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#i am adding another ship to my fleet of ships

ftmtbpod · 1 month

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PODCAST INTRODUCTION: From This Mouth That Bleeds

a retro-mecha cyberpunk sapphic audio drama (coming soon!)

Blurb

"Humanity took to the stars and left us for dead." Lorelei knows the end. Has seen it flicker along the edges of her home, catch fire to everything she's ever known. Has felt it gnaw its way into her bones, watching as the last safety ship glinted starlight in the sky. Lorelei knows the end. And she knows everything after, too. Lieutenant Lorelei Reeves is a first-generation, three-star pilot for the United Forces of the Red Remembrance. She is the only pilot capable enough to helm the UFRR's greatest mystery; Acheilus, an antiquated shark mecha from before The End. It is a time of peace; the bitterness from the Coalition of The Last Frontier's abandonment has long since diluted away in favor of lucrative trade deals from space - goods that could only benefit the UFRR's longevity underseas. It is a good deal, kind, even. Generous. But Lorelei cannot help but taste the tang of deceit between her teeth. The sickly stick of rot amplifies after she spots another shark mecha circling the edges of UFRR's water space. Sleek black and glinting metal - a convincing imitation of the UFRR's mechanics. The problem with this: Lorelei captains the only shark in the entire fleet.

Themes

loss, grief, being homesick for a home that no longer exists, loud-mouthed pilots, and trauma-stricken lesbians.

Snippet

My hands shake. Admiral Thetis was right about one other thing, too. I had been gone for a long time; I'd been gone for months. Months of an endless blue that pervaded my eyes, an infinitum of mouthless words, and moments to think and move as I pleased. I'd rediscovered creatures that hadn’t been seen in years, listened as whales called through, and laughed when other sharks circled Acheilus, trying to communicate. It might have been the closest thing to peace that I've ever felt. Peace does not exist in the lion’s den— a name I've mocked HQ with — instead, the oppressive nature of fear lies thick along the walls of the hull. Fear is every step you take, it is every beating heart, every conspired whisper. It exists within the hollows of my cells, in every ill-intended look cast my way. I am fear and they make me believe it.

Taglist: let me know if you want to be added <3

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nyarlathotep-thecrawlingchaos · 7 months

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I did another chapter!!

Ooooh this whole productivity thing is so wonderful. sighhh

And awaaaay we goo—

OPLA!Mihawk x OC

Previous Chapter Link

Next Chapter Link

Chapter 1 Link

Chapter 5: Eavesdropping

Word Count: 3.7k

Tags: Slow-burn, Enemies to Lovers, eventually NSFW, uh, if I think of more I'll add them or something

After having her sloop sunk by the Buggy Pirates and losing most of her worldly possessions in the process, the normally solitary mercenary Karimi Lionne finds herself teaming up with the rag-tag little crew that is the Strawhat Pirates to defeat them. She bonds with them far more quickly than she bargained for, and that quickly turns into a problem for the Kiku Kiku no Mi devil fruit user when she learns of Nami's plans to leave them high and dry, and Zoro issues a challenge at Baratie that he very likely won't live long enough to regret.

All remained still and silent aboard the small vessel for a long, tense moment—and then Mihawk heard the girl sigh, heard a shift in the fabric of her clothing as she stood, the heavy footfalls of her boots as she set to undocking the boat. That was decidedly better, even if she was making a show of it. He listened in silence for several seconds, and she worked without saying a word, though clearly being aggressive in her movements and actions with the intention of conveying her agitation.

He only spoke up when he heard her raise the sail.

“I suppose you must have a name?”

She gave a snort from somewhere behind him as she steered the vessel slowly away from the dock. “How gentlemanly,” she said coolly. “Order me around and then ask if I have a name.”

“I do think it appropriate that I know the name of my servant.”

“Oh, servant,” she said, clearly taking offense. “I personally prefer ‘employee.’ Unpaid or not, I am essentially working off a debt.”

“Indentured servant, then.” He found himself smirking the slightest bit at the noise of disgust she made at that.

“Because that sounds so much better,” she grumbled under her breath. Then, with a resigned sigh, she spoke up, her voice still laced with sarcasm. “Well then, Karimi Lionne, at your service, sir.” Lionne. Something about that name struck him familiar for a moment—but it was fleeting enough for him to let it go for the time. “Shall we draw up a formal contract? It is a business arrangement.”

Mihawk gave a quiet hum, his mouth turning down in a thoughtful from. Sarcasm aside, that wasn’t the worst idea. It would ensure that she couldn’t find some loophole that would allow her to bolt before her time was up. “Fine,” he said finally. He shifted in his seat, looking over his shoulder at her, around the back of his seat, as she peered down at a compass and adjusted the position of the sails. “We will. Once I’ve concluded my business with Vice Admiral Garp, we will make port at Syrup Village. I’m sure there’s a tavern with a private parlor or inn that could be made use of for the task.”

“There is,” she said. “Saw one or two while I was there with…” She jerked her head toward the ship she had just left. “There we are…” she added, glancing from her compass to the horizon ahead, toward the haze of heavy fog spread out across the ocean before them. “Due north-east.” And with that, she took a seat on the deck once more and leaned back against the railing, laying her head back and tilting her hat down over her green eyes. “Only took us a few hours to get from Syrup Village to Baratie. As long as the wind holds we should be nearing the docks around noon.”

It was clearly no lie that she had some degree of experience sailing. That was somewhat reassuring. Though she claimed to have been working as a mercenary for six years, Mihawk had certainly never heard of her; though perhaps that wasn’t too great a surprise, if she had spent that stretch of time operating solely in the East Blue. It had been quite some time since the warlord had left the Grand Line. Still, she appeared quite young to be as seasoned as she claimed, even if her work had been solely in the calmest of the four Blue seas. His eyes scanned over her briefly.

“Exactly how old are you?”

“Twenty-four,” she said shortly, clearly intent on not being disturbed—though that wasn’t exactly her choice.

“Twenty-four,” he repeated slowly, his eyes scanning over her. He scoffed a little. She looked younger, but he would give her the benefit of the doubt for now; a great deal of that had simply to do with her small stature alone. “You’ve been working as a mercenary since you were eighteen and haven’t acquired a bounty?”

“I don’t take jobs that involve Marines or the World Government,” she said, her tone just as short, not bothering to lift her tattered tricorne from over her eyes. “I don’t bother them, they don’t bother me.”

“And yet you planned to steal a map of the Grand Line from the base in Shell’s Town.” Karimi gave a short sigh at that accusation, and didn’t bother asking how he was aware of it—she didn’t even bother using her devil fruit powers. There was no doubt that Usopp had blabbed the vast majority of what he knew of the entire crew’s personal business amid his drunken ramblings at Baratie. “That’s quite the abrupt change of heart.”

“It is,” she agreed. She hadn’t even really wanted to accept the job, but the offer had been too great to refuse—Buggy had claimed to have information on her father, information that he wasn’t calling to the forefront of his mind because he had heard about her devil fruit powers from other crews she had worked with. She had been able to ascertain one thing from the clown captain’s passing thoughts—that he had, at one point in time or other, known both her father and Red-Haired Shanks personally. She shook her head a little. “Special circumstances. Some things are worth more than money.”

“And what is it you’re seeking, then?” The warlord’s tone remained a bit bored, and particularly haughty…but she could hear some degree of genuine interest dawning in it. “Six years avoiding Marines and then you’re willing to dive headlong into one of their bases? Sounds like the reward must have been quite valuable.”

“Yes, well, it turned out he was lying, anyway,” she said, dodging the first half of the question; that was her business and her business alone. She stretched out her legs across the deck, tucking her hands behind her neck. “I’d probably have killed him if Luffy hadn’t insisted on taking pity. Just toss the bastard one piece at a time into the ocean and watch him sink.” She sighed slowly. “Might have done anyway if I hadn’t needed transportation.”

He was quiet for a long moment at that, before giving a thoughtful hum. “You at least sound the part of a hired gun—or blade,” he commented —and left it at that, leaving Karimi for the time in peace and silence, broken only by the sound of the sails fluttering and the waves rolling around the sides of the small craft.

Karimi lifted her hat every now and again to check her compass; stood once or twice to make small adjustments to their direction. There were no visible landmarks amid the thick fogbank, and for them to veer off course for any amount of time could double the length what should have been a relatively brief journey. She was well aware of Mihawk keeping watch on her from the corner of his sharp gaze, no doubt silently assessing her abilities. There hadn’t yet been any formal contract written or signed. Until it was in writing, the man could go back on his word at his whim and either finish what he had started with Zoro, or simply do away with her if she didn’t seem she would be of any use to him. She had to be careful in that respect, to ensure that he could see she knew what she was doing.

At worst, he could leave her with the Marines aboard the ship they were heading toward, and the thought of that made her stomach churn and a chill creep through her whole body.

Time seemed to drag on in the seemingly endless expanse of fog—when they finally emerged, the sun was nearly at high noon, and Vice Admiral Garp’s ship was clear as day against the backdrop of Syrup village, anchored not far from the islands. The closer they drew Hitsugibune to the much larger vessel, the more tense Karimi seemed to grow. As much as Mihawk would have loved to see how the girl would react to being made to board the ship, to see if she could keep her wits and resolve about her, now wasn’t the time. It wouldn’t do for any Marines, much less a vice admiral, to know he was even considering taking any sort of associate.

So as he tethered the craft off to the Marine ship himself, he glanced down at the girl where she leaned against the side of the deck, staring out toward Syrup Village.

“You will remain here.” She lifted her eyebrows at that, glancing toward him and meeting his eyes. “You will remain silent. I would also like you to utilize your…unique abilities for the purpose of reconnaissance. I wish to know what the hell was going through the vice admiral’s head when he saw fit to send me on this farce of a mission.”

“I’ll be able to hear your thoughts, too,” she said, eyebrows still raised, and he lifted his own.

“Is that a threat?” he said slowly—and you scoffed.

“No, it’s how it works,” she said, resting her hands at the railing behind her, pulling herself up to sit upon it. “I can’t just turn it on and off for individual people. It’s either everyone or no one.”

Mihawk observed her for a moment, trying to decide whether she was being truthful or not. Finally he rolled his eyes. “Fine. Then keep it off. But that will be something I expect you to work on. Any ability can be honed and sharpened. Yours are no exception.”

She gave a lazy sort of salute. “Can do.”

For as smart as her mouth was, she at least seemed compliant at taking instruction. That, if nothing else, went in her favor.

“Remain here, remain silent,” he repeated once more, before boarding the Marine vessel.

Karimi did as she was told, taking a seat on the deck at the opposite side of the craft against the side of the throne at its center, obscuring her from anyone that might glance over the edge of the Marines’ ship and notice Hitsugibune. Still, silent, out of sight; she was sure that stealth had played a great deal in her avoiding accruing a bounty over the past half a decade, as it went hand in hand with the set of abilities she was typically sought after for.

But she did do one thing she had been told not to—she closed her eyes, expelling a deep sigh, and released the barrier of her haki.

She clenched her eyes shut a bit tighter; the chatter of the more than fifty Marines aboard the massive ship was almost deafening at first. There were only two voices that she would recognize among them, and she quickly found Mihawk’s. They were moored as close as they could be to the Vice Admiral’s own cabin, and he was able to enter without any notice. Lay his sword across the desk and sink back into the chair there, propping his feet up.

Waiting, eyes glued to the door, sure that Garp would be around before long.

And Karimi found Garp’s voice relatively nearby, on the quarterdeck with a young cadet named Koby that he seemed to have taken under his wing—the cadet Luffy had saved from servitude aboard a pirate ship and accompanied to Marine Town.

And Garp was aware of it. Now that was interesting.

Garp’s mind briefly went silent as he and Koby stopped just inside the double doors of his cabin and caught sight of Mihawk.

