating. However, it's only for show, and rather blunt- perhaps inexpensive?

022 - ??? Alcohol

It's something alcoholic. This is a school, it should be confiscated, and you won't be receiving any more information.

024 - Hair Cutting Scissors

Snip snip snip, meant for hair-cutting at home, as these aren’t professional grade. Still though, try and make it even, okay?

025 - Purple Hair Dye

Pretty purple hair dye guaranteed to not come out of hair for weeks! More of a pinkish-purple than the box advertised, but still pretty.

028 - Constellation Skirt

With patterns matching actual real constellations. Despite matching the night sky, it almost seems sun-rise themed, with its pink background and pale gold stars.

030 - Bottled Tea

When heated up, it's meant to help soothe upset stomachs, and muscle aches. Popular among student athletes.

031 - Alarm Clock

It's a digital alarm clock. One of the few normal and functional things here, and it's the thing that screams at you to wake up every morning.

032 - Broken Stopwatch (x2)

It won't stop running, no pausing or restarting. You can however make it record different laps.

034 - Baseball Cap

Perfect for keeping the sun out of your face! This one is all black though, so it'll retain a lot of heat.

038 - Card Game (x3)

One easy to play, and popular among kids. The front side of the package shows a family of four playing.

039 - Reminder Booklet

A small pamphlet that gives reminders for daily things, such as eating, drinking, taking meds, etc. Also has room for you to add in unique personalized reminders.

041 - Tiovita

A Japanese energy drink sold at most convenience stores. Pretty inexpensive, and with a nice fruity flavor- but hey, only one per day!

044 - Lie Detector (x2)

Fun for the whole family! Though not incredibly accurate... wait, how do you know that?

045 - Evidence Encylopedia

A book focusing on evidence found in crime scenes. From most overlooked to most common, this book talks about it all.

049 - Track Award

A award from a middle school track and field award. The recipient of the trophy seems to have come in second in two events, and first in one.

050 - Plane Tickets (x2)

Anywhere, anytime, round trip tickets. Probably given as some sort of thank you for volunteering to get off of a accidentally over-booked flight.

051 - Therapy Advertisement (x2)

Some therapist endorsing themselves. Upon looking at the services they offer, I don't feel very inspired to go there.

056 - Soulmate Sweatshirt

A sweatshirt that supposedly brings the most comfort not when you wear it, but when holding someone wearing it. Currently smells strongly of... lavender?

057 - Scrap Metal x3

Seems to be broken bits and pieces of some sort of engine. Could be repurposed, or simply a cool trinket.

059 - Old Journal

It seems to be from the late 80s, and kept being written in up to the early 90s. There's a entry on the last page, synopsizing the birth of the owners son, and how proud the owner is of his now five year old.

060 - Paper Boat

A piece of paper that's been folded into a boat. Apparently you can fold and tear it as you tell a story to provide a visual aid for the story, but no one here knows how.

061 - Calendar

It's got pictures of internationally famous towns on it! This particular one has been written on with a note on almost every day.

064 - Face-paint Kit.

A professional face-painting kit. However, it’s missing it’s red, yellow, blue and white paint- those colors have been all used up.

065 - Life Quote Sign (x3)

A sign with some stereotypical life quote written on it in flowery lettering. Most likely to be seen hanging in a kitchen.

066 - Throwing Rings (x2)

Meant for fair games. If you have good enough aim, maybe you'll win a prize!

067 - Pleasant Savior

Seemingly a CD filled with various performances by the same person. I haven't played the CD, so I don't know what kind of performances he does though, and the name is off-putting.

069 - “Fresh” Bouquet (x3)

Somehow still smells sweet with flowers that look flawless. It's comprised of roses that have been dyed rainbow, all of them.

070 - Hair Ribbons (x3)

They come in a variety of colors, but the Monomono Machine only dispenses yellow. Guaranteed to make the wearer feel a certain sense of self-satisfaction.

071 - Girls Profile

A student profile from a all-girls academy. The paper is water-stained and some of the ink has run, so it's hard to make out what's on the paper.

073 - Baby Doll

It seems to be from around the 90s and... not quite well-loved, but well-played-with. Doesn't come with the original clothes... or hair.

075 - Dream Catcher

Made by a past SHSL. It's actually been pretty effective, and is part of the reason they got scouted.

080 - Retro Game

It's handheld, old, and extremely broken. The screen has been shattered so it displays wrong, all cracked and distorted.

081 - Blackout Curtains (x2)

Completely block out any and all light. Strong enough to plunge a room into darkness.

084 - Noise-cancelling Headphones

They completely block out all sound! Also come with the ability to adjust the size of the band, and will stay on your ears even if you pull the band down to your neck.

086 - Wall Decals

Stickers you can put on your wall. They do a decent job of covering up holes in said walls.

087 - Antique Stuffed Animal (x2)

It seems to be bunny themed, and dressed in clothes you'd see on babies in the 1930s. It's in pretty good shape, other than a few tears where the lace trim at the end has had it’s stitches removed.

088 - Embroidery Kit

Or rather, a needle and thread to be used for embroidery. There's only one needle, and one spool of thread, but hey, it’s something.

090 - Scented Markers (x2)

A full rainbow set, all with their own unique smell! Be careful though - it's hard to get these out of clothes.

092 - Fake Christmas Tree (x2)

Too plastic to be a real tree. It's also incredibly small, but real trees can be small too, so that doesn’t really mess with the realism.

093 - Hair Gel

Top of the line hair gel, and completely unopened! Helps you style your hair and keep it in place, but doesn’t give it the nicest texture.

095 - Instant Noodles

Just add water to get something hot, salty, and/or spicy! A nice meal if you're looking for something that's quick and easy, you can dress it up some too.

097 - Drink Mix

A powder used for ??? warm drink, made with milk, tastes like... something? You try it and tell me, but it smells good at the least.

099 - The DSM-I

Self-explanatory, it's the original version of the DSM, from 1952. Index cards have been slipped in-between most of the pages, talking about what happened with the information listed there.

100 - Collection Of Old Ads

Dating back to the 1920s. A magazine full of ads from a different time, it’s somewhat of a miracle the paper held up while the ideas in it didn’t.

101 - Wooden Ruler

It's a wooden ruler. Used for measuring things, nothing else- why do you ask?

102 - Building Blocks (x3)

Stacking and stacking, and sending it all crumbling down. And then you rinse and repeat.

104 - Cutesy Hair Clips

Snap clips in pastel colors and covered in designs. Oddly enough, there isn't any non-pastels, unless you count the few white clips.

106 - Newspaper Collage

Seems to be a collection of snippets from newspaper articles. There must be hundreds in here... it's a big collage.

107 - Cropped Sweatshirt

Cropped specifically due to a parent saying not to. The sweatshirt seems to be related to some organization, with the big fancy emblem on it.

109 - Pins And Patches

A mix-and-match bag full of enamel pins, buttons, and iron-on patches. Good luck finding something to do with them all.

110 - Origami Paper (x2)

Simple origami paper, in a variety of colors and patterns! Comes easy to tear out of a book, which includes instructions on basic origami types.

112 - Colorful Band-Aids.

They come in many colors, designs, even different sizes. Some seem to be made to cover up paper cuts, others meant to help skinned knees and scraped elbows.

Thank you for visiting the Monomono Machine!

~*~

Maeda, narrating - And I thought the coins were kinda heavy...

Maeda - What now?

[Free Time Event - Uehara]

{Head to Your Room}

#dra #au #fangan #fanganronpa #yuki maeda #chapter 2 #daily life

8 notes · View notes

reddeadbread · 4 years

Text

Fortunate Ones

Javier Escuella x reader

Part 4

Summary/notes: After a little target practice, you finally do a job with Javier, but not everything goes according to plan.

slow burn, regularly updated.

word count: 1950

last chapter - next chapter

When the morning sunlight and the bustle of camp woke you up bright and early the following morning, you were relieved to discover you didn’t have so much as a headache, you hadn’t drank quite enough to be hungover and that was for the best since you had to head out today, your first ‘job’ with the Van Der Linde gang. Begrudgingly, you heaved yourself out of bed and got ready. You usually wore trousers even if that was unusual for a woman, it was far easier to get things done this way. A thankfully brief and non-confrontational discussion with Dutch ended in him agreeing to let you and Javier go out alone, so long as the job wasn’t more than you could handle. You were quite sure he wouldn’t know what you could handle so him saying this seemed to be a moot point but you wouldn’t bite the hand that fed you and argue.

The only problem now was Javier was still fast asleep and you didn’t have the heart to wake him right away so decided to brew some coffee first, he’d certainly need it after drinking so much last night. You poured out a cup before heading back to Javier’s tent only to find him half awake already, groaning and holding his head. You handed him the coffee wordlessly, it would be kindest to keep quiet at least until he had been somewhat soothed by this. You knelt down by his bedroll comfortably, to hand it over to him “good morning sleepyhead.”

He took the coffee from you gratefully, almost burning his tongue on his first overeager sip. Normally Javier was perhaps the most seamlessly well put together member of camp but now, half asleep and in his night clothes, he looked far less intimidating. Not that you ever really found him terribly intimidating to begin with. He liked that about you very much. You smiled a little as you watched him drink the coffee, You liked seeing his hair down too, although you were dying to run your fingers through it every time he wandered around camp like this. Something about seeing a man who was usually so dignified drunk and spilling his drink or straightening out bedhead with his fingers between sleepy sips of coffee was so endearing.

“what are you smiling at? You enjoy seeing me suffer?” he glanced up at you and raised an eyebrow, smirking faintly even through his raging headache.

“Just thinking about what a dumb drunk you are.” You joked it off expertly and he didn’t suspect what you were really thinking about for even a second. You paused, “so, when do you want to go?” you absolutely wouldn’t allow him to back out of your little agreement, if he did he may never agree again.

Javier was still half asleep and dazed “go?” he echoed you, trying to put the pieces together in his aching head. “Out? Today?” he certainly wasn’t keen to be doing anything too taxing now but he did at least finally recall agreeing to it and he was a man of his word, at least when it came to friends and camp mates. He sighed, “…. alright. Have you asked Dutch?” Javier wouldn’t do a thing without his say so.

You nodded eagerly, delighted that everything had come together just as you had wished it to and you were really going to finally bring in some money for camp. “Dutch said yes. So no backing out, right?” you grinned, knowing full well you’d won in this exchange.

He smiled, charmed in seeing your confidence in your argument, finishing the rest of his coffee then setting the cup aside “yes, no backing out. You win Princesa.” He didn’t especially like the idea of putting you in danger but he did like the idea of a morning spent alone with you and he was confident he could keep you safe like a real gentleman, even if he wasn’t one really.

“well then you better hurry and get up, but make sure you get something to eat first.” You instructed him, much to his amusement once more. He enjoyed a woman who knew what she wanted and took it. It was the only way to survive in this world of thieves. When he gave you a nod of agreement you stood to busy yourself until he was ready to head out. You weren’t going to let it show but you were a little nervous. At least, you’d try not to make it show. You wanted him to see you as an equal, not a silly little girl.

Javier came to fetch you after a lengthy wait, he always took a while longer to get ready compared to the others but this was no surprise to you by now. You rode side by side out of camp, him on Boaz and you on a horse one of the others had given you, you didn’t know where it had come from exactly but it was most definitely stolen.

“first we practice shooting.” He explained as he led you to a small, wooded area only a little ways away from camp. He was sure you could shoot if you said so but he wouldn’t have you getting killed because he hadn’t bothered to verify this and a little practice never hurt anyone. You sulked a little as you watched Javier dismount his stallion but still followed suit.

“Javi, come on. I need to start bringing money into camp.” Maybe Dutch’s speeches about working hard for the good of the camp were having too much of an effect on you but Javier wasn’t the one to criticise taking Dutch too seriously, his loyalty was almost to a fault.

“Javi?” he chuckled quietly at the nickname. Only fair, he supposed, considering all the nicknames he gave you just to tease you. It was endearing anyway. “come here, this won’t take long. Have a little patience.” He signaled for you to stand by his side. Someone had been practicing their aim here already, there were a few empty bottles set out on a log, broken glass littering the forest floor. He stepped back and gestured towards the bottles “shoot,”

You’re shooting skills left plenty to be desired, but you knew your way around a gun well enough. Well enough to pull off a simple robbery. You sighed deeply, resigning yourself to taking part in this little test even if you resented it. You pulled out your gun, aimed at an empty whiskey bottle that seemed like as good a target as any, and fired the first shot. All the bottles remained on the log undamaged. Fuck. Okay, no problem, just try again. You raised the gun again, lined up the shot, and fired again. A little closer but still not right. “You’re making me nervous hovering behind me like that.” You complained, frustration audible in your voice and shoulders tense.

He smirked a little at that, “I make you nervous Princesa? Here.” He positioned himself behind you and you tensed up even more. “relax,” you felt his hands on your shoulders, massaging them gently until your muscles felt like butter. He pulled you in closer, your back pressed firmly against his chest as he guided your hands to hold the gun more effectively. Even on the cold nights on the mountain his hands had been warm to the touch, he felt warm now as his body enveloped you and you could already smell his scent, cologne and cigarettes. “take a breath in,” he spoke quietly, you could feel his own hot breath tickling your neck as he spoke, you did as he asked and inhaled slowly and calmly. “now…shoot.” Again you did as you were told and this time the bottle you had been aiming at shattered as the bullet hit it.

You blinked, a little dazed you had really hit such a small target at this distance. Javier’s hands lingered over yours for a moment before he pulled away. “See, I can shoot. Can we go now?” when you looked away from the shattered glass you saw that he was only looking at you, seemingly deep in thought. “…can we go now?” you were worried your misfires had left him unwilling to bring you along, that maybe he saw you as dead weight now. “I’ve robbed people before, I can do it.”

He snapped out of his daze, clearing his throat as he headed back to his horse “yes we can go,” He could be a terrible flirt even sober although he found it much easier to flirt with you when he’d been drinking since he was less likely to worry about consequences like he was now, now he was much more alarmed by his own feelings. “I will keep you safe.” He promised with conviction and he meant it. He would say it was because you were just another member of his gang, his family, and that was true up to a point, but he felt especially protective of you, the girl he’d found all alone in the snow.

It was a simple enough job, you had taken a tip John had given you since he was still too injured to actually carry out any robbery right now. He hadn’t cared if Dutch gave you permission or not. He owed Javier after he had helped prevent him from becoming a wolves dinner so mentioning that this job would be with him also helped your case.

Javier had laid out the rules, stay close to him and let him take the lead. You were but an apprentice and he was the expert after all. You at least had the job of stopping the coach, since drivers were more likely to stop for a woman at the side of the road than some threatening looking man with a gun, even without a weapon people treated him like a criminal. Of course, when you flagged the coach down, they obliged and came to a halt. You did your best to look helpless, a damsel in distress, and the driver took pity on you. “What’s the matter miss? What’s a young lady doing alone out here?” Perhaps he was trying to be kind but you only took it as patronising and that helped take away the faint sense of guilt you had been carrying in the pit of your stomach.

