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flowersandskeletons526 · 7 months ago

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"A Tribute" - Warriors Concept Album Fanfic (Part 2/2)

I'm gonna try to write something fluffy after this because at this point, I'm making myself sad. Enjoy!

TW: mild implied suicidal ideation

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Swan found Rembrandt crying silently in the corner of the roof. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs and hiding her face. Swan sighed and sat beside her. She didn’t touch her - she knew that would only make her run - just let her cry until she calmed down enough to talk. She waited until Rembrandt sat up, letting go of a long, shaky breath, and lit a cigarette.

She passed one to Swan. “Did Cleon send you up here to cuss me out?” she grumbled.

“Ajax didn’t want you on the roof by yourself,” Swan said quietly.

“For the love of - I wasn’t… I’m not going to do anything like… like that.”

“But you’ve thought about it.”

Rembrandt pursed her lips. “Not enough for you guys to worry,” she whispered. “She’s gonna kill me, isn’t she?”

“Cleon or Ajax?”

“Both.”

Swan shrugged helplessly. “At the risk of sounding like Ajax, what you did was really dumb, Rem. Going out on your own after Cleon told us not to is bad enough, but telling Ajax you were with Cochise and Cowgirl so she wouldn’t go looking for you? If something happened, we would have had no idea. What were you even doing?”

Rembrandt hesitated. She inhaled sharply. “Meet me on the corner tomorrow at midnight. No Cleon, no Mercy, no one else, just you. There’s no way I could get into more trouble than I already am so I’ll walk to you and you can say you were the Rembrandt handler for the night.”

“I don’t want you out by yourself at all.”

“I’ve been fine so far.”

“But Cleon-”

“Look me in the eye and ask me if I give a fuck what Cleon says right now! And don’t give me any of that second-in-command insubordination bullshit.”

Swan bit her tongue. “How are you going to sneak out past Ajax now that she knows?”

“Ajax has been sleeping on the couch for the past week by her own free will, and after what just happened, she’s staying there. I don’t care if she’s mad at me anymore. Will you come or what?”

“...Okay. I’ll be there.”

“Thanks.” Rembrandt stubbed out her cigarette and immediately lit another one. She leaned back against the ledge, facing the sky, her eyes glinting in the distant glow of the city lights. “Can I have a minute alone? I’m not going to try anything, I just… I need a second before I go back inside.”

“Yeah, sure.” Swan climbed to her feet and headed for the access door to the stairs.

“Swan,” Rembrandt called. She stopped and looked back at her. She couldn’t see her face, only her outline and the cherry light of her cigarette. “What Ajax said to you was fucked up. I don’t want you to think I’ve forgiven her for it. But if you jump her like that again, Cleon will have to knock me out to get me off you.”

Swan cringed. “I got it.”

“On the corner at midnight. Meet me there.”

----

Rembrandt was right where she said she would be the next night. Swan spotted her leaning on a lamppost with her backpack on and her painter’s mask in her hand. Or a mask, anyway, seeing as she tossed it to Swan as she approached.

“Why do I need this?” Swan asked as she followed Rembrandt, weaving through the dark streets.

“One, paint fumes,” said Rembrandt. “Two, you’ll be blowing rainbow snot if you don’t. I learned that the hard way when I started using spray paint.”

“Gross.”

“Yeah.”

“So, you wanted me to come with you to help you with a mural?”

Rembrandt sighed. “Kinda.”

She brought Swan to a block that was in the heart of their territory, right before you crossed the avenue to the beach. There was the shuttered grate of a bodega facing the boardwalk and around the corner, a wide expanse of wall had been covered with a hung tarp. Swan knew the spot; the guy who ran the bodega also owned the building, a nice guy just past middle-aged who had always made his respect for the Warriors known. He let them know if other gangs were in the area running their mouths, and they made sure everyone kept trouble away from his place if they knew what was good for them.

Rembrandt fished a key out of her pocket and unlocked a short, dented ladder that was chained to a lamppost. Climbing to the top, she unhooked one side of the tarp and let it fall to the ground. Swan gasped.

Painted across the side of the building was a giant photo-realistic portrait of Fox, smiling and laughing, her kind eyes shining. Simple flowers grew around her, delicately painted in the same style as her favorite comic books. Swan didn’t know much about painting but she knew there were some parts Rembrandt had to finish, but… it was Fox. Lit up with a golden halo behind her, she was right there, so lovingly drawn that Swan swore she could hear her laughter ringing through the night.

She reached out to touch the portrait. Her heart broke all over again when she only felt cold brick beneath her hand.

Rembrandt got down off the ladder and stood beside her. “She posed for me a lot,” she said quietly. “Said she liked the way I drew her eyes. Always told me it made her feel pretty. I’ve been keeping a polaroid of her in my bag to make sure I get the colors right.”

“This is what you’ve been sneaking out to do?” Swan asked.

“The eulogy I gave at her funeral, it felt too… temporary. The words were out in the world and then they were gone. I won’t remember exactly what I said in twenty years but this will still be here. I got written permission from the owner of the building to put it up and he said since it’s a memorial and not graffiti, it’s not like the city could take it down either.”

“It’s amazing, Rem.”

“It’s not done.”

“Still.”

“Put the mask on. I need you to hand me colors so I don’t have to keep stopping to get off the ladder.”

“Yeah. Yeah, yeah, of course. Which one do you need?”

Rembrandt pulled her mask over her face and got back on the ladder. “Hand me scarlet first,” she said. Swan passed her a can that was immediately handed back. “That’s cherry.”

“Isn’t scarlet red?”

“They’re different shades of red, scarlet has more - Wait a minute, it’s written on the damn can! I know you can read, man.”

“Hey, either of us got past eighth grade. Don’t make fun of my literacy.”

“Swan!”

“Sorry.” She passed her the correct can.

They fell into a rhythm, Swan passing cans up then dropping them back in the bag as Rembrandt worked. She’d watched Rembrandt tag a thousand times before, but she realized then that she had never seen her paint. She remembered Ajax recounting the first time she ever laid eyes on Rembrandt: how quickly she moved, her grace as she added color after color, the happiness in her eyes, like she had always known she was born to be an artist.

Swan saw it now, holding the ladder when Rembrandt had to stand on top. Rembrandt was slower now. Still as detailed but twice as cautious, it was like she was learning how to be herself again.

She finally understood exactly how fucking scared she was of Rembrandt not recovering. They had lost Fox completely and she was never coming back. Swan would never hear her laugh again, not for real, would never be wrapped in a quick tight hug, never shown another comic book that she really couldn’t give a shit about but read anyway because Fox wanted someone to talk with about it. None of them would ever be the same after losing her, but they would learn to live with it.

What Swan couldn’t live with was Rembrandt’s empty shell staring her in the eyes, knowing everything that made her who she is would never come back.

Rembrandt asked for the can of fire engine red, the same color she chose for their tags. Above the portrait, she wrote Fox’s name in the gorgeous, swirling script that she’d always used as her signature. Below it, she wrote “Our Warrior,” and Fox’s birthday in a tiny line beneath that.

Swan helped her down from the ladder. They stepped back together, looking at the portrait in silence. Rembrandt rubbed her eyes and shoved the paint can into Swan’s hands. “Don’t put it back,” she said as Swan went to do just that. “Have you ever used spray paint before?”

“Uh, no.”

“Keep it moving when you start and stop spraying. Don’t linger anywhere or it’ll drip.” She pointed to a spot on the wall amidst the flowers. “Draw a heart right here.”

“What?”

“A heart. The shape.”

Swan drew the heart. It was messy and she tried to avoid it but the paint dripped a little anyway. Rembrandt took the can back and drew a tiny heart beside Swan’s. Hers was drawn perfectly with just a quick flick of her wrist. Swan was a little jealous, but Rembrandt assured her that hers was perfect how it was. Rembrandt wanted a piece of her in the mural. That was all.

Rembrandt put her paints away. She buried her hands in her pockets and shuffled closer to Swan, their arms brushing. “I miss her,” she croaked.

Swan gritted her teeth. “I miss her, too.”

“She was only a kid. She was always so quiet and shy, she was so happy just to be with us, I don’t know why she…” Rembrandt’s breath hitched. “She was my recruit. I brought her in. I was supposed to protect her, I was supposed to keep her safe and I couldn’t. I made her a Warrior and I failed her.”

“You didn’t fail her.” Swan touched her shoulder. “You did everything you could, Rembrandt.”

Rembrandt pulled away and looked her dead in the face. “I know you guys are just trying to protect me but I don’t need you to. Not anymore than you protect anyone else. I know what I’m doing now, okay? Even if Cleon thinks I’m still the fucking baby of the gang, I don’t need a chaperone to go everywhere.”

“Cleon doesn’t think you’re a baby.” Swan chose her words carefully. “We’ve all been really, really worried about you since that night. We didn’t want you to-”

“Didn’t want me to do something stupid?”

“Didn’t want you to feel alone.”

Rembrandt nodded. She tilted her face back to the sky. Her eyes flashed as real emotion flooded back into her, the light in her expression returning, dim and stifled but there as the curse she was under finally broke.

In that moment, Swan watched Rembrandt come back to life.

The artist sank to her knees. She dropped her head in her hands as she broke down sobbing hysterically. Swan knelt with her and gathered her in her arms, her own burning tears streaming down her face as she tried to choke everything down. Rembrandt hugged her back so hard it hurt and held on for dear life.

“I couldn’t let my last memory of her be that fucking train,” she cried. “I had to do this for her. I’m sorry I lied and snuck out but I didn’t know if you guys would understand and I just needed to do this for her so badly! I don’t want her legacy to stay on that stupid fucking platform!”

“I know, I know,” Swan whispered, rocking Rembrandt gently to soothe her. “You did good, Rem, you did amazing. You did right by her.”

They cried together. They cried until there was nothing left in them.

They ended up sitting against the wall beside the painting, arms linked and fingers intertwined as the sun came up over the city. Swan rested her head atop Rembrandt’s where it laid on her shoulder. Rembrandt toyed idly with a string coming undone off her sleeve. Swan realized it was the first time she’d seen Rembrandt fidget since the night from hell. She really was back.

“Swan! Rembrandt! Where are you!”

They heard the call somewhere in the distance and rapidly approaching them. Rembrandt groaned. She untangled her arm from Swan’s and helped her to her feet. “We’re in trouble,” she mumbled as racing footsteps turned the corner.

“Probably,” Swan agreed.

Ajax saw them first as she rounded the corner. The other Warriors were quick to follow. Swan locked eyes with Mercy. She could already see the tirade forming on her girlfriend’s lips, ready to rip her to shreds for being so unbelievably stupid, but everyone froze when they saw Rembrandt’s painting. The five other Warriors stared, eyes wide, mouths agape, paying no attention to Swan and Rembrandt as they went to stand with them.

Rembrandt handed Cleon the spray paint can first. “Draw a heart. Wherever you want.”

Cleon didn’t say anything. She took the paint, looking at it hesitantly, and then drew her heart next to Swan and Rembrandt’s.

The others followed, each putting a piece of themselves in the mural. The gang stepped back and looked upon the memorial in silence. Mercy put her arms around Swan’s shoulders, and Swan reached up to hold her hand. On the other end of the lineup, Ajax turned to Rembrandt, and Swan held her breath as Ajax touched Rembrandt’s arm.

Rembrandt reached for her. She pulled Ajax in by the front of her shirt, standing on tiptoes to wrap her arms around her neck. A little shudder raced through her as she relaxed into Ajax’s embrace. Closing her eyes, Ajax cradled Rembrandt’s head against her shoulder, burying her face in her hair as they gently swayed together. Rembrandt pulled back just enough to cup Ajax’s cheek and lead her down into a gentle kiss. They pressed their foreheads together, and Swan could just barely hear what Rembrandt was saying.

“I need you. I need you here.”

“I’m here,” Ajax promised. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Mercy smiled against Swan’s cheek. “They’re gonna be okay.”

“Yeah.” Swan leaned back into her. “I knew they would be.”