“Mihawk,” he said after a moment. He paused a moment, his thoughts a bit of a jumbled swirl, before choosing to respond to the surprise with sarcasm. “Nice of you to announce yourself.”

“I thought this was a conversation we might have privately.”

Garp didn’t take his eyes off of Mihawk for a single moment, even as he addressed Koby behind him.

“Dismissed, cadet.”

“Aye, sir.”

And Koby did leave, pulling the double doors shut behind them…but in his curiosity, he lingered, crouched behind the door. Listening—terrified, but resolute in his intent on learning more, on learning exactly why a Vice Admiral, a man with Garp’s standing and authority, was so bent on bringing someone like Luffy to justice. Karimi found herself distracted by the young cadet’s thoughts for a moment, his torn opinions over Luffy; a pirate, yes, and therefore his enemy…but at the same time, his friend, who had saved him from a life under the thumb of Captain Alvida’s cruelty.

“So where is he? Where’s Luffy?” asked Garp after a brief pause.

“At the moment, I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“I decided to let him go.” Karimi did her best to keep her attention trained on Garp—little as she liked the warlord, Mihawk had expressed clear disapproval at the idea of having her listen in on his thoughts. It was an invasion of privacy that she wouldn’t have wanted directed on her, and she preferred to extend the courtesy to anyone who found the idea of it uncomfortable.

Garp definitely wasn’t pleased with the audacity of the warlord, showing up in his cabin unannounced, sitting behind his desk as if he owned the place.

“I specifically told you to bring him to me.”

“Come now, Vice Admiral. I don’t take orders.” And Mihawk’s condescending tone was doing nothing to stay the growing anger of the Marine. “Not even from the likes of you.”

“As one of the Seven Warlords, you serve at the pleasure of the World Government. Without our immunity—”

“I would still do precisely what I want. No more and no less. And what I want is to see what becomes of that young man when he enters the Grand Line.”

Hardly able to believe what he was hearing, Garp just gave a scoff, shaking his head as Mihawk pulled his boots down from the desk and stood. He knew damned well that Mihawk wasn’t wrong. He knew that had there been any possibility of bringing the dangerous swordsman to justice, he would never have been offered a position among the seven warlords in the first place. Infuriating as it was, he was right.

“I won’t let that happen,” said Garp finally.

And yet there was a small voice, buried deep, that said he might let it happen. He might just let Luffy sail right by and head for the Grand Line. Karimi’s lips tugged down into a thoughtful frown at that.

“Then you have your work cut out for you, Vice-Admiral, because that boy is interesting.” Garp watched Mihawk lift his sword from the desk, securing it to his back again as he slowly approached the older man. “Who knows? Maybe your grandson will be the one to find the One Piece after all.”

The men exchanged a glare—though Garp was immediately wondering to himself how Mihawk had come to learn of his familial ties to Luffy.

And a thought struck him.

One single word—no, one single name.

One that had Karimi immediately focusing her haki again, her eyes flying open.

Her name. Her name had passed through Garp’s mind.

“Nope,” she said under her breath, swallowing, her heart suddenly racing a great deal faster. She had no doubt that Garp had seen her aboard the Merry during his attack. Little doubt that he might have recognized her as the fourteen year old girl he and his men had found amid the ruined wreckage of a small village on the Grand Line ten years ago, in the aftermath of a vicious attack by one of his own deeply unhinged comrades—

“No,” she said again, through her teeth, pushing the thought away before it could form, shoving the memory down somewhere dark and deep, somewhere that she intended for it to stay.

She had hoped that perhaps she might find something, might hear something that would increase her value in the eyes of her surly employer, but that was too much. Garp could let his thoughts return to that travesty, to the massacre of her home, her friends, her family, but she wouldn’t. She couldn’t, not even for a moment.

She remained still and silent as she heard Mihawk drop back down onto the deck of Hitsugibune. Remained hidden around the other side of the throne-like seat situated beneath the mast as he set the sails and sat down heavily again, crossing one of his ankles across his opposite leg. He leaned his elbow into the arm of the seat, glancing down at her.

“I take it no one noticed you?” Karimi shook her head. “Good.”

His tone was short, clearly no less pleased with the outcome of the brief meeting than Garp, and didn’t speak up again as the boat sailed toward the docks of Syrup Village.

Karimi, however, did—after several minutes of silence, not moving from where she was sitting, her arms crossed over her knees as she leaned back against the side of the throne, she forced out two quiet words.

“I listened.”

More silence, for several long seconds—and then an irritated sigh.

“And?”

“The cadet was eavesdropping.”

“Obviously,” he said.

“Friend of Luffy’s,” she went on.

“Seems the boy has managed to make quite a few in his brief stint as a ‘pirate,’” he commented, and gave a small scoff. “And is Garp aware of this?” She nodded shortly. There was another brief pause, and he sounded just a bit more intrigued when he spoke again. “How likely is this cadet to defect and side with his friend over his employer?”

Karimi shrugged a shoulder. “I was listening to Garp more than him. I…can hone in on one person at a time. It doesn’t entirely mute everyone else in the vicinity, but it muffles them a bit. Like listening to one person speak in a crowded room. I can still hear everyone else, but I can focus on one at a time.” He gave a brief, thoughtful hum. “The cadet’s name is Koby. From what I gathered he was aboard the ship of a pirate called Alvida as a cabin boy, and not of his own choosing. Luffy saved him, encouraged him to follow his dreams and enlist as a Marine. He still considers Luffy a friend but he has a strong sense of duty, which has led Garp to take him under his wing.”

“And Garp?” he asked. “What of his relationship with his grandson?”

Karimi shook her head, and laughed a little. “I briefly caught that he…might just let Luffy enter the Grand Line. He pushed the thought away pretty quickly, but it definitely crossed his mind.” She laid her head back, gazing up toward the few fluffy white clouds trailing across the cyan expanse of the sky overhead. “He’s an interesting kid.” A small laugh escaped her. “Has his own ideas of what a pirate’s supposed to be. He’s not in it for money or glory, he just wants the adventure. Live it a day at a time and encourage everyone around him to do the same. Just let go and follow your dreams. It’s sort of hard not to root for him.”

Perhaps she was pushing her luck a bit, but she turned her head enough to look back at Mihawk, from the corner of her vision, watching as he frowned thoughtfully himself.

“You said you wanted to see what happens when he enters the Grand Line,” she said. His eyes shifted down to her. “Why?”

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Were you not listening the entire time?” he said, a bit dryly.

She rolled her eyes away from his gaze. “You made clear you don’t want me listening to your thoughts. I did my best to tune them out and keep my focus on Garp.”

“Did you?” She hummed in affirmation. She tensed when she felt his hand brush her hair around behind her shoulder, drawing in a slow, deep breath as she steadied her nerves. “And why should I believe you, little bird?” he said, sounding amused at her claim.

Karimi swallowed, her gaze falling to her knees. “It’s your choice whether you do or not,” she said simply. “But if someone expresses that they prefer I not use my devil fruit power on them, I do my best not to. I appreciate my privacy and I respect the privacy of others. It’s why I trained in Armament Haki in the first place. I focus it here.” She lifted her hands and pressed the pads of her index fingers behind either of her ears, perhaps an inch above her earlobes. She then tilted her head, pulling her hat off and lifting her hair on one side to reveal the small, black circle there, barely a pinprick that could have been mistaken for a birthmark at a glance. “At two points, with a line drawn between them. Shuts it off entirely.”

“Hmm.” She swallowed again, closing her eyes as she felt his fingertip brush across the point, before shaking her hair back down over her shoulder and pulling her tricorne back onto her head. “And how exactly did you figure out that would work?”

“My grandmother did. Years ago.” She crossed her arms over her knees. “I just do what she did.”

Karimi’s tone was quickly becoming short again—it seemed her personal history might have been a source of discomfort for her. Mihawk frowned down at her, his brow furrowed thoughtfully. Perhaps she was telling the truth, and perhaps she wasn’t. Either way, the enigma of the young woman and her powers did have his interest piqued. She had garnered quite a bit of insight into Garp’s relationship with his grandson during an exchange that hadn’t lasted five minutes, and she was at least adept enough with haki to switch her own devil fruit abilities on and off at will.

At the least, she did have the makings of a useful tool—and at best, she could prove to be an incredibly powerful weapon. She had said it so herself only last night, when she laid out her offer of servitude.

There was no weapon more dangerous than information.

Next chapter link again, for your convenience

#opla #one piece #dracule mihawk #mihawk #mihawk opla #mihawk one piece #one piece fanfiction #opla fanfiction #mihawk x oc

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juniperwoodwell · 1 year

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Dedication

Ch. 1| Ch. 2| Ch. 3 |

Kylo Ren x F!Reader

Word count: 4k

Warning(s):None(Hopefully)

summary:As a Captain in the First Order, Y/N has never been one to bring attention to herself unless it was commanding her squadron. What happens when a personal hobby make's her prey to one of the most feared men in the universe?

A/n: There will be a Masterlist so you can keep track of the chapter's and the posting of these chapters won't be consistent I apologize. I started college recently and am most occupied with that. There will be a tag list so lmk if you want to be added.

"So? What did he say" Y/n asked the man who stood before her.

"It's been approved, but you only have an hour each day for one week. Then you are to return to your regular duties after that period is over," The man spoke calmly as he watched Y/n's eyes light up in excitement; Y/n pumped her fist in the air victoriously.

"Yes! Thank you, Father- I...I mean, Sir." She quickly corrected herself, but the man's face was just as happy as hers had been moments before.

"Little Sunflower, You don't need to call me Sir. You know that." He gently scolded,

"Mr. Sienor, You're needed for a Field test." A woman entered the room; she was his secretary, whom Y/n knew as Joyce.

"Yes, Thank you. Let them know I'm on my way." He dismissed Joyce and turned back to Y/n. "Now. You should also go; you start the inspection today and need to be in the hangar in twenty minutes."

"Okay. Be safe, Dad. And Tell mom I said hello." Raith nodded and left the room, Y/n soon leaving after him.

The walk to the hangar typically took thirty minutes, but Y/n had a deadline, and she didn't want to be late. Upon arriving, Y/n was introduced to three engineers; one was a tall blonde man whose name she'd already forgotten, and another was a more petite brunette woman with thick-framed glasses whose name had also slipped her mind. She was briefed on the rules and regulations about what she would do. She was mostly there for personal reasons, but because she knew the ship like the back of her hand from the blueprints her father allowed her, the engineers asked her to do complete inspections on them and tell them if they'd missed anything in their checks and post-fight reports. It was a win-win situation. They got a temporary engineer, and she got to look over her favorite TIE model. The TIE/vn space superiority fighter, Or as most would call it. The TIE Silencer.

As Y/n stood with her hands on her hips in Infront of the brilliant ship, she observed every detail from the ground. She noticed some dents and scrapes on the hull.

"You must be the pilot they were speaking about." The low distorted voice seemed to startle the woman, who quickly turned around to address him; him...Kylo Ren, one of the most feared men in the galaxy.

"uh. Yes. Sir, Capitan Y/n Sienor of the Special Forces." Spoke quickly and formally.

"Impulse." Her call sign rolled through the voice modulator like an animalistic growl.

"...You've heard of me then, Sir." A simple nod was the only response she received; assuming he was done talking, she turned back to the ship.

A moment passed, and the distorted voice returned beside her. "Tell me everything you know about this ship, Capitan."

