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popculturebuffet · 3 years

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Ducktales Shadow Into Light (Lena Retrospective): Friendship Hates Magic! (Commission by WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy people! And welcome, and to some of you welcome back to Shadow Into Light, my fully paid for but gladly done Lena retrospective, covering everyone’s faviorite lesbian emo shadow’s personal jounrey through all three seasons and some brucey bonuses.

So this time we pick up in mid-season 2.. yes MID season 2. Though for once taking so long to adress things had valid reasons. It dosen’t make the 8 month wait for Lena to return and for Violet to show up, her concept art having been shown off shortly before Shadow War aired during San Diego Comic Con, any less aggravating, especially since the episode did air overseas before that but never leaked anywhere properly. So I knew she’d be okay but not HOW.

As I said though.. they had their reasons. The episode was set for episode 8 in production order, right behind whatever Happened to Della Duck? which answered the other big cliffhanger from season 1, Della’s exile on the moon. So while this episode was back in the queue, along with Della’s, which had to wait till after the christmas episode to air because said episode takes place before it. So waiting on this episode was fair on the crew’s part even knowing it was a hiatus.

It ended up getting pushed back by a week once the episodes started airing.. but as outlined last time, THIS TIME Disney actually moved it for good reason instead of just doing so because shut up. See the problem with moving episodes around in season 2.. is Della’s return. Several episodes that in theory could’ve easily been pushed back instead of this one, Depths of Cousin Fethry, Treasure of the Found Lamp... couldn’t because they take place BEFORE Della came back and it’d be weird to air them after. One features Donald, the other dosen’t but still lacks Della and it’d be weird if it did> While this episode takes place before Della comes back or was at least meant to, no one appears in person, and Beakly mentoning “the boys and scrooge” at the bin could simply be her forgetting Della’s a part of things for a second. It’s not entirely in character, but it’s much easier than explaning why Della’s not there and Donald is.

They also moved one episode ahead of this.. but it’s one I approve of. See from episode 7 onward the episodes were aired in week long duckbombs, woo-ooo. I I don’t fault disney for it or the reason I suspect they had for doing this: while it wasn’t the intended way of airing, they likely did this airing style to get shows on Disney Plus quicker for it’s debut and given they’ve sunk a LOT of money into the streaming service and it’s a key part of their future, I can’t blame them for wanting the entire series thus far on the platform at launch. It’s one of if not their most popular show at the moment. They wanted it front and center.

So this one took an extra week to air, and an extra day as they aired raiders of the doomsday vault right after Della’s return in “Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!”.. which is also not a bad move. Fans wanted more of Della and her bonding with the kids, I wanted more of that so while the wait was grumble inducing, it was worth the tradeoff to get more of this character and her bonding with Dewey.. and let’s face it Glomgold. You know what i’m about at this point.

So there were delays but not the mind boggling ones that reshuffled the season last time and by next season there’d be zero reshuffling with both holiday episodes designed to go anywhere. So with the history and the agonizing wait out of the way join me under the cut as a snark knight returns, a new fan faviorite debuts and Beakly gets sucked into Launchpad’s awful fandom.

We open our story at the Duckburg Library. Man I fucking miss the library. I mean you can go by apointment and what not but I also have library card debt and stuff, and it’s just not the same.

Anyways naturally Webby is going there to research the Shadow Realm in hopes of finding something to bring Lena back. Last week was “Children’s Card Games, Dark Magic and You! by Professor Yugi Moto which while enlightening got her nowhere. Next up is “Shadow Games on Motorcycles!: How a Crimson Dragon defeated a giant Shadow Monster and brought the dead back and I helped by Doctor Yusei Fudo”.

But that one’s not in yet so she instead goes to the Librarian to get another book.. and it’s Quackfaster! Horay! As for why she’s working two jobs, she’s saving up for a retirement condo in BIRDDDBAAADDOOOSSSSS. I had to type it that way it’s ape law.

But her next book “I Went there and it Sucked, My Time in the Shadow Realm by Mayor of New Jersey Joey Wheeler” is taken by “another strange little girl”. Quackfaster, you chase people around with a scimitar. Just accept your the weird one and live with it like me. You’ll be happier that way.

And so we finally meet Violet whose introduced pitch perfectly. Webby gives out her usual “Hi I”m Webby”.. and Violet simply holds a finger up, finishes her page and gives a simple “Yes?” It demonstrates her quite nature, her love of reading and her lack of social skills all in one fell swoop. The ensuing dead language off is also pretty damn adorable reminding me of that scene from “Lisa’s Wedding” where she and Hugh fight over a book and reading it before making out.. minus the making out because these are children, no one wants that, and Webby is taken. .and even then again children. Most we get is an innocent peck and some blushing.

So Violet, finding out Webby needs it and is researching the arcane too offers to research together tonight, bringing a sleeping bag just in case it goes on long... to Lena’s unheard objections as she’s rattled by the break in her normal routine with Webby, and the possibility of Webby falling for someone else. I mean this i framed as a friendship thing... but you can only say “friend” so many times in a work before you sound like a retired grandma in denial about their granddaughter.

Later at the Mansion, Beakley is enjoying a nice quiet afternoon to herself. Turns out once a month Scrooge has “Binventory Day” where he and the boys catalogue the bin for hours giving her a night to herself and Webby. Webby loudly interuppts the peace as is Cartoon Law, but Beakley is pleased Webby is getting back on the friendship horse.

Bentina ends up ruining it a bit though by bringing up her previous slumber party disasters... which even Lena at her most jealous admits were her fault and only agrees to in the hopes Webby’s going to cancel. Instead Webby decides to make this the most normal sleepover ever! The one where her new friend is coming to specifically help her with magic.

Bentina tries to back her grandaughter/daughter down from this insane logic, but Webby does, if innocently clap back well to her being the one to give her “Be yourself” advice. “I’m not like you Granny, I need to have friends”

And while Webby quickly flees after Beakley tries to deny it.. she’s not wrong. She has exactly one friend who she works for and no social life to speak of.. and as far as I can tell she’s fine this way. Beakley is happy with her work and raising Webby and has someone to talk to in Scrooge. She has everything she needs, while Webby is a social butterfly.. a socially inept social butterfly. She needs people and loves meeting new people and needs friends and not just her family. One’s an introvert the other’s an extrovert. I’m both at times, and before you ask why yes it is a living nightmare thank you so much for asking. I get where both are coming from. And Beakley clearly had friends at one point it’s just a long war with FOWL and a sudden granddaughter probably whittled it down to just Scrooge. It’s okay to be yourself.

So this is where the plotlines split off, so as usual, i’m splitting the up.

Launchpad and Beakley in Getting To Know You And Getting Sucked INto Your Strange and Lovely Fandom

So Beakley naturally cries out “name one person I don’t get along with.. and in walks Launchpad , Nature’s Perfect Himbo, having destroyed the gate and at least being honest he probably will again. Why he’s here when the boys and Scrooge are all gone?

But I don’t care as this subplot is just.. a nonstop delight. Starting with Beakly inviting Launchpad to sup with her.. which just confuses him. Look Bentina you have to use small words.. it’s a miracle he gets up in the morning, dreses himself and hasn’t died in a tragic gasoline fight accident. You have to know your audience. Still funny.