#writing #fanfic #warriors concept album #warriors musical #wlw #swan x mercy #swercy #ajax x rembrandt #remjax #ajax warriors #cleon warriors #cochise warriors #rembrandt warriors #cowgirl warriors #swan warriors #mercy warriors #fox warriors (mentioned)#angst #angst with a happy ending

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hummingbird24220 · 3 months ago

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Chapter Twenty Four: The Purrfect Competition

The Sunny docked at the next island with all the signs of peaceful resupply: calm waters, bright skies, a bustling little town… and a massive, glittery banner that read:

“ANNUAL ROYAL PET COMPETITION – TODAY ONLY!”

You took one look at the poster and immediately squinted.

“...Uh-oh.”

Luffy took one look at you and immediately gasped.

“YOU’D WIN.”

“No.”

“You’d crush it!”

“Still no.”

“You’re soft! You do tricks! You purr! You bit me that one time but it was funny!”

Zoro looked up from tying a rope. “This is a bad idea.”

Sanji appeared from the galley, eyes shining. “What do you win?”

“Five hundred thousand berries,” Nami said, already holding the sign-up sheet.

You sighed. “...I hate how fast that escalated.”

Ten Minutes Later:

You were backstage, surrounded by actual animals.

A shaved poodle wearing sunglasses. A dancing ferret with a tambourine. A swan in a tiara.

You sat in your competition collar—a pink, sparkly thing Nami forced on you—legs crossed, tail flicking, entire body screaming rage.

“I’m not a pet,” you growled.

“You are for today,” Nami whispered sweetly. “Win this and I’ll forgive the earring incident.”

“…Fine. But if anyone tries to pet my tummy, I’m taking a hand.”

“Deal.”

First Event: Cuteness Display

You stood there, unamused, while other contestants posed, twirled, and performed tricks.

Then Luffy (your assigned handler, gods help you) whispered, “Do the roll.”

“…No.”

“Do the roll!”

You sighed… and slowly flopped onto your back, paws tucked, tail curled, ears twitching.

The crowd collectively squealed.

You blinked. Realized you had power.

You did a big stretch. Rolled again. And finished it with an innocent blink and head tilt.

The judges lost it.

Nami gave a thumbs-up from the sidelines, visibly vibrating with joy.

Zoro muttered, “She’s going full weaponized fluff.”

Second Event: Obstacle Course

“Oh,” you said, cracking your knuckles. “Now this is my territory.”

You bolted through the tires. Vaulted the hurdles. Scaled the climbing wall like a parkour god and landed in a perfect three-point pose, tail coiled behind you.

Sanji whistled. Robin slow-clapped. Chopper screamed, “SHE’S A NINJA CAT!”

The swan tripped on a ribbon.

You didn’t even blink.

Final Event: Talent Show

Other pets danced. Juggled. Sang. You?

You pulled out a full bouquet of stolen flowers, tossed them to the judges, then dramatically bowed while Luffy presented the single most horrifyingly accurate painting of one of the judges… made of rice.

Zoro stared at it in silent horror.

You whispered, “I helped with the nose.”

Luffy beamed.

The judge cried.

Results:

First place.

You. Obviously.

The crowd went wild.

You accepted your golden collar trophy with smug satisfaction and refused to remove it for the rest of the day.

“I told you you’d win,” Luffy said.

“You shoved me on stage,” you replied, licking your paw.

“You’re the fluffiest menace alive,” Zoro muttered.

Sanji appeared with a tray of victory desserts. “A toast to our prize-winning furball.”

You took two.

Nami pocketed the reward money. “Let’s sign her up next year.”

You hissed. “Try me.”

She smiled sweetly. “I will.”

That night, curled up in your hoard with your shiny new collar, full of treats and still lightly smelling of victory…

You purred.

Maybe being everyone’s favorite problem wasn’t so bad.

-------

The bathhouse on the Sunny was warm, steamy, and blissfully quiet.

Sanji had snuck in for a rare moment of peace, towel slung low on his hips, leaning back against the edge of the deep wooden tub with a sigh.

Finally. Silence. No shouting. No chaos. No Luffy launching forks into the ceiling.

He closed his eyes.

Peace.

And then—

Sploosh.

He opened one eye slowly.

You were there.

Standing in the tub with him, stretching your arms overhead, tail already damp and floating lazily on the surface, fur darkening from the steam, expression completely blank.

“Hey,” you said casually.

He blinked.

Twitched.

“...Why are you in here.”

“I needed a bath,” you said, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re always here when I get poison on me. This is no different.”

Sanji made a sound.

Not a word. A sound.

Something between a gasp, a wheeze, and a very small death.

You sat down in the water with a splash, tail flicking up lazily, utterly at peace.

Sanji's nose bled.

“Y-you—this—this isn’t normal,” he managed.

You blinked. “We bathed before.”

“I WASN’T MENTALLY PREPARED FOR THIS ONE!”

“I brushed your hair yesterday.”

“THIS IS NOT THE SAME!”

You yawned. “You’re being dramatic.”

Sanji was about to spontaneously combust.

And that’s when—

The door slammed open.

“Oi, you seen—”

Zoro stepped inside.

Paused.

Stared.

You, standing half-submerged in the water, completely unbothered.

Sanji, bright red, towel riding dangerously low, face looking like a volcano mid-eruption.

Steam curling through the air like something out of a romance novel gone wrong.

Zoro’s eye twitched. Slowly. Dangerously.

“…What,” he said flatly.

You blinked. “What?”

He narrowed his eyes at Sanji. “Why are you red.”

“I—I’M NOT—”

Zoro’s hand dropped to his sword. “I swear to god.”

“Don’t make this weird!” Sanji snapped. “It’s NOT what it looks like!”

Zoro growled, half-drawing Wado Ichimonji.

You waved lazily from the tub. “Hi, Zoro.”

“Get out of the water.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m about to drown the cook.”

Sanji flailed, soap flying. “I DIDN’T EVEN DO ANYTHING YET— I mean at all! I did NOTHING!”

You sighed dramatically. “Boys are so sensitive. I’m just here to wash my tail.”

Zoro stared.

Then pointed the sword at Sanji’s chest.

“I’m watching you.”

Sanji screeched. “I DIDN’T EVEN LOOK!”

You sank deeper into the water, hiding your smug grin.

Maybe this wasn’t fine.

But it was definitely fun.

Zoro stood there, in the doorway of the bathhouse, sword half-drawn, eye twitching as steam billowed around you and Sanji like the world's most suspicious romance novel cover.

“You,” he said, pointing directly at you, “out. Now.”

You stretched in the water like a smug little gremlin. “But I just got innnnn.”

Zoro growled. “You’ve been in long enough. This ain’t a hot spring chapter.”

“It could be.”

“No.”

You huffed. “You’re such a buzzkill.”

Still, you complied, standing up slowly and letting the water run dramatically down your fur. Your tail swayed, your ears twitched, and steam curled around you like special effects.

Sanji immediately turned around with a spray of blood from his nose. “FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT’S HOLY, WARN ME NEXT TIME—!”

Zoro looked like he was mentally counting to ten. Or possibly ten thousand.

You stepped out of the tub, dripping wet and completely unbothered, then looked up at him with a tiny, expectant smile.

“…Well?” you asked.

Zoro blinked. “Well what.”

You shook yourself like a dog.

Water went everywhere.

Zoro flinched. Sanji shrieked.

You flicked your tail. “You told me to get out. You dry me now.”

“Why am I responsible for this?”

“You want me out, you handle the aftermath.”

Zoro stared at you like you were a demon that smelled like shampoo.

With a deep sigh of pure resignation, he grabbed a towel from the rack and crouched in front of you.

You stood like a tiny, dignified statue, arms out, waiting.

He started drying your arms first. Then shoulders. Then your head—roughly. You hissed and bared your teeth.

“Be gentle, mosshead!” Sanji shouted from across the room.

“She’s not made of glass.”

“She’s made of softness! There are sacred zones!”

Zoro grumbled something and continued working, tail flicking behind him. You purred smugly as he gently pressed the towel over your ears next.

“That’s better,” you mumbled.

He moved to your back—slow, firm, definitely trying not to look like he was enjoying it.

Sanji leaned on the doorway, bleeding mildly. “Careful where you rub, Marimo. If your hand slips lower, we’re gonna have a problem.”

Zoro froze.

Your tail swished.

You tilted your head innocently. “What if I want him to dry my tail, chef-boy?”

Sanji choked.

Zoro dropped the towel and stood up fast. “Dry yourself,” he growled, storming out before his face could ignite.

You cackled, picking up the towel with zero shame.

Sanji stared at you with a hand over his face.

“…You’re the devil.”

“I’m clean though,” you said sweetly.

You flicked your tail again.

Right into his face.

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i-cant-stop-fandoming-help · 8 days ago

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Feeling bored and gonna work on ship month here in a bit. BUT IN THE MEANTIME! Here are some animals I associate with DRA characters and why. not all DRA characters are here-- in fact, theres only a few, but I may reblog with additions later.

Warning for like. violence and death and whatnot on at least one.

Utsuro - Deer(or more accurately, a buck.) Why a deer? You may be asking. Well, here's a little fun fact about bucks. Their antlers can get caught in one another's, and when that happens... Well, the two bucks will either stay trapped until they both die, or one will be eaten by a coyote(or something similar) until only the head remains, freeing the other. In some cases, one buck may take the other's head off with sheer strength.

And the head will stay, staring at the surviving buck, until the surviving buck sheds his antlers. So why a deer? Well, I view the "staring into the eyes of your rival" as something similar to Utsuro staring at Yuki while taking his whole life away. Yuki's not there, but he is; Utsuro plays the part, and he convinces himself. But when he looks right ahead, and the truth? He sees the dead remains of the life he stole.

Akane - Swan Swans mate for life, as the saying goes. And it's true! And while I don't ship Utsuro and Akane, their relationship in-canon could be viewed as the unhealthy version of the love between swans. Does Utsuro love her back? Maybe, maybe not. He loved her enough to want her to live, though.

But when a swan's mate dies, the living one may die from a broken heart. It's not a guarantee, and it doesn't happen for all swan species... but there have been many cases where a swan will die soon after it's mate did, due to the anguish and grief it feels; it will stop taking care of itself.

Perhaps its just me, but I've viewed Akane's actions in both games as desperation to stay with Utsuro; to not lose him once more. In SDRA2, when she's kneeling in front of him, it appears as though she may let herself die to join him. Which I find similar to swans.

Rei - Raven (but also a Crow) While owls are often associated with intelligence, they really aren't that smart. But ravens? They are, indeed. According to allaboutbirds.org, Common ravens will work in numbers to get food-- be it stealing eggs and chicks from seabirds, or attacking newborn lambs. And they can connect the dots of cause and effect-- leading them to know to go to where they hear a gunshot, so they might find food.

Not only that, but some ravens can mimic human words(or the calls of other species), similar to a parrot. So why do I associate ravens with Rei? Intelligence. And, while she is solitary for a majority of the first game, we see her being willing to work in a group for better results near the end(although, part of the credit goes to Satsuki.) That is what makes her like a "Raven" to me."

But, what was pointed out to me by a friend, is that Ravens and Crows basically represent two sides of her. while they're both intelligent, Crows are more commonly associated with wisdom and overcoming troubles-- but Ravens? They're associated with sorrow and grief.

They're both similar to her, they're both parts of her. So she is winged, she is wise, and she is frail. Her bones are hollow, and she sits at the grave to whisper "Nevermore."

Never will she let someone she cares about die. Never again.

Kanata - Dog While I have no specific breed in mind, Kanata is a dog. At least to me. And it's due to the fact that owning a dog can have positive benefits on your health-- with studies showing that having a dog can ease stress and anxiety, as well as loneliness and depression. It can also encourage exercise with how often dogs need to go on walks.

Alongside that, there are dogs trained to help those with health conditions. They can pick up on heart rates and signs that their handler is in need of medical attention, and can alert their owner to sit down or can get help from nearby people. Due to these jobs and these facts, an association with dogs always comes to mind when Kanata does. Not to mention how friendly she is, and how most dogs are the same.