Naturally, as soon as the driver pulled over, Javier appeared behind you, pointing a gun at the man. “she’s not alone, amigo.” The driver didn’t cause too much trouble, a simple enough coward unwilling to risk his neck for his passengers and why should he? They were far better off than him and could afford to lose a few valuables and some cash.

“watch him,” Javier gestured for you to keep a gun on the driver as he robbed the passengers, three men in sharp suits and bowler hats with nice shiny pocket watches hanging from their tailored waistcoats. You were focused, almost jumpy in the way you refused to allow the driver to make a single move out of place, but you still kept an eye on Javier just in case. These men were more indignant than afraid, and they were surely arrogant enough to do something stupid.

Your partner had been perfectly distracted by checking on you and by the second of the three men, who was a little reluctant to hand over his watch and was insisting it was a family heirloom, when the third pulled out his own concealed gun. It all happened so fast. You saw him move for his weapon, “Hey! He has a gun—” you could barely finish speaking before two ear splitting gunshots rang out one after the other.

#it fuckinggggg posted without the continue reading thing frickk #but yeehaw its long again #i was excited as fuck to post cute sleepy pj hair down javi i live for it #red dead redemption #red dead redeption #rdr #rdr2 #rdr2 fanfic #javier escuella #javier escuella x reader

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aaetherius · 3 years

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@rengycu

lyria’s gonna give him a surprise hug from behind ! >;3

Unprompted || Always accepting (feel free to turn into threads)!

★ ☆ ✮ ✯ ―☼ ― ★ ☆ ✮ ✯

The potent, but pleasant scent of freshly ground coffee beans engulfs nearly the entire cafe as slender fingers carefully measure out the correct amount of paste to settle upon the already dampened filter at the bottom of the kettle - tall form hunched slightly over the counter so he’s standing at eye level with it to ensure not a single spec is out of place. Massive, pearly wings that look all the more radiant beneath the glare from the early morning sun that spills in through the slightly cracked window, drape almost lifelessly from his back - still as a stone left in one spot for centuries so their movement won’t disturb his process. Velvety feathers spread out over the ground beside him where those wings fall upon the tile, taking up a decent part of the floor around the sink thanks to their sheer size. Fine, silver brows are furrowed into a tight line as he deems the amount suitable, and grasps the cup beside the sink to slowly - painfully slowly - begin to pour boiling water upon the filter and ground beans. His smooth lips are pursed, and the faintest of wrinkles are starting to form upon his almost glass-like skin as bright, blue eyes focus on the drip of the water and how it reacts with the filter and beans - adjusting his hold whenever the wind outside would cause the airship to sway ever so slightly. The muscles of his arm are taut, and his fingers are nearly trembling from the effort it takes to get it just right (though, in his opinion, a bad cup of coffee simply doesn’t exist - no matter how bitter or lacking in richness one might be, a cup of coffee is still a cup of coffee, and always a delight to the tongue). However, that didn’t mean he could slack off and accept meager work. No, every cup he brewed deserved all the love his core could place into it.

To say he, the former Supreme Primarch who had watched over these very skies for thousands of years without rest or pause, looks utterly ridiculous would be absolute blasphemy, but not at all far from the truth. But making coffee is a delicate process, and even the hum of the engine can throw it off, or so Sandalphon would claim. His opinion on the matter remains unknown, but he does try to appease the other by always keeping his notes and research in mind whenever he helps out at the cafe or simply makes a cup of coffee for himself and any guests they might have. And it’s several minutes before he actually gets the water level within the kettle, but oh the aroma that filters in from the whimsical trails of steam that billow up from the piping hot drink is nothing short of incredible. For a moment, he allows himself to inhale against the savory scent as he sets the cup he had used into the sink - allowing the mist to lick at his visage and dampen his features ever so slightly while he admired his handy work. The liquid inside was a lovely shade of deep brown that bordered on black, and he knew from the sight and smell alone that it had come out perfectly. Or, at least, as intended. His time with the crew made him all the more aware of the fact that not everyone enjoyed their coffee nearly as potent and rich as he and the new Supreme Primarch did.

It’s as he’s straightening himself out, expression softening to its normal degree once more, and slowly lifting his wings from where they had been covering the floor when he hears the pitter-patter of petite feet upon wood, and he can sense the girl in blue, even with the dreadfully scarce and dull amount of his own power that lingers within his newly crafted body and makeshift wings, before she enters the cafe. But he excepts her to call out to him or announce herself if she’s come to pay him a visit instead of simply slipping in to grab something before scampering off again, so he doesn’t quite turn to face or greet her - especially given that he’s still rubbing away the steam from his skin as he places a lid upon the kettle to keep the coffee warm. So, when she doesn’t utter a single word, and he suddenly feels her lithe arms wrap about him between soft wings and the warmth of her dress brushes against his feathers, he is, in fact, surprised. Eyes widening for a moment, and body stiffening against her embrace while large plumes rustle faintly. His display of shock is mild at best, but still apparent, if only because it’s him, and his own expressions and emotions often come off as somewhat muted compared to the humans aboard the ship - though, slowly, that’s beginning to change. And it lasts for only a few seconds before a gentle smile blooms across his features and he relaxes against her embrace.

He tilts his head to the side and back as much as he can in order to catch a glimpse of her, but he can’t make out much beyond her long, blue locks - her face is largely buried against thick feathers. “Good morning, Lyria. I am glad to see you are well and in high spirits today,” his voice is soft, but joy creeps in from the smile he so easily wears. Given his position, he can’t return her hug, so he lifts the bottom set of wings slightly to gently tuck them about her instead. “Would you care for a cup of coffee?” Yet, after the words leave his mouth a faint hum plays in the back of his throat and he appears, visibly, to debate over something within his head before he speaks once more. “I am afraid; however, that this blend might be a bit too strong for you.” Or, he assumes given that he can still recall how a number of the younger Skyfarers found coffee, especially the one he made to his own taste, much too bitter and strong to be enjoyed. A shame, but everyone has their personal preferences, and it’s simply the job of the chief to cater to them. “Actually, and I am trusting you to keep this a secret between just the two of us as I fear Sandalphon may never forgive me should he come to learn of this but -” his voice lowers all the more - his tone almost grave, and he cranes his neck a bit as if he’s trying to make sure their conversation can’t be heard beyond the doors of the cafe, “I have been experimenting with a new blend. It seems I can make a latte from cream and milk without the use of coffee, and still preserve the naturally sweet flavor of the drink. Would you be willing to do me the honor of having the first proper cup?”

#rengycu #| ☩ Cradled within the gentle breeze ☩ (ask) |#| ☩ And once again the sky rises; sincere and melancholic ☩ (IC) |#| ☩ A faint dusting after sunset ☩ (verse: AU - Post) |#{ Ahhh thank you for sending this! }#{ Oh no she's so cute! }#{ Lucifer is adopting her I don't make the rules she's too precious for this world hfdgughuk }

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katiekat1321 · 6 years

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The Master and The God (part 4)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

When you stepped through the portal and into the conference room on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier Nick Fury was waiting for you. He turned on his heel and spoke as he walked away, you assumed you were meant to follow him. “Okay, we don’t have much time to test you, work on your cover story, get you into the system, and send you off with the Gods so let’s get moving,” he explained.

He brought you to what looked like a cargo hold. It was a bit torn apart, crates smashed, and their contents scattered, but the walls and floor were still there so it seemed to have been strong enough to withstand whatever it had already been through.

There was no warning given; Fury turned around, cocked his gun, and fired it at you. You barely had time to create a small shield to block it. When the next bullet came you were more prepared, you formed a portal that shot the bullet back at him, just inches from his head. This continued on for a few more minutes, until he seemed satisfied with your blocking and defensive techniques.

“Okay,” Fury started, placing his gun back in its holster, “now show me what you can really do.”

If you were going to fight with your magic, you thought it best to be done in the mirror dimension. With a quick movement of your hands the world around you looked like shards of glass. Fury looked surprised, which based on what you had seen of him already was probably very uncommon. You smirked a bit as rotated the world, so the wall was now the floor, just to throw Fury off his game. Then you pulled out the Staff of the Living Tribunal, stretching it out and whipping it in a figure eight pattern. You could feel the relic humming with magical energy and you started your attack. You had to admit Fury was pretty quick and still had a few of his own tricks up his sleeve. After a few good hits you stashed the staff back in its own holster before creating weapons with your magic. You wanted to let Fury know you didn’t need your relic to be a formidable opponent, but eventually you grew bored with that tactic.

Fury was honestly impressed by what you could do. He was about to call it quits and announce that you had his seal of approval when he saw a shift in your eyes, they glowed a fiery orange for a split second while you mumbled something in another language. Fury watched you shoot both hands out in front of you suddenly and he was forced onto his knees, as if you made gravity pull on him stronger. They came the burning, it wasn’t unbearable. He could tell you were holding back, but it wasn’t burning his skin, it was like he was burning from the inside, like there was acid in his veins. Then it just stopped, you had put your arms down and walked up to him, offering to help him up.

When you offered your hand, you sent a little healing spell to him to ease his body, normally people weren’t used to mystic attacks like that.

“I’ll admit,” Fury started as stood up and brushed himself off, “that was impressive. You’re very strong, if only you had been fighting Loki instead of clearing out buildings. The fight would have ended a lot sooner.”

You frowned at that and decided not to mention that you had gone to Loki during the fight. Yes, you helped Professor Selvig, but you could have restrained Loki or stepped in sooner. The thought that you should have stepped in the moment you sensed that Loki arrived had been eating at you. You still weren’t sure why you didn’t. No matter how hard you pushed that thought to the back of your mind it would crawl its way back to the forefront.

You shook your head and smiled, pushing the thoughts away yet again, “The Ancient One taught us to not dwell on the past. We should worry more about what is to come.”

Fury agreed and brought you back to the conference room to create your cover story. “S.H.I.E.L.D. has learned that if you create a story for someone else, they don’t always stick to it,” Fury said with a sigh as he referenced the whole I am Iron Man mess, “And we’ve also found that having a story rooted in truth is easier for people to remember. So, tell me, how did you end up at Kamar-Taj?”

You sensed Director Fury was telling the truth, but that he also wanted more information on you. You knew any background checks on you would bring back little information and because Fury was one of the world’s best spies, not being knowing more about you and being able to infer your motivations and actions frustrated him.

“I ended up at Kamar-Taj for the same reason as many people, for healing,” you began, “I had knee problems from a very young age. The muscles and tendons didn’t work together, and my knee cap wasn’t in the right place. They dislocated a lot and caused me to break some other bones. I was in wheelchairs and physical therapy for a lot of my youth. However, I managed to live my life, I traveled and studied abroad, I went to college, studying intercultural relations and psychology, and nearly finished my degree. Then one day there was an accident. I was rear-ended and the accident… it crushed my knees. The doctors had to do an extreme reconstruction surgery and they thought it would help me in the long run. They reconstructed everything, the knee cap, the ligaments, the whole 9 yards and everything was in the proper places. But when I finally learned how to re-walk in physical therapy my stability was even worse than before.”

You could hear Fury quickly typing on his keyboard, making notes of some key points you mentioned. You had paused for too long apparently because Fury glanced up, causing you to quickly start speaking again, “My mom took me to doctors all over the country to see why my knees were worse and what could be done to help fix me, but no one seemed to have an answer. We ended up in New York City, sightseeing between doctor’s appointments when an odd couple approached me. The man was strong and gruff looking, kind of like a Neanderthal in some ways, but he had kind eyes. The woman had long flowing dark hair and powerful eyes. They were walking an orange tabby cat. Which was weird, but New York City is already so weird that I assumed it was somewhat common. They said they could bring me somewhere that could help, and I felt compelled to go with them, so I did. They brought me to the New York sanctum and lead me to the door to Kamar-Taj and then they just disappeared.”

Those were all the important details, the ones that would matter to Director Fury at least. You left out that when you told the Ancient One how you ended up in the sanctum everyone was shocked. That many believed you were chosen by the Vashanti for a greater purpose. Others told you that the Vashanti hadn’t don anything like this in centuries, so they must have seen something powerful in you.

This made your first couple weeks at Kamar-Taj very stressful. You learned slowly, but people acted like you should have been a natural and picked up the magic much quicker. You didn’t really progress much until the Ancient One explained that you could leave at any time. You thought back to her words, I know you think people are expecting great things from you, but you owe them nothing. Even if the Vashanti brought you here, you can simply learn enough magic to heal yourself and go back to your life. Do not let others stop you from doing what you need to. Follow your path, where ever it may lead you.

It may have been a simple message, but it was what you needed to hear then. It helped you to control your magic and energy enough to heal yourself. And when the time came for you to decide if you wanted to go back to your life or stay and become a Master of the Mystic Arts you chose to stay.

“Okay, read over this and let me know if you have any thoughts,” Fury said, turning the laptop to you. You read over a short paragraph vaguely based on your life. Your cover story was that you were a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who had been injured on a mission, but rather than letting you go you were instead given a diplomatic position, now to be an ambassador to Asgard. “You can use all your real childhood memories, your college major lines up with this career field, basically everything before Kamar-Taj is fair game to talk about if anyone asks. I’m going to forward you some mission synopsis files as well to memorize so it’ll seem like you’ve been with us for a while before your injury that basically gave you a ‘desk job’. You’re perfect for this position, just based on appearance you’re entirely unassuming. You look soft,” Director Fury said as he took the laptop back. You raised an eye brow at that comment, sure plenty of people assumed a heavier girl couldn’t do what you could, but it also makes the idea of you being an agent a little harder to believe. You were about to point this out when Fury continued, “That’s what makes the perfect agent, someone people underestimate, someone people don’t expect. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents come in every size, shape, and color miss y/n. But most importantly, you seem like you’re strong enough to stand a chance at fighting a God. I expect regular updates on the situation in Asgard. We need to know what we could be up against.”

“You do know the Asgardians mean to do us no harm, right?” You said, a bit confused. He acted like he was sending you behind enemy lines to collect intel, “They have always fought with us in the past and helped protect Midgard, I mean, Earth. Loki is misguided, but he was a rogue extremist at best.”

Fury sighed. “That’s about what Thor tells me too, but I prefer to always have the upper hand if possible. One last thing,” he added, “can you make your stick stand out a little less?”

You snorted, “I can ask the staff to take a more discreet form.” Fury raised an eyebrow at that response, asking you to elaborate. “The staff is a relic. It contains magic that is too strong for a human to possess. This is the Staff of the Living Tribunal,” you stretched it out again to show off the energy flowing within it. “If it choses too it can take another form itself,” you reply as it turns itself into an ordinary looking cane. You take a moment to silently thank the staff for playing nice.