And “not knowing your audience” continues as Beakly serves them pea soup but Launchpad is intimidated by the spoons and while she does offer to help instead tries to use all of them then a straw and then falls facedown in his soup. And this is the SECOND TIME Beakly’s left someone living at the mansion to die. I mean that’s not a lot but it’s still weird it happened twice.

Finally they sit quitely, Beakly reading the Scarlet Pimpernell, and Launchpad doing a coloring book. And besides the odd couple energy what I really like about this subplot.. is that it fleshes Beakly out> This is one of her ONLY plots in the entire goddamn series, yes really. 70 episodes and she only got five spotlight episodes/plots. But it does at least show her off: her upperclass pedigree we really don’t see often, showing that while she applied to the job as maid out of necisity she knows her stuff, her love of classic literature and her being out of touch with the common person. It’s not a ton but it’s more than ninja butler or “stop having fun with your kids della and be a parent”. I mean she wasn’t wrong but she could’ve been nicer about it given the circumstances.

So Launchpad, given Beakley’s never shown any interest in him as a person before, assumes she’s going to fire him and was just softening him up. I mean Scrooge himself outright said he never would and if he did he’d do it to your face, hard as it’d be. But that aside, he’s fine with getting to know her once he knows that no he’s not being fired she just wanted to hang out, he’s everyone’s friend. But naturally an upperclash british former super spy and a dumb as a bucket with a heart of gold pilot have nothing in common, not even aircraft as “plane go up, plane crash going down’ is about the extent of his actual knowledge on aircraft that isn’t instinct or dumb luck.

He does manage to break the ice though, mistaking her book for a Darkwing Duck book and deciding to show her the show since it might be something they have in common. At first she’s as unintuhsed as you’d expect a british lady who never watches the telly watching a 90′s kids show would be.. but by the end she’s gotten all the way into it.

It’s really endearing, showning that two vastly diffrent people with nothing can common can be brought together by something as simple and glorious as liking the same show. I’ve had it happen with me. She naturally is all for filiming his fanscript after the finale provides no answers, being the one to suggest it and the two end the episode shooting it with her in full darkwing duck cosplay. I’ts a cute and entertaining subplot and a nice contrast to the main plot which while not super dark, does have a fog of tension over it. Speaking of which.

Webby, Lena and Violet: In Two’s Company, Three Accidently Creates Monsters That Nearly Take Your Girlfriend Off Into The Shadowy Abyss So the slumber party gets underway with Webby shooing away Duckworth after clearing out her room to greet Violet herself and violet having brought pie... a great callback to an earlier joke where Webby wondered if pie was normal at a sleepover. No but it should be. So Webby welcomes her in to her totally normal room devoid of anything. Nothing suspicious about that.

So Violet tries to get her into research, specifically Tulpas, an actual magical concept, a mental construct of some kind created out of desire, imagination or what have you. Gee I wonder if that will come into play this episode. Webby.. wants to play baggle or what have you or do makeovers and drags Violet along to do the second thing after Violet asks about Magica. Lena then finds something glowing in Violet’s bag...specifically, her old amulet, cracked but still working and flowing with Magica’s power.

Lena assumes Violet is Magica and goes to warn Webby only to find her HORRIBLY MUTATED! Naturally it’s a misdirect, as it turns out Violet is just REALLY good at special effects makeup. It’s something I honestly forgot about her... i’m betting one of her dad’s is an effects artist. Just saying that’d be neat. But Webby gives the “i’m normal really even though I live in a giant mansion with my dad I don’t know is my dad and my grandma whose actually my adopted mom” game away by pointing out the demon’s fang is crooked and Violet is curious and heads to Webby’s room finding a picture from said demon. He signed it and everything. Good man that Rakshaka.

Webby is worried Violet will be freaked out by all the weird but nope, she enjoys it. And it’s not a suprise: violet is actively researching the shadow dimension. Why WOULD she be scared off. The conflict was in Webby’s head all along.. and partly out of PTSD, but we’ll get to that. Webby still tries to get her to baggle but they settle on ancient rune dice baggle and summoning some spirits. Lena scoffs.. until it actually works. It does make sense though: As we’ll see in her last starring role, Lena is kinda like Wanda Maximoff: she has an extreme amount of power but she has no idea how to use it and is simply making up most of her magic as she goes along or took magica’s lead. But the spell means Lena can touch the dice so she spells out don’t trust her.. but forgets she’s dealing with two nerds who love unlocking puzzles and assume the message is on the dice themselves.

Webby and Violet decide they need more clarity and resume the seance.. which summons mysterious white shadow creatures Lena saw before.. .some now taking Magica’s shape. And Lena’s panicked “Oh not again” says it all. So Lena tries the tried and true bedsheet ghost cliche, grumbling about it but showing up as a ghost without any abillity to speak or talk to webby dosen’t do anything and Violet tackles the sheet before deciding to grab the amulet to dispiate the spirit.. only for Lena to show up for a breif second before she does show making the panicked child look incredibly supscious.

Webby naturally tackles and interrogates Violet wanting the full story. And it turns out the big secret is.. Violet is entirely normal. Nothing to do with Magica, no possesions or secretly being her or a minon of hers... she was just a logic obsessed 12 year old who thought magic was a myth.. until the Shadow War proved “Nope it’s real everything you know is wrong. Up is down black is white and short is long”. She just happened to be close to the bin and found the amulet when the remains of the staff fell near her and compacted back into it.

It’s a brilliant reveal. See first watch around your genuinely unsure if Violet is a real person or not.. unless you went in knowing she is, but semantics. Point is most first time viewers didn’t know she’d be a beloved member of the supporting cast and didn’t know what to expect. But looking back... it makes no sense. If Magica had the amulet.. why would she need to infiltrate the mansion. Revenge? Possibly but she’d want Scrooge there too. Even being evil on her own Violet had valid opportunity to pilfer Webby’s magical items, she has an entire box of magic rocks right there and then simply zap her with the amulet. But she didn’t.. because Violet is a person. When she DOES use it she’s utterly terrified, and we can see her breathing heavy, scared.. something Magica has NEVER been of Lena. To Violet it was just a ghost. Webby hadn’t told her about lena and any information she had about her was second hand from newspapers and the like.

Webby is sympathetic, as Violet’s feeling of being sheltered from this greater world naturally resonates and while Lena is still supscious, having reincorperated, it’s clear Webby trusts violet and simply dosen’t want to loose another friend to magic. Here trying to hide it now takes another tone.. she knows Lena was behind it.. but is so afraid of it consuming violet the way it did Lena, she forgets almost ALL of the weird magic stuff in sleepovers was magica’s manipulation, and that Lena died because her creator was a monster, not because of magic. Magic is not inherently good or bad, it just is, and that will come back as a theme in a few episodes. It allowed Magica to ravage the town and kill Lena.. but it allowed Lena to exist in the first place and while the terrible events with Magica clearly shook her.. it also shook violet out of her complacency and got her to research a world she never would’ve considered. Good can come from bad.

And it’s with this in mind that Violet.. does not give up. She’s stayed in her box enough.. and now she knows the spirit is a friendly one.. she figures they can bring Lena BACK using the amulet. After all it was lena’s and the source of her powers.. it might be the key to reiviving her. And while Lena, if invisibly as always, remarks it’s dangerous.. Webby, with no hesitation agrees to get her girlfriend back. It’s risky sure.. but what Lena hasn’t gotten is she’s WORTH the list. She’s so full of self loathing from both her manupations of webby and Magica’s gaslighting and abuse that she can’t see herself being worth anything even as Webby spent MONTHS trying to save her, clearly still loves her, and only didn’t want violet getting hurt because she misses her. Webby still loves and needs her for who Lena is.. Lena just can’t it and it hurts to think about that.