Kizuna - Butterfly It feels like a strange pick-- a bug for a woman who'd like cringe at the sight. But butterflies represent change, as seen with their cocoons. "But Kizuna doesn't change within the game!" she doesn't exactly have time to.

In her character sheet, (i am using the one translated by u/toastcat333) it states "during her school life before she lost her memory, she realized her mistakes and worked to fix her problems." That is change-- that is improvement, even. In the game, where we see what she was like "before" the school life, she doesn't seem like the type to even want to improve herself. But, when at a relatively normal hopes peak, she does try.

Maybe it'd be more accurate to say that pre-school life Kizuna was a caterpillar, and that, perhaps, the 79th class was her motive to go through metamorphosis. But, nonetheless, she is capable of change. That's why she's a butterfly to me.

#dra/sdra2 #danganronpa another #dra #sdra2 #rei mekaru #yuki maeda #utsuro dra #utsuro (dra/sdra2)#akane taira #kizuna tomori

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reverieshifts · 2 months ago

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𝑳𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒂 (𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒆)

𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒅𝒓

𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆

My draxie Lyria, named after the word for “starflower” in the fae’s ancient language, is nothing short of breathtaking; she's a creature of grace, strength, and ethereal beauty. Her smooth, pearlescent coat gleams under any light, shifting between moonlit silver and soft white, giving her an almost otherworldly glow. Unlike ordinary steeds, she does not merely stand—she moves with a liquid elegance, each step a deliberate display of agility and control.

Her sharp, swan-like head is both regal and alert, with deep, dark eyes that hold an unsettling intelligence. There is awareness in her gaze, as if she is not merely observing but assessing everything around her. A powerful, muscular tail extends behind her, twitching subtly, always prepared to be used for balance, combat, or signaling emotion.

Her legs are built for speed, with sleek muscle and exquisite precision in every motion. She is larger than an ordinary horse, but leaner, more refined—a predator’s grace wrapped in a creature of elegance. Everything about her exudes silent power, the kind that demands respect rather than asks for it.

The moment she moves, she commands attention, not just because of her beauty but because of the sheer presence she carries—as if the very air shifts around her, drawn to her like the stars to the night sky.

𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚

Lyria is proud, intelligent, and fiercely independent—a reflection of her rider in more ways than one. She is not a mindless steed to be commanded, but a sentient force with her own will, her own choices. She does not obey blindly; she chooses who is worthy.

She is naturally wary of strangers, assessing them with the same sharp scrutiny she first gave Ari. But once her trust is earned, it is unshakable. She is fiercely loyal, not just as a mount but as a guardian, a protector, and a companion.

Unlike most domesticated creatures, she is not easily startled. Danger does not make her flee—it makes her prepare to fight. She will stand her ground against threats, using her powerful tail and sharp beak to strike down enemies if needed.

Despite her reserved and observant nature, she has a deep bond with me—one that is instinctual and almost spiritual. She understands my moods, reacts to my unspoken cues, and, in many ways, mirrors my emotions. When I am restless, she paces. When I am focused, she stills. When I am in danger, she fights.

However, she is not blindly obedient. If I were to try and push her too hard, she would push back, reminding me that their bond is one of mutual respect, not dominance.

Above all, she is a creature of freedom. She was not born to be kept in a gilded stable, treated as an ornament of nobility—she was meant to run, to fly across open fields, to carry her rider into the unknown without fear. And with me at her side, she will do exactly that.

𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅

Lyria was born and raised in the Moonlit Glades, a hidden valley where only the finest draxi are bred by expert handlers. This lineage is renowned among fae nobility, with only the strongest, fastest, and most intelligent draxi being chosen for royal heirs.

Unlike common horses, she was not meant to be broken, tamed, or controlled. She was trained only to accept a rider of her own choosing, making her incredibly difficult to handle for those who tried before me. Many stable hands struggled to even lead her from her stall, and despite her exceptional breeding, she refused to allow anyone to ride her.

That is, until I stepped into the stable.

It took mere moments for Lyria to recognize something in me—a kindred spirit, a force of nature, someone who did not seek to control her, but to understand her. And just like that, the bond was formed.

From that moment forward, she became mine and I became hers, a bond unbreakable by time, distance, or danger.

𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔

𝒖𝒏𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚: Faster than any horse, she can outrun almost anything, making her the perfect steed for quick escapes, chases, or long-distance travel. She can also turn on a dime, her long tail giving her incredible balance and maneuverability.

𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆: Once bonded, she will allow no other rider. Anyone who attempts to mount her without my permission will quickly regret it.

𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚: Unlike horses that flee from danger, she will fight back. She can use her muscular tail like a whip to knock enemies aside, and her sharp beak can deliver powerful strikes to attackers.

𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆: She is far smarter than an ordinary animal, capable of understanding complex commands, sensing my emotions, and predicting danger before it arrives.

𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒖��𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆: She can run longer distances without tiring, allowing me to travel farther and faster than anyone else.

𝒇𝒖𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔

Has a habit of flicking Soren with her tail whenever he gets too close. No one is sure if she dislikes him or just enjoys messing with him.

Refuses to be locked in a stable for too long. If left confined for too long, she will find a way to escape—and she is incredibly good at it.

Absolutely despises being called a "horse." If someone refers to her as one, she will either stomp her hoof, flick her tail, or outright ignore them.

Despite her pride, she has a soft spot for my gentle touch. Though she presents herself as aloof, she leans into my hand when I scratch behind her ears.

Has an eerie ability to show up exactly when I need her, even without being called. It’s as if she just knows.

Soren never actually calls her by her name, instead calling her "lira", after the silver coin. She most certainly does not stand for this, and always ends up slapping him quite hard with her tail whenever he does this in front of her, usually sending him stumbling. Does this stop him? Absolutely not.

𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂

Ok, so yeah, I don't have much else to say for this one. Honestly, I'm a bit tired because of finals week is coming up, so posts may start to slow down or even stop for a bit, because I really don't wanna burn myself out. But anyways, Lyria is my main mount in this dr. Although, I'm considering giving myself a dragon, because I have one in almost all of my other drs. A black one. Named Kairos. I mean he's even in my siren dr as a leviathan, so idk why I wouldn't put him in my main fantasy dr. I just gotta figure out how exactly I'm gonna acquire his egg. But anyways, that's about it for now.

Also the concept of draxies (and Kairos) were created by @lalalian, so thank you for the wonderful idea.

#desired reality #reality shifting #shiftblr #shifters #scripting #original dr rambles #original dr scrapbook #dr scrapbook

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swan2swan · 3 months ago

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I'm not saying that they're wrong, but I feel like a lot of people are attributing a level of kindness to the Handler that's Just Not There because of this shot...I interpret it as more of a "Oh, wow, you guys really got messed up while I was unconscious, huh? This is...a new one."

Not that she doesn't care about them, but I think it's just her expression of realizing she's probably not going to win this one. It's an "oh crap" look. "Oh, wow, all three of you? None of you can pull this off? I just need one of you, and all three of you morons got whooped? Even Ghost? Tiger, I'm not surprised, but Ghost? Really? Fine...hit the showers, guys."

#swan rewatches chaos theory #the handler #again she OBVIOUSLY has a bond with them #I just don't know if it's Actually Emotional or if she just doesn't feel like risking her assets further #jwct

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wayward-lives · 2 years ago

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The girls are small. Two dozen of them, in three neat rows of four, staring up at him. They wear the same black leotard and black stockings, their feet clad in pointe shoes. Their hair is identical, tied up in a tight bun at the base of their skull. The oldest looks to be around ten, the youngest no older than three.

"First position."

The girls move synchronously, little robots in their neat lines, eyes staring forward, unblinking. The Mistress is severe, her body clad in dark clothes, hair pulled up tight, glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. In her hands, she holds the Cane. The Cane is much more painful than it appears.

"Soldat."

The Handler's voice is firm, and the Soldier obediently moves to follow the girls. The position is familiar, as is the burn in his feet as he rises onto his toes. Pain is irrelevant.

The girl with the red hair watches him as he moves, her green eyes wide and orb-like in her sallow face. She isn't being fed enough, he thinks, taking in her stick-like limbs and sunken cheeks, but she moves as gracefully as a swan, a precision in her movements that shouldn't be seen in a child this young.

She isn't the youngest of the group. But he is drawn to her nonetheless.

-------

The Soldier has been tasked with supervision of the Girls. The Mistress had left ten minutes prior in a swirl of black skirts, the Guards scuttling along after her like insects. The Handler had snapped at the Soldier to remain in position, to watch the Girls and ensure they stayed compliant in the Mistress's absence. The Soldier had obeyed.

The girl with the red hair watches him from across the room as she chews her food. She sits with one other girl, a girl with blonde hair and brown eyes who can be no older than four years old.

The other Girls cast nervous glances at him from the corners of their eyes, their limbs tense and thin shoulders quivering. They fear him. The Soldier is not sure why.

"You are the Monster, yes?"

He looks down. The girl with the red hair stands in front of him, her fists clenched at her sides. Her eyes are terrified, but she stands tall, her chin raised in defiance.

Small, blonde, skinny, blue eyes, clenched teeth, blood under the Soldier's fingertips, long fingers clutched in his own -

"I am the Asset," the Soldier replies. He is to only speak when spoken to.

"They tell us stories about you," says the girl with the red hair. "You hunt us in the dark. You slice our throats and hang our bodies on your bedroom walls."

The Soldier is not sure why the girl believes him to have a bedroom. Only humans get bedrooms. "I sleep in ice and glass and stone."

The girl blinks slowly, like a cat. "I sleep with my wrists tied to the bedpost."

The Soldier looks down. He notices the bruises around her wrists. "You are a child."

"I am a Widow," she says, her voice emotionless. "I am a servant of Hydra."

The Soldier's throat feels tight. He does not understand why. "You are a child."

The girl with the red hair looks at him with those fierce, green eyes, then turns and walks away.

-------

Her name is Natalia. She is the best of the best. She has five confirmed assassinations. She will be the death of America.

(She has a little sister. She is six years old. She sleeps with her wrists tied to the bed. She is a child.)

Sometimes, when he looks at her, he sees another little girl. This one has thick, brown hair and grey eyes, and wears an old-fashioned dress. She smiles and giggles and holds out her arms for him to pick her up and spin her around in the air. The Soldier is not sure who this little girl is, or why he thinks of her. She is nothing like Natalia. She is healthy and happy and looks a lot like him.

Natalia is a good child. She does her exercises, she holds her position. In training, she was put against a girl twice her size and much older. She got her legs around the other girl's throat. The other girl was cold and dead within five minutes.

The Soldier hears whispers about her. That the Red Guardian needs a child for his next mission. That Natalia is being considered.

The idea fills him with terror.

------

"Come now, Natashenka," he croons. His big, awkward hand runs softly through fine, red hair, softer than he ever knew himself capable. "Don't cry, little one. Come now..."

The little spider's hand is clutching tightly at his arm, tiny fingers digging into the meat of his bicep. She is already strong; much stronger than the other girls, despite being no more than seven. The Masters may have gifted her with something much the same they did to him. It doesn't feel much like a gift, no matter what they tell him.

"Little spider," he tries again. All he gets in reply is a small sob.

"It's not fair," the child moans. She glares up at him, bright green eyes brimming with tears. "Why did the men take her away? Why did they take my Yelena?"

"She is going to a better place," the Soldier says. The words taste like poison on his tongue. "She will be taken care of."

"It's not fair," Natalia sobs again as she buries her face in his chest. His hands cradle her tiny body close to him. She's small, fragile. She is his world. "They took my little sister, they took my mama, they took everything from me!"

The Soldier shushes her frantically, pressing her close to his body. "Little one, you must not say such things - you know how they listen."

"I don't care!" she cries. Tiny fists beat down on his chest as she bawls, body shaking in his arms. "I don't care, I don't care, they took my family, and they're going to take you too!"