Y/n froze; she hadn't expected him to ask her such a question but obediently replied,

"Well, Sir. She's a prototype TIE/vn space superiority fighter with a twin-ion engine. Her maximum acceleration is four-thousand-five-hundred G's, Maximum atmospheric speed is one-thousand-eight-hundred and fifty kph. She's equipped with the torplex fight computer, two sensor arrays, four targeting sensors, and of course, life support. She was specifically designed for the use of the most elite in the first order. Her manufacturer is Sienar-jaemus Fleet Systems. She's fifty-seven feet long, twenty-five feet wide, and twelve feet tall. My favorite thing about her is how quiet she is." Once again, silence filled the tense air, and the looming figure caused Y/n to feel more anxious than she'd like to admit.

"Impressive. But if you know it so well. Why do you need to study it?"He asked, turning his head towards her.

"Selfishly. Personal reason, Sir. I was able to test fly one of the earlier models of this, and I was immediately enamored by it. But I wasn't able to study it like I had other models in the past, and when I heard that this one was here on the starkiller base, I asked my father to do me a favor. I'm not entirely sure who flies this beauty, but they're obviously of high rank and an exceptional pilot. She's not an easy one to fly." She turned her head towards him,

"I know. It's mine." The shock on Y/n's face could have been comical without the slight tinge of fear she felt.

"Oh. Wow, Must be an honor then" Her voice was dangerously close to wavering.

"I approved your inspection under certain circumstances; I trust the engineers have briefed you on it." A nod from Y/n as she stood still like a statue. "You are to report your findings to the chief engineer after every shift. Be sure to make your reports detailed." Ending on that, Kylo Ren turned and left the hangar, leaving Y/n alone with her startled thoughts. 'Had he come here just to Interrogate me?'

The petite brunette woman made her way over to Y/n; surprise was written all over her features.

"Are you alright?" She asked, concern dripping off her words.

"Yes. I'm completely fine. I should start my inspection. I appreciate your concern, but it is unnecessary." Y/n spoke flatly as she began to climb into the cockpit of the TIE, surprised by how well-kept the ship was; apart from a few minor scratches, it was in peak condition.

After inspecting the cockpit, she looked at the wings. The design of this TIE was aggressive and gave off a sense of power. The perfect ship for Kylo Ren, she thought to herself.

After that, the blonde engineer came over to let her know her hour was up. She thanked him and wrote a report; she left the hangar when she finished.

"Ah, look. Princess is back." A man with tanned skin and messy black hair spoke from his seat in the special forces lounge.

"Shut it, Cal. Where's the boss?" Y/n said sharply, ignoring the teasing from her squadron mates. "In his office like always." The man, Cal, replied. Y/n gave him a nod and then walked to the big red door in the back of the lounge. She opened the door, and as it slid up, she saw a figure clad In red armor.

"Major. Do you have a moment?" Her voice was calm, but there was a tinge of anxiety.

"Of course, Come in." She did; the Major asked her to sit across from his desk. "What seems to be the matter?" He asked as he sat in his chair. Y/n fiddled with the hem of her captain's uniform,

"I assume you're already aware of my temporary assignment. If I knew it would be approved, I would have asked your permission, Sir. I apologize for not doing so." A chuckle from the man before washed away the fear of punishment.

"If this assignment is to help the First Order succeed, then you have no reason to apologize. You're an expert when It comes to The TIE Starfighters. You have helped improve the ships tenfold. If you can do that here under my authority, then who am I to stop you." He spoke as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Of course, Thank you, Sir." She stood as he dismissed her.

The three Pilots who Y/n was closest to were all standing by the door when she exited.

"You know these rooms are sound proof right?" the group shrugged; a taller woman in a tightfitting First Order undershirt and a pair of mechanics pants laid her hand on Y/n's shoulder.

"So...You're Inspecting Kylo Ren's ship? What's it like? Is it falling apart on the inside?" She joked,

"Miya! You Knew whose ship it was!?" Y/n asked, surprised.

"Uh. Yeah, Y/n. He's currently the only high-ranking officer who has a TIE Silencer." As they spoke, the door that Y/n was standing in front of opened, and the man in red spoke up,

"What are you all doing standing around? Don't you have work to do?" He asked, his voice stern but softened when he spoke to Y/n. "Don't you have a meeting with Phasma soon?" Y/n was startled by the realization and looked at her watch.

"Oh shoot. You're right. Okay, gotta go. Thank you for the reminder, Sir." she nodded to everyone and left the lounge room.

On her way to the conference room, she stopped by her quarters to grab her First Order mandatory captain's cap. She'd prefer not to get scolded by Hux for Improper military etiquette again. As she arrived at the conference room, she recognized the shiny platinum build

"Capitan Phasma," Y/n greeted formally. Phasma responded with a tort nod. Y/n liked to believe that she and Phasma were on good terms, Captains don't usually get along, but from the few conversations she's had with her, she knows Phasma, at the most, tolerates her.

"Are we early?" Y/n spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper, and Phasma looked down at her, nodding her head.

"There is one more person we're waiting for, H-"

"Hux...Fantastic." Y/n said dryly, Y/n had never been the military type, but she erased All expression from her face and stood at attention when she heard the annoyingly noticeable footsteps of General Armitage Hux.

"Capitans." He said with the same disdain he always used for anyone below him.

"General." The women said in sync.

Hux entered the conference room, and the two women followed after. The meeting started with the standard formalities and questions about Phasma's troopers and Y/n's new squadron, which she was teaching.

"Capitan Sienor, One more thing has been added to your new assignment. Kylo Ren has requested that he spectate the inspections on his ship. He will be joining you every hour for the next week." Shock snuck up onto Y/n's face, but it left as soon as it came.

"Yes, Sir." She tightened her fists that were sitting in her lap. Phasma and Hux spoke some more, and the time seemed to fly by. When the meeting was over, they followed the same routine as when they came in: Hux, Phasma, and Y/n.

It felt like there was a heavy weight now placed on Y/n's shoulders as she walked back to her quarters; she hadn't noticed the heavy footsteps behind her, and the daze she was in only seemed to snap away once she realized someone had placed their hand on her shoulder when she turned around she stared at the platinum giant with a forced smile.

"How can I help you, Capitan?"

"I need to speak with you. Do you have a moment?"

This behavior from Phasma would be very out of character to anyone who wasn't Y/n. They had lengthy conversations about work almost every two weeks if something was irritating them and they needed to let off some steam.

"Oh, Yeah. Of course. Come in," Y/n spoke as she walked to her door and opened it. Y/n offered Phasma a seat as she grabbed herself a glass of water.

"So, To what do I owe this visit?" She asked as she sat across from Phasma.

"I know how you feel about Kylo Ren. I could sense your unease earlier; I want you to be extra cautious. You're a good leader; losing you would be a shame because of him and his temper tantrums." Phasma spoke easily as if she were speaking to one of her troopers. Had she not realized she had just said one of the kindest things Y/n had ever heard from anyone since she joined the first order?

Their conversation lasted about ten minutes before Phasma left; when the door closed, Y/n sighed. It was close to dinner time, and she took a quick shower before heading to the cafeteria.

"Y/n!" A voice called out to her as she entered the large room

"Callisto." she responded dryly, shrugging off the arm that was placed around her shoulders.

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that. Is this about me teasing you earlier? Because if it was, I hope you know I wasn't trying to hurt you. I'm sorry if I did-" He was cut off by Y/n placing her pointer finger against his lips, shutting him up

" You talk too much. And no, it has nothing to do with your teasing. I got used to that years ago." removing her hand from his face, she turned away and went to grab food. Hopefully, she tried to escape him, but he followed her like a lost pup.

"What is it then? You know you can talk to me." He assured.

Callisto was a nice-ish guy, but he could be very annoying if he wanted to, so it was best to give him what he wanted.

"My new assignment isn't going to be as fun as I originally thought," Y/n sighed as she filled her plate and made her way to a seat, Cal mirroring her and sitting across from her.

"Originally thought what?" The gentle voice of Miya graced the small group's ears as she sat down next to Y/n.

"My assignment." Y/n tried her best to avoid this conversation, but her friends were persistent.

"Yeah? What about it?" Miya asked.

"Kylo Ren is spectating her investigations." A deep voice and strong figure appeared next to Cal.

"Shit! Ian. Where do you even come from!?" Cal cursed, startled by their soft-spoken friend.

"Of course, you'd know Killian." Miya rolled her eyes,

Killian knew a lot of dirt on a lot of people. Let's just say if you have a secret...He knows it.

"Teachers Pet." Y/n spat annoyedly,

"Princess." Killian replied in the same tone.

"Wait- So, really? Kylo Ren is spectating your investigations? Why?" Cal asked, stuffing his face with food.

"I don't know...Maybe he's worried I'll break something?" Y/n's tone was defeated, she did the best she could to stay as far away as possible from Kylo Ren, and now she has to spend an hour a day with him for the next week.

"I heard some of the techs say he looked you up," Killian spoke up

"Looked me up?"

"Yeah, You know. Like where you came from, How long you've been with the First Order, and your skill set."

The look Y/n had given Killian was one full of disbelief.

"You're kidding me. Why the Hell would he need to know all that about her?" Miya asks, after being silent for the most part of the conversation.

"How should I know? I don't know everything, Miya."

"Well, you sure damn well act like it." The two bickered like an old married couple sometimes.

"Guys. Knock it off. Let's try not to draw attention to ourselves, please." Y/n spoke up as she slid her plate in front of her before standing from her seat.

"Where are you going?" Cal asked, gently grabbing her wrist; she looked down and sighed.

"I gotta report to the Chief Engineer before the end of my shift."

"Okay, Just take it easy," he said as he squeezed her wrist before letting her go.

"She's gonna be alright, right?" Y/n heard Cal ask the group; she assumed that both Miya and Killian just shrugged since neither responded.

Taking a deep breath, Y/n knocked on the door to the Chief Engineers' Office, The door opened, and a small, frail-looking older woman stood in the doorway.

"You must be Capitan Sienar. I'm Chief Engineer Kesta; Kylo Ren was just telling me the details of your temporary assignment-" The woman was still talking, but Y/n had zoned her out as she stared at the large frame of Kylo Ren; he stared out the transparasteel window that looked over the hangar.How had I not realized his presence before? Why was he here? He never said he'd be here, too; what in the world is happening?- Her panicked thoughts were cut short when Kesta waved her hand in front of her face.

"Hello? Captain? Are you listening?"

"Hm..? Oh, Yes, sorry. Long day" Y/n said with an apologetic smile.

"Yes...I understand; why don't you come in and give me your report so you can clock out as soon as possible." The older woman held out her arm as she welcomed Y/n into the room. "You can take a seat if you'd like," She offered, but Y/n shook her head, doing her best to ignore the gaze she could feel drilling into the back of her skull.

"I'd prefer to stand." She said softly; the woman nodded, and Y/n began her report.

Halfway through, she was interrupted by the voice that always sent a shiver down her spine.

"Why are you so curious about this TIE model?" The voice asked; it was closer than she thought it'd be, and in her surprise, she spun around quickly, only to be met with Kylo Ren mere inches away. If she wasn't scared before, she definitely was now.

She swallowed harshly before she answered,

"L-Like I said before, Sir. I was only able to test fly one, and years before, when I worked closely with my father; he used to let me study the new Model TIE. This is currently the only Model I haven't studied." She kept her explanation as short as possible.

"Your Father had to pull a lot of strings to get you this opportunity. What make's you think you deserve it?" He asked; Y/n was practically screaming to leave. This interrogation was becoming a bit much for her liking.

"Because I'm a good engineer, Sir. And I'm also a Pilot. If I can possibly help the first order in making more advanced starfighters in the future, I'd like to do my part." a false sense of confidence flowed through her as she spoke, hoping to mask any anxiety that was trying to seep through her voice.

"Tomorrow, you will show me how to reprogram the flight computer."