Fury left you then, saying another agent would be coming by soon to get you your badge, a S.H.I.E.L.D. shirt, and those mission files. You decided to attempt to meditate, but thoughts kept flowing through your mind. You went over the last couple of hours and realized that you were not going to be able to stick to Fury’s plan. It seemed he wanted you to try and infiltrate Asgard without anyone learning you were a Master of the Mystic Arts, or anything other an average human. But Loki had already seen you, the guard Heimdall would be watching out for you, and it would be a miracle if the All-Father couldn’t sense your energy the moment he saw you. You could not keep your status a secret from everyone, but perhaps you could keep Thor unaware for some time. You would need to figure something out and create some interesting excuses as time went on, but you couldn’t have him asking Nick Fury why he sent a magician home with him.

You spent the night in a room on that helicarrier and in the morning you got ready to leave for Asgard. You got dressed in a pair of black jeans, the S.H.I.E.L.D. shirt you were given, a cardigan, and a pair of sneakers. Nick Fury met you by a sleek looking black SUV, your bag already in the back, and drove you to where the Avengers were saying their goodbyes to each other.

The two of you stepped out of the car and immediately saw Natasha give you a look, sizing you up and trying to figure out who you were. Fury went directly to Thor and explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. would like you to go with him to Asgard. “She was one of our best agents and one of the brightest minds we have. If the World Security Council knows we have someone with you who can tell us if something goes wrong, I think I can shut down those dangerous Phase II weapons.” Captain America overheard this and stepped in, telling Thor that this might be a good idea.

You stopped listening to their conversation when you locked eyes with Loki. He had a muzzle of sorts on, but his eyes gave him away. He was shocked and amused to see you here. You do have quite a few tricks up your sleeves don’t you, darling? You heard him think.

You smirked and looked down to your feet, More than you perhaps? You thought back in response. In the corner of your eye you could see his eye brow raise ever so slightly. It seemed he was underestimating you yet again.

Thor agreed to bring you to Asgard, though mentioned his father may not be pleased with a Midgardian guest coming with no warning. “I’m sure he will warm up to me quickly,” You said, one hand on your Staff cane, bag on your back, and taking a hold of the Tesseract’s containment unit, having to share the handle with Loki. I’d love to see that, Loki thought with a scoff just before Thor put a hand on your shoulder to steady you and turned the handle, transporting you to Asgard.

**If you would like to be added to the tag list for this fic send me an ask!

Tag List: @fiery-feyre @missaphrodite23

Part 5 -->

#loki x reader #loki x plus size reader #Loki Laufeyson #loki odinson #loki imagine #avengers imagine #loki fanfic #master of the mystic arts reader

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frankly-art · 5 years

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Frankly-Art’s Top 10 Video Games of 2018

Also available to read on my deviantArt!

With every New Year comes another year’s worth of video games to look forward to, and 2019 promise to be a good one in that regard: the release of Kingdom Hearts III is only days away, Piranha Plant and Joker are certain to be innovative and entertaining additions to the Smash Ultimate roster, Animal Crossing is coming to the Switch… and those mark only a small fraction of the many things 2019 has in store for us in terms of gaming. Amid all of this hype, I got to thinking about the varied gameplay experiences I had over the past year; so, I figured this would be as good an opportunity as any for me to reflect on them with a bit of a critical eye and definitively rank each of the video games I managed to get to during 2018!

Keep in mind while reading that, even though this is a list featuring games I played in 2018, many of these games were ones released in years past that I never got around to until last year—so, if you were expecting a list of the top 10 games that were released in 2018, I’m afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere (but not until after you read my oh-so-important list first! I crave validation!); expect a healthy mix of new and old titles in the list below. Additionally, this list will rank downloadable content (DLC) separately from standalone titles, as I don’t find it fair to compare a DLC add-on to a fully-fledged game. I’ll be weighing the score of each DLC depending on how well it improves and expands upon the narrative and gameplay of its original game.

Without further ado (and with no better means of transitioning from this introduction to the list itself than to use a somewhat tired expression in the realm of video games), let’s-a go! (Please forgive me.)

-SPOILER WARNING IN EFFECT-

Favorite Characters: Revali, Urbosa, Kass Favorite Tracks: Monk Maz Koshia (all phases)

It might come as somewhat of a shock that a game with “Breath of the Wild” in its title would rank lowest on my list, but hear me out: no matter how much fun it was to be able to return to Hyrule in this DLC expansion, in my opinion, Champions’ Ballad just felt like more of the same of what we got in the main game.

Despite the nigh perfection that was Breath of the Wild, I have to agree with critics who said that the lack of aesthetic variation between segments of dungeon crawling and puzzle solving was a monotonous bore when compared to the varied themes and aesthetics of the dungeons in Zelda games past, and Champions’ Ballad did nothing to vary the atmosphere in its new shrines and dungeon from those of the main game. This disappointment was compounded with the fact that Champions’ Ballad added no new weapons to your arsenal (aside from a risky-to-use fork that functioned virtually like every other sword in the game) to allow for new types of puzzle solving or exploration. The unicorn motorcycle was certainly a cool reward for completing the DLC (the fact that I got to write the words “unicorn” and “motorcycle” next to each other is reward enough), but I had very little use for it since I’d already combed through the entirety of Hyrule during my first playthrough of the game. I simply believe it would have been nice for Champions’ Ballad to have given players something a little fresher to explore, even if it were just an aesthetic change of scenery.

I had also hoped that Champions’ Ballad might have expanded on the lore sprinkled throughout Hyrule and, even though we learned more about the four champions, I was a little let down that they didn’t really expand on anything else (Why can’t I climb to the top of Mount Agaat? Why does the entirety of the Akkala region fill me with a confusing sense of serene dread?? What the hell happened at the Typhlo Ruins???) I appreciate that, by not explaining everything, Nintendo give players the chance to interpret these things for themselves, but, when compared to the lore provided in previous Zelda games, I feel as though Champions’ Ballad fell short in fleshing out the history of this ruined Hyrule.

Favorite Characters: Prompto, Ignis Favorite Tracks: A Retainer’s Resolve, Apocalypsis Magnatus

Given how much of a beautiful mess Final Fantasy XV was upon its initial release, it’s certainly a consolation to the main game to see how well Square Enix supplemented its (rather disjointed) story and expanded upon its (frankly, lacking) gameplay through its various DLC expansion chapters featuring Noctis’ loyal Chocobros. And while I may not love Ignis quite as much as other chocobros like Prompto or Noctis, Episode Ignis was definitely an engaging and welcome addition to the enigma that is the Final Fantasy XV.

Particular highlights of Episode Ignis include its soundtrack, which features a heroic leitmotif for Ignis that really underscores the dire circumstances he and his teammates find themselves in during this segment of the story, and its addition of gameplay modes (Motorboat Simulator 2018 being one of them) are a welcome change of pace to the somewhat rudimentary battle and exploration systems found in the main game. However, a point of contention I have with Episode Ignis is with its narrative: while I appreciate that this DLC chapter finally explains how Ignis becomes blind, its multiple endings completely undermine the storyline of the main game itself. Does Ignis’ sacrifice save Noctis from having to make a sacrifice of his own in order to save the world? Does Ignis regain his sight after Noctis defeats Ardyn? Do Noctis and Luna finally realize that they’d be better off with other people (as it’s obvious that Noctis is already too preoccupied with his three boyfriends to make room for anyone else)? I need answers, Square!

Favorite Characters: Elizabeth, Atlas/Frank Fontaine Favorite Tracks: Patsy Cline – She’s Got You, Johnny Mathis – Wonderful! Wonderful!

I claimed to be a fan of the BioShock series for so long, even though I’d only ever played the first game in the series until the summer of 2017 when I finally bought a PS4 and, with it, the BioShock Collection. Now, I can call myself a fan of the series without reservation, having explored and discovered all that Rapture and Columbia have to offer. To me, BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episodes 1 & 2 are a love letter to the entire series itself, featuring elements from the three main-series games and tying together each of their narratives (save for maybe BioShock 2, which is absolutely criminal, considering 2 is my favorite game in the series) in a way that, while forced in some aspects, felt like Ken Levine actually cared about clearing up some of the more confusing questions that remained at the end of BioShock: Infinite.

Burial at Sea really came into itself during Episode 2, where gameplay was switched up to feature more fleshed-out stealth mechanics that made sneaking around Rapture and Columbia both exhilarating and terrifying. It was also refreshing to be able to finally take control of Elizabeth, one of the most iconic characters of the series after the Big Daddies of BioShocks 1 and 2, and learn more of her own personal motivations and desires as she maneuvers through hostile environments. As I already mentioned briefly, I know some took issue with the way Burial at Sea wove the first two BioShock games together with the third, but, considering the mess that was made when BioShock Infinite introduced multiverse science into its mythos (and the narrative mess that Infinite was in general—I took great issue with the way they framed the oppressed populations of Columbia as “just as bad” as the ruling populations simply because they used violence to, you know, try and liberate themselves from their oppression), I feel that Burial at Sea did the best job it could considering that the setting of Infinite differed so greatly from that of the first two games.

Also, fun fact: I studied this game as a part of my Master’s Project and played it through a total of three times: once in English and twice in French! Isn’t academia weird?

Favorite Characters: Rando, Buddy, Vega Van Dam Favorite Tracks: 666 Kill Chop Deluxe, He’s My Dad, Brokentooth March

Anyone who reads TV Tropes is likely familiar with the trope “Gameplay and Story Segregation” and its less-frequent counterpart, “Gameplay and Story Integration”. In the case of LISA: The Joyful, this DLC game (which could practically be its own standalone title if it weren’t for the fact Steam labels it as “DLC” and won’t let you play it without first purchasing LISA: The Painful) absolutely excels in the latter and completely subverts the gameplay mechanics and narrative structure of the base game, and this can all be attributed to the way both games focus on your use of the cure-all drug that makes you feel nothing: Joy.

Indeed, where LISA: The Painful makes you question your use of the drug Joy, LISA: The Joyful (Joyful) is nigh impossible to complete without taking it in nearly every battle after you’re left to your own devices when the muscle of your party abandons you. As anyone who’s played the LISA trilogy will know, Joy is a dangerous substance, mutating its addicts and twisting the minds of anyone who uses it, and that Joy is an integral piece of the trilogy’s social and philosophical commentary on the freedom and restriction of choice, the commitment and devotion one carries for a person or cause, and the inherent, inevitable grey area of any and all actions one may take. Despite these themes, LISA: The Joyful is far from a demoralizing experience: if anything, the way the game simulates the feeling of being backed into a corner and the refusal to give up despite the odds only affirms whatever moral code by which you may already live, or is at least an opportunity to feel relief that you yourself aren’t forced to make such drastic decisions for your own survivability and freedom.

That’s it for the DLC games I played in 2018; now, the real fun begins! Brace yourself for my list of the top standalone titles I played last year!

Favorite Characters: Katie

This game was recommended to me by a friend, and, as much as I wanted to enjoy it, this game wound up being my lowlight of 2018, with its simplistic, seemingly rudimentary gameplay and conspicuous lack of any compelling narrative. Put bluntly, this game was like a forgettable rendition of Animal Crossing, only without any cute animal neighbors to run errands for. The game’s environment threatened absolutely no danger to your player character, yet still didn’t offer any engaging or challenging puzzles to solve to make up for this lack of danger (most “puzzles” involved figuring out how to get to a particular point on the map… and that was it). Despite this being an open-world game that offered endless opportunities for customization, I found myself hurrying to complete the game’s main (5-hour) campaign so I could feel justified to move on to other gaming experiences. The most unfortunate part of this to me is that I know there’s still more to the game’s world for me to explore, but I’m in no way compelled to do so.

In all fairness, though, I think that I’m a little older than the target demographic this game was aiming for. This game was never meant to be challenging or stressful, it was made to be a relaxing escape for anyone looking to pass the time exploring and discovering a beautifully modeled and brightly colored world. This game also wins serious points for inclusivity, especially considering the age group this game was most likely made for; my fondest memory of this game is of a quest where a woman requests that you find her the ingredients to make a potion that stimulates beard growth because she wants to grow a beard of her own, and not once during this campaign is she ridiculed or belittled for wanting one. Since Yonder seems to be a game for kids, I believe quests such as this are an excellent step to socializing them into a world that’s less judgmental and more receptive to other people. So, despite my earlier critiques of this game, Yonder would be a great game to consider if you’re looking for a low-key and off-beat (and all-human) alternative to Animal Crossing.

Favorite Veteran Fighters: Peach, Zelda, Zero Suit Samus Favorite Newcomers: Daisy, Ridley, Richter Favorite Stages: Fountain of Dreams, Fourside, Hyrule Temple Favorite Tracks: All-Star Rest Area (Melee), Destroyed Skyworld, Athletic (Yoshi’s Island)

We all knew another installment in the Smash series was coming ever since the Switch was first announced back in March of 2017. In fact, you might even say that the quality of each console’s iteration of Smash reflects the quality of the console itself, with Melee demonstrating the power and potential of the GameCube, Brawl being a gimmicky romp on an equally gimmicky console, and Wii U/3DS (what a title, right?) completely failing to capture player interest for longer than a few rounds of Smash (the Wii U era feels like a fever dream to me at this point). It’s a letdown, then, that with the Switch being such a commercial and technical success, Smash Ultimate seems somewhat of a disappointment when weighed against the hype that surrounded it up until its release back in early December.

It’s true that Smash Ultimate really delivers in regard to the character roster (everyone is here!) and stage selection (almost everything is here!), but the cuts that were made to series staples like trophies, event matches, and the like, detract from Smash Ultimate becoming the be-all end-all title in the series that it could have been. Trophy mode was where I learned much about video game history and was introduced to obscure series I would have never discovered otherwise, and their replacement with spirits feels a bit cheap, especially since spirits don’t come with any kind of information to contextualize them. Event Matches were hybridized with Melee’s Adventure mode and Brawl’s Subspace Emissary, creating the “World of Light”; while the World of Light has grown on me the more that I play it, it’s somewhat discouraging to me that, by combining so many modes of Smash games past into one, there will be nothing left for me to do with the game once I reach its end.

Still, Smash Ultimate offers plenty to look forward to. I’m more-than-hyped about the additions of Piranha Plant and Joker from Persona 5 to the character roster, and I can’t wait to see who might be announced next (unless it’s another Fire Emblem character… please God [Sakurai] don’t let it be another Fire Emblem character).

Favorite Tracks: The Bridge, Touching the Stars, Up to the Nest

I could never have prepared myself for the beautiful-yet-heart-wrenching experience this game would put me through, but I’m oh-so-glad that it did. On the surface, RiME is a relaxing exploration and puzzle game that takes place in a beautifully rendered in-game world, with a brilliantly orchestrated soundtrack and a plethora of diverse landscapes to get lost in. And yet, every moment of your adventure is permeated by an inescapable sense of isolation and dread, making you ask questions like “Where is everyone?”, “Just who is that man in the red cloak?,” and, “Is he stalking me, or are I stalking him?”.