"Hush, hush, my spider, please," he pleads. He ducks his head to press kisses to her soft hair, breathes in. She smells clean, young. He has never known her to smell any different. "They will not take me, you understand? I will always be here with you."

Natalia looks up at him, tear-stained cheeks red and puffy and the Soldier feels his heart break all over again. "You promise?" She holds out her pinkie, such an innocent gesture, and it makes the Soldier want to cradle her close and never let her go. Instead, he reaches out and hooks his pinkie around hers.

"I promise, my love."

------

She is nine years old when the guards come for her during practice. The Mistress doesn't say a thing, just purses her lips and tightens her grasp on the Cane.

She does not return.

He asks for her, and is beaten with clubs.

He escapes, one night, to find her. He fails, and the Handler punishes him.

They take him to the Secretary, whose blonde hair and blue eyes make butterflies erupt in the Soldier's chest. He is older, now, but still just as handsome as the first time he crouched in front of the Soldier and cracked his hand across his face. The Secretary smiles at him, taps his cheek.

"She isn't coming back, Soldier. You are not a father, or a brother. You are a machine. Your job is not to comfort her. Your job is to train her, and to kill her if she fails."

"Please," the Soldier whispers. The Secretary's face twists into something ugly, something inhuman.

"It's been too long since a calibration. You are malfunctioning. You'll feel much better after the wipe."

The Soldier knows fighting is useless, yet he tries anyway. He fights the whole way to the Chair - he kills one man, crushing his windpipe with one quick squeeze. He throws two more into a wall, where they crumple and don't get up. Someone sticks him with a cattle prod, and the pain is excruciating. He must lose consciousness, even if only for a second, as the next thing he knows he's in the chair, restrained and with the Secretary's disappointed face looming above him.

"You know better than to fight," the Secretary chides him. "Now, hold still - you'll feel better soon."

Then the machine clamps over his head and he's swept away in agony.

#marvel #bucky barnes #natasha romanov #red room #abandoned works #my writing #fanfic #tw child abuse

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mystical-flute · 9 months ago

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I Am The Ghost That Hides in the Night Chapter 5 - These Monster Can Fly, And They'll Never Say Die

Also on AO3 || Buy me a Ko-Fi

Twilight pressed a hand to his forehead and exhaled as he strode to WISE headquarters a couple of weeks later. The rest of the weekend had gone relatively smoothly. Anya hadn’t provided any crucial information he didn’t already know and managed to get some rather difficult math problems she had been struggling with, and Yuri and Franky didn’t interrupt at all. Best of all, neither he nor Yor had been given any other assignments, which said to him WISE and whoever Yor worked for weren’t suspicious of them.

Everything would continue as normal.

Hopefully.

Nope, if he thought too much about the alternative, he would get a stomach ache, and that was the last thing Twilight needed to deal with right now. Handler was a master of figuring out people’s emotions, despite herself being known as the Iron Lady.

He sat down across from her, she did the usual greeting, which had his stomach untwisting from the knot it had placed itself in. Good. This was good. She seemed unconcerned with what she’d discovered about his wife and daughter.

“There isn’t much to report on when it comes to Project Apple - not as much as we’d hoped anyway,” Handler said after her usual greeting (which gave him a sense of calm. So there wasn’t some new big emergency). “Have you discovered anything, Twilight? Anything new to report from Anya?”

Twilight could only shrug. “Anya has managed to memorize the PEMDAS acronym by using Spy Wars characters.” The fact that she’d managed to memorize anything regarding mathematics was impressive, in Twilight’s mind. “And her grade in mathematics has gone up one percent.” She was still failing, but the grade was trending upward, which was a good thing. “Ever since the… incident she’s been working harder and… in a way I think opening her mind up to her classes.”

“Good. Perhaps there’s hope yet for a Stella regarding academics,” Handler said with the barest hint of a smile. “But… everything is okay at home with Yor? There hasn’t been any strange deliveries or anything?”

“No. Everything is continuing as normal.”

Handler nodded. “Good. And I’m glad that Anya’s grades are going in the right direction. See if you can… figure out anything else from her. I’m not asking you to use your typical methods of information extraction but whatever we can find out about that project Anya went through, the better chance we have of stopping it.”

Twilight nodded. He had sworn to make the world one without war or strife - a world where every child could smile and laugh, and that urge only got stronger with Anya. He didn’t know if he had genuine parental instincts or if it was just something he felt strongly about due to his mission, but either way, Operation Stryx would be a success and he would wipe out anything that caused Anya pain.

“You are dismissed, Agent Twilight.”

Twilight felt his muscles relax just slightly as he stepped out of Handler’s office and made his way back up to the busy streets of Berlint.

Something bothered him about this whole thing though: Anya’s biological parents. When he’d first adopted her, it had been easy to assume that she was an orphan, and her reaction to Headmaster Swan’s question about her birth mother had only solidified that assumption. Now, though, that he knew that she had been an experiment in a lab, he had doubts. What if her parents had been scientists that had experimented on her? He’d met so many awful people in his life he wouldn’t have put it past them.

At one point, Twilight had felt sympathy for Anya being an orphan, but now… he really hoped he’d gotten her out of there in time.

… though, given the nightmare she’d had the other night, he wasn’t sure if he had.

It bothered him, for some reason, that he didn’t have all the answers about Anya. Yes, he was legally, morally, responsible for her, but there was something else inside of him, a deep seated part of him that needed to know why and needed to fix everything that she felt was wrong.

He slid his hands in his pockets as he passed by the bakery. Now wasn’t the time to buy sweets - he needed to get back to the hospital so he could continue his work. He never knew for sure what sort of information would help WISE, but any little bit helped, he supposed.

“Doctor Forger, good, you’ve returned early!” his colleague said with a smile that was tinged with relief. “There is a new patient on their way and I thought you would be the best fit for her.”

Twilight raised a brow. “Me? I’m flattered, but why?”

“Because she’s six years old. Just a year younger than Anya, right?”

Twilight’s blood ran cold. Why would a six year old need severe mental health treatment? Children that age hadn’t grown up like he did - not in a war zone where bombs were alarm clocks. They had only known peace time.

“I see. Of course I’ll take her on.”

As he made his way to his office with her file in hand (patient name: Lila Michaelson, and her parents Edmund and Anna Michaelson), the only thing he could think of was that this girl was a classmate of Anya’s who had been struggling since the bus hijacking. Perhaps she had an older sibling that had been on the second bus (Michaelson didn’t sound familiar as anyone in Anya’s class) For an average six year old, he wouldn’t have been surprised. Even Anya had struggled in the aftermath of that, and he’d thought she was an average six year old. If this Lila girl had a sibling who had gone through it, he couldn’t imagine what sort of nightmares an average six year old had had.

Twilight got the play therapy box out and tried to make his office a little more comfortable by pulling the blinds closed and only having the dim lights of his lamps on, rather than the bright overhead lights. Hopefully his new patient would enjoy the toys a little more than Anya had when she’d come to the hospital for her assignment.

The memory made him faintly smile. How funny it was to look back on so many of Anya’s slips of the tongue and realize they hadn’t been slips at all, but her actually knowing everything that had happened at any point.

Which was making him question every decision he’d made regarding her over the past year. He’d thought he’d been making decisions that kept her safe, but how did you keep a telepathic child safe from danger - or keep closely guarded work secrets a secret?

Ah, but the knock on the door tabled his troubled thoughts. He pulled the door open with a warm smile, finding a couple and an unfamiliar child on the other side. Not one of the children from Eden then. Strange.

“Good afternoon. I’m Doctor Forger. You must be the Michaelsons,” his eyes trailed down to the little girl, and he bent to her height. “I’m guessing you’re my patient then, Lila?”

The young girl with dark blue hair nodded with wide eyes.

“We can’t thank you enough for taking our daughter on, Doctor Forger. My father’s friend is a patient of yours, and he says you are the best of the best,” the father, Edmund, said. “We just want to help our daughter.”

Twilight stepped aside, allowing the family entry to the office and closing the door behind them. “It’s not a problem at all, Mister Michaelson, that’s what I’m here for. It’s flattering to know that my reputation among my patients is positive, so I hope I can help Lila. as well. You all can take a seat on the sofa.”

While the family did so, Twilight observed their behavior as he reached for his notepad and a pen. He could see the nervousness in the parents’ eyes, but that was probably normal - though he only had Anya, he couldn’t imagine having a child with a mental illness like this. Neither of their eyes were darting around the room, only taking careful looks behind them to discard their coats and Anna’s purse (a discarded chair, which was a strangely intimate place to put things for them being in a hospital setting and despite Twilight having a coat rack in the office). There were no secret gestures between the family, only a shared look of nervousness between Edmund and Anna - which was to be expected, given what was happening.

Maybe this really was just a normal family that needed help for their child.

He would have to get to the bottom of this.

Twilight cleared his throat as he took a seat in the chair across from the family. “Alright, so when I see a patient for the first time, I like to spend the session just getting a baseline. What their normal day is like, or their background. Given Lila is a juvenile, I’m hoping you both can help me with this.”

“Of course,” Anna said, and Edmund was nodding in agreement. “Ask us anything - we’re open books.”

Was that too easy? He hoped not.

“Alright, well… I would like a little backstory on you all. Where you’re from, what you both do for a living, what your situation was like when Lila was born - ”

“We don’t know what it was like when she was born, Doctor Forger… Lila was adopted. We really don’t know much about her life before she came to live with us.”

Ah. Now that was an issue.

Still, Loid Forger gave them a polite smile. “Alright, well, Lila, there’s a small box of toys there on the table in front of you. You’re welcome to play with them if you’d like while I talk to your parents.”

Lila nodded quietly and pulled the box closer to her, picking up each toy and looking at them like she was weighing the pros and cons of using each. What a peculiar case this was going to turn out to be.

“So Edmund, Anna, what made you decide to adopt?”

That question seemed to rattle them, forcing them to exchange a nervous glance, before Anna spoke.

“Everything we say here is… confidential, right? You won’t be reporting us to the Secret Police?” she asked.

Loid shook his head. “Not unless you give me reason to, like if I suspect there’s abuse.”

“We would never!”

He held up his hands as a show of peace. “Easy, I don’t mean to insinuate that you’re abusing Lila. I’m just trying to make sure you’re comfortable with me. I have no intentions of turning any of my patients in to the secret police unless absolutely necessary.”

“No, I know. I-I’m sorry, Doctor Forger. I didn’t mean to jump down your throat. It’s just… we had to pull a lot of strings, that’s all. You see, my husband got a job at Berlint University a few years ago. It’s prestigious, and we didn’t expect it since we’re such a young couple but here we are. One of the things people there kept hammering home to us was having children. You know how much families are emphasized in Ostania, especially in the education field.”

Yes, he was quite familiar with the propaganda surrounding the perfect family unit - especially when it came to young adults. Westalis had a similar idea. Likely, both countries were trying to show the other that neither’s spirit had been broken after the war. But Twilight also knew not having a family made people suspicious and couples desperate to escape the Secret Police’s radar would turn to underhanded tactics in order to get a family and keep themselves safe.

Twilight had all the connections he needed in order to pull it off. He couldn’t imagine what an average person had to go through.

“We’ve been trying to have a baby naturally but… it doesn’t seem to be in the cards, so we found this… horrible little orphanage on the outskirts of the city before we moved here. We would have adopted the whole place if it wouldn’t have looked even more desperate,” Anna continued. “That’s where we found Lila.”

A horrible orphanage on the outskirts of town? It couldn’t be…

“Lila is incredibly smart. Despite living in such a run-down place, she knew about Schwarz, the Ostanian philosopher who came up with the theory of what it means to have a perfect family unit,” Edmund added. “My specialty is history and philosophy, so we bonded very quickly over that. It was a no brainer that we adopt her. Since the orphanage didn’t have the greatest credentials, we had to get Lila a new birth certificate, listing us as her birth parents.”

“That’s okay! I like you better anyway,” Lila suddenly piped up, smiling at Edmund and Anna in a way that reminded Twilight of the trust and love Anya showed him and Yor. “You’re nicer than the other people, and you agreed to adopt Gustav too!”