"Yes, Sir- Wait...Is something wrong with it? The fight controls were specifically made for you, I assume. Did they mess something up?" Y/n's fear and anxiety were forgotten when her brain started to work out possible scenarios,

"No. I want to see if you can take something apart and put it back together again perfectly as your reputation precedes you." Y/n gawked at him in disbelief. He wanted her to completely erase his specific fight controls and reprogram them to be exactly how it was before. Was he crazy!? She had no idea what his specifications were or how he preferred the distance of the controls. This was a big task with little to no information; He was setting her up to fail.

"With all due respect, Sir. I wouldn't be able to complete that task successfully in an hour."

A low hum came from the man in front of her. "And why's that?"

Was he stupid? He couldn't be; he was doing this on purpose. He's testing me. She thought. "Because Sir. I have no prior experience with your specific flight controls. I would need at least two hours or maybe even three to become familiar with them, let alone memorize them enough to reprogram them."

"I see." a tense silence filled the air, Kylo turned away from her and walked back to the window. Y/n looked over her shoulder to see that Kesta was no longer in sight; she must have booked it out of there. Yeah, me too. She admitted, wishing she could do the same.

"I'll give you the next three days to study my fight controls; on the fifth day, you will reprogram it." He paused as he turned back towards her. "The last two days, you will be free to study the ship as you please without my spectating. But. Only if you reprogram the controls to their original state or there will be consequences. Do you understand?" His voice roared deeply in that dull distorted tone it always had. But somehow, this time was different. It sparked something warm and unfamiliar deep in the pit of her stomach. Was it terror?

Holy Shit. He's actually crazy.

There were a million different possibilities; a lot of programming and engineering goes into customizing flight controls. In the past, all...Or most TIE Starfighters were programmed the same way, so you only really needed to learn how to fly one to fly any version. But the TIE Silencer was customized to its test pilots' specific comfortability with the controls. Y/n's was even programmed when she test flown it. And she's only got three hours in three days.

She inhaled sharply, anxiety striking her like a sword. She dug her nails into her palms as she shut her eyes quickly. This might not seem like much to most people, but to Y/n, it was one of the worst things that could happen in her career. Was studying this dang ship that important? Could she back out now?

"Capitan." the low distorted voice echoed in the room, and Y/n looked up at him. Her eyes were glossed over, and her shoulders were tense. She knew the consequences of what would happen if she somehow failed this assignment; it had all been too good to be true.

"Y-yes, Sir. I understand." Her fists were shaking as she mustered the strength to keep herself calm.

"Good. You are dismissed." Once those words left him, y/n had turned around and went as calmly as possible before rushing back to her room.

Y/n's room was connected to the S.F.'s Lounge, so when she walked in, Miya, Cal, and Killian had all been relaxing from the end of their shifts. Cal and Maya were playing a card game, and Ian was going over field reports on the couch.

"Hey, She's back," Cal said when he noticed the door open, his tone cheerful.

"Oh good, I was getting worried," Miya spoke, standing up to walk over to Y/n.

"No, you weren't," Killian mumbled under his breath; as Miya got closer, Y/n took a step back.

"Hey, Are you alright? Did something happen?" Concern laced her voice which caught the attention of the men.

"N-No. I'm fine, Miya. Just tired. I'd really like to head to bed." she tried stepping around her, but Cal stepped in front of her blocking her path.

"You're not fine. You look like someone just told you your pet died or something." Y/n shook her head at his response.

"It's about Kylo Ren. No one makes her anxious like he does." Killian spoke up from his spot on the couch.

"Come on, Talk to us like you always do. You always have something to say." Cal tried to encourage her, but she shook her head. She was close to crying when he tilted his head to look into her eyes. That had never happened before; she's always been so strong. This threw him off, guard.

"Did he hurt you?" Cal asked quickly. Miya looked at him like his head had grown ten sizes.

"Why'd you ask that, Cal?" She asked. Y/n bit her lip as she looked at Cal, begging him with her eyes not to say anything, but he didn't get it.

"She looks like she's about to cry..." he said softly, looking up at Miya.

"Y/n/n, What happened? I swear if he put his hands on you-" The taller woman threatened

"No. Guys. It's fine. This assignment just turns out to be my guillotine, and Kylo Ren is my executioner." She spoke softly; the small group looked at her, both confused and concerned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ian asked. Y/n sighed and walked over to the couch, plopping down on it and allowing it to take away her stress.

"Kylo Ren has decided to test my intelligence on TIE Fighters."

"Okay?" Miya asked as she pulled a chair from a nearby table, and Cal leaned against the wall.

"You know how TIE Silencers were all programmed to their specific Pilots?" The group nodded, allowing her to continue.

"Well. He wants me to memorize his specific flight controls, erase them, and reprogram them perfectly to the last detail. I only have three days, which- before you ask, yes. That's technically only three hours. The day after, I will have to reprogram it. If I do it correctly, he will allow me to study the TIE without his spectating for the last two days." Y/n heaved a heavy sigh, relaxing on the couch.

"What are you so worried about?" Ian asked, turning his head to look at her

"Yeah, I mean, come on, Y/n. You're probably the only person, minus your father, who knows the most about TIE Fighters. This should be a breeze for you." Cal spoke, pushing himself off the wall and sitting on the floor in front of her.

"I had maybe an hour or less to become familiar with my own specified flight controls, which was one of the most difficult things I've done to date. He expects me to memorize his and then Perfectly replicate it!?" She sat up, fear replaced with irritation and anger. "Do you know what could-Will happen if I manage to get ONE thing wrong!? I'd be killed for sure, Or worse. Fired." She threw her arms up in the air, then crossed them over her chest. "He's absolutely horrible." She hissed out and stood up. "I'm going to bed."

No one dared to stop her; they knew the weight on her shoulders was heavy; they just wished she wouldn't carry it all on her own.

Stepping into her room, she sighed for the umpteenth time. She walked over to her bathroom mirror. She barely recognized herself; the stress in her eyes was deep, and her shoulders were slumped defeatedly. All this from one day? Ignoring it, she stripped and stepped into the shower, hoping to wash it away.

As the hot water relaxed her muscles, she recalled how this day had started.

"Y/n, I'm not sure this is a good idea. I know you've wanted to study this ship, but is it really appropriate to do it on a First Order base?" Her father asked,

"I'm sure it'd be fine; it's not like I'm going to steal it or mess with the controls." She spoke, trying her best to persuade her father.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do. BUT. These people are our best customers. If they say yes, you must obey any rules they may set. You'll be representing not only yourself but also me and my company. Do you understand?" His voice faded out; she could no longer remember the rest of the conversation.

Too much happened today, she thought as she leaned back against the shower wall.

"Did it count if the rules meant life or death?" She asked herself. After the shower, she changed and lay down on her bed.

She prayed to anyone who was listening that tomorrow would never come.

#writing #writers on tumblr #fanfic #reader insert #kylo ren x reader #kylo x reader #kylo ren x f! reader #kylo ren x you #kylo ren #ben solo #star wars fanfiction #star wars

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peterlorres21stcentury · 3 months

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unpopular opinion: mods should enhance a game, not make it suck less

also sprach Lorrethustra, the endlessly reincarnated

And yet here I am, making some desperately needed improvements to a game that, while fun at first, needed some serious thought and maybe another year in development.

So far I have made the following changes to Starfield with the help of the amazing Bethesda modding community, because I don't have a fucking clue how to create my own mods so I offer naught in return. Notice how entirely simple these problems are:

-Doubled the experience gained from any action (thanks to a second mod, having the well-rested perk from sleeping will quadruple it!)

-Multiplied the amount of credits for each vendor by 10. Because enormous, interplanetary juggernaut corporations of the future only trust their vendors with 5k in virtual monies in a 48 hour period. 🙄 Seriously, it should be 100x that, but I'm trying to be reasonable here.

-Made it so that random quests are not shoved into my mission log just because some guard made a passing comment while I was near. I always hated this method of quest-giving. It felt invasive and annoying even in Skyrim, as it assumes that every character would be willing to delve in that cave or join the Thieves' Guild or make deals with a daedric prince or whatever, but in Starfield it is an absolute plague. If I want your quest I'll ask around for it!! Stop force-feeding your players this bullshit!!

-Furnished the Starborn ship with such extravagant luxuries as: a few chairs on the bridge, and one (1) bed. Because even though I don't use the ship that often, it's still part of my fleet, so I might as well make it a livable space instead of the iphone store-looking, sterile white void we got (seriously, the modder just added some decorative assets that were already present in the game files and intended to be used on the ship. Bethesda CHOSE NOT TO USE THEM WHYYYY

That's about all for now. I was thinking of finding something that increased the storage capacity for outpost containers from 600 units to... something a lot MORE THAN THAT. Why would you make outpost extraction rates so high if you can barely store it all? How can I realize my dreams of becoming an interstellar freight/resource tycoon if my base is nothing but walls of stupid shipping crates (which don't share inventory automatically and need to be connected through a mess of wires even when they, you know, snap together and ought to logically share inventory?? but that's a separate issue)? If the dev team understood their player base at all they'd understand that we are greedy rapacious loot goblins who need moooooooaaaaaaar, damn your hide 👿

I don't know if these decisions were intended as some kind of meta commentary on the nature of your character or what (the Starborn is reborn into new universes chasing their fruitless quest for some vaguely defined power, therefore the meaning of life is suffering and so the player gets diminishing returns on their repetitive journey? Is that what they meant?) but as *cough* deeeeeep and philosophical as that may be, good game design it ain't.

To think I wrote this much all because I wanted a way to level faster than the default pace of "not at all." Because despite the game having no level cap, the game literally does not offer you enough activities to grant the necessary ~500,000 cumulative xp points to reach level 100. Even going through a new game+ multiple times and repeating every single quest will not be enough unless you have literal days of free time. I never felt so starved for perks in Skyrim or Fallout 4, ever, despite the xp rewards being roughly similar. But you spend higher levels in Starfield so very hungry for xp because the curve of points earned per level is, as far as I can tell, near exponential. And the rewards do not scale with your level, nor with game difficulty. A level 90 enemy will always grant something like 120 xp, and you have tens of thousands of xp points to go.

Sorry, but this especially is truly boggling my tiny mind. Not to rant about something so trivial; I am only too keenly aware that this world is filled with actual pain and suffering, but I'd really love to know what they were thinking when they designed such an abominable leveling system. A grindy MMO this ain't, my friends. That next perk point should be a rewarding goal, not an impossible waste of time. It's like one team carried over the xp rewards that would be comparable to Fallout 4 (you get about the same per average enemy, anywhere from 50 to 200 points per kill, I think) and then a separate clueless team said "I mean, it's one level, Michael. What would it cost? A hundred thousand xp?"

I could go on, but I have other things to do today. I want to make it clear: I do not hate this game! A lot of it is incredibly absorbing, and I wish there was more to it (outpost building, crafting, surveying planets). But there should never be this many annoyances and pointless barriers to make these mods a necessity.

#starfield #with a picture of ersatz peter lorre avatar to make this relevant :D #holy crap I wrote too much about that #but I was mad

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wellgoslowly · 1 year

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WELCOME TO LINNIE'S MASTERLIST

NOTICE: i am still writing but requests will be coming very slowly as i am a social work college student and i have so much shit to do all the time lol. requests are not closed they are just coming slowly!

you heard that right folks! linnie is finally making a masterlist! I've been meaning to make one for a while I just haven't had the time/motivation to do so until now!! i've been getting a lot more requests (which i love!!!) so I figured it was about time :) also! this layout was highly inspired by @tangledinlove 's layout!!! just wanted to give credit where credit is due :)

all of my writing can also be found under the tag linnifer writes !

if you want to make a request: i currently write mostly for lockwood x reader, lucy x reader, and george x reader! i have a list of my current media interests in my bio, and i am open to writing ship and x reader prompts for most of them! if you have any x reader or ship prompts that you want me to write for any of those fandoms, please send me a dm or an ask!!