So the girls once again try to summon Lena and it starts to work.. but also summons the Tulpa’s back... this time taking Magica’s form and causing a suspcious lena to panic.. and suck both of them into the shadow realm. We get the reunion we’ve been waiting for as Webby tackle hugs her happily.

But it’s soon cut short as Lena still thinks Violet is just manipulating Webby, lying to her and that “she’s mine!”

For the record Joss Whedon sucks, not taking that out on Anthony Stewart Head or the guys who actually wrote the episode. Moving on.

I feel Lena’s jealousy comes from the aformentioned self loathing, mixed with a life of having to live just to surivive at the beck and call of a throughly awful person who didn’t consider her a sentient being worthy of anything especially love. She can’t fathom anyone else loving Webby the way she does because she feels once webby has anyone else.. she won’t need her. It’s toxic and wrong.. but it’s easy to see why that’d happen when sh’es only had one healthy relationship. She barely knows the boys, Beakly only grew to tolerate her and she was only friends with Scrooge for like.. a minute. Webby is the only person she knows, loves and trusts and she just can’t risk loosing that and can’t convince herself to share.

In a realistic scenario Lena would have to simply learn to trust and let her girlfriend have other relationshps and that hogging her all to herself is inhernetly toxic and bad. And while she still does we’re talking about a living pile of shadows smooching a clone, so yeah instead the tulpas come out and drag her off..and take Lena’s form. While Lena tries to blame Violet, Violet has absolutley none of that and makes Lena see the hard truth: Lena is so worried about being forgotten, she created the tulpas by accidnet. As I said her power is raw and unfocused.. so she didn’t do it on purpose nor did she realize how toxic she was being. This finally snaps Lena back to reality, and see Violet geniunely cares about Webby and any ulterior motives were just in her head, so the two agree to work together, using a similar chant to the one from Jaws to destroy the Tulpas and save Webby.

So the shadow realm is disapated and our trio are returned to the human world.. but Lena, not being part of it and no longer having a tether.. starts to disolve, with a really heartbreaking scene of Webby holding her hand, as does violet. But.. then a miracle happens. Since the Bracelet was Lena’s link to Webby, and to her own magic, with it and the amulet close by.. both swirl around Lena, and the power of love.. for a new friend and a first love... revivies her. Mist parts.. and we get one heartwarming sign that after all this time “I’m back?!” Lena is confused.. but once again part of this plane of reality. She’s free and WEbby triumphanthly hugs her with Violet joining in. By letting go of her hate.. Lena returned to who she loved. They also run into the end of the other subplot and Launchpad’s casual hey lena is just great.

So our heroes are reunited and doing horror makeup and I really love Webby’s updo here and wish more works fan nd otherwise used it. WE get a final fakeout as Lena seemingly disovles and Violet reveals herself as magica.. only for it to be a prank and Webby to just be glad the love of her life and her new best friend get a long. We get one last hearwarming image and we close out.. with Lena finally having what she always wanted freedom. And while she may not know it yet in accepting violet.. she’s finally found family. More on that in a few weeks.

Final Thoughts: This episode is excellent. It’s not the best of the Lena arc, that comes next and it does drag once or twice.. but overall it’s a really great character piece, with a nice ballance betwen the tense main plot and the funny and goofy subplot. It adds more to Lena’s character, finally brings her back, while giving us a new and throughly fascenating new character to rave about in Violet, as well as giving Webby her own personal squad. It’s a great episode.. and only leads to a better one. But we’ll get to that in a week or so. First we have a bit of a detour and my plug.

If you liked this review, follow for more, spread it around, and join my patreon. It’s almost time for new patreons to pay up and if you hit my stretch goal i’ll review a darkwing duck episode next month and every month! We’re just five bucks away people! And if you’d like to just comission a review directly it’s just 5 bucks an episode and avaliable via my dms, ask or discord.

Next Time on Shadow Into Light: We take a break from the last two Lena episodes to go to one of her sources as we head back to Ducktales 87 with Magica’s Shadow War! I know almost nothing going in so... Shadow betrayals and stuff? Yay?

Tommorow: It’s Fenton’s birthday! And since i’ve done a LOT of ducktales recently and can’t do super ducktales till I hit my next stretch goal at 25 bucks, we’re going back to ST Canard at long last for Gizmoducks second apperance.. which can’t possibly be worse than the first so i’m excited. Let’s get dangerous tommorow!

#lena sabrewing #webby vanderquack #ducktales #weblena #violet sabrewing #shadow into light #friendship hates magic #great title by the way #bentina beakley #launchpad mcquack #darkwing duck

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much-obliged-timothy · 4 years

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Whumptober #18

Borderlands - #18 - Phobias

Tim stood in Jack’s office with Nisha and Wilhelm. He felt jittery and anxious, although that could very well have to do with the four cups of coffee he’d already had today.

“Bets on what he’ll bitch about this time?” Wilhelm said.

“The profit loss from that explosion, whoever stole the donuts out of the breakroom, the increased Crimson Raider presence near Hyperion facilities,” Nisha said, ticking them off on her fingers. “And then he’ll bitch that I’m not stopping their supply lines in the Dust, you’re not keeping the employees on Helios in line, and not-Jack isn’t getting his reports done fast enough. Same old. I don’t even know why we all bother to show up anymore.”

Wilhelm shuffled closer to Tim, eyeing him. “Did you finally give up booze for drugs, not-Jack?”

Tim jerked away from him. “What? No. Jack would strangle me. Literally.”

“You are acting off,” Nisha said, and now her eyes were sweeping him.

Anger sparked in his already on-edge mind. “Fuck off, both of you. First rule of Helios: Mind your own damn business if you want to live.”

“I’m begging you to try and kill me,” Wilhelm said. “It would give me an excuse to punch Jack’s face.”

Before Tim could respond, the office door opened and Jack stormed in. He had that terrifying grin that said something had pissed him off.

And he looked right to Tim.

Tim straightened up, digging his nails into his palms. He was too wound up to stand still, though, and shifted from foot to foot.

Jack came right up to him, gripping the front of his jacket and dragging him close. “You didn’t submit those reports.”

“One down, two to go,” Nisha muttered.

“What reports?” Tim said, and then his eyes widened. “Oh, hell. I forgot about that. The, uh, the ones from...from...there were three of them, right?”

Jack shoved him against the wall. “We’re going to take a little trip to the doctor’s, and you damn well better hope we don’t get bad news, kiddo.”

“Doctor’s?” Tim said in alarm. He hated being dragged to the medical wing. He never knew when it would end with another surgery, another alteration, another piece of him stripped away.

“Oh, this is new,” Nisha said, elbowing Wilhelm attentively.

“You two, wait here,” Jack ordered. He turned back to Tim. “I just came from your room. You’re apparently drinking away your paychecks in coffee, energy drinks, and booze. I don’t pay you to be a drunk. We’ve talked about this before.”

And by talk, Jack meant he’d strangled Tim into unconsciousness, then woke him up by stabbing him three times. He’d then locked Tim up to suffer withdrawals.

But Tim had gone right back to the booze. He had to. He couldn’t face his nightmares.