Loid laughed softly. “So you weren’t the only one adopted that day, Lila?”

Lila shook her head. “Nope! Mama and Papa adopted Gustav too! He’s not my real little brother, but we got close at the orphanage and I didn’t wanna leave him there! That place was gross.”

If it was in fact the same orphanage he’d found Anya at, he couldn’t blame her for thinking that way. “That was very kind of you, Lila. Do you like living with Gustav, Edmund, and Anna?”

She nodded eagerly. “Yeah! My mama and papa are nice and they let me play with toys and send me to school so I can meet other kids and they read with me! When I was in the other place all I did was study, which was boring! But now I like learning!”

Twilight made a very careful note of that. “That’s all very good, Lila. Learning is very important.”

“Yeah, and I’m glad I have a family now. You aren’t gonna take them away, are you?” She looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes, almost like she was regretting speaking up.

Loid shook his head and gave her a gentle smile. “Of course not. I would never separate a child from their loving parents. Your parents are just worried about you, and I’m going to try and help get you better, okay?”

Lila looked at him, relieved, and went back to playing with the toys.

“Mister and Mrs. Michaelson, what is it you’re hoping Lila gets out of therapy with me?” Loid asked. “So far, she seems like a very bright and happy six year old.” She reminded him of Anya, really, and he still couldn’t tell if it was good or bad that she did.

“We don’t want to force it but… we’re hoping to gain some knowledge of her life before the orphanage, so we can help her through whatever it was. We’re hoping to get her into Eden and while we aren’t worried about the written exam, we are very worried about the interview. We’ve heard horror stories about children being brought to tears during it. If we could help Lila through whatever trauma befell her before we found her.”

Twilight very nearly winced at the memory of their own interview with the Eden teachers. He wanted to give them a winning smile and a promise that the interview would be fine, but he couldn’t. That whole day had been nothing but a disaster (and suddenly Yor taking down a fully-grown cow made way too much sense), and he would feel terrible about lying to these people. Instead, he took a deep breath, removing his glasses as he did so.

“The road to Eden is a difficult one, and I know that first hand because my daughter goes there. I understand your worries about the interview, because ours is something that still keeps my wife and I up at night. But the important thing is to be united as a family, and trust in each other. You have to trust that Lila will know what to do when they ask her questions - they won’t all be scary, I promise.” That, he could promise at least. “Eden is an excellent school, and will be lucky to have Lila.”

Anna gave him a relieved smile. “That is great news, thank you Doctor Forger. But… if there’s any advice you can give us on childhood trauma…”

“Children, much like adults, process trauma differently. Some people shut down and refuse to speak of it, but others do, and want their story out there. There is no right or wrong way to react to it. That said, I would never recommend forcing anyone to discuss their trauma, especially a child. I’ll do my best with your daughter, and see what I can do for her.”

Edmund nodded. “Thank you.”

“Of course. That’s what I’m here for.”

The sound of the toys falling over into the box had him glancing down at his young patient. “Alright over there, Lila?” he asked with a kind smile.

Lila seemed frozen as she stared into the box, decidedly not meeting any adult’s gaze. “I’m sorry! Please don’t punish me!”

That sounded like another problem.

Loid looked at her with a warm smile, ignoring the frantic, concerned looks of Anna and Edmund. “Hey, don’t worry, Lila. They’re just toys. You can always pick them up and start your play over again. There is no punishment here, okay?”

Lila looked at him warily, then at Edmund, who nodded in agreement. “You are safe here, Lila. Your mother and I wouldn’t bring you somewhere scary, you know that.”

At least they were able to actually promise that. Now that he knew Anya could read minds, everything he had done, every mission he had gone on since adopting her was now in question. How many places had she sneaked into in an attempt to help him? How many times had she nearly gotten herself killed?

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Now was the time to figure out what had happened to Lila before the orphanage, and figure out how to help her recover from it.

“Mister and Missus Michaelson, has she had worries like this before? Like when you first brought her home from the orphanage?” Twilight asked.

Anna nodded. “Yes… she accidentally knocked into a table while she was helping us move furniture into her bedroom. A picture frame fell over - it didn’t break, just fell forward onto the table. Lila was in hysterics, thinking we were going to send her and Gustav back to the orphanage. It took almost an hour for us to calm her down.”

He understood quite clearly now why they were worried about going for Eden, but if it was something they truly wanted for their daughter, he was going to help prepare Lila for it to the best of his ability.

A knock on the door caused everyone to jump.

“Pardon me, Doctor Forger? Your next appointment has just arrived,” came Fiona’s muffled voice.

It had been an hour already? This day was just flying by.

Loid rose to his feet, prompting Edmund and Anna to do the same. “I do apologize for the abrupt ending to our session, but I believe I have enough information to begin a treatment plan for Lila. You can make your next appointment with Miss Frost, and if you need anything else beforehand, do not hesitate to reach out to me,” he said with a polite smile.

As the Michaelsons departed, he realized he ought to take another look at some of the child psychology books he’d originally checked out of the library when he adopted Anya.

“Hello Mister Weber,” Twilight said, gently helping the aged military colonel into his office and into a comfortable chair. “Please hold on for just a moment, I have something I need to ask Fiona, alright?”

“Alright Doctor Forger, but don’t be too hard on that young lady.”

Loid laughed lightly. “Don’t worry, I just need her to fetch something for me.”

Closing the office door tightly, he swiftly made his way to Nightfall’s desk, speaking in careful code. “Nightfall. I need you to find any information you can about Lila. Enlist Franky’s help.”

“Wha - of course Twilight, but why?”

“I think she may have lived in the same orphanage as Anya. I just want to make sure she wasn’t a product of the same experiment Anya was.”

Fiona’s eyes widened. “I see. You will have that information delivered to you as soon as possible.”

The sinking feeling in his stomach returned as he made his way back to his office for his next appointment.

#spy x family #i am the ghost that hides in the night #fanfiction #loid forger

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thebibliomancer · 1 year ago

Text

Essential Avengers: Avengers West Coast #51: I SING OF ARMS AND HEROES...

November, 1989

Guess who's BACK... and guess who aren't too sure they're HAPPY about it...

Well, Hank and Jan don't look too happy about it. Neither does US Agent. Lookit him frown, the gwumpy pumpkin. Wonder Man looks like he has dull surprise going on. I cannot fathom Robot Human Torch's expression. The man would do great at poker. Wanda looks like she's offended. That's a "how dare?!" expression if I've seen one. And Vision looks like he's staring directly at the sun and isn't sure why people keep screaming at him to stop.

So my guess is that Hank, Jan, John, and Wanda aren't happy about it and the others may or may not be happy about it.

They might have been more pleased to see Iron Man if he hadn't just flown through a perfectly good wall for no reason.

Last times in Avengers West Coast: Iron Man left the West Coast Avengers because of the Armor Wars arc in his own book. Wow, that was a while ago.

At the end of Armor Wars, Iron Man faked his own death by letting the government blow up an armor full of blood. When more Iron Manning was needed, Tony Stark just built a new suit and claimed he'd hired a new bodyguard/superhero.

And now, all these issues later, he's back to rejoin the Avengers because he's become more dependent on his armor due to stuff happening in his solo. He figures more time stuck in the armor, might as well be putting it to good use.

Also happening, Wanda has had the worst fucking period of her life (so far). Her husband got disassembled by the government, her teammates don't seem to care, her children keep blinking in and out of existence whenever she's not paying attention, evil bacteria shoved her full of goo until she became a mutant supremacist, the robot Human Torch came back to life to take the hottest robot on the team role from Vision. Just a lot going on!

I sure did talk about Wanda a lot in this issue featuring Iron Man.

Anyway.

Iron Man.

What a shiny guy he is.

Yeah. The Avengers (West Coast) aren't thrilled to see Iron Man.

Because: who even is this Iron Man?

US Agent John Walker is not privy to all the details of Iron Man's identity. But he does know that the original Iron Man was supposedly killed and a new guy took over.

Original Iron Man may have been a founder of the Avengers but New Iron Man is just Some Guy. Some Guy who can fuck off if he thinks he gets to swan in and get automatically put on the team.

Iron Man understands that he doesn't get any special consideration and says he's willing to go through whatever initiation process the Avengers consider necessary.

US Agent is a big company man so even though he's maybe the leader of the Avengers possibly? (he's done literally zero leading and nearly zero interacting with the team), he storms off to go call his handlers in Washington so they can tell him what to do.

With him gone, that just leaves Hank, Wasp, and Wonder Man who all know that Tony Stark is Iron Man. Or was. They know that at certain points, Tony Stark has been Iron Man.

(Way to just spill the beans in front of an Iron Man that you don't know whether he's Tony or not, guys)

So they ask Iron Man straight up if he's Tony.

For some reason that would probably make sense if I was reading Iron Man, Iron Man apologizes and says he can't say.

I do want to read olde Iron Man. One of these days, I want to dig into that backlog. He's one of the prominent Marvel characters I haven't read significant material from pre-2000.

Anyway.

On the other side of the compound, Scarlet Wanda and Vision.

Wanda is in a mood. Because she's been in a mood Byrne's whole run because shit keeps happening to her. Possibly goo related shit.

Vision: "It surprises me that you did not wish to stay for the meeting with Iron man, my wife. I am curious as to your reason..." Scarlet Witch: "Please, Vision... I know you're programmed to use words like 'surprised' and 'curious,' but I wish you wouldn't. It only emphasizes how much more robotic you've become." Vision: "My apologies, Wanda. It was my impression you wished me to sound as human as possible." Scarlet Witch: "Human? Why would I wish that, husband? Why would any mutant worthy of the name wish to associate herself with humans?" Vision: "And yet... you are a mutant, and for years, you have gladly associated with the Avengers -- most of whom are human." Scarlet Witch: "A passing weakness, Vision."

Okay. Seriously. Did nobody think to de-gooify her after that Absolom University adventure? Give her a medical check or anything?

I'm getting a little perturbed with how little a shit this era of the West Coast Avengers seem to give about each other.

Nobody noticed Tigra was going nuts. Nobody bothered to do anything as Wanda has clearly been emotionally spiraling. Wasp decides to help Wonder Man undermine Wanda's marriage.

You all suck.

Wanda is behaving like a jerk now but at least we know external factors contributed. The rest of you just suck.

Anyway, Wanda and Vision reach their quarters and find Agatha Harkness waiting for them there.

Hi, Agatha.

Are you the Agatha that does horrible shit to Wanda to teach her something or the Agatha that's helpful without being traumatizing?

I feel like Wanda is a couple pieces of straw from just breaking so maybe considering the latter approach today.

Also, maybe consider calling ahead.

The last time Wanda and Vision saw Agatha, in the second Vision and the Scarlet Witch series, Agatha was burned at the stake.

She tells them that being burned at the stake sucked but that's not what she's here to talk about.

She's here to talk about Wanda's kids.

Wanda's weirdo kids. To talk about them and to understand what precisely they are.

Scarlet Witch: "They are only children. Normal in every way!" Agatha Harkness: "Normal, Wanda? With a mother who is a mutant and a father who is a synthezoid?"

Rude.

Agatha tells Wanda that her kids are far from normal and if she hadn't been busy resurrecting herself, she would have been here sooner.

Agatha Harkness: "But you already know yourself, that when you are not thinking about them... they disappear!"

Vision asks if that's true but Wanda denies it. BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY AS A GOOD MOM SHE IS ALWAYS THINKING OF HER KIDS AT ALL TIMES 100%.

Agatha pulls the nuh uh on this. There have been recent times where she was too distracted in battle or knocked unconscious where obviously she wasn't thinking about her kids. And wee baby Thomas and William just cease to exist during those times.

Remember those times? All those times they disappeared, freaking out the governesses? Who tried to report it to Wanda and got fired for it?

Wanda refuses to listen to this. Literally putting her hands over her ears and shouting she won't hear it.

Eesh.

Agatha tells Vision that Wanda will need his strength and love more than ever and oof is she behind the times. The government took away his capacity to love! Bad timing!