Indeed, RiME’s narrative unfolds wordlessly as you explore and leaves you to discover and interpret on your own exactly what tragedies transpired before the events of the game, tragedies of which are far more poignant and moving if you were to discover them yourself. I know I’ve put a spoiler warning in effect, but I highly recommend you play this game on your own (or at least watch a decent Let’s Play of it) if you’re curious to know what unfolds during the game’s narrative. RiME is a relatively short game, too, lasting only between 5-10 hours, so it would be an easy one to fit into your queue if you’re looking for a fun gameplay experience with a story that will haunt you for weeks and months on end after completing it.

Favorite Characters: Terry Hintz, Buzzo, Wally Favorite Tracks: Men’s Hair Club, The End is Nigh, Summer Love

Having already talked about this game’s DLC expansion of LISA: The Joyful, you’re already aware that I hold the LISA trilogy in high regard—it also means I can make this entry somewhat brief, since a lot of what I said about Joyful can also be applied to its parent title, LISA: The Painful. You see, it’s in LISA: The Painful where the conflict in Joyful begins, and where we learn more of how the world came to be so depraved after the White Flash, an extinction event that inexplicably killed all women on the planet (at least, as far as the characters in the game know). The game considers what the repercussions of such an event would be on our society (aside from dooming humanity to die off within a generation) and really explores the darkest depths of toxic masculinity to call into question the detrimental effects it has on our self-esteem, our relationships, and our will to survive. Gameplay-wise, it’s a fairly traditional JRPG, though as I mentioned with Joyful, LISA: The Painful integrates its story with its gameplay by permanently increasing (but mainly decreasing) your stats depending on whatever injuries you escape or sustain throughout your journey. All in all, LISA: The Painful is a truly harrowing experience from beginning to end, but a must-play for anyone with an interest in the more macabre aspects of human nature.

Favorite Characters: Aloy, Erend, Vanasha Favorite Tracks: Louder

You know a game’s going to be good when its title screen holds you in awe before even pressing start. Imagine a sunlit vignette over purple mountains and a glistening river, a haunting and triumphant melody underscoring it all, as the title slowly fades into view in white in the center of the screen: Horizon Zero Dawn. O.K., I’m in. This game just did so many things right as an open-world game during an era where the genre was oversaturated by mediocre games that rehashed the same tired tropes and mechanics in its gameplay and world building. Horizon Zero Dawn truly set itself apart from the crowd for a variety of reasons: its beautifully detailed setting (being a microcosmic interpretation of Western North America), its intricate combat system with a graciously forgiving learning curve, and its compelling and socially-conscious narrative all worked together to distinguish this game within the open-world genre.

What really sets this game apart most of all, though, is the game’s protagonist, Aloy: a rare female protagonist who is a breath of fresh air in a sea of male heroes, whose capabilities and intellect don’t come at the cost of her physical appearance and femininity. Aloy set an example for other game developers that female protagonists are more than viable (and are in fact, overdue) in the video games of today, and her status as a female character never felt gratuitous or shoehorned (e.g. Battlefield V’s inclusion of a female protagonist as an enlisted soldier in the British Army and serving in the line of duty during World War II). It’s difficult (read: impossible) to play Horizon Zero Dawn and not fall in love with Aloy for her wit, her strength, and her general stick-to-itiveness in the face of adversity (not to mention, she’s just really cute and knows how to work a belly shirt). With Aloy as the protagonist, you’ll never tire of adventuring through Horizon Zero Dawn’s 70-hours+ worth of gameplay as you explore the in-game world to learn just what happened to “The Old Ones” and their society all those millennia ago.

Favorite Party Members: Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Makoto Niijima Favorite Confidants: Hifumi Togo, Sadayo Kawakami, Sae Niijima, Toranosuke Yoshida, Chihaya Mifune Favorite Targets/Boss Battles: Ichiryusai Madarame, Kunikazu Okumura, Leviathan, Yaldabaoth Favorite Tracks: Blooming Villain, Rivers in the Desert, A Woman, Aria of the Soul

I’ll bet no one saw this one coming! Just kidding—anyone who’s exchanged more than a few words with me since the fall of 2018 knows how much this game absolutely consumed my life over the span of, I don’t know, I think it was four months? Indeed, I wound up sinking a total of 123 hours into this game, and there’s still a loud part of me that wants to return to it to begin a New Game+ (you’ll even notice that it was too difficult for me to contain my favorite characters into one category, instead having to split them up in order to represent all of my favorites because of how much I love them all). I’m already a fan of JRPGs, so it didn’t take much for Persona 5 to win me over with its turn-based combat, but the addition of certain gameplay mechanics—like earning an extra turn for exploiting enemy weaknesses or improving your relationship with your friends outside of battle to unlock gameplay bonuses—prevent battles and exploration in Persona 5 from ever becoming stale. Indeed, Persona 5 was truly a masterpiece from start to finish and an experience that I never wanted to end.

Frankly, any drawbacks I could mention about this game feel almost nitpicky, like the way the status ailment “Envy” is represented during the final boss fight by the color indigo instead of green, or how Kawakami can only manage to make me one cup of very useful, SP-restoring coffee over the course of an entire evening. Still, Persona 5 isn’t without its faults: for one, Persona 5 loses significant points for its questionable representation of LGBT groups (the camp gay men who openly harass Ryuji on multiple occasions being the most glaring example), and this isn’t helped by the queerbaiting that’s prevalent in a lot of character dialogue and relationships. Additionally, the fact that you can’t romance any of your male confidants comes across as erasive at best and homophobic at worst, especially considering that 1) all but one of your female confidants are eligible girlfriends, 2) you can two-time all of them at once if you so desire (which isn’t just disrespectful, it’s also flippantly misogynistic), and, most importantly, 3) one of this game’s main themes includes rebelling against oppressive societal norms (a theme that will resonate deeply with any LGBT+ player). Female representation in Persona 5 is also somewhat of a mixed bag: while the game features a large cast of diverse female characters, its constant and blatant objectification of Ann is not only creepy, it’s incredibly obtuse considering the sexual harassment and abuse she suffers by one of her teachers during the game’s first story arc. Fortunately, each of these drawbacks is easy enough to ignore when discussing the game as a whole, but I hope Atlus improves upon them in future installments: considering how incredible an experience Persona 5 was, imagine how much more incredible Persona 6 could be if these issues were fixed!

So that’s it for my top 10 games of 2018. What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with any of my commentary? What were some favorite games you played during 2018? I’d love to hear your responses and start a discussion, so please, leave your comments in the notes!

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winterbaby89 · 6 years

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Dark Hook Comes to Storybrooke - Chapter Eight

A Captain Swan, Season 1 Canon Divergence Collaboration by: @hollyethecurious, and @winterbaby89

Beta’d by: @ilovemesomekillianjones

Amazing Artwork by: @xhookswenchx

Rated M for language and dark themes (and maybe (probably) some sexy times… later ;o)

Summary: Moments before the Evil Queen’s Dark Curse whisks our beloved fairytale characters to Storybrooke, Captain Hook finally gets his revenge on the Crocodile. Twenty-eight years later, Killian Jones awakes in Storybrooke expecting just another ordinary day, that is until a number of abnormal occurrences disrupts his otherwise scheduled life. The greatest of which is a new face in town. A young woman by the name of Emma. Emma. What a lovely name…

Disclaimer: Canon dialogue and scenes from various episodes will appear within this fic. To Adam, Eddie, and the OUAT writers goes all the credit.

Line breaks indicate change in POV or Scene.

Also available on ao3, my fic page, and Hollye′s fic page And if you want to catch up on the last chapter.

Chapter Eight

“A tie? You know you don't have to dress a woman as a man to give her authority.”

Emma had spent the vast majority of the day filling out an absurd amount of paperwork for her new position as Deputy, a position that Graham was only now telling her came with a uniform. Yeah, I’m not wearing this.

“So you think you can get people to do what you want in that red coat?” Graham disputed half-heartedly.

“I'm getting you to do what I want right now,” she said victoriously, knowing that Graham wouldn’t actually make her wear the hideous thing.

“Well, at least wear the badge,” Graham insisted as he handed it to her. “Go on. Take it. If you really want to be a part of this community, you have to make it official.”

Make it official. That’s what she wanted, right? To be a part of something officially? She had officially decided to stay, had officially moved in with Mary Margaret, had officially accepted this job, and had officially decided to not get into bed with Killian Jones. Metaphorically or otherwise. Maybe.

Emma had spent much of the day before further questioning Henry about his relationship with Killian Jones, and his answers had left her all the more perplexed. She’d also made inquiries with a few people around town; Ruby, Granny, Archie. From what she’d gathered, Killian Jones was not a man many wanted to cross. Ruthless in his business practices and somewhat shady in the ethics department, he had a reputation that Emma could only describe as some sort of modern day pirate. A term that had amused Henry to no end when she’d let it slip at the diner over cocoa the night before - Granny, too.

In fact, other than Henry, Granny seemed to be the only other person with a kind word to say about Jones. Oh, she confirmed everyone’s stories and admitted that he could be a right pain in the ass when it came to negotiating her rent, but the old broad seemed to have a soft spot, if not a saucy appreciation for the man. She firmly defended his relationship with Henry, and made it known to Emma that were it not for Killian Jones, Henry would likely be a little lost boy without hope. Mary Margaret may have given him the storybook, but it was Killian, Granny had said, that had given Henry the ability to believe in something more.

Granny had seen first hand the fruit of the hours they spent working on Jones’ ship together. Henry had gone from a withdrawn, shy child to an exuberant little spitfire practically overnight after he’d snuck aboard the Jewel and first met Jones. Though Jones remained just as cunning and cutthroat as ever, he’d had moments of compassion since spending time with Henry, and no one could argue his genuine affection for the boy.

Even with Granny’s endorsement, and Henry’s insistence that Killian was truly his friend, Emma couldn’t shake the feeling that Jones was hiding something. Something more than just questionable business practices. Something that made Emma want to peel back the layers, and maybe a few of his garments, in order to see the true man that lay beneath.

The man that Henry knew.

Henry!

He’d be finished with Dr. Hopper soon, and she had promised to walk him home so they could spend some time together. Because this was official. She was officially staying. She was officially Deputy Emma Swan of Storybrooke.

Emma took the badge from Graham’s hand, and immediately after placing it on her belt the entire room shook as a loud rumble echoed through town. Every phone in the sheriff’s station erupted in a chorus of shrill rings around her and Graham, and for one fleeting moment, Emma felt sure that it was some sort of sign. A sign? Of What? Emma, don’t be ridiculous.

There had been a collapse at the old Storybrooke mines, and she and Graham wasted no time making their way to the scene. When they arrived a crowd had already started to gather.

Exiting the police cruiser Emma saw Regina taking charge as she barked out orders for everyone to stand back. Assessing the destruction, Emma listened as the Mayor gave out orders to Graham and Marco, while dismissing her with snark about it being a town matter.

“Well, actually, I work for the town now,” Emma provided matter of factly, enjoying Regina’s slightly stunned and agitated expression.

“She's my new deputy,” Graham explained.

“They say the mayor's always last to know.”

“It's in my budget.”

“Indeed,” Regina clipped, and Emma couldn’t help but think there was something else going on between the two of them that she was missing.

“Deputy, why don't you make yourself useful and help with crowd control,” Regina dismissed before she turned to address the crowd that was starting to grow restless awaiting news.

“People of Storybrooke, don't be alarmed,” Regina began as she addressed the crowd. “We've always known this area was honeycombed with old mining tunnels, but fear not. I'm going to undertake a project to make this area safe, to rehabilitate it into city use. We will bulldoze it, collapse it, and pave it.”

“Pave it?” Henry exclaimed as he made his way through the crowd - when did he get here? “What if there's something down there?”

“Henry, what are you doing here?” Regina questioned, pulling forward from the assembled crowd.

“What's down there?”

“Nothing. Now step back,” Regina stated firmly as she pushed Henry back toward the crowd. “In fact, everyone, please, please step back.”

At the Mayor’s insistence the crowd began to fall back to safer vantage points. Emma began to unwind the caution tape when she felt Henry tug at the cuff of her jacket. Looking over to where he was silently indicating with the nod of his head, Emma saw Regina pick something up off the ground and visibly stiffen before she placed it into her pocket.

“What was that?” Henry whispered to her before Regina came forward and snatched him from Emma’s side.

“Henry, enough. This is a safety issue. Wait in the car,” she instructed and watched to make sure her order was obeyed before turning back to Emma and Graham. “Deputy Swan, Sheriff, cordon off the area.”

While Emma secured the site she saw Killian Jones pull up on his motorcycle and park it next to the Mayor’s car. Henry’s face lit up at his presence, and Emma couldn’t deny the flutter such a sight sent through her heart. Jones chatted briefly with Henry before approaching the scene… with Henry not far behind.

“Evening, Swan,” Killian greeted, a bit more tentatively than she was used to from him, but given the recent incident with Ashley she couldn’t really blame him.

“Actually, its Deputy Swan,” she corrected as she tapped the new badge at her hip.

“Aye, of course.” Killian scratched behind his ear as he glanced at her hip, and Emma could see the muscle tick in his jaw.

“Emma. Killian. Over here.” Henry beckoned, drawing them from the fresh tension that had risen around them.

They joined Henry and Archie, crouched down next to the patrol car as to not be seen by Regina, and listened as Henry insisted, “This requires all of operation Cobra.”

“I didn't realize I was in operation Cobra,” Archie commented at nearly the exact moment that Killian posed the question.

“What’s Operation Cobra, mate?”

As Henry explained Operation Cobra, Emma was struck with the memory of a week ago when Graham had asked about Operation Cobra only to have Henry tell him it was need to know, yet he was willing to bring someone like Killian Jones, of all people, into his scheme. Emma knew that Jones was aware of Henry’s belief in the curse, but wondered what his reaction would be at the idea of an actual mission with the purpose of breaking it. Would he play along, as Dr. Hopper suggested they should, or would he scoff at the idea?

Inscrutable. The man was utterly inscrutable. Killian’s expression gave absolutely nothing away as to his thoughts of Henry’s plan, and when the moment came for Henry to bring everyone up to speed on the latest pressing issue of the mission it was Emma who scoffed.

“We can't let her do this,” Henry pleaded. “What if there's something down there?”

“They're just some old tunnels,” she brushed off - not everything is a conspiracy, kid.

“That just happened to collapse right after you get here?” he fired back with every bit of sass she’d come to expect from him. “You're changing things. You're weakening the curse.”

“That's not what's happening,” she argued, very aware of Archie and Killian’s assessing looks.

“Yes, it is,” the kid insisted. “Did you do anything different today? 'Cause something made this happen.”