So much blood and death. He’d killed so many people. He was scared and he was angry and he was so, so tired. He didn’t want to do this anymore. But the only escape was death, and he didn’t want to die, either.

Jack gripped Tim’s wrist, and Tim was dragged out of the office. He could fight; he was strong enough to kill Jack. But if he failed, if Wilhelm or Nisha came to Jack’s aid in time, then Tim would wish he’d chosen death.

He had to walk the line. Punishment was better than the endless torture he’d suffer for crossing the precarious line Jack had set for him.

So he allowed himself to be dragged to the medical wing, and thrown into the private room meant only for him and Jack. The doctor was waiting for them, and he scowled at the sight of Tim.

“I’ll be back in a little. You better find out what the hell is going on with him by the time I get back,” Jack warned, and left.

And so it began.

Tim slipped into a numb state as he was tested and questioned relentlessly. Blood samples, scans, physical tests, and even their best psychologist befell Tim.

When Tim refused to talk to the psychologist, the doctor injected him with something that made him lightheaded enough to forget his stubbornness. And maybe it was the gentle way the psychologist spoke, but Tim found himself eventually spilling everything.

He didn’t want to do this, didn’t want to be this. He missed his mom, his few friends from home. He saw death every time he closed his eyes. Every victim of his reached for him in the dark, determined to drag him into the torture he’d put them through. Their voices and screams rang in his ears.

It was all too much. He was going to break if something didn’t change.

He confessed all of this and more, sinking into that lightheaded feeling. But as he began to slip off to sleep, he jerked away with a terrified yell, pinching his own arm desperately to keep himself awake.

“Rest,” the psychologist urged. “You need sleep. I think a lot of what you’re experiencing can be explained by a lack of sleep.”

“No,” Tim whispered, his whole body trembling. “No, I can’t. I won’t. I’ll kill you if you try to inject anything else into me. I swear it.”

“Okay,” she said calmly. “We won’t. Will you tell me the last time you slept more than an hour?”

He couldn’t remember. When he got so tired that he couldn’t keep himself awake anymore, he succumbed to little ten minute naps, and even those left him shaken.

The psychologist tapped her pen on her clipboard. “Your records indicate you suffer from acrophobia. Given how often you’re sent to fight, have you ever overcome that?”

“No,” Tim whispered. Jack used it to punish him sometimes.

“Wait here until Handsome Jack returns,” the psychologist said, standing up.

Tim did as he was instructed, getting up and pacing the room, pinching his arms when he got too tired. He’d embraced the lightheaded feeling before, but now he tried to shake it.

The door slid open sometime later, and Jack came in, followed by the doctor and the psychologist. One look from Jack had Tim sitting down, though he bounced his leg anxiously as he waited.

“Well? What the hell’s got him acting like a deprived junkie?” Jack narrowed his eyes. “His tests?”

“No drugs in his system, sir,” the doctor assured. “He has been drinking again, but from what I can tell, it’s not as excessive as before.”

“I can shed light on this situation, sir,” the psychologist said. “His drinking, his memory lapses, and his irritation can be explained by one thing: Somniphobia.”

“Somni-what?” Jack said in confusion.

“Somniphobia. It’s a fear of sleeping,” she said.

Jack let out a disbelieving laugh. “Oh, no, you’re not telling me my most expensive doppelganger is afraid of freaking sleep.”

She looked to Tim, who cringed back. “You fear your nightmares, don’t you? You’re terrified to sleep. You lose all control when you’re asleep. Your nightmares consume you, and you’re vulnerable. You’d never sleep again if you could find a way. And when the nightmares follow you into the waking world, you fight them off with booze.”

Tim put his face in his hands, trembling. He couldn’t answer; his mouth had gone dry.

Because she was right. He was scared of heights, sure, but the thing he feared more than heights nowadays was sleep.

“Son of a taint,” Jack groaned. “Fix him. I want him fixed by the end of the week. I can’t have a double who sucks because he’s too much of a baby to sleep. And training a new one to do his jobs would be a hassle.”

“For now, this will have to do,” the psychologist said.

Before Tim could lift his head, something jabbed into his arm. He cried out in horror and despair, jerking his head up to look at the needle she’d just stuck in his arm.

“Sleep well, other-me,” Jack said with a grin that sent Tim’s stomach churning. “I’ll be back for you, and you better be back up to shape.”

He left, and Tim felt an unbearable wave of exhaustion come over him. Tears pooled in his eyes as he looked at the psychologist.

“Don’t make me sleep,” he begged. “You don’t know what I- They’re all there! They’re all in my head! I can’t do it! I can’t do this anymore!”

She put a hand on his shoulder and guided him so he was lying down. “I’m sorry. But either I get you to sleep, or Jack will take it into his own hands. This is for the best.”

Tim grasped weakly at her arm. “I can’t. Please, don’t make me. Don’t make me.”

She picked up another needle, looking at him with sad eyes. “I’ve seen Handsome Jack drive a lot of men to insanity. This is for the best. It’ll look like an accident. You won’t have to do this anymore.” She looked down at the needle and nodded to herself. “It’ll look just like an accident if I’m careful. You won’t have to be afraid anymore. It’s all I can do for you. I can’t fix you in a week, and he’ll try to torture the phobia out of you. I’m sorry.”

The exhaustion was too much. He couldn’t fight it anymore.

He shut his eyes, well aware she was going to make sure he’d never open them again. She thought she was showing him mercy.

But just before everything went dark, he wondered if all she was doing was eternally damning him to his nightmares.

#borderlands #timothy lawrence #Handsome Jack #whumptober2020 #no.18 #phobias #fic #jtdoeswhumptober #my post #My writing

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pi-creates · 4 years

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So I’ve been happily watching @stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale stream through games recently, and she has decided to try one of my favourite Telltale games - Tales From the Borderlands. But since CJ isn’t familiar with the Borderlands games (and from the sounds of things, neither are some people in the chat) I’ve put together a very basic bit of background information from what I know (I also haven’t played everything from after TFTB’s release).

It isn’t necessary to know any of this to enjoy TFTB as it gives a brief, ‘bare-bones’ introduction, but I figured it might help some people who like having that extra bit of depth going in without having to play through the other games.

There won’t be spoilers for the TFTB plot, obviously, but the bottom section under the ‘read more’ will list characters from the main series who are mentioned/appear in the game and relevant information that someone familiar with the series should already know about them. But if you are familiar with the series and don’t want to know who may or may not show up (or would just rather go in blind to who is a ‘returning’ character) - stop reading at the Notable characters segment.

[Spoilers for the Borderlands series below here]

For starters, Borderlands is set in the distant future – there are ways to ‘digistruct’ weapons and vehicles at the press of a button, you can walk up to a vending machine and instantly change your appearance, there are advanced cybernetics, robots are normal, you can have personal shields, teleportation is technically possible for both weaponry (notably grenades) and people, and there are guns that shoot electricity/fire/corrosive ammunition.

The goal of every Borderlands game revolves around the idea of opening a Vault – an ancient archway of Eridian origins (just think of long-extinct aliens) that is filled with treasures, hostile guardian entities, and also a very big, pissed off vault monster who will attempt to destroy anyone/anything that tries to get inside. The people who take the risk of searching for a vault and the treasures inside are labelled as Vault Hunters. In the core games, this would be you.