Elsewhere, up in the sky, a bird, a comet, a (robot) human torch!

Jim Hammond took off when the Avengers grouped up to meet with Iron Man. He took the time to fly over the countryside for about a half hour, just get an idea of how much things have changed.

And he's amazed! To him, it looks like 400 years have passed instead of just 40.

He lands back at the Avengers West Coast Compound and lands right into some drama without even trying.

Ann Raymond saw him being all human torchy and mistakes him for Toro. And when she realizes he's Jim Hammond instead, she, of course, gets upset because for an instant she let her hopes get up and now she's been reconfronted with the fact that her husband died in an entirely stupid and unnecessary way.

And now Jim knows Toro's dead too and is also emotionally staggered by the news.

Also: demons.

Flaming fireballs! Demons!!

Robot Human Torch gets immediately slapped into the pool. A sad casualty of being the first one the demons run into.

But Ann screaming alerted the other Avengers and they assemble and start walloping demons.

Hank Pym suggests that if a bunch of demons suddenly show up to the Avengers West Coast Compound, why there's only possible explanation.

Iron Man: "You mean it's MASTER PANDEMONIUM?? But the last we saw of him, he was being swept away by the river of oblivion... deep in the realm of Mephisto!"

Hank Pym makes a mental note of Iron Man knowing about the Avengers' last encounter with Master Pandemonium. Because Tony Stark Iron Man was on the team at the time. So is this Tony or did Tony just brief New Iron Man on all his Avengers' cases?

I don't know why Tony isn't telling the Avengers he's him so I don't know how tense it should be that Hank is piecing things together.

Anyway!

US Agent comes out to yell at the commotion and he's not really alarmed by a sudden invasion of demons. It does make him punchy so he starts punching.

Robot Human Torch pulls himself out of the pool. He's soaking wet but all he has to do is FLAME ON! to boil the water away.

Then he can "show these demonic delinquents how we used to deal with their kind back in the 50's!"

Did... you deal with a lot of demons in the 50's specifically?

Wasp takes note that the demons don't seem to be after anything and aren't really trying that hard to kill the Avengers. So why are they here?

Whoops, they're a distraction.

While the Avengers are outside fighting the demons, Master Pandemonium busts into Wanda and Vision's quarters right when Wanda is about to have a nervous breakdown over everything that's happened to her over the past few weeks.

Agatha Harkness tries to ward off the demons with her witchcraft but Master Pandemonium tries belches hellfire in her face.

Gross.

Vision tries to do the intangible fisting thing he does which either works great or doesn't work at all.

Whoops, this is one of the times it doesn't work at all.

Master Pandmemonium just blasts out demons from his arms to overwhelm Vision.

Leaving only Wanda to face him, as she boasts that nothing can withstand her hex power.

Although she seems to fend him off and force him to retreat, she doesn't notice until he's gone that one of his demons snuck behind her and yoinked the children.

He drags the poor, probably innocent tots down to probably Hell.

What does he want from them?

Well, first, he wants a captive audience to recap his entire backstory.

Villains gonna villain.

He was an actor man who drunk drove himself into a bad car crash that cost him his arm. As a big Hollywood type in the 80s, he was big into the occult?? Apparently? So he called upon dark powers, promising his soul for his arm back.

Mephisto was bored and decided this would be funny so he replaced the guy's arm with demons. And then he replaced all his limbs with demons.

Mephisto's sense of humor is beyond me.

He didn't want the guy's soul so he ripped it out, broke it into five pieces, and scattered them around.

Master Pandemonium has been searching for them since, trying to become whole.

He found one with the Cat Demon People of Tigra's origin. But whatever Englehart was planning for this dude, he didn't get around to. Guy got one soul piece back and then dropped out of the plot.

So Byrne is bringing back that plot thread.

Master Pandeominum declares to these two stupid children who don't understand any of this that kidnapping them will allow him to replace his missing 4/5ths of a soul much more efficiently than all his aimless searching up until now.

Now, I know where this is going already. It is renowned, infamously.

But try to make your best guesses before I get to the end of the issue. See how close you get.

Anyway.

In the pressing urgency of some innocent children being kidnapped... the Avengers all sit down to discuss classic sitcoms.

That's a fair response, to be honest.

But here's how the conversation unfolds.

Instead of leaping into action, the Avengers sit around and quiz Agatha on how she's alive again. Even though she keeps telling them it was fucking magic and it's not going to make sense to their science brains.

Wonder Man chimes in that HE's seen Bewitched so he can vouch for Agatha's point.

So Wanda starts yelling at him for talking about television when her children are kidnapped.

Wasp tells Wanda to settle down. Clearly they're treating this with all due urgency! Since, y'know, maybe her kids are fake as shit. Maybe they've just stopped existing again like all the governesses said.

And that's when Wanda does her a slap.

Granted, her mutant supremacy is not called for but, yeah, the Avengers are all a bunch of jerks now who can't muster a bit of urgency when a demon man kidnaps some children.

Wasp isn't even hurt because of her small size. But she is concerned that Wanda said that thing the way she did about humans.

Anyone else concerned? Nobody else reacting? Okay.

Wanda begs Agatha to help her follow Master Pandemonium.

I'm surprised we didn't start with that but I've already made clear how I feel about how the team is reacting to this.

Master Pandemonium tried to hide his path but Agatha took precautions when he first arrived so she can trace him. But Wanda can't do it alone! So... will the Avengers step up to action when a witch very lightly implies that they should?

Yes. They finally get their asses in gear and jump through the swirling magic portal.

Even US Agent agrees that where Wanda goes, the Avengers go too. Which is a big team player moment from the guy who doesn't seem to realize he's leading a superhero team.

Watching from the time Limbo that isn't the demonic Limbo or the game Limbo, Immortus freaks the fuck out.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go for his vague yet menacing plan!

And he can't do anything to alter the flow of events because, I dunno, he can't touch demonic realms. So if anything happens to Wanda, he won't be able to protect her!

Dun dun dun??

I wonder what his vague yet menacing evil plan needs Wanda for?

Back at the Avengers, Hank Pym asks Jim Hammond Human Torch to stay behind to watch the Compound.

So despite making a big deal about him joining the team last issue, with WANDA BRINGING HIM BACK FROM THE DEAD, he gets to sit on his ass for the rest of this story.

What a weird writing decision.

Byrne is all over the place with all the subplots he's juggling for this book and a lot of them just get backburnered hard.

Iron Man gets to go. And he hasn't even officially (re)joined the Avengers at this point. They don't even know if they can trust him because he won't admit to being Tony Stark to his closest friends, for some reason.

The Avengers and Iron Man arrive in a seemingly peaceful fairy tale glade but Agatha's floating head warns them not to trust it.

And the very scenery attacks them a few panels later so. Yeah. Floating Head Agatha called it.

In the distance, past all the killer foliage, Wasp spots a building made of twisted agony.

The Avengers fight their way through the angry vegetation and Scarlet Witch blows open the twisted agony fortress front door with her probability manipulation.

But they find that Master Pandemonium is ready for them. Waiting for them.

And he's done the dumbest thing possible.

He's attached Billy and Tommy to his arms so now he has literal baby hands.

It's horrifying.

It's also the dumbest thing possible.

He's so proud of himself for thinking of this.

Was this where you would have guessed him kidnapping some babies was going to go?

Also, jamming babies onto his arms seems to have filled in two points on the star shaped hole in his tum tum.

I used to like what a silly concept Master Pandemonium's entire deal was. But he's ruined it by going even dumber.

For shame, everything that went into making, publishing, and printing this comic book. For shame. You took a perfectly goofy villain and you ruined him.

Follow @essential-avengers and maybe like or reblog. I appreciate being appreciated.

#avengers #essential avengers #west coast avengers #Master Pandemonium #US Agent #Wonder Man #the Wasp #hank pym #dr pym #Scarlet Witch #the Vision #robot Human Torch #Iron Man #Agatha Harkness #Immortus #for some damn reason #this ends on a really dumb note

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lizisshortforlizard · 6 months ago

Text

Living Dangerously - Chapter 36

Jurassic Park’s animal handlers: none of them ever mentioned by name in Michael Crichton’s original novel. Who were they? What were their lives like on Isla Nublar? Did any of them survive the disaster?

A year in the life of those responsible for the care of the dinosaurs. Many people would kill to have their jobs.

But would they die for it?

Jurassic Park novel/Jurassic Park film (1993)

Viewpoint: 3rd person female oc

Warnings: swears, one brief description of gore

Tagging: @heresthefanfiction @ocappreciation @wordspin-shares @howlingmadlady @arrthurpendragon @themaradwrites @starryeyes2000 @kmc1989 (please lmk if you would like informed of my sporadic updates)

Read on Ao3

Chapter 35 | Chapter 37

20th Century Boy - T. Rex

“They’ll be fine-” Richardson simply brushed off any and all concerns the Carnivores team presented of how to integrate the seven juvenile raptors with the much larger version. “…overthinking this.”

“Will not be fine.” Muldoon insisted. “Not with her.”

“You worry too much.” The portly man fielded.

“They are completely different animals from 2308, you may as well stick them in with the damn Rex.” The game warden complained. “I fancy their chances better.”

“Could we…?“ Richardson actually seemed to be entertaining the idea.

“No.” Kathy and Muldoon said in one voice, looking equally horrified.

“As far as terrible ideas go, you’ve excelled yourself.” Lizzy murmured.

The Animal Supervisor scowled in her direction. “Rubbish, they’ll just avoid each other.” “It’s alright to have more than one apex predator in a game reserve.” Muldoon explained very slowly, as if he were talking to a pre-schooler. “But the paddock is the equivalent of a goldfish pond. You can’t cram a barracuda and a shark in a pond together and expect things to just work out.”

“Fine. But I’m telling you, they’ll either avoid each other or sort it out amongst themselves.”

“There’s several million dollars worth of animal at risk if they sort it out themselves.” The game warden was losing his patience. “Who do you think InGen will blame if it goes horribly wrong?”

”Whoever’s in charge of Carnivores.” Richardson gestured at him. “Therefore it’s not really my problem, is it?”

“Best leave this to the experts then, eh?” Muldoon, astoundingly, managed to reply without sarcasm. It was his polite way of saying ‘bugger off’.

Richardson finally got the hint and swanned out of the office after a cursory nod to Tom, who merely raised an eyebrow. The animal handlers watched him exit with relief.

“Doesn’t change the fact that after thirty years working directly with wildlife, I’m actually a bit stumped.” Muldoon admitted. “And I’m already in the bad books with Hammond.”

Lizzy remembered. His threat of leaving and going to the press had not been well received.

”It’ll be alright. I’ve known that man nearly as long.” He must have noticed the worried look on her face. “He does this sort of thing rather a lot.”

“Guess I’m not too used to hanging around with millionaires.” “Armstrong, you are getting on my nerves today.” The game warden announced, then without changing tone, followed with: “Can I borrow you for a bit?”

“Oh, look how that worked out.” Kathy muttered in mock-surprise.

Tom blinked. ”I don’t get it.”

I’ll explain later Kathy muttered to him.

“Where are you going?” Lizzy asked Muldoon, who already was in the process of leaving.

“Hammond’s bungalow.” He held up a hand when she automatically went to follow him. “Had an idea. I’ll be back.”

”Can I-“

“Won’t be long.” He stopped her again, lowering his voice this time. “Armstrong, I’m fed up of Richardson, don’t give him an excuse.”

Lizzy’s eyes flicked to Tom, who was also preparing to leave the room with Kathy.

Her former arch-rival had kept his word, for now. She had to trust him, and he was yet to let her down.

He hadn’t told anyone he’d seen her leaving a certain game warden’s room early one morning. And if he’d told Kathy, she didn’t show it.

As if he’d read her mind, Tom glanced back over his shoulder while Kathy wasn’t looking and winked at her.

***

“What’s all this?” Lizzy’s expression was barely visible as she peered over a stack of books Muldoon had unceremoniously dropped on his desk in front of her.