Emma considered his words, stunned by the coincidence. She was reminded of the sense she’d felt when she’d first put on her badge, and the action was immediately followed by the ground shaking. The sense that it was some sort of sign. She shook it off at the time, but now with Henry’s words echoing the same sentiment Emma couldn’t help brush her fingers against the cold metal at her hip, nor did she miss the speculative look Killian Jones gave her as he took in the action.

“Henry, I told you to wait in the car.”

Regina’s scathing admonishment startled Emma out of her preoccupation with Henry’s words and the coincidence in the timing of the day’s events. The Mayor turned her scornful attentions back to Emma as she ordered, “Deputy, do your job.”

The moment of intrigue interrupted, Emma shook off the ridiculousness of actually considering that Henry might be right, shared a brief look with Killian and Archie, and went back to her duties.

Killian had been heartened by Henry’s greeting from the Mayor’s car when he’d first arrived on the scene. The feeling was further bolstered by the lad’s inclusion of him into the operation he’d concocted in response to his mother’s curse. Of course he’d created a mission.

Relieved that the past weekend hadn’t diminished his standing in Henry’s eyes, Killian could only hope that he might find a way to mend things between he and Emma. Perhaps, working together with her, the lad, and the Cricket on Operation Cobra would be a step in the right direction? Though, he had no idea what to do to try and amend the damage the crocodile and Regina had inflicted with the curse, or whether or not it was truly in their - his - best interests for it to be broken.

Killian’s thoughts were interrupted by Henry’s question as to whether or not Emma had done anything of significance that might have caused the mine collapse. He caught her movement as she gently, almost reverently, brushed the face of her deputy’s badge with her fingertips, and her expression nearly made him blanch at the realization - Bloody hell! Emma did do this.

Henry was right. She was changing things - quickly. Far quicker than he had imagined she could, and once again Killian found himself wrestling with his desire to be in Emma and Henry’s good graces and breaking the curse, knowing it would reveal his villainous past - or worse, the threat of The Dark One.

Before he could ponder Emma’s effect on the curse any further, Regina’s shrewd voice cut through the air, chastising Henry and Emma alike. Killian had to restrain himself from physically reacting to her condescension of Emma, and manhandling of Henry.

As Regina’s attention was otherwise occupied in steering Henry towards her car, Killian shared a sympathetic look with Emma before she turned back to her official duties. Deciding it might be a good idea to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, he got out of the war path that he knew Regina was sure to pave, and therefore went unnoticed as Her Majesty turned her ire onto Dr. Hopper. Curiosity piqued at what had Regina so vexed with the Cricket, Killian listened in.

“Okay, we're done with this.” Regina got in Dr. Hopper’s face as she seethed.

The man looked utterly baffled by Her Majesty’s ire, as he questioned, “Uh, excuse me?”

“My son. We need a new treatment plan. Everything I do he thinks is part of some horrible plot. I can't cover up a safety hazard without him thinking I'm hiding something. How am I hiding something terrible in an old mine? How is any of this logical to him?”

Killian could tell the poor man was still confused, but saw a smile bloom across his face all the same, before he responded, “He's got an amazing imagination.”

“Yes, that you let run rampant.”

“Well, I think it would be wrong to rip away the world he's constructed. I'd rather use it to try and get-”

Regina’s ire was ramping up by the minute, and she was apparently about to let the poor man have it as she cut him off. Regina raised her voice to talk over Dr. Hopper, “Sometimes I think you've forgotten. You work for me. You're an employee, and I can fire you. This is my town. You will lose your office, lose your house. I can cut you down to size until you're a tiny, shrunken little creature, and this,” Regina ripped Archie’s umbrella from his hand, and waved it in his face, almost hitting him with it, as she continued, “will be the only roof over your damn head.”

“What would you have me do?” Archie looked thoroughly defeated by this point, and if Killian wasn’t mistaken, the man was shaking, even if minutely.

Apparently smelling victory, Regina pasted on a simpering smile, as she viciously demanded, “You take that delusion out of my son's head, and you crush it.”

Killian’s outrage with Regina bubbled up to the surface, and it took every ounce of restraint in him not to storm over and confront her about the atrocious display he’d just witnessed. This woman’s depravity seems to know no bounds if she is willing to subject Henry to this torment… the boy she claims to love. The audacity! The outrage! To tell Dr. Hopper to squash his belief, just because it threatens her standing with the boy, despite him being correct. Depraved indifference was the only way he could think to describe her, and her behavior, but the heat of his wrath turned cold as he considered his own agenda. The exposure of the truth of the curse threatened him as well and the bile of his own hypocrisy churned in his gut. He really was no better than Regina.

Killian’s nerves were more frayed than he could ever remember them being. Never in his whole, long life had he ever felt so divided within himself. Indentured service did not allow for one to be master over their own thoughts or decisions, you did as you were commanded, or you met the end of a lash. The Royal Navy had not been much different. Orders were given and swift obedience was expected, the only distinguishing factor separating the two circumstances was that Killian had chosen the Navy. He’d chosen piracy, too. A course set, to mete out justice for his brother on a corrupt king, that had kept his path clear, and that path remained clear as he sought vengeance for his love, his Milah.

His purposes had always been clear, the path set before him; servitude, service, justice, vengeance. Circumstances and causes that had always made his decisions precise and his motives true, even if they weren’t always honorable. Now, though… now he found himself at war between two purposes.

Self-preservation or selflessness. Part of a mission to break a curse, or part of the conspiracy to keep it secret. Friend or foe? Valor or villain? Killian or Hook?

Or Dark One.

It wasn’t just his relationship with Henry or Emma that had Killian burdened about the truth of the curse being revealed or broken. It was the fear of himself - his Dark One self. Would breaking the curse return them all to the Enchanted Forest where magic remained? Would it bring magic to this realm? For all the crocodile’s memories that had been supplied to him from his time with Emma, these questions were still a mystery to Killian, and ones that caused him no end of concern. What would breaking the curse mean in regards to the Darkness, and could he risk exposing those he cared for to it? To him?

Guilt over keeping such a secret from Henry, mixed with his rage at Regina’s own insistence that the lad be kept in the dark, and the hypocrisy of his own inaction had Killian in an even more foul mood than usual the next day as he toiled on the deck of the Jolly Roger. A mood that lifted only slightly as he heard Henry calling out to him as he rushed up the gangplank and onto the deck; a beaming smile and eager glint sparkling in his eyes.

“Watch your step, lad,” Killian warned as he gestured to the area Henry was about to tread upon. “That board’s loose again. You’re liable to fall through.”

“I thought you were gonna fix that?” Henry pestered as he expertly maneuvered around the treacherous board.

“I’ve been meaning to,” Killian grumbled. “Now, what’s got you all excited?”

“Not out here,” Henry whispered. “Operation Cobra requires stealth and secrecy.”

Killian let out a long suffering sigh at the mention of Henry’s mission. Oh, how he longed for the days prior to his awakening when the boy came and simply worked by his side on the ship, or questioned him endlessly about sailing. When the only thing Killian had to hide was how much of a scoundrel he was, or how he might skirt a few laws in order to make a quick profit, and not that he was among one of the most notable of this realm’s literary villains, or knew the truth of a curse the lad’s mother had cast in order to enact her vengeance upon an entire realm.

A simpler time.

“Henry,” Killian began as he made his way into his cabin behind the lad. “About Operation Cobra-”

“I know you're not convinced, but I know where I can get proof.” Henry dropped his backpack onto Killian’s bunk and unzipped it, revealing a whole host of supplies.

“What is this?” Killian asked as he surveyed the pack’s contents. “A flashlight and candy bars?” Sudden understanding dawned on him. “The mine. Henry, you can’t go down there.”

“Emma's here and stuff's happening. We have to take a look down there. For proof.”

“Henry. Stop.” Killian commanded, his worry that Henry was planning to do something reckless made his words erratic as he rushed on. “There is no proof down there. Just stay here with me, lad. We can work on the Jolly and worry about Operation Cobra later.”

“The Jolly?” Henry’s confused exclamation caused Killian’s heart to pound. Had he really been so careless?

“What?”

“You said the Jolly.”

“No I didn’t.”

Killian’s denial and best poker face were useless against the hope and elation of a boy with true belief in his heart. Henry would not be deterred, would not be distracted from the evidence Killian had just unwillingly handed to him. Panic continued to course through him, making his palms slick with dread and his breath tense in its shallow ebb and flow.

“Yes. You did,” Henry pressed, unmitigated joy vibrating through him as he bounded off the bunk to stand before the paralyzed pirate who was frantically trying to think of a way to wrestle back control of the conversation. “You remember, don’t you?”

“Henry, I-” Killian began, his attempt to gently give some sort of plausible explanation for his words interrupted as the persona he had been so desperately trying to hide rang out from the very person he had hoped would never know the truth.

“I knew it! You are Captain Hook! Why do you have two hands?”

“Henry enough!” Killian snapped, his panic applying a harsh tone to words his fear spoke in a final desperate attempt to hide the truth. “Look all of this is a delusion. Do you know what a delusion is?”

“I-I think so.”

“It's something that's not real and not healthy.”

Killian hated himself with every word he spoke. Each syllable like ash upon his tongue as his hypocrisy took over, declaring the very words he had silently seethed over at the thought of the Cricket doing the Queen’s bidding. A bidding he was now fulfilling, compelled by his own selfishness and desire to keep Henry from the truth. The truth of who he truly was - a villain.

“But you said-”

“Henry, this nonsense must end,” Killian demanded, his anger and hatred at himself spilling over as his temper flared at the whole bloody universe that was crashing down around him. “A curse, Captain Hook, The Saviour? Do you know what you sound like, Henry? Like a madman!”

The words hung in the air between them, and Killian immediately wished he could take them back. Wished he could go back to when Henry had first arrived, or maybe even back days before when he saw the suspicious glint first appear in Henry’s eyes. Wished he had made a different choice from the moment he’d first acquired his memories. Wished he’d just told Henry the truth.

“I thought you believed,” Henry said softly, tears pooling in his eyes before spilling over, down his cheeks, and tearing Killian’s heart with each streak. “In the curse. In me.” Anguish transformed into anger, and Killian flinched as Henry shouted his last words at him, “I thought you were my friend!” Henry pushed past the pirate after grabbing his bag and rushed out the cabin door.

“Henry! Wait!” Killian called out after him, chasing him up onto the deck as he shouted, “Henry, I’m sorry! Come back, lad. You were ri-”

His confession was cut off as he fell hard upon the deck. That damn board! By the time Killian picked himself up Henry was long gone, a light drizzle falling over him as he sat simmering in his shame.

Way to go, Hook, he chastised. If ever there was a moment he deserved the address of his villainous moniker, surely this was it.

He’d wanted to protect Henry from his villainy, wanted to protect the relationship he had cultivated with the lad over the years. A relationship that Killian had come to cherish in his cursed state and treasured now that he was awake. Treasured it because Killian knew fate had afforded him a second chance; a second chance to care for a boy who simply needed something, someone, to anchor themselves to, in order to find hope.

He’d failed the first time, with Bae. A boy whose life had been shattered by darkness and deceit. Ripped asunder, in part, by Killian’s own hand when he had taken the boy’s mother from him, and could not be mended later when he’d chosen revenge over the effort to win back the boy’s trust when he’d learned the truth. A regret that had gnawed at Killian for centuries. He wasn’t going to do it again. He wasn’t going to abandon another boy to hopelessness because of his shortcomings, his lies, and his selfishness.

He wouldn’t do that to Henry.

Killian made his way to his cabin and opened the sea chest that sat atop his desk. The cool metal of his hook calmed the remaining vestiges of his anger and self contempt. Slipping it into his back pocket, Killian took one final breath of deep resolve before making his way off the ship in search of Henry…

And, perhaps, some measure of atonement that only the truth could provide.

Chapter 9

Tagging some lovelies that have asked to be tagged, as well as some we believe might enjoy. Please let us know if you do, or don’t wish to be tagged.

@abeylin1982 @aprilqueen84 @artistic-writer @ashar663 @bschratter @captain-k-jones @captain-swan-coffee @downeystarkjr @flipperbrain @florenzu @freakassbuthunter @gingerchangeling @golfgirld @greenleaf777 @i-island-breeze @ilovemesomekillianjones @jennjenn615 @joneskillian @jsilva0117 @juliakaze @kmomof4 @laschatzi @leiaswanjoneskid @like-waves-on-the-beach @mariakov81 @mcbrideannemgt @rookiehookie @seriouslyhooked @smutqueen27 @teamhook @ultraluckycatnd @wordsmith-storyweaver @xhookswenchx @yayimallamaagain

#cs ff #cs canon divergence #cursed killian #dark hook #season 1 #Dark Hook Comes to Storybrooke #cs #cs fanfic #cs fan fic #cs fanfiction #Captain Swan #captain swan fic #captain swan fan fic #captain swan fanfic #captain swan fan fiction #captain swan fanfiction #winterbaby89writes #words by hollye

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harukatomoe · 7 years

Text

Taste (Dazai x Reader x Chūya)

Taste

It was crazy how with just a sway of your hips could send the poor brunette and ginger-haired men drooling and dropping to their knees for a better look. Oh, how they wished for a little touch to your skin with their hands, unfortunately they were denied the feeling. They were shameless when it came to being around you, even if they were at a public beach with their organizations. Yes, the Port Mafia and the Armed Detective Agency were at the same beach, at the same time, on the same day. It was uncanny.

You somehow managed to enforce a peace treaty between the two conflicting organizations of Yokohama for the time being, somehow convincing them that the beach was for enjoying and having a fun time, not for winding up tense muscles even more and causing havoc. Each organization was mere metres planted away from each other, but that didn't stop any one of them from interacting peacefully with each other. It was odd seeing people who'd be at each other's throat doing fun activities together, not that you mind though, at least you could enjoy a day off without any of them complaining to you.

You were an informant that worked nationwide for all of Japan. You happened to reside inside of Yokohama and gave information to anyone who gave a good amount of cash that satisfied you. You were on neither side, nor did you play favourites; it just so happened you delivered a decent amount of information to both of the sides. You were lucky that you weren't shut down as an information broker because you made deals with the government and police that your information was extremely resourceful.

In your time on the job, you met all sorts of people; including Dazai and Chūya. They had to admit that you were an attractive lady, at the same time a nosy and dangerous one, but that didn't stop them from coming to see you. Whenever any of them heard that they needed information (after Rokuzō's death), they came straight to you. Eventually you came to bond with them and managed to develop a somewhat close relationship with them. You could tell that they had an interest in you, they were quite obvious with their laid back flirtations.

"Oh, would you two close your mouths and stop drooling." You huffed, placing both your hands under their chins and closing their mouths for them. After that, your hands found their way to your hips, swaying them as you turned your back to them to march away. It was said as more as an eye-roll to their obnoxiousness than an annoyance, they were head over heels for you. You knew exactly how they felt about you, slightly interested, you decided to play a little game with them since you didn't interact with anyone much but them.