The problem is that finding a vault is hard since they are hidden, and they are often locked with artefact keys that trigger them to unlock. This means that the location of a vault, a vault key, or any signs of Eridian tech is VERY highly valued. Most of the games therefore revolve around the planet of Pandora since it has a high concentration of Eridian ruins which leads prospecting vault hunters to assume there must be more vaults to find on the planet.

Pandora, though, is more than a little inhospitable. The environment is mostly barren or wildly extreme, the wildlife is often very aggressive and deadly, and the people tend to be very rough since they have to deal with all of that. The planet itself doesn’t offer many prospects beyond weapon manufacturing, research, resource mining, and banditry. It has, however, previously been home to large corporations who tried to exploit said resources and attempted to ‘civilise’ the locals who would rather tell those corporations to piss off with the booming end of a shotgun. There is also a significant portion of the population who teeter really close to insanity on a daily basis. That is normal for them.

All of the attempts to settle and gather resources from Pandora has led to literal rubbish heaps, abandoned colonisation attempts, manufacturing/research zones that are often not friendly, bandit shanty towns, toxic chemical zones (from corporations running unethical experimentation) and SO many roaming bandits. Naturally, the locals don’t take kindly to anyone who works for the bigger corporations as they expect to be screwed over or exploited in some way.

For people familiar with the series, the timeline for Tales from the Borderlands is set after Borderlands 2 and before the Fight For Sanctuary DLC.

For people unfamiliar, you need to know that Pandora has recently dealt with the Handsome Jack problem. Basically, the handsome Hyperion CEO was set on wiping out all bandits and dangerous wildlife from Pandora. The problem was that Jack had a very low opinion of vault hunters, bandits, and pretty much everyone on Pandora as he believed they all fell in to those categories.

The player’s introduction to Jack literally comes from him inviting vault hunters to Pandora, only for him to then blow up the transport in transit. You are lucky enough to survive where most others died. Jack himself then contacts you to say that you aren’t following his plan to kill all the vault hunters and “if you could just do me a favour and off yourself, that’d be great. Thanks, pumpkin.“

At the start of Borderlands 2 you will hear of Jack’s rather unethical and violent methods of dealing with people who aren’t on board with his plan – all while having a rather cheerful manner of speaking, almost as if he was enjoying playing the game with you as his opponent. He actually keeps in contact with the vault hunters throughout the game to casually chat with them, and occasionally yell at them if they aren’t playing along with him.

He plotted to open a vault on Pandora that held a very powerful monster called the Warrior. He was going to harness the Warrior’s powers to enact his wide-scale extermination plans. On the journey to stop his plans the vault hunters end up killing Jack’s daughter, Angel, as she was being used to ‘charge’ the vault key. Angel herself led the vault hunters to her location in the hopes that they would stop her father’s plans, much to Jack’s disapproval. He stops being cheerful at this point and doubles-down on wanting to raze all of Pandora to the ground.

He does successfully open the vault and the vault hunters have to defeat the Warrior before Jack can use it. The vault hunters win and Jack is killed for his crimes against Pandora. His final speech before dying in Borderlands 2 was very cool – including it here as it sums up his thought process really well. It has also lead to some interesting interpretations of Jack’s overall character.

"No, no, no... I can't die like this... Not when I'm so close... And not at the hands of a filthy bandit! I could have saved this planet! I could have actually restored order! And I wasn't supposed to die by the hands... of a CHILD KILLING PSYCHOPATH!! You're a savage! You're a maniac, you are a bandit, AND I AM THE GODDAMN HERO!!

"The Warrior was practically a god! How- How in the HELL have you killed my Warrior?!

"You idiots! The Warrior could have brought peace to this planet! No more dangerous creatures, no more bandits, Pandora-it would have been a PARADISE!!"

Naturally, since all of this drama happened not long ago, the citizens of Pandora are very much still on edge in regards to anyone who works for the bigger corporations – Hyperion especially.

Definitions to some things you are likely to see/hear about in TFTB –

Eridium – An ore-like resource associated with the vaults. It glows purple and is supposedly exceptionally rare in most of the universe – but not Pandora. This is what most of the manufacturing companies want since it can be harnessed to create highly effective tech/weapons.

Catch-A-Ride – The service that Scooter (a mechanic on Pandora) uses to digistruct vehicles out of Catch-A-Ride stations.

ECHOs / ECHOnet – Essentially your mobile phone with internet and an app that lets you check everything in your backpack with a holographic display.

The Crimson Raiders – More or less the resistance fighters of Pandora who kept the citizens protected during the fighting of the main games. Run by the original vault hunters and still active in keeping Pandora free of outside threats.

Atlas – A technology and weapon corporation that was the first to make an earnest attempt to colonise Pandora after they suspected it would hold a vault. Was known as one of the best in terms of quality. They have since gone out of business.

Hyperion – The main corporation you will be dealing with. Has a particularly bad reputation on Pandora due to their former CEO, Handsome Jack, attempting to wipe out every bandit community on Pandora. Under Jack’s rule a lot of experiments were also run testing Eridium and Eridium by-products on people and animals – resulting in death, mutation, and insanity to most subjects.

Helios – Hyperion’s orbital station that can constantly be seen orbiting between Pandora and its moon. The station itself is shaped like a giant ‘H’ and houses a concentrated weapon that can shoot massive ammunition at targeted areas on Pandora. The weapon can also be used to shoot transport containers from the orbital station down to Pandora’s surface.

Elpis – Pandora’s moon. Visibly cracked open due to excessive mining. Everyone from here is VERY Aussie and it’s a little weird...

Notable characters you may meet/need to know about –

Marcus – Your narrator – he also narrated the intros and endings to the other games. You won’t see him, but it’s a nice tie in to the format of the main series.

Sirens – Essentially these ladies are magic. They are all born normal, but they will suddenly change and inherit their siren powers when another siren dies. They stand out by their glowing, tattoo-like markings that mysteriously appear on them when they awaken their siren abilities. Not much is known about them other than they can interact with Eridian based materials, and that they are excessively powerful since they have magic abilities.

Claptrap (CL4P-TP) – A class of unicycle robot that is very annoying. Doesn’t shut up, but is technically a vault hunter. You may or may not run in to him.

Angel / (Guardian Angel) – A siren who had the ability to interface with technology. She is the daughter of Handsome Jack and spent most of her life hidden in a secured bunker that only her father could enter via a DNA lock and voice password (her father saying “I love you”). This is due to Jack becoming extremely protective after bandits tried to abduct Angel upon realising she was a siren, and after Angel unintentionally killed her own mother with her powers. Due to her siren powers, she had the ability to stay in constant communication with anyone outside of the bunker, and to help her father with any tasks he required. Was killed by the vault hunters in Borderlands 2.

Handsome Jack – Antagonist from Borderlands 2 and previously the CEO of Hyperion. Has a mask of his face fastened over his actual face which was scarred by an Eridian artefact on Elpis. Starting out as a programmer, he worked his way up the ladder in Hyperion with Angel’s help through a mix of (initially) well intentioned plans to help the people of Elpis, and a growing obsession with power and hatred for Pandora and its bandits. He eventually strangled his boss and named himself President and CEO of the company.

Professor Nakayama – Had a massive crush on Handsome Jack in Borderlands 2. Smart guy who was devastated by Handsome Jack’s death and was working on a way to find the best successor to Jack to run Hyperion. He was attempting to clone Jack from old medical data (taken somewhere before the start of Borderlands 2′s plot) before the vault hunter’s confronted him and he literally dies from falling down a flight of stairs. Easiest boss battle ever.