”You’ll remember that Hammond owns a game reserve in Kenya. It’s very important to dress for the occasion.”

She took a closer look at the lettering on the pristine spines. It felt like her game warden had lifted every title that had anything remotely to do with wildlife management.

“Jeez, they haven’t been opened, ever.” Lizzy exclaimed, the book in her hands creaking as she opened it gently, the pages still crisp, though starting to wilt from the constant moisture in the air. They’d be yellowed soon enough. “And they’re all first editions.”

Muldoon cracked the spine on his book a little more forcefully. “S’good, isn’t it? Books he’ll never read, in a house he doesn’t live in.” “Why me?” Lizzy wondered aloud. “Payback for something?”

”You know how to research properly, and you’re the fastest reader.” He said simply. “In other words, reliably focused.You honestly think Kennedy has the attention span for something like this?”

“Good point.” She noted with pride he had placed her own thesis amongst the reading material in front of her. “I think Kathy and Tom are…busy, anyway.”

He looked up sharply. “That’s still going on?”

She smiled at his response. Muldoon never could deny how protective he was of his Team Leader.

“Getting kind of serious, possibly…” She turned the end of the sentence into an unintelligible grumble. It was still monumentally weird for Lizzy. She would never have put money on her remaining teammates ending up a couple. Not that she hated it, just that it put her slightly on edge, being a third wheel. Things had changed, and she wasn’t sure it was for the better, at least not yet.

Damn. Was that how everyone else felt around her?

“-Hey, isn’t it your day off tomorrow?” She wanted to talk about something else. “We might be here for a while.”

“No such thing anymore.” He pointed out. “Never made use of them anyway.”

True enough. Day off or not, Muldoon was usually always up at the arse crack of dawn, doing god-knew-what in the far reaches of the island, and would often only reappear at sundown.

Lizzy had asked once or twice where he went but he’d given a vague answer followed by a pressing excuse to be somewhere else.

His business. As long as he wasn’t drinking, she’d have to be content with not knowing. But it buzzed in the back of her mind like an angry hornet.

“Anyway, this isn’t exactly terrible.” He added, turning a page. “You’re here.”

Lizzy focused even harder on the sentence she was currently reading to keep the idiotic grin that was brewing under wraps.

They continued in mostly silence for a while, interspersed with several passionate - relatively, for Muldoon - discussions about enclosure design. Lizzy finally let loose her smile, a year ago she would never have thought she’d be in the same part of the world as Robert Muldoon, never mind the same office, discussing his specialist subject.

It didn’t change the fact they were still facing a dead end.

“Do I need to call Sarah again?” Lizzy threatened eventually.

“Don’t you touch that bloody phone!” Muldoon snapped yet another book shut and tossed it back on his desk. “We’ll have no distress signals to Africa this time, thank you very much.”

“Gennaro calls the consultants in Montana with the real-life things.” She complained. “All the time. I have their books, too. What they eat-“

“And what do they know, Lizzy?” He cut in. “The dinosaurs they study are dead and gone. We have living articles here, on the island. Let’s face it, nobody on this Earth knows those animals better than you and I do.”

“Better than Richardson does, anyway…” She muttered viciously.

“We have a problem we need to solve, let’s buckle down.”

Just then Kathy walked past the open door, paused and shook her head, pursing her lips as she made eye contact with the ethologist. It was obvious she disapproved of something.

Kathy was all dolled up. She was effortlessly beautiful day-to-day, even covered in mud and wiping sweat from her brow after a tough shift, but she had really knocked it out of the park.

“You look-“ Lizzy called, but Kathy was already gone. She sighed. “Amazing.”

Their friendship had a slightly tense edge recently. On the surface the two women were carrying on just fine, but Lizzy felt the tug of the undercurrent every time they spoke. Something wasn’t quite right. Kathy was still leaving the island soon, and besides, she had Tom now. She didn’t need Lizzy like she did during the early days, where it felt like the two of them against the world.

Muldoon was right, maybe this wasn’t so bad.

As if to prove a point, his next words came as a complete surprise. “Do you know, you’re very beautiful when you’re concentrating?”

“Hm?” Lizzy made a distracted noise, trying hard to re-focus on the pages in front of her.

“Longest you’ve ever stayed quiet for.” He continued. “Bloody lovely.”

She raised her book higher to hide how fixated she was on chewing her lip. Pleased at the results, Muldoon reached for Lizzy’s thesis next, just in case there was something, anything he’d missed the first three times. He made the mistake of glancing at the dedication on the inside page to her almost-husband and the words were burned on his brain before he could do anything about it.

Why did it still pain him so terribly? They were broken up, had been for months.

And yet, the words didn’t even sound like her. To my darling Simon. He could barely imagine her saying such a thing without sarcasm evident, it just wasn’t Lizzy.

Not his Lizzy, at any rate.

It was ruined. Muldoon was no longer thinking about the task at hand, this was going to gnaw at him for hours, days. He closed the thesis without reading any further. “You agree, we’re off the clock?”

Lizzy nodded, haltingly, as she continued to trace her finger along the lines of text. She was hoping against hope he wasn’t about to suggest they call it a night. Looming, terrible deadline aside, she was in her element, pushing exhaustion aside and speed-reading chapter after chapter. “I want to ask you something.” He hesitated. “Not as a colleague.”

Uh-oh.

This wasn’t what we agreed.

But Lizzy was drawn in.

”Shoot.”

“You went back to the States often?” He held up her work so she could see. “While you were writing this?”

“At first.” Lizzy paused her scanning and tried to remember her university days, wondering what Muldoon was getting at. It felt like another life, a completely different geological period. “Every couple months, for a week at a time…ish. Why?” ”Get much work done in those weeks?”

”Loads.”

”Hm.”

Good? Bad?

She waited for him to explain, but he had nothing further to add. “Uh, hello?”

”It’s fine.” He shrugged. “Just curious.”

”About what?”

”Doesn’t matter.”

Lizzy finally shut her book with a sigh and gave him the look over the frame of her glasses, raising her eyebrows. “If it didn’t matter then you wouldn’t have asked me. I’m not gonna let it go-oooo…-“

“Alright. How’d he ever leave you alone?” He fixed her with an equally intense stare. “That man of yours.”

“Leave me-? You’re serious?” That threw her. “I dunno…we’d been together a long time by that point.”

”That’s a piss-poor excuse.” He sat back, not satisfied with her answer. “The entire street should have known you were back in town. The entire damn borough.”

Lizzy did an excellent impression of a fire hydrant, she flushed such a deep shade at what he was implying.

“Not really his style.” She barely managed to croak out.

”Fucking his wife-to-be isn’t his style?” Every trace of breath left her body and Lizzy just sat there, dumbfounded. No, apparently it wasn’t his style. Hadn’t been.

Simon would buy her things she would never wear, or had little use for in Africa. Jewellery, perfume, nice clothes. All of it still packed away in their apartment to that day, gathering dust. He was forever despairing she wasn’t above tying her hair back with a used shoelace before talking a walk around Central Park, passing the 5th Avenue shoppers who looked at her sun-bleached curls and loose-fitting clothes with disdain. She’d never cared. Simon had.

She’d come from so little, it was just nice to have enough. Lizzy hadn’t wanted or needed extra.

Why hadn’t she realised together forever probably wasn’t the best idea, the way things had been going? Why hadn’t she called it off sooner?

For God’s sake, why hadn’t he wanted her? Why hadn’t she been enough, as she was? Without tailoring to his idea of what she should be?

“I…-“ Lizzy floundered.

”Thought you looked nice, that’s all.”

”Stop doing that.” She abruptly ground out in a flash of anger. “Catching me off guard. It’s not fair.”

”I’m the last person you should be talking to about not fair.” Muldoon sounded infuriated too, though maybe not necessarily at her. “Not fair is knowing how we both feel and pretending this is enough. It’s not.”

She frowned at him in concern. What was going on? Had Rico’s accident also made him worried about things left unsaid?

“Anyway, when’d you get so squeamish, Armstrong?” He smirked at her.

“I’m not.” Lizzy bristled. “Because…-“

“Because what?”

“Because if I was trying to wind you up, these books would be on the floor and this desk would be getting used for something else entirely.” She slammed her hand down flat to drive her point home.

Muldoon paused before answering, and his words were extremely measured and even.

“You’re probably right.”

The silence practically rang in their ears as they both glanced to the door, still ajar.

Lizzy eventually cleared her throat and opened her book again. “But I can’t. Wind you up. Because we’re supposed to be behaving aren’t we? Anyway…who’s to say the raptors want to live in groups? In such a small paddock, it could turn into a turf war.”

”We, hm…-“ He shifted his weight. “We can’t do anything about that. There’s only one paddock big enough.”

“Can’t we generalise and say herbivores are social, carnivores are solitary?”

”No.” He said gravely, looking at her as if she’d just insulted his family name. “Koala, giant panda, moose, leopard-“

“Alright then, Field Guide-“

“Lions, wolves, killer whales…” Muldoon was still listing species, paying her no heed.

“Okay, okay, but if they hunt alone here then they probably won’t die!” Lizzy slumped back in defeat and frustration. “They can’t possibly starve, we plonk their food right in front of them!”

“Hm, hunting…” Muldoon visibly brightened. “You could be on to something there, Armstrong.”

“Why do I feel I won’t like this?”

“Maybe…we feed her early in the day, before they arrive.” He explained, the plan still taking shape. “Make her slower, the bottomless pit that she is. She’s like Kennedy in the morning, set your alarm early if you want eggs, you’ve got no chance after he’s been in the canteen-“

“Feed her, and…” Lizzy redirected masterfully. “Good start. You know how to treat a woman.”

“Then we dart her while she’s resting, and when she comes to, the younger animals scent is all over her patch.”

“And she just…accepts them?” “We can gauge her reaction and intervene if necessary while she’s still coming around.” He shrugged. “Hopefully she won’t be too hopping mad.”

”What if they group up and attack her while she’s drowsy?”

”I’ll look after her. Don’t you worry.”

She paused. “How does hunting come into this?”

”I’m going to let you get close. Very close.”

Lizzy mouth twitched at his choice of the words let you. As if she hadn’t been sneaking ever closer to the fence for weeks.

But not recently she reminded herself.

”Because I’m hoping she’ll dislike your presence more than that of the other raptors.” Muldoon explained. “It’s not unusual to bond over a common enemy. Same goes for animals.”

“I’m the distraction.” Lizzy understood. “Got it.”

“Aren’t you just.” He agreed. “Good work tonight, Armstrong.”

“Hey-“ She caught his attention as they were tidying up. “How long has it been?”

“Long enough.” He knew what she was referring to. “I haven’t, if that’s what you’re asking. Not once. Though I’ve been awfully tempted lately.”

“Is it any easier?”

”No. But it’s a conscious choice I make. You, or…that.” He shrugged. “Simple, really.”

”I know.” Lizzy said simply. “Thank you.”

“No need for thanks…” He tailed off, muttering something else as he turned away that sounded a lot like you utter pain in the arse.

Lizzy’s shoulder ached, but she didn’t care.

***

The plan was off to a bad start. The raptor shipment was delayed by rough seas, and now the shadows were growing long. Muldoon was getting increasingly twitchy, he was worried about losing the light. “That damn dock-“ He kept repeating. “It’s not good enough.”

Lori Ruso hadn’t accompanied the dinosaurs, but that didn’t surprise Lizzy at all. She’d done her part, they weren’t her animals anymore.

Kathy sidled into Muldoon’s field of vision as the container was manoeuvred towards the paddock gate. “Are you getting Lizzy a Valentine’s present?” She whispered.

“A what now?” Shamefully, it hadn’t ever crossed his mind. It hadn’t been a concern of his for many years.

“Tom gave me this last night.” She proudly showed him the thin gold chain around her neck. The same one Kennedy usually always wore. “He remembered.”

”Hm.” He frowned, trying to think of a good response. “I let her have seven more of those ruddy animals, that’s all she’s getting for a very long time.”