RULES FOR REQUESTING:

No nsfw pls!! I don't shame smut readers/writers but I am on the ace spectrum and I don't really feel super comfortable writing that sort of stuff! there are plenty of writers who are, and I'm sure they'd love a request from you! ❤️

if you're requesting, please specify what pronouns you'd like me to use! Most of the time I can infer based on the request, but it would be really helpful if you could tell me preferred pronouns or if you'd like fem/gn/masc reader! I write for any gender identity, I just need to know :) [no hate to any of you who requested before I put this rule in, you're all fine! I'm just adding this to make it a lil bit easier for me]

pls be aware that most of my requests at this time are fairly short- however, I do write multi part requests!

if you don't want your request to be multi part, pls let me know!

please note that i am anti pro-shipping so i will not be writing for any ships or people that i find problematic or have issues with. i do have right to deny requests!!

anthony lockwood x reader

ain't a life a many splendored thing?

1.4k words. no warnings

part one / part two coming soon

you are a new hire at lockwood and co. despite being the complete opposite of your new boss, anthony lockwood can't help but fall for you.

nearly witches (ever since we met)

1.6k words. no warnings

lockwood comes home early from a job to find you dancing in the kitchen in your underwear and one of his shirts. obviously, the most sensible thing for you to do was to ask him to dance.

bookstore girl

3.3k words. no warnings

caught in an intense rainstorm, lockwood stumbles into the small bookstore you run with your best friend and your boxer, Bruce. you two hit it off and lockwood leaves a newly-dedicated customer.

lucy carlyle x reader

none [so far ;)]

george karim x reader

none [so far ;)]

lucy carlyle x anthony lockwood (all on ao3)

shall we look at the moon, my little loon

2k words. 1/1 chapters. no warnings

Anthony Lockwood says something stupid, again.

This is how Lucy Carlyle ends up on Montagu Barnes's doorstep at 11:00 at night, soaked to the skin.

OR: Montagu Barnes is a parental figure for two traumatized teens trying to figure out what they mean to each other.

let me live (or let me love you)

10k words. 5/5 chapters. warnings: canon typical violence, fleeting sexual imagery.

In which Lockwood & Co. get put in a sticky situation at yet another relic auction, and the only way to get out of it is for Lucy Carlyle to kiss her best friend.

jealousy is a song that only your heart can hear

1.5k words. 1/5 chapters (ongoing). no warnings.

5 times that Anthony Lockwood was jealous, and one time that he didn't have to be.

#linnie finally has a masterlist!#linnie masterlist #linnie chronicles #linnnifer thinks #ask linnifer!#linnifer writes

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indeedcaptain · 6 months

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Regulatory Relations, chapter 8: The Amateur

LET'S GO :) One note that I forgot to mention from chapter 7: the latin in the wedding announcement translates to "to the stars through love".

Also posted on AO3 here!

☆☆☆

The rest of the shift passed in a blur of preparing for starbase arrival in five days and ruminating on the wedding in twenty-four hours. Janice Rand, after sending Kirk three padd messages asking if he needed help with anything and receiving no response, walked onto the bridge two hours before the end of alpha and asked Kirk point-blank about seating arrangements in the observatory for the next day. When he looked helplessly at Spock and shrugged, and the science officer only turned back to his sensors, Janice restrained herself from what Kirk thought would have been a well-deserved eye roll and told him that she and the yeomen would take care of it.

In the gymnasium two hours later, Spock had paired up his Suus Mahna students to show them how to move around each other. Kirk stood on the sidelines with Giotto.

“Congratulations, captain,” Giotto said, watching Spock circle the students and gently push their limbs into the right configurations.

“Thanks, commander,” Kirk said. “I appreciate that.”

“I always wondered, you know,” Giotto said. “There was something in the way you moved around each other when you sparred. It reminded me of myself and the missus, actually.”

Kirk turned to him in surprise. “You’re married?”

Giotto smiled, but only one corner of his mouth moved up. “I am, sir. Thirty-two years in a few months.”

“My congratulations to you too, then,” Kirk said, but he frowned slightly as he took in Giotto’s profile. “I’m sorry if I’m misremembering, but I didn’t think that you were listed as married in your personnel file. You’ve been with the Enterprise for… nearly twenty years, right?”

“That’s right, captain,” Giotto said. His voice was quiet, and he didn’t turn to meet Kirk’s eyes.

“So she’s not in the Fleet?”

“She is, captain.” Giotto’s face was turned to the demonstration in front of him, but his eyes were very far away.

“Wow,” Kirk said after a moment. “That sounds… extraordinarily difficult.”

“It is,” Giotto said softly. “I never wanted to ask about you and Mr. Spock, but when Scotty told me that April was trying to send him away, I was just…” He sighed. “I feared that you would go through what we did.” “And you and your wife aren’t stationed together because…?”

Giotto’s eyes finally met his. “Because she was my commanding officer on my first ship, and she and I both feared that if we went public with our relationship it would ruin her career. She said it didn’t matter, that she didn’t care, but I knew that she was lying. I couldn’t let her do it. This was a long time ago, too--- long before the brass started recognizing that relationships in crews were a strength, not a weakness.” He crossed his arms over his chest, still watching the group in front of him. “We married in secret and have lived separately ever since.”

Kirk turned fully to Giotto. “Sal, I’m so sorry.” He thought about the grief that he had felt at even the threat of losing his best friend to another posting. He couldn’t imagine enduring that, after being married, for thirty years.

“It is what it is, captain,” Giotto said. He eyed Kirk. “I suppose this is as good a time as any to tell you that this is my last mission. I’m ready to go home.”

“And your wife?”

“She’s resigning as well. We’re going to buy a house in Cairo, near her family.”

Kirk hesitated, before reaching out and squeezing Giotto’s shoulder. “We’ll miss you. This crew owes you a lot. But I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you, captain,” Giotto said. He smiled again, and this time it reached his eyes. He turned back to where Spock was explaining something to the students, transitioning slowly and elegantly through a series of movements. They watched the Vulcan for a moment longer before Giotto added, “If I may be so bold, captain… it makes this old man glad to know that you and the commander will have the time that Mariam and I didn’t.”

Kirk’s throat constricted. “Thank you,” he said, and his voice came out rougher than he intended. Giotto nodded and turned back to watch Spock work. Kirk watched him too: watched the grace of his movement, the strong lines of his spine and arms and neck, the kindness and gentility in his instruction that so few got to see. Under the harsh lights of the gymnasium and with Giotto’s words circling in his head, he felt one of the bricks in the wall between his head and his heart crumble away. He had leapt at Pike’s suggestion not only because Spock was his best officer and his best friend, but because the idea of running out of time with Spock was ruinous to him. Kirk had wanted more away missions, more chess matches, more debates over breakfast, more of Spock’s incense seeping into his room at night. He wanted more of everything.

Spock bowed to his students, and they bowed back, before he left the mat and walked to Kirk.

“Captain,” Spock said, and Spock’s voice jolted Kirk out of his reverie. To his embarrassment, he realized that he had been staring dazedly at him for a socially inappropriate amount of time. Kirk blinked. “On what were you focused?”

“Nothing,” Kirk said. “Just staring into space.” He smiled and clapped Spock on the back before picking up their personal items from where they’d been abandoned on the ground. “Chess tonight?”

“Certainly,” Spock said, and Kirk waved to the security officers as they left. Giotto’s gaze followed them, and Kirk could have sworn that the hint of a smile remained on that craggy face as he watched them go.

☆☆☆

Spock made up for his loss to Kirk earlier in the week by trouncing him twice in a row. But when Kirk expected him to lean back triumphantly and cross one long leg over the other before folding his hands in his lap in the ultimate image of self-satisfaction, as was his custom, Spock only drew his eyebrows together and reset the chessboard for a third game.

“Alright,” Kirk finally said, as Spock placed the pieces on their proper squares. His usually nimble fingers were jerky in their movement. “What’s wrong?”

Spock placed the last tower on its square without meeting Kirk’s eyes. “Nothing, captain.”

“Bullshit,” Kirk said immediately. “Spock, come on. What’s going on?” Spock picked up the castle again and rolled it between his fingers.

“It is… illogical.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Every human wedding I have attended has taken place on this ship,” Spock said after a moment. “Each has seemed to have similar traditions.”

“Such as?”

Spock paused for so long that Kirk was about to prompt him again before he said, tightly, emotionlessly, “Such as kissing.”

Oh. Oh, god. He hadn’t even thought, beyond Janice’s questions this afternoon, about the mechanics of a wedding. He felt his face start burning. “Do Vulcans kiss at weddings?” Kirk ventured.

“They do,” Spock allowed. “But it is not the same as humans.”

“Would you rather do that?”

“No, captain,” Spock said immediately, more sharply than Kirk expected. “No, thank you. But I am---” Spock cut himself off, an uncharacteristic sound.

“Spock, we don’t have to do it. Kiss, I mean.” As he said it, though, a single cold drip of disappointment cut through his core. For a second, he saw Spock’s face up close in his mind, those warm eyes sliding shut, that stoic face relaxing minutely, lips parting---

Kirk blinked rapidly, clearing the sudden and unexpected image from his mind, ignoring the warmth in his stomach. “I meant it. We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“It is not the act itself I am apprehensive about,” Spock said. Was he blushing, or was it a trick of the dim lighting? He stood and paced to his shelves, clasping his hands behind his back. “Forgive me, captain.” There was an unnatural pause. “I cannot help but be aware of the vast discrepancy in experience between the two of us.” Spock’s voice was unnaturally tight, like saying the words out loud was an act of extreme exertion. His posture was so ramrod-straight that it looked painful.

Spock’s odd behavior suddenly came into perfect focus. He was nervous. His proud, taciturn, aloof Vulcan was nervous about a kiss. Kirk was filled with an unsuppressable fondness as he watched Spock pretend to straighten one of his Vulcan artifacts on the shelf.

“Mr. Spock,” he said, filling his voice with feigned offense. “Are you calling me easy?” He stood as Spock whirled.

“Jim, no,” Spock said immediately, but the horrified look in his eyes faded as he registered Kirk smiling at him, coming to stand next to him. In the back of his mind, Kirk recognized their positions as the ones they had held only a few days ago, when Kirk proposed to him and Spock had agreed.

“You’ve kissed someone before, haven’t you?” Kirk had a memory of a pretty blonde woman laying on Spock’s chest, but now he couldn’t remember her face; only that the idea of her made him uneasy.

Spock tilted his head, but did not look at Kirk. “In a manner of speaking,” he said, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled. “Leila Kalomi. On Omicron Ceti III.”

“The botanist? From the spore planet?”

“Yes,” Spock said. Kirk angled himself to look up at Spock more closely: in the half-light of Spock’s quarters, the angles of his face were thrown into sharp relief. His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “When I was under the influence of the plant.”

Yes, that’s what Kirk was remembering: the woman who had loved Spock, who had been the conduit for Spock’s uncharacteristic whimsy on the planet. He had felt so betrayed when he had been ignored for hours and gone to find Spock, certain that he was injured or worse, and instead found him tangled and laughing with someone in a field. He felt a flash of guilt as he recalled what he had said to Spock to break him out of the plant’s hold.

But then he considered what Spock had said, with growing horror. He asked quietly, “Would you have kissed her without the spores?”

Spock’s eyes flashed to him, then back to the shelf. “No, captain.”

Kirk wiped his face with his hand, all the more guilty for what he had said to Spock, even if he hadn’t meant it. “Spock, I’m sorry,” he said. He turned fully to face him. “I’m so sorry.”

“Kaiidth,” Spock said, but he sounded almost mournful. He cleared his throat. “Regardless, I now find myself to have little applicable experience and a public forum in which to make that readily apparent.”