Shade – DEFINITELY NOT INSANE. Somehow lived alone in a town in the middle of a desert with no water - and this definitely didn’t effect him mentally at all. He just wants a friend.

Scooter – Pandora’s best mechanic. Nice guy and actually a little more normal than a lot of other Pandorans. Has girl troubles, not that he’d ever admit it.

Ellie – Scooter’s sister. Also a mechanic, much to her mother’s displeasure.

Moxxi – Mother of Scooter and Ellie – runs a bar, slot machines, and previously a battle arena (The Underdome). Pretty much seen as Pandora’s Pin-Up, which she seems happy about since it has garnered her significant influence and power on Pandora. She speaks in pure innuendo.

Janey – Elpis’ best mechanic, focusing more on vehicles that work in low (or no) gravity. Runs an equivalent of Catch-A-Ride on Elpis. Girlfriend of Athena.

Athena – Vault hunter who was hired by Jack to help with the Vault on Elpis. Had a falling out with Jack after dealing with the Elpis situation, as this is where Jack was clearly starting to lose his stability. She notably fights with a shield that she can throw and return to her hand. Previously an Atlas employed assassin who turned against the company after Atlas tricked her into assassinating a target that was very important to her. Girlfriend of Janey.

Zer0 – Vault hunter who found a Pandoran vault and was involved in killing Handsome Jack. Another assassin who fights with a sword and is capable of making hologram decoys of himself. He likes to display holograms in front of his helmet to communicate since you cannot see his facial expressions. He’s an alien / who always speaks in haiku / with some exceptions.

Brick – Vault hunter from the first game. He is a berserker who punches VERY hard, but is a softy at heart.

Mordecai – Vault hunter from the first game. Sniper and sharpshooter, doesn’t need a scope to get a good headshot.

Lilith – Vault hunter from the first game. Siren who leads The Crimson raiders along with Brick and Mordecai.

Loader Bots – Hyperion made bots that are used for security and manual labour. They are big, they can speak, and they are very sturdy. Weirdly enough, they have the capacity to become self-aware (though self-aware models are often destroyed by Hyperion if discovered).

Psychos – A particular class of bandit that is always shirtless, dressed in orange pants, masked, and they all speak complete gibberish. They have some consistencies to their gibberish including an obsession with meat and salt.

Butt Stallion – Handsome Jack’s diamond Pony – Jack lovingly named her after the vault hunters at the start of Borderlands 2. She eats Eridium and poops guns... I wish I was kidding.

#stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale #tales from the borderlands #tftb

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naughty-neo · 5 years

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Moxxi’s Circle of Beasts Round 2

Moxxi: It’s time for the next round. I hope you are ready for a host have favorite. She is the ‘Hottest’ redhead on Pandora, and the leader of the Crimson Raiders, the one the only Lilith the Fire Hawk.

-Arena-

“Hope you’re ready to play?” Lilith makes an entrance by phase walking into the and sets off the fiery explosion. With the fire of the explosion she burns off her clothes. Standing naked she does her go to blowing a kiss to the camera but this time at the end she makes a gesture that makes it look she is sucking a cock.

“A true lady as always. Now for her to meet her date, or should I say dates. Ladies and Gentlemen say hello~ to the most known creature on Pandora, the Skags.” Moxxi purred over the loudspeaker. On que the door opens and a group of Skags walk out. The group being made of an Alpha Skag, Elder Skag and three normal Skags.

“So, I’m doing this Skaggy style huh? Bring it on then big boys.” Lilith hummed licking her lips looking at the Alpha Skag’s cock start to grow and come out of its sheath. Giving a commanding roar, the Alpha starts towards the Siren. The other follow the order and circle around waiting their turn. The Alpha Skag sniffed at Lilith, before burying his face in her crouth.

“Mm~ someone’s friendly.” Lilith purred as he pushes his long tongue deep into her pussy. Lilith held onto his head and moans as he reaches the entrance to her womb. Enjoying to deep tongue fucking and didn’t notice the Elder Skag come up behind her and dig his face into her plump booty. She gasped as the Elder worked his around her tightest hole. Teasing it and getting her ass nice and lubed up for later. Finally, after having a good taste of her cunt the Alpha pulls back snapping at the Elder to move back. Following the order, he back off. The Alpha circles around her.

“Oh~ the boss wants first gooo~~.” Lilith moaned slashed yelp as the Alpha pushes his front paws on to her shoulder and push her to the ground. Landing on all fours the red Siren purred as she feels the Alpha’s large member rub against her pussy. Not waiting he give a few thrusts missing the first few, but he soon hit his mark. Spreading her pussy and going deep hitting her womb. Lilith moaned loud as her eyes go wide, and an orgasm wash over her.

The Elder walks up in front of the pack’s current breeding toy. Turning and showing her his hard dick. Licking her lips, she reaches out a hand trying to grab hold but every time she lifts her hand she starts to fall. The Alpha was pounding away at her soaked hole making her go weak. Needing attention, the Elder moves closer and rubs his throbbing member against her face. She sticks her tongue out and licking along his shaft. Not being able to take it any longer the Elder thrust into her mouth. Gagging in surprise she relaxes her throat and works her tongue around his shaft.

“Mmmm~ and I thought I loved a good Skag spit roast~.” Moxxi moaned over the intercom as she enjoys the show herself.

Lilith rocked back and forth as both Skags fill her holes. The Alpha wrapped his legs around her waste had starts to really rail into the fiery leader. The sudden harder pounding cause her to moan harder around the Elder’s shaft. The sudden vibrations made the Elder howl and his cock to swell and leak pre-cum. Panicking a little Lilith tries to back away but the Alpha just pushes her right back down his cock. With the extra hard strokes of Lilith’s throat on the Elder’s Skaghood he couldn’t hold back and cums down her throat. Lilith gags and coughs as her throat is clogged with the Elder’s cock and getting flooded with cum. She tries to sallow as much as she can, but it was too much for her and it starts to leak out the side of her mouth. After a bit the Elder Skag pulls out of her cum filled mouth and backed away. With the cock not plugging her mouth Lilith coughs up some cum and takes deep breaths.

“Fuck~ thaaaHHht~ was a load~.” She moans catching her breath. Now that it was just the Alpha and her, he begins to fuck her like a bitch in heat. Losing strength fast Lilith’s arms give out and she falls face into the ground. Lilith decides to say fuck it and let the Alpha fuck her like a fuck toy. Enjoying his fuck toy to the fullest, railing her pussy like no tomorrow.

After what felt like hours of orgasms and a hard pounding the Alpha Skag’s cock starts to throb and inflate at the base. Lilith jolted with shock as she feels the bulge of Alpha’s knot. She starts to panic but was soon lost in pleasure as his knot pushed on her sweet spot. Giving a loud howl of claim as he unloads his balls into her womb. Waves after waves of pleasure washed over the Fire Hawk as she orgasms almost nonstop.

When the Alpha finished filling up the red head, he pulls back but was stuck cause of his knot. Giving a few good pulls till a loud pop sound could be heard from the knot being freed. Lilith lets out an audible moan trying to say something, but it came out in gibberish. Letting out one more roar towards the three other Skags, telling them it’s their turn with the packs breeding toy.

Lilith came to her senses just in time to see the three smaller Skags close in on her. Still up for more the red Siren licked her lips and got up on shaky legs. One of the Skags looks at her before rolling onto his back showing his belly and his throbbing skagmeat. Lilith saw the submission in the Skags action and mounted him.