”Ah, so you do like her!” Kathy retorted cheerfully, chuckling at the confused look Muldoon shot her way.

The park warden reminded Kathy of her dad, with the abandoned kitten she’d presented to him when she was a child, and she was moodily told one night only. Ten years later, the cat still curled up to sleep on her dad’s shoulder in front of the TV every single night.

Here he is, with the eight lethal carnivores he said he didn’t want. They always come around.

The big raptor had already been darted, though too early in the day, before they knew the ship would be delayed. They couldn’t give her another dose, Harding advised, it could tip her over threshold.

It was intended to be just enough to make her a bit wobbly, to lower her guard and make her less vigilant.

It seemed to have just made her more irritable. She kept on tossing her head and rumbling at the visitors lined up near the fence.

“Am I doing it?” Tom was on top of the transport container, ready to man the gate. He looked around anxiously when he didn’t get an answer. “Uh, guys? This thing is really heavy.”

“Muldoon?” Kathy asked timidly. “We’re waiting for the go-ahead.”

When he didn’t answer, Lizzy couldn’t resist glancing his way.

He looked uncertain. If she knew him at all, he was no doubt running through every possible scenario in his head. What he’d do to get them out if she attacked. How far he’d go to protect them from 2308. If Hammond would consider it a personal debt owed this time and Muldoon would be making amends very slowly from his own funds with high interest.

“If we were in Kenya, you know you’d just go for it.” Lizzy stepped forward and laid a hand on his arm. “Forget about the money situation. We trust you. Let’s try.”

Her words seemed to snap him out of his indecision.

“Alright. Do it, Kennedy.” He called up to the Texan, who saluted and began to lift the gate. “Armstrong, you go over there and keep her busy.”

Nothing happened for a second, then the first juvenile raptor poked their head forward into their enclosure, scanning the environment. They didn’t seem fearful of their new cagemate at all.

The younger, smaller animals were curious of the larger, chirping and moving forward in a group. They reminded Lizzy of guinea fowl, investigating something novel, the way their heads kept bobbing back and forth. There was nothing aggressive about their movements.

“Armstrong?”

“All good.” She signalled. “They’re coming out now.”

She heard a series of clicks as another tranquiliser dart was loaded. Over threshold or not, Muldoon was still prepared.

Lizzy had a good view, she was closer to the fence than she’d been in a long time. Far closer than she was comfortable with, to be perfectly honest.

“This isn’t right.” Kathy was watching beside the park warden, tense. “Thought you said 2308 would go for her.”

“I did.” The big raptor wasn’t hunting Armstrong. Watching her constantly, yes. Keeping her body between the human and the younger animals, stance defensive.

But not protecting her.

It was almost as if it were-

…guarding her? Armstrong was high value. Muldoon understood now, the way the raptor was prowling closer to Lizzy, claws tapping erractically. He knew what the dinosaur had to be thinking, because he often thought it too.

This one’s mine. That sent a chill through him.

He really didn’t like the way more of the big raptor’s teeth were becoming visible as the juveniles pottered closer. Her pupils narrowed into slits as they flicked towards him, warning him off.

“Armstrong, move away.” “It’s okay.” She reassured.

”It’s really not.” He tried not to sound too alarmed, but his heart was in his mouth. “Move. Carefully.”

Didn’t she realise that she was being sized up?

He could almost see it playing out, a freak accident, the ground was spongy under her feet, if Armstrong was startled and slipped to within grabbing distance-

The raptor nearly had Regis, and she was miniscule then. She got Esteves not so long ago.

I shouldn’t have used her, this is just reinforcing behaviour we don’t want.

”Talk to me.” Lizzy, confused, turned her attention away from the raptor, spinning around so that she was side-on to the animal. Had he spotted something she hadn’t?

Christ, watch where you stand.

“Move a-“ He started to order.

The raptor slammed her entire weight into the fence next to Lizzy with juggernaut force, throwing off a shower of sparks and screeching in pain at the shock.

She was close enough to feel how hot her breath was, the saliva splattering her in the face, causing the white-hot sparks to sizzle on her skin as the dinosaur screamed loud enough to make her eardrums wobble at close range.

Fuck! Lizzy froze, rooted to the spot, shrinking down in the face of death. Her raptor was even bigger now than only a few weeks ago. She was vicious. She was terrifying.

And now 2308 associated Lizzy with the pain of a sizeable electric shock.

The big raptor vocalised, a sound Lizzy hadn’t ever heard her make. A low, rattling whistle.

She did it again, and most of the smaller raptors charged the fence. They stopped short of the wire, hopping and snapping in her direction as well as at each other.

”What the-“ Lizzy froze for a second time, frowning.

That’s not right.

“O-kay, time to go!” Next thing Lizzy knew she was flung upside-down over Tom’s shoulder and ended up closer to the back of his jeans than she’d care to be, at eye-level with his belt as he carried her to safety. “The things you’ll do to get a good look at my butt.”

“You wish.” She had the wits to retort despite her teeth chattering. “Nearly as hideous as your face.”

”No!” Kathy’s alarmed voice rang out. “Mike, stop!”

Tom dumped Lizzy right-side up with her feet in the jungle stream.

“Ugh, idiot-“ The cool water flowed over the tops of her socks and into her boots as she brushed her hair out of her eyes to get a better look at the newest commotion.

“The Hell are you playing at, dude?” Kennedy demanded. “Seriously?”

Richardson feigned innocence, a chunk of bloodied meat dangling in his hand. ”We’re feeding them extra, yes?”

The big raptor snatched up the first piece he’d lobbed over the fence and disappeared into the paddock’s undergrowth with a growl.

”Yes, but-“ Kathy rubbed her forehead, jostling her glasses out of place. “-not right now! Give it a sec-“

”Why?” The Animal Supervisor clearly thought they were being ridiculous. “It’s a distraction, no?”

“You just rewarded her for attacking Armstrong.” Muldoon was struggling to keep his voice even. “If that weren’t incredibly obvious.”

The implied you idiot was clear.

Kathy took a slow step back. She’d never seen her boss this angry.

The smaller raptors chirped in chorus, and one-by-one, sprinted away, following the bigger animal out of sight.

The animal handlers stood still, nobody daring to blink, waiting to hear screams of terror as the young ones were inevitably torn to shreds.

Nothing, only sounds.

“See? It’s fine!” Richardson bemoaned loudly. “You were worrying over nothing. As usual.”

”No, it’s not fine.” Muldoon argued, clipping his words harshly. “But we can’t separate them now. Cover’s too thick to catch the youngsters, they can easily hide, and the light’s going.”

“I’m calling it-“ Tom added, trying to diffuse the tension. “-but dibs on not going in there with the big girl.”

”This enclosure is not ideal.” The game warden continued, paying him no attention. “If I’d been involved from the beginning-“

“For Christ’s sake, Robert! Enough complaining about the bleeding enclosure.” Richardson was also getting agitated. “We’re stuck with it now!”

”What do we do?” Kathy asked timidly.

”Pray to whichever God does it for you.” Muldoon shrugged. “Check back first thing in the morning. Christ. Are you alright?”

He turned back to Lizzy, voice hard but eyes betraying his concern.

“Yeah.” She shoved her hands into her back pockets to conceal how much they were still shaking. “She’s just…a lot bigger than when I saw her last.”

Bigger than me Lizzy thought nervously as she shuffled closer to Muldoon.

”In hindsight, probably shouldn’t have done that.” He admitted. “Involved you. She’s just taught the others a new trick.”

Attack her.

“I got it wrong.” Muldoon sighed resignedly.

”We got it wrong.” Lizzy corrected. “Should have moved away when you told me. Thought I was getting through to her-“

”Shake you up a bit, Elizabeth?” Richardson swaggered back into earshot. “Finally come across something more feral than yourself?”

Lizzy scowled at him. Clearly, no apology was coming her way.

Because he’s not sorry at all.

“Remember: she doesn’t need to run fast, Richardson.” Muldoon was still furious. “She just needs to run faster than you.”

The colour leached from the Animal Supervisor’s hammy face and he made himself scarce, roaring off in his own Jeep now that the spectacle was over.

“So far so good.” Lizzy said wearily.

“Or the calm before the storm.” The park warden deliberated. “We’ll find out which when her sedative fully wears off.”

“So pessimistic.”

“I am never disappointed if I assume the worst.” He gravely informed her. “Just get to say I told you so.”

“Guys, it’s dark. We can’t do anything more tonight.” Kathy pointed out. “Come on, I’m hungry.”

They crammed themselves into Muldoon’s Jeep, trying not to think about arriving to the worst the next morning, where VM2308 had defended her territory to the death. Lizzy wondered if it was unreasonable to camp out in front of Arnold’s monitors, and wait for the Velociraptor population count to tick slowly downwards.

***

By the time they got back to the visitor centre, the scaffolding was lit up by the quartz beams in the darkness. And the silhouette of Richardson was blocking the road, waiting for them.

Can’t escape this guy…

“What’s he got in his hand?” Kathy craned forward to see.

The headlights picked up the object he was holding. Lizzy leaned forward and stifled a gasp when she realised what it was.

Someone had vandalised one of the lunchboxes in the newly stocked gift shop area with a black marker pen, to read Ass Park.

”Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Muldoon thumped the steering wheel, making the other three jump.

“Robert!” Kathy was horrified enough to first-name him. “Honestly-“

”Christ, Baker! Can’t I do anything I like around here?”

“You can do Lizzy.” Tom muttered under his breath. Lizzy whipped around so fast to scowl at him she cricked her neck.

“Who did this?” Richardson boomed through the windscreen. Nobody answered, of course. “A replacement will be coming out of someone’s paycheck!”

”Oh, sure. This he cares about.” Kathy muttered.

”I will not be made a mockery of!” Even in the gloom, Richardson was a ridiculous shade of puce. “Get your staff under control!”

He threw the lunchbox into a puddle at the side of the road, and in a fit of pique absolutely nobody was expecting, actually stamped on it before trundling away.

They rolled around to the parking garage in silence, the animal handlers afraid to say a single word in case it was what finally tipped their boss over the edge. Muldoon cut the engine and they sat in silence, the Jeep ticked quietly as it cooled.

Was he too angry to speak? Having an aneurysm? It was hard to tell.

“I will neither confirm nor deny to him it was one of my staff-“ He finally said. “But, Kenned-“

”Yeah, yeah, boss. I’ll fix it.” Tom was apologetic.

“You’d better.” Was the stern response. “It’s not funny.”

”No. Not at all. Sorry.”

“Good, as long as we’re clear.” Muldoon sounded like he was trying his very best not to laugh. “Not funny. Not in the slightest.”

Lizzy couldn’t look at him and stared resolutely at her own boots. She daren’t make eye contact, she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop herself laughing if she did. Kathy was still trembling with fear in the backseat.

“Armstrong. Baker.” Muldoon nodded curtly at the two women before making a hasty exit from the garage, leaving the keys behind in the ignition. Lizzy had a feeling he was headed straight to find Arnold and Harding. An if you don’t laugh you’ll cry kind of situation.

“Now that was priceless.” Tom announced proudly. “Did that break the tension in here or what?”

“You’re a real asshole, you know what?” Kathy lightly smacked his arm. “This is only the most stressful day of his darn career.”

”The most stressful day so far.” Lizzy added, reflecting that she was turning into a pessimist herself, and that Muldoon was right. Again. It was oddly liberating.

“I got him.” Tom beamed happily. “Worth it.”

“You know folks, I think I’m going to get him a swear jar.” Kathy nodded thoughtfully. “He’s terrible these days.”

***

Thanks for reading!!

I love writing Wildlife Expert Muldoon.

Not on hiatus, just slow to update atm. But we’re getting there. Still the fic of my life <3

#jurassic park oc #living dangerously #welcome to jurassic park #oc: dr lizzy armstrong #jurassic park female oc #jurassic park #lizisshortforlizard #jurassic park ocs #jurassic park fanfiction #jurassic park fic #jurassic park 1993 #robert muldoon x ofc #robert muldoon #kathy #my writing #my fanfiction

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