Kirk turned around, leaning against the vertical post of the shelf behind him. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Spock. Spock refused to meet his gaze. Kirk felt an almost physical click in his head as his conscious brain registered what his subconscious had been telling him for a while now: Spock was beautiful. As if for the first time, Kirk reconsidered the elegant lines of his eyebrows, the planes of his cheeks, the soft straight line of his lips. The warmth in his stomach burned again as he thought, shamefully, secretly, about what it would feel like to kiss him, about how it was a damn shame that Spock had not been kissed properly.

His heart pounded as he realized that he wanted to be the one to do it. Desire burned in his blood in a way that he hadn’t felt in years. He felt the memory of Spock’s hand on his hip, the dreamt memory of his arms around his waist.

Kirk asked, as steadily as he could manage, “Would it help you if tomorrow weren’t the first time?” One part of him screamed that he was being selfish. Another part of him was willing to do anything that would sap the tension from Spock’s unhappy posture. The last part of him, smaller, newer, deeper, wanted desperately to kiss Spock, to see his eyes close and feel Spock’s skin against his. Spock’s eyes snapped to him. Kirk kept his face neutral.

“Captain, I have already taken too many liberties with you,” Spock said. “I cannot ask you to---”

“You didn’t ask for anything,” Kirk said, cutting him off. “I offered. You’re uncomfortable. I can help.”

Spock hesitated, but he shifted on his feet, angling himself towards Kirk. He looked down between them, and Kirk could see the soft fringe of his dark eyelashes against the pale green of his cheeks. Kirk had already known, in an abstract kind of way, that Spock was handsome. He was tall and strong, lean and graceful. But how many people had ever seen him vulnerable like this? How many people had Spock ever admitted an emotion to?

“Captain, do not feel obligated to do this,” Spock said softly.

“It’s just a kiss,” Kirk said, trying terribly to convince himself of the same. “Let me help.”

Spock’s eyes met his. Kirk shifted forward slowly, giving Spock time to pull back if he wanted. But he did not: Kirk saw him inhale, saw him tilt his head to the side to the slightest degree. He felt Spock’s trust in him like a physical weight on his shoulders. As Kirk paused, inches from Spock’s face, their breath mingling in the warm room, the force of how badly he wanted it pressed all the air from his lungs. If he was only going to get two chances at this--- this kiss, and tomorrow’s--- he was going to make sure he did it right.

Kirk stepped forward into Spock’s space, tilting his face up, bringing his hand to cup the back of Spock’s head. He put his other hand on Spock’s waist, pulling them into alignment. He felt Spock inhale one more time, saw his eyelids flutter closed just like he had imagined. Then Kirk closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Spock’s.

All the tumultuous racket and jangling anxiety in Kirk’s head fell silent at the brush of Spock’s lips against his, as his entire universe narrowed to Spock. For one infinite second, Spock stood frozen in his arms, unmoving. Kirk just held him close, waited for Spock to either push him away or encourage him on. Just as he was about to step back, taking Spock’s stillness as discomfort, Spock’s lips parted on a sigh and opened for him. Kirk opened his mouth to deepen the kiss and brushed his tongue against Spock’s lip.

His spine hit the pillar of the shelf behind him as Spock pushed them backwards. His arm wrapped around Kirk’s back, pulling him against his chest. Spock’s other hand came up to his face, his thumb sliding along his jaw, his long fingers threading through Kirk’s hair. Kirk let Spock tilt his head further, feeling Spock’s hand against the back of his head, the strength of his body against Kirk’s. He slid his hand further up to rest on Spock’s ribs, and he could feel the thrumming of the Vulcan heart beneath. After a moment of letting Kirk lead, Spock copied what he had done, hesitantly sliding his tongue into Kirk’s mouth. The wet heat of it lit him up, every point of contact sparking like static. He pulled Spock into him and Spock’s uncertainty melted away, and he pressed Kirk back against the shelf until he was arching against him. Kissing Spock felt as natural as breathing, lips and tongues moving in an instinctual rhythm that matched Kirk’s pounding heartbeat.

How long had it been? Minutes? Hours? As their lips parted, Spock bowed his head, pressing their foreheads together. Kirk heard Spock’s shaky inhale as much as he felt it, through the expansion of his ribcage under his hands and his chest against his own. Kirk opened his eyes to find Spock watching him, his pupils huge in the dark room. Slowly, without breaking eye contact, Spock disentangled his arms from around Kirk and took a minute step backwards. Kirk released his hold on Spock and trapped his hands behind his back, bracing himself on the steady line of the shelf behind him. What now? What the hell could possibly come next?

“Jim,” Spock said, but he left whatever he had wanted to say unsaid, and instead looked down. A flash of uncertainty crossed his face. Suddenly the room felt suffocatingly warm, the collar of Kirk’s shirt too tight around his skin.

“Well, Mr. Spock,” Kirk said, forcing a levity he didn’t feel into his voice. He reached out, grabbed Spock’s shoulder, squeezed it, dropped it. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about in terms of needing practice.”

“I---,” Spock said, and he clasped his hands behind his back, his porcelain mask sliding back down over his expression as he asserted control over himself once more. “Thank you, captain. I am… less apprehensive now.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Spock.” Kirk looked around the room, desperate to break the sudden tension, to free himself from the magnetic pull that was inexorably drawing his hands back to Spock’s waist, to the delicate skin at the back of his neck. “Shall we play another match, or call it for the night?”

Spock seemed to recognize and appreciate Kirk’s efforts at normalcy, because after a beat he quirked an eyebrow and said, “Two losses are not enough for you this evening, captain?”

“Best of five, then,” Kirk said, but he removed himself from the shelf and took three steps towards the door. Spock walked with him the rest of the five steps across his quarters and opened the door for him.

“Good night, captain. And thank you.” Spock’s voice was sincere, and his eyes were warm even as his face remained impassive. God help him, but Kirk was flooded with the need to steal another kiss before he left. Anything to feel Spock sigh into his mouth again. Instead he smiled and said, “Anytime, Mr. Spock.” He stepped out into the corridor and the turbodoor slid shut behind him. The walk to his own door had never seemed so long. Somehow he punched his own code into his keypad with numb fingertips and managed to get himself into his room before he collapsed on his bed.

As he flopped backwards to stare at the ceiling, Kirk heard Bones’s warning echoing in his ears: What happens when you get too close? Oh, but it was too late for that now. He was already too close. He was only human, and touch-starved after three years with nothing more intimate than back slaps and short hugs, and the man who understood him best in this universe had touched him with such gentle, easy affection and then kissed him breathless.

He tried to picture anyone else’s face: Gary’s, or Carol’s, even Edith Keeler’s, anything to displace the image of Spock’s open, vulnerable face right before he let Kirk kiss him. But he couldn’t keep anyone else’s image in his head. They all turned back into Spock. Spock, who had held him so closely and pushed him back against the bookshelf, who had admitted his fears to Kirk and then allowed him to help.

Kirk pressed his hands to his forehead as he recontextualized his feelings from the past few days: how he had felt when Spock caught his head from hitting the ground, when Spock recommended his thesis to his scientists, when Spock wrapped his arm around his waist and let him lean against his chest. He felt warm. He felt giddy. He felt protected, cared for, understood.

“No,” he said out loud. “It’s not like that for us. We’re just friends.” Kirk closed his eyes. Even to himself, it didn’t sound as convincing as it had in Bones’s office. His silent room mocked him. He wiped his hands down his face, dragging his cheeks down, feeling the words bubble up inside him. He could still feel Spock’s hands in his hair, on his face, tilting his head back, his tongue sliding into Kirk’s mouth.

“I want him,” he whispered, and it burned, and it was true. He opened his eyes. “Oh, shit.”

#spirk #my writing #k/s #kirk/spock #regulatory relations #fake married #k/s fan fiction #kirk/spock fan fiction

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definitelynotshouting · 1 year

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half-tempted to come off anon but I'm adding onto my pirate au bc your response made me so happy-

okay so imagine after they escape the prison scar and grian have to separately work their way back up to having a ship and maybe crew again because their previous belongings were yoinked and destroyed by the royal fleet, but as they work their way back they start hearing rumors about each other. like scar starts hearing people whisper about a ship nicknamed 'the watcher' because it's impossible to get near or ambush the ship, it's like it's always watching (it's grian's ship, and the constant vigile is because he was captured by an ambush and won't let that become a repeat); grian starts hearing people talk about the captain of a dilapidated ship that is so silver-tongued he could swindle the boots off your feet for a grain of rice (the captain is ofc scar, who became a better conman after a failed swindle landed him in the jail cell in the first place)

their reputations grow, and so do the mysteries around them- grian and his ship are always hard to find, hard to recognize, and deadly; scar isn't too hard to find, but his charisma and charm make him too elusive to catch and nobody knows what he looks like anyways bc of the hat and handkerchief around his face when he's conning and scheming

two years pass and during one calm, quiet night in a harbor town is grian having a drink in a tavern to let off some steam. he's kinda lost in thought about one thing or another when suddenly a voice erupts from next to him full of laughter and an underlayer of mischief, and it's a lot smoother and richer than he remembers, but grian still recognizes it as scar's and he is suddenly brain empty, lost for words

meanwhile scar is just at the tavern he's known as a local in, chatting with his favorite tavern owner, when the guy to his left suddenly slams currency onto the counter; scar's half-startled and is ready to kinda ignore the guy until he hears the voice that's been pleasantly haunting his dreams speak next to him with a "give me your finest, please"

their gazes come together, and they both know they are not leaving this tavern tonight by theirselves

-unstoppable object anon

IM INSANE OVER THIS ANON HOLY SHIT. THATS SO GOOD OH MY GOOOOOOOODS I AM LOOKING!!! IM LOOKING DIRECTLY AT IT!!! YOUR BRAIN IS SO HUGE FOR THIS IM LOSING MY MIND!!!!! Literally feel free to brainrot at me any time, i am LOVING this omg

#THIS IS SOOO!!!!! OH MY.GODS #BITING FURNITURE ABT IT #pls i would read this so hard its so so good even as just a concept #anon WHERWS THE FIC..... /LH #ur fucking mind dude ur so based #shouting speaks #scarian #asks #txt

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mapstone · 2 months

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Anayas Return

*i do not own the characters from “Orville” this is only a fanfictionstory.

Captain of her own ship now Anaya , Captain Ed Mercers daughter , had thrown aside her belief in Krill culture and abandoned the planet she was raised on. She specifically asked Alara Kitan to sponsor her training into the fleet. Alara was only too happy to help once she’d learned who Anaya really was.

Having only ever been a bad reminder of a mission to imprison Ed , Her mother saw her as an afterthought and a tool to regain power if she ever lost Krillians favor . she was never supposed to be , and so To Teleya she was Nothing essentially .

“I am Not Krill” Anaya denounced her mothers race before adding “I am Anaya Mercer , Daughter of Ed , a Captain of your Forces and I wish to serve As my father has Before me.

“Welcome Ensign Mercer, you will find your fathers items and logs to learn from here as well as the regular programs”

The Host was small , a group of near retired captains , engineers , only one knew Ed personally and his story of having a half Krill daughter, whom he was denied a relationship with.

“”Thankyou , for opening the doors to me , I am very happy so be here in the same capacity as my father. I’m sure I will learn well and serve well.” She paused “Is there any news yet of my father? “

“no ensign , so sorry , I know you are eager to meet him again as we are to find him safe and have him return . Let’s all pray he does soon.”

That was 4 yrs ago she told herself .

The hope of her fathers return was rewarded shortly , He’d been marooned on the unexplored surface of Galti 3 , By Bortus his Moclan security detail following an argument of how to proceed with an investigation of strange life forms. Bortus was more afraid of dying by the hands of an unknown species , and left Ed alone to investigate , Ed found a few species on the planet and one that allowed him to summon the Orville to send another Ship to collect him.