“Aw~ does the little skag want a piece of this?” She purrs sitting and grinding her soak cum filled pussy against his dick. She teased him further by jiggling and groping her tits. One of the other Skags was unable to wait and mounted Lilith and starts to hump her ass missing every thrust. She reaches back and grabs him by the cock and guides him into his target. She moans deeply as her ass is stretched. The Elder’s spit from the tongue fucking she got helping as lube. Showing mercy to the Skag she was on top of she lifts herself up and impales her pussy on him. His cock smaller than the Alpha but still a pleasurable size. With both her holes filled Lilith moaned and purred as she tightens around both their cocks. The third not wanting to miss out on the fun uses his front paws and pushed Lilith down just enough to level her face with his cock. Tittering she gives it a few kisses on the tip before she starts to take it into her mouth,

“Oh~ yeah~. That~’s a Skagbang~ right there~~.” Moxxi moaned over the speakers, from the sound of her voice she was cumming hard from enjoying the show.

A Skag in each hole, Lilith starts to rock back and forth, slowly at first then she starts to speed up, but can only go so fast. Not getting much from her movements the Skags all start to work their hips taking her hole hard. Not being surprised the Fire Hawk just lays there and enjoys the fucking she was getting. The one in her ass was moving the fastest humping into her ass for all that he was worth. The one under her was struggling to move and uses he’s tongued to lick her tits. The one in her mouth was meet with some resists as she gags and coughs as her throat was fucked hard.

Lilith came again and again from the pounding they were giving her. Her holes tighten around them and her moans causing her throat to vibrate. The Skags’ cocks started to throb and pulse. They were ready to unload into their bitch. Knowing what was coming Lilith just want limp and tried to tighten her insides and moan harder. With all these the Skags couldn’t hold back and at the same time flooded all the Siren’s holes. Not being able to hold out she gets lost in the pleasure as cum leaks around the Skags’ skaghood.

Their balls now empty, the two of the skags pull back and after they back away the on laying on he’s back rolls over sliding out of Lilith. Lilith just rolled onto her back purring. Cum leaking out of her used ass and pussy, licking her lips to get any leftover cum. The Skags walk away as a pack and leave their used toy there. In a fiery explosion the red Siren disappears, leaving nothing but a puddle of cum.

-Back to Moxxi-

Moxxi: Fuck~ that was a hot~ show. Hope you all enjoyed it more then I did~. *Moxxi was all but naked except for bra and hat. Her Good Touch was in pieces as she used the stock as a vibrator. * Stay tune we have one more lucky girl to enjoy the beasts of Pandora.

#Moxxi #Lilith #Skag #n-sfw #Circle of Beasts

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antiquechampagne · 5 years

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Antique Champagne - Chapter 34 - Shoots and Ladders

Payne nursed a third, and last, blood bag. Her whole limb ached. The tissues were painfully slow to knit and heal from the second degree burns marring most of her flesh. She had slept most of the day away, letting shock mixed with stimpak sickness whisk her away to a dreamless sleep. It would still be a few more hours until she could venture outside, her bare leg safe from the sun as night set in.

Hancock putzed around after starting a small campfire. Every so often, he would try and start a conversation or launch a few jokes, but Payne didn’t feel much like talking. Why make things more awkward and painful than they already had to be? She wasn’t sure why Hancock had stayed. She wasn’t in any real danger and he would be safer without her. Besides, in her experience, every monster got ran out of town at some point. Why prolong the inevitable?

He handed her some warmed 200-year-old mac and cheese in a cracked plastic bowl. “Ya know, I’ve been thinking… about that DC story you told me.” Payne tried to cover her scowl with a forkful of food. “What if that cockup was because someone slipped you a super mutant flavored mickey?”

Payne shook her head. “Why would anyone do that?” She tried to cross her legs out of habit, but the shooting pain immediately reminded her why that was a bad idea. “I never heard of them drinking the stuff.”

“Maybe there was a mix up? Just enough to…” Hancock tapped a finger on his bowl in though. “ya know.”

Payne thought back to the Capital Wasteland. Her old alcohol-impaired memories faltered. She found the whole situation a muddy mess. She shrugged. “Maybe? Doesn’t really make a difference, though, does it. I still tore’em apart.” They spent the rest of the meal in silence.

Once the sun was down, the pair set out, their pace slowed by Payne's injury. The scabs pulled painfully as they picked their way through the decomposing streets of the city. Payne was starting to recognize some of the buildings when she asked Hancock for a short rest. Sitting on the bed of a rusted pick up, they examined her leg. Several areas were red and irritated, others bled, but most were holding fast. Payne was glad that she didn’t see any new blisters. Her whole leg throbbed angrily, but as she sat, it became bearable again.

“You gonna make it?” Hancock asked.

“Yeah, just give me a minute,” she flexed her leg. They had happened to stop by a Nuka-Cola vending machine. Hancock soon returned with a pair of bottles, handing one to Payne. He popped the top off his with a satisfying hiss. Payne gratefully drank hers down, perking up with a quick caffeine rush. As Hancock finished off his, he playfully sent the bottle sailing through the air down the road. It shattered several yards down the street.

“Huh? What’s that?” a distant voice called.

Instinctually, Payne and Hancock ducked behind the pick up as a pair of raiders cautiously poked out of an alleyway, guns drawn.

After a quick look around one raider chided, “Lay off the jet, you moron,” smacking the other. "You're jumping at fucking shadows." Turning, they returned down the alley.

Hunched behind the truck, Payne’s leg ached as she crouched. They didn’t have much in the way of supplies left. If a confrontation with these raiders went sideways, it could get really rough and she wasn’t quite back up to 100% yet. The smell blood rose to Payne's nostrils. Looking down, she realized that as she cowered, several of her scabs had ripped, fresh blood dripping down her leg.

Looking up at Hancock, she whispered, “I can sneak up and…” she could feel the hunger building behind her words, clouding her eyes. She tried to push the rush away. “quickly take them out. You’ll be safer back here. If I need back up, you aren't that far away.” Hancock nodded.

Swift and silently, Payne made her way to the corner of the alley. Carefully peering around, she spotted three raiders. Two sat on boxes around a tiny fire while the third lay dozing on a tattered mat several feet away.

“And that’s when the new guy decided to drop a grenade down the fucking pipe!” one raider chortled and slapped their knee. “BLAM! Those farmers never saw it coming!” They both laughed.

Payne used the shadows and conversation to creep next to the sleeping raider, slitting their throat without a sound. The growing crimson puddle nearly overwhelmed her senses, but she held back, using the rush of adrenaline to focus over the crush of hunger. With a bust of speed, she checked the joking raider hard into the brick wall, his head bouncing off the bricks with a sick thud before crumpling to the ground.

“What the h…?” the last raider tried to stand, she found a hand wrapped around her throat. Payne used her own momentum to pin her victem to the other side of the alley. As Payne brought up her knife for a quick slice, the raider managed to kick it, sending it skittered across the pavement. Payne squeezed, digging her fingers in around the raider’s lanky neck. Desperately, the woman tried to fumble for own weapon. Payne launched a lightning quick punch, disorienting the struggling raider. Payne pinned her shoulder with one hand, simultaneously shifting the hand holding her throat to push her cheek into the bricks, exposing her thin neck. The raider’s scream muffled by her hand, Payne tore into her throat.