"Give me a day and I'll show you that I'm better than-"

"(First Name)-chan! Wouldn't you like to go out with someone taller than you?"

You could sense them tripping each other behind you, you could sense they were taking any chance to sabotage the other just to get a head start on each other. Oh, how pesky it was to listen to them bicker at each other endlessly, yet at the same time it was intriguing because you never had someone, nonetheless two people obsess over you this way. Being an informant was a lonely job where you didn't have time for someone else, so when either one of them came around, it made your day better.

"I like men who would do anything for something they want," you commented, a smirk rising on the right side of your face at your little enigma. Both the men stuck out their chests for a few seconds, believing that it applied to them; only to slump back down in a slightly irritated manner due to the fact it applied to the both of them. Upon hearing their annoyed grumbles and unhappy mumbling, you laughed. Dipping your feet sideways into the warm sand, you twirled your body around to face them.

"I assume you said that on purpose with the knowledge that it applies to the both of us?" Dazai queried, smiling in defeat a little at your successful little trick. You nodded through half-lidded eyes, your smirk feeling like it was something rare to them. They couldn't stop admiring your absolutely drop-dead gorgeous looks and not to mention your sly behaviour that they were amused by. You were a cunning woman, candour as well, that's what made you so interesting.

"If this is the game you want to play, I'll play." Oh, how Chūya revealed his panty-dropping smirk. You had to admit that he was indeed a gorgeous man, handsome even. His cerulean optics intrigued you as well as his ginger hair, surely he had foreign blood in him or even was foreign, right? His personality matched well with his face, his words matched well with everything about him. He was determined to attract a woman like you into going on a date with him, keeping in mind he wanted to impress you, but at the same time, wouldn't mind anything else that could happen on the way.

As for Dazai, he was surely an attractive man. His eyes were a bright light brown that seemed like sweet cocoa with marshmallows in colour, his hair was messy but kept slightly neat and framed his face with brown that reminded you of the colour coffee you would drink. You had gotten a glimpse of his face without his bangs in the way and for that moment back then, you swore you felt your breath being taken away. Dazai's personality was mysterious, you could see he was bright in personality and at the same time he was hiding something, he was truly an interesting man.

Both of them were similar in ways, but completely different. That's what made your feelings so conflicted. Both of them were deep in affection and fancy towards you that it made it hard to escape and not decide; not that you could decide though, you didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings nor let any of them be the one to reign victorious. It was hard to escape your keen interest in them.

"Really? Then here's my next one," you hummed, watching the both of them ready themselves for your next clue, you couldn't help but to want their attention. "I like men who will love me like no other can." It was vague but, you could see the fire that burned inside of them. Immediately they looked each other in the eye and began to push and pull at each other's faces, kicking each other while they were at it. Oh, how only a few words and a hint from you could cause your own little entertainment.

"I can." Dazai chirped, his height overpowering the shorter man as he somehow managed to trip him into the sand, his face planting into the grains as Dazai stepped on top of him in success. Dazai reached out and caressed your hand into his, leaning forward so that his lips could approach your delicate fingers. He smiled and shut his eyes in delight, savouring the moment he had with you.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Chūya exerted, throwing Dazai off of him and sending him a metre and a half away. He fumed uncontrollably as his sworn enemy had embarrassed him in front of a woman he was trying to impress. Grains of sand decorated his hair and face like stars, only to he shaken off with a quick head whip back and forth. He successfully managed to throw his ex-partner away from you just in time so that his lips couldn't reach your sugar-sweet skin.

Dazai shrugged, his hands up to the level of his face as if he didn't care about what he was going to say to embarrass the redhead. "This hat rack cares more about his clothing than-"

"Imma send your address to every women you've left crying." Chūya threatened, his face falling annoyed in darkness as he glared Dazai dead in the eyes. You could see Dazai falter slightly, whispering a quick, "could you not do that" to him before bouncing back to his previous personality.

"Ohh~ Dazai-san is a womanizer, I hear? Too bad...~" you raised your chin, frowning in play as you grabbed your chin in query to their past relationship and knowledge with and of each other. Alarmed, Chūya spun his body in a quick pivot to face you, his eyes wide and slight desperate. You could see his lips purse in temptation as he waited for you to say something. He wanted to know if he won.

"Does that mean...?" He asked, eager to find out if he had beat Dazai in something yet again. Their competitions with each other were pretty even. Though, it was rare for Dazai to make a mistake due to his past experience. He felt a tad bit outsmarted by words, but was still determined to win, he listened in.

"No, no, I still have one more." Their ears perked with amusement, both of them coming together to find out what you were going to puzzle next. If Dazai being a womanizer had not affected you and gave Chūya a head start, it still meant he had a chance. You inhaled deeply, almost ready to express your last hint towards them. Oh, how they could fall at your feet at any given second. You took a step forward and brushed the both of their shoulders with yours, bumping your hips to theirs a little to keep their attention on you. They could smell the wonderfully delicious fragrant smell of your hair, their heads following you as you pushed past them.

"I like men who will..." you paused, your eyes amorous and your lips seductive.

"...follow me to my place~"

End

#nakahara chuya #dazai osamu #one-shot #wattpad #unedited #bungou stray dogs #bsd

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duhragonball · 7 years

Text

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (51/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation. This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Previous Chapters conveniently available here

[20 May 236 Before Age. Interstellar Space.]

"How are you feeling?"

"Like--ow!-- like a damned fool. Where's Zatte?"

Luffa swung her feet off the bed and tried to stand up, but suddenly every muscle in her body seemed to cry out in pain. She paused and forced herself to remain calm. She glanced up at the ceiling of the Emerald Eye's sickbay, then back down to Dr. Topsas.

"Isn't this the part... where you tell me to take it easy?" she asked.

"Would you have listened to me if I had?" Topsas replied. "I find my Saiyan patients prefer to find things out the hard way."

"Don't tell me," Luffa said. "Delayed onset muscle soreness. I pushed my body harder than I have in my whole life, then I've been stuck in this bed for who knows how long."

"I know how long, little mammal," Topsas said. "Three days. Although you got up and walked around at least four times during that period, so 'stuck in bed' seems a poor choice of words."

"I sort of remember that..." Luffa said. "Three days...? Didn't seem that long... What kind of sedatives were you giving me, Doc?"

He began to list a number of chemical compounds, and she cut him off. "By now, all this muscle pain ought to be long gone," she said. "The lactic acid buildup should have washed out of my system a long time ago."

"That is a common misconception about muscle soreness," Topsas said. "It is true that the body metabolizes lactates to compensate for insufficient oxygen during strenuous activity. This produces lactic acid in the muscles, which, as you say, is eventually excreted from the body. However, the *soreness* is caused by micro-trauma damage to the muscles themselves. The pain should subside as the damage is repaired, but as you said, this level of strain is quite unprecedented."

She tried to stand again, but much more gingerly than before. Topsas reached out to steady her, but she waved him off.

"Thanks, Doc, but this pain and me are old buddies," she said. "It's more intense than ever before, but I know how to deal with it."

"I thought you might say that," he said. "You suffered some tendon damage in your shoulder, multiple contusions, and three broken ribs. These have been repaired, but will likely be sore for several more days. I can give you painkillers if you choose, but these will make you drowsy."

Luffa tested her shoulder carefully and winced as she tried to raise her arm. "Got it," she said. "Anything else?"

"I cannot rule out delayed-onset ki disorder," he said.

She found a set of clean clothes on the tray table next to her bed. "Figured you were coming to that."

"Your ki powers may malfunction if you attempt to use them," he added. "That would be dangerous enough on a planet, but here on a spaceship--"

"I get the idea, Doc," Luffa said wearily. "Right now I barely feel up to walking. I bet even you could whip me in a fight right now. You know. If you wanted to."

"Perish the thought," Topsas said.

"Come on," Luffa said, managing a weak smile. "You never once wanted to smack the taste out of my mouth? I know I'm a pretty crappy patient. You'd never get a better chance. Not that I’d roll over for you. I’m weak, but I’d still make you work for it."

"You really want that, don't you?" Topsas said quietly. "On some level, you truly view everyone around you as a sparring partner."

She snorted. "I'm just pulling a few of your legs, Doc," she said, somewhat unconvincingly. She pulled a black shirt over her head and winced from the effort.

"Perhaps," he said, regarding her carefully. "But I think you see fighting as something more than a way to resolve a conflict. And it bothers you that you cannot share that with someone like me."

"Aw, you're reading too much into it," Luffa said.

"I heal wounds, little mammal. To inflict them would be counterproductive. A waste of my already underrated talents."

"I know."

"I am honored by your invitation nonetheless."

"You don't have to get all mushy, Doc," Luffa said. She sat back down on the bed and started sliding her yellow pants over her feet. "If you don't want to take a poke at me, I understand. I healed a bird with my powers once or twice, and it felt kind of goofy, like I was doing your thing instead of mine."

"Of course," Topsas said.

"Zatte's okay, isn't she?" Luffa asked. "I remember her being there with me on Wist, and bringing me back to the ship, but that's about it."

"She wasn't hurt," Topsas said. "Although she may be--"

"Good, I need to ask her something," Luffa said. She made her way to the door and hobbled out into the corridor before Topsas could finish.

*******

"So that's where we're going?" Keda said as she pointed to the star chart displayed on the screen.

"Right," Luffa said. "It's safe, uninhabited, out of the way, and there's a decent spaceport about a dozen light years away. And it's close to the galactic center, so we're less than three weeks out from anywhere we decide to go next."

The Dorlun girl stroked her chin and regarded the chart like a seasoned military advisor, which wasn't altogether ridiculous, given her recent work in the Wist/Federation War. Marshall Booth had even offered her a job, though he had no idea that he was getting sound tactical advice from an eleven-year-old.

"Where'd you find this place, Luffa?" she finally asked.

"I bought it," Luffa said.

This shocked Keda, since she had been handling Luffa's finances for over a year. "When?" she asked.

"Around the time we started up the Federation," Luffa said. She was trying to get comfortable in the seat beside the captain's chair, and wasn't having much luck. "Listen, can we get back to--?"

"Where'd you get that kind of money?!" Keda asked.

"From the mercenary work we did last year," Luffa said. "What'd you think I did with my share of the profits?"

"Savings account?" Keda guessed.

"We were getting paid way more money than we ever needed," Luffa said, "even after you figure expenses. I decided I could use a place to go in an emergency, like if the Federation didn't pan out. So I contacted a broker and got in touch with a crew that charts the Core Worlds. Got a good deal too, because I paid cash up front. Also, the environment is kind of harsh. It's fine around the equator, but everywhere else is pretty rough, which scares of the usual buyers. All they ever want is a private vacation retreat, and this planet doesn’t suit that idea at all."

"You actually made a contingency plan," Keda said. "I'm impressed, Luffa."

The Saiyan tapped the side of her head. "I've got a little something in here besides muscle," she said. "Which is good, because right now it's the only part of me that isn't sore. Now can we get back to Zatte?"

"What's there to get back to?" Keda asked with a shrug. "You saw me run the sensor sweep over the whole ship. It says she's not on board."

"Dammit, Keda, she didn't just open an airlock and jump out into space," Luffa said.

"Of course not," Keda said. "But you know how her powers work." The Dorlun concentrated for a moment and suddenly Luffa was sitting beside a near-perfect copy of herself. Keda was taller, her skin had changed from blue to beige, her hair from long and red to short and black, and a tail had sprouted from the base of her spine.

Luffa was unimpressed. "Will you stop showing off and help me?" she grumbled.

"If I scanned the bridge right now," Keda said in an approximation of Luffa's voice, "some of the sensors would be fooled into thinking there's two Saiyan women in here. That's because my powers let me imitate enough of your features to trick the computer. But my vital signs and internal organs wouldn't quite check out, and the rest of the sensors would pick up on that. They might not recognize me as Dorlun, but they'd conclude I wasn't a real Saiyan."

She concentrated again and willed her hair to stand on end and turn yellow. "I can even look like you as a Super Saiyan, but when I transform, it's just a color change. I can't put out the kind of energy you do, so anyone with ki sensitivity wouldn't be fooled."

"You forgot the tail," Luffa muttered, glancing down at the furry appendage now draped over Keda's lap. The fur was still brown.

"Oh, whoops," Keda said with a sheepish grin. "The point is that Zatte's powers are completely different from mine. She can refract electromagnetic radiation around her body, so the sensors can't detect her at all. Same goes for ki energy, which is why we can't sense her that way."

"I know all of that," Luffa said. "That was how she snuck up on me and Kandai on Planet Wist. I could smell her once she was close enough, but by then it was too late to matter." She leaned back in the chair and grimaced. "Can't the ship's sensors pick up those trace chemicals in the air? Or, maybe... I don't know... you'd think her footsteps on the deckplate would register."

"We didn't pay for those kinds of features," Keda said. "When we upgraded the yacht's defenses, we figured we wouldn't need to worry about intruders as much as hostile vessels."

"Right," Luffa said. "We thought no one would be dumb enough to come on board and risk dealing with me face-to-face. Except Zatte's turned that whole idea on its ear, right? She kidnapped me right under your nose. Then she hijacked the ship, forced you to come to Planet Wist after I told her not to follow me. Now this."

"Look, she wasn't herself when she kidnapped you," Keda said. "And she took over the ship to help you."

"I know, I know," Luffa said, "but I get tired of her out-maneuvering me like this. Bad enough I got my butt caved in by that Shockmaster clown, now I have to figure out why she's playing hide-and-seek. I just needed to ask her something--"

"Well that's easy," Keda said. "I can turn on the ship's public address system, and she'll hear you from anywhere on board."

Luffa glared at Keda like she had two heads. "It's personal, all right?" she said testily.

"Okay, okay. I'm only trying to help--"

"Well, help me find her, would you?"

"All right. Take it easy."

Luffa sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Why would she be hiding, anyway?" she asked. "Was it something I said?"

"Do you remember what you did when you changed our course?" Keda asked.

"No," Luffa said. "Honestly, I barely even remember doing it. I guess those drugs Doc gave me really did a number on me."

"Well, you were pretty upset about Zatte hijacking the ship," Keda said. "You threatened to breach the hull and kill us all if she tried it again."

"I did? Yeah, I probably did. I'm sorry."

"Hey, I get it," Keda said. "It's your ship. You're in charge. I understood that when I signed on."

"Yeah, but I was out of line," Luffa said.

"It’s cool. You've had a rough time lately," Keda offered.

"Doesn't give me the right to take it out on you guys. I should be better than that. I have to be."

She stood up and winced, then slowly headed for the door. "I'll find her myself," she said. "Looks like the only thing to do is search the whole ship room by room, and seal off each section as I go. Maybe the ship can’t sniff her out, but I can."

"That'll take a while," Keda said.

Luffa shrugged. "Can't be helped. If you see her..."