To be continued

Pt2

Anaya was happy when Ed returned , sore and angry but exhausted and happy most of all to find a growing family .

He spent hours making special logs for her to know him better , which she went thru first after her training began. She learned quickly and passed several rankings twice as fast as her human counterparts in training .

She followed him and Molloy and she peppered him with questions about parts of his life on earth , and begged to come with him and visit when she could.

Ed was exhausted but answered as many questions as he could, but he thought back often to the marooning on Galti 3 and couldn’t get back those precious first three weeks. He spent five days searching for intelligent beings and 6 days fighting off hungry aliens now being classified in the data base as pitzi a cat like race that could communicate but would rather eat the first fresh meat in site. When he finally got far enough away from the pitzi and they stopped chasing him he found a humanoid race they classified as Dvashti who were intelligent and kept a treasure hoard of LOST items among them communicators that Orvillians would have in their hands . The big question left to Ed was HOW did the Dvashti come into these communicators ? He suspected they murdered another fleet crew or at least robbed them. Any way he was Grateful to have a communicator and a power source to connect it to and made contact sending for Malloy to pick him up off Galti 3. He wasn’t just forgotten about , he was missed after several sweeps even in that 3 weeks , his crew members were unable to find him.

#the orville #FanFiction the Orville

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autumnsup · 1 year

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🌊 Slash Ships to Get to Know Me ⚓️

Discovered via open tag (thanks @sliebman10!)

**Rules**: Name at least five (no upper limit) slash (M/M) ships you love. Each from a different fandom.

OK, so this little exercise took longer than I expected, because for me, there are many different categories of ship-love. The list I've compiled below is a reflection of my discovery journey with M/M ships, in order of significance. Some of them I have outgrown but left on the list as a mark of how deep of an impression they left on my psyche. I've only written fic for a few of them, but who knows, maybe others will pop up on my AO3 master list in the future.

Harry Potter - Drarry

This was the OG slash ship for me, although I would come to discover Wolfstar many years later. Both ships are significant for me, but since I can only give one ship per fandom, Drarry it is! The majority of my fic efforts have been in this fandom, in case you couldn’t already tell. 😉

Velvet Goldmine - Arthur Stuart/Curt Wild

This was another OG for me, being one of the first films I watched that centered gay relationships in a meaningful way (in my young adult mind, anyhow). I probably started as a Brian Slade/Curt Wild shipper, but I’ve since come to realize that I identify way more with Arthur/Curt. I also wrote a fic for this ship.

Brokeback Mountain - Jack Twist/Ennis Del Mar

This film quite literally broke my heart when I saw it in the theater as a young adult. So much so that I haven’t been able to watch it since, although I did later read the short story it was based on. I am glad that media representation of non-traumatic gay relationships has improved since then, because man, this one was tragic. Not to mention Heath Ledger dying just a few years later.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Simon/Bram

On the flip side, this is the most adorable, positive depiction of young gay love that I’ve read so far. Possibly my favorite YA high school age ship to date, at least as far as the books go (I haven’t watched the TV series yet).

Our Flag Means Death - Stede Bonnet/Ed Teach

This TV show endeared itself to me in so many ways, but I think the most enduring love I have is for these two pirate lads. Can’t wait to see what the next season brings for them!

Hannibal – Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter

This ship fucked me up in a few different ways, not least because one of them likes to snack on people. However, the sexual tension is undeniable, and I wish they’d done this ship more justice than they ultimately did in the TV series.

Kill Your Darlings - Lucien Carr/Allen Ginsberg

Speaking of getting fucked up by ships… this one had the added layer of being based on a murderous true story, although I would say the relationship between these two college students was highly embellished, and to simmering effect. I also love that this was the first film project Daniel Radcliffe dived into while finishing up the Potter series, after honing his theater chops in Equus.

Amadeus - Mozart/Salieri

And now speaking of Equus and drama based on historical characters… I don’t think I picked up right away on how intimately linked these two characters were, but I think it was a big reason why I loved this film/play so damned much when I was growing up. The final scene between them is so utterly *chef’s-kiss*, I don’t think I have a choice but to ship them now.

Dark Is Rising series - Will Stanton/Bran Davies

Like Amadeus, this ship snuck up on me, probably because I was quite young when I first read this YA fantasy book series. As an adult, I love the idea of these two besties getting together years later, so much so that I wrote a fic for them.

Call Me By Your Name - Elio/Oliver

I have mixed feelings about this one. The film gutted me, and I tore through the book, but ultimately I feel like it was more the coming-of-age and fleeting-summer-romance angles that got to me than the actual characters, as compellingly portrayed as they were. I’m not holding out for a sequel film, given the controversy surrounding Armie Hammer, but I might eventually read the sequel book.

Heartstopper - Charlie/Nick

Pure, adorable fluff. I don’t have quite as many feels over this one as Simon/Bram, but watching the first season and the development of their romance was sheer delight.

And that's my list for the moment, although I intend to continue expanding it. Open tag for anyone else who wants to hop onboard, but just for the heck of it, I will tag @mangle-my-mind and @silverfactory! ⛵️

#tag game #favorite slash ships #multiple fandoms #open tag

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smokeybrandreviews · 1 year

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Dustland Fairytale

I’ve been pretty quiet about my Azur Lane adventure because, for the most part, it’s been pretty quiet. There wasn’t really anything worth updating recently. Outside of my new quest to build up my Northern Parliament dock, nothing has really happened worth commenting on. Besides, I've been busy ducking an eviction and moving into a much, much, better place so i really didn’t have the time to delve deep into my progress. But all of that has finally resolved itself and i got the time again. It’s weird being able to just, take my time and really enjoy typing this out. I’m in my own room, sitting on my own futon, my puppers napping next me, gushing about a pass time i genuinely enjoy. It’s just such different energy where i am now, than where i was a week ago and i love it!

In terms of my Rusky dock, I've come a long way. Stremitelny was added to the Light Construction pool permanently a few updates back, so i obviously made a run at her. Didn't work out but i was able to pick her up a few days in. N0t a bad get but, more importantly, i was able to complete Chkalov. I mentioned this in my last Azur Lane post but i already had all the necessary parts in order to construct her, it was the EXP grind that killed me! Man, i do not remember it taking that long to pick up three million points! When i was grinding for Rupprecht, that sh*t went by in a flash! Not with Chkalov! That chick took weeks! Like, way too many. I don’t know if it was because i ended up grinding on the lower level maps on account of my SN ships being absolutely under leveled from neglect, but getting those points hurt. Cartoonish time sink, man, but i’m finally out of that whole and the only Northern Parliament Carrier has officially joined my Fleet. That brings my grand total to nineteen of a total twenty-three. It’s just a matter of time before they are all available in terms f Rerun or Pool addition. All of them except Kronshtadt. F*cking Ultra Rare ships, man. You don’t have a choice but to get them on a Rerun if they you miss the first Banner attempt. Fortunately, the Abyssal Refrain hasn’t had a Rerun yet so i still have a shot!

Speaking of Ultra Rare, guess who rolled that brand new UR Carrier on the current Royal Navy Event Banner? This guy! It was kind of hilarious because pulling Implacable was the last thing i did before getting knee deep in life stuff and neglecting this game for a week. I’ve literally only been playing the Revelations of Dust for three days and I've already got all the new ships. Popped the rest of the banner boats on my Tuesday, doing all the Weekly Missions. That first Ten-pull was real kind. Got another Implacable, a Scylla, and, like, three Argus. Those Argus were spread out over two more Ten-pulls but tat was because i was trying to get Royal Oak to drop. I’ve had the Point Shop ship drop in Construction on a different event do i figured I'd give it a shot here. After a handful of Wisdom Cubes i probably shouldn’t have gambled, i opted to just grind it out. I needed the Points anyway to unlock Hero so it worked out. Three days into actually making an attempt at this event, i have all of the Boats available. Kind of meh about the entire situation because i don’t really f*ck with the HMS ships like that but it’s cool. A new UR is always welcome.

#Azur Lane #Revelations of Dust #Royal Navy #HMS #Chkalov

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ftmtbpod · 2 years

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PODCAST INTRODUCTION: From This Mouth That Bleeds

a retro-mecha cyberpunk sapphic audio drama (coming soon!)

Blurb

Themes

loss, grief, being homesick for a home that no longer exists, loud-mouthed pilots, and trauma-stricken lesbians.

Snippet

Taglist: let me know if you want to be added <3

Other socials

Twitter | Playlist | Buy me a coffee <3

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cursedalthoughts · 1 year

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Priority Research 6 Predictions - Sakura Empire

I would love a Sakura Empire PR for PR6 but they don't have that many options :/ However, I am going to present the most likely to y'all. This is the last PR6 prediction post, to check the others you can see the #priority research tag because I posted them all with that tag.

As always: Do not treat any of the following choices as guaranteed. I would not bet money on any of these specific ones getting added as part of PR6 this year, it's just the ships I see as Very LikelyTM.

Hizen

Honestly, the most unlikely. She's a bigger Izumo, and in terms of gameplay she is just a bigger Izumo and nothing else.

Her reload time is atrocious at 38 seconds for kind of good 410mm guns, but Izumo is free and Hizen costed money.

And you can't even get Hizen anymore.

Iwami

A strange battlecruiser, Iwami may look a lot like Hizen and that's because they're based on the same pre-Yamato designs. However, Iwami has a total of 4 cannons less in exchange of slightly better accuracy and a reload that's 10 seconds faster than Hizen's.

She also has Shimakazo torpedoes - 2 launchers at the rear with 4 torps each, and they have 20km range with ludicrous damage. The problem is that it's the 20km Shima torpedoes, which can be outrun by some ships and can also be spotted from the Moon.

Iwami also has another gimmick: half-decent secondaries. Kii at Tier 8 has better secondaries, imho, but Iwami's can be fun.

She would be PR.

Daisen

I haven't read much on Daisen yet, but from her stats, she's a fast little battlecruiser with incredibly bad armor, mediocre secondaries, very good main guns and 8 torpedoes per side. Those torpedoes do 20k damage each and have a 10km range, meaning she's no joke.

I don't know if she is PR or DR material, but I think she fits as a PR. Besides, unlike Iwami, she's very different from Izumo; meaning she wouldn't step on Izumo that much - which is my main concern.

Shikishima

The USS Georgia of the Yamato-class, Shikishima is the same hull as Yamato with somewhat better secondaries and six 510mm guns instead of 9 460mm guns. She's more accurate and reloads faster than Yamato, meaning that sticking Isoroku Yamamoto on this baby is very fun due to his buffs.

However, unlike Georgia, she would be a DR. A very powerful DR that would 'powercreep' (if you believe that thing exists in AL) most other UR BBs until Yamato comes out.

I imagine Shikishima being the weird one of the Yamato family. She would be a stealthy assassin, who kills her enemies from within the shadows. Mainly because that's how she is in the Tegarrian Lore (@tegarrianlore) lol.

Yoshino

Honestly, Yoshino feels unlikely. She is, effectively, a bigger Azuma with 8 Shimakaze torpedoes per side. Her gimmick is that she has excellent 310mm HE shells but also has access to anti-camping 20km torpedoes.

However, if Yoshino gets added, she would be DR. Which makes me feel she's even more unlikely.

Shimanto

Takahashi

I group these 2 together as equally likely because they are the new additions to the Japanese tech tree - the Tier 8 and Tier 9 light cruisers - and both suck.

I enjoy the freemium Tokachi at Tier 7, as she's a Furutaka with 127mm guns and that HE spamming is fun, but these other cruisers with bigger 155mm guns simply aren't worth it.

However, we know their performance in WoWs doesn't mean shit for Azur Lane. The best example imho is FdG, who is just plain old bad in WoWs but is a murderhouse in AL. I believe they could be fun, little HE spammers in AL that have massive torpedo-buffing abilities, to both themselves and the whole fleet.