Time slowed as warm and deliciously metallic blood flooded her mouth, spreading through every in of her as she swallowed greedily. The raider squirmed under her deadly grip, trying frantically to free herself as her life slowly dripped away. The rush slowly subsided; Payne drew back, ready to drop the body, when she heard a shuffle.

“Crystal?!” The unconscious raider across the alley had woken as Payne fed. Now he stood unsteadily, holding his bloody head with one hand, a rifle clutched in the other.

Before Payne could turn, a shotgun blast exploded through his torso. The dying raider dropped his gun, staggered back a step before toppling over like a sack of potatoes. Framed by the narrow brick walls Hancock stood in the street, shotgun smoking and red coat ruffling in the breeze. His eyes reflected the flames of the camp fire, piercing and steady.

Payne slowly wiped the corners of her mouth as she finally released the lifeless raider. She felt suddenly self-conscious. How long had he been standing there? How much had he seen?

Hancock stepped into the alley, slinging the gun over his shoulder. “Hope you don’t mind a hand. Looks like you could've used it.”

“I thought we agreed it would be safer for you behind the truck?”

He stooped down and started to rummage through the pockets and pouches of the nearest raider as he spoke. “I totally agreed it'd be safer.” He pocketed some ammo and chems. “But don’t ya know, safe is hella boring."

Soon they were both back on the road, Goodneighbor’s neon lights guiding their steps. As they neared the steel door, Payne stopped.

Hancock noticed her apprehension and gave her a friendly pat on the back for encouragement. “Fahr can’t stay mad forever. Besides, she’ll probably be more pissed at me for not tossing you out like a bad tato.”

The guards greeted their Mayor warmly. Payne stayed back and watched. She had the perfect vantage point to see Fahr get up from her seat on the steps of the Old State House and stomp into the Old State House, slamming the door behind her. If glares were bullets, Payne was sure she would be Swiss cheese. Once Hancock was safely behind the Old State House's door, she returned to her room, her bed beckoning like a siren's call.

Hancock let her take a few days off to recuperate, which not only let her heal, but made sure she could avoid Fahrenheit that much longer. When she did return to work, Fahr barely communicated with grunts, preferring to send messages along with either Watchmen or Hancock. While not idea Payne was more than happy to oblige, if only to avoided a confrontation.

Weeks passed and tensions started to ease, until one afternoon. Payne reported to the Old State House, and walked straight into an argument between Hancock and Fahr. Fahr stood straight as a board, rooted to her spot in the middle of the stairs.

“Are you out of your mind?” Fahr huffed. “You can’t possibly think…”

Hancock cut her off. “I’ve made up my mind, Fahr. It's done.” Hancock noticed Payne by the door. Fahr's stony face fumed as he walked passed her, heading in Payne's direction. "Hey, I've got a surprise for you." Hancock snaked his arm around Payne's shoulders, leading her to the basement stairs. Payne stood at the bottom of the stairs, confused at the jail cell before her.

"Why did you bring me down here?" Payne's mind raced, trying to figure out any logical reason why Hancock would want to show her the rarely used cell.

"I know it doesnt look like much, but I've got a line on a decent mattress and dresser."

"WHAT?" Payne couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I'm not sleeping in a freaking jail cell, Hancock!"

"Huh?" Bewildered, he turned to her before abruptly breaking into a laughing fit. "You think... the jail cell..." he could hardly spit out the words between chuckles. "No! The storage room!" Putting his hands on either shoulder, he physically turned Payne to face an open wooden door. "With a little work, it could make a half way decent apartment, don't you think?"

Hancock ushered her into the moderately sized room.

"See!" he moved a metal bucket and mop out into the hallway, shoving boxes aside as he went. "Plenty of room for a bed and stuff. Nice and cozy..." He looked up. "Well... say something! Yao guai got your tongue?"

"You want me to move in?" Payne couldn't quite believe what she was saying. "Here? In the State House?"

"Yah, I guess... I mean if you want too. Marowski's being an ass with all those extra fees and shit. That's not right. I got the room... with a lock even! And no windows. You won't have to worry about working on your tan if you fall asleep with a window open." Payne must have made a sour face because Hancock continued his hard sell. "I'd just take the rent out of your pay, no worries... and just think of the short commute to work!"

"This is why you and Fahr were arguing, wasn't it?"

"Maybe..." His roguish smile belayed a bit of nervousness in his answer. "But it makes sense to have the two of you so close at hand... for emergencies and such."

Payne thought the arrangement over. Parts of it made some logical sense. The thought of being able to save some caps for a rainy day was mighty tempting.

"Fine, I'll bite. I'll give it a test run. A month." She pointed a finger at her employer. "If it doesn't work out, you need to get my old room back from Marowski."

Hancock stuck out his hand for a shake. "Great! It's a deal! Now, Daisy should know which warehouse has a bed and stuff."

Payne eyed Hancock. "Seriously, that's it? What if I'd said no?" He shrugged. Payne rolled her eyes. "Let me guess... I get to move all this old shit out myself."

"Yeah, well... my schedule's booked full." Payne crossed her arms. "What? I've got some very important papers to look over. You could always ask Fahr for some help..."

"Very funny." After a second, an impish grin spread over Payne's lips as she slipped out of the room and back up the stairs. "Enjoy breaking the news to Fahr. I'm off to go furniture shopping!" she called over her shoulder.

Over the next few days, Payne gathered all the necessities to furnish her new room. It was strangely exciting, nearly reminiscent of the pre-war ritual of moving into a new apartment. Along with the bed, she found a small bedside table along with a cheesy, but working, Nuka-Cola lamp. She passed on the busted dresser Hancock had mentioned, opting for a more functional bookshelf and small lockable safe.

It took longer than she liked to arrange all of her new things just as she wanted. As she relaxed on her bed after moving, Payne heard a timid knock on her door. Behind it stooped Kent, his wrinkly tan trilby hat in his hand. Payne couldn’t stop a warm but surprised smile.

“Hi-a Payne. I heard you'd moved. Hope you don’t mind that I stopped over." He absentmindedly fidgeted with his hat brim.

“Not at all, Kent! You are always welcome! It’s not much, but it’s a start.” She stepped aside so he could shuffle into the room. Payne quickly realized she would have to save up for one more piece of furniture, a chair. “Sorry, but I don’t have anywhere for you to sit…”

“Oh, don’t worry yourself about it. It looks real nice, very cozy… but you are missing something special!” From behind his back, Kent produced a large rolled up piece of paper and handed it to Payne.

“What’s this?” Payne asked.

Kent’s eyes sparkled. “Open it!” He was nearly prancing with excitement as Payne carefully pulled open the thick old poster.

“Oh Kent!” Payne gasped in surprise. “How did you get this?” Between her fingers she held a grand Mistress of Mystery poster. The heroine stood front and center, pointing her revolver at a group of cowering thugs.

“Oh this? I’ve had it for a while. Think of it as a house warming gift, of sorts... to add some color to your walls.”

“Are you sure?” Kent nodded sheepishly, prompting Payne to give Kent a heartfelt hug. “I’ll make sure to put this up right away, but first… why don’t I treat you to a nice lunch? So we can catch up. I’m itching to know more about the Shrouds current quests… more than you can safely say on the radio!”

#antique champagne #ao3 #fanfic #fan fic #fallout #fallout 4 #hancok #kent connolly #raiders #blood

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