"I'll let her know you're looking for her."

"Thanks, kid."

*******

Luffa opened the door to the yacht's gymnasium and didn't bother turning on the lights. Despite the number of comfortable guest quarters on board, she had used the ship's fitness center as a private sanctum. A pile of floor mats served as her bed, and she was used to finding it in the dark. She lowered herself onto it and curled up into a ball. There were a couple of deck towels she used for blankets lying around, and she reached around with her hand to try to find them in the dark.

"How did you know I was here?"

Luffa let out a rather undignified squeak, and scrambled to sit up. "Lights!" she shouted, and the ship's computer illuminated the room.

Of course, there was nothing to see. Most of the gym was a wreck, but that was nothing new; it had been this way for over a year. Luffa made use of some of the equipment, but she only needed one elliptical machine at most, so she had shoved the other five off to one side of room. She hadn't been gentle about this. Neither had she been particularly concerned about the large mirrors that lined the starboard wall. Each pane of glass was shattered, with shards laying on the floor beside them, surrounded by bloodstains. In another corner, a rack of weights lay on its side. Beside it was a treadmill that had been twisted into something resembling an abstract sculpture. Luffa's handprints were gouged into the metal.

"I didn't know you were here," Luffa finally called out. "I was about to search the ship, but I was so tired I figured I should sleep first. I asked you not to come in here, Zattie."

"I know," she said. "I thought this would be the last place you would look for me."

Luffa groaned and lay back down on the mat. "Well, it’s dangerous in this room. I blow off steam in here. I break stuff, mostly. I try not to..." She started to laugh.

"What?" Zatte said.

"I used to lie awake in here and try not to transform," Luffa said. "I was afraid to even move. Thought if I blinked I’d blow myself straight to hell. But right now I'm weaker than I was when I was a kid. It's dumb. It's all dumb. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Zatte asked.

"For everything," Luffa said. "Keda told me I threatened you the other day. I don't even remember that, but I was pretty sore about you hijacking my ship, so it must have happened."

"How did you get around my program, anyway?" Zatte asked.

"This ship's always been my weak point, Zattie," Luffa said. "Doesn't matter how strong I am if an enemy fleet gets in a lucky shot, or somebody sneaks aboard and sets the ship to auto-destruct. And I always thought maybe Keda might try to pull something, so I found a programmer on Moleen and had him set up a master override. It's got something to do with the hardware, so you'd need do to more than hack the computer, but I don't know how any of that techie crap works. Basically if I'm on board and I tell the computer to do something, it does it, end of story. I like to keep things simple."

"I see," Zatte said.

"Anyway, I shouldn't be sore at you for helping me out on Wist. You were just doing what you thought was right. It's humiliating, but I'll get over it."

"You will?"

"Sure. I'm just sorry I let you down."

Zatte shimmered into view, and took a seat on the mat beside Luffa. "I thought I was the one who let you down," she said.

"What?"

"I didn't really have a plan. I just went down to the planet to check on you. I wanted to be there in case anything went wrong. And then I realized I had to make a choice. I could either let you settle things with Kandai on your own, or shoot him and guarantee that you would survive."

"You probably made the right call," Luffa said. "That's what burns me up about it. If I could have killed Kandai I would have done it right off the bat. Instead I kept dragging it out. I told myself it was because I wanted to be sporting about it, because that's how a true Saiyan would handle it, but even he knew that was ridiculous, and he was a coward."

She looked at Zatte and shook her head. "I think I was afraid to finish him off. Like, I'd been hunting him for so long that I was afraid of what it would be like to be done with it all. Maybe I wanted someone else to come along and do it for me."

"My people have a story about a Dorlun who became immortal," Zatte said. "At first it was great for him, and he had all these ideas on what he would do with his endless life. But he never really got started on those plans, because in the back of his mind he knew he would always have time to get to it later. Then he fell down a well."

"What happened to him?" Luffa asked.

"Nothing happened to him," Zatte said with a grin. "He's still down there, wishing he hadn't wasted all that precious time."

"That's a lousy story," Luffa said.

"So's the one about the Super Saiyan who couldn't get past her vendetta," Zatte said. "I didn't like the way it was going, so I changed the ending. At least this way, you get to show up for the next story, and the one after that."

"If I'd just been stronger," Luffa said, "I could have handled the whole thing myself. And you wouldn't have needed to get involved."

"Wait, so you're really not mad at me for interfering? For hijacking your ship? For cheating you out of your revenge?"

"Hah! I mean, I'm not happy about it, if that’s what you’re asking, but I've got no one to blame but myself. Right now, I kind of wish I could turn invisible too, you know what I mean?"

"Luffa, I've been avoiding you because I thought you were mad at me."

"I thought you were mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?" Zatte asked.

"Because I got my ass kicked, that's why!"

Luffa pulled the towel over her head. "I know how you feel about me. You think I'm some kind of miracle, and it's your holy duty to support me any way you can. What's the word? 'xan-nil'Dor?' 'Why-we-survive?'"

"Yeah."

"No offense, but I hate that kind of mumbo jumbo. There's at least a dozen planets where everybody thinks I fit into their mythology one way or another."

"I know."

"I'm just a fighter. Sooner or later I'm bound to lose. I'll get him next time, that's the best I can offer."

"Next time?" Zatte said. She yanked the towel away to see Luffa's face. "You want to fight the Shockmaster again?"

Luffa rolled onto her back and smiled. "Yes," she said. "That big oaf refused to kill me. Biggest mistake he ever made."

"But how--?"

"He was too strong for me," Luffa said. She was trembling, and she slowly rose to a sitting position, then onto her knees. "There's no sugarcoating it. I never expected to run into anyone that powerful. He was toying with me the whole time. The only way I'll win against him is to get even stronger."

"Is that even possible?!" Zatte asked.

"I won't know for sure until I try," Luffa said. "But I gotta try, Zattie. I've been waiting for an opponent like this my whole life. I can't just walk away without taking another crack at him. He was too strong for me. I can't get over it."

She rose to her feet, and started pacing around the room, with a mad grin on her face. "Sorry, I just get excited thinking about it. Even when Doc had me doped up in sickbay, I had dreams about it. See, this was exactly why I wanted to find you, Zattie. You always know how to cheer me up."

"Um, glad I could help," Zatte said. She stood up and scratched the back of her own neck. "So you're not mad at me. I just want to be clear."

"No, I'm not mad at you," Luffa said. "I just don't want you trying to take over the ship anymore. I've got a plan."

"Well, I'm kind of embarrassed about the whole thing now," Zatte. "That day in the kitchen, you said you wanted to talk later, and I didn't like the sound of that. I thought you were going to put me off the ship or something like that."

"What? No," Luffa said. "It's just that I was thinking about you during the fight, and it was kind of a distraction. Not that it mattered, I was gonna get my clock cleaned no matter what..."

"You were thinking about me?" Zatte asked.

Luffa turned around to face her, now bearing a solemn expression. "Look, the thing is, I need to eliminate those kinds of distractions. Next time, it might be a much closer match, and if I lose focus like that it could mean the difference between winning and losing. Does that make sense?"

Zatte's shoulders sagged and when she nodded, she didn't raise her head back all the way. "I... I think I see what you mean," she said. "Believe me, the last thing I want to do is get in your way..."

"It won't work out like this, not in the long term," Luffa said. "This is hard for me to say, but it's probably better to get it over with so we can both move on."

"Well, if this is what you think is best..." Zatte said. "Look, I know you don't believe it yourself, but I still think of you as a xan'nil-Dor. I have an obligation to do what's best for you, like it or not."

"Good, I'm glad you feel that way," Luffa said. "Makes this a little easier to ask you this. Ever since you shot Kandai, I realized there's only one way forward here."

Zatte sighed. "All I ask is that you let me stay with you. Keda's the only other Dorlun I can find, and I still want to help you, even if you want to end our relationship."

"End our--? Wait, what?"

"Well, you're breaking up with me, right?"

"What? Hell no. Where'd you get that idea?"

"You got all serious, started talking about eliminating distractions, and how much you want to get this over with."

"Dammit, I'm not breaking up with you," Luffa said.

"Well then what was it you've been wanting to ask me this whole time?" Zatte demanded.

"I just have a hard time saying stuff like this--"

"Well spit it out!" Zatte exclaimed. "Why does everything have to be so suspenseful with you?"

"Okay, okay!" Luffa said.

"I mean, you always have to stall and stall, like I'm supposed to just stand here all night long and wait for you to put the words together," Zatte raved. "I know you get self-conscious about things, but no one else is even here! Why can't you just cut to the chase?! I... what are you doing--?"

Luffa had walked to the mat and lowered herself--with some difficulty--down to one knee. She looked up at Zatte and said: "Will you marry me?"

NEXT: Try, try again.

#dragon ball #fanfiction #lssjluffafic #super saiyan #luffa #dr topsas #keda #zatte #no planets in this one #i got tired of tagging planets and i said aloud:#'i wish i never had to tag another planet for as long as i live!'#then planetsy the fictional planet sprite came along and granted my wish #which works out fine now except i've got this ship on course for another made-up planet and it doesn't exist #i can't just have nothing there #except for planetsy squealing 'nooooo planets!' and that silly whistle of his #aw gee planetsy i didn't know what i was saying #can't we just call the whole thing off?#this chapter took me forever to get right and now i'm here just spitballing in the tags like a jerk

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mybullshitsensesaretingling · 7 years

Text

Like Me

Request: If you haven't already written something similar, and if you are up for it: what about a story where the crew of the enterprise meet another person who is part human and part Vulcan, but they were raised by their human family members and they know very little about vulcans, so Spock tries to explain it to them. Sort of a Nature Vs Nurture kind of thing? - Anonymous

A/N: I loved this! I have so many thoughts on this that I couldn’t fit in. Nature vs. nurture is one of my favorite topics especially when it involves aliens.

People walked leisurely about the promenade. They moved in small groups, chatting and going in and out of stores. You weaved between them, doing your best to avoid having to shove your way past anyone. The clock sounded to let you know once again that you were going to be late. A hushed curse fell from your lips as your feet kept up their steady pace across the metal floor. Finally reaching the lift, you screeched to a halt.

The ride to the docks was short but provided enough time for you to catch your breath and adjust your uniform. You knew a professional appearance twenty minutes late in the game was about as good as slapping some duct tape on a broken engine and calling it fixed, but you still weren’t going to go out there looking like you just got out of a particularly sloppy session of seven minutes in heaven. As soon as the doors opened you picked up a brisk pace. You didn’t stop again until you reached the ship you were looking for. The U.S.S Enterprise. If the situation had been different, you would have taken a moment to admire how impressive she was. But instead of the state of the art technology catching your eye, a pair of men did. One was pacing back and forth with his jaw clenched tightly. His impatience was evident, but his co-worker however, simply stood at the entrance. He was completely blank.

Holding your station required that your deal with quite a few people who were impatient or angry with you, but this? This blankness was something new.

“Good afternoon,” you greeted the men, coming forward, “So sorry I’m late. You would not believe the week we’ve had. We’ve been having dealing with a bit of an outbreak of thought controlling parasites. Fascinating but somewhat troublesome.” Shifting your PADD from your right hand to your left, your stuck out your hand for the blond man in yellow to shake. “Captain Kirk I presume?”

Giving your hand a firm shake, he nodded, “Yes. This is my lead science officer, Commander Spock.”

You felt yourself straighten up, your eyes widen, and your mouth fall open slightly as you turned to look at his associate. Your hands dropped to your sides, causing them to swing a bit. You were sure you must have looked like a child, but you couldn’t help it. And you couldn’t do anything but gape at him for far longer than what was considered appropriate.

“Do you need a minute?” Kirk’s voice came through the slight haze that had filled your mind.

You shook your head, getting the thoughts loose and your head clear. “Sorry. I’m not usually this unprofessional.” The moment you were set free from your trance, you could feel the heat start to rise to your cheeks. You knew that there was a noticeable green tint by now. “I’ve just never met anyone like me before.”

“You’ve never met another Vulcan?” Spock asked.

A smile stretched across your face, barely containing a laugh.

You weren’t sure exactly what it was about the question that was partially funny. It was a genuine question. He had every reason to ask it given the circumstances. It took you less than a second to realise it wasn’t what he had asked. It was the way he had asked it. He was completely emotionless. From his face to his voice. Just like in the bedtime stories your dad used to tell you.

“No, I haven’t, but that’s not what I meant,” your smile shrank slightly as you fought to remain businesslike, “I’m only half Vulcan. Half human. Like you.”

He raised his brows. Then nodded like he understood. “I assume you were raised by humans?”

“That’s correct.” The businesslike state had lost the battle once again, leaving you with a giddy grin and a slight bounce that you could do nothing to contain.

“Ok, if neither of you are gonna say it, I will,” Kirk said, taking a half step between the two of you, “this is really weird.”

A laugh bubbled out of you, clearly shocking both of them, “Captain, we live in space. This doesn’t even make it on to my list of weird things to happen today.”

“Well, it’s weird for me.”

“It’s amazing for me,” you beamed, “I want to know everything. Your people- our people. Your- our culture. Your planet. I want to hear about all it.” The cool weight in your hand suddenly became noticeable to you again and you glanced down at your PADD, pulling it up to rest on your rib cage. “After you show me the sample.”

“I think teaching you about our culture would be beneficial.” Spock motioned for you to enter the ship.

You chewed on the edge of your lip as your eyes moved back and forth across the screens set up before you. Every ten minutes or so another person was coming up to you with a new piece of information or PADD for you to sign and over half of them came from the infirmary. If the note passing wasn’t keeping you from your work enough as it was, you would have gone down there to have a few words with the good doctor.

A presence behind you caused your attention to falter. It wasn’t someone you knew. That was all you could tell without turning around. You had always had an innate ability to sense who was around you even if you couldn’t see them. Something that never failed to unnerve your friends.

“It’s creepy to watch people like that,” you informed whoever it was behind you, while you finished filling out the form you had been working on.

“Not as creepy as when you act like you have eyes in the back of your head,” the tactical officer jibbed, handing you the passenger and cargo reports. His remark earned him a quick glare accompanied by a scrunched up nose from you.

“My apologies,” Spock’s voice sounded, “I did not want to disturb you.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know it was you, Commander.” You got to your feet so that you could face him. With your back pressed into your station you studied him. You couldn’t imagine ever being that emotionless or getting used to being around someone who was. “I don’t mean to be rude, but what are you doing in major operations?”

“I’m looking for you.” When you seemed surprised by this response, he continued, “Your Commander told me you were here. You were supposed to meet me on the promenade for lunch half an hour ago.”

“Oh.” You handed a the form to an ensign along with a strong warning for the doctor. “I got a little caught up. Still dealing with that outbreak.”

“Would you like to eat now?”

“Love to,” you grinned.