Hayate

A unique (for Japan's standards) destroyer that has both good guns and good torpedoes. They normally excell only at guns (Kitakaze) or only at torpedoes (Shimakaze) - Hayate is good with both.

However, in AL she could be the DR gunboat equivalent to Shimakaze's excellent torpedo perfomance. The Death by Thousand Cuts of AL.

BONUS - MOST UNLIKELY

Tokachi

As stated above, she is a Furutaka with destroyer guns. They reload incredibly slowly at 7 seconds between shots, but most of her turrets can spin 360º and do so incredibly quickly.

The problem is Tokachi is Tier 7. We have not gotten any Tier 7 or lower PR and I doubt Tokachi will be the first one.

Ashitaka

There is a saying within the WoWs community, "you can't say Ashitaka without saying shit".

She's bad. Attrociously bad. Absolute girlfailure.

A Tier 7 version of Amagi, she has worse guns, worse accuracy, worse shells, no armor, and worse health. With Kii being an option, and Amagi being researchable, there is genuinely no reason for Ashitaka to be in the game.

#azur lane #world of warships #priority research #azur lane speculation #sakura empire #wows collab

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rah10corez · 2 years

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FaucetGamers

Like many things in life, we all have preferences for certain reasons; someone rubs you wrong, tastes bad, etc. As for myself, I like Cointiply for many reasons and the same goes for FaucetGamers.

I wasn’t immediately turned on by it. It was just another faucet site with ways to earn. After a few weeks of visiting and getting some GTs (one of the native digital currencies for their site), I finally tried the passive income game: Crypto Pirates. I could likely write an article on it alone, there are many features but I’ll keep it mildly short (yeah right).

Crypto Pirates Game Faucetgamers.com

The picture just shows part of my fleet. From that page, I can buy new ships and repair my own. Depending on their price or how many GTs you have, they will last a short period with a lower yield or the opposite. You need to log in once a day at least to get your LP Tokens to receive the bonuses. No loyalty then bum luck on your passive that day. Good incentive to come back right?

You gain GTs and/or GCs depending on how you sail. It will equal more than repair costs it just takes patience, or a bunch of coins in a day. Your earnings are based on your Naval Power, which once a day you get a free chance at getting a 5–30% boost by “hoisting your colors.” If you want to reroll it will cost LP points.

I’ve been on a steady increase but am pretty fresh to the game. So, I’m on the last page of the “bounties” list. You can set the sailing mode in “captains orders” to Pool Bonus Mode or Gold Coins Mode. I’m usually in pool mode so I get a cut of the other pirate’s booty Rahrg. You get both coin types as well. You may have mutiny from your crew, lose ships, and much more. Very interesting game and if you pay attention, you can keep increasing your value and maximizing your profit by getting better ships.

Other things stick out other than that game. There are arcade games like PacMan, tournaments, offer walls, an LP faucet, and much more you can do to stack your coins. There’s a new game added called Sorcerer Games, which I keep meaning to try, but I’ve been meaning to write this for a while too. Looks cool, my LP points are low due to my lack of activity lately, but that will change soon enough.

A couple of games from the Game Page by Faucetgamers.com

I’ve been through many sites trying to find some golden goose egg or a get-rich-quick scheme. Those are the ones that will get you for your money if not wise enough. I’ve been suckered a couple of times myself.. perhaps a few :) I learn the hard way as usual hopefully, I’m wiser. I list the ones I’ve tested and have had a good experience with on my site and this is one of them.

After searching through all of those sites and dedicating my time I found that there are many bots, stingy or nonexistent owners. This is the ONLY site of many that I’ve received a detailed response to some questions I had and I was trying to find answers forever. Very helpful owner and/or staff and after that, I got a really good vibe about the people that played on the site. I’ve received some short responses I’m not saying help doesn’t exist, but the owner I believe heard what I was saying. The others that respond avoid the question or go around in a loop, unless you’re reporting abuse or something.

On top of being an original site compared to others in the same category, they have awesome leadership and a good playbook. Not many people mention their site that I have seen (my eyes are pretty bad though), but I’ve seen the site grow and it seems to be headed up the list. Definitely on my list and I hope people will see what I see once they give it a shot. If you like faucet-type sites, I’d put this one on your list to visit daily. Good vibes and good times!

Earn Page, get some more coins for different activities. More utility on page news, recommendations, and other helpful information.

I’m grateful for the kindness shown and the wisdom shared when I felt like I was done asking. Honesty and loyalty are a big portion of my values, I’m showing love for a site that in my opinion should be on more top faucet lists for 2022. I had to give a shot out to the family over at faucetgamers.com they’re awesome! Now, I’ve mentioned the link enough so all of you are now brainwashed... GO NOW and give them a shot! Playing, but here’s one more and hope everyone is as well as these times can permit! Faucet Gamers Site

Citation: Medium

Get paid to read on Pub0x

Best wishes all,

Rahlly

rah10corez.io

#faucet #game #online #p2e games #passive money #play to earn #crypto #win #contest #tournament #fun #prize #information

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voidcatpolar · 2 years

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Standing on the precipice of the void so vast it shakes my very soul

Reflecting back from the oceans smooth surface my own vacant eyes look back at me

Here we do not escape the calling of another world as stars collapse into black holes

Toxicity of the power plants that powered out social lives bleeding into our water

Each conversation taking on a new shape closer and closer to a sharp blade on which we will cut ourselves

Sharpening not our minds but our tongues like bladed whips to be lashed at those who deserve it

Amongst this violence, this slaughter i can only questions what my part was amongst such a symphony

Or perhaps better called a cacophony from such a daring menagerie that i attempt to find myself in

Casting only my certainties aside to leave me with only tattered clothes that let the rain seep in

Yet shivering from frostbite my life continues

My attention is drawn with my hollow stare at the blood glistening on the deck

It feels good to see my eyes shine in a color other than the darkness of blue

How far this ship has carried me but the crew has become restless

Misery strikes as the bell continues to toll out each passing hour while they fight amongst themselves

Even if i am the captain i must escape my crew to find somewhere safer

The void still beckons and calls out to me with the lapping of the waves

My parched throat begging for more of what once felt like ichor but i know the salt and oil filled waves will not quench my thirst

Now i sit away from the ocean deep in the belly of the beast but even here the void follows

Once it shone with a thousand stars like the wonder filled souls of a kindergarten classroom

Now these mirrors of the soul shine dead on the dagger i sharpen to gut the fish

Taking it apart to get to the bone i pick it apart meticulously

Food must be prepared to be safely consumed so that the mind does not despair as it so has already

Seasoned to perfection and made just right as to not poison oneself or any ships they may break bread with

I think once there was a chef but he has been away far too long to cook for us anymore

Edging upwards i gaze towards the stars with the knife of my words in my hand and the fish filling my stomach

Even now the winter leaves me numb and cold but still i do not miss the summers of burning flesh

Like an orchestra commanding me i turn about as the blood floods to my feet and i see my crew has been killed in this futile war

Alone i stand cold reason and memories of better time leaving only spite and anguish i turn my ship

Piercing my flesh with my dagger i set loose the fire of my blood and my soul

Cursing all who may hear my wailing cries of vengeance against those who wronged me and those who did not

Calling screaming singing the void reaches out and grabs me as the ship collapses and i fall into the ocean

Finally peace is known i had hoped buy even in my wishing for the emptiness i poison the water

What once was a fleet so grand that sailed the oceans of space set to become a new star they are dragged by my void

Selfish decisions lost in the moment and seen only by the few who cared to look

They were sharpening their minds and softening their tongues to use their words to heal

Now they are left with a mind to cut to the depths of the issues and wound others like never before

My darkness pulling them away from the limelight they deserved more than i ever did

Spark fading away drowned in the blood from the wounds of my tongue

The poison of the food wasting away in the very core of my being in such a way to know my regret pierces my heart

Leaping finally off of the precipice i will not see what my choice has done to others

Only now hoping my choice does not destroy them but send them rocketing to success

Only now do i realize that perhaps i have only added to the toxicity of the ocean of living

But too late as my time ends by my own hand, leaving for the void myself to consume its fill

#poetry #dark poetry

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weerd1 · 1 month

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ENT Rewatch Starlog, 27 April, 2024, supplemental: Episode 3.23 “Countdown”

Hoshi Sato wakes up on the Xindi Reptilian vessel where they begin to manipulate her mind. It seems the weapon will only activate with three Xindi species codes; they have their own and the Insectoids, but will use Hoshi to crack the Aquatic’s code.

Archer realizes their ploy and with the other Xindi approach the Aquatics. Knowing the Reptilians plan to hack their code doesn’t phase them, but Archer points out their “Guardians” have never offered to remove the Spheres that keep the Expanse dangerous, driving home his point that the Xindi Guardians ARE the Sphere Builders. With the data T’Pol gleaned from the Sphere memory core, Archer offers to disable the network. The Aquatics agree to deliberate.

Trip and T’Pol have some tension as they work the Sphere problem, with T’Pol finally admitting to Trip she may need his help in dealing with her emotions. He agrees to help when they are done.

The Sphere Builders themselves are nervous, watching different timelines play out and assert themselves. They agree they will only intervene if absolutely necessary.

Hoshi continues to resist the Reptilians, actually ADDING a layer of encryption to the code, but Dolim the Xindi uses more of his parasites to control her brain. The Aquatics agree to help Archer in exchange for disabling the spheres. The combines fleet enters a vortex to pursue. They catch up as the code has been unlocked, and the Reptilians begin arming the weapon. The fleet gets closer when the Sphere Builders step in, creating fields of anomalies around the weapon to protect it. Archer does beam Major Hayes and some MACOs over to the Reptile ship to rescue Hoshi, but Hayes takes a sever hit as he’s beaming back out. The Weapon and its escorts enter a vortex, 10 hours from Earth.

Hayes dies, leaving Reed in charge of the MACOs as Archer puts together an assault team to use Degra’s ship to catch the weapon and attack it from the inside. Against Phlox’s wishes, he chooses to take Hoshi, as she has actually BEEN inside the weapon.

As he prepares, Trip and T’Pol take the NX-01 toward the nearest Sphere to honor their agreement with the Aquatics and wipe out the network.

I won’t lie: I am sad they killed of Major Hayes because I really wanted him and Malcolm to settle down together after the war and spend the rest of their days hand making weapons and “sparring” together in their home gym. I think we could have indicated the assimilation of the MACOs into the crew without killing Hayes, but I suppose it gives some gravitas to the entire situation, and they (luckily) weren’t going to kill Hoshi. Interesting though that almost every time this season remembers Hoshi exists, she gets kidnapped.

The Tri’Pol moments here are nice, to include the small diner in the Captain’s mess scene where she mentions possibly formalizing her entrance into Starfleet. Trip really wants to see Soval’s face when T’Pol puts on a Starfleet uniform, which I can only assume is the same face Rick Berman made anytime someone suggested it to him. Kiss my ass, Berman.

I’m a little curious why the Sphere Builders don’t decide to intervene earlier. Is it a Temporal War protocol? Are they trying to minimize their actions so they are not detected? Interesting in these last couple of episodes the Builders seem to take on some of the Founders role on DS9- worshipped by some, annoyed with the races they are manipulating. Can we assume the future Daniels showed Archer was actually the timeline BEFORE they intervened, or should we be expecting they will mount a Sphere based attack, creating another Expanse sometime in the future? Maybe DISCO can clear that up for us.

NEXT VOYAGE: The Weapon makes it to Earth and the humans experience “Zero Hour.”

(Images taken from the main website for @trekcore; I am happy to remove the images if asked.)

#star trek #star trek enterprise #enterprise #enterprise rewatch #enterprise season 3 #xindi saga

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