“Are you finally taking your lunch break?” the tactical officer asked, watching you go to join the other Vulcan with the smallest of smirks on his face.

“I would have been able to take it early, if you had done your job right, you squashed banana,” you accused. You saw his smirk falter as you stepped onto the lift, which only made one slide onto your own face. Rolling your shoulders to loosen them up after hours of work, you looked at Spock. “Have you ever had Acamarian food?”

“I cannot say that I have.” He had straightened up during the brief conversation with your co-workers. Every muscle stiffening ever so slightly. He barely looked at you and when he did it was only out of the corner of his eye as if looking at you fully would cause some kind of damage to his retinas. The fact that you made him uncomfortable was painfully clear to you, even if he was great at suppressing his emotions. You tried not to take it personally.

“You’re gonna love it. They haven’t been here for long and I doubt they’ll be here much longer- kinda cultural flakes - but their foods pretty good.” Your dad had mentioned that Vulcans weren’t big on talking. Now you were seeing first hand that he was right. Unfortunately, you felt the need to compensate for his silence by talking more. And he was letting you.

It wasn’t until you had made it through the line and had to stop to order your food that you were finally able to put a halt to the word vomit you had been spewing. This was not going nearly as well as you had hopped it would.

“Lieutenant,” Spock’s voice voice was more tentative than it had been. You knew he wanted to ask you something even before you looked up from the food you had been pushing around your plate.

“You can call me (Y/N). This is pretty informal,” you smiled, lowering your fork and resting your forearms on the table.

“(Y/N),” he complied to the correction. “I do not understand how you have not met a Vulcan before. There are plenty at the academy.”

“I didn’t go to Starfleet Academy,” you shrugged, reaching for your glass. “After my dad decided he didn’t want to live or raise me on Vulcan, we lived on his research ship until he thought I need something more concrete and we moved to the planet below. I went to the Science Academy there. Graduated top of my class. Guess that’s what happens when you spend your whole life doing the job your major is training you for,” you joked, running your thumb up and down the side of your cup. “I came to work here when my lab ran out of funding.”

“You were born on Vulcan?”

“Yeah, I was.” You were finding it hard to look at Spock instead of down at your food, but you forced yourself to anyways. “What was it like? My dad… he didn’t really like to talk about it. At least not honestly.”

He looked down at his hands, clearly struggling to find the words to best answer your question. “It was strict,” he said, after half a beat, looking back up to you, “Everything had a proper way to be done.”

“Damn.” You dropped your head down to rest on your hand. “And here I was thinking Vulcan was the party planet.”

“It takes years of training for us to not be… what is the term you would use? ‘Party animals’?” he told you as straight faced as ever.

A snort escaped you. “Yes, that’s the term, but I’m going to have to ask you for the good of the universe not to use it again,” you laughed. “I’m also going to have to ask you to tell me all about this anti-party training.”

You scooted closer, looking at him intently. Spock took the incredibly unsubtle hint and started talking. He started at the beginning, with how their children were raised. The longer you talked the more comfortable you felt. Every couple sentences you would interject with a question, making sure you soaked up as much information about your shared culture as possible.

When the sound of your communicator interrupted his explanation on the Vulcan betrothal ritual, your face fell. The second it went off you knew what it meant, and you got the feeling that Spock did too.

“(L/N),” you said as you held the reservoir up.

“You’re needed in command.”

Taking a breath, you fought the urge to curse. “I’ll be there right away.” You snapped your com shut and gave Spock a half smile, “Duty calls. This was really nice. It’s different hearing it from you than reading it on the Starfleet database. Thank you.”

“If you have the time later, I have scripts on the katra that I believe you would be interested in,” he told you.

A full grin stretched across your face as you got up. “I would love that.”

“I would also like to hear about how you have been able to keep your emotions in control without suppression them.”

“I was taught to channel them into something good.” You picked up you tray. “But, um, don’t look at my record to double check that.” You winked and walked off.

The sense of belonging you already got from this one man was almost overpowering. It was something you had never felt before. It felt like he finally was putting puzzle pieces in their place. You felt light and at peace and you knew you would never be able to repay him for that.

#Defiantly didnt sing strangers like me the whole time I was writing this because Im adult who totally isnt reminde of disney songs every day #spock #spock imagine #spock x reader #star trek #star trek imagine

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janiedean · 7 years

Note

I'm the anon who said you don't glorify obesity. Look I don't know anything about that ship y'all keep referring to and I don't know who "Hunk" is or whatever, I'm talking in general terms. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT SHIPPING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT just to clarify. I think it's wrong that people glorify being skinny but I don't think glorifying obesity is any better (I'm talking about more than overweight - ACTUALLY OBESE)

I’m probably not explaining myself properly but I think people should be able to ship whatever they want, the shipping was never my point. I just think the way people on the internet have been going on like “Fat women are goddesses!!! Real women have curves!!! If you don’t agree you’re fatphobic!!!” is wrong. I have been hospitalized twice for anorexia, I know how being skinny is glorified but I don’t think switching it around so it becomes “being obese is totally awesome and if you say otherwise you’re a horrible fatphobe” is any better. I’m sorry for sending you so many messages, I’ll stop now.

okay so GIVEN THAT WE ALREADY CLARIFIED OURSELVES ON THE MISUNDERSTANDING: the problem is that we were actually talking about shipping XD and the other anon decided it had to be about health but like the problem in general is that as usual (on tumblr and I guess in the US because it’s mostly US beauty standards I’m seeing thrown around) is that there’s no middle way in anything. I mean, like:

body shaming is a thing. in general. the problem is that fatshaming is, like, a thing that is more culturally spread than the contrary even if in some countries (ie italy) there’s this concept that if you’re skinnier than a size 42 (I guess it’s like an S or small M) you’re omg so unhealthy please EAT SOME PUT MEAT ON YOUR BONES WHY DO U HATE GOOD FOOD, but it’s more of an older generation thing. like, I’ve had problems with weight bc when I was in freaking elementary school people would go like ‘omg you’re so fat’ at me and I thought I was and then I looked at some pictures years later and I was like ‘… wtf I was perfectly fine what the hell’ and there’s a general implication that fat/overweight = unhealthy when it’s not necessarily the case.

the problem is that when it comes to body positivity there is like literally zero distinction between curvy, overweight, fat and obese which are not the same thing, and there is zero distinction between body positivity and promote a healthy lifestyle. I mean, according to US standards someone who’s fat would be… like… normal here? a size M is seen as perfectly regular stuff but from what I see of US sizes, M is like OMG I’M FAT already, which… like. here it’s maybe curvy. also being some 3/4kgs overweight never killed anyone. but since I see ZERO DISTINCTION here, it’s all thrown in the same bag and it’s the exact same for people who have 3 kgs more than average, 10, 25, 50 or freaking 200. which is obviously not the same.

also, there is the complete lack of realizing what it means to be healthy and to not be thin. like, as has been said already it’s absolutely not a guarantee that being thin or skinny means that you’re healthy (I had a friend who used to be chubby, then got sick with a freaking chronic disease and came out of it with a body that ended up finding her a job as a fashion model but SHE STILL WAS HEALTHIER BEFORE THE FREAKING CHRONIC DISEASE), I’ve struggled with my extra kgs all my damned life and whenever I go on vacation with friends that are thinner than me but move around less or don’t go to the gym and the likes I am the one who can walk for longer or gets tired less and I have better blood tests than my father who’s at his ideal weight and takes five pills for a bunch of different stuff. some people are just heavier as a body type but if it’s their body and it’s not due to shitty eating or lack of exercise or whatever then they’re not unhealthy. obviously severely obese people who can’t walk for more than twenty minutes without feeling like fainting aren’t in that category but like never mind that for a moment, the problem is that your size doesn’t automatically mean unhealthy and having 20 extra kgs on you makes you fat maybe but not freaking obese.

THEN, on body positivity: there is a healthy difference between NOT BEING A JERK and spreading awareness re healthy habits. like, society/media and the likes shouldn’t promote being thin, they should promote being healthy ie eating well and exercising, not THIN = HEALTHY. as stated you can be healthy without being thin. (or, as the character we were talking about that you weren’t referencing, you can be mostly muscle and have some chub over it and THAT’S NOT BEING OBESE XD at the same time, if someone is overweight or obese or whatever for any reason whatsoever you can’t go at them and tell them omg go lose some weight you loser THAT’S HORRIBLE. I mean, there’s a difference between saying that one should try to be as healthy as possible and go like OMG YOU’RE FAT YOU’RE HORRIBLE. if body positivity means not shaming someone else for their body then go the fuck for it. the problem is that then according to people saying ‘okay but if you can’t walk to the supermarket and back without feeling short of breath and you might get heart diseases maybe you should consider dropping some extra weight for your own benefit’ is fatphobic which… lolno. not everyone is fat because of bad habits and they shouldn’t have people making them feel bad even if they are but assuming that the above sentence (especially when doctors recommend you to do more exercise) is inherently fatphobic imo is ridiculous. if my doctor tells me I should lose some weight then I’m gonna consider it and I’m not gonna feel like he’s *phobic*, if someone goes like ‘omg you’re so fat you’ll never find a guy who wants you’, that is fatphobic. like, THERE’S A DIFFERENCE. (at the same time people who are skinny/thinner than average shouldn’t get told all the time OMG PUT SOME MEAT ON THAT SKELETON REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES like fuck’s sake respect all body types. being a real woman has zero to do with how much meat you have on you.) what should be glorified is be healthy and be happy with whatever body type you have as long as it doesn’t cause you problems and at that point nicely try to make those problems right while you’re encouraged without shaming anyone in the process. (which also means: gdi don’t put other people down if they’re trying to gain weight or lose it, ffs.)

now, the problem with shipping: the thing is - and I swear to god I don’t wanna sound like a sjw now but I hope the previous essay has made clear how I feel in general on this issue - that, in my experience, fat/overweight characters especially if they’re male are seen as… either the laughing stock of the group or the harmless nerd or anyway never as sexual objects. every damned time I ship something where a guy is overweight/fat (notable exceptions jacob and queenie from fantastic beasts which tbh really was a nice surprise for the part where the fat guy who’s also a sweetheart hooks up with the bombshell and it’s THE BEST ROMANCE OF ALL good go you man) right as rain there’s rarely fic for it least of all porn, and even if there is someone will go around saying the fat character isn’t attractive or deserving of getting some. when I say ‘sam tarly syndrome’ I mean ‘fat/overweight guy is a sweetheart who has a lot of nice ships they could be in but they get thoroughly ignored or if it happens in canon fandom lols at it’. I mean, I basically had to start the jon/sam tag on my own (if you see the fics at the beginning it’s honestly sad to see TEN of mine all after the other), once on a kinkmeme I was like ‘okay doing it’ at a pwp prompt and I got as an answer OMG I WAS HOPING YOU’D SEE THIS NO ONE ELSE IN THIS FANDOM WRITES PORN FOR THESE TWO and whenever people discuss canon sex scenes…. the only one in the book that always gets lol-ed at is sam and gilly’s in spite of the fact that okay, it’s badly written, but ALL of the sex scenes in asoiaf except one are badly written. it’s not worse than the average. but sam getting some because a relatively hot girl wants him and the sex - omg! - actually being somewhat not vanilla is seen as… like… OMG HAHAHAHAHA I CAN’T BELIEVE HE’S GETTING SOME OMG HOW EMBARRASSING as if this guy being overweight means he can’t be seen as a palatable partner when it comes to having a sex life. same as the other anon being like ‘omg hunk (the person we were referring) is fat and unhealthy so he’s not good enough for the other person’ is… exactly the same. I mean, this hunk character is admittedly the one person in that bunch I’d actually date irl same as sam is the one character from asoiaf I’d date irl the others are completely out of the question, but since they’re *fat* naaaaah? and guess what sam/WHOEVER is a lot less popular than ships which make a lot less sense but are two hot characters stashed together bc they’re hot. (jaime/sansa has like 300+ fics and jon/sam is still under 100 but okay sure tell me it’s because it makes no sense. lol no. and being that the only porn around for those two was written by me and maybe two/three other people says all.)

at that point then people go like ‘well but it’s because they’re unhealthy’ and that is when it becomes ridiculous. because going with the above problem re fatshaming being a thing that happens on a societal level, it becomes IF YOU’RE FAT YOU’RE NOT SEXUALLY DESIRABLE AND NO ONE SHOULD WANT YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR UNHEALTHY WEIGHT, which mixes stuff that doesn’t even go together with being sexually desirable which is something inherently personal. as in: if someone who’s unhealthily fat for whichever reason has a significant other who loves them and their body guess what THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO HAVE A SEXUAL LIFE AND TO BANG PEOPLE/GET BANGED TO THEIR PLEASURE. because when it comes to preferences in the bedroom or loving a person, size can be a thing - some people have certain body shapes preferences and so on - or it cannot be a thing at all and anyway it doesn’t matter when it comes to your right to be seen as desirable/being desirable. people of all sizes can be desirable or sexy or definitely sexually available regardless of the size - like everyone is freaking allowed to be sexually desirable even if they don’t conform to whichever is the beauty canon around.

and given that I personally got told more than once also by admittedly well-meaning people that they wouldn’t ever consider seeing me as desirable because I was overweight or not as thin as other hot person around our class or even better, the aforementioned friend who turned out to be a fashion model using that as some coping mechanism (as in, she didn’t like being sick obv. but since she had come out of it with a scorching hot physique while I had then undiagnosed pcos so I was struggling with weight all the damned time and I was healthy otherwise... er let’s say that she used to tell me stuff like ‘ah well look at you and look at me instead how much better looking I am’ which obviously was in order to make herself feel better about her illness but sure as hell didn’t help me feeling good about myself), I’m honestly fucking tired of this whole trend in shipping where overweight/fat people don’t get any from their hot best friends with whom they’re absolutely shippable but the hot friends get shipped instead with the most improbable hot people that happens in 90% of fandoms I run into. because it’s just a reflection of how irl if you’re overweight a lot of the time people will say that your weight puts you out of the goddamned dating field and everyone deserves to be in there, damn it, regardless of their size. it has nothing to do with being healthy or unhealthy. and saying shit like ‘omg X is fat they’re not good enough for Y’ is really fucking old already.

tldr: I hope I made clear why I got pissed at the other anon and what I think of the whole matter. obviously no one has to glorify being *unhealthy* (extreme obesity and anorexia are both unhealthy) and no one needs to put other groups down while doing it (looking at you n*icki m*inaj - like sorry but according to my standards she’s thin, having a nice ass doesn’t make you *fat* or curvy, and going like FUCK ALL THOSE SKINNY BITCHES is the exact contrary of body positivity tbh). but at the same time everyone deserves to be seen as sexually desirable and it’s bullshit that the current narrative depicts being overweight as something undesirable. both in society and in fandom.

/peace

#Anonymous #ask post #janie rants #weight issues cw #obesity cw #anorexia cw #janie vs fandom

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